COMPANION TO CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC THOUGHT. PART 5

An article published in
Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi’ (ed.) (2006),
The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought
Oxford: Blackwell Publishing
Chapter 11: pp. 195-212

The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought reflects the variety of trends, voices, and opinions in the contemporary Muslim intellectual scene.

THE FUTURISTIC THOUGHT OF USTAZ ASHAARI
MUHAMMAD OF MALAYSIA

The Messianism of Ustaz Ashaari Muhammad - part 3

The third peculiarity of Ustaz Ashaari’s messianism is his conviction that Southeast Asia plays a dominant role in determining the course of Islamic resurgence towards the end of time. Holding that the Malay–Indonesian world is the “East” referred to in hadiths and scholarly opinions, Ustaz Ashaari is thereby convinced in a Malaysian provenance of the youth of Bani Tamim. This belief is founded upon the hypothesis that many Sunni Arab families emigrated to the Far East to flee from persecution during the last century or so, such that a possibility arises that inter-marriages between Bani Tamim emigrants and Malays actually produced Bani Tamim generations with diluted Arab features. Added to this is circumstantial evidence obtained from personal encounters and dialogues with foreign ulema who express the view that the level of Islamic consciousness among the masses in Malaysia is comparatively higher than anywhere else in the Ummah. Logically, if the present constitutes a period near the end of time, the East mentioned as the provenance of the youth of Bani Tamim has to be one in which Islam is fertile at grassroots level. Best fitting the picture among Southeast Asian nation states, Malaysia’s pivotal role, and the position of Malays as its core ethnic group, in the final resurgence of Islam are practically destined.

Is Ustaz Ashaari claiming the mantle of the youth of Bani Tamim for himself, and claiming his followers to be the ikhwan of the youth of Bani Tamim and thereby of al-Mahdi? This was arguably insinuated in several statements, and most strongly in the employment since 1993 of a new personal title, viz. Abuya Shaykh Imam Ashaari Muhammad at-Tamimi; the surname “at-Tamimi” clearly suggesting Bani Tamim origins. Even if Ustaz Ashaari was suggesting that he is the youth of Bani Tamim who is destined to lead an Islamic state in the East, no scriptural justification exists to incriminate him theologically. Problems encountered with the authorities relate to the doctrine’s political implications, that Ustaz Ashaari is destined to lead Malaysia in the not too distant future. Yet, inner conviction does not necessarily lead to the adoption of organizational methods which can readily be transplanted from one structure to another; in Darul Arqam’s case, from a Muslim-oriented movement structure to a multi-racial state structure. No evidence exists of tangible preparations made by Darul Arqam to wrest power via militant or electoral means. As far as Ustaz Ashaari is concerned, if destined to become Malaysia’s leader one day, it will be through God’s will, triggered by the taqwa of his followers.

To Ustaz Ashaari, futuristic hadiths, on which his futuristic thought is based, are to be understood in the aspirational sense. Muslims are encouraged to aspire and exert themselves into realizing the qualities of figures touted to become history makers. It is not impossible that God grants them, due to their taqwa and efforts, the particular vocation which is open to Muslims. Even if it was proven in time that they are not the individuals mentioned in the hadiths, both human and systemic reforms effected by them can still be benefited. But the pursuit of such
aspirations has to be realistic. Since al-Mahdi’s name and physical characteristics have been specified by hadiths, it is unwise for Muslims lacking those traits to bear Mahdist aspirations. It will be more realistic doctrinally to strive to become the youth of Bani Tamim whose traits and features have been shielded from public knowledge. Or rather, in line with Ustaz Ashaari’s interpretations, they have been purposely kept open for aspiring takers to endeavor to achieve the post. An example often quoted by Ustaz Ashaari is the hadith relating the downfall of Byzantine
Constantinople to “a good King, a good army and good people,” which was only realized at the hands of the Ottoman ruler, Muhammad al-Fatih, popularly known in the West as “Mehmet the Conqueror,” in 1453. In the more than 800 years between the conquest and the Prophet Muhammad’s death, his Companions and succeeding generations never stopped trying to accomplish God’s promise on Constantinople. The most illustrious Companion who was martyred during his vain attempt to conquer Constantinople was Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, whose fatal expedition was launched during the reign of the first Umayyad caliph, Mu’awiyah Abu Sufyan (d. 680).

Therefore, while Ustaz Ashaari refrains from categorically making exclusive claims for his followers as the “chosen people” of the Ummah, he does explicitly mention Darul Arqam’s endeavor to realize the steps needed to qualify themselves as the ikhwan of the youth of Bani Tamim:

"We in Darul Arqam are striving to realize this promise. After striving for the resurgence in the East, we headed towards Khurasan in great numbers, just as Allah seized the area from the hands of the Communists. Khurasan is the place for the flapping of the black banner from the East where there is a man, al-Harith Harrath, as mentioned in the hadith. We want to be the first to meet him."

to be continued...

COMPANION TO CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC THOUGHT. PART 4

An article published in
Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi’ (ed.) (2006),
The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought
Oxford: Blackwell Publishing
Chapter 11: pp. 195-212

The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought reflects the variety of trends, voices, and opinions in the contemporary Muslim intellectual scene.

THE FUTURISTIC THOUGHT OF USTAZ ASHAARI
MUHAMMAD OF MALAYSIA

The Messianism of Ustaz Ashaari Muhammad - part 2

The second distinctive feature of Ustaz Ashaari’s messianism relates to his placing unprecedented emphasis on the purported advent of a “youth of Bani Tamim,” a mysterious figure who has been described in hadiths as hailing from the East and serving as al-Mahdi’s main vizier. Even though the appearance of this assistant of al-Mahdi has been foretold in hadiths, a historical examination of Messianism in Islam reveals a complete lack of attention given to such a figure, whom Ustaz Ashaari believes will establish an Islamic state in the east as the foundation for al-Mahdi’s leadership of the Second Ummah. The advent of al-Mahdi, as a matter of principle, must be preceded by the success of the youth of Bani Tamim, who will eventually hand over political power to al-Mahdi. In other words, the youth of Bani Tamim is the lesser savior whose political triumph will usher in more significant victories at the hands of the principal savior, al-Mahdi. The youth of Bani Tamim’s triumph in the East is therefore a necessary condition for the advent of al-Mahdi. Previous claims to the Mahdiship can be categorically repudiated by pointing
to their lack of a revivalist predecessor from the tribe of Tamim.

Perhaps due to the vagueness of the identity of the youth of Bani Tamim, whose pedigree and physical characteristics, unlike al-Mahdi’s, are scarcely elaborated in hadiths, no messianic truth-seeker or power-seeking pretender has been eager to come forward and claim his rank. Furthermore, unlike al-Mahdi, who is described in hadiths as a caliph who magnanimously distributes money without counting it, the youth of Bani Tamim is not associated with power and wealth he can willfully dispense. In the manner of a tug boat which paves the way for larger vessels, the youth of Bani Tamim merely opens avenues for and introduces al-Mahdi to the Ummah.
His main accomplishment: a state propped up by devoted followers known as the ikhwan (brothers), is prepared for al-Mahdi, not for himself. As such, staking a direct claim for the Mahdiship is misguided. Sincere revivalists should instead be healthily aspiring for the coveted position of the youth of Bani Tamim, as urged by Ustaz Ashaari:

Based on hadiths, we are also informed that the revival of Islam in the East happens in the hands of a man from Bani Tamim (Qurayshy clan) [sic]: the man who will hand over the black banner to Imam Mahdi. This means the struggles of the man of Bani Tamim and of Imam Mahdi are closely related, connected and occur in succession. Perhaps the relationship between the prophets Aaron and Moses provide a fair comparison. I see both the man of Bani Tamim and Imam Mahdi as being concurrent mujaddids. [Any member of] the Muslim Ummah should make the effort to become the man of Bani Tamim as mentioned in hadiths so that the schedule of Allah happens in his hands.

There is nothing wrong or extreme in competing to become the anointed man; this is the way it should be. But if we are not capable of accomplishing such high ambitions, we must search for another more able person. When such a person clearly exists, we must follow him and assist his struggle. There is no need to devise some other method...... Please feel welcome to grab this opportunity. The identity of the mujaddid or the man of Bani Tamim has not been fixed. This means that whosoever has the chance to qualify as the man of Bani Tamim.

Based on his study, Ustaz Ashaari enumerates some characteristics of the youth of Bani Tamim and the ikhwan:

He is of Arab ancestry, hailing from the Quraishy clan of Bani Tamim. But he has very few Arab features as a result of his lineage having been mixed with non-Arabs [via marriage].... His female followers appear like black crows, while the men wear turbans and green robes. The sight of them moving together in groups is awe-inspiring. The black banner which he carries in the East also flaps in Khurasan: a country behind a river (ma waraa un nahar). This means he is the leader of the same movement in the East and in Khurasan.... The Eastern-born leader will approach a man waiting for him in the country behind the river, called al-Harith Harrath. As the outcome of his struggle, the man of Bani Tamim obtains the reins of government in one of the countries in the East. It is this ruling power that will be handed over to Imam Mahdi.

to be continued

COMPANION TO CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC THOUGHT. PART 3

12/10/2006


An article published in
Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi’ (ed.) (2006),
The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought
Oxford: Blackwell Publishing
Chapter 11: pp. 195-212

The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought reflects the variety of trends, voices, and opinions in the contemporary Muslim intellectual scene.

THE FUTURISTIC THOUGHT OF USTAZ ASHAARI
MUHAMMAD OF MALAYSIA

The Messianism of Ustaz Ashaari Muhammad

On August 5, 1994, the National Fatwa Council (NFC) of Malaysia unanimously ruled that Darul Arqam’s teachings had deviated from Islam. Of the 10 charges of theological deviationism directed against Darul Arqam, two broad issues were of primary significance, viz. the theological validity of the Aurad Muhammadiah12 and the nature of Darul Arqam’s belief in the messianic advent of al-Mahdi. These issues had consistently been the sources of contention between the official religious authorities and Darul Arqam, as revealed in public statements by representatives
of the Islamic Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department (BAHEIS: Bahagian Hal Ehwal Islam Jabatan Perdana Menteri), and the heated exchanges that took place between both sides in the form of books, booklets and documents on the matter.

Technically, Aurad Muhammadiah enjoins the recitation, individually after each daily prayer, of seven verses in the correct order, preceded by the first chapter of the Qur’an. These verses, four and three of which are to be read 10 and 50 times respectively, are together a collection of Qur’anic verses, the kalimah shahadah (the attestation of faith: “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”) and a salawat (salutation of peace upon the Prophet Muhammad). But controversy arose as to the belief that the Aurad Muhammadiah was taught directly by the deceased Prophet Muhammad to its founder, Shaykh Muhammad Abdullah Al-Suhaimi, during a yaqazah – direct communication, in a state of consciousness, between two human beings, one or both of whom may have been deceased and therefore present in spiritual and not physical form. Two further allegedly deviant ritual practices of the Aurad Muhammadiah are, its allegedly longer kalimah shahadah, and the practice of tawassul as contained in its tahlil.

On the issue of messianism, three fundamental points distinguish Ustaz Ashaari’s millenarian beliefs from past messianic trends. Firstly, his conditional belief that Shaykh Muhammad Abdullah Al-Suhaimi, whose grave is said to exist in Kelang, Malaysia, is in fact being “kept” alive in the spiritual world by God to prepare for his reappearance as al-Mahdi. Based on the prevailing chaos in the contemporary world and the prediction made by Jalal al-din al-Suyuti (d.1505) that al-Mahdi would appear around 1407 AH, Ustaz Ashaari believes that al-Mahdi is the anointed savior of the fifteenth Islamic century, and the last in the list of celebrated mujaddids. Ustaz Ashaari’s postulation that the founder of the Aurad Muhammadiah is the most plausible candidate for the Mahdiship is based on arbitrary suggestions made by his grandson Mohd. Taha Suhaimi, upon circumstantial evidence tracing his ancestry to the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah, and on physical features and a name which accorded with the description of al-Mahdi in hadiths, as testified by those who met him in his lifetime. One of them, known as Kiyai Mahmud, was said to have personally heard Shaykh Muhammad Abdullah Al-Suhaimi’s prognosis that the resurgence of the Aurad Muhammadiah, after a brief decline following his occultation, would occur under the leadership of a man named “Ashaari Muhammad.”

Ustaz Ashaari’s belief in the Mahdiship of Shaykh Muhammad Abdullah al-Suhaimi apparently puts it on a similar terrain with the Twelver Shi’ites, who also believe in the occultation of al-Mahdi prior to his promised reappearance. From the Sunni perspective, no scriptural justification exists to support the theory of al-Mahdi’s occultation. In defense, Ustaz Ashaari cites the precedence of the Prophet Jesus and the People of the Cave, both of whom were thought to have died by their contemporaries but who in reality are being kept by God in an unknown world until the moment of their destined re-emergence.17 Furthermore, al-Mahdi’s antithesis, the Dajjal, is also arguably in occultation. This view is based on a lengthy hadith which tells how Tamim al-Dari, a Christian convert to Islam, was stranded during a voyage in a remote island where he met and spoke with a beast shackled in a monastery. The creature claimed to be the Dajjal, as was verified by the Prophet upon hearing Tamim’s story. Some Sunni ulema and Sufis did share Ustaz Ashaari’s view of al-Mahdi’s occultation. Supporting evidence for this include a statement from Ibn ‘Arabi (d.1240) and the testimony of Shaykh Hasan al-Iraqi (d.1525), whose personal encounter with Al-Mahdi was cited by Ustaz Ashaari.

to be continued....

COMPANION TO CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC THOUGHT. PART 2

An article published in
Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi’ (ed.) (2006),
The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought
Oxford: Blackwell Publishing
Chapter 11: pp. 195-212

The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought reflects the variety of trends, voices, and opinions in the contemporary Muslim intellectual scene.

THE FUTURISTIC THOUGHT OF USTAZ ASHAARI
MUHAMMAD OF MALAYSIA

Messianism in Sunni Islam

As a subject, the phenomena of messianism and millenarianism have never been short of controversy. At the popular level, they have been associated with the world of celestial happenings, ancient prophecies, and Doomsday cults, which have often ended tragically with mass suicides and other violent aftermaths. These appeared to have multiplied dramatically with the advent of the new millennium, occurring near in time to such heavenly events as the passing of comets Halley in 1986 and Hale-Bopp in March 1997; the conjunction of planets in May 2000, and the closest approach of Mars to the earth in August 2003. Most anthropologists would describe messianic movements as a universal manifestation of social protest, being religions of the oppressed, disappointed, marginalized, and desperate communities. Yearning for a swift crumbling of the present social order, such victims of capitalist-based modernization were prone to pin their utopian hopes for a future golden age on a certain savior, whose miraculous coming and feats may have been foretold, if only vaguely, in medieval texts. Indeed, outbursts of millenarianism may be detected in all major religions and civilizations.

Islamic millenarian expectations have revolved around the figure of Imam al-Mahdi, the messiah whose advent near the end of time has been pronounced by many hadiths, i.e. sayings or actions of the Prophet Muhammad as reported by his companions or wives, and passed through successive Muslim generations until ultimately compiled. In fact, eschatological hadiths relate that, chronologically, the proclamation of al-Mahdi will be followed by specific events, viz. the appearance of the Dajjal, the descent of the Prophet Jesus who will kill the Dajjal, the appearance of the destructive tribes of Gog and Magog, and the rule of al-Mahdi over the world for five or seven or nine years and followed by that of the Prophet Jesus for 40 years, after a series of triumphant wars against the infidels. Ultimate peace will only prevail under the leadership of al-Mahdi and Jesus Christ, when Islam will reign supreme over the world. Following the passing away of al-Mahdi and Jesus Christ, Islam will decline again, until the moment when believers’ lives are taken away by God, such that the Great Hour, i.e. the physical destruction of the planet earth, will be experienced only by unbelievers.

In orthodox Sunni Islam, scholars have discussed the subject of al-Mahdi in conjunction with the famous hadith regarding the promised mujaddid (reformer), as narrated by Abu Hurayrah and found in the collection of Abu Dawud: “Allah will raise, at the head of each century, such people for this Ummah as will revive its Religion for it.”

This explains the fact that Mahdist expectations have been strongest during the beginning of every Islamic century.8 Mahdism has come to embody not only a theological belief in the coming of a final deliverer towards the end of time, but also a political belief in the destiny of the Ummah to undergo regeneration under the Mahdist leadership of a centennial mujaddid. Hence for instance, the Umayyad caliph Umar Abd al-Aziz (d.720), conventionally regarded as the mujaddid of the first Islamic century, was also referred to in respectable religious circles as al-Mahdi. Hopwood describes the Sunni version of al-Mahdi, vis-à-vis the Shi’ite view, as a “mujaddid (renewer)…. who is not necessarily the harbinger of the Last Day but a more humble figure to guide the Ummah back to the right path.”9

Discussions revolving around the concept of al-Mahdi in Sunni Islam have exacted most interest from Sufis, who regard al-Mahdi as the last and spiritually greatest saint. Consequently, many Mahdist revivalist movements have had Sufi origins and inclinations. In fact, these movements were at the forefront of anti-colonial uprisings in the peripheral Muslim lands, whose societies had been severely disaffected by Western capitalist intrusion and military domination. While retaining a spiritual orientation, such movements took up many aspects more conventionally identified with modernist reformism, such as flexibility in opening the gates of ijtihad (independent reasoning) and an uncompromising rejection of foreign innovations, which had infiltrated traditional Sufi orders. Examples are the Diponegoro revolt in Dutch Java (1825–30), the Sanusiyyah agitations in late nineteenth-century Libya, and the anti-British Mahdist revolt in the Sudan (1881–5).10

In short, all messianic movements have up till now been proven in time to be not Mahdist in the scriptural sense. But this does not mean they were not Mahdist in orientation, in the sense of their having derived political inspiration from the apocalyptic belief in al-Mahdi. Therefore, the Mahdist doctrine wields not only theological significance, but is also valuable in generating reformist movements, particularly in times of economic and social discontent when the longing for a golden age becomes pervasive. The very idea that al-Mahdi’s coming as a divine promise is assured raises collective social hopes of Muslims and motivates them to work for the betterment of the Ummah, despite seemingly irreversible setbacks. In this sense, Mahdism encourages activism rather than a passive acceptance of the status quo. Very much a taboo to standard-bearers of official Islam, it has been and can still potentially be a powerful political weapon of Muslim revivalists.

Nonetheless, in the past century, Sunni Islamic movements have evidently discarded Mahdism, deeming it as irrelevant, from their agenda of resurgence. Mahdism has been relegated to the realm of fringe Sufi groups, Shi’ites, and heterodox movements. Contemporary revivalists have raised legitimate concern at the detrimental effects of past bogus claims by Mahdist aspirants,11 but the existence or even abundance of Mahdist pretenders does not necessarily mean Mahdism constitutes a deviation or represents a liability to Islamic resurgence. This is borne out by the social and economic activism of Darul Arqam and Rufaqa’ Corporation in Malaysia.

COMPANION TO CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC THOUGHT (1)

An article published in
Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi’ (ed.) (2006),
The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought
Oxford: Blackwell Publishing
Chapter 11: pp. 195-212

The Blackwell Companion to Contemporary Islamic Thought reflects the variety of trends, voices, and opinions in the contemporary Muslim intellectual scene.

