The Cost of Arrogance

There's arrogance in all of us. We were created that way, so it's in our nature and it'll never change. However, some can control their arrogance and some cannot. Most people, including myself, fall into the second category, the ones who have a hard time controlling their arrogance.

The cost of letting our arrogance take control can sometimes be devastating. It can ruin friendships, destroy marriages, lead into war and killings, and worse, it can inflict the wrath of the All Mighty. An arrogant person will often hurt his/her friends feelings, an arrogant husband who disregards his wife will be the source of a bad marriage, the arrogance of Hitler lead to the massacre of millions of Jews in World War 2, and the arrogance of Satan who refused to bow to Adam lead to the wrath of Allah The All Mighty.

The arrogance of Satan is the worst. Because he knew that he was facing The Sustainer of All Things, The Most Knowledgable of All, yet he still maintained his arrogance and disobeyed. This event is recorded in the Holy Qur'an in Al Hijr verse 31-43


which has approximate meaning:
31: Not so Iblis: he refused to be among those who prostrated themselves.
32: (Allah) said: "O Iblis! what is your reason for not being among those who prostrated themselves?"
33: (Iblis) said: "I am not one to prostrate myself to man, whom Thou didst create from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape."
34: (Allah) said: "Then get thee out from here; for thou art rejected, accursed.
35: "And the curse shall be on thee till the day of Judgment."
36: (Iblis) said: "O my Lord! give me then respite till the Day the (dead) are raised."
37: (Allah) said: "Respite is granted thee
38: "Till the Day of the Time appointed."
39: (Iblis) said: "O my Lord! because Thou hast put me in the wrong, I will make (wrong) fair-seeming to them on the earth, and I will put them all in the wrong,-
40: "Except Thy servants among them, sincere and purified (by Thy Grace)."
41: (Allah) said: "This (way of My sincere servants) is indeed a way that leads straight to Me.
42: "For over My servants no authority shalt thou have, except such as put themselves in the wrong and follow thee."
43: And verily, Hell is the promised abode for them all!

By the order of Allah, all creatures but Satan bowed to Adam, the first human being. Satan's arguments were based upon the nature of his creation (fire) versus the nature of Adam’s creation (soil/clay). This inflicted the wrath of Allah, and Satan was cursed for eternity. His one promise was to do his best to misguide all of Adam's descendants but a few. The only ones who can avoid Satan's misguidance are the ones who uphold justice and perform good deeds.

Satan's arrogant view on who is more superior is a materialistic view which is actually already widespread and common in our civilization, where one is deemed superior based upon ones ancestral background, nationality, race, richness, etc. This is a view that we need to eradicate if we truly want to uphold equity and justice throughout the human race. Islam teaches us that human beings only differ according to the good they bring for other people.

Arrogance is a dangerous attitude, and it will eventually destroy the person who commits it. The common sense is that arrogant people should have few or no friends. Unfortunately in real life, we often find that people with the most arrogant attitude are the ones who are most popular and liked. The civilization we live in has already become so twisted and has been turned upside down, that many things contradict common sense. I guess Satan has succeeded in his promise to misguide all of Adam's offspring and descendants but only a few.

May we be able to avoid, or at least control our arrogance and be among the guided ones…

keywords: al hijr, 31-43, satan, human nature

Banking interests = rejecting blessing

Bank interest is one of the major features of conventional banking. Be it an investor, a loaner, or a depositor, everyone will receive or pay interest. In the case of deposits, one will receive an added amount of money without any effort. And in the case of borrowing, one must pay a certain amount, surplus to what he/she has borrowed.

People borrow money from modern banks for many purposes, from starting a business to buying a house. Even third world countries borrow from banks/or institutions such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In many cases, the borrowers spend most of their lifetime and efforts to pay off the interest rather than paying the real loan.

Islam clearly prohibits interests in any form. Interest or riba or usury is said to bring more corruption than goodness, Islam prefers charity and fair trade, as mentioned in the Quran, surah Al Baqarah verse 276:

Which has approximate meaning:
“Allah will deprive usury of all blessing, but will give increase for deeds of charity: For He loveth not creatures ungrateful and wicked.”

Interests in Islam are viewed to be wicked and cruel. It also erases the blessings that our riches bring to us. Everything we buy which includes the usage of that interest is also deprived of His blessings. Charity and lending money out of good intention is valued as a much better option in Islam.

