Masa..Masa ( Bahagian 2)

There is something precious I found it here, but it is so difficult to share with others. Is it too precious till I refused to share? Let me check.. No.. no.. I don't think so. In fact, it is my big hope to share with other people that so-called friends and family members to me.. and soon my community.

I tried several times to share my knowledge but it was rejected. Some said, this is new. Another said it is against what we have learnt in Malayisa. It is not according to our Imam, Shafie. Some even said, this is difficult, we have a simpler option and some scholars approved it, Islam is easy and why must we troubled ourself when we have easiest option? Emm .. my first reaction, my mouth shut immediately and realized that I have a big weakness lying in myself. I may have good Islamic education background, good scores but still cannot defend my points. Words become so difficult to utter maybe due to less of knowlegde. I have to read more and pray for His guidance.

I asked myself again, am I wrong? If I was, I need to check all my resources. But they were from Hadis sahih and Al-Quran itself. What makes people reject the knowledge? The only thing that I understand is the peoples are so comfortable with their current practises. I don't blame them. May be it is how we have being brought up and taught in our Islamic Education curriculum. It's really demotivated at the beginning, but keep telling myself , "our duty is only to deliver the truth and let Allah decide to whom He guide to the right path and those who He let them astray. Wisdom does not come very easily. It will go to whom He pleased to give.

The most disturbance that lingered in my mind is the issues or being particular in a certain madhab. Is it compulsory for a muslim to follow certain madhab? The same issues also arised to some enlightened Japanese in Tokyo when they conveyed their intention to be Muslim. The first question that popped-out from their mouth after acceptance of Islam, is it necessary for a Muslim to follow any one of the prevalent Imams and their sections? Is it correct to say that we are better than others because we follow certain Imam? I could feel some proud feeling for becoming a certain followers. The feeling of "I am better than you. My madhab is more pious compare to others and promised to heaven and et cetera." Ultimately, without realizing, this opinion and circumstances spoiled the unity and brought downfall and misery. One group is blaming others for a very small and ordinary differences. The issue of disunity among the Muslim Ummah grew so much that various sections always confront to each other. May be I will share this issue in the next entry, because it requires more details.

Lets talk bout ouself as parent and our responsibility to the children. This is from my observation on the community in general in Malaysia. We were blessed with good school curriculum and our government had carefully plan the education system so that it could produce individuals balance with both spiritual and world knowldege (ukhrawi and duniawi). I could see the approach is to balance the number of conventional schools and islamic religous school.

The govermnet has established boarding school like MCKK, STAR and etc and also Islamic based boarding school like KISAS and etc to give better education to the people. Why they need Islamic based school if the conventional boarding school has produced good professional and leaders. The words uttered from my ustazah in one day was the answer "Whoever you are, either you are an engineer, doctor, teacher, housewife or even you are a general labour, you must make sure yourself a mukminah or a mukminin".

Islamic based boarding school became famous to parents nowaday. To the parents, these schools can give both to their children and that is what they looking for. some parents however take it as advantage as an alternative schools for their children to excell and to get a easy getways to the higher education level (university) because the conventional boarding school usually have high competition compared to these schools. Besides, these schools also show high potential for the student to excell due to good resources they have. These was proven and the school alumni record has shown it all. The graduates are securing places in many famous institutions, with good positions. Some of them now are famous intellectual with outstanding contributions in their areas/field.

I also realized some parent took this school as a place for rehabilitation centre. They have a smart children (gifted talent) but unable to control their attitude. Hoping by enrolling them to these schools can change them through the training mode and education approach. There are also parent that unable to model themselves as a good guardian and started to channel the responsibilities to school with hope the children will turn to angel, while they remain on the same path without any effort to changes themself as well. Is it too harsh if I say this school as a place for responsibility escapism?

