Bismillahirohmanirohim ( In the name of Allah the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate)
Nowadays, there are a lot of convenience store that operates 24 hours a
day. This culture originated from the West but it is not impossible to
find this culture in the East too. The idea is not only appealing to the
capitalist entrepreneur but also to provide convenience to consumers to
make any purchase at any time of the day. Therefore it looks like a
win-win situation for both parties. Since Eastern countries (/Malaysia)
do not have 4 seasons, having 24 hours shops/stores seem to be a trend.
One of the reason people in Malaysia like to go out at night is because
of its cool breeze and hence they avoid the blazing sun during the day.
We usually claim that we follow a religion as a source of guide to life
but sometimes we are not men of our words. We find it difficult to
practise what we preach even though we know it is the right way. As we
understand, in Islam, the night is for us to rest and also to devote our
time for prayer privately as it was practised by the Prophet Muhammad
salallahualaihiwasalam. Evidently when Khalid al-walid was leading the
army, their night was devoted for worshipping. Qubuqlar, the Roman
deputy commander sent a Christian arab to enter the Muslim camp to be a
spy. So he spent a day and night in the Muslim camp as a spy and when he
returned to Qubuqlar, he said "By night they are like monks, by day
like warriors.."
As we know from the lifetime of the Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam,
after isha' prayers it is the time to go straight home. The Prophet
salallahualaihiwasalam do get occasional visits after Isha' from Abu
Bakr as Siddiq due to their friendship (even before Prophethood) and
also because of being the father to Prophet's salallahualaihiwasalam
wife (Aisha radiallahuanha). Other than these visits, after Isha was not
a time to gather/meeting/discuss. Usually the gathering/meetings are
held after Fajr prayers when sometimes the Prophet
salallahualaihiwasalam turns after leading the prayer and ask if anyone
had any question or any dreams to be interpreted. So, according to the
Prophet's lifetime, night time is for rest and worshipping.
Why is it important for the night to be quiet/spent indoor?
i) In Islam we don't just observe others' rights such as parents rights,
neighbours rights and etc. Islam also observes the right of the body
from the individual. We have to eat what is Halal (permitted), the right
amount and etc. Similarly, our body have the right to rest.
ii)The community needs to rest. By doing this, pollution may be reduced
because less people travel at night, and also less electricity/power
usage.
iii) Crimes may be reduced. If the culture instill in our mind that
night time is for resting, most people would stay home. Therefore, those
few people left roaming at night must have certain agendas in their
mind. Crimes are easier to be conducted in the dark and ideal to the
criminals due to its low risk. It is easier then for the authority to
monitor. Therefore staying out at night will create a higher percentage
to be a victim.
iv) The night should be spent with family. Ensuring their safety of the
family members from the intense of the darkness. Also the time to be
intimate and appreciate each other as the day has been spent on
business, learning and etc.
In Surah Al-Falaq verse 3 we are being advised :"And from the evil of
night's darkness when it spreads around;" It is a clear advise and
prayer for us to avoid evil in the night. The issue has been discussed
from the perception of the general community or "the consumers". What
about the benefits on operating business 24 hours? Some may argue that
24 hours generates more income but are we looking for more income or
more barakah in the income? Sometimes it shows how materialistic we are
because of wanting to generate more income without considering anything
else. This is the attitude of the capitalist.
"And to (the people of) Midian We sent their brother Shu'ayb. He said:
"My people! Serve Allah; you have no god but He. And do not diminish the
measure and weight. Indeed I see that you are prospering now, but I
fear for you the chastisement of an encompassing day in the future. (85)
My people! Give full measure and weight with justice, do not diminish
the goods of others, and do not go about creating corruption in the
land. (86) The gains that Allah let's you retain are better for you, if
you indeed believe." [Surah hud verse 84-86]
These verses show that we should always beware of our economic dealings.
Even if one gains a lot of income from doing business at night, does it
have barakah? Clearly I have shown that there are more cons than pros
in doing business in the night. The people of Midian weren't fair in
their economic dealings and mainly because of this and rejecting Prophet
Shu'ayb "So a mighty earthquake overtook them, and by morning they lay
overturned in their houses." [Surah al-ankabut verse 36]. Let us not be
obsessed in generating income without considering anything and disobey
the instructions of Allah, insha'allah.
Although this verse refers to people who rushed away without listening
to the khutbah of the Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam in order to do
business with the caravan that was arriving, we should ponder on it.
"But when they see a chance of trade or entertainment they scatter off
to it and leave you standing there. Say: "What is with Allah is better
than trade or entertainment. Allah is the best of providers." [surah
jumu'ah verse 11]
The night in the current trend is usually being spent by operating
business(trading) or entertainment (lepaq, karoake and etc) yet, Allah
has mentioned that what is with Allah is better and Allah is the best of
providers. So, we should limit the business operating hours as the
night is better left for rest and worshipping and not be
obsessed in generating income without considering anything and disobey
the instructions of Allah, insha'allah.
Thursday 29 September 2011
Tuesday 6 September 2011
Criticism on sunnah and hadith
Bismillahirohmanirohim
Lately, I have come across a few people who don't believe in the Hadith or Sunnah. Some argue that Hadith is just a "word of mouth" and how can one be sure it is the Prophet's saying as it is all "hearsays". So, question is, is it impossible for a person to memorise the Hadith?
Firstly, Hadith is preserved in the same way of the Holy Quran which is through memorisation (although the Qur'an were written down by the scribes, it is memorised before recorded). Memorisation was the way of the uneducated/ poor arabs learn things. Most Arabs were not literate during the period of Jahiliyah (ignorance), and those who were not literate had no choice but to memorise what they have learnt. The literate Arabs were then the scribes which documented what have been said and done.
Qur'an was revealed by the Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam about 1400 years ago. It was revealed to him in fragments and not all at once. It was compiled as a Qur'an during the reign of the first caliph (Abu Bakr) by the initiation of Umar al Khattab. The duty was given to Zaid bin Thabit. So it was compiled after the Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam passed away. What happened during this gap of time? If one were to accept Qur'an as the word of the truth, why can't one accept the sunna and hadith?
Umar al Khattab initiated it because the hafidh (protector) of Qur'an were the frontliners in the Jihad fisabilillah helping to expand the Islam empire. They were hafidh (protector) of the Qur'an not only from the memorisation part but they were also hafidh of the moral values in the Qur'an. This is the reason that they are the frontliners, because they understand and do not want to contradict themselves with the teachings of the Qur'an.
Anyway, Umar al Khattab was worried that all the hafidh being killed therefore suggested to Abu Bakr to compile the Qur'an in writing. Clearly, they relied heavily on people who had memorised the word of Allah subahanawata'ala (it is also undeniable that they needed the written verses as well to compile the Qur'an). Since all Muslims have no doubts in the Quran, why are there people who wouldn't accept the Sunnah and Hadith when in actual fact it is being preserved through memorisation until the time of Imam Malik, Bukhari and etc.
Arabs at the beginning of Islam were of the ignorance. Their level of ignorance were drastic which they do not learn how to read or write. Due to the ignorance of the people, those who are poor and no authority were oppressed. The oppression also caused them not being able to educate themselves on how to read/write. Therefore they relied heavily on memorising. In the early years of spreading Islam, the oppressed people were more keen towards embracing Islam. Hence, they were keen to learn more about Islam without knowing how to read and write which left them with no choice but to memorise. This is another point that make the Sunnah and Hadith reliable as it is relied heavily on memorisation.
Abu Hurayrah (Abdurrahman) radiallahuanhu is an example of a person who travelled to Madinah and wanted to study the ways of Islam with Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam himself. He dedicated himself to studying by living in the Prophet's mosque in Madinah. Even though he was so dedicated, he did not know how to read or write. Therefore relied heavily on memorisation. Perhaps when one do not know how to read/write they will master the art of memorising.
Does the Sunnah and Hadith rely only on sanad (chain of narrators)? No, it does not! Most of the Hadith do refer to the revelation of the verses. Hadith are mostly explanation of the verses. Without the Sunnah and Hadith it is difficult for muslim to pray, make hajj and etc. The bible states how the Prophets prayed, even so it is not being practised by Christians. Therefore, without the Sunna and Hadith, muslims would not even know how to pray and will end up with empty mosques! Most importantly, these Sunna and Hadith are in spirit with the Qur'an. For example, the verses on the prohibition of riba from the Qur'an (baqarah verse 275), then there came hadith on explaining riba and the way to prevent it. There are no contradictions between the verse of the Quran and the Hadith. The Hadith are there just to explain the grey areas. So, what is the purpose/excuse of rejecting these Hadith? Why would then people go to an extent of saying the Hadith as being fabricated?? Some have criticised that Bukhari is not reliable because verification on the reliability of the hadith is only/solely by checking the isnad (chain of narrators). This is not true! Bukhari mastered a few techniques other than verifying the isnad. He mastered the art of ascertaining the veracity of the Hadith's texts through its chain of narration (isnad), the background of the hadith narrator (al-asma al-rijal), as well as a sound knowledge and understanding of the Qur'an in order to determine whether the Hadith was in compliance with the Divine revelation. This is what made his work famous in the first place! Yet, there are common people in the ummah who dares to criticise his work!
Then, there are those verse on obey Allah and His Messenger. How do we obey the Messenger if it's not from the Hadith? It's almost impossible to follow the Qur'an without the sunna and hadiths. I don't really mind if there are people out there who doesn't want to practise the sunna & hadith, but to go all the way to abolish it and abolish shari'ah law without any justification is just out of hand. Its ironic that these type of people would like to talk about the "Islamisation of education".
Another thing to ponder before ending this entry is the azan (calling to prayer). It has been practised for centuries and there are no difference in its text, be it in the past or present, or even on the geographical location. From Japan to the U.S the wordings for the azan are exactly the same and it relied on memorisation and not in writings. Do not rule out something just because it is being memorised. These are the few points that I have and I'm sure there are many other facts to support the authenticity of the sunna and hadith. Allah knows best!
