The MUSLIM JESUS

The Christmas season is upon us. The streets and shop-fronts are filled with colored lights, tinsel stars and decorated trees. Carols and hymns fill the air. "'Tis the season to be merry… tra la la la la!". Then come the New Year celebrations: the big party on the 31st bringing this "merry season" to an end.

People then get back to their jobs; shops slowly return to their everyday colors and the decorations are taken off. What remains? Only half-price sales and after-Christmas reductions.

Christmas and all the festivity surrounding it got me thinking about how all of this mattered. I wondered what it means to be Muslim during this Christmas season.

Does the merriness bypass us altogether? Does the Christmas spirit completely elude us? Hmmm... Good question. Finding the answer to this one is not that easy, but it has to be figured out.

One of my favorite Muslim scholars repeatedly declares, "No Muslim is a Muslim unless he believes in Jesus Christ." So as Muslims, we definitely love and respect Jesus Christ. In fact, as Muslims, we are supposed to respect all prophets equally. And so, as part of our Islamic faith, belief in Jesus is incumbent upon us.

Christians and Muslims share a few beliefs about Jesus. However as a whole, the Muslim perspective about him is quite different from the Christian one. We know him as Jesus (peace be upon him), a Prophet sent to the Children of Israel to preach to them the word of God Almighty.

The Quran many times quite fondly refers to him as "Jesus the son of Mary". Muslims believe in the prophethood of Jesus just as we fully accept his miraculous birth. But Muslims don't believe that he was the son of God. Muslims believe that God Almighty clearly begets no children. Jesus was thus a mighty prophet of God, but he was no more than that and he was definitely not the son of God.

The second thing that Muslims differ in their belief about Jesus from Christians is that Jesus was not crucified to expiate for human sins. Muslims believe that no soul shall bear the burden of another's sins.

So our sins are our own to avoid or to commit and our own to pay for. Jesus Christ could not and did not pay for all of mankind's sins, it would simply be unfair. Rather, as Muslims we believe that someone else, from among Jesus' enemies, was crucified in his place.

Muslims believe that Jesus performed miracles, that, by the will of God, he gave life to the dead, and that he healed lepers. We go a step ahead of our Christian brothers and say that he spoke from his crib as an infant to defend his mother from those Jews who accused her of having an illegitimate child, which is something not mentioned in the Bible. We also know that by the will of Allah he breathed life into clay birds.

Muslims love and respect Jesus a lot, they await Jesus' return to this world, when he will lead the struggle to establish righteousness and truth. Muslims believe that he will bring victory to the good and defeat evil. He will complete his term on the earth and will then die.

We know that Jesus was as righteous as any other prophet of Allah and that he stood for all that is good. He was generous and kind, and taught people to love their neighbors as themselves.

He was peaceful, yet firm in upholding the truth and rejecting falsehood. He was pleased at good deeds but angry when he witnessed deeds of corruption or greed. He condemned these bad acts just as he condemned the people who did them. Yet he spoke about a forgiving God who always forgave the true repentant.

What Jesus bought to this world was the same message that all the prophets before him bought to their followers. All the prophets were sent to their people with the same divine commission to teach the people to be upright, kind, and to worship their Creator, the very same message that Prophet Muhammad preached to his people 600 years after Jesus Christ.

Prophet Muhammad was quite clear in stating that he did not bring a new faith but that he was the successor to Jesus Christ and to all the other prophets, confirming and completing the teachings they brought (peace be upon them all).

Allah sent prophets to the world to guide people to the true path and in the Quran Allah perfected this message. With the Quran, the message was complete and it was clear. It was now up to the people to henceforth maintain their beliefs and remain on the truth.

So as Muslims, though we may not realize it, we already practice the true teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ worshiped a single Creator, was steadfast in prayer, he fasted, donated to charity and cared for the poor.

Don't we Muslims do the same when we declare monotheism, offer Prayers, fast Ramadan and pay zakah? We definitely do, We follow the example practices and ways of all the Prophets including Jesus Christ, because this was also taught to us by Prophet Muhammad.As Jesus loved and respected his mother, we Muslims uphold family values. As Jesus was modest and humble, we too try to bring humility into our lives. As Jesus was steadfast in upholding the truth, so too should we Muslims strive to establish the truth.

Now coming to Christmas, What really does it signify? How many people regularly practice what Jesus taught? Sadly, it seems that to a whole generation Christmas has come to mean no more than extravagant shopping, a week off from work and multi-colored lights, the simplicity and modesty of Jesus conveniently forgotten, lost in the packed aisles of the closest shopping-mall.

The message that Jesus bought to this world was much more than this. It was about worshipping the Creator; it was about piety and generosity.

As Muslims we love and respect Jesus but refuse to limit the spirit of Jesus' teachings to a single day whose historical significance may have no connection to Jesus at all.

Rather we should try to spread goodwill to every man, woman, and child throughout the year in all our actions and deeds. We need to uphold the truth and be fair in all our dealings. We need to offer our seat to the old and guide the blind across the street. And yes, we need to do this every time we possibly can.

