Obedient to the commands of his Lord
It has been almost a month since my last post, with my exams and Ramadhan, it's difficult to find the right time to compose another writing. However, Alhamdulillah today is the Independence Day of Malaysia, and I have all the time to write.
The first chapter in the book continues about being an obedient servant. This sentence aptly describes this subtopic:
"He never transgresses the limits, and he follows Allah's commands and guidance even when they are contrary to his own desires and the test of the Muslim faith lies in the following of the commands of Allah and His Messenger(pbuh) in all matters; great and small, with no hesitation or reservation.
Surah An-Nisa ayat 65;
"But no, by the Lord, they can have no (real) faith, until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction"
Thus the ideal Muslim is obedient, he/she will never give any excuses or object any of Allah's and the Prophet's (pbuh) commands. It is a matter of absolute submission and complete obedience. Without both of these, there is no faith and no Islam.
This topic reminds me of the term "moderate" Muslims. The recent issue of building an Islamic centre about two blocks away from Ground Zero is still under huge debate. In order to win the hearts of Americans, Imam Feisal used to word "moderate" to water down the American's prejudice towards Islam. Below is an excerpt from Associated Press:
"The center's leaders, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, and his wife, Daisy Khan, have a long record of interfaith outreach in New York and beyond. They insist the center will be a voice for moderate Islam and will welcome people of all religions."
I do not oppose his good intentions, I support 100% the building of an Islamic centre in New York. He needed to use the word "moderate Islam" in order to dissociate himself from the so called Muslim "extremists" that blew up the World Trade Centre. However, I totally do not agree with the word "moderate".
Can you have a "light Muslim"?, an "intermediate muslim"?, or even an "extreme Muslim"?
The correct word should be "true Muslim". He should be promoting the real Islam, the true Islam that follows the Quran and Sunnah. That Islam that is not only a religion, but Islam that is a way of life(Ad-deen).
"Moderate" Islam is a confusing term. What is a moderate Muslim? Can she choose not to wear the Hijab, but still pray 5 times a day? or Is a moderate Muslim someone who is a Muslim but do not look like one?
It is a very subjective term, thus there should never be many "classes" of Muslims, there must be only one, the true, or ideal Muslim.
The ones that chooses which commands to obey, and hesitates to fulfill Allah's commands are not true Muslims. The ones that promote violence and kills civilians are not true Muslims.
We must revert and relearn what Islam really want us to be. Iqra'(read), that is the Prophet's first revelation from Allah. Read and be knowledgeable, may Allah opens up your heart to His Blessings and grows your Faith day by day.
Wallahu'alam, Assalamualikum.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Chapter One: The Muslim & his Lord
The believer is alert
"Islam requires of the Muslim, first and foremost, that he be a true and sincere believer in Allah, closely connected to Him, constantly remembering Him and putting trust in Him, while making the effort to help himself"
This is the first sentence of chapter one in Dr Muhammad Ali's book and it triggered a thousand questions in my mind.
How can we be a true and sincere believer in Allah? What makes someone a true believer? Do we have a choice in being a true or untrue believer in Allah?
Fortunately, the same day I first read this chapter, the "kuliyyah" after Fajr touched on this topic. How do we become a true servant of Allah?
A servant must obey his master without question. For example, Allah commands us to pray, to cover our aurat, to abstain from pre-marital sex, gambling, alcohol, and more. Thus, a true servant would duly comply without question. He should not even doubt or hesitate for a second whether to comply or not, that is a true servant of God. The issue of aurat, especially in women and men alike is simple actually. One does not need to wait for hidayah or after marriage to cover their aurat since our deeds and sins are counted since puberty, and most importantly, it is Allah's command. We as His servants should not give any excuses, or worse still, complain about it!
We also often ask, does Allah love me? What has Allah gave me all my life?
We as His servants should have asked instead; do I love Allah? How strong is my love towards Allah? What have I done for Allah? What have I contributed to Islam?
My eyes pooled with tears when I asked myself these questions. For the past 22 years, I have been immersed with worldly affairs, forgetting about my Creator, my purpose of being created, not knowing my origins, and ignorant of where I will be returning. By remembering my origin, I realised how small and powerless I am.
I am created from a sperm and an ovum. That itself is an understatement from Allah.
