Sincerity in Practices

Peace be upon everyone,

Pic: Good Night Garden, Indianapolis Museum of Art

I sat for few moment to listen to the lecture after the Tarawih prayer. I do not usually involve myself in lecture messed up with political speeches. I prefer not to attach myself to any specific religious movement. The lecture is more to spiritual. I regard Islam as my personal spiritual shield. It is not simply a religion "to take pride" with... So, I listened to the teacher.

The lecture discusses about the origin of sincerity. We admit in the midst of the people with our own lips that we sincerely perform our prayers or fasting in the month of Ramadan. How do we know if we are sincere? People in our society today, around the world similarly perform something with the lips service. We perform the act of worship simply because we are following the traditions from the past. We fail to realize the spiritual meanings behind the worship and services. 

Sincerity rises from God-consciousness. This God-consciousness is the one which brought our practices into life. God-consciousness makes of a person, a perfect servant to the God. It is the source of strength. There are questions that we need to ponder and try to get the answer without feeling tired. 

Truth and Righteousness

What is the Truth?

The Truth for us is the Path of the God. We should be following the prescribed manner revealed to us through His words, the Quran. How about if we perform the fast with the intention because of Him? While, in the same time, we utter evil words, dirty speeches, and spewing words damaging to the environment? Is it the Path of the God? The Path of the God is the righteousness. We accept legal matters and reject illegal ones! Most people today do perform the worship but they follow their own paths. The path of their own desires.

Example of our own path is when we celebrate the Eid with excessive entertainment and regarding it as the end of tormenting period. We do not celebrate it with the thanksgiving nor do we have any knowledge on the significance of our worship. So, how are we going to celebrate the Eid with sincerity? Sincerity is filled with thanksgiving. Ramadan or the Great Lenten is a way for us to minister our life to be a servant of the God. To be a perfect servant of the God. In order to be one, we need knowledge. Noble and successful task is always followed by the knowledge. The strength of a society is first build from a family. How do we nurture our family? Is it through the Path of the God or the path of our desires? 

There are four things which we need in order to reach His pleasure.....

• The highest word testifying that there is only the God, no gods.
• Sincerity and righteousness.
• While two of these are the sole rights of the God which are the paradise and liberation from the hell.

We do not simply chant the highest word for the sake of chanting. It must be followed with the consciousness. For that, we need knowledge. We bear witness on the Oneness of the God with confidence
and through the elimination of doubt. It gives rise to the faith. It is the nature of a servant to be subjected to his Creator. From this nature comes repentance. Seeking forgiveness in repentance is rooted from sincerity
and righteousness.

God-Consciousness

How to achieve God-consciousness?

God-consciousness is achieved through beneficence. Beneficence is the spirit of the faith. The faith is like a body. Beneficence takes the role of the soul for the body. Body without soul and spirit would be rotten and perish. 

Questioning our heart is a must for everyone. We have to get satisfied answers for these. We embrace the world view through the answers. Beneficence is the soul of the faith. We submit ourselves to the peace by accepting Islam. Islam is built with five obligatory subject matters beginning with the the highest word and testimonial of faith in the prophethood of Muhammad s.a.w, performing daily prayers, fasting in the lenten month, giving the tithe to the needy, and performing pilgrimage once in the lifetime to holy Mecca. 

These obligatory practices also characterizing our optional worship which is done in our private. So, it is crucial for us to seek knowledge on our worship as to reach sincerity, righteousness and God-consciousness in our life. I think I should also write in Arabic, by His will.

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

Migration: Knowledge is the Light

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

Before I forget about what I had listened I better keep it a record as a witness for me before Him. We are still in the spirit of Lunar New Year and Hijrah. I had just tuned the radio at quarter part of the lecture but never mind, we still can benefit from little things that we get, His Will. I am actually afraid to directly mention Him because I feel unworthy but I am referring to Him, haha.

