Semua orang suka bergaduh

Di Malaysia, drama pergaduhan berlaku sepanjang masa. Malah drama-drama Melayu yang penuh dengan aksi pergaduhan keluarga pun tidak mampu menandingi kehebatan drama politik Malaysia. Mengapa? Ramai yang tidak menggunakan akal. Yang ada akal, hanya bergaduh menggunakan akal tanpa mengira sensitiviti orang lain.

Bergaduh di Malaysia ada dalam bermacam-macam bentuk- debat, perbezaan idea dan menunjuk-nunjuk siapa yang lebih betul walhal semua mahukan kebaikan untuk semua orang. Jika berbeza idea, didiklah pihak lawan untuk memahaminya-bukan menghukumnya. 

Di satu pihak mengatakan satu pihak ini selalu memfitnah dirinya. Di pihak ini pula selalu mengatakan tidak. Namun kita sebagai seorang yang langsung tidak mengetahui secara langsung, janganlah teruja-uja sangat menyokong mana-mana idea yang kita rasakan betul. Cuba bayangkan macam situasi ini- kalau pihak 'baru dibebaskan' mengatakan semuanya fitnah belaka dan mengatakan pihak 'saya lama dah memerintah' yang memfitnahnya. Namun , kita tidak benar-benar tahu betulkah pihak ini yang memfitnah? Kalau kita percaya tanpa menyiasat, kita berburuk sangka. Dan lebih teruk, pihak 'saya dibebaskan' yang mengatakan orang memfitnahnya, jika fihak lawannya tidak memfitnahnya, dia pula yang menfitnah orang yang dikatakan memfitnahnya. Begitu juga sebaliknya.

Ada satu pendapat seorang ustaz yang saya langgan (subscribe) di Facebook yang berbunyi- perbezaan pendapat itu adalah jihad. Namun, apabila saya melihat dia seakan-akan membantah seorang ustaz lain memasuki pihak lawannya, saya tidak pasti apa yang diperjuangkannya. Bagaimana dengan idea ustaz mengenai perbezaan pendapat itu? Mengapa seorang ustaz lain memasuki parti bukan sokongannya seakan-akan dihina kerana masuk ke dalam kancah rasuah, politik kotor dan sebagainya. Adakah mungkin ustaz itu mempunyai niat untuk mengubah perkara-perkara buruk parti itu dari dalam yang mungkin jauh lebih baik berbanding pendekatan ustaz? Bahkan ini lebih baik berbanding ustaz yang terus mencaci pihak bukan sokongan ustaz namun tidak berusaha untuk melakukan dakwah dengan cara efektif terhadap mereka. Api jika dilawan api makin besar apinya. 

Kadang-kadang saya melihat orang yang mengatakan dirinya memperjuangkan Islam sentiasa bercakap sahaja. Yang lebih ekstrem, membawanya ke jalanan tanpa sebarang penyelesaian konstruktif. Allahuakbar dilaungkan tidak berguna jika dalam hati tidak mendalaminya. Saya tidak menyokong mana-mana pihak (buat masa ini) namun janganlah senantiasa berprasangka buruk terhadap orang lain. Saya menasihati diri terlebih dahulu dan ingin mengajak anda semua. Mungkin cara mereka kurang betul namun niat mereka tetap baik. Jika salah, tegurlah dengan cara betul. Anda pun buat salah juga dan anda juga tidak suka ditegur dengan cara anda menegur pihak lawan. 

Janganlah berburuk sangka. Setiap manusia boleh berubah. Jangan ingat anda sahaja yang betul dalam dunia.-The Chukai Insider

Susahnya politik Malaysia

* Saya percaya semua orang mempunyai pendapat sendiri dan hormatilah pendapat itu. Setiap perubahan bermula dari perubahan diri sendiri.

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Who is God?

This article was originally published here. The author said it is okay to share the article  and personally, I think it is one of the author's best works.-The Chukai Insider

One of the hardest things about faith is often mistaken as being the simplest aspect.

Belief in the Oneness, Greatness and Uniqueness of God, and His right to be worshipped unconditionally and undividedly. Otherwise known as tawheed. 

As a person who was born into a Muslim family I was able to grasp this seemingly simple concept quite naturally, alhamdulillah. To a certain degree there are advantages to this but when something is handed to you on a silver platter you tend to take it for granted. I don’t know what it’s like to not believe in God but I do know what it’s like not to know who He is. I know what it’s like not to understand His importance in our lives.

I have asked myself, “The human mind sees what it wants to see. Does God really exist or do I believe in Him because that’s what I want to believe?” 

The 21st century is a time when agnosticism and atheism are becoming increasingly rampant. Some people say religion is no longer relevant in our lives because they don't address the issues that the human civilisation is facing in this era. Some say religion is the cause of problems and bloodshed in this world. I think once you look past what some of the followers of these religions do you'll realise that all religions encourage mankind to do good deeds in this world. What differs from one religion to another is the concept of God.

Imam Ahmad recorded from Ubay bin Ka'b that the idolaters said to the Prophet, "O Muhammad! Tell us the lineage of your Lord." In response, Allah swt revealed Surah Al-Ikhlas:

"Say: He is Allah, One. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute. He begets not nor was he begotten. And there is none comparable to Him." 

