Kempen Selamatkan Bahasa Melayu

Suasana Yang Mendidik Hati

"Ukhti,cuba ukhti perhatikan ramai di kalangan kawan-kawan kita nie,belajar agama bukan sahaja di sekolah dulu tapi kat universiti pun pengkhususan bidang agama,tapi yang ana sedihnya mereka seolah-olah bukan pelajar dalam bidang agama,macam tak de basic Islamic knowledge, sama je dengan pelajar yang tak ambil jurusan agama” keluh sahabat Mujahidah yang kesedihan melihat telatah sahabat-sahabatnya yang sepatutnya ilmu agama menjadi pendinding dalam kehidupan tetapi tidak begitu.

“Mereka belajar hukum-hukum agama tetapi tidak praktikkan…contohnya; lihatlah yang berlaku kat depan kita nie,seorang pelajar dalam jurusan Fiqh tidak menutup aurat dengan sepatutnya” “bukankah kita dah belajar kan dalam subjek Fiqh tentang hukum menutup aurat,ana dah beberapa kali menasihati dia,tapi wallahua’lam,dia masih berterusan tidak menutup aurat” “Ukhti rasa kenapa perkara ini berlaku??yelah,memang sepatutnya orang yang belajar agama nie lebih baik dari segi amalannya daripada yang tidak belajar agama”sambung Aishah,sahabat karib Mujahidah yang sering berkongsi ilmu dan masalah harian dengan Mujahidah.

“Bagi ana sukar untuk diketahui apa yang berada di dalam fikiran orang tue,mungkin bagi dia,belajar agama nie hanya sekadar maklumat yang baru bagi dirinya dan ia bukan lah ilmu yang membawa kepada pengamalan atau praktikal.Ia mungkin sekadar teori, yang membantunya untuk lulus exam dan dapat kerja.” bicara Mujahidah “Apa maksud ukhti” celah Aishah.

“ana masih ingat kata-kata lecturer kita dalam subjek History of Islamic Philosophy yang mengatakan orang yang menganggap sesuatu benda yang dipelajarinya ialah ilmu dan maklumat amat berbeza sama sekali.Orang menganggap benda baru yang dipelajarinya sebagai ilmu,ia akan memberi kesan kepada perbuatannya sama ada dia mengamalkan ilmu itu,dalam masa yang sama dia juga menyampaikannya kepada orang lain”. “Lain pula orang yang pelajari sesuatu yang baru dan menganggapnya sebagai maklumat,seperti orang yang setiap hari baca akhbar yang menjadikan berita di dalam akhbar itu sekadar info untuk mengetahui perkembangan semasa”.Tambah Mujahidah lagi.

“Erm,mungkin apa yang dipelajarinya tidak masuk dalam hati kan??Mungkin juga berkaitan dengan niatnya dalam menuntut ilmu,Nabi Muhammad kan pernah bersabda, innamal a’mallu bi niat,kalau niat kita menuntut ilmu hanya untuk mendapat lulus exam dan dapat kerja,itulah yang kita dapat.Kalau niat kita kerana Allah,ia akan jadi ibadat dan sekaligus ilmu itu akan masuk ke dalam hati kita dan seterusnya bukan sahaja kita dapat jawab exam dengan baik tapi juga ilmu itu kita amalkan dan praktikkan,kita akan dapat habuan dunia dan akhirat”.Aishah berkata-kata sambil membetulkan begnya.

“A’ah,ana setuju,cumanya ana rasa suasana tempat juga menjadi faktor hati kita terdidik kepada taqarrub kepada Allah”.Dengan mengangguk-angguk kepala Mujahidah berkata. “Suasana??Suasana yang macam mana tue?”Aishah tertanya-tanya tidak sabar mengetahuinya.

