As easy as ABC

"As easy as ABC"
"As simple as 123"
"As easy as pie"
"Piece of cake"

These are words of ignorance at best, and of arrogance at worst.
Why do I say so?

  I say ignorant because we take things for granted and arrogant by failing to acknowledge the powers of Allah Almighty. Lately I have been reading in blogs, comments on blogs, and Facebook regarding atheism and the theory of evolution. These people deny the existence of God, The Creator, The Almighty. They kept harping about how we are 98% similar genetically with chimpanzees, thus consolidating the theory that we evolved slowly, bit by bit, from apes.

 However, they fail to see the obvious difference between us and apes. The fact that we are clothed, we speak in a myriad of tones and languages, we use our brains and hands to create very sophisticated instruments, vehicles and monuments, we have a financial system, places of learning, sites of worship, we live in community, and we even traveled to space are ignored. A popular Malay saying goes;

"semut di seberang lautan kelihatan, gajah di depan mata tidak nampak".

 Translated literally in english; "an ant over the sea was seen, but the elephant in front is not!" It means denying the obvious, but still harping on petty issues. Even if we evolved from apes, the complexity surrounding us is a "smack-in-your-face" evidence of the existence of a Creator. Let us take "ABC" as an example. Believe it or not, "ABC" is very complex and difficult. It is our ignorance and taking things for granted that made "ABC" a piece of cake. Still not convinced?

 Okay, get a piece of paper and write the letters "A", "B" and "C" on it.

 Done?

"Hey, what's so difficult about this? Ibn Mazeni must be a retard to say that it's complex"

Be patient, let us explore the complexities surrounding "ABC".

First, your eyes viewed this weird arrangement of letters that says " get a piece of paper and write the letters "A", "B" and "C" on it." For an eye to view this clearly, a ray of light went through it's cornea, the aqueous humor, the pupil, the lens, the vitreous humor and finally striking the retina. Complex? this is already simplified. For an image to be focused clearly, the image must fall exactly at the retina. For this to happen, the lens; with the help of cilliary bodies have to accommodate, either getting thicker or thinner in order to get the desired result as mentioned before.

Diagram1: formation of an image, how light rays travel through different parts of our eyes and ends up at the retina. 
Taken from http://www.ivy-rose.co.uk/HumanBody/Eye/Eye_Image-Formation.php without permission.

Diagram2: the accommodative properties of a lens to focus rays of light to form a "clear" image. 


   As the rays of light strike the retina, the sensory cells will convert the light stimuli into action potentials, or "impulses", which travels along the optic nerve to the brain. Let us explore more about this process. The retina is actually not as simple as the arrangement of letters which makes the word "r-e-t-i-n-a". The retina is actually made up of 10 layers!

Diagram3: The retinal layers, from outside-in; pigmented layer to limiting membrane.

Diagram4: Layers of the retina. From wikipedia.

It is very complex structure made up of several layers neurons(nerve tissues) and it's synapses(linkages between neurons). Of these layers, the photoreceptors cells are the ones which are directly sensitive to light. These cells are the rods and the cones, where rods function in dim light and responsible for black, shades of grey and white. While the latter support daytime function and the perception of colour.

 Thus, light rays reflected from your computer monitor travels through all the structures of your eye and ends up stimulating the rods and cones, depending on which light condition you are in. By stimulating these photoreceptors, chemical changes happen and convert the stimuli into "action potentials" or "impulses/signals". These signals are propagated through different layers of the retina and finally through the axons(it is akin to a wire, connecting one nerve cell to another) of the retinal ganglion cells.

Diagram 5: Impulse propagation from photoreceptors to ganglion cells. From LEFT, the photoreceptors are stimulated by light, they propagate signals to the bipolar cells(red cells with long "arms" a.k.a axons), which further send the signal through the amacrine and ganglion cells, and finally through their axons.

 The journey does not stop there though, the axons will converge to form the "optic nerve".



Diagram6: one of the optic nerves.

