Specially dedicate to my beloved Siti Fatimah Ahmad Kamal for being here..Insyallah everything will be in place with His guidance. My Doa will always for our relationship.
I love you Sayang!!!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Friday, December 4, 2009
saturday 5th of december
saturday 5th of december 2009 at 00:32 am.
I just reached home after settled my sister wedding preparation for today. Now that i'm aware that we are almost to closed the curtain for 2009 and need to think for the upcoming year.
After all the obstacles n bounderies that i've been through. Now i felt really glad that i've made it through with Allah swt bless and guidance that the Almighty guided me. I always believed that with the doa, Allah swt will always help us and sometime He thought us to be a better person.
Even though i've benn gone through with hard time for this year. I always believed that there will be a brighter day waiting for me in the future. It just a matter of time. I need to think for my future now and leaved all the hard times behind for me to keep on walking forward or move forward. Now i'm planning to persuit my study and planning to do that next year with Allah swt will.
I'm glad now for who i am and will take any outcome, obstacle and bounderies in the future with open heart and open mind. Will always pray to Allah to guide me in anything that i do. Insyallah.
Just food for thought.
And We will make it easy for thee (to follow) the simple path. Surah al-a'la verse 8
May Allah swt bless you guys Ameen.
I just reached home after settled my sister wedding preparation for today. Now that i'm aware that we are almost to closed the curtain for 2009 and need to think for the upcoming year.
After all the obstacles n bounderies that i've been through. Now i felt really glad that i've made it through with Allah swt bless and guidance that the Almighty guided me. I always believed that with the doa, Allah swt will always help us and sometime He thought us to be a better person.
Even though i've benn gone through with hard time for this year. I always believed that there will be a brighter day waiting for me in the future. It just a matter of time. I need to think for my future now and leaved all the hard times behind for me to keep on walking forward or move forward. Now i'm planning to persuit my study and planning to do that next year with Allah swt will.
I'm glad now for who i am and will take any outcome, obstacle and bounderies in the future with open heart and open mind. Will always pray to Allah to guide me in anything that i do. Insyallah.
Just food for thought.
And We will make it easy for thee (to follow) the simple path. Surah al-a'la verse 8
May Allah swt bless you guys Ameen.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
WASIAT AL-QAMAH
WASIAT AL-QAMAH
Sifat-sifat yang perlu ada pada seseorang yang ingin kita jadikan sahabat bolehlah kita contohi daripada wasiat yang diberikan oleh al-Qamah kepada anaknya…
Katanya:
“Hai anakku, jikalau engkau rasa perlu bersahabat dengan seseorang maka pilihlah yang mempunyai sifat-sifat ini iaitu:
1. Jikalau engkau melayaninya, ia suka melindungi.
2. Jika engkau bersahabat dengannya, ia akan merupakan hiasan dirimu.
3. Jika engkau dalam keadaan kekurangan nafkah, ia suka mencukupi keperluanmu.
4. Pilihlah seorang sahabat yang apabila engkau menghulurkan tangan untuk memberikan jasa baik atau bantuanmu, ia suka menerima dengan rasa terharu, jikalau ia melihat kebaikan yang ada pada dirimu, ia suka menghitung-hitungkan.
5. Pilihlah seorang sahabat yang apabila engkau menghulurkan tangan untuk memberikan jasa baik atau bantuanmu, ia suka menerima dengan rasa terharu,dan dianggap sangat berguna, sedangkan jikalau ia mengetahui tentang keburukan dirimu lalu ia suka menutupinya.
6. Pilihlah sahabat yang jikalau engkau meminta sesuatu daripadanya, pasti ia memberi, jikalau engkau diam, ia mulai menyapamu dahulu dan jika ada sesuatu kesukaran dan kesedihan yang menimpa dirimu, ia suka membantu dan meringankanmu serta menghiburkanmu.
7. Pilihlah sahabat yang jikalau engkau berkata, ia suka membenarkan ucapan dan bukan selalu mempercayainya sahaja. Jikalau engkau mengemukakan sesuatu persoalan yang berat, ia suka mengusahakannya dan jikalau engkau berselisih dengannya, ia suka sekali mengalah untuk kepentinganmu.”
Saiyidina Ali KWJ menjelaskan tentang sahabat yang baik. Antara lain, beliau menyatakan:
“Sahabat yang sebenar-benarnya ialah orang yang ada di sampingmu. Ia suka membabitkan dirinya sendiri dalam bahaya demi untuk kesejahteraanmu.”
Sifat-sifat yang perlu ada pada seseorang yang ingin kita jadikan sahabat bolehlah kita contohi daripada wasiat yang diberikan oleh al-Qamah kepada anaknya…
Katanya:
“Hai anakku, jikalau engkau rasa perlu bersahabat dengan seseorang maka pilihlah yang mempunyai sifat-sifat ini iaitu:
1. Jikalau engkau melayaninya, ia suka melindungi.
2. Jika engkau bersahabat dengannya, ia akan merupakan hiasan dirimu.
3. Jika engkau dalam keadaan kekurangan nafkah, ia suka mencukupi keperluanmu.
4. Pilihlah seorang sahabat yang apabila engkau menghulurkan tangan untuk memberikan jasa baik atau bantuanmu, ia suka menerima dengan rasa terharu, jikalau ia melihat kebaikan yang ada pada dirimu, ia suka menghitung-hitungkan.
5. Pilihlah seorang sahabat yang apabila engkau menghulurkan tangan untuk memberikan jasa baik atau bantuanmu, ia suka menerima dengan rasa terharu,dan dianggap sangat berguna, sedangkan jikalau ia mengetahui tentang keburukan dirimu lalu ia suka menutupinya.
6. Pilihlah sahabat yang jikalau engkau meminta sesuatu daripadanya, pasti ia memberi, jikalau engkau diam, ia mulai menyapamu dahulu dan jika ada sesuatu kesukaran dan kesedihan yang menimpa dirimu, ia suka membantu dan meringankanmu serta menghiburkanmu.
7. Pilihlah sahabat yang jikalau engkau berkata, ia suka membenarkan ucapan dan bukan selalu mempercayainya sahaja. Jikalau engkau mengemukakan sesuatu persoalan yang berat, ia suka mengusahakannya dan jikalau engkau berselisih dengannya, ia suka sekali mengalah untuk kepentinganmu.”
Saiyidina Ali KWJ menjelaskan tentang sahabat yang baik. Antara lain, beliau menyatakan:
“Sahabat yang sebenar-benarnya ialah orang yang ada di sampingmu. Ia suka membabitkan dirinya sendiri dalam bahaya demi untuk kesejahteraanmu.”
Monday, September 21, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Don't Be Angry
First, try not to get angry. Sometimes we're tested by being bullied or pushed, often there'll be someone who wants to show that they are better or stronger than you; they go out of their way to prove it and make you feel small. Well? What do we do?
The Prophet, peace be upon him, was once asked by a man to give him advice. The Prophet told him, "La taghdab!' Which means, "Don't be angry!' But the man didn't listen, and kept on repeating his request. The Prophet, peace be upon him, just kept on telling him the same answer, "Don't be angry! Don't be angry!'
The Prophet, peace be upon him, was once asked by a man to give him advice. The Prophet told him, "La taghdab!' Which means, "Don't be angry!' But the man didn't listen, and kept on repeating his request. The Prophet, peace be upon him, just kept on telling him the same answer, "Don't be angry! Don't be angry!'
Monday, June 22, 2009
Apabila Zina Lebih Mudah Daripada Kahwin
Apabila Zina Lebih Mudah Daripada Kahwin
By Dr. Mohd Asri
Minggu depan adalah minggu terakhir saya sebagai Mufti Negeri Perlis. Tulisan hari ini adalah yang kedua sebelum yang terakhir pada minggu hadapan. Banyak perkara yang ingin saya kongsikan sepanjang tempoh dua tahun menjadi mufti.
Namun, nampaknya saya terpaksa tangguhkan terlebih dahulu hasrat itu kerana buat penghabisan kali di atas jawatan ini saya ingin menyentuh kerenah perkahwinan dalam negara ini. Hal ini penting terutama menjelang musim cuti sekolah kerana ramai yang akan berkahwin.
Antara peruntuh nilai-nilai baik dalam kehidupan manusia hari ini adalah apabila dimudahkan yang haram dan disukarkan yang halal. Sedangkan Islam menyuruh kita membentuk suasana atau iklim kehidupan yang menyukarkan yang haram dan memudah yang halal. Itulah tanggungjawab pemerintah dan umat iaitu menegak yang makruf dan mencegah yang munkar.
Menegak yang makruf itu adalah dengan cara menyuruh, memudah dan membantu ke arah tersebut. Sementara mencegah yang munkar adalah dengan cara menghalang, melarang dan menyukarkan jalan untuk sampai kepadanya. Namun, jika masyarakat hari ini menyusahkan yang halal dan menyenangkan yang haram, tanda kita begitu menjauhi ruh syariat islam yang hakiki yang diturunkan oleh Allah s.w.t.
Antara perkara yang selalu disusahkan adalah urusan perkahwinan. Kesusahan membina rumahtangga itu kadang-kala bermula dari keluarga sehingga ‘ketidak fahaman’ tok kadi dan seterusnya pengurusan pejabat agama dan mahkamah syariah. Kerenah-keranah yang berbagai telah memangsakan hasrat pasangan untuk mendapat ‘nikmat seks’ secara halal. Lebih menyedihkan apabila kerenah-keranah itu wujud disebabkan kepentingan-kepentingan luar yang bukan kepentingan pasangan secara langsung.
Umpamanya, urusan kenduri kahwin atau walimah telah dijadikan jambatan kesombongan ibubapa atau keluarga sehingga ditangguh perkahwinan bagi memboleh kenduri besar-besaran dibuat demi menjaga taraf ‘jenama keluarga’. Sehingga ada pasangan yang terpaksa menunggu bertahun kerananya.
Apatah jika keluarga membebankan semua belanja kepada bakal pengantin. Maka bakal pengantin terpaksa mengikat ‘nafsu seks’ hanya kerana hendak menjaga nafsu menunjuk-nunjuk keluarga. Walaupun kenduri kahwin itu disuruh, namun memadailah dengan kadar yang termampu. Tidak semestinya ‘ditumbangkan’ seekor lembu, atau dipanggil orang sekampung atau sebandar, atau dijemput semua rakan taulan.
Seseorang mengadakannya dengan kadar kemampuannya, seperti sabda Nabi s.a.w:
“Buatlah walimah walaupun sekadar seekor kambing” (Riwayat al-Bukhari dan Muslim).
Dalam ertikata lain, jika hanya mampu kenduri laksa, atau bihun atau mee pun tidak mengapa, asalkan diadakan walimah. Apa yang penting perkahwinan yang halal telah dilunaskan. Janganlah macam orang dulu apabila anaknya sebut ingin berkahwin, bapanya akan bertanya; “kau dah ada lembu ke nak buat kenduri?”. Maka bertangguhlah hasrat si anak. Padahal bukan anaknya ingin berkahwin dengan lembu, dia ingin berkahwin dengan kekasihnya.
Sepatutnya si bapa bertanya: “kau dah ada pasangan ke?”. Itulah soalan yang betul. Lembu tidak termasuk dalam rukun nikah. Apa yang lebih buruk apabila ada pihak yang menjadikan medan walimah sebagai pentas menunjuk-nunjuk kekayaan harta lalu hanya dijemput orang yang ‘berjenama’ dan ditinggalkan saudara-mara, kawan-rakan, jiran-tetangga yang tidak setaraf.
Nabi s.a.w. bersabda:
“Seburuk makanan adalah makanan walimah yang dijemput orang kaya dan ditinggalkan orang miskin..” (Riwayat al-Bukhari dan Muslim).
Maka, menderitakan bakal suami-isteri disebabkan keangkuhan keluarga.
