Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Sermon

25 November 2022 / 30 Rabiulakhir 1444H

     
The Supplication of Prophet Adam: Acknowledging Our Mistakes

Brothers and sisters blessed by Allah,

Let us elevate our taqwa towards Allah (s.w.t.) by observing all His commands and prohibitions. May we be placed among His righteous servants. Amin.

Brothers and sisters,

Following the theme for this month’s Friday sermons, which is related to the supplications of our Prophets, allow me to invite all of you to reflect upon another supplication that can be found in the Quran. Allah (s.w.t.) mentions in surah Al-A’raf, verse 23:

Which means: They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers."

The verse that was just shared is the supplication of both Prophet Adam (a.s.) and his wife, Sayyidatuna Hawa (a.s.). When Allah (s.w.t.) admonished them for going against Allah’s command to not eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, Prophet Adam and his wife realized their mistake and were filled with regret. Prophet Adam and his wife immediately sought the forgiveness of Allah through the supplication that was recited earlier.

Brothers and sisters,

If we internalize the supplication of Prophet Adam and his wife, we will find important lessons that are of much value for us as servants of Allah (s.w.t.).

First: It cannot be denied that we cannot escape from committing sins or mistakes in this life. As human beings, we are created with flaws and weaknesses. Because of these shortcomings, there will be times when we fail and succumb to our desires and go against the commands of Allah (s.w.t.). Nevertheless, we must not lose hope in the mercy of Allah (s.w.t.) even as we repeatedly find ourselves committing mistakes.

This has been mentioned by our Prophet (s.a.w.) in a hadith:

كُلُّ بَنِي آدَمَ خَطَّاءٌ، وخَيْرُ الخَطّائِينَ التَّوَّابُونَ

“Every child of Adam commits sins, and the best of sinners are those who always repent.” (Hadith narrated by Ibn Majah)

Therefore, in trying to repent, the Quran has taught us many supplications to seek the forgiveness of Allah. The supplication of Prophet Adam and his wife is a good example that we can recite and practise daily.

Second: If we carefully reflect upon the essence of the supplication, we will find that the repentance of Prophet Adam (a.s.) contains an admission of his sins and regret for his actions.

In the book Ihya’ Ulumuddin, Imam Al-Ghazali states three main conditions that must be observed by a servant for their repentance to be accepted by Allah (s.w.t.).

First, to acknowledge the sins and mistakes we have done. Second, the acknowledgement is accompanied with a sense of regret in committing the sins. Third, those repenting must develop a sense of determination to not repeat the sins. This is the true meaning of repentance, where a servant of Allah humbly returns to Him after committing wrongdoings.  

Brothers and sisters,

Repentance is not merely seeking forgiveness from Allah or to cleanse our soul. But it is the key for a servant to acquire Allah’s love and pleasure.

Therefore, we should not ever feel that we do not deserve the forgiveness of Allah because of our past sins. Be aware that the door of repentance is always open for those who seek the forgiveness of Allah (s.w.t.). At the same time, as we strive to seek the forgiveness of Allah, we should try to instil in ourselves the value of being forgiving. We must hence be kindhearted and forgive those who have wronged us.

Indeed, such honourable value will help us remain calm and not be easily disturbed, mentally and emotionally. Let us hope that our willingness to forgive others will be the reason for us to be granted with the mercy of Allah (s.w.t.).

We pray that Allah will continue to forgive us and place us among those who love to do good, in our pursuit to enter the paradise of Allah. 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.