If we think deeper, what is the origin of the sperm and ovum? As advances in science prove it, a sperm/ovum, or any other cell is made up of a cell membrane, cytoplasm and the organelles contained in it. These components are further made up of trillions of atoms! An atom is further divided into electrons and the nucleus. The nucleus is further divided into neutrons, protons, muons and other subatomic particles that we do not even know of. Scientists also are trying to find the so called "God" particle, the Higgs Boson, which they claim to give a particle it's mass.
SubhanAllah, it is mind boggling to think about Allah organising these subatomic particles into stable atoms, molecules, and finally becomes a cell which brought us into this world. Allah also created the universe from these trillions and trillions of subatomic particles, organising them from the smallest system(the atom) into a large one, like the galaxy.
And man dares to be arrogant, to not believe in Allah. Man can claim that they created the car, fighter jets, space shuttles, rockets, huge and tall buildings, but can they create an atom from scratch? The wonders of science and technology should bring us closer to the Creator, not the opposite!
Dr Ali continues in the chapter;
"The true and sincere Muslim is alert and open-minded to the magnificence of Allah's creation"
he also quoted the Qur'an,
"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of Night and Day- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding- men who celebrate the praise of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (with the thought): "Our Lord! Not for naught have You created (all) this! Glory to You! Give us salvation from the Penalty of the Fire."
(Surah Ali-Imran: 190-191)
There are indeed Signs for men of understanding. Thus, we must strive to gain knowledge and pray that the knowledge we obtain will bring us closer to Allah and motivates us to be a true servant.
"Islam requires of the Muslim, first and foremost, that he be a true and sincere believer in Allah, closely connected to Him, constantly remembering Him and putting trust in Him, while making the effort to help himself"
This is the first sentence of chapter one in Dr Muhammad Ali's book and it triggered a thousand questions in my mind.
How can we be a true and sincere believer in Allah? What makes someone a true believer? Do we have a choice in being a true or untrue believer in Allah?
Fortunately, the same day I first read this chapter, the "kuliyyah" after Fajr touched on this topic. How do we become a true servant of Allah?
A servant must obey his master without question. For example, Allah commands us to pray, to cover our aurat, to abstain from pre-marital sex, gambling, alcohol, and more. Thus, a true servant would duly comply without question. He should not even doubt or hesitate for a second whether to comply or not, that is a true servant of God. The issue of aurat, especially in women and men alike is simple actually. One does not need to wait for hidayah or after marriage to cover their aurat since our deeds and sins are counted since puberty, and most importantly, it is Allah's command. We as His servants should not give any excuses, or worse still, complain about it!
We also often ask, does Allah love me? What has Allah gave me all my life?
We as His servants should have asked instead; do I love Allah? How strong is my love towards Allah? What have I done for Allah? What have I contributed to Islam?
My eyes pooled with tears when I asked myself these questions. For the past 22 years, I have been immersed with worldly affairs, forgetting about my Creator, my purpose of being created, not knowing my origins, and ignorant of where I will be returning. By remembering my origin, I realised how small and powerless I am.
I am created from a sperm and an ovum. That itself is an understatement from Allah.
If we think deeper, what is the origin of the sperm and ovum? As advances in science prove it, a sperm/ovum, or any other cell is made up of a cell membrane, cytoplasm and the organelles contained in it. These components are further made up of trillions of atoms! An atom is further divided into electrons and the nucleus. The nucleus is further divided into neutrons, protons, muons and other subatomic particles that we do not even know of. Scientists also are trying to find the so called "God" particle, the Higgs Boson, which they claim to give a particle it's mass.
SubhanAllah, it is mind boggling to think about Allah organising these subatomic particles into stable atoms, molecules, and finally becomes a cell which brought us into this world. Allah also created the universe from these trillions and trillions of subatomic particles, organising them from the smallest system(the atom) into a large one, like the galaxy.
And man dares to be arrogant, to not believe in Allah. Man can claim that they created the car, fighter jets, space shuttles, rockets, huge and tall buildings, but can they create an atom from scratch? The wonders of science and technology should bring us closer to the Creator, not the opposite!
Dr Ali continues in the chapter;
"The true and sincere Muslim is alert and open-minded to the magnificence of Allah's creation"
he also quoted the Qur'an,
"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of Night and Day- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding- men who celebrate the praise of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (with the thought): "Our Lord! Not for naught have You created (all) this! Glory to You! Give us salvation from the Penalty of the Fire."
(Surah Ali-Imran: 190-191)
There are indeed Signs for men of understanding. Thus, we must strive to gain knowledge and pray that the knowledge we obtain will bring us closer to Allah and motivates us to be a true servant.
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