Lately, I have come across a few people who don't believe in the Hadith or Sunnah. Some argue that Hadith is just a "word of mouth" and how can one be sure it is the Prophet's saying as it is all "hearsays". So, question is, is it impossible for a person to memorise the Hadith?
Firstly, Hadith is preserved in the same way of the Holy Quran which is through memorisation (although the Qur'an were written down by the scribes, it is memorised before recorded). Memorisation was the way of the uneducated/ poor arabs learn things. Most Arabs were not literate during the period of Jahiliyah (ignorance), and those who were not literate had no choice but to memorise what they have learnt. The literate Arabs were then the scribes which documented what have been said and done.
Qur'an was revealed by the Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam about 1400 years ago. It was revealed to him in fragments and not all at once. It was compiled as a Qur'an during the reign of the first caliph (Abu Bakr) by the initiation of Umar al Khattab. The duty was given to Zaid bin Thabit. So it was compiled after the Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam passed away. What happened during this gap of time? If one were to accept Qur'an as the word of the truth, why can't one accept the sunna and hadith?
Umar al Khattab initiated it because the hafidh (protector) of Qur'an were the frontliners in the Jihad fisabilillah helping to expand the Islam empire. They were hafidh (protector) of the Qur'an not only from the memorisation part but they were also hafidh of the moral values in the Qur'an. This is the reason that they are the frontliners, because they understand and do not want to contradict themselves with the teachings of the Qur'an.
Anyway, Umar al Khattab was worried that all the hafidh being killed therefore suggested to Abu Bakr to compile the Qur'an in writing. Clearly, they relied heavily on people who had memorised the word of Allah subahanawata'ala (it is also undeniable that they needed the written verses as well to compile the Qur'an). Since all Muslims have no doubts in the Quran, why are there people who wouldn't accept the Sunnah and Hadith when in actual fact it is being preserved through memorisation until the time of Imam Malik, Bukhari and etc.
Arabs at the beginning of Islam were of the ignorance. Their level of ignorance were drastic which they do not learn how to read or write. Due to the ignorance of the people, those who are poor and no authority were oppressed. The oppression also caused them not being able to educate themselves on how to read/write. Therefore they relied heavily on memorising. In the early years of spreading Islam, the oppressed people were more keen towards embracing Islam. Hence, they were keen to learn more about Islam without knowing how to read and write which left them with no choice but to memorise. This is another point that make the Sunnah and Hadith reliable as it is relied heavily on memorisation.
Abu Hurayrah (Abdurrahman) radiallahuanhu is an example of a person who travelled to Madinah and wanted to study the ways of Islam with Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam himself. He dedicated himself to studying by living in the Prophet's mosque in Madinah. Even though he was so dedicated, he did not know how to read or write. Therefore relied heavily on memorisation. Perhaps when one do not know how to read/write they will master the art of memorising.
Does the Sunnah and Hadith rely only on sanad (chain of narrators)? No, it does not! Most of the Hadith do refer to the revelation of the verses. Hadith are mostly explanation of the verses. Without the Sunnah and Hadith it is difficult for muslim to pray, make hajj and etc. The bible states how the Prophets prayed, even so it is not being practised by Christians. Therefore, without the Sunna and Hadith, muslims would not even know how to pray and will end up with empty mosques! Most importantly, these Sunna and Hadith are in spirit with the Qur'an. For example, the verses on the prohibition of riba from the Qur'an (baqarah verse 275), then there came hadith on explaining riba and the way to prevent it. There are no contradictions between the verse of the Quran and the Hadith. The Hadith are there just to explain the grey areas. So, what is the purpose/excuse of rejecting these Hadith? Why would then people go to an extent of saying the Hadith as being fabricated?? Some have criticised that Bukhari is not reliable because verification on the reliability of the hadith is only/solely by checking the isnad (chain of narrators). This is not true! Bukhari mastered a few techniques other than verifying the isnad. He mastered the art of ascertaining the veracity of the Hadith's texts through its chain of narration (isnad), the background of the hadith narrator (al-asma al-rijal), as well as a sound knowledge and understanding of the Qur'an in order to determine whether the Hadith was in compliance with the Divine revelation. This is what made his work famous in the first place! Yet, there are common people in the ummah who dares to criticise his work!
Then, there are those verse on obey Allah and His Messenger. How do we obey the Messenger if it's not from the Hadith? It's almost impossible to follow the Qur'an without the sunna and hadiths. I don't really mind if there are people out there who doesn't want to practise the sunna & hadith, but to go all the way to abolish it and abolish shari'ah law without any justification is just out of hand. Its ironic that these type of people would like to talk about the "Islamisation of education".
Another thing to ponder before ending this entry is the azan (calling to prayer). It has been practised for centuries and there are no difference in its text, be it in the past or present, or even on the geographical location. From Japan to the U.S the wordings for the azan are exactly the same and it relied on memorisation and not in writings. Do not rule out something just because it is being memorised. These are the few points that I have and I'm sure there are many other facts to support the authenticity of the sunna and hadith. Allah knows best!
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