Potret Singkat Realitas Sejarah Tasawuf

Wacana kesufian dalam konteks keislaman, makin hari semakin menarik untuk diperbincangkan, selain masalah kasuistik yang semakin berkembang, ternyata fakta-fakta di dalam realita semakin menarik hal-hal baru yang menggugah semangat berpikir kita sebagai pemerhati kajian tasawuf. Sejarah tasawuf pun tak luput dari polemik akademis yang memicu para pakar meluangkan waktu menganalisa bahan-bahan referensial dalam dunia intlektual muslim.

Seorang tokoh sufi abad ini, Syeikh Muhamad Dhiyaudin najmudin Muhamad Amin al-Kurdi ra mencoba memberikan pencerahan dalam memahami polemik sejarah tasawuf. Beliau memberikan ilustrasi singkat yang menjelaskan titik krusial dalam memahami duduk perkara mengapa terdapat perbedaan diantara para pakar.

Beliau menjelaskan, bahwa :

Ketika kita berupaya melihat dan menelisik bagaimana tasawuf menjalani seluruh fase kehidupan sejarahnya di berbagai zaman dan lintas era yang ternyata berproses melalui rute atau jalur yang sama, yaitu dengan mengikuti firman Allah ta'ala dalam kitab-Nya dan meneladani Rasulullah saw serta mengikuti sunnahnya sebagai bentuk ketaatan kepada perintah Allah ta'ala, seperti tertuang dalam untaian firman:

﴿ وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا ﴾ سورة الحشر - الآية 7

Apa yang diberikan Rasul kepadamu, maka terimalah. Dan apa yang dilarangnya bagimu, maka tinggalkanlah. (QS Al-hasy : 7)

Namun, beberapa tokoh-tokoh sufi, terutama pada abad ke-5, ke-6, dan ke-7 hijriah, lebih memperhatikan konsep "dzauq" dan "al-mawajid" yang dialami dalam aktifitas suluk mereka, serta "mukasyafah" dan "musyahadah" yang mereka terima dalam tajallinya. Dan para tokoh ini ingin menyampaikan hal-hal tersebut kepada orang-orang (umat) di sekitar mereka agar bisa juga dirasakan apa yang mereka rasakan (yakni dzauq), dan mengalami apa yang mereka alami. Lalu, mereka mulai menuangkan ide-ide dan gagasan pemikiran dalam tulisan dan karya yang bisa dilihat dan dituangkan dalam bentuk kata-kata.

Dari sinilah masalah itu muncul, yaitu ketidakmampuan kata-kata memenuhi ataupun mewakili makna yang dimaksud, sehingga apa yang mereka tulis menjadi membingungkan dan terkesan rancu bagi sebagian pembaca literatur mereka. Alih-alih ingin mencari hakikat kebenaran dari tulisan-tulisan tersebut dan sumber aslinya dari Al-Qur'an dan Sunnah, namun tidak mereka temukan. Sehingga, para pembaca ini mulai mencari titik-titik kesamaan antara tasawuf dan budaya lain yang berhubungan dengan Islam setelah unsur-unsur (komponen) agama ini mengalami penyebaran luas ke seantero penjuru dunia dan menutupi kehidupan spiritual tasawuf itu sendiri - yang kelak dikenal dengan nama "tasawuf".

Banyak peneliti dan sejarawan tasawuf lupa bahwa terdapat perbedaan antara orang yang berbicara tentang tasawuf, karena bagi seorang sufi semua itu adalah nyata yang didukung akal sehat dan diperkuat oleh wahyu Tuhan, sehingga ia tidak tersesat dan tidak bingung, dengan orang yang hanya berbicara khayalan rasional (atau imajinatif) yang bisa benar dan bisa salah. Kebenaran yang tidak diragukan lagi adalah bahwa unsur-unsur yang membentuk tasawuf tidak berbeda dari satu masa ke masa, meskipun tulisan-tulisan para tokoh sufi tidak sama, alias beda pemikiran.

Dan apa yang ditulis oleh para Sufi Besar dan orang-orang yang meniti jalan Allah Ta'ala seperti Imam Al-Junayd, Imam Al-Tirmidhi, Imam Al-Muhasibi, dan Imam Al-Kharaz lebih berguna bagi pencari Tuhan ta'ala. Tulisan-tulisan mereka ini menunjukkan sisi praktis dari metodologi tasawuf terhadap buku-buku yang muncul dikemudian hari. Meskipun buku-buku terakhir ini ikut berpartisipasi dalam memperkaya khazanah kepustakaan tasawuf dari sisi teori, namun hal itu memperluas ruang bagi para peneliti untuk menjelajahinya dan mengatakan apa saja yang mereka inginkan dan yang mereka anggap benar untuk disampaikan. Tasawuf Islam yang didasarkan pada perbuatan yang bersifat praktis tetap menjadi yang pertama dan terakhir, juga akan selalu benar, tidak dapat dibantah oleh siapa pun, dan tidak ada manusia yang dapat mengusiknya.

