Al-Kauthar

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Palestine: The Unimaginable Future

I went to a talk on Palestine by the Prof Bill Mullen a few months back. It was overwhelming.

I have known about Palestine since I was thirteen. I have been reading books, looking up article on the web, researching for myself the truth behind the the catastrophe they called the Nakba. It has been more than 60 years, and it seems that it has only grown to become worse day by day.

Palestine: The Unimaginable Future

Everything about the occupation is readily available online today. It would be too shameful for anyone who has any interest at all in the issue to not be able to understand the degree of acuteness of the crime perpetrated by Israel. People have been talking about it since the initiation of Zionism, activism has been organized everywhere, tonnes of books have been written on the issue. No matter how you will look at it, unless you believe in supremacy of one type of human being against another, you will never find justification for the atrocities committed in the name of Zionism.

During the discussion at the end of his talk, one Chinese guy raised his hands and posited some of his comments on the issue. He was expressing his opinion which basically says, he doesn’t see anyway there could be any solution to the conflict happening between Israel and the Palestinians. One state or two state solutions will not suffice, since perpetual conflict will be inevitable. He goes on to bring on examples from history of why he thinks his opinion on the issue is as strong as it can be, describing how two different religious group in Yugoslavia were killing each other although they speak the same language, wore the same clothes and have the same skin color. He went on with some other examples but, the conclusion that he seemed to have reached was, it is just human nature. It is our nature that we will look down upon people who don’t seem to look like us, or who we think are of an inferior species, in whatever criteria we so arbitrarily will see fit our desires.

Or is it? Is it true that this inherently inside our genes and conscience?

What may seem to have been a solution.

Prof. Bill Mullen’s answer made me do a double take. He actually brought an example of a time when the Jews, Muslims and Christians were living peacefully together in harmony, and that was a time under the Ottoman rule. True, it is very compelling to think that mankind has done poorly over the centuries, but it is naive to think that there wasn’t a time when we were going great guns. Check any history books, this moment of time wasn’t fake; there was a time when we were able to live together amongst each other, respecting each other for what we believe, tolerating each other with everything that we have.

But then, the question becomes, what made that possible? Why was there a time where we performed very well as dignified creatures, when today, we so miserably messed up?

Being born and raised a muslim, the answer to me was obvious. It was Islam. People would argue that the reason could be political, cultural, or maybe even economic, but I think these view are too shallow. Yes, humans have tendencies towards corruption, but we have one thing that keeps us true to our morality and values, and before 1948 it was achieved by the Ottoman. It was Islam, a religion that steered us away from our bestiality, from our own lustful desire towards honoring our fellow human beings, and flourishing the Earth with all sorts of wonderful joy.

The Takeaway

This is both a call to be aware of Palestine, and to realize that the pearl we have so exhaustively been searching all this while is already within our grasp: Islam. Brothers and sisters, let us learn from history and from the past us, so that we will not repeat the same mistake, and let us go back to the true Islam that has made us glorious and prosperous, for better days to come.

By: The Unheard

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Look Around You

Figure 1: Ayah from quran.com

From the translation, the word Iqra’ is translated as Read or Recite. But let us take a look back in the Sirah Nabawiyyah. During the revelation of the verse, Prophet Muhammad was alone meditating in the Cave of Hira’. So, when the Gabriel came to him and asked him to read, what is he referring to? Based on one of the lectures regarding this verse, the word Iqra’ is used to tell Prophet Muhammad to continue in his journey searching for the truth. 

In the bad old days (Jahiliyyah), Prophet Muhammad was one of the people who see his city, Makkah Al-Mukarramah in a different perspective than others. He was proud when he saw a lot of people came to the Kaabah to do Hajj every year and how the government at the time would generously sponsor them. It was an honorable thing to do where the visitors were not even allowed to start their own fire – everything would be provided. But he was confused when he saw at the same time, the government would also bring naked women to do Tawaf around the Kaabah. So, due to this confusion, Prophet Muhammad would always try to seek answers that can solve his confused mind. Thus, the answer came to him when he went to Hira’ and met with Gabriel with the revelation from God. 

The main point of the story is for us to be aware of our society. In reality, there are a lot of problems in this world – poverty, war, moral decadence. One thing that I have noticed in this generation, we usually do not care about what happens in our world.  For example, how many of us took an extra hour from our daily life to read the local news in our city? I am talking as a Malaysian student studying in America. I would not know what is happening right now in Flint, Michigan if I did not go to the Friday prayer at my university. As Dr. Maszlee said when he came to the Muktamar last year, he emphasized on the importance of contributing to the local while we are here studying to get a degree. That is how we introduce Malaysia to the people, we show them who we are and what we can contribute. Not necessarily just by introducing our dance and culture. 

With that being said, I encouraged me and all of you to have this sort of mindset embedded in ourselves. We must realize that our purpose of being here in this world is far more than having fun. Let us be more aware of our surrounding and then contribute back to the society.

By: Amirul Azim Email: [email protected]

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How long have I got left

* * *

Singing a song entitled ‘Menanti Barzakh’ suddenly made me ponder.

I`ve never imagine leaving things behind me. Sometimes, it just feels like living on this world forever. It is ironic though because I know the time will come but I don't think I have fully internalize that in me,  or have Ihaven't I? Hmmm..

What if I know how long have I got left? Will it change my perspective and attitude on how I live my life everyday?

I believe it will. I think regardless of good or bad things that happened to me, they won’t affect my focus anymore because I`m so busy spending my time and energy for His sake. So, the thing is I will always want to remind me of the reality that the time has yet to come. Yes. this is it! It is better to prepare some pure good deeds with hope that they will accompany me and shed some lights for me in the graveyard and outweigh my sins when I stand in front of ALLAH.....because I don’t want to be thrown in the hellfire. :(

Every single breath I take is witnessing the shorter time I have on this earth and also is a sign telling me that I`m walking closer and closer to the graveyard. Please and please. Live this moment truthfully in ways pleasing to Allah swt. Only you can ultimately remind yourself about this. Take this piece of advice and bring it wherever you go, in everything you do. You`ll see more strength coming from you that you wanted to fight for His cause so badly. You won't be bothered by any worldly thing except your intention to seek for the redha of Allah.

Rasulullah said, “Indeed, death is sufficient as reminder”. And, he was absolutely right.

Peace be upon him.  

Bakal meninggalkan dunia, Hambamu, milikmu selamanya. January 13, 2016

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Brains

Brains.

Zombies love them. We use them. Everyone is probably aware by now that we don’t really only use 10% of our brain, but rather, all parts of the brain participate in commanding our daily activities. The “left-brained people are more logical, right-brained people are more creative” is a myth, as well. Yes, the left hemisphere is related to logical processes, but studies have shown that there is really no such thing as one side dominating over the other. About 2% of your body weight is your brain, and in this 2% are roughly 86 billion neurons, or brain cells.

Ever heard of something called “alien hand syndrome”?

That’s… an alien’s hand. Alien hand syndrome, on the other hand, is a rare neurological disorder related to the brain, where one hand seems to be acting independently, without the person being able to control the movement of the hand. It’s like having someone else’s hand stitched on to your body and it does whatever it wants to do, like throwing an object, catching hold of something, maybe even punching someone else (or himself) in the face. There’s relatively few documented incidents regarding the occurrences of this behavior, but the reason behind it is thought to be when the corpus callosum, the nerve bundles connecting the two brain hemispheres, is severed.

Imagine having no control over one hand. *shudder*

Just a small tidbit.

