Friday Khutbah \u2013 24 July 2026 (10 Safar 1448 AH)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Art of Dealing with People (Part II): Admitting One’s Mistakes \u2013 The Character of a Believer and the Path to Self-Reform<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help and His forgiveness. We bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, and that Muhammad (salla ll\u00e1hu \u02bbalayhi wa sallam) is His servant and Messenger. “O you who believe! Fear Allah and speak words of truth and righteousness. He will rectify your deeds for you and forgive you your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed achieved a great success.”<\/strong> Dear brothers and sisters,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today we continue our series on The Art of Dealing with People. In the previous khutbah, we reflected upon how the Noble Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) teach Muslims to embody noble character, justice, mercy, and kindness in their dealings with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today’s khutbah focuses on one of the greatest moral virtues: admitting one’s mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This quality elevates a person in the sight of Allah and in the eyes of people. It heals family relationships, preserves love and mutual respect, and resolves conflicts. How many disputes continue for years, and how many families fall apart, simply because one sentence is never spoken: “I was wrong.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A believer is not judged by whether he never makes mistakes, but by how quickly he returns to the truth. Making mistakes is part of human nature, whereas infallibility belongs only to the Prophets (peace be upon them). The Messenger of Allah (salla ll\u00e1hu \u02bbalayhi wa sallam) said: “Every son of Adam commits sins, and the best of those who sin are those who repent.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no disgrace in making a mistake. The real disgrace is insisting upon it, defending it, and refusing to return to the truth. Returning to the truth is always better than remaining in error. One of the greatest spiritual dangers is becoming so attached to one’s mistakes that they are no longer recognized as mistakes. The Prophet (salla ll\u00e1hu \u02bbalayhi wa sallam) said: “Allah does not accept the repentance of a person who persists in religious innovation until he abandons it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the troubling characteristics of our time is the tendency to justify mistakes rather than correct them, and to refuse to acknowledge one’s faults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Arguing and Justifying One’s Mistakes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A person may attempt to defend his mistakes through excuses and persuasive arguments, imagining that eloquence removes responsibility. Yet Allah says: “…But man is, above all things, most argumentative.”<\/strong> (Qur’an 18:54) <\/em>The Qur’an presents two powerful examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iblis justified his disobedience by saying: “I am better than him.”<\/strong> (Qur’an 7:12) <\/em>As a result, he was cursed and expelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adam (peace be upon him), on the other hand, admitted his mistake and prayed: “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves…”<\/strong> (Qur’an 7:23) <\/em>So Allah accepted his repentance and bestowed His mercy upon him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We witness similar examples today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The one who neglects the prayer says: “What matters is having a pure heart.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The woman who neglects the hijab says: “Hijab is in the heart.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n How many disputes would come to an end if someone simply said: “I made a mistake. Please forgive me.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Allah commands believers to uphold justice, even against themselves: “O you who believe! Stand firmly for justice…”<\/strong> (Qur’an 4:135) <\/em>The Prophet (salla ll\u00e1hu \u02bbalayhi wa sallam) also said: “<\/strong>Truthfulness leads to righteousness.” And he warned against arrogance: “No one who has even an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will enter Paradise.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He then explained that arrogance means: “<\/strong>Rejecting the truth and looking down upon people.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Becoming Attached to One’s Own Opinion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people believe that changing their opinion is a sign of weakness, so they stubbornly cling to their views even after realizing they are mistaken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The righteous scholars would say: “<\/strong>My opinion is correct, though it may be mistaken; and the opinion of others is mistaken, though it may be correct.” A wise person rejoices whenever the truth becomes clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Rejecting Sincere Advice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some refuse advice because they fear appearing weak, whereas sincere consultation is actually a sign of wisdom and strength. It is said: “The one who seeks counsel will not regret, and the one who seeks Allah’s guidance will not be disappointed.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Anger<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n How many families have been broken apart and how many ties of kinship severed because of words spoken in anger? Yet instead of apologizing, some people continue to justify what they have said or done. A true believer is the first to apologize and to repair the harm he has caused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Using Divine Decree as an Excuse<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people blame destiny for their failures. Allah mentions the excuse of the polytheists: “Had Allah willed, we would not have associated partners with Him…”<\/strong> (Qur’an 6:148)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Prophet (salla ll\u00e1hu \u02bbalayhi wa sallam) said: “Strive for that which benefits you, seek Allah’s help, and never give up.” A believer first exerts every lawful effort and then places his trust in Allah. He never uses divine decree as an excuse for disobedience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Excusing Oneself by Saying, “I Was Only Following Orders”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Some people claim: “I was simply obeying orders.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet Allah says about the people of Hell: “Our Lord, we obeyed our leaders and our great men, and they led us away from the right path.”<\/strong> (Qur’an 33:67)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n No one deserves obedience when such obedience requires disobedience to the Creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Psychological Excuses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dear Muslim brothers and sisters,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Admitting one’s mistakes is a sign of courage, honour, and moral excellence\u2014not of weakness or loss of dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The truly great person is the one who, when he realizes he has made a mistake, says: “I was wrong.” When he has hurt someone, he says: “Please forgive me.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when the truth becomes clear, he accepts it without hesitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stubbornness and persistence in error, however, lead only to the loss of rights and the deterioration of relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let our guiding principle always be: “Returning to the truth is better than persisting in falsehood.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n We ask Allah to help us recognize our own shortcomings, to bless us with sincerity and humility, and to make us among those who acknowledge their mistakes, accept sincere advice, and follow the truth whenever it becomes clear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Friday Khutbah \u2013 24 July 2026 (10 Safar 1448 AH) The Art of Dealing with People (Part II): Admitting One’s Mistakes \u2013 The Character of a Believer and the Path to Self-Reform All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help and His forgiveness. 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(Qur’an 33:70\u201371)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n