يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ هَلْ أَدُلُّكمْ عَلَى تِجَـرَةٍ تُنجِيكُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ - تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُجَـهِدُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَلِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ - يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَيُدْخِلْكُمْ جَنَّـتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَـرُ وَمَسَـكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِى جَنَّـتِ عَدْنٍ ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ - وَأُخْرَى تُحِبُّونَهَا نَصْرٌ مِّن اللَّهِ وَفَتْحٌ قَرِيبٌ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
As Shaf 61:(10. O you who believe! Shall I guide you to a trade that will save you from a painful torment) (11. That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you strive hard and fight in the cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives, that will be better for you, if you but know!) (12. (If you do so) He will forgive you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow, and pleasant dwellings in `Adn (Eternal) Paradise; that is indeed the great success.) (13. And also (He will give you) another (blessing) which you love, help from Allah and a near victory. And give glad tidings to the believers.)
Brothers in Islam, I have no option but to talk about what is happening to our brothers and sisters in Palestine, especially in Gaza Strip. But I am not going to waste my time from this pulpit criticizing the atrocity carried out by the state of Israel which has gone way beyond any of our imagination as human beings. It is more sensible for me to address our attitude as a Muslim nation towards the sufferings endure by our brothers and their families in the place what is now known as the most crowded prison on the surface of the earth.
I was tempted to talk about this issue after listening to very diverse responses we receive when we organized events such as rally, fundraising and prayers to support our Palestinian brothers. Most responses were very positive, including from non-Muslims who looked at the atrocity as a humanity crisis. However, some of our fellow Muslim brothers responded to the call in a manner that make you wonder whether they are humans or not let alone whether they are Muslims or not.
To put things in perspective, let us understand that what is happening now is actually parts of Allah’s scenario or sunnatullah. Listen to these following ayats in which Allah tabarakta wa ta’ala says,
وَقَضَيْنَآ إِلَى بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ فِى الْكِتَـبِ لَتُفْسِدُنَّ فِى الاٌّرْضِ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلَتَعْلُنَّ عُلُوّاً كَبِيراً
Al Israa’ 17:(4. And We decreed for the Children of Israel in the Scripture: "Indeed you would do mischief in the land twice and you will become tyrants and extremely arrogant!''
And,
وَلَوْلاَ أَن كَتَبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْجَلاَءَ لَعَذَّبَهُمْ فِى الدُّنْيَا وَلَهُمْ فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ عَذَابُ النَّارِ - ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ شَآقُّواْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَمَن يُشَآقِّ اللَّهَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ
Al Hashr 59: (3. And had it not been that Allah had decreed exile for them, He would certainly have punished them in this world; and in the Hereafter theirs shall be the torment of the Fire.) (4. That is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger. And whosoever opposes Allah, then verily, Allah is Severe in punishment.)
It is crystal clear here that Allah has decided in his scenario for the play of this world that the Jews will be powerful and make destructions on the surface of this planet arrogantly. Allah has also decided to let them to spread injustice and corruptions and spare them from punishment in this world. But why Allah does that?
… ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَآءُ اللَّهُ لاَنْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَـكِن لِّيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ
Muhammad 47:(4. … Thus, and had Allah so willed, He could have taken vengeance against them;--but (He lets you struggle) so as to test with one another.
We believe (and we have to) that if Allah wishes, He azza wa jalla can stop this easily. He could have destroyed the state of Israel with all of their weaponries and killed all of them this very minute as we speak. But Allah is not going to do that because He wants to test us through this fitnah or trial. In another verse, Allah says,
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ حَتَّى نَعْلَمَ الْمُجَـهِدِينَ مِنكُمْ وَالصَّـبِرِينَ وَنَبْلُوَ أَخْبَـرَكُمْ
Muhammad 47: (31. And We will surely, try you until We know those who strive among you and the patient, and We will put to a test all your affairs.)
By letting this fitnah continue, Allah puts us to a test. Our responses, our attitude towards the suffering of our Palestinian brothers and sisters define the level of our belief or eeman. In particular this is a test against Allah’s statement:
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ
The believers are but a brotherhood.
It means, all of us are brothers in Islam. It doesn’t matter if you’re black, white or coloured, Arab or non-Arab, we are all united in a big family called Islam. The Messenger of Allah SAW said,
«الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ لَا يَظْلِمُهُ وَلَا يُسْلِمُه»
(The Muslim is the brother of the Muslim, he is not unjust with him nor does he forsake him.) An-Nasa'i collected this Hadith.
Here Rasoolullah SAW suggests the consequence of brotherhood in Islam; that is, not only you prevent yourselves treating your fellow Muslims unjustly, but also if you see them being treated unjustly, if you see them being bullied and harassed, you don’t sit back and relax and do nothing about it. In another hadiths, the Prophet SAW points out,
«مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَوَاصُلِهِمْ كَمَثَلِ الْجَسَدِ الْوَاحِدِ، إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالْحُمَّى وَالسَّهَر»
(The parable of the believers in relation to the kindness, mercy and compassion they have for each other, is that of the body: when an organ of it falls ill, the rest of the body responds with fever and sleeplessness.) in Sahih.
There many other hadiths with similar message. But back to the responses we received when the call was made, the most typical response was, “Well it’s not going to make any difference anyway. You can go down the street and scream on top of your voice; they are not going to listen. You can collect money and buy food and medicine; they block all access.” Some events used Allah’s words as an excuse for not doing anything. “Well, Allah has decreed this going to happen, even if you pray all night long and dry up your tear, Allah will not change his decision.”
My brothers in Islam, Allah never weighs up our effort according to the outcomes or results.
لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لاَ تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا
Al Baqarah 2: (Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. "Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error.'')
It is very important that we do something to the best we can do and leave the rest to Allah to decide the outcome. لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ, You are rewarded for the effort you put in!! In addition to this, Muslim recorded that Abu Hurayrah RA said that the Messenger of Allah SAW said,
«مَنْ رَأَى مِنْكُمْ مُنْكَرًا فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ بِيَدِهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِلِسَانِهِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِع فَبِقَلْبِهِ، وَذلِكَ أَضْعَفُ الْإِيمَان»
(Whoever among you witnesses an evil, let him change it with his hand. If he is unable, then let him change it with his tongue. If he is unable, then let him change it with his heart, and this is the weakest faith.)
In summary, despite the belief that the atrocity committed by Israel towards our brothers in Palestine is Allah’s decree, we have to help our suffering brothers to the best of our ability. This is not only a test of their patience but it is also a test for all of us. Our responses to the test will define the level of our eeman.