“Ada empat suasana yang mendidik hati iaitu; pertama,segala suasana yang menyentuh hati kita di mana kita rasa seronok membuat sesuatu kebaikan,contohnya;kita menjadi naqibah dalam usrah bersama ahli-ahli jamaah di mana kita berkongsi ilmu dan berdiskusi dengan mereka,ilmu yang kita kongsikan itu bukan sahaja kita terasa bahawa ilmu itu disampaikan kepada orang lain tetapi juga menjadi value dalam diri kita.Kedua,segala suasana yang menyebabkan kita mudah mengingati Allah atau terikat dengan Allah,contohnya sama seperti usrah yang kita adakan,pertemuan di dalam usrah betul-betul dapat mentarbiah diri kita bertaqarrub kepadaNya.Ada banyak lagi suasana yang menyebabkan kita mudah mengingatiNya seperti kesusahan dan keperitan hidup yang kita alami,pastinya kita mengadu kepada Allah dengan tangisan dan harapan yang sepenuh hati.Seterusnya, segala suasana yang merangsang kita untuk melahirkan amal,contohnya; apabila kita berhadapan dengan maksiat,dengan spontan kita berdoa agar dijauhkan daripada fitnah maksiat itu.Lastly,segala suasana yang merangsang kita untuk beristiqamah.”Jelas Mujahidah tanpa henti.
Sambil memegang erat bahu Mujahidah,Aishah berkata,“Alhamdulilah,ana amat bersyukur kerana Allah mengurniakan ana suasana yang macam nie,ana ada sahabat seperti ukhti yang sentiasa mendorong dan berkongsi dengan ana sesuatu yang berbentuk tarbiah diri,ana juga diizinkanNya untuk sama-sama berusrah dalam jamaah kita dan sebagainya” “sebelum ini ana terasa masih ada sesuatu yang kosong dalam hati ana nie,ana pernah terfikir apa gunanya ana buat benda baik,kerana ana bukannya berasal dari sekolah agama yang mempunyai basic agama, sahabat-sahabat ana yang lain yang bersekolah agama dan kat universiti ambil jurusan agama pun tak amalkan apa yang mereka belajar, tetapi Alhamdulilah sangat,Allah bukakan hati ana dan memberi peluang untuk ana merasai hidayah dan petunjukNya”.

“Alhamduliah,segalanya daripada Allah,kita merancang,hanya Allah tentukan. Tiada apa yang kita harapkan selain daripada keredaanNya,percayalah sahabatku,keikhlasan dan keistiqamahan kita dalam menjalani ibadat kepadaNya,tidak perlu kita nantikan orang lain melakukannya terlebih dahulu, teruslah lakukannya selagi mana perbuatan itu Allah sukai dan jauhilah perbuatan yang Allah tak suka,sememangnya dalam kehidupan ini sentiasa perlu bermujahadah melakukan kebaikan dan menghindari kemungkaran” Begitulah kata-kata Mujahidah yang sentiasa memastikan dirinya dan sahabat di sampingnya sentiasa beringat dalam mentarbiahkan diri kepada taqarrub kepada Allah.

“Ya,betul.Semoga jalinan persahabatan kita berkekalan dunia dan akhirat,semoga kita tergolong di kalangan hambaNya yang beriman dan beramal dengan ajaranNya.”Aishah menutup perbincangan mereka apabila tibanya di hadapan pintu perpustakaan.


nurmujahidah.uiam
21 november 2008/1.40am

Pandangan Mata

Fitnah mata berpunca dari pandangan,

Sesuatu yang dipandang boleh meninggalkan kesan di hati,

Jika mata hati terus memandang maka hati pula dipengaruhi,

Tidak sedikit pandangan yang membuat damai,

Dan tidak sedikit pula orang celaka kerana mata,

Jika mata boleh mempengaruhi hati,

Maka hati pula boleh mempengaruhi mata,

Hati terus berbisik kepada mata,

Pandanglah,kerana engkau dijadikan untuk itu,

Jika mata terus memandang,maka sepatutnya hati dapat mengawalnya,

Jauhilah dosa akibat kerjasama mata dan hati,

Tetapi pandanglah sekelilingmu dengan pandangan mata hati

dipetik dari: buku 'asas tasawuf-membentuk insan calon penghuni syurga'

al-Sayyid Bakri al-Makkiy.