Says Ustad Hajji Roslan, in term of the knowledge we have al-Furqan which is the scripture, al-Furqan is another name for the Glorious Quran which means the Divider. It separates the Light from the Darkness. It shows us which is the right thing which is wrong. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w was once asked, what is Islam? He mentions that Islam is the Creed and Faith, the Way, and the Morality. To lead us to these three matters, we need knowledge. The knowledge about these three matters for us to understand what is Islam. For us to migrate from chaotic situation in our life, it will never happen without the knowledge about the Creed and Faith, the Way, and the Morality. Because we have knowledge about these three matters and not all of the people acquire or searching for these knowledge, we could only see a person who wants "Islam" but other 50,000 persons reject it. The real success does not actually come from wealth but from the faith.

In Malaysia, we talked about bohjans, bohsias, minah rewangs, mat rempits and others. These terms are used to refer to teenagers who have no real goal in their life but searching for entertainment to satisfy the emptiness in their soul and they get involved into social problems. The ustad advise everyone to stop creating terms which shows the destruction of civilization of nations. Let us create again the civilization and reconstruct the society may we be safe in the future. We won't receive salvation without the knowledge about the Creed, the Way, and the Morality. We are only Muslim by our names and family. We are worried that without the migration of the knowledge, we may lose "Islam" but only having the name. Few times to come, perhaps the time will come where people would also consider Islamic names for example Muhammad, Abdullah, 'Ali, and others are outdated. This had already happened in many parts in the world. If we only have Islamic names, we would never receive Salvation. We could see how many people with Islamic names but involved in social problem and we feel sad because of this. We never follow the prophetic traditions for example about the process of expounding the knowledge to people in Meccan and Medinah period. That is the basis which determines people into the migration. We want to see these again in our society and nations where it could develop civilized nations.

The moderator then continues, it is important to take into notes that the pre-condition to be a human is with the knowledge. Without knowledge, a human-being is not yet a complete human-being. Wherever we talk about knowledge, we will also talk about the importance to migrate toward the knowledge. The knowledge is the right of the God. As long as the knowledge is bringing us closer and please Him, we will go for it. 

In the sense of migration and the challenges that nations are facing in the era of globalization, we do not want our life to be filled with the culture of hedonism and living only a luxurious life having fun without having to think and stimulating the mind with knowledge. The thing which completes our life is the Creed and the Faith. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, companions, and disciples migrated to protect the Creed and the Faith. The paternal uncle of prophet Muhammad s.a.w, Hamzah r.a had also embraced Islam when prophet Muhammad s.a.w was beaten by another uncle which is Abu Jahal. The questions that popped out from Hamzah to Abu Jahal sounds: "What is wrong with you that made you beat Muhammad? Is it wrong for him to remind people to worship the God? Is it a big sin? Once again you hit him, I will be the one who tear your head down!"

My opinion, this event also shows that Abu Jahal does not want to leave luxurious life as a noblemen because the people who listens to Muhammad s.a.w mostly are paupers, the meeks (as what Jesus had mentioned), and those who were tyrannized. People who had no worldly attachments. Muhammad s.a.w bring the knowledge about the God and the Faith to Him. He does not bring the way to make profit or getting money. The Creed and Faith mold inhuman human to be human with Mercy and Love. I am not sure if Europeans and Western World could understand this. Their way of thinking is also influencing the world through globalization and its tool which is media. What red neck Protestant Christians and other Christian organizations are teaching regarding these instead of trying to blacken others?

Ustad Hajji Zamri Hashim discussed about the challenge faced by people in term of protecting the Faith and the Creed. The Creed is important and very precious. If a person knows to correctly evaluate things, his act will also be correct. To make people understand about choosing the right values, we give everyone an example. If I am holding the RM50 banknote at my right hand and then I crumple it with my hand. Then I hold a nice and fresh RM1 banknote with my left hand. Later I call a person to choose which one for him to take. Of course he would take RM50 though it is crumpled right? Because it is more valuable than RM1 though it is crumpled. But if I show this to a kindergarten kid, perhaps he will choose RM1 at the left hand. So, every man with the mind and consideration knows how to choose and later act.

