A True Talib ul-’Ilm [Student of Sacred Knowledge]

Couldn't help but share this. I took this story from this blog: Damascus Dreams. Subhanallah ~ so rich is the tradition of Islam, with a wealth of genuine scholars! May this story motivate us in our quest for knowledge.

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A story from the book “Safahaat min Sabr al-Ulama” [Glimpses of the Perseverance of the Scholars] by Sh. Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah:

…And here [we will mention] another account from among the most extraordinary of narratives, which occurred with an Andalusian scholar when he traveled from al-Andalus to the East. He traveled this great distance walking on his two legs [without the help of a horse or camel on which to ride] in order to meet with an imam from among the [great] imams and to acquire knowledge from him. When he arrived there he found that the imam had been put under house arrest and banned from teaching the people. In spite of this, by utilizing some secretive and artful means, the Andalusian scholar was able to learn from him… And history is replete with such strange and interesting occurrences…

….His name was Abu Abd ar-Rahman Baqiyy bin Makhlad Al-Andalusi al-Hafidh. He was born in the year 201 [after the Hijra] and passed away in the year 276, may Allah have mercy on him. He traveled to Baghdad by foot when he was about twenty years of age, and his deepest and most heart-felt desire was to meet with Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and to study with him.

It is reported that he said:

“When I came close to Baghdad, the news reached me of the difficult trials that had encircled Ahmad bin Hanbal, and that meeting and communicating with him had been made prohibited. I was greatly grieved by this news. I lodged where I was, and the first thing I did after renting out a room for myself was go to the great masjid [of Baghdad]. I wanted to sit in the lessons there and hear what was being studied therein.

I came across a noble gathering for knowledge [at the masjid], in which a man was teaching about narrators of the hadith, elucidating upon the weaknesses of some narrators and the strength of others. I asked someone sitting next to me, ‘Who is that?’ and he replied, ‘That is Yahya bin Ma’een.’

I saw that a place had opened up [in the gathering] close to the teacher, so I moved to fill it and said to him, ‘Ya Aba Zakariyya, may Allah have mercy on you. [I am a] stranger [among you], whose home is in a far distant place. I have some questions, so do not disdain me.’ He said to me, ‘Speak.’ So I asked him about some of the narrators of ahadith I had met, and he praised some of them for their excellence, and warned about the weaknesses in others. I asked him a question about Hisham bin Ammar, and I had asked and gained a lot of knowledge from him [...] when the people of the gathering called out, ‘That’s enough for you, may Allah have mercy on you! Others have questions too!’

Finally, as I was standing up [to leave], I said, “Can you inform me about one other person: What about Ahmad bin Hanbal?”

Yahya ibn Ma’een looked at me astounded, and said, ‘Can such as us judge a person like Ahmad bin Hanbal! He is the Imam of the Muslims, the best among them and the most honorable of them.”

I left the masjid and asked to be directed to the home of Imam Ahmad. I knocked on his door, and he answered it. I said, “Ya Aba Abdillah, I am a stranger from a far distant place, and this is my first time entering upon this land. I am a student of hadith and one who is bound to the Sunnah. I made this journey only to meet you.”

He said, “Enter from the alleyway to the side, and let no eye fall upon you.”

He then said to me, “Where is your home?” I said, “The distant west.” He asked, “Africa?’ I said, “Further than that. I would have to travel across the sea to get from my home to Africa. It is al-Andalus.”

He said, “Your home is indeed a great distance from here. And there is nothing more beloved to me than to help someone like you attain what you are seeking, but for that I am being tried with this difficulty, which you may already be aware of…”

I replied, “Indeed the reached me as I was approaching the city and coming towards you… Ya Aba Abdillah, this is my first time in this land, and I am unknown to its people. If you allow me, I will come to you each day in the garb of a beggar, and I will speak the way that they speak, and you can come to the door. If you narrate to me only one hadith each day [in this way], it would suffice me.”

He agreed, on the condition that I did not attend the gatherings of knowledge and did not meet with the [local] scholars of hadith [so that I would remain unknown among the people].

So I would carry a walking stick in my hand and wrap an old rag around my head, and I would hide my papers and writing instruments in my sleeve, and I would go to his door and call out, “[Give in charity] for the reward of Allah, may Allah have mercy on you!” as the other beggars there used to do. He would come out and close the door behind him, and narrate to me two ahadith or three or sometimes more, until I had collected about three hundred ahadith in this way.

I remained constant in doing this until the ruler who was trying Imam Ahmad died, and in his place came someone who adhered to the madhab of the Sunnah. Imam Ahmad then returned to his teaching and his name became renowned, and he became honored and loved among the people. His rank was elevated, and many people flocked to him to study.

He would always remember my perseverance in seeking to learn from him. When I would attend his lessons he would make room for me to sit close to him, and he would say to the other students, ‘This is someone who has earned the title of Talib ul-’Ilm!’ and he would tell them my story. He would narrate hadith to me, and I would recite them to him.

One day I became ill, and I was absent from his classes for some time. He asked [the other students] about me and when he heard that I was ill he rose immediately to visit me, and the students followed. I was laying down in the room which I rented, a [cheap] woolen blanket beneath me, a thin cloth covering me, my books near my head [so that I could study laying down].

The lodging literally shook with the sound of many people [entering], and I heard them say ‘That’s him over there…’ [...] The lodge-keeper rushed to me, saying ‘Ya Abd ar-Rahman, Abu Abdullah Ahmad bin Hanbal, Imam of the Muslims, has come to visit you!’

The Imam entered my room and sat at my bedside, and the lodging filled up with his students. It wasn’t large enough to fit all of them and a group of them had to remain standing, all of them with pens in hand. Imam Ahmad said to me, “Ya Abd ar-Rahman, have glad tidings of reward from Allah. In days of health we often fail to reflect upon illness, and in days of illness we don’t remember our health. I ask that Allah raise you to good health and wellbeing, and may He touch you with His right hand in healing.” And I saw every pen in the room moving to write down his words.

He left. The workers of my lodge were very kind to me after that, and were constantly in my service, one of them bringing me a mat to lay on, another bringing a good blanket and wholesome food for me to eat. They treated me better than family because such a righteous person came to visit me…”

He passed away in the year 276 [after Hijra] in al-Andalus. May Allah have mercy on him.

[...] His student Abu Abdul Malik Ahmad bin Muhammad al-Qurtubi said of him: ‘Baqiyy bin Makhlad was tall, strong, and had tough endurance in walking. I never saw him on a ride, ever. He was humble and unpretentious, and would always attend the funeral prayer.’

How excellent was his patience and his passion for sacred knowledge, and how beautiful his struggle to attain and collect it!

Shariah and Civil Laws at Loggerhead Again

By:
Dr. Wan Azhar bin Wan Ahmad
Senior Fellow, IKIM

(Source here)

I am utterly flabbergasted looking at the prejudices and misgivings of certain quarters of our people against religious teachings. I am speechless in awe reflecting on the degree of denial and obstinacy shown.

Time and again it is portrayed over the ill-perceived conflict between the syariah and civil laws. The recent incident, arguably claimed to have taken the nation by surprise, even considered a sad black day in the history of the country, is the purported local and global ‘outcry’ resulting from the whipping punishment meted and carried out on Muslim (women) syariah offenders not long ago.

While the offenders themselves obviously had no qualm about the punishment, many irrelevant others are immensely immersed and drown into unnecessary perplexing quandary.

Human rights advocates have been fighting for equality before law for all genders. Yet, astonishingly, when Islamic law stands in support of their claim, the very same people accused Syariah as uncompromising, inhumane, discriminatory, etc.

It is understandable if the criticism-cum-refusal came from the non-Muslims. But it is almost incomprehensible to witness that the rejection came from the Muslims themselves. Combined together, this group seems to glorify human rights doctrines more than honouring their own religious pronouncements, or the principles of true ethics and morality, if they ever embraced or understood any. This is secularism at its best.

It represents a process of secularization as certain section is influencing certain others to shy away from religion and any good value system.

Islam does not lay rigid emphasis on punitive actions. The whole religion is about knowledge, education and the inculcation of good values onto human being. Islam asks Muslims to refer to strict legal solution to solve disputes only as their last resort. Even this is always preceded with words for forgiveness and mediation.

Islamic law does not differentiate between male and female offenders. In fact, in achieving salvation, Islam is giving equal opportunity to both sexes. In the recent execution of the punishment, apart from the three women caned, four other male criminals were flogged. But those human rights vanguards close one eye on this.

For Muslims in this group, their secular inclination manifests their inadequate Islamic upbringing, resulting in confusion, and ultimately, compounded ignorance. It is ‘compounded’ because even after being told the truth, they stubbornly hold firm to their misunderstanding and false beliefs.

For the non-Muslims, they appear to have lost the sense of adab, the sense of respect of other religions. Camouflaging under the ‘sacred’ pretext of human-rightism, they claim the questionable right to interfere in the domain they have minimal or no knowledge about - Islam.

Those Muslim and non-Muslim detractors simply defy authoritative religious precepts, authentic knowledge, reliable authorities, irrefutable historical facts, the rules of reason and logic, and the rules of ethics and morality. In the process, they have consciously or unconsciously become atheists, agnostics, sophists, and secularists par excellence, or any appropriate combination of two or more.

It is amazing to learn the paradox that people conveniently acknowledge the authority of certain professionals in certain fields but hardly do the same in some other areas. For example, many will not risk their health or life visiting any unqualified physician for their medical problems and later on question the prescription given.

They do not dare challenging any registered lawyer, accountant, engineer, or architect for any matter within their respective fields of expertise and professionalism. Ironically when it comes to religion, many believe that it is a free trade zone for everyone to interfere with.

I fail to understand what kind of logic these people are holding to.

Pondering upon, we are fortunate because our nation is blessed with an abundant lot of educated people. But it appears that many do not have the wisdom that is supposed to come with that education. A considerable number simply do not know their limit.

One of the signs of wisdom is for one to know one’s limit of knowledge. This implies that one is not supposed to make comments on things that one is not well informed off. If one lacks knowledge on anything, one must first gather a sufficient amount of information, data or whatever necessary to fill the vacuum. Hearsay evidence or mere observation will not do justice to any particular problem at stake.

After gaining certain knowledge, only then one may issue any remarks. But even this is to be done with a clear conscience that one may need to responsibly alter or retract one’s opinion if someone more knowledgeable points to him that he is mistaken in certain respects or in the entire subject matter.

Failure to fulfill the prerequisites, i.e. to cross the aforementioned boundary means one is not wise anymore. Not knowing the limit in a way signifies stupidity. If and when one simply does that, and declines to take right advice, one does not only exposing one’s ignorance, but worse, one’s sheer arrogance.

Knowledge is not something neutral. It is ladened with values that one must not ignore: good and evil, right and wrong, beneficial and harmful.

In our context of a multi-religious society, every member of every group must always alert of each other’s sensitivities. If a non-Muslim is making unfair comments on Islam and its institutions, no sound Muslims will just keep quiet.

Similarly, if Muslims are making noise, for instance, questioning the rationality of the Christian’s concept of trinity, or the Hindu’s multiplicity of gods, or the practice of the caste system, the leaders and followers of these religions will just shut their mouths doing nothing.

Therefore it is extremely important for all groups in our pluralistic society, regardless of our religious and cultural background, not to touch the nerves and sensitivities of each other, especially those that pertain to theology and matters that have been granted by our esteemed Constitution.

Let’s affirm the general position that matters of religion do not fall under the purview of any layman on the street, even an educated one, as there are conditions to be met. Let’s maintain the status quo that religion is the business of those qualified experts and professionals.

Yes, religion is open to human interpretation, but not just by anybody. If one has fulfilled certain requirements, there will be no objection for one to engage into any religious discussion. In the case of Islam, this applies to everybody having the desire, determination and efforts for a better understanding.

I believe that the reality out there is not that worse. All the clamorous hue and cry over certain issues have been sensationalized by irresponsible perpetrators like unscrupulous journalists and manipulated by social activists to achieve certain agendas only known best to them.

Amidst the above, all that we need to bear in mind is that we shoulder the same responsibility to maintain the long inherited peaceful and harmonious living of the nation as it will tremendously drive the country further towards development and prosperity to the benefit of all.

Event Alert: A special Public Lecture on 27th March 2010 by Shaykh Dr. Abdal Hakim Murad

Event Alert: A Special Public Lecture on 27th March 2010 by Shaykh Dr. Abdal Hakim Murad and the launch of “Traveling Light” a DVD of lecture series based on Imam Al-Ghazali’s Ihya’ Ulumuddin.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Al-Hamdulillah, wa Sallallah wa Sallama `Ala Sayyidina Rasulillah, wa Alihi wa Sahbihi wa Man Walah, Wa Ba`du;

By the grace of Allah, we have had a great initial response to the fundraising event, RM15,000 in just 1 week! We would like to express our profound gratitude to all our donors and supporters. May Allah reward you abundantly, bless you, your family and all those you care and love!

We still have about 700 seats available for the Public Lecture event on the evening of 27th March 2010, Saturday at the Auditorium, Dewan Jubli Perak, Bangunan SUK, Shah Alam Selangor from 6pm onwards. Please join us at the event and be one of these blessed people who will help to continue to this crucial task of developing and safeguarding our future generations. Tickets are priced at RM25 (students), RM100 (individuals) RM150 (NGOs) and RM200 (corporate) and can be purchased from our Secretariat 03-42569822.

Your contribution will help towards the development of the Cambridge Mosque and will assist Islamic Outreach ABIM in running its daily charity activities. Islamic Outreach ABIM has extended the contributions to the benefit of many of our orphans, children with special needs, Muslim converts, and has been a catalyst for Islamic knowledge and practice for the wider community through the free lessons provided at our office and the Guided Tour of the Mosque Program.

We pray your participation and contribution will be a Sadaqa Jariya, which brings you continuous reward until the day of Qiyama, Allahuma Amin.

Wassalam,

Azril Mohd Amin
Chairman
Islamic Outreach ABIM

MERCY: THE STAMP OF CREATION

A Nawawi Foundation Paper
By Dr. Umar Faruq Abdullah

The explicit link between the Arabic words Islām, literally “entering into peace,” and salām, “peace” or “perfect peace,” has been frequently highlighted of late. It is mainly because of this etymological connection that many Muslims and others advance the claim that Islam is a religion of peace, just as Christianity is customarily called a religion of love. Certainly, in terms of their creed and the historical record, Muslims are no less justified in equating Islam with peace than Christians are in identifying their faith with love. From a theological perspective, however, it would be more precise to describe Islam as the religion of mercy. Islamic revelation designates the Prophet Muĥammad as “the prophet of mercy,” and Islam’s scriptural sources stress that mercy—above other divine attributions—is God’s hallmark in creation and constitutes his primary relation to the world from its inception through eternity, in this world and the next. Islam enjoins its followers to be merciful to themselves, to others, and the whole of creation, teaching a karmalike law of universal reciprocity by which God shows mercy to the merciful and withholds it from those who hold it back from others.

The Prophet Muĥammad said: “People who show mercy to others will be shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Be merciful to those on earth, and he who is in heaven will be merciful to you.” [1] Because these words epitomize Islam’s fundamental ethos, it was called “the Tradition of Primacy” and, for generations of Classical Muslim teachers, constituted the first text that many of them handed down to their students and required them to commit to memory with a full chain of transmitters going back to the Prophet Muĥammad. [2]

God: The All-Merciful

In Arabic, God is called by many names, but his primary and most beautiful name, embracing all others, is Allāh (God, the true God). Allāh is a derivative of the same Semitic root as the Biblical Elohîm (God) and hā-Elôh (the true God) of Moses and the Hebrew prophets or the Aramaic Alāhā (God, the true God) of Jesus and John the Baptist. The formula “In the name of God, the All-Merciful, the Mercy-Giving” (bismi-Llāhi ‘r-Raĥmāni ‘r-Raĥīm), occurs one hundred and fourteen times in the Qur’ān––Islam’s holy book––at the beginning of all but one chapter and twice in another. The phrase is central to Islamic ritual. In Islam, the All-Merciful (ar-Raĥmān) and the Mercy-Giving (ar-Raĥīm) may be said to be the greatest names of God after Allāh. Of all His names, they are most descriptive of His relation to the world and emphasize His will in salvation history and throughout eternity to benefit creation and ultimately bring about the triumph of supreme good over evil.

The Qur’ān states: “It is the All-Merciful who assumed the Throne,” [3] meaning that God designs the world and rules the universe in his aspect as the All-Merciful. Consequently, mercy is the stamp of creation and the ontological thread that runs through everything. All that transpires—even temporal deprivation, harm, and evil—will, in due course, fall under the rubric of cosmic mercy. One Islamic luminary maintained: “If God had revealed instead that ‘the Overpowering (al-Jabbār) [another of God’s ninety-nine principal names] had assumed the throne,’ creation would melt.” Another verse reads: “God ordained mercy upon himself,” [4] again emphasizing that mercy is a universal law (sunna), the dominant theme of the cosmos, and the fundamental purpose of the creative act. Two prophetic Traditions reveal God as saying: “My mercy has vanquished my wrath” and, in the second: “My mercy takes precedence over my wrath.” [5] Because we live in a universe bearing mercy’s imprint, harmony and beauty permeate all things: “Our Lord, you have embraced all things in mercy and knowledge.” [6] In the verse, mercy—technically an attribute of act—is given priority of reference over knowledge—an attribute of essence—again emphasizing mercy’s predominance in the universal plan.

The Prophet of Mercy

According to Islamic revelation, Muĥammad was the last and greatest of God’s messengers, fulfilling the legacy of the Biblical and extra-Biblical prophets and confirming the teachings of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. As the All-Merciful’s chief emissary, he was fittingly called the “prophet of mercy” (nabīy ar-raĥma). The Qur’ān says of him: “We did not send you but as a special mercy to all the worlds.” [7] The Prophet stated: “In certainty, I was not sent to bring down curses; I was only sent as a special mercy.” [8]

As in English, “mercy” in Arabic is tied to compassion and closely linked with the act of forgiveness and pardon. Theologically, Islamic tradition defines mercy as the intent to bring good to others and cause them benefit. As such, being merciful implies the desire to avert evil and harm. When associated with acts of pardon and forgiveness, mercy is retroactive and after the fact. But as it relates to the intent to bring about good or avert evil, mercy assumes an elemental and proactive dimension and is often before the fact, evincing a forward-looking quality that seeks to set things right, make a break with the past, and foster new beginnings where goodness and benefit can thrive.

The thread of proactive mercy ran throughout the fabric of the Prophet’s life and was the key to his phenomenal, hard-earned, and lasting success. The loyalty and love of his followers and the awe and respect he evoked among his enemies were the fruits of such magnanimity. He said: “The closest of you to me on the Day of Judgment will be the best of you in character.”

Muĥammad jested with children, showed a kindly humor toward adults, and even gave his followers friendly nicknames. He visited the sick, inquired after the welfare of neighbors, friends, followers, and even those who disbelieved in him. He was a warm egalitarian and shared everything with those around him, including their poverty. He was always willing to forgive, rarely chastising those who disobeyed him. He did not restrict his mercy to his followers. One day in Medina, he was sitting with his Companions, who later related: “A funeral procession passed us by, and the Prophet, may God bless and keep him, stood up so we all stood up because he had. Then we said: ‘O Messenger of God, it is only the funeral procession of a Jew.’ He replied: ‘Was he not a human being?’” [9]

Like Moses and other Biblical prophets, Muĥammad took part in battle. He was victorious but not a “world-conqueror.” Although he engaged in war, he waged peace, and his inclination toward amnesty and diplomatic solutions is unmistakable. Above all it was the attitude of perpetual mercy that enabled him ultimately to forge for the first time in history a pax islamica in the Arabian Peninsula. That same attitude combined with masterly statesmanship enabled him not only to rescue the city of Medina—which had invited him for that purpose—from generations of civil war between its feuding clans but to create an island of stability in a sea of chaos and then extend that island gradually until it claimed the sea.

Those who died in the Prophet’s battles were relatively few, and, according to some estimates, numbered around two hundred on both sides. He laid down rules of engagement and parameters of war that became a central part of Islamic law, forbidding the predation of civilian populations, the wanton destruction of lands and livestock, and the use of fire, flooding, and poisons that kill indiscriminately. The Prophet accepted people at their word and forgave them easily. He harbored no desire for vengeance and rejected the pagan custom of blood feuds and revenge. There was nothing mindless or fanatic about his piety. He was never intransigent or bent on war. Men who had been numbered among his most relentless and unforgiving enemies—like Abū Sufyān ibn Ĥarb, `Ikrima ibn Abī Jahl, and Şafwān ibn Umayya—ultimately came not only to accept and follow the Prophet but, during the last years of their lives, devoted themselves heroically to his mission with a passion surpassing the enmity that had driven them before.

Even in the midst of bitter war, the Prophet inclined toward peaceful solutions. The Armistice of Ĥudaybiyya exemplified this spirit and his desire for the ultimate welfare of his enemies, in this case the pagans of Mecca. It was reached at a time when Muslim strength was reaching a high point and the power of the Prophet’s pagan opponents—now in irreversible decline—was vulnerable and could have been ruthlessly crushed. Yet Muĥammad accepted without hesitation conciliatory concessions which initially appeared so humiliating that they bewildered his followers. The Qur’ānic revelation proclaimed the armistice a “manifest victory,” and within weeks it was clear that it had set the stage for winning the hearts of the Prophet’s harshest enemies and opening doors of reconciliation, which for years had been stubbornly shut.

In due course, the Prophet “conquered” Mecca peacefully. As he approached the city with the largest army ever assembled on the Arabian Peninsula till that time, he noticed a wild dog on the roadside nursing her litter and posted one of his Companions, Ju`ayl aď-Ďamarī, to stand guard near her so that the entire contingent could pass without disturbing her or the pups.

After years of bitter conflict, some of the Prophet’s Companions—in keeping with the ancient Arabian code of revenge—were sure that the day they took Mecca would be the hour of vengeance. One of Medina’s tribal chieftains, Sa`d ibn `Ubāda, noticed Abū Sufyān ibn Ĥarb, former leader of pagan Mecca, standing near the Prophet and told Abū Sufyān ominously: “This will be a day of slaughter.” Sa`d was proudly bearing his tribal banner. The Prophet took it from him, handed it to Sa`d’s son, and declared: “What Sa`d has said is wrong. No, this will be the day that God glorifies his House (the temple of Abraham in Mecca) and decorates it with a new covering.”

By any measure, it was a day of mercy. In Mecca, the Prophet gathered his former enemies at the House of Abraham and asked them: “What do you think I am about to do with you?” They replied: “You are a magnanimous brother, the son of a magnanimous brother.” He answered: “Go to your houses. You have been set free.” It was this merciful and forgiving nature that finally established the Prophet’s authority in Mecca after its peaceful conquest, fostered mutual understanding, and forged new bonds. In the end, it was above all this proactive mercy that spelled the death of idolatry and paganism in Mecca and throughout Arabia and prepared the way for Islam’s unparalleled triumph in the world beyond.

The Command to Be Merciful

In imitation of the Prophet, Muslims are expected to be merciful, to bring good, and to seek the benefit of others—all others—not wish them harm or rejoice in the evil that befalls them. Indeed, the Tradition of Primacy promotes a doctrine of universal, all-embracing mercy. Commentators emphasize this point, clarifying that the mercy Muslims are commanded to show is not exclusively for themselves or the righteous amongst them. It extends to all human beings: Jews, Christians, the believing and unbelieving, the upright and the immoral, and it goes beyond the human family to include both the animate and inanimate: birds and animals, even plants and trees. In English, “be merciful to those on earth” tends to imply human beings. Translated here as “those,” the Arabic word man is broad and inclusive. Its primary reference is to rational beings, but it includes, by secondary reference, non-rational ones also: animals, plants, and, by extension, what today would be termed the environment.

The Prophet told an anecdote of a sinful man suffering from thirst one oppressively hot day who came across a well. He went down into it—(Middle Eastern wells are often open and with deep, winding staircases)—drew water, and drank.[10] When he came back up, he noticed a dog, panting from thirst and eating the clay around the well for moisture. The man said to himself: “This dog is suffering from thirst like I was.” He went down into the well a second time, filled his shoe with water, and let the dog drink. God loved the man’s humane act, showed him mercy, and forgave all his sins. When Muĥammad’s Companions heard the story, they asked: “O Messenger of God, will we be rewarded for being good to animals?” He answered: “Yes, there is reward in showing good to every living creature.” In another Tradition, the Prophet emphasized the atrociousness of merciless behavior in God’s eyes and told of a woman condemned to hell for intentionally starving a cat to death.

Mercy begins with the individual by taking care of the self physically, emotionally, and spiritually and includes exercise and diet, pursuing education, and keeping good company. It also means having a good opinion of oneself—without being arrogant or blind to one’s faults—living in constant anticipation of God’s help and mercy along with other Islamic corollaries of behavior like the categorical prohibition of suicide and despair. From the individual, concentric rings of mercy extend outward, taking in parents, spouse, children, family, neighbors, community, and the world. Part of being merciful toward others is having a good opinion of them, defending their good name, and doing whatever makes their lives better and averts harm.

The Qur’ān looks upon marital life as a primary locus of mercy and, consequently, exalts the institution of marriage as one of creation’s marvels and chief proofs of God, next to the creation of the heavens and the earth and of humankind itself. Marriage is not just the basic mode of human generation, manifesting the biological continuity of divine creation, but forms the primary social nucleus of love: “Among God’s signs is his creating for you partners in marriage from yourselves so that you find happiness in them and his putting between you bonds of affection and mercy. Certainly in that there are signs for people who think.”[11]

The Arabic words for “affection” and “mercy” in the verse are mawadda and raĥma. Matrimonial “mercy” means that both husband and wife seek to make each other happy, desiring what is good, prosperous, and beneficial for each. It implies that each spouse treat the other honorably and that neither be content with evil or harm as the other’s lot.

Mawadda—translated above as “affection” but more frequently as “love”—precedes raĥma in the verse, implying that love is mercy’s spiritual bedrock. While Arabic has many words for love, mawadda represents a special type. One of the ninety-nine principal names of God in Arabic—al-Wadūd, “the Loving”—is derived from the same linguistic root. Mawadda does not refer to physical love but to an active, emotive love that is direct and personal, involving affectionate care and abiding attention to others’ needs. With regard to God, al-Wadūd (“the Loving”), mawadda refers to His providential care for creation and the personal bounty and protection that He grants those He loves. With regard to human interaction, both in a general and marital context—as in the above-quoted verse—mawadda refers to loving involvement in the life of another, not simply through care or concern for that person’s well-being but also by personal faithfulness, emotional support, good counsel, and a general regard for that person’s interests.

