Voltaire's B*st*rds: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West by John Ralston Saul. A Review.

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

I pray that everyone is safe 🙌. I recently discovered that emojis can be inserted in blog posts! These are only some discoveries that I made during this global pandemic... I pray that everyone is safe and sound. Ameen.

Alhamdulillah (all praise to God), after much brooding, I finally understood the crux of this book. It actually stems from these two schools of thoughts: Socrates's and Plato's.

To put it simply, Socrates believes in the societal well being through the establishment of an ethical system that is built upon human reason [1]. To arrive at that ethical system, Socrates would questioned and challenged people what true ethics actually is. When the assumption of ethics that people held are challenged, Socrates had instilled doubt; to which this book claims the Westerners' lack. This lack of doubt and attention towards the societal well being are the main causes for the degradation of the Western civilization.

On the other hand, the philosophy expounded by Plato attempts to answer what true ethics, or basically the truth of everything, is. According to Plato, everything has an ideal or form in another world that is unchanging. This is termed as the Theory of Forms [2][3]. Since there indeed exists a form or a true answer to the questions raised by Socrates in his dialogues with the people, little doubt is left. So, people just need to think critically, and use all the five senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch), what is the closest ideal version or the closest form of something in this world is. Using the five senses also means taking reality (of this world) into account. As such, this book argues that the West is obsessed with finding the forms of this world through efficiency and professional methodology (employment of technocrats); and views reflection (arising from doubt) as inefficient and the well being of society as secondary (I will argue later why despite thought and the use of five senses, well being of society is not primary). As such, the opening of this book argues that Plato's philosophy has put less emphasize on humanism that his mentor, Socrates, has preached. I, however, humbly disagrees.

Plato did say to take into account reality. The reality is that majority of Westerners value individual freedom more than societal well being. In other words, the West views individual freedom as the form of ethics, and that translates as the reality of this world. Thus it is not that Plato's philosophy is wrong, but it is the people's thought process and the use of five senses that had led to the assumption that individual freedom is the form of ethics. This belief is so ingrained in Westerners so much so that there is no doubt about it. Yes, despite this issue, the conclusion to the problem is still lack of doubt, similar to what Saul (2013) have said in this book. Yet again, I will also show one crucial point from the philosophy of Plato that the book did not highlight.

Saul (2013) had given countless real life examples where efficiency and professional methodology fails to solve a particular problem. He asserts that the current system that we have, politics, education, finance, economy, basically almost everything, are in shambles. The author pinpointed the source of the structural problems to the lack of humanism; where its foundation was built excessively on the Theory of Forms, the discouragement of doubt to permeate, and the inconsequential of societal well-being .

I feel that I need to tackle one particular system or two, in particular education, in particular social science, in particular finance and economics. These are two fields of study that I am familiar with. But this requires, God willing, another blog post for it will be quite lengthy.

Remember before I said that Saul (2013) had missed one important point about Plato's philosophy? That point is the form exists in another world that is unchanging and constant. So frankly, there is no perfect solution for this world. That world i.e. another world that Plato expounded, as to my belief, should be the afterlife. Plato himself was not able to arrive at that conclusion because his philosophical thinking, even Socrates's, does not take religion into consideration. They did not acknowledge, or was not able to arrive at the deduction, that there exists a Supreme Being that is All Knowledgeable.

By extension, try reflecting on this phrase:

Like most religions, reason presents itself as the solution to the problems it has created.

Saul (2013) had written this phrase in the opening vignette in Part I Argument of his book. Reading this statement in passing, one would think that the author views religion in askance for religion is the one who had created these problems in the first place and without shame, claims that it has the solutions.

Yet, notice that Saul (2013) said most religions. Meaning, one can also interpret that the author believes that there exists few religions that can provide answers to mitigate problems that these few religions did not create. Or perhaps Saul (2013) is simply being neutral? I would like to assume that he is in the former category.

In my humble opinion, we should combine doubt, the theory of forms, and religion (or ideas that you can get from it) to arrive at a solution that balances between societal well being and individual well being. When problems of each unit of society (individual/family) is addressed, consequently, the problems of society as a whole will be addressed too. In addition, one cannot be complacent but must constantly evaluate from time to time (stemming from the virtue of doubt), whether the solution presented before, is still practical for the present and future. It is worth emphasizing that ideas from religion is quintessential as human has limit to his/her thinking capacity. Thus, it is only reasonable to deduce that there exists a Supreme Being that is All Knowledgeable, constant, unchanging, and never dies. Plato indirectly said so in his theory of forms.

Before I end this post, I would like to address the other crucial point that the book did not highlight, or probably even consider. Our thought process should be guided by our heart. Sounds corny, I know. But ponder on this example:
You have only $10 and you come across a homeless mother with a child crying out of hunger. Nearby, there's a food stall that sells food for exactly $10. You are hungry yourself. But if your thought process is guided by your heart, there is a very high possibility that you will buy the food for the child instead of you eating it yourself.
Thus in religion, one's thought process is guided by the heart or "eye of the soul" where in Malay we termed it as "matahati". Perhaps, the deduction that individual freedom is the form of ethics comes from the disregarding of matahati.

It is important to be mentioned here that our matahati needs to be guided too. And that guidance can only come from the All Knowledgeable.

Main source: 
Saul, J. R. (2013). Voltaire's B*st*rds: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.

Di Tepi Sungai Dajlah: Kembara ke Kota Baghdad, Iraq by HAMKA

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

On rare occasion, I would accidentally come across a book that is simultaneously unputdownable, on-point, well mannered in its words, and coincides with current world event. This is that book translated in English; On the Banks of Dajlah River: Travel to the City of Baghdad, Iraq.

