Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura
Friday Sermon
18 November 2016 / 18 Safar 1438H
Developing Empathy Through Taqwa
Blessed Friday Jemaah,
Let us be grateful to Allah for bestowing upon us the blessings
of iman and this life. In these moments full of barakah, let us
ask from Allah s.w.t. that He places us among His servants
whose hearts are filled with taqwa, and are able to fulfil His
commands and restrain from His prohibitions. Hopefully by
doing so we will be able to achieve prosperity in this world and
the hereafter. Amin.
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Jemaah, every Friday we are reminded to have taqwa in Allah
because taqwa is crucial in our lives, whether as individuals or
as part of the community. Taqwa ensures that we always to
improve our relationship with Allah, and to maintain good
relations with His creations.
Jemaah,
Let us reflect upon a hadith of the Prophet s.a.w. that has a
profound lesson for all. Once, Rasulullah s.a.w told his
companions about the situation of a bankrupt.
Then he asked: “Do you know who is a bankrupt?” They said,
“The one without money or goods is a bankrupt.” The Prophet
said, “Verily, the bankrupt of my nation is he who comes on the
Day of Resurrection with prayers, fasting, and charity, but also
with insults, slander, having consumed other people’s wealth,
shedding blood, and beating others. Those oppressed by him
will each be given the merits from the oppressor’s good deeds.
If his good deeds run out before justice is fulfilled, then the sins
of those he oppressed will be cast upon him, and he will then
be thrown into the Hellfire.” [Hadith reported by Muslim]
Comprehend the important lesson contained in this hadith.
Taqwa is not just in the way one dresses and looks, or through
the words that one utters, but taqwa is in one’s heart, and is
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reflected in one’s daily actions and deeds – be it in one’s acts of
worship to Allah, or one’s actions towards other insan.
Jemaah,
After several weeks of discussing the meaning of empathy, this
week’s sermon will highlight that one of the ways to instil
empathy in us is to pay attention to the aspect of taqwa in all
our actions. Let us now look at another hadith of the Prophet
s.a.w. which states that when a believer attains a high level of
iman and taqwa, she is able to feel the difficulties faced by
others around her.
The Prophet s.a.w. said, which means: The parable of the
believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each
other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body
reacts with sleeplessness and fever. [Hadith reported by AlBukhari and Muslim]
Taqwa can be developed and instilled in our hearts. One way to
do it is by always finding ways to contribute towards the
prosperity of the society at large. We should learn from the
stories of the sahabah radiyallahu anhum, of how they assisted
and helped one another. One example is Saidina Abu Bakar
As-Siddiq. The Prophet s.a.w. once found him doing several
good deeds within one day. He fasted, sent off the deceased,
fed the poor and visited others. [Hadith reported by Muslim]
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Jemaah,
We should be grateful that we have been blessed with Islam, a
religion that teaches us to be individuals who feel for others.
Islam also teaches us not to make things difficult for others.
More than that, Islam too teaches its followers to be a
community that contributes to the well-being of others. It is a
religion that seeks to radiate blessings and spread prosperity in
the lives of others.
Jemaah,
We should realise that contributing to the welfare of others is
not limited to giving money. In fact the concept of sadaqah and
infaq itself are not limited to money and wealth. Helping others
to get out of difficult situations and easing their burdens are also
considered as sadaqah. In fact, saying good words that do not
have elements of accusations, hurtful words and scorn, is also
a form of sadaqah. Allah explains this matter in the Quran:
Meaning: “Kind speech and forgiveness are better than charity
followed by injury. And Allah is Free of need and Forbearing.
[Surah Al-Baqarah: 263]
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Beloved Jemaah,
In line with this topic, I would like to draw your attention to the
plight of those among us who face physical or mental
challenges.
These individuals should not be isolated from the general
public, and pushed aside from the lives of many, to the point
that they feel discriminated and neglected.
We should help complement and ease the challenges that they
face. Should they require special equipment or specific needs,
then we should try to provide for them in order to ensure that
they can live their lives as smoothly as possible. They are all
integral members of the society. The difficulties that they face
should spark a sense of realisation in us, and open our eyes to
become a society of rahmah (blessings). Didn’t the Prophet
s.a.w. say:
Meaning: “A person whose heart is filled with rahmah is loved
by The Most Loving (God). Be merciful to any creations on this
earth, and those (creations) in the heavens will have mercy
upon you.” [Hadith reported by Imam al-Tirmidzi]
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At the same time, do not assume that we are better than those
whom Allah has tested with trials and challenges. It could be
that Allah has blessed us with more because of the help and
assistance that we have extended to those in need. In a hadith,
Rasulullah s.a.w. said: “You are given sustenance and victory
for the virtue of those who are weak amongst you” [Reported by
Al-Bukhari]
Blessed Friday Jemaah,
Let us appreciate this gift from Allah: the gift of iman that Allah
continues to instil in our hearts and the gift of Islam that
continues to be our compass in life. May we continue to
develop empathy as we strive to be a good son or daughter,
spouse, parent, friend and neighbour, in our bid to increase our
taqwa in Allah s.w.t. InsyaAllah.
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