Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh...

Have you ever wondered how the peace offerings was started? I never did. I thought its a normal thing, but boy was I wrong :P

Having an iPad at first was a no big deal to me, as I was not a gadget freak to begin with. However, it all changes after adding on few apps. I added in a Hadeeth apps, and try to make a point to read one a day. Remember how amazed I am on the sheikh's eloquence in narrating the stories of the Sahabah? I aspire to be one as well :D

This is a story about Abu Dharr al-Ghifari and how the salam was started.

In the Waddan valley which connects Makkah with the outside world, lived the tribe of Ghifar. The  Ghifar existed on the meagre offerings of the trade caravans of the Quraysh which plied between  Syria and Makkah. It is likely that they also lived by raiding these caravans when they were not  given enough to satisfy their needs. Jundub ibn Junadah, nicknamed Abu Dharr, was a member of  this tribe. 


He was known for his courage, his calmness and his far sightedness and also for the repugnance  he felt against the idols which his people worshipped. He rejected the silly religious beliefs and the  religious corruption in which the Arabs were engaged. 


While he was in the Waddan desert, news reached Abu Dharr that a new Prophet had appeared  in Makkah. He really hoped that his appearance would help to change the hearts and minds of  people and lead them away from the darkness of superstition. Without wasting much time, he  called his brother, Anis, and said to him: 


"Go to Makkah and get whatever news you can of this man who claims that he is a Prophet and  that revelation comes to him from the heavens. Listen to some of his sayings and come back and  recite them to me." 


Anis went to Makkah and met the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be on him. He listened to  what he had to say and returned to the Waddan desert. Abu Dharr met him and anxiously asked  for news of the Prophet. 


"I have seen a man," reported Anis, 'who calls people to noble qualities and there is no mere poetry in what he says." 


"What do people say about him?" asked Abu Dharr. 


"They say he is a magician, a soothsayer and a poet." 


"My curiosity is not satisfied. I am not finished with this matter. Will you look after my family while I  go out and examine this prophet's mission myself?" 


"Yes. But beware of the Makkans." 


On his arrival at Makkah, Abu Dharr immediately felt very apprehensive and he decided to exercise  great caution. The Quraysh were noticeably angry over the denunciation of their gods. Abu Dharr  heard of the terrible violence they were meting out to the followers of the Prophet but this was  what he expected. He therefore refrained from asking anyone about Muhammad not knowing  whether that person might be a follower or an enemy. 


At nightfall, he lay down in the Sacred Mosque. Ali ibn Abi Talib passed by him and, realizing that  he was a stranger, asked him to come to his house. Abu Dharr spent the night with him and in the  morning took his water pouch and his bag containing provisions and returned to the Mosque. He  had asked no questions and no questions were asked of him. 


Abu Dharr spent the following day without getting to know the Prophet. At evening he went to the  Mosque to sleep and Ali again passed by him and said: 


"Isn't it time that a man knows his house?" 


Abu Dharr accompanied him and stayed at his house a second night. Again no one asked the other  about anything. 


On the third night, however, Ali asked him, "Aren't you going to tell me why you came to Makkah?" 


"Only if you will give me an undertaking that you will guide me to what I seek." Ali agreed and Abu  Dharr said: "I came to Makkah from a distant place seeking a meeting with the new Prophet and  to listen to some of what he has to say." 


Ali's face lit up with happiness as he said, "By God, he is really the Messenger of God," and he  went on telling Abu Dharr more about the Prophet and his teaching. Finally, he said: 


"When we get up in the morning, follow me wherever I go. If I see anything which I am afraid of  for your sake, I would stop as if to pass water. If I continue, follow me until you enter where I  enter." 


Abu Dharr did not sleep a wink the rest of that night because of his intense longing to see the  Prophet and listen to the words of revelation. In the morning, he followed closely in Ali's footsteps  until they were in the presence of the Prophet. 


As-salaamu Alayka Yaa Rasulullah, (Peace be on you, O Messenger of God)," greeted Abu Dharr. 


Wa Alayka salaamullahi wa rahmatuhu wa barakaatuhu (And on you be the peace of God, His  mercy and His blessings)," replied the Prophet. 


Abu Dharr was thus the first person to greet the Prophet with the greeting of Islam. After that, the  greeting spread and came into general use. 


The Prophet, peace be on him, welcomed Abu Dharr and invited him to Islam. He recited some of  the Quran for him. Before long, Abu Dharr pronounced the Shahadah thus entering the new  religion (without even leaving his place). He was among the first persons to accept Islam. 


Let us leave Abu Dharr to continue his own story... 


After that I stayed with the Prophet in Makkah and he taught me Islam and taught me to read the  Quran. Then he said to me, 'Don't tell anyone in Makkah about your acceptance of Islam. I fear  that they will kill you." 


"By Him in whose hands is my soul, I shall not leave Makkah until I go to the Sacred Mosque and  proclaim the call of Truth in the midst of the Quraysh," vowed Abu Dharr. 


The Prophet remained silent. I went to the Mosque. The Quraysh were sitting and talking. I went  in their midst and called out at the top of my voice, "O people of Quraysh, I testify that there is no  God but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." 


My words had an immediate effect on them. They jumped up and said, 'Get this one who has left  his religion." They pounced on me and began to beat me mercilessly. They clearly meant to kill me.  But Abbas ibn Abdulmuttalib, the uncle of the Prophet, recognized me. He bent over and protected  me from them. He told them: 


"Woe to you! Would you kill a man from the Ghifar tribe and your caravans must pass through  their territory?" They then released me. 


I went back to the Prophet, upon whom be peace, and when he saw my condition, he said, "Didn't  I tell you not to announce your acceptance of Islam?" "O Messenger of God," I said, "It was a  need I felt in my soul and I fulfilled it." "Go to your people," he commanded, "and tell them what  you have seen and heard. Invite them to God. Maybe God will bring them good through you and  reward you through them. And when you hear that I have come out in the open, then come to  me." 


I left and went back to my people. My brother came up to me and asked, "What have you done?" I  told him that I had become a Muslim and that I believed in the truth of Muhammad's teachings. 


"I am not averse to your religion. In fact, I am also now a Muslim and a believer," he said. 


We both went to our mother then and invited her to Islam . 


"I do not have any dislike from your religion. I accept Islam also," she said. 


From that day this family of believers went out tirelessly inviting the Ghifar to God and did not  flinch from their purpose. Eventually a large number became Muslims and the congregational  Prayer was instituted among them. 


Abu Dharr remained in his desert abode until after the Prophet had gone to Madinah and the  battles of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq had been fought. At Madinah at last, he asked the Prophet to  be in his personal service. The Prophet agreed and was pleased with his companionship and  service. He sometimes showed preference to Abu Dharr above others and whenever he met him  he would pat him and smile and show his happiness. 


After the death of the Prophet, Abu Dharr could not bear to stay in Madinah because of grief and  the knowledge that there was to be no more of his guiding company. So he left for the Syrian  desert and stayed there during the caliphate of Abu Bakr and Umar. 


During the caliphate of Uthman, he stayed in Damascus and saw the Muslims concern for the world  and their consuming desire for luxury. He was saddened and repelled by this. So Uthman asked  him to come to Madinah. At Madinah he was also critical of the people's pursuit of worldly goods  and pleasures and they were critical in turn of his reviling them. Uthman therefore ordered that he  should go to Rubdhah, a small village near Madinah. There he stayed far away from people,  renouncing their preoccupation with worldly goods and holding on to the legacy of the Prophet  and his companions in seeking the everlasting abode of the Hereafter in preference to this  transitory world. 


Once a man visited him and began looking at the contents of his house but found it quite bare. He  asked Abu Dharr: "Where are your possessions?" "We have a house yonder (meaning the  Hereafter)," said Abu Dharr, "to which we send the best of our possessions." The man understood  what he meant and said: "But you must have some possessions so long as you are in this abode."  "The owner of this abode will not leave us in it," replied Abu Dharr. 


Abu Dharr persisted in his simple and frugal life to the end. Once the amir of Syria sent three  hundred diners to Abu Dharr to meet his needs. He returned the money saying, "Does not the amir  of Syria find a servant more deserving of it than I?" 


In the year 32 AH. the self-denying Abu Dharr passed away. The Prophet, peace be upon him, had  said of him: "The earth does not carry nor the heavens cover a man more true and faithful than  Abu Dharr."

Hakikat Kematian

I was woken up at ~4am this morning by a single phone call. It was my nephew, my cousin's son. He told me his father passed away at 2.20am. He asked for my favour to bring his youngest brother who is now studying in PD back for the funeral. I am in the middle of plant shutdown, and by right could not afford to be away. But after like 5 minutes thought, I agreed.

