Seeking a teacher is obligatory upon each murid, even if he
is a learned scholar.
Persistence (in practice) is better than a thousand
miracles.
Two days ago, a presenter at an IT conference was explaining some issues on security. And she blurted away "root is like a god in UNIX" . I know it was said more for a dramatic effect, and she probably does not believe in god anyway. As ego took over, I grabbed a notepad and scribbled some points on why even though root can execute practically any command, a root is not a god even within its own environment. They are probably seven skies apart, no resemblance nor likeness whatsoever. This all just for fun... you have to understand UNIX to make any sense of my rambling: More importantly, God is able to create anything that could be created and terminate anything that could be terminated. Root's limited power is in effect only within its own shell. It is a superuser at best. Glory to You Allah, there is no knowledge in us except those that You have taught us. Truly You the Most Knowledgable and the Most Wise. Allah please send salawat and salam to our Master Muhammad and to all his family and companions. Allah please place the Imams Abu Hassan Ash-Sha'ari and Abu Mansur al-Maturidi at the highest place amongst those that you love.
God please increase in me knowledge.
I ask protection by the perfect words of Allah, from whatever evil He has created.
Qurban or Udhiya is animal (livestock) sacrifice usually done at the time of Dhuha. It is accepted to slaughter at other times, but could pose problem with time constraint as it takes long time to slaughter, skin and cut the bones and meat.
In mazhab Shafi’i, it is sunnah muakkad to do qurban. This holds for a pilgrim or non-pilgrim alike. Qurban is never obligatory unless stated beforehand as a nazar. A nazar is like a vow where we impose obligation to ourselves to perform something sunnah as an appreciation if something that we wish for materialize.
Qurban could also become obligatory if we put a ta’yin on animal that belongs to us. This is another vow that we make to ourselves such as: "Once this goat matures, I’m going to slaughter it and make a feast."
In comparison to mazhab Hanafi, qurban is obligatory to every person who can afford.
Aqiqah is livestock sacrifice made anytime of the year when a child is born. In a hadith, a child is held ransom until he or she is paid off with an aqiqah. It is said that a child who dies before puberty can give shafa’ah (intercession) to his parents in the akhirah. Imam Ahmad (r.h.) also of the same opinion, but he said parents who have not done aqiqah on their child are not entitled to such shafa’ah.
The time for qurban starts once the sun rises on the day of Nahar (10th of Zulhijjah). However It is preferered to wait until the sun rises about 2 feet up. This time lapses 4 days later - once the sun goes down on the third day of tashriq (13th Zulhijjah).
Animals qualified to be slaughtered could be camels, cattle, buffaloes, sheep, or goats. Meat of a camel, cow, or buffalo can be distributed into 7 equal parts to be shared by 7 persons. 1 such part is equivalent to a whole goat. There is no restriction that all 7 parts of a sacrificed animal be used exclusively for qurban only. From the 7 parts, it is allowed to make 1 part as qurban, another as aqiqah, another to be sold at the meat market, another for family consumption etc.
Among the qualifications are that the animal must be of mature age and it has no defect. A cow missing an earlobe, or tail cut-off, or mad (diseased) all are not fit to be sacrificed since a part of the edibles is missing.
Our prophet (saw) has told us to select a meaty animal for sacrifice. In the day of Judgement, it will become our mount while crossing the Sirot (the bridge that makes the sinners slip down and the faithful pass through). The bridge is the most crucial moment of our life, if you cross safely, there is a good chance that you will be safe in the Akhirah.
If you cannot afford an animal, then you can always share with 6 other fellow muslims. Qurban is the most preferred sadaqah among all recommended sadaqah. (Zakah being the highest ranked sadaqah, but is obligatory.)
There is a hadith that says there are no deeds more noble on the day of nahar than shedding (livestock) blood. Ibnu Abbas (r.anhuma) made further commentary from this hadith that if you cannot afford even 1/7 of an animal, then at least slaughter a chicken. In this case, you get a reward for shedding blood even though you have no reward for qurban.
Allah demands that a financially able person make a qurban ever year.
In a hadith, Allah will give reward for every inch of the slaughtered animal. Even a single strand of hair is taken into account. Imagine the huge reward we get by sacrificing an animal and giving away the meat to the poor who rarely see meat on their dinner table.
The meat and other edible parts are to be given away to the needy, but a portion of them can still be consumed by the person who does the qurban or aqiqah.
It is not right to complain in case we do not get enough of our share of meat. Whenever we perform deeds for the sake of Islam, we should never expect worldly benefit from them. Look instead at the rewards Allah reserves for us in the Akhirah.
As of today, 3 parts of a cow have been pledged for our madrasah. We hope to get 4 more so we can slaughter a single cow and cook the meat for the students. The madrasah is there for the students, so we have to give the meat to them. It is unfortunate that in the past, a cow had been donated to the madrasah, but the meat was all eaten by the guests. The students could only watch from far. Even I myself was not offered.
As for our qurban initiative for the country of Kemboja, we already have 40 cattle. Our target is 50. Anyway my phone has been ringing feverishly, and a lot of interested Muslims have inquired because they want to participate.
