The term Taqwa is often translated as ‘piety’ or ‘God-fearing’, but a better equivalent would be ‘God-consciousness’. It is considered to be the essential quality of a believer. Taqwa of a believer should illuminate through all facets of his/her life, just like a bright light would shine through all openings of an empty house in an empty field in a dark night.  Taqwa, when coupled with Imaan (faith), makes a well-rounded believer. Taqwa goes hand in hand with Imaan; one cannot be complete without the other, and vice versa.

Taqwa is the state of hyper-vigilance against falling into sin in negligence. It is the idea that a believer is always on guard and is perpetually alert of not committing any action that would earn the displeasure of the Almighty. It is the state of preparedness of anticipating a situation where one might be coerced into doing Haram, and as a result of this readiness, to avoid and stay out of that Haram. In its higher forms, Taqwa is the fear of not of not taking the best path towards Allah’s Pleasure and His Grace.

Taqwa is often translated as ‘fear of God’, but the real essence of Taqwa is being hyper-vigilant and the ‘fear’ of doing Haram out of neglect of Allah’s orders. It is the state of consciousness to be mindful of Allah at all times and achieve His maximum pleasure at all times. Therefore, any such qualities of a person that would make him forgetful of Allah are detrimental to his/her Taqwa. The love of this world, greed, hatred or enmity towards a fellow human, pride, etc. are all examples of such traits that hurt a believer’s Taqwa. As a result, the more cognizant a believer is, and more alert (s)he is in protecting him/herself from such detrimental traits that would make him/her forgetful of Allah, the better his/her Taqwa or ‘God-consciousness’ is.

The consciousness that Taqwa implies is a reverential consciousness. The state of alertness when one is in awe and admiration of something or somebody. Imagine you met your lifelong role model, how attentive to their every need would you be? You would notice all their little quirks and nuances, their body language, behavior, what irks them, and what makes them happy. If they indicated that they want something, you would rush to get it done in the best manner possible and do it in a way that would make them most happy. You would suppress any internal resistance inside you that would keep you from doing the best job. You would be ‘fearful’ in becoming complacent to their need and not doing your best for their satisfaction. A parallel example is if you were in the company of someone you deeply and intensely loved. You would anticipate and plan ahead to make them feel as comfortable and at ease as possible. You will always be alert and vigilant and will think ahead so as to avoid any situations or scenarios that would make them even remotely unhappy. All your efforts will be focused in keeping them happy and comfortable as humanely as possibly. If they called upon you, you would drop everything you would be doing to attend to their need immediately. Also, you would be so conscious of the surroundings and especially vigilant to how you act, what you say or do in their presence, so that they don’t get turned off in any way.

Taqwa implies a similar sense of alertness, consciousness and vigilance towards the Pleasure and Mercy of Allah. To be constantly aware of what pleases or displeases Him and to ensure all our efforts are to make Him most happy and gain His maximum Pleasure. Taqwa means to rush in acting upon the orders of Allah and to suppress any inclinations that would prevent us from completing the tasks in its best form. But Taqwa goes a step further than the love for a beloved or the admiration of a role model as outlined above. To be hyper-vigilant in the presence of a beloved or a revered person may be commendable, but the essence of this endearment is measured if the level of alertness is same in their absence. Allah is not physically present and visible to our eyes: He is Haadhir (present) but Gha’ib (unseen). What makes Taqwa so challenging and rewarding is the idea of expressing this level alertness and attentiveness to Allah in His ‘absence’, when He is not visible.

As such, Taqwa cannot be classified simply as “piety” or “fearing God”; rather, it’s much deeper and intricate than that. A person who has Taqwa is a Muttaqi (pl. muttaqin). A Muttaqi demonstrates this constant state of endearment throughout his/her actions in every facet of his/her life. (S)he reduces all the obstacles that prevent him/her from dedicating everything to Allah. (S)he minimizes the distractions and all the ‘noise’ in his/her life that drown out his/her awareness of Allah. It is also said that God manifests Himself in the silences of the soul, and if a person has a lot of noise – desires, diseases of the soul, Haram passions, etc. – (s)he will never be able to feel the presence of Allah in his/her soul. The soul will never be awakened to the reality of the Eternal Being, because it is cluttered and clogged with all other pursuits. In order to hear His whispers, one has to be silent. If a person never stops talking, they will never be able to properly listen to Allah, as they are going to be preoccupied with their own complaints. They will never be able to reach a point of internal peace whereby they can speak to Allah. Just like the depths of a pond become invisible when the surface water is experience rough motion (waves, etc.), our own depths will remain invisible if we don’t calm the surface of the soul. That is to say, until one empties and removes all distractions of this world and cleans the diseases of the soul, (s)he will not be able to deeply connect with Allah.

