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.
Friday, April 25, 2008
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)
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Bahaya Bid'ah
Segala puji dan syukur hanya kepada Allah yang memerintahkan kita untuk mengikuti ajaran yang telah diwahyukan kepada Rasulullah dan menjauhi temuan-temuan baru dalam beragama. Mari kita bersaksi bahwa tidak ada Tuhan yang patut disembah kecuali Allah yang Esa dan bersaksi bahwa Muhammad adalah hamba dan utusanNya yang diutus untuk dipatuhi dan diikuti. Shalawat dan salam kita doakan kepada Allah untuk nabi Muhammad SAW, keluarga dan keturunannya, para sahabatnya, dan orang-orang yang mengikutinya.
Pada khutbah di hajjatul wada, Rasulullah berpesan,
“Wahai manusia, pahami kata-kataku ini karena aku telah menyampaikan (risalah). Aku tinggalkan kalian dengan dua pusaka, dan kalau kamu berpegang kepada keduanya, kamu tidak akan pernah tersesat, karena keduanya sangat jelas dan lugas; kitabullah dan sunnah rasulNya.”
Pada hari itu juga turun wahyu penutup,
Al yauma akmaltulakum diinukum, wa atmamtu ‘alaikum ni’ matii, waradhitulakumul islaama diina (Al Maidah 3)
Yang artinya: Pada hari ini Aku sempurnakan agamamu, Aku cukupkan nikmatku untukmu, dan Aku ridho Islam menjadi agamamu.
Dalam surah al An’am 153, Allah ‘azza wa jalla berfirman,
Wa anna haa dzaa shiraa thii mustaqiiman fattabi ‘uh, wa laa tattabi ‘uus subula fatafarraqa bikum ‘ansabiilih, dzaa likum wasshakum bihii la ‘allakum tattaquun.
Artinya; Dan bahwa ini adalah jalanKu yang lurus, maka ikutilah dia, dan janganlah kamu mengikuti jalan-jalan yang lain, karena jalan-jalan itu akan mencerai-beraikan kamu dari jalan Nya. Yang demikian itu diperintahkan Allah kepada mu agar kamu bertakwa.
Inilah dasar mengapa setiap ibadah yang tidak ada dasarnya dalam agama dan tidak punya sumber dalam Qur’an dan Sunnah adalah amalan bid’ah dan bagian dari ‘jalan-jalan yang lain’ yang menyimpang dari jalan lurus Allah. Rasulullah SAW bersabda’
"Whoever performs a deed that does not conform to our matter (religion), then it is rejected."
Dalam hadits yang lain, Rasulullah bersabda’
"Whoever invents in our matter (religion) what is not a part of it, then it (the innovation) is rejected."
Imam Ahmad meriwayatkan bahwa Rasulullah berkata,
"Whenever people invent a Bid'ah, Allah removes from them a Sunnah in its place."
Ada banyak bahaya bid’ah. Salah satunya adalah setiap bid’ah yang ditemukan, bid’ah itu menggantikan satu sunnah. Kita yang tidak menyadari bahaya ini, menurut hadits diatas, kita secara pelan-pelan membunuh agama ini dengan mencabut sunnah-sunnah untuk setiap bid’ah yang kita buat-buat tanpa dasar dari kedua pusaka yang ditinggalkan oleh Rasulullah. Banyak ulama kita atau yang mengaku dirinya ulama, lebih mendedikasikan waktu, usaha dan pemikirannya untuk kelangsungan bid’ah-bid’ah itu, secara sadar atau tidak sadar, telah menghancurkan agama dan umat yang telah menaruh pepercayaan kepada mereka. Sadarlah bahwa syaitan membuat bid’ah itu kelihatan sangat indah dan appealing di mata dan di hati kita, karena ia ingin kita jauh dari agama Allah.
Bahaya selanjutnya adalah orang menemukan bid’ah karena dia berpikir bahwa agama ini masih belum sempurna sehingga ia berusaha menyempurnakannya dengan penemuan-penemuan barunya. Biasanya orang ini belum melaksanakan sunnah-sunnah dan tidak memiliki kekuatan dan kemauan untuk mengamalkannya, walaupun mereka punya energi, waktu dan kesanggupan untuk melaksanakan bid’ah.
Selanjutnya, hal-hal baru dalam beragama membangkitkan kembali amalan-amalan jahiliyah dalam kehidupan manusia dimana manusia hidup tercerai berai dan saling hujat menghujat. Setiap kelompok merasa apa yang mereka miliki lebih baik daripada kelompok lain.
Sebagaimana Allah menggambarkan,
"Each group rejoicing in what is with it (as its beliefs)." (23:53)
Sunnah, di lain pihak, mempersatukan umat, menyatukan hati mereka dan membuat mereka saudara yang saling mencintai satu sama lainnya, mengikuti satu jalan dan memeluk satu agama.
"And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e., this Qur'an), and be not divided among yourselves." (3: 1 03)
Diantara keburukan bid’ah, bahwa ia secara langsung menolak kebernaran, terutama ketika penemunya diajak mengerjakan kebenaran itu. Dia akan bertahan dan mempertahankan bidah itu dengan cara apapun. Termasuk dengan menghujat orang yang mengajak mereka terhadap kebenaran itu walaupun orang itu hanya menyampai apa yang benar. Yang mereka lakukan adalah mempertahankan kesesatannya, mencari dalih-dalih yang bisa mempertahankan ke-bid’ah-an mereka walaupun itu tidak ada dasarnya dari kedua sumber yang menjadi pegangan utama kita umat Islam.
Bid’ah menghancurkan agama yang haq, sebagaimana syaitan dari kaum jin dan manusia menginginkan, terutama dari kaum kafir dan munafik. Musuh agama ini mencoba merusak agama ini dengan berbagai cara dan senjata mereka yang paling ampuh adalah bid’ah! Mereka lakukan ini untuk mendistorsi dan merusak imej agama Islam dan menutup-nutupi esensi hakiki dari agama yang benar. Sebagai tambahan dari ini adalah, para penemu-penemu bid’ah ini akan memperoleh keuntungan material atau ketenaran dari praktek-praktek bid’ah ini.
Perkembangan teknologi seperti internet dan mobilitas umat yang tinggi turut membantu perkembangan bid’ah ini. Dan jangan lupa juga peranan ulama yang sengaja dirasuki nilai-nilai asing dan kebablasan dalam mempraktekan nilai-nilai itu dalam hal-hal ibadah yang sudah baku dalam Islam. Itulah sebabnya mengapa khatib pada setiap khutbah Jumat selalu mengingatkan kita,
Fa inna khairal hadiitsi kitabullah, wa khairal had yi had yu Muhammadin shalallah ‘alaihi wassaalam, wa syarrul umuuri muhdatsa tuha, wa kulla muhdatsatin bid’ah. Wa kulla bid’atin dha laalah, Wakulla dhalalatin finnaar!
