20. FADLAN GRAMATAN (2)

         After his release from nine months prison, Br. Fadlan wanted to go from Jayapura to Weimena to spread Islam in that area. As he had no money and could not affort to pay plane ticket, he decided to go there on foot. It would take him three months walking to reach that town. After one month walking with his nineteen friends they became tired and returned. But they did not lose hope.

          There was a plane belonging to missionaries that would fly to Weimena, and they tried to go with it. In order to be allowed to board they changed their names. They went to the village office bringing their photos. Zainuddin changed his name with Marcus, and Fadlan himself changed it with Leo Gramatan. They bought tickets and were allowed to board the plane. It took only 45 minutes to get to Weimena by plane.  They took with them seven cartons of bath soaps, seven cartons of toothpastes, seven cartons of shampos, and seven sacks of clothes to be distributed among people there.

          In Weimena they were welcomed by the locals who had never used soap or shampoo, and they only used lard. They taught their tribal leader to take a bath in the river using soap and shampoo that he felt very fresh and went to sleep from 3 o’clock in the evening and woke up at 9 o’clock the next morning. Br. Fadlan with his team came to teach them how to take bath using soap and shampoo. There were 3,217 people from 28 villages came to bathe in the river. The soaps were divided into four, and they took turns bathing, starting at early morning till noon, continued after Br. Fadlan and his team had finished their ẓuhr (afternoon) prayer on a stage they had built earlier by the river.

          While praying the locals walked around them to see what they were doing. After prayer the tribal chief jumped onto the stage and asked questions. Br. Fadlan explained that in Islam a Muslim had to pray five times a day, and he and his team had just finished praying. He gave acceptable answers to his questions. He said:

“Raising hands indicates our total surrender to God the Creator. We talked to Him acknowleging that He is extremely great, and we are extremely small, we put our left hand on our chest, and our right hand on our left hand indicating our shame, and honestly accepting whatever He wants with us, as we have surrendered ourselves to Him, body and soul..”

          “Oooooh, this is the right religion,” said the tribal chief.

          When he asked why they bowed down, Br. Fadlan said:

          “We bow down so that we can see the sand, the stone, the plants, and the animals, all are created by God for the benefit of human beings.”

          “Aaaaah, you are right,” said the tribal chief.

          When he asked why they kissed the board when they prostrated, Br. Fadlan answered:

          “We kissed the board as we were weeping for all bad deeds and sins whe have committed, so that we lowered our head asking for His forgiveness. When we die our body will decay, and before it happens we weep asking for His forgiveness.”

          When he asked why they looked to the right and to the left while they were talking, Br. Fadlan said:

          “We looked to the right  side  to see if any of our brothers and sisters have not taken their baths yet, so that we can teach him or her to do so, and we looked to the left side to see if any of them is still without clothes so that we could clothe him, or is sick so that we can treat him, or is hungry so that we can feed him, and in this way our relation with our Creator will continue, as well as our relation with our fellow creatures, so that we keep this world in peace to worship God, Allah the Almighty.”

          The tribal chief asked Br. Fadlan and his team to go down the stage and six chiefs of the tribe went to the stage.  They made a traditional meeting to discuss Br. Fadlan’s presence and his team. One hour and a half later the tribal chief gave announcement to his people with their tribal language unknown to Br. Fadlan. The translation of this announcement is as follows: “Today we are happy that they have come to teach us the right religion.” On hearing this good news Br. Fadlan and his team prostrated themselves thanking Allah for their conversion, and 3,217 people pronounced the shahādah.

          One week after pronouncing the shahādah their names were changed, such as Paulus became Ibrahim, and Wilhelmus became Abu Bakar. Next, mass circumscision between the age of seven months to sixty-three years old. There was a physician called dr Mulia Tirmidhi who was a commander of Lantamal (Main Base of Indonesian Navy) at Jayapura, assited them in mass circumcision and propagating Islam in that area. Then he gave a written recommendation to meet President Suharto in Jakarta. Beforen traveling these tribal chiefs were wearing long pants with shirts and suits, but were unable to have shoes, as the size of their feet was too big ( size 47, about 12 inch), so that they wore sandals with thongs, and off they flied to Makassar. They witnessed the construction development in that city, and then they flied further to Jakarta, where they arrived at night. When they saw the flashing lights they started blaming President Suharto for neglecting them. Br. Fadlan told them to complain to the President when they meet him, and no need to be fussy inside the car.

          The next day President Suharto welcomed them, not in the Presidential Palace, but in his house. He smiled, hugged them and welcomed them, and gave them some advice. He asked them to deliver a speech in return. One of them said in his local language:

          “You are not suitable to be president. What kind of president are you? You only develop Makassar and Jakarta. In the coming election I shall speak out to people, so that you Haji Suharto will not be elected any longer to be president.”

          Suharto asked Br. Fadlan to translate the speech. Here is his translation: “Today, the tribal chiefs are happy to meet you. They said that you are suitable to be Bapak Pembanguan (‘the Father of National Development).’”

