What Happens When We (Don’t!) Read?
A Khuṭbah by Imam Marc Manley
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قَالَ لِيَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: اقْرَأْ عَلَيَّ
فَقُلْتُ: أَأَقْرَأُ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَيْكَ أُنْزِلَ؟
قَالَ: فَإِنِّي أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَسْمَعَهُ مِنْ غَيْرِي
فَقَرَأْتُ عَلَيْهِ سُورَةَ النِّسَاءِ حَتَّى بَلَغْتُ
The Prophet ﷺ said to me, “Recite to me.” I said, “Shall I recite to you when it was revealed to you?” He replied, “Indeed, I love to hear it recited by someone else.” So I recited Sūrat al-Nisāʾ to him until I reached:
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَى هَؤُلَاءِ شَهِيدًا
“So how will it be when We bring a witness from every faith-community and bring you ˹O Prophet˺ as a witness against yours?” — Sūrat al-Nisā’, 41
قَالَ: أَمْسِكْ، فَإِذَا عَيْنَاهُ تَذْرِفَانِ
He said, “Stop.” Then I looked, and his eyes were overflowing with tears. — Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim no.800
Read the full khutba at https://www.imammarc.com/p/muslims-and-the-post-literacy-society