To cut a long-story short, the optic nerve continues as the optic tract and ends up at the brain, specifically at an area called the "visual cortex". In laymen terms, it is like a an institution at the brain which processes impulses from the photoreceptors of the eye. Below is a picture of the brain if viewed from behind. The "orange" areas correspond to the visual cortex.



Diagram7: Visual cortex


It seems that we have veered far from the real issue here. Have we? I don't think so. The whole processed described above is just one part of taking a piece of paper and write "ABC" on it. Let me summarise the whole process:

1. You visualise the image of my blog, with numerous characters forming a sentence of; "get a piece of paper and write the letters "A", "B" and "C" on it."
2. The image is focused by the lens of the eye onto your retina.
3. photoreceptors are stimulated and sends signals to the visual cortex at the brain via the optic nerve
4. brain processes the image of "get a piece of paper and write the letters "A", "B" and "C" on it."
5. Your brain makes you understand the weird characters as a "command" to write "ABC" on a piece of paper.
6. Brain sends signal to the "motor cortex", an area of the brain which controls voluntary movement of your muscles.
7. signal from the motor cortex goes to the pyramidal tract of the spinal cord.
8. Peripheral nerves from the spinal cord sends the signals from your "motor cortex" to the muscles in your arms.
9. A series of contractions and relaxations of your muscles in the arms and hands makes it possible to reach for a pen and a paper.
10. WAIT! You must use your eyes to find the paper and pen, thus repeat steps 1 to 9.
11, you have pen and paper in front of you.
12. again, repeat steps 1 to 9 in order to put the tip of the pen exactly where you want it, and to move it is such a way that forms the characters "ABC".

There you go, it took me two hours to explain partly the process involved in steps 1 to 3. Mind you, it is only a tiny part of the process. I haven't explained how an impulse/ signal is developed by each photoreceptor. How does it travel from one neuron to another. How does it end up at the visual cortex. How does the visual cortex process the image seen by the eye, how does the brain understand the command of writing ABC on a piece of paper. How does one part of the brain tells the other part; "motor cortex" in this case to do something voluntary. How does the brain coordinate the delicate movements of the numerous muscles of the hands and forearms to work together in order for you to write "ABC" on a piece of paper. These are some examples of the muscles of the hands:

Diagram8: Muscles of the hands. copyrighted© 1999 by Wesley Norman, PhD, DSc (http://home.comcast.net/~wnor/lesson5mus&tendonsofhand.htm)

  There it is, just some of the muscles. I haven't dwelled into the bones, ligaments, tendons, joints, arteries, veins, nerves, fat, and skin that makes a hand work as it should be. I have not described how each single cell work as a team to form different tissues in our body such as nerve tissues, muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, blood and more. I have not reveled about how the heart pumps blood via numerous arteries, arterioles and capillaries to keep these different structures alive.  What I've touched in this post is just a tiny speck of the whole understanding of a human being, it is like an atom compared to the galaxy!

It is as complex in an ape. Or even in a single-cell organism like the amoeba.

  Hence, who are we to say that there are no Creator. How can this complexity happen without Allah creating it and lay down the rules for each and every being in this universe to function? Sometimes, we only need to look at ourselves and think deeply. If you think hard enough, you will reach the point where Allah is the Creator of all the universe and everything inside it.

  Each and every time you feel in doubt about the existence of Allah, take a look at your hands, clench it into a fist, and release it again, then repeat it a few times. Appreciate the delicate movements of your fingers, feel the gentle taps of your fingertips onto your palm, appreciate the control that you have over your body and be thankful that Allah have given you all this. Grab a pen and a piece of paper.

  Think of all the things that Allah has given you and made it possible for you to write "ABC" on a piece of paper.

As easy as ABC?

Think again!

