~* Tekad tak ulang dosa perjanjian penting taubat nasuha *~

IMAN seorang muslim kadang-kadang boleh menjadi lemah sehingga membawanya dikuasai hawa nafsu. Apabila syaitan merayu berbuat maksiat, maka ia berbuat zalim terhadap dirinya sendiri dan menjerumuskan dirinya pada sesuatu diharamkan Allah .

Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Pengasih terhadap hamba-Nya dan rahmat Allah amat luas mencakupi segala sesuatu. Barang siapa bertaubat selepas melakukan kezaliman, maka sesungguhnya Allah menerima taubatnya dan mengampuninya.

Allah Maha Pemaaf dan Maha Mulia memerintahkan orang mukmin bertaubat nasuha supaya mereka mendapat kasih sayang Allah dan syurga-Nya.

Firman Allah bermaksud:

“Hai orang yang beriman! Bertaubatlah kepada Allah dengan taubat yang semurni-murninya, mudah-mudahan Tuhan kamu akan menghapus kesalahanmu dan memasukkan kamu ke dalam syurga yang mengalir sungai di bawahnya.” (Surah at-Tahrim, ayat 8)

Sesungguhnya, pintu taubat masih terbuka bagi semua manusia hingga matahari terbit dari barat. Rasulullah SAW bersabda bermaksud:

“Sesungguhnya Allah membuka Tangan-Nya pada malam hari supaya orang yang melakukan kejahatan pada siang hari bertaubat dan Dia membuka Tangan-Nya di siang hari supaya yang melakukan kejahatan pada malam hari bertaubat hingga matahari terbit dari barat.” (Hadis riwayat Muslim)

Taubat nasuha bukan hanya sekadar ucapan di lidah. Allah akan menerima taubat itu dengan syarat pelaku kejahatan mencabut akar dosa secara langsung dan menyesali apa yang sudah dilakukannya. Ia juga hendaklah bertekad untuk tidak kembali kepada perbuatan dosa itu dan mengembalikan hak orang dizaliminya. Sebaiknya taubat itu dilakukan sebelum melihat kedatangan kematian.

Allah berfirman bermaksud:

“Sesungguhnya taubat di sisi Allah hanyalah taubat bagi orang yang mengerjakan kejahatan lantaran kejahilan yang kemudian mereka bertaubat dengan segera. Maka mereka itulah yang diterima Allah taubatnya dan Allah Maha Mengetahui lagi Maha Bijaksana. Dan tidaklah taubat itu diterima Allah daripada yang mengerjakan kejahatan (yang) hingga datang ajal kepada seseorang di antara mereka, barulah ia mengatakan: “Sesungguhnya sekarang saya bertaubat.” Dan tidak pula (diterima taubat) orang yang mati sedang mereka dalam kekafiran. Bagi orang itu sudah kami sediakan seksa yang pedih.” (Surah an-Nisa, ayat 17 dan 18)

Allah mengajak pelaku perbuatan dosa untuk bertaubat supaya Allah mengampuni mereka. Firman Allah bermaksud:

“Tuhanmu sudah menetapkan atas diri-Nya kasih sayang, (iaitu) barang siapa yang berbuat kezaliman di antara kamu lantaran kejahilan kemudian dia bertaubat selepas mengerjakannya dan mengadakan pembaikan, maka sesungguhnya Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang.” (Surah al-An’am, ayat 54)

Allah Maha Pengampun dan Pengasih menyukai taubat hamba-Nya dan memerintahkan mereka untuk bertaubat supaya mereka diampuni Allah , sementara syaitan, jin dan manusia menginginkan mereka menyimpang daripada kebenaran menuju kebatilan.

Sesungguhnya rahmat Allah mencakup segala sesuatu, maka jika seseorang hamba sudah melampaui batas pada perbuatan maksiat dan dosa, kemudian ia bertaubat, maka sesungguhnya Allah akan menerima taubatnya itu.

