A Dialogue (Part 3)

46. In the last episode, we have dealt with short yet important arguments on the proof of God's existence.

47. What comes next is to ascertain that this God that exists is none other but Allah SWT.

48. I am going to put it this way. First, I shall bring forward the general idea on how do we decide who is God.

49. After that, we shall see from the Quran (through its existence and its arguments) that the God must not be other than Allah SWT.

50. So we have three things here. First, the general idea, then the second, proof from Al-Quran's existence and thirdly, the arguments by the Quran.

51. Firstly, the general idea is simple. If God exists, then He must act justly by providing signs to His creations. This is so that the creations will not have any valid excuse when God were to judge either to punish them (if they deny God) or save them (if they accept and submit to God).

52. Among the signs He has provided are through revelations (wahy).

53. Major religions such as Islam, Christianity and Hinduism, to name a few, have their own scriptures, believed to be the words of God (or at least the words that speak on behalf of God).

54. For instance, Islam with the Al-Quran and the Christianity with the Bible (Old and New Testaments).

55. Common sense will tell us easily, that the most important aspect of a religion is its concept of God.

56. Hence, while all above religions believe in God/gods, it is now necessary to provide a set of criteria or yardstick taught in each religion, to prove who is and who is not God. The most reliable source for this is definitely the scriptures of each religion.

57. As I am going to represent my beloved deen, Islam, I will explain the concept of God in Islam, and in doing so, will make fine comparisons between Allah as God with the God believed by the Christians, Jesus Christ being one of them (so that we can test how the criteria of God works).

58. However, as mentioned earlier, I will firstly speak in brief about the existence of Quran itself as a proof that Allah is the God, One and Only.

59. This is a very simple argument.

60. Firstly, just to get things clear here, Al-Quran is not the words of Prophet Muhammad SAW, but are the EXACT words of Allah SWT (revealed through him to the whole mankind). Insya Allah (God willing), I will elaborate more on this in the other upcoming episode, but suffice to say now, that the words of Muhammad SAW, is called ahadith (plural of hadith) instead.

61. Now, going back to the argument, Al-Quran has mentioned explicitly that it was revealed by Allah SWT and Allah will protect it until the end of time.

62. Now, imagine this. If all religions were to reach a global consensus, that today we shall burn and destroy all the scriptures and textual documents of religions (Quran, Bible, Veda etc.) including those on the net without any trace or backup copy whatsoever, guess what will happen?

63. Within only few days, only the Quran will come back to its absolute original form, with no alteration at all, not even an alphabet!

64. And why is this?

65. Because Al-Quran (which is in Arabic language) is the only book memorized in totality by many Muslims worldwide!

66. We have children as young as 5 years old (if not younger) who memorizes the Quran from cover to cover, and in addition to that, many of them don't even speak (or understand) Arabic language!

67. This is a guarantee from Allah (in Surah Al-Hijr, aayat no.9) that the preservation of Quran will last!

68. It has been more than 14 hundred years now, yet it has not been altered, not in the slightest!

(The case for Bible is significantly different, because even the Bible scholars would agree that not only Bible has gone through so many changes (addition and deletion) here and there throughout the course of its long history, in fact now there are so many different versions of Bible!)

69. The fact that Al-Quran explicitly mentions Allah as the One and only true God, and the fact that its preservation is impossible without permission (and work) of God, we have now come to the end of our first premise, that is, Al-Quran through its existence is a proof that Allah is the God.

70. Now, this last point may be the most interesting part to analyse together.

71. In the Quran, the 112th chapter is called Surah Al-Ikhlas.

72. It is one of the shortest Surah in it, nevertheless carries huge weight and significance when it comes  to the concept of God in Islam.

73. In fact we shall now analyse the 4 criteria of God it outlines from its short yet eloquent four verses.

74. The verses explain that Allah is the God, and then beautifully continue with the attributes of Allah as God (hence the criteria of God in Islam) which is fulfilled by only Allah and none others.