Sebaik-baiknya topic pembicaraan adalah yang dari kitab Allah, sebaik-baiknya petunjuk adalah petunjuk Muhammad SAW, seburuk-buruknya masalah adalah penemuan hal-hal baru dalam beragama, setiap hal-hal yang baru adalah bid’ah, dan setiap bid’ah itu adalah sesat, dan setiap yang sesat itu tempatnya di neraka.
A’udzubillah min dzalik!
Peringatan maulud nabi, peringatan tahun baru dan peringatan-peringatan ‘keagamaan’ lain adalah bentuk bid’ah-bid’ah baru. Rasulullah SAW, para sahabat, generasi sesudah mereka tidak merayakan peristiwa-peristiwa ini walaupun mereka lebih tahu mengenai masalah ini. Ini adalah temuan yang dilakukan oleh generasi-generasi sesudah para tabiin meniru apa yang dilakukan oleh kaum Nasrani. Jangan kaget sebenarnya ini sudah diperkirakan oleh Nabi SAW,
“Kalian akan mengikuti amalan-amalan dari orang orang sebelum kamu (Yahudi dan Nasrani), selangkah demi selangkah, sedemikian rupa sehingga ketika mereka masuk sarang cicak, kalianpun mengikuti mereka!”
Sangat mencengangkan dan mengherankan kalau kita mengamati energi dan dedikasi yang dilakukan oleh para penganjur bid’ah. Seandainya mereka mencurahkan energi dan dedikasi yang sama untuk menegakkan sunnah. Memang syaitan membuat mata dan hati kita mudah terpesona dengan bid’ah dan menanamkan kesombongan dan keangkuhan dalam hati kita. Ketika orang mengingatkan kita akan bid’ah dan bahayanya , hati kita mengeras. Daripada mendengarkan apa yang dikatakannya, kita melihat siapa yang mengatakannya. Mencari alasan untuk membenarkan bid’ah dan menyerang si pemberi peringatan.
Ibnu Mas’ud RA, ketika beliau menjadi gubernur Kufah, mendengar kalau sekelompok orang berkumpul di sudut masjid mengelilingi Amr bin ‘Utbah, berdzikir bersama-sama dengan menggunakan batu kerikil untuk membantu mereka berzikir sampai hitungan seratus. Ibnu Mas’ud menyamar dan menghadiri majlis itu dan melihat sendiri apa yang mereka lakukan. Setelah melihat apa yang terjadi, beliau RA membuka samarannya dan berkata’ “Apakah kalian sudah memiliki pengetahuan lebih dari para sahabat Rasulullah atau telah menemukan bid’ah yang dzalim dan melampaui batas.” Ketika Amr bin ‘Utbah membantah kedua tuduhan tadi dan mengatakan bahwa mereka hanya sedang berdzikir mengingat Allah, Ibnu Mas’ud berkata, “Tidak, kalian sedang melakukan bid’ah!”
Ya Allah, tunjukan kepada kami bahwa yang benar itu benar dan beri kami kemudahan untuk mengikutinya, dan tunjukan kepada kami yang buruk itu sebagai suatu yang buruk dan beri kami kemudahan untuk menghindarinya, amin.
Qul inkuntum tuhibbuunallah fattabi ‘uunii yuhbibkumullahu wayagh firlakum, wallahu ghafururrahiim. Qul athi ‘ullaha warrasuul, faintawallaw fainnallaha laa yuhibbul kaafiriin (Ali ‘Imran 31-32)
Artinya; Katakanlah, ‘Jika kamu benar-benar mencintai Allah, ikutilah aku, niscaya Allah mengasihi dan mengampuni dosa-dosamu.’ Dan Allah Maha Pengampun lagi maha Penyayang. Katakanlah, ‘ Taatlah kepada Allah dan rasulNya; kalau kamu berpaling sesungguhnya Allah tidak menyukai orang-orang yang kafir.
Semoga uraian diatas bermanfaat dan bisa menjadi pemikiran bagi kita bersama. Sebagai orang yang diberi sedikit pengetahuan oleh Allah, saya berkewajiban untuk menyampaikan dan menyanggah apa yang saya pikir tidak benar. Sebagai orang yang dipercaya oleh masyarakat saya mencoba mangatakan yang benar walau itu pahit, karena tanggung jawab moral saya terhadap yang sudah memberi kepercayaan kepada saya dan yang terutama tanggung jawab saya kepada Allah. Ini ijtihad terbaik saya setelah beberapa hari ini membelajarkan diri. Saya mohon perlindungan dan ampunan dari Allah kalau dalam menyampaikan ini ada niat ria dan sombong. Saya juga mohon ampun dari Allah kalau apa-apa yang saya sampaikan ini tidak benar.
Melbourne January 9, 2008
Pada khutbah di hajjatul wada, Rasulullah berpesan,
“Wahai manusia, pahami kata-kataku ini karena aku telah menyampaikan (risalah). Aku tinggalkan kalian dengan dua pusaka, dan kalau kamu berpegang kepada keduanya, kamu tidak akan pernah tersesat, karena keduanya sangat jelas dan lugas; kitabullah dan sunnah rasulNya.”
Pada hari itu juga turun wahyu penutup,
Al yauma akmaltulakum diinukum, wa atmamtu ‘alaikum ni’ matii, waradhitulakumul islaama diina (Al Maidah 3)
Yang artinya: Pada hari ini Aku sempurnakan agamamu, Aku cukupkan nikmatku untukmu, dan Aku ridho Islam menjadi agamamu.
Dalam surah al An’am 153, Allah ‘azza wa jalla berfirman,
Wa anna haa dzaa shiraa thii mustaqiiman fattabi ‘uh, wa laa tattabi ‘uus subula fatafarraqa bikum ‘ansabiilih, dzaa likum wasshakum bihii la ‘allakum tattaquun.
Artinya; Dan bahwa ini adalah jalanKu yang lurus, maka ikutilah dia, dan janganlah kamu mengikuti jalan-jalan yang lain, karena jalan-jalan itu akan mencerai-beraikan kamu dari jalan Nya. Yang demikian itu diperintahkan Allah kepada mu agar kamu bertakwa.
Inilah dasar mengapa setiap ibadah yang tidak ada dasarnya dalam agama dan tidak punya sumber dalam Qur’an dan Sunnah adalah amalan bid’ah dan bagian dari ‘jalan-jalan yang lain’ yang menyimpang dari jalan lurus Allah. Rasulullah SAW bersabda’
"Whoever performs a deed that does not conform to our matter (religion), then it is rejected."
