An Introduction to Masturat Jamaat - Part 1

About two or three years after my journey of dakwah and tabligh to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh for three chillah (four months), I still did not place serious thought about the importance of involving me and my wife in masturat jamaat. Not until my friends, Salman Kantani and Sufi Hassan, came back from their first three days of dakwah and tabligh tour in masturat jamaat, together with their respective wives. 

I remember Salman had just been married at that time. His parents had rejected the idea of him marrying a daughter of any karkun (tablighi). All sort of unreasonable excuses and vindication were placed before him. Perhaps they are not ready to accept another tablighi in the family, or they might have thought that a lady-partner not associated with dakwah and tabligh effort would eventually subdue and abrogate the 'extremism' in their son's way of life. 

And it followed that with full blessing from his parents and barakah, Salman uttered the sacred vow of nikah to a fine lady who would later became one of the closest friends of my wife. As much as I want to say, "And they live happily ever after...", the best part did not end here. A couple of months after their marriage, the newly-wed couple, together with Sufi Hassan and his wife had embarked onto a tour of faith for three days for the first time in masturat jamaat.

Verily Allah Most High ordains the attainment of felicity (attainment of desires, happiness, success, propserity, freedom from anxiety in this world and the next) of mankind, men or women, in the practices of the perfect deen, insofar as he/she obeys Allah Most High and His Rasul. Women are greater in number than men in today's population of the world, whereas the number of children are larger than women. When womenfolks understood and have concern for deen, they will revive the environment of deen in their houses. When the environment of deen prevails in the houses of Muslims, there will come forth pious children - male & female - alim and alimah, hafiz and hafizah, mujahid and mujahidah.

Back from their three days tour in masturat jamaat, both Salman Kantani and Sufi Hassan did not waste time at all in alluring me with their karguzari (narration and description) of the tour in masturat jamaat. The magnetism of their karguzari  had kept me listening to them for almost two hours in my car right from after Isya' prayer.And that was the first time anyone had ever put a serious thought on me about the importance of involving my wife in masturat jamaat.


And both Salman and Sufi Hassan had started a delightful episode of their lives having their respective wives as a driving force behind their intensifying effort of dakwah and tabligh. By the grace of Allah Most High, I surely would not let myself miss the ride!

Sufi Hassan

Every night after Isya' solaah at our masjid, one of us would read hadith and commentaries from the kitaabs Fadhail Aamal and Muntakhab Ahadith to all musoleen. It is one of the daily masjid amal that originates back since 1997. There were a smaller number of musoleen in our old small wooden surau/masjid back then.

One night as any other nights, after the ta'leem of Fadhail Aamal had been read, we all headed own ways. Some of the more blessful among us continued the amal scheduled to fulfill the two and half hours, some headed straight back home, whilst some went for a night session of  chai with friends. None of us, however, were aware of the presence of a lone figure behind the wall in the surau separating the men sections.

Haji Hassan had been listening attentively to the hadith on virtues of zikrullah (remembrance of Allah) that had been read that night. He had begun the first day of i'tikaaf at our surau, unnoticed by everyone. Although he lived not far away, he had never been to our surau and he did not know why he had chosen to make i'tikaaf there. Haji Hassan had been in the sufi order (tarekat)of Naqsyabandi for 18 years, and having cited tens of thousand of wirid, durood sharif and istighfar. But never had his heart and soul been rocked and taken away by the words of Allah Most High and His most beloved Prophet sallalaahu alayhi wassalam as he felt that night. This prompted him to sneak onto the pages of Fadha'il Aamal while everyone was not around. The more hadith that he read, the more ecstasy they made him felt. He jotted a few hadith down in his note book.

In the morning, still managed to avoid our attention, he quietly observed us. After our daily mesyuarah (consultation) after subuh solaah, we would sit quietly in the surau until the time of isyrak for our daily wirid of tasbeehat, durood and istighfar. Unknown to us, the environment or mahul in the surau had really excited him. Even our sitting postures amazed him. It is customary for him to sit with both knees up and wrapped both his arms around the knees when he is making zikir. He thought it was offensive to sit like that. When he saw some amongst us sat in the same posture, he was overcame with awe. Little did he know that it is one of the sunnah ways of sitting.

On the third day of his i'tikaaf at our surau, he started to make himself visible to us. Quickly and easily, he get himself acquainted with all of us karkuns especially when he quoted familiar hadith and sayings of pious predecessors in the conversation. At that time, we were not aware that he had extensively been reading from Fadha'il Amal for 3 days in the surau. 

