collections khutbah Uswatun Hasanah – A Noble Character
Uswatun Hasanah – A Noble Character

Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Sermon

1 October 2021 / 24 Safar 1443H

Uswatun Hasanah – A Noble Character

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam,

Let us continue to increase our taqwa by obeying all Allah’s commands and abstaining from all His prohibitions. May Allah bless our lives in this world, and in the Hereafter.

Dear brothers and sisters,

All of us are constantly hoping for the forgiveness of Allah (s.w.t.). We hope to attain His pleasure and mercy when we stand in the plains of Mahsyar, and when our book of deeds is laid out before us. We hope that all our good deeds will be accepted by Allah (s.w.t.).

My fellow Muslims, I wish to share a guidance from our Prophet (s.a.w.) regarding an important deed that may save us from the Hellfire. Our Prophet (s.a.w.) said: ‟There is nothing heavier on the scales (of good deeds) for a Muslim on the Day of Judgment, except for his noble character.” (Hadith narrated by Tarmizi and Ibn Hibban) In another narration, our Prophet (s.a.w.) said: ‟I guarantee a home in the highest level of paradise for those of good character.” (Hadith narrated by Abu Dawud).

SubhanAllah! It is obvious, even from these brief examples, that every individual must thus guard their moral character, and that the challenges lie in portraying a noble character in our daily lives.

Dear brothers and sisters,

In light of the arrival of Rabiulawal which is the month in which we celebrate the birth of our Prophet (s.a.w.) and express our gratitude to His divine grace, for granting us this immense blessing, the sermons for this month will explore the personality and characteristics of our Prophet (s.a.w.), for us to emulate as an example. This is in line with Allah’s command in surah al-Ahzab verse 21 for us to take our Prophet (s.a.w.) as our exemplar. Allah (s.w.t.) said:

Which means: “Truly, in Rasulullah can you find the best role model for any one whose hope is in Allah and His Judgment Day, and who remembers Allah frequently.”

It is hence important for us to strive to make the month of Rabiulawal in which we increase our appreciation towards our Prophet (s.a.w.). Specifically, for us to appreciate his character and morals. This can be done through reading the books of hadith, or by learning and appreciating the life journey of our Prophet (s.a.w.).

We must strive to learn more about how our Prophet (s.a.w.) was with his family; how he treated his wives, as well as his children. What are the examples from our Prophet (s.a.w.) that we can apply when it comes to our relationships with our neighbours? And how did our Prophet (s.a.w.) treat his companions, as well as his enemies? And so on and so forth.

Dear brothers and sisters,

We must understand the importance of having good character in our religious lives. This is because good character cannot be separated from faith. We witness how past scholars, such as Imam al-Ghazali, paid particular attention towards the connections between knowledge, faith, and character. It is through the acquisition of knowledge that our level of faith can be increased and protected. It is also expected that the stronger one’s faith is, the better his moral character, and not the other way around.

There will be times when certain individuals may seem to be pious based on their external appearance, but they do not act accordingly. In these modern times, social media is a platform which allows any individual to share their thoughts or opinions. Thus, a believer should strive to emulate our Prophet (s.a.w.) at all times, whether in our face-to-face or online interactions especially when giving our comments on the internet. We must ensure that whatever we say is truthful, and of value. It should be encouraging and provides hope, instead of dragging others down or revealing their faults.

My fellow Muslims,

To end off this sermon, allow me to share a beautiful prayer taught by our Prophet (s.a.w.), which is a prayer to attain good character. This is the prayer:

Which means: “O Allah, please guide me towards deeds that are good, and a character that is good. There is no one who can guide me towards goodness, other than You.” (Hadith narrated by Imam al-Nasa’i)

May Allah (s.w.t.) grant us success and guide us to emulate the teachings and sunnah set by our Prophet (s.a.w.), inshaAllah. Amin, Ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.

أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَ لَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْمُ

 

 

Second Sermon

الْحَمْدُ 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 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، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ، وَاللهُ  يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ.