The Supremacy of Knowledge

Friday Khutbah delivered in IIUM Mosque on the 22nd Mei 2009

THE SUPREMACY OF KNOWLEDGE

By: Dr Mohd Farid Mohd Shahran

Having heard the few verses from Surah Al-Alaq which I have read, it is interesting to find out the reason why the very initial verse of the Quran revealed to prophet Muhammad s.a.w is in the form of command to read. Is it that reading will make us knowledgeable and well-informed persons. Or is it that the ability to read will enhance our state of living through the rise of literacy rate in our country which will add to the fulfillment of becoming a so called developed country.

Ironically, as far as religion is concerned, there were a lot of people, having read a lot of books, end up becoming an atheist and agnostic of God. We read for example the case of Bertrand Russell, in the case of Christian religion, a great modern philosopher and mathematical logician, who later on wrote his famous book, Why I Am not a Christian expounding his atheistic arguments. His debate with Prof. Coplestone, one of the famous writer of history of western philosophy who is also a priest, regarding the existence of God, is also well recorded. The same goes with the German famous 19th century philosopher Frederich Nietzche who has declared that God is dead in one of his book, Thus spoke Zarathustra.

Thus, it is clear in this case that the act of reading alone does not necessarily contribute to the salvation of man as far as religion is concerned. Even the Jews, according to some interpretations, were called Ahl-al-Kitab (the people of Book), not only because they were given Book of revelation by God but also because of their extreme obsession of reading the result of which led to their disobedient of God. The Qur’an regards them like the donkey that is carrying huge books yet did not understand and profit from it. (ka mathali al-himari yahmilu asfara)

Hence, when God enjoins reading through the word Iqra’ in the Quran, it is not merely because of the act of the reading alone, but more importantly, it refers to the true knowledge that we gain out of the act of reading. This is also the very reason why the verse in surah al-‘Alaq continues with the phrase bismirabbika ‘llazi khalaq to read in the name of your God who creates which means to read with the deep consciousness of the existence of God who have created us. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi in his Tafsir, Mafatih al-Ghayb when interpreting this verse, says that to read in the name of God is to make the readings and the action that follows totally for the sake of God.

At any rate, the more important message underlying this verse is the recognition and affirmation of Islam on the supremacy of knowledge. Hardly we could find a religion other than Islam, which have given great emphasis in seeking knowledge. Islam, through the saying of the Prophet has made it obligatory to all muslims. In the Quran, the word ‘ilm either in the form of ma’rifah or nakirah occurs nearly 800 times, the third most quoted terms after the word Allah and Rabb. In many other places in the Quran, the importance of knowledge has been emphasized by God through other relevant words and phrases such as afala ta’qilun (Have you not understand), afala yatadabbarun (Aren’t you reflecting), Afala yubsirun (Do not they see), la’allakum tatafakkarun (In order that you may think).

In contrast when God humiliate and condemn a person, the Quran uses the words which are opposite to knowledge such as jahilun (ignorant), ghafilun-179 (heedless, forgetful), safahan (folly or thoughtlessness) (6:140), zalimun (3:140)- which originally means those who are in the dark, without light (nur) and nur is metaphorically means knowledge. All these negative terms, in one way or another connote the meaning of man with the absence of true knowledge. It is also interesting to find out that in the Quran, the term ‘ilm when it occurs with the definite noun (alif and lam- ma’rifah), it always refer to the knowledge of God or the religious knowledge.

And just ponder how great is the impact of these verses to the heart of the early Muslims. The Quranic motivation of knowledge did not take more than 200 years to generate a tremendous force in the heart of the early generation of Muslim to seek and acquire all kinds of knowledge at that time. They explored every inch of the earth to quench their thirst and passion for knowledge driven by their strong realization the obligation to seek knowledge. Towards the peak of the Islamic civilization, the history records the shifting of the intellectual centre, the qiblah of knowledge from Constantinople in Rome to Baghdad in Iraq. From that point of time, the authority of knowledge was in the hand of Muslims. Islamic civilization has produced greatest minds the history has ever witnessed.

By quoting these historical facts, some of us might view that we are only evoking the rosy pictures of our past civilization, hence become too romantic with the tradition and our glorious history. Mind you that we Muslims can still reach at the same level of civilization of knowledge as in the past if we really understand the strong message of knowledge conveyed by the Qur’an especially through the verse Iqra’ that we have read. To most of us in this university who are dealing with knowledge either in teaching or learning it, if we are intimate with the biographies and great works by our scholars in the past, there is nothing that can stop us from being spirited and motivated through their great ideas. To get a glimpse of the passion of knowledge shown by our great scholars of the past, let me just read an example of the intellectual life of Ibn Sina, a great Muslim philosophers of the early 11th century, as he himself wrote in his auto biography. I quote:

“(When I was a teenager) I dedicated myself to learning and reading…During this time I did not sleep completely through a single night nor devote myself to anything else by day…and because of some problem which baffle me, not being able to solve the problem, I used to visit the mosque frequently and worship, praying humbly to All-Creating until he opened the mystery of it to me and made the difficult seem easy. At night I would return home, set out a lamp before me and devote myself to reading and writing. Whenever I feel sleepy and weak, I would turn aside to drink a cup of juice, so my strength would returned to me. Then I would return to reading. And fall asleep, I would see those very problems in my dream, and many questions become clear to me in my sleep. I continued in this until all the sciences were deeply rooted within me and I understood them as far as is humanly possible. Everything I knew at that time is just what I knew it know, I have not added anything to it to this day. So when I reached the age of 18, I was finished all the sciences available in this day.

Ibn Sina continued to say in other places,

“In my neighbourhood, there was a man named Abu Hassan, who asked me to compose a comprehensive work on these sciences. I wrote a compilation for him and give his name to it, including all sciences in it, except mathematical science. At that time I was only twenty one years old. Also in my neighbourhood, there was a man named Abu Bakar Al-Baraqi, a lawyer, he was a distinguished in jurisprudence, Quran commentary and ascetism. He then asked me to comment on these sciences, and so I wrote for him the commentary in about 20 volumes which later he only possess with his own and has not loaned it to others or to be copied.

This is a typical example of an intellectual life of our Muslim scholars which has ultimately formed our great civilization of knowledge in the past. We can continue to enumerate endless glorious stories of our scholars in the past but this is not the occasion to do so.

Why this great emphasis on knowledge in Islam? It is because knowledge in Islam is the way to seek the truth which is ultimately lead to knowledge of God. Truth in Islam is something real and attainable in contrast with the claims of many western philosophical movements under the name of relativism and skepticism are trying to expound the skeptical and sophistical idea that the ultimate knowledge cannot be attained. Everything that we know, according to them, is mere perspective and subjective experience. Contradicting them, Islam through the decisive proofs put forward by the Muslim theologians affirmed that in Islam the ultimate truth knowledge could be attained. As a matter of fact, the ultimate truth in Islam is knowledge of God (al-Haqq). The attainment of truth also means the attainment of the highest level of Iman which is also the sign of the true happiness in Islam. Al-Ghazzali, in kitab Ajaib al-Qalb states that:

“Knowledge is man’s goal and a special attribute for which he was created. (al- ‘ilm huwa maqsad al-insan wa khasiyatuhu allati li ajlihi khuliqa). Man is distinguished from animals by his knowledge of things as they are. The creator of things is God. Therefore, whoever does not know God, even though he knows everything, it is as if he knows nothing. Thus the best knowledge is the knowledge God, His qualities and His acts. In this knowledge lies man’s perfections (sa’adah) of his happiness.”

The above saying of al-Ghazali at least remind us that, not all knowledge will lead to the truth and more importantly, not all people can easily arrive at true knowledge. There are also, according to al-Ghazali, many obstacles in attaining the true knowledge. Five obstacles mentioned by al-Ghazzali which prevent someone from attaining true knowledge.

a. The imperfection of man’s nature, such as the imperfection of the child’s intellect.

b. When man submits to the lusts and desire which finally leads him to the evil deeds.

c. When man deviates from the direction of the truth which is to be sought by forgetting his true aim in life and is

preoccupied by the immediate worldly aims.

d. When men hold tight to an opinion which he adheres by means of taqlid which later on becomes a barrier between him and the truth

e. When man is ignorance of the direction in which the aim can be attained.