As the Holy Qur’an says, “He (Allah) is with you wherever you are.” (57:4) He is neither absent, nor is He missing. It is rather our consciousness and our awareness – our Taqwa towards Him – that is absent and missing. He is with us along every step of the way, but we are aloof of Him at every moment. Only if we tuned in to Him, became conscious of Him, and awakened our souls to Him can we experience His manifestations with our own souls. (41:53)

These are the qualities of the Muttaqeen. We pride ourselves in being followers of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), who is also called Imam al-Muttaqeen – Leader of the God-Conscious Ones. If we truly want the Imam to accept us in his following, we have to cultivate the traits of the Muttaqeen in our lives. We have to be ever-alert and hyper-vigilant of the presence and pleasure of Allah in all aspects of our daily lives. Then we can start approaching the position and can emulate the Imam, where he says, “I did not do anything in life except that I saw Allah before it, within it, and after it.”

Jajak pendapat itu, yang dilansir AP, Kamis (21/1/2010), dilakukan Gallup World Religion Survey dan merupakan bagian dari sebuah proyek untuk menemukan cara dalam meningkatkan pemahaman antara orang Amerika dan Muslim.

Presiden Barack Obama dan pemerintahannya ingin memperbaiki gambaran Amerika di dunia Islam. Banyak analis yang mempelajari ekstremisme juga mengatakan bahwa Muslim Amerika yang merasa teralienasi dari masyarakat luas menolak untuk berintegrasi dan secara potensial rentan untuk menjadi radikal.

Dari hasil jajak pendapat itu, lebih dari setengah orang Amerika mengatakan, mereka tidak punya prasangka buruk terhadap orang Muslim. Namun, 43 persen mengakui, setidaknya punya “sedikit” prasangka buruk terhadap orang Muslim, sebuah persentase yang signifikan lebih tinggi dibandingkan terhadap keyakinan lain dalam survei tersebut. Sekitar 18 persen responden mengatakan, mereka punya beberapa tingkat prasangka buruk terhadap orang Kristen, sebanyak 15 persen punya prasangka buruk terhadap yang beragama Yahudi, dan 14 persen terhadap yang beragama Buddha.

Ditanya soal pengetahuannya tentang Islam, 63 persen orang Amerika mengatakan, mereka punya “sangat sedikit” atau “sama sekali tidak punya” pengetahuan tentang Islam. Mayoritas responden percaya bahwa banyak orang Islam menginginkan perdamaian. Sementara 53 persen orang Amerika mengatakan, mereka “tidak terlalu menyukai” atau “sama sekali tidak menyukai” Islam. Sebagai perbandingan, 25 persen orang Amerika mengatakan, mereka tidak menyukai pandangan Yudaisme, sementara 7 persen mengatakan, mereka punya “sejumlah” atau “sejumlah besar” prasangka buruk terhadap orang Yahudi.

Mengenal secara pribadi seorang Muslim tidak berkaitan dengan penurunan tingkat prasangka meskipun tidak mengenal seorang Muslim berhubungan dengan tingkat prasangka yang besar. Penulis laporan itu mengatakan, temuan ini menggarisbawahi kebutuhan akan pendidikan yang lebih baik tentang ajaran Islam.

“Apa yang sesungguhnya memengaruhi persepsi seseorang tentang sebuah kelompok lebih dari sekadar mengenal seorang individu yang memiliki opini positif terhadap ciri khas kelompok itu, yang dalam hal ini adalah keyakinan mereka,” kata Dalia Mogahed, analis senior dan Direktur Eksekutif Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. “Seorang yang cukup santun dapat secara sederhana dijelaskan sebagai sebuah pengecualian.”

