Author: Zak Chapman

"THE QURAN AND THE SUNNAH ARE AN INSEPARABLE WHOLE" Dear Muslims! The Almighty Allah (swt) states, “And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger –those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent...

"SALAH: MI‘RAJ OF THE MUSLIMS" Honorable Muslims! Insha Allah, we will welcome the Lailat al-Mi‘raj on this night. Endless thanks and praise be to Allah the Almighty (swt), Who has enabled us to reach this blessed night; salat and salam be to our Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw), for being a...

"FAITH ENJOINS RIGHTEOUS DEEDS AND GOOD MORALS" Dear Muslims! Faith is the most fundamental requirement for attaining the pleasure of our Almighty Lord (swt) and eternal salvation. Faith is the wholehearted belief in the existence and oneness of Allah, His prophets, His angels, His books, the Last Day, and that...

"THE GREATEST MIRACLE: THE HOLY QUR'AN" Dear Believers! The Holy Qur'an is the last divine message sent by Allah the Almighty (swt) to all humanity. From the moment it was revealed until the Day of Judgment, it is a sacred text for all of humanity in every field and a...

O ALLAH! MAKE THE THREE HOLY MONTHS BLESSED FOR US بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَسَارِعُوا إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ :وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّي اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ .اَللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِي رَجَبٍ، وَشَعْبَانَ، وَبَلِّغْنَا رَمَضَانَ Dear Muslims! The Three Holy Months, the climate of mercy...

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NAMES BELONG TO ALLAH Dear Muslims, In the Surah al-Ikhlas I recited at the beginning of the khutbah, our Lord Almighty (swt) describes Himself as follows: “Say, o Prophet, ‘He is Allah—One and Indivisible. Allah—the Sustainer needed by all. He has never had offspring. Nor was He...

BASMALA: THE DOOR TO AN ABUNDANCE OF DIVINE BLESSINGS Dear Muslims, Our Prophet (saw), the mercy to the worlds, says, “Every important word or matter that does not begin with the remembrance of Allah is considered incomplete.”1 and advises us to begin every word and every deed with the Basmala....

LIFE ONLY COMES AROUND ONCE Dear Muslims! We are about to leave another year of our lives behind. Now is the time to take ourselves into account before we are brought to account and to review our deeds before they are weighed in the balance (mizan). It is the time...

PROTECTING THE VALUES THAT MAKE US WHO WE ARE Dear Muslims, The goal of our sublime religion, Islam, is to construct a Muslim identity based on the Qur’an and Sunnah. In constructing this identity, the primary measure of Islam is the moral principles introduced by the Messenger of Allah (saw)....

"CHILDREN: OUR LORD'S (SWT) PRECIOUS GIFT IN OUR TRUST" Dear Muslims, In the verse I have recited, our Lord Almighty (swt) states, "And know that your wealth and your children are only a test and that with Allah is a great reward."1 In the hadith I have read, our Prophet...

"COME TO PRAYER! COME TO SALVATION!" Honorable believers! اَلصَّلاَةُ عِمَادُ الدّ۪ينِ “Salah is the pillar of religion.”1 أَوَّلُ مَا يُحَاسَبُ بِهِ الْعَبْدُ الصَّلاَةُ “The first of man’s deeds for which he will be called to account on the Day of Resurrection will be salah.”2 مِفْتَاحُ الْجَنَّةِ الصَّلاَةُ “The key to...

"SALAT AL-JUMU'AH (FRIDAY PRAYER): MUSLIMS' WEEKLY GATHERING" Dear Muslims! It was another Friday, like today. Our beloved Prophet (saw) finally made it to Madinah after a challenging journey during the Hijrah. The dhuhr time had already arrived when he (saw) arrived at the place called al-Ranuna. The Messenger of Allah...

"SOCIETY OF MERCY" Honorable Muslims! One of the most precious blessings Allah the Almighty (swt) has bestowed upon His servants is the feeling of mercy. Mercy is a manifestation of our Lord’s (swt) name “al-Rahman”. Mercy is tenderness of the heart and softness of the soul. It is to be...

"FAITH AND STEADFASTNESS (ISTIQAMAH)" Honorable Muslims! One of the Companions came to our Prophet (saw) and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Tell me something of Islam which I will not ask anyone else.” The Messenger of Allah (saw) said, قُلْ آمَنْتُ بِاللّٰهِ ثُمَّ اسْتَقِمْ “Say, ‘I believe in Allah’ and...

