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All
praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. May
peace and blessings of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his
household and companions.
Fellow
Muslims! Be conscious of Allaah as regards yourselves
and in your responsibilities; for the fear of Allaah is
the glory and contentedness as well as appropriateness.
Fellow
Muslims! Elements of revival and glory building for
nations and societies lie in the attention they give to
the most important matter that is regarded as the
foundation of civilization and social reform. Whoever
ponders over the contemporary situation of the ummah
will be terrified by the life which most people of the
world of today live of anarchy, carelessness, deceptions
and a lot of contradictions in spite of availability of
potentialities that the modern technology provides. The
true Muslim however always looks for the way to reform
in order to recover the past glory of the ummah
after it has been weakened by crises and confronted by
challenges. This all important matter is responsibility.
Fellow
Muslims! Every moment of the Muslims life is full of
responsibility be it on the basis of individuals,
societies and organisations. The Messenger of Allaah
said, “Everyone of you is a shepherd and everyone of
you shall be held responsible for his flock. The leader
is a shepherd and he shall be held responsible for his
flock. Man is a shepherd over his family and shall be
held responsible for his flock. The woman is a shepherd
over the house of her husband and shall be held
responsible for that; the servant is shepherd over the
property of his master and shall be held responsible for
that. So everyone of you is a shepherd and everyone of
you shall be held responsible for his flock. ”
Brethren
in faith! Responsibility in Islaam means that the Muslim
is held accountable for all that the Islaamic Law makes
binding on him in any form either individually or
collectively.
As
for personal responsibility, that is what is binding on
every person pertaining to his own self, his body, soul,
intellect, knowledge, acts of worship, interactions,
wealth e.t.c. Nobody shares with him this
responsibility. If he does it, he gets rewarded and if
not, he gets punished.
The Prophet said, “The feet of
man shall not slip on the Day of Resurrection until he
is asked of his life as to how he spent it, of his
knowledge as to how he used it, of his wealth as to
where he got it and where he spent it and as to his body
as to how he used it.” (At-Tirmidhee)
Man
is also held responsible for all that he utters and all
that he harbours in his heart. Allaah says,
“Verily,
the hearing and the sight and the heart, of each of
those one shall be questioned (by Allaah)”
(Al-Israa
17:36)
Brethren
in Islaam! As for collective responsibility, it firstly
includes the highest authority that is vested with the
power of implementing the law of Allaah on the earth and
ensuring justice among people with God-consciousness in
every matter. It also includes protection of the wealth
and public properties. Positions of responsibility are
not therefore meant for personal benefit. The positions
should be given only to the competent, and the traitors
among the members of the society should be stopped from
their vicious deeds and trust should be well
established.
It
is in the context of collective responsibility that the
role of home and family comes up. Children should be
given the correct Islaamic education. Educational
institutions also have a role to play in giving good
education to the growing generation. The mass media also
have a role in refining the conduct and teaching good
morals to the youth.
The
responsibility of educating the youth is great. Muslims,
individually and collectively should pay utmost
attention with all that they possess, to this
responsibility. Our children are parts of us so we must
endeavour to educate them and make sure that those who
are entrusted with their education are the competent
ones so that the required goals will be achieved and
this should be done under our pure Islaamic identity in
the light of the Quraan and Sunnah.
Dear
brethren! The home is the major point and hence has the
greatest role to play in building individuals. On the
home rests the responsibility of giving children the
required personality and constructing their religious,
intellectual, spiritual, and moral foundations. So
nurture your children on the belief in Allaah and let
them know the real meanings of the Kalimah, so
that their faith can be built on certainty and deep
understanding of the reality of Allaah’s Lordship and
His sole rights to be worshipped. Many families however
do not care about giving their children sound Islaamic
beliefs claiming that, that is naturally known and
therefore, does not need any additional attention. This
claim is a result of lack of understanding and its
consequence is the weakening of the fundamentals of
sound Islaamic belief in the hearts of many children.
The house is not built but upon pillars and pillar
cannot be found if stakes are not firmly rooted. The
home should try to correct its children’s behaviour
and engross in their hearts the noble Islaamic
teachings. Let the parents be good examples for their
children so that there may not be any contradiction in
what they teach the children and what they themselves
do.
It
is highly important that parents should build their
children’s personality on the sound foundations of
Islaamic belief. They should impress in their hearts the
love for their religious principles and the heritage of
their nation amid eemaan, guidance, righteousness
and virtues, so that they can have the strength to face
the always changing challenges and face ideological
trends.
O
you parents! Fear Allaah as regards your children. Be
good models for them and never entrust your maids and
house helps with the education of your children for that
is very dangerous. Keep your children away from bad
companies and supervise them in all that they do with
love and affection. Beware, lest evil and destructive
thoughts and behaviours should enter your homes and
destroy all good things that you have laboured for.