{Tafseer of Surah Al-Ikhlas}

Atheists claim that God doesn’t exist (Na’uzubillah min zalik - May Allah swt protect us from this harm) and that human beings invented the idea of God in their minds to comfort themselves and help them deal with bad experiences. At the same time, they can’t explain the creation of the Universe except in theoretical terms. Logically, it makes no sense to say that a Higher Power didn't create the Universe. It makes no sense that intelligent beings exist on Earth without a true purpose. A lot of people drive themselves crazy trying to figure these things out but the truth is simple.

God has taught us through Islam that He is Al-Hayy (The Eternally Living One), Al-Malik (The One with Complete Dominion), Al-Quddus (The Most Sacred), Al-Qahhar (The All-Prevailing One). He is also Al-Wakeel (The Trustee of all His creations) and unlike any of His creations, He doesn't have a beginning nor an end - Al-Qayyum. So not only is he the God of the 21st Century, he is the God of all Time - the past, present and future. 

I know it’s not easy to love and have faith in something that has no physical representation in this world. When we love a person it is usually for a myriad of reasons. For example, you may love them for their cheerful personality or for their unconditional love. You may love someone simply because they make you feel happy. Your love for these people is a result of an awareness of their physical presence and how they are a source of positivity in your life. Now, try to think of Allah swt as the source of all the blessings in your life. A loving family, a special talent, supportive friends, a kind and patient spouse. We have been blessed because He is Ar-Razzaq (The Provider), Ar-Rauf (The Compassionate), Al-Wadud (The Most Loving) and Al-Wahhab (The Generous). Often times we focus on what we don't have and that's how ingratitude creeps into our hearts. But if we focus too much on what we do have, we become arrogant towards Him and the people around us. The key to avoiding arrogance is to acknowledge God's presence in your life and that He is the Creator, Sustainer, Cherisher and Protector of the Universe and all the worlds (Rab-ul alameen).

The question is: How does one know God? I believe there are many ways to know our Creator but this is how I've personally felt Allah swt in my life.

Step #1. Have an open heart by being humble and sincere. It's no coincidence that purifying one's heart and intentions is a major part of Islam. Allah swt constantly reminds us in the Qur'an that He knows our deepest thoughts and intentions.

"And conceal your word or manifest it; surely He is Cognizant of what is in the hearts. Should He not know,  (as the one) Who created? And He is the Knower of the subtleties, the Aware." 

{Surah Al-Mulk : Ayah 13-14}

"He knows what is in the heavens and the earth, and He knows what you hide and what you manifest; and Allah is Cognizant of what is in the hearts." 

 {Surah At-Taghabun : Ayah 4}

There's nothing wrong with saying, “I have questions… I have doubts…," but you also need to say, "I need and want to find the answers to my questions.”  If you want to understand Him, reflect on His attributes. Yes God is One but He has 99 attributes and the fact that He has revealed them to us is a blessing. To be Muslim is to seek knowledge and put knowledge into practice. It doesn’t stop at praying five times a day. It doesn’t stop at saying the shahadah. It’s the journey of a lifetime and during this journey you will have to think for yourself but He will guide you along the way, inshaAllah. 

Step # 2. Study and reflect on the Qur’an. Make time for this. This is your investment for the Akhirah. Don’t just read it without trying to understand the message of the ayah or surah. I couldn’t relate to the Qur’an when I was younger because I had a teacher who taught me how to recite it but he didn’t teach me how to contemplate on it. Often times I would read the Qur’an by myself and its content wouldn’t resonate with me. This is why Qur’an tafseer lessons exist – to make the Qur’an applicable in our lives. If you have never attended a tafseer class, you owe it to yourself to go at least once and see what it does to your understanding of the Qur’an. Otherwise, there are tafseer articles online and videos on YouTube and HalalTube by knowledgeable scholars of Islam. Personal suggestion: Start with the tafseer of Surah Al-Fatihah (article / audio)

The Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be up on him) said: “Allah (mighty and sublime be He), had said: ‘I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: ‘Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin’ (3), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: ‘My servant has praised Me.’ And when he says: ‘Ar-rahmani r-rahim’ (4), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: ‘My servant has extolled Me,’ and when he says: ‘Maliki yawmi d-din’ (5), Allah says: ‘My servant has glorified Me’ - and on one occasion He said: ‘My servant has submitted to My power.’ And when he says: ‘Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nasta in’ (6), He says: ‘This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.’ And when he says: ‘Ihdina s-sirata l- mustaqim, siratal ladhina an amta alayhim ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin’ (7), He says: ‘This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.’” 

{Hadith Qudsi, Source: Sacred Hadith.com}

Step # 3. Deepen your knowledge of the concept of tawheed. Did you know the word 'tawheed' stems from the word 'wahad' which means One? Did you know that there are three categories of tawheed: Tawheed al-Ruboobiyah, Tawheed al-Ulooliyah and Tawheed Asma was Sifat? Don't be ashamed if you didn't know these things. I only learned about them today and I've been Muslim all my life (or I just don't recall learning about them in school).

Step # 4. Surround yourself with people who remind you of Him.  It is becoming increasingly challenging to be a Muslim these days. Our faith is constantly tested by our family, friends, classmates and colleagues. The society and culture we live in, basically. No matter how you see yourself - not-so-practicing Muslim, regular Muslim, etc. - if you want to know Allah you have to make sure that you make the conscious decision to be around Muslims who inspire you to become better human beings, better Muslims. Muslims who inspire the feeling of insaf (righteousness) in your heart.  They don't have to be scholars or Imams. They can be "ordinary" Muslims who strive to practice their deen to the best of their ability. Spend time with the righteous but not the self-righteous. Another personal tip: If you don't usually perform your prayers in congregation, break out of this routine one day and visit your local mosque or mussolah so you can can do so. Not only will Allah swt raise your darajah (rank) but He will also elevate your spirits, inshaAllah. A very beautiful feeling of unity, solidarity and serenity will arise in your heart because of the act of praying in congregation. This is the beauty of worshipping Al- Jami' (The Gatherer) with your fellow Muslims. 

Step # 5. Think positively of Allah swt and assume the best of Him.  Syed Qutb (may Allah have Mercy upon him) said: “The believing heart assumes the best of its Lord, and always expects the best from Him. It expects good from Him in times of ease and times of hardship, and it believes that Allah wants good for him in either situation. The secret of this is that his heart is connected to Allah, and the flow of good from Allah is never cut off. So, whenever the heart is connected to Him, it touches upon this fundamental reality and experiences it in a direct and sweet way.” [Fi Dhilal al-Qur’an] {Source: Hadithaday.org}

Now that I've shared about how I've struggled to acknowledge Allah swt in my life, I'm really interested to know how other people have come to know and understand their Creator. How have you experienced God's Presence in your life? What have you done to open up your heart to Him? Feel free to share your questions and thoughts.

BOOK: Islam in Malaysia- Perceptions and Facts

This is the English edition of Dr. Asri’s Mengemudi Bahtera Perubahan Minda, a compilation of his articles which originally appeared in Mingguan Malaysia. 

This is the most important book to be read for each Malaysian. I cannot stress this further but the Islamic influence on the daily lives of Malaysians seems like eating chicken rice without the chicken. However, many of the concepts and what we perceive to be Islamic are not right at all. I have became a fan of Dr. Asri's ideas which are basically a new presentations of the ideas of Al-Quran and Hadiths. Mind you, it is not the ideas but the way they are presented and narrated to fit today's situations.

"Dr. Asri believes Islam in Malaysia is in dire straits and needed to be rescued yesterday. Not necessarily rescued by political leaders or religious figures though as the good doctor argues that in many cases it is those authorities who are the most responsible for pulling Islam down to where it is now in Malaysia. No, everyone who considers him or herself a Muslim (regardless of social status) must take responsibility and practise Islam as it was practised by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In order to do that, Malaysian Muslims must totally shed the (mostly racial) prejudice, the superstitions many have associated with Islam and the attitude that the ustaz knows best and he must not be questioned."-The Malaysian Reader

The Chukai Insider highly recommends this book to ALL MUSLIMS AND NON-MUSLIMS ALIKE.-The Chukai Insider

READ: Of Fictions and Politics

*This article is about the mixing of religion and politics.
I've read Orhan Pamuk's The Museum of Innocence before and this is my second time reading it. I'm halfway. When others might say fictions do not make you think or be informed of things, I reject the notion. It happened so because you do not think of the message portrayed in the fictions. 

My friends and I might or might not get a position in politics but there are certainly interests on our part to be very interested in it, not for in the name of politics itself but in the name of the our beloved Malaysia. Even reading a novel like this makes me think of politics and how do we compare the subject in a wider sense. It shows vividly how does promotion of secularism in a Muslim society could bring more harm than good. 
READ MORE >>

It is a warning after all

"wahai orang-orang yang beriman, kenapakah kamu mengatakan sesuatu

yang tidak kamu kerjakan?! AMAT BESAR KEBENCIAN di sisi Allah jika kamu mengatakan apa-apa yang tidak kamu kerjakan"

[Surah As-saff, 61:2-3]

Upon seeing these words of Allah SWT posted by my friends in a blog with a title of 'Warning' (which made me to take it more seriously) and on Facebook's feed, I stopped doing anything for quite sometimes. The world stopped. The universe was brought to a halt. It brought me to think of it as a big message of how responsible you are for what you said, preached or talked about.

We do this is in our daily lives. I posted about Be Islamic, be critical before and upon reading how a friend of my friend passed away, the message was deeply embedded in my mind. The phrase 'amat besar kebencian di sisi Allah jika kamu mengatakan apa-apa yang tidak kamu kerjakan'  should go to our minds on a daily basis. 

Yes, I did talk many things about Islam, morality, how should we behave etc. and sometimes I do not feel they resonate in my heart. Let's change ourselves and others. It is 'ourselves' that comes before 'others' and the 'and' is there means we should do them (changing ourselves and others) together. 

We have always talked about how morality and justice should be placed in our life. There are always the Islamic guidance that we follow, but sometimes we do make mistakes of not following Allah's words. Not going to classes, I would say is one of the thing that my friends and I should be regretted of doing. When do it regularly, it became a normal thing. And for me, why did I choose class to go to? Was it my choice to decide which lecturers are boring or not?

And yet, sometimes I 'lectured' others for not going to classes which I considered important. In what way other classes were not important?

In times like this, the need of friends are vitally important. What will happen if there was no one reminding us about this? It is always a friend who are always honest to us to make us a better person. And that is why, choosing good friends are of equally important.-The Chukai Insider

Perkara Ghaib and Future

I could not think of any English word to replace the phrase 'perkara ghaib'. Allah SWT has already told us that the future is one of the 'perkara ghaib's- things which we should place under 'takdir'.


