Suhbah at Gus Dur Nahdhat ul-`Ulama Event
(Translated from Arabic)
As-salaamu `alaykum! I know Gus Dur personally and am happy to be here. Who humbles himself Allah raises, but the problem is that no one wants to humble himself and everyone is after the chair (of power/leadership).
The ant said, “Enter your homes!” Allah (swt) did not say, “Go out of your homes!” But look, everyone now goes out of their house to show themselves off. Is our brain bigger or smaller than the ant’s? We should be smarter than the ant, but we are in ignorance, we don’t want to think, we are not taking a lesson. We must always think positively of Allah (swt) and of others, so Allah made an example with the smallest creature, to show that we have to look at the smallest details.
There are many examples of this in the Holy Qur'an, and Prophet (s) also said, “If the world weighed (in value) the a wing of a mosquito, no one would even get water to drink!” This means dunya is nothing, but we think it is so great and we work so hard for it.
Prophet (s) said:
تفكر ساعة خير من عبادة سبعين سنة
Tafakkarru sa`atan khayrun min `ibaadati saba`een sannah.
To remember Allah (swt) for one hour (contemplate or meditate) is better than seventy years of worship.
It means the greatest knowledge is ma`rifatullah.
وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ
Wa fawqa kulli dhi `ilmin `aleem.
Above every knower is a (higher) knower. (Yusuf, 12:76)
It meaans, “O servant! Don't think you are anything!” Sayyidina Musa (a) asked Allah (swt) for the highest knowledge and he went to seek a place where the two oceans meet as he wanted to reach heavenly knowledge:
قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَا أَنسَانِيهُ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا قَالَ ذَلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ فَارْتَدَّا عَلَى آثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمً
Qaala araayta idh awaynaa ila as-sakhrati fa innee naseetu al-hoota wa maa ansaaneehu illa ash-shaytaanu an athkurahu wa ittakhadha sabeelahu fi ’l-bahri `ajaban. Qaala dhaalika maa kunnaa nabghee fartaddaa `ala aathaarihima qasasa. fawajadaa `abdan min `ibaadinaa aataynaahu rahmatan min `indinaa wa`allamnaahu min ladunnaa `ilman.
Said [the servant], "Do you believe it? When we went to that rock to rest, behold, I forgot about the fish, and none but Shaytan made me forget it and it took its way into the sea! How strange! [Musa (a)] exclaimed, "That [was the place] that we sought!” And the two turned back, retracing their footsetps, and found one of Our servants on whom We had bestowed grace from Ourselves and unto whom We had imparted knowledge from Ourselves.
(Surat al-Kahf, 18:63-65)
Sayyidina Musa (a) is from “Uloo 'l-`Aazam,” the Five Distinguished Prophets (a), but despite this he went to meet one servant from among many others. It means there are so many of these servants, but they are hidden. The servant said, “You cannot bear to be with me,” (18:67) and Musa said, “Inshaa-Allah you will find me patient!” (18:69)
Musa (a) brought the Shari`ah and Prophet Muhammad (s) brought the Shari`ah and Haqiqah, Reality, so in other words Allah (swt) is saying, “Yaa Musa! If you want realities, you need to reach Prophet Muhammad (s)!” Prophet (s) is a human being, but the Most Perfect One, the Best One.
So Allah said, “A servant from one of Our servants whom We taught and then gave him mercy.” (18:65) Allah (swt) said to Musa (a), “Go and seek this servant, after you achieve humbleness.” He had to teach him the ways of adab and humbleness, which is the reality of the “Mercy to the Worlds,” i.e. Prophet (s). So humbleness is first and then Allah taught him, so he reached some Realities of Prophet (s) that Allah dressed him with, then he was able to be taught. So this means, our task is to be to humble to each other and our duty is to be merciful to each other. We shouldn't be scared from the word of truth. What is it? To rule with what Allah ordained for us!
وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَاهُ
Wa takhshaa an-naasa w’Allahu ahaqqu an takhshaahu.
You feared the people, but it is more fitting that you should fear Allah. (al-Ahzaab, 33:37)
Allah (swt) said to Prophet (s), “Do you fear people, or do you fear Allah? Allah is The One Who has the right to be feared!”
O `Ulama! Don't fear people! Speak the truth, even if it is against your own self! We ask that Allah grants you, the `ulama, and the people and country of Indonesia success, as we don't find such people who gather together for Allah and His Prophet except in Mecca and Medina, and in Indonesia!
I came here to Indonesia two or three times a year. May Allah (swt) have mercy on Gus Dur and inshaa-Allah he is from the saadiqeen.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh!
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