In the name of ALLAH The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful,
Alhamdulillah, i arrived safely in Kota Bharu at about 7 a.m. today. I was in KL since the 19th until the 20th of February to attend Friendly Comparative Religion phase 1 program at IIS(Islamic Information & Services Foundation) in Setiawangsa.
SubhanALLAH the experience is...........(speechless). I am really looking forward to go to phase 2 FCR later in July. The phase 2 FCR is going to be held in July(Bahasa Malaysia) and September(English). Since July is during my holiday, i will be going for July session though i prefer English medium better. I learned so much about Buddhism, Hinduism and most important, about Christianity. :) I feel at bliss and alhamdulillah, the program was indeed an eye-opener for me. A lot of things triggered my mind and now, i feel more understanding of Islam.
See?
Who says learning other religion makes your faith weaker? It will only make your faith stronger! When haq meets batil, will haq be shaken by batil? Food for thought.
(Rumours about not being able to say the syahadah, after drinking holy water, have to remind you, i was a former Christian and now i am a Muslim. Get what i mean? The.Rumours.Are.Not.True. Sheesh, please stop believing everything you hear unless proven otherwise.)
On the 19th, at night, i attended Bro Bilal Philip's talk about From Darkness to Light: Gaining KNOWLEDGE and making a DIFFERENCE. Alhamdulillah again that ALLAH has opened my heart to go to the program despite things that happen before i finally made it to the program. First, the session for the FCR class ended at 5.30 p.m that day and i was staying at UM which requires an hour journey to and fro. I was nearly late but i don't care. Then, suddenly i received a message telling that i suddenly need a ticket to enter the auditorium but alhamdulillah, with ALLAH's will, suddenly the person texted me again telling me that someone is generous enough to give us extra tickets to enter. Long story made short, i finally made it to UIA's main auditorium and the talk just started even though i was late an hour from the time set because the speaker just arrived. :)
What struck me during the talk was when Brother Bilal Philips(oh, he's a revert) revealed that his parents only become a Muslim after 21 years. The moral from his story is, be patient. I feel so ashamed of myself. Hidayah is in ALLAH's hand, not mine. Alhamdulillah.
Anyway, the problem that i see in most Muslims today is that they only focus on islah(preach to Muslims) but not da'wah(preach to non-Muslims). Going to the program made me realize that learning about comparative religion not only enable you to have the knowledge to do da'wah but also to protect ourselves from apostacy(murtad). The amount of cases of apostacy increased each year and when the statistics is revealed to us, i feel...(speechless again). This is indeed a race to nowhere.
While a lot of people are racing to do islah, the non-Muslims who were supposed to be saved are just left like that. And when they decide to become a Muslim, all of a sudden the Muslims around him or her, who never even paid attention to him or her before, suddenly were all, "Alhamdulillah sister." "Alhamdulillah brother." Hidayah doesn't come just like that you know. It requires effort and man, i go through a lot just to get it.
Again, please try going to this program. (FCR) You will see and realize how exciting it is to learn about the common grounds and differences that each and everyone of us have, despite the religion and race. They also cover about atheism.
Things that usually will be covered in the program is why da'wah is compulsory, Christianity, Bible study, Hinduism, Chinese beliefs(Buddhism, Taoism, Jainism etc etc), Understanding reverts(I smiled during this session, and cried too), Qur'an and Science, and lots more. But this is in FCR phase 1. There are 3 phases. Phase 1 is the basic. Phase 2 is after you learn the basic, what you do with the knowledge, in other words, how to do da'wah and Phase 3, practical(going to Church, temples and so on).
"Rasulullah was the best in comparative religion and he do da'wah all the time and also did islah, hand in hand. We said we love Rasulullah, why didn't we follow his sunnah? Do you think in the akhirah that he will be proud of you that you leave your non-Muslim friends to die without ever telling them about Islam? DO you really think that he will be all smiling when he knew that you have the knowledge but keep it to yourself? Why do you keep Islam to yourself? "
I cried when i heard Brother Shah Kirit said this.
Excuses like, i don't have the knowledge or i am not good enough are not valid excuses. Didn't Rasulullah s.a.w. himself had said, "Ballighu anni walau aayah" Tell even with a single word. And how many verses had we learn?
At least, al-Fatihah, the compulsory ayat that we have to remember to prostrate to ALLAH.
Yes, the non-Muslims, are not Muslims. Not yet. It doesn't matter in what religion he or she was born into, what matters is how he or she will die. But by da'wah, i don't mean that you have to force them to accept what you say. There's no use talking about the Qur'an if they have never even read the Qur'an. It is the same as if you were talking about medical studies to math students. Unless you prove that there are similarities in their scriptures with ours. Believe it or not, the Hindu scripture said that there is no God but only one, and the words inside it is exactly identical to what ALLAH said in Surah Al-Ikhlas. SubhanALLAH.
To end my post, i would like to share with you some quotes from the best orator known to men, ALLAH subhana wa taala.
Facts: Do you know that da'wah, by language, literally means invitation? :) Let's invite people to Islam. The more, the merrier.
Alhamdulillah, i arrived safely in Kota Bharu at about 7 a.m. today. I was in KL since the 19th until the 20th of February to attend Friendly Comparative Religion phase 1 program at IIS(Islamic Information & Services Foundation) in Setiawangsa.
SubhanALLAH the experience is...........(speechless). I am really looking forward to go to phase 2 FCR later in July. The phase 2 FCR is going to be held in July(Bahasa Malaysia) and September(English). Since July is during my holiday, i will be going for July session though i prefer English medium better. I learned so much about Buddhism, Hinduism and most important, about Christianity. :) I feel at bliss and alhamdulillah, the program was indeed an eye-opener for me. A lot of things triggered my mind and now, i feel more understanding of Islam.
See?
Who says learning other religion makes your faith weaker? It will only make your faith stronger! When haq meets batil, will haq be shaken by batil? Food for thought.
(Rumours about not being able to say the syahadah, after drinking holy water, have to remind you, i was a former Christian and now i am a Muslim. Get what i mean? The.Rumours.Are.Not.True. Sheesh, please stop believing everything you hear unless proven otherwise.)
On the 19th, at night, i attended Bro Bilal Philip's talk about From Darkness to Light: Gaining KNOWLEDGE and making a DIFFERENCE. Alhamdulillah again that ALLAH has opened my heart to go to the program despite things that happen before i finally made it to the program. First, the session for the FCR class ended at 5.30 p.m that day and i was staying at UM which requires an hour journey to and fro. I was nearly late but i don't care. Then, suddenly i received a message telling that i suddenly need a ticket to enter the auditorium but alhamdulillah, with ALLAH's will, suddenly the person texted me again telling me that someone is generous enough to give us extra tickets to enter. Long story made short, i finally made it to UIA's main auditorium and the talk just started even though i was late an hour from the time set because the speaker just arrived. :)
What struck me during the talk was when Brother Bilal Philips(oh, he's a revert) revealed that his parents only become a Muslim after 21 years. The moral from his story is, be patient. I feel so ashamed of myself. Hidayah is in ALLAH's hand, not mine. Alhamdulillah.
Anyway, the problem that i see in most Muslims today is that they only focus on islah(preach to Muslims) but not da'wah(preach to non-Muslims). Going to the program made me realize that learning about comparative religion not only enable you to have the knowledge to do da'wah but also to protect ourselves from apostacy(murtad). The amount of cases of apostacy increased each year and when the statistics is revealed to us, i feel...(speechless again). This is indeed a race to nowhere.
While a lot of people are racing to do islah, the non-Muslims who were supposed to be saved are just left like that. And when they decide to become a Muslim, all of a sudden the Muslims around him or her, who never even paid attention to him or her before, suddenly were all, "Alhamdulillah sister." "Alhamdulillah brother." Hidayah doesn't come just like that you know. It requires effort and man, i go through a lot just to get it.
