Prof Syed Naguib Al-Attas on ALLAH......

{...Excerpt from Rauyanfikir }

Prof. Al-Attas' view on the polemical usage of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims

On December 13, 2009, during the Worldview of Islam Seminar organized by the Assembly of Muslim Intellectuals or Himpunan Keilmuan Muda (HAKIM), there was a question being posted to Professor Al-Attas regarding the polemical usage of the word "Allah" by the non-Muslims.

Below is the transcript of his brief-but-yet-concise enlightening remarks. As a word of caution, though, one must not only rely on this brief transcript alone to understand the whole spectrum of Prof. Al-Attas' view about this theological matter. Further thorough elucidation of his thought can be found in numerous works of this great Muslim scholar of this age, such as Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam, Islam and Secularism, Islam dalam Sejarah dan Kebudayaan Melayu and A Commentary on Hujjat al-Siddiq of Nur al-Din al-Raniri.



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Question: The using of kalimah “Allah” by other people in this country
Answers by Prof. Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas:

Well I have been talking about this long time ago. I remember about this in ISTAC, when we first established ourselves (late 80’s and early 90’s), I think the Arcbishop of Penang was asking this question. And I have answered that.

And then we had a meeting with the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur and about all the representatives of Christianity, including the ministers, we had a meeting at ISTAC.

And I said, “Why you want to use the word ‘Allah’ for yourself?”

They said “we going to pray in Bahasa Malaysia”

That’s the way they put it. So my answers to them, “Why you have to change praying into Bahasa Malaysia. You have been praying in English all the time. Why suddenly change into Bahasa Malaysia?”

Ok, so they said they want to change so that it more patriotic. Then in that case I’m saying that “why don’t you use Tuhan while praying in Bahasa Malaysia? Because you are talking about God isn’t it?…God is not just a name…”Allah” is a name of this Being whom you called God… and in fact a Being whom even higher than what you called to be God”

And then I said, “ …and “Allah” is not from Bahasa Malaysia. It is not a national language. It belongs to the language of Muslim all over the world. Therefore your argument using this for the word “Allah” does not fit into your idea of God. Because “Allah” does not have a son, It is not one of three (Trinity), that is why out of respect to Allah we can’t allow you to use this.“

But when we Muslim, when we write in English we say God, or when we talk to people we say God but we mean “Allah”…but they cannot say when they speak about God it means “Allah” as they don’t mean it.

So in this particular respect, we have to be clear about this, not was-was (hesitate)...whomever responsible in our governing, they have to be clear about this and to explain to others.

We agree you want to use God, then use Tuhan as we also use that…but we understand in the Malay language that Tuhan is not a translation of Allah..that is why we say “tiada Tuhan melainkan Allah” not “tiada Tuhan melainkan Tuhan”. We don’t say “there is not God but God”..at least the ulama’ among the Muslim Malays, we understand what is the meaning of that (word “Allah”).

So “Allah” cannot be translated as no language has translated Allah. The Arabs themselves they only use that after Islam..although the word existed (before)..the Christians Arab they also did not use Allah (in theological, epistemological and ontological sense in the same manner as the Muslim)..if they say that it is just a language..they talking about language..because they say “Allah” like the Muslim when they (melatah)…

So it appears they want to do that in order to confuse the Muslim into thinking that all the same..that is why I say one of the problems about religion is the nature of God..about who Allah is..that is why in Arkanul Iman (The Pillars of Faith), the first thing is “amana billah”.

“Who is this Allah?” and that need to be explain at higher institution in a proper way…

So we have answer the question. It is not proper to allow them using this, since they asking us and there is no point bringing this to court since this is not a matter of court to decide it whether they have the freedom to use it or not. It is up to the Muslims.

But then if they used it and said “in Indonesia they have use it, why can’t we?”…but it is because of the Muslims..if Muslims don’t care they will go on and use it..and in Indonesia they are using not only that, other things they even call it “choir” as “selawat”. Choir is not a “selawat”, as “selawat” is for Prophet..it’s not singing hymn..

And they also talk about..in Indonesia they are also confuse..Muslims..that is why this thing happen. Sometimes the language when you come across English words like “Prophet of Doom” in Indonesia they said “Nabi celaka”. How can there be “Nabi celaka”? What is meant by the “Prophet of Doom” is…even the word Prophet in English does not mean “Nabi” only…it means “yang meramalkan malapetaka”..that what it means…so the “Prophet of Doom” means “yang meramalkan malapetaka”, not “Nabi celaka”.

They (the Muslims in Indonesia) seem not to bother about this. What we can say is that ultimately well they say “God is not Allah”...well if you want to use the word God, we are saying we also use the word God, we refer to Allah as we know and we are not saying that your God ultimately will not refer to Allah. You can’t run away from Allah. You can only escape Him and so in the Qur’an (surah An-Naas) says: “Qul aAAoothu birabbi annas, Maliki annas, Ilahi annas”. He (Allah) is saying “ I am the real Ilah (God) of naas (mankind)”, although mankind (non-Muslim) does not interpret it that way.

Iqbal.:.....The Complaint....& The Answer...

