Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “Religion Is Sincerity, Exploitation Is Treason”
Honorable Muslims!
At the heart of our religion, Islam, lies sincerity. Sincerity is the harmony between our inner self and outer actions: between our essence and our words. Sincerity is to seek the pleasure of Allah (swt) in everything we say and do. Sincerity means safeguarding our faith and worship from all forms of hypocrisy and vanity.
Sincerity is what perfects faith. It is what transforms our deeds into provisions for the Hereafter. It is what gives true meaning to benevolence and real value to knowledge. Those who embrace the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (saw), “The religion is sincerity.”1, strive to live a life on the right path. They honor their covenant. They are truthful and honest; they do not deceive anyone. They never stray from justice, righteousness, and truth. They respect both individual and collective rights.
Dear Believers!
Among the grave evils that distance us from our Lord’s pleasure is exploitation. Exploitation is the abusive act of manipulating people’s beliefs, feelings, and vulnerabilities for selfish gain. Exploitation is to deceive people by using the sublime values of our religion. Exploitation is the use of material and immaterial means to gain power. In short, exploitation is to betray Allah (swt), the Qur’an, the Prophet (saw), the people, and the society.
Those who engage in exploitation are never truly seeking the pleasure of Allah. They reduce Islam to the image of certain individuals. They arrogantly claim to be the sole bearers of right and truth. As stated in the Qur’an, “When they are told, “Do not spread corruption in the land,” they reply, “We are only peace-makers!” Indeed, it is they who are the corruptors, but they fail to perceive it.”2
Dear Muslims!
Let us strive to understand our divine book, the Holy Qur’an, and the sunnah of our beloved Prophet (saw) correctly and reflect them in our lives. Let us embrace trust and honesty in our family, in our relations with other people, in our business, in short, in every aspect of our lives. Let us not neglect our children, who are the assurance of our future. Let us raise them to be people who are beneficial to their families, their communities, their homeland, their nation, and all of humanity.
[1] Muslim, Iman, 95.
[2] Baqarah, 2/11-12.
Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “Religion Is Sincerity, Exploitation Is Treason” PDF