Saya bukan anti kursus kahwin. Amat baik kursus tersebut jika diuruskan dengan mantap dan betul. Dalam kursus tersebut boleh disampaikan maklumat hukum-hakam nikah yang disyariatkan Allah sehingga generasi muda dapat melihat betapa cantik dan indahnya Islam. Syariat Islam yang mudah dan penuh hikmat dapat diserap dalam pemikiran bakal pasangan, kursusnya mereka yang masih muda. Agar mereka dapat menyelami kehebatan ajaran Islam ini. Maka kursus itu menjadi saluran dakwah penuh professional, mantap, berkesan dalam jiwa dan penghayatan.
Malangnya, kursus kahwin hari ini seakan projek lumayan untuk mengaut yuran peserta. Bukan sedikit saya terima laporan seluruh negara penceramah kursus kahwin yang berunsur lucah, lawak bodoh serta menggambarkan Islam begitu menakut dan susah untuk difahami dan dihayati. Hukum-hakam diterangkan secara berbelit-belit dan menyerabutkan peserta. Maka, kita lihat walaupun yuran kursus nampaknya makin tinggi dan peserta semuanya diwajibkan berkursus, masalah keretakan rumah tangga bagi generasi baru makin meningkat.
Saya juga amat tidak selesa melihat tok kadi yang selalu mendera pengantin agar mengulang-ulang lafaz terima (ijab) ketika akad nikah kononnya belum sah. Akad itu digambarkan begitu sulit dan susah sehingga seseorang menjadi terketar-ketar untuk menyebutnya. Diatur ayat lafaz akad itu dengan begitu skima sehingga pengantin kesejukan untuk menghafalnya.
Padahal akad nikah hanyalah bagi menggambar persetujuan kedua belah pihak menjadi suami isteri yang sah. Apa-apa sahaja lafaz yang membawa maksud kepada tujuan tersebut maka ia sah. Jika bapa bakal isteri menyebut “saya nikahkan saudara dengan anak saya Fatimah”, lalu bakal suami menjawab: “saya terima, atau saya bersetuju” atau mungkin ditambah “saya terima nikahnya” atau “saya bersetuju bernikah dengannya” seperti yang diminta oleh sesetengah sarjana dalam Mazhab al-Syafi’i, maka sahlah ijab dan qabul tersebut. Tidak disyaratkan mesti satu nafas atau dua nafas atau berjabat tangan atau menyusun ayat dalam bahasa sanskrit lama atau ayat tok kadi yang digunakan sebelum merdeka.
Sehinggakan sarjana fekah semasa Dr Abd al-Karim Zaidan dalam karya al-Mufassal fi Ahkam al-Marah wa al-Bait al-Muslim menyebut:
“Jika seseorang lelaki berkata kepada lelaki yang lain: “Nikahkan saya dengan anak perempuan awak”, lalu si bapa itu menjawab: “Aku nikahkan engkau”. Atau si bapa berkata kepada bakal suami: “bernikahlah dengan anak perempuanku”. Lalu bakal suami menjawab: “aku nikahinya”. Kedua contoh di atas adalah sah nikah berdasarkan apa yang disebutkan dalam Sahih al-Bukhari dan Sahih Muslim: Sesungguhnya seorang arab badawi telah meminang wanita yang telah mempelawa dirinya untuk Nabi s.a.w (ingin berkahwin dengan Nabi s.a.w), arab badawi itu berkata:”Nikahilah dia denganku”. Jawab Nabi s.a.w.: “Aku nikahkan engkau dengannya bermaharkan al-Quran yang ada bersamamu”. (al-Mufassal, 6/87, Beirut: Muassasah al-Risalah).
Bahkan dalam Sahih al-Bukhari ada bab yang al-Imam al-Bukhari letakkan ia berbunyi: Bab Iza Qala al-Khatib li al-Wali Zawwijni Fulanah, faqala qad Zauwajtuka bi Kaza wa Kaza, Jaza al-Nikah Wa In Lam Yaqul li al-Zauj Aradita au Qabilta, maksudnya: Bab Apabila Lelaki Yang Meminang Berkata Kepada Wali Perempuan: “Kahwinilah aku dengan wanita berkenaan”, lalu dia menjawab: “Aku nikahkan engkau dengannya bermaharkan sekian dan sekian, maka sah nikahnya walaupun tidak ditanya si suami apakah engkau setuju, atau terima”.
Inilah kesimpulan yang dibuat oleh al-Imam al-Bukhari berdasarkan hadis-hadis dalam bab nikah yang diteliti olehnya. Apa yang penting proses ijab dan qabul amatlah mudah. Ia adalah lafaz yang difahami oleh kedua belah pihak serta dua saksi yang menjelaskan kehendak dan persetujuan untuk berkahwin atau menjadi suami dan isteri. Apabila proses itu berlaku maka ia sah.
Tidak pernah ada dalil yang menyatakan mestilah satu nafas, atau tidak terputus nafas seperti diada-adakan oleh sesetengah pihak. Paling tinggi yang boleh kita kata adalah tidak boleh ada ruang yang menyebabkan salah satu pihak mengelirukan atau dikelirukan dalam menyatakan persetujuan nikah. Justeru itu Syeikhul Islam Ibn Taimiyyah r.h (meninggal 728H) menyebut:
“Nikah itu terlaksana (sah) dengan apa sahaja yang dihitung oleh orang ramai sebagai nikah; dalam apa bahasa, atau lafaz atau perbuatan”. (petikan Sayyid Sabiq, Fiqh al-Sunnah, 2/355).
Apa yang ingin saya jelaskan betapa proses ijab qabul itu begitu mudah dan senang. Memadai jika bakal suami menjawab: “aku terima nikahnya”. Tidak timbul terpaksa berulang kali seperti yang dibuat oleh sesetengah pihak membuli pengantin. Jika jawapan yang diperlukan begitu ringkas dan jelas, dan pengantin pun telah melakukannya, mengapa pula ada tok kadi yang sengaja bertanya hadirin: perlu ulang ke? Lalu mereka pun dengan sukanya menyebut beramai-ramai ‘sekali lagi!, sekali lagi! Ini adalah permainan buli yang cuba dicampur aduk dengan hukum syarak.
Setelah berkahwin, rumahtangga yang dibina seperti yang diajar oleh Islam hendaklah menjadi syurga, bukan neraka. Jika perkahwinan tidak dapat membawa kebahgiaan, insan tidak disuruh memperjudikan hidup keseluruhan kerana isteri atau suaminya. Walaupun talak itu bukan perbuatan yang baik, namun ia dibenarkan jika terpaksa.
Insan mempunyai matlamat hidup, bukan sekadar untuk bertungkus lumus kerana masalah seorang lelaki atau wanita. Maka Islam mengajar cara-cara yang berbagai demi menyelamatkan rumah tangga dari talak. Jika gagal, Islam juga mengajar talak untuk mengelakkan kezaliman berlaku antara salah satu pihak; suami atau isteri. Firman Allah: (maksudnya)
“Dan apabila kamu menceraikan isteri-isteri (kamu) kemudian mereka (hampir) habis tempoh idahnya maka bolehlah kamu pegang mereka (rujuk) dengan cara yang baik atau lepaskan mereka dengan cara yang baik. dan janganlah kamu pegang mereka (rujuk semula) dengan tujuan memberi mudarat, kerana kamu hendak melakukan kezaliman (terhadap mereka); dan sesiapa yang melakukan demikian maka sesungguhnya dia menzalimi dirinya sendiri. dan janganlah kamu menjadikan ayat-ayat hukum Allah itu sebagai ejek-ejekan (dan permainan). dan kenanglah nikmat Allah yang diberikan kepada kamu, (dan kenanglah) apa yang diturunkan kepada kamu Iaitu Kitab (Al-Quran) dan hikmat, untuk memberi pengajaran kepada kamu dengannya. dan bertaqwalah kepada Allah serta ketahuilah: sesungguhnya Allah Maha mengetahui akan tiap-tiap sesuatu” (Surah al-Baqarah, ayat 231).
Jika penerusan perkahwinan hanya memberi mudarat kepada pasangan, maka talak itu disuruh oleh al-Quran. Malanglah kaum wanita yang sepatutnya telah dikeluarkan oleh al-Quran dari kezaliman atau kemudaratan si suami, tiba-tiba terjatuh dalam kezaliman batin akibat proses birokrasi mahkamah yang bernama syariah.
Maka, wanita hari ini ada yang terseksa batinnya kerana menunggu proses mahkamah yang kadang-kala memakan masa bertahun-tahun. Bagaimana mungkin isteri yang sudah tujuh lapan tahun suaminya tidak mengambil tahu soal nafkah zahir dan batin tetap disahkan oleh mahkamah bahawa dia masih suami sekalipun isteri berulang meminta dipisahkan. Kata Dr Karim ‘Abd al-Karim Zaidan menyebut:
“Jika suami gagal menunaikan nafkah untuk isteri, kadi memisah antara mereka jika isteri memilih untuk berpisah…Hal ini diriwayatkan dari sejumlah para sahabat dan tabi’in” (al-Mufassal, 7/217).
Beliau juga memetik apa yang disebut oleh al-Dardir dalam al-Syarh al-Kabir: “Bagi isteri boleh menuntut dipisahkan dari suami disebabkan mudarat yang dilakukannya; iaitu apa yang tidak diizinkan oleh syarak untuk dia buat seperti meninggalkan isteri atau memukulnya tanpa sebab dibenarkan syarak. Atau memaki dia atau bapanya seperti menyebut: Wahai anak anjing, atau wahai anak kafir! Atau wahai anak orang yang dilaknat”.
Dr Zaidan seterusnya memetik apa yang disebut oleh al-Imam Ibn Taimiyyah:
“Maka dianggap memberi mudarat kepada isteri yang boleh dipisah (dipasakh) apabila suami meninggalkan persetubuhan dalam apa keadaan sekalipun. Samada suami sengaja atau tidak sengaja”. (ibid 8/439).
Semua perbahasan yang begitu banyak boleh didapati dalam khazanah Islam itu menggambarkan rumahtangga untuk kebahagiaan hidup insan bukan untuk kedukaan mereka. Jika rumahtangga itu mengundang kedukaan, insan diberi peluang keluar oleh syarak untuk keluar dari daerah itu dengan segera. Malanglah, jika pintu keluar itu dihalang oleh kerenah biorokrasi mahkamah. Hakim barang kali ringan lidahnya menyebut: “kita tangguhkan perbicaraan kerana suami tidak hadir” sedangkan kesan jiwa begitu besar dan berat ditanggung oleh isteri.
Sebenarnya dalam Islam, jalan kepada halal dan kebahagian dibuka dengan begitu luas dan mudah. Dukacita, jika atas nama agama kita menyusahkan jalan yang halal dan dalam masa yang sama ada pula pihak-pihak lain yang memudahkan jalan yang haram. Perlaksanaan agama hendaklah bukan sahaja mendakwa adil, tetapi hendaklah juga kelihatan adil.
By Dr. Mohd Asri
Minggu depan adalah minggu terakhir saya sebagai Mufti Negeri Perlis. Tulisan hari ini adalah yang kedua sebelum yang terakhir pada minggu hadapan. Banyak perkara yang ingin saya kongsikan sepanjang tempoh dua tahun menjadi mufti.
Namun, nampaknya saya terpaksa tangguhkan terlebih dahulu hasrat itu kerana buat penghabisan kali di atas jawatan ini saya ingin menyentuh kerenah perkahwinan dalam negara ini. Hal ini penting terutama menjelang musim cuti sekolah kerana ramai yang akan berkahwin.
