Sunday 20 March 2011

Bumi Akhir Usia


- Di dalam kisah Israk' Mikraj, Nabi menggambarkan bagaimana dalam perjalanan malamnya, Baginda bertemu dengan seorang perempuan tua. Lalu Jibril (Malaikat yang mengiringi baginda selama perjalanan Israk Mikraj) memberitahu bahawa perempuan tua ini adalah dunia yang fana (ad-dunya) {Fath al-Bari VII, 185}" Jika usia dunia ketika itu sudah terlalu tua, sudah tentu kita boleh bayangkan betapa uzur dan tak berdayanya perempuan itu sekarang dan kita harus menyedari hakikat bahawa bumi ini sudah berada di penghujung usia.


- Melihat kepada bencana Alam yang menimpa Jepun menunjukkan bahawa janji Allah itu pasti dan Dia sahajalah yang Maha Berkuasa atas tiap-tiap satu di muka bumi ini. Sehebat mana akal manusia pun, masih tak mampu melawan pengetahuan Allah. Ambillah ia sebagai satu amaran dan pengajaran buat diri kita supaya lebih mengenal Sang Pencipta.


- Di akhir zaman ini, ramai manusia makin hilang nilai tamadun, makin jahil, makin jauh dari tuhan. Bahkan binatang itu lebih mulia dari mereka. Firman Allah s.w.t "Dan sesungguhnya Kami jadikan untuk isi neraka Jahannam kebanyakan dari jin dan manusia, mereka mempunyai hati, tetapi tidak dipergunakan untuk memahami [ayat-ayat Allah] dan mereka mempunyai mata [tetapi] tidak dipergunakan untuk melihat [tanda-tanda kekuasaan Allah] dan mereka mempunyai telinga [tetapi] tidak dipergunakan untuk mendengar [ayat-ayat Allah]. Mereka itu seperti binatang ternakan, bahkan mereka lebih sesat lagi. Mereka itulah orang-orang yang lalai." ~ Al-A'raaf : 179. Bayi kecil yang dibuang merata2 itu bukankah satu sikap yang lebih hina dari binatang?

- Apakah sebenarnya matlamat hidup kita di dunia ini? Harta?? Pangkat?? Kemahsyuran di mata orang dengan ilmu di dada??  Demi Allah! Semua itu tidak bernilai langsung di sisiNYA. Bahkan orang-orang begitu amatlah rugi jika semuanya itu tidak diniatkan untuk mendapat redha Allah. Dunia ini hanya sementara, hanya destinasi PERSINGGAHAN sebelum ke destinasi terakhir. Ramai manusia lupa bahawa kita semua adalah HAMBA. HAMBA. dan HAMBA. 

- Aku hairan melihat mereka yang terlalu mengejar dunia, lebih usahanya dari kejar akhirat. Benarlah, dunia ini penuh dengan fana dan pesona, hingga terlupa pada permata yang sebenar-benarnya. Tidak ada salahnya untuk kejar apa yang ada di dunia ini, tetapi niatkanlah apa yang dikejar di dunia ini adalah satu usaha untuk mencapai kebahagiaan di akhirat yang kekal abadi.

- Kejar dunia, Akhirat lari jauh dari kita. Kejar Akhirat, Dunia terhegeh-hegeh cari kita. :)

- Jangan sombong, Jangan riya'. Apa yang kita dapat, semuanya Allah yang beri. Kita cuma berusaha, insya'allah ada ganjarannya.

- Jangan pandang lekeh pada orang miskin, orang tua, atau orang yang kerjanya 'murah' di mata manusia. Pesan saya, pada yang sedang bekerja atau bakal bekerja nanti. Kalau jumpa 'cleaner2' di pejabat, jangan sombong atau ego. Senyum2 lah. Walaupun mereka rendah dari segi jawatan, tetapi di sisi tuhan sape yang tahu? Siapa boleh jamin dirinya lebih tinggi darjatnya di sisi Allah dari si tukang sapu itu? siapa?! 

- Akhir sekali, marilah kita perbaiki diri kita, Jadilah sebenar-benar hamba, bukan cakap je hamba. Ingatlah, mereka yang berjaya menjadi sebenar2 hamba di dunia, mereka itu akan menjadi RAJA di akhirat. Manakala mereka yang menjadi raja (bukan maksudku sultan @ Raja agong tu.. -.-' ) di dunia ini, maka di akhirat nanti mereka bakal menjadi hamba, selama-lamanya, sampai bila2, kekal di dalamnya.. sekian.


p/s: Aku sering kagum dengan mamaku, sebab mama sering memberi barang-barang atau makanan kepada cleaner2 di pejabatnya. Aku ingin jadi macam mama.. :)

Sunday 13 March 2011

The Islamic Economic System as an alternative




The following is the transcript of the speech delivered by a brother on Saturday 11th October 2008.

