Central Khutbah: “The Blessing of Speech”

One of the greatest blessings Allah has bestowed upon us is the ability to speak. Through our words, we express what is in our hearts, convey knowledge, comfort others, seek forgiveness, and turn to Allah in supplication. Allah reminds us that it is He who created mankind and taught them speech:

“The Most Merciful. He taught the Qur’an. He created man. He taught him eloquence.”
(Qur’an, Ar-Raḥmān, 1–4)

The order of these verses is especially beautiful. Allah first mentions teaching the Qur’an, then creating mankind, and then granting the gift of speech. It is as though He is teaching us that the most beautiful and valuable words we can learn, recite, and preserve in our hearts are His own words.

Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “The delight of the people of Paradise lies in two things: gazing upon Allah and listening to His speech and His words.” (Ibn al-Qayyim, Miftāḥ Dār as-Sa‘ādah) We therefore ask Allah to grant us Paradise and its blessings, the joy of beholding His Noble Face, listening to His speech, and dwelling near Him.

The daily portion of the Qur’an that a believer recites is known as a wird. In Arabic, this word is connected to the idea of arriving at a water source. Allah uses the same root when speaking about Mūsā (Moses), peace be upon him:

“And when he arrived at the water of Madyan…”
(Qur’an, Al-Qaṣaṣ, 23)

Just as water gives life to the body, the Qur’an gives life to the heart. Reciting the Qur’an every day is like nourishing the heart with pure, refreshing water.

This does not have to be a large amount. It may be one page, a few verses, or ten peaceful minutes every morning. What matters most is that the heart returns regularly to the words of Allah. When a person opens the Qur’an every day, they do not merely nourish their mind—they calm their heart, correct their thinking, and remind themselves of what truly matters in life.

After filling our hearts with the words of Allah, we should be mindful of the words that we ourselves speak. Every word matters. A word can heal a heart, but it can also break one. It can repair a relationship or destroy it. It can bring people closer together or drive them apart. Therefore, before speaking, it is wise to ask ourselves whether what we are about to say is true, necessary, and expressed with kindness and gentleness. This is a valuable piece of wisdom, even though it is not a hadith.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ clearly linked faith, the heart, and the tongue. He said:

“A servant’s faith will not be upright until his heart is upright, and his heart will not be upright until his tongue is upright. And no one whose neighbor is not safe from his harm will enter Paradise.”
(Musnad Aḥmad; authenticated as ḥasan by Shaykh al-Albānī in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Targhīb, no. 2554.)

This hadith teaches us that the condition of the heart is reflected in our speech and conduct. A person cannot claim to have a pure heart while constantly lying, insulting, backbiting, humiliating others, or causing them pain through their words. A sound heart should produce kind speech, gentle advice, sincerity, and genuine care for others.

Sometimes a single gentle sentence can calm a difficult situation. One sincere apology can heal pain that has lasted for years. One word of encouragement can restore a person’s strength and hope. Likewise, one careless remark can leave a wound that is not easily forgotten. That is why a believer does not say everything that comes to mind. Rather, they pause, reflect, and ask themselves whether their words will bring benefit or harm.

Yet we are only human, and we make mistakes. At times we hurt others with our words, allow our tongues to lead us into sin, and sincerely regret what we have said or done. In such moments, we must never lose hope in Allah’s mercy.

In a magnificent qudsī hadith, Allah, the Most High, says:

“O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and place your hope in Me, I will forgive you for whatever you have done, and I will not mind. O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky and then you sought My forgiveness, I would forgive you, and I would not mind. O son of Adam, if you were to come to Me with sins nearly filling the earth, then meet Me without associating anything with Me, I would come to you with forgiveness nearly equal to it.”
(Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, no. 3540; narrated by Anas ibn Mālik, may Allah be pleased with him.)

This hadith teaches us that Allah’s mercy is neither small nor limited. A person may commit many sins, but as long as they sincerely call upon Allah, hope for His forgiveness, and return to Him in repentance, the doors of mercy remain open. Even when a person’s sins seem immense, Allah’s forgiveness is greater still.

The hadith also reminds us that our words can mark the beginning of our return to Allah. A sincere Astaghfirullāh may be the beginning of repentance. A heartfelt apology may be the beginning of reconciliation. A supplication made from the depths of the heart may be the beginning of an entirely new life. What matters is that our words do not remain empty, but are accompanied by sincere intention and real change in our actions.

Let us therefore nourish our hearts with the words of Allah, guard our tongues from harmful speech, and never cease seeking His forgiveness. We ask Allah to make the Qur’an the springtime of our hearts and the light of our chests, to rectify our hearts and our tongues, to forgive our sins, to help us speak the truth with gentleness and wisdom, and to make our words pleasing to Him.

Āmīn.

(Central khutbah by the Muslim Religious Leader Hafiz Hilmija Redžić on July 24, 2026, at the “Centre Culturel Islamique de Luxembourg” in Mamer)