Deciphering Reality of Life

I involved a lot in tarbiyyah programmes. I even lead one usrah group over here. I myself have my own usrah that I attend. Simply put, my life is filled with learning the deen besides learning Medical subjects. It looks idealistic isn’t it? It looks like I’m such a good person. Yeah from outside, it looks like that. That’s how I present myself to the public. I am good at creating an image… but an image is an image. Putting it in physical term, an image is not ‘real’.
So am I real?

I have to admit, not to everybody but myself… that what I projected was really an image. So am I being hypocrite? People say better not involve in tarbiyyah, dakwah etc if you are just a hypocrite.
No… I wouldn’t say that I’m a hypocrite. And I am really not one… Na’uzubillah. So what happen actually?

There’s a simple mistake I did… the failure to put the knowledge into practice. What is Islam all about? What is Qur’an about? What is Sunnah about? These are all nothing but a deen… a way of life. So when I learn one ayat, I should put it into practice. But I did not. I treat the ayat as a mere source of speech so that my presentation in usrah can be more flowery and attractive. It’s a big mistake! I have fractionalized Islam making myself a partial Muslim!
But my dear friends… putting Islam into practice is the real challenge. My failure might also be your failure, the failure to decipher the sea of knowledge in the Qur’an and Sunnah into real daily living.

So how do you know you are actually failing to decipher the knowledge into practive? Into reality of life?

Easy… these might be the indications:

1. You wake up late in the morning
2. You didn’t attend Fajr prayer
3. You didn’t Qur’an that much
4. You didn’t pray in Jamaah

Wait a minute… are all indications about ibadah? No… even more like these:

1. You didn’t keep your room
2. You didn’t finish your homework
3. You didn’t study regularly
4. You spend your time on movies
5. You SMS girls
6. You skip your cooking duty
7. You didn’t attend class

Well… I think I am not a real Muslim yet. If I am real, I’m not just projecting a Muslim image… you know like, beards, ketayap, or in my case usrah, daurah, posting hadith on facebook, posting Muslim news on facebook etc. Being real is to keep check on all the above daily matters. I might be criticizing myself but you… yes you, whoever reading this… you might be one as well.


يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ادْخُلُواْ فِي السِّلْمِ كَآفَّةً وَلاَ تَتَّبِعُواْ خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo odkhuloo fee alssilmi kaffatan wala tattabiAAoo khutuwati alshshaytani innahu lakum AAaduwwun mubeenun
2:208 O ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy

Wallahuallam

Ageing

I’m dedicating this scrappy note to whomever turning 23 tonight

Here I am once again, coming onto the brink of transitional age. Hey, wait a minute! What’s that? Transitional Age? Like Descartes or Plato give this term or what? Naah.. I invented the term my own. It’s defined by me as a range of age where people are turning from childhood to teen, from teenage to adulthood, from adulthood to golden age, and from golden age to err.. death.

Yeah… I’m 23 now. Well, many would still consider this age as being youth. So youthful would normally means… ENJOY!! No responsibilities!!! No committed relationships!!! Or Study!!! Well… erm I guess I’m done with that phase already. I just got to move on, leave that pointless “youthful” life and start to find some clear, DESTINED directions. Actually I began to start leaving that phase over a year ago, when I began to see pointless shopping as pointless, or dating as not hype anymore, then having girlfriends as well (can’t find the vocab)… as pointless.. and now I think my transition into adulthood is almost complete.

Metamorphosis?

Wow… so easy to say that? Like I’m a metamorphosing butterfly? Well, I don’t actually and exactly and accurately saying that I’m nearing adulthood. I just felt that I’m nearing that phase. Everything around me is like ‘growing’:

1.Many of my friends already got married… many got engaged as well… sometimes I felt like err like I’ve been left behind..

2.Some already got a job… hey my younger sister had already been offered a job as a kuli architect in a Chinese firm.. I mean Malaysian Chinese firm.