Antara peruntuh nilai-nilai baik dalam kehidupan manusia hari ini adalah apabila dimudahkan yang haram dan disukarkan yang halal. Sedangkan Islam menyuruh kita membentuk suasana atau iklim kehidupan yang menyukarkan yang haram dan memudah yang halal. Itulah tanggungjawab pemerintah dan umat iaitu menegak yang makruf dan mencegah yang munkar.
Menegak yang makruf itu adalah dengan cara menyuruh, memudah dan membantu ke arah tersebut. Sementara mencegah yang munkar adalah dengan cara menghalang, melarang dan menyukarkan jalan untuk sampai kepadanya. Namun, jika masyarakat hari ini menyusahkan yang halal dan menyenangkan yang haram, tanda kita begitu menjauhi ruh syariat islam yang hakiki yang diturunkan oleh Allah s.w.t.
Antara perkara yang selalu disusahkan adalah urusan perkahwinan. Kesusahan membina rumahtangga itu kadang-kala bermula dari keluarga sehingga ‘ketidak fahaman’ tok kadi dan seterusnya pengurusan pejabat agama dan mahkamah syariah. Kerenah-keranah yang berbagai telah memangsakan hasrat pasangan untuk mendapat ‘nikmat seks’ secara halal. Lebih menyedihkan apabila kerenah-keranah itu wujud disebabkan kepentingan-kepentingan luar yang bukan kepentingan pasangan secara langsung.
Umpamanya, urusan kenduri kahwin atau walimah telah dijadikan jambatan kesombongan ibubapa atau keluarga sehingga ditangguh perkahwinan bagi memboleh kenduri besar-besaran dibuat demi menjaga taraf ‘jenama keluarga’. Sehingga ada pasangan yang terpaksa menunggu bertahun kerananya.
Apatah jika keluarga membebankan semua belanja kepada bakal pengantin. Maka bakal pengantin terpaksa mengikat ‘nafsu seks’ hanya kerana hendak menjaga nafsu menunjuk-nunjuk keluarga. Walaupun kenduri kahwin itu disuruh, namun memadailah dengan kadar yang termampu. Tidak semestinya ‘ditumbangkan’ seekor lembu, atau dipanggil orang sekampung atau sebandar, atau dijemput semua rakan taulan.
Seseorang mengadakannya dengan kadar kemampuannya, seperti sabda Nabi s.a.w:
“Buatlah walimah walaupun sekadar seekor kambing” (Riwayat al-Bukhari dan Muslim).
Dalam ertikata lain, jika hanya mampu kenduri laksa, atau bihun atau mee pun tidak mengapa, asalkan diadakan walimah. Apa yang penting perkahwinan yang halal telah dilunaskan. Janganlah macam orang dulu apabila anaknya sebut ingin berkahwin, bapanya akan bertanya; “kau dah ada lembu ke nak buat kenduri?”. Maka bertangguhlah hasrat si anak. Padahal bukan anaknya ingin berkahwin dengan lembu, dia ingin berkahwin dengan kekasihnya.
Sepatutnya si bapa bertanya: “kau dah ada pasangan ke?”. Itulah soalan yang betul. Lembu tidak termasuk dalam rukun nikah. Apa yang lebih buruk apabila ada pihak yang menjadikan medan walimah sebagai pentas menunjuk-nunjuk kekayaan harta lalu hanya dijemput orang yang ‘berjenama’ dan ditinggalkan saudara-mara, kawan-rakan, jiran-tetangga yang tidak setaraf.
Nabi s.a.w. bersabda:
“Seburuk makanan adalah makanan walimah yang dijemput orang kaya dan ditinggalkan orang miskin..” (Riwayat al-Bukhari dan Muslim).
Maka, menderitakan bakal suami-isteri disebabkan keangkuhan keluarga.
Saya bukan anti kursus kahwin. Amat baik kursus tersebut jika diuruskan dengan mantap dan betul. Dalam kursus tersebut boleh disampaikan maklumat hukum-hakam nikah yang disyariatkan Allah sehingga generasi muda dapat melihat betapa cantik dan indahnya Islam. Syariat Islam yang mudah dan penuh hikmat dapat diserap dalam pemikiran bakal pasangan, kursusnya mereka yang masih muda. Agar mereka dapat menyelami kehebatan ajaran Islam ini. Maka kursus itu menjadi saluran dakwah penuh professional, mantap, berkesan dalam jiwa dan penghayatan.
Malangnya, kursus kahwin hari ini seakan projek lumayan untuk mengaut yuran peserta. Bukan sedikit saya terima laporan seluruh negara penceramah kursus kahwin yang berunsur lucah, lawak bodoh serta menggambarkan Islam begitu menakut dan susah untuk difahami dan dihayati. Hukum-hakam diterangkan secara berbelit-belit dan menyerabutkan peserta. Maka, kita lihat walaupun yuran kursus nampaknya makin tinggi dan peserta semuanya diwajibkan berkursus, masalah keretakan rumah tangga bagi generasi baru makin meningkat.
Saya juga amat tidak selesa melihat tok kadi yang selalu mendera pengantin agar mengulang-ulang lafaz terima (ijab) ketika akad nikah kononnya belum sah. Akad itu digambarkan begitu sulit dan susah sehingga seseorang menjadi terketar-ketar untuk menyebutnya. Diatur ayat lafaz akad itu dengan begitu skima sehingga pengantin kesejukan untuk menghafalnya.
Padahal akad nikah hanyalah bagi menggambar persetujuan kedua belah pihak menjadi suami isteri yang sah. Apa-apa sahaja lafaz yang membawa maksud kepada tujuan tersebut maka ia sah. Jika bapa bakal isteri menyebut “saya nikahkan saudara dengan anak saya Fatimah”, lalu bakal suami menjawab: “saya terima, atau saya bersetuju” atau mungkin ditambah “saya terima nikahnya” atau “saya bersetuju bernikah dengannya” seperti yang diminta oleh sesetengah sarjana dalam Mazhab al-Syafi’i, maka sahlah ijab dan qabul tersebut. Tidak disyaratkan mesti satu nafas atau dua nafas atau berjabat tangan atau menyusun ayat dalam bahasa sanskrit lama atau ayat tok kadi yang digunakan sebelum merdeka.
Sehinggakan sarjana fekah semasa Dr Abd al-Karim Zaidan dalam karya al-Mufassal fi Ahkam al-Marah wa al-Bait al-Muslim menyebut:
“Jika seseorang lelaki berkata kepada lelaki yang lain: “Nikahkan saya dengan anak perempuan awak”, lalu si bapa itu menjawab: “Aku nikahkan engkau”. Atau si bapa berkata kepada bakal suami: “bernikahlah dengan anak perempuanku”. Lalu bakal suami menjawab: “aku nikahinya”. Kedua contoh di atas adalah sah nikah berdasarkan apa yang disebutkan dalam Sahih al-Bukhari dan Sahih Muslim: Sesungguhnya seorang arab badawi telah meminang wanita yang telah mempelawa dirinya untuk Nabi s.a.w (ingin berkahwin dengan Nabi s.a.w), arab badawi itu berkata:”Nikahilah dia denganku”. Jawab Nabi s.a.w.: “Aku nikahkan engkau dengannya bermaharkan al-Quran yang ada bersamamu”. (al-Mufassal, 6/87, Beirut: Muassasah al-Risalah).
Bahkan dalam Sahih al-Bukhari ada bab yang al-Imam al-Bukhari letakkan ia berbunyi: Bab Iza Qala al-Khatib li al-Wali Zawwijni Fulanah, faqala qad Zauwajtuka bi Kaza wa Kaza, Jaza al-Nikah Wa In Lam Yaqul li al-Zauj Aradita au Qabilta, maksudnya: Bab Apabila Lelaki Yang Meminang Berkata Kepada Wali Perempuan: “Kahwinilah aku dengan wanita berkenaan”, lalu dia menjawab: “Aku nikahkan engkau dengannya bermaharkan sekian dan sekian, maka sah nikahnya walaupun tidak ditanya si suami apakah engkau setuju, atau terima”.
Inilah kesimpulan yang dibuat oleh al-Imam al-Bukhari berdasarkan hadis-hadis dalam bab nikah yang diteliti olehnya. Apa yang penting proses ijab dan qabul amatlah mudah. Ia adalah lafaz yang difahami oleh kedua belah pihak serta dua saksi yang menjelaskan kehendak dan persetujuan untuk berkahwin atau menjadi suami dan isteri. Apabila proses itu berlaku maka ia sah.
Tidak pernah ada dalil yang menyatakan mestilah satu nafas, atau tidak terputus nafas seperti diada-adakan oleh sesetengah pihak. Paling tinggi yang boleh kita kata adalah tidak boleh ada ruang yang menyebabkan salah satu pihak mengelirukan atau dikelirukan dalam menyatakan persetujuan nikah. Justeru itu Syeikhul Islam Ibn Taimiyyah r.h (meninggal 728H) menyebut:
“Nikah itu terlaksana (sah) dengan apa sahaja yang dihitung oleh orang ramai sebagai nikah; dalam apa bahasa, atau lafaz atau perbuatan”. (petikan Sayyid Sabiq, Fiqh al-Sunnah, 2/355).
Apa yang ingin saya jelaskan betapa proses ijab qabul itu begitu mudah dan senang. Memadai jika bakal suami menjawab: “aku terima nikahnya”. Tidak timbul terpaksa berulang kali seperti yang dibuat oleh sesetengah pihak membuli pengantin. Jika jawapan yang diperlukan begitu ringkas dan jelas, dan pengantin pun telah melakukannya, mengapa pula ada tok kadi yang sengaja bertanya hadirin: perlu ulang ke? Lalu mereka pun dengan sukanya menyebut beramai-ramai ‘sekali lagi!, sekali lagi! Ini adalah permainan buli yang cuba dicampur aduk dengan hukum syarak.
Setelah berkahwin, rumahtangga yang dibina seperti yang diajar oleh Islam hendaklah menjadi syurga, bukan neraka. Jika perkahwinan tidak dapat membawa kebahgiaan, insan tidak disuruh memperjudikan hidup keseluruhan kerana isteri atau suaminya. Walaupun talak itu bukan perbuatan yang baik, namun ia dibenarkan jika terpaksa.
Insan mempunyai matlamat hidup, bukan sekadar untuk bertungkus lumus kerana masalah seorang lelaki atau wanita. Maka Islam mengajar cara-cara yang berbagai demi menyelamatkan rumah tangga dari talak. Jika gagal, Islam juga mengajar talak untuk mengelakkan kezaliman berlaku antara salah satu pihak; suami atau isteri. Firman Allah: (maksudnya)
“Dan apabila kamu menceraikan isteri-isteri (kamu) kemudian mereka (hampir) habis tempoh idahnya maka bolehlah kamu pegang mereka (rujuk) dengan cara yang baik atau lepaskan mereka dengan cara yang baik. dan janganlah kamu pegang mereka (rujuk semula) dengan tujuan memberi mudarat, kerana kamu hendak melakukan kezaliman (terhadap mereka); dan sesiapa yang melakukan demikian maka sesungguhnya dia menzalimi dirinya sendiri. dan janganlah kamu menjadikan ayat-ayat hukum Allah itu sebagai ejek-ejekan (dan permainan). dan kenanglah nikmat Allah yang diberikan kepada kamu, (dan kenanglah) apa yang diturunkan kepada kamu Iaitu Kitab (Al-Quran) dan hikmat, untuk memberi pengajaran kepada kamu dengannya. dan bertaqwalah kepada Allah serta ketahuilah: sesungguhnya Allah Maha mengetahui akan tiap-tiap sesuatu” (Surah al-Baqarah, ayat 231).
Jika penerusan perkahwinan hanya memberi mudarat kepada pasangan, maka talak itu disuruh oleh al-Quran. Malanglah kaum wanita yang sepatutnya telah dikeluarkan oleh al-Quran dari kezaliman atau kemudaratan si suami, tiba-tiba terjatuh dalam kezaliman batin akibat proses birokrasi mahkamah yang bernama syariah.
