Haba Lam Angen

kiban...kapai lon

2009-11-14T09:04:00.000-08:00

2009-10-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

garis pantai terpanjang dunia

2009-10-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

How Tidal Power Plants Work
There are three basic ways we can harnass tidal power .
By Mary Bellis, About.com
The power of the rise and fall of the sea level or tidal power, can be harnessed to generate electricity.

Tidal Power
Tidal power traditionally involves erecting a dam across the opening to a tidal basin. The dam includes a sluice that is opened to allow the tide to flow into the basin; the sluice is then closed, and as the sea level drops, traditional hydropower technologies can be used to generate electricity from the elevated water in the basin. Some researchers are also trying to extract energy directly from tidal flow streams.
The energy potential of tidal basins is large — the largest facility, the La Rance station in France, generates 240 megawatts of power. Currently, France is the only country that successfully uses this power source. French engineers have noted that if the use of tidal power on a global level was brought to high enough levels, the Earth would slow its rotation by 24 hours every 2,000 years.
Tidal energy systems can have environmental impacts on tidal basins because of reduced tidal flow and silt buildup.
3 Ways of Using the Tidal Power of the Ocean
There are three basic ways to tap the ocean for its energy. We can use the ocean's waves, we can use the ocean's high and low tides, or we can use temperature differences in the water.
1 Wave Energy
Kinetic energy (movement) exists in the moving waves of the ocean. That energy can be used to power a turbine. In this simple example, (illustrated to the right) the wave rises into a chamber. The rising water forces the air out of the chamber. The moving air spins a turbine which can turn a generator.
When the wave goes down, air flows through the turbine and back into the chamber through doors that are normally closed.
This is only one type of wave-energy system. Others actually use the up and down motion of the wave to power a piston that moves up and down inside a cylinder. That piston can also turn a generator.
Most wave-energy systems are very small. But, they can be used to power a warning buoy or a small light house.
2 Tidal Energy
Another form of ocean energy is called tidal energy. When tides comes into the shore, they can be trapped in reservoirs behind dams. Then when the tide drops, the water behind the dam can be let out just like in a regular hydroelectric power plant.
In order for this to work well, you need large increases in tides. An increase of at least 16 feet between low tide to high tide is needed. There are only a few places where this tide change occurs around the earth. Some power plants are already operating using this idea. One plant in France makes enough energy from tides to power 240,000 homes.
3 Ocean Thermal Energy
The final ocean energy idea uses temperature differences in the ocean. If you ever went swimming in the ocean and dove deep below the surface, you would have noticed that the water gets colder the deeper you go. It's warmer on the surface because sunlight warms the water. But below the surface, the ocean gets very cold. That's why scuba divers wear wet suits when they dive down deep. Their wet suits trapped their body heat to keep them warm.
Power plants can be built that use this difference in temperature to make energy. A difference of at least 38 degrees Fahrenheit is needed between the warmer surface water and the colder deep ocean water.
Using this type of energy source is called Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion or OTEC. It is being used in both Japan and in Hawaii in some demonstration projects.

2009-10-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

Watermelon Juice May Be Next "Green" Fuel
John Roach
for National Geographic News
August 28, 2009
Watermelon, the quintessential summer fruit, may soon be helping to fuel your car as well as your picnic guests.
According to a new U.S. government study, juice from unwanted watermelons could be a promising new source for making the biofuel ethanol.
Up to a fifth of all watermelons grown each year have odd shapes or scarred rinds that turn off consumers, said study co-author Wayne Fish, a chemist with the Agricultural Research Service in Lane, Oklahoma.
Instead of picking the fruit, farmers leave these reject melons on the vine.
"If you figure a field of watermelon may yield somewhere between 60 and 100 tons per acre of watermelon, a fifth of that can be substantial," Fish said.
When he and colleagues were experimenting with extracting antioxidant compounds from watermelon juice, they realized the waste stream of sugary fluids could be a source of ethanol.
(Compare the costs and benefits of different biofuels.)
Mobile Homebrew
The researchers brewed several experimental batches of the fruity fuel in the lab and optimized the process to produce about 23 gallons (87 liters) of ethanol from an acre's worth of the unused fruit.
"For average-size growers that have 300 to 1,000 acres [121 to 405 hectares], they may just keep the ethanol themselves and use it in their own production," Fish said.
Larger farms could even produce enough fuel to sell.
(Related: "Alcohol, Feces, Carcasses Fuel 'Green' Vehicles in Sweden.")
However, it doesn't make economic sense to haul the unwanted watermelons to a processing facility. Rather, Fish envisions mobile breweries that go from farm to farm.
"In terms of the actual process that goes on, it is no different than making homebrew," he said, except on a larger scale and with a few special laboratory tweaks.
Watermelon Beer?
When brewing the watermelon biofuel, the researchers were focused on its energy potential, not flavor. But they couldn't resist sampling the brew.
"It's not going to kill you, for goodness sake," Fish said.
Their process tended to produce fusel oils, which give alcohols an "off" flavor.
"Don't expect to see any watermelon beer at your local tavern anytime soon," Fish said, "at least as produced at Lane, Oklahoma."
Findings published August 26 in the journal Biotechnology for Biofuels.

islam

2009-10-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

NAHJUL BALAGHAH

2009-09-24T09:11:00.001-07:00

KESABARAN NABI MUSA

Dalam Khutbah ke-159, Imam Ali menceritakan kepribadian Nabi Musa as. Beliau mengatakan, “Apabila kalian menghendaki,sebagai contoh kedua, saya akan menceritakan kepada kalian mengenai Musa Kalimullah (orang yang diajak bicara langsung oleh Allah), ketika beliau berkata,”Ya Tuhanku! Sesungguhnya aku sangat memerlukan suatu kebaikan yang engkau turunkan kepadaku.’(AL-Qashash-24). Demi Allah, ia hanya meminta kepada-Nya roti untuk disantap. Ia telah terbiasamakan tetumbuhan bumi sehingga hijau dedaunan dapat dilihat dari kulit halus perutnya, karena tipisnya daging yang membalutnya.”

Dalam riwayat lainnya disebutkan, “Padasuatu hari, Nabi Musa mengatakan kepada Allah,’Wahai Tuhanku, aku merasa lapar.’ Allah menjawab,Aku mengetahui rasa laparmu.’NabiMusa Berkata, ‘Berikanlaha aku makanan dari sisi-Mu.”

Diantara firman Allah yang diwahyukan kepada Nabi Musa berbunyi: “Wahai Musa, orang miskin adalah orang yang tidak mempunyai sesembahan seperti Aku. Orang sakit adalah orang yang tidak mempunyai dokter seperti Aku. Dan orang asing adalah orang yang tidak mempunyai penghiburseperti aku. Wahai Musa, senanglah dengan roti kering yang yang telah aku berikan kepada Anda.

Ketika dunia menghampiri Anda, katanlah,’Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun (sesunggguhnya kita milik Allah dan hanya kepada-Nya kita akan kembali).’ Ketika dunia berhias untuk menggoda Anda, maka katankanlah,”Selamat bagi orang-orang yang berbuat kebajikan”. Wahai Musa, Janganlah merasa heran dengan (Harta kekayaan) yang telah Allah berikan kepada Fir’aun. Ia akan mendapatkan kesusahan melalui kehidupan dunianya

NAHJUL BALAGHAH

Sirah

2009-09-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hasan menuturkan :

Setelah Rasulullah S.A.W & Abu Bakar ra pergi meninggalkan goa, setiap orang yang bertemu dengan keduanya dan mengenalkan Abu Bakar selalu bertanya," Siapa yang bersamamu ini, hai Abu Bakar?". Adapun Abu Bakar selalu menjawab," Dia adalah penunjuk jalanku."

Sungguh Abu Bakar berkata benar.

FIRAQ

2009-09-23T08:23:00.001-07:00

FIRAQ

Bagaikan kata-kata Rumi dalam puisi Matsnawi;

“Murgh i bagh I malakutan, nayam az alam I khak……”
Aku adalah seekor burung dari taman surga Allah,
aku bukanlah termasuk dunia berdebu
Selama satu dua hari mereka telah mengunciku,
Di dalam sangkar tubuhku
Aku tidak datang sendirian ke sini,
Bagaimanakah aku akan kembali sendiriian?
Ia yang membawaku harus membawaku kembali ke negeriku sendiri

Burung bulbul yang dipenjara memanggil jiwa
Tidak memiliki kekuatan sendiri untuk membuka sangkar itu.
Pada hari itu, akhirnya urusan berkumpul kembali ini pun dilakukan
Burung ini pun terbang keluar sangkarnya,
Jiwaku, telah mendengar Sang Raja memanggil, Kembalilah! (irja’i)
Dalam suatu penerbangan besar, akan kembali ke tangan Sang Raja.

Engkau harus tahu siapa pun yang mendengar panggilan Alllah
Mengesampingkan semua urusan dunia ini.
Siapa pun yang harus menghadap Allah pada ketinggian.
Diterima dalam pertemuan di Sana, menyerahkan karyanya
Di bawah dan menyerahkan karyanya dibawah sini.
(RUMI)

2009-09-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

SUNSET

2009-09-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

WASTE WATER

2009-09-18T10:49:00.001-07:00

WASTE WATER

‘’ What is a sludge digestion tank ?’

Today, let's try to answer this question in detail!