Barakallahu li walakumbil aayati wazzikril hakiim, wa taqabala minni wa minkum tilawatahu, innahu huwassamii’ul ‘aliim.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Sunday, December 7, 2008
First 10 Days of Zulhijjah
وَالْفَجْرِ- وَلَيالٍ عَشْرٍ- وَالشَّفْعِ وَالْوَتْرِ- وَالَّيْلِ إِذَا يَسْرِ- هَلْ فِى ذَلِكَ قَسَمٌ لّذِى حِجْرٍ
Al Fajr 89: 1. By the dawn; 2. And by the ten nights, 3. And by the even and the odd. 4. And by the night when it departs. 5. Is there (not) in them sufficient proofs for men of understanding!
When Allah swears an oath by something, it is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Almighty Allah says: (by the ten nights.) (Al-Fajr 89: 2) Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Az-Zubayr, Mujahid and others of the earlier and later generations are of the opinion that this refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Kathir said: "This is the correct opinion." (TafsirIbn Kathir, 8/413)
The first ten days in the month of Zulhijjah is amongst the proofs of Allah’s Raheem towards Muslims. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?" He said, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight, giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing." (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
We should be grateful to Allah who has institutionalized this special time. We should use this opportunity to correct our faults and to make up for any shortcomings or anything that we might have missed in the past. But what we can do so that this valuable does not pass by in vain? What deeds can be carried out as exemplified by our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during this period? Below are some sunnahs to help us to make most of the first ten days in the month of Zulhijjah
1. Reciting a lot of tahlil, takbir and tahmid
`Abdullah ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are no days greater in the sight of Allah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during this time recite a great deal of tahlil (saying: 'there is no god but Allah'), takbir and tahmid." (Reported by Ahmad)
This hadits encourages us to increase the recitation of ‘Allahu akbar’ (Allah is great), ‘laa ilaha illallah’ (there’s no god but Allah) and ‘alhamdulillah’ (all praises belong to Allah) within the ten days. It also corrects our misconception which tend to recite takbir only on the night of 10th Zulhijjah.
2. Fasting
These ten days include the Day of `Arafah, on which Allah perfected His religion. For those who are not performing Hajj, fasting on this day is highly recommended. Fasting on the day of Arafah will expiate for the sins of two years.
Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) is reported to have said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fasting on the day of `Arafah is an expiation for two years, the year preceding it and the year following it. Fasting the day of `Ashurah is an expiation for the year preceding it." (Reported by "the group," except for Al-Bukhari and At-Tirmidhi)One of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah’s Messenger used to fast the [first] nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, the day of `Ashurah, and three days of each month." (Reported by Abu Dawud).
3. Hajj
These ten days include the days of Hajj. For those who can afford to go in term of financial, health and security, hajj is compulsory, at least once in a life time.
وَللَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَـعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلاً وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ الله غَنِىٌّ عَنِ الْعَـلَمِينَ
Ali Imran 3:97 ... And hajj (pilgrimage to makkah) to the house (kabah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for ones conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves (i.e. denies hajj (pilgrimage to makkah), then he is a disbeliever of allah), then allah stands not in need of any of the alameen (mankind and jinns).
We have to perceive hajj as a duty that we owe to Allah. It is like a debt that we have to pay before we die. But many of us tend to delay fulfilling this obligation despite our prosperous condition. How many people who choose to delay hajj until they are not too busy with the worldly matters but die before they have the chance to do it? We do not know when we will die. Twenty years? One year? Next month? Next week? Tomorrow? Wallahu ‘alam, Allah knows best.
Allah's Messenger (p.b.u.h.) said, "He who is not prevented from performing the pilgrimage by an obvious necessity, a tyrannical ruler, or a disease which confines him at home, and dies without having performed the pilgrimage, may die if he wishes as a Jew, or if he wishes as a Christian." (Tirmidhi: 2535, narrated Abu Umamah) (Darimi transmitted it)
I leave it to you in interpreting the hadits above. But the message is very clear, perform hajj as soon as we can afford it.
4. Udhiyah/Sacrifice
Offering Udhiyah (sacrifice) during `Eid Al-Adha is regarded as wajib or mandatory according to Imam Abu Hanifah and as sunnah mu'akkadah or confirmed Sunnah according to other jurists.Allah says further: (It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His guidance to you: And proclaim the Good News to all who do right} (Al-Hajj 22:37).
The importance of sacrifice for those who can afford it can be illustrated by the Prophet annoyance to those who were reluctant to offer sacrifice. He (peace be upon him) once told those who are affluent but refused offering qurban not to come near his masjid.
5. Abstain from cutting nails and shaving hair
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When you see the new moon of Dhul Hijjah, or according to another version, When the ten days (of Dhul Hijjah) begin and any of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him refrain (from cutting) his hair and nails” (Ahmad and Muslim).
This is a sunnah that is often overlooked. Some ‘ulamas have suggested that if we cut our nail or hair from any parts of our body during the first ten days of Zulhijjah while we intend to offer sacrifice, our sacrifice will not be accepted. Others, however, believe that the sunnah of abstaining cutting nails and hair is not related to the sacrifice.
Aqulu qaoli hazta wastaghfirullahi 'aziim.#
Al Fajr 89: 1. By the dawn; 2. And by the ten nights, 3. And by the even and the odd. 4. And by the night when it departs. 5. Is there (not) in them sufficient proofs for men of understanding!
When Allah swears an oath by something, it is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Almighty Allah says: (by the ten nights.) (Al-Fajr 89: 2) Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Az-Zubayr, Mujahid and others of the earlier and later generations are of the opinion that this refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Kathir said: "This is the correct opinion." (TafsirIbn Kathir, 8/413)
The first ten days in the month of Zulhijjah is amongst the proofs of Allah’s Raheem towards Muslims. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." The people asked, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?" He said, "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight, giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing." (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
We should be grateful to Allah who has institutionalized this special time. We should use this opportunity to correct our faults and to make up for any shortcomings or anything that we might have missed in the past. But what we can do so that this valuable does not pass by in vain? What deeds can be carried out as exemplified by our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during this period? Below are some sunnahs to help us to make most of the first ten days in the month of Zulhijjah
1. Reciting a lot of tahlil, takbir and tahmid
`Abdullah ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are no days greater in the sight of Allah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during this time recite a great deal of tahlil (saying: 'there is no god but Allah'), takbir and tahmid." (Reported by Ahmad)
This hadits encourages us to increase the recitation of ‘Allahu akbar’ (Allah is great), ‘laa ilaha illallah’ (there’s no god but Allah) and ‘alhamdulillah’ (all praises belong to Allah) within the ten days. It also corrects our misconception which tend to recite takbir only on the night of 10th Zulhijjah.
2. Fasting
These ten days include the Day of `Arafah, on which Allah perfected His religion. For those who are not performing Hajj, fasting on this day is highly recommended. Fasting on the day of Arafah will expiate for the sins of two years.
Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) is reported to have said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fasting on the day of `Arafah is an expiation for two years, the year preceding it and the year following it. Fasting the day of `Ashurah is an expiation for the year preceding it." (Reported by "the group," except for Al-Bukhari and At-Tirmidhi)One of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah’s Messenger used to fast the [first] nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, the day of `Ashurah, and three days of each month." (Reported by Abu Dawud).
3. Hajj
These ten days include the days of Hajj. For those who can afford to go in term of financial, health and security, hajj is compulsory, at least once in a life time.
وَللَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَـعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلاً وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ الله غَنِىٌّ عَنِ الْعَـلَمِينَ
Ali Imran 3:97 ... And hajj (pilgrimage to makkah) to the house (kabah) is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, those who can afford the expenses (for ones conveyance, provision and residence); and whoever disbelieves (i.e. denies hajj (pilgrimage to makkah), then he is a disbeliever of allah), then allah stands not in need of any of the alameen (mankind and jinns).
We have to perceive hajj as a duty that we owe to Allah. It is like a debt that we have to pay before we die. But many of us tend to delay fulfilling this obligation despite our prosperous condition. How many people who choose to delay hajj until they are not too busy with the worldly matters but die before they have the chance to do it? We do not know when we will die. Twenty years? One year? Next month? Next week? Tomorrow? Wallahu ‘alam, Allah knows best.
Allah's Messenger (p.b.u.h.) said, "He who is not prevented from performing the pilgrimage by an obvious necessity, a tyrannical ruler, or a disease which confines him at home, and dies without having performed the pilgrimage, may die if he wishes as a Jew, or if he wishes as a Christian." (Tirmidhi: 2535, narrated Abu Umamah) (Darimi transmitted it)
I leave it to you in interpreting the hadits above. But the message is very clear, perform hajj as soon as we can afford it.
4. Udhiyah/Sacrifice
Offering Udhiyah (sacrifice) during `Eid Al-Adha is regarded as wajib or mandatory according to Imam Abu Hanifah and as sunnah mu'akkadah or confirmed Sunnah according to other jurists.Allah says further: (It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His guidance to you: And proclaim the Good News to all who do right} (Al-Hajj 22:37).
The importance of sacrifice for those who can afford it can be illustrated by the Prophet annoyance to those who were reluctant to offer sacrifice. He (peace be upon him) once told those who are affluent but refused offering qurban not to come near his masjid.
5. Abstain from cutting nails and shaving hair
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When you see the new moon of Dhul Hijjah, or according to another version, When the ten days (of Dhul Hijjah) begin and any of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him refrain (from cutting) his hair and nails” (Ahmad and Muslim).
This is a sunnah that is often overlooked. Some ‘ulamas have suggested that if we cut our nail or hair from any parts of our body during the first ten days of Zulhijjah while we intend to offer sacrifice, our sacrifice will not be accepted. Others, however, believe that the sunnah of abstaining cutting nails and hair is not related to the sacrifice.
Aqulu qaoli hazta wastaghfirullahi 'aziim.#
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
AIRMATA RASULULLAH SAW...
Tiba-tiba dari luar pintu terdengar seorang yang berseru mengucapkan salam. "Bolehkah saya masuk?" tanyanya. Tapi Fatimah tidak mengizinkannya masuk, "Maafkanlah, ayahku sedang demam", kata Fatimah yang membalikkan badan dan menutup pintu. Kemudian ia kembali menemani ayahnya yang ternyata sudah membuka mata dan bertanya pada Fatimah, "Siapakah itu wahai anakku?" "Tak tahulah ayahku, orang sepertinya baru sekali ini aku melihatnya," tutur Fatimah lembut. Lalu, Rasulullah menatap puterinya itu dengan pandangan yang menggetarkan. Seolah-olah bahagian demi! bahagian wajah anaknya itu hendak dikenang. "Ketahuilah, dialah yang menghapuskan kenikmatan sementara, dialah yang memisahkan pertemuan di dunia. Dialah malaikatul maut," kata Rasulullah, Fatimah pun menahan ledakkan tangisnya. Malaikat maut datang menghampiri, tapi Rasulullah menanyakan kenapa Jibril tidak ikut sama menyertainya. Kemudian dipanggilah Jibril yang sebelumnya sudah bersiap di atas langit dunia menyambut ruh kekasih Allah dan penghulu dunia ini. "Jibril, jelaskan apa hakku nanti di hadapan Allah?", tanya Rasululllah dengan suara yang amat lemah. "Pintu-pintu langit telah terbuka, para malaikat telah menanti ruhmu. "Semua syurga terbuka lebar menanti kedatanganmu," kata Jibril. Tapi itu ternyata tidak membuatkan Rasulullah lega, matanya masih penuh kecemasan. "Engkau tidak senang mendengar khabar ini?", tanya Jibril lagi. "Khabarkan kepadaku bagaimana nasib umatku kelak?" "Jangan khawatir, wahai Rasul ! Allah, aku pernah mendengar Allah berfirman kepadaku: "Kuharamkan syurga bagi siapa saja, kecuali umat Muhammad telah berada di dalamnya," kata Jibril. Detik-detik semakin dekat, saatnya Izrail melakukan tugas. Perlahan ruh Rasulullah ditarik. Nampak seluruh tubuh Rasulullah bersimbah peluh, urat-urat lehernya menegang. "Jibril, betapa sakit sakaratul maut ini." Perlahan Rasulullah mengaduh. Fatimah terpejam, Ali yang disampingnya menunduk semakin dalam dan Jibril memalingkan muka. "Jijikkah kau melihatku, hingga kau palingkan wajahmu Jibril?" Tanya Rasulullah pada Malaikat pengantar wahyu itu. "Siapakah yang sanggup, melihat kekasih Allah direnggut ajal," kata Jibril. Sebentar kemudian terdengar Rasulullah mengaduh, karena sakit yang tidak tertahankan lagi. "Ya Allah, dahsyat nian maut ini, timpakan saja semua siksa maut ini kepadaku, jangan pada umatku." Badan Rasulullah mulai dingin, kaki dan dadanya sudah tidak bergerak lagi. Bibirnya bergetar seakan hendak membisikkan sesuatu, ! Ali segera mendekatkan telinganya. "Uushiikum bis shalati, wa maa malakat aimanuku" "peliharalah shalat dan peliharalah orang-orang lemah di antaramu." Diluar pintu tangis mulai terdengar bersahutan, sahabat saling berpelukan. Fatimah menutupkan tangan di wajahnya, dan Ali kembali mendekatkan telinganya ke bibir Rasulullah yang mulai kebiruan. "Ummatii,ummatii, ummatiii?" - "Umatku, umatku, umatku" Dan, berakhirlah hidup manusia mulia yang memberi sinaran itu. Kini, mampukah kita mencintai sepertinya? Allahumma sholli 'ala Muhammad wa baarik wa salim 'alaihi Betapa cintanya Rasulullah kepada kita. NB: Kirimkan kepada sahabat-sahabat muslim lainnya agar timbul kesadaran untuk mengingat maut dan mencintai Allah dan RasulNya, seperti Allah dan Rasulnya mencintai kita
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Amirul Mu'minin and the milkmaid
One night, Caliph Umar as usual went in disguise with his companion Ibn Abbas to see the condition of the people. They strolled from one quarter to another until they came to a colony where poor people lived. While passing by a small house, the Caliph heard a whispering talk within. The mother was telling her daughter that the amount of milk fetched by her for sale that day was very little. She told her that when she was young, and used to sell milk, she always mixed water with milk, and that led to considerable profit. She advised her daughter to do the same.
