Ramadhan Kareem 1434 H

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

Hope that it is not too late to wish brothers and sisters with Ramadan Kareem and may everyone be blessed with mercy and forgiveness. Today is the fifth day according to our lunar calender or the taqwim qamariah. Like always, we are grateful to the Lord the Highest for the chance given for us to reach this blessed month. I just perform the taraweeh for eight units altogether and combine it with three units of witr prayer.

Regarding the taraweeh, I would like to put forth this piece of advice to myself. Never ever ask on how many units that your brother or sister performed or even if we see that he or she is not performing the prayer. The reason is that, we should practice the husn al-dhann which is a trait of mahmudah characteristics while practicing the matters prescribed through the Sharia at the parts of worship or services to Him. Take everything that we are doing as a service to seek His glorious pleasure and only to see Him in the hereafter. Not for ourselves or serving our egoism. I just heard some people jokingly asking to others about how many units that they perform in the congregation. Nothing bad about discussing matters pertaining religious matter but we should be very careful with the hidden shirk or polytheism which lies inside of our selves.  It could also grow to the major one if not carefully being watched : )

Taraweeh is a noble prophetic tradition and it falls under the optional acts of worship. We will be rewarded if we perform these kind of acts insha Allah and we would not receive any consequence if we are not performing it. Optional acts serve as the matters which repairs our loopholes in obligatory acts of worship. Some people would perform it in congregation, some would perform it alone and some would perform it half by half where part of it is performed in congregation while the other part being performed at home. All of these are not wrong. Those who perform it alone at home maybe held the position of the optional acts of worship should be done hidden as the reward is 25 meritorious deeds for each act as compared to the acts performed in mass or in the midst of the crowd. It is the same with obligatory ones in principle, where one who performs them in congregation will receive 27 meritorious deeds as compared to performing them alone at home.

I do not like to talk without providing basis. Basically the basis could be seen in many sunans and one of them is in the Book of al-Adhan no. 731 from the compilation of al-Bukhari. The other one is in the Book of the Prayer for Traveler and Its Shortening no. 781 in the Muslim's compilation. The same thing also happens to Salat al-Dhuha or other nawafel prayers because last time I was quite surprised to see people in the Tekun Musalla perform the optional acts in congregation, hehe. But I still joining them out of respect and when they invited me to join besides never say anything because I think that there are many layers in prophetic traditions which people could creatively perform. It is destructive to their spirit when we talk about something with harsh tone or in stressful tone. Yet, the compilations of hadith or traditions is meant for us as a tool of learning and not a "dogma" which should be imposed on everyone! I know about the research of al-Albany as well but I do not want to put if forth. However, I do not have any problem for people to check his researches. The only problem is when people check a certain research and then labeling people with various assumptions and it is dangerous when the people are half-baked or never study any principle in the Sharia and Usooluddin studies while acting as the "scholar". They will regard their teacher as the God and they will repeat what has been mentioned in the Glorious Quran about the "Jew and the Nazarene who took their rabbis and priests as God" while they call others with names without reflecting anything on themselves.    

As per my personal practice in which I would never impose on others; I would perform eight units in one musalla closer to my family house. After that, I would walk out the musalla and go to the another musalla above the hill which is a bit far from my neighborhood then continue to pray there until the following units. It would goes on vice versa and according to the limited energy that I have. As long as I could walk then I will walk. Sometimes, I would perform the taraweeh alone at home and taking it as a vigil prayer or the time spent to communicate in supplications with the Creator. Well, it depends to situation as I also have a bed-ridden father here. I am just doing anything according to availability and appropriateness. Sometimes I would also walking as far as I can or entering the areas such as Mamak restaurants in the gap time but not to eat there. I am actually calling some of the Muslim workers there to join the prayers and wishing that they would join the local community without throwing out any word... Simply gazing at them and smile like this : )   

As an advice for me, the taraweeh prayers is a good act of worship and an act of charity. But we must regard it as a lesson or guide for us to go through this life of worship. The same goes to other acts of worship. They are not only responsibility but also lessons and guide. Do not forget to perform the natural tithe or the zakat fitrah before it is too late for those who are able to do so. So, we pray to the God the Highest may He grants us with strength to perform worship, to study about the path and to practice it in our life before we would be able to see His glorious appearance.

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

Ten Things We Waste

Assalamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

Tablighi Musalla al-Hidayah,under Flat Hijau, Precint 9, Putrajaya Night View

Alhamdulillah, we completed our salatul 'Asr without any obstacle. I would like to congratulate people of precint 9/15, 9/16, Camelot area, and around for the establishment of a musalla in your area. It is a good news as many are waiting for the musalla. I wish that it would be lively with beneficial services in peace and harmony, inshaallah. Today is a celebration in Malaysia and a public holiday for most of people. It is Malaysia Day, a day commemorating the formation of Malaysia like we see today as a nation in 1963, 16th of September. Through votes, Borneo side which was the Northern Borneo Territory (Sabah and Serawak) included together with Malayan Peninsula to form Malaysia. 

