To be read or not to be read
Friday, April 13, 2007
EVERY time we hear the staging of yet another Al-Quran Reading Competition (as the one currently going on at International Convention Centre, Berakas), we are always curious to know how deeply actually the Holy Book influences this nation's modern life.
Every Bruneian Muslim would agree that Al-Quran is the source of all knowledge. Now ask any young Muslim in this country, what the relevance is between their study and future career plans with living a life that is based on Al-Quran, or any adult here about the relevance of the Quranic verses with today's development of science and technology. If their answer reflects an understanding of someone who reads the Quran five times a day, then it means the education system works effectively.
However, evidence is aplenty that what is written in Al-Quran does not always get applied in many life sectors.
For instance, how would Brunei explain that despite accepting that the Quranic guidance in economy is the best for human kind, the haram usury-based (riba) conventional banking system remains the attractive choice for many Bruneian Muslims?
This contradiction, however, is not uniquely Bruneian. It is the same in many parts of the Muslim world, from Morocco to Malaysia, from Turkey to Indonesia. Being an Islamic state, however, the onus is on Brunei to take a critical look at how it observes Islam.
Many of us Muslims living in Brunei have lost sight about how the tradition of Al-Quran knowledge should be built into our lives - at individual, family, neighbourhood and national levels.
One of the ways to start rebuilding our lives in the way of the Quran is to read again the history of how the Holy Book had influenced the building of a civilisation whose heritage remains honoured and respected by contemporary scholars and scientists. There are many, especially the Western, scholars who remain reluctant to recognise the influence of the Quranic civilisation, as is shown on the book titled "The People Who Made Technology from Earliest Time to Present Day" by Anthony Feldman & Peter Ford, published by Aldus Book, Ltd, London (1979). It basically says the world's scientific and technology owed its existence to the following scholars only - in this timeline:
Empedocles (c. 490-430 BC)
Democritus (460-370 BC)
Hippocrates (460-337 BC)
Aristotle (383-322 BC)
Archimedes (287-212 BC)
Roger Bacon (1214-1292 AD)
Johannes Guternberg (1400-1468 AD)
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519 AD) - onward until Renaissance time.
Meticulous reading will show there is "a large hole" in the so-called history of the world science and technology civilisation as written by scholars like Feldman and Ford. There is a missing one thousand years between the time when Archimedes died (212 BC) and the age of Roger Bacon (born 1214 AD).
What had happened during that one millennium, from 200 BC to 1200's AD?
This missing period is reflected in many history books in the West because their historians have ignored the contribution of the other civilisations such as Persian (Zoroastrian), Egyptian, Indian and Chinese. The major "victim" of this Western claim that the world history is shaped only by the Western civilisation is of course the Quranic civilisation, Islam, which began in 611 AD when Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing upon him) was sent by Alla{aci}h, the Creator and the Sustainer of Universe, to call all humankind to the true way of life.
His mission was a continuation of a mission that is as old as human's history from Adam to 'Isa (some people call him Jesus). Their messages were the same: worship only Alla{aci}h, and build your life and civilisation on the basis of obedience to Alla{aci}h (the tawhid teaching). The Al-Quran civilisation is the tawhid civilisation.
In Brunei, the major challenge of today's life is in how to build the sustainable tradition of knowledge which put Al-Quran and As-Sunnah as the core and develop it to accelerate the true modernisation in this country.
Already on so many occasions His Majesty Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan and Yang Dipertuan of Brunei Darussalam has reminded this nation to hold and relive Al-Quran in all sectors of our lives. A civilisation, however, starts at the individual and family level.
This article ends with the following practical tips on how individuals and families can rebuild the tradition of knowledge and science based on the Holy Quran - the way the Companions of the Prophet carried out.
Read the revelation everyday in ways that enable better understanding (tartil: Al-Muzzammil [73]: 4).
This way of reading will increase our faith (tazdidul iman: At-Taubah [9]: 124).
Understand the essence by pondering upon it (tadabbur: An-Nisaa' [4]: 82).
Memorise it (tahfizh: Al-Hijr [15]: 9).
Build and develop knowledge based on it (ta'lim: Al-'Alaq [96]: 4).
Take action, apply it to life (ta'mil: Ash-Shaff [61]: 3).
Spread, call people upon it (tabligh, ta'lim, takwin: Ali Imran [3]: 104).
Pass the tests from Alla{aci}h (imtihan: Al-Maaidah [5]: 48).
Start from ourselves, start today, start from the simplest one.
It is great to hear the melodious recital of Al-Quran at International Convention Centre. But it will certainly be more beautiful to see Al-Quran coming alive in the characteristics of this nation.