A sludge digestion tank is a R.C.C. tank of cylindrical shape with
a hopper bottom and is covered with a fixed or floating type of
roof. The latter makes the operation much more effective. The
weight of the cover is supported by sludge, and the liquid forced
between the tank wall and the side of the cover provides a good
seal. The raw sludge is pumped into the tank where it is seeded
with digested sludge.

On undergoing anaerobic digestion, gases of decomposition (chiefly
methane and carbon dioxide) are given out. The gas rises out of the
digesting sludge, moves along the ceiling of the cover and collects
in the gas dome. The cover can float on the surface of the sludge
between the landing brackets and the overflow pipe. Rollers around
the circumference of the cover keep it from binding against the
tank wall.

The digested sludge, which settles down to the bottom of the tank
is removed under hydrostatic pressure periodically, say, once a
week. To maintain optimum temperature, the tank is generally
provided with heating coils through which hot water is circulated.

The supernatant liquor i.e., the part of the tank content lying
between the scum and the sludge is withdrawn at the optimum level
through a number of withdrawal points located at different
elevations of the tank. As it is high in BOD and suspended matter
contents, it is sent back to the incoming raw sewage for undergoing
re-treatment. The scum formed at the surface gets broken up by the
recirculating flow or through mechanical rackers called
scum-breakers.

The amount of sludge gas produced varies from 0.014 to 0.028 cubic
m per capita with 0.017 cubic m being quite common. The gas
produced contains 65 per cent of methane with a calorific value
5400 - 5850 kcal. cubic m , 30 per cent of carbon dioxide and
balance 5 per cent of nitrogen and other inert gases. It resembles
natural gas and may be used as a fuel for cooking. Principal uses
however, are for driving gas engines, and for heating sludge to
promote quick digestion.

With this background on sludge digestion tanks, you will be able to
manage any sludge digestion tanks with ease. In the next
newsletter, we will see the different methods of sludge disposal.

For more:...
http://www.all-about-wastewater-treatment.com/inst1.html

"Everything you really need to know about
Wastewater treatment, in one place!"

From the Desk of Richard Runion and Team

Richard Runion
The Water Patriot
6423, Woodbine Court,
St. Louis, Missouri,
63109, USA
http://www.all-about-wastewater-treatment.com/inst1.html

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Date Subscribed: July 30, 2009

Jual ke petronas ajalah...

2009-09-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ganja itu sebuah anugerah atau musibah?
________________________________________

Dari batang dan akarnya dapat diperoleh serat yang kuat, daunnya dapat digunakan untuk membuat obat, sementara dari bunga dan bijinya dapat diperoleh bahan bakar minyak (BBM)

Ada pertanyaan besar yang sering membuat kita bingung dan penasaran; mengapa ganja itu dilarang padahal sangat subur tumbuh di Aceh. Ganja itu sebuah anugerah atau musibah?. Apa sebenarnya kandungan dari ganja itu? Apa ada manfaatnya? Apakah ada negara lain yang melegalkan ganja?. Darimana asal muasal ganja?

Secara historis ganja pertama kali ditemukan di Cina pada tahun 2737 SM. Masyarakat Cina telah mengenal ganja sejak zaman batu. Mereka menggunakannya dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, sebagai bahan pakaian, obat-obatan, dan terapi penyembuhan seperti penyakit rematik, sakit perut, beri-beri hingga malaria. Cannabis juga digunakan untuk minyak lampu dan bahkan untuk upacara keagamaan. Secara esensial ganja sendiri yang pasti adalah tumbuhan liar biasa layaknya rumput yang tumbuh dimana saja. Hanya saja, ganja tidak sembarang tumbuh di tanah. Ganja memerlukan kultur tanah yang berbeda dan cuaca wilayah yang mendukung.. Sebutan lain ganja adalah mariyuana, yang berasal dari bahasa Portugis yaitu Mariguango yang berarti barang yang memabukkan. Untuk bahasa ilmiahnya disebut Cannabis. Istilah ganja dipopulerkan oleh kaum Rastafari, kaum penganut sekte Rasta di Jamaika yang berakar dari Yahudi dan Mesir.

Seiring dengan perkembangan dunia medis dan industri, negara-negara maju mulai mempertimbangkan untuk menjadikan serat ganja sebagai bahan minyak bakar karena prosesnya yang mudah dan aman dari kebakaran (mungkin cocok sebagai substitusi tanaman jarak sebagai sumber energi di Indonesia). Karena kandungan minyaknya yang aman dan lain dari minyak olahan biasa seperti minyak kelapa sawit. Selain minyak, serat tanaman yang disebut juga hemp ini sangat bagus, keunggulan seratnya dapat mengalahkan serat kapas. Dari tanaman ini, bisa diproduksi bahan tekstil, kertas, lapisan rem dan kopling hingga untuk tali. Amerika Serikat pada Perang Dunia II sempat menggunakan serat tanaman hemp ini untuk tali kapal bagi para tentaranya, khususnya pada armada laut. Dari sisi medis.

komposisi kimia yang terkandung dalam ganja adalah Cannibanol, Cannabidinol atau THC yang terdiri dari Delta -9- THC dan Delta -8- THC
Delta -9- THC sendiri mempunyai efek mempengaruhi pola pikir otak manusia melalui cara melihat sesuatu, mendengar, dan mempengaruhi suasana hati pemakainya. Selain Delta -9- THC, ada 61 unsur kimia lagi yang sejenis dan lebih 400 bahan kimia lainnya yang beracun.

Delta -9- THC diyakini para ilmuwan medis mampu mengobati berbagai penyakit, seperti daun dan biji, untuk membantu penyembuhan penyakit tumor dan kanker. Akar dan batangnya bisa dibuat menjadi jamu yang mampu menyembuhkan penyakit kejang perut (kram), disentri, anthrax, asma, keracunan darah, batuk, diare, luka bakar, bronchitis, dan lain-lain. Dalam dunia kedokteran, bahan kimia pada ganja mempunyai sifat-sifat yang membantu penyembuhan penyakit dalam tubuh, seperti tonic (penguat), analgesic, stomachic dan antispasmodic (penghilang rasa sakit), sedative dan anodyne (penenang), serta intoxicant (racun keras).

Di Inggris terdapat sebuah lembaga Marijuana Center, lembaga yang melakukan penelitian tanaman ini secara medis dan farmasi. Hasilnya, mariyuana tetap diandalkan dan menjadi obat yang ampuh. Seperti pasien yang lumpuh, ketika menjalani terapi dengan mariyuana bisa sembuh, dapat berjalan kembali layaknya orang normal, tidak impoten, dan mempunyai daya ingat yang tinggi. Di Kanada, pihak pemerintah berencana melegalisasikan ganja dan bentuk obat-obatan dan kebutuhan farmasi lainnya. Pemerintah Kanada mulai mengijinkan pembelian ganja dengan resep dokter di apotek-apotek lokal. Satu ons dijual sekitar $113 dan ganja dikirim melalui kurir ke pasien atau dokter mereka. Telah banyak pasien yang melaporkan bahwa ganja mengurangi rasa mual pada penderita AIDS dan penyakit lainnya. Hal ini yang mendukung pemerintah untuk semakin memantapkan pelegalisasian ganja.

dalam beberapa dekade terakhir, banyak peneliti di dunia yang telah mengembangkan penelitian tentang pengolahan ganja menjadi bahan bakar. Ayhan Demirbas, pakar energi dari Turki, dalam bukunya, Green Energy and Technology-Biofuels : Securing the Planet’s Future Energy Needs, memasukkan ganja ke dalam daftar oil species for biofuel production. Ia mengungkapkan bahwa senyawa organik yang terkandung di dalam tanaman ganja dapat digunakan untuk memproduksi biodiesel.
Peneliti lain, Claus Brodersen, Klaus Drescher dan Kevin McNamara, dalam bukunya Economics of Sustainable Energy in Agriculture mengungkapkan bahwa ganja merupakan salah satu tanaman penghasil biomass energy. Kemudian Michael Starks, dalam bukunya Marijuana Chemistry: Genetics, Processing and Potency, menerangkan dengan jelas senyawa organik yang terkandung dalam setiap bagian tanaman ganja. Salah satu bagian tanaman ganja yang berpotensi menghasilkan minyak adalah batang tanamannya.

Apa itu hemp, cannabis, marijuana dan ganja

Hemp adalah salah satu genus dari Cannabis sativa, tergolong ke dalam keluarga Cannabaceae. Nama itu diberikan kepada lusinan spesies yang mewakili sedikitnya 22 genus. Tanaman ini pada umumnya merupakan tanaman serat.Hemp merupakan penghasil utama serat dan atau biji minyak, dan memiliki kandungan THC yang rendah. THC adalah bahan kimia ilegal yang paling populer di dunia, dan merupakan zat rekreasional peringkat keempat setelah kopi, alkohol, dan nikotin.

Hemp merupakan sumber serat tekstil tertua yang sisanya sampai sekarang masih ada, yaitu kain hempen yang berusia 6.000 tahun dan kain canvas (berasal dari kata cannabis). Sebagian besar hemp penghasil biji minyak di Eropa adalah tanaman yang bermanfaat ganda, yaitu hemp yang menghasilkan serat dan yang menghasilkan biji minyak.

Walaupun secara fisik tampaknya sama dengan jenis-jenis cannabis penghasil narkotik, hemp mempunyai kandungan bahan adiktif yang rendah. Hemp memang termasuk jenis cannabis, tetapi tanaman ini bukan narkotik. Industri besar hemp berusaha keras menunjukkan, bahwa hemp bukan mariyuana, demikian juga sebaliknya.

