Thursday, August 13, 2009

Antara Facebook dan Manusia Produktif

Kecanggihan teknologi informasi khususnya internet telah membawa kemajuan yang sangat pesat di seluruh aspek kehidupan. Berapa banyakkawan lama yang kembali bersilaturahim berkat situs jejaring rekaan Mark Zuckerberg bernama Facebook. Berapa banyak bisnis berjalan mulus dan berkembang berkat distribusi dan jaringan melalui internet. Berapa pula banyak orang yang menjadi religius berkat siraman rohani dari berbagai situs dakwah yang bertebaran di dunia maya.
Namun dibalik manfaat kecanggihan internet itu tidak sedikit pula mudharat yang bakal menimpa penggunanya. Edward Richardson, pria asal London, Inggris tega membunuh mantan istrinya. Penyebabnya hal sepele, yakni setelah mengetahui kalau mantan istrinya tersebut telah mengubah status ’single’ di Facebooknya. Tidak sedikit juga pengguna internet menjadi tidak produktif karena waktunya habis terbuang hanya untuk memperhatikan perkembangan Facebooknya.
Jika Facebook dan produk internet lainnya telah melalaikan dan menurunkan produktivitas kita sebagai seorang muslim itu tandanya kita harus waspada.Jangan sampai prestasi dan kinerja kita menurun karna di kantor hanya buka-buka facebook aja. Islam –dengan ke-syumul-annya– menawarkan konsep “manusia produktif” kepada setiap orang sekaligus mengantarkan mereka menembus nilai-nilai ilahiyyah yang sering tertutup oleh tabir kegelapan jahiliyyah.
Sekurang-kurangnya ada empat prinsip yang diutarakan sebagai konsep Islam dalam membina manusia menjadi muslim produktif, duniawi dan ukhrawi.
Yang pertama, mengubah paradigma hidup dan ibadah. Dalam Islam, hidup bukanlah menuju kematian, akan tetapi menuju kehidupan yang abadi. Hidup merupakan ladang yang akan dituai hasilnya di kehidupan abadi nanti. Sehingga hidup ini merupakan durasi penyeleksian manusia dari amalan-amalannya, dari produktivitasnya di pentas dunia. Mana di antara mereka yang tingkat produktivitasnya tinggi dan mana yang tidak.Allah swt berfirman, “Dan Aku tidak menciptakan jin dan manusia melainkan supaya mereka menyembah-Ku.” (QS 51:56)
Apabila paradigma (cara pandang) terhadap Facebook dan produk internet lainnya sebagai sarana atau media yang memberikan kemudahan kepada kita untuk beribadah kepada Allah SWT maka peningkatan produktivitas kita akan mengalami lonjakan kenaikan yang tinggi karena media itu telah memberi banyak manfaat kepada kita, bukan menjadi sarana yang menjerumuskan kita kepada kesia-siaan, waktu yang terbuang dan berbagai kemudharatan lainnya.
Yang kedua, memelihara kunci produktivitas, yaitu hati. Rasulullah saw bersabda: “Ingatlah dalam diri manusia ada segumpal daging, apabila daging itu baik maka akan baiklah seluruh jasadnya. Dan apabila daging itu rusak maka rusaklah seluruh jasadnya, itu tidak lain adalah hati”.
Hati merupakan “ruh” bagi semua potensi yang kita miliki. Jika hati kita bersih pikiran dan tenaga tidak akan tercurahkan serta tersalurkan hanya untuk melihat foto-foto orang lain, atau membaca komentar-komentar orang lain di Facebook. Jika hati kita bersih kita juga tidak akan berbuat iseng kepada orang lain dengan mengambil gambar orang lain untuk keperluan yang tidak bermanfaat.
Hati yang terpelihara dan terlindungi akan memancarkan energi yang mendorong manusia untuk beramal lebih banyak dan lebih berkualitas lagi. Produktivitasnya akan terjaga bahkan akan terus bertambah sedikit demi sedikit. Dan tidak hanya itu, ‘amaliyah-nya (produktivitas) pun akan mempunyai nilai yang abadi. Nilai ini adalah nilai keikhlasan yang jauh dari kepentingan- kepentingan pribadi dan duniawi.
Yang ketiga, bergerak dari sekarang. Seorang sahabat pernah berkata: “Jika engkau di pagi hari maka janganlah menunggu nanti sore, dan jika engkau di sore hari maka janganlah menunggu waktu besok”. Prinsip “bergerak dari sekarang” ini menunjukkan suatu etos kerja yang tinggi dan hamasah (semangat) beramal yang menggebu-gebu. Seorang muslim sangatlah tidak pantas jika menunda-nunda suatu amal, karena waktu dalam pandangan Islam sangatlah mahal (oleh karena itu, dalam Al-Qur’an Allah swt banyak bersumpah dengan waktu), Imam Asy-Syahid Hasan Al-Banna mengatakan bahwa “waktu adalah kehidupan” .
Dari prinsip ini, akan terlahir sosok-sosok manusia ‘amali. Manusia yang senantiasa menghiasi waktunya dengan produktivitas tinggi akan menjauhi hal-hal yang akan mengantarkannya kepada suatu yang sia-sia dan tak berguna. Apalagi menyibukkan waktunya untuk chatting yang tidak bermanfaat sampai melalaikan waktu shalat. Sosok muslim yang ideal telah digambarkan oleh Rasulullah saw dalam haditsnya, ia berkata: “Di antara tanda bagusnya Islam seseorang, ia senantiasa meninggalkan perbuatan yang tidak bermanfaat bagi dirinya”.
Yang keempat, kontinuitas dalam beramal. Dalam Islam, masa produktif ialah sepanjang hayat, selama ia masih menghirup kehidupan, maka ia dituntut untuk terus beramal dan menjaga produktivitasnya, walaupun amalan itu dilakukan sedikit demi sedikit.
Dengan prinsip kontinuitas ini, maka Islam dapat menjaga kestabilan produktivitas seorang muslim. Islam tidak membiarkan seorang muslim beramal “besar” kemudian setelah itu padam dan surut kembali. Dorongan kontinyu (dawam) dalam beramal dengan bentuk ahabul a’mali ilallah (yang paling disukai oleh Allah) merupakan dorongan terbesar bagi setiap muslim untuk senantiasa terus produktif dan menjaga produktivitasnya.
Seharusnya kita dapat menjadikan Facebook dan media internet lainnya sebagai sarana untuk menyebarkan fikrah Islamiyah yang bersih. Satu saja orang bisa tersentuh cahaya Allah melalui tangan kita tentu akan melapangkan jalan kita ke surga.
Dunia dan segala apa yang ada di dalamnya hanyalah sarana yang akan menghantarkan kita pada perjumpaan dengan yang Maha Pencipta. Jangan terlalu dicinta yang membuat waktu kita habis bersamanya. Amatlah merugi jika sarana itu justru menghantarkan kita kepada kehinaan di neraka jahanam. Sebagai seorang muslim kita memahami bahwa hidup ini hanya sekali. Hiasilah ia dengan sikap produktif, kreatif, inovatif dan prostatic. Semoga kita semua menjadi manusia yang beruntung. Amin… (Yesi Elsandra)