Para responden yang menghadiri acara keagamaan lebih dari sekali seminggu secara signifikan punya pandangan yang baik tentang orang Muslim. Mogahed mengatakan, orang yang lebih religius umumnya menilai prasangka buruk sebagai sebuah kejahatan moral dan sering punya rasa hormat terhadap orang yang berkeyakinan lain.

Para peneliti juga menemukan kaitan antara prasangka buruk terhadap orang Yahudi dan Muslim. Orang Amerika yang mengakui punya prasangka buruk yang “besar” terhadap orang Yahudi juga punya perasaan yang sama terhadap orang Muslim. Namun, hasil survei itu tidak dapat menjelaskan mengapa dua prasangka buruk itu berkaitan. Mogahed mengatakan, adanya prasangka buruk terhadap dua kelompok itu harus dilacak dan dipelajari bersamaan demi memahami dinamika tersebut.

Laporan yang dikerjakan Muslim West Facts Project, sebuah mitra
Gallup dan Coexist Foundation, didasarkan pada survei melalui telepon yang dilakukan secara acak terhadap lebih dari 1.000 orang dewasa, yang dilakukan dari 31 Oktober hingga 13 November tahun lalu. Marjin kesalahannya lebih kurang 3,4 persen.

Artikel dari KOMPAS.com

Or will he? What if he comes from Northern Virginia, like the five young men who were arrested in Pakistan on Dec. 8 and who have been accused of planning “terrorist activities,” according to Pakistani newspaper reports? The bottom line is that we can no longer assume that terrorists will come from any particular country or fit any particular profile. The more we learn about what makes people vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist organizations, the less any of the old generalizations hold up.

Most terrorists are spoiled rich kids

Many prominent jihadists are indeed well-off and well-educated. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the suspect in the failed Christmas Day airline bombing, comes from one of the wealthiest families in Nigeria. After the 2001 attacks, much was made of the engineering backgrounds of some of the hijackers, and Osama bin Laden famously hails from a wealthy family with close ties to the Saudi royals.

But terrorists come from all socioeconomic backgrounds. For poor people in countries where economic prospects are bleak, jihad can be one of the few jobs available. Of the 25,000 insurgents and terrorism suspects detained by US forces in Iraq as of 2007, nearly all were previously underemployed, according to Maj. Gen. Douglas Stone, the commander of detainee operations at the time.

Al Qaeda recruits come from the Middle East

Al Qaeda’s core organization, which was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, is now based in Pakistan, but terrorist organizations claiming to be its affiliates include Northern Africa’s Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia and al-Shabab, which is fighting in southern Somalia and has been recruiting Westerners.

The organization also has a more amorphous following of independent cells and individuals around the world. It is almost impossible to target or quantify this following because it isn’t centralized in any one location. Such self-made terrorists can be found anywhere, even in Fort Hood, Texas.

More broadly, there is no particular political system that reliably promotes or deters terrorism. And democracy is not the cure-all it is often assumed to be. There are many more terrorist incidents in democratic India, for example, than in non-democratic China or Saudi Arabia. (This may be because authoritarian regimes are good at controlling terrorism within their borders.) Failed and failing states, such as Yemen and Somalia, also make particularly fertile ground for terrorism.

Al Qaeda is made up of Islamic zealots

To the contrary, rank-and-file terrorists who claim to be motivated by religious ideology often turn out to be ignorant about Islam. The Saudi Interior Ministry has questioned thousands of terrorists in custody about why they turned to violence, and found that the majority did not have much formal religious instruction and had only a limited understanding of Islam. According to Saudi officials, one-quarter of the participants in a rehabilitation program for former jihadis had criminal histories, often for drug-related offenses, whereas only 5 percent had been prayer leaders or had other formal religious roles.

In the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, second- and third-generation Muslim youths are rebelling against what they see as the culturally contaminated Islam their parents practice and that is promoted in their local mosques, favoring instead the allegedly purer Islam that they discover online or via imams from the Middle East. But the form of Islam they turn to is often highly unorthodox. For example, the Hofstad group in the Netherlands — a network of radicalized young Muslims — practiced a sort of do-it-yourself Islam cobbled together from Web sites and the teachings of a self-taught Syrian imam who is also a former drug dealer.

Rather than Islam leading young recruits toward Al Qaeda, it may be an ignorance of Islam that renders youths vulnerable to Al Qaeda’s violent ideology.