Cannabis merupakan nama botani yang dipakai untuk semua tanaman dari keluarga Cannabaceae. Tahun 1976, Small dan Cronquist memisahkan cannabis menjadi dua subspesies:

* Cannabis subspesies sativa, yaitu Cannabis sativa dengan kandungan THC kurang dari 0,3%. Hanya satu dari genus ini yang mempunyai kandungan THC yang cukup tinggi (antara 1- 10 %) dan disebut dengan Cannabis sativa L. Ini adalah nama generik yang digunakan secara luas untuk jenis cannabis, dan ramuan untuk hiburan (rekreasi) yang dibuat dari padanya.

* Cannabis subspesies Indica lamarck dari India. Merupakan tumbuhan narkotik dengan kandungan THC di atas 0,3%. Jenis ini sama sekali bukan tumbuhan penghasil serat.

Sebagai tanaman multiguna, kulit batang Cannabis sativa kaya akan serat berkualitas yang baik untuk bahan tekstil, temali dan kain layar kapal; kayunya untuk bahan pulp, bahan kertas berkualitas tinggi untuk kertas rokok dan uang kertas, minyak bijinya untuk minyak sayur, bahan kosmetik dan ramuan perawatan badan; bijinya, sebagai bahan makanan, dan makanan hewan peliharaan; getahnya mengandung bahan psikoaktif untuk rekreasi. Dengan demikian jelas, bahwa hemp dan cannabis sebenarnya merujuk kepada jenis tumbuhan yang sama, yang pertama (hemp) lebih banyak merujuk kepada penghasil serat dan biji minyak, sedangkan yang kedua (cannabis) cenderung merujuk kepada tanaman penghasil narkotik.

Mengingat beberapa hal, kedekatan geografis wilayah Provinsi NAD dengan India (tempat asal Cannabis indica lamarck), posisi wilayah Provinsi NAD di daerah tropis, besarnya minat menanam ganja di wilayah Provinsi NAD, dan memperhatikan secara fisik ciri-ciri tanaman ganja di wilayah Provinsi NAD yaitu, berdaun lebat, tidak begitu tinggi, dan berbunga jarang, maka dapat dipastikan, bahwa tanaman ganja yang banyak ditemukan di wilayah Provinsi NAD, adalah Cannabis indica penghasil narkoba, dan bukan hemp penghasil serat dan minyak biji.

Mariyuana, nama yang dipakai di negara Meksiko untuk tumbuhan Cannabis sativa beserta ramuan narkotik yang dibuat dari padanya (merujuk kepada Cannabis sativa penghasil narkotik). Mariyuana yang beredar di pasar gelap mempunyai kandungan THC antara 5% sampai 10% (dengan tingkat tertinggi 25% yang pernah dilaporkan). Mariyuana merupakan jenis tanaman yang paling luas ditanam dan paling banyak diperdagangkan secara ilegal di seluruh dunia.

Sedangkan ganja adalah sebutan umum di Indonesia dan Malaysia pada khususnya, serta Asia Tenggara dan Asia Selatan pada umumnya. Istilah ini mengacu pada jenis tumbuhan Cannabis sativa L penghasil narkoba ataupun ramuan narkoba yang dibuat darinya. Ganja kering biasanya terdiri atas daun dan ranting yang dikeringkan ditambah bijinya. Tiga jenis narkotik yang dihasilkan dari ganja jenis Cannabis sativaL, adalah: hashish (bhang), daun dan pucuk tumbuhan betina yang tidak berbunga, dan charas, yaitu getah mentah ganja. Pengobatan modern menggunakan cannabis jenis ini untuk mengobati glaukoma dan mengurangi rasa sakit pada pasien kanker ketika menjalani proses kemoterapi.

Dengan demikian, hemp, cannabis, mariyuana, dan ganja, sebenarnya merujuk kepada spesies tumbuhan yang sama. Jadi, cannabis, mariyuana dan ganja cenderung merujuk kepada penghasil narkoba dan atau produk narkoba yang dibuat dari bahan tersebut, sedangkan hemp merujuk kepada spesies tumbuhan penghasil serat dan biji minyak.

* THC = Tetrahydrocannabinol

no comment.....for now.!!

2009-09-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

menara pendingin

2009-09-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hi mugee!

”Today, we will see all about a microbiological wastewater treatment
plant”

The biological process of wastewater is a secondary treatment
involving the components of removing, stabilizing and rendering
harmless very fine suspended matter, colloids and dissolved solids
of the sewage, that come from the sedimentation tank, where most of
the matter in suspension has been removed. In some cases, effluent
from sedimentation tank may be good enough for disposal if the
dilution is great. However, in most cases, oxidation of the organic
putrescible matter is necessary.

**Principle of action**

The primary principle of action on which the biological process is
based is the availability of a large sewage surface fed by the
oxygen from air, where certain type of bacteria, the aerobics, live
and use that oxygen to oxidize putrescible matter in the sewage to
stable and inoffensive sulfates, nitrates and other compounds.

The sewage filtration, which is the vehicle used for process, can
at best cause only the coarser particles of suspended matter to be
removed by mechanical straining. This action is only minor and of a
secondary nature. The major action takes place at the surface,
where the aerobic bacteria oxidizes the finer organic particles of
sewage abounding large surface areas, forming a bacterial film. is
formed. The film adsorbs more of the finer matter which is then
worked upon by the organisms present after which it is released as
a coagulated suspended matter, rather heavy and capable of settling
readily.

It should be noted that this bacterial film also contains, in
addition to the aerobic bacteria, other organisms as protozoa,
algae, besides certain species of worms. But their action is
somewhat uncertain and the biological action is considered to be
mainly due to the aerobic bacteria.

**Microbiology of wastewater treatment**

Most wastewaters have putrifying (rotting in due course) organic
matter. Biological wastewater treatment systems are to covert the
organic matter into easily manageable end products, such as carbon
dioxide, methane and humus, which can be utilized or disposed off
without affecting the environment. The microorganisms use the
organic matter as food to provide energy and carbon for cellular
synthesis.

Industrial fermentation uses aseptic techniques to maintain pure
cultures and the environment is controlled. Biological wastewater
treatment systems are only partially controlled. The wastewater
(substrate or food) characteristics may change from time to time,
there are changes in temperature and there is always a
heterogeneous inoculum of microorganisms from soil and air. This
results in a variety of microorganisms participating in the
reaction. The fittest survive and dominate the population. When the
compounds in wastewater are metabolized, intermediate compounds
serve as food for other microorganisms.

The population of individual microorganisms and the community
structure also changes from time to time reflecting the changes in
environmental conditions. It is possible to zero in on groups of
microorganisms participating in the process, based on their overall
biochemical reactions.

Today, we will continue from where we left on the microbiological
wastewater treatment plant. I will compare the construction, uses,
merits and demerits of different components of the microbiological
wastewater treatment plant with reference to each other.

**Intermittent sand filters**

The treatment involved in the case of intermittent sand filters
applies the sewage, that has already undergone preliminary
treatment, onto the filter beds of sand at regular intervals. By
this, air can enter the interstices of the bed between the dose of
sewage to supply the required aerobic bacteria.

**Construction**

The filter consists of a layer of clean, sharp sand, with an
effective size 0.2 - 0.5 mm and of uniformly coefficient 2 - 5, 75
to 105 cm deep having underdrains, surrounded by gravel to carry
off the effluent. The sewage is applied by means of a dosing tank
and siphon; it then flows into troughs laid on the filter bed. The
troughs have side openings, which allow the sewage to flow on the
sand. To prevent any displacement of sand, blocks may also be used
underneath the sewage streams. After an interval of 24 hours,
sewage is now applied over a second bed while the first bed rests.
Usually, three to four beds may thus be working in rotation. During
the resting period, the dried sludge accumulating on the sand
surface is the resting period; the dried sludge accumulating on the
sand surface is scraped off. The organic loading of the filter bed
is not heavy, only 0.825 to 1.1 million liters per hectare per day.

**Uses**

It is found that the effluent from an intermittent sand filter is
usually better in quality than that resulting from any other type
of treatment and can even be disposed off without dilution.
However, because of the large land area required, filters of this
type are now seldom constructed in cities. They are primarily
suited for institutions, hospitals and other small installations.

**Contact beds**

In this type, the sewage applied on the contact material is allowed
to stand undisturbed for some time before, being emptied and an
interval is allowed before recharging the bed. During the 'contact
period', when the filter is standing full, the fine suspended
particles of sewage are deposited on the contact material and
worked over by the anaerobic organisms. During the 'empty period'
that follows next, the deposited matter is oxidized by the aerobic
bacteria. It is then washed off the contact material and carried
out with the effluent on the next emptying of the tank.

**Construction**

A contact bed is a watertight tank with masonry walls and very much
similar in construction to an intermittent sand-filter. The contact
material is made of broken stone called ballast and of 2.5 - 7.5 cm
gauge. The tank is filled with the sewage over a period of an hour;
allowed to stand full over a period of two hours, then emptied
through underdrains. This process takes another hour. The tank is
now left empty ffor 3 to 4 hours before admitting the next charge.
(Thus with a total working period in a shift of 8 hours, the
contact bed can be worked in three shifts daily). The organic
loading in this case is about the same i.e., 1.1 million liters per
hectare per day.

