Khutbah al-Haajah

We have received this question a number of times:

"What is the Arabic, English transliteration and the English meaning of khutbah al-Haajah?
(what the Imam says when he begins the speech).
I would like to be able to understand this in English and also learn how to say it myself. Can you help me?"

This is what the Imam says when he begins the Jummu'ah Khutbah or speech.   Almost all the scholars of Islam begin their talks with this or something similar to it and we are most pleased to be able to share something about it, inshallah.

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Praise be to Allaah.
A number of hadeeth scholars, such as Imaam al-Nisaa'i (may Allaah have mercy on him), have reported on the subject of the "Khutbah al-Haajah."
Al-Nisaa�i reported that �Abd-Allaah ibn Mas�ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
"The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us the Khutba-tul-Haajah:"

Bismillah Al-hamdu Lillaahi nasta�eenahu wa nastaghfiruhu, wa na�oodhu billaahi min shuroori anfusinaa wa sayi�aati a�maalinaa. Man yahdih - Ellaahu falaa mudhilla laahu wa man yudlil falaa haadiya lahu. Wa ashhadu an- laa ilaaha ill-Allaahu wahdahu laa shareekallahu, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan �abduhu wa rasooluhu

(Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger).

Then he recited the following three aayaat (interpretation of the meaning):

�Yaa ayyuha�lladheena aamanu-ttaqu�Llaaha haqqa tuqaatihi wa laa tamootunna illaa wa antum muslimoon

(O you who believe! Fear Allaah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allaah.)� [Aal �Imraan 3:103],

�Yaa ayyuha�n-naas uttaqu rabbakum alladhi khalaqakum min nafsin waahidatin wa khalaqa minhaa zawjahaa wa baththa minhumaa rijaalan katheeran wa nisaa�an wa�ttaqu-Llaah alladhi tasaa�aloona bihi wa�l-arhaama inna Allaaha kaana �alaykum raqeeban

(O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his wife, and from them both He created many men and women, and fear Allaah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship) Surely, Allaah is Ever an All-Watcher over you).� [al-Nisaa� 4:1],

�Yaa ayyahu�lladheena aamanu-ttaqu�Llaaha wa qooloo qawlan sadeedan

(O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth).� [al-Ahzaab 33:70].�

(Sunan al-Nisaa�i: Kitaab al-Jumu�ah, Baab kayfiyyah al-khutbah).
The hadeeth scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani has devoted a chapter to this topic in which he compiled all its isnaads (narrations) and he commented on it.

Wa Allahu 'Alim (And Allah is the All-Knowing)