Introduction

The author, Dr Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi, began his introduction dealing with the topic of the Muslim personality, as Islam meant it to be. He noted that many Muslims are often overzealous in some matters but negligent in others. An example was given, regarding a Muslim who insists on attending every prayer and sits in the front row, but he pays no heed to the bad smell emanating from his mouth or clothes.

Yes, it might sound niggly and not so alarming, but i've experienced this many times during prayers at the mosque and it disturbs me. This is the beauty of Islam, every aspect of life is covered.

Then he concludes that:

"So it seems that The Muslim, as intended by these texts(Quran and Sunnah), is supposed to be a decent, social person, whom this unique combination of honorable characteristics distinguishes. These features are described in the Quran and Hadiths, which present them as a religious obligation to be actively pursued by man in the hope of receiving reward from Allah.

He also identified the following topics that defines the Muslim personality:

1. The Muslim and his Lord
2. The Muslim and his own self
3. The Muslim and his parents
4. The Muslim and his wife
5. The Muslim and his children
6. The Muslim and his relatives
7. The Muslim and his neighbours
8. The Muslim and his Muslim brothers and friends
9. The Muslim and his community/society.

I can't wait to read all of these topics, but it is best that I read slowly and try to develop my own Muslim personality step by step.

Halfway through the introduction, a phrase catches my eye:
" were it not for this Divine guidance, mankind would be left wallowing in the mire of selfishness, hatred, domination, and oppression."

This is what is happening to the world now, even in our own beloved country. Thus, we must change, an Ideal Muslim is what we must strive to be. We must teach our young what it means to be an ideal Muslim, and tell them that they have no choice but to be one. It is for the good of they themselves and the society at large.

Dr Muhammad Ali gave an example that I can relate to:

"the evidence of this(the phrase above) is apparent in the behavior of the child, who strives to show his parents that he is better than his brother and seeks to deny that his brother has any of the same decent qualities to which he himself aspires. His natural inclination is to defeat his brother and prove that he is better."

You can just substitute the word "child" there with anything, since the child is the beginning of everything. A politician, statesman, student, teacher, doctor and the list goes on. This behavior destroys us, but Alhamdulillah, Allah has given us guidance to steer us away from it. We just need to look for it by instilling the hunger for knowldege and having the enthusiasm of improving oneself.

Dr Ali continues:
"Here we can see the value of religion and education in controlling this sickness, reducing his self-admiration and paving the way towards moderation, wisdom and humility."

He also wrote: "thinkers and writers have a duty to explain these noble values and present them in an easily-understood and attractive fashion so that people will be able to develop the values and attitudes which Allah intend for them, thus enabling them to enjoy a decent and pleasant life"

I hope to be as knowledgeable as the author and other Muslim scholars that have inspired millions of Muslims accross the globe. Hence, I take this blog as my starting point to further understand Islam and convey it to others in a simple and easily understood way.

Assalamualaikum.

1st August 2010: The Journey Begins.

Tonight is not an ordinary night as I expected it would be, albeit 12 midnight spells my 22nd birthday. Long have been the years when I gleefully waited for the date 1st of August to come every year, probably since I was 13 or 14. It was the day when I would have my friends to come along and sing the usual birthday "anthem". Then the new toys, clothes, and even cash would follow.

Those were the days.

Later on, there were no more birthday parties, there were usually annual family dinners to commemorate 4 birthdays together: my father's(18th August), my eldest brother's(31st August), me and my little sister(18th August). Then I went to a boarding school, and since then my birthday is just an ordinary day to me until now.

I stumbled upon a book amongst my father's humongous collection. It is not the book which shouts "pick me, pick me!", but nevertheless the title of the book caught my eye.

The cover is very simple, a beige centre, with a half-a-ruler's thick of dark brown border, and sandwhiched between them a sliver of white line. The title is in dark brown, and is somewhat expressed subtly and with tranquility, it says; "The Ideal Muslim".

Authored by Dr Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi and translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab, it is the best gift I have received in my life for now. Subhanallah, I read it page by page, slowly and found many answers that I seek for all these years. This book is based on the Quran and Sunnah, how complete they are  in guiding us! I was astonished, thinking about all these years I have been reciting the Quran blindly and listening to Hadith and subsequently forgetting it.

I hope to read it slowly and share what I understand in this blog. To my fellow brothers and sisters who stumbled upon this blog, I do appreciate words of advice from you.

Assalamualaikum.