Noor™

My Best Friends

Whom I care like brothers,

Or whom I embrace like sisters,

People who are so different from others,

Gift and blessing from the Lord of universe,

They listen to me whenever I sad,

They lend me their hand when I need help,

They console me when life treats me bad,

For my luck and fortune, they are also glad,

Their voices are always healing,

Their advices are always caring,

Their joy, we are sharing,

Whenever troubles befall upon them, I am always worrying.

To these people I will vow,

To help them always no matter how,

As bloods run through my veins,

The promise is in force therein.

They are siblings of which I choose,

Divine consecration from the Gracious God, the Merciful,

I pray may their lives are always blissful,

Coz they are my best friends, I dare not to hear bout them with something hurtful.

The Personal Side of Ahmad Ibrahim (The Founding Father of Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws)

(taken from M.Bakri Musa's Blog)

By Mohamed Sidek Ahmad (Son of Almarhum Tan Sri Prof Ahmad Ibrahim) :the paper was presented in a seminar.

I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of my family to thank IKIM (Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia) for remembering my late father, Allahyarham Ahmad Ibrahim, and for organizing this grand seminar.

I stand here before you today not so much to laud his achievements and contributions – though they have been many – but to share with you a glimpse of the personal side and nature of the man behind that public persona. After all, as his son, it is this side of him that I know best.

Born in Singapore but living his later years in Malaysia, Ahmad Ibrahim was a man of two worlds. He loved and valued both. However, it is indeed strange that when I read the accolades given to the late Tan Sri, I find that most of them relate to the contributions and achievements he made during his life in Malaysia. Perhaps not many realize that he actually started living in Malaysia only after he retired from the civil service in Singapore. Thus all his Malaysian achievements were after his “official” retirement.

He certainly never forgot his roots. In the days before his death, it was as if he sought to feel again his beginnings. A month before his death, he paid a visit to Singapore, and on a Thursday evening he made his way to Masjid Baalwi, the famous mosque in Singapore that is also the mosque he attended often when living in Singapore. As usual on Thursday evenings, there was a rhatib at the mosque. Immediately upon reaching the mosque, many recognized him, and they treated him as a guest of honor. After the rathib everyone came and shook his hands, proud to have a distinguished son of Singapore present at the mosque.

The same thing happened the next day when he went for Friday prayers at the Masjid Sultan. Many greeted him and shook his hands. Little did anyone, both at the Masjid Baalwi and Masjid Sultan, know that it would be the last time they were to see him. That was Allahyarham’s last trip to Singapore, and we now realized that it was actually his farewell trip to the land of his birth.

We were all not prepared for his death, for although he was 83, he still worked hard every day, harder than someone half his age. He was extremely fit; during Ramadan he always prayed 20 rakaats Tarawih and 3 witr every evening in the mosque. He continued this right until his last Ramadan.

He hardly was ever sick, and even on the day of his death he was not suffering from any lingering illness. He had gone to work as usual on that day and it was only after he returned home from work did he say he was not feeling well and that he wanted to see everyone in the family. It was as if he had a premonition of what was to come, just like when he made that last trip to Singapore.

Family members living in Kuala Lumpur arrived within a short time while those in Singapore began their journey. While my brothers were driving up from Singapore they were delayed for some reason or other, and they phoned my father to tell him they would be arriving only at about 11.00PM. I can still remember my father’s words on hearing this news: “I will wait for you!”

And he did! When the last stragglers finally came in at 11.00PM, my father was so happy to see us all together. He kept looking at everyone’s face and said he was sorry to have inconvenienced us by asking us to come to the house.

The end came not long after. He went back to bed, telling us to do the same. At 2.00AM that night, my mother gathered all of us together and said my father was not well. My father had told her that his time was up and that he was dying.

At about 2.30AM, 17 April 1999, on the first day of Muharram, my father hijrahed to the next world. He died peacefully.

His death was front-page news both in Malaysia and Singapore. The newspapers paid tribute to him for his contributions in legal and academic fields of both countries.

 

S E P I : The Movie And The Life

I went to watch a malay movie, SEPI. Personally, I found that the cinematography is unusual for a malay movie and it is quite impressive. But the storyline is just ok. I heard adverse comment from my colleagues about this movie, but for me who is sepi, I consider it ok.

 

I also had been offered a job, job of my dream. So I went to report for duty at Putrajaya and on the first day, the new officers were brainwashed bout the danger of the job, as it is susceptible to the practice of corruption and abuse of power. We were also told that we should be more careful with whom we are mingling so public will be confident in our office. We were told not to be seen too close with lawyers, people who went to law school with us, people who represent the biggest number in percentage of our friends list. Impliedly, we were told to isolate ourselves from others for the sake of our office. For me, it is a contemplated  S E P I.

 

Coincidently, few of my best friends were having their special days last week, while I was in training at Jalan Duta, and I have the honour and pleasure of celebrating those events before departing to my official office.

 

On 9^th July, my best friend’s girlfriend (susahnya nak faham) a.k.a my sis in law, celebrated her birthday. At 6 pm, my fren and I rushed to Time Square, trapped in heavy traffic jam for almost 2 hours before we reached there, just to buy a hand bag. We then rushed back to UIA, bought a cake and celebrated this wonderful gurl’s birthday at McD.  I can see the effort of my fren in planning the event, rushing here and there, despite of the tiring and exhausting day. For me, it is ex facie an evidence of how much he cares bout his girl, the only girl of his. I’m honoured to be invited and to be present at that special occasion with this two wonderful persons, of which I will never forget.

 

On 10^th and 11^th of July, Edy and Fadzil were called to the bar and enrolled as Advocate and Solicitor High Court of Malaya, the once in the lifetime event, and I had the honour of being present at Edy’s ceremony and unfortunately I couldn’t attend Fadzil’s.

 

After joyful days with my best friends, I then need to go alone in my journey, to my official office. The loneliness is aggravated since I was having joyous moment during my last days before departing to my office. I’m grateful for the chance of meeting my best friends but I also feel like being cursed to leave them behind. Cry is all I can do.

 

For Nissa, Selamat Harijadi from me. I’m glad that I know Nickos and I’m glad that Nickos have someone like you besides him. Selamat berkonvo and all the best in your future undertakings. I pray may Allah strengthen the bond between both of you, bestow mutual love upon both of you eternally.  I embrace both of you like my own bro and sis, nothing less.

 

Edy and Fadzil, congrats for being called to the Bar, and now you are styled as Peguambela dan Peguamcara Mahkamah Tinggi Malaya. I might not experience the same thing, but I share the same satisfaction, since my best friends had accomplished the journey of becoming a lawyer.

 

The memories I had with these lady and gentlemen will be kept tightly, so I can cheer up my future lonely days with these memories. Perhaps the contemplated SEPI can be mitigated by refreshing those memorable events,bak kata pepatah walau jauh di mata tapi dekat di hati.

 

To Nickos, Nissa, Edy & Fadzil, hopefully you won’t forget me…

Dr Farish Noor dan Kebimbangannya Yg Tidak Berasas

Dr Farish Noor dipetik dan disiarkan di Buletin TV3 telah melahirkan rasa bimbang beliau mengenai situasi Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara majoriti Muslim yg pentadbirannya dipengaruhi elemen Islam, di kala wujudnya kaum-kaum lain yg bukan beragama Islam. Beliau turut membandingkan Malaysia dan India, di mana India yg majoriti penduduknya beragama Hindu dan pentadbiran yg dipengaruhi Hinduisme, menekan dan mewujudkan rasa tidak selamat di kalangan minoriti Islam. Beliau berkata demikian sesudah forum “Social Contract” anjuran Majlis Peguam.

 

Sebagai seorang pensyarah undang-undang, seharusnya Dr Farish tidak seharusnya melahirkan pendapat yg janggal dan tidak bersesuaian dengan tarafnya sebagai seorang ahli akademik. Isu Islam atau “Islamisasi” di Malaysia harus dinilai menurut fakta sejarah dan berdalilkan autoriti perundangan, bersesuaian dengan gelaran pensyarah undang-undang yg dipakainya.

 

Sejarah merakamkan pelaksanaan undang-undang Islam di bumi Malaysia seawal pemerintahan Kesultanan Melayu Melaka. Statusnya tidak diusik penjajah Portugis atau Belanda, hinggalah Inggeris menjejak kaki di Pulau Pinang dan memperkenalkan Charter of Justice yg pertama, pada tahun 1807. Jadi yg betulnya, prinsip perundangan Islam itu bukan sesuatu yg asing dibumi Malaysia, yg kononnya baru diperkenalkan kebelakangan ini, tetapi suatu sistem perundangan yg telah lama wujud dan bertapak di bumi yg kini digelar Malaysia.

 

Begitu juga perlu kita celik akan suatu fakta, iaitu Inggeris tidak menghapuskan perundangan Islam secara total sewaktu menjajah bumi Malaysia. Perlaksanaannya dihadkan kepada orang Muslim sahaja dan terhad dalam perkara peribadi (private matters) seperti kekeluargaan dan pembahagian harta.

 

Bukan setakat itu, Islam sebagai undang-undang tempatan turut diiktiraf oleh hakim-hakim Inggeris, seperti yg diputuskan pada 1927, di dalam kes Ramah binti Ta’at v Laton binti Malim Sutan, 6 [FMSLR] 128,

“Mohamedan Law (Islamic Law) is not a foreign law, it is a local law, a matter of which the court must take judicial notice. The court must propound the law, and it is not competent to the court to allow evidence to be led as to what is the local law”.

Undang-Undang Islam bukanlah undang-undang asing, ianya ialah undang-undang tempatan yg mana mahkamah perlu mengambil “judicial notice” (judicial notice ialah perkara yg terlalu masyhur dan tidak perlu dibuktikan dengan keterangan di dalam mahkamah akan kewujudannya, seperti siapakah Perdana Menteri, orang Melayu makan belacan dan orang Melayu suka cakap berlapik). Bukan setakat itu, mahkamah juga perlu mendalami undang-undang Islam dan tidak wajar bagi mahkamah mengambil keterangan hanya untuk mengenalpasti apakah sesuatu amalan itu undang-undang tempatan atau tidak.

 

Jadi bila isu perlaksanaan prinsip Islam di Malaysia dipertikaikan secara melulu dan membelakangkan fakta sejarah dan bukti-bukti sosial yg ada, semata-mata berpandukan emosi dan rasa hati, ia lebih menjurus kepada apa yg aku sebut sebagai “keluhan” and “a mere bluff”. Tiada bezanya pensyarah dengan pembincang kedai kopi andai apa yg dikata tidak disandarkan dalil, dan periwayatannya tidak jujur dengan menutup sebelah mata dan disorok apa yg tidak mahu diketahui orang agar apa yg diutaranya nampak utuh. Ini namanya khianat dalam penyampaian fakta.

 

Aku simpulkan, fenomena yg wujud sekarang bukanlah suatu gerakan baru ke arah Islamisasi, tapi lebih kepada gerakan untuk kembali kepada nilai-nilai yg telah lama wujud di bumi bertuah ini (reverting to the status quo), dan juga proses menyahkan saki baki tinggalan penjajah yg mengakis dan menganak-tirikan pegangan dan amalan tempatan.

 

Aku juga ingin mengambil peluang, sebagaimana yg dianjurkan oleh Majlis Peguam, iaitu agar kita lebih berterus-terang dalam membincangkan hak kita sebagai rakyat Malaysia, aku ingin menyahut seruan itu dengan mengatakan mereka yg sibuk menuntut hak itu sebagai buta sejarah dan lupa diri.

 

Prof Dr Teo Kok Seng, pensyarah Pusat Pengajian Bahasa, Kesusasteraan dan Kebudayaan Melayu, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) berkata;(untuk rujukan, klik sini)

“Orang tak suka saya bercakap mengenai perkara ini, tetapi saya masih nak cakap… sebenarnya kita (masyarakat Cina) pendatang dan minoriti di sini, tetapi orang Cina kata tidak kerana kita sama-sama membina negara ini. Saya masih kata kita minoriti dan pendatang… Kalau dibandingkan kaum Cina di Malaysia dengan Indonesia, jauh lumayan (lebih baik) di sini. Orang Cina Indonesia tak boleh guna nama Cina. Di Thailand pun tak boleh pakai nama Cina. Di Indonesia, mana boleh ada sekolah Cina. Thailand pun sama. Di sini tengok, kalau desak apa-apa, kerajaan bagi lagi.”

 

Pada aku orang Melayu amat berbudi bahasa, suka beralah dan tidak kisah dipijak oleh orang lain, cuma sedikit busuk hati dengan mereka yg sebangsa dengan mereka, gemarkan kuasa serta tidak segan berbalah dikhalayak ramai dengan mereka yg sekaum dengannya. Tapi jangan ingat Melayu bangsa yg lemah. Sejarah merakamkan keberanian leluhur nenek moyang orang melayu mempertahankan negara dari penjajah. Begitu juga sejarah merakamkan betapa ganasnya org Melayu bila diusik keterlaluan sehingga tercetus tragedi 13 Mei.

Namun tidaklah pelik kalau yg sibuk mempertikaikan Islamisasi itu keluar dari lidah bukan Islam, kerana mereka juga tidak jelas akan Islam dek lemahnya peranan media yg ber-berhala-kan barat. Tapi kalau yg cakap itu org Islam, amat sukar untuk aku bersangka baik, lalu aku simpulkan samada dia itu bodoh, di atas kegagalannya mengorek fakta atau hipokrit bak Abu Jahal dan Abu Lahab, yg celik akan kebenaran namun kerana ego dan agendanya tersendiri sanggup menyembunyikan kebenaran dari orang ramai.

 

*Lepas ni mungkin aku tak boleh dah tulis macam ni untuk satu tempoh yg amat panjang...Therefore this is my last shot and hopefully more Muslim youngsters will be more concern bout Islam and attack made against it.

The Brothers

Most of us have siblings, yet we are more close to someone who are not related to us, those without blood bond, those who are dearer to us than our own kin.

 

Unexpected words uttered from the mouth of others can change how we treat them for perpetual, when those simple words are so profound and so insightful, touching our very conscience and come from unexpected people, while we are wishing our dearest someone to say it to us.

 

These people I mentioned, I style them as “brothers of my own”, as we are not related by blood. We do not share  parents or kins. Nevertheless, we manage to get along so well, more than a sibling would be to me.

 

Narrated by Imam Bukhari and Muslim, narrated by Abu Hurairah;

Allah will give shade to seven, at the day when there is no shade but his. (The seven persons are) just ruler, a youth who was brought up in (sincerely) worshipping his God, a man whose heart is attached to the masjid, two persons who love each other for Allah sake and they meet and they depart in Allah cause only…

 

“Why couldn't I have a brother just like you.”

“He is like my own brother, mum.”

To the persons who did dare to utter such words before me, I will act like one for you…

The Last Castle (movie): Moral of The Story

Baru je abis download & tgk movie “The Last Castle”, cite psl sorang leftenan jeneral US Army, Eugene Irwin (three stars general) yg dimasukkan ke dalam penjara tentera,  atas kesalahan gagal mematuhi “direct order” dari Presiden Amerika Syarikat.

Penjara di mana Jeneral Irwin ditempatkan dijaga oleh Kolonel Winter,seorang yg zalim. Warga penjara yg kesemuanya terdiri dari pesalah tentera (convicted armies) dilayan dengan teruk dan ada yg mati. Jeneral Irwin, seorang yg digambarkan sebagai seorang lagenda dalam sejarah ketenteraan dan peperangan Amerika, juga dihormati oleh warga penjara kemudian menyusun organisasi ala tentera, yg terdiri dari warga penjara dan bersiap dalam menentang penguasaan Kolonel Winter yg tidak berhati perut. Di akhir cerita, coup de etat yg dilancarkan tamat dengan jayanya.

Semalam Tun Salleh Abas diberitakan menerima ex-gratia dari kerajaan, begitu juga Tan Sri Azmi Kamaruddin.  Tan Sri Azmi sebak mengenangkan apa yg telah terjadi kepada dirinya dan dengan linangan air matanya, menceritakan bagaimana beliau terpaksa melihat ketidakadilan berlaku di hadapannya sewaktu menghabiskan baki masanya sebagai seorang hakim di era Mahathir. Hampir 20 tahun sesudah kezaliman berlaku ke atas hakim-hakim yg jujur ini, akhirnya penghormatan yg sewajarnya dikembalikan kepada mereka yg berani ini, yg melaksanakan tugas mereka, mempertahankan perlembagaan, mengangkat dan melaksanakan undang-undang tanpa rasa takut dan pilih kasih (without fear and favour).

Watak Jeneral Irwin dalam cite The Last Castle persis 6 orang hakim yg terlibat dalam krisis kehakiman 1988, yakni mereka telah dituduh melakukan sesuatu yg tidak bersesuaian (the conduct of unbecoming, a general or judges), walaupun apa yg telah mereka lakukan merupakan sesuatu yg wajar. Ketidakadilan yg mereka terima sedikit pun tidak mengubah persepsi umum terhadap mereka. Sebagaimana Jeneral Irwin dihormati oleh warga penjara, begitu juga hakim-hakim ini disanjung tinggi, malah dinobatkan sebagai hakim-hakim yg berani dan disebut-sebut sebagai para hakim yg mewakili era kegemilangan badan kehakiman Malaysia. Bak kata pepatah, harimau mati meninggalkan belang, manusia mati meninggalkan nama.

