Honorable Muslims!
Our Almighty Lord (swt) has created us as men and women. And then He (swt) blessed us with the gift of being a family so that our souls would find peace and our hearts would be uplifted.
To be a family is a unique blessing from Allah the Almighty. It is the most precious treasure we can have in life. It is the most time-honored institution that ensures the continuation of a clean generation and the construction of a safe society. It is the most valuable school where our faith, character and way of life are shaped. It is an environment of love, peace and trust, protected by Allah's (swt) grace and growing and flourishing with the children He (swt) bestows.
Dear Believers!
To be a family is for a man and a woman to establish a home through a legitimate act of marriage. To be a family means two lives becoming one whole, and two hearts becoming one soul. To be a family is to be wholeheartedly committed to our Lord Almighty's (swt) verse, Ù‡ُÙ†َّ Ù„ِبَاسٌ Ù„َÙƒُÙ…ْ ÙˆَاَÙ†ْتُÙ…ْ Ù„ِبَاسٌ Ù„َÙ‡ُÙ†َّۜ "Your spouses are a garment for you as you are for them."[1], and be covering, protecting, and harmonious just like a garment.
Protecting the family is as important as being a family. Protecting the family means that spouses are committed to each other with compassion, mercy and loyalty. It entails that spouses prevent each other from all kinds of sins and haram, and protect their chastity and honor.
Dear Muslims!
We live in an age where all kinds of destructions not fit for human nature and against the family institution are spreading rapidly. The idea that the family restricts one's freedom and that it is more attractive to live alone without assuming responsibility is encouraged. However, being a family is a commandment of our Lord (swt), part of our Prophet's (saw) sunnah, and a necessity of human nature. In this regard, our Lord Almighty (swt) states in the Holy Qur'an as follows, "And one of His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves so that you may find comfort in them. And He has placed between you compassion and mercy. Surely in this are signs for people who reflect."[2] The Messenger of Allah (saw) encourages us to start a family as follows: "Marriage is part of my sunnah, and whoever does not follow my sunnah has nothing to do with me."[3]
Dear Believers!
Let us all hold fast to the life-giving principles of our sublime religion Islam. Let us strive to live a decent family life in accordance with Allah's (swt) commandment and our human nature. Hand in hand, heart to heart, and with all our strength, let us strive to keep the institution of the family and its values alive. We should not forget that a healthy, strong and peaceful society is only possible with a family established by a man and a woman in a legitimate act of marriage.
Dear Muslims!
Each of us has individual duties and responsibilities in establishing, protecting and strengthening the family. In this direction, I would like to remind you, dear brothers and sisters, once again that our Family and Religious Counselling Centers within our Mufti Offices provide religious guidance services by our expert staff.
I would like to conclude this Friday's khutbah with the following supplication we are taught in the Holy Quran: "Our Lord! Bless us with pious spouses and offspring who will be the joy of our hearts, and make us models for the righteous."[4]
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[1] Baqarah, 2/187.
[2] Rum, 30/21.
[3] Ibn Majah, Nikah, 1.
[4] Furqan, 25/74.
General Directorate of Religious Services