The Crisis of Modern Consciousness

Semalam, 28 Mac 2010 saya dan Nadiah telah menghadiri Workshop 'The Crisis of Modern Consciousness' anjuran bersama HAKIM, ABIM dan Fajr Symphony. Alhamdulillah, niat saya yang begitu beria-ia hendak pergi mendengar syarahan Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad tercapai, malah dapat juga ditemani Nadiah. Thank you dear. Kami pergi ke sana dihantar pagi-pagi lagi oleh Mama. Terima kasih Mama.

Antara isi-isi syarahan beliau yang dapat saya catatkan:

• According to BBC, humans are less happy now than 50 years ago.
• Women were happier then than now
• Values such as self-esteem, security, optimism, sense of hope have been down in UK since 1950's
• These are the values that secularism can't really supply
• Humans are exposed to many kind of technological advancements
• But they are not more happy because of it : technology are just distractions and modern world is a world of distractions
• A story by Maulana Rumi - about a baby that can't stop crying, and not satisfied with every food offered
• We are all holding a crying baby in our arm, human soul that is crying out for authentic nourishment
  
• The soul is not satisfied with bits and pieces e.g : technology
• Zikrullah - milk the crying baby needs

• What is a moderate muslim? - If u believe in materialism and Darwinism but at the same time believe in Qur'an & Sunnah, there will be a crisis in spirituality
• Technology - are just toys and tools, we should pay no heed to them
• Intelligent muslim sense an estrangement with duniya
• Grip with akhirat - there's enough for everybody
• Grip with duniya - envy, because resources are finite
• State of joy comes from intimacy with akhirat

• History of human is cyclical
• Believers must always be in a state of optimism; pessimism -> despair -> kufur
• Certain shafts of lights are visible
• Study of quantum mechanics - future already exist (I wish I know more about this subject. Fascinating stuffs!)
  
• Time is no longer what it seems to be
• Reaffirm the concept of qada' and qadar
• Our view of reality now : far more dynamic, slippery

• On 'self', modern world view : self is glorious, can do extraordinary things. e.g : be yourself, challenge yourself
• But no single entity of self : consciousness -> collection of memories? (a bit lost here)
• We are not really what we thought we are, no linear continuity of thoughts
• What is self?

• There's a collapse of ethics, rise of communism, totalitarianism
• Modern world, inharmonious, paradox, focus on materialism but also try to fight for universal human rights
• Religion have more to offer now than what it did previous years ago

• Imam Ghazali, when confronted with hedonism : e.g - modern world, we must see what we can use
• But a spiritual soul must be inside in order for us to see what is usable, what is forgery (like a money changer)
• How do we get the wisdom? It is right of believers
  
• Someone with wisdom, firasat, intuition can know and differentiate belongingness to term of Allah's rule
• But human consciousness can be polluted with envy, ego, nafs
• Ugliest manifestation of religion comes when driven by ego, frustration, trauma, envy, rage rather than spiritual
• Example, distortion of Jihad, ends in destruction
• To be in the middle - hardest path to be
• Sirratul Mustaqim - hardest place to be
  

• Quality of believer is having awareness that we are just passing through
• Human's soul is not from this world, but from a divine world
• Our true home is the heaven
• We must set a boundary from free-fleeting wandererness, pray for hikmah
  
• People with wisdom restrain themselves
  

Pada sesi petangnya, Shaykh Seraj Hendricks pula memperkatakan tentang identiti Muslim, tetapi ketika ini saya sedang 'gila-gila' menahan mengantuk maka hanya beberapa perkara saja dapat saya fahami.


Usai workshop, kami berjalan ke Stesen Keretapi Kuala Lumpur, sambil menangkap gambar-gambar seperti pelancong. Kami menaiki komuter ke Subang Jaya, makan malam di Subang Parade dan pulang diambil Mama (terima kasih lagi Mama).

InsyaAllah saya akan berusaha untuk ke majlis-majlis ilmu sebegini lagi di masa akan datang. Ucapan tahniah kepada pihak penganjur yang berjaya menganjurkan program syarahan yang sangat bermanfaat.