Firman Allah, (Katakanlah, telah datang  kebenaran dan telah binasa kebatilan dan sesungguhnya kebatilan itu pasti binasa)( Al Isra’:81)

P/s- Sebak aku baca manga Naruto 405. Aku turut berkongsi kesedihan Naruto di atas kehilangan Jiraiya-sama, kerana dalam sejarah ke-manga-an hidup aku, Jiraiya-sama merupakan watak yg paling aku minati. To the brave Judges and Jiraiya-sama the pervert gentleman, Naruto-kun and Noor-kun salute you~!

 

Maid And Her Friends : As An Issue

It is a worldwide notion that slavery is no longer a valid practice nowadays. Human as commodity and as subject of trade had ceased to exist.

In Malaysia we do have maid and contract worker (the cheap labours), of which consist of population of people originated from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, China and some other countries. The maids are employed to do chore, from cleaning, laundering, cooking including babysitting. The contract workers most of them build houses and work at estate. Owh, By the way, the word "amah" used in referring to maid is an arabic word which means "woman slave". 

 

Referring to how these people are addressed, they are not slave, as they are called maids and contract workers. But looking at how they work, it seems that they do nothing less than the slave does, or even worst. 

 

In early years of Islam, the practice of having slave was still in place. People did have slave during that time. Saidina Bilal Bin Rabah, the muezzin of the Prophet was a slave of Umayyah Bin Al-Khalaf until Saidina Abu Bakr paid for his freedom. Some of the companions also have slave, including Saidina Abu Zarr Al-Ghifari.

 

Let see how the Prophet directed his companion, Saidina Abu Zar in dealing with his slave, a hadith of Al Ma’ari, narrated by Imam Bukhari:- 

 

]هُمْ إِخْوَانُكُمْ جَعَلَهُمْ اللَّهُ تَحْتَ أَيْدِيكُمْ فَمَنْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ أَخَاهُ تَحْتَ يَدِهِ فَلْيُطْعِمْهُ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ وَلْيُلْبِسْهُ مِمَّا يَلْبَسُ وَلا يُكَلِّفُهُ مِنْ الْعَمَلِ مَا يَغْلِبُهُ فَإِنْ كَلَّفَهُ مَا يَغْلِبُهُ فَلْيُعِنْهُ عَلَيْهِ

 

[They (the slave) are your brothers, of which Allah put them under your command,whoever vested with command over them (the slaves) feed them from what you feed, dress them with what you wear, don’t burden them with hard task which they are incapable of and if you do give them hard work, you should assist therein.]

 

From the above hadith, the slave is to wear what the master wear, to have the same meal as what his master has. The slave must not be forced to do what he is incapable of and if he is to be exerted, the master should lend his hand.

 

Comparing the fate of slave during those time and maids or contract workers of our days, it seems that the slaves were treated better. It can be seen in public, especially at mall that maids are dressed disparagingly, maybe for people to discern who is master and who is maid. Bad treatments received by the maid are ex facie, a perception in the mind of the majority of our populace, though many flee unreported.

 

On 12 of May 2008, the Anti Human Trafficking Act is seen to have its first accused, charged under the provision of the act. The act is meant to prevent and to stop human smuggling from foreign country into Malaysia for the purpose of making use of them as workers or to be traded with interested party. It seems that the government is serious in repelling inhuman act of smuggling human and making them slave.

 

As much as the government concerns in adopting the universal principal of anti slavery, it is also wise to re-evaluate whether the objective of this anti slavery notion is met, or it is a mere re-branding of the slavery into the so called maid or contract worker. How we call this people is immaterial, but how they are treated is what matter as “Equity looks into substance, rather than form”.

Pondok Pak Teh, Pengkalan Hulu

Madrasah Ad Diniah Al Latiffiah atau lebih dikenali dengan panggilan pondok Pak Teh terletak di daerah Hulu Perak iaitu daerah Pengkalan Hulu di negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan. Pondok ini adalah satu-satu pondok pengajian ilmu islam yang lama dan masih wujud di negeri Perak.Pondok ini didirikan pada tahun 1963 oleh YBhg Tuan Guru Dato' Hj. Abd Latif Abdul Rahman atau Pak Teh , pondok ini didirikan sendiri oleh Pak Teh yg berdekatan dengan perkarangan rumahnya. Pak Teh merupakan Ahli Jawatankuasa Syariah (Majlis Fatwa) Negeri Perak.

 

Persekitaran yg sederhana, bersuasana desa, dipayungi pohon-pohon hijau dengan pondok-pondok pelajar yg bertebaran, serta ayam dan kambing yg berkeliaran mungkin tidak menarik minat mereka yg biasa dengan cara hidup kota dan dibesarkan dalam dimensi kemodenan.

Namun di pondok-pondok yang usang, tinggal para pelajar dan di surau yg berlantaikan papan bersilingkan zink, transaksi ilmu mengambil tempat dengan penuh adab dan tradisi keilmuwan, mencuit hati sesiapa sahaja yg berkesempatan ke sana. Kitab-kitab silam ditadah dengan penuh khusyuk, sesudah subuh, sesudah zohor, sesudah asar, sesudah maghrib dan sesudah isyak. Selepas solat subuh, kelihatan 3-4 orang pelajar menghampiri Tuan Guru, menyemak hafalan matan-matan yg berbeza. Namun yang ajaibnya, ketajaman deria dengar dan ingatan Tuan Guru dapat sahaja menangkap andainya ada silap dalam hafalan mereka, walaupun setiap mereka membaca matan yg berbeza secara serentak di hadapan Tuan Guru. Penyampaian kuliah di dalam bahasa melayu, dialek siam, Kelantan dan utara. Mereka yg baru mungkin berasa pening dan asing dengan penyampaian si Tuan Guru.

 

Pada waktu malam, kedengaran suara-suara mengatasi bunyi unggas, yg sibuk mengulangkaji pelajaran dan hafalan. Dari Ilmu Nahu ke Ilmu Feqah, riuh di merata pondok suara pelajar mengulangkaji. Tidak cukup dengan kuliah umum kelolaan Tuan Guru di surau, ada juga kelas-kelas mini yg diajar oleh Ustaz-ustaz yg terdiri dari murid senior di pondok. Ada Ustaz-ustaz yg telah menghabiskan masa selama 30 tahun di pondok dan ada yg baru 8 tahun. Kedalaman ilmu mereka mengagumkan walaupun tidak punya sijil, diploma atau ijazah di dalam bidang agama.

 

Bagi yg hanya sementara di sana (seperti teman), boleh diminta Ustaz-ustaz ini mengajarkan secara peribadi mengikut masa yg bersesuaian. Berbekalkan kitab dan sebatang lilin dihadapan sang Ustaz yg terjerit-jerit ibarat “naik syeikh”, teman mengaji ilmu nahu dengan kitab “Syarah Mukhtasar Jiddan A’la Al-Ajrumiyyah”, antara kitab nahu yg paling asas diajarkan di pondok itu. Perkataan dibaca sepatah-sepatah dan dihurai sepatah-sepatah. Tidak hairanlah kalau dalam ½ jam, hanya 2-3 baris yg mampu dihabiskan.

 

Ada juga beberapa perkara yg menarik dapat diperhatikan di sana. Antaranya, solat subuh hanya bermula pabila Tuan Guru membuka pintu rumahnya dan masuk ke surau (rumah Tuan Guru dan surau bersambung). Selalunya solat subuh pada jam 6:40-6:45 pagi, agak lewat juga kiranya.

 

Begitu juga menariknya bila Tuan Guru tidak mahu mengimamkan solat, murid-murid akan mencari mereka yg paling senior untuk menjadi imam. Apabila yg senior pun enggan menjadi imam, yg muda-muda akan menjadi imam. Namun, sesudah habis solat dan wirid, imam muda tadi akan menepuk lantai dan Tuan Guru atau si senior yg ada di dalam surau akan membaca doa, tak kira di mana duduknya murid senior itu, kadangkala di belakang imam dan kadangkala dibucu surau. Dapat diamati yg mereka ini memuliakan Tuan Guru dan abang-abang seguru mereka, suatu sikap yang sudah jarang wujud dalam diri para pelajar masa kini.

 

Murid-murid juga akan bangun sebelum memulakan kuliah dan mereka hanya duduk sesudah Tuan Guru duduk. Begitu juga halnya sesudah kuliah, mereka akan bangun dan kekal berdiri sehinggalah Tuan Guru masuk ke rumah, barulah mereka beredar.

 

Bersalam dengan Tuan Guru juga ada waktunya. Kalau tak silap, hanya pada hari Selasa dan Khamis sesudah asar Tuan Guru akan bersandar dan akan bersalam dengan anak muridnya yg mencecah jumlah 300 orang. Tangan digarap dan dicium oleh anak murid, dari yang muda hinggalah yang tua bangka.