The Law of Universal Reciprocity

As discussed at the beginning of this essay and as the Traditions above concerning kindness to animals indicate, mercy—God’s signature in creation—is linked to a law of universal reciprocity: Mercy will be shown to the merciful, and it will be withdrawn from the merciless. The positive side of this universal law is reflected in the words of the Tradition of Primacy: “Be merciful to those on earth, and he who is in heaven will be merciful to you,” a lesson often repeated in the Islamic scriptures. The Prophet taught: “Truly, God only shows mercy to those of his servants who are themselves merciful.” [12] Here the complementary side of the law of mercy is clarified. The Prophet said elsewhere: “Whoever shows no mercy will be shown no mercy.” [13] In the same authoritative collections, we find: “God will show no mercy to those who show no mercy to humankind.” [14] The Prophet warned his community: “Being merciful is only stripped away from the damned,” [15] implying that mercy is the natural condition of the human soul and is only stripped away and exchanged for mercilessness in people with callous, unnatural hearts that can no longer receive it. A heart that no longer has the capacity to feel mercy cannot be a receptacle of salvation either or a container of true faith; to become ruthless and void of compassion is to carry the mark of divine wrath and bear the brand of damnation and is the sure sign of an evil end.

Thus, the reciprocity inherent in the universal law of mercy embodies another dimension: the fact that mercy is linked with faith and opens the door of salvation, while mercilessness is linked with the rejection of God and invites damnation. Classical commentators explain that mercy springs from a healthy heart, one that is spiritually alive and suitable for sincere faith. Utter lack of mercy, on the other hand, reflects a heart that is spiritually dead. The implications are profound: Mercy and true belief do not cohabit hearts where hatred and the utter disregard for others reign.

Conclusion

The imperative to be merciful—to bring benefi to the world and avert harm—must underlie a Muslim’s understanding of reality and attitude toward society. Islam was not intended to create a chosen people, fostering exclusive claims for themselves, while looking down upon the rest of humanity like a sea of untouchables or regarding the animate and inanimate worlds around them as fields readied for wanton exploitation. Wherever Muslims find themselves, they are called upon to be actively and positively engaged as vanguards of mercy, welfare, and well-being.

Islam’s call to mercy should not render Muslims incapable of a wise and measured response to transgression, oppression, or injustice, which in some cases can only be checked by force. Islam is not a pacifist religion, although it commands its followers to incline toward merciful solutions and seek peace, while always remaining within dignified bounds and proper parameters consistent with Islam’s overarching doctrine of mercy. In a faith like Islam, which teaches that a person may be condemned to hell for starving a cat, it goes without saying that acts of ruthless barbarity must be rejected and never given the aura of religious sanctity. The merciless heart abides in the spirit of the damned, while the healthy heart is instinctively humane and comprehends the pricelessness of mercy. It is to people who are not “damaged goods” but humanly intact and spiritually alive that the Prophet directed his admonition: “Take an informed opinion (literally, fatwā) from your heart. What is good puts your self and your heart at rest. What is wrong is never fully acceptable to your self and wavers in your heart, even if people give you a different opinion (fatwā) and keep on giving it to you.” [16]

Notes

[1] “Ar-rāĥimīna yarĥamuhumu ‘r-raĥmānu: irĥamū man fī ‘l-‘arďi yarĥam(u)kum man fī ‘s-samā’.” The Tradition is transmitted in the collection of Tirmidhī and classified as şaĥīĥ (authoritative).

[2] In Arabic, it is called al-ĥadīth al-musalsal bi-‘lawwalīyya, literally, “the Tradition with continuous chain of primacy,” with the implication that in each generation masters had related it to their students in an unbroken chain in which each transmitter heard it first from the previous teacher.

[3] “Ar-Raĥmānu `alā ‘l-`arshi’ ‘stawā” (Qur’ān 20:5).

[4] “Kataba `alā nafsihi ‘r-raĥma” (Qur’ān 6:12).

[5] Both Traditions are in Bukhārī and Muslim, Islam’s most rigorously authenticated ĥadīth collections. The first reads: “Ghalabat raĥmatī ghaďabī,” and the second states: “Sabaqat raĥmatī ghaďabī.”

[6] “Rabbanā wasi`ta kulla shay’in raĥmatan wa `ilman” (Qur’ān 40:7).

[7] “Wa mā arsalnāka illā raĥmatan li-‘l-`ālamīn” (Qur’ān 21:71). Raĥma here and elsewhere may be rendered “special mercy” because of its indefinite form, implying that it is greater than the mercy we customarily know.

[8] The Tradition is authoritatively transmitted in Muslim and reads: “Innī lam ub`ath la``ānan wa innamā bu`ithtu raĥmatan.”

[9] This Tradition is in Bukhārī and Muslim.

[10] The Tradition is in Bukhārī.

[11] Qur’ān 30:21.

[12] Bukhārī and Muslim. The text reads: “Wa innamā yarhamu ‘Llāhu min `ibādihi ‘r-ruĥamā’.”

[13] Bukhārī and Muslim: “Man lā yarĥam lā yurĥam.”

[14] “Lā yarĥamu ‘Llāhu man lā yarĥamu ‘n-nās.”

[15] “Lā tunza`u ‘r-raĥmatu illā min shaqī.” This Tradition is found in Tirmidhī and is classified as “acceptable” (ĥasan) in isolation but strong in conjunction with similar well-authenticated Traditions such as those cited above.

[16] “Istafti qalbaka: Al-Birru mā-‘ţma’annat ilayhi ‘nnafsu wa-‘ţma’anna ilayhi ‘l-qalbu. Wa ‘l-ithmu mā ĥāka fī ‘n-nafsi wa taradda fī ‘ş-şadri, wa in aftāka ‘n-nāsu wa aftawk.” The Tradition is transmitted in Aĥmad, Ţabarānī, and Dārimī and, by Classical standards, is generally evaluated as “acceptable” (ĥasan), although some categorize it as “authoritative” (şaĥīĥ).

Source: Mercy: The Stamp of Creation from Nawawi Foundation

Laporan Bergambar Kem Eksplorasi Minda 2010

Panjatan syukur ke hadrat Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala kerana dengan limpahan Rahmat-Nya program Kem Eksplorasi Minda peringkat Kuching tahun 2010 telah berjaya dilaksanakan pada 19-22 Rabi'ulawwal 1431H bersamaan 5-8 Mac 2010. Biarpun kehadiran peserta hanya sekitar 15 orang ditambah dengan 3 orang Urusetia-Fasilitator, namun program tetap berjaya dijalankan dengan baik. Para peserta rata-ratanya datang daripada latarbelakang yang pelbagai; ada yang sedang menunggu keputusan SPM, ada yang sudah bekerja, dan ada yang merupakan penganggur sepenuh masa. Mereka datang daripada tempat-tempat yang secara umumnya agak terkebelakang dari segi status sosio-ekonomi seperti Balai Ringin dan Bako. Namun, partisipasi dan disiplin baik yang ditunjukkan oleh mereka membayangkan hasrat dan keinginan mereka untuk terus belajar dan melakukan sesuatu yang signifikan dan bermakna di dalam kehidupan mereka; untuk diri mereka dan untuk umat seluruhnya.

Aktiviti “Timber” yang bertujuan untuk menguji dan melatih keyakinan diri para peserta pada diri sendiri; di samping memperkukuh keyakinan sesama rakan.

Salah seorang peserta, Mohd. Rashidi, sedang menyiapkan aktiviti di dalam sesi Kejelekitan Kumpulan. Aktiviti ini bertujuan mengajar para peserta bahawa tugas yang sukar boleh menjadi mudah apabila ada perkongsian pengalaman dan kerjasama.

Para peserta sedang mengikuti salah satu sesi penerangan dan penjelasan di dalam program.

Penerangan tentang rasional dan pengajaran yang boleh diperolehi daripada setiap permainan dan aktiviti disampaikan di hujung setiap sesi oleh Ketua Fasilitator.

Sebahagian para peserta sedang menyanyikan lagu tema program yakni “Andai Ku Tahu” nyanyian kumpulan “Ungu”.

Para jurulatih daripada Himpunan Keilmuan Muda (HAKIM) Sdn. Bhd., Sdr. Nor Mohamed bin Norzaini (kiri) dan Sdr. Mohd. Mujahedd bin Mohd. Nasir (kanan), yang menyampaikan slot Kursus Pandangan Hidup Islam (KPHI) dengan menyampaikan tajuk-tajuk “Faham Agama dan Asas Akhlak”, “Hakikat dan Sifat Insan”, serta “Faham Ilmu dan Pembudayaannya”.

Sebuah kumpulan sedang menyiapkan menara daripada ‘straw’ sebagai salah satu aktiviti bagi menguji kreativiti serta kerja berpasukan.

Aktiviti “Kembara Si Buta” sebagai salah satu tugasan di dalam melatih dan mengajar para peserta tentang kepimpinan dan kepengikutan.

Al-Fatihah Buat Saudaraku Azrul Jamhari

Segala lafaz pujian dirafa’kan ke hadrat Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala yang Maha Agung, yang Memiliki dan Menguasai segala sesuatu. Maha Suci Allah Yang Empunya jiwa-jiwa kami.

Pagi tadi saya mendapat berita yang sangat mengejutkan. Salah seorang sahabat kami, saudara Azrul Bin Haji Jamhari telah kembali ke rahmatullah. Beliau meninggal dunia malam tadi (17 Mac 2010) sekitar jam 10.44 malam, pada usia 18 tahun. Beliau tidak mempunyai apa-apa penyakit kronik, selain daripada asma dan terkena serangan sawan. Namun, ternyata ajal dan maut adalah ketentuan Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala semata-mata. Tidak kira berapa pun usia kita, jika Allah menghendaki untuk memanggil kita kembali, maka kita pasti akan kembali.

Semoga Azrul Bin Haji Jamhari dikurniakan Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala dengan husnul khatimah (pengakhiran yang baik). Beliau adalah merupakan bekas peserta bagi dua program BPPMIS yakni Kem MUDA Belia Islam Bintulu-Miri sempena Maulidurrasul 1430H pada bulan Mac 2009 dan Kembara Hijrah 1431H pada bulan Disember 2009. Sikap beliau yang ceria, mudah mesra dan sangat baik hati menyebabkan ramai yang tidak mudah melupakan beliau, dan pemergian beliau pasti akan dirasai oleh ahli keluarga dan rakan-rakannya.

Sama-samalah kita sedekahkan bacaan Surah Al-Fatihah kepada roh Allahyarham Azrul Jamhari. Kita mendoakan semoga roh beliau ditempatkan oleh Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala di kalangan orang-orang yang soleh. Juga, semoga keluarga beliau tabah menghadapi ketentuan Allah ini.

Untuk peringatan kita yang masih hidup di atas muka bumi ini, jadikan ini sebagai satu pengajaran penting buat kita; bahawa ajal itu boleh datang bila-bila masa sahaja. Adakah kita sudah bersedia?

Sesungguhnya daripada Allah kita datang, dan kepada Allah jualah akhirnya kita akan kembali.

Semoga Allah melimpahkan Rahmat dan Hidayah-Nya kepada kita semua.

Ilmu menjadikan kita takut kepada Allah

Oleh PANEL PENYELIDIKAN YAYASAN SOFA, NEGERI SEMBILAN

Pada hari ini, kita melihat rata-rata umat Islam di negara ini sudah mula berjinak-jinak dengan majlis-majlis ilmu dan ulama. Di masjid-masjid dan surau-surau majlis-majlis pengajian ilmu semakin rancak diadakan.

Ia mendapat sambutan yang memberangsangkan dari segenap lapisan masyarakat yang dahagakan ilmu dan pentarbiahan hatta terdapat masjid yang mengadakan majlis pengajian pada setiap malam. Ini suatu perkembangan yang baik kepada peningkatan kualiti umat Islam di negara ini dan agama Islam itu sendiri.

Persoalannya, apakah ilmu yang mereka perolehi ini benar-benar memberikan manfaat dan kesan ke dalam diri mereka?

Ketahuilah, bahawa sebaik-baik ilmu ialah ilmu yang menjelmakan perasaan takut kepada Allah SWT. Iaitu, takut yang disertai perasaan membesarkan Allah dan menumbuhkan amal. Allah SWT telah memuji para ulama melalui firman-Nya: Sebenarnya yang menaruh bimbang dan takut (melanggar perintah) Allah dari kalangan hamba-hamba-Nya hanyalah orang-orang yang berilmu. (al-Faatir: 28)

Inilah ilmu yang paling bermanfaat kerana ilmulah yang memandu kita ke jalan akhirat. Kalam hikmah ini diungkapkan oleh Sheikh Ibnu Atoillah al Sakandari r.a dalam Hikamnya yang bertajuk al Hikam al Atoiyyah.

Terbukti, kalam hikmahnya ini telah mampu melunakkan hati yang keras, menenangkan jiwa yang resah, mengekang nafsu yang rakus dan mengajak manusia menyelami hikmah-hikmah di sebalik kejadian Allah SWT. Semoga kita mendapat manfaat daripadanya.

Adapun orang alim yang tidak mempunyai perasaan takut kepada Allah bukanlah orang alim yang sebenarnya.

Lebih-lebih lagi, orang alim yang keinginannya untuk mendapatkan kemewahan dunia, kemegahan dan bersikap takbur dengan ilmunya.

Ilmu sebegini hanya akan menjadi hujah ke atasnya di akhirat kelak dan sebab yang akan mengundang bala dan akibat yang buruk kepadanya.

Umar ibn al Khattab r.a pernah berkata, "Perkara yang paling aku takuti berlaku terhadap umat ini ialah munculnya orang yang alim pada lisan tetapi jahil pada hati".

Ini bukanlah ciri-ciri pewaris para nabi kerana pewaris para nabi memiliki sifat zuhud terhadap dunia, berminat terhadap akhirat, ikhlas menyampaikan amanah ilmu dan bertakwa.

Orang yang memiliki ilmu yang bermanfaat, tidak memiliki sifat bongkak atau takbur, tidak suka mencaci orang lain, berlapang dada, mudah diajak berbincang dan tidak cepat melatah.

Sahl ibn Abdullah r.a pernah berkata: "Janganlah kalian memutuskan satu urusan dari urusan-urusan dunia dan agama kecuali setelah berbincang dengan ulama. Maka kesudahannya akan dipuji di sisi Allah SWT".

Abu Muhammad r.a pernah ditanya: "Wahai Abu Muhammad! Siapakah ulama?" Jawabnya: "Orang-orang yang mengutamakan akhirat daripada dunia dan mengutamakan Allah daripada diri mereka sendiri".

Saidina Umar ibn al Khattab r.a pernah mewasiatkan: "Berbincanglah mengenai urusanmu dengan orang-orang yang takutkan Allah".

Al Wasiti r.a berkata: "Manusia yang paling pengasih ialah ulama, kerana perasaan takut mereka kepada Allah dan kebimbangan mereka terhadap apa yang diajar oleh Allah SWT".

Banyak ayat dan hadis yang menyebut tentang kemuliaan ilmu atau ulama. Rasulullah SAW pernah bersabda: "Penuntut ilmu dijamin oleh Allah rezekinya".

Ketahuilah, bahawa ilmu yang diulang-ulang sebutannya di dalam al-Quran dan hadis Nabi SAW ialah ilmu yang bermanfaat yang disertai oleh perasaan takut kepada Allah. Bahkan, ilmu yang bermanfaat juga ialah ilmu yang mampu menguasai nafsu dan mengekang syahwat.

Disebut juga, ilmu yang bermanfaat ialah ilmu yang membantu pemiliknya mentaati Allah, dan berdiri di atas landasan agama Allah.

Sebahagian Salaf berkata: "Sesiapa yang bertambah ilmunya, maka bertambah jugalah kekhusyukannya (kerendahan hatinya)".

Seorang lelaki bertanya kepada Sheikh Junaid al Baghdadi r.a: "Apakah ilmu yang paling berguna?" Jawabnya, "Ilmu yang menunjukkan kamu kepada Allah SWT dan menjauhkan kamu daripada menurut hawa nafsumu".

Beliau berkata lagi: "Ilmu yang bermanfaat ialah ilmu yang menunjukkan pemiliknya kepada sifat tawaduk, sentiasa bermujahadah, menjaga hati, menjaga anggota zahir dari melakukan maksiat, takut kepada Allah, berpaling daripada dunia dan penuntut dunia, menjauhi orang-orang yang mengasihi dunia, meninggalkan apa yang ada di dunia kepada ahli dunia, suka memberi nasihat kepada makhluk, baik perilaku terhadap makhluk, suka duduk bersama golongan fuqara, memuliakan kekasih-kekasih Allah dan menghadapkan diri kepada apa yang mereka utamakan.

"Apabila orang alim yang mencintai dunia dan ahlinya, dan mengumpulkan dunia melebihi daripada keperluannya, maka dia akan lalai daripada akhirat dan ketaatan kepada Allah mengikut kadar kecintaannya kepada dunia".