The girl said, "You adulterated milk, when you were not a Muslim. Now that we are Muslims, we cannot adulterate milk." The mother said that Islam did not stand in the way of adulteration of milk. The daughter said, "Have you forgotten the Caliph's order? He warns that the milk should not be adulterated." The mother said, "But the Caliph has forgotten us. We are so poor, what else should we do but adulterate milk in order to win bread?" The daughter said "Such bread would not be lawful, and as a Muslim I would not do anything which is against the orders of the Caliph, and whereby other Muslims are deceived."
The mother said, "But there is neither the Caliph nor any of his officers here to see what we do. Daughter you are still a child. Go to bed now and tomorrow I will myself mix the milk with water for you." The girl refused to fall in with the plan of her mother. She said, "Caliph may or may not be here, but his order must be obeyed. My conscience is my Caliph. You may escape the notice of the Caliph and his officers, but how can we escape the notice of Allah and our own conscience." Thereupon the mother remained quiet. The lamp was extinguished and the mother and the daughter went to sleep.
The next day, Caliph Umar sent a man to purchase milk from the girl. The milk was unadulterated. The girl kept her resolve. Caliph Umar turned to his companion and said, "The girl has kept her resolve in spite of the exhortation of her mother. She deserves a reward. What reward should I give her?” “She should be paid some money," said Ibn Abbas. Caliph Umar said, "Such a girl would become a great mother. Her integrity is not to be weighed with few coins; it is to be measured in the scale of national values. I shall offer her the highest award in my gift, and which shall also be in the highest interest of the nation."
The Caliph summoned the daughter and the mother to his court. The mother trembled as she stood before the mighty ruler. But the girl faced the Caliph boldly and with great equanimity. She was beautiful, and there was an impressive dignity about her. Then before the gathering, Caliph Umar related how he had overheard the mother and the daughter, and how in spite of the exhortations of the mother the daughter had kept her resolve.
Someone suggested that the mother should be taken to task. The Caliph said that ordinarily he would have punished the mother, but he had forgiven her for the sake of her daughter. Turning to the girl the great Caliph said, "Islam needs daughters like you and as a Caliph of Islam it devolves on me to reward you by owning you as a daughter." The Caliph called his sons, and addressing them said, "Here is a gem of a girl who would make a great mother. I desire that one of you should take this girl as wife. I know of no better bride than this girl of sterling character. In matters of wedlock, it should be the character and not the stature in life that should count."
Abdullah and Abdur Rahman the elder sons of the Caliph were already married. Asim the third son was not yet married, and he offered to marry the girl. Thereupon with the consent of the milkmaid and her mother Asim was married to the girl, and milkmaid became the daughter-in-law of the Caliph.
From this union was born a daughter Umm Asim, who became in due course the mother of Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Umar bin AbdulAziz was elected as Caliph and served for a short period during 717 - 720.
While other Caliphs of the Ummayad dynasty reveled in luxury, Umar bin Abdul Aziz as a Caliph set up standards for austerity and simplicity following in the footsteps of Caliph Umar, the second Caliph of Islam. It is said that if ever there was a noble Caliph after the first four “Rightly guided Caliphs, ”such a man was Umar bin Abdul Aziz. And he inherited the noble qualities of the milkmaid who married the Caliph's son, and those of Caliph Umar Farooq who had the eye to discern the nobler qualities of sterling character in a poor girl.
The girl said, "You adulterated milk, when you were not a Muslim. Now that we are Muslims, we cannot adulterate milk." The mother said that Islam did not stand in the way of adulteration of milk. The daughter said, "Have you forgotten the Caliph's order? He warns that the milk should not be adulterated." The mother said, "But the Caliph has forgotten us. We are so poor, what else should we do but adulterate milk in order to win bread?" The daughter said "Such bread would not be lawful, and as a Muslim I would not do anything which is against the orders of the Caliph, and whereby other Muslims are deceived."
The mother said, "But there is neither the Caliph nor any of his officers here to see what we do. Daughter you are still a child. Go to bed now and tomorrow I will myself mix the milk with water for you." The girl refused to fall in with the plan of her mother. She said, "Caliph may or may not be here, but his order must be obeyed. My conscience is my Caliph. You may escape the notice of the Caliph and his officers, but how can we escape the notice of Allah and our own conscience." Thereupon the mother remained quiet. The lamp was extinguished and the mother and the daughter went to sleep.
The next day, Caliph Umar sent a man to purchase milk from the girl. The milk was unadulterated. The girl kept her resolve. Caliph Umar turned to his companion and said, "The girl has kept her resolve in spite of the exhortation of her mother. She deserves a reward. What reward should I give her?” “She should be paid some money," said Ibn Abbas. Caliph Umar said, "Such a girl would become a great mother. Her integrity is not to be weighed with few coins; it is to be measured in the scale of national values. I shall offer her the highest award in my gift, and which shall also be in the highest interest of the nation."
The Caliph summoned the daughter and the mother to his court. The mother trembled as she stood before the mighty ruler. But the girl faced the Caliph boldly and with great equanimity. She was beautiful, and there was an impressive dignity about her. Then before the gathering, Caliph Umar related how he had overheard the mother and the daughter, and how in spite of the exhortations of the mother the daughter had kept her resolve.
Someone suggested that the mother should be taken to task. The Caliph said that ordinarily he would have punished the mother, but he had forgiven her for the sake of her daughter. Turning to the girl the great Caliph said, "Islam needs daughters like you and as a Caliph of Islam it devolves on me to reward you by owning you as a daughter." The Caliph called his sons, and addressing them said, "Here is a gem of a girl who would make a great mother. I desire that one of you should take this girl as wife. I know of no better bride than this girl of sterling character. In matters of wedlock, it should be the character and not the stature in life that should count."
Abdullah and Abdur Rahman the elder sons of the Caliph were already married. Asim the third son was not yet married, and he offered to marry the girl. Thereupon with the consent of the milkmaid and her mother Asim was married to the girl, and milkmaid became the daughter-in-law of the Caliph.
From this union was born a daughter Umm Asim, who became in due course the mother of Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Umar bin AbdulAziz was elected as Caliph and served for a short period during 717 - 720.
While other Caliphs of the Ummayad dynasty reveled in luxury, Umar bin Abdul Aziz as a Caliph set up standards for austerity and simplicity following in the footsteps of Caliph Umar, the second Caliph of Islam. It is said that if ever there was a noble Caliph after the first four “Rightly guided Caliphs, ”such a man was Umar bin Abdul Aziz. And he inherited the noble qualities of the milkmaid who married the Caliph's son, and those of Caliph Umar Farooq who had the eye to discern the nobler qualities of sterling character in a poor girl.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Lesson from Iblis and Malaikat
The holy Qur’an is a book of Hikmah as well as the book of Furqan. In addition to the do’s and don’ts that Allah commands you to observe, it also contains stories of previous people or nations. But these stories are not there simply as bedtime stories to put your children to sleep even though you are recommended to read it to your children in bed. Allah narrates those stories to prophet Muhammad PBUH as ibrah or lesson from which we can learn.