It is therefore very important for us as seekers of knowledge in this world to remove all these obstacles from our path in order for us to arrive at the true knowledge that will guide to the right path. May God open our heart and include us in those who will receive true knowledge from Him.

Wassalam

(semoga kita berkasih sayang kerana Allah)

HAZABE

"SALAM UKHWAH"

Paradoks

Dalam himpunan ramai,

Aku hadir menumpang mencari damai,

Dari jauh kelihatan bayangan indah membawa sinar,

Susuk tubuhnya yang ku rindui semakin hampir dihadapan,

Dalam senyuman manis dia menyapa,

Buat hadirin yang hadir dia menyampai amanat berharga.

Qasidah, berzanji, tilawah, umpama lagu merdu pembuka selera,

Menjamu jiwa yang kian hanyut kembali terjaga,

Suasana inilah yang ku nantikan,

Ku idamkan ia sebagai nyanyian masa depan ku.

Ku impikan ia sebagai nyanyian lena ku,

Ku harap ia sentiasa jaga dalam hati kerdil ku.

Sekujur tubuh kemas memakai jubah indah,

Hati berdebar-debar menanti kata-kata hikmah,

Setiap kali dia menuturkan bicara,

Sedang itu jua, sir ku terbuka.

Aku jadi malu pada diri sendiri,

Berkumpul dalam himpunan manusia solehin,

Jua bersama ulama yang ariffin,

Dalam kekerdilan diri yang tiada ilmu,

Pantaskah aku berada bersama mereka yang sudah bertemu cinta Agung?

Namun ku gagahi jua, melawan nafsu yang kian menguasai aku,

Kerana saat dan ketika itu,

Tiada lain yang ku inginkan melainkan dapat berhimpun dengan orang-orang yang soleh.

(semoga kita berkasih sayang kerana Allah)

HAZABE"SALAM UKHWAH"

Kalau dah namanya “ular”

Tajuk kali ini agak kompleks kerana ianya kiasan pada suatu karakter yang berwajah manusia tapi berwatak ular. Pernah dengan suatu perumpamaan yang berbunyi, “Lidah bercabang seperti ular”? Kenapa lidah ular bercabang? Kerana mudah makan dua hidangan sekaligus, atau mudah mematuk dua mangsa dalam satu masa? Atau mungkin, suatu kata boleh jadi dua makna. Ataupun boleh jadi dua karakter dalam satu masa.

Hmm, yang lebih bahaya bila ular itu berwajah manusia. Rupa zahirnya manusia tapi karakternya ular. Dalam diam ia menyusur akar, bukan hanya jalan-jalan makan angin tapi sibuk mengitip mangsa yang terdampar. Tiba masanya, tanpa belas, ia melilit mangsanya sehingga lemas. Strategi yang menarik, kelihatan diam pada kaca mata zahir, tanpa sedar ia menunggu peluang untuk bertindak balas. Begitulah dunia yang ada pada hari ini. Jadilah sebaik manusia yang tiada dendam, tapi dalam diam ramai orang yang sibuk menyimpan perasaan. Inilah yang dinamakan sebagai hati yang sakit. Dalam kitab mukasyafatul qulub karya Imam Al-Ghazali, antara contoh sakit hati ialah dendam. Kita seronok melihat kejatuhan orang lain, pada masa yang sama kita menzahirkan senyuman tanpa sedar, hati membara menyimpan dendam.

Lihat bagaimana bahaya orang yang jahil sibuk mengejar yang namanya “perubahan” tapi tak pernah tahu apa yang hendak dirubahnya itu. “Ilmu tanpa amal adalah sia-sia, tapi amal tanpa ilmu adalah sesat” – kesimpulannya mudah, kalau mahu merubah sesuatu biarlah tahu apa yang hendak dirubahnya dulu, belajar untuk merubah diri supaya jangan mudah menyimpan dendam. Jangan terus terjun tanpa persiapan. Bila mahu jalan mudah, mulalah jadi ular yang berwajah manusia.

