Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Veils and Keys : John Herlichy

In Veils and Keys , the author reflects on the issues of faith or lack of it in this modern world, whether sprituality is still possible during these tumultuous times of heighthened secularism and the ugly face of materialism, as he explores the possibilities of an Islamic spirituality still available during this times.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1945, John Herlichy received his B. A in English from Boston University in 1967 and worked for a number of years in Europe.Obtained his Master's degree in 1974 from Columbia University and soon after journeyed to Kuwait to teach English.That soul searching journey turned out to be a prolonged spiritual journey into Islam having had earlier 'experimented' with a number of other spiritual traditions.

Let us now take a very short 'peep' at how John looks at the spiritual practice of Quranic recitation:

"At the dawn prayer[salat al fajr], the shadowy rays of the waning moon still lay across the window sill. In the pre-dawn darkness, the stars twinkle their message of the eternity of time, while the panorama of the night sky makes its final statement of the infinitude of form, just before the coming dawn. There is a hint of incense and musk in the air which capture an inner meaning that is capable of subtly influencing the mind and spirit. Heavenly scents accompany the two angels who descend to witness the Quranic recitation that occurs in one place or another every morning across the far crescent of the Islamic world.

Having performed the ritual ablution and prayer, the Muslim sits cross-legged on his prayer carpet and reaches for the Noble Quran,the Illuminated Book, a document that is 'on a tablet well preserved in heaven', as well as available in his hand. He kisses it, places it on his lips,forehead, and heart and commences to recite the letters, words and sounds of the Holy Book.'Alif, Lam, Mim', he chants sonorously as he intones and elongates the sacred sounds,'This is the Book, of which there is no doubt, and guidance for those who fear God'[ 2 : 1 ]

When he enters this world within a world as a Muslim, he brings his own world with him as a man. As a Muslim, he becomes once again primordial man and traditional man, in remembrance of the Adamic man who also received verses from his Lord and undoubtedly recited them. As simply man, he finally takes leave of his Quranic recitation and worship in order to take up once again the duties and routine of his day, but his world is no longer the same, since he takes the esssence of that inner world back out with him into this world-his existential world-in order to make the words and phrases, the knowledge and the wisdom, the advice and the warnings, an integral part of himself and his life. In return, the afterglow of the Illuminated Book lingers on as a mercy, a cure and a light, to guide him on the part and to advance with him through time on a journey of return that is identified and known"

Masahallah. Such beauty: pristine, clear and precise.....happy reading!


Dr Nik Howk

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Hamka Revisited....Surah al Imran , 3 : 113-114

Friends,

I am a wee bit of a 'comparative tafsir' geek. A term I would use for need of a better word....'Geek' because this is almost 70 % internet activity. In most of my free time after my mundane hospital work, flip-flopping the Quran[ quranexplorer.com ] in between 'Tafseer Ibn Katsir' [ on my link as well ], Prof Muhammad Al Ghazali's 'A Thematic Commentary on the Qur'an' and Hamka's 'Tafsir Al Azhar'.

I still feel Prof Hamka had been very much under-rated in this Nusantara. Ask any 'student' of the Qur'an and not many will give due credit to him.......too tedious,..too long winded..should try Ibn Katsir, it is salaf, just 200 to 300 years after the Prophet [ Ibnu Katsir is 'frightfully dry' my dear, and often times disconnected with time and found wanting for more detail, Sorry ...only just my humble opinion.],...Hamka is 'Jawi' like us ,he cannot be good...etc etc etc and etc....'Have you read him in the 1st place, Sir?...NO!!! ...etc etc and etc...Abdullah Yusuf Ali is a better read...but in my 'book' I do not consider Abdullah Yusuf Ali a 'definitive tafsir'. It is more a 'glorified, prolongated' translation!...

I must concede that Hamka is a long read but so is LIFE my friend....LIFE is a long long read as well.

