Maria Elena: when will it stop?

Maria Elena: when will it stop?: yes, i know.. Allah SWT uji kita ikut keupayaan kita. "Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: "We bel...

This reminded me of my late grandma, who passed away 100 days ago...

Tadi makan satay goreng resepi maggi kt TV tu dengan sayur masak lemak putih..Fav dish che prnah masak...Teringin ketupat kerisik che.

Semalam makan jala mas, buah tanjung, telur itik...

In about 9 days, we won't be gong back to kampung..I'll be spending my raya..working

I missed you, che. Al-Fatihah

Dakwah. The art of touching people's heart, the right way.

"Are you kidding me? I'm not the kind that have what it takes to give dakwah la".

"I hate being preached, so why should I preach others? Come on, save me your blabbering" 

"Let the experts do it, you can't give dakwah without enough knowledge". 

"I don't have the time for that. I'm busy with my study and my career. Maybe later" 

Honestly, the same excuses were in my head too.  But those are what they are- EXCUSES

So wth I write this? Let's see the REASONS as to why I still do this

1-Dakwah is an invitation and a summon (searched on wikipedia), to both Muslim and non-Muslim. An invitation for us to learn the beauty of the deen. A summon to get us back on the right track.  

2-I'm simply obeying Allah and following The Prophet Muhammad to practice 'amar maaruf, nahi mungkar' (which simply means 'striving for deeds/enjoining what's right, preventing sins/forbidding what's wrong'). That's the reason as to why dakwah is crucial.

3-I'm not counting on the result of the dakwah, whether it falls on deaf ears or not. That's a bonus. Because in the end, it's up to that person to do something for oneself. As far as I do it with sincere intentions wholeheartedly and using the right method, I've done my obligations to my deen.

4-I actually reminding myself when I give an advice to others. For example, the issue of wearing hijab, controlling own temper etc.

5-I perceive the act of pointing out what's right and giving advice, (based on my own observations & knowledge) as my own way of dakwah. Thus, I accept the fact that I may be wrong in giving facts due to my weakness, mistakes and inadequate knowledge. Well, learning is a process of life, right

6-I love positive-rational-educational-civilized debates. Well, I sorta feel intrigued about this good thing (dakwah thru debates) good people do (which I wasn't, and am not, really!) when I stumbled upon a debate in the comments of a Youtube video about a telephone call that made a Father..speechless.

7-I'd like to believe that The Great One granted us this responsibility to lead and be khalifah of Allah on this world. The Most Merciful One bestowed us this opportunity to gain dunya rewards (prosperity, calmness, self-improvement etc) and the Hereafter rewards (pahala).

Oh, yeah if you want some other points to crush your inner devil, just check this out

The CONCEPT of dakwah (and Islam as a whole) is interpreted as an irritating forceful act of extremists, especially among non-Muslims, and not excluding Muslims too. One might say that it is because they are still not exposed to the real concept of dakwah, being bombarded by media over the years. One might also say that it is because of our own faulty methods, for making them interpret it that way, with varying degree (The demonstrations,  bombings, and wars happened due to more complicated reasons.) 

'To give dakwah/dawah/da'wah' (or whatever spelling it may be used) can be associated with 'to preach'. From my understanding, 'to advice for the better' is also a way to dakwah. Both words are of the similar verb, but different cultural connotations; I use the word 'dakwah' which is usually related to Islam, while 'preach' to other religions (I guess). And people thesedays dislike (that's the softest word I can imagine) the preaching, me included yo! Heh, I'm  still trying to handle that.

