Culture vs Islam

The Essence of Fasting in Ramadan

Masya Allah, these are great reminders about the essence of fasting in Ramadan by Professor Tariq Ramadan. May Allaah Almighty bless and reward all those who were involved in the production of this video. Three parts in all.

Criticize Less and Learn More

This is a reminder to myself.. The problem with having a blog with no one commenting or criticizing is that one could get carried away, 'shiok sendiri' in a sense with our own views. If the view is accurate, alhamdulillah, but what if the view is inaccurate or constricted? Alhamdulillaah, thank you Allah for blessing me to have a self-critical attitude, to keep learning and keep an open mind.

For this reason, I think that my views in the recent entry 'No Place For Boys', while it is a reality, however, it is really a constricted view of what's happening in the mosques around Singapore. The documentary below is about the differences between the culture and practice of managing mosques in the Arab Countries and Singapore and also Malaysia. It is one of the causes for the change in my views. Hence, I think it's better if the post is removed. It's really much better to learn rather than criticize.

"O Allah! Verily, we seek refuge with You against going astray or that we lead others astray, or that we slip or are caused to slip, or that we oppress or that we are oppressed by others, or that we be ignorant or that ignorance is perpetrated against us." (Al-Tirmidhi no. 3427. It is an authentic Hadith. See Saheeh Sunan Al-Tirmidhi no. 2725)

Ameen Ya Rabb!

Stop Living in a Dream and Be Realistic!

This video is hilarious! Well at least for me it is.

Bro Baba Ali now has a new project called halfourdeen.com, a matchmaking website which he set up recently to help ease the process of those single brothers and sisters out there searching for their other half, their soulmate. He also claims that it is different from all the other matchmaking websites out there.. something I can vouch for actually..

Masya Allah the da'wah and tarbiyah efforts of this bro who, for those who don't already know, is a revert! May Allah continue to shower His Blessings upon him.

Why and How to Learn Arabic for Comprehension of the Qur'an

A must watch I feel.. do watch if you have the time.

Apabila Artis Mula Berbicara Tentang Agama

Sila rujuk kepada artikel ini sebelum membaca komen di bawah.. 'Ilmu penawar keracunan ideologi'

My Personal Comment

Sebuah artikel yang berat sebelah dan sempit di dalam penilaiannya yang hanya memfokuskan kepada keburukan yang timbul akibat kumpulan-kumpulan atau individu tertentu yang mencemarkan nama Islam akibat tindakan mereka yang tidak amanah dan melampau yang dukacitanya, menisbahkan diri mereka sendiri sebagai pendukung sunnah yang tulen ataupun 'Salafi' padahal jauh sekali daripada ajaran dan akhlak Rasoolullah sallallaahu'alaihi wasallam.

Lebih lagi apabila beliau membuat kesimpulan umum bahawa semua yang belajar di Arab Saudi atau cenderung kepada pendapat dan pemikiran ulama-ulama tersebut, sebakul dengan mereka yang tidak berakhlak, berfikiran extrimis dan radikal yang jelas membelakangi sunnah.

Padahal hanya segelintir yang terlibat dan sebahagian besar dari mereka yang memperjuangkan Sunnah, mengambil jalan tengah, bersikap sederhana dan ikhlas memperjuangkan mempraktikkan Sunnah Rasoolullaah sallallaahu'alaihi wasallam dari nas-nas yang sahih dan boleh dipercayai, serta menghormati kepelbagaian pendapat dan mencuba sebaik mungkin mengelakkan kekecohan dan perpecahan di dalam masyarakat.

Tidak tahukah beliau bahawa diantara para sukarelawan Religious Rehabilitative Group (RRG) atau kakitangan dan juga sesetengah mereka yang memegang jawatan penting di dalam badan-badan Islam besar di Singapura contohnya, juga terdiri daripada graduan dari Universiti Islam Madinah ataupun universiti Arab Saudi yang lain, dan mereka diiktiraf atas kesarjanaan dan ilmu mereka?

Dan selama ini TIADA SEORANG PUN diantara pelajar-pelajar atau para graduan Singapura dari universiti-universiti Saudi yang terlibat dengan aktiviti keganasan atau telah mencapai suatu tahap hingga mengkafirkan antara sesama Muslim..

Back to basics I think, we cannot judge the teachings of any scholar, ustaz or any Islamic institution by the actions of certain individuals or groups who portray a radical and take an extreme stance which is different from what they have learnt or been taught most probably due to their own misinterpretation and naivety being influenced by radical groups or individuals who have their own personal agenda, deviating from what Islam itself actually promotes and represents.

We must judge by examining fairly the teachings in the books themselves, understanding the context of what is being taught as a whole.

The reality is that, (from my own personal experience studying at one of the universities there and also attending some study circles at Masjidil Haram, Makkah Al-Mukarramah), these institutions and their scholars always promotes peace, understanding, respecting the different opinions and we can observe through the own words of such scholars in their books or articles and the asatizahs themselves always maintaining a sense of humility, displaying excellent moral conduct and character in any situation, always respecting one and all and would always remind their students or Muslims in general to do the same, to always be conscious of Allah in all that they do, to be aware that their every word or actions will be taken into account by Allah Almighty one day..

