Aidilfitri Sermon
Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
3 May 2022 / 1 Syawal 1443H
Seeking Eternal Success
اللهُ أَكْبَرُ x 9
اللهُ أَكْبَرُ كَلَّمَا صَلَّى المُصَلِّي وَ كَبَّرَ
اللهُ أَكْبَرُ كُلَّمَا صَامَ الصَّائِمُ وَ أَفْطَرَ
اللهُ أَكْبَرُ كُلَّمَا أنْعَمَ عَلَى المُنْعَمِ فَشَكَرَ
اللهُ أَكْبَرُ كُلَّمَا ابْتَلَى المُبْتَلَى فَصَبَرَ
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ
اللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَللهِ الْحَمْدُ
الحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِي تَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْنَا بِكَرَمِهِ وَإِحْسَانِهِ، وَرَزَقَنَا الصَّبْرَ والاحْتِسَابَ بِقَدَرِهِ وَقَضَاءِهِ، وَحَفِظَنَا مِنْ جَهْدِ البَلَاءِ وَسُوءِ قَضَاءِهِ، وَحَبَّبَ إِلَيْنَا الإِحْسَانَ إِلَى خَلْقِهِ وَعِيَالِهِ، فَلِلَّهِ الحَمْدُ رَبِّ السَّمَوَاتِ وَرَبِّ الأَرْضِ رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ وَلَهُ الكِبْرِيَاءُ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ العَزِيزُ الحَكْيمُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إلَّا اللهُ ذُو الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدَنَا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالمُؤْمِنِينَ رَؤُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ، وَصَلَوَاتُ اللهُ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْكَ يَا سَيِّدِي يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، نَشْهدُ أَنَّكَ أَدَّيْتَ الأَمَانَةَ وَبَلَّغْتَ الرِّسَالَةَ وَنَصَحْتَ الأُمَّةَ، وَجَاهَدْتَ فِي اللهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِكَ حَتَّى أَتَاكَ اليَقِينُ، أمَّا بَعْدُ، فَيَا أَيُّهَا الْمُسْلِمُوْنَ، أُوْصِيْكُمْ وَنَفْسِيْ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَقَدْ فَازَ الْمُتَّقُوْنَ
All praises and gratitude be to Allah (s.w.t.) for the abundant bounties and blessings that He has bestowed upon us, as well as His continuous mercy, love, and compassion.
Beloved brothers and sisters,
On this blessed morning of Syawal, we gather with utmost appreciation and recognition – our worries have been replaced with tranquillity, our loneliness replaced with celebration, separation and estrangement replaced with closeness and reunion.
Which means: “So all praise is for Allah - Lord of the heavens and earth, Lord of all the worlds. To Him belongs all the Majesty in the heavens and the earth. And He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.” [al-Jathiyah: 36-37]
Hence, let us strive to be grateful by strengthening our sense of piety. Let us continue to perform good deeds, obey Allah’s commands, and stay away from all His prohibitions. Remember, my brothers and sisters, that Allah (s.w.t.) is the Creator, the All-Knowing, the Most Forgiving, during the month of Ramadan and beyond.
Dear brothers and sisters,
What impact has Ramadan left upon us?
Ramadan has guided our hearts to be more conscious of God, such that our hearts no longer wish to be associated with anything immoral.
Ramadan has guided our souls to be more compassionate, such that we feel the pain of having to witness any form of suffering or torture.
It has made our bodies healthier, such that our bodies no longer wish to be harmed in any way.
Ramadan has shaped our spiritual selves to be full of mercy, such that we cannot bear having to witness any form of cruelty or tyranny.
Fortunate are those who have returned to a state of fitrah, or purity, this morning. This purity must continue to be guarded carefully, such that it is not tainted by sin, nor scarred by cruelty, nor weakened by distress, nor corrupted by selfishness.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Indeed, that is how our religious lives should be – by always protecting the purity of our hearts and characters, and by encouraging individuals and society to continue thriving in this world and the next. We attain success by continually improving ourselves and our spirituality, by extracting important lessons from all the tests and challenges, and by striving to avoid repeating our past mistakes.
The extraordinary circumstances under which we celebrated Ramadan in the past couple of years are still fresh in our memories. The bittersweet moments we had experienced back then. During those moments, we missed our mosques and their congregants, as well as our companions in worship. However, at the same time, we were able to strengthen our family ties and quickly found alternative ways to open another door of goodness when the other one closes.
Our religious identity requires us to be resilient which means we do not give in to weakness, nor give up easily. As the situation continues to improve, we are now able to celebrate Syawal in a more festive manner. This does not mean that the test has ended, nor does it signify that we have completely succeeded. We should not easily forget our past lessons and return to the way we used to be.
Let us ponder upon what Allah (s.w.t.) said:
Which means: “Do they think that once they say, ‘We believe’, that they will not be tested? We certainly tested those before them. And in this way Allah will clearly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are liars.” [al-Ankabut: 2-3]
Those who are sincere (as-sadiqin) and honest in their faith and piety will continue to hold fast to the path of goodness, will not falter nor forget easily, even when they have been given a life of ease and blessings.
