Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
Friday Sermon
4 September 2020 / 16 Muharram 1442H
Knowing One of Allah’s Names: Ar-Razzaq
Respected congregants,
Let us continue to have taqwa towards Allah s.w.t. by leaving His prohibitions and striving to fulfill His commands. May Allah s.w.t. bless everything that He has given us and protect us in this world and in the hereafter. Amin.
The most important principle for Muslims is our belief in the Oneness of Allah, that nothing is deserving of worship except Allah, the Only One. And one of the ways to know Allah is through His Lofty and Beautiful Names, known as al-Asma’ al-Husna. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said in a hadith reported by Imam al-Bukhari and Muslim, which means: “Allah has ninety-nine Names, one-hundred less one; and he who knows them all will enter Paradise.”
Imam an-Nawawi explained that “knowing them” means memorizing the Names of Allah, honouring them, understanding what they mean, believing in them, and putting what we know about them into practice. InsyaAllah, in this month of September, the Friday sermons will discuss some of the al-Asma’ al-Husna, for us to reflect upon and learn from them. May we gain benefit from understanding the names of Allah
Today, let us ponder upon one of these noble names of Allah: “ar-Razzaq”, which means The Provider of Sustenance.
Brothers, in this life, we will never be in a situation where we are not in need of sustenance from Allah. Without it, we will not be able to go on with our lives because in reality, we own nothing. It is not only about the things we ask for. Even the things we have never asked for are given to us too. This is because, Allah ar-Razzaq knows all of our needs. Every single thing that goes into our stomach and relieves our hunger, that travels down our throat and quenches our thirst, the clothes that cover and give comfort to our body, our home, our contentment and joys that we share with our family, our health that we are granted with after recovering from any illness, our ability to see with our eyes, to listen with our ears, to speak with our tongue, to work with our hands, to move where we intend with our legs, to think with our brains which differentiate us from animals – all of these, are sustenance from Allah s.w.t.
A servant who appreciates and reflects upon the name of “ar-Razzaq” is never arrogant. His soul is beautifully adorned with gratitude when blessed with all kinds of sustenance, and it drives him to perform his acts of worship wholeheartedly. He realizes that Allah is not in need of his obedience. In fact, he is the one who is in constant need of Allah’s sustenance. Allah s.w.t. mentioned in surah az-Zariyat, verses 56-58:
Which means: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me. Indeed, God is the Provider, the Lord of Power, the Ever Mighty.”
Brothers,
A heart which believes in Allah as ar-Razzaq is firm and strong despite any challenges, because he is ascertained that he can fully rely on ar-Razzaq. He knows that his sustenance has been decreed by God. However, he also knows that these sustenance will not come to him easily without any effort. A servant who holds onto the name of Allah ar-Razzaq will work hard to earn a living full of His blessings and pleasure. He is shy to keep asking for things without putting any due effort.
Brothers, this should be our principle, especially in this uncertain economic climate. We need to plan our finances well. It is an opportunity for us to be prudent in how we spend our money to ensure that we do not spend beyond our means. Additionally, a believer who believes in Allah ar-Razzaq will not give up; instead he will continue to strive and work hard. For instance, he will upgrade himself by learning new professional skills as to deal with the new challenges in his workplace.
With our faith in Allah ar-Razzaq, may the Almighty continue to shower us with His blessings and ease our affairs in this earth. Amin Ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.
Ya Allah, Ya Karim, Ya Razzaq, Ya Halim,
You are Most Generous in Your Bounty, Most Broad in Your Blessings. We submit ourselves only to You. Protect us from any harm. Grant us ease in our times of difficulty. Bless the sustenance that You have given us. Give us the strength and desire to strive to find goodness – for ourselves, our family, our community and our country. Preserve our jobs which are our sources of income. For those of us whom You have chosen to test with the loss of job, we ask from You, ya Allah, please strengthen their faith and perseverance. Grant them sustenance. Replace their old jobs with ones that are better for them and their families, for their worldly life and their hereafter. Verily, sustenance only comes from You, and there is no one more generous than You, ya Arhamarrahimin.
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.