Bediuzzaman's model for Islamic Renaissance

MOST SOCIAL SCIENTISTS AGREE UPON THREE MODELS:
A) THE CHANGE CAN BEGIN AT AN UPPER STRUCTURE AND WORK ITSELF DOWN
B) THE CHANGE CAN BEGIN AT THE LOWER STRUCTURE AND MOVE UPWARD
C) THE CHANGE CAN START SIMULTANEOUSLY AT LOWER AND UPPER LEVELS


MODEL A;( UPPER STRUCTURE&MOVE ITSELF DOWN)

IT IS GENERALLY AUTHORITARIAN AND THE CHANGE IS USUALLY MOVED DOWN BY FORCE

THE ADVANTAGE OF THIS MODEL IS THAT THE CHANGE CAN BE CONSIDERABLY ACCOMPLISHED IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME

MEANWHILE,THE DISADVANTAGE IS THAT THE INDIVIDUALS HAVE TO ACCEPT THE CHANGE WHETHER THEY ARE CONVINCED OF ITS NECESSITY OR NOT

THIS MODEL NEITHER NEEDS THE MAJORITY OF SUPPORT TO BEGIN THE CHANGE NOR DOES IT KEEP THE EXISTING VALUES WHICH ARE RESPECTED BY THE MAJORITY


MODEL B; (LOWER STRUCTURE&MOVE UPWARD)

THE CHANGE STARTS FROM AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL.

IT DOES NOT CALL FOR FORCE BUT WILLINGNESS OF INDIVIDUAL TO CHANGE

THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS MODEL ARE; IT DOES NOT ELIMINATE THE OPPOSITION AND IT RESPECTS THE MINORITY VIEW

MODEL C; (LOWER AND UPPER LEVELS)

IT COMBINES IN SOME PRINCIPLES OF MODEL A&B

THE ADVANTAGE IS THAT IT TAKES ESTABLISHED PRINCIPLES FROM OTHER MODELS AND THUS IT DOES NOT NEED TIME TO DEVELOP ITS OWN CONCEPTS

THE DISADVANTAGE IS THAT IT DOES NOT HAVE ITS OWN IDEOLOGICAL SOURCE AND THUS IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY DIRECTION

NURSI MODEL DOES NOT ESTABLISH IN TERMS OF POLITICS&ECONOMICS

BUT IN RISALAH –E NUR APPROACH TO CHANGE FROM THE LOWER AND FROM INDIVIDUAL TO HUMANITY

THE BASIC INGREDIENTS OF THE NURSI MODEL ARE;

1) TO CURE WEAKNESS OF IMAN&DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUAL CONSCIENCE

2) ISLAMIC WORK MUST BE DONE THROUGH A GROUP APPROACH

3) UNITY ;
-AMONG MUSLIM INDIVIDUALS
-AMONGMUSLIM STATES
-A COMMON FRONT WITH OTHER BELIEVERS AGAINST
THE ENEMIES OF THE BELIEVERS


THE CURE OF WEAKNESS OF IMAN

BEDIUZZAMAN LIVED IN AN AGE WHOSE DOMINANT CHARACTERISTIC WAS ITS ADHERENCE TO SCIENCE,LOGIC,AND POSITIVISM.

