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MAJLIS UGAMA ISLAM SINGAPURA

FRIDAY SERMON
15 AUGUST 2003 /16 JAMADILAKHIR 1424

Threats to Morality

Blessed Friday Congregation,

Akhlak, in the context of our daily life, is the behaviour,
morals and practices that we demonstrate in our interactions
with our family, neighbours and friends.as servants of Allah

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on earth, we are the best of creations, have been bestowed

with the gift of akal, as in Surah Al Isra’ verse 70:

Which means: And indeed We have honoured the Children

of Adam, and We have carried them on land and sea, and
have provided them with At-Taiyibât (lawful good things), and
have preferred them above many of those whom We have
created with a marked preference.

Thus with this akal lies the responsibility to choose good

akhlak and refrain from the bad.

Man does not live as an island, but within a society. In these

times of rapid development, society encompasses family,
nation and the global community. A baby is born into this
world like a sheet of white linen, that is patterned first by his
parents and family; then his friends in school and
subsequently friends far and near.

A man and his wife that has been bestowed by Allah with a
child carry upon them the trust to instill and sow good akhlak

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in their young. In carrying out this responsibility, our beloved

Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. had said in his hadis:

Which means: Every child is born in a pure state of fitrah,

thus his parents are the ones who make him either a Jew, a
Christian or a Pagan.

Parents must make full use of the early years of the

children’s life to train them to be good Muslims. In our hurry
to complete the day’s chores at home and at work, we must
never leave our children’s upbringing to the childcare
centers, maids or nannies.

My dear brothers,
Our akhlak is shaped through our interactions day by day
with friends in at work and at play. Prophet Muhammad SAW
said:

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Which means: On each is his friend’s religion. So, watch

among you who your friends are.
Other than friends, we are also exposed to new lifestyles
and ideas through the mass media such as newspapers and
of late, the Internet.
Allah said in Surah Al An’am verse 151:

That means: …come not near to shameful deeds. Whether

open or secret;

Modernisation and globalisation bring with them both good

and bad. Among the positive impacts of modernization and
globalisation are rapidly growing economy and higher
standard of living. On the other hand, our Eastern society is
increasingly open to ways of life from the West that may be
not be in line with our customs and practices here. Problems
arise when we are not able to balance the tide of
modernization nad globalisation with ilmu and well-founded
akhlak. Ilmu is the backbone of our life, and it is the light that
beckons in times of distress and confusion. In addition,
Muslims are told to refer to the two heritage of Prophet

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Muhammad SAW, that are the Al-Quran and Hadith. Prophet

Muhammad SAW said:

Meaning: I have left you two things which, if you were to hold
on to tightly, you will never go astray: the book of Allah and
the traditions of His Prophet.

The advent and breakthroughs of science and technology,

such as the ability to clone, brings forth issues that challenge
our Islamic values. Once again, the importance of
knowledge in deciding the halal and haram of such
advancements cannot be further emphasized. Thus, it is no
wonder that knowledge is given such stature in Islam, as
reflected in Surah Al Mujadalah verse 11:

That means: Allâh will exalt in degree those of you who

believe, and those who have been granted knowledge.

Blessed congregation,

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The threats to our akhlak coming from many internal and

external sources. In realizing the importance of our
environment and the company that we keep in shaping good
akhlak, thus it is important that we look to those with virtue
and good conduct as role models. This is in line with the
hadis:

Which means: Indeed, the comparison of a good companion

and a bad companion is like the carrier of the musk and a
blacksmith. The carrier of the musk can either give the musk
to you, or you may buy the musk from him, or you can get
from him a nice smell. Meanwhile, the blacksmith can either
burn your clothes or you may get from him a bed smell.
At the same time, we must also be aware and look to the
needs of those who are in danger of falling into the traps of
immorality and help to steer them back towards goodness.

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For those who have succumbed to life that is impermissible

in Islam, it is our responsibility to guide them back to the
correct path that leads to the Islamic way of life, as
advocated in Ali ‘Imran verse 104:

Which says: Let there arise out of you a band of people

inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and
forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity.

One of the virtues enjoined in Islam is the spirit of giving. On

Sunday, 17th August 2003, Islamic religious Council of
Singapore (MUIS) will hold a sale of nasi briyani amal in
conjunction with the President’s Challenge. Preparation for
this event will be witnessed by none other than our
President, Mr. S.R. Nathan at Madrasah Al-Juneid Al-
Islamiah. So, let us fellow Muslim give our utmost support to
this event by donating generously and at the same time,
feast on the nasi briyani in the name of charity.

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