All in the Intention, Right?

How often do we hear people justifying the sins they commit in the name of their ‘intention’? ‘Oh, I know I"m a good person, I don"t mean any harm.’ ‘Islam is all about intention.’ ‘I don"t have bad intentions, so it"s ok.’

Have we forgotten the meaning of Islam, or worse yet, the very purpose of our existence?
Islam means to submit. We live to submit to the will of Allah. And not just to the degree we choose to, we are talking complete submission to His every decree in every aspect of our lives.

Yet all too often, we get ahead of our religion and feel capable enough to draw the line ourselves – the line that defines sin, the one we must not cross. Time and again, this line is based entirely on whether our ‘intention’ for a particular action is good or bad. Rather than following the laws prescribed to us by our Creator, we effectively allow our unqualified selves to decide what is acceptable and what isn"t. Escaping the laws of Islam by justifying wrongdoings in this way has almost become an art.

There are Muslims today of all ages attending gatherings of the unlawful kind, whether this consists of an atmosphere of music and dancing or simply a corporate dinner where alcohol is being served and consumed. They feel it is ok as long as they themselves do not drink or dance. Those who shake hands with the opposite gender feel they can because they have no evil intentions in doing so.

Some may deem it acceptable to purchase products from companies who support Israel, as they are simply interested in the product and do not intend to ‘get involved in politics’.

In any case, intentions are ‘good’ or ‘pure’, and that is all that seems to matter.
What needs to be reinforced here is the concept of Fiqh (jurisprudence) and the absolutely critical role it plays in the religion of Islam. Take the example of a wife who donated all her husband"s property and wealth to the poor after he had died. Despite all the good she had intended in doing so, she ultimately earned hellfire because she lacked the knowledge of Fiqh – that her husband"s belongings must be distributed to his heirs according to the laws of inheritance. Lacking proper knowledge of Fiqh and/or failing to adhere to its laws can lead to terrible consequences, even when performing a good deed with the very best of intentions.


As Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said, ‘Learn the laws of Haram and Halal, unless you are of the ignorant ones.’

Lacking knowledge of Islamic laws does not exempt us from our obligation to follow them. We learn this from the story of the man who sold fish without scales in the marketplace of Kufa. When Imam Ali (peace be upon him) was punishing him for breaking the law (since only fish that have scales are considered lawful in Islam), the man pleaded that he had no idea about this ruling and begged to be forgiven. But instead of excusing the fishmonger for his ignorance, the Imam actually doubled the punishment – the first one for breaking the law, the second one for not bothering to learn the law!

Imam Ali has also said, ‘Surely, the completion of religion is due to the obtaining of knowledge and acting on it (accordingly), and beware that the obtaining of knowledge is more obligatory for you than earning wealth.’ (Al-Kafi)

Thus, in order to ensure that we remain within the bounds of Islam, "it is imperative that we improve our knowledge of Fiqh and make every effort to apply it regularly in our lives ". Some may feel that such strict adherence to each and every Islamic ruling is extreme or is asking for too much. However, these laws have been laid down for us for a reason. If we have complete faith in Allah, we will soon appreciate the fact that abiding by His decree will only benefit us and disobedience will only bring us harm – in ways we may not even be aware of.

A practicing and God-fearing Muslim will consequently act in accordance with Islam"s rules, and when (s) he promises to submit to the will of Allah, (s) he will do exactly that. We see such conviction beautifully displayed by Lady Zainab (peace be upon him) on the day of Ashura. When the tents of the Ahl-ul-Bayt were burned and the holy ladies were stripped of their Hijabs, she approached Imam Zainul Abideen (peace be upon him) and asked if the women should stay inside the tents and get burned or go outside with their heads uncovered.

Even in a life-and-death situation, she made sure to be acting upon the laws of Islam rather than basing the decision on her ‘good intention’ to save their lives. Such unreserved submission shows that we really have no excuse in violating the rules prescribed to us, not even the excuse of intending to do no bad.

*source tebyan.net; Author: Farah Masood

Consequences of Unlawful Money in One's Life

1. Lavishness
One who accepts unlawful money can neither reach a good spiritual position, nor could he have firm beliefs. Unlawful money has many negative consequences, one of which is lavishness. Many people have been afflicted with lavish lifestyle; so, they cannot get the answer to their prayers.

2. The Difficulty of Happiness
One, whose prayers are not heard, because of his lavish lifestyle, cannot easily gain happiness.

3. Consequences for Next Generations
People, who accept unlawful money, make their lives and raise their children with it, cannot raise good children either. Such children are born and raised with unlawful money and food, and there is no place for them but the Hell.

4. Inability to Reach to a High Spiritual Position
One can never reach a good spiritual position if he accepts unlawful money.

5. Inability to Fight
They say when Martyr Kharrazi saw a few soldiers who had lied to get more food he punished them and shouted that people could not fight after eating unlawful food.