**Uses**

The contact beds method is now only of historical interest and not
commonly used. This is mainly because of the loss of efficiency
brought about by the exclusion of air when the tank is standing
full. For an efficient biological action, it is imperative That the
aeration should be through the mass of sewage. It has therefore,
been superseded by more efficient biological methods, as in the
case of trickling filters and activated sludge plants.

However, the contact beds have some merit when compared to the
trickling filters as:

A.Lesser operating head required
B.Freedom from filter (psychoda) flies
C.Lesser nuisance due to odor

**Activated sludge**

When wastewater is aerated sufficiently, its organic matter reduces
and a flocculant sludge (consisting of various microorganisms) is
formed. In order to improve the process, the flocculant activated
sludge is retained in the system as inoculum. This is achieved by
settling the wastewater and recirculating the microbial mass. A
part of this sludge is wasted periodically as synthesis of new
cells continues. The organisms involved are aerobic
chemoheterotrophic, i.e., those which utilize organic compounds as
source for carbon (for cellular synthesis) and energy (by using
oxygen as electron acceptor).

1.Phase i: initially, the macromolecules are hydrolyzed or broken
down into their monomer compounds. These reactions are usually
carried out extracellularly. Once their size is reduced they are
transported into the cell.
2.Phase ii: later, the small molecules produced in phase i are
partially degraded, releasing 1/3rd of their total energy to the
cell. In the process a number of different products are formed
which serve as precursors of both anabolic and catabolic routes of
phase iii.
3.Phase iii: the catabolic route oxidizes the compounds and produces
carbon dioxide and energy. The anabolic route (which requires
energy) results in synthesis of new cellular material. Many
microorganisms participate in the above reactions. Both the lower
and higher protists have significant roles to play. Generally, the
organisms in activated sludge culture may be divided into four
major classes (these are not distinct groups and any particular
organism may display more than one such behavior):

i. Floc-forming organisms: these help to separate the microbial
sludge
from the treated wastewater. Zooglea ramigera and a variety of
other organisms flocculate. Flocculation is understood to be caused
by the extracellular polyelectrolytes excreted by these
microorganisms. Saprophytes: the saprophytes are micro-organisms
that degrade the organic matter. These are mostly gram-negative
bacilli such as pseudomonas, flavobacterium, alcaligenes and the
floc formers.

ii. Predators: the main predators are protozoa which thrive on
bacteria. It has been found that the protozoa can be upto 5% of the
mass of biological solids in the systems. Ciliates are usually the
dominant protozoa. They are either attached to or crawl over the
surface of sludge flocs. Rotifers are the secondary predators. When
rotifers occur in plenty, we can be sure of a well stabilized
waste, since rotifiers perish in highly polluted waters.

iii. Nuisance organisms: nuisance organisms interfere with the
smooth
functioning of the system, when present in large quantities. Most
problems arise due to sludge settling (due to presence of
filamentous forms which reduce the specific gravity of the sludge).
The bacterium sphaerotilus natans and the fungus geotrichium are
often responsible for this situation.

**Trickling filter**

Trickling filters have biomass growth attached to a solid surface
over which the wastewater flows in thin sheets, supplying nutrients
to the microbial community. The biochemical reactions are similar
to those in an activated sludge, which have a rich mixture of:

Eucaryotic Procaryotic organisms

Trickling filters contain these and also higher life forms like:
Nematodes Rotifers Snails Sludge worms Insect larvae Filter flies
(psychoda)

The complex food chain prevailing in this allows complete oxidation
of organic matter and lower quantity of surplus organisms (sludge).
The microbial film grows in thickness, due to increased hydraulic
shearing and development of an anaerobic layer next to the solid
medium. The anaerobic reactions solubilize the anchoring
microorganism. Algae can also flourish on the upper surface.
However, they do not play significant role in waste stabilization.

Also called percolating filters, the trickling filters are similar
to contact beds in construction, but allow constant aeration and
the action is continuous. The name is a misnomer since the
biological unit neither filters nor it trickles. The main function
of a trickling filter is to remove unstable, organic materials in
the form of dissolved and finely-divided organic solids and to
oxidize these solids biologically to form more stable materials.
The biological process involved in the filter is due to the growth
of a microbial film on the surface of the filter medium. The film
is made up of zoogleal slime, viscous jelly-like substance
containing bacteria and other biota. Under favorable environmental
conditions, the slime adsorbs and utilizes suspended, colloidal and
dissolved organic matter from the sewage. Although classified as an
aerobic treatment device, the microbial film is aerobic to a small
depth of 0.1 - 0.2 mm. While at the bottom, a larger depth is
anaerobic. When the sewage is flowing over the film, the soluble
organic matter is rapidly metabolized with the colloidal organics
adsorbed onto the surface. As the biota die, they are discharged
from the filter with more or less partly decomposed organic matter.
This sloughing off of material may occur periodically as in a
standard rate filter or continuously as in a high rate filter.

The essential features necessary to the process are:

1. Sufficient surface area must be provided for biologicalgrowth.
2. Free oxygen must be available at the surface to replenish the
dissolved oxygen extracted from the liquidlayer.
3. Sewage, and in particular industrial wastes must be amenable to
biological treatment.

**Construction**

A trickling filter consists of a bed of crushed stone or other
non-disintegrable contact material viz., granite, limestone etc.,
25 cm and 75 cm in size, with the filter depth usually between 2
and 3 m. The larger stones 8 cm - 10 cm. in size are placed in a
layer 15 cm - 20 cm thick at the bottom of the bed, while the
smaller size stones 2.5 cm size make up the filter bed. The Inside
walls of brick masonry may be honey combed (with the idea of
securing better aeration of the beds) and provided with airinlets.
In such a filter, air must circulate freely so as to maintain the
zooleal flora, which thrives over the stones in the presence of
oxygen. The sewage from the sedimentation tank is applied either
intermittently through fixed sprays located at the surface of the
bed or by what is more favored, i.e., applying sewage continuously
through rotary distributors. A rotary distributor consists of two
or more arms which are turned in a horizontal plane through the jet
action, or sometimes when it is insufficient, moved by the
electrical power. The spray nozzles are circular holes 9 mm - 13
mm, and spaced in such a manner that the distribution of applied
sewage is more or less in direct proportion to the area of the bed
covered by each part of the distributor.

The floor of the trickling filter is made of concrete laid to a
slope of 1 in 200. It has a system of underdrains, half-round or
v-shaped channels cast into it and making a false bottom with
perforated cover to support the coarse media above. The
underdrainage system keeps the filter self-cleansing and also
assists in the ventilation of beds.

**Merits and demerits**

The advantages of trickling filters are:

1. They are self-cleaning. Rate of filter loading is much higher.
2. No diminishing of capacity even if overdosed, they can recoup
after
rest.
3. They are cheap and simple in operation.
4. Mechanical wear and tear is very small.

The disadvantages are:

1. High head loss through the filter, making automatic dosing of
filters as necessary.
2. Odor and fly nuisance due to psychoda which may be carried away
into human habitation and may prove a serious nuisance to man. The
latter may be overcome by flooding the filter or by the use of DDT
or other insecticides.
3. Large land area is required. Cost of construction is relatively
higher.
4. They require preliminary treatment and, therefore, cannot treat
raw
sewage as such.

I hope this comparitive study of the different components of the
microbiological wastewater treatment plant provides the right
guidance for your plant.

For more:...
http://www.all-about-wastewater-treatment.com/inst1.html

"Everything you really need to know about
Wastewater treatment, in one place!"

From the Desk of Richard Runion and Team

Richard Runion
The Water Patriot
6423, Woodbine Court,
St. Louis, Missouri,
63109, USA
http://www.all-about-wastewater-treatment.com/inst1.html

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haaya jihad

2009-09-16T13:09:00.000-07:00

Khaulah Binti Tsa’labah (Wanita Yang Aduannya Didengar Allah Dari Langit Ketujuh)

Oleh Prince of Jihad

Beliau adalah Khaulah binti Tsa`labah bin Ashram bin Fahar bin Tsa`labah Ghanam bin ‘Auf. Beliau tumbuh sebagai wanita yang fasih dan pandai. Beliau dinikahi oleh Aus bin Shamit bin Qais, saudara dari Ubadah bin Shamit r.a yang beliau menyertai perang Badar dan perang Uhud dan mengikuti seluruh perperangan yang disertai Rasulullah saw. Dengan Aus inilah beliau melahirkan anak laki-laki yang bernama Rabi`.

Khaulah binti Tsa`labah mendapati suaminya Aus bin Shamit dalam masalah yang membuat Aus marah, dia berkata, “Bagiku engkau ini seperti punggung ibuku.” Kemudian Aus keluar setelah mengatakan kalimat tersebut dan duduk bersama orang-orang beberapa lama lalu dia masuk dan menginginkan Khaulah. Akan tetapi kesadaran hati dan kehalusan perasaan Khaulah membuatnya menolak hingga jelas hukum Allah terhadap kejadian yang baru pertama kali terjadi dalam sejarah Islam. Khaulah berkata, “Tidak…jangan! Demi yang jiwa Khaulah berada di tangan-Nya, engkau tidak boleh menjamahku karena engkau telah mengatakan sesuatu yang telah engkau ucapkankan terhadapku sehingga Allah dan Rasul-Nya lah yang memutuskan hukum tentang peristiwa yang menimpa kita.