Sufi dalam hidupnya tidak dapat dipengaruhi oleh apa pun selain kitab Allah dan sunnah Rasul-Nya. Sudah menjadi kebenaran rasional bahwa setiap tujuan harus memiliki sarana (perantara) yang sesuai agar dapat mencapai dalam mewujudkan tujuan tersebut. Jika ia menginginkan keridhaan Allah sebagai tujuannya, maka harus ada sarana yang sesuai untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut dan mewujudkannya. Seoran Sufi tidak dapat menemukan cara lain selain menjalankan apa yang diturunkan Allah kepada Rasul-Nya, shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam, dan apa yang dikerjakan Rasulullah saw tersebut, yang dianggap oleh kaum sufi sebagai suri teladan yang harus ditiru agar ia dapat mencapai tujuannya.

Aqidah Islam tentang Turunya Isa di Akhir Zaman

Segala puji bagi Allah yang memiliki pengetahuan tentang hari kiamat dan tidak memberitahukannya kepada siapa pun dari makhluk-Nya, dan salam dan rahmat Allah besertanya kepada Nabi Muhammad shallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam yang diberi pengetahuan oleh Tuhannya tentang tanda-tanda dan pertanda-pertanda hari kiamat agar manusia mengetahui apa yang akan menimpa mereka, karena setiap saat datang kepada mereka tanda-tanda dari Tuhan mereka yang mengingatkan mereka dari kelalaian mereka, dan membangunkan mereka dari kebiasaan mereka, agar mereka merenungkan hari kiamat dan posisi mereka di dalamnya, dan agar mereka berhati-hati agar hari kiamat tidak mengejutkan mereka saat mereka sedang lalai.Allah Ta'ala telah menjelaskannya dalam Kitab-Nya yang mulia, mengangkat Nabi Isa dan menunjukkannya akan turunnya, dan umat Islam sepakat akan hal itu karena yang memberitahukan tentang pengangkatan itu adalah Kitab Allah yang tidak ada kebohongan di dalamnya, baik dari depan maupun dari belakang.

Allah SWT telah menyebutkan dalam Kitab-Nya yang suci tentang kenaikan Nabi Isa dan memberikan isyarat bahwa beliau akan diturunkan kembali ke dunia ini di akhir zaman. Dan umat Islam sepakat terhadap hal itu karena sumber informasi tentang kenaikan Nabi Isa as benar-benar berasal dari Kitab Allah ta’ala yang tidak mengandung kebohongan dari sisi manapun.

Dan Rasulullah saw yang mana Al-Quran diturunkan kepadanya untuk memberikan penjelasan kepada umat manusia aturan hukun dan berita yang secara spesifik diturunkan kepada mereka agar mau merenungkan tanda-tanda Hari Kiamat. Di antara informasi Al-Quran adalah turunnya Isa As sebagai hakim yang adil dan bijaksana yang akan menghakimi umat manusia dengan aturan syariat Islam, sedangkan waktu turunnya dia yaitu pada zaman diturunkan sang al-Mahdi setelah munculnya Dajjal, dan keluarnya Yajuj dan Majuj pada zaman itu. Serta tugas Nabi Isa yang akan membunuh Dajjal dan seruan beliau kepada Yajuj dan Majuj sehingga Allah akan memusnahkan mereka jika tidak mengikuti seruannya.

Semua ini telah dibuktikan di dalam Al-Qur'an, seperti kenaikan dan diturukannya Nabi Isa as, serta berita datangnya Ya'juj dan Ma'juj. Semua itu juga telah dibuktikan dan dicatat di dalam Sunnah dan Hadist Nabi saw dan diperjelas oleh pernyataan para Ulama, sebagaimana juga akan Anda ketahui tatkala mencermati dan membaca risalah ini.

Yang mendorong saya untuk menulis risalah ini adalah kepedulian saya terhadap keyakinan Anda, wahai umat Islam yang mulia dari orang-orang yang sengaja melanggar dan merancukan isi Al-Kitab dan Sunnah, serta yang mengklaim bahwa pelanggaran mereka besumber dari perkataan para pendahulu dan ulama-ulama muslim yang sangat dihormati oleh umat ini, dan mereka mengaitkan pendapat para Ulama’ yang tidak pernah mereka ucapkan sekali dan juga tidak pernah mereka katakan kepada mereka yang melanggar aturan itu, dengan hanya mengandalkan referensi yang sangat minim dan kelangkaan referensi di tangan anda seputar masalah tersebut, serta hilangnya cetakan-cetakan dan mahalnya harga buku-buku yang menerangkan hal ini.

Oleh karena itu, saya merasa perlu untuk menghadapi mereka dan memberdayakan Anda untuk bersama-sama mengungkap kebohongan mereka dengan memberikan bukti-bukti yang mendukung keyakinan anda dan mengungkap kebohongan mereka secara gambling sehingga anda dapat memahami perilaku mereka dan memperkuat keyakinan anda sendiri seperti yang disebutkan di dalam kitab suci Al-Quran dan tertuang di dalam penjelasan Nabi Muhammad saw.

