when the wisdom whispers: BEYOND THE LENS OF 'EIDUL FITR 1430

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. Lailaha Ilallahu wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbaru wa lillahil Hamd.

Takbir raya during this 'Eidul Fitr was quite different. It was recited by a new imam (macam biasalah, yang muda gak jadi rebutan. Hee...) That morning was misty but really calm. As we all know, 1st Syawal is a symbol of our glory, fighting with lust, hatred, greed and so forth all along our journey in the month of Ramadhan, in searching the bless from Allah.

Allah has stated in the Holy Qur'an in chapter 2, al-Baqarah, verse 183 which means:

O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, then you may (learn) self-restraint.

Ramadhan is such a privilege for all Muslim in order to purify the soul and feed it with precise dose of medication, which is faith, or Iman. Not only experiencing thirst and hunger, but fasting is a mean to practise abiding the syari'ah and sunnah thoroughly and accordingly. It is just 1/12 of a year for Muslims to do so.

Tarawih, tadarus, congregational five-time-daily-prayer, talaqqi, usrah, ziarah, iftar jama'ie, qiamullail... All have been trained to be a habit in daily life. Praise be to Allah, I have been sent to IIUM to pursue my study there. In mahallah of IIUM, all those activities were actively organized and joint duling every Ramadhan. Even there were a slight group of IIUM members who didn't joint them, but most of them showed a warmth welcome to Ramadhan. It was Ramadhan which gathered us together even our daily life as medical student was so hectic and chaotic. All these bounties were gained from the Rahmah of Allah.

In fitrah, we are born in purity, like a white sheet, unfolded to the real world. It is one's parents' responsibilities and senses to educate and nature them, either in a right mould or not, whether he or she becomes a true Muslim or not. Let me qoute some prhases in the book of '20 Most Common Questions Abut Islam' written by Dr. Zakir Abdul-Karim Naik, in chapter 19, subdivided into 5 subtopic, but here I would like to focus on 'Don't Judge The Car by Its Driver':

If you want to judge how good is the latest model of the 'Mecedes' car and a person who does not know how to drive sits at the steering wheel bangs up the car, who will you blame? The car or the driver? But naturally the driver. To analyze how good the car is, a person should not look at the driver but see the abilities and features of the car. How fast it is, what is its average fuel consumption, what are the safety measures, etc. Even if I agree for the sake of argument that the Muslims are bad, we can't judge Islam by its followe. If you want to judge it according to its authentic sources, i.e. the Qur'an and the Sahih Hadith.

Islam is rich with all the art of beauty. But unfortunately the followers nowadays have tarnished the shine. Keep in mind the promise of Allah and seek His blessing through our prayer. Here, I would like to share a pinch of knowledge, regarding the verses recited by the sister of Umar, which eventually has melted the fierce and egotism of Umar. The verses are from chapter Ta Ha, from 1 until 8:

1. Ta Ha.

2. We have not sent down the Qur'an to you to be (an occasion) for your
distress,
3. But only as an admonition to those who fear (Allah).
4. A revelation from Him Who created the earth and the heavens on high.
5. (Allah) Most Gracious is firmly established on the throne (of authority).
6. To Him belongs what is in the heavens and earth, and all between them, and
all beneath the soil.
7. If you pronounce the word aloud, (it is no matter): for verily He knows
what is secret and what is yet more hidden.
8. Allah! there is no god but He! To Him belong the Most Beautiful
Names.