Khutbah di WP hari ini bertajuk, "Sultan penaung hak asasi rakyat". During the independence day, it was on the sacrifices made by the "pejuang bangsa". Last week, it was on Islamic trades (muamalat), of which 80% of the khutbah is on boycotting Israel food products. It was on chikungunya fever last month when the epidemic was at its peak. It is kind a funny as well to notice the khutbah on environmental awareness drifted to the justification of fuel price hike during the petrol brouhaha few months ago.

I am not surprise at all if someone tell me that he frequently fall asleep during the khutbah. Week after week, my observation and my sound sleep during the khutbah told me that the gist of the khutbah’s text is getting lousy and lousier. Propagation upon propagation was subtly being preached during the khutbah. A verse or two of AL-Quran was included to make it "from the perspective of Islam".

It is fine by me for the Islamic department to set the text on some worldly "matters" from the perspective of Islam as Islam is not all about the hereafter. But having seen the perpetuality of "worldly matters from the perspective of Islam" being preached during the Friday prayer make me wonder on whether the khutbah really meet its purpose and spirit.

Nowadays, majority of the people works 5 days a week from 9a.m. to 6p.m. Going to the mosque during Maghrib Isya is quite impossible, especially for those who stayed somewhere outside Klang Valley. Weekends are spent with family. The only opportunity that they throng to mosque is only on Friday for the khutbah and Friday prayer. And what a disappointment that Friday upon Friday, the khutbah is on the "worldly matters from the perspective of Islam", without touching in depth about the akhirat, the importance of remembrance of death, the importance of frequenting mosque, the significance of cleansing one’s inner self, the import of crying, self recollection and retrospection when we are alone etc.

The khutbah has lost it soul.

 I miss the time when the Ustaz-hand-crafted-khutbah is so touching that the student just do not want the Friday khutbah to end. I long the time when the noon khutbah emotionally touches on our journey to the hereafter, after a long week of study/work. Gone are the days when the khatib speak in a high tone caressing and luring the heart to the reward of genuine and lawful jihaad.

Nevertheless, Alhamdullillah. Apart from the doa of keamanan negara and kesihatan DYMM, at least there are two dua’s for the hereafter.

Oh Lord, don’t you deviate my heart after you had enlightened it, and endow us with your bounty of mercy.

Oh Allah, give us worldly victory, together with the hereafter’s victory, and protect us from the punishment of hellfire.