Terrorists are driven by strong beliefs

Terrorist movements often arise in reaction to a perceived injustice, whether real or imagined. Yet ideology is not the only, or even the most important, factor in an individual’s decision to join. In my research and interviews with terrorists, many speak, in particular, about being motivated by a feeling of humiliation. A Kashmiri militant founded his group because, he said, “Muslims have been overpowered by the West. Our ego hurts … we are not able to live up to our own standards for ourselves.”

The reasons that some people become terrorists are as varied as the reasons that others choose conventional professions: market conditions, social networks, contact with recruiters, education and individual preferences.

Most terrorist groups disappear quickly; those that survive tend to have the sort of flexible ideology that can attract a diverse array of recruits and funders. Al Qaeda is among the most disciplined groups, but its goals and its list of enemies are constantly shifting. Documents analyzed by scholars at the Combating Terrorism Center at the US Military Academy reveal an astonishing lack of clarity about the group’s purpose, even among leaders of the organization. Abu’l-Walid, a leading strategic thinker for Al Qaeda, has complained about constantly shifting strategic goals, lamenting that “waging jihad like a rhinoceros is stupid and futile.”

Terrorist recruits are alienated loners

According to The Washington Post, Abdulmutallab, the alleged Christmas airplane attacker, wrote in an online Islamic forum: “I have no one … to consult, no one to support me and I feel depressed and lonely. I do not know what to do. And then I think this loneliness leads me to other problems.”

But for most terrorist recruits, the problem isn’t so much a lack of friends as having the wrong friends. This dynamic isn’t so different from the way gang recruiting works in the United States: Terrorists often join an armed struggle because they have a buddy who has done so. In a survey of 516 Guantanamo detainees, researchers at the Combating Terrorism Center found that knowing another member of Al Qaeda was a better predictor of who became a terrorist than was belief in the idea of jihad.

Ultimately, some individuals may join terrorist groups out of a misplaced desire to transform society. But over time, the social and psychological rewards of belonging can eclipse such motivations. Terrorists want to better their own circumstances at least as much as they want to change the world.

Jessica Stern, a lecturer at Harvard Law School, serves on the Hoover Institution Task Force on National Security and Law.

The Washington Post

But this year we too were, just days before, celebrating our Islamic ‘Eed Al-Adh-Ha, not in the same manner of course, but it was our time for celebration nonetheless. These unusual circumstances may present confusion and curiosity amongst children, teenagers and even new Muslims. It is essential that we address their questions and concerns in an honest, straightforward manner. The most effective method of clarifying and conveying accurate and detailed information is to deal with facts in an efficient and appropriate manner. Replacing normal curiosity with knowledge, will, Insha Allaah (Allaah willing), strengthen everyone in his conviction.

Among the numerous situations that may arise during this season are the Christmas lights. Little Omar –with awe and delight, one evening as you’re passing by lit up houses on the way to the Masjid –may exclaim: “Look, the lights are so pretty!” you look at him frowning, “No, no, no! Omar, those are ugly!” you reply scolding him.

Omar may never tell you he thinks the lights are pretty again, because he doesn’t want to disappoint you. However, that doesn’t mean that this is what he thinks. He may still believe that the lights are pretty; and in addition, he may feel that this is untrue!

It may even be hard for you to tell someone the lights are ugly – possibly because you don’t even believe that yourself. Why? Because the lights are delightful to most, young and old alike, that’s why they are used for all sorts of festive occasions. The fact is, although they may be nice to look at, the underlying reason is that they are used at this time of the year, and this is what is ugly… not the lights themselves.

All the children can see are the lights in a rainbow of colors, flashing and twinkling. They don’t see the Kufr (disbelief) that is being celebrated inside the lit-up houses. This is why it is so vital that the situation be fully explained and not simply brushed off. We must tackle these situations with a detailed explanation, and only with that will a new Muslim or a child fully understand why the lights or decorations are so unappealing during this time of the year.

It is important that they understand that the lights themselves are not Haraam (forbidden). They are simply small colored light bulbs on a string that can be used to any purpose whatsoever, just as any other light bulb. In many places all over the world, they are used for various reasons totally unrelated to any religious holiday. It is not the lights that should be the focus; it is what lies beneath that which is important.

You could spend the entire afternoon arguing your point that lights are ugly and the end result may still be that they don’t agree. Even after a debate on the issue, you may feel that you have come out the winner, but think about this: what was really won – your opinion? Unfortunately, that’s not a good enough reason for anyone, even a child, to agree with you and change their mind. Furthermore, by only discussing the irrelevant issue of the lights – what did they learn? Probably not much, except may be how to become a better debater next time.

Christmas, this year in particular, is a good opportunity to sit down and fully explain the major differences between Islam and Christianity to a new Muslim or a child. The explanation should be according to the age level of the child, and according to the knowledge of the teenager or adult. One should emphasize on the Kufr that is behind all of it, and how non-Muslim parents lie to their children about the fictitious Santa character! One should explain that the time of the year Christmas falls in is an ancient pagan holiday and that adorning the evergreen trees with decorations is a practice of pagans, and that it’s even forbidden in the Bible (Jeremiah 10:3-4)!

To further emphasize this fact, have them research this information in any encyclopedia and remind them of the following verse in which Allaah Says (what means): “And from those who say, “We are Christians” We took their covenant; but they forgot a portion of that of which they were reminded.” [Quran 5:14]

Next, take a few moments to allow them to ask questions. After you have fully explained to them the differences, and informed them in regard to the extreme Kufr that the decorations and lights are representing in pagan religions and in Christianity, ask them what they think of the lights and decorations now. Most likely, their response will be dramatically changed!

The distinction between a hasty incomplete answer and one with a full explanation is that you are not leaving room for lingering curiosity and also are not undermining their intelligence or opinion. By respecting their intelligence and opinion you are opening their minds to listen.

With an honest, straightforward explanation, you will, Insha Allaah, be able to take all the sparkle out of the lights, and instead, turn on the light of knowledge in their mind.

By: Michele Al-Nasr

Article from www.islamweb.net

Bangunan yang menjadi kiblat umat muslim sedunia saat salat tersebut menurut Arabtimes.com dicuci dua kali dalam satu tahun yakni pada tanggal 15 Syaban (sebelum bulan puasa Ramadhan) dan pada pertengahan Muharam yakni setelah Zulhijah dimana umat Islam menunaikan rukun ke lima Islam untuk naik haji.

Sejumlah ulama terkemuka, pejabat pemerintah Arab Saudi, tokoh setempat dan diplomat asing yang bertugas di Arab Saudi diundang dalam acara tersebut. Sementara pemerintah Indonesia akan diwakili oleh  Kuasa Usaha Ad Interim Kedubes RI di Riyadh Sukanto.

Tabir terbuat dari kain berwarna hitam penutup Rumah Allah tersebut (disebut kiswah) sudah diganti dengan yang baru pada 9 Zulhijah yakni pada saat jemaah haji melakukan ritual Wukuf yang merupakan ritual puncak rukun haj di Padang Arafah.

Wukuf dimaknakan sebagai hari penantian yakni pada saat umat manusia dikumpulkan dalam formasi antri, menanti ditimbang-timbang amal kebajikan dan dosanya. Ritual pencucian Ka’bah dimulai dengan shalat sunnat dua rakaat di dalam Kabah yang merupakan bangunan  kubus. Bagian dalamnya dipel dengan kain putih yang dibasahi air mawar, wewangian khas Arab (beraroma kayu oud) dan parfum beraroma musk (minyak kelenjar rusa).

Air zamzam dicampur dengan air mawar dipercikkan di lantai Kabah kemudian lantai dipel dengan tangan kosong dan daun kurma. Sebelum memasuki Kabah, Pangeran Khalid akan melakukan tawaf (mengitari Kabah tujuh kali) dan menyentuh Hajar Aswad.

Pangeran kemudian akan menerima kunci Kabah yang diletakkan dalam tas beludru dari para pengawal (Bani Shayba). Saat memasuki Rumah Allah itu, Pangeran Khalid akan salat dua rakaat dihamparan sajadah terbuat dari batu pualam, tempat sama yang diyakini digunakan salat oleh Nabi Muhammad SAW.

Seremoni pencucian Kabah dimulai saat para tamu sudah keluar dari rumah Allah tersebut, sedangkan lantai marmer dan dinding Kabah akan dilap dengan air zamzam dan parfum bunga mawar. Setelah dipel, lantai dan dinding Ka’bah akan dikeringkan dengan kertas tisu dan kain putih, kemudian disirami lagi dengan wewangian aroma oud dan mawar dan setelah itu Kabah dianggap incenced.

