Why is the khutbah in Arabic?
Arabic isn't just some random choice. It's the language the Quran was revealed in, and the language the Prophet ﷺ delivered the first khutbah in Medina.
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ
"Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an that you might understand." - Quran 12:2 (Yūsuf)
The Stance of the Schools of Thought
The majority of classical scholars - Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali - believe that the core parts of the khutbah (hamd, salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ, a Quranic verse, and the call to taqwa) should be delivered in Arabic whenever possible. The Hanafi school allows for more use of other languages, but even there, Arabic is the preferred and normal practice.
The reason isn't just legal. The khutbah connects every congregation on Friday to the global ummah: the same verses, the same phrases, the same language that the Prophet ﷺ himself chose.
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا بِلِسَانِ قَوْمِهِ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ
"And We did not send any messenger except with the language of his people so that he might make [the message] clear to them." - Quran 14:4 (Ibrāhīm)
Where Translation Belongs
Just because the khutbah is in Arabic doesn't mean understanding isn't important. On the contrary: the verse above says li-yubayyina lahum, "so that he might make it clear to them." Many contemporary scholars therefore allow and encourage an explanation or translation alongside the Arabic khutbah, especially in mosques with many converts or young Muslims who don't yet know Arabic.
That's exactly where Minbar comes in: the khutbah remains in Arabic, preserving the Sunnah, and the congregation reads the meaning on their own phones without the imam needing to interrupt the flow of the sermon.