Your Mercy I Almost Forgot

Allah, again I forgot
with your Mercy
the blind will see
the deaf will hear
the dumb will think
the mute will talk
the skeptic becomes convinced
the stammer becomes eloquent

and Allah, I'd almost forgotten to ask
that You Pour the utmost blessing and absolute peace onto our master Muhammad
with which complications are undone
and problems are removed
and all needs are fulfilled
and wishes are realized
and good ending to life
and the cloud showers rain with his (Prophet’s saw) countenance
and (pour also mercy) onto his family and companions
in every glance and breath
as many times as what You Already Know.

Wallahu a'lam

you poor soul!

O You who loves to hear the sobs of regret
O You who holds the Cure to disease an illness
all eyes have gone to sleep, but these poor eyes stay awake
crying at Your Door in the middle of night, in darkness
those sins, I committed them, I admit
yet I know You with conviction, full of Greatness
give mercy, that is Your Prerogative, don’t look at my failings
indeed Your Generosity and Forgiveness, are boundless.

Virtues of Iman (Part 3 of 3)

Virtues of Iman continued

This article adapted from Ustaz Zakaria's discourse night of 18 Ramadan 1429H between tarawihs. Based on a chapter of the book "Jaharul Mauhub" by Syaikh Wan Ali Kutan(rh)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
or download the whole article in Acrobat format here

Sharpen up Our Faith

It has been related that Nabi Muhammad (saw) said that in the beginning, faith is naked (al imanu ‘uryan), and fear of God is the clothes (wa libasu taqwa), and shyness is the decoration (wa zinahu ahya’), and the fruit is knowledge (wa tsamaratuhu ‘ilm).

We should learn tauhid, fiqh and tasawwuf in a proper way - with a kitab and through a knowledgeable syaikh. A kitab acts as a guide, and as reference once we alone at home. We also rely on the blessings (barakah) of the author, who are not just knowledgable, but also achieved status of friends of Allah (Waliyyullah). Ulama such as Syaikh Wan Daud al-Fatoni (rh - died 1847) has been famous even among his own contemporaries. Syaikh Daud wrote his kitaab (Munyatul Musolli etc) illuminated by special lights – those emanating from his fingers and his heart. There is definitely no room for us to belittle his works. The language he used might be difficult to understand, and modern interest in his works is minimal, but that is our generation’s fault, not his.

In another hadith, Rasulullah (saw) said that faith is in the chest of man. And faith is not complete unless we complete religious deeds, be it fardu (obligatory) or sunnah (recommended).

So never look down upon sunnah doings, because together with fardu they steer us towards faith. Once we renounce these two, then our iman would self-destruct.
Wearing turban is recommended to every muslim man, as Rasulullah (saw) wore one most of the time. If we find turban is unfashionable, then just keep quiet, don’t show objection to it. Another example of sunnah is carrying a walking stick when you are past forty.

All things that bring benefit can be given away as charity (sadaqah), and we get a divine reward for it. Giving away one kilogram of rice is beneficial to the receiving party, but giving away only one grain of rice is not.

Along this spirit, we can do tahlil sessions, and sadaqah the reward to the deceased muslims. This is the best we can do, since there is no way the dead can benefit if we give them material things. For many centuries, it has been common practice to supplicate for well being of the deceased among fellow muslims. At least all of us do once a week - such as done during Friday sermon.

It is already a loss that we skip sunnah deeds, it is even worse if we prohibit others from doing them.

Signs of Faith

Imam as-Suyuti (rh) in his kitab ‘Niqayah’ said there are 70 branches of faith. Other imam and ulama have different opinion, some say 64, 76, or 77 branches. The most important branch is the syahadatain (testify about Allah and His messenger). The least significant is getting rid of whatever that pose nuisance to people, such as moving away fallen branches from middle of the road. Menial work like this ensures reward from Allah and strengthens our iman.

There is a hadith: You do not have faith until you start to love your fellow Muslims like you love yourselves.

Never argue with others such that you break connections them. Some of us hate each others simply because we vote for opposing parties in the elections. Do not show enmity towards anybody just because their political ideology is not Islamic. Make friends with them and guide them little by little. Even with non-muslims, you should not declare enmity to ever one of them. Some are muahad, muawwaman, zimmi, and some are harbi. We have different obligations on them base on this classification.

In conclusion, we all should go to Islamic lessons because they give us proper guidance. Add to that the blessings of Allah descending upon such a gathering. Surely good things will come out of it.