THE FUTURISTIC THOUGHT OF USTAZ ASHAARI
MUHAMMAD OF MALAYSIA

This chapter discusses futuristic aspects in the messianic thought of Ustaz Ashaari Muhammad, who is well known among circles and observers of Southeast Asian Islam as the founder-leader of Darul Arqam, an Islamic movement banned in August 1994 by the Malaysian authorities for allegedly embracing and spreading heterodox teachings. Ustaz Ashaari subscribes to a unique vision of Southeast Asia as the future center of Islamic civilization in the post-modern world.

This essentially messianic vision has been procured via a rigorous study of hadith literature and empirical knowledge gained during overseas tours. Ustaz Ashaari’s thought becomes particularly important against the background of global messianic expectations as the new millennium meets the early phase of the Islamic century. In addition, Ustaz Ashaari’s method of relying on contemporary economic prowess belies the economic backwardness befalling Muslims worldwide and the economic downturn affecting Southeast Asia since 1997.

Ustaz Ashaari strives to realize his vision through his establishment and leadership of movements that exhibit unconventional methods of managing economic and social development. Founded in 1968 as a small religious gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Darul Arqam had developed, by 1994, into a self-styled economic empire commanding huge influence among the national socio-political elite. In material terms, its tangible accomplishments were phenomenal, certainly for a movement that professed to operate on a strictly Islamic basis.1 Until its demise in 1994, Darul Arqam, albeit being Malaysian-based, acquired a heavily transnational orientation, revolving especially around Southeast Asian countries. Convinced that an economically developed Islamic
state and society would eventually come about in Southeast Asia, Ustaz Ashaari’s followers throughout the region have continually sustained Islamic-oriented businesses and companies under various names, before gradually regrouping them under the aegis of Rufaqa’ International Limited in 2002. In Malaysia, continuous retention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) of their leaders, consistent state monitoring, and the closing down of their communal villages have not prevented Ustaz Ashaari’s followers from shifting ground towards erecting economically successful urban Islamic communities.

Under the restriction order imposed on him, Ustaz Ashaari cannot move from his designated district of residence, viz. Gombak (1994–2002) and since February 2002, Labuan island, off the Bornean coast of the state of Sabah. He has to remain indoors after 6 p.m., and all visitors have to be screened by the specially allocated security officers. He has to report to the nearest police station once a week.
However, out-of-district breaks may be and have been given upon special requests made due to unforeseen circumstances, such as family death and illnesses. Needless to say, such requirements have greatly hampered communication between him and his followers.

In 1997, Ustaz Ashaari registered a private limited company, Rufaqa’ Corporation, based in Bandar Country Homes, Rawang, Selangor, without relying on assets and capital from the disbanded Darul Arqam. Beginning with herbal-based health products, Rufaqa’ focused upon establishing small and medium enterprises based in “Islamic townships,” which refer informally to Rufaqa’’s conspicuous string of business premises dominating parts of industrial estates.
Within a few years, and despite prevailing economic uncertainty, Rufaqa’ quickly expanded to all states in Malaysia. Today, with its multiple business networks operating 40 different types of businesses, Rufaqa’’s business enterprises arguably constitute the best among economic initiatives offered by Islamic movements in Malaysia.

Despite stern denials, the state, still seeing Ustaz Ashaari as a threat to national security, has constantly leveled accusations that Rufaqa’ was trying to revive Darul Arqam, and in February 2002, banished Ustaz Ashaari and his immediate family to Labuan. In Labuan, business opportunities for Rufaqa’ have been blocked by the local authorities, but Rufaqa’ has managed to outwit the state by conducting businesses using the licenses of local Chinese businessmen oblivious as to Rufaqa’’s alleged heterodoxy and willing to cooperate with Rufaqa’. Muslims in Labuan have been persuaded by federal agents to desist from any communication and business links with Rufaqa’, but through the non-Muslim business network, Rufaqa’ now handles one bakery and five restaurants in Labuan. Having brought with him part of Rufaqa’s physical and human capital, reports have emerged detailing Ustaz Ashaari’s “luxurious” lifestyle and rapport with Labuan’s grassroots communities.

Ustaz Ashaari has achieved economic success by strenuously maintaining a taqwa-based approach to business and development. Literally taken to mean “the fear of God”, taqwa is stated in the Qur’an as being the source of God’s help, through which all of Muslims’ triumphs are effected. For example,

“If the people of the towns had but believed and feared Allah, We should indeed have opened out to them (all kinds of)blessings from heaven and earth. But they rejected (the truth) and we brought them to book for their misdeeds” (Al-A’raf 7: 96) and

“And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out, and He provides for him from (sources) he never could expect… And for those who fear Allah, He will make things easy for them” (At-Talaq 65: 2–4).


Rufaqa’’s business meetings were seen to focus primarily on the relationship between taqwa and “God’s bank,” by which is meant that through taqwa, God will shower bounties on business enterprises undertaken in the name of the struggle for God.

Without going into the doctrinal controversies surrounding the proscription and eventual disbandment of Darul Arqam, the author now wishes to look at traits in the messianic worldview of Ustaz Ashaari Muhammad differentiating his movements from not only contemporary resurgent Muslim trends, but also from previous messianic movements.

RAMADHAN, FESTIVAL OF RELIGIOUS RITUALS


Do not make Ramadahan an eating festivities, do not make Ramadhan a month where sleeping is the daily rituals and do not make Ramadhan when after a short prayer at night, the activities to follow on is the casual endless chatting. After the seeming endless chatting, everyone returns home to sleep, forgetting to get up during the night to be close to God.

Ramadhan is not only to revive the night or to suffer from hunger during the day and being under exhaustion. Ramadhan is meant for us to revive our minds, our hearts and souls with the feeling of being with God. Ramadhan is the joyous times for our souls to feel subservience towards Him, to feel low down with Him, to have the feeling of weakness towards Him, and to have the feeling of being small towards God the AlMighty.

Ramadhan is the time to revive our hearts to feel humble, to fear God, to love God, to feel being with God always. Ramadhan is the time to make our souls have the feeling of compassion towards others, loving and caring for others, to sympathise with those in hardships and those unfortunate ones.Ramadhan is the time to deepen our feelings of being sinful towards Him, having fear to do anymore wrongdoings. Ramadhan is the time to feel God's Supremacy, to feel His Awesomeness and His Strength. Ramadhan is not just actively doing the physical rituals which seem good on the exterior while the inner aspects are neglected and in darkness.

What is important is to keep our souls alive, having an inner enjoyment. God does not see the exterior or the outside but He sees what's inside.God wishes to see what's inside the human soul as to whether his soul has the feelings of being with God. Fasting during the day, night prayers being performed, Quran being read all to enlighten the soul which has been in darkness. Reciting the zikir should not be just an utterance but it comes with inner feelings. To do zikir is not just at the tongue but the heart is saying it as well, felt in the heart. To do the zikir is not at the tongue but what's remembered inside the heart.

The arrival of Ramadhan is for the purpose of reviving the heart which has been dead all this while. Hopefully, with a month of Ramadhan to revive the heart, it will last for another year. Then as the next Ramadhan appears the same thing happens again where the dead heart is revived to last for another year. This is for the normal person who is indifferent and negligent. For someone with taqwa where his soul is always alive, the coming of Ramadhan is the time for him to upgrade his position with God.

But if Ramadhan comes without any effort to revive the inner souls, the exterior seems joyous, the exterior being lighted up with various physical rituals while the inner rituals left unattended, during the times outside the month of Ramadhan, sad to say, the heart will be left in darkness for the whole year.

Latest Book

Latest Book “BUAH FIKIRAN USTAZ HJ ASHAARI MUHAMMAD” [Thoughts of Ustaz Hj Ashaari Muhammad] Volume 2 [hard cover] composes more than 60 collections of lectures with assorted topics which includes Tafseer of Surah Al Fatehah, Tasawuf, Knowing your Prophet S.A.W, Prayers (Solah), Educations In Islam, A Struggle (Perjuangan), Kinship, Organized Community, Leadership and General topics.







Information about the book:
Writer: Ustaz Hj Ashaari Muhammad
Publisher: Penerbitan Minda Ikhwan
Number of Pages : 620
Price[hard cover]: RM50.00
Language: Malay



“Many Muslims nowadays are bewildered, cant differentiate between Islamic Thoughts/Opinion and the Muslim Community’s Thoughts/Opinion. Islamic thought consist of any topics ranges from education, economic, culture, community, administrative, communication, development, infrastructure and etc.. But all these should be derived from Iman [faith] with the discipline of Islamic Syariah [Divine Laws]. If not, then; its not considered as an Islamic Thought, although it has been the talk of Muslim leaders, the intellectuals or even the Ulama’s [scholars].

Muslim Community must be vigilant because, some of the community leaders, intellectuals and Ulama’s [Scholars] nowadays, their mind have already been distorted because they study Islam form Universities which has been established by the West. Islamic teaching which had been taught, not only didn’t derive from Iman [faith] and Islamic Syariah [Divine Laws], the knowledge also has been “deviated” by the enemies of Islam, over there.

May this book, which how God wants it, till it will erode the views that contradicts the view of Islam and also, cleansing thought of Muslim Community that has already been damaged by the enemies of Islam. Hope that the confusions will be answered and hopefully, dear readers will get to know what is Islamic Thought by reading: Buah Fikiran Ustaz Hj Ashaari Muhammad Siri 2 [Thoughts of Ustaz Hj Ashaari Muhammad] Volume 2]"



For more information or ordering the book, please call
Dr Nor'Aini (019-3141074)
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or email to nuraini_ar@hotmail.com.



