I think I had posted about this many times especially in the maqasid shar'iyyah posts but I guess in certain places medias especially in the West always making it a negative issue. You know what media people? You are tyrannizing us and violating human rights. I am not trying to play victim here but I am already one of a victim of you people! You people are merciless, nonsensical, mean and cruel!
Now, what I am going to do here as a plain Muslim is to explain to people about what is our religion from my own understanding. What is our path. What is our way of life? What is our life itself as Muslims? Shariah means the Way. It simply means the Way if it is a literal translation. It is synonymous to the Path. When we talk about Shariah, we are not only talking about judicial system but also about the system of life and the nature. Just to compare it with European Union. You people have few institutions and among them is the Court of Justice. Other is related to economy such as the Central Bank of Europe and few sub-institutions to regulate policy for member countries to adopt or choosing to adopt them. The same thing with Shariah we have all of this and the whole world is known as equal nations.
We have fatawas. Fatwa means guidelines. They could be adopted by public and are issued by scholars of Islam after meetings and commission were held. The fatawas were issued according to our schools of jurisprudence. For Sunnah or Orthodox Sunni Muslims, we have four main schools of jurisprudence:
1. Hanafi where the main teacher is Abu Hanifah
2. Maliki as the main teacher is Anas bin Maalik
3. Shafi'ie and the main teacher is Abu Abdullah bin Idris bin Abbas bin Uthman bin Idris bin Shafi'ie
4. Hanbali after the father of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
For our Twelver Shi'a brothers, their school of jurisprudence is known as:
1. Ja'afari after the sixth Imam of Shi'a Muslims which is Imam Ja'afar as-Saadiq
So every Muslim brother and sister must know which school of jurisprudence you belong to as it is important when you wanted to get council and advice for your daily life activities. It was surprising when I was in Saudi Arabia and I asked several people there what is your school of jurisprudence? And some of them just saying to me they are not so sure because they just follow people around. I was like... What????! You have a religion simply because you follow people around and not because of your sincerity? That was like me when I was a little kid because I just follow and imitate what people around doing without understand what are the significance of those things.
So, in Shariah Islamiah what does it consist of dear beloved brothers and sisters? It consists of:
1. Tawheed
What does tawheed means? It means monotheism ideology. We believe and trust only in the One True Lord the Creator of the Universe beyond our imagination. The first and important thing that a Muslim missionary will talk is about tawheed and Allah Azza wa Jall. This is the root of our Path and Shariah. In European Union, your root is the World War I and World War II. The competition to get sources for weaponry such as the coal and steel. When you people talking about others try to mirror yourselves. What does weaponry means? It means war and people who worship weapon are the real terrorists and idolaters. This is just an example, though I hate to study about Europe but I benefited from this course that I am studying so first I would like to give my gratitude to the Lord. I feel tormented but at least I know how to answer to people unlike other typical madrasah students as I had been diverted to secular education system. Hope I could pass my economy paper. I am interested to learn more about it but I am quite slow to understand that kind of matter in just few months.
2. 'Ibadah
What does this Arabic word means? It literally means enslaving ourselves to the Lord. In a more polite word, it means serving the Lord before we get the chance to see Him. When we translate this into English, it becomes worship. In Orthodox Sunnah Muslim daily life, we are bound to the five pillars of Islam. What do we have in pillars of Islam? Let me state it again here so everyone could clearly see the connections:
i. Witnessing that there is no gods except that the only God unique of His own and Muhammad is His messenger to nations of the period of near Resurrection
ii. Five times daily prayer services known as salat
iii. Fasting obligatory fast or sawm for the whole month of Ramadan for those who are capable and healthy
iv. Paying the tithe or zakah for the needed and there are eight categories of people who may receive it
v. Pilgrimage or hajj to the holy land in Mecca for those who are capable and could afford it once in a life time during the month of Zulhijjah and performing acts in memory of prophet Ibrahim a.s and his family in the barren land. First thing first, we go to Mecca then only to Medinah to Jerusalem whatsoever sites in other places around the world.
All of these especially the first four points are important disciplines prescribed for every sane Muslim which could be described in long-winding philosophy. People in European Union has to think and amend everything for their basic foundations. It took them so long but the basis of their organization is not as firm as the law of nature aren't they, hahaha.
Urm, when people like Atheists or non-religious call us as stupid for enslaving ourselves for an unknown or invisible entity, I would say that I don't mind to be a stupid for that rather than being enslaved by spaces, materials, women, men, politicians, desires, and etc like you smart people! Even if there is no God or no gods like they say, I guess that it is not wrong to protect the universe, the earth, our own body and society from being harmed by violating the nature and law of the universe. Plus, I never feel stressful when I recite prayers to Him rather than I chase something like a postgraduate certificate while my future is still in cloud. What could it cause us? Depression! If we are enslaved to money, can we buy happiness with it? This is the teaching of smart people, where human only consist of physical body. The inner body which is the spiritual body is out of the scene. Education based only on physical is not holistic in its approach. It is not balanced.
3. Akhlak and Aadab
Akhlak means morality and ethics while aadab means civilized. In contrast to civilized is barbaric. This is mentioned as ihsan in the hadith Jibril a.s in the conversation in a masjid with prophet Muhammad s.a.w witnessed by his companions, among them was Umar bin al-Khattab r.a. People from mission orders and tasawwuf circle usually practicing few things related to remembrance to Allah Azza wa Jall to protect themselves from evil environment and spreading His light to the universe through prayers. In this matter, there is nothing peculiar about the practices as long as it is not violating the basic Shari'ah Islamiah. Not all people are the member of mission orders. So please don't judge people just because they belong to certain mission circle or looking like one. There are also neo-sufis who chanting simple daily ma'athurat morning and evening after Fajr and Maghrib prayer services. We must remember Allah always not only by praying in the masjid or mehrab non-stop but we may remember Him while waiting for the bus, while chatting with friends (chanting dzikr by mental), walking and recite His Glorious and Respected Names, and etc. When talking about this we are actually very flexible, being creative and not shallow.
