Chapter 9: A Logical Reason Why We Cannot See God

Assalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,

This is the Ninth Chapter of my book “Searching for God, and Finding Allah”. Two chapters are available on my Blog in English, and also in Indonesian language.

Wassalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,

Gene

Searching for God and Finding Allah by Gene Netto

CONTENTS

 

    Introduction
1. How I Became a Muslim And Why I Wrote This Book
2. A Succession of Prophets
3. A Sign from God
4. Followers of Jesus
5. Followers of Jesus And Followers of Muhammad
6. The Truth of Islam
7. This Is What Almighty God Says About the Holy Qur'an
8. A Logical Religion
9. A Logical Reason Why We Cannot See God
10. Our Spiritual Needs and God's Solution    
11. It Is Your Choice: You Can Accept God or Reject Him
12. Conclusion: This Is the End. Or the Beginning.

****

Chapter 9: A Logical Reason Why We Cannot See God

When I was younger, I was convinced that God did not exist because I could not see Him, but in fact, I was also willing to keep an open mind and accept any proof of God if I could find any. I asked a lot of questions about the only religion that I knew, namely Catholicism. My questions about religion were not answered well, which made me even more confused. And because there was no proof that I found convincing, I felt that I was forced to not believe in God.

I often noticed that after a certain event occurred, for example, the death of a child or someone getting cancer, I would often hear adults talking and they would say that we had to just accept the situation. They would accept it by saying “God works in mysterious ways!” This meant that they could not understand why God did something, and for us to ask questions about it would be a waste of time. God was mysterious and we could not understand Him.

But if God is so mysterious, then what did He give us brains and logic for? If God gave us brains, intelligence and the power of logical thought, then it is entirely logical for us to use logic to think about God. This suggested to me that there should be a strong logical foundation to God’s religion. If God really existed, and gave us religious teachings, then what would be the purpose of making those teachings incomprehensible to ordinary people?

Does God have to be “mysterious” if He does not want to be? Is God not capable of accepting and answering questions from His own Creation if He wishes to do so? What if God desires us to know Him (within the limits of our understanding) so that we can become closer to Him? What if He does not want us to consider Him “mysterious”?

God is obviously not visible to us, and so I believe that if we analyze this situation carefully, then it is quite possible that we can find a logical reason for why God chooses not to reveal Himself. And perhaps if we understand the reason for why God is not visible, then we may be able to understand that this happens for our own benefit and not for “mysterious” reasons.

In this chapter, I would like to give one possible logical explanation for why God may chose to remain hidden from us, and how that fact is actually a blessing for us from Allah. To discuss this, we need to look at and compare the story of the Prophet Adam AS, the first human created by Allah, the story of Iblis (the Devil), and also the story of a murderer. Before that, it is important that we review the history of the Prophet Musa AS (Moses) who also wanted to see God.

9.1.    Moses Wanted to See God as Well

In speeches given by Muslim clerics, I have often heard the story of the Prophet Musa AS (Moses) who asked for permission to see Allah. According to the story, Allah simply explained that Musa AS was not capable of seeing Him. Allah might have stopped the event there but, instead, He continued by giving “proof” to Musa AS that he was not capable of seeing his Lord. Allah began to appear behind a mountain, which then exploded, knocking Nabi Musa AS unconscious. This event is described in the Qur'an:

143. And when Mûsâ (Moses) came at the time and place appointed by Us, and his Lord (Allah) spoke to him; he said: "O my Lord! Show me (Yourself), that I may look upon You." Allâh said: "You cannot see Me, but look upon the mountain; if it stands still in its place then you shall see Me." So when his Lord appeared to the mountain[1], He made it collapse to dust, and Mûsâ (Moses) fell down unconscious. Then when he recovered his senses he said: "Glory be to You, I turn to You in repentance and I am the first of the believers."

(QS. Al A’raf 7:143)

This verse gives us the understanding that human beings, including Prophets, are simply not allowed to see Almighty God. If a mighty Prophet of God such as Musa AS (Moses) is not capable of seeing Allah, then there is no hope for ordinary people like us. What we do know is that Musa AS was able to have a dialogue with Allah, even though he could not see his Lord. Another character who also has a dialogue with Allah is the Devil, and in the Qur’an, he is called Iblis.

9.2.    The Curse of God on Satan (the Devil)

11. And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and then gave you shape (the noble shape of a human being); then We told the angels, "Prostrate yourselves to Adam", and they prostrated themselves, except Iblîs (Satan), he refused to be of those who prostrated themselves.

12. (Allâh) said: "What prevented you (O Iblîs) that you did not prostrate yourself, when I commanded you?" Iblîs said: "I am better than him (Adam), You created me from fire, and him You created from clay."

13. (Allâh) said: "(O Iblîs) get down from this (Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you are of those humiliated and disgraced."

(Surah Al A’raf, QS. 7:11-13)

In these verses, we are introduced to the creature that refused to bow down to Adam AS. This creature is named Iblis or Shaitân in the Qur'an and is known in English as the Devil, Satan, Lucifer, and so on. In the verses above, we can see a situation where Iblis is arguing with Allah and refusing His Direct Command to bow down and show respect to Nabi Adam AS. This refusal by Iblis to obey the Will of Almighty God was an act of extreme arrogance towards Him, and this is the reason why he was punished.

34. (Allâh) said: "Then, get out from here, for verily, you are Rajîm (an outcast or a cursed one)." [Tafsîr At-Tabarî]

35. "And verily, the curse shall be upon you till the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)."

(Surah Al Hijr, QS. 15:34-35)

Iblis (the Devil) then became the first creature to be cursed by Allah until Judgement Day. This event is very exceptional because it is the first time (as far as we know) that a creature created by Allah was cursed until the end of time. And this event is also special because (as far as we know) it is also the last time this happened. There is no mention in the Qur'an of any other creature being cursed by Allah for all time. The verse above only mentions the Curse of Allah until the Day of Resurrection, but after that, Iblis will be thrown into Hell along with anyone who follows him, so Allah’s Curse and His Punishment will be eternal.

A relevant question for us to ask now is why does Iblis receive the Curse of Allah? When Allah pronounces Iblis to be a cursed creature, it is very interesting that Iblis does not protest. He does not accuse Allah of being unjust. He does not try to argue his innocence or protest the severity of his sentence. If we were to receive such a harsh sentence from Allah, then I am sure we would definitely protest and would try to obtain some mercy. On the contrary, Iblis immediately accepts his fate but asks Allah to delay the implementation of his punishment until the Day of Resurrection so that he will have plenty of time to lead humans astray and prove that he is better.

14. (Iblîs) said: "Allow me respite till the Day they are raised up (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)."

15. (Allâh) said: "You are of those respited."

16. (Iblîs) said: "Because You have sent me astray, surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path.

17. "Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You)."

18. (Allâh) said (to Iblîs): "Get out from this (Paradise), disgraced and expelled. Whoever of them (mankind) will follow you, then surely I will fill Hell with you all."

(Surah Al A’raf, QS. 7:14-18)

What is obvious from this is that Iblis (the Devil) now has the intention of doing everything he can to get all of the descendents of Adam AS to join him in Hell. This is being done merely to prove to Allah that he is better than a human being. So, now we have an interesting situation. Allah has cursed Iblis but instead of immediately throwing him into Hell, Allah actually gives Iblis a lot of extra time so that he can attempt to lead mankind astray.

If we accept that Allah knows everything that will ever happen in advance of the actual event, then He must have known that Iblis would show such arrogance, then be cursed and subsequently be given time to lead mankind astray. If that is the case, then we must logically accept that the existence of the Devil and his followers, and their affect on mankind, is something which Allah knew about in advance and He allowed it to happen. (Allah did not cause Iblis to rebel, but only allowed him to rebel). The reason we have to accept Allah’s implicit Permission for this event is that we must believe that all things can only occur with Allah’s Permission. If Allah does not give His Permission for something to happen, then how is it possible for that event to occur? If something can occur against Allah’s Wishes, then that would mean Allah is not all-powerful, but we know that He is.

29. Say (O Muhammad): "Whether you hide what is in your breasts or reveal it, Allâh knows it, and He knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. And Allâh is Able to do all things."

(Surah Ali Imran, QS. 3:29)

So now, in Heaven, we have Adam AS, together with Hawa (Eve), and also Iblis (the Devil). Iblis (who after being cursed is now referred to as Shaitan in the Qur'an) no longer has any other purpose in his very long life except to lead mankind astray so that as many descendants of Adam AS as possible will accompany him into Hell. With Allah’s Permission (because he could not be there without Allah’s Permission), Iblis is allowed into the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam AS and Hawa. And he succeeds, because he convinces them to eat the forbidden fruit, which causes them to be removed from Paradise and placed on Earth.