Di Tepi Sungai Dajlah narrates HAMKA's travelings in Iraq with a backdrop of the region's history. Due to the fact that I had visited Iran last year, the never ending Sunni-Shiite quandary, and the assassination of Iranian General Suleimani, I immediately felt an affinity to this book.

For this post, allow me to concisely discuss the lessons that we can derive from the Sunni-Shiite quandary within the context of this book.

Let me first state one thing (lest I'll be judge in the social media tribunal), that I am a Sunni and disagrees with the Shiite doctrine. Yet, I feel the pure hatred that half, if not majority of Malaysian Sunnis, have on Shiite has caused a dangerous rift between Muslims. I am well aware that there are fatwas saying that Shiite are not Muslims, but I will reserve my comments on this matter. Instead, let me turn your attention to HAMKA's narration in pages 75 to 78 [1] (brief explanation in English is provided after):

Maka bilamana kami telah masuk ke dalam perkarangan makam Abbas itu, mulailah mutawwif kami mengajarkann bacaan-bacaan. Mula sekali mengucapkan salam pada Rasulullah, sesudah itu kepada Ali bin Abi Talib, sesudah itu kepada Hasan dan Husain, barulah langsung kepada Abbas ini. Bermacam-macam pujian diberikan kepadanya, dan kami turutkan. Kemudian mulailah bacaan berisi politik itu, iaitu mengutuk kepada orang yang membunuhnya dan mengutuk kepada orang yang menyuruh bunuh! Tentu saja Yazid!

Oleh kami adalah kaum Sunni, dan pasal kutuk mengutuk itu tidak ada dalam ajaran kepercayaan kami, maka di waktu bacaan sampai di sana, kami berdiam diri. Diulang oleh mutawwif kami itu sampai dua kali, kami tidak mahu menurutkan...mutawwif kami kelihatan agak kurang gembiranya...

Lalu di tengah jalan saya suruh mutawwif itu mendekat dan saya berkata: "Kami ini bangsa Indonesia, mazhab kami ialah Sunni, Syafie. Tetapi kami bukanlah membenci zuriat Rasul (keturunan Rasul). Kami ziarah kemari dari tempat yang jauh karena kami pun cinta kepada Husain... Sebab itu tuntunlah kami, tunjukkan kepada kami tempat-tempat yang penting, tempat berziarah. Cuma satu permintaan kami, janganlah dibawakan lafaz-lafaz yang mengutuk kepada orang yang telah mati". 

"Maafkan saya! Maafkan saya!" Jawabnya...

"Dahulu Imam Syafie difitnahkan orang di hadapan Raja Harun al-Rashid, dikatakan pembela Syi'ah, sehingga nyaris berbahaya bagi jiwanya" kataku pula. 

"Oh Tuan orang alim. Tuan banyak pengetahuan. Maafkan saya!"

Saya jawab pula: "Alim benar pun tidak, cuma tahu sedikit-sedikit saya kenal nama Ulama Syi'ah yang terbesar di zaman ini. Syed Al-Mujtahid Al-Akbar Syeikh Al Kasyif Ghita".   

"Oh , Tuan kenal nama beliau? Wahai, itu adalah ulama besar kami, pimpinan besar kami. Tuan kenal namanya?"

"Selama orang Islam membaca bahasa Arab, tentu akan kenal buah fikiran beliau. Kenal cita-cita beliau yang luas dan faham beliau yang mendalam". 

Brief English explanation:

When HAMKA and his companion was in the tomb of Abbas, the mutawwif (guide) ask them to praise Muhammad the Prophet (may peace be upon him), then Ali, then Hasan, Husain, and finally Abbas. They did so. But when the mutawwif went into politics and ask them to curse/condemn the killer and the plotter i.e. Yazid, they refused to do so and just kept quiet. The mutawwif was not happy.

HAMKA then explains that they are Sunnis and Sunnis are not supposed to curse. Yet, they do love the lineage of the Prophet. The founder of the Syafie madhab, Imam Syafie himself was slandered in front of a king saying that he's the defender of Shiite. HAMKA proceeded in stating that he also appreciates the thoughts of one of the Shiite's ulama namely Syed Al-Mujtahid Al-Akbar Syeikh Al Kasyif Ghita.  

It is a known fact that Shiite originated from a political disagreement; the reason why I ardently believe the mutawwif had asked HAMKA and his companion to curse/condemn Yazid. Interested readers may read this book to know the exact account of this historic event.

To return back to our main purpose, we can certainly derive two important lessons from HAMKA's narration in pages 75 to 78:
(1) Politics combined with any supremacist ideology can lead to a treacherous schism
(2) Yet, a bridge can be built over the schism by speaking the truth kindly and wisely

Certainly, in this dark age where people defined freedom of expression as freedom to express crudely, it is refreshing to read how HAMKA stood firm on his faith and politely disagreed. At the same time, he had also been respectful and sought common ground to further diffuse the tension. Nowadays, this courteous manner is almost an art form. I give this book 5 stars.

[1] HAMKA. (2018). Di Tepi Sungai Dajlah: Kembara ke Kota Baghdad, Iraq. Kajang: Jejak Tarbiah Publication.

Japan: A Land Steep with Reminders - Part II

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

It is a joy of its own to recount back the days I had in Japan. I love being able to write during the shinkansen (bullet train) and train rides in between gazing through the window. Hence this post is a continuation of Japan: A Land Steep with Reminders - Part I which has long overdue. I really need to stop promising you readers regarding the date of my next post. I am absolutely ashamed of myself.

Day 4 - The Illusion of Death
We were at the grounds of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, sparring some time for rest and prayers. There were a number of crows which reminded us of Uchiha Itachi. We wondered why the crows are there. It's not like the place was dirty. Given that Uchiha Itachi liked to disguise himself as a crow, I bet that crows are closely related to Japanese culture.

