Saturday, November 29, 2008

Nikmat yg dikecapi oleh masyarakat Islam Singapura (intro)



Segala puji bagi Allah s.w.t tuhan semesta alam...

Selawat dan salam diucapkan kepada junjungan Baginda Sayyidina Muhammad pembawa rahmat kepada sekelian alam...

Sedang dunia masih diganggu dengan kelembapan dan kemelesetan ekonomi, dunia dikejutkan pula dengan serangan kejam para pengganas di India..aduuuh sungguh sakit hati ini hendak menerima hakikat yang sememangnya ia tidak berperikemanusiaan langsung.........serangan seperti itu kadangkala memang tidak diduga namun ia tidak mustahil berulang-ulang sehingga bila pon saya tk tau.

pasti kita tanak lihat perkara itu berlaku pada negeri kita kan? Sebab itulah pada setiap akhir khutbah, khatib selalu membaca doa supaya kita dihindarkan dari segala bala' dan fitnah yg berlaku keatas negara kita...adakah anda perasan? doa dalam bahasa arabnya berbunyi :

"Allahummad fa'annal balaa wal wabaa wal fitan wazzalazila wal mihan ma zahara minha wama batan an baladina haza khassah, wasaairal bilaadi ammah...innaka ala kulli syai'in qadiir ".

yang bermaksud : "wahai Tuhan kami, jauhilah kami dari segala bentuk balaa dan penyakit, fitnah , gempa bumi dan bencana, samada secara terang mahupun sembunyi, yang berlaku keatas negara kami khasnya, dan seluruh negara amnya...sesungguhnya Engkau berkuasa atas segala sesuatu..."

Ameen ya rabbal alameen....

sekali lagi saya tanya,,,pasti kita tanak perkara ni berlaku pat negeri kita betul tak?? siapa yang nak lihat negeri kita kocah kacir disebabkan ada pergolakan politik ke...keagamaan ke...atau perkauman ke yang pernah berlaku suatu ketika dahulu ?? siapa nak lihat anak-anak kita membesar dengan dalam keadaan ketakutan...takut didiskriminasi kawan bukan sebangsa dengannya, takut naik MRT disebabkan ada bom dsb..?? siapa yang ingin melihat cacian dan makian jalan teruss antara jiran sebelah menyebelah?? malahan scenario2 sebegitu sangat bercanggah dengan tujuan Islam sebenar yang inginkan kebaikan dan kesejahteraan buat umat manusia dimana kitalah yang diamanahkan untuk memakmurkan dunia ini...

teman yg disayangi sekelian,
kita sebenarnya sedang menikmati setiap detik kehidupan kita di Singapura ini...bersyukurlah negara kita ni tak seperti negara lain....bukan senang nak duduk sebumbung dengan penduduk yang berbilang bangsa dan agama.....bukan senang nak wujudkan perpaduan kaum dan sifat saling hormat menghormati antara satu sama lain....lebih2 lagi dunia globalisasi dengan adanya internet dimana segala bentuk informasi dan pemikiran boleh diambil tanpa sempadan dan batasan.....

namun, hari ini...pada detik ini....masyarakat Singapura masih lagi boleh dikatakan hidup dalam aman damai, hormat menghormati antara agama dan kaum serta persefahaman yang baik wujud di kalangan masyarakat kita................ini merupakan nikmat....sekali lagi saya tekankan, NIKMAT wahai teman.

Nikmat2 yg kita kecapi selama ini bukanlah sesuatu yg datang bergolek...pokok takkan bergoyang kalau tidak ditiup angin....ia memerlukan usaha gigih para pemimpin, guru2, para Asatizah dan masyarakat semua dalam merialisasikan impian kita...