Dalam hadits yang lain, Rasulullah bersabda’
"Whoever invents in our matter (religion) what is not a part of it, then it (the innovation) is rejected."
Imam Ahmad meriwayatkan bahwa Rasulullah berkata,
"Whenever people invent a Bid'ah, Allah removes from them a Sunnah in its place."
Ada banyak bahaya bid’ah. Salah satunya adalah setiap bid’ah yang ditemukan, bid’ah itu menggantikan satu sunnah. Kita yang tidak menyadari bahaya ini, menurut hadits diatas, kita secara pelan-pelan membunuh agama ini dengan mencabut sunnah-sunnah untuk setiap bid’ah yang kita buat-buat tanpa dasar dari kedua pusaka yang ditinggalkan oleh Rasulullah. Banyak ulama kita atau yang mengaku dirinya ulama, lebih mendedikasikan waktu, usaha dan pemikirannya untuk kelangsungan bid’ah-bid’ah itu, secara sadar atau tidak sadar, telah menghancurkan agama dan umat yang telah menaruh pepercayaan kepada mereka. Sadarlah bahwa syaitan membuat bid’ah itu kelihatan sangat indah dan appealing di mata dan di hati kita, karena ia ingin kita jauh dari agama Allah.
Bahaya selanjutnya adalah orang menemukan bid’ah karena dia berpikir bahwa agama ini masih belum sempurna sehingga ia berusaha menyempurnakannya dengan penemuan-penemuan barunya. Biasanya orang ini belum melaksanakan sunnah-sunnah dan tidak memiliki kekuatan dan kemauan untuk mengamalkannya, walaupun mereka punya energi, waktu dan kesanggupan untuk melaksanakan bid’ah.
Selanjutnya, hal-hal baru dalam beragama membangkitkan kembali amalan-amalan jahiliyah dalam kehidupan manusia dimana manusia hidup tercerai berai dan saling hujat menghujat. Setiap kelompok merasa apa yang mereka miliki lebih baik daripada kelompok lain.
Sebagaimana Allah menggambarkan,
"Each group rejoicing in what is with it (as its beliefs)." (23:53)
Sunnah, di lain pihak, mempersatukan umat, menyatukan hati mereka dan membuat mereka saudara yang saling mencintai satu sama lainnya, mengikuti satu jalan dan memeluk satu agama.
"And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e., this Qur'an), and be not divided among yourselves." (3: 1 03)
Diantara keburukan bid’ah, bahwa ia secara langsung menolak kebernaran, terutama ketika penemunya diajak mengerjakan kebenaran itu. Dia akan bertahan dan mempertahankan bidah itu dengan cara apapun. Termasuk dengan menghujat orang yang mengajak mereka terhadap kebenaran itu walaupun orang itu hanya menyampai apa yang benar. Yang mereka lakukan adalah mempertahankan kesesatannya, mencari dalih-dalih yang bisa mempertahankan ke-bid’ah-an mereka walaupun itu tidak ada dasarnya dari kedua sumber yang menjadi pegangan utama kita umat Islam.
Bid’ah menghancurkan agama yang haq, sebagaimana syaitan dari kaum jin dan manusia menginginkan, terutama dari kaum kafir dan munafik. Musuh agama ini mencoba merusak agama ini dengan berbagai cara dan senjata mereka yang paling ampuh adalah bid’ah! Mereka lakukan ini untuk mendistorsi dan merusak imej agama Islam dan menutup-nutupi esensi hakiki dari agama yang benar. Sebagai tambahan dari ini adalah, para penemu-penemu bid’ah ini akan memperoleh keuntungan material atau ketenaran dari praktek-praktek bid’ah ini.
Perkembangan teknologi seperti internet dan mobilitas umat yang tinggi turut membantu perkembangan bid’ah ini. Dan jangan lupa juga peranan ulama yang sengaja dirasuki nilai-nilai asing dan kebablasan dalam mempraktekan nilai-nilai itu dalam hal-hal ibadah yang sudah baku dalam Islam. Itulah sebabnya mengapa khatib pada setiap khutbah Jumat selalu mengingatkan kita,
Fa inna khairal hadiitsi kitabullah, wa khairal had yi had yu Muhammadin shalallah ‘alaihi wassaalam, wa syarrul umuuri muhdatsa tuha, wa kulla muhdatsatin bid’ah. Wa kulla bid’atin dha laalah, Wakulla dhalalatin finnaar!
Sebaik-baiknya topic pembicaraan adalah yang dari kitab Allah, sebaik-baiknya petunjuk adalah petunjuk Muhammad SAW, seburuk-buruknya masalah adalah penemuan hal-hal baru dalam beragama, setiap hal-hal yang baru adalah bid’ah, dan setiap bid’ah itu adalah sesat, dan setiap yang sesat itu tempatnya di neraka.
A’udzubillah min dzalik!
Peringatan maulud nabi, peringatan tahun baru dan peringatan-peringatan ‘keagamaan’ lain adalah bentuk bid’ah-bid’ah baru. Rasulullah SAW, para sahabat, generasi sesudah mereka tidak merayakan peristiwa-peristiwa ini walaupun mereka lebih tahu mengenai masalah ini. Ini adalah temuan yang dilakukan oleh generasi-generasi sesudah para tabiin meniru apa yang dilakukan oleh kaum Nasrani. Jangan kaget sebenarnya ini sudah diperkirakan oleh Nabi SAW,
“Kalian akan mengikuti amalan-amalan dari orang orang sebelum kamu (Yahudi dan Nasrani), selangkah demi selangkah, sedemikian rupa sehingga ketika mereka masuk sarang cicak, kalianpun mengikuti mereka!”
Sangat mencengangkan dan mengherankan kalau kita mengamati energi dan dedikasi yang dilakukan oleh para penganjur bid’ah. Seandainya mereka mencurahkan energi dan dedikasi yang sama untuk menegakkan sunnah. Memang syaitan membuat mata dan hati kita mudah terpesona dengan bid’ah dan menanamkan kesombongan dan keangkuhan dalam hati kita. Ketika orang mengingatkan kita akan bid’ah dan bahayanya , hati kita mengeras. Daripada mendengarkan apa yang dikatakannya, kita melihat siapa yang mengatakannya. Mencari alasan untuk membenarkan bid’ah dan menyerang si pemberi peringatan.
