Agama Untuk Pendosa

And seek forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.

[AN-NISA’ Ch.4:V.106]

          Alhamdulillah, bersyukur kita kepada Ilahi kerana rahmat-Nya yang telah diberikan kepada kita. Kali ini pelik sedikit sebab Musafir Dalam Hidup tiba-tiba tulis entry dalam Bahasa Melayu. Bagi yang dah biasa ikut blog ini mesti agak terkejut dan hairan. Relax, we go slowly tonight. I will give reasons for this thing.

          Saya akan campur-campur bahasa dalam entry ini supaya mereka yang kurang faham atau yang langsung tidak faham Bahasa Melayu turut boleh ikut penyampaian saya kali ini. Saya akan biarkan terjemahan ayat-ayat al-Quran dalam terjemahan Bahasa Inggeris dan bagi mereka yang kurang faham terjemahan itu boleh cari terjemahan dalam Bahasa Melayu sendiri. Saya sendiri rasa kekok dan pelik. Maklumlah entry yang pertama dahulu kala itu saja yang saya tulis dalam Bahasa Melayu, kemudian semuanya dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Ada sedikit entry dalam Bahasa Melayu yang saya tulis juga, cuma dia bukanlah dalam blog saya sendiri. Ada di dalam blog Tinta Seorang Pencari, seorang sahabat.

          Let me gives you reasons that make me wanted to write this entry in Malay. There are no important reasons actually. I want to write in Malay this time because I hope that friends around me will attract to read this entry and also I afraid that my messages cannot be deliver in a good sentences, and then maybe it is going to have misunderstood about that. So I want to avoid the misunderstood and want to attract other person. However, in the important part I will try to translate it in English, so there are going to have mixture between Malay and English.

And those who, when they commit an immorality or wrong themselves [by transgression], remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allah? - and [who] do not persist in what they have done while they know.

[ALI IMRAN Ch.3:V.135]

          Today’s topic is about a religion for the sinned people. Agama untuk pendosa. Zaman sekarang ini nampak kita dah mengkhaskan (exclusive) agama hanya untuk agamawan. Sehinggakan seakan-akan kita memaksumkan mereka. Dalam erti kata lain seperti mereka tidak melakukan kesalahan ataupun dosa. Sehinggakan apabila ada kesalahan yang mereka lakukan kita tidak boleh menegur. Agama bukan untuk mereka yang hanya pandai dalam bidang agama sahaja, tetapi agama adalah untuk semua.

          It is not right to make the agamawan as the special person. We (muslims) should learn from the Christians mistakes. When they were in the dark ages in Europe, their priest claimed to be so noble until no one can judge them or correct them. It makes such only they are true the other does not know anything.

          Dalam berdakwah dan juga tarbiyyah, kita perlu ada sifat kasih sayang dan bukannya sifat menghukum. Ramai orang melarikan diri daripada agama kerana mereka merasakan agama ini hanya tahu menghukum orang lain, terutamanya mereka yang melakukan dosa. Sebenarnya agama ini adalah cinta. Cinta yang sejati dan paling sejati. Banyak ayat-ayat Quran yang Allah turunkan menunjukkan betapa cintanya Allah terhadap hamba-Nya walaupun mereka itu semua telah melakukan kejahatan, kemaksiatan, kemungkaran dan lain-lain lagi. You can look at the verses that I quoted. These only several and I am very sure there are more in the Holy Quran.

If you avoid the major sins which you are forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance [into Paradise].

[AN-NISA’ Ch.4:V.31]

          Biarlah kita membenci kesalahan dan kemaksiatan yang orang lain lakukan dan bukannya membenci si pelaku kesalahan dan kemaksiatan itu. Bertindak adillah dalam kehidupan ini kerana adil itu lebih dekat dengan taqwa. We, ourselves also has done and also doing bad things, but why we never hate ourselves? Then, why you want to hate other person when they did wrong things? This is not fair.

          It should be because of the religion people want to do good things and leave the bad things. It should be because of the religion people are close to God and have a good relationship with other people. It is not because of the religion people are doing the bad things. There are no religion in the world come and claim to promote the bad things.

          Bagi mereka yang membawa imej agama, hendaklah membawa berita baik dan harapan yang sangat baik untuk mereka-mereka yang telah jauh tersesat. Saya yakin ada antara mereka yang sememangnya ingin kembali ke pangkal jalan, namun mungkin kerana mereka tidak menemui jalan-jalan itu maka mereka semakin hanyut dalam kemungkaran. Janganlah kita ini selalu salahkan mereka, “mereka malas menuntut ilmu”, “mereka malas pergi masjid dan mendengar kuliah” dan sebagainya. Bagi saya tidak ada guna menyalahkan mereka jikalau kita sendiri tidak pernah turun padang terlibat untuk mengajak mereka melakukan kebaikan.

          Do not only blaming others for not seeking the truth or seeking the knowledge. We did not know the actual problem that they are facing to. We should play our roles. We should go and see them and bring them back to the good life.

And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself but then seeks forgiveness of Allah will find Allah Forgiving and Merciful.

[AN-NISA’ Ch.4:V.110]

          Masih ada harapan dan sentiasa akan ada harapan bagi mereka yang melakukan dosa. Allah Maha Pengasih, Maha Penyayang dan paling penting Maha Pengampun. Seperti satu hadis yang sangat popular iaitu berkenaan dengan seorang lelaki yang telah melakukan dosa membunuh 99 orang. Kemudiannya dia pergi bertemu seseorang dan bertanya sama ada dia boleh ampunkan atau tidak, dan orang itu berkata tidak mungkin dia boleh diampunkan. Lalu orang yang memberi jawapan menjadi mangsa si pembunuh yang ke-100. Dia tidak jemu untuk mencari jalan untuk bertaubat kerana dia pergi berjumpa dengan seorang yang alim tentang agama, lalu orang itu suruh dia berpindah daripada kawasan itu. Dalam perjalanan dia meninggal dunia lalu dua malaikat datang. Untuk disingkatkan cerita dia dimasukkan ke dalam syurga kerana jaraknya lebih dekat dengan kawasan yang dia ingin berhijrah.

          The moral value of this story is not you can kill 100 persons then you can repent easily. One of the moral values is that the initiative to repent and back to normal life. The person really wanted to repent, just because of his surroundings making his life bad and worse. That is why the alim person asked him to move to other place. This story also teaches us to give hopes to the person and give the answer with knowledge not with emotions.

          Islam is beautiful. We have to show the beauty to the non-Muslims and also to the people that did not really understand about Islam. Islam agama harapan bukannya agama hukuman. Menghukum itu kerja Allah, maka kerja kita sebagai khalifah di muka bumi ini adalah mengajak manusia melakukan kebaikan dan meninggalkan kemungkaran. Syurga atau neraka, paradise or hell, bukanlah kerja kita.

Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful."

[AZ-ZUMAR Ch.39:V.53]

~There are still have hopes~

~Islam is beautiful~

~Islam is not the religion of punishment~

~Entry daripada seorang Insan~

~Musafir Dalam Hidup~

~Wallahua’lam~

Allah & Love

You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.

[ALI IMRAN Ch.3:V.110]

          As usual, we start our discussion today by praising to Allah first. It is quite hard to maintain writing one entry per week. Sometimes busy with club activities, busy with studies and sometimes I do not have the mood to write. That is my problem, so thank to Allah for giving me these knowledge and the spirit to write and share with other people. I thought that I already finish talking about God, but the ideas keep coming. Therefore this week, I will again talk about Allah.

          Most of us like to read something that related to love, especially the teenagers and the early age in adult stage. So I hope people like to read this entry because it has some part that related to love. Today’s topic I want to make comparison between Allah and love. Comparison is not finding the differences between two things, but comparison is finding the similarities between two things. Contrast is the exact word for finding the differences between two things.

          I am not saying that love and Allah is exactly the same. I am trying to say that there are some similarities between Allah and love. Let us take a look on a few facts on love first and then we compare it with Allah. First of all, anybody here that can see “love”? Or maybe someone can show to me what “love” looks like is? I do not think that there are people can show to me how the “love” looks like. I am very sure, because I also never see it before.

And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein.

[AL-QAF Ch.50:V.16]

          If people in love, they always ask their partner to give proves that shows that he/she really loves him/her. Somehow, their partner will never prove by showing “love”. But they will show their love by showing an act that symbolizes the love. They will do many things such as they will do everything for their partner, always take a good care about their partner, will try to fulfil their partner wishes and many other things. Of course there are people who are doing all those things but they are doing it just to cheat their partner, but most of the time that are the acts that people who are in love will do.

