Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Khutbah

 13 March 2020 / 18 Rejab 1441H

Avoiding Miserliness

Blessed Friday congregation,

Let us increase our taqwa of Allah s.w.t. Let us obey His commands and abstain from His prohibitions. Know that every morning, angels supplicate to Allah s.w.t. for us. Let us hear what Allah s.w.t. says in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 245:

Meaning: “Who is it that would loan Allah a goodly loan so He may multiply it for him many times over? And it is Allah who withholds and grants abundance, and to Him you will be returned.”

Dear brothers,

This verse mentions a virtue that we should all embody within ourselves, and that is generosity. Without instilling in ourselves this virtue of being generous, another negative trait will take its place and that is miserliness. This trait presents itself in many ways; among them are being stingy with the knowledge Allah s.w.t. has granted us, not giving salam to people we meet, and not offering selawat upon the Prophet s.a.w. But perhaps the most talked about form of miserliness is of that with wealth. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said in a hadith:

Meaning: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “There is not a day upon which the servant awakens but that two angels descend. One of them says: O Allah, repay the one who spends in charity! The other says: O Allah, destroy the one who withholds charity!” [Hadith narrated by Imam Al-Bukhari & Muslim].

This supplication by the angels as mentioned in the hadith encourages us to use the gifts granted to us by Allah s.w.t. in a way which pleases Him. It also reminds us to avoid miserly traits that will only lead to our downfall and negatively affects our relationships with the people around us.

We must strive to overcome this trait of miserliness by utilising the gifts Allah s.w.t. has given us towards the welfare of our society, be it with our wealth, ideas, or labour – and what is most important is the sincerity of our hearts.

Let us be united in these difficult times. Let us ask Allah s.w.t. to protect us, our families, our community and our nation from harm. May He accept and be pleased with our efforts. Amin Ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.