Abstract
This research aims to study the principle of shortening the Shar’i sermon (khutbah) in the light of the Prophetic guidance, and to analyse the justifications for concision in the contemporary context, given the deep changes that have affected the nature of the listener and the communication environment. The research adopted an analytical, foundational method that combines the texts of the Shari’ah, communication data, and psychological studies on attention and perception, together with a critical survey of experiences of pulpit discourse in the Muslim world.
The study shows that concision is an original feature of the Prophetic sermons, and that lengthening was not a Shar’i aim; rather, the sermons were focused, concise and well constructed. It also shows that contemporary changes have made brevity a da’wah necessity to ensure that the message arrives and achieves its educational effect.
The results conclude that reducing unnecessary lengthening, and adopting a focused rhetorical structure, are among the components of renewing pulpit discourse and raising its effectiveness in the modern age.
Keywords: the Shar’i sermon, brevity, the Prophetic guidance, communication sciences, attention, renewal of religious discourse.
Introduction
The Shar’i sermon is one of the most important means of building religious awareness and establishing Islamic values in societies, and the pulpit has preserved its standing over the centuries as a source of Shar’i instruction, the spreading of good character, and the treatment of the Ummah’s issues. However, the reality of the Muslim listener in the modern age has witnessed deep structural changes, resulting in weak concentration, quick boredom, crowding distractions, and a widening gap between the listener and traditional discourse.
While some preachers have grown used to lengthening, and some may even see a spiritual effect in it, scholarly examination of the Prophetic guidance and of modern communication studies reveals that well-crafted concision is the norm, and that unnecessary lengthening weakens the da’wah aim and reduces the audience’s ability to absorb and follow.
Hence this study came to link Shar’i grounding with contemporary communication analysis, and to re-read the concept of concision in the sermon with educational and scholarly eyes, preserving for the pulpit its Shar’i spirit while taking into account at the same time the development of the human being and his living environment.
The Research Problem
The research problem lies in the following question:
To what extent does concision in the Shar’i sermon accord with the Prophetic guidance, and how has the need for it today become a da’wah necessity grounded in scholarly and communicative foundations?
From this question arise sub-questions:
- What is the Prophetic guidance on the length and brevity of the sermon?
- What is the effect of lengthening on the listener in the present age?
- What communicative and psychological foundations support concision?
- How can the contemporary preacher combine concision with eloquent force?
The Importance of the Research
The importance of this research comes from several aspects:
- Shar’i grounding for an issue facing most preachers today.
- A da’wah need to take into account the reality of the contemporary audience and reduce the gap between the pulpit and the listener.
- Activating communication sciences in the service of Islamic discourse.
- Offering a methodological framework that helps develop rhetorical performance and renew religious discourse.
Previous Studies
Some studies have dealt with scattered aspects related to the sermon, such as:
- Studies of the Prophetic guidance in oratory.
- Educational studies on the effect of admonition on behaviour.
- Communication studies on distraction of attention and weak concentration.
However, linking these elements together in a single framework to study “shortening the sermon” as a Shar’i and communicative phenomenon has not received sufficient attention, and this is the gap this study fills.
Research Method
The research adopted two main methods:
The Shar’i foundational method:
Collecting the texts relating to the sermons of the Prophet ﷺ and the sayings of the Salaf, and analysing their rhetorical and educational implications.
The descriptive analytical method:
Surveying the reality of the contemporary audience, analysing psychological and communication studies on the capacity for attention, and applying this to the Shar’i sermon.
The two methods were combined to reach composite results that treat the phenomenon from two angles:
a Shar’i angle – a communicative angle – and an applied da’wah angle.
The First Theme: The Prophetic Guidance on Concision and Brevity of the Sermon
1. The Nature of the Prophet’s ﷺ Sermons
The Prophetic sermons were characterised by clear features:
- Brevity and the absence of tiresome lengthening.
- Focus on the main aim.
- Clarity of meaning and no overlap between themes.
- Keeping the state of the listeners in mind.
Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
“His speech was decisive, neither long and tiresome nor short and deficient.”
This is a balanced standard linking concision and mastery.
