Islam: A Guide to Proper Faith for Dummies

Salam alaykum warahmatullah,

I suppose most would wonder of the slightly improper title, but to my opinion that is the appropriate title to what Islam is to people who are searching for what a real faith is. 

Why so?

Islam is the only faith/religion that gives a wholesome guide to how we should live our lives by living it to the fullest. Islam is the only faith that gives a comprehensive feedback to questions that arises, never criss-crossing and against human nature only showing another route to how to do what is natural. 

Now, what is faith?

Faith is a belief in something. Belief that something has power. Belief that something can be done. Belief. 

Imagine a situation that would likely arise when someone says: "I have faith in you."  or "You have my faith.". Does that mean that we worship someone? Or that someone has changed whom we worship? 

No. It only means that we believe, believe and believe in something. The same holds true for Islam as faith or any religion for that matter; we believe that there is a higher entity that has power over us.

"O mankind! A similitude has been coined, so listen to it (carefully): Verily! Those on whom you call beside Allah cannot create (even) a fly, even though they combine together for that purpose. And if the fly snatched away a thing from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought."

[Al-Hajj 22:73]

This verse was the kind of mindset that Nabiyallah Ibrahim A.S. had when he observed his ummah. At a ripe young age he wondered of the idiocy and illogical purpose of a man creating something then worshipping it as though it has power over everything, whereas HE was the one who CREATED the idol. 

So Allah, in this verse, described perfectly of the actual situation of the idols that they worshipped. So it is for all faiths that is dependent on the worshipping of multiple deities. 

Even in Greek mythology we can see that multiple deities has never been more than chaos. Entities with enormous power of the world slug it out to be more supreme of the other. Who benefited when they won or lose? The deities themselves. What of their subjects? Only pain and suffering. Thus is the proven mistake of having multiple deities. 

How does this relate to Islam?

Islam has only One to worship and abode to that cannot be described, imagined, touched, spoke, seen physically. Something that is called "ghaaib" or intangible and cannot be seen. Having faith in something as so described would be the strongest of all faiths.
Before moving on; let's recall what is faith again; belief in something, or in a religious sense: belief that God exists, in Islam's case, Allah exists.
Now this notion is not without proof. Allah has proved His existence in thousand if not millions of ways. I need not to recall these proofs, from the existence of the universe to the compliance of modern science with the text of the 1400-something year old al-Quran. The seemingly coincidental circumstances is now agreed and approved to be real, thus truly the al-Quran came from an entity that is the Most Superior.

Now back to the faith part; if you have belief in something that is described as intangible and incomprehensible, then it's only logical that it cannot be proven logically with the tiny and limited minds of men that Allah exists or does not exist , but then Allah has been proven men that He does exists through countless testimonies. Hence, the ones who do not believe in Allah can be said as 'dummies' as they worship something that can be proven wrong and powerless.

After all that has been mentioned, proved and debated above it can be simply said that:
Islam is the Guide to having a proper faith for dummies.

Salam alaykum warahmatullah. 

InshaAllah - The word of power

"and never say such of anything, " I shall do such and such thing tomorrow."

"except (with the saying) " InshaAllah (If Allah wills) ." And remember your Lord when you forget and say: "It may be that my Lord guides me unto a nearer way of truth than this." 

(The Holy Quran, al-Kahfi 18:23-24)

Salamualaikum WRH

To those who don't know, that's the verse containing Allah's warning and guide to whatever we plan to do in the future. 

Alhamdulillah, I still remember the asbab-un-nuzul of the verse which is as follows:

Once a man came to the Apostle Muhammad SAW to ask a question, so the Apostle said, "I will give the answer in three days time (as usually Allah will send a revelation in that period of time to answer)". So the Apostle waited for three days time and no revelation was revealed to him. After a while, Allah revealed to him the verse in al-Kahfi to correct him of his actions.

*******

Can you imagine that? Allah corrected Nabi Muhammad SAW for not saying "InshaAllah"  at the end of his promise.  What is now seen as something little, minor and of little importance is actually big and important enough for Allah Himself to correct our Apostle. 

"InshaAllah" is a powerful word to remind ourselves that we are weak and in need of Him in everything we do. We don't have power to control the future, be it ours or others. When we omit "InshaAllah", we submit that we will try to do our best to have something fulfilled but in the end everything is dependant on His call. 

Hold on to that phrase - "try to do our best". That's why 'InshaAllah' isn't something to be taken lightly. Saying "InshaAllah, I'll do it tomorrow" or "InshaAllah, I will go" doesn't make us ineligible to fault when we 'forget' it purposely nor is it an excuse to wiggle out of a chore. Personally, I dislike (not hate) when people do that. If you don't want to do it, then tell, say something instead of giving false hopes! 

Malay ethics have made Arabic words like; "Salamualaikum", "InshaAllah" and "Alhamdulillah" a part of the normal conversations of a Malay. Sadly, there are many that don't realise the actual usage of the words. 

"Salamualaikum" isn't just a greeting, it's a prayer. 

"Alhamdulillah" isn't just to exclaim so

mething nice, but it's also a measurement of gratitude. 

