FROM DARKNESS INTO LIGHT

MAGAZINE ll | APRIL 2014

!"#$% &'(
)
*+

,
-
./

0
12

34
5
67
% 8
9:
An ignorant person is like
a walking grave on earth.

Imam Ibn al-Qayyim

Quote shared by:
Nurhanisa Yusoff
Year 2
Faculty of Arabic Language &
Linguistics
Al-Azhar University
3
OurVoicesContents
10
Return of the Dark Ages
17
37
31
48
!"#$%&'()*
+,-
.
/0
1*$)*23
45
Smart Enough?
the art of ignoring
our language, overshadowed
hidup untuk memberi
;<
3
OurVoicesContents
53
58
81
86
104
<=
Love, !", cinta
Speculations and truths
journey of an ignorant
Travelogue
man of god
!"#$%& '()*%& + ',-./& 0123
All praises due to the Creator of the
Heavens and Earth for providing us this
opportunity to proceed with the second
installment of Our Voices. Our Voices is an
online academic journal which showcases
the talent of Singaporean students studying
in Egypt varying from different academic
institutions. Their contributions range from
written articles, illustrations, artworks,
travel logs as well as their personal research
and life experience.
The contents of Our Voices are split
into two main segments: Articles and
Creative Contributions the latter being
everything else besides articles such as
illustrations, calligraphy, travel logs,
personal research etc. Our Voices would not
be made possible without their contributions
and the hard work of PERKEMAS
Research Unit. Thus, before I begin I would
like to express my deepest gratitude to those
who had help make this project possible for
the second time, Jazakumullah.
Relax, Ill make this quick and
straight to the point.
Ignorance was chosen to be the theme
for this issue of Our Voices - why such
emphasis on Ignorance? Ignorance is the
lack of knowledge, understanding and
awareness. It is a trait whereby even the
most learned are not immune to, as a
student of Islamic Sciences it is imperative
that we be cautious of this trait. For
example, the oblivious nature of some to the
changes happening in the community
reflects ignorance, whilst ignorance of
knowl edge and educat i on hi nder s
intellectual progress.
Do we know what ignorance is? Have
we been aware of it? How do we recognize
and identify it? Why is it a problem? Why is
it prevalent in our society? How many
di f f er ent t ypes of i gnor ance ar e
t her e? Whi ch one i s mos t wi de-
spread? Which is most harmful? Is it a
symptom or a cause? Is it treatable or
curable? How has it affected small or large
events in the past? Is this topic/theme really
that important?
Read and find these questions
answered as each author brings his or her
take on Ignorance to the table.

3
OurVoicesEditor
In The Name Of
Allah, The Most Gracious
The Most Merciful
Muhammad Khairulanwar Bin Shamsuri
Editor In-Chief
2013/2014
3
OurVoicesTeam
Editor In-Chief
Production
Supervisor
Nurul Adibah Md Yusoff
Khairulanwar Shamsuri
Muhd Asyraf Kasim
Managing
Editors
Graphic
Design
Nur Diyana Zait
Muzhaffar Khalis
Creative
Features
Muhd Irfan Jumadi
Muhd Faizuddin Fauzan
Authors
Editors
Syed Muhammad Alkaff
Md Zuhdi Md yusuf
Rabiatul Adawiyah Ain
Official
Illustrator
Muhd Irfan Jumadi
Contributing
Editors
Muhd Mustafa Roslan
Ahmad Ibrahim Hassan
Muhd Amin Samsudin
Production
Consultants
Muhd Azfar Anwar
Siti Nur Fairuz Md Anis
Nurhanisa Yusoff
The worst kind of
i gnor ance
is
ignoring
the fact that
you are
i
G
n
o
R
A
N
T

Quoted by:
Anonymous

Shared by:
Muhd Irfan Bin Jumadi
Year 2
Faculty of Islamic Theology
Al-Azhar University
THE
{
return of
DARK AGES
{
Siti Nurul Amira Sadon

ave you ever been called an
ignorant? Directly in the face or not, I am
almost certain that every one of us had
encountered that kind of situation. The
question is, Are we man enough to accept
that title? Even if we are, is it to change for
the better or treat it like a y buzzing past our
noses?
Well, if your answer is the rst of those
two then you are on the right path, however if
it is the latter, heads up, it is not the end of the
world, unless of course, if ignorance has gone
viral and widespread like the Agent Orange
during The Vietnamese War, or do we only
know of Annoying Orange?
All of us are guilty of this title. One may
argue that he or she is not one of them, but
wait, we should compare ourselves to those
before us, the eminent scholars of the Golden
Age, like the four Imams whose teachings and
independent reasoning had formed the four
prominent Schools of Thought, scientists and
pioneers from the west and countless more.
Beyond them, the Companions (Peace Be
Upon Them) achieved tremendous victories in
their conquest to spread Islam. Truth be told,
as recorded in the history books, most of them
had achieved remarkable feats in their tender
age; their teens and twenties. A frequently
repeated rhetoric that follows: What about
us?
What have we achieved? Look around
us, are youth truly assets for a nation? Or are
we a liability? We do not need to scrutinise to
get a birds-eye view of our youth these days.
Take a stroll at the sidewalks. You would see
youngsters lingering around the corners
looking back at you, not knowing what else to
do. I witnessed this, both in Singapore and in
Egypt. Maybe it is different in the other parts
of the world. Maybe not.
H

Accor di ng t o t he
Division for Social Policy
and Development (DSPD)
under the Department of
Economic and Social Affairs
( DESA) of t he Uni t ed
Nations Secretariat, there are
myriads of issues pertaining
to youth all over the world.
Unemployment, illiteracy,
AI DS, ar med conf l i ct ,
political involvement, hunger
and a list of other youth-
related issues, had seen
improvements, however, the
rate is still bothersome.
The daily routine of a
privileged youth in developed
or developing countries:
facing the LCD screens for
hours watching dramas of
various genre, catching up to
v a r i e t y s e r i e s s h o ws ,
checki ng out t he l at est
trending videos on Youtube,
bickering in social media on
p e t t y i s s u e s , s t a l k i n g
personalities or individuals
on Facebook and Twitter
pages and other unproductive
activities projected by the
two pieces of polarized glass,
while our brothers and sisters
around the globe suffer from
mass destruction, gradual
genocides, oppression, denial
of basi c human needs,
widespread poverty and
hunger, di scr i mi nat i on,
injustice, I could go on and
on. Immune to all those
plights are some billions of
youth. As for those who have
that wee bit of awareness of
what is happening around the
world, they would go: What
could I do about them? Ill
just pray and express my
condolence on Facebook or
Twitter status or maybe write
an article about them. After
which all the activities
would resume, like how we
would sleep off another
horrifying nightmare that
woke us up. This is our sad
r e a l i t y. Al l o f t ho s e
sufferings separated from
us not just by borders but,
yes, our ignorance. Oh wait,
we do not have to buy a
ticket, fly over to help and go
to that extent. Have we even
helped our own society?

Adding to the plight is
a larger issue. Decadence and
perversity being pervasive in
our youth; tobacco, alcohol
and drug consumptions,
homos e xua l i t y, s e xua l
engagement before marriage,
sexual harassment, disrespect
of the older generations, lack
of empathy towards the less-
f or t una t e , de pr e s s i on,
suicides, thefts and numerous
more. No it is not only
happening on television. Yes
it is happening right next to
you. You might think that: I
am still far away from all of
this.- coming from the
ignorance in you. Not taking
the matter in all seriousness,
one could even merrily make
a joke out of it to laugh it off.
Wait till your own kin or
someone you are close to, to
be associated to all of those
then youll start to shiver.
YOUTH
GLOBAL
ISSUES.
OBLIVION
TO
PRIVILEG-
ED YOUTH.

DECADENT
YOUTH.
{
{
{


Scholars have been
complaining that the younger
generation are getting more
uneducated. How so? Look
at the educational system.
Knowledge had been broken
down into separate parts. It is
no longer holistic. Syllabus
h a d b e e n c u t s h o r t .
Preserving knowledge and
s c i e n c e s t h r o u g h
memorization, revision and
practice, have long been
diminishing among youth.
This is one of the many signs
of the day of judgement as
stated in The Book of Al-
Fitan: Sahih Bukhari Near
the establishment of the Hour
there will be days during
which (religious) knowledge
will be taken away (vanish)
and general ignorance will
spread, and there will be Al-
Harj in abundance, and Al-
Harj means killing. In
another Hadith, Rasulullah
SAW said: Allah will not
seize sacred knowledge by
extracting it from people, but
will seize it by removing the
scholars until, when there
remains no learned person,
people will appoint ignorant
men as l eader s . When
questioned, they will pass
rulings without knowledge.
Thus, they will be misguided
a n d w i l l m i s g u i d e
o t h e r s ( Bu k h a r i a n d
Musl i m). Are we t hose
unlearned ignorant men that
woul d be appoi nt ed as
leaders in the future?
Nothing in the world is
more dangerous than sincere
ignorance and conscientious
stupidity. Martin Luther
King Jr.

How di d we
fall deep into this
abyss? We claimed to be
the youth of technology,
globalization as our tool to
moder ni sat i on, mat er i al
wealth as our aspiration, the
list of proclamation goes on.
Spi ri t ual l y, we are but
weaklings trying to find a
g l i mp s e o f h o p e a n d
happiness. How could a
skyscraper stand high and tall
when the base is hollow,
waiting to crumble into
rubble?


Why does this
scene seem all so
familiar? Where did
we come across it?
Was it somewhere in our
history books? Oh yes, the
pre-Islamic era, the one
that was called Jahiliyah or
translated as the Age of
Ignorance. It seems that
history has repeated itself.
Islam did not simply call it
Jahiliyah due to its academic
ignorance, illiteracy and
backwardness in the sciences.
The Holy Quran regarded
those nations with advanced
science, architecture and
skills too, as ignorant. Here,
we c o u l d d e r i v e t h a t
ignorance is a civil situation
which had deviated from the
truth, the path that had been
paved for mankind, the path
of Allah; our sole creator.
DISREGARD
FOR
KNOWLEDGE
& SCIENCES
{
Remember when Rasulullah (Peace Be
Upon Him) was a young businessman? He was
known for his trustworthiness and honesty, a
respected young man he was. An upright figure
in the corrupted entrepreneur world, had gained
him the hearts of many, what more his
employers. Never had he uttered the idols
name in prayer amidst the pagan worshippers.
Secluding himself from the moral catastrophe
befalling his community, to cogitate about their
problems and come to their rescue. He was the
model of high moral calibre of his era and
beyond. He was not involved in the decadence
of his people, the people of Arabia.
Notwithstanding, he was amongst them,
interacting with his people is his daily routine,
his heart held them oh-so-dearly.
Have we not been bestowed the best
of creations as our role model ? Hav we not
been entrusted with the Holy Quran and the
Prophetic Traditions? Have we not been
titled the best of people?
Rise oh youths of today, leaders of
tomorrow! We hold the future in our hands.
How can we bear to see all of this without
lifting a hand or a finger ? Yes, change is
pivotal. Change starts within. Dreams are not
meant to be kept in deep slumber. Dreams are
for the awakened. Dreams are to be chased and
captured. Indeed, Allah will not change the
condition of a people until they change what is
in themselves. (Surah Ar-Rad:11)
Turn to Islam; the way of life and you
will find the answer. It is time for us to be
fully awakened. We need to upgrade ourselves
spiritually, intellectually and physically. We
need to think critically. We need to think
carefully and plan our future wisely. Live in the
reality and please, stop living in your own
world. Realise our responsibilities on our
shoulders. Take things seriously and face up to
challenges.
Do we want to be accused of being
ignorant leaders? What will we answer on the
day of judgement? The day when excuses are
of no use. Our ummah is in dire situation.
Collated were all those challenges from the
past Ummah. They say the harder the
challenge, the greater the reward. Brothers and
sisters, give your best, do your best, in
whatever you venture. Be united and put
behind us the differences and start
appreciating the similarities. Problems are
accumulating whilst the learned argue and
disagree with one another leaving the ones who
strive for progress to the less-learned. They
need us.
An age is called Dark, not because
the light fails to shine, but because people
refuse to see it. James Albert Michener.

RISE!
Author is a rst year undergraduate
at the Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence,
Al-Azhar University
!"# $%&' (") $% :*+,- ./+0 !1 2+3 !1 45,6 4"7 :4"7 .80 9":; !1 <=6 >?'?@ <#A $0
$%&' (") $%- B.C/= D?E/+F ?GH1 D5/I1- !"# $%&' (") $%- BJ6"K LM&' NF ?GH1 D5/I1-
.OPQ/I -A 1RG ST/+F ?GH1 D5/I1- !"#

iPad Tablet iPhone Smartphone

!"#$%& %"(%)% *+,-.%&%" /%"0 %.% 1%.% 2%,%" #"#3 4%,1#) *+5+,-% 1+".-.-*
6#"0%1-)% ,+,1-"/%# %$%(7%$%( 8%"00#& (+)5+9-(: /%"0 .# ,%"% #% ,+,-.%&*%" *%,#
-"(-* ,+,+;* 0%,9%): ,+)%*%, <#.+=: ,+)+*=. 5-%)%: ,+"00-"%*%" "%<#0%5# .%"
5+9%0%#"/%3
>+)-"(-"0$%& *#(% &#.-1 1%.% 2%,%" #"# *+)%"% 5+,-%"/% ="+78$#8*7%?%/3 !"0#"
,+".%1%(*%" ,%*$-,%(@ A-"%*%" A==0$+ 5%&%B%3 C%5;"/% (+)(+)% 9+),%8%,7
,%8%, ,%*$-,%( /%"0 .##"0#"*%"3 D+)#"0#" -"(-* 9+$%B%) ,+,%5%*@ >=$+& 5%&%B%
8%)# <#.+= .# E=-D-9+3
F%,-": %.%*%& .+"0%" ,+,1-"/%# %$%(7%$%( 8%"00#& 5+9+0#"# 9+),%*5-. 9%&%?%
*#(% ;.%* 1+)$- $%0# 9+)5-5%&71%/%& .%$%, ,+"-"(-( #$,- %(%- 9=$+& 9+)5+"%"07
$+"%"0 .%$%, ,+"8%)# ,%*$-,%(@
SMART ENOUGH?
Atii Qah bte Suhaimi
tidak seharusnya
berselesa dengan
alat-alat tersebut
s e h i n g g a
menjadikan kita seorang individu
yang jahil dan sombong.
Sesungguhnya kejahilan
pada seseorang itu akan memberi
kesan pada dirinya sendiri secara
khususnya, dan juga terhadap
masyarakat secara umumnya
Individu yang jahil dan tidak
sedar akan kejahilannya, bahkan
bersikap bodoh sombong, dengan
secara tidak sengajanya akan
memundurkan dirinya dari sebarang
jenis kemajuan dan tidak dapat
meningkatkan diri sendiri dalam
pembelajaran dan pekerjaannya.
Individu tersebut juga akan
terkesan dari segi memilih jalan
yang mudah dan senang dalam
menyelesaikan permasalahan tanpa
memikirkan kedudukan dan
pendapat agama.
Dengan menggunakan
google, maka invidividu tersebut
akan mendapatkan jawapan bagi
sebarang jenis persoalan yang
sedang dihadapinya.

Sedar atau tidak, generasi kita
sekarang ini sedang menuju ke arah
tersebut. Ke arah yang di mana ia
dipanggil sebagai Tanyakan apa
sahaja soalan di google, sudah pasti
anda akan mendapat jawapannya,
atau dengan bahasa yang lembut
dan islamik sedikit, ia dipanggil
sebagai Syeikh Google.
Adakah kita tahu sejauh
mana kesahihan infomasi yang telah
kita dapatkan dari Google? Bolehkah
kita dapatkan kebenaran infomasi
yang terdapat di lelaman sesawang?
Inilah antara jenis kejahilan
yang wujud pada zaman ini. Sesiapa
sahaja boleh menjadi Ustaz atau
Professor atau Ulama dengan
menggunakan Google atau teknologi
lain yang membuatkan orang awam
akan mudah terikut pada individu
tersebut dan terpedaya dengan
ilmunya.
Kita
menggunakan
t e k n o l o g i
t e r s e b u t ,
s e b a h a g i a n
individu merasakan
dirinya itu sudah mahir dalam sesuatu
ilmu dan merasakan bahawa dirinya
tidak memerlukan guru.
Ada juga sebahagian individu
yang tidak henti di situ sahaja, bahkan
ia terus menerus dalam alam ustaznya
atau alam Professornya dengan
menyampaikan ilmu tersebut atau
memperdebatkan sesuatu isu dengan
lantangnya di platform yang popular
pada zaman sekarang ini seperti di
facebook, youtube dan lain-lain lagi.
Walaupun individu tersebut
telah membuat banyak bahas di
lelaman, mempelajari teori saintifik dari
lelaman sesawang yang ada, tetapi
sesungguhnya individu tersebut terlupa
bahawa tidak semua infomasi yang
wujud di lelaman adalah infomasi yang
sah.
Hanya individu yang berilmu
atau educated yang pandai menapis
infomasi yang telah dia dapatkan
daripada alat-alat canggih zaman kini.
Antara tujuan utama kegunaan
facebook ialah untuk mengeratkan
silaturrahim antara keluarga,
saudara-mara
dan kawan-kawan. Alangkah sedihnya
apabila platform tersebut digunakan
oleh individu yang kurang sihat untuk
menjadikan facebook sebagai medan
peperangan mulut dan ruang
perbincangan yang hangat.
Tidak kurang juga sebahagian
individu menggunakan facebook sebagai
ruang untuk membuka perbahasan
tentang agama, politik dan lain-lain lagi.
Siapalah sebenarnya diri kita ini
jikalau hendak dibandingkan dengan
para Ulama dan Sheikh-sheikh yang
sangat berilmu. Tidak dinafikan bahawa
sebahagian Ulama kita mempunyai
facebook, tetapi bukanlah bertujuan
untuk mengadakan perdebatan di situ,
bahkan mereka telah menggunkannya
untuk menyebarkan ilmu mereka
melalui video, atau memberi peringatan
kepada orang awam dengan kata-kata
hikmah, atau juga mewar-warkan jadual
pengajian kitab bersama mereka.
Manakala sebahagian individu,
walaupun masih dalam proses
pembelajaran, tetapi mereka telah
menjadi Ulama di facebook dengan
mengutarakan isu-isu semasa dan
memperbahaskannya di medan
tersebut.
Nah! Jauh sekali perbuatan
tersebut apabila dibandingkan dengan
apa yang telah dilakukan oleh para
Ulama.
Dengan
saya dan pembaca terjerumus dalam
medan hangat, ayuh kita sama-sama
bermuhasabah diri, berfikir sejenak dan
mengambil pengajaran dari masa yang
lalu.
Li hatl ah bagai mana Al l ah s. w. t
menurunkan Quran kepada Rasulullah
s.a.w. Lihatlah wahyu pertama yang
diturunkan oleh Allah s.w.t.
! !"#$% &'() "*+$,&-./0 $!"#$1 ! $!"#$1 2(3450 $678$9 :;&<+:8 =>$?=@0}
+$) "*+$,&-./0 $;4#$% ! :;"#"A=5+:8 $;4#$% 2(3450 ! BC$?=DEF0 $6G8$9$H =>$?=@0
{&;"#&I$J &;"5

