KHUTBAH JUMAAT 91 – 18 JULAI 2008

AN APPROACH TO CURE UMMAH TRIBULATION

Sidang Jumaat yang dimuliakan Allah

Marilah kita bertaqwa kepada Allah, nasihat ini saya tujukan buat diri sendiri
dan kepada seluruh muslimin. Seluruh kehidupan yang digerakkan atas dasar
ketaatan dan ketundukan kepada Allah akan menjadikan manusia menyedari
bahawa percakapan dan pergerakannya diawasi, sekaligus menggerakkan
kesedaran dalam diri sendiri untuk sentiasa memotivasikan diri melaksanakan
perintahNYA dan meninggalkan laranganNYA. Our Noble Prophet
Muhammad did advice, when making a decision to do something, think about
its outcome. If it is good for your advancement and development, follow it, but
if it is misleading, leave it out." An Nawwas ibn Sam'an, reported that the
Messenger of Allah said: "Al-Bir or piety and righteousness, entails good
conduct, while Al-Ithm or evil is that which crosses your mind and which you
hate for people to find out about. Obedience and righteousness has been
described in surah al Baqarah verse 17, “It is not Bir that you turn your faces
towards the east and (or) west in prayers; but Al-Bir is the quality of one who
believes in Allah, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives
his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to the
poor, and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free,
performs the solah, and gives the Zakat, and who fulfil their covenant when
they make it, and who are the Patient Ones in extreme poverty and in ailment
(disease) and at times of fighting (during battles). Such are the people of the
truth and are The Pious."

Dear Muslims

In order to deal with the muslims structural shortcomings and to fulfil the
conditions necessary for their successful treatment, we must understand the
root causes of those shortcomings. In truth, muslims present infirmity and
backwardness have become so pronounced that its very existence is
threatened by the challenge of Western civilization to its way of life, thought,
and institutions. What is called for is a comprehensive and deeply analytical
examination of every facet of the Ummah, for only such an analysis will allow
us to trace the path which has brought, and continues to bring, the Ummah to
the depths to which it has fallen. When we ponder the depths to which
muslims has faced, the seriousness of the threat it faces, and the extent of the
crisis from which it suffers, we begin to understand the gravity of its situation
and the urgency of the efforts required to rescue it from further decline and
suffering. Even though these negative developments are tangible and
objective matters upon which all sincere and reasonable people can agree,
there is no agreement on, or any degree of clear vision of either a solution or
the means to a solution. An even worse complication is the spread of
ethnocentrism, nationalism, atheism, anarchy, and permissiveness. What we
need to determine, first of all, is the true starting-point for dealing with the
crisis. Perhaps we should first define the starting-points and alternatives that
are available to muslims. In the Ummah's quest for the recovery of its vitality,
we might find it so useful and energy boosting by considering and looking at
few important points. This week’s sermon would like to suggest steps to be
taken by muslims in general, and Islamic movements and scholars in
particular, to first keep continuing setting the specification of a sound
approach. Secondly, unswerving faith in that approach. While this will lead
into trials and errors before something fruitful appears, the third step is to
resolve to do all that is necessary for the attainment of its goals, and last but
not least, provision of all the practical means required to ensure its success.
We might begin promoting the correct approach by taking it directly to the
people and explaining to our muslims writers, thinkers, and leaders what we
believe to be its most important aspects. In this way, they may come to share
our conviction that our approach is the best one. Perhaps the most effective
method of promoting our solution would be to lay bare the weaknesses of the
faulty approaches by explaining why they are unsound and then presenting
the correct solution and the reasons why it should be adopted. It is imperative
that we understand the reasons why the solutions proposed by others will not
work. In this way, we will be better able to discern for itself the most suitable
solution and then proceed to bring it about.

Sidang muslimin yang dirahmati Allah

Apakah tindakan kita dan bagaimana respons kita selaku muslim dalam hala
tuju mencari pendekatan terbaik dan memastikan pendekatan itu berkesan.
Mimbar Jumaat minggu ini berkongsi saranan dalam mengenalpasti tugasan
kita dan menggariskan prinsip pembinaan kekuatan ummah. Pertama, muslim
perlu mempertingkatkan kesedaran dan keseriusan pengamatan terhadap
kelemahan dan kekurangan yang menghiasi ummah masa kini. Di manakah
nilai kekuatan 1.3 billion umat Islam di dunia, apabila kajian terkini
mendedahkan hanya 3% muslimin yang aktif berpatisipasi untuk agamanya.
Kedua, muslim perlu mempertingkatkan kesedaran dan keseriusan tentang
bahaya dan ancaman yang Islam serta umatnya hadapi dewasa ini. Kita perlu
akur bahawa kita dilingkungi pelbagai serangan dan kekuatan yang tidak
bersimpati pada Islam. Ketiga, setiap muslim perlu menanamkan semangat
dan azam untuk berperanan sebagai penggerak memperkuatkan ummah.
Dalam kemelut lemahnya ummah, keinginan untuk mendapatkan kekuatan
merupakan suatu yang bersifat adat dan difahami. Menerusi contoh yang
dibawa dalam al Quran, kisah Nabi Lut dalam surah Hud ayat 80. Dalam
surah ar Ra’d ayat 11, Sesungguhnya Allah sesekali tidak mengubah nasib
sesuatu kaum, melainkan kaum tersebut mula mengorak langkah untuk
memperbaiki nasib mereka. Ayat ini boleh difahami dalam dua sudut,
pertamanya, Allah tidak menarik segala nikmat yang diberikan melainkan bila
manusia melarikan diri dari agama fitrah ini. Keduanya, Allah tidak akan
menganjakkan nasib hambaNYA ke tahap yang lebih baik, melainkan apabila
mereka mendekatkan diri kepada agama fitrah ini. Perubahan yang kita
perlukan ialah untuk membuang pandangan bahawa selaku muslim, kitalah
yang terbaik dan sepatutnya diberikan hak sewajarnya, lalu dunia ini dan juga
Tuhan perlu secara automatik menghulurkan dan memberikan hak dan
kelebihan pada kita. Al Quran dan keseluruhan sejarah peradaban manusia
menunjukkan bahawa dunia ini adalah medan pertempuran baik dan buruk,
benar dan batil, keadilan dan kezaliman. Untuk meraih hak dan kelebihan
selaku muslim, kita perlu membina kekuatan untuk mencari integriti selaku
muslim di mata dunia. Prinsip keempat, mengambil pengajaran dari
pengaiban dunia terhadap muslim dan mempertekalkan keimanan. Kita
perhatikan, respons umat Islam terhadap serangan fizikal mahupun psikologi
dan ketewasan ummah menerusi pelbagai saluran dan bidang
peretembungan Islam dan dunia, kebiasaannya ialah secara menafikan, atau
ketegangan tindakan terhadap provokasi, atau berasa putus harap dan putus
asa terhadap kekuatan musuh dan kelemahan ummah Islam, dan mungkin
bersikap individual dan tidak langsung mempunyai rasa kebersamaan dengan
muslim lain, semata-mata merasakan bahawa dirinya tidak terlibat dalam
masalah itu, atau tidak menerima sebarang kesan buruk daripada isu yang
melanda umat Islam.

My dear muslims

Looking back at what had happened in the past, and what are we facing at
the moment, and considerably and seriously concern on what will our children
and muslim ummah as a whole are about to expect, we need to come into
few basics understanding, in which everywhere in the world Muslims are
subjected to gross oppression but generally they are unable to defend
themselves successfully. They have been dispossessed of their lands as in
Palestine, or denied the control of the lands in which they are in majority as in
Kashmir, or denied independence as in Chechnya or prevented from
governing their countries even after winning a free and fair election, as in
Algeria. Muslims are prevented to pray in al-Aqsa Mosque or they pray under
the Jewish guns and the whole Muslim world cannot do anything. Our sisters
in Bosnia and Kosovo were violated with the knowledge of the whole world
and the Muslim ummah could not do anything to help them. If sometimes
there is some kind of reprieve against the more powerful enemies, as in that
region, it results from chance combination of circumstances when foreign
powers find it to their advantage to come to Muslims' aid at the brink of
destruction. It is clear from all this that the need for Muslims everywhere to
empower themselves is of the highest urgency. The crisis in the Muslim mind
is one related to the achievement of Islam's higher objectives and the
embodiment of Islamic values. It is therefore a crisis of thought in its essence
and its approach, and a crisis of the methodology, which muslims nowadays
lacks, in the social sciences. The crisis of Muslim thought is one of the
establishments of those social sciences that can assist muslims at present
with its thought, organization, institutions, and policies. When we speak of the
social sciences, we refer to the fields of methodological study, without
reference to any specific field, make it western or eastern theories or schools.
Certainly the Muslim mind, with its complete and comprehensive sources of
knowledge, will have much of value to contribute to such sciences and
disciplines. Regardless of the formula we begin with, the point is to make a
beginning from what is already known, to benefit from what humanity has
already achieved in the relevant fields. The important thing here is that the
starting point be distinguished by its originality, maturity, and openness, so
that progress may begin far removed from the restraints of those traditions
which have held the muslims captive for so long. Let’s build the strength in
the muslim community and muslim world, by selecting and reflecting the
proper responses which has been taught in the Quran. Allah says in surah al
An’am verse 42-43, We have indeed sent to communities before you (O
Prophet) affliction of suffering and adversity in order that they may learn
humility. If only when suffering reached them from us, they had been humble!
But their hearts hardened and evil made all that they used to do seem fair
unto them.

Barakallahu li walakum

Mohd Erfino Johari

erfino@masduke.net