Seorang muslim yang sedar dengan kesalahan dan maksiat, maka selayak baginya untuk memperbanyak taubat dan mohon ampun. Rasulullah SAW bersabda bermaksud:

“Demi Allah sesungguhnya Aku mohon ampun kepada Allah dan bertaubat kepada-Nya dalam sehari lebih daripada tujuh puluh kali.” (Hadis riwayat al-Bukhari)

Sabda Nabi Muhamad SAW yang bermaksud:

“Sesungguhnya Allah sangat gembira dengan taubat hamba-Nya daripada gembiranya seorang yang kehilangan bekal bersama untanya di sebuah padang yang tandus kemudian dia mendapatkannya kembali unta itu.” (Hadis Mutafaq alaihi)

~* Allah sentiasa uji umat-Nya *~

FIRMAN Allah :

Dan nabi mereka mengatakan kepada mereka: “Sesungguhnya tanda ia akan menjadi raja, ialah kembalinya tabut kepadamu, di dalamnya terdapat ketenangan daripada Tuhanmu dan sisa daripada peninggalan keluarga Musa dan keluarga Harun; tabut itu dibawa malaikat. Sesungguhnya pada yang demikian itu terdapat tanda bagimu, jika kamu orang yang beriman. Maka tatkala Thalut keluar membawa tenteranya, ia berkata: “Sesungguhnya Allah akan menguji kamu dengan suatu sungai. Maka siapa di antara kamu meminum airnya; bukanlah ia pengikutku dan barang siapa tiada meminumnya, kecuali menceduk seceduk tangan, maka dia adalah pengikutku.” Kemudian mereka meminumnya kecuali beberapa orang di antara mereka. Maka tatkala Thalut dan orang-orang yang beriman bersama dia telah menyeberangi sungai itu, orang- orang yang telah minum berkata: “Tak ada kesanggupan kami pada hari ini untuk melawan Jalut dan tenteranya.” Orang-orang yang meyakini bahawa mereka akan menemui Allah , berkata: “Berapa banyak terjadi golongan yang sedikit dapat mengalahkan golongan yang banyak dengan izin Allah dan Allah beserta orang- orang yang sabar. (al-Baqarah: 248 dan 249)

Syeikh Sya’rawi berkata: “Mereka telah menerima pilihan Tuhan dengan ingkar dan tidak menghiraukannya kecuali dengan perkara yang dapat disaksi dan dilihat sebagai hujah yang lazim. Yang demikian itu tidak dapat tidak dengan mendatangkan mukjizat justeru Allah berfirman: Dan nabi mereka mengatakan kepada mereka: Sesungguhnya tanda ia akan menjadi raja, ialah kembalinya tabut kepadamu, di dalamnya terdapat ketenangan daripada Tuhanmu dan sisa daripada peninggalan keluarga Musa dan keluarga Harun; tabut itu dibawa malaikat. Sesungguhnya pada yang demikian itu terdapat tanda bagimu, jika kamu orang yang beriman.

Al-Nasafi berkata: “Iaitu peti Taurat, dan adalah Musa apabila berperang meletakkannya di hadapan. Sehingga jadilah jiwa-jiwa Bani Israel tenang dan tidak melarikan diri”.

Sayyid Qutub berkata: “Dahulu musuh-musuh mereka yang telah mengusir mereka dari bumi suci, yang dapat ditakluk mereka di bawah pimpinan Nabi Yusya’ selepas masa merayau di padang gurun dan wafatnya Nabi Musa telah merampas peninggalan suci mereka, iaitu sebuah peti atau tabut yang mengandungi barang-barang peninggalan para anbiya mereka daripada keluarga Musa dan keluarga Harun.

“Menurut satu riwayat peti itu mengandungi naskhah loh-loh Taurat yang dikurniakan Allah kepada Musa di atas Bukit Tursina. … Nabi mereka telah menentukan satu alamat daripada Allah kepada mereka, iaitu mereka akan menyaksi satu mukjizat, di mana Tabut berisi peninggalan suci itu akan datang kepada mereka dibawa oleh para malaikat. Dan ketika itu hati mereka akan dilimpahi ketenangan dan ketenteraman dan beliau telah berkata kepada mereka: Bahawa mukjizat ini cukup untuk menjadi bukti bahawa Thalut itu benar dipilih oleh Allah jika kamu benar beriman”.