Maka, wanita hari ini ada yang terseksa batinnya kerana menunggu proses mahkamah yang kadang-kala memakan masa bertahun-tahun. Bagaimana mungkin isteri yang sudah tujuh lapan tahun suaminya tidak mengambil tahu soal nafkah zahir dan batin tetap disahkan oleh mahkamah bahawa dia masih suami sekalipun isteri berulang meminta dipisahkan. Kata Dr Karim ‘Abd al-Karim Zaidan menyebut:
“Jika suami gagal menunaikan nafkah untuk isteri, kadi memisah antara mereka jika isteri memilih untuk berpisah…Hal ini diriwayatkan dari sejumlah para sahabat dan tabi’in” (al-Mufassal, 7/217).
Beliau juga memetik apa yang disebut oleh al-Dardir dalam al-Syarh al-Kabir: “Bagi isteri boleh menuntut dipisahkan dari suami disebabkan mudarat yang dilakukannya; iaitu apa yang tidak diizinkan oleh syarak untuk dia buat seperti meninggalkan isteri atau memukulnya tanpa sebab dibenarkan syarak. Atau memaki dia atau bapanya seperti menyebut: Wahai anak anjing, atau wahai anak kafir! Atau wahai anak orang yang dilaknat”.
Dr Zaidan seterusnya memetik apa yang disebut oleh al-Imam Ibn Taimiyyah:
“Maka dianggap memberi mudarat kepada isteri yang boleh dipisah (dipasakh) apabila suami meninggalkan persetubuhan dalam apa keadaan sekalipun. Samada suami sengaja atau tidak sengaja”. (ibid 8/439).
Semua perbahasan yang begitu banyak boleh didapati dalam khazanah Islam itu menggambarkan rumahtangga untuk kebahagiaan hidup insan bukan untuk kedukaan mereka. Jika rumahtangga itu mengundang kedukaan, insan diberi peluang keluar oleh syarak untuk keluar dari daerah itu dengan segera. Malanglah, jika pintu keluar itu dihalang oleh kerenah biorokrasi mahkamah. Hakim barang kali ringan lidahnya menyebut: “kita tangguhkan perbicaraan kerana suami tidak hadir” sedangkan kesan jiwa begitu besar dan berat ditanggung oleh isteri.
Sebenarnya dalam Islam, jalan kepada halal dan kebahagian dibuka dengan begitu luas dan mudah. Dukacita, jika atas nama agama kita menyusahkan jalan yang halal dan dalam masa yang sama ada pula pihak-pihak lain yang memudahkan jalan yang haram. Perlaksanaan agama hendaklah bukan sahaja mendakwa adil, tetapi hendaklah juga kelihatan adil.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Light On
After for quite sometimes, I'm still keep on wondering why the world and life is to dramatic and full with obstacle, turn and twist or boundaries that sometimes it not make sense at all. But if look deeply inside it and you will kept on thinking that it just want to make us keep on learning to appreciate thing that we got infront of us, either it was a valuable thing or it was nothing at all.
Life full with materialistic, full with lies and full with idiotic things that doesn't make sense at all. But as human being that gifted with brain, eye and heart. We can make a conclusion to learn and learn. As we grow up to be a better person and to work hard to be one. Sometimes we tend to look at the mirror and look at our self back. What we done yesterday that not satisfied us or something wrong. But at the end of a day we still cant find the answer.
But as time keep on passing us by, the thing that we not trying to search kept on coming and we cant ignore it. I always believed to myself as the flow that pass us everyday. Might be its will lead us to the better future or better life.
What i've learn today is never give up what you looking for and to put a patience and iman with an effort, will always lead us to the better day. Just a matter of time, just hang on and try to pray to the Almighty. Eventhough the obstacle sometime it killing you.
Dont sad, never give up and pray for the better life and asking fr bless from Allah s.w.t.
Life full with materialistic, full with lies and full with idiotic things that doesn't make sense at all. But as human being that gifted with brain, eye and heart. We can make a conclusion to learn and learn. As we grow up to be a better person and to work hard to be one. Sometimes we tend to look at the mirror and look at our self back. What we done yesterday that not satisfied us or something wrong. But at the end of a day we still cant find the answer.
But as time keep on passing us by, the thing that we not trying to search kept on coming and we cant ignore it. I always believed to myself as the flow that pass us everyday. Might be its will lead us to the better future or better life.
What i've learn today is never give up what you looking for and to put a patience and iman with an effort, will always lead us to the better day. Just a matter of time, just hang on and try to pray to the Almighty. Eventhough the obstacle sometime it killing you.
Dont sad, never give up and pray for the better life and asking fr bless from Allah s.w.t.
Monday, May 18, 2009
My Munajat
Ya Allah
Ask for forgiveness
Your guidance
Protection and strength
For humbleness and faith
To make me a better man
You made it possible
When i'm facing obstacles
Ask for forgiveness
Your guidance
Protection and strength
For humbleness and faith
To make me a better man
You made it possible
When i'm facing obstacles
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Think....
At some point in life, we’ll have companion that we trust absolutely… to the extent you truly believe in your heart of hearts, they’d never betray you. I know thus far, they someday will, if the friendship is not based on ‘imaan’ & redha Allah.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Islam - The Misunderstood Religion
By Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
1. I would like to express my appreciation to the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies for inviting me to talk on Islam. I have chosen “Islam - The Misunderstood Religion” as the title of this talk. I do not claim to be an expert or an ulama, an Islamic scholar, but it would be fatal for me to say that I am not qualified. Many who speak on Islam and claim to be ‘ulama’ are also not qualified. I do claim that I have as much right to speak on Islam as many others who speak on the subject.
2. Islam is perhaps the most misunderstood religion in the world today an indeed throughout history. It is not only misunderstood by non-Muslims, but it is also misunderstood by Muslims themselves. How else can there be so many Muslim sects with beliefs and teachings which are so different and contradictory? Some must be wrong, the result of not understanding or misunderstanding Islam.
3. One of the missions of the Prophet of Islam was to bring peace and unity to the feuding tribes, the Jahiliah or the ignorant Arabs of the pre-Islamic days. This he succeeded in doing as narrated in several verses of the Quran.
4. The message of Allah were brought by one Prophet and recorded in one holy Quran. There is no other Quran, or versions or it, or editions which carry different texts. The hold Quran is not in the form of Gospels by Muslim saints or ‘ulama’. The holy Quran is just the record of the messages of Allah in the Arabic of the period. Translations of the Quran may be different in minor ways, but they are not accepted as the holy Quran. Only that in the original Arabic is accepted.
5. So there can be no differing text or Gospels or versions which can result in differences in the messages or teachings of Islam. Yet, clearly there are differences, serious differences, so serious that Muslims are divided sometimes into warring sects. Why is this so?
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6. Actually people who are merely literate in Arabic cannot understand the language of the Quran, or at least the whole of it. To understand, explanations must be made by those learned in Islam, the ‘ulamas’, who understand the language of the holy Quran and are knowledgeable of the circumstances under which the message were revealed to Muhammad. Most of the messages were about or referred to events which occurred before or during the life of the Prophet.
7. The ‘ulamas’ felt a need to add words to the verses in order to make them clearer. These words are bracketed particularly in translations of the Quran and are clearly not part of the original message. They are necessary in order to make the messages clearer.
8. Although there is only one holy Quran, there are two categories of verses in the Quran; the specific or ‘Muhkamat’ and the general or `Mutashabihat’. There should be no mistaking the meanings of the specific verses, but in fact interpretations differ due to elaborations by the ‘ulamas’. But the general ones are more subject to differing interpretations. In Chapter 3 Verse 7, Ali Imran the Quran states, ‘It is He who has sent down to you (Muhammad ) the book (Quran). In it are verses that are entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book, and others not entirely clear’.
9. The general verse must necessarily be so for they are intended to provide guidance in different situations and for untold problems that Muslims have to face not only during the life of the Prophet but for all times. The learned in Islam, the ‘ulamas’ can refer to these verses for guidance on any and every issue or problem.
10. The procedures for referring to the Quran and interpreting the verses have been determined by the early Muslim jurists in order to prevent casual interpretations. But since the procedures were made by mere men, however learned they may be, misinterpretations and wrong usage can many occur, leading to wrong teachings.
11. The procedures involve, firstly, reference to the `sunnah’ or traditions of the Prophet and secondly through `Ijmak’ or consensus of opinions of the `ulamas’ or scholars. Where the Quran or Hadith are not clear, the scholars may express an opinion or `ijtihad’, by analogy or `Qias’ or through `Istihsan’, the use of the capacity to think, applying the Quran to the realities of the situation.
12. The holy Quran is comprehensive and provide guidance for all things at all times but clearly if individual verses are taken in isolation, the teachings can become distorted and contrary to the teachings of Islam as a whole.
13. Thus justice and avoidance of injustice is stressed in numerous verses of the Quran. Yet the tendency is to take just one verse and to interpret it without concern for the result, justice or injustice. And so Islamic justice can became quite contrary to the claim that Islam upholds justice.
14. After the Quran, the next most important source of Islamic teachings are the `Hadith’ and `Sunnah’ of the Prophet i.e. his sayings and deeds as related by those who had heard or seen him in his lifetime. These must be good and truthful witnesses and these traditions must be passed on by word of mouth through reliable good Muslims through the years. With passage of time, identifying a series of good Muslims who related these traditions became more and more difficult. By the time Imam Bukhari studied and sifted through the 600,000 odd `hadiths’ and `sunnah’, 200 years had passed. The learned Iman selected only about 7000 as `sahih’ or genuine which he recorded. His students, Muslim, verified even a lesser number. Other learned theologians verified numerous others.
15. These collection of ‘Hadiths’ and ‘Sunnah’ are now accepted as genuine by most Muslims of the Sunni sect.The Shiites have their own verified traditions.
16. Since the learned Imams and scholars were not Prophets but were mere men, they too could be wrong. The traditions which they reject may be genuine and those they accept may not be genuine. Of course, many still quote unverified hadiths.
17. Sometimes the pronouncements of the religious authorities at a given time and in a given situation are mere opinions or ‘ijtihad’, based no doubt on their wide knowledge of Islam and their understanding of the problem or the situation. But again these are the opinions of very human individuals and they too can be wrong. In today’s world, with the advances made by science and technology, new problems often arise. In the medical world all sorts of procedures and cures are being devised all the time. Some of these procedures alarm even the agnostics. Yet Muslim ‘ulamas’ are often asked to make a ruling.
18. To do so they must understand not just the injunctions of Islam but the very complex nature of the subject requiring a ruling. The most learned ‘ulama’ cannot possibly know everything about everything. They mast rely on the expertise of others. Even then they may still not understand all aspects and the religious implications of the problem. They may reject simply because they cannot understand or because they are dogmatic .And of course one ‘ulama’ or one group of ‘llamas’ may reach quite different onclusions from those of another ‘ulama’ or group on the same subject. Both cannot be right, although both can be wrong. It may require further consultations before an acceptable interpretation can be made which is compatible with the realities of the situation.
19. The ‘ulamas’ or the learned in Islam are admittedly indispensable to the understanding of Islam. Even those layman who understand Arabic and the language of the Quran need them. For non-Arab Muslims the ‘ulamas’ must also be linguists in order to explain the Quran verbally or in written form. Such translations of the Quran and ‘Hadith’ invariably contain a lot of bracketed words which help to interpret the particular verse but which are not a part of it. The choice of words reflects the particular ‘ulamas’ understanding. It may also reflect the views and opinions of the `ulamas’. Again as the ‘llamas’ are not prophets they may be quite wrong.