Peacefully we can usher in a revolution of goodwill, love, truth, and honor for all men and women.

This is the spirit of Jesus' teachings.
(Taken from Islamonline.net)

As there is PARADISE there is HELL

Almighty Allah created Paradise and Hell to serve two completely different purposes: Paradise is the precious commodity that Allah offers His servants so as to encourage them to be obedient and righteous in the hope that Paradise will be their eternal abode. Conversely, Hell is the unbearable torment with which disbelievers as well as disobedient servants are threatened so that perhaps they may pay heed and turn back to the right path.

However, seeking to forget this difficult test, the majority of people nowadays, especially the sinful among them, tend to always refer to the divine attributes of forgiveness and mercy, thereby trying to convince themselves that they will surely be forgiven and admitted to Paradise no matter what they do, for the Lord Whom they worship is All-Merciful, All-Compassionate (My mercy embraces all things…) (Al-A`raf 7:156)

They, however, plead ignorance of the fact that Allah's mercy is shown to certain types of His servants; this is clear when the verse is read to its end (My mercy embraces all things; therefore, I shall ordain it for those who have taqwa and pay the poor due and for those who believe in Our revelations.) (Al-A`raf 7:156) Hence, it is a conditional mercy, so to speak.

To those who have no fear of Almighty Allah and think that the whole matter is only about mercy and forgiveness, Allah issues this warning: (Announce (O Muhammad) to My servants that verily I am the Forgiving, the Merciful. And that My doom is the dolorous doom) (Al-Hijr 15:49-50)

No doubt, the believer ought to always remember that Allah possesses unlimited mercy; this will give him a great hope that should he repent, he will be welcomed and his repentance, if truly sincere, will be received by a Most Merciful Lord. But if the love and hope as well as the abundant rewards awaiting the believers in the hereafter did not drive the servant to turn to Allah, then the fear would.

An unwise person may cause himself to lose a great opportunity with no expression of regret, but no matter how unwise or even mindless the person may be, he would never enter a blazing fire willingly. The unwise among us may sacrifice great rewards and gains, but when they are threatened with unbearable torment, they will most likely seek to get out of their blissful self-deception and repent.
(Taken from Islamonline.net)

Para Nabipun BERDOA

Ada banyak keluhan yang dirasakan oleh orang-orang yang berdoa. Mereka
meminta kepada Allah, tetapi belum mendapatkan jawaban dari doanya.
Sehingga akhirnya muncul rasa pesimis, bahwa Allah tidak mendengarkan
keluhan dan kesusahannya. Mengapa?
Pada hakikatnya sebagaimana ayat diatas ; Berdoalah kepadaKu,
niscaya akan aku kabulkan & adalah sebuah janji yang mutlak tidak
mungkin diingkari oleh Allah Swt. karena sesungguhnya Allah tidak
menyalahi janji (QS. 31).

Sabda Rasulallah Saw:
Tidak ada seorang muslim yang berdoa melainkan akan dikabulkan, ada
kalanya disegerakan didunia, ada kalanya disimpankannya untuknya di
akhirat. Dan ada kalanya digunakan untuk menghapuskan dosa-dosanya sesuai
dengan kadar doa yang ia ucapkan selama ia tidak berdoa untuk dosa atau
memutuskan tali persaudaraan.

Dan beliaupun bersabda:
Nanti pada hari kiamat Allah Swt akan memperlihatkan setiap doa
yang dipanjatkan oleh setiap orang sewaktu di dunia yang tidak Allah
kabulkan, dimana Allah berfirman: Hambaku, pada suatu hari kamu
memanjatkan doa kepadaku, namun Aku tahan doamu itu, maka inilah pahala
sebagai pengganti doamu itu. Orang yang berdoa itu terus menerus
diberi pahala sehingga ia berharap kiranya semua doanya itu hanya dibalas
di akhirat saja dan tidak diberikan di dunia.

Dari kedua hadist diatas, kita akan mengerti bahwa tidak semua apa-apa
yang kita minta (doa) kepada Allah, tidak selalu baik untuk dikabulkan di
dunia. Tetapi boleh jadi akan lebih baik bila diterima di akhirat kelak.
Dan pada saat kita berdoa memohon kepada Allah, pada hakikatnya kita
berada pada posisi dekat kepada Allah, sehingga walau tak dikabulkan di
dunia, malah menjadi pahala penghapus dosa-dosa lalu. Lalu mengapa kita
tidak berdoa?


Berdoa adalah ibadah. Bahkan dikatakan sebagai ruhnya ibadah. Orang yang
hidupnya tidak dilewati dengan berdoa maka ia adalah makhluk yang sombong.
Padahal perilaku sombong adalah termasuk bagian sifat penghuni jahanam.

