Khutbah: On Islam is the Solution
Since the time of the Khulafah al-Rashidun, the Jumah Khutbah served as the pivotal nerve centre of every Muslim community—where societal and political matters were deliberated, injustices were corrected, and the jama’ah was spurred into action. The Khutbah was not just a ‘sermon’; it was a call to uphold truth and justice and encourage Muslims to carry out their obligations. It is in this same spirit that I proceed today—compelled to bring to attention the falling debris of a broken world.
As Muslims, we are bound together by the powerful declaration: Ashadu an la ilaha illa Allah, wa ashadu anna Muhammadan Rasul Allah. There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger. This is a profound and weighty statement. Yet, how tragic it is that this message—our inheritance of truth—is often withheld, distorted, and betrayed. Instead of being offered to humanity as a cure, it is twisted into something unrecognisable, but Allah has honoured the Muslim Ummah with nobility and unity because the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Allah will not cause my ummah to agree on falsehood; the hand of Allah is with the jama’ah.”
We are a people of guidance, a people of action, and a people entrusted to deliver this truth to a world in desperate need of it. In our communities today, we cannot ignore that the essential fabric is torn apart—all foundations of virtue, correct behaviour, and unity seem to have gone out the window, and the life-transactional compass that once guided the Ummah and the world has eroded.
The collapse of the economic, social, and political mechanisms is not an accident. It is a result of a system built on falsehood where the poverty of the people is turned into a commodity and people’s suffering is a means of ruthless domination and control.
Nowhere is this macabre situation more rampant than in our country, in which the food crisis that grips it is alarming: excess food production is dumped in landfills where humans and animals forage to get their provisions, while at the same time, the plague of food poisoning continues to claim the lives of children, and their deaths go uninvestigated and unanswered.
Compounding this crisis is the dire state of education. Many schools are in dilapidated buildings, are unfit for learning, and have a shortage of essential resources such as textbooks. Children are forced to travel long distances to attend school, only to return to broken homes and devastated environmental settings. How can society then expect them to thrive when their basic rights—to nourishment, to education, to safety—are systematically denied?
These are not merely logistical or administrative failings that can be resolved by endless debates or empty rhetoric. These are problems that demand immediate and tangible action. Clearly the current system does not function, will not function, and cannot be made to function. It is crumbling before our eyes, unravelling under the weight of its own obsolescence. To attempt to fix this broken system is to invite disappointment. The world is crying out for solutions, and yet, every attempt to resolve the unfixable has only deepened the cracks.
The political system of our time, driven by greed, corruption, and self-interest, has failed to uphold what it has promised. It created a world where the powerful exploit the weak, where policies prioritise profit over people. Imagine a mother who rises at 3 a.m. (in the morning), her neighbourhood covered in darkness, the streets have no lights, and danger lurks everywhere. She walks in these treacherous paths knowing that any moment her life can be cut short. She boards an overcrowded taxi, overwhelmed by exhaustion from sleepless nights worrying about her children.
She arrives at work before dawn, spending the entire day working under harsh conditions. For all her effort, she receives a small wage that disappears as soon as it arrives. By the third week of the month, there is nothing left. The cupboards are empty, her children are hungry, and the weight of their needs crushes her spirit.
In desperation, she turns to the only available option: the ruthless loan shark. His terms are brutal, his interest astronomical, but what choice does she have? She takes the money, knowing it will plunge her deeper into debt. And so, the cycle continues—an endless loop of despair, exploitation, and hopelessness.
This is not just her story. It is the story of countless men and women across this country—people who work in the shadows of our society, their struggles invisible to those in power. It is a story of systemic failure, where the hardest-working members of our community are left with nothing but fear, debt, and despair.
In addition, the housing crisis across our communities is a high point of disaster. Decades of neglect and mismanagement have left people with homes that burn easily, neighbourhoods that lack even the most basic infrastructure, and families who are forced to endure the indignity of living in squalor.
Imagine living in constant fear that the roof over your head might collapse, that a stray spark could reduce everything you own to ashes. Imagine raising children in a space that is neither safe nor secure, where basic necessities like clean water and electricity are luxuries rather than guarantees. This is not just a question of poverty—it is a question of dignity, of justice, and of what we are willing to accept as a society.