Anyway. Speaking of brains, here’s an interesting story. In surah al-‘Alaq, verses 15-16, Allah mentions about the forelock:

The forelock, in scientific terms, is called the anterior fontanelle. (Well, to be exact, the forelock means the hair that is growing on the area, anterior fontanelle is the area itself. But let’s not get technical here). Place the palm of your right (or left) hand on your forehead. Where your middle finger is resting is about the area of your anterior fontanelle. And because a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s the anterior fontanelle for you:

So why did Allah say “A lying, sinning forelock”? I mean, forelocks don’t… lie. Any lies that one utters is through his mouth, no?

There’s an interesting story of a guy named Phineas Gage. He was a railroad construction worker. One fine day, he was working on constructing a railroad (duh). To cut a long story short, an accident happened and the tool he was working with – a 1.1 m long iron rod – rebounded and impaled the guy on his face, through his left cheek and out from his head.

Ouch.

This happened in 1848, by the way. And by Allah’s will, he survived the accident (you can read the full story on Wikipedia; just Google Phineas Gage). There are many versions of the story afterwards. Some accounts say his personality changed. Some other said that afterwards, the guy was never able to make his own decision. If you tell him to eat, he would eat, but he wouldn’t stop until someone tells him to. Some said he improved later on. Nevertheless, it spurred the neurologists at that era to study more about the brain function. Especially the frontal lobe region, since in Phineas’s case, that part was the most heavily impacted after the incident. Spawning from the incident, we began to learn more about the functions of the frontal lobe.

So what about the frontal lobe?

Prior to 1840, scientists used to think that the frontal lobe has no defined function (or rather, they didn’t know what it does). After centuries of research, however, we now know that the frontal lobe is related to our decision-making capabilities. When we think about doing an action, and the probable consequences that come along with it, that’s our frontal lobe in action. Right or wrong. Left or right. Better or worse. It’s all processed within the frontal lobe. It is the control system that is in charge of our daily actions.

And it just so happens that the visible area on our head that corresponds to the frontal lobe area is the forelock.

I’ll let you contemplate on that.

-DHMO ([email protected])

Credits:

-Images: Wikipedia, mostly. And Google.

-www.quran.com

-http://www.eramuslim.com/peradaban/quran-sunnah/rahasia-ubun-ubun.htm

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Mengejar Redha Ilahi

* * *

Bila terasa penat dan lelah utk bersungguh-sungguh menggunungkan amal ukhrawi, Bila terasa dunia ni lebih menarik-narik perhatian diri berbanding impian mengejar syurgawi, 
 Bila terasa jauh sekali perjalanan mencari tuhan ya ilahi,

 Pejamkan mata dan ingatkan pada sanubari, 
 Hari ni kan berlalu pergi.

Walau tak terkira kurniaan tuhan disambut dgn girang sekali, 
 Walau ujian datang ibarat ribut yang merentap rasa di hati,
 Semua itu hadir sebagai cebisan kisah hidup insan pulang menuju ilahi.



Maka, ingtkn pada diri, Walau sehebat manapun kita berpijak di bumi ini, 
 Walau sesukar manapun cabaran kehidupan yang dihadapi, 
 Semua itu akan hanya tinggal memori, 
Yang akan pulang hanya jiwa dan amal yang menjadi bekalan diri, 
 Moga sentiasa kita semat di hati.



Jom kita kembali mengejar impian gergasi, 
 Syurga yang hakiki.

Sahabatmu.

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Menyedari Tuhan dalam Kehidupan

“Dan apabila hamba­hamba­Ku bertanya kepadamu tentang Aku, maka (jawablah), bahwasanya Aku adalah dekat. Aku mengabulkan permohonan orang yang berdoa apabila ia memohon kepada­Ku, maka hendaklah mereka itu memenuhi (segala perintah­Ku) dan hendaklah mereka beriman kepada­Ku, agar mereka selalu berada dalam kebenaran” (QS. 2 : 186). 

Allah sendiri mengakui kepada hambaNya bahawasanya Ia dekat bahkan sangat dekat. Dengan perkembangan dunia sains dan teknologi kita telah menemukan pelbagai rahsia alam ini berfungsi. Ada sesetengah ahli ilmuan mengatakan kadar perkembangan ilmu pengetahuan ialah dua kali ganda pada setiap tahun (Amir, 2014). oleh itu ramai cendekiawan yang mempersoalkan mengapa perlu tuhan sekiranya sains mampu merungkai dan memperjelas bagaimana alam ini beroperasi.

Satu soalan menarik ditanya ketika berbincang mengenai DNA atau molekul yang mengandungi maklumat berkaitan genetik yang diwarisi daripada ibubapa kepada anak­anak. Adakah tuhan masih menjaga kita setelah Allah menciptakan satu sistem DNA yang lengkap dalam badan kita? DNA merupakan kandungan induk dalam nukleus yang mengawal segala maklumat dalam membuat protein dalam badan. protein ini kemudian akan bertukar menjadi hormon, enzime , sel pelindung dan banyak lagi. Dengan sistem kawalan rapi yang dikepalai oleh DNA mungkin sahaja menjadi sebab untuk kita menafikan bahawa Allah sentiasa bersama melindungi kita. 

Maka berlaku percanggahan dengan ayat yang dipamerkan di atas yang menegaskan bahawa sesungguhnya Allah itu dekat. DNA yang lengkap itu kadang­kala akan menghadapi gangguan daripada luar seperti radiasi yang akhirnya menyebabkan mutasi. Sudah tentu ini akan mengganggu proses yang selama ini menterjemah gene daripada DNA untuk menghasilkan protein. Nescaya protein yang sepatutnya dihasilkan elok akan bertukar cacat dari segi fizikal mahupun gagal dalam menjalankan fungsinya yang sebenar. Kegagalan protein ini sebagai contoh dalam sistem immune melawan kuman akan menyebabkan infeksi dalam badan.  

Maka ketika inilah tuhan akan menghantar beberapa protein lain untuk memastikan hal ini dielakkan. Protein yang dihantar ini akan mencegah penterjemahan protein daripada urutan gene yang telah terganggu akibat mutasi. Maka protein yang cacat tersebut tidak terhasil. 

Malang sekali untuk kita yang sentiasa lalai dalam mengingati tuhan yang esa. Ramai yang berpaling daripada mentaati tuhan kerana mereka tidak merasakan bahawa Allah itu dekat. kita merasakan bahawa kehidupan ini kekal dan kematian itu amat jauh sekali. justeru itu berlakulah peningkatan kes buang bayi, pelacuran, penyalahgunaan dadah dan banyak lagi. saya tinggalkan kalian dengan satu persoalan yang dirasakan wajar untuk menjadi pedoman dalam kehidupan seharian kita. Dimanakah Allah dalam kehidupan kita?

Rasulullah bersabda, “Nyaris orang­orang kafir menyerbu dan membinasakan kalian, seperti halnya orang­orang yang menyerbu makanan di atas piring.” Seseorang berkata, “Apakah karena sedikitnya kami waktu itu?” Beliau bersabda, “Bahkan kalian waktu itu banyak sekali, tetapi kamu seperti buih di atas air. Dan Allah mencabut rasa takut musuh­musuhmu terhadap kalian serta menjangkitkan di dalam hatimu penyakit wahn.” Seseorang bertanya, “Apakah wahn itu?” Beliau menjawab, “Cinta dunia dan takut mati.” (HR. Ahmad, Al­Baihaqi, Abu Dawud No. 3745)

-saya logam-  

References Aczel, A. D. (2014, April 27). Why Science Does Not Disprove God. Time

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Dawah or Islah?

