Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Sermon

29 January 2021 / 16 Jamadilakhir 1442H

Hadith Qudsi: The Importance of Being Just

 

My dear brothers,

Let us increase our taqwa of Allah (s.w.t.) by performing all His commands and abstaining from His prohibitions.

My dear brothers,

Let us ponder upon a hadith qudsi which talks about justice. The Prophet (s.a.w.) said: Allah (s.w.t.) says (which means): “O my servants, indeed I have prohibited injustice upon myself, and I have made it prohibited amongst you, so do not act unjustly among yourselves...” (Hadith narrated by Imam Muslim).

My brothers,

Allah (s.w.t.) has set justice as one of His noble attributes. Allah would not be pleased with any form of injustice and has prohibited injustice for everyone.

When Islam commands a believer to act justly, it encompasses all aspects of life. It encompasses justice in our actions, speech and dealings with other people as justice is a form of taqwa. And indeed, a person who acts justly, is one of greater taqwa. Allah says:

Meaning: “O you who believe, be steadfast in (obeying the commands of) Allah, (and) be witnesses for justice. And do not let the hatred of people prevent you from being just. Be just, that is nearer to taqwa. And be mindful of Allah. Surely Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” (Surah Al-Maidah: verse 8).

Dear brothers,

Justice means that a person of taqwa returns a good deed with a good deed, in fact with a better one. This is the nature of a believer, just as the Malay proverb goes: (“Orang berbudi, kita berbahasa”), which essentially means: An act of goodwill should be returned with its kind, and that we should be thankful for others’ goodwill. Justice also means that, when faced with evil and enmity, we respond with kindness, to the extend that a foe can become a friend. Such was the character embodied by Rasulullah (s.a.w.) at all times. This is indeed the highest level of taqwa.

Thus, this is the best strategy in our preachings, especially in these trying times.

A few days ago, we received a news about an individual who was planning an attack on certain mosques. It is understandable to feel shocked and worried when we hear such news. We should reject any form of violence or hatred. However, how should a believer act justly in light of this? Justice invites us to remain steadfast in doing good, preaching good character, and continue to show others of how beautiful and noble our religion is. This is to ensure that those who are confused on Islam or have some misunderstanding on its teachings will eventually notice the beauty of our religion through our actions, speech and our positive attitude. If we are to counter hatred with hatred, the situation will surely worsen and our close relationships we have built before, will crumble.

An act of an individual does not represent a group. The mistake made by an individual does not reflect the overall values of the community. Just as how we do not want to be perceived unfairly when a Muslim is involved in an act of violence, we ought to avoid behaving as such towards others.

My dear brothers,

This incident also teaches us of the dangers faced by youths. Let us not be complacent in monitoring their development. They are left alone spending their time surfing the internet the whole day without supervision nor guidance. Some of them surf websites which spread problematic ideologies, and are hence influenced by such unfounded ideologies. Therein, the seeds of hatred and prejudice towards other groups take root. This is very dangerous.

This is the challenge we are facing today, to always ensure that the youths are guided and are on the right path, especially in an era of ever advancing technology. As a believer, we should be more conscious when interacting with such developments. Such developments may not only confuse the younger generation, but also the older generation.

Look at how fake news have easily spread to various social media platforms, to a point where it brings harm and injustice to various parties, without any fear for sin nor slander. We must ensure that we, as well as the younger generation under our care, always get our information from reliable and credible sources.

Let us face this test with tact and wisdom. Let us continue to portray noble characters, adorn ourselves with forgiveness, and protect our loved ones from any form of harm and negative influences. Let us make this incident an opportunity to strengthen mutual understanding among the people of Singapore whom we care and love. May Allah (s.w.t.) protect us all. Amin ya Rabbal ’Alamin.

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

 

Second Khutbah

 

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.