Sultan Brunei: Muslims Must Be Courageous

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Saturday, October 25, 2014 - HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday urged Muslims to be brave and dedicated in upholding and preserving the sanctity of Islam, and make sacrifices in doing good deeds for the sake of Allah SWT.

“By doing so, we will find that (in return) Allah SWT will definitely come to our aid; and this is His promise, verily, Allah SWT’s promise is absolutely true and it will be honoured and never will it be broken,” the monarch said in a titah to mark the Islamic new year 1436 Hijrah.

In the titah, His Majesty noted that Muslims today were weak and have become afraid to show the goodness of Islam and its teaching, placing themselves in a position that is no longer worthy of becoming the best of ummah (community).

This is why it is important for Muslims to learn valuable lessons and examples taught in hijrah — the migration of Prophet Muham-mad SAW from Mekah to Madinah. “Hijrah reveals to us how vitally important it is to have courage (and) the spirit of sacrifice and loyalty,” the monarch said.

“If there was not any courage or if the spirit of sacrifice and loyalty were absent (in Prophet Muhammad SAW and his companion), the great migration would not have become an integral part of the Islamic history.”

The migration from Mekah to Madinah took place in a manner that was most extraordinary – where the journey was beset by a multitude of obstacles and hardships. It is an event full of divine barakah (blessings) as it was done following the command of Allah SWT in order to protect the Islamic aqidah (belief) brought by Prophet Muhammad SAW, and not simply to flee from persecution.

“Just imagine, there were just two persons — Prophet Muham-mad SAW and his companion, Sayyidina Abu Bakar RA — setting out on a journey, whereas their enemies were large in number, persistently pursuing and searching for them everywhere,” said the monarch.

Due to their courage and willingness to sacrifice anything in addition to their strong faith and belief in God, Allah SWT delivered them from danger and enemies. Without Allah SWT’s protection, the hijrah would have met with failure along the way.

The monarch said that a spider would not have immediately weaved its web and pigeons would not have built their nests at the entrance of the cave (indicating that the place had not been entered by anyone) where the two had used as a hiding place, without help and protection from Allah SWT.

In such context, His Majesty emphasised that it is crucial for Muslims to truly understand the concept involved in the event, as it entailed many things that test one’s resolve in leading a truly religious life.

“If we do not have the attitude of such great figures in the history of Hijrah, it is feared that Muslims of today would (continue to) become weak and marginalised, despite the fact that Allah SWT had recognised us Muslims as the best of ummah because of our habits in inviting others to do good and advising against doing bad deeds,” His Majesty noted.

Commenting on this year’s new year celebration theme, “Be Unified in Support of Allah SWT’s Law”, the monarch said that such a powerful and noble phrase needs to be uttered with courage and honesty.

“Celebrating and welcoming the new year in the Islamic calendar is a tradition in this country to reflect on the historical accounts of Prophet Muhammad SAW’s migration from Mekah to Madinah,

(And) I am thankful to Allah SWT for being able to celebrate the coming of new year 1436 in an atmosphere of comfort and harmony,” His Majesty added.

Wishing Bruneians a “Happy New Hijrah Year 1436”, the monarch hoped that Allah SWT will place the nation and its people under His divine help and protection; that Brunei will also be blessed with peace, tranquility; and the people will continue to live together in harmony and solidarity. — Waqiuddin Rajak

The Brunei Times

***