Dan apa yang mereka sebarkan sekarang ini mengacu pada kurangnya pengetahuan dan pemahaman tentang apa yang tertulis di dalam Kitab Allah dan apa yang disebutkan para ulama dalam tafsir-tafsirnya, serta apa yang tertuang di dalam sunnah Nabi saw, juga apa yang dijelaskan oleh para ulama dalam hukum hadits yang membuktikan hal tersebut, serta apa yang ada dalam kitab-kitab akidah dan disebutkan oleh para penganut aliran dan madzhab Islam yang berbeda-beda dalam menerima informasi tersebut.

Tatkala berita kedatangan Isa asdi akhir zaman, kemunculan Dajjal, dan munculnya Yajuj dan Majuj telah ditetapkan dalam Al-Qur'an dan Sunnah, maka semua mazhab/aliran teologi islam sepakat akan kebenarannya karena hal itu termasuk dalam hal-hal yang didengar (samiyyat) dan tidak dapat dipahami oleh akal belaka, serta bukan termasuk dalam masalah-masalah yang diperdebatkan di antara mazhab-mazhab teologi, karena tidak ada penolakan dari mereka terhadap masalah.

Dengan membaca buku penelitian ini, Anda akan melihat sendiri kebenaran kesepakatan semua aliran teologi mengenai semua masalah tersebut di atas.

Penelitian mengenai masalah teologis ini memerlukan studi yang komprehensif dan mendalam mengenai tiga dasar:

1. Al-Quran Al-Karim beserta tafsirnya
2. Hadits Nabi saw dan penjelasan kemutawatirannya mengenai masalah-masalah yang bersifat samiyyat dan tidak ada cara untuk membuktikannya atau menyangkalnya kecuali melalui teks (naskah Qiran Hadist).
3. Buku-buku ilmu kalam (theological literature) yang memuat masalah samiyyat yang tidak mungkin bertentangan dengan sumber-sumbernya baik Al-Qur'an maupun Sunnah, karena para pengikut aliran madzhab teologi islam, terlepas dari perbedaan kelompok mereka, percaya penuh kepada kitab Allah ta’ala dan Sunnah Nabi saw, dan tidak terima jika sabda (perkataan) Nabi Muhammad bin Abdullah, Rasulullah saw, yang diwahyukan kepada beliau diposisikan di atas pemikiran-pemikiran yang lain.

Kami memohon kepada Allah SWT untuk kami dan seluruh umat Islam agar dilindungi dan dijaga dari kesesatan dalam agama dan dunia kami, dan agar kami termasuk orang-orang yang mengikuti Sunnah Nabi, mematuhi, menyebarkan, dan menjelaskan keyakinannya sesuai dengan apa yang diperintahkan dan dilarang oleh Allah ta’ala:

﴿ وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ ﴾ سورة الحشر : الآية 7

Dan Allah adalah penentu kesuksesan, dan Dia adalah Tuhan yang Maha Baik dan Penolong yang Maha Baik. (QS Al-Hasyr : 7)

Act of God : Al-Qadha' (Fate) and Al-Qadar (Destiny)

Praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him. He has created everything and decreed everything for it. He says,

Indeed, We have created all things according to a measure. [Al Qamar 49]

So, “Al Qadaa'” (Literally: Judgment) is the concern of Allah's Will with all things eternally and everlastingly according to His Knowledge. It is one of Allah's Self Attributes, whereas Al Qadar (destiny) means that Allah brings things into being in a specific amount and a specific way according to Allah's Will. So, it is one of the Attributes of Actions. Then, Al Qadaa' is eternal while Al Qadar is casual and incidental

You should know that there is consensus among scholars that believing in Al Qadaa' and Al Qadar is a must. We should also believe that Allah's Knowledge and Will are concerned with all things eternally and everlastingly. His Ability is concerned with all things everlastingly according to His eternal Knowledge and His Eternal Will. Nothing ever happens, either good or bad, but by His Ability and His Will according to His Knowledge.

The meaning of Al Qadaa’ and Al Qadar is large enough to include also the world of the unseen. It also includes distributing talents among creatures, all the hardships and the trials which may occur to us; either good or bad and which our minds can not perceive.

We should know that there is a great distance between slaves’ knowledge and Allah’s Knowledge, Which is connected with the eternal and the everlasting, endless things. So, Al Qadaa’ and Al Qadar are two puzzles, which have perplexed man all over history because he wants to know the causes and the targets of the things that happen upon him. But how can he know such things and he is so imperfect while his Lord is so Perfect, All-Knowledgeable and All-Able?

No doubt that man’s mind can not perceive the essence or the reality of all the things, even the material things, because its abilities are so limited, For example, we don’t know many of the things which happen inside our bodies. Up to now, we don’t have full knowledge of how our organs and our cells are benefitted with food or how every organ carries out its job. Then, how do we want to know the immaterial hidden things such as the world of the unseen, Al Qadaa’ and Al Qadar?