20. Unfortunately, there is a tendency among Muslims to treat the pronouncements of the ‘ulama’ as infallible. There are any number of people who claim to be learned in Islam and call themselves ‘ulama’. Some of these are clearly charlatans and people with vested interests, including, of course, politicians with very worldly personal ambitions. If all these people are considered to be the successors of the Prophet and are qualified and infallible in their interpretations of Islam, then it is easy to see why there is confusion and misunderstanding of the teachings of Islam.
21. Thus not so very long ago Muslims considered even the printing of the Quern as forbidden, ‘haram’ . For a long time the Turkish Government which bought a printing press was not allowed to use it. The Quran must be handwritten. Electricity was considered as haram for use in mosques. Mecca was lighted by oil lamps long after electricity brightened the cities of the rest of the world.
22. Turkish soldiers were forbidden from wearing western-style trousers and peak caps because these too were considered ‘haram’. Paintings of humans or animals were banned until the advent of printing, photography and the television rendered the ban impractical.
Yet all these pronouncements had been adhered too religiously for centuries by Muslims.
23. But these are trivialities. They do the Muslims no real harm although they may have retarded the progress of the Muslims in a fast changing world. Much more serious are the ‘fatwas’ which relate to the relationship within the Muslim community and between Muslims and non-Muslims.
24. The Arab society at the time the Prophet was given to feuding, incessant wars between tribes which weakened them and retarded their progress.
25. The feuds were the result of excessive tribal loyalties. Those given to these excesses were said to be ‘taasub’ or fanatical. Islam condemned this excessive tribalism or fanaticism and the Prophet preached against it, promoting unity instead.
Thus in Chapter 3, Verse 103 the Quran says :
‘And hold fast all together by the Rope (religion) which Allah (stretches out for you) and be not divided among yourselves. And remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you, for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace You became brethren’.
26. But after the Prophet passed away, the Arabs returned to their feuding ways. Tribal loyalties returned. Disputes over which tribe had the right to succeed the leadership of the Muslim ‘ummah’ after the death of the Prophet eventually led to the most serious schism among the Muslims. The followers of Saidina Ali, a nephew or cousin of the Prophet who became the fourth Caliph , broke away eventually found the Shiite sect, while the fallowers of “Muawiyah’, claiming to abide by the traditions, formed the Sunni sect.Subsequently both the sects divided up again and again as different ‘Imams’ and `Ulamas’ interpreted the teachings according to their own understanding or sometimes their political affiliations.
27. The feuding between the Muslim sects and Muslim nations are obviously contrary to the teaching of Islam. Certainly the fanaticism and violence with which they oppose each other, reminiscent of the pre-Islamic and Jahiliah days of feuding, is not in keeping with Islamic teachings.
Muslims and non-Muslims
28. That there is a misunderstanding among Muslims regarding the teachings of Islam on relations with non-Muslims is even more obvious.The Quran clearly stated that the Christians are the friends of the Muslims. Indeed, when the first few converts to Islam were persecuted by the Quraish idol-worshippers, they were advised by the Prophet to seek refuge in Christian AbysSinia. The Christian King of AbysSinia protected the Muslim refugees so well that attempts by the Quraish to extradite them failed.
29. If the Sunnis believe in the Traditions, surely being friendly with Christians should be one of their beliefs. But we know that Muslims do not accept this.The ‘ulamas’ explain that the present-day Christians are not the Christians referred to in the Quran. And, therefore, they are justified in regarding add Christians as enemies.
30. All Jews are also regarded by Muslims as enemies because the Jews of Medina had been disloyal to the Government of the Prophet. Yet the Quran states that only those who take up against the Muslims are their enemies.
In Chapter 2 Al-Baqqrah Verse 190, the Quran states:
“Fight in the cause of Allah, Those who fight you , But do not trangress the limits For Allah loveth not transgressors.”
In Chapter 8 Al-Anfaal Verse 61, the Quran stresses:
“But if the enemy Inclines towards peace Do thou (also) incline Towards peace and trust In Allah, for he is the One That hearth and knoweth.”
31. This means that the Zionists and their supporters who advocate violence against the Muslims must be regarded as enemies. But when they sue for peace they should get a positive response from the Muslims.
32. Yet Muslims Regard all Jews as eternal enemies against whom Muslims must forever fight. This sounds very much like fanatical feuding and against the teaching of Islam. But woe betide anyone who may suggest that Jews are not the eternal enemies of the Muslims.
Misunderstanding among non-Muslims
33. If Muslims frequently misunderstand certain teachings of Islam, the misunderstanding among non-Muslims, in particular Jews and Christians about Islam and Muslims today, is even worse.
34. The clash between Muslims and Christians occurred quite early when Byzantium was still a Great Empire and stood in the way of the spread of the Islamic faith. But Christian Europe really worked up feelings against Islam during the time of the Crusades.The Crusaders whipped up anti-Muslim feelings to a frenzy. The perpetuity of this anti-Muslim feeling and the consequent violence against them can be described as a kind of feud.
35. And so the deliberate whipping up of anti-Muslims feeling has been going on for centuries. Nothing good that Muslims feeling has been going on for centuries. Nothing good that Muslims do, in particular in their relations with non-Muslims, is recognised. Thus the fact that Christians and Jews could practise their religions in Muslims Spain was hardly ever mentioned in European history books. The fact that the Christian reconquest of Spain led to the expulsion of the Muslims and the Jews, or forced conversion or executive has never been condemned. That Jews actually preferred migrating to Muslims North Africa rather than stay in Christian Spain is regarded as of no significance.
36. In the Balkans the mainly Christian Slavs preferred Turkish rule to that of Christian Byzantine. They actually helped the Turks to defeat the Byzantines. For the most part they were not converted to Islam, but remained Christian, surely testirying to the liberalism of the Turks towards non-Muslims.
37. The misunderstanding of Islam by the West today is perhaps at its peak. Forgetting that Christianity too had experienced extreme abberations as exemplified by the Spanish Inquisition and the burning of witches in Europe and America, the West has made abberations in the practice of the Muslims faith by a minority of Muslims as the true manifestation of Islam.
38. No one, Muslims or non-Muslims, can deny that there have been a lot of terrorist acts perpetrated by Muslims . But then a lot of terrorism has also been perpetrated by non-Muslims. The difference is that if a Muslims does it, the deed is immediately attributed to his faith. When a non-Muslim commits the most heinous of terroristic crimes, his deed is not linked to his religion.
39. The immediate reaction to the bombing of a government building in Oklahoma was that it was another Muslim terrorist act. When it was discovered that it was not a Muslim who did it, the fact that the bomber was a Christian was ignored . It was not described as Christian terrorism.
40. The bitter fighting in Northern Ireland involves religious differences between two Christian sects. But at no time have the bombings, killings, maiming by the IRA and their Protestant rivals been termed Christian terrorism or Catholic or Protestant terrorism.
41. But the terrorism by people of the Christian faith in Northern Ireland pales into insignificance when compared to the brutality of the Christian Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Tens of thousands of Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina have raped, starved, tortured and massacred by the Serbs. Mass graves are found everywhere. The Bosnia Serbs openly declared that they were carrying out ‘ethnic cleansing’ in order to certain implications, Europe refuse to describe ‘ethnic cleansing’ as ‘genocide’ which is what it really is.
42. Yet at no time have the massacres and terrorism by the Christian Serbs been described as Christian terrorism. Instead, European forces willingly handed over safe havens for the Muslims to the Serbs who subsequently massacred thousands of young Muslim men.
43. Supposing, just supposing, it was the Muslim Bosnia Slavs who had the weapons and the numbers, and they were supported by Muslim countries and they had committed the atrocities, the world be screaming Muslim terrorism from the mountain tops. And NATO would have moved in and ended the independence of Bosnia-Herzegovina in no time.
44. But such is the perception of Muslims by the West that it is not ever noted that the victims of Muslim fanatics and the misnamed fundamentalists are insignificant compared to the numbers of Muslims and non-Muslims who have been massacred by terrorists of the Christian faith. The misunderstanding of Islam and Muslim is such that the West naturally assume that terrorism is a Muslim creed and is confined to Muslims. Evidence to the contrary are just ignored.
45. There have been a few Western writers who have tried to be factual and fair. But these writers are either ignored or condemned. Attempts by Muslims to point out that the Muslims who are terrorists are a minority and that Muslims desire peace as much as anyone else have also been brushed aside.
Fundamentalism
46. Fundamentalism is the most abused of words. It is equated with extremism. Yet if the teachings of Islam are studied, it would be clear that the best Muslims are the fundamentalists. The fundamentals of Islam are based on peace. Indeed, Islam means peace. The people who are usually described as fundamentalists are far from following the fundamentals of the Islamic religion. On the contrary, they are people who reject the teachings of Islam or who deviate from them. Most of them have seemingly reverted to the pre-Islamic “Jahilliah” ways of extreme loyalty to their groups, to fanaticism or “tab”.
47. In calling these deviationists Muslim fundamentalists, the West has displayed its lack of understanding of Islam. The West certainly fails to appreciate the problem faced by many Muslims. When beliefs are strong and widespread, whether they are right or wrong. It is not easy for anyone to differ. To do so would risk accusations of hereby. The consequences can be very unpleasant. People who go against these extreme deviationist groups risks ostracism or even violence. For these reasons the majority prefer not to be openly critical or to oppose. But when non-believers condemn all Muslims as terrorists and plain bad people, they certainly are not being helpful. They are simply pushing the good Muslims into the arms of the deviationist.
48. Islam is the religion of people who once dominated the world; dominated it not only in terms of territorial size and political strengths, but in terms of the sciences, the arts, technology, skill in exploration, navigation and in trade and industry. For almost 800 years the Muslim Arabs ruled the largest empire known up till the 15th century and then the Muslim Turks and Mongols presided over an even bigger Empire.
49. Empires, of course, rise and decline and the Muslim Empires did not escape this cycle. But throughout, their greatest foes were the Europeans. Having embraced Christianity, another Asian religion, the Europeans were quite fanatical in their opposition to Islam. From the very beginning there was a deliberate campaign to distort Islamic teachings, to prevent the Europeans from understanding it and so risk their conversion.
50. It is not surprising that the fall of the Turkish Empire was largely due to the machinations of European powers. Playing on Arab nationalist sentiments and the promise Arab cooperation to break up the Turkish Empire. But almost immediately the Arabs found that they had exchanged domination by fellow Muslim for European domination. All the Arab territories were occupied and exploited by the Europeans.
51. Despite their enforced close association with the Muslims in their Middle Eastern and North African empires and elsewhere, no attempt was made to understand Islam and its influence on Muslim life and thoughts. There was always that latent antagonism which the Europeans never manifested against other non-Christian faiths. While many races which came into contact with Islam accepted it to some extent, the Europeans almost universally rejected it.
52. The people of European origin of today may not be so fanatically Christian but the attitude towards Muslims and Islam remains. And this is manifested in very painful ways for the Muslims. Whole nations are isolated, blockaded and punished for the faults of a few. Muslims were allowed to be slaughtered in full view of their so-called European protectors.
53. Is it any wonder that the Muslims are bitter and seek to avenge the wrongs visited upon them? Is it any wonder that they resort to violence ? But still only a few do so.
54. The Europeans should be able to understand this, for this is also the European reaction to their real or imagined repression by their own people or other. But no attempt is made to understand or appreciate the frustrations of the Muslim. True, the fall of the Muslims and the deterioration in their practice and interpretation of Islam can largely be blamed on them. But the anti-Muslim propaganda and deliberate misunderstanding of the religion by the Europeans have merely aggravated the frustrations of the Muslims.
55. Malaysia has a Muslim majority and the Government is Muslim dominated. Although the Muslims have sufficient majority to rule the country on their own, they have chosen not do so. Instead they deliberately chose to share with the non-Muslim minorities.