I jumped out of bed and was ready to put on my shirt and jeans, and then it hit me....baju kurung la!!! I took a quick glance at my collection, all are bright and happy colours..(whats with wearing black to funeral?) At last I settle with a orange floral printed on black background. I went on and picked up my nephew at his place and we depart PD around 5am. For a long distance drive I normally would blast my music to almost max but since my passenger is someone who just lost a father, that would not be very appropriate, wouldn't it? Now, where is that thumb drive with Al-Quran mp3?? So I tuned in to IKIM.fm instead.

We reached Jengka 8 around 8++am. Few of my aunties were there already. Their neighbours were coming in and out of the house. I met my cousin, she was calm, sitting by her late husband's body. After sending my mums regard, I recited Yaasin and after I finished, I basically don't know what else to do. Honestly, I have never been to a funeral where the remain is still there. Most of the neighbours are chatting away, I overheard some of the conversation, but after a while, I don't think I would like to stick around and listened to it further. I guess its part of the Malay culture, they never really considered the deceased's family's feeling, they just talk like it doesn't matter. Banyak topik perbualan yang memburukkan tuan rumah, even if the are not my family I don't think it is appropriate to be talking ill of the anybody at all, let alone during the difficult times like this.

The remains was brought to the graveyard around 10.30am. While they were lowering down the body, I caught a glimpse of arwah's face. Suddenly there is a rush of emotions, I could not contain myself. I started to cry, not because of arwah (I was not so close to him anyway) but because I was reminded about myself, my death, my funeral, my ending in this world. Waktu tu automatic istighfar banyak-banyak...I don't want to be overcome by my own emotion. I was holding my cousin, and she started to loose it. Both her daughter in law tried to calm her down. But it seems to me, the moment anybody said, "Sabar ye mak...kesian kat ayah...." she just got more and more emotional.

I took her away, I asked her to istighfar with me, and Alhamdulillah, she managed to calm down. The istighfar works!! Subhanallah...I keep on reciting istighfar with her, just so she would not loose it anymore and at the same time to calm myself as well. Everything was over in half an hour, and then we got back to the house. I stayed until lunch and left around 2pm.

Today I realized, we are never prepared to face death, be it anybody's or let alone our own. I think, with a straight mind, we pretty much know how to behave when visiting the deceased or the family, but sometimes, emotions just got over us and all we need is a simple reminder.

Something worth to share...Adab Ziarah Orang Meninggal 

From this, I have two topics to explore, which are, why wear black to a funeral? and why do we recite Yaasin to the dead? Give me sometime, I'll try to find out, insyaAllah...

Who to blame?

Just got back from my weekly tazkirah session, and this particular ayat struck me....A reminder from the Syaitan himself,

And Satan will say when the matter has been concluded, "Indeed, Allah had promised you the promise of truth. And I promised you, but I betrayed you. But I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me. So do not blame me; but blame yourselves. I cannot be called to your aid, nor can you be called to my aid. Indeed, I deny your association of me [with Allah ] before. Indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful punishment."

Malay

Dan berkatalah pula Syaitan setelah selesai perkara itu: "Sesungguhnya Allah telah menjanjikan kamu dengan janji yang benar dan aku telah menjanjikan kamu lalu aku mungkiri janjiku itu kepada kamu; 

dan tiadalah bagiku sebarang alasan dan kuasa mempengaruhi kamu selain daripada aku telah mengajak kamu lalu kamu terburu-buru menurut ajakanku itu; maka janganlah kamu salahkan daku tetapi salahkan diri kamu sendiri.  

Aku tidak dapat menyelamatkan kamu dan kamu juga tidak dapat menyelamatkan daku. Sesungguhnya dari dahulu lagi aku telah kufur ingkarkan (perintah Tuhan) yang kamu sekutukan daku denganNya". Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang zalim (yang meletakkan sesuatu pada bukan tempatnya) beroleh azab yang tidak terperi sakitnya. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In daily life we made disclaimers, to deny any liabilities, or any accountability that may be imposed on us. But Syaitan is well ahead of us. He declared in the Al-Quran, that he is not to be blamed for any wrong doings. 

The power is in our hands......to choose or not to choose...

Tentang Do'a

I forwarded an email to friends about how sweet it is to be a Muslim women. Out of the 24 sweetness, only 4 that is applicable to single women like me. The rest focus on married and pregnant women. A friend replied and wish that she will be included to the pregnant ones. Its not wrong for her to wish that, she is already married, and its normal for married women to hope get pregnant. And it is almost natural for people to start asking others to pray for them.