Book review:
To those who have read the book entitled “BUAH FIKIRAN USTAZ HJ ASHAARI MUHAMMAD” [Thoughts of Ustaz Hj Ashaari Muhammad] Volume 2, we would like to hear your comments and review about the knowledge and the message that was presented in the book mentioned.For review, you can send an email to nuraini_ar@hotmail.com or 1nuraina@gmail.com

UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE MEANING OF INDEPENDENCE

With the celebration of Independence Day of our beloved country Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia [or any country you are living in] let us try to understand the true meaning of independence so that we may truly be an independent nation as independence has various definitions.Here are some of its interpretions for us to understand:

Racial independence according to politics means independence from other racial colonialisation. Our own race with the governing power to determine the path with freedom from manmade ideologies. God's system being used for the living system as God is the Creator,the entire Universe and all creations are His.


Economic independence means there is no individual or group monopolizing the economy with no discrimination, no barriers, no cruelty. There is even distribution of wealth among the people based on ability, affordability and needs.

Mental independence means there is freedom for everyone to voice out
opinions and thoughts Without any fear or worries.Cultural independence means every race have their own identity, having the freedom to have their own the attires, social interactions in their everyday life according to their own style without any need to imitate external foreign cultures.Education independence means everyone is given equal opportunity to receive education. Everyone is encouraged to receive knowldege in various fields and those eligible for financial support are given the chance without any fear of discrimination or cronyism.

Religous independence means everyone given the freedom to practise their own faith and no one is allowed to belittle or hate one another on religous grounds. There is freedom of explanation in the search of the truth giving opportunity for everyone to have the true and clear faith as there is only one truth from God.

However, there is one very important form of independence which is frequently forgotten and yet it is the one determining the peace and harmony in one's life. More importantly it even determines whether one goes to Heaven or Hell. Which form of independence is this?

It is the independence from evil nafs, contributing to ill traits which has been destroying mankind, it has been destroying individuals and others including wealth and property.This independence means there is freedom from mazmumah or ill traits, the greatest destroyer which is then transformed to the beautiful serene mahmudah or noble traits.

Freedom from destruction caused by hatred, arrogance, anger,slander. Freedom from vindictiveness, stinginess, greediness, laziness,inactive, self pride, self importance and glamour.These ill traits are offending almost everyone and would be replaced by kindness, humbleness, gentleness which are loved by all. Generosity,
hardworking, bravery, forgivefullnes developed into a culture. Sincerity, thoughtfulness for others, all deeply felt in the heart. There is Love for God, fear Him, getting closer to Him, all to be felt in the heart. This is the "True Independence"

If Someone Has Admirable Traits, and Their Effects On The Personality

If someone can sharpen their feeling of servitude and humbleness before God well in their hearts, the effects would be as follows:

Firstly: If the humbleness and servitude in that Muslim is strong enough, then it would destroy all mazmumah traits like showing off (riyak), self-admiration (ujub), seeking recognition (sum'ah), arrogance, anger, vindictiveness and so on so forth. On the other hand, if the feeling of servitude does not exist, in its place will form the feeling of being a master. If someone feels that they are the master, this would lead to arrogance, riyak, sum'ah, anger, need for praise, ego, vindictiveness, greed and so on so forth.

If this feeling is allowed grow even further, then the person will start to feel godliness, the feeling of which only belongs to Allah SWT. This immediately leads to syirk . Wal'iyazubillah. And if this person is in power, then they will be a cruel and wicked leader.So, as we are servants, we need to hone and sharpen this feeling of servitude so all negative mazmumah traits will disappear. This is what is commanded by Allah Taala to His servants. When the feeling of servitude erases the mazmumah traits mentioned above, then automatically mahmudah traits will arise in the person, including humility, humbleness, shyness, tolerance, open to compromise, love, thoughtfulness for others, kindness, tawakal, patience, feelings of inadequacy, hopefulness, forgiveness for others, wanting forgiveness from others, guilt and so on so forth.

Secondly: When someone brings in the awareness of God deep into their hearts until it becomes part of them, then in anything they do or anything that happens to them, they feel that they are being watched by Allah Taala. They are constantly humble and shy. Their fear of Allah will never leave them be, for they truly feel that they are under Allah's power. Their fate is truly determined by Allah Taala.So what happens is that that person would be afraid to commit any sin. They are shy before God. They become honest and sincere people who enjoy doing good deeds. They will become people who are polite and disciplined, and who always keep their promises. Whenever they commit a sin, their souls are tormented. They are constantly in the state of muraqabah, their souls are constantly connected to Allah Taala.

So no matter where they are, what they are doing, or what conditions they are in, they would never forget Allah. Naturally, they would not be tempted or distracted by the sinful acts and misdeeds of others. They would be able to control themselves. In other words, being aware of God acts as a shields from sins and treachery. This means that it is the key to all goodness. In that case, we should hone the awareness of God and encourage it in our hearts, for then we would become good people.

REMINDER:As a reminder, all prayers and ibadah performed by someone, if they are not appreciated or understood in the heart, then this feeling of humbleness and servitude would not arise, nor would the awareness of God. So, ibadah on their own does not resulting people who are humble and loving, but instead because of their many prayers and ibadah they would become arrogant and riyak, sum'ah and desiring praise from others. They feel that they are already pure, and hence do not fear God. So the prayers and ibadah which should have brought them closer to becoming true servants of God, they become even more distant from God. People who are guilty of this type of sin will die without asking for forgiveness, because they do not feel that they have committed any sin. In the end they will die in the condition of su'ul khatimah because they feel that they have only done good things, instead of the sins that they have really committed. They will discover that they have sinned in their attempts to be good. On the surface they appear to be devout servants of God, but they are sinners in the soul. They pray and perform ibadah not to destroy the mazmumah, so with their prayers they in fact encourage the mazmumah.

O Lord! Give us guidance! Make visible what is hidden and what is not! Make visible the hidden things in our good deeds and our bad deeds, so we will be saved from the sins that are difficult to understand. Amin, ya Rabbal alamin.

WHICH IS EASIER,

WORK FOR THE HEREAFTER OR

WORK FOR THIS WORLD?

There is not a single person who can deny that life on this world is temporary. Now, at the end of time, the longest that a person can live according to the world record is 150 years. After that everyone believes in death, and after death there is the Hereafter. Many people believe in the Hereafter, with only a few not believing in it.Muslims, in particular, firmly believe in the existence of the Hereafter, which is where life is eternal. The Hereafter has comfort and difficulties just like in this world, only that the level of comfort and difficulties between this world and the next is vastly different. As a rough example, this difference is akin to the comparable comfort of living in a tree to the comfort of living in a palace, while the comparable difficulties are that of an ant bite to being eaten by a hungry lion.The border between this world and the Hereafter is the Barzakh world, or the world in the grave. This is a waiting area where the dead are held before moving on to the Hereafter. There are comforts and difficulties here, too. The Barzakh world is comparable to a border between countries, where there are comforts and suffering, just like all other worlds.Although Muslims believe in the Hereafter, the Barzakh between this world and the Hereafter, as well as that the comforts and suffering that exist there are greater than the comforts and suffering in this world, they are frequently forgetting it. If Allah Taala let us feel the difference right now, then all people would quickly push aside everything of this world and dedicated everything for the Hereafter.Even so, because human beings initially live their lives in this world, this world which is closer and cheaper, they experience the comforts and sufferings in this world first. They fall in love with their lives here. They become neglectful, distracted, and forget the lives they will live in the Hereafter.Due to this, they will dedicate all their time and effort to chase after the comfort and avoid the sufferings in this world. They will rack their brains, work their limbs day and night diligently despite whatever obstacles come in their way. Although they suffer with hardships that inflict them, they face them determinedly. Sometimes if they are searching for profit, they will suffers losses, or if they are searching for luxury, they will find misery. Happiness is what they are looking for, but they find unhappiness. Even so, people never get tired or lose hope or give up, and they continue using what strength they have to continue on their journey for worldly happiness. In the end, there is no space in their lives to dedicate to the Hereafter, or they only give what leftovers they have. Even then they feel that it is difficult, boring, lowly or embarrassing. But in our own experience, is the pursuit of the Hereafter that is more important than the pursuit of this world. The Hereafter is far more amazing and extraordinary than this world, and so to is the work for the Hereafter. Although the work is important, Allah Taala would make it easy. That is the blessings of God for His servants that want to go there. This world, on the other hand, is cheap, so worldly work would become difficult and unimportant. This is the way that things should be. But human beings do not think this way, and feel that that work for the Hereafter is difficult, although they in fact easier than work that is to be done for this world. Humans feel that it is the other way around. This proves that this world attracts and influences Muslims so much although the work that is to be done for it is more difficult when you think about the attraction of the promise of the incomparable Hereafter.Let us look at a few examples of how worldly work is in fact difficult despite the assumption made by people that it is easy because of how attractive it appears. On the other hand, work for the Herafter is so easy but people think that it is difficult because of how unattractive it appears. I will mention a few to compare below.

1. Which is more difficult, the two rakaat of the Subuh prayers that take 20 to 30 minutes, or the 8-hour work days of people who are looking for money. Then there labourers whose work is physically demanding. And yet there are still Muslims who are not willing to spend those 20 to 30 minutes praying Subuh, but are able to work 8-hour days if there is money involved.

2. Which is more difficult, helping a friend for Allah Taala for maybe an hour or two, compared to a walkathon event that can take hours, going over hills and rivers and valleys, all for publicity and glamour. A walkathon is difficult and tiring, but people can do it. It is helping friends that feels difficult.

3. Which is more difficult, forgiving others as Allah Taala commands us to, or climbing Mount Kinabalu for glamour and pride. By not climbing Mount Kinabalu is not a crime, but people are more able of climbing that mountain than forgiving others.

4. Going for congregational prayers that do not take up that much time, do not require long-distance travelling and do not tire the body, compared to going camping and wasting time hanging out at far away places such as in the woods, at the seaside or next to a river, taking up time and money as well as leaving the body weak with exhaustion. But still people are more willing to go camping than to go to congregational prayers. Sometimes this leads to the fights in the household between husbands and their wives that feel irritated with neglect.

