The School Meme

I read Nik Nazmi's website and found out about this school meme. Not to forget about Nad from Ukraine who relentlessly pushing me to continue the chain.It was already 6 or 7 years after I left my alma mater, MCKK. It feels so good to reminisce the past.My mother told me that SPM results were out and nowadays getting a dozen of As is no big deal.During my time, getting a six aggregates (we were the last batch before the 'sijil terbuka' system) will secure one's future in tertiary education.

How many schools did I go to?

I went to 4 schools

Sekolah Rendah Jalan Datuk Palembang,Melaka
Sekolah Kebangsaan Chukai, Kemaman, Terengganu
Sekolah Rendah Sultan Ismail, Kemaman, Terengganu
Malay College Kuala Kangsar

My father is a goverment servant that works with JKR.Back then, before he was moved to JKR HQ in Kuala Lumpur, he was always posted to various districts in Malaysia.He used to be the 'Jurutera Daerah' of Kemaman.I can vividly remember that our home in Jalan Sentosa was a big and nice wooden quarter with 3 rooms.3 of my youngest sister and my brothers were born during this period.During my primary school years, I remember that my mother keep pushing me to do well in UPSR so that I'll get a chance to be offered to any boarding school.

"It will give us more space in the house for your younger brothers and sister!"

So, I did really well in UPSR.Offered to MCKK and my parents were overwhelmed with joy.I know it's difficult to be selected and I used to hear that MCKK was once called as the Eton of the East.But, I was too young to bother about the prestige thing.All I knew was Kuala Kangsar is so far from Kemaman, as if it is the other side of the world.It took 13 hours of journey from Kemaman to Kuala Kangsar via bus.Bear in mind that this was pre-Air Asia and cheap-flights era.

Was I the studious nerd, or the last minute hero?

People called me nerd but the fact is, I am a last minute worker.An attitude that I embraced until I'm in medical school. A habit that costs me a lot (and costs the taxpayers money) because I keep resiting my exams and my sponsor JPA had to pay for that!!
Well, like the maxim that I found somewhere in UCD walls;

"I love exams, so I took it twice!!"

Was I the class ‘taiko’ or the teacher’s pet?

To be honest, I was a teacher's pet.From primary until secondary school.I was a brilliant and nerd student in primary school.Nobody ever beat me in exams.In MCKK, I was a prefect.Other students in MCKK abhor the prefects and we were all called 'anjing'.Fortunately, I was not the 'Kepala Anjing' but Akmal Ku was.

I think I was a teacher's pet because I tend to follow every single rules.My seniors in MCKK called me 'Mat Skema'.Always go to prep on time (before I got my cubicle), went to surau early and always dressed up properly etc.Of course, being a 'Mat Skema' was not easy.All the 'taiko' hate me so much.Especially the one that I caught smoking or 'flying'.(Fly is a term that describe an illegal escapade from hostel to town etc).I remember that my 'taiko' juniors used to made graffiti in the toilet,'commemorating' my name.It was batch 96-00, not my batch.

What was the biggest rule I broke in school?

In MCKK, all prefects were given privileges.We got a cubicle each in the dorm.Prep in evening and night are mandatory.I used to force my Form 3 juniors to lock the cubicle's door from outside so that it will look like nobody is inside.Actually, it was just a deceiving method. I was inside all afternoon zZz...zZz.....ZzZ. Sometimes, I went to surau as well to do some 'nawafil' nap.Surprisingly, I was not alone.My best buddy, Shahreeza Safiruz bin Kasim was there as well.

When I was in Form 3, we used to have a 'dirasah' in Madrasah Islahiyyah in Kamunting.So, we (the Badan Revolusi Agama gang) fly to Taiping during weekend.I guess this was my eye-opener regarding the true traditional study of Islam.

And of course in MCKK, we have our 'illegal supper' (order from Che Nah Che Ni restaurant).My favourite supper was NGA and TA (nasi goreng ayam and teh ais).I don't know why but eating inside the 'kelambu' was so good.I always think that the meals were the best in the world.( I wonder what was the recipe)

Three subjects I enjoyed

Mandarin:It was my third language subject.I tried Arabic but failed miserably.So I switched to Mandarin instead.(Refer my posting on Language of Paradise)I love the language.But it is the most difficult language in the world.Unlike bahasa Melayu or Arabic, Mandarin has different character for each word.So, we have to memorize every character for almost every word.I have a lovely teacher who enriched the class with beautiful stories from excerpt of 'Romance of Three Kingdom' etc.('Romance of Three Kingdom' is a must-read corpus of ancient China history regarding famous war between divided kingdoms in China)

History: I love history and I never study history for exams because I can remember every single facts inside the textbook.'Sejarah Peradaban Dunia' was the most exhilarating.During my first winter holiday in Dublin, I went straight away to Andalusia, Spain.I guess the influence of the subject was great.It was always my ambition to visit the places written in the textbook, especially with regard to Islamic empire (Andalus, Egypt, Sham).During my second year summer holiday, I went to Middle East where I met countless new friend including Pangeran Hata in Irbid.

Add Math: I had a boring teacher in Add Math.But I went and learned from another teacher that was the most powerful teacher in the universe.Mr Tan Gim Hoe was a living legend.The most hardworking, selfless teacher that will make things easy for students in Add Math.I love doing his 'one paper' tutorial (questions on one side, answers on behind).

Three teachers that inspired me

Miss Grace Margaret: The most special teacher to me.Physic teaher with dynamic character.Like what Nik Nazmi mentioned, the epitome of the MCKK teacher - selfless, absolutely hardworking and inspirational.She was the only teacher that ever knew my tactics to skip prep when she was during round in the hostels.I was at Pai's room in Prep School (hostel for Form 1) and we were sleeping (Pai is the son of Dato' Mustapha Muhammad, Minister of Higher Education, MP Jeli).That time, it was so hot and humid, so I didn't wear any shirt (topless).Next thing I knew, Miss Grace was screaming hysterically;

"Aaaaaahh....Shafiq!!Bangun ke prep!Baju pun tidak dipakai!!Separuh bogel!!"

Mr Tan Gim Hoe: I already mentioned him.He inspired me to get A1 in Add Maths.Love him so much.Before that, I just lost hope on Add Maths.

Pn. Hidayati – another special MCKK teacher, she joined MCKK when we were in F1.She was like sister to me and the first teacher that I can talk with, just like friends.She wears 'tudung labuh' and her appearance is like a real 'muslimah'.I heard she married another teacher in MCKK and already got a child.

These three teacher are the figures that I hope to meet in Malaysia.I had already 'lost contact' with them and I didn't know their whereabouts.Insya Allah, we'll be destined to meet again in near future.

Seven people (school mates or not) to answer this meme:

Abadi Sufaat
Fahd Razy
Izwan Ismail
Jhaznarul Juharul Zaman
Khairul Azlan
Mozo
Md Ariff Md Yusof
Reazal Effendi

My Property

My only property after reaching 24 years old. A 'Harley Davidson' XDS 400.Bought it from Penny Farting second-hand store.

The student of learning must have sustenance and have knowledge of those things which increase it.The student should know well what augments life and health in order to be free from other occupations and thus devote himself to the pursuit of knowledge alone.Books have been written describing these matters; so briefly I will cite only some points:

The Messenger of God(peace and blessing be upon him!) said,

"The decress of God are not averted except by supplication and your span of life is not augmented except through piety. For a man is deprived sustenance because of sin he committed."

Duha prayer is very well known act associated with provision; as are reading Sura Waqiah particularly when one usually sleeps..............

"O God!!Make me content with those things You have made permissible as opposed to those things You have made prohibited. And make me satisfied with Your favour to the exclusion of anybody else's"

(From Ta'lim al-Muta'allim Tariq al-Ta'allum by Imam Zarnuji)

With Abadi on the way to Bray (Mt Sinai of Ireland)

There's one chapter in Sabilul Iddikar or Life of a Man by Imam Habib Abdallah Alawi al--Haddad that quote a poem;

"If a youth has nothing to boast of when reaches
twenty years, he'll never have anything to boast of!!"

After reaching 24, I'm still not sure whether I achieved anything worthy enough to boast about myself.Hmmm......


YM Chat
Puteri Nad: Happy Besdayyyyyyyyyy!!

PISCES MAN

He is very emotional and always allow himself to be very emotional. He can have a good night sleep and be in a good mood, and less than few hours at work he can be very moody. He does not understand things or try to understand things easily. If you notice him carefully, you will notice what kind of moods he is in. He is a thinker and able to do well at work and always succeed. His normal gestures mean he always look at other people faults, but he will not talk about it. He has the ability to know your thought and able to tell you what you are thinking about. He can mostly memorize all his anger, his loves. They are his important secrets and he will keep them to himself and will never let you know. He is not a very ambition man and careless about his position in society. Wealth does not drawn his attention, because he is not greedy man and as well he thinks money is not something that will last. He could be very careless about his future. He does not like to fight against all odds, but instead following the stream and make life easier. Sometimes because he likes to take an easy path, which cause him very unsteady future.
He is kind and slightly lazy, but it is his cute character. He hates rules and regulations. He will never look down on people. He is a polite guy and can be very aggressive when he is mad. He loves to think that he lives in a beautiful world and surround by nice people, so if he finds his world is cruel and not what he expects, he will live in his world instead. His other charm is that he is a funny guy, and it is his real weapon. He can tease you and yet make it looks like one of his joke. Even when he is sad, he still has that funny face, so you could hardly tell if he is mad or depress. He likes to hide his feeling and help other people especially those who need friend or lonely. He will be everything that you want and everything you do not want. He has a chance to make it as much as a chance to fail. He can determine to make it work and can do it well, except he tends to lost his energy with other important things, that's how he miss many of his good opportunity. He can be happy and content by himself. What he think is important is not "Love" ,but firm status and stability. He has plenty of love for you. He is a good speaker, as much as he is a good listener. When he is with you, he wants to be happy. He understand his partner's emotional. He likes to take a long rest and sometimes being alone. If he needs to be alone, try not to disturb him. He is a sensitive, quiet , shy and easily hurt. He wants to feel worthy. He can be mad and noisy, but once he calm down, he will be that happy person again. He is not a jealous or possessive guy, and if he feels jealous he will hide it. He has many friends of both sex, and he care about his friends. He likes to have lots of friends, so you can not get jealous or else you will loose him.
He likes beautiful things, so if a pretty woman walk by he will look ,so do not get mad at him knowing this fact. When he is lonely or feeling sad, be close to comfort him. He does not like to take advice,so if you want him to listen or to follow your advice, you have to act as a good sample for him first. He likes a cheery and a smart woman. If you treat him like he is your special person, then he will be that special person for you. He will trust you if he is in love, but try not to over doing it and spoil him too much. You have to know yourself worth all the time too.

