Sheer Personifications

After 3 years, my little brother has returned to Malaysia from Tareem for the holidays this Ramadhan. At 22 years of age, he has become a fully grown young man. However, shyness remains one of his main traits. I am glad to see how Hadramawt has changed him. It has indeed put him in the right path. Exactly what he has been dreaming of since his adolescence.

In 2016, my brother had departed for Tareem, Yemen to continue his religious studies in an islamic school known as Dar al-Mustofa (House of The Chosen One). When I was told that he was heading to one of the failed states in the world, I had feared for his life! My mother then had explained how Habib Ali Zainal Abidin had suggested that my brother should pursue his studies after graduating from Madrasah al-Attas. Knowing Habib Ali, I felt definite that what my brother had chosen to do was for the sake of Allah.

Is Dar al-Mustafa, Yemen safe?

Alhamdulillah Tareem was safe from the wars that erupted in the South of Yemen. I heard that there were minimal incidents of crossfires but Dar al-Mustafa was safe from any conflicts. I suppose it is due to the barokah of its teachers and the learning students. May Allah always continue to Protect them from any harm.

What is the Nature of Learning in Dar al-Mustofa?

It is a must for students to be well versed in the Arabic language before they are able to enroll for their core courses. Habib ‘Umar bin Hafiz who is the Dean insists that everyone speaks no other language than Arabic in Dar al-Mustafa. That is why the students chose to study in Yemen in the first place anyway.

Their campus is convenient with basic facilities. One thing though. One should understand that Tareem is a place of no worldly luxury life. If you are a student of Islam who intends to seek knowledge and embark on a true spiritual cleansing journey, then Tareem is the best place for you. Thus, before really opting to further your religious studies in Dar al-Mustafa, you must make sure that you have tuned into the right mindset. However, if you are looking for a more modern setting, then it is better that you head off to Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the likes.

Certificates, pointers and examination results are not a priority in Dar al-Mustafa. Instead Habib ‘Umar greatly emphasizes in deep understanding in knowledge. This is because he does not want the students to chase cosmetic achievements but he believes in learning and adopting it as a way of life. Which is the life of our beloved Prophet S.A.W.

What is the Objective of Dar al- Mustafa as an Islamic educational institution?

Its objectives consists of 3 facets; Knowledge, Suluk and Dakwah. Firstly is the enable the students to attain authentic Islamic Knowledge from its great scholars of ahlussunnah wal jama’ah. These knowledge are acquired or passed down by the method of sanad which can be traced back from Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.

Believe it or not, the practice of teaching knowledge by passing down to the future generations is not only practiced via the chains of scholars to their students but also culturally maintained in families in Yemen.The sharing of knowledge in unbroken chains (sanad) is a strong practice there.

Then there is Suluk where the students seek to be close to Allah SWT by cleansing their hearts and strengthening spirituality. Throughout the day, besides attending lectures, students would come together for sessions of dhikr and recitations. They have a small kitab of compilation of dhikr known as the Khulasah. Habib ‘Umar bin Hafez hopes to create more emulators if not close copies of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.

Finally there is the Dakwah. Students of Dar al-Mustafa are taught with various methods to spread Islam and Sunnah of the Prophet S.A.W. When the time comes, selected students would set out to certain places to do dakwah.

Currently, there are students who have graduated from Dar al-Mustafa and are doing dakwah with a more modern approach that suits the current trend. It is hoped that Dar al-Mustafa will keep on producing more excellent students who will continue the responsilibites of dakwah like our beloved Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. Insyaa Allah!

Interested in pursuing your studies in Dar al-Mustafa? Visit their site at http://www.thedowra.org . By the way, they also have Dar al-Zahra for the girls.

I remember my grandfather told me once “Manusia jadi jahat sebab satu benda je, mereka hendakkan kasih sayang” (People become bad because of only one thing, they want love). His statement was in response of me curiously asking him why on earth is everybody calling atuk or abah. A queer character, my tok sedara is a prolific political writer but also a philanthropist. More often than not, he would accept guests with open arms. His warm welcome made people at ease. They became so comfortable that some even stayed for months. Oh well, that’s his part of charity for the Hereafter.

Back to his statement, how illogical it may seem to me at that time. It does seem to have some truth to it. In a book I read recently entitled “Raising girls: Helping your daughter to grow up wise, warm and strong” by Steve Biddulph, he says that a girl (perhaps applies to boys too) goes through five stages of growth. The first stage which is vital in providing the stable platform of being human is being secure.

Babies from the day they were born to 2 years old are in a phase of total insecurity. They need full attention. Like building a house, a child will have a strong emotional foundation if it is loved via hugs and attentive communication. A crying child would calm down if a mother takes it into her arms for cuddles. Feeding and clothing a child would be insufficient for it to develop prosperously emotionally and mentally.

Biddulph asserts that affection is the key. Not only via hugs and cuddles but also play! I saw a documentary on pregnancy that explains how pregnancy would affect the infant’s character and intelligence. It says that if you want an intelligent child, the father must play the role to care and show affection to the mother during pregnancy. It shows that how much does love and affection is instrumental in the process of human growth along the way.

However, despite that the seeds of love should be sown from the beginning stages of life, it is never too late for anyone at any phase. All they need is a little compassion and love.

I have abandoned this blog for way too long. I had some time perusing my old posts since 2007. It is interesting to reread what you wrote years back. It reminds yourself of who you were and what you went through at that particular time. Our existing conditions usually influence the way we narrate our stories and the ideas we lay out. Those days I can see how complex and philosophical my thoughts were.

Now? I am more focused about what can I do for my family and how I can prepare for my Hereafter life. You see, people change by the phases of their lives. Or perhaps labour has altered my brain.

Anyway, I wish to revive my writing activities in this space. None about politics at the moment. It’ll be more about sharing information, thoughts or even reviews. Sorry my dear political pundits but life goes on. Hope you’ll still find something useful anyway.