 

Sikap rendah diri para pelajar serta sistem pembelajaran yg berperingkat, dari yang paling asas ke tahap yg lebih tinggi menjadi faktor penyumbang kepada kefahaman mendalam para pelajar di dalam bidang agama. Kepelbagaian disiplin ilmu, seperti ilmu nahu, sorof, feqah, hadith, tafsir, mantiq dan tasawuf, serta pengekalan penggunaan kitab-kitab silam seperti Tafsir Nasafi, Mataz Zubad, Sahih Bukhari dan Muslim, Matan Ajrumiyyah, Matan Qatar, Fathul Wahab, Matan Syuzu dan banyak lagi, membuktikan yang pondok masih relevan di zaman moden ini, dalam memelihara warisan mereka yang terdahulu, yg kian di jauhi oleh masyarakat Islam di kala ini.

 

Mungkin tempoh pengajian dua minggu tidak melayakkan diri ini untuk bercerita perihal pondok Pak Teh. Tapi dua minggu itu memberi kesan yang amat dalam, betapa perlunya memuhasabah diri ini dan bersikap rendah diri, walaupun bergelar graduan Ijazah Sarjana Muda Undang-undang Shariah, kerana ijazah itu bukannya kayu pengukur yg menjamin kita lebih alim dan bijaksana dari warga pondok ini.

Agama dan Bukan Ahli

Dengan kemudahan teknologi yg kita ada, kini mencari ilmu bukan lagi sepayah dahulu. Dahulu, nak belajar agama kena ke madrasah, surau atau pondok. Kini kita ada sekolah-sekolah agama yg melahirkan generasi celik agama. Kita juga ada kemudahan seperti AlQuran elektronik berserta terjemahannya dan juga bacaan AlQuran dalam bentuk mp3 yg dengan mudahnya disuap ke lubang telinga. Tak kurang juga adanya hadith-hadith nabi dalam bentuk digital.

 

Dalam kemudahan mencari ilmu agama ini, tampak wujud golongan-golongan bijak pandai, yg berkerjaya professional dan teknokrat, menggelar diri mereka celik agama dan dengan mudah memperlekehkan ilmuwan-ilmuwan tua dan pendapat-pendapat mereka. Berbekalkan terjemahan Al-Quran dan juga terjemahan hadith-hadith Bukhari dan Muslim, mereka membantai ulama-ulama tua dan menyifatkan yang ulama-ulama ini “buta dalil”, mengambil hukum dari lidah ulama silam, bukan dari sumbernya iaitu AlQuran dan sunnah.

 

Tak cukup dengan itu, ulama-ulama silam turut dipertikaikan. Fatwa Imam Syafie pada pandangan mereka bercanggah dengan hadith-hadith yg mereka dapati dari terjemahan yg mereka punyai. Lalu dikritik Imam Syafie sehinggakan ada yg hilang rasa hormat terhadapnya dengan menggelar ulama besar itu “Budak Pie”.

 

Semangat ke arah mendalami agama itu wajar dipuji, terutama bila semangat itu wujud dalam diri jurutera, jurubank, ahli perniagaan dan pengamal undang-undang. Namun perlu mereka ini sedar yg agama itu bukan secara zahir dan mentah kita ambil dari Al-Quran dan Hadith. Untuk memahami Al-Quran, pengetahuan mendalam di dalam Bahasa Arab merupakan satu kemestian, kerana AlQuran diturunkan dan juga hadith dilafazkan di dalam bahasa arab. Bahkan perbezaan dlm bahasa antara faktor yg menyumbang kepada wujudnya perbedaan yg luas dalam pengistinbatan hukum di kalangan ulama. Memahami Alquran dari terjemahan di dalam bahasa melayu atau inggeris bukan satu jaminan kepada pemahaman maksud AlQuran pada erti kata yg sebenar.

 

Satu contoh yg amat menarik, sebagai mana dinukilkan oleh Ibnu Rusyd di dalam kitabnya Bidayatul Mujtahid ialah   di dalam masalah melafazkan talak sesudah tamat tempoh ila’ (bersumpah menjauhi hubungan kelamin dengan isteri), samada talak terjatuh dengan tamatnya tempoh sumpah ila` (jatuh talak automatik dengan tamatnya tempoh) atau si suami perlu melafazkan talak (talak tidak jatuh automatik). Jumhur selain Imam Malik berpendapat jatuh talak dengan tamat tempoh ila’, andainya suami tidak menarik balik sumpahnya walaupun si suami tidak melafazkan talak. Imam Malik berpendapat talak tidak jatuh dengan sendiri, walaupun dengan tamat tempoh ila’ dan dalilnya hanyalah kerana dihujung ayat ila’ menyebut “Sesungguhnya Allah itu Maha Mendengar lagi Maha Mengetahui” dan bagi mereka, "mendengar" di dalam ayat itu menunjukkan kepada perlunya "lafaz" talak. Hanya dengan menggunakan dalil bahasa, ulama Maliki berfatwa menyalahi pendapat ulama-ulama lain, dan pendapat ini dihormati hingga ke hari ini.

 

Begitu juga pentingnya ilmu Usul Fiqh. Andainya AlQuran dan Hadith itu dianggap sebagai bahan mentah (raw material), ilmu usul fiqh ialah peralatan, kaedah-kaedah yg digunakan untuk mendapatkan hasil, iaitu hukum. Ulama menyusun usul fiqh sebagai peralatan dalam mengeluarkan hukum dari kedua-dua kalam suci, AlQuran dan Sunnah.

 

Tak kurang juga pentingnya pemahaman mengenai kebarangkalian wujudnya perbezaan pendapat, kerana manusia bukan semua berfikir dgn cara yg sama. Jadi adab dalam menghadapi perbezaan pendapat amat penting.

 

Namun yang paling penting, mengenali diri sendiri. Imam Syafie mempelajari bahasa arab secara berguru dengan puak badwi yg masyhur dengan penguasaan bahasa arab mereka. Beliau juga menghafaz Muwattta (kitab hadith) Imam Malik sebelum berguru dengan Imam Malik sendiri. Bahkan ada satu ketika dimana guru kepada Imam Syafie ditanya apakah sebab rasul melarang sarang burung dari diganggu, gurunya tak dapat menjawab. Lalu Imam Syafie memberi pendapat yg hadith itu berkaitan dengan hadith lain yg melarang menilik dan arab jahiliyyah menilik dengan menggunakan burung untuk menentukan perjalanan mereka ketika berdagang. Sesudah itu gurunya berkata dimajlis umum, andainya wujud permasalahan dlm pemahaman hadith, rujuklah anak muda ini (sambil menunjuk kepada Imam Syafie).

 

Dalam ilmu akhlaq, kita di ajar mengenai "tsiqah" atau "trust" in English. Dalam mempelajari ilmu, kita perlu ada sifat mempercayai mereka yg memberi ilmu, samada yg memberi ilmu itu manusia atau pun tulisan seperti buku. Telah maklum akan kewujudan mereka-mereka yg terkenal tsiqahnya mereka, terutama ulama-ulama mazhab, seperti masyhurnya Mughni Muhtaj dan Iqna' karangan Syeikh Khatib Syarbini mengenai feqah Syafie. Pendapat yg dinukilkan dalam kedua kitab ini telah berabad diperakui sebagai nukilan hukum yg telah ditulis dengan jujur, bersandarkan dalil-dalil AlQuran dan Sunnah. Sikap mempercayai "pembawa ilmu" ini dapat kita lihat dalam diri Imam Syafie, seperti yang tergambar dari kata-katanya yg masyhur "Aku jadikan kitab ini (Muwatta' Imam Malik) sebagai hujah di antaraku dan Tuhanku"

Namun terasa jelak bila melihat mereka-mereka yg mutu bahasa arabnya sekadar tahu mengira dan bertanya khabar, memperlekehkan kitab-kitab fiqh, mengajak umat ke arah berijtihad sendiri dan meninggalkan taqlid. Mereka ini dengan bongkak "mencuba" mengistinbat hukum dari AlQuran dan Sunnah, seolah-olah mereka "ahli" dalam bidang tersebut. Bila mereka ini disogok oleh pendapat ulama, terpacul ayat "mana dalilnya?" dengan megah cuba mempertikai bak alim bijaksana.

Yang peliknya, fenomena ini hanya berlaku bila mereka mengaji agama. Andai diunjurkan berita ekonomi, sains atau  yg selainnya, tidak di tanya mana dalilnya. Mereka juga menggesa umat meninggalkan amalan yg tidak ada asas dalam Islam, terutama amalan-amalan yang kononnya warisan dan "tidak berdalil".

