Religious arrogance at its worst

Just got back from Friday Prayer, where the preacher said that staying at home, not praying Friday Prayer or not going to the mosque for congregation in the times of plague is an act of hypocrisy, which is equally as bad as apostasy. That the covid-19 virus is God's creation and we should not be afraid of it. This accusation goes beyond the common people, as there have already been fatwas (Islamic rulings) from the Saudi Scholars, Al Azhar (Egypt) scholars, and even scholars in Indonesia to (for the time being), pray from our homes. Frankly, it saddens me hearing preaches accusing other people of being hypocrites. Because the fatwas to stay at home were given to remedy the condition, not to make it worse. Its these kinds of preaches that do (make things worse).

There are several scenarios possible. People who are doing their best to stay at home because they assume that they have high potential of being carriers might be encouraged (or forced to come due to peer/community pressure) to come to the mosque. If they are indeed carriers, the whole congregation might be infected, which includes the elderly and children, which have high risk of mortality when infected by the covid-19 virus. Another scenario is that people who are doing their best to quarantine themselves lose trust in the so called "religious people" and the religion in and of itself due to the arrogance, hardness and accusations. This is religious arrogance at its best. It ruins the love among us and make us even further apart.

It may not be understandable to some people, but many of us are not scared of being infected by the virus. If we are infected, we'll take it and be patient with it. We just don't want to infect other people. We don't want to be the cause of suffering for people that we love and care for; and the suffering of other people as well. There has been substantial proof that this is not a media game. People that we know have been infected. Some of them have succumbed to the disease, even though they were in great shape. So being extra careful is understandable, especially for those who have their parents living with them or are living with children.

We are often tested the most in hard times. And this is one of them. We need to stop arrogance toward each other. The choices that we take aren't black and white nowadays. And we need to respect the choices of others and refrain from harsh words that may make the situation even worse.

Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri said of hypocrisy: “No one fears it but a believer, and no one feels safe from it but a hypocrite.” In other words, if you feel that you don't have hypocrisy, there is a good chance that you are a hypocrite.

Wabah ini akibat kesombongan kami, dan kesombongan itu semakin menjadi-jadi

Manusia adalah satu-satunya makhluk yang bisa memanipulasi alam sesuai kehendaknya. Terkadang ia tidak mengerti akan konsekuensi dari manipulasi atau kegiatan yang ia lakukan. Ia congkak dan melakukan hal-hal bodoh yang seharusnya tidak ia lakukan. Ia merasa bahwa hal-hal yang bisa ia lakukan, boleh dilakukan. Padahal bisa dan boleh merupakan dua hal yang berbeda. 

Ia meneliti dan menyimpan virus-virus berbahaya yang seharusnya dimusnahkan. Ia sombong menyimpan virus-virus berbahaya tersebut, yang ternyata akibat keteledorannya, dapat lepas ke lingkungan dan menginfeksi bahkan membunuh ribuan orang. Dengan sombong ia mengkonsumsi makanan-makanan yang secara fitrah tidak biasa dimakan oleh manusia di peradaban-peradaban lain. Makanan-makanan yang berasal dari hewan-hewan yang memiliki penyakit tertentu yang setelah terus-menerus berinteraksi dengan manusia mampu menginfeksi dan membunuhnya. Tidak ada alasan tertentu untuk mengkonsumsinya, hanya karena alasan “eksotis,” unik, dan untuk memuaskan nafsu serta keingintahuannya. Terlepas dari teori apapun yang berada di balik pandemik COVID-19, dasar dari permasalahannya adalah kesombongan manusia.

Sebelum wabah itu tersebar, para pemimpin, dengan sombongnya mengatakan bahwa wabah ini bukan sesuatu yang patut dikhawatirkan. Dokter yang mencoba memberi peringatan dini kepada dunia ditangkap dan dihukum. Pada akhirnya sang dokter meninggal dunia akibat terjangkit wabah tersebut. 

