Masjid al-Istighfar

Masjid al-Istighfar
Originally uploaded by LilMudPie

Last Sunday the Mudpie family went for subuh (dawn) prayer at Masjid al-Istighfar, located at Pasir Ris.

The kuliah subuh was by an eloquent speaker, obviously traditional and Indonesian trained. He spoke about the status of 'ulama - how they are the heirs to the prophets. He mentioned that they are in maqam the same as the prophets of Bani Israil to us, that is, they are our guides and leaders second only to Syiddina Rasulullah.

He spoke about the challenges of life today. He said that although our religious leaders have taken the decision to permit Muslim girls to attend government schools without wearing hijab, it is a decision made at leadership level, and we, as followers, cannot read any more into it by saying it is all right to dispense with hijab altogether.

He made the point that this does not mean it is all right to dispense with hijab outside of school. This had been emphasised by our mufti. So, he said, whether or not one agrees with the decision made by our religious leadership, we have to accept, for they are our 'ulama, and they will bear the responsibility before Allah for it. However, our 'ulama are not responsible for what happens outside school if a Muslim schoolgirl does not wear hijab. Her parents are, and they cannot say that because the hijab had been dispensed with in school, it is dispensed with elsewhere as well. He cautioned parents to be wary of this sort of thinking, as the pressure on young people today to lead a certain lifestyle today is overwhelming. He says that the young people today, and not just for Muslims, are encouraged to lead lives of immodesty, sex, drinking and materialism, so we must not take things lightly.

He advised parents to be kind and close to their children. If we are not close to them, they will become close to their friends, and often we do not know what these friends are like. He pointed out there were no young people in the mosque there, only old people come to the mosque for subuh.

I am thinking of videotaping and uploading to this blog these sermons that I go to.

Hmmmm.