Ibnu Mas’ud RA, ketika beliau menjadi gubernur Kufah, mendengar kalau sekelompok orang berkumpul di sudut masjid mengelilingi Amr bin ‘Utbah, berdzikir bersama-sama dengan menggunakan batu kerikil untuk membantu mereka berzikir sampai hitungan seratus. Ibnu Mas’ud menyamar dan menghadiri majlis itu dan melihat sendiri apa yang mereka lakukan. Setelah melihat apa yang terjadi, beliau RA membuka samarannya dan berkata’ “Apakah kalian sudah memiliki pengetahuan lebih dari para sahabat Rasulullah atau telah menemukan bid’ah yang dzalim dan melampaui batas.” Ketika Amr bin ‘Utbah membantah kedua tuduhan tadi dan mengatakan bahwa mereka hanya sedang berdzikir mengingat Allah, Ibnu Mas’ud berkata, “Tidak, kalian sedang melakukan bid’ah!”
Ya Allah, tunjukan kepada kami bahwa yang benar itu benar dan beri kami kemudahan untuk mengikutinya, dan tunjukan kepada kami yang buruk itu sebagai suatu yang buruk dan beri kami kemudahan untuk menghindarinya, amin.
Qul inkuntum tuhibbuunallah fattabi ‘uunii yuhbibkumullahu wayagh firlakum, wallahu ghafururrahiim. Qul athi ‘ullaha warrasuul, faintawallaw fainnallaha laa yuhibbul kaafiriin (Ali ‘Imran 31-32)
Artinya; Katakanlah, ‘Jika kamu benar-benar mencintai Allah, ikutilah aku, niscaya Allah mengasihi dan mengampuni dosa-dosamu.’ Dan Allah Maha Pengampun lagi maha Penyayang. Katakanlah, ‘ Taatlah kepada Allah dan rasulNya; kalau kamu berpaling sesungguhnya Allah tidak menyukai orang-orang yang kafir.
Semoga uraian diatas bermanfaat dan bisa menjadi pemikiran bagi kita bersama. Sebagai orang yang diberi sedikit pengetahuan oleh Allah, saya berkewajiban untuk menyampaikan dan menyanggah apa yang saya pikir tidak benar. Sebagai orang yang dipercaya oleh masyarakat saya mencoba mangatakan yang benar walau itu pahit, karena tanggung jawab moral saya terhadap yang sudah memberi kepercayaan kepada saya dan yang terutama tanggung jawab saya kepada Allah. Ini ijtihad terbaik saya setelah beberapa hari ini membelajarkan diri. Saya mohon perlindungan dan ampunan dari Allah kalau dalam menyampaikan ini ada niat ria dan sombong. Saya juga mohon ampun dari Allah kalau apa-apa yang saya sampaikan ini tidak benar.
Melbourne January 9, 2008
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
HAJJ: A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
(PART THREE; Final)
Muhammed Edwars
Muhammed Edwars
I felt funny rubbing my hairless head. This was the first time in my life I was bald. I wouldn’t do this under normal condition. I used to be very proud of my black curly hair. But today I took that pride off my head. This was not the place to feel proud of yourselves, you were meant to be humble in front of your lord. By shaving off your head, you humbled yourself in front of Allah.I took a shower and changed my Ihram outfit with shirt and pants. I felt so relieved that I could change to my usual clothes after wearing two pieces of unsown ihram garment for five days. But at the same time I felt sad because I did not know when I would have the chance to wear it again.
31st December 2006
The only hajj ritual that we had to do on these days of Tashrik (11th, 12th and 13th of Dzulhijjah) was throwing the three Jamaratss for each day. We planned to go late in the afternoon to avoid the crowd. I spent a lot of time in the tent reading the Qur’an, performed optional prayers, remembering God and talking to different people in the tent.
There were two Canadian young men who seemed to read a lot and loved to share what they read. There was a very proud father from Melbourne whose ADHD teenage son found peace in Islam and saved money from his own wages to finance the trip. There was another Melbournian of Somali origin with whom I became close after we found out that we had lived close to each other. There was a man of my age from Malaysia who lived in Queensland and travelled with his wife who was always cheerful and ready to share one or two jokes with you. Another man of Malaysian Chinese origin also joined our small friendship group. He was a teacher at a secondary school like me too. So we spent a lot of time talking about education. But the most special above all was my orthopaedic surgeon doctor friend. I felt like I had known him for a long time. We originated from the same region in Sumatra which may contribute to our closeness. I spent a lot of time with him.
After Ashr, in the company of four other tent-mates we took off to the Jamaratss. The traffic was not too bad and we had a quiet confidence within ourselves that this time we knew where to go and what to do.
When we reached the Jamarats site, I became nervous. There were a lot more people than there were yesterday. This is the place where hundreds of people were killed during stampedes in previous years. I tried to calm myself down. Those three big tall pillars represented the Satan who tried to tempt Abraham (peace be upon him) not to sacrifice his son, Ismail. With that thought in my head, I said to myself that the situation should not deter me. But I did not want to be irrational and compromise my safety either!
I walked slowly and waited until the crowd became more subdued. As we approached the bridge that leads the crowd into two different levels to throw the Jamarats, I found a huge open space in front of me. My friend and I (we had separated from other three) decided that it was time to make our move towards the Jamarats. Masya Allah, we found that this time it was easier than yesterday. Rather than pushing others to get near those three oval shaped pillars, we waited patiently until we found space to move in. Alhamdulillah, we managed to complete this ritual without hurting others at all.
There was a little drama on the way back to our tent. A part of the road was closed by the police to ease the traffic and we were led to use an alternative road different to what we had taken the day before. At first we thought this was not going to matter because the two roads went side by side. But it did not take us very long to realise that the road took us in different direction. We soon found ourselves in the African nations’ quarter. Every police we asked was very friendly and tried to help us with their broken English, but it did not seem to help us get any closer to our tent. After about two hours wandering around without any clue where we were, I decided to use the map we found on the side of the road. Alhamdulillah, from there we found our way back to our tent. I was very sorry for my friend because he was not well. The dry chilly wind of Mina caused him to cough a lot.
1st January 2007
Today was the 12th of Dzulhijjah. Some groups had left their tents in the morning to throw the three Jamaratss so they could go to Mekah afterwards. You are given the option to leave Mina on the second day of Tashrik or complete the whole three days and leave for Mekah to complete your hajj ritual. I chose the later option.
I went to throw the Jamarats in the afternoon to avoid the crowd in the morning. It was an easy walk. My friend and I took many pictures along the way. On the side of the roads the campers dumped all sort of things - from their mattress to their cooking utensils. It was not a pretty thing to see. The authorities now had a massive cleaning job to do.
2nd of January 2007
We were told to pack up our stuff before throwing the Jamaratss in the morning. It did not take us long to pack because we did not have much anyway. I helped my Somalian friend to pack up because he was very sick. He had to ask someone else to throw the Jamaratss on his behalf.
