Monday, August 23, 2010

Ramadhan and bombshells

I was searching for the famous ayat that most Muslims believed was sent down to signal that fasting was then made to be obligatory, the other day and what I got is here .. the site tell us what fasting is all about.

The ayat that I searched is:

" O ye who believe ! Fasting is prescribed for you, just as it was prescribed for those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint." (Al-Qur'an 2:183)

However the ayat that made Ramadhan is the special month for fasting is

Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidance and judgment (Between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be grateful. (Al-Qur'an 2:185)

I am recording here what I gathered from one Saturday morning tazkirah (admonition)by a Penang-born teacher, Ustaz Izhar Habib, popularly known to some as Ustaz Nana in Masjid Ubudiah , Kg. Tasik Ampang. He has, at times, succinctly relates how Malaysian Muslim practices their Ramadhan.

If you go to Bazar Ramadhan you will see those who sell all kind of food, to facilitate those that are fasting. Looking further you will see some who came in clothes that is “seksa nak mampuih” (so sexy). On this issue, the traders would be quick to say “The rezeki datang bergolek, takkan kami nak tutup mata, Ustaz”(The provision came uninvited, we don’t want to close our eyes, teacher) .

He lamented about way things are perceived or prioritised.. fasting and aurat are equally wajib( obligatory)

Then you can also notice the enormous amount of food available, Malaysian dies from eating too much food.. Somalian dies from having no food. How much food has been wasted.. ( I could not recalled whether he quote the famous ayat that mean those who waste are friends of evils) - totally not in line with the concept of fasting..

Then we will have the solat tarawikh, perform solely in Ramadhan, an optional solat not obligatory. For the first 10 days of Ramadhan you will see a lot of people performing solat tarawikh. The second 10 days of Ramadhan will see a slightly reduced number as some were busy buying their Hari Raya need. For the last 10 days of Ramadhan, the number of people performing the optional solat tarawikh will be greatly reduced as old folks will also be staying home making Hari Raya pastries (kueh raya) other than entertaining the young and the not so young.

The Ustaz started asking those present as to whether the people coming for the optional tarawikh prayer is more than the Subuh (early morning) prayer. Consensus has it that only half the number of people performing the optional prayer came back for the obligatory.. Then came the question are we doing it because of fadhilat (virtues), because we believed in Ramadhan, because of custom, because we believe in Ramadhan or because of Fadhilat (virtues).

I must have dozed off or something, for out of the nowhere, I heard the teacher dropped a bombshell.. he talked about Hudud (Limit /bound).. about those Muslims who ain’t favouring Hudud Law.. he quoted the following:-


But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment
.” Al-Qur'an 20:124
He will say: “O my Lord! why hast Thou raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)?” Al-Qur'an 20.125
(Allah) will say: “Thus didst Thou, when Our Signs came unto thee, disregard them: so wilt thou, this day, be disregarded
.” Al-Qur'an 20.126
And thus do We recompense him who transgresses beyond bounds and believes not in the Signs of his Lord: and the Penalty of the Hereafter is far more grievous and more enduring.
Al-Qur'an 20.127

I think I will leave Hudud at that.

Minutes after asking the congregation for forgiveness if what the teacher is going to say is not pleasant to the ears of the ladies, dropping another bombshell.. saying something (in ladies voice) like

“raya tahun lepaih romah mak dia dah..tahun ni rumah mak cheq la pulak” (last year’s festival we went to his mother’s house, this year it should be my mother’s”..

He strongly said this should not be an issue anymore as:-

· The paradise of one is under the feet of the mother, yes! However, he stressed that the wife’s paradise is with her husband.

· Furthermore, if the husband goes to the in-laws house without full agreement, then all in the heaven and animal kingdom will be cursing (laknat) the wife...so he said..

As an elaboration the story of Fatimah AzZahrah asking Rasulullah which lady from His ummah will be blessed to be the first to go to Jannah. On knowing the person, Fatimah went to visit her.

On the first visit, Fatimah was not allowed into the house as no permission has been sought to and given by her husband for that. The next visit, Fatimah went with her son and they were not allowed into the house since no permission has been sought to and given by her husband for the son to do that. For the third visit, Fatimah brought two son along and they were refused entry as no permission has been sought to and given by her husband for the other son.

When Fatimah finally managed to gain entry to her house, Fatimah noticed that the lady was rather busy making herself presentable. When asked, she told Fatimah that she was preparing herself for her husband to come back from work. After a while the lady began to get uneasy and kept on looking at the door. On her way out of the house, Fatimah asked why was it she have a glass of water in one hand and a broom in another. “Oh! The water is for him to drink: the broom is for him to use on me should my preparation is not good enough!” came the answer.

Another story on “izin suami” (husband’s consent).. was also narrated. A daughter was unhappy that she could visit her sick father as she could not get her husband’s permission to do so since the husband was away. This was made known to the father who relayed back to her that was happy although he could not see his daughter since she did not have her husband’s permission. This goes on for months until the father passed away. The daughter was not at her father’s funeral since her husband was still away then. Story has it that the father was rewarded with paradise for his redha (happy acceptance) that he could not see his daughter as she could not get her husband’s consent.