Allah (swt) says:



كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ



“You are the best of the nation raised up for mankind because you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah” [Ali-Imran 3:110]



Allah (swt) has blessed us as being the best nation raised up from humanity because we enjoin the good and forbid the evil – we need to realise our responsibility of speaking our against the evil and injustice that we see globally today. One of these great evils we see around us is the economic injustice and oppression caused the world over by the current capitalist world order



The current financial crisis has seriously eroded confidence in the Western world and has exposed the free market. However the Western world when looking at alternatives only see remnants of Socialism or some state intervention in economy as feasible and workable systems. It is also this reason that allows free market ideologues to continue citing more regulation, transparency i.e. more capitalism with some tinkering as solutions. I recall a discussion with my previous economic Professor where I put forward the ills of Capitalism, after debating the points exhaustively he said, ‘Capitalism is the best of the worst’. I then went on to explain the Islamic economic system as an alternative, it became obvious that he had never considered Islam as having any alternative nor had studied it.



This crisis represents an opportunity for all Muslims to present the Islamic economic system as an alternative. We have to realise to consider that when Marx wrote his theories of Communism in the 1800’s whilst sitting in Britain, his ideas although many people disagreed with them were seen as a viable alternative, this is why Lenin later took up these ideas, formed a party based upon them and they were eventually embodied in a state. This occurred even though these were new theories that had no history of implementation. We have to then consider that unlike Marx who denied the existence of Allah and whose ideas were disproved by the clear reality of the failure of Communism, we have the truth from Allah (swt) and also have a history of the implementation of Islam.



Therefore today it is vital for us to present Islam as an alternative. It is important to show Islamic economics as much more then Islamic finance and Banking. What is known as Islamic banking and Islamic finance is about individuals or groups attempting to generate profits in the current system without breaking the shariah rules such as the prohibition of Riba. However today I’m going to focus on the Islamic economic system as a whole which is much wider than this and is the true alternative to the Capitalist system



Although no Islamic state exists today, we have the economic system of Islam derived from the Quran and the Sunnah and over a thousand years of history of its implementation. Based upon this we must initiate thinking amongst the ‘left’ and the right’ and to demonstrate to them how Islam is not just a religion like the others but is a comprehensive ideology able to deal with the current crisis’s that humanity is faced with.



The Islamic economic system



Of course in a short talk such as this it is not possible to go through the entire Islamic economic system in detail, I aim to cover its key aspects especially in relation to how an Islamic system holds the key to solving the current financial crisis.



As any economic student would learn in their first economics lesson, we have to start with the definition of the economic problem which is the fundamental view of the economy. In Capitalism they believe that there is unlimited wants and limited resources therefore the focus of the economy should be production, so they believe in producing more and more for people to consume. This has also come be known as ‘trickle down economics’ where the focus is on increasing the size of the cake, believing that it will somehow trickle down into the bellies of the hungry.



This is why they have so much emphasis on the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) or GNP (Gross National Product). This is why we saw the BJP talking about ‘India shining’ when the GNP had increased, even if that increase was in the bank accounts of the corporate’s and not reaching the common man



1. Islam focuses on the distribution of wealth not just the production.



Islam views the economic problem in a radically different way than Capitalism and Socialism. Islam focuses on the distribution of wealth not just the production. The problem of poverty will not be solved by producing more and more for the rich to consume rather it will be solved by ensuring that basic needs of every individual are satisfied completely. There are enough resources in the world to satisfy the basic needs of everyone



Islam looks at every individual by himself rather than the total of individuals who live in the country. It looks at him as a human being first, who needs to satisfy all of his basic needs completely. Then it looks to him in his capacity as a particular individual, to enable him to satisfy his luxuries as much as possible.



2. All basic needs guaranteed



The Ahkam Shari'ah have secured the satisfaction of all of the basic needs (food, clothing and housing) completely, for every citizen of the Islamic State (Khilafah).



The Prophet (saw) said, "The Son of Adam has no better right than that he would have a house wherein he may live, a piece of clothing whereby he may hide his nakedness and a piece of bread and some water" [Tirmidhi]



The Islamic state has a duty to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves or whose families cannot provide for them



Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz, the famous Khalifah, wrote to his agent in Basra, Iraq, ‘Search for the people of the covenant in your area who may have grown old, and are unable to earn, and provide them with regular stipends from the treasury to take care of their needs.’ [Abu Ubayd, al-Amwaal, p. 805]



The Islamic state used to have public baths, Musafir Khana’s where travellers could stay for free and even open kitchens – e.g. in Bosnia during the Ottoman Khilafah period there were open kitchens where the poor could go and eat for free



The first organised hospital was built under Islamic rule in Cairo in 872CE. The Ahmad ibn Tûlûn Hospital treated and gave free medicine to all patients. It provided separate bath houses for men and women, a rich library and a section for the insane. Patients deposited their street clothes with the hospital authorities for safe keeping, before donning special ward clothes and being assigned to their beds. Each patient would also have his or her own medical record.