Sufi Hassan has a high-pitched tone when conversing. His conversation is always full of enthusiasm. At times he could be blunt and direct. But at the same time, he is witty and fun to be with. So far that I knew him, his bluntness or priceless humor quotes always related to deen. What I like most about Sufi Hassan is his spontaneous actions or reactions that reflect his sincerity. For instance, he would utter, "Terima kasih, Allah!" (Thank You, Allah!) when he suddenly remembered things or names, or "Ampunkan aku, Allah!" (Pardon me, Allah!) if he was unsure of things or names, in the midst of conversations. To some people it was funny, when actually, he was dead serious. Another instance is that he see all things, no matter how negligible it is, happened by the Will and Wisdom of Allah - something that most people failed or ignored to reflect.

Prior to his first 3-days tour of dakwah, as I said earlier, Sufi Hassan had been engaged in tarekat or sufism of Naqshabandi order, practising excessive wirid, zikr and durood. He even had a dream of being repeatedly stamped by a man with the word 'Muhammad' all over his body, the level according to him, is termed as "qulluman jasad". He was then taken to meet Rasulullah sallalaahu alayhi wassalam who was sitting together with Hazrat Abu Bakar, Umar, Usman and Ali radiyalaahu anhum. In his dream, he was told that they liked his excessive recitation of durood shariff. Having said that, Sufi Hassan concluded that the ecstasy that he experienced during the past 18 years of his sufism practices is incomparable with his first 3-days tour of dakwah & tabligh effort. I guess one will never know how the feeling was until one experienced it oneself. 

   

The Story of Salman Kantani

It has long been a tradition that every year, many bright young Malaysians students are sent to study in universities in United Kingdom, among other places. Having spent two to four years abroad, their return was keenly awaited by people close to their heart whom they had not seen for ages. The homecoming would typically come with with souveniers and gifts - a pair of rejected Clark shoes from Tommy Ball for elder brother, an England red rose rugby jersey for younger brother, a Liverpool or Manchester United away football jersey for kid brother, a couple of London t-shirt for kid sister, plenty of porno mags for close friends, and loads of Yorkie chocolate bars for everyone else.

A number of these young men surprised their parents and family members as soon as they arrived at the airport. Everyone at the airport expected to see a sharp-dressed young man with Bruberry jacket and Marks & Spencer pants at the arrival gate. Instead, emerging from the gate was a bearded chap with white skull cap on the head, wearing all white kurta and shalwar. Ironically, even those graduates from the universities in Egypt and Syria came back with fancy jacket and pants!

He was one of the many young Malaysians university graduates who came back from the United Kingdom a changed man. Bestowed with unpronounceable real name, he is known to us all as Salman, following the sahabi Salman the Persian radiyalaahu anhu. I first met him at our small old wooden surau/masjid. He had then spent time in the path of Allah after his graduation to Pakistan prior to returning home. Though a lot younger than me in age, I consider him as one of my mentors in the work of dakwah and tabligh. He progressed well in tabligh effort at younger age. His presence in our mohalla had opened up fikr for younger generations. But at the same time, he had been subjected to much taunting, trials and tribulations from the elderly people in our mohalla. The worst trials, unfortunately, came from his own parents. In the face of those adverse circumstances, he remained steadfast.

It really is not easy to try to live simple when the world around you expects you to live on the fast lane. When his peers looked for glamourous time consuming job, he opted for a teaching job that would secure him time for 40 days or four months for the effort and the advancement of his own iman and aamal. When his peers look forward for high wages and high-flying positions in large corporations, he opted for a low profile job that could give him more time to obtained piety and virtues in this world and rewards and benefits in the aakhirah. To me, really, when his peers are caught onto the web of slavery, he opted for being a master of his own time.

Sometimes whenever laziness overcame me and decided not to go to markaz, for instance, Allah Most High frequently used Salman Kantani to suddenly pop-out in front of my house on his motor-bike, asking whether we were ready to go to markaz for our weekly i'tikaaf. It was always the case for me, after seeing his big grin, alhamdulillah, my idleness instantly turned to liveliness, as I grabbed my bedding  for another fruitful night at the markaz. He definitely is one of my circles of friends that fit the saying that a good friend is someone, when you see his face you would remember Allah Most High, and when you hear they speak, your knowledge of deen would increase.

