A Jewish boy, a servant of the Prophet (pbuh), fell sick. So the Prophet (pbuh) said: ‘Let us go and visit him.’ They went to visit him, and found his father sitting by his head, and the Messenger of God (pbuh) said: ‘Proclaim that there is no true god worthy of being worshipped except Allah alone and I will intercede on your behalf on account of it on the Day of Resurrection.’

The boy looked at his father, and the father said: ‘Obey Abul-Qassim!’ so the boy uttered: ‘There is no true god worthy of being worshipped except Allah alone and Muhammad (pbuh) is the last Messenger.’ The Messenger of God (pbuh) said: ‘All praise is due to God, Who saved him from the Fire of Hell.’                       

 [Collected by Abu Daud # 3095, Ibn Hibban # 4975,

al-Albani in Irwa' alGhalil # 1272 who said: SAHIH ]

          Maksudnya, ketika menjaga kepentingan satu pihak atau keadaan, kepentingan pihak yang satu lagi tidak diabaikan. Dalam erti kata lain tidak ifrat (melampau) dan tidak tafrit (cuai).

          Tafrit atau cuai dalam amar makruf nahi mungkar bermaksud meninggalkan tanggungjawab amar makruf nahi mungkar seperti menganggap perkara itu bukan tangunggjawabnya atau kemungkaran yang berlaku tiada kaitan dengannya.

          Sementara ifrat atau ghulu bermaksud melaksanakannya dalam bentuk yang melampaui batasan. Contohnya, mengkafirkan orang yang melakukan maksiat sedangkan pelakuaya tidak termasuk kategori itu. Ap ayang dituntut ialah keserdahanan dalam erti kata melaksanakan tanggungjawab ini dengan dawabit (kaedah) dan adab yang digariskan oleh syarak.

          Ifrat dan tafrit adalah jalan syaitan dan menyanggahi ajaran Islam yang murni. Ibn Taimiyyah (728 H) berkata:

          “Sesungguhnya agama Allah adalah pertengahan antara yang melampau dan yang meningalkannya (cuai). Allah tidak memerintahkan hamba-hamba-NYA sesuatu, melainkan syaitan akan mengganggunya melalui dua cara. Syaitan tidak kisah yang mana satu dia berjaya. Sama ada secara ifrat (melampaui batasan agama) atau tafrit (cuai terhadap agama).

          Oleh kerana Islam adalah agama Allah yang tidak boleh diambil daripada sesiapapun selain-NYA, maka syaitan menganggu kebanyakan mereka yang mengaku mengikut ajaran ini. Sehinggakan syaitan berjaya mengeluarkan mereka daripada ajaran syariat sebenar. Bahkan syaitan berjaya menyesatkan sejumlah umat ini yang kuat beribadah dan warak daripada agama umpama anak panah meluru keluar dari busarnya.”(Ibn Taimiyyah, Majmu’at al-Fatawa)         

graciously responds

reassuringly,
“This beauty that I have is just one simple part of me.
This body that I have, no stranger has the right to see.
These long clothes, this shawl I wear, ensure my modesty.
Faith is more essential than fashion, wouldn’t you agree?

This hijab,
This mark of piety,
Is an act of faith, a symbol,
For all the world to see.
A simple cloth, to preserve her dignity.
So lift the veil from your heart to see the heart of purity.

They tell her, “Girl, don’t you know this is the West and you are free?
You don’t need to be

oppressed, ashamed of your femininity.”
She just shakes her head and she speaks so

assuredly,

“See the bill-boards and the magazines that line the check-out isles, with their phoney painted faces and their air-brushed smiles?
Well their sheer clothes and low cut gowns are really not for me.
You call it freedom,

 I call it anarchy.”

By Dawud W. Ali

1. To answer salam with more or of equal courtesy
2. To visit the sick
3. To pray for the death
4. To accept an invitation and attend it
5. To reply to people who sneezes and has said ‘Alhamdulillah’

[Bukhari #1164,Muslim #4022 ]

From the above verses, the humble writer wants to tell all the respected readers about what Allah has promised to all Muslims. The writer feels that from the above verses, all Muslims can become better Muslims qualitatively.

