Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura

Khutbah Jumaat

23 Julai 2021 / 13 Zulhijjah 1442H

Guiding Our Families Towards Success

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam,

Let us have taqwa in Allah (s.w.t.) by obeying all His commands and staying away from all His prohibitions. May Allah (s.w.t.) grant us and our family members steadfastness in our faith and taqwa. Amin.

Dear blessed congregants,

The sermons over the past few weeks have emphasized on how a believer can achieve success in this world and the hereafter. It is achieved by making sacrifices and increasing our good deeds. However, the spirit of wanting success should not only be for one’s own self, it should also be for one’s family as well. As how Allah reminded us in surah at-Tahrim verse 6:

Which means: "O you who believe, save yourself and your family from the Hellfire..."

According to the scholars, the meaning of "saving ourselves and our families from the hellfire" is through Islamic upbringing and by instilling good values amongst our family members.

It goes to prove how the most important form of education and upbringing actually begins at home, with our family first. Proper upbringing based on the Quran and Sunnah guides families to success in this world and in the Hereafter. However, when one does not receive the right form of upbringing, it will not only bring harm to himself, instead it will also have an impact on society.

Brothers and Sisters in Islam,

Let us observe two stories from the Prophets regarding good upbringing towards young children.

The first story shows the gentleness of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) when instilling values to a child. As narrated by Umar bin Abu Salamah (r.a.) who said, "When I was a child, I was under the care of the Prophet (s.a.w.) and (one incident) my hands rushed (rudely) towards the food that was on the plate. The Prophet (corrected me by saying), "O son, mention the name of Allah, and eat with your right hand." (Hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari and Muslim).

The second story is about Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.) and his son Ismail (a.s.) as recorded in Surah Saffat verse 102:

Which means: "When his son reached (the age suitable to) work with him, he said: "O my beloved son! I saw in a dream that I was going to sacrifice you. So (tell me) what do you think of it?' (His son answered): "O father, do as you are commanded. InsyaAllah, you will find me among the patient."

Subhanallah! Look at how beautiful the way the Prophet (s.a.w.) treated the child with tenderness and love. Similarly, when Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.) was ordered to sacrifice his son, he called his son in a dearly manner, full of love.

Also, notice how Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.) explained to his son what he was commanded by Allah (s.w.t.). At that time, Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.) did not force his opinion on his son, neither did he portrayed himself in a manner demanding to be feared by his children. In fact, Prophet Ibrahim displayed a communicative approach with his child, allowing him to exchange his opinions and views.

This is the attitude we need to instill in ourselves to build a strong family. The attitude of inclusivity and unity. This is because the success of a family is not the responsibility of an individual, but it is the collective role of each family member to try to understand one another.

Dear beloved brothers and sisters,

In our efforts to provide good upbringing for our families, there are times when we need to seek advice, opinion and assistance from others. This does not mean that we are weak or fail in bringing up our families. However, it is part of our efforts in building a good and solid family institution.

Sayyidatina Fatimah (r.a.) once complained to Rasullullah (s.a.w.) about how exhausted she felt when managing her house chores. The Prophet (s.a.w.) then taught her to read the tasbih 33 times, the tahmid 33 times and the takbir 33 times to help her
to relieve her fatigue. (Hadith narrated by Muslim).

If we need advice regarding our household issues, we can seek professional help, for example from the kadi and naib kadi. They are Asatizahs trained in dealing with family issues. For your information, the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) has provided a platform for married couples to consult the kadi that officiated their weddings for marriage advice under the programme, 'Bersamamu'. Hence, if we need expert advice, let us consult the kadi/naib-kadi and discuss openly with the hope of finding a solution in order to strengthen our family relationship.

Brothers, let us establish a good relationship with our family members at all times. Besides striving to guide them in the best way possible, remember to always pray to Allah (s.w.t.) so that our family members be the comfort of our eyes and make them among the righteous.

May Allah (s.w.t.) bless our families and grant them success in this world and the hereafter. Amin. Ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.

أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَ لَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْمُ

 

Second Sermon

الْحَمْدُ 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 الْعَزِيزِ: إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَـا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا. 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 لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالمُؤْمِنَاتِ، وَالمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ، الْأَحْيَاءِ مِنهُم وَالْأَمْوَاتِ. اللَّهُمَّ ادْفَعْ عَنَّا الْبَلَاءَ وَالوَبَاءَ وَالزَّلَازِلَ وَالْمِحَنَ، مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ، عَن بَلَدِنَا خَاصَّةً، وَسَائِرِ الْبُلْدَانِ عَامَّةً، يَارَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ. رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنيَا حَسَنَةً، وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً، وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ.

عِبَادَ اللهِ، إِنَّ اللهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ، وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ، فَاذْكُرُوا اللهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ، وَاشْكُرُوهُ عَلَى نِعَمِهِ يَزِدْكُمْ، وَاسْأَلُوهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ يُعْطِكُمْ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ، وَاللهُ  يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ.