Friday Sermon: Moderation in Religion, Benefit in Nationhood

Being moderate in various aspects is the key to balance that leads to benefit. The Friday sermon below serves as a reminder that a moderate attitude is crucial in achieving peace amidst differences. Differences themselves should not be contested, but rather managed as effectively as possible to foster harmony in religious and national life. Religious moderation can bring about benefit in nationhood.

The following Friday sermon text is titled "Friday Sermon: Moderation in Religion, Benefit in Nationhood." To print this Friday sermon script, please click on the red print icon above or below this article (in desktop view). May it be beneficial!

Friday Sermon: Moderation in Religion, Benefit in Nationhood

Sermon I

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِيْ  أَمَرَنَا بِتَرْكِ الْمَنَاهِيْ وَفِعْلِ الطَّاعَاتِ. أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ سَيِّدنا مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ الدَّاعِي بِقَوْلِهِ وَفِعْلِهِ إِلَى الرَّشَادِ. اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى اٰلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ الْهَادِيْنَ لِلصَّوَابِ وَعَلَى التَّابِعِيْنَ لَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْمَآبِ  أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَيَااَيُّهَا الْمُسْلِمُوْنَ، اِتَّقُوْا اللهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِه وَلَاتَمُوْتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْـتُمْ مُسْلِمُوْنَ فَقَدْ قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالىَ فِي كِتَابِهِ الْكَرِيْمِ: يٰٓاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اِنَّا خَلَقْنٰكُمْ مِّنْ ذَكَرٍ وَّاُنْثٰى وَجَعَلْنٰكُمْ شُعُوْبًا وَّقَبَاۤىِٕلَ لِتَعَارَفُوْاۚ اِنَّ اَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ اَتْقٰىكُمْۗ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلِيْمٌ خَبِيْرٌ 

Dear Muslim brothers, may Allah have mercy upon you. Before the sermon begins, let us collectively purify our intentions and attend this Friday gathering solely for the sake of Allah (swt). May our presence here not be merely to fulfill an obligation, let alone to simply find rest by engaging in idle conversation or sleeping during the sermon. We should pay attention to the hadith often conveyed by the muadhdhins, including the one reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, which states:

 إِذَا قُلْتَ لِصَاحِبِكَ يَوْمَ الْجُمْعَةِ: (أَنْصِتْ) وَالْإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ فَقَدْ لَغَوْتَ  

"If you say to your companion, 'Be quiet!' while the imam is delivering the Friday sermon, then indeed you have engaged in vain speech."

May by setting our intentions right, the Friday prayer and its accompanying activities truly become a worship that is worthy of being worship. Not a worship that yields no reward. On this occasion, without getting tired of it, the sermon also includes an advice as one of the pillars of the Friday sermon, which is to remind the congregation to constantly enhance and strengthen their God-consciousness (taqwa) towards Allah. Taqwa is the best provision to navigate the oceans of life. Allah says in the Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 197:

 وَتَزَوَّدُوْا فَاِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوٰىۖ وَاتَّقُوْنِ يٰٓاُولِى الْاَلْبَابِ 

Translation: "Take provision with you, but indeed, the best provision is Taqwa (God-consciousness). So fear Me, O you of understanding!" Dear Muslims, may Allah have mercy upon you all. Allah, the Almighty, says in the Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 143:

 وَكَذٰلِكَ جَعَلْنٰكُمْ اُمَّةً وَّسَطًا لِّتَكُوْنُوْا شُهَدَاۤءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُوْنَ الرَّسُوْلُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيْدًا  

Translation: "And thus, we have made you a justly balanced nation (ummatan wasatan), that you may be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger (Muhammad) may be a witness over you." This verse serves as a reminder to all of us that Allah has guided His people to be a moderate nation, a nation that is balanced, and situated in the middle path in various matters, particularly in matters of religion. We are commanded not to practice extremism in religion, neither on the extreme right nor on the extreme left. In matters of faith, Allah also commands us not to exceed the limits, which is referred to as "ghuluw". Allah, the Almighty, says in Surah An-Nisa, verse 171:

 يٰٓاَهْلَ الْكِتٰبِ لَا تَغْلُوْا فِيْ دِيْنِكُمْ وَلَا تَقُوْلُوْا عَلَى اللّٰهِ اِلَّا الْحَقَّ 

Translation: "O People of the Scripture, do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not say about Allah except the truth."

Dear Muslims, in the context of life in Indonesia, adopting a moderate attitude means being able to position ourselves in a situation of diversity and differences, which is a natural part of life. We are aware that Indonesia is a country blessed with ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity. If we do not adopt a moderate approach, these differences can clash and lead to conflicts and divisions.

Therefore, the founding fathers of our nation wisely formulated an ideology that encompasses and embraces this diversity through Pancasila, the ideology of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. Being moderate, or in simpler terms, being relaxed and accepting, has been exemplified by the local Islamic scholars who have skillfully propagated their teachings within the cultural framework. These scholars have instilled principles that harmonize religious, cultural, and national identities into a single breath.

