The roots for sufferings in soul

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Grumpy

This character is the most easiest to be detected and the most major in human self. A person who is grumpy seldom have friends and his heart is not in peace.

Vengeful

It is hidden in the chest and it's like lava in ones selves. A vengeful person always trying to find his way for a revenge even small revenge such as hurting others with his words would do. A vengeful person could easily be affected by heart attack. 

Jealousy

All of the practises and penance would be burnt by jealousy, jealousy is a divine characteristic and human is not qualified for this.

Stingy

Happens when a person feels that others wanted to take his property, his luxury, position and others. For example always claiming that he has no money while he actually have it but to deceive others so that he does not have to donate and help others. The God indeed favors more a wicked person but is generous rather than a faithful servant but is stingy. Because a wicked person generousity could be beneficial to others as God is giving His sustainance through His creatures as an asbaab (cause).

Greedy

A greedy person would never be satisfied with lots of possession he has as a thristy person being given sea water. He drinks the water until it finish but it won't satisfy him. Whatever is called as our property or possession when it is used. When it is kept and piled, it could not be called as a property or sustainance because there might be the rights of others. Let the sustainance or property little but it is blessed by Lord God when it is used in a beneficial way and for Him.

Impatient

When a person could not be patient with small matters, how would he be patient with big matters?

Ego

This is the mother of evil characteristics. It makes a person fallen in trouble and not in peace. A person with this character is a person who would easily feel challenged. Each person possess this character but the difference is in its level.

Show off

A person who loves to show off would feel tortured as he does everything only for praises by fellow human. Acting in front of others. When he is praised, he intensifies his practises. But when he is insulted, he would decrease his practises. The God would be pissed off with a show off person and with a person who feels that his practises and rituals done are enough thus he feels that he is holier than others.

Love the world

When we could not get it, we would suffer. When we get it, we would also suffer because it is very hard to maintain it. Be luxurious but we have to control our soul and heart. Do not place our confidence on the property and possession but only on Allah. Love the world is the hell in the world. World is hot and it is haunted by everyone. Place akhirat (hereafter) in our heart, and dunia (world) in our hand as it could be divided and substituted but akhirat is for us when we see Him. 

As per conclusion, the one that grabs our happiness is not totally caused by poverty, unfortunate luck, being occupied, and others but the evil characteristics in our selves. The higher our wicked characteristics, the more unfortunate we are. Either we perform the efforts or just giving up. In both situation we would suffer but when we perform efforts we would eventually receive happiness. May we remind each other not to be careless to avoid sadness. 

God be in contact with prophet Muhammad (saw) and his family as You were in contact with our father Ibrahim (Abraham) and his family. God bless prophet Muhammad (saw) and his family as You had blessed our father Ibrahim and his family. Sealed with prayers for love and peace, may everyone receive guidance and success.

Why should we understand what we recite??

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

When we recite suras (divine letters), reciting invocations for parts of salaat, and in everyday supplications, do we really understand what we recite? Quite sad that many of us including my self do not even spare few moments to understand the meanings of those invocations, supplications, and suras recited in salaat or in daily life. It is a very basic job. 

What are the benefits for us when we understand what we recite? Some of them are with His Will:

1. During daily prayers, a Muslim on the average actually repeats about 150 to 200 arabic words and numerous holy sentences. By memorizing certain obligatory parts, we will understand all of them and bringing them into life.

2. We will feel a difference in our attention and concentration during prayers. We'll have less disturbance and whispering from Satan during prayers.

3. As a result, our attachment with Allah will increase during the prayers and as a whole in our life.

4. It will serve as an excellent beginning step towards understanding Quran or the language used in the text. It will make us familiar with arabic sentence structure and indirectly some points of grammar because Quran is a rich source of literature although it is not an exact compilation of poems.

May Allah guide us with knowledge and ruhul quddus (holy spirit). May all of us being blessed with wisdoms and guidance. Sealed with prayers for peace and love, may all of us live in piety and penance, aamin!!!!

Is He really far from me????

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Why human always committing sins and vices? Why I am always committing sins and vice? I know that sin and vice is wrong but why I am postponing the repentance and penance? Is it because I feel that Allah Glory be to Him is far from me? Is He is far from my reach? Why human seldom pray to Him and being dependent to Him by lifting the hands begging Him to help us?

Is it because we could not see Him with our physical eyes? So, we are not confident that He is actually with us? It is like He is very far from us and maybe He would be late in helping us if we pray to Him for solutions in our daily problem? Why we are not able to relate our whole life with the God?

