Hope is Possible -

Assalamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

While worshiping the God the Highest, a human-being is constantly in the battle with his enemies mainly the cravings and evil whispers. Both of them are influencing human to leave behind the God the Highest in their life.

Some of us perhaps talking within ourselves, if human should worship the God the Highest, why our inner selves are not reminding us? The reason is that, these two spiritual enemies are working their way to influence both of our heart and mind bringing us into the path of destruction.

Says the God the Highest which means, "Indeed the Satan is your obvious enemy" (Surat al-Baqarah vs. 168). Further, the God the Highest also mentions as it means, "Indeed desire always urging man-kind to evil" (Surat Yusuf vs. 53).

Because of these two spiritual enemies that human's heart keep staying in negligence and rebellious toward the Creator. Say that if it is fated these two enemies are not in existence thus human perhaps would know his Creator and loving Him. Even sunken in devotion to Him since it is the nature of every soul framed by human body to know Him and recognizing Him as their direction of reverence, worship and magnification.

Besides studying and pondering everything with the pure heart and mind, we realize from the studies of history that human-being of any period of life or location in the earth could never escape from disasters or those things disliked by them. This is a part of the God's order and divine predestination.

Disaster, tests and tribulations befall on everyone regardless they are a good or evil person, a Muslim or a non-Muslim. They would hit on everyone regardless whether he is a pious or a treacherous person. For e.g a person who could escape from poverty, if he is not facing the lack of means, perhaps is poor at his soul. A person who is poor at his soul never feel enough with anything that he has. Because of the lack of faith that he always feel the lack of everything in his life. Even more severe a person who is poor at his possession but also poor at the soul. At certain times, I could not avoid from questioning my faith and feeling ashamed to Him when this thought emerged in my mind at the midst of my life stage now. Furthermore... I just repented to the path about 10 years ago and trying hard to cope again with the responsibility and environment around. I cried alone when nobody sees me and trying to be close to Him as I do not know where else to go :'(

If human-being could escape from poverty, can he escape from sickness? Even a doctor also subjected to diseases. Doctors are human-being too. This is the Justice of the God the Highest where everyone are subjected to diseases. Disease is a messenger from Him to remind human-being. Even if a human is not lack of material possessions and not sick, but can he avoid from being a victim of slanders and backbitten by others? Human-being could not avoid from troubles caused by other human-being, even many of them were killed and murdered.

Other than that, can a human avoid from being hit with natural disasters such as tsunami, hurricanes, thunder and etc? Or can we avoid from losing our family members such as parents, wife, husband or children? Nobody wants that but He still inflicts it upon them. No one could escape from the tests and tribulations in this life. Muslims, non-Muslims, all human-being alike. If disasters and craps are equal on everyone, thus it is better for us to believer who is tested rather than being a disbeliever. It is better to be a worshiping slave while being tested rather than being a rebellious person in that period of tribulations.

Never in the history of man-kind that those who are inflicted by tribulations and tests are just the righteous ones, those who worship the God in devotion while the disbelievers are not stricken with sickness, never experience poverty nor never troubled by others. Everyone experience it.

So, it is better for us to be inflicted with disasters while worshiping and obeying Him since a genuine believer when being inflicted with troubles could take it as the remission of sins. The God the Highest only inflict us to teach us lessons and to raise us up from the torments of the hereafter since the torments in the hereafter is unbearable. For believer who is sinless, and he is pleased with the tests the the tests will be a testimony for the ascension of his position in His view. As for the treacherous person and further that he becomes a disbeliever due to hardships he encounters, thus the tests will turn to him as a curse of the God the Highest whether in the earth or in the hereafter. There is a hell in the world for him, and he will be tormented in the hell in the hereafter.     

So, there is no reason for us to not to worship the God the Highest. If we say that if we worship Him and we will become poor, then it is also the same when we do not worship Him. If we checked daily news about suicide, those who are shot dead, or those involved in road accidents, then we know the fact that not only obedient person who are inflicted with tests and tribulations but also those who do not even know Him.

