• Today: September 27, 2026

State Mufti highlights special position of mosque workers

All mosque workers, from imam, bilal, marbut, up to the mosque sweeper, have a special position in the sight of Allah the Almighty, said State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned.

He said this in a Special Friday Sermon in conjunction with the Diamond Jubilee of the establishment of Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque in Pekan Tutong yesterday.

During the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), there was a black-skinned known as Ummu Mihjan, who made herself a permanent voluntary worker to clean and sweep the mosque without taking any payment or salary and would be seen every day at the mosque doing her cleaning chores at the mosque, he added.

The State Mufti shared that one day, her absence at the mosque caught the attention of the Prophet (pbuh) and asked his companions on the whereabouts of the woman to which the companions told him that she has already passed away. On hearing this, the Prophet (pbuh), regretfully asked why he was not informed of her passing so he could perform the prayer for her.

The companions answered that the weather was extremely hot on the day of her passing, therefore they did not inform him as they were afraid he will be disturbed by the weather.

Hearing this, the Prophet (pbuh) asked to be taken to the woman’s grave and he performed the funeral prayer at her grave. The Prophet’s (pbuh) prayer over the deceased is syafaat or assistance for the deceased, said the State Mufti.

“Such is the picture of the value of mosque workers. The mosque is the house of Allah the Almighty, not the house of so-and-so, no! But the house of Allah the Almighty. The house of Allah the Almighty must not be insulted, must not be damaged, let alone burned, no! Do not burn the mosque, burning the mosque is burning the house of Allah the Almighty,” stressed the State Mufti.

Last August, there was an incident of people burning a mosque at a country. The house of Allah the Almighty was burned until destroyed and those who burned it cheered seeing the fire destroying the mosque.

“Let everyone know that Allah the Almighty, the owner of the mosque, His house, does not sleep. Allah the Almighty never sleeps. Allah the Almighty has never slept. Therefore, after a short period had passed, Allah the Almighty acted, repaying the evil deeds of those who burned His house, by ordering water and landslides to sweep away the residences of those who burned the mosque.”

Then came reporters covering the news that the victims of the floods and landslides totalled to 1,252 deaths and another 4,200 were still missing. This is only an initial estimate. Thus, he stressed, Allah the Almighty has taught the lesson to those who burn His house, which is the mosque. He also stressed that such a matter also occurred more than a thousand years ago, where a ruler named Abrahah who led a large army including war elephants, marching to Makkah to demolish the Kaabah, which is also the house of Allah the Almighty.

Imagine the power of an elephant – even one elephant would have been enough to cause tremendous destruction to the Kaabah. Yet this was not merely one elephant; it was an entire army of elephants, marching with the intention of destroying the house of Allah the Almighty.

“Please let us all observe that when the elephant army entered Makkah, Allah the Almighty, who owns the Kaabah, did not sleep. Allah the Almighty never sleeps. Then, with His power, He sent an army from the heavens in the form of Ababil birds to destroy the elephant army”.

This story, he added, is recorded in Surah al-Fil verses 1 to 5, the word of Allah the Almighty, its interpretation: “Have you not seen ‘O Prophet’ how your Lord dealt with the Army of the Elephant? Did he not make their evil plan a loss for them and even destroy themselves? For He sent against them flocks of birds, that pelted them with stones of baked clay, leaving them destroyed and scattered like leaves of trees eaten by worms.”

These two examples of events, said the State Mufti, are sufficient to become a lesson for the world that the mosque must never be disturbed, let alone burned and stressed that burning a mosque has very bad consequences and will be repaid by Allah the Almighty while respecting the mosque will receive blessings from Allah the Almighty.

“Therefore, with sincere hearts we proclaim to the world, we announce to the world: O world, let us together practise friendliness towards the mosque, the house of Allah the Almighty. There is no loss in doing good to the mosque, but on the contrary, beware! The two examples of events that have been mentioned, namely the incident of burning a mosque last August, and the attempt to demolish the Kaabah more than a thousand years ago, both have already been repaid by Allah the Almighty with destruction and devastation.

“Is all this still not enough for us and the world to take lessons from these two events?” said the State Mufti.

State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned during the Special Friday Sermon. PHOTO: RAFI ROSLI

 

SOURCE/AUTHOR : BORNEO BULLETIN/LYNA MOHAMAD

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