HE BELIEVED THAT THE WORLD WAS EXPERIENCING A PERIOD OF IDEOLOGICAL CONFLICT, SO HE TOOK UP HIS OWN PLACE IN INTELLECTUAL LIFE ,ONE DICTATED BY THE LIGHT OF ISLAM

ACCORDING TO HIM ALSO, THE GREATEST PROBLEM OF THIS AGE IS SPIRITUAL CRISIS

(MORAL CRISIS HAPPENS BECAUSE OF IMPOSED BY WESTERN SOCIETY ..
THE LEADERS ARE CARELESS&NEGLIGENT BECAUSE NOT EMPHASIZED INNER MORAL EXISTENCE,CONSCIENCE,&THE BELIEF SYSTEM OF NATION BASED ON QURAN AND SUNNAH)

IN THAT CASE,HE BEGAN TO CONFRONT IN HIS WRITING&PUBLIC LECTURES, THE WEAKNESS OF FAITH&MORALITY THAT HAD INFECTED THE VERY FOUNDATION IN SOCIETY


METHODS TO BE APPLIED

A) LOGICAL APPROACH

THE FOREMOST THING TO IMPROVE SOCIETY IS TO REFORM INDIVIDUALS,BECAUSE NO HEALTHY STRUCTURE CAN BE BUILT UPON CORRUPT INDIVIDUALS

HOW TO IMPROVE THE BELIEF&RELIGIOUSNESS OF AN INDIVIDUAL???

RISALAH-E NUR CONCENTRATES ON PROVIDING THE TRUTHS OF ISLAM IN A SCIENTIFIC WAY.

RISALAH-E NUR EXPLAINS THE QURANIC VERSES BY MEANS OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES,PHYSICAL LAWS,AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS.

IN OTHER WORDS,COMBINING RELIGIOUS AND MODERN SCIENCE TOGETHER.

FOR EXAMPLE; IN SURAH SABA’:12,
THIS AYAT DESCRIBES US THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF TRAVERSING
LONG DISTANCES IN A SHORT TIME.BY EXPLAINING THIS,
THE QURAN HAS INDICATED THE INVENTION OF AIRPLANE

SURAH AL-ANBIYA’:69,
THIS AYAT EXPLAINS THE STORY OF ABRAHAM,
IS ALSO INDICATES THE PRINCIPLES OF REFRIGERATION.

BEDIUZZAMAN TELLS US THESE AYAT HAVE MISSION-ORIENTED&HAVE HIDDEN MESSAGES,IT IS DIFFICULT FOR THE ORDINARY SCHORLARS TO UNDERSTAND&INTERPRET THEM PROPERLY.

AS A RESULT,HIS MONUMENTAL WORK IS NOT A WORK-FOR—WORD TRANSLATION(TAFSIR BIL LAFZ) BUT IS AN INTERPRETATION OF DEEPER MEANING OF THE QURAN(TAFSIR BIL MAKNA)


B) LABORATORY METHOD

BEDIUZZAMAN’S APPROACH IS THE APPLICATION OF THE
LABORATORY PRINCIPLE IN HIS WRITING,
AS HE DEMONSTRATED IN THE TREATISE,NATURE: CAUSE OR EFFECT?

FOR EXAMPLE : WHATEVER EXIST IN THIS WORLD IS FROM
ATTRIBUTED OF THE CREATOR.WITHOUT HIM,
EVERYTHING DOES NOT EXIST

THE FACTORS OF THE GROWTH OF PLANTS,SUCH AIR,WATER,HEAT AND LIGHT


C) THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL THROUGH EDUCATION

BEDIUZZAMAN EMPHASIZED THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF
EDUCATING THE MUSLIM OF OUR AGE IS BOTH
RELIGIOUS&MODERN SCIENCE TOGETHER TO PREVENT
BOTH FANATICISM& UNBELIEF


GROUP APPROACH

NURSI STRONGLY EMPHASIZED THE NEED OF JAMAAH.

THE CORPORATIONS ARE ONE ENTITY,
BUT ITS AFFAIRS ARE REGULATED AND ADMINISTERED BY A GROUP.

BEDIUZZAMAN IN THE TREATISE SAID THAT SINCERITY LAID DOWN ONE OF THE BEST RULES ON HOW ISLAMIC GROUPS SHOULD WORK&RESPECT ONE ANOTHER.