5. Going to study overseas in order to obtain degrees that take years to achieve, just so to eventually be able to get a decent salary-paying job, but in the process have to leave behind your parents and hometown, along with sacrificing money and on some occasions even having to die over there. Which is more difficult: that, or to spend an hour or so in a mosque for religious classes in order to improve the soul, without the need to sacrifice a great deal of time or money, and there is no need to leave behind your parents or hometown. Of course it is more difficult to go overseas to study, compared to studying in a mosque for a mere hour. But people are more willing to go overseas than to a mosque.

6. Which is more difficult, spending a few hours for your parents, who in turn give you food, clothes and all other necessities, compared to spending days and money for a boyfriend or girlfriend. Sometimes they are not even honest to you, and are seeing someone else behind your back. It is more difficult to tend to a boyfriend or girlfriend compared to parents.

7. Which is heavier, donating hundreds of ringgit to useless clubs and entertainment centres or donating ten or maybe twenty ringgit to the poor. Of course it is more of a burden to spend such large amounts of money on entertainment centres, but people do it for the sake of publicity or to keep their pride in the public eye. Sometimes the wife finds out and nags the husband for spending the money that way, but they are willing to face that risk.

8. Watching movies that destroy morals or reading nonsensical books that can take hours, until they cause fights with parents or between spouses. Which is a more difficult sacrifice, that or to zikir or read the al-Qur'an for 30 minutes. Of course watching those movies or reading those books which lead to fights is more of a waste of time compared to zikir or reading the al-Qur'an.

9. Which is more difficult, gambling or going to the disco to drink liquor which only wastes time and money and causes fights between spouses until the household is threatened, or to occasionally help a neighbour in need that will form bonds of love between neighbours. Of course helping a neighbour in need is easier, but people are not willing to do so. People are more willing to gamble, go to disco and drink alcohol until their household is in tatters, and they get into fights and build up debts.

10. People who suffer such things as being killed, lied about, caught, sent to prison, mocked, gossiped about, insulted and condemned as more often those who lie, cheat, steal, hurt, rape, commit adultery, bribe and fight for ideology, rather than those who work for halal livelihood and struggle for Islam. Of course this is because who look for halal livelihoods and struggle for Islam are in the minority compared to those who do evils. But people are willing to take the risks for those evil deeds or worldly profits. But if it is to do good deeds or search for the truth, they are not willing to do it.After analysing the differences between work for the Hereafter and work for the world, it is work for the world that is more wicked, sinful and carries a heavier burden than work that is halal and carried out for the Hereafter. Even so, people are not willing to work for the Hereafter although work that is for this is world is more difficult and tiresome.This shows that at heart, Muslims place more priority on this world than the Hereafter although this world is cheap and temporary compared to the Hereafter which is eternal and more beautiful.

The old adage is true: love is blind. Once you love something you become to blind to everything else, no matter how beautiful and special the others things are. Like a person who has fallen in love with another, they forget everything else, they forget their family, they forget to eat drink, they forget their work and so on so forth. It is because of this love that they are willing to suffer any hardships and face any risk.This is what has happened to those who have fallen in love with the world and forgotten the Hereafter. They are willing to face all sorts of risks and difficulties, and sometimes are even willing to die for it. But for the Hereafter, which is more special, even though it is easier to work for it, people feel that it is more a burden because they do not love it.After we have analysed that work the world is more difficult and dangerous, and has worse consequences than work for the Hereafter, what would we say to God later? There is no excuse. Thus, more people will enter Hell than Heaven.

رسائل التذكير الأساسية 4
ضمن كُلّ شخص هناك رسائل تذكير أساسية

كَيْفَ الناس يَكُونونَ متعلّمينَ لتَرْبِية غرائزِهم الطبيعيةِ؟

الناس الذين نَسوا أَو مهملينَ برسائلِ التذكير، سواء الواحد الطبيعية أَو الواحد الإسلامية، لا يُمْكن أنْ يُغادروا مثل تلك. الناس لا يُمْكن أنْ يُتْرَكوا للمُعَاناة مِنْ الخواصِ السلبيةِ التي يُمْكِنُ أَنْ تُسيطرَ على حياتِهم بالكامل. هذه مسؤوليةُ كُلّ الزعماء ومعلمون وأباء ووعّاظ نحو تَعليم الجماهيرِ.

كيف يَجِبُ أَنْ الناس يَكُونوا متعلّمينَ؟

التعليم لَيسَ ببساطة مسألة إِهْتِمام بالشكلِ الطبيعيِ بتَزويد الطعام والشرابِ ويَعتني بصحته العامّةِ. إذا العقلِ بشكل كافي مجهّز بالغذاءِ خلال المعرفةِ والتعليمِ الصحيحِ، هو ما زالَ غير كافيةُ كالشرور فينا تُصبحُ أقوى بالمعرفةِ المُكتَسَبةِ وتَغْمرُ رسائلَ التذكير الطبيعيةَ فينا. إنّ الشيءَ الأكثر أهميةً فوق كُلّ شيء آخر أَنْ يُعيدَ تربية الغرائزَ الطبيعيةَ في كُلّ منّا.

كيف يَجِبُ أَنْ الغرائز الطبيعية تَكُونَ متعلّمةً؟

الروح الإنسانية يَجِبُ أَنْ تُطوّرَ بجدية بإغْنائها بالإيمانِ، خوف اللهِ الذي الأكثر العُلياِ وزِراعَة وعي عُمقِ عظمتِه في القلبِ. كُلّ الخصائص الجيدة التي داخل الناسِ يَجِبُ أَنْ يُشجّعوا.
الروح يَجِبُ أَنْ تُعلّمَ لإحتِقار كُلّ الشرور. جهّزَ اللهُ كُلّ بشر مَع ماهموداه وخصائص مازموماه؛ ميزات ماهموداه سَتُشجّعُ وتُحبَُّ، بينما ميزات مازموماه سَتُكْرَهُ وتُتفادى. عندما مشاعر توهيد وتقوى يُروّجانِ له في القلبِ والروحِ، شعور العبوديّةِ أمام الله سَيَتْلي آلياً. مِنْ هذه سَتَنْهضُ مشاعرَ الوضاعةِ أمام الله، وحبّ لَهُ وكُلّ البشرية. كُلّ الميزات الجديرة بالإعجاب الأخرى سَتَجِدُ شراءَ أقوى في الروحِ أيضاً.
عندما القلب وروح a شخص عُلّمَ بشكل صحيح، هم سَيَعُودونَ إلى الغرائزِ الطبيعيةِ، التي فيها الملك (روح) في الجسمِ الإنسانيِ تَعلّمَ كَيفَ لِكي يَكُونَ جيدَ. وعندما الملك ضمن جيدُ، كُلّ المعرفة التي جُمِعتْ في الدماغِ سَتَكُونُ مستعمل للأبد وبقيّة أطرافِ الجسمَ (جاواريه) سَتَكُونُ وحيدون مستعملون لأجل الله ولفِعْل خيراً إلى الآخرين.
لكن ماذا سَيَحْدثُ إذا الملكِ ضمن لَمْ يُعلّمْ، يُسبّبُه أَنْ يُصبحَ جاهلَ ويُفسدُ؟ عندما الملك ضمن شريّرُ، هو سَيُسبّبُ كُلّ معرفة الدماغَ وأطرافَ الجسمِ ليَعملانِ أعمالُ شريّرةُ أيضاً.
هذا الذي حَدثَ اليوم. ناس في كافة أنحاء العالم يَعملونَ كُلّ أنواع الأشياءِ الشرّيرةِ تَستعملُ تقنية متطورةَ، مثل سَرِقَة النقود المصرفيةِ يَستعملُ الحاسوبَ ويَنْشرَ موادَ مخلّة بالآدابَ على الإنترنتِ وهكذا هلم جرا.

DEVELOPING THE SOUL

RESULTS IN NOBLE CHARACTERISTICS

‘Developing the soul’ means cleansing it from stubborn mazmumah traits including miserliness, arrogance, troublemaking, greed, love of this world, resentment and so on so forth, replacing them instead with admirable mahmudah traits including generosity, humbleness, patience, kindness, love of the Hereafter and so on so forth.

Whoever wants to cleanse their heart and soul will gain the greatest reward in the Hereafter, which is Heaven. This was clearly stated by Allah in al-Quran:

Translated: “Truly victory will come to whoever cleanses (their heart/soul/nafs) and disappointment to whoever corrupts it.” (As-Shams: 9-10)

Whoever has a soul that is clean from mazumah traits will be able to develop the world, whether from an economic, political, science and technology or administrative perspective, and such developments would be completely free from problems that usually occur in societies. The final result of their efforts would be that to the world would become a bridge to the Hereafter as Rasulullah SAW once said:

Translated: “The world is the plantation of the Hereafter.”

This means that all efforts, activities, developments and civilisations that are raised in this world are like plantations whose products are to be enjoyed in the Hereafter. In Heaven awaits the pahala (rewards).

All developments and advancements that are carried out by people with clean souls are safe and are active in saving others. They would not have any undue side effects that would burden society in any way.

Once the soul has been processed and cleansed of all mazmumah traits, it becomes a home to noble characteristics. It is important to remember that developing the soul to such a stage is not an easy task. It is not enough for people to be provided with the right knowledge; the real effectiveness comes through personal education and guidance. This is so that what has been learned will permeate into every part of the person’s mind, soul, habits and behaviours until they have become part of the person themselves.

The act of obtaining knowledge is easy. We can go to classes, listen to mubaligh lecturers, read for ourselves, as well as listen to the radio and television, but in order to fully appreciate the knowledge and bring it into ourselves until it becomes part of our lives, that requires education, nurturing and continuous guidance. Knowledge on its own is inadequate, if there is no guidance to go along with it. The knowledge would be unfulfilled; just words on a page. It can be parroted back, used to beautify words and text, and even taught to others, but it would never reach the stage where it can become part of our culture and lifestyle.