Let us look at how Prof Hamka 'treated' just one or two ayat from Surah Al Imran. As you know Surah Al Imran in the main, deals with the nascent Muslim Community in Madinah. It revolves around two major issues of that time: the ongoing debate with the People of the Book, the Jews and the Christains, of whom the Jews were Madinah natives, openly and covertly incited to oppose Islam; and a review and assessment of the tragic and humiliating defeat suffered by the Muslims at the battle of Uhud in 625 AC.

"Ignominy shall be their portion wheresoever they are found save (where they grasp) a rope from Allah and a rope from men. They have incurred anger from their Lord, and wretchedness is laid upon them. That is because they used to disbelieve the revelations of Allah, and slew the prophets wrongfully. That is because they were rebellious and used to transgress. (112) They are not all alike. Of the People of the Scripture there is a staunch community who recite the revelations of Allah in the night season, falling prostrate (before Him). (113) They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency, and vie one with another in good works. These are of the righteous." {114}

.......Surah Al Imran , 3 : 112-114

....And what Hamka had to say with respect to 3 : 112-114 ?

"Dan kita pun dapat menghargai pegangan mereka. Meskipun kita berpendapat, bahawa antara kitab-kitab mereka pegang dikatakan Taurat atau Zabur atau Injil itu telah campur aduk; wahyu asli dengan tulisan tangan manusia, namun ayat yang asli itu tentu ada juga. Kalau kita perhatikan apa yang ditulis di dalam Zabur atau mazmur, bertemulah kita dengan berbagai doa dan munajat kepada Tuhan yand dapat mendatangkan khusyu' bagi mereka dan dapat dibaca tengah malam ketika segala sesuatu sepi, sunyi senyap, sehingga hati bertambah dekat kepada Tuhan. Umpama ayat ayat ini:

1.Berbahagialah segala orang yang jalannya betul dan yang melakukan dirinya setuju dengan hukum Tuhan.
2.Berbahagialah mereka itu sekalian yang memeliharakan kesaksiannya serta mencari akan Dia dengan segenap hatinya.
3.Yang tidak berbuat jahat melainkan menuruti jalan Tuhan.
4.Ya Tuhan! Engkau telah menyuruh memeliharakan baik baik segala firmanMu!
5. Hai, kiranya biarlah segala jalanku di patuhkan dengan pemeliharaan syariahmu.
6.Lalu aku tiada beroleh malu, apabila aku memperhatikan segala hukumMu.
Mazmur fasal 119

Dan lain lain yang penuh dengan doa dan pujian. Maka ada ahlul kitab, baik dia Yahudi ataupun Nasrani mengambil penawar jiwa dari doa doa dan munajat Daud dalam Mazmurnya. Mereka duduk tekun tengah malam dan merendahkan diri, bertunduk bersujud menurut upacara ugama mereka.

Ini adalah satu pengakuan jujur, bahawa dikalangan mereka ada juga orang orang yang shalih.

" Merekapun percaya kepada Allah dan hari kemudian" [ pangkal ayat 114 ]. Sebagai dasar yang pokok bagi iman. Kalau kiranya mereka belum percaya kepada Nabi Muhammad s.a.w , hanyalah kerana belum mereka dengar keterangan yang benar tentang diri beliau. " Dan Merekapun menyuruh berbuat baik dan melarang perbuatan mungkar dan merekapun berlumba lumba didalam kebaikan. mereka ini adalah golongan orang orang yang shalih."

Meskipun ada pertikaian ahli ahli tafsir tentang tujuan ayat ini, ada antara mereka yang mengatakan, bahawa yang dimaksud ini ialah orang orang Yahudi dan Nasrani yang telah memeluk islam pada zaman Nabi Muhammad s.a.w, kemudian menjadi orang Islam yang baik, tetapi ada ahli tafsir mengatakan, bahawa yang telah masuk Islam telah terkumpullah dalam ayat ayat " Kamulah yang sebaik baik umat" tadi. kata ahli tafsir golongan yang kedua itu yang di maksud di sini benar benar Yahudi dan Nasrani yang ikhlas dalam agamanya, tidak mencari selisih dan tidak fasik, tetapi inti agama mereka sendiri mereka pegang dengan baik. menjadi Yahudi yang baik dan Nasrani yang baik.