There is nothing philosophical about this. It is just my mind going 'what will happen?' mode. I just enrolled myself for next year's subjects.


Watch this. Akhirah Deficit Disorder (ADD). 

The Chukai Insider

A Country at the Crossroads

It seems like Malaysia has never been more open enough in terms of discussion of many things that involve principles, ideologies and beliefs. More divided than before, I would say. Or more concreted to each other as I would want to see it. And yet, while having these tonnes of issues which were considered 'sensitive' the proponents of freedom of speech still fighting for their cause. I think they like to oppose much until they forgot when to stop. Once born Opposition, you keep opposing without any judgements whether they are good or bad. All things are bad, according to you. Unless you are the ones making bad stuffs, no one can put the issues in their newspapers. Well Seputeh's, that's for you. Why did I say that? Do you remember when one of your fella 'rocket' members say our flag should be changed and you told the media to keep the thing off and move on. Oh, how dumber could you get when your leaned-towards-you media been bashing all things done by the other side.

I am not saying that I am on that side. It is just you do things so unpragmatic without credibilities and of course the right word is 'stupid'. Well, it's the rockets. I wonder what the White Moon on the Greens would say since the Rockets are their 'allies'. 

Well, the one with the big serban in Kelantan would just speak with his accent and things would be kept shut. He likes to keep others shut with his sharp and yet unconclusive words. I do respect him but never want him to become my leader.

The other side is no better. When Moderation is the key as they would say, the extreme championista are at their sides. I don't want a wife looks like having her time of life when his husband is the Project Manager (PM) of the country. More hairdo, huh? Make it bigger. 

When some people still do not understand hudud, and its application, the Project Manager straight away said 'NO' when majority of those who understood it thought he should not say that. It really shows that you don't understand the concept and yet you bring the Islamic notion to the international level. Aren't you ashamed? And while at the back, the Queen Bee still does not cover her hair. When could you say it's not yet time or so-called 'your rights', please remember that you are the slave of Allah SWT in this world, and you are not obeying His words. And yet, you tell others in the country to follow you while in my eyes, you don't even have the guts to adhere to your religion closely when it is of paramount importance.

One side is too much to the worldly matters, the other side is no better except in a different way. The opportunist rocket is watching. Still, The Chukai Insider is wondering why the Red Keris and The White Moon on the Greens cannot work together? If tarbiyah is the dogma of The White Moon on the Greens, then they should be acting like friends and not bashing the other side like you don't want to be friends. To the Red Keris, we all know most of you agreed with what The White Moon on the Greens fight for, but why the arrogance?

Everyone was brought up in different ways and so we have different opinions. However, we have always wanted the best in Malaysia. How do you define that is different again. Let's work on it. Yes, the Reds and Greens, please work on your relationship and we can move on, happily ever after.-The Chukai Insider

Again on Hudud

This is a simple article just to make my stand on Hudud issue clearer. 

1. It is a matter of choice of Muslims in today's conditions. Not in the context of today's 'world' as Al-Quran is relevant throughout the time. Today's conditions means the situations do not allow us to implement it due to many reasons- unfair institutions, elitism, separation of powers between the leader and the people, unequal distribution of wealth etc. And this matter is already agreed by neutral and unbiased Islamic scholar like Dr. Asri since we are not yet able to provide an adil situation in which all basic conditions of human be met (easy marriage is an example). To put it simple, work on to eliminate those things to implement Hudud. Yes, this goes to you too the Greens. 

On this basis, Hudud law cannot be implemented now. (The Chukai Insider's stand)

2. If you believe that Al-Quran is the Allah's sayings to the Muslims, and you yourself are in efforts to become a Muslims (the lowest level of iman) then you should be in effort to make hudud laws as a way of societies' lives. But never to the point where you implement the whole hudud law but the societies are not yet ready for it. Then, what is the purpose of hudud law if the believers don't even believe in the reasons behind the laws. It would be extremely stupid and very wrong on your side.

3. Hence, priorities should be given to educate the law to the people- not bashing each other on the basis of which one is right. For a wise Muslim, it is the ultimate goal to go with Allah's sayings (decree) and hence we must understand the reasons behind the law. We do not just publicise the law to the public and just say that we should do this and this. It is stupid to implement something in which even the people (rakyat) still do not get to understand and practice. 

4. No example could be better than this- 'some' Saudi Arabians on plane already took off their covers (tudungs/jilbab) once they are outside the country. Does this show that once they are outside the law, they can go against it? This shows lack of deep understanding (fahmuddaki') on their believes. The same thing could happen in Malaysia. Or if it is allowed in the Constitution to implement it in some states, many will fled out of them. And it is not their fault that they feel scared since they don't understand the law. Politicians on both sides argued who is better but everyone wants to be accepted in Allah's views. Perhaps. Hence work together to make sure the conditions where Hudud law can be implemented be realised. 

5. To the championista of Hudud law, it is the responsibility of the Muslims then to support the efforts of going for Hudud law. But the most important thing is education to the people. It is extremely stupid to implement without people understanding it. Even Rasulullah SAW took 13 years to educate and to the level that is far better than today's. I doubt even in Kelantan the leaders can provide the same conditions that Hudud may be implemented in the near future. 

