sunni gatherings

I agree time management is a big issue.

However, I believe that pre-planning/forward-thinking is lacking, especially for Friday sermons. Hence, I suggest that the topic of discussion for the next sermon should be highlighted in advance, so that anyone with particular questions/queries about that specific subject/topic can have them ready at that time. Often, the khutbah is given and people scarper off, without any valuable lessons learned or constructive debate held; defeats the object of the exercise. Therefore, I feel setting the agenda in advance is a good way round this to make gatherings more fruitful.

Just my opinion........

 

it would be better to list the concrete achievements of the to-be speaker instead as happens in western public speeches e.g. jamia masjid kay imaam, bukhari sharif kay mutarjim etc.' (making this up as an example). i suspect the problem with that is there aren't too many with many concrete achievements...

the most exaggerated praise ever--and it can get into comical proportions as each subsequent speaker tries to outdo the other is what i heard once, 'when i see him i am reminded of ghawth al azam :ra:!'
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having said that i don't think it is parculiar to ulama and mashaikh. it seems to be a south asian trait. i remember watching a pakistani tv series once with moin akhtar and his famous guests would come to be interviewed by him. they would spend a good deal of time praising him to the skies and the questions were obviously pre-chosen to allow the interviewee to praise his host!

 

i agree. what could also be minimised is the aggrandization of the speaker; i accept that to show honour and respect a few epithets can be used but when it runs into obvious hyperbole and customary praise it gets annoying. yet the person being introduced seems to revel in it. someone once remarked that if the hosts were to stop this exaggerated praise of their guest most of the guests next time would refuse to come!

a really funny example i remember clearly (no names): in a tiny gathering in a converted house, in the living room, the guest was introduced as 'khateeb e pakistan...etc.' as soon as the guest began to speak he began to thank his host beginning with 'khateeb al asr, khateeb al islam...etc.!'

I doubt many people outside that room had heard of either of them!!!

 

just arrival? what about ending on time? particularly friday sermons - some speakers seem to think that time comes to a standstill on a friday afternoon. [in one particular incident, the khutbah started at 1pm and the speaker relented only around 2.40pm; almost touching the shafiyi asr!]

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another thing that used to annoy me was the introductions. when a famous speaker is invited and people are assembled to listen to him, instead of letting the speaker begin, there are introductions...and they run into hours. it is used to be amusing and annoying - dozens of people chipping in 'me too'. it would be a full hour or two until the speaker gets on the mike and well close to midnight.