How to achieve success as a Muslim nowadays?

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam,

I received the following questions from one of my readers recently in this article. Answering those questions ought to be in depth and in detail, hence this article dedicated towards answering just the questions he or she posed?

Anomie68 asked :

1. How to strive to make this thing happen sir?

2. Can you elaborate so that we can take actions now?

3. We need practical solutions or actions toward achieving the goal like, who should we vote, should we join PERKASA, or who should we support, BN or PR?

4. Should we form a body like AL-ARQAM did?

I believe people like AL-ARQAM knew Rasullulah had prophesied AL-MAHDI will come at end of time, so they strived to make it a reality. They failed but may their efforts be rewarded.

The prophet also prophesied that AL-AQSA would fall into Muslim hand. Many had tried to make it reality but at end Salahuddin Al Ayubbi did it.

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My answers :

Well, for starters, we need to improve our knowledge of Al Islam and put such `Ilm to practice within our life and that of our immediate family members and relatives.

We need to profess our faith to the letter and follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam precisely as he has advised us to follow.

Many of our Ummah today fail to even understand the reasons behind even every act of ibadah that is part and parcel of our daily Muslim spiritual practices and fail to know the meanings behind even the basic Surah’s that we recite in our solat and dhikrs.

There are many who do not know why we need to pray?

Why our solats are important to our wellbeing, both in body and our soul?

Failure to conceive the meanings of our religious practices leaves an empty void in our inner self which results in detachment from that ibadah and failure to connect to the essence of such prayers and acts of worship.

The importance of solat is very much neglected by most Muslims who live a modern lifestyle and aping the decadent values of the current Western way of life. A majority of Muslims in major cities here in our country live their life’s no different from those who are Kaffirs.

There are many who do not even know how to pray?

This is evident when we see some of them who are caught in a situation where they are asked to be the imam if they are forced by their friends to follow them to the surau or masjid to balk or refuse to lead such prayers and will be very adamant in asking others to do so.

This is the reality where I have personally witnessed many such instances in many surau’s especially those at city centres like Suria KLCC, etc.

This is the very first thing we need to address. The importance of knowing the procedures and meanings of our acts of ibadah. Every thing else is secondary. The solat will be the very first thing that will be asked of us when we are dead and buried. It is our soul @ Ruuh that will be asked these questions by the Malaikats of the Qubr @ Sayyidina Munkar and Naqir Alaihis Salam’s.

This is the reality of Al Islam.

The solat @ prayer is the catalyst to our state of being both here in this life and in the hereafter. Anyone of us who shirks our solat will be raised in the hereafter as the losers and stand to receive our apt punishment which is the blazing Hellfire. There are stages of Hellfire in accordance to the levels of our sins that we have committed here during our life on Earth.

On the other hand, Allah the Almighty has prepared various levels of Jannah @ Paradise for those of us who merit such reward if we fulfil our obligations as true practicing sincere Muslims in the real sense and put to practice what our faith of Al Islam requires of us?

Living in these End Times requires us to be much more committed in our Deen @ Way of life. We can’t take for granted that just because we claim to profess Al Islam, we will be amongst those who get to enter Jannah just like that?

No sirree! There are things that we must do and to do so with knowledge. We can’t be like the parrots which imitate anything that they are prone to hear and repeat the same without understanding exactly whatever it is that they articulate?

How many of the Muslims of today know the true meanings of whatever it is that we recite in our prayers and do’as?

We are not native Arabic speakers. We are Malaysians and each of us is raised differently according to our lineage and circumstances.

I grew up in a Malay kampong and was able to attend Quranic classes in my childhood but then wasn’t enrolled in a Madrassa or religious school or college.

Whatever ‘Ilm that I have come to learn about and put to practice has been what I learned in my adulthood by attending various religious classes in the surau’s, masjids and other places of learning?

I consult my many religious teachers and scholars on whatever I need more in depth information about and also do my own studies and research on the many subjects or issues that I find worth finding about?

I did venture into the realm of the Tariqah’s and world of Sufism for many years. I found out that there were some who were sincere in imparting spiritual knowledge to the students and some who were deviating from the source @ Sunnah of the Prophet Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam.

Usually the Mursyids are not to be blamed entirely for such acts of khurafat but rather the overzealousness of their mureeds which lead them astray.

Yet, the mursyids themselves need to get their followers back on track with the Haqiqat of Islam or risk being punished in the Yaum al Akhirat for their accomplicity with the tendency of being hero worshipped which is nothing but succumbing to their Nafs.

Next thing we need to focus upon is the state of our neighbourhood and the way we go about our lives today in the midst of all the social ills plaguing our community.