We invite our reader to consider the following Holy Verses carefully:

﴿مَّا خَلْقُكُمْ وَلَا بَعْثُكُمْ إِلَّا كَنَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ﴾ سورة لقمان: ٢٨

Your creation and your resurrection are but as a single soul. Allah is the Hearer, the Seer. [Luqman 28]

So, it is so easy for Him to create all of them, to see what all of them do and hear what they say. It is the same easiness, with which He creates, sees and hears one of them.

When He wills a thing, His command is to say to it 'Be', and it is! [Yaseen 82]

And Our Order is but one word like the flashing of an eye. [Al Qamar 50]

As to Almighty Allah, there are no time borders; there is no hour, no day, nor a flashing of an eye but He addresses us in this way as to make the meaning within our reach.

He, who gets to know Almighty Allah, must realize His Loftiness and His Sublimity. So, he mustn’t crave after knowing His secrets. He mustn’t ask Him: why did You do so and so? You are not speaking to your friend, or even your governor, who is, after all, a man like you. Allah, glory be to Him, is not your peer. He is your Lord and you are His slave. And to be a sincere slave, you must devote yourself to Him and surrender to Him in whatsoever He does, fully satisfied with what He does.

Don’t be like those secularists or atheists who say that God is not just to His slaves when He decrees for them without their satisfaction. Their claim is null and void because the relation between people is not the same relation between man and God, Who knows so well what is good to His slave and decrees it for him. The slave doesn’t know what is good or what is bad for himself. He even doesn’t have the ability to know it. And don’t forget that Almighty Allah forbade injustice to Himself; so, He is never unjust to us.

Muslim narrated from Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet’s Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were alarmed when this Verse was revealed,

To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Whether you reveal what is in your hearts or hide it Allah will bring you to account for it. He will forgive whom He will and punish whom He will; He has power over all things. [Al Baqara 284]

They hurried to the Messenger of Allah (Prayers and peace be upon him). They knelt to their knees and said that Allah has over burdened them with that which they can not bear because He will set them into account for their hidden thoughts, which they can not take control of. The Messenger of Allah (Prayers and peace be upon him) said, “Do you want to say as the people of the Two Books (The Torah and the Bible) have said: we hear and disobey? Instead, say: we hear and obey. Our Lord! We ask for Your forgiveness and to You is our destiny.” He means to tell them to be true slaves and surrender to Allah in whatsoever He does. When they declared their satisfaction and submitted to Him, Allah bestowed His mercy upon them and revealed to His Messenger the following two Verses,

﴿آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللّهِ وَمَلآئِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لاَ نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِ وَقَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ ﴾ سورة البقرة : ٢٨٥

The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from His Lord, and so do the believers. Each believes in Allah and His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers, we do not differentiate between any one of His Messengers. They say: 'We hear and obey. (We ask) Your forgiveness Lord, and to You is the arrival.[Al Baqara 285]

Allah charges no soul except to its capacity. For it is what it has earned, and against it what it has gained. 'Our Lord, do not take us to account if we have forgotten, or made a mistake. Our Lord, do not burden us with a load as You have burdened those before us. Our Lord, do not over burden us with more than we can bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our Guide, so give us victory over the nation, the unbelievers.' [Al Baqara 286]

Thus, a true slave must fashion himself to be satisfied with what Allah does to him so that Allah will have His mercy upon him and forgives him his mistakes.

SOURCES:
Al Qadaa’ And Al Qadar (Questions & Answers) By Counselor Dr. Mohammad Najm Addin Al Kordy, First Edition, 1440 a.h. / 2019 AD, Translation: Taha Ibrahim Badr

The Facts of Commitments and Duties of Moslem

Now, we want to tell our dear reader that what we have said up to now in our introduction connects with the world of the unseen, which man has no choice in. We are moving now to the world of commandments “Do and don’t do”. We do or don’t do according to our choice, and upon which there is reward and punishment for our deeds, good or bad.

We will detail the matter in some points:

1) Almighty Allah says,

Say: ‘This is the truth from your Lord. Let whosoever will, believe, and whosoever will, disbelieve it. ‘ [Al Kahf 29]

He also says,

Yet you will not unless Allah wills; surely, Allah is the Knower, the Wise. [Al Insan 30]

Thus, it is clear from the Verses that the ability of choice in man exists by Allah’s Will. In other words, Allah wills that we have this ability of choice to do or not to do according to our will. So, we can choose to believe or disbelieve; to do good or to do evil.

2) Almighty Allah, with His Eternal Knowledge, has known before He created the slave what His slave would choose; either to be a believer or disbeliever, a sinner or a pious man. This, of course, would agree with what the slave would choose throughout his life.

As for those who were guided, He increases their guidance and gives them their protection. [Mohammad 17]

There is a sickness in their hearts which Allah has increased. [Al Baqara 10]

3) Allah’s Will comes after the slave’s will. If it comes before the slave’s will, then, why did Allah orders us to do and not to do? And why did He reward or punish us on Doomsday?