The commands to give dakwah is already been given, in complete set with rules, regulations and examples, from Quran and Hadiths of course. An-Nahl 16:125 and Al-Imran 3:159 are simple evidences as to the reasons why dakwah is an art and a skill itself; why acknowledged scholars, professors, and leaders read Quran and implement this themselves. Basically, there are 3 Methods that the Prophet Muhamad S.A.W used and passed for us: (lengthy explanation in this link)

1.Kindness

Dakwah means an invitation, as gently as it sounds. Dakwah was never a harsh forceful interactions. For example, Allah commanded Prophet Musa (Moses) and his brother, Prophet Harun (Aaron) to approach Firaun (Pharaoh) with soft approach, as in At-Taha 20:43-44. Here, you can see how the Pharaoh, well-known in the history of villains (simply put), still being treated in a good way. So, why there are some of us judged non-muslims and 'bad' Muslims and think them as lowly creatures? Pardon my languages, but I know what it feels like to be stared and gazed like I'm one. 

Dakwah also require steadfast patience, self-restraint and firm determination. No matter how much you struggle against the hostility of reaction, argument or abuse, you must 'keep calm and do it'. Even Allah commands His Beloved Prophet Muhamad to practice patience. Loads of proof can be seen if you searched in Quran, how Prophet Muhamad too, struggle (because he faced the hardest challenges) and seek the help from Allah. Yeah, how about we start looking and analyzing the direct source the Quran ourselves eh. :)

Btw, sincerity comes together with love, sympathy, and empathy. If we were asked why must we give dakwah to others, will our first instinct goes along the line of "Because I want to enter heaven with others"? 

2.Wisdom

Sometimes, people need the 'wake-up call' within themselves, which only can be triggered by a creative and critical thinking. Plus, that defines the truth of Islam, among other religions. For example, 

-'hikmah' granted by Allah, such as in the case of Prophet Yusuf in prison when two prisoners asked him to interpret their dreams (check out Yusuf 12:35-41).

-analogies like the analogy of hijab (I'm not much in favor of the candy one, much less the toilet one.  Filthy image isn't gonna attract women attention much. The analogy about diamond in glass box and her analogy about peacock is more pleasant). 

-debates like this Q&A session (but it's in Malay language, if you need help, I'll be honored to translated it for you. ^_^)

-blogs like the respected Dr. Muhaya's, SuhaibWebb's my fav, visual Teme's

-vids like this Aiman Azlan's and Mat Luthfi's

-books like Beduk Diketuk – Ustaz Pahrol Mohamad Juoi

3 Exemplar

Have you ever seen a millionaire, and you start to have the urge to be even a bit richer at that moment? The same goes in showing an exemplary attitude and henceforth the beauty of our deen. How? Briefly, we ought to

(a)Strengthen own aqidah/iman (belief). Never think your aqidah is firm enough. Never. Escpecially we who were born with Islam, unlike muallafs (our new brothers and sisters). We inherit Islam, they discover it. Perhaps we should find the catalyst that touched their heart to accept Islam at the first place.

(b)Improve own self. Follow and implement the way of our Rasulullah S.A.W live in our own daily life. Read the Hadiths and the biography written  The core values, the communication skills, the leadership skills etc. Actually, when the essence values are cultivated, every other skill will come 

(c)Evaluate own progress. Ibadah (worship)whether both wajib and sunnah. Delete hesitation. Insert khusyuk. Get your niat (intention) right

(d)Use own brain, think more. Muhasabah (self-reflection) while studying and analyzing (not merely reading) Quran and Hadith, seeing the wonders of nature and His creation, being reminded of the death and the supply for that day. (However, don't get depressed, the reminder is simply for us to not overindulge in dunya and appreciate every moment we live, for Him)

I know, this post is rather...disturbing..unsuitable..laughable since it comes from me (yeah, I'm the same girl who did the crazy stunt harlem & gwiyomi )..just forget the person who wrote this (well, it's a mash-up of thing searched anyway), listen to the message. ^_^ (this is my smiling face, for those who still didn't know. hihi)

PS: I spent the whole day doing this post. much I learnt. hoping to learn more, so do tell me if I'm mistaken or any add-ups. TQ for spending your time reading this lengthy post, (and I've already cut a lot of my rants!) it was supposed to be brief...sorry for that :'(