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Wallahua'lam

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Virtues of Iman (Part 2 of 3)

Virtues of Iman continued

This article adapted from Ustaz Zakaria's discourse night of 18 Ramadan 1429H between tarawihs. Based on a chapter of the book "Jaharul Mauhub" by Syaikh Wan Ali Kutan(rh)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

or download the whole article in Acrobat format here

Types of Faith

In the kitab (book) Jauharul Mauhub by Syaikh Wan Ali Kutan, it is mentioned 3 types of faith (iman) that we see among the believers:

Taqlid
A person labeled with ‘iman taqlid’ means he is a follower. He believes in God simply because everybody else does. He cannot justify his belief with proofs. We can break down iman taqlid into 2 categories:

1. Taqlid with jazmi – a follower, but a convinced one. If we ask Him about God, he concurs, but if we prod him to supply proof about God, he is not able to. He is convinced that God exists because that is what he has been taught. Some ulama maintain that this person is a believer, but he remains a sinner until he starts to learn about God.
2. Taqlid without jazmi – a follower, and not 100% convinced with God. This person is not fit to be considered a Muslim.
   

Istidlal
This person, without question is a believer. He believes in God and knows how to justify God. If we have conversation with him:
Q: Do you believe that God exists? Prove it?
A: Yes I do. There is this world, so there must be God.
Q: How you relate that?
A: Because the world is new. Everything new must be created, hence a Creator.
Q: What made you say the world is new?
A: Because it keeps changing. When something changes, it turns new.

This type of faith is where we common folks want to achieve. We want to know the twenty sifaat (attributes) of Allah (even though Allah has more than 20 sifaat). It is a shame that some ignorant ustaz discourage us from learning this subject for fear of innovation (bid’ah). These ignorant pretenders do not have a place among us – Ahlu Sunnah wal Jama’ah - and we should chase them away if they come to teach us about Islam.

I’yan
This type of faith is the ultimate. The heart is immersed in iman due to the experience (zauq) with God. If you want to achieve this level, train your heart with special wirid (besides other deeds).

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Wallahua'lam

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Virtues of Iman (Part 1 of 3)

This article adapted from Ustaz Zakaria's discourse night of 18 Ramadan 1429H between tarawihs.
Based on a chapter of the book "Jaharul Mauhub" by Syaikh Wan Ali Kutan (rh)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

or download the whole article in Acrobat format here

The Virtues of Faith

Iman (faith) is the root of Islam. To learn Islam, it is of the utmost importance to get to know about iman first.

As Allah mentioned in the Quran (al-Baqarah:25) :

وَبَشِّرَ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْوَعَمِلُواْالصَّٰلِحَٰتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَاالاْءَنْهَٰر

Give good news O Muhammad to those who are faithful and who perform good, that
for them Gardens through which rivers flow

Allah has promised the gardens (jannah) to those obedient to Him. Gardens by themselves are already beautiful; what more, they are decorated with flowing rivers.

What significant here is that Allah mentioned the reward ‘to the faithful’ first, and ‘those who perform good deeds’ second. Throughout Islamic methodologies, the higher ranked point is always mentioned first.

Among the good deeds prescribed in Islam are solah, fasting, reciting zikir, sending salawat to Rasulullah (saw), reading al-Quran and giving in charity. Deeds - no matter how virtuous - performed by unbeliever are rejected! Therefore a muslim should always safeguard his faith.

Islamic ‘Pillars of Faith’ consists of 6 basic articles that offshoot into many more. The most important article is belief in God. One has to know God and be convinced about Him. Mere believing, but having doubts in one’s heart - about some aspects of God - does not count.. Ulama say you should know God with 3 conditions:

الجزم الموافق ل الحق عن دليل

Which means :
Al-jazam : You have a true conviction
Muafiq lil-haqqi : Truth of which of consensus (among scholars of Islam)
‘an dalili – Substantiated by proof (logic as well as from al-Quran and ahadith).

As in any education, to know something and be convinced, one has to attend proper learning. Simply listening to hearsay will not lead to faith. Ulama have prescribed learning at least 3 disciplines of Islamic knowledge:
Tauhid – also known as faith, belief or creed
Fiqh – a.k.a. jurisprudence or law
Tasawwuf – a.k.a. purification of the heart

If we take care to learn atleast all these three, Insya Allah we will be taken care of in the afterlife. If we have not, we will encounter difficulties. Do not be misled by your worldly achievement. Do not regret after you are already a few feet underground, and weighed down by the 2 tombstones. There is no way to climb up and go seek knowledge then.

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Wallahua'lam

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Pondok Hj Salleh Sik 29/8/08

Pondok Hj Salleh Sik, 29th August 2008

(Note: I went to the pondok not taking a pen with me. Translating this from poor memory, there isn't a lot to write.)
Ustaz Hj Salleh read 3 kitabs: Tafsir Nurul Ihsan, Kifayatul Muhtaj, and 'Aqidatun Najin. His son - Ustaz Muslim - read Bahrul Mazi.

