A Wonderful Poem.. =)

Ya Allah, forgive me when I whine


Today, upon a bus,
I saw a girl with golden hair.
and wished I was as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave,
I saw her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and wore a crutch.
But as she passed, she smiled.
Ya Allah, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 legs, the world is mine.


I stopped to buy some candy.
The lad who sold it had such charm.
I talked with him, he seemed so glad.
If I were late, it'd do no harm.
And as I left, he said to me,
"I thank you, you've been so kind.
You see," he said, "I'm blind."
Ya Allah, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 eyes, the world is mine.


Later, while walking down the street,
I saw a child with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play.
He did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment and then I said,
"Why don't you join the others, dear?"
He looked ahead without a word;
and then I knew, he couldn't hear.
Ya Allah, forgive me when I whine.
I have 2 ears, the world is mine.


With feet to take me where I'd go.
With eyes to see the sunset's glow.
With ears to hear what I'd know.
Ya Allah, forgive me when I whine.
I have been blessed indeed, the world is mine 

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Muhasabah Diri

Assalamualaikum w.b.t

"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Bersabarlah kamu menghadapi segala kesukaran dalam mengerjakan perkara-perkara yang berkebajikan, dan kuatkanlah kesabaran kamu lebih daripada kesabaran musuh, di medan perjuangan, dan bersedialah dengan kekuatan pertahanan di daerah-daerah sempadan serta bertaqwalah kamu kepada Allah supaya, kamu berjaya mencapai kemenangan."

-Surah Al-Imran ayat 200-

“Ukhuwwah Fillah” iaitu  “Ikatan iman yg ditegakkan atas dasar manhaj Allah’….. Dan jugak, Ukhuwwah Wal Hubb Fillah iaitu dengan maknanya Persaudaraan kerana Allah. 

Sepertimana Rasulullah pernah bersabda: 

“Sekuat-kuat ikatan iman adalah persaudaraan kerana Allah,cinta kerana Allah dan membenci kerana Allah”<br>[HR Tirmizi] 

Maka dengan itu,terdapat banyak ayat samada dari Al Quran dan As Sunnah dapat kita saksikan persaudaraan seperti diatas. Skop mana yang kita katakan “Ukhuwwah Fillah” iaitu Ikatan Iman (kepercayaan) yang ditegakkan berdasarkan jalan Allah redhai…Mencintainya kerana Allah dan membencinya kerana Allah….dari cerminan iman seseorang itu akan melahirkan perbuatan-perbuatan yang saling berpesan-pesan (berdakwah) sesama manusia. Dimana terdapat ayat Al Quran yang menyatakannya ; 

“Demi Masa!, Sesungguhnya manusia itu benar-benar dalam kerugian, kecuali orang yang beriman dan mengerjakan amal soleh, dan berpesan-pesan (berdakwah) supaya menaati kebenaran dan berpesan-pesan (berdakwah) supaya menetapi kesabaran” [QS Al Ashr, ayat 1-3]

"Innamal mu'minuna ikhwah, fa aslihu baina akhwaikum"….

“Sesungguhnya mukmin itu bersaudara, maka damaikanlah orang-orang yang berselisih diantaramu.”

 Dari segi agama, antara hal yang dapat diperoleh seseorang apabila ia senantiasa menjaga ukhuwah Islamiyah adalah:

1. Saling mencintai di jalan Allah Taala. Orang yang saling mencintai di jalan Allah akan dapat merasakan manisnya iman, memperoleh naungan di hari kiamat (hadith 7 golongan, di antara orang-orang yang saling mencintai karena Allah , mereka menjadi sebaik-baiknya insan disisi Allah dan akhirnya akan memperoleh mimbar dari cahaya di hari kiamat) 

2. Tolong-menolong dalam ketaatan. Mereka yang berukhuwah akan sentiasa bersedia dalam memberikan pertolongan dalam mengerjakan kebaikan dan ketaatan kepada Allah dan Rasul-Nya. Di zaman Rasulullah hal itu jelas terlihat seperti menolong sesama muslimah meminjamkan pakaian yang cantik agar saudarinya juga dapat hadir di solat AidilFitri, jadi, bukannya memberi pertolongan semata-mata untuk mendapat keuntungan duniawi mahupun nama dan gelaran.