56. In 1969 race riots broke out in Malaysia, resulting in some 200 poeple, mostly non-Muslims, being killed. An emergency was declared and the Muslim Malays took over the Government. The Western press declared that democracy was dead in Malaysia and wrote it off as another developing country destined for the wastebasket of history.
57. Yet today Malaysia, still under a Muslim dominated Government, is peaceful , stable and prosperous, growing at 8 percent per annum for almost 10 years. The Muslims of Malaysia are apperently not terrorists. Indeed, They have proven themselves capable of living and working with non-Muslims to create a united and progressive nation.
58. There are no feuds in Malaysia; not between Muslims nor between and non-muslims. The official religion of Malaysia is Islam but Buddhist, Hindu, and Taoist temples and Christian churches are to be seen everywhere. Religious festivals of the different races and faiths are celebrated by everyone together. The non-Muslims in Malaysia do not regard Muslims as terrorists or Islam a violent creed.
59. One would have thought that Muslims and non-Muslims would look to Malaysia as an example of the practice of Islam. But the West and their media refuse to recognise that the Muslims of Malaysia actually exemplify the teachings of Islam. They prefer to regard Malaysian Muslims and their behaviour as aberrations. They keep on asking about fundamentalism in Malaysia and when told that there are really no Islam fundamentalists of the kind they describe. They reject the claim . The prejudice against Islam and Muslims remains even with Malaysia.
60. Islam is indeed a misunderstood religion. Such is the misunderstanding and the prejudice against it that Muslim and Non-Muslim alike often regard it as an impediment, as a barrier to good peaceful relations between Muslims and non-Muslims and even between Muslims and Muslims. Both regard this religion that brought greatness to the Arabs and built a very progressive empire as being responsible for everything bad that happened between Muslims and non-Muslims.
61. Ignorant of the teachings of Islam and frustrated by the apparent failures of Islam and with their own countries, some Muslims tend to deride and even condemn the religion. Others, again due to frustration with the Muslim communities in which they live and ignorant about the teachings of Islam and its history, suggest that the Quran itself is at fault and needs to be revised.
62. When such frustrations are aired, the western media, the principal guide to western intellectual thinking, would make heroes or heroines of these religiously illiterate and untutored people. The Western countries would confer upon them awards and make them out to be brave people fighting the injustices of Islam.
63. The West would love to hear me condemn the religion of Islam for the failures of Muslims and their nations. But I know that their concerns about Islam and the Muslims are at best academic. I suspect that all they want to see is the removal of Islam as a faith, the way that Communism was debunked. But that will not serve the cause of good inter-religious or non-religious relations between Muslims and the others.
64. The answer lies in correcting or abandoning the tendentious and incorrect interpretations of Islam by same of the ‘Ulamas’. These interpreters of Islam, no matter how large may be their following or how established are their teachings, are not prophets. There is only one prophet for the Muslims and he is Muhammad, the last of Allah’s messenger who brought and spread the faith of Islam among man. Muhammad and the holy Quran cannot be wrong but the interpreters of Islam can be.
65. If Islam appears rigid and doctrinaire, it is because the learned interpreters make it so. They tended to be harsh and intolerant when interpreting during the heyday of the Muslim Empires. And they and their followers brook no opposition to their writs once they were made. And so, long after the Muslims have lost their predominant position long after the worldly environment has changed, the Muslims were exhorted to adhere to interpretations which are no longer adequate or relevant or practicable.
66. What Muslims must do is to go back to the holy Quran and the genuine ‘hadiths’ , study and interpret them in the context of the present world. It is Allah’s will that the world has changed. It is not for man to reverse what has been willed by Allah. The faithful must look for guidance from the teachings of the Quran and the ‘Hadith’ in the present context. Islam is not meant only for 7th Century Arabs. Islam is for all times and for every part of the world. If we Muslims understand this, then there will be less misunderstandings among us. If the non-Muslims appreciate the problems that the Muslims have in trying to adjust to modern changes, then they will not misunderstand Islam and the Muslims as mush as they do now. And the world will be a better place if all these misunderstandings are removed.
1. I would like to express my appreciation to the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies for inviting me to talk on Islam. I have chosen “Islam - The Misunderstood Religion” as the title of this talk. I do not claim to be an expert or an ulama, an Islamic scholar, but it would be fatal for me to say that I am not qualified. Many who speak on Islam and claim to be ‘ulama’ are also not qualified. I do claim that I have as much right to speak on Islam as many others who speak on the subject.
2. Islam is perhaps the most misunderstood religion in the world today an indeed throughout history. It is not only misunderstood by non-Muslims, but it is also misunderstood by Muslims themselves. How else can there be so many Muslim sects with beliefs and teachings which are so different and contradictory? Some must be wrong, the result of not understanding or misunderstanding Islam.
3. One of the missions of the Prophet of Islam was to bring peace and unity to the feuding tribes, the Jahiliah or the ignorant Arabs of the pre-Islamic days. This he succeeded in doing as narrated in several verses of the Quran.
4. The message of Allah were brought by one Prophet and recorded in one holy Quran. There is no other Quran, or versions or it, or editions which carry different texts. The hold Quran is not in the form of Gospels by Muslim saints or ‘ulama’. The holy Quran is just the record of the messages of Allah in the Arabic of the period. Translations of the Quran may be different in minor ways, but they are not accepted as the holy Quran. Only that in the original Arabic is accepted.
5. So there can be no differing text or Gospels or versions which can result in differences in the messages or teachings of Islam. Yet, clearly there are differences, serious differences, so serious that Muslims are divided sometimes into warring sects. Why is this so?
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6. Actually people who are merely literate in Arabic cannot understand the language of the Quran, or at least the whole of it. To understand, explanations must be made by those learned in Islam, the ‘ulamas’, who understand the language of the holy Quran and are knowledgeable of the circumstances under which the message were revealed to Muhammad. Most of the messages were about or referred to events which occurred before or during the life of the Prophet.
7. The ‘ulamas’ felt a need to add words to the verses in order to make them clearer. These words are bracketed particularly in translations of the Quran and are clearly not part of the original message. They are necessary in order to make the messages clearer.
8. Although there is only one holy Quran, there are two categories of verses in the Quran; the specific or ‘Muhkamat’ and the general or `Mutashabihat’. There should be no mistaking the meanings of the specific verses, but in fact interpretations differ due to elaborations by the ‘ulamas’. But the general ones are more subject to differing interpretations. In Chapter 3 Verse 7, Ali Imran the Quran states, ‘It is He who has sent down to you (Muhammad ) the book (Quran). In it are verses that are entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book, and others not entirely clear’.
9. The general verse must necessarily be so for they are intended to provide guidance in different situations and for untold problems that Muslims have to face not only during the life of the Prophet but for all times. The learned in Islam, the ‘ulamas’ can refer to these verses for guidance on any and every issue or problem.
10. The procedures for referring to the Quran and interpreting the verses have been determined by the early Muslim jurists in order to prevent casual interpretations. But since the procedures were made by mere men, however learned they may be, misinterpretations and wrong usage can many occur, leading to wrong teachings.
11. The procedures involve, firstly, reference to the `sunnah’ or traditions of the Prophet and secondly through `Ijmak’ or consensus of opinions of the `ulamas’ or scholars. Where the Quran or Hadith are not clear, the scholars may express an opinion or `ijtihad’, by analogy or `Qias’ or through `Istihsan’, the use of the capacity to think, applying the Quran to the realities of the situation.
12. The holy Quran is comprehensive and provide guidance for all things at all times but clearly if individual verses are taken in isolation, the teachings can become distorted and contrary to the teachings of Islam as a whole.
13. Thus justice and avoidance of injustice is stressed in numerous verses of the Quran. Yet the tendency is to take just one verse and to interpret it without concern for the result, justice or injustice. And so Islamic justice can became quite contrary to the claim that Islam upholds justice.
14. After the Quran, the next most important source of Islamic teachings are the `Hadith’ and `Sunnah’ of the Prophet i.e. his sayings and deeds as related by those who had heard or seen him in his lifetime. These must be good and truthful witnesses and these traditions must be passed on by word of mouth through reliable good Muslims through the years. With passage of time, identifying a series of good Muslims who related these traditions became more and more difficult. By the time Imam Bukhari studied and sifted through the 600,000 odd `hadiths’ and `sunnah’, 200 years had passed. The learned Iman selected only about 7000 as `sahih’ or genuine which he recorded. His students, Muslim, verified even a lesser number. Other learned theologians verified numerous others.
15. These collection of ‘Hadiths’ and ‘Sunnah’ are now accepted as genuine by most Muslims of the Sunni sect.The Shiites have their own verified traditions.
16. Since the learned Imams and scholars were not Prophets but were mere men, they too could be wrong. The traditions which they reject may be genuine and those they accept may not be genuine. Of course, many still quote unverified hadiths.
17. Sometimes the pronouncements of the religious authorities at a given time and in a given situation are mere opinions or ‘ijtihad’, based no doubt on their wide knowledge of Islam and their understanding of the problem or the situation. But again these are the opinions of very human individuals and they too can be wrong. In today’s world, with the advances made by science and technology, new problems often arise. In the medical world all sorts of procedures and cures are being devised all the time. Some of these procedures alarm even the agnostics. Yet Muslim ‘ulamas’ are often asked to make a ruling.
18. To do so they must understand not just the injunctions of Islam but the very complex nature of the subject requiring a ruling. The most learned ‘ulama’ cannot possibly know everything about everything. They mast rely on the expertise of others. Even then they may still not understand all aspects and the religious implications of the problem. They may reject simply because they cannot understand or because they are dogmatic .And of course one ‘ulama’ or one group of ‘llamas’ may reach quite different onclusions from those of another ‘ulama’ or group on the same subject. Both cannot be right, although both can be wrong. It may require further consultations before an acceptable interpretation can be made which is compatible with the realities of the situation.
19. The ‘ulamas’ or the learned in Islam are admittedly indispensable to the understanding of Islam. Even those layman who understand Arabic and the language of the Quran need them. For non-Arab Muslims the ‘ulamas’ must also be linguists in order to explain the Quran verbally or in written form. Such translations of the Quran and ‘Hadith’ invariably contain a lot of bracketed words which help to interpret the particular verse but which are not a part of it. The choice of words reflects the particular ‘ulamas’ understanding. It may also reflect the views and opinions of the `ulamas’. Again as the ‘llamas’ are not prophets they may be quite wrong.
20. Unfortunately, there is a tendency among Muslims to treat the pronouncements of the ‘ulama’ as infallible. There are any number of people who claim to be learned in Islam and call themselves ‘ulama’. Some of these are clearly charlatans and people with vested interests, including, of course, politicians with very worldly personal ambitions. If all these people are considered to be the successors of the Prophet and are qualified and infallible in their interpretations of Islam, then it is easy to see why there is confusion and misunderstanding of the teachings of Islam.
21. Thus not so very long ago Muslims considered even the printing of the Quern as forbidden, ‘haram’ . For a long time the Turkish Government which bought a printing press was not allowed to use it. The Quran must be handwritten. Electricity was considered as haram for use in mosques. Mecca was lighted by oil lamps long after electricity brightened the cities of the rest of the world.
22. Turkish soldiers were forbidden from wearing western-style trousers and peak caps because these too were considered ‘haram’. Paintings of humans or animals were banned until the advent of printing, photography and the television rendered the ban impractical.
Yet all these pronouncements had been adhered too religiously for centuries by Muslims.
23. But these are trivialities. They do the Muslims no real harm although they may have retarded the progress of the Muslims in a fast changing world. Much more serious are the ‘fatwas’ which relate to the relationship within the Muslim community and between Muslims and non-Muslims.
24. The Arab society at the time the Prophet was given to feuding, incessant wars between tribes which weakened them and retarded their progress.
25. The feuds were the result of excessive tribal loyalties. Those given to these excesses were said to be ‘taasub’ or fanatical. Islam condemned this excessive tribalism or fanaticism and the Prophet preached against it, promoting unity instead.