          With this strategy, President Suharto called directly the Minister of Religious Affairs to arrange ḥajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) for the tribal chiefs. He also called the Minister of Social Affairs to build 412 units of houses for them, to give them 1000 sacks of new clothes, as well as 600 cartons of shampoo, tooth past, and tooth brushes. He also recommended them to use the Hercules planes from Halim Perdanakusuma airport in Jakarta to Weimena. With his own Yayasan (social foundation) he donated 28 mosques for the Muslims there. Its location is two days walk from Weimena. He had also donated 400 mosques in Nu waar (Irian, West Papua).

          Br. Fadlan continued his propagation journey to Biak. After five days preaching he met a clergyman, who told him not to talk about Islam in that area. But Br. Fadlan told him that Islam had come first to this land, and he had no right to prohibit him from preaching. He said that Irian (West Papua) had been bought by Jesus Christ. When Br. Fadlan asked him, “Then where is the receipt from Jesus?” he was ashamed and went away.

          After three months propagating there a celebration of isrā-mi‘rāj (the Prophet’s ascention) was held and Br. Fadlan was invited to deliver a speech on that occasion at Dharma Wanita building, Biak Lumpur regency. One of the invited guests was the clergyman Alexander. When Br. Fadlan saw him sitting at the front raw, he changed the topic of his speech. The original topic of his speech was the significance of prayer for human beings, and he changed it with that there was no religion with special privilege by Allah for people except Islam.

          Then Br. Fadlan stressed the importance of prayer. He said that a person who missed the fajr (dawn) prayer, the ẓuhr (early afternoon) prayer, ‘āṣr (early evening) prayer, ­maghrib (early evening) prayer, and ‘ishā’ (night) prayer, would be in a grave loss, worse than losing his home, or his wealth being stolen, and this is found only in Islam. Our brother belonging to another religion said that the duty of God was only to create the world and its contents, and then He took rest in Heaven. After that, God did not have anything to do with the affairs of the world.

          After delivering the speech the glergyman approached him telling him that he was also invited, and that he was offended wih his speech. Br. Fadlan told him that he was invited to give a speech for Muslims, not for non Muslims, and did not know he was there. The clergyman offered him to conduct an interreligious dialogue, but Br. Fadlan rejected it, because he said that the followers of each party might create conflict. If the dialogue has to be done, it should be with two conditions: (1) between the two persons only, in a  rented room with AC and two beds, and at the clergyman’s expense; (2) the dialogue will be exclusively on the Bible and Christianity, not on the Qur’ān and Islam. If the Bible indicates that Christianity is the right religion, Br. Fadlan will agree be taken to the Church to be baptised, and then it will be announced that Ustadh[1] Fadlan has become Christian. But if the Bible and the Christianity indicate that Islam is the right religion, the clergyman Alexander will become Muslim, not at Biak, but in Jakarta, and Br. Fadlan will give him the facility needed for his conversion to Islam in Jakarta. That night the dialoge started after ‘ishā prayer.

          The clergyman Alexander came to pick up Br. Fadlan with a car where it was written Laskar Kristus (“Christ’s paramilitary unit”). Br. Fadlan got into the car citing Bismillāh majrehā wa mursāhā (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ مَجْرَاهَا وَمُرْسَاهَا), meaning “In the name of Allah will be its (moving) course, and its (resting) anchorage,” (Q. 11:41). He was referring to Prophet Noah’s supplication when he boarded his ship. With this supplication Br. Fadlan expected to collapse “the Christ’s paramilitary unit” that night.

          When they reached the hotel they started the dialogue. Following Br. Fadlan’s suggestion, as a host the clergyman Alexander started his prayer, as follows: “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name, on earth as it is in heaven [See Matthew 6: 9-10]. Thank you for introducing me to a lost sheep, which I wish to convert in your name Jesus the Saviour the everlasting.”

          Br. Fadlan made his ḍu‘ā which was a ruqyah[2] (supplication for the purpose of self-protection against magic, etc) by citing sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ (Q. 112:1-4), sūrat al-Falaq (Q. 113:1-5), concluded with sūrat al-Fātiḥah (Q. 1:1-7). Then he said: “Please explain to me what date and where the Bible was revealed and what did Jesus say when he received the Bible, and I want to know where it is written in Paul, Mark, John, Isaiah, and Deuteronomy.” After opening the Bible the clergyman Alexander said that he could not find it.

                                                (CIVIC, 27 January, 2017)

Sources:

Dakwah di Bumi Papua, a video lecture published on July 4, 2013

 5/inspiration-day-berdakwah-lewat-sabun-mandi

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[1] The term ustadh is originally from Arabic  أُسْتَاذ, meaning “master; high school teacher; a form of address to intellectuals (lawyers, journalists, officials, writers, and poets)”; it also means “full professor, professor (academic title).” It is commonly used in English like “Mr, and sir,” so that “Ustadh Fadlan” here corresponds to English “Mr. Fadlan.”

[2] It is the recitation of the Qur’an, seeking of refuge, remembrance and supplications that are used as a means of treating magic, sicknesses and other problems.