Setelah wabah ini tersebar ke seluruh belahan bumi, masih ada pemimpin-pemimpin yang sombong dan menganggap enteng betapa berbahayanya wabah ini. Bahkan di antara mereka banyak yang berkelakar dan membuat lelucon-lelucon yang tidak pantas terkait wabah ini. Kesombongan itu diperlihatkan juga melalui kebijakan-kebijakan untuk memperbanyak aktivitas di tempat-tempat pariwisata untuk menggenjot pertumbuhan ekonomi dan membuka pintu selebar-lebarnya untuk wisatawan asing untuk masuk. Padahal beberapa negara di belahan dunia lain telah begitu ketat menjaga perbatasan negaranya agar wabah ini tidak menyebar lebih cepat. Pertumbuhan ekonomi mendahului kesejahteraan dan kesehatan rakyatnya.

Kini hampir di seluruh dunia ada larangan untuk bepergian dan berkumpul di keramaian. Namun, kesombongan itu masih hadir juga. Mereka yang merasa memiliki daya tahan tubuh yang lebih baik dari yang lainnya terkadang masih seenaknya bepergian kemanapun mereka mau. Bahkan ke tempat di mana ada orang-orang yang rentan terjangkit wabah ini seperti orang tua dan anak-anak. Padahal, tidak adanya gejala bukan merupakan jaminan belum terjangkit oleh wabah ini, dan masih bisa menulari mereka yang rentan terjangkit.

Kesombongan religius pun muncul ke permukaan. Di komunitas Muslim Indonesia, mereka yang mengisolasi diri karena merasa ada kemungkinan telah terjangkit dicibir, direndahkan dan dianggap mendramatisir keadaan. Bahkan terkadang keluar ucapan bahwa mereka telah mengikuti jejak dan termakan propaganda orang kafir. Yang secara tidak langsung menuduh orang lain keluar dari agamanya. Sungguh kesombongan seperti ini yang justru membuat orang semakin jauh dan terasingkan dari agama yang sebenarnya. Mati memang di tangan Tuhan, tapi harus ada usaha maksimal untuk menghargai hidup dan menjaga sesama. Yang tidak mungkin tercapai dengan adanya kesombongan religius di dalam diri-diri kita. Apalagi ada banyak fatwa-fatwa yang mendukung untuk meminimalisir keluar dari rumah untuk kemaslahatan bersama. Kesombongan religius ini menghalangi kita untuk menghargai pendapat-pendapat lain dan menjaga perasaan antar sesama. 

Dengan sombongnya ada orang-orang tertentu yang bersikukuh mengadakan acara kumpul besar-besaran. Yang walaupun memiliki itikad baik, tidak dapat diterima oleh akal sehat dan logika. Belum lagi usaha ini secara langsung melanggar himbauan para pemimpin dan ahli untuk mengurangi interaksi dengan orang lain. Padahal tujuannya tidak lain dan tidak bukan adalah untuk menjaga diri mereka sendiri dan orang lain yang berinteraksi dengan mereka. Akiibatnya, banyak yang jatuh sakit akibat wabah tersebut.

Masalah-masalah yang dihadapi umat manusia dari masa ke masa pada hakikatnya tidak pernah terlalu berbeda. Kulitnya mungkin tak sama, bisa berupa wabah, peperangan, kelaparan, dan lain-lain. Namun hakikat dari masalah-masalah yang dihadapi biasanya bersumber pada sifat-sifat dasar manusia. Di dalam hal ini, salah satu yang paling utama adalah kesombongan kita. Wabah ini bersumber dan menunjukkan betapa umat manusia, secara kolektif, telah gagal mengendalikan kesombongan kita. Namun di sisi lain, wabah ini pulalah yang semoga dapat mengingatkan kita semua untuk membersihkan diri-diri kita dari kesombongan yang telah mengakar di dalam jiwa kita.

#Covid19

#Indonesia

#Pandemic

A couple of reasons on why Kobe meant so much to so many of us

As with many people, Kobe's sudden passing deeply saddened me. For some people who are not invested in basketball or the NBA, the sadness might be difficult to understand. But know that for many of us, Kobe transcends basketball. He was an inspiration and became part of people's being in one way or another, as I will try to elaborate.

Memories and friendships attached to him

Growing up, I have realized that memories have been directly attached to him. In 1996, while in high school, I got a copy of NBA Live '97 for my Playstation. I played the game with someone who was a big fan of the Lakers. I remember vividly that he wanted to play using this new kid who just came out of high school. That was the first time I heard about Kobe. The person has become a lifelong dear friend of mine who I keep close to my heart. And when Kobe passed, I got flashes of memories that reminded me of friendship and how privileged I am to experience it.

Another memory attached to Kobe was related to my parents. After high school, I left for university in another city. My parents would visit once in a while, and one time they took me out for shoe-shopping. There was one shoe that I really liked (at that time) and got, which turned out to be the Adidas KB8 3. I wore those shoes until they fell apart a couple of years later. 

Again during university, I spent a lot of time on the basketball court. A lot of the stuff taught in classes was backbreaking for me, and I found solace in basketball. That time, there were probably a lot of my facial characteristics that were similar to Kobe, which led to people who regularly came to the basketball court called me Kobe when they didn't know my name (perhaps also as a mockery due to me being terrible in basketball).

Other memories are most likely the historic games Kobe played in. The championship games, the 81 point game, and others. But again it's not just about the games, but about who we watched them with, perhaps for a lot of us with people who we care for dearly.

Kobe's basketball moves

Obviously Kobe is a great basketball player. He is no doubt a legend. And I believe that with his passing, he will be in contention as the greatest Laker ever. 

And for avid ballers, Kobe's moves have been studied and emulated. I am by no means a great baller, but I used to regularly watch Kobe's Nike-mamba videos that breakdown the moves that he has. I am sure millions have done the same.

Kobe also had a particular exercise that people adopt. When I started hitting the gym, I looked at Kobe's 666 fitness program, which contains 6 exercises, done 6 times week, and each session was 6 hours. Granted, I was only able to do 6 exercises without the other 6s. And again, I am sure that millions have adopted Kobe's gym work for themselves.

So in a sense, to a certain extent, Kobe has become part of our being. Be it having his moves or his routines.

Kobe's taste for fashion

I love Kobe's shoes. I had his KB8 3, Nike Kobe protro 1, and a couple of mamba shoes. I can attest that this is also the case for many people. Even for those who aren't Kobe fans. Kobe's lines (except for one or two misses), have been of high quality in terms of design and fashion. They just look and feel good. Wearing his shoes imprinted a sort of connection to him, which again, made a part of Kobe's being imprinted on us.

Kobe's demand for excellence 

Kobe demanded excellence from himself and from others around him. Even from a young age it was already obvious. It showed in his long lasting feud with Shaq, him being over demanding on Larry Nance Jr., and other high profile examples. 

As Kobe would put it, it was nothing personal. And it showed. Shaq loves him to bits and was devastated by his death, Nance was visibly saddened when he played the other day. So Kobe might have came off as arrogant, but it was clear that it was only from his love of winning and excellence. He even played with gruesome injuries. And everyone respected that. Friends and foes. 

This also observed in Kobe's life post basketball. The books he wrote, the basketball academy, and other projects that he worked on oozed class and excellence.

Although it might have rubbed off many in a wrong way, this attitude has been an inspiration and adopted by many people. Again, for those people, a part of Kobe became part of them.

Kobe as a dad

From afar, Kobe seems to have taken his love for excellence to his relationship with his girls. Others close to him also testify to this. He loved and was loved dearly by his daughters. And as a dad of 2 beautiful children, looking at photos and stories about Kobe and his daughters are uplifting and inspiring. Making him an exemplar on how to be a dad.

The fact that he died while accompanying his daughter has inspired me even more. I feel more blessed than ever having my kids in my life since Kobe passed. Life is short and we need to remind ourselves on how blessed we are to experience every second of it, especially with the people we love.

A part of Kobe's being has become part of many of us

Granted, like any other normal human being, Kobe had deficiencies. But the many positive qualities he did possess, thanks to him, have become qualities in other people as well. His work ethic, his love for his family, his dedication toward excellence, his vision, etc. have inspired many. So once again, in a sense, a part of Kobe's being has become a part of many of us. He meant a lot to a lot of us, consciously and subconsciously. And THAT is most likely why many are deeply saddened by his demise. This is from me who has never met the dude in person. I can't imagine how Shaq, DWade, LeBron, TMac, and others close to him feel. I'm pretty sure Kobe partly influenced how they have became.

We will miss you black mamba…

From a fan in Indonesia

@shaq

@nike

@nba

Getting a Japanese driver's license from scratch

I have recently been trying to get a Japanese drivers license in Kyoto from scratch, and it is exactly how others have written about it, an extremely time consuming and tedious process. It has been a frustrating yet humbling experience, and I am grateful for all that I have learned from it. Most Japanese enroll in a driving school, and only need to take a written test at the driver’s license test center. The caveat is that it takes a huge amount of money (around 300.000 yens = 3000 USD) and quite an amount of time (2 to 6 months). Most foreigners convert their country’s driver’s license to a Japanese one, where they only need to pass a 10 question test and a practical test on the test center’s track.

Unfortunately, when I first came in 2005, I had no plans whatsoever to drive in Japan, and let my Indonesian driver’s license expire (in 2007). Now, in 2013, I need to drive, and thus I am required to either enroll in a driving school (too expensive and time consuming for me) or try to get a Japanese driver’s license from scratch. Obviously, I chose the latter.

The process, as also mentioned here and here consists of:

1. Tests for the provisional driver’s license (kari menkyo/仮免許)

a. Written test (50 true or false questions)

b. Practical test (practical test on the course at the drivers license center)

2. Practicing on the road (with the provisional driver’s license) tutored by a person who is holding a drivers license for more than 3 years (for at least five days)

3. Test for the driver’s license (本運転免許)

a. Written test (90 true or false questions, 5 multiple answer questions)

b. Practical test (on the road near the drivers license center)

Praise to God, I have passed all the tests and am just waiting for the first aid class to be held on the 14th of August. After that I will be given my drivers license. But nevertheless, I would like to share my experiences for it may have some benefits.

In preparation for the written test, I studied from JAF’s rules of the road handbook. The handbook can be had for 1000 yens. You only need to call the closest regional office, and ask them to send a copy. Another book that was helpful for me was the English workbook from Koyama driving school. The workbook cost me 3150 yens, but it was well worth it. With these two resources, I was able to pass both written tests (for the provisional driver’s license and the driver’s license) on my first try. This alone saved me time and money.

What drove me crazy however, was the practical test for the provisional license. It took me five attempts to finally pass. In other prefectures, some need to make a reservation from 1 to 3 weeks prior to the test. But thank God it’s not the case for Kyoto. In Kyoto, we can take the provisional driver’s license practical test every odd day of the month (holidays excluded), without restrictions. On my first try, I boldly (and foolishly) took the test right after I passed the written test without any real practice or theoretical study. My only provision was from reading blog posts and my driving experience back in my home country (the last time I drove a car was several years ago). Rest assured that I utterly failed. The proctor didn't even let me finish the course. 

On my second try, after two lessons at a driving practice (which is also owned by the driver's license center), I did better. My only big mistake was to shave the curb after the “crank”. The proctor said that I would have passed if I hadn’t.

On my third try, I went too fast in an intersection where the view was obstructed. Bear in mind that I checked right and left prior to the intersection and went slow through it, just not slow enough (I was supposed to stop and drive walking speed slow). The proctor immediately told me to stop and go back to the starting point.

On my fourth attempt, I failed because I didn’t do things “decisively” enough. For example, when changing lanes, after signaling and checking my blind spot, I was supposed to quickly change to the destined lane and not do it slowly (as shown in Figure 1).

 Figure 1. Do things decisively!

I finally passed on my fifth attempt. One of the important keys to pass in Kyoto is to be confident and decisive. ALWAYS check your blind spot after signaling for changing lanes or turning. ALWAYS signal 30 meters before turning. Basic principles can be found here and here.　What helped me a lot in passing the practical test was watching the DVD in this book. Even though I could not 100% understand the language, the videos and illustrations are very clear.

The “real” practical test took me two attempts. This is done on the road near to the driver’s license test center. In Kyoto, the practical test takes around 20 – 30 minutes per person. Be extra careful with pedestrians and bicycles, because those were what failed me on my first attempt. STOP at pedestrian crossings if there are pedestrians standing there, even when they are having a chat there. Bicycles often ride on the wrong side of the road, and they will be coming towards you on your side of the road. My fault was that I didn't signal to go wide (crossing the center line to leave space for the bicycle to pass). Whenever it’s necessary to go past the centerline, ALWAYS make a signal and check our blind spots.

I wasn't really confident on my second attempt, because I went too fast when passing by a stopping truck. But I got enough points to continue to the parking test (there are two parts in the “real” practical test. The road test, and if we do well enough, we will need to do a parking test). On that day, the parking test was to back up into a space, and change the direction of the car (figure 2).  Thank God I passed the test with 75 points (the minimum passing grade is 70 points).

Figure 2. A type of parking test in practical driver’s license test in Kyoto (car image from here)

Amazingly, even after we pass all of the tests, we are still not eligible for a driver’s license. We need to follow a seven-hour first aid class at a driving school. What I didn't expect is that the schools only hold these classes once a month and there is a limit in the number of people who can participate. I called more that 10 schools, and the earliest class was 3 weeks from the time I called. At the time this post was written, I was waiting for that class, and thus I have yet to receive my driver’s license.  

Nevertheless, all that is left is just formality and bureaucracy, in a couple of weeks, I will have my driver’s license (God willing). 

It took me a total of 2 months to finish the entire process and 90.000 yens, which is certainly much cheaper and faster than enrolling in a driving school. The breakdown of the cost of my experience is shown in figure 3.

Figure 3. Cost breakdown of my experience in obtaining a Japanese driver’s license

As mentioned in this blog post, this method might not work for everyone, as you need to take half a day off whenever you take an exam. And dealing with the frustration of failing several times is not for everyone. As there is a sense of uncertainty whether you will ever pass the test. To be frank, I must admit that at times, I also felt like quitting. But thanks to my wife’s support, I was able to man up and finish what I started. And eventually it worked out for me. Another thing that helped me is perhaps because I drove in my home country. Nevertheless, I would have never even considered shelling out 300.000 yens to attend a driving school, so I am quite satisfied with the results. I hope that this post can encourage everyone hopeful of obtaining a Japanese driver’s license from scratch. It’s certainly doable and not impossible.

They would indeed shed blood

It can be really depressing witnessing the bloodshed that is currently happening. The killings in Myanmar, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and most recently in Egypt are all examples of how evil and morally bankrupt can human beings become. Why are these things happening? How people could kill others in cold blood and how they are comfortable in oppressing others is just beyond my comprehension. Why do these kind of people exist? Why did God create them?

Well, I guess that was just how the Angels felt when our father, Adam AS*, was created. The Angels knew that humanity would shed blood. The Angels knew that humanity would create unimaginable destruction on earth. God’s reply was: “I know that which you don’t know.”

Along with the potency for destruction, humanity also has the potency of much good. So much so that the Angels were ordered to bow to Adam AS. Granted we will also make mistakes, just as our father Adam AS did when he ate from the tree. But we also have in ourselves remorse and the ability to repent, realize our mistakes, learn from them, and in turn become better human beings.

Going back to the oppressions that we see in our times. We condemn them. That’s the least we can do. Normal human beings will condemn injustice. Normal human beings will condemn oppression of their kin. After all, we are all brothers and sisters from the lineage of our father Adam AS aren’t we? 

There are certain times, many times in fact, where we will feel helpless to help those we want to help. Thus, there are things we need to try to remind ourselves. We will always shed blood. We will always disagree. There will always be oppression and injustice, until the end of time. While doing our best, within our own capacity to eradicate them, know that EVERYTHING is under control. From the rotation of the smallest particles, the leaves that fall, to the expansion of the universe, God is in control. Humanity will continue to shed blood, yet He knows that which we don't know.

Reflections from Al Baqarah, ayah 30 ~

*AS: Alayhissalaam (peace be upon him)
Images are free stock pictures from here and here

The celebration of a mother’s mercy

So it has been 32 years since God brought me into this world through my beautiful mother. I only remember bits and pieces of what happened before today, but among the strongest memories that stay with me is the mercy and love of my parents.

I don’t really know when people started celebrating their birthdays, but as with every event that God gives to us, it’s a good time to reflect and be grateful. Obviously, I have been blessed with so many things. And if I try to enumerate them, no doubt I will not be able to do so. Yet O so often have I forgotten about them and set my focus only on things that I don’t have instead. Shame on me!

But anyway, as with any birthday, the credit and congratulation should go to the one who deserves it the most, which in this case is the mother.

In labor, every mother risks her life to deliver a human being into this world. It started with 9 months of difficulties and exhaustion, which in many cases deter many parts of her body. After birth, the baby will need to be nurtured and taken care of until he/she reaches independence, which takes many years and immense effort. But the mother (and father) will never yield, and will continue to support the person who was once her little baby, even though she doesn't get the gratitude that she deserves.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that after God and His messenger, the mother is whom we must respect the most. She has done so much for us, that nothing we do will ever repay her mercy. Even the best deed that we do for her will not even recompense the pain of giving labor.

So I take this opportunity to express gratitude for one of the most immense blessings that He has given me.

Thank you mama and papa, for showering your mercy upon me. I most definitely did many bad things. Yet you continued to support and care for me. May God also shower mercy upon you as you showered mercy upon me when I was feeble and weak. 

Installing DOCK 6.1 on mint linux

For people who are new to the UNIX system, installing programs manually can be a daunting task. This was indeed the case for me anyway. I needed to install some molecular modeling softwares such as GROMACS and DOCK from UCSF, and I had a hard time doing so.

For GROMACS, it was a straight forward task, as it was available in the mint linux repository, and other important components for the installation was automatically added. It wasn't so for DOCK 6.1, because I needed to install it manually and prepare the prerequisites as well, and I had to go through many trial and errors.

After googling and looking into several forums, I finally got DOCK 6.1 to work on my virtual mint linux (installed in windows 7). The summary of the procedures that I did, from unpacking to installing DOCK is as follows:


     tar -zxvf dock.6.1_source.tar.gz
     cd dock6
     cd install
     su
     --> input root password

In order to install the required compilers and other prerequisites, I needed to run apt-get. Unfortunately, because I am behind a campus proxy, I wasn't able to do it normally, so I had to find a way around it.

     -->(in su mode)
     export http_proxy=http://proxy.campus.net:8080
     apt-get install build-essential flex bison gfortran

     --> change g77 to gfortran
     --> go to the /usr/bin/ directory
     cd /usr/bin/
     ln -s gfortran g77

     --> go to the dock6/install/ directory
     ./configure gnu
     make all

--> in case of any "error: 'strlen' was not declared in this scope" errors, insert following lines in the mentioned .cpp files using a text editor:
     #include "cstdlib"
     #include "string.h"

--> Finish the DOCK installation

This did the trick for me, and thank God, I am now able to run docking simulations using DOCK with no hassle.

