Yesterday Evening
Yesterday brother Rosli from the musalla congregation near our neighborhood had invited me to a feast at his house just after 'Isha prayer service. His house is just at the junction at our neighborhood. I actually did not promise him whether I would be there or not. I just went home to see my father cause I am afraid my sisters would forgotten to feed him with his milk and medicine while my mother was at the masjid for her Quran lessons. I am supporting her to study Quran and Islam since she had no time to study since she took care all of us who were little children. After that I feel lazy to go to his house because there was already lots of people. When I saw that many people had gone home only I went to his house just to fulfill his invitation as it is impolite to make the host feel sad. I did not eat much just three sticks of satay (grilled chicken) and few glasses of water before thanking him. He shoved me some chicken but I had politely turned it down saying that I have some problem with meat. There is a limit for poor people to take meat and it is also a no to take few seafood or those living under the water.
Most of the times I feel safe with vegetarian foods. I sometimes would feel uneasy when I have to explain things to people. So, I would pick the first food that I had seen there just to make the host feel happy and not to make them seeing me as a weird quite guy. Currently, we are in high holy days. Those in Mecca were observing it. So do me here. I am bringing the prohibitions in the respected land outside of the boundary as a sacrifice for Allah. Anyway I am thankful to brother Rosli and his wife for hosting me. He is a nice guy and he prays regularly at the musalla. I just feel shy because I was just a Shari'a stream student who is now still struggling with European Union policy and decision making thesis while those uncles there discussing trillion dollars projects in government lead companies (GLC). It is not good to compare our selves with others but it is just the effect of post-trauma for me, hehehe.
I am scared to be closer to rich people. I think brother Idris is right when he said I am scared to mingle with people. I spend most of my time with low-class labors, poor students and I don't know how to discuss about business or investment. If I know I am with a rich guy I would immediately leave him. The same thing for example when I chat with karkun Firdaws at the hostel in RST and suddenly few of his colleagues joined in and talked about setting up cyber cafe business. I just stood up of my sit and went off. I just don't know why people can't talk about common things like TV programs, musics, movies, cats, plain hobbies like gardening, cooking, sports, health and so on to start the friendship. I know prophet Muhammad s.a.w had managed to help his wife, Khadija in her business in Syria but did he do it for a life? There were stages in his life. That is what all of the people should be acknowledged. Nothing is so specific in his life except Allah is the One who is specific in his life. Well, I am not talking about religion 24/7 too. I know how to switch my speech into "secular" ones when it is necessary.
Those are just what happened yesterday. I just did not sleep for few days writing up thesis so kind of high, haha. I am just posting for the Quran as I had draw a new schedule for Quran recitation plan for myself. To those who are so fond with conspiracy theories around the world. I would suggest you people to make up thesis out of your "confidential" information and data, hehe. Submit it to any recognized university and try to get the feedback from International Relations and World Politics professors. I am sure you will get the doctorate out of your theories about what ever topics be it about a certain race supremacy, history or about anthropology to be linked with regional nationalism or religion just to make you feel secure about your selves. I am sure you will enjoy the process of writing a "thesis" and get to know how theories or speculations work within time and space. Life is not only about theories of war, dominion, racial supremacy and life it self is not of any importance because it is a test before another test coming at the gate of the hereafter. Theories are just a bunch of speculations. They are used to frame the events and what ever happening in the world. Just don't let theories controlling our life. To act and to feel like a scholar or academician is easy but the torture to achieve it is like being tortured in the hell. Only Allah knows. Just recite the Quran like what our elders recite it and immediately try to implement them in our daily life. It is better than speculations or dreaming.
Juz 'Amma
Juz 'Amma actually referring to the last juzu' of Quran or the 30th part. Other terms referring to juzu' that I would use is perhaps parah or parashat. This part is usually the part that we always listen in the imam's recitation in prayer services. During our childhood, we were taught with this part and memorized few surats from this part. This part is quite easy to be memorized because those surats are simple.
