Islam in Two Words (RICC Khutbah)

08-14-2026 mamdouh.salama@comcast.net Islam In Two Words Allah has defined for us our role model: “Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent role model for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.” (Al-Aḥzāb 33:21) There are many aspects of the Prophet’s ﷺ character that we should follow. Today I will focus on one that I hope every khatib, including myself, will practice: brevity. If I speak at great length about the importance of being brief, I will be contradicting my own message. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught us that the power of speech is not measured by its length, and that wisdom is not in the number of words we use, but by choosing the right words and putting them in the right place. The Prophet ﷺ said: « A man’s lengthy prayer and short khutbah are a sign of his understanding.” (Sahih Muslim) And Jabir ibn Samurah ه نع الله يضر described the prayer and khutbah of the Prophet ﷺ by saying: “His prayer was moderate, and his khutbah was moderate.” (Sahih Muslim) The purpose of the Friday khutbah is not for the khatib to say everything he knows but to say what people need to hear. There is a big difference between the two. You may know a great deal about a subject, but wisdom requires you to ask: • What is the one idea I want people to leave with today? • And what is the clearest and shortest way of communicating it? 1

We often fall into the trap of overexplaining: we state an idea, then explain it, then repeat the explanation in another way, then add examples and explanations of the examples. Meanwhile, the listener may have understood the point several minutes ago. Sometimes excessive explanation weakens the argument. Too much justification may suggest that you do not trust the listener’s understanding, or that you yourself are not confident in the strength of what you are saying. Wisdom is not found in the abundance of words. Wisdom is knowing when to speak, what to say, and when to stop. The Prophet ﷺ described one of the special gifts Allah gave him: “I was sent with comprehensive speech expressed in few words.” (Agreed upon) Jawami’ al-kalim means the ability to express great meanings in few words. This is a lesson for all of us, not only for khatibs. If an idea is already clear, do not let an excess of words blur that clarity. If a matter requires evidence, do not give ten proofs when one clear verse or one authentic hadith is enough. If something needs explanation, explain it. But when it does not, stop. Brevity is not a sign of lack of knowledge. Often, it is a sign of maturity of knowledge. When an idea is not yet clear in our own minds, we may need pages to explain it. But when we truly understand it, we can often express its essence in a single sentence. So let us apply this principle now. Suppose someone asked me: “Can you summarize the message of Islam in just two words?” At first, the question may seem impossible. The Qur’an contains more than six thousand verses. Islam encompasses belief, worship, morality, law, human relationships, family, society, and much more. How could all of this possibly be summarized in two words? I will try. I would say: Knowledge and Accountability. And to support this, I will not give you a lecture. I will give only two verses. One from the beginning of the revelation and one from the end of revelation. The first words revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) were: 2

“Read in the name of your Lord who created. He created the human being from a clinging substance. Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous, who taught by the pen, taught the human being what he did not know.” (Al-’Alaq 96:1–5) Read...taught by the pen…taught the human being what he did not know. So, the journey begins with: Knowledge. Human beings cannot fulfill their purpose in this life without knowledge. But is knowledge enough? No. Because knowledge without responsibility can be dangerous. So now let us look at the other end of the journey. Many scholars identified this verse as the last revealed: “And be mindful of a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be paid in full for what it has earned, and none will be wronged.” (Al-Baqarah 2:281) returned to Allah.” At the beginning: Learn. At the end: You will be asked what you did with what you learned. Knowledge and Accountability. Between these two words lies the journey of human life: learn what Allah asks of you, distinguish truth from falsehood, understand your responsibility toward Allah, your family, people, and society. And remember that you will return to Allah, and that your knowledge, actions, wealth, time, and abilities all carry responsibility. At this point, I could add many verses and hadiths. But I will not. Because today’s khutbah is about brevity, and the point has been made. 3

Perhaps we can leave today with three words: Learn. Act. Account. Learn what is right. Act upon what you know. And remember that you will give an account before Allah. We ask Allah to teach us what benefits us, to benefit us through what He has taught us, and to make our knowledge an argument for us and not against us. We ask Allah to teach us what benefits us, to benefit us by what He has taught us, and to make our knowledge an argument for us and not against us. O Allah, spread your mercy upon us, shower us with Your blessings, increase our knowledge, grant us forgiveness, and reward us by the company of Your prophets in the highest place in Heaven, Al-Ferdous Al-Aala. O Allah, forgive our parents and all our friends and relatives who have passed away and make their graves a garden from heaven and grant them the Ferdous Al-Ala. O Allah, remedy our sick and grant them full and speedy recovery. O Allah, guide our children, protect them and make them righteous. O Allah we have many of our brethren who are suffering from injustice and oppression, O Allah grant them victory, heal their trauma, protect the helpless, fulfill their needs and grant them peace and prosperity. O Allah, we ask you in this blessed hour with every name you have elected for yourself that none of us leave this gathering, but his pains have been relieved, his worries have been removed, his debts have been paid, his weaknesses have been concealed, his sins have been forgiven, and his needs have been fulfilled, 4