Al-Maghari berkata: “Disifatkan dengan Tabut pada kitab Bani Israel dengan pelbagai sifat yang menggambarkan amat pelik dalam membuat dan amat menarik kerana ia dihiasi dengan emas serta ukiran kayu yang bernilai tinggi.

Dengan sebab itulah golongan Mesir penyembah berhala telah menjadikan Bani Israel sebagai hamba dalam tempoh yang lama untuk bekerja dalam pertukangan tersebut. Sedangkan Islam datang menegah perhiasan yang berlebihan dan melampau di masjid dan rumah ibadat sehingga orang yang solat tidak lalai daripada munajat Tuhannya”.

Nampaknya daripada keterangan ayat ini mukjizat itu berjaya membawa kaum Israel kembali kepada keyakinan.

Read more… or Read more right here… »

Al-Sonhaji berkata: “Dengan kedatangan tanda-tanda seperti adanya raja dan kembalinya peti pusaka mereka, akhirnya percayalah mereka akan kenabian Syamwil dan mengaku taat setia kepada Thalut sebagai raja”.

Firman Allah: Maka tatkala Thalut keluar membawa tentaranya, ia berkata: “Sesungguhnya Allah akan menguji kamu dengan suatu sungai. Maka siapa di antara kamu meminum airnya; bukanlah ia pengikutku dan barang siapa tiada meminumnya, kecuali menceduk seceduk tangan, maka dia adalah pengikutku”. Kemudian mereka meminumnya kecuali beberapa orang di antara mereka. Maka tatkala Thalut dan orang-orang yang beriman bersama dia telah menyeberangi sungai itu, orang-orang yang telah minum berkata: “Tak ada kesanggupan kami pada hari ini untuk melawan Jalut dan tenteranya”. Orang-orang yang meyakini bahwa mereka akan menemui Allah , berkata: “Berapa banyak terjadi golongan yang sedikit dapat mengalahkan golongan yang banyak dengan izin Allah dan Allah beserta orang-orang yang sabar”.

Sayyid Qutub berkata: “Di sini ternyatalah kepada kita kebenaran hikmah Allah dalam memilih Thalut. Beliau kini sedang menuju kepada satu peperangan dan bersama beliau ialah satu angkatan tentera dari satu umat yang kalah, iaitu umat yang mengalami kekalahan dan kehinaan berulang-ulang kali di dalam sejarah mereka. Beliau akan berdepan dengan angkatan tentera satu umat yang menang”.

Oleh sebab itu tentera-tenteranya pastilah mempunyai kekuatan hati untuk menentang kekuatan lahir yang telah mengalahkan mereka itu. Kekuatan batin ini terletak pada iradat, iaitu iradat yang sanggup mengawal keinginan nafsu, sanggup menghadapi ketiadaan dan kesusahan, sanggup mengatasi kesempitan dan segala keperluan, sanggup mementingkan kepatuhan dan memikul tugas dan sanggup menempuh ujian demi ujian.

Lantaran itu, seorang pemimpin tentera yang terpilih pastilah menguji iradat tenteranya dan semangat ketahanan dan kesabaran mereka. Pertama, ketahanan mereka dalam menghadapi keinginan nafsu dan kesabaran mereka dalam menghadapi ketiadaan dan kesusahan. Beliau telah memilih ujian ini ketika mereka sedang dahaga sebagaimana diceritakan oleh riwayat-riwayat untuk mengetahui siapakah di antara mereka yang benar-benar sabar dan siapakah yang ponteng dan suka memilih apa yang senang dan apa yang diduga oleh beliau itu adalah benar.

Firman Allah: Kemudian mereka meminumnya kecuali beberapa orang di antara mereka.

Yakni mereka minum dengan sepuas-puasnya. Sebelum ini Thalut telah membenarkan kepada mereka yang mahu minum supaya minum dengan mencedok dengan tangan sahaja untuk membasahkan kedahagaan.