Unfortunately, even in majorly populated Muslim countries, the so called modern banking system that promotes interest (riba/usury) is still very much dominant. The top banks in Arab are dominated by semi conventional banks such as the National Commercial Bank and Al Rajhi. In Indonesia, the top banks are conventional banks such as Mandiri and Central Bank of Asia (BCA). Nowadays, there are even some banks who claim to take no interest (following the Islamic way), yet only change “interest” into something less intimidating for Muslims such as “benefit”. There is a glimpse of hope though, as there are several Shariah banks (Banks based on Islamic law) which are steadily growing, such as Shariah Mandiri in Indonesia.

I am no economy expert and am unable to dive deeper into the technical differences of conventional and Islamic banking. But the use of no interest is beginning to be partially implemented in several countries such as Japan. In Japan, deposits are not given any interest (0 interest rate), even though loans are still subjected to interest.

The persistency of using the services of these conventional banks might be one of the causes why these Muslim populated countries are in such a bad mess. When the guidance from the Quran and Hadeeth are neglected, Muslims should beware and introspect on all the misery that is given upon them.

May we all be people who have the heart to give in charity and kindness.

Keywords: interest, banking, bank, Islam, Shariah, riba, usury, al baqarah, 276

Emigrating To avoid oppression

The word emigration means moving out from one place to another. Nowadays, emigration from one country to another country is very casual. As a matter of fact, for mostly economic reasons, more than 400.000 Britons have emigrated from Britain since 2006. Another example is the emigration of Carpe Varde citizens to the US due to the hardships they face there.

The reasons for people to emigrate may vary from economy, chances of studying, following a spouse, to avoiding oppression. I'd like to emphasize on the last reason, which is to avoid oppression. Many people in many countries have to comprehend with the oppression they receive, either from their own people, or from invading countries. We can find many kinds of oppressions. Some might not even realize that they are oppressed.

In Indonesia for example, oppression is an everyday meal. The rich oppress the poor, the poor oppress the poorer, the strong oppress the weak, and the weak oppress the weaker. This use to only be the case in big cities such as Jakarta, but nowadays it is beginning to become widespread. There is not much to do though, as the media helps spread and mold this situation. It oppresses the mind of Indonesians through continuous nonsense promoting oppression of others (such as useless comedy, mystisism, gossips, entertainment, violence, etc), for their own financial benefits and ideologies. And the worst part is that people can't get enough of it.

Anyway, there are times when people try to fight oppression, but cannot overpower it due to its overwhelming dominance. At this point, the best option is to retreat, and emigrate to find a better place to uphold justice, at least to a place where there is no oppression towards them.

This is also the case in Islam, as Allah has said in the Qur'an, Surah An-Nisa verse 97-100. The verses say that people who are in the state of wronging themselves (when death reaches them) due to the influence/oppression of their society will be among the ones who are in ultimate misfortune. There is exception to this, which is for those who are weak and do not have the knowledge to devise a plan to emigrate by themselves.

Emigrating in the name of Allah in order to seek justice is praised and is a good deed in Islam. Even Prophet Muhammad had to emigrate from Makkah his home city, to Madina, after his people oppressed and drove him away. But then he came back after building the strength of the Muslims to uphold justice and bring goodness to the city. The Prophet's situation somehow mimic the condition that Muslims face today, especially in the west. Where many Muslims are oppressed, taunted and stripped of their freedom to implement their beliefs.

Emigrating should always be looked as a choice when we feel that we can do more good at another place. Whether if it is to emigrate to a new village, a new city, a new province, or even a new country. We should be strong at heart and head and try to let go of the ties which we call home, nation, etc. All of that is on the earth actually belongs to God, and it is for us to manage and benefit from.

keywords: An nisa 97 98 99 100 emigration hijrah oppression islam

“Peacekeepers”, the ones who spread mischief and corruption

“…. I'm optimistic because I have faith in freedom's power to lift up all of God's children, and lead this world to a future of peace….”

The above is a quote from a speech given by the President of the US, George W. Bush for the National Republican Convention on the 2nd of September 2008. The speech was delivered as advertisement and endorsement for John McCain as the Republican candidate for the upcoming US President election. The speech is by no means bad, and the US President has delivered many similar speeches, emphasizing in peace, justice and order.

