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Tag: MUIS

  • Angry Parent: Madrasah Teachers Did Not Carry Out Lesson In English As Advertised, My Son Cannot Understand The Lessons

    Angry Parent: Madrasah Teachers Did Not Carry Out Lesson In English As Advertised, My Son Cannot Understand The Lessons

    My child goes to the mosque every Saturday for religious classes. The classes are supposed to be conducted in English but the teacher speaks Malay instead.

    Because of this, my child cannot understand what is going on and has lost interest in going to the classes. She cries every week. The religious teacher insists on using Malay in an English class and ignores those who don’t understand.

    Should I make a complaint? Who shall I address it to? MUIS or PERGAS? Why aren’t the ustazahs trained like MOE teachers? Don’t they need to have a good command of English to teach? What standards are they held to when it comes to pedagogy?

    Above all, why do they speak Malay in a religious class that is supposed to be taught in English? Isn’t that the reason why I put my children there in the first place?

    It’s sad that nothing has changed in over 20 years. I hated going to religious classes because they were ALL conducted in Malay during my time. The teachers then wouldn’t have passed an MOE interview by any means (no standard). Now, they advertise religious classes in English but end up teaching in Malay and the teachers ostracise those children who don’t speak Malay.

    Why? Does being able to speak Malay somehow make you more religious? That’s the kind of bullshit mentality that hasn’t been eradicated for over 2 decades.

    I can still remember the rubbish my Ustazah told me when I was a kid…

    “Nak percaya Quran ke nak percaya scientist?”

    All because I asked why Allah never mentioned about dinosaurs.

    Utter bullshit.

    #MadrasahIsCrap#KampungMentalityStillStrong#WeHaveNotProgressed#MalayProblem#IfOnlyYouCouldSeeMeNowUstazah

     

    Source: Abdul Malik Mohammed Ghazali

  • Mufti Fatris Bakaram: Ikut Contoh Nabi Muhammad Dalam Menangani Cabaran

    Mufti Fatris Bakaram: Ikut Contoh Nabi Muhammad Dalam Menangani Cabaran

    [Sewaktu] di Universiti al-Azhar, saya kembali dibawa untuk mempelajari sirah Nabi sekali lagi. Namun tidak lagi hanya dalam bentuk pembentangan fakta. Kami dibawa untuk membanding sumber-sumber sejarah yang berbeza, meneliti hujah dan dalil yang menjadi sumber pemberitaan sejarah yang ada, berfikiran kritikal dan analitikal terhadap peristiwa-peristiwa yang dikhabarkan, mengkaji sebab dan akibat dari setiap peristiwa, dan mengenalpasti pengajaran yang dapat dirumuskan daripadanya.

    Kini, mungkin kerana faktor umur, atau mungkin kerana pembacaan-pembacaan saya, atau mungkin kerana pengalaman selama suku abad terlibat di dalam pelbagai isu agama di dalam kehidupan masyarakat, saya merasakan bahawa semakin saya membaca tentang sirah Nabi saw semakin saya terpesona dengan perwatakan baginda.

    Menelusuri pelbagai peristiwa tegang dan peperangan yang banyak terjadi sepanjang sejarah baginda, saya dapati faktor konflik tidak lagi menjadi titik pemerhatian pusat yang memenuhi atau mempengaruhi minda saya. Yang lebih terserlah kepada saya kini ialah keunggulan keperibadian Nabi saw dalam peranannya sebagai pembimbing dan pemimpin di sebalik segala cabaran yang dihadapi. Baginda tetap optimistik dan berfikiran positif walaupun ada kalanya berhadapan dengan keadaan yang sangat getir. Baginda tidak pernah berputus asa menginginkan kebaikan walaupun untuk orang yang mengimpikan kesengsaraan terhadap baginda. Keanggunan akhlak mulia baginda tidak pernah pudar mahupun luntur biarpun tekanan demi tekanan yang diterima seakan-akan melenyapkan segala harapan yang ada. Di sebalik keteguhan jiwa yang dimiliki, kelembutan budi dan kehalusan bicara baginda tidak pernah berubah walaupun masa banyak mengubah apa yang ada di sekelilingnya. Jauh daripada sifat tergopoh-gapah ketika berusaha mengatasi krisis yang melanda, baginda malah senantiasa tenang mengatur strategi dengan kematangan serta kebijaksanaan yang menjadi contoh tauladan sepanjang zaman.

    Inilah rahmah yang sebenarnya.
    Iman tidak pernah dipohonkan untuk menjadi payung bagi mengelakkan insan daripada basah dihujani ujian Tuhan. Sebaliknya, iman digenggam bagaikan azimat untuk meneguhkan jiwa dalam berani menghadapi apapun cabaran yang menerpa, dengan keluhuran akhlak tidak tergugat dan kelembutan budi bicara tetap terjaga.

