Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura
Khutbah Jumaat
14 January 2011 / 9 Safar 1432
Establishing True Faith Through The Signs Of Allah
Dear blessed brethren,
Let us continue to improve our taqwa to Allah s.w.t. by performing all of His Commandments and avoiding all of His Prohibitions. Let us also be grateful to Allah for bestowing us the mental capacity to contemplate upon all of His creations, as well as to appreciate them as an indication of His Greatness. Hopefully with that, we will draw nearer to Allah s.w.t. and will be more conscious of His Presence.
Dear beloved brethren,
A true Muslim is not measured by his or her namesake alone. In fact, his birth from parents who are themselves Muslims will not guarantee that he will become a faithful Muslim, upholding the teachings of Islam, or adopting the Islamic way of living.
However my dear brothers, a true Muslim is one who possesses the conviction of faith. This conviction is derived through his efforts in learning and reflecting upon the main source of faith, that is the verses of the holy Al-Quran.
This is because the Al-Quran truly invite human’s intellect to think about the existence of the Lord of the Worlds. This is so as to produce in the hearts and minds of the reader, an unwavering faith, a deep conviction and a profound certainty in the greatness and glory of Allah s.w.t.
On that basis, we will find in the holy Al-Quran, verses in the form of questions and answers, which directly addresses the reader. It seems as if we are interacting with the Al-Quran. For example, Allah s.w.t. says in the chapter of Yunus verse 34:
Meaning: “Say: Can any of those beings to whom you ascribed a share in God's divinity bring into existence the creation in the first instance, then reproduce it? Say: Allah brings the creation into existence, then He reproduces it; how can you then turn away(from Allah)?”
My dear beloved bretheren,
The issues addressed by the Al-Quran to humans, are none other than one of the ways in which Allah s.w.t. encourages us to harness and maximise the blessings of our mind. Hopefully from this exercise, it will create a sense of self-awareness, a feeling of humility and gratitude for all the favours and blessings bestowed by Allah leading to the strengthening of faith in our hearts.
As an extension from this exercise of appreciating the Al-Quran, let us strive to continue the tradition of contemplation and sef-reflection, which must serve as a practice in our daily lives and not just limited to reading the Al-Quran.
A simple example will be to appreciate the blessings of our senses given by Allah. Our sense of sight, hearing, and even our sense of smell are actually part of Allah’s infinite gifts to us. Through them, we are able to see the beauty of nature, inhale the surrounding clean air as well as experience the comfort and exquisite environment around us. In fact, humans are indirectly able to breathe oxygen from the atmosphere, an important component for our body and our existence.
Let us imagine, my dear brothers, if Allah s.w.t. were to recall and take away the blessing of the gift of just our sight, then certainly it will affect every part of our lives. Without the sense of sight, we will not be able to see and not be able to read. It will be difficult for us to move from one place to another or to do any of our routine daily work. In all probability, we will always be dependent on others for the rest of our lives.
Similarly, my beloved brothers, if we think about it more deeply, we will find that all these senses are controlled by our brain. In fact, neurologists are amazed by every single movement of these neurons or nerve cells in our brain, as well as how they interact with all of our senses and with other parts of our body.
Know that, my dear brothers, these observations regarding our senses and other parts of the body have been enjoined by Allah s.w.t. in surah Az-Dzariyaat verse 21:
Meaning: “As also in your own selves: Will you not then see?
Dear beloved brethren,
Hence starting today, from this moment on, when we return home, or when we have the opportunity to do so, spend a moment every day to read the Al-Quran. Understand the verses contained therein, reflect upon the meaning and the contents of every chapter or the verses which you recite.
This is so that our faith in Allah, the Lord upon Whom we pledge our obedience to, will become even stronger and more profound, so that we become a blessing and guidance for those whose hearts believe in Him. Allah s.w.t says in surah Yunus verse 57:
Meaning: “O mankind! there has come to you a direction from your Lord and a healing for the (diseases) in your hearts,- and for those who believe, a guidance and a Mercy.”
Dear beloved brethren,
We hope that through our appreciation and deep understanding of the verses of the holy Al-Quran, it will be a beacon in our journey to knowing Allah s.w.t. May that journey be an experience that is meaningful and will leave a profound effect in our hearts and our souls.
We pray that we will always be showered with guidance and blessings from Allah, the Almighty in navigating our lives on this temporary abode and the permanent life in the hereafter. Amin.