3. Mensucikan, mengagungkan Al haqq atau kebenaran. Dalam QS 103:3 disebutkan bahwa hendaknya kita saling tolong-menolong mengingatkan untuk menepati kebenaran dan untuk bersabar. Orang yang berukhuwah akan bersama-sama dalam menegakkan kebenaran. Persahabatan mereka tulus kerana mencintai kebenaran. 

4. Persamaan dan kesejajaran, Firman Allah QS 49:13 “Inna akramakum ‘indallahu atqaakum” benar-benar diwujudkan oleh mereka yang berukhuwah. Mereka benar-benar sedar dan merasa bahawa manusia adalah sama, sejajar, setara di hadapan Allah. Bezanya di hadapan Allah adalah ketaqwaan seseorang itu. 

5. Saling menghormati. Sesama muslim yang berukhuwah akan saling menghormati satu sama lain. Mereka juga saling berlumba-lumba memberi salam dahulu. Dalam hadith dikatakan Rasulullah saw., “Bukan termasuk golongan kami orang yang tidak menghormati orang-orang yang lebih tua dan menyayangi orang-orang yang lebih muda”. 

6. Itsar: Mementingkan saudara seaqidahnya lebih dari dirinya sendiri. Boleh dikatakan bahawa itsar adalah puncak ukhuwah Islamiyah. Apabila bentuk asas ukhuwah adalah “Salamatus Shodr”, kelapangan dada terhadap saudara seiman maka Itsar adalah bentuk tertinggi ukhuwah itu sendiri. 

Secara kesimpulannya, manfaat tertinggi dan hakiki adalah manfaat ukhrawi, ianya balasan utama yang akan di peroleh di akhirat kelak. Ribathul Ukhuwah (ikatan ukhuwah) dan Ribathul Jamaah (ikatan jamaah) yang terjalin kuat di dunia insya Allah akan berlanjut di akhirat nanti.

Authored by: leverdureviolet@yahoo.co.uk

~Selamat Berukhuwwah~

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Rules of Greeting Non Muslims In Islam (Part 1)

Assalamualaikum w.b.t

May all of us be in the best of health.

As all Muslim should know, the Islamic greeting is ‘Assalamualaikum warahmatullah hiwabarakatuh’(Peace and mercy and blessing of Allah be upon you). Then the Muslim will reply back with ‘Waalaikummussalam warahmatullah’(And peace and mercy upon you too). However, how does a Muslim replies back to Non-Muslim who greeted them? How Muslim greets other Non-Muslim? There are lots question inside our heart regarding this matter eventhough it is so simple… 

Therefore we can use Al-Quran and Al-Hadith to find the answer.

 Here is a Qur'anic verse that talks about greeting...

Surah 4:86

When ye are greeted with a greeting, greet ye with a greeting better than it or return it. Lo! Allah taketh count of all things.

Ibn did comment on the quran verse and here is the Tafsir:

Ibn Abbas said: Whoever greeted you from the creation of Allah then return it back even if he was a Magian, for Allah said: When ye are greeted with a greeting, greet ye with a greeting better than it or return it. Muhammad bin Bashar, said that Salim bin Nooh said that Saeed bin Abi Arooba said that Qatada said: That part of Allah's statement "When ye are greeted with a greeting, greet ye with a greeting better than it" is for the Muslims and that part of Allah's statement "or return it" is for the People of the Book. Bashr Ibn Muath said that Yazid said that Sa'eed said that Qatada said: That part of Allah's statement "When ye are greeted with a greeting, greet ye with a greeting better than it" is for the Muslims and that part of Allah's statement "or return it" is for the People of the Book. Bashr Ibn Muath said that Yazid said that Sa'eed said that Qatada said: That part of Allah's statement "When ye are greeted with a greeting, greet ye with a greeting better than it" you should greet better than you were greeted and this is only for the Muslims and that part of Allah's statement "or return it" is for the People of the Book. Yunus told me that Ibn Wahab told him that Ibn Zayd said: That part of Allah's statement "When ye are greeted with a greeting, greet ye with a greeting better than it" my father said: It is a duty on every Muslim who is greeted (by a Muslim) to greet him back with a better greeting, and if he is greeted by other than a Muslim then he should greet back just like what was said to him. (Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, Commentary on Surah 4:86,

So, in easier words, It is understandable that Muslim are to reply back with better greeting if greeted by Muslim and reply equally if greeted by the Non-Muslim.

