Why Islam?

By Dr Laurence Brown

Let’s talk frankly. Almost never do non-Muslims study Islam until they have first exhausted the religions of their exposure. Only after they have grown dissatisfied with the religions familiar to them, meaning Judaism, Christianity and all the fashionable “-isms”—Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism (and, as my young daughter once added, “tourism”)—do they consider Islam.

Perhaps other religions do not answer the big questions of life, such as “Who made us?” and “Why are we here?” Perhaps other religions do not reconcile the injustices of life with a fair and just Creator. Perhaps we find hypocrisy in the clergy, untenable tenets of faith in the canon, or corruption in the scripture. Whatever the reason, we perceive shortcomings in the religions of our exposure, and look elsewhere. And the ultimate “elsewhere” is Islam.

Now, Muslims would not like to hear me say that Islam is the “ultimate elsewhere.” But it is. Despite the fact that Muslims comprise one-fourth to one-fifth of the world’s population, non-Muslim media smears Islam with such horrible slanders that few non-Muslims view the religion in a positive light. Hence, it is normally the last religion seekers investigate.

Another problem is that by the time non-Muslims examine Islam, other religions have typically heightened their skepticism: If every “God-given” scripture we have ever seen is corrupt, how can the Islamic scripture be different? If charlatans have manipulated religions to suit their desires, how can we imagine the same not to have happened with Islam?

The answer can be given in a few lines, but takes books to explain. The short answer is this: There is a God. He is fair and just, and He wants us to achieve the reward of paradise. However, God has placed us in this worldly life as a test, to weed out the worthy from the unworthy. And we will be lost if left to our own devices. Why? Because we don’t know what He wants from us. We can’t navigate the twists and turns of this life without His guidance, and hence, He has given us guidance in the form of revelation.

Sure, previous religions have been corrupted, and that is one of the reasons why we have a chain of revelation. Ask yourself: wouldn’t God send another revelation if the preceding scriptures were impure? If preceding scriptures were corrupted, humans would need another revelation, to keep upon the straight path of His design.

So we should expect preceding scriptures to be corrupted, and we should expect the final revelation to be pure and unadulterated, for we cannot imagine a loving God leaving us astray. What we can imagine is God giving us a scripture, and men corrupting it; God giving us another scripture, and men corrupting it again … and again, and again. Until God sends a final revelation He promises to preserve until the end of time.

Muslims consider this final revelation to be the Holy Quran. You consider it … worth looking into. So let us return to the title of this article: Why Islam? Why should we believe that Islam is the religion of truth, the religion that possesses the pure and final revelation?

“Oh, just trust me.”

Now, how many times have you heard that line? A famous comedian used to joke that people of different cities cuss one another out in different ways. In Chicago, they cuss a person out this way, in Los Angeles they cuss a person out that way, but in New York they just say, “Trust me.”

So don’t trust me—trust our Creator. Read the Quran, read books and study good websites. But whatever you do, get started, take it seriously, and pray for our Creator to guide you.

Your life may not depend on it, but your soul most definitely does.

Copyright © 2007 Dr. Laurence B. Brown; used by permission.

Dr. Brown is the author of The Eighth Scroll, described by North Carolina State Senator Larry Shaw as, “Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code. The Eighth Scroll is a breath-holding, white-knuckled, can’t-put-down thriller that challenges Western views of humanity, history and religion. Bar none, the best book in its class!” Dr. Brown is also the author of three scholastic books of comparative religion, MisGod’ed, God’ed, and Bearing True Witness (Dar-us-Salam). His books and articles can be found on his websites, www.EighthScroll.com and www.LevelTruth.com, and are available for purchase through www.Amazon.com.

Could I Deal with God Directly?

By Hayat Anne Collins Osman

I was raised in a religious Christian family. At that time, Americans were more religious than they are now—most families went to church every Sunday, for example. My parents were involved in the church community. We often had ministers (Protestant “priests”) in the house. My mother taught in Sunday school, and I helped her.

I must have been more religious than other children, although I don’t remember being so. For one birthday, my aunt gave me a Bible, and my sister a doll. Another time, I asked my parents for a prayer book, and I read it daily for many years.

When I was in junior high school (middle school), I attended a Bible study program for two years. Up to this point, I had read some parts of the Bible, but had not understood them very well. Now was my chance to learn. Unfortunately, we studied many passages in the Old and New Testaments that I found inexplicable, even bizarre.

For example, the Bible teaches an idea called Original Sin, which means that humans are all born sinful. I had a baby brother, and I knew that babies were not sinful.

The Bible has very strange and disturbing stories about Prophet Abraham and Prophet David, for example. I couldn’t understand how Prophets could behave the way the Bible says they did.

There were many, many other things that puzzled me about the Bible, but I didn't ask questions. I was afraid to ask—I wanted to me known as a “good girl.”

Al-Hamdulillah, there was a boy who asked, and kept asking. The most critical matter was the notion of Trinity. I couldn’t get it. How could God have three parts, one of which was human? Having studied Greek and Roman mythology at school, I thought the idea of the Trinity and powerful human saints very similar to the Greek and Roman ideas of having different so-called “gods” that were in charge of different aspects of life (Astaghfir-Ullah!). The boy who asked, asked many questions about Trinity, received many answers, and was never satisfied. Neither was I. Finally, our teacher, a University of Michigan Professor of Theology, told him to pray for faith. I prayed.

When I was in high school, I secretly wanted to be a nun. I was drawn to the pattern of offering devotions at set times of day, of a life devoted entirely to God, and of dressing in a way that declared my religious lifestyle. An obstacle to this ambition, though, was that I wasn’t Catholic. I lived in a Midwestern town where Catholics were a distinct and unpopular minority! Furthermore, my protestant upbringing had instilled in me distaste for religious statuary, and a healthy disbelief that dead saints had the ability to help me.

In college, I continued to think and pray. Students often talk and argue about religion, and I heard many different ideas. Like Yusuf Islam, I studied the Eastern so-called religions: Buddhism, Confucianism, and Hinduism. No help there.

I met a Muslim from Libya, who told me a little about Islam and the Holy Qur’an. He told me that Islam is the modern, most up-to-date form of revealed religion. Because I thought of Africa and the Middle East as backwards places, I couldn’t see Islam as modern.

My family took this Libyan brother to a Christmas church service. The service was breathtakingly beautiful, but at the end, he asked, “Who made up this procedure? Who taught you when to stand and bow and kneel? Who taught you how to pray?” I told him about early Church history, but his question made me angry at first, and later made me think.

Had the people who designed the worship service really been qualified to do so? How had they known the form that worship should take? Had they had divine instruction?

I knew that I did not believe in many of the teachings of Christianity, but continued to attend church. When the congregation recited pieces I believed to be blasphemous, such as the Nicene Creed, I was silent—I didn’t recite them. I felt almost alien in church, almost a stranger.

A shocker! Someone very close to me, having dire marital problems, went to a curate of our church for advice. Taking advantage of her pain and self-loathing, he took her to a motel and seduced her.

Up to this point, I had not considered carefully the role of the clergy in Christian life. Now I had to. Most Christians believe that forgiveness comes through the “Holy Communion” service, and that an ordained priest or minister must conduct the service. No minister, no absolution.

I went to church again, and sat and looked at the ministers in front. They were no better than the congregation—some of them were worse. How could it be true that the agency of a man, of any human being, was necessary for communion with God? Why couldn’t I deal with God directly, and receive His absolution directly?

Soon after this, I found a translation of the meaning of the Qur’an in a bookstore, bought it, and started to read it. I read it, off and on, for eight years. During this time, I continued to investigate other religions.

I grew increasingly aware of and afraid of my sins. How could I know whether God would forgive me? I no longer believed that the Christian model, the Christian way of being forgiven, would work. My sins weighed heavily on me, and I didn’t know how to escape the burden of them. I longed for forgiveness. I read in the Qur’an,

“…Nearest among them in love to the Believers you will find those who say, ‘We are Christian’: Because amongst them are Men devoted to learning, and men who have renounced the world and are not arrogant.

“And when they listen to the revelation received by the Messenger, you will see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize the truth. They pray, ‘Our Lord! We believe. Write us down among the witnesses.

[And what (reason) have we that we should not believe in Allah and in the truth that has come to us, while we earnestly desire that our Lord should cause us to enter with the good people?] (Al-Ma’idah 5:84)

I began to hope that Islam held the answer. How could I find out for sure?

I saw Muslims praying on the TV news, and knew that they had a special way of praying. I found a book (by a non-Muslim) that described it, and I tried to do it myself (I knew nothing of Taharah, and did not pray correctly). I prayed that way, secretly and alone, for several years.

Finally, about eight years after first buying my Qur’an, I read:

[This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor for you, and chosen Islam as your religion.] (Al-Ma’idah 5:3)

I wept for joy, because I knew that, way back in time, before the creation of the Earth, Allah had written this Qur’an for me. Allah had known that Anne Collins, in Cheektowaga, NY, USA, would read this verse of the Qur’an in May 1986, and be saved.

Now, I knew that there were many things I had to learn, for example, how to pray properly, which the Qur’an does not describe in detail. The problem was that I didn’t know any Muslims.

Muslims are much more visible in the US now than they were then. I didn’t know where to find them. I found the phone number of the Islamic Society in the phone book, and dialed it, but when a man answered, I panicked and hung up. What was I going to say? How would they answer me? Would they be suspicious? Why would they want me, when they had each other and their Islam?

In the next couple of months, I called the mosque a number of times, and each time panicked and hung up. Finally, I did the cowardly thing: I wrote a letter asking for information. The kindly, patient brother at the mosque phoned me, and then started sending me pamphlets about Islam. I told him I wanted to be Muslim, but he told me, “Wait until your are sure.” It upset me that he told me to wait, but I knew he was right, that I had to be sure because, once I had accepted Islam, nothing would ever be the same again.

I became obsessed with Islam. I thought about it, day and night. On several occasions, I drove to the mosque (at that time, it was in an old converted house) and circled it many times, hoping to see a Muslim, wondering what it was like inside.

Finally, one day in early November 1986, as I was working in the kitchen, I suddenly knew, knew that I was Muslim. Still a coward, I sent the mosque a letter. It said, “I believe in Allah, the One True God, I believe that Muhammad was his Messenger, and I want to be counted among the witnesses.”

The brother called me on the phone the next day, and I said my shahadah* on the phone to him. He told me then that Allah had forgiven all my sins at that moment, and that I was as pure as a newborn baby.

I felt the burden of sin slip off my shoulders, and wept for joy. I slept little that night, weeping, and repeating Allah’s name. Forgiveness had been granted. Alhamdulillah.

*The statement a person makes when accepting Islam (and many times a day thereafter: I testify that there is no deity other than Allah, and I testify that Muhammad (SAAWS) was a Messenger of Allah.

9/11 - The Day I Became a Muslim

By Robert Salaam

9/11 is a day of reflection for me for several reasons.

On 9/11 I found out that:

1. I really was a Marine

2. I was willing to die for my country

3. Islam is in fact not only a religion of peace, but the truth

Most people have no problem with 1 and 2 when I ordinarily re-tell this story, but number 3 is always met with hostility. Without going into the story again as I have a thousand times, I just want to cover the main points.

1: When I joined the Marine Corps in 1998 it was a different world per se. Most of my peers joined the military as an alternative to staying home or not going to college. Many like me joined the Marine Corps simply to be part of the best miliatary organization on the planet (sorry Army). However, that was it in a nutshell. There were no dreams of war and combat no matter how much warrior training I had. It was good stuff to know, it felt good to know I could if I wanted to, but I was content behind my desk and flying with President Clinton to the Harley David factory in Pennsylvania or to South Beach, Miami. That was the extent of my career until 9/11.

That day, I found out that I truly was a Marine, that day the warrior in me came alive and I wanted nothing more than to fight the scum that dared attack the USA the greatest nation on Earth!. That day I found out that even a bunch of spoiled, Presidential, airwingers, were still Marines and we were ready to go and do what Marines do.

That day that Eagle, Globe, and Anchor took over and the true warrior that I didn’t even know existed came alive. That day more than any other day, I was a Marine!

2: Given the gravity of the day, I knew something had to be done. I didn’t know what, but I knew it had to be something. I began to think of all the medal of honor winners who gave their lives in the service of others. I never truly understood that, but on 9/11 something came over me. I knew that if fanatical killers were willing to do this, than I had to be equally willing to do whatever it took to defeat them.

I didn’t know what to think, but I knew one thing, if I had to die, I wanted it to be in the service of my country. I never felt that way before, on 9/10 I wore a uniform, but it was just a “job” to a degree, but on 9/11 I swore by that uniform and what Marines have lived and died for and was ready to join their ranks if need be.