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Root Causes of the Decline of the Muslim World

The Root Causes of the Decline of the Muslim World: An Educational Perspective

It is a well known fact that the decline of the Muslim world began with the fall of the mighty Ottoman Empire which had reigned supreme between the 14th and 17th centuries A.D. It was the dominant power in the world during this period. Experts and specialized scholars have identified the reasons of the decline of the Ottoman Empire.

Reasons of the annihilation of the Ottoman Empire:

SECTOR

WESTERN

MUSLIM

Millitary

Superiority on the battlefield with their better military strenght in terms of arms, ammunitions and techniques

Muslim armies remained stagnant and were utterly routed

Economic

strong

Dwindled

Knowledge

Started making great strides in acquisition of modern knowledge and began developing a dynamic modern educational system

Had uneven approach and the already weakened social structure weakened further.

Scientific and technological advancement

Forged ahead

Little or no contribution was made

These caused in the colonization of the muslim world. The entire muslim world was colonized with the exception of afghanistan, iran, saudi arabia and turkey.

External Factors for the Decline of the Muslim Ummah

1. Nationalism : an ideology which gives loyalty of man to land and community instead of God and religion, started cutting the Muslim unity and empires into pieces, whereby huge empires got fragmented into small nations sowing the seeds of disunity in the Muslim world. Islamic Ummatic identity was also replaced by national identities.

Muslim intelligentsia and elite who were mainly the products of modern secular Western education also came into the fold of nationalism and the spirit of nationalism spread like wild fire.

2. Secularism: giving man the right and choice of adherence to any religion but restricting the same to his personal life. Religion was completely insulated from political life. The ideology of secularism advocated disbelief in God and the hereafter and weakened the commitment of the Muslims towards their faith

3. Modernism : an ideology and a concept believes in change, and is always in search of something new. The features are rejection of religion, culture and tradition from public life and the promotion of supremacy of reason; reason and sense perception became the integral part of the process of modernization.

The Muslim elites receiving education in modern Western public schools, universities, and modern institutions emerged out with “modernism” deeply ingrained in their system and psyche. They became the perfect instruments of the British imperialism, and become a new class of Muslims inculcated with the spirit of nationalism, secularism, and modernism was created.

Internal Factors

Internal factors are more significant than external factor for declining muslim world. The Qur’an unequivocally states: Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. [13:11] There are namely: Lack of Mission of Islam; Lack of Vision of Islamic life; Lack of Ijtihadic and Dynamic Leadership; Lack of Rationality and Empirical Method; Lack of Creativity and Ijtihad

1. Lack of Mission of Islam

The message and mission of Islam have lasting bearings on the rise and fall of Islamic civilization and the Ummah.