Yang bermaksud: Bacalah (wahai
Muhammad) dengan nama Tuhanmu
yang menciptakan (sekalian makhluk), Ia
menciptakan manusia dari sebuku darah
beku; Bacalah, dan Tuhanmu Yang Maha
Pemurah, Yang mengajar manusia melalui
pena dan tulisan, Dia mengajarkan
manusia apa yang tidak diketahuinya.
Sesungguhnya, Allah s.w.t telah
memberitahu kepada makhlukNya
bahawa betapa pentingnya ilmu-ilmu ini
sebagai landasan hidup kita. Hendaklah
kita sentiasa menuntut ilmu sehingga
akhir hayat kita.
Lihatlah juga cara Allah s.w.t
menyampaikan Al-Quran ke atas
Rasulullah s.a.w dengan mengutus
Sayyidina Jibrail Alaihis Salam sebagai
pertengahan. Dari sini, kita juga dapati
bahawa Sayyidina Jibrail apabila
menyampaikan Al-Quran ke atas Baginda,
Sayyidina Jibrail merupakan guru kepada
Baginda s.a.w.
Selepas Baginda s.a.w menerima
wahyu, Baginda menyampaikan Al-Quran
kepada sahabat-sahabatnya serta
menerangkan ayat-ayat Al-Quran.
Manakala sahabat-sahabat Nabi
bertungkus-lumus dalam mempelajari
agama Islam, berlumba-lumba dalam
mendampingi Baginda serta tekun dan
peka dalam setiap perkataan yang
disampaikan Baginda atau
perbuatan Baginda s.a.w.
Nah! Andai kita berfikir
sejenak dan melihat kembali
zaman dahulu dan mengambil
pengajaran daripadanya, kita akan
dapati bahawa agama Islam
sangat menitik-beratkan
t ent ang i l mu, sert a
kepentingan adanya guru
dalam menuntut ilmu.
Sebelum
perkara ini sudah
dilupakan oleh kita
pada zaman sekarang,
di mana kita semua
t e l a h t e ng g e l a m
dengan alat-alat canggih, dan sudah selesa
dengan menuntut ilmu melalui Google,
YouTube dan sebagainya.
Mari kita duduk diam, berfikir dan
mengingat kembali zaman dahulu sekali
lagi
Lihatlah bagaimana Allah s.w.t telah
menyifatkan Baginda s.a.w di dalam Kitab
Al-Quran yang berbunyi:
{!"#$%&' !()*+, -./*&0/1 &23456&7}
Yang bermaksud: Dan bahawa
s es ungguhnya engkau ( Wahai
Muhammad) mempunyai akhlak yang amat
mulia.
Daripada sini, kita boleh ketahui
bahawa Baginda s.a.w mempunyai akhlak
yang tinggi, tiada tandingan bagi
akhlaknya. Islam sangat menitik-
beratkan tentang akhlak.
Nah! Bandingkanlah
dengan apa yang sedang berlaku
pada zaman sekarang ini. Terdapat
beberapa individu yang bersemangat
dalam memperdebatkan isu-isu
t erki ni di f acebook dan
sebagainya, dan secara tidak langsung,
mengundang individu-individu yang lain
dalam merancakkan lagi medan
peperangan tersebut.
Bahkan kadang-kala, medan
tersebut, walaupun pada zahirnya kita dapat
lihat bahawa ia penuh dengan maklumat
dan infomasi, tetapi tidak kurang juga
dengan akhlak yang ditonjolkan oleh
pendebat-pendebat tersebut. Tidak lupa juga
dengan bahasa dan cara penyampaian
mereka.
Sesungguhnya andai kita melihat
cara Sheikh-sheikh atau para Ulama
menyampaikan ilmu mereka, kita akan
dapati cara mereka itu penuh beradab dan
berhikmah.
Dengan itu, saya menyeru agar kita
sama-sama dapat mempelajari ilmu dengan
cara berguru, serta hilangkan sifat bodoh
sombong kita dan sentiasa bersifat tawaduk.
Berilmu itu bukanlah sekadar pergi
ke Universiti, mendapatkan ijazah dan terus
mengajar atau bekerja.
Berilmu itu bukanlah sekadar
mendapatkan sarjana muda.
Berilmu itu bukanlah sekadar
mencari jawapan melalui internet.
Bahkan berilmu itu apabila
seseorang itu menuntut ilmu dengan
gurunya, kemudian mempraktikkan ilmu
tersebut dalam kehidupan seharian. Sebagai
contoh, seseorang itu mempelajari tentang
akhl ak mul i a di sert akan dengan
melaziminya.
Apakah
menimba ilmu
bukanlah untuk
mengi ngi nkan
s es uat u. Ki t a
meni mba i l mu
bukanl ah ber t uj uan unt uk
memperalatkannya bagi mengatasi
orang lain. Kita menimba ilmu
bukanlah untuk mendapatkan
banyak likes dan comments di facebook.
Bahkan sepatutnya kita
menimba ilmu bertujuan untuk
memajukan diri kita, masyarakat kita,
serta memanfaatkan orang-orang
lain.
Nah..! Jika kita perhatikan
bagaimana zaman kegemilangan
Islam dahulu, zaman Sahabat, zaman
Tabiin, zaman Tabi Tabiin dan
seterusnya, kita akan dapati bahawa
Ulama pada zaman tersebut
bertungkus-lumus dalam menuntut
ilmu demi memanfaatkan generasi
yang akan datang. Bermacam jenis
ilmu yang telah dibukukan pada
zaman tersebut.
Ki t a seharusnya j auhi
daripada rutin yang kurang sihat
dengan berdebat-debat dan
merasa diri ini sudah pandai.
Kejahilan itu apabila
kita sudah merasakan diri
kita ini hebat, dan sudah
mempunyai ilmu yang
banyak.
Kejahilan itu juga apabila
kita telah lupa diri, dan tidak
mencerminkan diri kita sendiri.
Kejahilan itu juga apabila kita
merasakan bahawa kita tahu
bermacam-macam perkara, tetapi
berlagak dan tidak ingin mengambil
tahu dan pengajaran daripada masa
lalu.
Kejahilan itu juga apabila kita
lebih suka mempertikaikan soal
hukum sedangkan diri ini tidak
seberapa.
Kejahilan itu juga apabila kita
lebih suka merperbahaskan isu,
tetapi tidak ingin merujuk kepada
guru atau pakar.
Kejahilan itu juga apabila kita
merasa hebat setelah dapat
mengemukakan idea atau hujah-
hujah yang hebat belaka di lelaman
sesawang atau facebook.
Kejahilan itu apabila terlalu
bergantung kepada mencari infomasi
daripada alat-alat teknologi yang
terkini lalu membekukan minda
kita.
Kita
Cha r l e s Da r wi n,
Ignorant more frequently
beget confidence than does
knowledge. Yakni, orang
jahil lebih yakin dengan
diri mereka dari ilmu yang mereka
punyai.
Lulus atau gagal dalam
peperiksaan bukanlah satu kayu
ukur dalam kejahilan seseorang
individu.
Ketahuilah, kejahilan itu
adalah satu penyakit yang halus.
Bagi membasmi kejahilan
tersebut, seseorang individu
haruslah melunturkan egonya,
merasakan bahawa dirinya jahil
dan memerlukan ilmu, serta
bert ungkus- l umus dal am
menimba ilmu dengan berguru.




Ingat
kembali kata-kata Imam Syafie
r.a:
89:;< =6 "*01> ?@AB C1 D,E
F@G#H< @I*#JKB C' 2#H4LM
9N*<7 O@I:P>7 QRS7 T@UV
F@WX ?YZ7 8V@:M> 9H[\7
Yang bermaksud:
Wahai saudaraku ilmu tidak
akan diperoleh kecuali dengan enam
perkara
yang akan saya beritahukan
perinciannya:
(1) kecerdasan, (2) semangat, (3)
sungguh-sungguh, (4) berkecukupan,
(5) bersahabat (belajar) dengan
ustadz, (6) membutuhkan waktu yang
lama.
Begitulah seharusnya kita
menimba ilmu dan membuang
jauh kejahilan yang melanda
masyarakat kita.
Adakah kita menuntut
ilmu dengan cara yang betul?
Adakah kita sedar bahawa kita
masi h j auh l agi dal am
perjalanan menuntut ilmu?
Adakah selama ini kita
hanya bodoh sombong?
Kata
Author is a fourth year
undergraduate at the
Faculty of Islamic Theology,
Al-Azhar University
{
AT A GLANCE
islamic
history
{
The Ottoman Empire
- !"#$% &'( )$ &*% +, -

:-./0% 12345 67 8039: 1;0% <3= >0?;7
} 1;0% @/AA'( 6BC9A:37 1;0% +CAD @4E5 +, F={

.1;0G 1;0% 67 &H% %?/I7
!
"#
$ %
&
'( )*
+
,-
.
/0
1*$ )*
!"#$
.@53(,G 6JKB 6LGM

NO=G F5 67 1;0% .5?2 1JKB FPQ( R?0% )S
N1;T +3/S RM 67 6AE0% 8;U VWX032 1Y7 .#9( R?0% )S
N3I:32 Z;"0 F5 67 +%.[0% M.[(G \]I4( R?0% )S
^_C( \Y'S R\`a \Y'S @;[2
<3= \=G .10C_bG 1;0% ZU3c C` ZA*% d?` 80, FLC$% e(.#0%G
6B%.= f3gb, %?I7 ."1;0% @/AA'( 6BC9A:37 1;0% +CAD @4E5 +, F= " :8039:
bCSM )S %.SM h\[( Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii7 .j3_k% %?` 1;5 15C;_ 67 6U%.( +l2 @;JY;0
.SM 8;U 3"B\0% .SM h\[( )S \UC: 1;0%G m10C_bG 1;0% ZA'S 8;U 3"B\0%
.Wno GM Wn3U m@"0k% p3[9032 )(\0%
)S !Yn !S +35 @;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L 1BM q"'L .Ar 67G
3( :.YU 10 <3[7 s1EU 1;0% 6tb .YU @IE"2 )SG @IEU 1;0% 6tb 123'LM
8;L 6AE0% <3[7 6JKB )S u, mv6g F5 )S w60, w&TM OBk m1;0% <C_b
)S >"0, w&TM +C5M 84T md\"2 6JKB R?0%G mu" :@;_G 1";U 1;0%
<3[7 s6JKB )S 60, w&TM OBk 1;0%G +x% 1By7 :.YU 10 <3[7 m">JKB
.Rb3zA0% d%Gb m".YU 3( +x%" :@;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L 6AE0%
F5 1=a.( R?0% C` 1wBk 1I0, &'( +M m+3JB{% V.#7 )S >0?5G
)S 3`C'BG O"A$%G v%CI035 3I"0, |34'( 3SG }32G.Q$%G ZY9ck% )S @9E0%
wpb ZA'S 80, Rf~: df3AU 8;U 1;0% @9B Z7.9Y7 .8XD uG \9: u @9B
:<3[( %?I0G .@9E$% ./g Z;Yn )S 3IK"C: )JTG @9E0% &TG .p32bk%
.b%C%G +3J;0%G &;[032 ./Q0% +,
)S Z(C"Bf bCSM 67 +CA.(G .t3H% 3E4=G 67 Y;J$% )S ."5 3I5.4(
%C[:."0 3Y%f dG.5?(G 1;0% %G\A9( +M )S u\2 @`v%C`M +C9A4(G Z94SMG <%CSM
..K0% C_ 1;0% +G\A9( u @I7 .}%f3A90% .3_G F7%CE032 @I:3nbf 67
10C= !S 8g3Y4: d?`G ..X90% %?` 67 Y;J$% ^9t p3A_M )S d?`
.".Jr 6K0 +3JB{% +," : 8039:
\0 V."#% Z;/Q$% d?` 8;U 6[B ^"5 m3E` <%~J037
N3IEU \94ABG Y;J$%
1";U <C_.0% 8;U <E$% p34/0% MG FY5M fbGM \= m!A#032G
m3KBo }.5 640% Z(x% \92 v3n 3S C`G m3ITWiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiL, Z"K"5 hWiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiJ0%G VWX0%
eH32 %CL%C:G }3H3X0% %C;YUG %CES%v )(?0% u," : 8039: 10C= 6EUM
+3{% s3YI9A4( +M @;JS F5 8;U +%?;0% +3[(.#037 .".AX032 %CL%C:G
1;0% ZA'S m>0 8;U v3E2G .)(._3% )S +C/( u 84T m}3H3X0% FYUG
.+3{% j3_M 3IBk @;J$% V3"T 67 3YIS %bGf &9;: 10C_bG
3S ZA'SG 10C_bG 1;0% ZA'S 1Sa%C0G +3{% }3An%G )S +,
3S .:G m12 %.SM 3 FY90% )S 3I92%C:G <3YUk% }3H3LG +3{% )S d3ATM
)$ &*% +," :F"= \=G .d3tbG \A9;0 1;0% ZA* V3U\S >0 +y7 .1EU 3"IB
m6;YU C;_ 3,G m&J'7 3"Kc3U %bC9g ZA*% OJ";7 ."!"#S &'(
6I7 . 1:35.T )S Z5.T F5 67 d\J](G !=%C0% bM 8;U @;J$% 1_b3
.j3E0% !S FS3940% 67 Wrk% )JT 3"B3 6`G .10C_bG 1;0% ZU3c muGM
%&$'() *+,
.10397MG Z./0% 1:3KLG 1;0% v3Y_M Z7.9S FS 1;0% ZA'S 3I2 &;]4J: 640%
1S.5M )SG m1S.5M 1U3cM )SG m1U3cM 1wATM )SG m1wATM 1;0% .U )Y7
m>0?5G .10 82C#7 db%Cn 67 1;0% 1E/_M )SG mdb%Cn 67 1;0% 1E/_M
.}3=C;zSG }3E35 )S bk%G }%G3YJ0% }C/;S 67 3S Z7.9S
VGWiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii:G 8039: 1;0% .5 V.5 m3(M 1;0% ZA* ZA03% p3A_k% )SG
1;0% .5?2G md.5 )S .5M 3"g w&TM )Y7 ../K40%G .2\4032 -./0% +o.[0%
.+3J;0%G &;[032 +C/( .5?0% h%Gf .ZA*% }3SWU )S d?I7 .pC;[0% )Y#:
.@;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L <C_.0% ZA'S C` 1;0% ZA'S 8;U Fu\0% .A5M )SG
d?` F2 Nd%CUf 67 p35 C`G <C_.0% ZA'S 6Uw\( j3E0% )S @/7
6AE0% &'( R?0% &*% %?` )S .3IXz7G 3IX"' \EU OA: u G3U\0%
14A'S 1;r%f 6YE( +M !"#4J( ^"5G N3"["[T 3AT @;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L
3AT Y;J$% \((G 3"B\0% 67 .ro v6g RM )S .5M @;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L
N@Iw"AE0
)S 8;U &n%G .7 @;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L <C_.0% ZA'S +,
)S @;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L 14A'S .%3n WKB OJ"0G m1=w\LG 12 )So
VWX0% 1";U <3= \=G .8039:G 1B3'A_ 1;0% ZA'S )S VbCL 3IBk )(\0%
j3E0%G d\0GG d\0%G )S 1"0, w&TM +C5M 84T @5\TM )S~( u" :hWiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiJ0%G
F5 ZA'S @;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L 6AE0% d3 14A'S CK: 84T RM m"9YnM
.1AT )/ C;zS
8;L <C_.;0 Z"["[H% ZA*%G @;J$% 2 <CD 640% p3A_k% )SG
+M )/ 147.9Y7 .@;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L 12 Z7.9$% Z;= C` @;_G 1";U 1;0%
)(f ;A"0 $390% 8;U d3K#L%G db34r% 12b )S \Y'S 3E"AB s14A' 8:l:
uC0G m1EU d3tbG 10 1AH db34r% 1;037 mWiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirk% hb3/S @Y4(G j3E;0 1;0%
1;0% 1ATM )S &'B +M 3E";UG .d3K#L% uG db34r% 3$ 1EU 6tb 1;0% +M
Z9"7b Z0ES Z;%G .1;0% F";r <C_.0%G .1EU 1;0% 6tb ) 8t.B +MG
bCX4: u 3I0 1;0% d3A4n% 640% @;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L 140ESG .}3nb\0%
hfo \0G \"_ 3BM" :@;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L <3= 3Y5 ,.QA0% F7M CI7 1497b
d%Gb m"!KQS <GMG !73g <GMG ,.A[0% 1EU eQE( )S <GMG ZS3"[0% hC(
.@;JS
Wiiiiiiiiiiii2,G .QB FnM )S }3[Q$%G )*% 8[;(G 1n%C( <C_.0% +35G
RGM @;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L <C_.0%G .%CB35 3YE(M ZS3U Z(.QA0% 80, )(\0%
@`3Uf T .'J0%G p?/0%G +CE32 dCSbG j3B 1A_G 1Y4gG ,p.tG
3E"0, )(\0% FX"0 3E;nM )S )(\0% 6Y'"0 1;5 >0 8;U .AX7 .hWiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii_{% 80,
.C"% 10 %G\QTG db3(fG 103SG 1;`M )S dCn.rMG dC;:3[7
14A'S Fnk 1JKB <C_.0% 8w't ^"5 Y;J$% 3I(M %G.B%
d.5%?4BG 1;0% <C_b &'B u ^"5 .3E"0, eH% )(\0% <3X({G 14Sk V\(\Q0%
3E";U \`3Q0% C` N1EU 3B3IB 3S &E4G 12 3B.SM 3Y"7 19"#BG 3ES3(M F5 67
m1";U 3EY;_ 3Y;5 hWiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiJ0% 3E";U f.( R?0% 6AE0% C`G mV.rk%G 3"B\0% 67
p%?U 1(\( 2G 92 R?0% .(?E0% C`G m}%.QA$%G .QA0% FS3T C`G
C`G m%b3`aMG %b%CBM &;[0%G +C/0% 12 v3tM R?0% |%.J0% C`G m@"0M
m8[C0% VG.90%G 8Y90% ZYT.0% C`G m3(3#% 12 1;0% C' R?0% 6T3$%
1;0% ZU3c 6` 14U3#7 m"$39;0 ZYTb u, 3E;_bM 3SG" :8039: <3=
.1B3'A_
-./'() 01234 526,4
KTG m3Ec32G %.`3 12%f2 pfl40%G 1Y"9: @;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L
3"g &TM )S +y7 .1";U VWX0%G d.5 )S b35{%G m3I4_b%\SG 1(f3TM
.1A"AT v3[0 \(.( &"AT F/7 m13[;0 1=Cg \4g%G md.5 .5M
3I2 f3% >JY40%G Z";Y90%G Z"0C[0% 1EE_ 3A:% }3SW90% d?` )SG
.dC`.5 3SG j3E0% 1"tb 3S mO;[ 3SG KE0% 8;U 3IES OKr 3S mZ;S35
<C= RM 8;U 10C= h\[B 84T 3I;5 3E:3"T 67 19A4B 3E0 3]IES 1EE_ 3z:%G
.d%C_ .SM F5 8;U d.SM h\[BG 1BGf
C` @;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L \Y'S 3E"AB ZA'S 80, FLC$% e(.#0%G
m14A'S F3_G )S >0?5G .1`./( 3S p3E4n%G &"AH% 1A'( 3S ZA'S
.H% !S j3E;0 1S3/TM "A:G @"03940%G )(\0% )S 1EU 3EP;2 3S ";A42 h3"[0%
m<C_.0%G 1;0% 80, @IA"ADG me7.0%G ;032 ES~$% pC;= ^"0l: 8;U
.3I4';X v37C;0 69J0%G ,ZSk% 8;U Z[KQ0%G
3YI4A'S @;JS F5 8;U &](G @IS .SM <C_.0%G 1;0% ZA'S +,
m3IES .V."5 \%C7 80, Rf~( ZA*% d?` e"['47 .+3{% j3_M 3IBk
1A'2 ^PQB%G m1;032 1A;= e;9: %, )S~$% @;J$37 .+3{% VGW'2 bC9Q0%
F97 p?94J( md\0GG d\0%GG 1JKE0 1AT )S @UM 3AT 10C_b &TG
m<C_.0%G 1;0% Fnk }%./E$%G }3"IE$% .42 .K(G m3I2 ?;4(G m}%bCSl$%
.jCKE;0 3`G./S 1BC5 !S 1A'(G f3I32 ?;4(G ,3YI;"A_ 67 <3$% !7\2G
v3n 3Y5 .<C_.0%G 1;0% Fnk u, %\TM v.$% &'( uM 6` m3I";: 640%
hC( 1; 67 1;0% @I;( Z9A_" :@;_G 1";U 1;0% 8;L <C_.0% (\T )Yt
3IB, ."1";U 3=.K:G 1";U 39Y4n% 1;0% 67 323D +Wiiiiiiiiinb" @IES "1; u, F u
8;UG m1;0 1P2 +C/( +M 3(M >0 )S h;4J(G .ZE% 3(b )S ZtGb
.Y;J$% ZA'S @4'4( >0
VC[0% 12 FXD ZA*32 10C_bG 1;0% b3(, \%CK0% d?` )S >0?5G
3 3t.0%G m1"`%CB )U f3942u%G m1Y/T ?"KE:G ,1;0% .S%Gl2 <34S% 8;U
h\= 3S\EU 1;0% &T 67 d."X[40 u, 1;0% Z"X9S 67 \TM ![( u , mdbw\=
.AX0%G mv3[032 3t.0% h;4J: 1;0% ZA'Y7 .&H% >0 8;U 1JKB C`
..2\S ."r 1;037 mn +Gf ZA"X$%G vWA0% 8;U
RM ZA'S 8;U h\[: +M &]( <C_.0%G 1;0% ZA'S +, m%."rMG
6E(f .SM 2 b3940% !=G %y7 .3I0 Z923: v3"gk% !"Yn F9]2 .ro v6g
+k .3"B\0% .SM 8;U )(\0% .SM q"n.: @;J$% 8;U &nG mRC"Bf .SMG
3"B\0%G VfCX[$% Z(3P0% C` )(\0% +kG m10 Z923: 3"B\0%G j3_k% C` )(\0%
.3I"0, Z;"_C0% 6`
7&3.() !"#, 82$29: ;<=
>?12@()4
Author is a third year
undergraduate at the
Faculty of Islamic Theology,
Al-Azhar University
IGNORING
the
art
of
Mustafa Roslan
has become a pivotal priority in my life.
We have succumbed into an age where everyone
is forcing you to do things you do not want or
need. Whether virtual or in reality, everyone is
forcing on to others his opinions of what one
should be doing and thinking, and it is time to
learn to ignore them.
For emost , we have t o
understand that ignoring
doe s not me a n be i ng
ignorant. To be ignorant is to
l a c k k n o w l e d g e o r
information. To ignore is to
filter and to refrain from
noticing and recognizing
something. When you ignore
it does not mean you are
ignorant. Ignorant people are
lacking, especially those who talk about issues
which they have absolutely no knowledge of.
The art of ignoring is learning to clarify the
information and the circumstances that should
not have any importance in your life. For
example, the international community should
ultimately start to ignore celebrities. But for
many of us, we give attention to utter rubbish.
Our attention towards them makes them larger
than what they really are. And without us
realizing it, they have become a priority in our
life.
Choosing what you should ignore broadens your
eyes to the goals that you want. Your mind settles
on the priorities. You organize the wants, the
needs and the irrelevant.
We come from a society where people constantly
plaster their views regarding any hot topic all
over social media and bombard others all day. It
is like a soap opera. It would be more dramatic
than an episode of Scandal. Those capital-lock
posts, disrespectful long posts and sarcastic
remarks, urgh drama!
I choose to ignore them not because I am
narrow-minded and unable to accept different
opinions, but because the subjects of their
constant arguments and debates have been
discussed multiple times by different generations
of scholars and there is an ultimate conclusion.
But they choose to be ignorant about it. Instead
of giving these attention-deficit keyboard
warriors more of what they crave, just ignore
them. You will feel lighter.
The art of ignoring plays its part
n o t o n l y s o c i a l l y b u t
economically and academically.
Think of it this way, everyone has
an iPad nowadays. It is something
you socially have to have. As a
student I do not believe I need it,
but many of my friends have
them. Some urged me to buy one.
Personally, my laptop is way more
sufficient and it lasts longer. When I ignored the
constant pressure of wanting an iPad, I am able
to focus on what I really need to buy. I am no
longer a puppet of brilliant marketing and
irrelevant social trends. Ignoring will save you
heaps of money.
Academically, the key principals are the most
important in any subject. Mastering the core of
the subject not only makes it more bearable but
easier to understand. Ignore the difficult words
and large numbers, find the key concepts,
understand them and build up your knowledge
from there.
In conclusion, ignore the distractions and you
can reap what is truly important.
Ignoring
ignoring does
not mean
being ignorant.

