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Technology and Islam

Technology has always been an important part of teaching and learning environment lately. It is an essential part of the teachers’ profession through which they can use it to facilitate learners’ learning. With technology being part of our everyday lives, it is time to rethink the idea of integrating technology into the curriculum and aim to embed technology into teaching to support the learning process. The trends of teaching change, traditional class which usually teachers as centered of learning seem outdated, it approaches have finished about up to the late 1960s

(Bala. N, Prasad. 2013. Communicative Language Teaching in 21st Century ESL Classroom. Annamarcharya Institute of Technology and Sciences: RAJAMPET-Kadapa District)

Through using technology, learners can control their own learning process and have access to many information over which their teachers cannot control. Technology has an important role in promoting activities for learners and has a significant effect on teachers’ teaching methods, but not everybody agree with it.

They still have different perception when using new technology to integrate English method. Perception relates to the judge or evaluates something. Perception can be the process of interpreting the information about other people. It depends on some background information. It may be energized by both the present and past experience. As a good Muslim, students should have a good opinion and thinking something positively.

As it is interpreted in (Surah Al Baqarah, verse 216) that Muslims though dislike something, and it may be good to them and that they like something which is bad for them. Allah knows but you do not know. Having a good perception is purposed for students who will face and experience new media and tools in the education.

كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَنْ تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَنْ تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

“Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.”

Since Islam was sent to be ‘rahmatan lil ‘alamiin’ Muslims should have positive attitudes dealing with technology, including to the new application and method in education.  It is believed can motivate to learn English language independently. Whatever, it is necessary to consider the importance of motivation to learn and apply new knowledge as recommended in the holy Qur’an.

The Surah Az Zumar: 9, The Great Lord (Allah) said that people who know are not equal with who know not. It is only men of understanding who will remember, because people are willing to do something if they have a motivation.

أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا يَحْذَرُ الْآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ ۗ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ۗ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الْأَلْبَابِ

“Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night, prostrating and standing [in prayer], fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, [like one who does not]? Say, “Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.”

Moreover, in the second Surah related motivation (Surah Al Mujadalah: 11), The Lord (Allah) will exalt in degree those of people who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا قِيلَ لَكُمْ تَفَسَّحُوا۟ فِى ٱلْمَجَٰلِسِ فَٱفْسَحُوا۟ يَفْسَحِ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِذَا قِيلَ ٱنشُزُوا۟ فَٱنشُزُوا۟ يَرْفَعِ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمْ وَٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ دَرَجَٰتٍ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ

Referensi: https://tafsirweb.com/10765-quran-surat-al-mujadilah-ayat-11.html

“O you who have believed, when you are told, “Space yourselves” in assemblies, then make space; Allah will make space for you. And when you are told, “Arise,” then arise; Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.”

To so doing, it is better if try very hard to achieve this ambition and apply motivation to reach it. As said before, The Al Mighty God ‘Allah S.W.T.’ will never change the Muslims fate unless they try hard to change themselves, including changing the quality of education. In addition, they should work hand in hand, cooperate together to make the hard work become easier (Al Maidah: 2).

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُحِلُّوا شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ وَلَا الشَّهْرَ الْحَرَامَ وَلَا الْهَدْيَ وَلَا الْقَلَائِدَ وَلَا آمِّينَ الْبَيْتَ الْحَرَامَ يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرِضْوَانًا ۚ وَإِذَا حَلَلْتُمْ فَاصْطَادُوا ۚ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ أَنْ صَدُّوكُمْ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ أَنْ تَعْتَدُوا ۘ وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

“O you who have believed, do not violate the rites of Allah or [the sanctity of] the sacred month or [neglect the marking of] the sacrificial animals and garlanding [them] or [violate the safety of] those coming to the Sacred House seeking bounty from their Lord and [His] approval. But when you come out of ihram, then [you may] hunt. And do not let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from al-Masjid al-Haram lead you to transgress. And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.”

Allah Almighty

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Should us Do Hajj more than one?

On this case, I would like to share some of my anxieties and worries about the social life of the community which may have become a daily phenomenon even live in social life. Sometimes we do not realize our mistakes in determining what needs to be prioritized with things or cases that can be postponed for the social needs. We sometimes do good things shown as a form of worship to Allah Ta’ala, but still give priority to personal desire. Do not concern yourself with marjuh, and consider it as rajah and do not be busy with mafdhul actions and neglect fadhil actions.

Allah Ta’ala said in Q. S Al-Hujuraat: 13,

It means: “O people, indeed We created you from a man and a woman and made you nation and tribe so that you might know one another. Indeed, the most noble among you by Allah is the most pious among you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing,

عن ابى هريرة قال رسول اللة – صلى اللة علية و سلم .. ان الله لا ينظر الى صوركم و اموالكم و لكن ينظر الى قلوم

In a narration, narrated from Abu Hurairah Abdurrahman bin Syahrin radhiyallahu’anhu, Rasululloh SAW said, “Verily, Allah does not look at your body nor your appearance, but He looks at your heart” [HR. Muslim 2564]

So in the Al-Arbain An-Nawawiyah Hadith in the first hadith written,

From Amir Al-mu’minin, Abu Hafsh ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab radhiyallahu‘ anhu, he said that he heard the Messenger of Allāh SWT ( Nabi SAW) said, “In fact every charity depends on its intention. Everyone will get what he intends. Who migrates because of Allah and His Messenger, then migrated because of Allah and His Messenger. Who migrates because he seeks the world or because of the woman he marries, then moves to the person he is going to “[Narrated from two hadith experts: Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ismail bin Ibrahim bin Mughirah bin Bardizbah Al-Bukhari and Abu Husein Muslim bin Al-Hajjaj bin Muslim Al-Qusyairy An-Naisaburi, in the two most authentic books among all the books of hadith] (1)

In the quotation of Qosidah Imam Abu Al Fath said that: (2)

“…… Because you are considered as a human being with a soul and not a body.”

Quotation from Zuhair ibn Abi Salma in his Mu’allaqat: (3)

“A young man’s tongue is half his pride, and the other half is his heart. If neither of them is in him, then he is nothing but a lump of flesh and blood. “

It can be concluded that, Allah Ta’ala only sees what is in our souls, being a slave to the personal desire is something that should be avoided because it can lead to associating partners with Allah Ta’ala (syirik)

Allah Ta’ala said in Q.S Al-Furqaan: 43,

It means: “Explain to Me the person who made his desire as his Lord. Then can you be the guardian of it? “

The phenomenon that will be my focus in this paper. There is one thing I want to emphasize that not everything I write happens to the same person. There are some people not make the Hajj and Umrah to get recognition. Sheikh Shalih bin Fauzan Al Fauzan said: “Hajj again after the Hajj which must be obligatory mustahab (recommended)”. But it should pay attention to the arrangements made by the government about the terms of quotas per country. Many good things besides Hajj and Umrah can be done, and sometimes the reward is greater than the Hajj.

Without reducing my respect, I want to emphasize that the cost of a Hajj for people who Hajj more than once, is important to be devoted to realizing a social dimension of worship. This suggestion is in line with what was conveyed by KH. Ma’ruf Amin a few years ago that a person who had done the Hajj once (the obligatory hajj) meant that his obligations had been fulfilled. Let’s look at those around us who are more in need, some of whom may sometimes not eat because there is no money or those who have to work hard for their lives but are still lacking. Or maybe it can be channeled to build an islamic organization, coaching cadres or developing its organizations, caring for orphans, giving as much as possible or helping other social activities. Those activities above certainly require a lot of costs. Or it could be that the money can be used against ‘other religion spre that is happening in some areas or it can be donated to help our brothers and sisters in Palestine who definitely need a lot of funds. Or maybe the money can be given to those who are fighting against Covid-19 lately.

Allah Ta’ala says in Q.S At-Taubah 19-21 about the virtues of struggling with Hajj and Umrah

It means: “Do those who drink to those who make the hajj and take care of the Grand Mosque (Masjidil Haram), you equate those who believe in Allah and the next day and strive in the way of Allah? They are not the same in the sight of Allah, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoers. Those who believe and emigrate and strive in the way of Allah with their possessions and themselves are higher in the sight of Allah, and that is the people who get the victory. Their Lord exhorts them by granting mercy from Him, His good pleasure, and heaven, they gain in them eternal pleasure. “

Because the virtue of human practice is to prioritize practices that have many benefits to others. The great benefits that can be felt by others, have the virtue of a great reward in the sight of Allah SWT. The act of fighting is better than Hajj and Umrah. The benefits of the Hajj are only felt by those who carry out the Hajj, while the benefits of jihad (strive in the way of Allah Ta’ala) are felt by everyone. (4)

So there is one narration related it, from ‘Abdush Shomad bin Yazid Al Baghdadly, he said that he had heard Fudhoil bin ‘Iyadh said,

الامام فى الا صىرتها ما مستجابة دعوة لى ان لو

“If I had one mustajab prayer, I would aim it for my leader”, someone asked Imam Fudhoil “Why is that?” if I aim for my leaders, the people and the country will be good ”[Hilyatul Auliya ‘by Abu Nu’im Al Ashfahaniy, 8:77, Darul Ihya’ At Turots Al ‘Iroqiy]

Allahu A’lam

References:

(1) Imam An-Nawawi. 2005. Hadist Arbain An-Nawawiyah: Terjemah Bahasa Indonesia. Surabaya: AW Publisher

(2) Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi. 1996. Sebuah Kajian Baru Berdasarkan Al-Qur’an dan As-Sunnah. Jakarta: Robbani Press

(3) Ibid

(4) Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi. 2014. Fiqh Keutamaan. PTS Islamika:hal. 111

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Ridho (Please) VS Ikhlas (Sincere)

After discussed about the use of the terms ‘taubat‘ and ‘hijrah‘. This time, I will share a bit of the terms ‘ridho‘ and ‘ikhlas‘ and their appropriate use.