The Prophet Muhammad, was not the first Messenger of Islam towards mankind. He did not bring any new Truth, Message or Guidance; he came with the same Truth, and was entrusted with the same mission and duty as were given to all the Messengers. God revived through him the same genuine faith [message] for humanity for the guidance so that humanity can lead a peaceful and prosperous life on earth.

Islam- the complete submission of man before God – is the one and only faith consistently revealed by God to mankind from the very beginning. Prophet Nuh, Ibrahim, Moses and Isa [Christ] peace be upon them,- who appeared at different times and places-all propagated the same faith-Islam.

In the sight of God there is only one system of life and way of conduct which is both in accord with reality and morally right. This consists of man’s acknowledgement of God as his Lord and the sole object of his worship and devotion; of surrendering himself unreservedly to God in obedience and service.

The mission of each Prophet, peace be upon him, was to call people to the right way of life, to communicate God’s true guidance afresh and to organize into one community all who responded to his mission and accepted the guidance vouchsafed to him. They were given such principles which, if followed, lead to man’s success and happiness.

2. Lack of Vision of Islamic life

Vision is needed because we want the good of this world and the next world, which depends entirely on the correct and true vision of life.

The Islamic vision of life is not based on conjecture; rather it is based on Knowledge, the Revealed Knowledge of the Quran and the Sunnah [the normative fundamental sources of Islam].

The Quran and the Sunnah contain the Shariah—the code of life. The Shariah explains the Divine and universal values upon which a healthy society is developed, along with human values.

Muslims instead of focusing on their civilization role as caliphs devoted more on the side of abd. They did not pay more attention towards the development of civilization. They ignored the duty of bringing development in human societies. Consequently, materialism emerged and spirituality disappeared from practical life.

Today Muslims do not have their own theory and model of development based on spirituality. In the Muslim world there is a strong desire to join the developed countries but unfortunately they are not aware of the criteria of development. Hence, they are imitating the modern Western models of development.

3. Lack of Ijtihadic and Dynamic Leadership

Ibn KhaldËn in al-Muqaddimah and Sayyid Mawdudi in The Islamic Movement: Dynamics of Values, Power and Change have contended that the rise and fall of nations and civilizations mainly depends on the role of leaders and scholars.

The social laws of society confirm that leadership, both intellectual and political, is responsible for the decline of a nation and civilization.

Development in the West is rightly attributed to the dynamic role of intellectuals and leaders, whereas the decline of the Muslim world is also associated with the traditional and imitative role of the Muslim intellectuals and leaders.

Development in the West is rightly attributed to the dynamic role of intellectuals and leaders, whereas the decline of the Muslim world is also associated with the traditional and imitative role of the Muslim intellectuals and leaders.

Development in the West is rightly attributed to the dynamic role of intellectuals and leaders, whereas the decline of the Muslim world is also associated with the traditional and imitative role of the Muslim intellectuals and leaders.

Zaiyad Ibn Hudayr related:

“Umar said to me, “Do you know what will destroy Islam?”

When I said that I did not, he said, “It will be destroyed by the mistakes of scholars, the arguing of hypocrites using the Book, and government by leaders who are in error.”

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is reported to have said,

‘There are two classes in my Ummah who, if they are right the Ummah will be set right; and if they go wrong the Ummah will go wrong: they are the rulers and the scholars.’

4. Lack of Empirical and Rational Approach

The Muslims distanced themselves from the Quran and the Sunnah, resulting in the weakness of their iman [faith] and slackness towards performance of their duties, and towards enjoining what is right and from stopping what is wrong.

The Qur’an said:

And hold fast all together by the Rope which Allah [stretches out for you] and be not divided among yourselves. [16]

· The Qur’an is replete with verses inspiring people to reflect and think in order to become wise and in order to understand and view life with a rational and empirical approach. Man has been admonished to travel, to observe, and to ponder over the stories of past nations, and communities, and the fate of those who disobeyed God and His Messengers, peace be upon them.

Instead of making proper use of of hearing, sight and heart for developing the social sciences, the human sciences, the technological sciences, and the applied sciences, the Muslims embroiled themselves in the futile polemics of “fatalism”.

They ignored in their studies the practical aspects of life and focused on metaphysical unreal issues. dractically they became theoretical and hard core realities were ignored.

5. Lack of Creativity and Ijtihad

The Muslims were generally complacent with the status quo. The Ummah was submerged in fatalism, superstitions, and rigidity. When there was no creativity, the need was not felt for either development or introduction of new institutions. The need for Ijtihad [the intellectual exertion], which was misunderstood to be confined only to the legal precepts of Islam, was also dispensed with.

Commentaries of the Qur’an began to be written to prod the Muslims to read and understand the Qur’an.Commentaries of the commentaries were then produced. However, no new theme or theory was developed for the Ijtihad to meet the exigencies of the times.

The Ijtihad, was instrumental for the development of the Ummah, was suspended resulting in deep stagnation, and constant decline. The Muslim mind had been insidiously secularized and Westernize