For a believer, the scope of patience is not limited to enduring difficulties and problems with calmness. In the light of the verse,[You who believe, be steadfast; be supreme in steadfastness…] (Aal `Imran 3:200),
throughout his life, he shows an undeviating commitment to meticulously
fulfilling all the commands of the Qur’an, to avoiding what is
unlawful, to displaying moral perfection in every situation, without
becoming daunted or losing heart.
In short, he resolutely shows
the patience and good manners prescribed by the religion. That is
because one can develop these noble character traits only if one makes
a steady effort. It is the people of faith who exhibit patience when
making such efforts. As the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) informed Muslims in the following hadith, they know that
patience is a gift for them from Allah: “No-one can be given a better
and more abundant gift than patience” (Bukhari and Muslim). That
is why patience permeates the entire life of a man of faith and
manifests itself in all his acts and attitudes. A believer shows
profound patience in compliance with the command of our Lord, [So be
patient with gracious patience] (Al-Ma`arij 70:5).
He shows patience in humility and becomes the most humble person; he
shows patience in spending for the cause of Allah and becomes the most
generous person; he shows patience in not preferring his own self and
becomes the most self-sacrificing person… The
following example in the Qur’an about the patience evinced in
displaying moral perfection will give us a better understanding of this
concept: [A
good action and a bad action are not the same. Requite the bad with
something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else,
he will become like a bosom friend. None will attain this attribute
save those who are truly steadfast. None will attain it save those who
have great good fortune] (Fussilat 41:34-35).
As
the verse points out, Allah commands man to respond to an evil act in
the best manner possible and stresses that only those who are patient
can be successful in doing so. This example clearly shows that if moral
perfection is to be displayed, it is important to be patient. Never
feeling frustrated in the face of events that are seemingly negative is
another attribute of a believer. Alternatively, when he has a blessing
bestowed upon him he never becomes spoiled. An
individual can be very generous, self-sacrificing and very humble at
certain times of his life. Or, he may remain strong in the face of
hardships. However, failure to demonstrate these favorable character
traits under certain conditions, and thus having some limits or weak
points, may invalidate one’s preceding efforts to conducting oneself
correctly. One must incorporate all these values in one's character.
These qualities must be far from being imitative, fake, shallow or
temporary; they must be components of an established Qur’anic
structure. Allah also states that consistently displayed good values
that have become an integral part of one’s character are worthy in
Allah’s sight:[… But, in your Lord’s sight, right actions which are lasting bring a better reward and are a better basis for hope of salvation.] (Al-Kahf 18:46)
Patience
is one of the most important signs of a believer’s sincerity and
efforts to draw near to Allah: one can only show patience in relation
with his sincerity and closeness to Allah. Believers who are committed
to displaying these traits compete with other believers in being
patient. If making a sacrifice is in question, they conduct themselves
most correctly and bring all their material and physical resources into
play. Attention is drawn to this trait in a verse which reads:[…those who are steadfast in seeking the face of their Lord…] (Ar-Ra`d 13:22).
Encountering a difficulty, such people turn to Allah without harboring
any feelings of distress or uncertainty in their hearts. This was also
expressed by the Prophet: “Wondrous
are the believer’s affairs. For him there is good in all his affairs,
and this is so only for the believer. When something pleasing happens
to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him; and when something
displeasing happens to him, he is patient, and that is good for him”
(Muslim). People
often misinterpret patience and think of it as “putting up with
something.” This is but a distant connotation of patience experienced
and felt by a believer, since “putting up with something” is an
obligatory form of endurance shown in the face of a distressing and
painful situation.
The
patience shown for the cause of Allah, however, is not a source of
distress, but a great cause of pleasure and happiness. A man of
perfected faith shows patience in order to earn the approval of Allah,
and thus does not become depressed. On the contrary, with the hope of
receiving the blessings and rewards Allah promises in return for his
patience, he derives great pleasure from it. Allah informs us in the
Qur’an that patience is distressing for disbelievers: [Seek help in steadfastness and prayer. But that is a very hard thing, except for the humble] (Al-Baqarah 2:45). The
patience of a believer is so profound that his patience and imploration
never wavers, even though he cannot eliminate a problem or attain his
wishes until death overtakes him. He knows that Allah keeps everything
under His control and that he will earn great rewards in return for his
patience. For this reason, he is content with Allah no matter what
situations he encounters, he believes in His eternal compassion and
mercy, and puts his trust in Him. If Allah does not answer his call
immediately, he certainly knows a greater goodness and beauty are
hidden in this. He never forgets that Allah answers all prayers and
gives an excellent reward to those who are patient. And His promise is
true.
Senin, 23 Maret 2009
ABDALLAH AND AMINA
ABDALLAH AND AMINA
Abdul
Muttalib, chieftain of the Quraysh, had ten sons who were all worthy
and outstanding, but 'Abdullah was the noblest and most prominent among
them. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 108)
'Abdul Muttalib wedded him to Amina, the daughter of Wahb Ibn 'Abdu
Munaf, who was the leading man of Bani Zuhra. She (Amina) was the most
excellent woman among the Quraysh in birth and stature at that time. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 110)
Muhammad
(Peace Be Upon Him) was born after the death of his father. Before his
birth, Amina witnessed many an omen foretelling a great future for her
son. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 158)
BIRTH OF THE PROPHET (Peace Be Upon Him)
The
Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) was born on Monday, the 12th of Rab'i-ul
Awwal (1) in the year of the Elephant. Certainly, it was the most
auspicious day in the history of mankind.
Thus, Muhammad (Peace
Be Upon Him) was the son of 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abdul Muttalib, Ibn Hashim,
Ibn 'Abdul Munaf, Ibn Qusayy, Ibn Kilab, Ibn Murra, Ibn Ka'b Ibn
Lu'ayy, Ibn Ghalib, Ibn Fihr, Ibn Malik, Ibn al-Nadr, Ibn Kinana, Ibn
Khusayma, Ibn Mudrika, Ibn Ilyas, Ibn Mudar Ibn Nizar Ibn Ma'add, Ibn
'Adnan.
The parentage of 'Adnan is further traced to Ismail Ibn
Ibrahim (Peace Be Upon Him)(2) by Arab genealogists. After the birth of
Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) Amina sent someone to inform his
grandfather. He came, looked at the baby lovingly and took him to the
K'aba where he praised Allah and prayed for the infant. 'Abdul Muttalib
then gave him the name Muhammad, which means, 'He who is praised'. The
Arabs were surprised at the unfamiliar name (3) given to the newborn
babe by 'Abdul Muttalib. (Ibn Hisham, pp. 159-60)
THE SUCKLING PERIOD
Thuwaybah,
a bondwoman of the Prophet's uncle Abu Lahab, suckled him momentarily
for a few days while 'Abdul Muttalib continued to look for a wet-nurse
to nurture his favorite grandson. It was customary in Mecca to place
the suckling babies under the care of a desert tribeswoman, where the
child grows up in the free, chivalrous air away from the cramp,
contaminating atmosphere of the city, and learn the wholesome ways of
the Bedouins. Those were the days when the chaste, unaffected and
natural expression of the desert people was considered as the finest
model of grace and elegance of the Arabic language. Together with the
milk of a bedouin woman, the babies imbibed the fluent language that
flew across the desert.
The people from the tribe of Bani S'ad
were known for the gracefulness of their speech. Halima S'adiya, a
member of this tribe, ultimately came to have the precious baby under
her wings. This was a year of famine wherein Bani S'ad had been
rendered miserable. The tribe came to Mecca to look for children to be
suckled, but no woman to whom the Prophet of God (Peace Be Upon Him)
was offered, agreed to take the child because none expected a goodly
return for nurturing or nursing an infant whose father was already
dead. They said, "An orphan! What will his mother and grandfather give
in return?" At first, Halima also declined the offer but suddenly she
felt a craving for the baby. She had also failed to get a charge for
her and, therefore, before going back home, she returned and finally
took the baby back with her. Halima found before long that her
household was blest with luck, her breast overflowed with milk, the
udders of her she-camel were full and everything seemed to bring forth
happiness. The women of Halima's tribe now spread out the rumor:
"Halima, you have certainly got a blessed child." They began to feel
envious of her already.
Halima weaned the baby when he was two
years old, for it is customary upon the foster-children to return to
their respective families at such an age. Besides, the boy was also
developing faster than the other children, and by the time he was two,
he was already a well-grown child. Thus, Halima brought the Prophet of
God (Peace Be Upon Him) back to Amina but begged her to be allowed to
keep the boy for some extended time as he had brought her luck. Amina
agreed and allowed Halima to take Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) back
with her. (4)
Some months after his return to Bani S'ad, two
angels seized the Prophet of God (Peace Be Upon Him), opened up his
chest and extracted a black drop from it. Then they thoroughly cleaned
his heart and healed the wound after putting his heart back in its
place. (5)
The Prophet of God (Peace Be Upon Him) tended the
lambs with his foster-brothers in the boundless wilderness of the
desert, far away from the pretensions, hypocrisy, pomp and pride of the
city, rendering his thoughts dry and clear like the desert air. His
life was as simple as the sand and he learnt to endure with the
hardships and dangers of the wilderness. And with the people of Bani
S'ad, his ears became accustomed to the rhetorics and eloquence of the
pure and classical language of the Bedouins. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon
Him) often used to tell his companions: "I am the most Arab of you all
for I am of Quraysh origin and I was suckled among Bani S'ad Ibn Bakr. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, 167).
DEATH OF AMINA AND 'ABDUL MUTTALIB
When
the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was six years old, his mother took him
to Yathrib to pay a visit to her father. She also wanted to call on the
grave of her late husband, (6) but while on her way back to Mecca, she
died at a place called Abwa. (7) The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) must
have felt lonely and sorrowful at the death of his mother in the middle
of his journey. Incidents of such nature had been a common fixture in
his life since birth, perhaps as a divine dispensation for his
upbringing in a particular way, one which is reminiscent of the great
role that he has to play in the future. Finally, the Abyssinian
bondwoman, Umm Ayman Barkah, brought him to his grandfather in Mecca.
'Abdul Muttalib loved the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) so dearly, making
him the apple of his eye and never allowed him to be distant from his
sight. He would make the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) sit beside him on
his bed in the shade of the Ka'ba and caress him to show his affection.
After
reaching eight years of age, 'Abdul Muttalib also passed away. (Ibn
Hisham, Vol. I, pp. 168-9) The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was now left
behind, alone and abandoned. He had never seen his father, and would
have had no recollection of him, but the death of the adoring
grandfather must have been too depressing and inconsolable to bear.
ABU TALIB BECOMES THE GUARDIAN
Following
the death Of 'Abdul Muttalib, Abu Talib took the Prophet (Peace Be Upon
Him) under his care for he and 'Abdullah, the Prophet's father, were
brothers by the same mother. Abdul Muttalib had also been insisting
upon Abu Talib to take care of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) himself.