Puteri Nad: Memang macam awak boleh?Part tengok pretty woman tuh....
Me: Chet.......

Sirah Tour

Remembering the Beloved - Sirah Tour 2006
18th-24th March ’06

‘Remembering the Beloved’ is a national sirah tour organised by the Federation of Student Islamic societies (FOSIS) and the Islamic Institute for Development and Research (IIDR). The tour aims to highlight the different dimensions of the life of the Final Messenger of Allah – Muhammad (s). A diverse and unique line-up of local and international speakers will address topics ranging from the humour of the Prophet to the Prophetic legacy. In addition to these lectures, the programme will also include the airing of exclusive video clips, scholarly advice, recitation and poetry.

Tickets

Hotline UK : 07849 786 341
Hotline Ireland: 0870 567 424
Tickets: £5 - info@sirahtour.com

Speakers

Imam Suhaib Webb (USA)
Born and raised in the State of Oklahoma, USA. During his teens he became a Hip Hop DJ and made many records with different artists and bands. During this period of his life, he was a member of a gang and turned his back on organised religion. Suhaib William Webb accepted Islam at the age of twenty. He graduated with Honours in Education from the Central Oklahoma University and has studied Arabic and Islamic Sciences under many notable scholars. Imam Suhaib is a dynamic and inspiring speaker and is a former Lecturer at the Islamic American University (IAU) in California. He is currently studying Shariah at Al-Azhar University (Egypt) and is the author of the best selling audio CD album ‘Mothers of the Believers’.

Imam Yassir Fazaga (USA)
Imam Yassir Fazaga graduated with a BA in Islamic Studies from Imam Saud University, Fairfax VA. He also obtained a MA in Psychotherapy from California State Long Beach. Imam Yassir currently serves as the Imam of Orange County Islamic Foundation, Mission Vallejo and is the President of the Eritrean Muslim Council. He is currently producing a series of innovative lectures (due to be released late 2006) entitled ‘Free your self; Free your soul’ which explores the Islamic and psychiatric dimensions of a Prophetic invocation related to seeking refuge from anxiety, sorrow, laziness, cowardice and miserliness.

Shaykh Zakariya Siddiqi (France)
Shaykh Zakariya al-Siddiqi memorised the Quran at the very young age of nine. He studied the traditional Islamic Sciences with scholars in Algeria and later went to Egypt for ten years and graduated from Al-Azhar University. He has a MA in the Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence and has recently completed a PhD at the University of Sorbonne (France). He is the Former Dean of the Faculty of Quranic Studies and Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence at the European Institute of Islamic Sciences (France). Shaykh Zakariya is a member of the IIDR Board of Scholars and the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS).

Abdur Rahman Helbawy (UK)
Member of the IIDR Board of Directors. Preliminary study of Islam and Islamic Sciences was with his father Dr Kamal el-Helbawy (Founder President of the Muslim Association of Britain) and later with other notable scholars. He graduated with a BA in Islamic Studies from the European Institute of Islamic Sciences (France) and a MA in Islamic Studies (University of London). He has extensive experience in organising educational courses for the youth and lecturing on Islam. Abdur Rahman is also Director of Dome Tours International.

Bara al-Ghannouchi (UK)
Co-founding director of IIDR. Graduated with a BA (Hons) in Arabic & Law (University of London). Preliminary study of Islam and Islamic Sciences was with his father Shaykh Rashid al-Ghannouchi (Islamic Thinker and President of the Nahda Movement) and later with other notable scholars. Bara al-Ghannouchi has extensive experience with scouts and student movements in the UK and is currently studying Islamic Sciences with scholars of Al-Azhar University (Egypt).

S.M.Hasan al-Banna (UK)
Co-founding director of IIDR. Graduated with a BA (Hons) in Arabic & Law (University of London) and completed the Bar Vocational Course (BVC). Preliminary study of Islam and Islamic Sciences was with his father Maulana Abdul Qadir (Former President of Dawatul Islam UK & Eire) and later with other notable scholars. He studied Arabic Language and Literature at the European Institute of Islamic Sciences (France) and the University of Alexandria (Egypt). He is currently pursuing his postgraduate studies at Al-Azhar University in Islamic Jurisprudence. Hasan al-Banna has translated several classical and contemporary works and is the author of the bestselling book ‘Sirah of the Final Prophet’

Venues and Dates

Glasgow
Saturday 18th March
Wellington Church, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ
Starts: 1pm

Dublin
Sunday 19th March
Astra Hall, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
Starts: 1pm

London
Tuesday 21st March
Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London, NW1 2BJ
Starts: 6.30pm

Birmingham
Wednesday 22nd March
Great Hall, Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET
Starts: 6.30pm

Manchester
Thursday 23rd March
Roscoe Building, Brunswick Street, Manchester, M13 9PL
Starts: 6.30pm

Cardiff
Friday 24th March
Lecture Theatre 0.22, Law Building, University of Cardiff, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3XJ
Starts: 6.30pm


Organisers

fosis.org.uk

The Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) is a body that caters for the needs of Muslim students in further and higher education across the UK and Ireland . Established in 1962, the Federation seeks to uphold the Quranic verse: "Hold fast to the rope of Allah, all of you together, and be not disunited." [Quran 3:103] At the heart the FOSIS vision are two central aims: to represent Muslim students and to serve students. FOSIS is affiliated to the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the umbrella organisation for the majority of Muslim organisations in the UK .

"Asking for "Evidences" is a Clear Daleel of Your Ignorance…"

Assalamu'alaikum wbt,

I'm starting my psychiatry rotation this week.I really want to continue my writing on my journey learning the language of paradise as mentioned in my previous posting.But, an event in Tawel's blog really held me back.Now, I realized how ignorant our people in understanding our own culture and tradition in Islam.Anywhere, especially with younger generations that 'jump' into any Islamic movements(MSM,Hizbi,ABIM,JIM,PAS) cannot abstain themselves from acting as 'mujtahids'.One of the favourite question is to question the validity of the four established school of jurispundence in Islam.Usually, the only 'manual' for these young self-acclaimed 'mujtahids' is Fiqh Sunnah of Sayyid Sabiq that contains proofs or dalil that only fit for muftis, not by laymen in jurispundence.Unfortunate for them that they didn't realized grievious mistakes in the Fiqh Sunnah and regard it as the 'best' fiqh manual because it 'contains all proofs in all legal rulings'.There's even one ustadh from northern area of this country that teaches Fiqh Sunnah, considering himself as superior in fiqh by comparing the dalils in Fiqh Sunnah, eventhough he could not even rate the status of each hadith in the manual.Is it not surprising as this 'Shaykh', who graduated from Jordan, used to accused the followers of Asha'ari and Maturidi in creed as deviants during his lecture in PUISI 2003.Pity to my friends who took their deen from this kind of person.For the 'murids' of this 'Shaykh' and the 'murids' of 'Shaykh' al-Ahkam.net , the article of Shaykh Dr Ridhwan Saleem is dedicated for you.May Allah open our heart to understand His deen and value our Islamic tradition.

In the name of Allah. All praise is for Him, our Lord and Protector, and may peace and mercy be upon His final prophet.

The following comments are not intended to offend anyone. We love all our brothers, who love Allah and His messenger (mercy of Allah and peace be upon him), and are working sincerely for this deen, no matter which orientation they take. If the following words are seen to be a little harsh on some, it was in view of the serious nature of the age we live in that we felt it was time to get to the point.

The following brief comment arose as a result of my being asked the legal ruling on a certain issue. The questioner also wanted to know the "evidences" for the ruling. I realized that they intended to compare the "evidences" from different people they asked and come to their own conclusion as to which opinion was "strongest".

I felt that presenting the "evidence" from the Hanafi legal school on this issue to such a layperson was inappropriate. I will try and explain why.

I mentioned the ruling from the Hanafi legal school, and said: Such a fatwa, if it comes from one of the four legal schools of ahlis-sunnah wal-jamaa'ah , is the result of the study, research, and ijtihad of hundreds of the greatest scholars of this ummah, who contributed to, and revised the legal rulings of each school . They were masters of the Islamic disciplines, many of whom memorized over one hundred thousand hadiths of the beloved Prophet (mercy of Allah and peace be upon him). Many scholars of the Hanafi legal school reached this respected rank known as 'Guardian ( Hafidh ) of the Hadith'.

