Book: goodbye, things by Fumio Sasaki

One more book I read about the minimalist life of the Japanese and instantly I remembered the replica house of the house of the Prophet Muhammad, which was empty and simple. The interesting idea of this book is about how having things takes time and energy to manage, and in the end, things that are meant to make things easier for us, actually control us. Then this has an effect on the unhappiness that all our many possessions bring. We are bored, easily bored, annoyed, piled up, ungrateful, and this is the characteristic of our civilization today. 

Civilization of goods not civilization of ideas. 

These days we are filled with feelings of understanding, collecting shoes from one wardrobe, makeup lined with dozens of types, collections of outfits that can only be worn once, flexing being deified, hundreds of advertisements that we consume every day, and goods have become the only indicator of success in the middle of the world. the middle of society and this is the characteristic of civilization of goods, not civilization of ideas. 

From here I understand more, about advice to make the world only in the hands not in the heart because something that is put into the heart when we have a love for things then there are burdensome consequences and when we only have things in our minds, our obsessions are only things, that's where we become dwarf. However, when our civilization is dominated by ideas, our hearts are filled with our love for knowledge, for vision, it becomes our fault and this is what Rasulullah SAW exemplified. 

In the 6th century, when the kings of Rome and Persia were in luxury, our Apostle slept on a mat. However, his vision and ideas about da'wah and building human civilization made Islam spread to two thirds of the world in just 25 years. Actually there are many hadith editorials about being aware of putting the world in our hearts and this is one of the secrets of the recipe for a happy life.

Why Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the true Prophet?

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was an orphan, couldn’t read and write, went against his family & the whole World, lived amongst his enemies, and refused money, women, and power for his Message. He was so honest that even his enemies had trust in him. He changed the Political system, Economical system, and Legal system. He preached to end Racism and Tribalism. Who brought the change not only in Macro-level, but also in Micro-level. He changed the people’s way of eating, way of sleeping, way of dealing with their families, way of scheduling their days, way of speaking with each other, way of doing business, way of going to the bathroom, way of dress, etc. He changed a lot of things and all of it was coming from Allah & It all happened in only a period of 23 years. So, a man who couldn’t read and write, brought a change in a very short period of time which no one has ever brought! Can you think of a single person who has done this much? He is only Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. 

There are only 3 possible options: 

1. He was a liar 

2. He was deluded 

3. He was speaking the truth 

If options 1 and 2 are wrong then automatically option 3 would become true. 

Was he a liar? 

People including his enemies trusted Muhammad ﷺ and was called “al-Ameen”, meaning “the Trustworthy”. Non-muslims used to make him judge for their personal issues because they used to trust him. People lie because of money, status, power, luxury life, or women but Muhammad ﷺ was offered all of these things but he rejected it for one Message i.e “There is none worthy of worship except Allah”. He was tortured, threatened, injured. He and families starved for days, but he endured all of this for one Message i.e “There is none worthy of worship except Allah”. 

Was he deluded? 

His teachings were “Don’t lie, help the poor, do charity, be just, free slaves, end racism and tribalism. These can’t be the teachings of a deluded person. How could a deluded person rule over a nation, lead an army, and change the economic & legal system? This shows he was not deluded. So as we have seen he was neither a liar nor a deluded person, therefore this proves that Muhammad ﷺ was speaking the truth. His coming was foretold in the Tawraat(Torah) and Injeel(Gospel), and some of the people of the book saw that these prophecies applied in totality to the Prophet ﷺ, which led them to embrace Islam. There are still passages in the Bible, in both the Old and New testaments, in the versions that are accepted by the people of the book, that clearly refer to the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ , for example in the Gospel of Barnabas, which is considered by Christians to be the most authentic Gospel. Allah supported the Prophet ﷺ with physical miracles, with which he challenged his people. Among the most important of these were the splitting of the Moon and the night journey to Bayt al-Maqdis(Jerusalem). 