Ironically, contrary to all the speeches on peace, justice, and all sorts of utopia, in the last decade, it is the US who has committed crimes against humanity, invading other country’s territory, and killing thousands of civilians along the way. Even worse, these so called “war against terror” in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2002) were also based on a bunch of lies (no weapons of mass destruction, and no Osama bin Laden capture). There are also immoral conducts reported to be done by the US military there.

For the aftermath, things have even turned for the worse. John Pilger made a documentary in 2004 called “Breaking the Silence”, which gives us an alternative view (from the mainstream media) of what has/is really happening in Afghanistan and Iraq. Regarding Afghanistan he mentioned that “No country has been this devastated since Polpot’s Cambodia.” Besides the invasions, there are also secret operations to interfere with other country’s affairs, especially third world countries in Asia and South America.

In every civilization there will always be people, who claim to be the just, peacekeepers, yet have large contribution towards destruction (physical and moral). It is because peace is not the final goal, rather a jargon to reach what they really want (e.g. wealth, power, stability, comfort). There are also these kinds of people in Prophet Muhammad’s (saw) time, as written in the Qur’an in Surah Al Baqarah verse 11-12:

(2:11)
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لاَ تُفْسِدُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ قَالُواْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ

(2:12)
أَلا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَـكِن لاَّ يَشْعُرُونَ

The approximate meaning are:
2:11 When it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "Why, we only Want to make peace!"
2:12 Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realize (it) not.

They are the hypocrites who act noble and just in front of people, yet scheme while nobody is looking. They are the ones who spread mischief and corruption. A further verse says that Allah will let their corruption and mischief continue, and even intensify them so that they become lost in their lust and greed (Al Baqarah verse 15).

Those are the words of God, and there are no words truer than that. If we try to contemplate and think deeper (with good prejudice) towards what has been happening lately, these verses mean a lot. May all of us be the ones who are guided on the right path…

Keywords: US, Iraq, Afghanistan, war against terror, mischief, corruption, al baqarah 11 12 15

Our wealth and justice

Most people around the world have a dream, where you’ll be sufficient and happy by earning enough money to enjoy life and keep you financially secure for the rest of your life, very much influenced by the “American dream” really. This point of view affects almost every aspect of life, including how we comprehend justice. Although more and more people are beginning to be aware with our misperception of justice, let’s face it, most are seeing justice from the eyes of the powerful and rich (where the weak and poor are non-factors and dispensable).

As long as the rich are frightened to lose their wealth, and the poor struggle to stay alive, justice will always remain untrue and discriminative. At least that is what’s happening right now in my home country, Indonesia (and in many third world countries I believe). The corrupts run loose and enjoy their loot because they can afford to, while petty thieves (that often need to steal to stay alive) are often beaten to death. The rich become richer and more comfortable, while the poor become poorer and more miserable. No justice there I feel. And how often do we stand still when someone steps all over the justice we believe in?

True justice is somewhere hidden inside our hearts, covered by our interests, lust, and greed. We need to shred those individual interests, lust and greed away, in order to see and be brave to uphold true justice. For a Muslim, the best way to shred individual interest is to fully commit him/herself towards God’s sake. Unfortunately, although many people are said to be Muslims, they aren’t putting enough effort to understanding Islam and act upon the teachings.

Purifying our hearts
Islam teaches us NOT to put wealth in our heart, because wealth corrupts the heart, it will surely be exhausted (one way or another) and cannot be of any true help to us in the face of calamity, as presented in the holy Qur’an (Al Kahf verse 32-44). Wealth should not become an obsession or goal, yet should only be used as a tool to reach blessing (by helping the poor, supporting orphans, etc.). By not putting wealth in our heart, we will be able to have clearer perception on things, including our perception towards justice.

Muslims are explicitly ordered to uphold justice. If there are any Muslims doing the opposite, then they have deliberately disobeyed Allah. As said in the Quran in An-Nahl verse 90, the verse has approximate meaning:

“Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.”

The verse is very clear, direct and easy to understand. Islam brings human beings back to fitrah, our natural state, so everything in Islam should be natural for us (=easy to do).

As I have mentioned, our incapability to see justice is because it is covered up by our interests, lust and greed to what is offered by this world of ours. Everybody, no matter how corrupt, are built by Allah to have justice in their hearts. I know I have simplified many things in this post, and the problem is probably more complex. But I believe that our lust and greed is one of the main culprits. And for a Muslim, the reasons above are more than enough reason to be brave in upholding justice.

Keywords: An Nahl verse 90, Al Kahf verse 32-44, justice