UNITY

A) UNITY AMONG MUSLIM INDIVIDUALS

ISLAMIC UNITY IS ESSENTIAL IN PRESERVING&PROPAGATING ISLAMIC THOUGHT “OUR GOD IS ONE,OUR PROPHET IS ONE, OUR QURAN IS ONE”

SO,WE HAVE A CONSENSUS UPON REQUIREMENTS OF RELIGION WHICH THESE THINGS HAVE IN COMMON TO DICTATE UNITY AMONG S.

UNITY BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS WILL PRODUCE A UNITED COMMUNITY.

B) UNITY OF THE MUSLIM STATES

TO BEDIUZZAMAN THE AIM OF UNITY OF THE MUSLIM STATES IS TO EXCITE IN THE MUSLIM WORLD AN ENTHUSIASM FOR PROGRESS AND ITS CHARACTERISTIC IS LOVE AMONG BELIEVERS

IN HIS LETTER TO PRINCE SABAHADDIN, HE STATES THAT ONCE THE MUSLIM WORLD HAS GAINED THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF ACTING IN CONCORD, IT CAN BE UNITED UNDER A FEDERATION THAT WILL COME ABOUT WITH ITS PROPER CHARACTERISTICS

THE FEDERAL SYSTEM IS THE BEST POSSIBLE MEANS OF UNITY AMONG NATIONS THAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR DIFFERENT COUNTRIES TO MAINTAIN THEIR NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS WHILE BECOMING UNITED WITH ONE ANOTHER

HE ASSUMED THAT UNITY’S CONCEPT WILL CONTINUE STRONGLY IF THEY FOLLOW THE CONSULTATION PROCEDURE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD SAW.

THE PRACTICE OF CONSULTATION BY ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES WILL YIELD UNITY AND SOLIDARITY


C) THE COMMON FRONT WITH OTHER BELIEVERS

ACCORDING TO BEDIUZZAMAN, THE WESTERN WORLD SHOULD NOT HAVE A NEGATIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD A UNITED MUSLIM WORLD BECAUSE IF WE SEE NOW, THE WEST IS IN DESPERATE NEED OF SUCH A UNITY

TOWARD THE BRIGHT FUTURE

THERE HAVE BEEN CONSIDERABLE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LAST DECADES TOWARD A UNITED MUSLIM WORLD,AMONG WHICH THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE MUSLIM COUNTRIES SHOULD STRESSED.

FOR EXAMPLE ;
THE LATEST CONFERENCE HELD IN ISTANBUL
WHICH CONSOLIDATED THE GROUND FOR CLOSER
RELATIONS & SOLIDARITY AMONG MUSLIM COUNTRIES.

BEDIUZZAMAN, IN HIS OPTIMISTIC WORDS STATE THAT HE WILL MAKE THE WHOLE WORLD HEAR HIS SURE CONVICTION THAT THE FUTURE WILL BE FOR ISLAM AND THAT THE TRUTHS OF THE QURAN WILL HAVE THE WHIP HANDLE.

nurmujahidah.uiam
9.56am (27 Novenber 2008)

SEPULUH WASIAT DARI IMAM AL-SYAHID HASSAN AL-BANNA

1. Apabila mendengar azan maka bangunlah sembahyang serta-merta walaubagaimana keadaan sekalipun.

2.Bacalah al-Quran,tatapilah buku-buku ilmu, pergilah ke majlis-majlis ilmu, dan amalkanlah zikrullah dan janganlah membuang masa dalam perkara yang tiada memberi faedah.

3.Berusahalah untuk bertutur dalam bahasa Arab kerana bahasa Arab yang betul itu adalah satu-satunya syiar Islam.

4.Janganlah bertengkar dalam apa-apa perkara sekalipun kerana pertengkaran yang kosong tiada memberi apa-apa jua kebaikan.

5.Janganlah banyak ketawa kerana hati yang sentiasa berhubung dengan Allah itu sentiasa tenang lagi tenteram.

