The language of Friday Juma Khutbah in a non-Arab speaking country?
Khutbah in Arabic means communication, speech and delivering a message. It is in this sense the word 'khutbah' has been used in the sources. Even a casual reading of the Traditions will convince anyone that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used his khutbas solely as a medium of communication in order to educate and raise the level of consciousness of the audience. Through his khutbas, he instructed them in the teachings of Islam, inspired them to be virtuous and charitable, to foster a true sense of brotherhood, to be respectable, to nurture consciousness of Allah, to teach the Qur'an, to demonstrate the manner of Prayer, etc.,; as well as to issue directives and policies. In short, it was the most important medium for educating the community, including men and women. Thanks to his effective use of minbar, he could train an entire generation of men and women, young and old, to be capable teachers and leaders. We have numerous testimonials from the companions, both men and women, indicating how they learned various surahs as well as other important lessons in Islam directly from the mouth of the Prophet, peace be upon him, as he addressed them from the minbar.
In order to ensure the effectiveness of his communication, the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to employ various methods of teaching in his khutbas: he posed questions, answered questions; addressed issues of concern in different times and contexts; to illustrate his points he would draw examples from their daily experiences. The companions recalled that his kutbahs were full of vigour and spirit; he would often repeat the main points clearly so that at the end of his khutbah everyone grasped his essential message very well.
It is now easy to answer your question: if khutbah is communication and delivering a message, it must be in the language of the audience. For what purpose it would serve if it is delivered in a language that people do not understand? You cannot say I delivered a message to people, if I spoke to them in a language foreign to them. It is absurd to speak Arabic to those who are English speaking, if they don't know Arabic; it is not different from delivering khutbah in English to the Arabic speaking. The fact that the Prophet delivered the khutbah in Arabic does not mean that we must do it in Arabic. For how could he have done otherwise when his audience spoke only spoke Arabic?
There is no point in delivering khutbah in Arabic if the people do not understand Arabic. It would be simply a wastage of time and missing a great opportunity to educate and raise the consciousness of people.
This is why the fatwas of scholars and jurists of al-Azhar as well as the World Council of Muslim Jurists agree that the khutbah should be given in the language of the people. They have also pointed out that by following this method we are in no way contradicting any of the acceptable principles of the Islamic jurisprudence. In other words, this would be perfectly valid in all the schools of jurisprudence, if the khatib were to begin the khutbah by uttering the traditional formulas of praising Allah, testimony of faith, benedictions or blessings on the Prophet, advice to be conscious of Allah, reading of the Qur'an, and du'as in Arabic. Once he has done so, the message can be delivered in the language of the people.
In this way, we will be able to do justice to the letter and spirit of khutbah, and we would also ensure that the valuable time will be utilized in order to raise the Islamic consciousness: to instruct, inspire and empower. May Allah bless us to practice Islam with true understanding and in good spirit--aameen.