Bangunan sisi bagian timur Ka’bah tingginya l4 meter, sementara sisi barat dan selatan 12,11 meter dan 11,28 meter dari sisi utara. Lantai bagian dalam dilapisi keramik berwarna, sementara atapnya ditunjang tiga pilar kayu, masing-masing berdiameter 44 cm. Struktur atap terdiri atas dua lapisan, bagian atas dan bawah, sementara dinding bagian dalam ditutup dengan layar terbuat dari beludru hijau yag diganti tiap tiga tahun sekali.

Pada atap bagian teratas terdapat ventilasi dengan panjang 127 cm dan lebar l04 cm untuk memberikan kesempatan bagi cahaya matahari masuk. Ventilasi ditutup dengan kaca penguat yang dibuka saat acara pencucian. Pintu Ka’bah yang berada pada 225 cm di atas permukaan tanah, tingginya 310cm, lebar 40 cm dan panjang 190 cm, terbuat dari kayu yang dilapisi 280 kilogram emas murni.

sumber: www.mediaindonesia.com

1. Menggunakan Sambungan Langsung Internasional (tanpa operator) dari Arab Saudi ke Indonesia:
   00 62 + KODE KOTA + nomor yang dituju
   Dari kamar hotel harus menambah nomor depan (prefix number) yang berbeda untuk tiap hotel.
2. Menggunakan sambungan telepon Indonesia Direct (collect call) dari Arab Saudi ke Indonesia:
   1 800 62 langsung terhubung dengan operator telepon di Indonesia yang kemudian akan menghubungi nomor yang dikehendaki.
3. Menggunakan handphone
   01 016966 + no. handphone yang dituju (tanpa angka 0 di depannya)
4. Menggunakan SMS, langsung saja seperti SMS di tanah air.

Dari Indonesia ke Arab Saudi

1. Menggunakan Sambungan Langsung Internasional (tanpa operator)
   001 966 + KODE KOTA + nomor yang dituju
   Kode kota di Arab Saudi:
   Makkah: 2
   Madinah: 4
   Jeddah: 2
2. Menggunakan operator 101
3. Menggunakan sambungan handphone, langsung tekan nomor yang dituju seperti menelpon dengan handphone di tanah air.
4. Menggunakan SMS, langsung saja seperti SMS di tanah air.

• Latihan jalan sebelum berangkat (jika mampu minimal 7 km, seminggu satu kali)

• Kurangi kegiatan yang tak perlu

• Istirahat dan tidur cukup

• Makan bergizi dan teratur

• Membawa obat-obatan yang biasa dipakai di tanah air

Tips hindari sakit Batuk

• Bawa pakaian hangat

• Gunakan penghangat leher

• Bawa obat-obatan yang biasa dipakai di tanah air

• Jangan minum dingin

Tips hindari Influenza

• Imunisasi

• Jaga kebersihan

• Istirahat cukup

• Makan buah dan sayur

• Pakai masker

Tip menahan dingin

• Siapkan pakaian hangat di tas tentengan

• Pakai baju hanoman

• Pakai krim pelembab

• Sering minum

• Banyak makan buah

Tips barang bawaan

• Alas kaki

• Kantung kain untuk menyimpan alas kali, payung, dsb

• Kantung kain untuk membawa batu kerikil saat lempar jumrah

• Semprotan air

• Kaca mata hitam pakai tali pengikat di leher

• Masker

• Handuk kecil

• Kupluk

• Tas ransel

• Peniti

• Alat tulis

• Buku

• Tustel

• Krim pelembab

Tips Membawa Barang

• Barang bawaan maksimal 35 kg

• Barang yang dipakai di perjalanan masukkan ke tas tentengan

• Jangan membawa barang-barang yang terlarang

• Ikat koper dengan rapi

• Tandai koper dengan tanda tertentu

Awas copet

Kawasan sekitar Masjidil Haram, ada tiga titik rawan yang harus diwaspadai para jamaah karena rawan kecopetan:

• Daerah sekitar pelataran masjid

• Seputaran Ka’bah dan

• Tempat Tahalul (Marwah).