In addition to this they were people of the highest levels of piety and fear of Allah, which is absolutely confirmed from their biographies. Therefore we gladly accept the verdicts they gave without having to question them for their "evidences" , and we do not turn to those who do not submit to the authority of these great scholars of this ummah, and want to examine the "evidence" for every ruling, despite the fact most of them have not even had a basic training in the Islamic sciences, or even studied any of the authentic books of hadith with a teacher.

For such a layperson to ask for "evidence" is ridiculous. It's like someone who hasn't even studied GCSE science arguing about the theory of relativity with a professor of physics. Or like someone who has not even the basic knowledge of biology or chemistry arguing with a leading physician about which medicine is better for a particular disease.

Such a person would be a laughed at! Do you think a professor would even pay any attention to him?
He wouldn't even waste his time engaging him in a discussion. Such a person, if he really wishes to give his opinions on theoretical physics, should first go and study his GCSEs for two years, then do his A-levels for two years, then get a degree (3 years), then a masters (1-2 years), then a PhD (3-5 years). Finally, he will be in a position to begin a discussion with the professor!

Similar, or worse, is the Muslim who hasn't even studied a basic curriculum in Islamic Law, and yet steps forward to challenge the greatest scholars of Law, of the salaf and khalaf of this ummah! He does not even have the basic tools to understand or evaluate an "evidence".

Do you think giving opinions on Islamic Law is easier than giving opinions in theoretical physics?

The very fact that you ask for "evidence" is itself a clear daleel of your ignorance of what the process of ijtihad involves.

Do you think getting an "evidence" is as simple as being told a verse of Qur'an or a single hadith?
Your job as a layperson or a beginner in the sacred knowledge is not to ask for the legal rulings on an issue along with "evidences". Rather, your job is just to ask for the legal rulings alone, from one of the four accepted legal schools, and to know that the rulings are based on a deep knowledge and study of the sources.

If you really are interested in the "evidences" please step forward to study the sacred knowledge. You are most welcome! Just to get to a basic level will take at least 5-8 years of serious study. That's just a basic graduate; you haven't even begun to specialize yet!

Trust me, the "evidences" are there for each of the legal schools. The encyclopaedic reference works which discuss detailed evidences for the rulings of the Hanafi legal school are numerous and well-known, written by great masters of Hadith and Jurisprudence. Please feel free to consult them any time you wish to see the "evidence" for a legal ruling. But an untrained person, such as yourself, reading such works will not be able to make sense of them, like a GCSE science student trying to read advanced research papers in quantum physics, or cutting-edge medical research. He'll end up more confused than anything else.

It is time to be humble. If you are a GCSE student, you need to study the basics, and accept what your teachers tell you for now. In many years time, if you are an intelligent student, and put in lots of hard work, you may be in a position to discuss complicated theories and form your own opinions.

Unfortunately, as part of the reprehensible innovations of modern times, a movement has developed within our ummah which rejects the following of the four established legal schools , and encourages laypersons to question every legal ruling, so they can form their own opinions and forge their own way! (This may well be the sunnah of the American singer, Frank Sinatra, who sang "I did it my way", but it certainly isn't the sunnah of the scholars of the salaf .) If you believe that as a GCSE student you can give opinions on quantum theory, then ahlan wa sahlan!

You should be warned however that what you are doing is completely haraam ie. giving a fatwa/legal ruling directly from the sources without being qualified to do so. If everyone was automatically qualified to issue/choose legal rulings, it would lead to disruption and chaos in the sacred law. (By the way, just because you are an Arab or speak Arabic doesn't make you an automatically-qualified mufti either!) All disciplines have curricula and methodologies for their study. Islamic Law and Juristic Methodology is one of the most difficult disciplines which takes many years to become proficient in.

To become a barrister, for example, you have to get excellent A-level results, then get a Law degree. Even after that you need to pass the Bar examinations. Still that is not enough! You then have to spend a further several years training with a barrister before you are allowed to practice for yourself. This is merely to become a junior barrister! After that how many years of continuing research and experience are required for one to become a QC, or a high-court judge?

Strange then it is that every Tom, Dick and Hamza from our ummah considers himself qualified to issue Islamic legal rulings after reading a few verses of Qur'an and a summarized version of al-Saheeh of al-Bukhari! It is a reflection of our deep ignorance of what it is we are dealing with. You haven't even entered Law school and you want to pass legal judgements!

You are a GCSE science student and you want to enter a discussion between professors!

Be humble! If you want to discuss issues of Islamic Law, go and sit at the feet of the scholars, the inheritors of the prophets (may peace be upon them), and study with them. Learn from their good character as well as their knowledge, purify yourself, so that you may become a worthy recipient of the light that is the sacred knowledge.

If you have spent your life studying engineering or medicine, or pursuing business ventures, instead of seeking the sacred knowledge, and now, in your older age, you have decided to get a bit "religious", start coming to the masjid, and so on, please don't think you can do a "crash course" in the deen by reading "Fiqh us-Sunnah" or the Tafseer of Mawdudi, and come to a level where you can debate with the scholars. Please leave the matters of the deen to those who actually did spend their youth and sacrifice many years of their lives to the study of the sacred disciplines.

As one of my teachers often says: " this is the deen, not teen (fig)!! " This is the teaching of Islam that you are dealing with! It's not the plaything of every common person. It is our western conditioning that makes everyone arrogant enough to believe they can give their opinions on all issues, from theology to Islamic Law.
The plain truth is you are not in any position to evaluate "evidences" for a legal ruling and come to a conclusion for yourself as to which opinion is the "strongest".

I remember once entering a discussion with an 18 year old, clean-shaven youth, dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, outside my local masjid. He had started practicing two years previously. He was quite soberly explaining to me how he examines the "evidences" put forward by the different legal schools on each "issue" and then is able to conclude for himself which is the strongest opinion! The fact that he didn't know a word of Arabic was not enough to deter his scholastic pursuits – he would get everything translated into English of course!

Unfortunately, such poor brothers have no idea of how complicated many legal rulings are, and how extensive the discussions between the legal schools on each issue can be. Don't they realize that they are merely "blindly following" whichever "scholar" has presented to them the information on this particular "issue". They haven't even checked the sources themselves, e.g. the reference books of the four legal schools, to see what they say in their discussion on the issue. It is well known that you cannot take Hanafi rulings from a Shafa'i text, or vice versa, because they often give inaccurate presentations of another legal school – you have to go to the texts of the school itself.

I will just give you one simple, commonly-seen, example where the poor brother/sister thinks that they have done a great "ijtihad", and come to their "own" conclusions on an issue (having realized that all the four legal schools got it wrong for the last 1,424 years). This is the issue of where to place the hands in the prayer. It is quite usual now to see Muslims praying while placing their hands on their chests or necks rather than the traditional above-or-below the navel position, which was the practice of the Muslims for over a thousand years until recent times. Indeed all four legal schools agree that the hands should be just above or below the navel – definitely not on the chest (except for women in the Hanafi school), and especially not on the neck! (Some of the Maliki's hold that the sunnah is to place the hands at the sides).

However the young mujtahids of the 21st century know better. Obviously all those great legal experts of the four schools didn't have access to " Fiqh us-Sunnah ", that essential guide for all budding mujtahids! It's even available in a handy translated version for non-Arabic mujtahids! You simply flick open the relevant chapter on: "Sunnah acts of prayer, The Position of the Hands" (vol.1 p.132) and you will discover that al-Tirmidhi narrates a hadith that the Prophet (mercy of Allah and peace be upon him) prayed with his hands on his chest, and that al-Tirmidhi grades this hadith "as hassan". Also you will read that a similar hadith is found in "The Saheeh" of Ibn Khuzayma, and that Ibn Khuzayma "considers it as sahih".

That's it! The young mujtahid has done his job! Obviously there are sahih hadiths about this! (Don't know who that Ibn Khuzayma guy is…but he sounds important!) The four legal schools got it all wrong! Thereafter the brother is seen in the local masjid placing his hands high up on his chest, looking rather scornfully at those who "blindly" follow the legal schools.

Now let's have a closer look at the "evidences" given above in "Fiqh us-Sunnah". We make some startling discoveries.

First of all, those who actually studied "al-Jaami'" of al-Tirmidhi itself would realise that al-Tirmidhi does NOT even mention a hadith that the Prophet (mercy of Allah and peace be upon him) prayed with his hands on his chest! Let alone grade it as hassan!! A very serious mistake on the part of the author of "Fiqh us-Sunnah".

Second major mistake: although Ibn Khuzayma (may Allah have mercy on him) does mention a hadith of the Prophet (mercy of Allah and peace be upon him) placing his hands on his chest, he DOES NOT consider it to be saheeh. In fact Ibn Khuzayma makes no comment on the authenticity of the hadiths that he narrates in his book. But those who know Ibn Khuzayma's methodology will see that all indications are that he did not consider this narration as sound. First of all he does not mention placing the hands on the chest in the chapter heading of that chapter (which is his usual method of indicating his understanding of the legal implications of the narrations in the chapter). Secondly, he places the narration at the end of the chapter, which also indicates its weakness.

Anyhow, a look at the chain of narrators of this hadith will show that it contains Mu'ammal ibn Isma'il, who most scholars of hadith say is a weak narrator, pointing out that he had a terrible memory! Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) actually says he is "munkar al-hadith", meaning his hadith are totally rejected! There are also further criticisms of this narration possible but we will not delve into these right now.

