Islam Teaches Domestic Violence?

This is so untrue. Refer to the Qur'an, Chapter 60 (Al-Mumtahanah), verses 8-9

Peace be upon you dear readers. n_n Hi !!! How are you guys? I'm sorry it took me a while to write a new post. I do have a few ideas and subjects to write about but I barely have enough time for my studies, let alone updating my blog frequently. Haha. However, this means you should look forward to more interesting updates from me. n_n   My sincere apologies too, to some of my readers who requested me to write on certain things because I cannot do it now, but if God wills it, I will write it as soon as I find the time. n_n By the way, please pray for me and also my friends because in about one week, we'll be having our first exam in 2nd year. Scary. ε=ε=(っ*´□`)っ We need all the lucks we can get, thank you. n_n

The story began last Friday, right after the Friday prayer, the Imam of the masjid where I prayed invited the men to perform another optional or voluntary prayer to wish to Allah for the safety of a Muslim Malaysian couple detained in Sweden for allegedly hitting their son. There are rumors saying that they never hit their son, just reminding. Only Allah and the family know the truth. It's said that the couple will be charged tomorrow. I can't help but wonder why is it taking so long for the trial to begin though. Hmm. However, I do hope that their case will be resolved without much difficulty. May Allah bless them. My intention in writing this post is to clear some misunderstandings related to this case, to the best of my knowledge, of both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Some of the misunderstandings I want to address are, Islam is a violent religion that teaches its followers to beat their wives and kids, which is often misunderstood by non-Muslims, then about some Muslims who said that there's no such thing as beating your kids when they don't want to pray in Islam and finally, should Muslims obey the laws of non-Muslim country when they're living there.

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Islam is a violent religion that teaches its followers to beat their wives and kids. Is it true?

Dear readers, Islam is a religion of peace sent by Allah through his messengers. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as the final prophet, completed his task by leaving two things for the whole world to read, follow and make a habit out of them, the Al-Qur'an and Hadith. These things, if followed, will prevent us from going astray. My cherished non-Muslim readers, I strongly suggest you to get a copy of Al-Qur'an and read it for yourself. You will see that not even a sentence tells the Muslims to be violent. If you find anything like that, go ahead and find a Muslim to attack him. If Allah wills it, I'm sure he or she will give you an answer or answers to justify it. 

Friendly reminders to my Muslim brothers and sisters, do not answer if you are unsure or don't know the answer. Tell the inquirer that you need some time to check with more knowledgeable people and you will get back to it once you have the answer. To say you don't know is more noble than giving incorrect answers for me. n_n   Please let me share with you one verse of the Qur'an that may have been the cause behind this misunderstanding. 

“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend from their means. Therefore, the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in the husband’s absence what Allah orders them to guard. As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (then) refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them; but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means. Surely, Allah is Ever Most High, Most Great.” [An-Nisa' ; 34]

Even though this verse showed a lot of positive things but still, many non-Muslims and also some Muslims often mistook it as a violent teaching partly because of the word 'beat them'. Dr. Ahmad Shafaat explained this verse in very much details especially the beating part. Summary of his long explanation:

1. Beating is to be done after due admonition and suspension of sexual relations and therefore by husbands who have some moral standards and have sufficient control over their sexual passions. Moreover, this beating is not to go on and on but is to be tried as a last step to save the marriage. Once it is clear that it is not working it is to be abandoned in favor of some other steps involving relatives of the husband and the wife mentioned in the next verse (4:35).

2. The beating should not cause injury, bruise or serious hurt. Some scholars said that the beating should be largely symbolic and should be administered with a folded scarf, miswak (a teeth cleaning twig / kayu sugi) or some such things.

3. The wife has no religious obligation to take the beating and she can always ask for and get divorce any time.

4. If the husband exceeds the limits set down by Qur'an and Hadiths, the wife can take him to court and if ruled in favor, she can apply the law of retaliation and beat the husband as she was beaten. 

5. Some Muslim jurists said that beating is permissible but not always advisable because Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) intensely disliked the action. 

So, to my Muslim brothers, do not use this verse to justify yourself for wife battering. To my non-Muslim friends, please take note that, Qur'an doesn't simply tell its followers to beat people. It's only done as a last resort and not to mention all the rules and requirements which need to be fulfilled before beating them. I'd say it's most likely not done at all in a devout Muslim family. Plus, if the wife return to obedience, no further actions should be taken against them and no excuses should be made to punish them.