The Complaint....[1909]


We[Muslims]blotted out the smear of falsehood from the pages of history
We freed mankind from the chains of slavery.
The floors of Your kaabah with our forehead we swept,
The Qur'an You sent we clasped to our breast, [but now]
Your blessings are showered on homes of unbelievers, strangers all.
Only on the poor Muslim does Your wrath like lightning fall.


The Answer.......[1913]


'All you drink the wine of bodily indulgence,
Leading lives of ease without strife.
Dare you call yourselves Muslims?
What kinship of the soul can there be
Between your ancestors and you?
As Muslims your forefathers were honoured and respected;
But you gave up the Qur'an and now by the world are rejected.'

Muhammad Iqbal

Hamka Revisited: A Comparative Study

I have always hold the view that Hamka's Tafsir Al Azhar has been a much underated work by all and sundry, especially from scholars and students of tafsir in this Nusantara. They in the main would not want to be caught reading , let alone cross'referencing' their scholarly thoughts and argument based on Hamka but would rather paraphrase what they read from Ibnu Katsir.

A scholarly friend of mine reminded me once that he opted for Ibnu Katsir because this represent a 'salafi' attitude which may be lacking in contemporary works. Another thought contemporary works may lack the necessary spirituality required. Both of them I can presume have not read Hamka. It is below their 'maqam'!

In this years and age when 'brothers and brothers' could be dragged to court over 'family heirloom',when people would rather draw 'lines in the sand' rather than look for commonalities, when churches and mosques could be burned down to indicate a point of view, the universal Message from the only Book of God available to mankind become more succinctly relevant.The Quran is not a book of science , neither is it a compendium of rules and regulation.It is a collection of Divine Letters directed to man via His messenger, Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him]in Arabic, but aimed for all mankind,transcending time and space, be he Malay, Indian,Australian aborigine, American, Finnish or even Eskimo!

For the Malays in this Nusantara, I would like humbly to advance a 'thesis' that in Hamka's Tafsir Al Azhar, we have a gem that need to be rediscovered and cherished as one book that need to be read and reread and reread. Let us just look at a comparative treatment of just 3 Ayats from Surah Al Anfal from Ibnu Katsir and Hamka's. Then you can decide for yourself the unpolished gem, buried in the sand of time:



Surah Al Anfal , 8 : 67 :
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67. It is not (fitting) for a Prophet that he should have prisoners of war until he has fought (his enemies thoroughly) in the land. You desire the goods of this world, but Allah desires (for you) the Hereafter. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.) (68. Were it not a previous ordainment from Allah, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took.) (69. So enjoy what you have gotten of booty in war, lawful and good, and have Taqwa of Allah. Certainly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.)

Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas said, "The Prophet asked the people for their opinion about the prisoners of war of Badr, saying,

«إِنَّ اللهَ قَدْ أَمْكَنَكُمْ مِنْهُم»


(Allah has made you prevail above them.) `Umar bin Al-Khattab stood up and said, `O Allah's Messenger! Cut off their necks,' but the Prophet turned away from him. The Messenger of Allah again asked,

«يَاأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ اللهَ قَدْ أَمْكَنَكُمْ مِنْهُمْ وَإِنَّمَا هُمْ إِخْوَانُكُمْ بِالْأَمْس»


(O people! Allah has made you prevail over them, and only yesterday, they were your brothers.) `Umar again stood up and said, `O Allah's Messenger! Cut off their necks.' The Prophet ignored him and asked the same question again and he repeated the same answer. Abu Bakr As-Siddiq stood up and said, `O Allah's Messenger! I think you should pardon them and set them free in return for ransom.' Thereupon the grief on the face of Allah's Messenger vanished. He pardoned them and accepted ransom for their release. Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, revealed this verse,

[لَّوْلاَ كِتَـبٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ سَبَقَ لَمَسَّكُمْ فِيمَآ أَخَذْتُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ]




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Now let us look at how Prof Hamka treated Al Anfal, Ayat 67-69:


67.Tidaklah patut bagi seorang Nabi, bahawa ada baginya beberapa orang tawanan, sampai dia porak perandakan[ musuh ] di bumi. Kamu menginginkan harta benda dunia, sedang Allah menghendaki akhirat. Dan Allah adalah Maha Gagah, lagi Bijaksana.
68. Jikalau tidaklah keputusan dari Allah yang telah terdahulu, niscaya akanmengenalilah kepada kamu, dari sebab apa yang talah kamu ambil itu, azab yang besar.
69. Maka makanlah dari apa yang tealah kamu rampas itu, sebagai barang yang halal lagi baik. Dan takwalah kepada Allah, sesunggohnya Allah adalah Maha Pengampun, Maha Penyayang.

