Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Is it a bad (sinful) bida’ to have the khutba in a non-Arabic language in the US? I had always thought that the Hanafis at least allowed for the khutba to be in a non-Arabic language…
Walaikum assalam,
The position taken by Hanafi scholars from the Indian Subcontinent is that it is prohibitively offensive to give the khutba in other than Arabic. They have researched the issue thoroughly, as found in many fatwa works, books, and well-research papers; it is a ‘familiar’ issue for them (given that their native languages are not Arabic).
At a practical level, it is not a problem to give a khutba this way:
1. One gives an English sermon (called ‘bayan’ instead of khutba),
2. Then the 2nd Adhan is given
3. A (minimal) Arabic khutba (of 2 parts) is given.
Functionally, there is little difference, and it is much more cautious and proper.
In general, the fuqaha tell us that whenever there is difference of opinion, even with other madhhabs, on an issue it is recommended to do that which takes out of the difference of opinion, as long it does not entail doing something disliked in one’s own madhhab. [Mentioned by Ibn Abidin in his Radd al-Muhtar, and by scholars of all four madhhabs.]
Wassalam,
Faraz