Jadi bila AlQuran dan sunnah bebas dihurai oleh sesiapa sahaja, tumbuhlah ideologi seperti Haji Kahar yg mengatakan Surah Yaasin diturunkan kepadanya. Tak kurang hebatnya Islam liberal yg mendakwa AlQuran mempunyai kesilapan dari segi tatabahasa dan juga mendakwa bahawa Nabi bukan buta huruf secara hakiki seperti yg disebut di dalam AlQuran. Tidak mustahil juga jika nikah mutah diharuskan oleh golongan "ahli dalil" ini, kerana adanya hadith yg kuat dari Ibnu Abbas yg menyokong keharusan nikah mutah.

Kita sering terperangkap dengan slogan "ulama-ulama juga manusia biasa seperti kita". Bersemangat dengan apa yg dianjurkan oleh slogan ini, kita hilang rasa rendah diri terhadap ulama-ulama silam dan seterusnya mencambah sikap biadab kita terhadap ulama-ulama dan tradisi keilmuwan yg amat dititikberatkan di dalam Islam.

Ulama-ulama kita ibarat laut dan kita ibarat sinki dapur. Yang kita tahu barangkali secebis dari apa yg mereka tahu. Kenal diri kita. Ulama-ulama ini juga telah berabad dipercayai. Tapi kita yg hidup di zaman moden cuba hendak berlagak pandai macamlah kita lagi pandai dari orang-orang dulu. Jangan wujud fenomena tukang emas mengajar tukang kayu bagaimana hendak mengetam, begitu juga jangan kita jadi seperti ahli muzik mengajar peguam bagaimana nak berhujah. Kita hidup dlm bidang masing-masing dan hormatilah mereka yg arif di dalam bidang itu. Jangan kerana kita hafal hadith dua tiga patah, habis ulama lain kita tuduh sesat, dek kejahilan kita akan berjuta patah lagi hadith yg kita tak hafal.

Yang Arif v Yang Amat Berbahagia

Pekung Dr mahathir terbuka lagi. Kali ini Datuk Ian Chin, Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi yg paling kanan di dalam senarai hakim-hakim Mahkamah tinggi di Malaysia telah bersuara.

Kenyataan telah dibuat dari bangku Hakim di dalam posiding rasmi, menjelaskan tekanan yg diterimanya sesudah membuat keputusan berhubung petisyen pilihanraya N22 Bukit Begunan, di mana pilihanraya di kawasan tersebut telah diisytiharkan tidak sah atas sebab wujudnya rasuah, yang menyebabkan wakil BN pada waktu itu menang.

Ulasnya lagi, beliau telah dikecam secara halus oleh Dr Mahathir ketika Mantan PM itu memberi ucapan di Persidangan Hakim-Hakim, di mana dlm ucapannya Dr Mahathir mengingatkan yang Hakim boleh dipecat oleh tribunal. Dr Mahathir juga ada bertanya samada Hakim yg membuat keputusan petisyen pilihanraya (Borneo petition) hadir di persidangan itu.

Yang lebih melucukan, Datuk Ian Chin memeri yang beliau telah diarah untuk mengikuti "boot camp" (ditokok tambah oleh orang ramai sebagai kem ala PLKN) bersama beberapa pegawai undang2, yang antara pengisiannya ialah suatu kuliah oleh pensyarah undang-undang mengenai "kesilapan" penghakiman "Borneo Petition". Tiada soalan yg diujarkan di akhir kuliah itu, namun ada pegawai undang-undang yang meminta untuk membuat kenyataan. Jelas pegawai tersebut, yang terlintas di benaknya sesudah mendengar kuliah pensyarah tersebut ialah pensyarah tersebut telah menghina mahkamah "contempt of court".

Aib rasanya mendengar yang Hakim-Hakim kita diperlakukan sebegitu rupa. Hakim-Hakim ini telah bersumpah melaksanakan keadilan dan memartabatkan Perlembagaan, tanpa mengira siapa, juga untuk melaksanakan keadilan tanpa rasa takut atau pilih kasih.Hakim dilihat sebagai penjaga rakyat andainya ditindas pihak kerajaan. Mereka juga dirujuk sebagai "Judges of His Majesty, Hakim-Hakim kepada DYMM", bukan Hakim kepada Perdana Menteri.

Dr Abdul Karim Zaidan, ilmuwan dan Ulama terkenal dari Baghdad menyebut di dalam kitabnya Nizam Al-Qadha, bahawa campurtangan Eksekutif (kerajaan) di dalam bidang kehakiman merupakan MAKSIAT (bukan setakat khalwat je yang maksiat).

Kebebasan badan kehakiman juga menjadi faktor pemacu ekonomi negara. Pelabur-pelabur asing akan lebih yakin untuk melabur sekiranya mereka optimis mengenai keadilan yang bakal mereka dapati sekiranya wujud sengketa di antara mereka dengan syarikat tempatan (atau kerajaan). Mereka tidak akan takut melabur sekiranya jaminan keadilan dapat mereka perolehi.

 

Namun fenomena di kala ini, pelabur memasukkan klausa di dalam kontrak mereka yang memperuntukkan sekiranya wujud perbalahan, perkara tersebut hendaklah dirujuk ke tribunal yang disepakati atau ke mahkamah negara lain, bukan ke mahkamah kita . Ini menunjukkan ketidak percayaan mereka kepada sistem kehakiman Malaysia yang teruk dibantai Dr Mahathir.

Kita bangga, kerana dengan buah fikiran Dr Mahathir, kita ada Proton (yang membuat kereta tempatan, namun harganya sama dengan kereta import), kita juga bangga dengan KLCC (tempat anak bangsa kita rosak, tumbuh bak cendawan lepas hujan), tak kurang juga bangga kita dengan KLIA (yang tak cukup kerusi), juga dengan pencapaian kita dan kelantangan Dr Mahathir di OIC (owhh~! i see). Tak kurang juga megahnya kita dengan syarikat nasional PETRONAS yang mengeluarkan hasil mahsul dari bumi Malaysia (tapi harga minyak naik juga). Tak dilupa juga jasa Yang Berbahagia Tun Mahathir yang mengasaskan UIAM (tempat teman mengaji).

Tapi dalam keasyikan kita dalam kebanggaan dan kemegahan di atas pencapaian kita, kita terlepas pandang yang badan kehakiman kita semakin lesu dan lemah, sedangkan badan kehakiman ialah antara institusi yang diwujudkan oleh Bapa-Bapa Malaysia tatkala terciptanya "PERSEKUTUAN TANAH MELAYU" di peta dunia.

Tunku diakhir hayatnya jelak dengan peri laku Dr Mahathir yang meranapkan badan kehakiman. Tun Suffian, antara arkitek perundangan negara yang juga Bekas Ketua Hakim sehingga akhir hayatnya kesal dengan apa yg menimpa badan kehakiman dan hakim-hakim kita.

Tapi kini Dr Mahathir dan cacai-cacai yang selalu menurut telunjuknya dahulu terpaksa menghadapi kesan perbuatannya sewaktu berkuasa dulu-as what goes around, comes around.

 

Lelaki Ini

Anuar Zain sings one of a beautiful song i ever heard, "Lelaki Ini". The music arrangement is perfect, the lyric suits the melody well, making me want to hear it more and more.

The man in the lyric is potrayed to be so obsessed with his beloved one. He keeps stressing that he is the man, going crazy bout his girl, whom his loyalty rests, always loving his girl and only her he praises - the queen of his heart.

I wonder does this kind of love exist? Will a man be like this to someone he loves, forever? Will he be persistent in loving the only woman in his life? Would he dare to risk himself, facing the possibility of being betrayed after so much effort he puts in loving his girl?

Someone used to tell me, that this song sounds gay, since the singer is a guy and too many "lelaki ini" being repeated. Well, I must say that the girl saying this is either joking with me or she is imbecilic. I must differ from that insensible view and I'm of opinion that this song is well crafted, well sung and does hit my very conscious every time i listen to it.

This song is for man who honors and cherishes love,expressing his determination of being loyal to the one he loves. Perhaps it also gives hope to woman, who wishes to meet a loyal and persistent lover, who will indulge himself in loving his girl for perpetual...

May True Love Emerge and Embrace The World.

Dr Mahathir : Dari Aku Budak Mentah

Semalam (19 Mei 2008) Dr Mahathir mengumumkan beliau bahawa beliau keluar dari UMNO. Maka gemparlah satu Malaysia. Ramai yg terkejut beruk. Tak kurang yg memujuk beliau supaya menimbang semula keputusan itu, ada juga yg semacam tenang sambil berkata "itu isu peribadi, bukan parti''. Malah ada rakan Budak Mentah yg menggelarnya Melayu Agung~!

Pada tahun 1969, sesudah menulis surat beracun kepada Ayahanda Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, kemudian menyiarkan surat tersebut kepada umum, Dr Mahathir telah dipecat dari UMNO. Diterima kembali pada 1972. Pada tahun 1981, beliau menjadi Perdana Menteri ke 4.