sebab itulah kadang saya rasa sedih bila mendengar segelintir masyarakat Islam kita masih tidak menyedari hakikat ini....masih lagi tidak sedar bahawa ini merupakan satu nikmat...mereka2 ni suka melihat pada kekurangan..dan tidak lihat pada yang sedia ada....masih meminta hak itu dan hak ini...ada yang masih dengan pendekatan tegas ' asyiddaa ' dalam satu2 isu agama....yg ingin diperjuangkan ialah isu cabang agama sebenarnya yang dilihat sebagai satu isu besar..kononnya ia merupakan isu akidah...takut sgt dimurkai Allah sampai tahap tidak bersangka baik pada Allah...bukankah rahmat Allah itu melebihi kemurkaannya?? kononnya itu sunnah yg mesti ditegakkan...sedangkan isu2 itu sudah jelas dikhilafkan ulama....isu yg berbentuk zhonni...mungkin mereka kurang bijak dalam berinteraksi dan bermuamalah dengan sunnah...atau tesilap membezakan antara sunnah dan sirah...

sebenarnya apa yg ingin dicapai syariat Islam adalah lebih besar daripada yg disangka....setiap individu muslim sepatutnya sama2 memikul amanah ini untuk mencapai tujuan syariat Islam yang besar. Inilah yg dinamakan khalifah....

tak sangka dah panjang pula intro saya ni...saya sebenarnya nak kongsi akan apa yg saya lihat selama ini nikmat2 yg sedang dinikmati oleh masyarakat Islam Singapura....yang atas tu semua kira macam 'problem statement' la ...saya juga tidak menolak kepastian masih ada juga ruang2 kelemahan yg perlu kita perbaiki....saya akan bahagikan tulisan saya ini kepada 3 bahagian :

1- nikmat Masjid di Singapura ini.
2- tempat tinggal kita , kehidupan berjiran...
3- kehidupan keagamaan kita di sini

Insya-Allah kita jumpa lagi pada masa akan dtg ~

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Aboutreika




in today's posting, i'd like to share with u one of my fav football figures whos his name not globally known, but arguably the best player in africa...

Mohamed Aboutreika...that name i vividly remember was being chanted most ofl the time when we walked on the streets of Cairo soon after their national team won the african cup 3 yrs ago....

beside his skills and ability to create and score goals...he preserve good manners and a religious man according to the ppl around him...maybe that what makes him the most popular footballer in planet not long time ago....

very happy to hear his story again when i visited islamonline.net this morning....
happy reading ~

-----------------------------------------------

Aboutreika Inspires Congolese to Islam

By Mustafa El-Ga'fary, IOL Correspondent




Aboutreika's prostration aroused many Congolese's curiosity about Islam.

TRIPOLI — Egypt's soccer legend Mohamed Aboutreika, also admired for his piety and good manners, has never imagined that his match against Congo in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers would draw many Congolese to the fold of Islam.

"Many Congolese were curious to know why Aboutreika prostrated after he scored," Sheikh Abdulla Mingala Lwaba, the mufti of Congo, told IslamOnline.net in an exclusive interview.

Aboutreika, nominated for the CAF African Footballer of the Year award in 2006 and running for the title this year, scored the winner goal in Egypt's clash with Congo in the World Cup qualifier last September.

To the surprise of the thousands of Congolese fans, he immediately kneeled to the ground before being joined by fellow teammates.
"Many fans came to us wondering why the Egyptian players did that," said Lwaba.


"We explained to them that the prostration was meant to thank God for his blessings, an act encouraged by Islam," he explained.
"Many of them developed a curiosity about Islam that eventually led them to embracing the Muslim faith."

Aboutreika enjoys a huge popularity in Egypt, the Arab world and Africa for his amazing skills and good manners.

He was named the world's most popular soccer player in 2007, according to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).

Envoy of Islam

The Congolese mufti describes Aboutreika and his like him as ambassadors of Islam.

"They are preachers of Islam," he told IOL.
Lwaba said many people look up to famous stars as role models.
"When a Muslim sets a good example in his work and actions, many follow him. And when he abides by his religious values, he guides many people to his faith."

Born in 1978 in the city of Giza, Aboutreika led Egypt to win the African Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2008, earning him the "Africa's Zinedine Zidane" nickname.

He has also been dubbed "The Smiling Assassin" by foreign media because of his two main trademarks: goal-scoring and glamorous smiling.

Off the pitch, Aboutreika is a player known for his good manners with a personality as great as his silky skills.