I remember around 10 am before the base phones shut down calling my mother and she answered crying, the most I could muster was “Mom I love you, tell everyone I love them, but now I have to do what I get paid to do” right there out of no where in one line I told my mother that our conversation may have been the last, and in that moment of clarity there was peace. I knew what had to be done and I truly didn’t care about the costs, as long as America won.

3. This has always been the most difficult thing to explain and it still is. On 9/11 we were on “standby” for more than 14hrs. We didn’t see any “action” and we just hurried up and waited, and waited, and waited, and then it was 9/12. As things started to develop and get sorted out after that horrible day, I began to reflect. Mostly about 1 and 2 but then I began to ask myself questions: Who were these people that did this? Why would they do this? Are their beliefs that crazy that they are willing to kill themselves and many others for it? I asked myself these questions over and over.

My only solution was research. I wanted to know my enemy so that I may be better prepared to kill them. As a devout Christian, lay leader, bible study leader, etc. I wanted to see this murderous book for myself so that I may be able to inform my friends, group, and congregation. I never met a Muslim in my life all I knew was the church, so I decided to go straight to the horse’s mouth…the Quran.

As things were eased on the base in the following days, I decided to go to the bookstore and I bought it a Koran. My first one. It was in complete English, no Arabic in sight. So with a scornful look and disdain in my heart I began to read… The very first thing I read was:

The Opening

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:

Praise be to God, the Lord of the Universe.

The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

King of the Day of Judgment.

You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help

Guide us to the straight way;

The way of those whom you have blessed, not of those who have deserved anger, nor of those who stray.

In the name of God, the Most Gracious and Merciful! What in the world! I thought I’m supposed to be reading about killing Christians in the name of some other god or something. Where’s all the violence and advocation of such against America? This opening, sounded much like my prayers, so I began to read on…

As I read on I learned many things like God is One, fighting is only ordained in self-defense against oppression, respect for others religions and places of worship, Muslims believed in the Prophets of the Bible and in Jesus albeit a little differently, but heh there were Christians that believed the same things about Jesus too! In other words I found none of what I expected, I found no smoking gun, what little so-called violence I did find was nothing more than historical happenings, that didn’t shape the larger context of the books call for patience, prayer, and balance. It didn’t read purely as a historical book although there was history in it, it didn’t read purely as a book of dogma, although there was dogma in it, to me the most remarkable thing to me was that the author seemed to be speaking directly to me and not through 3rd and 4th parties. For every question I asked there was an answer, for every answer given, the text itself asked me a question.

The book forced me to think, challenged me, and reasoned with me. This was a book of reason, this was a book of discussion, this book made me stronger in my desire for God. Any book that could do that in of itself, without the aid of a person reading it to me had to have divine Origins!

Of course, this began to baffle me. Emotions began to be confounded at times, I didn’t know what to think, but I knew one think, I believed in this text and I wanted to be part of those who did. Obviously those murders couldn’t have read the same book! We must be reading two different things.

I began to care less and less about the murderers and what they got out of the text and more and more about what I got out of the text. Somehow they got murder and intollerance, I got love for God, man, and peace. No more did I have to believe that those who didn’t believe as I did were bound to hell, now I could believe in the unity of faith, I could believe that all of mankind was destined to God and God loved everyone not just an elect group!

Naturally, all of this shook me at my foundation, my core, so the best I could do was share these thoughts with my mentor and pastor, my grandfather. I expected him to chastise me and tell me Satan was confusing me, but instead, he said he believes Islam to be on the same path as Judaism and Christianity, he believed that they all have a central Origin and a central destination. He believed that while the family of Abraham (pbuh) didn’t always agree on many points, they are still family nonetheless.

At that point, slack jawed, I realized that my new ways weren’t a hindrance or some kind of satanic confusion, but another path and journey God had put me on, He knows what he is up to.

This all happened within weeks of 9/11. Imagine the surprise to all those I knew when I told them I was converting to Islam. Imagine the surprise when I had my dog tags and records changed from “Christian” to “Muslim”. Many didn’t take it well, and many don’t today. But faith is like that. We don’t often have as much control as we would like to believe. If we truly believe then we will be able to carry our cross no matter what.

And talk about a cross to carry! I have been called it all: Naive, Traitor, fake, etc. I have been told that I never was a Christian or good Christian to begin with and that’s how I left so “easily” as if they know! I have been asked how I could change to the enemies religion while my country was under attack, my service has been questioned, my loyalty, etc. etc.

The problem is many can’t or won’t seperate the religion from the people, unless of course the religion is Christianity or Judaism!

Never mind that I served another 3 years honorably in the Marine Corps as a Muslim. Never mind that I have worked for this nations highest office as a Muslim, nevermind that since the Marine Corps I have worked and served in agencies many other Americans only dream about, can only see on the outside, and in many instances don’t even know where they exist! All this as a Muslim.

But I digress…All these years, not much has changed. Many still hate Islam and Muslims, many Muslims still defend their faith and themselves, and many Muslims still commit the actions that help fuel the flames of this hate.

I just pray on this day of reflection, that we as Americans, that we as humanity begin to reflect more on our similarities then our differences. I pray that we overcome our prejudices and ignorance and learn to work together. I pray that we come together to destroy radicalism and extremism in all it’s forms. I pray that we realize that it is our differences that not only make God Great, but give us a reason and drive to want to get to know one another.

“O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware.” [Quran 49:13]

 Resources: http://www.whyislam.org

How I came to Islam – by Yusuf Islam

From Musician to Muslim by Allah’s Will

All I have to say is all what you know already, to confirm what you already know, the message of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as given by God – the Religion of Truth. As human beings we are given a consciousness and a duty that has placed us at the top of creation. Man is created to be God’s deputy on earth, and it is important to realize the obligation to rid ourselves of all illusions and to make our lives a preparation for the next life. Anybody who misses this chance is not likely to be given another, to be brought back again and again, because it says in Qur’an Majeed that when man is brought to account, he will say, “O Lord, send us back and give us another chance.” The Lord will say, “If I send you back you will do the same.”

My Early Religious Upbringing

I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the high life of show business. I was born in a Christian home, but we know that every child is born in his original nature – it is only his parents that turn him to this or that religion. I was given this religion (Christianity) and thought this way. I was taught that God exists, but there was no direct contact with God, so we had to make contact with Him through Jesus – he was in fact the door to God. This was more or less accepted by me, but I did not swallow it all.