Author is a third year undergraduate

at the Faculty of Islamic Theology,
Al-Azhar University
The closest that a servant is
to his Lord is when he is in
prostration. (Muslim)
BOOK
REVIEW
:!"#$%& '(& )*+%& ,-./ 0"123
:4%56&
7&89%& :(-;%& +<= )> +?@ )> +A"2 B= ,C(D& EF2
:!"#$%& &GH )/ I"A-.J6&
K:L">M= EJ>M= N3 4%56& 'OP +P
!"#Q R SJ%& !"#Q :S?T* I&U"VJ%& W>M KX
RY"QZ RYC[ RYM"\;%& M&](= !"#Q R+^"_J%& +/&-P
.I&-/+%& ` M"Qab& !"#Q` Rcd& R,"1[
!"#Q R!&Ue& !"#Q :S?T* I&U"J%& W>M Kf
]Ab& !"#Q RgO$%& ,"$2= !"#Q R,&]d& ` hCd&
.+i-%& ` L"?O%& !"#Q R]$j6& )/ :\j%& ` k`]J6">
g^"F/ l]m !"#Q :S?T* I"$.\6& W>M Kn
.I"op !"#Q Rqrj%& Es"*M !"#Q Rg._%&
` tu%& RE>-#%& !"#Q :S?T* I"1Fj6& W>M Kv
]w$rx#%& RSQ-#%& ` +12-#%& R0"i]%& ` k-y& R]$T%&
.z%a {| ` I-6& ]Qa `
` E.V_A "}b Y]~e"> E_w.J#A M-A> x'#H& 4w%56& w=
i-% "u%"~ -$* "A` .+1J> ]rO%& ` g*]P Sib&
#^&+> gV(` .xUM -\o S?J%& ` '.J%& )A &
1./ MU "A ` Y]~e& N3 *] xb '.J%& !"#$>
` E?$2 ` "\_o >"#Q & "x "x "u%& 4.O%&
& Eo]J6 '\6& E*"| = z%GQ` .E*&+H ` &M- ` "?./
h"P "?Q R"j1./ gi-* "A 0&U= ` #/" ` +xVJ `
E*]o '.J%& g.) :'w.( ` 1./ & w.[ & h-(M
C> S?J%& -$* a3 .S?J%& 0"i w ('.OA wSQ ./
."P]#rA "]#_A "?\x= ` .'./
:E[Cy&
BOOK
REVIEW
:!"#$%& '(&
:rOj%& {Or
:"o`` RT` R4%56& R)*+%& o"2 :g_% .I"Qt%& ->= R:rOj%& U-?@ )> +<= )> & +V/ -H
."\1%3 #VO V.9o R4O Ej*+A N3 gO`
k]/` RV%&` RE(&M+%&` R'.J.% x]r +P` .-_#%&` RlCu%&` R+H8%"> &M-\TA "Q
."oe& #1[ L&a` R"12 E*"} U&+9> N3 S2M` RE1(M"r%&` E1>]J%& E9.%&
4TQ g2"[` U&+9V%&` -j$.%& gHGo R:rOj%& Y"o` Ej( +*+ -~M56& 4.#~&
"Q "o` = =]o C_OJ%& ]F2 )>& "A= .(H X) ,"/ "Q "o` = N3 -j%&
.(H X) ,"/ +J> - = N3 "9>-.;P )> '("_%& gHa` R(H X) ,"/
:{Or#%& &G E*]H-& I&81?6& J>

"?/` Rh&8#/D& )A ((k"T$%&)) "?/ U"J#>&` R`"1V%&` k"T$%& {Or )("@ > J
.,"/ S$T> Er1J%& *U"2b&` I"1.1^&](D& )A ((S*`#%& M&](=` S*8j#%& M&-= ))

.wS?6& l]T%&` RwS6& M"u#~D& )/ +JV%&` Rh-;%&` ]u_%& > (-#%&

.U&];#(& {| )A !&]/D& -i`` I&0&]_%"> "j#/&

)A ./ xU]*` RVHG6 ]u#j* :rj2 -H` RE*U"\#i& gH&G6& hC~ )A E1\_r%& ,"$2b"> A"?#H&
.,-AGA guJ ` -.| {| )A r%"~



OUR LANGUAGE
Siti Nur Fairuz Mohd Anis
Understanding the Arabic Language as a Primer
Overshadowed
- as percelved by many - ls noLhlng buL
words, or a mode of expresslon. lL ls
synonymous Lo a Lool, someLhlng Lo
descrlbe feellngs, a medlum Lo enable Lhe
lnnermosL deslres Lo be deplcLed ln Lhe
mosL enchanung manner. uullsed ln
speech, poeLry, and songs, language was
always deemed Lo have llule 'academlc'
aspecL, compared Lo oLher sclences.

lL ls well known LhaL Lhe Arablc language ls
much celebraLed ln Lhe Musllm world.
ropheL Muhammad (sallallhu alayhl
wasallam) was an Arab. 1he Curan ls ln
Arablc. ?eL quesuons sull arlse, aL umes
rheLorlc by naLure as auempLs Lo
lnumldaLe Arablc language educaLors and
learners. ls Lhere much lnLellecLual
perspecuve ln Lhls Semluc language? WhaL
ls lLs edge, as compared Lo lslamlc
[urlsprudence and Lheology, whlch seem
Lo dlscuss lslamlc lssues more acuvely and
lnLensely? WhaL does Lhe Arablc language
oer, ln lLs sLudy of re-lslamlc llLeraLure
and LexLs lled wlLh lmmorallues whlch
oppose unlversal values, leL alone lslamlc
values?

1bls ls ouet lqootooce.

Cuesuons llke Lhese reecL sLereoLypes
Lowards Lhe Arablc language - a language so complex yeL beauuful, dynamlc and powerful ln
sLrucLure. lL should no longer be seen as a mere Lool Lo undersLand. lnsLead, lL has long been ume Lo
see lL as someLhlng Lo be undersLood.
Language

1he Arablc language has Loo oen been
regarded as a Lool Lo undersLand Lhe Lwo mosL
read LexLs ln Lhe lslamlc world - Lhe Curan and
Lhe hadeeLh, Lo Lhe exLenL LhaL people see lL
as a doorway, or a paLh of some sorL Lo reach a
desunauon. 1he Arablc language needs Lo be
glven lLs rlghLs, and pursuers of lslamlc
knowl edge need Lo undersLand and
acknowledge Lhe facL LhaL learnlng Lhe
language makes up Lhe foundauon for furLher
undersLandlng Lhls rellglon.

1he Musllm callphs, scholars and
lnLellecLuals of Lhe pasL such as Lhe llkes of
Salyldlna All, lmam 8ukharl, lmam Musllm, and
lbn khaldun had all learnL and lmmersed
Lhemselves ln Lhe Arablc language. Salyldlna
All was lndeed an exLraordlnalre wlLh
language, uullslng Lhe beauLy of Arablc Lo
convey Lhe magnlcence of lslam. WlLh hls
lnLellecLual mlnd, among hls noLable sermons
was hls sponLaneous rhyLhmlc 896-word
sermon vold of Lhe leuer ollf.

Learnlng Lhe Arablc language noL only
mean LhaL Lhey dealL wlLh grammar (nahu),
morphology (sarf), and rheLorlc (balghah) -
Lhe Lhree prlmary dlsclpllnes ln Lhe Arablc
language. 1he dlmenslons of Lhe language are
far more Lhan Lhose aforemenuoned sub[ecLs.

1he rlchness of Lhe Arablc language ls
reecLed ln Lhe llmlLless areas of dlscusslons
revolvlng around lLs dynamlcs. LlLeraLure
(adab) and Lhe hlsLory of lL (Lrlkh adab),
crluclsm of llLeraLure and prose (naqd),
prosody (arudh), rhyme (qah), lexlcology
('llm al-ma'[lm), Lhe sLudy of Arablc dlalecLs
(laha[aL), llngulsucs (llmul lughah), and
phllology (qhul lughah) are [usL among Lhe
numerous denomlnauons of Lhe sLudles of Lhe
Arablc language. 1hese were whaL our scholars
ensured LhaL Lhey had a solld undersLandlng
of, pumng lL hand ln hand wlLh Lhe
memorlzauon of Lhe Curan and Lhe sLudles of
Lhe oLher lslamlc sclences such as lslamlc
[urlsprudence and Lheology.

lbn 1almlyyah once commenLed LhaL
...tbe Atoblc looqooqe ltself ls ftom tellqloo,
ooJ leotoloq lt ls obllqototy. uoJetstooJloq
tbe Ootoo ooJ tbe 5oooob ls oo obllqouoo,
ooJ tbls ls oot posslble except tbtooqb tbe
Atoblc looqooqe ooJ lf oo obllqouoo coooot
be ocbleveJ except tbtooqb sometbloq tbeo
tbot tbloq ltself becomes oo obllqouoo.

lmam Ash-Sha'l (moy Allobs peoce
ooJ blessloqs be opoo blm) was also reporLed
saylng LhaL he would have dedlcaLed hls llfe for
Lhe Arablc language, lf noL for Lhe lmporLance
of Lhe oLher sclences of Lhe rellglon LhaL he
saw. 1he lmam also had sald: l have never
been asked a slngle quesuon regardlng Lhe
lslamlc law, excepL all of Lhose whlch l have
answered based on (whaL l had derlved from)
Lhe prlnclples of Arablc synLax".




ln Loday's world where Musllms
scholars are vlrLual and sources of Lhe obkom
are noL obLalned and read from Lhe auLhenuc
pages of Lhe tototb, we are all movlng around
ln a fasL-paced world of llvlng and breaLhlng
self-proclalmed mofls and mojtoblJs. 1hose
who embrace Lhe sole facL LhaL lslam allows
freedom of LhoughL, and hold on only Lo LhaL
wlLhouL looklng lnLo Lhe requlremenLs of
derlvlng Lhe rullngs of lslam from Lhe Ootoo
and Lhe soooob.
1he Arablc language ls deemed as Lhe
essenual key Lo undersLandlng Lhese Lwo LexLs
because Lhere needs Lo be lnLerpreLauon of lL,
LogeLher wlLh an analysls of every slngle word,
senLence sLrucLure and Lhe soclal conLexL
where Lhe verse of Lhe Ootoo was revealed or
Lhe speech of Lhe ropheL (sallallhu alayhl
wasallam) was belng relayed. 1hls ls a dellcaLe
process, especlally due Lo Lhe facL LhaL Lhe
Arablc language ls a language where each of
lLs words brlngs a Lhousand meanlngs. WlLh a
mere mlsLake ln handllng Lhe case sysLem - or
oLherwlse known as decelenslon (l'rab),
mlslnLerpreLauon ls lnevlLable and has Lhe
dlresL consequences because Lwlsung Lhe
rellglon ls denlLely noL a llghL mauer.
ln Lhe eld of lslamlc [urlsprudence,
scholars have deduced many rullngs [usL wlLh
Lhe dlerence ln Lhe dlacrlucal marks (al-
harakah al-l'rblyah). SubsuLuung one mark
wlLh anoLher wholly changes Lhe rullng
alLogeLher. A perfecL and slmple verse Lo be
lald ouL as an example would be Lhe slxLh
verse ln surah Al-Mo-lJob.
Allah sobbooobo wotoolo says:

!"#$#%& !"'()& *(+,-./ 0123* 435 !678 *95 *(:;< =#>3* .?#% .#
@AB"3* 435 !"+)C%& !"D&EFG *(H,;*& I/*FJ* 435
ln Lhls parucular verse explalnlng Lhe sLeps of
performlng abluuon (woJbo), scholars are
dlvlded lnLo Lwo [usL by dlerlng wlLh each
oLher aL Lhe dlacrlucal mark auached Lo Lhe
end of Lhe word (!""""""""""#$%). lf marked ln Lhe
genluve case (mojtot) as (& !"""""""#$%), Lhen lL would
mean only Lhe spreadlng of waLer on Lhe feeL.
Powever, lf read ln Lhe accusauve case
(moo5ob) as (
'
!""""""""""#$%), Lhen lL would mean Lhe
washlng of Lhe feeL. Aer Lhls llngulsuc
analysls Lhen comes Lhe process of valldaung
Lhe vlews wlLh narraLed reporLs from Lhe
soooob.
Clearly, uslng Lhe case endlngs correcLly
requlres a solld knowledge of Arablc grammar.
Lxamples of Lhe dlerence ln rullngs noL only
come from Lhe dlsslmllarlLy ln Lhe dlacrlucal
marks of Lhe case sysLem. Lxamples are
exLenslve, ranglng from Lhe sclence of pauslng
(ol-wopf) and sLarung (al-lbuJo) speclcally ln
Lhe Ootoo, Lo Lhe phraslng (toblt) ln speech.

Learnlng Lhe
A r a b l c
l anguage l s
n o L a n
educ auonal
occupauon, nor only ls lL
e s s e n u a l f o r L h e
undersLandlng of Lhe Curan and Lhe
sunnah. ln Lhe eorLs of Lhe enemles of
lslam Lrylng Lo auack and domlnaLe Lhls
sLrong rellglon whlch ropheL Muhammad
(sallallhu alayhl wasallam) relenLlessly
foughL for, Lhey Loo dld lL Lhrough Lhe acL
of lmpalrlng Lhe Arablc language ln Arab
Musllm-domlnaLed reglons such as 1unlsla,
Morocco, LgypL, and alesune. lnLrudlng
Lhe llves of Musllms from every angle
meanL Lhey had every chance of pumng
Musllms under Lhelr conLrol.
Arablc language ls llnked very closely
wlLh Lhe ldenuLy of Arabs and Musllms.
LlLeraLure LexLs such as poeLry are
exemplary works LhaL reecL Lhe soclal,
pollucal, and lnLellecLual sLaLes of Lhe pasL
Arabs. Arab poeLs by naLure were honesL ln
relaylng Lhelr LhoughLs and feellngs,
producl ng poeLry l aden wl Lh Lhel r
observauon of Lhe socleLy, acung as a
mlrror Lo Lhe pasL Arab world whlch seems
dlsLanL and dlsconnecLed from ours.





We see Lhe llkes
of lmru' Al-Cays,
composlng poeLry
and expresslng hls
lusuul deslres for a
woman he had learnL Lo love, aL
umes deplcung lewd scenes of
hlmself and hls lover. lrom Lhere we know,
LhaL socleLy's llfe revolved around women,
power, wealLh, and self-prlde. 1here Loo
was 'AnLara lbn Shaddad, Lhe self-
proclalmed brave warrlor who foughL for
hls Lrlbe. 1hen Lhere were Lhe Arabs llke
Zuhalr lbn Abl Sulma, hls poeLry lled wlLh
much wlsdom ln Lhe eorL Lo propagaLe
good morals, yeL Lhe facL was LhaL socleLy
was sull ln Lhe clenches of anarchy and
cruelLy.
SLudylng closely llLeraLure, Lhere was a
clear shl ln Lhe conLenL of Lhe poeLry
produced aer Lhe arrlval of lslam. lslam
had an lmpacL on Lhe Arabs ln all aspecLs of
Lhelr llves, be lL ln pollucs, or Lhe arLs and
enLerLalnmenL scene. 1he sahabah such as
Pasan lbn 1hablL were among Lhose whose
poeLry were dedlcaLed Lo hls love for lslam
and Lhe ropheL (sal l al l hu al ayhl
wasallam), even composlng a sponLaneous
poeLry durlng Lhe baule of 8adr. Pe Loo
had produced poeLry ln defence of Lhe
ropheL (sallallhu alayhl wasallam) when
hls enemles spoke uncouLh words of hlm
(sallallhu alayhl wasallam).

uue Lo Lhe facL LhaL Lhe re-lslamlc era ln
Arabla lacked a formal mode of wrlung, oral
narrauons such as sermons and poeLry were
Lhe wldely-used medlums Lo reach Lo Lhe
masses and convey messages. Works such as
Pasan lbn 1hablL's poeLry on Lhe baule of 8adr
menuoned earller provlde us wlLh perspecuve,
and rsL-hand knowledge on Lhe proceedlngs
of Lhe baule from hls own vlewpolnL.

SLudles of llLeraLure LexLs daung from Lhe
pre-lslamlc era unul Lhe spread of Lhe rellglon
show us how eloquenL Lhe Arabs were ln
Lransformlng Lhelr LhoughLs lnLo words. lrom
poeLry, Lhe sLudy of prosody and rhyme (otoJb
wo ol-pfob) was lnvenLed by Lhe well-known
lexlcographer and phllologlsL khalll lbn Ahmad
Al-larahldl, whlch was Lhen learnL by scholars
of Lhe pasL. WlLh Lhelr wlde array of
vocabulary and Lhelr ablllLy Lo arrange words
accordlng Lo Lhe seL pauerns - or oLherwlse
known as meLrlcs (bobot), we wlLness Lhe
producLs of Lhese scholars who preserve
lslamlc knowledge and prlnclples ln Lhe form
of poeLry ln order Lo make lL slmple and
conclse for memorlzauon, such as Moto Abl
5yojo and Alfob lbo Mllk.

Cnce Lhere ls a
beuer undersLandlng of
Lhe Arablc language, or
a L l e a s L L h e
acknowledgemenL of lLs
dlvlne rlghLs Lo Lhose
who are unabl e Lo
c o m e L o l L s
undersLandl ng, our
Mus l l m wor l d can
denlLely be a beuer
place. MlslnLerpreLauons, mlsundersLandlngs,
and Lhe vlclous clrcle of spreadlng LwlsLed
facLs of lslam 'derlved from Lhe Curan and
sunnah' could be more conLrolled and even be
puL Lo a sLop. SLudylng llLeraLure LexLs and
movlng alongslde rsL-hand lnformauon of
hlsLory would uncover such valuable secreLs,
maklng us reallze LhaL where Musllms are now,
ls a resulL of Lhe serles of evenLs ln Arabla from
lLs pre-lslamlc era, and LhaL Lhe problems of
Loday's world are none oLher buL a repeuuon
of Lhe pasL.

1he purlLy of Lhe Arablc language needs Lo
be resLored, and lL needs Lo be reLurned whaL
ls rlghuully hers. 1he facL LhaL many brush o
Lhe Arablc language and close boLh Lhelr eyes
Lo lL cannoL - and should noL - sLand. 1he
beauLy of Lhe language should be uullsed ln
Lhe besL way Lo convey Lhe message of lslam
and preserved so our Musllm souls would
remaln unshakeable.
Ignorance - to such a pr|mer - |s s|mp|y
unacceptab|e.
Author is a third year undergraduate
at the Faculty of Arabic Language &
Literature,
Al-Azhar University
#
instazhariy
A photography competition organised by the
multimedia unit to start off the new session afresh
with the current theme: Propagating Al-Azhar
Methodology. Members were encouraged to
unleash their talent in photography while portraying
one of t he ei ght met hodol ogi es i n t hei r
photographs.