Similarly, Islamic/Tahfiz based schools blossoming like mushrooms. Parents are now get excited to enjoin the trend to send their kids to these schools, I am not sure what are thier reasons but one thing for sure the cost is not cheap. What is their intention? Is among of the listed here is one of their objectives?

1) Would like to have children in future succesful in this world and the day after?

2) To have a child that can memorize Quran and could pray for his/her parent when they passed away.

3) As an alternative school because it is near to workplace.

4) As an alternative education, since being a huffaz also can promise you good job and income.

5) Felt honoured being a parent of hafiz/hafizah.

6) Felt doing a mistake if not having any child that know and can arrange their funeral in future.

7) Others.

Whatever the reasons were, as a parent and the guardian it is our responsibilities to correct our intention as all deeds are based on your 'niat'/ intention. Our intention is our wish and will become our pray. If Allah wish to full-fill your wish, that is because we asked for it.

Rasulullah (p.b.u.h) said
" The rewards of deeds depends upon the intention and every person will get the reward according he has intended. "

-Sahih Bukhari - 1.1

Malaysian Community

I like to share my opinion about Malaysian community. They are two types of communities as I observed (three actually). One is the pro-religious community and the other is claiming as islamic pro-modernization community. I did not want to discuss the third community which totally reject the truth. The first community described by itself. The second comunity say " We like our future generation balance with religious and academic knowledge". That is a very good intention indeed. How are we going to implement it? Is it as simple as enrolling our children to the morning school session and KAFA (Islamic class) in the afternoon? is KAFA can help to produce such generation? If true, then it will be very good. But unfortunately, the social problem in Malaysia is getting worse. Where is the mistake? Is there something wrong with the curriculum?Or is there any negligence in implementation? Is the institution really play role as an institution to develop children social development or it is only profit-based institution? When the problem arise, we started pointing fingers to others and blaming them without thinking that we are part of them.

Whatever the intentions are, I like to look at this issue from parent point of view. Parent sent their children to school generally for good reasons. Hoping the childrens will grow and be a better person.

However, some parents mixed up their good intentions with contra practical. They intent to have children will become good new generations but in the same time allowed themselves mixed with confused culture. Parent do send kids to learn Islamic Studies in the afternoon and those kids are trying their best to survive their schedules but they are not being explain the reasons. Why? Maybe we as parent also unable to determine the reasons. What was learned in school was not practiced by the parents and now we see that the school is not the place to educate the children but merely a place to train them to memorize words in order to pass an exam.

Here are few examples of our socity today and what their children was thought at school:

Basic Islamic Studies year 1.

1) Islam has 5 pillars - To make the testimony(shahadah), Solat 5 times a day at specified time, Fast, Pilgrimage and charity.

The kids view:

1) Shahadah :

I rarely see my parent say the shahadah- what does it means, what its implication if we break the shahadah and are there any actions in our daily lives can break our shahadah?

2) Pray / Solat:

I usually see my parent going to work as early before fajr being announce to avoid traffic jam, and return after the sunset gone. When did they do their 2 prayers? Or why they pray at the end of the prayer time and why sometimes I saw my parent wait to the end of prayer time to combine with the next prayer just to avoid themselves to perform another ablution? Not yet discussing about how to pray during travelling.

3) Fasting during Ramadhan:

Parent usually emphasized their childrens to fast as early as seven years old. Alhamdulillah this is the good way to train the children. Without realize we also teach them to spend more during this month. More money spent on food for Iftar (breakfast) and normally the food was wasted.

Some parents handsomely reward their children with money for the day they fasted but in other hand the parents finding way to excuse from fast. Clinincs and hospitals will receive more patients with gastric than usual a few days before Ramadhan.