Because of choosing the right value too, Mashitah was thrown with her family into a boiling hot water. Masyitah is the title for the lady who served Pharaoh family during Egyptian civilization period. The Pharaoh had declared his Divinity where everybody must worship him as a deity. She was reported by a princess of Pharaoh because she unintentionally mentioned Him the Lord of Israel while her comb had fallen down and not the name of her father. She and her family were boiled alive to death in the hot boiling water by Pharaoh official through royal decree and she is mentioned by the God in His Revelation as to honor her Faith. Western world should also take this as a lesson, though having no faith in this because what happened in the past we can't see with our eyes. What Western world had done to the World in the past and still continues today. Fellow beloved brothers and sisters, we could also learn from this honorable lady, Mashitah. Me and my younger sister is also pressured with the needs to "find money" and even people close to us telling us to forget Him for a moment and leave His commands behind... How could we forget Him when we love Him? :')

- Second series of the lecture in Masjid al-Bukhary, Kedah Darul Aman.        

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

Matan Arba'in: Third Hadith

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

Narrated by Abi Abdul Rahman Abdullah Ibnu Umar bin al-Khattab r.a he said, I heard that the messenger of the God, Muhammad s.a.w said, Islam is built on five which are witnessing that there is no gods except the God and Muhammad is the messenger of the God and performing salat services and performing purification of properties and pilgrimage to the House and fasting a full month of Ramadan. Hadith reported by Bukhari and Muslim.

Explanation:

Islam is built on five matters...

Those who perform the five pillars of Islam and performing all of their requirements, his nature and religion is counted as perfect as a house which is built complete with its pillars and all of its necessities. Hence, the house which is not perfectly built due to the lack of necessities and pillars is equated to a person who does not adhere to requirements of the pillars of religion. Said the messenger of the God, Muhammad s.a.w “the salat services are pillars of the divine law of life, those who leave it, his divine way of life is in disaster.”

The five pillars of religion is the basis where Islam and the nature were re-established. Other religious works are decorations for the building (religion). There is a mention a hadith about faith has more than 70 sub-branches. However, its highest pillar is the statement with oral and heart statement of “there is no gods except the God.” The lowest of faith is to expel thorns or obstacles from the middle of a road.

Said the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w, and performing pilgrimage to the House and fasting a full month of Ramadan is only at the statement but the first obligation to be performed by every sane Muslims is the fasting of lunar month, Ramadan. In other narrations, obligation to fast is being mentioned first.

 

Allahumma salli 'alaa Muhammad wa 'alaa aali Muhammad. Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!  

Lecture of the al-Hikam

In the Name of the God the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

The statement there is no deities other than the God denotes that we only depend on Him. This is also a dzikr or remembrance that we chant after every salat service. When we chant the dzikr, try to analyze the meaning. 

This is just a brief reminder for myself, don't be afraid if the time constraint running over my head if chanting the statement. He is the One who controls the 'time.' And actually I've got nothing much to do, so better concentrate on Him.

When we declare this, we do not depend on other things anymore. When we face problem, is it our friends for us to depend on? Then if we can't depend on friends, to whom should we go to complain and ask help? Going to the police? If police could not help us to solve problems? Where should we go? To religious and pious people asking them for prayers? If pious people can't help us? What can we do? We have to depend to the Highest Authority, which is the God. Why not just right away go to Him by performing salat tahajjud? 

In Malaysia, let us see whether we are depending to the God or not? How about our Creed? Say for example, we have a virgin daughter. When she wants to get marry, what we would first require or ask? How do we perceive our son-in-law to come? First thing that we would ask maybe, what is his job? Whether he has 'money' or not? How is he going to make our daughter happy if he has no 'money' or if he is poor? Now, we forget one thing, our daughter happiness and prosperity actually depends on the Mercy of the Lord of the universe. 