The first story narrated was in verses 30 to 34 of al Baqarah about the creation of mankind. But I want to focus particularly on verse 34, when Allah Azza wa jalla said,
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـئِكَةِ اسْجُدُواْ لاًّدَمَ فَسَجَدُواْ إِلاَّ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَى وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَـفِرِينَ
34. And (remember) when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam.'' And they prostrated except Iblis (Shaytan), he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allah).
We are very familiar to this story. We learned that in previous verses Allah inform the Angel His intention:
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـئِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِى الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً
30. And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth.''
The Angels question Allah's intention (Which is a lesson for those who are easily offended when being critised). Allah then taught Adam the names of everything and asked the Angels if they can name them. When the Angel reply in negative, Allah asked Adam to name them, which he did. That's how Allah made His point to the Angel that He knew better with His plan. Allah then commanded the angels to make prostration to Adam as a sign of respect. All of the angels followed that commandas verse 34 above suggested, except Iblis.
What is the lesson we learn from this narration?
The angels’ attitude in responding to Allah command is very clear. They did it straight away without questioning. Even though they had a doubt about this new creation before (remember they questioned Allah's intention), even though they were well aware of the degree of the iman and ibadah which is second to none, they had no hesitation whatsoever to obey the command, because it came from the Almighty.
Iblis on the other hand ‘abaa was takbara’ he refused to obey and he was proud of himself. Even though he knew that this was the command from Allah, before following it he tried to make sense of the command. And his pride told him
قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلاَّ تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ قَالَ أَنَاْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
12. (Allah) said: "What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate, when I commanded you'' Iblis said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.'' (al A'raaf)
His rationalisation of Allah’s command then prevented him to follow it. Why shoud he prostrate to someone who is lower in status than him? His common sense and pride overtake his iman and taqwa despite the act of prostration to Adam was 'idza artuka'.
How often we try to find the reason why we should fast and why we are not allowed to eat pig. I am not saying that we should not do this, but that should come only after full sincerity that we do it as an act of obidience to Allah. We do it because Allah tells us to.
While fasting and eating pig are quite simple and often we find satisfying reason why Allah required us to observe, there more complicated commands that we failed to obey because we try to rationalise it.
How often we see a son or a daughter deter from being respectful and dutiful to parents, which is decreed by Allah in surah al Isra verse 25, because he or she thinks the parents do not deserve that respect and kindness. It may be the case that the parents did not do their parenting job well but it should not stop the children to obey the instruction of Allah to treat them with respect and to be kind to them. Or what about a wife who refuse to obey her husband because he is not a good muslim or did dot do a good job as a husband.
It is important to understand that to obey Allah in respecting your parents or husband is an act of ibadah. A failure to do so will result in a failure to follow the command of your Lord. We can not use the weaknesses from our parents of husband as an excuse. If they failed to do their parenting or head of family job, Allah will deal with them later about it.
The second lesson: Iblis refused to follow the command not because he did not believe in Allah. He met Allah physically in the paradise. He used to be the teacher of the angels because of his piety as several hadits narrated by Ibn Abbas suggested. But when he refused to follow Allah's instruction because of his arrogance, and Allah labelled him as 'wa kaana minal kafiriin', and he is one of the disbelievers.
What we learn from this is very clear. It is not enough just to believe in Allah. To be a believer, you have to use that believe as a drive to carry out the commands of Allah. If the believe is not accompanied by amal, Allah will still categorise you as one of the disbelievers as the case of Iblis shown.
The first story narrated was in verses 30 to 34 of al Baqarah about the creation of mankind. But I want to focus particularly on verse 34, when Allah Azza wa jalla said,
وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَـئِكَةِ اسْجُدُواْ لاًّدَمَ فَسَجَدُواْ إِلاَّ إِبْلِيسَ أَبَى وَاسْتَكْبَرَ وَكَانَ مِنَ الْكَـفِرِينَ
34. And (remember) when We said to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves before Adam.'' And they prostrated except Iblis (Shaytan), he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allah).
We are very familiar to this story. We learned that in previous verses Allah inform the Angel His intention:
وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَـئِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِى الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً
30. And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: "Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth.''
The Angels question Allah's intention (Which is a lesson for those who are easily offended when being critised). Allah then taught Adam the names of everything and asked the Angels if they can name them. When the Angel reply in negative, Allah asked Adam to name them, which he did. That's how Allah made His point to the Angel that He knew better with His plan. Allah then commanded the angels to make prostration to Adam as a sign of respect. All of the angels followed that commandas verse 34 above suggested, except Iblis.
What is the lesson we learn from this narration?
The angels’ attitude in responding to Allah command is very clear. They did it straight away without questioning. Even though they had a doubt about this new creation before (remember they questioned Allah's intention), even though they were well aware of the degree of the iman and ibadah which is second to none, they had no hesitation whatsoever to obey the command, because it came from the Almighty.
Iblis on the other hand ‘abaa was takbara’ he refused to obey and he was proud of himself. Even though he knew that this was the command from Allah, before following it he tried to make sense of the command. And his pride told him
قَالَ مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلاَّ تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ قَالَ أَنَاْ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
12. (Allah) said: "What prevented you (O Iblis) that you did not prostrate, when I commanded you'' Iblis said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay.'' (al A'raaf)
His rationalisation of Allah’s command then prevented him to follow it. Why shoud he prostrate to someone who is lower in status than him? His common sense and pride overtake his iman and taqwa despite the act of prostration to Adam was 'idza artuka'.
How often we try to find the reason why we should fast and why we are not allowed to eat pig. I am not saying that we should not do this, but that should come only after full sincerity that we do it as an act of obidience to Allah. We do it because Allah tells us to.
While fasting and eating pig are quite simple and often we find satisfying reason why Allah required us to observe, there more complicated commands that we failed to obey because we try to rationalise it.
How often we see a son or a daughter deter from being respectful and dutiful to parents, which is decreed by Allah in surah al Isra verse 25, because he or she thinks the parents do not deserve that respect and kindness. It may be the case that the parents did not do their parenting job well but it should not stop the children to obey the instruction of Allah to treat them with respect and to be kind to them. Or what about a wife who refuse to obey her husband because he is not a good muslim or did dot do a good job as a husband.
It is important to understand that to obey Allah in respecting your parents or husband is an act of ibadah. A failure to do so will result in a failure to follow the command of your Lord. We can not use the weaknesses from our parents of husband as an excuse. If they failed to do their parenting or head of family job, Allah will deal with them later about it.