Wallahu a'lam
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Pondok Hj Salleh Sik, 29th August 2008
(Note: I went to the pondok not taking a pen with me. Translating this from poor memory, there isn't a lot to write.)
Ustaz Hj Salleh read 3 kitabs: Tafsir Nurul Ihsan, Kifayatul Muhtaj, and 'Aqidatun Najin. His son - Ustaz Muslim - read Bahrul Mazi.
Tafsir Nurul Ihsan (Haji Muhammad Sa'id bin Umar)
As we understand from Surah al-A'raf ayah 172:
Before we were born, Allah called upon our soul and we assembled in front of Him. He asked us: "Am I not your God?"
And we pledged: "Indeed you are". But later we grow up and break this oath.
Kifayat al-Muhtaj fi al-Isra'wa al-Mi'raj (Syaikh Daud al-Fathani)
On the night (Isra' and Mi'raj) that Nabi Muhammad (saw) was summoned by God, a buraq was dispatched as a mean of transport. Buraq is a horse-like animal, its size somewhere between a 'himar' and a 'baghal'.
The buraq was the same mount as had been used by Nabi Ibrahim (as) to travel between lands of Iraq, Syria, and Hijaz thousands years before.
The buraq covered large distance in single leap, while taking care to ensure comfort to its most noble passenger. Jibril (as) flew side by side with them.
They stopped by a hamlet full of date palms. After performing solah, Jibril told Nabi Muhammad (saw) that this place was called 'Yathrib', and he (Muhammad) was set to return to this place in the future.
'Aqidatun Najin (Tuan Minal)
Sifats Ma'ani are the following attributes of Allah:
Hayah, Qudrah, Iradah, 'Ilm, Sama’, Basor, Kalam. 
Each of these 7 attributes "is not Him, but neither it is, other than Him". - لا هي هوا، ولا هي غيره
In explaining this, Ustaz Haji Salleh made this analogy:
A chili (pepper) has a color - green - in character (sifat). Yet green is not the being - not the chili itself. If you take away the 'green', the chili is still a chili. We conclude so because a chili is green when young, and becomes red once mature. A chili without the geen color is still a chili.
In a second example, let's consider a hot water. The sifat in question is 'hot', not the physical being of water itself. If it was, then the water would've diminished in quantity once it cools down.
Bahrul Mazi(Syeikh Muhammad Idris Merbawi)
There is a specific hadith that says there is no solah between 'Asr and Maghrib.
This prohibition is exempted (among all) for following solah:
There are nice pictures posted by penadarwis to show some of the "on-the-path-of-Allah" activities led by Ustaz Zakaria Awang. Charity projects for fellow Muslims. Check them out here:
http://penadarwis2.blogspot.com/
Wallahu a'lam
I thought this blog looked bit dull...So here's a picture of.. something...
http://galerainwater.com/blog/2008/06/13/dogwood-in-the-forest
Overwhelming turnout at Haji Salleh's lesson. Can't say people don't go to traditional lessons anymore can we? People overflowed the prayer hall. They were sitting under the pondoks, rambutan trees, in the stalls... Mothers fanning their babies under the shade... The olds with their "jawi" kitabs while the young ones with the "rumi" version.
The syaikh read 2 kitabs: Tafsir Nurul Ihsan and Aqidatun-Najin (Tauhid).
Kitab Tafsir Nurul Ihsan
During the Day of Judgement, there'll be a group called 'Ashabul-A'raf'. They're sitting at this place where they can see people in Paradise (Ashabul-Jannah) as well as the people in Hell (Ashabun-Naar). They look at those in Paradise, and see their faces glowing with delight. Then they turn to look at those in Hell, whose faces are dark with sorrow.
They are prevented from entering Jannah, yet they are not in Naar. Only after some time Allah says 'GO', and they are admitted into Jannah with his mercy.
Ulama of old differed on who 'Ashabul-A'raf' are. The more established opinion is that these are the people who committed virtue and vice in the same ratio in their lifetime. They did both good and bad.
Kitab Aqidatun-Najin
One of the twenty sifats God has is 'hayyat' - which is 'alive'. This is important for us to establish since without it, the other sifats ma'ani (sama', basor etc) would not be of any impact.
Kitab Bahrul-Mazi
Syaikh Haji Salleh's son Mohammad Muslim gave the commentary (syarah). It is a common neglect these days to follow guidelines in choosing a husband/wife. Among the advise given by ulama as concluded in this kitab:
Finally, last night I was able to follow Ustz Ahmad Jim's Tafsir with the right kitab.
Surah An-Nisa' ayaat 114-122. A lot of ilm I got in 2 hours (ilm tafsir and arabic).
Among them, as narrated in Sahih Bukhari, Allah calls upon Adam at the day of Judgement, and asks:
Did you know that for every 1000 of your descendants raised up from their graves, 999 enter the Hellfire?
I'm sorry can't help from posting this.
Results for Malaysian Election 2008 came out Sunday night- very impressive win for the Islamic based party. All praise due to Allah.
And let's make do'a that Allah make the future better, for Islamic education the traditional way.
Wallahu a'lam
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