When it comes to textual information, even non-Muslims can learn and use Islamic knowledge. In fact they can even go as far as to teach it others. In many current universities, especially in the West and America, a great deal of Islamic knowledge lecturers are non-Muslims, and many of their students are Muslims. These lecturers can present the Islamic knowledge, but cannot provide the right education and Islamic guidance.

In today’s world, Islamic knowledge does not appear to be weak or inadequate. There are many Islamic schools in the world ranging through all levels of education and increasing yearly. What is inadequate is the way that the knowledge is being taught; in some schools that do teach Islamic knowledge, the students are not being given the proper education and guidance. Some do not even practice congregational prayers.

Hence, while Islamic schools and the knowledge that they teach continue to expand and increasing in numbers, the actual practice and appreciation of knowledge remains stunted. The students of Islamic knowledge increase, but true Islamic characteristics are barely noticeable. The spreading of Islamic knowledge through dakwah and lectures are more widespread, but the application of that knowledge is even more limited.

Nowadays, almost everyone talks about Islam whenever issues of social problems are brought up, but it’s all talk and no action, as can be seen with the steady increase of social ills all over the world. This is because the educational system is still lacking. Although there are programs being implemented, they only focus on the physical aspect but not the spiritual one. These programs do not address the need to strengthen the tauhid of the heart and soul by empowering it with awareness of God along with feelings of humbleness, worthlessness, embarrassment and lowliness before Him. When people are fully aware of God, they will avoid doing all bad things. Such a thing would be more effective than any rule or regulation. This is because a heart that is empowered with the fear of God above all others is the strongest armour against all vices.

It has been said:
Translated: “Fear Allah wherever you are, and follow up a bad deed with a good deed and it will wipe (the bad deed) out, and behave well towards people.” (As related by Ahmad, Tarmizi and Baihaqi)

It is only when one fears God that their akhlak (behaviour/morals) will improve. This is what is meant by applying the knowledge of aqidah or tauhid; tauhid belongs in the heart, not the head, and should never be limited to the tongue.

When it is said that the fear of Allah is more effective than any rule or regulation in avoiding the vices of the world, this does not mean that rules and regulations are not needed at all. They are needed, but they are not the primary means for dealing with social ills. Their role is to make the country’s administration more organised and unified, as well as regulate and standardise between different ministries, branches, institutions, etc. Fear of Allah acts as the primary line of defense against all outside enemies. Other defenses are more temporary, for although they can help in the here and now, they cannot help in the long term.

That is how taqwa fortifies our spiritual armour against the attacks of the nafs (desires) and shai’tan (unseen beings) that are constantly trying to tempt us do to evil. But when taqwa is forgotten, the nafs and shai’tan run wild and free, dragging all willing souls into seen and unseen evil. It is during these times that rules and regulations become the approach that has to be taken in order to prevent crimes and misdoings.

So if anyone thinks that rules and regulations are the only way to prevent social ills, they would be wrong.

Laws, rules and regulations act as deterrents, but they do not guarantee the elimination of ill intent. It is more likely that there are many who are simply waiting for the right time to act, and have only not done so because they are afraid of being caught, along with all the worldly repercussions that would come along with being caught. As soon as the right opportunity comes along, and they are certain that they can avoid being caught, they would do what it is that they want. This is all the more possible in today’s day and age, thanks to the advent of modern technology.

For example, if someone does not take bribes because they are afraid that the crime can be traced back to them, then the work that they do for others and the community would be safe and unaffected. But in Islam, their work would still be tainted because their actions are insincere. They would gain no pahala because they did not avoid the sin because they feared Allah, but because they feared other people. While on the surface they may appear good, they have actually sinned because they have committed shirk. The crime they would have committed was avoided only because of the existence of laws and their fear that they could be caught. But because their heart still does not fear Allah and the punishment of the Hereafter, they would still commit the crime against others if they get the chance.

LOVE AND CARE

Everyone is in need of love Love and care
Feeling of love is an instinct that is born within our hearts
It is a normal desire to lead a life in harmony
That is love and happiness we are looking for

Everyone is to be defended
In need of protection with dignity and honour
Basic human rights shouldn't be violated
Offenders must be brought up in the face of justice
To live with tolerance should be there within your heart
It leads to the rules of life in society
To reason and be together
For a life of happiness
Blessings and peace within the society

Oh Tell me where
Tell me where
The Love and care we are searching for

The need of man's instinct has been withered away
Hopes that we hold on has been totally destroyed

causing the pure hearts darkened with evil desires
Here and everywhere

There are crises and commotion
War that hurts mankind causing death and destruction
Poverty and deprivation are neglected so beware
The rulers and the rich never seem to love and care

Oh God You are the One
We rely all our hopes
Only You the Protector only
You the defender You are the One we are looking for
A true life solution

The Greatness Of God

When you see the mansion of a wealthy person
With its beautiful and captivating gardens
His big, fancy cars cruising along with pride

It immediately will enter your mind
And will surely dwell inside your heart
Bringing about words such as
O how great the owner must be

But I really wonder at you
Why can't you appreciate the greatness of God
Yet it is God who owns so much more than that
The fate of you and me, only God who can decide

He owns the earth and sky and everything that's therein
The world and the hereafter, only God who owns
He's the one Who created humans and all creations
Night and day, only God governs them all

For each and every second, you are 'looking' at Him
But how strange of it that you don't feel anything
You just look at everything in apathy
You do not feel, how noble is the one, Who owns it all

Are you not enthralled yet by God, your Creator
Luckily that mansion belongs not to you
If it had belonged to you then you
Would instead be overawed with your ownself

God, The Most Supreme

He is the only God most supreme
His existence has no beginning nor ending
because He was not created
and None was involved in His creation

His power is the Greatest and limitless
His wishes materialize when He commands it to be,
Be, and straight away it shall be
And nobody can intervene

God's domain does not occupy space
For space was created by Him
He alone gives and He needs nothing in return
As He, He is Omnipotent

God, He is absolute
But He has no form or space
For space, it is one of His creations
And whether He is worshipped or not
It does not affect His supremacy
If it is affected, it could mean inadequacy
And He remains in His own perfection
Most pure is He from any inadequacies
Only He who is Eternity

He is not preceded by not at all
His being, it can never be imagine
Whatever form He is conceived
That will only be the game of the creations' mind

THE TRUE MEASURE OF HUMAN SUCCESS

Human success is not the ability to gain knowledge, but the ability to practice that knowledge while remaining humble

Human achievement is not in gaining higher status but being able to be modest and using that status to help others

Human success is not measured by wealth but the ability to distribute wealth to others so they may share its benefits

Extraordinary is not someone who is able to defeat their enemies, but the one who is able to forgive his enemies

A person who can express his anger is not great

The person who is great is he who can control his anger

A special person is not one who can detect the mistakes of others

The one who is special is he who can detect his own flaws and inadequacies, not seeking revenge but instead looking for peace

Anyone who is able to be good to another who has done them wrong is an extraordinary and exceptional person

A lady who exposes her beauty to everyone is not special

The lady who is special is the one whose displays her beauty only for her husband.

10.6.2003 Approaching Zuhur – Asar

WHEN I LOOK AT THE OCEAN

When I look at the ocean

As far as my naked eyes could gaze

So wide as if there's no ending

Trains of giant waves smashing endlessly

Crashing and spinning

The sounds so frightening and horrifying

The darkness and closeness inside so terrifying

My heart whispers:If the Hell is similar to this

The trains of giant fire, smashing and crashing and spinning

The sounds similar to that of the wind slapping the waves

The waves that never stop roaring

If the fire of hell continuously burning those insidewithout stopping

I will not be able to withstand it

The hell fire of God

Unimaginably much more gruesome

The more I would not be able to endure it.

By Sheikh Imam Ashaari Muhammad At-Tamimi

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO TAKE CARE OF OUR SOUL?

It is a fact that people pay a great deal of attention to their physical heath. There are thousand and one ways of doing this; if one is sick no time is wasted in getting to a doctor. If the doctor is ineffective, one would quickly move to another doctor or specialist.

The strange thing is, people do not act with such urgency if their spiritual health is affected. Either they do not care about it, or they think that it’s not important. But the fact is that the consequences of spiritual diseases are more dire; they lead to evils in this world and torture in Allah SWT’s Hell in the afterlife.

Let us have a look at why it is so important to take care of our heart and soul:

1. Because the soul is permanent, unlike the temporary physical body. In the Hereafter, the soul will have a new form.

2. It is the soul that will feel the rewards or suffer the punishments in the Hereafter.

3. It is the soul that is the target of the angels and sha’itan. The angels want to fill it with iman and confidence, while the sha’itan want to fill it with evil and doubt.

4. The soul is where God’s ilham and knowledge is accepted and stored.

5. If a person’s soul is clean, Allah will bestow them with ‘firasat’ (the most accurate intuition).

6. If a person’s soul is very clean, their sense of sight will become sharper than what their physical eyes are capable of. Allah will give them ability to see things that are invisible to normal people. This is the mukasyafatul qulub1.

7. The heart, or soul, is the ruler of the body. If the heart is good, it will command its troops (the body’s limbs) to do good things. If it is evil, it will command its troops to do evil.

8. The soul is the receptacle for both the mahmudah traits that everyone desires as well as the mazmumah traits that everyone hates and has to stay away from.

9. This is where all emotions come from: happiness and sorrow, comfort and stress, calm and worry, hope and frustration, joy and disappointment, love and hate, trust and scepticism, optimism and pessimism, sympathy and yearning.

10. All of our physical actions are reflections of the goodness or badness of our heart and soul.

11. The heart contains the sight and value of God, while the body sees only the physical plane.

12. All ‘hidayah’ (spiritual inspiration) comes from the heart or soul.

13. The best of all mahmudah traits is ‘ikhlas’ (sincerity) which determines whether our good deeds will be accepted or rejected by God. It is our heart and soul that contains the true value of our ‘ikhlas’, and only God can see it.