Accordingly, Abu Talib took the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) under his
protection and even treated him with more care and affection than his
own two sons, 'Ali J'afar and 'Aqil. ( Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 179).
Once,
when the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was nine years old, (As related by
authentic Traditions) Abu Talib planned to go on a merchant caravan to
Syria. Knowing this, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) approached his
uncle, and nestling close to him, insisted on accompanying him in the
journey. Abu Talib was moved and agreed to take Muhammed (Peace Be Upon
Him) with him to Syria. When the caravan reached Busra in Syria, it
broke the journey for a short stay and while there, they met a monk by
the name of Buhaira who lived in his cell. He came out against his
practice, to welcome the merchants and made a great feast for them. The
caravan found favor with Buhaira, so they say, because of something
that he had seen while he was in his cell. When Buhaira saw Muhammad
(Peace Be Upon Him), he observed in him the signs of the Prophethood
that he had known and advised Abu Talib: "Return to your home with this
youth and guard him from the Jews; for great dignity awaits your
nephew". Abu Talib immediately took the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)
back to Mecca by virtue of Buhaira's advice. (8)
DIVINE TUTELAGE
Heavenly
Host had made special arrangements for broadening the mind of the holy
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and had taken particular care to shut off
the faults and failures of the pagan past from him. Since early youth,
the reserved and unassuming young man was known for his gentle
disposition and grave purity of life as well as for his candidness,
honesty and integrity and his stern sense of duty. His was the straight
and narrow path and none could find the slightest fault with him. The
faircharacter and honorable bearing of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)
won for him, in the pinnacle of his youth, the title of Al-Amin,
meaning the Trusty, from his fellow populace.(Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 183)
Evil
were the ways of young men in Mecca, and no misconduct brought anybody
into jeopardy or accountability. But God helped His Prophet (Peace Be
Upon Him) abandon the pleasures of life familiar to everybody in there.
Such that on the contrary, he was rather kind to his kinsmen,
alleviated the sufferings of others and spared or minimized expenses to
meet their needs. Moreover, he entertained guests, was ever willing to
join hands with anybody who had a noble and virtuous task(9) and
prefered to earn his livelihood by toiling hard for it even if it meant
living a simple life to the point of austerity.
When the
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was around fourteen or fifteen years of
age, the sacrilegious war, known as the Harb-ul-Fijar, broke out
between the Quraysh and the tribe of Qays. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon
Him) was present at this event such that he picked up the arrows that
the enemy had shot and gave them back to the Qurayshite fighters. This
was to mark his first experience of military operations. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, 186)
Now
that the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was coming into grips of his own
life, he turned his attention to scouting a means of livelihood. Like
other lads of his age, he took a shot at the tendering of sheep and
goats.. It was not deemed a disgraceful occupation in those days,
rather, it helped one to be watchful, alert and quick, kind and
considerate besides allowing an opportunity to inhale the freedom of
Arabian air and the power of its sand. More than that, it had been the
convention of all the prophets of old which complied with his future
prophetic task. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) after all used to say:
"Verily, there has been no prophet who has not tended the flocks of
goats." On being asked again whether he had also performed the work of
a shepherd, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) affirmed. "Yes I did."
The
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was not completely new to the job for in
his childhood days he used to accompany his foster-brothers in tending
their flocks and herds. The reports in the Saheeh show that the Prophet
(Peace Be Upon Him) used to watch the goats upon the neighbouring hills
and valleys for a meager payment from their owners.(10)
MARRIAGE WITH KHADIJAH (Allah be pleased with her)
The
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) married Khadijah (Allah be pleased with
her) when he was twenty-five years of age. Khadijah (Allah be pleased
with her), daughter of Khuwaylid, was noble and intelligent, wealthy
and was respected for the quality and integrity of her heart. A widow
whose age was then forty years, (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, pp. 189-90) her
late husband was Abu Hala. She carried out on their business and like
other merchants of Mecca she also used to hire men to transport her
merchandise outside the country on a profit-sharing scheme. Khadijah
(Allah be pleased with her) had an experience of the Prophet's
truthfulness, trustworthiness and honorable character and had also
heard about the strange events that had taken place when the Prophet
(Peace Be Upon Him) traded her merchandise to Syria. Although Khadijah
(Allah be pleased with her) had turned down several offers for her hand
by some of` the eminent chiefs of the Quraysh, she expressed her desire
to marry the Prophet Peace be upon him). Hamza, an uncle of the Prophet
(Peace Be Upon Him), conveyed the message to him for which he readily
agreed. Abu Talib recited the wedding sermon and the Prophet (Peace Be
Upon Him), united in wedlock with Khadija, commenced his marital
career. All the offsprings of the Prophet Peace be upon him) except
Ibrahim who died in infancy, were born to Khadijah (Allah be pleased
with her). (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p.190 and other biographies of the
Prophet).
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE KA'BA
In
his thirty-fifth year, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) made a difficult
decision about a matter that provoked the Quraysh and threatened to
plunge them into another sacrilegious war. The Quraysh wished to
rebuild the Ka'bah and furnish it with roofs, for it was made of loose
stones, and its walls were only a little higher than a man's height.
So, the walls were demolished and the work of reconstruction was taken
up, but when it was time to rebuild the Ka'bah as far as the position
of the Black Stone was concerned, the question arose as to who should
place the sacred relic into its place. Every tribe claimed the honor,
an imminent collision was bound to happen. The grounds that led to wars
of attrition during the early days of paganism in Arabia were nothing
but inferior or insignificant when compared to the grave issue that was
made as the focal point of honor on this occasion.
Banu 'Abdul
Dar brought a bowl full of blood; then they and Banu 'Adiy pledged
themselves to fight unto death by thrusting their hands into the blood.
The conflict appeared to be the starting point of a furious struggle
which might have swallowed up the whole of Arabia in another of their
oft-recurring wars. The dilemma continued for a few days until it was
agreed that whosoever is the first man to enter the gate of the mosque
would be made as the umpire of the matter under dispute. And so the
first man to enter came, but he was no other then the Prophet of God
(Peace Be Upon Him). "This is Muhammad", they said as soon as they saw
him coming, and further added: "He is trustworthy and we will abide by
his decision."
The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) asked them to
bring a cloth, took the Black Stone and put it inside the fabric, then
afterwards asked each tribe to take hold of an end of the material and
then simultaneously raise it to the required height. When the people
lifted the stone in such manner, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) placed
it in its position with his own hands, and the building went on above
it. (Ibn isham, Vol. I, pp. 192-197)
The
wisdom displayed by the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) on this occasion,
one which saved the Quraysh from measuring the might of their swords
with that of the others, strikingly illustrates his sound judgement
apart from divulging sparks of his genius. The sagacity of the Prophet
(Peace Be Upon Him) foretold how bloodshed is taken as a divine
harbinger of peace. The incident foreshadowed the signs of` the
Prophet's (Peace Be Upon Him) prudence, profoundness of his teachings,
his thoughtfulness, cool temper and the spirit of his friendliness and
altruism; in fact the cardinal virtues of one who was to become the
'Mercy for the Worlds". These were the qualities through which the
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) transformed a people, unruly and ferocious,
continuously at war amongst each other, into a closely-knit fraternity
by proving and submitting himself as a Merciful Prophet (Peace Be Upon
Him) before them.
HILFUL-FUDUL
It
was during this period that the Quraysh came to agree upon one of the
noblest covenants made in which the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) played
a prominent part. It so happened that a man from Zabid (A town in
Yemen) came to sell his merchandise in Mecca. One of the Quraysh
chieftains in the person of Al-As Ibn Wayel purchased the whole of it
but paid nothing in return. Because of this, Zabid approached several
influential Quraysh leaders but none of them agreed to confront Al-As
Ibn Wayel. Having been turned down by those that he had previously
asked for help, Zabid called upon the people of Mecca exhorting every
bold and fair-minded young man to come to his rescue. At last, many of
them, moved by embarrassment, assembled in the house of 'Abdallah Ibn
Jad'an who entertained everyone that came to his house. Thereafter,
they formed a pact, in the name of Allah, for repression of acts of
lawlessness and restoration of justice to the weak and the oppressed
within the walls of Mecca. The covenant was called Hilful-Fudul wherein
all its members finally approached Al-As Ibn Wayel and forced him to
return the merchandise of Zabid. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, pp.257-59).
The
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) had been one of the prominent movers of the
pact and he always made it a point to express his satisfaction over the
execution of this agreement. Once he remarked: "I had a hand in making
such an arrangement in the house of 'Abdullah Ibn Jad'an to which if I
were invited again to help even after the advent of Islam, I would have
undoubtedly participated once more". Thru such Hiful Fudul, they had
agreed to restore upon everyone what is due of him and to protect the
weak from the exploits and manipulations of the oppressors."
A MYSTIFYING UNREST
Muhammad
(Peace Be Upon Him) was now approaching his fortieth year. He felt a
mystifying internal unrest, yet he did not know the rationale behind
it. He was himself not aware what the inexplicable confusion meant to
him; nordid the idea that God was about to honor him with revelation
and prophethood ever crossed his mind. This was how the Prophet (Peace
Be Upon Him) felt, as has been attested by God in the Qur'an:
"And
thus We have inspired in thee (Muhammad) a Spirit of Our Command. Thou
knewest not what the Scripture was,nor what the Faith. But We have made
it a light whereby We guide whom We will of our bondmen. And Lo! thou
verily dost guide unto a right path." [Qur'an 42:52]
At
another place, the inability of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) to know
the reason for his internal unrest has been demonstrated in these
words:
"Thou
hast no hope that the Scripture would be inspired in thee; but it is a
mercy from thy Lord, so never be a helper to the disbelievers. " [Qur'an 28:86]
It
pleased the Will of God, All-wise and All-knowing, that His Prophet
(Peace Be Upon Him) should remain a stranger to the arts of reading and
writing. His contemporaries could thus never accuse him of himself
editing the divine revelations. This, too, has been subverted by the
Qur'an to settle the matter as evidenced by the following verse:
"And
thou (O Muhammad) was not a reader of any Scripture before it, nor
didst thou write it with thy right hand, for then might those have
doubted, who follow falsehood." [Qur'an 29: 48]
That is why the Qur'an calls him an 'unlettered prophet' (Peace Be Upon Him).
"Those
who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write,
whom they will find described in the Torah and the gospel (which are)
with them-He commands them for Al- Maruf (monotheism & all that
Islam has ordained) and forbids them from Al- Munkar (disbelief &
all that Islam forbids)" [Qur'an 7:157]
The Lessons And Examples Can Be Taking From This Period As Follows:
Whenever
the caller or social reformer is considered noble by his people, they
will be more apt to listen to him as this is their natural reaction
with respect to preachers and reformers, than if they are from an
obscure section of society or from people of ignoble birth. But if the
reformer or caller comes from a lineage they cannot dispute as being
noble, or whose family's social status is undeniably high, then they
will find nothing to contend against him. And so, they resort to lies,
excuses, and rationalizations to keep themselves and the rest from
listening to his message and his speeches. That is why the first
question that Hiraql (Heraclius) asked Abu Sufyan, when the latter
handed him the messenger's letter inviting him and his people to accept
Islam was, "How is his lineage among you?" Abu Sufyan answered him,
while he was still a polytheist, "He is from the most noble lineage
among us." When Hiraql finished his interrogations replete with their
respective answers from Abu Sufyan, he started to explain why he had
asked these questions about Muhammad, Allah's Messenger (Peace Be Upon
Him). Hiraql told him, "I asked you what his lineage was among you, and
you stated that he is from the most noble one, because Allah does not
choose a Prophet except from the noblest of his people with the noblest
ancestry." It is true that Islam does not value noble predigree in the
face of one's actions but that does not prevent the one who combines
together the nobility of lineage as that of deeds from being more
honorable, having a higher status, and being more successful. An
authentic Hadeeth, which says that, "The best of you in the time of
ignorance are the best of you in Islam, if they but understand" ably
supports this assertion.
It is the tribulation of the caller,
who is orphaned and who lived thru hardships in his youth, which makes
him more sensitive to noble human causes. Such experience makes him
more sympathetic with the plight of the orphans, the poor and the
oppressed. It mobilizes him to fight for the rights of these people who
belong to the lower echelons of society and incessantly galvanizes him
to be good and merciful towards them. Every caller needs to have a
great deal of noble human feelings otherwise known as compassion, which
makes him commiserate with the state of the weak and oppressed. Nothing
of such sort molded him better than treading in his own life most of
the pains and angst felt by the poor, orphaned and the needy.
Living
as close as possible to the tenets of human nature and as far as
possible from complex life results in the clarity of intellect,
strength of mind, body and soul, as well as accuracy in thought and
speech for the caller. This is why Allah chose the Arabs to deliver the
message of Islam. What Allah did was not out of jest or chance. It was
because they were more pure in their souls, more sound in their
thinking, upright in their manners and more tolerant of the hardship of
wars for the sake of Allah and the spreading of His message to all
corners of the world.
No one can assume full credit to the
distinction of the caller to Islam except for sharp and intelligent
people, because the dumb and those with average intelligence are far
from qualified for intellectual, social reform or spiritual leadership.
This is because it is natural that the ignorant, those who dawdle and
are shaky in their thinking, and those who hold strange and hollow
opinions cannot truly qualify for leadership in any aspect of life.
Even if by chance or special circumstance, someone like this makes it
to a position of leadership, he will not last long and will fall into
the pits of despair. His people will desert him once his actions reveal
his stupidity, oddity and chaotic thinking.
It is a must for
the reformer to depend on his own personal effort for his livelihood or
thrive on a noble and dignified source of income rather than cash in on
one which involves begging, disgraceful behavior or derogatory means.
The truthful, noble reformers keep themselves from living on the
charity or gifts of people. There would be no honor for them in the
souls of their people after they humiliate themselves by begging and
asking, even if it is not done openly. If we see someone who claims to
call others to guidance while he is getting richer from the wealth of
the people by the use of different schemes, then we can be sure that he
is humiliating his own soul. What then will be his position in the
feelings and eyes of his own people and neighbors? How can anyone who
accepts for himself this kind of humiliation call people to the best
manners, to fight evil and corruption and to revive in the nation the
spirit of honor, dignity and righteousness when he himself is wanting
of such qualities?
The upright nature and good behavior of the
caller during his youth and life leads to his success in calling people
to Allah, reforming manners and fighting abominations since there will
be no one who could accuse him of any ill behavior even before he
started the call. We have seen many people who started the call of
reformation, especially that of character, but the major reason people
turned away was because of the indelible imprint left by the
questionable integrity and bad behavior of the caller's past. This
tarnished past will make people doubt his truthfulness. They will think
that he is hiding behind the movement for self-interest, or they will
accuse him of starting the reform only after he had fulfilled all of
his desires, lusts and pleasures in life. And now he is in a position
or at an age which gives him little or no hope of continuing his quest
and hunt for property, wealth, fame or honor which he had formerly
pursued. But the caller who was righteous in his youth will continue to
keep his head high and his heart will always remain pure. While his
enemies always find a way to accuse his near or distant past, they will
not be able to use the past as a weapon to ruin his integrity or to
persuade the people to disregard his call. It is true that Allah
accepts the repentance of the one who returns to Him with truthfulness
and sincerity and that Allah will erase his past with his recent good
deeds. But that is for someone other than the person who is hoping for
the success of his call while his behavior is upright and his good
reputation having remained intact.
The experiences that the
caller gains by traveling, socially immersing with the crowds, learning
about their customs, conditions, and problems have a great deal of
effect on the success of his message. Those who live with the people
only through their books and writings, without actually living with
them, are people who are failures in their call or reform movement.
People do not respond to such callers because they are ignorant to
their predicament and problems. Whoever wants to reform the religious
people must commingle with them in their mosques, join them at their
gatherings, and blend with them in their communities. Whoever wants to
reform the laborers and the farmers has to live with them in their
villages and factories, and dine with them in their homes. He must
speak with them on their own terms. If someone wants to reform the
businessmen, one has to mix with them in their markets, shops,
factories, clubs and gatherings. Whoever wants to reform the political
sector has to mix with the politicians, get to know their
organizations, listen to their speeches, read their programs and plans
and get to know the environment within which they live. He must also
educate himself about the culture of the people he is dealing with. He
needs to know in which direction the people are headed for in order to
determine how to approach them in such a way as not to frighten the
populace. The caller needs to adopt a method instrumental in reforming
the people, a method acceptable to the general public so that there
will be no uprising against him due to hatred or emotional upheaval.
Confronted with such a fact, it is imperative that the caller needs to
experience life and gain knowledge of the people's affairs which will
help him in fulfilling Allah's words, as Allah thru the Quran says;
"Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation" . [Qur'an 16: 125]
And how magnificent is the reported saying: "Speak to the people according to their mental ability. Do you want them to reject Allah and His message?" (Recorded by Al-Bukhaari. )
It
is incumbent upon the caller to contemplate every now and then, so that
he may allow his spirit to relate to Allah and his soul to purify
itself from the filth of the bad manners of the crowded, busy life
around him. This seclusion will motivate him to take account of his
progress. It will allow him to see if he failed in doing good or fell
short in his choice of procedure or methodology. The same introspection
serves as a gauge to determine whether he has diverted from his
direction, strayed from the way of wisdom, or was so engrossed in
discussions and arguments that he forgot about remembering Allah,
feeling the tranquility of His company, remembering the hereafter with
its reward or punishment, and death with its hardships and pains. For
this reason, the tahajjud or late night prayer was obligatory upon the
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and is recommended for others. The ones who
should do their best to perform this optional prayer are the callers to
His way and His Paradise. These times of seclusion, invocation and
imploration of Allah during the night are a pleasure which no one can
enjoy except those whom Allah honors. Ibrahim ibn Adham used to say
after his nightly invoking and worship, "We are involved in such a
pleasure that if the kings were to know about it, they would compete us
for it." Allah's saying is sufficient enough for our motivation.
Directing his speech to Allah's Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him), Allah
said:
"O
you wrapped up in your raiment! Keep vigil the night long, save a
little-a half thereof, or abate a little thereof or add (a little)
thereto- and recite the Quran in measure, for We shall charge you with
a word of weight. Lo! the vigil of the night is (a time) when
impression is more keen and speech more certain" [Qur'an 73:1-7]
Abdul
Muttalib, chieftain of the Quraysh, had ten sons who were all worthy
and outstanding, but 'Abdullah was the noblest and most prominent among
them. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 108)
'Abdul Muttalib wedded him to Amina, the daughter of Wahb Ibn 'Abdu
Munaf, who was the leading man of Bani Zuhra. She (Amina) was the most
excellent woman among the Quraysh in birth and stature at that time. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 110)
Muhammad
(Peace Be Upon Him) was born after the death of his father. Before his
birth, Amina witnessed many an omen foretelling a great future for her
son. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 158)
BIRTH OF THE PROPHET (Peace Be Upon Him)
The
Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) was born on Monday, the 12th of Rab'i-ul
Awwal (1) in the year of the Elephant. Certainly, it was the most
auspicious day in the history of mankind.
Thus, Muhammad (Peace
Be Upon Him) was the son of 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abdul Muttalib, Ibn Hashim,
Ibn 'Abdul Munaf, Ibn Qusayy, Ibn Kilab, Ibn Murra, Ibn Ka'b Ibn
Lu'ayy, Ibn Ghalib, Ibn Fihr, Ibn Malik, Ibn al-Nadr, Ibn Kinana, Ibn
Khusayma, Ibn Mudrika, Ibn Ilyas, Ibn Mudar Ibn Nizar Ibn Ma'add, Ibn
'Adnan.
The parentage of 'Adnan is further traced to Ismail Ibn
Ibrahim (Peace Be Upon Him)(2) by Arab genealogists. After the birth of
Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) Amina sent someone to inform his
grandfather. He came, looked at the baby lovingly and took him to the
K'aba where he praised Allah and prayed for the infant. 'Abdul Muttalib
then gave him the name Muhammad, which means, 'He who is praised'. The
Arabs were surprised at the unfamiliar name (3) given to the newborn
babe by 'Abdul Muttalib. (Ibn Hisham, pp. 159-60)
THE SUCKLING PERIOD
Thuwaybah,
a bondwoman of the Prophet's uncle Abu Lahab, suckled him momentarily
for a few days while 'Abdul Muttalib continued to look for a wet-nurse
to nurture his favorite grandson. It was customary in Mecca to place
the suckling babies under the care of a desert tribeswoman, where the
child grows up in the free, chivalrous air away from the cramp,
contaminating atmosphere of the city, and learn the wholesome ways of
the Bedouins. Those were the days when the chaste, unaffected and
natural expression of the desert people was considered as the finest
model of grace and elegance of the Arabic language. Together with the
milk of a bedouin woman, the babies imbibed the fluent language that
flew across the desert.
The people from the tribe of Bani S'ad
were known for the gracefulness of their speech. Halima S'adiya, a
member of this tribe, ultimately came to have the precious baby under
her wings. This was a year of famine wherein Bani S'ad had been
rendered miserable. The tribe came to Mecca to look for children to be
suckled, but no woman to whom the Prophet of God (Peace Be Upon Him)
was offered, agreed to take the child because none expected a goodly
return for nurturing or nursing an infant whose father was already
dead. They said, "An orphan! What will his mother and grandfather give
in return?" At first, Halima also declined the offer but suddenly she
felt a craving for the baby. She had also failed to get a charge for
her and, therefore, before going back home, she returned and finally
took the baby back with her. Halima found before long that her
household was blest with luck, her breast overflowed with milk, the
udders of her she-camel were full and everything seemed to bring forth
happiness. The women of Halima's tribe now spread out the rumor:
"Halima, you have certainly got a blessed child." They began to feel
envious of her already.