75. For comparison, now let's take Jesus Christ and put him on test (whether he fulfills the criteria to be God).

76. Before I continue though, it's necessary to mention here that  Jesus Christ (in Arabic, Isa) is regarded as a great prophet by us Muslims.

77. This comparison is in no way attempting to condemn him. In reality (for the Muslims), elevating him as God, is something he himself (Jesus) will despise and disprove of, hence a true form of insult instead!

78. The first verse says that God must be One and Only. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, apart from The Father God and the Holy Spirit (in a concept called Trinity). Hence, the fact that now we have more than one God, we will say that Jesus is not a God.

79. The second verse refers to the absolute and eternal nature of God i.e God has neither beginning nor ending. Muslims and Christians alike believe that Jesus was born by Mary (in Arabic, Maryam).

80. However, only the Christians believe that Jesus died.

81. The fact that he was born means that he has a beginning. And the fact that he dies means that he also has an ending.

82. Therefore, according to the second criteria, Jesus must not be God because he begins and ends (which makes more sense if we consider him a human being, but a prophet, as believed by Muslims).

83. Thirdly, God must not beget nor is he begotten. What this means is that a God must not be born or that he gives birth. Jesus was born. Hence, he is not a God.

84. The last verse, hence the last criteria suggests that God is not God if he is the same (or possess any similarity with His creation).

85. Jesus obviously appears to be in the form of a man during his lifetime, which again makes him not a God, but as believed by the Muslim, more logically a prophet.

86. With a rather long discussion above, I shall put an end to this part here. 

87. Let me end with this testimony. I firmly bear witness that there is no God except Allah SWT, He is One and Only, and Muhammad SAW was his Messenger.

(To be continued in Part 4)

"Or have they taken for worship (other) gods besides Him (Allah)? Say: Bring your proof. This (the Quran) is the Reminder for those with me and the Reminder for those before me. But most of them know not the Truth, so they are averse."

(Surah Al-Anbiya, aayat no.24)

Read Part 2 here

Read more "A Dialogue (Part 3)"

Ditipu Ilmu

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamualaikum wbt.

Firman Allah SWT:

"......Apakah sama orang-orang yang mengetahui dengan orang-orang yang TIDAK mengetahui? Sungguh, hanya orang yang berakal sihat yang dapat menerima pelajaran."

(Surah Az-Zumar, ayat 9)

1. Ilmu pada zaman sekarang begitu pesat berkembang, dalam pelbagai bidang, baik keagamaan mahupun sekular.

2. Ironinya, kita semakin TAK berilmu saban hari.

3. Mungkin kerana ilmu kini hanya disimpan dalam bentuk data dan informasi dalam gajet yang boleh dibawa ke mana-mana. 

4. Bateri habis, lena lah ilmu. Gajet rosak, matilah ilmu. Walaupun gajet yang dijangkiti virus, tapi ilmu pula yang hilang dari dunia. Semua nak kena format balik.

5. Kita mungkin lupa, bahawa ilmu terpenting adalah yang membawa kita lebih mengenali Tuhan.

6. Ilmu mengenali Tuhan, tak semestinya ia ilmu yang berkait dengan agama secara langsung, walaupun itulah yang terbaik.

7. Contohnya, ada orang belajar Al-Quran untuk berhujah balas dengan temannya. Maka, walaupun ilmu yang dipelajarinya ilmu Al-Quran, tetapi dia lupa tujuannya, dan dari mana datangnya ilmu itu!

8. Padahal seorang ahli kaji bintang, yang mengkaji bintang, boleh saja merenung dan memikirkan tentang kejadian alam yang ada Penciptanya. Keikhlasan hati mendekatkan dirinya pada yang Esa.

9. Alangkah mudahnya kita tertipu dengan ilmu.

10. Hari ini kita beli berkotak-kotak buku. Bertimbun-timbun kitab.

11. Lebih separuh daripadanya belum dibaca.

12. Tetapi memilikinya sahaja membuatkan seolah-olah ada perasaan bahawa kita sudah khatam buku itu.

13. Alangkah menipunya keadaan ini. Bisikan syaitan. Wal 'iya zu billah..

14. Sedangkan kawan kita belum ada buku itu, maka kita yang ada dan dah beli merasakan kita lebih pandai daripadanya semata-mata kerana kita memiliki buku itu. Padahal tak baca pun.