Adding PATH of directory in mint linux

I spent several hours trying to figure this out. There are so many resources in the internet that it is often difficult to get what we really need. I am writing it down here in case I forget again one day (or if anybody is experiencing the same problem).

Some suggested modifying the .bashrc files, some suggested to modify the etc/profile file, but what worked for me was by modifying the "environment" file. I just searched for the environment file using the search facility of mint linux's finder, then modify it by adding my directory path. 

From PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games" 

to 

PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/home/fendrri/modeling/dock6/bin"

 Logged out, logged back in, and I was able to execute all the files within my target directory. Nothing fancy, but it worked out for me.

Insulting other people’s deities / gods

As human beings, we will always differ amongst ourselves, from small things to the big, likewise. This is true, including when it comes to what we believe in. All of us have a degree of certainty in what we believe in, based on what we know and understand, despite it having the possibility of being right or wrong.

At times, our differences can cause friction and tension between us. It’s natural, as long we don't go overboard with it. But unfortunately, we often do (go overboard with it). In the name of freedom of speech, we often disrespect and insult the party that we differ with. So much so we curse that what is most sacred to our opposition.

We see this all the time. As a Muslim, I often feel angry, sad and depressed when people mock at what I believe in. This feeling is perhaps mutual amongst Muslims everywhere. And unfortunately, instead of giving a noble response (to explain clearly why we are offended and try to build bridges to eradicate the misunderstanding), we often get trapped into becoming as bad as the people who insulted us, i.e. we also insult what is sacred to them.

It is a common sight where burning or abusing the national flag becomes a form of retaliation towards insults by a person of a certain nationality. I remember a couple of years ago when the infamous comics from Denmark came out. Muslims were understandably angry and hurt by the incident. But it still doesn't justify acts of flag burnings and the sorts.

We are strictly ordered to not insult or mock what other people deem as sacred, and the national flag is one example. Many people still deem the national flag as a kind of deity that they worship (consciously or not). The Olympics that is taking place is a testimony of this.

What is most important is to try and build bridges and introduce Islam to people who are misinformed. But this is an impossible task to accomplish if we ourselves are ignorant of what we say is our way of life.

The blessed at our doorsteps (song)

I have posted this as a poem in a previous post, but this time I have made it into a short song. I hope it can be enjoyed.

The blessed at our doorsteps

You have come you have come, o honorable guest

To wash our sins away

You have come you have come, as a blessing and a test

To reach for His love we may

You prevent us from our evil, and shine bright the good that we have

Locked away are all that’s deceitful, so everything is up for grabs

You have come you have come, o blessed nights

Filled with remembrance

You will come you will come, o night of might

May we not let you pass us away

Therein we received our guidance, the Book which in it there’s doubt

The emergence of a nation, the nation of he who we love

Will you stay will you stay, o blessed days?

In our hearts forever

Will we meet you again in another time and place

Our beautiful Ramadhan

The three types of people seeking sacred knowledge

Sacred knowledge of the religion is no doubt the most important knowledge that any human being could gain. All the physical sciences that one learns, without being coupled by sacred knowledge of the religion, cannot make someone closer to God. And in truth, to get close to, serve and please God is the only reason we exist.

Seeking sacred knowledge is an extremely praised act. However, this act can in fact destroy the person seeking it IF he does it for the wrong reasons. I am paraphrasing from a lecture I heard given by Ustadh Yahya Rhodus (may God preserve him) of Zaytuna, on the categorization of seekers of knowledge according to Imam Al Ghazali (may God have mercy on his soul) in one of his books.

The first type is the one that will be destroyed by his knowledge. These are the types of people who seek for sacred knowledge for purposes of this worldly life. They seek for knowledge for their career, to look good in front of other people, to debate other people with the knowledge that they have, and other worldly gains. These people will not get closeness to God through their knowledge.

The second type is the one that seeks knowledge to get close to God, but sometimes has the tendency or is tempted to use sacred knowledge for worldly matters. This is a dangerous position, because there is a possibility that he will get sucked into becoming the first category.

