An-Naseehah:
AlHamdulillaah! Just delivered this .. may it be beneficial towards our attaining the Redha of Allah. My thanks and appreciation to the NTUMS leaders, organizers, helpers, participants and all who supported this program, granting me the opportunity to serve Allah and His Messenger s.a.a.w, in upholding the legacy of al-Islam and for the betterment o this Ummah.
Jazaakumullaahi khay-ral al-jazaa'
May Allah azzawajalla grant us all, and all our beloved family and companions, the success (TAUFIQ) and the Guidance (HIDAAYA) to attain to His Acceptance, Forgiveness and Mercy (RAHMAH) and gain His Pleasure (MARDHA-TILLAH).
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A post-lecture discussion-reflection
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Assalamu'alaikum ust.
May this reflection on the latest lecture reach you in the state of good health.
I have to confess that I arrived quite late for the lesson due to unforeseen circumstances (I lost my way in traffic).
Nevertheless I will still share what I have learnt from the remainder of the lesson which I've sat in, the post-lecture talk you had during the post-lecture supper and the slides from which I've read through.
This is what I understand from the phrase: "We are not students who (in my own words: happen to be / are by chance) muslims but we are muslims who (happen to be, at this stage of our life), students.
Islam is indeed a religion that encompasses the whole being of the person. It is literally submitting to the will of Allah and this deen is a comprehensive and COMPLETE way of life. It is total in nature guiding us in every way.
The underlying meaning is that the muslim's whole life and his very being is being guided by Revelation, the Divine and Unchanging source from which key concepts such as education - its aims, philosophy and method is derived from. Not from intellectual speculation of the mind or conjectures based on foreign thought and philosophies which can be rendered relative and irrelevant especially in today's context.
In other words, Islam offers its point of view on every single aspect of life pertaining to the purpose and existence of man, where are we from, where we are heading, who is Allah, etc.And they are inextricably linked to one another under the Tauheedic paradigm. (One meaning of which I learnt regarding Tauheed is "to make one"). And that there are 3 aspects to this paradigm - Islam, Iman and Ihsan. Each with its own purpose and objective which ultimately enables Man to truthfully attest with certainty to the Absolute Oneness of Allah. I am reminded of the lesson on "path of traditional Islamic scholarship" when the past great scholars used to learn eclectically, a broad range of subjects pertaining to religious sciences but also delved into areas of relevant knowledge (eg: astronomy, biology etc) to aid their understanding of these sciences. There was both breadth and depth. To my understanding, there was an ultimate purpose which was to attain to certainty on the Absolute Oneness of Allah, fulfilling the role of God's vicegerent on earth and also their learning is never detached from the inner intention to gain nearness to Allah also by benefiting mankind with their knowledge. Thus, to me, they represented what you meant as muslims first and foremost, who's prayers, sacrifice, life and death are for the sake of Allah alone but happen to be students in their various stages of life.
Therefore, it is not right to have a rewang-rewang mindset amongst Muslims, that to my understanding means a touch-and-go/ part-time way of learning about Islam which essentially means learning Islam as a subject whereas learning in Islam has always been about subjecting oneself. It is not to be treated as an E.C.A, but rather, it requires full-time commitment and it is a life-long endeavour.
To this, I learnt that na-zho-ro means to see; to view and this does not bear the weight of the true meaning of the shahaadah. Shahada is the opposite of ghaib which means hidden. Thus, similar to how a seed hidden underground burst forth to become a plant, shahadah means to make manifest what is hidden. To my understanding, what is hidden refers to one's belief in the unseen which one has already affirmed to be true using the 3 sources of knowledge that is, his 5 senses, aql and trusted and reliable reports. Therefore, to me , it implies action and to put into practice. Also, whereas na-zho-ro implies a sense of detachment (one can simply see and not do anything), shahaadah on the other hand, means that one has witnessed something and has to make manifest what he has seen.
I also learnt that by being true witnesses, good muslims, we can become participants in Allah's Divine plan which is linked to the Prophetic legacy of da'wah, that is Allah making us witnesses amongst nations. And that if a non-muslim were to be guided by us (striving to become good muslims by our actions, fulfilling Allah's command), we can share the reward of the whole world and what it contains.
We also have to grow as to how Allah has willed us to grow and fulfil our various roles and functions in the society to the best of our capacity. And pertaining to our growth, I think it is related to our fulfilling our needs. For I believe growth of trees depends on its needs first being fulfilled. Therefore, we have our own tests to overcome which requires the relevant and thus beneficial knowledge to be sought after first. Linked to the story of Prophet Musa and Khidr, that in seeking knowledge, sometimes I tend to find myself rather withheld from gaining understanding of things or progress and I believe that this could possibly be due to me not fulfilling an earlier need or duty.
Wallahu'alam.
Thank you ustaz for the lessons. May Allah reward you in this life and the hereafter. May Allah also preserve and protect you and the 'ulama, the true inheritors of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.
Musakkir Bin Samat
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-post lecture discusson photo-
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