"For him are angels ranged before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's command. Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts; and if Allah willeth misfortune for a folk there is none that can repel it, nor have they a defender beside Him."
Al Rad, 13 : 11
When I come across this ayat 11 in Surah Al Rad I cannot help but think that this translation by Pickthal probably best depict the spirit of the ayat for which it was meant. ...Wallahualam
Yes, by this translation the meaning elevates several planes higher than the usual 'economic' or 'physical' sense that people, usually politicians and shakers and movers of society usually quote it for. Translated the way Pickthal did, the spiritual element become very obvious indeed. I did not get this feeling from Hamka or Abdullah Yusuf Ali.[ I reread Abdullah Yusuf Ali today....he was almost there in his translation and interpretion ,but not quite on the dot..I have no opportunity to read what Sayyid Qutb think of 13 : 11., Ibn Katsir was silent on this..]
Allah seem to cajole, enjoin and encourage us to 'cleanse and renew' ourselves spiritually. Allah definitively ask us to " change that which is in our hearts ", the accumulated rust and dirt over years and decades of 'forgetfullness' ie change our 'qiblats' from materialism, secularism, hedonism, various forms and faces of idolatory, obvious , hidden or subtle,...... to total submission to Him.
Then one will be successful, as there is no 'defender more worthy and more powerful than Him'.
Examples are many ,peppered throughout history.To quote just a few: Muhammad's success in bringing truth to a people mired in ignorance and intellectual poverty;the early Muslims' success in bringing light and modernity to almost two third of the known world.
Personalities that were transformed from mere 'creeping' and wallowing creatures on this earth to 'giants' of their times, leaving indelible footprints are numerous and to name a few here are people like Saidina Umar Alkhattab, a drunkard and a 'hitman' during his jahiliah days being elevated to one of the best caliph ar rashidin history had ever known.Bilal, the lowly slave, whose indomitable spirit and tenacity of faith against massive adversity, reserved and deserved him an automatic place in heaven as told and confirmed by the Prophet himself. Prophet Muhammad heard Bilal's footsteps in heaven during his 'Mikraj'.
Umar Abdul Aziz, whose simplicity and sincerity as a reluctant Abbasid caliph [ his caliphate was given to him by his ailing caliph cousin brother who had sons but deemed not wise enough to take the post.Umar did not ask or 'fight' for it, as 'they normally do to get to 'power ' now, and even shortly after Prophet's death... ], though only 3 years at the helm, will be remembered as the most exemplary, substantive caliph after the Kalifah ar Rashidin.
Tariq Ziad, the Moroccan general who burnt his long boats after having crossed The Strait of Jabal Tariq: He conquered half of Europe and brought modernity and science to a continent that was initially living in the dark age plagued by disease and pestilence and human degradation..The germ of the European renaisance started in Serville and Cordoba, then spread to Florence! Al Ghazali the theologist-philosopher cum-sufi, all in one.Abdul Rahman bin Auf, the Quraish 'billionaire' of Prophet's time who lost all his property due to 'hijrah', rebuild his business empire from scratch, to donate almost all back for Islam...... Iqbal, Mawdudi , Sayyid Qutb and many others.
When later day Muslims forget their Quran and their Sunnah, the reverse happened.Forefront in this 'forgetfullness' we had Kamal Attaturk, whose massive mausoleum in Ankara is symbolic of the decay that started way back before his time.The subsequent submission of Muslim nations post 1st World War following the collapse and fragmentation of the Ottoman Empire when European super powers stood over the Muslim nations like vultures zooming in for a late brunch was a fashion of that time.Up till today we can see modern Turkey as a beggar for the past 50 years or so, begging for crumbs and nuts that might fall from the 'Knights of Templer's table. Turkey it seemed has all but forgotten it's rightfull place and 'adab' in the realm of history.It's people has somehow long decided The Quran and Sunnah are just fit to be 'kept in high places' in the house to collect dust...Elsewhere in the world, the Noble Quran and Sunnah were well codified, digitised, but never 'visited' nor 'reffered to'.
We began to see spirituality, justice and fairness being replaced by crass materialism,secularism.Human Rights and political correctness, with changing goalposts replacing God's right and God Himself. This current total subjugation of Muslims aspiration and progress, both economic , political and military, by a well planned ,well laid out, strategically organised and politically correct, Security Council of a conglomerate of 'united nations',lead and controlled by former enemies of Islam put an almost permanent and suffocating 'lid' over future movement towards universal Islam.
Current last example,the shooting' episode that happened just yesterday in International water, The Mavi-Marmara 'shootout' in the Mediterranean Sea by a Zionist regime that feel and act as though they can just do about anything should be a wake up call for Muslims the world over to get 'educated' and know who their enemies are, who are sitting in the gallery clapping their hands and who they should consider as real friends!
Which reminds me of one hadith which I would quote here with a slight 'modernist' twist [ some purists, if they are already dead, would twitch in their graves! Those still alive may have epileptic fits! ]:
"Sir, What happened!?... Are they just few in numbers, the Muslims I mean?"
"No, stupid. They are in excess of 1.5 billions. But they have lost their hearts and souls!"
That, my friends, is our predicament today.
'Rabbana atina fiddunya hasanah. Wafil akhirati hasanatan wakina azabannar' [2 : 201]
Our Lord, give us in this world good,and good in the hereafter, and guard us against the torment of the fire!