Thus in Chapter 3, Verse 103 the Quran says :
‘And hold fast all together by the Rope (religion) which Allah (stretches out for you) and be not divided among yourselves. And remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you, for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace You became brethren’.
26. But after the Prophet passed away, the Arabs returned to their feuding ways. Tribal loyalties returned. Disputes over which tribe had the right to succeed the leadership of the Muslim ‘ummah’ after the death of the Prophet eventually led to the most serious schism among the Muslims. The followers of Saidina Ali, a nephew or cousin of the Prophet who became the fourth Caliph , broke away eventually found the Shiite sect, while the fallowers of “Muawiyah’, claiming to abide by the traditions, formed the Sunni sect.Subsequently both the sects divided up again and again as different ‘Imams’ and `Ulamas’ interpreted the teachings according to their own understanding or sometimes their political affiliations.
27. The feuding between the Muslim sects and Muslim nations are obviously contrary to the teaching of Islam. Certainly the fanaticism and violence with which they oppose each other, reminiscent of the pre-Islamic and Jahiliah days of feuding, is not in keeping with Islamic teachings.
Muslims and non-Muslims
28. That there is a misunderstanding among Muslims regarding the teachings of Islam on relations with non-Muslims is even more obvious.The Quran clearly stated that the Christians are the friends of the Muslims. Indeed, when the first few converts to Islam were persecuted by the Quraish idol-worshippers, they were advised by the Prophet to seek refuge in Christian AbysSinia. The Christian King of AbysSinia protected the Muslim refugees so well that attempts by the Quraish to extradite them failed.
29. If the Sunnis believe in the Traditions, surely being friendly with Christians should be one of their beliefs. But we know that Muslims do not accept this.The ‘ulamas’ explain that the present-day Christians are not the Christians referred to in the Quran. And, therefore, they are justified in regarding add Christians as enemies.
30. All Jews are also regarded by Muslims as enemies because the Jews of Medina had been disloyal to the Government of the Prophet. Yet the Quran states that only those who take up against the Muslims are their enemies.
In Chapter 2 Al-Baqqrah Verse 190, the Quran states:
“Fight in the cause of Allah, Those who fight you , But do not trangress the limits For Allah loveth not transgressors.”
In Chapter 8 Al-Anfaal Verse 61, the Quran stresses:
“But if the enemy Inclines towards peace Do thou (also) incline Towards peace and trust In Allah, for he is the One That hearth and knoweth.”
31. This means that the Zionists and their supporters who advocate violence against the Muslims must be regarded as enemies. But when they sue for peace they should get a positive response from the Muslims.
32. Yet Muslims Regard all Jews as eternal enemies against whom Muslims must forever fight. This sounds very much like fanatical feuding and against the teaching of Islam. But woe betide anyone who may suggest that Jews are not the eternal enemies of the Muslims.
Misunderstanding among non-Muslims
33. If Muslims frequently misunderstand certain teachings of Islam, the misunderstanding among non-Muslims, in particular Jews and Christians about Islam and Muslims today, is even worse.
34. The clash between Muslims and Christians occurred quite early when Byzantium was still a Great Empire and stood in the way of the spread of the Islamic faith. But Christian Europe really worked up feelings against Islam during the time of the Crusades.The Crusaders whipped up anti-Muslim feelings to a frenzy. The perpetuity of this anti-Muslim feeling and the consequent violence against them can be described as a kind of feud.
35. And so the deliberate whipping up of anti-Muslims feeling has been going on for centuries. Nothing good that Muslims feeling has been going on for centuries. Nothing good that Muslims do, in particular in their relations with non-Muslims, is recognised. Thus the fact that Christians and Jews could practise their religions in Muslims Spain was hardly ever mentioned in European history books. The fact that the Christian reconquest of Spain led to the expulsion of the Muslims and the Jews, or forced conversion or executive has never been condemned. That Jews actually preferred migrating to Muslims North Africa rather than stay in Christian Spain is regarded as of no significance.
36. In the Balkans the mainly Christian Slavs preferred Turkish rule to that of Christian Byzantine. They actually helped the Turks to defeat the Byzantines. For the most part they were not converted to Islam, but remained Christian, surely testirying to the liberalism of the Turks towards non-Muslims.
37. The misunderstanding of Islam by the West today is perhaps at its peak. Forgetting that Christianity too had experienced extreme abberations as exemplified by the Spanish Inquisition and the burning of witches in Europe and America, the West has made abberations in the practice of the Muslims faith by a minority of Muslims as the true manifestation of Islam.
38. No one, Muslims or non-Muslims, can deny that there have been a lot of terrorist acts perpetrated by Muslims . But then a lot of terrorism has also been perpetrated by non-Muslims. The difference is that if a Muslims does it, the deed is immediately attributed to his faith. When a non-Muslim commits the most heinous of terroristic crimes, his deed is not linked to his religion.
39. The immediate reaction to the bombing of a government building in Oklahoma was that it was another Muslim terrorist act. When it was discovered that it was not a Muslim who did it, the fact that the bomber was a Christian was ignored . It was not described as Christian terrorism.
40. The bitter fighting in Northern Ireland involves religious differences between two Christian sects. But at no time have the bombings, killings, maiming by the IRA and their Protestant rivals been termed Christian terrorism or Catholic or Protestant terrorism.
41. But the terrorism by people of the Christian faith in Northern Ireland pales into insignificance when compared to the brutality of the Christian Serbs in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Tens of thousands of Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina have raped, starved, tortured and massacred by the Serbs. Mass graves are found everywhere. The Bosnia Serbs openly declared that they were carrying out ‘ethnic cleansing’ in order to certain implications, Europe refuse to describe ‘ethnic cleansing’ as ‘genocide’ which is what it really is.
42. Yet at no time have the massacres and terrorism by the Christian Serbs been described as Christian terrorism. Instead, European forces willingly handed over safe havens for the Muslims to the Serbs who subsequently massacred thousands of young Muslim men.
43. Supposing, just supposing, it was the Muslim Bosnia Slavs who had the weapons and the numbers, and they were supported by Muslim countries and they had committed the atrocities, the world be screaming Muslim terrorism from the mountain tops. And NATO would have moved in and ended the independence of Bosnia-Herzegovina in no time.
44. But such is the perception of Muslims by the West that it is not ever noted that the victims of Muslim fanatics and the misnamed fundamentalists are insignificant compared to the numbers of Muslims and non-Muslims who have been massacred by terrorists of the Christian faith. The misunderstanding of Islam and Muslim is such that the West naturally assume that terrorism is a Muslim creed and is confined to Muslims. Evidence to the contrary are just ignored.
45. There have been a few Western writers who have tried to be factual and fair. But these writers are either ignored or condemned. Attempts by Muslims to point out that the Muslims who are terrorists are a minority and that Muslims desire peace as much as anyone else have also been brushed aside.
Fundamentalism
46. Fundamentalism is the most abused of words. It is equated with extremism. Yet if the teachings of Islam are studied, it would be clear that the best Muslims are the fundamentalists. The fundamentals of Islam are based on peace. Indeed, Islam means peace. The people who are usually described as fundamentalists are far from following the fundamentals of the Islamic religion. On the contrary, they are people who reject the teachings of Islam or who deviate from them. Most of them have seemingly reverted to the pre-Islamic “Jahilliah” ways of extreme loyalty to their groups, to fanaticism or “tab”.
47. In calling these deviationists Muslim fundamentalists, the West has displayed its lack of understanding of Islam. The West certainly fails to appreciate the problem faced by many Muslims. When beliefs are strong and widespread, whether they are right or wrong. It is not easy for anyone to differ. To do so would risk accusations of hereby. The consequences can be very unpleasant. People who go against these extreme deviationist groups risks ostracism or even violence. For these reasons the majority prefer not to be openly critical or to oppose. But when non-believers condemn all Muslims as terrorists and plain bad people, they certainly are not being helpful. They are simply pushing the good Muslims into the arms of the deviationist.
48. Islam is the religion of people who once dominated the world; dominated it not only in terms of territorial size and political strengths, but in terms of the sciences, the arts, technology, skill in exploration, navigation and in trade and industry. For almost 800 years the Muslim Arabs ruled the largest empire known up till the 15th century and then the Muslim Turks and Mongols presided over an even bigger Empire.
49. Empires, of course, rise and decline and the Muslim Empires did not escape this cycle. But throughout, their greatest foes were the Europeans. Having embraced Christianity, another Asian religion, the Europeans were quite fanatical in their opposition to Islam. From the very beginning there was a deliberate campaign to distort Islamic teachings, to prevent the Europeans from understanding it and so risk their conversion.
50. It is not surprising that the fall of the Turkish Empire was largely due to the machinations of European powers. Playing on Arab nationalist sentiments and the promise Arab cooperation to break up the Turkish Empire. But almost immediately the Arabs found that they had exchanged domination by fellow Muslim for European domination. All the Arab territories were occupied and exploited by the Europeans.
51. Despite their enforced close association with the Muslims in their Middle Eastern and North African empires and elsewhere, no attempt was made to understand Islam and its influence on Muslim life and thoughts. There was always that latent antagonism which the Europeans never manifested against other non-Christian faiths. While many races which came into contact with Islam accepted it to some extent, the Europeans almost universally rejected it.
52. The people of European origin of today may not be so fanatically Christian but the attitude towards Muslims and Islam remains. And this is manifested in very painful ways for the Muslims. Whole nations are isolated, blockaded and punished for the faults of a few. Muslims were allowed to be slaughtered in full view of their so-called European protectors.
53. Is it any wonder that the Muslims are bitter and seek to avenge the wrongs visited upon them? Is it any wonder that they resort to violence ? But still only a few do so.
54. The Europeans should be able to understand this, for this is also the European reaction to their real or imagined repression by their own people or other. But no attempt is made to understand or appreciate the frustrations of the Muslim. True, the fall of the Muslims and the deterioration in their practice and interpretation of Islam can largely be blamed on them. But the anti-Muslim propaganda and deliberate misunderstanding of the religion by the Europeans have merely aggravated the frustrations of the Muslims.
55. Malaysia has a Muslim majority and the Government is Muslim dominated. Although the Muslims have sufficient majority to rule the country on their own, they have chosen not do so. Instead they deliberately chose to share with the non-Muslim minorities.
56. In 1969 race riots broke out in Malaysia, resulting in some 200 poeple, mostly non-Muslims, being killed. An emergency was declared and the Muslim Malays took over the Government. The Western press declared that democracy was dead in Malaysia and wrote it off as another developing country destined for the wastebasket of history.
57. Yet today Malaysia, still under a Muslim dominated Government, is peaceful , stable and prosperous, growing at 8 percent per annum for almost 10 years. The Muslims of Malaysia are apperently not terrorists. Indeed, They have proven themselves capable of living and working with non-Muslims to create a united and progressive nation.
58. There are no feuds in Malaysia; not between Muslims nor between and non-muslims. The official religion of Malaysia is Islam but Buddhist, Hindu, and Taoist temples and Christian churches are to be seen everywhere. Religious festivals of the different races and faiths are celebrated by everyone together. The non-Muslims in Malaysia do not regard Muslims as terrorists or Islam a violent creed.
59. One would have thought that Muslims and non-Muslims would look to Malaysia as an example of the practice of Islam. But the West and their media refuse to recognise that the Muslims of Malaysia actually exemplify the teachings of Islam. They prefer to regard Malaysian Muslims and their behaviour as aberrations. They keep on asking about fundamentalism in Malaysia and when told that there are really no Islam fundamentalists of the kind they describe. They reject the claim . The prejudice against Islam and Muslims remains even with Malaysia.