Halima weaned the baby when he was two
years old, for it is customary upon the foster-children to return to
their respective families at such an age. Besides, the boy was also
developing faster than the other children, and by the time he was two,
he was already a well-grown child. Thus, Halima brought the Prophet of
God (Peace Be Upon Him) back to Amina but begged her to be allowed to
keep the boy for some extended time as he had brought her luck. Amina
agreed and allowed Halima to take Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) back
with her. (4)
Some months after his return to Bani S'ad, two
angels seized the Prophet of God (Peace Be Upon Him), opened up his
chest and extracted a black drop from it. Then they thoroughly cleaned
his heart and healed the wound after putting his heart back in its
place. (5)
The Prophet of God (Peace Be Upon Him) tended the
lambs with his foster-brothers in the boundless wilderness of the
desert, far away from the pretensions, hypocrisy, pomp and pride of the
city, rendering his thoughts dry and clear like the desert air. His
life was as simple as the sand and he learnt to endure with the
hardships and dangers of the wilderness. And with the people of Bani
S'ad, his ears became accustomed to the rhetorics and eloquence of the
pure and classical language of the Bedouins. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon
Him) often used to tell his companions: "I am the most Arab of you all
for I am of Quraysh origin and I was suckled among Bani S'ad Ibn Bakr. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, 167).
DEATH OF AMINA AND 'ABDUL MUTTALIB
When
the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was six years old, his mother took him
to Yathrib to pay a visit to her father. She also wanted to call on the
grave of her late husband, (6) but while on her way back to Mecca, she
died at a place called Abwa. (7) The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) must
have felt lonely and sorrowful at the death of his mother in the middle
of his journey. Incidents of such nature had been a common fixture in
his life since birth, perhaps as a divine dispensation for his
upbringing in a particular way, one which is reminiscent of the great
role that he has to play in the future. Finally, the Abyssinian
bondwoman, Umm Ayman Barkah, brought him to his grandfather in Mecca.
'Abdul Muttalib loved the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) so dearly, making
him the apple of his eye and never allowed him to be distant from his
sight. He would make the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) sit beside him on
his bed in the shade of the Ka'ba and caress him to show his affection.
After
reaching eight years of age, 'Abdul Muttalib also passed away. (Ibn
Hisham, Vol. I, pp. 168-9) The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was now left
behind, alone and abandoned. He had never seen his father, and would
have had no recollection of him, but the death of the adoring
grandfather must have been too depressing and inconsolable to bear.
ABU TALIB BECOMES THE GUARDIAN
Following
the death Of 'Abdul Muttalib, Abu Talib took the Prophet (Peace Be Upon
Him) under his care for he and 'Abdullah, the Prophet's father, were
brothers by the same mother. Abdul Muttalib had also been insisting
upon Abu Talib to take care of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) himself.
Accordingly, Abu Talib took the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) under his
protection and even treated him with more care and affection than his
own two sons, 'Ali J'afar and 'Aqil. ( Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 179).
Once,
when the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was nine years old, (As related by
authentic Traditions) Abu Talib planned to go on a merchant caravan to
Syria. Knowing this, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) approached his
uncle, and nestling close to him, insisted on accompanying him in the
journey. Abu Talib was moved and agreed to take Muhammed (Peace Be Upon
Him) with him to Syria. When the caravan reached Busra in Syria, it
broke the journey for a short stay and while there, they met a monk by
the name of Buhaira who lived in his cell. He came out against his
practice, to welcome the merchants and made a great feast for them. The
caravan found favor with Buhaira, so they say, because of something
that he had seen while he was in his cell. When Buhaira saw Muhammad
(Peace Be Upon Him), he observed in him the signs of the Prophethood
that he had known and advised Abu Talib: "Return to your home with this
youth and guard him from the Jews; for great dignity awaits your
nephew". Abu Talib immediately took the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)
back to Mecca by virtue of Buhaira's advice. (8)
DIVINE TUTELAGE
Heavenly
Host had made special arrangements for broadening the mind of the holy
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and had taken particular care to shut off
the faults and failures of the pagan past from him. Since early youth,
the reserved and unassuming young man was known for his gentle
disposition and grave purity of life as well as for his candidness,
honesty and integrity and his stern sense of duty. His was the straight
and narrow path and none could find the slightest fault with him. The
faircharacter and honorable bearing of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)
won for him, in the pinnacle of his youth, the title of Al-Amin,
meaning the Trusty, from his fellow populace.(Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 183)
Evil
were the ways of young men in Mecca, and no misconduct brought anybody
into jeopardy or accountability. But God helped His Prophet (Peace Be
Upon Him) abandon the pleasures of life familiar to everybody in there.
Such that on the contrary, he was rather kind to his kinsmen,
alleviated the sufferings of others and spared or minimized expenses to
meet their needs. Moreover, he entertained guests, was ever willing to
join hands with anybody who had a noble and virtuous task(9) and
prefered to earn his livelihood by toiling hard for it even if it meant
living a simple life to the point of austerity.
When the
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was around fourteen or fifteen years of
age, the sacrilegious war, known as the Harb-ul-Fijar, broke out
between the Quraysh and the tribe of Qays. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon
Him) was present at this event such that he picked up the arrows that
the enemy had shot and gave them back to the Qurayshite fighters. This
was to mark his first experience of military operations. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, 186)
Now
that the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was coming into grips of his own
life, he turned his attention to scouting a means of livelihood. Like
other lads of his age, he took a shot at the tendering of sheep and
goats.. It was not deemed a disgraceful occupation in those days,
rather, it helped one to be watchful, alert and quick, kind and
considerate besides allowing an opportunity to inhale the freedom of
Arabian air and the power of its sand. More than that, it had been the
convention of all the prophets of old which complied with his future
prophetic task. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) after all used to say:
"Verily, there has been no prophet who has not tended the flocks of
goats." On being asked again whether he had also performed the work of
a shepherd, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) affirmed. "Yes I did."
The
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was not completely new to the job for in
his childhood days he used to accompany his foster-brothers in tending
their flocks and herds. The reports in the Saheeh show that the Prophet
(Peace Be Upon Him) used to watch the goats upon the neighbouring hills
and valleys for a meager payment from their owners.(10)
MARRIAGE WITH KHADIJAH (Allah be pleased with her)
The
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) married Khadijah (Allah be pleased with
her) when he was twenty-five years of age. Khadijah (Allah be pleased
with her), daughter of Khuwaylid, was noble and intelligent, wealthy
and was respected for the quality and integrity of her heart. A widow
whose age was then forty years, (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, pp. 189-90) her
late husband was Abu Hala. She carried out on their business and like
other merchants of Mecca she also used to hire men to transport her
merchandise outside the country on a profit-sharing scheme. Khadijah
(Allah be pleased with her) had an experience of the Prophet's
truthfulness, trustworthiness and honorable character and had also
heard about the strange events that had taken place when the Prophet
(Peace Be Upon Him) traded her merchandise to Syria. Although Khadijah
(Allah be pleased with her) had turned down several offers for her hand
by some of` the eminent chiefs of the Quraysh, she expressed her desire
to marry the Prophet Peace be upon him). Hamza, an uncle of the Prophet
(Peace Be Upon Him), conveyed the message to him for which he readily
agreed. Abu Talib recited the wedding sermon and the Prophet (Peace Be
Upon Him), united in wedlock with Khadija, commenced his marital
career. All the offsprings of the Prophet Peace be upon him) except
Ibrahim who died in infancy, were born to Khadijah (Allah be pleased
with her). (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p.190 and other biographies of the
Prophet).
RECONSTRUCTION OF THE KA'BA
In
his thirty-fifth year, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) made a difficult
decision about a matter that provoked the Quraysh and threatened to
plunge them into another sacrilegious war. The Quraysh wished to
rebuild the Ka'bah and furnish it with roofs, for it was made of loose
stones, and its walls were only a little higher than a man's height.
So, the walls were demolished and the work of reconstruction was taken
up, but when it was time to rebuild the Ka'bah as far as the position
of the Black Stone was concerned, the question arose as to who should
place the sacred relic into its place. Every tribe claimed the honor,
an imminent collision was bound to happen. The grounds that led to wars
of attrition during the early days of paganism in Arabia were nothing
but inferior or insignificant when compared to the grave issue that was
made as the focal point of honor on this occasion.
Banu 'Abdul
Dar brought a bowl full of blood; then they and Banu 'Adiy pledged
themselves to fight unto death by thrusting their hands into the blood.
The conflict appeared to be the starting point of a furious struggle
which might have swallowed up the whole of Arabia in another of their
oft-recurring wars. The dilemma continued for a few days until it was
agreed that whosoever is the first man to enter the gate of the mosque
would be made as the umpire of the matter under dispute. And so the
first man to enter came, but he was no other then the Prophet of God
(Peace Be Upon Him). "This is Muhammad", they said as soon as they saw
him coming, and further added: "He is trustworthy and we will abide by
his decision."
The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) asked them to
bring a cloth, took the Black Stone and put it inside the fabric, then
afterwards asked each tribe to take hold of an end of the material and
then simultaneously raise it to the required height. When the people
lifted the stone in such manner, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) placed
it in its position with his own hands, and the building went on above
it. (Ibn isham, Vol. I, pp. 192-197)
The
wisdom displayed by the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) on this occasion,
one which saved the Quraysh from measuring the might of their swords
with that of the others, strikingly illustrates his sound judgement
apart from divulging sparks of his genius. The sagacity of the Prophet
(Peace Be Upon Him) foretold how bloodshed is taken as a divine
harbinger of peace. The incident foreshadowed the signs of` the
Prophet's (Peace Be Upon Him) prudence, profoundness of his teachings,
his thoughtfulness, cool temper and the spirit of his friendliness and
altruism; in fact the cardinal virtues of one who was to become the
'Mercy for the Worlds". These were the qualities through which the
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) transformed a people, unruly and ferocious,
continuously at war amongst each other, into a closely-knit fraternity
by proving and submitting himself as a Merciful Prophet (Peace Be Upon
Him) before them.
HILFUL-FUDUL
It
was during this period that the Quraysh came to agree upon one of the
noblest covenants made in which the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) played
a prominent part. It so happened that a man from Zabid (A town in
Yemen) came to sell his merchandise in Mecca. One of the Quraysh
chieftains in the person of Al-As Ibn Wayel purchased the whole of it
but paid nothing in return. Because of this, Zabid approached several
influential Quraysh leaders but none of them agreed to confront Al-As
Ibn Wayel. Having been turned down by those that he had previously
asked for help, Zabid called upon the people of Mecca exhorting every
bold and fair-minded young man to come to his rescue. At last, many of
them, moved by embarrassment, assembled in the house of 'Abdallah Ibn
Jad'an who entertained everyone that came to his house. Thereafter,
they formed a pact, in the name of Allah, for repression of acts of
lawlessness and restoration of justice to the weak and the oppressed
within the walls of Mecca. The covenant was called Hilful-Fudul wherein
all its members finally approached Al-As Ibn Wayel and forced him to
return the merchandise of Zabid. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, pp.257-59).