People will ask about the job to everyone, right? I had experienced this too though I never ask anyone daughter to be my wife. I don't want anything, I don't care about people around since my aim is only to reach Allah, but still there are people asking me this sort of thing including my nephew, who studied with me in the madrasah. So, where is this teaching of no association to the God in our daily speech? Why don't we ask people whether they are in progress memorizing the glorious Quran or not? Whether our in-laws know how to perform salat properly? Nowadays, we could not be free from materialism, aren't us? 

Think again, if we have money or possessions, are we going to be happy? If we have 10 cars, we still have to spend money on maintenance, or perhaps paying the loan buying the car. When we can't pay the loan, the bank will send us letters, court rulings, or maybe someone to threaten and take away our car.  We have possibilities to be affected by hypertension and other health problems.

And then we have no shelter and no one to protect us when death is coming to us. Dang, here it comes again, death cult! Is it only special only to Islam? No wonder many people who loves their enjoyable life hate religion, jah? However, death is a natural cause, even if we don't believe in any deity nor life in the hereafter. Can everyone in this universe live for 1000 of years? Or perhaps being immortal? Until now, I can't find anyone who could live forever. Is it fun to live forever? I had watched a movie which I could barely remember the title of two rivaling women drinking a magic portion, and they had been immortal but they do not live happy life because their boyfriend passed away in front of them. And they fight each other blaming each other, since they share boyfriend and hitting one another until their body sprinkles around but they still do not die. Is this the life that we want?

Speaking of the drunk due to death, anyone has any idea on how 'Izrael, the angel of death's looks like? Usually death comes without any warning. Is the angel going to send us sms informing us, he's coming to us? After a person passes away, he will enter the barzakh which is the world between this physical world and the hereafter. It is a transitional phase. There will be two angels, Munkar and Nakir asking questions to the soul of the departed, and if questions could not be correctly answered, the departed would receive torments until the resurrection event.

So, who gave us heart to live? Who gave us oxygen? Isn't it Allah, the Lord of the universe? So, we are lower or higher than others?

I. When we are hungry, we need to eat to satisfy the hunger.

II. When we are about piss or to poop, we would've to go to the lavatory.

III. We touch poops everyday with our hands and handling tissue covered with dirts from our stomach when we clean up our mess in the lavatory.

IV. When we are sick, we need medicine.

V. We need someone to talk with, we have to go for salat service.

When we die, we're going to turn out to be defecates and rotten, smell as hell. I had analyzed Judaism teaching regarding the contact with dead bodies would bring ones into impurity. So, I guess that rotten dead bodies perhaps is equated to defecates. So, we have nothing to be proud of ourselves no matter we are Israelis, Palestinians, Jews, Muslims, kings or whatever we are. When we see trash lorry, we would make that face cause the lorry stinks. But we had forgotten that our stomach contains stink and trash from what consume everyday.

During the Day where our deeds would be counted and calculated, we only have our Lord to protect and save us. It is important to be good to our own family, be good to wife and children. Be good to husband and children. Children be good to parents. Help each other. Husband don't assume wife as a machine. 

I read a fellow's blog and he talked about Afghanistani who wanted to marry another one, so he backbiting his own wife at the clinic blaming the wife for getting pregnant so many times, since the poor wife could not speak in English. I think not only that fellow think the guy is an idiot, I also think that kind of human does not suit to be classified as a human. It is different in South East Asia, where we regard women as equal to men. Women are even productive than men in trade and business. Both women and men form society so, why not be respectful to each other? Don't act arrogant among each other. Husband do not have to be transformed into a sissy to help his wife to clean up kitchen or table after dinner, lunch, or breakfast if they have time. This is not about being modern or about being advanced, this is about mentality. I see that men in Western part of the world regardless from Europe, Central Asia, South Asia or Middle East always have this kind of thought. And it influences others around the world. My family constitutes of more women than men. So basically I respect women. Without dad, mum or my sisters, I would have difficulties. I appreciate them more than friends, I don't even have close friends except the God as close Friend where I talk with Him most of the time telling Him my feelings, sharing problems and what I think : )

There is no one who gives life or brings death to everything except the God. When we pray for something, the God sometimes does not delegate all of our prayers because He is full of Wisdom. So, when we feel weak like I feel now cause I have to finish up a thesis, an assignment, and having to face two tests for a paper, just say: "there is no strength and no force except that they come from the God, the Most Highest, the Greatest!" - end notes, explanation on al-Hikam delivered on the 30th September 2011

Allahumma salli 'alaa Muhammad wa 'alaa aali Muhammad. Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!