Here are some Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) states how to reply back to the greetings of Christians and Jews...

Saheeh Bukhari

Volume 8, Book 74, Number 275: 

Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "If the people of the Scripture greet you, then you should say (in reply), 'Wa'alaikum (And on you).' "

Saheeh Muslim

Book 026, Number 5380:

Anas b. Malik reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: When the People of the Book offer you salutations, you should say: The same to you.

Book 026, Number 5381:

Anas reported that the Companions of Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said to him: The People of the Book offer us salutations (by saying as-Salamu- 'Alaikum). How should we reciprocate them? Thereupon he said: Say: Wa 'Alaikum (and upon you too).

So here from the Hadith we see how we should reply back to the People of the Book. We only say "and upon you too". So if they bestow peace upon us then we are basically doing the same when we say "and upon you too". But why did this command come about in the first place?

The reason could be made clear by reading the following Hadith...

Saheeh Bukhari

Volume 8, Book 74, Number 274:

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar: Allah's Apostle said, "When the Jews greet you, they usually say, 'As-Samu 'alaikum (Death be on you),' so you should say (in reply to them), 'Wa'alaikum (And on you)."

Volume 8, Book 75, Number 404: 

Narrated 'Aisha: The Jews used to greet the Prophet by saying, "As-Samu 'Alaika (i.e., death be upon you), so I understood what they said, and I said to them, "As-Samu 'alaikum wal-la'na (i.e. Death and Allah's Curse be upon you)." The Prophet said, "Be gentle and calm, O 'Aisha, as Allah likes gentleness in all affairs." I said, "O Allah's Prophet! Didn't you hear what they said?" He said, "Didn't you hear me answering them back by saying, 'Alaikum (i.e., the same be upon you)?"

Volume 9, Book 84, Number 62: 

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Apostle said, "When the Jews greet anyone of you they say: 'Sam'Alaika (death be upon you); so you should say; 'Wa 'Alaika (and upon you).'"

Volume 9, Book 84, Number 60:

Narrated Anas bin Malik: A Jew passed by Allah's Apostle and said, "As-Samu 'Alaika." Allah's Apostle said in reply, "We 'Alaika." Allah's Apostle then said to his companions, "Do you know what he (the Jew) has said? He said, 'As-Samu 'Alaika.'" They said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we kill him?" The Prophet, said, "No. When the people of the Book greet you, say: 'Wa 'Alaikum.'"

Saheeh Muslim

Book 026, Number 5382:

Ibn 'Umar reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: When the Jews offer you salutations, tome of them say as-Sam-u-'Alaikum (death be upon you). You should say (in response to it): Let it be upon you.

Book 026, Number 5384:

'A'isha reported that a group of Jews came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and sought his audience and said: As-Sam-u-'Alaikum. A'isha said in response: As-Sim-u-'Alaikum (death be upon you) and curse also, whereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: 'A'isha, verily Allah loes kindness in every matter. She said: Did you bear what they said? Thereupon he said: Did you not hear that I said (to them): Wa 'Alaikum.

Book 026, Number 5386:

'A'isha reported that some Jews came to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) and they said: Abu'l-Qasim (the Kunya of the Holy Prophet), as-Sam-u-'Alaikum, whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Wa 'Alaikum. A'isha reported: In response to these words of theirs, I said: But let there be death upon you and disgrace also, whereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: 'A'isha, do not use harsh words. She said: Did you hear what they said? Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Did I not respond to them when they said that; I said to them: Wa'Alaikum (let it be upon you).

Book 026, Number 5388:

Jabir b. Abdullah reported that some people from amongst the Jews said to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) Abu'l-Qasim. as-Sam-u-'Alaikum, whereupon he said: Wa 'Alaikum, A'isha was enraged and asked him (Allah's Apostle) whether he had not heard what they had said. He said, I did hear and I retorted to them (and the curse that I invoked upon them would receive response from Allah), but (the curse that they invoked upon us) would not be responded.

