Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
Friday Sermon
19 November 2021 / 14 Rabiulakhir 1443H
Financial Planning: Ensuring the Well-Being of our Families
My dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
Let us elevate our taqwa towards Allah (s.w.t.) by carrying out His commands and abstaining from His prohibitions. May we be amongst those whom Allah (s.w.t) grants success in this world and the hereafter.
My dear brothers and sisters,
Planning is crucial in our lives. Experience has taught us that proper planning can bring about successful outcome. As the saying goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. Planning will help us to organise our lives and achieve our goals more effectively.
My brothers and sisters
If we look at the history of Rasulullah (s.a.w.), we will find that Rasulullah (s.a.w.) would always plan his actions carefully before doing anything in his life.
The Prophet’s migration to Madinah is an example of his careful and well-thought-out plan. Prior to his migration, the Prophet (s.a.w.) drew up his plan with care and deliberation and prepared for the necessities such as food and the best route to Madinah, among many others. He even chose a companion that could support and accompany him on his journey. The companion was Abu Bakar as-Siddiq (r.a.). All these efforts were to ensure that his migration to Madinah is a safe and successful one.
Based on the guidance of the Prophet (s.a.w.), the companions also followed his example in planning ahead in life. Amongst them is Sa’ad ibn Waqqas (r.a.), a fellow companion who was promised paradise.
Sa’ad ibn Abi Waqqas was a rich companion who planned to use his wealth in the best way possible. Therefore, he decided to place all his wealth in the cause of Allah (s.w.t.), before his death. However, when he met the Prophet (s.a.w.), the Prophet assured Sa’ad to leave a portion of his wealth for his family. The Prophet (s.a.w.) advised which meant: “… It is better to leave your heirs well-off than to leave them poor, begging people...” (Hadith reported by Imam Bukhari).
Let us observe how the Prophet (s.a.w.) taught us to always think and consider the well-being of our closest relatives. Although giving our wealth in the cause of Allah is a noble deed in the sight of Allah, at the same time, we should not do so at the expense of putting our family’s welfare aside. Islam has placed great emphasis on this. We must always aim the best for our families, by providing them their essential needs, helping them in difficult times, and many others.
This goes in line with what was mentioned by Allah (s.w.t.) in Surah an-Nisaa’ ayat 9:
Which means: “And let those [guardians] fear Allah [lest they act injusticely] as if they [themselves] (were to die) and had left weak children behind and feared for them (for their future and safety). So let them fear Allah and speak words of appropriate justice (and truth).”
My brothers and sisters,
Every one of us has different financial standings and situations. The needs of a family will never be the same to another. Thus, it is important to be wise in spending and be able to distinguish between what we want and what we need.
If we fail to prioritize our needs, it will result in waste of time, energy and resources. Therefore, we should prioritize our essential needs first, such as providing our children with their basic needs, giving them the best form of education, paying for expenses and utilities, among many others.
This is the mindset we need to instil in ourselves so that our families would have a greater peace of mind and do not have to worry about financial matters.
At the same time, I would like to emphasize that in planning the financial needs for our families, we also have to be mindful and avoid spending extravagantly or being in debt. Let us spend within our means. And if we know of those who require financial assistance, let us offer our help to the best of our abilities. May Allah (s.w.t.) reward us abundantly.
Let us pray that Allah (s.w.t.) protect our families from any harm and make us successful in this world and the hereafter. Amin. Ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.
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.