Setelah selesai peperangan dengan kemenengan yang gemilang pada peperangan Badar itu, timbul suatu persoalan lagi disamping soal harta rampasan. Yaitu soal orang orang tawanan. Di dalam peperangan Badar itu telah mati terbunuh 70 orang musyrikin dan tertawan 70 orang pula. Di antara yang tertawan itu paman Nabi s.a.w sendiri, iaitu Abbas bin Abdul Muthalib. Terdapat juga saudara kandung dari Ali bin Abi Thalib, saudara sepupu dari nabi, iaitu Aqil bin Abi Thalib, dan terdapat juga Abul Ash menantu Rasulullah, suami dari Zainab,puteri beliau. Maka diajaklah sahabat2 bermusyawarah olih Rasulullah s.a.w akan diapakankah orang2 tawanan itu. Yang terutama diajak olih Rasul ialah dua sahabat yang amat utama, Abu Bakar dan Umar. Kita simpulkan kisah permusyawaratan itu dari berbagai Hadis. Abu balar menyatakan pendapat bahawa orang2 tawanan itu sebaik baiknya disuruhmenebus diri mereka dari tawanan dengan wang. Sebab menurut Abu bakar, seluruh tawanan itu adalah keluarga bertali-darah saja semua dari kaum Muhajirin. Moga moga dengan kesempatan tebusan yang diberikan itu, masih terbuka jalan bagi mereka buat kelaknya insaf, lalu memeluk Islam. Sebab itu kita tidak perlu berlaku keras terhadap mereka.

Tetapi Umar menyatakan pendapat yang sangat berbeda dengan pendapat Abu bakar. Katanya seluruh tawanan itu hendaklah dibunuh. Meskipun ada pertalian keluarga di antara kita dengan mereka, yang terang ialah bahawa mereka telah mengusir Rasilullah, mereka telah memerangi Islam. Sebab itu mereka tidak boleh diberi hati.. Biar masing2 Muslim membunuh keluarganya sendiri. Biar Ali bin Abi Thalib membunuh Aqil, dan dia sendiri, Unar bin Khatab membunuh saudaranya yang ikut didalam peperangan itu. Kerana meskipun ada pertalian, namun mereka terang terang musuh kita.

Abdullah bin Rawahah, anak muda dari golongan Anshar cenderong kepada pendapat Umar. Katanya lebih baik diikat seluruh tawanan itu, dibawa ke sebuah tempat yang banyak semak semak dekat situ, lalu di bakar semua. Saad bin Muaz dari Anshar pun condong kepada pendapat Umar.

Tetapi golongan yang terbesar dari Muhajirin itu condong kepada pendapat Abu Bakar. Cuma dasar fikiran sangat berbeda. Abu bakar merasakan lebih baik tawanan itu disuruh menebuskan diri, ialah kerana hubungan keluarga. Tetapi golongan yang banyak yang menumpangusulnya itu bukanlah mengingatkan kekeluargaan, melainkan mengingat hartabenda tebusan itu. Dengan alasan bahawa mereka yang pergi berperang umumnya miskin, kurang harta dan persiapan.

Menurut riwayat Ibnu Abu Syaibah dan At-Termidzi, yang mengatakan bahawa Hadis yang di-rawikannya itu adalah Hasan[baik] dan Ibnul Mundzir, dan Ibnu Hatim dan At- Thabarani dan al-Hakim, yang menyatakan Hadis ini shahih dan Ibnu Mardhawaihi dan al-Baihaqi didalam "Dalailun Nubuwwah" diterima dari Ibnu Mas'ud, katanya:" Setelah tawanan tawanan Badar itu dibawa kehadapan Rasulullah, beliau ajaklah sahabat2 bermusyawarah. Abu bakar berkata: " Ya Rasullullah,Semua adalah kaum engkau, semua adalah keluarga engkau, biarlah mereka tinggal hidup, mudah mudahan Tuhan memberi taubat kepada mereka." Berkata Umar: Ya Rasulullah! Lereka telah mendustakan engkau dan mereka telah memerangi engkau. Bawa mereka kehadapan engkau dan potong leher mereka. " Berkata pula Abdullah bin Rawahah: " Cari satu lembah yang banyak kayu api disana dan bakar mereka semua."

Abbas yang turut tertawan dan mendengar usul usul yang keras itu, berkata" " Apakah engkau hendak memutuskan silaturrahim?"

Setelah mendengar pertimbangan pertimbangan itu Nabi pun masuk kedalam khemahnya, sebelum memutuskan pertimbangan dan pendapat mana yang belaiu akan pegang.

Kemudian beliau keluar. lalu beliau berkata:" Tuhan Allah telah membuat lembut hati setengah manusia selembut susu, dan Tuhan pun membuat keras hati setengah manusia sekeras batu. Engkau hai Abu bakar adalah laksana Ibrahim alaihisalam yang berkata:

"Sesiapa yang mengikuti aku, maka dia itu adalah dari golongan ku. Dan barangsiapa yang mengdsurhakai aku, maka Engkau- ya Tuhan- adalah Maha Pengampun, lagi Penyayang."

Dan engkau hai Umar, adalah laksana Nuh. Tatkala dia berkata:

" Ya Tuhanku! Janganlah Engkau biarkan diatas bumi ini, dari orang-orang kafir itu, seorang pun penduduk."

Aku tahu kamu ini miskin. Sebab itu salah satu dari dua, iaitu tebusan atau potong leher.

Kemudian dari itu,tersebutlah bahawa Rasulullah s.a.w mengambil keputusan, ia itu menyetujui Abu bakar, ia itu segala orang tawanan diberi kesempatan menebuskan diri..........