Sunan Abu Dawud

Book 41, Number 5187: 

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: When one of the Jews greets you saying: Death may come upon you, reply: The same to you.

Therefore in conclusion, There is nothing wrong if Non-Muslim greet us with Salam as it is allowed, however replying with ‘waalaikum’ is more than enough.

Prepared by: lokman_mhd@yahoo.com

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What Is Islam (Illustrated) (^_^)V

Thank you for your visit. I am sorry to direct you to here as Facebook has blocked the URL from the image host website I am using. Click here for the cartoon =)

Wassalam (^_^)V

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Welcoming Party 2010

Assalamualaikum w.b.t

As a means to welcome and show our kindness and hospitality towards the new brothers and sisters, we are now back with the annually organized welcoming party! Just this time around, the whole thing will be different! We welcome you, not only the juniors, but also seniors to come forward and say your opinions, even if you are not in the high-committee.

There will be small group discussions during the program that will not only allow better ice-breaking session, but also provide one of the many opportunities for seniors to share and juniors to ask, and for both to discuss and suggest activities MSOC can do or must do. We are turning MSOC into a more dynamic and vibrant club, perhaps better than any society ever exists in IMU, to involve more members of itself in the decision making.

Come and voice out your opinions! We welcome not only you, but you brain, of course!

Take care, and wassalam.

Thank you for reading =)

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Letter to AAD

The Head of

Academic Affairs Department (AAD)

International Medical University (IMU)                         14 September 2010

Dear Sir/ Madam,

REQUEST TO HAVE A RELOOK AT STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC TIME TABLE

The above matter is referred.

2. As Hari Raya started on Friday, 10 September 2010 this year, a number of students had to go through some inconvenience regarding their holiday because there were still classes on Thursday, 9 September 2010, the day before Hari Raya Holiday. It was uncalled for on their part and also that of lecturers as some classes were not only compulsory but also important for the students, i.e Clinical Skill Unit (CSU) for batch ME109, to name one.

3. The implications were quite obvious and apart from students’ absence from the lectures, some that may be able to attend may have not coped well with what was taught that day on the eve of a big celebration especially for Muslim students. One of the reasons for the absence, was because some students have to travel far back home such as to Sabah and Sarawak and 24 hours is just not enough even for a one-way trip. Nevertheless, I am writing this letter not only representing the Muslim students but all others and we hope that in the future, the day before such an event would always be designated as a holiday, be it Hari Raya, or even Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Christmas, to name a few.

4. We strongly believe that your department is always aware of this situation and it’s not a surprise if this matter has been brought to your department earlier by some other parties. If that is the case, I hope you would treat this letter just as a formality as we are a society that feels obligated to always bring up matters regarding students’ welfare to relevant authorities. We hope that you would take the matter aforementioned into consideration and let not the same thing happen again in the future.

5. It is much appreciated if you could respond to this letter and we thank you very much before hands for your time and consideration.

Yours Truly,

(MOHD AMIRUL ASYRAF MOHD HANAFFI)

President,

IMU Muslim Society (MSOC)

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Peristiwa Bersejarah Umat Islam Pada Bulan Syawal

Assalamualaikum.

Menjadi satu kebiasaan mungkin, untuk kita sentiasa singkap sejarah lain yang berlaku pada bulan Islam seperti bulan Syawal, selain hanya bersuka ria tanpa makna pada Hari Raya. Maka berikut disediakan sedikit untuk santapan minda kita semua. Selamat membaca! =)

Peristiwa Bersejarah Di Bulan Syawal

1. Dikurniakan hari perayaan, Aidilfitri.

Pada tahun ke 2 Hijrah, ummat Islam mula difardhukan dengan kewajipan puasa dan pada tahun itu juga Rasulullah mengishtiharkan bahawa 1 Syawal adalah hari kebesaran ummat Islam sebagai lambang kejayaan ummat mengharungi cabaran Ramadhan dengan jayanya.

Rasulullah SAW bersabda:

"Sesungguhnya Allah telah menggantikan untuk kamu dua hari yang lebih baik dari keduanya, yaitu hari raya Aidul- fitri dan Aidiladha."