Anehnya manusia ialah pada sikap. Hari ini kita boleh bertegur sapa beramah mesra, hari esok adakah mungkin kita serupa? Dunia ini penuh unik, setiap orang menilai apa yang dilakukannya itu tepat, tapi setepat manakah keputusan kita itu? Sudah ada hujah disebaliknya? Yakin? Seyakin manakah kita dalam menerima apa yang dipanggil “kebaikan”. Jangan mudah terjun pada kesimpulan, sebaiknya nilailah pada pangkal persoalan. Kepada yang berwatak ular, atau mahu cuba menjadi ular, jangan lupa ramai pemerhati-pemerhati luar yang lebih tajam pandangan setajam mata helang. Silap hari bulan esok kita pula yang jadi mangsa. J

(semoga kita berkasih sayang kerana Allah)

HAZABE"SALAM UKHWAH"

Malayu – Islam Terpisahkah?

Dilema Melayu Islam…

Satu prejudis atau kenyataan?

Satu reality atau ilusi?

Mari kita bicarakannya lewat puisi

Berwancana di persada kata nan indah

Mengungkai masalah di sulaman madah

Agar dapat segalanya direnungi…

Tanpa emosi berapi-api

Pertama mari kita fikirkan…

Agama kita sama, syahadah kita serupa

Tapi mengapa mesti berpecah?

Kedua mari kita renungkan…

Bangsa kita sama, darah kita serupa

Tapi mengapa mesti bertelagah?

Darah dan syahadah boleh terpisah?

Justeru sepatutnya dengan keduannya

Lebih mudah menyatukan kita

Kerana agama dan bangsa kita sama

Akidah kita Islam, kabilah kita Melayu…

Tapi kenapa sukar benar untuk bersatu?

Dalam realitinya sungguh berbeza

Agama didakwa punca sengketa

Cintakan Islam telah dipolitikkan

Kononnya demi kepentingan kuasa dan kedudukan…

Islam disinonimkan dengan parti

Wajarkah begitu?

Cintakan bangsa turut dipersalahkan

Kasihkan watan dituduh asabiah

Melayu dan Islam bagai bertentangan

Kedua-duanya saling berkonflik

Islam menggugat semangat patriotic

Benarkah begitu?

(nukilan daripada karya Pahrol Muhammad Juoi, Dilema Melayu – Islam, Kurang Fikir atau Kurang Zikir)

(semoga kita berkasih sayang kerana Allah)

HAZABE"

SALAM UKHWAH"

Wasiat Ibn Arabi Agar Tidak Memusuhi Ahli Tawhid

Berhati-hatilah engkau agar jangan memusuhi ahli lâ ilâhâ illâ Allâh, kerana ia memiliki pertolongan yang umum dari Allah. Mereka adalah para wali Allah (1). Jika mereka melakukan kesalahan dan mendatangkan ke bumi ini kesalahan yang tidak menyebabkan mereka menyekutukan Allah sedikit pun, maka Allah menemui mereka dengan membawa ampunan(2). Barangsiapa yang telah ditetapkan pertolongan atas dirinya, maka ia tidak boleh diperangi. Barangsiapa memusuhi Allah, maka Allah pasti mengingatkan balasannya di dunia dan di akhirat. Dan setiap orang yang tidak Allah beritakan permusuhan kepadaNya, janganlah kau jadikan musuh. Setidaknya engkau tidak mengenalinya, maka biarkanlah urusannya(3). Jika terbukti ia adalah musuh Allah, yang sudah pasti orang musyrik, maka berlepas dirilah darinya. Timbangan mu ini adalah dengan firman Allah SWT, “ Kamu tidak akan mendapati suatu kaum yang beriman dengan Allah dan Hari Akhirat, saling berkasih sayang dengan orang-orang yang menentang Allah dan RasulNya, sekalipun orang-orang itu adalah bapak-bapak mereka,”- (Al-Mujadillah 57;22).

