Talking of Two Penguins (1)

"'Flora told me, 'Penguins can't fly, but they can walk. Penguins can't fly, but they can jump. Penguins can't fly, but they can swim. Penguins can't fly, but they can stand up. Penguins can't fly, but they have feathers. Penguins can't fly, but they are strong. Penguins can't fly, but they live in many parts of the world. There are 17 different kinds of penguins. The smallest is the Fairy Penguin. The largest is the Emperor Penguin. When emperor penguin mothers lose a chick, they sometimes attempt to 'steal' another mother's chick, usually unsuccessfully as other females in the vicinity assist the defending mother in keeping her chick. In some species, such as emperor and king penguins, the chicks assemble in large groups called crèches and exhibit group behaviours, such as lion and cuddy's duck. Penguins can't fly but they huddle together. Penguins can't fly, but they are always protecting their chicks,'" said the Moon when she came, after saying Basmalah and Salaam.

"Flora then said, 'And once, two penguins were talking on a rock at a certain beach. 'O brother, why Muslims are prohibited to say Christmas greetings?' said a fairy penguin. An emperor penguin said, 'Because their aqeedah forbids it. However, even if they don't wish their neighbors a Merry Christmas, that doesn't mean they hate you or are going to bomb a church. In an Islamic perspective, hatred, killing and destruction of places of worship are strictly prohibited. Every religion has its own beliefs, so do Muslims.

Islam does not leave any aspect of the human life without setting its required guidelines. For each aspect it sets a basic rule, which goes in harmony with the basic rules of the other aspects, to indicate in the end, that there is but one creator and one perfect legislator. The basic rule usually functions as an axis around which the secondary rules and exceptions revolve. The relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims is no exception.

While Christians consider Jesus a son of God or God, in Islamic perspective, he is Prophet of Allah whose mission was to confirm the Torah revealed before him, call to monotheism and give glad tidings of the coming of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) after him. It was this difference over the personality of Jesus that has kept the followers of the two religions apart.

Thus, Muslims hold all Prophets of Allah, peace be upon them, in high esteem and place them on an equal footing. A Muslim believes in Jesus as he or she believes in Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). In addition to this, a Muslim who disbelieves in any of Allah’s Prophets is deemed a disbeliever, according to the Qur’an and Sunnah. Even a mere attempt to impeach or accuse Jesus of committing a sin is regarded as an act of disbelief, because Muslims believe that all Prophets of Allah are infallible and not liable to sin.

Muslims love of Jesus, alaihissalam, knows no bounds, and their feelings towards him run so deep. Jesus invites people to follow his ‘way.' The way of the prophets is the only way to Allah, because it was prescribed by Allah Himself and the purpose of the prophets was to convey Allah's instructions to mankind. Without prophets, people would not know how to worship Allaah. Consequently, all prophets informed their followers of how to worship Allah. Conversely, adding anything to the religion brought by the prophets is incorrect.

Prophets also practically demonstrated for their followers how one should live by the law. Consequently, they also invited those who believed in them to follow their way as the correct way to come close to Allah. This principle is enshrined in the Gospel according to John 14:6.

There are some examples of teachings which Jesus followed and taught, most of these teachings were revived in the final message of Islam brought by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and remain a fundamental part of Muslim religious practices until today.

Jesus was circumcised. According to the Old Testament, this tradition began with Prophet Abraham, who was himself neither a Jew nor a Christian. Jesus followed the laws of Moses and he did not eat pork. Jesus also did not eat anything containing blood, nor did he eat blood. Allah is recorded as having instructed Prophet Moses in the Torah, Deuteronomy 12:16 and in Leviticus 19:26. Jesus and his early followers observed the proper method of slaughter by mentioning Allah's name and cutting the jugular veins of the animals while they were living to allow the heart to pump out the blood.

Jesus consecrated himself to Allah and therefore abstained from alcoholic drinks according to the instructions recorded in Numbers 6:1-4. Prior to making formal prayer, Jesus used to wash his limbs according to the teachings of the Torah. Moses and Aaron are recorded as doing the same in Exodus 40:30-1. Jesus is described in the Gospels as prostrating during prayer. In Matthew 26:39, the author describes an incident which took place when Jesus went with his disciples to Gethsemane.

The women around Jesus veiled themselves according to the practice of the women around the earlier prophets. Their garments were loose and covered their bodies completely, and they wore scarves which covered their hair, Genesis 24:64-5. Jesus greeted his followers by saying 'Peace be upon you.' In chapter 20:19, the anonymous author of the Gospel according to John wrote the following about Jesus after his supposed crucifixion, 'Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.' This greeting was according to that of the prophets, as mentioned in the books of the Old Testament. For example, in 1st Samuel 25:6, Prophet David instructed emissaries whom he sent to Nabal, 'And thus you shall salute him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.' Whenever Muslims meet each other, they use this greeting.