Housing is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human necessity. It is the foundation upon which every other aspect of life is built. Without safe and stable shelter, how can we expect communities to grow?
We cannot afford to wait for solutions from those who benefit from the status quo. It is up to those who reject this—to demand better and to act. Change does not come from complacency. It comes from people who are willing to stand up, speak out, and fight for what is just. What we see is not incompetence but calculated neglect—a deliberate delay designed to stretch out promises for political gain. Housing is dangled as a carrot for votes, a problem never truly solved but deferred to the next election cycle. Meanwhile lives are put on hold, all for the sake of maintaining political leverage.
Yet the irony is glaring that billions are poured into malls and luxury developments while homes burn, roofs collapse, and families are forced to live in conditions unfit for human habitation. The very people who work to build and sustain the economy are left out in the cold, and their needs are ignored. But let us be clear: this crisis can be solved. It is not a lack of resources or expertise holding us back—it is a lack of political will. A system that prioritises corporate portfolios over its people has failed in its most basic duty.
Islam is the solution. But this should not just be a declaration of the tongue. This truth must be accompanied by action, clarity, and a profound understanding of what Islam offers—a comprehensive way of life that addresses the full spectrum of human problems. Within its divine framework lies guidance on governance, social justice, economics, family, and education. It is a transactional mode that has withstood the test of time, bringing stability, dignity, and balance wherever it is truly implemented.
The Shari’ah is not a relic of the past; it is a living, dynamic system capable of addressing the complexities of our modern age—this is because it consists of an activated living Fiqh. Therefore we can no longer, as Muslims, surrender the juridical obligation of the noble Sunnah, which provides solutions that balance individual obligations with communal responsibilities, ensuring that power is exercised with accountability and justice.
As Muslims, we must rise above the chaos. This begins with strengthening local communities that are strong and united. From there, we must address the broader political structures. We must understand the modern world how it function and its opposition to Islam. We cannot afford confusion, hesitation, or compromise. The reality of our situation demands that we focus first on the issues surrounding us that are easily fixable —issues we can address with immediacy and certainty, and not overly rationalise apparent matters or get lost in the extremes of oversimplification or overcomplication.
Socially, our responsibility is greater. The fragmentation of our communities has left many people feeling abandoned and disconnected, stripped of the bonds that once gave them strength. We must rebuild the ethos of unity—not as an abstract ideology, but as a lived reality. This means creating bonds that transcend race, social standing, and nationality. If we continue to walk through life with hardened and angry hearts, wearing them as a proud armour, we will only bring ruin upon ourselves and deepen the fractures within our communities.
The Prophet ﷺ warned us against this when he said, “Do not tell me things against my brothers, for I want to come out to them with a good opinion of them.” Our politics must not divide us but unite us. Brotherhood and sisterhood are not just words spoken with the tongue—they are sincerity in action, truthfulness in intention, and compassion in every glance. Our social structures must not be isolating but embracing. They must become the framework for ennobling, not causing further harm. Above all, we must remember the gravity of our actions and choices. Every word we speak and every decision we make will be accounted for before Allah.
Allah Glory be to Him says in His Mighty Book:
وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مِنكُمۡ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَٰتِ لَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّهُمۡ فِي
ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَمَا ٱسۡتَخۡلَفَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمۡ دِينَهُمُ ٱلَّذِي ٱرۡتَضَىٰ
لَهُمۡ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِهِمۡ أَمۡنٗاۚ يَعۡبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشۡرِكُونَ بِي شَيۡـٔٗاۚ وَمَن
كَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلۡفَٰسِقُونَ
The translation of which is:
Allah has promised those of you who have iman and do right actions that He will make them successors in the land as He made those before them successors, and will firmly establish for them their Deen with which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security. ‘They worship Me, not associating anything with Me.’ Any who are kafir after that, such people are deviators.
Allah has entrusted us with this earth, with one another, and with the sacred responsibility to lead with justice and fairness. He has elevated us above all His creation—not for arrogance, but for purpose. Time is passing away, and those who remain spectators will inevitably become its victims. True success comes only from Allah, and His Hand is always with the Jama’ah.