Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Sermon

7 August 2020 / 17 Zulhijjah 1441H

Allah Is With Those Who Practise Ihsan

 

Beloved Friday congregants,

Let us together increase our taqwa towards Allah s.w.t. Fulfil all His commands and avoid all His prohibitions. May we become individuals who continuously practise ihsan in all our affairs. Amin.

My Brothers,

Surely it is the hope of every servant of Allah s.w.t. to gain a position close to Him and to be near Him all the time. We worship Him, obey His commands, abstain from His prohibitions, and make all kinds of sacrifice – so that we attain a high status in the sight of Allah s.w.t.

Therefore, the sermons for this month will identify several noble characteristics that are mentioned in the Quran. These are the characteristics which will bring a servant of Allah s.w.t. to be closer to Him. When we observe the Quran, we will notice that there are several verses which include the following phrase:

إِنَّ اللهَ مَعَ

Meaning: “Indeed, Allah is with-”

These words are then followed by the characteristics of those who attain a place close to Allah s.w.t.

My Brothers,

Let us observe what Allah s.w.t. says in surah an-Nahl, verse 128:

Meaning: “Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of ihsan (good).”

So, what is ihsan? And how do we attain this attribute?

Brothers, ihsan holds two main meanings. Firstly, it means whatever good that a person does for others. Be it for other people or the animals, and even for one’s country or the environment.

To enliven the characteristic of ihsan is to show concern towards the condition of the society around us. We will also strive to remove any form of harm that can affect life in general. This form of ihsan does not only improve the quality of a person’s life, but it can also drive others around him to nurture the same kind of ihsan in themselves. This is an opportunity for us all to enliven a culture of ihsan in the community. When we strive to gain the pleasure of Allah s.w.t., He surely will bless our efforts and our acts of ihsan in this world.

The second meaning of ihsan is to perform all our acts of worship to the best of our ability.

Rasulullah s.a.w. teaches us about this form of ihsan in a hadith reported by Imam Bukhari, which means: “(Ihsan is) when you worship Allah, it is as though you can see Him. And if you cannot see Him, know that He can see you.”

From this hadith, we can observe that the true form of ihsan can improve the quality of a person’s acts of worship. He realizes that these acts of worship are the key to his success in this world and the hereafter, thus, he constantly strives to improve them.

My Brothers,

Since the spread of the pandemic in Singapore, we have witnessed different kinds of welfare efforts done by members of our community. They have remained united in striving to support one another, such as showing appreciation towards the noble work of our front liners, making adjustments in our daily lives, as well as in performing acts of worship. All these are for the benefit of the larger society.

This spirit of ihsan should continue to bloom and flourish within ourselves and our community. With that, may Allah s.w.t. bless all our efforts and preserve the security and prosperity of our beloved community and country. May Allah s.w.t. accept all our deeds, grant our hopes and fulfil our prayers. Amin Ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.

أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْم

 

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.