(Diriwayatkan dari Al-Nasa'i dan Ibnu Hibban dengan sanad shahih)

Ummat Islam dikurniakan dengan 2 hari raya iaitu hari raya Aidilfitri yang dirayakan disetiap 1 Syawal dan hari raya Aidiladha yang disambut pada 10 Zulhijjah. Kedua-dua hariraya ini telah disambut penuh meriah oleh ummat Islam sehingga kini malah semakin hari semakin meriah. Namun begitu ummat Islam tidak patut lupa bahawa Rasulullah SAW juga telah mensyaratkan agar umat Islam bertakbir sepanjang menyambut dua hari perayaan tersebut.

Sabda Rasulullah SAW:

"Hiasilah hari raya kamu dengan takbir"

2. Berlaku Perang Uhud

Peperangan yang memberi tamparan dan pengajaran yang amat bernilai bagi ummat Islam. Ummat Islam yang mendapat kemenangan yang besar pada awalnya tetapi bertukar menjadi kacau-bilau ditewaskan oleh tentera Quraiysh dengan sekelip mata. Dinamakan Perang Uhud kerana peperangan ini berlaku di sebuah tempat yang dinamakan Uhud dan dikelilingi dengan bukit (Bukit Uhud) pada tahun ke 3 Hijrah. Pihak kafir Quraiysh begitu bernafsu untuk membalas dendam atas kekalahan mereka di Perang Badar tahun lepas.

Rasulullah SAW telah memerintahkan tentera pemanah Islam supaya tidak meninggalkan posisi masing-masing walau apa pun yang berlaku. Disebabkan terpedaya dengan banyaknya harta rampasan perang, maka mereka membelakangkan arahan Rasulullah SAW dan meninggalkan bukit untuk mengutip harta rampasan. Maka tentera kafir Quraiysh berpatah balik dan mengambil posisi yang mereka tinggalkan dan mula menghujankan panah kepada tentera Islam yang sedang leka mengumpulkan harta rampasan perang. Kacau bilau tentera Islam dan banyak sahabat yang gugur syahid termasuklah Hamzah Asadullah, bapa saudara Rasulullah SAW.

Segera Rasulullah SAW menyusun semula tentera Islam dan berjaya menyekat kemaraan tentera kafir. Tamparan kepada ummat Islam bagaimana kemenangan bertukar kekalahan di saat tak sepatutnya kalah. Pengajaran kepada para sahabat dan ummat Islam seluruhnya bahawa kita perlulah sangat taat kepada Allah dan Rasul tidak cukup hanya dengan percaya sahaja.

3. Perang Khandak

Perang Khandak telah berlaku pada tahun yang kelima Hijrah. Ia juga dinamakan dengan peperangan Ahzab. Khandak membawa erti 'parit'. Nama ini diambil sempena peristiwa ummat Islam bersama-sama Rasulullah SAW telah menggali parit di sekeliling Madhinah untuk menghalang tentera kuffar dari melanggar Madinah.

Dan dinamakan juga dengan peperangan Ahzab yang membawa erti 'bersekutu' kerana beberapa puak Quraiysh telah bergabung termasuklah beberapa puak Yahudi telah membentuk satu pakatan tentera bersekutu untuk melanggar Madinah dan memerangi ummat Islam. Peperangan ini berlaku padatahun kelima Hijrah. Peperangan ini berakhir dengan kemenangan tentera Islam dengan bantuan Allah SWT.

 

4. Perang Hunain

Perang Hunain terjadi pada 3 Syawal tahun kelapan Hijrah, 15 hari setelah peristiwa Pembukaan Kota Makkah. Selepas Perang Uhud, ummat Islam sekali lagi telah mendapat pengajaran yang amat bernilai iaitu kuantiti bukan faktor utama kemenangan.

Semasa perang Hunain, diriwayatkan jumlah ummat Islam yang turut sama ikut keluar berperang tidak kurang dari 10 000 orang dan tentera kuffar hanyalah 2 puak kecil yang masih degil menentang Islam (puak Hawazan dan puak Tsaqif). Dengan jumlah tentera yang ramai, sebahagian ummat Islam sudah mula berasa bongkak dan takabbur sehingga lupa tentang pertolongan Allah SWT.