15. Pertimbangan yang palsu dan penuh fantasi! Cadangan saya, kalau tak keberatan, pinjamkan saja buku itu pada orang yang boleh memanfaatkannya. Bagi terus pun ok jugak. Kita pun dapat pahala sedekah insya Allah.

16. Lihatlah keilmuan Imam Shafi'e RH, yang merupakan anak murid Imam Malik RH.

17. Kedua-duanya imam besar mazhab Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah.

18. Imam Shafi'e sebelum belajar kitab Al-Muwatta' karangan Imam Malik, sudah pun menghafaz keseluruhan kitab itu!

19. Padahal Kitab Al-Muwatta' mengandungi ribuan hadis di dalamnya, dan Imam Shafi'e RH bukan setakat menghafaz teks atau matannya, malah cukup lengkap dengan sanad dan perawi hadis kesemuanya!

20. Subhanallah. Dalam keadaan ini pun, ada yang masih fikir bahawa ilmunya boleh mengatasi kefahaman imam mazhab.

21. Ya, memang salah kalau kita taksub mazhab. Tetapi problematik juga untuk orang yang mengaku ingin meninggalkan mazhab kerana mahu terus merujuk kepada Al-Quran dan Sunnah.

22. Eh yang imam mazhab ni dia rujuk Bible ek? Tidak. Bahkan mereka lebih memahami Al-Quran dan Sunnah serta hadis. Sehinggakan para ulamak hadis seperti Imam Bukhari pun bermazhab (dalam memahami hadis), kerana imam-imam mazhab adalah orang yang faqih (betul-betul faham ilmu).

23. Persoalan tegas sebegini saya tujukan buat orang awam seperti saya. Berhati-hatilah. Betapa ramai orang yang ada ilmu tapi tiada kefahaman. Jangan tertipu. Ilmu sahaja tak cukup. Kefahaman adalah satu anugerah besar daripada Allah SWT.

24. Lihatlah pula Imam Al-Ghazali RH. Beliau digelar Hujjatul Islam. Kewujudan beliau adalah BUKTI dan HUJJAH bahawa Islam itu agama yang benar.

25. Diriwayatkan dalam kisah hidupnya, pernah ketika bersama satu rombongan, mereka dirompak.

26. Imam Al-Ghazali RH sangat takut kitab-kitab dan nota catatannya dirompak juga. Sehinggakan tersentak beliau oleh kata-kata si perompak.

27. Bahawa jika dirompak semua buku dan nota-notanya, maka adakah akan hilang semua ilmunya? Ujar sang perompak.

28. Imam Al-Ghazali RH melihat itu sebagai satu petanda daripada Tuhannya. Lantas berubah perspektifnya terhadap ilmu.

29. Sebab itulah, ilmu yang benar adalah ilmu yang diamalkan. Bukannya ilmu yang dikumpul seperti harta, kemudian disimpan untuk jadi hak milik seorang diri. 

30. Alangkah malangnya hal yang demikian. Ibarat air yang bertakung. Tak mengalir dan rosak berkeladak.

31. Ilmu yang diamalkan, itulah ilmu yang benar. Ilmu yang benar, itulah yang dikongsikan, disampaikan dan disebarkan.

32. Jangan tertipu dengan hiasan ilmu seperti kemahsyuran. Hiasan sebegini ibarat rantai yang terlalu berat, jika dipakai pada leher akan jatuhlah kepala sehingga tertimbus ke dalam tanah.

33. Padahal Allah SWT telah memberi amaran kepada ahli ilmu, sehingga Allah ibaratkan mereka seperti anjing yang asyik menjelirkan lidahnya, jika keinginan dunia yang dicari. Rujuk Surah Al-A'raf, ayat 175-176. 

34. Subhanallah, besarnya amanah orang yang diberi ilmu. Sehinggakan ilmu itu sama ada memuliakannya, atau menghinakannya! Sama ada ia menjadi hujah yang membantunya, atau hujah yang akan mendakwanya kelak!

