Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Every sermon in which the testimony (of the Oneness of Allah and the Messengership) is not mentioned is like a severed hand."
Hadith Referenceمسند اسحاق بن راهويه / كتاب النكاح و الطلاق / 602
Hadith Takhrij«سنن ابوداود ، كتاب الادب ، باب فى الخطبة ، رقم : 4841 . سنن ترمذي ، ابواب النكا ح ، باب ماجاء فى خطبة النكا ح ، رقم : 1106 . قال الشيخ الالباني : صحيح . صحيح ابن حبان ، رقم : 2796 .»
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Abdush Shakoor Tirmidhi
Benefits: From the aforementioned hadith, it is understood that every sermon (khutbah) should contain the declaration of the Oneness of Allah (tawhid) and the Messengership (risalah). By "tashahhud" is meant the affirmation of the two testimonies (shahadatayn). As is established from the blessed sermon of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam):
((Indeed, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from the evil consequences of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide, and whomever He misguides, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, alone, without any partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.))
"Like a mutilated hand": Like a hand afflicted with leprosy, deficient and defective. It is understood that any sermon in which there is no praise and glorification of Allah, nor the testimony to the Oneness of Allah and the Messengership, is deficient.