Beliau memperkenalkan beberapa rang undang-undang pindaan Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Antaranya memansuhkan kekebalan Raja-Raja Melayu dari dihadapkan ke mahkamah, yg mendapat tentangan awal dari Majlis Raja-Raja. Budak Mentah merasakan tindakan itu bukan sahaja mempertikaikan kuasa Raja-Raja, malah merupakan satu cubaan untuk membuang hak istimewa itu dari Raja-Raja, suatu yang lebih hebat dari apa yang dibuat Karpal Singh, dan cubaan itu sempurna dgn jayanya. Tapi tiada siapa kata Dr Mahathir penderhaka, entah ada atau tidak laporan polis dibuat ke atasnya.

Peruntukan perkenan Yang Dipertuan Agong dlm meluluskan suatu undang-undang juga dibuang. Agong hanya boleh melewatkan penguatkuasaan undang-undang, namun tiada kuasa menolak.

Kuasa mengisythiharkan Darurat yg dahulunya tertakluk di bawah budi bicara Yang Dipertuan Agong juga dipinda, dan kuasa tersebut "dipindahkan" (macam transfer2 dlm game plak) kepada Perdana Menteri.

1987, sesudah  Peguam Negara gagal dlm cubaan memindahkan kes Dato Yap Peng dari Mahkamah Sesyen ke Mahkamah Tinggi, dimana Mahkamah Agung berpendapat perbuatan itu merupakan campur tangan kuasa Eksekutif ke dalam kuasa Kehakiman, Dr Mahathir dengan bijaksananya meminda Perkara 121 Perlembagaan Persekutuan, membuang klausa yg memperuntukkan kuasa Kehakiman kepada Mahkamah. Maka jadilah Mahkamah kita pelaksana kehendak Parlimen kerana institusi itu hanya ada kuasa sebagai mana yg diperuntukkan oleh Parlimen, tidak seperti sebelumnya.

Mahkamah menyengat Dr Mahathir lagi bila UMNO diharamkan pd 1987. Ura-ura yg team pro Tengku Razaleigh bakal memenangi kes di Mahkamah Agung membuatkan Dr Mahathir bertindak sepuluh langkah lebih awal, dengan memecat Tun Salleh Abas yg pada fikirannya "terlalu bebas dan berani". Tempias konspirasi pemecatan Tun Salleh turut terkena kepada 5 Hakim yg berani dan tegas mempertahankan kebebasan badan kehakiman.

Bekas Ketua Hakim, Tun Suffian melafazkan rasa kesal dan meluahkan rasa hatinya, bahawa apa yg telah mengambil masa berdekad untuk dibina (badan kehakiman yg berintegriti) mengambil masa sekelip mata untuk diruntuhkan. Beliau juga berkata, untuk memulihkan apa yg telah diruntuhkan ini akan mengambil beberapa generasi.

Bila dikenang kembali, apa yg peliknya dgn Si Lingam? Lingam melobi hakim yg dia suka agar dijadikan Hakim Besar Malaya, dan kemudiannya Ketua Hakim Negara. Dr Mahathir pula, buang Ketua Hakim dan Hakim2 yg beliau tak suka. Pada Budak Mentah ni, sama saja.

1998, dunia gempar Dr Mahathir pecat timbalannya. Tak cukup dengan pecat, dituduh homoseksual pula, walaupun org tu dah beranak pinak.

Kutuk Tunku, buang hak istimewa Raja-Raja, ambil alih kuasa Agong isythihar darurat, , kurangkan kuasa mahkamah, tetapkan hakim mana yg patut duduk di mahkamah serta buang mana yg tak patut, pecat timbalan sendiri bila tergugat dan terbaru, keluar parti bila dah takde kuasa nak buat apa2. Dari tiada kuasa, kemudian ke puncak kuasa dan sesudah kembali tiada kuasa, Dr Mahathir akan buat apa sahaja untuk penuhkan kemahuannya.

Dr Mahathir kata, UMNO sekarang bukan UMNO sepertinya yg diasaskan oleh Dato Onn dulu. MEMANG LA! sbb UMNO Dato Onn, Tunku, Tun Razak dan Tun Hussien dah diharamkan pada tahun 1988. Malah Tunku dan Tun Hussien Onn tidak sertai UMNO baru yg Dr Mahathir asaskan.

Kalau Karpal derhaka sbb lawan Sultan, Dr Mahathir macam mana? Kalau Lingam menunjukkan badan kehakiman kita integritinya terjejas, siapa dalang yg memulakannya?

Aku hanya Budak Mentah...tapi tidaklah sampai BUTA sejarah. Memang dia penah terajui Malaysia dan banyak kebaikan yg dibuatnya. Tapi bila dia diagungkan bak manusia luar biasa dan tiada cacat cela, rasa geram yg telah sekian lama tersimpan dalam lubuk hati aku meronta untuk keluar, lantas memaksa jariku menaip benda yg selama ni aku tak suka nak cakap pada org. Aku lebih suka pendam fikiran aku psl politik untuk diriku sendiri, kali ini tidak lagi...PESAN AKU KAWAN2, suka pada org itu ada hadnya, gelaran melayu agung bagi aku terlalu keterlaluan.

Freedom of Religion, Conversion & Strangers

Our Federal Constitution provides Freedom of Religion as embodied in Article 11. Thus, we hear voices from some corners which want the process of leaving Islam to be made easier-since it is believed that people are free to choose their own religion.

Those who asking for these are not Muslim, or they may be Muslim, but ignorant one. Let me stress this - the law says that you are free to profess any religion, but the law doesn't permit you to alter the religion.

Once you are Muslim, there are rules to be followed, same like when you enter a country, there are laws to be observed. Breach the laws, and there shall be consequence (Ubi culpa est, ibi poena subesse debet- Where the crime is committed, there ought punishment to be undergone). Before professing other religion, please deal with the one which you had previously chosen to submit to.

You are free to be Muslim, no compulsion, but thinks wisely before being a Muslim as renouncing Islam might not be a choice later on. The Prophet once met a person who wish to be a Muslim and he was asking  for 3 days to think and The Prophet gave 3 months to him. It shows that no compulsion and no hurry in being a Muslim. After all Hidayah is from Allah, even the Prophet couldn't bring his beloved uncle to Islam.

But I observed that some people, shielding themselves with the universal principle of human rights try to meddle with the issue of apostasy. They urge that conversion should be allowed and be made easier, as people are free to profess any religion of their choice.

In Islam, those who are leaving the religion is an apostate. Apostasy is a great sin and a punishable offence in Islam. That is a rule, which every Muslim believes to be an integral part of the religion.

Now what I find disturbing is that people who urge that conversion should be allowed and more gruesome when they want the process to be made easier, they are not talking about personal right, they are urging for changing in a system of a religion.

Legally speaking, NO LAW in Malaysia allows any person to change a system of a religion, what more Islam, as it is clearly spelt in Article 3 that Islam is the official religion of the Federation.

Yang Dipertuan Agong is empowered to enact any law in the state of emergency (darurat) EXCEPT things which concern the religion of Islam -article 150 (6A) of Federal Constitution.Impliedly it shows that Islam has a very special position in the constitution, the supreme law of the land. Even YDPA cant mess with Islam in the state of emergency, what more a layman, a non-believer who is a stranger to Islam or the one who choose to be ignorant of his own religion.

The non believers who are asking for changes as regards to the issue of conversion, I take them as strangers, who is coming to my house and try to show me how to live in my own house. Muslims who are in the same camp with those people, i rather call them ignorant believers and may Allah forgive them for their ignorance (ignorantia facti excusat- ignorance of fact is an excuse).

As I can't ask a Hindu or Buddhist to change his rituals, I expect the same from non Muslim to respect the rule we have in Islam. This mutual respect should be observed to maintain harmonious relationship in a multi racial society. [Unto you, your religion and unto me, my religion-Al kafirun:6]

Tan Sri Speaker

Speaker of Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia has shown his credibility in his early days as the speaker of the honorable Dewan.

On the first day, he seems to be tested by thunderous peculiar behaviors of the MPs. Today (5th May 08), he made an announcement that he will not entertain anyone raising Point of Order, unless it is meant to accelerate the proceeding of the honorable Dewan.

Responding to the decision, a veteran Mp and a renown lawyer, Karpal Singh try to show off by questioning the legality of such decision, as it impedes MPs from raising Point of Order (that can be expected from a lawyer).

The Answer given by the Tan Sri Speaker should hit the very conscience of Karpal. He said that Point of Order shouldn't be used to cover up mischieves done by the MPs. He then cite a legal maxim "He who seeks equity must do equity"- an answer I wouldn't expect from a politician, which serves Karpal right.haha

KLCC & True Friends...My tribute

After 10 days of hibernation in UIA, on April 19th 2008, i went home. I packed up my stuff (my little home) and arranged it in my car.