Since our mind and heart could not evaluate besides being tainted by evil whispers and craving desires that we have forgotten the God the Highest. Whereas if we could evaluate and ponder, we could see that disasters and the craps inflicted upon man-kind are equal though not the same in its situation nor period of time. Why are we afraid of troubles and poverty when we perform our devotional worship to Him??

This is what I am trying to tell people around me when my mouth is tightly glued. This is also what I experienced, touched, feels and see with my own eyes while before I was also ignorant and talking like other brothers and sisters when some people come to me and talking about leaving possessions behind because those who told me are not practicing what they preached. What I realize since being dipped in tortures now is that we should just ignore others but only strive hard with sincerity only for Him. Just leave people behind and let them with whatever they wanted to think or to say.... 

Sealed with prayer for mercy, peace and love, amin!          

Litanies in Morning

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

 

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!

The Derivation of al-Deen

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

Idiomatic Derivation

The derivation by idiom, the word al-deen is derived from the third class verb 'daan' which sometimes contracted with itself and sometimes with the letter 'laam' and sometimes with the letter 'baa' and shifting the meaning with the contraction with it. Thus when being contracted with itself it will become 'daanuhu' synonymous to the meaning 'malakuhu' which means His possession, His account, His subjugation, His tribute and His system.

And when it is attached with the letter 'laam' as in 'daana lahu', the meaning something which is submitting to Someone and obeying Him. And when attached with the letter 'baa' and it becomes 'daana bihi' with the meaning adopting a religion or a doctrine and living through its application in ones life, and behaves with it, and believes in it, and this idiomatic meaning for 'the deen' that exists in 'the deen' for terminological derivation as will be seen in the following statement. 'The deen' is something which makes its follower invincible, with only His teachings, and His laws, as it includes the submission of the worshipers to the One which is worshiped and directing worship to His sole Essence. And the worshiper performing worship with psychological motives. He adheres to the 'deen' without any coercion or without any force.      

Terminological Meaning

The deen as per technical meaning refers to, "the changing in the definition of the deen in terminological term, where every person knows it by its drinker, and he does not see that indeed the importance of the specifications of the deen. And among them those who know it as it is the path of the God received through the way of revelation. And many Muslims only know about this definition shortly to refer to the "celestial" religion only. 

Together with this indeed, whatever which has been adopted by man-kind and whatever that they worship is known with the term "deen" whether it is valid or invalid. The God the Highest mentions as recorded in the Glorious Quran which means, "And whoever follows other than Islam as his religion, thus he is not accepted and in the hereafter he is among the losers" (Surat Aali-Imran vs. 85). And in the al-Kaafirun vs. 6, "And for you is your religion, and for me is my religion". 

And the God the Highest named those polytheists among the Arabs as among the followers of heathen religion and their way of life clinging to ethnocentrism. The Arabs during spiritual ignorance period were the nation with no revealed scripture. Some non-Muslims are specializing in the area of morality as what has been mentioned by Rudolph Eucken, "Indeed the religion contains recognition on our responsibilities and duties through divine commands". Some non-Muslims specializing in the area of reasoning, logic and meditation. Rudolph Eucken said, "The religion is mystical experience which outreaches the human-being and in it, there are contradictions of the life".

Other definitions that we could see from the angle where we leave behind the height of several angles and referring to the definition as it says, "The religion is the belief and trust in the Sacred Essence and the assembly of followers of the pathway who submit themselves to the Essence in awe with passionate love and full of humility". This definition includes the worshiper who enslave themselves to the God the Highest or to other entities. This definition refers to the belief be it of those who worship the God the Highest for example Islam, or the previous religions that had undergone long historical period such as Judaism, Christianity and refers also to major religions at the position of non-celestial belief for example Hinduism, Buddhism or all other pagan beliefs.

As for the definition to explain the case of worshiper or people who believe in a religion, then not a must for him to submit himself with humility or with intense love to the one who is worshiped in term of acts of worship. For the "worship", there are other definition which aims at the worshiper in term of his worship acts whether he is worshiping together in awe, with full of love and humility to the one who is worshiped since that is what had been seek by the sons of Adam in their worship. And the God the Highest knows well about the matters of the universe.        