Now we see the problem. The young mujtahid was not really a mujtahid after all! He was the worst type of "blind follower" . He read a chapter from "Fiqh us-Sunnah" and accepted what he read "blindly", all the while thinking that he had done a great ijtihad! Imagine how many more mistakes this book contains. And it is one of the most popular books nowadays amongst Muslims! The type of mistakes pointed out above are serious errors. One of my teachers said that these are not the type of slips you would see sometimes in the writings of scholars. Rather they indicate a real ignorance in the author that is inexcusable.

At the end of the day, the reality is that you are a muqallid, whether you know it or not . The choice simply remains as to whom you follow: is it going to be the author of "Fiqh us-Sunnah", or al-Albaani, or one on the four legal schools. In the end, studying evidences for legal rulings is not wrong in itself, but it has a certain context and place.

Other comments may be made regarding these matters, but we will suffice with what has been stated, praying to Allah that He covers us all in His mercy and guides us to the truth in all matters, and enables us to follow it, and act according to what pleases Him at all times. And may peace and the mercy of Allah be upon His beloved messenger, his family, and all his companions. And all praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

Written by,
servant of the sacred knowledge,
Ridhwan ibn Muhammad Saleem.
Damascus , Ramadhan 1424 H

Further reading:

1. "Refutation of those who follow other than the four legal schools" ("radd 'ala man ittaba'a ghayr al madhahib al arba'ah"), by Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (Arabic)

2. "Non-madhhabism: The most dangerous innovation threatening the Islamic Law" ("La madhhabiyyah: akhtar al-bid'ah tohaddidu al-sharee'ah al-islamiyyah"), by Shaykh Dr. Muhammad
Sa'eed Ramadhan al-Bouti (Head of the dept. of Sharee'ah, University of Damascus )(Arabic)

3. "The legal status of following a madhhab", by Justice Shaykh Taqi 'Uthmani (Chief Qadi of Pakistan ) (English)

4. "The Four Madhhabs", by Shaykh Abdul-Hakeem Murad (English)

5. "Benefits of the sciences of jurisprudence" ("fawaa'id 'uloom al-fiqh"), introduction to "'ilaa ul-
sunan", by Shaykh Kayranwi (Arabic)

6. "Meaning of the saying of the Muttalibi Imam: 'If a hadith is authentic, then it is my madhhab'", ("ma'na qawl al-imam al-muttalib: itha sahha al-hadith fa huwa madhhabi"), by Shaykh ul-Islam, Imam Taqi ul-Deen al-Subki (Arabic)

7. "Fatwa Concerning the Obligation of Following Rightly Guided Scholars", by Shaykh Murabit al-Haajj and Shaykh Hamza Yusuf (Arabic/English)

Language of Paradise I

Bahasa Arab dianggap bahasa yang tertua di dunia.Bahasa Arab diklasifikasikan sebagai bahasa 'Sematic' atau Sematic language kerana kata akar bahasa ini kebanyakannya terbina daripada 3 konsonan atau triliteral (3 huruf).Bahasa Sematic yang masih tinggal tidak banyak dan kebanyakannya tidak lagi dipertuturkan oleh mana-mana kaum di atas muka bumi ini.Yang masih wujud dan utuh mungkin bahasa moden Hebrew (itupun perkembangannya hanya selepas pembinaan negara haram Zionis), Amharic (yang merupakan dialek kaum-kaum peribumi di Ethiopia dan Iraq) serta bahasa Malta.Antara bahasa Sematic yang kaku perkembangannya termasuklah bahasa klasik Hebrew (Biblical Hebrew), Akkadian, Syriac dan bahasa asal Ethiopia.

Sejak zaman Jahiliyyah lagi, bahasa Arab telah mencapai kelas tersendiri dan sangat dibanggakan oleh bangsa Arab.Individu yang paling fasih pertuturan dan bahasanya biasanya akan diangkat menjadi 'Sayyid' atau ketua kabilah.Golongan 'Syu'araa' atau penyair menempah kasta tersendiri dalam tangga sosial bangsa Arab.Bahkan syair-syair terbaik digantung di dinding Ka'abah sehingga terbitlah gelaran 'mu'allaqat' atau 'The Hanging Ode'.Antara yang menjuarai kesusasteraan Arab ketika itu termasuklah Zuhair, Labid, 'Antara dan Al-Harith.

Antara syair Jahiliyyah yang saya minati ialah syair-syair Zuhair ibn Abi Sulma yang dianggap sebagai 'moralist' di ketengahan zaman kegelapan insan. Beliau pernah mengarang syair yang meraikan perdamaian antara suku 'Abs dan Dhubyan yang berperang dan menumpahkan darah lebih dari 40 tahun kerana pertelagahan yang berkisar tentang perlumbaaan unta!(Tolol sungguh!Kalau nak berperang pasal wanita pun, itu lebih berbaloi!). Antara kata-kata Zuhair,

"Lisaanul fata nisfun, wa nisfun fawaaiduhu
Wa lam yabqi suuratul lahmi wa dam!"

"Sesungguhnya separuh daripada seorang pemuda itu ialah lisannya,
Dan separuh lagi ialah akalnya,
Dan tidak berbaki pada tubuh pemuda itu lagi,
Selain darah dan dagingnya sahaja!"

Bahasa Arab sangat istimewa, bukan kerana sebutannya yang indah seperti yang selalu dibanggakan oleh orang Perancis terhadap bahasa mereka.Bahkan bahasa ini gemilang dan tersohor kerana bahasa ini diangkat untuk menjadi bahasa KalamuLlah, yakni bahasa al-Qur'an.Bahkan sebenarnya tidaklah keterlaluan jika dikatakan bahawa al-Qur'anlah yang meniupkan ruh kepada bahasa ini sehinggakan bahasa ini berevolusi menjadi pengantar dan wacana keilmuan sejagat sejak beberapa kurun lagi.Inilah bahasa ahli Jannah.Bahasa Nubuwwah dan lingua franca umat ini.

Saya mula berkenalan dengan bahasa Arab semasa sekolah menengah.Waktu itu, bahasa Arab ditawarkan di MCKK sebagai bahasa ketiga.Malang sekali, mungkin kerana ustaz-ustaz di MCKK tidak begitu berkaliber dalam mengajar bahasa ini, saya terus hilang minat dan akhirnya beralih kepada bahasa Mandarin.(Saya rasa minat saya terhadap komik-komik yang berasal dari Hong Kong mungkin memainkan peranan penting dalam 'pelarian' saya kepada bahasa Mandarin.Saya masih ingat pengaruh komik-komik seperti 'Alam Perwira', 'Dendam Kesumat' dan 'Raja Rimba'). Bagaimanapun, saya bersyukur kerana Allah SWT membuka pintu hati saya untuk meminati bidang agama.Zaman muda saya di MCKK selalu dihabiskan dengan membaca buku-buku agama di rak-rak buku di perpustakaan Tuanku Abdul Rahman di MCKK.Sehinggalah pada satu tahap saya merasakan tiada lagi kelazatan dalam menelaah buku-buku agama dalam bahasa Melayu mahupun Inggeris. Secara tiba-tiba, saya sedar bahawa keilmuan Islam tidak mungkin dicapai dengan hanya membaca buku-buku dalam bahasa Melayu sahaja.Islam bersumberkan Quran dan Sunnah yang sememangnya dalam bahasa Arab.Maka, tidak boleh tidak, bahasa ini harus dipelajari.

Semasa di Kolej Mara Banting, keinginan untuk mempelajari bahasa Arab terus membuak-buak.Malang sekali, saya tidak pernah berpeluang mendalami bahasa ini.Sehinggalah pada akhir tahun pengajian IB, saya berkenalan dengan Ustaz Halim yang kebetulan pernah berceramah di Banting.Dia mengesyorkan saya agar ke INTISAR, sebuah maahad yang diuruskan oleh rakan baiknya.Menurutnya, rakannya di sana boleh membantu.INTISAR mempunyai program twinning dengan Al-Azhar.3 tahun belajar di Muar dan bakinya dihabiskan di Mesir.Di INTISAR, ada seorang guru bahasa Arab yang berbangsa Arab.

"Anda pasti boleh beroleh manfaat sedikit sebanyak daripada mereka di INTISAR", kata Ustaz Halim.

Tamatnya program IB pada 2002, saya mempunyai cuti yang sangat panjang sebelum ke Ireland.Waktu itu, keputusan telah saya ambil untuk menghabiskan seluruh cuti bagi mendalami bahasa ini.Saya membungkus kain baju dan bersegera menaiki bas ke Parit Sakai Darat, Muar. Sampai di INTISAR, saya diperkenalkan dengan guru bahasa Arab yang berbangsa Arab itu.Beliau berasal dari Mansurah, Mesir.Orangnya lembut dan fasih berbahasa Melayu kerana beliau menyambung pengajian dalam Masters di UKM.Malah, thesisnya juga ditulis dalam bahasa Melayu!Saya masih ingat ketika mula berkenalan, dia bertutur dalam bahasa Arab,

"Kaifa Haluk?Maa Ismuka?"

Saya hanya tergamam.Meskipun ayat di atas adalah ayat dalam bahasa Arab yang paling basic, saya terlalu jahil untuk memahaminya.Saya langsung tidak pernah belajar walaupun sepatah perkataan dalam bahasa Arab.(Waktu itu, saya sudah berumur 20 tahun).Sambil tersengih-sengih, saya meminta maaf kepada guru tersebut sambil mengatakan saya tidak memahami perkataannya.Dia tersenyum.

"Tidak mengapa", katanya.
"Apa bekalanmu datang ke sini?Adakah kamu sudah mempunyai asas dalam bahasa Arab?"