35. Ya Allah, kurniakanlah dan tambahkanlah bagi kami ilmu yang BERMANFAAT.

36. Moga-moga kita semua, yang saban hari menuntut ilmu, tak akan pernah lupa untuk semakin tunduk dengan isi. Ikut resmi padi.

37. Janganlah kita lupa. Kita semua menyembah Allah SWT. Dialah yang mengajarkan ilmu. Kita pula menyembah pemilik ilmu, dan BUKANNYA menyembah ilmu. Bukanlah ilmu itu Tuhan. Jangan tertipu.

Wallahuaklam. Wassalamualaikum wbt.

Read more "Ditipu Ilmu"

A Dialogue (Part 2)

(Part 2)

20. Atheist and Agnostic are different.

21. Atheists reject God, while Agnostics claim that there is no way we can prove the existence of God.

22. Responding to Atheists, as Muslims, we believe that rejecting the existence of God is similar to rejecting the existence of ourselves!

23. As for the Agnostics, maybe they do not even know whether they themselves exist.

24. Some other people may go to an extent asking where is God (if He really exists).

25. Imam Al-Ghazali RH, a great Muslim scholar has answered this question by telling us, that we do not even know where exactly we are in the universe, yet we ask where is God? Truth is, we can't even draw a complete map of the whole universe, how then do we expect to capture God with our naked eyes?

26. In this Part 2, I will be dealing with the explanation on how do we believe that God exists. Some of the explanation are ones I already shared with the guy I had a dialogue with, while some others are additional information for you guys here.

27. Firstly, let us all ponder upon this excellent question posed by Allah SWT in the Quran.

".....Were they created from NOTHING? Or were they creator themselves? Or did they create the heaven and the earth? Rather, they are not certain."
(Surah At-Tur, ayat 35-36)

28. Allah SWT challenges us with this question, which if we think about it, are important questions we have to ask before we ask whether God exists.

29. Is it possible that we are created from nothing? Exactly not. At least we would logically think that we were created from clay, the earth, which is true enough (as we are from Adam, and Adam was from the soil, according to Quran itself), but who created the earth, and who molded the earth into something called human being in the first place?

30. Did the earth suddenly rearrange itself and become us? No, there must be God. He created us.

31. People would then ask, so in that case, who created God?

32. Nabi SAW through his saying (hadith) has taught us that such question is a trick from shaytan, the devil.

33. The way we respond to that question is by saying (and firmly believe) aamantu billaahi warosulih (which means, I believe in Allah and his messenger).

34. Nevertheless, insya Allah with His permission, we can look at this question in a number of ways which may help cater to the reasoning of our mind insya Allah.

35. Firstly, God is uncreated. If He is created, then He is not God.

36. Saying that God is created is like attempting to draw a circular triangle, or a triangular circle.

37. It doesn't make any sense. A circle can't be triangular in shape. The same way, if we have a triangle, then its shape can't be circle.

38. Secondly, is the implication of asking the question. If say, for the sake of argument, God is created (wal 'iya zubillah), and the creator is A, we can still ask, who then, created A?

39. Say, B created A. Then the question continues, who created B then? Say, C created B.

40. So who created C then? Can you see where this is going? It becomes more and more absurd.

41. Therefore, it is more rational to think that God is uncreated. And the fact that He exists, without any need from others, without any need to be created, is a proof that He is God.

42. Lastly, going back to the Quranic verse aforementioned above, it is asked upon us, that, did we create ourselves?

43. If that is so, then we need to exist first to create ourselves. But how do we exist before we were created?

44. Another absurdity indeed. May Allah always guide us insya Allah.

45. Next, as we are now pretty certain that God exists, why must that God be Allah? Why can't we believe in other God/Gods?

(To be continued in Part 3)

Read Part 1 here

Read more "A Dialogue (Part 2)"

Sidang Burung-Burung

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamualaikum wbt.

1. Saya dah nak tidur sebenarnya tapi takut nanti hilang daripada ingatan, atau waktu makin sibuk dengan urusan lain, eloklah saya menulis terus malam ini juga. 