My brother praying at the grounds of the Kyoto Imperial Palace. That white plastic bag is not litter but his.

After praying, we took a stroll on the grounds and came upon a tree on top of which the Sakura flower was blooming in magnificent pink. From what we gathered from our stroll, this is one of the few Sakura blooms on the castle grounds. The rest were still dead or appear dead. Kindly note that we went to Japan during early spring.

Sakura blooming on the castle grounds

The Sakura flowers that appear dead, or basically any forms of fauna, are similar to us humans and our lives. With our limited knowledge and foresight, we reached to a conclusion that certain people and situation will forever remain gloom; that their hearts are dead and there is not even a glimmer of hope. We simply couldn't see that a drug addict could be clean one day, that a dyslexia child will fulfill his or her dreams, or that a country will eventually see peace. Even worse, we might view ourselves as a hopeless case.

But we always take for granted the fact that the appearance of Sakura obeys the seasons in accordance to ALLAH's will. The same goes with humans and situations that we view as dark and hopeless; they will change according to ALLAH's will. We always assume that the key reason for people to change is advice from us. Wrong! The key reason is because ALLAH wills it. Our efforts and that person's (the one who should change) effort are secondary reasons.

Surah Al-Anfal [8] verse 24

In the case of hopelessness within ourselves, we should always be reminded how the flower although dead in winter, was able to reborn during spring. People all over the world would flood to Japan just to admire the beauty of Sakura when it blooms. Japanese even hold picnics to admire them. These teach us that mistakes we made and the hardships we go through make us a better and mature person; a more beautiful person up to the point where we will touch people's lives. Thus we should make tawbah (repentance) every time we commit sin and shake of the slithering whispers that say we couldn't be better. On top of that, we should also hold on, be patient, and persevere when the world seems dark.

Surah Ash-Sharh [94] verses 5 - 6

Surah Al-Baqarah [2] verse 257

Day 5 - Tawakkul (trust in ALLAH's plan) and the Fleeting Life
We were at the brink of panic. We need to reach the airport by 9.30am but according to Google Maps, the earliest JR Haruko shinkasen is at 8.48am. That is too late for us! Ditching Google Maps, I remembered that I read earlier before our Japan trip that we can also catch a JR Haruko train at Kyoto Station. Being a central hub and the fact that Japanese take their public transport and time seriously, there must be one train that should give us enough time to reach the airport by 9.30am. I trusted my intention (which was inspired by ALLAH) and put my complete trust in ALLAH. It turns out that I was correct.

In the shinkansen, I didn't write much. Instead, I soaked in the views, cherishing the last moments of my stay in Japan. 5 days went by so fast. But we knew that we had made the most out of the five days. It makes one wonder whether one have made the most of one's time here in this world? Did I actually do something with my life? Will my Maker be happy with me when my time is up?

Surah Al-Mu'minun [23] verse 115

Japan: A Land Steep with Reminders - Part I

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

I went to Japan on March 10th to March 14th. For years I've been longing to travel to Japan so it was a do'a (prayer) came true. My brother and I visited Kobe, Tokyo, Hikone, Konan, and Kyoto in those five days.

However, I'm not narrating my journey in this post, at least not a physical one. This blog as you know, is not travel themed. But it was built to inspire others through my writing, and to that I stay true. This post is filled with advises and reminders. 
    

Day 1 - The Art of Alhamdulillah, Striving, and Patience
I was blown away on day 1, I couldn't quite believed that I'm in Japan! After acquiring our Japan Railway Pass at the airport, we find our way to Kobe Mosque, the oldest and most historic mosque in Japan. It had survived two major catastrophes; the World War II bombing and the 1995 earthquake, reportedly to be one of the worst earthquake in Japan.

Me in front of Kobe Mosque

I stepped out of Motomachi station confidently. With the pocket wifi, power bank, and my phone's GPS, we were confident that we won't get lost. It's only a 10 minute walk from Motomachi Station. What can possibly go wrong?

Well the GPS on my phone went wrong. It couldn't lock our location so it couldn't guide us to Kobe Mosque. We tried to find any nearby streets or buildings that were near to us and erected along the route to Kobe Mosque but to no avail. We then switched to my brother's brand new iPhone but he wasn't able to find the GPS function! It was really frustrating that our journey began in such a state of well, frustration!

We wandered aimlessly for half an hour. Our stomachs began to rumble and the cold was barely bearable. We haven't had lunch. We had planned to eat at Naan Inn before praying, a halal Indian restaurant just few steps away from the mosque. All in all we were stymied. I remembered that my head had played The Shallows, a movie full of frustration and suspense throughout where Blake Lively tries to reach for the beach just 183 meters away with a giant white shark in between.  

Despite all that, we had to remain calm and composed. I reminded myself of how much I wanted to be here. It's literally a dream come true to travel to Japan. So I kept thanking and praising ALLAH (the attitude of alhamdulillah) for giving me the chance to come here. Finally, after 45 minutes, my brother noticed a place that is near to Kobe Mosque. So we took the street and lo and behold, Naan Inn was at the right of us. Without further ado, we went inside and ate.

The interior of Kobe Mosque. Quite similar to the mosques in Turkey
since Islam came to Japan through the Ottoman Empire

After eating and praying, we walked back to Motomachi Station and head to Tokyo. In the shinkansen (Japan's bullet train), I wrote down my thoughts of this day. I had been reminded that despite any impediments in life, we must always be thankful to ALLAH, and remain patient and positive. This is because ALLAH will never let our effort go to waste. If not here, we will surely gain something in the akhirah (afterlife).   

