Moslem’s Holy Places

Moslems have 3 most holy places which is called call Haram Al-Shariif or in English (if I didn’t make mistakes) the Venerable Sanctuary. They are Mecca, Medina, and Al-Quds.

The first place is Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Mecca) as the hometown of Islam religion and the focal place of Moslems activity. The meaning of Haram for this place is forbid to do any sin activity, do anything bad to another people, and even kill animals and trees. This place also forbid for unbelievers because they trust with other God and will do tradition and cultures opposite with the order from the God. Allah was make this town haram (forbid for any sin and make it holy place) since the first time human created by Allah. All God’s messengers always protect this place (especially Kaba) from any bad human authorities. The Kaba’s structures and foundation was created thousands years ago before Muhammad era (This was analyzed by non Moslem also). Many kings from unbelievers try to damaging the structures, but always fail. When in some era bad things happened to the Kaba, soon after Allah will developing again the believers especially the inhabitants to rebuilt again the Kaba. The last devastation was the attacking of elephants debasements in 571M leads by Abrahah (I didn’t know what his name in English). All the member of these armies was dead thrown with stone by birds.

The second place is Madinah Al-Munawwarah (Medina) as the second hometown of Islam. Muhammad was lives and stay here as the prophets and the leader of Arab for 10 years. The meaning of Madinah (Medina) actually is City. This place at that time is the business city bigger than Mecca, and also the stopover / transit place for the traders who want to go to Syam area to make a business over there. This town became the holy place for Islam and get title Al-Munawwarah to describe with the visiting of Muhammad, the place get the most bright and lightening by Islam religion and became the most develop on Arab area.

And the third is Al-Quds (Jerusalem) with the main places are Al-Aqsa mosque and Al-Sakhra mosque. Al-Quds itself, in 638 came under Muslim control with the Caliph Umar bin Khattab. Soon after, for the community prayers built on that city a mosque called Al-Aqsa. Beside that, there is a rock which Muhammad takes of from that rock to makes a journey to the 7^th sky to receive revelation and order about the rules of prays. So, the Moslem also built a mosque and a dome over that rock to honors the place and also as the kibla (direction when Moslem prays) before changes to Kaba (Mecca) direction. The rock also according to Jewish people is the place where Abraham offering Isaac to be sacrifice. At the era of the first Crusades, when Jerusalem fell to the Crusaders under Godfrey of Bouillon in 1099 they slaughtered many Muslim and Jewish residents, ruled with great cruelty, and destroy many mosques and synagogues, also the dome over the rock and take over Al-Aqsa mosque as a church. This condition happens until Saladin in 1187 captured the city again for the Muslims and for Jews (they are free to do their ritual religion). The Al-Aqsa mosque re-function again as a mosque, and later, after the Saladin era (I didn’t know the exactly year), the dome over the rock rebuilt and finishing by gold and called Al-Sakhra mosque (perhaps in Ottoman’s era). So, this place is Islam’s third holiest site, after Mecca and Medina.

Please corrects if you find the mistakes here. Thanks.

Tiga Pejuang

Ada baiknya bagi kita untuk sedikit refreshing ditengah kesibukan kerja atau belajar. Tapi, tidak semata-mata bermain dan melupakan otak. yang jelas mempergunakan waktu dengan sebaik-baiknya, termasuk dengan menyisihkan sedikit waktu untuk relax. Kita tentu ingat dengan perjuangan para pahlawan dan tentara kita dahulu kala ketika melawan kompeni belanda…!? Berbagai kisah perjuangan telah kita dengarkan dan didoktrinkan ke kepala kita. Semangat yang menggebu dari para pejuang dalam mempertahankan kemerdekaan bangsa haarus kita hormati dan segala hasil pengorbanan para pahlawan di masa lalu itu harus kita pergunakan dengan seoptimal mungkin untuk menuai keberhasilan hidup kita. Nah, di sini ada sebuah cerita yang terjadi di sebuah kota yang berhasil diserang oleh pejuang Indonesia. Kompeni yang merasa kewalahan berusaha menggunakan kelicikan dan menyatakan ingin melakukan perundingan damai atau gencatan senjata istilahnya. Akhirnya dari pihak pejuang dikirimlah tiga orang pejuang untuk mengadakan perundingan dengan pihak Kompeni. Walhasil, ketika berada di markas Kompeni, ternyata mereka dijebak sehingga kemudian salah seorang pejuang itu tewas ditembak.

