Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura

Friday Sermon

26 December 2025 / 5 Rejab 1447H

Traversing Life with the End in Mind

Zumratal mukminin rahimakumullah,

Let us increase our taqwa towards Allah s.w.t. Fulfil all His commands and avoid all His prohibitions. Enjoin good and forbid evil. Maintain sincerity in all our actions. Help others in need and pray for Allah’s pleasure. Always adorn ourselves with the cloak of humility. May Allah s.w.t. grant us all the noblest of endings to our temporary life in this world. Amin, ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.

Dear brothers,

In every khutbah, there is always a reminder for us to be mindful of Allah and to uphold taqwa. Among the verses that are frequently recited is the saying of Allah s.w.t. in Surah Ali ‘Imran, verse 102:

Which means: “O you who believe, be mindful of Allah as is His due, and do not die except as Muslims (in submission to Him).”

We hear this reminder every week. Yet, did we ever ask ourselves: Have we truly internalised its meaning? Are we truly mindful Allah s.w.t. as He is deserved? And if we were invited to return to Allah s.w.t. at any time, could we confidently say that we will die as true, noble, pious, and obedient Muslims?

Dear congregation,

We live in a world today that is full of distractions. Distractions come to us in innumerable forms, from global developments, our digital devices, to work and other daily commitments. If we are not careful, we may be carried away by the sea of distractions, and in doing so, lose sight of the crux of our existence; to worship Allah s.w.t.

We work tirelessly for sustenance, yet in the process, we may have forgotten to offer gratitude to the Sustainer of all. We work to protect what matters most to us; our families, our wealth, our health, and yet in this pursuit, we may have forgotten to seek refuge and protection from the Protector of all.

We may have approached the blessings Allah s.w.t. has bestowed upon us as if they were fully our own, unknowingly blinded from the fact that Allah s.w.t. is the One who grants and takes away from us at His will. We may have performed or postponed good deeds with the assumption that we still have plenty of time left to do them, and we may have approached our sins with the mindset that we still have plenty of time to repent.

My dear brothers,

The truth is that we simply do not know how much time we have left on this Earth. Death is certain, and it can come when we least expect it. It does not care whether we are young or old, healthy or sick, rich or poor. Death does not wait for us to be in a state of complete iman or piety before it takes us. Our time has already been set, and death will surely come at the pre-determined time.

Therefore, we must live each day with awareness of the end and in preparation for it, by constantly striving to worship Allah s.w.t. and to do good deeds.

Beloved brothers,

Allah s.w.t. says in Surah Al-Mulk, verse 2:

Which means: “He is the One Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving.”

Allah has granted us this life as a temporary test to see who among us will return to Him with the best deeds. Not who returns to Him with wealth, nor status, nor fame, but good deeds and good deeds only.

Brothers, let us remember that our days are limited. We may have hoped to be better Muslims tomorrow, but the truth is, there is a possibility that tomorrow may never come. We do not know when our time will come, and we do not know when our book of deeds will be closed. But what we do know is that our time will come, and our book of deeds will eventually close.

A companion of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., named Ibn ‘Umar r.a., once advised: “When you reach the evening, do not wait for the morning. And when you reach the morning, do not wait for the evening.”

Therefore, my brothers, do not wait for tomorrow, or the day after, or the new year to strive for self-improvement. Start now. Every day, we should strive to be better Muslims than we were yesterday. Each day is a new opportunity to improve our relationship with Allah, to strengthen our worship, to purify our hearts, and fill our books with good deeds.

Every moment we spend in worship, in remembering Allah, and in doing good deeds is a moment that brings us closer to Him. Let us not waste these precious moments, for we do not know when death will come. We want to ensure that when it comes, we meet Allah in a state of submission, humility, and sincerity.

My dear brothers,

The Prophet s.a.w. said that which means: “When Allah wishes good for a servant, He puts him into action.” He was asked: “How does Allah put him into action, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet s.a.w. replied: “By guiding him to perform righteous deeds before death.” (At-Tirmidhi)

Therefore, if we still find no internal drive which pushes us towards good deeds, it may be a sign that there is still some weakness in our relationship with Allah. It requires us to reflect on our worship and strive to reconnect with our purpose in life.

As everyone else waits for the year to end, a Muslim should continue to rise and use each day to increase acts of goodness. Especially with the arrival of the month of Rajab, one of the sacred months highly regarded by Allah. For us, this marks the beginning of the season of spirituality and devotion which has long been awaited.

May Allah s.w.t. guide us all to be His servants who constantly strive to do good and seek His pleasure. May Allah make us amongst those who fear Him as is deserved, and may Allah s.w.t. bless us with noble endings – to return to Him as true, noble, pious, and obedient Muslims. Amin, ya Rabbal ‘Alamin.

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