Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

Friday Sermon

27 October 2023 / 12 Rabi’ul Akhir 1445H

Following in the Footsteps of the Prophet: Strengthening Our Relationship with Allah

My beloved brothers and sisters in Islam,

Let us elevate our taqwa towards Allah (s.w.t.), by obeying all His commands, and by abstaining from all His prohibitions. May Allah (s.w.t.) accept all our worship and our prayers, and guide us to the straight path. Amin Ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.

My brothers and sisters,

For the past two sermons, we reflected upon the values ​​and lessons contained in a hadith of the Prophet (s.a.w.). Together, we have learned two main lessons, namely:

...أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ، وَأَطْعِمُوا الطَّعَامَ...

Which means: "...Spread peace, and feed the needy..."

This hadith emphasises the importance of spreading peace and harmony to all. At the same time, it emphasises the importance of helping those in need. Today, let us reflect upon the last part of the hadith. That is:

وَصَلُّوا بِاللَّيْلِ وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ

Which means: "...and pray at night when people are sleeping..."

This serves as an encouragement for us to increase our worship of Allah (s.w.t.) by waking up at night, to pray, to draw closer to Him, and beg for His forgiveness, His mercy, and His help. We sincerely pray to Him, pouring out all our hopes and desires to Him.

My brothers and sisters,

Worshipping Allah (s.w.t.) by performing tahajjud is a unique form of worship. Tahajjud allows a Muslim to strengthen his relationship with his Creator, the Almighty.

By praying tahajjud, we have the opportunity to ask for His forgiveness with full concentration and devotion, without the hustle and bustle of our daily lives to distract us. It is also a golden opportunity for a Muslim to cleanse his heart and soul, as well as to obtain peace of mind, and to talk in secret to Allah (s.w.t.). In other words, tahajjud and qiyamullail are Islamic traditions that can shape the personality and identity of a person, and can serve as a form of "spiritual therapy" for the Muslim as well.

My fellow Muslims,

If we hope for our prayers to be answered, we must make an effort to strengthen our relationship with Allah (s.w.t.). Take note of the wisdom contained within surah al-Fatihah, verse 5:

Which means: “You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help.”

SubhanAllah! My brothers and sisters, let us pay attention to the sequence of actions mentioned in the verse. Allah (s.w.t.) begins the verse with a reminder that we should worship Him first. It is only after that a servant would ask Allah (s.w.t.) for what he desires, and then place his trust in Him.

Performing acts of worship, such as prayers (salah), is one of the ways to get closer to Allah (s.w.t.), and to receive His love. We trust that Allah (s.w.t.) will certainly grant the prayers of His beloved servants. Therefore, if we want our prayers to be answered by Allah (s.w.t.), it is important for us to reflect and contemplate the manner in which we worship Him. How can we expect our prayers to be answered when our acts of worship are full of shortcomings? At times, even the obligatory acts of worship are missed, and the religious obligation are neglected.

My beloved brothers and sisters,

What I have just spoken about has become even more critical for us to reflect and act upon now. The world today is faced with many challenges, catastrophes, and humanitarian crises. We should increase our supplications, and humbly beg Allah (s.w.t.) to grant strength for us and our brothers and sisters who are facing various trials. The best time to pray and to talk to Allah (s.w.t.) sincerely is when we get up to pray at night. This is because the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) once said that which means: "Indeed at night there is a time when no Muslim will ask Allah for good in this world and the hereafter, without His giving it to him. And this happens every night.” (Hadith narrated by Imam Muslim).

Imam al-Nawawi in his book “al-Minhaj” explained that every night, there is an efficacious (mustajab) time during which prayers are granted by Allah (s.w.t.). We are therefore encouraged to get up to pray every night, with the hope that our prayers will be answered by Allah (s.w.t.).

Brothers and sisters,

All of us here are distressed by what is happening in the world today – by the pain and suffering afflicting our brothers and sisters, wherever they may be.

Let us together spread salam and peace, extend help to those in need, and increase our night prayers, as well as pray for the peace and well-being of this world. We pray with full confidence that our prayers will be answered by Allah (s.w.t.).

Let us pray to Allah (s.w.t.), with the hope that He will restore peace and prosperity to the world, especially in the land of Palestine. May Allah (s.w.t.) bless all our efforts and accept our prayers, our supplications, and our sincere hopes. 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. اَللَّهُمَّ انْصُرْ إِخْوَانَنَا اْلمُسْتَضْعَفِيْنَ فِيْ غَزَّة وَفِي فِلِسْطِيْنَ وَفِيْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرّاحِمِيْنَ، اَللَّهُم 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.