Allah does not change what is in a nation unless they change what is in themselves. [Al Ra’d 11]

Had it been Our will We would have raised with it, but he clung to this earthly life and succumbed to his fancies. [Al A’raf 176]

4) When Almighty Allah gives His slave the ordinances to do or not to do, first, the slave thinks in himself to do so and so. Then, Allah, Who knows what His slave thinks of, creates in him the ability to do that thing according to the slave’s choice.

Thus, man throughout his life lives between two facts, in which he must believe:

The first fact:

Many things occur inside us, in which we have no choice such as:

1) Man can do nothing with the genetic factors, with which he is born. Almighty Allah says,

We have created the human from a (sperm) drop, mixtures, testing him; We made him to hear and see. [Al Insan 2]

This Holy Verse indicates the inimitability of the Holy Quran. Not until the 17th century, scientists had invented the microscope, which enabled them to see how man is created. He is created from a mixture of a sperm with a mixture of an ovum, which is made into a third mixture, carrying the genes of the father and those of the mother. Then, we have three mixtures: the mixture of the father’s sperm with some characteristics, the mixture of the mother’s ovum with some other characteristics, and the new resulting mixture of the fertilized ovum. This is why the Holy Quran used the word, “Amshaj” (mixtures) in plural and it was so many years before scientists knew this fact.

Allah, glory be to Him, has created man in this way and made him able to hear and see and have all the other senses so as to test him. When scientists studied the chromosome, whose diameter is only about one fifth of a millimeter, they found it carry all the genetic characteristics of man such as hearing, seeing, tasting, the shape of his organs, and so on.

Who can say such a thing one thousand and a half years ago, before scientists could know it? It is only Allah Who has created all the worlds, can say this. This is also great evidence that the Holy Quran is revealed from Almighty Allah, Praise be to Him.

2) Until he is born, man has no choice:

He can not choose his parents, the time or the place of his birth. He can not choose his gender. He has no choice in his physical features; either he is tall or short, white or black, healthy or ill and so on. For this reason, Almighty Allah says,

It is He who shapes you in your mothers' wombs as He wills. [Al Imran 6]

Likewise, he can not choose when, where or how he dies. Sometimes, we find someone who insists to take a certain flight and exerts his effort to find a place on a certain plane, which will crash and all the passengers die.

To every nation a term; when their term comes they shall not delay it by a single hour, nor yet hasten it. [Al A’raf 34]

There is a third point in which man has no choice. It is sleeping. It is a miracle which puzzled all the world and it will ever be. As soon as you sleep, you move from a certain law to another law which is totally different. You see without opening your eyes; you go from place to place without leaving your bed; you can meet the people who have died and speak to them. In sleeping, there are no time limits. When you get up, you don’t know how much you have slept unless you look at your watch. When the People of the Cave got up after three hundred years and nine of sleep, they asked themselves: how much have we slept? Some of them said: we may have slept one day or part of a day.

As such We revived them so that they might question one another. ‘How long have you stayed here? ‘ asked one of them. ‘We have been here a day, or part of it, ‘ they replied. [Al Kahf 19]

When we get up of our sleep, we can relate accurately what we have seen. This means that there are some other means of seeing, hearing, and speaking without these we use when we are awake.

Thus, there are some things, existing in our world which we can’t perceive with our minds; so, as some scholars say, Allah gives us an idea about such things, as a kind of His Mercy to our mind, to help us understand and believe in the life of the tomb, which we can move into it at any moment. This is the meaning of the Hadeeth, in which the Messenger of Allah (Prayers and peace be upon him) says, “By Allah, you will, surely, die as you sleep; and you will, surely, be resurrected as you wake up.”

3) Man has no choice with his interior organs. He has no exact idea how the circulatory system works, or how the lung does its job, and so on. He is unable to give these organs orders to stop working or to begin working again. Of course, this is Mercy from Allah because, if, man has the ability to give orders and supervise the work of his inner organs, he will not have the time to earn his living or to carry out his ritual ordinances. He will not have the ability to sleep; otherwise, these organs will stop working. Or how can a little child give orders to his organs to work?

As for the exterior organs such as our eyes, legs, ears and tongues, Allah has made them submit to our orders to do or not to do; either to do good or evil because they will be witnesses for or against us on Doomsday.

On the Day when their tongues, hands and feet shall testify against them concerning what they were doing. [Annoor 24]

But at the same time, we find that man doesn’t have the absolute domination over these exterior organs. Almighty Allah may stop the work of some of these organs because it is He, Who has the complete domination over everything. He may compensate those people with some other talents. We find some people who are not able to hear, or speak, or see or walk; yet, despite this, they may be brilliant in a certain field of life. Beethoven, who was dumb, gave us the best music. Artist Frida Kahlo was considered one of Mexico's greatest artists who began painting mostly self-portraits after she was severely injured in a bus accident, in which she lost her legs and her hands. She used her mouth to hold the brush while painting.

