Now we continue the third and final series of the lecture about migration in conjunction to Hijrah New Year 1433. The previous series could be accessed in Migration: Knowledge is the Light. According to Ustad Roslan Chik Ros, a scholar had once listed down based from the Quran and Sunnah on what are the obstacles which prevent a faithful servant of the God to be an obedient and a good servant?
1. Evil Desires and Lust
In Arabic, we call desire and lust with the term nafs and it means self as human possess various selves in him. We had talked a lot about many bad things. Human who fails to educate this enemy (desire and lust) will be in turn being educated and lead by this enemy. It will lead human into destruction.
The book Durat al-Nasihin mentions that the God has created the desire and later asked it. Who are you and Who am I?! It answers Him: I am as I am, and You are You! It means that the desire does not want to admit itself as His creation and servant. It has no gratitude and never feels enough. The God cast it into the hell of torment for 300 years. When he was brought out, the God asked it again. And it still answers the same. The God then cast him again for another 300 years. After that, he was brought out again. The God asked it again. And the desire admitted that it is His a servant of the God.
The goodness which could not penetrate into our selves was caused by this obstacle which is the evil desire. There is no struggle which is as great as the struggle to fight the evil desire as it is the root for various desires and which also brings war in this world. When the desire becomes younger and younger but our physical body becomes older each time we reach the year. If we do not bring the desire into what He is pleased with, thus there will be no changes in the society and nations.
2. The World
The World or duniya in Arabic refers to anything which we can see in this world with our physical eyes and we can touch them. On the other hand, it also refers to materialism. In Islam, the matters which we sought for our necessity to face the life is considered as tools and in the same time those matters are also considered as the fitna (test). The God mentions that property, children and position that we have in our society are all the tests on us. Those who fail to reckon these matters as the tests from the God will sacrifice "Islam". What is the goal of human life? Is it for the stomach (to eat excessively)? Genitals (having sex for never ending lust)? Entertainment and having fun is our goal of life?
The character and the appearance of the world is luring. She makes people obsessive of her. In the event of Isra' and Mi'raj where the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w had visited the heavens, he had saw a pretty woman with jewelries all over her. Then he was curious and asked his companion, the noble emissary, archangel Gabriel a.s. Who is that woman? The archangel Gabriel a.s answered, that is the simile of the world. Why the God made the world looks like a pretty woman? What is His message to us? How does a pretty lady looks like at the guys? We are also aware that there is also gay and transvestite communities. But this still applies. The world has her attractions and that is why the male and female must cover the parts which are prescribed in the jurisprudence as should not being exhibited to public. When people wanted to produce advertisement banners for example, they for example might use material and human models. The advertisement for cosmetics might use woman with "sexy" features for example lips, eyes, nose, and etc. The advertisement for obscene magazine perhaps using naked or half-naked male models. The advertisement for alcohol drink might also use woman as the attraction though it is non-related to the beverage, haha.
This world is indeed fun for those who can't detect her weaknesses and flaws which is harmful for other higher selves. It is not enough until early in the morning that kids hanging around with friends, racing on the motorcycles. Will we be able to face challenges in society today if we had wrongly estimate the world? For example having wives. Human actually feels bored quite in no time. The God had given some loosen up for man to have four wives and practicing polygamous marriage. Because men feels bored with the only wife and preventing them from finding concubines or establishing non-legal relationship with other women. However men are not satisfied and still having boundless desire over the women (world) as an example.
Prophet Muhammad s.a.w mentions that human will never be satisfied even when being given a valley of gold. He is still not satisfied with two valleys of gold and so on. He will only be satisfied when the soul leaving his mass. Money is never enough for human. If we never change our attitude toward the world, how would we be able to face obstacles to change the society and bringing it into His Mercy and Love? We are still being deceived by the worldly affairs. The worldly affairs which brings us toward the goodness and the success in the hereafter is when we assume it as the "field for us to work in reaching Him."
3. Satan: Genies and Devil
In the Glorious Quran, surah Yaasin, the God mentions about human has an obvious enemy which are the Satans. These creatures are invincible at human physical eyes but they co-exist with human-being and that is why they are known as genies which means hidden creatures. The first genie, who's known as Iblis or Devil has made a promise before Him after he was accursed that he will drag human-being and others into the torment and the curse as he is envious. Envious is madzmumah (evil) characteristics for servants of the God. It brings no benefit to society. These creatures who are evil are classified as satans which means demons and those who are stubborn to submit to Him. Satan also applies to other creatures such as human-being and animals who are evil.