Kemudian Khaulah keluar menemui Rasulullah saw, lalu dia duduk di hadapan beliau dan menceritakan peristiwa yang menimpa dirinya dengan suaminya. Keperluannya adalah untuk meminta fatwa dan berdialog dengan nabi tentang urusan tersebut. Rasulullah saw bersabda, “Kami belum pernah mendapatkan perintah berkenaan urusanmu tersebut… aku tidak melihat melainkan engkau sudah haram baginya.”

Wanita mukminah ini mengulangi perkatannya dan menjelaskan kepada Rasulullah saw apa yang menimpa dirinya dan anaknya jika dia harus cerai dengan suaminya, namun rasulullah saw tetap menjawab, “Aku tidak melihat melainkan engkau telah haram baginya”.

Sesudah itu wanita mukminah ini senantiasa mengangkat kedua tangannya ke langit sedangkan di hatinya tersimpan kesedihan dan kesusahan. Pada kedua matanya nampak meneteskan air mata dan semacam ada penyesalan, maka beliau menghadap kepada Yang tiada akan rugi siapapun yang berdoa kepada-Nya. Beliau berdo’a, “Ya Allah sesungguhnya aku mengadu kepada-Mu tentang peristiwa yang menimpa diriku”.

Alangkah bagusnya seorang wanita mukminah semacam Khaulah, beliau berdiri di hadapan Rasulullah saw dan berdialog untuk meminta fatwa, adapun istighatsah dan mengadu tidak ditujukan melainkan untuk Allah Ta`ala. Ini adalah bukti kejernihan iman dan tauhidnya yang telah dipelajari oleh para sahabat kepada Rasulullah saw.

Tiada henti-hentinya wanita ini berdo`a sehingga suatu ketika Rasulullah saw pingsan sebagaimana biasanya beliau pingsan tatkala menerima wahyu. Kemudian setelah Rasulullah saw sadar kembali, beliau bersabda, “Wahai Khaulah, sungguh Allah telah menurunkan al-Qur`an tentang ditimu dan suamimu kemudian beliau membaca firman-Nya (artinya), “Sesungguhnya Allah telah mendengar perkatan wanita yang mengajukan gugatan kepada kamu tentang suaminya, dan mengadukan [halnya] kepada Allah. Dan Allah mendengar soal jawab antara kamu berdua. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Mendengar lagi Maha Melihat,…sampai firman Allah: “dan bagi oranr-orang kafir ada siksaan yang pedih.”(Al-Mujadalah:1-4)

Kemudian Rasulullah saw menjelaskan kepada Khaulah tentang kafarat (tebusan) Zhihar:

Nabi : Perintahkan kepadanya (suami Khansa`) untuk memerdekan seorang budak

Khaulah : Ya Rasulullah dia tidak memiliki seorang budak yang bisa dia merdekakan.

Nabi : Jika demikian perintahkan kepadanya untuk shaum dua bulan berturut-turut

Khaulah : Demi Allah dia adalah laki-laki yang tidak kuat melakukan shaum.

Nabi : Perintahkan kepadanya memberi makan dari kurma sebanyak 60 orang miskin

Khaulah : Demi Allah ya Rasulullah dia tidak memilikinya.

Nabi : Aku bantu dengan separuhnya

Khaulah : Aku bantu separuhnya yang lain wahai Rasulullah.

Nabi : Engkau benar dan baik maka pergilah dan sedekahkanlah kurma itu sebagai kafarat baginya, kemudian bergaulah dengan anak pamanmu itu secara baik.” Maka Khaulah pun melaksanakannya.

Inilah kisah seorang wanita yang mengajukan gugatan kepada pemimpin anak Adam a.s yang mengandung banyak pelajaran di dalamnya dan banyak hal yang menjadikan seorang wanita yang mengangkat kepalanya tinggi-tinggi dengan bangga dan perasaan mulia dan besar perhatian Islam terhadapnya.

Ummul mukminin Aisyah ra berkata tentang hal ini, “Segala puji bagi Allah yang Maha luas pendengaran-Nya terhadap semua suara, telah datang seorang wanita yang mengajukan gugatan kepada Rasulullah saw, dia berbincang-bincang dengan Rasulullah saw sementara aku berada di samping rumah dan tidak mendengar apa yang dia katakan, maka kemudian Allah Azza wa Jalla menurunkan ayat, “Sesungguhnya Allah telah mendengar perkatan wanita yang memajukan gugatan kepada kamu tentang suaminya dan mengadukan (halnya) kepada Allah…” (Al-Mujadalah: 1)

Inilah wanita mukminah yang dididik oleh Islam yang menghentikan Khalifah Umar bin Khaththab r.a saat berjalan untuk memberikan wejangan dan nasehat kepadanya. Beliau berkata, “Wahai Umar aku telah mengenalmu sejak namamu dahulu masih Umair (Umar kecil) tatkala engkau berada di pasar Ukazh engkau mengembala kambing dengan tongkatmu, kemudian berlalulah hari demi hari sehingga memiliki nama Amirul Mukminin, maka bertakwalah kepada Allah perihal rakyatmu, ketahuilah barangsiapa yang takut akan siksa Allah maka yang jauh akan menjadi dekat dengannya dan barangsiapa yang takut mati maka dia kan takut kehilangan dan barangsiapa yang yakin akan adanya hisab maka dia takut terhadap Adzab Allah.” Beliau katakan hal itu sementara Umar Amirul Mukminin berdiri sambil menundukkan kepalanya dan mendengar perkataannya.

Akan tetapi al-Jarud al-Abdi yang menyertai Umar bin Khaththab tidak tahan mengatakan kepada Khaulah, “Engkau telah berbicara banyak kepada Amirul Mukminin wahai wanita.!” Umar kemudian menegurnya, “Biarkan dia…tahukah kamu siapakah dia? Beliau adalah Khaulah yang Allah mendengarkan perkataannya dari langit yang ketujuh, maka Umar lebih berhak untuk mendengarkan perkataannya. “

Dalam riwayat lain Umar bin Khaththab berkata, “Demi Allah seandainya beliau tidak menyudahi nasehatnya kepadaku hingga malam hari maka aku tidak akan menyudahinya sehingga beliau selesaikan apa yang dia kehendaki, kecuali jika telah datang waktu shalat maka aku akan mengerjakan shalat kemudian kembali mendengarkannya sehingga selesai keperluannya.”

(SUMBER: buku Mengenal Shahabiah Nabi SAW., karya Mahmud Mahdi al-Istanbuly dan Musthafa Abu an-Nashar asy-Syalaby, h.242-246, penerbit AT-TIBYAN)

my legend : Jafar Sadiq (Muhammad Abu Ja,far bin Muhammad bin Ali Zainal Abidin bin Husein bin Ali bin Ali bin Abi Thalib as Sadiq)

2009-09-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

Sama' (Jalalludin Rumi)

2009-09-16T12:49:00.000-07:00

belum ada judul..

2009-09-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

MADINATUL ILMI

2009-09-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hadis Madinatul Ilmi

Hadis Madinatul Ilmi salah satunya diriwayatkan oleh Al Hakim dalam Kitab Al Mustadrak Ash Shahihain jilid III hal 126 Kitab Ma’rifatus Shahabah Bab Manaqib Ali hadis no 4637, 4638 dan 4639. Berikut adalah salah satunya

حدثنا أبو العباس محمد بن يعقوب ثنا محمد بن عبد الرحيم الهروي بالرملة ثنا أبو الصلت عبد السلام بن صالح ثنا أبو معاوية عن الأعمش عن مجاهد عن بن عباس رضى الله تعالى عنهما قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنا مدينة العلم وعلي بابها فمن أراد المدينة فليأت الباب

Telah mengabarkan kepada kami Abu Abbas Muhammad bin Ya’qub yang mendengar dari Muhammad bin Abdurrahiim Al Harawi yang mendengar dari Abu Shult Abdus Salam bin Shalih yang mendengar dari Abu Muawiyah dari ’Amasy dari Mujahid dari Ibnu Abbas RA yang berkata Rasulullah SAW bersabda Aku adalah Kota Ilmu dan Ali adalah pintunya, barangsiapa yang ingin memasuki kota hendaklah melalui pintunya.

Hadis ini menjadi perselisihan di kalangan Ulama hadis. Sebagiannya menyatakan shahih, sebagian lagi menyatakan hasan dan sebagian menyatakan dhaif bahkan maudhu’. Oleh karena itu kami akan membahas secara ringkas tentang kedudukan hadis ini dan menyatakan apa pandangan kami perihal hadis ini.

Hadis Madinatul Ilmi Shahih

Salah seorang Ustadz menyatakan bahwa hanya Al Hakim yang menyatakan hadis ini Shahih. Pernyataan ini keliru karena ada cukup banyak ulama yang telah menshahihkan hadis ini seperti yang dapat anda lihat dalam tulisan saudara ini. Kami hanya akan mengutip sebagian Ulama yang kami ketahui yaitu Al Hakim, Yahya bin Main, Ibnu Jarir Ath Thabari, Muttaqi Al Hindi dan Hafidz Ahmad bin Shiddiq Al Maghribi.