The Journey of Hajj - Part 8: A Ritual Fitan & A Different Sight

When I first arrived in Makkah a couple of weeks before wukuf at the Plains of Arafah, performing tawaf around the Kabaah at the ground floor square was an uphill task at any time with thousands of people cramming at one place. It was alarming and distressful to watch hundreds of people tried to squeezed in the corner of the Kaabah where Hajarul Aswad or the Black Stone is situated.  No doubt the kissing of Hajarul Aswad is a sunnah and a gesture of love to the Prophet sallalaahu alayhi wassalam.  But how could those people justify the hardship caused by them to others when they forced their way through to the corner?

At this point, I have to reveal a despicable violation by certain few hajj pilgrims, right in front of the house of Allah.  It is not to my enjoyment to bring out into open something that could disgrace other hajj pilgrims, but I consider it something beyond contempt that all of us should avoid when, by the grace of Allah, we are accepted to perform hajj or umrah. A handful Indonesian brothers, without shame, had taken advantage of the hajj season to provide an unsanctioned services of getting women pilgrims to kiss the Hajarul Aswad. It is not as honourable as it sound, in fact the manner in which they provide the so-called services was just simply tastless and nasty. 

First, two men would approach women hujjazs to provide 'assistance' for them to kiss the Hajarul Aswad for a fee. An over-enthusiastic woman who agreed to their proposal would then be forcefully pushed towards the corner of the Kaabah, sandwiched between two men. She would have to hug from behind the man in front of her, whilst the man behind her would tightly hug her. I've seen a couple of women were in terrifying tears while being pushed forward without being able to back-off. Another woman was being pulled out by another couple of pervert men (perhaps after managing to kiss the Black Stone) in a condition that her hijab was pulled off and her hair disheveled. Once I walked near two men who were negotiating the service and I could not help but sternly rebuked the two Indonesian men. What a shameful act to promote!


May Allah Ta'ala have mercy on us all.


I spend a lot of time by simply looking at the Ka'abah. I would sat down leaning forward close against the railing on the top floor of Masjidil Haram watching thousands of hajis circumbulating the Holy Ka'abah. It was mainly due to my laziness, but never lost my hope in getting rewards from Allah Ta'ala. 

Keeping on reading Fadha'il Hajj had helped me a lot. In 45 days of my hajj journey, sometimes laziness overcame me. Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Allah, the kitaab had kept me going. In one hadith, Hazrat Ibn Abbas radiyalaahu anhu reports that the Messenger of Allah said, "One hundred and twenty mercies descend upon the Ka'abah every day and night; sixty for those performing tawaaf, forty for those performing solaah and twenty for those merely looking at Ka'abah." Merely looking at the Ka'abah is a form of Ibadaah. Hazrat Saeed ibn Musayyib rahmatullah alayhi the well-known Tab'iee use to say that whoever merely looks at the Ka'abah with complete faith, becomes so cleansed of his sins as the day he was born. Subhanallah! How great is the mercy of Allah to this ummah!

In the midst of thousands of pilgrims encircling the Ka'abah, I caught a glimpsed of a towering man walking slowly towards Hajarul Aswad assisted by two men. It was a unique scene. The people made way for the towering man approaching the Hajarul Aswad. Normal men's height only barely reached his waist. I recognised the towering man from a news report I read before. At 7' 8", Haji Alam Channa of Sindh, Pakistan, the tallest man in the world at the time, kissed the Hajarul Aswad with much difficulty.

Labaikallaahhumma labaik!

The Journey of Hajj - Part 7: Television and Incidences

In Makkah, the fitnah of television set in each and every hotel rooms was indeed menacing and alarming. Even Madinah, the city of our beloved Prophet sallalaahu alayhi wassalam was not spared of the raging fitnah. 

The non-believers are prohibited from entering the holy lands of Makkah Mukarammah and Madinah Munawarrah. However, the enemies of Islam had sketched a master plan to destroy the sanctity of our holy lands. Though unable to be physically present at the holy cities, they seemed to had reached their goal by filing the holy cities with harmful and deleterious products - the most damning of all are television sets. They had cracked their heads for so long, thinking how to corrupt the minds of Muslims all over the world, even at their centre of devotion, during the acts of worship that suppose to be the harvest of piety. It looks like their strive and struggle had achieved fruitful results now that just a few metres away from the entrances of Masjid al-Haram, from every angles, vileness, indecency and vulgarity are being played and watched over the television sets in the premises surrounding the Masjid al-Haram.