Jesus confirmed the institution of compulsory charity, known as “the tithe (tenth)”, which was required from the annual harvest to be given back to Allah in celebration. In Deuteronomy 14:22, 'You shall tithe all the yield of your seed, which comes forth from the field year by year.' In the Qur'an, the 6th chapter, al-An‘aam, verse 141, Allah reminds the believers to pay the charity at the time of harvest.

According to the Gospels, Jesus fasted for forty days. Matthew 4:2: 'And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.' This was in accordance with the practice of the earlier prophets. Moses is also recorded in Exodus 34:28, to have fasted, 'And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.'

In the Qur'an, Chapter al-Baqarah (2):183, the believers are instructed to observe regular fasting, 'O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, in order that you may become pious.'

By upholding the Law, Jesus also opposed the giving or taking of interest because the texts of the Torah expressly forbade interest. It is recorded in Deuteronomy 23:19 that, 'You shall not lend upon interest to your brother, interest on money, interest upon victuals [food or provisions], interest on anything that is lent for interest.' However, in the verse following this one, the Jews made lending on interest to non-Jews permissible, 'To a foreigner you may lend upon interest, but to your brother you shall not lend upon interest.' [Deuteronomy 23:20].

Interest is also strictly forbidden in Chapter al-Baqarah (2):278 of the Qur'an, 'O you who believe, fear Allaah and give up what interest remains due to you, if you really are believers.' In order to fulfill this divine requirement, Muslims developed an alternative system of banking, commonly known as ‘Islamic Banking', which is interest-free.

There is no record of Jesus opposing polygamy. If he did so, it would have meant that he condemned the practice of the prophets before him. There are a number of examples of polygamous marriages among the prophets recorded in the Torah. Prophet Abraham had two wives, according to Genesis 16:3, 'So after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.' So Prophet David, according to the first book of Samuel 27:3, 'And David dwelt with Achish at Gat, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahin'o-am of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow.' In 1st Kings 11:3, Solomon is said to have '...had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines...' Solomon's son, Rehobo'am, also had a number of wives, according to 2nd Chronicles 11:21, ''Rehobo'am loved Ma'acah the daughter of Absalom above all his wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and had twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters).'

However, Muslims do believe that Allah Almighty is far and above having a child or a partner in His divinity, and therefore they reject any belief that overexalts Jesus above what Allah Almighty wants him to be.

Jesus, son of Maryam is Allah's bondman and Messenger. So, Jesus is but a servant of Allah whom He created and fashioned in a womb as He did with other creatures; He created him without a human father just as Adam was bom without either a human father or mother. Rather Allah just said be and he was. Allah also explains the birth of Jesus' mother, Maryam—or Mary—and how she became pregnant with him, a story which was elucidated in Surah Maryam.

Allah had chosen Adam, alaihissalam, He created him Himself, breathed him of His spirit, ordered His angles to prostrate themselves before him, taught him the names of all things, made him dwell in paradise, and then caused him to come down to earth for a certain reason which no one knows but Allah. He also chose Noah [or Prophet Nuh, alaihissalam], and made him the first Rasool sent to mankind. He sent him when people worshipped idols and ascribed many associates with Allah in His divinity. As Noah tried a long time calling his people day and night, openly and secretly, but his call only caused them to grow more repugnant, he prayed to Allah so that He might punish them. As a result, Allah drowned them, save those who followed Noah. Likewise, Allah chose the family of Abraham [or Prophet Ibrahim, alaihissalam] from whom descended the children of Ishmael and the most honored and the seal of Prophets, Muhammad (ﷺ). Allah, moreover, chose the family of ’Imran, the father of Maryam, mother of Jesus, alaihissalam. There is no disagreement over the fact that Maryam is a descendant of David [Or Prophet Dawud, alaihissalam]. Her father Imraan was the leader of prayer among the Israelites during his time. Her mother, Hannah daughter of Faqood, was a devout worshipper. Zechariah, according to the majority of Islamic scholars was the Prophet of that time. He was the husband of Ashiaa', sister of Maryam. Some other scholars maintain that Zechariah was a husband of Ashiaa's maternal aunt, Allah knows best.

The wife of Imraan, Maryam's mother, said, 'I have named her Maryam.' Maryam means 'bitter.' So, she then said, 'And I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from Evil One, the Rejected.' This means she took refuge in Allah from the evils of Satan and sought Allah's protection for her child, Jesus. Allah then answered her call. Her mother wrapped her in clothes upon her birth and went to the mosque and gave her to the worshippers. It is most likely that she gave her to them after her weaning period. Being a daughter of their Imam, they vied which of them would be honored with being her guardian. They drew lots, and it was decided in Zechariah’s favor. He was the Prophet at that time. Then Maryam was raised under Zechariah's wing.