Allah SWT berfirman (maksudnya): Mereka hanya mengetahui perkara yang zahir nyata dari kehidupan dunia sahaja, dan mereka tidak pernah ingat hendak mengambil tahu tentang hari akhirat. (al-Rum: 7)

Rasulullah SAW bersabda: "Siapa yang kasihkan dunia, maka dia telah membahayakan akhiratnya dan siapa yang kasihkan akhirat maka dia telah membahayakan dunianya. Justeru ingatlah, utamakanlah suatu yang kekal (akhirat) daripada yang akan rosak binasa (dunia)". (riwayat Imam Ahmad dan al Hakim)

Fudhail ibn 'Iyadh berkata: "Orang alim ialah doktor agama dan cinta dunia ialah penyakit agama. Apabila doktor telah memasukkan atau mengheret penyakit ke dalam dirinya, maka bilakah masanya dia boleh mengubati orang lain".

Sesiapa yang ilmunya memandunya kepada menuntut dunia, ketinggian di dalamnya, jawatan dan pandangan makhluk, maka ia adalah ilmu yang tidak bermanfaat. Bahkan, dia tertipu dengan ilmunya.

Tidak ada kerugian yang lebih besar daripada rosaknya orang alim dengan ilmunya yang diharapkan dapat menyelamatkannya. Kami memohon dengan Allah daripadanya.

Ilmu yang bermanfaat juga ialah ilmu yang diamalkan. Ulama mengumpamakan orang yang menghabiskan banyak waktu menuntut ilmu, duduk selama 40 atau 50 tahun belajar tanpa beramal, seperti orang yang asyik bersuci selama waktu itu dan memperbaharui wuduknya tetapi tidak solat walau satu rakaat.

Ini kerana maksud atau tujuan suatu ilmu ialah beramal dengannya sebagaimana tujuan berwuduk adalah untuk melakukan solat.

Berkata sebahagian ulama: "Kalaulah ilmu tanpa takwa itu penentu suatu kemuliaan, nescaya semulia-mulia makhluk Allah ialah iblis".

Sumber: Arkib Utusan

Mengapa Mempertikaikan Maulid?

Alhamdulillah. Setinggi pujian kita rafa`kan ke hadrat Allah Rabbul Jalil di atas limpahan nikmatnya kita dipertemukan dan dapat melalui hari-hari bulan Rabi` al-Awwal tahun ini yang menyuburkan ingatan dan ikatan kasih kita dengan kekasihNya, Nabi kita, Sayyiduna Muhammad SAW. Nampaknya sambutan umat Islam di serata pelusuk dunia terhadap hari dan bulan kelahiran Nabi SAW tetap segar dan bersemangat. Di negara kita sendiri, pelbagai bentuk sambutan yang diadakan di pelbagai peringkat mendapat sokongan dengan kehadiran begitu ramai anggota masyarakat. Masih banyak lagi majlis yang dijadualkan dalam masa terdekat sehingga mungkin melimpah keluar bulan Rabi` al-Awwal. Semua ini adalah suatu nikmat dan kurniaan istimewa daripada Allah SWT bagi umat dan negara kita. Kita berdoa agar umat Islam di Malaysia akan sentiasa terkedepan dalam mengagungkan, menyanjung, mempertahankan dan membuktikan kecintaan kita terhadap Sayyiduna Muhammad SAW yang semuanya merupakan inti dan hakikat sambutan Maulid Nabi.

Kita berdoa agar sambutan Maulid Nabi di negara kita akan terus meriah dan lebih semarak walaupun terdapat suara-suara yang nampaknya tidak senang dan kelihatan seolah-olah alahan (alergik) dengan sambutan Maulid. Pada tahun ini, suara-suara ini turut ‘menumpang’ isu pembatalan perarakan sambutan Maulid di salah sebuah negeri. Sebenarnya, saban tahun, apabila datang sahaja bulan Maulid, ada sahaja suara-suara, yang nampaknya bersumber daripada orang-orang yang sama, yang mempermasalahkan, mempertikaikan dan tidak senang dengan Maulid. Sikap tidak senang ini disuarakan pada pelbagai tahap dan dengan pelbagai ibarat. Ada yang menafikan adanya keistimewaan atau fadhilat Maulid Nabi SAW dan membanding-bandingk annya dengan keutamaan Nuzul Quran. Ada yang mengungkit-ungkit bahawa sambutan Maulid tidak pernah dibuat oleh Nabi SAW dan para sahabatnya (maksud Bid`ah yang sesat). Ada pula yang memilih musim Maulid ini untuk menulis dan menekankan tentang soal keinsanan Nabi Muhammad SAW. Dan ada juga yang mempertikaikan cara dan kaedah sambutan itu diadakan. Mereka yang faham dan mengenali suara-suara ini tidaklah terlalu terperanjat walaupun tetap menepuk dahi dan mengurut dada kerana sedih dan kesal dengan kekeliruan yang cuba dijaja dan kedegilan sikap yang ditonjolkan. Mereka yang kurang mengerti dan memahami pula mungkin sedikit-sebanyak akan terkeliru dan timbul kesangsian terhadap sambutan Maulid. Apatah lagi jika isu ini turut bercampur dan bertindan dengan isu dan sentimen politik kepartian.

Bukanlah terlalu besar isunya, jikalau yang dipertikaikan tentang Maulid ini adalah kaedah dan cara sambutannya. Prinsip-prinsip Islam dalam menentukan kaedah dan cara dalam sesuatu amalan sudah ada pada kita. Yang haram dan halal sudah jelas dalam Islam, manakala yang syubhah eloklah dijauhi. Kita turut diajar berlapang dada dalam persoalan yang statusnya masih khilaf. Kita juga dilarang mempertikaikan niat orang lain serta perlu bersangka baik sesama Islam. Berbekalkan sikap ini soal-soal rinci seperti berarak atau tidak, pembaziran, percampuran dan batas aurat, lafaz dan bacaan selawat, berkompang dalam masjid dan sebagainya dapat kita sikapi tanpa menimbulkan banyak masalah.

Malangnya, sebahagian suara-suara yang alahan Maulid ini turut mempertikaikan prinsip dan hukum Maulid serta kewajaran dan kebijaksanaan menganjurkannya dari sisi Islam. Ini adalah soal yang lebih besar dan mendasar. Kegelinciran kaki dalam hal ini boleh melibatkan soal-soal besar termasuklah menyakiti Nabi SAW, tidak beradab dengan Baginda SAW, menentang syiar Islam, menyesatkan para ulama dan umat Islam, memecahkan kesatuan umat dan seumpamanya. Tidak hairanlah seorang tokoh ulama Yaman, al-Allamah Abu Abdullah `Alawi al-Yamani turut memperuntukkan bab khusus tentang persoalan Maulid dalam kitabnya yang bertajuk Intabih Diinuka fi Khotrin (Awas, Agamu Dalam Bahaya!). Memang, jika tidak berhati-hati, kata-kata dan perbuatan kita dalam bab Maulid ini boleh membahayakan dan mengancam agama kita sebenarnya.

Kerangka Fikir Menolak Maulid

Jika diteliti, ada beberapa kerangka faham agama tertentu yang dipegangi oleh mereka yang alahan Maulid ini yang akhirnya menyebabkan mereka bersikap begitu. Kerangka faham agama yang sama juga menyebabkan mereka turut mempermasalahkan dan berbeza sikap dengan majoriti umat dalam soal-soal tertentu seperti fiqh bermazhab, tasawuf, dan beberapa isu-isu khilafiyyah. Kita boleh menyimpulkan kerangka faham agama mereka ini kepada beberapa fahaman utama :

Pertamanya : fahaman mereka yang ganjil berkenaan prinsip dan konsep Bid`ah. Mereka tidak mahu menerima pandangan ulama-ulama muktabar yang membahagikan Bid`ah kepada yang sesat dan yang terpuji. Bagi mereka semua Bid`ah dalam hal agama adalah sesat. Mereka keras berpegang dengan tafsiran literal dan sempit kepada hadis yang berkaitan persoalan Bid`ah ini.

Kedua : mereka terlalu menekankan sikap Ittiba` (mematuhi) dalam sikap mereka terhadap Nabi SAW dan Sunnahnya. Seterusnya, secara langsung atau tidak mereka ini sering mempertentangkan Ittiba` dengan sikap-sikap lain kita terhadap Nabi seperti Hubb (mengasihi) Ta`dzim (mengagungkan) , Tasyaffu` (memohon syafaat), Tabarruk (mengambil berkat), Tawassul (mengambil sebagai perantaraan) dan seumpamanya.

Ketiga : mereka berpegang serta bertaklid kuat dengan fahaman dan tafsiran beberapa tokoh ulama khalaf tertentu yang akhirnya telah diolah dan terolah menjadi suatu aliran terasing daripada arus perdana Umat. Berbekalkan fahaman-fahaman dalam aliran ini yang telah mereka angkat ke tahap doktrin dan memang disebarkan secara indoktrinasi (secara perbincangan sebelah pihak serta tidak saksama ataupun objektif), mereka ini rata-rata bersikap lebih pesimistik dan cenderung mempertikaikan tafsiran para ulama lain selain daripada beberapa ulama yang menjadi ikutan mereka.