The second lesson: Iblis refused to follow the command not because he did not believe in Allah. He met Allah physically in the paradise. He used to be the teacher of the angels because of his piety as several hadits narrated by Ibn Abbas suggested. But when he refused to follow Allah's instruction because of his arrogance, and Allah labelled him as 'wa kaana minal kafiriin', and he is one of the disbelievers.
What we learn from this is very clear. It is not enough just to believe in Allah. To be a believer, you have to use that believe as a drive to carry out the commands of Allah. If the believe is not accompanied by amal, Allah will still categorise you as one of the disbelievers as the case of Iblis shown.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Bid'ah Promoters Hypocrisy
I am so disappointed with pathetic excuses such as 'We should stop this discussion because it offends people who practice it.' or 'Look, this's gone too far, we have to stop.' Don't they realise that this was the same kind of excuse used by Soeharto to stop people from being critical of his policies? (It's just happened that at the same time they were discussing whether we should forgive Soeharto or not, big deal! What is it to do with me?).
I won't be disappointed if they say the excuses when we are talking about any other aspects of our life. But I will be disappointed when they say this when we are talking about religion, a matter that not only affecting our life here and now, but also affecting the next eternal life that we all believe as part of our eeman.
Is this a mere politeness? You are fooled if you believe so. Soeharto and other dictators do it because they can smell the rats if the debate continue. They are too scared to handle the truth. They don't want people to be enlightened and see their defects.
In the same manner, those promoters of innovations in religion, when we are trying to expose the weaknesses of their case, they would say the same excuses. They would use millions of people, who most of them innocently follow their supposedly trusted leaders in practicing bid'ah, who would be offended if the debate continues, to defend their baseless rituals. They would refer to so and so scholars or public figures who condones the practises when we argue their case. Don't they know that they can not use the same defences later on in front of Allah?
وإذا قيل لهم اتبعوا ما أنزل الله قالوا بل نتبع ما ألفينا عليه آباءنا أولو كان آباؤهم لا يعقلون شيئا ولا يهتدون
When it is said to them: "Follow what Allah hath revealed:" They say: "Nay! we shall follow the ways of our fathers." What! even though their fathers were void of wisdom and guidance? (Al Baqarah 170)
ومثل الذين كفروا كمثل الذي ينعق بما لا يسمع إلا دعاء ونداء صم بكم عمي فهم لا يعقلون
The parable of those who reject Faith is as if one were to shout Like a goat-herd, to things that listen to nothing but calls and cries: Deaf, dumb, and blind, they are void of wisdom.(Al Baqarah 171)
I would like to expose an incident that took place a few days ago to show how real the threat of bid'ah to this religion is. And at the same time I want to indulge myself proving how hypocrite the promoters of this practise are (They don't mean what they say! and I can not find any subtler words, Sorry).
One of our jamaah commemorate the death of her father (may Allah forgive his sins and accept all his deeds) by organising 'tahlilan' on the 40th days after his death. Coincidentally, the 40th day fell on Friday on whose night we hold our weekly gathering in the masjid. I asked them to shift the occasion but their leaders argued that it has to be done on that day, can not be moved one day earlier or later, it has to be on that day! They already forgot the argument that tahlilan was not a ritual. Ask them where was it in the Holy Qur'an or the tradition of the Prophet, peace be upon him (PBUH), you can find the dalil or basis that you must make 'tahlilan' on the 40th day. Nowhere!
They would then argue that the essence of tahlilan is to make supplication to Allah for the deceased. But prophet Muhammad PBUH said that other than the supplication of a pious child for his parents, other Muslims can only make doa or supplication for their fellow deceased Muslim right after the burial (You are told not to leave the grave immediately but stay for a while and make doa) and when they coincidentally come pass the grave.
Other argument was that this is for dakwah for those who attend, 'We only remember God, send salutation and greeting to the Prophet and read Qur'an.' There is nothing wrong with that if you do it every day. The problem is, by attaching this to certain date or time is undoubtedly an innovation in religion. Where do these 7th, 40th, 100th, 1000th days originate? Do they come from Islamic tradition? Are there any sayings or examples from the Prophet PBUH telling you that remembering Allah, reading Qur'an and sending shalawat to the Prophet on those dates after some one's death is encouraged and beneficial?
In previous discussion I underlined the dangers of bid'ah. One of them is that bid'ah kills sunnah.
Imam Ahmad narrated that Prophet Muhammad PBUH once said,"Whenever people invent a Bid'ah, Allah removes from them a Sunnah in its place."
Last incident proved exactly what the Prophet warned us some 1400 years ago. Most people who normally attend Friday night gathering, that night they failed to turn up because they have to attend this tahlilan.
Don't take me wrong. I do not condemn or blame the innocent family who organise the event for their parent. They only follow what their spiritual advisers say. They were not taught about the sunnah to deal with matters like this. I am condemning their so called scholar or spiritual adviser who knew exactly that this is not part of the tradition in Islam.
If you are wondering why these so called scholars hide the truth from the people who trust them, I got the answer. These falsely invented rituals create dependence!
إن الذين يكتمون ما أنزل الله من الكتاب ويشترون به ثمنا قليلا أولئك ما يأكلون في بطونهم إلا النار ولا يكلمهم الله يوم القيامة ولا يزكيهم ولهم عذاب أليم
Those who conceal Allah's revelations in the Book, and purchase for them a miserable profit,- they swallow into themselves naught but Fire; Allah will not address them on the Day of Resurrection. Nor purify them: Grievous will be their penalty. (Al Baqarah 174)
These baseless unnecessary rituals come with sets of rules, procedures and recitations and can only be carried out by certain people. It is nearly impossible for a novice follower to acquire and memorise the long spell they use during the rituals. For that reason, every time the need arrives to conduct the ritual, they will call eloquent spiritual advisers to lead the processions.
This is in contrast to what we learnt from the Prophet PBUH who taught us that this religion is very simple. As narrated in by 'Aisha radhiallahu 'anha (RA) in Shahih Bukhari:
Whenever Allah's Messenger PBUH order the Muslim to do something, he used to order them deeds which were easy for them to do. (Some people wanted to do more because of their sins and protested) They said, " O Allah's Messenger, we are not like you. Allah has forgiven your past and future sins." Hearing this, Prophet Muhammad PBUH became angry and it was apparent on his face. He PBUH said, "I fear Allah more and I know Allah better than all of you do."
I can not help but being suspicious! If they teach their followers the simple Islam that can be acquired and performed easily as taught by Allah's Messenger PBUH, the level of dependence would be low. They fear that if their followers do not depend on them to carry out the rituals, they will lose their followers.
If you are one of those scholars, I am begging your conscience, fear Allah! His punishment is severe!
If you are one of novice Muslims like me, I encourage you to study Islam. This religion is designed for everyone. You don't have to be a genius and graduated from university with a degree or doctoral in religion to understand this religion. We spend a lot of time and is critical for any other aspects in this life. Why are we so relax and casual regarding the matter that not only affecting our life here and now, but also the next life which is eternal!