4) Pilgrimage -:

Hajj is obligatory on every Muslim only once during his or her lifetime, provided that he or she
is able to perform it. The order comes from Allaah in the ayah:

Hajj (Pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka'bah) is an obligation that humanity owes to Allaah, for those who can find a way (i.e. for those who can find the means to do it). And whoever disbelieves (i.e. denies the Hajj), then Allaah is beyond any need of all that exists (from His creation).” [Surah Aali ‘Imraan: 197]

And His order in the ayah:

“"Complete (perform properly) the Hajj and Umrah for Allaah..." [Surah Al-Baqarah: 196]

Many people may be performed Hajj more than once or only once and some are not yet willing to perform Hajj although he is able to do it. Some said they are not prepared and they are still young. Coming back from hajj they wanted to be call Haji or Hajah and proud of that. Is there anything wrong if people did not call you Hj or Hjh? Have we ever read the Sirah nabawiyah the prophet (p.b.u.h) and his companions be called haji Muhammad, haji Abu Bakar or haji Omar? Hajj is to surrender ourself to the Almighty Allah and ask for His forgiveness for our past sin and yet we are creating a new one!

That is only from the first page of the Fiqh book in Year 1 in KAFA. Lets see how we can support our children in other matters. Lets say our children ask us about Sirah Nabawiyah, and we oftenly can hear parent in joking mode will say, I am sorry kid I did not know about that and asked your Ustaz or Ustazah. Is the Sirah Nabawiyyah only for those who has learned Islamic Studies? How bout us who declared ourselves as Muslim where the second 6 pillars of faith is to Believe in Prophet (p.b.u.h) and yet we don't know his story? Why we are not bother to learn as well? I suggest.. check..check.. check.. who are we?

Malaysia is a composition of multi-racial people. The people comes from different culture, background and histories. The government is very concern in retaining these cultures even some of them (politician) darely against Islam in the name of cultures. Claimed as progressive Islamic country but contradict to Islamic practices. If asked why is this happening, the answer is very simple "we live in multi-racial society and we have to respect others sensitivity" The government is very careful when to implement Islamic rules because to respect other people feelings, opinions or may be better to say due to some personal or political interest? Even the actual fact and most people can understand because Malaysian is not illeterate anymore. The Islamic rules apllied for muslim and criminal only. Why do we muslims afraid to the law if we not doing any crime? Are they now making any mistakes? Why people are rejecting these rules? Are these rules recently created by human or any bodies? Even it is an ijtimak of ulama, if it based on sahih resources it is not newly invented. I like to repeat it again , are they (muslim) now keep on making mistakes and become a culture therefore cannot get rid of it. So that makes them worry, may be I will do the mistake without realizing and then being punished? What's wrong with rules if it can help prevent us from doing mistake and hence could survive the real punishment afterwards?

When government as an authorized body is not able to control and gear community responsibility to shape the future of the next generation, therefore on whose shoulder should bear the responsbility? They said " Parent must place an important roles as a model to shape their children".

The duty of a parent become very difficult, when there is no support from the institution(education/schools-curriculum, rules), media (newspaper did not publish the correct news summary/improper conclusion or proposing view on the opposite perspectives). If there is good opinion (usually views that urge to go back to basic rules), the intention is hidden or given a highlight topic but sum-up as against modernization. If lucky enough it will be publish as a small piece of note in almost a spotless area.

Whilst entertainment program (tv program - non-educational program, profit-based real-tv program, a half kid-adult talent program) was promoted and given bombastic coverage. Kids shows so called as natural telent programme which usually the initial objective is said to dig out their talent, But after a while, I found that, this is not natural talent, it is a trained talent performed by kids. Usually to mimic their favourite artists or hot/top artist at certain season. Some parent seemed happy to see this. Enjoyed watching their kids to dress like an adult, talk like an adult, use the adult words (usually harsh words) for communication among of them and make jokes like an adult and yet their age just almost 5-9 years old.

I wonder how is it possible to laugh and to enjoy such program. For us as parent we might say, its nothing, only an entertainment. But for kids, do they know and understand that what they are doing? Will they understand that overdressing and silly harshwords only permissibile on stage but not in community?

(to be continued..)