They were unable to match these miracles, and so they were a decisive, divine testimony to the truth of his Prophethood. Allah chose him even though he had grown up as an orphan and was illiterate, knowing neither how to read or write. All good qualities and virtues were perfected in him, to the point of ultimate perfection. All these good qualities were combined and firmly established in him, something which no one else can attain except the Prophets whom Allah protected and guided. When Allah sent Muhammad ﷺ with the same Message as the Prophets who had come before him, the Qur’an came to confirm their books and their Prophethood, and to call people to believe in them. So when the people of the book disbelieved in him and his book, it meant that they were disbelieving in their own books and messengers. As the Qur’an contained the same principles as their books, and confirmed them, this meant that it was the least likely to be fabricated or to have come from a source other than Allah, because all of them came from Allah, may he be exalted.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

I love how Prophet ﷺ guided us to live a simple life. No show off, no hate nothing. Just a simple life where swallowing anger comew with reward, eating healthy and clean, eating what is in front, respecting everyone, spreading Salam and always having a smile despite the situations you face. Prophet ﷺ wept, but he never once complained. He faced numerous challenges, including persecution, rejection, and the loss of loved ones. Despite these hardships, he remained steadfast and relied on his faith in Allah. He understood that complaining would not change the situation but rather hinder his ability to find solutions and maintain a positive mindset. Instead of complaining, the Prophet ﷺ turned to Allah in times of difficulty. He sought solace and guidance through prayer and supplication. This exemplifies the Islamic principl of relying on Allah's help and find strength in our faith during challenging times. As followers of the Prophet ﷺ, we should strive to adopt his example. Instead of complaining about the difficulties we face, we can turn to Allah, seek His guidance, and find strength in our faith. We can also display kindness, empathy, and support for others, even during our own times of hardship.

Attitude

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumtances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a place of worship, our relationship with others, and even our homes. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. But we can choose our attitude. We can choose to see the world with negativity, focusing on shortcomings, and limitations, or we can choose to embrace the light and blessings that Allah has bestowed upon us.

Pemuda yang Islami(Indonesia Version)

Islam pernah melahirkan tokoh-tokoh inspiratif yang berpengaruh terhadap kemajuan Islam sehingga bisa menjadi pemimpin dunia. Sebagian dari para tokoh penting kemajuan Islam adalah para pemuda yang bukan hanya mempunyai semangat juang tinggi, namun mempunyai pemahaman Islam yang kuat sehingga mempunyai aqidah mantap. Beberapa diantaranya adalah Ali bin Abi Thalib, Muhammad Al-Fatih, dan Usamah bin Zaid. Ali bin Abi Thalib adalah pemuda pertama yang masuk Islam. Dialah orang yang senantiasa mendampingi dan melindungi Rasulullah. Hingga, pembuktian akan kecintaan kepada Rasulullah terlihat amat nyata ketika ia menggantikan Rasulullah di tempat tidur beliau sesaat sebelum Hijrah. Begitu pula, Muhammad Al-Fatih dalam usia 21 tahun, beliau sudah menjadi panglima perang pasukan muslim untuk meruntuhkan salah satu imperium yang telah berdiri kokoh selama 11 abad, Byzantium. Ada juga Usamah bin Zaid. Pemuda yang saat berumur 18 tahun sudah mendapat kepercayaan Rasulullah, yang dilanjutkan Abu Bakar Ash-Shidiq, memimpin pasukan muslim menghadapi salah satu kekuatan terbesar saat itu untuk membebaskan bumi Syam, Romawi. Dan Usamah membuktikan bahwa Ia benar-benar orang yang tepat menggenggam amanah itu, bumi Syam dapat dibebaskan dari Romawi.Ali bin Abi Thalib, Muhammad Al-Fatih, dan Usamah bin Zaid adalah pemuda-pemuda yang mampu menginspirasi orang-orang disekitarnya. Ketiga pemuda Islam ini mempunyai beberapa kesamaan. Pertama, mereka mempunyai pemahaman yang baik tentang Islam dan menjadikannya menjadi pedoman hidupnya. Kedua, rasa cinta terhadap Islam dan kemauan untuk menyebarkan dakwah Islam sangat tinggi. Ini dibuktikan dengan peran ketiganya dalam peperangan-peperangan dalam rangka memerangi musuh Allah dan memperluas wilayah dakwah. Dan yang harus diingat, mereka telah mengikuti perang sejak usia sangat muda. Lahirnya pemuda-pemuda seperti inilah yang menjadi harapan umat Islam saat ini, disaat maraknya kemerosotan moral umat dan mulai ditinggalkannya syari'at Islam.