    Sesekali tercubit hati terasa derita apabila ribut datang menjelma. Namun seorang mukmin tidak akan patah semangatnya. Kerana di sebalik kesedarannya bahawa dia hanyalah makhluk yang lemah, ada Tuhan yang diimaninya sebagai sumber kekuatan dan tempat pergantungan. Yang tiada iman menghiasi dada pula akan senantiasa mendabik dadanya, menyombong dan menyangka bahawa dialah yang hebat dan kuat berhadapan dengan apapun taufan mahupun gempa. Dia terlupa, pokok besar yang paling megah batangnya pun, akan mudah tumbang jika akarnya rapuh.

    Imam al-Bukhari meriwayatkan sabda baginda Nabi:

    ‎مَثَلُ المُؤْمِنِ كَالخَامَةِ مِنَ الزَّرْعِ، تُفَيِّئُهَا الرِّيحُ مَرَّةً، وَتَعْدِلُهَا مَرَّةً، وَمَثَلُ المُنَافِقِ كَالأَرْزَةِ، لاَ تَزَالُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ انْجِعَافُهَا مَرَّةً وَاحِدَةً»

    Bermaksud: Perumpamaan orang beriman adalah umpama tumbuhan yang berbatang lembut, ada ketikanya condong ditiup angin dan ada ketikanya pula kembali menegak. Sementara perumpamaan orang munafik pula adalah umpama pohon kayu yang berbatang besar, tetap keras menegak sehinggalah tercabut samasekali (dibantai ribut).

    Salam bersambut mengundang ramah
    Menyahut sungguh cinta yang jatuh
    Pekerti yang lembut bukannya lemah
    Yang besar angkuh menanti runtuh

     

    Source: Fatris Bakaram

  • Commentary: Friday Sermon Feels A Little Scripted

    Commentary: Friday Sermon Feels A Little Scripted

    Salam admin dan semua,

    If you would have been in the mosque earlier, you would have heard todays khutbah which is quite short and straight to the point in my opinion. But in a way, don’t you agree that it feels a little scripted?

    The sermon can be found in MUIS website too if you don’t believe. Heh kind of timely too right?

    Assalamualaikum.

    —————————————————————————————————————————————

    Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
    Friday Sermon
    10 March 2017 /11 Jamadil Akhir 1438H
    A Comprehensive Understanding of Religion

    Dear respected Friday Jemaah,
    Let us have taqwa to Allah s.w.t. with the utmost taqwa. Know that every action that we do in this world will be judged and every word that we utter will be weighed in the Hereafter.
    Dear Jemaah,
    The sermon last week affirmed the importance for a Muslim to obtain a true and correct understanding with regards to his or her religion. There are numerous verses from the Quran and Sunnah that emphasize the importance of understanding the meaning behind a religious text. Allah s.w.t. mentions in the Quran:

