Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura
Friday Sermon
5 July 2024 / 28 Zulhijjah 1445H
Rasulullah s.a.w. as My Inspiration
O believers,
Be truly mindful of Allah and do not let our lives pass except as Muslims. Let us instill the determination to emulate the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. to the best of our abilities. May Allah ease our efforts in following his example. Amin.
Dear Brothers,
Today is the last Friday of the Hijri year 1445. Tomorrow night, we will enter the new Hijri year, 1446. Hence, the sermons throughout this month will focus on prophetic guidance from the events of the Hijrah.
Today, the sermon will mention one of the stories of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.’s dakwah before the migration to the city of Madinah. May it serve as a guide for our lives.
Dear congregants,
The Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. always demonstrated resilience and perseverance in every effort he took to convey Allah’s message. He did not give up or blame his circumstances when faced with obstacles and challenges. Instead, he took proactive steps to find solutions, always thought ahead, and demonstrated profound patience.
Rising from the sadness of losing his uncle Abu Talib and his wife Sayyidatina Khadijah r.a., the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. extended his dakwah efforts to the city of Taif. Again, he was met with despair. His efforts received extremely negative response, and he was mocked, pelted with stones, and eventually expelled. If we were in Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.’s position, how do you think would we respond? Could we rise again and continue the struggle? This is the crucial point of reflection the sermon seeks to deliver today.
The angels were ready to inflict punishment on the people of Taif if the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. allowed it. However, the Prophet remained calm and prayed for the future generations of Taif to become believers. This is recorded in a hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari, which means:
"The angel of the mountains called me, greeted me, and said, 'O Muhammad, if you wish, I will crush these two mountains upon them (i.e., destroy them).' But the Prophet s.a.w. replied, 'No, rather I hope that Allah will bring forth from their descendants a people who will worship Allah alone, and not associate anything with Him.'"
Blessed Friday Congregation,
There are two lessons for us to reflect upon from this incident:
Firstly, to persevere when facing difficulties. Every obstacle and challenge requires perseverance and the determination to overcome. As believers, we must not give up easily or blame the circumstances. Recall Allah's reminder:
Which means: “He (Prophet Ibrahim) said: 'And who despairs from the mercy of his Lord except for those who are misguided?'" (Surah al-Hijr: 56)
Secondly, to pray and put in our effort to find a good solution. Obstacles and challenges teach us not to stop trying and praying. Sometimes, prayer is the best option when faced with a great challenge. Do not let emotions cloud our judgment to the point of underestimating the power of prayer. We might have heard some people say, "Just praying won't solve the problem!" My brothers, does Allah not command us to always pray to Him after making an effort? Remember, choosing to pray is not a sign of weakness. Rather, praying is sometimes the better and perhaps more strategic option, as demonstrated by the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. in the earlier story. Know that our prayer shows our sincere effort and hope in Allah s.w.t.
Dear congregants,
Always intend goodness when making a prayer. Avoid using negative energy in our prayers, such as asking for calamity or harm, purely out of anger and hatred in our hearts. Emulate the character of the Prophet s.a.w., who always responded to evil with kindness. It is narrated by Imam Tirmidhi and Imam Ahmad, Abu Abdullah Al-Jadali said: "I asked Aisha r.a. about the character of the Prophet s.a.w., Aisha replied: 'He was not ill-mannered, nor did he speak foul words, nor did he raise his voice in the marketplace (in public). He did not return evil with evil, but he would forgive and forget.'"
Ya Allah, Ya Syakur, we are grateful for the gift of faith and life that You have granted us throughout this year. Ya Rahim, protect us with Your mercy and love. Ya Hafiz, Ya Muqit, help us in fulfilling Your trust. Make us Your servants whom you are pleased with. Ya Salam, Ya Mu’min, help Your servants who are oppressed by the ignorants. Ya Ghafir wa ya Ghafur, we are Your servants who commit many sins, but we do not despair in seeking Your forgiveness. Do not let our sins be the reason our supplications are denied, Ya Akramal Akramin.
أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْم
SECOND KHUTBAH
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 تَسْلِيمًا. اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ.
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 الرَّاحِمِينَ. اَللَّهُمَّ بَدِّلْ خَوْفَهُمْ أَمْنًا، وَحُزْنَهُمْ فَرَحًا، وَهَمَّهُمْ فَرَجًا، يَا رَبَّ العَالَمِينَ. اَللَّهُمَّ اكْتُبِ السِّلْمَ وَالسَّلاَم وَاْلأَمْنَ وَاْلأَمَانَ لِلْعَالَمِ أَجْمَع يَا لَطِيْف. 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 يَذْكُرْكُمْ، وَاشْكُرُوهُ عَلَى نِعَمِهِ يَزِدْكُمْ، وَاسْأَلُوهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ يُعْطِكُم، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ، وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ.