OurVoices had the privilege to showcase the top 5
photos sent in by members of PERKEMAS
# i n s t a z h a r i y
@nrfthnh (Nur Fathonah):
Sebenarnya bersanad dalam bertalaqqi kitab dan
alQuraaan adalah sangat penting. Guru itu
merupakan tali untuk kita sampai kepada
Rasulullah, untuk kita sampai kepada Allaah.
Membaca dengan guru itu penting. Bersanad
dalam ilmu penting.
E1Q8` E*&MU` E*&`M +j( h"u&
@hidayahismile (Nur Hidayah Ismail):
Baca. Faham. Amal.
Js&-A p]_%& S*8j
@marghm (Maghfirah): If the Earth needs the
sun for its light, then the heart should crave for
light too, that is from the Quran.
Js&-A p]_%& S*8j
#1 #3
#2
1.
3.
# i n s t a z h a r i y
@khartistix (A tii Qah):
R)*U '.J%& &GH 3
&`G~ )?/ &`]"o
.'$j*U
)*{( )>&
The importance of
sanad in
knowledge
seeking.
E1Q8` E*&MU` E*&`M +j( h"u&
#4
4.
#5
@mateenxdeefan (Muhd Abdul Mateen): ..So He (The Beloved peace and salutations be
upon Him) is indeed worthy of praises, and every praises is (still) lacking Sheikh Hisham
Kamil, in his lecture on Syamail alMuhammadiyyah, which means the Merits/
Characteristics of (prophet) Muhammad.
Now this picture (above) might depict something too traditional in some perspective but being one of the
components that emphasized in the Manhaj of Alazhar,
E1Q8` E*&MU` E*&`M +jO%& h"u&
The realization of ignorance
is the first act of knowing.
jean toomer (poet & novelist)
Quote shared by:
Rabiatul Adawiyah Binte Ain
An undergraduate at the Arabic
Language Centre
Al-Azhar University
mem
HIDUP UNTUK
beri.
Tidak mampu, tidak tahu, atau tidak mahu?
Fairuzanah Jamzuri
ungkusan hadlah, dulL, dan makan percuma,
uga perkara lnl serlng dlkalLkan dengan perbuaLan
memberl. Lazlmnya sesuaLu yang boleh dlllhaL dengan
maLa kasar klLa akan dlanggap sebagal saLu ukuran
pemberlan yang memuaskan. 1ldak, bukan kerana
besarnya hadlah, banyaknya dulL aLau lazaLnya
makanan. namun la adalah Lrah manusla yang suka
akan pemberlan yang berbenLuk maLerlal (yang boleh
dlrasakan oleh kellma-llma derla manusla). 8erLambah
sukalah klLa [lka pemberlan lLu dlberlkan secara
percuma. 8ak rezekl daLang bergolek! Slapa yang udak
suka?
namun Lerkadang klLa lupa skop memberl lLu
sebenarnya leblh luas darl lLu. Malah memberl dalam
benLuk laln kadang kala leblh mudah dlbandlngkan
dengan yang dlsebuLkan sebelum lnl. kaLegorl yang
dlmaksudkan leblh dlkenall sebagal memberl dalam
benLuk maknawl.
Mak Mlnah, marl saya bawakan bungkusan
beraL lLu hlngga ke aLas rumah", All menghulurkan
banLuan kepada [lrannya yang baru pulang berbelan[a
dl pasar.
!om Adl klLa rehaL sebenLar dl cafe. Lepas lnl
klLa sambung", Pasylm berusaha menenangkan klran
Lemannya Adl yang sedang kusuL dalam menyelesalkan
Lugasan-Lugasan yang berumbun.
Seorang anak kecll sedang ber[alan lalu dl
hadapannya ada seorang Lua yang sedang mengemls
lalu melemparkan senyuman yang mencerlakan kepada
orang Lua lLu.
Senarlo-senarlo LersebuL [lka dlamau, la
merupakan sebuah benLuk pemberlan yang kecll dan
mudah namun sangaL memberl kesan buaL sl
penerlma. lnl [elas menun[ukkan hal seorang yang
memberl lLu sedar akan nllal memberl, maka Lanpa
ragu menghulurkan pemberlan Lanpa memlklrkan hasll
aLau ganuan darlpada perbuaLannya. 8eLapa balknya
pemberlan darl hau lLu sangaL menyenangkan hau
orang laln!
8lla mana klLa perhaukan penggunaan
perkaLaan memberl, la boleh dlbahaglkan kepada dua
kaLegorl, pemberlan dalam benLuk maLerlal dan [uga
maknawl . Member l mengl kuL makna zahl r
dlmaksudkan dengan memberl dalam benLuk maLerlal.
Manakala apa yang dlkalLkan dengan memberl yang
udak boleh dlllhaL dengan maLa kasar seperu
menghulurkan banLuan, menaslhau aLau berkhldmaL
LerleLak dalam kaLegorl memberl dalam benLuk
maknawl. lnl Lermasuklah apablla seseorang lLu
sekadar menyedekahkan sebuah senyuman.
ualam membahaskan LenLang perbuaLan
memberl, apakah ramal sedar akan nllal memberl lLu
sendlrl? Apakah manusla pada era moden lnl yang raLa-
raLa hldup berkemampuan dan seseLengahnya mewah
dlbandlngkan dengan zaman nenek moyang klLa leblh
suka memberl aLau menlkmau hldup sendlrl? ALau
mungkln leblh selesa unLuk menerlma darlpada
memberl?
!awapannya mudah saha[a. !lka dlperhaukan
dunla klnl LernyaLa maslh LerdapaL ramal yang kurang
peka akan kepenungan dan haklkaL sebenar memberl.
Saya udak maksudkan kurang pekanya manusla
akan kepenungan memberl menandakan uada
langsung orang yang suka bersedekah aLau sudah
pupus para dermawan yang murah hau. ?ang
dlmaksudkan lalah kurangnya orang yang sedla
khldmaL secara sukarela. uan sangaL sedlklL bllangan
or ang yang menghul ur kan banL uan L anpa
mengharapkan lmbalan.
Slkap pemurah bukanlah dlLenLukan sama ada
klLa ada harLa aLaupun udak. namun slkap pemurah
adalah soal hau. !lka klLa pemurah, klLa akan punya
banyak cara dan daya unLuk memberl. Seballknya [lka
klLa bakhll, udak Lahu, udak mahu aLau udak mahu
Lahu, klLa akan senuasa punya alasan unLuk udak
memberl.
!lka klLa kecllkan skop dan llhaL slLuasl dl Lanah
alr, klLa Lelah Lerblasa dengan fenomena 'noLhlng ls
free' yaknl uada yang percuma. Maka seuap kall lngln
memberl aLau berkhldmaL, pepaLah lnl akan bermaln dl
mlnda, 'l glve Lo galn' lalLu aku memberl unLuk
menralh. kedua-dua pepaLah lnl walaupun udak
dla[ukan kepada semua laplsan masyarakaL, fenomena
lnl senuasa ada dan Lersebar luas lanLas men[adlkan
masyarakaL lslam klLa udak Lerkecuall.
B
lka dlLellu slLuasl lnl, sebenarnya klLa
secara udak langsung Lelah hldup dalam suasana
masyarakaL yang kurang peka aLau mungkln leblh
dlkenall sebagal 'nafsl-nafsl'. Leblh memenungkan
apa yang akan dlperoleh darlpada apa yang boleh
dlperolehl orang laln melalul harLa dan Lenaga
yang klLa sumbangkan. 8agalmana hal lnl boleh
Ler[adl? Apakah benar la berlaku dl sekellllng klLa?
ualam klLa hldup dl negara yang pesaL
membangun, kadangkala keslbukan dalam
menge[ar ke[ayaan men[adlkan klLa Lerlalu fokus
dengan apa yang lngln dlkecapl dan lupa dengan
keadaan seklLaran. Se[ak kecll lagl klLa dldedahkan
dengan slsLem pembela[aran aLau pendldlkan yang
padaL dan LeraLur LeruLama bagl mereka yang
berada dl Madrasah. Apablla melangkah dl alam
peker[aan, klLa Lerblasa dengan cara ker[a yang
sangaL cekap dan Lerdldlk. ueml penghasllan
produk aLau nau[ah yang berkuallu unggl.
Walaupun lnl dlllhaL sebagal saLu kebalkan,
sekl ranya kl La udak ber hau- hau dal am
menglmbangl kehldupan kemasyarakaLan yang
dlan[urkan lslam, klLa boleh Ler[aLuh dalam
golongan maLerlallsuk lanLas men[adlkan klLa lngln
sel al u mengambl l manf aaL dan kurang
memberlkan manfaaL. klLa cenderung unLuk
menlkmau kesenangan dan ke[ayaan sendlrl Lanpa
memlklrkan kehldupan dan pembangunan saudara
klLa. Seakan-akan klLa dan mereka hldup dl alam
yang berbeza. Seol ah- ol ah kepl ncangan
masyarakaL aLau kesusahan yang mereka Lempuhl
bukanlah suaLu kepenungan dalam hldup klLa.
Maka hllanglah nllal-nllal [emaah yang sepaLuLnya
klLa hldupkan sebagal seorang musllm. Walhal
lslam mengan[urkan klLa unLuk memperkuaLkan
lkaLan sesama klLa dan sallng banLu-membanLu
mema[ukan dlrl. 8agalmana mungkln hal lnl
Lercapal [lka klLa udak sedla memberl harLa dan
daya klLa dl [alan Allah? 1ldakkah seorang mukmln
lLu sallng bersaudara lanLas men[adlkan mereka
break mendapaLkan perhauan dan perLolongan
sesama mereka?
nabl Muhammad sollallahu alalhl wasallam Lelah
bersabda: 1ldak berlman salah seorang dl anLara
kamu hlngga dla menclnLal unLuk saudaranya apa
yang dla clnLal unLuk dlrlnya sendlrl" (P.8 8ukharl
dan Musllm).
PaklkaLnya keuka klLa memberl apa [ua
benLuk kebalkan buaL saudara klLa, yang perLama
sekall meralh manfaaLnya adalah dlrl klLa sendlrl.
kerana apa yang klLa berl udak pernah hllang. la
akan dlganukan Allah malah dengan yang leblh
lagl. kalau bukan dl dunla, dl akhlraL kelak. lLu [an[l
Allah yang pasu!
P l d u p d a l a m e r a m o d e n y a n g
memenungkan pendldlkan dan ker[aya sudah
LenLu mengharuskan klLa menglkuL arus dengan
senuasa memperungkaLkan dlrl. 1ldak dlnakan
dalam keslbukan lnl Lerkadang klLa akan
merasakan keleuhan yang LeramaL. uan rasa leuh
lnl [uga boleh dlkaLakan sebagal salah saLu fakLor
yang memungklnkan klLa men[adl seorang yang
kurang peka dengan hal saudara klLa. !arang
berLegur sapa, leblh selesa berada dalam
kelompok sendlrl, kurang memlklrkan solusl bagl
menanganl ge[ala soslal yang melanda masyarakaL
klLa dan kurang mellbaLkan dlrl dalam hal ehwal
kemasyarakaLan. 8agalmana udak, seLelah
seharlan dengan akuvlu pembela[aran mahupun
peker[aan yang berlangsung seuap mlnggu
pasunya klLa leblh senang berehaL selesal darlpada
berLugas. klLa leblh memlllh unLuk sanLal dl hu[ung
mlnggu dan melakukan akuvlu sendlrl bersama
keluarga. Masa dan wakLu klLa, klLa hadkan dan
kurang memberl sumbangan Lenaga kepada
masyarakaL yang memerlukan dan kurang bernaslb
balk. ul slnl lah sebenarnya kebl[aksanaan klLa
dalam bermuamalah dengan orang sekellllng dlu[l.
Walau hldup ma[u darl pelbagal suduL, andal klLa
udak meluangkan wakLu dan Lenaga walau sedlklL
buaL saudara-saudara klLa, uada erunya sebuah
ke[ayaan yang klLa kecapl.
J
llah Lelah berrman dl dalam Al-Curan:
erkaLaan yang balk dan pemberlan maaf leblh balk
darl sedekah yang dllrlngl dengan sesuaLu yang
menyaklLkan (perasaan sl penerlma). Allah Maha kaya
lagl Maha enyanLun". (CS. Al-8aqarah: 263).
ul dalam ayaL lnl Lerkandung beberapa ungkaLan amal
kebalkan yang boleh klLa [adlkan sebagal panduan. !uga
LerdapaL beberapa penga[aran darlpada ayaL lnl. ul
anLara yang Lerpenung lalah bela[ar unLuk memberl
dengan selkhlas hau. Andal udak mampu memberl
dengan benLuk maLerlal, lauhlah dlrl unLuk udak
berkaLa selaln darlpada kebalkan. kerana ucapan yang
balk merupakan sebuah benLuk pemberlan yang
dlan[urkan lslam. Adapula pemberlan yang dllrlngl
dengan sesuaLu yang menyaklLkan perasaan sl
penerlma, la bukanlah amalan yang mulla. !angan
sangka bank memberl sudah men[adlkan klLa orang
yang mulla dan ber[aya. 8er[ayanya klLa blla mana
pemberlan klLa lLu lkhlas dan semaLa-maLa kerana
Allah. Maka perlu dllngaLkan bahawa lkhlas merupakan
kuncl dlLerlmanya amalan klLa.
Walaupun klLa dlan[urkan unLuk senuasa lkhlas dalam
seuap pemberlan, darl suduL yang laln udak salah blla
mana klLa berl, klLa menerlma gan[aran melalul
pemberl an kl La. ?ang sal ah l al ah bl l a kl La
mengharapkan lmbalan darlpada apa yang klLa berl dan
meleLakkan semacam syaraL unLuk klLa sedla memberl.
Leblh udak paLuL lagl blla klLa sudl memberl hanya
dalam keadaan-keadaan LerLenLu deml meralh manfaaL
buaL dlrl sendlrl. !elas slfaL lnl melambangkan slfaL
kebakhllan, bakhll wang, bakhll harLa, bakhll llmu,
bakhll banLuan, bakhll berkhldmaL dan bakhll naslhaL.
?ang leblh LeramaL krlukal sekall, bakhll kaslh sayang.
Sebab lLulah ramal manusla yang gersang [lwa darlpada
kaslh sayang. Lalu mengaklbaLkan kerunLuhan akhlak
dan moral, sekallpun dl negara-negara umaL lslam.
Sebab uLamanya adalah clnLa dunla. Maslng-maslng
memlklrkan dan menguLamakan dlrl sendlrl. Pldup
'nafsl-nafsl', maka berlakulah berbagal benLuk
ke b a k h l l a n . S e h l n g g a l u p a k l L a l a h y a n g
berLanggung[awab Lerhadap apa yang berlaku dan
dlhadapl oleh saudara-saudara klLa.

Cuba klLa renungkan, perbuaLan memberl sangaL mulla
bukan saha[a dl slsl lslam, la merupakan moral yang
unggl dl slsl kemanuslaan kerana la menghllangkan
kesusahan, kesemplLan dan kesedlhan. la membawa
kecerlaan kepada seuap penerlma yang dahagakan
perhauan. 8alk yang berbenLuk maLerlal aLau pun
maknawl. Lupakah klLa membahaglakan saudara klLa
merupakan lbadah yang dlLunLuL agama? ualam salah
saLu PadlLh nabl Muhammad sollallahu alalhl wasallam
apablla dlLanya seorang sahabaL apakah amal kebalkan
yang pallng uLama, 8aglnda men[awab: SeuLama-
uLama amal shallh adalah membahaglakan saudaramu"
.
lslam mengan[urkan klLa memberl selagl mana klLa
mampu. Malah Allah s.w.L Lelah men[an[lkan gan[aran
buaL mereka yang memberl walau dalam keadaan
kesemplLan sekallpun. keuka klLa memberl, klLa akan
mendapaLkan kebahaglaan yang leblh banyak darlpada
klLa mengambll. uan keLahullah bahawa pemberlan lLu
bermacam-macam! Sudah dlsebuLkan sebelum lnl
berkall-kall.
klLa selalu rasa kedekuL unLuk memberl. klLa sangka
dengan memberl akan mengurangkan apa yang klLa
ada. Sebenarnya udak, blla klLa memberl, klLa akan
menambah apa yang klLa sedla ada. 8ahkan kadangkala
blla klLa kurang ber[aya bukan kerana klLa kurang
menerlma, LeLapl kerana klLa kurang memberl.
1epuk dada Lanyalah hau, apakah selama lnl klLa benar
udak mampu memberl? 1ldak Lahu bagalmana lngln
memberl? ALau sebenarnya udak mahu memberl?
Semoga Allah s.w.L memberl kekuaLan unLuk klLa
supaya memberl yang Lerbalk dalam seuap perkara
yang klLa lakukan.
8uaL yang dalam hldupnya senuasa menerlma,
keLahullah saaL kamu menerlma sesuaLu, sebenarnya
kamu sedang bela[ar unLuk memberl sesuaLu. kerana
haklkaL hldup lnl unLuk memberl dan Lerus memberl.
A
Author is a fourth year
undergraduate
at the Faculty of Islamic Theology,
Al-Azhar University
!"#$ &' ()*+, eople say LhaL
l ove changes bl uerness Lo
sweeLness, changes ugllness Lo
beauufulness, changes weakness
Lo sLrengLh. l, myself am sull
unsure whaL love ls buL l [usL llke
hearlng Lhe word belng sald Lo
me, because lslam ls all abouL
lovlng. lrom my experlence, we
Lend Lo mlsLake lusL for love,
when we are acLually lusung for
Lhem especl al l y durl ng our
Leenage years when our carnal
deslres are burnlng wlLh passlon
because we human belngs are
creaLed Lo love and be loved.
1haL ls Lhe naLure of llfe, lL ls
Allah S.W.1 who sends love ln our
hea r L s f or Pe l s L he Al l
Compasslon and All Merclful.
Pow can you be merclful and
compasslonaLe wlLhouL belng
lovlng? Pe ls Al-woJoJ, Lhe MosL
Lovlng.

Love. lL breaks you, buL lL does
noL hurL you or desLroy you. lL
rebullds you Lo be beuer person
Lhan before. LusL, on Lhe oLher
hand lL desLroys you and crushes
your splrlL, maklng you feel losL
and unfound. We Lend Lo say LhaL
we love a person buL when
someLhlng bad happens, when
Allah S.W.1 wanLs Lo LesL our so
called 'love' for LhaL person we
can see LhaL lf a person Lruly love
Lhe oLher person, hls love for
Lhem wlll noL be perlsh away.
Lssenually, you love a person for
who Lhey are. ls noL LhaL how our
beloved ropheL (eace 8e upon
Plm) loved us? Lven when
8asulullah (leoce 8e upoo nlm)
was hurL by someone, he sull
kepL on lovlng LhaL person. Pe
vlslLed a woman who had always
crluclzed hlm when she fell lll. Pe
even made prayers for Lhose who
had harmed hlm. ls LhaL noL Lrue
love? Whlle lusL on anoLher hand
only lncreases when a person do
good Lo us and decreases when
Lhey harm us. A lle lndeed Lo
Lhose who declare Lhelr love for
someone buL does noL acL upon
whaL Lhey declared durlng hard
umes. eople Lend Lo mlsLake lusL
for love. 1bls ls lqootooce.
Love, !", Cinta.
Muhd Ash-Shiddique Abd Jalil
1be cbemlstty of mloJ ls Jl[eteot ftom tbe
cbemlstty of love. 1be mloJ ls cotefol ooJ
sosplcloos. ne oJvooces llule by llule. ne oJvlces
8e cotefol, ptotect yootself wbeteos love soys
let qo of yootself! 1be mloJ ls sttooq, lt oevet
folls wbeteos love botts ltself ooJ folls loto tolos.
8ot lso't lt lo tolos we mostly foJ tteosote? A
btokeo beott blJes so mooy tteosotes."
-Shams 1abrlzl

!"#$ ls Lhe reason why aLoms never sLop vlbraung
as Lhey are exalung Lhelr love Lowards Lhelr
CreaLor, as menuoned ln Lhe Poly Curan :
!"#$%&%' )* )+ $"% "%#&%+* #+, -"#$%&%' )* .+
$"% %#'$" )* %/#01+2 300#" 4 $"% 5.&%'%)2+4 $"%
67'%4 $"% 8/#0$%, )+ 9)2"$4 $"% !)*%." [Surah Al-
!umu'ah, verse 1] Pow can you exalL Plm whlle
belng sull? Lven Lhe mounLalns wlll perlsh lf Pls
beauuful and ma[esuc words fall down upon Lhem,
as sLaLed ln Lhe verse : :; !% "#, *%+$ ,.-+ $")*
<7'=#+ 7>.+ # ?.7+$#)+4 @.7 -.70, "#&% *%%+ )$
"7?A0%, #+, B.?)+2 #>#'$ ;'.? ;%#' .; 300#" C
3+, $"%*% %/#?>0%* !% >'%*%+$ $. $"% >%.>0%
$"#$ >%'"#>* $"%@ -)00 2)&% $".72"$C" [Surah Al-
Pashr, verse 1]

!"#$ ls a language LhaL chlldren undersLand and
speak whlle adulLs forgeL yeL assume LhaL Lhey
know whaL love ls. Love ls pure from Cod whlle
lusL ls from Lhe devll and carnal deslres. uo noL
mlx Lhem LogeLher as Lhey are boLh compleLely
dlerenL.

!"#$% when belng harmed, ls easlly forglven whlle
lusL breeds anger, haLred and paln when belng
harmed. lsn'L Allah Lhe MosL lorglvlng? Lven
Lhough we dlsobey Plm everyday, Pe ls always
ready Lo forglve us.