Pemuda dalam Al-Qur'an

Islam menempatkan pada pemuda dalam posisi yang amat penting. Hal ini bisa kita cermati dari kisah pemuda dalam Al-Qur'an, kisah para sahabat Rasulullah, serta pengakuan dari ulama besar Islam. Misalkan apa yang difirmankan Allah dalam surat Ar-Rum berikut,

"Dialah Allah yang menciptakan kamu dari keadaan lemah, kemudian dia menjadikan (kamu) setelah keadaan lemah itu menjadi kuat, kemudian Dia menjadikan (kamu) setelah kuat itu lemah (kembali) dan beruban. Dia menciptakan apa yang Dia kehendaki. Dan Dia Maha Mengetahui, Maha Kuasa."

(Ar-Rum [30]: 54)

Kita bisa mengetahui maksud ayat ini. Masa keadaan lemah manusia yang pertama adalah ketika masih kecil, lalu menjadi kuat ketika muda dan dewasa, dan selanjutnya menjadi lemah kembali ketika sudah tua dan beruban. Allah ingin menunjukkan bahwa pemuda mempunyai kekuatan, dan pemuda merupakan kekuatan diantara dua kelemahan. Dan dari kekuatan yang dimiliki itu, ada harapan besar bahwa peradaban Islam bisa bangkit kembali seperti pada masa jayanya.

Pemuda di Masa Kini

Pemuda hari ini mulai menjauh dari nilai-nilai ke-Islam-an. Pergeseran tolok ukur, dari al-Qur'an dan Al-Hadits, menjadi berbagai pemahaman yang bersumber dari pemikiran manusiawi, telah meracuni sebagian besar muslim. Pemahaman Barat yang mengedepankan syahwat telah merasuk dalam pikiran mereka dan menggerakkan jasmaninya untuk melakukan kemunkaran. Akhirnya, ada toleransi yang cukup besar untuk menurunkan kualitas ibadah dan pencarian ilmu keagamaan. Hal ini semakin berbahaya karena sasaran utamanya adalah pemuda, individu yang sedang mencari jati diri dan sedang membangun karakter. Gejala ini telah mewabah kesemua kalangan imat Islam yang ada di dunia. Hasilnya, tidak ada kepercayaan diri bagi umat Islam untuk bangkit dan menjadi pemimpin dunia. Umat Islam menjadi bangsa kelas dua.

Mereka yang sejak usia dini sudah mempelajari Islam serta berinteraksi dengan Al-Qur'an mulai mundur teratur dalam mempelajarinya ketika menginjak dewasa. Al-Qur'an dianggap sudah tidak relevan lagi, karena tolok ukur yang mereka gunakan adalah paham hedonism. Sesuatu yang halal menjadi haram, begitupun sebaliknya. Paham materialistik yang bersumber dari akal pikiran manusia telah merasuk dalam pikiran mereka, sehingga menistakan wahyu yang datang dari Allah adalah suatu hal yang bisaa. Hingga akhirnya, umat Islam menjadi terpuruk disebabkan kekuatan penopangnya, para pemuda, telah kehilangan arah.

Ustadz Budi Ashari dalam beberapa ceramahnya menyatakan,

"Peradaban Islam akan bangkit kembali jika masjid-masjid dan majelis ilmu dipenuhi oleh Pemuda"

Kesadaran ini bukan hanya menjadi milik pemuda yang bersangkutan, namun juga orang tua sang pemuda dan masyarakat secara umum. Orangtua adalah guru pertama bagi mereka. Apa yang menjadi pemahaman dan sikap pemuda sebagian besar ditentukan oleh bagaimana dan apa yang diajarkan oleh orang tua. Oleh karena itu, tak layak jika terlalu mengandalkan kemampuan pemuda untuk mencari jati diri. Selain itu, toleransi yang amat tinggi dari masyarakat kepada anak-anak untuk mempelajari Islam juga berdampak buruk bagi kemauan untuk mempelajari Islam ketika dewasa.

Masyarakat harus menempatkan pemuda pada posisi yang tepat. Pemuda harus mendapat akses yang luas untuk ikut seta dalam membangun lingkungannya. Inilah yang sulit didapatkan pemuda hari ini. Paradigma yang berkembang dimasyarakat kita adalah bahwa pemuda merupakan kaum yang harus banyak belajar dan harus banyak menurut kepada orang yang lebih tua. Dengan berkembangnya paradigma semacam ini, maka sangat sulit dan sempit bagi pemuda untuk mengutarakan gagasan dan kinerjanya. Pemuda tersebut tidak terbisaa memikirkan permasalahan umat dan mencari solusinya, hingga akhirnya yang muncul adalah sikap apatis dan kritik tajam tanpa solusi.

Kebangkitan Islam ditangan Pemuda

Hasan Al-Banna  mengungkapkan betapa pentingnya peran pemuda bagi perjuangan kebangkitan Islam. Beliau mengungkapkan bahwa pemuda adalah pilar kebangkitan yang mempunyai tanggung jawab, kewajiban, dan amanah untuk membina umat. Untuk mengemban tugas itu, beliau juga menyatakan apa saja yang harus dimiliki seorang pemuda, beberapa diantaranya adalah: pemikiran panjang, banyak beramal, bijak dalam menentukan sikap, maju untuk menjadi penyelamat, dan mampu menunaikan hak-hak umat. Modal dasar yang harus dimiliki pemuda, menurut beliau, adalah: iman, ikhlas, semangat, dan amal kebajikan. Dengan pemenuhan semua modal ini, serta dukungan penuh segala lapisan masyarakat, beliau yakin bahwa kebangkitan Islam akan terjadi dengan pemuda sebagai pelaku utamanya.

Tentu saja pemuda tersebut mempunyai aqidah kuat yang melandaskan Al-Qur'an dan Al-Hadits sebagai pedoman hidup. Pemuda dan Al-Qur'an harus menjadi satu kesatuan. Maka, "Kembalikanlah pemuda kepada Al-Qur'an, maka ia akan mengembalikan Islam kepada kejayaannya." 

Islamic Youth (English Version)

Allah says, "We tell you (Muhammad) this story correctly.  Indeed they are young men who believe in their Lord, and We also add to their guidance.  "(Q.S.Al Kahfi: 13)

 From this verse, let me talk  briefly about Youth, its description and some inspirational figures from Islamic history.

President Soekarno once said, "Give me 1000 parents they will pull Semeru Mountain until the roots, but if you give me 10 teenagers, so they will shake the world."

 Speaking of youth, if we look around, we can see a lot of young people around us (or some people who think that they still young). However, the youth that I will bring to this oppurtinity are young people who not only have a high fighting spirit, but also those who have a strong faith and understanding in Islam.

 Islam once gave birth to inspirational figures who influenced the progress of Islam and become a world leaders.  Some of them are Ali bin Abi Talib, Muhammad Al-Fatih, and Usamah bin Zaid.  

Ali bin Abi Talib was the first young man to convert to Islam.  He was the person who always accompanied and protected the Prophet.  His loyalty and love to the Prophet during his youth was proven when he replaced the Prophet in his bed shortly before the Hijrah.  

Likewise, Muhammad Al-Fatih at the age of 21 years, had become a warlord of Muslim troops who tear down one of the empires that ruled for 11 centuries, Byzantium.  

There is also Osama bin Zaid.  The 18-year-old young man who trusted by the Prophet, followed by Abu Bakr Ash-Shidiq, they lead the  Muslim army to face one of the greatest forces at that time, the Romans, to liberate the land of Sham.  And Osama proved that He was truly the right person to hold that trust as the land of Sham could be liberated from Rome at that time.

Today's, some youth are starting to move away from Islamic values, as their benchmarks already shifted from al-Qur'an and Al-Hadith to various understandings that originate from human thought, some Western thoughts that prioritizes lust also penetrates their minds and moved their bodies and mind to commit evil.  

In the name of secularism and liberalism, people are forced to accept and tolerate the reduction of worship quality and education. This is even more dangerous because the main target is youth, individuals who are looking for identity and still in character building. 

Al-Qur'an considered no longer relevant, because the benchmark they use is based on hedonism, a materialistic understanding that comes from the human thoughts which keep penetrating their minds, so any defamation of revelations coming from God is a matter of course.  If this continue, Muslims will finally degraded into their lowest level because their supporting forces, the youths, had lost their way.

Unfortunately, current paradigm that develops in our society still think that youth are still considered as a people who still have to learn a lot and must obey a lot from older people.  With this kind of paradigm, it is very difficult for youth to express their ideas and thoughts .  The young man was not accustomed to thinking about the problems in society its solution, until finally what emerged was apathy and sharp criticism without solutions.

 Hasan Al-Banna revealed the importance of the youth roles in the struggle within the rise of Islam.  He revealed that youth are the pillars of the resurrection that have the responsibilities, obligations and mandate to foster the people. 

To carry out this task, he also stated that a young man must have some criteria, which are: long thoughts, many charitable, wise in determining attitudes, going forward to be a savior, and able to fulfill the rights of the people.  

The basic nature that young people must possess, according to him, are: faith, sincerity, enthusiasm, and good deeds.  With the fulfillment of all this nature with the lifetime full support, he believes that the rise of Islam will occur with youth as the main actor.

 Of course the young man must also have a strong aqidah base on Qur'an and Al-Hadith as a way of life.  Youth and the Qur'an must become a unity.  So, the conclusion is "Return the youth to the Qur'an will return Islam to its glory."

DAKWAH

Ada banyak cerita menarik dari fenomena tokoh-tokoh pada gambar diatas, adalah memang zaman sekarang tentunya berbeda dengan zaman Shalahuddin Al-Ayyubi dimana mensyiarkan Islam terkadang harus dimulai dengan pertarungan dan menimbulkan korban besar. Pesan untuk kita semua adalah fenomena tokoh-tokoh diatas, mereka berdakwah melalui hobi atau dengan hal yang disenanginya. Ini menjadi menarik, karena dengan fenomena ini membuktikan bahwa dakwah itu tidak harus dengan cara yang kaku atau menyampaikannya harus dengan ceramah. Apapun cita-cita kalian, pekerjaan kalian, karir kalian, kalau mampu me-maintain kegiatan untuk kepentingan dakwah islam, itu keren atau bahasa sekarangnya "Mantull" alias Mantap Betull.

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Mereka memanfaatkan hobinya untuk menjadi sebuah karir hidup dan bahkan menjadi sarana dakwah yang menarik. Dan untuk saat ini memang, berdakwah lewat sesuatu yang disukai oleh publik apalagi dibantu lewat media secara profesional akan sangat menguntungkan dan akan merubah persepsi publik terhadap Islamophobia. Nah, sekarang ini coba padukan antara hobi, karir, dakwah dan sosial media. Dengan visi yang kuat membawa Islam dimanapun kita berada. Di salah satu ayat di dalam Al-Quran, Allah berfirman yang artinya, "Serulah (manusia) kepada jalan Tuhanmu dengan hikmah dan pengajaran yang baik..." (QS. An-Nahl:125)

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Karena dakwah itu seperti air, dia menukik dan tidak bisa dibendung, mentok dengan batu dia akan mencari kiri kanan yang lain dan dakwah itu mesti fleksibel seperti air, ditaruh di gelas jadi bentuk gelas, ditaruh di teko jadi bentuk teko. Dakwah itu jelas tujuannya sebagaimana air, air pasti menuju ke tempat yang rendah dan berkumpul disana, itulah dakwah. Air di uap jadilah uap, naik turun kembali. Air dipanaskan, naik menjadi awan, turun kembali. Air tetap terus ada, air itu adalah dakwah.