Category : People

A Supertition About Marriage in Shawwal

 

Allah said, “But when good came to them, they said, “This is ours by right.” And if a bad condition struck them, they saw an evil omen in Moses and those with him. Unquestionably, their fortune is with Allah, but most of them do not know.” [Quran 7:131]

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Allah unveils the fact that paganists’ life is full with superstitions. Their unbelief in Allah makes them believe in unscientific and strange things. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines superstition as a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation. It is also known in Islam with tatayyur/tiyarah.

Our beloved Prophet stated, “There is no superstition.” [recorded by Al-Bukhari & Muslim]. He said too, “Superstition is minor shirk (ascribing a partner beside Allah).” [recorded by Abu Dawud].

Paganist Arabs had their numerous superstitions as well, one of those is marriage in Shawwal. This month was named after the drying up of the camels’ milk (tashweel), when it becomes scanty. This is what happens to the camels when the heat becomes intense and there are no longer any dates on the palm trees. Hence Arabs were superstitious about getting married at that time, and they would say that the bride would keep away from her groom like the female camel when she has been impregnated and lifted her tail.

The Prophet Muhammad -peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him- showed that their superstition was false by intently married Aishah in Shawwal, three years befor Hijrah. Aishah told her story, “The Messenger of Allaah married me in Shawwaal and consummated the marriage with me in Shawwaal, and which of his wives was more favoured by him than me?” [narrated by Muslim]

Imam Al-Nawawi (d. 1277 CE) said in his commentary on the this hadith, “This indicates that it is mustahabb to get married and to consummate the marriage in Shawwaal. Our fellow-scholars have stated that this is mustahabb (recommended), quoting this hadeeth as evidence for that. By saying this, Aishah was aiming to refute the ignorant belief of the Jahiliyyah, and what some of the common folk still believe today, that it is abominable to get married or to consummate the marriage in Shawwal. This is false and there is no basis for this belief. It is one of the leftovers of the Jahiliyyah, when they used to be superstitious about that.”

May Allah make easy for you to marry and grant you with a spouse who will bring you closer to Him and bless your marriage and let it be a means for you to become closer to Him in love and devotion. Let it be a source of untold blessings, happiness and joy and be a way for you and your familiy to enter Jannah.

written by Nur Fajri Romadhon

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See here to read more explanation of the verse above in English. You are able to look for other topics with our search engine as well in English or Indonesian.
https://tafsir.learn-quran.co/en/surah-7-al-araf/ayah-131

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People of the Cave and Their Silver Coins

 

In January 250, an Emperor of Roman, named Decius (d. 251), issued one of the most remarkable imperial edicts which written there: “All the inhabitants of the empire were required to sacrifice before the magistrates of their community ‘for the safety of the empire’.” One day he came to Ephesus and built in the middle of this city altars for idols. He also issued an order to his people of the city to sacrifice to idols, and then he anointed their bodies with the blood of these offerings. Anyone who refused to obey this command, risked torture and execution. A number of prominent followers of Prophet Isa, in fact, refused to make this ritual slaughter and were unjustly killed in the process, including their scholars.

Maximilian, Jamblichus, Martin, John, Dionysius, Antonius, and Constantine were seven youngsters from elite families who still persisted in their faith and fled into a cave. After a while, they fell asleep overthere for 300 years in Solar Calendar and 309 years in Lunar Calendar. As time passes, times have changed from several generations and did the empire so.

When they finally woke up, they didn’t realize how long they have slept. They thought that they must have slept for a day or half a day only. And they soon feel hungry and began asking one of them for going to the city in order to buy food.

One of them said, “So send one of you with this silver coin of yours to the city and let him look to which is the best of food and bring you provision from it and let him be cautious. And let no one be aware of you. Indeed, if they come to know of you, they will stone you or return you to their religion. And never would you succeed then.” [Q. 18:19-20]

Jamblichus was selected to carry out the task, so he went to the city with the silver coins that they had brought with them to the cave earlier. Once he arrived the city, Jamblichus noticed that the city is not longer the city he remembered. People now worship Allah. He got curious, but still very careful as to not raise any suspicious, because if the Emperor found out about them, they will be killed for sure. But when he wanted to buy food, the shop owner was surprised to see old silver coins handed to him. Roman emperors always put their pictures in their official silver coins. The picture appeared in Jamblichus’ coins was the picture of Decius who had died since exactly three centuries.

His coins later were considered as valuable treasures and then he was accused to be a spy due to his long hair and nails and because of his old and strange style. He was then brought in front of the emperor to be tried. Jamblichus was surprised again to see that the emperor is no longer the emperor he knew who wanted to kill them before. This new emperor was Justinian I (d. 565) who reigned since 527, a just person and one who follows the teachings of Prophet Isa, just like him even not as pure as Jamblichus’ faith. So, he told the new king of what has happened to them and why they went to hide in the cave. Upon hearing this, the king and his men went with Jamblichus to the cave. But not long after arriving at the cave and Jamblichus met his brothers, those People of the Cave (Ashabul Kahfi) drew their last breath and died.

written by Nur Fajri Romadhon

Visit our site to see more exegesis of the verse above
https://tafsir.learn-quran.co/en/surah-18-al-kahfi/ayah-19

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Equality in Islam

 

Allah said, “And keep yourself patient by being with those who call upon their Lord in the morning and the evening, seeking His countenance. And let not your eyes pass beyond them, desiring adornments of the worldly life, and do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair is ever in neglect.” [Quran 18:28]

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According to a tradition mentioned by Ibn Kathir (d. 1373), the elites of the Quraish said to Prophet Muhammad, may peace and salutation be upon him, that they considered it below their dignity to sit with such indigent people as Bilal, Suhaib, ‘Ammar, Khabbab, Ibn-Mas`ud and the like who generally remained in his company. They said only if he should send them away, they would be willing to attend his meetings in order to learn Islam.

At this, Allah revealed this verse admonishing the Prophet: “Do you desire to discard these sincere but poor people so that the chiefs of the Quraish, the well-to-do people, should come and sit near you?” At the same time, this is also a rebuke to those chiefs of Quraish: “Your wealth which you are so proud of has no value at all in the sight of Allah and His Messenger. Those poor people are really more worthy in their sight, for they are sincere and always remember Allah.”

Islam declares a complete equality among all mankind, regardless of one’s faith, skin color, language, social status, wealth or ethnic background. The whole universe belongs to Allah and all the people are his creatures. Everyone is born equal and will die equal. He will judge every person on the basis of merits and deeds.

Prophet Muhammad stated in his farewell sermon, “O people. Your Lord is one and your father is one (Adam). Arabs have no superiority over non-Arabs, nor non-Arabs has any superiority over Arabs. Also white has no superiority over black nor does black have any superiority over white, except by piety and righteousness. All humans are from Adam and Adam is from dust.”

Look at our Prophet who practically dignified the second class people among Quraish. For example, after the demise of his mom at the age of 6, his father’s Ethiopian slave, Ummu Ayman, took care of him. Until he became a Prophet he still respected her like his own mother and he considered her as a family member. He also adopted a slave boy, Zayd, and raised him like his own son. After his wife Khadijah passed away, he married to a black woman, Sauda. When Muslims conquered Mecca, the Prophet had Bilal climbed on top of the Kaaba to proclaim Azan, the call for the prayer. It was done to show the people the prestige of the black people in Islam.

After several weeks at the annual pilgrimage, we will see Muslims from all over the globe gather in Mecca. They speak different languages but perform all rituals together without any difference. In masjids near our houses we notice this fact too, when rich and poor, white and black, educated and layman all stand together worship their One God. All of this equality atmosphere in Islam was introduced in the ages when people looked down at other people just because their social status or their lineage, centuries ago before the Revolution of France or the Declaration of Human Rights. In Islam anyone who does righteous deeds with full conviction and piety, becomes beloved to Allah.

Allah speaks the truth when He said, “O mankind, We have created you from one male and female and made you into nations and the tribes that you may know one another. Surely the most honorable among you with Allah is the one who is the most righteous. Verily Allah is all-knowing all aware.” [Quran 49:13]

written by Nur Fajri Romadhon

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Kindly visit our website to explore more:
https://tafsir.learn-quran.co/en/surah-18-al-kahfi/ayah-28

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kahf 4.1

Having Non-Muslim Friends

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Allah said:
His shahib (companion/friend) said to him while he was conversing with him, “Have you disbelieved in Him (Allah) who created you from dust and then from a sperm-drop and then proportioned you as a man? [Quran 18:37]

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Al-Baydhawi (d. 1286) mentioned in his tafsir that here Jamblichus (Tamlicha), a muslim, was talking and discussing several issues with Peter, who was a disbeliever in this case.

Peter was a filthy rich man. He had two wide gardens. Each of the two gardens produced its fruits all season and there was a big river between them.

He also showed off with his wealth and sometimes he said arrogantly to Jamblichus, “I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in numbers of men (descendants & workers).”

He once said as well, “I do not think that my assets will perish ever. And I do not think the Hour (the Doomsday) will occur. And even if I should be brought back to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return.”

However, Allah called Peter as a “shahib” (companion/friend) for Jamblichus. Just like Allah named Abu Bakr as a “shahib” for our beloved Prophet in At-Tawbah verse 40.

It means that there is no restriction to have non-muslim friends as long as they don’t insult you because of your religion.

The Egyptian Darul Ifta’ stated in their fatwa:

“Basically, the relation between muslim and non-muslims is the coexistence not the clash nor the enmity. This includes all types of humanity relationship such helping each others. In fact, the forbidden wala’ (loyality) which Allah has prohibited us from is the religious loyality upon non-muslims. The noble intercourse, aids and pious attitudes are things that Allah commanded us to do.

Allah said: ‘And speak to people good words.’ [Quran 2:83]. He also declared: ‘Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.

Allah only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion – forbids that you make allies of them. And whoever makes allies of them, then it is those who are the wrongdoers.’ [Quran 60: 8-9].”

Similarly, Saudi Lajnah Daimah also answered in one of their fatwas, as follows:

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Q: “Is it permissible to make friend with a Christian guy? He goes along with him, visits him, studies together with him etc.”

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A: “It is allowed to perform gracious deeds towards a non-harbi disbeliever (a non-muslim who does not insult muslims for their religion) and to reply his good deeds or presents with the similar ones. But it is unlawful in Islam to give him wala’ (religious love/loyality).”

To put it in a nutshell, there is no ban on having non-muslim friends as long as they do not attack muslims by words or deeds due to their religion. Instead, muslims could show them beauty of Islam by their acts & words during this connection. Allah always knows best.

kahf 4.4

written by Nur Fajri Romadhon

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Kindly try our app to explore more:
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kahfi 6.1

This Worldly Life and Water

 

Allah said,
“And present to them the example of the life of this world, its being like rain which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it and then it becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And Allah is ever, over all things, Perfect in Ability.”
[Quran 18:45]

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The word “Dunyaa” in Arabic morphology is derived from the root word “danaa” which literally means to be near or to be low. This word which has passed to several Asian, European and African languages is often used in Quran to call this “worldly life” that opposes to the Hereafter (Aakhirah). It is called “Dunya” because it has much lower class than Aakhirah as it is also considered nearer to us than the Hereafter life.

Allah mentioned over here the parable of this worldly life. How it is like the water which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it. It mingles with the seeds that are in the earth, so they grow and become good, producing bright, fresh flowers, then after that it becomes dry and broken pieces, withered up, which the winds scatter tossing them about right and left. This is the real face of “Dunya” which will eventually cease and come to a halt.

Al-Qurtubi (d. 1273 CE) explained in his Tafsir how compatible this parable is. He said that Allah compared Dunya to water for the following secrets.

Firstly, water does not settle and remain in one place. Equivalently, Dunya does not remain the same upon one state of affairs. Someone may be rich right now, but next month he may lost his wealth, or vice versa.

Secondly, water goes away and does not remain likewise Dunya will eventually come to an end. Some women can be proud of her adorableness when she was young, but three decades later that beauty is absolutely going to fade.

Thirdly, nobody is able to enter water without getting wet. Similarly for Dunya, no one is perfectly safe from its trials and calamities even he tries his best in swimming. We all know what will happen later to those who deeply dive or even sink into Dunya forgetting Aakhirah.

Fourthly, if you have the right amount of water it is a useful nursery, but if it goes beyond the limit it is a harmful destroyer like flood or tsunami. Analogously to Dunya, its subsistence is beneficial while its excess is harmful. Dunya is not forbidden, instead it is important in life. But it will become disaster when somebody takes it more than its proper quantity. Of course, everyone should recognize their own measures. May Allah help us to be proportional in this worldly life and keep it in our hands not inside our hearts.

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Written by Nur Fajri Romadhon

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#LQMeet goes to Australia as the Only Muslim Startup Representative

End of April 2018, Learn Quran Tafsir is launched with the English version. Then, one of the LQ Team, Asma, had an opportunity to introduce this Quran’s Google to Muslims Community in the Australia. She joined International Business Readiness-A course for leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators of technology enabled startup, held by Australia Award. Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is their partner university. Learn Quran is the only Muslim startup as the representative from Indonesia, Masha Allah. Let’s check her story below.

asm

Journey

From April 27 to May 13, 2018, she traveled to Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane. She followed a series of lectures, site visitations, networking sessions, and meeting several local Muslim communities. Not only interesting lectures about growing business as startups, but she also found valuable ukhuwwah islamiyyah while introducing LQ Tafsir as the first Quran search engine with Artificial Intelligence technology.

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Asma created a sharing session to the Indonesia Muslim community, also known as IQRO Foundation in Sydney, to introduce LQ Tafsir as a tool to learn more about Quran. Then, she moved to Adelaide where she met Fairus, a Muslimah from Australia. She brought Asma to UNISA’s (University of South Australia) Islamic Student Society who were running a campaign to introduce Islam with Quran. Ibrahim, one of its member was interested in using LQ Tafsir.

In Brisbane, Asma met a representative from Muslim Student Association of QUT, Falihin. Lastly, she met with the Indonesia Muslim community in Brisbane (IISB) where most of the members are permanent residents of Australia, students, and Australian citizens from Indonesia.

Great experience

During her 15-day journey, Asma not only learned from the classroom sessions, but she also gained invaluable experience to witness how people live there, respect each others, and follow the rules. Australia is truly a different country, unlike Indonesia with its homogenous society and predominant Muslim community. Alhamdulillah, Learn Quran Tafsir have positive responses for the Muslim communities in Australia.

May this journey creates barakah and bring benefits for the ummah, Insha Allah.

 

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Menghafal Quran di Tengah Kesibukan

“Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang selalu membaca kitab Allah dan mendirikan shalat dan menafkahkan sebahagian dari rezki yang Kami anugerahkan kepada mereka dengan diam-diam dan terang-terangan, mereka itu mengharapkan perniagaan yang tidak akan merugi, agar Allah menyempurnakan kepada mereka pahala mereka dan menambah kepada mereka dari karunia-Nya. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Mensyukuri. (QS Al Fathir: 29-30)

Zaman dulu menghafal Al-Quran merupakan sebuah hal yang tabu, tapi saat ini menghafal Al-Quran seolah menjadi tren tersendiri di tengah masyarakat. Salah satunya diantara para mahasiswa. Di sela-sela kesibukan mahasiswa untuk memenuhi kewajiban belajar di kampus, maupun mengikuti organisasi, banyak mahasiswa yang juga menghafal Al-Quran. Baik yang sudah khatam atau pun baru memulainya.

Salah satunya Dini Hanifa atau yang kerap dipanggil Dinhan. Ia seorang mahasiswi kelahiran tahun 1994 yang telah mengantongi gelar sarjana terapan dari program studi Keuangan Perbankan Syariah (Politeknik Negeri Jakarta). Ia juga menyandang status mahasiswa tingkat akhir program studi Psikologi (Universitas Indonesia). Di tengah kesibukannya berkuliah di 2 Universitas Negeri secara bersamaan, dan juga aktif di kegiatan keorganisasian, Dinhan merupakan sosok yang penuh semangat, haus ilmu dan sangat mencintai Al-Quran.

Prestasi-prestasi yang pernah diraihnya selama masa perkuliahan terhitung dari tahun 2012, yaitu Juara 3 Lomba Karya Tulis Ilmiah (2012), peraih medali emas KOREAN CIGIF (2013), finalis Mahasiswa Berprestasi Nasional (2014), Mahasiswa Berprestasi Utama PNJ (2014), Juara 1 Lomba Teknologi Tepat Guna DKI Jakarta, Pemuda Pelopor Jakarta Selatan Bidang Pangan (2015), Persentator dalam Konferensi Internasional Manajemen Halal di Malaysia (2015), dan Mahasantri Terbaik Puteri di Indonesia Quran Foundation (2016).

Selain itu, ada beberapa kegiatan luar kampus yang diikutinya. Contohnya adalah sebagai Ketua Scientist Club Jakarta selatan (2012-2014), menjadi Relawan di Yayasan Tedco Peduli (2013-2014), Trainer for Woman Empowerment for Healthy Food (2014), Trainer on Small Industry Recycling (2014-2016), Internship di Badan Amil Zakat Nasional, menulis penelitian mengenai Zakat Productive di Al-Azhar Peduli, dan menjabat sebagai President  of Group Specialitation Intelectia In Academos (2016).

Di tengah kegiatan-kegiatan perkuliahan yang padat, kegiatan di luar kampus, dan semangatnya untuk mencetak prestasi, tidak membuatnya mengatakan “Aduh, aku belum sempet baca Quran, aku sibuk.” Tapi kesibukan-kesibukan tersebut malah semakin menambah kecintaannya terhadap Al-Quran. Bukan hanya membacanya, ia pun mulai memantapkan hati untuk menghafalkan Al-Quran dan mendapatkan gelar Hafidzah.

Dinhan sudah menghafal Al-Quran dimulai dari hafalan surat-surat pendek ketika Sekolah Dasar. Lalu muncul kembali rasa ingin menghafal ketika lulus dari SMA. Ia mulai serius dan fokus kembali untuk menghafal 30 juz ketika dirinya diterima di salah satu pesantren mahasiswa di daerah Depok. Namanya Indonesia Quran Foundation. Ketika itu ia berstatus sebagai mahasiswa tingkat akhir di Politeknik Negeri Jakarta dan mahasiswa tingkat dua di Universitas Indonesia.

Dalam menghafal Al-Quran, bukan hanya menghafal saja, tapi kita juga harus memperhatikan bacaan kita. Dari tajwid dan tahsin nya pun harus diperhatikan. Dinhan sendiri sudah ditanamkan untuk membaca Al-Quran dengan baik dan benar dimulai dari usia sekolah dasar. Lalu terus diulang-ulang disertai murotal-murotal. Ini tidak dimaksudkan untuk melagu-lagukan, namun untuk tetap membiasakan membaca Al-Quran dengan tajwid yang benar.

Ketika di berasrama, tanggung jawabnya pun bertambah, yaitu harus mengikuti program hafalan Al-Quran yang telah ditentukan. Dengan Ziyadah yang harus disetorkan pada pagi hari, dan Murojaah hafalan yang harus disetorkan pada malam hari. Dalam berasrama pun Dinhan menjadi sosok yang disegani oleh teman temannya. Walaupun sibuk luar biasa, Dinhan tetap bisa menjaga komitmennya untuk menghafal Al-Quran dan memenuhi target-target yang telah dibuat. Setelah menyelesaikan program satu tahun dengan target hafal 5 juz Al-Quran, Dinhan keluar sebagai Mahasantri Terbaik Putri IQF karena telah mengikuti program dengan baik dan capaian hafalan diatas target pada tahun 2016.

Lulus dari pesantren mahasiswa dan terlepas dari aturan yang ketat untuk menyetorkan hafalan setiap hari, bukan berarti membuat dirinya menjadi sosok yang pernah menghafal Quran. Ia melanjutkan statusnya sebagai mahasiswa penghafal Quran di rumah dengan target-target yang tentunya berbeda ketika berasrama. Perbandingannya, dulu kegiatannyasudah terprogram. Tetapi ketika di rumah, ada kewajiban lain yang harus dijalankan, yaitu membantu orang tua mengerjakan pekerjaan rumah. Dinhan pun harus mengeluarkan energi lebih dan mencari cara bagaimana dirinya bisa tetap menghafal dan melakukan murojaah hafalan Quran yang telah didapat tanpa mengabaikan kewajibannya sebagai seorang anak.

Kecintaannya terhadap Quran memang luar biasa. Di tengah keterbatasan waktu yang dimiliki, Dinhan pun akhirnya mengambil waktu pagi-pagi sebelum subuh untuk ziyadah, dan di sela-sela waktu kosong ketika perkuliahan untuk mengulang-mengulang hafalannya. Untuk saat ini Dinhan sendiri memiliki target yang menjadi prioritasnya, yaitu mengulang-ulang satu surat dalam satu bulan agar dirinya terbiasa, hafal, dan faham mengenai surat tersebut. Ini dilakukan secara berkala dan terus menerus, serta dalam proses menyelesaikan hafalan 30 juznya, Aamiin, InsyaAllah.

Ketika teman temannya banyak yang bertanya “Din kok kamu bisa sih?” “Din, kamu cara bagi waktunya gimana?” “Din, kok bisa tetep bersama Quran pas lagi sibuk gini?” ada satu ayat yang selalu menjadi pengingatnya yaitu surat Thaha ayat 2 yang berbunyi :

 

“ Kami tidak menurunkan Al Quran ini kepadamu agar kamu menjadi susah”

 

Ini berarti bahwa kita bersama sama Al-Quran bukan hanya ketika ada waktu luang. Tetapi kita yang harus meluangkan waktu untuk Al-Quran. Sesibuk apapun, ketika kita bisa meluangkan waktu untuk Al-Quran kita tidak akan merugi, InsyaAllah.

 

Ditulis oleh Siti Nurjanah untuk Learn Quran.

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Persiapan Membaca dan Mengerti Kitab Suci Al Quran

Di artikel sebelumnya sudah dibahas, bagaimana aplikasi Learn Quran Tajwid bisa muncul dan dapat dinikmati oleh kita semua hanya dengan mengunduh di App Store atau Play Store. Dengan gerakan yang diangkat LQ, yaitu #PracticeMakesPerfect, LQ mencoba untuk menyuntikkan semangat belajar Quran. Masih banyak juga dari kita yang takut memulai membaca Al Quran, dikarenakan bahasa arab yang memiliki huruf yang berbeda dengan bahasa Indonesia.

Pertama-tama kita harus meniatkan, bahwa membaca Al Quran untuk kebutuhan diri sendiri dan hubungan dengan Allah SWT. Bukan untuk orang lain atau untuk dipandang orang lain. Seperti dikutip dari www.newmuslims.com,Quran dalam bahasa Arab berarti membaca dan mengkaji.” Selain membaca, perlu juga ada pemahaman di diri.

Menurut pengisi suara LQ Tajwid yang juga dikenal sebagai salah seorang hafiz Al Quran, Muhammad Saihul Basyir, “Belajar Al Quran berarti mempelajari seluruh cabang keilmuan yang berkaitan dengan kita tersebut.”

Kemudian ia menambahkan, hal tersebut juga dapat menunjang interaksi kita dengan Al Quran, seperti belajar membaca, belajar menghafal, belajar memahami, mentadabburi atau merenungi, dan lain sebagainya. Dari proses itu kemudian akhirnya kita menemui pemahaman di dalamnya.

Selanjutnya Muhammad Saihul Basyir atau yang biasa dikenal dengan Basyir, akan membagi tiga sub hal penting yang perlu kita perhatikan. Diantaranya:

 

Sunnah Sebelum Membaca Kitab Suci

Selain ikhlas dalam pengerjaannya dan tanpa paksaan, ada beberapa sunnah yang dianjurkan untuk dikerjakan sebelum membaca Al Quran.

Dikesempatakan yang sama Basyir juga menjelaskan beberapa sunnah yang banyak beredar, antara lain: pertama-tama sebelum membuka muhsaf, sebaiknya mengucapakan basmallah.

Kemudian yang kedua, pastikan saat kita ingin mulai membaca, posisi kita saat itu menghadap kiblat. Dan yang terakhir dan tidak kalah penting, mengkondisikan jiwa dan raga dalam kondisi tenang. Hal ini dimaksudkan, bukan hanya emosi, tapi juga kegiatan yang kita jalani saat itu.

 

Hal-Hal yang Perlu Diperhatikan Seorang Pemula

Niat! Kita sebagai umat muslim, sudah terbiasa akan sebuah niat disetiap langkah dan keseharian. Niat ini tentunya sebagai pembuktian kita untuk ikhlas mempelajari dan memahami ayat suci hanya untuk Allah SWT, bukan untuk orang lain atau menjadi orang yang dikenal karena kemahirannya.

Setelahnya guru atau seseorang yang pantas dan dipercaya untuk mempelajari makna-makna ayat suci Al Quran. Perlu diperhatikan apakah seseorang tersebut memiliki ilmu yang dimaksudkan dan kita tuju.

Selain Al Quran yang menjadi dasar utama kita, diperlukan juga kitab-kitab rujukan. Karena kitab-kitab tersebut lah yang akan membantu kita untuk memahami ayat-ayat Al Quran lebih dalam lagi. Pemilihan kitab-kitab lebih baik bersumber dari para sahabat Rosul, karena pemahaman paling baik adalah pemahaman dari para sahabat yang menafsirkan Al Quran dan Hadits.

Terakhir, setelah proses di atas sudah dijalani dan dipenuhi, perlu diingat, bahwa kita jangan pernah merasa bisa memahami Al Quran tanpa memperbanyak tilawah harian kita. Karena itu sama saja membangun pemahaman ayat-ayat di atas pondasi yang kosong.

 

Tips Cerdik Memulai Membaca  Al Quran dalam Bahasa Arab

Hal terakhir yang patut diperhatikan menurut Basyir adalah tips bagaimana menghilangkan paradigma, bahwa bahasa Arab susah dimengerti yang berarti lurus dengan sulitnya mempelajari Al Quran. Sebelum paradigma tesebut semakin berlarut, lebih baik baca dulu tipsnya berikut:

  1. Hilangkan stigma dalam diri, bahwa bahasa Arab bahasa yang susah, akan tetapi bahasa Arab adalah bahasa yang paling mudah untuk dipelajari dan dipraktekan. Sehingga hanya perlu keberanian untuk memulainya saja.
  2. Allah SWT sendiri yang memberikan jaminan, bahwa Al Quran, sangat mudah untuk dipelajari. Jika kita percaya pada Allah SWT, itu sudah cukup untuk kita menghilangkan keraguan dan memunculkan usaha diri sendiri.
  3. Cari teman seperjuangan untuk memulai dan sekaligus bisa saling mengingatkan kebaikan tersebut. Jangan lupa pula, “setan bersama orang-orang yang sendiri dan mereka akan berjaga jarak dengan sebuah jamaah.”
  4. Pahami bahwa Al Quran  diturunkan bukan untuk menakut-nakuti manusia, tapi juga untuk memberi kabar gembira untuk umat manusia. Hampir disetiap bagian-bagian Al Quran, selalu didahulukan Tabsyir (memberi kabar gembira) sebulum Indzar (memberi peringatan).
  5. Jangan pernah membuat sebuah target yang terlalu berat dicapai, be realistic! Sedikit-sedikit, pelan-pelan dalam belajar, tapi konsisten dari awal sampai akhir. Karena sedikit tapi konsisten masih jauh lebih baik, dibandingkan banyak tapu cepat hilang semangatnya.

Setelah membaca penjelasan dari salah seorang hafiz Al Quran, semestinya kemauan dan niat kita jauh lebih kuat lagi ya! Amin.

Ditulis oleh Fertina untuk Learn Quran.

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Interview with Hafidhah: Mega and Fatma from Indonesia

We talked with two hafidhahs, Ms. Mega and Ms. Fatma, hafidhah and teachers at Shalihah Quran Center. Ms. Mega is currently a master student at Institute of Quran Studies (IIQ) after graduated from Islamic and Arabic College of Indonesia (LIPIA). Ms. Fatma was also studied at Institute of Quran Studies (IIQ) before then continuing her education at Institute of PTIQ. They not just teaches memorization of the Qur’an but also teaches about tahsin for other schools. In this interview, we talked about their experience and advice for memorizing Qur’an.

 

Q: please tell us when and how did you begin memorizing the Qur’an?

F: The first time I memorised Qur’an was when I just got accepted to IIQ. It is compulsory for IIQ student to memorise the Qur’an. We have three time slots per day to recite our memorisation in front of the teacher.  But the very first time was when I memorised the last juz of the Qur’an in high school.

M: To received my high school graduate certificate it was required for the student to memorised the first and last juz. After high school I joined raudhotul hufad institution. We memorised one page of the Qur’an per day. Each year my campus also held dauroh raudhotul hufad, it was thirty days program where we go to specific place where our daily task is mainly to memorise the Qur’an. The minimum target is 5 juz and the maximum target is 10 juz.

 

Q: Who inspired you during your memorization of Qur’an?

F: I have a lecturer who is a really great Qori, she won international MTQ competition in Libya. I admired her and sort of inspired by her.

M: I don’t really have a person who inspired me. I think the inspiration need to come from yourself. But my family definitely supports me to become hafidhah, especially my siblings. When you memorising the Qur’an every single day, you will feel like you’re missing something if you stop doing it.

 

Q: How long did it take for you to memorize?

F: It depends on my mood. If I was in a good mood, it took one hour to memorise four pages. Otherwise, I only got to memorise two pages in one hour.

M: It took me one hour to memorise two pages of the Qur’an.

 

Q: What were the challenges that you faced during memorization?

F: The biggest challenge is my own laziness, also gadget and social media.

M: Some of them were homeworks, thesis deadlines, and laziness. But we can not use that as excuses. The other challenge is that sometimes we can not decide either to do murajaah (repeating the memorisation) of previous verses or to continue memorising new verses. The correct one should be doing both of them even though sometimes the progress is not that much.

 

Q: How did you stay focused on your goal?

F: I need to remember my motivation again.

M: Have target. Every day we need to spare some time to memorise the Qur’an. Fortunately I used to stay in Qur’an/Islam dormitory. The recite schedule in the dormitory was after Ashar, and because all the residents have the same schedule, it is mandatory for us to be there every time. My target was one hour per day.

 

books, cup, drink

 

Q: What / whom motivates you daily?

F: Remembering my parents always motivates me. I remember their struggle and them working hard to sent me to study here, and all the love they give me. I want to pay them back with this deed.

M: We need to keep motivate ourselves. My first motivation is from a hadist. Mu’aadh al-Juhani narrates that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Whosoever recites the Quran and practices upon its injunctions, the reciter’s parents will be given a crown on the day of Qiyaamat. The brightness of that crown will be more intense than the brightness of the sun in your actual house”.

What motivates me daily is my wish to give my parent a crown in akhirah. My second motivation is that memorisation is a kind of workout for our brain. Memorising is a  practice in which you force your mind to to work hard by memorizing few passages which keeps it in good health, so InsyaAllah it will help our dunya matters as well.

 

Q: Do you have any favourite Al-Qur’an verse or surah?

F: Yes I have. One of my favourite verse is surah Al-An’am verse 74.

“And [mention, O Muhammad], when Ibrahim said to his father Azar, “Do you take idols as deities? Indeed, I see you and your people to be in manifest error.”

This verse is the beginning of the Ibrahim’s story finding God, it was easy for me to memorise this verse and the next verses because of the story behind it. My favourite surah is surah Ar-Rahman. I also like it because that Surah was easy to memorised.

M: Same with Fatma, my favourite surah is surah Ar-Rahman and my favourite verse is from Ar-Rahman as well, the staple verse,

“So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny?”

This verse always reminds me to be grateful towards Allah.

 

Q: As a Qur’an teacher, what do you feel the biggest challenges on teaching students is?

F: I teach at Quran Islamic High School, where its compulsory for student to memorise the Qur’an. All students are go straight to memorising even though some of them does not have a good tahsin (tahsin could mean two things, tajweed and makhorijul huruf). It’s hard to correct the tahsin when they already had the verses memorised. Thankfully it’s not allowed to bring phone to this school so there’s not much distraction caused by gadget.

M: I teach old ladies, and some of their makhorijul huruf are already imprinted from decades of incorrect practice, so it’s hard to teach them the right one.

 

Q: What advise would you offer to those currently memorizing Qur’an?

F: Put your distractions (phone or gadget or etc) far away from you. Dedicate certain time for you to memorise the Qur’an, maybe only one hour per day or maybe one juz per day.

M: Plant a strong azzam (intention) and you must have target. Not only for memorising the Qur’an but everything in life need target. If you really really want to memorised the Qur’an you need to have a strong azzam and target, both need to be existed hand in hand. We also need to allot specific time per day to memorise and recite the Qur’an.

 

Q: What are the different ways that can be used to motivate our sisters or brothers to memorize the Qur’an?

F: We know that we can not repay all of the things that our parents did for us. We can make them proud and pleased by memorise the Qur’an. The parents of the child who strives to memorise the Qur’an also receive abundant amounts of rewards and blessings from Allah.

M: To those who want to memorize but feel that they don’t have the time, just start. Start even if it is just two lines a day. And don’t forget to be consistent with it. Allah will give us barakah and we will be amazed on how much we are able to achieve just through being consistent, no matter how little we are able to memorize. The key is doing with sincerity and consistency.

 

Do you have productive tips on memorizing the Qur’an? Share your tips with and let’s learn from each other!

 

Written by Retno Larasati for Learn Quran

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Mengenal Sosok Ustadz Fajri: Penasehat di balik Aplikasi Learn Quran Tajwid

Usianya terbilang belia, baru saja seperempat abad merasakan hingar-bingar dunia. Namun jangan terpedaya, sedikitnya jumlah usia tak lantas membuatnya sepadan dengan ilmu dan pencapaian yang diperolehnya.

Pencapaian sang Ustadz selama ini memang tak lepas dari peran orangtuanya. Ustadz Fajri berasal dari keluarga sederhana yang dekat akan agama. Tak hanya keluarga kecilnya namun  seluruh elemen dalam keluarga besarnya dididik di bawah naungan Ilmu Islam yang kental. Kedudukannya sebagai anak pertama, menjadikan beliau mendapatkan pengasuhan maksimal dalam masa 5 tahun pertama usianya.  Tak ada Taman Pendidikan Al-Qur’an  maupun playgroup, pengasuhan usia dini murni dilakukan oleh kedua orangtua sebelum beliau memasuki Taman Kanak-Kanak. Nilai-nilai Islam begitu tersistem dilatih agar selamanya melekat di hati, salah satunya ialah penanaman rasa malu tatkala berbuat cela.

Bakat kecerdasan Ustadz Fajri telah terlihat sejak sangat dini. Disaat teman sebayanya baru mampu berbicara, pada usia 3 tahun beliau telah mampu membaca koran dengan lancar. Beliau pun memulai pendidikan di bangku Taman Kanak-Kanak tingkat B dengan usia yang lebih muda daripada rekan seusianya. Begitupun saat memasuki Sekolah Dasar, hingga sang Ibu pernah sesekali menantang Kepala Sekolah untuk  menguji  anaknya, dan menunjukan bahwa sang anak telah layak menapaki jenjang Sekolah Dasar tersebut.

Meski tergolong penyendiri, Ustadz Fajri merupakan anak yang berprestasi. Beliau selalu mendapat peringkat terbaik dalam kelasnya sejak duduk di bangku Sekolah Dasar. Suatu waktu beliau menempati peringkat 3. Kemarahan besar sang ayah pun tersulut dan membuat semua permainan yang beliau miliki dengan mudahnya lenyap dalam sekejap.

Dengan pemahaman yang sebegitu luas dan mengakar tentang Islam, tak ada yang menyangka jika beliau tak pernah mengenyam pendidikan formal agama sejak SD hingga SMA. Semua beliau lalui melalui pendidikan Negeri. Kerja keras yang penuh totalitas lah kunci besar beliau berada pada titik ini. Prinsip hidupnya adalah menjalankan apa yang telah digariskan Qur’an dan hadits. Sepenuhnya; seutuhnya. Sepuluh muwashaffat muslim pun ditegakkan dalam dirinya, dalam upaya menjadi muslim terbaik! Mencari role model yang sesuai dengan cita-citanya adalah satu kiat beliau untuk menjadi yang paling unggul dalam bidang keilmuan yang digeluti.

Dalam dunia pendidikan informal, tak banyak yang beliau jalani. Sesekali mengikuti sempoa, karate dan memperdalam bahasa Inggris maupun Arab dalam waktu yang singkat. Berbanding terbalik dengan pengalaman perlombaan yang ia selami. Dalam bidang non-akademis saja beliau pernah mengikuti lomba debat, pidato berbahasa Arab maupun lomba Tahfidz tingkat Nasional. Ustadz Fajri pun menguasai empat bahasa Internasional diantaranya Indonesia, Arab, Inggris dan juga Jerman.

Berbicara tentang sisi ke-Qur’annya, saat di jenjang Sekolah Dasar hafalan beliau hanya sebatas 2 juz atas dasar permintaan orangtuanya.  Memasuki Sekolah Menengah Pertama, beliau lalui begitu saja tanpa hafalan yang bertambah. Hingga akhirnya saat SMA hafalan beliau pun bertambah menjadi 12 juz. Delapan belas juz sisanya belum dalam genggaman. Beliau menuntaskannya saat lima bulan pertama memasuki perguruan tinggi hingga utuhlah hafalan Qur’annya dengan mutqin. Yang menarik ialah, beliau tak hanya menghafal satu jenis Qira’at dalam membaca Qur’an , namun sepuluh Qira’at. Dimana masing-masing Qira’at terdapat dua jenis riwayat. Dan jika dijumlah secara keseluruhan, itu artinya beliau mampu menghafal dua puluh jenis bacaan Qur’an yang berbeda-beda.

Pada tahun 2009 ustadz Fajri memasuki jenjang perkuliahan pada jurusan Kimia, Universitas Indonesia. Sayang, restu orangtua yang tak di tangan membuatnya berhenti meski belum genap satu semester. Nyatanya, jalan lain yang lebih indah menanti. Beliau diterima di Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh pada tahun yang sama.

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Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh

Tujuh tahun masa perkuliahan dimanfaatkan dengan sangat maksimal oleh beliau. Pada masa inilah, keilmuan sang ustadz berakselerasi dengan begitu cepat. Dua tahun pertama, beliau tak hanya menuntaskan hafalannya, namun juga menghafalkan beberapa kitab hadits dan beberapa matan cabang keilmuan Islam. Beliaupun melancarkan komunikasi Bahasa Arab dengan teramat fasih.

Tak hanya piawai dalam dunia akademis. Keeksisannya dalam berorganisasi dan berpolitik sudah terlihat sejak Sekolah Menengah Pertama. Beliau diajukan untuk menjadi Ketua OSIS sebanyak dua kali saat SMP, dan satu kali saat SMA. Namun semuanya beliau tolak hingga akhirnya memegang peran besar dan strategis lainnya di sekolah. Ketika memasuki dunia kuliah, beliau dicalonkan sebagai ketua angkatan Kimia UI 2009, yang lagi-lagi ditolaknya. Namun kemudian di dunia kampus yang lain, beliau diberikan amanah sebagai Ketua Forum Mahdzab Syaf’I. Dan forum tersebut menjadi lembaga terakhir yang beliau geluti sebelum akhirnya memutuskan untuk benar-benar fokus meniti akademis selama empat tahun berkuliah.

Pada tahun 2016, Ustadz Fajri menyelesaikan studi S1 nya dengan predikat lulusan terbaik. Indeks Prestasi Kumulatif yang diperoleh yaitu 3.9 dari skala 4. Oleh karenanya, ia mendapat hadiah berupa perjalanan Haji tak berbayar. Pada saat kuliah, beliau menjadi mahasiswa khusus yang diistimewakan oleh para Syaikh dan Profesor di Universitasnya. Begitupun pada masa Sekolah Menengah Pertama dan Sekolah Menengah Atas. Keterlibatannya dalam dunia olimpiade Fisika dan Kimia membuat beliau menjadi anak emas bagi guru-gurunya.

Setelah lulus jenjang S1, Ustadz Fajri memburu berbagai kesempatan untuk tetap dapat melanjutkan studinya setinggi mungkin. Takdir Allah menjadikan beliau diterima pada Universitas Oxford di Inggris, meski pada akhirnya beliau melepaskannya. Universitas bergengsi lainnya pun menanti, beliau kemudian diterima di King Saud University, Riyadh pada Jurusan Masters of Laws.

 

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King Saud University, Riyadh

 

Terdapat beberapa hal unik dibalik seorang Ustadz muda nan cerdas ini. Salah satu makanan favorit sang Ustadz sejak kecil adalah permen Yupi. (Hmm..) Dan ia pun tak segan untuk membagikan apa yang beliau senangi kepada orang-orang disekitarnya. Beliau juga merupakan seorang penggemar conan, dan telah menamatkan komik-komik terbitan Negara Sakura tersebut. Tak hanya itu, Ustadz Fajri tergolong ke dalam pecandu Star Wars dan Sherlock Holmes, dan telah menuntaskan buku dan film-film yang diterbitkan. Namun nyatanya, hal ini tak lantas membawa dampak yang hanya memenuhi kesenangan duniawi. Akan tetapi mampu mempengaruhi pola pikir beliau dalam menghadapi pemikiran-pemikiran menyimpang yang marak berkembang.

Kini aktivitas utama beliau adalah sebagai manager di Yayasan BISA. Selaku Co-Founder, pekerjaannya ini tak begitu menyibukkan beliau. Hanya 3 jam dalam sehari alokasi waktunya diperuntukan untuk bekerja. Hingga banyak yang berpersepsi bahwa beliau seakan pengangguran, dengan segudang aktivitas harian yang lebih sering dipenuhi kontribusinya untuk ummat. Beliau rutin mengisi kajian dan khutbah di beberapa tempat. Diantaranya yaitu Masjid Ukhwah Islamiyah, Indonesia Qur’an Foundation, asrama LIPIA, BSD City, dan beberapa tempat lainnya. Beliau tergolong salah satu ustadz yang tak mau menerima bayaran akan ilmunya. Baginya balasan memberi adalah memberi. Sebab sejatinya transaksi memberi dan menerima ilmu hanya terjadi antara Allah dan hamba-Nya, bukan antar manusia yang hanya sekedar perantara.

“Sebaik-baik kalian adalah yang paling baik terhadap keluarganya. Dan akulah yang paling baik di antara kalian dalam bermuamalah dengan keluargaku.” (H.R. Tirmidzi)

Tak hanya ummat yang menjadi fokus pikirannya, hadits diatas pun dimaknai betul oleh beliau. Keluarga menjadi hal yang tak pernah luput dari perhatianya. Demi mengembangkan kemampuan kognitif kedua anaknya, Ustadz Fajri rutin bermain lego bersama setiap hari dan  juga mengajarinya pendidikan Islam sejak dini. Ia pun rutin mengajari sang istri yang berstatus sebagai adik tingkatnya di bangku perkuliahan.

Membaca buku adalah makanan pokok seorang Ustadz Fajri. Entah sudah berapa ratus beliau tamatkan.  Ketika beliau menggemari seorang tokoh penulis, maka semua karya tokoh tersebut akan beliau lahap habis sebagai bekal pengetahuannya.

Dalam beberapa tahun kedepan, Ustadz Fajri bertekad untuk melengkapi khazanah hukum Islam di Indonesia dengan menjadi seorang Pakar Hukum Ekonomi Islam. Beliau berharap dapat menciptakan konsultan Hukum perkara syari’ah sebagai sarana pemenuhan kebutuhan ummat. Untuk mencapai titik tersebut, sejak beberapa tahun silam beliau telah tergabung dalam Asosiasi Pengacara Syariah Indonesia (APSI) dan beberapa lembaga serupa lainnya.

Terakhir, Ustadz Fajri berpesan kepada pemuda-pemudi masa kini. Jika ingin menjayakan Islam, maka perdalamlah ilmu Islam tersebut lebih dulu sebagai landasan, acuan dan juga tameng. Kokohkan core ilmu islam yang berkorelasi dengan peminatan yang ditekuni, pelajari tasawuf dan juga akhlak. Lalu fokus dan totalitaslah dalam belajar. Kemudian barulah bandingkan dengan ilmu-ilmu Barat.

Jadilah seseorang yang ahli dan konsentrasi dalam bidang akademis yang sedang digeluti. Perkuatlah keahlian hingga kelak menjadi sosok rujukan banyak orang dalam bertindak. Disaat yang bersamaan, jadilah hamba yang dekat dengan Al-Qur’an. Yang baik bacaannya, yang tidak sekedar menghafal namun memahami kandungannya lalu mengamalkannya. Apapun profesi yang dijalani, memperdalam ilmu tafsir adalah kewajiban. Dan itulah yang akan menyelamatkan manusia dari segala bentuk penyimpangan dunia.

 

Ditulis oleh Defani Herbiana Arima untuk Learn Quran

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