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!

Mentions about Deen

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

Introduction

I recalled some memory while I was in the musalla in USM just after some bayan sessions by Tabligh movement students on Thursday. One of an undergraduate student there, by the name H was quarreling with a guy who happened to be a neighbor at my living section up there at 10th floor. His name is Raof and a Phd student at our School of Social Science from Sri Lanka. Well, I like that Sri Lankan guy and I respect him. However, I did not mingle so much with him because I was in vow period. Actually I tend to have a gap with people around me. Does not matter from whatever movement they are or what kind of person they are. I do not like to be known to people, listening to people proclaiming that solely their movement is the righteous one and I am constantly in vow to be consecrated only for Him.  The vow is not easy ones. Some people taking oath before their teachers. I took vow before the God at the Grand Mosque in holy Mecca and testifying again the "portal of religion".

I heard that, H said something with a stressing tone and it ends with "it is deeeennnnn!" just after Raof teased him. From what I observed, Raof does not feeling well with the Tabligh members because one of his supervisor was a Tabligh and he left him alone with his thesis unfinished while the supervisor went away for his "Tablighi" mission. He mentioned something that he favors the Salaf movement more than Tabligh movement. I am not here to judge people or talking about movements. But one has to know his or her responsibility in the first place. I am performing the da'awa too. We do not have to be classified as a Tabligh member, a mawlana, a shaikh, a mureed of a tariqa movement, a salafi movement or etc as to take pride of. Just enough that we are Muslims and the nations sanctified under the mercy toward the universe, Muhammad s.a.w. As for da'awa, I am acting according to the situation and the da'awa toward our own self is more difficult than persuading others to something which we are not practicing. Now, I have a paralyzed father who needs full attention so I am here while others are laughing happily and enjoying their life. I am sacrificing myself for my father, my mother and to some extent for sisters. So, is this less noble than "performing da'awa" by movements' pride besides capturing pictures with friends wearing white robe or getting the "good feeling" when people look at us with respect and veneration? : ) 

Just after I heard that H stressing about the deen. I wonder on how does everyone understood the deen? What exactly is deen? I think I had put this forth before. Deen is a corresponding word that exist not only Quranic Arabic, but also in Aramaic and Hebrew. I simply wanted to consider myself as a civilian but I cannot because I was trained in Islamic stream as a Muslim missionary. I just ran away and learning (practicing) Indian gnosticism namely Buddhism because people could not accept different responsibility and tendency of human-being. Deen literally means the law in both Aramaic and Hebrew.

Definition

The deen is a singular for Adyaan.

By literal meaning in our Arabic language, "It means the obedience and following".

By general terminological meaning, "Whatsoever is embraced by the human-being and believed by him related to the invisible matters and whatever can be seen".

Islamic technical meaning for this word, "Submitting in peace to the God the Highest, and following Him. And the deen is the path of Islam and the monotheism creed where it is the religion of all messengers of the God since the first sage, Adam a.s. and Noah a.s. to the seal of prophethood in earthly realm, Muhammad s.a.w". 

The evidences that the revelation of the God to Muhammad s.a.w, has eliminated the previous paths are mentioned in the Glorious Quran.

Says the God the Highest which means, "Indeed, the closest religion to the God is Islam. And those who were given the revelation did not differ except the knowledge had come to them - out of jealousy and animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of the God the Highest, the indeed, the God is swift in taking account!" - Surat Ali-Imran vs. 19

"And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers". - Surat Ali-Imram vs. 85

"Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than the God, and those animals killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you are able to slaughter before its death, and those which are sacrificed on stone altars, and prohibited is that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave disobedience. This day those who disbelieve have despaired of defeating your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you, your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion. But whoever is forced by severe hunger with no inclination to sin - then indeed, the God is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful". - Surat al-Maidah vs. 3

I am fasting today in the month of Rajab. So, getting ready with some preparation and I have to go for the mosque. I am just taking simple vegetarian food and I have no chance to have a well-build body like other men anymore, haha. I think I am older than my age now because of the environment makes me to be so. Feel like 40 years old by now. I do not feel interested at all when listening to people talking about developed countries, setting up business and being rich or etc. If all of the people are busy with those matters, who'll be His full-time servant? Many people also talk about doomsday, but what are their preparations other than pasting hadiths about black flags or panji hitam just to claim that their race will be the champion to conquer the world? Is that black flag is important or the resurrection matters more?