Cn Lhe auLhorlLy of Abu Purayrah (Moy Allob 8e
lleoseJ wltb nlm) LhaL Lhe ropheL (leoce 8e
upoo nlm), from among Lhe Lhlngs he reporLs
from hls Lord (mlqbty ooJ sobllme be ne), ls LhaL
he sald:
"A setvoot jof Allob's] commlueJ o slo ooJ solJ.
'O Allob, fotqlve me my slo.' AoJ ne (qlotlfeJ ooJ
exolteJ be ne) solJ. 'My setvoot bos commlueJ o
slo ooJ bos koowo tbot be bos o lotJ wbo
fotqlves slos ooJ poolsbes fot slos. uo wbot yoo
wlsb, fot l bove fotqlveo yoo.'" [Musllm and Al-
8ukharl]

"oot tosk ls oot to seek fot love, bot metely to
seek ooJ foJ oll tbe bottlets wltblo yootself tbot
yoo bove bollt oqolost lt." -8uml

!"#$ ls abouL sacrlclng, as quoLed from a ulsney
movle, lrozen, love ls pomoq someooe elses
oeeJs befote yoots. - Claf. ls LhaL noL whaL our
beloved ropheL (leoce 8e upoo nlm) LaughL us?
none of you ls a bellever unul he loves for hls
broLher whaL he loves for hlmself." Pow can you
call yourself a lover wlLhouL sacrlclng yourself?
lf you love an arusL, would you noL nd hls arL Lo
be beauuful even Lhough aL umes lL ls noL? Allah,
Pe ls Lhe ArusL of Lhe world, everyLhlng else
besldes Plm ls Pls arL, how can you noL see Lhe
beauLy ln lL? Lvery human belng ls an arL creaLed
by Plm, how can you noL love Lhem? ls LhaL noL
Lhe reason why our beloved ropheL (leoce 8e
upoo nlm) loved every human belng as Lhough
Lhey are a parL of hlm because he knew LhaL
everyone of us ls Pls form of arL. So how can he
noL love Pls creauons? 1haL ls Lhe reason why he
ls a mercy noL only Lo Lhls world, buL Lo Lhe enure
unlverse. Pow can you declare your love Lowards
an arusL buL haLe hls palnungs? lL clearly
conLradlcLs wlLh whaL you are saylng.
1be slqos of tbe soooJoess of tbe setvoot's love
fot bls lotJ ote tbtee. obseoce of self-wlllloq,
pleosote lo evety eveot wblcb tokes ploce tbtooqb
Jlvloe Jectee, ooJ seeloq tbe petfecuoo of tbe
8eloveJ lo evetytbloq ooJ beloq cooteot wltb nlm
lo evetytbloq tbtooqb sobmlssloo to nlm lo oll
tbloqs."
-lbn ALa'Allah

A shelkh once sald Lo me: Cur hearLs are llke
mlrrors, Lhe momenL when we were born, lL ls
pure and clear, buL as we age, we keep slnnlng
Lhus blackenlng Lhe mlrrors - our hearLs. So how
do you see yourself reecLed on a LalnLed mlrror?
1he only Lhlng we can do ls Lo Lry our besL by
cleanslng lL away. lor Lhere ls a saylng whlch
goes: 1bose wbo koows blmself koows bls lotJ.
Pow can you know yourself when you are unable
Lo see your own reecuon? 8uL when Lhe mlrror
ls nally pollshed, you wlll be awed by Pls 8eauLy.
And when you see every slngle hearL as a mlrror,
whaL wlll you see? ?ou wlll only see your own
reecuon. ls LhaL noL how Lhe Companlons were?
1hey are wllllng Lo sacrlce everyLhlng for Lhelr
broLher ln lslam. ls LhaL noL how Lhe ropheL's
(leoce 8e upoo nlm) Leachlngs are - lovlng our
broLhers llke our own selves? Lvery human belng,
every hearL, ls searchlng for peace. ls noL peace
one of Allah's names - As-5olom from whom we
seek peace, safeLy and perfecuon? So does LhaL
noL mean every slngle soul ls crylng ouL for Allah
S.W.1.? So how can you potposely hurL a person
LhaL ls calllng ouL for Plm? Surely lL ls Lrue when
Pe (Mojesuc ls ne) sald ln Lhe Poly Curan: D".*%
-". "#&% A%0)%&%, #+, -".*% "%#'$* #'%
#**7'%, A@ $"% '%?%?A'#+B% .; 300#" C
E+F7%*1.+#A0@4 A@ $"% '%?%?A'#+B% .; 300#"
"%#'$* #'% #**7'%," [Surah Al-kahf, verse 28]

& ($)*+$, "- ./0$ "0*$ ,$./01$1 .$
LhaL Allah has 99 names. Some of Lhem porLray Pls
compasslon such as At-kobeem, Al-lou[, Al-woJoJ
whlle some porLray Pls wraLh such as Al-Iobbot, Al-
Moteeo. Pe Lhen lnsulls some of Pls characLerlsucs lnLo
Lhe souls of men and women. So ln reallLy, when we
Lruly love a person lL ls noL because of Lhelr own selves
buL because we saw Pls 8eauLy Lhrough Lhem as whaL
Cscar Wllde sald: oo Joot love someooe fot tbelt
looks, ot tbelt clotbes, ot tbelt foocy cot bot becoose
tbey sloq o sooq ooly yoo coo beot.

oo ote socb oo oceoo
of love, tbot yoo bove
oo boooJotl es. 1be
Jeslte moo ooJ womoo
feel fot eocb otbet, ls
ooly o Jtop ftom tbot
oceoo."
-8uml

lmam al-Chazall: Cod ls
much Loo greaL for Lhe
senses Lo reach Plm or
for reason and loglc Lo
plumb Lhe depLhs of Pls
Ma[esLy. lndeed, Pe ls
much Loo greaL for
anyone buL Plmself Lo
plumb Lhe depLhs of Pls
Ma[esLy or for anyone
buL Plmself Lo know
Plm. verlly, no one
knows Cod buL Cod.
1he hlghesL degree of
dl agnos l s L haL Pl s
servanLs can aualn ls
Lhe reallzauon LhaL Lrue
dlagnosuc knowledge of
Plm ls lmposslble for
Lhem. lurLhermore, no
one can know LhaL ln lLs LoLallLy excepL a ropheL of a
rlghLeous salnL (As-5lJJlp). As for Lhe ropheL (leoce
8e upoo nlm), he has clearly expressed Lhls by saylng,
"l cannoL enumeraLe Lhe ways of pralslng 1hee, 1hou
arL as 1hou has pralsed 1hyself." As for Lhe rlghLeous
salnL, he says, "1he lncapaclLy Lo aualn reallzauon ls a
reallzauon."
Love glves you sLrengLh when you are aL your weakesL
polnL, lL ls when you have Lhe courage Lo sLand back up
when you feel llke you are abouL Lo fall and crush. lL ls
when you puL full LrusL on Plm and noL on yourself nor
on your own deeds, because we mlghL beLray
ourselves. We mlghL noL know how our llfe ends. We
mlghL have a good sLarL buL a bad endlng,
oooJzoblllob. Cur deeds mlghL vanqulsh due Lo our
slns, and we are sull unsure wheLher our deeds are
accepLed or noL, so how can you puL your LrusL ln
someLhlng you are unsure of? We can only hope LhaL lL
ls accepLed buL Lhe only LrusL we can puL ls ln Plm,
because Pe ls Lhere, wlLh us, always waLchlng over us,
guldlng us, calllng us back Lo Plm.

A f e e l l o q o f
Jlscootoqemeot wbeo
yoo sllp op ls o sote slqo
tbot yoo pot yoot foltb
lo JeeJs."
- lbn 'ALa Allah al-
lskandarl

ls noL a person who love
for Lhe sake of Allah wlll
be perml ued Lo be
under Pls shade when
Lhere ls no shade excepL
Pls?

Abu Puralrah (May Allah
8e leased WlLh Plm)
relaLed LhaL Lhe ropheL
(leoce 8e upoo nlm)
sald:
Allob wlll osk oo tbe uoy
of IoJqmeot. wbete
ote tbose wbo loveJ
eocb otbet fot tbe soke
of My qloty? 1oJoy, oo o
Joy wbeo tbete ls oo
sboJe bot Mloe, l sboll
sboJe tbem wltb My
sboJe." (Musllm)

!"#$ /2 3/4$ )0 "*$)0% ) 0$#$, $01/05 26$$*+7 May we
all love one anoLher for Pls sake so LhaL we may be
under Pls shade when Lhere ls no oLher shade excepL
Pls.
Author is a second year
undergraduate
at the Faculty of Islamic
Theology,
Al-Azhar University
The highest form of
i g n o r a n c e
is when you
r e j e c t
something you
dont know
a b o u t
-Wayne Dyer
(American self-help author
& motivational speaker)

Quote shared by:

Rabiatul Adawiyah Binte Ain
An undergraduate at the Arabic
Language Centre,
Al-Azhar University
Speculati ons & Truths
Nurhanisa Yusoff
acebook nowadays has become
more than just a social media
connecting millions of people all
over world. It has also become a
platform to express ones thoughts
and opinions. Recently, I updated
my Facebook status just to see what others had
to say. Im working on an article and need
your help. What are the most annoying hurtful
things people say or do to those afflicted with
Autism? Usually, my status update would
only receive 20 to 30 comments but over the
space of four days, this single status update
had generated over a hundred responses.
Clearly, it touched a nerve.
Reading through all the replies, I could
see a pattern in them. It turns out that there are
three kinds of negative remarks, all of which
point to one conclusion which Ill reveal in a
moment.
First, there were those who felt autistics
did not deserve any services or special
treatment from the public. Some even
commented by saying, it is because you are
all retarded. Others said the opposite, you
dont need help because you are too smart
already. And I could understand how
someone would get pretty agitated and angry
hearing that about themselves or loved ones.
Then there are whom I called the
Autism Deniers. Comments such as, Autism
is just an excuse for bad behavior. This kid
is just lazy. Imagine how furious you would
get hearing those kind of hurtful judgmental
comments from complete strangers.
Finally we have the finger pointers.
They were those people who dismissed Autism
by blaming someone or something, rather than
focusing on the real issues at hand. You are
just a bad parent who failed to nurture your
children with good manners. None of this
would have happened if you had skipped that
vaccine. If the first two had not pushed me
over the edge, this one definitely would. Who
on this planet would even want to be afflicted
with Autism, a syndrome with unknown cause
and no proven treatments.
To me, the remarks and comments
seemed strikingly rude and offensive. Yet
seemingly respectable people had uttered those
words in earnest. Although some may have
made such comments without realising how
hurtful their words had been. Why did they do
it? I cannot imagine any other reason but
ignorance.
F
utism comes from the word
Autos, the Greek word for
self and a person with
Autism is often referred to as
someone who lives in a
world of their own.
In medical terms, Autism is known as a
complex development disability caused by a
disorder that has an effect on normal brain
function, affecting development of the persons
communication and social interaction skills. It
is a developmental disability that usually is
diagnosed early in childhood. Children with
Autism show signs of developmentally delayed
social interaction and communication and they
often are fascinated by repetitive activity. Both
children and adults with Autism have restricted
ability to engage in and understand social
interactions, and they often have trouble
understanding other peoples feelings or
interpreting their tone of voice and even facial
expressions.
Autism has no single known cause.
Given the complexity of the disease, and the
fact that symptoms and severity vary from one
person to another, there are probably too many
causes. To put it simply, both genetics and
environment may play an important role to
Autism. While some genetic problems seem to
be inherited, others happen spontaneously. Not
only that, environmental factors such as viral
infections, complications during pregnancy and
air pollutants play a role in triggering Autism.
One of many misleading opinions in the causes
of Autism is centered on whether a link exists
between the diagnosis of Autism and certain
childhood vaccines. However, after extensive
research, researchers and scientists couldnt
find any reliable nor proven studies that show
that vaccines can be a cause to Autism.
Sa d l y, Au t i s m i s a l i f e - l o n g
developmental disorder, and as yet there is no
cure. Children do not outgrow Autism but
symptoms may lessen or change as the child
de ve l ops a nd r e c e i ve s e duc a t i ona l
interventions.
As to date, there are many organizations
and support groups that are creating awareness
to the public on Autism. People nowadays,
have realised the importance of knowing
Autism and how to deal or react when meeting
autistic people. The public are being addressed
to not regard Autism as a compelling infectious
disease but instead embrace Autism with care
and concern as to speed up and enhance their
progress thus increasing their confidence while
communicating and socializing.
A
peaking from local grounds,
Autism Resource Centre (ARC)
of Singapore aims to help
i ndi vi dual s wi t h Aut i s m
Spectrum Disorder to maximize
their potential in life through
advocacy and provision of
services in education, employment and
empoweri ng of fami l y caregi vers or
professionals. Not only that, they aim to
highlight the needs of these individuals and to
increase understanding and awareness of
Autism in the Singapore community.
To top that, there is at least one Autism
Resource Centre in each country thus showing
how the higher authorities are addressing
Autism and are trying their very best to portray
Autism in the best way possible to the public.
Every year, Autism Organizations all over the
world celebrate Autism Awareness Week with
interesting awareness events reaching out to
members of the public which were spread
throughout the first week of April every year.
Fr o m wh a t wa s q u o t e d f r o m
whitehouse.gov/the-pres-office: I, Barack
Obama, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me
by the Constitution and the laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim April 2, 2013, as the
official World Autism Awareness Day. I
encourage all Americans to learn more about
autism and what they can do to support
individuals on the autism spectrum and their
families.
In Singapore, unique events were
organized in celebrating the Autism Awareness
Week. Prominent buildings like the Singapore
Flyer, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School
Building were lighted up in blue as a pledge of
support for the Autism cause. In addition, on
the 5
th
of April it was reported that a group of
autistics students performed for the public on a
special road show in ION Orchard thus
overcoming one of their barriers in socializing.
So, to receive 100 odd responses both
negative and positive comments about Autism
does not show how high our level of ignorance
are or are we just plain oblivious and lazy to
notice to what is happening around us?
It is nice to know how, the world, how
our country Singapore are trying to educate the
members of public on Autism despite the lack
of participation from public. Furthermore,
there are way too many myths on Autism
confusing the public and causing deep pain for
the families dealing with Autism. Sometimes,
all we need to do is to lend an ear to these
families. As hard as it is on the children
themselves, its equally hard for the families
dealing with autistic children stares and
sarcastic comments.
S
t was a week after that controversial
status update that I received a
personal message from a complete
stranger (not among my friends)
asking what he can do as an
individual to create more awareness
on Autism. Its such a heartwarming
message to know that there are people who still
care for the feelings of others and proved to me
that we are neither robots nor machines with no
feelings.
After few researches and enquiries, I
came across a write up from a group of autistic
people themselves on what they hope the
public would do upon coming across with an
autistic child or adult. To them, its not only
about being aware about Autism its also how
you react and socialize with a person with
Autism. Some of them commented on how
some people knew about Autism but still
treated them as though they were infected with
an infectious disease that requires shunning
and isolation from the public. Awareness is
not enough, this is what we should do to
change the world.
Accept us, Respect us, Support us,
Include us, and Listen to us. A simple request
from them that requires a simple gesture from
us. Generally, it appears to be a simple act of
accepting them as part of the society but in
actual fact, it is harder than what it seems to be.
Acceptance starts by understanding that they
are not broken, defective nor diseased. Respect
starts by understanding that they are full and
complete human beings with individuals goals,
personalities and life preferences. Support by
giving them a sense of belonging. And
listening starts with understanding that they
have their own take on respective issues and it
is time to listen.
It is easy to read about Autism, but its
a whole different story to live in it. We may
have read, we may research but it is never the
same until we experience it ourselves, therefore
I hope we as individuals of the public can be
more considerate to both Autistic children and
the parents.
Sometimes, people are beautiful. Not in
looks. Not in what they say. Just in what and
how they are. Markus Zusak
I
Author is a second year
undergraduate at the
Faculty of Arabic Language
& Literature,
Al-Azhar University
This articles design is based
on the autism awareness
ofcial four colours. In
conjunction with International
Autism Awareness month in
April, this article is dedicated
to the families and friends of
autistic children.
Introduction
SouLh LasL Asla, home
L o o n e o f L h e b l g g e s L
populauon of Musllms ln Lhe
world. SouLh LasL Asla ls made
up of lndonesla, Malaysla,
S l n g a p o r e , 1 h a l l a n d ,
Cambodla, 8runel, Myanmar,
vleLnam, Laos and hlllpplnes.
lL ls dlvlded Lo malnland and
marlume ln whlch boLh have
Lhelr falr share of hlsLory. 1he
r s L f e w d o c u m e n L e d
clvlllsauons such as van Lang
daLed back Lo early 2879 8C
and Lhe khmer emplre daLed
Lo 802 Au. 8y observlng Lhese
rsL few anclenLs, lL lndlcaLes
LhaL SouLh LasL Asla ls much
lnuenced by LhaL of lndla and
Chlna, a resulL of a unlque
ml x L u r e o f L h e s e L wo
accompllshed nauons. lL ls also
unlque ln a sense LhaL lslam
enL ered L he regl on and
developed clvlllsauons wlLhouL
any means of war. unllke oLher
lslamlc nauons, Lhe people of
SouLh LasL Asla accepLed lslam
peacefully.

Documentation
S e e l ng L ha L l s l a m
enLered peacefully by means
of Lrade brlnglng wlLh lL, lLs
greaL dlsplay of lslamlc values
such as acLs of falrness and
klndness, lslam appealed Lo
Lhe culLure of SouLh LasL
Aslans, whom are known for
Lhelr grace ln euqueue and
soness ln conducL, accepLed
lslam peacefully wlLhouL any
means of conl c L . 1hl s
however, led Lo an lmpreclse
documenLauon of when lslam
enLered SouLh LasL Asl a.
AlLhough lL ls esumaLed Lo be
beLween Lhe 2
nd
and 3
rd

cenLury aer Pl[rah/8
Lh
-9
Lh

cenLury of Lhe Cregorlan
calendar, hlsLorlans agree LhaL
Lhese merchanLs came from
Lhe Arablan penlnsula (?emen
- Cman), lndla and also from
Chlna ln laLer years.
l sl am our l shed l n
SouLh LasL Asla wlLh Lhe
esLabl l shmenL of l sl aml c
clvlllsauons from Lhe 11
Lh
Lo
16
L h
cenL ur y whl ch was
documenLed l n l l LeraLure
books such as 'cbtoolcles of
tbe kloqs of losol and Moloy
Aoools whlch has led Lo
lnaccuraLe recordlngs durlng
Lhe era when lslam Lhrlved ln
SouLh LasL Asla before Lhe
coml ng of Lhe Luropean
colonlallsm aL Lhe head of Lhe
17
Lh
Lo Lhe end of Lhe 20
Lh

cenLury.




Enlightening
1hls was whaL sparked
my asplrauon of revlvlng Lhe
ourlshed lslamlc hlsLory ln
SouLh LasL Asla whlch was sald
Lo possess rlchness ln culLure,
wealLh and knowledge. A
raLher pecullar sLaLemenL
whlch lndlcaLes Lhe norm of
people Lo be more famlllarlsed
wlLh lLs 'advancemenL' durlng
Lhe Luropean occupauon. 1hls,
an lgnorance ln our prospered
hlsLory may very well lead Lo
obscureness l n our Lrue
ldenuLy.
1here are numerous
accounLs on Lhe sub[ecL LhaL
were documenLed by Lhe
Chlnese, lndlans and Arabs
who Lravelled Lo SouLh LasL
Asla durlng Lhe re-colonlal
perlod. 1hus, narrowlng my
concluslon Lo recover Lhe
lslamlc PlsLory of SouLh LasL
Asla vla Lhese overlooked
sources.
Al Lhough l ackl ng l n
deLall, lL ls noL a reason Lo
neglecL Lhe lmporLance of
enllghLenlng ourselves of our
magnlcenL ldenuLy.
Aer all, 1he Curaan
lLself conslsLs of sLorles. Allah
s.w.L menuons ln Lhe Curaan ln
Surah ?usuf, verse3:
j we t e l o t e t o y o o , j O
MobommoJ], tbe best of
stotles lo wbot we bove
teveoleJ to yoo of tbls Oot'oo
oltbooqb yoo wete, befote lt,
omooq tbe ooowote.]
u. MobJ Al l Oot ob
oJJeJ l o ooe bl s books,
Ootooolc 5totles, leotoloq
ooJ ooJetstooJl oq tbese
stotles ls o JeJocuoo of lessoos
ooJ wlsJoms ooJ to elevote
oot s el ves meot ol l y ooJ
spltltoolly by cbooqloq to
beuetmeot.







Spread of Islam
AlLhough Lhere are sull
debaL es on L he deL al l s
regardlng Lhe lncllnauon of
lslam ln SouLh LasL Asla, mosL
agree LhaL lL was Lhe Musllm
merchanLs who played Lhe
blggesL role ln lnLroduclng
lslam Lo Lhe shores of Lhese
Plndu provlnces.
ur na z e e r Ah ma d
quoLed ln hls volumed book
(lslam ln Clobal PlsLory),
..1bos tbe spteoJ of lslom lo
Iovo wos Jl[eteot ftom wbot ls
o ootm lo blstoty, wbetelo tbe
coovetsloo of o powetfol tolet
fotces tbe sobjects to follow
solt. Oo tbe lslooJs, lt wos tbe
people wbo coovetteJ ftst,
wltb tbe kloq followloq solt.
lndeed Lhe spread of lslam
deed norms.
Around Lhe 14
Lh
-13
Lh

CenLury lslam ourlshed and
made SouLh LasL Asla's global
role recognlsed LhroughouL Lhe
worl d. 1here were many
lslamlc Clvlllsauons LhroughouL
Lhls phase and Lo llsL every
slngle one of lL would requlre
more pages, research and
denlLely ume. 1herefore may
Lhls dra umellne of some
lmporLanL evenLs sumce.


Pavlng sald LhaL, Lhls
umellne may noL encompass
all clvlllsauons such as Lhe
auanl Sul LanaLe, !ohore
SulLanaLe, 8ulungan SulLanaLe,
Clrebon SulLanaLe, 8anLen
SulLanaLe, 1ernaLe SulLanaLe
and probably many more. 1hls
only shows Lhe enrlchlng
g r o wL h o f L h e l s l a ml c
lnuences LhroughouL Lhe
reglon. 1hls umellne's purpose
l s L o h e l p d e p l c L L h e
e n v l r o n m e n L o f h o w
lslamlsauon Look place and
how SouLh LasL Asla prospered
durlng lL.
.. .,.. . .{
. .- .,, ..,., ., ..
}_... . ., . ,. ,,
Important Events
It was reported that as early as
this period of time, Islam
reached the South East Asian
shores by foreign traders
notably being the Arab and
Indian merchants.
CENTURY
8th-
9th
Sultanate of Kedah
Sultan Mudzafar Shah I
1136-
1179
The 9th descendant of the kings
of Langkasuka. Phra ong
mahawangsa was the first of
his lineage to convert to Islam
resulting to the establishment of
the Sultanate of Kedah. His
conversion to Islam is influenced
by neighbouring Muslims from
Aceh although the most
prominent figure to be credited
is Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qumairi, a
scholar from Yemen who came
with 11 of his companions[2].
The Sultan made a politic
decision to marry her daughter
with the newly established
Islamic Sultanate of Pasai, Malik
Al-Saleh.
It is noted that Marco Polo came
to this region around the early
13th century [3]. Marco Polo
described that the city of
Ferlac(Peureulak) is frequently
visited by Saracens[4]
Sultanate of Peureulak
SultanMakhdum AlaiddinMalik Muhammad AminShahII
1230-
1267
During of which came another
scholar just as Sheikh Abdullah
Al-Qumairi came to kedah,
Sheikh Abdullah Arif reached
the coast of the east regency
of Aceh. The spread of Islam of
this region as recorded in
Hikayat Aceh was attributed to
his arrival.
Sultanate of Peureulak
Sultan Alawuddin Shah
1161-
1186
Sultanate of Pasai
Sultan Malik Al-Salih
Merah Silu changed his name to
Malik Al-Salih when he
converted to Islam officially as
he declared the shahadah upon
the presence of Sheikh Ismail,
sent by the sheriff of Makkah
(under the rule of mamluks),
who at the time was surprised
to know that his arrival was
expected and that the sultan
can recite the shahadah
fluently[5].
1267
Sultanate of Peureulak
Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Abdul Aziz Johan
His death leaves the kingdom to
join their neighbour, the
Sultanate of Pasai. The two
kingdoms finally merge under the
rule of Sultan Malik Al-Zohir of
Pasai.
1267
-
1292
Sultanate of Pasai
Sultan Malik Al-Zohir
One of the two sons of Sultan
Malik Al-Salih, whom his mother
was the daughter of the Sultan
of Peureulak. It was during this
year upon his reign that Ibn
Battuta came before reaching
China. Ibn Battuta described in
his Rihlah upon reaching a great
and big city surrounded by walls
and towers of woodcraft. It was
the Kingdom of Pasai in which it
was ruled by what was
described by Ibn Battuta as
virtuous and generous Sultan,
who loves the scholars, and
humble to a point where he goes
for Friday prayers by foot
himself. Its people are Shafiee-
schooled and feels obliged to go
jihad with the sultan upon
defending themselves from the
non-believers [6].
1345[7]
It was noted that the first Islamic
influence to be felt in the
kingdom was during this reign.
Sri Rana Wikrama the third Raja
of Singapura also known as
Raja Muda made diplomatic ties
with the Sultanate of Peureulak.
Further note records of a
presence of an Islamic Scholar
who came from Pasai during his
successors rule.
Kingdom of Singapura
Paduka Sri Rana Wikrama
1362-
1375
He ruled as Raja Awang Alak
Betatar until the early 1360s, at
which point he converted to
Islam to marry the daughter of
the King of Temasik (Old
Singapore, known as that time in
Brunei as Johor).[1]
There have also been sayings of
notable Chinese influences in the
land pre-date the Sultanate era.
Sultanate of Brunei
Sultan Muhammad Shah
1368-
1402[
1]
During the Invasion of Majapahit,
Parameswara had to fled the city
unable to defend from its
invaders. It was said that the
powerful Javanese empire sent
no less than 200 000 men to
besiege the Kingdom of
Singapura but failed to penetrate
the impregnable Kingdoms
fortress. This continued to about
a month until food in the fortress
ran out which resulted in a
weakened defence. Thus, the
Malay Annals described the
assault to be one of the bloodiest
blood-shed as Majapahit finally
conquered and captured the land
of Temasek.
Kingdom of Singapura
Parameswara
139
8
Important Events
It was reported that as early as
this period of time, Islam
reached the South East Asian
shores by foreign traders
notably being the Arab and
Indian merchants.
CENTURY
8th-
9th
Sultanate of Kedah
Sultan Mudzafar Shah I
1136-
1179
The 9th descendant of the kings
of Langkasuka. Phra ong
mahawangsa was the first of
his lineage to convert to Islam
resulting to the establishment of
the Sultanate of Kedah. His
conversion to Islam is influenced
by neighbouring Muslims from
Aceh although the most
prominent figure to be credited
is Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qumairi, a
scholar from Yemen who came
with 11 of his companions[2].
The Sultan made a politic
decision to marry her daughter
with the newly established
Islamic Sultanate of Pasai, Malik
Al-Saleh.
It is noted that Marco Polo came
to this region around the early
13th century [3]. Marco Polo
described that the city of
Ferlac(Peureulak) is frequently
visited by Saracens[4]
Sultanate of Peureulak
SultanMakhdum AlaiddinMalik Muhammad AminShahII
1230-
1267
During of which came another
scholar just as Sheikh Abdullah
Al-Qumairi came to kedah,
Sheikh Abdullah Arif reached
the coast of the east regency
of Aceh. The spread of Islam of
this region as recorded in
Hikayat Aceh was attributed to
his arrival.
Sultanate of Peureulak
Sultan Alawuddin Shah
1161-
1186
Sultanate of Pasai
Sultan Malik Al-Salih
Merah Silu changed his name to
Malik Al-Salih when he
converted to Islam officially as
he declared the shahadah upon
the presence of Sheikh Ismail,
sent by the sheriff of Makkah
(under the rule of mamluks),
who at the time was surprised
to know that his arrival was
expected and that the sultan
can recite the shahadah
fluently[5].
1267
Sultanate of Peureulak
Makhdum Alaiddin Malik Abdul Aziz Johan
His death leaves the kingdom to
join their neighbour, the
Sultanate of Pasai. The two
kingdoms finally merge under the
rule of Sultan Malik Al-Zohir of
Pasai.
1267
-
1292
Sultanate of Pasai
Sultan Malik Al-Zohir
One of the two sons of Sultan
Malik Al-Salih, whom his mother
was the daughter of the Sultan
of Peureulak. It was during this
year upon his reign that Ibn
Battuta came before reaching
China. Ibn Battuta described in
his Rihlah upon reaching a great
and big city surrounded by walls
and towers of woodcraft. It was
the Kingdom of Pasai in which it
was ruled by what was
described by Ibn Battuta as
virtuous and generous Sultan,
who loves the scholars, and
humble to a point where he goes
for Friday prayers by foot
himself. Its people are Shafiee-
schooled and feels obliged to go
jihad with the sultan upon
defending themselves from the
non-believers [6].
1345[7]
It was noted that the first Islamic
influence to be felt in the
kingdom was during this reign.
Sri Rana Wikrama the third Raja
of Singapura also known as
Raja Muda made diplomatic ties
with the Sultanate of Peureulak.
Further note records of a
presence of an Islamic Scholar
who came from Pasai during his
successors rule.
Kingdom of Singapura
Paduka Sri Rana Wikrama
1362-
1375
He ruled as Raja Awang Alak
Betatar until the early 1360s, at
which point he converted to
Islam to marry the daughter of
the King of Temasik (Old
Singapore, known as that time in
Brunei as Johor).[1]
There have also been sayings of
notable Chinese influences in the
land pre-date the Sultanate era.
Sultanate of Brunei
Sultan Muhammad Shah
1368-
1402[
1]
During the Invasion of Majapahit,
Parameswara had to fled the city
unable to defend from its
invaders. It was said that the
powerful Javanese empire sent
no less than 200 000 men to
besiege the Kingdom of
Singapura but failed to penetrate
the impregnable Kingdoms
fortress. This continued to about
a month until food in the fortress
ran out which resulted in a
weakened defence. Thus, the
Malay Annals described the
assault to be one of the bloodiest
blood-shed as Majapahit finally
conquered and captured the land
of Temasek.
Kingdom of Singapura
Parameswara
139
8
Malacca reached upon its zenith
during Sultan Mansur Shahs rule.
Malacca wrestled their way up in
becoming the biggest influence of
the region winning the Siamese
Ayuthaya and the Javanese
Majapahit Empire.
Controlling and then naming it the
Straits of Malacca, the kingdom
became the centre of regional
and international trade linking the
Indian and the Pacific ocean, the
east and west.
It became so rich that the
Portuguese writer and trader
Tome Pires said "Whoever is lord
of Malacca shall have his hands
on the throat of Venice."
Sultan Mansur Shah emphasised
in the scholarship of Islamic
theology and was said to studied
tasawwuf himself.
Sultanate of Malacca
Sultan Mansur Shah
1459-
1477
The Hindu Kingdom of Majapahit
was the dominant influence in
the South East Asia in between
the 14th-15th century until
Malacca rose to the challenge.
This and the spread of Islam
weakened the Kingdom to a
point where the local rajas and
chiefs began to accept Islam
slowly. By 1450 Islam was the
dominant religion at the
Majapahit court. In 1451 Sheikh
Rahmat, a scholar, made his
centre of study near the city of
Surabaya and converted Raja
Kertawijaya, the Majapahit ruler
to Islam[4].
Kingdom of Majapahit
Raja Kertawijaya
1450
Sultanate of Sulu
Syed Abu-bakr Abirin
The 9th descendant of the kings
of Langkasuka. Phra ong
mahawangsa was the first of
his lineage to convert to Islam
resulting to the establishment of
the Sultanate of Kedah. His
conversion to Islam is
influenced by neighbouring
Muslims from Aceh although
the most prominent figure to be
credited is Sheikh Abdullah Al-
Qumairi, a scholar from Yemen
who came with 11 of his
companions[2].
1450[3]
Sultanate of Demak
Raden Patah
1475-
1518
Its origin is uncertain, but some
views to conclude Raden
Patah(Fatah in Arabic) is a
descendant of the Majapahit
Empire whom converted to Islam
during the Empires declination
period. The Sultanate of Demak
is said to be first Islamic
Kingdom in Java and thus
played a big role in spreading
Islam throughout the province.
The Sultanate of Demak later
became strong economically
due to becoming the main
exporter of rice to Malacca[1].
The Sultanate of Demak soon
became the dominant power of
Java and effectively ousted the
Majapahit Empire out of history.
The Sultanate of Demak are one
of the few Kingdoms to try
seize back Malacca from its
foreign occupant.
Sultanate of Brunei
Sultan Bolkiah
1485-
1524
Ascended Suleiman, his fathers
throne and ruled until what was
known as Bruneis golden age.
Brunei became a super-power in
the Malay Archipelago. One
possible attributes to this is the
Portuguese Conquest of Malacca
which scattered many Muslims
traders to find new ports. This
increased Brunei's wealth as
well as extending Islamic
teachings in the region.
Parameswara fled and founded
Malacca a few years later. He
then Married the daughter of the
Sultan of Pasai, accepted Islam
and changed his name to Sultan
Iskandar Shah. It was the
prince who introduced Islam
into Malaya (in a manner of
speaking). Pasai and Malacca
became centres for Islamic
Learning in later years[2].
Although that having said, no
other kingdoms of South East
Asia managed to outstand
Malaccas vast Wealth. 80
languages were reportedly
spoken in Malacca . The
Malaccan witnessed the
enculturation of a Malay identity
Sultanate of Malacca
Parameswara, Sultan Iskandar Shah
1400
It was during his rule that Islam
was officially declared the
religion of the country. It was
what we call it as the
Islamisation of Malacca which
will eventually lead to the
islamisation of Malaya and then
to other parts of South East
Asia. This powerful influential
Malay-cultured kingdom soon
spread Islam and thus
immediately made Malay the
religious language throughout
the region.
Sultan of Malacca
Sultan Muhammad Shah
1423-
1433
Sultan Iskandar Shah fortified
his relations with the powerful
Ming Dynasty in China by
traveling there with the
company of Admiral Zheng-He,
also a Muslim. This tradition
continues to his successors.
Sultan of Malacca
Sultan Muhammad Shah
141
1
Malacca reached upon its zenith
during Sultan Mansur Shahs rule.
Malacca wrestled their way up in
becoming the biggest influence of
the region winning the Siamese
Ayuthaya and the Javanese
Majapahit Empire.
Controlling and then naming it the
Straits of Malacca, the kingdom
became the centre of regional
and international trade linking the
Indian and the Pacific ocean, the
east and west.
It became so rich that the
Portuguese writer and trader
Tome Pires said "Whoever is lord
of Malacca shall have his hands
on the throat of Venice."
Sultan Mansur Shah emphasised
in the scholarship of Islamic
theology and was said to studied
tasawwuf himself.
Sultanate of Malacca
Sultan Mansur Shah
1459-
1477
The Hindu Kingdom of Majapahit
was the dominant influence in
the South East Asia in between
the 14th-15th century until
Malacca rose to the challenge.
This and the spread of Islam
weakened the Kingdom to a
point where the local rajas and
chiefs began to accept Islam
slowly. By 1450 Islam was the
dominant religion at the
Majapahit court. In 1451 Sheikh
Rahmat, a scholar, made his
centre of study near the city of
Surabaya and converted Raja
Kertawijaya, the Majapahit ruler
to Islam[4].
Kingdom of Majapahit
Raja Kertawijaya
1450
Sultanate of Sulu
Syed Abu-bakr Abirin
The 9th descendant of the kings
of Langkasuka. Phra ong
mahawangsa was the first of
his lineage to convert to Islam
resulting to the establishment of
the Sultanate of Kedah. His
conversion to Islam is
influenced by neighbouring
Muslims from Aceh although
the most prominent figure to be
credited is Sheikh Abdullah Al-
Qumairi, a scholar from Yemen
who came with 11 of his
companions[2].
1450[3]
Sultanate of Demak
Raden Patah
1475-
1518
Its origin is uncertain, but some
views to conclude Raden
Patah(Fatah in Arabic) is a
descendant of the Majapahit
Empire whom converted to Islam
during the Empires declination
period. The Sultanate of Demak
is said to be first Islamic
Kingdom in Java and thus
played a big role in spreading
Islam throughout the province.
The Sultanate of Demak later
became strong economically
due to becoming the main
exporter of rice to Malacca[1].
The Sultanate of Demak soon
became the dominant power of
Java and effectively ousted the
Majapahit Empire out of history.
The Sultanate of Demak are one
of the few Kingdoms to try
seize back Malacca from its
foreign occupant.
Sultanate of Brunei
Sultan Bolkiah
1485-
1524
Ascended Suleiman, his fathers
throne and ruled until what was
known as Bruneis golden age.
Brunei became a super-power in
the Malay Archipelago. One
possible attributes to this is the
Portuguese Conquest of Malacca
which scattered many Muslims
traders to find new ports. This
increased Brunei's wealth as
well as extending Islamic
teachings in the region.
Parameswara fled and founded
Malacca a few years later. He
then Married the daughter of the
Sultan of Pasai, accepted Islam
and changed his name to Sultan
Iskandar Shah. It was the
prince who introduced Islam
into Malaya (in a manner of
speaking). Pasai and Malacca
became centres for Islamic
Learning in later years[2].
Although that having said, no
other kingdoms of South East
Asia managed to outstand
Malaccas vast Wealth. 80
languages were reportedly
spoken in Malacca . The
Malaccan witnessed the
enculturation of a Malay identity
Sultanate of Malacca
Parameswara, Sultan Iskandar Shah
1400
It was during his rule that Islam
was officially declared the
religion of the country. It was
what we call it as the
Islamisation of Malacca which
will eventually lead to the
islamisation of Malaya and then
to other parts of South East
Asia. This powerful influential
Malay-cultured kingdom soon
spread Islam and thus
immediately made Malay the
religious language throughout
the region.
Sultan of Malacca
Sultan Muhammad Shah
1423-
1433
Sultan Iskandar Shah fortified
his relations with the powerful
Ming Dynasty in China by
traveling there with the
company of Admiral Zheng-He,
also a Muslim. This tradition
continues to his successors.
Sultan of Malacca
Sultan Muhammad Shah
141
1
Is rather known to be a
courageous and just Sultan. The
Sultan even disguised himself to
catch a thief upon receiving
news of their activity during the
first few years of his rule.
Although he was recognised for
his admirable characteristics, he
often had many enemies in and
outside his kingdom. He had four
sons whom each tried to
scheme their way in succeeding
their father. His son, Sultan
Mahmud Shah ascended the
throne after his questionable
death. Sultan Mahmud Shah is
famous for being portrayed as
the Sultan who lived in the
stories of Hang Tuah.
It was also during his reign in the
year 1511 that they lost to the
Portuguese and thus captured
Malacca and ended its hundred
years of reign. The Conquest of
Malacca by the Portuguese
marks the first stage of the
European Occupation in South
East Asia.
Sultanate of Malacca
Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah
1477-
1488
Sultanate of Aceh
Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah
South East Asia was already
witnessing the declination of
Malacca which will then lead to
the beginning of colonialism and
imperialism.
This also marks the growing
threat of the diminishing Islamic
influences throughout the
region. After the Vietnamese
invasion of Vijaya the capital of
the Kingdom of Champa, the
kingdom dispersed and so Aceh
was no longer under any of
their authority.
A sultan of the previous
kingdom then converted to Islam
and was from then on known to
be Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah.
The Sultan then conquered
much of the divided kingdom
and in addition the land of Pasai
in 1524 followed up by Aru in
later on.
1507
-
1528
Sultanate of Aceh
Sultan Alauddin Riayat Syah al-Kahar
1537
-
1571
It was during the rule of this
particular Sultan that Aceh first
sent a consulate to the great
Ottoman Empire and created tight
relations with one another.
According Turkish sources, the
first diplomatic Acehnese mission
to Istanbul is as early as 1547[1]
during the reign of Sultan Suleiman
the magnificent.
The Sultanate of Aceh then
received cannons and possibly
other military supports.
In reply to this, Sultan Alauddin
sent a letter of thanks to Sultan
Suleiman. In this letter, he added
the condition of the local Muslims
in South East Asia that are being
disrupted by the Portuguese
especially when en route to do
Hajj. Sultan Selim ll, heir to Sultan
Suleiman who passed away in
that very year ordered a number
of soldiers, gunsmiths and
engineers to be sent in an Ottoman
fleet, together with ample supplies
of weapons and ammunition[2].
Unfortunately, a rebellion broke out
in Yemen thus much of the military
support was to divert the course
of direction to thereof leaving
about two ships successfully
reaching the Acehnese shores.
Indeed Sultan Selim ll was
determined about it, he thus
promised a followed up in the
following year.
The Ottoman also taught the
Acehnese how to forge their own
cannons to which some of them
reached considerable size.
Unfortunately many of these
cannons were seized by
European colonialist.
Sultanate of Aceh
Sultan Iskandar Muda
1607-
1636
During his rule, the Sultanate of
Aceh was at its full extent.
Becoming a a centre of Islamic
learning, the Sultanate was in
some ways taking over the
important role of Malacca. In
addition to that owning a
considerably strong militarised
power making it one of the only
few powers to committedly stand
up against the European
occupation. His strong styled of
ruling was recognised and
admired throughout South East
Asia that Brunei decided to adopt it
later on[1].
The Sultanate of Aceh then
managed to retrieve the state of
Pahang, Kedah and Nias from the
Portuguese influence
consecutively. They also launched
serial attacks to the Colonialised
Malacca but failed with their naval
military destroyed as an aftermath.
Most of their attacks were
retaliated by the other Malay states
sided with the Portuguese.
Is rather known to be a
courageous and just Sultan. The
Sultan even disguised himself to
catch a thief upon receiving
news of their activity during the
first few years of his rule.
Although he was recognised for
his admirable characteristics, he
often had many enemies in and
outside his kingdom. He had four
sons whom each tried to
scheme their way in succeeding
their father. His son, Sultan
Mahmud Shah ascended the
throne after his questionable
death. Sultan Mahmud Shah is
famous for being portrayed as
the Sultan who lived in the
stories of Hang Tuah.
It was also during his reign in the
year 1511 that they lost to the
Portuguese and thus captured
Malacca and ended its hundred
years of reign. The Conquest of
Malacca by the Portuguese
marks the first stage of the
European Occupation in South
East Asia.
Sultanate of Malacca
Sultan Alauddin Riayat Shah
1477-
1488
Sultanate of Aceh
Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah
South East Asia was already
witnessing the declination of
Malacca which will then lead to
the beginning of colonialism and
imperialism.
This also marks the growing
threat of the diminishing Islamic
influences throughout the
region. After the Vietnamese
invasion of Vijaya the capital of
the Kingdom of Champa, the
kingdom dispersed and so Aceh
was no longer under any of
their authority.
A sultan of the previous
kingdom then converted to Islam
and was from then on known to
be Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah.
The Sultan then conquered
much of the divided kingdom
and in addition the land of Pasai
in 1524 followed up by Aru in
later on.
1507
-
1528
Sultanate of Aceh
Sultan Alauddin Riayat Syah al-Kahar
1537
-
1571
It was during the rule of this
particular Sultan that Aceh first
sent a consulate to the great
Ottoman Empire and created tight
relations with one another.
According Turkish sources, the
first diplomatic Acehnese mission
to Istanbul is as early as 1547[1]
during the reign of Sultan Suleiman
the magnificent.
The Sultanate of Aceh then
received cannons and possibly
other military supports.
In reply to this, Sultan Alauddin
sent a letter of thanks to Sultan
Suleiman. In this letter, he added
the condition of the local Muslims
in South East Asia that are being
disrupted by the Portuguese
especially when en route to do
Hajj. Sultan Selim ll, heir to Sultan
Suleiman who passed away in
that very year ordered a number
of soldiers, gunsmiths and
engineers to be sent in an Ottoman
fleet, together with ample supplies
of weapons and ammunition[2].
Unfortunately, a rebellion broke out
in Yemen thus much of the military
support was to divert the course
of direction to thereof leaving
about two ships successfully
reaching the Acehnese shores.
Indeed Sultan Selim ll was
determined about it, he thus
promised a followed up in the
following year.
The Ottoman also taught the
Acehnese how to forge their own
cannons to which some of them
reached considerable size.
Unfortunately many of these
cannons were seized by
European colonialist.
Sultanate of Aceh
Sultan Iskandar Muda
1607-
1636
During his rule, the Sultanate of
Aceh was at its full extent.
Becoming a a centre of Islamic
learning, the Sultanate was in
some ways taking over the
important role of Malacca. In
addition to that owning a
considerably strong militarised
power making it one of the only
few powers to committedly stand
up against the European
occupation. His strong styled of
ruling was recognised and
admired throughout South East
Asia that Brunei decided to adopt it
later on[1].
The Sultanate of Aceh then
managed to retrieve the state of
Pahang, Kedah and Nias from the
Portuguese influence
consecutively. They also launched
serial attacks to the Colonialised
Malacca but failed with their naval
military destroyed as an aftermath.
Most of their attacks were
retaliated by the other Malay states
sided with the Portuguese.
Do you not think?
{2:44}
A REMINDER
Dear Self
Muhd Ash Shiddique Abd Jalil
As I write this letter to remind and criticize none
other but you,
O lowly self..
What is ignorance, they ask?
It is when the time you were born and separated
from the Truth..
When you forgot the biggest promise you made
with the Creator..
When He asks: Am I not your Lord?
And with confidence you reply: Truly I bear
witness that there is no God but You
But what happens after that?
Wheres the promise you made?
Whats the point of witnessing without following
His commands?
Isnt that the reason why we human beings are
called Insan?
Its not because we tend to forget, but its because
we forgot the biggest promise weve made..
Whats the point of your life if you dont ask
yourself what you were created for?
Its like running around the dessert without any
destination..
Wasting all your energy away..
Then again, isnt it because He loves you that He
sent His beloved Messenger (s.a.w) down?
Giving you reminders and spreading His love
letters?
Hes calling out for you , reminding you: Come
here, come back to Me..
Saying: I have not created the Jinn and the human
except that they are to worship Me..
That is, So that you may know Me and love Me..
But youre just a fool playing around in this
temporary life..
Drowning your soul in this pitiful world and
ignoring all the reminders that you have been
given..
You keep on saying that you love Him and His
beloved..
Yet all you do is keep on rebelling and doing the
opposite of His commands..
You continue sinning like a casual routine..
Have you forgotten about the appointed time?
That one day youll have to meet Him again after
this world ends..
Yet youre an ignorant fool thinking that youll live
forever and sinning Him doesnt even matter..
Isnt the reason why babies cry after they are born
is because they knew they were separated from
the Truth?
Yet as you grow older you start to sin, forgetting
about your purpose in life..
Whats the point in giving diamonds, gold and
silver to the king when he orders you to fetch him
a flower?
Whats the use of the words you utter if you dont
even mean them?
Saying: He is the Greatest and that there is no God but
Him..
But in reality youre putting millions of idols in
your heart thinking that He wouldnt know..
What are words if you dont mean them when you
say them?
Every day He is teaching you lessons and reaching
out to you
But you are too blind to see it due to your sins
drowning your heart with lust..
How long are you going to keep on continuing
this routine?
When will you finally realize that no one loves you
more than Him?
Your ignorance blinds you from seeing this..
You keep on saying that you fear Him but you act
as if He doesnt see the things that you do and the
things that you hide from Him..
Such a hypocrite you are! You preach what you
not do!
How ironic can you be..
How long are you going to keep on sleeping?
Wake up, you fool, before your time ends..
By that time theres no point in regretting the
things youve done because its too late..
COME HERE & LISTEN CLOSE,
!"
#
$
%&
' (
)
*+
,
-
./0
' !
1
2
34
'
56
78
)9
,
-:
;<' (
)=
!"# $%&#' ()'* +,-#' .,%/01 .%23 45
.678' "9:;<1 ='>?3 @A/B:C D#EF0 .(%G8'
H< +IJ3 .K%&< L @.%M>J .GFN O P:Q :GR
.>S 6R T:0U1 .J=:B 6R V:W;< XY *5 @678'
43 "ZWJ3 [\F# @+,-#' .%,/03 HJ ];C3 L [C5
^-M O +,-#' H< 6/031 H_N3 4XF` "B 678'
L aE#' +,-#' XY D#* H< "&B3 aE#'1 .4:%Nb'
.AKN:c (;\`
6M @:G,J dG_` 43 e&` L 6GJ fM +,-#'
A%,J g' d,c g' hX9= h:B ..0>-i' j>k XY
........ ,...., _.... .......... ,.... ,...., .) :+,91
.(..
:Z01 A%,J XY :< d,J lm#' .0>-< XY +,-#'
..0>-i' nfo 6G-#' (<
pq_` :7,%C .0>-i' ..0>-i' H< r,M31 +J3 +,-#:0
..%#:s :7WG%B1 .K-c :7,%C +,-#'1 .`j:J :7WG%B1
43 +,-#' HF#1 @hX7t' n>-u 43 +,-#' v%#1
.AW0>-< H< "%;W_u
fM +,-#' :=X7mi' w>-#' hXZ#' (G_u L3
x;\` L y\FR (;\` L +,J1 @>z fM >{m#:R 6GJ
.-;\< L @fN:B =:c 6G-#' AC=:Z` | X# @+,-#' .A\<
AM 6G-u | '*51 @}-< A# 4:R :< AM 6G-#' LX#1 .A#
D,~< q&`1 @AM jX&Zi' +7;` | HGR $\R
6R` |1 :%8' +-31 :-#' ( 6Q= 6~GR
D_;C -Wu '*:G,0 .AJXQ H< D#* A-;\` +,0
L1 : 6G-u L #' P:%Sb' +,-W# Du:B13 (%/u1
:%? H< H_N3 ' 'EY O 678:0 :7\< (;\u
."%;u L #' P:%Sb' +,-W# T:B1b'
Y() .\9 XWi' .K%WB HM' A#:B :< 63 H<
(A%,J g' .=)
6G-%# +,-`1 +,-%# (G_` d/< :G%0 +,-#' #: 4:R
(;\`1 (;W\%# g' H`j O AZ;W`1