"PRECAUTION FIRST, PROVIDENCE LATER" Honorable Muslims! Our Almighty Lord (swt), the Sole Owner of sovereignty, has created everything in harmony and order, from the smallest particle to the vast universe. This marvelous harmony in creation is in accord with “Sunnatullah”, that is, Allah’s (swt) laws and rules. What falls upon...

"OUR LIFE GUIDE: THE QUR'AN" Dear Muslims, In the verse I have recited, Allah the Almighty states, “Surely this Qur’an guides to what is most upright, and gives good news to the believers—who do good—that they will have a mighty reward.”1 In the hadith I have read, the Messenger of...

TO BE A FAMILY: A DIVINE BLESSING 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...

RIGHTS OF NEIGHBORS Dear Believers! Allah (SWT) has created us to live among people from birth to death. In this life, we sometimes fall into trouble and are overcome with sadness; at other times, we are blessed with goodness and are filled with joy. At such times, we look for...

PERSONAL AND PUBLIC RIGHTS Honorable Muslims! Our sublime religion, Islam, recognizes the rights of all humans as sacred and inviolable, regardless of religion, language, race, and gender. It commands us to be just in every field and under all circumstances, to uphold fairness, and to observe halal-haram sensitivity. It advises...

PIETY, HAYA (PIOUS SHYNESS), AND HIJAB Honorable Muslims! Allah the Almighty (swt) calls on us in the Holy Qur’an as follows, “O children of Adam! We have provided for you clothing to cover your nakedness and as an adornment.”1 This verse tells us that the blessings that satisfy our needs...

THE PROPHET’S ﷺ CALL Dear Muslims! Our Lord Almighty (SWT) has created humans in the best fashion and bestowed countless blessings upon them. He (SWT) has put the universe to their service and made them the addressee of the revelation. He (SWT) has many prophets as a manifestation of His...

"HALAL EARNING AND SWEAT OF THE BROW" Honorable Muslims! In the verse I have recited, our Lord Almighty (swt) states, "Eat of the good, lawful things provided to you by Allah. And be mindful of Allah in Whom you believe."1 In the hadith I have read, our Prophet ﷺ says,...

"KNOWLEDGE IS LIGHT" Respected brothers and sisters! Our sublime religion attaches great importance to knowledge and wisdom. The first revelation that reads as اِقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذ۪ي خَلَقَۚ , meaning, “Read, in the name of your Lord Who created!”1 invites us to read and comprehend all beings and the whole universe...

"ISLAM: RELIGION OF PEACE AND WELFARE" Endless praise to the Almighty Allah (swt), who created us out of nothing, revealed his existence to us, blessed us with Islam, the religion of peace and soundness, and gathered us in this mosque with the spiritual atmosphere of Jum’a. May peace and blessings...

FRIDAY KHUTBA OF TOKYO CAMII "PARENTS: A GATE TO PARADISE" Dear Believers! Our parents are the ones who deserve our kindness the most. Because they are the reason that we are in this life. They have brought us to where we are now, sometimes with tears in their eyes and...

Dear Muslims! In verse I have recited, the Almighty Allah (SWT) states as follows, "Do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good."[1] In the hadith I have read, our beloved Prophet (saw) says, "Allah loves someone who, when working, performs it in a perfect manner."[2] Dear Believers! Our sublime...

Honorable Muslims! Youth have endless dreams and boundless vitality. Their body, spirit, sense of self, and ideas are always in flux. They question all there is to know about life. They question themselves as well. Because they are in need of finding a meaning in life. Because of this, they...

Honorable Muslims! In the verse I have recited, our Lord Almighty (swt) states, "Do people think once they say, “We believe,” that they will be left without being put to the test?"[i] In the hadith I have read, our beloved Prophet (saw) says, "Have Taqwa of Allah wherever you are....

Blessed Friday to You, Brothers and Sisters! Our Prophet (pbuh) conquered Mecca with his army, the city where he had to leave ten years ago with the journey of the hegira. The Messenger of Allah was born and grew up in this blessed city and he was longing for it....

Honorable Muslims! The Messenger of Allah (saw), as per the command of his Lord (swt), called on people to believe in Allah (swt) and worship Him (swt) alone. However, the polytheists of Makkah, who were devoid of a sense of servitude to Allah (swt) and of moral values, did not...

Dear Believers! One of the most important goals of our great religion, Islam, is to protect human life and keep it safe from all kinds of evil and attacks. According to our religion, every person’s life is sacred and untouchable. In this respect, it is stated in the Holy Qur’an,...

Dear Muslims! Islam declares all kinds of interest as haram definitely. It considers the operations with interest as one of the greatest sins. However, the Almighty Allah (swt) warns believers in the verse I recited in the beginning of my khutbah as follows, “O ye who believe! Devour not usury,...