35. And We said: "O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight, of things therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zâlimûn (wrong-doers)."
36. Then the Shaitân (Satan) made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: "Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time."

(Surah Al Baqarah, QS. 2:35-36)

In the case of Iblis (the Devil), he made one mistake, was cast out of Paradise and was cursed for all time. Adam AS and Hawa (Eve) also made one mistake, were cast out of Paradise because of their actions, but they were not cursed for all time! Why were they treated differently?

Perhaps one thing that influenced Allah’s Decision is the fact that only Iblis argued with Allah. He did not repent and did not beg for mercy. However, when Adam AS and Hawa were told that they had sinned, they repented and begged for forgiveness:

37. Then Adam received from his Lord Words.[2] And his Lord pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily, He is the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the Most Merciful.

[2] (V.2:37): These words are mentioned in the Qur’ân; (Verse 7:23): They are: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers."

(Surah Al Baqarah, QS. 2:37)

So, now we can see two clear cases where Adam AS and Iblis made one mistake each and they were punished for those mistakes, although Iblis was punished more severely. In order to understand how this relates to the topic, namely that Allah is not visible to us for a logical reason, then we also need to examine one final case; the case of the murderer who killed 100 people and yet was forgiven for his sins.

9.3. Adam, Satan, and the Killer of 100 People

There is a hadith (oral tradition of the Prophet Muhammad SAW) that tells the story of a killer who had murdered 100 people, but before he died, he had already decided to repent and so all of his sins were forgiven.

Narrated by Abu Said Al-Khudri:

The Prophet said, "Amongst the men of Bani Israel [the Jews] there was a man who had murdered ninety-nine persons. Then he set out asking (whether his repentance could be accepted or not). He came upon a monk and asked him if his repentance could be accepted. The monk replied in the negative and so the man killed him. He kept on asking till a man advised to go to such and such a village. (So he left for it) but death overtook him on the way. While dying, he turned his chest towards that village (where he had hoped his repentance would be accepted), and so the angel of mercy and the angel of punishment quarreled amongst themselves regarding him. Allah ordered the village (towards which he was going) to come closer to him, and ordered the village (whence he had come), to go far away, and then He ordered the angels to measure the distances between his body and the two villages. So he was found to be one span closer to the village (he was going to). So he was forgiven."

(Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 676)[2]

An important question to ask here is why can a murderer who has killed 100 people obtain forgiveness for his sins? Being forgiven by Allah means that his repentance was accepted, and forgiveness usually means that a person will not be punished for his sins. But on the other hand, Nabi Adam AS who only “ate a piece of fruit” was forgiven, but was also punished. And Iblis (the Devil) who only “argued” with Allah was not forgiven at all and was also punished very severely. It is clear that the murderer had not formally repented (by performing a formal act of worship). He was still in the process of finding the place where he would learn how to repent in a formal way. Nevertheless, he still received forgiveness from Allah and was not punished. Nabi Adam AS also repented and his repentance was accepted, but he was punished by being cast out of Paradise. Iblis did not repent and did not want to repent. He received the harshest punishment of all three cases mentioned.

These three separate cases now fall into two different categories. On one hand, we have the murderer whose sins were forgiven and he received no punishment at all. On the other hand, we have Nabi Adam AS and Iblis who both received punishment for committing one sin each, even though their “sins” might not seem as severe as murder.

If we want to find one logical reason for why we cannot see Allah, then I believe that such a reason can be found by comparing these two groups. We need to find a reason for why a murderer can escape punishment after killing 100 people, yet Adam AS and Iblis who only committed one sin each were still punished by Allah.

9.4. The Benefit For Us If God is Not Visible

Nabi Adam AS was punished, Iblis (the Devil) was punished, but a murderer who killed 100 people was not punished, and there seems to be only one real difference between them: the murderer had no absolute proof that Allah existed! He never saw Allah and never spoke with Him, which is the opposite of Adam AS and Iblis who did have a dialogue with Allah. That killer believed in Almighty God based on faith alone, which means that he believed even though he never saw Allah and never spoke to Him.

Did Adam AS and Iblis believe in Allah because they saw Him? Theoretically, we could make an argument that perhaps they did see Him directly with their eyes and therefore knew that Allah was real. But this theory is doubtful because of the verse mentioned above which says emphatically that Nabi Musa AS (Moses) was not able to see Allah, and that the slightest appearance of Allah was enough to make a mountain explode (QS. Al A’raf 7:143). If Nabi Musa AS was not able to see Allah, then perhaps we can assume that Adam AS and Iblis were also not able to see Him.

The theory that they saw Allah can also be doubted because there is a hadith (oral tradition of the Prophet Muhammad SAW) which states that Nabi Muhammad SAW also never saw Allah with his eyes:

It is narrated on the authority of Masruq that he said: I was resting at (the house of) 'A'isha that she said: O Abu 'A'isha [the honorific name of Masruq], there are three things, and he who affirmed even one of them fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. I asked that they were. She said: He who presumed that Muhammad (may peace be upon him) saw his Lord (with his ocular vision) fabricated the greatest lie against Allah. […].

(Sahih Muslim, Book 001, Number 0337)[3]

If Nabi Musa AS and Nabi Muhammad SAW never saw Allah, then we can assume that the possibility of Nabi Adam AS and Iblis (the Devil) seeing Allah is quite small. It is however very certain that both Nabi Adam AS and Iblis had a dialogue with Allah, as did Nabi Musa AS and Nabi Muhammad SAW. In Surah Al A’raf (QS. 7:22-23), Nabi Adam AS speaks directly with Allah after he is admonished for eating the forbidden fruit. Also, in Surah Al A’raf (QS. 7:11-16) there is a dialogue between Allah and Iblis.

From the fact that both Nabi Adam AS and the Devil spoke with Allah, we can presume that there was no doubt in their minds that Allah was real. They were aware of God, spoke with Him and were also conscious of their creation by Him. They were not acting on faith but rather acting on knowledge. That knowledge actually places them in a privileged position, one of which many of us may be envious. However, we should examine the consequences! Both Nabi Adam AS and Iblis were aware of God and both of them disobeyed Him. Adam AS admitted his fault but was still cast out of Heaven as punishment, whereas Iblis did not admit his fault, did not beg for forgiveness and was cursed until Judgment Day.

By comparison, the man who had murdered 100 people was apparently in a far better position to receive forgiveness from Allah. The killer had to believe in Allah’s Forgiveness based on faith alone, and it seems that this fact gave him a much bigger opportunity to be forgiven and not receive any punishment at all. For most of his life, he had acted without God, possibly not believing in God and had committed many crimes because he was not conscious of his Creator or what his Creator wanted him to do. When he was finally able to repent, he was acting out of faith, believing that there was an Almighty God who would accept his repentance and forgive him for his sins. He did not see God, nor did he speak with God. Perhaps as a result of that “faith”, he found Allah to be the Most Merciful!

If we could see Allah, would we definitely agree to worship Him and obey Him? Seeing Him and knowing that He is real does not automatically mean that we would be faithful. We might believe in Allah now, but that belief alone will not guarantee us entry into Heaven free from sin. For example, Iblis (the Devil) also believes in Allah (meaning that he does not doubt the existence of Allah) but he is not faithful and does not obey Him. If we could see Allah, then it is possible that we might end up arguing with Allah, just like Iblis, and so that would make it difficult or impossible for us to obtain forgiveness.

Do you really want to see Allah? Or hear His voice and have a dialogue with Him? I do not want to, not anymore! Not if seeing Him means that I could get into serious trouble for committing just one sin.

When I was a child, I wanted to see God so that I would have proof He was real and it seems that I was not the only one who wanted to see Him face-to face. The disbelievers who rejected the Prophet Muhammad SAW demanded the same thing:

90. And they say: "We shall not believe in you (O Muhammad SAW), until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us;

91. "Or you have a garden of date-palms and grapes, and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst abundantly;

92. "Or you cause the heaven to fall upon us in pieces, as you have pretended, or you bring Allâh and the angels before (us) face to face;

93. "Or you have a house of Zukhruf (like silver and pure gold), or you ascend up into the sky, and even then we will put no faith in your ascension until you bring down for us a Book that we would read." Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Glorified (and Exalted) be my Lord [(Allâh) above all that evil they (polytheists) associate with Him]! Am I anything but a man, sent as a Messenger?"

(QS. Al-Isra 17:90-93)

If my desire from childhood had come true and I had seen God, or perhaps just heard His Voice and spoken to Him, then I would have been placed in the same category as Nabi Adam AS. And being in that category has a very clear meaning: disobey Allah one time and receive immediate punishment for one sin. As a normal human being, I commit sins all the time, and it is so easy for my sins to increase daily without being noticed. If I was in the same category as Nabi Adam AS then I doubt I would have survived this long without getting into very serious trouble with Allah.

Then, there is a second problem. If I was in the same category as Nabi Adam AS and if Allah got angry with me for the first one of my sins, would I be like Adam AS and instantly repent and beg for forgiveness? Or would I be more like Iblis and protest? What if I did protest? Would I end up with the same punishment as Iblis – cursed for all time?

All of us collect sins every day, but how many of us repent every day? Just imagine one lie, one broken promise, one small theft, or any single action of which Allah disapproves. Would that be enough to get us into serious trouble? And if we could always see Allah or hear His Voice, we would have no way of protesting our innocence. Would you really want to see Allah if that meant that you would receive immediate punishment for only one sin?

If we examine the different cases of Adam AS, Iblis and the murderer, then what can we conclude? It seems that if we cannot see Allah and cannot speak directly with Him then we are in a much better position than those people who can see Him or speak with Him. When it comes to forgiveness, Allah is far more merciful to those of us who merely believe in Him than those who actually know He exists It would seem from this that if you know Allah is real because you have had a dialogue with Him, then you no longer have any excuses for why you choose to disobey Him and subsequently, you will earn greater wrath and punishment than those who simply believe in Him.

If we believe in Allah based only on faith, because we have never seen Him or heard His Voice, then we are still able to give Allah all of our excuses for why our behaviour is not good enough: I forgot; I was busy; I didn’t have enough money; I couldn’t do it; it was raining; I’ll do it tonight; and so on. And we find Allah is the Most Benevolent, the Most Merciful for those of us who continue to believe.

53. Say: "O ‘Ibâdî (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allâh: verily, Allâh forgives all sins. Truly He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

(QS. Az Zumar 39:53)

The fact that we cannot see Allah is a blessing from Him for all of us who have lives full of sin. If we could see Allah and talk directly to Him, then the penalty for disobedience would probably be too severe for us to cope with. Perhaps we would only get one opportunity to commit one sin, and then we would face the Wrath of Allah. But to protect us from that, and as a sign of His Love for us, He never makes Himself visible to us and never speaks directly to us. We cannot see Him and so we must believe. And we continue to sin. And He continues to forgive us, and gives us yet another chance to be better. As long as we still believe!

21. And those who expect not a Meeting with Us (i.e. those who deny the Day of Resurrection and the life of the Hereafter) said: "Why are not the angels sent down to us, or why do we not see our Lord?" Indeed they think too highly of themselves, and are scornful with great pride.

(QS. Al Furqan 25:21)

Two Chapters of My Book are available on my blog in English and Indonesian languages.

Searching For God and Finding Allah (unpublished)

 

Chapter 1: How I Became a Muslim And Why I Wrote This Book

http://genenetto.blogspot.com/2007/07/about-me.html

 

Chapter 9: A Logical Reason Why We Cannot See God

http://genenetto.blogspot.com/2007/07/wanting-to-see-god.html

Mencari Tuhan, Menemukan Allah (belum terbit)

 

Bab 1: Bagaimana Saya Menjadi Seorang Muslim Dan Mengapa Saya Menulis Buku Ini

http://genenetto.blogspot.com/2006/04/saya.html

 

Bab 9: Alasan Logis Mengapa Kita Tidak Bisa Melihat Tuhan

http://genenetto.blogspot.com/2006/04/ingin-melihat-tuhan.html

---

[1] (V.7:143) The appearance of Allâh to the mountain was very little of Him. It was approximately equal to the tip of one’s little finger as explained by the Prophet Muhammad SAW when he recited this Verse. (This hadîth is quoted by Tirmidhi).

[2] Bukhari Hadith Collection

[3] Muslim Hadith Collection

Blog: Being Mom

Assalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,

Barangkali Blog ini bermanfaat untuk para Ibu.

http://beingmom.org/

Wassalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,

Gene

Kalla blames teachers

Letter to Jakarta Post

We are fortunate that Vice President Jusuf Kalla pays such close attention to education issues. While addressing hundreds of teachers at a seminar, he said, "In the past you used to make all students graduate, leading the country to a national dumbing down of the system."

So, according to Kalla's theory, some of the people who graduated in the past didn't really deserve to pass and yet were passed anyway by their teachers, resulting in a "national dumbing down of the system".

Here are a few people who graduated in the past: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Megawati Soekarnoputri, Hamzah Has, Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, B.J. Habibie, Din Syamsuddin, Hasyim Muzadi, Quraisy Shihab, Amien Rais, Faisal Basri, Emil Salim, Sutiyoso, Agum Gumelar, Tri Sutrisno, Wiranto and also every member of Parliament.

Although these people graduated from high school, we have no way of knowing if they actually worked hard to pass, or if they were just part of Kalla's "dumbed-down nation". If any person wishes to hold a prominent public position, then perhaps we should interrogate their school teachers to find out if they really deserved to pass.

Now that Kalla has pointed teachers in the right direction, we will no longer be faced with hordes of people (including national leaders) who, according to the Vice President, were simply passed by their teachers, and weren't really smart enough to succeed on their own.

Hopefully, now that teachers have been made aware of the problem, this country will not be led by any of the dumbed-down people who were allowed to graduate from high school before the Vice President fixed the problem.

GENE NETTO
Jakarta

(Published Monday 16 July 2007)

Jakarta Post

Komentar Rencana Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (SBI)

(Isi perencanaan SBI disarikan dari buku “Sistem Penyelenggaraan Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional untuk Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah” Depdiknas, Dirjen Mandikdasmen)

Assalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,

SBI ini merupakan rencana program baru dari Diknas (atau pemerintah). Siapa itu Diknas? Baca dulu kutipan ini dari Jakarta Post:

Deputy chairman of the House of Representatives' Commission X overseeing education issues, Heri Ahmadi, said this year the government had allocated Rp 52 trillion (US$5.7 billion) for national education, Rp 44 trillion for the Education Ministry and Rp 8 trillion for the Religious Affairs Ministry.

According to the House commission's evaluation, there Rp 4.6 trillion went missing from last year's total education budget.

[Artinya: menurut analisa Komisi X DPR (Pendidikan) sebanyak Rp.4,6 Trillion hilang dari anggaran pendidikan pada tahun 2006]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20070419.H05

Intinya: SBI adalah program baru dari sebuah kaum yang “menghilangkan” (baca: MENCURI) Rp 4,6 TRILLION dari anggaran pendidikan tahun 2006.

(Tidak dijelaskan secara spesifik “hilang” di mana; apa seluruhnya di Diknas, atau di Propinsi, atau dua-duanya).

Mohon kenyataan uang yang “hilang” ini dipikirkan sambil membaca komentar di bawah ini.

Dari Penjelasan Resmi SBI:

B. PENGERTIAN

SBI adalah sekolah nasional yang menyiapkan peserta didiknya berdasarkan Standar Nasional Pendidikan (SNP) Indonesia dan tarafnya internasional sehingga lulusannya memiliki kemampuan daya saing internasional. Rumusnya adalah :

SBI = SNP + X

SNP meliputi kompetensi,

1. lulusan

2. isi

3. proses

4. pendidik dan tenaga kependidikan

5. sarana dan prasarana

6. dana

7. pengelolaan

8. penilaian

X adalah penguatan, pengayaan, pengembangan, perluasan, pendalaman, melalui adaptasi atau adopsi terhadap standar pendidikan baik dari dalam negeri maupun luar negeri yang diyakini telah memiliki reputasi mutu yang diakui secara internasional umpamanya Cambridge, IB, TOEFL/TOEIC, ISO, UNESCO.

Komentar saya:

Satu

“Cambridge, IB, TOEFL/TOEIC, ISO, UNESCO.”

Cambridge: saya kurang tahu karena belum pernah ada pengalaman. Teman mengatakan baik, tetapi saya belum memeriksa.

Toefl: Toefl yang mana yang dimaksudkan dan kenapa memilih Toefl? Kalau Toefl yang lama (Paper-Based) lebih baik pilih IELTS. (Dijelaskan lebih lengkap di bawah).

ISO: oke, standar international. Saya baru tahu ada ISO untuk sekolah.

UNESCO: Hmm. Unesco punya tujuan apa di dunia ini? Apa sesuai dengan situasi dan kondisi bangsa ini? Apa sesuai dengan agama Islam (mayoritas dari penduduk)?

Dua

“Visi: Terwujudnya insan Indonesia yang cerdas dan kompetitif secara internasional”

Bagi murid tertentu. Hanya buat anak yang lulus proses seleksi. Sisa dari murid (mayoritas) diabaikan.

Tiga

“MISI = Mewujudkan manusia Indonesia cerdas dan kompetitif secara internasional, yang mampu bersaing dan berkolaborasi secara global.”