I won't be disappointed if they say the excuses when we are talking about any other aspects of our life. But I will be disappointed when they say this when we are talking about religion, a matter that not only affecting our life here and now, but also affecting the next eternal life that we all believe as part of our eeman.
Is this a mere politeness? You are fooled if you believe so. Soeharto and other dictators do it because they can smell the rats if the debate continue. They are too scared to handle the truth. They don't want people to be enlightened and see their defects.
In the same manner, those promoters of innovations in religion, when we are trying to expose the weaknesses of their case, they would say the same excuses. They would use millions of people, who most of them innocently follow their supposedly trusted leaders in practicing bid'ah, who would be offended if the debate continues, to defend their baseless rituals. They would refer to so and so scholars or public figures who condones the practises when we argue their case. Don't they know that they can not use the same defences later on in front of Allah?
وإذا قيل لهم اتبعوا ما أنزل الله قالوا بل نتبع ما ألفينا عليه آباءنا أولو كان آباؤهم لا يعقلون شيئا ولا يهتدون
When it is said to them: "Follow what Allah hath revealed:" They say: "Nay! we shall follow the ways of our fathers." What! even though their fathers were void of wisdom and guidance? (Al Baqarah 170)
ومثل الذين كفروا كمثل الذي ينعق بما لا يسمع إلا دعاء ونداء صم بكم عمي فهم لا يعقلون
The parable of those who reject Faith is as if one were to shout Like a goat-herd, to things that listen to nothing but calls and cries: Deaf, dumb, and blind, they are void of wisdom.(Al Baqarah 171)
I would like to expose an incident that took place a few days ago to show how real the threat of bid'ah to this religion is. And at the same time I want to indulge myself proving how hypocrite the promoters of this practise are (They don't mean what they say! and I can not find any subtler words, Sorry).
One of our jamaah commemorate the death of her father (may Allah forgive his sins and accept all his deeds) by organising 'tahlilan' on the 40th days after his death. Coincidentally, the 40th day fell on Friday on whose night we hold our weekly gathering in the masjid. I asked them to shift the occasion but their leaders argued that it has to be done on that day, can not be moved one day earlier or later, it has to be on that day! They already forgot the argument that tahlilan was not a ritual. Ask them where was it in the Holy Qur'an or the tradition of the Prophet, peace be upon him (PBUH), you can find the dalil or basis that you must make 'tahlilan' on the 40th day. Nowhere!
They would then argue that the essence of tahlilan is to make supplication to Allah for the deceased. But prophet Muhammad PBUH said that other than the supplication of a pious child for his parents, other Muslims can only make doa or supplication for their fellow deceased Muslim right after the burial (You are told not to leave the grave immediately but stay for a while and make doa) and when they coincidentally come pass the grave.
Other argument was that this is for dakwah for those who attend, 'We only remember God, send salutation and greeting to the Prophet and read Qur'an.' There is nothing wrong with that if you do it every day. The problem is, by attaching this to certain date or time is undoubtedly an innovation in religion. Where do these 7th, 40th, 100th, 1000th days originate? Do they come from Islamic tradition? Are there any sayings or examples from the Prophet PBUH telling you that remembering Allah, reading Qur'an and sending shalawat to the Prophet on those dates after some one's death is encouraged and beneficial?
In previous discussion I underlined the dangers of bid'ah. One of them is that bid'ah kills sunnah.
Imam Ahmad narrated that Prophet Muhammad PBUH once said,"Whenever people invent a Bid'ah, Allah removes from them a Sunnah in its place."
Last incident proved exactly what the Prophet warned us some 1400 years ago. Most people who normally attend Friday night gathering, that night they failed to turn up because they have to attend this tahlilan.
Don't take me wrong. I do not condemn or blame the innocent family who organise the event for their parent. They only follow what their spiritual advisers say. They were not taught about the sunnah to deal with matters like this. I am condemning their so called scholar or spiritual adviser who knew exactly that this is not part of the tradition in Islam.
If you are wondering why these so called scholars hide the truth from the people who trust them, I got the answer. These falsely invented rituals create dependence!
إن الذين يكتمون ما أنزل الله من الكتاب ويشترون به ثمنا قليلا أولئك ما يأكلون في بطونهم إلا النار ولا يكلمهم الله يوم القيامة ولا يزكيهم ولهم عذاب أليم
Those who conceal Allah's revelations in the Book, and purchase for them a miserable profit,- they swallow into themselves naught but Fire; Allah will not address them on the Day of Resurrection. Nor purify them: Grievous will be their penalty. (Al Baqarah 174)
These baseless unnecessary rituals come with sets of rules, procedures and recitations and can only be carried out by certain people. It is nearly impossible for a novice follower to acquire and memorise the long spell they use during the rituals. For that reason, every time the need arrives to conduct the ritual, they will call eloquent spiritual advisers to lead the processions.
This is in contrast to what we learnt from the Prophet PBUH who taught us that this religion is very simple. As narrated in by 'Aisha radhiallahu 'anha (RA) in Shahih Bukhari:
Whenever Allah's Messenger PBUH order the Muslim to do something, he used to order them deeds which were easy for them to do. (Some people wanted to do more because of their sins and protested) They said, " O Allah's Messenger, we are not like you. Allah has forgiven your past and future sins." Hearing this, Prophet Muhammad PBUH became angry and it was apparent on his face. He PBUH said, "I fear Allah more and I know Allah better than all of you do."
I can not help but being suspicious! If they teach their followers the simple Islam that can be acquired and performed easily as taught by Allah's Messenger PBUH, the level of dependence would be low. They fear that if their followers do not depend on them to carry out the rituals, they will lose their followers.
If you are one of those scholars, I am begging your conscience, fear Allah! His punishment is severe!
If you are one of novice Muslims like me, I encourage you to study Islam. This religion is designed for everyone. You don't have to be a genius and graduated from university with a degree or doctoral in religion to understand this religion. We spend a lot of time and is critical for any other aspects in this life. Why are we so relax and casual regarding the matter that not only affecting our life here and now, but also the next life which is eternal!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Diskusi Bid'ah
Tanya:
Pak Ed, terima kasih. Sayapun terus terang tidak mau terperosok kesesuatu yang salah. Makanya saya tanya. Inti keingintahuan saya sebenarnya sederhana, "ibadah apa sajakah" yang masuk dalam boundary harus ada tuntunan atau dicontohkan Rasul? Sedangkan banyak sekali yang menurut saya innovasi tapi tidak diperdepatkan, seperti Zakat.
Wassalam,
Abdullah
Jawab:
Pak Abdullah,
Kalau Rasulullah hidup pada zaman orang memakai mobil atau naik kereta ke mesjid, saya yakin Rasulullah akan naik mobil atau naik kereta. Seandainya pada saat itu Rasulullah hidup di daerah yang multicultural dan banyak orang yang tidak mengerti bahasa Arab, beliau SAW akan memakai bahasa yang yang akan digunakan oleh mayoritas penduduk daerah itu, kalau beliau bisa, dalam menyampaikan dakwah, termasuk dalam khutbah, wallahu 'alam.