Di Sebalik Mesir

  Tanggal 11 Februari merupakan satu tarikh keramat bagi 80 juta warga Mesir setelah lebih 18 hari sebahagian dariapda mereka berkumpul secara aman di Dataran Tahrir, Suez, Alexandria dan Mansoura. 18 hari mereka berkumpul, meniggalkan kediaman, pekerjaan dan rutin harian mereka yang lain demi menggulingkan kezaliman, korupsi dan penindasan. Walaupun tanpa persediaan makanan, tempat tinggal, perubatan dan di bawah terik mentari serta ancaman polis anti-rusuhan, tetapi mereka tetap berteguh hati untuk menempa kejayaan. Apakah pencetusnya?  Kemiskinan, pengangguran, kezaliman sosial dan pencabulan kebebasan merupakan pendorong kepada mereka untuk perjuangan ini. Muhammad Bouazizi yang menjadi stimulus kepada warga Tunisia untuk berjuang dan berjaya menggulingkan diktatornya menyemarakkan api kemarahan yang sekian lama dipendam dalam jiwa setiap rakyat tertindas di Mesir. Kemenangan rakyat di Tunisia menunjukkan kuasa berada di tangan rakyat dan hanya api yang besar hasil gabungan seluruh lapisan rakyat mampu menggulingkan rejim yang zalim. 

  Penulis ingin mengajak pembaca untuk berfikir suatu perkara; apakah benar rakyat Mesir berjuang menentang kezaliman? Adakah melawan pemimpin yang zalim dan menegakkan keadilan  merupakan teras perjuangan mereka? Ataupun semata-mata  kerana api kemarahan kerana ditindas sekian lama? Bagaimana jika di bawah pemerintahan rejim Hosni Mubarak dahulu mereka mencapai kegemilangan ekonomi walaupun ditindas dari segi kebebasan politik dan rasuah bermaharajalela? Bagaimanakah keadaannya jika rakyat Mesir hidup senang dengan ramai golongan pertengahan seperti di Malaysia?

Adakah revolusi ini akan terjadi dan berjaya?

  Penulis bukanlah mahu merendah-rendahkan pencapaian rakyat Mesir dan mempersoalkan pendorong mereka, hanya Allah yang tahu apa yang berada di dalam benak hati mereka. Tetapi penulis hanya mahu kalian semua berfikir melangkaui apa yang terjadi sekarang. Benar, perjuangan mereka adalah ke arah kebaikan dan keadilan sejagat, tetapi apakah yang sepatutnya menjadi teras kepada perjuangan setiap manusia di muka bumi ini, terutamanya golongan Muslim. Apakah dasar yang menjadi perjuangan kita semua? Apakah perkara yang ingin kita tegakkan di muka bumi Allah ini? Mengapakah kita semua diturunkan di dunia penuh pancaroba ini? Apakah suatu jalan perjuangan yang kekal di dunia dan akhirat? Iaitu suatu perjuangan yang tidak akan mati dan padam walaupun dikurniakan kekayaan material, kekayaan ilmu, kebebasan penjajah atau pemimpin yang zalim dan kemakmuran sedunia. Apakah perjuangan itu? Wujudkah ia? Demokrasi, Republik, Sosialis, Komunis, ataupun Kapitalis?

Sahabat-sahabat yang kukasihi dan cintai, perjuangan tersebut ialah Islam, yakni menegakkan agama Allah di muka bumi.

  Perjuangan berdasarkan dan berteraskan Islam itu akan berterusan sehingga kiamat. Selagi ada kemungkaran di dunia ini, selagi ada manusia yang tidak tunduk kepada Allah SWT, selagi itulah perjuangan berasaskan Islam itu akan kekal. Setiap Rasul Allah yang terdahulu, dari Nabi Adam A.S sehinggalah yang terakhir, iaitu junjungan besar Rasulullah S.A.W, mereka membawa mesej yang sama. Mesej mereka ialah mengesakan Allah, tiada “ilah” selain Allah SWT, menegakkan hukum-hukum Allah di muka bumi, membawa keadilan Allah kepada manusia, menghapuskan kehambaan kepada makhluk dan menegakkan penghambaan hanya kepada Allah SWT. 