This is where it starts to get a little bit uneasy, at least for me. As a Muslim, we believe in the power of do'a and we also believe that Allah is the most Gracious and without a doubt put faith in Him to grant all of our wishes here, when we are still alive and kicking. How many times that it crossess our heart to put a specific do'a for our friends? Asking for something for our family would be a norm, but still we tend to overlook that sometimes. I mean how long can we last sitting down after prayer to finally finish asking for all the wishes for all the things that we want in the world? How many of us did actually spend more than 5 minutes on the sejadah after we said the final salam? And even if we do stayed for 10 minutes max, have we asked all that we wanted to ask in the first place? Have we covered EVERYBODY that we care for?

Time aside, with all the things that is going on in our lives, do we really have room to pray for other people apart from family? And do we consistently asked for the same thing day in day out? Istiqamah is the key if we want our prayers to be answered, but we also tend to overlooked that.

We prayed the most during the time that we felt like it is really needed. I used to pray for a friend after each and every prayer, because at that time this person was going through a bad break up, and I was afraid that this person would do something stupid, but after all the dust had settled, I totally forgot about this person. Now I hardly thought of this person anymore, what does that make me?

I still believe and my faith is not shaken when it come to do'a. For me, I need to step up in the sense of remembering the persons that I should send my do'a to, and istiqamah. Sometimes I thought about making a list and read it after each prayer, but I am scared that it would become a routine that I loose the essence of it already. But I guess it all comes down to niat, and insyaAllah, being a humble servant to Him, deep down even if we did not utter the words through our lips, He'll know best.  

For now, saya do'akan agar semua umat Islam diberi kesejahteraan hidup, kemenangan di dunia dan di akhirat, sentiasa di dalam lindunganNya dan tidak tersesat dari jalan kebenaranNya. Amin....

For sharing :)
 

Hari Ni Hari Apa?

A colleague IMed me this morning :

F: salam akak
Me: salam,
F: ada ke hukum takbir hari ni?
Me: erk? hukum takbir tu apa?
F: klaka jugakle pagi ni, takbir raya
Me: kalo tak silap malam ni kan?
F: surau tmn dato' subuh td takbir raya, A (the hubby) balik2,tnye sy,dah raye ke?pdhal kitorg sahur kemain pg td, sbb kitorg x tgk tb announcement raya
Me: akak pon x tgk, tapi dengan confidentnya raya esok kan? hehehe....
F : haha, tu la psl, klaka kitorg pg td, sy trus mesej kakak2 saya, depa suma ckp esok, tp ntah kenapa ustaz tu takbir,masih misteri
Me : mai kita cek tenet..kot depa buat tu betul...hehehe..
F : tu la psl
Me : kalo raya ari ni, mak akak dah bising dah..
F: yg sy blajaq,takbir pas tebenam matahari hari ni,9 zulhijjah, wallahualam
Me: tu la pasal...
F: http://ceria.my/ummah/?q=node/588
hmm..dlm ni ada sebut takbir slps subuh hr arafah, hr ni hr arafah
Me : so betul la apa pak imam tu buat...blajaq benda baru ni...
F: aah la ek, hr arafah ikut time kat mekah la kan, sb kita x buat wukuf dkt sini
Me : erk...ya la...
F: so slps subuh hr arafah di mekah la, kalo nk clarify lg
Me : so by right lagi +4 jam camtu..
F: yup2, mekah lg lmbat kan
Me: yup
F: ke mekah dah wukuf smlm ek, mebi kot
Me : yup, tgk dlm tibi smlm
F: kalo mekah dah wukuf smlm,then betulla pak imam tu, oh then betulla, depa dah kat arafah ek
Me: ha'ah..
F: so shud be ok, inshallah, tp kena cek sanad etc jugak, nnt sy try cek ngn atok A
Me : insyaallah, apa2 pon, pak imam tu dah trigger kita utk amik tau benda ni,
F: tu la psl, to look at the bright side

tp practice ni saiyidina ali yg buat..dia x sebut rasulullah...
eh xpe2,nnt once dah dpt info yg inshallah kompem,sy bitau

After browsing the link, only then I realised, I have not fast a single days these past 1-9 Zulhijjah. And during the conversation, I was struggling to remember did I ate anything at the house after Suboh, so that maybe..just maybe I can squeeze in fasting today. But wait...darn...I took a bite of the cookies that I am bringging back to my nieces and nephew...there it goes..