By the way, we take hadith as the second source of the jurisprudence but not to supersede the Glorious Quran. So, the weak hadith about Rajab month or the worship in specific month could still be taken as the encouragement without being associated to the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w speeches because of the weak chain. I am still fasting but every Monday and Thursday. Sometimes, like David the prophet.

Try not be to extreme in opinion or even acts of worship. Just stay in the middle path. I am going to continue after the "Isha service, insha Allah.

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!

Quran Lesson: Surat al-Fajr

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

Alhamdulillahi rabbi'l'aalamin... Praises only due to the Lord of the universe that we finished our night prayers at the mosque without any problem. I rarely pray at the musalla close to our neighborhood but I walk almost everyday to the al-Najah mosque at the religious primary school if brothers and sisters are familiar with Precinct 9 in Putrajaya. Because I have time for that and I don't make friends with fellow human-beings, my father is lying sick on the bed and I am broke right now that I cannot travel far, hahaha. 

I think today the mosque is extraordinarily filled with people just like yesterday. Thankful to the God when seeing them performing the salat services together. I am glad the young imam from Kelantan is back too. I was so sad when I thought he was shifted. Though never talked with him cause there is no chance yet but I simply feel comfortable to pray there because of him.  

Introduction

In the Name of the God the Most Merciful the Most Compassionate

 

I just chanted the surat al-Fajr to fill the gap time between the Maghrib and 'Isha servcies though been reading the opening part for so many times. Yes, it is a simple surat recorded in the Glorious Quran but please never under estimate its benefit to the reciters and those who learn this simple surat. This surat was revealed in the holy city, Mecca just after the revelation of the surat al-Layl. Al-Fajr means the Day Break. It consists of 30 verses. So, how to memorize this surat easily? You can break this surat into three parts where each part consists of 10 very simple verses. Methods may vary depends on a person. I am usually using the tasbeeh or prayer beads to memorize the verses. There are specific methods that a reciter may develop but I am not going to talk in length here.

Meaning

There are four major lessons which we could find in this surat. I am going to put them together in the meaning section.

1) The Destruction of Those who Opposed Teachings of the God

By the dawn 1 And the ten nights 2 And the even and odd 3 And the night when it passes 4 Is there in that, an oath for one of perception? 5 Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with the tribe of 'Aad? 6 Iram who had lofty pillars 7 The likes of whom had never been created in the land 8 And Tamud, who carved out rocks in the valley? 9 And Pharaoh who owns the stakes? 10 Whom oppressed within the lands 11 And increased therein the corruption 12 So, your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment 13 Indeed, your Lord is in observation 14

2) Wealth and Poverty is the Tests for the Servants of the God

And as for man, when his Lord tries him and is generous to him and favors him, he says, "My Lord has honored me" 15 But when He tries him and restricts his provision, he says, "My Lord has humiliated me" 16 No, but you do not honor the orphan! 17 And you do not encourage one another to feed the poor 18 And you consume inheritance, devouring it altogether! 19 And you love the wealth with intense love 20

3) The Remorse of Those who were Sunken in the Worldly Affairs

Never! When the earth has been leveled, pounded and crushed 21 And your Lord has come, and the angles rank upon rank 22 And brought within the view, that Day is Hell - that Day, man will remember, but what good for him will be the remembrance? 23 He will say, "Oh, I wish I had sent ahead some good for my life" 24 So, on that Day, none will punish as severely as His punishment 25 And none will bind as severely as His binding of the evildoers 26