Am I really doing Dawah or it is just Islah all this while?

I have always heard from the Akhawats/sisters and Ikhwahs/brothers about dawah, islah and tarbiyyah, etc, the program they did for others and was amazed with their passion to call others to His path. It made me wonder that does the definition of dawah and islah for a person  differ from one another? Alhamdulillah, all I know is we all have one goal, bringing others closer to Allah and to a better condition of life.

Before I explain my concerns, I'll give you my understanding and definition of Dawah and Islah through the lens of Sirah/history Rasulullah SAW and his Companions. Do correct me if I'm wrong.

Dawah is inviting others to His Deen especially for the not yet Muslims. For example in sirah/history, Rasulullah SAW dawah to his family members who are not yet Muslim and the people of Quraisy. So, am I right?

Islah is helping oneself or others improving to be a better practicing Muslims especially for those who are already Muslims. In other words, inviting other Muslims to have more/better understanding of Islam, Imaan and Ihsan through various ways such as online usrah, halaqah, etc. For example from sirah/history, the Companions will always make a circle (usrah) to elevate their Imaan together. So, am I right?

Therefore, from my definition and my perspective, my question to all the akhawats/sisters and ikhwahs/brothers, are you really doing DAWAH or ISLAH through all the programs you did like the weekly usrah, monthly halaqah, etc? How sure are you that you're doing Dawah all this time? Who are your target groups? Muslims or not yet muslims?

"Tia, dawah generally means invite. So, usrah/halaqah/etc are also the form of dakwah! Because we 'invite' them to be better. Duhh."

"Tia, your definition is partially correct! You can't generalize the definition."

"Tia, you know nothing about this track. I've been in the dawah track longer than you!"

All the response/facial expressions I received/thought when I try to share my point of view. Some (might) condemned instead of pondering together.

Well, for me, I don't mind on how you understand the Dawah term or the Islah term. I'm concerned with the fact that the akhawats/sisters and ikhwahs/brothers are in their comfort zones by just inviting the Muslims (which is hard, I acknowledge that) to be closer to Him. Yes, I agree that it is more important to prioritize the Islah part as we can produce/teach more Daies/preachers for the future, but, look at the sirah/history of our Prophet Muhammad SAW and His companions! They did both dawah and islah!

So, what are our KPIs as Daies? Are you sure you're doing dakwah or are you just doing islah? Do you really reach out to others? 

"Tia, it is just a terminology. Why you take it so seriously? For goodness sake!" 

"It depends on the community you're in, Tia. You can't express the definition that way. You need to look at the actual present community."

It is not about the terminology or definition or community whatsoever whatnot. It is just that, you and me understand that dawah is compulsory/mandatory for muslim as a caliph on earth and a servant of Him. As I see it, we have the opportunity to do more than islah especially in the majority not yet Muslim community/country which is a real, field of dawah! 

I am also concerned that our target group has not been the not yet Muslims and am worried that, I thought that I'm doing Dawah, but in the end, all this while I'm only doing Islah to my mad'u/sisters/muslim target group. What can I answer to Allah if I have this misconception that I didn't realize all this while? I'm afraid that Allah will ask me/all of us,

"Are you sure you invite others to My path, including the not yet Muslims? Are you sure you're doing dawah?"

"Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tested? But We have certainly tested those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars."

Surah Al Ankabut, verse 2 - 3 reminded me that my KPI as Daie/preacher hasn't reached to what Allah has expect for us. Allah surely test us as a Daie/preacher/muslims. Surah As Saff, verse 2 - 3 also gave us warning to practice what we preach.

The point is, I want to invite my Muslim brothers and sisters to widen their horizon, inviting the non Muslims to know/be curious about Islam. You have to be out of your comfort zone instead with your own friends/groups. Be proactive! I know it is hard, for me through my experiences, honestly it is hard. However, it is not impossible. Try from small things, never underestimate small things such as sharing a talk from Islamic scholar in Facebook to your audience/doa for your classmates, because you never know how merciful Allah is. He is the One who gives Hidayah, not me, not you, not all of us. All we can do is try our BEST with our own capacity, let He do the rest.

A sister told me,

"I've always thought that I'm doing dawah, but after you told me the differences of dawah and islah, then I know how little my dawah work is."

I feel you, sister because I was in your shoes before and I felt guilty for not doing dakwah and islah at the same time. All this while I thought I'm doing dawah, but the fact that it is more to islah, it hurts me more. What did I do with my life?

When I realize these gems from sirah, in which I need to be more proactive Muslim to reach out not only the Muslims, also the not yet Muslims, doing dawah and islah at the same time, I feel responsible to share this perspective and looking forward for more perspectives from others about this. Instead of condemning, do share your views as I know my views will never be a perfect  and correct perspective. I end my post with JazakAllah khair for your time to read my not-so-good/quality post.

Salam.

Sincerely with love, Nur Artricia Mohd Jefrin.

A servant of Allah. A caliph. A Muslimah. A daughter. A sister. A friend. InsyaAllah, a syahidah fi sabilillah. Amin.

Source: http://nurartricia.blogspot.com/2015/12/dawah-or-islah.html

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When I First Learned Science

When I first learned science, this was what the cell looked like:

*badly drawn cell*

Then I knew biology, and the cell “evolved” into something that looks like this:

Look at the cell membrane, a smooth-looking piece enveloping the cell. Isn’t that cool?

Nah.

It doesn’t stop there. If you are familiar with the word “antibody”, here is how it is usually represented in immunology books. That cell is called a plasma cell, a type of cell that produces these antibodies.

Well, actually, one antibody molecule is roughly 10 nm. Compared to the cell, about 10μm in size, that’s like a 1:1000 ratio, so the actual drawing would be something like this:

... Yeah. Imagine that 1 mm-sized dot in the middle of a round object with a diameter of 1 meter, and that would be the actual size representation of an antibody to a cell.

Of course, you’d be a bit too naïve if you accept the drawing at face value, but one not well-equipped with basic immunology concepts might just do so.

Okay, so what is my actual point here? Always have the ability to learn, un-learn and re-learn. Very often, learning something new comes with a “first impression” that will shape our future perception - it is our base for further understanding of that subject. But sometimes, we have to accept the fact that our understanding is misguided. This is especially true in science. Before the cell theory was developed and widely accepted, people used to believe that mud can generate into mice, and that fleas can come into being from dust, for example. Before the germ theory of disease that states microorganisms as disease bearers, it was widely accepted that miasma, a type of “poisonous” gas, causes diseases like cholera to spread around. Lesson learnt? What we accept as true today, may be invalid tomorrow.

So, always remember to keep an open mind in learning.

Though, in the case of the cell above, it isn’t so much “misguided” but rather, a simplified diagram. Of course you wouldn’t present the more complex diagram to a kid who is just learning the words “cytoplasm”, “plasma membrane” and “nucleus”, would you? If I were presented with the real representation of the cell when I first knew science, chances are, I’d flip the textbook close and continue watching Dora the Explorer. Learning is a multi-stage process. As it is with life.

So always, always, always strive to learn more. This previous piece (http://misg-kauthar.tumblr.com/post/133379192359/menjadi-bodoh-tapi-merasa-seronok) explained it quite clearly. The more we learn, the more we know what we don’t actually know.

Random rambling on life.

-DHMO

Image credits: Google, mostly. http://www.beatricebiologist.com/2013/10/the-beginnings-of-germ-theory/

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When I decided to be proud of my Deen, this is what happened to me!