Al Hakim

Berkata Al Hakim dalam Kitab Al Mustadrak jilid III hal 126 Kitab Ma’rifatus Shahabah Bab Manaqib Ali hadis no 4637

حديث صحيح الإسناد ولم يخرجاه وأبو الصلت ثقة مأمون

Hadis dengan sanad Shahih yang diriwayatkan oleh Abu Shult seorang Tsiqat dan Ma’mun.

Yahya bin Main

Hadis ini dishahihkan oleh Ibnu Main sebagaimana dikutip Al Khatib dalam Tarikh Baghdad jilid 11 hal 49, Tahdzib At Tahdzib Ibnu Hajar jilid 6 hal 321-322 no 619 juga dikutip oleh Ibnu Zakky Al Mizzi dalam Tahdzib Al Kamal jilid 18 hal 77 no 3421. Berikut kami kutip dari kitab Tahdzib Al Kamal

سألت يحيى بن معين عن هذا الحديث ، فقال : هو صحيح.

Yahya bin Main tentang hadis ini berkata “Shahih”.

Ibnu Jarir Ath Thabari

Dalam kitab Tahdzib Al Atsar hal 104 no 1414 dan 1415. Hadis dengan matan yang kami tulis adalah hadis no 1415 sedangkan hadis no 1414 matannya sebagai berikut

أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال : ” أنا دار الحكمة ، وعلي بابها “

Nabi SAW bersabda “Aku adalah Gedung Ilmu dan Ali adalah pintunya”.

Berkata Ibnu Jarir perihal hadis ini

وهذا خبر صحيح سنده

Riwayat ini sanadnya Shahih.

Ali Muttaqi Al Hindi

Hadis ini diriwayatkan oleh Ali Muttaqi Al Hindi dalam kitab hadisnya Kanz Al Ummal jilid 13 hal 128-129 hadis no 3462, 3463 dan 3464. Hadis no 3462 matannya sama dengan matan hadis Ibnu Jarir no 1414 sedangkan hadis berikutnya sama dengan matan hadis yang kami kutip dari Al Mustadrak. Pada hadis ke 3464 beliau menuliskan

وقد كنت أجيب بهذا الجواب دهرا إلى أن وقفت على تصحيح ابن جرير لحديث علي في تهذيب الآثار مع تصحيح ( ك ) لحديث ابن عباس فاستخرت الله وجزمت بارتقاء الحديث من مرتبة الحسن إلى مرتبة الصحة – والله أعلم

Sudah cukup lama saya menjawab perihal hadis ini sampai akhirnya saya mengetahui bahwa Ibnu Jarir dalam kitabnya Tahdzib Al Atsar telah menshahihkan hadis ini disamping penshahihan hadis Ibnu Abbas. Kemudian saya beristikharah dan akhirnya yakin bahwa hadis ini yang sebelumnya hasan adalah shahih. Wallahu A’lam.

Hafidz Ahmad bin Shiddiq Al Maghribi.

Beliau adalah Ulama hadis yang telah menulis kitab Fath Al Mulk ‘Ali bi Shahah Hadits Babu Madinah Al ‘Ilm ‘Ali. Kitab ini adalah kitab khusus yang membuktikan shahihnya hadis Madinatul Ilmi. Dalam kitab tersebut beliau telah memaparkan sanad-sanad hadis tersebut memberi komentar dan pada akhirnya menyatakan hadis tersebut shahih.

Penolakan Hadis Madinatul Ilmi Palsu

Hal ini dinyatakan oleh banyak ulama hadis di antaranya Jalaludin As Suyuthi, Al Hafidz Abu Alaiy, Al Hafidz Ibnu Hajar, Asy Syaukani, As Sakhawi, Al Ajluni, dan Az Zarkasy. Mereka semua menyatakan Hadis Madinatul Ilmi hasan. Tidak benar pendapat yang menyatakan bahwa Mereka yang menyatakan hadis Madinatul ilmi shahih atau hasan tidak mengetahui cacat yang dinyatakan oleh mereka yang memaudu’kan hadis tersebut. Justru mereka yang menghasankan hadis ini adalah mereka yang telah mengumpulkan semua sanad hadis Madinatul Ilmi dan membantah pernyataan ulama yang memaudhu’kan hadis tersebut. Mereka telah mengetahui cacat hadis yang dimaksud hanya saja mereka beranggapan kumpulan semua sanad tersebut telah menjadikan hadis tersebut hasan, tidak shahih dan tidak pula dhaif apalagi maudhu’.

Hadis Madinatul Ilmi Hasan

Berikut adalah nama-nama Ulama yang menghasankan hadis ini setelah mengumpulkan semua sanad hadis tersebut

Jalaludin As Suyuthi telah menghasankan hadis ini dalam Kitabnya Tarikh Al Khulafa jilid I hal 69, Kitab Al Laliy Al Mashnu‘ah Fi Al Hadits Al Maudhu‘ah bagian Manaqib Khulafa Al Arba’in.

Asy Syaukani menyatakan hadis ini “Hasan Li Ghairihi” dalam kitabnya Fawaid Al Majmuah no hadis 52.

As Sakhawi juga menghasankan hadis ini dalam Maqasid Al Hasanah no hadis 189.

Al Ajluni menyatakan hadis ini hasan dalam Kasyf Al Khafa’ hadis no 618

Az Zarkasy dalam kitabnya Al Laliy Al Mantsurah Fi Al Hadits Al Masyhurah hadis no 151 juga telah menghasankan hadis Madinatul Ilmi.

Al Hafidz Ibnu Hajar dan Al Hafidz Shalahuddin Al Alaiy menghasankan hadis ini dan menolak pernyataan maudhu’. Pernyataan ini dikutip dalam Kasyf Al Khafa’ hadis no 618 Karya Al Ajluni.

Berikut pernyataan As Suyuthi yang kami kutip dalam Kitab Tarikh Al Khulafa jilid I hal 69 tentang Hadis-hadis Keutamaan Ali bin Abi Thalib

وأخرج البزار والطبراني في الأوسط عن جابر بن عبد الله وأخرج الترمذي والحاكم عن علي قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ” أنا مدينة العلم وعلي بابها ” هذا حديث حسن على الصواب لا صحيح كما قال الحاكم ولا موضوع كما قاله جماعة منهم ابن الجوزي والنووي وقد بينت حاله في التعقبات على الموضوعات

Al Bazzar dan Ath Thabrani dalam Al Awsath meriwayatkan dari Jabir bin Abdullah dan Imam Tirmidzi serta Al Hakim meriwayatkan dari Ali, dia berkata Rasulullah SAW bersabda “Saya adalah kota ilmu sedangkan Ali adalah pintunya”. Hadis ini hasan dan bukan shahih sebagaimana yang dikatakan Al Hakim dan bukan maudhu’ sebagaimana yang dinyatakan oleh sebagian kalangan diantaranya Ibnu Jauzi dan An Nawawi. Saya telah memberikan catatan tentang kedudukan hadis ini dalam Catatan Kritis Terhadap Kitab Al Maudhu’at Ibnu Jauzi.

Begitu juga Al Hafidz Shalahuddin Al Alaiy menolak pernyataan maudhu’ dan berkata bahwa yang benar hadis tersebut hasan. Pernyataan ini kami kutip dari kitab Kasyf Al Khafa’ hadis no 618, Al Hafidz Al Alaiy berkata

الصواب أنه حسن باعتبار طرقه لا صحيح ولا

تعدد ضعيف؛ فضلا أن يكون موضوعا

Sebenarnya kedudukan hadis ini hasan dengan melihat semua jalan sanadnya, tidak shahih dan juga bukan dhaif , lebih utama dari maudhu’

2009-09-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

ILMU ATAU HARTA

2009-09-13T10:36:00.001-07:00

Pemimpin yang Zalim Penghalang Ijabahnya Doa

Sebagaimana dimaklumi bahwa umumnya kaum muslimin ketika berdoa kepada
Allah swt, mereka ingin doanya diijabah oleh-Nya. Sebagian mereka
memfokuskan doanya pada permohonan rizki, perlindungan, pengampunan
dosa, kebahagiaan, keselamatan di dunia dan akhirat, dan lainnya.
Tetapi, barangkali yang terbanyak dari kaum muslimin fokus doanya
adalah rizki dalam arti materi, walaupun rizki juga meliputi ilmu,
anak, dan lainnya.

Mengapa doa umumnya kita terfokus pada rizki dalam makna materi? Ini
menunjukkan negeri dan pemeperintahan kita sedang dilanda krisis
ekonomi. Bukan hanya krisis bahkan sudah berada diambang bahaya.
Anehnya, mengapa ratusan juta bangsa kita, khusunya kaum muslimin,
doanya tidak dapat merubah kondisi ekonomi? Padahal hampir setiap
hari, paling tidak lima kali hari sesudah shalat berdoa dan memohon
keluasan pintu rizki.

Mengapa Allah swt belum juga mengijabah doa ratusan ribu kaum
muslimin? Padahal Allah swt berjanji: "Berdoalah kepada-Ku, pasti Aku
ijabah doamu." Apakah Allah swt mengingkari janji-Nya? Tentu
jawabannya: Dia tidak pernah mengingkari janji-Nya.

Mari kita telusuri penyebab utamanya, khususnya yang berkait dengan
rizki. Jika kita meyakini bahwa negeri kita adalah negeri yang kaya,
semestinya bangsa tidak sengsara secara materi. Ini kesimpulan logika
kita. Jika ternyata bangsa kita secara mayoritas berada kondisi yang
sengsara, maka ini jelas ada sesuatu yang salah: Tidak punya kemampuan
ilmu untuk menggali kekayaan alam kita atau karena kezaliman,
kerakusan, dan lainnya?