In 2005, Aboutreika joined UNDP Goodwill Ambassadors Brazilian Ronaldo, French Zidane and 40 other international soccer stars for a "Match Against Poverty."

His stardom increased across the Arab and Muslim worlds because of his support of Muslims causes.

After scoring a goal during the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, Aboutreika revealed a T- shirt bearing the slogan "We Sacrifice Ourselves for You Prophet Muhammad" in response to the blasphemous Danish cartoons.


He also made headlines in January of this year during Egypt's Africa Cup of Nations match against Sudan, when he lifted his jersey after scoring his first goal to show a white T-shirt emblazoned with "Sympathize With Gaza."






Tuesday, November 18, 2008

fatwa on allowing guide dog to enter UK mosque

All praises to Allah...
not very long ago..........




interesting isn't it??....
some may disagree with the fatwa,,,but hey, don't you know that according to Maliki school of thought, dog is considered pure and not najis...

dog issue has long been discussed by our jurists - which resulted a variety of opinions - i think its still worth to discuss the topic again ...nevertheless the issue has been raised by many especially from our non-muslim frens ..they've been asking out of curiosity and intend to know the significance or the Islamic point of view with regards to dogs...hmm..sometimes its very challenging to attend that kind of queries....some may feel offended while others are more open to accept....well, it all depend on your creativity and wisdom in answering that 'sensitive' query
: ) ...should we choose not to attend, means we are not upholding the amanah...wallau a'lam !

Have your say !

Friday, November 14, 2008

ThE CHOICE Is YouRS !!

John C. Maxwell once told us that " the only true freedom each of us has in life is the freedom to choose...The most important choice is who we will become.."

I always believe the power of choice....its from the choices we make, will determine the outcome whether if its in our favour or not...the more confident we are with our decision and choices, the more positive outcome we will meet...the next job is to leave the rest to the Almighty Allah The All Loving & Living....

But should the outcome not in our favour, then this is a test from Him...we know that we did the best...never resent or blame anyone...

I myself had a plenty of choices recently...for instance, a choice between to continue studies or working...my choice was to study....and that's my decision that i can't take it back nor feeling regret....i have to admit that at times, i was in the state of dubious and ragu-ragu..whether i made the right decision or not....but alhamdulillah, things are going good and im enjoying every moment of my studies....

kadang bila tengok kawan dah kerjaya, terkilan jugak....sekurang2 nya dah mula sumbang pada masyarakat...bila pulak diriku rasanya?? ( hehe melayu pulaak) masakan tidak...diri ini sudah terpanggil dan merasakan amanah yg harus dipikul ini seakan-akan sudah boleh bermula dari sekarang..iaitu untuk menyumbang pada masyarakat Islam Singapura khususnya....sebab itulah saya asik nak balik je tiap minggu ...ulang alik UIA-Singapore kira mcm da biasa gitu...paling2 pon kadang ada khutbah dan mengajar je ujung minggu.. (hehe kalau da pelajar buat hal pelajar lah ! ni nak keje la ape lah..)...tapi ada jgk pasal nak main bola dan ehem ehem...hehehe.

tambah lagi, my 8 months in Office of Mufti was really an eye opening which gave me some/ sikit je sense of what is actually our muslim community is facing...my job was to attend all forms of day-2-day religious queries, be it phonecalls, e-mails and walk-in customers.... so this factor too seakan-akan diriku tidak mahu berpisah dari Singapura dan sentiasa inginkan updates dan sumbangan...(mcm paham)

yup decision untuk meneruskan pembelajaran masih lagi teguh alhamdulillah.....sememangnya ia merupakan dream sejak lepas abes Pre-u Aljunied lagi....Ya Allah tetapkanlah hatiku ke atas jalan Iman dan Agamamu...ameen.

So, the moral of the story is : The choice is simple...whether A or B....the tough one is to stick and confidence with your choice....may Allah gives us strength and resilience in the face of challenges....Ameen.

blessed night, Wassalam...

Maaz.



Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Be Right Back.....





I will stop blogging for a while and will be back soon....

Thank you for ur support !!