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What is the imam saying? How a khutbah is structured

The Friday khutbah follows a fixed pattern that goes back to the Prophet ﷺ. If you know it, you recognise the parts and notice where the actual message begins, even without understanding every word.

Last updated: October 19, 2026 · 6 min read

Before the khutbah begins

The imam climbs the pulpit (minbar) and sits down. Then the call to prayer is made. That is how it was in the time of the Prophet ﷺ:

كان النداء يوم الجمعة أوله إذا جلس الإمام على المنبر على عهد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأبي بكر وعمر

“The first call on Friday was made when the imam sat down on the pulpit, in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr and Umar.”

al-Bukhari 912

In the time of Uthman, when the congregation had grown, another call was added, as the same report tells. After the call to prayer the imam stands up and begins.

1. The praise

Almost every khutbah begins with the same words, the khutbat al-hajah, the “address for a need”. The Prophet ﷺ taught it to his Companions. Many imams say it like this:

إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا من يهده الله فلا مضل له ومن يضلل فلا هادي له

“All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, we ask Him for help and for forgiveness, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from our bad deeds. Whomever Allah guides, no one can lead astray, and whomever He lets go astray, no one can guide.”

Ibn Majah 1892, graded sahih by al-Albani; similar in an-Nasa’i 1404 and Abu Dawud 2118, shorter in Muslim 868

2. The testimony of faith

Straight after, the imam bears witness to the oneness of Allah and the message of Muhammad ﷺ, in words from the same hadith:

وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله

“And I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.”

Ibn Majah 1892; similar in Muslim 868

3. Blessings on the Prophet ﷺ

Then the imam usually sends blessings on the Prophet ﷺ. Allah says:

إن الله وملائكته يصلون على النبي يا أيها الذين آمنوا صلوا عليه وسلموا تسليما

“Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings on him and greet him with a worthy greeting.”

Qur’an 33:56

Some scholars count the blessings on the Prophet ﷺ among the fixed parts of the khutbah.

4. “Amma ba’d”: and now

With “amma ba’d”, literally “as for what follows”, the imam ends the opening. This is how the Prophet ﷺ spoke in his khutbahs too:

كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا خطب احمرت عيناه وعلا صوته واشتد غضبه حتى كأنه منذر جيش … ويقول أما بعد فإن خير الحديث كتاب الله وخير الهدى هدى محمد وشر الأمور محدثاتها وكل بدعة ضلالة

“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave a khutbah, his eyes reddened, his voice rose and his anger grew intense, as if he were warning of an army … And he would say: And now: the best speech is the Book of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, the worst matters are the newly invented ones, and every innovation is misguidance.”

Muslim 867

Many imams still say this sentence after “amma ba’d”. And the report shows how seriously the khutbah is meant: as an admonition, not a lecture.

5. The call to taqwa

Next the imam calls to taqwa, mindfulness of Allah. In the khutbat al-hajah three verses follow for this (3:102, 4:1 and 33:70–71). The last one reads:

يا أيها الذين آمنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم ومن يطع الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما

“O you who believe, fear Allah and speak what is right. He will then make your deeds sound and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has achieved a great success.”

Qur’an 33:70–71

At this point you often also hear this sentence, in which the imam includes himself: “I urge you and myself to have taqwa of Allah.”

أوصيكم ونفسي بتقوى الله

6. The main part: Qur’an and hadith

Now comes the actual topic: a duty, a trait of character, an event from the life of the Prophet ﷺ, or a mistake the imam warns against. He bases it on verses of the Qur’an and on hadith, as the Prophet ﷺ did:

كانت للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم خطبتان يجلس بينهما يقرأ القرآن ويذكر الناس

“The Prophet ﷺ gave two khutbahs and sat between them. In them he recited the Qur’an and reminded the people.”

Muslim 862

ما أخذت ق والقرآن المجيد إلا عن لسان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقرؤها كل يوم جمعة على المنبر إذا خطب الناس

“I learned (the surah) ‘Qaf. By the glorious Qur’an’ only from the mouth of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He recited it every Friday on the pulpit when he addressed the people.”

Muslim 873

A listening tip: after “qala llahu ta’ala” (Allah, the Exalted, says) a verse of the Qur’an follows, after “qala rasulu llah” (the Messenger of Allah said) a hadith.

قال الله تعالى · قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم

7. The short pause and the second khutbah

كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يخطب قائما ثم يقعد ثم يقوم كما تفعلون الآن

“The Prophet ﷺ gave the khutbah standing, then he sat down, then he stood up again, as you do today.”

al-Bukhari 920; similar in al-Bukhari 928

The pause is short. Many use it for a silent du’a. The second khutbah is usually shorter: again praise, the testimony of faith and blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, a short admonition and then the du’a.

8. The du’a at the end

At the end the imam usually makes du’a for the Muslims: for forgiveness, guidance and help. Many scholars consider this recommended. In the view of many scholars, the imam does not raise both hands for it but points with his index finger. When a governor raised both hands on the pulpit, the Companion Umarah ibn Ru’aybah said:

لقد رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ما يزيد على أن يقول بيده هكذا وأشار بإصبعه المسبحة

“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ do no more with his hand than this”, and he pointed with his index finger.

Muslim 874

An exception is the du’a for rain:

قام أعرابي فقال يا رسول الله هلك المال وجاع العيال فادع الله لنا فرفع يديه

“A Bedouin stood up and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, the livestock is perishing and the families are hungry, so ask Allah for us.’ So he raised his hands.”

al-Bukhari 933, during the Friday khutbah

Then the imam comes down, the iqamah is called, and the prayer of two rak’ahs follows:

كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقرأ في العيدين وفي الجمعة بسبح اسم ربك الأعلى وهل أتاك حديث الغاشية

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited in the two Eid prayers and in the Friday prayer the surahs al-A’la and al-Ghashiyah.”

Muslim 878

Short, as the Sunnah teaches

إن طول صلاة الرجل وقصر خطبته مئنة من فقهه فأطيلوا الصلاة واقصروا الخطبة

“A long prayer and a short khutbah are a sign that a man understands the religion. So make the prayer long and the khutbah short.”

Muslim 869

فكانت صلاته قصدا وخطبته قصدا

“His prayer was moderate, and his khutbah was moderate.”

Muslim 866

So a good khutbah is not long but clear: one topic, backed by the Qur’an and Sunnah. If you know the structure, you pay special attention to the main part between “amma ba’d” and the pause.

Questions

The verses of the Qur’an and the hadith are rendered here by meaning.

For questions about rulings, ask a scholar.