4) Appreciation on Those who were Faithful

To the righteous it will be said, "O, tranquil soul!" 27 Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing to Him 28 And enter among My righteous servants 29 And enter into My paradise 30    

Lessons

Well, I can just relate this to my life. I never look far to others because I have no power to do that. Even our self is quite difficult to contemplate and to know. How can we judge people and say that we are better off than others? This surat is good for those who feel hopeless in their life. Maybe we are not fortunate as others, poor, broke, ugly, and so on. But the God Himself through the tongue of noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w assured us that these are not the humiliation for us. They are just the trials for us. If we wish to return to Him well-pleasing and peacefully, we should try our best to fulfill our Covenant with Him. 

Maybe we feel insinuated or feel sad when we suddenly compared ourselves with others. I too sometimes feel that way even I cried until some people looked at me like a crazy person because I looked awful just after that. We feel that way because they are more fortunate than us or lucky there while we are wretched miserable and hapless soul here. But, then the God says that it is also a trial as to show whether those people are going to be steady or sunken into worldly affairs. The God had earlier put forth the example to us, the 'Aad and the Tamud who were the ancient Arab nations. The Aad's archeological sites were discovered by Western archeologists in Rubb el-Khaly and the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w had also passed the area of the Tamud during the battle of Tabuk in the 9th of H as reported by Abdullah bin Umar r.a. Also the Pharaoh who killed the Egyptian sorcerers who testified the prophethood of Moses a.s thus refusing to worship the king just because he was rich and fortunate. 

So, this is some parts of the Quran... Try to memorize if brothers and sisters have some blurry image of the written surats. If brothers and sisters had already memorize them, then I am so pleased. Even more pleased if you help me to teach them around, to your children to your friends to your brothers and sisters. By memorizing the Quran, you people could also help me in the hereafter. At least please tell the God to save me :')

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin! 

Ya Tawwab

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

This is actually a supplication or a prayer... The written version that I have here is slightly different but some parts are still the same... Lazy to write them down, so I just share with brothers and sisters this supplication. Sorry about the background sound.

 

Ya tawwab tubb 'alaynaa... Warhamana wa'ndhur ilaynaa... Dear the Forgiver please grant us the way to return... Have mercy upon us and look at us...

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!

If the Doors are Locked

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

Long time haven't check this site. I went for a training at the KL Airport Services Sdn. Bhd. for two weeks before resigning because I found that I have problem with the security pass. It is quite complicated because I worked in the airport in 2005 and I quit from the service with the department there without returning my security pass to the security department. I just sent everything including the security pass to my employer at the Malaysian Airport Berhad building.  They did not help me but maybe dumping everything because they do not like our colleagues. Let me explain clearly so everyone know what happened in 2005-2006 at some department in KLIA. Well, not only some but from every departments, haha...

I was a Mandarin Chinese translator and interpreter before being a student in the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) as respected brothers and sisters had seen in few posts earlier. Most of my colleagues which formed the group of translators there were of Chinese descent and they are non-Muslims. Only I am a Muslim and a "non-Chinese" ethnic in the group but because I did not mingle with those officers so they assumed that I am a Chinese and a non-Muslim.  Well, actually tried to talk with them but they seem like cocky so I just stay in the boundary that I had.

I always think it is weird for people to think that I look like a Chinese. I am more to a Central Asian in my appearance than to Oriental looking. I also speak in Northern Malay dialect fluently and Southern Thai language. Even I know how to curse people in both of the languages, hehe. That is the specialty of people who are born in the Northern Malayan states. 

When we finished our term, those silly workers in the department were so happy because they were afraid that we would be competing with them if we filled the SPA8 form to be permanent worker. For me, I have the STPM (A-Level) certificate which would elevate me to higher office if I apply for the permanent position. One of my colleague, Mr. Saw applied for the permanent position but at that time he was 24 years old and already with a Business Management degree from the Universiti Malaya. He was elevated to the M34 position in government service and sent to the federal territory office. Lucky him, haha... I did not know that I could still continue my study even when working as a government officer so I accepted the offer to further for a bachelor degree in humanity department at the school of translation and interpretation in the Universiti Sains Malaysia. Mr. Saw had tried to persuade me to be a co-partner with him but I was not smart enough at that time. I thought that education matters since I had seen those O-Level "officers" behave like immature little kids. Well, yeah they joined the department just after schooling times because their parents work there. Kabel banyak dema itu, so they could secure a job... Tanya sana itu saya punya bapa, tanya sini itu saya punya mak cik, hehe...