I lost the opportunity this Zulhijjah. Am writing this as a reminder to myself and the rest, if I live to see the same month next year, (InsyaAllah) and if I am in a condition that enable me to fast, InsyaAllah I will.

To answer the question :

Hari ini ialah 9 Zulhijjah, Hari Arafah. Hari Arafah adalah hari di mana jemaah haji diwajibkan berada di Padang Arafah untuk wuquf di sana. Bagi mereka yang tidak mengerjakan ibadat haji, disunatkan berpuasa. Pada hari ini juga disunatkan untuk mengumandangkan takbir. 

gambar ihsan pakcik google

Source : http://aki2004.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/kelebihan-hari-arafah/

On the Edge

"A girl carry with her a chair. She climbs from one floor to another. She reached 3rd floor. She tried to make way to 4th floor, but the stairs is gated. She proceed at 3rd floor. She stood on the chair,a boy saw her, trying to stop her but it was too late.

A boy, saw a girl standing on a chair. Determined of letting go. He tried to stop her, but did not succeed.

A class was in a science lab. Heard a thumping sound. Quickly ran outside. They saw whats left of a girl.

A school, shocked, traumatised by the incident. Ends a life of a bright young girl."

This is a true account of an incident . The family is someone I know, but not close. We receive the news of the daughter deceased, but cause of death was not disclosed. School keep it low, but people talked. Apparently this girl is said to be having a boyfriend, which the father did not approve. Somehow maybe there has been many other things that pushed this girl to take her own life. She was said to have posted in FB that heaven is a much nicer place for her. The family did not take any action against the school. The girl's last moments were recorded in the school's CCTV. I guess the family is aware of the ongoing battle, but did not see that she resorts to suicide. None of us would have, I guess?

Teenage is a very fragile stage, you either make it or break it. Family is important. Religious value is paramount. A life should not end this way.

An-Nisa, ayat 29

Sahih International

O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent. And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.

Malay
Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, janganlah kamu makan (gunakan) harta-harta kamu sesama kamu dengan jalan yang salah (tipu, judi dan sebagainya), kecuali dengan jalan perniagaan yang dilakukan secara suka sama suka di antara kamu, dan janganlah kamu berbunuh-bunuhan sesama sendiri. Sesungguhnya Allah sentiasa Mengasihani kamu.

Al-Qadr (Ramadhan reaching to its end..)

Pejam celik-pejam celik dah 23 hari puasa. Something to reminds us by whats left of Ramadhan,

Tafsir:
Sahih International

1. Indeed, We sent the Qur'an down during the Night of Decree.
2. And what can make you know what is the Night of Decree?
3. The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.
4. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter.
5. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.

Malay

1. Sesungguhnya Kami telah menurunkan (Al-Quran) ini pada Malam Lailatul-Qadar,
2. Dan apa jalannya engkau dapat mengetahui apa dia kebesaran Malam Lailatul-Qadar itu?
3. Malam Lailatul-Qadar lebih baik daripada seribu bulan.
4. Pada Malam itu, turun malaikat dan Jibril dengan izin Tuhan mereka, kerana membawa segala perkara (yang ditakdirkan berlakunya pada tahun yang berikut);
5. Sejahteralah Malam (yang berkat) itu hingga terbit fajar!

p/s: semoga diberi kesempatan di malam-malam terakhir ini...insyaAllah..

Sanggul Arab - Is it Haram?

I received this in my email. For sharing, and worth to ponder



It's a trend nowadays that many muslim Malaysian women are into the new hijab wearing i.e. wearing a shawl-like syrian style hijab. I posted on my Fb status recently stating that I too, would want to wear the syrian women hijab style with high bun but unfortunately my hair is short thus cannot tie or do a bun at all.I also received few suggestions to buy fake buns online or at Arzu, KLCC.

I used to study in an arabic-medium school and had learned that when you wear tudung, you're not supposed to show any indication that your hair is long by tying your hair really high/do a bun until men can notice the presence of your long hair eventhough you wear your cover/hijab. That defeats the purpose of wearing a hijab.However, I can't remember the hukum whether it's haram or harus or makruh.