Allah will reward good Muslims with gorgeous women who will accompany them in the heaven.

‘And (there will be) Companions with beautiful, big and lustrous eyes, like unto Pearls well-guarded’ (Al-Rahman: 22-23)

Remember that it is Allah, the Exalted, who determine our future wives like what Allah has said in the following verse:

‘Women impure are for men impure, and men impure for women impure and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity: these are not affected by what people say. For them, there is forgiveness and a provision honourable’ (Surah Al-Nur: 26)

So why engage in coupling or dating??? Think about it…

Ok, fine…lets us see whether we have included these in our new resolutions. Have we ever thought of changing ourselves so that we would become better Muslims qualitatively? Have we ever thought of changing ourselves so that we will not make foes with others and be good and respect people around us? Have we ever thought of respecting all Muslim brothers and sisters irrespective of their race, skin colour, courses (kuliah), and positions?

Good!!! If you have, then its fantastic. For those who have forgotten to add these to their new resolutions, they might ask ‘How am I suppose to be a better Muslim than before?’ Well, the answer lays in the following verse:

“You are the best of Peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah” (Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:110)

There are many ways of doing rightful things as long as it does not contradict the Quran and Sunnah. Example is performing prayers and encouraging others to pray too. Allah SWT said:

“The Believers, men and women, are protectors, one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His Mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise.” (Surah Al-Tawbah 9:71)

The humble writer would like the respected readers to ponder on this next verse and maybe come up with ideas from this verse:

“And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colours; verily in that are Signs for those who know.” (Surah Al-Rum, 22)

My Dear Muslim Sisters,

Between the Israeli assault on Lebanon and the Zionist “war on terror,” the Muslim world is now center stage in every American home. I see the carnage, death and destruction that have befallen Lebanon, but I also see something else: I see you. I can’t help but notice that almost every woman I see is carrying a baby or has children around her. I see that though they are dressed modestly, their beauty still shines through. But it’s not just outer beauty that I notice. I also notice that I feel something strange inside me:

I feel envy. I feel terrible for the horrible experiences and war crimes that the Lebanese people have suffered, being targeted by our common enemy.

But I can’t help but admire your strength, your beauty, your modesty, and most of all, your happiness. Yes, it’s strange, but it occurred to me that even under constant bombardment, you still seemed happier than we are, because you were still living the natural lives of women. The way women have always lived since the beginning of time. It used to be that way in the West until the 1960s, when we were bombarded by the same enemy. Only we were not bombarded with actual munitions, but with subtle trickery and moral corruption.

They bombarded us Americans from Hollywood, instead of from fighter jets or with our own American-made tanks. They would like to bomb you in this way too, after they’ve finished bombing the infrastructure of your countries. I do not want this to happen to you. You will feel degraded, just like we do. You can avoid this kind of bombing if you will kindly listen to those of us who have already suffered serious casualties from their evil influence.

Because everything you see coming out of Hollywood is a pack of lies, a distortion of reality, smoke and mirrors. They present casual sex as harmless recreation because they aim to destroy the moral fabric of the societies into which they beam their poisonous programming. I beg you not to drink their poison. There is no antidote for it once you have consumed it. You may recover partially, but you will never be the same. Better to avoid the poison altogether than to try to heal from the damage it causes.

They will try to tempt you with their titillating movies and music videos, falsely portraying us American women as happy and satisfied, proud of dressing like prostitutes, and content without families. Most of us are not happy, trust me. Millions of us are on anti-depressant medication, hate our jobs, and cry at night over the men who told us they loved us, then greedily used us and walked away. They would like to destroy your families and convince you to have fewer children. They do this by presenting marriage as a form of slavery, motherhood as a curse, and being modest and pure as old-fashioned. They want you to cheapen yourself and lose your faith. They are like the Serpent tempting Eve with the apple. Don’t bite.

I see you as precious gems, pure gold, or the “pearl of great value”. All women are pearls of great value, but some of us have been deceived into doubting the value of our purity. Our pearls are priceless, but they convince us that they’re cheap. But trust me; there is no substitute for being able to look in the mirror and seeing purity, innocence and self-respect staring back at you. The fashions coming out of the Western sewer are designed to make you believe that your most valuable asset is your sexuality. But your beautiful dresses and veils are actually sexier than any Western fashion, because they cloak you in mystery and show self-respect and confidence. A woman’s sexuality should be guarded from unworthy eyes, since it should be your gift to the man who loves and respects you enough to marry you. And since your men are still manly warriors, they deserve no less than your best. Our men don’t even want purity anymore. They don’t recognize the pearl of great value, opting for the flashy rhinestone instead. Only to leave her too.

Your most valuable assets are your inner beauty, your innocence, and everything that makes you who you are. But I notice that some Muslim women push the limit and try to be as Western as possible, even while wearing a veil (with some of their hair showing). Why imitate women who already regret, or will soon regret, their lost virtue? There is no compensation for that loss. You are flawless diamonds. Don’t let them trick you into becoming rhinestones. Because everything you see in the fashion magazines and on Western television is a lie. It is Satan’s trap. It is fool’s gold.

I’ll let you in on a little secret, just in case you’re curious: pre-marital sex is not even that great. We gave our bodies to the men we were in love with, believing that that was the way to make them love us and want to marry us. Just as we had seen on television growing up. But without the security of marriage and the sure knowledge that he will always stay with us, it’s not even enjoyable! That’s the irony. It was just a waste. It leaves you in tears.

Speaking as one woman to another, I believe that you understand that already. Because only a woman can truly understand what’s in another woman’s heart. We really are all alike. Our race, religion or nationalities do not matter. A woman’s heart is the same everywhere. We love. That’s what we do best. We nurture our families and give comfort and strength to the men we love. But we American women have been fooled into believing that we are happiest having careers, our own homes in which to live alone, and freedom to give our love away to whomever we choose. That is not freedom. And that is not love. Only in the safe haven of marriage can a woman’s body and heart be safe to love. Don’t settle for anything less. It’s not worth it. You won’t even like it and you’ll like yourself even less afterwards. Then he’ll leave you.

Sin never pays. It always cheats you. Even though I have reclaimed my honor, there’s still no substitute for having never been dishonored in the first place. We Western women have been brainwashed into thinking that you Muslim women are oppressed. But truly, we are the ones who are oppressed; slaves to fashions that degrade us, obsessed with our weight, begging for love from men who do not want to grow up. Deep down inside, we know that we have been cheated. We secretly admire and envy you, although some of us will not admit it. Please do not look down on us or think that we like things the way they are. It’s not our fault. Most of us did not have fathers to protect us when we were young because our families have been destroyed. You know who is behind this plot. Don’t be fooled, my sisters. Don’t let them get you too.

Stay innocent and pure. We Christian women need to see what life is really supposed to be like for women. We need you to set the example for us, because we are lost. Hold onto your purity. Remember: you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. So guard your “toothpaste” carefully! I hope you receive this advice in the spirit in which it is intended: the spirit of friendship, respect, and admiration.

From your Christian sister

Bonnie Evans-Hills

with love.

Jika keluar ke bandar, saya memang jarang lepaskan peluang untuk berkunjung ke kedai-kedai buku. Jadi saya telah melihat berbagai-bagai jenis buku dan gaya penulisan (alhamdulillah), dan tentang hal itulah yang mencetuskan topik ini: “Hati-hati bila nak beli buku agama”.

Ini kerana saya dapati ada orang awam yang membeli buku hanya kerana tertarik dengan tajuk buku sahaja sedangkan dia tidak berfikir pun tentang tahap ketulenan dan kesahihan ilmu yang terdapat dalam buku yang ingin dibelinya.

Apa masalahnya sehingga perlu berhati-hati pula?