Ketika engkau tidak mengetahui hal itu, seeloknya janganlah memusuhi hamba-hamba Allah, dan jangan pula memusuhinya kerana apa yang diucapkannya(4). Engkau hanya boleh membenci perbuatannya, bukan dirinya. Sementara itu, yang dibenci dari musuh Allah adalah dirinya. Bezakanlah antara orang yang dibenci akan dirinya ya’ni musuh Allah, dan orang yang dibenci kerana amal perbuatannya iaitu orang mukmin, atau yang tidak engkau ketahui kesudahan orang non-muslim pada waktu itu(5). Berhati-hatilah dengan firman Allah dalam suatu hadis sohih, “ Barangsiapa yang memusuhi wali-Ku, maka pasti Aku isytiharkan perang atasnya.”. Jika ia tidak mengetahui perihal dirinya (wali) dan lantas memusuhinya, maka bererti ia tidak memenuhi hak Allah dalam penciptaannya (wali). Sebab, ia tidak mengetahui ilmu Allah tentang dirinya (wali) dan Allah pun tidak menjelaskan kepadanya, sehingga ia berlepas diri darinya serta menjadikannya sebagai musuh. Jika ia mengetahui keadaaan lahiriah dirinya, sekalipun ia musuh Allah dan engkau tidak mengetahuinya, maka bersahabatlah dengannya untuk menegakkan hak Allah dan jangalah memusuhinya. Bergaulah dengan hamba-hamba Allah dengan penuh kasih sayang, sepertimana Allah jua memberikan rezeki kepada orang-orang kafir dan musyrik di antara mereka melalui pengetahuanNya.

Serahkanlah segala urusan kepada-Nya, dan ketahuilah bahawa engkau berada didalam apa yang telah ditetapkan olehNya. Tebarkanlah kasih sayangmu kepada seluruh hidupan dan makhluk. Janganlah kita menyangka bahawa hidupan lain tiada manfaatnya bahkan mereka itulah (hidupan lain) mempunyai banyak manfaat dan kebaikannya. Janganlah engkau pandang apa yang ada padanya pada waktu itu sampai jelas bagimu siapa orang-orang yang benar dan engkau ketahui siapa orang-orang yang berdusta. Maka ketika itu, pastikanlah pada dirimu untuk menjadikan mereka sebagai musuh perintah Allah bagimu, di mana Allah telah mencegahmu dari mengambil musuh-Nya sebagai pemimpin. Jika keyakinan lemah memaksamu untuk berhubung dengan mereka, maka jauhilah mereka tanpa menaruh kecintaan sedikit pun kepada mereka. Tetapi, untuk menolak kejahatan yang berasal darimu secara damai, serahkanlah segala urusan kepada-Nya dan bergantunglah dalam setiap keadaan kepadaNya sampai engkau menemuiNya.

1. Mereka yang diberi pertolongan oleh Allah

2. . Konsep yang ditekan disini bukanlah kita selayaknya menghukum seseorang itu sesat dan kafir sehingga terkeluar dari agama selagi mana belum terbukti kesahihan beritanya. Penekanan tentang aspek penyujian jiwa dan pembersihan sifat-sifat yang tercela dalam diri adalah kunci utama untuk membentuk peribadi yang sentiasa membentuk mahabbah dalam masyarakat.

3. Pembuktian keIslaman seseorang adalah berdasarkan penilaian ilmu dan bukannya andaian mahupun agakkan. Sungguhpun demikian, bukanlah hak kita untuk menentukan keimanan seseorang tapi ia adalah suatu langkah yang munasabah untuk menjauhkan diri kita dari belengu golongan-golongan yang sesat.

4. Seelok-eloknya, serahkanlah segala urusan pada Allah SWT, dan sentiasalah berhusnul dzan dan berdoa agar kita dan mereka ditempatkan dalam golongan-golongan yang beramal soleh dan diterima disisi Allah.

5. Sungguhpun sudah jelas perbuatan seseorang itu melanggar syariat Allah, bukanlah hak kita menafikan peranannya yang lain selaku hamba Allah di muka bumi ini. Kerana setiap yang dijadikan oleh Allah adalah suatu kejadian yang penuh dengan rahsianya yang tersendiri.

Rujukan;

Wasiat-wasiat Ibn ‘Arabi, yang diterjemah dari buku Al-Wâshâyâ li Ibn al-‘Arabi

(semoga kita berkasih sayang kerana Allah)

HAZABE"SALAM UKHWAH"