6. This is the truth- in Kelantan or Terengganu. There is always a stark difference between those who are the religous and not. But the vocal ones are the religious person (in this context, practising Muslims) but please do educate others first before you chanting Hudud to the public.

7. I never saw an imam approaching the mat rempits (it may happened but I do not think so since I never saw one approaching the latter) and at least try to converse with them and then make them interested with the religion. When you implement Hudud, what will happen to this cluster of people? They were not educated the proper way and not even acknowledged the reasons behind the law and then get punished.- When you later on say that this group will get scared after the law is implemented, then will they do nothing and be kinder? No, you must remember that there is a possibility that they will get worse and flee away. So, you leave the states full with so-called good people and let others do their bad things somewhere else? Think!

8. Who do you think they will blame?

9. When da'wah is the branch of politics (I saw this with the Greens) then it is hard to make people understand about it. Ilmu as mentioned in the first Surah of Al-Alaq should be given the highest priority to make people understand Hudud law-even to the so called a Muslim columnist championing the human rights. How about the rights to practise my religion- in this case Islam and Hudud? Can you answer that Z Anwar?


 Educating those in power should be prioritised. However, it is so sad to see that even those wearing kopiah on top of their heads saying bad words and 'trying' to educate the less-educated the wrong way and they call themselves the 'knowing' and 'holding Allah's trust as khalifah on this earth'.

There is no point you post pictures of people under punishment of Hudud law if you want that to happen. You must go deeper to yourselves and reflect on how do you understand the law in the first place. I have lots of friends posting photos of Hudud law implementation but fail to make others to understand the law but keep their friend distancing themselves from understanding the law. Maybe your niat is good but the way you transmit the message could not be more wrong. The key word is: educate. Educate yourself first then others.

10. Hudud is a must. Education to understand it is much much more needed.-The Chukai Insider

Hudud Issue: How about you?

Have you heard the brouhaha about Hudud issue in Malaysia? Yes, for only Allah SWT knows how many times have this issue being raised to the public discussion and fall to deaf ears months after that. Like a crab in holes of the sand at the beach, it will come out to the surface of the public's mind by any means but ultimately by one of the so-called Islamist party of Malaysia- The Greens. 

If you consider yourself a Muslim, you should not take this as something brought up by a political party. Believe me, even me who are really anti of the political dinosaurs of the Greens think that we should never take this as a political games or ploy. We the Muslims either on  the Reds and the Greens must take this seriously. So are the young of this time!

Again, be grateful to Allah SWT that in His barakah and opportunities that we are able to come across with this issue when we are still in early twenties or younger. Don't you think it is a sign of a better world for Malaysians?

If they do not raise the issue in public, would you ever give a damn about Hudud? Nay.

I would not go to the details of Hudud as I am not an expert but I AM A MALAYSIAN and have the right of expressing opinion under the Constitution. 

First and foremost  I think Mr.N said one of the dumbest thing when he said 'No hudud in Malaysia' as he already put a dot on the issue. While a Malaysian Project Manager (PM) must become the mediator in most cases, and then rolled out his stand, he did the opposite thing. How dumber could it be?

When you said that, it gives the impression even you don't understand the concept of Hudud itself and you yourself say you are a Muslim and the leader of a Muslim country and yet what Allah SWT says are denied by you. Yes, we are not able to do it since the current situation will make it worst (more of that here) but in mu humble opinion, we should strive to bring the society towards there. Being a Malaysian Project Manager does not mean you have the word to go against your God. In that sense, you against the trust of the people and you took an oath before. Nay?

It is ubiquitous nowadays to see the so-called I-am-a-Muslim-too and yet they translate the religious issues on literal basis without Quranic verses and interpretations. Yes, to Non-Muslims reading this, you do not have to worry about not understanding Hudud (and) most of the time you get misled by the wrong authority since it will not bring harm to you (we do not stone you to death if you don't want the laws).You always get misled by the wrong people. Even Muslims themselves don't understand it. Even if they understand, they already set their mind that Hudud is 'uncivilised' and therefore cannot be implemented. For example- THIS ARTICLE. What do you mean  by 'No hudud please, we're Malaysians'. No offence, but I still think if you do not even care to wear enough fabrics to cover your aurat, I don't think you have the capacity to even deny about it. Furthermore, you misled others. Isn't that asking Muslims to have bad impressions on their own religion? Even worse, you play around with the issue and make it a laughing matter. One obvious stupid thing you did- referring rape as adultery while in fact it is not. You should read this.

As a humble slave of Allah SWT, I encourage you to think about this issue. It is not political, trust me. It is your life and it goes back to you and your life. I still think that Hudud cannot be implemented YET in Malaysia (and even in one of its states) but the efforts to bring the people towards the level of Hudud-ness (my own term) must be done. 

What I mean by this is mentioned in by Dr Asri in his website:

Nabi s.a.w sebelum menegaskan tentang hudud, baginda mewujudkan suasana keadilan yang menyeluruh dalam masyarakat yang diperintah oleh baginda. Pemerintah dan rakyat sama setaraf di hadapan undang-undang. Tiada diskriminasi keturunan dan latar belakang. Suanana kebajikan; bantu membantu, tolong menolong antara masyarakat yang kukuh. Jaminan hak rakyat yang diberikan. Suasana halal yang mudah; mudah berkahwin, talak, fasakh, khuluk dan selainnya. Tiada alasan untuk lelaki ataupun wanita berzina. Sementara suasana haram yang diketatkan; sukar mendapat dan menebusi perkara haram. 