Tips Saat Tawaf Qudum

Saat Tawaf qudum (selamat datang) dilakukan tak lama setelah jamaah tiba di Makkah. Karena masih lelah setelah perjalanan, dan banyak jamaah yang belum mengenali lokasi akibatnya banyak yang tersesat, maka usahakan membuat kelompok kecil dan jangan sampai terpisah.

Tips Agar tak Tersesat

• Hafalkan lokasi pondokan

• Catat nomor telepon dan atau alamat pondokan dan dibawa saat meninggalkan pondokan

• Berangkat dengan rombongan

• Bila terpisah dari rombongan, ikut rombongan jamaah RI lainnya

• Cari petugas haji

• Bawa tanda pengenal

• Jamaah yang yang berusia lanjut (lansia) lebih baik didampingi oleh yang lebih muda.

Tips masuk masjid agar tak tersesat

• Datang ke masjid minimal setengah jam sebelum waktu shalat

• Ingat nomor atau nama pintu masuk, kenali seperlunya

• Bawa kantong kain untuk menyimpan alas kaki, payung dan sebagainya, dan bisa dibawa saat sholat.

• Sebelum masuk masjid buat janji di mana akan bertemu jika ingin pulang bersama.

• Jangan lupa juga janji pukul berapa bertemu.

• Tempat berkumpul bisa dipasangi bendera rombongan tinggi-tinggi agar mudah dilihat dari kejauhan.

• Membuat identitas unik rombongan, bisa dengan selempang, slayer, atau pita di jilbab.

Tips Mencium Hajar Aswad

• Ambil waktu yang kondisi sekitar ka’bah tidak terlalu padat

• Pastikan fisik kuat

• Jangan bawa barang berharga

• Pastikan cara berpakaian ihram benar dan kuat

• Jangan gunakan joki

• Tidak lama-lama

• Hindari menyakiti sesama jamaah

Tips Tawaf dan Sai`

• Hafalkan do’a-do’a singkat, jangan disibukkan dengan catatan

• Berangkat dalam rombongan

• Makan sebelum berangkat

• Buat kelompok kecil

• Sepakati lokasi pertemuan

• Hindari waktu padat

• Pindah ke lantai dua dan tiga jika padat

Tips Menyimpan Uang

• Tukarkan dengan uang pecahan
• Jangan letakkan uang di satu tempat

• Jangan buka dompet di tempat umum

• Titipkan di safety box jika banyak

• Ke masjid bawa uang secukupnya

Tips di Pondokan

• Mandi 2-3 jam sebelum waktu shalat

• Jangan naik lift sendiri

• Simpan barang di tempat aman

• Matikan peralatan listrik jika pergi

• Matikan peralatan masak jika pergi

• Kenali lokasi pondokan dari jarak jauh maupun dekat

• Buat denah pondokan

Kebugaran saat ibadah haji

• Makan makanan yang mengandung gizi seimbang, banyak serat dan tak banyak mengandung lemak.

• Istirahat yang cukup. Para calon haji, kalau sudah berada di Masjidil Haram, inginnya terus-menerus melakukan ibadah tanpa memikirkan istirahat. Hal ini bisa menyebabkan jamaah haji jatuh sakit.

• Olahraga ringan setiap pagi

Tip Shalat di Masjid Nabawi

• Gunakan pakaian hangat ketika berangkat

• Datang setelah pukul 03.00 (pk 03.00 masjid baru dibuka)

• Hindari shalat di pelataran masjid

• Ingat nomor rak sandal

Tips nyaman beribadah

• Jangan tergantung pembimbing

• Mantapkan tata cara berhaji

• Hafalkan doa-doa

• Buat kelompok kecil

Sumber : www.republika.co.id

Al-Qur’an sendiri menunjukkan bahwa bahasa Arab memang lebih baik yang disebut sebagai bahasa yang “jelas” (26:193-195). Menurut umat Muslim, Allah SWT menurunkan wahyu dalam bahasa Arab karena bahasa Arab lebih dalam dari sekedar mengkomunikasikan kepada masyarakat di situ saat itu. (41:44, 42:7).