Maka dengan keputusan yang diambil olih Rasulullah dan telah dijalankan itu, puaslah Abu bakar sebab hubungan keluarga terpelihara dan puas pula penyokong penyokong usulnya, sebab mendapat harta tebusan yang menybabkan mereka jadi kaya. Sebab selain dari harta rampasan mereka juga dapat harta tebusa. Umar tunduk kepada keputusan itu.

Tetapi besok paginya terjadi suatu hal yang mrngharukan bagi Umar bin Khatab. Dia datang ke khemah Rasulullah; didapatinya beliau menangis dan Abu Bakar yang duduk disisibeliau pun turut menangis.[ Menurut riwayat Imam Ahmad dan Muslim dari Ibnu a Abbas ]. Melihat mereka menangis, berkatalah aku[ kata Umar ]:" Mengapakah engkau menangis Ya Rasulullah? Mengapa engkau menangis Ya Abu Bakar? Khabarilah aku, apa sebab kamu berdua menangis. kalau aku diberitahu sebabnya supaya aku menangis juga bersama mu dan jika aku pandang tidak ada apa yang harus ditangiskan,, aku pun akan menangis juga bersam tangismu."Maka menjawablah Rasulullah s.a.w: " Aku menangisi kawan akwanmu, yang mengusulkan supaya tawanan itu menebus diri. Tuahan telah mengancam mereka dengan siksaanNya, lebih dekat dari pohon ini."[ Pohon itu tunbuh didekat situ]. Dan telah turun ayat; "Tidaklah patut bagi Nabi bahawa ada baginya tawanan tawanan, sebelum dia memporak perandakan musuh di bumi."

Maka jelaslah bahawa ayat ini turun menyatakan bahawa keputusan yang dianbil olih Rasul s.a.w itu adalah satu kekhilafan. kerana maksud ayat ialah bahawa seorang Nabi tidak boleh mengadakan tawanan dan meminta tebusan rawanan pada langkah pertama perang.

Kalau bertemu musuh hendaklah bunuh terus, tidak ada tawanan, sebelum seluruh kekuatan musuh itu dipatahkan, sebelum pihak Islam mencapai kedudukan yang kuat kukuh. Artinya lagi , bahawasanya peperangan Badar belumlah berarti apa-apa, sebab kedudukan Islam belum kuat. Kalau tawanan tawanan itu dibiarkan menebuskan didri, mereka akan kembali lagi ketempat asal untuk menyusunkan diri.. Maka sehendaknya mana yabg telah ditawan itu di bunuh terus. Kalau Islam sudah kuat, barulah boleh bicara hal tawanan yang ingin menebus diri. Apatah lagi walaupun usul Abu Bakar diterima, demi mengingatkan hubungan darah dan kekelurgaan, namun golongan yang terbesar yang menyokong usul Abu Bakar bukanlah mengingatkan tali kekeluargaan tapi memikirkan keuntungan dari tebusan dan hartabenda.

...............Ahli2 hukum dan sejarah dalam Islam memperkatakan soal ini. Disinilah pangkal jalan fikiran para ahli bahawasanya dalam hal yang tidak ada Nash dari Wahyu, Nabi boleh berijtihad sendiri. Dan ijtihadnya itu kadang2 nya tidak tepat, meskipun maksud beliau tetap baik. Ingatlah ,didalam peperangan Badar juga, bahawa ijtihad beliau memilih khemah tentera Isalm berkhemah juga kurang tepat dari segi strategi peperangan[ sebelum 'wadi', bukan selepas....thus controlling and depriving precious water supply from enemy... Author's note ].

Ada lagi Hadis yang dirawikan oleh an- Nasa'i dan Termidzi dan Ibnu Hibban dan al-Hakim yang diterima dari Ali Abi Thalib, bahawa setelah Rasulullah mengambil keputusan menerima tebusan itu, Jibrail datang. Lalu dia berkata kepada Rasulullah s.a.w.:" Sahabat sahabat engkau disuruh memilih di antara menerima tebusan atau membunuh tawanan itu! Mereka memilih menerima tebusan; tetapi untuk itu mereka menebuskan pula di tahun depan."

Apa yang terjadi di tahun depan? 70 kaum Muslimin tewas di dalam peperangan Uhud!

Melihat rentetan kejadian selanjutnya itu, beranilah kita menyatakan bahawa apa yang ditakuti memang kejadian. Meskipun kaum Muslimin menang di badar, namun salah satu sebab kaum musyirikin menuntut bela dan membalas dendam dalam perang Uhud, ia lah kerana sebahagian besar orang2 yang menebuskan diri dari tawanan menysun kekuatan kemba;li. Dan pihak Muslimin di waktu Perang Uhud, ada yang tidak teguh memegang disiplin taat setia kepada rasul, sehingga mendapat kekalahan.

Ayat yang selanjutnya memberi kejelasan lagi bahawa meskipun keputusan itu tidak tepat, tidaklah perlu dibatalkan kembali sebab kalau dibatalkan juga, bahayanya akan lebih besar lagi. Dan diakui dalam soal kenegaraan dan peperangan, suatu yang telah di putuskan mesti dijalankan terus, dengan bertawakkal kepada Allah. Akibat apa yang akan terjadi akan di tanggungkan bersama. kalau tidak begitu niscaya hilang wibawa pemerintahan.

.......