Allamah Thabathaba'i dalam tafsirnya Al-Mizan tentang surat An-Naml:
62, mengatakan:
Allah swt berfirman:

أَمَّن يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَ يَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَ يَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الأَرْضِ أَ ءِلَهٌ مَّعَ
اللَّهِ قَلِيلاً مَّا تَذَكرُونَ
"Siapakah yang memperkenankan doa orang yang dalam puncak kesengsaraan
apabila ia berdoa kepada-Nya, dan yang menghilangkan kesusahan serta
yang menjadikan kamu sebagai khalifah di bumi? Apakah di samping Allah
ada Tuhan yang lain? Amat sedikitlah kamu mengingat-Nya. "(An-Naml: 62)

Berdasarkan kontek kalimatnya, ayat ini mengkaitkan ijabahnya doa
orang-orang yang sangat sengsara dengan kekhalifahan dan kepemimpinan
di muka bumi. Yakni apakah kepemimpinan itu berdasarkan kehendak Ilahi
atau hawa nafsu manusia. Makna dikuatkan oleh firman Allah swt:

وَ إِذْ قَالَ رَبُّك لِلْمَلَئكَةِ إِنى جَاعِلٌ فى الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً قَالُوا أَ تجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن
يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَ يَسفِك الدِّمَاءَ وَ نحْنُ نُسبِّحُ بحَمْدِك وَ نُقَدِّس لَك قَالَ إِنى أَعْلَمُ مَا لا
تَعْلَمُونَ
Ingatlah ketika Tuhanmu berfirman kepada para Malaikat: "Sesungguhnya
Aku hendak menjadikan seorang khalifah di muka bumi." Mereka berkata:
"Mengapa Engkau hendak menjadikan (khalifah) di bumi itu orang yang
akan membuat kerusakan padanya dan menumpahkan darah, padahal kami
senantiasa bertasbih dengan memuji Engkau dan mensucikan Engkau?"
Tuhan berfirman: "Sesungguhnya Aku mengetahui apa yang tidak kamu
ketahui." (Al-Baqarah: 30)

Sebagaimana kita maklumi bahwa kebijakan seorang pemimpinan akan
berdampak luas pada kehidupan manusia. Sehingga kesusahan, kesulitan
dan penderitaan sangatlah berkait erat dengan kebijakan seorang pemimpin.

Ketika rakyat berada dalam puncak kesengsaraan, mereka berdoa kepada
Allah swt, bergantung dan berlindung kepada-Nya agar mereka terlepas
dari kesengsaraan. Di sini siapakah yang menjadi penghalang? Pemimpin
yang zalim, sistem dan kebijakannya, atau rakyatnya juga terlibat
dalam kezaliman.

Imam Ali bin Abi Thalib (sa) pernah mengatakan: "Tidak akan terjadi
kezaliman kecuali ada kerjasama antara yang menzalimi dan yang mau
dizalimi."

Pernyataan Imam Ali (sa) ini sangatlah logis, yakni khususnya di
negeri yang menganut system demokrasi. Siapakah yang memilih pemimpin
yang zalim? Jawabannya moyoritas rakyat yang dizalimi. Secara logis
rakyat yang memilihnya, mereka ikut andil dalam kezaliman.
Na'udzulullah, semoga kita tidak termasuk di dalamnya. Yakni dosa
politik yang berdampak luas menyengsarakan ratusan juta manusia.

Jika kita terlibat dalam kezaliman sistem dan kebijakan, yakni
terlibat memilih pemimpin yang zalim. Maka, kita juga andil dalam
dosa yang menyengsarakan ratusan juta manusia, terlibat juga menjadi
penghalang ijabahnya doa orang-orang yang bersungguh-sungguh dalam
memohon kepada Allah swt. Lalu apa alasan kita kelak di hadapan
Mahkamah Agung Ilahi? Sudahkan kita mempersiapkan jawabannya? Di sana
tidak ada peluang sedikitpun untuk merekayasa jawaban, apalagi melobi
dari pintu belakang. Semua jiwa dan raga kita akan menjadi saksi, juga
kawan dan lawan, kerabat dan sahabat yang mengetahui prilaku kita di
dunia. Bahkan orang terdekat kita juga akan menjadi saksi yaitu anak
dan isteri.

Dosa yang menyengsarakan ratusan juta manusia dan orang-orang yang
dicintai Allah swt, dan menghalangi doa mereka, jelas itu adalah dosa
besar yang sulit diampuni dan tak mudah dibukakan pintu taubat,
kecuali mereka yang disengsarakan dan dizalimi memaafkan. Akankah
mereka memaafkan? Belum lagi mereka yang sudah meninggal. Sepanjang
mereka tidak memaafkan, maka Allah swt tidak mengampuninya dan tidak
membukan pintu taubat baginya.

Kembali pada ijabahnya doa. Allah swt berjanji pada hamba-Nya:

ادْعُونى أَستَجِب لَكمْ
"Berdoalah kepada-Ku, pasti Aku ijabah doamu." (Al-Mukmin: 60)

وَ لَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى ءَامَنُوا وَ اتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيهِم بَرَكَتٍ مِّنَ السمَاءِ وَ الأَرْضِ وَ
لَكِن كَذَّبُوا فَأَخَذْنَهُم بِمَا كانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
"Jika sekiranya penduduk negeri-negeri beriman dan bertakwa, pastilah
Kami akan melimpahkan kepada mereka keberkahan dari langit dan bumi.
Tetapi mereka
mendustakan (ayat-ayat Kami) itu, maka Kami siksa mereka disebabkan
perbuatan mereka." (Al-A'raf: 96)

Sehubungan dengan surat An-Naml: 62, Allamah Thabathaba'i mengutip
riwayat dari tafsir Al-Qumi:
Imam Ja'far Ash-Shadiq (sa) berkata: "Ayat ini turun berkait dengan
kepemimpinan Al-Mahdi (sa) dari keluarga Muhammad saw. Demi Allah,
orang yang dalam kesusahan, apabila ia melakukan shalat dua rakaat
dalam kondisi itu dan berdoa kepada Allah azza wa jalla, niscaya Dia
mengijabah doanya dan menghilangkan kesusahan, dan Dia menjadikan
Al-Mahdi (sa) seorang khalifah di bumi."

2009-09-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

Inilah orang – orang yang didoakan oleh para malaikat :

1. Orang yang tidur dalam keadaan bersuci.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Barangsiapa yang tidur dalam keadaan suci, maka malaikat akan bersamanya di dalam pakaiannya. Dia tidak akan bangun hingga malaikat berdoa ‘Ya Allah, ampunilah hambamu si fulan karena tidur dalam keadaan suci”.

(Imam Ibnu Hibban meriwayatkan dari Abdullah bin Umar ra., hadits ini dishahihkan oleh Syaikh Al Albani dalam Shahih At Targhib wat Tarhib I/37)

2. Orang yang sedang duduk menunggu waktu shalat.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Tidaklah salah seorang diantara kalian yang duduk menunggu shalat, selama ia berada dalam keadaan suci, kecuali para malaikat akan mendoakannya ‘Ya Allah, ampunilah ia. Ya Allah sayangilah ia’”

(Imam Muslim meriwayatkan dari Abu Hurairah ra., Shahih Muslim no. 469)

3. Orang – orang yang berada di shaf barisan depan di dalam shalat berjamaah.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Sesungguhnya Allah dan para malaikat-Nya bershalawat kepada (orang – orang) yang berada pada shaf – shaf terdepan”

(Imam Abu Dawud (dan Ibnu Khuzaimah) dari Barra’ bin ‘Azib ra., hadits ini dishahihkan oleh Syaikh Al Albani dalam Shahih Sunan Abi Dawud I/130)

4. Orang – orang yang menyambung shaf pada sholat berjamaah (tidak membiarkan sebuah kekosongan di dalam shaf).
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Sesungguhnya Allah dan para malaikat selalu bershalawat kepada orang – orang yang menyambung shaf – shaf”

(Para Imam yaitu Ahmad, Ibnu Majah, Ibnu Khuzaimah, Ibnu Hibban dan Al Hakim meriwayatkan dari Aisyah ra., hadits ini dishahihkan oleh Syaikh Al Albani dalam Shahih At Targhib wat Tarhib I/272)

5. Para malaikat mengucapkan ‘Amin’ ketika seorang Imam selesai membaca Al Fatihah.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Jika seorang Imam membaca ‘ghairil maghdhuubi ‘alaihim waladh dhaalinn’, maka ucapkanlah oleh kalian ‘aamiin’, karena barangsiapa ucapannya itu bertepatan dengan ucapan malaikat, maka ia akan diampuni dosanya yang masa lalu”.