I looked at some of the statues of Jesus; they were just stones with no life. And when they said that God is three, I was puzzled even more but could not argue. I more or less believed it, because I had to have respect for the faith of my parents.

Pop Star

Gradually I became alienated from this religious upbringing. I started making music. I wanted to be a big star. All those things I saw in the films and on the media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my God, the goal of making money. I had an uncle who had a beautiful car. “Well,” I said, “he has it made. He has a lot of money.” The people around me influenced me to think that this was it; this world was their God.

I decided then that this was the life for me; to make a lot of money, have a ‘great life.’ Now my examples were the pop stars. I started making songs, but deep down I had a feeling for humanity, a feeling that if I became rich I would help the needy. (It says in the Qur’an, we make a promise, but when we make something, we want to hold onto it and become greedy.)

So what happened was that I became very famous. I was still a teenager, my name and photo were splashed in all the media. They made me larger than life, so I wanted to live larger than life and the only way to do that was to be intoxicated (with liquor and drugs).

In Hospital

After a year of financial success and ‘high’ living, I became very ill, contracted TB and had to be hospitalized. It was then that I started to think: What was to happen to me? Was I just a body, and my goal in life was merely to satisfy this body? I realized now that this calamity was a blessing given to me by Allah, a chance to open my eyes – “Why am I here? Why am I in bed?” – and I started looking for some of the answers. At that time there was great interest in the Eastern mysticism. I began reading, and the first thing I began to become aware of was death, and that the soul moves on; it does not stop. I felt I was taking the road to bliss and high accomplishment. I started meditating and even became a vegetarian. I now believed in ‘peace and flower power,’ and this was the general trend. But what I did believe in particular was that I was not just a body. This awareness came to me at the hospital.

One day when I was walking and I was caught in the rain, I began running to the shelter and then I realized, ‘Wait a minute, my body is getting wet, my body is telling me I am getting wet.’ This made me think of a saying that the body is like a donkey, and it has to be trained where it has to go. Otherwise, the donkey will lead you where it wants to go.

Then I realized I had a will, a God-given gift: follow the will of God. I was fascinated by the new terminology I was learning in the Eastern religion. By now I was fed up with Christianity. I started making music again and this time I started reflecting my own thoughts. I remember the lyric of one of my songs. It goes like this: “I wish I knew, I wish I knew what makes the Heaven, what makes the Hell. Do I get to know You in my bed or some dusty cell while others reach the big hotel?” and I knew I was on the Path.

I also wrote another song, “The Way to Find God Out.” I became even more famous in the world of music. I really had a difficult time because I was getting rich and famous, and at the same time, I was sincerely searching for the Truth. Then I came to a stage where I decided that Buddhism is all right and noble, but I was not ready to leave the world. I was too attached to the world and was not prepared to become a monk and to isolate myself from society.

I tried Zen and Ching, numerology, tarot cards and astrology. I tried to look back into the Bible and could not find anything. At this time I did not know anything about Islam, and then, what I regarded as a miracle occurred. My brother had visited the mosque in Jerusalem and was greatly impressed that while on the one hand it throbbed with life (unlike the churches and synagogues which were empty), on the other hand, an atmosphere of peace and tranquility prevailed.

The Qur’an

When he came to London he brought back a translation of the Qur’an, which he gave to me. He did not become a Muslim, but he felt something in this religion, and thought I might find something in it also.

And when I received the book, a guidance that would explain everything to me – who I was; what was the purpose of life; what was the reality and what would be the reality; and where I came from – I realized that this was the true religion; religion not in the sense the West understands it, not the type for only your old age. In the West, whoever wishes to embrace a religion and make it his only way of life is deemed a fanatic. I was not a fanatic, I was at first confused between the body and the soul. Then I realized that the body and soul are not apart and you don’t have to go to the mountain to be religious. We must follow the will of God. Then we can rise higher than the angels. The first thing I wanted to do now was to be a Muslim.

I realized that everything belongs to God, that slumber does not overtake Him. He created everything. At this point I began to lose the pride in me, because hereto I had thought the reason I was here was because of my own greatness. But I realized that I did not create myself, and the whole purpose of my being here was to submit to the teaching that has been perfected by the religion we know as Al-Islam. At this point I started discovering my faith. I felt I was a Muslim. On reading the Qur’an, I now realized that all the Prophets sent by God brought the same message. Why then were the Jews and Christians different? I know now how the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and that they had changed His Word. Even the Christians misunderstand God’s Word and called Jesus the son of God. Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur’an; it asks you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One Who has created everything. The Qur’an asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God’s creation in general. Do you realize how different the sun is from the moon? They are at varying distances from the earth, yet appear the same size to us; at times one seems to overlap the other.

Even when many of the astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space. They become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allah.

When I read the Qur’an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt that the only answer for me was the Qur’an, and God had sent it to me, and I kept it a secret. But the Qur’an also speaks on different levels. I began to understand it on another level, where the Qur’an says,

“Those who believe do not take disbelievers for friends and the believers are brothers.”

Thus at this point I wished to meet my Muslim brothers.

Conversion

Then I decided to journey to Jerusalem (as my brother had done). At Jerusalem, I went to the mosque and sat down. A man asked me what I wanted. I told him I was a Muslim. He asked what was my name. I told him, “Stevens.” He was confused. I then joined the prayer, though not so successfully. Back in London, I met a sister called Nafisa. I told her I wanted to embrace Islam and she directed me to the New Regent Mosque. This was in 1977, about one and a half years after I received the Qur’an. Now I realized that I must get rid of my pride, get rid of Iblis, and face one direction. So on a Friday, after Jummah’ I went to the Imam and declared my faith (the Kalimah) at this hands. You have before you someone who had achieved fame and fortune. But guidance was something that eluded me, no matter how hard I tried, until I was shown the Qur’an. Now I realize I can get in direct contact with God, unlike Christianity or any other religion. As one Hindu lady told me, “You don’t understand the Hindus. We believe in one God; we use these objects (idols) to merely concentrate.” What she was saying was that in order to reach God, one has to create associates, that are idols for the purpose. But Islam removes all these barriers. The only thing that moves the believers from the disbelievers is the salat. This is the process of purification.

Finally I wish to say that everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah and pray that you gain some inspirations from my experiences. Furthermore, I would like to stress that I did not come into contact with any Muslim before I embraced Islam. I read the Qur’an first and realized that no person is perfect. Islam is perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) we will be successful. May Allah give us guidance to follow the path of the ummah of Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Ameen!

– Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)

Taken from

http://www.islamtomorrow.com/converts/yusuf_islam.asp

THE AMAZING QURAN - DR GARY MILLER

By Gary Miller

Introduction

The Quran is the last revealed Word of God. It is a record of the exact words revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the Angel Gabriel. It was then dictated to his Companions who memorized it, and it was written down by scribes. The Quran is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad fourteen centuries ago. Not one word of its 114 chapters has been changed over the centuries.The Quran deals with all subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures.

There are also many verses in the Quran concerned with natural phenomena that are astounding. It is impossible to explain their presence in humans terms, given the state of knowledge at the time the Quran was revealed.

In the West, such statements had never before formed the subject of a scientific communication until recent times. On 9th November 1976, an unusual lecture was given at the French Academy of Medicine. Its title was ‘Physiological and Embryological data in the Quran’ and was delivered by the famous French physician Dr. Maurice Bucaille. His reason for doing this was that “our knowledge of these disciplines is such, that it is impossible to explain how a text produced at the time of the Quran could have contained ideas that have only been discovered in modern times.The citations included in this pamphlet appeared in the Quran during the 7th century C.E.

The Prophet Muhammad was himself illiterate and was living among illiterate people. The Arabs at that time worshipped idols and believed in horoscope and magic and were superstitious. The Arabs very actively opposed the teachings advanced by the Prophet through his revelations.This short article is for you to read and to consider. Because the subject matter is so vast, we have space to mention only a few brief facts from the Amazing Qur’an.

The Creation of the Universe

“Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We clove them asunder? And We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?”(21:30) This verse is specifically addressed to non-believers, and touches upon the creation of the universe and the origins of all life. The Quran mentions the existence of a gaseous mass (41:11) which is unique and whose elements, although at first fused together  subsequently became separated (fatq). The separation process resulted in the formation of multiple worlds, a notion which crops up dozens of times in the Quran (1:1): “Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.” [1,2]

The Origins of Life

“And We made from water every living thing.Will they not then believe?” (21:30)

The building blocks of all living things are called cells. They are the basic units of life.

Protoplasm (cytoplasm nucleus) is the substance of all living things. Cytoplasm is a jelly-like material consisting of water and dissolved substances. The constitution of protoplasm is about 80-85% water. Without water life is not possible. [2]

None of the myths on the origins of life that abounded at the time of the Quran are present in the text. Furthermore, the fact that all life originated from water would not have been a very easy thing to convince people of 1400 years ago, especially in the desert!

The Expansion of the Universe

The expansion of the universe is the most imposing discovery of modern science. Today it is a firmly established concept and the only debate centres around the way this is taking place.

“The heaven, We have built it with power. Verily, We are expanding it.” (51:47)‘We are expanding it’ is the translation of the plural present particle musi’una of the verb ausa’a meaning “to make wider, more spacious, to extend, to expand.” Some translators were unable to grasp the meaning and provided mistaken translations. Others sense the meaning, but were afraid to commit themselves eg. Hamidullah talks of the widening of the heavens and space, but he includes a question mark. Zidan & Zidan, and The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs refer to the expansion of the universe in totally unambiguous terms. [1,2]

The Mountains

Mountains have always been looked upon as conspicuous landforms, characterized by lofty protrusions above their surroundings, high peaks and steep sides. However, the Quran accurately describes mountains as stabilizers for the Earth that hold its outer surface firmly, lest it should shake with us, and as pickets (or pegs) which hold that surface downwardly as a means of fixation.”Have we not made the earth an expanse, and the mountains stakes (awtad)?” (78:6-7) and “And God cast into the ground mountains standing so that it does not shake with you.” (31:10). [1,3]

The Developing Human Embryo

Statements referring to human reproduction and development are scattered throughout the Quran. It is only recently that the scientific meaning of some of these verses has been fully appreciated. The Quran determines that human development passes through stages (39:6). The realization that the human embryo develops in stages was not discussed and illustrated until the 15th century.

The staging of human embryos was not described until the 20th century. Streeter (1941) developed the first system of staging which has now been replaced by a more accurate system proposed by O’Rahilly (1972). However, the Quran was the first source to mention this (23:12-16).

The Quran and Hadith also state that both parents share in the origins of the offspring: “O mankind! We created you from male and female.” (49:13) and “We created mankind from a mixed drop (nutfah-amshaj).” (76:2) The mixed drop refers to the mixture and convergence of a small quantity of sperms with the ovum (and its associated follicular fluid) to form the zygote. It has the form of a drop and consists of a mixture of male and female secretions.”Then we made the drop into a leech-like structure (‘alaqah).” (23:14) ‘alaqah in Arabic means (i) to cling and stick to a thing; (ii) a leech or bloodsucker; (iii) a suspended thing; and (iv) a blood clot.

Amazingly, each of the meanings for ‘alaqah can be applied to human prenatal development.For example, taking ‘alaqah to mean a leech we find that the embryo is surrounded by amniotic fluid just as a leech is surrounded by water. The human embryo clings to the mothers womb, in the same way that a leech clings to the skin. A leech is a pear shaped organism and thrives on bloodsucking. The diagram above clearly indicates that the shape of the embryo does in fact resemble a leech! At this stage the cardiovascular system has started appearing and the embryo is now dependant on the maternal blood for its nutrition like a leech! As there were no microscopes or lenses available in the 7th century, people could not have known that the embryo has this leech-like appearance.”Then out of that leech-like structure We made a chewed lump (mudghah).” This statement is from Surah 23:14. The Arabic word mudghah means “chewed substance or chewed lump.” Towards the end of the 4th week, the human embryo looks somewhat like a chewed lump of flesh. The chewed appearance results from the somites which resemble teeth marks. The somites represent the beginnings of the vertebrae (backbone). (For a detailed discussion concerning the Quran and modern embryology see 1,2,4,5,6).