It took me 2 years to complete my 1st read of this voluminous work by Hamka some 25 years ago. He tend to repeat himself, but through Hamka , you get an Islamic worldview of World history, all the relevant Hadis related to any one ayat, and the 'salafi' as well as the contemporary view.I have tried Ibnu Katsir and I am afraid even with my previous back geound on tafsir I find the treatment of each ayat too 'superficial' and lacking in the required detail.I have to concede Hamka is a long, long read but then undersatnding The Glorious Quran is a life journey, so why hurry? I am on my third read now of Hamka and I never get tired of him.

We need to make a major paradigm shift in our life. And the shift is in understanding the Quran more than what we collectively think we understand before. Only by this way could The Quran empowers our life in the right direction negating all the ...ism and false ideology, false philosophical stance, egotism and false beliefs.We as an ummah has been in a state of stupour for too long. Materially ,morally and spiritually we Muslims currently are the living dead of this world:impoverished by poverty, ignorance, bigotry, and at the 'official governmental level' guilty of beggary ,waiting for 'crumbs' to fall from 'the High Table' of superpowers.

At the personal and collective level, we have gone very far astray from the spirit and dictates of the Message and yet,like the Israelites of Prophet Mosses' time, still think we are the new God's Chosen People!

Islam is about excellence. Excellence in the 'here' and in the 'hereafter'.
"Rabbana Atina fiddunya hasanah wa fil akhiratihasanatan wakina Azabannar."
God, Give us excellence in this world and excellence in your Hereafter and keep us away from your Hellfire.


Dr Nik Howk

Prof Hamka : A Man beyond his Time....

Let us take a very very short glimpse of how the late Prof Hamka 'treat' Ayat 101 from Surah Al Maida, 5 : 101, to get into the mind of one of the tafseer genius that this Nusantara ever had in our present time. Prof Hamka's Tafseer Al Azhar is very much under rated..... it is contemporary ,it is not 'salafi', it cannot be good, it is etc etc and etc ...it is Malay. Dah jadi penyakit Melayu dah....We are expert at self deprecation!


"O ye who believe! Ask not of things which, if they were made known unto you, would trouble you; but if ye ask of them when the Qur'an is being revealed, they will be made known unto you. Allah pardoneth this, for Allah is Forgiving, Clement. (101)"


...Larangan bertanya bertalu talu ini yang akan mempersukarkan keadaan sendiri itulah telah diperkuatkan oleh beberapa hadis yang Sahih. Satu diantaranya kita salinkan, iaitu satu dari hadis Arbai'in[catatan Imam Nawawi] yang terkenal:
" Sesunggohnya Allah telah mewajibkan beberapa kewajipan,maka jangan lah kamu sia siakan. Dan dia telah mengadakan beberapa batasan, maka janganlah kamu melampauinya. Dan Dia telah mengharamkan beberapa hal, maka jangan kamu langgarkan akan dia. Dan Dia telah diam dari beberapa hal,sebagai rahmat buat kamu, bukanlah kerana Dia lupa.Maka janganlah kamu cari cari daripadanya"

Back to the followers of Mosses who asked him about the sacrificial calf: Sir, is it yellow, blue or red? Old can or not? Male or female? What about blue?...If dont do can or not?"................[ this is my addition, because it rather tiresome to listen to people discussing about the intricacies of taking wudhu', which do not seem to end probably till Doomsday!We Malays seem to specialise and make things so difficult for us, going round and round in circles.....orang lesap satu squadron skyhawks , no one seem to bother... ]

Dalam hal duniawi, urusan susunan pemerintahanpun demikian pula. Ada orang bertanya: " Apakah Islam, apakah Nabi Muhammad tidak meninggalkan satu konsepsi tentang bentuk pemerintahan? Apakah Islam memakai Parleman atau Senat? Apakah ada pemilihan umum atau penunjukan Kepala Negara. Padahal Nabi sengaja tidak meninggalkan konsep itu bukan kerana Islam tidak cukup, tetapi memberi kebebasan kita mengatur dunia kita sebagai hadis yang dirawikan olih Imama Ahmad:
"Kamu lebih tahu keadaan dunia kamu"


Yang ditinggalkan Rasulallah hanyalah satu:Syura,musyawarat. Bagaimana cara tekniknya, terserahlah kepada kecerdasan sendiri, menilik ruang kamu dan waktu kamu. Islam membuka pintu ijtihad dalam urusan keduniaan itu sedalam-dalamnya.Kalau tidak begitu sudah lama Islam ini gulung tikar.


Dalam soal ibadat misalnya, pun demikian pula. Keterangan darihal wudhu' begitu nyata sekali dan mudah dalam Al Quran.Demikian juga dari hal Tayamum.Tetapi banyak ulama' membuat sendiri berbagai pertanyaan dengan khayalannya, sehingga mempersukarkan wudhu' dan tayamun. Mengaji perkara air saja memakan waktu berbulan, bahkan bertahun. Dan di zaman dahulu mempersukar itu di namakan Alim. Sehingga waktu sangat banyak terbuang, lantaran itu orang tak berani berijtihad:
Lantaran itu maka kita mendapat kesimpulan dari ayat ini. Cerdaskan fikiran, teguhkan takwa kepada Allah, tekunkan beribadat dan jangan banyak tanya yang bukan bukan!
[ my God ! these 'kampong fuqahas can make a meal out of it !...again , my private comment , not Hamka's.  Masaalah 'hati' dan qalb, they are not interested.....  ]

Masyaallah!.........That is why I still read and read and re read Hamka.........he is beyond his time and and his Tafseer is better than GOOD! I have read Katsir, Syed Qutb and compare them .....Hamka is closer to us and give more understanding about the contemporary problems facing our ummah with both relevant interpretations, bridging the salafi and the modern.

