Upon the Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) had a masjid built as the first thing. He also had a shady structure built adjacent to the masjid for accommodation and education for his companions. The Prophet of Mercy (saw), who was sent as a teacher, thus united knowledge and worship at the Masjid al-Nabawi, and made it the heart of Madinah. In this respect, the first revelation read as follows: "Recite in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous, Who taught by the pen and taught man that which he knew not."[1]
Dear Believers!
According to our sublime religion Islam, faith and good morals, worship and manners, and knowledge and wisdom are integral to one another. Mosques are not only the center of life and the heart of a city, but they are also a hub of knowledge and guidance. Mosques, where we submit our servitude to the Lord of Worlds, enable us to grasp the sense of oneness, unity, and brotherhood under the same dome. They strengthen our faith and hope with their minaret calling to tawhid and adhan to worship. We prostrate for the consent of Allah (swt) facing the same mihrab. Khutbah and sermons that enjoin the good and forbid the evil and teach about the truth of Islam give direction to our lives. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) gives glad tidings that peace and mercy would be rained over those who gather in one of the masjids of Allah, recite the Holy Qur'an, and discuss about it there.[2]
Dear Muslims!
The 1-7 October Week is celebrated as "the Mosques and Religious Officials Week" every year in Turkey. The theme of this year is "Mosques and Knowledge". Throughout the week we will remember again the place of mosques in our civilization and their meaning in our lives. We will remember with gratitude our sacrificing religious officials who have devoted their lives to serving for religion, and our great nation who have constructed and improved mosques. We will organize a symposium on the place of the Grand Hagia Sophia Mosque in our worship and knowledge history, the opening of which we celebrated with great enthusiasm and happiness.
I pray to Allah (swt) that the Mosques and Religious Officials Week be auspicious. I would like to conclude this Friday's khutbah with the following hadith of Prophet Muhammad (saw): "The places most favorable to Allah are mosques."[3]
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[1] Alaq, 96/1-5.
[2] Muslim, Dhikr, 38.
[3] Muslim, Masajid, 288.
General Directorate of Religious Services