Saya cuma menggeleng.Malu sekali kerana begitu jahil dalam bahasa Arab.Guruku cuma ketawa.

"Tidak mengapa, ya Shafiq! Hadirnya kau ke sini membuktikan niat baikmu dan kesungguhanmu untuk menuntut ilmu.Asalkan semangat dan kesungguhan menjadi bekalanmu, satu hari nanti kau pasti akan berjaya."

Lantas dia mengungkapkan satu bait syair dalam bahasa Arab yang sehingga kini terpahat dalam ingatan saya.

Ta'allam! # Laysa mar'u Yuladu 'Aaliman
Laysa akhu 'ilmin # Ka man huwa Jaahil
.....................................................................
.....................................................................

Meskipun dia tidak melagukan sepenuhnya syair tersebut, setelah beberapa tahun, saya menjumpai semula keseluruhan bait syair yang beliau lagukan.Rupa-rupanya, itu adalah syair khalifah Bani Umayyah, Umar bin Abd Aziz yang memuji kecerdikan seorang budak yang fasih bertutur mewakili kaumnya.Bahkan dalam usia 10 tahun, budak tersebut menjadi jurucakap kaumnya dalam menyampaikan masalah-masalah yang mereka hadapi.Maksud syair tersebut ialah;

"Belajarlah! Sesungguhnya tidaklah seseorang itu dilahirkan terus menjadi 'alim!
Tidaklah ahli ilmu itu sepertimana manusia jahil,
Sesungguhnya seorang ketua kaum,
Kan menjadi kecil,
kiranya berhimpun di kalangan para alim!"

Di INTISAR, saya mula mengatur langkah untuk mendalami bahasa ini.Saya bertuah kerana berkenalan dengan ramai pelajar-pelajar jurusan Syariah dan kebanyakannya berasal dari Acheh, Indonesia.Mereka mempunyai cara yang baik untuk mudah memahami kaedah pembelajaran bahasa Arab.Antara subjek terawal yang saya pelajari ialah 'saraf', ilmu asas untuk mengetahui perubahan-perubahan kalimah Arab dari satu keadaan kepada keadaan lain.Buku yang saya gunakan ialah 'buku hijau' yang ditulis oleh Ustaz Hasan Ahmad.Setakat ini, buku hijau inilah buku saraf yang saya rasakan terbaik untuk disungguhi sebagai pintu dalam pembelajaran bahasa Arab.Bagaimanapun, buku ini bukanlah buku teks di INTISAR. Buku ini hanyalah buku tambahan yang saya pelajari daripada kawan-kawan Acheh saya di sana setiap malam.

Di kelas, buku-buku yang saya gunakan ialah 'Lughah Arabiyyah bi Naathiqina Ghairi Ha' ataupun buku 'Arabic Language for Non-Arabic Speaking Students'. Buku-buku ini diterbitkan oleh kerajaan Arab Saudi bagi pelajar-pelajar di pusat-pusat pengajian tinggi di sana seperti di University Umm Qurra di Mekah dan Imam Muhammad Saud University.Sistem yang direncana oleh pakar lughah Arab Saudi ini sangat mantap. Setakat ini, saya merasakan inilah sukatan pelajaran yang terbaik untuk mengusai bahasa Arab.Buku ini mempunyai empat mustaawa atau peringkat. Bagi setiap peringkat, ada beberapa pecahan subjek dan buku seperti nahu, saraf, ta'bir, durus minal Quran al-Karim, khat, balaghah, adab(sastera), hadith, fiqh, tarikh Islami dan sebagainya.Jika dihabiskan hingga peringkat mustaawa salis atau peringkat ketiga sahaja, seorang pelajar itu sudah boleh membaca, menulis dan bertutur dalam bahasa Arab dengan baik!Malahan, sahabat-sahabat saya di INTISAR kebanyakannya lulus cemerlang di Al-Azhar dan bahasa Arab mereka lebih kemas hasil asuhan sistem ini.Malang sekali, saya hanya sempat di INTISAR hanya sebulan.Lantas, saya cuma sempat menghabiskan hingga mustaawa saani atau peringkat kedua.Ini semua gara-gara pengetua KMB, Matias Francisco yang mahukan pelajar-pelajar Ireland menghadiri kursus bahasa Inggeris selama sebulan di Banting.

Bagaimanapun, saya tetap gembira kerana dapat mengetahui serba sedikit ilmu bahasa Arab ini sepanjang sebulan saya di INTISAR.Paling penting, ukhuwwah yang terjalin dengan pelajar-pelajar INTISAR. Malahan, sebelum berangkat pulang, saya berjanji untuk datang menziarahi kawan-kawan INTISAR saya di Mesir nanti.Saya juga membawa semua buku-buku yang digunakan di INTISAR ke Ireland, dengan harapan untuk menyambung semula pengajian di Mesir waktu musim panas.Hajat ini akhirnya dimakbulkan oleh Allah SWt apabila saya menziarahi Mesir semasa musim panas tahun kedua di Dublin.

To be continued................

Minggu lalu, di dalam bas semasa perjalanan pulang dari Blackrock untuk peperiksaan, aku berkenalan dengan seorang pakcik Irish yang sangat ramah. Pada awalnya, dia bertanya pada aku dari manakah aku datang dan apakah agamaku.Mengetahui aku seorang Muslim, dia dengan cepat mengajukan pertanyaan tentang kontroversi kartun Nabi Muhammad SAW yang diterbitkan oleh akhbar Denmark.

" Did you agree with what the Muslims did around the world?Attacking the Danish embassies and burning Danish flags?", tanyanya

"No. I never agree with any of that.What fruit can we gain from torching the flags or embassies?These acts are not helping Muslims at all. Our Muslim scholars prohibited the actions.Even in Syria and Lebanon, few scholars were standing in front of the embassies and asked the public to adhere the concept of tolerance and be more civilised than acting crazy to harm innocent people"

" So you don't mind when they were mocking your Prophet?"

"Of course it was not acceptable.For the Muslims, Prophet Muhammad is not like prophets in other religion.The Christians think it is okey to potray his image or even make jokes on him.But we Muslims, honour him and love him even more than ourselves. It is necessary to teach Denmark a lesson, but not by violence because it is never taught by our religion."

Pakcik Irish tadi mengangguk-ngangguk tanda berpuas hati dengan penjelasan aku. Dia merasakan sememangnya tidak wajar akhbar tersebut menyiarkan kartun yang menyentuh sensitiviti umat Islam, namun dia agak kesal dengan tindakan sebilangan umat Islam yang terlalu cepat mengikut perasaan. Jauh dari sudut hatinya, dia mempunyai rasa hormat kepada umat Islam kerana begitu kasih dan cinta pada Rasul mereka.Kecintaan sebegini tidak begitu terserlah dalam kepercayaan mereka.

Sepanjang perjalanan, dia tidak putus-putus bertanya tentang Islam. Kebetulan beberapa classmates aku turut berada di dalam bas dan mereka semuanya bertudung.Lantas, persoalan hijab turut dibangkitkan.

Dia bertanya," Is it a sin not to wear hijab for Muslim women?"

"Yes, it is a sin"

"So, is it lawful to beat women without hijab in Islam because the are sinful, like what the Talibans did?"

Aku cuma ketawa. Taliban bagiku bukanlah golongan yang sesuai untuk mewakili Islam.Mereka membuat perhitungan Islam tanpa merujuk kepada mana-mana ulama Islam.Seringkali pendakatan keras mereka menyebabkan timbulnya salah faham terhadap Islam sendiri.

"No, we have no rights to beat them up.Nobody have the rights.I have so many friends who do not wear hijab although they are raised as Muslims.I have never been judgemental and regard them as evil-doers.Of course, it is an obligation to cover up certain of their body parts.But if they refuse, advice should be given accordingly, not straight away beating them.And I never see myself better than the Muslims that are not wearing hijab.Beating women is not a culture in Islam.What Taliban did is merely actions from shallow interpretation of Islamic rulings.So many Muslim scholars condemned the act.Plus, Taliban was not led by scholars.They are movement represented by students who are not deeply rooted in Islamic traditions."

Pakcik Irish itu cuma ketawa "Well, it was a good explaination.Actually, I have been in few Muslim countries and I love them so much.It is only few things about Islam that hold me back.How about polygamy?As a Muslim man, you can marry 4 wives, can't you?"

"The Koran said that we are encouraged to take only one wife.But under few circumstances, we can marry more than one. Let's say your first wife could not bear any child for you.You have 2 options, first to let her go (divorce her) and marry another women.Or second, you can still keep her because you still love her but at the same you want children so badly.So what usually people do?"

"Take a mistress instead?"

"Yeah.....And it is even unfair for the first wife and your mistress.If you have illicit relationship and child, what good can it be?Most of children from these kind of relationship will end up neglected.So, the best way is not to divorce the first wife and marry another.It will ensure the rights of the wives and the children."

Pakcik tadi tersenyum lebar mendengar penjelasan aku.

"It makes sense"

Sebelum beredar, dia bertanya," What is good boy in Malaysian language?"

Aku menjawab," Budak baik."

Dan sebelum dia turun di destinasinya, dia berpaling padaku dan sambil melambai,

"See you again, budak baik!"

Finished all the exams.Will be doing my 'green card' tomorrow.I'll write something afterwards

If you make intense supplication
and the timing of the answer is delayed,
do not despair of it.
His reply to you is guaranteed;
but in the way He chooses,
not the way you choose,
and at the moment He desires,
not the moment you desire.