Lecture of Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasideen: Taharah Chapter

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Himalaya Mountain Range by Ursula Gahwiler

When a person saves the usage of water while performing ablution, that is not something which is regarded as munkar (evil). Cleanliness is emphasized together with the economic attitude. When we think about others while using water, it is considered a noble morality. Noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w was reported as saying that there is a waste in the usage of water, even in a river which flows in front of a person who use the water from it. Water is used by society, so we must avoid from wasting it even in cleanliness matter. 

What about the ruling in the usage of water in the mosque or community center for cleanliness and ablution? The ruling of using mosque's water excessively is illegal. So, there is a reason why we should avoid from being doubtful and focusing our attention during ablution as not to waste the water. Puak-puak yang beramal dengan Islam menurut hawa nafsu pula tidak menurut syara' walaupun dalam hal menghilangkan lebihan kotoran. The groups of people who performs religious conduct according to their own desire are not following the divine way even in the matter of cleaning dirt from their selves.

There is a need to differentiate excrement and dirt where dirt could be cleaned by just wiping it out. The example for this kind of dirt is dust. If our head is covered with dust or scalp, it is optional for us to clean it up according to prophetic tradition by cleaning it up with water and comb our hair neatly after washing it, then anoint some oil on it. The same thing goes to ear wax or cleaning the tongue, brushing teeth with miswak or nowadays we may also use toothpaste and tooth brush according to our convenience. It is also optional to take bath if our body sweats before congregational prayer services. Ini beberapa hari tidak mandi, sudah berbau dan tidak menjaga kekemasan diri bukan juga akhlak umat Islam. Not taking bath for few days and letting our selves stink is not the character of a Muslim nation too. Being Muslim must be internally and externally. 

It is not a sin to go for public shower or hammaam or sauna as it is also good to purify one self. But one thing everyone must remember, 'aurat must be guarded even when the sauna is for unisex. The 'aurat of a man in prayer service is from the belly button to knees. So a man may cover their private parts from belly button to knees when in prayer service. But outside of prayer service, the limit of part should be covered by a man is the whole body. Non-related man must not see others' body part. The same thing applies to women as well. The difference of 'aurat is only in prayer service. When ones are in the sauna, they should reflect the heat in sauna as the heat of the hell and torment. This is how a faithful Muslim think when he or she is in any situation. He or she reflects everything in the world with the events of hereafter.  

Noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w while eating meat, he still reflects the hereafter. How about us? When we eat, we forget everything. We even forget the world that revolves around. The hereafter has a great meaning in faithfuls' life. An Arabic proverb says: "water in a vessel will splashes out when it's being stirred up." It means, the thought of people seems like the same, but the angle of the thought is influenced by ones' tendency toward something. For example, a person who makes carpet would particularize carpets when he or she sees everything. They will relate everything that they see to carpet. The same thing goes to a faithful person. When he sees darkness, he will reflect the hereafter. When he hears a scream, he will reflect it to the sound of trumpet during the hereafter. When we are in a dark house, we try to imagine that we are in the grave. A house is still big compared to the space in the grave. A faithful person will always feel that he is with the God.  