Begini, antara masalah-masalah yang dapat dilihat pada sesetengah buku-buku agama adalah seperti berikut:

• Fakta-fakta Islam yang terkandung dalam buku tersebut tidak disertakan dari mana dalilnya atau kitab apa yang dijadikan rujukan. *(dalam buku yang bagus biasanya terdapat footnote yang menyebut tentang sumber-sumber yang digunakan oleh penulis dalam memasukkan sesuatu hukum\fatwa\fakta Islam)
• Penulisan mengandungi unsur emosi bukannya ilmiah.
• Banyak dimasukkan hadith-hadith dan zikir-zikir spesifik dalam sesuatu ibadah tetapi tidak disebut sumbernya. Para pembaca buku perlu berwaspada dengan zikir-zikir dalam ibadat yang direka-reka oleh manusia, takut-takut ia menukar cara dan lafaz bacaan seperti mana yang diajar Rasulullah, contoh ikutan terbaik buat kita.
• Malah, kadang-kadang diajar juga amalan ibadat pelik-pelik, di mana tidak disebut dengan dalil dan sumber manakah penulis mendapat tahu hal tersebut.
• Kadang-kadang walaupun disertakan hadith-hadith, penulis tidak menyatakan status hadith tersebut sama ada dari segi siapa periwayatnya (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi etc), dan kategori hadith tersebut (Sahih, Hasan etc).
• Perkara yang disampaikan oleh penulis bukannya hujah ilmiah, sebaliknya hal-hal karut-marut yang tidak ada asasnya dalam nas-nas sahih.
• Penulisan yang bersikap sempit (jumud), iaitu penulis tidak mempamerkan hujahnya dengan jelas, terang dan selaras dengan dalil-dalil yang kukuh saling menyokong; tetapi sebaliknya berhujah dengan alasan yang tidak kuat, dan kerap kali tidak berdalil atau dalilnya ialah hadith yang lemah. Ini selalu dijumpai dalam buku-buku cara ibadat.
• Penulis bertindak menyerang peribadi seseorang individu yang tidak sependapat dengannya. Sepatutnya dia hanya berbahas (secara ilmiah bukan emosi) untuk melawan hujah individu itu sahaja, bukannya merosakkan dan merendah-rendahkan maruah orang lain.

Kriteria-Kriteria Penting Bila Nak Beli Buku Agama

Bila hendak beli buku agama, pastikanlah hal-hal berikut supaya ilmu agama yang diperolehi itu lebih selamat untuk diamalkan:

1. Buku tersebut mengandungi fakta-fakta dalam syariat Islam yang disokong oleh dalil-dalil daripada Al-Quran dan Hadith.
2. Hadith-hadith yang digunakan dimasukkan sekali rujukannya daripada kitab mana (contoh: Hadith no. 1243 dalam Sahih Bukhari, Hadith no. 116 dalam Kitab Sahih Al-Huffaz, m/s 234 dari buku “Introduction To Islam” dan sebagainya).
3. Pastikan dalil-dalil yang disertakan mempunyai penerangan yang jelas dan logik. Jika dalil-dalil itu agak sukar untuk difahami, adalah bagus jika buku itu mengandungi tafsiran daripada para ulama’ pentafsir Quran dan Hadith.
4. Sungguhpun jika dalil Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah ada dimasukkan, pembaca seeloknya tetap perlu menganalisa buku itu dan elakkan menerima secara membuta-tuli sesuatu hal, melainkan jika sudah benar-benar yakin dengan kekuatan hujah ilmiah yang terkandung dalam buku tersebut. *(Antara teknik menganalisa buku yang baik ialah: membandingkan hujah dalam buku tersebut dengan hujah-hujah dalam buku-buku agama lain yang dipercayai. Kemudian jika terdapat perbezaan pendapat, cuba fikirkan sebabnya, dan lebih baik anda pergi bertanya ustaz yang pakar dalam hal tersebut untuk lebih pasti.)
5. Hujah (selain hal-hal ghaib) yang digunakan oleh penulis dapat diterima akal logik.
6. Tentang hal-hal ghaib, mesti pastikan terdapat ayat Al-Quran dan hadith-hadith sahih yang menjadi bukti bagi hal ghaib tersebut. Untuk lebih selamat, pastikan buku tersebut mengandungi tafsiran-tafsiran para ulama’ tentang hal ghaib itu. *(sebenarnya hal-hal ghaib tidak patut untuk dibahaskan dengan mendalam kerana hal-hal ghaib memang manusia biasa tak nampak. Jadi cukuplah kita beriman dengan apa sahaja yang disebut dalam Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah daripada kita sibuk membuat sangkaan-sangkaan tentang hal-hal ghaib ini.)
7. Semakin banyak pendapat para ulama’ muktabar terdahulu dan mutakhir dimasukkan penulis ke dalam buku tersebut, semakin baguslah buku itu untuk dibeli, kerana hujah yang disampaikan akan jadi lebih kuat dan menyakinkan.
8. Tidak ada unsur-unsur khurafat dan dongeng dalam usaha penulis untuk menyampaikan sesuatu maklumat dalam buku tersebut.
9. Penulis tidak menunjukkan ketaksuban kepada ideologi atau gaya hidup mana-mana individu melainkan kepada Rasulullah s.a.w sahaja.
10. Penyampaian isi buku tidak berbelit-belit.
11. Gaya penulisan tidak menunjukkan unsur-unsur ego dan lagak, sebaliknya penulisan itu kelihatan seperti cenderung untuk berdakwah kepada para pembaca bukannya untuk menghentam individu.

