HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday extolled the significance and glory Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has brought to the human race in the Prophet’s cause to advocate belief in Islam.

In a titah delivered at Istana Nurul Iman yesterday on the occasion of the Maulidur Rasul or birth of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) celebration today, His Majesty also drew attention to examples of the Sultanate’s finest ways of attaining blessings from Allah the Almighty, including the implementation of the Syariah Penal Code which will come into force in April this year.

“We have banned alcohol because according to Islamic law, it is the ‘mother of all evil’. We have established an Islamic bank to avoid interests. We have distributed alms to the rightful recipients. We have banned cigarettes and smoking because it poses risks to the health and lives of people. We have made religious education compulsory to fulfil the ‘Fardu ‘Ain’. We have also established a Tahfiz Al-Quran Institute to fulfil our obligation in ‘Fardu Kifayah’ and we have ordered the temporary shutdown of business premises (at noon) every Friday as a step to preserve the image of Islam and its followers.”

Through the most recent step, which is the implementation of the Syariah Penal Code, His Majesty said we have the willpower to put trust and uphold its enforcement in the country as a step to liberate ourselves from being queried by Allah the Almighty in the hereafter.

His Majesty hoped that all these steps taken will be recognised as a form of good deed to Allah the Almighty and will be accepted and rewarded with his blessings.

The monarch said celebrating the birth of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) provides an avenue to strengthen our faith because the Prophet was sent as a messenger to urge mankind to have devotion and said that without the Prophet, there will be no such faith.

His Majesty said the glory of the Prophet will never fade and its splendour will be universally eternal, particularly in the souls and hearts of the followers of the Prophet.

During this occasion, His Majesty said people will never forget the ordeal the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) faced during his struggles. “The Prophet (pbuh) fought against enemies of our faith on his own. He was strongly resisted and humiliated and was even harmed. Only after a long time fighting the battle single-handedly did he gain followers to advocate Islam.”

His Majesty added that as a blessing to the universe, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has brought about significant changes for all to garner … from obscurity to clarity … from slavery to freedom … from blasphemy to Islam .. from the ‘assassination’ of young girls to saving them … and from conflicts and murders to a life of peace,” the monarch said.

His Majesty said the blessing brought upon to us by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is comprehensive as indicated by Allah the Almighty in Surah Al-Anbiya, Verse 107 which translates as “And We have not sent you, (O Muhammad), except as a blessing to the world.”

His Majesty went on to praise Allah the Almighty and said because of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), we came to know of Allah the Almighty’s existence, allowing us to worship. “Because of the Prophet too, we all become good individuals who favour worship, help each other and are literate in Al-Quran reading. All this derives from the blessings brought upon by the Prophet. May Allah the Almighty preserve this indefinitely,” His Majesty said. - Borneo Bulletin (14 January 2014)