14. If someone does something good, no one would say that it is their hands or feet that are good, but their heart.

15. Endurance comes from the strength of heart.

16. All changes that occur in one’s life are only the result of the changes that occur within their heart and soul.

17. Diseases of the soul lead to Hell; diseases of the body lead to Heaven (the suffering of the corporeal body eradicates sins).

18. No matter how bad a physical disease can be, it would only affect your body. If the soul is diseased, it would affect everything in your life and everyone all around you.

19. If the body is ill, the worst that can happen is death. If the soul is ill, its iman and Islam will be destroyed.

20. Bodily diseases are only temporary, but spiritual diseases cause eternal suffering.

21. Only humans hate physical diseases; Allah hates spiritual diseases.22. Physical ills affect the body, spiritual ills affect the iman.

23. Sometimes we receive signs from God through dreams, whether clearly or in a parable. It is the soul that sees the dream, not the eyes.

24. Rasulullah SAW commands us to be afraid of the soul’s vision. Allah’s instructions do not ask us to be afraid of the vision of normal eyes.

25. Physical diseases are not contemptible in Islam, but spiritual diseases are.

26. Physical diseases do not cause mistrust between people, but spiritual diseases do.

27. Physical diseases do not lead to the forming of rivalries, enemies and wars, but spiritual diseases do.

28. The soul can travel free from the body and see all sorts of unusual things with Allah’s permission.

29. After the death, the soul can return to visit its family, but the body cannot.

30. People feel sympathy for those with physical diseases, but not those with spiritual diseases.

_____________________________________________

1 Mukashafa : "Unveiling." There are three kinds of "opening" (futuh)- the opening of _expression ('ibarah) in the outward dimension and the opening sweetness (halawa) in the inward dimension and the opening of the unveiling (Mukashafa) through Allah. Through His Infinite Grace Allah gives opening to whomsoever He Wills and through them His slaves yearn for more and more Knowledge of Allah. Openings are endless. He never discloses Himself in the same tajalli (self-disclosure) in any teo successive moments to any creature.

(Kitab Al Qamus Al Sufi - Amatullah Armstrong)

Qulub: Hearts

Mukasyafatul Qulub: Unveiling the Hearts

THE LOVE FOR GOD IS SUPREME

The love for God is supreme

The love for the Great Creator is pure, virtuous, eternal

The love for God is unending

It has no boundaries or limits, and is in fact eternal

The love of others besides Allah, love out of lust

This sort of love has its ending

This love has boundaries and limits

As this love is not eternal nor absolute

Loving fellow creations leads to disappointment

Love for Khaliq brings happiness

An eternal loveA supreme love

A love so great that is has no equal

The love for others beside God, is false love

Love that will end and bring disappointment

In loving God there is no dispute

Even if the whole world loves Him

Everyone will get happiness and satisfaction

No one will be disappointed

But loving the world will cause conflict

If someone gains over others, the rest will be defeated

In their disappointment, they will become jealous and envious

So supreme is the love for God

A love that has no comparison or competition

But humans are heartless

What they are fighting for is the love for the world
After Zuhur 12.10.99

UNDERSTANDING ISLAM

AND ITS STRUGGLE

Islam cannot advance except through the struggle of ‘jihad’. Still, it is not easy to fight for the truth. Before we can progress on this mission, we must first have the right knowledge and understanding of what we are struggling for. Indeed, the pursuit and defence of truth is a difficult cause, as truth itself is extremely valuable. Only a few members of the Islamic community are capable of dedicating themselves to the spreading of Islamic truth because only they have the proper knowledge and understanding of the complicated twists-and-turns that they have to face alone in this mission.

We have strayed too far from the path of Rasulullah SAW and his Companions. No one can accurately explain the meaning of ‘jihad’ anymore. There are so many interpretations of the term. This inevitably leads to different opinions of how it should be carried out, with different parties contradicting each other and believing that only they are in the right, thus discarding anything that anyone else has to say about the matter.

Hence, instead of Islam moving forward, it is falling apart even more as a result of the conflict between different parties that are supposedly fighting for Islam. It is no surprise that today Islam is regarded as so lowly in the eyes of the world. This is why God’s aid has not arrived. God will not help people whose strategies no longer follow His laws and have deviated too far from the teachings of Rasulullah SAW and his Companions.

The truth of Islam comes from God. Hence, only God has the right to bring glory to His religion. In the past, it is through His prophets that God raised the status of the truth above all else. It is God who taught the Prophets how to spread this truth to their people. In this post-prophet era, God still brings glory to His religion but this time through leaders with prophet-like characteristics. This refers to the Mujaddid, leaders sent by God every 100 years and born at the beginning of each century. God inspires the Mujaddid with the ‘tajdid’ (revolutionary) way until Islam regains its former glory. If not for them, Islam would be little more than embers: glowing faintly in the darkness, and not providing the warmth and brightness that it should.
The Mujaddid, or prophet-like leaders, are those who most accurately understand what ‘jihad’ is and how it is to be carried out. It is in their hands that victory awaits.

First and foremost, the struggle for truth is the struggle for God; He is to be known, admired, glorified, feared, loved and brought into every possible aspect of a person’s life. It is only when mankind finds God this way that His shari’at and all else becomes truly useful. If God is not at the forefront of the struggle, then His shari’at is nothing more than ideology. Religion must be connected to God.

If God is not feared and loved, His shari’at is easily forgotten. When God is not prioritised, glorified and admired, His shari’at will not seem important anymore. People tend to be selective when practising God’s shari’at, picking and choosing only what they feel will benefit them. If the shari’at becomes troublesome, it is too easily pushed aside.

In conclusion, other aspects such as justice, unity, laws against disobedience and cruelty, are all easily practised and carried out if God is at the forefront of it all. All of God’s shari’at, whether they are commands or prohibitions, become beautiful and easy to practice. Even the small things become valuable and enjoyable to practice, what more the more important things.

God created two roles for mankind: as servants and as caliphs. As servants, God has commanded for everyone to get to know Him in all His glory, greatness and supremacy over all things. The result would be one whose heart has been completely filled with tauhid, a love and fear of God so great that it could never run out. The greatness of God is felt deep within, for God is the Most Kind, the Most Loving, the Most Powerful and so on so forth.
To know God deeply is to feel fear, worry, love and hope, and to know that it is on God alone that we can depend on. To have God is to have everything, just as to lose God is to lose everything.

Then a deep humbleness would enter the heart, leading to an awareness of how weak, dhaif, inadequate, disobedient and forgetful we human beings are. Not only that, but we should also feel limited, ineffective, unintelligent and ignorant. We must be confident that everything that happens has its God-given meaning and hikmah behind it. We have to accept that every single thing has a positive purpose from Allah the Most Sublime and Most Great.
The consequence of being aware of God and being humble before Him is a servant of God who is full of taqwa. When one fears God, one would automatically loathe and turn away from all evil deeds, and instead decide to clean oneself from all poisonous mazmumah traits.
Love for Allah is the greatest motivation for His servants to become good, dedicated, loyal and useful individuals. Love of Allah inspires the best mahmudah traits in all those who feel it. When a servant of Allah manages to achieve this, he shall be saved and in turn will lead to the saving of others.

The second role of mankind is as the caliph. As the caliph, God has commanded mankind to rule, govern, organise, develop and handle all aspects of the public’s every day life. The public has many needs including education, economy, culture, politics, social, health, nutrition, government, technological communication and so on so forth.

All of the public’s needs have to be arranged and taken care of in the best possible way. Because this earth ultimately belongs to God, the task of the caliph is a responsibility bestowed by Him. Hence, God has commanded this task to be in sync with servitude towards Him. All the activities of the caliph have to safe and active in the saving others, thus leading to the prosperity and benefit of mankind.

How can the people given the responsibility of the caliph be confident of their ability to fulfil this mission? It is evident to all that the world is full of people with a dog-eat-dog attitude that encourages dishonesty and selfishness. It is for so-called ‘progress’ that people have fought, cheated, coerced, killed and even gone to war over. Progress and development have lost their meaning; instead of encouraging the happiness and harmony of mankind, it causes their destruction.

In order to find the cause of all this damage, we need not look any further than the leaders in charge: these are people who have taken the responsibilities of caliph upon themselves, but have ignored their role as servants of God. In other words, the leaders and administrators are people who don’t know God, do not feel His presence and do not dedicate themselves to His service. These are people without taqwa, people who are full of mazmumah traits, and are treacherous, immoral and full of sin. It is only when a leader has fulfilled his responsibility as a servant of God that he will be able to fulfil his responsibility as caliph.

This shows how important taqwa is to mankind. Those who are full of taqwa will find themselves enriched with mahmudah attributes, which have to firm and unyielding.
It has to be remembered that the work of the caliph is risky and challenging. Only one with a strong spirit would be able to carry such a burden. Such a spirit can only be cultivated within someone who is truly a servant of God and has a soul full of tauhid. Only these people have the ability to be patient, grateful, trustworthy, honest, loving, kind, hard-working and responsible throughout all aspects of their life.

These people depend on Allah and Allah alone for all their needs. They are aware and immensely grateful to Allah for all the uncountable blessings that He has bestowed upon them. Furthermore, they fear that they are not grateful enough, and their thanks are inadequate.
Such loyalty does not make these people proud of themselves, because they are aware that it is Allah alone who will decide if their loyalty is enough, and whether they will continue to be devoted until the day they die. They forget the good things they’ve done in devotion to Allah in the past.

Additionally, troubled times do not make them worry and fret. They face such difficulties calmly and patiently, backed up with the confidence that everything has many hidden hikmah behind it. In their hearts they only think about their own weaknesses, and hope only for God’s aid.
They accept any disasters that come their way with an open heart, for they know that there is nothing that lives and breathes on this earth that does not come from Allah and with His grace. They are confident that Allah in His supreme power holds all the universe in His grasp.