And yet we still do not have that. This is what I referred to as going for Hudud-ness.

Hudud-ness refers to the conditions in which all of the environments, laws and leaders provide the base for Hudud to be implemented. 

Simple question: As good a law could be, if the implementers are as bad as today's, what will happen? 

Again, the name of Islam will be used to against it and thereby putting bad impressions on the religion.

To the columnist who wrote 'No hudud please', please understand the law carefully first and don't make yourself look 'SO DUMB' to the millions of readers of the newspaper.-The Chukai Insider

Hudud is a matter of choice for Muslims

This Opinion is taken from The Star Online. 

It is a must-read if you care about your faith even you are not a Muslim. It is an essential for every Malaysian to read this. Even the Muslims themselves don't understand this issue as I may suggest by what a columnist in The Star wrote last week. In one word-shameful. This is written by Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud, Member of Parliament for Kota Raja, Selangor.

I AM writing this in response to Zainah Anwar’s article “No hudud please, we are Malaysians” (Sunday Star, Oct 2), where she presented her objections to the implementation of hudud law.

I understand that she sees herself as a “modern, democratic and progressive” person and, as such, has great difficulty in understanding why there exists to this day people who are “stuck in medieval times”.

I know that her views with respect to hudud and perhaps the Islamic legal system is shared by some Muslims and this is why I am responding to her article. First, I believe a brief explanation on what hudud law is about would be relevant.

Hudud law refers to those specific crimes and their related punishment which have been categorically mentioned in the Quran. As such, there are only a few crimes which fall under the purview of hudud law. Given that these laws are directly derived from the Quran, to the Muslim who believes that the Quran is the word of God, its implementation is a matter of faith.

The crimes which cannot be charged under hudud fall under the purview of ta’zir wherein the punishment and mode of proof is open to discussion and debate.

It has also to be understood that the implementation of hudud laws is subject to very strict and stringent requirements. Due to the stringent punishments which are to be meted out, the requirements to necessitate the implementation of these laws are also equally stringent.

The case of adultery

The question of four witnesses in the case of adultery and the subsequent qazaf punishment should the accuser fail to bring forth the four witnesses is frequently scoffed at but it is an example of the strict and stringent requirements for conviction in view of the stringent punishment to be meted out. To meet the requirement of four reputable witnesses makes conviction almost impossible.

Perhaps some may then question that if it is nearly impossible to get a conviction in the case of adultery, why then the need for such a law? The answer is to maintain the status of adultery as a heinous crime in the eyes of the public. No one will then brag of having had illicit affairs in public.

The social implications of adultery is obvious for all to see. Abandoned babies, divorces and such are clearly on the increase. We speak out against the stringent punishment for adultery but who speaks out for the dead baby found in the trash bins?

The purpose of this requirement is also to ensure that such accusations are not made irresponsibly and rumours pertaining to a person’s moral uprightness are seen as something unacceptable by the general public.

The case of rape

In relation to the issue of rape, it has also to be explained, in the event some people still do not understand, that rape and adultery are two different things. The law pertaining to adultery is not applicable to rape. An accusation of adultery is made by a third party wherein the act is done by other consenting individuals.

An accusation of rape, on the other hand, is made by the victim herself, not a third party, and it is far from being consensual.

Given the situation, the requirement for the four witnesses is not relevant to rape as it is to strengthen the accusation of the third party in the case of an accusation of adultery. In the case of rape, conventional items of proof can be used such as DNA to secure a conviction.

It is to be noted that in the case of rape, many rapists get off scot free as they allege it was consensual sex. This is more so in “date rapes” or cases when the rapist is an acquaintance of the victim.

In such cases, the victim has to prove that it was not consensual. In most cases the victim and her moral integrity is then put on trial. Under the Islamic system, consensual sex is not a defence for the rapist as in effect he would be admitting to adultery. The victim would be let off as she claims rape and her involvement in the sexual act was not consensual.

There are those who would argue that an unsuspecting male would then become the victim when a woman seduces him and she then cries rape.

To that, my response would be for the male to keep his pants on at all times. This in itself would be a deterent to the occurrence of adultery as the male would always be wary since he would have no escape route open to him should she intend to entrap him.

I do not deny that in some cases, there are those who insist that rape and adultery are the same. It has to be noted that such claims have no Quranic justification and can be taken as a misinterpretation of Islamic law by individuals who do not understand the difference between the two.

If this happens, I am sure the Sisters in Islam will be able to argue out the case for differentiating between the two cases.

Pregnancy out of wedlock

Similar is the case for women who become pregnant out of wedlock. All that needs to be done is to say that she was raped or forced to have sex and that would suffice as her defence. Anyone saying otherwise should bring forth four witnesses as they are then the ones accusing her of having committed adultery.

A case in point is an incident in the time of Umar Al-Khattab when an unmarried woman was brought to him after having given birth to a child. Umar wanted to punish her but when asked by Ali, she explained what happened some 10 months before when she was forced to have sex in exchange for a drink of milk while she was dying of thirst.

Given that explanation, Ali quickly retorted that she was a victim, forced to have sex and should not therefore be punished. She was then released.