Surah Hud (chapter 11) verse 115

Day 2 - The Mirage of Absolute Power
Although I live in one, I never quite like a bustling city life. Thus in my notebook, I didn't write down anything at the end of my day in Tokyo. I feel like there's nothing to write. There's only the typical stuff like eating and shopping. But as I walk down my memory lane of Tokyo, one stuck out: the Meiji shrine.

At the Meiji Shrine

  
The Meiji shrine was significant to me for one reason, the anime Samurai X. Any anime fans, excluding the hentai (basically porn) genre, would agree that Samurai X is one of a kind, definitely on par with Naruto. These two animes had long ignited the interest in Japanese culture and history within me. Samurai X tells the story of an assassin, Himura Kenshin, who had brought the Meiji era and ended the shogunate ruling system. After that, he abandoned his sword in exchange for a sakabato (a blunt sword), a symbol of his resolution to stop killing.

The shogunate ruling system was in place for more than six centuries before its downfall. For a ruling system that can last this long, no one could predict its demise. This piece of history reminds me that absolute power is unreal; it only exist with ALLAH. Humans are only granted limited power for a certain period. Hence we should not fear any corrupted person, whether (s)he is a leader, a bully, a criminal, a hypocrite, and similar others.

Surah Ar-Rum (chapter 30) verse 8

Day 3 - Diam - Diam Ubi Berisi
Diam-diam ubi berisi is a Malay proverb. It mostly refers to a quiet person or thing that hold something of substance inside. This proverb describes the village of Konan in Koka City beautifully. The streets were deserted and only a few people crossed our path. Although the village is a spitting image of a ghost town, in it lies a unique gem.

The street in Konan

  
Konan possesses the only remaining authentic ninja house in all of Japan, the Koka Ninja House. Once belonged to the Head of Koka ninja clan, the place was full of ninja traps, weapons, and scrolls containing ninja techniques. We even pretended to be ninjas and threw shurikens.

Inside the Koka Ninja House. Be weary that the tour is in Japanese.

On this day, I was reminded to not look down upon others and assume that I'm better than anybody. That person might have a "treasure" that I do not have. That person might be more wise than I am. Thus I should be more humbled, positive, and open minded.

Surah Qalam (chapter 68) verse 7

To be continued...

A Horror Story

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

From my observation, there are two types of movies that Malaysians like to watch: horror and romantic. I myself loved to watch horror films when I was young. I dared myself to watch the most scary films and trained myself to be calm (I looked calm but inside I was terrified!) during the gripping suspense before the devil shows its face. I also love the ghost stories that my aunt used to tell me when I was small and to read the Malay magazine "Mastika" that had its fair share of people succumbed by black magic.

That was me when I was in primary and a few years into secondary school. But as I get a bit older, I realize that horror movies turned me into someone I was horrified of.

Credit to Comfreak

 
1. I feared and focused on the wrong things
For one, I became afraid to sleep at my grandparents' house when I was little just because the house looks quite shabby inside. It's pathetic of me not to spend more time with my grandmother (although I was always at her house after school, gobbling down my grandmother's delicious cookings). Now that the house has been renovated into a common city home, I really miss the historic-Malay-village-house facade; especially during Eid ul Fitri. It's true, "you only know a good thing till it's gone" (Kris Allen).

The worst part of it is, I learned and memorized certain chapters and verses of the Quran for the sole purpose of guarding myself from evil spirits. Why? Because I see religious people in movies recite the Quran to get rid of evil spirits! God, I am so sorry for being so shallow and narrow minded before!

Thanks to ALLAH, I come to embrace and understand that the Quran is more than that; it's a book that provokes human to think, it's a book that calms the heart, it's a book that brings glad tidings, and much much more. Bringing the point home, the Quran's purpose is much larger than getting rid of evil spirits.

2. I feared the evil supernatural entity more than I feared God
When I was in secondary school, I really love to go camping in the woods. I was a girl scout, you see. Whenever we set up tents, we were told (I won't give names) that we should ask permission from the spirits that live in the woods. We were told to behave.

I obeyed. Besides, that's what people in the movies do too. But wait, didn't ALLAH say in the Quran:

"HIS is the dominion of the heavens and earth. HE gives life and causes death, and HE is over all things competent". (Surah Al-Hadid: 2)

Yes, the woods belong to God so we should have asked permission from God. I should fear God, not the spirits! Plus do you know what kind of mentality that these movies taught me? That I need to behave only in the woods while elsewhere I can do whatever I want even if it's wrong. Stupid movies. Such a silly girl, I was.

3. I didn't gave much attention to good supernatural entity 
As a Muslim, it is mandatory to believe in the Six Pillars of Iman and the second pillar is to believe in the angels. I didn't realise that angels were also supernatural entities. I mean, I did believe in the angels when I was small (still do), but I didn't acquire more knowledge about them which I was supposed to! Why? Because I was too embroiled with the knowledge of the djinns (why don't you google that yourself) and how to avoid from being the victim of withcraft ! I still can't fathom why I want to know about the dark rather than the light. Oh I know why...it's because of the horror movies (And to be honest, because Malaysian children were made scared of evil spirits so we would behave)!

For him (each person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the command of Allah...” (Surah Ar-Ra'd: 11) 

It is liberating to get personal with the above verse. It makes you feel privileged to have angels near you. I couldn't believe that I was terrified of the devil's slaves. I am so sorry, my Lord.

4. I was unable to appreciate the beauty of nature
In the Malay lore, there's this evil spirit called pontianak which is sort of like a woman vampire (of course there is no such thing as a pontianak, it is a major sin to believe in the existence of this creature). This creature likes to perch on tree branches to scan its victim; wearing all white, red eyes and long eerie black hair. Because of this, I didn't like to see huge trees at night for fear of meeting eyes with it. Again, this was a major defect I had. Let's read this beautiful verse from the Quran:

Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allah has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use reason. (Surah Al-Baqarah: 164)

It's a shame that I had averted my eyes from the signs of ALLAH. It was a total waste of my time for not using the intellect that ALLAH had bestowed to me...to us.