Selanjutnya, dengan kematian seorang pejuang tersebut apakah moril dan semangat pejuang kita kendur? Tenyata tidak. Apakah jumlah mereka semakin menyusut dan terdesak? Tenyata tidak. Lho, kok bisa demikian, sebenarnya berapakah pejuang yang tersisa?

Apakah ada yang bisa menjawab persoalan ini? Jawaban anda sangat dinantikan….sambil relax dan mengisi waktu luang anda.

Muhammad and Khadija

Since his young, Muhammad fills his days as a shepherd especially goat or sheep. He tends another people’s cattle and gets paid for his job. When he more grows up his age, more sheep and goat he tends, both his own and his uncle, or another people’s cattle which had been trusted and tended by him. This profession maybe is one kind of much identity from someone as a prophet candidate. Almost all prophets who are sent by God were stipulated as a sheep shepherd at his young age to prepare or to make ready when they became prophets. From Moses, Jacob, Jesus, and even Noah who’s taking care many kind animals.

Beside that job, in some certain time Muhammad also has another job, help his uncle Abu Thalib to do business sells some goods (their own goods or belongs to some other merchant) at market. Later, at the age of 12 years old offered by Abu Thalib to make a business trip into Syam region for the first time. With the result from tending cattle and make a business, Muhammad tries to make a living. This condition make Muhammad and his uncle life became better and better. The longer more grows up his age, Muhammad’s cattle quantity grows up also, and beside that more trusted by Mecca’s inhabitants in their business to trades their goods. At the age around 24 years old, Muhammad became one of the rich men in Mecca, from tending cattle and make a business, but still trusted by peoples. It proved that Muhammad is a reliable worker or trustworthy and also have big honesty heart. The climax, at age around 25 years old he trusted by a rich widow, a trader also, who’s name Khadija to help her sells some goods/stuff into Syam area. All her goods before, brought by her own staff. But, when she saw the successful and profit the other trader who’s trusted their stuff in Muhammad business make Khadija want to join with Muhammad group. In this business trip, Khadija didn’t follow but sends her trusted servant name Maisara to watch the business. Shortly, the business is successful with many profits which is made Khadija more surprise with Muhammad’s personality, and after few month later, Khadija send her family to ask Muhammad to marry her.

From the set of the story above, it is looks like that the reason of Khadija marry with Muhammad just because Muhammad was proved as a reliable worker in trading, famous, have big honesty, and successful. Does it just because of that short reason? The reason is too simple? Or there is some other reason? If we think objectively, the reason it doesn’t make sense or the story is too short. There are some other important reasons which un-discussed too much. So, some expert or historian try to opens and discuss some un-told part about this situation, the main reason why Khadija want to marry with Muhammad. There are one opinion which not much to be discussed by many peoples. This opinion said if the one possibility of what make Khadija want to marry with Muhammad is because she knew that inside Muhammad personality contain prophet identity, she knew that Muhammad is the chosen one, she knew if Muhammad is a prophet’s candidate, the new prophet chosen by God. How she knew about that? What the base of this opinion? And why Muhammad say yes to marry a widow 15 years older than his age? Why Muhammad accepts Khadija as a wife when he is at 25 years old and Khadija 40 years old, make 15 years old gap between them? Even more as a rich man, Muhammad on that marriage give 100 camels (or more) as a “mahar” which is as much as the price of one new and the best Mercedes Benz sedan price at this modern era.

Still about this marriage, the Khadija’s propose accepted by Muhammad because of some reason, good reasons, not because of wealth / property or beauty or something else worse just like what was accused by the people full of hatred into Muhammad. There are:

1. Muhammad knew the Khadija’s families are from respected class with good ethics which is making sure that her family are weren’t from idol worshipper group and didn’t do bad habits like most of people on that era.
2. Muhammad and Khadija have close family relation and their genealogy structures met at the 5^th ancestors. Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdul Muthalib bin Hasyim bin Abdu Manaf bin Qushai bin Kilab bin Murrah. And Khadija bint Khuwaylid bin Asad bin Abdul Uzza bin Qushai. From this condition, he knew that Khadija is come from good ancestors.
3. Khadija even she is older than Muhammad and also a widow, but at the point of view or opinion of Mecca’s peoples she is famous with her good personality, have noble deed, good character, not including idol worshipper group, generous / big hearted lady, have good business, and big possibility her religion is nasrani (Christian Unitarian sects).