 

19. FADLAN GRAMATAN (1)

The Lebanese scholar Shaykh Muṣṭafā al-Ghalāyayn (d. 1944) was a journalist, a writer, and a teacher of Arabic and Islamic law; in his book ‘Iẓatu ’l-Nāshi’īn (“Moral Lessons for the Youth”) he stressed the importance of reading and learning biographies of heroes (قِرَاءَةُ سِيَرالأبْطَال). He said that through learning their lives the youth could obtain examples of their noble characters, such as: piety, patience, honesty, bravery, dedication, etc. Therefore we learn biographies of prophets especially Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), his ṣaḥābah, scholars in later generations, and many honourable people. One of the prominent dā‘īs (Islamic propagators) in West Papua, Indonesia, is Fadlan Gramatan. He was born in a Muslim family in Fak-fak on 17 May, 1969, the third son of seven children. His father was a teacher at an elementary school and in the evening he taught reading the Qur’ān in his village. As a da’ī he established Yayasan al-Fatih al-Kaaffah Nusantara, a social foundation for spreading Islam. Br. Fadlan Gramatan was admitted to the Faculty of Economics at Hasanudddin University in Makassar in late 80s. It happened that when he attended the class on Islam, the lecturer said that those who were not Muslims had to leave the class. Since he was Muslim he did not move, but the lecturer said loudly to him to get out, thinking that being black with curly hair from West Papua he was not a Muslim. He came forward and said: “Before leaving the class, I ask you and the students to answer my two questions and one request: Is Islam only for the Buginese- Makassarese people or the Arabs, or as blessings for the whole world? Who was the companion of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) who had black skin and curly hair with sweet voice? I beg you and my colleagues in the class to bring the Qur’ān as I wish to hear how they read the Qur’ān properly, and then I shall leave.” The lecturer did not answer the first and the second questions, but he brought the Qur’ān and asked every student to read it. After the 46 students had read the Qur’ān, Fadlan Gramatan grasped it himself and read it, as he was not given a chance to do so. The lecturer said that out that out of 47 students only 7 of them could read the Qur’ān properly including Fadlan Gramatan himself. The lecturer allowed him to give a lecture in his class for two hours. He talked about the significance of the Qur’ān as guidance for the Muslims to make distinction between what is right (ḥaqq) and what is wrong (bāṭil), what is permitted (ḥalāl) and what is prohibited (ḥarām). After delivering his speech in about two hours the lecturer said: “To-day the lecture on Islam has been given by a lecturer from West Irian (West Papua).” Fadlan Gramattan did not blame anybody, neither the lecturer nor the students, because of public opinion about the people of Irian that they fought among themselves and that they were not Muslims. Islam was recorded to have been
the oldest and the first religion that came to Papua. It was under the propagation of Isdandar Shah under the command of Iskandar Muda II of Pasai in Sumatra, so that they propagated, starting from Perlis in Malaysia, to Philippine then down to Tidore, and finally to Irian. Christianity came later, on 5th February 1885, with the service of the Sultan of Tidore. This information had been unknown for many years, as if there was no Islam in Irian. Irian itself has three names: (1) its original name was “Nu waar,” (the country which has kept mystical light; the word “nūr” means “light”). (2) This name was changed by the Portuguese with “Papua” with bad connotation, namely, black skin, curly hair, robbers, rapists and cannibals. The people of Tidore had called the people of “Nu waar” with respect as “Papaua” meaning ”saudara tua, elder brothers”. This attitude of the Portuguese to isolate the people of Irian was continued by the Dutch convincing them that they were black with curly hair were different from people in Moluccas islands, Sulawesi, and Java, and therefore were not allowed to enter their land, but this effort failed as Islam had penetrated Irian. Many Muslim scholars in Irian were killed to reduce Muslim population and to erase the traces of their crime. Some of them were arrested and were exiled in Digul were they met Kyai Agus Salim, Muhmmad Roem and Sukarno. They discussed and made effort to bring Nu waar (Irian) back to the Indonesian fold. After the Indonesian independence the name Nu waar and Papua were replaced with Nawairian. The term Irian was derived from three languages, marien in Biak language meaning “hot powder” (bubuk yang panas), and iriano in Irarutu langauge meaning big land (daratan yang besar). In 1517 Ibn Batutah reached Nu waar and when he saw some naked people he called them ‘uriyān (عَرْيَان). In Malino conference in 1963 it was decided to call it Irian, then it was added with Barat (West), so that it became Irian Barat (West Irian), then the name was changed again with Irian Jaya. Politically, it was made the abbreviation of Ikut Republik Indonesia Anti Nederland (Joining the Republic of Indonesia and Anti Netherlands). After finishing his study and returned home, Br. Fadlan was offered a job as a government employee, but after nine months he quitted the job to avoid being involved in corruption. He returned the keys of the office house he was living, and the office car, the office uniform, as well as office envelopes. Instead, he wanted to be what he called "the employee of the Messenger of Allah …” to be dā‘ī . Br. Fadlan’s first duty as a dā‘ī was to conduct a dialogue with a clergyman called Alfonse, the person who hated his presence in Jayapura. That clergyman