Appendix 1 - The Sermon of Necessity (Khuṭbat al-Ḥāja)

Summary

The Sermon of Necessity, a text revived and reworked by Shaykh Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albāni in the 1950s, is now widely used as a doxology by Salafi preachers and scholars. The version of the text reconstructed by al-Albāni is as follows:

All praise to Allah: We praise Him, we seek His aid, and we ask His pardon (naḥmaduhu wa-nastaʿīnuhu wa-nastaghfiruhu). We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our selves (min shurūr anfusinā) and from the sins of our deeds (sayyiʾāt aʿmālinā). He whom Allah guides, there is no one who can mislead him; and he who has strayed has no guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, He alone with no partner to Him, and I bear witness that Muḥammad is His servant and His Messenger.

“O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims.” (Qurʾan 3:102)

“O you people, fear your Lord Who created you from one soul, and created from it its mate, and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (that bore you): for Allah ever watches over you.” (Qurʾan 4:1)

“O you who believe, fear Allah and speak correct words, that He may reform your actions for you and pardons your sins for you. Whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has won a great victory.” (Qurʾan 33:70–71)

Furthermore: the truest speech is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muḥammad (inna aṣdaq al-ḥadīth kitāb Allāh wa-aḥsan al-hady hady Muḥammad), may Allah bless him and grant him peace. And the worst of all things are innovations (wa-sharr al-umūr muḥdathātuhā), and every innovation is a heretical innovation (bidʿa), and every heretical innovation is an error (ḍalāla), and every error is in hellfire.