The
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) had been one of the prominent movers of the
pact and he always made it a point to express his satisfaction over the
execution of this agreement. Once he remarked: "I had a hand in making
such an arrangement in the house of 'Abdullah Ibn Jad'an to which if I
were invited again to help even after the advent of Islam, I would have
undoubtedly participated once more". Thru such Hiful Fudul, they had
agreed to restore upon everyone what is due of him and to protect the
weak from the exploits and manipulations of the oppressors."
A MYSTIFYING UNREST
Muhammad
(Peace Be Upon Him) was now approaching his fortieth year. He felt a
mystifying internal unrest, yet he did not know the rationale behind
it. He was himself not aware what the inexplicable confusion meant to
him; nordid the idea that God was about to honor him with revelation
and prophethood ever crossed his mind. This was how the Prophet (Peace
Be Upon Him) felt, as has been attested by God in the Qur'an:
"And
thus We have inspired in thee (Muhammad) a Spirit of Our Command. Thou
knewest not what the Scripture was,nor what the Faith. But We have made
it a light whereby We guide whom We will of our bondmen. And Lo! thou
verily dost guide unto a right path." [Qur'an 42:52]
At
another place, the inability of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) to know
the reason for his internal unrest has been demonstrated in these
words:
"Thou
hast no hope that the Scripture would be inspired in thee; but it is a
mercy from thy Lord, so never be a helper to the disbelievers. " [Qur'an 28:86]
It
pleased the Will of God, All-wise and All-knowing, that His Prophet
(Peace Be Upon Him) should remain a stranger to the arts of reading and
writing. His contemporaries could thus never accuse him of himself
editing the divine revelations. This, too, has been subverted by the
Qur'an to settle the matter as evidenced by the following verse:
"And
thou (O Muhammad) was not a reader of any Scripture before it, nor
didst thou write it with thy right hand, for then might those have
doubted, who follow falsehood." [Qur'an 29: 48]
That is why the Qur'an calls him an 'unlettered prophet' (Peace Be Upon Him).
"Those
who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write,
whom they will find described in the Torah and the gospel (which are)
with them-He commands them for Al- Maruf (monotheism & all that
Islam has ordained) and forbids them from Al- Munkar (disbelief &
all that Islam forbids)" [Qur'an 7:157]
The Lessons And Examples Can Be Taking From This Period As Follows:
Whenever
the caller or social reformer is considered noble by his people, they
will be more apt to listen to him as this is their natural reaction
with respect to preachers and reformers, than if they are from an
obscure section of society or from people of ignoble birth. But if the
reformer or caller comes from a lineage they cannot dispute as being
noble, or whose family's social status is undeniably high, then they
will find nothing to contend against him. And so, they resort to lies,
excuses, and rationalizations to keep themselves and the rest from
listening to his message and his speeches. That is why the first
question that Hiraql (Heraclius) asked Abu Sufyan, when the latter
handed him the messenger's letter inviting him and his people to accept
Islam was, "How is his lineage among you?" Abu Sufyan answered him,
while he was still a polytheist, "He is from the most noble lineage
among us." When Hiraql finished his interrogations replete with their
respective answers from Abu Sufyan, he started to explain why he had
asked these questions about Muhammad, Allah's Messenger (Peace Be Upon
Him). Hiraql told him, "I asked you what his lineage was among you, and
you stated that he is from the most noble one, because Allah does not
choose a Prophet except from the noblest of his people with the noblest
ancestry." It is true that Islam does not value noble predigree in the
face of one's actions but that does not prevent the one who combines
together the nobility of lineage as that of deeds from being more
honorable, having a higher status, and being more successful. An
authentic Hadeeth, which says that, "The best of you in the time of
ignorance are the best of you in Islam, if they but understand" ably
supports this assertion.
It is the tribulation of the caller,
who is orphaned and who lived thru hardships in his youth, which makes
him more sensitive to noble human causes. Such experience makes him
more sympathetic with the plight of the orphans, the poor and the
oppressed. It mobilizes him to fight for the rights of these people who
belong to the lower echelons of society and incessantly galvanizes him
to be good and merciful towards them. Every caller needs to have a
great deal of noble human feelings otherwise known as compassion, which
makes him commiserate with the state of the weak and oppressed. Nothing
of such sort molded him better than treading in his own life most of
the pains and angst felt by the poor, orphaned and the needy.
Living
as close as possible to the tenets of human nature and as far as
possible from complex life results in the clarity of intellect,
strength of mind, body and soul, as well as accuracy in thought and
speech for the caller. This is why Allah chose the Arabs to deliver the
message of Islam. What Allah did was not out of jest or chance. It was
because they were more pure in their souls, more sound in their
thinking, upright in their manners and more tolerant of the hardship of
wars for the sake of Allah and the spreading of His message to all
corners of the world.
No one can assume full credit to the
distinction of the caller to Islam except for sharp and intelligent
people, because the dumb and those with average intelligence are far
from qualified for intellectual, social reform or spiritual leadership.
This is because it is natural that the ignorant, those who dawdle and
are shaky in their thinking, and those who hold strange and hollow
opinions cannot truly qualify for leadership in any aspect of life.
Even if by chance or special circumstance, someone like this makes it
to a position of leadership, he will not last long and will fall into
the pits of despair. His people will desert him once his actions reveal
his stupidity, oddity and chaotic thinking.
It is a must for
the reformer to depend on his own personal effort for his livelihood or
thrive on a noble and dignified source of income rather than cash in on
one which involves begging, disgraceful behavior or derogatory means.
The truthful, noble reformers keep themselves from living on the
charity or gifts of people. There would be no honor for them in the
souls of their people after they humiliate themselves by begging and
asking, even if it is not done openly. If we see someone who claims to
call others to guidance while he is getting richer from the wealth of
the people by the use of different schemes, then we can be sure that he
is humiliating his own soul. What then will be his position in the
feelings and eyes of his own people and neighbors? How can anyone who
accepts for himself this kind of humiliation call people to the best
manners, to fight evil and corruption and to revive in the nation the
spirit of honor, dignity and righteousness when he himself is wanting
of such qualities?
The upright nature and good behavior of the
caller during his youth and life leads to his success in calling people
to Allah, reforming manners and fighting abominations since there will
be no one who could accuse him of any ill behavior even before he
started the call. We have seen many people who started the call of
reformation, especially that of character, but the major reason people
turned away was because of the indelible imprint left by the
questionable integrity and bad behavior of the caller's past. This
tarnished past will make people doubt his truthfulness. They will think
that he is hiding behind the movement for self-interest, or they will
accuse him of starting the reform only after he had fulfilled all of
his desires, lusts and pleasures in life. And now he is in a position
or at an age which gives him little or no hope of continuing his quest
and hunt for property, wealth, fame or honor which he had formerly
pursued. But the caller who was righteous in his youth will continue to
keep his head high and his heart will always remain pure. While his
enemies always find a way to accuse his near or distant past, they will
not be able to use the past as a weapon to ruin his integrity or to
persuade the people to disregard his call. It is true that Allah
accepts the repentance of the one who returns to Him with truthfulness
and sincerity and that Allah will erase his past with his recent good
deeds. But that is for someone other than the person who is hoping for
the success of his call while his behavior is upright and his good
reputation having remained intact.
The experiences that the
caller gains by traveling, socially immersing with the crowds, learning
about their customs, conditions, and problems have a great deal of
effect on the success of his message. Those who live with the people
only through their books and writings, without actually living with
them, are people who are failures in their call or reform movement.
People do not respond to such callers because they are ignorant to
their predicament and problems. Whoever wants to reform the religious
people must commingle with them in their mosques, join them at their
gatherings, and blend with them in their communities. Whoever wants to
reform the laborers and the farmers has to live with them in their
villages and factories, and dine with them in their homes. He must
speak with them on their own terms. If someone wants to reform the
businessmen, one has to mix with them in their markets, shops,
factories, clubs and gatherings. Whoever wants to reform the political
sector has to mix with the politicians, get to know their
organizations, listen to their speeches, read their programs and plans
and get to know the environment within which they live. He must also
educate himself about the culture of the people he is dealing with. He
needs to know in which direction the people are headed for in order to
determine how to approach them in such a way as not to frighten the
populace. The caller needs to adopt a method instrumental in reforming
the people, a method acceptable to the general public so that there
will be no uprising against him due to hatred or emotional upheaval.
Confronted with such a fact, it is imperative that the caller needs to
experience life and gain knowledge of the people's affairs which will
help him in fulfilling Allah's words, as Allah thru the Quran says;
"Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation" . [Qur'an 16: 125]
And how magnificent is the reported saying: "Speak to the people according to their mental ability. Do you want them to reject Allah and His message?" (Recorded by Al-Bukhaari. )
It
is incumbent upon the caller to contemplate every now and then, so that
he may allow his spirit to relate to Allah and his soul to purify
itself from the filth of the bad manners of the crowded, busy life
around him. This seclusion will motivate him to take account of his
progress. It will allow him to see if he failed in doing good or fell
short in his choice of procedure or methodology. The same introspection
serves as a gauge to determine whether he has diverted from his
direction, strayed from the way of wisdom, or was so engrossed in
discussions and arguments that he forgot about remembering Allah,
feeling the tranquility of His company, remembering the hereafter with
its reward or punishment, and death with its hardships and pains. For
this reason, the tahajjud or late night prayer was obligatory upon the
Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and is recommended for others. The ones who
should do their best to perform this optional prayer are the callers to
His way and His Paradise. These times of seclusion, invocation and
imploration of Allah during the night are a pleasure which no one can
enjoy except those whom Allah honors. Ibrahim ibn Adham used to say
after his nightly invoking and worship, "We are involved in such a
pleasure that if the kings were to know about it, they would compete us
for it." Allah's saying is sufficient enough for our motivation.
Directing his speech to Allah's Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him), Allah
said:
"O
you wrapped up in your raiment! Keep vigil the night long, save a
little-a half thereof, or abate a little thereof or add (a little)
thereto- and recite the Quran in measure, for We shall charge you with
a word of weight. Lo! the vigil of the night is (a time) when
impression is more keen and speech more certain" [Qur'an 73:1-7]
Mudah Gembira, Kenapa Tidak?
By: agussyafii
Pada diri orang yang mudah gembira, dia akan sulit menderita. Tubuh kita selalu mengikuti hati kita. Jika hati kita mudah gembira akan menjauhkan diri dari penderitaan. Hati itulah sumber akhlak. Akhlak bukanlah perilaku, tetapi keadaan batin seseorang yang menjadi sumber lahirnya perbuatan dimana perbuatan itu lahir dengan mudah dan spontan tanpa berfikir untung rugi. Orang yang berakhlak mulia pastilah mulia pula perbuatannya, tutur katanya bahkan yang dituliskannya juga menentramkan hati setiap orang yang membacanya.
banyak orang yang jika saya hari ini sudah tersenyum berapa kali. Susah menjawabnya sebab senyuman mampir menjadi barang langka, tapi tidak bagi orang yang mengerti cara menikmati hidup maka dia akan mudah tersenyum pada siapapun.
