Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Sermon

22 July 2022 / 22 Zulhijjah 1443H

  
Importance of Seeking Religious Knowledge from Authentic Sources

My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam,

Let us strengthen our taqwa of Allah (s.w.t.) by carrying out all His commands and avoiding all His prohibitions. May we be placed amongst the righteous ones in the Hereafter. Amin.

Brothers and sisters,

The Qur'an and the Sunnah are two important sources of guidance in our lives. We can ensure that we remain on the path that pleases Allah (s.w.t.) by holding on to these two main sources, as well as through the guidance provided by our scholars. Therefore, every Muslim must strive to understand what is taught, and to put the teachings into practice in the right way and methodology. The Prophet (s.a.w) said in a hadith, which means: "I leave to you two things, and you will not go astray as long as you hold fast to them: namely the Book of Allah (the Qur'an), and the sunnah of His Prophet (Sunnah of the Prophet s.a.w)." (Hadith narrated by Imam al-Baihaqi)

But the question is: How does a person achieve the correct understanding of the Qur'an and Sunnah?

My brothers and sisters,

If we look into the past scholarly traditions in terms of seeking and mastering religious knowledge, we can see how careful they were in finding teachers who were reliable and qualified in religious studies.

For example, Imam al-Shafi’i had sought knowledge from a great teacher, Imam Malik. Similarly, Imam Ahmad had studied under Imam al-Shafi’i, and so on. All our scholars benefited from this rich heritage of knowledge, as well as other relevant sets of knowledge from other scholars who were recognised for their wealth of knowledge.

  
This is because learning the Qur’an and Sunnah through the literal texts or translations alone is insufficient. Through a qualified teacher, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the religion. Let us ponder upon how Allah (s.w.t.) differentiates between those who are knowledgeable and those who are not. Allah (s.w.t.) said:

Which means: “Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing in prayer, fearing the Hereafter, and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, like one who does not? Say, ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’ Only the people of understanding will take heed.” (Surah az-Zumar verse 9).

Brothers and sisters,

Misunderstandings regarding religious texts can cause a person to fall into a sea of errors. For example, in the history of Islam, there were those who became misguided, such as the Kharijites, due to misinterpretations of some verses of the Qur'an.

I think we can all recall how some groups like ISIS had attempted to distort the meanings of several religious texts for their own personal interests and ulterior motives. These misinterpretations include legalising slavery, murder, and even declared themselves as a caliph, among many others.

Therefore, we must not take the study of religion lightly. It is a responsibility that has been entrusted to us. We should honour this trust as it affects our own wellbeing as well as that of our families, in this world and the next.

This is especially important for us today, with the constant development of new media which allows us to easily access all kinds of information, including religious discussions. We therefore need to be wary of misleading ideas and destructive ideologies that can be spread and shared easily.

In our continuous attempt to move forward as a contributing society in the world we are living in, as well as striving to develop the exemplary understanding and practice of the religion, we must acquire the required skills to comprehend and evaluate the religious information that we receive.

Should we have any difficulties understanding various religious concepts and information, we should seek the guidance of our qualified asatizah.

May Allah (s.w.t.) open our hearts to recognise and hold onto the truth, and may He grant us continuous guidance and wisdom. 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.