UKHUWWAH (BROTHERHOOD) MALAYSIA-THAILAND 25TH-30TH MAY 2008

On 25th (sunday) evening a group of teachers from Sekolah Islam ADNI (ADNI Islamic School) departed for their educational trip to Thailand tittled: Ukhuwwah (brotherhood) Malaysia-Thailand. The trip was initiated to strengthen the brotherhood between the teachers of the Islamic schools in both Malaysia and Thailand, especially the teachers of ADNI Islamic School and a number of Islamic schools in Thailand.

From Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we visited Chariyatham Suksa School, Chenak city, Thailand to which the owner is Honourable Abdul Aziz, a well known personality in Thailand, in the pecture he is eight from the left. He warmly welcomed the teachers and initiated a ta'aruf session between his teachers and us. At the highly decorated conference room, he happily announced his and thirteen of his teachers accompany in our journey to Phuket. Along the way to Phuket we visited other Islamic schools in Kerabi City. The pecture (left) is the pecture of Utayan Suksa Krabi School (Garden of Knowledge), it is a big Islamic school in Kerabi, it has seven buildings and one big Surao (small mosque). During our stay in this school, we were served with traditional food in Thailand, one of them was Tumyam. We had ta'aruf with the teachers and we had opportunity to sit with Mr. Jirasak Butden, the director and Mr. Varut Buthab, the chairman of the school. Our visit in this school was hard to be forgotten. The teachers are friendly and sincere. We had managed to visit also the Pundok (hostels) of the students. The students kissed our hands and welcomed us in their Pundoks. In Kerabi too we visited another school which name is Sekolah Agama Kerabi. This school is quite far from the city but the place is unique and silence. It is good for students so they can concentrate their studies. From Kerabi city, we continued our trip to Phuket, where we spent two days there. We enjoyed a lot and from there, we returned to Chenak and then Kuala Lumpur.

IMAM ABI HANIFAH (CONTINUE)

A Wise Young Muslim Boy

Many years ago, during the time of the Tâbi'în (the generation of Muslims after the Sahâbah), Baghdâd was a great city of Islam. In fact, it was the capital of the Islamic Empire and, because of the great number of scholars who lived there, it was the center of Islamic knowledge.

One day, the ruler of Rome at the time sent an envoy to Baghdad with three challenges for the Muslims. When the messenger reached the city, he informed the khalîfah that he had three questions which he challenged the Muslims to answer.

The khalîfah gathered together all the scholars of the city and the Roman messenger climbed upon a high platform and said, "I have come with three questions. If you answer them, then I will leave with you a great amount of wealth which I have brought from the king of Rome." As for the questions, they were: "What was there before Allâh?" "In which direction does Allâh face?" "What is Allâh engaged in at this moment?"

The great assembly of people were silent. (Can you think of answers to these questions?) In the midst of these brilliant scholars and students of Islam was a man looking on with his young son. "O my dear father! I will answer him and silence him!" said the youth. So the boy sought the permission of the khalîfah to give the answers and he was given the permission to do so.

The Roman addressed the young Muslim and repeated his first question, "What was there before Allâh?"

The boy asked, "Do you know how to count?"

"Yes," said the man.

"Then count down from ten!" So the Roman counted down, "ten, nine, eight ...” until he reached "one" and he stopped counting

"But what comes before 'one'?" asked the boy.

"There is nothing before one- that is it!" said the man.

"Well then, if there obviously is nothing before the arithmetic 'one', then how do you expect that there should be anything before the 'One' who is Absolute Truth, All-Eternal, Everlasting the First, the Last, the Manifest, the Hidden?"

Now the man was surprised by this direct answer which he could not dispute. So he asked, "Then tell me, in which direction is Allâh facing?"

"Bring a candle and light it," said the boy, "and tell me in which direction the flame is facing."

"But the flame is just light- it spreads in each of the four directions,

North, South, East and West. It does not face any one direction only," said the man in wonderment.

The boy cried, "Then if this physical light spreads in all four directions such that you cannot tell me which way it faces, then what do you expect of the Nûr-us-Samâwâti-wal-'Ard: Allâh - the Light of the Heavens and the Earth!? Light upon Light, Allâh faces all directions at all times."