(Hikam Ibn 'AtaiLLah al-Iskandari)

Spiritual Decline?

I did not update my blog since ages. Maybe I'm too busy with my Legal Medicine and Ethics essays (2 500 words length= most boring subjects in the world).Or maybe I'm already thinking of retiring from blogging to concentrate on more serious matters (studying?don't think so).
Facing Christmas hols with terrible workloads, unfinished assignments and PPIMI's stuffs. In some ways, I did feel a massive 'spiritual decline' in me. So much so that I wrote an email to one of my friend seeking advice. The thing that he reminded me is worth putting here,

" Keep your night vigil and zikr especially La ilaha illAllah...."

My mind could not stop from thinking about the verses from Matharatul Qulub by Imam Mawlud regarding treatment for spiritual illnessess;

" Enjoin hunger, keep worship vigilance in the night, silence and meditation in private;

also keeping company with good people who possess sincerity, those who emulated in their states and statements;

and, finally taking refuge in the One unto whom all affairs return. That is the most beneficial treatment for all the diseases.

This must be to the point in which you are like a man drowning or someone lost in a barren desert and sees no source of succor

except from the Guardian, possessor of the greatest power.He is the one who responds to the call of distressed"

(Imam Mawlud's Matharat Qulub verse 170-175)

Kieran Malone Vs Shafiq Ayman

Your Irish Name Is...

Kieran Malone

What's your Irish Name?

I'm always proud of my name because it is unique and I'm the only person that bear the name Shafiq Ayman (as far as I know).But, the Gaelic name is cool.Find out yours.......

Bye-Bye Ramadan

Ramadan will end this few days.I'll maybe posting again in Syawal, after a month abstaining from the biggest thief of this century===>INTERNET!

Pembuat dan Pengguna

From Malaysia Today, a heavy piece from Hisham but he delivered it in his funny/sarcastic way.Typical Hishamuddin Rais.Truly a Malay College legend.....

Pembuat dan Pengguna

Oleh Hishamuddin Rais

Pada awalnya di dunia ini tidak wujud konsep yang kita fahami sebagai keahlian, pakar atau jaguh. Rasa saya apabila penduduk bertambah ramai dalam satu-satu kampung dan tamadun kita berkembang maka barulah muncul konsep tukang atau pakar ini. Ada tukang rumah, ada tukang kasut atau ada tukang masak. Tukang ini sebenarnya ialah pakar yang memiliki pengalaman dalam segi pembuatan. Melalui pengalaman yang terkumpul si polan ini menjadi orang yang di rujuk apabila kita hendak membuat rumah atau membuat kasut.Ilmu dan pengetahuan yang terkumpul dari para tukang ini dibukukan dan akhirnya dapat diajarkan secara tersusun di sekolah, di kolej atau di universiti. Kini semua jenis ilmu telah menjadi satu disiplin pengkhususan. Hari ini tidak wujud lagi seorang insan yang mengetahui pelbagai ilmu. Disiplin ilmu-ilmu moden hari ini semakin menjadi begitu khusus sekali sehinggakan ada bomoh yang hanya mengetahui hal perut, atau hanya berilmu tentang jantung sahaja atau berilmu tentang hal kemaluan sahaja.

Minggu lalu saya sempat berjalan di Lebuh Ampang. Di lebuh ini sedang didirikan satu laluan beratap untuk pejalan kaki. Saya yakin projek ini dilakukan bukan kerana pihak berwajib ingin merayakan dan memberi keselesaan kepada warga tempatan yang berjalan kaki tetapi untuk menunjuk-nunjuk kepada para pelancong asing bahawa Kuala Lumpur juga memiliki ”pavement” yang beratap. Di sini saya tidak mahu menyentuh tentang estetika atap-atap jalan ini kerana ianya terlalu hodoh untuk dibincangkan. Kehodohan estetika ini memerlukan satu kajian yang lebih mendalam.Apa yang ingin saya timbulkan di sini ialah laluan beratap ini didirikan begitu rendah sekali. Atap laluan ini bukan pula dibuat dari daun rumbia atau dari genting untuk memastikan ianya teduh dan sejuk. Ianya dibuat dari plastik. Kerana tiangnya tidak tinggi atap ini hampir mencecah kepala, maka bayangkan betapa panasnya sesiapa sahaja yang cuba berjalan kaki di bawah atap plastik laluan ini.

Saya memang tidak terlatih dari segi ilmu seni bina tetapi dalam hal laluan beratap ini saya memiliki pengalaman. Ini kerana di sekolah saya - Malay College Kuala Kangsar - ada laluan beratap ini. Jauhnya hampir satu kilometer - dari bangunan tempat tinggal murid, laluan ini menjalar ke bangunan utama bilik darjah. Tiangnya tinggi dan dibuat dari atap genting. Laluan beratap pasti telah dibuat puluhan tahun dahulu dan masih lagi kukuh. Laluan ini cukup selesa dan berfungsi untuk digunakan semasa hujan, ribut atau panas.Sebenarnya sesiapa yang pernah berjalan kaki di Kuala Lumpur akan bertemu satu lagi laluan beratap. Ini dari kawasan Pasar Seni menuju ke Perhentian Keretapi Lama. Laluan ini juga beratapkan plastik yang dibuat rendah. Dapat dirasakan bahang pancaran matahari jika kita menggunakan laluan ”pavement” ini ditengah hari. Apa yang membantu meredupkan laluan ini ialah wujudnya lingkaran bunga kertas yang tumbuh menjalar di atap. Tanpa lingkaran bunga kertas ini saya yakin laluan ini telah lama ditinggalkan membazir.Bila saya melihat rekaan seperti ini maka saya sedar bahawa tukang reka atau si pembuat pelan laluan ”pavement” ini tidak pernah dalam seumur hidupnya menggunakan laluan ini. Dia pastilah seorang arkitek yang telah diupah oleh seorang kontraktor. Kontraktor ini besar kemungkinan seorang Bumi yang telah mendapat tender ini dari Dewan Bandarraya melalui hubungan politik. Si arkitek, si kontraktor dan pegawai DBKL ini semuanya memiliki kereta. Mereka mungkin tinggal di Taman Tun atau Bukit Damansara. Tidak terlintas dalam kepala mereka bahawa mereka akan berjalan kaki dari Pasar Seni ke Perhentian Keretapi dengan menggunakan laluan yang telah mereka reka ini.

Saya cukup yakin di sekeliling kita hari ini amat banyak bangunan yang direka oleh para arkitek sebenarnya amat tidak sesuai untuk digunakan oleh manusia. Mungkin apa yang saya tulis ini seperti satu khabar angin untuk memburukkan para arkitek tetapi sila selidiki sendiri untuk memastikan apa yang saya tulis ini betul atau tidak. Misalnya, satu lagi contoh terbaik ialah sistem monorail yang mengelilingi kota Kuala Lumpur. Laluan keretapi ini telah dibuat di tepi jalan atau di tengah-tengah jalan yang telah sedia wujud. Apa yang memeranjatkan saya ialah walaupun stesen ini dibuat di tengah-tengah jalan ianya tidak pula direka untuk dijadikan jejantas untuk laluan awam. Kenapakah si pereka stesen ini terlalu bodoh dan tidak berfikir bahawa alangkah moleknya di setiap stesen ini diwujudkan laluan jejantas untuk kegunaan awam – yang boleh ke kiri atau ke kanan. Bukan sahaja jejantas ini akan memberi keselesaan kepada bakal pelanggan tetapi orang ramai juga boleh menggunakan sebagai laluan untuk melintas. Kenapakah perancang projek ini tidak memikirkan bahawa apa yang kita buat ini adalah untuk keselesaan orang ramai. Kenapa orang ramai perlu dibuli dan menghadapi maut untuk melintasi jalan yang sentiasa sibuk dengan kereta.Untuk saya telah cukup jelas untuk membuktikan bahawa orang yang membuat pelan ini tidak pernah akan menggunakan bangunan atau stesen yang mereka sendiri buat dan rancang. Saya rasa telah sampailah masanya para arkitek, para perancang, para kontraktor dan para politikus datang untuk melihat apa yang telah mereka lakukan. Mereka perlu melihat kebodohan rancangan yang telah mereka luluskan.Di Perancis kalau kita pergi mencari restoran atau kedai makan kita akan bertemu iklan di hadapan pintu masuk - Le patron mange ici - tuan empunya restoran makan sama di sini. Iklan ini dipaparkan untuk memberi keyakinan kepada bakal pelanggan bahawa restoran atau kedai makan ini adalah baik dan berkualiti sehinggkan tuan empunya - pasti orang berduit - makan di tempat yang sama. Mereka berbangga dan bertanggung jawab dengan apa yang mereka berikan untuk orang ramai. Kita tidak memiliki sikap ini.Tuan kontraktor, tuan arkitek dan para politikus kita tidak mempedulikan kerja-kerja yang mereka lakukan. Mereka membuat sesuatu hanya untuk keuntungan yang maksima. Atau mereka merasa puas asalkan kerja itu dilihat siap.

