System Gone Awry

Passed my car keys to the regular amiable chap, and took a seat.

"Asalamu'alaikum!" I start off on this bright sunny morning, making small talk. Ah, lectures in Islamic Studies at the University close by; it is compulsory for the Malay/Muslim students that attend the University to attend Islamic Studies; the syllabus starts off with Islamic History right up to the current Islamic Era.

"Does the course cover an in-depth understanding of Islam?" I ask.

"The lecturer has to step in to play that role. We get about 10% of the students who are graced with the profound meaning and alhamdulillah there is a positive change in them."

Perchance we talk about the Islamic education at the Primary school level (children 7 to 12 years of age).

"From my observation and close-hand experience, the love for Allah and the understanding of Islam is not instilled in the child at Primary level. The children are thought to memorise verses without understanding the meaning, thought how to read the Quran without understanding its context."

“It’s only at the secondary school level (children age 13-17) are students exposed to the deeper understanding of Islam,” I am thus enlightened.

Influx from the daily news and the evident behaviour of teenage kids, show it’s a tad bit too late at this stage. Before they reach their teens, children are exposed to negative influences that somehow seem to leave an impression on them (does not Syaitan entice us with things that seem exciting?). Can we not recognise that the younger years are the most important in instilling values in children?

"I dare say the Islamic Education at the Primary level needs some serious adjustments."

"True enough."

"So how do we go about it?"

"There needs to be change at a higher level," whilst the lecturer gets up, walks to a clean, gleaming car.

I wonder, when will we have a clean slate?

Cosmic Unity & Right from Wrong

May the below shed some light on our direction, and the harm we are creating on Earth be it at the expanse of other creatures in this world, our fellow men, and yes, to ourselves!

By the Sun and his glorious splendour;
By the Moon as she follows him;
By the Day as it shows up the Sun’s glory;
By the Night as it conceals it;
By the Firmament and its wonderful structure;
By the Earth and its wide expanse

The contrasts between the Sun and the Moon, the Day and the Night, and the Sky and the Earth – conduce to cosmic unity.

By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it;
And its inspiration as to its wrong and its right;-
Truly he succeeds that purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it!

The most precious gift of all to man is the faculty of distinguishing between right and wrong. The soul of man, with internal order and proportion in its capacities and faculties, as made by Allah, is appealed to as having been endowed with the power of discriminating between right and wrong.
Men should learn that his success, his prosperity, his salvation depends on himself; and his failure, his decline, his perdition depends on his soiling his soul by choosing evil.

Surah Ash-Shams (The Sun), Verses 1 – 10, The Holy Quran (Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation)

A Treasured Reminder

I went behind the curtain to a room with a clay pot on the floor and sunlight shining through. Walked out and met Omar who took my hand and showed me his ‘playground’. It was sunny, brown earth, stones, a bare place. As we walked, he showed me his ‘home’ (where he slept)– a small one-story building/hut made of grey rocks. As we entered, I could see a simple kitchen area, other than that it was bare inside, and he pointed to a spot where he slept in the next room. Omar tugged at my hand and excitedly led me out to the bright sunshine. We walked on and saw a beautiful green garden on the other side. As we walked back to the room I had come from, he asked me to stay. I knelt down to him, face to face, and I said I could not as our time on earth is determined by Allah. As I spoke, he gave a little frown (of seriousness/curiosity at my words). When I had spoken, he seemed to understand and went happily off to play. - Friday, May 23 2008 (17 Jumaada al-awal 1429)

Email conversation with a fellow revert in Africa

...Yes, it is rather sad the way Islam is portrayed these days. I sometimes sit and observe people (who are Muslims) and ask myself "what went wrong?" There must be a solution. The "situation" as it is makes me wonder where can we start? How do we right so much wrongs?

Firstly I suppose we have to look at ourselves (the more I read/learn, I realise there is so much more I don't know. A humbling feeling). After the knowledge comes the practice; then on to the ummah. This I find rather challenging in Malaysia.

Islam and Malay culture seems to be intertwined to the extent culture, at times, overrides Islam in actions/decisions. I wonder on your observations on this when you were in Malaysia?

When I reverted I received statements such as "Now you are a Malay, you have to speak Malay", "Now you are a Malay, you have to eat with your hands". I was dumbfounded! Then when I decided to wear the headscarf I received a comment from a non-Malay "I didn't know you were a Malay" - I sat the chap down and explained to him the difference between Islam and Malay. Dare I say that the majority of people of other races in Malaysia link Islam to the Malays. Thus when a Malay behaves "inapproriately", it's Islam that gets shot at.

I start with myself in trying to change the "situation". But it seems so far a road ahead. An insignificant me trying to push a heavy load up a mountain. Muslims have to be united. And honestly, if you have any inkling on how we could do this, I would be glad to hear about it!

People are so comfortable with their worldly materials that they have forgotten that this is a temporary place.
___________________
Assalamu'alaikum, sister

Thanks for your last mail.
As for solutions, there are some things that we could do. First of all re-associating the Islamic studies with scientific studies; after all sciences and natural laws are part of Allah's creation. I do not know how it is in M'sia but here in Islamic school the teacher are telling their students that all sciences are evil, brought from the west and that they should concentrate only on studying the Holy Quran.

Very well on religious side but, just ask yourself that question: what are they learning? To repeat entire verses, not understanding the real meaning, just like parrots or tape recorders, as there is no teaching of the Arabic language. Believe me I have seen children of 12 years old that can recite any verse of the Holy Quran but can barely spell their names or add at 9 and 7.

Over here you can wonder, what type of next generation are we preparing to deal with life? Some idiots that will blow themselves up inside a plane because one Mullah told them to do so? What has happened to the science of logic that was once the pride of the Islamic world? So much for mathematic, astronomy, biology and so on and so on. Those were the fleuron of Islam not so long ago.

Do you know that the Crusaders were so much retrograde that they were considered as barbarians by the Muslims, with good reasons!

Just think about it and let me know your thoughts.

Victim of Slander!

Yesterday I was a victim of slander. Slander of a ludicrous notion that somewhere in the past 10 years of my life, I had rejected God! As far back as I can recall, I have always thanked Allah for His guidance and mercy in my rocky road in life; thanked Him for always being by my side through my search for the Ultimate and ‘keeping an eye’ on me even at times I went astray. Many a time (though probably not enough) I have asked forgiveness for my ungratefulness for His divine guidance and mercy, and pray that He does not take away the very little Taqwa and Iman I have, but to increase it as days go by. I also pray to be on the straight path.

“But those who believe and work righteousness, and humble themselves before their Lord, they will be Companions of the Garden, to dwell therein for aye” - Surah Hud (The Prophet Hud), Verse 23, The Holy Quran. ….There is no virtue, quite the contrary, in rubbing our noses to the ground before men. We are not to be arrogant even before men because we are humble in Allah’s sight. Nor does true humility lose self-confidence; for that self-confidence arises from confidence in the support and help of Allah (Abdullah Yusuf Ali).