Allah telah menguji tentera Islam dengan jebakan (helah) tentera musuh dan tentera Islam telah masuk perangkap. Kacau bilau dan ramai yang melarikan diri. Tentera Islam terpaksa berundur dan menyusun strategi dan bertahan sehinggalah Allah SWT mengurniakan kemenangan untuk tentera Islam.

 

5. Lahirnya Imam Bukhari

RH Muhammad ibnu Ismail adalah nama sebenar Imam Bukhari RH. Beliau lahir di Bukhara, Uzbekistan pada 194H dan meninggal dunia pada 256H. Kitab beliau yang terkenal ialah Shahih Bukhari. Sehingga kini beliau masih berhak digelar 'Ulamak Hadis Nombor Satu'.

Seluruh hidup beliau dihabiskan untuk mengkaji, menghafaz dan mencatit hadis-hadis Rasulullah SAW. Hadis-hadis yang diriwayatkan beliau adalah hadis-hadis shahih.

Dipetik dari : http://tarbiyahcj.blogspot.com

Gambar : deviantart.com

P/S: Anda boleh menghubungi  saudari penulis di 'big_bluetulip@yahoo.com' (^_^)V

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Hakikat Ibadah

 Assalamualaikum w.b.t

Apabila disebut sahaja tentang ibadah, pasti ramai yang mengeluh. Solat 5 waktu tu pun sudah dirasakan berat, apatah lagi mahu melakukan ibadah yang lain. Tambahan pula di Bulan Barakah, Ramadhan ini, di mana kita diwajibkan berpuasa bagi yang mampu. Seluruh tubuh dirasakan amat lemah walhal bulan Ramadhan ini lah Nabi Muhammad s.a.w dan para sahabat lincah menghayun pedang ke medan perang. Allahuakbar! Bagaimana mahu menarik orang memeluk Islam andai ibadah yang dilakukan amat berat sehingga mata-mata luar yang memandang pun merasakan Islam adalah agama yang berat.

Sebelum mengupas tajuk lebih lanjut, mari kita lihat dua situasi.

Situasi A : Seorang lelaki yg solat 5 waktu, tetapi masih mencuri dan menipu ramai orang.

Situasi B : Seorang lelaki yang solat 5 waktu, tetapi amat takut untuk melakukan kesalahan walaupun tiada sesiapa yang melihat.

Pelik kan?

Firman Allah s.w.t : “Sesungguhnya solat itu mencegah dari (perbuatan) keji dan mungkar”          [surah al-‘Ankabut : 45]

Pelik tetapi benar. Ini lah perkara yang acap kali berlaku pada zaman sekarang. Ramai umat Islam yang masih melakukan perkara-perkara terlarang sedangkan solat itu pendinding daripada melakukan kesalahan. Apa puncanya? Nah, kerana mereka kurang arif atau lebih tepat lagi, masih jahil mengenai hakikat ibadah.

Hakikat ibadah adalah motivasi yang perlu ada dalam diri jika mahu melakukan ibadah. Kalau nak berjaya dalam pelajaran kita perlu motivasi, begitu juga jika mahu berjaya dalam ibadah. Maka, apakah motivasi ibadah itu?

1)      Merasakan banyaknya nikmat Allah dan merasakan keagungan Allah

Kunci kepada ibadah adalah perasaan. Ramai yang sudah hilang perasaan atau perasan mereka lebih agung daripada Pencipta yg Esa sehingga kufur nikmat Ilahi. Allahuakbar! Hidup penuh dengan perasaan takabbur, memandang tinggi diri sendiri dan memandang hina orang lain. Lupakah dia pada Pencipta yang Esa? Setiap mata yang berkelip, setiap nafas yang dihembus, setiap organ yang berfungsi semuanya adalah nikmat Allah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim. Apabila seseorang bersikap angkuh, dia sebenarnya sedang menghina dirinya sendiri di mata Allah dan di mata manusia. Imam Baihaqi meriwayatkan dalam kitab Syu’ab al-Iman daripada Umar al-Khattab katanya : “Sesiapa yang bertawadhuk kerana Allah, maka Allah akan mengangkat darjatnya. Ia sangat hina dimata sendiri namun sangat mulia di mata orang lain. Dan sesiapa yang menyombongkan dirinya, maka Allah akan merendahkannya sehingga sangat besar di mata sendiri tetapi sangat hina di atas orang lain.”