did not want Br. Fadlan to lead the prayer and to talk about Islam, let alone public preaching, and attempted to expel him. After performing the ḍuḥā prayer (midmorning recommended prayer), he went to visit the clergyman to create good relationship with him. The first day he knocked at his door, he had seen him standing at his door, but he entered his room when he saw him coming. When Br. Fadlan said selamat pagi (good morning), it was his wife who came out to greet him, and said that her husband was not in. The next morning he came again, and was told by his daughter that he was not in. He kept visiting the clergyman every morning for two months receiving the same answer that her husband or her father was not at home. On the 15th day of the second month he was abused by the wife and the daughter: “You have never been bored knocking at our door; we have told you many times that the clergyman was not at home, and yet, you keep coming.” The next morning, he came again and knocked at his door as usual. On the first and the second days of the third month Br. Fadlan came again, and got the same response. But on the third day, he got a different response. His daughter told him: “Excuse us, last night my dad was sick, and we have taken him to the hospital.” Br. Fadlan went directly to the hospital, bought some fruit and asked the receptionist where he could find the clergyman. He was told, he was in room no. 48. Before entering the room he showed the parcel containing the fruit, and the moment he heard Silakan masuk! (“Please, come in!”) he rushed into the room, and the clergyman could not lie and avoid him any longer. This is what Brother Fadlan said to him after shaking his hands: “Today, I thank Allah that I receive His blessings, as I have tried to see you for two months and three days but failed. Actually, you are not sick, but after lying to me for two months and three days, Allah makes you sick, so that I could see you here. You have kept talking everyday about love and compassion, and at the same time you lied, you should then speak honestly. Five days later the clergyman healed, and Br. Fadlan came to visit him again, and the whole family (including seven children) welcomed him. Br. Fadlan started talking about the beauty of Islam for the whole inhabitants of this world. The visit started at 9 a.m. till afternoon, and when Br. Fadlan was about to say farewell to the host, they asked him to come earlier the next day. The next day Br. Fadlan came at 7 o’clock in the morning, and the discussion was suspended before noon, and started again in the afternoon till evening. He did this for four days in succession. On the fifth day his host said that they did not want to wait any longer, as they wanted to embrace Islam. Eventually, in the third month, they received guidance from Allah, became Muslims, and were ready to learn about Islam seriously. Br. Fadlan rented a bigger house from his savings where they could learn about the Qur’ān and Islam, as they were living in an official house belonging to the ministry. They learned reading the Qur’ān starting with Iqra’ (a booklet used as a basic teaching to read the Qur’ān starting from the Arabic alphabet to reading the Qur’ān), the ṭahārah (cleanness), and how to perform wuḍū’ (ablution). On Friday in the 80s Mr. Alfonse, the former clergyman came to the mosque to pray Friday prayer, but on Sunday his congregation was waiting for him. As he did not show up, they wanted to know who had introduced Islam to him. They made a fuss of him, and their last decision was that Br. Fadlan was to be arrested and to be imprisoned for three months without any proper court proceeding. After three months of imprisonment Br. Fadlan started propagating again, and this time around the city of Jayapura. Fifteen heads of families converted to Islam. People made a fuss of him again, and this time Br. Fadlan was arrested and was put in jail for six months. But after six months of imprisonment, Br. Fadlan propagated again, and was successful in converting thirty heads of families into Islam. Again, people made a fuss of him, and this time he was imprisoned for nine months. Every time he was put in jail he said alḥamdu lillah (“praise be to Allah”) for letting him enjoy life in jail. When Br. Fadlan was out of jail, the person who had arrested him approached the door of the jail and said to him: “There is nobody else in this room. Every day, every week, every month, every year you are the only person who had occupied this room. Aren’t you afraid of this jail?” “My dear brother,” answered Br. Fadlan, “a man like Fadlan would never be afraid of jail made by human beings, because I am not a thief, I am not a rebel, I am not a killer, and I am not a corrupt man. I only want to develop the mind and mentality of the inhabitants of this country, so that they would obey Allah with full confidence, and would follow the Messenger of Allah sincerely. Today you arrest me and put me in this jail, but you have to remember that later on Allah would arrest and punish you mercilessly.” This statement of Br. Fadlan scared him, and said to Br. Fadlan not to do so. He invited Br. Fadlan right away to his house where he met his wife and their five children. After several hours of discussion the whole family converted to Islam. Br. Fadlan made his conclusion that apparently by propagating seriously and sincerely Allah will give the result faster than the blowing wind. He decided to go to farther areas, walking from Jayapura to Weimena. His long journey and farther will be dealt with in the next khuṭbah, in shā’ Allah. (CIVIC, 20 January, 2017) Sources: Dakwah di Bumi Papua, a video lecture published on July 4, 2013 5/inspiration-day-berdakwah-lewat-sabun-mandi