Those are some reason of Muhammad to accept Khadija as his wife. In the other side, Khadija herself has some other reason, which most important is she known if Muhammad is a prophet candidate chosen by God. Does it true she knew that Muhammad bring some prophet identities? How she knew that? Some histories give us clue about this. This opinion said, Khadija knew the prophet identity inside Muhammad years before they get married. Some reason and explanation about these are:

1. Some of Khadija’s family especially the older man, aged persons, and family leader are priest or clergyman from “ahlu’l kitab” or Christian Unitarian Sects, expert on Torah and Bible and understood very much about the prophecy inside their holy books directly in the main language, Hebrew and Aramaic languages, as the ancient language of their holy books, not from the translation in their ordinary language (Arabic). These family members knew the prophecy about the new prophet.
2. The other part of the story (un-enough to be discussed by historians), told that Khadija’s cousin (daughter of her uncle or aunt) almost get married with Abdullah, Muhammad’s father, but failed. To understanding and make conclusion about this detail, let us back to the past time before Muhammad born yet. Few years before 571M, when Khadija at 14-15 years old of her age, one of her uncle (ahlu’l kitab) saw some prophet identity on Abdullah personality. After make attentions for this person long enough, and look into in detail/check out with high confide in him, he think that person is the prophet which was promises by God. And soon after try to propose Abdullah for his daughter (perhaps she is in the same age or little older than Khadija). But God have another will, Abdullah met another woman whose name Aminah bint Wahab bin Abdu Manaf bin Zuhrah bin Kilab and finally marry her. Khadija’s uncle who’s loose out the plan/failed to connected between Abdullah and his daughter still waiting and informing the evidence or clue about the prophet identity on Abdullah to all family members and also heard by Khadija herself. But with the death of Abdullah in his young age after married with Aminah (even his son didn’t born yet). The “ahlu’l kitab” from this family still looking and searching just like what another ahlu’ kitab do, searching for the chosen one as the new prophet. Later, they found again the prophet identity inside Muhammad personality, son of Abdullah, and even clearer than his father. All this condition knew by Khadija also always following development of Muhammad’s life just like the other members. At that time, beside the Khadija’s family, many other “ahlu’l kitab” searching for that chosen one just like what their holy books promises. But, some of them who are believed with the prophecy didn’t want to let the prophet candidate stay alive. Many of them want to kill him because didn’t like if the chosen one didn’t come from their own tribe or nation. So, the good “ahlu’l kitab”, when saw prophet identity on a person personality, they will close and hidden the information to save the chosen one (and of course the chosen one will be saved by God). This reason strengthens by another priest name “Bukahira” who’s seeing the same thing with Muhammad. He met at Syam when Muhammad 12 years old, he believes also if Muhammad is the chosen one, the candidate of the new prophet, and because of that he advice his uncle, Abu Thalib, to get back to Mecca as soon as possible and take care Muhammad carefully and make him stay away from bad community.

Those are some most important reasons why Khadija want to marry Muhammad, beside of the reliable worker or trustworthy and also have big honesty heart of Muhammad personality, which is make her more loving him. So, after years later, when she was a widow, she tries to connecting again her family with Abdullah’s family. Now, she try to marry Muhammad son of Abdullah, just like what her uncle do for his daughter proposing Abdullah more than 25 years before. Also, she still believes with the messages from the family older man, if Muhammad is the prophet candidate. With this situation, the big believes of Khadija into Muhammad personality or the prophet identity it wasn’t after the revelation, but years before. That is why after Muhammad get the first revelation, Khadija directly face / go to his uncle Waraqah bin Naufal to tell him the situation about Muhammad get his first revelation. Her uncle, Waraqah, is a priest “ahlu’l kitab” just like many of his brothers, understood well about Torah and Bible directly from the ancient language Hebrew, not just from the translation in ordinary language (Arab), and he was blind as his old dizzies. When Khadija told the event / situation about Muhammad, he said that is true and validity of the prophet identity on Muhammad can’t be argued any more. This faith on her family makes Khadija as the first person who does believe with Muhammad as a prophet when much people say her husband was crazy. Even more, few days later after the first revelation, Khadija bring Muhammad to face Waraqah to seek some counseling or get some advice from him. At that moment, Waraqah advice Muhammad to be careful and also inform that someday he will be hunted to be killed by his close society / his surrounding or some group around him. Because that was the regulation from the God and that was what happens to all His prophets. From Moses, Jesus, and also Muhammad, all people whose bring God’s messages / God’s orders teaching, will be tortured or abused by their surrounding.

This is the writing about the reason why Khadija marry Muhammad, and that is why Khadija directly declare herself as a first Moslem without any doubt or confusion in early day of Muhammad’s life as prophet. Khadija is the most beloved wife /most favorite wife than the others.

Wallahu a’lam bi shawaf.

Please think objectively and gives the reply or feedback to corrects the mistakes. Thanks.