However, with the revolution of technology, where information is accessible to anyone, anywhere, and anytime, extremist religious ideologies have also emerged like mushrooms in the rainy season. Transnational religious ideologies from abroad, previously unknown in Indonesia, have influenced the moderate religious understanding within the country, utilizing technology to spread their propaganda. They aim to replace Pancasila and the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia with systems that deny differences and diversity, such as the caliphate system and similar ideologies. Yet, Allah created differences not for enmity but for complementarity and mutual understanding. Allah says in Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 13:

 يٰٓاَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اِنَّا خَلَقْنٰكُمْ مِّنْ ذَكَرٍ وَّاُنْثٰى وَجَعَلْنٰكُمْ شُعُوْبًا وَّقَبَاۤىِٕلَ لِتَعَارَفُوْاۚ اِنَّ اَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ اَتْقٰىكُمْۗ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ عَلِيْمٌ خَبِيْرٌ  

Translation: "O mankind! Indeed, We have created you from a male and a female, and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted."

Dear Muslims, practicing religion moderately is the key to the well-being of our nation and state. It requires effort to become individuals who embody moderation. One way is to continually increase our knowledge by learning and understanding the essence of religion while considering the circumstances of society. By understanding the teachings of religion and adopting a flexible approach in societal life, we can better navigate the existing differences in society. With this attitude, no one will feel superior or always right, and it will be less likely to blame others.

In practicing religion, we must replace religious emotions with love for religion. Excessive emotional zeal in religious matters, without being grounded in sufficient knowledge, can lead someone to deviate from the true guidance of their own faith. Additionally, we must be cautious of the temptations of Satan, who constantly tries to disrupt our intentions of worship by introducing elements of hypocrisy, arrogance, and self-righteousness into our hearts.

Therefore, let us strengthen our intention to worship solely for the sake of Allah, without any worldly motives or missions. We should ensure that our worship is not in vain. The Prophet (peace be upon him) emphasized this in his teachings, as recorded in the book "Ta'limul Muta'allim".

 كَمْ مِنْ عَمَلٍ يَتَصَوَّرُ بِصُوْرَةِ أعْمَالِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَصِيْرُ بِحُسْنِ النِّيَّة مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْآخِرَة، كَمْ مِنْ عَمَلٍ يَتَصَوَّرُ بِصُوْرَةِ أعْمَالِ الْاٰخِرَةِ ثُمَّ يَصِيْرُ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الدُّنْيَا بِسُوْءِ النِيَّةِ 

Translation: "Many deeds that appear worldly can be transformed into deeds of the hereafter due to good intentions. Similarly, many deeds that seem to be acts of the hereafter can turn into worldly deeds due to bad intentions."

Dear Muslims, the essence of this message is that we should continue to spread peace in our society through religious moderation. May we continue to promote harmony in our national and religious life through values and a moderate attitude. Being moderate in religion leads to the well-being of our nation. Ameen.

 بَارَكَ اللهُ لِيْ وَلَكُمْ فِيْ هٰذَا الْيَوْمِ الْكَرِيْمِ، وَنَفَعَنِيْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ بِمَا فِيْهِ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَالصَّدَقَةِ وَتِلَاوَةِ الْقُرْاَنِ وَجَمِيْعِ الطَّاعَاتِ، وَتَقَبَّلَ مِنِّيْ وَمِنْكُمْ جَمِيْعَ أَعْمَالِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْحَكِيْمُ الْعَلِيْمُ، أَقُوْلُ قَوْلِيْ هٰذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِيْ وَلَكُمْ، فَاسْتَغْفِرُوْهُ، إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُوْرُ الرَّحِيْمُ 

Sermon II

 اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ حَمْدًا كَمَا أَمَرَ. أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ، إِلٰهٌ لَمْ يَزَلْ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيْلًا. وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ وَحَبِيْبُهُ وَخَلِيْلُهُ، أَكْرَمِ الْأَوَّلِيْنَ وَالْاٰخِرِيْنَ، اَلْمَبْعُوْثِ رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِيْنَ. اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلىَ اٰلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنْ كَانَ لَهُمْ مِنَ التَّابِعِيْنَ، صَلَاةً دَائِمَةً بِدَوَامِ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِيْنَ  أَمَّا بَعْدُ: فَيَا أَيُّهَا الْحَاضِرُوْنَ اتَّقُوا اللهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَذَرُوْا الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ. وَحَافِظُوْا عَلَى الطَّاعَةِ وَحُضُوْرِ الْجُمْعَةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ وَالصَّوْمِ وَجَمِيْعِ الْمَأْمُوْرَاتِ وَالْوَاجِبَاتِ. وَاعْلَمُوْا أَنَّ اللهَ أَمَرَكُمْ بِأَمْرٍ بَدَأَ بِنَفْسِهِ. وَثَنَى بِمَلَائِكَةِ الْمُسَبِّحَةِ بِقُدْسِهِ. اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِلْمُسْلِمِيْنَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ اَلْأَحْيَاءِ مِنْهُمْ وِالْأَمْوَاتِ. اللهم ادْفَعْ عَنَّا الْبَلَاءَ وَالْغَلَاءَ وَالْوَبَاءَ وَالْفَحْشَاءَ وَالْمُنْكَرَ وَالْبَغْيَ وَالسُّيُوْفَ الْمُخْتَلِفَةَ وَالشَّدَائِدَ وَالْمِحَنَ، مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ، مِنْ بَلَدِنَا هَذَا خَاصَةً وَمِنْ بُلْدَانِ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ عَامَةً، اِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ  عِبَادَ اللهِ، اِنَّ اللهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْاِحْسَانِ وَاِيْتَاءِ ذِيْ الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُوْنَ. فَاذْكُرُوْا اللهَ الْعَظِيْمَ يَذْكُرُكُمْ وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ

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