When we got back to our tent around 3pm, his condition worsened. I ran to the polyclinic near by to find help but it was already closed. My doctor friend could not help either, because he himself was fighting a severe cold and was coughing badly. I was advised to seek help in Mekah.
I returned to the tent with the bad news. He was shaking and very pale. His temperature was very high. I gave him two Neurofen tablets and sponged him with cold tap water to reduce his body temperature.
Around 4pm the first bus for our group arrived. I was told to get on that bus with my sick Somalian friend. We were the only Non-Arabs on the bus and every body else seemed to know each other. When we left Mina I then realised that we were the last group to depart. But I was not to worry about that. I was more worried about my friend and the bus driver who seemed to have no idea how to get out of this Mina tent town. Every one tried to give him direction in loud Arabic (Thank God I did not understand what they said to the driver!). Eventually we got out of the tent area into the main road after an hour wandering around.
But our feeling of relief did not last very long. All of sudden the bus stopped in the middle lane of the three lane road. It ran out of the petrol! Next to where our bus had stopped in the first lane there was already another bus which had stopped for exactly the same reason!! I could not believe that this could happen accidentally in any part of the world. The two buses created an immense traffic jam behind us.
We were stuck there for about two hours before the driver eventually decided to do something about getting some petrol for the bus. He asked a by passer on a motorbike to take him to the nearest petrol station.
Some people decided to do Maghrib prayer on the side of the road while waiting. I preferred to wait until we got to our hotel and would combine Maghrib and Isha together.
We soon found out that the petrol did not help us greatly to reach the destination. The bus travelled well for about ten minutes until it reached Mekah. We were trapped in the middle of a massive traffic jam. The bus could barely move at all. Some people decided to leave the bus and walk to our hotel. I could not do that because my friend could not even open his eyes, not to mention walk to the hotel.
After another hour of not moving any where, the bus driver gave up. He told us that we had to get off the bus and walk to the hotel which was around 5 km from where we were. I wanted to object to that decision but found no other alternative.
I asked my friend if he could walk. He said that he could, but his head would have landed on the asphalt when he tried to get off the bus if I did not hold his hand when he fell.
We saw a chemist and went in. They suggested that we should take him to the hospital straight away. But there was no hospital near by! We then decided that walking to the hotel was what we had to do now. We walked and stopped every now and then. Finally we reached the Sacred Mosque, but on the other side, not on our hotel side. That meant we had to walk around the Mosque and walk another ten minutes to get to our hotel.
When we finally reached the hotel we learnt that we would not obtain a room until the next morning. This chaos was caused by the miscalculation about the Arafah day which fell one day earlier.
3rd January 2007
They took care of my sick friend and told me that I could go to the third floor and sleep on the couch in the corridor while waiting for the room.
On the third floor I found my Malaysian friend and his wife were already there. I rested my exhausted body on the couch for a while and tried to regain my strength before heading to the Masjidil Haraam to perform Tawaaf Ifadhah and Sa’i to complete my hajj ritual.
That was the hardest and the longest Tawaaf. I completed the seven rounds by slowly dragging my worn out legs through the stampede of people who never stopped chanting the greatness of Allah and appeal to Him.
Once I accomplished my Tawaaf, I performed two units of shalat behind the station of Ibraheem and made the move towards the Safa and Marwah. I grabbed a glass of Zam-zam water along the way and took a rest before joining the massive crowd to perform Sa’i.
After two rounds from Safa to Marwah and back to Safa, I decided to continue the remaining five rounds on the second floor. I virtually dragged my body up on every step in the staircase. I was so relieved to find that second floor was less crowded. I proceeded to finish off the rounds in a little easier circumstance.
When I finished these last two rituals it was already 2am. I walked to a tandoori chicken shop to buy two boxes of chicken and rice for the Malaysian couple and myself. I was too tired to finish the whole box and fell asleep within minutes.
I woke up around 5.30am when I heard the call for prayer from the Mosque. There was no way I could make it to the Mosque on time to pray. I prayed in the hotel Mushalla downstairs.
When I finished praying I came to the reception to find out whether my room was ready. To my surprise, I was handed the key card straight away. I collected my belonging from the third floor corridor and went to my room. I occupied the same room as before but I had two new room mates. I washed myself and slept to refresh my body.
4th January 2007
It was so good to be able to come back to the Sacred Mosque and to be able to perform the five daily prayers there. I woke up around 2.30 in the morning and left for the Mosque. At the Mosque I went around the Ka’bah seven times to replace the two unit prayer we normally do when we enter a Mosque. After the prayer I found a spot under the roof where I could see the Ka’bah without being blocked those huge pillars which surround the Mosque. I read the Qur’an while waiting for the call to perform the optional tahajud prayer. After Tahajud prayer I prayed Subh and returned to the hotel around 6am.
We had breakfast in the hotel at 7am. This was the best time to catch up with friends and get to know new people. After breakfast I rested in bed and made a phone call to my family in Melbourne. I got out of bed around 11am and cleaned myself to go to the Mosque. I went to the Mosque to perform Dzuhr and bought lunch from the shop nearby. After lunch I came back to the Mosque and stayed until Ashr.
When I arrived at the hotel lobby I met my Somalian friend who had recovered from that dreadful illness. He looked really well and happy. We went to visit some other friends in their room and had a cup of tea while waiting for Maghrib time.
We went to the Mosque together and stayed there until Isha. After Isha we went to buy a takeaway dinner and returned to the hotel.
5th January 2007
Today was the last Friday for me before I went back home. I went to the Mosque about 10am and find the best spot where I could see the Imam for Friday prayer. When I arrived in the Mosque, there weren’t many people there. But after that millions of people arrived filling in every possible spot in the Mosque. I would have then been forced to pray outside the Mosque if I had been half an hour late.
After the Maghrib prayer I received a text message from a friend who wanted to see me. We agreed to meet outside the Mosque under the clock tower. On the way to the meeting point I met another Melbourne alumnus who used to teach in our Sunday Madrasah. She came with her husband. After a nostalgic chat, I went to my friend’s luxury hotel to pick up a package someone in Melbourne had sent me through him. The hotel was not far, it took us only about ten minutes walk. I was a kind of curious to find out what was inside the package. To my amazement, it was two books of Hajj Guide. It would have been very useful if I had received the book some three weeks earlier.
6th January 2007
I went to the top floor to perform the seven circumambulations this morning. I had to walk longer because of the bigger circumference but it took about the same time to complete because of there being less people than on the ground floor. The Ka’bah looked so beautiful from up above. I took some photos using the camera I had smuggled in my shoe bag. The authority did not like people taking photos of the Ka’bah even the Mosque. If they caught you, they would confiscate your camera.