So, this is some reflects on the thought of faithful people who believes that death and hereafter is a fact according to the summary of the Ihyaa Ulumuddin by Imam al-Ghazali may Allah be Merciful to him. It may be called by some who denies the hereafter and natural events like death with the notion of death cult. It is also mentioned in the Christians' Nicean Creed regarding the resurrection. So, I wonder why it is difficult for people who are familiar with Christian tradition to understand this? I am not like typical Muslim who only follows others or parents so I don't consider Western world as related to Christianity or religious anyway. The West seems like having no religions no divinity but only believing in their selves (they are the God of themselves) : )

How about the mentality of a person regarding faith? Everything that happens around reflects a person's creed. Every grace by the God will be taken into account. It is not favorable to enter bathroom after the sun sunken down in the time between maghrib and 'isya' for those who have their bathroom outside of the house. Take note also at things which could be cleaned up regarding physical cleanliness for example plucking the armpit hair or pubic hair. It is not favorable to pluck out the grey hair but optional to color it with brown henna or trimming beard nicely for men. This is the explanation of the first level of taharah or purification, the physical purification and cleanliness. It covers the physical purification and moral values behind it.

Then the second level of taharah or purification and cleanliness which deals with the purification of sins through curbing body parts from committing vices. The third level deals with the purification of oneself from evil characteristics. The fourth level deals with the purification of soul from anything other than the God. No attribution to the God in terms of anything in the heaven and the earth. How we determine this? We ask our heart whatever that we do, is it because of the God or because our selves or others than the God?

This purification and cleanliness chapter though just a sub-topic but it reflects the methodology of Islam as a system of life. It taught us the meaning of being a Muslim. It is not only in superficial act or imitation but must be understood and being performed through understanding as it is a system of life. Taharah or purification of one selves is more than just cleanliness. It cleans ones life from the obstacles which obstruct the Love of the God to descend upon them. 

The noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w says: "the God does not look at how pretty we are or how ugly we are. He does not judging us based on our appearance. He looks and judges us based from our heart." So, He does not give us privilege just because we are Caucasians and fairer than the other or just because our eyes are blue compared to others who have only dark eyes. He does not care whether we are Palestinian, American, European or Israeli. He does not care if we walk like a model cat-walking on the stage with high heels. He cares for those who are sincere in embracing His Love and devoting themselves only to Him. 

A spoke person for YAPEIM had came to Pusat Islam last time and delivered talks about Palestine issue. He said that it is a sin to feel bored with this global issue. I don't see this as a special case. Inequality happened throughout this era and it is rampant. And I felt as if I wanted to puke when the Palestinian spoke person mentioned that they are the center and the star of the world. The center of the world for me is only the God none other than Him!!! This issue had long been played like a broken record. The same thing goes to Israel. I don't care about both of Israel or Palestine. What makes them so special compared to the God? Kalau 'negara-bangsa' wujud pun adakah orang ramai akan berkunjung ke masjid-masjid mendengar kuliah keagamaan memperhamba diri kepada Allah 'Azza wa Jalla? Apabila susah baru keluar Nama Tuhan. Semasa senang Nama Tuhan dibuang ke longkang dan dibuat main sewenang-wenangnya sahaja. This is what we call as thaghut, without we realize it. Human-being...

When we wash up our face during ablution, we think that it is our identity. There are many grace of the God at our face such as nose, mouth, eyes, and etc. While washing our face, we imagine that we clean up all of disgusting events which comes into contact with our face. Whatever that we performs regarding our physical cleanliness is related to our heart. A person who understood his or her religion perceives matters like physical matter deeper than it is in physical eyes.   

The Advantage of Salat Service

It is the central act of worship in a faithful Muslim life. A hadith mentions that among important thing is concentration in salat service. Noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w reported as saying: "A Muslim who come to congregational prayer service and trying to perform the service such as in the act of ablution, bowing, prostrating and etc well will be forgiven all of his sins as long as he or she is not involved in great sins." Hadith sahih collected by Imam Bukhari and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal. 

It is important to see that a faithful person sees daily salat service as very important. He or she will leave everything he or she conducts when it comes to salat service to see his or her Lord and only being late if there is excuse permitted by the shara' (way) or facing obstacles. Dia tidak lah akan melayah salat. In Surah al-Maa'un, it is mentioned in verse 4-6 about prayer service which should be taken seriously by everyone: "Accursed be those who are praying 4 Those who are careless in his salat service 5 And those who shows off (their prayer service to others) 6"

The sixth verse means those who are doing charity and penance not because of the God but only to show off to others as to get praises from society. So, his creed now is flawed and he has been involved in idolatry. Society now becomes his God, not the Real God anymore. So, it is very important to determine everything through ones' intention. 