Seorang terpelajar dengan kehidupannya yang sederhana ditengah usianya yang setengah abad makin tambah kesibukkan dengan berbagai aktifitas masih juga energik. Saya tanyakan bagaimana resep menjaga staminanya. Dia katakan, "Jika kita mudah gembira maka kita mudah bahagia, semua kegiatan selalu menyenangkan. Semakin bertambah usia, semakin menikmati hidup. maka terjauh dari segala penyakit dan penderitaan. "
Pada diri orang yang mudah gembira, dia akan sulit menderita. Tubuh kita selalu mengikuti hati kita. Jika hati kita mudah gembira akan menjauhkan diri dari penderitaan. Hati itulah sumber akhlak. Akhlak bukanlah perilaku, tetapi keadaan batin seseorang yang menjadi sumber lahirnya perbuatan dimana perbuatan itu lahir dengan mudah dan spontan tanpa berfikir untung rugi. Orang yang berakhlak mulia pastilah mulia pula perbuatannya, tutur katanya bahkan yang dituliskannya juga menentramkan hati setiap orang yang membacanya.
banyak orang yang jika saya hari ini sudah tersenyum berapa kali. Susah menjawabnya sebab senyuman mampir menjadi barang langka, tapi tidak bagi orang yang mengerti cara menikmati hidup maka dia akan mudah tersenyum pada siapapun.
Seorang terpelajar dengan kehidupannya yang sederhana ditengah usianya yang setengah abad makin tambah kesibukkan dengan berbagai aktifitas masih juga energik. Saya tanyakan bagaimana resep menjaga staminanya. Dia katakan, "Jika kita mudah gembira maka kita mudah bahagia, semua kegiatan selalu menyenangkan. Semakin bertambah usia, semakin menikmati hidup. maka terjauh dari segala penyakit dan penderitaan. "
Potensi Diri
By: agussyafii
Setiap Manusia memiliki potensi diri. Dalam bentuk fisik, intelektual, emosional dan spiritual yang berbeda-beda kapasitasnya. Ada orang yang sangat intelek, tetapi emosinya tidak stabil. Yang lain emosinya sangat terkendali tetapi intelektualitasnya kurang. Ada juga orang yang menonjol justeru potensi spiritualitasnya . Perilaku manusia dalam keseharian mencerminkan aktualitas dari potensi itu.
Ada orang yang berwajah garang tetapi hatinya lembut, ada orang yang fisiknya kecil dan nampak lemah tetapi hatinya bergejolak penuh dengan kebencian dan dendam. Demikian juga halnya dengan corak cinta, ada seorang lelaki yang jika jatuh cinta kepada seorang wanita, ia merasa harus menguasai dan memonopoli secara total lahir batin, tidak boleh sedikitpun si wanita memiliki perhatian kepada selain dirinya. Ia sangat pecemburu, dan jika ia gagal memiliki wanita yang dicintainya itu maka ia memilih menghancurkan sang kekasih daripada harus melihat ia dimiliki oleh orang lain. Di sisi lain, ada seorang lelaki pecinta yang sangat penuh pengertian, ia sangat memaklumi dan sangat memaafkan atas kekurangan sang kekasih.
Ia bukan saja tidak bermaksud menguasai tetapi justeru selalu ingin memberi kepada kekasihnya apa yang menjadi keinginannya, . Ia sangat berbahagia jika bisa memberikan kesenangan kepada kekasihnya, meski untuk itu ia menderita. Nah cinta itu ada di dalam hati. Hadis Nabi menyebutkan bahwa di dalam tubuh setiap manusia ada qalbu (hati) yang
menjadi penentu kualitas manusia, jika qalbu nya baik maka seluruh ekpressinya baik, sebaliknya jika qalbu nya buruk maka buruk pula ekpressi orang itu. Orang suka berkata; dalamnya laut dapat di duga, dalamnya hati siapa yang tahu ?
Isi hati manusia sungguh sangat sangat banyak dan beragam, diantaranaya adalah cinta. Dapat dipastikan bahwa tidak ada satupun keterangan yang obyektip tentang hati manusia yang berasal dari manusia, karena semua manusia bersifat subyektif, oleh karena itu keterangan yang paling obyektif tentang hati manusia hanya yang berasal dari sang Pencipta hati itu sendiri, yaitu Alloh SWT, dan keterangan itu ada di dalam kitab suci Al Quran.
Setiap Manusia memiliki potensi diri. Dalam bentuk fisik, intelektual, emosional dan spiritual yang berbeda-beda kapasitasnya. Ada orang yang sangat intelek, tetapi emosinya tidak stabil. Yang lain emosinya sangat terkendali tetapi intelektualitasnya kurang. Ada juga orang yang menonjol justeru potensi spiritualitasnya . Perilaku manusia dalam keseharian mencerminkan aktualitas dari potensi itu.
Ada orang yang berwajah garang tetapi hatinya lembut, ada orang yang fisiknya kecil dan nampak lemah tetapi hatinya bergejolak penuh dengan kebencian dan dendam. Demikian juga halnya dengan corak cinta, ada seorang lelaki yang jika jatuh cinta kepada seorang wanita, ia merasa harus menguasai dan memonopoli secara total lahir batin, tidak boleh sedikitpun si wanita memiliki perhatian kepada selain dirinya. Ia sangat pecemburu, dan jika ia gagal memiliki wanita yang dicintainya itu maka ia memilih menghancurkan sang kekasih daripada harus melihat ia dimiliki oleh orang lain. Di sisi lain, ada seorang lelaki pecinta yang sangat penuh pengertian, ia sangat memaklumi dan sangat memaafkan atas kekurangan sang kekasih.
Ia bukan saja tidak bermaksud menguasai tetapi justeru selalu ingin memberi kepada kekasihnya apa yang menjadi keinginannya, . Ia sangat berbahagia jika bisa memberikan kesenangan kepada kekasihnya, meski untuk itu ia menderita. Nah cinta itu ada di dalam hati. Hadis Nabi menyebutkan bahwa di dalam tubuh setiap manusia ada qalbu (hati) yang
menjadi penentu kualitas manusia, jika qalbu nya baik maka seluruh ekpressinya baik, sebaliknya jika qalbu nya buruk maka buruk pula ekpressi orang itu. Orang suka berkata; dalamnya laut dapat di duga, dalamnya hati siapa yang tahu ?
Isi hati manusia sungguh sangat sangat banyak dan beragam, diantaranaya adalah cinta. Dapat dipastikan bahwa tidak ada satupun keterangan yang obyektip tentang hati manusia yang berasal dari manusia, karena semua manusia bersifat subyektif, oleh karena itu keterangan yang paling obyektif tentang hati manusia hanya yang berasal dari sang Pencipta hati itu sendiri, yaitu Alloh SWT, dan keterangan itu ada di dalam kitab suci Al Quran.
Biarkan Masa Depan Datang Sendiri
{Telah pasti datangnya ketetapan Allah, maka janganlah kamu meminta agar disegerakan (datang)nya. }
(QS. An-Nahl: 1)
Jangan pernah mendahului sesuatu yang belum terjadi! Apakah Anda mau
mengeluarkan kandungan sebelum waktunya dlkAhirkan, atau memetik
buah-buahan sebelum masak? Hari esok adalah sesuatu yang belum nyata
dan dapat diraba, belum berwujud, dan tidak memiliki rasa dan warna.
Jika demikian, mengapa kita harus menyibukkan diri dengan hari esok,
mencemaskan kesialan-kesialan yang mungkin akan terjadi padanya,
memikirkan kejadian-kejadian yang akan menimpanya, dan meramalkan
bencana-bencana yang bakal ada di dalamnya? Bukankah kita juga tidak
tahu apakah kita akan bertemu dengannya atau tidak, dan apakah hari
esok kita itu akan berwujud kesenangan atau kesedihan?
Yang jelas, hari esok masih ada dalam alam gaib dan belum turun ke
bumi. Maka, tidak sepantasnya kita menyeberangi sebuah jembatan sebelum
sampai di atasnya. Sebab, siapa yang tahu bahwa kita akan sampai atau
tidak pada jembatan itu. Bisa jadi kita akan terhenti jalan kita
sebelum sampai ke jembatan itu, atau mungkin pula jembatan itu hanyut
terbawa arus terlebih dahulu sebelum kita sampai di atasnya. Dan bisa
jadi pula, kita akan sampai pada jembatan itu dan kemudian
menyeberanginya.
Dalam syariat, memberi kesempatan kepada pikiran untuk memikirkan masa
depan dan membuka-buka alam gaib, dan kemudian terhanyut dalam
kecemasan-kecemasan yang baru di duga darinya, adalah sesuatu yang
tidak dibenarkan. Pasalnya, hal itu termasuk thulul amal (angan-angan
yang terlalu jauh). Secara nalar, tindakan itu pun tak masuk akal,
karena sama halnya dengan berusaha perang melawan bayang-bayang. Namun
ironis, kebanyakan manusia di dunia ini justru banyak yang termakan
oleh ramalan-ramalan tentang kelaparan, kemiskinan, wabah penyakit dan
krmjekonomi yang kabarnya akan menimpa mereka. Padahal, semua itu
hanyalah bagian dari kurikulum yang diajarkan di "sekolah-sekolah
setan".
{Setan menjanjikan (menakut-nakuti) kamu dengan kemiskinan dan menyuruh
kamu berbuat kejahatan (kikir), sedang Allah menjanjikan untukmu
ampunan daripada-Nya dan karunia.}
(QS. Al-Baqarah: 268)
Mereka yang menangis sedih menatap masa depan adalah yang menyangka
diri mereka akan hidup kelaparan, menderita sakit selama setahun, dan
memperkirakan umur dunia ini tinggal seratus tahun lagi. Padahal, orang
yang sadar bahwa usia hidupnya berada di 'genggaman yang lain' tentu
tidak akan menggadaikannya untuk sesuatu yang tidak ada. Dan orang yang
tidak tahu kapan akan mati, tentu salah besar bila justru menyibukkan
diri dengan sesuatu yang belum ada dan tak berwujud.
Biarkan hari esok itu datang dengan sendirinya. Jangan pernah
menanyakan kabar beritanya, dan jangan pula pernah menanti serangan
petakanya. Sebab, hari ini Anda sudah sangat sibuk.
Jika Anda heran, maka lebih mengherankan lagi orang-orang yang berani
menebus kesedihan suatu masa yang belum tentu matahari terbit di
dalamnya dengan bersedih pada hari ini. Oleh karena itu, hindarilah
angan- angan yang berlebihan.
(QS. An-Nahl: 1)
Jangan pernah mendahului sesuatu yang belum terjadi! Apakah Anda mau
mengeluarkan kandungan sebelum waktunya dlkAhirkan, atau memetik
buah-buahan sebelum masak? Hari esok adalah sesuatu yang belum nyata
dan dapat diraba, belum berwujud, dan tidak memiliki rasa dan warna.