Politikus pula meluluskan projek untuk dilihat yang dirinya telah melakukan sesuatu. Memang betul semasa upacara perasmian stesen ini dilakukan para jemputan kelihatan selesa. Ini kerana dihari perasmian, mereka semua bukan pengguna yang tulin. Mereka hanya menggunakan stesen ini untuk hari itu sahaja. Mereka datang untuk media - untuk dilihat di kaca tv atau di dalam akhbar.Saya yakin jika hari ini sekali lagi si kontraktor, si arkitek atau si politikus datang menggunakan stesen-stesen seperti yang dilakukan oleh orang ramai maka mereka pasti akan melihat kebodohan dan kebebalan projek yang telah mereka lakukan. Pengkhususan ilmu-ilmu ini sebenarnya telah memisahkan si pembuat dengan si pengguna. Mereka yang membuat tidak menggunakan apa yang dibuat. Dari pengalaman ini maka saya mencadangkan semua pakar-pakar ini kita 'sekolahkan' kembali. Arkitek yang membuat pelan untuk monorail itu kita paksa dia menggunakan sistem itu. Beri dia kesedaran.Atau jika dia telah membuat pelan reka bentuk rancangan rumah kos rendah maka diwajibkan si arkitek, si kontraktor dan si politikus tinggal satu tahun dalam rumah-rumah yang mereka rancang. Bila ini terjadi maka barulah boleh dibuat satu papan tanda besar-besaran yang bertulis - Satu lagi projek perumahan kerajaan Barisan Nasional - arkitek, kontraktor dan wakil rakyat - mereka semua tinggal dalam rumah ini.

Guidance Media Download

A new material that can be downloaded from Guidance Media.A beautiful salawat recited before Juma'ah prayer in Tarim by Malaysian qari there.His voice just fly my mind and my heart back to Malaysia, where the mu'azzin of the mosque near my house recites the same salawat with the same rhythm and melody.Click here to download.

Martin van Bruinessen II

He is Dutch but his wealth of knowledge about Islamic sociology and anthropology surpassed most of our scholars and academicians.An outstanding Oriental Study figure.I found his writings when searching information on Syafi'i texts in tradisional madrasahs.His paper, Kitab Kuning: Books in Arabic Script Used in Pesantren Milieu potrayed how condensed the curriculum of Islamic jurispundence in our traditional madrasahs especially in Indonesia.Reminds me of the system and curriculum of Dar Mustafa and other typical Hadramawt madrasahs.To read his writings, click here

Martin van Bruinessen

Martin VAN BRUINESSEN (1946, Schoonhoven, Netherlands) studied theoretical physics and mathematics at Utrecht University, graduating 'cum laude' in 1971. He later switched to social anthropology, which he had studied as a hobby on the side. In 1974-76 he spent two years doing fieldwork in (the Kurdish-inhabited parts of) Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria for study of social organisation and social change among the Kurds. This fieldwork, supplemented with archival research, resulted in a Ph.D.thesis (Agha, Shaikh and State: On the Social and Political Organization of Kurdistan) submitted to Utrecht University in 1978, revised versions of which were later published in German, Turkish, Kurdish, Persian and again English.

During the years 1978-81 he travelled extensively in Turkey, Iran (on which he published a number of articles) and Afghanistan (where he worked in a village development project). In between (mainly during 1979-1980), he did research in Ottoman history and taught an advanced Turkish course, both at the Department of Turkish Studies of Utrecht University. The work on Ottoman history, done in co-operation with colleagues of different backgrounds, resulted in the edition and analysis of (parts of) the single major source on Kurdish society in the 17th century, Evliya Çelebi's Seyahatname (1988).

From 1982 on, he has concentrated on Indonesia as a second area of research, spending altogether 9 years there in research and teaching on various aspects of Indonesian Islam. This included a year of fieldwork in a poor slum in the city of Bandung, four years as a consultant for field research methods at Indonesia's Institute of Sciences, supervising large research projects on Indonesia's ulama and on co-operatives in various parts of the country, and two and a half years as a lecturer of sociology of religion and related subjects at the State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) in Yogyakarta. These activities resulted in numerous publications, in English and Indonesian.

Between his stays in Indonesia he returned several times to the Middle East on short research trips, focusing on Kurdish and Turkish politics and religious movements. His most recent research focuses on shifting ethnic and religious identities in Turkey and on developments in the Kurdish movement.

Since 1994 van Bruinessen has taught Kurdish and Turkish studies at the Department of Arabic, Persian and Turkish Languages and Cultures of Utrecht University. During the course year 1996-97 he was a guest professor for Kurdish studies at the Institute of Ethnology of Berlin's Free University. He also taught, for shorter periods, at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO) in Paris. In 1999 he was appointed to the chair of comparative studies of modern Muslim societies at Utrecht University and the International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM).

Besides the major West European languages, Van Bruinessen is fluent in, and has lectured in, Turkish and Indonesian, reads and speaks Kurdish and Persian, and has passive knowledge of Arabic and Javanese. He has made most of his scholarly work available to the people with whom it deals in the form of Indonesian, Turkish, Kurdish, Persian and Arabic translations.

Mudafi' Mazlum

A fatwa issued by Shafi'i scholar from Oxford, Sidi Afifi al-Akiti. A must-read article regarding suicide-bombeing, so-called jihad operations and killing of civillians.Although it differ a bit from fatwa issued by Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Ali Ghom'a regarding Palestinian issue, the hukm derivation stated was clear, concise and with full clarity. But I still think that Palestinian issue should be treated as a separate entity.Read here

Post Summer 05

I had a brilliant holiday this summer.Many priceless experiences that I can reminisce.Firstly, Deen Intensive that took place in humble Dublin Mosque.With the presence of Ustaz Fauzi Hadrami, the emptiness of summer suddenly changed into a hectic period.None of us have ever attended such an intensive course, covering 5 texts per day ranging from hadith, fiqh, tafsir and tasawwuf.Except tafsir, we managed to cover everything.I’m delighted that many participants are willing to stay as long as possible.It was not easy to spill commitment in the middle of a holiday to study deen, traditionally.

Secondly, trip to Glasgow to meet up Sidi Aziz Ahmed and Anak Alam.I can’t express how much delighted I am to be with Sidi Abdul Aziz.Sidi Abdul Aziz, somehow has a magnetic personality.Humble and down-to-earth person but only Allah SWT knows the sea of knowledge inside him.I remembered when one of his student mentioned about Dr Mostafa Badawi praising Sidi Aziz when the student met Dr Mostafa in Madinah."Never underestimate Sidi Abdul Aziz.He’s a true scholar.If I’m in Glasgow, I’ll knock his door everyday to learn from him!”

Thirdly, my holiday in Malaysia after 2 years.Surprisingly, there were so many changes that I noted.My brothers and my youngest sister look so grown up already.(lama sangat aku tak balik).Although I just went home for a month, I did quite a few things that I planned.Among them, going to every single wedding of my friends, especially Mat Zack (dekat Taman Tun, it's already my area) and also Budu, my MCKK friend. To all of my friends that tied their knots during summer, all the best in your wedded life.

I'm thinking of changing this blog to other site.But still don't have time to deal with it.I wonder when...........there's plenty of stuffs to share......

Deen Intensive Dublin (2nd Call)

Date: 20th June 2005(Monday) until 19th of July 2005
Venue: Dublin Mosque, South Circular Road, Dublin 8
Fees: 40 euros, 10 euros per week (negotiable)
Sheikh: Al Fadhil Ustaz Mohammed Fauzi Abdul Aziz al-Hadrami
Graduated from Dar Mustafa, Tarim in Yemen
Degree in Syari'ah from University of Al-Azhar, Egypt
Currently doing Masters in University Al-Azhar, Egypt


Texts that will be covered, insya Allah with 'isnad' or chain of transmission that can be traced back to the authors. Certificate of completion of the texts will be issued at the end of the course.

Please note that text no. 4 is newly added text, replacing Aqidah Awwam of Sheikh Ahmad Marzuki.

1) RISALAH JAMIAH by Shaykh al-Habib Ahmad bin Zayn al-Habshi. (It covers the basics of worship according to the Shaafi'i madhhab and is, according to the author a concise abridgement of the works of Imam al-Ghazali.The text concludes with a section on tasawwuf, and instills in the student a knowledge of the various spiritual diseases)

2) MATAN ARBAIN NAWAWIYYA or 40 Hadith of Imam Nawawi.(A must-learn and most important compilation of hadith, featuring the carefully selected hadith that are considered pillars of Islam)

3) BIDAYATUL HIDAYAH by Hujjatul Islam Imam Ghazali (The book is for beginners in Tasawwuf, a ladder for new-comer in Tasawwuf.Great corpus of celebrated Hujjatul Islam, al-Ghazali apart from Ihya' Ulumuddin)

4) SABILUL IDDIKAR WA I'TIBAR BIMAA YAMURRU BIL INSAN by Imam Habib 'Abdallah 'Alawi al-Haddad. (Available in Malay and English with titles 'Lives of a Man', translated by Dr Mostafa Badawi and 'Peringatan Tentang Umur Insan', translated by Syed Ahmad Semait.The corpus tackles the issue of life and the staging of human life, from the creation of soul, in mother's womb until in barzakh and in hereafter).