18. THE MEANINGS OF LAHW (لَهْو) IN THE QUR’ĀN

18. THE MEANINGS OF LAHW (لَهْو)IN THE QUR’ĀN The term lahw has many meanings, such as: amusement, entertainment, diversion, distraction, pastime, pleasure, sport, fun, and play. Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) mentions six meanings of this term in the Qur’ān in his Nuzhatu ’l-A‘yun, as well as al-Dāmaghānī (d. 478/1085-6) in his Qāmūs al-Qur’ān, as follows: 1. الإسْتِهْزَاء (mockery, ridicule, derision, scorn), such as: وَذَرِالَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا (الأنعام:70) And leave alone those who take their religion as play and amusement [namely, as mockery], and whom the life of this world has deceived (Q. 6:70). The term “their religion” here means “Islam.” According to al-Qurṭubī, the expression “take their religion as play and amusement” means, “They mocked those who follow Islam, mocked its followers, and went into it as a play and mockering the truth. Muhammad Asad translates the above verse as follows: And leave to themselves all those who, beguiled by the life of this world, have made play and passing delights their religion (Q. 6:670) Then he says that it could be understood in two ways: (1) they have made their religion [an object of] play and fun, or (2) they have made play and fun [or “passing delights”] their religion, namely, the main goal of their lives. He prefers the latter, and says, “many of those who are ‘beguiled by the life of the world’ devote themselves to the pursuit of what the Qur’ān describes as ‘passing delights’—including the pleasures which money and power can provide—with something akin the religious fervour: an attitude of mind which causes them to lose sight of all spiritual and moral values.” 2. الْوَلَد (son), as in the following verse: لَوْ أَرَدْنَا أَنْ نَتَّخِذَ لَهْوًا لَاتَّخَذْنَاهُ مِنْ لَدُنَّا إِنْ كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ (الأنبياء:17) Had We intended to take a pastime (i.e. a son), We would surely have taken in from Us, if We were going to do (that) (Q. 21:17). This is the interpretation of ‘Ikrimah and al-Suddī, that the term lahw the above verse means walad (son).According to al-Ḥasan and Qatādah, the term lahw here means, “a wife.” According to Qatādah, al-Suddī, Ibrāhīm al-Nakhā‘ī, and al-Mughīrah ibn Miqsam the verse إِنْ كُنَّا فَاعِلِينَ means, “We will not do that,” instead of “if We were going to do that,” as Mujāhid says that every إِنْ (“if”) used in the Qur’ān is negation. 3. الشُغْل (occupancy, prevention, distraction), such as: ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُوا وَيَتَمَتَّعُوا وَيُلْهِهِمُ الْأَمَلُ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ (الحجر:3) Leave them to eat and enjoy, and let them be preoccupied [namely, distracted] with (false) hope. They will come to know [the truth]. (Q. 15:3) This is a definite threat for disbelievers. أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ (التكاثر:1) The mutual rivalry (for piling up worldly things) diverts you (Q. 102:1) You are obsessed by greed for more and more … (Asad’s translation) There are various interpretations of this verse: According to Ibn ‘Abbās and al-Ḥasan: mutual rivalry (greed for more) in wealth and children; according to Qatādah: mutual rivalry (greed for more) in boasting of tribes and clans; according to al-Ḍaḥḥāk: distraction with livelihood and merchandise. There are many ḥadīths dealing with man’s covetousness of worldly things, such as: عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- أَنَّهُ قَالَ :لَوْ كَانَ لاِبْنِ آدَمَ وَادٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ أَحَبَّ أَنَّ لَهُ وَادِيًا آخَر... (رواه مسلم) Anas ibn Mālik narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “If the Son of Adam had a valley of gold, he would desire another ...” (Reported by Muslim) عَنْ أَبِى هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم- قَالَ : يَقُولُ الْعَبْدُ مَالِى مَالِى إِنَّمَا لَهُ مِنْ مَالِهِ ثَلاَثٌ مَا أَكَلَ فَأَفْنَى أَوْ لَبِسَ فَأَبْلَى أَوْ أَعْطَى فَاقْتَنَى وَمَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ فَهُوَ ذَاهِبٌ وَتَارِكُهُ لِلنَّاسِ. (رواه مسلم) Abū Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “The servant says ‘My wealth, my wealth. ’Yet he only gets three (benefits) from his wealth: that which he eats and finishes, that which he wears until it is worn out, or that which he gives in charity and it is spent. Everything else other than that will go away and leave him for the people (Reported by Muslim) يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ (المنافقون:9) O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert [namely, distract]you from the remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that, then they are the losers. (Q. 63:9) There are various interpretations of the term اللَّهِ ذِكْرِ (“the remembrance of Allah”) in the above verse: ḥajj (pilgrimage) and zakāt; reading the Qur’ān; continuation of remembering Allah; five-daily payers (according to al-Ḍaḥḥāk); all religious obligation (according to al-Ḥasan); and that it is directed to the hypocrites who believed with their tongues, and now they were asked to believe with their hearts. 