I came back home yesterday because I only have a class in a week and the ticketing people at the Sungai Nibong express bus counter are so irresponsible. I don't know if people could sense that I am a person who hates to quarrel that made them dragging me to their counter. I end up with a non-proper bus and it stopped twice, the first stop was in Silvertage in Ipoh and the second time at a place which I can't barely remember. As a reminder to domestic and international passengers, always check on the bus and only go to authorized counter. Don't listen to people who drag you to counters. It's for your safety. Anyhow, I express my gratitude to the God for a safe journey though I didn't properly perform Maghrib prayer service as I had to perform it while sitting and being contained by the journey. I am going to perform it again for that particular masa tercedera (due time, injured time) also the rawatib prayers, praying You dear Lord to forgive me for that due time :'( Brothers and sisters, do not take the obligatory salat easily. It is a practice which brings us in contact with the God, our Creator Who keeps our safety in this mortal life. We are not sure whether the God would accept the compensation prayer services, but we hope and wish that He with His Mercy and Compassionate Love to accept us our service besides forgiving our sins.

Today, my nephew, Fauwaz who is the same age as me came by with his brother, Fida'ie. Fauwaz was my favorite nephew and friend even though I have bitter experience with my cousins who is his father and the younger brother of his father. He is a former schoolmate with me in the Ma'ahad al-'Alawiyyah ad-Diniyyah, Perlis. Again, I am not a well-known student. So, nobody would ever remember me. I am sure and I wish it to be like that. I am very pleased with this condition :)

Each time, when people talk with me about personal matters, I would feel uncomfortable with questions like awek (girlfriend), marriage, and others. People are always fast when talking about sunnah regarding marriage or matrimonial but when talking about the responsibility of raising the child and salvation of family members, the Judgement of the Lord in the Day on what we did as a husband and wife to children, where are those sunnah??? As for me, everything is there in His Guarded Tablet. I don't have to worry about my age or time for marriage. When we follow the trend, we only make ourselves more worried, let people say anything they want. Human are not the same, we have our own traits. Let He decides, that is His job and everything will happen according to fitrah (nature). We just do our job and responsibility.

Now come to our lesson today as what had been delivered in the lesson of Ibnu Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, may Allah be Merciful to him. He summarized that there are 10 things that we tend to waste. They are: 

1. Knowledge. We have the knowledge but we do not taking any action with it so it is a waste. It eventually hits my own nose back.         

2. Our actions. We perform actions and practices without sincerity, so they are also wasted in vanity. The 10 Commandments also talks about the same thing, not to mention His Name in vanity.  

3. Our wealth. It is wasted by using it on things that will not bring us meritorious deeds. We waste our money, status, authority and etc on things which have no benefit on us in this life and hereafter. 

4. Our hearts. It is wasted because they are empty from the love of Allah. It is empty of the feeling of longing to see Him, and a feeling of peace and contentment. Our hearts are filled with something else or someone else (worldly affairs).

5. Our body parts. They are wasted without any usage toward worship and service to Allah (the God).

6. Our love. Our emotional love is misdirected. It is not towards Allah but towards something (like car, motorbikes, world cup, and etc) and someone else (awek, boyfriend, kekasih, lover, cinta hati, etc).

7. Our time. It is wasted and not properly used to compensate for whatever passed, time is wasted without doing any meritorious and righteous deeds as to cover up our past deeds.

8. Our intellect. It is wasted on things which is not beneficial, that are detrimental to society and the individual, and not in contemplation, musing or tafakkur (deep thinking) and muhasibah (reflection). 

9. Our service. It is wasted on someone or something which brings us not closer to Allah. It does not benefit the world and human civilization.

10. Our Dzikr. Our exaltation and remembrance to the God is wasted if it does not affect us in our hearts.

Most of the things mentioned also hit my nose here, so it could also function as an advice for myself. This is actually from mum's lesson that she gets from the mosque she always visit. She said that she's not good in paraphrasing words and her language style is limited so she asked me to help her. I am not good in speech too neither good in writing but I am trying to perform a common duty like other brothers and sisters beside begging forgiveness from the God. A Muslim is a person who helps his brothers and sisters to get closer to the God, helping in charity and chastity, avoiding vices wherever possible and eliminates enmity.

I wish mum and every mother merits from the God, may Allah be Merciful to mum and other mothers by granting each of them health, faith and real wealth, amin! I would like to express my thankfulness to people who help us with the lesson and providing us materials. Thanks also to mum for the circulation orally or materially, thank you for helping me back to consciousness though I was a rebel.

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

Consoling the Heart

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

The world is the plantation for the hereafter. As far as one’s ability permits, engage yourself in earning good and reaping the fruits of the hereafter. With your intellect, tongue, pen and paper, wealth and all that it needs to make the hearts of others happy, comfort people but do not hurt or offend anyone. Consider this an act of great importance.

The deficiencies and difficulties of this worldly life are innumerable. However, this world has also been created as a fertile ground for the hereafter.

A saint was once asked, “How many avenues are there to reach Allah Ta’ala?” The saint replied, “The pathways leading to Allah Ta’ala are as many as the atoms that exist, however there is no path more beneficial and rewarding than keeping a person’s heart happy and consoling him. I have found Allah Ta’ala through this path and I advise others to do likewise. Consoling and bringing joy to a broken heart full of sorrow is far weightier than spending an entire night in Worship.”

Generally a broken or damaged article is worthless and futile but the heart is such that the more it is broken, the more it is filled with sorrow, the more its value increases.

(Ta’meer Hayat – Sept 2002)

Sealed with prayers for peace, mercy and love for dearly brothers and sisters in faith...