Being curious, I googled about this sanggul arab issue and found the hadith related:

Quote:: “ akan muncul dalam kalangan umatku di akhir zaman, kaum lelaki yang menunggang sambil duduk di atas pelana, lalu mereka turun di depan pintu-pintu masjid. Wanita-wanita mereka( isteri mereka atau anak perempuan), berpakaian tetapi seperti bertelanjang ( nipis&ketat). Di atas kepala mereka pula(wanita) terdapat bonggolan (sanggul atau tocang) seperti bonggol unta yang lemah gemalai. Oleh itu laknatlah mereka semua. Sesungguhnya mereka adalah wanita-wanita yang terlaknat”- hadith riwayat Ahmad , jil.2, ms. 223.

Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda:
Quote:: “dua golongan penghuni neraka yang mana aku sendiri belum pernah melihat keadaan mereka didunia: golongan yang membawa cemeti seperti seekor lembu lalu menggunakannya untuk memukul manusia dan juga kaum wanita yang berpakaian seperti bertelanjang, menggoyangkan badan dan berlenggang- lenggok, kepala mereka ada suatu seperti bonggol di kepala unta yang bergoyang-goyang. Mereka tentu tidak akan memasuki syurga atau mencium baunya sedangkan bau syurga itu dapat dihidu dari jarak perjalanan begitu dan begini” –hadith riwayat Muslim. Hadith no 212-

I would say that I was tempted at first as I saw some women/celebraties/ tv presenters looked really pretty wearing the syrian style hijab with high sanggul/bun.

Sometimes, bila nak cantik, manusia selalu lupa pada hukum walaupon dah belajar.I am one of them. Bila nak buat benda jahat, laju je.

Anyway, in wearing hijab,niat perlukah menghalalkan cara? I dare not jatuhkan hukum or say that it is haram wearing the fake sanggul arab.However, at the moment, I'll just forget about buying the sanggul arab thingy.

Renung-renungkan...dan selamat beramal.... :)

Tazkirah : Surah Al Imraan Ayat 28

Assalamualaikum....

This is way overdue. We had a session last Thursday, but I was so occupied last few days that I just do not have time to get this out. The ayat below was discussed quite 'heatedly' as it was talked about in so many angles.

[28]
Janganlah orang-orang yang beriman mengambil orang-orang kafir menjadi teman rapat dengan meninggalkan orang-orang yang beriman. Dan sesiapa yang melakukan (larangan) yang demikian maka tiadalah ia (mendapat perlindungan) dari Allah dalam sesuatu apapun, kecuali kamu hendak menjaga diri daripada sesuatu bahaya yang ditakuti dari pihak mereka (yang kafir itu). Dan Allah perintahkan supaya kamu beringat-ingat terhadap kekuasaan diriNya (menyeksa kamu). Dan kepada Allah jualah tempat kembali.

My initial interpretation is as simple as the the tafsir. It states the warning of being to close to disbeliever. For example a Muslim,being too close to a non Muslim colleague to the point that they do almost everything together, where as there are other Muslim that this person can be close to. This does not mean that Islam discriminate the non Muslims. We understand that being too close, you tend to do most of the things together, simplest act is dining. Not saying that we could not eat with a non Muslim, but certain aspects tends to be overlooked once you are too comfortable being in a certain circle of friends. Eating at a place which does not serve pork does not mean that it is halal.

Of course, you can take the high road and try to educate the non Muslim on what can and what cannot be eaten / done, but I am saying its a much bigger challenge and my hat goes to those who can really stand firm and not compromising Islamic value each and every time they are around non Muslim close friends.

However, the topics actually gets bigger that night, what else can it be? Politics!!! I should have noticed that much much earlier. The debate always revolves around Malay party (UMNO) coalition with other party (MCA+MIC), which to some people its against Muslim in general and PAS has benefited a lot of votes based on this stand alone. However, due to very interesting turn of events, for the past 2 GE, we've seen PAS even created a coalition with non Muslim parties (DAP+PKR), which goes totally against their fight in the first place. And what does all these affect Muslim in general? We split, not 2 but 3 main camps so far. Whatever that the Holy Quran said is true. If you look deeper, we'll find almost every prohibition in it is true. Al-Quran is indeed the most complete guide to our life.