The Roman was stupified and astounded that here was a young child answering his challenges in such a way that he could not argue against the proofs. So, he desperately wanted to try his final question. But before doing so, the boy said,

"Wait! You are the one who is asking the questions and I am the one who is giving the answer to these challenges. It is only fair that you should come down to where I am standing and that I should go up where you are right now, in order that the answers may be heard as clearly as the questions."

This seemed reasonable to the Roman, so he came down from where he was standing and the boy ascended the platform. Then the man repeated his final challenge, "Tell me, what is Allâh doing at this moment?"

The boy proudly answered, "At this moment, when Allâh found upon this high platform a liar and mocker of Islam, He caused him to descend and brought him low. And as for the one who believed in the Oneness of Allâh, He raised him up and established the Truth. Every day He exercises (universal) power (Surah 55 “Ar-Rahmân”, Verse 29)."

The Roman had nothing to say except to leave and return back to his country, defeated. Meanwhile, this young boy grew up to become one of the most famous scholars of Islam. Allâh, the Exalted, blessed him with special wisdom and knowledge of the deen. His name was Abu Hanîfah (rahmatullâh 'alayhi- Allâh has mercy on him) and he is known today as Imâm-e-A'dham, the Great Imâm and scholar of Islam.

REFERENCE

[Adapted into English from "Manâqib Abî Hanîfah" written by Imâm Muwaffaq Ibn Ahmad al-Makki (d. 568 Hijri). Dar al - Kitâb al-'Arabiy, Beirut, 1981/1401H.]

ABU HANIFAH (CONTINUE)

HIS WAY OF TALKING

Along with beauty of character, God had endowed the Imam with good looks. He had a medium height, handsome features and a well-proportioned figure. His way of speaking was pleasing and his voice loud and clear. When he spoke on a problem he did so with such eloquence and clarity that, no matter how complicated it was it became simplified.

HIS DRESSING

He was a man of good taste and liked to dress well. Ibn Hubairah, governor of Kufah and a man of renown, once said to Abu Hanifah, "I would consider it a favour if you could come and see me occasionally." "What is the point in my visiting you?" replied the Imam. "If you treated me kindly, I might fall into your trap. If, on the other hand, you received me rudely, I would consider it a disgrace. I do not need anything from your treasury, and whatever I have nobody can snatch away from me."

The Life of Imam Abu Hanifah (Nu'man ibn Thabit, 80-150 A.H.): A Brief visit

INTRODUCTION

Better known as `Imam-e-`Adham' (The Greatest Imam), or by his kunyah `Abu Hanifah', Nu'man ibn Thabit.

He was born in the city of Kufa (modern day Iraq) in the year 80 A.H (689 A.D). Born into a family of tradesmen, the Imam's family was of Persian origin as well as descending from the noble Prophet's (saw) Companion Salman al-Farisi (ra). Imam Abu Hanifah's father, Thabit, had met in Kufa Imam `Ali Ibn Abi Talib (ra) who made dua for him and his progeny, and some say that Abu Hanifah was a result of this dua.

Kufa at the time of the Imam's birth was a great center of knowledge and learning, with many of the noble Prophet's (saw) Companions (ra) having taken residence there.

HIS PIOUSNESS

For thirty years on end he fasted from day to day. He completed seven thousand readings of the Qur'an at the place where he died. There having been found in the canal at Kufah a piece of meat about which it could not be ascertained whether or not it was part of a lawfully slaughtered animal, he abstained from eating fish for a long time for fear that the fish, which was long-lived, may have eaten of that piece of meat.

The Imam's personality is to be found in the description that Qadi Abu Yusuf gave of him to Harun al-Rashid at the latter's request. "As far as I know," said the Qadi, "Abu Hanifah was extremely pious, avoided forbidden things, remained silent and absorbed in his thoughts most of the time, and answered a question only if he knew the answer. He was very generous and self-respecting, never asked a favour of anybody, shunned the company of the worldly-minded and held worldly power and position in contempt. He avoided slander and only talked well of people. He was a man of profound learning and was as generous with his knowledge as with his money." On hearing this account, Harun al-Rashid observed, "You have described a great and good man."


REFERENCE
Al-Madkhal li al-Fiqh Al-Islami. Hasan 'Ali al-Shadhili (Al-Urdun: Dar Al-Taba'ah al-Hadithah, p360-362.