Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura Friday Sermon 26 December 2014 / 4 Rabiulawal 1436 Reflecting Upon Our Family Life Blessed Friday Jemaah, Let us all strive to boost our takwa to Allah s.w.t. with the highest level of takwa. Obey Allah’s commands and abstain from what Allah has prohibited upon us. Understand that it is the level of takwa that a person has that will differentiate them in the sight of Allah. Hopefully, by doing so, we will be able to gain Allah’s pleasure in this world and the hereafter. Amin. Jemaah, For the past few weeks, the khatib has been emphasising on the importance of taking care and educating every member of our family. Besides developing their iman and takwa, as the head of our family, we are also responsible in ensuring that we act justly and display noble character (akhlak), as taught by our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Thus, I feel that it is appropriate that we should take some time to reflect upon ourselves, reflecting on our family life. Let us first ask ourselves: Are we able to gain Allah’s pleasure with our current lifestyle? Do we feel the pleasure of sakinah, mawaddah wa rahmah from Allah through our marriage? Do we see our knowledge, good deeds and level of takwa towards Allah increasing or declining? What about that of our family members? Friday Jemaah, In reflecting upon our family life, let us study what Allah tells us in the Noble Quran, in Surah Al’Asr: Which means: “By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” Let us try to understand the important lessons presented in this surah in order to help us develop ourselves and our families, so as not to be among those who are in a loss. The first lesson that we can gain from the surah is: Takwa cannot be separated from the life of a true believer (mukmin), especially in marital life. A successful marriage and family life is able to bring one closer to Allah s.w.t., through faith (iman) and takwa. Allah s.w.t. says in surah Al-Hujurat verse 13: Which means: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” The only factor that differentiates us in the sight of Allah s.w.t. is our level of takwa. One’s status and wealth do not matter, for Allah judges a person based on the person’s level of takwa. The same applies in our family life. Takwa should be the only yardstick for us. For example, when we want to do something, why not take a step back and ponder how Allah will judge our action. Is it valuable in the sight of Allah? Will it bring us closer to Allah and boost our takwa? Or would it cause the opposite to happen? As parents, we need to be aware of the events that our children attend, especially this year-end season. Are our children planning to attend events that will not bring any benefits their iman and level of takwa? Or are they attending events that will strengthen their relationship with Allah, The Creator. The second lesson from this surah is that we have to strive to build a family that engages in good deeds and kind acts. As a family, there are many ways to compete with each other in carrying out good deeds. Increasing good deeds does not only mean increasing acts of worship such as solat (prayers) but can include many other acts. Just look at the family of Rasulullah s.a.w. The Prophet s.a.w. would sometimes encourage his family to donate on his behalf, by reminding them of what Allah says in a hadith Qudsi: Which means: “O son of Adam, spend on charity and I (Allah) will spend on you.” [Hadith reported by Imam Muslim] In fact, if we study closely the various hadith of Rasulullah s.a.w. that are related to his family life, we will find that the Prophet s.a.w. would often involve his family as he went about doing daily acts of kindness. This is because it was a way to encourage and motivate his family to identify acts of kindness and to carry them out. The third lesson from Surah Al-Asr that can help prevent our families from being among those who are in a loss is that within the family, there needs to exist a culture of reminding each other of the truth and the need to be patient. As the Prophet s.a.w. said: Which means: “Religion is giving advice.” [Hadith reported by Imam Muslim] This hadith teaches us that giving advice and accepting the advice of others is something that is fundamental in Islam. A mukmin should not be arrogant and proud that he refuses to accept any advice from others. This is also applicable in a family, where the culture of advising one another and seeking each other’s opinion should be deeply entrenched within the family. It could be the father giving advice to his children and wife, and it could also be the opposite. In fact, the advice of our children and wife to us as heads of the family could be extremely important. Remember the story of Prophet Ibrahim a.s. who sought the opinion of his son, Prophet Ismail a.s. regarding the dream that he had, where Allah s.w.t. commanded him to slaughter Prophet Ismail? This beautiful story has been recorded in the Quran as a lesson for all of us. This is one of the many examples that we can emulate in order to build a family that is sakinah, mawaddah wa rahmah. Beloved jemaah, Let us ask from Allah s.w.t. to be given the strength to enliven the sunnah of Rasulullah s.a.w. in building a family that will gain Allah’s pleasure. Ya Allah, we are your weak servants who are in need of Your help and Your guidance. We have no control over any matters except with Your Will. With all humility, we ask from you O Allah, protect us and our families from evil in this world and the hereafter. Grant us peace, prosperity and happiness as we weather the storms in this life. Strengthen faith and takwa in our youth. Keep them on the righteous path and do not leave us without Your guidance. O Allah, Lord of the universe, allow us to say the shahadah when we breathe our last, and place us among those whom You love. Amin Ya Rabbal ’alamin.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 10:43:10 +0000
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