I still remember the first time I got here in the United States, it was quite challenging to adapt to the new Western culture, yet preserve your Muslim identity at the same time. For the first time in my life I lived with Americans, I could say that almost everything that I do required me to interact and socialize with them. We lived in the same building, eat the same food, studied in the same class, shared the same bathroom, used the same language, like almost everything, to a point that I started to embrace the way they live, simply because I want to be ‘a part’ of them.

Gradually I could see my changes. It began with the way I dressed, (and because of there is no such thing like ‘Islamic environment’ here), every day I will struggle in front of the mirror deciding whether my outfit today will conform to theirs or not. It did not stop there as I could feel the way I think has also changed. I started to form an opinion that their culture brings a better explanation and solution to the mankind’s problem and I wondered why we cannot appreciate the diversity of faiths around us. Frankly speaking, at that time I thought that being a homosexual is a permissible thing to do due to biological reasons! From that moment onwards, I realized that something was wrong with me.

One day with the power and grace of Allah, something happened which made me realize that I am a Muslim and I should be proud of it. Why should I embrace their (American) way of life when my Deen already provides me with a better one? Why should I feel intimidated and inferior to bring my Hijab-clad Muslimah image when everyone else were “liberating” themselves with their own definition of ‘freedom’? Why should I let them define who I am and what is right for me, when in fact, Islam has already liberated me and provided me with true guidance?

Thenceforth, I decide to share with you what happened to me in the past two years when I decide to be proud of my Deen, not merely be proud of it but when I decide to express my pride in front of the American society which does not know the true meaning of freedom I found Islam.

My experience in a four-days camp with one of the international volunteer clubs in my university was the turning point. This is the first time I decided to move out from my Malaysian and Muslims friends’ circles, and being the only Muslim participant in that program I know it will be tough. But, why not take the challenge?

This is also the golden opportunity for me to show them and prove to myself that being a Muslimah with hijab does not prevent me from doing what everyone else were doing. I can be that active woman brave enough to face up to the challenges. Honestly, Islam actually guided me to perform these things, thus rebutting the stereotypical image of “oppressed” or “passive” Muslim women consistently portrayed in the media.

During the next four days I will spend my time with my new friends; a Brazilian man, a former Korean army personnel, a Vietnamese girl, a Chinese girl, a Mexican couple and one former American army officer named Carlos who is our camp leader. So I said to myself, ”This will be easy and it will be the best camp you will ever experience. Just be normal! ” Yet, during the first few hours we got to know each other, I faced my first challenge.

Challenge 1: How to react when a man wants to hug and shake your hands, because you are his new friend.

Am I going to let him hug me and shake my hands just to show that a Muslim is also a friendly human being even though my head is covered with a piece of cloth? Why can’t we accept their friendly culture and just go with the flow? However, that’s not what Islam taught me. Islam provided me with the best guideline on how to interact with the opposite gender and what should we do when we engage with people who do not know about Islam.

So, I decided to refuse his friendly hug and handshake and I politely pointed out to him that I am Muslim and I can’t hug him. I further explained to him what the principles of Islam are in matters of relationship between men and women, and tried to be as concise as possible to explain the same to the rest of my friends. At that time my expectation was, they will not appreciate it and think that I was too conservative to fit into their social circle. Yet, to my surprise they showed keen interest to my explanation about Islam and they asked me more about it. Later I know that my pride (‘izzah) in my Deen was actually what sparked our new intercontinental friendship.

It makes me realize that as Muslims we should not feel inferior and afraid to proclaim our identity our beliefs. If we truly believe that Islam provides the best way of life, so just live with it and express it proudly to other people.

The only difference is how we present the true value of Islam to society, especially to the non-Muslims. It actually reflects how close we are in adopting the Quran and Sunnah as our guidance and how we practice them in our daily life.

So, everything went well with the camp. We got to know each other and shared stories on our distinctive backgrounds. Later, they asked me to join them to play UNO cards. It might sound not-so-interesting to play UNO during camp, but here was my next challenge.

Challenge 2: How to fit into a group that swears A LOT and in front of your face!

Sometimes I find their culture of using filthy words “remarkable”. They can use the same filthy words and fit them into every sentence! Now, I could join in and (again) try to be part of their culture to just prove to them that a Muslim lady can also be a ‘cool’ person and creative enough to utter filthy words. Or I could decide NOT to join them and show my dislike by isolating myself in my own “protected” world. Nevertheless, I decided to join them and showed that I don’t need to swear to be cool.

During our interactions, I treated them nicely just the same way I want them to treat me. I carefully used “polite” words in order for them to reciprocate with the same choice of words. I respected them like the way I want to be respected. This will not happen unless I walk the talk, and it is true that action speaks louder than words. And again, to my surprise, there was no more swearing in our conversation, just joys and laughter which strengthened our bond.

So, be proud of your Deen and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Modernization does not mean that we need to sacrifice our Islamic values termed “conservative” by some westerners. Adaptation to western society does not require us to dilute down our Islamic principles in order to fit into theirs. I have experienced it. Being truly proud of your Deen does make a difference.

A lot of things happened during the camp, but there was one thing I can never forget. Carlos, the former US army who had served in Afghanistan and Iraq a couple years before, said something that struck my heart.

He said: “Now I know that Malaysian Muslims are happy Muslims”. When I asked him why, he said that all these while he just viewed Muslim women as pathetic and oppressed human being who were denied the chance to be happy under a piece of cloth on their head. Yet, when he met me, he knew that his previous perception was wrong.

Deep in my heart, I was truly happy to be a Muslim woman. It makes me glad to know that when I decided to be proud of my Deen, I can see the true beauty of Islam.

Despite the daily challenges that I face in living and interacting with Americans, one thing that I learnt was how to be a better practicing Muslim woman. Even though sometimes I observe people ridicule Islam, provoke my faith physically and emotionally, look down on me because of my external appearance, ridicule my beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW in front of me, some even to the extent of shouting “Terrorist!” the moment they saw a Muslim (to a point that brings fear and also tears), I still believe Islam is the only faith for humankind.

Indeed when I decided to be proud of my Deen and of what the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has taught me, I see the true freedom and liberation that Islam gave me.

By: Nur Hanis Mohamad Noor, Michigan State University

[misg-kauthar-blog]

Ringkasan Sejarah Penulisan Al-Quran

Al-Quran adalah Kalam suci daripada Allah s.w.t. yang diwahyukan kepada Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. melalui Malaikat Jibril, dan membacanya dianggap ibadah dan diberi pahala. Walaupun Al-Quran terdapat di seluruh pelusuk dunia, terutamanya di negara-negara Islam seperti Malaysia, tidak ramai yang mengetahui sejarah disebalik penulisan Al-Quran setelah zaman Nabi s.a.w. dan Khulafa’ Ar-Rashidin. Jika ditanya, pasti semua akan mengetahui bahawa Al-Quran diturunkan dalam tempoh 23 tahun dan dijadikan sebuah mushaf oleh Saidina Uthman r.a., tetapi tidak ramai yang mengetahui perbezaan kaedah tulisan dan penandaan dari sebuah era ke era yang lain. Oleh kerana itu, saya rasa amat penting untuk kita semua mengetahui dan menghargai sedikit sebanyak sumbangan para ulama’ dalam memelihara al-Qur’an di tinta dan di lisan manusia sejagat.

Sebelum kedatangan Islam, Bahasa Arab ditulis dengan menggunakan sejenis khat yang dinamakan ‘Nabati’, ‘Arami’ dan kemudian berakhir dengan ‘Hijazi’. Khat Hijazi ini digunakan semasa zaman Nabi Muhammad s.a.w., tetapi beberapa dekad selepas kewafatan baginda, tulisan Bahasa Arab umumnya menggunakan khat ‘Kufi’.