Were (Are) you a horror movie fan? Have (had) you experience the above horrors?

   

Beautiful Lessons from Beautiful People

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

These past few months had been exceptionally challenging for me. Everything seems to be going downhill and my patience and acceptance of God's will have been tested greatly.

 
A hadith (traditions of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him) that offers much motivation crossed my mind but it was difficult for me to digest its wisdom. This is the hadith:
 

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:

“Look at those who are lower than you (financially) but do not look at those who are higher than you, lest you belittle the favors Allah conferred upon you.” Agreed upon. Source

So ALLAH had helped me grasp this wisdom, and more, through one beautiful and strong woman.

Picture courtesy of pixabay hence not the woman I'm writing about

It was the kind of day where interaction with humans were stressful for me but my phone still made noise. I ignored it. But the same noise came from it; again and again. Reluctantly, I checked my phone and saw several messages from a close friend of mine. She needed to borrow some money so that she and her kids can eat. They hadn't paid their car loans and rents for months as her husband's business is suffering. She was also embroiled in other conflicts that I pray I won't ever have to go through in my existence.

I can't help but feel like a weak idiot; here I am feeling sorry for myself when others, closed others, are facing much bigger and more real problems.

But here comes the dilemma; I am saving for a rainy day. In case I can't finish my PhD studies on time, I can use my own money because my scholarship only cover three years. However, this hadith had resolved my dilemma:

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said:
"Whoever relieves a Muslim of a burden from the burdens of the world, Allah will relieve him of a burden from the burdens on the Day of Judgement. And whoever helps ease a difficulty in the world, Allah will grant him ease from a difficulty in the world and in the Hereafter. And whoever covers (the faults of) a Muslim, Allah will cover (his faults) for him in the world and the Hereafter. And Allah is engaged in helping the worshiper as long as the worshiper is engaged in helping his brother." Source

In other words, if I want to be helped, I need to help others. Who knows, this might just be the sacrifice that I need to do in order for me to finish my PhD on time; or obtain more financially. Hence in the name of ALLAH, and my love for her, I gave her extra than what she initially asked to borrow.

It is my sincere hope that we can help ourselves by being grateful, and simultaneously help others in need. If this woman and the above hadiths do not motivate you enough, then perhaps this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson might just be right for you:

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” 

Tafseer Surah An-Nur Verses 6 to 10 by Nouman Ali Khan (Week 3)

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

Before I start, week 2 tafseer had supposedly covered verse 5. Typical me, loosing focus so easily. But don't be disappointed. Ustaz (teacher) Nouman repeated a bit.


Verse 5

Source: The Nobel Quran

This verse simply states that although a person is fasiq (misguided), ALLAH will still forgive if (s)he repents.

Now moving back to the main topic, verses 6 to 10 touches on the topic of adultery that is done by married couples.

Verses 6 and 7

Source: The Nobel Quran

Verse 6 states that if a husband can't bring forward witnesses of his wife's adultery, then he can swear four times by ALLAH that indeed it happened. After swearing, he must also make an oath saying that ALLAH shall curse him if he lies.

Verses 8 and 9

Source: The Nobel Quran

The same goes to the wife. The wife will not be punish if she swears four times by ALLAH that her husband is lying. Then she must make an oath stating that she will face ALLAH's wrath should her husband tells the truth.

This process describe in verse 6 to 9 is actually call li'an in the laws of Islam.

Verse 10 

Source: The Nobel Quran

Notice that "And if not for the favor of ALLAH upon you and HIS mercy..." is an unfinished sentence. Unfinished sentences almost always happen when we are extremely angry. You know like, 'If you do that again, I'll...ARGH!" Get the feeling? So this phrase actually portrays how ALLAH is extremely furious with a wife that cheats on her husband. But still ALLAH says, "and because ALLAH is Accepting of repentance and Wise". In other words, should the wife repents, ALLAH will still forgive her of this despicable sin.


Before I end this post, I would like you to observe something. Recall from week 2 that after narrating about adultery done by single (wo)men in verse 2 to 3, and after false accusations in verse 4, ALLAH says in verse 5 that HE will forgive should (s)he repents. Same goes in verse 10. ALLAH forgives the wife who cheats on her husband on the condition that she repents. Thus what we can derive here again is that Islam is a religion that is full of mercy; not harshness.

Tafseer Surah An-Nur Verses 2 to 4 by Nouman Ali Khan (Week 2)

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

Alhamdulillah (all praise be to ALLAH and thanks to ALLAH), I was given the opportunity to attend the tafseer (explanation) of certain verses from Surah An-Nur (chapter 24 of the Quran); presented by Nouman Ali Khan. The talk is organised every Saturday in August after Asar prayer until Maghrib prayer (about 5pm to 7.25pm) at the Wilayah Mosque, Kuala Lumpur. So should any of you live nearby, do attend the next sessions.

Back to the topic.

To be honest, the tafseer was until verse 5 (according to my husband) but I didn't jot anything down about it. But despite my obvious lack of focus, I was still able to collect valuable gems from verses 2 to 4.

Verse 2 

Source: The Noble Quran

One glance of this verse would portray that the religion of Islam is cruel and harsh but don't state your verdict yet. Let's first analyse my notes pertaining to the historical, cultural, and linguistic context of this verse.