3. Circulation of wealth is a duty



Allah (swt) emphasizes that the wealth should not circulate amongst the few, He (swt) says referring to wealth:



كَيْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةً بَيْنَ الْأَغْنِيَاءِ مِنْكُمْ

“That it does not become a commodity between the rich among you.” [TMQ Al-Hashr: 7]



Islam has made the circulation of wealth between all citizens an obligation, and it has forbidden the restriction of such circulation to a certain group of people to the exclusion of others.



Hoarding/monopolizing goods is forbidden. Producers or retailers cannot hoard or monopolize goods in order to cause the price to rise. This is based on the ahadith: “The Messenger of Allah (saw) forbade that a foodstuff be monopolized.” [Athram] and “Whoever monopolized is a wrongdoer.” [Muslim].



4. Prohibition of Riba – encouragement of investment



The abolition of all interest based contracts, to be replaced by contracts which share returns and risks.



Allah (swt) says:



وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا

“Allah has permitted trade and forbidden (all) interest.” [TMQ Al-Baqarah: 275]



The prohibition of Riba (usury/interest) encourages people not to just save their money in a bank waiting for the interest – rather if there will be 2.5% Zakah charged on their unused wealth – this encourages people to spend and invest which generates economic activity and is healthy for the economy. The more spending and investment, the more jobs are created and more wealth is circulated.



I want to touch briefly here about the concept of loans and Riba – people don’t realise the exploitative nature of Riba. In Islam loans are given for ethical reasons with the intention of achieving a reward from Allah. The Prophet (saw) said: "Every loan is a sadaqah". In capitalism the one who gives the loan, shares the profit but not the loss, this is very unfair and unjust. In Islam if you want to share the profit then you must share the loss also – this is the model of Partnerships or company structures in Islam. Like Mudharabah - where someone invests and the other person works and they share the profit and loss. Islam has an equity based system when both sides share the risk and the reward is fair unlike the oppressive Riba based system



Today interest based debts are crippling people and entire nations. Ali (ra), the cousin of Allah's messenger, pointed out regarding the pre-Islamic age: "We withstood the weight of the Iron, the Stone and the Lash, but we could not endure the weight of debt."



5. The Islamic economy is real and Islam prohibits the current form of financial markets



The Islamic economy is based upon wealth generation where participants partake in investment, employment and trade in the real economy. Islam does not have a dual economy where the real economy operates alongside a financial sector. The Islamic economy focuses all participants on the real economy, through employment, company profits, utilisation of land (agriculture) and manufacturing, wealth is generated in only one sector. This brings the huge benefit of wealth only circulating in one sector - the real economy, where all can participate.



The Islamic system does not recognise the financial markets in their current form. One is able to purchase shares and transfer them without actually partaking in the running of the underlying company that the shares are meant to represent. In Islam ownership is a direct role in a company and not just a share certificate which in effect the stock market allows to be traded and re-traded. It is this ability to not have a direct role in a company that allows excessive speculation. The financial markets are different to the real economy of goods and services. As the first speaker pointed out this is in fact one of the root problems of Capitalism, the size of the world’s stock markets are estimated at $51 trillion, the world derivative markets are valued at $480 trillion, 30 times the size of the US economy and 12 times the size of the world economy!



There are many reasons as to why Public Limited Companies (PLC’s) stock markets are haram in Islam. One of the key reasons being the issue of liability. The public limited company system gives the public company a distinct quality of limited liability, aimed at protecting major capitalists and businessmen in case the company fails and incurs losses, in which case, those who have claims against it would not be able to demand from its investors any compensation no matter how large the personal assets of the investors are. The financial claims are only confined to what is left in the company in terms of assets. This system is contradictory to Shari'ah in every aspect. The Shari'ah rule obliges all to repay debts in full to the rightful owners, and it is forbidden to cut anything from them.



Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "He who takes money from people with the intention of paying it back Allah will pay on his behalf, and he who takes it with the intention to waste it Allah will waste him."



Ahmed also reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah who said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:"You shall return the rights to their rightful owners on the Day of Judgement, even the ewe with no horns will get even with the ewe with horns by butting it back."



Hence, the Messenger of Allah (saw) has confirmed the obligation of fulfiling one's rights in full in temporal life, and if one does not he will do so on the Day of Judgement. This serves as a warning for those who devour people's rights.