Alangkah indahnya andai ibadah itu dihiasi perasaan bersyukur atas tiap pemberian Tuhan. Perasaan sedar diri bahawa kita tidak punya apa-apa, hanya menagih kasih, mengharapkan pemberian Allah untuk terus menjalani kehidupan di dunia yang sementara ini.

2)      Tujuan ibadah

Maka, apabila perasaan merasakan nikmat dan keagungan Allah sudah lahir dalam hati, kita perlu tahu untuk apa kita beribadah? Ibadah ini sebenarnya adalah cara terbaik untuk kita menunjukkan rasa merendah diri, rasa kecintaan dan ketundukan kita kepada Pencipta Agung  Allah s.w.t. Perasaan indah itu akan membuatkan ibadah kita lebih indah. Tunduk dan sujudnya kita pada Pencipta dengan perasaan kesyukuran yang tidak terhingga. Tunduk dan sujudnya kita pada Allah dengan merasakan yang kita tidak punya apa-apa, cuma sebagai hamba yang hanya mengharap dan menagih simpati Tuhannya untuk hidup. Subhanallah! Ibadah yang seperti itulah yang Allah janjikan mampu mencegah kita daripada melakukan perbuatan keji dan mungkar.

3)      Hasilnya?

Ibadah yang dilakukan akan membentuk peribadi-peribadi yang punya perasaan takut. Kerana sedarnya akan nikmat Allah, kerana tahu bahawa ibadah adalah cara terbaik untuk mengucapkan kecintaan, ketundukan kita pada Allah, maka hasilnya ibadah ini akan kita lakukan dengan sangat khusyuk dan berhati-hati kerana takut Allah tidak menerima ibadah yang tidak sempurna. Kita juga akan menjadi peribadi yang sentiasa mengharap dalam ibadahnya, mengharap bahawa ibadah itu adalah ibadah yang cantik, ibadah yang berkualiti untuk dipersembahkan kepada Allah. Allahuakhbar!

Kesimpulannya, marilah kita berusaha menghidupkan ibadah-ibadah yang dilakukan dengan menyemai perasaan tawadhuk, menyedari hakikat ibadah dan beribadah dengan penuh ketakutan dan pengharapan. Solatlah seperti solat Saidina Abu Bakar, kerana hanya dengan melihat Abu Bakar bersolat sahaja, beberapa orang memeluk Islam.

InsyaAllah, semoga setiap ibadah yang kita lakukan mampu menahan kita daripada melakukan dosa dan semoga kita mampu mencerminkan keindahan Islam melalui ibadah dan sekaligus menarik mata-mata luar yang memandang Islam.

Selamat menjalani ibadah kerana Allah!

The author can be contacted at zuerkone123@yahoo.com

 Wassalam

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JUSTICE IN ISLAM (Through my glasses- maybe that of yours too)

Assalamualaikum w.b.t

“Man has no authority over what he spoke, but the words he uttered have absolute authority over him instead- Don’t be a blind follower.”

-Ibnu Hanaffi-

Islam is undoubtedly a religion of faith and a way of life. But many people may forget the latter, that in many things they do, they mostly think of rituals i.e prayers and du’as when they think of Islam- which is not only wrong but also misleading.

Islam is far from only rituals, and one part I believe, is very important about Islam through its teaching, is the concept of justice. Justice, as simple as it appears, however has a significant meaning which in the simplest description I could make is all about putting the right thing at the right place.

In the Holy book of Quran, Surah Ar-Rahman, Chapter 55, Verses 7-9, Allah explains:

“And the Firmament (the sky) has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance (of Justice). In order that you may not transgress (due) balance. So establish weight with justice and fall short not in the balance.”