          Sometimes, there are symptoms for those who are in love. For example always dreamy thinking of their partner, always mention their partner’s name and many other symptoms. Most of the time, we can determine they are in love from their faces. Maybe they look happier than before. I think that is the most common symptoms. Although there are couples that are living happily but we are now considering the good things only. Love cannot see but we can feel its existence. I am sure all people in world agree with me about this.

Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, "When is the help of Allah?" Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near.

[AL-BAQARAH Ch.2:V.214]

          It is the same for Allah. We cannot see Him but there are signs of His existence. I already wrote an entry earlier in this blog with the title There is A Creator. This entry maybe looks like repeating the entry before, but it actually explaining in different ways about the existence of Allah. Allah wants to test our faith by forbidding us from seeing Him in our lives here, but He will show Himself at the hereafter. To answer the test or to pass the test we need the notes or clues. Therefore, the Holy Scripture, Quran is the notes and inside it has the answers.

          The only one in the pillar of faith in Islam that we can see, we can touch, we can read and so on. That is Quran. Allah is not cruel to punish people without giving any clues to His test. The content of Quran is so good and so detail in explaining the existence of God. Most of the ayah we can understand logically. There are also ayahs that can be proven by science. Nowadays people always seek for the answer that can think logically and compatible with science. However, if we give the answer from Quran, they reject it. It means that they are rejecting the logic that they are seeking for.

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding.

[ALI IMRAN Ch.3:V.190]

          The above verse gives clear evidence. For people that want to think, that are seeking the truth and also want to accept the truth they will get what they want. All those things like the creation of this universe, the earth, the sun, the moon, the animals, the trees, the wind, the water, the seas including ourselves are the symptoms or the signs or the proves the existence of Allah. We can feel it the signs, we can see the signs, we can touch the signs even we are the signs.

          Allah already says in the Quran, Allah gives human the ability to see, the ability to hear and the ability to speak, but they still not using it to the right ways. Very unique verse, because Allah did not say He gives the eyes as there are people having eyes but they are blind, Allah did not He gives ears as there are people having ears but they are deaf. But Allah says He gives the ability to do all those things, they still cannot see the truth and still do not want to accept the truth. This is the challenges in doing dakwah.

Deaf, dumb and blind - so they will not return [to the right path].

[AL-BAQARAH Ch.2:V.18]

~Wallahua’lam~

Moses, Jesus & Muhammad - Muslims

 Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.

[ALI IMRAN Ch.3:V.19]

          I start this entry with word of honour, by the name of Allah. I always start my entries by praising Allah again and again. This is because Allah tells us to be grateful to Him for everything He gives to us. I also hope that people that read all those entries will spend some time to praise to Allah. Every one of us here has a busy day every day and by reading my blog, we will spend a few second to remember Allah and praise Him. I also hope that I can be consistent in writing entries in my blog; one entry per week, that is my target.

          This week, we are going to go far away from the topics before that are about Allah. This time, I am going to write about the similarities in the teaching of Prophet Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Maybe there are going to have the similarities between Judaism, Christianity and also Islam. Today’s topic will bring some new challenges to me and also to the readers. This is because the entry is about comparison. First of all before I enter into the topic, the ideas come from a person that I really respect and love, Syeikh Ahmad Deedat.

          Syeikh Ahmad Deedat talked about Judaism, Christianity and Islam almost 30 years ago. I am not going to talk about that yet. We are going slowly and step by step. I just want to talk just a bit from his ideas and want to tell to the whole world the truth about Prophet Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. All these three prophets come and bring the same fundamental. Carefully read. The prophets came with the same fundamental teaching, not the Judaism and Christianity. This is because Prophet Moses and Jesus came not to bring the religion named Judaism or Christianity.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

[Deuteronomy 6:4]

          Let us take a look on the first commandment that was given to the holy Prophet Moses. The verse is the above. This is what I mean before. That is about God @ Allah. The fundamental of the religion is about aqidah @ faith regarding Allah. Not only Prophet Moses (pbuh) said that, Prophet Jesus also said the same thing. The below verse is the story to the Prophet Jesus’ (pbuh) answer.

