Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Sermon

2 December 2022 / 7 Jamadilawal 1444H

  
Advanced Planning: Protecting One’s Welfare

My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam,

Let us continue in our efforts to elevate our taqwa towards Allah (s.w.t.), by obeying all of His orders, and by abstaining from all of His prohibitions. With our efforts, we pray that we will be among His servants with whom He is pleased. Amin.
 

Brothers and sisters,

Islam is a religion that emphasises the safety and overall well-being of humankind. As a Muslim, it is our responsibility to ensure that we do not take this matter lightly. We can observe how Islam prioritises the preservation of life and property. For example, in the Qur'an, regarding the importance of safeguarding one’s property, Allah (s.w.t) says:

Which means: “Do not entrust your property to the spendthrift. God has made it a means of support for you: make provision for them from it, clothe them, and speak to them words of kindness.” [An-Nisa: 5]
 

Brothers and sisters,

This verse warns us to be careful when managing our finances. Not only do we need to be wary of fraud that is becoming more prevalent, but we also need to be careful with how we manage our finances. For example, who can we entrust with our property and belongings?

Looking back at this previous verse, Allah (s.w.t) forbids us from trusting those who are 'safah', i.e., spendthrift, to manage our wealth, or from trusting those whom we know will not be able to manage our wealth wisely. This is due to the fact that the wealth and property granted to us by Allah (s.w.t) is the foundation from which we build our lives. Therefore, it is necessary that we should manage our wealth and provisions responsibly.
 

My fellow Muslims,

In line with the principles of the Syariah, which require guardians to take care of the welfare of individuals under their care, on this occasion, I would like to highlight the planning that must be performed by each individual, as they face the reality of old age. It is not only financial planning which we should be concerned with, whether through CPF nomination, drawing up a will, and others. However, it also includes planning for our own physical care, should we lose the ability to take care of ourselves.

As the saying goes, prepare an umbrella before it rains. As such, every Muslim should try to identify who from among our family members or our children who we can rely on to safeguard our welfare. Who can we trust to take over our responsibilities and provide care, while making decisions on our behalf, should we lose the ability to do so due to health factors? These are important considerations indeed.

Whether it is mental illness or an accident that can potentially make a person lose the mental capacity to make decisions, Islam has provided us with an alternative to protect our welfare and our property should such an eventuality come to pass.
 

Brothers and sisters,

As an example, many by now have heard about the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). This is a noble initiative in our efforts to take care of our personal as well as our financial affairs. Through it, we can appoint someone whom we trust and is responsible to manage any of our official matters legally, in the event that we lose our mental capacities.

It is a form of planning that is allowed and aligned to the Islamic principles and objectives (or Maqāṣid al-Sharī'ah). It is also in line with religious principles which dictate that a Muslim must make plans and preparations to face future challenges.

Ways to grant the power of attorney or any further information about the Lasting Power of Attorney can be found at MSF’s website.

By taking care of ourselves, our responsibilities, and our faith, we pray that Allah (s.w.t) will be pleased with us, and grant us a place in His eternal Heaven. 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.

Blessed brothers and sisters,

The Rahmatan Lil ‘Alamin Foundation (RLAF) is still conducting a donation drive to support humanitarian relief efforts in response to a devastating earthquake which struck West Java, Indonesia recently.

The earthquake has resulted in the loss of more than 300 lives and injured over 1,000 people. More than 58,000 people have also been evacuated as over 22,000 homes have been reported damaged.

Your generous contributions will support in disaster relief efforts and the immediate needs of those affected.

You may donate via the donation boxes in this mosque which indicate collection for earthquake in West Java, Indonesia.

More information can also be found on the Rahmatan Lil ‘Alamin Foundation (RLAF) website.

 

We pray that Allah (s.w.t) eases the burden of those affected and grants them strength and patience to overcome this hardship. Amin.

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.