3.My elder brother is heading towards marriage as well… good luck to you…

4.My classmates’ jokes are getting more unchildish… like: hey you gotta be quick getting married… ha ha ha ha (is that a joke… well, I’m quite a jokeless person at times)… or like: tickle tickle tickle tickle… Mus!! You better hurry up and tell her mom for her hand! I can’t stand you tickling me..

5.Discussions are getting more like adult: Err… Zul, you know anything about Bosnia? Yeah I know something.. its like bla.. and bla bla this bla that. Oh ok.. we gotta read more… history is important.

6.I Don’t need to mention facebook… discussions are so much into philosophy, history, religion, sociology, politics.. and so on.. [no time for gossip-like statuses]

7.Oh yeah My father… His first topic after a hello on the phone call will be: ANAS!!!! When are you getting married? Dhuhh.. well don’t worry Abah… I’m working for it.. I’m wooorking.. God knows Well what’s in store for me.

8.And… erm… things are coming up for me as well… that makes me really began to think like an adult… things like: marriage [I’m normal… normal dude got married], like money, like buying my first car, like buying properties, like when I’m having my first child… like my first child’s name [oops.. not to that extent yet]

Well… that’s just a scrappy recap of how things turning adult around me

Our first Year in Bangalore... things had changed a lot

Life as a da’ie

And yes… my life as a da’ie… Does the title da’ie makes me different? Or special? Or people say more holy? Naah.. it’s just the same, normal life actually, because Islam is normal.. it’s normal for God to expect us to do Amar Makruf nahi munkar, it’s normal for God to tell us to become a khalifah… being a khalifah? Is it like being a king or mullah or what? Naah.. you are just being yourself… like I’m becoming a doctor, and my duty as a doctor, putting it in the way God wants it to be… that’s a khalifah… It’s also normal for us to pray five times a day, putting more effort into augmenting our amal… because that’s what God told us to do… so it’s sooo normal and natural… so my life as a dai’e… nothing much different from your life whoever you are reading this… I go to work, I study, I’m buying cars, I’m buying house… so do you…

except, people see is as abnormal sometimes because they are not taking all these as normal… like really normal doctors don’t go anywhere giving religious talk… or like me giving talks at F15 on one fine Sunday morning in SEED programme. Well.. don’t freak out.. just see that as a part of my errr… fulfilling my obligations.

So at 23, my job as a dai’e doesn’t change the fact that I’m a human no less holy than anyone… just doing my normal part as a khalifah… like what God normally tell us…

Life as a dai'e... its normal

Be careful, don’t trip

Transitional ages are challenging periods. I remembered how challenging teenage was. At that time I began to discover something like sexuality, feelings, love, or things like hype stuff… you know, cigarette, having girlfriends and stuffs… those are challenging age… many got tripped and trapped down into the ravine of life after that.

Transitional age is challenging as there are lots of new changes around you that you need to be quick to acquaint yourself with. By acquainting yourself what I mean is that to understand the changes around you and use that changes for you to mature yourself.

Now that I’m in the transition age again, this time into adulthood. Things like marriage is of daily thoughts. So what you gonna do with that? Getting married? Some just don’t realized that they actually want to get married. So they opt for unlawful relationship instead. Many had gone into premarital sex as well. So to get a control over changes in yourself is to identify and understand its urge. From there we must find a way to get it the natural way… in this case, nikah is an urge… you gotta be there someday somehow… so just get there then.. work it up!!!

Again I’m stressing… transitional age is challenging. If you fail to understand its nature, you fall into the ravine of life. Some just give up life for this. So it’s a crucial time.

Transitional age is a crucial time... always be on guard

That’s it!!!

So that’s it… my scrappy note about ageing.

Usually I wrote serious things… like politics, or dakwah, or history, but this time around I’m just… errrr… scrapping.

So, if you don’t find any benefit just don’t bother.

God Knows best/Wallahuallam

The best source of motivation... the hardest to obtain, but the noblest you'll become

I am currently having a motivational crisis. I bet everybody has that sometimes in their life. It's normal to have this ups and downs in life. Ever since I engaged myself with Islam in a more serious manner, I began to gauge my level of motivation based on the level of Iman (For us, normal Muslims unlike the prophets, Iman is yazid wa yankus... it has its ups and downs). There's a reason to why I use this gauge as the standard meter for motivational level. The question comes back to the purpose of life as defined by Islam.

