By Salawati Haji Yahya –
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 18 OCT – Every blessing and sustenance should be grateful because by being grateful it can bring us closer to God, but God’s grace and grace are often misunderstood so that some are arrogant, not carrying out God’s commands and orders.
“Remember when people forget God and ignore His commands, prohibitions and warnings, God can only open the door of istidraj to them,” emphasized the preacher while delivering today’s Friday sermon entitled Bahaya Istidraj.
The preacher emphasized that God’s gifts come in many forms, whether in terms of knowledge, property, rank, health and the like.
He also emphasized that istidraj is one of the forms of pleasure that God gives to servants who neglect Him, the blessings given in the form of knowledge, wealth, rank and health are seen as a form of happiness, but it is a test in the form of a trick or a trap.
“Istidraj is only given to people who are too engrossed in the world and neglect God’s commands and as a result of the sins committed, have unknowingly locked their own hearts from receiving God’s guidance,” he explained.
They were left to get the pleasures of the world and until the end of their lives and they remained immersed in sinful acts, God allowed them to drift in clear error so that they would be miserable because they were negligent in worship due to being busy with worldly affairs.
The preacher explained that the istidraj did not come suddenly, God inflicted the istidraj on humans due to the actions and attitudes of humans who disbelieve in the blessings of God, deny the verses of God and become slaves of the world in their hearts and souls.
Among the characteristics of istidraj in Islam, he said, such as the blessings of the world are abundant even though faith continues to decline, sustenance continues to increase despite negligence in worship, living a successful and peaceful life despite continuing to commit immorality and not being struck by disease despite eating food from non-halal sources.
In the Al-Quran, Allah has given a clear warning and example about istidraj to be used as a lesson such as the story of Pharaoh who was drowned with his followers in the Red Sea and the story of Qarun who was buried by God with his house and all his wealth in the bowels of the earth.
Khatib also explained the story of Pharaoh and Qarun who were given the blessings of health, pleasure and abundant wealth, but the blessings of the world made them tyrannical, proud, haughty and arrogant which they were finally destroyed by God.
He also said that among the things that can be done to avoid istidraj is to increase faith in God, do good deeds and pray to avoid istidraj.
Among the prayers often read by the Prophet SAW, the meaning is, ‘O Allah, O our Lord, give us goodness in this world and the hereafter and protect us from the torment of hellfire’.
The preacher also reminded, do not be a servant of God who becomes negligent and oblivious to all the blessings that God has bestowed, this is because the more God bestows upon us, the greater our gratitude to him.