Nowadays people have Facebook. They would be in front of their computer more than four hours just looking at the Facebook wall. So, they perhaps pray at the end of prayer service time where the time is almost out. Even a person would be engrossed with it till they do not realize anything happened around. Macam sampai maqam fana' pulak, hahaha. A faithful Muslim when he or she listens to the adzan calling must hastily go to the mosque or any congregational place to perform it. A prayer service with concentration, ablution, bowing and prostration 'only' for the God will be the redeemer of sins except for great sins. Great sins committed must be redeemed through repentance to the God. - end, lecture at 29th of Sept 2011

Allahumma salli 'alaa Muhammad wa 'ala aali Muhammad. Our Lord please be in contact with noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w and his family. Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!    

What is in Wealth?

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

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Now we continue the previous post. I have to jot all of this down since I would have piles of paper on this messy desk. 

Regarding Wealth

The ustad further said, who's the real rich man? There are three kind of rich men:

1) A rich man is a man a healthy man. When we are healthy, we can eat anything we like. If we are affected by diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and others we would have to avoid many things.

2) A rich man is a man without any debt. If we have a TV, we do not owe anything to get the TV. We buy it with full payment. If we have debt with the bank say when we buy the car, we would have to pay for every month. If we do not pay the car for three months, the bank would pull the car into their garage. If we have no capacity, don't get into debt. If we want to live in peace, stay away from debt and pay the debt. This is my personal opinion, all of us creatures are in no position to be rich no matter what happen. We owe the God for this life. The noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w talked about debt where he mentioned about the war to defend the land and His light from the darkness. A person in debt must ask the person who he is in debt for his permission before joining any war (if ones are soldiers). Because debt would be counted even after death, the descents of a person in debt must help the person in debt who passed away to release him or her from torments. A person in debt has a heavy responsibility. Try to stay away from debt as it makes us poor.

3) A rich man is a person who has good manner, and high in morality. Be in modesty when we walk and do not look up the sky when we walk (be arrogant). Look down the earth. Lower the voice and do not walk with pride holding up our chest. The most ugly voice is the voice of a donkey. This is a metaphor.... 

The most ugly voice is the voice of a donkey... The Quran mentions two kind of animals' voice... They are the rooster and the donkey. Elders said that when a rooster crowing at the break of the dawn, it sees the angels. It means that the sound wakes up the people and reminds everyone for Fajr prayer service. And then the voice of human who cries in repentance because of his or her sins. People above 50 years old always have the habit of waking up late at night. They have the problem to sleep. The God makes them having this difficulty to sleep, but they are easy to wake up in the morning. It is the fitrah (nature) for us to cover our salat that we had left since whoever knows. How many of us prays when we are 13 years old for example? 

Oops, I didn't really pray when I was 13 years old until at one stage I didn't believe in You, dear the God!!! I didn't like to pray and I hate people who talked to me about salat. Most of them always talked about the hell. I don't like them because of this since I didn't do any harm to others but they are those who hurt me. At that time I was influenced a little bit by people around, I just wanted to be like other kids. I should had ignore whatever people said but just perform my responsibility. In the end You are my Judge, dear Lord. Dear the God, please forgive me if I didn't perform this responsibility properly please don't hate me :'( :'( :'(

Regarding the Voice

And then the ustad mentioned, the God loves the voice of those who recites the Quran. What voice that the God does not prefer according to the interpretation of the verse in surah Luqman? The God does not prefer the voice of the donkey. It does not mean that the donkey is a bad animal or the God 'hates' the donkey. The donkey voice is a metaphor for the voice of those who love to rant. The donkey always do anything that it is asked to do. It does not know how to bend at the road. People could put many things on its back. But while it walks, it would have the voice which sounds like ranting voice. The verse implies that the God does not prefer those who rants. A wife for example, she cooks 10 dishes a day for her family but while she cooks she would rant this and that, she is tired of marriage and etc. But she still cooks. A person who prays behind the imam. He or she still prays but he or she rants in the heart when the imam recites longer surah. They do everything, but they rant in the same time. The God listens to anything inside our heart or anything that could be heard by mortal ears. He is All-Listening and All-Knowing.