In addition, man, in many times, may feel that there is a much greater power than his. For example, he may exert his efforts to ship his goods on one of the best ships but while on sea, a violent storm blows and the ship sinks. Sometimes, he does his best to meet a very important man in a very high rank to fulfill him a certain need but when he goes there, he finds that the man has died or is dismissed. Sometimes you do your best to reach a certain target in your life but you find that all the doors are closed; then, Allah sends you a happy outcome, which you have never thought of. Man, at this point can do nothing but to yield and submit to his Almighty Lord, Who has the greatest Dominion over all worlds.

Even the materialists and the atheists may also have this feeling of powerlessness and incapability; yet, they don’t attribute it to Allah but they say: conditions didn’t enable us, or, conditions wanted so and so, or, luck was against us.

The second fact:

Man, who claims that he is forced to commit sins, knows very well that he has the right of choice in many of the things he does. He arranges for a holiday abroad and says, “I have chosen one of the best countries to spend my holiday in and I am sure it was a very good choice of me.” Here, he doesn’t mention Al Qadaa’ and Al Qadar because he is proud of hitting the target he was looking for. But when he is arrested for a theft or charging a bribe, he tells you that it is Al Qadar that caused it and that Allah wanted it for him. It is exactly as Satan said, when he attributed his sin to Allah,

(Satan) said: 'My Lord, for Your perverting me, [Al Hijr 49]

In Surat Al An’am,

The idolaters will say: 'Had Allah willed, neither we nor our fathers would have associated (idols), nor would we have forbidden anything. [Al An’am 148]

Sheikh Jalal Addin Arroumy said, “Animals know well that you do your deeds with your own will; for example, when you throw a stone at a dog, does it attack the stone or attack you? It attacks you because it knows it is you that threw the stone willingly at it. Likewise, when you hit a camel with a stick, it gets agitated against you, not against the stick.”

The human freedom and the Divine Will:

Allah’s Will decreed it for us to be free in what we do according to our will. So, we can behave against Allah’s satisfaction, but not against His Will. If He wants it, He can compel us behave according to His satisfaction but He wants us to be free and choose, with our own will, what we do; either good or bad. If we do good, we will be rewarded and if we do evil, we will be punished. Here, Allah’s Will comes according to the slave’s will. He, who wants to do good, Allah will help him; and he, who wants to do evil, Allah will also help him. Almighty Allah says,

For him that gives and fears (Allah) And believes in the finest, We shall surely ease him to the Path of Easing; But for him that is a miser, and sufficed, And he belied the finest We shall surely ease for him the Path of Hardship (the Fire). [Allail 5:10]

Here, we have some points:

First, Allah has the ability to bind us by force to believe in His Books and do what He wants but He doesn’t want us to be coerced. He says,

﴿إِن نَّشَأْ نُنَزِّلْ عَلَيْهِم مِّن السَّمَاء آيَةً فَظَلَّتْ أَعْنَاقُهُمْ لَهَا خَاضِعِينَ ﴾

If We will, We can send down on them a sign from heaven before which their necks will remain humbled. [Ash-sh’araa’ 4]

There is no compulsion in religion. Righteousness is now distinct from error. [Al Baqara 256]

﴿وَلَوْ شَاء رَبُّكَ لآمَنَ مَن فِي الأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعًا أَفَأَنتَ تُكْرِهُ النَّاسَ حَتَّى يَكُونُواْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴾

Had your Lord willed, whosoever is in the earth, all would have believed. Would you then constrain people until they believe? [Younnus 99]

Second, Al Qadaa’ and Al Qadar in the field of choice is not a kind of coercion but it comes according to our will and our hearty intention; either good or evil.

He says,

﴿مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الْآخِرَةِ نَزِدْ لَهُ فِي حَرْثِهِ وَمَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ حَرْثَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِن نَّصِيبٍ﴾

Whoever hopes for the tillage of the Everlasting Life, We will increase his tillage; and whoever hopes for the tillage of this world, We give him some of it, but in the Everlasting Life he shall have no share. [Ash-shura 20]

He says to the captives of war,

O Prophet, say to those you have taken captive in your hand: 'If Allah finds goodness in your hearts, He will give you that which is better than what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you. Allah is Forgiving, the Most Merciful. ' [Al Anfal 70]

Third, Allah has created the heart to be the most important organ in what concerns man’s beliefs. It is because you can force someone to do anything but you can’t force him to love or hate anything. So, if you utter the word of disbelief under some conditions of threatening or torture, Allah won’t punish for it as long as your heart is filled with the right beliefs.

﴿مَن كَفَرَ بِاللّهِ مِن بَعْدِ إيمَانِهِ إِلاَّ مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالإِيمَانِ﴾

Whosoever disbelieves in Allah after believing except he who is forced while his heart remains in his belief [Annahl 106]

Allah has permitted evil to exist in our life for certain causes, but it doesn’t mean that He wants His slave to do it.