Try Hamka for size. Make Hamka your companion and friend. I can gurantee you ,your life will never be the same! I started reading Hamka's tafseer at age 30, reread it at 40, and now never getting tired rereading it at 57!....You get history, world and regional politics,loads of Hadiths , gharib hasan and all the jazz,salafi views and contemporary views, even science!

Huwallahualam !

Subject: A beautiful poem from Rabindranath Tagore......

Tan Sri,

Thanks for such beautiful, short poem you sent me. I am reminded rightaway of a small surah within the Juz Mukadam that we small kids of that age put to memory Surah Al Maoun [ small kindnesses ].An age in the sixties when authority came in the mould of either a 'guru Quran' with his 'rotan' or the bespectacled 'Mrs Wong' in the classrooms.

We in the Muslim world have become more 'unIslamic' by the days:...beggars and the poor not well looked after, poor accountability among the ruling class who act with impunity, absence of humility and kindness, crass materialism,gross corruption and incompetence among the elites.....too many examples of that within the Malaysian landscape of late, PKFZ ,even jet engines can get lost in broad daylight without any one taking responsibility.... all due to increasing materialism and godlessness in a society able to boast that we are gifted with The Book and the Sunnah.

In the West despite they being 'lost like lost sheep' their values are more Islamic: Democracy , equality, freedom , accountability, humility, welfare for the down and out, the single parents and what have you.

Perhaps it is time we Muslims,like the Israelites of Moses' time, should ask ourselves, " how come our daily prayers and the Quran have not empowered us towards universal betterment, if not better , at least almost near on par with the West?" I suspect part of the answer is provided by the simple short surah below:


"Have you seen him who denies our religion ?
It is he who harshly repels the orphan
And does not urge others to feed the needy
Woe to those who pray
but are heedless of their prayers
Who put on a show of piety,
but refuse to give even the smallest help to others "

[ Surah Al Maoun , 107 : 1-7 ]

Dr Nik Howk

Jesus, son of Mary: Biblical stories in the Qur'an

Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (31) Say: Obey Allah and the messenger. But if they turn away, lo! Allah loveth not the disbelievers (in His guidance). (32) Lo! Allah preferred Adam and Noah and the Family of Abraham and the Family of 'Imran above (all His) creatures. (33) They were descendants one of another. Allah is Hearer, Knower. (34) (Remember) when the wife of 'Imran said: My Lord! I have vowed unto Thee that which is in my belly as a consecrated (offering). Accept it from me. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower! (35) And when she was delivered she said: My Lord! Lo! I am delivered of a female - Allah knew best of what she was delivered - the male is not as the female; and lo! I have named her Mary, and lo! I crave Thy protection for her and for her offspring from Satan the outcast. (36) And her Lord accepted her with full acceptance and vouchsafed to her a goodly growth; and made Zachariah her guardian. Whenever Zachariah went into the sanctuary where she was, he found that she had food. He said: O Mary! Whence cometh unto thee this (food)? She answered: It is from Allah. Allah giveth without stint to whom He will. (37) Then Zachariah prayed unto his Lord and said: My Lord! Bestow upon me of Thy bounty goodly offspring. Lo! Thou art the Hearer of Prayer. (38) And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: Allah giveth thee glad tidings of (a son whose name is) John, (who cometh) to confirm a word from Allah lordly, chaste, a prophet of the righteous. (39) He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when age hath overtaken me already and my wife is barren? (The angel) answered: So (it will be). Allah doeth what He will. (40) He said: My Lord! Appoint a token for me. (The angel) said: The token unto thee (shall be) that thou shalt not speak unto mankind three days except by signs. Remember thy Lord much, and praise (Him) in the early hours of night and morning. (41) And when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah hath chosen thee and made thee pure, and hath preferred thee above (all) the women of creation. (42) O Mary! Be obedient to thy Lord, prostrate thyself and bow with those who bow (in worship). (43) This is of the tidings of things hidden. We reveal it unto thee (Muhammad). Thou wast not present with them when they threw their pens (to know) which of them should be the guardian of Mary, nor wast thou present with them when they quarrelled (thereupon). (44) (And remember) when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah). (45) He will speak unto mankind in his cradle and in his manhood, and he is of the righteous. (46) She said: My Lord! How can I have a child when no mortal hath touched me? He said: So (it will be). Allah createth what He will. If He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. (47) And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel, (48) And will make him a messenger unto the Children of Israel, (saying): Lo! I come unto you with a sign from your Lord. Lo! I fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it and it is a bird, by Allah's leave. I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allah's leave. And I announce unto you what ye eat and what ye store up in your houses. Lo! herein verily is a portent for you, if ye are to be believers. (49) And (I come) confirming that which was before me of the Torah, and to make lawful some of that which was forbidden unto you. I come unto you with a sign from your Lord, so keep your duty to Allah and obey me. (50) Lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path. (51) But when Jesus became conscious of their disbelief, he cried: Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah? The disciples said: We will be Allah's helpers. We believe in Allah, and bear thou witness that we have surrendered (unto Him). (52) Our Lord! We believe in that which Thou hast revealed and we follow him whom Thou hast sent. Enrol us among those who witness (to the truth). (53) And they (the disbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed (against them): and Allah is the best of schemers. (54) (And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ. (55) As for those who disbelieve I shall chastise them with a heavy chastisement in the world and the Hereafter; and they will have no helpers. (56) And as for those who believe and do good works, He will pay them their wages in full. Allah loveth not wrong-doers. (57) This (which) We recite unto thee is a revelation and a wise reminder. (58) Lo! the likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said unto him: Be! and he is. (59) (This is) the truth from thy Lord (O Muhammad), so be not thou of those who waver. [ Letter Al Imran , 31-60 ]