We must always remember that tribulations come in diverse forms. We should not forget the lessons and wisdom gained from our past experiences the moment our hardships are replaced with ease.
We will certainly be among the losers if we return to being weak and neglectful, after having set the intention to be more grateful for all of Allah’s blessings. Allah (s.w.t.) reminds us in surah Yunus, verse 12:
Which means: “Whenever someone is burdened by hardship, they cry out to Us, whether lying on their side, sitting, or standing. But when We relieve their hardship, they return to their old ways as if they had never cried to Us to remove their hardship! This is how the misdeeds of the transgressors have been made appealing to them.”
Dear brothers and sisters,
When we were all tested throughout the outbreak, we realised the value of empathy and compassion.
We also witnessed and showed our appreciation of the sacrifices made by our front liners, staffs and volunteers who had to ensure the safety of our communal and religious institutions, such as our mosques. We supported each other by working together to adapt accordingly with due diligence and discipline.
Isn’t this a righteous attitude that we should continue to embody as a community? It is a significant loss if our disciplined attitude is replaced with negligence, our cleanliness and neat arrangement in the mosque are replaced with disorganisation, and our care towards officers and volunteers is replaced with selfishness. Let us strive to preserve and further strengthen the success that we achieved together from past challenges, to avoid our sacrifices from becoming futile and meaningless.
At the global level, we are now witnessing a world that was recently calm and peaceful, only to have been replaced with chaos and turmoil.
It seemed only a moment ago that humans loved and protected their family and friends, only for it to have been replaced with enmity and discord.
Every life that was previously regarded as precious and to be protected – those lives are now worthless and seen as disposable because of a conflict.
Remember, the religion teaches us to place justice at the forefront of all our affairs, to eradicate all forms of cruelty, and to be compassionate in our dealings with fellow human beings.
The true believer will always prioritise, support, and defend goodness, no matter to whom, and for whom it may be.
My dear brothers and sisters,
Therefore, let us hold fast to these principles and noble values, no matter what circumstances and situations we may find ourselves in. Even if the whole of humankind lose its way. This is the advice of our Messenger (s.a.w.).
Our Prophet (s.a.w.) said:
لاَ تَكُونُوا إِمَّعَةً تَقُولُونَ: إِنْ أَحْسَنَ النَّاسُ أَحْسَنَّا وَإِنْ ظَلَمُوا ظَلَمْنَا وَلَكِنْ وَطِّنُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ إِنْ أَحْسَنَ النَّاسُ أَنْ تُحْسِنُوا وَإِنْ أَسَاءُوا فَلاَ تَظْلِمُوا
Which means: “Do not be of those who are imma’ah (have no position), who only say, ‘I am with the people. If the people are good, then I am good too. If the people are bad, I will also be bad.’ Rather, strengthen your position – should the people do good, then do good. If the people do bad deeds, then leave aside their bad deeds.” [Hadith narrated by Imam al-Tirmizi]
Such noble values will allow us to continually build a character that emphasises on the importance of solidarity and unity, as well as having complete trust in God, while putting in the effort to find solutions to all problems through deliberation and discussion, in the best manner possible.
Most challenges will only become increasingly complex in the future. Our attitudes today will shape our character which will determine whether we will overcome future challenges or otherwise. With the right amount of perseverance, resilience, and solidarity, we will be able to remain united in safeguarding our wellbeing.
Dear brothers and sisters,
As we celebrate this festive occasion, let us continue to take good care of our personal wellness as well as the safety of our community. Let us not adopt a complacent attitude, hence risk getting infected with the virus and regard it as something common. Remember that each of us still has a responsibility to try our best to prevent any form of harm. We have witnessed the increasing number of infected cases in some countries as a result of neglecting safety measures.
May Allah (s.w.t.) continue to grant us success in our lives, as well as protect this country and community that we love from all threats and dangers, inshaAllah. Amin. Ya Rabbal ’Alamin.
Ya Allah,
Only to You we give thanks. Only to You we humble ourselves. Please preserve the faith in our hearts. Strengthen the piety that You have bestowed upon us. Please accept all the acts of worship that we have done in the past month of Ramadan.
Ya Allah, Ya Rahman Ya Rahim,
Grant us Your mercy and Your forgiveness. Accept all our good deeds. Should there be a deficiency in our deeds, please do forgive us, Ya Rahman. Bestow upon us peace and serenity.
Ya Allah, Ya Latif,
In Your hands are all the answers and solutions. Only in You we place our complete hope and trust. Ya Allah, please grant recovery and good health to those amongst us who are ill. For those who are tested by a lack of means and sustenance, please do increase their fortunes. Please change our condition, from weakness to strength, from difficulty to ease, from fear to peace, from cruelty to compassion, from humiliation to glory, from despair to motivation, from discord to unity, from delusion to guidance, and from faltering to steadfastness.
Amin Amin Ya Rabbal Alamin.
أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَ لَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْم
Second Khutbah
7Xاللهُ أَكبَر
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.