Again, please try going to this program. (FCR) You will see and realize how exciting it is to learn about the common grounds and differences that each and everyone of us have, despite the religion and race. They also cover about atheism.
Things that usually will be covered in the program is why da'wah is compulsory, Christianity, Bible study, Hinduism, Chinese beliefs(Buddhism, Taoism, Jainism etc etc), Understanding reverts(I smiled during this session, and cried too), Qur'an and Science, and lots more. But this is in FCR phase 1. There are 3 phases. Phase 1 is the basic. Phase 2 is after you learn the basic, what you do with the knowledge, in other words, how to do da'wah and Phase 3, practical(going to Church, temples and so on).
"Rasulullah was the best in comparative religion and he do da'wah all the time and also did islah, hand in hand. We said we love Rasulullah, why didn't we follow his sunnah? Do you think in the akhirah that he will be proud of you that you leave your non-Muslim friends to die without ever telling them about Islam? DO you really think that he will be all smiling when he knew that you have the knowledge but keep it to yourself? Why do you keep Islam to yourself? "
I cried when i heard Brother Shah Kirit said this.
Excuses like, i don't have the knowledge or i am not good enough are not valid excuses. Didn't Rasulullah s.a.w. himself had said, "Ballighu anni walau aayah" Tell even with a single word. And how many verses had we learn?
At least, al-Fatihah, the compulsory ayat that we have to remember to prostrate to ALLAH.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
(Who ALLAH is, His attributes)
2 All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
(He is the Owner and all praises should go to Him, and only Him alone)
3 The Beneficent, the Merciful.
(The attributes of ALLAH, for He loves and He forgives)
4 Master of the Day of Judgment.
(The owner of Yaumiddin)
5 Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.
(Only to Him we pray and ask for help because He is the Most Almighty)
6 Keep us on the right path.
(He is our Guidance and He knows what is right for us and what is not.)
7 The path of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed favors. Not (the path) of those upon whom Thy wrath is brought down, nor of those who go astray.
(We want the path of the people that obeys ALLAH, not the people who invites His wrath by not obeying and disbelieving.)
Yes, the non-Muslims, are not Muslims. Not yet. It doesn't matter in what religion he or she was born into, what matters is how he or she will die. But by da'wah, i don't mean that you have to force them to accept what you say. There's no use talking about the Qur'an if they have never even read the Qur'an. It is the same as if you were talking about medical studies to math students. Unless you prove that there are similarities in their scriptures with ours. Believe it or not, the Hindu scripture said that there is no God but only one, and the words inside it is exactly identical to what ALLAH said in Surah Al-Ikhlas. SubhanALLAH.
To end my post, i would like to share with you some quotes from the best orator known to men, ALLAH subhana wa taala.
Say: "O People of the Book! come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but Allah. that we associate no partners with him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah." If then they turn back, say ye: "Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to Allah.s Will). ['Ali Imran 3: 64]
Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance. [An-Nahl 16 :125]
Facts: Do you know that da'wah, by language, literally means invitation? :) Let's invite people to Islam. The more, the merrier.
Salam.
ReplyDeleteBeen to Phase 1 too when I was in Malaysia. InshaAllah, if given the opportunity to attend Phase 2 when I get back to Malaysia soon, I'd be more than glad to do so.
And yeah, you are so blessed by Allah that He's given you the opportunity to attend Sheikh Bilal Philip's lecture too! If possible, can you share the points in his lectures in your next post? I would be forever grateful to you if you are able to make it.
And, I'm so happy to know that more people are attending da'wa programmes instead of just the islah ones. (:
Sorry for the long comment. Can't help feeling excited!
Wassalam warahmatullah.
ReplyDeleteInshaALLAH ukhti. :) Its okay, the longer the comment, the merrier. ^^
Subhanallah.
ReplyDeleteIndeed I believe it is not a race to nowhere. Rather its supposed to be a race to somewhere ^_^
Thanks to that generous person, a couple of souls have benefited that night =)
may Allah bless him