Maryam, was ordered by Allah to increase worship, prayer, bowing, and prostration to Him so that she might be qualified, and that she might be grateful to Allah. She had been chosen above the women of all nations. Exegetes of the Qur’an differ as to the duration of the term of Maryam's conception. The majority state that Maryam carried her child to a full term of nine months as all women do, because had there been a different story, it would have been mentioned. It was also mentioned that once she conceived her baby, she gave birth to him.

The word spread among the Jews that Maryam was pregnant. No people suffered what the people of Zechariah's house did. Some of the unbelievers accused her of having an affair with Joseph Al-Nagaar, a pious man of her relations who used to join her in the mosque worshipping Allah. Thus, Maryam went into seclusion, withdrawing from people, and retreated to a faraway place.

Going into labor, Maryam sought the trunk of a palm tree for support in the place to which she retreated. no food is better for a woman undergoing her postnatal bleeding than dry dates and fresh ripe dates, because no food is better for a woman undergoing her postnatal bleeding than dry dates and fresh ripe dates Where this place is located was not unanimously agreed upon, but it is generally accepted that it is at Bethlehem, eight miles away from Jerusalem. And it is clear that Maryam gave birth not in winter, but in the season when the dates were ripe.

The foundation of Jesus' message was submission to the will of Allah, because that is the foundation of the religion which Allah prescribed for man since the beginning of time. In Arabic, submission to Allah's will is expressed by the word ‘Islam'. In the Gospel according to Matthew 7:22, Jesus is quoted as saying, 'Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.' In this statement, Jesus places emphasis on 'the will of the Father,' submission of the human will to the will of Allah. In John 5:30, it is narrated that Jesus also said, 'I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.'

Since Jesus' religion, and that of all of the earlier prophets, was the religion of submission to God, known in Arabic as Islam, his true followers should be called submitters to Allah, known in Arabic as Muslims. Consequently, Muslims do not accept being called Mohammedans, as followers of Christ are called Christians and followers of Buddha are called Buddhists. Christians worship Christ and Buddhists worship Buddha. The term Mohammedans implies that Muslims worship Muhammad, which is not the case at all. In the Qur‘an, Allah chose the name Muslim for all who truly follow the prophets. The name Muslim in Arabic means 'one who submits to the will of God.'

The Emperor penguin paused for a moment, then he said, 'So, if Muslims don't wish Merry Christmas, it doesn't mean war and carry out bombings, and it doesn't mean that there is no more ways for a better Humanity. In Islam, social relations with neighbors, citizens and others from among non-Muslims are not forbidden, there are some of the social relations that Muslims may uphold with their non-Muslim compatriots. Muslims are required to remember that Allah commands them to show benevolence to all beings.'"

[Part 2]

Bahasa

The Happiest Woman on Earth (2)

"'Dear sister, the part of your life that really counts is that in which you are happy and contented. As for greed and panic, they do not count at all. They are bad for your health and rob you of your beauty. Remain content with Allah and with what is decreed for you; believe in the divine decree and be optimistic about the future. Be like a butterfly, which is light-hearted and beautiful, not attached to mere things; it flies from flower to flower, from hill to hill, from garden to garden. Or be like a bee, which eats good things and produces good things; when it lands on a branch or flower, it does not break it; it takes the nectar and does not sting, and produces honey and does not sting, and buzzes with love and glad tidings, reflecting a sense of contentment, as if it is a heavenly creature that has come down to earth.

With your beauty, you are better than the sun; with your morals you are more sublime than musk; with your modesty you are nobler than the full moon; with your compassion you are more beneficial than rain. So, preserve your beauty with faith, your tranquility with contentment, your chastity with hijab. Remember that your adornment is not gold, silver or diamonds, rather, it is two rak'ahs at Fajr, going thirsty when you fast for Allah, concealed charity which no one knows except Him, hot tears that wash away sin, a lengthy prostration born of utter submission to Allah, shyness before Allah when the inclination to do evil overwhelms you. Clothe yourself with the garments of piety for you are the most beautiful woman in the world, even if your clothes are shabby. Clothe yourself with the cloak of modesty, for you are the most beautiful woman in the world even if you are barefoot.

Make the most of the blessings of Allah, give thanks to Him and obey Him. Enjoy the water that you drink and use for wudhu '. Enjoy the warmth and light of the sun, and the light and beauty of the moon. Pick fruit from the trees, drink your fill from the rivers, look at the ocean, walk through the fields, and give thanks to Allah, the Almighty, Oft-Forgiving, the Sovereign and Subduer. Make use of these blessings that Allah has bestowed upon you, and beware of denying these blessings.