   Islam itu sebuah cara hidup yang merangkumi segala aspek kehidupan manusia, oleh itu Islam haruslah diambil secara sepenuhnya, tiada kurang atau lebih. Bukan sahaja dalam aspek akidah dan ibadah, tetapi ia juga merangkumi akhlak, pemakanan, pakaian, ekonomi, pentadbiran, kepimpinan, pendidikan, keadilan sosial, kebebasan manusia, undang-undang dan sebagainya. Anda sebutlah apa sahaja aspek kehidupan manusia, Islam ada jawapannya.

  Maka, sebagai umat yang telah bersaksi bahawa tiada “ilah” selain Allah, apakah sepatutnya menjadi dasar perjuangan kita kalau bukan pembentukan masyarakat yang betul-betul berpegang teguh dengan kalimah “LailahaillAllah”, yakni pembentukan sebuah masyarakat Islam. Sebuah masyarakat yang berfungsi atas jalan atau landasan yang ditunjukkan oleh Allah SWT melalui kekasihNya Muhammad S.A.W. Setiap aspek masyarakat itu tidak terputus dari jalan Allah SWT, dari hal yang sekecil pembentukan individu sehinggalah pemerintahan negara. Bukanlah kejayaan material, kekayaan duniawi atau kemajuan bidang sains semata-mata yang didambakan masyarakat ini, tetapi tegaknya agama Allah itulah yang ingin dikecapi.

   Ini tidak bermaksud material, kekayaan dan sains harus diabaikan, tidak sama sekali, bahkan ia adalah Fardhu Kifayah. Doktor, guru, ahli ekonomi, peniaga, hakim, polis, tentera, pentadbir-pentadbir, pekerja kilang dan sebagainya merupakan ramuan yang amat penting untuk sesebuah masyarakat itu berfungsi. Tanpa mereka, akan gagal dan hancurlah masyarakat itu dan Islam akan dilihat sebagai punca kegagalan manusia seperti apa yang terjadi sekarang. Negara yang kononnya mengamalkan syariat Islam seperti Taliban di Afghanistan telah gagal menghayati tuntutan sebenar Islam, ia bukan sekadar masjid dan hudud, tetapi ia jauh lebih luas daripada itu. Mereka bukanlah “ekstremis Islam” yang sebenar, kerana mereka gagal memenuhi tuntutan pembentukan masyarakat yang jauh melangkaui hudud dan syariah. Kitalah “ekstremis” yang sebenar jika kita memperjuangkan penerapan Islam dalam seluruh aspek kehidupan manusia.

  Berbalik kepada Mesir, ramai anak muda di Malaysia yang cemburu dan ingin berdemonstrasi bersama-sama mereka atas dasar solidariti. Ramai juga yang bertanya apakah yang mereka boleh lakukan untuk membantu atau tanda sokongan kepada Mesir . Malah ada juga yang mengatakan, “Malaysia ini aman dan makmur, maka apakah perlu ktia berjuang?”. 

   Tetapi sedarkah kita yang selama ini kita mempunyai masalah besar yang tersendiri. Sudahkah kita memenuhi tuntutan “amar makruf, nahi mungkar”? Sudahkah terbentuknya masyarakat Islam di dalam diri kita, keluarga kita, ataupun negara kita? Apakah yang menjadi “ilah” kita selama ini; wang,isteri, pangkat, darjat ataupun Allah SWT? Sejauh manakah cinta kita kepada Allah SWT, Rasulullah S.A.W dan Islam? Sedarkah kita bahawa kita berselubung di dalam “Jahiliyah Moden” selama ini?

Maka apakah yang harus kita lakukan?                       

             

  Kembalilah kepada Islam. Mulakanlah dengan diri sendiri dahulu sebagaimana wahyu pertama diturunkan kepada Rasulullah SAW;

“Bacalah dengan (menyebut) nama Tuhanmu yang menciptakan. Dia telah menciptakan manusia daripada segumpal darah. Bacalah, dan Tuhanmulah yang Maha Mulia. Yang mengajar (manusia) dengan pena. Dia mengajarkan manusia apa yang tidak diketahuinya.”

