All Sons of Adam are exalted

In every society exists a social stratum, whether legally enforced or not. Examples of legally enforced social strata can be found in societies which follow Hinduism, such as India. The kingdoms of ancient Indonesia also adopted this social stratification, up until other religions were introduced, such as Buddhism and Islam, which offered equality opposed to stratification. This social stratification based on Hinduism is called caste.

When people are divided into groups based on their socio-economic conditions, injustice is bound to happen. Whether it’s the old caste system in Hinduism, or the class system in Japan before the Meiji restoration, people at the higher class who have privilege, will most definitely oppress the ones at the bottom part of the strata. Perhaps, it’s in the animalistic human nature to want to dominate over others. Thus, it results in revolutions and revolts by the oppressed group, as it is also in human’s nature to understand truth and justice.

Nobody, no matter how rich or powerful has the license to humiliate or take the lives of those who are less fortunate, opposing colonialism, oppressive slavery, and the likes. In fact, in the Islamic tradition, when one kills a person without any just reason, it is as if he has killed the whole of humanity. Unfortunately, even in this era which is claimed to be the era of “democracy and equality”, we can still find discriminative treatments based on socio-economic backgrounds.

If only we were able to look beyond the sight of the physical eye, we would be able to see the value of every single human being. If only we were able to see with our hearts, be able to perceive the truth beyond what the physical eye sees, we would understand how amazing everyone is with their own uniqueness. Nobody is below anybody else, as opposed to the belief of many. In fact, as the Qur’an would say, “Truly, the children of Adam are exalted!” every single one of us without exception.

Spending in extravagance

2011/08/21

21th day or Ramadhan

One of the things we do to find pleasure is to spend money. Of course this is natural, but it sometimes goes out of hand to the point we become extravagant with our spending. For me, this happens most when I am left by my family for a long trip. I usually end up buying things that I don’t really need. At one time it was a new Dell laptop, and then a digital DSLR plus some lenses.

As said previously, spending in extravagance is a way which we think can make us happier in facing the turmoil of daily life. While the truth is, it is more harmful than beneficial. Rather more like a tranquilizer which makes us forget about pain even though the wound is still there.

Extravagance can cause big problem is all societies. This is especially true in the case of credit card use in the US. Credit card debt is a major problem in the US, where the average family today carries $8,000 in credit card debt according to the American Bankers' Association (Dave Ramseys blog). What is this if you don’t call it extravagance?

The truth is, even without being extravagant, many of us are living luxurious lives which can only be dreamt by the kings of the past. To have cool drinks straight from the fridge, while the old kings had to bring ice blocks from the north, to have flowing water with a turn of the knob, while they had to set up there palaces near rivers, and other facilities that we often take for granted.

By being extravagant, we become desensitized to spending our money in the correct way, especially to give in charity. We spend on unnecessary things while people are dying out of hunger in other parts of the world. So evil is the act of extravagance, the Qur’an calls the extravagant the brethren of the devil himself. Thus, we should protect ourselves from falling into extravagance and always be mindful in what we spend.

Being careful with what we ask for

2011/08/19

19th day or Ramadhan

Imagine this scenario. You’re up 10.000 meters above the ground on a jumbo jet Boeing 747. Suddenly, you hear a loud thump from outside. The plane shakes violently and the emergency light goes on. You are told to fasten your seat belt and put on your oxygen mask. The captain then announces a technical problem (which might well be an engine failure) and asks everyone to stay calm. At times like this, I guarantee that even the vilest of people or even the most stubborn atheist will suddenly remember to make (or at least think to make) prayers. The One to whom that prayer is directed to, that is God.

And for me, there is no doubt that the prayer is a very powerful arsenal for those who use it, as I have experienced its power at first hand. There have also been scientific experiments that prove the effect of prayers, which is interesting, although I’m not a big fan of the effort of connecting science and religiosity. For this, you can “Google scholar” the key word “effects of prayer”, where you’ll be able to find more than 200.000 hits. However, to really appreciate the power of prayers, I believe that one needs to experience it at first hand.

Because of its sheer power, prayers can also be dangerous at times. At times, people say their prayers with emotion or in an angry state, which results in difficulty for them. In an angry state, one might make a bad prayer towards their children, wealth, or themselves.

There is also the possibility that we might pray for something that may be bad for us, even though it seems good. For example, one might pray, “O God, please give me that exotic car!” thinking that it’s good for him. While in truth, the same car that he prayed for might give a life full of unease, being afraid that someone might scratch it or damage it. Or even worse, that same car might get him robbed or even killed.

Thus, we should be careful with what we ask for. The best thing to ask for is guidance, mercy, and Him being pleased with us, for that is where true happiness lies, if we but only knew.

Being merciful towards parents

2011/08/18

18th day or Ramadhan

One of the tragedies of our times is the lost of respect towards parents. I was lucky to be raised in a time and place where from an early age, we were taught to respect our elders, especially parents. While nowadays, we see children being totally disrespectful towards their parents, and nothing seems to change no matter what the parents do about it.

One of the reasons that immediately popped into my mind is the TV. Let’s face it, TV has taken the responsibility of education at home. The average child in the US watches 4 hours of television per day (http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html), and more than 50 percent of them would prefer the TV than spending time with their parents.

And when we see the cartoons shown on TV, most of them teach disrespect towards parents. In cartoons like the Simpsons, Crayon Shin chan, etc., disrespect towards parents are viewed something comical and funny. While in truth, it can destroy the very foundations of the society i.e. the family.

In the Islamic tradition, respecting the parents is in the highest priorities that God has set for us. Parents are so sacred, that we’re not even allowed to say the slightest expression of disrespect towards them. In fact, we are obliged to always be kind to them, especially when they reach old age.

The words in Qur’an is to lower our wings of humility towards them. And when we see a mother bird protecting its chicks, it risks its own wings in order to keep her chicks safe. That is how we should be to our parents. After all, it is through them that God brought us to this world. They are the largest proof of God’s mercy towards us. They took care of us when we were small, had sleepless nights taking care of us when we were sick, cheered us up when we were down, showered us with love when we needed it the most, and other forms of mercy that we can’t enumerate.

May God forgive all of our sins and our parent’s sins. And may God shower mercy upon our parents as they showered mercy upon us when we were children.