 (Tulisan khat Nabati di batu nisan. Hang tau ke dok lagu mana nak baca ni?)

Peringkat Pertama (Almost Nothing)

Di samping perbezaan khat, terdapat juga perkembangan dalam penambahan pada tulisan Al-Quran untuk memudahkan golongan bukan Arab (A’jam) untuk membaca Al-Quran dengan betul. Asalnya, seperti mana yang dapat dilihat pada khat Kufi, tulisan al-Quran tidak mempunyai apa-apa titik dan baris. Ini merupakan tahap pertama penulisan Al-Quran dan tidak berubah selama 40 tahun sehingga pada zaman Abdul Malik b. Marwan.

Khalifah Abdul Malik b. Marwan juga telah membangunkan bangunan pertama dalam Islam yang masih utuh sehingga sekarang, iaitu the Dome of the Rock, atau Qubbatus Sakhra’. Di dalamnya, terdapat ukiran ayat Al-Qur’an menggunakan Khat Kufi yang boleh dibandingan dengan mushaf-mushaf Al-Qur’an pada zaman itu dan seterusnya.

           (Ukiran ayat al-Qur’an dan mesej di dalam Qubbatus Sakhra’)

Peringkat Kedua (Nuqtah I’rab)

I’rab merupakan salah satu tatabahasa Arab yang mengajar kaedah pembarisan pada akhir perkataan, dan ianya penting untuk menentukan kata kerja (verb), subject, dan sebagainya.

Telah berlaku pada zaman para sahabat, di Masjidil Haram apabila seorang sahabat telah terdengar seorang membaca surah Fatir, ayat 28 dengan menyebut ‘Allahu’ dan bukan ‘Allaha’. Sahabat tersebut menjadi marah lantas menengking lelaki tersebut kerana telah mengubah makna ayat tersebut, daripada “…yang takut kepada Allah dalam kalangan hamba-hambaNya hanyalah ulama…”, kepada “…Allah takut kepada hamba-hambaNya yang ulama…”. Na’uzubillah.

Peringkat Ketiga (Nuqtah I’jam)

Diceritakan bahawa suatu hari, seorang utusan khalifah dihantar kepada seorang gabenor. Sebelum itu, gabenor tersebut telah mendapat arahan yang mengatakan, “apabila dia telah sampai, maka sambutlah dia”. Malangnya, pembaca surat tersebut telah tersalah baca ‘Faqbalhu’  (فاقبله), dengan ‘Faqtulhu’ (فاقتله). Kesilapan dari ‘sambutlah dia’ kepada ‘bunuhlah dia’! Akibatnya, hilanglah nyawa seorang insan sebelum ulama’ memutuskan bahawa ketiadaan tanda titik boleh mencetuskan banyak masalah, bukan sahaja pada pembacaan al-Qur’an, tetapi juga masalah2 yang lain.

(lebih kurang seperti ini lah apa yang pegawai istana gabenor nampak)

                             (Ini contoh folio Al-Qur’an yang bertitik)

Peringkat Keempat (Semua tanda-tanda baris dan harkat)

                           (Ini contoh folio Al-Qur’an selepas era ini)

 Peringkat Kelima (Tanda waqaf dan lain-lain tanda)

                      (Ini contoh folio al-Qur’an selepas era ini)

 Maka tamatlah lanjutan penambahbaikan kaedah tulisan Al-Qur’an semenjak daripada zaman Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. Usaha ini dilaksanakan oleh para ulama’ untuk memudahkan umat Islam membaca dan menghayati al-Qur’an di samping memelihara pembacaan al-Qur’an itu sendiri. Oleh itu, marilah kita bersama-sama megnhayati usaha ini dengan bersungguh-sungguh mendalami isi kandungan al-Qur’an dan membacanya sebagaimana yang disuruh oleh nabi s.a.w. Semoga Allah s.w.t. memudahkan usaha kita dan menggolongkan kita dalam kalangan para Qurra’ yang diredai-Nya kelak.

Penulis: Adam Putera Farid Iskandar

Sumber:

1.       Buku teks KKQ tingkatan 2

2.       Kertas kerja Agung Pirsada, “Sejarah Tulisan Arab”

3.       Wikipedia Bahasa Melayu, “Seni Khat Islam”

4.       Art History 281 class, Professor Gloria Anderson – ‘The Blue Qur’an’ and ‘the inscriptions in the Dome of the Rock’.

[misg-kauthar-blog]

Unholy War: The Failed Attempt of The Nazi to Mobilize The Muslim World

I was walking in a book isle in the school library when a particularly interesting magazine related to world history caught the corner of my eye. It was about the Nazi and its mostly unsuccessful attempts to spread its tentacles into the ‘Muslim world’ (note the apostrophes because they neglected the Southeast Asian Muslim majority nations for geopolitical reasons).

Without any hesitation, I took the magazine and started reading, eventually delaying my assignments for a good one hour. However, I find everything about it extremely interesting, considering that we have been kept in the dark when the Muslim world was a major chess piece on the board of the second World War. To help you guys out, here are the summarized points about what happened, so be enlightened, my friends!

At the height of the second World War, Hitler’s army came into contact with the Muslim populations of North Africa, the Balkans, Crimea and the Caucasus.

He then wanted to promote an alliance with the Muslims to gain political and military support against common enemies: Britain, Soviet Union, America and Jews.

Another reason as to why Hitler adopted this approach was because of its deteriorating military situations, such as the failed Blitzkrieg in Soviet Union.

However, he was not the first to do so. In 1898, Wilhelm II made a speech during a visit to the tomb of Salahuddin al-Ayubi that he was a friend to the 300 million ‘Mohammedans’, an opportunity of exploitation of Wilhelmine Weltpolitik.

This time, the Germans sought to use Islam as a vehicle of control, by recognizing Sharia courts, Islamic endowments, and keeping madrasahs open. 

However, these attempts to spread ‘jihad’ in 1914 failed.

When WWII started, Germany started to reconsider the opportunity that the Muslim world has at the disposal of the Third Reich.

Stohrer, Hitler’s ambassador in Cairo, proposed a systematic propaganda for Muslims, which prompted the Foreign Office to set up an ‘Islam Program’.

Many religious figures were employed, most notably Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husayni in Berlin in 1941.

Islamic Central Institute in Berlin was inaugurated, which was the center of Germany’s propaganda effort.

The slogan ‘Völkischer Beobachter’ was used - “This war could bring freedom to Islam!”

A book, “Der Islam”, was distributed to train officials on how to address the local Muslims.

The efforts to gain support in N. Africa was in vain, since the most influential Sufi Order there, the Sanusi tariqah, spearheaded the anti-colonial resistance against the Italians and the Axis. Berlin’s promise to liberate Islam and the region stood in sharp contrast to the destruction it caused.

On the other hand, the Germans in the Eastern Front, Crimea and N. Caucasus, were more successful. Under Stalin, the Muslims have been facing intense persecution, with mosques destroyed and desecrated, Islamic literature censored and Sharia law banned. So the Germans took this opportunity to tout themselves as the ‘defender and liberator’ of Islam.

General Erich von Manstein of Crimea ordered all to respect Muslims. Eidul fitr was celebrated big time, and a paper mache of the Quran was paraded in the street. However, this attitude towards Muslims cooled over time, as there were ordinary German soldiers who were brainwashed to think that Asiatic people as subhuman. In the end, everything took a worse turn when Stalin accused the Muslims with collaborating with the enemy and ordered mass deportation.