At noon, one of my friend then came to my room, calling me to have lunch together. We then agreed to have our lunch at KLCC. I made such decision so my friend could meet his girlfriend, the girl i heard about almost every time i met him.

The girlfriend looked shock when my friend and I reached the entrance of the place we chose to eat. We then eat together and it was a pleasant lunch, with two wonderful persons.

We only left KLCC at 10pm, after almost 5 hours, for my friend want to wait for the girlfriend, so we can go back together.

I wasn't that sad to go home initially. Only after hours in KLCC with two wonderful persons, then the atmosphere changed. I was embraced by deep sorrowfulness.

One of them is my friend. We usually met during the working hours as lifeguard at IIUM swimming pool. The other one is his girlfriend,whom i met only once, but i feel like i knew her already because of the excitement of my friend telling me their joyful stories together.

Some troubles had befallen upon me early this year. The days were gloomy and nothing cheered my up. During those time, this very friend of mine listened to my sad stories and in exchange, he told me his joyful stories. The story cheered me up and it helped a lot in healing my deep wound. I am happy for my friend, as he doesn't share the same unfortunate fate of mine.

After months of hearing stories, finally on 19th April i met his girl. Indeed, she is just like how my friend described. Only God knew how happy i was seeing them together.

Only then i found leaving UIA to be a tragedy. Leaving my room, leaving my mahallah-where i stayed for 5 years, leaving AIKOL-my studying and teaching place, leaving swimming pool-my soul, leaving my friends and the most hurting, leaving two wonderful persons-whom i spent my last day with.

Apocrypha said "A faithful friend is the medicine of life" and Homer once said "A sympathetic friend can be quite as dear as a brother." I find these two statements to be so true. It is also said "We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that  we're not alone."

I believe that I'm blessed to know this person who is willing to share his joyful stories with me. I'm then honoured to meet the girl i always heard of, before my own eyes.

I thank God and I'm so grateful, for His compassion and benevolence, letting me know these two wonderful personalities. I pray may Allah bless both of them always, vest upon them love, happiness and joyfulness. May they always be together.

My friends,I promise that the memories will never perished as I will always cherish it

Thank You Nickos, Thank You Nisa. Thank You my friends.

 

Let Justice Be Done, Though The Heavens Should Fall (Fiat Justitia, Ruat Coelum)

 

Let Justice Be Done, Though The Heavens Should Fall (Fiat Justitia, Ruat Coelum)

The above Latin maxim is often quoted to stress the importance of having justice to be done, as “fiat justitia” means “let justice be done” and it further complimented with “ruat coelum” which means “though the heaven should fall” which is to show the importance of justice to be done disregard of what ever consequence that might await later.

The story behind the maxim is far more interesting, as Lord Denning told us in his book “The Family Story”.

The story goes as someone named PISO passed a death sentence on a soldier for the offence of murdering a person named GAIUS. He ordered a CENTURION (Rome army officer) to execute the guilty found soldier. When the soldier was about to be executed, GAIUS came forward himself and he happened to be alive and well. The CENTURION reported the news to PISO.

PISO instead of discharging the innocent soldier, passed death sentence unto GAIUS and the CENTURION, while maintaining the death sentence on the soldier.

The reason of sentencing the all three to death is because the soldier had already been sentenced, the CENTURION is because he disobeyed the initial order and GAIUS for being the cause of death of two innocent men. PISO then gave excuse “Fiat Justitia, Ruat Coelum-let justice be done, though the heaven shall fall”.

It can be seen that the maxim was originally used as an excuse for a grave injustice and outrages case that had taken place, yet it is often be quoted when people want to emphasis the grave need of having justice to be done.

The above maxim has been quoted by our court in several cases, namely in Merdeka University Berhad v Government of Malaysia [1981] 2 MLJ 356, State Of Kelantan v The Government Of The Federation Of Malaya [1963] MLJ 355 and Asia Pacific Parcel Tankers v The Owners of the Ship 'Normar Splendour' [1999] 6 MLJ 652.

Datuk Seri Samy Vellu A/L Sangalimuthu

Datuk Seri Samy Vellu is a veteran in Malaysia political arena. He is undisputed Minister. He always defends himself all out, transferring liabilities to others, even to God.

He once replied to criticism made by Datuk M Kayveas by saying "Who is him to criticize me? He is not even a minister." and indeed, Kayveas is only a deputy minister.

He once said "Mereka kata saya kafir, saya mana ada kafir.."

When Datuk Shahrir Samad, PAC Chairman made adverse comments againts Samy's ministry, he replied "Let Shahrir do it, he is a big man, he can do anything."

He once said "Keadilan can go to hell!." and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Keadilan Advisor replied "Samy Vellu himself is hell, where else to go?"

The most outstanding comment made by him is when he was asked about one of the landslide case that took place, where he replied "Ini terjadi bukan Samy Vellu punya kuasa, Tuhan punya kuasa." Not even God can escape the blaming of Datuk Seri Samy Vellu.

I recall the reign of ancient Chinese Emperors, where an emperor will be overthrown once the country is doomed with natural disaster, as it is believed to connote the wrath of "The Heaven".

Nevertheless, Datuk Seri Samy doesnt share the same fate.Despite of the land slide, water burst at the Putrajaya buildings and the latest (at the time this article is written) the crack of the wall of justice (court house of Jalan Duta) and the roof of justice falls down (Magistrate Court No 4 of Kompleks Mahkamah Jalan Duta), Datuk Seri Samy Vellu still at his seat as Work Minister.

According to Wikipedia, He is the second longest serving minister in the country after Dato' Seri Rafidah Aziz.

Maybe its time for Datuk Seri Samy Vellu to follow the footstep of the former Prime Minister. I recall the remarks made by Raja Azlan Shah (as His Majesty then was) in the case of Pengarah Tanah dan Galian, Wilayah Persekutuan v Sri Lempah Enterprise Sdn Bhd. [1979] "Every legal power must have legal limits, otherwise there is dictatorship"...

Mahkamah Syariah & Civil Court

Exordium

One couple went to seek justice as to who should have the custody of their child, the husband is a Muslim and the wife is a non muslim. The question is which court they should go?

a) Civil court

b)Syariah court

the answer seems to be = none of the above.

Article 121(1A) of Federal Constitution prohibits High Courts from interfering the matters which fall under the jurisdiction of Syariah Court. Whereas Syariah Court can only try those who are Muslim.

The husband would argue that the case of custody of a Muslim child is Syariah Court matter,whereas the wife cannot initiate an action in Syariah Court as she is not a Muslim, as Syariah court only tries Muslim parties.

Solution??

In my humble opinion, the only way this problem can be solved is to give Syariah Court the same status as the 2 High Courts. It means that Syariah court should be merged with the civil court and it shall become part of the civil court. With that, should an alien who is Muslim from Mars comes to Malaysia with his Non Muslim spouse,and they want to dissolve their marriage, no jurisdictional problem would arise.

How to do this? Our Art 121 reads "they shall be 2 High Courts of co-ordinate jurisdiction, namely High Court of Malaya and High Court of Sabah & Sarawak. The problem is simply solve by changing it to "there shall be 3 High Courts of co-ordinate jurisdiction, namely High Court of Malaya, High Court of Sabah & Sarawak and Syariah High Court..."

Problem?

Religion of Islam is a state matter, which means each and every state in the Federation of Malaysia governs Islamic law in the way they like.To merge the Syariah Court jurisdiction with the Civil court would require consent of Sultans as they are the Head of Islam in their respective States. Would they consent to give up their power to the Federal Government...?

Kisah Cinta Bilal Bin Rabah. [reproduction of Khalid's buletin]

Suatu malam, jauh sepeninggal Rasulullah, Bilal bin Rabbah, salah seorang sahabat utama, bermimpi dalam tidurnya.Dalam mimpinya itu, Bilal bertemu dengan Rasulullah. "Bilal, sudah lama kita berpisah, aku rindu sekali kepadamu," demikian Rasulullah berkata dalam mimpi Bilal."Ya, Rasulullah, aku pun sudah teramat rindu ingin bertemu," kata Bilal masih dalam mimpi-Nya. Setelah itu, mimpi tersebut berakhir begitu saja. Dan Bilal bangun dari tidurnya dengan hati yang gulana. Ia dirundung rindu.

Keesokan harinya, ia menceritakan mimpi tersebut pada salah seorang sahabat lainnya. Seperti udara, kisah mimpi Bilal segera memenuhi ruangan kosong di hampir seluruh penjuru Madinah. Hari itu, Madinah benar-benar terbungkus rasa haru. Kenangan semasa Rasulullah masih bersama mereka kembali hadir, seakan baru kelmarin saja Rasulullah tiada. Satu persatu dari mereka sibuk sendiri dengan kenangannya bersama manusia mulia itu.