7th January 2007
Last night we were reminded that we were going to leave Mekah today. I was very emotional all morning. Between the night prayer and Subh, my eyes could not move from the black object that I turned to at least five times a day in worship of God. I realised that in terms of material, design or colour, there was nothing extraordinary about Ka’bah other than what it represents.
After breakfast I packed and took my luggage downstairs. Some friends joined me at Holy Mosque to perform farewell tawaaf. I was sobbing when I asked Allah to allow me to come back to the place with my family. I felt like I was going to leave someone I loved that I had known for a long time.
We did not need to wait very long this time. Our bus arrived around 11am and by 12pm we were on our way to the Jeddah airport. After an hour stopover for joined Dzuhr and Ashr, we arrived at the airport at around 4pm. We could not find a trolley anywhere to carry our luggage. Some porters came with trolleys from inside the airport and offered a trolley for 15 Saudi Riyal, Thank God, I still had my last 100 Riyal in my pocket. When I came to collect our luggage, we had to put in some more money for those who lowered our luggage from the roof of the bus.
The queue was very long and slow. Some people tried to jump in the line only to make me wonder how much their hajj impacts on their conduct. I finally entered the check in area but had no clue which desk I should go to.
The check in staff was very nice and everything went well until one of them found out that I had only one name in my passport. He told me that he had to get a confirmation from the Australian foreign affair office in Canberra about my visa status before they could let me board the plane. I tried to argue by showing them my Permanent Resident visa copy in my passport but they did not move.
It was midnight in Australia. I did not know how long I’d have to wait until they got a reply. I was waiting, waiting and waiting. I moved somewhere else because the young Indonesian man smoked while talking to his family. Finally they received confirmation (of course!) and let me through.
We were given a copy of the Qur’an as we went into the restricted area. The man lining up next to me was a Filipino Christian. He was telling me how much he loved living in Jeddah but remained a strong Christian believer.
I stopped in a little Mushalla to pray Maghrib and Ashr before heading to the departure gate. When I finished praying, a friend gave me a chicken wrap which I ate immediately because I was really hungry. In the waiting lounge I met some friends from our group already there.
All of sudden I felt my stomach was very upset. I quickly went to the nearest toilet. I had diarrhoea, I was sweating and my body was shaking. For the next 2 hours in the waiting lounge I had to go to the toilet several times and this continued on the flight to Abu Dhabi and all the way to Singapore. I vomited few times and felt really weak. The toilet in the economy class was not diarrhoea sufferer friendly. It was not only about the size of the room which was inconvenient, but you had to queue in the line as well! The attendants tried to ease my suffering by giving some medication but it did not help.
8th January 2007
We landed in Singapore airport around 5am. The only thing that had gone into my stomach in the last twelve hours was hot sweet tea. I continued going to and from the toilet when I was in the airport. I met a very nice couple from Sydney who originated from the same area of me in Sumatra, but my stomach hindered me from having a decent conversation with them.
We had to stay in the airport waiting for our evening flight to Melbourne. I entertained myself watching sport programs on the big screen, sat by a beautiful fish pond, checking email and window shopping in between toilet visits.
After Ashr prayer I spoke to the leader of the group and told him that my wife was pregnant. He asked me whether I made a special invocation and I told him that I asked Allah to grant me a daughter. We talked about several girl names and their meaning but I told him that my wife and our two boys especially liked the name ‘Sarah’. He told me that he was surrounded by many Sarahs and that he liked that name too. Later when our daughter was born, we named her Sarah.
9th January 2007
I went through similar hardship on the flight to Melbourne thanks to my diarrhoea. I did not complain. Deep in my heart I was grateful to Allah that I did not have this problem when I was doing the Hajj. On top of that, the excitement of seeing my two boys and my pregnant wife defeated all of that suffering. I went through Customs and Quarantine without any drama other than another toilet stop in between.
When I went through the arrival gate, I tried to find my family. I saw them and waved to them but they did not respond until I came near them. Then I realised that I looked very different compared to a month ago when I left them. I had grown a beard and was bald. It was so good to see my family again. I talked to them on a daily basis when I was away, but I still missed them a lot.
We went home only to find out that I had left my backpack in the airport car park. I rang the lost property office immediately but they told me no one had handed them a brown backpack with a passport, a digital camera, a gold bracelet, four copies of Qur’an and other valuable things. I then decided to drive back to the airport car park with the hope that it was still there.
It was not there. I was so disappointed to lose the bracelet for my wife and all the pictures in the camera. My wife tried to entertain me. Before we went back home, I made a last attempt by going to the lost property office to try my luck. The lady in the office told me that I was in a big trouble when I told her that I had rung before about my backpack. She told me that the police had been called when someone spotted my backpack. The police became suspicious when they found copies of Qur’an inside. They brought it to the lost property only after a thorough search and did not find anything suspicious. Alhamdulillah!
31st December 2006
The only hajj ritual that we had to do on these days of Tashrik (11th, 12th and 13th of Dzulhijjah) was throwing the three Jamaratss for each day. We planned to go late in the afternoon to avoid the crowd. I spent a lot of time in the tent reading the Qur’an, performed optional prayers, remembering God and talking to different people in the tent.
There were two Canadian young men who seemed to read a lot and loved to share what they read. There was a very proud father from Melbourne whose ADHD teenage son found peace in Islam and saved money from his own wages to finance the trip. There was another Melbournian of Somali origin with whom I became close after we found out that we had lived close to each other. There was a man of my age from Malaysia who lived in Queensland and travelled with his wife who was always cheerful and ready to share one or two jokes with you. Another man of Malaysian Chinese origin also joined our small friendship group. He was a teacher at a secondary school like me too. So we spent a lot of time talking about education. But the most special above all was my orthopaedic surgeon doctor friend. I felt like I had known him for a long time. We originated from the same region in Sumatra which may contribute to our closeness. I spent a lot of time with him.
After Ashr, in the company of four other tent-mates we took off to the Jamaratss. The traffic was not too bad and we had a quiet confidence within ourselves that this time we knew where to go and what to do.
When we reached the Jamarats site, I became nervous. There were a lot more people than there were yesterday. This is the place where hundreds of people were killed during stampedes in previous years. I tried to calm myself down. Those three big tall pillars represented the Satan who tried to tempt Abraham (peace be upon him) not to sacrifice his son, Ismail. With that thought in my head, I said to myself that the situation should not deter me. But I did not want to be irrational and compromise my safety either!
I walked slowly and waited until the crowd became more subdued. As we approached the bridge that leads the crowd into two different levels to throw the Jamarats, I found a huge open space in front of me. My friend and I (we had separated from other three) decided that it was time to make our move towards the Jamarats. Masya Allah, we found that this time it was easier than yesterday. Rather than pushing others to get near those three oval shaped pillars, we waited patiently until we found space to move in. Alhamdulillah, we managed to complete this ritual without hurting others at all.