In the Balkan, everything was different. Initially, after dissolving Yugoslavia, the Germans did nothing. It did put a puppet leader, though, the Ustasa Regime. However, a ton of conflicts arose from the regime, Tito’s Communist Party, and the Orthodox Serbian Cetniks. Muslims received the full frontal attack of the 3 groups, so some representatives seeked help from the Germans, promising love and loyalty to the Fuhrer and to fight for the Axis against ‘Judaism, Freemasonry, Bolshevism, and the English exploits’.

The German officials were thrilled. The Mufti of Jerusalem was sent on a tour there, and the Germans launched a massive Muslim propaganda. The Highest Religious Council was formed, and the Germans worked closely with them. Unfortunately for all, it was clear that the Germans could not pacify the region, and the propaganda only fueled hatred against Muslims. Violence escalated. 250,000 Muslims died.

As the tide of the war turned, innumerable Muslims were brought to fight at the front lines, to save German lives. Many religious requirements were respected, and Imams played an important role to indoctrinate soldiers to fight for the Germans with the promise of Jannah. This was nicely pragmatic for the Germans, as agreed by Himmler. However, after the war, many Muslims faced gruesome retaliation.

The Germans engagement with Muslims were troubled initially. The Germans often executed Muslims since they were confused with Jews as they were circumcised. But then, other characteristics like names were taken into account to distinguish Jews with Muslims.

In the end, there many episodes of racial-religious confusion by the German troops. Some Jews, like the Karaites were classified as Turks and was spared, while the neighboring Krymchaks were killed. Many Jews under the Ustasa Regime officially converted to Islam and Christianity, with the former being more popular since they were circumcised, to escape persecution. On the other hand, many Muslim Roma were killed, because they didn’t succeed in persuading the Germans that they were Muslims.

Another major problem was the dichotomy of Islam (a religion), and Jews (a race), as well as the obvious political goal of the Germans when ’supporting’ Muslims. The German propaganda also clashed too often with the realities of war they fought.

Finally, Hitler lamented the fact that the Germans were unsuccessful to rally support from Muslims, while the Allies managed to muster hundreds of thousands of Muslims in N. Africa to fight against the Germans.

In the end, Hitler failed, but why judge it as good or bad when the Alliance had won and not him. Had Hitler won the game, we would all be persecuted for the lackluster commitment to ensure his earlier victory. Remember, the winner of a war is not about who’s right, but who’s left. I will leave everything for you to decide what we should have done instead, and hopefully we can all look at the past to teach us how to have a better future. Ameen, insyaAllah.

By: Adam Iskandar Source: History Today Magazine

Email: [email protected]

[misg-kauthar-blog]

Menjadi Bodoh Tapi Merasa Seronok

Mereka yang biasa mendengar kata-kata hikmah Imam Syafie "Semakin aku belajar, semakin terserlah kejahilanku" sedar bahawa seseorang itu boleh menjadi bodoh kerana dua sebab, samada bodoh kerana tidak belajar atau bodoh kerana belajar. Jadi, susah lah begini, belajar pun bodoh, tak belajar pun bodoh.  

Bezanya bodoh tak belajar dapat difahami dengan kata-kata Imam Syafie "Bila kamu tak tahan penatnya belajar, maka kamu akan menanggung peritnya kebodohan." Yakni, mereka yang bodoh tak belajar akan menahan perit dan kesusahan yang bakal menyusul. Manakala mereka yang bodoh kerana belajar akan merasa seronok dan puas. Rasa seronok dan puas yang hadir ini dapat diterangkan dengan kisah seorang saintis yang baru sahaja berjaya menemukan cara bagaimana Thermonuclear Fission berlaku. Saintis itu sudah pasti merasa seronok dan puas melihat hasil kajiannya yang bertahun-tahun membuahkan hasil. Namun begitu, dengan serta merta juga dia sedar banyak lagi boleh dikembangkan dan banyak lagi perlu dia tahu, seperti memikirkan pula cara untuk mewujudkan Controlled Thermonuclear Fission, yang mana dia tiada lansung ilmu mengenainya. Di sini saintis itu MENJADI BODOH TAPI MERASA SERONOK. 

Sebagai seorang pelajar (student), manusia yang 'kerja'nya ialah untuk belajar, mempelajari dan menguasai ilmu baru setiap hari, teramatlah rugi untuk tidak mendapat perasaan seronok apabila menjadi bodoh. Untuk kecapi perasaan seronok apabila menjadi bodoh, salah satu ciri utama yang perlu ada adalah ‘the why' atau long term vision kepada kenapa ilmu tersebut dipelajari. Contohnya, A, seorang yang membuat pengkhususan dalam bidang Chemical Engineering. Hmm, sudah pasti subjek yang dipelajari teramatlah susah dan memenatkan. Namun jika A mempunyai 'the why' atau long term vision kepada kenapa dia mempelajari Chemical Engineering, seperti ingin mencipta Hyrogen Fuel Cell's Car Engine dengan 70% efisiensi, sudah pasti setiap kali A menerima dan menguasai ilmu baru, dia akan merasa semakin seronok dan puas kerana dia juga semakin hampir dengan impiannya. Dan lebih indah lagi, bila A meletakkan ad-Din itu sendiri sebagai ‘the why’ teragung. Sebagai contoh, semakin banyak A pelajari, semakin hampir A dalam menguasai teknologi Hydrogen Fuel Cell, semakin tinggi peluang A untuk menjadi tokoh dalam industri Hydrogen Fuel Cell, (‘suspense’ nya bila nak ending ‘semakin’ ni), semakin dekatlah A dalam cita-citanya untuk menaikkan nama dan kehebatan Islam dalam bidang sains, maka semakin terserlahlah Islam. And kalau A seorang yang berfikir (besar perbezaan orang yg berfikir dan berilmu), semakin banyak A pelajari, semakin dekatlah A dengan Sang Pencipta.

So friends, try to get a vision or the ‘why’ for doing things while in you are in your course of learning. Because you have the power to choose, at least choose to BE STUPID BUT HAPPY.

By:  F-knight100 Emel:  [email protected]

[misg-kauthar-blog]

Membayar bil eletrik dengan kadar 'flat rate' kepada tuan rumah bukan bermakna anda boleh sewenang-wenangnya membazir eletrik sesuka hati. Allah mencela sifat orang yang suka membazir seperti mana yang diperingatkan di dalam surah Al-Isra’ ayat 27: "Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang boros itu adalah saudara-saudara Syaitan, sedang Syaitan itu pula adalah makhluk yang sangat kufur kepada Tuhannya." Ayuh jimat letrik pada musim sejuk ni! Bagaimana? 'Seal' lah tingkap anda. P/s: "Ini baru sejuk dunia bro, belum sejuk akhirat lagi."

[misg-kauthar-blog]

Apa Matlamat Hidupmu?

“Apa matlamat hidup seorang Muslim ya?” Tanya seorang pelajar Kristian kepada rakan aku yang berbangsa Arab. Masa itu, aku dan kawan aku sedang jaga booth ‘Islam Awareness Week’. Jarang-jarang ada orang berhenti untuk tanya soalan. Menarik soalan yang ditanya.

“Eerr… hmm… ” tercengang member aku ni memikirkan jawapan kepada soalan tu. Aku memerhatikan dari belakang booth. Lelaki Kristian itu menanti penuh tanda tanya. Macam nak provoke pun ada juga. Kawan aku ni masih tak ada jawapan.