Beat your children if they don't want to pray. Is there such a thing in Islam?

Yes there is.

"Narrated by 'Amru Bin Syu'aib, from his father, from his grandfather he said, the Prophet (pbuh) said, "Command (teach) your children to pray when they are seven years old and beat (cane) them if they do not pray at the age of 10 and (at that age), separate their beds." (Sunan Abu Dawud, Isnad Hasan)

It's not a surprising thing for some Muslims to have not heard of this hadith since the education system nowadays is not focused on Islamic teaching anymore. However, please take note, this hadith exist therefore you cannot go and attack other Muslims saying they're kufr for creating something new in Islam.

In a paperwork by Y.B.S.S Dato' Haji Murtadza, Mufti of Negeri Sembilan, available in Web Rasmi Jabatan Mufti Kerajaan Negeri Sembilan, he wrote about 'Pendidikan Anak Dengan Solat'(Education Of Children Using Solat). He said this hadith explained about three things parents should do in the early education of their children namely *again, I'm summarizing it* :

1. Command to perform the prayers when they're seven years old

He said this command is directed to the parents where they should tell their children to pray after teaching them the requirements and rukun of solat. Islam encourages Muslims to teach their children the basics when they are still young and before they are preoccupied with works.

2. Beat them if they do not pray when they're at the age of ten

It's basically a concept of punishment for being careless. For information of non-Muslim readers, the five daily prayers are one of the most important commandments by Allah for the Muslims and to abandon the prayers is a very sinful act. That's the wisdom behind teaching the kids to pray when they are young so that they don't feel burdened by it when they're older. However, please remember that parents should not directly punish their kids when they don't perfom the prayers. Parents should try giving advices, tell stories of the Companions, and other things to their children. In fact, Islam encourages parents to be gentle (according to other hadiths and Qur'anic verses) and try to avoid from beating their kids in any way so that their children's psychological health are not disturbed. Beating the kids should come as a last resort and just like with the wives, it should not cause injury, bruise and serious hurt.

3. Separate their beds

Chilren who are ten years of age must (wajib) be given different beds especially between brothers and sisters. This aims to give them early exposure about social manners and aurah (intimate parts of human body).

Should Muslims obey the laws of non-Muslim country when they're living there?

Again, the answer is yes. Syeikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah wrote in Muslims Living In Non -Muslim Lands,

"It is absolutely essential that you respect the laws of the land that you are living in... You are living in a land in which the people are very serious about their laws, and if you break the laws, this can result in you being tried as a criminal and being sent to prison and being completely humiliated as a Muslim where non-Muslims are putting you in a cage and preventing you from your own human dignity of freedom and other things. So, it is essential that we remember that."

Sheikh Salman al-Oadah said,

"The Muslims living a non-Muslim country, even if they originally entered that country by means of forged documents, are considered to be living in their adopted country under a covenant. They must, therefore, comply with the laws of their country of residence without, at the same time, disobeying Islamic Law."

Both of these Muslim scholars said more or less the same thing. So in the case of Malaysian couple being detained in Sweden, I'd say *simply my own thought* they should just follow the laws in Sweden. My reason is, it's a sunnah and not wajib. A person will not be punished for not doing things which are sunnah and in this case, if you do it, you'll get punished. All the more reasons not to do it. Avoiding harms is also a sunnah right? However, please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying we shouldn't follow sunnah and I'm not saying the couple is wrong *come on guys. it's an allegation, a claim made without proof* and I sincerely hope the trials will go on well for them. May Allah bless them.

Law abiding? Haha

Well, with all these explanations, are you still going to say Islam teaches domestic violence to its followers? I hope not and I pray that at least this post make the readers *and me* more interested to study about Islam. I am really sad when people say Islam is a violent religion. I hope after this, my dear Muslim brothers and sisters, we will improve ourselves, do good deeds and show good examples to the non-Muslims out there so that they're attracted to Islam. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) attracted all the Arabs in his time with his beautiful personality and we should follow him as close as we can. Please forgive me if I aggrieved any of you. Wallahua'alam. Allah knows the right.


~Jaw~

Life As Medical Students - Part 1

Gambar hiasan semata-mata. Hehe

Yo. Peace be upon you. Happy new year everyone! ☆*･゜ﾟ･*\(^O^)/*･゜ﾟ･*☆

Hope you guys are doing fine as always. Got yourselves new year resolutions? I got mine. Hehe. Anyway, let's go back to the post thingy. A young friend of mine actually requested for this. A curious girl who just finished her SPM and thinking of becoming a doctor. May Allah fulfill your wish sister. This post is for you and also for other students who may have thought of becoming a doctor in the future.