So what is motivation? Being motivated means you have a driving force. You don't simply suddenly jump up and do work hardly without anything drives you. There must be a force. That force is actually a purpose that you are trying to achieve. Along with that purpose there must be some reward that boost our motivation. So 'purpose' is the driving force and 'reward' is the fuel to keep us going. In this article, I am to argue what is that 'driving factor'? What is the best driving factor? What is the best reward to die for?

Let's try to define 'driving factor' first.

Everything began with the nature of human being which is submission. Undoubtedly one of human's many natural trait is to bow or submit (I'll explain this further). And God has taught human, through His prophets that human should only bow to Him. This is where the shahadah comes into light:

"There is no god but God, Muhammad is His Messenger"

Meaning there is no other submission other than to God, and Muhammad had laid down a practical way of life that we should submit to.

Why did I say, its human nature to bow to something?

We begin with the aborigines. We often heard of animism, the religion where human submit to the nature. A traditional tribe without any knowledge whatsoever are compelled to worship stones, trees, or big animals so that they can get protection, mercy, rewards etc. Everything is done to please the one being submit to.

Let's fast forward to the modern day. Now we can see liberals and atheist everywhere. These people they don't submit to God as the conservatives does (no matter what religion they are). One appropriate description is they wanted to be called as free man, not submitting their will to anything. But are they really free? Often we saw how modern man works hard for the money, to meet up the bills, mortgages, car loans etc. They work for the money and to money they bow to. Some bow to women, doing every thing they could to please them and finally get laid. So does women, dressing the best they could, so that they could get some temporary sexual gratification.

So what I'm trying to say here, submission, in whatever form, to whomever, to whatever is the source of 'driving factor' for human. To submit your will to something is to follow what that something tells you to do. If you submit to money, you'll do what the money tells you to do... which is work work and work.

Of course, human don't simply submit to something if that something cannot give reward to him. Reward for a male submitting to women is sexual gratification. We don't call them 'women slave' for nothing.

Submission gives purpose to human life, and the promised reward fuel their motivation to achieve what the submission tells you to achieve.

In Islam, we were taught that we are only to submit to God alone. Submitting to God means, placing all of our wills or 'driving factor' to Him. Let Him tell us what to strive for, what to achieve, instead of having money, women or status to tell us all these things.

But where is the greatness of having God as the source of driving factor? Let's begin with a statement from the Qur'an:

مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًا إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ وَالَّذِينَ يَمْكُرُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَكْرُ أُوْلَئِكَ هُوَ يَبُورُ

"If any do seek for glory and power,- to Allah belong all glory and power" (QS 35:10)

This verse tells us to be 'izzah' (الْعِزَّةَ) or proud with Islam, proud with what Allah wills us because from there comes glory and power.

http://files.myopera.com/sawahijau/blog/pembukaan%20constantinople.jpg

For me this is a simplification of concluding that the best 'driving factor' is God alone as He promised greatness, glory and power to those who submit to Him.

Let's ponder what Umar Al-khattab has to tell about izzah:

“Kita adalah kaum yang dimuliakan dengan Islam, jika kita cari selainnya maka Allah akan hinakan kita”.

Islam, the way of life that bring human to submit to God's will through the teaching of prophet Muhammad had taught us that living purpose hence driving factor for life is to do what God tells us to do.

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

And [tell them that] I have not created the invisible beings and men to any end other than that they may [know and] worship Me. (QS 51:56)

So what is the reward that we are achieving by submitting to this prescribed purpose of life? It's heaven!!! It's simply heaven. Over there you can get all what you desire, endlessly.