Islam has its own company structures, there are 5 types which are all related to real partnerships between body and capital. These are Al-'Inan (equal), Al-Abdan (bodies), Al-Mudharaba (two or more), Al-Wujooh (faces) and Al-Mufawadha (negotiation)



Ad-Daraqutni narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (SAW) said: “The Supreme said I am the third of the two partners as long as one of them does not betray his companion. If he betrayed, I would withdraw from them.”



Islam is against monopolies and encourages competition



PLC stock market companies are able to amass huge amounts of wealth today, to the extent that some companies have more wealth than some countries. In an Islamic system this could not happen due to the prohibition of PLC’s who are able to generate this wealth by issuing shares to the public. This has a positive impact on the economy, as huge companies are able to become monopolies, duopolies or oligopolies which are able to dominate the market place such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Even Capitalist agree that monopolies are negative externalities and Adam Smith, the founding father of Capitalism dreamed of an economy with perfect competition an ideal which they can never achieve due to the free market itself. However the Islamic economic system leads to this as by applying its rules it would lead to small to medium companies competing with each other in every market which is healthy for the economy as competition decreases the price and increases quality.



E.g. Why should 3 companies dominate the entire soft drinks market in the world as is today? They completely dominate the market, have enough wealth to buy out any competitors like Coke did with ‘Thumbs Up’ in India. Monopolies have the power to sell lower grade goods to the market without us having any choice, we all remember the Pesticide scandal that took place here.



6. It is prohibited to sell what you don’t have



Unlike today where we see short selling or forward selling, where people sell what they don’t yet own



Islam makes it a requirement for traders to own currencies, instruments and commodities before selling them. It is narrated from Hakeem bin Hazam (ra) who said: “I said: O Messenger of Allah, there comes to me a man asking me to sell what I do not have to sell then I buy if from the market. He said: Do not sell what you do not have” [Ahmad]



7. Islam neither believes in a free market nor a command economy



The Islamic economic system is neither Capitalist where the market is left free to lead to the disasters that we are seeing nor Communist where everything is owned and controlled by the state. Islam distinguishes between public property, state property and private property. Islam forbids the private ownership of the large resources such as the Oil and Gas that we see the Western companies fighting over in the Muslim world.



The Prophet (saw) said:



«الناس شركاء في ثلاث الماء والكلأ والنار»

"People share in three things, fire, water and the green pastures" reported by Abu Dawud. Anas reported from Ibn Abbas adding “and its price is forbidden”.



In addition to this the Prophet (saw) used to take back lands from people if he found they contained vast resources such as a salt mine.



The huge revenue generated by public resources such as Oil and Gas in an Islamic state be utilised for the benefit of the public and not for the personal interests of the rulers who siphon off the money into their swiss bank accounts and spend it for their own pleasure as we see the rulers of the Gulf doing today. The Prophet (saw) said:



«…الإمام راع وهو مسؤول عن رعيته »

“The Imam is a shepard and he is responsible.” [Bukhari, Ahmad, Bayhaqi]



8. The Gold & Silver standard for currency



As the brother has explained in the first talk, today’s currency is fiat currency backed by no real assets, only backed by confidence. This is the reason we have increasing inflation the world over. Islam solves this problem as the basis of the currency in Islam is Gold & Silver, the currency is backed by and is interchangeable with it.



The Prophet (saw) established the basis of the Islamic currency, the Dirham and the Dinar upon these tangible things which hold real value and retain value. The Islamic rules have been set in the Quran and Sunnah in terms of Gold and Silver such as the Nisab of Zakah.



It is allowed to have paper notes as long as they are backed by Gold and Silver. So in the Islamic state you can go to the Bayt al-Mal and exchange the paper notes. Therefore inflation is eliminated as the value of gold and silver are stable. The Islamic state cannot just simply print money as they do today without any asset backing, or create money out of thin air! In fact due to the current inflation and financial crisis we can see people are turning to buying gold instead of putting their money in stocks as they know it has a real value.



Conclusion



As you would have realised the key aspects of the economic system I highlighted are much more than the current Islamic banking or Islamic finance and it should be clear that this system cannot be implemented without a true Islamic state which rules by the Shariah and unlike the Muslim world today is a truly independent state and not an agent of the West.



Instead of turning to billions of dollars of bailouts where the US and UK are spending tax payers money in order to save their collapsing financial system, people should realise that Islam offers the world a practical alternative. The next speaker will elaborate on the importance of taking the Islamic system as a whole and not separating the economic system of Islam from the other systems such as ruling or punishment.



Even many non-Muslim thinkers have recognised the progress and development that was achieved under Islamic rule in history in all fields of science and technology.



Phillip Hitti in 'Short History of the Arabs' says, "During all the first part of the Middle Ages, no other people made as important a contribution to human progress as did the Arabs, if we take this term to mean all those whose mother-tongue was Arabic, and not merely those living in the Arabian peninsula. For centuries, Arabic was the language of learning, culture and intellectual progress for the whole of the civilized world with the exception of the Far East. From the 9th to the 12th century there were more philosophical, medical, historical, religious, astronomical and geographical works written in Arabic than in any other human tongue."