Tafsir Nurul Ihsan (Haji Muhammad Sa'id bin Umar)

As we understand from Surah al-A'raf ayah 172:
Before we were born, Allah called upon our soul and we assembled in front of Him. He asked us: "Am I not your God?"

And we pledged: "Indeed you are". But later we grow up and break this oath.

Kifayat al-Muhtaj fi al-Isra'wa al-Mi'raj (Syaikh Daud al-Fathani)

On the night (Isra' and Mi'raj) that Nabi Muhammad (saw) was summoned by God, a buraq was dispatched as a mean of transport. Buraq is a horse-like animal, its size somewhere between a 'himar' and a 'baghal'.

The buraq was the same mount as had been used by Nabi Ibrahim (as) to travel between lands of Iraq, Syria, and Hijaz thousands years before.

The buraq covered large distance in single leap, while taking care to ensure comfort to its most noble passenger. Jibril (as) flew side by side with them.

They stopped by a hamlet full of date palms. After performing solah, Jibril told Nabi Muhammad (saw) that this place was called 'Yathrib', and he (Muhammad) was set to return to this place in the future.

'Aqidatun Najin (Tuan Minal)

Sifats Ma'ani are the following attributes of Allah:
Hayah, Qudrah, Iradah, 'Ilm, Sama’, Basor, Kalam.

Each of these 7 attributes "is not Him, but neither it is, other than Him". - لا هي هوا، ولا هي غيره

In explaining this, Ustaz Haji Salleh made this analogy:

A chili (pepper) has a color - green - in character (sifat). Yet green is not the being - not the chili itself. If you take away the 'green', the chili is still a chili. We conclude so because a chili is green when young, and becomes red once mature. A chili without the geen color is still a chili.

In a second example, let's consider a hot water. The sifat in question is 'hot', not the physical being of water itself. If it was, then the water would've diminished in quantity once it cools down.

Bahrul Mazi(Syeikh Muhammad Idris Merbawi)

There is a specific hadith that says there is no solah between 'Asr and Maghrib.

This prohibition is exempted (among all) for following solah:

• Sunnah solah that is tied to a specific event or place (sun eclipse, tahiyyatul masjid etc).
• Past obligatory/rawatib solah that need to be made up (qodo).

This prohibition also is relative to action, not relative to time. Say time for 'Asr is 4.30pm. Umar performs 'Asr in jama'ah exactly at 4.30. After he finishes, he is not allowed to do nawafil or sunnah solah until maghrib comes. On the other hand Zaid comes to the masjid later at 6.00, but he is still allowed to perform rawatib (sunnah) solah, then perform 'asr.


Wallahu a'lam

Pondok Hj Salleh Sik 11 Apr 2008

Overwhelming turnout at Haji Salleh's lesson. Can't say people don't go to traditional lessons anymore can we? People overflowed the prayer hall. They were sitting under the pondoks, rambutan trees, in the stalls... Mothers fanning their babies under the shade... The olds with their "jawi" kitabs while the young ones with the "rumi" version.

The syaikh read 2 kitabs: Tafsir Nurul Ihsan and Aqidatun-Najin (Tauhid).

Kitab Tafsir Nurul Ihsan

During the Day of Judgement, there'll be a group called 'Ashabul-A'raf'. They're sitting at this place where they can see people in Paradise (Ashabul-Jannah) as well as the people in Hell (Ashabun-Naar). They look at those in Paradise, and see their faces glowing with delight. Then they turn to look at those in Hell, whose faces are dark with sorrow.

They are prevented from entering Jannah, yet they are not in Naar. Only after some time Allah says 'GO', and they are admitted into Jannah with his mercy.

Ulama of old differed on who 'Ashabul-A'raf' are. The more established opinion is that these are the people who committed virtue and vice in the same ratio in their lifetime. They did both good and bad.

Kitab Aqidatun-Najin

One of the twenty sifats God has is 'hayyat' - which is 'alive'. This is important for us to establish since without it, the other sifats ma'ani (sama', basor etc) would not be of any impact.

Kitab Bahrul-Mazi

Syaikh Haji Salleh's son Mohammad Muslim gave the commentary (syarah). It is a common neglect these days to follow guidelines in choosing a husband/wife. Among the advise given by ulama as concluded in this kitab:

• Choose the one without physical defects.
• Choose the one who belong to the same ethnic group to reduce chance for cultural conflicts.
• A person who obeys Allah is not compatible with a person who is defiant.
• Choose the one within the same profession. Examples: Family of someone who sweeps the street is not compatible with family of a tailor. A tailor is not compatible with a businessperson, a businessperson is not compatible with a religious scholar.
• Wealth does not count as a factor because people with knowledge tend to not show off their wealth.

Mentioning the above criteria would invite controversy these days, but they would serve as a guide for most people.

Wallahu a'lam