However, this best 'driving factor' to live with, is the hardest to obtain. Why? Because it is based on Iman or belief to what is 'ghaib', the unseen, the imperceptible. A Muslim who live by Islamic principle they will undoubtedly take up belief to Allah as the source of motivation. That is why I say, the best tool to gauge motivation is Iman. But those who live with this 'driving factor' will become the noblest of all human being. Because they will own properties there in Heaven, besides having to obtain noble character in this world as what Allah told and what the prophet taught are nothing but noble deeds and noble achievements.

So, God is the best source of motivation, however it's the hardest to obtain but the noblest you'll become.

SEED: Siri Explorasi Ad-Deen

Sebuah Siri Kursus Pemantapan Ilmu Anjuran ISMA India

Siri pertama akan dianjurkan pada Ahad 9 Mei 2010

bertempat di F15 Shri Ram Sadhana Apartment

9 pagi hingga 4 petang

Dua topik akan dikupas iaitu

Shahadatul Haq dan Usul 20

Penyampai:

Anas Aminin

Zulhilmi Hasif

Tentatif seperti berikut:

9.00 pg: Compass Setting

9.15 pg-11.15: Slot 1- Shahadatul Haq

11.15-1.00 ptg: Rehat dan Makan Tengahari (disediakan)

1.00-3.00 ptg: Slot 2-Usul 20

3.00-4.00 ptg: Bengkel

4.00 ptg: Bersurai

Jom mai ramai2!!! Ayuh mantapkan pemahaman kita dalam Islam!!

Dan Langkah Pun Bermula....

Final exam bermula esok untuk Batch 1 dan Batch 2...

Segala penat lelah belajar siang dan malam akan teruji...

Inilah langkah bermula kita semua.... Moga-moga langkah ini tidak terhenti.. teruskan melangkah walau apa pun kesukarannya atau kemudahannya. Jangan sekali berhenti duduk... kecuali duduk untuk beriman sejenak, sujud mengharap bantuanNya, memuji KeagunganNya...

All the best untuk kalian semua...

Ma'a taufikwannajah fil imtihan!!!

Saya kongsikan lagu kegemaran Maher Zain buat penyejuk hati...

Sekilas Pandang Ke Syurga... Sekilas Ingatan untuk Dunia

Hari-hari aku terfikir... Layakkah aku ke syurgaNya? Sedangkan aku tahu betapa indahNya syurga Allah itu... Dikatakan bahawa manusia pada ketika itu 'sibuk' menikmati nikmat-nikmat syurga!!! Ah.. beza sungguh dengan hari ini, bilamana manusia 'sibuk' dengan dunia...

Tak terfikir bagaimana... manusia 'sibuk' dengan nikmat syurga pada ketika itu...

Bagaimana ye? Hmmm...

Digambarkan syurga itu penuh dengan nikmat-nikmat...

Rumah yang besar... eh.. bukan sekadar rumah... istana!!! Wahh.. bukan satu.. tapi banyak!!!

Oh!!! Alangkah indahnya... hidup lagi mewah dari hidup seorang raja England atau Tzar Russia!!

Ada bidadari!! Bidadari yang bermata jelita!! Yang cantik jelita!! Yang setia menjadi teman... bukan seorang... banyak...

Ada makanan yang tidak habis-habis!!! Bayangkan jika hari ini, peminta sedekah terpaksa menahan lapar dek kerana tidak cukup duit... kita pula terpaksa menahan lapar kerana sudah terlalu gemuk.. di sana!! Kita sibuk dengan makanan yang enak-enak... siap dengan sungai arak dan susu lagi!!!

Dan banyak lagi!!! Itu mungkin hanya perkara-perkara basic yang selalu manusia idamkan di dunia ini... Harta, Wanita dan Makanan.. Allah gambarkan bagaimana berganda-ganda nikmat-nikmat tersebut bagi mereka yang sabar...

