Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “The Pinnacle of Selflessness: Ithar”
Honorable Muslims!
One of the fundamental aims of our sublime religion, Islam, is to establish a society composed of virtuous individuals who love one another for the sake of Allah the Almighty, help one another, and compete in doing good. Islam has also shown us the way to achieve this. This path is the sense of ithar, which is based on love and brotherhood and purifies a person from negative traits such as selfishness, stinginess, and envy.
Dear Believers!
Ithar is striving to meet the needs of others to the extent of our means, solely seeking the pleasure of Allah the Almighty. It is to think of others as much as, or even more than, we think of ourselves. Ithar is being able to please the hearts of our parents, spouses, and children with compassion, mercy, and patience. Ithar is sometimes giving up our wealth and at other times our comfort for the sake of the well-being and goodness of the society we live in—even for the benefit of all humanity. It is to stand by our neighbors at times, our relatives at others, and at times our oppressed brothers and sisters in Gaza, never withholding our material or moral support from them.
Esteemed Muslims!
We have learned the most exemplary models of selflessness from Prophet Muhammad (saw) and his noble Companions. They endured all the hardships that came their way, strove with all their might so that hearts would be inclined toward Islam, and constantly prayed to Allah the Almighty on behalf of others. They became living embodiments of the verse: “… and give food—despite their desire for it—to the poor, the orphan, and the captive, ˹saying to themselves,˺ ‘We feed you only for the sake of Allah, seeking neither reward nor thanks from you.’” 1
Dear Believers!
In a hadith, our beloved Prophet (saw) states: “None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.”2
Acting upon ithar means responding to the divine call, “Cooperate with one another in goodness and righteousness,”3 by rushing to the aid of anyone in need, wherever they may be, and making life more livable for one another. It is to bring peace and happiness to every heart—to have a place in the prayer of an orphan and in the smile of the destitute.
I would like to conclude this Friday’s khutbah with the following hadith of Prophet Muhammad (saw): “If anyone cares for his brother’s need, Allah will care for his need.”4
[1] Insan 76/8,9
[2] Bukhari, Iman, 7
[3] Ma’idah, 5/2
[4] Abu Dawud, Adab, 60.
Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “The Pinnacle of Selflessness: Ithar” PDF
