Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
Friday Sermon
2 June 2023 / 13 Zulkaedah 1444H
Navigating a World of Influential Trends
My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam,
Let us continue our efforts to increase our taqwa towards Allah (s.w.t.), by obeying all His orders, and by abstaining from all His prohibitions. We hope that through our religious knowledge, Allah (s.w.t.) will grant us taqwa, inshaAllah. Amin.
My fellow Muslims,
Allah has entrusted us with individuals who fall under our care and responsibilities. These individuals include our elderly parents who are dependent on our care, and our children who need us to nurture them.
In our constant efforts to fulfil our responsibilities, we must be mindful of their rights and maintain our religious obligations towards them. Therefore, the sermons for this month will reflect upon the verses of the Qur’an that contain life lessons and guidance for family members.
Allah (s.w.t.) said in the Qur’an:
Which means: "O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel consists of people and stones; which is guarded and maintained by angels in His service, angels who are harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them, and they do all that they are commanded to."
My fellow Muslims,
This verse emphasises the importance of making constant efforts in protecting our family members. This requires our utmost attention, particularly in today's fast-paced world where we can easily get preoccupied with our daily routines. Our lived realities today may require both parents to work during the day to support their families. This means children spend a lot of time outside the home. Therefore, children will be largely exposed to negative influences if they are not careful in choosing their circle of friends.
It is important for us to remember that children's formative education begins at home - it is the parents’ duty to provide them with sufficient religious knowledge. This is in line with our religious demands, as our Prophet (s.a.w.) said in a narration:
طَلَبُ العِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ
Which means: "Seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim." [Hadith narrated by Ibn Majah]
There is no doubt that the word knowledge in this hadith refers to religious knowledge. Indeed, religious knowledge needs to be instilled in the hearts and minds of children so that they stay rooted and grounded in religious principles, and are not easily influenced by negative elements.
Imam Al-Ghazali stated in his book Ihya' Ulumiddin that every person has the responsibility to acquire religious knowledge, but the nature and extent of this duty may differ based on their circumstances and situation.
For example, for someone who is reaching the age of puberty, seeking knowledge related to the act of prayer becomes an obligation for him or her. The role of parents in this situation then is to equip their children with knowledge related to the obligation of performing prayers.
Likewise, for those who have reached adulthood and is preparing to enter the working world – they are more exposed to various beliefs and contrasting worldviews. Indeed, the kind of religious knowledge that they are required to learn will vary according to the needs of each individual.
My brothers and sisters,
As such, it is the responsibility of parents to try their best to understand the challenges faced by their children, while imparting the right kind of understanding, or equipping them with the necessary religious knowledge.
This means that today, parents need to possess sufficient understanding about the world around them, so that they are able to guide and shape their children’s worldview and perspective, as well as provide them with the right exposure and experience that are suited to their time. In addition, parents must also be aware of their children’s ongoing developments as well as the various challenges they face these days. Indeed, parents have a much broader role to play, as their responsibilities in providing religious education to their children go beyond teaching them the ritual acts of worship like prayer and fasting.
Brothers and sisters,
Our Prophet’s family life serves as an important example for us to learn from. This includes learning from how our Prophet (s.aw.) effectively fulfilled his various roles, as a prophet and a community leader, as well as his responsibilities as a husband, a father, and a grandfather. Indeed, the time that our Prophet had was divided between the needs of his family and the needs of his community.
Hence, we have to make time for our family members, especially our children, to better understand them and the challenges they face. Provide them with the necessary religious education, and be conscious of the fact that our children's education is our responsibility, and that we will be questioned about this in the Hereafter.
Parents must strive to be positive role models for their children, by becoming good examples for them to know how they should lead their lives. This is because children who are equipped with a strong foundation of religious knowledge and have a good relationship with their parents, will be able to develop the required wisdom to navigate life challenges, InshaAllah. As the saying goes, an apple does not fall far from the tree.
May Allah (s.w.t.) grant us the wisdom and strength to educate our children and protect them from the Hellfire. Amin Ya Rabbal 'Alamin.
أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَ لَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْم
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.