"What has differentiated some 3 billion Christians from 1.6 billion Muslims on this planet is this":


Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing. (27) O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot. (28) Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy? (29) He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet, (30) And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive, (31) And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest. (32) Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! (33) Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. (34) It befitteth not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. (35) And lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path.
[ Letter Maryam , 27-36 ]

"Yes,....It befitteth not the Majesty of Allah that He should take unto Himself a son! The god we are talking about is the CEO and owner of a universe that encompass billions and billions of stars and galaxies, that stretches trillions and trillions of kilometres [ 35 zeros to be exact ], that is forever expanding at several thousand million kilometres daily!I am not yet even hinting at the extreme vastness of Allah's Tremendous Throne...."

"It befitteth not the Majesty of Allah that He should take unto Himself a son!"

Sayyid Qutb: In the Shade of the Qur'an

Many things have been said of Sayyid Qutb.

He was a teacher turned writer in tumultous Egypt during Gamal Abdul Nasser's time. Along with Hasan Al Bana [ Prof Tariq Ramadan's grand father...see Tariq Ramadan, under PERSONALITIES ], co-founded Ikhwanul Muslimin or infamously known as the Muslim Brotherhood in the West.

Bush, Blair et al would say Sayyid Qutb, along with Mawdudi, provide the intellectual fuel for Islamic Radicalism in the 21st century.But who are Bush and Blair, who , when examined thoroughly even by rational Western scholars now , are just ignorant, bigoted war mongers at best, who have made our world a more dangerous place to live in .Dr M is most probably right: If this present world regain back it's sanity and 'political correctness', these two clowns should rightfully be paraded in The Hague as pea-brained,megalomanic, genocidal war criminals worse than the likes of Radovan Karavic and Milosevic....

I look at Sayyid Qutb from the perspective of his seminal tafseer work of Juz 30 of the Glorious Qur'an ie In the Shade of the Quran. I have gone through Tafseer Ibnu Katsir [written by Ibnu Katsir who lived in the period just after the Prophet, ie Salafi scholars], and I have gone through Prof Hamka's voluminous Tafsir Al Azhar, his treatment of Juz 30's ayats and surah's.My humble opinion is that Hamka's treatment was better than Ibnu katsir's,but of course I stand corrected here by the 'purists' who will shoot my opinion down by saying that 'how dare you do such thing! Comparing the Salafi and the present...I believe Islam is the Din for all time and I am entitled to my opinion, however 'humble, religious' scholastic background I come from [ "baca Qur'an pun idrh'am tak betul!"...macamana Pak Nik ni!]

Sayyid Qutb's In the Shade of the Quran is in a different class and plane by itself. It is inspirational, beautiful and poetic in any language it is translated and I am very sure in its original Arabic, it could have moved 'mountains'. Even in its beautiful Malay translation by the late Yusoff Zaki[ Pustaka Dian ] of Kelantan,the beauty and power of the original Arabic was maintained.

Just see for yourselves how Sayyid Qutb treated Surah An Nas[ Letter 114 ], and you can have your own opinion of him. Shortly after he completed 'In the Shade of the Quran', which he did while being imprisoned, he was summarily executed by Gamal Abdul Nasser for 'high treason against the State'.

In the sand of time when dictators, politicians, rulers and tyrants were relegated to the dustbin of history, those gifted, commited and selfless individuals with ilm and fought in Allah's way like Sayyid Qutb, live forever! May Allah place his soul amongst those of the blessed!....


..............................................

Surah # 114
Men
an Nas

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful!

Say: O seek refuge in the Lord of men,
the King of men,
the God of men,
from the mischief of the slinking prompter,
who whispers in the hearts of men,
from among jinn and men.

In the Shade of the Qur'an

In this surah, as can be seen, refuge is sought in the Lord, Sovereign and
God of mankind from the insidious whisperer, jinn or human who prompts evil
ideas into people's minds. The surah presents the relevant attributes of
Allah to keep away this invisible evil which the mind on its own cannot
shut out. For the Lord is He who preserves directs, cherishes and protects
mankind; the Sovereign is He who owns, governs and independently runs the
world; and the Deity is He who supercedes all other beings and absolutely
supervises over all their affairs. The particular mention of mankind here
brings man closer to Allah's protection and care.

