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!

Lectures at Mosque in the End of September

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

I. Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin

In this note, I would like to keep this reminder about the lecture on the Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin. It is the summary of the Ihyaa' Ulumuddin by honorable Imam al-Ghazali may Allah be Merciful to him. Basically I can get this kitaab without going to the mosque but just keeping this as a record if I wanted to get information about books regarding particular topic. It is damn boring staying without properly spending our time. We could either go crazy or fallen into evil. So, if I have nothing to do, I better go to mosque and get some benefit from the lectures or at least memorize Quran and checking my horrible Tajweed.

Lecture of Kitab Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin

(Summary of Ihyaa' 'Ulumuddin)

Series 7th

By

Sheikh Rosli Othman

(Committee Member of State Fatawa)

29th September 2011, Thursday

15:00

USM Mosque

The book called Mukhtasar is edited by honorable Imam al-Maqdisi for the Minhaj al-Qasidin which was edited by al-Hafiz Ibnu Jawzi. It is a summary of the Ihyaa' Ulumuddin, a magnum opus by honorable Imam al-Ghazali may Allah be Merciful to him. Imam al-Ghazali was a scholar who adheres to Syafi'ie jurisprudence of Ash'ari school of theology.  

During Ramadan, I talked to a Jordanian while we walked to the mosque. I just call him racist Jordanian when he spit out curse to the Jews when I said to him that we don't have any synagogue here. We talked about Chinese people as that is the first time the guy living in different environment, and he just arrived to Penang for few days. I can't remember his name and I don't really pay attention to people unless a particular person has significance, important to me, or involved in my everyday life. I think most people are like me so I guess it is normal. As for my personal opinion, I am sorry if this is harsh but we have nothing to do with political or boundary problem between Jordan and Israel so don't bring hatred to us if you people in middle east are butt-hurted among each other. I see most of people in Middle East, South Asia and Europe as the same, no difference in term of barbarity and narrow-mindedness though not in general. These people chop each other heads for difference as it is their right to kill each other. Those Arab speakers easily curse people with mal'unah (cursing) word, I know this because I mingle with them. Spirit and soul (morality) is not important that make people become insolent. 

That guy said that people here in Malaysia, most of them are following something which is invented like the chant during the Taraweekh salaat service although they are very polite. I don't know what is his school of jurisprudence, but he seems more inclined to Hanbaliah as he praised the Medinah Imam which I posted some of his reminders here. I am a Hanbaliah myself in which he didn't expect me to be one and most of all I don't do what Syafi'iah Malay compatriots are doing. But, as to say, I would never talk like that to people before I check anything to the root. 

I personally think that these kind of people don't have to talk like they know everything although they speak Arabic because I know not all people are well-versed in their own religion though they speak Arabic in their daily life. They don't even memorize the Nahwu and Sarf of Arabic Grammar, the hadiths and even Quran except for few parts maybe more than native Muslims here. They are just the same like people they curse, ta'assub (fanatic) without any knowledge. 

Last time when I was a degree student, I was molested by a Jordanian guy who pretend to teach me religion while he don't realize that we are not converted 'muallaf' here. He has bad intention and I can sense that, he thought that I was a Kelantanese Malay or perhaps he thought that I was a Chinese. He has preference for Chinese boy face. What a crazy Old Jordanian Arab. Am I looking like a Chinese? Urr, sorry sikit I think I look more Indian-Nepalese than a Chinese though some of my sisters do look Chinese as what I use to call my sisters as Mongol face when we make jokes of each other, haha... But as to say, we Eastern people are quite polite and we avoid from humiliating people in front of others. I heard from my Thai counterparts and Malay friends too about that old Jordanian molesting them before they threatened him to kick his ass with their Muaythai and Taekwando. I hate people who use religion for their worldly desire and that always make me cautious with people around. I am not a total ignorant though I don't really look Arab. Our paternal ancestors from Yemen had previously came here to transmit the path of Allah to natives by royal decree. We just didn't know that since we do not live in comfort without any proper identity because of mixed background and nomadic family circumstances. Our elders never emphasize nor telling anything about lineages after few generations and some had lose out their title as it is not important. Is it so difficult to humble down ourselves before Allah?   

Ibnu Jawzi says regarding his book: "I wrote a book clean from errors which happened in the Ihyaa' by retaining its special sense. I depend on the proves from the most valid and famous hadiths of all with their concrete and accurate meanings."

 II. Kitab al-Hikam Ibn 'Athaillah

Lecture on Kitab al-Hikam Ibn 'Athaillah 

(Series 1)

Ustad Wan Hizam 'Abdullah

(Lecturer in Penang Radio)

30th September 2011, Friday

20:00

USM Mosque

Al-Hikam is the plural of hikmah. It means "every word in which beneficial knowledge lies in it" or "beneficial knowledge materials" such as the science of Fiqh, Tawheed or Tasawwuf. Al-Hikam consists the compact essence of Tawheed and Tasawwuf sciences. I would translate it into English as wisdom but that is what scholars mean by the word wisdom. 

Tasawwuf is a science which exposes on how to purify one self from hideous characteristics which is called as mazmumah characteristics and how to guard worship and acts from diseases in the heart such as arrogance, showing off, and feeling wondrous about one self when performing worship.  

It is just a branch of science and human need combinations of sciences. Science or knowledge is boundless. It is not narrow like what we understood here in Malaysia when we talk about science. Because in Malaysia, when I was in form three, I understood science as biology, physics, and chemistry and those things were important in my view to determine us good life in the future. I think many people also think like that, and still I can see people who talk like that at me but I just smile and lazy to elaborate further, hehe... This country education system, what can I say, ahahaha.... Further more, we are no intelligent compared to those above and religious knowledge wouldn't bring us no where though we claim ourselves as a person with a religion... A person can be a lorry driver but science of life (religious knowledge) must be acquired by everyone, it is a common thing for everyone because we are going to need it in the life after this life : )

While Tawheed is closely related to the Islamic Creed. I would translate it as monotheism as to make it easier but don't look at it as equivalent in sense and meaning. Words have their own context and other sub-branches of knowledge in it to get the definition as they are also terminological according to the path. Other word for it is Oneness of the God in term of concept. I had read something from Nilam Puri material regarding the concept of divinity.

Tawheed is a branch of knowledge which introduce a servant to his or her Creator and making the servant closer to Him. There are 99 wisdom which cover the content of the book. Those wisdom talk about roots and the fact of science of Tawheed in which it leads people to the God the Most Highest.  

As far as I know this book is popular amongst people in some pondok or madrasah. It was translated into classical Malay in Arabic script too and the writer was an Egyptian. Pondok or madrasah is traditional kind of school for people in South East Asia getting education. In northern part of Malayan Peninsula, we call it as melele or menadsoh. Melele means temple school. It's not a Thai influenced word but northern Malay native word while menadsoh is Arabic corruption for madrasah. 

However, I would like to advise myself and respective brethren that before we learn all of these, the basic thing we must have is the knowledge about Allah and His messenger, Muhammad s.a.w, Quran and later valid sunnah or prophetic traditions. Avoid from accusing each other, advise with manner. We are no holier than others, it is not-favorable to break the unity of the nation. We must try to bring everyone closer and bridge the gap through knowledge, not to divide everyone according to organizations and sects.

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