Shaykh Muhammad Nasiruddin Al-Albani was asked:

Question:

“May Allah increase you in virtue. Some people ask why is it called Khutbatul-Haajah [the speech of the need]. It is [the sermon] that begins with:

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ

“Verily all praise is due to Allah, we praise Him, seek His forgiveness…” etc.

Answer:

“I was afraid you were going to complete it. However, may Allah reward you for summarizing it. It is called this because you deliver a sermon for a need. If I, for example, attend a sitting in your house or the house of another and I want my speech to reach the depths of your heart, then I will begin my speech with the speech of the need. This is because my need is for my speech to reach your hearts. It is not only [for the speech] to enter one ear and come out the other. So like this, it was called [the speech of the need]” End translation. [Mutafarriqaat no. 1]

Translated by

Faisal bin Abdul Qaadir bin Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan