When Two World Collides


''قادر عل الكسب’’ Self-reliant. Being able to live without depending on others. The ability to take care of one-self when in distance with his families. Clothing, food, work and studies. To solve problem of their own. To make decisions of their own. To able to generate money of his own. Chasing success and benefiting others. Self-reliant as we know is own of the 10 characters of a successful Muslim everyone must fulfil. However, self-reliant can signifies way much more than we imagined. It is not just about living matters. But it includes ones identity. The way of life and self-integrity. As the plants need soil, water and sunlight to grow, we all need an encouraging surrounding for self-building. But when the surroundings gets tough, when Islam and its values are strangers to the people. Or when it teachings are known but left forgotten and abandoned. Self-reliant means he is not the one influenced, yet he is influencing.

The culture in Egypt :

Alhamdulillah, all praises to Allah. The most gracious and most merciful. Alhamdulillah Egypt has been kind to host Islam in the hearts of its people. Most obvious during the month of ramadhan. The Quran is a culture. It is not weird to see people reciting in the public. Where the adhans are heard all around the neighborhood. And the nearby mosque is never too far from a walking distance to reach. This nation is rich in Islamic values. Unselfish and friendly. Living their live for the good of others. Though it is true that not all Egyptian are of this quality. Some of them only live with Islam in rituals. But never to be denied, its teachings are raised high. Deeply embedded in their belief. Egypt as we know is the land that gave birth to arguably the most biggest Islamic movement in the 19th Century. ‘’The Brotherhood of Islam’’ or better known as ‘’Ikhwanul Muslimin’’. A land where prophet Musa, Harun, Yusoff, Soleh were send. The land that recently gave birth the man who ‘’rock the cradle’’ with Islam. The man who strikes fear in the hearts of the west. His name is Al-Imam Hassan Al-Banna. Notice that this very land have been praised in the Quran :

آمِنِينَ اللَّهُ شَاءَ إِنْ مِصْرَ ادْخُلُوا وَقَالَ أَبَوَيْهِ إِلَيْهِ آوَى يُوسُفَ عَلَى دَخَلُوا فَلَمَّا
Then, when they came in before Yusuf (Joseph), he took his parents to himself and said: “Enter Egypt, if Allah wills, in security.”
(Yusoff verse 99)

Egypt is a blessed soil that breeds Islam in people from all over the world. Our Malaysian student community has benefit greatly from this fertile environment. Absorbing Islamic values and custom. Somehow, it makes learning Islam, and the effort to be a better person much easier. An advantage that our communities in Malaysia do not taste. And we all know the importance of a supportive environment.

‘’The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger’’
(At-Tawbah verse 71)

’The Prophet SAW Said : A believer is a mirror to other believers’’
(Reported by Abu Daw’ud)
           
The Silent Assassin

Approach and come closer. Take a look at reality. Slowly this healthy environment is being taken away from us. A smooth criminal. A silent assassin.

It is not strange no more to see two people of the opposite gender walking together. Sitting closely to one another. Enjoying their time in cafes, parks and along the beach. When the boys prefer to pray at home rather than having to walk a few steps to the mosque nearby. And the girls prefer more stylish dressing without covering properly. When entertainments exceeds the normal dosage. And people prefer hanging out with friends outside rather than attending religious classes. When selfish breeds into the society. And people become more unfriendly. Diseases in our own people all of our own doing.

Make no mistake my friends. If we are not careful enough, the community and culture we are so proud of may become no different than the community in Malaysia. We are experiencing normalization between Malaysia and Egypt. Egypt may one day no longer be known to bring back good people to the country. It seems that we are being influenced by negative values and action, instead of influencing. So where have ‘’قادر عل الكسب’’ been?

''And spend in the way of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good''
Al-Baqarah verse 195

yet it all pass by unnotice