SELAMAT MENYAMBUT TAHUN BARU HIJRAH 1439 (puisi)

Awal Muharram tibalah sudah,
Taqwim Islam Tahun Baru Hijrah,
Penghijrahan Nabi saw dari Mekah,
Demi Islam ke negeri al-Madinah.

Terdiri daulah Nabi memerintah,
Tertegak agama terpelihara ummah,
Petanda Islam bukan hanya akidah,
Tetapi terkandung hukum dan syariah.

Hijrah mengajak kita berubah,
Dekatilah Allah pelbagaikan wasilah,
Hidup berkat rezeki melimpah,
Perbaiki diri banyakkan mujahadah.

Tambahkan amal berteras hidayah,
Bersiap kita memikul amanah,
Bersama fikirkan nasib ummah,
Bagaimana nasib dapat diubah.

Saudara di Palestin dan Rohinga,
Tahun baru ini bagaimana mereka?
Di Timur Tengah pelarian berjuta,
Jangan sekali-kali lupa pada mereka.

Tahun Baru Hijrah tuntut kesedaran,
Awal Muharram tuntut keazaman,
Masaalah ummah cari penyelesaian,
Saudara seagama perlu pembelaan.

Hijrah pencetus tamadun ilmiah,
Sudah terbukti dalam sejarah,
Tapi kini bagai di kandang pesalah,
Umat mesti kembali menyerlah.

Sabda Nabi s.a.w.: “Hijrah tidak akan terputus sampai taubat terputus dan taubat tidak akan terputus sehingga matahari terbit dari barat.” – Hadis riwayat Abu Dawud

Sabda Nabi s.a.w.: “Seorang Muslim adalah seseorang yang kaum Muslimin selamat dari gangguan lisan dan tangannya dan seorang muhajir (orang yang berhijrah) adalah orang yang meninggalkan apa yang dilarang oleh Allah.” – Hadis riwayat Imam al-Bukhari


Selamat Tahun Baru Hijrah 1439.

Poetized drK@KuantumHarapan, Okt 2017

Appreciating Quranic Prohibitions (of alcohol and pork) (poem)

A true muslim
obeys whatever Allah enjoins upon him,
and refrains from whatever He forbids him.
So as a muslim,
I understand that I must try my best to obey God’s commands, willingly,
whether the reasons are clear or are only known to Him,
as God's commands are to be obeyed, ultimately.

Yet, God is All Knowing and Most Wise,
He is Most Subtle and is Most Concise,
He prohibits something for a reason,
It is up to us to find the explanation.
Furthermore, the Quran mentions,
that what is enjoined is At‑Tayyibaat (good)
and what is forbidden is Al‑Khabaa’ith (bad) (Quran 7:157) .
So the prohibitions are to protect our well being,
He will not allow one to consume anything
which may cause one's death,
or which are detrimental to one's health.

Gradually, I became interested in knowing reasons behind Quranic prohibitions,
Especially when they are related to scientific evidences,
For it will further convince me of the All Knowing God,
and affirms that the Quran is truly from the Lord.

In the case of alcohol consumption,
I found abundant reasons for its prohibition,
It is very evident that its consumption is harmful and injurious
Intoxication results in harm to oneself, family members, friends and others.

The Quran states that "They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say
(O Prophet): In them is great sin and some
benefit for human beings, but the sin is greater
 than the benefit...." (2:219)

I was not surprised when I read an exposition
by the World Health Organisation (WHO),
Harmful use of alcohol resulted in 3.3 million deaths, annually,
For the age group of 20-39, alcohol accounts for around 25 % of the total deaths, yearly,
Its harmful use brings about significant losses socially and economically,
Thus, the Quran's prohibition of its consumption
is actually for our own protection.

On the other hand,
for the prohibition of eating flesh of swine,
I found that it's not as obvious as for wine,
What harm could have come from swine and its flesh?
Isn't it widely eaten in many parts of Asia, the US and the rest?
So, what could be the reason behind the disallowance?
Could the Quranic prohibition be a form of prevention?

Pork is forbidden in Islam according to the Quran:
“He has only forbidden you dead animals, and blood, and the flesh of swine…”   (al-Quran 2:173)

However, I soon realised that the Quran also gave no specific reason,
So the harm that could come from pigs are rather hidden,
But the Quran hints that the flesh of swine is impure,
So, I turned to science in my bid to know.

The Quran says
"Say, "I do not find within that which was
 revealed to me [anything] forbidden to one
 who would eat it unless it be a dead animal or
 blood spilled out or the flesh of swine - for
 indeed, it is impure..." (Quran 6: 145)

I finally found out that in early 19th century scientists already know,
only in the last 100 years ago or so,
that certain kinds of influenza strains,
can migrate back and forth between pigs and humans,
while mutating at each stage and becoming more powerful new variants.
In the US, H1N1 and H3N2 swine flu viruses in pig populations are endemic,
H1N1 was known circulating in pigs as early as the 1930's,
If hog and avian farms are too close, it exposes the danger of a serious pandemic.
In short, pigs, when infected are like Trojan horses,
They carry in their body harmful viruses
which can be ultimately passed to us.

The other main concern is trichinosis,
an infection by the larvae of parasitic worms called Trichinella spiralis,
caused by eating raw or undercooked swine meat,
Symptoms are abdominal discomfort, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, fever and fatique,
Parasitic roundworms can also infect and damage body tissues,
These are definitely major health issues,
not known to humans only until recently,
The Quran announced the prohibition over a thousand years early.

I now better appreciate the prohibitions in the Quran,
There are clearly reasons behind God's commandments,
Be it alcohol, gambling, swine flesh, blood, carrion or other prohibitions,
God allows us to enjoy all the good lawful things,
and only forbids from things that are harmful to our health and well being,
If its harm may not have been known during one's lifetime
it may be discovered at a later time.

Poetized by drK@KuantumHarapan, September 2017