Namun ini tidaklah membayangkan keinginan mahu ponteng daripada perjuangan. Kini mereka (yang minum sepuasnya itu) telah memisahkan diri mereka daripada Thalut sebaik sahaja mereka menyerah kalah dan enggan berjuang. Mereka telah memisahkan diri mereka daripada Thalut kerana mereka tidak layak dengan tugas yang diletakkan ke atas bahu mereka.

Memanglah menjadi suatu kebaikan dan ketegasan apabila mereka keluar dari barisan tentera yang sedang mara untuk berjuang kerana mereka merupakan benih-benih kelemahan dan kekalahan. Pasukan tentera itu bukan dinilai dengan bilangan yang ramai, tetapi dengan hati yang cekal dan berani, dengan iradat yang kukuh dan keimanan yang teguh dan lurus.

Ujian ini menunjukkan bahawa niat yang tersimpan dalam hati sahaja tidak cukup. Malah pastilah diuji dengan ujian amalan dan pastilah menghadapi realiti jalan menuju perjuangan sebelum menceburinya. Ia juga membuktikan ketabahan hati pemimpin yang terpilih itu, yang tidak bergoncang apabila sebilangan terbesar daripada angkatan tenteranya telah mengundurkan diri dalam ujian yang pertama, malah ia terus mara ke depan.

Iktibar Ayat :

• Sejarah penentangan umat terdahulu menjadi iktibar kepada kita semua.
• Ujian Allah terhadap manusia untuk membezakan antara hambanya yang sejati dan yang pura-pura.
• Allah sentiasa menolong hambanya yang sabar.

- Oleh DR. ZULKIFLI MOHAMAD AL-BAKRI

~* Tips for Beginning to Wear Hijab *~

Introduction

One of the most difficult decisions many Muslim sisters face is the decision to start wearing hijab. This is certainly true for reverts, but may also be true for sisters whose families or even whose cultures are not particularly observant. As a revert myself, I have been through the whole thing. I would like to offer some advice that I hope inshallah will be helpful to sisters who are considering wearing hijab but find that something is holding them back. If you don't think that you need to wear hijab, try "Why Should I Wear Hijab?" instead.

Learning About Hijab

The first step is to learn about hijab. There is so much information out there and unfortunately much of it seems to be conflicting. Although most of what you see agrees that the sister must cover everything but her face and hands, some groups say that it is fard to cover everything but the eyes. Meanwhile, certain other groups are dedicated to claiming that covering the hair is not obligatory. It is very easy to get confused. And there are other questions. What is a jilbab? Is it fard to wear one? What do all the names mean?

I have spent about two years researching these issues for myself and I have written several articles that set out what to the best of my knowledge are the correct rules of hijab. Each of these is linked below for you to look at.

Special Focus on Hijab - This is a section in a larger article. It explains where the ruling on covering everything but the face and hands comes from, and the conditions of the headscarf. It also refutes the claims of those who say that covering the hair is not fard.

Evidences for Jilbab - The jilbab seems to be the forgotten obligation of hijab. This article presents dalils from Quran and Sunna, and opinions of many scholars, to show that wearing a jilbab is fard, and it also discusses the conditions and rules of the jilbab.

Examining the Dalils for Niqab - In this article I examine the dalils that are presented by those who claim that niqab is fard and I show that these are not as compelling as they seem at first. I am actually a strong supporter of the opinion that niqab is mustahabb and sunna but I do not believe that it is fard and I believe that saying that it is fard is to introduce into the religion an obligation that Allah SWT and the Prophet (sAas) did not.

For your convenience, I present a brief guide to the rules of dress for the Muslim sister for different situations.