There was a little drama on the way back to our tent. A part of the road was closed by the police to ease the traffic and we were led to use an alternative road different to what we had taken the day before. At first we thought this was not going to matter because the two roads went side by side. But it did not take us very long to realise that the road took us in different direction. We soon found ourselves in the African nations’ quarter. Every police we asked was very friendly and tried to help us with their broken English, but it did not seem to help us get any closer to our tent. After about two hours wandering around without any clue where we were, I decided to use the map we found on the side of the road. Alhamdulillah, from there we found our way back to our tent. I was very sorry for my friend because he was not well. The dry chilly wind of Mina caused him to cough a lot.
1st January 2007
Today was the 12th of Dzulhijjah. Some groups had left their tents in the morning to throw the three Jamaratss so they could go to Mekah afterwards. You are given the option to leave Mina on the second day of Tashrik or complete the whole three days and leave for Mekah to complete your hajj ritual. I chose the later option.
I went to throw the Jamarats in the afternoon to avoid the crowd in the morning. It was an easy walk. My friend and I took many pictures along the way. On the side of the roads the campers dumped all sort of things - from their mattress to their cooking utensils. It was not a pretty thing to see. The authorities now had a massive cleaning job to do.
2nd of January 2007
We were told to pack up our stuff before throwing the Jamaratss in the morning. It did not take us long to pack because we did not have much anyway. I helped my Somalian friend to pack up because he was very sick. He had to ask someone else to throw the Jamaratss on his behalf.
When we got back to our tent around 3pm, his condition worsened. I ran to the polyclinic near by to find help but it was already closed. My doctor friend could not help either, because he himself was fighting a severe cold and was coughing badly. I was advised to seek help in Mekah.
I returned to the tent with the bad news. He was shaking and very pale. His temperature was very high. I gave him two Neurofen tablets and sponged him with cold tap water to reduce his body temperature.
Around 4pm the first bus for our group arrived. I was told to get on that bus with my sick Somalian friend. We were the only Non-Arabs on the bus and every body else seemed to know each other. When we left Mina I then realised that we were the last group to depart. But I was not to worry about that. I was more worried about my friend and the bus driver who seemed to have no idea how to get out of this Mina tent town. Every one tried to give him direction in loud Arabic (Thank God I did not understand what they said to the driver!). Eventually we got out of the tent area into the main road after an hour wandering around.
But our feeling of relief did not last very long. All of sudden the bus stopped in the middle lane of the three lane road. It ran out of the petrol! Next to where our bus had stopped in the first lane there was already another bus which had stopped for exactly the same reason!! I could not believe that this could happen accidentally in any part of the world. The two buses created an immense traffic jam behind us.
We were stuck there for about two hours before the driver eventually decided to do something about getting some petrol for the bus. He asked a by passer on a motorbike to take him to the nearest petrol station.
Some people decided to do Maghrib prayer on the side of the road while waiting. I preferred to wait until we got to our hotel and would combine Maghrib and Isha together.
We soon found out that the petrol did not help us greatly to reach the destination. The bus travelled well for about ten minutes until it reached Mekah. We were trapped in the middle of a massive traffic jam. The bus could barely move at all. Some people decided to leave the bus and walk to our hotel. I could not do that because my friend could not even open his eyes, not to mention walk to the hotel.
After another hour of not moving any where, the bus driver gave up. He told us that we had to get off the bus and walk to the hotel which was around 5 km from where we were. I wanted to object to that decision but found no other alternative.
I asked my friend if he could walk. He said that he could, but his head would have landed on the asphalt when he tried to get off the bus if I did not hold his hand when he fell.
We saw a chemist and went in. They suggested that we should take him to the hospital straight away. But there was no hospital near by! We then decided that walking to the hotel was what we had to do now. We walked and stopped every now and then. Finally we reached the Sacred Mosque, but on the other side, not on our hotel side. That meant we had to walk around the Mosque and walk another ten minutes to get to our hotel.
When we finally reached the hotel we learnt that we would not obtain a room until the next morning. This chaos was caused by the miscalculation about the Arafah day which fell one day earlier.
3rd January 2007
They took care of my sick friend and told me that I could go to the third floor and sleep on the couch in the corridor while waiting for the room.
On the third floor I found my Malaysian friend and his wife were already there. I rested my exhausted body on the couch for a while and tried to regain my strength before heading to the Masjidil Haraam to perform Tawaaf Ifadhah and Sa’i to complete my hajj ritual.
That was the hardest and the longest Tawaaf. I completed the seven rounds by slowly dragging my worn out legs through the stampede of people who never stopped chanting the greatness of Allah and appeal to Him.
Once I accomplished my Tawaaf, I performed two units of shalat behind the station of Ibraheem and made the move towards the Safa and Marwah. I grabbed a glass of Zam-zam water along the way and took a rest before joining the massive crowd to perform Sa’i.
After two rounds from Safa to Marwah and back to Safa, I decided to continue the remaining five rounds on the second floor. I virtually dragged my body up on every step in the staircase. I was so relieved to find that second floor was less crowded. I proceeded to finish off the rounds in a little easier circumstance.
When I finished these last two rituals it was already 2am. I walked to a tandoori chicken shop to buy two boxes of chicken and rice for the Malaysian couple and myself. I was too tired to finish the whole box and fell asleep within minutes.
I woke up around 5.30am when I heard the call for prayer from the Mosque. There was no way I could make it to the Mosque on time to pray. I prayed in the hotel Mushalla downstairs.
When I finished praying I came to the reception to find out whether my room was ready. To my surprise, I was handed the key card straight away. I collected my belonging from the third floor corridor and went to my room. I occupied the same room as before but I had two new room mates. I washed myself and slept to refresh my body.
4th January 2007
It was so good to be able to come back to the Sacred Mosque and to be able to perform the five daily prayers there. I woke up around 2.30 in the morning and left for the Mosque. At the Mosque I went around the Ka’bah seven times to replace the two unit prayer we normally do when we enter a Mosque. After the prayer I found a spot under the roof where I could see the Ka’bah without being blocked those huge pillars which surround the Mosque. I read the Qur’an while waiting for the call to perform the optional tahajud prayer. After Tahajud prayer I prayed Subh and returned to the hotel around 6am.
We had breakfast in the hotel at 7am. This was the best time to catch up with friends and get to know new people. After breakfast I rested in bed and made a phone call to my family in Melbourne. I got out of bed around 11am and cleaned myself to go to the Mosque. I went to the Mosque to perform Dzuhr and bought lunch from the shop nearby. After lunch I came back to the Mosque and stayed until Ashr.