It is to be understood that the spirit behind the implementation of the law is to find the accused innocent unless the evidence and proof are so overwhelming and all requirements have been met that it cannot be opined otherwise other than guilty.

It is not to be implemented with a blood-thirsty and overzealous attitude as what some may wish to portray.

Thieves and the cutting

off of their hands

In the case of theft and the cutting off of the hand of the thief, it has to be understood that in the first place, two righteous persons need to come forward as witnesses. They must have seen the thief stealing the item with their own eyes.

At the same time, the item stolen must be above a certain value, kept in a reasonably safe location and the reasons for stealing must be other than out of necessity.

Last but not least, the victim must insist on charging the thief or thieves in court knowing full well the punishment which will be meted out in the case of a conviction.

Should the victim choose to retract all charges, after having achieved an amicable out of court agreement, then again the conviction and thereby the punishment averted.

It must be always borne in mind that the purpose of the law is to act as a serious deterrent to all “would-be perpetrators” and in so doing, reduce crime significantly. It is not the objective to maximise the number of those punished.

Theft, especially one accompanied by violence, leaves traumatised victims in its wake. Victims of snatch thieves, dragged over a few metres, suffer serious injuries. Some have died. Pregnant women have been known to suffer miscarriage and even innocent bystanders have been known to have become victims of this crime.

While conviction is difficult, due to the requirements set by the hudud, its implementation will serve as an effective deterrent. Should, through its implementation, the occurrence of crime be significantly reduced, then we must say that it has achieved its objective.

If a single hand is in the end cut off, but through it a thousand incidents are averted, and with it also a thousand traumatised victims, would one not say that the law has been a success?

It has to be reiterated that in the event a case cannot be charged under hudud, due to it not fulfilling the explicit requirements, it can then be charged under ta’zir.

In the case of theft, this includes situations where there were no witnesses to the crime but the stolen material was found in the possession of the accused, or there was only one witness instead of two. In such cases the accused, if found guilty, will still be punished but not under the laws of hudud.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that much is not known about hudud law and how it works within the bigger overall legal system, particularly by those who wish to appear as champions opposing it. What should happen is for the proponents to present their case in detail first, before it is opposed based on the points presented.

Secondly, while the punishment for hudud crimes are quite explicit, the procedures for its implementation can be discussed and so designed so as to ensure that they will not lead to an easy conviction.

Third and last, it is up to Muslims to decide whether they wish for these laws to be implemented on them.

If that is what they wish for, understanding it to be a requirement of their faith, who then is Zainah to refuse them their choice? After all, is it not said that one man’s meat is another man’s poison?

For those who like to give the impression that when hudud is implemented there will be so many people walking around without limbs and there will be not enough stones to throw, they are admitting that there are many thieves and adulterers among us who would commit these heinous crimes unashamedly in broad daylight.

If society has come to this point, don’t you think that immorality in our society has reached uncontrollable levels and that hudud is imperative? Laws are not only to punish but to be a deterrent.

Allah SWT understands the nature of His creations better than we understand ourselves. It is our faith that Allah SWT knows best.

As Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Asri puts it precisely, as Muslim you cannot go against Allah’s decree (the Quran is the word of God) but you can question the enactments and their implementation.

Sisters, if you accept the word of Allah SWT, you would be doing a great service to Islam if you can sit down with the implementers to iron out what you may perceive would be unjust in the implementation of hudud.

DR SITI MARIAH MAHMUD,

MP Kota Raja, Selangor.

Ikhlas

It is narrated on the authority of Amirul Mu'minin, Abu Hafs 'Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say: "Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated." [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Ikhlas? In between the Terawih prayers just now, there was a very short yet very significant tazkirah that I heard today. It was all about Ikhlas. 

Emergency Appeal

Emergency Appeal: East African Famine

AMATULLAH | AUGUST 13, 2011 12:26 AM

While watching the news with my mom the other day, a segment came on about the famine in East Africa. As we listened to the anchor share the stories of families coming to the refugee camps for aid, he highlighted one specific story of a father who walked for 30 days and 30 nights to save his three young sons. At one point in his journey, the children were too weak to walk so their father would carry them one by one – dropping one off at one point then going back for the other across the barren desert.

Then they shared another story of a mother. She was sitting quietly by the bedside of her child who just passed away. Her two other children passed away a few days before this baby. She sat there for hours, quietly, because she could not afford to bury her own child.

In the past 3 months, it is reported that nearly 30,000 children have died.

30,000.

Take Back Your Heart

I slept at 3 last night and it felt like I've been leaving more important things to do. It's Ramadhan and I seem to read my Geology stuffs almost everyday now. It's getting harder. Don't even talk about Palaeontology because with the names, I seem to get more confused each time they are mentioned. Well, now not so much. Burning the midnight's candle seemed to work. All the time. Memorising names or Phylum, Genus and Species to be exact. Yeah, who would have thought some biology-like subject would come to me again since I've been avoiding it since SPM. 

I slept so late last night. At least I did something good. Yes, it is for my studies. But come to think about it again, would I have stayed up late night for something more meaningful than reading rocks and fossils? Would I have stayed late up in the night to find myself closer to Allah SWT?  Then, I found this article this morning. Bang! It hit me right! Let me share this with you. Yes, there are lots of words. But it worth your time. Yeah, I'm a blogger who likes to share other people's article (with citation of course). What a world it would be without us sharing knowledge and lessons?