Is it because the God is far from us? So we feel that it is meaningless and pointless to relate our life matters with something or someone which is far from our reach? Whom we are not certain would be happy or not with our success? Whom we are not certain would be sad or happy with disaster that happened on us. Whom we are not sure would recompensate us or not with our penance and charity done? Because He is far from us that makes us feel worried and living in this suffocating state? Is He really far from us?

This kind of thing always happen to us no matter if we are Muslim or not. For Atheists, I am sure they are the God of themselves so they would depend only on their selves. But those who proclaim themselves as the believer of the God are those who depend on Him nontheless they feel He is far or close to them. The question is whether He is far or not from us?????

In this question of the relationship between the creatures and their Creator, the creatures are in the side of those who are hoping while the Giver is the God. So, the answer for this should come from the scripture where He reveals about Himself. We could check the answer in surah al-Baqarah verse 186, surah Qaaf verse 16, and surah al-Baqarah verse 214. 

Some people might argue whether God is close to us as if He is really beside us, or His knowledge is very close to us? For some people this argument should not be a headache for them. They would accept that the God is close to them without any further questions. They do not even care whether He close in the real sense or close to them in His knowledge because nothing would be less if they are in one of those circumstances. The most important thing is that He is close to them. The God never lies in His words and promises. How the God is close to us is not our problem. It is His job.

The God has heralded that He is indeed very close to His servants. He also says that He never lies to His servants. Thus, the matter of how close or far He is from us is actually the matter of our faith to Him. If we want to be confident that He is watching us, He is listening to us, He is all Knower, He is Powerful, He is Mighty, all is on us. There is no one to force us to believe this but it is in our nature. There is also no one to force us to obey Him but it is our choice. The Truth won't change with our choice. If we choose not to believe that God is indeed with us, then the Truth that He is indeed close to us would not change.

Even if the whole world do not believe in His existence, He still exists. Those who believe will enter the paradise although the whole world torturing them. Those who do not believe will enter the jahannam (place of torment) even if the whole world loves them (al-Baqarah verse 256).

Those who believes in Him would see the sign of His existence or feeling it. If they believe that He is close, then they would feel Him. The choice is in our hand and not on others' to believe with the genuine faith.He is indeed close and not far from our reach. He listens to us and watching us. This faith would help us to continue to another step. When we believe that He is close and not only exists, He is watching us, listening to us, and supporting us then we could strive to face this world. We could also perform obedience to Him in a better way. When we are alone then we are in the state of difficulty. But when we are with a companion, we are stronger than alone. In addition He who is our Companion is the One who could not even be defeated by anyone in the Universe. He is the King without crown!

We could see in the da'awa performed by the messenger of God, Muhammad (saw). The problem of faith is the first being solved. So, how does our faith look like?

When we already confident that He is indeed close, our anxiety would fade away. We face difficulties and happiness in this life with preserverance. When we are sad, we know to whom we should complain. And when we are happy, we know to whom we should be thankful. When we are in difficulties, we know to whom we should ask for help and when we are in happiness we know to whom we should express our happiness.

We would also feel ashamed to do destructions and vices in society and the world with this faith. Imagine if we steal something and others are watching us, would we continue with that act? The same thing happens, when we are in vices. Wouldn't we feel ashame to Him who is watching us? Although when we commit sins and vices due to forgetfulness and carelesness, we would return with repentance and penitence to to Him.

Ibrahim Adham had said to a man who wants to commit vice: "you may commit it but with a condition where you could find a place where He could not see you." Where can we find such a place? Everything in this Universe is under His supervision. He is all Powerful and covering everything (al-Fussilat verse 54).

When we are in anxiety, do not feel shy to cry in front of Him although we couldn't see Him. He is very close and His assistance is everywhere. Quickly be in contact with Him when we are in difficulties. He is very close to us compared to our friends around. When we are all confident with these, we would feel the grace.

I have this question, why I had performed penitence and everything but I do not get anything??? Sometimes there is a kind of situation where He delays His help. It is called as tests and tribulations. In arabic, we call this as al-fitan. Sometimes He does not giving the things that we asked, but we should also realize that we are no one to Him. We have no rights to demand Him! We our selves do not know what is good or bad for us but He knows it more. Whatever He gives to us is the best due to His knowledge. This is confidence. 

Do not worry with the natijah (result). We only need to worry about our efforts. His Will, after the efforts then the results would proceed. Any result that He has decreed is the best. When we are confident with this, then our suffocating due to the time framing for our supplications, difficulties faced in life, anxiety, and worry would be solved without we even realize it.

