Why Arabs Are Going Back To The Time of Bad Ways | Ustaz Dr Mat Rofa
Hello my dear friends, Sometimes, we hear things that make our hearts feel very full. Full of thought, full of worry, and maybe full of hope too. I want to share something like that with you today.
Do you know about the Hajj? It is a very special journey many Muslim friends make to a holy place called Makkah. During Hajj, there is a super important day called the Day of Arafah. Millions of people gather together on a big plain called Arafah to pray and listen to a special talk, a sermon.
This year (it was 2024, or 1445H in the Muslim calendar), the talk given by Sheikh Mahir was very special. It felt different. It was about something called Maqasid Shariah. That sounds like a big, tricky grown-up phrase, right?
Thinking About the Arafah Talk 2024 and Gaza
This writing is about the special talk given on the Day of Arafah in 2024. It thinks about the hurt people in Gaza.
This time, Sheikh Mahir gave the very special Arafah talk. The talk was about the people in Gaza who are being hurt. The Imam also said a special prayer for Palestine. The talk had a beautiful main idea called Maqasid al-Shariah.
The talk was given at Namirah Mosque on the 9th day of Zulhijjah, 1445H. The main idea was Maqasid al-Shariah.
At the start, the talk spoke about how great God (Allah SWT) is. It asked us to look at the beautiful world God made. But people have a big job to do on Earth.
Some parts of the talk were about these things:
How great Allah is.
We must worship Allah. Allah has power over everything.
Allah gave us the Holy Quran. Allah made the world. The best rules come from Al-Quran.
God's religion and rules (Sharia) were given to help us do good things and stop bad things.
On the Day of Arafah, a long time ago when Prophet Muhammad was alive (in the year 10H), Allah gave a special verse from the Quran. This verse made the religion complete. The verse says: "Today I have made your religion perfect for you. I have finished my blessings for you. I am happy for Islam to be your religion."
Allah said: "We sent you, Muhammad, only to show kindness to all the world."
A very important rule in Islam is: We must not do bad things. And if someone does a bad thing, we should not do a bad thing back to them.
God's rules (Sharia) were given to stop bad things, or at least make bad things happen less.
Stopping bad things is more important than doing good things.
God's rules help stop very bad situations as much as possible. This is the start of the most important things, called Dhoruriyat.
Maqasid al-Shariah means keeping safe these five important things:
Religion (our faith)
Life (our bodies and lives)
Mind (our thinking)
Honor/Family (our good name and family)
Property (our things)
But these five important rights are being hurt in Palestine today. They are also being hurt for many Muslims in these times.
Keeping safe Religion, Life, Mind, Property, and Honor/Family is the main point of God's rules (Sharia). This was the main idea of the talk on Arafah.
The talk also mentioned Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) last talk on Arafah during his last Hajj. On that special day (9th Zulhijjah), the Prophet said: "Your blood (lives), your honor, your property (things) are special. You must not hurt them, just like this day is special, this place is special, and this month is special."
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that every person has rights. These are: Religion, Mind, Life, Family, and Property. These must be kept safe. But sadly, the rights of the Muslim people in Gaza, Palestine are being hurt by Israel.
The Quran was given to keep these 5 important things safe. We cannot live properly without them.
There are three levels of important things:
Dhoruriyat (The most important things): Like Religion, Life, Property, Mind, and Family. If these are hurt, life becomes very hard or impossible.
Hajiyat (Things we need): Things that make life easier, but we can live without them if we have to.
Tahsiniyat (Things that make life better): Things that make life nice and beautiful.
First Treasure: Keeping Our Faith and Our Lives Safe
Allah tells us something very important: "I made people only to worship Me."
And the most important thing is: "The right religion with Allah is Islam."
Because faith is so important, the people in Palestine try hard to protect their special mosque, Al-Aqsa Mosque. Bad things often happen there.
Sometimes, people have to fight to protect their holy places. The fighters said they started the fight against Israel because they heard Israel wanted to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque. They heard the plan was for October 8th, 2023. So, the fighters started the fight one day before, on October 7th, 2023. They wanted to keep their faith safe, protect their first direction for prayer (qibla), and save their third most special mosque.
Islam has three very special mosques:
Masjidil Haram in Mecca.
Masjid Nabawi in Medina.
Al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine (where bad things are happening now).
Allah also tells us about keeping lives safe. Every life is special. Allah says: "Do not kill anyone that Allah said is special, unless it is for a very right reason. Do not kill yourselves. Allah is very kind to you. If someone hurts others on purpose, they will have a big punishment."
But look what is happening. Muslim lives are being hurt. People are bombed from the sky. In Rafah, people were burned. They cannot get enough food, clothes, or medicine. They are trapped. Lives are being hurt in Palestine, Myanmar, Xinjiang, Kashmir, and other places. But keeping faith safe and keeping lives safe are the most important needs.
In Myanmar, Muslim people were burned alive. The same sad thing happened again in Rafah, Palestine. People from Palestine gathered in Rafah because they thought it was a safe place. Even the big group called the UN said it was safe. But still, they were bombed and burned.
The world just watches. But keeping lives safe is a basic right for all humans. The UN talks about these rights. Islam talked about these rights a long, long time ago.
That was the important message in the Arafah talk this time. And these five special rights are being hurt in Gaza. People's lives are taken away every day. Children, women, old men, young men – they are all being killed.
For 256 days now, the killing has not stopped. That is almost 9 months. About 38,000 people have been killed by the enemy. And the world is still very quiet about it.
What is happening in Gaza today is maybe the worst thing ever in history. A very bad king in old stories, Pharaoh, only killed the baby boys. He did not kill the girls or the women. But the enemy in Gaza is killing everyone – men, women, and children.
The killing in World War 1 was terrible. But what is happening in Gaza seems worse. In World War 2, many millions of people died, but that was all over the world. In Gaza, it is a small place, but the killing is so, so bad. Maybe the worst ever seen in one small place. And it is happening now, while we are alive.
That is why the talk on Arafah was about saving lives and God's good rules. It was maybe the first time the Arafah talk spoke so clearly about these five important rights (Maqasid al-Shariah).
The Imam also talked about keeping our minds safe and clear. He reminded us why God told people not to drink alcohol.
God says in the Holy Qur'an something like this: "Things like alcohol, and gambling (games where you bet money), and praying to statues, and trying to guess the future... these are like bad, dirty things from Shaitan (Satan). So, you must stay far, far away from them. If you stay away, maybe you will be happy and successful."
When God tells us to do something, it is very important. We must listen. A long, long time ago, when the Prophet Muhammad's good friends heard this rule, they stopped drinking alcohol right away. They obeyed God.
But now, in today's world, sometimes people forget this rule. Alcohol and gambling are becoming common again. You can find them in many Muslim countries. Even here in Malaysia.
A long time ago, maybe in your grandpa's time (the 1960s), the country made most of its money from gambling (like games where people try to win money). Even people who worked for the government were paid some money that came from gambling.
Later, Malaysia found oil deep in the ground (like from Petronas). Money from oil became more than money from gambling. But gambling still makes a lot of money for the country today.
We all hope to go to a good place (heaven) when we die. But one of the five very important rules God gave us is to keep our minds safe and clear. When we allow things like gambling or bad drinks, we are not keeping our minds safe. That rule is broken.
(The Imam reminded us of God's words): "The bad one (Satan) wants to use bad drinks (alcohol) and gambling to make people fight and be angry. He wants to stop you from remembering God. Don't you understand this?"
Gambling and bad drinks (alcohol) cause fights. People all over the world know that because of alcohol, someone dies every 10 seconds.
Lots of people get sick from many different sicknesses. Sadly, many people die because of these sicknesses. Now, think about drinking alcohol. Alcohol can also make people very sick. Sadly, many people die because of drinking alcohol.