During the time of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him (pbuh), prostitution was out in the open. A prostitute would put a certain flag on her door signalling to men that should he want zina (sexual intercourse outside of marriage), then he can come to her. Obviously, everyone knows what that flag meant. Thus a public crime such as this deserves a public punishment. On top of that, it is to make certain without doubt that they have indeed being punished

These 100 lashes that should be done in public however, have certain conditions according to fiqh (laws in Islam). Scholars say that it cannot be done in a cold day or hit parts of the body that can cause major injury. The reason behind this is because they are being punish enough.

"...and do not be taken by pity for them in the religion of ALLAH, if you should believe in ALLAH and the Last Day" has dimensions of meaning to it. Firstly, the person who is carrying out this punishment should feel pity towards those who are going to be punished. If he doesn't feel pity, then there's something wrong with his heart. Secondly, the reason he should perform this punishment is because ALLAH commands it; nothing more.

Lastly, there is a very powerful reason behind the statement "...And let a group of believers witness their punishment". Believers should witness the crime because believers would make do'a (prayer) for them. Only believers would ask ALLAH to forgive their sins, only believers would desire good for them, and only believers would feel sad. If non-believers were to watch, they would assume the punishment as a show, they would see it for fun, and ridicule the ones who are being punished.

On a very important side note, take notice that this verse is condemning those who commit zina in public. This verse didn't mention about those done privately. When analyse carefully, this is proof of how Islam is such a rahmah (loving and merciful) that the religion doesn't punish acts of zina that are done in secret. Even if someone had seen and report this act, there are strict conditions for the one who reports (details will be given in verse 4). Islam instead urges the fornicator to do sincere taubah (the act of seeking forgiveness from ALLAH) and to know that ALLAH never punishes a person (even if HE seems to be punishing) after (s)he does taubah.

There is a Hadith (tradition of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh) about a woman who had committed zina and felt such remorse that she asked the Prophet pbuh to punish her. But the Prophet pbuh said that she should just go. She came to the Prophet pbuh a few times and he told her the same thing. Take notice that the Prophet pbuh was reluctant to punish her. Thus this is again another proof of how Islam is a religion full of rahmah. But after that, she told the public that she had committed zina; leaving the Prophet pbuh with no choice but to punish her.

Verse 3

Source: The Noble Quran

This verse is quite a direct one; believers are not to marry a fornicator. In the present context, believing men and women should not marry those who love going to night clubs, who has multiple partners, and the likes. Besides, if we think about it, (wo)men who goes to night clubs etc would choose a husband/wife that's alike. Same goes to believing (wo)men; they would also choose someone alike. But bare in mind that should a fornicator makes sincere taubah, then (s)he can indeed marry a believer.

Here, Nouman Ali Khan had made a small comment on what has pornography done to us. Pornography had turned intimacy that is supposed to be an act of love, an act that brings husband and wife closer to each other like never before, into an act of animals. According to him, 80% of pornographic content are violent. Plus Islam teaches us that intimacy is like clothing for the husband and wife which symbolises protection and love; not pain, and definitely not a thing that can be turned into a profitable industry. 

Verse 4

Source: The Noble Quran

Picking up from the paragraph before last in verse 2, the one who complains must bring forth 4 witnesses that had also saw the fornication happening. On top of that, these witnesses must clearly see that the man's organ went inside the woman's. This of course, is impossible to prove hence shows how Islam is full of rahmah; Islam doesn't want to punish.

If the one who complaint can't produce the above, then (s)he should be punished instead and his/her testimony can never be taken. Ever. Unless if (s)he does sincere taubah.

There are four or five reasons why this said person is punish so harshly and his/her testimony can never be trusted. But I only managed to jot down two because I lost my focus! Sorry for that. Anyway, the two reasons are (1) this sort of person loves to destroy people's dignity and, (2) they love to insinuate. Those who loves to insinuate are clearly fasiq (definitely misguided).


Before I end this post, I would like to present to you a sort of summation from the tafseer of these verses:

1) The reason for hudud is to get rid of the extreme in society, to protect the society, and not to punish
2) The most important thing for a Muslim is iman and it is protected by doing taubah
3) Islam is a religion of rahmah.

God willing, I will post week 3 of Tafseer Surah An-Nur next week.

My Free Upcoming Novelette: Enlightened Writing

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

As was posted before, Letters to God tells of a woman named Sarah who is contemplating suicide. This very fact goes against all her moral fiber since she considers herself religious. However, she feels that the load on her shoulder is wearing her off. She feels that all the prayers that she had offered to God were for nothing.

The near epitome of this dilemma inside her is what I try to narrate in Letters to God. In my attempt to do this, I need to understand various concepts in Islam among others. This simultaneously help me as an author to grow spiritually.
              

1. The Names of ALLAH
Letters to God mostly centers on the Names of Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim and Al-Alim. Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, in crude translation, means the Most Beneficient and the Most Merciful. Meanwhile, Al-Alim means the All Knowing.

In her depression, Sarah struggles to understand these attributes of ALLAH. Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim mean that God always love her and never intend evil on her. Al-Alim on the other hand, should put her heart at ease safe in the fact that there's wisdom behind her situation, good or "bad". These Names show that God loves her deeply and that everything happens for a reason. Hence it is imperative that Sarah registers this should she want to rise up from depression.      

2. al-Qada' wa'l-Qadar (Divine Will and Decree)
I have to admit, I never really understood the concept of al Qada' wa'l-Qadar. I mean, if our destiny has already been planned for us, why should we try and pray to God for whatever we want in the first place? In Sarah's context, if she were meant to kill herself, why must she put a stop to this thought? Might as well go on with it.

The above arguments spell the need to research al-Qada' wa'l-Qadar. Thanks to ALLAH, I came across these videos: The Pen and the Tablet, Divine Decree, The Content Believer, and Altering Destiny.

