collections khutbah Emulating Rasulullah ﷺ in His Social Interactions
Emulating Rasulullah ﷺ in His Social Interactions

Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Sermon

12 May 2022 / 21 Syawal 1444H


Emulating Rasulullah  in His Social Interactions

My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam,

Let us continue our efforts to increase our taqwa towards Allah (s.w.t), by obeying all His orders, and by abstaining from all His prohibitions. May we be among those to whom Allah (s.w.t) grants His guidance. Amin.

My brothers and sisters,

Allah (s.w.t) has helped us in numerous ways. His blessings are uncountable, and His laws ensure that we remain guided. Such is Allah’s love for His servants, that He appointed His Beloved, our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) to guide us to the right path. We have not been left in the dark and desperately searching for His Guidance.

As His servants, we must strive to make the best of our lives by following the best example and role model. This can be done by emulating the life of Allah’s (s.w.t) Beloved, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).

Rasulullah (s.a.w) conveyed the laws of Islam in the best possible way - that is, by being a role model for all of us. This includes the various aspects of his life; from his noble character, to how he built a harmonious family, as well as the way he navigated and managed his social interactions.

Brothers and sisters,

Navigating our social interactions may seem to be a very ordinary affair; however, there are certain challenges that we face when dealings with others. These challenges may come when we are dealing with the general members of the community, or perhaps with our very own neighbours. We are all humans. As such, it is only natural for us to have different perspectives and views about various things. 

Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said in a hadith, which means: "A believer who mixes with other people and is patient with their harm is better than a believer who does not mix with others and does not endure their harm." (Hadith narrated by At-Tirmizi).

Imam Al-Mubarakfuri explained the meaning of Rasulullah's words - "mixes with other people" - as follows: it refers to a believer who lives and resides alongside other members of society.

As such, there is no denying that in trying to establish social relations, we often face various complexities and misunderstandings that can cause anger, resentment, and dissatisfaction, among many others.

Allow me to share a very valuable lesson from the Prophet (s.a.w). The Prophet said:

لاَ يُبَلِّغْنِي أَحَدٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِي عَنْ أَحَدٍ شَيْئًا فَإِنِّي أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَخْرُجَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنَا سَلِيمُ الصَّدْرِ

Which means: "I don't want any one of my friends to tell me anything about other people; I really want to meet you with a pure heart." (Hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad).

There is a very valuable lesson behind the advice of the Prophet (s.a.w) not to say bad things about anyone. Whenever we interact with other people, we will certainly find things that are lacking in them. When that happens, the Prophet (s.a.w) taught us to choose the better option, which is to always look for the good in others.

Let us reflect on the example of how Rasulullah (s.a.w) dealt with a Companion (r.a) who often committed major sins, such as drinking alcohol.

It is narrated in a hadith that the Prophet (s.a.w), upon witnessing some other Companions cursing the individual, he said:

لا تَلْعَنُوهُ، فَوَاللَّهِ ما عَلِمْتُ إنَّه يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ ورَسولَهُ

Which means: "Do not curse him. For indeed, I know that he loves Allah and His Messenger." [Hadith narrated by Imam Al-Bukhari]

My fellow Muslims,

The social relationships that Rasulullah (s.a.w) established were based on mutual respect and love. The Prophet (s.a.w) chose not to look at the shortcomings of those around him.

In fact, Allah (s.w.t) describes His most beloved servants as servants of Ar-Rahman, because they reflect Allah’s attributes of mercy and compassion, which is to be merciful to every creature in this world. As Allah (s.w.t) says in Surah Al-Furqan: 63:


Which means: “The true servants of the Most Compassionate are those who walk on the earth humbly, and when the foolish address them improperly (with bad words), they only respond with peace.”

Therefore, if we want to be among the true servants of Ar-Rahman, as mentioned in the verse, we should strive to show compassion to all those around us.

May we become His servants who strive to show care to our brothers and sisters in humanity. And may Allah (s.w.t) bless our efforts to cultivate noble values ​​in our daily lives, and may He preserve the harmony that has been established in our society. 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.