Sabda Rasulallah Saw:
الدعاء هو العبادة ثم قرأ قوله تعالى وقال ربكم ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ
دَاخِرِينَ

Doa itu adalah ibadah. Kemudian beliau membaca firman Allah taala
(yang artinya): Dan Tuhanmu berfirman: berdoalah kepadaKu,
niscaya akan Aku perkenankan bagimu. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang
menyombongkan diri dari menyembahKu akan masuk neraka jahanam dalam
keadaan hina dina.

Abu Dzar al-Ghifari berkata: Doa itu melengkapi amal kebajikan sebagaimana
garam melengkapi makanan.


Seseorang yang berdoa hendaknya jangan tergesa-gesa, karena sesungguhnya
orang yang berdoa kepada Allah niscaya akan dikabulkan segera atau lambat.
Kadang kala permohonannya dikabulkan seketika, kadangkala dikabulkan pada
waktu yang agak lama, kadang kala tidak dikabulkan di dunia dan nanti akan
diganti dengan pahala di akhirat.

Setiap kita hendaknya selalu memposisikan diri sebagai hamba Allah yang
berdoa, menangis di keheningan malam, memohon ampunan atas segala dosa di
masa lalu. Memohon limpahan kemudahan hidup serta diselamatkan kelak dari
api neraka.

Manusia yang merasa telah cukup puas dengan apa yang didapatkan didunia
sehingga tidak mau berdoa adalah termasuk manusia yang merugi karena
kesombongannya di hadapan Allah Swt.
Para nabi dan rasulpun selalu menengadahkan tangan memohon dan berdoa
kepada Allah Swt siang dan malam tanpa lelah. Mereka yang telah dijamin
kebahagiaan di akhirat kelak masih mau meminta pertolongan Allah. Sedang
kita yang belum tahu di mana tempat akhir persinggahan masih melalaikan
fasilitas doa yang telah disedia di dunia.

Sebagai suri tauladan kita dapat temukan beberapa kisah para nabi dan
rasul yang berdoa untuk mendapatkan hajat dan keinginan mereka. Seperti:

1. Nabi Adam As bapak para manusia memohon ampunan karena telah mendzalimi
dirinya memakan buah khuldi di surga. Saat diturunkan didunia, setiap
hamparan tanah tak terlepas dari tetesan air mata penyesalan beliau. Doa
beliau:
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا
لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنْ الْخَاسِرِينَ
"Ya Tuhan kami, kami telah menganiaya diri kami sendiri, dan jika Engkau
tidak mengampuni kami dan memberi rahmat kepada kami, niscaya pastilah
kami termasuk orang-orang yang merugi. (QS. Al-Araf: 23)

2. Nabi Ibrahim As bapak para nabi mendoakan tanah suci makkah sebagai
tanah yang diberkati oleh Allah, sehingga walau pun terdiri dari tanah
yang tandus dan berbatuan, tetapi selalu dilimpahi rahmat dari berbagai
buah-buah.
رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا بَلَدًا آمِنًا وَارْزُقْ أَهْلَهُ مِنْ الثَّمَرَاتِ
مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْهُمْ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ
"Ya Tuhanku, jadikanlah negeri ini, negeri yang aman sentosa, dan
berikanlah rezki dari buah-buahan kepada penduduknya yang beriman diantara
mereka kepada Allah dan hari kemudian (Albaqoroh: 126)

3. Nabi Musa as, nabi yang telah menyelamatkan bani Israil dari kukungan
Firaun di mesir, pada saat beliau mendapat kesusahan untuk berdakwah
karena cacat pada lidahnya, maka ia berdoa:

رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي، وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي، وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِنْ
لِسَانِي، يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي
"Ya Tuhanku, lapangkanlah untukku dadaku, dan mudahkanlah untukku
urusanku, dan lepaskanlah kekakuan dari lidahku, supaya mereka mengerti
perkataanku (QS. Thoha: 25-28)

4. Nabi Sulaiman As, seorang yang mendapat kenikmatan dunia yang luar
biasa, yang memiliki kekuasaan atas jin, manusia, binatang, angin dan air
masih mampu mengucapkan doa.
رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ
وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ
وَأَدْخِلْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَ.
"Ya Tuhanku berilah aku ilham untuk tetap mensyukuri nikmat Mu yang telah
Engkau anugerahkan kepadaku dan kepada dua orang ibu bapakku dan untuk
mengerjakan amal saleh yang Engkau ridhai; dan masukkanlah aku dengan
rahmat-Mu ke dalam golongan hamba-hamba-Mu yang saleh." (QS. An-Naml: 19)

Masih banyak doa-doa yang diucapkan para nabi dalam al-Quran, yang
tentunya bila kita mau mentadaburi nya kita akan menjadi malu. Alangkah
sombongnya kita, alangkah angkuhnya kita, alangkah malangnya diri kita
yang telah menyia-nyiakan waktu dan umur kita dari perbuatan doa kepada
Allah sedang para Nabi pun berdoa.

Berdoalah, agar kita selamat di dunia dan akhirat.