Jika direnungi fahaman-fahaman asas mereka ini maka tidak hairanlah mereka ini cenderung menolak Maulid. Sebaliknya, mereka yang mendokong Maulid tidak perlu mengambil-kira pandangan ini kerana asas-asas fahamannya ternyata berbeza dengan arus perdana Umat. Pertamanya, di sisi majoriti umat, sambutan Maulid adalah paling kurangpun dikira sebagai Bid`ah Hassanah. Malah ada pandangan menyatakan bahawa ia termasuk sunnah yang dimulakan oleh Nabi SAW sendiri berdasarkan hadis yang menyebut bahawa kelahirannya pada hari Isnin menjadi salah satu asas Baginda SAW berpuasa sunat pada hari-hari tersebut, “Padanya (hari Isnin) aku dilahirkan dan padanya (hari Isnin wahyu pertama) diturunkan kepadaku.” (Syarah Sohih Muslim, Imam Nawawi Jld 8 H: 235)

Majoriti umat juga tidak melihat konsep Ittiba`, Hubb, Ta`dzim, Tasyaffu`, Tabarruk dan Tawassul sebagai konsep-konsep yang bercanggahan antara satu sama lain. Malah semuanya adalah sebahagian dan selari dengan dasar mematuhi dan mentaati Nabi SAW kerana konsep-konsep ini tidaklah dilarang atau bercanggah dengan ajaran yang dibawa oleh Nabi SAW.

Merujuk kepada asas fahaman mereka yang ketiga, majoriti Umat Islam telah mewarisi khazanah fahaman agama meliputi ketiga-tiga cabang utamanya Aqidah/Tauhid, Shariah/Fiqh dan Akhlak/Tasawwuf daripada generasi demi generasi ulama-ulama pilihan dalam suatu kerangka yang kemas dan sistematik. Para pemuka ulama Umat dalam kerangka ini rata-ratanya tidak menolak dan mendokong Maulid sehingga boleh dianggap terdapat sebentuk Ijma` Sukuti (ijma` senyap) tentang sambutan Maulid Nabi selepas ia mula dianjurkan secara besar-besaran.

Keinsanan Rasulullah SAW

Dalam kehangatan kita cuba mendaulatkan dan menyanjung Nabi SAW di musim Maulid tahun ini, seorang penulis kolum telah memilih untuk membahaskan isu keinsanan para Rasul AS mengikut fahaman yang tersendiri. Pemilihan masa dan cara penulisan tulisan tersebut nampaknya cuba menghantar beberapa mesej yang bercanggah dengan sambutan Maulid Nabi SAW. Antara mesejnya adalah, keinsanan Nabi SAW ditonjolkan agar tumpuan diberikan terhadap al-Quran dan bukan diri Nabi SAW. Mukjizat yang berkaitan dengan diri Nabi SAW cuba dikecilkan kononnya untuk mengelakkan pelampauan dalam memuji Nabi SAW. Olahan sebegini terhadap mukjizat peribadi Nabi SAW turut dimaksudkan untuk mempermasalahkan keistimewaan yang boleh dikurniakan oleh Allah SWT kepada insan-insan pilihannya yang lain seperti Irhas dan Karamah.

Seperti biasa, kolumnis tersebut membawa beberapa dalil al-Quran dan Hadis untuk mendokong `tesis’nya itu. Cuma, jika diperhalusi, kesemua dalil-dalil ini telah ditafsirkan dan diletakkan dalam kerangka yang sesuai dengan kecenderungan penulis. Misalnya, ketika memetik ayat 110, Surah al-Kahfi yang bermaksud, “Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): “Sesungguhnya aku hanyalah seorang manusia seperti kamu, diwahyukan kepadaku...” penulis tidak pula menegaskan bahawa walaupun Nabi SAW itu insan, tetapi sebagai insan yang menerima wahyu Baginda SAW bukanlah sama dengan insan biasa. Menerima wahyu adalah tugas berat dan istimewa dan Rasulullah SAW telah dipilih serta dipersiapkan lebih awal untuk proses itu. Setelah Baginda SAW menerima wahyu pula, Baginda SAW terus-menerus meningkat keistimewaannya dan tidak sama sekali boleh di samakan dengan insan biasa.

Penulis turut menukilkan ayat-ayat yang menegaskan bahawa mukjizat Nabi SAW hanya berlaku dengan izin Allah SWT. Isu ini tidak pernah dipertikaikan oleh mereka yang mengagungkan Nabi SAW. Dalam menjulang Nabi SAW, para ulama dan umat Islam arus perdana tetap melakukannya dalam kerangka tauhid. Mereka tetap mengembalikan segala keistimewaan Baginda SAW kepada izin, ketentuan dan iradah Allah SWT.

Kolumnis ini juga memetik hadis dimana Baginda SAW melarang kita daripada memujinya berlebihan seperti orang Kristian memuji Nabi Isa AS. Tetapi beliau tidak menyatakan pandangan para ulama yang rata-rata memahami hadis tersebut sebagai larangan bersyarat. Dilarang memuji Nabi SAW, jika pujian tersebut sampai ke tahap mengatakan Nabi Muhammad SAW sebagai anak Allah dan lain-lain dakwaan melampau Kristian tentang Nabi Isa AS. Adapun pujian setinggi manapun, selagi tidak sampai ke tahap itu, memang layak dan sesuai dengan ketinggian dan keistimewaan Nabi Muhammad SAW disisi Allah SWT.

Kolumnis tidak pula membawa dalil-dalil al-Quran dan Hadis yang menjulang dan memuji Nabi SAW. Tidak juga merujuk kepada sikap dan perbuatan para Sahabat RA dalam memuliakan dan membesarkan Nabi SAW. Para Sahabat RA, merupakan generasi yang paling memahami dan menjiwai al-Quran dan Sunnah tetapi apa yang mereka lakukan dalam memuliakan Nabi SAW adalah jauh melebihi apa yang kita lakukan di dalam atau di luar majlis-majlis Maulid yang kita anjurkan.

Seperti beberapa tulisan sebelum ini, kolumnis ini juga memberi gambaran yang buruk terhadap hubungan antara murid dan guru dalam dunia kerohanian Islam. Beliau mengajak pembaca untuk menilai dunia yang begitu dimuliakan oleh para ulama Islam ini dengan merujuk kepada fenomena yang berlaku dalam kumpulan-kumpulan ajaran sesat yang menisbahkan diri kepada dunia Tasawwuf dan Tarekat. Ini bukanlah sikap yang jujur mahupun ilmiyyah dalam menilai ajaran dan fahaman arus perdana dalam dunia tersebut.

Sebenarnya kecenderungan memperkecilkan mukjizat dan khususiyyah Nabi SAW serta Karamah para ulama-awliya’ pewaris Baginda SAW, adalah suatu percubaan meletakkan semua orang di martabat yang sama dalam Islam. Tindakan menyamaratakan (levelling) semua orang dalam Islam ini adalah jelas bercanggah dengan ajaran Islam bahkan dengan fitrah alam. Ia akan mengakibatkan hilangnya autoriti dalam Islam yang akan menghakis keutuhan keseluruhan Islam itu sendiri. Akhirnya sesiapa sahaja boleh cuba bercakap bagi mewakili Islam. Sikap menafikan keistimewaan mereka yang benar-benar istimewa dalam Islam ini adalah lebih buruk dan bahaya jika ia merupakan strategi licik untuk menggantikan tempat para tokoh-tokoh ikutan muktabar umat selama ini dengan ikutan terhadap tokoh-tokoh aliran dan kelompok sendiri.

Sikap Yang Sepatutnya

Latarbelakang isu ini adalah perasaan kasih dan membesarkan Nabi SAW yang dikongsi dan disepakati semua. Oleh itu, rasanya dalam isu yang satu ini, hasil perbincangan ringkas di atas, tidaklah sepatutnya begitu sukar untuk mereka yang tidak terlalu keras sikapnya untuk bersama-sama bersikap positif terhadap sambutan Maulid Nabi SAW.

Bagi mereka yang selama ini memang mendokong Maulid, mereka sewajarnya lebih bersemangat dan bersungguh-sungguh meraikan dan menyambutnya. Tinggal lagi mereka harus sentiasa mempertingkatkan tahap kefahaman dan penghayatan mereka dalam sambutan Maulid yang mereka amalkan. Kaedah dan caranya harus dimuhasabah agar benar-benar berkesan serta diberkati agar matlamat-matlamat tertinggi di sebalik sambutan Maulid dapat dicapai dan dijelmakan.