Here is something very, very sad: If you count all the people who die from all the sicknesses in the world, and then you count the people who die because of alcohol... the number of people who die from alcohol is bigger. More people die because of alcohol.
This bad situation happened in Europe. In Europe, people have a big party. The party's name is Oktoberfest..
October is coming soon. In October, many people have big beer parties. These parties started in places like Germany, Switzerland, England, and America. Now, many countries all over the world have a party called Oktoberfest. They have this party every October.
Three years ago, in Malaysia's Parliament, some people wanted to allow Oktoberfest. They said it was because of freedom. But the Parliament said no.
Alcohol is now found in many Muslim countries. It has also reached Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the land where the Prophet lived. They are selling alcohol openly there now. Why? They say it is for visitors. Visitors who are not Muslim, and important people from all over the world who come to the city Riyadh, should be free to drink alcohol.
For the first time since the Prophet's time, a hotel in Saudi Arabia called Al-Kawthar is selling alcohol. They have a saying: 'Cheese, wine, and friends are things that get better the older they are... join us.'
People say this hotel is in Al-Khobar. And bad things are happening there. Things that hurt people's minds and lives are spreading among Muslims. Because of this, the Imam felt very strongly. He could not stay quiet anymore. So, the Imam was brave. He talked about the most important things to keep safe in life. These are: keeping our minds safe, keeping lives safe, keeping our things safe, and keeping our families and good names safe.
Is Saudi Arabia going back to the time before Islam? Alcohol was stopped in the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), when God sent the rule against it. This (allowing alcohol now) is part of the government's 'Vision 2030' plan. The plan is to make Saudi Arabia a modern country.
We in Malaysia also hoped to be a modern country by 2020 with our 'Vision 2020' plan. But we remember what happened in our country when the year 2020 came.
Saudi Arabia is doing this too. They have a plan for the year 2030. They want Saudi Arabia to be modern, like countries in Europe. They want to change the desert land to look like Europe.
They say women should have more freedom. They want to show there is freedom. And alcohol should be allowed. Alcohol is not allowed for Muslims. But it is okay for people who are not Muslims.
Here is some shocking news. It happened in 2020, during the COVID time. Police found a lot of alcohol. One thousand liters! It was not in the city of Riyadh. It was not in the city of Jeddah. It was found in Mecca Al-Mukarramah. Mecca is a very holy city for Muslims.
Was this a trick? Did someone bring the alcohol there to make Muslims look bad? We are not sure. But it is true. The Saudi police did take away 1000 liters of alcohol in Mecca.
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| Saudi alcohol is sold in Germany. |
We Muslims know drinking this is not allowed. But who is doing it? Only God knows for sure. Maybe the Imam felt very worried. He could not hide his feelings anymore. So, this time, his talk (sermon) was about the most important things in Islam – the five special rules we talked about earlier.
In the city of Riyadh, they built a place called the boulevard. You can find places like this in many countries around the world. These places are known for fun things to do (entertainment). Sometimes, they are also places for gambling (playing games with money).
People say gambling places have started in Riyadh. Also, they are building big places called 'boulevards' in the city of Mecca. But nobody is sure what these boulevards are for.
But we can ask the people who went for Hajj. When they come back home, did they really see these things? Or are the stories not true?
But it is clear now. A place called the boulevard (Masar) has opened in the city of Mecca. This place might be for fun and games. It is not far from the Grand Mosque (Masjidil Haram).
Maybe the Imam (the khatib) felt very worried or sad about this. He could not keep his feelings hidden anymore. He had to tell everyone in the whole world about it. He hopes things will change and become good again in the Prophet's holy land (Saudi Arabia).
Saudi Arabia wants to have the big World Cup games in 2030. To do this, they must let people who are not Muslim drink alcohol. Also, they will build a city called Neom. It will be like the city Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.