According to the videos, ALLAH has instructed the Pen to write down every detail of our life in the Tablet; whether we will be successful or fail, have children or barren, died later or earlier, happy or miserable etc. But still, we can change our course of destiny by making do'a (pray). At the same time, know that that particular destiny has also been written already. In other words, the Tablet already contains that at which will happen if we make do'a and what happens if we do not. If we ponder this concept deeply, we can handle whatever live throws at us and come to terms with it.

Merging points 1 and point 2, it is imperative to try and pray; and whatever the end result is, good or "bad", Sarah should be contended with the decree of ALLAH. Therefore, this is another concept that Sarah has to understand before deciding to take her own life.

3. Humans as 'abd
'abd when translated roughly, means slaves; people that are abused, used, and given no wage. In the Quran however, 'abd are slaves that are loved, being taken care of, and rewarded according to their deeds. In other words, 'abd has a Master which is ALLAH and ALLAH loves, cares, and rewards us accordingly. On top of that, ALLAH is the creator of 'abd while slaves in human definition was not created by their master.

In her depression, Sarah has to acknowledge the fact that by being 'abd and the created, she does not have the right to rebel to God. She doesn't have the right to decide anything simply because she wasn't there when ALLAH created her. Instead, she needs to submit her logic, intellect and rationale to ALLAH; taking comfort in the attributes of Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, and Al-Alim (point 1). Concurrently, she can also make do'a to change her situation and be satisfied with whatever the result of her do'a is.


All in all, writing Letters to God (which I still am doing) is also an effort of mine to embody these three concepts in Islam. When my novelette is out (which I seriously don't know when), I feel that I've accomplished something; even if nobody wants to read it.

But still, aren't you a wee bit curious? Don't you want to know whether Sarah, being religious, truly understand these concepts? And if she does or doesn't, will that influence her decision about taking her own life?

Making Peace with the Story of Our Life

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

We often wonder how our life came down to this. Instead of traveling around the world, we are still stuck at the same place. We thought that marriage are full of roses but we forgot that roses have thorns. The high pay job we now have comes at the expense of family. We couldn't quite grasp the fact that we are condemned to die at such young age. And there are many other downs unique to each of us.

However we know, lamenting can never help. We acknowledge the fact that we only have this one life here on earth, so we need to hold ourselves together. Surely, there is peace amidst all of these.


1. Count our blessings 
Try and list all the favors that God has given us. For instance eyes to see, a nose to smell, a tongue to taste, ears to listen, legs to walk, clothes to keep warm, family to go home to, friends to hang out with, a car to travel, and many others. You'll find that the things that God has already given us is uncountable.  

"And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if you should count the favor of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is [generally] most unjust and ungrateful." (Quran: Chapter 14, Verse 34)

2. Observe those who are less fortunate than us
We always envy those who have more than us. But we rarely see people who own less than us. For example the homeless, people in war torn countries, people who live a lonely life, unemployed, etc. So force ourselves to look at those below us. As a result, we become more grateful and at peace with ourselves.

"When one of you looks at one who stands at a higher level than you in regard to wealth and physical structure, he should also see one who stands at a lower level than you in regard to these things (in which he stands) at a higher level (as compared to him)." (Sahih Muslim no. 2963)

3. Know that God is the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful, and the All Knowing
The One God in Islam has many names. Two of them are Ar-Rahman (Most Compassionate) and Ar-Rahim (Most Merciful). This means that ALLAH loves and never have ill intention towards us whatsoever. In addition to that, the name All Knowing suggests that everything that happen in our lives, whether good or bad, happens for a reason. Thus, even when we are in a bad situation, do not be angry at God because it happens with love and reason. Instead, accept it with a humble heart.

4. Effort, pray, and submit (EPS)
Being grateful is not enough, however. We should do something about our situation whatever it may be. Unemployed? Be your own boss by starting a business. Marriage in shambles? Set up an appointment with a marriage counselor. In between efforts, pray to God that HE'll give you better. Submit yourself to him and understand that:

The Lost Adab

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

Freedom of expression is a right that anyone possess. Everyone's been practicing it; including me. But unfortunately, many have use it as an excuse to abandon etiquette (adab). In the guise of freedom of speech, we use profane words just to proof our point. In the guise of freedom of speech, we say hurtful, provocative, and racist words on top of our excessive anger; despite the fact that we know how to say the same thing in a polite but firm manner. Perfect examples of these and many others are especially rampant on social media platforms.

Source: Nouman Ali Khan Collection

In truth, it is our natural tendency to like something that is beautiful such as good manners. Thus it is quite astonishing how we are lacking in that aspect. It is also unbelievable how some disregard adab as something imperative to possess. I guess we had forgotten that adab is what makes us human. In this post, I intend to remind us just this.

1) It is okay to be silent
From my observation, the need to state an opinion for practically every issue known to mankind have become a new culture on social media; even though when we don't particularly understand that issue. Instead of researching it first, we haphazardly take a stand and post it on Facebook anyway. Sometimes we even post it just to gain attention. Not only we manage to make a fool out of our self, we had also slandered an innocent group or individual.

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr, The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "A Muslim is the one who avoids harming Muslims with his tongue and hands. And a Muhajir (emigrant) is the one who gives up (abandons) all what Allah has forbidden."(Sahih al-Bukhari, no.10)

This new culture has spawn point no.2 onwards.


2) Stop passing unfair judgement
Unfair judgement, born mainly out of false aspersions, leads to character assassination. Should we become the target, the possibility of broken relationships, lost in confidence, and ultimately depression is highly likely. Yet we simply love doing this to others.

"O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful." (Quran, 49:12) 


3) Refrain from using profanity and excessive angst
Look at it this way. Don't you always feel that something is wrong with a person who acts like these? What would you feel if someone uses this kind of language to you or your loved ones? And isn't anger management a mental problem that requires the assistance of psychologists?