Buat anak tertentu, bukan semua. Bukannya anak ini bersaing secara national juga? Mereka akan menjadi lebih pintar dari tetangga (dengan bantuan dari pemerintah) dan akan mengalakan orang lain pada saat berjuang untuk pekerjaan yang sama di dalam negeri. Berarti Pemerintah akan menentukan “siapa” yang bakalan menjadi sukses (karena anak pilihan diberikan bantuan sebanyak mungkin, dengan uang pajak anda, untuk menjadi lebih pintar dari anak tetangganya, yang juga bayar pajak).

Empat

“SBI menggunakan bahasa Inggris dan menggunakan teknologi komunikasi informasi (ICT) (p.6)”

Kualitas bahasa Inggris sebelum masuk atau ditentukan? Lewat Toefl? Toefl yang lama (Paper-Based) atau yang baru?

Jadi harus pintar bahasa sebelum masuk. Siapa bilang lulusan Toefl itu pintar menggunakan bahasa Inggris? Mayoritas dari murid Toefl saya (saat mengajar di kursus bahasa Inggris) hanya mampu masuk kelas Basic atau Intermediate kalau masuk kelas regular. Mereka hanya mengikuti Toefl untuk dapat nilai Toefl setinggi mungkin biar bisa daftar kuliah. Kemampuan menggunakan bahasa tidak bisa ditentukan lewat Paper-Based Toefl

Tujuan sekolah ini berubah dari “membuat anak pintar” menjadi “hanya menerima anak pintar yang akan menjadi lebih pintar dengan mudah setelah diajar”.

Mungkin ada anak yang akan menjadi pintar sekali dalam bahasa Inggris kalau ada kesempatan untuk belajar. Tetapi karena tidak sanggup bayar kursus di EF atau ILP, dia tidak bisa berbahasa Inggris saat ini, dan karena itu akan ditolak masuk program SBI ini.

Lima

“STANDAR OUTPUT = Lulusan SBI memiliki penguasaan ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi mutakhir yang canggih serta kemampuan berkomunikasi secara global. Mampu menerapkan nilai-nilai (religi, ekonomi, seni, solidaritas, dan teknologi mutakhir dan canggih), norma-norma dan etika global untuk bekerja sama lintas budaya dan bangsa.”

Nilai2 global = nilai religi global, nilai ekonomi global, nilai seni global, norma2 global, etika global untuk bekerja “lintas budaya dan bangsa”

Contoh:

Nilai religi global: semua agama sama. Kalau anak mau pindah agama dari Islam menjad Kristen, tidak boleh dikritik atau dicegah. Hak dia. Orang tua harus terima! Kalau tidak, melanggar HAM anak.

Nilai ekonomi global: kapitalisme di atas segala2nya. Kalau pabrik rugi sedikit, dan harus mem-PHK ribuan orang untuk menjaga profit share bagi investor, lakukan saja. Tidak usah memikirkan dampak sosial. Itu urusan orang lain.

Globalization adalah benar, dan semua pasar harus terbuka. (Tetapi jangan coba menjual ke Amerika Serikat. Hanya sebagian dari pasarnya terbuka, sisanya masih dilindungi dari persaingan international (misalnya, agriculture, steel, textile, pharmaceuticals, car manufacturing, dll.). Intinya, semua negara, selain dari yang berkuasa, harus membuka pasarnya untuk perdagangan bebas. Sosialisme atau kepedulian sosial bukan bagian dari ekonomi.

Nilai seni global: telanjang bulat (kaya Anjasmara menjadi Nabi Adam ^AS.) adalah seni. Tidak boleh dikritik. Fotografer Spencer Tunik membuat foto dengan ratusan sampai ribuan orang telanjang bulat di tempat umum (seperti taman kota) di berbagai negara. (Gallery: http://www.i-20.com/artist.php?artist_id=19 ). Ini adalah seni. Jangan mengritik! Anak anda akan belajar tentang nilai seni global ini dan barangkali akan mengundang Spencer ke Jakarta.

Norma2 global: Bercerai, normal. Hidup dengan “pasangan” dan membesarkan anak tanpa harus menikah, normal. Mencoba sedikit narcoba, normal. Minum alcohol (tidak sampai mabuk), normal. Punya banyak teman yang homo, normal. Menjadi Pekerja Seks Komersial, normal (bahkan di Australia membayar pajak!). Menjadi donor sperma, normal. Aborsi, normal. (Di beberapa negara, bila anak remaja ingin lakukan aborsi, dokter wajib layani dan dilarang memberitahu orang tua dari anak itu). Tidak peduli pada orang tua, normal.

Etika global: Ketika anda memimpin delegasi AS ke Cina untuk membuat Perjanjian Perdanganan, jangan membahas Pelanggaran HAM. Ketika ada keributan di Papua, menegor Indonesia tentang HAM (karena perdagangan Indonesia dengan AS tidak begitu penting). Membunuh satu orang Amerika merupakan tindakan kriminal terbesar di dunia. Menjatuhkan bom di atas sebuah kota dan membunuh 600.000 orang yang tidak berdosa, tidak menjadi soal. Dan jumlah orang yang dibunuh AS tidak perlu dihitung secara terinci (perkiraan saja juga tidak perlu diterima). Yang penting, jangan sampai manusia terbaik di dunia ini (warga AS) diancam, diculik, disiksa, atau dibunuh. Kalau warga negara lain, no problem. Kalau AS menyiksa tahanan, disebut “interogasi”. Bila negara lain melakukannya, disebut “penyiksaan”. Bila AS menahan orang tanpa disidang untuk bertahun-tahun, mereka adalah “enemy combatant”. Bila negara lain melakukannya, mereka adalah “tahanan politik” yang harus segera dibebaskan.

Tujuan? Apa tujuannya kerukunan, kesamaan, dan sikap pluralisme dan liberalisme di seluruh dunia? Negara anda dan nilai-nilai budaya anda tidak lebih benar dari yang lain. Semuanya sama-sama benar. Tetapi yang sesungguhnya “benar” adalah apa yang sudah ditentukan dan menjadi biasa di bangsa2 barat (mantan penjajah dan pengusasa dunia) dan anda harus ikut mendukung apa saja yang sudah ditentukan sebagai “kebenaran”. Kalau anda berbeda pendapat, maka anda harus belajar lebih banyak supaya bisa rukun (baca: nurut).

Apakah semua ini termasuk yang diinginkan buat anak Indonesia? Setelah diajarkan “norma-norma global” ini, bukannya mereka akan mulai bersikap seperti orang barat yang sekuler dan kafir?

Enam

“STANDAR PROSES = A) Pro-perubahan, B) Menumbuhkan dan mengembangkan daya kreasi, inovasi, nalar dan eksperimentasi”

Dalam semua bidang? Temasuk agama? Bahasa?

Tujuh

“STANDAR INPUT: A) INTAKE = diseleksi ketat, memiliki potensi kecerdasan unggul, yang ditunjukkan oleh kecerdasan intelektual, emosional, dan spiritual dan berbakat luar biasa”

Deseleksi ketat? Apakah ini supaya mudah berhasil? Kalau dimulai dengan anak yang paling pintar di seluruh nusantara, lalu anak itu berhasil, apakah karena program SBI atau apakah karena mereka akan berhasil dengan sekolah apapun?

Siapa yang bisa menentukan anak yang “memiliki potensi kecerdasan unggul” secara massal dan cepat? Dari mana ketahuan memilki potensi ini? Ditentukan dengan tes apa? Kalau ada anak yang agak bego saat dites, tapi setelah dididik menjadi pintar sekali, bagaimana? Kenapa dia tidak berhak dididik dengan sebaik mungkin juga?

Pengalaman Pribadi Teman Saya: Ada seorang teman yang kumpulkan teman2nya untuk santuni beberapa anak. Ibu2 itu dengan sengaja mengambil anak yang nilainya kurang bagus (karena biasannya orang memilih anak yang nilainya tinggi, sehingga yang lain tidak mendapat kesempatan). Setelah disantuni beberapa bulan, nilai semua anak itu meningkat. Ternyata, nilai tes mereka selalu rendah karena mereka jualan setelah sekolah, tidak punya buku atau pensil di rumah dsb. Setelah mendapat bantuan nyata, mereka bisa belajar dengan benar di rumah juga dan nilai mereka meningkat.

SBI hanya memilih anak yang “memiliki potensi kecerdasan unggul”!!! Yang lain, biarkan saja!

Delapan

INSTRUMENTAL INPUT: A) Kurikulum Plus X, B) Guru memiliki kompetensi professional (penguasaan mata pelajaran), pedagogic, kepribadian dan social bertaraf internasional yang ditunjukkan oleh penguasaan bahasa Inggris. Mampu menggunakan ICT mutakhir dan canggih (laptop, LCD, dan VCD).

