Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
Aidiladha Sermon
31 Jul 2020 / 10 Zulhijjah 1441H
STRENGTHENING SPIRITUALITY IN TIMES OF CRISIS
Dear fellow Muslims,
Let us humbly and sincerely be grateful to Allah for all His blessings. We gather this morning with a deep sense of gratitude and introspection. Allah continues to bestow His blessings upon us, even in the most challenging times. It is with His will too, and through our united approach and efforts as one community, that mosques can be opened on the day of Aidiladha, and that we get to perform the Eid prayers together.
Many of us had worried that, like Aidilfitri, mosques cannot hold Aidiladha prayers. But such is the gift and blessing from Allah. Thus, let us express our gratitude to Allah and continue with our noble efforts to support the necessary precautionary measures to ensure that our mosques remain safe and can continue to receive congregants.
Dear respected congregants,
Aidiladha reminds us of the meaning, value and results of sacrifice. Stories detailing the sacrifices of the prophets and their families teach us that every sacrifice and good deed done for the sake of Allah will not be forsaken. In fact, such sacrifices elevate our ranks and make us closer to Allah. The path of sacrifice is the path taken by the pious and the prophets.
But we must remember that sacrifices which are truly meaningful in the sight of Allah are not due to form or appearance, but go all the way back to our intention and the piety in our hearts. Allah says:
Meaning: “It is neither their flesh nor their blood that reaches Allah, but what does reach Him is the taqwa (the sense of piety) on your part. Thus, He has made them (the animals for your use, so that you proclaim Allah’s glory for the guidance He gave you. And give glad tidings to those who do good deeds.” (Surah Al-Hajj Verse 37)
In recent times, we have faced great and unprecedented challenges that have also called for sacrifices to be made.
This spirit of sacrifice is also what we see in our practice of Islam. Look around you today, the mosque is not full due to safety precautions. This means that not everyone gets to perform prayer at the mosque, be it Aidiladha prayers, or Friday prayers. Restrictions are still in place. The same goes for the korban ritual and hajj.
Some may see this restriction as weakness. In fact, some may even see this as a form of negligence. But, Alhamdulillah, our community as a whole understands priorities, and understands the spirit and wisdom behind religious practices. They see this restriction with a positive lens and a positive mindset. It is a form of sacrifice as we adapt so that we achieve what is most important during a crisis, which is to save lives. At the same time, the community seeks other avenues to do good, for instance, by performing the korban ritual in overseas, in places where korban can still be performed.
Subhanallah! We make sacrifices after sacrifices. We put aside our personal wants and forgo personal comforts in order to preserve the safety and well-being of others. We do all this, seeking the blessings of Allah s.w.t. That, indeed, is a very noble form of worship.
Whatever the sacrifice we’re going through, know that the challenges faced by the Prophet s.a.w. were much bigger and more challenging. The Prophet s.a.w. and his family had very challenging lives, where their safety and health were always under threat.
My dear fellow Muslims,
We are also well aware that the situation today will get more challenging as many of us will be affected financially and in terms of employment. Thus, there will be groups of people who are in greater need of our help and support. Under these circumstances, we must continue to help one another. We must always be conscious and sensitive to the conditions of those around us.
Therefore, those among us who are in a relatively more comfortable state should help those facing challenges in these difficult times. The Prophet s.a.w. said: Allah will aid the servant, so long as he aids his brother. (Hadith narrated by Imam Muslim).
And even if we have nothing within our means to help financially, at least make du’a for others. Hopefully, our intention to help those in need will help them see through this crisis and pain.
My dear fellow Muslims,
Have faith that all our sacrifices and inconveniences in this difficult period will not be overlooked by Allah s.w.t. He has never neglected us. Sometimes God offers us a way out promptly, and sometimes He delays this for some good reasons unknown to us now.
The fact that we are able to stand to perform our Aidiladha prayers on this blessed day, be it at a mosque or at home, is proof that Allah continues to grant us strength and perseverance.
Indeed, we need to persevere and be patient, because this journey, as well as the solution, will be a very long one. But we shall have faith that this crisis is like any other test in life. It too will pass. Surely, there will be an end and a solution. Allah says in the Quran, which means: ”Verily, with difficulty there is ease.”
May Allah s.w.t. continue to bless us with peace in our lives, and preserve the country and the community from any threat and harm. Amin ya Rabbal ’alamin.
أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْم
Second Sermon
10 Zulhijjah 1441H
كاليXاللهُ أَكبَر 7
الحَمدُ للهِ الَّذي أَعَادَ الأَعيَادَ وَكَرَّرَ. أَحمَدُهُ سُبحَانَهُ أَن خَلَقَ وَصَوَّرَ. وَأَشهَدُ أَن لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ شَهَادَةً يَثقُلُ بِهِ المِيزَانَ فِي المَحشَرِ. وَأَشهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ المَبعُوثُ إِلَى الجِنِّ وَالبَشَرِ. اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّم عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصحَابِهِ الفَائِزِينَ بِالشَّرَفِ الأَفخَرِ. 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 قَالَ 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، وَلِذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ، وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ.