Bahasa Arab saat ini tetap menjadi bahasa yang digunakan banyak orang. Tidak seperti Arameik, Latinn, )unani kuno, dsb. Bahasa Arab Al-Qur’an masih dijaga keutuhannya dan dipelajari hingga kini. Selain itu bahasa klasik seperti Urdu, Persian, Berber, Turkis, dan bahkan bahasa Spanyol memiliki akar bahasa Arab. Pengaruh bahasa Arab di dunia mungkin yang terbesar di berbagai bahasa yang ada.

Ilustrasi

Banyak orang yang tidak familiar dengan Islam, beranggapan bahwa Islam menganjurkan poligami. Kenyataannya, justru Islam membatasinya. Pada masa sebelum Islam, praktek poligami sangat parah bahkan memiliki belasan istri sudah biasa. Tidak hanya di dunia Arab saja melainkan di bagian lain di dunia.

Menurut Al-Qur’an, pada dasarnya seorang laki-laki diizinkan menikahi maksimal 4 orang wanita, selama ia mampu bersikap adil kepada semua istrinya. Lelaki tersebut harus menafkahi baik ekonomi, fisik, dan perasaan secara merata jika ia menginginkan lebih dari satu istri. Jika ia tidak mampu melakukannya, maka ia tidak bisa menikahi lebih dari satu (Q 4:3). Dalam hukum Islam tradisional, bahkan seorang laki-laki tidak diizinkan menikahi seorang wanitapun jika ia belum mampu memberi nafkah dan merawat seorang istri (Q 24:33). Menurut para ahli perbandingan agama, Al-Qur’an adalah satu-satunya kitab suci yang di dalamnya terdapat kalimat “marry only one”.

Al-Qur’an juga memperingatkan bahwa laki-laki tidak akan mampu berbuat adil diantara istri-istri setulus apapun ia mencoba (Q 4:129).

Dalam kisah turunnya ayat Al-Qur’an tentang poligami, kita bisa mengetahui bahwa ayat ini diturunkan pada masa peperangan, di mana banyak janda akibat berjatuhannya para pejuang. Hal ini menjadikan poligami sebagai pilihan yang masuk akal bagi para janda perang untuk memiliki suami yang bisa menafkahi dan melindungi.

Lagipula, sebuah pernikahan yang didasari cinta, tanggung jawab, dan rasa saling menghormati, jauh lebih baik daripada perzinahan. Seperti misalnya terlibat perselingkuhan.

Kawin paksa adalah hal yang dilarang dalam Islam, seperti tertulis dalam Al-Qur’an (Q 4:19). Hal ini tentu berpengaruh pada isu poligami. Poligami baru boleh dilakukan setelah mendapat persetujuan dari istri pertama. Bahkan menurut para ahli hukum Islam, istri pertama boleh meneken kontrak di awal pernikahan yang isinya tidak mau dimadu, dan suami harus patuh pada kontrak tsb.

Kesimpulan, poligami bukanlah masalah, melainkan solusi bagi manusia yang diatur dalam Al-Qur’an. Hanya saja tidaklah boleh hal ini dilakukan semena-mena apalagi hanya berdasarkan nafsu belaka sehingga bisa menyakiti hati istri. Tidaklah bijaksana mengambil cuplikan dari ayat suci dan menggunakannya untuk kepentingan sendiri tanpa melihat konteks keseluruhan dan latar belakang yang jelas.

Wallahu alam.

Di situs video Youtube, kita bisa menyaksikan banyak sekali video-video mualaf dari berbagai negara. Dari Amerika, Australia, Jerman, bahkan Jepang dan Korea. Dan hebatnya lagi, banyak di antara mereka meluangkan waktunya untuk membuat video yang membela Islam, berbagi cerita tentang proses mereka memeluk Islam, dan meng-upload-nya untuk dibagi ke seluruh dunia.

Salah satu di antara mereka adalah Kim dari Australia. Kim menjadi mualaf lebih kurang setahun yang lalu. Saat itu Kim pernah tinggal di Indonesia selama beberapa bulan, dan belajar tentang Islam dari pengalaman tinggal itu.

Selain Kim, masih banyak sekali video tentang mualaf, baik yang dibuat secara pribadi maupun cuplikan berita dari TV seperti NBC dsb.

Rupanya banyaknya jumlah video mualaf di Youtube juga berpengaruh ke orang-orang yang menontonnya, misalnya di video ini, seorang wanita akhirnya masuk Islam setelah sering menonton video mualaf di Youtube. Alhamdulillah!