There was an ‘ikhtilaf’ (difference of opinion) between ulama about the meaning of the ‘ridho’, some said that the ‘ridho’ was a ‘gift’ (الاحوال) from Allah Ta’ala. Some say that ‘ridho’ is ‘the result of effort’ (المقامات). However, the meaning of the ‘ridho’ can be combined, the beginning of the ‘ridho’ is ‘the result of effort’ then the peak of the ‘ridho‘ is ‘the gift of Allah Ta’ala’

Shaykh Imam Abdul Karim bin Hawazin Al-Qusyairi in the Book of Ar-Risalah Al-Qusyairiyah in the chapter ridho (باب الرضا) said that he heard (الا ستاذ ابا على الدقاق) saying that the ridho did not mean you not feel the test given by Allah, it meant you not reject Allah Ta’ala’s decisions and destiny.

‘Ikhlas’ in this book,

(قال الا ستاذ) والاخلاص افراد ااحق سبحانه فى اطاعة بالقصد وهو ان يريد بطا عته التقرب الى الله سبحانه دون شىء اخر من تصنع لمخلوق او اكتساب محمدة عند الناس او محبة مدح من لخلق او معنى من المعانى سوى التقرب به الى الله تعالى

Ikhlas‘ is only Allah in obedience, wanting all worship aimed at Allah is not made to please creatures, do not want to be praised by people, or want to be praised by creatures or other meanings, all only used to be closer to Allah

يصح ان يقال الا خلاص التوقى عن ملاحظة الاشخاص وقد ورد خبر مسند, ان النبى صلى اللة عليه واله وسلم اخبر عن جبريل عليه السلام عن الله سبحانه وتعالى انه قال الاخلاص سر من سرى استودعته قلب من احببته من عبادى,

There is an opinion saying that ‘ikhlas‘ is guarding the hearts from people, there is a history of the Prophet SAW that the Prophet SAW told Gabriel a.s about Allah Ta’ala. Allah says ‘ikhlas‘ is My secret, I put it in the heart of My beloved servant.

وقال الجنيد الاخلاص سر بين الله و بين العبد لا يعلمه فيكتبه و لا شيطان فيفسده و لا هوى فيميله

Imam Junaid said that ‘ikhlas‘ is between Allah and His servants, unknown angels or unknown demons (satan) or unknown passions .

(You can further see the video on Ustadz H. Abdul Somad, Lc., D.E.S.A., Ph.D (Youtube: Ustadz Abdul Somad Official) in Qiro’ah Ar-Risalah Al-Qusyairiyah)

So, when we have disasters or trials or tests we should not use the term ‘ikhlas to accept Allah’s destiny’ but ‘ridho to accept Allah’s destiny and provisions’. Because ‘ridho‘ means accepting the destiny and provision given by Allah Ta’ala, while ‘ikhlas‘ means all worship is directed to Allah Ta’ala not to others. Allah Almighty

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Taubat VS Hijrah

Ustadz H. Abdul Somad Lc., D.E.S.A., Ph.D read the Book of Ar Risalah Al Qusyairiyah by Sheikh Imam Abdul Karim bin Hawazin Al Qusyairi, in the written ‘taubat’ chapter, that the meaning of ‘taubat’ in Arabic is “ruju’“. ” He ruju’ “means “He returned”. So ‘taubat’ is a return from something that is condemned by the shariah ‘to something that is praised by it (shariah). Rasulullah SAW, said “Regreting mistakes is a ‘taubat'” (H.R. Bukhari and Ahmad).
(For more details, see the video of Ustadz H. Abdul Somad Lc., D.E.S.A., Ph.D in his official account)

The term hijrah for those who have changed, both the lifestyle, how to dress (as shariah) and the attitudes, often call Hijrah.

Hijrah is usually expressed as a move from one place to another or from a condition to another condition, as was carried out by Prophet Muhammad SAW, moved from Mecca to Medina because of various threats from the Quraish.

Moving from something bad to something good, is closer to the meaning of ‘taubat’. In the terms of ‘taubat’ means to repent of sin and ask for forgiveness of sins. Acknowledging mistakes then asking Allah SWT for forgiveness, followed by doing good. Transfering of habits should be named by ‘taubat’ not ‘hijrah’. Allah Almighty

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Takbir does not deny Merdeka

Short but meaningful out of an Indonesian preacher Ustadz H. Abdul Somad Lc., D.E.S.A., Ph.d in his lecture. Bung Tomo also did the same thing on November 10, 1945 in Surabaya to ignite enthusiasm against British and NICA-Dutch troops, who wanted to return to occupy the country after the Japanese defeat.
UAS further said that shouting Takbir does not mean anti-NKRI and shouting Merdeka does not mean atheists. The state of Indonesia is one, although different religions but are brothers. Manifestation of Jihad Resolution is to fight for the country. Allah Almighty

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