Lost Civilizations

In the 89th chapter of the Quran, the city of “Iram” is mentioned: “Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with Aad, of the city of Iram, with lofty pillars the like of which was never created in any land?” Iram has been unknown to history, so much so that it apparently became an embarrassment to some Muslim commentators of the Holy Quran. In 1975, in North-Western Syria the ancient city of Ebla was excavated. Ebla is over 4500 years old. In the ruins of the Palace Library they found the largest collection of cuneiform clay tablets ever discovered – around 15,000. Written in the oldest Semitic language yet identified, the tablets reveal that Ebla rivalled Egypt and Mesopotamia as a major power of the ancient world. They found in there a record of all the cities that Ebla used to do business with including one IRAM! [7,8,9]

What happened to the body of Pharaoh of the Exodus?

The Biblical version of Pharaoh’s story states that he was drowned in the pursuit of Prophet Moses (Exodus 14:28-29). Unknown to the world till only of late, the Holy Quran made a definite prediction about the preservation of the body of that same Pharaoh of Moses’ time 10:90-92: “This day We shall save you in your body so that you may be a sign for those that come after you”. The body was discovered in the tomb of Amenhotep II in 1898. [2,12]

The resting place of Noah’s Ark

The Bible states that “And the Ark rested… upon the mountains of Ararat.” Genesis 8:4. According to the Holy Quran (11:44): “The Ark came to rest upon Al-Judi.” According to recent evidence from an archaeological find in Eastern Turkey, experts believe they may have discovered the remains of an ancient vessel whose dimensions mirror those of Noah’s Ark as told in the Bible. However, the discovery was made on Al-Judi! [10,11]

The Holy Quran:- God’s final Guidance to Mankind

“How could a man, from being illiterate, become the most important author in terms of literary merits in the whole of Arabic literature? How could he the pronounce facts of a scientific nature that no other human being could have possibly known at that time, and all this, without once making the slightest error in his pronouncement on the subject?” (Dr. Maurice Bucaille).

You owe it to yourself to find out the TRUTH about : ISLAM, the Holy Quran and the Life and teachings of God’s final Messenger, Muhammad.

The message of ISLAM is simple:

There is nothing worthy of worship except GOD alone, and Muhammad is his messenger and servant. There are today, over one-thousand million followers of ISLAM. Find out the truth!

NOTES:

[1] VIDEO TAPE: This is the TRUTH

[2] The Bible, the Qur’an & Science, by Dr. Maurice Bucaille, American Trust Publications.

[3] The Geological concept of Mountains in the Qur’an, by Prof. Z. R. El-Nagger, IIIE, USA.

[4] “A scientist’s interpretation of references to embryology in the Qur’an.”, Keith L. Moore, Journal of the Islamic Medical Association of North America (18:15) 1986.

[5] The Developing Human: Clinically oriented embryology with ISLAMIC ADDITIONS, Keith L. Moore and A. A. Azzindani, 3rd Ed., Dar Al-Qiblah and WB Saunders, 1983.

[6] Human Development as Described in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Various contributors, Islamic Academy for Scientific Research, ISBN 0-9627234-1-4, 1992.

[7] The Amazing Qur’an, Gary Miller.

[8] National Geographic, December, 1978.

[9] Ebla – A revelation in archaeology, Chaim Bermant and Michael Weitzman, Time Books, 1979.

[10] VIDEO TAPE: Quest for the Ark, Channel 4 documentary.

[11] The Discovery of Noah’s Ark, D. Fasold, Wynwood Press, 1988.

[12] Moses and Pharaoh: The Hebrews in Egypt, Dr. Maurice Bucaille, NTT Mediascope Inc., Japan, 1994

Resources: http://www.whyislam.org

24.2.2014

Hakikat Setiap Bernyawa

Oleh Mohd Fadly Samsudin

SETIAP makhluk bernyawa akan merasai kematian namun bila saat kematian itu akan tiba tiada seorang pun tahu. Yang pasti, giliran kita menjadi jemputan Allah akan tiba bila-bila masa.

Adakah kita bersedia menghadapinya atau masih lagi lalai hingga terlupa sedetik masa berlalu kematian semakin hampiri kita?

Sering kali juga kita mendengar kematian, tetapi sejauh manakah kita mengambil iktibar daripada kematian yang berlaku sama ada dalam kalangan keluarga, sahabat atau jiran tetangga.

Bayangkan ruang di liang lahad yang sempit serta gelap gelita hanya seorang diri. Tidak ada lagi masa dan peluang untuk memperbaiki kesalahan lalu. 

Ketika itu, kita tidak mampu lagi keluar dan kembali ke dunia nyata untuk bertemu orang yang kita sayangi.

Bagi orang beriman, mereka hendaklah sentiasa berdoa supaya dapat mengakhiri 'pengembaraan' di dunia ini dalam keadaan khusnul khatimah (pengakhiran yang baik).

Lakukanlah persediaan pada setiap masa untuk bertemu dengan Allah supaya amalan yang dilakukan di muka bumi ini dikira sebagai amalan soleh.

Barangkali ada di antara kita pernah menyembahyangkan atau mengusung jenazah ke tanah perkuburan namun satu hari akan tiba giliran kita yang akan disembahyangkan serta diusung untuk disemadikan.

Itulah hakikat kematian yang waktunya tidak boleh ditangguhkan atau dipercepatkan walaupun sesaat. Dalam sebuah hadis menceritakan bagaimana hendak mengubati hati yang berkarat.

Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda yang bermaksud "Sesungguhnya hati manusia itu akan berkarat seperti mana karatnya besi. Sahabat bertanya kepada Rasulullah bagaimana hendak mengubatinya Ya Rasulullah? Maka Rasulullah menjawab: Tilawah al-Quran dan sentiasa mengingati mati" .

Mengingati mati adalah pencuci hati yang cukup berkesan. Apabila melihat kematian menjemput orang terdekat menjadikan kita terdorong mengetahui hakikatnya.

Dalam mengingati kematian, Al-Ghazali membahagikan manusia kepada tiga tingkatan iaitu Al-Munhamik, iaitu orang yang tenggelam dalam tipu daya dan hawa nafsu dunia.

Mereka tidak ingat kematian dan enggan diingatkan mengenai kematian. Golongan seperti itu tidak mempersiapkan bekalan untuk menghadapi kematian bahkan hidup mereka terus bergelumang dosa dan maksiat.

Kedua At-Taib, iaitu golongan yang bertaubat memohon keampunan daripada Allah dan mereka banyak mengingati kematian yang mendorongnya beramal dan mempersiapkan bekalan menuju akhirat.

Ketiga, Al 'Arif, iaitu golongan yang mengetahui kedudukan dirinya di hadapan Allah. Mereka sentiasa mengingati kematian bahkan selalu menanti saat kematian kerana kematian baginya adalah pertemuan dengan Allah.

Maka, mengingati mati sebenarnya mendorong seseorang bertindak positif. Kematian yang baik yang disebutkan Allah di dalam kitab-Nya: "Hai orang-orang yang beriman bertakwalah kepada Allah dengan sebenar-benar takwa kepada-Nya dan janganlah kalian mati melainkan kalian mati dalam keadaan Islam". (Surah Ali Imran ayat 102).

Pensyarah Jabatan Asas Pendidikan dan Kemanusiaan, Universiti Malaya (UM), Rahimi Md Saad, berkata kematian adalah hakikat yang akan dilalui setiap yang bernyawa.

Mati bukan sesuatu yang perlu ditakuti tetapi yang perlu dibimbangkan bagaimana keadaan kita semasa menghadapi saat kematian itu.

"Ia berkait rapat dengan persediaan menghadapi alam akhirat yang menjadi kehidupan abadi kita," katanya.

Beliau berkata sebab itu, zikrul maut atau mengingati mati menjadi tuntutan kepada setiap manusia supaya mereka menyedari kehidupan dunia ini pasti ada penamatnya.

Peluang menyediakan bekalan ke akhirat akan terhenti di saat kematian kita. Kematian juga mengingatkan kepada alam akhirat yang memberi ganjaran sama ada ke syurga yang penuh kenikmatan atau menghadapi seksaan api neraka.

Setiap manusia mengharapkan syurga Allah namun tiada siapa yang dapat meyakini mereka layak menerimanya. Keadaan ini pastinya akan mendorong ke arah peningkatan amalan dan perubahan diri yang lebih baik, katanya.

Menurutnya majoriti ulama berpendapat doa meminta kematian sama ada untuk diri sendiri atau orang lain amat ditegah oleh syarak kerana ia adalah urusan Allah.

Penentuan takdir untuk setiap hamba adalah hak Allah s.w.t sepenuhnya. Sebagai hamba kita hanya perlu akur dengan apa yang ditakdirkan oleh Allah.

Manusia perlu sedar nyawa pemberian Allah adalah satu peluang untuk membuat persiapan akhirat yang tidak sepatutnya diabaikan.

"Apa saja ujian yang dilalui dalam hidup adalah untuk menentukan sama ada kita layak menjadi hamba yang diredhai Allah," katanya.

Beliau berkata, hakikat yang sering manusia terlepas pandang ialah kesabaran dalam mengharungi situasi sukar.

Ia lebih mendekatkan diri kita kepada Allah. Tidak wajar sama sekali seseorang hamba berputus asa dengan rahmat Allah dan berdoa supaya Allah segera mencabut nyawanya.

"Sebahagian ulama mengharuskan tindakan sedemikian dengan syarat doa itu dikaitkan dengan kehendak Allah seperti mendoakan, "Ya Allah matikanlah aku andai kematian itu lebih baik untukku di sisi-Mu", dan seumpamanya namun ia pandangan sebahagian kecil ulama saja," katanya.

Katanya, persiapan menghadapi kematian bukan bererti perlu beriktikaf di masjid tanpa melakukan sebarang pekerjaan lain.

Persediaan yang perlu dilakukan ialah memastikan tingkah laku dan perbuatan kita tidak melanggar perintah Allah s.w.t. Andai kita tidak mampu memperbanyakkan amalan kebaikan cukuplah sekadar mengawal diri daripada melakukan dosa dan menunaikan segala perintah Allah.

Allah inginkan kita menjadi hamba yang taat dengan menunaikan yang wajib dan meninggalkan perkara dilarang.

"Amalan sunat pula adalah penyempurnaan kepada kewajipan itu. Jika mampu, ia satu bonus bagi mengecapi kebahagiaan akhirat namun bukan halangan mendapat syurga Allah," katanya.

Menurutnya, Nabi mengajar umatnya doa untuk dijadikan amalan berterusan bagi memohon kematian berlaku secara baik iaitu doa yang bermaksud: "Ya Allah, tamatkanlah kehidupan kami dengan penamat yang baik (husnul khatimah), dan janganlah Engkau tamatkan kehidupan kami penamat yang buruk (su'ul khatimah)".

Sumber : Akhbar Harian Metro

23.2.2014

FATWA MALAYSIA - ISU GANJA

ISU:

Saya ada beberapa kemusykilan dan ingin mendapatkan kepastian, pernah seorang berkata pada saya ...'tunjukkan aku ayat Al Qur'an yang mengatakan ganja tu haram' dan apakah hukum mempertikaikan ayat Al Qur'an dgn berkata '..Al Quran tak tulis pasal ganja'. Adakah sekiranya kita mempertikai ayat,isi kandungan Al Qur'an,kita boleh jadi murtad? 

PENJELASAN:

Pengharaman ganja adalah berasaskan kepada kiasan kepada haramnya arak. Arak diharamkan oleh Allah atas sifatnya yang memabukkan dan merosakkan diri jasmani dan akal manusia. Ia juga dianggap kotor dan keji seperti dalam al-Qur’an seperti disebutkan “sesunguhnya arak dan judi dan pemujaan berhala dan mengundi nasib dengan batang-batang anak panah, adalah (semuanya) kotor (keji) dari perbuatan Syaitan. Oleh itu hendaklah kamu menjauhinya supaya kamu berjaya." (Surah Al-Ma’idah : ayat 90). 

Sabda Rasulullah s.a.w. yang bermaksud “Setiap yang memabukkan adalah khamar dan setiap khamar adalah haram” (hadis riwayat Muslim dari Ibn Umar). Malah dalam konteks merosakkan, ganja yang merupakan salah satu dari kategori dadah (jenis halusinogen yang dapat menimbulkan efek halusinasi yang bersifat mengubah perasaan, pikiran dan seringkali menciptakan daya khayal) adalah lebih merosakkan kerana ia boleh membawa kepada ketagihan, khayal, gangguan tingkah laku, penyakit kronik dan paling teruk boleh membawa kepada kematian. Justeru itu dari segi hukum ia adalah lebih utama diharamkan. 

Al-Qur’an jelas melarang manusia merosakkan dan memudaratkan diri seperti dalam ayat “janganlah kamu sengaja mencampakkan diri kamu ke dalam bahaya kebinasaan (al-Baqarah 2:195) Dari segi maqasid shari’ah, ganja merosakkan dua perkara utama (daruriyyat) yang dipelihara oleh shari’ah iaitu diri(nyawa) dan akal insan. Maka berdasarkan kaedah usul fiqh, semua bentuk kemudaratan mestilah dihapuskan (al-dharar yuzal), ganja dan segala jenis dadah mestilah dijauhi. 

Mempertikaikan kebenaran ayat-ayat al-Qur’an yang jelas maknanya boleh membawa kepada kekufuran sekiranya ia dilakukan atas kesedaran dan sengaja menolak kebenaran. Namun dalam konteks soalan di atas, ia bergantung kepada niat si penyoal sama ada dia menolak atas dasar sengaja atau disebabkan kejahilan tentang kefahaman al-Qur’an. Sekiranya berdasarkan kejahilan maka dia perlu difahamkan dan diberi pengajaran. 

Wallahu a’lam.

Sumber : FB - Fatwa Malaysia

23.2.2014

SOLAT SUNAT RAWATIB

PANDUAN SOLAT SUNAT

CARA NABI S.A.W.

SOLAT SUNAT RAWATIB

SOLAT SUNAT RAWATIB : SOLAT RAWATIB SUBUH : SOLAT RAWATIB ZUHUR : SOLAT RAWATIB MAGHRIB

SOLAT RAWATIB ISYAK : SOLAT RAWATIB UNTUK SOLAT JUMAAT : SOLAT RAWATIB GHAIRU MU’AKKAD

Solat sunat Rawatib adalah solat-solat sunat yang didirikan sebelum mahupun sesudah solat fardu lima waktu. Bagi solat Rawatib sebelum solat fardu ianya dikenali sebag ai solat sunat Qabliyah dan bagi solat Rawatib yang dikerjakan sesudah solat fardu ianya dikenali sebagai solat Ba’diyah.

Fungsi Solat Qabliyah adalah untuk menenangkan jiwa seseorang setelah melalui aktiviti kehidupan seharian yang adakalanya terlalu sibuk sehingga menyebabkan seseorang itu tidak mampu untuk khusyuk ketika mendirikan solat fardu. Oleh itu solat Qabliyah berfungsi untuk mententeramkan jiwa serta memastikan kita berada dalam keadaan yang cukup bersedia bagi menyempurnakan solat fardu.

Solat Ba’diyah pula bertindak bagi menyempurnakan apa-apa kekurangan yang mungkin wujud ketika melaksanakan solat fardu seperti kesilapan dalam bacaan, tidak khusyuk, tersilap dalam pergerakan dan lain-lain.

Solat sunat Rawatib ini pula terbahagi kepada mu’akkad (diperkuatkan) dan ghairu mu’akkad (tidak diperkuatkan). Para ulamak berbeza pendapat tentang jumlah rakaat solat Rawatib yang mu’akkad sama ada jumlah keseluruhannya dua belas atau sepuluh rakaat.

Hadis yang diriwayatkan oleh Ummu Habibah radhiallahu’ anha menjelaskan terdapat dua belas rakaat solat Rawatib sebagaimana yang disabdakan oleh Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam:

مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ مُسْلِمٍ يُصَلِّي لِلَّهِ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ ثِنْتَيْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً تَطَوُّعًا غَيْرَ فَرِيضَةٍ

إِلاَّ بَنَى اللَّهُ لَهُ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ.

Maksudnya:

Tidaklah seorang hamba Muslim mengerjakan solat kerana Allah dalam satu hari dua belas rakaat sebagai tathawwu’ dan bukan fardu, melainkan Allah akan membangunkan untuknya sebuah rumah di syurga. – Hadis riwayat Imam Muslim dalam Shahihnya, Kitab Sholaatil Musaafiriin wa Qashruhaa, no: 728

Di dalam riwayat yang lain diperjelaskan pula apakah itu solat-solat yang berjumlah dua belas rakaat seperti yang dimaksudkan hadis di atas. Daripada Ummu Habibah radhiallahu’ anha, dia berkata bahawa Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam bersabda:

مَنْ صَلَّى فِي يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ ثِنْتَيْ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً بُنِيَ لَهُ بَيْتٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ

أَرْبَعًا قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَهَا وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ

وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ.

Maksudnya:

Barang siapa yang mengerjakan solat (sunat) sebanyak dua belas rakaat dalam sehari semalam kelak akan dibangunkan untuknya sebuah rumah di syurga. Kedua belas rakaat itu adalah empat rakaat sebelum solat Zuhur, dua rakaat setelah solat Zuhur, dua rakaat setelah solat Maghrib, dua rakaat setelah solat Isyak dan dua rakaat sebelum solat Subuh. – Hadis riwayat Imam al-Tirmidzi dalam Sunannya, Kitab al-Sholaah, no: 380.

Melalui riwayat Ibnu ‘Umar radhiallahu’ anh pula menunjukkan jumlah rakaat solat Rawatib adalah sepuluh. Dia berkata:

حَفِظْتُ مِنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَشْرَ رَكَعَاتٍ

رَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَهَا وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ فِي بَيْتِهِ

وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ فِي بَيْتِهِ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ صَلاَةِ الصُّبْحِ.

Maksudnya:

Aku telah menghafal (menjaga) dari Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam tentang sepuluh rakaat (iaitu solat sunat) iaitu dua rakaat sebelum solat Zuhur dan dua rakaat sesudahnya, dua rakaat setelah solat Maghrib di rumahnya, dua rakaat setelah solat Isyak di rumahnya dan dua rakaat sebelum solat Subuh. – Hadis riwayat Imam al-Bukhari dalam Shahihnya, Kitab al-Jumu’ah, no: 1180.

Dari sini dapat kita fahami bahawa Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam pernah mengerjakan kedua-dua jumlah rakaat iaitu dua belas mahupun sepuluh rakaat solat sunat Rawatib. Perbezaan tersebut adalah disebabkan perbezaan jumlah rakaat ketika melaksanakan solat Qabliyah Zuhur. Oleh itu bolehlah bagi kita semua untuk memilih untuk mengerjakan solat Qabliyah Zuhur tersebut sebanyak empat mahupun dua rakaat.

Keutamaan mengerjakan solat Rawatib adalah sebagaimana yang dikhabarkan oleh hadis riwayat Ummu Habibah radhiallahu’ anha iaitu disediakan sebuah rumah di syurga bagi mereka yang mendirikannya.

-Ku Waylid-

Sumber : FB Al Quran dan Hadis