6. Taking away the Beauty of Religious Practitioners
Saying one’s prayers can lead him towards the heights of spirituality. But if one accepts unlawful money, his prayers have no meaning anymore. It even becomes harder for such a person to say prayers and to go on fasting.

7. Regression
According to Qur'an, one should always move forward; “O thou man! Verily thou art ever toiling on towards thy Lord- painfully toiling,- but thou shalt meet Him.”‌

Some move forward and some move backward. Each step backward gets one closer to the Hell. Both ways are getting people closer to God; one via Heaven, and the other one via Hell. One who accepts unlawful money is deviated from the path of God, thus, he is moving backward.

Another point to be mentioned is that it does not matter how much unlawful money people use in their lives. According to Prophet Muhammad, “Even one bite of unlawful food affects one.”‌

Unlawful money, no matter how little it is, belongs to someone else and not us. Therefore, the use of it is not acceptable.


* source tebyan.net
Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi

Seven Tips for improving your relationship with the Qur'an

Study the Noble Quran Word-for-Word
Are you one of those people who rarely touches the Quran? Or do you read daily, but don't find it is having the impact on you that it should? Whatever the case may be, these are some simple tips that can help you connect with the Quran.

1. Before you touch it, check your heart
The key to really benefiting from the Quran is to check your heart first, before you even touch Allah's book. Ask yourself, honestly, why you are reading it. Is it to just get some information and to let it drift away from you later? Remember that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was described by his wife as a "walking Quran": in other words, he didn't just read and recite the Quran, he lived it.

2. Do your Wudu (ablution)
Doing your Wudu is good physical and mental preparation to remind you you're not reading just another book. You are about to interact with God, so being clean should be a priority when communicating with Him.

3. Read only 5 minutes everyday
Too often, we think we should read Quran for at least one whole hour. If you aren't in the habit of reading regularly, this is too much. Start off with just five minutes daily. If you took care of step one, Insha Allah (God willing), you will notice that those five minutes will become ten, then half an hour, then an hour, and maybe even more!

4. Make sure you understand what you've read
Five minutes of reading the Quran in Arabic is good, but you need to understand what you're reading. Make sure you have a good translation of the Quran in the language you understand best. Always try to read the translation of what you've read that day .

5. Remember, the Quran is more interactive than a CD
In an age of "interactive" CD-Roms and computer programs, a number of people think books are passive and boring. But the Quran is not like that. Remember that when you read Quran, you are interacting with Allah. He is talking to you, so pay attention.

6. Don't just read, listen too
There are now many audio cassettes and CDs of the Quran, a number of them with translations as well. This is great to put on your walkman or your car's CD or stereo as you drive to and from work. Use this in addition to your daily Quran reading, not as a replacement for it.

7. Make Dua (supplication)
Ask Allah to guide you when you read the Quran. Your aim is to sincerely, for the love of Allah, interact with Him by reading, understanding and applying His blessed words. Making Dua to Allah for help and guidance will be your best tool for doing this.

* source : tebyan.net

Sayyed Nasrallah on Arbaeen: Resistance to Remain Our Choice

Sayyed Nasrallah on Arbaeen: Resistance to Remain Our Choice

Renungan Akhir Tahun

Perubahan waktu adalah kemestian dalam kehidupan kita di dunia ini, karena hal tersebut merupakan hukum yang Allah ciptakan sebagai hasil dari gerakan yang terjadi pada alam semesta. Tidak satupun di antara manusia yang mampu menghentikan perjalanan waktu.

Waktu demi waktu kita lewati dalam kehidupan kita sebagai sebuah lintasan perjalanan yang kelak akan mengantarkan kita pada lembah kematian sebagai batas akhir kehidupan kita di dunia ini.

Sekalipun waktu adalah hal alamiah namun bagi kehidupan seorang anak manusia, waktu memiliki arti besar karena di dalam waktu banyak peristiwa terjadi dan menghasilkan sejarah kehidupan manusia.

Banyak imperium yang jatuh dan bangun, banyak rezim yang datang silih berganti, banyak tokoh yang menghiasi sejarah mulai dari yang sangat baik hingga yang sangat zalim, Mulai dari Habil dan Qabil hingga Muhammad Saw dan Abu Jahal.

Ketika kita mencoba melakukan refleksi terhadapan kehidupan kita pribadi, ada banyak catatan yang telah kita tuliskan dalam lembar kehidupan kita, ada catatan yang baik dan ada pula catatan yang buruk, ada catatan yang mengharukan dan membuat kita bahagia adapula catatan luka yang membuat kita bersedih. Perjalanan kehidupan kita ibarat lukisan di sebuah kanvas kehidupan ada warna-warna yang indah bak pelangi sehingga membuat kagum yang memandangnya ada pula warna-warna kelabu membuat sedih orang yang melihatnya.

Perjalanan kehidupan kita di dunia ini seringkali kita sebut sebagai UMUR, kata umur mengindikasikan lamanya kehidupan kita di dunia ini, yang tentu satu sama lain memiliki umur tersendiri, ada yang sebentar namun adapula yang Allah SWT biarkan hingga berusia lanjut sebagaimana firman-Nya :

“Dan di antara kamu ada yang Kami tangguhkan hingga berusia lanjut sehingga tidak mengetahui lagi apa yg telah diketahui sebelumnya” (QS ; al-Hajj : 5).

Namun demikian kata Umur sendiri jika kita lacak di dalam al-Qur’an tidak semata hanya bermakna “Idamah al-Hayah fi al-Dunya wa Istimraruha” (Keberlangsungan hidup di dunia dan kontinyuitasnya) ada makna lain yang dijelaskan al-Qur’an terkait dengan kata Umur dan bahkan menggunakan kata ini pada beragam objek, di antara ayat-ayat tersebut misalnya :

“...Orang-orang itu lebih kuat dari mereka sendiri dan telah mengolah bumi tersebut lebih banyak dari apa yang mereka olah sebelumnya...” (QS Ar-Ruum : 9)
Dalam ayat ini kata umur dimaknai sebagai mengolah bumi dan apa yang ada pada bumi tsb.

“Yang memakmurkan masjid Allah hanyalah orang-orang yang beriman kepada Allah dan hari kemudian, serta tetap mendirikan shalat, menunaikan zakat dan tidak takut kecuali kepada Allah semata, maka sesungguhnya merekalah orang-orang yang mendapat petunjuk” (QS 9 : 18)

Bahkan Allah menyebut salah satu ibadah dengan menggunakan kata umur ini dan mengistilahkannya dengan sebutan “Umrah”. Sebagaimana dalam surah al-Baqarah ayat 158 :

“Sesungguhnya Shafa dan Marwah adalah sebagian syi’ar Allah. Maka barangsiapa yang beribadah Hajji ke Baitullah atau ber’umrah, maka tidak ada dosa baginya mengerjakan sa’i antara keduanya. Dan barangsiapa yang mengerjakan suatu kebaikan dengan kerelaan hati, maka sesungguhnya Allah Maha mensyukuri kebaikan lagi Maha mengetahui” (QS 2 : 158)

Dalam tafsir al-Mizan dinyatakan bahwa hakikat dari Umrah adalah menegakkan syi’ar-syi’ar Allah SWT.
Bahkan dalam bahasa Arab kata Ta’mir, yang bermakna memperbaiki atau menegakkan diambil dari kata Umur juga.

Dari beragam makna di atas kita mengetahui bahwa Allah SWT melihat Umur tidak semata lamanya seseorang hidup di dunia akan tetapi lebih kepada kualitas hidup seseorang, prestasi apa yang telah ia cetak dalam kehidupannya, berapa besar usaha yang telah ia lakukan untuk memperbaiki kehidupan di muka bumi ini dan beragam usaha yang telah dikerjakan untuk menegakkan syi’ar Allah SWT.

Dari penggalian makna ini kita dapat bertanya pada diri kita, berapa sebenarnya umur kita ? sulit tentu bagi kita untuk memberikan jawaban atas hal tersebut.

Ketika seorang sufi perempuan Rabi’ah al-Adawiyah di tanya dengan pertanyaan yang sama dia menjawab “Umurku baru lima tahun”, orang yang bertanya tersebut merasa ragu dengan apa yang didengarnya, dan ia melanjutkan pertanyaan “Apa yang engkau maksud wahai Rabi’ah ? ”Rabi’ah menjawab “Karena baru lima tahun aku betul-betul menundukkan diriku dihadapan Allah SWT”.

Pergantian tahun ini sebenarnya memberikan renungan kembali tentang umur kita tersebut, lamanya hidup kita di dunia ini tidak banyak memiliki makna akan tetapi panjang tidaknya umur kita lebih bergantung kepada kualitas kehidupan yang kita jalani

Di dalam Surah Hud ayat ke 7 Allah SWT berfirman :

“Sesungguhnya Dia-lah yang menciptakan langit dan bumi dalam enam hari dan Arsyinya berada di atas air, Sesungguhnya Dia hendak menguji di antara kamu yang terbaik amalnya”.
Semoga tahun yg akan datang kita mampu memberikan makna yang lebih baik bagi kehidupan kita. Ada sebuah do’a yang diajarkan oleh orang-orang shaleh menarik untuk kita baca di akhir tahun ini :

“Wahai yang membolak-balikkan hati dan pandangan, wahai yang mempergilirkan malam dan siang, wahai yang merubah-rubah keadaan, rubahlah keadaan kami menjadi sebaik-baik keadaan”.

Selamat Tahun baru 2012.

* from email Dr. Khalid Walid