Dapat guru hebat ini dari mana? Dibutuhkan ribuan dalam waktu singkat. Profesional = menguasaikan mata pelajaran sesuai dengan standar internasional. Apa ada ribuan guru seperti itu sekarang? Atau perlu dilatih? Oleh siapa? Di mana? Untuk berapa lama? Dan apakah guru ini akan digaji selama mengikuti latihan?

Kepribadian dan social bertaraf internasional? Kata Jusuf Kalla, guru Indonesia tidak dapat dipercayai karena mereka akan luluskan semua anak. Berarti etika profesional mereka rusak. Siapa yang akan memperbaikinya?

Bahasa Inggris? Siapa yang akan melatihkan guru ini untuk 1-2 tahun sehingga sanggup mengajar dalam bahasa Inggris? Dibutuhkan ratusan trainer untuk mengajar para guru bahasa Inggris. Di mana ratusan trainer itu?

Sembilan

Catatan : Pada lampiran 2 Standar guru SBI haruslah mampu mengajar dalam bahasa Inggris secara efektif (TOEFL > 500, Kepala Sekolah TOEFL >500, Pustakawan TOEFL > 450, Laboran TOEFL > 400, Kepala TU harus S-1 dan TOEFL> 450

Toefl yang mana yang dimaksudkan? Yang disebut “Institutional Test” atau “Paper-Based Test” yang lama? Bentuknya, ada tiga ujian dan semuanya multiple choice. Orang yang tidak bisa berbahasa Inggris dengan baik (tingkat Basic 2 – Basic 3) bisa mendapat 500-550 di tes ini. Sebagai mantan guru Toefl, tugas saya bukan untuk mengajarkan bahasa Inggris akademik, melainkan mengajarkan trik-triknya supaya murid yang awam bisa mendapat nilai 500 untuk daftar kuliah di UI dll.

Atau tes yang baru yang dimaksudkan: IBT (Internet Based Test) yang dikerjakan online? Ini jauh lebih sulit daripada yang paper based. Waktu saya mengikuti training untuk mengenal tes baru ini, kami (para guru Toefl) berdebat selama 20 minit untuk menjawab satu pertanyaan karena begitu sulit. Kalau kemampuan para guru tidak advanced (mendekati Native Speaker), akan sulit sekali untuk lulus IBT dengan nilai yang tinggi. Akan dibutuhkan waktu 1-2 tahun persiapan untuk lulus dari ujian ini.

Sepuluh

“Lab.Fisika, Kimia, Biologi, Bahasa, dan IPS”

Lab Bahasa ketinggalan zaman. Tidak ada yang gunakan di sekolah Australia dan Selandia Baru. Setahu saya, lebih banyak negara yang tidak menggunakannya lagi daripada yang menggunakannya. Lab bahasa terlalu terbatas dan bagi anak sekolah, jauh lebih bermanfaat menggunkan pelajaran bahasa yang komunikatif dengan kerja kelompok, berpasangan, diskusi, berdebat, dsb.

Sebelas

“KEBIJAKAN PENGEMBANGAN: 1. Ekualitas dan aksesibilitas : Siswa miskin tapi pandai harus diterima dengan subsidi silang”

Ekualitas buat yang sangat pintar saja. Yang dianggap pintar biasa saja (karena jualan koran sampai jam 10 malam biar ada uang sekolah) tidak mendapat kesempatan. Ini ekualitas apa?

Duabelas

“1) SBI meningkatkan mutu input, proses, dan outputnya, 2)Tatakelola yang baik (good governance) : partisipatif, transparan, akuntabel, professional, demokratis, tanggungjawab, layanan prima, tidak KKN, ada kepastian hukum, ada kepastian jaminan mutu”

Ini sebelum atau sesudah ada petugas pemerintah yang “menghilangkan” sebgaian dari dananya untuk kepentingan sendiri? Ingat yang ditulis di paling atas: SBI adalah program baru dari sebuah kaum yang “menghilangkan” (baca: MENCURI) Rp 4,6 TRILLION dari anggaran pendidikan tahun 2006!!!

Tetapi karena dana masuk program SBI (daripada umum), tidak akan hilang? Semua orang di Diknas dan Propinsi sudah bertaubat dan tidak akan “merampok” anak SBI demi kepentingan diri sendiri? Hanya anak di Sekolah Negeri biasa yang akan “dirampok” terus setiap tahun?

(Malu deh kalau uang untuk beli laptop bagi anak SBI diselewengkan. Kalau uang untuk atap kelas baru di SDN, no problem deh!)

Tigabelas

STRATEGI IMPLEMENTASI: Pelaksanaan SBI harus dimulai dari kondisi nyata di Indonesia..

Maksudnya? Harus dimulai dari gedung yang atapnya runtuh, lapangan rusak berat, tembok banyak retak, tidak ada perpustakaan di sekolah, guru sering bolos karena punya 2 pekerjaan lain supaya bisa mendapat nafkah hidup yang cukup, dan seterusnya. Inilah “kondisi nyata” yang dimaksudkan?

Berarti harus ada berbagai macam proyek untuk memperbaiki semuanya. Atau hanya sekolah yang sudah dalam kondisi bagus yang akan digunakan? Sekolah yang seperti di atas, biarkan saja dalam keadaan rusak?

Empatbelas

Perintisan SBI harus berdasarkan pada data-data actual dan factual.

Siapa yang akan mengumpulkan data-data ini? Orang yang sama yang menghilangkan 4,6 TRILLION dari anggaran pendidikan tahun 2006? Tetapi sekarang mereka akan mampu mengumpulkan data yang akurat? Apalagi kalau data itu menunjukkan bahwa program mereka gagal dan ada dana yang “hilang”? Tiba-tiba mereka akan menjadi orang yang bisa menghitung secara akurat dan jujur? Tetapi penggunaan dana anggaran tahun 2006 tidak bisa dihitung secara akurat?

Limabelas

STRATEGI PEMBIAYAAN

• Pemerintah Pusat = 50 %
• Pemerintah Propinsi = 30 %
• Pemerintah Kota/Kab. = 20 %

Ini secara teoretis. Yang akhirnya masuk ke sekolah berapa persen? Tinggal sisanya setelah sebagian menjadi “hilang”.

Enambelas

Bagi SBI swasta, biaya pendidikan ditanggung oleh masyarakat dan yayasan pendiri sekolah tersebut. Subsidi pemerintah dapat diberikan atas dasar persyaratan tertentu.

Sekolah swasta akan menerima uang pajak kita? Jadi kalau saya seorang sopir mikrolet, termasuk kaum yang tidak mampu, uang pajak saya diambil dan diberikan pada sebuah sekolah swasta biar anak orang kaya bisa mendapatkan fasilitas yang lebih baik lagi? Dan di SDN anak saya, atap yang hampir runtuh dibiarkan saja. Hanya SBI dan SBI Swasta yang diperhatikan? Lebih baik saya tidak membayar pajak daripada uang saya diberikan ke sekolah swasta!

KESIMPULAN

Rencana Sekolah Bertaraf Internasional (SBI) ini adalah sebuah rencana yang kelihatannya dibuat sepihak saja, tanpa konsultasi, tanpa berfikir terlalu dalam tentang dampaknya, sebuah rencana yang tidak relevan, tidak dibutuhkan, tidak adil, and hanya menguntungkan sebagian anak (minoritas) dan mengabaikan yang lain (mayoritas), tetapi menggunakan uang pajak kita.

(Saya jadi ingat Busway dari Gubunur Sutiyoso yang dibuat secara buru-buru dengan ciri-ciri perencanaan yang sama, dan sekarang terancam berhenti karena bankrut!)

Saya melihat ada banyak kesempatan untuk orang yang telah “menghilangkan” 4,6 TRILLION rupiah dari anggaran pendidikan tahun 2006 untuk membuat macam-macam proyek baru dengan segala bentuk “mark-up” dan komisi yang akan menguntungkan mereka. Akan ada proyek beli laptop, proyek renovasi gedung sekolah, proyek beli buku, proyek beli perlengkapan belajar (meja, kursi, dll.), proyek melatihkan guru, proyek kesejahteraan guru, proyek asuransi, dan banyak proyek baru yang lain. Apakah semuanya akan dijalankan dengan cara yang benar dan terbuka?