Then came a small bombshell from the ustaz, practically a list of those, whose sins will not be forgiven during the Lailatul Qadar (night of power):-

1. Those who keep on drinking intoxicating beverage such as beer, wine etc..

2. Those who did not talk to his friend for more than 3 days

3. Those who are disobedience (rebellious) to their parents.

4. Those who severed the family ties (silaturrahim)

Then we have Hari Raya where you get the children who will be asking forgiveness from their parents. Why is it that the parents seldom ask forgiveness from their children?..

He quoted that most Malays normally go to places of worship on Hari Raya Iditfitri, Hari Raya Korban, Nisfu Syaaban Night, Mauludur Rasul, Nuzul Quran, and Hari Asyura.. It seems that the Muslims in Malaysia has been observing “seasonal” occasions, they may have not get their priorities right , focus more on preferred activities rather than obligatory activities.

Below are other notes from other ustazs (teachers) on priorities

Between performing Solat sunat (preferred) tarawikh and attending a tazkirah or majlis ilmu (teaching and learning of science) during the month of Ramadhan.. most will go for the solat however there is a Hadiths (Tradition of Rasulullah pbuh) that stress on the importance of majlis ilmu .. the hadith meant +- “ Spending a precious short time thinking about religion (learning and teaching) is better than performing 1000 rakaah of solat sunat..”

However what is very serious is about performing prayer in a congregation “the followers (makmum) has to wait until the leader(imam) has completed his movement before he moves” .. “ if the makmum follows the movement of imam before imam has completed his moved then it is considered he/she has accompanied (mengiringi) the imam not following as prescribed” This is probably why in books of Fiquh Sunnah , we are asked to make a move only after the imam has completed his saying of takbir. If this is true than some 90% of Malaysian makmum has been accompanying the imams (instead of following) for most of their congregational prayers (solat berjemaah).. Similar to what we have on Malaysian roads , there bound to be some impatient one.. overtaking the imam.. OOPs ... a final bombshell?!

May Allah bless us.

17 comments:

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Ayoh Wang,
In this day and age of sophisticated communication technology, it's not difficult for a wife to get permission from a husband. Unless they don't talk to each other....even though they live under the same roof. A man should also be fair to his spouse, can't he sacrifice a few days in the year to spend with his in-laws so as to preserve harmony in his family? I've seen this happen in many families Eid is spent only on one side of the partnership, year in and year out. That's insane and inhuman. To me, rather than following "orders" blindly, let's communicate and negotiate. Failing which, most couples resort to seeking counsel from Pejabat Kadi and a sad state of affair it becomes. Yeah...divorce is easy to obtain but it doesn't solve the problem, right?
As for solat jamaah, I noticed many people gave salam immediately after the first salam of the imam. When they should have waited until the imam gave the final salam at the end of prayer. Looks like a small thing but it actually breaks the bond between imam and makmum. Wallahu a'lam.... purrrr....meow!

2cents worth of a cat,
Angelina

Naz in Norway said...

Salam Ayah Wan,
I'm with Cat on this. Communication (between spouses, in this case) is important. People with religious authority often preach and give such an A4 explanation of things walaupun pada hakikatnya, Islam itu agama yang sangat indah dan sangat memudahkan.

I think that is one reason why the distance between the mass and the power that be is increasing. We need to reflect on the current situation in the society and act on it, not simply *bam! bam! bam! this is how it must be done!*

my 2 kroner,
Naz.

Wan Sharif said...

Dear Angelina,
My stand on life in general.."you get what you negotiated for". As a husband and father I tried my level best to ensure family harmony. As a son, I have to remember that my paradise is still with my mother. I have for the last 30 years been trying to balance between the two important ladies of my life.. my other half and my mother.. numerous compromises..it is tough if everybody want to take a very strong stand.
There were occasions that saya kena pujuk Mak.. bermalam malam, pujuk melalui kakak berhari hari.. only to be told in the evening before raya to make a move.. pronto.. to spend morning of Eid with my mom and father.. dah kena negotiate lagi dengan my better half.. gitulah adanya.. bukan senang nak senang.. he,he..
Oops, breaking the bond between imam and makmum..that is a very serious offence..indeed, but then the second salam is only preferred(sunat) and you can give salam immediately after the imam has completed his. Wallahu a'lam..

Wan Sharif said...

Wa'alakummussalam Naz,
First and foremost salam Takziah on your recent bereavement, thank you for dropping by and selamat kembali ke kroner country...
This is your first comment on my my entries.. I know I was reporting a very dry and blunt view of a teacher... penat pun you kena komen juga.. thank you anyway..
As I said above.. "in life..you get what you negotiate". Meticulous planning and careful negotiation were required when my other half was "orang Kedah" and it does not get any easier when my other half is "orang Dungun".. apa pun negotiate ..negotiate.. negotiate.. until a suitable compromises can be reached..
"macam tarik rambut dalam tepung" kata Omputih.

yohteh said...

salam ayoh Wang...
tazkirah yang baik di pertengahan Ramadan... mudah-mudahan di separuh yang berbaki ini hingga selagi hayat... dipermudah dan diperkasakanNya ibadah
kita... insyaAllah...

