Ittaqullah

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

Update:

i have been abandoning this blog for quite some time. and that doesnt give a good feeling. well, i was busy with some stuff..and i always had had something to write about but the timing is always not right. i am finally back in malaysia last saturday after a long and tiring flight. but i'm glad i'm home Alhamdulillahirabbil alamin =) and oh yeah, selamat hari raya aidil adha to everyone =) taqabballahu minna waminkum =)

	On the authority of Abu Dhar Jundub bin Junadah, and Muadh bin Jabal that the messenger of Allah said : "Fear Allah wherever you are, and follow up a bad deed with a good one and it will wipe it out, and behave well towards people." Tirmithi narrated the hadith and said it was fine, and in another version, said true and fine

The first phrase of this hadith is clearly significant although it is such a simple message. 'Fear Allah wherever you are' means (according to Mustafa Abdul Rahman) to remember and fear Him regardless of place and time, in any possible situation. Regardless of whether we are among others or by ourselves. two different places may have different environments (bi'ah). adaptation to different environments may be complicated as distinctive environment has its own societal make-up and norms. as a Muslim who understands, one should not be dissolved into the norms of the defined society (if it doesnt conform to the norms of Islam). this is difficult i know..

O ye that believe! Fear Allah, and believe in His Messenger, and He will bestow on you a double portion of His Mercy: He will provide for you a Light by which ye shall walk (straight in your path), and He will forgive you (your past): for Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful. (57:28)

the right thing to do is to have pride in what the Prophet (pbuh) taught us. a wise thing to do is to show others the characteristics and the beauty of Islam, through our personality, clothings, speech and attitude. this is a jihad of the mind. while there are others who havent seen yet what Islam has to offer, WE the ones who 'understands' this religion by heart has the obligation to convey to them what is true.

nobody is without sins. in the following phrase, Rasulullah said 'Follow up a bad deed with a good one and it will wipe it out'. It simply means that our good deed could deplete our past sins.

And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: For those things, that are good remove those that are evil: Be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord): (11:114)

Ibnu Mas'ud once said that praying five times a day could deplete the sins committed in between the prayer times.

Rasulullah also said that we should 'behave well towards other people'. So this part of the hadith is a bit disconnected to the rest of the hadith. The first two parts told us of fearing ALlah and countinuously do good deeds to wipe out the bad ones. what is the connection between the former two with the latter'? this hadith is trying to convey the message that taqwa towards Allah also includes doing good towards others. You see, taqwa, literally speaking, is holistic. implementing taqwa towards Allah also means imparting it into our actions. only ALlah knows if there is taqwa in you, nobody else can know it. while others may not know it, they can actually SEE IT through how you go about your life. and one of them is how you behave toward others.

Wallahu a'alam.