Sometimes we want everything to be in order according to what we demand and we want to know the result in a blink of the eyes but we do not have the knowldge like Him. Maybe we only know about certain things which are good for us in 10 years to come or longer. But when we realize about this, everything had gone. Just like what I had experienced when we could not accept the fact : (

He is full of Love and Mercy to His servants. Why not we try to be close to Him even in a little step? Aren't we stingy with our moves? Aren't we ashame to Him to behave like that? He who possess everything is not stingy to be close to us but why we who are dependent to Him never make any move to approach Him???????!!!!! We only have to move one step and He is closer to us in an analogy of 1000 steps as He loves us. Who else the best representative for us in this world except Him (surah aal-'Emraan vs. 173).

Don't delay the move to be close to Him. We are in the period of near resurrection and destruction. We are also not safe from death in this temporary life. We do not want to lose His blessings so may everyone being saved. Let us live with Him, feel that He is close to us. People who lives with God will always be successful in this life and the hereafter. 

God please be in contact with prophet Muhammad (saw) and his family and his companions and all of the good nations. May everyone receives blessings, success and guidance. Sealed with prayers for peace and love and mercy.

Cure for Snobbish Character

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Being snob or takabbur is not a good character for human-being.  It is evil and would lead human being toward evil. Takabbur is best described as holier than thou attitude or I am the greatest amongst all without realizing the Greatest amongst all is actually Him. Human-being are basically weak unlike Lord God who are all Powerful, Holy and the Great. We are dependent to Him, so we are not qualified to have this character!

Human could not bear the impact of this character. So, if a human possess this bad characteristic, he or she ought to quickly remove this character. Imam al-Ghazali had underlined five ways to stop a person from being a snob.

1) When we talk with children, we must assume that the children are holier than us. They are cleaner than us and more noble in term that their sins are not so many as our sins as adults.

2) When we talk with a religious person or religiously knowledgeable person, we assume that he is noble than us as they possess more knowledge compared to us the ignorant.

3) When we talk with an ignorant, we assume that he or she is noble and holier than us because he or she committing sins due to his or her ignorance while we are sinful in the same time know what is right and what is wrong.

4) When talking to a non-believer, say to our selves that one day the non-believer would receive guidance from Lord God. When he receives the guidance from God, every sin he possessed before the guidance would be forgiven by the Most Merciful who forgives sins. While we who are the Muslims since born continuously being in sin without realizing the impact that we would receive in the hereafter.

Allah our Lord please be in connection with our prophet Muhammad (saw) and his family as You had been in connection with our patriarch Ibrahim (Abraham) and his family. Allah our Lord please bless prophet Muhammad (saw) and his family as You had blessed our patriarch Ibrahim (Abraham) and his family. Sealed with prayers for peace and love.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) words of wisdom to Imaam Ali (ra)

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Dear Ali, for a knowledgeable person there are three remarks which are honesty in his speech, avoiding anything illegal, and humility. 

Dear Ali, for a honest person there are three remarks where whenever he performs worship it is in secret, his donation is secret, and the tests of God upon him are secret between him and His God. 

Dear Ali, there are three remarks for a fearful person where he is afraid of involved in disgusting lies, avoiding evil, always asking for the legal ones because afraid of falling into the illegal ones. 

Dear Ali, the remarks for a person who is always in worship to Him is that he is monitoring his own self, musing his self, and intensifying the worship to Him.  

May Allah forgives me my sins being an ingrate to Him. May Allah forgives my brothers and sisters but bless them. May Allah makes His blessings descending on us through His guidance and may we achieve success. Sealed with prayers for peace and love amongst His creatures, aamin!

Taufeeq and Hidayah

With the Name of God the Most Merciful the Most Beneficent!

This is an extraction from a religious lecture by an ustad whom I could barely remember his name. First of all what is Taufeeq? It is also a name for Muslim boy. We may name our son Taufeeq as it is in masculine form. I love this word. I understood this word as a meaning for success and luck through the blessings of God. It would be followed by the word Hidayah which means guidance from God. Hidayah is a feminine word. So it could be a name for a girl. 

A person who is granted with taufeeq would have the ability to perform religious duty and life responsibility. Taufeeq and hidayah are both different things but they are a package. A person with taufeeq sometimes have no hidayah. A person with hidayah sometimes could be a person without taufeeq. As an example, a person with taufeeq could be a person who is blessed with success and ability to perform a certain charity act but he has no hidayah thus he could not completely display his role as a servant of God. A person with hidayah as an example might be a person who is inspired by God to perform religious duty and life responsibility but he has no taufeeq thus but because he has no taufeeq so he is hindered from performing the hidayah part.  

According to Wahbah Suhaily, hidayah could come in four forms:

1 - Tabi'ee which means the guidance in the form of intuition. All of His creatures possess this and He grants this to us all. It also includes animals, organisms and trees. It has no difference in a Muslim individual or a non-Muslim individual. As for example a bird could make an extremely beautiful nest and not even human could challenge it. It is a hidayah or guidance of God to the bird. 

