Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Two kinds of Muslims...continuation

Assalamualaikum wbt again... due to request... part two is back.. this time i have to refer to the book again coz it's actually pretty rusty in my head. Classes just started too.. but that's no excuse for not gaining Islamic knowledge for the sake of Allah swt.. after all it is Allah swt that inspires these knowledge in our hearts.

"...So fear Allah. For it is God that teaches you...." Al Baqarah : 282

This is the translation of Abdullah Yusuf Ali... the arabic word is taqwa... but it is translated here as fear. Which is not very accurate but it does suit the context mentioned. Taqwa is more like a strong faith in Allah... which will result in fear and love.. and etc. We should love Allah for obvious reasons, there is no one whom we should love greater than Allah.. not even our mother, father, or newly weded wife, or husband. The sahabahs during Prophet Muhammad pbuh time would be willing leave every single person who wages war against Prophet Muhammad's pbuh da'wa (preaching). The only true relatives they have are the ones who share the same faith as them. Islam, unlike Judaism, is not hereditary. You can't pass down Islam to your kids just because you are muslims. It does not work like that. If you believe and work righteous deeds, then you are a Muslim. And that is the only relationship that matters in the eyes of Allah. And we should also fear Allah for the harsh punishments that awaits those who continue to sin and had not made time to repent before his death .

The second ayat "For it is God that teaches you"... Yes, it is Allah that teaches us. Not our teachers in schools. Not our lecturers. But Allah. They just act as mediums. Let's say we are all going for the same lecture. All students go in class at the same time, without any prior knowledge about the subject.  They all sit in the same lecture theatre, same lecturer, the same air cond, the same sort of chair. But after the lecture, some may leave the lecture with crystal clear understanding. Some may not understand at all. Some may half understand but there are things that need clarification. So who teaches them these knowledge really? It is Allah. Allah inspires understanding in our hearts. Sometimes we may try really hard to understand a certain chapter, but we still can't. Yet our friend who is reading the same book beside us can explain it to us clearly. Sometimes we may have done a sin and Allah may punish us by not giving us understanding in some things. Or it may just be one of His trials. But we must always put in effort to try. We cannot just have trust in Allah swt without effort. Islam does not work like that. Allah will not change the state of a person if they do not first change themselves. If we do not go for lectures at all, Allah swt will most probably not give us any understanding.

Oh dear.. i was suppose to talk about Part Two.. but looks like this entry in long enough. I like to keep my entries short and concise. So I'll continue in my next entry....

Wassalam.



Friday, July 23, 2004

Two kinds of Muslims... Part One

I feel really tempted to elaborate the two sort of Muslims that exists in this world...

Partial Muslims
One kind of Muslims are those who, having affirmed faith in God and His Messenger, accept Islam as their religion but treat this religion merely as a part of a section of their whole life. Outwardly and physically, they portray Islam - when it comes to prayers, clothings, food, social relations, and etc. But beyond this section, all the other aspects of their life are exempted from Islam. If they show love, it would be for Nafs (boyfriends @ girlfriends) or for self-benefit or for that country (Malaysia?) and nation (Melayu?) or for some body else .they profess enmity or wage war that would also be for the sake of some worldly or selfish interest. Their business, their wives and children, family, society and co-professionals---all these will be to a great extent exempt from religion and totally based on worldly considerations.

This suddenly came to mind..when we think of it... when we encourage our fellow Muslims to do business, we think of getting rich, controlling the economy, and at the same time, we say "If Malays are successful than the Muslims will also be successful." We are just making excuses, when the real reason is we are doing it for worldly reasons only. We can continue to make excuses to mankind, but Allah swt does not take excuses, He only takes our intentions. In the first hadeeth in An-Nawawi's 40 hadeeths .

"Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated."
Related by Bukhari and Muslim

Wouldn't it be such a waste, if we did something just for wordly gains.. deceiving ourself that it is for Allah.. and in the HereAfter only to find out we gained ZERO out of it.. no good deeds, nothing,and we work so hard in this damn world just to find out that all of that had no significance in the eyes of Allah all because our intentions were wrong! Why were we created in this world in the first place? Allah swt mentioned in the Quran:

"I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me." (Adz-Dzariyat 51:56)

Since we were created just for this purpose, then it is essential to know how is it possible for us to serve that purpose. If a doctor has failed to cure his patient's disease, then it is said he has failed in his profession. If a farmer has failed to yield good crops, then it is said that he has failed as a farmer. Now if we fail to reach the purpose of our creation, then our whole life is a failure.