Sebagaimana tersebut didalam kitab 'al Iqdul Farid', bahawa seketika Marwan bin Muhammad, khalifah Bani Umaiyah yang paling akhir berperang dengan tentera Bani Abbas, setelah terdesak lalu melarikan diri dan sampai ke negeri Naubah [ sekarang terletak di antara Mesir dengan Sudan ]. Raja negeri itu berugama Kristian dan usianya sudah agak tua. Ketika dia tahu bahawa yang datang melindungkan diri ke negerinya itu, ialah seorang raja islam, memakai gelar khalifah, Raja Bani Umaiyah yang besar, tetapi hampir kalah itu, disambutnya dengan baik, di hormati dan diberinyanasihat yang jujur, sebab ketika khalifah Marwan bin Muhammad datang, baginda ajak bersama duduk di hamparan, padahal singgahsana ada. Beliau beri nasihat, bahawasanya kejatuhan kerajaan Bani Umaiyah tidaklah dapat dihambat lagi, sebab raja raja Bani Umaiyah, terutama Marwan, tidak berpegang teguh kepada agama ajaran Muhammad yang murni. Lalu dicelanya pakaian Marwan yang terjadi dari sutera yang mahal mahal bertatah bertakad emas. Kata beliau, Islam mengajarkan, bahawa raja adalah khadam rakyatnya, padahal Marwan telah memperbudak rakyat. Sedang dia sendiri, meskipun orang nasrani menjalankan ajaran Muhammad tentang kesederhanaan raja sebagai pemimpin rakyat. Dan dimintanya supaya Marwan segera meninggalkan negerinya, supaya bala bencana yang dibawanya jangan menular pula ke negerinya.

Terlepas dari penilaian kita terhadap riwayat ini, dari segi shahih atau lemahnya, tidaklah mustahil ada orang yang jujur sebagai raja Naubah itu dan tidak pula mustahil ada raja Islam, bergelar khalifah, Amirul Mukminin, jatuh dari kekuasaan kerana telah mengabaikan nilai nilai ajaran agama. Maka raja Naubah yang Kristian itu, teranglah tidak sama dengan ahlul kitab yang fasik yang digambarkan di atas tadi. Mereka percaya kepada Allah dan hari kemudian, sebab inti segala agama yang dia itulah. Mereka menyuruh berbuat ma'ruf dan melarang perbuatan mungkar, merekapun berlumba lumba berbuat baik, kerana agama mereka pelukpun menyuruh demikian. Dan lagi mereka shalih, peribadi sendiri baik dan bercerita baik.

Dengan ayat ini Tuhan membuka mata kita untuk adil dan menghargai orang lain. Agar kita mengakui, bahawa orang baik demikian ada dalam agama lain. Dan kitapun mengakui, nischaya orang itu akan lebih baik lagi, jika dia memegang agama menyerahkan diri yang sebenar benarnya kepada Tuhan. Kita mengakui, bahawa jika sampai kepada mereka dakwah yang benar dari Islam dan diterimanya, kedudukannya, akan lebih baik lagi dunia dan akhirat. Tetapi sudah terang dia lebih baik daripada orang yang mengaku dirinya Islam, tetapi hanya pengakuan mulut atau keturunan saja, padahal hatinya tidak pernah benar benar menyerah[ Islam ] kepada Tuhan."

Try Hamka. It is a compendium of related hadith, pearls and gem of life, world political history, 'comparative tafseer', and story telling ,all rolled into one. But do it as the Kelantanese says it: 'koho koho ', yes, just ' koho koho '. A bit at a time. Then you will find the earth from below you moves...That is how one moves 'mountains': 'koho koho',first changing the 'hearts'.

Allahualam.

Dr Nik Howk
Subang Jaya,
Selangor.