2. Baru sekejap tadi, dari 8.30-9.30pm saya luangkan sikit masa menonton sebuah teater oleh pelajar diploma Fakulti Filem, Teater dan Animasi di Dewan Seri Budiman UiTM Shah Alam.

3. Tajuknya ialah Sidang Burung-Burung atau the Conference of the Birds (Manteq At-Tair) yang merupakan satu bentuk adaptasi daripada puisi-puisi yang ditulis oleh seorang insan sufi dari Parsi, Farid Ad-Din Al-Attar.

4. Jika anda yang sedang membaca sekarang adalah salah seorang daripada krew atau insan yang terlibat dalam pementasan tersebut, tahniah saya ucapkan.

5. Sebenarnya saya tak mahu bercakap panjang. Cuma sedikit komentar sahaja di sini. 

6. Pertamanya terima kasih buat sahabat saya yang menjemput ke teater ini, Encik Mi (atau Abang Mi) yang hensem bergaya di bawah (maaf saya cilok gambar dari fb hehe).

7. Saya percaya bahawa seni merupakan satu elemen yang cukup sinonim dengan Islam. Dan pastinya, teater juga merupakan satu bentuk seni yang halus dan wajar dihargai.

8. Islam bukan agama yang keras dan kering tanpa langsung ada nilai-nilai yang boleh menyentuh jiwa. Malah, jika tak tersentuh jiwa, bukanlah Islam namanya.

9. Berapa ramai menangis membaca Al-Quran, malah kadang-kadang sayu hanya apabila mendengar alunan bacaan Al-Quran? Inilah 'seni' tersendiri yang dirasai jiwa nurani.

10. Apatah lagi jika memahami dan menghayati maksudnya, pasti lebih dalam ia menyelam ke lubuk jiwa.

11. Saya harap orang seperti Abang Mi kita di atas (dan rakan-rakan) akan terus berkarya dan menggunakan kelebihan ilmu dan kepakaran dalam bidang ini untuk turut menyumbang dalam bidang dakwah serta mempelajari Islam.

12. Jika tuan-tuan perasan, tema (design) blog saya ini pun seperti set drama.

13. Awalnya ia bersifat random (main ambik je daripada internet kemudian ubah sikit-sikit) sehinggalah sampai satu masa saya rasa ia sangat berkait rapat dengan kehidupan diri sehari-hari.

14. Yakni hidup kita ini ibarat satu kisah dan pentasnya ialah dunia ini.

15. Kita adalah pelakonnya.

16. Hidup ini harus diatur mengikut skrip (Quran dan Sunnah) seperti mana para pelakon teater mesti mengikuti skrip teater yang dilakonkan.

17. Kalau tak, rosaklah jalan cerita.

18. Yang paling berkait rapat dengan kehidupan kita ialah, sebagaimana teater, hidup kita juga PASTI ada penghujungnya (tak puas rasanya teater tadi 1 jam sahaja).

19. Mati- adalah pemutus kelazatan. Apalah sangat kelazatan dunia yang sementara.

20. Puisi ini yang diadaptasikan dalam bentuk teater yang saya tonton, mengisahkan cerita burung-burung yang bersidang mencari sebab kenapa mereka tidak mempunyai raja.

21. Sehinggalah mereka terbang berhijrah mencari raja mereka itu hingga ke negara China, sebagaimana yang dikatakan, tuntutlah ilmu hingga ke negara China. 

22. Antara yang menarik ialah bagaimana setiap jenis burung ada saja karenah, ragam dan alasan tak mahu berhijrah walaupun dibantah dan dibidas oleh burung Hud-Hud, yang paling bijak antara mereka.

23. Benar sekali, ragam-ragam ini adalah gambaran dan perumpamaan yang tepat terhadap sikap manusia di dunia ini yang memang suka mengeluh mencari alasan.

"Sesungguhnya manusia diciptakan bersifat keluh kesah..."