2 - 'Aqal which means the guidance in the form of idea. When a person think hard to solve something and an idea emerge from that. That is called as the guidance in the form of idea from Lord God. A person feels the need of love and mercy, thus that is also called as a guidance in the form of idea. The sincere feeling which arise from a servant's heart and soul for brotherhood is also a guidance in this category.

3 - Hawaasiy which means the guidance in the form of senses. For example, when we receive a good news we would smile. It is spontaneous but how could it happens? It is through the guidance of God. When we receive sad news we would feel sad. That is a guidance from God. If a person feels in contrary then it must be something wrong in an individual.

4 - Deen which means the guidance in the form of law of life. It is a guidance in a term that a servant of God is performing God's order and avoiding His prohibitions. This guidance is the most highest guidance when it is accompanied by taufeeq. A person who feels to go to the mosque, it is called as religious guidance. And then he has the ability to reach the mosque and he is already inside the mosque performing worships to Him. That is taufeeq. A person who is granted by God the taufeeq and hidayah is indeed a successful person in this life and the hereafter if it remains the same to his end in this world. 

What are the elements showing that a person is receiving taufeeq and hidayah? First of all, he or she would feel everything is easy for him despite of difficulties faced, and then he or she is a person who think wisely. He or she is patient in performing worships, charity and life. He or she is consistent and committed in performing the charity and worship.

How could a person receive success and guidance? According to surah al-'Ankabut verse 169, we need to pursue the guidance. It does not come without any effort. The term used for this effort in arabic is called as mujahadah or jihad. It doesn't only mean holy war like in Bush's speech or displayed in global medias. That is ignorance. Vanquishing ignorance through one's effort or a group's effort is also a form of jihad.

As for example for this statement where a person receives success and guidance through effort. He is having a problem say he had received an offer from a company but he also has other commitments. Then he performs istikharah salaat to ask God what is good for him. He also asked others opinion concerning the solution. The istikharah salaat, his prayers to God, and consultation are considered as a jihad and effort for him self. The inspiration and intuition in his heart about what is good is hidayah while when he makes the move for what had been inspired is called as taufeeq. He is thus successful in a quest in this life if everything goes smoothly for that particular time.

But in pursuing taufeeq and hidayah, there are also few negative zones which could make a person confuse in his quest for that. Thus, a person need to be really careful and performing du'as (supplications and prayers) so may his or her efforts of getting the guidance being protected by Lord God until they are successful.

The development in society today, many had changed from previous style of life to the newly blessed life style. Many too had repented and changing their life but in this effort, it is better for every one to slowly change and not drastically transforming. A person who wants to change from previous life style to the better will always being the prey of satans. The tests are more heavy. So, may we continue our efforts to be a person who perform charities and receiving the blessings of God. 

Sealed with love, peace, and prayers for blessings for brethren in faith. "It is indeed not you (Muhammad) who guides the person that you like but God is the One who guides any one that He wants (to be a follower of His law), and He knows the best who will be guided (and being succesful in His path)" -- surah al-Qasas verse 56

Furu' al-Masaail

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Last week I had came across a kitaab written by local South East Asian ulama called Syeikh Daud b. Abdullah Fathani from South Thailand. He was an ulama in Pattani Sultanate around 17th C. The kitaab was displayed in the Bangi PKNS for sale. I think that it is quite interesting.

Never thought that those yellow kitaab was transliterated and translated again into modern Malay from classical Malay because I also have some yellow kitaabs with me in jawi script. I have to read them slowly to understand what they are talking about because the lingo is quite confusing and influenced by Arabic and Persian style.

These ulamas in South East Asia are usually the followers of Syafi'ie school. However I believe that it is also suitable for students in the universities and schools to refer especially now the ustads had taking the efforts in transliterating and translating them for our convenience. 

I had seen Tablighi kids reading the hadiths compilation and in the kitaab of Fadhaail 'Amal. It is also good if it could be accompanied by local kitaab as well because the school of the students here is the Syafi'ie school unless if they are Muslim Indian students with Hanafi background. 

Anyhow all of the schools are from the basic sunnah, just small matters anyway. I am just thinking that at least foreign students in our campus musalla could also see the local tradition beside being introduced to fellow muslims tradition in other countries. I want to buy this kitaab but I guess I would have to be patient, hehehe. I am still broke and God will give me sustainace in many ways.

Sealed with prayers for peace and love. Blessings to prophet Muhammad (saw) and his family. Blessed be the ustads who took the efforts and translating the kitaab into modern language. Hope these treasures could help us students in building up ourselves as Muslim students and individuals. Hope the treasures being among stimulators of our civilization : )