:4' =:c "B1
.>;`1 ,%# ;1 >RE%# (G1 (G{%# (G_`
!"# $%&'( )(!(* %+,# -%./ 0& 123 %4/
145 6" 789(* :)(!(* %+,# :;* <=> ?*@A(* )&%B
149C D *EFG :H!I, J 785 KA" 149(*G :H!LM
$!, *)N O!2C :PQR%S* $%,T* U>*)C DG :$!Q(*
V3# W=# %, :O%2QX :%Y%Z 1493 %L9M>%X :P&%Q2(*
. \]^ U%L_ 0&
<L& .K`/ 789(%" 149, D 0& $E a b>G )2(
...,..... _....} :c P,d* :P94e* f>!g a h%9C <(!i
_.., ... _.... ..-..., ,.. ,. .... ...
j&# H%Q" %+QX k(* f*>!.(* *!CG# 0,l(* :m# {...........
%n *!9o.L, D *EF 7+8`& :78gG <Q85 ;* p8Z )4q
:785 %+QX *>%og# 14r ml(* >%4Y* 1`4/ :%+QX
....... .7+8`& 0& %3%s,tX .%u vo.L, JG %+829, J !+X
.... ... ,) :,... .,... .... _... .... ..
O%iG .(...... . ....., ,.. `,..... ..,... ,., ......
bb@, DG %485 b*bw* 0&) :%x,# 78gG <Q85 ;* p8Z
<Q85 pyQ5 O%iG .(*)9" JF ;* 0& bb@, D z)_
1`4/ <" 149, JG 789(* 789., ml(* 1`&" :$6y(*
:V{x.X%X %+8= j+|X V84{X jy(* a V3w f#j&*
P&%Q(* $!, ;* <{xo, <489" 149, J 0& }(lIX
;* ]R> \*b>)(* !"# O%iG ."b%+~T* G\> p85
vg 149, DG 789, 0S 1,GG fj& 789, 0S 1,G :<L5
.*j&
789(* 0& 1xX#G 0yB# 1+e* :}(E p85 \%LX
H!I, J <485 :<489" 149, J ml(* D%9(* EF :145 6"
PY* :1_%e* %&# .<Q85 PB H!I, 1" :<( PB
U!8g -*b -%./ a }(E ji# %4/ .$@(# <( H!I.g
]&jxY* b*)Y* m!85 0" ;* )5 QY ),jS*
_.... .. ,.... .. ._.... ... ,..... ,,.." ]9X%(*
;* PB HF QB 0& JF jX 1_%e* "G <LQ" Q8X
.<L& J%B 0yB# 1_%e* H!I, *l_ p89X :)/ <Q85
_...,.... ....... ,..... ....., . ,..... _.... :1Qi }(l(G
"... ,.. ..
1+e* $w6L( %Lyo3# UjC H# 9, J *l_ 0I(
a p9y(* !_ -*!(* .-*!(* !_ <.48 V 1|3G
-!8&G >!&& <3T ;* %Rj& \%A."* 789(* 8
PijX 1/ 0& jo3 J!8X} :h%9C ;* O%i )2( .%5j~
P,d* :P"!.(* f>!g {0,)(* a *!+2o.Q( Po% 7+L&
8) :78gG <Q85 ;* p8Z ;* O!g> O%iG .
.(78y& 1/ p85 Px,jX 789(*
!") :#$%&'( )*+, -' .+/ -' 0123 045
6 789&' :;< !"( -4= >+9&' ?@ ?ABC 789&' 7*+5
!DE= 6" 49F4G !1HC 6 >+9&4F .(-4= 7IJ' ?@ ?ABC
!4%GK& )8+, LM9C 6 -'( .N49O( P34QO -'
-' R9QC) :>+2( )*+, -' .+/ 045 48< .)=S9*&
:01TC U V48+9&' R9QC U W@4*T&' #1C XY4Q9&' )G4ZQ2
L8+9& 6" >H*F L8+, ?[\ ] ^" _V48+9&' `a9@ 4C
bTF '1QcD' _>H=S,d >H*F L8+, ?[\ ]( _>H=
P`e& 04f $F ...., ,...., ... gh7< 4@ .(>H& i`Aj
.ak l@ 7;8< )+;@ m!" _789&' P`eC !\ WF4n >+9&'
op1C >m+9O l@ q`F .r8%&' Y4MsC 6 7+Q&'
.789&'
t$s&' )*+, .AMsu' 4BQ*Qv 015 r&D bCwC
6( )+Ix .+, yH%C !\ 7549+& LzQBC 6) :#$%&'(
!\ !4%G{' .+9F .()8+, .+, yH%C !\ ]49+&
_)O4[`@( N49O -' )x( V4ze=' >+9&' |+M& .9%C
045 48< _-' bB, 7c4J' l@ WQO3 >},\ ]49&' !d
:~ WC `@&' t312 C9&' )=4e< m7x( ,
. ....,...... ,......., ....,...... _......, _....- _....}
., .,..... _. _..... :.,. . .. .{,....,
...,..... _....., _...- _...}:.........= ..... _...
.... ........., ...... ,......, . ...,..... ,......,
.{,.,..
04@ 6( _7c4J' TC l@ : 7549&' l m!\ >+,'(
.7IJ' l@ >},\ WQ*s@ 6( 7T9&' l@ !1,\
l, Y`' >+9&' l@ : 7IJ' _01T&' W/$
4@ >+9&' l%v\ m!"( .-' Wv #+*2 )Gd )= 789&'
4TC` r+%G !\ 4B*+, LzQBC *Zs&4F .789&' ?@ !4<
)Q+ 4Be*G $E= r&D( _?F4B&' >+9&' )*F |+MC
_V4,b&4= 34;<{' 4B*+,( .)='1( )=`5( -' 4[3 7*B&
.?ABC 6 >+, l@ r= D1,\( 49F4G 8+, r&42\ " >I+&'
)B, -' L[3 |&4 \ l= L+, 01T= >ee\
:48}G
6 rG4ZQ2 .i44s&' )= >eO S&' - b8'
|O( _>*H' C9&' yG\ rG" 4Be8+, 4@ 6" 4B& >+,
.>*v`&' q'1e&' yG\ rG" 4B*+,
,,. ,t-|| :} } -.|| .. .}:| .,..| _. .,|| _t:
...-, ... .. ..| . .: .|.:| ,t-|| :} .t:.-|
|.,| ., .,- -. ,t-, .: ..,-| ,t-|| :| _.. ..||
journey of
an
ignorant
Ca n we
pray isya
together as a
f a m i l y
before I go?
l asked my dad as l rechecked my
bags before l deparL Lo sLudy
overseas. My faLher was always
Lhe cheery Lype. As predlcLed, he
exclLedly answered yes. As my
dad was reclung suppllcauon
aer our prayer, he choked and
shocklngly bursL lnLo Lears. Pe
covered hls face and sobbed. My
eyes couldn'L sLand Lhe slghL of
my dad crylng. l hugged my mom
and l broke down. 8efore l knew
lL, l could hear my slsLers
sobblng. l resLed my head on my
mom's chesL. l wanLed Lo sLay ln
her arms. She Lrled Lo calm me
down by sLroklng my head llke
every moLher would do when
her chlld ls crylng. She sllenLly
crled and held me ughLer.
1ears are words Lhe
hearL can'L say". My dad grabbed
and hugged me for a mlnuLe
before rushlng Lo Lhe LolleL.
l sLared aL Lhe glrl ln Lhe
ml r r or wl L h da r k c l r c l es
underneaLh her swollen eyes and
red nose. l looked horrlble. l was
supposed Lo look my besL buL l
guess my emouons goL Lhe besL
of me. l glanced aL my waLch and
lL was 9:08 pm. 1lme Lo leave.l
l e L h e h o u s e f e e l l n g
bluersweeL, lL was llke a wln-lose
slLuauon. l was Laklng a sLep
forward chaslng my dreams buL l
was also leavlng my loved ones
behlnd.
varlous klnds of emouons
surred when Lhe leader of our
group spoke Lhrough Lhe haller
Lo geL all Lhe groups Lo move ouL.
l held back my Lears as l hugged
my famlly and frlends for Lhe lasL
ume.
ls tbls wbot l woot? lm
leovloq my fomlly ooJ my ftleoJs
fot my Jteoms? ls tbls wbot l
bove beeo woluoq fot ovet tbe
yeots? l quesuoned myself even
aL Lhe very lasL mlnuLe.
Nurul Syamilah Suhaimi
"#$% &' %'( $)*+ ,' -'. /'01, -'23
my hearL sank when l heard my slsLers weeplng
as Lhey rubbed Lhelr Leary eyes. l couldn'L nd
any words LhaL could comforL Lhem excepL for a
very lasL warm hug. uesplLe our counLless
chlldlsh ghLs, Lhey were Lhe ones LhaL were
Lhere Lhrough my rlse and fall. l was noL sure
how my llfe would have been wlLhouL Lhem. 1he
lasL Lhlng l wanLed Lo see was my loved ones
crylng, especlally lf l was Lhe cause of Lhose
Lears. As hard as lL was for Lhem Lo see me leave,
lL was even harder Lo be Lhe one leavlng. l gave a
farewell klss on my mom's forehead as she held
my hands ughLly and remlnded me how proud
she was of me. l knew lL was ume Lo go, so l Look
a deep breaLh, pulled my luggage and le.
1he counLless enLerLalnmenL ln Lhe plane
drew my mlnd away from feellng sad agaln. l was
[oyful malnly because of Lhe company of close
frlends. We laughed LhroughouL Lhe [ourney.
l have always had a profound love for Lhe
vlew above Lhe sky. l love plane rldes especlally
when l geL Lhe wlndow seaL. 1here ls someLhlng
calmlng abouL a serene nlghL sky. uurlng Lhe day,
you could see uy clouds LhaL look llke whlLe
couon candles. lmaglne ylng over Lhem!
"4 560(,+7 ,' 8)0&60-9 :8+)7+ ;(<=8+ (:
%'(> 7+),;+8,793 Lhe sLewardess updaLed. We
lgnored her. We were amazed by how Calro
looked from Lhe sky. lL was oddly brown. l could
barely see paLches of green. lL was sLrange buL
breaLhLaklng.
uurlng orlenLauon, l lnlually felL exclLed
and eager buL Lhose feellngs melLed lnLo
lonellness, empuness. lL dld noL Lake long before
l reallzed LhaL l was feellng homeslck. LveryLhlng
was forelgn Lo me. l have never felL so lonely ln a
crowd. l was klnd of broken and my hearL was aL
lLs weakesL. l wanLed Lo express Lhls Lo someone
buL everyone was golng Lhrough Lhe exacL same
Lhlng. So my soluuon was Lo cry everyLhlng ouL. l
bawled my eyes ouL every nlghL before l wenL Lo
sleep and Lrled Lo noL geL caughL. lL was my
naLure Lo express my sadness, anger, confuslon
Lhrough crylng. l never Look my Lears as a slgn of
weakness. lL was more of a 'cleanslng
mechanlsm for Lhe hearL'. l needed someLhlng Lo
remlnd myself LhaL l was here for a reason. 1o
grab a hold on myself. 8y Lhe mercy of Allah
s.w.L, Pe remlnded me of a verse from hls holy
book of Curan
!"#"$%&'( )*+, !-.%/"0 '12 '345"6'7 "*
!"##$% '()*+,- ,./ $ 0+)-., '+1.,* 2%$/ %+
3$, '+$)45 67879:;
1hls led me Lo anoLher verse,
+8!"9": 2";+, +<2)=>2 "?"@%9": 'AB+C'D EA7+F"G H40+I"J H4K"9 L+:!"M+9 "N">"O"& 2";+,(
."8('='P%F"7 %Q'#)5"$"> H+R 2@'K+S%T'B%>"( H+> 2@'MB+U"V%."B%5"J
!<= >1 -+)?$,/- $-@ $'.(/ >+A < $> B,*++* ,+$)4
< )+-0.,* /. /%+ 3$## .= /%+ 3$##+) 2%+, %+ 3$##-
., >+5 678C9:;
l reallzed LhaL l was a person who falls Lo
nouce Cod's blesslngs. Pe susLalned me, Pe
cloLhed me, Pe forgave me buL l Lurn away and
dlsobey hlm and lnsLead obeyed Lhe ulumaLe
enemy by dwelllng Loo long ln Lhe dark.
8uL behlnd every cloud, Lhere ls a sllver
llnlng. All pralses Lo Allah, Lhe senlors were
lnsplrlng. 1hey gave us words of wlsdom and
counLless supporL llke Lhey were senL dlrecLly
from Allah Lo help us physlcally, emouonally and
splrlLually. 1hey remlnded us abouL our
lnLenuons, our dreams, our roles and shared
Lhelr counLless experlences belng here for 3, 4 or
maybe 6 years. WlLh Lhelr words, l regalned my
sLrengLh, my self-LrusL, and my condence.
School sLarLed a monLh laLer, l was dolng
well unul l began Lo lose momenLum. l sLarLed Lo
feel ured due Lo Lhe mornlng classes and sLacks
of schoolwork every day. l was exhausLed. l was
Loo ured Lo do anyLhlng, especlally house chores.
1lme managemenL ls by far my blggesL enemy. l
neglecLed everyLhlng. l complalned, grumbled
and whlned.
l once sald LhaL l mlss dolng homework
buL now lL seems llke a burden. l was loslng grlp
of everyLhlng. l mlss havlng food walung for me
when l reLurn from school. now l Lruly
appreclaLe how my mom had cooked dlnner
aer work every day wlLhouL fall and how my
slsLers had helped wlLh my laundry when l was
exhausLed from school. l felL llke l was ln my
mom's shoes, how ured she musL have felL from
work buL she dld noL resL unul she was done
wlLh her responslblllues. l wlsh l had helped
more wlLh Lhe house chores or even Look Lurns
Lo cook for Lhe famlly. unforLunaLely, l was
ungraLeful. l dlsregarded my parenLs' eorLs and
my slsLers' helplng hands. lL was llke karma for
me buL lL was Allah's way Lo remlnd me how l
had Look Lhlngs llghLly.
1he small Lhlngs LhaL we oen overlook
could be Lhe ones LhaL leave a huge lmpacL on
us. ConsLanLly we Lhlnk LhaL we are able Lo make
lL on our own when we acLually could noL. 1he
only reason we are survlvlng and sull breaLhlng ls
by Pls wlll. l was velled from seelng Pls blesslngs
unul lL was Laken away from me.
LveryLhlng LhaL l have been Lhrough has
become an eye-opener and has LaughL me LhaL
whenever one ls feellng slck, ured, emouonally
overwhelmed or even on cloud nlne, one musL
pray. WhaLever Lhe slLuauon one should always
pray.
3 monLhs felL llke a year. 1he Lhlngs l have
faced are lncomparable Lo whaL Lhose who have
been sLudylng overseas for more Lhan 3 years
have experlenced. lL ls boLh scary and exclung Lo
see whaL awalLs me ln Lhe fuLure. May Allah
bless Lhe hours, mlnuLes, and seconds LhaL we
have spenL seeklng Pls knowledge and may Pe
glve us Lhe sLrengLh Lo overcome whaLever Lhls
world has ln sLore for us. AoJ so my jootoey os
oo lqootoot, coouooes.
Author is an undergraduate at
the Arabic Language Centre,
Al-Azhar University
.!"#$ %&' (&)* +,-. :/0)1 2*345 676)*8 2509: ; !&<. 2"&$ =8 (&> ?@A 0,?"< %&' =8 B:C ?4*

!"#$ %&' DE (&$F 3G H5 IJKLM !"#$ %&' 2* N"* !&<. 2"&$ =8 (&> 2O"OP QF B:C ?R =8 QSM
.?":39*8 T4&P6U8 VW . Q- X#Y&5 ?":Z9*8 H[\5 T7]8 ^1Z1 !_ I (&$`Y&5

.!"#$ %&' (&$ 3aM I!&<. 2"&$ =8 (&> bc*8 %&' 8d[aM
The Calligrapher
Travelogue:
JERUSALEM
Thursday, 6 feb 2014 - Departure

I began my journey on Thursday night,
with two of my friends, Amin & Hatif. We
took the 7-hour bus ride from Cairo to
Sharm El-Sheikh, followed by another
bus ride from Sharm El-Sheikh to the
Taba border for 3 hours.
We then made our way to cross the
border after lunch. Excited as we were,
we came in prepared for the long wait
and the interrogations that lay ahead.
We spent al most 7 hours at the
immigration. Due to the long wait, we
missed the last bus from the immigration
going to Eilat Central Bus Station so we
decided to take a taxi for 50 shekels to
the bus station which had already
closed. We spent our night at the nearest
hostel.

