Saturday, December 4, 2010

Seek the LIGHT!


Seek the LIGHT!
Picture by *Nayzak of Deviant.art

Confucius, the Chinese philosopher said: 
"Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon or star."
By Ameen Misran
I goggled on the World Wide Web via the world’s most preferred browser http://google.com and stumbled on a website about a singer famous for his song titled ‘Seek the Light’

“Seek the light!” I shouted in my heart. I was so eager to sink in the lyrics because I am a traveler who seeks the LIGHT in my life! 

So I went through the lyrics حَرْفٌ بِحَرْفٍ (word by word), but I was so frustrated. I was so upset I closed the website on the dot and if Allah granted me with the skill to hack that website, I would do so! But luckily I don’t know how to hack. 

Why am I so upset? The singer claimed “Seek the Light” but after going through his lyrics, there’s nothing mentioned about guidance, truth and knowledge. 


Light Upon Light- Allah as guidance

Many people searched for the true Light, many people succeeded, but many others failed. Many others tried so hard to grab hold on to that Light in hand, but many others just let go of that Light to disappear from his heart to the darkness of ignorance. 

            Who is the Light? Allah is the Light. He will give guidance to whom He wishes. As what Allah said in the Holy Quran:

 “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His Light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon Light, Allah guideth unto His Light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things.” [1]

Mashaallah! How wonderful are His allegories! If William Shakespeare is a great poet, Allah the creator of Shakespeare is the ultimate poet of all times! Indeed, Allah is the shining star and we have to pray so that we are always given His Light. Allah is our mentor; we have to pray so that we are in the list of His mentee. 

Islam is the truth

            Islam is the truth and there is no denial to it. Allah has mentioned in the Quran:
“The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will): nor did the people of the Book dissent there from except through envy of Each other, after knowledge had come to them. but if any deny the Signs of Allah, Allah is swift In calling to account.”

Islam in the Arabic language and in Qur’an means total submission and obedience. Allah (S.W.T.) says in surat Al-Imran, (Verse 83), what can be translated as, 

“Do They seek for other than the Religion of Allah.-while all creatures In the heavens and on earth have, willing or unwilling, bowed to His will (Accepted Islam), and to Him shall They all be brought back”

This word Islam had been used in the Qur’an as a symbol for the deen that was revealed to Muhammad (S.A.W.) and Allah clarified that He will not accept from many other deen even if it was from the previous divine deens. Allah (S.W.T.) says in surat Al-Imran, (Verse 85), what can be translated as,


"And if anyone desires a Religion other than Islam (submission to Allah., never will it be accepted of him; and In the Hereafter He will be In the ranks of those who have lost (All spiritual good).”

This meaning is emphasized by the saying of the prophet (S.A.W.) when he said, 

"By whom my soul is in His hand, if one, Jew or Christian, heard of me, then died and he/she did not believe in that which I was sent with, then they are from the dwellers of Hell fire." Reported by Imam Muslim)

            Allah did not reveal this religion of Islam in order to be in theoretical discussions but Allah has revealed this religion to govern the life of every individual being to be a beacon to guide people from darkness to light, Surah Maidah verse 15 & 16:

15. O people of the Book! there hath come to you Our Messenger, revealing to you much that ye used to hide In the Book, and passing over much (That is Now unnecessary). there hath come to you from Allah a (new) light and a perspicuous Book,-

16. wherewith Allah guideth all who seek His good pleasure to ways of peace and safety, and leadeth them out of darkness, by His will, unto the light,- guideth them to a path that is straight.

            Do we dare to deny the truth?

Knowledge is Light

            Knowledge is also light, as what has said by the teacher of Imam Shafi, Waki to him:

شكوت الى وكيع سوء حفظي .‫فارشدني عن ترك المعاصي واخبرني بان العلم,
نور ونور الله لا يعطى العاص"
“The great Imam ash-Shafi R.A’, he went to his teacher Waki` complaining about the weakness of his memory. He told him, 
“abandon disobedience, for knowledge is light and the light of Allah is not bestowed upon a disobedient.”

            Mashaallah! If the slightest sin can prevent good deeds, how about the great sins we make? How dark our heart is?

            How to make sure our heart is qualified for Light to enter? Inshaallah I’ll share in the posts next to come.

            As for now, I want to share one supplication by Rasulullah: 

" Place Light in my heart, Light in my tongue, Light in my hearing, Light in my sight, Light above me, Light below me, Light on my right, Light on my left, Light in front of me, Light behind me, place Light in my soul, and make Light abundant for me." [2]

            If we look deeply, Rasulullah is a prophet and he is guaranteed paradise for him but still he fears the most that he will be punished in the wrath of Hell.

Think on your feet; let the Light shine in our hearts. Let our heart free from darkness of ignorance. Seek for that Light!


[1] Holy Quran. Surah Nuur verse 35
[2] Muslim. Book 4. Hadith 1680

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