This part contains many surats as compared to others. Most of the surats here were revealed in our holy Mecca. I think they are about 34 surats and they are known as the Surat al-Makkiya which means they were revealed during Mecca period before the hijra event. The balance three surats which are al-Bayyinat, al-Zalzalat and al-Nashr were revealed in Medina period. Altogether, there are 37 surats out of the juzu'.
Special Characteristics of Makkiya Surats
They are simple sentences, words are eloquently structured, high in aesthetic and literature. Their arguments are strong. They were characterized with reminders to human that Allah is omnipotent, life in the hereafter, meeting with Allah and His promise on the result of the deeds. Basically, they are in poetical Arabic so if we speak in English we should not comment it through the translation. The same thing as Shakespeare's masterpieces could not be commented in other languages as it could be appreciated in its English form. Translation only serves to bring the messages to audience of different languages and world view. Currently I am studying Yemenite Arabic poetry just to appreciate our ancestral art and heritage.
Coming to this issue of language and cultural appreciation, I don't understand why some people in our country love to classify Arabs who are married to Malay women as a Malay? Or the peranakan Arab is also claimed as a Malay? I know that both Malay and Arabs are of same religion but is it wrong for us to be recognized as Arabs or non-Malay natives just like the Thai in regional northern Malaysia or identified according to our paternal side? I think the nation-state nationality which was practiced by British in identity certification is complicated and it has caused us who were the Arabs of the past facing identity crisis especially those of the flows in 15th century down to 19th century. I found that our community did not really marry or pairing their children with non-Arab except in special cases. Elders just married among relatives until the situation changed in 19th century where many had broken traditions. There are also conflicts in the time period for our flows which also confused us and the registration officers because we speak in regional Malay. Some local nationalists perhaps would say to us, you can return to your homeland if you refuse to identify with us but our elders had been here since before independence, involved in regional history for example in the battle to protect local sultanate and its citizens, serving the state court and we're denied with our identity and culture. I am currently doing a thesis about European nationality and how Muslims of diverse ethnicity as those among various types of minority in Europe needs to be framed for social integration policy without losing their religious and cultural identity of their first generation's country when they were promoted to European nationality. Personally for me, denying our selves is to deny our religion and our past. Those who identify their selves for purposes other than da'awa but for worldly affairs should be boycotted.
Moqadaam
In our country, these surats were separated into a book which is known as Moqaddam. It means the introduction which could be immediately recited and memorized. I usually would buy few Moqaddams and prayer books as presents to few friends or brothers that I know or closer to me. I am actually hoping that they would recite it with me though they are far away. They could also recite them for my soul to hear because we do not know when we are going to die. I am praying to Allah to listen to their recitations when the light is filled wit the darkness if they live longer than me. Wishing to help me to accumulate meritorious deed because I am poor. They can help me in that way and also gaining benefit for their selves and their family, hehe.
Surats List
al-Nabaa', al-Naazi'at, 'Abasa, al-Takweer, al-Infithaar, al-Mutaffifeen, al-Inshiqaaq, al-Buruuj, al-Taariq, al-A'alaa, al-Ghaashiyaat, al-Fajr, al-Balaad, al-Shams, al-Layl, al-Dhuhaa, al-Nashrah, al-Teen, al-'Alaq, al-Qadr al-Bayyinat, al-Zalzalat, al-'Adiyaat al-Qaari'at, al-Takatur, al-'Asr, al-Feel, Quraish, al-Maa'un, al-Kautar, al-Kaafirun, al-Nasr, al-Lahab, al-Ikhlaas, al-Falaq and al-Naas.
Non-Arabic speaker Muslims perhaps would need to find the meaning and contents of the surats in the Quran. Nowadays we have many kind of Quranic translations. There are Quran with parallel translations in various languages for Muslims of different mother tongue. Important for us is to collect as much as possible lessons from the surats and to execute it beginning with our own selves. Try it, we will feel the difference : )
Sawmana gaadin eemanan wahtesaaaban, allahomma taqabbal minna siyaam. Allah help us with the yearning, inshaAllah...
Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!
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