First, let me define or outline what I'll be telling in this post. Since life of anything or anyone is actually subjective and different for each and everyone of us, I will limit it to my own life as a medical student. So, jangan marah pulak kalau korang tengok budak-budak medic kat tempat lain tak sama macam yang Jaw tulis. However I hope it can at least give you the vision or image of medical students' life. Then, I will also limit it to Universiti Sains Malaysia medical students only simply because that is where I am currently studying. 

Kursus Doktor Perubatan boleh dikatakan antara kursus yang paling susah untuk dimasuki di mana-mana universiti di seluruh dunia. So, for those who are interested to get in, brace yourselves to fight with thousands of excellent students in order to get to those hot seats. It will not be easy brothers and sisters. Korang sendiri mesti pernah dengar kes pelajar-pelajar matrikulasi yang dapat pointer 4.0 tapi tak berjaya memasuki kursus ni. Lebih teruk lagi, ada yang tak dapat tempat dalam IPTA pun. Don't want this to happen to you? So, start from now. Pray to God that He bless you with good results in SPM because you definitely need it to enter good universities and good courses. You don't want to fail any subjects, that's the most important thing.

The core in life of every medical student is to study. Whenever, wherever, whatever, no matter how, they need to study. Serius beb. Bunyi macam melebih-lebih, tapi inilah kebenarannya. And being here in USM, only for my first year lecture notes which I didn't even print out many of them, the height when those notes are stacked are above my knees. Tinggi baq hang. Tak campur dengan buku-buku teks lagi. Bayangkan. Haha. I'm sure some of you have heard people saying,

"No need to study hard, just study smart."

Believe me, that's not sufficient in medical schools. First, it's definitely not enough for the examinations, and second, it's definitely not enough to become a doctor. Doktor merawat hidupan, bukan mesin yang sama je barang dalaman dia. For people, there are always exceptions and differences. Kalau salah rawat, pesakit mati tidak berganti kekawan.

Bila dah cakap pasal belajar, of course kena cakap jugak pasal exam. In USM, the 1st year have four exams. First, second and third selanjar, then comes the final examination a.k.a Professional Examination(Pro). To make it short, Pro, is the most important among and all these and everything learnt in the 1st year will come out in Pro. Not to mention, we have three Pro. One in 1st year, 3rd year and 5th year. For the 3rd and 5th year, all that is learnt in a year before and also the current year  will come out in the Pro. Eg: 3rd year Pro, 2nd and 3rd year thingies may be asked. Dua tahun nak kena cover beb. Just imagine, how hard it is. Oh and yeah, I forgot to tell you, failing in exam is something normal in medical school. Kat sekolah dulu bolehlah berlagak tak pernah gagal-lah, apalah, tapi kat sini, orang yang dapat semua A masa SPM, 4.0 flat masa matrik/asasi/STPM etc pun ada je yang gagal. Therefore, for those who are interested to enter medical school, be prepared to study hard and smart and also prepare yourself to accept failure. 

(^(エ)^)

Hoho. So, basically the theory part is settled. Practical comes next. Nak jadi doktor kan? Mestilah kena mahir dengan praktikal. I'm in 2nd year right now, and many doctors told me that for now, it's important for me to learn the history taking(kemahiran mendapatkan maklumat daripada pesakit). That's of the utmost importance right now but there are other things that I need to learn as well. Physical examinations, pathogenesis(how the disease came to be), pathophysiology(what does the disease cause to us physiologically) and a little bit of disease management. 

Then, every week, there is a clinical teaching. Which means, some of us have to clerk a patient(ambil maklumat mengenai pesakit) and present it to the doctor in charge. Macam doktor-doktor kat klinik selalu buat tu, tanya korang sakit apa, sakit kat mana, ada sesak nafas ke, allergik ke, dan apa-apa lagi yang perlu ditanyalah. That's no easy task man. Some patients are quite grumpy and short tempered so you might be scolded by them(tapi Jaw tak pernah merasa lagilah kena marah dengan pesakit. ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌). Some are very cooperative and makes your job easier but then comes the second hurdle, the doctor in charge. Kekadang dapat doktor yang garang, kena marah lagi, tak boleh jawab soalan, kena marah lagi, tak boleh bagi diagnosis, kena marah lagi. Marah lagi lagi dan lagi. Haha. However, most of the doctors are cool. Boleh melawak lagi dalam kelas. Memang bersyukur habis kalau dapat doktor cenggitu. Jadi, kalau berminat nak jadi doktor, bersedialah nak bersoal jawab dengan pesakit yang kenal on the spot kata mat saleh, dan bersedia jugaklah untuk dimarahi dengan doktor, pesakit, nurse, makcik cleaner etc. Muahaha. ψ(｀∇´)ψ

