Sunday, September 23, 2012

Beyond the Veil

Yesterday me, Mama and Nadiah went to a speak by Syaikh Abdal Hakim Murad at IIUM titled "Beyond the Veil: Seeing New Realities in Islam". I attended a workshop by him before so I really wanted to attend this one too. Alhamdulillah Allah allowed me to.


We were a bit late and the lecture already started by the time we made our way to the lecture hall. Not able to hear the preface/introduction (or even aware the summary of what the talk was about) I was a bit confused and it wasn't after some time I started writing down.

But now that I look back at my notes I realize how insufficient, incomplete they are and writing them here will do no justice for Syaikh's lecture. There were times where I just stopped writing and just let his words soak in, times that I just have to look at Nadiah's face and saying yesyesyes with my face. Also there were moments when I feel stabbed one time, two times, many times especially when he was talking about human's obsession with shopping (and I just got back from a round of shopping with Rahah).


Basically his lecture was about how Muslims should oppose how the world is going now, which is a religion of consumerism, flocking shopping malls in order to buy stuffs (ouch), a lifestyle that is totally unsustainable. The rest of humanity is marching to somewhere really different, and this process of profiteering results in environmental destruction. Muslims don't accept that humanity are only here just to do shopping. We must be dissidents.

In regards to what is happening to Islam right now, instead of feeling despair and thinking that Islam is in crisis we should remind ourselves that things are really not bad. For example there is nothing like Ramadan in other religion, everyday billions of Muslims face Mecca for qiblah, our ibadah and rituals have been preserved which is a major achievement not of our own but because of the grace of Allah. Thus, we should always say "Alhamdulillah", "Thank you Allah".


We are freaking out so often because we are paranoid. Thinking that we are being attacked, that people are conspiring against us is paranoia. That was how the Munafiqeen felt and not the great Companions in Rasulullah's time. For the Sahabahs the conviction that "Hasbunallah wa ni'mal-Wakeel", "Allah Is Enough for me" carried them through.

Adding the collection of books I bought but haven't read

I feel really blessed with the chance to attend this lecture. While Mama told me that she thought Prof Tariq Ramadan's lecture we attended before was better I personally feel I enjoyed this one more. Mama said she already knows most of what Syaikh lectured, they are what a lot of Ustaz in Malaysia already talked about. I guess I just need a Mat Salleh from Cambridge with the most beautiful spoken words (like reading a book) driving home all these wisdom that we probably know but never ponder upon before, nodding yesyesyes hoping these words straight to my heart stay there.

No comments: