IMAN Center of Kirkland

Friday Khutbah · September 25, 2026

The heart can hold wisdom and its opposites side by side, and Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) calls it "the most wondrous thing" in the human being. In Saying 108 of Nahj al-Balāghah he shows how every drive Allah placed in it (hope, anger, contentment, fear, wealth, appetite) is a gift that turns into a vice when pushed to excess or left lacking. Hope becomes greed or despair, anger becomes rage, and ease breeds heedlessness. "Every shortfall harms it, and every excess corrupts it."

The second khutbah carries this lesson to our world. The crimes against innocent people in Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere begin in unguarded hearts. Greed, rage, fear and the arrogance of power grow into systems that destroy lives. Closer to home, our comfort tempts us toward numbness, despair or anger that achieves nothing. The balanced heart neither looks away nor gives up.

Six commitments to carry with us:

1. A nightly moment of self-accounting

2. A monthly gift to relieve innocent suffering

3. One letter or call this month on behalf of civilians

4. Share only what we have verified

5. One screen-free family conversation each week

6. A daily duʿāʾ for the oppressed, by name

For anyone who couldn't join us in person, we invite you to watch or read.