Apakah rencana SBI ini akan membuat sebuah kaum elit, yang terdiri dari anak yang mendapat kesempatan masuk SBI, menjadi sukses dan menjadi orang yang paling kaya dan berkuasa di negara ini? Dan semua itu dikerjakan dengan uang pajak kita? Anak anda belum tentu diterima. Dan setelah dia lulus dari sekolah biasa dengan nilai biasa, dia akan mencari pekerjaan dan langsung bersaing dengan anak tetangga anda yang dibuat lebih pintar oleh pemerintah karena dia diterima di SBI. Pada saat para employer melihat anak dari sekolah biasa dan anak dari SBI melamar untuk pekerjaan yang sama, kira-kira yang mana yang akan diterima?

Uang pajak anda menciptakan masa depan dan kemungkinan besar akan sukses bagi anak orang lain, sedangkan anak anda dibiarkan saja menderita dalam sekolah negeri biasa dengan atap kelas yang hampir ambruk.

Kemudian, apakah anak ini yang lulus dari SBI menjadi mirip sekali dengan orang barat? Apakah mereka akan lebih senang berbincang dalam bahasa Inggris dan meremehkan atau anggap bodoh orang yang tidak bisa berbahasa Inggris (seperti neneknya)? Apakah mereka akan sanggup kuliah dalam bahasa Indonesia?

Apakah anak SBI ini menjadi mirip dengan orang barat? Apakah mereka akan tinggalkan nilai-nilai agama dan budaya yang diajarkan orang tua dan menggantikannya dengan nilai-nilai “universal” yang didapatkan di sekolah (yang telah direstui Unesco dll.)? Kira-kira berapa banyak dari anak ini akan murtad atau pindah agama? Apakah tidak perlu dipikirkan? Apakah tidak perlu kuatir? Siapa yang melakukan analisa terhadap masa depan anak ini? Dan siapa yang akan melindungi mereka dari kerusakan budaya negara barat yang sekuler?

Singkatnya, rencana SBI ini adalah sebuah rencana yang sudah mengandung unsur-unsur yang bisa merusak agama dan budaya anak bangsa ini, dan membelah anak bangsa menjadi kaum elit dan kaum biasa.

Apakah ini yang dinginkan orang tua?

Pajak anda yang akan digunakan!

Semoga bermanfaat,

Wallahu a’lam bish-shawab

Wassalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,

Gene Netto

Situs Halal Guide: LPPOM-MUI

Assalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,

Saya menemukan situs ini. Barangkali ada yang sudah tahu (tetapi belum memberitahu saya. Hehe).

Barangkali ada isi yang bermanfaat bagi pembaca.

Wassalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,

Gene

http://www.halalguide.info/

Assalamualaikum Warrahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

Selamat datang di situs HalalGuide LPPOM-MUI. HalalGuide adalah sebuah persembahan dari LPPOM-MUI untuk ummat Islam Indonesia. HalalGuide merupakan pusat informasi halal dari produk-produk makanan, minuman, obat-obatan, kosmetika serta rumah makan. HalalGuide dapat diakses melalui SMS di nomor 2425 dan Website www.halalguide.info. Informasi dan data Halal Guide adalah resmi bersumber pada keputusan fatwa Majelis Ulama Indonesia sebagai satu-satunya lembaga yang memiliki legitimasi untuk mengeluarkan sertifikasi halal di Indonesia.

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Artikel Sekolah Bilingual di Majalah Intisari Bulan Juli

Assalamu'alaikum wr.wb.,

Bagi yang berminat, di Majalah Intisari, Bulan Juli 2007, halaman 160-166, ada artikel tentang Sekolah Bilingual. Saya menjadi narasumber yang utama.

Informasi di artikel kurang lebih sama dengan yang saya tulis di Blog tentang sekolah bilingual.

Semoga bermanfaat,

Wassalamu'alaikum wr.wb.,

Gene

Merokok Dalam Mesjid

Pertanyaan:

aslm. af1 tadz mo nanya ni, klo merokok dalam mesjid apa hukumnya, sebab di mesjid dekat rumah saya kadang2 ada yang merokok dalam mesjid. terus bagaimana cara yang paling baik untuk menginggatkan jikalau merokok di dalam mesjid itu dilarang? sukron tadz
waslm...
amin

Jawaban:

Assalamu alaikum wr.wb.

Bismillahirahmanirrahim. Alhamdulilahirahmanirrahim. Washshalatu wassalamu ala Rasulillah wa ala alihi wa shahbihi ajmain.

Secara umum para ulama sepakat bahwa hukum merokok [haram] karena mendatangkan bahaya bagi kesehatan dan membuang-buang harta. Atau, minimal hukumnya makruh. Sehingga biaya yang dipergunakan untuk membeli rokok lebih baik dipergunakan untuk hal lain yang bermanfaat.
Lalu, bagaimana dengan merokok di masjid? Karena merokok bisa mengganggu dan membahayakan orang disekitarnya lewat bau dan asapnya sebagaimana malaikat juga terganggu seperti halnya manusia, maka merokok di masjid lebih makruh lagi atau lebih dilarang. Kondisinya sama seperti orang yang memakan bawang di mana Nabi saw. melarangnya masuk masjid sehingga membuatnya kehilangan pahala shalat berjamaah.

Karena itu, kalau Anda mendapati ada orang yang merokok di masjid, upayakanlah untuk memberikan penjelasan kepadanya secara bijak dan jelas. Bisa dengan cara Anda sendiri yang menyampaikan, atau lewat orang lain yang merupakan ustadz dan tokoh setempat, lewat artikel yang ditempel di [dinding] dan sebagainya. Sebab, bisa jadi apa yang dilakukan mereka karena ketidaktahuan. Jangan sampai mengingkari sebuah kemungkaran dengan kemungkaran yang lebih besar. Misalnya memicu terjadinya konflik dan keributan di dalam masjid atau memutuskan tali silaturahim.

Wallahu a’lam bish-shawab.

Wassalamu alaikum wr.wb.

Syariah Online

Apakah Aplikasi Qur'an Pada Ponsel Termasuk Mushaf?

Assalaamu 'alaikum Pak Ahmad,

Saya ingin bertanya mengenai beberapa hal, yaitu:

1. Apakah aplikasi Al-Qur'an pada ponsel termasuk juga mushaf Al-Qur'an?

2. Bolehkan kita menjawab salam, walaupun tanpa menyebut nama Allah
ketika kita sedang berada di dalam WC?

3. Bolehkan kita membaca ayat-ayat Al-Qur'andi dalam hati ketika kita
sedang berada di dalam WC? Sebab kebetulan saya cukup sering mengakses
eramuslim via ponsel ketika saya berada di WC.

Atas perhatiannya saya ucapkan terima kasih.

Wassalaam,

Boymuh

Jawaban

Assalamu 'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

1. Aplikasi Al-Quran di HP atau PDAapakah merupakanMushaf?

Aplikasi Al-Quran di HP atau PDA adalah mushaf ketika sedang diaktifkan.
Sedangkan ketika sedang tidak diaktifkan, maka dia bukan mushaf.

Dan fenomena ini tidak pernah terjadi di masa nabi Muhammad SAW. Di
zaman itu, yang namanya mushaf pasti berbentuk benda yang tertulis di
atasnya. Baik terbuat dari kulit, pelepah kurma, tulang, batu dan
seterusnya.

Handphone, PDA, smartphone, laptop, PC, tablet, mp3 player, ipod, dopod
dan semua alat modern yang bisa diinstall program Al-Quran, jelas tidak
pernah ada di zaman nabi.

Namun demikian, benda-benda itu tidak pernah disebut sebagai mushaf
Al-Quran, kecuali pada saat program aplikasi Al-Quran di dalamnya
diaktifkan. Saat itulah benda-benda itu berfungsi sebagai mushaf
Al-Quran. Begitu dimatikan, wujudnya berubah lagi seperti semula.

Secara logika dan nalar sederhana, seharusnya saat di dalam WC kita
tidak mengaktifkannya, karena saat itu benda-benda itu berubah wujud
menjadi mushaf. Kira-kiraqiyasnya mirip dengan otak kita. Di dalam
memori otak kita pasti ada 'file-file' Al-Quran, dan selama file-file
itu tidak diaktifkan dalam bentuk dibunyikan lewat mulut, maka kita
boleh masuk WC. Sebaliknya, kita tidak boleh masuk WC sambil membacakan
hafalan Quran yang ada di otak kita sendiri. Biarkan saja file-file itu
diam sementara di otak, jangan diaktifka kecuali setelah kita keluar WC.
Memangnya tidak ada waktu-waktu lain?

Secara adab, kita memang dilarang untukmembawa dan membaca tulisan yang
mengandung nama Allah SWT atau nama yang diagungkan seperti nama para
malaikat. Atau nama nabi SAW.

Dalilnya adalah apa yang dilakukan oleh Rasulullah SAW bila masuk ke
tempat buang hajat, beliau mencopot cincinnya. Sebab di cincin itu
terukir kata "Muhammad Rasulullah."