Menjelang senja, penduduk Madinah seolah bersepakat meminta Bilal mengumandangkan adzan Maghrib, padahal Bilal sudah cukup lama tidak menjadi muadzin sejak Rasulullah tiada. Seolah, penduduk Madinah ingin menggenapkan kenangannya hari itu dengan mendengar adzan yang dikumandangkan Bilal. Akhirnya, setelah diminta dengan sedikit memaksa, Bilal pun menerima dan bersedia menjadi muadzin kali itu.

Senjapun datang mengantar malam, dan Bilal mengumandangkan adzan. Tatkala, suara Bilal terdengar, seketika, Madinah seolah tersekat oleh berjuta memori. Tak terasa hampir semua penduduk Madinah menitiskan air mata. "Marhaban ya Rasulullah," bisik salah seorang dari mereka.

Sebenarnya, ada sebuah kisah yang membuat Bilal menolak untuk mengumandangkan adzan setelah Rasulullah wafat. Waktu itu, beberapa saat setelah malaikat maut menjemput kekasih Allah, Muhammad, Bilal mengumandangkan adzan. Jenazah Rasulullah, belum dimakamkan. Satu persatu kalimat adzan dikumandangkan sampai pada kalimat, "Asyhadu anna Muhammadarrasulullah." Tangis penduduk Madinah yang mengantar jenazah Rasulullah pecah. Seperti suara petir yang hendak membelah langit Madinah.

Kemudian setelah, Rasulullah telah dimakamkan, Abu Bakar meminta Bilal untuk adzan. "Adzanlah wahai Bilal," perintah Abu Bakar. Dan Bilal menjawab perintah itu, "Jika engkau dulu membebaskan demi kepentinganmu, maka aku akan mengumandangkan adzan. Tapi jika demi Allah kau dulu membebaskan aku, maka biarkan aku menentukan pilihanku". "Hanya demi Allah aku membebaskanmu Bilal," kata Abu Bakar. "Maka biarkan aku memilih pilihanku," pinta Bilal. "Sungguh, aku tak ingin adzan untuk seorang pun sepeninggal Rasulullah," lanjut Bilal. "Kalau demikian, terserah apa kehendakmu," jawab Abu Bakar.

Bilal bin Rabah, terakhir melaksanakan tugasnya sebagai muadzin saat Umar bin Khattab menjabat sebagai khalifah. Saat itu, Bilal sudah bermukim di Syiria dan Umar mengunjunginya. Saat itu, waktu shalat telah tiba dan Umar meminta Bilal untuk mengumandangkan adzan sebagai tanda panggilan shalat.

Bilal pun naik ke atas menara dan bergemalah suaranya. Semua sahabat Rasulullah, yang ada di situ menangis tak terkecuali. Dan di antara mereka, tangis yang paling kencang dan keras adalah tangis Umar bin Khattab. Dan itu, menjadi adzan terakhir yang dikumandangan Bilal, hatinya tak kuasa menahan kenangan manis bersama manusia tercinta, nabi akhir zaman. Sama2 kite merenung sejauh mane kecintaan kite kpd Rasulullah S.A.W.

*This is a reproduction of a bulletin posted by my learned friend Khalid. I find it very interesting and it should not be wasted as it will be replaced by new bulletins and I hope it will be well read by my fellow Muslim Brother and Sister and also by others

Hijrah Remaja Di Astro Ria: Where is the destination of their Hijrah?

    The holy Prophet once said "Allah will not take away his knowledge directly from mankind, but He will make it by the death of Ulama. Until there is no alim. Then people will choose ignorant leaders among themselves, and when he is asked, he answer without any knowledge (on the matter) and He is astray and causes people to go astray"

    I watched Hijrah Remaja on Astro Ria, a discussion was made on Solat Tarawih : 8 or 20? Among the panelists, whom I know one of them, my former classmate in Qawaid Fiqhiyyah class by Prof Razali Nawawi.

    The discussion went to scrutinizing the legality of 20 rakaat of Solat Tarawih. The issue here is whether the panelists are the right person to discuss this. Except for the one they call ustaz, I beg to differ from the assumption that others are qualified. They cited mafhum of various hadiths, stating that the Prophet only perfomed 8 rakaat of Tarawih. I still can go with that. But another guy, played the role which seems to belong to the Muktazilah, by saying "We look this matter from logical side, after 8 rakaat we will no longer able to listen carefully the verses cited by the imam." Now logic plays its role in determining matters of ta'abbudiyyah.

    First of all, Im not to deny the legality of the hadith. I accept it by it is and it binds me. However, when discussing a hukm, we ought to refer to 4 main sources, Al-Quran, As-Sunnah, Ijmak and Qiyas. The 20 rakaat of prayer was initiated by Umar Al-Khattab R.A, and it was not reported that any of sahabat r.a opposed it. It then became IJMAK, as it was agreed to by all muslim at that very time. Furthermore, the ijmak of Sahabah can be considered as the best Ijmak, as they lived and were nurtured under the hand of the Holy Prophet himself. Besides that, no hadith prohibits such practice. This is the legacy of Sahabah, and was affirmed by thousands of Ulama, rahimahumullah.

    The odd took place as several panelists (ulama?) criticising this practice. Who on earth are they? To my former classmate, I believe you didnt ever fulfill 80% requirement of the attendance for Prof Razali class and I believe u didnt even pass the subject. For logic guy, why dont you pray 1 rakaat for Tarawih, as it is more easy to be done and you will be able digest better the verses cited by the imam.

    After all, look back to ourselves. The ability is not given, but must be earned. I once wrote about increadible kid name ASLAM, who amazed me that he can stand for 20 rakaat tarawih, where every rakaat consists of one page from the holy Quran. Even this kid could do it. We are used to the easy, but dare not to go with the hard. Allah mentioned in the holy Quran "And seek help with patience and Solat, and indeed that (solat) is hard except to those who khusyuk."(al-Baqarah)

    Hijrah remaja for me is good, as long as it does not discuss topics which do not suit their age, such as the legality of 20 rakaat of tarawih, divorce and other nonsense thing. A lot more can be discussed, such as how to pass exam with flying colors or how to kick mat rempits asses.

What I call Salafi

They called themselves Salafi. They practiced what they find that in compliant with the practice of the Prophet and if it is otherwise, they called it bidah and keep themselves away.

 

 

This is for sure good, to do what they feel in line with the tradition of the Prophet and to abstain from what is not. The Prophet said “And every new invention is bidah, and every bidah is astray and every astray is in the hellfire”. This very verse is the core of their belief, to abstain themselves from what is new in religion.

 

 

Bidah is not a hukum. There are five hukum, consist of wajib, mandub (sunat), mubah (permissible), makruh (abominable) and haram. Some added Sah and Batil to make it seven in number.

 

 

Bidah is defined as new thing. Every new thing must be measured, whether it is inline with shariah or against the shariah. An-Nawawi classified bidah into Bidah Hasanah (good bidah) and Bidah Qabihah (bad bidah). Every new thing which is incompliance with shariah is bidah hasanah, whereas if it is against the spirit and the principles of shariah, then it is bidah qabihah.

 

 

What are examples of bidah hasanah? As-Syafie as an example opined that to utter the niat before takbir is sunat, and this was never been practiced by the Prophet. Other examples are, to recite talqin to the dead, to learn and explain the attributes of Allah, to compile the Quran, to do zikir after prayer in jamaah etc.

 

 

The notion that Bidah is classified into bidah hasanah and bidah qabihah is supported by numbers of ulama, even thousands of them. The most outstanding are An-Nawawi, Syeikh Izzuddin Abd Salam (president of ulama during 6^th century), Ibn Qudamah and the writer of kitab Fathul Bari Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani. These are undisputed outstanding jurists of all time.

 

 

Salafi on the other hand, regards all bidah as the same, whether it is good or not, based on the abovementioned hadith. It’s their right to have such view and their view is much respected by others. However, the tolerance goes one way, as they attack and curse those who do not share the same view as them. They call people who utter the niat when praying as doing bidah, they curse Syafie for some of his views. They go and divide people, as can be seen in Malaysia nowadays. I have legal authorities from Quran and sunnah which support the legality of those things which are called bidah by Salafi, but to state it here consumes lots of time and will be an opening for a further attack by Salafi.

 

 

In Islam, we are allowed to differ and we should respect other who do not share the same idea as us, as long as the differences have its root in Shariah. I recalled the act of As-Syafie who adored his very teacher, Imam Malik, when he went to Egypt and found that people there are fanatic with Malik. As-Syafie adored Imam Malik very much, as he used to say “I use this Muwatta of Imam Malik as hujjah between me and my Lord”. However, when he found people were doing things which should not be done in praising Malik, he then wrote a book “Critics to Malik”, to ind