Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders

In the classical Islamic tradition, scholarship (Ilm) and public oratory (Khatabah / Wa’z) were treated as distinct, often separate specializations. While many major jurists possessed deep linguistic competence, not all engaged in public preaching or were historically celebrated as orators.
Understanding this distinction illuminates a profound irony in how the Muslim community approaches religious leadership today.
The Classical Paradigm: Substance Over Spectacle
A look at the giants of Islamic jurisprudence reveals that profound legal authority and mastery of the Sunnah rarely aligned with flashy, pulpit-pounding public performance:
• Imam al-Shafi’i: Yes, renowned for eloquence. He was widely celebrated for his mastery of classical Arabic (fasahah), poetic brilliance, and articulate discourse, having spent his youth studying among the Hudhayl tribe to perfect the language.
• Imam Malik ibn Anas: No. Known for his immense dignity (waqar), sobriety, and authoritative teaching style in Medina, he preferred concise statements and extreme caution in legal verdicts over public oratory.
• Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal: No. His circles were focused on the meticulous, strict transmission of Hadith. A master of tradition and steadfastness, he was not a public preacher or rhetorical speaker.
• Imam Abu Hanifa: Dialectician rather than pulpit orator. While fundamentally a jurist and merchant-scholar, historical accounts note he possessed sharp dialectical skill (jadal) and precise expression, rather than emotional crowd-pleasing sermons.
• Imam al-Nawawi was  dedicated to strict asceticism, teaching, and prolific authorship (such as Riyad al-Salihin), he was a master compiler and jurist.
• Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti: was a monumental polymath who later in life famously withdrew from public engagement entirely to write in isolation.
When classical history did celebrate great orators, figures like Ali ibn Abi Talib, the soul-stirring ascetic Hasan al-Basri, or the dramatic Baghdad preacher Ibn al-Jawzi, their eloquence was universally anchored in deep piety, moral gravity, and uncompromising truth, not theatrical performance.
The Modern Paradox: When Entertainment Replaces Instruction
In the modern age, however, a troubling shift has occurred. Muslims increasingly equate oratory eloquence with sound scholarship, fundamentally distorting the purpose of religious spaces.
Today, congregants too often attend Jumu’ah prayer with the goal of being entertained rather than receiving spiritual and moral guidance. When an imam steps to the minbar, he is no longer judged by the soundness of his knowledge or the sincerity of his faith, but by superficial metrics:
“Khateebs are gauged by their popularity, and words are gauged by their eloquence, not their truth.”
This consumerist mindset has created immense, unfair pressure on religious leaders. Imams are criticized for failing to meet modern entertainment standards. Congregants casually mock a stutter, critique the cut of clothing, or dismiss a khutbah altogether if it lacks theatrical flair.
Even worse, this superficiality breeds hostility toward the core message of Islam itself. When an imam fulfills his religious obligation by reminding the community of haram or warning them of the realities of the hellfire, he is often met with backlash. People demand to be comforted rather than corrected, pressuring leaders to cater exclusively to what the crowd wants to hear rather than what they need to hear.
Trading the heavy, transformative weight of truth for the fleeting applause of popularity is a profound disservice to the tradition of Islam, leaving a sad state of affairs where style has eclipsed substance, and the pulpit is measured by applause rather than accountability. May Allah make us amongst the people who listen to the word, and follow the best of it. And Allah knows best. Imam Luqman Ahmad