Ethics and the way we mingle with people basically consists of few things such as:
1. Respect to the Lord
2. Respect to prophets and messengers of the Lord
3. Respect to parents and elders
4. Respect to brothers and sisters visible or invisible
5. Respect to our own selves
6. Respect to environment and nature
To behave according to ethics, we follow the sunnah and advices of our beloved prophet Muhammad s.a.w and the wisdom of his companions. We also follow the wisdom of Ahlul Bayt imams such as Hassan and Hussein. These two are the grandsons of prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Do Europeans and American constitutions talk about manner and morality too? I am sure you people have it. If not why Europe is trying to be a "soft" power by using carrot and stick to force country for example like China to abolish capital punishment and as the result they may conduct business with European Union. This is my topic in my second semester presentation. I did it with my classmate, respectable sister Hasmahani and I've got A for that because I printed out and read a bulk of paper works, hehehe. I don't find anything about Europe interesting anymore after I learn it as I am more amazed with Allah 'Azza wa Jall. I think He is the Most Coolest figure in the whole universe and worlds. But I still reading things about Europe just to keep myself up to date or maybe I could help other brothers and sisters to provide information if they need it for their advancement. I love to serve my brothers and sisters. I don't want anything I just want brothers and sisters happiness and smile : )
4. Munakahat
Urmm, I think many people around 20-25 years old love to talk about this. For me this is very typical but it is fun to look at their faces expression, hahahahahahaha. Munakahat means matrimonial or marriage. It consists of the building of society process and the conduct of marriage. Many of my Muslim course mates either male or female competing among each other to get munakahat certificate from the masjid to prepare themselves for their future marriage and I guess some of them are already married now, lol. I didn't attend any seminars for munakahat and I don't think I need the certificate yet. I am not ready and I need to memorize the glorious Quran and Sunnah and transmitting them when I finished and understood everything. That is among my responsibility and sacrifice to Allah Azza wa Jalla. When we talk about munakahat, it's not simply about marriage and the agreement to be husband and wife or for legal relation as what my ex-colleague unfiltered mouth said, bermukah secara halal (having sexual intercourse in a legal way). It is about the responsibility to educate the coming souls (children), to teach them about the Lord, providing them with education and love so they may be devoted and fear Allah and to protect them from the hell-fire. Marriage is a sacred thing. It is not something to be played with and cut off the crap about building masjid stuffs if it is actually based on what we hear from people and just because we wanted to follow the trend. I am not into trend. I am into the significance of the worship and serving Him. There is no real pleasure in the world till we see Him.
5. Mu'amalah
This the relation of human with regards to daily activities. It is also related to contracts and transactions. Something to do with business. I just heard a lecture in masjid about contracts, loan, economic system, interest, usury and banking in our way of life. We have kitabs about this and we refer to them when we are going to conduct businesses with people around. Anything to do with bank, buying and selling, trade, import and export everything is in mu'amalat section of Shariah. There are formulas to calculate everything so, people in Shariah stream are not really useless and stupid. It's just our image was tainted by politicians and being tied to backward civilization while the truth is we are actually the most open-minded people in the world. For contemporary issues, there are researches for it and we don't simply do anything without researches.
6. Jinayyah and 'Uqubah
Jinayyah means crime and 'Uqubah means punishment. This one is related to justice and the punishments may vary according to cultural interpretation of certain nations. Like the thing which was known as hudud, it actually means limitation for the punishment. I don't know why Malay medias playing the issue like it is something bad and negative? Not all of Muslims having basic knowledge about their own way of life so they just believe whatever is said in the media. I would like to advise everyone including myself, find qualified teachers and ask them about what we don't know. Don't ask the newspaper or simply listening to rumors or hearsays. That is not the nature of a Muslim. The Lord encourages us to seek knowledge and reading in surah Iqraa', the Lord mentions about seeking knowledge and He always mentions about mind and thinking in glorious Quran which means through the guidance of divine revelation we think and solving our daily problems.
For contemporary issues regarding Shariah, there are researches for them and we don't simply do anything without researches.
The sources to derive guidelines in Islam for the muftis and the councils are:
1. Glorious Quran
2. Sunnah
3. Ijma' of collective reasoning of scholars
4. Qiyas or analogical deduction
5. Ijtihad or individual reasoning
6. Wisdom of ahlul bayt
These are all could be checked in our schools of jurisprudence studies or what is known as fiqhi madzhab. That is why it is important for a Muslim to know what is his or her school of jurisprudence to get advises and suggestions on how to conduct daily life activities and worship.
I guess this is it. I hope it is not too long or not too brief. I could write an essay longer than this and elaborate everything but I guess we need to also accommodate others and making things easier. I wish this is useful. If brothers and sisters have other better readings please don't hesitate to suggest it to me maybe can email me at matianning86@gmail.com. I would be glad to read them and listening to others opinion. If brothers and sisters have free time don't forget write about your understanding on Islam what is Islam what is Shariah and what is our Path all about? It's not for others but your own benefit. Write in your languages or in English and keep it with you to read day by day. I am sure you will enjoy reading them and making them as apart of your memory of life : )
Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love amin!
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