demi cinta saya kepada mereka

I really don't want to be a self-righteous person, who keeps telling (and writing) to people what to do and what not to do, as if i am more 'pure' or more religious than others. I know i have a zillion of weaknesses, my iman is as thin as the alveolus epithelial cells and i sins all the time.

Astaghfirullah hal azim. Forgive me O God almighty, all powerful.

But then, as Rasulullah saw said, Ad-deenu nassihah, deen is sincere advice [Sahih Bukhari]. Rasulullah saw also said, ballighu anni walau ayah, convey from me even if just one verse [Sahih Bukhari]. So, i have to say this.

I was on a social networking website the other day, and my attention was brought towards a new update by a female friend of mine. The bane of social networking website is that, with one click it can immediately transport you to someplace you should not go or you should not see.

In this case, it was a picture. And unfortunately for me, she was not wearing a muslimah's clothes. Or in other words, she's not covering her aurah properly. I know this was my mistake. I should not have clicked.

The way she dressed and the way she put the picture of her uncovered beauty on a open to public website, inevitably means all men, whom are mostly not her mahram can see her aurah.

Although it pained me, i have to keep my disapproval in my heart. This is beacuse i believe there are things with higher priority than asking people to cover up their aurah properly, namely the status of Quran in us. Whether we treat Quran as how it should be treated or whether we even know what Quran says and teaches us.

By saying this, i am not in any way try to imply that aurah is not important, but it is lower in the list of priorities.

But then, i was again unfortunate enough to read the comments of the pictures and i was taken aback. It is one thing when you disobey the teaching from the Quran, but it is a whole new story if you are proud of the sins you are doing. And in this case, her female friends publicly commented how shapely her buttocks are. And her reply to the comments did not in any way imply that she is embarrassed by the comments.

O God, forgive us when we sin.

Dimana rasa malu seorang wanita? Rasa malu seorang wanita telah hilang ditelan arus kemodenan atau hanya berguna untuk dilakonkan sewaktu sedang berhadapan dengan bakal mertua?

Rasulullah saw said, "apabila sudah tiada rasa malu, buatlah apa kamu suka" [sahih bukhari].

O Allah, do forgive us for our weaknesses.

I can understand, it might be hard for some people to cover up their aurah properly, especially if their family did not teach or stress the importance of wearing a muslimah's clothes. The main issue here is not the aurah, but the lost of shyness and embarrassment from the heart. To talk and comment about something as personal as someone's buttocks in a public website is way beyond the limit of a muslimah.

There is a really popular saying, "if you want to learn about a community, observe their women". There are some truth to this saying, as the women now are the one who will be the mother of the next generations. And if the women now already loss their "rasa malu" then what is left for their children?

Again, i want to stress here, this article first and foremost is a reminder to myself and not in any way try to show that i am better than anybody else. Only God knows who among us is the best with his Iman.

With that in mind, i leave you with the Quran verse about aurah.

"Wahai Nabi, suruhlah isteri-isterimu dan anak-anak perempuanmu serta perempuan-perempuan yang beriman, supaya melabuhkan pakaiannya bagi menutup seluruh tubuhnya (semasa mereka keluar). Cara yang demikian lebih sesuai untuk mereka dikenal (sebagai perempuan yang baik-baik) maka dengan itu mereka tidak diganggu. Dan (ingatlah) Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Mengasihani - Al-Ahzab ayat 59.

Wallahua'lam.

Quran-full of contradictions

Yes, Quran is choke-full of contradictions.

Shocked eh?

Just this morning i skimmed through the Quran just before Subuh prayer and one particular verse grabbed my attention.

"orang-orang yang bertakwa tidak ada tanggung jawab sedikit pun ke atas (dosa-dosa) mereka, tetapi (berkewajiban) mengingatkan agar mereka (juga) bertakwa" al-an'am: 69

I was like, huh? I thought Islam teaches us that everybody is responsibe for their own deeds, like what is shown in al-maidah verse 105. How come the muttaqin (people with taqwa) do not have to be responsible for their sins?

"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Keatas kamu diri kamu (yakni segala dosa dan perbuatan kamu, kamulah yang akan menanggungnya) . Orang-orang yang sesat tidak akan mendatangkan mudarat kepada kamu apabila kamu sendiri telah mendapat hidayat petunjuk. Kepada Allah jualah tempat kembali kamu semuanya, kemudian Dia akan menerangkan kepada kamu (balasan) apa yang kamu telah lakukan." al-maidah:105

The verse 69 from the al-an'am contradicts the verse 105 from the chapter al-maidah.

oh no!

But then i thought, i just picked up one verse randomly and made my conclusion wholly based on that one verse. This is the wrong way to read Quran.

So then, i took a step back and then read the verse before that.

"Dan apabila engkau melihat orang-orang yang mengejek-ejek ayat-ayat Kami, maka tinggalkanlah mereka sehingga mereka memperkatakan soal yang lain. Dan jika Syaitan menyebabkan kau lupa (lalu engkau duduk bersama mereka), maka janganlah engkau duduk lagi bersama-sama kaum yang zalim itu, apabila engkau mengingati (larangan ini)."
al-an'am: 68

oh, now i understand. "mereka" in the verse 69 refers to the people who mocked the Quran and not the muttaqin.

So, the verse should be read like this:

"orang-orang yang bertakwa tidak ada tanggung jawab sedikit pun ke atas (dosa-dosa) orang-orang kafir yang mengejek-ejek itu , tetapi (orang-orang bertakwa berkewajiban) mengingatkan agar orang-orang kafir itu (juga) bertakwa" al-an'am:69

Uhuh. So, the Quran can be full of contradictions, but only if you read one part of Quran and not the other. Taking one verse out of context is so dangerous, that the core of your Iman might be shaken.