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him. Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him. The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.

[St Mark Ch.12:V.28-29]

          Prophet Jesus repeated the same answer that was given by Prophet Moses words by words. He did not change any single words in the sentence. This shows that Prophet Jesus also brought the same fundamental about the religion as Prophet Moses. Both of them gave the answer saying that the Lord our God is one Lord. But now, the Christians are not relying or holding to the same what was taught to them. How can two different person live at a very different era can give the same answer? Prophet Moses lives more 1300 years before Prophet Jesus. The only answer is that, both of them got the answer from the same source. That is from Allah.

Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent."

[AL-IKHLAS Ch.112:V.1-4]

          600 years after Prophet Jesus, there is a person named Muhammad bin Abdullah, he had a discussion with Christian people from Najran in his mosque. They sat there about 3 days. They slept, eat and had discussion in the mosque of Muhammad. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also gave them the same answer about Allah as Prophet Moses and Jesus. The answer was given by Allah to him as revelation as mentioned above. Three of them now gave the answer that Allah is only one not two not three or not more than that.

          If you have chance to meet any of them (Moses or Jesus), ask them what religion that you brings? I am very sure that Prophet Moses will not give the answer Judaism and Prophet Jesus will not give the answer Christianity. This is because both of them never heard the terms (Judaism and Christianity). The answer that will come out from their mouth is that, they are bringing the religion that submitting his will to Allah. The religion in sentence is, submitting his will to Allah. But in one word, the sentence means Muslim.

          Muslim is the person who submits his will to Allah. Muslim comes from the word Islam. Islam is the religion, Muslim is the name for person that embracing Islam. Not only Prophet Moses, Jesus and Muhammad are Muslims, but all prophet came before is also a Muslim. They all brought the same fundamental of the teaching; that is Allah is only one. They all brought the same religion that is Islam and they are the person who submitting themselves wills to Allah. From Prophet Adam until the last messenger Prophet Muhammad, their religion is Islam.

Indeed, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path." But when Jesus felt [persistence in] disbelief from them, he said, "Who are my supporters for [the cause of] Allah?" The disciples said," We are supporters for Allah. We have believed in Allah and testify that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].

[ALI IMRAN Ch.3:V.51-52]

Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allah]. And he was not of the polytheists.

[ALI IMRAN Ch.3:V.67]

          Jews, Christians and also Muslims believe that we come from the same father; that is Prophet Adam (pbuh). We also believe that Prophet Abraham is the father of all prophets. This is because he has two sons; Ismail and Isaac. The sons of Ismail are the Arabian and the sons of Isaac produced the race we called them Bani Israel. Prophet Abraham came before Moses. That means Abraham came before the people has taurah (Old Testament). So you cannot say he is Jews or Christians. Allah answers our question in the above verse. He says that Abraham is the person who submitting to Allah. Abraham is a Muslim.

          In the beginning, there is no Judaism and no Christianity. We all from the same fundamental taught that is Allah is one and only. We are creating our own religion and give the name by ourselves. InsyaAllah in the next entry I will explain the origin of Judaism and Christianity. Hope all of you understand the messages that I am trying to deliver in this entry. See you next time, insyaAllah.

Say, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah." But if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]."

[ALI IMRAN Ch.3:V.64]

~Wallahua’lam~

Can Allah Do Everything?

O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.

[AL-HUJURAT Ch.49:V.6]

          May peace and bless from Allah be upon you. I start this entry by praising Allah as He gives me the chance to deliver my ideas and messages and also gives you chance to read my entry again. Praise to Him also for always giving me the knowledge, the understanding and thoughts to share with others. Sorry for the late because I had a few problems last week that obstructed me to write this entry. I am going to fulfil my promise that is to write the entry with title that I already gave in the previous entry.

          I will try my best to deliver my ideas in this entry. We always hear people talking and saying that Allah can do everything. He can do that; He can do these and many other things. Then, there will be people that going to ask, if Allah can do everything, why He cannot be a man? Why He cannot have a son? Why He cannot have a sexual feelings or activities? There are many more questions, but these just examples. When people ask all these questions, we are going to stuck or pause for a minute to think back what we have said earlier. There will be a problem and there are going to be a misunderstood again about Allah.

…Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep…

[AL-BAQARAH Ch.2:V.255]

          Let me bring you into the real statement. We are not limiting Allah’s capability or limiting Allah’s power, but Allah the one who gives His characteristics to us. He is the one who gives requirement to be a God. He is the one who we looks like limiting Himself. But actually He is not limiting Himself; He is making us clear the differences between God and creatures. The borders He puts just to clarify and to make us clear that He is the Real God. All the creatures cannot be like Him even a drop of water or a dot of black spot.

          Allah says in ayah Kursi, He not even feels sleepy and He will never sleep. This is not the issue that Allah cannot sleep after He can do “everything”. But this ayah shows the different between the creatures and Himself. All the animals and human feel sleepy and they must sleep. There is a border between the creatures and God. God gives us the clear evidence for the man that looking for the truth. People always looking for logical answer, but at the end they refuse to accept the truth.

The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him. And his mother was a supporter of truth. They both used to eat food. Look how We make clear to them the signs; then look how they are deluded.

[AL-MAIDAH Ch.5:V.75]

          It goes the same with eating. Allah does not eat. He did not feel hungry and not even what to eat. He did not have to eat to survive. That is the main idea here. But people always look at the un-important things. Always want to question or argue the unnecessary things. To prove that someone or something is a God, he or she or they must not eat. Eating is human, animals, plants and other creature behaviour. Then people will say that angels also did not eat and they have no feeling of hungry also. This shows the different between us and angels. There are also differences between God (Allah) and angels. The clearest evidence is that Allah created them.

          Maybe angels also did not sleep. So from the behaviour looks like no difference between them and Allah. We need to look on the other side. Angels have shape or form or figure but Allah does not have it. The above ayah was sent down to earth to show and prove to the people that fanatic about Jesus. Allah already shows the important characteristics and important clues, which are Jesus and his mother Mary eat. This ayah has a message to say that Jesus is a normal human being, not God. I know that people (Christian) going to be sensitive about this issue, but this is the truth.

It is not [befitting] for Allah to take a son; exalted is He! When He decrees an affair, He only says to it, "Be," and it is.

[MARY Ch.19:V.34]

He neither begets nor is born.

[AL-IKHLAS Ch.112:V.3]

          The same goes with the case Allah not have son. There must be a reason behind that. Of course, the reason goes the same that is Allah want to differ and to make sure the human being know Him well. With many differences, borders or maybe you want to say “limit” that Allah shows to us, I can say and dare to say that still people did not know their God very well. There are still plenty more mistakes or misunderstood about Allah. They did not see with their eyes and not hear with their ears. Their heart and mind closed to accept the truth.

          There are going to have similarities between Allah and human. Such as Allah sees and human also see, and Allah hears and human also hear. But the different now are not about see and hear, it is about how Allah and human see and hear. That is the different. Human see and hear with their organs. However Allah is not like creatures that have organs. Allah sees and hears with His own Zat (sorry I don’t know the real word for English). Only Allah knows how He sees and hears.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "My Lord says, 'If My slave comes nearer to me for a span, I go nearer to him for a cubit; and if he comes nearer to Me for a cubit, I go nearer to him for the span of outstretched arms; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.' "

[Sahih al-Bukhari 7536]

          There is hadith that says Allah comes to His slave running. If we just want to take the text, we will misunderstand about Allah. I want to say that other religion always taking the text from their scripture without knowing and understand the real context. That leads them to error or to the religion that never brought to them. In this case, the “running” just a symbolic to show and to make His slave feels happy and excited to do good things. Imagine that when we do good things, our beloved person running to us to hug us. Of course we are going to feel very happy and always want to do the good things.

          Conclusion for this entry I want to quote Ahmad Deedat words. He said that people always ask the truth but did not want to see the truth. For example, people ask to see sun. Then we show to the people the sun. The person looks at the sun but with the closed eyes. Do you think the person see the sun? Answer it by your own. Allah already shows to us the truth; Prophet Muhammad also brought to us the truth and so many people out there always telling the truth. Now depend on us to accept it or not.

And of His signs is [that] He shows you the lightening [causing] fear and aspiration, and He sends down rain from the sky by which He brings to life the earth after its lifelessness. Indeed in that are signs for a people who use reason.

[AR-RUM Ch.30:V.24]

~Jazakumullah~

~Wallahua’lam~