Allah, the Merciful, instructs His Messenger and his nation or followers to
recognize the attributes of His and seek His protection against this
sneaking evil which locates itself within their hearts. For they cannot rid
themselves of such an evil which creeps into their hearts surreptitiously
and imperceptibly without the aid of Allah, the Lord, the Sovereign, the
Deity.

The nature of this evil-importing medium is identified in the text first
as "the slinking prompter. " Its function is outlined as to "whisper in
the hearts of men ". Then its origin is specified as "from among jinn and
men."

The style adopted here is quite significant because it draws one's
attention fully to the identity of this sneaking whisperer after describing
its nature in order to show the process by which that evil is insinuated,
so that one is alerted to watch and confront it. For when one is given the
full picture one knows that this sneaking whisperer operates secretly. One
also realizes that it is jinn as well as human, for human beings are not
exceptions in spreading evil while unseen.

We do not know how the Jinn perform this whispering, but we certainly find
its repercussions in the behaviour of individuals as well as in human life
generally. We know for sure that the battle between Adam (man) and Iblis
(Satan) is a very old one. War between the two was declared by Satan out
of the evil inherent in him, his conceit and his envy and resentment of
man. He was given Divine permission to carry out this battle for some
purpose which Allah alone comprehends. But, significantly, man has not
been left alone, dispossessed of the necessary means of protection. He
has been provided with power of faith or "Iman", (that is, conscious
belief in and knowledge of Allah and His attributes through conviction and
sincere devotion).

Meditation and seeking refuge in Allah are among the most effective
weapons. When man neglects these means of security and defence, he indeed
has only himself to blame.

Ibn Abbas related that the Messenger of Allah had said,

Satan besieges the individual's heart, he subsides whenever one
conscientiously remembers Allah, but insinuates his evil whenever
one is un-thoughtful of Him.

As for humans we know a great deal of their curious ways of whispering and
prompting and some types like the following are more devilish than the
Devil:

a bad companion who injects evil into his comrade's heart and mind
while he is unaware, as he is thought to be trustworthy,

a ruler's counselor or advisor who "whispers" to him and turns
him into a destructive tyrant,

an unscrupulous slanderer who fabricates and decorates tales and
makes them sound factual and convincing,

a hustler of immoral business and dealings who tries to get through
to people by exploiting their sensual, unhealthy desires,

a hundred other "whisperers" who lay various traps inconspicuously
utilizing people's different weak points which they detect
and look for.

They are more devilish than even the jinn themselves. Faced with evil in
this guise, man is not capable of ensuring his own safety. Allah therefore
points out to him in this surah the means he can employ in this fierce
battle.

And there is a very direct significance in identifying the "prompter" as
"slinking". For while this description indicates the secretiveness of this
whisperer on the one hand, it is, on the other hand, an illusion to its
intrinsic feebleness whenever it is discovered or resisted. It subsides
and meekly withdraws when met in the open; or, as the Messenger said in
his accurate illustrations,

He (Satan) subsides whenever one conscientiously remembers Allah, but
insinuates his evil whenever one is un-thoughtful of Him!

This presentation fortifies the believer's heart in face of this timid,
subsiding whisperer.

Nevertheless, the battle is everlasting since this "prompter" is always
watchful for the right moment (when one neglects the remembrance of Allah)
to implant its evils. For the believer to be conscious of Allah once in a
while is not sufficient, as the war is continuous till the end of time;
this the Qur'an vividly states in a lucid picture:

And when We (Allah)said to the angels, 'Fall down prostrate before
Adam ', they fell prostrate except Iblis (Satan) who said, 'Shall I
bow down before him whom You have created of clay? Do you see this
creature whom You have honoured above me? If You give me grace until
the Day of Resurrection, I will certainly destroy his offspring, save
but a few'. 'Be gone!' said He. 'But you and whoever of them follows
you will have Hell for reward. An ample reward it shall be. Rouse with
your voice whomever you are able. Muster against them your horse men
and your fool men. Be their partner in their wealth and in their off
spring. Make them promises. Whatever Satan promises them is only for
deceit. But over My true servants you shall have no power.' Your Lord
is their all Sufficient Guardian. (17:61-5)

This concept of the battle and the source of evil in it, whether provoked
by Satan himself or by his human agent, fully inspires man to feel that he
is not helpless in it; since his Lord, Sovereign and Deity controls all
creations and events. Though He has permitted Satan to attack, He has
supreme power over him and He has also provided guidance for man. Allah
leaves to Satan only those who neglect Him their Lord, Sovereign and Deity,
but those who live in consciousness of Him are safe and protected against
his intimidation's and incitements. Thus, righteousness is supported by the
only true power of the Lord, Sovereign and Deity, whereas evil is backed
by a slinking prompter, a sneaky whisperer, cowardly in the open field,
quick to retreat in war, and easily defeated by one's seeking refuge with
Allah.

This is the most perfect conception of the battle between good and evil.
It is a conception which protects the being against defeat and provides
him with strength confidence and contentment.

Praise be to Allah at the beginning and at the end. From Him we derive
confidence and success. To Him we turn for unfailing support.
--