From the Umayyad Pulpit to the UN Podium: The Politics of Jumu'ah - Maulana Syed Muhammad Rizvi

Friday KhutbaSeptember 25th, 2026- Salatu 'l-Jumu'ah consists of two separate components: two sermons, in which the main part must be in the local language apart from the praise of Allah and salawat, and a two-rak'at prayer.- In the presence of the Imam (a), Jumu'ah is wajib 'ayni when led by the Imam or someone he has specially appointed; the Qur'anic phrase "when the call is made" is understood to mean a call made by the ma'sum Imam or his specially appointed na'ib.- This obligation applies to everyone within an 11 km radius of that masjid.- During the ghaybat of the Imam (a), the mujtahideen differ, and the majority hold that Jumu'ah is wajib takhyiri, meaning one may choose between Zuhr and Jumu'ah.- Jumu'ah led by an opponent of the Ahlul Bayt is not wajib. Its sermons have a socio-political dimension, and unjust rulers misused them to promote themselves, including to tarnish the image of Imam Ali (a) and his descendants in the early Umayyad era.- Zurarah asked Imam al-Baqir (a) about a report that Amir al-Mu'minin (a) prayed four rak'at after Jumu'ah without separating them with a salam. The Imam explained that he prayed behind a sinful imam, then stood after that imam's salam and continued, completing four rak'at. When asked about it, he replied only that "they are four rak'at that seem similar," and the questioner did not understand. A similar account is reported about Imam Zaynul Abidin (a).- Where there is no Shia Jumu'ah prayer and one joins another congregation, Zuhr must also be prayed.- Participating in a congregation one does not believe in is sometimes unavoidable, and this is based on taqiyyah.- At the UN General Assembly in New York, Trump, as the leader of the world's superpower, openly threatened to annihilate a Muslim country.- No political leader stood up to say he was wrong, even though the UN Secretary-General had earlier strongly emphasized respect for international law and spoken against unilateral, aggressive steps to resolve conflicts.- In such an environment, a Shia head of state has the right to take part in that gathering and defend his country and its people.- Trump declared at the General Assembly that no leftist influence would be tolerated in America's neighbourhood of Central and South America.- If there is any sense of fairness, the question follows: what is the US doing thousands of miles from its shores in the Middle East, creating constant conflict through the state of Israel?- Canada's Prime Minister suddenly changed tone and, in a way, echoed Trump's words against Iran, perhaps seeking favour with Trump in a trade deal.- This comes even though, according to reports, the same Prime Minister had considered plans to defend Canada in case of US military action against it.Donate towards our programs today: https://jaffari.org/donate/Jaffari Community Centre (JCC Live)