4. الْغِنَاء (singing, song), such as: وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ (لقمان:6) And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks [namely, singing] to mislead (men) from the path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the path of Allah, or the Verses of the Qur’ān) by way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hell-fire) (Q. 31:6) This is the interpretation of the term لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ (idle talk) according to Ibn ‘Abbās, Ibn Mas‘ūd, Ibn ‘Umar ‘Ikrimah, Maymūn ibn Mihrān, Mujāhid, and Makḥūl, namely, الْغِنَاء (singing, song). According to Qatādah, “purchases idle talks” is “buying singing servant girls.” In a ḥadīth narrated by Abū Umāmah, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: لا يَحِلُّ بَيْعُ الْمُغَنِّيَاتِ وَلا شِرَاؤُهُنَّ، وَلا تِجَارَةٌ فِيهِنَّ، وَأَكْلُ أَثْمَانِهِنَّ حَرَامٌ (رواه الطبراني) It is not permitted to sell singing servant girls, neither buying them, nor doing business in them, and taking their prices is prohibited (Reported by al-Ṭabrānī) Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī gives general interpretation of the idle talks and says, “it means all speech that hinders people from seeing the signs of Allah and following His path.” The definition of لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ (idle talk) is as follows: كُلُّ كَلأمٍ يٌلْهِى الْقَلْبَ وَ يَأكُلُ الْوَقْتَ وَ لاَ يُثْمِرُ خيْرٍاً It is every statement which amuses the heart, consumes time, and does not give benefit. Muhammad Asad said that the above verse “describes a type of mentality and has, therefore, a general import.” (M. Asad, The Message of the Qur’ān, p. 627, n. 4). 5. ضَرْبُ الطَّبْل (beating of drum); Ibn al-Jawzī added withوَ الْمَلاهِيْ (and entertainment), such as: وَإِذَا رَأَوْا تِجَارَةً أَوْ لَهْوًا انْفَضُّوا إِلَيْهَا وَتَرَكُوكَ قَائِمًا قُلْ مَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ اللَّهْوِ وَمِنَ التِّجَارَةِ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ (الجمعة:11) And when they see some merchandise or some amusement [namely, beating of drum] they disperse headlong to it, and leave you (Muhammad) standing [while delivering Jumu‘ah religious talk (Khutbah). Say: “That which Allah has is better than any amusement or merchandise! And Allah is the Best f providers.” (Q. 62:11) What really happened was that, like ‘Īd prayers where the khuṭbah/sermon was delivered after performing the prayer, Jumu‘ah prayer was performed before the khuṭbah. While the Prophet (ﷺ) was delivering his Friday sermon, the long expected trade caravan carrying food and others belonging to Dīḥyah ibn Khalīfah before he became a Muslim, had arrived from Syria where he was welcomed with rums and tambourines. A man came forward to tell the congregation of his arrival. It was the time where food was scarce. Thinking that it was alright to leave the khuṭbah many people among the congregation rushed out of the mosque, leaving the Prophet (ﷺ) standing on the pulpit. Only about twelve or fourteen of them stayed. They were: Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān, ‘Ali, Ṭalḥah, al-Zubayr, Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf, Abū ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ, Sa‘īd ibn Zayd, Bilāl, ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd, ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir, and Jābir ibn ‘Abd Allāh. Then the above verse was revealed, and the Prophet (ﷺ) delivered the khuṭbah first then followed by the prayer like what we are doing now. Since then, nobody was allowed to leave the congregation unless he was permitted by the Prophet (ﷺ). When he was about to leave the hypocrite who could not stay long for the khuṭbah and the prayer stood up beside him hiding himself then they came out. Then Allah revealed: ...قَدْ يَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ يَتَسَلَّلُونَ مِنْكُمْ لِوَاذً ... (النور:63) Allah knows those who slip away under shelter (of some excuse without taking the permission to leave, from the Messenger)…(Q. 24:63) Based on this episode it is incorrect to assume that the majority of the ṣaḥābah had turned into apostasy or had been lack in faith. 6. الْبَاطِل (futile, false, baseless, void, deception) according to al-Ḍāmaghānī, and according to Ibn al-Jawzī it is الْسُرُورُ الْفَانِي (perishable joy). The example given by al-Ḍāmaghānī is as follows: إِنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا يُؤْتِكُمْ أُجُورَكُمْ وَلَا يَسْأَلْكُمْ أَمْوَالَكُمْ (محمد:36) The life of this world is but play and pastime [namely, deception]; but if you believe (in Oneness of Allah— Islamic Monotheism), and fear Allah, and avoid evil, He will grant you your wages, and will not ask you your wealth (Q. 47:36) The example given by Ibn al-Jawzī is as follows: اعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِي الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَوْلَادِ... (الحديد:20) Know that the life of this world is only play and amusement [namely, perishable joy], pomp and mutual boasting among you, and rivalry in respect of wealth and children… (Q. 57:20) There are various interpretations on the term لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ (play and amusement( in the above verse, among which are: eating and drinking (Qatādah’s view); what we desire for in this world, and what distracts us from the Hereafter; and acquisition and women. These two verses above tell us how insignificant and transient and temporary life in this world is, that it is only play and amusement, and that the Hereafter is the real and eternal life. (CIVIC, 13 January, 2017) المراجع: تفسير الطبري (ت. 310 هـ( تفسير القرطبى(ت. 671 هـ( تفسير ابن كثير(ت. 774 هـ) محمد الدامغاني (ت. 478 هـ). قاموس القرآن أو إصلاح الوجوه والنظائر عبد الرحمن ابن الجوزي (ت. 597 هـ) . نزهة الأعين النواظر Muhammad Asad. The Message of the Qur’ān http://library.islamweb.net/newlibrary/display_book.php?idfrom=101&idto=