﴿وَإِذَا فَعَلُواْ فَاحِشَةً قَالُواْ وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهَا آبَاءنَا وَاللّهُ أَمَرَنَا بِهَا قُلْ إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاء أَتَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللّهِ مَا لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ قُلْ أَمَرَ رَبِّي بِالْقِسْطِ﴾

When they commit an indecency, they say: 'This is what we found our fathers practicing, and with it Allah has ordered us. ' Say: 'Allah does not order indecency. Would you tell of Allah what you do not know? Say: 'My Lord ordered justice. [Al A’raf 28, 29]

Yet He does not approve of disbelief to His worshipers, but if you believe He will approve it in you. [Azzumar 7]

﴿إِنَّ اللّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاء ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاء وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ﴾

Allah orders justice, and good deeds, and giving to one's kindred. He forbids indecency, dishonor and insolence. He admonishes you in order that you take heed. [Annahl 90]

Sometimes, we ask ourselves: why does evil exist in our life as long as Allah doesn’t allow it? But if we think carefully and look at the picture as a whole, we find that it has some benefits in our life. You can’t perceive the importance of health unless you become ill; we can’t see the significance of beauty until we see the ugly things, and so on. If you look at the matter more deeply, you will find that every evil thing has a good side inside it. For example, illness is a bad thing but it leaves behind some kind of protection and immunity in our bodies. During wars, the most important inventions have come up such as penicillin and jetliners.

In addition, it is known that suffering purifies our souls and gives us an idea about the essence of people. In trials we get to know other people and know ourselves. Sometimes, evil has some good sides, which we don’t know except later. For example, someone has had an accident, and while being examined in hospital, doctors find some cancer or an appendix which is about to kill him; and he is saved in the proper time.

SOURCES:
Al Qadaa’ And Al Qadar (Questions & Answers) By Counselor Dr. Mohammad Najm Addin Al Kordy, First Edition, 1440 a.h. / 2019 AD, Translation: Taha Ibrahim Badr

Dzikir Ism Dzat (Allah) Tarekat Naqshabandiyah

Dzikir meruapakan bagian terpenting dari aktifitas bertarekat. Dzikir yang dikembangkan oleh setiap Madzhab tarekat tidak sama. Ketidaksamaan ini terletak pada langkah dan teknik yang dijalankan dan disiplinkan oleh para Guru/Mursyid kepada murid-muridnya.

Tata cara berdzikir yang disiplinkan pada Mursyid sesuai madzab tarekat yang dianut memiliki karakter dan ritual yang harus dijadikan rutinitas. Namun, sebelum menjalankan cara-cara berdzikir, maka hal yang paling pertama oleh seorang salik adalah ia telah berbaiat tarekat kepada seorang Syeikh atau Mursyid dari seorang Guru yang jujur dan benar telah mendapatkan pengakuan dari sanad tarekat yang dianut, atau dari orang yang telah diberi kuasa, taupun wakil dari sang Mursyid yang telah mendapatkan restu (izin) dari Sang Mursyid. setelah itu sang Guru akan mengajarkan beberapa teknis dzikir dari tarekat yang diambil sesuai bimbingan dari sang Guru.

Berikut tata cara berdzikir "Ism Dzat", lafdzul Jalalah (Allah) dalam tarekat Naqshabandiyah Khalidiyah:

Dalil formal atau syar'i dari dzikir "izm dzat (Allah)" ini didasarkan pada sebuah firman Allah ta'ala:

قُلِ اللَّهُ ۖ ثُمَّ ذَرْهُمْ فِي خَوْضِهِمْ يَلْعَبُونَ

Katakanlah: "Allah-lah (yang menurunkannya)", kemudian (sesudah kamu menyampaikan Al Quran kepada mereka), biarkanlah mereka bermain-main dalam kesesatannya.(QS Al-An'am : 91)

Dan tersebut dalam sebuah sabda Nabi Muhaamad saw:

لا تقومُ السَّاعةُ حتَّى لا يُقالَ في الأرضِ اللهُ اللهُ

“Hari Kiamat itu Tidak akan terjadi hingga di bumi tidak ada lagi yang mengucapkan (melafadzkan) Allah Allah” (HR Muslim)

Terkait dengan teknis berdzikir ism dzat, Syaikhuna wa Imamuna Sayiduna Muhamad Amin Al-Kurdi qs, memberikan penjelasan sebagai berikut:

1. BERSUCI, artinya seorang muridz harus berwudlu' terlebih dahulu, karena Rasulullah saw telah menyabdakan, bahwasanya: الوُضوءِ يُكفِّرُ الذُّنوبَ (Berwudlu' itu dapat menghapus dosa-dosa)
2. Shalat 2 rokaat.
3. Menghadap kiblat di sebuah tempat yang sepi (dari keramaian), karena Rasulullah sendiri telah menyabdakan, bahwasanya خير المجالس ما استقبل به القبلة(Sebaik-baik majelis adalah yang menghadap kiblat.)
4. Duduk tawaruk (yaitu, dengan meletakkan pinggul di lantai dengan mengeluarkan telapak kaki yang kiri melalui bawah tulang kering kaki kanan, sambil menegakkan telapak kaki yang kanan) kebalikan dari duduk tawaruk dalam shalat. Karena, pernah dikisahkan, bahwa para sahabat pernah duduk ketika bersama Nabi Muhamad saw dalam posisi seperti ini, sebab duduk ini tergolong paling mendekati sikap awadlu' dan paling bisa menundukkan indera dan basan.