Melihat keadaan itu, aku pun mencelah, “mudah sahaja soalan kau itu, Allah menyebut ‘Dan tidak kami ciptakan manusia dan jin kecuali untuk beribadah’ (51:56) itulah matlamat hidup kami,” 

Satu perkara yang aku lihat di barat ialah kebanyakan daripada mereka memang ada matlamat hidup tersendiri. Biarpun matlamat hidup mereka adalah untuk bersenang-lenang dan bersuka-ria, mereka masih mempunyai sebuah tujuan hidup yang mereka kejar-kejarkan. Tanyalah mana-mana mat saleh, mereka pasti boleh menyebut paling kurang satu matlamat hidup mereka. Betul atau tidak matlamat mereka, itu lain cerita. Ada yang matlamatnya untuk mencari hidup yang senang, ada yang matlamatnya untuk cari duit banyak-banyak dan tinggal bersama teman wanita tanpa ikatan yang sah sehingga akhir hayat, ada juga yang baik mahu menyumbang kepada orang lain. Macam-macam aku dah dengar.

Hakikatnya, kebanyakan mereka walaupun beragama di atas kertas, mereka tidak menganuti agama mereka dengan sebenar-benarnya. Ramai yang Kristian, tetapi masih minum arak secara terbuka dan membudayakan tanpa sebarang rasa bersalah. Ramai juga dalam kalangan mereka yang sememangnya “masih mencari” walaupun mereka Kristian. Tak kurang pula orang-orang ateis yang memang tak percaya agama langsung. Samalah dengan orang kita pun, ramai yang mengaku Muslim tapi tak mahu ikut apa yang digariskan dalam Al-Quran dan hadis!

Perbualan-perbualan aku dengan mereka banyak membuka perspektif yang baru terhadap agama. Kalau sebelum ini aku berjumpa dengan orang Islam yang mungkin paling teruk pun tinggal solat Subuh senyap-senyap di rumah atau jenis yang senyap-senyap buat perkara terlampau dengan teman lelaki, tapi di Amerika aku dapat jumpa orang-orang yang langsung tidak ada rasa malu untuk buat dosa di khalayak ramai.

Aku ini jenis yang banyak sembang dan mesra dengan mat saleh. Slang ala-ala American yang aku tiru sedikit-sebanyak bantu aku untuk masuk dengan mereka ni. Banyaklah yang mereka cerita pada aku. Ada yang minum arak bertin-tin untuk siapkan assignment, ada yang dah umur 30 tapi tak kahwin-kahwin lagi dengan teman wanita yang duduk serumah dengannya. Tapi kata mereka, mereka masih Kristian! Aik? Aku tak tahu pula orang Kristian boleh minum arak dan buat hubungan seks dengan teman wanita. Ini satu bidaah.

Mat Saleh, walaupun sesetengah mereka langsung tidak percaya terhadap agama atau Tuhan, aku terpaksa akui yang rata-rata mereka masih mempunyai matlamat hidup. Paling kurang pun, mereka mampu untuk ‘goreng’ matlamat hidup mereka sekiranya kau tanya. Jujur atau tidak, serius atau main-main, itu lain cerita. Ya, sememangnya matlamat mereka mungkin berlegar-legar sekitar kemahuan serta memenuhi keperluan material. Itu aku tak pelik dan aku faham kenapa. Tetapi tidak dapat tidak, paling kurang mereka punyai matlamat dan hala tuju. Kadangkala aku pun tertanya, kenapa perkara ini berlaku? Mengapa Mat Saleh yang tidak beriman dengan hari kebangkitan, mampu untuk mempunyai matlamat hidup?

Orang-orang Melayu dan Arab yang dah dilahirkan Muslim pun ramai yang masih tak berapa pasti apa matlamat hidup mereka. Akhirnya orang-orang yang tidak percayakan hari kebangkitan inilah yang maju jaya mencipta segala teknologi maju yang akhirnya digunapakai oleh seluruh dunia dan orang-orang Islam banyak yang mundur. Bukankah agama sepatutnya menjadi penolak bagi kejayaan dan kehebatan seseorang individu?

Kalau kita lihat di satu sudut yang lain pula, ramai mahasiswa Melayu hidup dalam zon selesa di Amerika. Mereka diberi biasiswa untuk belajar ke luar negara namun kebanyakannya pergi ke kelas dan tamat pengajian hanya sekadar untuk lulus, menghabiskan masa-masa mereka bermain game dan menonton cerita korea dan akhirnya ada yang gagal dalam pelajaran dan terpaksa dihantar pulang. Bila ditanya, apa matlamat hidup anda, sememangnya tergagap-gagap untuk menjawab. Padahal mereka ini adalah creme de la creme!

Mahasiswa di luar negara perlu merenung persekitaran mereka dengan tekun. Lihatlah rakan sekuliah kau, jiran kau ataupun mana-mana mahasiswa lain yang berada di kampus. Berapa ramai daripada mereka yang ditaja penuh oleh mana-mana badan seperti diri anda? Lihatlah sekeliling kau dan kau akan nampak sebilangan daripada mereka terpaksa memerah keringat bekerja separuh masa sambil belajar hanya untuk membayar balik wang pinjaman pelajaran mereka beserta imbuhan riba selepas tamat pengajian. Yang sedikit beruntung antara mereka akan dibiayai penuh oleh ibu dan ayah mereka yang bekerja seumur hidup semata-mata untuk memastikan anak mereka mampu untuk masuk ke universiti. Kita?

Aku lihat terdapat satu perbezaan ketara antara Mat Saleh yang rajin dan berusaha keras, dengan orang Islam yang tidak mempunyai matlamat dan ingat akan kematian. Mat Saleh yang tidak beragama atau tidak mengamalkan agama mereka secara umumnya hidup dalam dunia penuh material. Mereka mencari wang untuk menyambung perjalanan hidup anak-anak mereka. Kebanyakan daripada mereka mengambil pinjaman beribu-ribu untuk membiayai pelajaran. Akhirnya mereka bekerja untuk membayar kembali pinjaman tersebut.

Tanpa ijazah, mereka tidak dapat bekerja. Tanpa pekerjaan, anak mereka tidak dapat menyambung pelajaran. Kitaran hidup tersebut diteruskan dari generasi ke generasi. Akhirnya wujudlah satu kehidupan yang diwarnai oleh kekhusyukan untuk mengulang-kembali kitaran tersebut seperti sebuah roda. Begitulah hakikat kehidupan di Amerika.

Adapun begitu, walaupun mereka bekerja keras untuk mencari wang dan harta, mereka sedar bahawa hidup mereka terbatas dan akan berakhir satu hari nanti. Atas dasar itu, mereka ‘work hard’ dan ‘play hard’. Pada siang harinya bekerja keras dan pada malam harinya mereka mencari makna hidup dengan pergi ke party, minum arak dan sebagainya. Mereka mencari duit hanya untuk dibelanjakan kembali demi keseronokan yang sementara. Akhirnya mereka masuk ke kamar tidur sambil terfikir, “kenapa aku hidup di muka bumi ini?” Maka tidak memeranjatkanlah pada tahun 2013, dianggarkan seorang rakyat Amerika akan bunuh diri dalam setiap 12.8 minit. Bayangkan dalam sejam, lebih kurang empat orang membunuh diri. Manakan tidak, mereka ada matlamat tetapi mereka tidak tahu makna hidup!