"InshaAllah" isn't a normal word to become a suffix to a phrase, it's a reminder.

From the above verse, Allah mentioned in the verse 24: " And remember your Lord when you forget and say: "It may be that my Lord guides me unto a nearer way of truth than this." 

How many will accept shortcomings should a plan fail? How many will hold back tears when a life's work is ruined? 

Only the ones who tadabbur the verse - living the verse in their lives. 

Accept that everything is laid out and planned by the One Almighty. What can be changed and remain is subject to His conditions - after praying that is.

So next time when we say/promise something in the future lest not forget to say InshaAllah. It isn't something small and minor, but it's of great importance and measurement of faith.

Wallahua'lam.

Finding Strength from Above

If the previous post was dusty, then I'll need myself a giant broom to clean the inch-thick dust here. *Blows dust*

Salam everybody, and I daresay, it's been a really long time. Been cooped up in the little place down there in Melaka for SPM and they don't really have Internet services there, so that's that.

Alhamdulillah, all praises to the Almighty, I'm now in university under scholarship. It's a completely different life from school; no morning-to-afternoon classes, no strict dress codes, no uniforms, and a lot of freedom.

Now, that's what they tell you before you go to university and it sounds real great, not that it isn't true but what they left out are the dragging lectures, piles of assignments and money management.

I'm 18, haven't got an SPM certificate, still childish yet I'm in university?

Thanks to MARA for that.

See, actually, in terms of mental preparation and a firm spot in the course I'm taking, I'm in no condition to confirm it with the absence of an SPM certificate at hand. Top that with the daunting lectures and advanced subjects, I'm a kid in an adult world.

But I'm okay with that. Why? Because He chose this for me.

" ...He wouldn't burden someone unless he is capable of it. "

The Holy Quran 2:286

This is the verse that I hold on whenever a gigantic challenge is set in front of me and what more challenging to a teenager than choosing and taking the path to one's career in the future? Insha Allah, since I'm about to take up Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery (I'm taking Foundation in Science now), what is more exhausting that a medical degree?

From the verse is His promise to give out tasks and obstacles that He knows we can complete and overcome, it's just the matter of willpower. If you believe that He never breaks His promise than you'll face the challenge head on.

It's normal to face a period of time when all seems lost where everything is breaking apart, life not going the way you want and so on. This is the crucial time to judge one's iman (this is not from a hadeeth or from scholars, just a personal opinion) whether the first move is to face Him and seek His help or to give it all up.

Supplication or du'a always helps. In the du'a, remembering that I'm conversing with Him and He is listening calms me down - that is when I remember.

It's not much of a post, but to share a personal experience. Giving up must be the last and most desperate option. Life will only become more difficult as we grow older, and will only stop it's increasing difficulty only in death.

Of Ramadan and Syawal

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Eid Mubarak everybody!

Woah! There's an inch of dust since I posted. Alhamdulillah after a month of fasting we've now reached the first day of Syawal and Eidul Fitr. To me though it didn't feel like a month of fasting more like half of it, it's just not the same as it is when we were younger. Nevertheless, you can't rewind time and you gotta go on, so I was in the Eid spirit today. It was still a bit odd to eat in the day, it felt like still in Ramadan only you're not fasting. 


Okay, so Ramadan has past and Syawal has replaced it. let's just pray we have done our best in Ramadan and we have attained Lailatul Qadr and everything in the jam-packed Ramadan.
I hope I don't forget to do the six-day fast of Syawal and again;

Eid Mubarak and Selamat Hari Raya! 

Tarbiyah Inside.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

,السلام عليكم

Alhamdulillah, I still have the chance to breath and have faith in Him. 

After 3 months at the college, I'm beginning to sink in to the culture, the culture shock is virtually gone, and suiting to the teaching style. 

I'm practically done with my exam, Alhamdulillah. I hope for the best for my Al-Aminians friends, من جد و جد, من زرع حصد and also to any of my TGBian friends if you're reading this. 

Competition here is really tough. I mean they say people there are the creme of the creme, the best of the best, everyone there scored 8As or 9As and a majority are top scorers. Man I feel timid here, I've only been top 10 only once at Al-Amin, and that was the first semester last year, I think, and I was the 9th. I don't know if I can perform here, with the teaching style, lecture, they're suppose to expose us to university life, and so they are.  For now I'm just passing by with the syllabus, not to mention ours is the compact curriculum, certain subjects from F5 we're gonna learn at F4 and vice versa. 

Culture, hmm...I can't say much here but I'll let you know it's okay for now...I'm getting the hang of it. 

Okay back to the title: Tarbiyah Inside.

It's really simple actually, the only thing I want to say here is you must have tarbiyyah, anywhere, any when, whatever the situation is. Here, there is very little people who're willing to tarbiyah you. So who is going to tarbiyah you? Yourself. Every night before going to sleep, muhasabah, recall the day and find what can be improved tomorrow. Whenever in doubt refer to the right source, if it's about al-hikam, refer to the al-Qur'an or Ahadith, or to a teacher, never make your own complete assumptions about the Laws of Allah.

All in all, I hope and pray to see you guys in the mid-year holidays, InshaAllah He will reunite us.

السلام عليكم