Dari Anas bin Malik ra berkata bahwa Rasulullah SAW bila masuk ke WC
meletakkan cincinnya. (HR Arba'ah)

2. Dilarang Berbicara Saat Buang Hajat

Di antara adab buang hajat adalah kita dilarang melakukannyasambil
berbicara, apalagi menjawab salam. Dalilnya adalah hadits berikut ini:

Dari Jabir bin Abdillah ra berkata bahwa Rasulullah SAW bersabda, "Bila
dua orang di antara kamu buang air, hendaklah saling membelakangi dan
jangan berbicara. Karena sesunguhnya Allah murka akan hal itu.

3. Mengakses Eramuslim di WC

Mengakses eramuslim.com pakai handphone memang menarik dan sangat
praktis, tetapi hindari melakukannya bila di dalam WC, terutama
halaman-halaman yang mengandung ayat Al-Quran.

Kalau sekedar membaca berita dunia atau berita nasional, mungkin tidak
masalah, tetapi jawaban di rubrik ini seringkali mengutip ayat Al-Quran,
hadits atau pun hal-hal suci lainnya.

Wallahu a'lam bishshawab, wassalamu 'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Ahmad Sarwat, Lc

Era Muslim

Schools to install digital whiteboards

Kapan di Indonesia ya? Kapan Indonesia bisa mendapatkan fasilitas seperti ini, yang dalam waktu singkat akan dianggap biasa/normal oleh anak2 di negara barat. Langsung akses internet di papan digital, membuat presentation dan geserkan gambar2 di papan dengan ‘touch-screen’.

SD Indonesia masih menggunakan papan hitam dan kapur.

Sedih deh.

(NSW, Australia) The State Government will install 200 high-tech digital whiteboards in NSW public schools, which it says will "transform the way education is delivered", over the next year.

The interactive whiteboards, along with video-conferencing technology and e-learning tools, will take up $28 million of tomorrow's 2007-08 state budget.

In the western NSW region, 168 of the 202 schools there already have at least one interactive whiteboard, according to the NSW Department of Education and Training.

Paul Loxley, principal at Dubbo South Public School, said interactive whiteboards were "possibly the best teaching tool we've ever had".

Baca terus, dan Lihat gambar di:

Sydney Morning Herald

Seen but not heard, life is tough for forgotten kids

City News - May 24, 2007

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta's traffic lights inevitably show a bleaker side of the city. As cars slow down at red lights, little pleading faces emerge at windows asking for money. The time of day seems to not matter to them.

Pass a red light in the morning, the children are there; in the day time, the weather-beaten children are there; in the afternoon, as well as the evening, midnight, and even dawn, the children are still there. From toddlers with their mothers sitting on the roadside, up to scruffy pubescent teens, the children are a fixture of traffic lights, public buses and parks.

Data from the Social Affairs Ministry showed the city had some 30,000 street children on 2005. While there has not been another survey since then, volunteer worker Heru Suprapto from the Jakarta Center for Street Children said the numbers have not gone down.

"It's obvious just by looking at the streets, there are more and more children there," he said. Street children are likely to become victims of violence. Sexual abuse against street children has been frequently reported in the media, the latest case being in Bekasi earlier this month. The body of a six-year-old boy, showing signs of sexual abuse, was found in a cardboard box at a bus stop.

The bitter reality of being young and poor in Jakarta also means the risk of facing violence by the state. The 1945 Constitution states it is the responsibility of the state to take care of neglected children. But in reality, especially in Jakarta, street children are viewed as a menace to public order.

The Jakarta Center for Street Children has conducted research this year on violence against the destitute and desperately poor. Heru said from the 85 respondents in the centers mini-study, more than half said they had faced violence from public order officers. According to Heru, respondents said they had been kicked, dragged, had their hair pulled, were burned by cigarettes, strangled, stepped on, beaten, and even stripped naked by public order officers.

"The violence faced by the poor is against human rights, but since they're poor they don't have much power to fight back," he said. A skinny 16-year-old boy, Zulfikar, said a public order officer "scraped" him off the street and placed him in the Kedoya Social institution in West Jakarta. "They took us off the streets by force and then to Kedoya. We were beaten up as well," he said. Zulfikar said he was taken off the streets for violating the 1988 city bylaw on public order. "I was seen to be disrupting the city's beauty," he said.

He was taken to the Kedoya Rehabilitation Center and spent a month there. "It's not a rehabilitation center. It's more like a prison," he said. The city bylaw on public order has discriminated against and criminalized not only street children, but also the broader mass of the city's poor. The bylaw was one of Governor Sutiyoso's initiatives to create a safe, conducive, and comfortable city, without beggars, the homeless and sidewalk vendors.

"It's as if, because we're poor, we have no place in this city," said Zulfikar's friend, 17-year-old Dedi Yansen Apriyansyah. Dedi has been on Jakarta's streets since he was eight years old. He ran away from his abusive parents in Palembang to move to Jakarta. "It's not like I love the streets. It's not a good place to live. But I don't want to face the violence at home," he said. National Commission on Child Protection Secretary General Arist Merdeka Sirait said the bylaw on public order contradicts the Law on Child Protection and should be lifted.

Arist said the public order bylaw views street children as criminals rather than victims.

The deputy head of the Jakarta Public Order Agency R Sitinjak said public order officers did not commit violence against street children. "There is no such thing," he said. Sitinjak said officers took public order offenders, such as side walk vendors and three-in-one jockeys to the Kedoya rehabilitation institution. "I don't know about violence there since it's run by the social agency," he said.

Arist said public perceptions of street children should also be altered. "Street children are stigmatized as troubled and poor, which stops them from functioning in society," he said. Dedi said that some of his friends were lucky enough to enroll in school. But even there they faced mockery from their fellow students and even their teachers.

Dedi said he aspires to be a journalist. Under the guidance of volunteer workers from The Jakarta Center for Street Children, he produces a weekly bulletin, named Dekkil Pos (an abbreviation of "Dengan kata kita lawan" -- "With words we fight") about life on the streets.

"I'm not that worthless. I can be good at something if I get the chance," he said.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Amerika Serikat Sebagai Pelopor Etika Berpakaian

Percaya nggak? Seorang walikota di Negara Bagian Louisiana akan segera mengesahkan sebuah Perda baru: warga kota dilarang memakai celana “hipster” yang dengan sengaja direndahkan di bawah pinggang sehingga celana dalam kelihatan! Orang yang memakai celana dengan gaya itu akan ditilang!

Pak Walikota Carol Broussard mengatakan “Bila daerah kemaluan anda (= celana dalam) menjadi nampak, anda akan ditilang $US 500” (hampir 5 juta rupiah). Juga ada ancaman bahwa para pelanggar bisa dipenjarakan selama 6 bulan!

Kata Pak Walikota, “Daripada memakai celana dengan gaya begitu, lebih baik dilepaskan saja dan memakai rok!”

Wah, Gubunur Sutiyoso kalah jauh nih. Kalau ada perda seperti itu di Jakarta, Polisi akan sibuk banget di mal-mal DKI. Setiap malam minggu Polisi bisa duduk saja di Plaza Senayan, Senayan City, Plaza Indonesia, Taman Anggrek, dsb. Kerjaan satu malam saja di DKI bisa menghasilkan milyaran rupiah buat Polisi. Heheheh.

Kenapa tidak ada perda seperti itu di sini ya? Ternyata, pejabat Islam di DKI perlu belajar tentang perasaan malu dan etika berpakain sopan dari orang kafir di Amerika. Lucu sekali.

Story from BBC NEWS

US town set to ban saggy trousers

A mayor in the US state of Louisiana says he will sign into law a proposal to make wearing saggy trousers an act of indecent exposure.

Delcambre town council unanimously passed the ordinance earlier this week making it a crime to wear trousers that show underwear. "If you expose your private parts, you'll get a fine" of US$500 (£254) Mayor Carol Broussard said. Offenders will also risk up to six months in jail.

Speaking of people who wear saggy trousers, Mr Broussard told the Associated Press news agency: "They're better off taking the pants off and just wearing a dress." Town attorney Ted Ayo said the ordinance expands on the existing state indecent exposure law by adding underwear to the list of forbidden exposures.

"This is a new ordinance that deals specifically with sagging pants," Mr Ayo said. "It's about showing off your underwear in public." Some residents say the ordinance targets blacks, as low-slung trousers are fashionable among hip hop fans. Mr Broussard denied it was racially motivated. "White people wear sagging pants, too," he said.

Story from BBC NEWS
Published: 2007/06/14 09:54:01 GMT
© BBC MMVII

Indonesia’s Forests Destroyed in 15 years

Indonesia’s Forests Threatened by Logging
Reuters

Sunday 03 June 2007

Jakarta - It's one of the few countries that still has vast swathes of tropical rainforests left.