1. Around her husband, a sister may dress however she chooses. There are no restrictions on what the husband can see or touch.
2. Around the mahram relatives, women, and children (a complete list of exemptions is given in Surah an-Nur ayah 31), a sister should cover her awra. There are different opinions on the extent of this. The most sensible that I have seen is from the upper chest to the knee. This includes the region that is also awra in men (navel to knee) and extends upwards to cover the woman's bosom, which is a special concern for her. Display of the hair, arms, lower legs and feet, is universally agreed to be halal for this category.
3. Around non-mahram men, a sister must cover all of her body except her face and her hands. The face is the circle of the face only and does not include the ears or any of the hair. Just think about what you wash in wudu. The covering of the hair, neck, shoulders, and upper chest must specifically be accomplished by the khimar (headscarf). The arms, torso, and legs should be covered by loose, opaque clothing that obscures the shape of the figure. A long-sleeved blouse and a jumper, a long loose tunic and a long skirt, or shalwar kameez are all examples of what is acceptable. As well, most scholars say that the feet must be covered with socks and shoes although a few scholars allow the wearing of sandals.
4. Outdoors and in open public places (such as the market or the masjid), a sister must wear a jilbab as an outergarment, that is, over her other clothes. If she is wearing a khimar, then the jilbab only needs to cover from the shoulders to the ankles, such as a long coat. If she is not wearing a khimar, then the jilbab should cover the head and neck as well.

The above rules set out what you need to wear in each situation in order to be observing correct hijab.

Note: Most sisters, including myself, approached hijab in several stages. Usually the first stage is the modest clothing such as the blouse and jumper, tunic and skirt, or shalwar kameez. The second stage is to add the headscarf (properly called khimar). The third stage, often taken much later after reading up on the dalils, is to add the jilbab when outdoors. In the way of things, I expect that most sisters who are reading this have already adopted the modest clothing and are worried about the khimar.

Deciding to Wear Hijab

This is where the difficulties usually come in. For many sisters, it truly is a jihad. I remember very vividly how scared I was the first day I put on the headscarf and went out into public. As long as you are just wearing the modest clothes, nobody has to know that you are a Muslim. Once you complete your hijab with the headscarf, you are suddenly announcing to everyone who sees you that "I am a Muslim". Here is some advice based on my own experiences.

• Wear it for the sake of Allah

Various statements are made about why you should wear hijab, such as for modesty or for protection, but the real reason that we wear hijab is that Allah has commanded it. Whenever anyone asks you, why do you dress like that, that's the only answer you need to give them.

Allah is the source of everything we have, our existence, our life, our capability, even our goodness. If He ever stopped sustaining us, we would vanish in that instant. If He ever took away what he gives us, we would never have even a speck of it. If we worked for millions of years, we could never repay Him for all that He has given us. And yet He does give it to us, and all He asks in return is that we do our best to obey what He has commanded us. Surely wearing hijab is a very small thing that you can do for Him compared to what He does for you!

• Wear it for the hope of Jannah

Allah makes tests for us in this world. He makes things difficult for us. He wants to see if we will remember Him, if we will have faith in Him, and if we will trust in Him. These qualities are what is meant by "sabr".

Allah does not lose the work of anyone, ever (see Surah Ali Imran ayah 195). Even if it seems like nobody is paying attention to you or notices or appreciates good things that you do, Allah has seen them, and He will not forget them. Even when it seems like the whole world is against you, Allah is always there for you when you turn to Him. Remember this.

Allah always wants the best for us and in His wisdom He knows why each thing that happens to us is in fact best for us. When it seems like everything is going wrong and life is just one disaster after another, it is easy to forget this and to become bitter and skeptical. Yet we must remember always to have faith that Allah knows best why He has willed this for us, and we must always ask Him only "Make me pleased with what You have willed for me".

This world we live in, although it seems at times to be the only real thing, is actually fleeting compared to the Hereafter, which is better and more abiding. The trials of this world will seem as fleeting as a nightmare when seen from the Hereafter, and the pleasures of this world will also seem as fleeting as a dream when seen from the Hereafter. It's our happiness in the Hereafter that we should be most worried about attaining, because it is what will last forever; and it's our suffering in the Hereafter that we should be most worried about avoiding, because it also will last forever.

Allah has promised Jannah to those who remain steadfast in their faith in Him and who trust in Him. The more difficult it is for you to have sabr, the greater the reward for it. So what will it be? Ease in this world, and perhaps the eternal sufferings in Hell? Or difficulty in this world, and inshallah the eternal bliss of Jannah? Let's face it, the old cliches are true: there's no such thing as a free lunch and you can almost never have your cake and eat it too. We've all got to face difficulties some time. Better by far that they be in the world than in the Hereafter.