17. MODERATION

17. MODERATION Many people in the past were either negligent or extreme in their behavior and actions. Scholars of moral science said that the virtue was in being between two extremes, moderation. “Extremes are dangerous,” and “in excess even nectar is poison,” the proverbs say. Allah says in the Qur’ān. وَلَا تَجْعَلْ يَدَكَ مَغْلُولَةً إِلَى عُنُقِكَ وَلَا تَبْسُطْهَا كُلَّ الْبَسْطِ فَتَقْعُدَ مَلُومًا مَحْسُورًا (الإسراء:29) And let not your hand be tied (like a miser) to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach (like a spendthrift), so that you become blameworthy and in severe poverty (Q. 17:29) It means that we Muslims should neither be stingy like the Jews who said that Allah did not give and spend of His bounty, nor extravagant and giving more than we can afford,or paying more than what we earn, lest we become blameworthy and become in severe poverty. People will condemn and blame us for being miser, and having nothing left to spend. In another verse Allah mentions that good Muslims spend in moderation, as follows: وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُوا وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ قَوَامًا )الفرقان:67( And [faithful slaves of Allah] those who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes) (Q. 25:67) They spend in moderation, neither extravagant, nor miserly. Moderation is not only in spending, but also in other characters, such as bravery. Cowardice and weakness are blameworthy, so is recklessness. Moderation is also in speaking. When the Prophet (ﷺ) heard Abū Bakr praying in a low voice he asked him the reason. He said that as he was talking to Allah he did it in a low voice as He heard what he said. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked him to raise his voice. When the Prophet (ﷺ) heard ‘Umar praying in loud voice he asked him the reason. He said that he wanted to wake up the sleepers and to scare away Satan. The Prophet asked him to low his voice. As human beings consist of body and soul, both of them have their own needs. In order to survive, the body needs food, water, etc., and the soul needs its spiritual food, such as dhikr (remembering Allah), reading the Qur’ān, contemplation, fearing and desiring Allah. It is said that the Jews and the Christians were in excess in one side and negligent on the other. The Jews were in extreme in material side, such as fishing on Friday and Sunday instead of Saturday which was prohibited from fishing, and were negligent in spiritual side. On the contrary, the Christians especially in the past were negligent on material side, but extreme in satisfying the spiritual side, such as inventing monasticism and other kinds of worship, as mentioned in the Qur’ān, as follows: ... وَرَهْبَانِيَّةً ابْتَدَعُوهَا مَا كَتَبْنَاهَا عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ فَمَا رَعَوْهَا حَقَّ رِعَايَتِهَا (الحديد:27) … But the monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them, but (they thought it) only to please Allah therewith, but they did not observe it with the right observant (Q. 57:27) Muhammad Asad comments on the term rahbāniyyah in the above verse. He says, “The term rahbāniyyah combines the concepts of monastic life with an exaggerated asceticism, often amounting to a denial of any value in the live of this world—an attitude characteristic of early Christianity but disapproved of in Islam. (M. Asad, The Message of the Qur’ān, p. 30, n. 118). Anas ibn Mālik narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ رَهْبَانِيَّةٌ وَرَهْبَانِيَّةُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ (رواه أحمد) Every Prophet has Rahbāniyyah(monasticism); Jihād in the cause of Allah is the Rahbāniyyah of this Ummah (Reported by Ahmad) Then Islam comes to go between the two extremes. One example is in the following Qur’ānic verses: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِنْ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ. فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَاةُ فَانْتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (الجمعة:9-10) O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salat (prayer) on Friday (Jumu‘ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allah [Jumu‘ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salat (prayer)] and leave off business (and every other thing). That is better for you if you did but know! Then when the (Jumu ‘ah) Salat (prayer) ended, you may disperse through the land, and seek the bounty of Allah (by working), and remember Allah much, that you may be successful (Q. 62:9-10) Here we see that calling for prayer, coming to remember Allah and leaving off business are spiritual matters, whereas dispersing through the land and seeking Allah’s bounty after the prayer are material and worldly matters., and yet, to be successful it has to be accompanied with remembering Allah much. This is an indication of balance betwee religious and worldly matters, and no one is required to stay in the mosque for further spiritual matter asfter performing the obligatory Friday prayer. This reminds us of the Arabic proverb: خَيْرُ اْلأُمُورِ أَوْسَطُهَا which means “Following the middle path is