I found the article [HERE].

TAKE BACK YOUR HEART

No one likes to fall. And few people would ever choose to drown. But in struggling through the ocean of this life, sometimes it’s so hard not to let the world in. Sometimes the ocean does enter us. The dunya does seep into our hearts.

And like the water that breaks the boat, when dunya enters, it shatters our heart.  It shatters the boat. Recently, I was reminded of what a broken boat looks like, of what happens when you let everything in. I was reminded because I saw someone, just like me, fall in love too much with this life and seek to be filled by the creation. So the ocean of dunya shattered her boat, as it had shattered mine, and she fell out into the water.  But she stayed down too long, and didn’t know how to come back up or what to hold on to.

So she drowned.

If you allow dunya to own your heart, like the ocean that owns the boat, it will take over. You will sink down to the depths of the sea. You will touch the ocean floor. And you will feel as though you were at your lowest point. Entrapped by your sins and the love of this life, you will feel broken. Surrounded by darkness. That’s the amazing thing about the floor of the ocean. No light reaches it.

But, this dark place is not the end. Remember that the darkness of night precedes the dawn. And as long as your heart still beats, this is not the death of it. You don’t have to die here. Sometimes, the ocean floor is only a stop on the journey. And it is when you are at this lowest point, that you are faced with a choice. You can stay there at the bottom, until you drown. Or you can gather pearls and rise back up—stronger from the swim, and richer from the jewels.

If you seek Him, God can raise you up, and replace the darkness of the ocean, with the light of His sun. He can transform what was once your greatest weakness into your greatest strength, and a means of growth, purification and redemption. Know that transformation sometimes begins with a fall. So never curse the fall. The ground is where humility lives. Take it. Learn it. Breathe it in. And then come back stronger, humbler and more aware of your need for Him. Come back having seen your own nothingness and His greatness. Know that if you have seen that Reality, you have seen much. For the one who is truly deceived is the one who sees his own self—but not Him.  Deprived is the one who has never witnessed his own desperate need for God.  Reliant on his own means, he forgets that the means, his own soul, and everything else in existence are His creation.

Seek God to bring you back up, for when He does, He will rebuild your ship. The heart that you thought was forever damaged will be mended. What was shattered will be whole again. Know that only He can do this. Seek Him.

And when He saves you, beg forgiveness for the fall, feel remorse over it—but not despair.  As Ibn ul Qayyim (ra) has said: “Satan rejoiced when Adam (peace be upon him) came out of Paradise, but he did not know that when a diver sinks into the sea, he collects pearls and then rises again.”

There is a powerful and amazing thing about tawbah (repentance) and turning back to Allah (swt). We are told that it is apolish for the heart. What’s amazing about a polish is that it doesn’t just clean. It makes the object that is polished even shinier than it was before it got dirty. If you come back to God, seek His forgiveness, and refocus your life and heart on Him, you have the potential to be even richer than if you’d never fallen at all. Sometimes falling and coming back up gives you wisdom and humility that you may never otherwise have had. Ibn ul Qayyim (ra) writes:

“One of the Salaf (Pious Predecessors) said: “Indeed a servant commits a sin by which he enters Paradise; and another does a good deed by which he enters the Fire.” It was asked: How is that? So he replied: “The one who committed the sin, constantly thinks about it; which causes him to fear it, regret it, weep over it and feel ashamed in front of his Lord—the Most High—due to it. He stands before Allah, broken-hearted and with his head lowered in humility. So this sin is more beneficial to him than doing many acts of obedience, since it caused him to have humility and humbleness—which leads to the servant’s happiness and success—to the extent that this sin becomes the cause for him entering Paradise. As for the doer of good, then he does not consider this good a favor from his Lord upon him. Rather, he becomes arrogant and amazed with himself, saying: I have achieved such and such, and such and such. So this further increases him in self-adulation, pride and arrogance—such that this becomes the cause for his destruction.”

Allah (swt) reminds us in the Qur’an to never lose hope. He says: “Say, ‘O My servants who have transgressed against their souls [by sinning], despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful,’” (39:53).

And so, this is a call to all those who have become enslaved by the tyranny of the self, imprisoned in the dungeon of thenafs (self) and desires.  It is a call to all those who have entered the ocean of dunya, who have sunk into its depths, and become trapped by its crushing waves. Rise up. Rise up to the air, to the Real world above the prison of the ocean. Rise up to your freedom. Rise up and come back to life. Leave the death of your soul behind you. Your heart can still live and be stronger and purer than it ever was. Does not the polish of tawbah remake the heart even more beautiful than it was? Remove the veil you have sewn with your sins. Remove the veil between you and Life, between you and Freedom, between you and Light—between you and God.  Remove the veil and rise up. Come back to yourself. Come back to where you began. Come back Home. Know that when all the other doors have shut in your face, there is One that is always open. Always. Seek it. Seek Him and He will guide you through the waves of the cruel ocean, into the mercy of the sun.

This world cannot break you—unless you give it permission. And it cannot own you unless you hand it the keys – unless you give it your heart.  And so, if you have handed those keys to dunya for a while—take them back. This isn’t the End. You don’t have to die here. Reclaim your heart and place it with its rightful owner:

God.

Source: Suhaibwebb.com