Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “Turning to Repentance”

Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii
February 27, 2026
Turning to Repentance

Honorable Muslims!
On one occasion, the beloved Prophet (saw) visited a young man who was on his deathbed and asked him, “How do you feel?” The young man replied, “O Messenger of Allah! I hope for Allah’s mercy, but I also fear my sins.” Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “These two things (hope and fear) do not coexist in the heart of a person in a situation like this, but Allah will give him that which he hopes for and keep him safe from that which he fears.”¹

Dear Believers!
Human beings are fallible; they forget, make mistakes, and err. At times, people may grow heedless in fulfilling the commands of Allah and avoiding his prohibitions. At other times, they may fall into sin by neglecting the rights of others or public trust. However, the following points are of great importance: One should never consider their sins as insignificant, should not boast about what is haram, and must not persist in their mistakes and wrongdoings. Allah the Almighty informs us of this quality of believers who have piety in the following way: “˹They are˺ those who, upon committing an evil deed or wronging themselves, remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins —and who forgives sins except Allah? —and they do not knowingly persist in wrongdoing?”²

Esteemed Muslims!
Time is swiftly passing by, and our life capital is running out. With each passing day, we draw one step closer to the life of the Hereafter. Let us be mindful! The outcome of this short life may lead to either eternal bliss or utter loss. The most fruitful gain for us is to fulfill the deeds that are pleasing to Allah and to embody the noble character of our Prophet (saw). It is to adopt righteousness as our principle and to avoid all forms of evil. Our greatest loss, however, is to fall into sin while clinging to thoughts such as “Allah will surely forgive me anyway” or “I will repent when the time comes,” and to neglect opening the door to repentance. Our beloved Prophet (saw) states: “Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who commit sin are those who repent.”³

I would like to conclude this Friday’s khutbah with the glad tidings from Allah the Almighty: “Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says,˺ ‘O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’”⁴

[1] Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 31.
[2] Ali ‘Imran 3/135.
[3] Ibn Majah, Zuhd, 30.
[4] Az-Zumar, 39/53.

Friday Khutba of Tokyo Camii “Turning to Repentance” PDF