Bagi segelintir orang-orang agama yang cenderung menentang dan alahan kepada Maulid, kita mencadangkan kepada mereka bahawa sudah ada banyak hujah dan asas ilmiyyah untuk membolehkan mereka melunakkan sikap mereka dalam bab Maulid ini. Kalaupun mereka masih enggan menyambutnya, ambillah serendah-rendah sikap yang terhormat dengan menganggapnya sebagai isu yang masih khilaf didalam Islam. Maka tidaklah wajib malah dilarang bagi mereka untuk mengingkari pandangan yang berbeza dalam mana-mana isu khilafiyyah. Adalah lebih terlarang untuk mengingkari Maulid jika ia akan menimbulkan ketegangan dan memecahkan kesatuan umat. Jika kebetulan mereka ini turut merupakan orang-orang politik yang bergerak di gelanggang politik pilihanraya, adalah terlebih wajar mereka melunakkan sikap dan tidak terlalu alahan terhadap Maulid. Bersikap keras terhadap Maulid hanya akan mengurangkan keyakinan umat Islam terhadap kepimpinan mereka.

Bagi muslimin-muslimat yang dari kalangan awam yang masih keliru dan ragu-ragu dengan perbahasan yang kita kemukakan disini kita menyeru agar mereka terus mengkaji dengan saksama, bersyura dan beristikharah. Rujuklah tulisan dan pandangan ulama muktabar yang lebih terperinci berkenaan isu ini. Kita akui bahawa tidak sesuai di ruangan ini untuk kita menulis secara terlalu terperinci mahupun terlalu berterus-terang. Inilah sekurang-kurangnya yang wajib mereka lakukan kalau mereka mahu turut terjun ke gelanggang urusan para ulama dan mereka yang mengkhusus dalam ilmu-ilmu Islam. Itu pun dengan menjaga adab-adabnya dan dengan tetap akur bahawa isu-isu agama adalah satu bidang yang kepakaran yang menuntut pengkhususan seperti bidang-bidang pengkhususan yang lain. Jika mereka tidak sanggup dan memangpun mereka tidak dituntut mengkaji seperti para ulama mengkaji, maka mereka sepatutnya mengikut pandangan muktabar sama ada yang telah diangkat sebagai fatwa rasmi ataupun tidak. Itu adalah sikap yang lebih selamat dan sejahtera bagi agama mereka.

Oleh: Syeikh Muhammad Fuad bin Kamaludin al-Maliki, Ahli Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Sembilan dan Penasihat Yayasan Sofa Negeri Sembilan.

Kuliah Khas Maulidurrasul 1431H - Kuching

Syafia Humairah: Mangsa Masyarakat Yang Tiada Kemanusiaan

Nama Syafia Humairah Sahari pastinya kini bukan lagi satu nama yang asing bagi masyarakat negara ini, khususnya bagi masyarakat yang prihatin. Semalam (28 Februari 2010), di dalam akhbar Berita Harian sahaja, ada banyak berita yang berkaitan dengan kejadian malang yang menimpa adik Syafia Humairah Sahari. Malah di dalam banyak akhbar-akhbar yang lain berita ini turut mendapat perhatian. Masakan tidak, seorang kanak-kanak comel yang tidak berdosa menemui maut dalam keadaan yang cukup menyedihkan – dibelasah sampai mati!

Berbahagialah adik Syafia Humairah Sahari kerana tempat beliau di syurga!

Lambakan berita dan respon yang diberikan di dalam media-media yang pelbagai menampakkan sifat prihatin masyarakat di negara ini. Namun, dalam masa yang sama, mungkin kita juga perlu memikirkan kemungkinan masyarakat negara ini lebih sukakan ‘berita sensasi’ daripada benar-benar bersikap prihatin dan mempunyai kepedulian sosial yang tinggi. Apa tidaknya, berita kematian seorang kanak-kanak yang didera bukan pertama kali kita dengar. Malah, bermacam-macam berita tentang kekejaman manusia pernah kita dengar sebelum ini tetapi jenayahnya tetap berulang di dalam masyarakat. Seolah-olah masyarakat di negara ini tidak mahu mengambil pengajaran yang besar di sebalik setiap kejadian yang telah berlaku.

Saya tidak menafikan bahawa si lelaki yang “membelasah” adik Syafia sampai mati itu adalah seorang lelaki yang kejam dan tidak berperikemanusiaan. Lelaki itu harus mendapat hukuman yang mandatori! Namun, kita juga tidak boleh bersikap terlalu wewenang dan meletakkan beban kesalahan ke atas lelaki kejam itu semata-mata. Kes-kes seperti ini sebenarnya adalah merupakan manifestasi daripada kegagalan sistem – justeru melibatkan banyak pihak. Ada beberapa perkara yang saya rasa elok untuk difikirkan bersama-sama dan cuba untuk kita ambil pengajaran daripadanya.

[1] Mengapakah si ibu, seperti yang dilaporkan oleh hampir semua akhbar – tanpa ada penafian – boleh mempunyai seorang teman lelaki dalam keadaan dirinya masih ada suami yang sah? Walaupun suaminya merengkok di dalam penjara, tetapi mereka masih suami isteri yang sah di sisi agama. Mereka masih terikat dalam aqad pernikahan. Bukankah perbuatan si isteri itu perbuatan yang curang? Ke mana perginya nilai-nilai agama? Siapakah yang bersalah dalam hal ini? Fikirkan.

[2] Mengapakah si anak itu diserahkan kepada jagaan seorang ‘teman lelaki’. Mempunyai seorang ‘teman lelaki’ itu sendiri sudah merupakan satu kesalahan, kemudian diserahkan pula anak kesayangan kepada jagaannya. Persoalan yang perlu kita sama-sama fikirkan: ke mana perginya ahli keluarga?

[3] Mungkin, antara faktor mengapa si anak dijaga oleh ‘teman lelaki’ adalah kerana si ibu keluar bekerja. Mengapa sampai perlu si ibu keluar bekerja? Tanggungjawab utama si ibu adalah di rumah. Urusan nafkah mereka masih lagi di bawah tanggungjawab suami, yang sedang merengkok di dalam penjara. Maka, salah siapa? Sekali lagi, mana pula perginya ahli keluarga dan jiran tetangga? Ingat, jiran itu ada hak! Mana pula perginya peranan para pemimpin negara ini yang hanya ‘terhegeh-hegeh’ hendak menziarahi bila ‘nasi sudah menjadi bubur’?

[4] Si lelaki pembunuh itu sendiri, ke mana perginya kemanusiaan? Mengapa bersifat kebinatangan – malah lebih teruk lagi daripada binatang kerana binatang pun tidak mendera anak! Bukankah Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam mengajarkan kita dengan kasih sayang? Mana perginya ajaran itu? Apakah pernah kita terfikir bagaimana agaknya perasaan Rasulullah sekarang terhadap kita?

[5] Mengapakah masyarakat yang melihat kejadian itu tidak memberikan pertolongan dengan segara – dan tidak bertindak tegas terhadap lelaki itu – hanya dengan alasan diugut agar ‘tidak campur tangan urusan keluarga’? Dalam Islam kita diajar tentang hak jiran, hak saudara se-Islam. Kita diajar tentang perjuangan dan membetulkan kesalahan dengan segala kudrat yang ada. Ke mana perginya semua ajaran itu? Atau, apakah pernah pun diajar segala nilai-nilai itu? Apakah masyarakat kita sudah memahami hakikat pertanggungjawaban mereka dengan Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala?

[6] Sudah lama disebut, dinasihati, ditekankan oleh para ‘ulama tentang kepentingan untuk kita keluar daripada kongkongan sistem pendidikan Barat yang tidak memberikan keutamaan kepada ilmu-ilmu yang lebih utama. Sistem pendidikan kita pada hari ini bukan ‘memanusiakan manusia’, tetapi lebih kepada ‘mengindustrikan manusia’. Maka, tidaklah mustahil jika ramai manusia bersifat ‘kebinatangan’ – kerana sudah tidak pandai menjadi manusia!

Selepas ini pasti banyak forum dan perbincangan akan dibuat berkisar isu ini – sepertimana selalunya. Malah, tidak mustahil jika selepas ini ada cadangan untuk diwujudkan pula undang-undang yang baru – sepertimana selalunya. Begitulah sikap sebahagian pemimpin negara ini, yang mahu menunjukkan diri sebagai ‘hero’ apabila sesuatu kes telah berlaku. Sedangkan, di dalam negara ini kita punya begitu banyak ‘ulama dan intelektual yang unggul – yang hampir semuanya tidak terikat dengan mana-mana parti politik pun – yang mana merupakan hak mereka untuk kita ambil nasihat dan ‘pengarahan’ daripada mereka. Apabila pandangan para ‘ulama dan intelektual tidak didengari, malah apabila pemimpin-pemimpin politik merasakan bahawa pandangan merekalah yang paling betul, maka akan berlakulah huru-hara dalam masyarakat. Kita harus mengambil satu sikap yang baru, bahawa pandangan para ‘ulama dan intelektual bukanlah semata-mata suatu ‘nasihat’, tetapi adalah merupakan suatu ‘pengarahan’ daripada mereka yang harus dipatuhi oleh segenap lapisan masyarakat, termasuklah para pemimpinnya.

Maaf jika terkasar bahasa.

Wallahu’alam.