Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Sermon

23 October 2020 / 6 Rabiulawal 1442H

Emulating the Prophet s.a.w.: The Spirit of Helping Others

 

My brothers,

Let us increase our taqwa towards Allah s.w.t. by obeying His commands and abstaining from His prohibitions. We ask Allah s.w.t. to grant us the strength to embody the teachings of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

My dear brothers,

Alhamdulillah, we are currently in the blessed month of Rabiulawal. It is the month in which we are frequently reminded of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. and to rejuvenate our love towards him. Our love towards him could inspire us to continue learning and appreciating his noble character. Thus, the sermon today invites us to reflect upon his noble qualities; that is, the act of giving and his spirit of helping others.

Brothers,

Rasulullah s.a.w. was well-known for his spirit of helping those in need. He was always prepared to render assistance and never turned down the requests of others.

Imam Abu Dawud narrated that the Prophet s.a.w. was once approached by a beggar. The Prophet s.a.w. asked him if he had any belongings with him, and he then proceeded to help sell them off. With the money he raised, the beggar was able to turn his life around; he no longer needed to beg and was able to earn a living independently.

Such are the teachings we can all learn from the life of the Prophet. He left no stone unturned when helping those he interacted with, hence making positive impact in their lives.

My brothers,

We must all cultivate within ourselves the spirit of helping others. This is because, the support we extend to others opens the door of goodness, not only for the individual, but also the society at large. Let us ponder upon a hadith in which Rasulullah s.a.w. says: “The relationship of the believer with another believer is like (the bricks of) a building, each strengthens the other.” (Hadith narrated by Imam Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

This means that when we help an individual, its impact is not limited to the one receiving the assistance, but also to the rest of the community. Furthermore, Allah s.w.t. promises great rewards for those who help others and constantly seek to do good. Listen to what Allah s.w.t. tells us in surah an-Nahl, verse 97:

 

Meaning: “Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.”

Dear brothers,

Helping others is not limited to only providing financial aid. There are innumerable deeds we can do to help others, such as praying for their wellbeing, helping to fulfil their needs and so on. Allah s.w.t. does not look at the size of our deeds, but rather the intent and sincerity behind it.

My brothers, we must always remember that we depend on one another. None of us can go through life alone without the help of others, especially as we go through the current situation. We must realize that when we seek to alleviate the suffering of others, Allah s.w.t. will surely provide ease for us in this world and the hereafter.

We ask Allah s.w.t. to bless all our efforts and keep us on the path of righteousness. And may we achieve true success in both this world and the next. Amin Ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.

أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَ لَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْمُ

 

 

Second Sermon

 

الْحَمْدُ للهِ حَمْدًا كَثِيرًا كَمَا أَمَرَ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَن لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ. اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ. أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَيَا عِبَادَ الله، اِتَّقُوا اللهَ تَعَالَى فِيمَا أَمَرَ، وَانتَهُوا عَمَّا نَهَاكُم عَنْهُ وَزَجَرَ.

أَلَا صَلُّوا وَسَلِّمُوا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ الْمُصْطَفَى، فَقَدْ أَمَرَنَا اللهُ بِذَلِكَ حَيْثُ قَال فِي كِتَابِهِ الْعَزِيزِ: إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَـا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا. اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَ بَارِكْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ.

وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ المَهْدِيِّينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيِّ، وَعَن بَقِيَّةِ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالقَرَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ، وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ، وَعَنَّا مَعَهُم وَفِيهِم بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ.

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالمُؤْمِنَاتِ، وَالمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ، الْأَحْيَاءِ مِنهُم وَالْأَمْوَاتِ. اللَّهُمَّ ادْفَعْ عَنَّا الْبَلَاءَ وَالوَبَاءَ وَالزَّلَازِلَ وَالْمِحَنَ، مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ، عَن بَلَدِنَا خَاصَّةً، وَسَائِرِ الْبُلْدَانِ عَامَّةً، يَارَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ. رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنيَا حَسَنَةً، وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً، وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ.

عِبَادَ اللهِ، إِنَّ اللهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ، وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ، فَاذْكُرُوا اللهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ، وَاشْكُرُوهُ عَلَى نِعَمِهِ يَزِدْكُمْ، وَاسْأَلُوهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ يُعْطِكُمْ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ، وَاللهُ  يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ.