Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura

Friday Sermon

3 Jul 2020 / 11 Zulkaedah 1441H

The Spirit of Helping One Another

Blessed Friday congregants,

Let us together increase our taqwa towards Allah s.w.t. Fulfil all of His commands and abstain from all of His prohibitions, by taking the Quran as our source of guidance and the companion to our souls.

In the Quran, Allah s.w.t. teaches us to have a good conscience and strive to help one another. Allah s.w.t. describes the spirit of helping others that we should strive to embody, in Surah Ali Imran, verse 92:

Which means: “None of you will attain true welfare (charity) until you spend out of what you love. And whatever you spend – indeed, Allah is All-Knowing of it.”

This verse teaches us to give our best whenever we offer help and contributions to others. Surely all of us want the best for ourselves; therefore, we must also strive to give the best to others. As Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. once mentioned in a hadith which means, “No one of you shall become a (true) believer until he desires for his brother what he desires for himself.” [Hadith reported by Imam Bukhari]

Beloved Muslims,

Let us be grateful to Allah s.w.t. for granting us this opportunity to attend Friday prayers this week. This is one of the countless blessings that we need to embrace. Hence, all of us should play our roles in adhering to the safety measures as to overcome the spread of this virus. We hope that all of us can work together and remain patient in our efforts to preserve the safety for all. May Allah s.w.t. grant us peace and tranquillity in performing our acts of worships.

Amidst our efforts to adapt to the new norms in our lives, some of our brothers are still waiting for the chance to pray the daily congregational prayers as well as the Friday prayers in our mosques. Some of our relatives and friends may also require assistance to familiarise themselves with the technology to secure their slots for congregational prayers in the mosque. Hence, this is our opportunity to do good by helping them enhance their digital skills.

There are also others who might need help to find jobs and support in these trying times. Therefore, my dear brothers, let us strive to offer a helping hand and provide support in any way possible, even if it is only in the form of kind and encouraging words.

Rewards are promised for those who make meaningful contributions that lead to goodness and improvement. Rasulullah s.a.w. said in a hadith which means: “Whoever leads to good, he is (rewarded) like the one who does it.” [Hadith reported by Imam Muslim]

For those who have been granted the opportunity of performing Friday prayers in the mosques, let us allow our brothers the same opportunity so that they can also perform Friday prayers soon. May Allah s.w.t. grant us ease in our efforts such that more prayer spaces could be open, for us to perform our acts of worships. May Allah s.w.t. include us amongst His servants who are successful in this world and in the hereafter. Amin ya Rabbal Alamin.

أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ لِي وَلَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْم