BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

MUSLIMS have been reminded to uphold and practise mahmudah (commendable) values.

These values include doing good deeds, patience, righteous, sincere, keeping promises, caring, compromise, cooperative, compassionate and loving.

In the Friday sermon, imams said such traits were required in order to become ideal Muslims and eventually create a harmonious society that is peaceful and stable.

Allah (SWT) has commanded Muslims to cooperate in righteousness and piety, but not in sin and aggression.

Imams also highlighted that Muslims are encouraged to be generous and avoid greed as well as being selfish.

Allah (SWT) warned of greed in Surah Al-Imran and that such people will be encircled by what they withheld (wealth) on the Day of Resurrection.

The generosity of Bruneians in the form of monetary and in-kind donations donated to victims of the recent flood and landslides were mentioned in the sermon.

Helping those who are in need is also one of the attributes of the core mahmudah values, imams said.

The nation is also fortunate to be blessed with a caring monarch where His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam himself was willing to visit the areas affected by the flood and mingle with the affected families.

Islam promotes the practice of helping each other with sincererity, regardless of race, religion and rank.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has been hailed as a man with exemplary character. It was reported in a that when the Prophet was approached by a man who asked for one of the his goats, the Prophet willingly gave it to him as requested.

Later the man embraced Islam as he was touched by the kindness that the Prophet had shown him.

This is just one of the traits of the Prophet that should be followed, and favoured by Allah SWT.

At the end of the sermon, imams encouraged the public to continue contributing donations, be it monetary or in-kind to the flood and landslides victims through the designated channels by the government.

The Brunei Times