6.Janganlah banyak bergurau kerana umat yang sedang berjuang itu tidak mengerti melainkan bersungguh-sungguh dalam setiap perkara.

7.Janganlah bercakap lebih nyaring daripada kadar yang dikehendaki oleh pendengar kerana percakapan yang nyaring itu adalah suatu resmi yang sia-sia malah menyakiti hati orang.

8.Jauhilah daripada mengumpat-umpat peribadi orang, mengecam pertubuhan-pertubuhan, dan janganlah bercakap melainkan apa- apa yang memberi kebajikan.

9.Berkenal-kenalanlah dengan setiap Muslimin yang ditemui kerana asas gerakan dakwah kita ialah berkenal-kenalan dan berkasih-sayang.

10.Kewajipan-kewajipan kita lebih banyak daripada masa yang ada pada kita, oleh itu gunakanlah masa dengan sebaik-baiknya dan ringkaskanlah perlaksanaannya.

BACALAH -- RENUNGILAH -- KEMUDIAN AMALKANLAH

THE LOVE OF GOD

International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Friday Khutbah

(24^th October 2008)

Delivered by:

Dr. Mohd Farid Mohd Shahran

Dept. Of Usuluddin and Comparative Religion, IIUM

Professors, Brothers and sisters in Islam,

We are now approaching the end of the month of Syawwal. This is indeed the best time for us to retrospect on the success and victory that we have achieved during the month of Shawwal and the preceding month of Ramadhan. Perhaps one of the ways to assess our victory during these two months is to contemplate and look deeply into our spiritual state, is there any sign of enhancement taking place as far as our spiritual development is concerned? How close are we to our Creator after undergoing the spiritual training in the blessed month of Ramadhan? How strong is our longing for God?

The love of God (mahabbatullah) is indeed the highest achievement, a Muslim should strive for, throughout his religious life. It is the ultimate result of one’s true submission and worship of God as well as the result of his true and deep knowledge about God. Ibn ‘Abbas while commenting the verse in Al-Dhariyat:56, (Wa ma khalaqtu al-jinni wa al-Ins illa li ya’budun) “I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me” mentioned that the meaning of li ya’budun (to serve God) is to know Him (li ya’rifun). And to know God in the true sense is ultimately to arrive at the state of loving Him. Hence mahabbatullah, the love of God, is the highest station of a servant in his path towards a true submission to God.

Unfortunately brothers and sisters, we are now living in the world where men are gradually moving away from this ultimate aim of life. If we look around, it appears that the love of other than God predominates every inch of human life. Everyday, for example, we listen from radios and tvs various kind of songs which rather praising and glorifying lovers among human beings. By going through any lyric of these songs, one can simply discern that revered terms and words that are commonly and ought to be used to praise the Divine are on the other hand used to glorify lovers among human beings. God is gradually fading away from the soul of man has been slowly chased away from their mind. Humanism has become a new religion and man is enthroned as its new God.

Brothers and Sisters in Islam,

As we have said earlier, Islam teaches us that the love of God is the greatest achievement of man in his life. It is in fact a condition of iman as affirmed by the Qur’an:

“the believers are those who are overflowing in their love for Allah.” (Al-Baqarah:165)

And the Prophet said:

“One is not truly a believer until he loves God and His Prophet more than any other of the two” (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, from Anas)

In fact, ‘the love of God’ has been one of the important themes of the Prophet’s prayer:

“O God, give me love of You, and love of those who loves You, and love of what makes me approach your love, and make your love dearer to me than cool water”

Hence, the love of God must be the final aim of all man’s endeavors in this world. Human perfection and happiness in fact resides in this state of spiritual feeling. The love of God should conquer and predominate man’s heart over the love of all other things. This is the very reason why the sufis place mahabbah, the love of God, as the highest station in their way towards God. Within this station of mahabbah alone, there are many sub-stations such as uns, intimacy, qurb, proximity, shawq, longing and others.

