Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
Friday Sermon
6 May 2005 / 27 Rabiul Awal 1426
Moulding Knowledgeable Families


My brothers in Islam,
Have taqwa to Allah s.w.t, by doing all that He commands us, and avoiding everything that he forbids.

Allah has commanded us to do all good things. And among the good things that we should strive for, is to build knowledgeable families, who put high premium in gaining knowledge. Only with knowledge can Muslims uplift their status, understand world affairs, and work towards solving most of today’s problems.
And only with knowledge can we become a community of excellence. And of course with the blessing from Allah. That goes without saying.

A successful family is not one that is rich with materialistic wealth. But a successful family is one that is rich with knowledge. The wealth of this world may come and go, sometimes at blink of an eye. But the knowledge gained, that is the one that will shape its owner to someone who can appreciate life, and know its objectives.

Islam highly regards those who are knowledgeable. And thus, Islam highly encouraged, even making compulsory upon its followers to seek knowledge. This is evident from the sayings of our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. In one instance, it was reported that he said:

(Hadith narrated by Ibn Majah)
Which means: Seeking knowledge is compulsory for all Muslims.

Islam does not put any age limit in seeking knowledge. Everyone must seek knowledge, regardless of his age. Young and old. Men and women.
There is no distinction, nor should there be any misconception that seeking knowledge is limited for school going students and young adults.

There is a Chinese philosophy that stresses the importance of seeking knowledge especially in old age, to continue sharpen one’s mind and intellect. It is encouraged for them to pick up a new skill or a branch of knowledge. And in this way, one will not be bored, but will always have their time occupied.

And this, my brothers, is actually an Islamic philosophy. Muslims must always occupy their time with remembering Allah. And what better way to remember Allah than seeking knowledge, and appreciating it. For knowledge comes from Allah. And with knowledge one can see better the greatness of Allah s.w.t.

My brothers in Islam,
The month of May is traditionally known as the month of exam. Our students will take their mid-year exam in this month. Even though it is not as important as the final year exam, the marks still will have great influence on their academic performance. Thus, it is important for them to prepare well for this exam. An exemplary Muslim student is one that will do their revision regularly, and not procrastinate till the last minute.
What about the parents? What can we do for our school going children? Two things. There are two things that we can do for them. First, we must give them encouragement. And this can come in two forms: verbal and spiritual.

Verbal encouragements are those positive words that can uplift their spirit. Words that will spur them further, that serves as a booster for their morale.

The common mistake that some parents made, is to say negative words to their children. For example, our children may find it difficult in a subject, and hence a bit lazy to revise. Or they may find it difficult to sit down and read. Instead of finding out the reasons behind it, we started call them names. Labeling them as lazy, stupid, slow, and other such negative words.

Those negative words are knives, searing through their spirit and soul. Instead of correcting the situation, we will actually destroy their self-confidence. And coming from those whom they love, their parents, their siblings and their grandparents, those negative words will actually stick to their mind like a brand. They will forever remember that they are stupid, unable to excel in their studies. Their desire and burning flame to proof that they are capable students, will be doused forever.

And who to blame? Their loved ones who shower them with such negative words. We love them. Instead of building their lives, we actually destroy it.

So my brothers, it is important for us to avoid saying negative words. We should instead always give encouragements. In times of difficulty, we should give them positive words. We should tell them that nothing is impossible in this world. Why not them If other students can excel in their studies? Nobody knows his limit. So, it is important for us to continue striving for a higher level, to push the limit further, for the only limit, is one that we put in our mind. The sky is not even the limit.

Allah will give to those who strive hard to achieve what they had set out for. All these positive words will be like rocket fuel, pushing them higher and higher. They will not feel their studies as burdens, but as challenges.

My brothers this is the first form of encouragement.

The second form is spiritual. We must strive to ask Allah, in our doa, for our children’s success in this world and the Hereafter. Their success will be our success. And a pious and knowledgeable child is a very valuable asset. An asset more valuable than any other asset in this world.
A knowledgeable and pious child will give benefits to others in this world, and can intercede for us in the Hereafter. A knowledgeable and pious child will continue remember us after our death in his prayers.

That is why Islam highly encourage us to make doa for our children, to the extend that doa from parents for their children will be accepted by Allah. Rasulullah s.a.w said:

Which means: Three groups whose doa will be accepted by Allah: the traveler, parents and those who are oppressed.

So important for us to make doa for our children, that Allah even taught us the best wording for the doa. It is recorded in surah Al-Furqan, ayat 74:

Which means: And those who say: "Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders for the Muttaqûn"

And in another ayat Al-Ahqaf, ayat 15, Allah taught us with another doa:


Which means: "My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favour which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You, and make my off-spring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims”.

So don’t be stingy in our doa, especially for our children. We make doa for them, so that they can easily answer their exam questions. And hopefully they will be successful in this world and the Hereafter.

My brothers in Islam,
The second thing that we can do for our children, especially in during their examination, is to provide peaceful and tranquil environment for them to do their revision. We demand our rights from them. We demand their respect. But ask ourselves. What must we do to earn their respect?
At least give them their rights for a peaceful environment for them to do their revision. We can do this by sacrificing a little of our entertainment time in front of the television.

This little sacrifice will go a long way in increasing their love and respect to us. They will remember this sacrifice, and will appreciate it when they grow up. And what is better is that they will do the same thing to their children.

They will sacrifice their entertainment time for our grandchildren. And by doing so, they will be rewarded, and we are rewarded. No less. This has been promised by our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, who said in a hadith narrated by Tirmizi:

Which means: Whoever starts a good deed, and it is followed by others, he will be rewarded for the good deed, and similar rewards each time the deed is performed by others.

May Allah accepts the little sacrifices we make for our children, and assist us in moulding a knowledgeable family, amen.




Just sharing =) Can't remember who sent this to me. Thx.