    Which means: “[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded.”
    The Prophet s.a.w. also once said: “When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of religion.” (Hadith narrated by Bukhari/Muslim)
    This guidance from Allah s.w.t. and the Prophet s.a.w. assert the importance of thinking about, observing and understanding (tafaqquh) the teachings of Islam thoroughly. Why is this so, dear Jemaah? It is because religious texts like the Quran and Hadith are open to various interpretations. Like it or not, we are indirectly affected and influenced by our surroundings, lifestyle and the culture of thought of the society as well as the period that we live in. There is a reason for every action taken, spoken or otherwise and this includes religious texts like the Quran and Hadith of the Prophet s.a.w. It is on this basis, therefore, to understand a particular religious text, we must know its background and context. This gives us a more accurate picture regarding the meaning of that particular religious text. Consequently, if we fail to understand the background of a verse from the Quran or Hadith, it is feared that we might use it as a basis for something it is not meant for, or worse, for something that stands in direct opposition. This ‘ilm is known as Asbabun Nuzul and it discusses reasons behind the revelations of the Quranic verses as well as explains its context and backstory. Whereas the ‘ilm that discusses the context and background of Hadith is known as ‘ilm Asbabul Wurud. Mastery of these two disciplines will provide us with a clearer picture on the background of a particular Quranic verse or Prophetic hadith.
    Dear Jemaah,
    Understanding background and context is not only limited to religious texts. It is also required to understand the writings of the ‘ulama.
    It is undeniable that the ‘ulama have left behind an immense wealth of knowledge for us to inherit. They have contributed in enriching our religious thought and put tremendous effort in producing various publications to provide explanation on religious matters and religious texts. However, dear Jemaah, when reading these writings, we may find statements or interpretations that seem to be in opposition to the realities of life in this era. If we put that particular interpretation into practice, it will not only cause confusion but also bring with it negative consequences.
    For example, when flipping through the pages of fiqh books by ‘ulama hundreds of years ago, we find that some of them give special attention to the ruling that it is compulsory to migrate from a non-Islamic country (Darul Harb) which means a country in conflict and migrate to an ‘Islamic country’ also known as the “Darul Islam”.
    The opinions stated by these jurists were shaped by the social as well as political conditions of their times that differ from the reality of life in this era. Their writings were intended to give an explanation to a people who lived in a world that witnessed persistent conflicts between different religions. It was a time when it was unimaginable that Muslims would be able to live peacefully with non-Muslims in a single country.
    However with the shift in the political system, as well as the concept of modern citizenship, and through the application of international law, people today are given the rights to travel freely and reside in a nation regardless of their religious or ethnic background, contesting the suitability of the classical classification of the world as explained in traditional fiqh. This is the view of many contemporary ‘ulama such as Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah and others.
    Hence dear Jemaah, understanding the background of the socio-religious and socio-political context as well as the reality of life that surrounds a particular writing will provide the reader a comprehensive picture of why such a statement or fatwa was given.
    This explanation is important as we find a group of people in this day and age, who, without observing the context or background of a particular religious text or writings of the ‘ulama, seem to lose faith in religion and themselves. Some of them claim that the administrative system of the different nations today are un-Islamic simply because it is not a caliphate or an ‘Islamic state’. And that Muslims who live in places like Singapore are unable to practice their faith fully. This results in the extraction of the views of classical scholars who lived hundreds of years ago and in a specific context to be practiced in today’s 21st century.
    Therefore, whenever we read or receive an opinion that was taken from classical ‘ulama, we must discuss them with local and contemporary scholars who understand the condition and context of the world we live in so as to obtain proper advice and further guidance.
    It is not our intention to claim that the views of classical ‘ulama are incorrect or have no value. However, we have to admit that their views which were suitable for their particular needs and time might not be suitable for us today.
    May we be considered to be among those who the Prophet s.a.w. characterised as people who Allah s.w.t. bequeathed understanding of religion and that He blesses us with Taufiq to practice religion according to His commands and guidance. Amin.

     

    Md Solehin

    Reader’s Contribution

  • Yaacob: S$1.5 million Set Aside To Support Teaching Of Maths, Science At Madrasahs

    Yaacob: S$1.5 million Set Aside To Support Teaching Of Maths, Science At Madrasahs

    The Government will provide S$1.5 million from this financial year to support the teaching of secular subjects like maths and science at madrasahs, announced Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim on Thursday (March 9).

    This will be matched by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) for the teaching of religious subjects.

    The bulk of the S$1.5 million each year (S$1.4 million) will go towards financial incentives for teachers. Each of the 127 teachers of secular subjects will receive S$4,200 to S$8,700 a year in cash and Central Provident Fund savings, with the amount depending on their qualifications.

    The financial incentives from Muis for teachers of religious subjects, as well as training, will amount to S$1.1 million a year. This is a lower amount because the number of teachers of religious subjects is 112.

    Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had first announced greater support for the six full-time madrasahs in the teaching of secular subjects at the 2015 National Day Rally.

    New training grants of S$1,000 per teacher per year will also be available, and Muis and the madrasahs will identify the training needs and priorities for eligible teachers.

    For madrasah students who do well or show the most improvement, the Government and Muis will set aside S$100,000 each annually for student awards.

    The money from the Government will be for secular subjects, and about 350 awards will be given per year. A similar number of student awards for religious subjects will be funded by Muis.

    On the Mandatory Asatizah Recognition Scheme, which came into effect in January, Dr Yaacob said about 2,500 asatizah – estimated to be 90 per cent of the Islamic religious teachers in Singapore – have been registered. This year alone, 280 applicants have come forward and 117 of the applications have been processed.

    The scheme started in Dec 2005 and was voluntary. Muslim community leaders called for it to be made mandatory last year amid a more diverse socio-religious landscape, and for more assurance that religious guidance would be compatible with the values of multi-cultural Singapore.

    Meanwhile, to help Malay Muslim professionals, managers, executives and technicians (Pmets) who may be affected by economic changes, a new committee co-chaired by Parliamentary Secretaries Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Amrin Amin will be set up. The committee will help Malay Muslim PMETs to retrain, tap their SkillsFuture credits and bounce back from employment setbacks.

    Providing an update on mosque building Dr Yaacob said the Yusof Ishak Mosque in Woodlands will open to the public in April.

     

    Source: TodayOnline