Back to the quitting job story, I was kicked to several places just because of the security pass issue. The old office that housed me as their employer said that the administration system there was changed few years ago and the old chief is now retired. I would have to go to the federal territory and asking for the letter of resignation because I left the department without any resignation letter. Well, I did not know about that. I was 19 years old at that time. Nobody gives me any training about the job and my rights as an employee. It is not easy to go though all the bureaucracy in the Ministry of Home Affairs so I just wrote the letter of resignation and apologized to the company for their willingness to hire me though for only two weeks and without any payment. Maybe I am not lucky, that's all. Just after I quit I was so depressed because I think that I can not move on with life like this. My father is still there, a paralyzed stroke person could be in that condition for several years to go. It is painful not only to him but also to those besides him, i.e me and my mother. I also have to sacrifice myself though I am a male who supposed to go to work and maintaining the family. 

Owh yeah, before I went to the job offer as the Customer Service Agent at the airport services office, I applied for steward job in a hotel and was called for interview but my elder sister said that it is too low for me. Washing the dishes is not suitable to an undergraduate. Then, what should I do? I actually did not care about that because I simply wanted to maintain a "healthy life". Being jobless actually is not healthy because we have no mobility and it is almost no different to those in the dark alley looking for some money to move on. When we do not go to work, many people say things to us because they do not analyze the factors that make an undergraduate have got no job. Sometimes, it depends on our luck too and nobody wants to know the reasons when we are interviewed because they just wanted to know whether we are useful for the company or not. They should not boast to people simply because they have secured a job and talking like there is no Supreme Lord or the God. 

One of my acquaintance had tried to help me in term of financial but I refused. I just told him to make some donation around or to anyone that he see supposed to be helped and just imagine that he is donating to me. Right now, I am jobless again and trying to study Usuluddin, Sharia, Arabic and Persian with materials that I already have. Besides I am also learning the tenets of Shi'a Muslim belief and practices but not because I am interested to be a Shi'a Muslim. I am a very loyal Sunnah Muslim and a proud Hashemite where I keep the dignity of our larger clan for prophet Muhammad s.a.w as our earthly leader.

It is simply as a sign of good will to them as a brother in Islam and humanity.  I do not like to entertain the blogs written with hatred posts to others because I believe that Allah the Highest is protecting His Divine Path. It is not the job of human-being to act like a false god. Writing or talking to approve or to disprove others are not the way to unite people. It is just a way to show off and getting attention so that we would be recognized as scholar though people would say, maa'shaAllah... subhanAllah... you're right brother... you're right sister.... This is what has been mentioned in the al-Ghazali's literature known by the title, Ihya' 'Ulumuddin as lying in the name of the God. It is also a breach of Covenant with the God where ones speaking the Name of the God in vanity.

At this time I suppose to walk to the mosque and bringing with me my Quran. I try to memorize the Quran again and afraid that some surats that I had memorized will be erased from my heart. If I can not be a practicing missionary, I could still be a qadhi or a decision-maker. Maybe there would be some silver lining for me in the future only the God knows.

It reminds me to this line of poem by an honorable Yemenite Jewish Rabbi, Maran Shalom Shabazi in Judeo-Babylon Aramaic and Yemenite Arabic though he is a non-Muslim which means: "If the doors of the fortunate is locked to you, but the doors of the Heaven is always open. The Creator reigns Supreme and is higher than the angels and all with His wind will rise"... It means if there is no mercy left in this world, but the Lord is still there observing us....

Maybe I should write again this poem for fun and thank you for viewing. I am sorry if I did not respond to some emails but I appreciate my brothers and sisters love here, hehe : )

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!