Before you look at the thorn of the rose, look at its beauty. Before you complain about the heat of the sun, enjoy its light. Before you complain about the blackness of the night, think of its peace and quiet. Why look at things in such a pessimistic and negative manner? Why deny and change blessings? Take these blessings and accept them graciously, and praise Allah, the Almighty, All-Glorious, for them.

Dear sister, look at life with a spirit of love and optimism, for life is a gift from Allah to man. So accept this gift from the One, take it with joy and embrace the morning with its glow and the night with its quietness, and the day with its brightness. Drink this fresh water with gratitude, breathe the fresh air with joy, smell the roses and glorify Allah. Think about the universe and learn from it, make use of the blessed gift of land, the beautiful flowers, the sweet air, the delights of the garden, the warmth of the sun, the light of the moon. Let these blessings motivate you to obey Allah, the Exalted, give thanks to Him and praise Him for His blessings and bounty. Do not let worry and distress prevent you from seeing these blessings or make you ungrateful; rather, remember that the Creator and Provider has only created these blessings as a means to help you obey Him.

Dear sister, you are making a big mistake if you think that life must always be one hundred percent in your favour. This is something that will only happen in Paradise. In this world, however, happiness is relative. You will not get everything you want; there will always be some problems, sickness, adversity and trials. So, be grateful at times of ease and patient at times of hardship. Do not be too idealistic and expect good health with no sickness, richness with no poverty, happiness with nothing to spoil your joy, a husband with no negative aspects, a friend with no faults. That will never happen. Learn how to overlook the negative aspects and mistakes, and look at the positive aspects and good things. Think well of others and make excuses for them, but put your trust in Allah only, because people are not fit to be relied upon or to have your affairs delegated to them.

Dear sister, beware of losing hope or becoming frustrated, for there is no hardship but it is followed by ease. This is how it has always been and there is no need to discuss it. Think positively of Allah, the Exalted, and put your trust in Him; seek that which is with Him, and wait for a way out. Stop regretting your sin and think about the good deeds with which you are going to replace it. If you fail in one of your deeds, you should not give in to despair; do not worry and never doubt that you will find a solution. Happiness exists in you and you should focus your efforts on yourself.

Dear sister, we need money in order to live but that does not mean that we need to live for the sake of money. The game of accumulating wealth has no end. The one who has an accumulated wealth has little concern about leaving behind a large estate for his heirs, because he knows that they will be better men if they go out into the world having little wealth and with nothing but their brains and attitudes. The true happiness is the happiness of faith, and no one can feel this happiness except the one whose mind, heart and soul are filled with the love of Allah. The one who truly has control over happiness is the One True God, so seek happiness from Him by worshipping and obeying Him. The One Who created happiness is the Most Gracious, Most Merciful, so how can you seek happiness from anyone other than Him? If people had control over happiness, there would be no deprived or grieving person left on earth.

Dear sister, be happy now, today, not tomorrow. Blindness of the heart is real blindness. You should do what you can now, and do not worry about what tomorrow will bring. Be happy with what is in your hand, content with whatever Allah has decreed and give up all daydreams that do not suit your efforts and abilities. Cleanse your mind of the clutter of illusions and devilish whispers, if you have made mistakes in the past, learn from them, then let them go. Frustration is your worst enemy, for it has the power to destroy peace of mind. The value of life is to live every minute of it. Do not be a chronic complainer, or an amateur complainer, do not look at the negative aspects of life; be content with the beauty and joy of it. Think positively when things get bad on one day, for that may be the prelude to another day filled with joy and happiness. Your happiness does not depend on anyone else, rather, it is in your hands. You have to accept the inescapable fact, which is that you will encounter things in life that you cannot change, but you can deal with through patience and faith. So, be patient, for Patience is the key to relief. Learn patience from Asiyah, loyalty from Khadijah, sincerity from 'A'ishah and steadfastness from Fatimah. And seek reward with Allah, do not despair, do not give up, be optimistic, for Allah is with you, Allah is sufficient for you, Allah, the Almighty, will protect you, so that you will be - if Allah wills - the happiest woman in the world. May Allah give you happiness in this world and in the Hereafter, and bestow His Favour upon you, for He is the Most Generous, Most Kind.

يامقلب القلوب ثبت قلبي على دينك

['Yaa Muqallibal Quluub, thabbit qalbi ‘alaa deenik']

'O Controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to Thine religon!'

يا مقــلـب لقــلــوب ثبــت قــلبـــي عــلى طـا عــتـك

['Yaa Muqallibal Quluub, thabbit qalbi ‘alaa Ta'atik']

'O Controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to Thine obidience!'

"And Allah knows best."

Citations & Reference :

- Dr. 'A'id al-Qarni, You Can Be The Happiest Woman In The World, Islamic Publishing House

[Part 1]

Bahasa