 “Dan tentulah mereka akan berkata pula: Tiadalah hidup yang lain selain dari hidup kita di dunia ini dan tiadalah kita akan dibangkitkan semula sesudah kita mati. “(6:29)

Orang Islam masa kini pula kebanyakannya lupa dan leka tentang hakikat bahawa masa kita juga terbatas. Walaupun kita yakin dan percaya bahawa kalimah lailahaillallah akan menjadi kunci pintu syurga, kita lupa bahawa di sana ada pertanggungjawapan dan perkiraan atas setiap yang kita lakukan di dunia. Tidaklah menjadi seorang Islam itu secara automatik menyebabkan kita terhindar daripada seksaan api neraka. Kalau Islam sekadar nama tetapi menolak syariat Allah, mana mungkin akan terhindar daripada seksaan api neraka!

Nikmat yang telah dikurniakan oleh Allah kepada negara-negara Islam seperti Malaysia banyaknya telah mengaburi mata umat Islam daripada memahami matlamat hidup. Ramai daripada kita yang berada dalam zon selesa yang teramat dan kita tertipu dengan segala hiburan yang sedia terhidang, kebanyakannya bersumberkan barat yang menghambakan diri kepada hawa nafsu mereka.

Aku telah belajar daripada Al-Quran bahawa Allah telah mengurniakan setiap daripada kita dengan waktu yang tertentu untuk beramal. Berakhirnya waktu itu, maka bermulalah kehidupan alam seterusnya. Kehidupan yang ditentukan melalui penilaian prestasi kehidupan di dunia. Beza seorang Muslim yang mempunyai akidah yang sahih dengan orang bukan Islam ialah kita mempunyai matlamat yang jelas dan kita mengetahui bahawa setiap perkara yang kita lakukan hanyalah untuk mendapat redha Allah yang akhirnya akan menyelamatkan diri kita pada hari akhirat kelak. Baik amal di dunia, baik pula kehidupan di akhirat. Terlaksana tanggungjawab di dunia, terlepaslah pertanggungjawaban di akhirat.

Atas sebab itulah kita dapat lihat orang-orang Islam terdahulu cemerlang dalam setiap bidang yang mereka ceburi. Mereka faham matlamat hidup yang sahih dan mereka faham makna disebalik matlamat tersebut. Mereka yakin bahawa mereka akan dipertanggungjawabkan atas apa yang mereka lakukan di dunia ini dan mereka memahami bahawa satu-satunya cara untuk melaksanakan tanggungjawab tersebut ialah dengan meabdikan diri sepenuhnya kepada Allah. Atas fahaman inilah lahirnya para pejuang yang sanggup bermusafir mengajak orang kepada pengabdian kepada Allah dan lahirnya juga para ilmuwan serta pemimpin yang menjadi contoh bagi seluruh alam.

Mereka ini sememangnya faham akan ayat berikut dengan sebenar-benar kefahaman:

“Dan Aku tidak menciptakan jin dan manusia melainkan untuk mereka menyembah dan beribadat kepadaKu” (51:56)”

 - Petikan bab daripada buku “Bebas, Jangan Sampai Terbabas” nukilan saudara Yusri Jamaluddin

Kiriman: Yusri Jamaluddin Emel:  [email protected]

[misg-kauthar-blog]

Meaning of Rahmah?

Salam,

I'm still in search for good answers.

A lot of talk these days are about "Rahmah" or mercy as a simple translation. This is mainly driven by the short but comprehensive verse below.

And We have sent you (O Muhammad SAW) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists). (21-107)

But how does one practically become merciful or practice Rahmah? At an individual (Rahmah Insaniyah) level the answer is quite clear as per the verse in Quran below. But what about Rahmah in society or in a country or even in a company?

At the individual level, Rahmah is clearly and beautifully explained below.

Worship Allâh and join none with Him (in worship), and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, Al-Masâkin (the poor), the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and those (slaves) whom your right hands possess. Verily, Allâh does not like such as are proud and boastful; (4:36)

Again, what does Rahmah practically mean in a society, company or country? One practical meaning is problem solving like solving problems related to poverty, public health, public transportation.

Are there other meanings and related examples?

By: Dr. Azman Hussin Email:  [email protected]

This post is a thought bubble from the author. He hopes that readers will help him answer these questions. Please do so by sharing your thoughts in the comments section.

[misg-kauthar-blog]

Hawthorne Punya Impak

Waktu belajar di INTEC dulu, aku ada ambil subjek Introduction to Psychology. Antara assignment yang perlu aku buat adalah present pasal industrial psychology.

Dalam industrial psychology, ada satu term yang dipanggil sebagai 'Hawthorne Effect' ataupun dalam bahasa melayunya Kesan Hawthorne. 

Mari kita tengok apa definisi Hawthorne Effect. 

"A psychological phenomenon that produces an improvement in human behavior or performance as a result of increased attention from superiors, clients or colleagues." 

"The stimulation to output or accomplishment that results from the mere fact of being under observation" 

Nama lain bagi Hawthorne Effect adalah Observer Effect. From the definition, kita boleh faham bahawa kita punya behavior dan accomplishment akan meningkat kerana kesedaran bahawa kita ni diperhatikan. 

Does it ring any bell??? 

Bila aku membaca tentang Hawthorne Effect, aku teringat akan hadis yang kedua dalam Matan Arbain oleh Imam Nawawi. 

Mengapa?

Kerana dalam hadis itu ada membicarakan soal Ihsan. 

Jom tengok sikit sedutan hadis kedua Matan Arbain: Islam, Iman, dan Ihsan. 

"...Dia berkata lagi: "Ceritakan kepadaku tentang ihsan". Baginda SAW menjawab: "Bahawa kamu beribadat kepada Allah seolah-olah kamu melihat-Nya. Jika kamu tidak melihat-Nya, sesungguhnya Allah melihat kamu."" 

Dalam kitab syarah Al-Wafi Matan Arbain: 

Ihsan ialah ikhlas dan tekun. Iaitu kamu ikhlas di dalam beribadat kepada Allah dan disertai dengan penuh ketekunan seolah-olah kamu melihat Allah ketika melakukan ibadat. Sekiranya kamu tidak mampu mencapai tahap tersebut, maka ingatlah bahawa Allah Taala melihat kamu dan perbuatan kamu sama ada kecil mahupun besar."

Secara fitrahnya kita memang akan jadi lebih baik bila kita sedar kita ni sedang diperhatikan. Jadi untuk mencapai tahap amal yang terbaik, kita perlu ada ihsan. 

Kita beramal dalam kesedaran bahawa Allah sentiasa memerhatikan kita. Dengan kesedaran itu, kita secara tidak langsung akan menjadi lebih baik dan produktif.

 "Sesungguhnya Allah mengetahui apa yang ghaib di langit dan bumi. Dan Allah Maha Melihat apa yang kamu kerjakan." [Al-Hujurat, 49: 18] 

Jom sama-sama terapkan sifat ihsan dalam diri masing-masing.

By: Isyraf Imrani

[misg-kauthar-blog]

What If There’s No Grading Scheme?

I must get A+, otherwise my CGPA would suffer a lot I only need C, because my CGPA is already at its beauty

Let’s take a look at another concept.

God didn’t set any grading scheme. From that, all beings are told to behave and do good deeds. And there’s no standard of excellence, nor perfection. What will you do?

You strive, strenuously, doing good deeds all the time. You don’t know where’s the extent of deed you should be doing that will save you on the judgment day.

And what if…

You apply the same concept on your exam paper?

You don’t have any idea about your grade You don’t know your carry mark You have no idea about what lecturers are expecting from you

You will strive, strenuously, to make sure that you path is secured. And you don’t think there’s a pitstop for a rest.

p/s: Courtesy of Tina Seelig. By:  Aizan Fahri Email: [email protected] Twitter:  @aixnr