The third type is the best type, which is the one who seeks knowledge only for the sole purpose of bettering himself and getting closer to God.

Of course we should all aspire to be among the third type. But sometimes we are unsure about what group are we in. One way to check one’s self is through other people’s praises. If we feel good when other people praise us for what we know, then we are most likely in the first or second group, and need to get our acts straight.

May we all be true seekers of sacred knowledge, and have a noble rank with God.

A beautiful palindrome

Playing with palindromes is a fun thing to do. In case you’re not familiar with what a palindrome is; they are words or phrases that read the same in both directions. There are even some instances when the DNA sequences in organisms are palindromic. Several simple words that are palindromes are POP, MOM, EYE, RACECAR, and many others.

As you can see, even if we read the words backwards, they stay the same. However, when it comes to creating a phrase or a sentence, making palindromes can be a bit difficult. Some examples can be found in this website. 

Talking about palindromes, we can also find some in the Quran. Among them is in Surah (chapter) Al Mudathir (the cloaked one). The phrase is translated as “magnify the greatness of your Lord!” In Arabic, it is:

The letter in the beginning of the sentence means “and”, and is similar to a capital letter in our sentences. So broken down, the phrase becomes:

ر ب ب ك ف ك ب ب ر

which is also a palindrome, and an amazing one indeed, as it goes along with the context of what is being emphasized = to magnify the greatness of your Lord.

When constructing a palindrome, one must at least know the letters he/she is using and form them into a sentence. You can even try making one and find out that it’s not as easy as it seems. However, the palindrome in the Quran that was just mentioned was recited by a man who didn’t even know how to write or read.

Whenever the Prophet received revelation, he would recite it to his companions and it would spread as it is, without any auditing whatsoever. Furthermore, bear in mind that the Quran was orally transferred, not in writing. The palindromes and linguistic marvels in the Quran were not even recognized until linguistic scholars began to delve into it. 

So we can try to make palindromes with the language that we are best at. But no matter how hard we try, or how good we are with the language, we probably would never be able to create a palindrome as beautiful as the one in the Quran that was just mentioned.

And they called him (peace and blessings be upon him) crazy

Preaching something new (or forgotten) can be an overwhelming task. This is especially true for the Prophets and Messengers (peace be upon them all). After all, what they preached was something that would radically change the fabrics of the society. It was so simple yet so fundamental that people would understand it, but refuse to accept it because of its consequences. It changes the way people would view the world. That God is one and worship Him, obey Him.

Thus, the Prophets and Messengers (peace be upon them all) had oppositions. Usually the rich and the powerful would oppose. Sometimes the whole nation would oppose, leave a few who accept the message. Those who oppose would use character assassination to distract people from the message itself. These opponents would call the Prophets and Messengers as magicians, poets, and even worse, they would call them crazy. While in truth, these Prophets and Messengers are from their own people. And the people always knew they were upright, truthful and just. Having better character than everyone else in the society.

This was also the case for the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). He was given the name Al Amin, the truthful, and everyone knew about his noble character. But when he started spreading God’s word, his opposition called him crazy. But, God gave the Prophet consolation. Reassuring him that he is not. In fact, God revealed that for the Prophet, there is endless praise. It may not have made sense for the opposition at the time, but it sure makes sense now.

After more than one and a half millennia, the Prophet (pbuh) is indeed praised without end. There is no human being on earth that is praised more than him (pbuh). Now there are 2.1 billion Muslims all around the world. And all of them (well most of them) when being recited the name of the Prophet will say “Shallallahu ‘alaihi wa salam”, may God honor him and grant him peace. Muslims praise him in their daily prayers, and because of the time difference between different regions, it is most likely that there is always a Muslim praying somewhere, praising him while doing so. And Muslims all around the world, not even ever meeting him, would burst to tears when remembering him, and long to meet him.

What God has promised is the truth. And no, he (peace and blessings be upon him) is not what they said he was (crazy).