(Surah Al-Ma'arij, ayat 19)

24. Yang menariknya, jelajah si burung-burung mencari raja ini adalah ibarat pencarian Tuhan, ataupun pencarian kepada makna hidup atau makna diri yang sebenar.

23. Di penghujung cerita, rupa-rupanya raja yang dicari itu ialah cermin-cermin yang banyak, yang sebenarnya memantulkan imej diri burung-burung itu sendiri.

24. Kesimpulannya ialah, sebenarnya apa yang dicari itu sebenarnya bukan berada di luar, tetapi di dalam diri kita sendiri. Kitalah apa yang dicari itu.

25. Malah dalam mencari bukti kewujudan Tuhan, bukankah tanda-tanda itu ada pada penciptaan diri kita juga?

Wallahuaklam. Wassalamualaikum wbt.

"Kami akan memperlihatkan kepada mereka tanda-tanda (kebesaran) Kami di segenap penjuru, dan pada DIRI MEREKA SENDIRI...."

(Surah Fussilat, ayat ke-53)

Read more "Sidang Burung-Burung"

Hikmah Allah SWT

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamualaikum wbt.

1. Ada satu kisah yang cukup menyentuh hati tentang seorang Sheikh.

2. Pada bulan Ramadhan, beliau banyak membaca Al-Quran pada malam hari.

3. Namun, beliau langsung tak membaca Al-Quran pada siang hari (ketika berpuasa).

4. Lalu orang pun bertanya kenapa.

5. Jawab Sheikh itu, apabila dia membaca Al-Quran, dia akan merasakan kemanisannya, lantas tak berasa lapar.

6. Sheikh itu tak mahu begitu. Beliau juga mahu merasa lapar seperti orang lain yang lapar berpuasa.

7. Maka Sheikh itu hanya melakukan amal kebajikan lain pada siang harinya.

8. Pernahkah kita merasakan kemanisan membaca Al-Quran?

9. Pastinya, kemanisan ini bukan dirasa melalui deria rasa yang tertanam di lidah.

10. Tetapi kemanisan itu nikmat besar melalui iman yang tertanam di hati.

11. Manusia sekarang sibuk dengan kerja. Yang belum bekerja sibuk belajar. Yang tak belajar mungkin sibuk bermain video games dan sebagainya.

12. Bayangkan jika Allah SWT tak menjadikan rasa lapar, nescaya akan matilah anak Adam akibat lupa bahawa dia perlu makan, kerana sibuk dengan kesibukannya.

13. Hikmahnya Allah kerana menjadikan rasa lapar.

14. Penderitaan orang yang lapar pula ujian buat mereka yang lapar ini.

15. Ia juga ujian buat orang yang kaya yang menyaksikan orang yang lapar. Adakah dia akan membantu si lapar?

16. Apabila perut diisi sehingga penuh, Allah penuh hikmah menjadikan juga rasa kenyang.

17. Bayangkan jika tidak Allah ciptakan rasa kenyang, nescaya akan matilah anak Adam kerana terlebih makan. Mungkin pecah perutnya. 

18. Bukankah perut tempat terisinya makanan itu letaknya di dalam badan? Tak terlihat?

19. Jika tidak Allah jadikan rasa kenyang, nescaya tak kita tahu bahawa perut itu sudah penuh terisi.

20. Yang lebih penting lagi, kalaulah kita boleh makan berterusan tanpa rasa kenyang, nescaya kita akan makan sahaja sehingga lupa bahawa Allahlah yang memberikan rasa kenyang dan kesedapan makanan itu.

21. Sesungguhnya setiap had yang Allah letakkan pada sesuatu ada hikmah dan pengajarannya.

22. Begitu juga tercipta rasa sakit.

23. Kalaulah kita dicipta tanpa deria sakit, nescaya kita tak takut api neraka.

24. Maka lebih ramailah ahli neraka kerana mereka melakukan perbuatan dosa apabila tak takutkan neraka, kerana tak faham apakah erti azab dan kesakitan.

25. Rahmatnya Allah memberikan kita rasa sakit supaya kita takut akan azab-Nya.

26. Dan besar lagi rahmat Allah SWT yang menyembuhkan kita daripada kesakitan sehingga kita dapat merasai nikmat penawar kurniaan Allah yang Maha Berkuasa.