It is common nowadays for people to look the other way when we see things that are wrong and immoral taking place before us for fear of retribution or reprisals from those committing the sinful acts or crime.

In doing so, we allow such criminal acts or immorality to flourish and spread uncontrollably as seen in the rise of illegitimate babies being born and then dumped into just every conceivable rubbish dump, toilet, buried here and there or simply disposed into the swamps, rivers or lakes of our neighborhood.

It all starts with that act of looking the other way or failing to report to the relevant authorities. Some of our societies have grown so timid that they practically turn into eunuchs over the years and this in turn is so very bad for the society in the long run.

Who do we blame for this situation? The parents, families or authorities? What about personal choice?

Should we not blame the individuals who choose to become effeminate and end up becoming a burden to the whole society in turn?

The social ills’ plaguing our nation starts with the failure of the parents to mould their children from the very early stages of parenthood itself.

Very too often the young parents we have in this nation are mostly clueless about the do’s and don’ts of our Islamic faith. I don’t want to go into the other faith’s or beliefs just yet in discussing this situation.

Many of these young parents are themselves ignorant about the true teachings of Islam and when they live in the big cities or towns where people keep to themselves and not bother to get to know their neighbors or offer advice and help when such young parents get into any trouble or hardships, such ignorance grows to breed social ills.

Criminal elements who often come from such homes end up becoming more enamored by society’s apparent apathy and they become emboldened to carry out more rampant attacks and violations upon the weak and helpless members of the neighborhood.

Thus we can see what happens when the parents are not living according to the tenets and principles of our faith and our Prophet’s Sunnah and the Commandments of Allahu Rabbul Alamin?

Sometimes we are cynical when people point their fingers at the parents as the root cause of society’s problems. Yet we need to consider that there might just be some justifications towards such accusations?

When parents do not know how to raise their children according to what Islam prescribes, then the child grows up oblivious to the halal and haram aspects of life?

It is also important for us to consider our traditional Eastern values and cultural norms which if studied properly will show us the underlying connections between tradition, cultural and religious ties that in many ways moulds us as a person, transforming our inner values as we grow up into becoming adults.

It is important to note that parents and teachers play a very important role in determining as to what we end up later in life?

So if you were to ask me as to what I think about the role of parents/ guardians or teachers of young kids, teenagers and young adults? I’d say that these group of people play the most important role of any one human being, more so of those who are Muslims.

Muslims are subject to the severest of life regulations prescribed by our faith compared to all other human beliefs or ways of life.

Islam takes all such considerations of challenges that human beings face here on Earth and there on to life in the next realm, that of the spiritual world. The Yaum al Akhirah.

Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala being our Creator certainly knows us in all our tendencies and thus revealed for us the Holy Quranul Kareem as our Complete Guidance and Manual of Life. A Creator such as He doesn’t leave us clueless as to how to go about our lives?

He sent to us prophets after prophets and mighty messengers each to their own people in their own time and ended up sending to us His Final Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, Sayyidina Muhammad ibni Abdullah, Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam.

The mightiest Prophet and Messenger above them all, who lived amongst our forefathers just about a thousand four hundred eighty four years ago was the Habib of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.

When I was in the realm of the Tariqah, I came to learn that if not for Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam, Allahu Rabbul Alamin would not have bothered to create us all and this life as we now know it would not have come to be?

This however is a subject that ought to be shared in another article. I’d like to bring you back to our topic.

To elaborate further as to the reasons why we are being hounded by the Kaffirs and made out to be seen as crazed, fanatical hordes of rampaging foaming at the mouth terrorizing abhorable beings whilst claiming to profess the religion of peace is all due to the systematic way our enemies have succeeded in portraying impassioned Muslims as such by clever media productions.

If you are into multimedia production, you’d know exactly what I mean when professional editing can take certain clips of protest shots showing Muslims angry about certain provocations against our Ummah or religious figures whom we adore such as our blessed Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam is insulted or poked fun at by devilish agent provocateurs such as the Danish cartoonists.

These media professionals then splice such shots showing angry Muslim protesters, slide in shots showing Islamic symbols, zoom in on certain provocative protest banners or billboards, insert certain verses of the Quran enjoining Muslims to fight against the Kuffars and blend in some propagandist themes or music meant to stir and arouse the emotions of the viewers and succeed in influencing them to develop a sense of hatred towards Muslims in general.

Have you heard of the saying, ‘Turning a saint into a sinner and vice versa?

Well cleverly produced multimedia can do just that. With professional editing, media experts can come up with just about anything nowadays that can mould public perception according to what the producers want to achieve?

It’s possible nowadays to conjure up computer generated images showing us what has before this been impossible to portray or produce. We at times are shown images that bewilder our imagination. That’s what modern multimedia productions can do?

As Muslims, it’s important for us to acquire knowledge that transcends all sciences and be up to date with all that is taking place before us in this life?

It’s also important for us to have a solid aqeedah that withstands all kinds of challenges that is thrown at us from all those who are our enemies both declared and covert. Attacks against our monotheistic way of life and belief of Al Islam takes place in all forms. Some are straightforward ; some are subtle and some camouflaged in what seems to be platonic love and goodwill.

Not that I suspect each and every outreaching of the Kuffars towards us to be conceited and bearing evil agendas against our being Muslims but I’d advise Muslims just to be alert and aware of all such missions being carried out to subvert those who are weak in faith towards accepting Eesa Alaihis Salam to be more than the messenger of Allah that he is?

As Muslims it is a duty towards oneself and one’s dependents that we live our lives as prescribed by our faith and not to digress even a little from the path of Al Islam.

You must make the effort to improve on your grasp of our Islamic knowledge and to teach or impart such knowledge to those within your authority and care.

You need to set the example and stop whatever non Islamic way of life or lifestyle that you and your family are currently caught up in?

Put to practice the Sunnah and soon you will experience the kind of peace and harmony that you might not have enjoyed all these while in your life and in your home?

Mix with the right company and stay in constant touch with the righteous scholars not the ones whose principles and fatwas can be decided by the number of zero’s that is added to their paycheck at the end of the month or in between?

As to your question as to whom you should support, surely you ought to know as to whether any such party or organization deserves your vote or support?

Let’s take for instance your asking about PERKASA, BN or PR?

PERKASA is an organization that has been set up to fight for the preservation of Malay rights plus ensuring the continuation of the Malay Sultanates even though the Sultans themselves have yet to endorse the very organization that has been set up exclusively to ensure their survival?

If you are into all these, you are at liberty to do so?

I am more concerned about the position of Islam in this country and the way it is implemented by the ones who claim to be its Keepers?

It makes no difference to me as to whoever it is that claims to be in charge of Islamic affairs here? I just want to see them practice what they preach. Rhetorical bla bla bla doesn’t work for me.

I voice out against the Sultans because I see them not doing what they should for the benefit and good of Islam and Muslims here?

I still await miracles to take place as far as the Keepers of the Faith here are concerned?

Moving on to the BN or the PR, both political coalitions do not seem worthy of my support for sheer reasons of not actually working for the upholding of Ad Deenul Islam here in Malaysia.

UMNO has not actually been bothered too much to implement the true Islamic principles in its organizations for very obvious reasons, now have they?

Money politics is very much a central part of its party so far and it will take a truly powerful and serious Presidential leader of UMNO to spring clean the nation’s major federal government forming party.

To date, none of them have succeeded.

So that ought to answer your question.

I will not support the current PR coalition for reasons that it consists of the DAP who are sworn enemies of Islam.

DAP’s Chairman Karpal Singh challenged us to cross his dead body if we wish to set up an Islamic State here in Malaysia. Although he did apologize to me in public when I challenged his stand in the Forum Keadilan way back in 1999, the old man has yet to truly repent and withdraw that statement.

PKR doesn’t appeal to me for it is just a party whose major agenda is to make Anwar Ibrahim the Malaysian PM. That isn’t what I’d want to support?

Any party that doesn’t have any plans to uphold the Syaria here in Malaysia doesn’t merit my support. Period!

Al Arqam started off well in accordance with the Syaria of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala and Sunnah of the Blessed Prophet Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam. As they got stronger and bigger in their organization, ego and deviance set in and corrupted the movement’s core values.

Allahyarham Abuya As Sheikhul Arqam introduced khurafat into their amals and ibadah causing the religious authorities to ban the movement.

So, if you are asking me if we should set up something similar, I’d say no.

Not if we are to conjure up any similar hero cult worshiping movement with any so called iconic religious figure who claims to be infallible or superior in any way above the rest of the Muslims here or elsewhere?

I’m just waiting to see what Professor Harun Din is going to do when his superior returns to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala?

If Nik Aziz passes on in the near future and PAS cuts off itself from the DAP and PKR, there are chances that I might just throw in my support to the learned Prof and support him in establishing a truly Islamic administration ready to support the resurrection of the Islamic Khilafah in the Muslim world?

For now, I’m biding my time and reserving my support for him and him only.

Insya Allah.

By the way, please be aware that there are certain folks in America who wish to see their President return to his Muslim roots such as below:

Frankly speaking, I’d absolutely have no objections!

No objections at all. Hehehehehe.

If Allah wills it to be, who can stop Him, eh?

May Islam and the Muslims prevail over the Kufr, Insya Allah in our lifetimes.

Ameen.

Wabillahi Taufik Wal Hidayah.

Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

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