Fellow
Muslims! Family responsibility also includes selecting
good spouse on the foundation of religion, honesty and
good conduct.
The Prophet said, “When he, whom you are
pleased with his religiosity comes to you, (asking for
the hand of your daughter in marriage) marry him. If you
do not, there will be fitnah on the land and a
great corruption.” (At-Tirmidhee)
It
is by this good selection that righteous generation will
arise; those who will actualise sincere devotion to
Allaah.
Family
responsibility also required good relations between
spouses, carrying our one’s duties and cooperation in
nurturing children. Allaah says,
“O
you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families
against a Fire whose fuel is men and stone.”
(At-Tahreem
66:6)
How
can a father enjoy life when he hears this severe
threat?
Let
those who are guardians over women also fear Allaah. Let
them give their women good Islaamic education, and make
them stay at home and use hijaab so that they may
not be tempted and subsequently destroy what had been
built. It is actually a great act of treachery to be
negligent in matters of woman as regards her hijaab,
chastity, her mingling with men and running after
fashions without supervision. Among the aspects of
family responsibility also is to facilitate marriage for
youths and lack of demanding expensive dower. Muslims
should also shun expensive marriage parties and
unhealthy things that usually occur in wedding parties,
for all this is a manifestation of treachery.
Fellow
Muslims! There is a major responsibility that falls on
the Muslim society. That is establishing and maintaining
good relationship between individuals through mutual
love, affection, brotherhood and mutual understanding,
based on eemaan and not on worldly interests.
Islaam, gives great attention to strong building of the
society and its fortification against destructive
ideologies and thoughts. Let the Muslims then admonish
one another in the worship of Allaah alone, on the
propagation of Islaam, enjoining all that is good,
forbidding all that is evil and stopping the reckless
people from committing further sins. For keeping silent
while sins are being committed is greater than the sin.
Allaah says,
“You
(true Muslims) are the best of peoples ever raised for
mankind; you enjoin all that is good , forbid all that
is evil and you believe in Allaah.”
(Aal
‘Imraan 3:110)
All
these are what Muslims should know to realize the
reality of Islaam and its value and in order to make
them eligible to lead, for they are the best community
ever raised up for mankind,
“that Allaah may test
who it is that will help Him (His religion) and His
Messenger in the unseen. Verily Allaah is All-Strong,
All-Mighty”
(Al-Hadeed
57:25)
Brethren
in faith! As for the mass media, it shoulders one of the
greatest responsibilities. So, let the educators make
good use of it to serve Islaam. It is however saddening
that this important tool is used improperly in a way
that expose the growing generation to danger. The mass
media should work toward refining the conduct of the
youths and impress in them values that serves the goals
of Islaam and the Muslim society. Let those who control
the mass media fear Allaah and let them remember that
each and every one of them is a shepherd and he shall be
held accountable for his flock. Let them present to
people all that encourages good and virtues and let them
rescue the Muslim youth from ideological disturbances
and immorality that reflect on their day to day life.
O
you journalists! The mass media is the mirror of the
society. You should therefore do your work with
responsibility, honesty, objectivity and transparency.
Know that, it is by Islaamic principles and belief that
the Muslim mass media is distinguished from others. All
calamities and crimes that are widespread all over the
world are but consequences of men’s negligence in
their responsibilities.
Fellow
Muslims! Among the major responsibilities of the ummah
is to defend Islaam and face the vicious war that is
being waged against this religion, the Muslims and their
holy places. Let us face this war resolutely and at the
same time stick to our civilization and values. Let us
confront the Zionists who are usurping our holy places
in Palestine with the help of super powers, as well as
those who persecute Muslims in Kashmir and Chechnya.
Every one of us mans a strategic place for Islaam, so
let him not allow Islaam to be attacked through his
place. Let Muslims help the cause of Islaam with all
potentialities that they possess. Let all media
channels, homes, schools, mosques and peoples join hands
in carrying out these responsibilities. Allaah says,
“O
you who believe! Betray not Allaah and His Messenger nor
betray knowing the things entrusted to you.”
(Al-Anfaal
8:27)
Fellow
Muslims! The responsibility of all in these days of
summer vacation rests on how to spend the free time in
what is beneficial for the youth and their society.
Brethren
in faith! There are many ways to spend free time
especially for young boys and girls. Let us take to the
good and lawful activities and let us beware of wasting
time in forbidden and ambiguous things. The best things
which one can spend one’s time is reading the Quraan,
learning its meanings, memorizing it and putting it into
practice. Likewise reading Islaamic books, participating
in useful summer courses, da‘awah camps and
vocation centres as well as other activities that bring
benefit.
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