Jika demikian, mengapa kita harus menyibukkan diri dengan hari esok,
mencemaskan kesialan-kesialan yang mungkin akan terjadi padanya,
memikirkan kejadian-kejadian yang akan menimpanya, dan meramalkan
bencana-bencana yang bakal ada di dalamnya? Bukankah kita juga tidak
tahu apakah kita akan bertemu dengannya atau tidak, dan apakah hari
esok kita itu akan berwujud kesenangan atau kesedihan?
Yang jelas, hari esok masih ada dalam alam gaib dan belum turun ke
bumi. Maka, tidak sepantasnya kita menyeberangi sebuah jembatan sebelum
sampai di atasnya. Sebab, siapa yang tahu bahwa kita akan sampai atau
tidak pada jembatan itu. Bisa jadi kita akan terhenti jalan kita
sebelum sampai ke jembatan itu, atau mungkin pula jembatan itu hanyut
terbawa arus terlebih dahulu sebelum kita sampai di atasnya. Dan bisa
jadi pula, kita akan sampai pada jembatan itu dan kemudian
menyeberanginya.
Dalam syariat, memberi kesempatan kepada pikiran untuk memikirkan masa
depan dan membuka-buka alam gaib, dan kemudian terhanyut dalam
kecemasan-kecemasan yang baru di duga darinya, adalah sesuatu yang
tidak dibenarkan. Pasalnya, hal itu termasuk thulul amal (angan-angan
yang terlalu jauh). Secara nalar, tindakan itu pun tak masuk akal,
karena sama halnya dengan berusaha perang melawan bayang-bayang. Namun
ironis, kebanyakan manusia di dunia ini justru banyak yang termakan
oleh ramalan-ramalan tentang kelaparan, kemiskinan, wabah penyakit dan
krmjekonomi yang kabarnya akan menimpa mereka. Padahal, semua itu
hanyalah bagian dari kurikulum yang diajarkan di "sekolah-sekolah
setan".
{Setan menjanjikan (menakut-nakuti) kamu dengan kemiskinan dan menyuruh
kamu berbuat kejahatan (kikir), sedang Allah menjanjikan untukmu
ampunan daripada-Nya dan karunia.}
(QS. Al-Baqarah: 268)
Mereka yang menangis sedih menatap masa depan adalah yang menyangka
diri mereka akan hidup kelaparan, menderita sakit selama setahun, dan
memperkirakan umur dunia ini tinggal seratus tahun lagi. Padahal, orang
yang sadar bahwa usia hidupnya berada di 'genggaman yang lain' tentu
tidak akan menggadaikannya untuk sesuatu yang tidak ada. Dan orang yang
tidak tahu kapan akan mati, tentu salah besar bila justru menyibukkan
diri dengan sesuatu yang belum ada dan tak berwujud.
Biarkan hari esok itu datang dengan sendirinya. Jangan pernah
menanyakan kabar beritanya, dan jangan pula pernah menanti serangan
petakanya. Sebab, hari ini Anda sudah sangat sibuk.
Jika Anda heran, maka lebih mengherankan lagi orang-orang yang berani
menebus kesedihan suatu masa yang belum tentu matahari terbit di
dalamnya dengan bersedih pada hari ini. Oleh karena itu, hindarilah
angan- angan yang berlebihan.
Tifatul: Jangan Pilih Politisi Korup, Zina & Tukang Selingkuh
Kampanye PKS
Tifatul: Jangan Pilih Politisi Korup, Zina & Tukang Selingkuh
Ari Saputra - detikPemilu
Jakarta - Ribuan kader PKS memenuhi lapangan Widya Karya (Wika), Jl Gusti Ngurah Rai, Jakarta Timur untuk mengikuti kampanye. Dalam kampanye tersebut, tak hanya Presiden PKS Tifatul Sembiring yang hadir, anggota komisi XI DPR dari FPKS yang namanya disebut-sebut dalam kasus Abdul Hadi Djamal, Rama Pratama juga hadir.
Pantauan detikcom, Jumat (20/3/2009), massa membawa berbagai atribut PKS dan sejumlah bendera. Massa sudah berkumpul dan memenuhi lapangan mulai pukul 13.00 WIB. Saat Tifatul memberikan orasi, massa semakin bersemangat.
Dalam orasinya, Tifatul mengatakan, dalam meningkatkan sumber daya mineral, gas, dan emas, pihaknya akan disokong dana dari negara arab sebesar US$ 5 triliun.
"Kita harus mandiri secara ekonomi. Kita tingkatkan sumber daya mineral, gas, dan emas. Kalau kita masih kurang dana, negara-negara arab siap menyiapkan US$ 5 triliun. Tinggal dilobi saja," katanya.
Tifatul pun menyinggung para politisi korup. Tifatul meminta kadernya agar tak memilih politisi yang busuk, koruptor, tukang berzina, dan selingkuh dengan sekretarisnya.
"Serahkan sajalah kepada pengadilan (kasus Rama Pratama). Jangan pilih politisi busuk, korup, tukang selingkuh dengan sekretaris, dan berzina," pintanya.
Di sela-sela orasinya, Tifatul juga sempat berpantun. "Batu pualam indah dipahat, cerah disambut mentari pagi. Kalau salam tidak dijawab, ya kita ulangi," ujarnya.
Sebelum orasi Tifatul, Rama Pratama juga sempat berorasi singkat. Rama menegaskan kalau dirinya telah difitnah dalam pernyataan Abdul Hadi Djamal. Dirinya pun menyatakan sipa dipanggil KPK.
"Saya dari dulu berusaha bersih. Difitnah seperti ini tidak kaget. Saya siap membuktikan bahwa saya tidak terlibat kasus korupsi apapun di DPR. Bila dipanggil KPK maupun tipikor, saya akan datang dan bekerja sama. Allahu Akbar!" teriaknya.
Tifatul: Jangan Pilih Politisi Korup, Zina & Tukang Selingkuh
Ari Saputra - detikPemilu
Jakarta - Ribuan kader PKS memenuhi lapangan Widya Karya (Wika), Jl Gusti Ngurah Rai, Jakarta Timur untuk mengikuti kampanye. Dalam kampanye tersebut, tak hanya Presiden PKS Tifatul Sembiring yang hadir, anggota komisi XI DPR dari FPKS yang namanya disebut-sebut dalam kasus Abdul Hadi Djamal, Rama Pratama juga hadir.
Pantauan detikcom, Jumat (20/3/2009), massa membawa berbagai atribut PKS dan sejumlah bendera. Massa sudah berkumpul dan memenuhi lapangan mulai pukul 13.00 WIB. Saat Tifatul memberikan orasi, massa semakin bersemangat.
Dalam orasinya, Tifatul mengatakan, dalam meningkatkan sumber daya mineral, gas, dan emas, pihaknya akan disokong dana dari negara arab sebesar US$ 5 triliun.
"Kita harus mandiri secara ekonomi. Kita tingkatkan sumber daya mineral, gas, dan emas. Kalau kita masih kurang dana, negara-negara arab siap menyiapkan US$ 5 triliun. Tinggal dilobi saja," katanya.
Tifatul pun menyinggung para politisi korup. Tifatul meminta kadernya agar tak memilih politisi yang busuk, koruptor, tukang berzina, dan selingkuh dengan sekretarisnya.
"Serahkan sajalah kepada pengadilan (kasus Rama Pratama). Jangan pilih politisi busuk, korup, tukang selingkuh dengan sekretaris, dan berzina," pintanya.
Di sela-sela orasinya, Tifatul juga sempat berpantun. "Batu pualam indah dipahat, cerah disambut mentari pagi. Kalau salam tidak dijawab, ya kita ulangi," ujarnya.
Sebelum orasi Tifatul, Rama Pratama juga sempat berorasi singkat. Rama menegaskan kalau dirinya telah difitnah dalam pernyataan Abdul Hadi Djamal. Dirinya pun menyatakan sipa dipanggil KPK.
"Saya dari dulu berusaha bersih. Difitnah seperti ini tidak kaget. Saya siap membuktikan bahwa saya tidak terlibat kasus korupsi apapun di DPR. Bila dipanggil KPK maupun tipikor, saya akan datang dan bekerja sama. Allahu Akbar!" teriaknya.
Puyer :hati-hati pada dokter?
halo rekan-rekan...
Ini tulisan yang mungkin 'aneh', saya sebagai seorang dokter justru meminta rekan-rekan untuk berhati-hati pada dokter. Ini mengikuti tulisan Pak Irwan Julianto di Kompas 4 Maret 2009 lalu, yaitu mengenai 'caveat venditor' (produsen/penyedia jasa berhati-hatilah). Link-nya di situs Kompas: http://www.kompas.com/read/xml/2009/03/04/16255199/kontroversi.puyer.dan.polifarmasi
- Hide quoted text -
Ceritanya begini, beberapa hari ini saya mengurusi abang saya yang sakit demam berdarah (DBD). Saya buatkan surat pengantar untuk dirawat inap di salah satu RS swasta yang terkenal cukup baik pelayanannya. Sejak masuk UGD saya temani sampai masuk ke kamar perawatan & tiap hari saya tunggui, jadi sangat saya tau perkembangan kondisinya.
Abang saya paksa dirawat inap karena trombositnya 82 ribu, agak mengkuatirkan, padahal dia menolak karena merasa diri sudah sehat, nggak demam, nggak mual, hanya merasa badannya agak lemas. Mulai di UGD sudah 'mencurigakan' , karena saya nggak menyatakan bahwa saya dokter pada petugas di RS, jadi saya bisa dengar berbagai keterangan/penjelas an & pertanyaan dari dokter & perawat yang menurut saya 'menggelikan' . Pasien pun diperiksa ulang darahnya, ini masih bisa saya terima, hasil trombositnya tetap sama, 82 ribu.
Ketika Abang akan di-EKG, dia sudah mulai 'ribut' karena Desember lalu baru tes EKG dengan treadmill dengan hasil sangat baik. Lalu saya tenangkan bahwa itu prosedur di RS. Yang buat saya heran adalah Abang harus disuntik obat Ranitidin (obat untuk penyakit lambung), padahal dia nggak sakit lambung, & nggak mengeluh perih sama sekali. Obat ini disuntikkan ketika saya ke mengantarkan sampel darah ke lab.
Oleh dokter jaga diberi resep untuk dibeli, diresepkan untuk 3 hari padahal besok paginya dokter penyakit dalam akan berkunjung & biasanya obatnya pasti ganti lagi. Belum lagi resepnya pun isinya nggak tepat untuk DBD. Jadi resep nggak saya beli. Dokter penyakit dalamnya setelah saya tanya ke teman yang praktik di RS tersebut dipilihkan yang dia rekomendasikan, katanya 'bagus & pintar', ditambah lagi dia dokter tetap di RS tersebut, jadi pagi-sore selalu ada di RS.