a virtue.” The term أُمَّةً وَسَطًا mentioned in the Qur’ān is sometimes cited to indicate that Muslim community is “a middlemost nation.” The term is in the Qur’ānic verse as follows: وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا (البقرة:143) Thus We have made you a waṣaṭ (middle, justly balanced, just, best) nation, that you be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger (Muhammad) be a witness over you (Q. 2:143). Muhammad Asad translates the term waṣaṭ as “a community of the middle way,” keeping an equitable balance between two extremes, namely, moderation. He said: In tune with its oft-repeated call to moderation in every aspect of life the Qur’ān exorts the believers not to place too great an emphasis on the physical and material aspects of their lives, but postulates, at the same time, that man’s urges and desires relating to this “life of the flesh” are God-willed and therefore, legitimate. Al-Ṭabarī holds the same view when he said that Allah called the Muslim community waṣaṭ (“middle”) because of their being moderate in practicing religion (Islam), neither the extreme of the Christians in asceticism and in exaggerating the position of Jesus, nor the negligence of the Jews who replaced the book of Allah, killed their Prophets, and denied their Lord, as the best thing according to Allah is in its moderation. M.M. Pickthall translates ummatan waṣaṭan as “a middle nation,” whereas A.Yusuf Ali translates it as “an Ummah justly balanced.” The Qur’ān translation published in Saudi Arabia translates it as “a just (and the best) nation.” This translation is based on many traditions from the Prophet (ﷺ) and interpretations of earlier commentators. Among the traditions of the Prophet (ﷺ) are narrated by Abū Hurayrah and Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī and reported by Bukhārī, Muslim, al-Tirmidhī and others, that the term أُمَّةً وَسَطًا (ummatan waṣaṭan) means أُمَّة عُدُولًا (honest people), and the term وَسَط means عَدْل, (just, honest). This is also the view of classical Qur’ān commentators, such as: Mujāhid, Qatādah, ‘Aṭā’ and Ibn ‘Abbās. Eplaining the above verse the Prophet (ﷺ) said: The Prophet would come on the Day of Resurrection with two or more people (his only following!), and his people would also be summoned and asked, “Has he (their Prophet) conveyed (the Message) to you?” They would say, ‘No.’ He would be asked, ‘Have you conveyed (the Message) to your people?’ He would say, ‘Yes.’ He would be asked, ‘Who testifies for you?’ He would say, ‘Muhammad and his Ummah.’ Muhammad and his Ummah would be then summoned and asked, ‘Has he conveyed (the Message) to his people?’ They would say, ‘Yes.’ They would be asked,’Who told you that?’ They would say, ‘Our Prophet (Muhammad) came to us and told us that the Messengers have conveyed (their Messages.’ Hence Allah’s statement: وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا meaning the ‘adl (just people) (Reported by Ahmad) According to modern standard Arabic there is no difference between the term وَسْط (wasṭ), وَسَط (wasaṭ), and أَوْسَط (awsaṭ) meaning “middle”. The term الْشَّرْقُ الأَوْسَط means “the Middle East.” But in classical Arabic which is the language of the Qur’ān, according to the linguist Abū Naṣr Ismā‘īl al-Jawharī (d.393/1003) who was the first person who had tried to fly but failed, there is distinction between the term وَسْط (wasṭ) and وَسَط (wasaṭ); the former means “middle”, and the latter has other meanings, namely, "just" and "best". However, there is relationship between the two words, as being “in the middle” means not taking sides, being just, which is the best. The term وَسَط in the expression of the Arabs has two meanings: (a) just, honest, such as the expression, كُنْ مِنَ النَّاسِ جَمِيعًا وَسَطَا meaning “Be just among all people.” (b) the best, as in the expression فُلَانٌ مِنْ أَوْسَطِ قَوْمِهِ meaning “So-and-so is one of the best among his people,” or فُلَانٌ وَسَطُ قَوْمِهِ meaning “So-and-so is the best among his people” .(أَيْ مِنْ خِيَارِهِمْ وَأَهْلُ الْحَسَبِ مِنْهُم) These two meanings are used in translating أُمَّةً وَسَطًا as “a just (and the best) nation” mentioned above. These two meanings are also used in the following verse: قَالَ أَوْسَطُهُمْ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ لَوْلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ (القلم:28) The best among them said: “Did I not tell you, why do you not say “If Allah wills”? (Q. 68:28) According to Ibn ‘Abbās, Mujāhid, Ibn Jubayr, ‘Ikrimah, Muḥammad ibn Ka‘b, al-Rabī‘ ibn Anas, al-Ḍaḥḥāk, and Qatādah, the term أَوْسَطُهُمْ in the verse means “the most just of them and the best of them” .(أعدلهم وخيرهم) Al-Qurṭubī put it “the ideal, the most just and the most intelligent among them.” (أَمْثَلُهُمْ وَأَعْدَلُهُمْ وَأَعْقَلُهُمْ). (CIVIC, 6 January, 2017) المراجع: المكتبة الشاملة تفسير الطبري (ت. 310 هـ( تفسير القرطبى (ت. 671 هـ ( تفسير ابن كثير (ت. 774 هـ) The Noble Qur’ān.(Ministry of Islamic Affairs) Riyad. M. Asad, The Message of the Qur’ān M.M. Pickthall. The Glorious Qur’ān A.Y. Ali. The Meaning of the Holy Qur’ān. https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/ إسماعيل_بن_حماد_الجوهري