Tetapi saat Rasulullah masih hidup, beliau mengalami dan melihat, contohnya:
1. Orang-orang meninggal, termasuk orang-orang yang dikasihi beliau seperti keluarga dan sahabat. Kalau beliau SAW mengetahui ada cara yang lebih baik dalam menyelenggarakan jenazah, dan memberi kebaikan kepada orang-orang yang dicintai beliau itu di alam kubur, mengapa beliau tidak melakukannya? Mengapa beliau SAW tidak mensyariatkan tahlilan atau membaca surah Yasin?
2. Pada saat beliau hidup, beliau tidak hanya melihat, bahkan mengalami dan menjalani sendiri peristiwa kelahiran, hijrah, isra' mi'raj, perang Badr dll. Apakah ada hadits Rasulullah, atau riwayat para sahabat dan generasi sesudah sahabat merayakan Maulud nabi, isra' mi'raj, tahun baru, perang Badr, dll? Kalau betul ini adalah media dakwah yang sesuai dengan ajaran Islam, mengapa Rasulullah tidak mencontohkannya, wa khairal hadyi hadyu Muhammadin shalallahi 'alaihi wassalam. Toh pada saat itu Rasulullah juga menghadapi orang yang jauh lebih 'challenging' , ada yang keras kepala, ada yang munafik, ada yang bodoh, ada yang diperbodoh, ada yang asal mengikut saja, pendeknya dinamika masyarakat pada waktu itu sama saja dengan apa yang kita hadapi sekarang. Rasullullah justru mensyariatkan kita merayakan dua Ied tambah Tashrik.
3. Pada saat beliau SAW hidup, ada orang yang suka minum tuak, apakah Rasulullah juga minum tuak? Ada orang yang suka musik, apakah beliau ikut main musik dan bernyanyi dalam berdakwah?
Garis merahnya itu sudah sangat jelas. Jangan digeser-geser dan mencari alasan-alasan untuk membenarkannya. Sekali kita menggesernya, itu tidak akan berhenti disana saja. Kita akan terus menggeser batasannya, sehingga agama ini pelan-pelan akan mengabur dan mati dengan sendirinya.
Saya berdoa kepada Allah semoga bahasa yang saya gunakan dalam penjelasan saya ini bisa diterima dan dimengerti. Saya tidak masuk pada kelompok apapun. Saya tidak menyerang atau menistakan kelompok apapun. Saya tidak merasa paling benar, apalagi mahabenar (a'udzubillah min dzalik 3x).
Kepada saudara-saudara yang melaksanakan peringatan tahun baru Islam, walaupun saya tidak setuju, saya dengan ikhlas mendoakan, semoga Allah menerima itu sebagai suatu amalan bagi yang mempercayai dan melaksanakannya. Amin.
Muhammed Edwars
(Pribadi, tidak atas nama IMCV, masjid Westall atau organisasi apapun)
Pak Ed, terima kasih. Sayapun terus terang tidak mau terperosok kesesuatu yang salah. Makanya saya tanya. Inti keingintahuan saya sebenarnya sederhana, "ibadah apa sajakah" yang masuk dalam boundary harus ada tuntunan atau dicontohkan Rasul? Sedangkan banyak sekali yang menurut saya innovasi tapi tidak diperdepatkan, seperti Zakat.
Wassalam,
Abdullah
Jawab:
Pak Abdullah,
Kalau Rasulullah hidup pada zaman orang memakai mobil atau naik kereta ke mesjid, saya yakin Rasulullah akan naik mobil atau naik kereta. Seandainya pada saat itu Rasulullah hidup di daerah yang multicultural dan banyak orang yang tidak mengerti bahasa Arab, beliau SAW akan memakai bahasa yang yang akan digunakan oleh mayoritas penduduk daerah itu, kalau beliau bisa, dalam menyampaikan dakwah, termasuk dalam khutbah, wallahu 'alam.
Tetapi saat Rasulullah masih hidup, beliau mengalami dan melihat, contohnya:
1. Orang-orang meninggal, termasuk orang-orang yang dikasihi beliau seperti keluarga dan sahabat. Kalau beliau SAW mengetahui ada cara yang lebih baik dalam menyelenggarakan jenazah, dan memberi kebaikan kepada orang-orang yang dicintai beliau itu di alam kubur, mengapa beliau tidak melakukannya? Mengapa beliau SAW tidak mensyariatkan tahlilan atau membaca surah Yasin?
2. Pada saat beliau hidup, beliau tidak hanya melihat, bahkan mengalami dan menjalani sendiri peristiwa kelahiran, hijrah, isra' mi'raj, perang Badr dll. Apakah ada hadits Rasulullah, atau riwayat para sahabat dan generasi sesudah sahabat merayakan Maulud nabi, isra' mi'raj, tahun baru, perang Badr, dll? Kalau betul ini adalah media dakwah yang sesuai dengan ajaran Islam, mengapa Rasulullah tidak mencontohkannya, wa khairal hadyi hadyu Muhammadin shalallahi 'alaihi wassalam. Toh pada saat itu Rasulullah juga menghadapi orang yang jauh lebih 'challenging' , ada yang keras kepala, ada yang munafik, ada yang bodoh, ada yang diperbodoh, ada yang asal mengikut saja, pendeknya dinamika masyarakat pada waktu itu sama saja dengan apa yang kita hadapi sekarang. Rasullullah justru mensyariatkan kita merayakan dua Ied tambah Tashrik.
3. Pada saat beliau SAW hidup, ada orang yang suka minum tuak, apakah Rasulullah juga minum tuak? Ada orang yang suka musik, apakah beliau ikut main musik dan bernyanyi dalam berdakwah?
Garis merahnya itu sudah sangat jelas. Jangan digeser-geser dan mencari alasan-alasan untuk membenarkannya. Sekali kita menggesernya, itu tidak akan berhenti disana saja. Kita akan terus menggeser batasannya, sehingga agama ini pelan-pelan akan mengabur dan mati dengan sendirinya.
Saya berdoa kepada Allah semoga bahasa yang saya gunakan dalam penjelasan saya ini bisa diterima dan dimengerti. Saya tidak masuk pada kelompok apapun. Saya tidak menyerang atau menistakan kelompok apapun. Saya tidak merasa paling benar, apalagi mahabenar (a'udzubillah min dzalik 3x).
Kepada saudara-saudara yang melaksanakan peringatan tahun baru Islam, walaupun saya tidak setuju, saya dengan ikhlas mendoakan, semoga Allah menerima itu sebagai suatu amalan bagi yang mempercayai dan melaksanakannya. Amin.
Muhammed Edwars
(Pribadi, tidak atas nama IMCV, masjid Westall atau organisasi apapun)
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