So, what have i learnt today?

~Read Quran in its whole, and not to take or read only one part and then forget the other.
~Taking something out of context means you can manipulate it to your liking, and this is what the enemies of Islam has been doing, so we MUST NOT do it too.

Wallahua'lam.

du'a

Alhamdulillah, praise be upon Allah who puts us in the right path of Islam and prevent us from being led astray. May Allah shows them the right path too, as His mercy is like a flowing river that never stops.

Spot the Difference!

hahahahahahaha!

adeh, i can't stop laughing.

Utusan at its best (or worst) again.

Spot the difference in these two pictures. This one is from Utusan. Source here.

This one is from Berita Harian. Source here.

Can you find the difference?

Let me laugh once again before i show you what's the difference.

Utusan has doctored the picture by removing of the BN's logo on the umbrella. Haha. So, they do not want BN to be associated with wife killer ea?

What about their close association with the alleged "girlfriend killer"?

haha. Utusan, i think Daily Sport or Zoo magazine are more dignifed than you. At least they are honest about their intentions. They are not the one who prostitute themselves to their political masters and then pretend they are these pure, unadulterated virgins who will never tell lie.

Haha! (laughing sadly)

two years

Two years. That is the time given. 63 millions 72 thousand seconds to be exact. Hurm. Quite a long time eh? So, the decisions have to be made. Should i wait, or should i not?

inshaAllah i will wait.

stand by you forever

Would you dance if I ask you to dance? Would you run and never look back Would you cry if you see me crying Would you save my soul tonight? Would you tremble if I touch your lips? Would you laugh oh please tell me these Now would you die for the one you love? Hold me in your arms tonight? I just want to hold you I can kiss away the pain I will stand by you forever You can take my breath away Would you swear that you'll always be mine?

The Red Warrior!

Kita bina Mahligai Merah atas runtuhan Seri Menanti!

surah ini untuk saya

Alhamdulilah, praise be to God, Who keeps reminding me everytime i forget. This chapter (alha kumuttakassur) is for us, who are constantly busying ourselves with studies, works, families etcetra that sometimes we forget what is our priority.

And what exactly is our priority then? Allah swt answers in surah ad-dzariyat, verse 56: Dan (ingatlah) Aku tidak menciptakan jin dan manusia melainkan untuk mereka menyembah dan beribadat kepadaKu.

Let us enjoy this surah and reflect upon where exactly our main priorities are, inshaAllah.

Surah at-takathur:1-8

Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Penyayang.

Kamu telah dilalaikan (daripada mengerjakan amal bakti) oleh perbuatan berlumba-lumba untuk mendapat dengan sebanyak-banyaknya (harta benda, anak-pinak, pangkat dan pengaruh) [1]
Sehingga kamu masuk kubur[2].
Jangan sekali-kali (bersikap demikian)! Kamu akan mengetahui kelak (akibatnya yang buruk semasa hendak mati)! [3]
Sekali lagi (diingatkan): Jangan sekali-kali (bersikap demikian)! Kamu akan mengetahui kelak akibatnya yang buruk pada hari kiamat)![4]
Demi sesungguhnya! Kalaulah kamu mengetahui (apa yang kamu akan hadapi) dengan pengetahuan yang yakin, (tentulah kamu akan mengerjakan perkara-perkara yang menjadi bekalan kamu untuk hari akhirat)[5].
Demi sesungguhnya! Kamu akan melihat Neraka yang marak menjulang[6].
Selepas itu, demi sesungguhnya! Kamu akan melihatnya dengan penglihatan yang yakin! [7]
Selain dari itu, sesungguhnya kamu akan ditanya pada hari itu, tentang segala nikmat (yang telah kamu nikmatinya)! [8]

Song For Someone

The Frames



This is the latest band i am listening to and i think they are awesome. They sound a little similar to Damien Rice in style i guess, but very different in the subjects they deal with. Damien Rice gives me a feeling of sadness and a general sense of disappointment about people. While The Frames seems rather more positive in their outlook of things.

The lead singer, main songwriter, guitar player for this band is Glen Hansard , the guy who acted in Once and who wrote and sang most of the songs in Once. So you can say i am a fan of Glen Hansard music too. Just like Damien Rice, he was originally a busker from Grafton Street, Dublin, Ireland. I guess the Irish people are a pretty emo bunch of people. Bands like U2 and The Corrs are from Ireland too. I have got to go visit this holy land of emo-ness one day.

Anyway, this song is entitled "song for someone", and it deals with the question of if we are meant for someone, and when on will that person appear. I reckon from the lyrics that Glen believes in predestination, which i do too.

And yes, i thought it would be apt for me to blog about this song, cause there are still pitiful souls like me still waiting for that special "someone" to appear.

Today, what have I done for Allah?

Berlapang dadalah kalian wahai dai'e-dai'e di medan dakwah.

Jalan itu memang begitu.

Tugasmu bukan memaksa perubahan, tetapi sebagai penyampai pesan.

“Oleh itu berikanlah sahaja peringatan kepada manusia, dan janganlah berdukacita kiranya ada yang menolaknya, kerana sesungguhnya engkau hanyalah seorang pemberi ingatan; Bukanlah engkau seorang yang berkuasa memaksa mereka (menerima ajaran Islam yang engkau sampaikan itu)” [al-Ghasyiah 88: 21-22]

www.saifulislam.com