A person who is unable to see the tricks and the motions of Devil will be deceived and fail the tests. The Devil promised to deflect human-being and decorate His commands with lame looking while he decorates His prohibitions until they look interesting. For example, in Malaysia, people love to go for night market while nobody wanted to meditate in the masjid though the masjid has facilities and activities. People would walk around the night market and only ended up buying kacang puteh (garden peas). During the early part of Ramadan, people might influx the masjid until the mosque lose its balance and list. That happens because He had seized all of these hidden creatures so human will use their considerations and minds wisely, not being influenced by evil whispers. However, when it is near to the end of Ramadan, the masjid becomes empty and empty as the blessed month is almost over.
Devil decorates what is illegal and makes it look fun for example the time when a non-married couple is chatting to each other until they forgot the time. They could stare at each others' face for eight hours without stop. But when they are married and are legal to stay together, they feel that it is not fun anymore. The Devil made it opposing each other. When it is illegal, couples would be so fond of each other, perhaps calling each other every minutes. I also see this everywhere, it also includes my first year degree roommate Duwe, hahaha. His girlfriend called him even when he is in the toilet... poopin', hahahaha. If we have no knowledge and forget about this, we would be carried away by the current. No changes.
4. Satan: Human-Being
We would be spoiled because of fellow human-being. Sometimes, our children who we had properly educated with religious classes, being sent to madarasas, and we taught them with scriptures but still could be found for example illegally racing on the road. Why? It's the influence of friends. Sometimes, a friend who is not good will bring a person into the darkness.
As for myself, I have to think many times when I wanted to make friend too and this is how I survive until today. I am using my consideration despite I also think like sometimes I wanted to just break out of all the rules or norms in the society and just be like others. When I declared the faith into Buddhism, I still perform the norms and performing strict observance of a shraman (hermit who does not live in monastery) though I just undertake upasaka (layman) vow. This shraman life had also made me in conflict with people around because they don't understand me and I became one because I was treated like a thrash by people around. A shraman is a thrash in people's eyes.
Children, wife, and husband all could be the satan who lead human-being into darkness if they make a person forgets Him and His commandments. So, an immigrant should migrate into obedience to the God. Make sure that we are able to face these four obstacles to migrate to Him and for a better future. We must migrate into humility before Him and not being enslaved by these four matters mentioned by the scholar. If we fail to win them over, our civilization and nations will be in doom. We try to avoid our morality from being defecated and also protecting our Creed from being deflected by these four matters.
Move the migration toward Faith and Fear to Him may everyone be blessed and all the blessings of the heavens and earth being directed to everyone as what had happened to the blessed prophets and messengers of the God.
Conclusion
Ustad Zamry Haji Kassim calling everyone together to reflect on the topic. The challenges that we are facing today is also could be reflected in the hadith narrated by Abu Dawud. Says the prophet Muhammad s.a.w where in a certain period, the nations of Him will be a target group! Companions feel weird and they asked further. Will we be among the minorities at that time? Muhammad s.a.w answered: No! There are many of you, but you are just like bubbles in the sea. You'll explode when you hit the ship, when the ship hit you too will you explode.
When we look again at the reality of Muslims in Malaysian Peninsula today. We are not so many. We are challenged in three angles where our Creed has no strong foundation. The Shariat (Way) is not completed and performed well. We take some part of Shariat but we reject the other parts. Morality, dear Lord! In this angle of morality, we view nicely on wrong values of adultery. This applies to all groups who are sex-craved and thinking only genitals twenty four seven.
We afraid that we will be like what is mentioned in Malay idioms. Melukut di tepi gantang, campak ke tengah halaman tidak dipatuk ayam, dibuang ke sungai tak disudu itik. We repeat again that the mind is filled with knowledge to know. The heart is filled with faith to motivate the move to Him. Facing the four challenges with perseverance to educate desires as to make sure that we are able. The most good property is the property which is managed by a good and pious man. If a pious man managed the property, the benefit is also into piety.
We train our desires to face the challenges in the situation and according to environment. Children, when we study, make sure Islam is with us. Others had far in front of us to recognize A as they know their environment. That is why a professor will send his broken engine to a mechanic to repair it though the mechanic gets no As in his examination. Mechanics know what happens to the engine. Remind ourselves that our intention for everything is for Him. He is our Source and our Base. Hopefully that tomorrow Fajr prayer service would be as crowded as today in the masjid, we can right?!
a. Mind is filled with knowledge to know
b. Heart is filled with faith to move
c. Desires is trained to be able to face challenges
May we see again in other opportunities. Pray may we meet again in His paradise the Abode of Peace. May everyone knows each other in the name of our Faith, we see each other because of the God, we say farewell also because of Him. Wish that this lecture (and post) injects some spirit to our souls and to other brethren from Portugal to China, from China to the US.
- Final part of lecture, Masjid Yayasan al-Bukhary and co-Organizer, Kedah Islamic Guidance Department.
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