Abdullah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, "The believer does not insult the honor of others, nor curse, nor commit Fahishah, nor is he foul." (At-Tirmidhi, no. 1977)


4) Don't be shy to admit mistakes
Unhealthy debates has certainly become a social media norm. Comments on Facebook for instance show that many are blind to their mistakes. Even when the truth is stark clear, there will always be a group of commentators unwilling to admit that they are wrong. Admitting mistakes has somehow become a sign of weakness when it is actually a sign of arrogance. For me personally, admitting to one's mistake is a sign of courage and a humble soul instead.  

Abdullah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, "Whoever has a mustard seed's weight of pride (arrogance) in his heart, shall not be admitted into Paradise. And whoever has a mustard seed's weight of faith in his heart, shall not be admitted into the Fire." (At-Tirmidhi: no.1998)

From this moment forth, let's take a moment to think before posting, sharing, and commenting anything on social media. Stop being an online robot which we are not. Let's instead start to become human again.

Why God Makes Sense

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

The world has suffered from countless issues, tragedies, and disagreements; the World Wars, genocides, natural disasters all over the world, poverty in the Third World countries, the thinning of ice, unsustainable deforestation, and animal extinction to name a few. Alongside these is the disbelief in God, at which I feel equally catastrophic.

Atheism or the disbelief in God has topped most religion. Daily Mail Reporter (2012) claims that atheism is the third largest 'faith' after Christianity and Islam. As a result, large chunks of morale and ethics originated from religion are deemed ridiculous nowadays. For instance, there's nothing wrong with sex out marriage, homosexual is now the new normal, skimpy clothes is just the latest fashion, and yelling at parents is only a teenage phase. These examples also show that the world is focusing more on physical growth, almost abandoning spiritual and mental growth.

However, those consequences do not serve as strong arguments in proving the existence of God. In fact, the consequences are almost far fetched. Hence I choose to argue in a much more intimate way. A way at which everyone can feel, see, hear, and think about. A way that pleads to the common sense of the masses. 


1. The Boundless Universe

 
How did the extremely hot dense point (the Big Bang theory) came to existence in the first place? Where did the atoms forming the sun came from? Where did the sub atoms came from? How can it be that the sun was accidentally came to be to accidentally provide not one, but numerous vital functions in not only ours, but the animals and the plants' daily lives?

It doesn't make sense at all that this boundless universe was created by chance. The only logical explanation is that someone or something has created it. And he did not only created it, he is also managing this universe.

2. Our Origin

We can come up with many half baked answers. Scientists say we evolved from apes. Others say we came from the mother's womb. The religious claims that we are descendants of Adam. The philosophers brings in the question of the chicken and the egg. Whatever our answers may be, we can't help but think; where did the apes came from in the first place? How come the penetration of sperm into ovum brings about new life? Who created Adam in the first place? Who created the egg and the chicken in the first place? And you come to the most logical conclusion: God.

3. Hope and Calmness in the Midst of Nature

Nobody can deny that nature has a subtle if not powerful effect to our mood. The majestic view of the sun rising gives us a renewed sense of hope. The sound of river flowing and the sea waves as it hit the rocks are music to the ears. The green trees sooth our eyes and provide cooling shades.

It is difficult to explain why nature has these effects on us. More so to deny the fact that there must be a supreme being who designed all of these, with its beauty and spiritual effect. 

4. The Complexity of Creations

How is it that we look so different? How is it that we never have the same exact personalities? How is it we come to have different moods and emotions? When it come to taste, how come each fruit has a distinct taste? How come there are different species of animals?

Even for artists and cartoonists, it is impossible to create the same amount of characters like the world has. It is impossible to draw fictitious animals without drawing inspiration from real life animals. This narrows down to an answer that makes sense the most: God.   


We've come to the end of this post. It is my hope that you do not disregard your common sense. Until next week, do take care!

Death: How to Live Like We're Dying

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

My mother lost her cousin last week.

My friend lost her fiancee the day after. And she was supposed to get married in 3 days.

Both tragic events I came to know about the moment I woke up in the morning. That's two days straight God reminded me that we are all going to die.

One Hadith (tradition of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh) kept nagging at the back of my head since then. But I'm not sure which one. After some research, I finally found it:

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said:
"Increase in remembrance of the severer of pleasures." Meaning death. (At-Tirmidhi, no.2307)

How exactly can we remind ourselves of death when it's a lethargic thought? But is it lethargic in the first place? Before we decide, let's listen to this song first:



My decision is no! And my answer to the previous question is we should live like we're dying!

1. Only buy what we need
Each time we're purchasing an item, ask ourself if we really need it. Whether it be our fifth handbag or the latest iPhone model, say to ourself, "It's not like I can bring this to my grave" or "Life's short. Better spend my money on something more meaningful".

2. What do we cherish in life?
Make a list on who or what is important to us. Put pictures of them on our working table. It might be our parents, wife/husband, children, pet, vintage camera, etc. Then we come to realise that one of the reasons we cherish them is because they won't be with us forever. That WE won't be with them forever.

3. Draw our life's roadmap
Think deeply of what we want to accomplish in life, our passion, and what we can contribute to society. Then translate it on a piece of paper. For instance, graduating at 23, travel around the world at 25, get married at 30, published several books by 40, etc. Soon enough we'll see that the road ends at death.

4. Live simply
In my personal experience, to gain focus in life is to declutter my thoughts and surroundings. Throw way negative thoughts, donate what we don't need, and break up with extravagance. This will leave us with additional space to ponder on a worthy life. A life that is lived like we're dying! 


p/s: Very sorry for not posting anything last week :-(