The Prophet, , was distinguished by being granted the keys of eloquent speech and wise sayings. He said: “I was given the keys of eloquent speech.” He, , would use simple words and a fine style in his Khutbahs (sermons) and Hadeeths. His phrases were concise and had great meanings without redundancy or complicated terms. ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet, , would deliver a speech that could be understood by anyone.[Al-Bukhari]
By observing the method that the Prophet, , followed in his Khutbahs, we find that they were brief. The Prophet, , said: “The sign of a man’s understanding is to prolong his prayer and shorten his Khutbah, so prolong the prayer and shorten the Khutbah.” [Muslim]
Thus, shortening the Khutbah is a sign of man’s understanding, knowledge and eloquence, as he can express a lot of meaning by using concise words that have deep meanings. The guidance of the Prophet, , in his Khutbah was to be moderate without prolonging it in a boring way, or shortening it in a way that was negligent. Jaabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Both the prayer and speech of the Prophet were of moderate length. He would recite verses of the Quran and remind the people.”[Abu Daawood]
When giving a speech, the Prophet, , would mount the pulpit, welcome the people, greet them and, then sit. After Bilaal, may Allah be pleased with him, said the Athaan (call to prayer), the Prophet, , would start his Khutbah by thanking and praising Allah The Almighty, and then professing the Two Testimonies of Faith; after this, he would remind the people of the bounties of Allah The Almighty.
Jaabir, may Allah be pleased with him, described the state of the Prophet, , while delivering a Khutbah, by saying, “When the Prophet gave a Khutbah his eyes became red, his voice rose, and his anger increased as if he was warning against an enemy and saying that it had made a morning and evening attack. He would say: ‘The best of speech is the Quran, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The most evil affairs are their innovations; and every innovation is a deviation.’”[Muslim]
The Prophet, , would choose eloquent words for his Khutbahs in which he taught his Companions the rulings of Islam and its great Sharee‘ah. He also advised them about the things that would bring them nearer to Allah The Almighty and what He has prepared for them in Paradise, and warned them about what brings them near His wrath and Hell.
The Khutbahs of the Prophet, , always included Quranic verses. It was narrated that the Prophet, , would recite on the pulpit the verse in which Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And they will call, "O Malik”}[Quran 43:77] [Al-Bukhari]
He, , also included Quranic verses that mention piety in his Khutbah. It was narrated that he recited Quranic verses in his Khutbah to such an extent that he once read all of Soorat Qaaf from the pulpit.
The Prophet, , would choose an appropriate subject for his Khutbah according to the need of his addressees and their welfare. ‘Amr ibn Akhtab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
The Prophet led us in the dawn prayer, and then mounted the pulpit and addressed us until it was time for the noon prayer. He then descended the pulpit and performed prayer, and then again mounted the pulpit and addressed us until it was time for the 'Asr prayer. Again, he came down and performed the prayer, and mounted the pulpit and addressed us until sunset and informed us of what happened in the past and what will happen in the future, and that the most knowledgeable amongst us is the one who remembers this [sermon] the most.”[Muslim]
The Prophet, , would consider the state and condition of people while delivering his Khutbahs. He sometimes shortened his Khutbah (this happened most of the time), while at other times he prolonged it according to the needs of the people. It was also narrated that the Prophet, , prolonged the Farewell Khutbah for the people’s welfare so that they could hear all in this gathering.
What shows the perfection of the guidance of the Prophet, , is that he would shorten his Khutbah if there was need, such as guiding people in a certain matter or advising someone who was doing something wrong. Once, he shortened his Khutbah and alerted people to the importance of praying two Rak‘ahs (units of prayer). Jaabir, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, , was once delivering a Khutbah on Friday when a man entered the mosque. The Prophet, , asked him: “Have you prayed?” The man replied: “No.” Thereupon, the Prophet, , said to him: “Go and pray two Ra‘kahs.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The Prophet, , would also shorten his Khutbah for the sake of children, as he once descended the pulpit to carry Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them.
He, , would deliver two Khutbahs and sit between them for a while in silence. Jaabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I saw the Prophet delivering his Khutbah while standing, then he would sit silently and then stand up again and deliver another Khutbah.” [An-Nasaa’i]
After finishing his speech, he would ask Allah The Almighty to forgive the believers and have mercy upon them, then he ended his Khutbah by asking for the forgiveness of Allah The Almighty.
On Friday prayers, the Prophet, , would recite Soorat Al-A‘laa and Al-Ghaashiyah or Soorat Al-Jumu‘ah and Al-Munaafiqoon. It is worth mentioning that the Prophet, , did not deliver Khutbahs on Fridays only, but also on the two feasts and Istisqaa’ (the prayer for rain), as well as other occasions according to the need and welfare of the people.
Allah Knows best.