Yours Sincerly,
Dr Nik Howk
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/
6 comments:
iDear Dr Nik,
You always write a good spiritual post. Inspiring. TQ.
I'm currently on 69 days mc.
The ailments I'm suffering are not killing me. For the for 1st bill, the amount can kill you. I submitted to insurance company RM 50,002.00. The stress receiving the amount they refund actually can cause AMI. A mere amount of RM 5,988.97.
I'm paying premium 1008.00 per month, but this is what I get. For eg anesthesia actual fee 1690.00, they paid 750.00. Op theater fee 1690, they paid 300.00RM. Hospital Services 34,408 they paid only 1,500.. This is maddness for some one who pays premium 1008.00 per annum .
This morning I have just submitted RM 21,800 bill for my angioplasty. I do not know how much they'll pay singel vessel blockage of 80%.
Insurance companies are cheating you despite supporting them for more than 2 decades. Almost 200,000 already being paid.
Yet, this is what I get.
correction RM 1008.00 per month. Per annum 12K.
This is a problem with medical insurance, especially so with Malaysian insurance. Your experience is typical.
When you sign, you did not read the small prints....the insurance companies choose conveniently here not to follow with the fast medical progress. With respect to cardiological aspect , we hardly send patients for bypass surgery now with one or two blocks,....it is criminal to send a patient for bypass surgery for one block for example[ unless it is a left main], but that does not mean that one block is not critical from the perspective of life threathening AMI...And in a situation of a life threathening AMI the treament of choice is an urgent infarct angioplasty and stenting there and then... The insurance companies mostly lag here by several decades....sometime for their own benefit
At 1k per month I would expect you to be covered fully...but this vary from company to company and thetypeof insurance you take...In ht emain , medical insurance as it stand in Malaysia at present is a rip off...Please do examine and read carefully the small prints before you guys sign in the doted lines. Better still discuss the detail with your family doctor who will be able to advice with respect to your coverage need.
To me those instant 'medical cards' are bigger rip off... Any medical insurance that are so easy to get , without much questioning prior to entrance is not worth the paper you sign...There usually is no coverage...When you need to be admitted to hospital , there will be a hundred and one questions to answer....and at the end of the day it is not the consultant who decide the gravity of problem but some clerks some where at the end of the other line who go thru a 'prepared list of 'can's' and 'cannots'.When you sign it , this 'can's' and 'cannot's' list was not prominent.
I must say you must have wisdom when you choose to buy your medical insurance..our Malaysian Medical coverage is still in its infancy stage.... not helped by the fact that many abuse their privelwedge by asking to be admitted for routine medical check up.
Dear Dr Nik,
Yesterday I went to AIA to submit my Angio n stenting bill of RM 21,800. After submitting, I was asked to go Customer Service Centre to check my status. For 12K per annum, I found out that if I die before 28/7/2010 my wife will recieve half a million RM but if I die after 28/7/2010 she recieves only a mere RM100,000.00.
Gila!
Now I understand why your insurance coverage is so poor given you paid so much.Your coverage in spirit sounds to me 'non Islamic', in practice it sound idiotic. Could have had better coverage with Takaful....One should not mix 'medical coverage' with the need to create 'future saving'. When you do that you pay high premium, with little coverage , as in your case. It is ridiculous.
Personally I do not have any 'insurance' myself. They think I am uninsurable and I told them 'go an fly kites' , I am not interested.But this a personal position I take and would not recommend others to follow.
Frankly , medical cost has escalated like hell and I symphatize with you guys who are not government employees with no free coverage at government hospitals.
As one get older the probability of getting really sick is that much higher.If you live in a welfare orientated states like the UK, Australia or France, you are OK.We some how have chosen the wrong model...USA. Thank God we are not exactly 100% there, otherwise our people would be in deep shit.
Still , if you have a clot in the brain, or a 90 % narrowing in your coronary, you would like it 1st to be diagnosed correctly. THAT IS THE 1ST ILPORTANT STEP. Then get treatment as early as possible.This is the snag in the govt hospitals ie DIAGNOSIS. Once you get beyond the right diagnosis, I think treatment is pretty standard except that Pak Mat Nyadap from Padang Pak Amat from Pasir Puteh , Kelantan may not be offered stenting and angioplasty for his chest pain there and then. Or he would probably be sent home 1st with some antacid for stomach acid reflux[...again...DIAGNOSIS issue..], while Dr M may even get his procedure done 'yesterday', not tomorrow.
Our public hospitals are well equipped and reasonably well staffed but I do not foresee much drastic change until our Health bill increase more than 2 % of our GNP.
If you ask me why , since I am a very political animal and 'gedebe' at the same time I will give the answer right away:
THERE IS TOO MUCH PILFERAGE in our soceity.Too many Mr 10 % around from Top to bottom. So Health spending will have to remain at 2 % for a long long time.
We Aisans are hardy people .We seem to tolerate that year in and year out for decades.
We seem to vote in the same clowns to govern us all the time, whatever mistakes they do.
PKFZ: No need to investigate anymore...
Mr Kong..Our new minister of transport
....this is the type of clowns we get up there.....WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THIS COUNTRY??
I feel nauseous and sick automatically...
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