Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Sermon

15 July 2022 / 15 Zulhijjah 1443H

  
Recognising the Characteristics of Deviant Teachings

 

My dear brothers and sisters,

Let us strive to increase our taqwa towards Allah (s.w.t.) by obeying all His commands and staying away from His prohibitions. May we be among those whom Allah (s.w.t.) grants success and guidance. Amin ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.

Brothers and sisters,

Choosing a teacher is important in the journey of seeking knowledge. Gaining knowledge from the learned is highly emphasised in Islam. Allah (s.w.t.) said:

“And We did not send before you except men to whom We revealed our message. So ask the people of knowledge, if you do not know.” (Al-Nahl: 43)

 

According to Dr. Wahbah Al-Zuhayli, the term "ahl al-zikr" mentioned in this verse refers to the scholars. The public is required to seek them on religious matters and queries which they do not understand.

It is a great concern when individuals who are unskilled and untrained in a particular subject immerse themselves into that field. It becomes even more worrying when they are seen and made as referral points by the public. Attaining knowledge from non-experts is among the factors that can lead a person to be influenced by deviant teachings.

Brothers and sisters,

Deviant teachings can be identified through certain characteristics. Among the characteristics is that the teachings are done in secrecy, hidden from the public or conducted only to members of a group.

Among the reasons why such religious gatherings or classes are kept in secret is to avoid being detected.

When the teachers do not have sufficient knowledge regarding the Qur'an, this will result in misinterpretation of the verses of the Qur'an that are based solely on their own thoughts, thus differing greatly from the views of mainstream scholars.

Even worse, some of the preachers of this group claim to be Imam Mahdi, Prophet Isa (a.s.) or saints who possess powers and claim to be infallible, or claim to be the successor of Rasulullah (s.a.w.). Some even claim that they receive revelation directly from Allah (s.w.t.).

Brothers and sisters,

The modification or omission of religious rulings, such as the five obligatory daily prayers, without any religious basis, is also among the traits of deviant teachings.

Some deviant teachings claim that the five daily prayers only require intention and not physical motion when the Prophet (s.a.w.) himself never abandoned his prayers. It was narrated in a hadith:

Abdullah bin ‘Umar (r.a.) said:

“I used to accompany the Prophet (s.a.w) and he never performed more than two raka`at of prayer during a journey. Abu Bakr, `Umar and `Uthman used to do the same.” (Hadith reported by Imam al-Bukhari)

This hadith contains some important lessons:

Firstly, it teaches us that the change in the number of rak'ahs in a Qasr or shortened prayer is due to textual evidence from the Qur'an, and not due to personal decisions or desires of the Prophet (s.a.w.).

Secondly, it shows Allah’s mercy for His servants by making it easier for us to worship Him by allowing prayers to be shortened under certain circumstances. The ease in worship should be based on proper legal injunction and religious guidance and not based on one’s preference.

Brothers and sisters,

It is the responsibility of every individual to ensure that the knowledge is obtained from authentic sources, and in line with the command of Allah (s.w.t.) and the teachings of His Messenger (s.a.w).

Do acquire religious knowledge only through qualified and accredited Asatizah that are registered under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS). This can be found by referring to the list available on the ARS website.

May Allah (s.w.t.) protect us and our family members from being misguided and influenced by deviant teachings. Amin ya Rabbal ‘Alamin!

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

 

Second Sermon

الحَمْدُ 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 العَزِيزِ: إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَـا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسلِيمًا. 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 لِلمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالمُؤْمِنَاتِ، وَالمُسْلِمِينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتِ، الأَحْيَاءِ مِنهُم وَالأَمْوَاتِ. اللَّهُمَّ ادْفَعْ عَنَّا البَلَاءَ وَالوَبَاءَ وَالزَّلَازِلَ وَالمِحَنَ، مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ، عَن بَلَدِنَا خَاصَّةً، وَسَائِرِ البُلْدَانِ عَامَّةً، يَارَبَّ العَالَمِينَ. رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنيَا حَسَنَةً، وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً، وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ.

عِبَادَ اللهِ، إِنَّ اللهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي القُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ، فَاذكُرُوا اللهَ العَظِيمَ يَذْكُركُمْ، وَاشْكُرُوهُ عَلَى نِعَمِهِ يَزِدكُمْ، وَاسْأَلُوهُ مِن فَضلِهِ يُعطِكُم، وَلَذِكرُ اللهِ أَكبَرُ، وَاللهُ  يَعلَمُ مَا تَصنَعُونَ.