Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Muslim life is not just about worshiping. Beyond worship, fulfilling our responsibilities towards humanity, society and the environment that our Lord has placed upon us is a necessity and manifestation of living as a Muslim. In the Holy Quran, Allah SWT commands us as, “Spend (your wealth) in the way of Allah. Don’t put yourself in danger. Do good. Surely Allah loves those who do good.” [1] We understand from this verse that people are equal in the sight of Allah and superiority is only in Taqwa, piety. People are either our brothers in faith or our equals in creation. Loving the creatures because of the Creator is a requirement of our supreme religion and civilization to which we belong.

Dear Muslims!

The most fundamental principles of Muslim societies are Tawheed (monotheism) and justice. Muslims believe in the one and only Allah SWT. He is the Most Gracious and Most Merciful, the Master of the day of judgment. Just as He is extremely merciful towards His servants, at the same time He holds them accountable for the responsibilities He decreed upon them.  Islam rejects all kinds of discrimination, injustice and oppression. Our Prophet SAW said in his Farewell Sermon: “You are all from Adam, and Adam is from the soil. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, and a non-Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab. Superiority is only through Taqwa.”[2]  He emphasized to us that people are equal.  A Muslim always observes peace and justice in his personal and social life, sees differences as richness, and strives to make living peacefully together possible.

Living as a Muslim is achieved by spreading goodness and preventing evil based on Tawheed (monotheism) and justice. Our Lord tells us to do good and spread it; He commanded us to avoid and forbid evil. As it is stated in our Guide to salvation, the Holy Quran that: “Let there be a group among you who call ˹others˺ to goodness, encourage what is good, and forbid what is evil—it is they who will be successful.”[3]  attention is drawn to this good news. Fulfilling this command is not only an individual but also a social duty. Every Muslim should strive to spread goodness and beauty and prevent evil and ugliness from becoming widespread.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Every life matters! Life, whether it belongs to humans, animals or plants, is a gift from Allah SWT that must be protected with respect and care. Marginalization, racism, oppression and injustice have become common in the world today. A Muslim sees every human being as a being created by Allah and treats them fairly without any discrimination. Regardless of race, language, color or status, all people are equal in the sight of Allah. Racism and marginalization are actions that Islam strongly rejects. As Muslims, we must stand against these oppressions, defend and generalize the understanding that life is valuable for everyone. Apart from humans, we must protect the habitats and lives of other creations who live with us in the world, and we must not forget that they are also an ummah like us.

Dear Muslims!

“Every life matters!” on Open Mosque Day, which will be held on October 3. By coming together with the motto, we will glorify social peace and compassion. We will stand against racism and marginalization with “compassion” and will explain to our society and humanity the understanding that everyone is equal in the sight of Allah SWT and that superiority is only through “Taqwa, piety”. In the hadith we read at the beginning of our khutbah, our Prophet SAW said: “The Compassionate One has mercy on those who are merciful. If you show mercy to those who are on the earth, He Who is in the heaven will show mercy to you“[4].  Let us be the mind, heart and tongue of humanity, which needs mercy from the heavens more than any other being. May Allah SWT make us merciful and honorable. May He make us the righteous defenders of these virtues. Amin

[1] Bakara suresi, 2:195

[2] İbn Hanbel V, 411

[3] Âl-i İmrân suresi, 3:104

[4] Ebû Dâvûd, Edeb, 58; Tirmizî, Birr, 16

Khutba – Every Life Matters!