Malamnya via telepon dokter penyakit dalam beri instruksi periksa lab macam-macam, setelah saya lihat banyak yang 'nggak nyambung', jadi saya minta Abang untuk hanya setujui sebagian yang masih rasional.
Besoknya, saya datang agak siang, dokter penyakit dalam sudah visite & nggak komentar apapun soal pemeriksaan lab yang ditolak. Saya diminta perawat untuk menebus resep ke apotek. Saya lihat resepnya, saya langsung bingung, di resep tertulis obat Ondansetron suntik, obat mual/muntah untuk orang yang sakit kanker & menjalani kemoterapi. Padahal Abang nggak mual apalagi muntah sama sekali. Tertulis juga Ranitidin suntik, yang nggak perlu karena Abang nggak sakit lambung. Bahkan parasetamol bermerek pun diresepkan lagi padahal Abang sudah ngomong kalau dia sudah punya banyak.
Saya sampai cek di internet apa ada protokol baru penanganan DBD yang saya lewatkan atau kegunaan baru dari Ondansetron, ternyata nggak. Akhirnya saya hanya beli suplemen vitamin aja dari resep.
Pas saya serahkan obatnya ke perawat, dia tanya 'obat suntiknya mana?', saya jawab bahwa pasien nggak setuju diberi obat-obat itu. Perawatnya malah seperti menantang, akhirnya dengan terpaksa saya beritau bahwa saya dokter & saya yang merujuk pasien ke RS, Abang menolak obat-obat itu setelah tanya pada saya. Malah saya dipanggil ke nurse station & diminta tandatangani surat refusal consent (penolakan pengobatan) oleh kepala perawat.
Saya beritau saja bahwa pasien 100% sadar, jadi harus pasien yang tandatangani, itu pun setelah dijelaskan oleh dokternya langsung. Sementara dokter saat visite nggak jelaskan apapun mengenai obat-obat yang dia berikan. Saya tinggalkan kepala perawat tersebut yang 'bengong'.
Saat saya tunggu Abang, pasien di sebelah ranjangnya ternyata sakit DBD juga. Ternyata dia sudah diresepkan 5 botol antibiotik infus yang mahal & sudah 2 dipakai, padahal kondisi fisik & hasil lab nggak mendukung dia ada infeksi bakteri. Pasien tersebut ditangani oleh dokter penyakit dalam yang lain. Saat dokter penyakit dalam pasien tersebut visite, dia hanya ngomong 'sakit ya?', 'masih panas?', 'ya sudah lanjutkan saja dulu terapinya', visite nggak sampai 3 menit saya hitung.
Besoknya dokter penyakit dalam yang tangani Abang visite kembali & nggak komentar apapun soal penolakan membeli obat yang dia resepkan. Dia hanya ngomong bahwa kalau trombositnya sudah naik maka boleh pulang. Saya jadi membayangkan nggak heran Ponari dkk laris, karena dokter pun ternyata pengobatannya nggak rasional. Kasihan banyak pasien yang terpaksa diracun oleh obat-obat yang nggak diperlukan & dibuat 'miskin' untuk membeli obat-obat yang mahal tersebut. Ini belum termasuk dokter ahli yang sudah 'dibayar' cukup mahal ternyata nggak banyak menjelaskan pada pasien sementara kadang kala keluarga sengaja berkumpul & menunggu berjam-jam hanya untuk menunggu dokter visite.
Abang sampai ngomong bahwa apa semua pasien harus ditunggui oleh saudaranya yang dokter supaya nggak dapat pengobatan sembarangan? Abang juga merasa bersyukur nggak jadi diberi berbagai macam obat yang nggak dia perlukan & jadi racun di tubuhnya.
Sebulan lalu pun saya pernah menunggui saudara saya yang lain yang dirawat inap di salah satu RS swasta yang katanya terbaik di salah satu kota kecil Jateng akibat sakit tifoid. Kejadian serupa terjadi pula, sangat banyak obat yang nggak rasional diresepkan oleh dokter penyakit dalamnya.
Kalau ini nggak segera dibereskan, saya nggak bisa menyalahkan masyarakat kalau mereka lebih memilih pengobatan alternatif atau berobat ke LN. Semoga bisa berguna sebagai pelajaran berharga untuk rekan-rekan semua agar berhati-hati & kritis pada pengobatan dokter.
Ini tulisan yang mungkin 'aneh', saya sebagai seorang dokter justru meminta rekan-rekan untuk berhati-hati pada dokter. Ini mengikuti tulisan Pak Irwan Julianto di Kompas 4 Maret 2009 lalu, yaitu mengenai 'caveat venditor' (produsen/penyedia jasa berhati-hatilah). Link-nya di situs Kompas:
- Hide quoted text -
Ceritanya begini, beberapa hari ini saya mengurusi abang saya yang sakit demam berdarah (DBD). Saya buatkan surat pengantar untuk dirawat inap di salah satu RS swasta yang terkenal cukup baik pelayanannya. Sejak masuk UGD saya temani sampai masuk ke kamar perawatan & tiap hari saya tunggui, jadi sangat saya tau perkembangan kondisinya.
Abang saya paksa dirawat inap karena trombositnya 82 ribu, agak mengkuatirkan, padahal dia menolak karena merasa diri sudah sehat, nggak demam, nggak mual, hanya merasa badannya agak lemas. Mulai di UGD sudah 'mencurigakan' , karena saya nggak menyatakan bahwa saya dokter pada petugas di RS, jadi saya bisa dengar berbagai keterangan/penjelas an & pertanyaan dari dokter & perawat yang menurut saya 'menggelikan' . Pasien pun diperiksa ulang darahnya, ini masih bisa saya terima, hasil trombositnya tetap sama, 82 ribu.
Ketika Abang akan di-EKG, dia sudah mulai 'ribut' karena Desember lalu baru tes EKG dengan treadmill dengan hasil sangat baik. Lalu saya tenangkan bahwa itu prosedur di RS. Yang buat saya heran adalah Abang harus disuntik obat Ranitidin (obat untuk penyakit lambung), padahal dia nggak sakit lambung, & nggak mengeluh perih sama sekali. Obat ini disuntikkan ketika saya ke mengantarkan sampel darah ke lab.
Oleh dokter jaga diberi resep untuk dibeli, diresepkan untuk 3 hari padahal besok paginya dokter penyakit dalam akan berkunjung & biasanya obatnya pasti ganti lagi. Belum lagi resepnya pun isinya nggak tepat untuk DBD. Jadi resep nggak saya beli. Dokter penyakit dalamnya setelah saya tanya ke teman yang praktik di RS tersebut dipilihkan yang dia rekomendasikan, katanya 'bagus & pintar', ditambah lagi dia dokter tetap di RS tersebut, jadi pagi-sore selalu ada di RS.
Malamnya via telepon dokter penyakit dalam beri instruksi periksa lab macam-macam, setelah saya lihat banyak yang 'nggak nyambung', jadi saya minta Abang untuk hanya setujui sebagian yang masih rasional.
Besoknya, saya datang agak siang, dokter penyakit dalam sudah visite & nggak komentar apapun soal pemeriksaan lab yang ditolak. Saya diminta perawat untuk menebus resep ke apotek. Saya lihat resepnya, saya langsung bingung, di resep tertulis obat Ondansetron suntik, obat mual/muntah untuk orang yang sakit kanker & menjalani kemoterapi. Padahal Abang nggak mual apalagi muntah sama sekali. Tertulis juga Ranitidin suntik, yang nggak perlu karena Abang nggak sakit lambung. Bahkan parasetamol bermerek pun diresepkan lagi padahal Abang sudah ngomong kalau dia sudah punya banyak.
Saya sampai cek di internet apa ada protokol baru penanganan DBD yang saya lewatkan atau kegunaan baru dari Ondansetron, ternyata nggak. Akhirnya saya hanya beli suplemen vitamin aja dari resep.
Pas saya serahkan obatnya ke perawat, dia tanya 'obat suntiknya mana?', saya jawab bahwa pasien nggak setuju diberi obat-obat itu. Perawatnya malah seperti menantang, akhirnya dengan terpaksa saya beritau bahwa saya dokter & saya yang merujuk pasien ke RS, Abang menolak obat-obat itu setelah tanya pada saya. Malah saya dipanggil ke nurse station & diminta tandatangani surat refusal consent (penolakan pengobatan) oleh kepala perawat.
Saya beritau saja bahwa pasien 100% sadar, jadi harus pasien yang tandatangani, itu pun setelah dijelaskan oleh dokternya langsung. Sementara dokter saat visite nggak jelaskan apapun mengenai obat-obat yang dia berikan. Saya tinggalkan kepala perawat tersebut yang 'bengong'.
Saat saya tunggu Abang, pasien di sebelah ranjangnya ternyata sakit DBD juga. Ternyata dia sudah diresepkan 5 botol antibiotik infus yang mahal & sudah 2 dipakai, padahal kondisi fisik & hasil lab nggak mendukung dia ada infeksi bakteri. Pasien tersebut ditangani oleh dokter penyakit dalam yang lain. Saat dokter penyakit dalam pasien tersebut visite, dia hanya ngomong 'sakit ya?', 'masih panas?', 'ya sudah lanjutkan saja dulu terapinya', visite nggak sampai 3 menit saya hitung.
Besoknya dokter penyakit dalam yang tangani Abang visite kembali & nggak komentar apapun soal penolakan membeli obat yang dia resepkan. Dia hanya ngomong bahwa kalau trombositnya sudah naik maka boleh pulang. Saya jadi membayangkan nggak heran Ponari dkk laris, karena dokter pun ternyata pengobatannya nggak rasional. Kasihan banyak pasien yang terpaksa diracun oleh obat-obat yang nggak diperlukan & dibuat 'miskin' untuk membeli obat-obat yang mahal tersebut. Ini belum termasuk dokter ahli yang sudah 'dibayar' cukup mahal ternyata nggak banyak menjelaskan pada pasien sementara kadang kala keluarga sengaja berkumpul & menunggu berjam-jam hanya untuk menunggu dokter visite.
Abang sampai ngomong bahwa apa semua pasien harus ditunggui oleh saudaranya yang dokter supaya nggak dapat pengobatan sembarangan? Abang juga merasa bersyukur nggak jadi diberi berbagai macam obat yang nggak dia perlukan & jadi racun di tubuhnya.
Sebulan lalu pun saya pernah menunggui saudara saya yang lain yang dirawat inap di salah satu RS swasta yang katanya terbaik di salah satu kota kecil Jateng akibat sakit tifoid. Kejadian serupa terjadi pula, sangat banyak obat yang nggak rasional diresepkan oleh dokter penyakit dalamnya.
Kalau ini nggak segera dibereskan, saya nggak bisa menyalahkan masyarakat kalau mereka lebih memilih pengobatan alternatif atau berobat ke LN. Semoga bisa berguna sebagai pelajaran berharga untuk rekan-rekan semua agar berhati-hati & kritis pada pengobatan dokter.
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