But conservationists say maybe not for long.

Indonesia's rainforests - especially those on Borneo island - are being stripped so rapidly because of illegal logging and palm oil plantations for bio-fuels, they could be wiped out altogether within the next 15 years, some environmentalists say.

"Sixty percent of the protected and conservation areas are already badly damaged due to illegal logging and palm oil plantations," Rully Sumada, a forestry expert with Indonesian environmental group Walhi, told Reuters.

"The deforestation speed is 2.8 million hectares a year. At this rate, by 2012 the forests in Sumatra, Borneo and Sulawesi will be gone, only the forests in Papua will be left. And if cutting of trees carries on, no forest will be left by 2022."

Indonesia has a total forest area of more than 225 million acres, or about 10 percent of the world's remaining tropical forest, according to Rainforestweb.org, a portal on rainforests (www.rainforestweb.org).

But the tropical Southeast Asian country - whose forests are a treasure trove of plant and animal species including the endangered orangutans - has already lost an estimated 72 percent of its original frontier forest.

The biggest threat to the forests of Borneo, and also Aceh on the northernmost tip of Sumatra island, is from illegal logging.

A recent report by the Environmental Investigation Agency and Indonesia-based Telapak said that Malaysia and China were major recipients of stolen Indonesian timber and that shipping companies from Singapore carried such wood overseas.

China Industry Complicit

Greenpeace's China office said China's timber industry was complicit in the illegal felling of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea's merbau trees, with logs then smuggled to China and processed and exported as floorboards and high-end furnishings to the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe.

Merbau is a resilient red hardwood, one of the most valuable in Southeast Asia.

China's Foreign Ministry brushed away accusations that the country's demand for timber was hastening the destruction of Southeast Asian forests, saying it had a strict system of supervision and management of timber and timber product imports."

"The effects of deforestation are crystal clear. Bio-diversity will be destroyed," Masnellyarti Hilman, a deputy minister in Indonesia's environment ministry, told Reuters.

"Not to mention floods, landslides. We see them as a result of massive deforestation by people who do not care about its impact. Although they actually know that one of the conditions to fulfill before cutting trees down is to re-plant, some do, some don't."

Orangutans in Peril

Environmentalists say Indonesia has also lost vast amounts of forest land to feed growing global demand for bio-fuels as an alternative source of energy.

The world's second largest palm oil producer already has around 5 million hectares of land planted with oil palm and the government aims to develop between 2-3 million hectares more of oil plantations nationwide by 2010.

Environmentalists say the slash-and-burn technique used to speed up the clearing of land for plantations sends huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and is also destroying several endangered species such as the orangutan and the Sumatran tiger.

According to a recent U.N report compiled using new satellite images and Indonesian government data, orangutan habitat is being lost 30 percent quicker than was previously feared.

It was estimated in 2002 about 60,000 of the shaggy ginger primates were left in the jungles of Borneo and Sumatra. Some ecologists say the number has now been halved and others say the species could be extinct in 20 years.

Indonesia says government policy is to preserve virgin forest and expand palm plantations on degraded and abandoned land that has already been cleared.

Indonesia's government has deployed the military on at least three occasions in recent years to confiscate timber and chase loggers out of its parks - and has begun training quick response ranger teams to police protected areas.

But experts say the new units remain crippled by a lack of funds, vehicles, weapons and equipment, and face a huge threat from ruthless loggers.

"We allow people to open palm oil plantations as long as they replant. Palm oil plantations open a wide range of jobs but they must not do that in conservation areas," Hilman said.

The palm oil industry defends itself and its methods.

"If there are some endangered species in the area or an area is of high conservation value, then it will not be opened for plantations," Derom Bangun, executive chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association, told Reuters.

"The government has classified areas and has rules and we obey them. It is not what people from outside think that we just come, clear land and burn."

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/060507EC.shtml

Krisis Air

Assalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,

Hari ini saya telfon orang tua di Australia karena Bapak saya ulang tahun. Di kota Brisbane sedang krisis air. Selama 5 tahun terakhir ini, hujan hanya sedikit, dan jauh di bawah jatah yang biasa. Waduk di sana habis airnya. Ada waduk dekat rumah orang tua di Brisbane utara, dan sekarang tinggal 15% dari kapasitas totalnya. Pemda Brisbane sudah mengeluarkan banyak Perda baru untuk mengatasi krisis ini. Yang terbaru: orang hanya boleh mandi (shower) selama 4 minit. Dan Pemda membagikan jam pasir gratis sehingga warga bisa mengukur waktunya. Setiap sekian minggu ada petugas Pemda yang datang untuk memeriksa meter air di depan rumah (di sana semua orang pakai PAM).

Orang dilarang mencucui mobil kecuali dia menggunakan air bekas. Jadi banyak orang malah tidak pernah mencuci mobil.

Dan warga disuruh mandi dengan berdiri di dalam ember besar untuk menangkap air bekasnya. Air itu kemudian dituangkan ke bunga di depan rumah (kalau masih ada yang hidup) karena rumput dan bunga dilarang disiram pakai selang (air PAM). Hanya boleh dengan air bekas.

Bagi yang punya kolam renang, tidak boleh diisi dengan air PAM. Harus pesan truk tangki air yang akan antarkan air ke rumah. (Saya tidak diberitahu air itu dari mana: bekas dari industri barangkali). Dan kalau air di kolam renang surut karena menguap, tetap tidak boleh ditambahkan dengan PAM. Harus membuat bak air sendiri yang bisa menangkap air hujan dari atap rumah (walaupun air hujan sedikit), atau biarkan kolam renang setengah kosong.

Betapa nikmatnya tinggal di Indonesia ya? Ibu sering suruh saya pulang dan tinggal di Australia lagi. Sekarang saya malah mengajak orang tua pindah ke sini… biar bisa mandi!! Hahahaha. Kasihan deh lhu…

Krisis ini melanda seluruh Australia, tetapi masalahnya berbeda di setiap kota, tergantung persediaan air yang ada. Industri perkebunan di Australia selatan bakalan hancur sejak Perdana Menteri memutuskan untuk menghentikan persediaan air buat perkebunan dan industri lainnya. Katanya biar air yang masih tersisa di sungai bisa disalurkan ke kota Sydney.

Enakan di sini ya? Saya berfikir, kalau banjir lagi tahun depan, gubernur baru bisa mengekspor air banjir itu ke Australia. Siapa tahu mereka mau beli. Haha.

Ketika anda mandi nanti, jangan lupa bersyukur kepada Allah swt. yang Maha Kuasa atas persediaan air di dunia ini.

Wassalamu’alaikum wr.wb.,

Bersyukurlah anda tidak tinggal di Zimbabwe

Diperkirakan ekonomi negara Zimbabwe akan hancur dalam waktu 6 bulan mendatang. Ini disebabkan sekian banyak masalah dalam negeri.

Inflasi sudah mencapai 3.714% (tingkat inflasi paling tinggi di dunia). Semua orang biasa menjadi tidak sanggup belanja di toko dan akan kembali menggunakan sistem tawar-menawar (barter system) seperti di zaman dulu (sebelum ada uang).

Tender untuk bisnis atau biaya suatu jasa hanya berlaku untuk satu hari sekarang, bahkan sampai satu jam saja. (Setelah satu hari/jam, biaya akan meningkat dan harus membuat perkiraan baru!)

Sebagian dari perusahaan sudah membayar karyawannya dengan makanan, bukan uang.

Semua toko menaikkan harganya 2 kali lipat setiap dua minggu. Kalau ini berlangsung terus, diperkirakan inflasi akan mencapai tingkat 512.000% dalam 7 bulan terakhir tahun ini, dan ekonomi negara akan hancur total.

Pelayanan listrik (PLN) dan air (PAM) sudah hampir berhenti. Bulan kemarin listrik disediakan untuk 4 jam per hari saja.

Diperkirakan hanya 1 dalam setiap 4 orang dewasa mempunyai pekerjaan.

UN World Food Programme menganggap 4 juta orang akan membutuhkan bantuan makanan pada tahun ini.

Presiden Robert Mugabe menyangkal keadaan krisis ini adalah disebabkan kebijakan2 dia (yang dinilai menghancurkan ekomoni negara). Katanya, ini hasil dari konspirasi barat untuk menjatuhkan pemerintahannya.

Hmmmm….

Enak kan, tinggal di Indonesia??

Jangan banyak ngomel…. Bersyukur deh!

ZIMBABWE CRISIS

Inflation: 3,714%

Unemployment: 80%

4m need food aid

Life expectancy: 37 (men), 34 (women)

BBC News