Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
Friday Sermon
8 December 2023 / 24 Jamadil Awal 1445H
Preserving and Appreciating Allah’s Blessings
My blessed Friday congregants,
Let us continue in our efforts to elevate our taqwa towards Allah (s.w.t.), by obeying all His commands, and abstaining all His prohibitions. May we be of those who are grateful to Him. Amin Ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.
My beloved brothers and sisters,
Allah (s.w.t.) bestows various blessings and favours upon His servants. Some of us are blessed with a comfortable life, some are blessed with marital happiness, while others are blessed with knowledge and expertise, peace and prosperity in this life. Do we not realise the numerous blessings that Allah (s.w.t.) has bestowed upon us? Do not all these pleasures remind us of the greatness of Allah (s.w.t.)? How then, should we express our gratitude for all of the blessings that Allah (s.w.t.) has bestowed upon us?
On this blessed day, I would like to share, with all of you, a prayer that was recited by Prophet Daud and Prophet Sulaiman, as a manifestation of their gratitude for the innumerable blessings and favours they received from Allah (s.w.t.). Allah (s.w.t.) says in surah al-Naml, verse 15:
Which means: “And indeed We gave knowledge to Daud and Sulaiman, and they both said: ‘All praise be to Allah, Who has preferred us above many of His believing servants!’”
How noble were the characters of our Prophets! They are truly exemplars for us all. This verse teaches us the meaning of gratitude to Allah (s.w.t.) for His abundance of mercy and blessings. It also serves to remind us of the importance of remaining humble, and recognising the greatness of Allah (s.w.t.), Who owns everything in this universe.
As believers in the might of Allah (s.w.t.), the All-Wise and the All-Knowing, we surely believe that everything decreed has wisdom and lessons behind it. As believers, we must strive our best to preserve the blessings of Allah (s.w.t.) that we currently enjoy. It is part of our gratitude to Him, as we work towards a life that pleases Him.
Brothers and Sisters,
Islam places great emphasis on the values of doing good, as well as being justice in this world. These values are clearly defined in the Quran concerning our interactions with one another. Allah (s.w.t.) confirms this in surah al-Mumtahanah, verse 8:
Which means: “Allah does not forbid you from dealing kindly and fairly with those who have neither fought nor driven you out of your homes. Surely Allah loves those who are fair.”
Living harmoniously with one another and upholding justice are essential for a harmonious and prosperous life. The sense of peace and security that we have enjoyed up to this day is the result of our collective efforts as a society. We should be grateful for it, and continue our efforts to safeguard and preserve it. Therefore, we should not allow any form of slander (fitnah) to threaten the peace and prosperity that we currently enjoy.
Dear Congregants,
Imam Al-Ghazali in his book, “al-Iqtisad fi al-I'tiqad”, emphasised the importance of peace in our lives. A believer will not be able to fulfil his religious responsibilities well if he is constantly living in fear, and if he is preoccupied with defending himself from tyranny and oppression.
The crisis affecting several countries worldwide today clearly demonstrates the challenges of life without security and peace. Therefore, all of us have the responsibility to work toward preserving the safety and prosperity we enjoy in our country, safeguarding it from any threat that may lead to division or conflict in our society. We play a role in building the best society (Khaira Ummah); a society that is confident of its identity even in the midst of diversity, and a society that brings mercy to all (Rahmatan lil Alamin).
My brothers and sisters,
There are various lessons and insights that all of us can derive from the ongoing crises. A believer should strive to improve his life, and that of his family and his community. This can be achieved by strengthening his education through increasing knowledge and skills, by sustaining his economy and securing his employment, and improving his character by demonstrating noble moral values and ethics.
A believer who is strong in his faith is a believer who is more beloved to his Creator. A true believer is a person who is confident in his faith, and who holds fast to the values and principles of his religion wherever he may be. Keep in mind the advice of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), as narrated by Imam Tirmizi, which means: "Fear Allah (s.w.t.) wherever you are, and follow an evil deed with a good deed which will wipe it, and behave with good character towards others."
My brothers and sisters,
Together, let us strive to increase our faith and piety to our Creator. Additionally, we must continue to fulfil our responsibilities by putting in effort to preserve the blessings of this peace, and contributing to the well-being of our society. Let us also continue praying to Allah (s.w.t.) that He maintains this peace for us, and to restore peace and prosperity to our brothers and sisters who are embroiled in conflicts worldwide. May Allah (s.w.t.) bless our lives, increase our faith and piety, and place us among His servants with whom He is pleased with. Amin Ya Rabbal 'Alamin.
أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ، 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 وَبَارِكْ 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، يَا رَبَّ العَالَمِينَ. اَللَّهُمَّ انْصُرْ إِخْوَانَنَا اْلمُسْتَضْعَفِيْنَ فِي غَزَّة وَفِي فِلِسْطِينَ وَفِيْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ عَامَّةً، يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين. اللَّهُمَّ بَدِّلْ خَوْفَهُمْ أَمْنًا، وَحُزْنَهُمْ فَرَحًا، وَهَمَّهُمْ فَرَجًا، يَا رَبَّ 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.