The next morning, we booked the 2 p.m.
bus to Tel Aviv after which we decided to
take a short walk to look around the
area. Unfortunately, it was Sabbath and
most of the shops were closed.
We continued our journey to Tel Aviv for
5 hours and boarded another bus
towards Jerusalem for less than 40
minutes. We nally arrived at Jerusalem
around 8 p.m. We then took a tram to
our main destination: Old City. We
booked a room in a hostel then went out
to meet up with our fellow Singaporean
friends who were also spending their
holidays there. We had a warm dinner
with them before calling it a day. We
needed to get a good night sleep to
prepare for an early start the next day.
Journey to A Holy Land; A place full of history.
Travelogue and Photos | Imron Rushdie Tukiman Warji
Saturday, 8 Feb 2014 - Old City
5:00 am
We began the day by
performing Fajr prayer at
Al-Aqsa Mosque. Upon
arrival, I was mesmerized
b y t h e h i s t o r i c a l
architectural designs that
surrounded me. We spent
some time outside the
mosque, walking around
the court yard which faced
the Dome of Rock and
took some pictures.
8:00 am
We went back to the hostel for our
breakfast, and planned our activity for the
day. We began by visiting the Marwan
mosque underneath the Al-Aqsa, went into
the Dome of Rock and were amazed by
the miracle of the Foundation Stone. After
that we visited the two tombs of the
Sahabahs (Shaddad bin Aus and Ubadah
bin as-Somit). We headed back to our
hostel for some rest and lled ourselves
with snacks. Soon after, we visited the
Western Wall, the most sacred place for
the Jewish faith outside the Temple Mount
itself and had a closer look at the Jewish
form of prayer.
3:00 pm
Later that evening, we went to the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre, the place where
Christians believe Jesus of Nazareth was
crucied and buried. The church was
beautifully constructed where I managed
to witness the Christians form of prayer.
Sunday, 9 feb 2014 - Ramallah
9:00 am
After breakfast, we headed for Damascus
Gate (Bab el-Amud) that was near to a
small bus station located opposite the gate,
heading towards Ramallah. The bus took
about 2 hours to arrive at Ramallah, a
Palestinian territory, where Yaseer Arafats
tomb was located. We asked around for
directions to his mausoleum, paid respect to
the former President of Palestine and made
our way to Nablus. In Nablus, we took the
opportunity to indulge ourselves in a local
delicacy called Kunafeih, a cheesy pastry
soaked in sweet sugar-based syrup.
11:00 am
We took a cab to the Greek Orthodox St.
Photini Church at Bir Yaqub (Jacobs Well).
Took a few pictures and headed to Mount
Gerizim, one of the highest peaks in the
West Bank (881m above sea level). As we
reached the peak, we were greeted with a
breathtaking view of the entire town of
Nablus. Our driver got so excited to be there
for the rst time, he immediately called his
family. We saw ancient temples and old
villages. We spent some time taking
pictures before heading back to Jerusalem.
Monday, 10 feb 2014 - yehudian
8:00 am
We boarded a bus towards Tiberias, a city on the western
shore of the Sea of Galilee, Israel. We arrived at Tiberias
station at 10.30 a.m. and waited 2 hours for the bus that
will bring us to Yehudian Nature Reserve for some
trekking.
1:45 pm
We reached the nature reserve and met the ranger who
told us that we had only an hour left before they closed the
trail. We dashed and followed the red mark, surrounded by
green mountains with excitement and anticipation of
adventure owing through our veins. As we went down the
steep slope, we were awed by the beauty and
magnicence of nature.
2:30 pm
We stumbled upon a waterfall, and took a swim without
thinking that it was a crazy thing to do during the cold
season. Seconds after we took a dive, the shivers and
numbs began. It was the craziest thing we had done by far
and the most adventurous! We got back to the rangers
station in time and got into the bus back to Tiberias.
5:00 pm
We spent our evening at the Sea of Galilee before
returning to Jerusalem later in the night. We spent a few
hours at a Coffee Bean outlet near Jaffar Street in Old City
and talked about our adventurous day.
Tuesday, 11 feb 2014 - Mount of Olives
5:00 am
We decided to stay at Old City and spend
most of our day at Al-Aqsa. We were at
peace by the calmness that surrounded us.
Religious classes were conducted, people
could be seen discussing ideas, praying,
reciting the Quran, whilst others simply
lounged around in the house of God. It was
absolute serenity.
9:00 am
We made our way to King Davids tomb via
Zion Gate which also led us to the room of
The Last Supper. There were stained-glass
windows with Arabic inscriptions, mihrab and
Arabic plaques on the wall. Afterwards, we
went to Mount Olives, where we visited the
Chapel of the Ascension from where Jesus
was believed to ascend to Heaven. There, we
went to visit the tomb of one of Prophet
Muhammads companions, Salman Al-Farisi.
3:00 pm
An old man we met along the way invited us
to his house for a cup of tea. He is a
peacemaker for Palestine and is known
almost everywhere around the world. His
name is Ibrahim Abu el-Hawa, the Bedouin
Host of Mount Olives. He shared stories with
us about his travels and experiences around
the world. His right hand man who was from
Texas, served us a delicious lunch and
brought us to the rooftop which had a
spectacular view of the Dead Sea, the
Separation Wall and Jordan. We thanked
them for their hospitality and made our way to
Church of the Sepulchre of Saint Mary, also
known as the Tomb of the Virgin Mary.
6:00 pm
We went back to the hostel, packed most of
our things for the next days trip back to the
border. We had our last walk around the area
at night, and went to bed early.
Wednesday, 12 feb 2014 - Egypt
9:00 am
Our last Fajr prayer was at Al-Aqsa.
We took time after prayer to capture
our last moments there. We even
listened in on a group having Quran
lessons. We sat there and thought of
going back someday. We made our
way back to the hostel for breakfast,
before going to the market for some
last minute shopping. We left our
footsteps of beautiful memories at
Jerusalem as we head back to Egypt
with hopes to return.
I am blessed to have the chance to travel to Jerusalem
and a few other places in Israel & Palestine. It was a
new world out there where we learnt that language
was important. The people were friendly, the Arabic
spoken there was different from that of Egypt.
To those who have been listening to stories about the
beauty of Jerusalem, you will be amazed when you get
to see it with your own eyes.
Author is a second year
undergraduate at the
Faculty of Islamic Theology,
Al-Azhar University
AQI DAH
T A U H I D
&
Muhd Irfan Jumadi
"Agama bukan kebenaran
Bahkan ia suatu penipuan
Digunakan segelintir golongan#
Untuk kaup keuntungan!"

Bukankah itu sejenis tuduhan

Yang seringkali dilontarkan
Ke atas para Anbiya'
Di zaman dahulu kala?

"Bukanlah aku minta ganjaran

Melainkan hanya dari Tuhan
Maka berkirlah kalian"
Berkata Hud ('alaihissalam) yang
menyampaikan
Kebenaran dari Ar-Rahman.

Wahai rakan,
Tabahkan dalam dirimu keimanan,
Tabahkan dalam dirimu kepercayaan,
Bahwa wujudnya satu Al-Mannan
Bahwa amalan kita akhirnya dihisabkan
Di hari tiada pertolongan
Di hari tiada perlindungan
Di hari tiada teduhan
Di hari tiada naungan
Tiada seorang peguampun
Pertahankan dirinya sekalipun
Di hari tiada teduhan......

MELAINKAN
Tujuh golongan yang dijanjikan
Kepada mereka perlindungan
Pemimpin penuh keadilan,
Pemuda dibesarkan dengan kebiasaan
Beribadah kepada Al-Hannan,
Insan hatinya terpaut#
Dengan tempat ibadat,
Dua orang sahabat
Bertemu dan bepisah
Kerana Allah Jua,
Seorang insan yang digoda
Oleh seorang yang rupawan
Berkatalah ia
"Aku takut akan Dia!",
Penderma yang niatnya diikhlaskan
Tidaklah ia mengharapkan ganjaran
Dari yang diberi pertolongan
Melainkan dari Yang Memberi Pertolongan,
Hamba yang air matanya dititiskan
Dalam mengingati Tuhan
Sedang dirinya dalam kesunyian.

Itulah pesanan Al-Amin Abu Abdullah#

(Ke atasnya selawat dan salam Allah)
Kepada Sekalian Ummah
Maka berkir-kirlah kalian semua
Sering berkirlah dalam perkara manfaah
Bukan dalam perkara darurah.

Berkir-kirlah#
Dengan akal anugerah
Dari Yang Maha Mencipta
Agar kita lebih mengenal-Nya
Lebih dekat kepada-Nya
Bukan jauh dariNya
Bukan kufur akanNya.

"Aku gunakan akal kiran

Sebab itu aku mendustakan#
Apa yang telah diajarkan!
Kerana apa yang disampaikan
Sungguh ketinggalan zaman!"

Dikau mengatakan
Alam tidak dinamakan alam
Kecuali ia punyai alamat yang mendalam
Dunia tidak dinamakan dunia
Kecuali kerana ia terbawah dan terhina.
Iman dan hidayah
Daripada Allah lah jua
Dia memberikan dan menghilangkan
Dan mengembalikan kepada insan.

Abu Talib pakcik Baginda

Yang seringkali mempertahankannya
Dalam meperkembangkan risalah Allah
Tetapi malang sekali bagi dirinya
Kerana tidak tersampainya hidayah.

Omar al-Khattab pahlawan Makkah

Yang digeruni Muslimin yang lemah
Akhirnya dilembutkan hatinya
Pabila dibaca kepadanya Surah Ta Ha
Menerima Islam dan tiada yang menyangka!

Wahai rakan
renungkanlah
Wahai rakan
saksikanlah
Langit, bumi dan
segala ciptaan
Juga malam dan siang
yang bergantian
Bukankah itu alamat
yang kelihatan
Yang telah disediakan
Tuhan
Untuk orang-orang
yang berkiran?
Marilah sahabat sekalian
Kita menadah tangan
Meminta kepada Ar-Rahman
Agar hati kita dikuatkan
Dalam menempuh segala cobaan
Dalam menempuh segala dugaan
Agar iman kita ditetapkan
Agar diri kita dijauhkan
Dari sebarang godaan syaitan
Yang berbekalkan kewaswasan
Agar kita semua ditunjukkan
Jalan yang tidak berpesongan
Yang dilalui para golongan
Golongan yang ditimpa kemarahan Tuhan
Kerana ingkar akan segala suruhan
Juga golongan yang menyesatkan
Sedang mereka sendiri dalam kesesatan.

Maka kabulkanlah Ya Allah
Permintaan kami yang hina lagi lemah
Kerana Engkau wahai Zar-Rahmah
Punyai kemutlakan keinginan dan kuasa
Ke atas kami semua
Kerana Engkaulah Yang Memberi Manfaah
Tidaklah sampai kepada kami manfaah
Kecuali dengan izinMu jua
Juga Engkaulah Yang Mewujudkan Darurah
Tidaklah sampai kepada kami darurah
Kecuali dengan izinMu jua
Maka jauhkan kami dari segala darurah
Dan penuhi kehidupan kami dengan manfaah
Maka kabulkanlah Ya Allah
Permintaan kami yang hina lagi lemah
Kerana Engkau wahai Zar-Rahmah
Punyai kemutlakan keinginan dan kuasa
Ke atas kami semua.........
MAN
of
GOD
Syed Muhammad Alkaff
!"#$% '($)*)+, the sun
woulu iise, giving life to countless
oiganisms 1Su million kilometies
away. It woulu continue to uo so eveiy
moining, without a choice. Eveiy uay,
t he cl ouus woul u poui uown
somewheie on this planet, giving life
to countless oiganisms with each
uiop. Rain falls eveiy uay, without a
choice. Eveiy moment, oxygen is
ieleaseu by plants aiounu the woilu,
giving life to countless cieatuies with
each bieath. Photosynthesis occuis
continuously, without a choice.

So much goou uone by these
cieations, all without any choice.
Imagine if Nan coulu only uo goou,
without any othei choice. Imagine the
kinu of woilu that coulu be.

Alas, such excessive iuealism
woulu not seive well sometimes. The
ieality of this woilu stanus in contiast
with such iueas. A ieality in which
injustice anu coiiuption thiive. Wheie
the stiong sit on the back of the weak.
The iich thiow away foou, while the
pooi st ai ve. The gui l t y wal k
unpunisheu, while the innocent suffei.
A woil u wheie a l i f est yl e of
shamelessness is so iewaiuing, that
chiluien of touay have come to
celebiate its exponents anu iuolise
them.

Aftei thousanus of yeais of living
togethei, builuing communities anu
civilisations, one woulu think that, by
now, mankinu woulu have leaint to be
a piogiessive, piouuctive iace.
0nfoitunately, the opposite is tiue, as
i s evi uent f iom what we see
eveiywheie. Aie we inheiently self-
ues t i uc t i ve. Was t he angel s '
uesciiption of us an inescapable
natuie.

!"#$ &'(#)*+#, - ./01''1$2,
30(# 4+/5 6+5$ 71*$ )+ )0( 1#8(97,
:;#$(($, ; 3*99 '1<( /=+# )0( (15)0 1
7/>>(77*?( 1/)0+5*)4@: A0(4 71*$, :B*99
C+/ =91>( /=+# *) +#( 30+ >1/7(7
>+55/=)*+# )0(5(*# 1#$ 70($7 D9++$,
30*9( 3( $(>915( C+/5 =51*7( 1#$
71#>)*E4 C+/F: "9910 71*$, :;#$(($, ;
<#+3 )01) 30*>0 4+/ $+ #+) <#+3@:G
"9HI1J1510K LM
T r u l y , h e w a s a m a n o f G o d

Is theie no goou left in this woilu.
Woe betiue us if this was the case, foi
the Last Bay woulu then be upon us.
Nankinu is uying, poisoning itself
fiom the insiue. In this houi of
uaikness, how will we suivive.
Whence uo we finu salvation.

Rejoice! Look aiounu you. Rays
of light still pieice thiough the black of
the night, pushing back against the
uaikness. Like stais in the night sky,
guiuing us, saving us. Wheie is this
light coming fiom, you ask. Fiom men,
tiuly. These men aie holuing out theii
hanus foi mankinu, tiying to save us
fiom falling into the abyss. What kinu
of men aie they.

The kinu who, given a choice,
will always uo the iight thing.
They know naught but to uo
goou in this woilu. They call to
Tiuth while people tuin away
fiom it. They biing benefit when
otheis cause haim. Builu, insteau of
uestioy. They live anu bieathe to seive
not themselves, but otheis aiounu
them. Anu above all, they seive anu
seek the pleasuie of the 0ne anu only
uou. Allah.

A0(7( 15( )0( '(# +E N+$@ Seek
them, foi they walk the path of
salvation.

You can finu them easily. You just
neeu to know wheie to look. They
coulu be founu among the pooi anu
the iich. }ust look foi the ones who
give moie than they take. They coulu
be stiong oi weak. But they woulu
always be the fiist to help those in
neeu. You might finu them among the
oppiesseu, but nevei the oppiessois.
They act justly even if they suffei as a
consequence.

Theii tongues, goveineu by an
integiity that has nevei been staineu
by bioken piomises oi violateu oaths,
speak only kinu woius anu nothing
but that which is tiue. Theii speeches
aie ieflections of what is within them,
puie heaits anu iighteous souls.

Is there no hope left for us?
the essentiality of living a life of
honoui. It might even be saiu that it
was a coue of conuuct among
humanity as a whole. Touay, howevei,
we often heai the woiu useu in jest.
veiy few left on this Eaith who ieally
embiace that way of life; to uo the
iight thing even when no one is
looking because you answei to
youiself anu to uou, to have meicy on
all cieatuies, to feeu the hungiy anu
tieat the sick, to iegaiu all human
being as equal, to not lay hanus on
those weakei than you, to not take
that which uoes not belong to you, to
be accountable foi youi own mistakes.

It is sau that the biggei pait of society
touay have foigotten these univeisal
moials. Bay by uay, we steei fuithei
away fiom viitues that shoulu have
been set in stone within us.

Bow can we call ouiselves goou
people when we cannot finu goou
values in ouiselves. Peihaps what has
been foigotten can still be ieleaint. We
neeu to look foi those hanuful few
who still embouy the spiiit of goou.
Seek them to finu what has been lost.


L e a i n
fiom them.
Piact i ce i t .
Live it. !" $"% &'
(&)*

Be one who obeys uou completely,
sinceiely. uive youiself to Bim anu not
to this tiansient woilu. Leain what
neeus to be leaint anu piactice it.
Woik haiu foi self-uevelopment,
euucation anu cultuie. Bave the
couiage to uo what is iight even in the
face of opposition. Stanu stiong
against challenges anu uifficulties.
Expanu youi minu anu stiive to
unueistanu youiself, the woilu anu
the beyonu. Bave high aspiiations anu
stanuaius of excellence. Be thankful
foi the goou things you have anu be
giateful foi the bau things which you
uo not.
Perhaps people today have forgotten
Live life in a way that woulu
please uou the Almighty. Be the
embouiment of justice, love anu
meicy on eaith, foi those aie
what we hope foi fiom Allah.
Let not what otheis say about
you be a hinuiance in youi
jouiney. Live life in a way that
aftei you pass fiom this woilu,
people woulu iemembei you
anu say,
!"#$%&' )* +,- , .,/ 01 20345
Bo not look uown on otheis.
uuaiu youi tongue against false anu
evil speech.
Lowei youi gaze fiom looking at
foibiuuen things.
Take caie of youi health anu wealth foi
you aie entiusteu with them by Allah.
Live amongst people in such a mannei
that if you aie absent, they long foi youi
company anu if you uie, they weep ovei
you.
Fulfil youi iesponsibilities to youiself,
youi family, youi community anu most of
all, to Allah anu his Nessengei.
Author is a fourth year undergraduate
at the Faculty of Islamic Theology,
Al-Azhar University
This verse was particularly chosen by the calligrapher to highlight an important
aspect (well-established amongst the core tenets of islamic ethics) in calling
people to the deen; to call with Basirah which means insightful judgement.
being ignorant
is not so much a shame as
being unwilling to
L E A R N
Benjamin Franklin
photo: souvik maitra
Quote shared by:
Nurul Adibah Mohd Yusoff
Year 1
Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence
Al-Azhar University
3
OurVoicesContributors
34-35
Calligraphy
Book Reviews
Maktabah Unit
of PERKEMAS
16, 109
26, 84
Atii Qah Bte Suhaimi
Year 4
Faculty of Islamic Theology
Al-Azhar University
Muhd Alawi Bin Ahmad Shamsuddin
Year 2
Faculty of Islamic Theology
Al-Azhar University
Graphics/Illustrations/Posters
36, 72, 73, 80,
85, 103, 112
8, 47, 114
Muzhaffar Khalis Bin Razali
Year 1
Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence
Al-Azhar University
Muhd Irfan Bin Jumadi (OVs Ofcial Illustrator)
Year 2
Faculty of Islamic Theology
Al-Azhar University
Nur Hidayah Mohammad Ismail
Year 2
Faculty of Islamic Theology
Al-Azhar University
Instazhariy
44-46
Multimedia Unit
of PERKEMAS
Photos
33, 57
Others
24-25
Muhd Irfan Bin Jumadi
Year 2
Faculty of Islamic Theology
Al-Azhar University
& Muhd Faizuddin Bin Fauzan
Year 1
Faculty of Islamic Jurisprudence
Al-Azhar University
63-71
Muhd Abdul Mateen Bin Hisham
Year 1
Faculty of Islamic Theology
Al-Azhar University
74-75
Muhd Ash Shiddique Bin Abdul Jalil
Year 2
Faculty of Islamic Theology
Al-Azhar University
100-102
Muhd Irfan Bin Jumadi
Year 2
Faculty of Islamic Theology
Al-Azhar University
Unaccredited photos belong
to their respective owners. No
copyright infringement is
intended. This publication is
not for commercial purpose.
OOIOCI u| \O|C Om v|O lmO||
R E S E A R C H
PERKEMAS
research.perkemas@gmail.com
t
a
s
t
e
d

t
h
e

b
i
t
t
e
r
n
e
s
s

o
f
L
E
A
R
N
-

I
N
G
f
o
r

a
n

h
o
u
r
w
i
l
l

g
u
l
p

t
h
e

h
u
m
i
l
i
a
t
i
o
n

o
f

I
G
N
O
-

R
A
N
C
E
f
o
r

e
t
e
r
n
i
t
y
H
e

w
h
o

h
a
s

n
o
t
A
l
-
I
m
a
m

A
s
h
-
s
h
a
f
i

e
e