These are the effects of one who has a true awareness of God and is humble before Him. It proves that all the shortcomings in life happen because they have failed to unite this feeling of servitude to God with the responsibility of the caliph. Corrupt people with hearts full of mazmumah traits are the cause of all these shortcomings.

In conclusion, it would be wonderful if everyone could embrace the mahmudah, for then we would have leaders who are responsible and bring only benefit to their communities. The rich would be kind and generous to those in need. The ulama would be passionate in educating others. The working class and less fortunate would be patient and eager to carry out their tasks without a thought of complaint. Husbands would carry out all their full responsibilities towards their wives, and the wives would be loyal to their husbands. Children would be open to learning, and respect their parents and all their elders. Women would be honourable. Teenagers would be productive members of their religion, race and country.

A nation built on Godliness would strive to be fair in all aspects, from their own individual lives, to their families, to the community around them and so on. Love and unity would come easily to everyone, because everyone has the love of God in common. When they fear God, everyone would be so busy scrutinising their own faults and weaknesses that it would never occur to them to think about the weaknesses of others.

The act of spreading the truth has to be carried out gently and with love. This would help open the hearts of the listeners, so it would be easier for them to learn and be brought closer to God.
This is the strategy of all of God’s representatives throughout the ages. This knowledge was passed on to all of His prophets and to the later mujaddid. It is because of their dedication towards God that God has promised them His protection and victory.

THE AL-QURAN

HAS BEEN TRANSLATED FREELY

The Al-Quran has been translated freely.

When translated freely, it is also interpreted freely.

Done only the way that the interpreter wants it to be.

Sometimes this reader and interpreter has a hidden agenda.

An ulterior motive aimed towards certain people.

Maybe a political rival or an opponent to his struggle.

'Til finally the Quranic verses deviate from the purpose of its revelation.

Instead they are used as bullets for specific targets.

And yet the Al-Quran is meant for all mankind, including those that read it.

Somtimes it is about our own selves. The Al-Quran is meant for everyone, not any single party.

Even if there is a verse in the Quran targeted to specific people, it is still meant for the reader.

It is not exclusive, there are no exceptions.

Maybe the characters or criterias in the verses are meant for the reader too.

The Al-Quran is a cure; the cure for all human hearts. The heart's cure, no matter who reads it.

This is why anyone who reads the Al-Quran has to practise it personally.

This is the best way for anyone to read the Al-Quran.

Then for others who need a cure or have the same needs.

So if Quranic verses are read following its original intentions.

Then the words will be interpreted correctly and justly.

Otherwise, the Quranic interpretations will deviate from God's intention, the Owner of Al-Quran. We have misused the Al-Quran.

The Prophet said to following, translated:

"Those who interpret the Al-Quran with his mind alone,

then there is aplace in Hell reserved for him."

Do take care when interpreting the Al-Quran.

Al-Quran is meant for all human beings.

Not for any specific groups. If there is a character or story in the verse similar to a particular group we knew, it does has a general meaning as well.

Probably to ourselves who's reading it, then we are included.

12.10.2004 – 1Prior to Zuhur

NEVER ENDING BATTLE

There's always a battle between the soul and the nafs.

A battle with no end in sight.

A fierce and terrifying battleIn the history of internal battles, nafs is always the winner.

Nafs get the privilege to raise the flag: a sign of victory.

The victory for the nafs is the main cause of calamity in the universe.

Cruelty, discrimination, wars and killings all caused by the victory of the nafs.

Bloodshed occurs everyday. Human death all over the surface of the earth.

Not to mention the injuries and disabilities and continuous sufferings.

Oh! this internal battle is terrifyingIts dangers and destructions involving the physical aspects of our lives. Human beings at a loss,with no more ideas.

Wondering what to do next.

So that in this battle the victory is for the heart and soul, not the nafs.

No professor is capable of stopping the victory of the nafs.

The philosophers are disheartened, some even given up.

Towards the advancement and victory after victory achieved by the nafs.

All mankind is at a loss, feeling hopeless and disappointed. They are weary of living this way.

We are hopeful for Allah Taala to appoint a spiritual leader. Who's able to prevent the victory for the nafsand able to help provide the victory for the soul. So that the world will be in peace, prosperity, tranquility and harmony

After Asar 26 - 07- 1999

WORLDLY LOVE

الحبّ الدنيوي

Worldly love have destroyed human beings. Whatever accomplished are all for worldly reasons. Seldom for God or Hereafter. Marriage for the worldly pleasures. Learning for worldly gains. Friendship for worldly benefits. Business partnerships established for material pleasures. Struggles are also for worldly reasons. Acquiring religious knowledge also for worldly gains. The world has truly become the ambition or strive for the lives among humans. No more for Hereafter or God. Husbands and wives disagree easily. Friendships have no loyalty. Disunity frequently occurs among the members struggling in the same organization. In business dealings there is always back stabbing.

Pursuing knowledge for the sake of salary. The teachers imparting knowledge for money and personal needs. Finally, there's no more pleasure in needing each other among humans. Being independent from others is an impossibility. Humans are incapable of living alone. But there's always mistrust between each other. As humans are prejudiced among themselves. As between themselves they feel," when will I be the victim of his lies"," When will I be betrayed"," When will I be sacrificed by my own partner".

So, in social interactions, love and affection is not a consideration anymore. So, human beings live with anxiety everyday. Human lives are for the world, no more for God or the Hereafter. In the end, their own goals or ambitions causing distress among themselvesand all groups and various categories of mankind have no more joy in their lives. As human beings distrust each other. Even with marital relationship, there is no more happiness and joy. Between themselves there is no more togetherness. As the relationship is based on natural and biological instincts. But in fulfilling the instincts, there's mistrust between each other. This is the reality of human lives at the present time. The beauty of living has been fully destroyed. This is hell in this world before the absolute Hell. For as long as human beings do not change their attitudes. They are trapped within their lives.

13.8.2005 Before retiring

ISLAMIC FINANCIAL STRENGTH

The whole world is particular about economy which is considered as the main source of life. Every nation and every country strive hard to strengthen their economic situation. When the economy of a country is strong, the country will advance in many other fields like industries, technologies and even military. The strong economy enables a country to take over another country. Little wonder, economy is always the focus of all the world leaders.
The muslim world are also in the race. They are also strengthening their economy. Many via the capitalist system introduced and supported by the Western countries and the Jews. The muslim forget that Islam has its own economic system which is far better than the capitalist. Under islamic economy, God is the essence.

The capitalist’s main focus is profitability per se. The concept of love and care in undertaking business decision is almost non existing. Economy as an ibadah is unthinkable. As such, capitalists will compete vigorously to increase their profits and minimize their losses even by stepping on others.

Unfortunately, many muslims are also in the same school of thought. Instead of taking God as the guidance, we try to compete with the capitalists on their own platform which is created by them to generate income for themselves. The result? We always failed and face further diminution.

Muslims must reassess their economic focus and guidelines. Taqwa is the foundation upon which all business decisions and planning should be constructed. The Islamic economic and financial systems are meant to protect human, and to promote love and care, unity among all, bringing peace and harmony here and the hereafter.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Do protect our family dignity especially our parents. Humiliating them means we are humiliating ourselves. Disgracing them means we are disgracing ourselves. Humiliating any parents, our soul will be in sorrow while we are still alive on this earth. Whereever we go there will be misery. As one of the great sins after apostacy is disaffection towards both parents.
Companionship comes with loyalty. Being concious and cautious of the feelings of our companion. His interest being taken care of before ourselves. This is what we should do if we wish to be a companion of anyone.

Do display noble attributes instead of preaching the philosophy of attributes. Attributes or virtues are like the clothes we wear. Those without any external clothes on are simply displaying their external imperfections. Those without any internal clothes will display their internal imperfections or ill traits. Any promises made should be into reality, not just words or empty promises.

IT IS A STRUGGLE TO BE
RIGHTEOUS TOWARDS GOD
[PART 2]

In our lifetime have we ever felt that we are in God`s grasp or embrace? God is capable of doing anything and at any time to us, down with illness, stricken with poverty, afflicted with calamity or He could take our life away. God, whenever He wishes to do anything, He utters, "Kun" fayakun". God`s power is awesome. Do our heart have no sense of fear, feel the tremors and the gasping of our breath?

If we do not feel anything, it simply means that the ill traits (mazmumah) are still preventing us from being righteous towards God.

We still do not have any fear towards God`s power. We are still arrogant and feel that God only has limited powers. How would we feel when we are apprehended by the police and then taken to the court of justice being accused for various civil crimes? Apprehensive, anxiety,petrified and feeling small towards the judge, really-really hoping for leniency from the judge. We seemed to be really polite in front of the judge. At times, the crime is not even ours but somehow the fear is too extreme.

* Another aspect when it is a struggle to be righteous towards God is to accept with no ill feelings any fate bestowed upon us. Whenever any tests befallen upon us, there is difficulty to be patient. With our future, we seem to confront it with worry and anxiety. Seldom that we leave our fate and destiny to God with full confidence and peacefulness.

God has predesigned our lives up to every second, every single moment. Whatever happened both inside and outside us, all has been predetermined by God from time immemorial.Allah has set our destiny with utmost wisdom, farsightedness, fairness and justification, ideal and protecting all creations.

There is not even one single defect when God determines anything as God is the Most Perfect and Most Pure from any mistakes and negligence.Refusing to accept and having ill feelings towards God`s fate upon us could disavow us and blemishing our faith. As if God`s fate and destiny has weaknesses and inaccurate. Actually human`s nafs or desire will accept anything good from God and he feels good about God at that instance. However, when something unbeneficial happens to him, he feels God`s fate is inaccurate. He begins to grumble, whining and protesting showing his dissatisfaction.This is how human beings behave, very unrighteous and despicable towards God.

These are the examples of how difficult it is to be righteous towards God.