7 C's...

Salam to all, May Allah be pleased with all of us.

Amma ba’d.

I read a few of Dr. Tariq Ramadan’s books and I always listen to his talks. I found that, he is somebody who is always consistent with the idea of being critical in life. In order to be critical, we must always seek knowledge and we need to really comprehend the Quran and Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad PBUH. I watch one of his talks where he proposed 7 C’s of being a Muslim.

CONFIDENT

As a Muslim, we need to be confident with the principles that we believe. When we try to convey the message of Islam, we need to really understand where Islam is heading to. Indeed! Islam brings justice, peace, tranquility and truth. A Muslim should solely put trust and depend only to Allah, the Creator of the universe.

CONSISTENCY

In Arabic, consistent means istiqamah. What he means with the consistency is we must acknowledge our failures and always question our behaviors in the name of our principles. I believe that, as a Muslim, we always need to reflect on ourselves whether we comply the principles of the revelation and prophetic traditions. It is crucial to ensure that we always come back to Allah if we distract from His path. Saidina Umar RA said, "Bring yourself to account before you are taken to account”

  ( حاسبوانفسكم قبل ان تحاسيوا)

COMMUNICATION

In our society, we need to be vocal with the true principles that we believe. Communication is better through our actions, just as the quote, “Action speaks louder than words”. Islam is not about we (read: Muslims) are better than anybody else, but it is about we will show a better way of life. The good point that he emphasizes is, we just care about Muslim affairs whereas we claim Islam is a blessing for the whole universe. It is ironic when we say Islam brings justice to all mankind but we speak within only the context of Muslim. Islam is universal, so does the message.

CONTRIBUTION

This is very important as we have to make people realize of our existence in the pluralistic society by contributing to build the good environment in the community. Allah says:

“O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed.” (Al Maidah 5:35)

We need to think the wasilah to get closer to Allah.

CREATIVITY

We need to be creative how the message of Islam can be delivered. Each one of us is created in a unique way. Every one of us has the ability that the other people do not have. By leveraging our abilities to serve the people, is the act of worshipping.

CONTESTATION

Saidina Umar said, “The Islamic bond will untie (from Muslims) one by one, if they do not know ignorance”.  It is crucial for Muslims to equip themselves with the knowledge so that they are able to differentiate between Islam and jahiliyah. When we know the ignorance, we will say NO if it is happening within our community.

COMPASSION

As human being, we are not infallible like the prophets and apostles of Allah. Sometimes we do commit mistakes. Therefore, we must always forgive the others and be compassionate to them as we might do the same thing before or after.

Lastly, we need to rely on Allah on everything we do. Allah will never abandon His servants who keep seeking shelter from Him. Put trust on Him and we will see how miracle our life is.

Wallahualam.

Close Friend...

Salam to all my friends, may Allah bless you wherever you are.

Amma ba’d.

A cliché question always arises on my mind. Do I really need a friend? To answer this simple question, we need to think critically as the answers will justify our action in the quest of true friends. Indeed! We need friends in our real life.

What types of friends are we looking for? The one who just seeks us when we are in pleasure is not considered as a true friend. It is a challenge for us nowadays as we are living in materialistic world. Most of the time, people tend to ‘use’ the others just for the sake of his or her own interest. Allah says in the Quran:

“Close friends, that Day, will be enemies to each other, except for the righteous” (Az Zukhruf 43:67)

Allah with His mercy guides us to seek the righteous people to make friends. They will correct us if we go wrong. They will not speak unless it is right, and they will not do unless it is permissible (according to shariah). This is why we need to get closer to Allah and ask from him to grant us righteous friends. Righteous friends will bring tranquility into our hearts.

The closest friend in our life will be our spouse, the one who knows us externally and internally, the one who can keep our secret well, the one who will support and take care of each other, and the one who will be by our side no matter what condition we are in. It is important to scrutinize closely the person that we choose to be our spouse as it is the source of happiness in our life.

To get a righteous friend, it must start within us. Be good to people, and people will be good to you.

“O my Lord! Bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous” (As Shua’ra 26:83)

Allah knows best.

Rumah Allah...

Salam kepada sahabat semua. Semoga semuanya dipermudahkan urusan oleh Allah.

Amma ba’d.

“Hanyasanya yang layak memakmurkan (menghidupkan) masjid-masjid Allah itu ialah orang-orang yang beriman kepada Allah dan hari akhirat serta mendirikan sembahyang dan menunaikan zakat dan tidak takut melainkan kepada Allah, (dengan adanya sifat-sifat yang tersebut) maka adalah diharapkan mereka menjadi dari golongan yang mendapat petunjuk.” (At Taubah 9:18)

Baru-baru ini saya pergi ke Shah Alam kerana ada urusan dan bertemu kawan. Salah satu tempat yang mesti dikunjungi ketika berada di Shah Alam, adalah Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah atau Masjid Negeri Selangor. Ketika berada dalam kawasan masjid ini terutama ruang sembahyang, hati terasa begitu tenang dan lapang. Saya nyatakan perasaan ini kepada kawan-kawan lain; mereka juga berasa begitu. Memang benarlah jika sesuatu masjid itu benar-benar diimarahkan, pasti Allah menurun rahmat dan berkat kepada ahli jemaahnya.

Di masjid ini, saban hari dan minggu, pasti penuh dengan pelbagai aktiviti yang bersifat pembangunan insan dan ketamadunan. Anak-anak kecil bebas bermain di ruang bawah. Rata-rata penduduk Shah Alam, yang datang ke masjid ini semuanya membawa seisi keluarga. Ayah atau ibu memimpin tangan anak kecil, satu suasana yang sungguh harmoni diperlihatkan di sini.

Masjid ini yang dikelilingi Taman Tasik Shah Alam serta bangunan pentadbiran kerajaan negeri, sangat strategik kedudukannya. Memang target saya pada hari Rabu lepas untuk bersembahyang jama’ takhir di masjid ini. Saya bertolak dari tempat kerja pukul 4.30 petang dan tiba di Shah Alam tepat pukul 8.00 malam. Destinasi pertama yang ditujui adalah masjid ini, sejurus memarkir kenderaan, azan isya’ langsung berkumandang. Ketika mula mengangkat takbir, hati terasa begitu tenang dan sayu mendengar alunan surah Almulk yang dibaca imam solat isya’ malam itu, ala-ala Sheikh Mishary Rashid Al Afasy.

Inilah kelebihan masjid yang diisi dengan taqwa. Mana-mana masjid jika dibangunkan atas dasar taqwa, Allah pasti menurunkan berkat dan rahmatNya yang melimpah ruah.