It is already late... We may continue little by little insyaallah...

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

Where is Morality?

Assalamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

Avignon Palace

This is the continuation of the post about, why we human being are arrogant. It is said that another reason for a human-being to be arrogant perhaps is because he or she is affluent and are of high position in society. They possess lots of property and land. They have jewels in their closets. One day a lady came and see the ustad who delivered the lecture for him to calculate the amount of tithe that she needs to pay for her golds. She shows him her jewels thus saying: "I have pounds of golds in my closet, I don't know what to do with them. I am exhausted for having to count them each term."

In fact, the God does not prevent us from possessing anything. It is not a sin to have possession. He is not angry to His servants who are rich as it is among His grace to His servants. Everything that He creates in the earth is for human to use and benefit in this life. He does not demand us to totally leave everything. It is not like that, but He demands His servants not to keep the worldly matters in our heart. If our heart is attached to the worldly matters, we would be stingy and it makes our property barren. The example of people whom heart was attached to worldly matters such as property is Tsa'labah who lives during the period of noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w and Qarun who lives during the period of noble prophet Moses a.s. These examples are negative ones. Be like David a.s and Solomon a.s. It is narrated that David cries 40 days and nights only because he reckons all of his errors though he is infallible of sins. His tears dropped down the earth and grass grows up from the tear drop place. He is a person with a position in his society but he still fear the God.

Another example is Jonah who was swallowed by a whale. Whales do not live in the Straits of Malacca or wandering at the sea close to Kuala Kedah nor swimming in the South China Sea. It is a kind of fish that dives deep into the ocean. While Jonah was in the fish's belly, he recites the exaltation to the God and asking for forgiveness: "لاإلهَ إلَّاأنْتَ سُبْحانَكَ إنِّيْ كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِيْنَ". It means: "There's no gods except You, exalted be You indeed I am already amongst those who are cruel (to themselves)." The angels of the God heard his prayers from the belly of the fish. His exaltation and prayers reached the heavens though he was deep down in the sea in fish's belly. The God listens to His exaltation. The angels of the God asked the God: "Who's voice of exaltation was that?" The God answered the angels: "The voice is of my beloved servant, Jonah. He ran away from his nation and people because of his disappointment with them and that makes him stuck in the belly of the whale." The angles prayed the God to forgive Jonah. The God revealed... If it is not because of Jonah's exaltation, he would remain in the whale's belly until the Day of Resurrection.

Nowadays, many people live an easy life. They had forgotten exaltation to the God and many think that they are gods of themselves (atheists). For us the paupers, exaltation is the substitution of wealth. Once upon a time, came to prophet Muhammad s.a.w several paupers complaining: "Dear the messenger of the God, rich people could have the merit for donation while we have none of it as we have nothing to offer to others." The prophet s.a.w replied to the: "recite exaltation to Him which are سبحان الله والحمدلله ولا إله إلاالله والله اكبر subhanallah walhamdulillah walaa ilaaha illalllah wallahu akbar 33 times!" The exaltation means: "May be exalted the God, and praises to the God, and there is no gods except the God and the God is the Great." So after we perform obligatory salat service, at least, recite these exaltation 33 times. Don't just fold our prayer mats and hurl it under the bed or just rise up after the prayer without respecting the God with exaltation nor supplications. 

The God Will, we would continue with the lecture notes on this topic in whatever gaps that we have, it's already late... Wish everyone passing by entertained though it is not in the original language... May whatever is good and beneficial being transmitted to everyone, insyaallah...

To be continued...