“Al-Ghazali says: “A diligent seeker of truth may be compared to one who is looking for his lost camel. It would be immaterial for him if he or another person should be the one to find it.”
I have posted an entry of " Busying Correcting Others " previously and this is my second one. How this is really for myself.
This morning, inside the LRT trains, I noticed something unusual that I never I encountered before. Well maybe it’s just me. It is about an Indian man in the train. A professional and sleek looking man whom when the train passed by a church he did a sign in his chest. A usual Christian sign. Suddenly I feel amazed. Not because of the sign itself but by his actions and his awareness towards his belief. It has made me reflect on my own self and Muslims in general. How many of us as a Muslim who believe in Almighty God will remembered Allah whenever we see a mosque? It will be to much cliche if I ask how many times we remembered HIM in our everyday life by doing dzikir in our hearts every single minutes. With the up roaring entertainment outburst out there and we are busying correcting and talking about others we rarely have a time to reflect on our own selves and looking deeply inside our own soul to do a reflection of our own desire.
It is never a hard question but it is surely a hard question to be answered. Even for me. It goes the same for the Fitna’s controversial issue that have been brought up lately. We love Allah and HIS Prophet of course. There is no doubt about it despite our flaws as a sinful servants but we hope to be with Allah and Rasulullah saw in the heaven ( on God willing , isnhAllah ) but rather than get angry with the person who have create the provocation we better look upon our own self first. Being sensitive wise in religion issues is a must but not in a wrong way. Absolutely a no no. As Sheikh Suhaib Webb posted a noteable advice by Sheikh Hussain Abdul Sattar. (Oh My! How I love his talks!) "It is time for Muslims to stop burning flags, and start burning their desires"
Also Sheikh Abdul Sattar mentioned:
" It is time for the Muslim to be a self-determined, educated, citizen of humanity and of Islam. Someone who’s character aims to mirror the Prophetic character. It is time for the sisters to put down their mascara and their foundation, and the brothers to put down the Nintendo Wii and XBOX controllers, and stand up and become men and women, and stop being boys and girls. It is time for for them to become self-determined individuals, who understand that the honor of this Deen and its Ummah, can only be given by Allah, but they must work for it. Allah says:
“God will not change the condition of a people, until they change what is within themselves.” (13:11)
It is time to stop burning flags, and start burning desires.
Stop yelling in the streets against people who are overjoyed at your anger, and whisper to Allah who will become overjoyed at your prayer.
Stop breaking, burning, and screaming.
Start building, learning, and calling.
O mankind, We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other [49:13].
On the side note, it goes the same with the burning issues in our country. We can be responsive and ask peoples to respect every belief but we can’t blame others on their misunderstanding about Islam. What we should do is keep showing a good behaviours and
explaining the issues and real Islam in a wise, diligent, ethical, constructive and rational way. Not the other way around. Well boycotting Dutch products is another issue and I have my own opinion based on what I have learn from the prominent scholars, books which I read from an Economic Al-Azhar lecture that based upon a solid research, my humble knowledge in
Usul Feqh as well our own concise. I have to say, I will boycott it but only in a period of time just to sent a message to their government of the very unwise action of provocation by one of their parliament member.
" Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious [16:125]
Oh, by the way I can’t resist but to post this nice poem that already has been post in Darwisy’s blog. I really miss his entries!
Sidi Abu Bakr Siraj-ad-Din aka Martin Lings was one of the profoundest writers of the last century. His works are treasures of both meaning and form,that is to say, what he says and the way that he says it. Amongst the lesser known of his works is his Diwan of verse called quite simply Collected Poems.
In a poem titled Self-Portrait he says remembering the bayt-ar-Ridwan:
When half a thousand years and more
Had passed, and men allegiance swore
To the Arab Prophet, beneath the tree,
My willing hand was still not free
From bonds of time and space to be
Between his hands in fealty.
Such blessings missed, time was when I
Within myself would wonder why,
Half quarrelling with the book of fate
For having writ me down so late.
But now I no longer my lot
Can question, and of what was not.
No more I say: Would it had been!
For I have seen what I have seen,
And I have heard what I have heard.
So if to tears ye see me stirred,
Presume not that they spring from woe:
In thankful wonderment they flow.
Praise be to Him, the Lord, the King,
Who gives beyond all reckoning.
( Collected Poems, Archetype, 2001 )