* The writer is a journalist-cum-teacher
The Brunei Times
Every Bruneian Muslim would agree that Al-Quran is the source of all knowledge. Now ask any young Muslim in this country, what the relevance is between their study and future career plans with living a life that is based on Al-Quran, or any adult here about the relevance of the Quranic verses with today's development of science and technology. If their answer reflects an understanding of someone who reads the Quran five times a day, then it means the education system works effectively.
However, evidence is aplenty that what is written in Al-Quran does not always get applied in many life sectors.
For instance, how would Brunei explain that despite accepting that the Quranic guidance in economy is the best for human kind, the haram usury-based (riba) conventional banking system remains the attractive choice for many Bruneian Muslims?
This contradiction, however, is not uniquely Bruneian. It is the same in many parts of the Muslim world, from Morocco to Malaysia, from Turkey to Indonesia. Being an Islamic state, however, the onus is on Brunei to take a critical look at how it observes Islam.
Many of us Muslims living in Brunei have lost sight about how the tradition of Al-Quran knowledge should be built into our lives - at individual, family, neighbourhood and national levels.
One of the ways to start rebuilding our lives in the way of the Quran is to read again the history of how the Holy Book had influenced the building of a civilisation whose heritage remains honoured and respected by contemporary scholars and scientists. There are many, especially the Western, scholars who remain reluctant to recognise the influence of the Quranic civilisation, as is shown on the book titled "The People Who Made Technology from Earliest Time to Present Day" by Anthony Feldman & Peter Ford, published by Aldus Book, Ltd, London (1979). It basically says the world's scientific and technology owed its existence to the following scholars only - in this timeline:
Empedocles (c. 490-430 BC)
Democritus (460-370 BC)
Hippocrates (460-337 BC)
Aristotle (383-322 BC)
Archimedes (287-212 BC)
Roger Bacon (1214-1292 AD)
Johannes Guternberg (1400-1468 AD)
Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519 AD) - onward until Renaissance time.
Meticulous reading will show there is "a large hole" in the so-called history of the world science and technology civilisation as written by scholars like Feldman and Ford. There is a missing one thousand years between the time when Archimedes died (212 BC) and the age of Roger Bacon (born 1214 AD).
What had happened during that one millennium, from 200 BC to 1200's AD?
This missing period is reflected in many history books in the West because their historians have ignored the contribution of the other civilisations such as Persian (Zoroastrian), Egyptian, Indian and Chinese. The major "victim" of this Western claim that the world history is shaped only by the Western civilisation is of course the Quranic civilisation, Islam, which began in 611 AD when Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing upon him) was sent by Alla{aci}h, the Creator and the Sustainer of Universe, to call all humankind to the true way of life.
His mission was a continuation of a mission that is as old as human's history from Adam to 'Isa (some people call him Jesus). Their messages were the same: worship only Alla{aci}h, and build your life and civilisation on the basis of obedience to Alla{aci}h (the tawhid teaching). The Al-Quran civilisation is the tawhid civilisation.
In Brunei, the major challenge of today's life is in how to build the sustainable tradition of knowledge which put Al-Quran and As-Sunnah as the core and develop it to accelerate the true modernisation in this country.
Already on so many occasions His Majesty Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan and Yang Dipertuan of Brunei Darussalam has reminded this nation to hold and relive Al-Quran in all sectors of our lives. A civilisation, however, starts at the individual and family level.
This article ends with the following practical tips on how individuals and families can rebuild the tradition of knowledge and science based on the Holy Quran - the way the Companions of the Prophet carried out.
Read the revelation everyday in ways that enable better understanding (tartil: Al-Muzzammil [73]: 4).
This way of reading will increase our faith (tazdidul iman: At-Taubah [9]: 124).
Understand the essence by pondering upon it (tadabbur: An-Nisaa' [4]: 82).
Memorise it (tahfizh: Al-Hijr [15]: 9).
Build and develop knowledge based on it (ta'lim: Al-'Alaq [96]: 4).
Take action, apply it to life (ta'mil: Ash-Shaff [61]: 3).
Spread, call people upon it (tabligh, ta'lim, takwin: Ali Imran [3]: 104).
Pass the tests from Alla{aci}h (imtihan: Al-Maaidah [5]: 48).
Start from ourselves, start today, start from the simplest one.
It is great to hear the melodious recital of Al-Quran at International Convention Centre. But it will certainly be more beautiful to see Al-Quran coming alive in the characteristics of this nation.
* The writer is a journalist-cum-teacher
The Brunei Times
Business Besides Oil