The Islamic system has come for the whole of humanity



وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ

“And We have sent you (O Muhammad SAW) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamîn.” [TMQ 21:107]



It is a system not thought up by the minds of men, rather it is from the creator of humankind Allah (swt) and it is the perfect system for humanity. Let us all work to re-establish this system once again.



Hasan al Basri narrated that Allah's Messenger (saw) said: "He whom death overtakes while he is engaged in acquiring knowledge with a view to reviving Islam with the help of it, there will be one degree between him and the Prophets in Paradise." [Al-Tirmidhi]



Saturday 12 March 2011

Mengapa perlu berkahwin?

1. Aku tidak mahu berkahwin!, Aku bosan dengan orang lelaki yang berhidung belang! Lelaki sekarang hanya mahu kepuasan nafsu sahaja tapi tidak reti untuk membimbing! Nak jadi imam pun tak tahu.. Solat jauh sekali!!

2. Buat ape aku perlu berkahwin? aku dah ada kerjaya sendiri. Hidup aku lebih aman damai, tak perlu ribut tentang anak-anak. Aku enjoy dengan kehidupan sekarang nih.

3. Saya takutlah nak berkahwin, tak bersedia, nanti banyak sangat komitmen..

4. Mampukah saya menjadi isteri/suami yang baik?.. Berkahwin bukan untuk bercerai..

*****

Mungkin kita pernah mendengar pernyataan di atas yang berbentuk luahan hati dan perasaan dari sahabat kita atau orang yang pernah merasakan kepahitan hidup akibat dari latarbelakang keluarga yang tidak harmoni. Bahkan juga dari mereka yang takut dan risau memberikan komitmen dalam perkahwinan.

Zaman ini, menunjukkan ramainya mereka yang bekerjaya profesional, hidup mewah tidak mahu berkahwin. Terutamanya apabila yang sudah mempunyai pendapatan tetap sendiri, dirasanya hidup tidak perlu kehadiran orang lelaki/perempuan..


Mengapa Perlu Berkahwin ?

Persoalan di atas adalah soal pokok terutamanya mereka yang akan berkahwin, 'bercouple', dan juga kepada mereka yang tidak mahu berkahwin samada takut, risau, serta alasan yang lain. (Kecuali mereka yang mempunyai penyakit yang boleh mendatangkan bahaya atau kecacatan kepada pasangan seperti HIV, AIDS, sopak dan kusta. Serta mereka yang mempunyai sikap yang jahat, tidak mahu/mampu memberi nafkah kepada isteri, mahu mendera dan membalas dendam ke atas isteri/suami).

Perkahwinan sebenarnya adalah untuk menyahut seruan fitrah manusia yang telah difitrahkan oleh ALlah. Manusia mempunyai keinginan dan kehendak terutamnya di dalam persoalan seksual. Islam telah menetapkan jalan di mana perkahwinan sahajalah yang menjadi penyelesai masalah bagi memenuhi tuntutan tersebut.

Dari Abi Samrah r.a menyatakan :



Nabi melarang daripada hidup membujang.
(Riwayat at Tirmidzi dalam kitab perkahwinan, bab meninggalkan perkahwinan).

Saad bin Abi Waqqas r.a berkata :
"RasuluLLah telah menolak permohonan Osman bin Maz'un untuk hidup membujang. Kalaulah RasuluLlah membenarkannya nescaya kami akan mengembiri.
(Riwayat Muslim dlam Kitab Nikah, bab sunat berkahwinan bagi sesiapa yang berkeinginan, nombor 1402).




Di zaman ini, lihatlah, terdapat antara kita yang mempunyai keinginan tetapi disalurkan di jalan yang dimurkai ALLah. Ada yang menolak perkahwinan tetapi mereka tidak dapat membendung keinginan serta menjauhkan diri dari fitnah terhadap lelaki dan wanita. Ia sendiri tidak dapat menjaga diri dari anasir yang tidak elok. Akhirnya ada yang telah menghampiri kepada zina serta menjerumuskan diri di dalamnya. Anak-anak luar nikah dikandungnya, ada yang dibunuh, dibuang, dan juga dibela.


Ada juga yang mengatakan ingin sahaja membela anak angkat. Sayangnya di dalam Islam, anak angkat tidak pula dibolehkan mewarisi hartanya. Di masa tua pula, ia tetap juga merasa kesepian dan kelainan disebabkan anak yang dibela sejak kecil tetap bukan anak dari darah dagingnya sendiri.