Apa aje ada pada dunia ini? Perhatikan ayat-ayat berikut sebagai renungan:

Dihiaskan (dan dijadikan indah) kepada manusia: kesukaan kepada benda-benda yang diingini nafsu, iaitu perempuan-perempuan dan anak-pinak; harta benda yang banyak bertimbun-timbun, dari emas dan perak; kuda peliharaan yang bertanda lagi terlatih; dan binatang-binatang ternak serta kebun-kebun tanaman. Semuanya itu ialah kesenangan hidup di dunia. Dan (ingatlah), pada sisi Allah ada tempat kembali yang sebaik-baiknya (iaitu Syurga). Ali Imran 14

lagi perhatikan ayat berikut:

Ketahuilah bahawa (yang dikatakan) kehidupan dunia itu tidak lain hanyalah (bawaan hidup yang berupa semata-mata) permainan dan hiburan (yang melalaikan) serta perhiasan (yang mengurang), juga (bawaan hidup yang bertujuan) bermegah-megah di antara kamu (dengan kelebihan, kekuatan, dan bangsa keturunan) serta berlumba-lumba membanyakkan harta benda dan anak pinak; Al-Hadid 22

Dunia hari ini yang kita diami hanyalah tipuan dan permainan semata... Malah keindahan yang ada pada wanita, pada harta, kereta, anak-anak dan tanh-tanah kebun itu hanyalah nikmat tipuan... Allah jadikan nikmat-nikmat itu 'terasa indah' buat kita. Hakikatnya ia tidak seindah mana.

Memang terasa indah hidup ini.... sebagaimana indahnya hidup apabila kita menonton drama-drama cinta seperti Twilight, Nur Kasih, Syurga Cinta atau cerita-cerita Korea dan Jepun. Diolah cerita-cerita cinta itu sehingga kita tertipu, memikirkan betapa indahnya cinta pada dunia itu. Betapa takutnya kita pada mati itu.

Adakah kita cukup tertipu dengan keindahan kisah cinta Twilight?

Sabar... itulah pengubat untuk seorang Muslim... di sana Syurga menanti...

Adapun orang yang takutkan keadaan semasa ia berdiri di mahkamah Tuhannya, (untuk dihitung amalnya), serta ia menahan dirinya dari menurut hawa nafsu, -Maka sesungguhnya Syurgalah tempat kediamannya.-An-Nazi'at 40-41.

Adakah ini semata-matanya tujuan hidup yang ada pada seorang Muslim? Menahan nafsunya? Paderi juga menahan nafsunya sehingga sanggup tidak berkahwin... begitu juga seorang sami... sehingga sanggup menahan diri dari memakan daging?

Tidak... Seorang Muslim nilainya lebih dari sekadar menahan Nafsu. Ada padanya juga tanggungjawab untuk berdakwah selain tanggungjawab melaksanakan ibadah khusus:

Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, rukuklah serta sujudlah (mengerjakan sembahyang), dan beribadatlah kepada Tuhan kamu (dengan mentauhidkanNya), serta kerjakanlah amal-amal kebajikan; supaya kamu berjaya (di dunia dan di akhirat).Dan berjihadlah kamu pada jalan Allah dengan jihad yang sebenar-benarnya Dia lah yang memilih kamu (untuk mengerjakan suruhan ugamanya); dan Ia tidak menjadikan kamu menanggung sesuatu keberatan dan susah payah dalam perkara ugama, ugama bapa kamu Ibrahim. Ia menamakan kamu: "orang-orang Islam" semenjak dahulu dan di dalam (Al-Quran) ini, supaya Rasulullah (Muhammad) menjadi saksi yang menerangkan kebenaran perbuatan kamu, dan supaya kamu pula layak menjadi orang-orang yang memberi keterangan kepada umat manusia (tentang yang benar dan yang salah). Oleh itu, dirikanlah sembahyang, dan berilah zakat, serta berpegang teguhlah kamu kepada Allah! Dia lah Pelindung kamu. Maka (Allah yang demikian sifatNya) Dia lah sahaja sebaik-baik Pelindung dan sebaik-baik Pemberi pertolongan. Al-Hajj 77-78.

Apa yang ada pada seorang Mukmin? Dia rukuk, dia sujud, dia tunaikan zakat, dia tunaikan haji, dan yang paling penting dia berjihad pada Jalan Allah... berdakwah membawa manusia lain mengenal Allah, mengenal akhirat dan sekaligus, turut menjemput mereka menikmati syurga bersama-sama dengan kita.