Have we ever likened justice to equality? As in the saying ‘Justice and Equality for all?’ Justice is yes, to a certain extent about being equal, but not necessarily always. Let us take one simple analogy. If a man has two wives, one loves yellow and the other loves pink. Taking equality as justice, is he doing just if he bought new clothes which are both pink for both of his wives? No, certainly not. So, justice is not always about equality. Or, say one wive is fat and the other is small and skinny. Is it fair (to practice equality) by giving clothes of small sizes to both of them? No, it’s not fair to the ‘fleshy’ wive then. Hence, justice is more perfectly defined as putting the right thing at the right place.

There are many other examples I can come up with, but let’s take only a few, which are relevant to what I have in mind. Before that, I think that the principle behind being just is very simple, that you have to do things not because it’s easy and popular, but because it’s the right thing to do. If it’s easy, popular and the right thing to do -all combined, then you’ve got a combo bonus (which hardly exists in real life).

In Surah An-Nisa’, Chapter 4, Verse 58, justice is mentioned as an excellent teaching:

“Allah does command  you to render back your trusts to those whom they are due; and when you judge between man and man, that you judge with justice; verily how excellent is the teaching which He gives you! For Allah is He Who hears and sees all things.”

Also in Surah An-Nahl, Chapter 16, Verse 90, the Quran reads (translated):

“Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that you may receive admonition.”

Talking about doing the right things, I strongly want to emphasize that following things blindly is a very embarrassing act. Our actions shall be guided by rules, but not always, because rules don’t create us, but we create them instead. This means, that they are bound to imperfection and in some cases, absurdity plus invalidity. So, being just is about doing the right thing, despite its difficulties and upon objections by many- not merely by doing things because other people do them too.

The Issue

Islam and Malay, in Malaysia are usually accepted as inseparable. But there are things that are not of typical Islam, but Malay instead. There are things in Malay culture and attitude that we have to get rid of, but Islam, as it originates from the revelation from Allah, the Almighty God, has some kind of divine characteristics that makes it perfect in any way, but upon interpretation by mankind, may contain defects.

For example, the hypertolerance, as I put it, is the typical behavior of Malay (and not Islam, so must be gotten rid of) and has been in the blood of us (the Malays) and our ancestors. The problem is evident and portrayed by even the Sultans (Kings) in the past that we were too nice and kind to the point that we were fooled by the colonists by agreeing to absurd, deceptive pacts and agreements these colonists created. They were no such thing as win-win situations, but we were indeed manipulated and wrongly exploited for our kindness. We were made expendable and taken for granted. Listen to papa, George Santayana, that those who do not remember (learn from) the past are condemned to repeat it.

Nowadays, when we are seen to be unfair to non-Malay or non-Muslim, we were called biased, or racist, but when we are tolerant to them and at the same time compromising the interest of Malay people and Muslims, we are considered equal and just. No, I am not writing this because I am a Malay Muslim, instead this is the right thing to do, and this is the thing that is happening around us- whether we realize it or not- hence why I point it out.

The message I want to bring up here is not about protecting Malays or Islam, but to protect everyone, and by saying everyone, I also refer to the Malays and Muslims, as it is not fair to show tolerance to the others while we sacrifice our own nation and religion, just for the sake of being nice and tolerant. Remember, put the right thing at the right place, and that means don’t be too nice and get fooled.

As a final note, the following is an interesting quote passed around via Facebook status quite some time ago, which I believe is important for us to ponder.

“When you attack Black people, they call it racism. When you attack Jewish people, they call it anti-Semitism. When you attack women, they call it sexism. When you attack homosexuality, they call it intolerance. When you attack a country, they call it treason. When you attack a religious sect, they call it hate. But when they attack Prophet Muhammad, they call it freedom of speech?”

Thank you and take care all.

Wassalam.

P/S: You can download a poster of Lailatul Qadar from MSOC. The link is provided on the Download section (page). Check it out! ;-)

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Eid Mubarak 2010/ 1431 Hijriah

Salam.

We in the committee would like to wish all of you a happy and blessed Eidul Mubarak, may it mark the real glorious and victorious day of us 'graduating' for the Ramadhan first class degree insya Allah.

Take care all, new articles coming soon =)

Stay tuned!

You can also see this poster and comment on our MSOC Facebook here.

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