Thus, the very moment that we discovered a television set was placed on the wall  in each room in our hotel in Makkah, we resolved amongst us karkuns that everyone need to be told of its evil. Each and everyone of us would start among their respective room-mates. We started to convey the message to our room-mates of the fact that although a single good deed practiced in Makkah Mukarramah would equal 100,000 thousand good deeds practiced elsewhere, it was utmost important also to restraint ourselves from doing even a single bad deed, as it would also equal 100,000 bad deeds practiced elsewhere. Alhamdulillah, most of the hujjazs in our group shared our concern except for only a handful addicts who could not seem to resist the impulsion for the small screen.

As for me, nothing was more captivating than watching Pok Soh smiled broadly whilst I pushed him on a wheelchair towards Masjid al-Haram, with my wife pushing Mok Su's wheelchair, tailing not far behind, across a sea of devotees. Sometimes I would giggle with my wife whenever we heard Pok Soh mumbled, "Please don't trample me. I'm just a small-sized man." Probably the scene I cherished most was when. in one occasion, Pok Soh was carried on a stretcher by two strong and tall dark African men on their shoulders making tawaf around the Kaabah.

Up to the time of hajj, I had always been comfortable wearing only Pakistani kurta (shalwar and kamis). Only after hajj, I started to wear jubah as well. Hence, the whole time when I was performing hajj that year, I had only wore kurta whenever I was not in ihraam. It was rather amusing that I had been stopped a couple of time in Makkah by the Masjid al-Haram's security men, when I walked holding hands with my wife. On both occasions, they were shouting, "Haram! Haram!" causing other peoples' attention towards us. Apparently, the security men had mistaken me as a Pakistani Pushtun man holding hands with a non-mahram Malaysian woman. The fact that my wife wore white hijab that has a word "Malaysia" spelled in Arabic letters at the back of her head also contributed to the confusion. 

On the first occasion, I tried in vain explaining to them our relationship as husband and wife from the same country. Even the stainless steel chain on my wrist with the word "Malaysia" that all Malaysian hajj pilgrims were required to wear as an identification would not convinced them of my identity.  Only after I showed them a hajj identity card that has a photo of me did they notice the truth. Well, on the second occasion, I had the ID well-prepared and straight away showed it to them. And on both occasions they blushingly offered kind words of apology to us for the mistake. It was hilarious, really. 

The ulama' say that when Allah Ta'ala gave the glad tiding to Ibrahim alayhi salam about the coming of his first son to be born, Ismail alayhi salam, through His malaikat (angels), they told Ibrahim alayhi salam that his wife would bear a son whom the called "haleem"; the forbearing son. Certainly true to their status, the Arabs, the descendants of Ismail alayhi salam, are charitable people, most clement and considerate, patient and thoughtful towards millions of the hajj pilgrims that poured into Hijjaz every year. They, the Arabs, are certainly most suitable to be the hosts and guardians of the two holy cities.

The Journey of Hajj - Part 6: Haram Shariff and the Effort of Dakwah & Tabligh

We arrived in Makkah al-Mukarramah about 12 days before the day of wukuf at the Plains of Arafah. Thus, we opted for haji ifrad, choosing to be in ihram for whole duration of that period. My first three days in Makkah was what I could only describe as confusing and chaotic. Unlike in Madinah where separation between men and women in the Masjid Nabawi was strictly observed, I seemed could not find any place in the Haram Shariff that were separated from women for devotion. There were instances where I had to pray in a saff (row) surrounded by women and it had caused me great distress. 

It was not until the fourth day when, alhamdulillah, I finally found the gathering area of karkuns and the masyaikhs and elders of dakwah and tabligh where prayers and devotion could be carried out in calmness and peace. It was situated at the top floor near the corner of the single minerat of Haram Shariff. You might noticed that the other three corners of Haram Shariff have double minerats. Subhanallah! At the said single minerat top floor area, women seemed to assemble in harmony in the rear saffs and men converged in the front saffs, although there were no curtains or barriers between them. Only on a few occasions did I noticed some ignorant women tried to sit in front area to have a good look at the Kaabah. Someone would quickly asked them to go back to the rear area. The other places of the Haram Shariff seemed to be full of inseparable men and women, perhaps husbands and wives sitting next to each other fearing that they would get lost. I observed the situation twelve days before the day of wukuf at Arafah though as the people began to leave Makkah after performing the rituals of hajj, the other areas in the Haram Shariff slowly  adhered to the separation rules. 