Kamu (wahai umat Muhammad) adalah sebaik-baik umat yang dilahirkan bagi (faedah) umat manusia, (kerana) kamu menyuruh berbuat segala perkara yang baik dan melarang daripada segala perkara yang salah (buruk dan keji), serta kamu pula beriman kepada Allah (dengan sebenar-benar iman). Dan kalaulah Ahli Kitab (Yahudi dan Nasrani) itu beriman (sebagaimana yang semestinya), tentulah (iman) itu menjadi baik bagi mereka. (Tetapi) di antara mereka ada yang beriman dan kebanyakan mereka: orang-orang yang fasik. Ali Imran 110

sekadar perkongsia di kala malam menjelma...

Anas Aminin W M Izzuddin

Rijal-rijal yang kita mahu... Bukan Pengikut

Apa bezanya antara rijal pembawa dakwah dengan pengikut?

Rijal pembawa dakwah itu adalah insan-insan proaktif. Yang diikutinya adalah jalan serta method dakwah yang dibawa oleh Murabbinya.

Pengikut adalah insan-insan yang pasif. Yang diikutinya adalah pengaruh yang dibawa oleh pemimpinnya.

Rijal-rijal sudahpun meletakkan sepenuh hatinya pada jalan dakwah, menginfak seluruh hidupnya untuk mengajak insan-insan lain kepada jalan ini juga. Mereka tidak bergantung kepada pemimpin untuk terus berjuang.

Pengikut belum pasti lagi meletakkan hatinya di jalan dakwah. Hatinya pada pemimpin, bergantung pada pemimpin. Andai rebah pemimpin, rebahlah perjuangannya.

Rijal itu sedikit bilangannya...

Pengikut itu ramai...

Seorang rijal, boleh membentuk rijal yang lain agar menjadi rijal sepertinya..

Seorang pengikut hanya boleh mempengaruhi orang lain untuk menerima pendapatnya semata...

Di dalam badan dakwah, kita perlukan rijal, bukan pengikut. Maka pengaruh semata bukanlah menjadi ukuran, tetapi betapa ramainya rijal yang berjiwa seperti kita yang mampu kita hasilkan.

Untuk dapatkan pengikut kerjanya senang. Banyakkan ceramah, banyakkan menulis, petahkan pidato, banyakkan program, banyakkan kebajikan... nescaya ramai yang mahu jadi pengikut... terpesona dengan peribadi kamu... lalu pengikut mahu kamu jadi pemimpin mewakili mereka.

Untuk dapatkan seorang rijal? Ceramah kena buat, menulis pun kena buat, pidato pun perlu dipetahkan, kebajikan perlu diperbanyakkan... untuk apa? untuk kita identify di kalangan mereka yang terpengaruh, siapa yang cukup hebat untuk dijadikan rijal. Kemudian? Kerja seterusnya adalah kerja sebenar seorang Murabbi... membentuk rijal terpilih ini agar jadi seperti kita. Kerjanya bukan kerja mudah... hati perlu dimenangi, ta'aruf mesti didalami, didikan peribadi dibuat satu per satu, ideologi ditanam secara peribadi... kerja yang menuntut masa kerana bukan seorang rijal yang dikenal pasti tapi mungkin 5 atau 10 orang.

Hayat sesuatu badan dakwah amat bergantung kepada rijal yang dihasilkan kerana rijal inilah yang akan meneruskan perjuangan. Rijal terbaik yang boleh dibentuk adalah anak yang lahir dari benih kita sendiri; maka pemilihan zaujah turut memahami dakwah juga adalah pra syarat untuk memastikan anak itu ditarbiah agar menjadi rijal.

Pengikut? Belum pasti dapat meneruskan sebuah perjuangan. Kerana mereka hanya mengharapkan seorang pemimpin untuk mereka jadikan wakil bagi menyenangkan hidup mereka.

Anas Aminin W M Izzuddin

Bangalore