5. Membaca istighfar, yaitu meminta ampunan kepada Allah ta'ala dari segala dosa dan kejahatan, dengan merenungkan serta menghayati keburukan diri di hadapan Allah ta'ala secara total diiringi dengan perhatian penuh bahwa Allah ta'ala senantiasa melihatnya dan terus mengawasi setiap peilakunya; menghadirkan keagungan dan kemuliaan-Nya, adzab dan siksa-Nya yang pedih setelah melepaskan diri dari semua pikiran duniawi. Maka, saat itu ia akan merasa malu di hadapan Allah ta'ala, merasa perlu meminta ampunan-Nya; karena ia tahu bahwa Allah ta'ala adalah Dzat Maha Mulia dan Mengampuni dosa-dosa, seraya ia mengucap dengan lisannya: "Astaghfiru Allah" sambil menghayati maknanya di dalam hati, sebanyak 5x (lima kali), 15x (lima belas kali), atau 25x (dua puluh lima kali). Dan istigfar adalah terbaik, karena rasulullah saw telah bersabda:
   «مَنْ لَزِمَ الِاسْتِغْفَارَ، جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ مِنْ كُلِّ ضِيقٍ مَخْرَجًا، وَمِنْ كُلِّ هَمٍّ فَرَجًا، وَرَزَقَهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ»
   Barang siapa memperbanyak istighfar; niscaya Alloh memberikan jalan keluar bagi setiap kesedihannya, kelapangan untuk setiap kesempitannya dan rizki dari arah yang tidak disangka-sangka”. (HR. Ahmad)

6. Membaca surat AL-Fatihah 1x (sekali), surat Al-Ikhlas 3x (tiga kali) dan pahalanya dihadiahkan kepada ruh sayidina Muhamad saw dan arwah para masyayih dan guru Tarekat Naqshabandiyah
7. Memejamkan kedua mata, merapatkan bibir atas dan bawah, sedangkan lidah dilekatkan pada dinding rongga tenggorokan untuk menyempurnakan kekhusyu'an dan menghalangi bersitan dan kerentek hati yang masuk melalui pandangan mata.
8. Rabitah al-Qubur
9. Rabitah al-Mursyid. Karena, setiap muslim tidak akan lepas dari barokah. Syeikh atau Mursyid adalah perantara (washilah) bagi seorang murid agar bisa terhubung (terkoneksi) denga Sayidina Rasulullah saw dan para Masyayih Tarekat Naqshabandiyah.
10. Mengumpulka segala daya dan mengerahkan seluruh indera fisiknya, memutus semua kesibukan dan bersitan hati; mengarahkan (tawajuh) seluruh kesadarannya kepada Allah ta'ala semata, sambil mengucap dengan lisannya: إلهي أنت مقصودي ورضاك مطلوبي (Ya Tuhanku hanya Engkaulah yang kumaksud dan hanya keridhoan-Mu lah yang kucari) sebanyak 3x (tiga kali). Lalu, memulai berdzikir dengan ism Dzat (Allah) di hatinya; mengalirkan lafadz jalalah ini di dalam hati sambil terus menghayati maknanya, yaitu bahwa "Allah itu tidak ada yang menyerupai-Nya"; Allah ta'ala selalu hadir, melihat dan mengawasinya, seperti sabda Nabi saw dalam penafsiran kata "al-Ikhsan"
    أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ
    
    “(Ihsan adalah) engkau menyembah Allah seakan engkau melihat-Nya, bila engkau tak melihat-Nya maka sesungguhnya Allah melihatmu.” (HR Muslim)
    Dalam sabda Nabi saw yang lain:
    أَفْضَلُ الإِيمَانِ أَنْ تَعْلَمَ أَنَّ اللهَ مَعَكَ حَيْثُمَا كُنْتَ
    
    Iman yang paling utama adalah kamu mengetahui bahwa Allah bersamamu di mana saja kamu berada.
11. Menunggu sejenak warid dzikir lafadz ism Dzat sebelum membuka kedua matanya

CATATAN :

Seyogyanya, seorang Salik melazimkan dzikir ini sehari semalam selama sejam atau setengah jam, melanggengkan dzikir ini sesuai kemampunya. Mayoritas para Guru dan Syeikh berpendapat tidak ada batasan bilangan dzikir tatkala seorang Salik melakukannya. Namun dia harus berusaha secara serius dan gigih melakukannya sengan semaksimal kemampuana dan dayanya, menambah teguk dzikir yang khusus untuk dirinya sampai ia menanjak setapak demi setapak, dari satu latifah ke latifah lain diatasnya sehingga dzikir ini menjadi bawaan (karakter) dalam pada setiap pandangan dan nafas, sebanyak bilangan yang diliputi oleh ilmu Allah ta'ala. Saya mendengar sebagian tokoh sufi besar bahwa bilangan nafas manusia dalam sehari semalam mencapai 1.025 (seribu dua puluh lima) tarikan nafas. Wallahu a'lam.