Perkahwinan untuk melahirkan keturunan yang soleh dan berkualiti


Sabda RasuluLLah s.a.w yang bererti :
"Kahwinilah perempuan yang pengasih dan mampu melahirkan ramai anak kerana aku berbangga dengan umatku yang ramai pada hari kiamat.
(Riwayat Abu Daud dalam sunannya : KItab nikah, bab larangan daripada menikahi perempuan yang tidak boleh melahirkan anak, nombor 2050; An Nasai dalam kitab nikah, bab makruh mengahwini perempuan mandul, nombor 65/6)


Dengan jalan yang halal ini, maka ia dapat membentuk institusi kekeluargaan sekaligus institusi masyarakat Islam yang dipenuhi dengan generasi yang berkualiti. Jauh bezanya dengan anak yang lahir dari perbuatan zina. Mereka adalah generasi yang terbuang yang tidak mengenali sama sekali siapakah ibu dan ayah mereka. Mereka lahir dalam keadaan jiwa yang membenci dan dendam kepada kedua orang tuanya, masyarakat sekeliling dan manusia keseluruhannya.


Jiwa tenang dengan jalan pernikahan


Perkahwinan yang halal akan menghasilkan ketenangan dan ketenteraman. Firman ALLah ta'ala yang bererti :

"Dan di antara tanda-tanda yang membuktikan kekuasaan dan rahmat-Nya bahawa Dia menciptakan untuk kamu (wahai kaum lelaki,) isteri-isteri dari jenis kamu sendiri supaya kamu bersenang hati dan hidup kasih sayang dan belas kasihan. Sesungguhnya yang demikian itu mengandungi keterangan-keterangan (yang menimbulkan kesedaran) bagi orang-orang yang berfikir".
(Ar Rum :21)


Berapa ramai manusia yang menolak perkahwinan fikiran dan hatinya tidak berasa tenang, tiada teman untuk dikongsi masalah? Tidak dapat merasakan hubungan halal antara lelaki dan wanita melalui jalan perkahwinan? Fikiran sentiasa runsing dengan masalah-masalah yang tidak terluah yang mengegarkan jiwa dan fikiran, perasaannya tertekan, kemurungan lalu membawa kepada perasaan malu dan pesimis.


Perkahwinan meluaskan persaudaraaan dan membina prinsip kerjasama.


Sebelum perkahwinan - kita akan fikir untuk hidup buat diri sendiri sahaja. Kurang bertanggungjawab dan kematangan dalam pengurusan hidup. Solat bersendirian, berdoa, tawa dan tangis juga berseorangan.


Sebelum berkahwin - tidak banyak ilmu yang ditimba untuk menjadikan diri sebagai individu Muslim yang dapat menjalankan tugas sebagai khalifah yang lebih sempurna. Kita tidak kenal istilah suami dan isteri, ibu dan bapa serta anak. Tidak juga mengetahui apa itu munakahat yang menyentuh tentang bab kekeluargaan seperti talaq, khuluq, hadonah (hak penjagaan anak), aqiqah dan sebagainya. Maka dengan jalan perkahwinan menjadikan diri bersiap sedia dengan ilmu untuk menguruskan sebuah keluarga. Seorang suami sebagai imam solat dan pemimpin, isteri sebagai teman dan pendokong kepada suaminya di kala susah dan senang.


Isteri akan membantu suami di dalam urusan seharian, makan pakainya, tempat tinggal dan anak-anak. Suami pula akan bersama di dalam mencari rezeki yang halal, mempertahankan, melindungi dan memelihara kehormatan isteri.


Dengan jalan halal yang telah digariskan oleh Islam, daerah persaudaraan akan semakin meluas. Saling kenal mengenali antara sesama dua keluarga yang telah disatukan di atas jalan ini. Ia akan melahirkan suatu ikatan baru dan saling berkasih sayang antara satu dengan yang lain.


Carilah saluran yang halal, dengan jalan perkahwinan dapat menjamin kesejahteraan masyarakat, menyebarkan kebaikan, penjagaan akhlak serta pengekalan keturunan manusia.


"Dan kahwinilah orang-orang bujang (lelaki dan perempuan) di antara kamu, dan orang soleh daripada hamba-hamba kamu, lelaki dan perempuan. Jika mereka miskin, ALLah akan memberikan kekayaan kepada mereka dari limpah kurnia-Nya, kerana ALlah amat luas (rahmat dan limpah kurnia-Nya), lagi amat mengetahui".
(An Nur : 32)

Sunday 6 March 2011

Pengenalan Sistem Kewangan Islam Malaysia


Abdul Hakim bin Johari
Fakulti Syariah dan Pengajian Islam
Jabatan Ekonomi dan Perbankan Islam
Universiti Yarmouk, Jordan

Islam adalah agama fitrah bagi manusia.  Agama yang dibawa oleh baginda Muhammad s.a.w ini merupakan satu-satunya agama yang diredhai oleh Allah ta’ala sepertimana Firman Allah Ta’ala "Sesungguhnya agama yang diredhai Allah ialah Islam..." (19, Ali Imran). Ajaran Islam yang diturunkan Allah kepada seluruh umat manusia ini bukan sekadar memberi pengajaran tentang Aqidah dan Ibadah semata, bahkan merangkumi seluruh aspek kehidupan termasuklah hukum-hakam dan transaksi kewangan.

Berdasarkan keterangan di atas, dapatlah difahami bahawa Islam bukan hanya meliputi hubungan manusia dengan Pencipta, tetapi juga cara manusia mengendalikan sumber-sumber ekonomi yang ada di muka bumi ini seperti mana firman Allah ta’ala “ Katakanlah: Siapakah yang mengharamkan perhiasan daripada Allah yang telah dikeluarkanNya untuk hamba-hambaNya dan (siapa pulakah yang mengharamkan) rezeki yang baik?” Katakanlah: “Semuanya itu (disediakan) bagi orang-orang yang beriman dalam kehidupan dunia, khusus (untuk mereka saja) pada hari kiamat”. Demikianlah Kami menjelaskan ayat-ayat itu bagi orang yang mengetahui. (Q7:32)

Maksud Sistem kewangan ialah pasaran-pasaran dan peraturan- peraturan tentang tindakan Perdagangan, mempercepatkan aliran dana daripada pembeli kepada penjual dan daripada penyimpan kepada peminjam. Manakala Sistem Kewangan Islam meliputi aktiviti-aktiviti yang berkaitan kewangan (at-tasarrufat al-maliah) dalam semua sektor ekonomi islam. Ia juga menjadi keperluan kepada pembiayaan (financing needs) oleh setiap unit ekonomi dalam menjalankan kegiatan ekonomi. Dengan kata lain, Sistem Kewangan Islam (SKI) merupakan sistem kewangan yang menjalankan operasi kewangannya berdasarkan prinsip-prinsip syariah.

Asas-asas Sistem Kewangan Islam :
  1. 1.      Aktiviti pelaburan berasaskan perkongsian untung rugi.
  2. 2.      Riba tidak dibenarkan dalam kes-kes hutang.
  3. 3.      Semua aktiviti pelaburan berdasarkan kontrak muamalah.
  4. 4.      Berasaskan penyertaan dalam proses pengeluaran bukan perniagaan secara hutang.

Pada masa kini, hampir semua negara di dunia mengaplikasikan sistem kewangan konvensional dalam menggerakkan ekonomi negara mereka. Walaubagaimanapun, terdapat juga usaha beberapa buah negara Islam yang sudah mula beralih kepada sistem kewangan Islam sepenuhnya seperti Sudan, Pakistan dan Iran.

Apabila memperkatakan tentang Sistem Kewangan Islam, ia adalah satu skop yang sangat luas kerana ia meliputi Sistem Perbankan Islam, Pasaran Modal Islam, Takaful, Unit Amanah, Pasaran Wang, Pasaran Hadapan dan sebagainya. Kesemua ini terbentuk disebabkan terdapatnya permintaan dan keperluan dari masyarakat muslim khususnya untuk menggunakan instrumen-intrumen kewangan yang berlandaskan syariah.

       Perbankan Islam pula merupakan salah satu cabang di bawah sistem kewangan Islam. Kewujudan Sistem Perbankan Islam sebenarnya adalah disebabkan faktor penggunaan riba yang diaplikasikan dalam keseluruhan Sistem Perbankan Konvensional. Disebabkan kesederan tentang perkara ini, maka lahirlah beberapa cendekiawan Islam yang menjadi pencetus dalam bidang ini seperti Dr. Nejatullah Siddiqi (India), Dr. Ahmad Najjar (Mesir), dan Dr. Monzer Kahf.

       Pengertian Bank Islam ialah “sebuah institusi kewangan ekonomi yang dibangunkan dengan perantaraan wang di antara pendeposit dan pelabur berlandaskan konsep syariah”- Dr. Amir A’tum (Masorif Islamiah Mu’asarah). Sistem perbankan dan kewangan islam adalah berlandaskan 4 sumber iaitu Al-Quran, Hadis, Ijma’ dan juga qiyas. Biarpun terdapat perselisihan pendapat diantara pengamal sistem perbankan islam, namun perselisihan ini masih di dalam lingkungan 4 sumber tersebut.

      Terdapat banyak prinsip syariah yang diaplikasikan dalam sistem perbankan islam antaranya Mudharabah, Musyarakah, Murabahah, Bai’ Bithamin Ajil, Bai’ al-Inah, Bai’ As-salam, Bai’ al-istijrar, sarf, Al-ijarah thumma al-bai’, Ijarah, Kafalah, Wakalah, Hiwalah, Ujur, Qardul Hasan, Bai’ al-dayn, Al-wadiah yad dhomanah, ar-rahnu, hibah dan sebagainya.