(Al-Alaq; ayat 1-5)

  Wahyu ini menandakan permulaan kenabian baginda S.A.W, dimana baginda S.A.W disuruh membaca untuk dirinya sendiri dan belum disuruh menyampaikan untuk orang lain. Kemudian barulah turun ayat “wahai orang yang berselimut! Bangunlah, lalu berilah peringatan!”

(Al-Muddatsir; ayat 1-2)

  Ayat ini mengangkat Muhammad S.A.W sebagai Rasul dan utusanNya. Baginda kemudian disuruh menyampaikan ancaman keapda kaum keluarganya yang terdekat, diikuti seluruh kaumnya, kemudian kepada orang-orang Arab disekelilingnya, terus kepada seluruh bangsa Arab dan umat manusia.

  Maka kita boleh mengambil pengajaran daripada cara Allah mengutus Rasulullah S.A.W. Begitulah jua dengan kita sebagai khalifah di muka bumi ini, mulakanlah dengan memperkasakan diri sendiri dahulu, bacalah buku, bacalah Al Quran, tingkatkan pengetahuan, hadirilah majlis-majlis ilmu dan letakkan matlamat yang jelas dalam hidup ini, iaitu;

“Aku tidak menciptakan jin dan manusia melainkan mereka beribadah kepada-Ku”

(Ad-Dzariyaat; ayat 56)

  Menegakkan Islam itu ibadah, bekerja kerana Allah itu ibadah, berdakwah itu ibadah, berjihad melawan nafsu itu ibadah, bahkan semua perkara di dalam hidup ini dalah ibadah jika dilakukan dengan niat hanya untuk mendapatkan keredhaan Allah SWT, walaupun dengan bermain futsal sekalipun!

  Setelah itu, sebarkanlah risalah Islam kepada yang terdekat dahulu. Mulakanlah dengan rakan sebilik, rakan serumah, rakan sekuliah, kemudian apabial pulang ke kampugn halaman, ajaklah adik-beradik dan kaum keluarga untuk menghayati Islam yang sebenar, yakni bersifat menyeluruh, bukan setakat di dalam masjid sahaja. Inilah jihad kita, janganlah mudah berputus asa kerana yakinlah bahawa kita di jalan yang benar!

‎"orang-orang yang beriman itu berperang di jalan Allah dan orang-orang yang kafir itu berperang di jalan taghut, sebab itu perangilah kawan-kawan syaitan itu, kerana sesungguhnya tipu daya syaitan itu adalah lemah."
(An-Nisa' : 76)

  Kita juga mempunyai Al-Quran, benar, tampak sukar untuk menguasai segala-galanya, tetapi tanamkanlah sifat sabar dan “istiqamah” dalam diri masing-masing untuk menghadapi keberatan ini, gunakanlah kemampuan yang ada.

“Dan Al-Quran (Kami turunkan)  beransur-ansur agar engkau(Muhammad) membacakannya keapda manusia perlahan-lahan dan Kami menurunkannya secara bertahap.”

(Al-Isra’; 106)

  Bacalah Al-Quran itu perlahan-lahan, ambil masa untuk menghayati kandungannya dan beramal dengannya sedikit demi sedikit, kalimah demi kalimah, ayat demi ayat, surah demi surah dan seterusnya keseluruhannya. Inilah pegangan kita, inilah yang kita ada selain Sunnah Rasulullah S.A.W sebagai dasar perjuangan ktia, baik di dunia mahupun akhirat.

  Percayalah bahawa penentangan kezaliman, penindasan orang miskin, kezaliman sosial, kepincangan akhlak, korupsi, dan macam-macam lagi sebab untuk berjuang itu sudah termaktub dalam Islam. Maka pilihlah Islam sebagai teras perjuangan kita semua, selama-lamanya.

Berjuanglah di jalan Allah, ada dua pengakhirannya; menang, ataupun syahid!

Chapter One: The Muslim & his Lord

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.

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.

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.