There is also a big, new city called Neom. Saudi Arabia is building it. It will be a super modern city, like a city from the future! It is very, very big. Much bigger than New York City. It is also bigger than London. It is a giant city!
There is a new city, like from the future. It has lots of fun things. People say alcohol is allowed there. It is not for Muslim people. It is okay for people who are not Muslim. We never heard about this before in Saudi Arabia, the land where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived.
But now, it is happening in cities all over Saudi Arabia. This made the Imam (the speaker at Arafah) feel worried, so he talked about his feelings.
The Imam read the sermon. He was on the Plain of Arafah. Two million Muslims were there with him. But many, many more people listened! 2.1 billion Muslims all over the world heard the sermon. Today, there are 2.1 billion Muslims in the whole world. This is the biggest group of faith in the world!
So many people live in our world! Almost 7 billion! That's a super big number, like counting all the stars in the sky! Some grown-ups who count people say there are 2.2 billion Christian people and 1.6 billion Muslim people.
But guess what? Maybe the numbers are a little different! Maybe there are really 2.1 billion Muslim people and 2.0 billion Christian people. If that's true... it means the Muslim family is the biggest family of faith in the whole wide world right now! Alhamdulillah!
"And God is the One who sent His Messenger. The Messenger came with the true religion (Islam) and with guidance (showing the right way). God wants this religion to be above all other religions."
Guess what we learned? The people at the Vatican said something big and a little bit sad for them. They told everyone that the Christian religion isn't the biggest religion in the whole wide world anymore! Alhamdulillah! Islam is the biggest one now! That's the news they shared.
Did you know? There are many, many Muslims in the world, and the number is getting bigger fast, in Europe and Russia too! But even though there are lots of us, like a huge crowd, it has been hard to protect the people in Palestine from those who are hurting them.
Treasure Number Two: Keeping Our Stuff Safe!
Riba is something that hurts our money. It's not fair. God and His Messenger said Riba is very, very bad, like starting a big fight against fairness! A long, long time ago, in many Muslim places, Riba was not allowed.
Even here in Malaysia, in old places like Melaka, when Islam first came, people stopped using Riba. For hundreds and hundreds of years, we didn't have this unfair money problem. Our money was safe from it. But then, visitors came from far away and stayed to rule our place for a while.
A long, long time ago, people from Britain came. They brought back some money rules about charging extra money when people borrowed. This extra money is called interest, or 'riba'.
A very important rule is about our money and things. They are being hurt by Riba. (Riba is like an unfair money trick!). Many Muslim people now use this Riba when they buy big things like houses or cars, or even for their work and shops. It happens so often, it has become like a normal thing for many Muslims now.
A really big tricky thing, a big worry, for Muslims now is the credit card. It feels like we have to use them for almost everything we buy! And money on phones and computers is everywhere now too. The tricky part is, sometimes even the special 'good money rules' for Muslims... well, they can still feel a little bit like the old, not-so-fair money tricks from a long, long time ago.
A long time ago, there were unfair ways with money, called Riba. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said these ways were very wrong. He said this during his last special Hajj trip. But guess what? Those same unfair money ways are back again now! They are all over the world, even in many Muslim countries. This is sad, because being fair with money is important if we hope to go to Heaven.
The Imam asked us to be free from those old, bad ways.
Sometimes, when people have lots and lots of money, they can use it to make even more money! Like magic! This helps them build really, really big shops or companies. Super big! Sometimes, these super big companies join together, like making one giant team.
Often, they use money rules that aren't very fair. Like, if someone borrows money, they make them pay back lots and lots extra! (This tricky rule is called 'riba'). And Islam teaches that it's not kind when one giant team tries to own everything, so little shops or people don't get a chance. (That's called a 'monopoly', and Islam says 'no, that's not fair!').
But... guess what? Today, lots and lots of the money ways all around the world use those tricky 'riba' rules.
Curfew 3 months
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