So that's what you should set your mind to. Yes, it's difficult to wear hijab. You may be rejected by your family or your friends, you may face harassment and persecution or be fired from your job. These are very scary thoughts. But if you have sabr and keep trusting in Allah , I swear to you sister, this is the path to Jannah, and when you look back on the Day of Qiyamah you will know that it was worth it and have no regrets.

• Wear it today and trust in Allah for tomorrow

What do I mean by that? What I mean is that you should take it one day at a time, or even one outing at a time. Sometimes the future seems to stretch on forever and ever and you don't think you can make it that long. You want to give up before you even begin.

So sometimes the best thing to do is to keep you mind focused on what is immediately at hand. Allah will take care of the future. If you have to go out to the market, then concentrate on being able to wear hijab just for this activity and on getting through it. If you do get through it and nothing bad happened, then give thanks to Allah for making it easy for you, and turn your mind to your next outing.

Or if you have to go out to school or work, then concentrate on being able to wear hijab just for this one day and on getting through it. And give thanks to Allah when you have made it, and turn your mind to the next day.

Eventually the outings will turn into days and the days into weeks, and the weeks into months. One day you will realize that you have been wearing hijab for quite a long time and it isn't really as bad as you feared, and Allah helped you get through it. Don't be ashamed. Sometimes it is like this. The most important thing is to have sabr and keep your trust in Allah always.

• Wear it and spite the shaytan

My dear sister, the worries and fears in your mind are the whisperings of the shaytan. He wants to talk you out of obeying Allah .

It is very easy to keep going around in circles in your mind and to dwell on all the things that could go wrong. I know that I myself have a tendency to do this, I put it off and I dither and I wait for "the perfect time". If I let myself, I would never do anything at all!

So the thing you have to remember is that you do not need to be perfect in iman to wear hijab. If perfection were a qualification, where is the sister who could wear it??

You must also not fall into the trap of thinking that you should wait until all your worries and fears have disappeared. They never will! Trust me on this, sister.

True courage is going ahead to do what's right even though you are still nervous and scared. So don't listen to the shaytan. Ignore the worries and fears he whispers into your mind. Tell him that you will not let him keep you from obeying Allah SWT and you will not let him rule your life.

Make the decision to wear it

Once you have come to know in your heart that you must wear hijab, then you have to set a day and

JUST DO IT

This is the only way. Set a day and when that day comes, you have to do it. Don't back down. Don't give up. Do it.

Offer salat al-istikhara. Make du'a. Make lots of du'a. Do not stop making du'a. Ask Allah to give you strength. Ask Him to make it easy for you. Ask Him to help you. He will, I swear it to you. He is always there for you when you turn to Him. Remember how much He has given you, how everything that you have, even your very existence, is due to Him. Remember that He deserves this from you. Remember the promise of Jannah. Remember that remaining patient and faithful through difficulty now may lead to Jannah, inshallah. Even if bad things happen, keep these thoughts in your mind. Don't worry about tomorrow. Just concentrate on getting through today, and leave tomorrow to Allah until it gets here.

That's how you do it.

Final Words of Encouragement

Never feel that you are alone, or that you are the only one who is scared and worried and nervous. Just about every other sister who has travelled down this road has gone through the same things. I know I have. Your sisters are here for you. We have been where you are. We are encouraging you and cheering you on. We know what it takes because we had to find that in ourselves too. We are praying for your success just as we prayed for our own.

Come and join us.

Allah does not burden a soul except what it can bear. For it is what it has earned, and upon it is what it has made due. "Our Lord and Sustainer, do not condemn us if we forget or do wrong. Our Lord and Sustainer, do not put a burden on us like the burden You put on those who were before us. Our Lord and Sustainer, do not put a burden on us that we cannot endure. And blot out (our sins) and forgive us, and be gentle to us. You are our Protector. So help us against the rejectors." (Surah al-Baqarat ayah 286)