2. The Prophet ﷺ Choosing Suitable Times to Admonish the Companions
Ibn Mas’ud said:
“The Prophet ﷺ used to choose suitable times for admonishing us, for fear of boring us.”
This is a clear statement that lengthening produces boredom, and that wisdom requires taking into account the listener’s capacity and not overburdening him.
3. The Aim of the Sermon
The Shar’i aim is not to deliver the greatest amount of information, but to move the heart, alert the heedless, and stir the will towards obedience, and these aims are realised by concision more than by lengthening.
The Second Theme: Contemporary Changes in the Nature of the Listener and His Capacity to Concentrate
1. Mental and Psychological Pressures
The person of the present century lives at a fast pace:
- Crowding of information
- Continuous work
- Academic pressures
- Digital distractions
- Constant distraction
All this has led to a decline in the capacity for sustained concentration.
2. Findings of Cognitive Psychology
Recent studies indicate:
- Average maximum span of concentration: 12–18 minutes
- Average momentary attention: only 8 seconds
- Decline in analytical capacity after the tenth minute
- Difficulty of mental retention with long continuous speech
These data place the long sermon outside the capacity of the ordinary listener.
3. The Effect of Sermon Length on Religious Behaviour
The experience of da’wah discourse has shown that:
- The brief idea is remembered
- The long sermon is forgotten
- Concentration declines with time
- The effect on the heart fades with lengthening
The Third Theme: The Da’wah Benefits of Pulpit Concision
1. Preserving the Effect of the Message
Concision ensures:
- Firmness of the idea
- Clarity of the theme
- Ease of remembering
- Lasting effect
2. Reducing Distraction
When the listener knows that the sermon is focused, he pays it closer attention and interacts with it more.
3. Raising the Quality of Discourse
Concision pushes the preacher to:
- Choose the best examples
- Select the evidence
- Formulate the meaning precisely
- Observe the golden time of attention
4. Realising the Shar’i Aims of the Pulpit
Among them:
- Awakening hearts
- Strengthening faith
- Building the Muslim’s awareness
- Reforming society
These aims are realised by the focused sermon more than by the lengthy one.
The Fourth Theme: Formulating a Proposed Model for the Contemporary Sermon
The general framework of an effective sermon in the present age may be defined as follows:
- The first sermon: 12–18 minutes
- The second sermon: 6–8 minutes
- A clear intellectual structure of three or four points
- Precise use of Qur’anic and hadith evidence
- Strong, eloquent language without padding
- Avoiding digressions
- Taking into account the diversity of the audience
- Linking the topic to people’s reality
While preserving:
- A strong opening
- Firmly established aims
- A good conclusion
- A comprehensive supplication
Results
The research concluded the following:
- Concision is an established Prophetic norm, and lengthening without purpose is not from the Sunnah.
- Contemporary changes have made concision a da’wah necessity, not merely a rhetorical option.
- The listener’s capacity to concentrate today cannot bear long sermons, especially with the intensity of modern life.
- Concision does not mean poverty of content; rather, it means focus, force and precision.
- Developing pulpit discourse requires integrating the Shar’i sciences with communication sciences.
- The focused sermon is more effective, closer to wisdom, and higher in realising educational aims.
Recommendations
The research recommends the following:
- Training preachers in the skills of rhetorical concision and “thematic focus”.
- Preparing curricula in Shari’ah faculties that address “the fiqh of contemporary oratory”.
- Integrating the principles of communication psychology into the formation of the preacher.
- Encouraging da’wah institutions to adopt the model of the shortened sermon.
- Preparing further studies on the effect of concision in changing the religious behaviour of worshippers.
Conclusion
It becomes clear through this study that shortening the sermon is an authentic Shar’i practice, consistent with the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ and in harmony with the needs of the contemporary listener, and that renewing pulpit discourse is not achieved by changing the message or its content, but by improving the way in which it is presented, so that the voice of the pulpit reaches hearts and minds in a time when voices crowd one another.
Well-crafted concision is not a belittling of the sermon; rather, it raises it to the level of effectiveness required to fulfil its educational and spiritual mission. In this way the pulpit remains an effective instrument of reform, preserving its historical mission in building the human being and society.
And Allah is the Granter of success.