Semoga semua ini dapat membantu kita untuk membeli buku-buku agama yang lebih terjamin kesahihannya dan lebih selamat untuk diamalkan isinya. Insha Allah!

Ahlan wa sahlan!!! Welcome!!!

Introduction

In the past few years, the world has, and is still witnessing the revival of Islam in many of its aspects. The Quran & Sunnah are being united and weaved into every facet of Muslims’ lives. The doors of ijtihad are once more opened. The quest for true Islamic knowledge based on our two sources, Quran & Sunnah seems never-ending. However, in the light of this new globalized reformation of Muslim world in its numerous aspects, many of us are still in the darkness of ignorance towards the true Islamic faith.

On one hand, it is gladdening to watch the Islamic revival carving its way to reach its pinnacle. On the other hand,unfortunately, the Muslim world still remains as a progressively tarnished and distorted religion, mainly brought about by the ceaseless ignorance of its own followers, and also resulting from the persistent bombarded violation of human rights towards suppressed Muslims. Whether we are aware or not, we are facing enemies from outside and within our Muslim society. Issues on Liberal Islam, terrorism, secularism and restoration of justice to oppressed Muslims all around the globe continuously crave for our attention. Undoubtedly, many of us are perfectly aware of the urging need of bringing these issues to the limelight. But regrettably, many too, are not. It is our responsibility to tackle these issues intelligently so that they will not develop into a chronic phase.

Being a medical student with the so-called ‘busy schedule’ which gets busier by the year, worryingly some of us totally abandon the pursue of Islamic knowledge and the hunt of current issues besetting the Muslim Ummah with the mere typical excuse of “We have no time to study anything beyond our medical field”. Thus, in the attempt of reaching out to the medical students, Tazkirah Online senses the inevitable obligation of creating a wake-up call to jerk them out of their sleep.

Objectives

Orientated on the targeted current and Islamic issues in addition to IIUM news and affairs, the articles planned bear common goals which are:-

1. To develop a community which is not just confined to medical studies, but also aware of Islamic knowledge, current Ummatic issues and also IIUM contemporary events.
2. To trigger Medical students to think out of the box and land their concern on the betterment of the Muslim Ummah.
3. To encourage the Medical community to think and contribute articles and ideas to Tazkirah Online in the course of developing the Muslim Ummah
4. To create awareness, to urge people to act, and to introduce positive changes in the Ummah as a whole.
5. To become a continuous inspiring medium to enliven medical students’ spirit which might plummet year by year if not polished.
6. To inform and remind Medical students on their diverse responsibilities in becoming future professionals and Muslim da’i as well.