Let us begin by wishing you a Happy National Day, Singapore!
Let us get stronger together through whatever challenges may come our way, Majulah!
As part of observing the National Day, let’s get to know how we can be better citizens together. One of the first steps is to be better neighbours towards each other.
The Prophet s.a.w. said: ‘Jibril continued to advise me about (treating) the neighbours so (kindly and politely), that I thought he would order me (from Allah) to make them heirs.’ [narrated by Imam At-Tirmidhi]
As Muslims living in a multi-cultural society such as Singapore, we must understand that faith is a unifying element in such a society. This is in conjunction with the practices of the Prophet s.a.w. during the time he lived in Medina alongside the Jews.
The Prophet s.a.w. said, ‘Beware, if anyone wrongs a man under the covenant of peace (Constitution of Medina), diminishes his right, forces him to work beyond his capacity, or takes from him anything without his consent, I shall be his adversary on the Day of Judgement.’ [narrated by Imam Abu Dawud]
During the time of the Prophet s.a.w. in Madinah, in order to ensure harmonious living between the Muslims and the Jews, he came up with a covenant that’s agreed upon between them, to allow them to live harmoniously together. The Prophet also reminded the Muslims to stick by the covenant as shown in the above Hadith.
In Singapore, we have all taken the pledge at a point as citizens, and as Muslims, it is our duty to ensure we uphold what is being uttered in the pledge.
As part of encouraging Muslims to integrate better into the Singapore Community, MUIS has come up with The Singapore Muslim Identity based on 5 values closely related to Islam’s teachings.
One of the values that we want to highlight is to be resilient in religious matters.
Allah said in Surah Fussilat verse 30, ‘Indeed, those who have said, “Our Lord is Allāh” and then remained on a right course – the angels will descend upon them, (saying), “Do not fear and do not grieve but receive good tidings of Paradise, which you were promised.’
In this verse, Allah reminds us to remain steadfast, to remain firm upon our faith, in our worship of Him, no matter what kind of situations or environment we find ourselves in, and that is when we’ll receive His Promise of entering Paradise.
As a Muslim minority community, we may face challenges and struggles to practise our religion. As long as we persevere to stay true to our faith and its teaching, inshaAllah we will be rewarded for our efforts.
May Allah make us better citizens through our actions as better Muslims.
