367 – Jābir ibn ʿAbd Allāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “Whenever the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, delivered a sermon, his eyes would turn red, his voice would grow loud, and his anger would intensify, as though he were warning an army. He would exclaim, ‘Morning has come upon you! Evening has come upon you!’ Then he would say: ‘To proceed: the best speech is the Book of Allah, the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, and the worst affairs are those newly introduced; every innovation is misguidance.’ Narrated by Muslim.

In another version recorded by Muslim: “The Prophet’s sermon on Friday consisted of praising Allah and extolling Him; after that he would speak, his voice having risen.”

A further wording of Muslim adds: “Whomever Allah guides, none can mislead, and whomever He lets go astray, none can guide.”

Al-Nasāʾī adds: “Every misguidance leads to the Fire.” (1)

Degree of Authenticity:
The principal narration is found in Muslim. The additional phrase, “and every misguidance is in the Fire,” is reported by al-Nasāʾī. In its chain appears Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Hāshimī, who is weak, and he acquired the ḥadith only from a written copy (wajāda). For this reason Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah dismissed this addition, stating in Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā (19/191): “The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not say, ‘and every misguidance is in the Fire.’”

Vocabulary:
– khaṭaba: he delivers a sermon (pattern of qatala). Khuṭbah (with ḍammah on the khāʾ), plural khuṭab, refers to a composed address that includes admonition and conveyance of the message.