Ok I know i have strayed away from the topic.. sorry.. but that's just it for now.. i will continue with the next kind of muslims later insya Allah...



Thursday, July 15, 2004



Sunrise at Mount Coot-tha, Brisbane.

The picture above was taken on Mount Coot-tha, when the Brisbane sisters brought us there for Fajr prayers and to watch the sunrise. Subhanallah..beautiful isn't it? That's how beautiful Allah's creations are when they follow sunnatullah.. what Allah has set for them. Allah has set that the clouds will be white and fluffy, and it will be created from water, and when it is heavy enough, it will pour down rain. And Allah has also created the sun, and set its heat, and that it will bring light to our world. Allah created the world and everything in it. And He knows its strength and weaknesses, and set rules and guidelines that should be followed. Only Allah's rules are free from any self interest influence. And when all creatures adhere to them, that is how beautiful they can be. But there are some rules which are naturally adhered too. Like rules that human must eat to live. And how much blood is pumped into our body second, etc. We have no control of it. But there are also other rules God has set for us, where we need to make a choice. And it is our control to choose right from wrong. These rules set in the Quran include rules like the prohibition of alcohol, restrictions in socializing with the opposite sex, and etc. If humans adhered to rules which Allah has set for them, let's not restrict it to just humans, but every single creature.. then this whole life will be as beautiful as the picture above. Even better. But if these rules are not adhered too, then there will be disaster. Like what is happening in the world today.

Many put their self interest above God's rules, indirectly putting their desires at the same level. Sigh.

Just remembered someone i was very close too whom i have "lost" quite some time ago. I wanted to share a beautiful truth with her. The truth of Islam. But Allah knows best. I saw it as a failure. But I know the end is not in my control. Only the effort I put in. But alhamdulillah, Allah has substituted it with something better. All I needed to have was patience.

And only with effort and patience will Islam prevail.


And most certainly We will try you until We have known those among you who exert themselves hard, and the patient... (Muhammad:31)





Monday, July 12, 2004

Back from holidays!

 I just came back from Brisbane.. it was more than 24 hours drive from Melbourne. The brothers took turn to drive the sisters' van because they didn't have confidence in the sisters to drive efficiently (fast?) and safely because.. well.. ermm.. we were all in a 13 seater van.. how fast dya expect we can go. And usually sisters aren't able to drive long hours compared to the brothers. And also because the brothers love the sisters because of Allah, and they are very protective and want the best for us , right? :) . But the sisters do take turns to drive during short distances only. Like for just 2-3 hours distances .

Anyway, I met 3 beautiful sisters from Brisbane. There are actually 4, but I have known one of them for quite some time already, so I don't have to mention about you Mas right? :) These sisters entertained us so well in Brisbane, that it felt so hard to part with them coz we all had started to love them so much.

Salwa... The motherly (erm.. maybe not that extreme.. just sisterly) figure amongst us. I seem to go to her and say this often "I want to go to the toilet!" whenever she brings us out. I can't believe she's not my mother for me to say that.. u must have had a real influence on me to respect and love u that way big sister !(though she's just my age :) ). Salwa... also known as the walking map.(Comment: Hey how some we got lost in Brisbane on the way home from mount Coot-tha after witnessing the sunrise? I take back my praise!! :P ). This calm and mature figure will keep u feel protected all the time.

Nadia... Hey i just realized i met u last year before u came to Australia! You were really worried u couldn't study overseas weren't u then? But now, there you are! I can't believe you are a Pharmacy student! This crazy sister will keep u entertained all the time. Behind this hoo-haa sister, there lies a heart of gold, yearning for the light of Islam to shine within. Like how all of us do. Inni uhubbuki fillah.. I love you because of Allah.

Shahida a.k.a. Rabbit... I still cannot accept why everybody calls her rabbit when she has such a beautiful name. This funny, soft spoken, kind, good hearted sister is actually a computer whiz. She's very quiet and polite, but don't underestimate her silence!

Even though I have just met all of you, I feel as if we've known each other for so long. Though we were not destined to meet again in Melbourne within a short while, but all of you have left footprints in my heart. And may Allah always be with us, insya allah.

Laa takhaf, wa laa tahzan, innallaha ma'ana.
"Dont be afraid, do not be sad, for Allah is with us."
Insya Allah..