History of the ayat in prohibition of supporting the disbelievers (in this case is Christian and Jews) is supported in other ayat, Surah Al-Maidah;

[51]Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Janganlah kamu mengambil orang-orang Yahudi dan Nasrani itu sebagai teman rapat, kerana setengah mereka menjadi teman rapat kepada setengahnya yang lain; dan sesiapa di antara kamu yang menjadikan mereka teman rapatnya, maka sesungguhnya ia adalah dari golongan mereka itu mereka itu. Sesungguhnya Allah tidak memberikan petunjuk kepada kaum yang berlaku zalim.

and also in Surah Al-Anfal,

[73]Dan orang-orang yang kafir, setengahnya menjadi penyokong dan pembela bagi setengahnya yang lain. Jika kamu (wahai umat Islam) tidak menjalankan (dasar bantu-membantu sesama sendiri yang diperintahkan oleh Allah) itu, nescaya akan berlakulah fitnah (kekacauan) di muka bumi dan kerosakan yang besar.

The way I understand is not to be too close to the non believers, at the expense of fellow Muslim. Allah has also warned us for the kind of non-belivers, that is although they seemed divided (different parties) they are actually working towards the same goal, the type that in time, will jeopardize Muslims as a whole. I mean, look at Singapore, do you know that wearing hijab in not allowed in their school? Exactly my point!!

Well, it is up to us Muslim, in what is our best way to defend and uphold our belief and religion, InsyaAllah...

Tazkirah : Surah Al Baqarah Ayat 282

I have joined this usrah for almost a year now. A lot that I have learnt, many of those is inside the Holy Quran itself, just that I have never really bothered to look up. Last night the discussion goes into details based on Surah Al Baqarah Ayat 282.

Yang bermaksud;

[282]

Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Apabila kamu menjalankan sesuatu urusan dengan hutang piutang (bermuamalah) yang diberi tempoh hingga ke suatu masa yang tertentu maka hendaklah kamu menulis (hutang dan masa bayarannya) itu dan hendaklah seorang penulis di antara kamu menulisnya dengan adil (benar) dan janganlah seseorang penulis enggan menulis sebagaimana Allah telah mengajarkannya.

Oleh itu, hendaklah ia menulis dan hendaklah orang yang berhutang itu merencanakan (isi surat hutang itu dengan jelas).

Dan hendaklah ia bertaqwa kepada Allah Tuhannya, dan janganlah ia mengurangkan sesuatu pun dari hutang itu.

Kemudian jika orang yang berhutang itu bodoh atau lemah atau ia sendiri tidak dapat hendak merencanakan (isi itu), maka hendaklah direncanakan oleh walinya dengan adil benar); dan hendaklah kamu mengadakan dua orang saksi lelaki dari kalangan kamu.

Kemudian kalau tidak ada saksi dua orang lelaki, maka bolehlah, seorang lelaki dan dua orang perempuan dari orang-orang yang kamu setujui menjadi saksi, supaya jika yang seorang lupa dari saksi-saksi perempuan yang berdua itu maka dapat diingatkan oleh yang seorang lagi.

Dan jangan saksi-saksi itu enggan apabila mereka dipanggil menjadi saksi.

Dan janganlah kamu jemu menulis perkara hutang yang bertempoh masanya itu, sama ada kecil atau besar jumlahnya.

Yang demikian itu, lebih adil di sisi Allah dan lebih membetulkan (menguatkan) keterangan saksi, dan juga lebih hampir kepada tidak menimbulkan keraguan kamu.

Kecuali perkara itu mengenai perniagaan tunai yang kamu edarkan sesama sendiri, maka tiadalah salah jika kamu tidak menulisnya.

Dan adakanlah saksi apabila kamu berjual-beli.

Dan janganlah mana-mana jurutulis dan saksi itu disusahkan.

Dan kalau kamu melakukan (apa yang dilarang itu), maka sesungguhnya yang demikian adalah perbuatan fasik (derhaka) yang ada pada kamu.

Oleh itu hendaklah kamu bertaqwa kepada Allah; dan (ingatlah), Allah (dengan keterangan ini) mengajar kamu; dan Allah sentiasa Mengetahui akan tiap-tiap sesuatu.

We did this in our daily life. More often than not, we tend to forget with whom we owed money and who did owes money with us. Islam is a way of life, not just a statement or a status in the ID. Al Quran is actually the most complete guide one can ask for. Even to the very detail part as how to borrow and lend money, Allah has established the best way to do it. Its simple, but still if we did not follow it, many issues may came up.

This will be a bi-weekly/weekly feature, InsyaAllah, and I will try to post something that we can all benefited in our daily lives.