5) NASSAIH DINIYYAH WAL WASAYYA IMANIYYA by Imam Habib Abdallah Alawi al-Haddad (Available in Malay Language titled 'Nasihat Agama dan Wasiat Iman'.Also a great book in Tasawwuf, a corpus that not only cover Tasawwuf subjects but also a mixture of 'Aqidah and Fiqh.One of the most famous book in Syafi'is madrasahs worlwide)


All are welcome even if is not for full 4 weeks of study.Please contact:

Shafiq Ayman bin Rosland,

Secretary,

Persatuan Pelajar Islam Malaysia Ireland (PPIMI)

Email: ibnu_taimiyyah@yahoo.co.uk

Phone: +353857320293

Salam dari Habib Umar

Akhirnya setelah beberapa hari menunggu, berjaya juga aku hubungi Ustaz Fauzi di kediamannya di Mansurah.Insya Allah, dia akan mencuba utk mendapatkan tiket ke Dublin pada 17 Jun.Walaupun mungkin tarikh program kami akan tersasar sedikit, perkara tersebut tidak akan menjadi masalah besar.Yang paling utama, program DID dapat diteruskan.
Ustaz Fauzi juga sempat menceritakan tujuan pemergiannya ke Yaman.Rupa-rupanya dia bertemu dengan salah seorang gurunya yang juga pengasas Dar Mustafa, Habib Umar Hafeez.Menurut Ustaz Fauzi, Habib Umar gembira dengan perancangan kami untuk memulakan daurah tahunan secara talaqqi di Ireland.Habib Umar turut berkirim salam kepada penuntut-penuntut Malaysia di Ireland dan UK yang akan turut serta dalam DID.Malahan, dia secara peribadi memilih teks-teks yang bakal dipelajari sepanjang DID.Menurutnya, adalah lebih baik jika teks 'Aqidah Awwam' digugurkan dahulu.Lagipun, dalam kitab 'Nasaih Diniyya wa Wasayya Imaniyya' sudah ada chapter khusus untuk 'aqidah ahlu sunnah.Jadi, mungkin kurang keperluan untuk membaca kitab 'Aqidah Awwam' tersebut.Teks tersebut akan digantikan dengan satu lagi kitab tasawwuf Imam Abdullah 'Alawi al-Haddad, 'Sabilul Iddikar wa 'Iktibar fi Umuril Insan' atau terjemahan dalam bahasa Melayu oleh Syed Ahmad Semait, 'Peringatan Tentang Umur Insan'.Habib Umar sangat-sangat berharap teks tersebut dapat dibaca sewaktu pengajian.Jadi, final list untuk teks DID adalah seperti berikut:

1) Bidayatul Hidayah oleh Imam Ghazali
2) Nasaih Diniyya Wa Wassaya Imaniyya oleh Imam Habib Abdullah 'Alawi al-Haddad
3) Matan Arbain Nawawiyya oleh Imam Nawawi
4) Sabilul Iddikar wa Iktibar fi Umuril Insan oleh Imam Habib Abdullah 'Alawi al-Haddad
5) Risalah Jamiah oleh Sheikh Habib Ahmed Zayn al-Habshi

Ustaz Fauzi mungkin akan tiba lewat di Dublin kerana masalah 'terkandas' di Yaman.Program D.I.D mungkin terpaksa ditangguhkan barang sehari dua.Dugaan.......dugaan.....Mudah-mudahan urusan program ini akan bergerak lancar.Pada awalnya Ustaz Fauzi bercadang untuk berangkat ke Dublin pada 15 Jun dan pengajian akan bermula pada 17 Jun.Tamat program di Dublin, kami akan berangkat ke Glasgow, Scotland untuk 'weekend programme' pada 23 dan 24 Julai atas jemputan komuniti Malaysia terutamanya post-graduate di sana.Kakak Farahidah Mohammed yang menjadi 'organizer' untuk program ini.Kemungkinan besar tajuk pengisian yang telah dipilih ialah 'Aqidah dan Tuntutannya'. Sekarang, saya sendiri agak gusar bilakah tarikh Ustaz Fauzi akan ke mari.Jika terlalu lewat, kemungkinan akan 'terkorban' program di UK.Kami turut merancang untuk menziarahi Sidi Abdul Aziz Ahmed di Scotland sambil mengucapkan penghargaan kerana membenarkan kami menggunakan terjemahan Risalah Jamiahnya.

Madu Yaman

Aku baru sahaja menerima panggilan dari Ustaz Fauzi dari Mesir.Katanya, dia hendak ke Yaman esok, mungkin untuk bertemu dengan beberapa gurunya.Ustaz Fauzi bertanyakan tentang perkembangan program musim panas yang telah saya aturkan.Setakat ini, syukur kepada Allah kerana Imam Besar Dublin Mosque, Sheikh Yahya telah pun memberikan keizinan untuk menggunakan salah satu ruang di Dublin Mosque utk program ini.Sidi Abdul Aziz pula telah mengizinkan agar terjemahan 'Risalah Jamiah' yang ditulisnya digunapakai semasa program.(Terima kasih, Anak Alam !!). Saya pun baru mula menyebarkan 'advert' Deen Intensive Dublin.Ada beberapa respon menarik termasuk dari komuniti post grad UK yg mahu program sama diadakan utk mereka di sana.Penyertaan masih kurang sebenarnya, mungkin kerana masih ramai dalam minggu peperiksaan dan ramai pula yang pulang bercuti pada waktu summer.Apa pun, kuantiti pada saya tak penting.Asalkan ada beberapa kerat manusia yang dahagakan ilmu agama dan berminat untuk belajar, itu sudah menjadi kepuasan untuk menganjurkan program sebegini.
Sebelum berangkat, Ustaz Fauzi sempat bertanya, " Nak pesan madu Yaman?Yaman terkenal dengan madunya....". Madu Yaman diakui antara madu yang terbaik di dunia selain madu Nepal dan madu Tualang di Malaysia.Aku ketawa dalam perbualan kami.Baik sungguh hatinya, hendak mengangkut madu tersebut dari Yaman untuk aku!Tak sabar menanti kedatangannya.....

Deen Intensive Dublin(DID)

This summer, Persatuan Pelajar Islam Malaysia Ireland (PPIMI) is proud to host a month of intensive study of Islam, covering the 3 most important branches of revealed knowledge; Creed ('Aqidah), Jurispundence (Fiqh) and Sufisme (Tasawwuf). The course will be lead by Al-Fadhil Sheikh Mohammed Fauzi Ibn Abdul Aziz al-Hadrami, a Masters student in University of Al-Azhar, Egypt.
Sheikh Mohammed Fauzi is a teacher with classical Islamic education background.He was qualified from Dar Mustafa, a renowned traditional Islamic 'madrasah' in Hadramawt Valley in Yemen.After completing 5 years education in Dar Mustafa under various 'syuyukh', among them Habib Umar Hafeez, Habib Ali al-Jifri and the Grand Mufti of Yemen, he pursued his degree and now Masters Programme in Comparative Jurispundence.The details of the programme are:

Date: 17 June -16 July 2005 (4 weeks)
Venue: Dublin Mosque, South Circular Road, Dublin 8
Fees: 40 Euros (negotiable), 10 Euros per week
Texts covered:

1. AQIDAH AL AWWAM by Shaykh Ahmad Marzuqi (A basic corpus for beginners in 'aqidah or creed, covering the vital aspects of the creed of Ahlus Sunnah wa Jamaah with particular referance to Asha'ari and Maturdi school)
2. RISALAH JAMIAH by Shaykh al-Habib Ahmad bin Zayn al-Habshi. (It covers the basics of worship according to the Shaafi'i madhhab and is, according to the author a concise abridgement of the works of Imam al-Ghazali.The text concludes with a section on tasawwuf, and instills in the student a knowledge of the various spiritual diseases)
3. NASSAIH DINIYYAH WAL WASAYYA IMANIYYA by Imam Habib Abdallah Alawi al-Haddad (Available in Malay Language titled 'Nasihat Agama dan Wasiat Iman'.Also a great book in Tasawwuf, a corpus that not only cover Tasawwuf subjects but also a mixture of 'Aqidah and Fiqh.One of the most famous book in Syafi'is madrasahs worlwide)
4. BIDAYATUL HIDAYAH by Hujjatul Islam Imam Ghazali (The book is for beginners in Tasawwuf, a ladder for new-comer in Tasawwuf.Great corpus of celebrated Hujjatul Islam, al-Ghazali apart from Ihya' Ulumuddin)
5. MATAN ARBAIN NAWAWIYYA or 40 Hadith of Imam Nawawi.(A must-learn and most important compilation of hadith, featuring the carefully selected hadith that are considered pillars of Islam)

All of the texts will be teached with 'isnaad' that can be traced back to the writers.There will be 5 lessons per day (for each text).Lessons are in Malay language.Individuals from all over Ireland and UK are invited to join the programme even if it is not for full 4 weeks of study.Non-Dubliners who wish to come will be placed in Dublin's student houses (only by early notice to the contact person).Any enquiries, please contact;

Shafiq Ayman bin Rosland,

Secretary General,

Persatuan Pelajar Islam Malaysia Ireland (PPIMI)

Email: ibnu_taimiyyah@yahoo.co.uk

Phone: +353857320293

My Beloved Son

"O youth!Do not be bankrupt of works, nor empty of states.Be assured that knowledge alone does not strengthen the hand.A parable of this is, if a man in the wilderness wore ten Indian swords and other weapons, and the man were brave and a warrior, and a terrifying lion attacked him.What do you think?Would the weapons ward off the evil from him without his using them and thrusting with them ?It is perfectly obvious that they would not ward (it) off, except by activity. Just so, though a man read a hundred thousand scientific questions and understood them or learned them,they do not benefit him except by working!"

(Hujjatul Islam, Imam al-Ghazali in Ayyuhal Walad al-Muahib)

A truly interesting site on Hujjatul Islam

Al-Ghazali's Homepage

“Hawa dijadikan daripada rusuk kiri Adam.
Bukan daripada tangan untuk dijadikan penjunjung,
bukan daripada kaki untuk dijadikan pengalas.
Tapi daripada sisinya untuk dijadikan teman hidup.
Dekat dengan lengan untuk dilindungi,
Rapat dengan hatinya untuk dikasihi............”