[I'tikaf 1]: ~The Battle with the System or The Battle with the Nafs~

The office started the vacation on Wednesday [2nd Nov: just one day before the EID day]. I have decided to move to the Masjid on Friday [28th Oct 2005]. At first I planned to spend the rest of days waiting for the EID in the Masjid and would not attend the office on Monday [31st Oct] and Tuesday [1st Nov]. But one of the colleagues said that to do that is inappropriate since i’tikaf is just a sunnah, the office would not give the permission to practice that kind ibadah. She said what if all employees do the i’itikaf then the company would have to stop the operation and nobody would have money. [the key word here is “MONEY”, seems a logic reason, it is the tradition where few days before the EID, most Moslem become busier than before…. buy new clothes, gifts, foods, paint the house, change the curtain, change the sofa, buy new car, etc etc..… They all need big money…no wonder if the Mall would be so crowded but the Masjid become empty… [1].

I was wondering whether that money would be equal to the blessing and the reward that Allah subhana wata’ala would give for His slaves who spend those last 10 days of Ramadan in totally devotion and submission to Allah in their i’tikaf. Does someone [the humans, the firms] could pay to buy those precious moments? Who would guaranty we would meet that precious moment in the next future.

However, I couldn’t leave the responsibility as an employee who engaged by a contract .Hence I decided to compromise. But I also didn’t want to lose the precious chances in the last 10 days of Ramadan so I went to office from Masjid and back from office to Masjid after office hour.

Actually I just read a fatwa that an employee shouldn’t abandon their work except if they think to get resign. I fulfilled the condition; I did submit my resign paper on the Monday [31st Oct ;of course not merely about i’tikaf reasons].

I think there must be many brothers and sisters out there who face the same problems..

Rasulullah sallahu alaihi wassalam spent his last 10 days in Ramadan in the Masjid for I’tikaf [2]. It’s hardly to do that in these days. Rasulullah managed stay in the Masjid in the last 10 days of Ramadan because he was the leader and he was the one who decided what to do. In fact many Moslems nowadays are just a follower of secular system. There are some who hold significant positions as leaders but most of them don’t really care.

A Khutbah that I listened to at my arrival in the Masjid somehow helped to cure the disappointment that I felt. The imam seemed could read what was crossing in my heart.[3] He said, each person has their own standard of the truth. Some of them believe that to spend the last 10 days of Ramadan in office or in market would make them have lots of money. They believe that is the truth that has to chase, the chance that have to grab. Because they believe have lots of money in the EID is the truth that more important than anything. Many of them even still stuck with their word until the takbir of EID. But, only few had chosen to spend their days in the Masjid because they believe it as the truth.

We all can have the reasons to abandon the sunnah [or even the obligation]. If we do not have [reasons] we still can make thousands of reasons especially if trying to find the justification, astaghfirullah.

Sometimes we need time to sit and do dialog with our heart if that is really a syar’i reason or it is just mundane reason or worse it just a reason to justification of our weaknesses. As a weak human being who sometimes trapped with the routine and the system at least we should do our best efforts, do maximum actions to practice what we belief as the truth, and want to admit honestly our disability and our weaknesses when we couldn’t manage what we should do [instead of trying to find the justification to cover up our disability].

Indeed things not as easy as it seems. It a hard test to revert ourselves totally as a Moslem who has the freedom hearts [the heart that only totally engages and fear to the system that Allah has been created]. In real, we often have to get engage more to the human system that sometime not correspond to the system that Allah has been arranged. Deep inside, we’re actually realize that we have freedom to choose which one is the real truth, but most of the time we do not have enough courage to choose that way.

I met some friends that made me proud. One of them is a sister who runs a school which provides special skills to help children who need special care. Not only she does a great work, she also starts a system that corresponds to the Islamic system. She is the boss [even though not a big school]. She gave all her employees vacations and advice them to do i’tikaf . She hopes they would use the vacation in the last 10 days of Ramadan to do more ibadah and they would kindly put her and the development of her school in their prayer :). Alhamdulillah she managed to stay in the Masjid and concentrated to do ibadah throughout the last 10 days of Ramadan and get double benefit that her employees also prayed for her. She had proved that she could make it. MashaAllah

This is the responsibility that every of us should carry out to make better system; starting from every simple thing in our own authority area.

"Because Allah will never change the grace which He hath bestowed on a people
until they change what is in their (own) souls:
and verily Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things)."
[Qur'an Al Anfal, 8:53]

We always have plans for our future. May we never forget to include plans to do more for this “deen” in the first part of our heart. May the system from Allah the Almighty that takes the dominate of our heart. May Allah keep on giving us the strength to apply them in every single of our actions..

Wallahu alam bishshowab…


To be continues inshaAllah

Rytha
Bandung 1 Shawal 1426 H

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[1] There are many people practice these traditions, perhaps this not happen in all Moslem country [I didn’t mean to make generalization]. In some extend nothing wrong to prepare the celebration as it’s the festival for the Moslem. But when it comes to the level of israf [extravagance] it will tarnish the meaning of the EID itself.
[2] Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.242 Narrated byAbdullah bin Umar : Allah's Apostle used to practice Itikaf in the last ten days of the month of Ramadan.
[3] Dear respected pious ikhwah Don’t misunderstand I didn’t mean to say the imam associated with Allah who know what lies in heart, astaghfirullah…
With Him are the keys of the unseen, the treasures that none knoweth but He. He knoweth whatever there is on the earth and in the sea. Not a leaf doth fall but with His knowledge: there is not a grain in the darkness (or depths) of the earth, nor anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read) [ Qur’an Al An ‘am 6:59]
Behold! they fold up their hearts, that they may lie hid from Him! Ah even when they cover themselves with their garments, He knoweth what they conceal, and what they reveal: for He knoweth well the (inmost secrets) of the hearts. [Qur'an Hud 11:5]