Therefrom, every time my wife and I would go together to the Haram Shariff, walked across a sea of people, climbed up a couple of elevators and sit quietly at the peaceful corner - I, in the front row, and she, not far behind me. It was an added pleasure to have glimpses of our masyaikhs and elders in devotion at the same corner. Sometimes I would gather with the other Malaysian karkuns, sitting in small groups or halqahs, listening to a short targheeb given by a senior Malaysian tabligh worker or an aalim.

Every morning after subuh prayer I would rush back to the residential hotel. We would gather in a room that we had collectively agreed upon for our gathering place every morning for our daily mesywarah or consultation. Before the consultation started, someone would deliver an early morning bayan or a talk exhorting the listeners for the effort on deen. As the room was just enough to accommodate 4 beds, sometimes the many people that attended the morning consultation would spilled outside the room. Blankets were spread on the floor for us all to sit. We took turn between ourselves in conducting the consultation. The consultation generally discussed to what extent our effort in the work of dakwah and tabligh among the hujjazs in Makkah for the last 24 hours, and what would be the extent of our effort for the next 24 hours. It was also decided who would conduct the daily reading of the kitaab (book) Fadha'il Haji, Umrah and Ziyarat by Sheikhul Hadith Hazrat Maulana Zakariyya Kandhlawi rahmatullahu alayhi, and who will deliver the early morning bayan the next morning.

At approximately 10am every morning, we would spread blankets on the floor outside an appointed room and one of us would begin reading the Fadha'il Hajj. After sometime, a pair of us would go from room to room exhorting and urging the hujjazs to join in the assembly of the reading of hadiths relating to the virtuous deeds of hajj, umrah and ziyarat. A few minutes after the pair had join back the assembly, another pair would continue to make a round from room to room urging the same thing from the hujjazs.  The rounds would continue until the assembly dispersed after about 2 hours for everyone to get prepared for midday solaah. The assembly would usually attracted a handsome number of hujjazs sitting in the circle of ta'leem.Sometimes during the rounds, we learnt that a hajji was sick and we would find time to visit him again later. These are the daily routines of our effort. My wife, on the other hand, would also read the Fadha'il Hajj to her room mates at an appointed time daily in her room. Alhamdulillah, we find ourselves absorbed and occupied during the whole duration of our journey for hajj. This was only due to the great blessing from Allah Most High.

One of my room mates was a hardcore PAS or Islamic Party of Malaysia's member. He used to say in amazement that even in Makkah and Madinah the tablighis were on the move with their programmes. His words caused a broad smile on my face although they were not actually 'programmes'. In fact, they were aamal or devine practices that Rasulullah sallalaahu alayhi wassalam and his blessed Companions radiyalaahu anhum had taught and passed on to the ummah after them.

The Journey of Hajj - Part 5: Pok Soh and Mok Su

I first heard about Pok Soh when we were still in Madinah. People at my maktab were talking about an elderly man who got lost, not knowing to find his way back to the residential place after stirring out with the people to Masjid Nabawi. Only after two days, he was found in an ailing condition, broken down and severely dehydrated, submitted to the shivering weather of Madinah. Needless to say, he had to receive an emergency medical treatment. Like many other people, in the first instance, I was amazed as to how he got lost amongst the multitude of people, enduring the hardship and the weather, chill at daylight and cold at night, without any drink or food. Even at daytime, I wrapped myself up with a wool Pakistani blanket around my body. It was not until our arrival in Makkah that I had the opportunity to get to know Pok Soh.

He was a fragile man of about 75 years old from Kelantan. He was a very soft-spoken man who always put a smile on his face. He had never been out from his village in Nilam Puri, at the outskirt of Kota Bharu. He traveled for hajj with his sister, Mok Su, aged 63 years old without being accompanied by other able relatives or friends. The incident in Madinah had left him traumatized and impaired. He had turned out to be a sort of burden to his room-mates. They were complaining to the officials of Tabung Haji about his disability and inability to take care of himself...the filth and foul that he had caused them for not being able to care of his hygiene. It was during this time that I started to devote my attention to Pok Soh. Eventually, it was decided that he and his sister, Mok Su, would be placed in one room, specially for the two of them. From that moment, I had been taking care of Pok Soh, and Mok Su had been taken care by my wife.

Soon after, some of the other hujjazs thought that the two elderly brother and sister as our parents. All praise to Allah Most High, I and my wife still cherish the sweetness of hajj, particularly all the time spent with the two special elderly folks. I believe that Allah Most High sent us for hajj to also take care and give khidmat to the needy Pok Soh and Mok Su.