Additional comments from a friend..

Quote: Artist turned socio-political commentator?

Some facts are referred to certain statistic, fair enough but for the following statements takde bukti yg jelas... contoh:

'apabila diselediki' = macam mana kau selidik? bawa team forensic ke?

'Kami memang... sudah cam pemuda fahaman... radikal itu kerana imej mereka yang terserlah' = Ade statistics ke, org radikal mesti imej camtu? atau stereotype?

'Kemudian, kami diberitahu bahawa' = sape yg beritahu? org yg boleh dipercayai ke?

Maaf cakap, dah macam baca karangan budak secondary school pula.

and (this just in) comments from a respectable and well-known local ustaz..

'Sesiapa sahaja boleh membuat komen tentang agama. Samada dia itu artis ke, tukang masak ke, pekebun ke atau sebagainya. Namun satu ciri yang tak boleh lepas ialah dia mesti memiliki peribadi agama yang baik. Dia mesti mempunyai sifat 'adlah yang tidak boleh dipertikaikan.


Bagi si artis yang kononnya nak komen tentang ulama salaf terutama ulama unggul seperti Ibn Taimiyah, kita tengok sahaja peribadinya. Rambutnya menyerupai perempuan dan pernah hidup di kota London dan menyanyi di pub-pub yang menggalakkan peminuman arak. Bila balik Singapura, tiba-tiba alim pula dan dah nak komen tentang ajaran-ajaran tertentu. Macam mana nak terima kata-kata dia?

Kalau dah nak jadi alim, biar alim betul-betul. Tukar cara hidup tu dulu kemudian baru mula bercakap. Kalau boleh pun belajar Bahasa Arab dan baca karangan-karangan ulama-ulama yang nak dikomen. Barulah betul. Ini petik kata sana, petik kata sini dan kemudian buat penelitian yang tidak tepat. Tak malu ke?'

On The Other Hand

Sila rujuk artikel ini..Al-Qaeda ancam guling kerajaan Arab Saudi

Aik., pelik..si Radikal nak gulingkan "penyokongnya" di dalam keradikalan?

Funny world and times we live in

Allah Almighty knows best.

Soal Jawab Puasa

A Much Needed Advice For All

{And they divided not till after knowledge had come to them, through (selfish) transgression between themselves. And had it not been for a Word that went forth before from your Lord for an appointed term, the matter would have been settled between them. And verily, those who were made to inherit the Scripture after them, are in grave doubt concerning it.} [Ash-Shura 42:14]



A much needed advice for all.. religious people are too busy arguing over petty disagreements, neglecting more important issues, keep dissing each other and be disunited, the less religious, ignorant and youth more importantly, become confused and just decide to forget about it.. the next generation suffers for the worse.

Question On Tawakkal

Once upon a time, I was bloghopping when I came across an entry which questioned on the limits of tawakkal, literally meaning putting one's trust in Allah. Here's part of the entry..

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The question is this: Where do you draw the line between giving up and leaving it to Him? Yes, its a question on tawakkal. Something I’ve grappled with for quite a while.

Once, I had wanted something so badly. I prayed, I put in effort, I tried whatever I could (with the limited resources and capabilities that I had at that time) and I gave my all. And then, I decided that I should just leave it to Him. Things that I was doing did not seem to get me any closer to what I wanted.

When I told a friend that I was leaving it to Him, she said to me, “You’re being too tawakkal.” What is too tawakkal?? How do you know if you’ve done enough?

Anyway, that was then. I did not get what I had wanted but I’ve made peace with it and I actually kind of see that Allah had other plans for me and I’m happy where I am with regards to that issue.

Fairly recently, I made up my mind about where my priorities should be and since then, decisions that I had made would have those as a guideline.

Again, someone commented, “You give up too easily.”

Now I’m really confused. When I’m doing so much, someone says I don’t do enough, another says I should leave it to Him. When I really DO leave it to Him, another says I give up too easily.

How do you define giving up and how do you know if you’re giving up or you’re really sincerely, honestly just leaving it to Him?

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The entry made me do my own research on the matter and after reading a number of articles, I came upon these articles which helped me understand better on the matters of tawakkal.

The first article was originally in Malay and I have done a simple translation of it to English here entitled 'Searching For Success With Reference to Allah'..

I will re-post the second article here. The original article have been removed from the website itself but alhamdulillaah, I have posted it before in this blog.

 And also this article entitled 'The Concept Of Trust In Allah'.

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Article originally from islamonline.net

There Is Good In Every Event

By Harun Yahya, Muslim Thinker.

Every event that happens to the Muslim has one sort or another of goodness in it. Allah states that even events that seem to be unfavorable may have a lot of good in them:

[It may well be that you dislike something in which Allah has placed a lot of good.] (An-Nisaa' 4:19)

[It may be that you hate something when it is good for you and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.] (Al-Baqarah 2:216)

Aware of this secret, believers seek goodness and beauty in every event. No seemingly adverse incident, hardship, or mischief ails or worries them. They maintain their composure, whether the experience is insignificant or a serious ordeal. Sincere Muslims even see goodness and divine purpose in the loss of all their hard earned possessions. They express gratitude to Allah for the gift of life. They have faith that Allah may have protected them from committing an evil act or against too much attachment for possessions.

Accordingly, believers give their most inner thanks to Him because no loss in this world equals the loss in the hereafter. Loss in the hereafter means eternal and intolerable punishment (unless Allah wills otherwise). Those who keep themselves occupied with the remembrance of the hereafter view every event as goodness and beauty leading to the hereafter.

Those who overcome such ordeals will recognize their weaknesses before Allah and will reconsider how much they are in need of Him. They will turn to Allah with much humility through prayers and remembrance that will bring them closer to Him. This is surely an enormous benefit to their hereafter. These aside, by putting absolute trust in Allah and showing steadfastness, they will earn His pleasure and will be rewarded with eternal bliss.

People should seek goodness and beauty not only in ordeals, but also in daily routines. For example, burning the food one has painstakingly prepared may lead one to take numerous measures that would, by the will of Allah, prevent a more serious accident in the future. A young person might fail the college admission test on which all hopes for the future had been pinned.

People should, however, know that there is goodness in their failure, too; they should be able to think that Allah might have willed them to avoid some adverse circumstances or people and thereby feel pleased with the result. Alternatively, by thinking that Allah has placed in every event many other blessings that are either obvious or beyond the imagination, believers see the beauty of full submission to the guidance of Allah.

People may not always see the goodness and divine purpose behind every incident. Even if this is the case, they know for certain that there is goodness in all events. They offer prayers for Allah to discover the goodness and divine purpose hidden behind everything that happens.

Those who are aware that everything has a purpose in Allah's creation never use phrases such as "I wish I had not done this" or "I wish I had not said that" and so on. Mistakes, defects, or seemingly unfortunate events essentially include blessings, and each one of them is the trial of destiny. Allah gives important lessons and reminders to humans in the destiny He creates individually for each person.

For those who can evaluate with insight, there are no mistakes or adversities, but rather lessons, warnings, and wisdom from Allah. For example, a Muslim whose shop burns down will search his or her soul, and will become even more sincere and true in his or her faith, deeming it as a warning by Allah against overindulgence in worldly goods and attachments.

Consequently, no matter what one encounters in this life, the ordeals will all eventually end. A person who recalls a hardship will be amazed that it is nothing more than a reminiscence in the mind. This is also how people recall the scenes from a film. Accordingly, one day will come and the most painful experience will become only a memory, more like the image of a scene from a movie. Only one thing will remain — the attitude a person assumed during the time of hardship and whether Allah is pleased with him or her.

People will not be called to account for their experiences, but rather for their attitudes, thoughts, and sincerity they displayed at the time of these experiences. Therefore, endeavoring to see the goodness and the divine purpose Allah creates in the situations encountered and taking a positive attitude will bring bliss to believers both in this world and in the hereafter. No sorrow or fear awaits these believers who are aware of this secret. Similarly, no one, no event can create fear, harm, or distress in this world or in the hereafter. Allah reveals this secret in the Qur'an:

[Those who follow My guidance will feel no fear and will know no sorrow.] (Al-Baqarah 2:38)

[Yes, the closer servants of Allah will feel no fear nor shall they grieve: those who believe and have done their duty, there is good news for them in the life of the world and in the Hereafter. There is no changing the words of Allah. That is the great victory.] (Yunus 10:62-64)

- Harun Yahya was born in Ankara in 1956. He studied fine arts at Istanbul's Mimar Sinan University and philosophy at Istanbul University. Since the 1980s, he has published many books on political, faith-related, and scientific issues.

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Just To Add..

From what I understand, in whatever that we're striving for to achieve, it definitely needs effort and not only that, but the RIGHT form of planning and effort as well as placing complete trust in Allah in everything that we do. Only then, we may have a higher chance of success and at the same time will be rewarded and blessed for trusting Him.

If it doesn’t turn out the way we hope for, only Allah knows best as what has been stated the second article..

“Every event that happens to the Muslim has one sort or another of goodness in it. Allah states that even events that seem to be unfavorable may have a lot of good in them:

[It may well be that you dislike something in which Allah has placed a lot of good.] (An-Nisaa’ 4:19)

[It may be that you hate something when it is good for you and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.] (Al-Baqarah 2:216)

“Mistakes, defects, or seemingly unfortunate events essentially include blessings, and each one of them is the trial of destiny. Allah gives important lessons and reminders to humans in the destiny He creates individually for each person.

For those who can evaluate with insight, there are no mistakes or adversities, but rather lessons, warnings, and wisdom from Allah.”

Allah Almighty knows best.