Page:Thomas Patrick Hughes - Notes on Muhammadanism - 2ed. (1877).djvu/220

 Rh the sermon, which must be in the Arabic anguage, and include prayers for "Muhammad, the Companions, and the King." There are several books of Khutbahs published for the use of preachers. The most celebrated of these preachers' manuals is the Mujmuaʾ Khitáb, printed by Abdur Rahman of Cawnpore. The sermons are arranged for every Friday in the year, and are the compositions of various Muslim divines. It is remarkable that short sermons are meritorious; for it is related that the "Prophet" remarked that "the length of a man's prayers and the shortness of his sermon are the signs of his sense and understanding; therefore make your prayers long and your Khutbah short."

The following is a translation of the third Khutbah in the book of sermons already mentioned; it is a fair specimen of an average Khutbah, both as to its length and matter:—

"In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful.

"Praised be God. Praised be that God who hath shown us the way in this religion. If He had not guided us into the path we should not have found it.