Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
Friday Sermon
12 July 2024 / 6 Muharram 1446H
Faith in Adversity
الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي جَعَلَ فِي اخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُوْلِي الأَلْبَابِ، وَجَعَلَ الـمُحَرَّمَ مِنَ الأَشْهُرِ الحُرُمِ تَذْكِيرًا لِحُرْمَتِهِ لِمَنْ تَابَ إِلَيْهِ وَأَنَابَ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَن لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ الكَرِيمُ الوَهَّابُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ الَّذِي اصْطَفَاهُ وَأَنزَلَ عَلَيْهِ الكِتَابَ، اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ صَلَاةً نَنَالُ بِهَا شَفَاعَتَهُ يَوْمَ الحَشْرِ وَالحِسَابِ. أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَيَا أَيُّهَا الـمُسْلِمُونَ، أُوصِيكُم وَنَفْسِي بِتَقوَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَقَد فَازَ الـمُتَّقُونَ.
My blessed Friday congregants,
Let us continue in our efforts to elevate our taqwa towards Allah s.w.t. by obeying all His commands, and abstaining from all His prohibitions. May Allah s.w.t. cleanse our hearts and strengthen our faith in Him in this new Hijri year. Amin.
My beloved brothers,
Last night, some of us may have recited Surah Yasin, and would have recited its 9th verse:
What lesson can we derive from this verse? For those who may be unfamiliar, this verse is related to the migration of the Prophet s.a.w. Allah mentioned in this verse: "And We have placed before them a barrier, and behind them a barrier, and We have covered them, so they do not see."
This event refers to the attempt by the Quraysh to kill the Prophet s.a.w., when he was surrounded in his house. Why did they reach to that extent? It was because they rejected the message of Islam, which calls people to worship Allah s.w.t., the Almighty God.
However, with the power and help of Allah s.w.t., and the strategic planning of our Prophet s.a.w., he successfully escaped. This significant event is recorded in verse 9 of Surah Yasin, as recited earlier.
My fellow Muslims,
I am sure we are all familiar with the story of the migration (hijrah) of our Prophet s.a.w. and his Companions from Mecca to Medina, which was due to the oppressive treatment they endured at the hands of the Quraysh. Today, I would like us to contemplate our Prophet’s migration from a slightly different perspective. There are three key takeaways from our gathering today.
The first takeaway is the importance of planning. The Prophet s.a.w. meticulously planned and made efforts to ensure his safety before placing his complete trust in Allah s.w.t. For example, before leaving his house, he asked Sayyidina Ali bin Abi Talib r.a. to take his place in his bed, in order to mislead his enemies. Only then did he place his full confidence in Allah s.w.t. that his plan would succeed. Brothers, there is no such thing as relying solely on Allah s.w.t. without first undertaking meticulous planning and exerting effort. The Prophet s.a.w. said: “Strive for that which will benefit you, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless.” (Hadith narrated by Imam Muslim).
Secondly, be willing to seek and provide support and assistance. My dear brothers, we do not live in solitude in this world. As human beings, we need to be able to give and receive support and assistance, as exemplified by Sayyidina Ali r.a.’s actions for our Prophet s.a.w. Similarly, Sayyidina Abu Bakar r.a. was willing to accompany the Prophet s.a.w. in fleeing Mecca and to hide with him in the Cave of Thawr. When Sayyidina Abu Bakar r.a. felt unease and worry as the Quraysh approached the cave and nearly discovered them, it was the Prophet’s turn to provide emotional support. He calmed Abu Bakar r.a. by saying, as recorded in Surah at-Taubah, verse 40:
Which means: "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us."
SubhanAllah! Such was the strength of the faith and confidence of our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Despite facing his enemies and the threat of being killed, he remained calm and confident in Allah's help, after making the necessary efforts.
We should draw lessons from this incident and reflect. What is our level of confidence in Allah s.w.t. when tested? Does our faith motivate us to persist and rely on Allah s.w.t.? Or do we instead succumb to despair and lose hope?
My brothers,
The third takeaway is to have faith in Allah's decree and in His assistance. Allah s.w.t. is the best of planners. Only Allah s.w.t. knows what is best for His servants. Our duty is to strive and improve ourselves. With effort and faith in Allah's decree, we will remain calm when facing life's challenges. Allah s.w.t. says in the Qur’an, Surah at-Taghabun, verse 11:
Which means: “No disaster strikes except by permission of Allah. And whoever believes in Allah - He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things.”
May we all learn from this momentous event of the migration of our Prophet s.a.w. and his Companions. And may we continue to nurture our confidence in Allah s.w.t., and always submit to Him.
O Allah, You are the one who turns hearts, so keep our faith firm in our hearts. Ya Hadi, Ya Rashid, guide us the way to remain steadfast upon Your religion. Ya Qawiy, Ya Mateen, grant us strength to face all our challenges. Ya Hakim, Ya Wadud, bestow upon us the wisdom to live in tranquillity and with immense love for all Your creation. With humility and hearts full of remorse, we beg for Your forgiveness, forgive us for our many sins that are like the foam in the ocean, and do not let them be the reason our supplications are denied, O Lord who hears the tears of His weak and feeble servants.
أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْم.
SECOND SERMON
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 تَسْلِيمًا. اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ.
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، يَا رَبَّ العَالَمِينَ. اَللَّهُمَّ انْصُرْ إِخْوَانَنَا اْلمُسْتَضْعَفِيْنَ فِي غَزَّة وَفِي فِلِسْطِينَ وَفِيْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ عَامَّةً، يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ. اَللَّهُمَّ بَدِّلْ خَوْفَهُمْ أَمْنًا، وَحُزْنَهُمْ فَرَحًا، وَهَمَّهُمْ فَرَجًا، يَا رَبَّ العَالَمِينَ. اَللَّهُمَّ اكْتُبِ السِّلْمَ وَالسَّلاَم وَاْلأَمْنَ وَاْلأَمَانَ لِلْعَالَمِ أَجْمَع يَا لَطِيْف. 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 يَذْكُرْكُمْ، وَاشْكُرُوهُ عَلَى نِعَمِهِ يَزِدْكُمْ، وَاسْأَلُوهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ يُعْطِكُم، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ، وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ.
