The Farewell Khutba (Khutbat al-Wida')

Question

On the last Jumu'a of blessed Ramadan the farewell (“al-wida'”) khutba is commonly recited. In the collection of khutbas of Mawlana Isma'il Shahid ﵀ and others there is no mention of it at all. As far as I know, it is only in “Khutba-i ‘Ilmi” (“The Scholarly Sermon”), which is the farewell khutba written by Muhammad Hasan 'Ali Barelvi, and in most mosques it is this very khutba [that is recited]. Is the farewell khutba a bid'a? And if, supposing, you write that it is a bid'a, then what kind of bid'a is it?

Answer

Reciting this farewell khutba is not established from the generations attested to be good (al-qurun al-mashhud laha bi-l-khayr). The fuqaha have not mentioned reciting it. Mawlana 'Abd al-Hayy Lakhnawi ﵀ has explained in detail, with proofs, that it is a prohibited bid'a.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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