      Di Malaysia, institusi kewangan islam yang pertama ditubuhkan ialah Tabung Haji pada tahun 1969. Sebelum itu, ia dikenali sebagai Perbadanan Wang Simpanan Bakal-Bakal Haji. Desakan reformis-reformis Islam tanah air supaya kerajaan menubuhkan bank islam di Malaysia menjadi kenyataan apabila kerajaan menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Pemandu Kebangsaan Bank Islam (National Steering Committee) pada tahun 1981 yang dipengerusikan YM Raja Tan Sri Mohar bin Raja Badiozaman dan LTH dilantik sebagai urusetia. Akhirnya Bank Islam pertama di Malaysia telah berjaya ditubuhkan pada Julai 1983. Kejayaan penubuhan Bank Islam diteruskan dengan penubuhan Bank Muamalat pada tahun 1999.


Perkembangan Institusi Perbankan dan Kewangan Islam Mengikut Tempoh Tertentu*
1950-an
·          Sarjana dan para ekonomi islam mula mengemukakan model bagi sitem kewangan dan perbankan bagi menggantikan perbankan yang berasaskan faedah.
·          Konsep mudharabah berkembar dicadangkan sebagai model untuk perbankan Islam.
1960-an
·          Amalan prinsip pembiayaan islam bermula.
·          Mekanisme operasi untuk institusi kewangan islam dicadangkan.
·          Bangun dan jatuhnya Mit. Ghamar Savings Bank di Mesir,1963-67.
·          Penubuhan Lembaga Tabung Haji di Malaysia.
1970-an
·          Penubuhan bank-bank Islam dan isntitusi kewangan bukan bank.
·          Aktiviti akademik mula diatur.
·          Penubuhan istitusi akademik
·          Mekanisme kewangan murabahah mula dibangunkan.
·          Buku-buku berkaitan perbankan Islam berasaskan PLS, murabahah dan pajakan mula diterbitkan.
·          Bank Islam Dubai, 1975
·          Bank Pembangunan Islam (IDB), 1975
·          Konfren Ekonomi Islam Antarabangsa Pertama 1976 di Makkah
·          Pusat Penyelidikan Ekonomi Islam, Jeddah.
1980-an
·          Kepentingan polisi sektor awam.
·          Lebih banyak bank swasta
·          Pelbagai produk perbankan islam
·          Minat dikalangan ahli akademik dan kelompok kewangan Barat mula bertambah.
·          Bank konvensional mula adakan konsep jendela (window) yang menawarkan produk islam
·          Lebih banyak program penyelidikan, pengajaran dan latihan dilaksanakan
·          Pertumbuhan indeks islam dan dana amanah.
·          Pakistan, Iran, Sudan, Malaysia dan lain-lain negara cuba merubah keseluruhan sistem atau mengguna sistem islam.
·          IMFmenerbitkan kertas kerja, artikel berkaitan perbankan Islam, penyelidikan dan penerbitan berkaitan perbankan Islam berkembang.
·          Akademi Fiqh OIC dan lain-lain Lembaga Fiqh.
·          Penubuhan dana amanah Islam di seluruh dunia.
1990-an
·          Berkembangnya konsep jendela (window) Islam
·          Peningkatan instrument kewangan berasaskan harta, pengiktirafan kepada pentingnya bank dan institusi kewanangan islam.
·          Penubuhan Indeks Islam di Dow Jones dan Financial Times
·          Peraturan dan penyeliaan mula dititikberatkan.
·          Piawaian AAOIFI dikeluarkan
·          Kerja membangunkan institusi penyokong bermula
Awal 2000-an
·          Pertumbuhan dan kematangan yang berterusan di samping cabaran berisiko
·          Lengkapnya arkitek kewangan islam
·          Pengurusan risiko dan kawalan korporat diberi perhatian
·          Saiz ekonomi dan percantuman

·          Pasaran sekuriti berasaskan harta
·          Lembaga Perkhidmatan Kewangan Islam, Malaysia
·          Badan Penarafan Islam Antarabangsa, Bahrain
*Sumber jadual: Sistem Kewangan dan Perbankan Islam, Prof.  Dr. Sudin Haron, hal. 64

p/s: Artikel ini telah disiarkan dalam Buku Kertas kerja dan artikel di Seminar Kewangan Islam ke 2, Univesiti Yarmouk Jordan. Sebarang cetakan dan edaran semula artikel ini adalah DIBENARKAN. Harapan saya agar ia dapat memberi sedikit kefahaman kepada masyarakat muslim lain tentang sistem kewangan islam.