When I arrived at the hotel lobby I met my Somalian friend who had recovered from that dreadful illness. He looked really well and happy. We went to visit some other friends in their room and had a cup of tea while waiting for Maghrib time.
We went to the Mosque together and stayed there until Isha. After Isha we went to buy a takeaway dinner and returned to the hotel.
5th January 2007
Today was the last Friday for me before I went back home. I went to the Mosque about 10am and find the best spot where I could see the Imam for Friday prayer. When I arrived in the Mosque, there weren’t many people there. But after that millions of people arrived filling in every possible spot in the Mosque. I would have then been forced to pray outside the Mosque if I had been half an hour late.
After the Maghrib prayer I received a text message from a friend who wanted to see me. We agreed to meet outside the Mosque under the clock tower. On the way to the meeting point I met another Melbourne alumnus who used to teach in our Sunday Madrasah. She came with her husband. After a nostalgic chat, I went to my friend’s luxury hotel to pick up a package someone in Melbourne had sent me through him. The hotel was not far, it took us only about ten minutes walk. I was a kind of curious to find out what was inside the package. To my amazement, it was two books of Hajj Guide. It would have been very useful if I had received the book some three weeks earlier.
6th January 2007
I went to the top floor to perform the seven circumambulations this morning. I had to walk longer because of the bigger circumference but it took about the same time to complete because of there being less people than on the ground floor. The Ka’bah looked so beautiful from up above. I took some photos using the camera I had smuggled in my shoe bag. The authority did not like people taking photos of the Ka’bah even the Mosque. If they caught you, they would confiscate your camera.
7th January 2007
Last night we were reminded that we were going to leave Mekah today. I was very emotional all morning. Between the night prayer and Subh, my eyes could not move from the black object that I turned to at least five times a day in worship of God. I realised that in terms of material, design or colour, there was nothing extraordinary about Ka’bah other than what it represents.
After breakfast I packed and took my luggage downstairs. Some friends joined me at Holy Mosque to perform farewell tawaaf. I was sobbing when I asked Allah to allow me to come back to the place with my family. I felt like I was going to leave someone I loved that I had known for a long time.
We did not need to wait very long this time. Our bus arrived around 11am and by 12pm we were on our way to the Jeddah airport. After an hour stopover for joined Dzuhr and Ashr, we arrived at the airport at around 4pm. We could not find a trolley anywhere to carry our luggage. Some porters came with trolleys from inside the airport and offered a trolley for 15 Saudi Riyal, Thank God, I still had my last 100 Riyal in my pocket. When I came to collect our luggage, we had to put in some more money for those who lowered our luggage from the roof of the bus.
The queue was very long and slow. Some people tried to jump in the line only to make me wonder how much their hajj impacts on their conduct. I finally entered the check in area but had no clue which desk I should go to.
The check in staff was very nice and everything went well until one of them found out that I had only one name in my passport. He told me that he had to get a confirmation from the Australian foreign affair office in Canberra about my visa status before they could let me board the plane. I tried to argue by showing them my Permanent Resident visa copy in my passport but they did not move.
It was midnight in Australia. I did not know how long I’d have to wait until they got a reply. I was waiting, waiting and waiting. I moved somewhere else because the young Indonesian man smoked while talking to his family. Finally they received confirmation (of course!) and let me through.
We were given a copy of the Qur’an as we went into the restricted area. The man lining up next to me was a Filipino Christian. He was telling me how much he loved living in Jeddah but remained a strong Christian believer.
I stopped in a little Mushalla to pray Maghrib and Ashr before heading to the departure gate. When I finished praying, a friend gave me a chicken wrap which I ate immediately because I was really hungry. In the waiting lounge I met some friends from our group already there.
All of sudden I felt my stomach was very upset. I quickly went to the nearest toilet. I had diarrhoea, I was sweating and my body was shaking. For the next 2 hours in the waiting lounge I had to go to the toilet several times and this continued on the flight to Abu Dhabi and all the way to Singapore. I vomited few times and felt really weak. The toilet in the economy class was not diarrhoea sufferer friendly. It was not only about the size of the room which was inconvenient, but you had to queue in the line as well! The attendants tried to ease my suffering by giving some medication but it did not help.
8th January 2007
We landed in Singapore airport around 5am. The only thing that had gone into my stomach in the last twelve hours was hot sweet tea. I continued going to and from the toilet when I was in the airport. I met a very nice couple from Sydney who originated from the same area of me in Sumatra, but my stomach hindered me from having a decent conversation with them.
We had to stay in the airport waiting for our evening flight to Melbourne. I entertained myself watching sport programs on the big screen, sat by a beautiful fish pond, checking email and window shopping in between toilet visits.
After Ashr prayer I spoke to the leader of the group and told him that my wife was pregnant. He asked me whether I made a special invocation and I told him that I asked Allah to grant me a daughter. We talked about several girl names and their meaning but I told him that my wife and our two boys especially liked the name ‘Sarah’. He told me that he was surrounded by many Sarahs and that he liked that name too. Later when our daughter was born, we named her Sarah.
9th January 2007
I went through similar hardship on the flight to Melbourne thanks to my diarrhoea. I did not complain. Deep in my heart I was grateful to Allah that I did not have this problem when I was doing the Hajj. On top of that, the excitement of seeing my two boys and my pregnant wife defeated all of that suffering. I went through Customs and Quarantine without any drama other than another toilet stop in between.
When I went through the arrival gate, I tried to find my family. I saw them and waved to them but they did not respond until I came near them. Then I realised that I looked very different compared to a month ago when I left them. I had grown a beard and was bald. It was so good to see my family again. I talked to them on a daily basis when I was away, but I still missed them a lot.
We went home only to find out that I had left my backpack in the airport car park. I rang the lost property office immediately but they told me no one had handed them a brown backpack with a passport, a digital camera, a gold bracelet, four copies of Qur’an and other valuable things. I then decided to drive back to the airport car park with the hope that it was still there.
It was not there. I was so disappointed to lose the bracelet for my wife and all the pictures in the camera. My wife tried to entertain me. Before we went back home, I made a last attempt by going to the lost property office to try my luck. The lady in the office told me that I was in a big trouble when I told her that I had rung before about my backpack. She told me that the police had been called when someone spotted my backpack. The police became suspicious when they found copies of Qur’an inside. They brought it to the lost property only after a thorough search and did not find anything suspicious. Alhamdulillah!
Friday, November 9, 2007
Backyard Tae Kwon Do
Furqon and Abdullah are practicing hard to ensure that they are good enough to protect their l'l sister
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