60. Islam is indeed a misunderstood religion. Such is the misunderstanding and the prejudice against it that Muslim and Non-Muslim alike often regard it as an impediment, as a barrier to good peaceful relations between Muslims and non-Muslims and even between Muslims and Muslims. Both regard this religion that brought greatness to the Arabs and built a very progressive empire as being responsible for everything bad that happened between Muslims and non-Muslims.
61. Ignorant of the teachings of Islam and frustrated by the apparent failures of Islam and with their own countries, some Muslims tend to deride and even condemn the religion. Others, again due to frustration with the Muslim communities in which they live and ignorant about the teachings of Islam and its history, suggest that the Quran itself is at fault and needs to be revised.
62. When such frustrations are aired, the western media, the principal guide to western intellectual thinking, would make heroes or heroines of these religiously illiterate and untutored people. The Western countries would confer upon them awards and make them out to be brave people fighting the injustices of Islam.
63. The West would love to hear me condemn the religion of Islam for the failures of Muslims and their nations. But I know that their concerns about Islam and the Muslims are at best academic. I suspect that all they want to see is the removal of Islam as a faith, the way that Communism was debunked. But that will not serve the cause of good inter-religious or non-religious relations between Muslims and the others.
64. The answer lies in correcting or abandoning the tendentious and incorrect interpretations of Islam by same of the ‘Ulamas’. These interpreters of Islam, no matter how large may be their following or how established are their teachings, are not prophets. There is only one prophet for the Muslims and he is Muhammad, the last of Allah’s messenger who brought and spread the faith of Islam among man. Muhammad and the holy Quran cannot be wrong but the interpreters of Islam can be.
65. If Islam appears rigid and doctrinaire, it is because the learned interpreters make it so. They tended to be harsh and intolerant when interpreting during the heyday of the Muslim Empires. And they and their followers brook no opposition to their writs once they were made. And so, long after the Muslims have lost their predominant position long after the worldly environment has changed, the Muslims were exhorted to adhere to interpretations which are no longer adequate or relevant or practicable.
66. What Muslims must do is to go back to the holy Quran and the genuine ‘hadiths’ , study and interpret them in the context of the present world. It is Allah’s will that the world has changed. It is not for man to reverse what has been willed by Allah. The faithful must look for guidance from the teachings of the Quran and the ‘Hadith’ in the present context. Islam is not meant only for 7th Century Arabs. Islam is for all times and for every part of the world. If we Muslims understand this, then there will be less misunderstandings among us. If the non-Muslims appreciate the problems that the Muslims have in trying to adjust to modern changes, then they will not misunderstand Islam and the Muslims as mush as they do now. And the world will be a better place if all these misunderstandings are removed.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
To Mom All The around The World
Your arms were always open when I needed a hug. Your heart understood when I needed a friend. Your gentle eyes were stern when I needed a lesson. Your strength and love has guided me and gave me wings to fly. - Sarah Malin
You all are the greatest of all. May Allah SWT bless and protect you.
Surah Luqman verse 14 :-
And We have enjoined on man (To be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.
Surah Al-Israa' verse 23 :-
Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.
Mama please do forgive me if I'm not obey to your will and argue with you. Will always praying to Allah SWT and asking the Almighty to protect you, bless you, show you the right path and forgive you.
Surah Al-Israa' verse 24 :-
And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood."
Ameen
You all are the greatest of all. May Allah SWT bless and protect you.
Surah Luqman verse 14 :-
And We have enjoined on man (To be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.
Surah Al-Israa' verse 23 :-
Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.
Mama please do forgive me if I'm not obey to your will and argue with you. Will always praying to Allah SWT and asking the Almighty to protect you, bless you, show you the right path and forgive you.
Surah Al-Israa' verse 24 :-
And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood."
Ameen
Monday, May 4, 2009
This Lately....
I'm not sure how to put it into word. It seems that I'm confuse with my self. Keep on searching for forgiveness and bless from Allah. Will looking into the sky thinking all day and all night about His creation.
But when I'm looking on my surrounding, it make me quite sad with the Muslim now days. It seems like we are forget and ignored on the religious that we been born into. They drink, taking drugs and free sex. Is it we keep on finger pointing to the parent, teachers, Ustaz or etc.
When we look back on the young Muslim or read the newspaper, watching new and etc. Most of our Muslim youth are drowning with the propaganda, entertainment and many more. They can differentiate between right or wrong. They just follow what their want, in the right word "Nafsu".
Where should we start to make or to build up a quality youth among the Muslim that willing to take any challenged in the future and the life that full with boundaries and obstacle.
When we look at our surrounding, why "Mat Rempit", drug addict , thugs are related to Muslim especially Malays. Is it due to lack or Islam teaching or didn't understand the Quran or might be else.
For me this can be prevent if we really understand the Quran. As the Quran is the guidance for us. If you read Yassin verse 69 :
We have not instructed the (Prophet) in Poetry, nor is it meet for him: this is no less than a Message and a Qur-an making things clear.
Inside this surah it show that the purposed of Quran that we read everyday or might be every week.
Let us keep thinking and try to improved our self and asking for His forgiveness and bless.
Ameen
Al-Baqarah Verse 16 :
These are they who have bartered guidance for error: but their traffic is profitless, and they have lost true direction.
But when I'm looking on my surrounding, it make me quite sad with the Muslim now days. It seems like we are forget and ignored on the religious that we been born into. They drink, taking drugs and free sex. Is it we keep on finger pointing to the parent, teachers, Ustaz or etc.
When we look back on the young Muslim or read the newspaper, watching new and etc. Most of our Muslim youth are drowning with the propaganda, entertainment and many more. They can differentiate between right or wrong. They just follow what their want, in the right word "Nafsu".
Where should we start to make or to build up a quality youth among the Muslim that willing to take any challenged in the future and the life that full with boundaries and obstacle.
When we look at our surrounding, why "Mat Rempit", drug addict , thugs are related to Muslim especially Malays. Is it due to lack or Islam teaching or didn't understand the Quran or might be else.
For me this can be prevent if we really understand the Quran. As the Quran is the guidance for us. If you read Yassin verse 69 :
We have not instructed the (Prophet) in Poetry, nor is it meet for him: this is no less than a Message and a Qur-an making things clear.
Inside this surah it show that the purposed of Quran that we read everyday or might be every week.
Let us keep thinking and try to improved our self and asking for His forgiveness and bless.
Ameen
Al-Baqarah Verse 16 :
These are they who have bartered guidance for error: but their traffic is profitless, and they have lost true direction.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Dont Be Dumb
The moral of this story is don't love them hos,
If you searchin for somethin,
You searchin for a woman,
You searchin for a man,
But through your search,
You gonna come through a lot of obstacles,
A lot of twists, a lot of turns,
But you gotta be able to taste it to know what's sweet,
To know what's sour,
to know what's good,
to know what's bad,
If you searchin for somethin,
You searchin for a woman,
You searchin for a man,
But through your search,
You gonna come through a lot of obstacles,
A lot of twists, a lot of turns,
But you gotta be able to taste it to know what's sweet,
To know what's sour,
to know what's good,
to know what's bad,
Friday, March 20, 2009
Bomb, Bomb, Bomb
I heard. I murdered.
I heard. I murdered.
People, we holler about all of the murders
Look what they did to Rahmat
Flipping the flow and let it burn
Without pistols, the police ain't strong
Find'a bomb, bitch, you fucking with all the black get peeps
And in the 1999 when ya meet up in the end
Be it be no peace for the police
The Biz here to rip the streets!
And get 'em all pissed
We don't take defeat
Me stepping retreat
You can lose yo arms, better use yo feet
Just pick up my cannon, people,
Hear the pump, it erupt
We're corrupt as the four, down to buck
Come and get fucked up
And get up outta the county, people get rowdy
duck into battle
Disappear-pear, in a ally
Reappear-pear, off in Cali
Can you feel me, daddy?
Proudly handle stuff like a man
And went through shit in Kajang
With the band
Now look at me platinum
Fuck the rap, and corner bitch made hation nation
Nowadays an occupation
So why you hate me? Still can't fade me away
Go on, be gone
The point of view was made with the poet
And while they pop, I'm ready to bomb,bomb,bomb,bomb
I heard. I murdered.
People, we holler about all of the murders
Look what they did to Rahmat
Flipping the flow and let it burn
Without pistols, the police ain't strong
Find'a bomb, bitch, you fucking with all the black get peeps
And in the 1999 when ya meet up in the end
Be it be no peace for the police
The Biz here to rip the streets!
And get 'em all pissed
We don't take defeat
Me stepping retreat
You can lose yo arms, better use yo feet
Just pick up my cannon, people,
Hear the pump, it erupt
We're corrupt as the four, down to buck
Come and get fucked up
And get up outta the county, people get rowdy
duck into battle
Disappear-pear, in a ally
Reappear-pear, off in Cali
Can you feel me, daddy?
Proudly handle stuff like a man
And went through shit in Kajang
With the band
Now look at me platinum
Fuck the rap, and corner bitch made hation nation
Nowadays an occupation
So why you hate me? Still can't fade me away
Go on, be gone
The point of view was made with the poet
And while they pop, I'm ready to bomb,bomb,bomb,bomb
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Dead And Gone
This song is seems to be dedicated to my life after make the changes from the mistakes that I've been done
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Change The World
And trouble may come and sometimes
You'll get pulled over by one-time
And when the 1999 rewinds,
you didn't even make any strides
Murder all around the whole world,
it's nauseatin
Everybody's hating everybody,
overrated
Why everybody acting agitated,
I thought we graduated
Back in the saddle waiting,
aboard the battle station
Hating is a birth defect and you know ain't nobody perfect
And when the curtains,
close open up the door,
no more
You'll get pulled over by one-time
And when the 1999 rewinds,
you didn't even make any strides
Murder all around the whole world,
it's nauseatin
Everybody's hating everybody,
overrated
Why everybody acting agitated,
I thought we graduated
Back in the saddle waiting,
aboard the battle station
Hating is a birth defect and you know ain't nobody perfect
And when the curtains,
close open up the door,
no more
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
First Cut is the Deepest by Rod Stewart
First Cut is the Deepest
I would have given you all of my heart
But theres someone whos torn it apart
And shes taken just all that I had
But if you want Ill try to love again
Baby Ill try to love again but I know
The first cut is the deepest
Baby I know the first cut is the deepest
But when it come to being lucky shes cursed
When it come to loving me shes the worst
I still want you by my side
Just to help me dry the tears that Ive cried
And Im sure going to give you a try
And if you want Ill try to love again
Baby Ill try to love again but I know
The first cut is the deepest
Baby I know the first cut is the deepest
But when it come to being lucky shes cursed
When it come to loving me shes the worst
I still want you by my side
Just to help me dry the tears that Ive cried
But Im sure gonna give you a try
cause if you want Ill try to love again
Baby Ill try to love again but I know
The first cut is the deepest
Baby I know the first cut is the deepest
When it come to being lucky shes cursed
When it come to loving me shes the worst
Friday, February 27, 2009
The Cranberries - Zombie
The Cranberries - Zombie
Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence,
Who are we mistaken?
But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying
In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, dou, dou, dou, dou, dou
Another mother's breakin',
Heart is taking over.
When the vi'lence causes silence,
We must be mistaken.
It's the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen.
In your head, in your head they're still fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are dying
In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, oh, oh,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, hey, oh, ya, ya-a
Monday, February 16, 2009
Heart of the matter
“Truly in the heart there is a sadness that can not be removed except with the happiness of knowing Allah and being true to Him.
And in it there is an emptiness that can not be filled except with love for Him and by turning to Him and always remembering Him.
And if a person were given all of the world and what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness.”
- Ibn Al-Qayyim
And in it there is an emptiness that can not be filled except with love for Him and by turning to Him and always remembering Him.
And if a person were given all of the world and what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness.”
- Ibn Al-Qayyim
Saturday, February 14, 2009
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