Dhu’l Nun al-Misri, one of the early sufi of late 9^th century, expressed his deep yearning in this station through the following phrases:

I die, and yet not dies in me,

The ardour of my love for thee (you),

Nor has your love, my only goal

Soften the fever of my soul

To you alone my spirit cries

In you my whole ambition lies

And still your wealth is far above

Compared to the poverty of my small love

However long my sickness be

This tiresome infirmity

Never to men will I declare

The burden you has made me bear,

A fever burns below my heart

And ravages my every part

It hath destroyed my strength and stay

And smouldered all my soul away

Hafiz, the Persian Sufi poets talks about the station of the love of God”:

“The adventure between me and my beloved has no end

That which has no beginning cannot have end”

That is how the lovers of God show the excitement of mahabbatullah.

We can continuously narrate numerous lines of the deep and immerse articulations of the lovers of God. Nevertheless this is not the occasion to do so. We are also well aware of the fact that to attain the state of mahabbatullah, the love of God, is far difficult than to speak about it. Therefore, perhaps it is sufficient for us to contemplate on a few signs of love of God as discussed by al-Ghazali in his work, Kimya’ al-Sa’adah: The Alchemy of happiness:

The first sign of mahabbah, according to al-Ghazali, is that a man should not dislike the thought of death, because death is the gate to meet God and no lover, says al-Ghazali, who refuses to see his beloved. Prophet Ibrahim, Khalilullah, the Companion of Allah, when was called to his death by Izrail, Angel of death, refused to follow him since he would not believe that God will take the live of someone he loved very much. But the Izrail answered back, “Have you seen a lover who refuses to go to his beloved?” and upon hearing that, Prophet Ibrahim immediately replied, “O angel of death, Take my life now”.

And to think about death is certainly not to abandon and renounce what we are doing in the world. Neither it means to live in this world in a paranoid condition, petrified by the worry of death. Instead, it is to live in the world with vigilant and cautious mind that this world is not an end in itself but a transitory place from which a longer journey is awaiting. It means to live with a conscious mind regarding our origin, our responsibility and our real destiny.

Furthermore, as the sufis saying goes, death not only refers to the physical termination of life but also applies to its spiritual meaning. It also means dying to one’s own desire as mentioned in the famous tradition, ………………………………… “Die before you die”. It means to bend the lower qualities of man towards higher purposes and to ensure the spiritual resurrection in this life.

Besides, what is the better thought than thinking of something that is most certainly will happen to us, while everyday, there are many wordly things that are uncertain that really occupy our mind. Hence, not to think about death is in fact trying to run from the most indubitable matter in life.

God says in Surah al-Jumu’ah ( 61:8)

Say, “ The death from which you flee will truly overtake you; then will you be sent back to the Knower of things Secret and Open; and He will tell the truth of things that you did”.

The second sign of the love of God is that one should be willing to sacrifice his will to God’s, by holding fast to whatever thing that will bring him nearer to God, and by keeping himself away from anything that will place him at a distance from God. This means that, in every second, he should try his very best to avoid committing sin for this will bring him farther from God, and he should strive to obey God’s command since this will bring him nearer to God.

That is the reason why in the Qur’an, the notion of mahabatullah is closely linked with the obedience of God through our compliance to risalah brought by Prophet Muhammad.

In Surah al-Baqarah 2: verse 31, Allah says,

Say, “If you do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful”

And as the consequence this obedience, another sign of the love of God, according to al-Ghazali, will occur on someone, is that ibadah becomes easy for him. When love of God is complete, no joy is equal to the joy of worship. The worship of Allah will be something that he is always longing for in every second of his life. It is just like when love a woman has filled the heart of a man, any action that will lead him closer to the woman will be easy for him. Accordingly, the lovers God will always take all opportunities that they have in this world to busy themselves in worshipping God.

Let us strive to be one of those who love God and also loved by God

Barakallah…

p/s: semoga perkongsian teks khutbah ini memberikan manfaat kepada kita semua