**...raye duane dulu taung nning..? DDuyong? Sberang baroh? ...ke ddungung..?

ninotaziz said...

Dear all,
This issue of Beraya is often difficult to tackle. But my Mum is one of the most unique mothers. To her, my place is with Rudi. And as I see her ever so often, she understands this. We in turn spend Raya Haji in Melawati. In my 10 years of marriage, I have been in Rantau Panjang (hubby's hometown)eight times and Melawati twice(Mum's).(Now Cis is going to faint...)And I look forward to going back to Kelantan all the time. This annual affair is where I dig up my Malay roots and sense. This is where I find my new stock of plants like serai wangi for my garden, the kids get to know kambing, ayam itek, run in the paddy field.

We listen to dikir barat on the radio, and cook together in the lower level kitchen, and at the dapur kayu. Kids run from the monkeys, have a bath in the garden. We have silat and if I am lucky, Makyung in the garden. I look forward to the day we can buy acres of land here so that I can build a theatre of the ancient arts. This is my dream.

I really married the right guy... no one including me believed it at the time.

A bit hard on the ex that all the kids come with me...but that's how it is...

Wan Sharif said...

Wa'alaikumussalam YohTeh,
Amin Ya Rabbal 'alamin.. Selain dari pada gi mari ke sberang baroh tengok mak dan keluarga kakak dan ggi rraya di rumah sdara mara di Kt.. saya akan berlaboh ddungung.. dok leh berlaboh di sberang baruh anak sdara ajer 10 orang, cucu sdara sama banyak..
Dduyong doh tinggal kenangan aja.. rumah nenek.. dulu kami menumpang jer.. sekarang pak sdara beri sewa..
Semuga Ramadhan YohTeh bertambah baik dari tahun ketahun

Wan Sharif said...

Salam Ninot and all,
Glad to know that your mother thinks that your place is with your husband.. It is probably because she knew what is best for her favorite daughter.
Very glad to know that you and your children enjoy Kelantan and you have a worthwhile dream to fulfill your artistic need
Saya doakan supaya Allah makbulkan impian you.. sekiranya itu baik untuk you...
I am sure your parent-in-laws would be extremely happy to know your plan and if you succeed making your dream comes true, they would be very proud of their daughter-in-law..

Wan Sharif said...

Haaa, AyohWang ada jumpa satu blog entry yang agak interesting on isteri..
http://diaryumi.blogspot.com/2010/08/ladies-department.html
Boleh baca kalau mahu..

Ida BorneoLove said...

hee hee.. ingat bombshell apa tadi.

i will visit that blog entry on isteri.

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Ayoh Wang,
Me thinks Mama and Dad solved the "my kampung/your kampung" dilemma by moving out here. This is going to their 5th Raya Down Under. As for me, this is going to be my 4th Raya Down Under...I'm only 3 1/2 yrs old...you know.... purrrr....meow!

Lee said...

Hi Wan Sharif, very interesting this posting.
Wishing you selamat berpuasa, have a happy hari merdeka, Lee.

Aishah said...

Assalamualaikum Wan Sharif,

Thank you for sharing. I learned and relearned. Everytime I hear in the Qur'an, Allah does not create difficulty for us, but want us to be grateful, I feel overwhelmed with Allah's mercy. I am grateful I read all the meaning of the ayat Qur'an you have shared and the Hadith and Sunnah. Patuhi suami (selagi tak melanggar hukuman Allah). If Allah commands it so, then we should do it so.

Thank you again Wan Sharif. It was interesting from the get go, till the end. Please share with us more bombshells :)

Wan Sharif said...

Dear Ida,
Thank you for dropping by.. read that you are having a very good time in city of cats.. selamat berpuasa, selamat hari Raya and take good care..

Wan Sharif said...

Dear CiS,
Alhamdulillah.. very glad to know your beloved parents have managed to solve the "my kampung/your kampung" dilemma. That is satu rahmat yang besar.. saya yakin..
Emm.. you are now 3 1/2 years old.. but that is in human measurement.. what is it in cat's measurement.. 28 years.. ouch!...purr!..meow..

Wan Sharif said...

Brother Lee,
Thank you so much for the visit,puasa and merdeka day wishes.
Take good care of yourself and Mrs. Lee as I believe it is getting colder now in the northern hemisphere... Keep yourself warm and happy..y'hear..
Sorry lambat jawab.. di office depa restrict all blogging activities.. di rumah.. I went on several wild goose chases.. beli curtain.. baju raya.. kasut raya.. kuih raya..ayam percik.. kurma basah.. carpet raya.. entah lah apa pulak nak kena beli lepas ni.. he..he

Wan Sharif said...

Waa'laikumussalam Aisyah,
I am delightedly touched by your comments..
May we be more grateful for all HIS providence and blessing and may we happily accept(redha) all HIS tests on our journey to HIM
May He accepts us as one of those muqorrobin..