27. Kita gundah gulana akibat kesakitan fizikal.

28. Moga kita tak lupa bahawa hati juga boleh dihinggapi penyakit. Bahkan lebih banyak, kronik dan kritikal.

29. Malah ia jauh lebih bahaya, kerana ia bukan dapat dilihat atau dirasa dengan mata kasar, atau deria yang lemah.

30. Dengan ilmu dan kasih sayang Allah, moga kita dapat mengenal pasti kesakitan hati lantas merawatnya.

31. Antara penyakit hati adalah rasa iri hati yang tak bertempat, sombong, angkuh dan bongkak serta banyak lagi.

32. Moga Allah selamatkan kita daripada semuanya itu.

33. Akhir sekali, setiap orang di sekeliling kita bolah menjadi satu bentuk ujian kepada kita.

34. Wanita yang berpakaian tak cukup kain menjadi ujian buat setiap lelaki yang memandang.

35. Lelaki yang kaya dan pandai bermain kata-kata menjadi ujian buat wanita yang cepat tergoda.

36. Seorang guru teruji dengan karenah anak-anak muridnya yang pelbagai.

37. Isteri menjadi ujian buat suami dan suami menjadi ujian buat isteri.

38. Tanpa kita sedari bukanlah hanya orang sekeliling yang menjadi ujian buat kita.

39. Padahal dalam sedar atau tak sedar, kita juga menjadi ujian buat orang lain.

Wallahuaklam. Wassalamualaikum wbt.

Read more "Hikmah Allah SWT"

A Dialogue (Part 1)

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamualaikum wbt.

(Part 1)

1. The dialogue was rare. Yet meaningful.

2. This story is about an encounter I had with a gentleman I just knew through internet who is a Muslim but apparently sees Islam as a different Islam, unlike what we normally understand.

3. In brief, he is still a Muslim (I believe so, Allah knows best) despite the fact that he seemed to favor some liberal thoughts and I am not 100% sure if he is still practicing (prayers etc).

4. I am not passing a judgement here, but I will explain my description above later as you read further.

5. Interestingly enough, this guy finished his secondary education at a well-known boarding school (SBP) in Malaysia, and this is not just another SBP but a religious school (sekolah aliran agama).

6. This is not about painting a bad image on our local schools, but a highlight on how challenging it is outside there, that Islam (our faith) is being attacked from all directions, all the time, risking not only ourselves, but each and every one person we love in this world (close you eyes and think about them for a couple of seconds now).

7. My point of writing this is not just to share the story, but more than that is to offer recommendation on how do we deal with many questions we may have about Islam (or asked by others) and never less important, is to adjust the way we deal with such people.

8. We should be able to engage in constructive dialogues and discussions, and not to be in defensive mode all the time.

9. I am in no way trying to suggest that I have the best solution or methodology here, but I will just share what is at my best available, and next to come is the roles to play by each and every single one of us.

10. We, all of us, have jobs to do.

11. This lovely guy (by his personality and character) is a Malaysian and is about to graduate from a university from the United States of America (USA) soon (for brevity's sake, I will use America from now onward).

12. When I met him at KLCC, he brought along a close friend of him, an American guy by the name of Matthew.

13. Unfortunately I only met Matthew for a very short time as he headed somewhere else walking around the place- in a way, he's a tourist after all.

14. So the dialogue began between me and him, the Muslim guy, in Matthew's absence.

15. From the way the conversation took place, he seemed to be searching for truth i.e the right religion to believe in. Mind you, this guy was born a Muslim.

16. According to him, it was not America (that influenced him), but he had things in mind way back since he was still in Malaysia, and America is only a place that sort of 'confirmed' what he believed in.

17. Among the first question that he asked, surprisingly, was about whether God exist in the first place? And he didn't claim to be an atheist, but he believed that it is not wrong to ask.

18. So then, does God exist?

19. (To be continued in Part 2)

Read more "A Dialogue (Part 1)"