Minna(everyone), I think I should end this post right now. There are a lot more that I didn't write here about being a medical student, however I think this is sufficient. Perhaps, if someone needs more info, I'll write Life As Medical Students Part 2. Maybe? Hehe. Dah cukup panjang membebel ni. Thanks for reading everyone. (≧∇≦)/

~Jaw~

Stairways To Paradise:Spreading The Love

Peace be upon you. Hi dear readers. Happy New Hijri Year to my muslim friends. How's life? Good I hope. I've been wanting to write this post earlier but what to do, time constraints. n_n

Anyway, let's go back to the topic. On 25th October, I went to an Enrichment Class for muslims and sadly, this post is only relatable to muslims. However, anyone is free to read it if you're interested. n_n

Poster promoting the class

The speaker is a friend of mine and she's a great speaker. But to be honest, just by reading the title, I really don't know what she's going to speak about. I am simply interested to know more and as I was free at that time, I went there to hear it. Alhamdulillah, I'm glad I went there. It was a sharing on why and how to spread da'wah (=spreading the love) as this is what Allah asked us to do and by doing what He ordered us to do, we will get nearer to paradise (=stairways to paradise) insyaAllah. I was a bit late to the class though so please forgive me for missing some informations. However, I will share most of what I got from the class here. n_n

The speaker asked all of us, why do we have to spread da'wah even though Allah will not be affected and will not be weak even if the number of Muslims is only a little. Do what Allah says, stay away from what Allah has forbidden. This is the main reason, Allah orders us to spread da'wah. By the way, this time, I'm using The Holy Qur'an English Translation by 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali.

"Say thou: 'This is my way: I do invite unto God,-on evidence clear as the seeing with one's eyes,-I and whoever follows me. Glory to God! and never will I join gods with God."      [Yusuf : 108] 

This verse shows us the definition of da'wah as a whole, which is, calling man to the way of Allah with evidences for the sake of Allah and not for anything else. They do not hope for Earthly rewards from the people but only hope for rewards from Allah. Da'wah is the best job and the most honorable speech from a muslim.

 "Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to God, works righteousness, and says, 'I am of those who bow in Islam?' "   [Fussilat : 33]

Such is the Decree of Allah. There are more daleel about da'wah other than these two verses, therefore you might want to do extra reading on that. Plus, let's use our logical thinking. I'm sure all of us have non-muslims friends who are very good, in fact, some of them might be better than certain people who call themselves muslims. Shouldn't we sympathise with them? What will we do if later in the akhirah, they blame us for not telling them about the truth of Islam? Think about it brothers and sisters.

So, how do we spread da'wah?

"Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance."   [An-Nahl : 125]

Da'wah is not about to preach hard, but to reach the hearts. It's not about winning arguments and in the end causing people to shy away from Islam. The principles concerning da'wah are knowledge, calling to it, acting upon it and being patient.

"By (the Token of) Time (through the Ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy."   [Al 'Asr : 1-3]

We were told a story about an Imam who is really good in preaching. One day, he was approached by some slaves and they asked him to preach about freeing slaves. He agreed. Those slaves waited for about a year and still the Imam didn't give any preachings as they asked. They all went to meet him and asked him whether he has forgotten about it. The Imam actually just finished collecting money to buy a slave and he wants to free the slave. He said he won't preach on something he never did himself. Beautiful story isn't it? Even we all know, it's easy to say but it's not always easy to do.

Then, what are the approaches of spreading da'wah? They are akhlak (bil hal), charity (bil mal), books/pamphlets (bil kitab), and speech (bil lisan). It's not important on which approaches you take. As long as there are efforts to spread da'wah, insyaAllah, the rewards are there from Allah. I think this post is already a bit too long therefore, I'll stop here for today. I'm sorry but I have to leave out the excuses people normally give when they are asked why don't they spread da'wah. To make it simple, please don't give any excuses to stop yourself from spreading da'wah because it is an obligation of a muslim. Thanks for reading. n_n

~Jaw~