(Imam Bukhari meriwayatkan dari Abu Hurairah ra., Shahih Bukhari no. 782)

6. Orang yang duduk di tempat shalatnya setelah melakukan shalat.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Para malaikat akan selalu bershalawat kepada salah satu diantara kalian selama ia ada di dalam tempat shalat dimana ia melakukan shalat, selama ia belum batal wudhunya, (para malaikat) berkata, ‘Ya Allah ampunilah dan sayangilah ia”

(Imam Ahmad meriwayatkan dari Abu Hurairah, Al Musnad no. 8106, Syaikh Ahmad Syakir menshahihkan hadits ini)

7. Orang – orang yang melakukan shalat shubuh dan ‘ashar secara berjama’ah.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Para malaikat berkumpul pada saat shalat shubuh lalu para malaikat ( yang menyertai hamba) pada malam hari (yang sudah bertugas malam hari hingga shubuh) naik (ke langit), dan malaikat pada siang hari tetap tinggal. Kemudian mereka berkumpul lagi pada waktu shalat ‘ashar dan malaikat yang ditugaskan pada siang hari (hingga shalat ‘ashar) naik (ke langit) sedangkan malaikat yang bertugas pada malam hari tetap tinggal, lalu Allah bertanya kepada mereka, ‘Bagaimana kalian meninggalkan hambaku?’, mereka menjawab, ‘Kami datang sedangkan mereka sedang melakukan shalat dan kami tinggalkan mereka sedangkan mereka sedang melakukan shalat, maka ampunilah mereka pada hari kiamat’”

(Imam Ahmad meriwayatkan dari Abu Hurairah ra., Al Musnad no. 9140, hadits ini dishahihkan oleh Syaikh Ahmad Syakir)

8. Orang yang mendoakan saudaranya tanpa sepengetahuan orang yang didoakan.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Doa seorang muslim untuk saudaranya yang dilakukan tanpa sepengetahuan orang yang didoakannya adalah doa yang akan dikabulkan. Pada kepalanya ada seorang malaikat yang menjadi wakil baginya, setiap kali dia berdoa untuk saudaranya dengan sebuah kebaikan, maka malaikat tersebut berkata ‘aamiin dan engkaupun mendapatkan apa yang ia dapatkan’”

(Diriwayatkan oleh Imam Muslim dari Ummud Darda’ ra., Shahih Muslim no. 2733)

9. Orang – orang yang berinfak.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Tidak satu hari pun dimana pagi harinya seorang hamba ada padanya kecuali 2 malaikat turun kepadanya, salah satu diantara keduanya berkata, ‘Ya Allah, berikanlah ganti bagi orang yang berinfak’. Dan lainnya berkata, ‘Ya Allah, hancurkanlah harta orang yang pelit’”

(Imam Bukhari dan Imam Muslim meriwayatkan dari Abu Hurairah ra., Shahih Bukhari no. 1442 dan Shahih Muslim no. 1010)

10. Orang yang sedang makan sahur.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Sesungguhnya Allah dan para malaikat-Nya bershalawat kepada orang – orang yang sedang makan sahur”

(Imam Ibnu Hibban dan Imam Ath Thabrani, meriwayaatkan dari Abdullah bin Umar ra., hadits ini dishahihkan oleh Syaikh Al Albani dalam Shahih At Targhiib wat Tarhiib I/519)

11. Orang yang sedang menjenguk orang sakit.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Tidaklah seorang mukmin menjenguk saudaranya kecuali Allah akan mengutus 70.000 malaikat untuknya yang akan bershalawat kepadanya di waktu siang kapan saja hingga sore dan di waktu malam kapan saja hingga shubuh”

(Imam Ahmad meriwayatkan dari ‘Ali bin Abi Thalib ra., Al Musnad no. 754, Syaikh Ahmad Syakir berkomentar, “Sanadnya shahih”)

12. Seseorang yang sedang mengajarkan kebaikan kepada orang lain.
Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Keutamaan seorang alim atas seorang ahli ibadah bagaikan keutamaanku atas seorang yang paling rendah diantara kalian. Sesungguhnya penghuni langit dan bumi, bahkan semut yang di dalam lubangnya dan bahkan ikan, semuanya bershalawat kepada orang yang mengajarkan kebaikan kepada orang lain”

(Diriwayatkan oleh Imam Tirmidzi dari Abu Umamah Al Bahily ra., dishahihkan oleh Syaikh Al Albani dalam Kitab Shahih At Tirmidzi II/343)

Sumber Tulisan Oleh : Syaikh Dr. Fadhl Ilahi (Orang – orang yang Didoakan Malaikat, Pustaka Ibnu Katsir, Bogor, Cetakan Pertama, Februari 2005

apa yang terpikir ..?

2009-09-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

remember 11 sep

2009-09-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

US remembers 9/11 attacks

Obama met families of those who died
in the September 11 attacks [EPA]

Barack Obama, the US president, has laid a wreath at the Pentagon in memory of those who were killed in a series of attacks on the country on September 11 eight years ago.

Obama on Friday attended a memorial service at the headquarters of the defence department in Washington, which was attacked along with the World Trade Centre in New York in 2001.

"No turning of the season can diminish the pain and the loss of that day... No passage of time and no dark skies can ever dull the meaning of this moment," Obama said.

Almost 3,000 people were killed in the co-ordinated assaults by al-Qaeda.

The president said that maintaining a shared purpose to oppose "terrorism" would be the most effective way to stand against those who wish to strike the US.

"Let us renew our resolve against those who perpetrated this barbaric act and who plot against us still," he said.

"In defence of our nation, we will never waver."

Security scare

Obama's derfiant words were accompanied by a brief moment of alarm in the capital as authorities raised an alarm after spotting a suspicious boat on the Potomac river near the Pentagon, but the vessel was later identified as a US Coast Guard boat on a training exercise.

"We will never forget the rage and aching sadness we felt"

Barack Obama,
US president

Police and federal law officials denied media reports that shots had been fired during the incident.

"We are still gathering information of how this training event might have been misconstrued as an actual incident. We will conduct a thorough review of this incident," the Coast Guard said in a written statement.

Obama had earlier observed at the White House a moment of silence at 8:46am (1346GMT), the minute when the first of two hijacked passenger aircraft struck one of the two World Trade Centre towers on September 11, 2001.

About 500 people attended the Pentagon memorial service, including families of the victims and survivors of the Pentagon attack.

Attacks commemorated

Joseph Biden, the vice-president, laid a wreath at Ground Zero in New York, where the twin towers of the World Trade Centre once stood.

In a message to the city that was published on the front page of a daily newspaper, Obama said Americans were in solidarity with New Yorkers on the anniversary of the attacks.

Thousands of people died in the attacks on the
World Trade Centre towers in New York [AP]

Obama's letter in the New York Daily News said that the attacks on the World Trade Centre "will be forever seared in the consciousness of our nation" and that "every year on this day, we are all New Yorkers."

"We will never forget the images of planes vanishing into buildings; of billowing smoke rolling down the streets of Manhattan; of photos hung by the families of the missing," he wrote.

"We will never forget the rage and aching sadness we felt. And we will never forget the feeling that we had lost something else: a sense of safety as we went about our daily lives."

The president said that the war in Afghanistan, which was undertaken weeks after the September 11 attacks and which has become increasingly unpopular among Americans, was an intrinsic part of his strategy "to take the fight to the extremists who attacked us on 9/11".

But he also said that the US should lead through "the power of our fundamental values", and not just rely on the use of military force.

Afghanistan mission

The president is considering whether to send extra troops to Afghanistan in an effort to confront a resurgent Taliban, but opponents say clarity is needed on the Afghan mission first.

Carl Levin, a Democrat who chairs the senate's armed services committee, said on Thursday that the US government's goal should be to provide sufficient training to Afghan forces, so that they can take control of security, rather than sending thousands more US troops to Afghanistan.

Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said: "The Democratic leadership in congress are not really encouraged to send more troops to Afghanistan.

"Even right-wing media commentators are advocating redeployment of troops from the [centre of] Afghanistan to its periphery, so that the war can be run from there.

"There is less and less will among the US elite and the public to escalate the war, and people are getting more and more confused about the objectives.

"General Petraeus [the commander of US Central Command] tells us that there are no more al-Qaeda in Afghanistan; he says they are in Pakistan."

Source:

Al Jazeera and agencies

cet langet lom....??!

2009-09-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

bukan lautan hanya kolam susu (koes Plus)

2009-09-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

2009-09-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

.....ANA MADINATUL ILMI WA ALI ASBABUHA

Ibn Al-Arabi

2009-09-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

Ibn Al-‘Arabi adalah penganut faham Tauhid Wujudi bahkan ia merupakan panutan dalam pemikiran ini. Pemikiran yang selalu menjadi sorotan tajam dari kaum fuqoha. Pemikiran inilah yang menjadi landasan konsep pendidikannya bahkan semua pola pikirnya berporos pada pemahaman ini. Perlu digaris bawahi bahwa Ibn Arabi belum pernah menyebutkan istilah wahdatul wujud dalam kitabnya namun istilah ini dicetuskan oleh orientalis. Namun dari berbagai ajarannya bisa dikatakan bahwa pemahamannya adalah wahdatul wujud.

Dalam menjelaskan konsep wahdatul wujud Ibn Arabi mengungkapkan:

“ketahuilah bahwa wujud ini satu namun Dia memiliki penampakan yang disebut dengan alam dan ketersembunyiannya yang dikenal dengan asma (nama-nama), dan memiliki pemisah yang disebut dengan barzakh yang menghimpun dan memisahkan antara batin dan lahir itulah yang dikenal dengan Insan Kamil”.

Ia juga menjelaskan:

“Ketahuilah bahwa Tuhan segala Tuhan adalah Allah Swt. Sebagai Nama Yang Teragung dan sebagai ta’ayun (pernyataan) yang pertama. Ia merupakan sumber segala nama, dan tujuan terakhir dari segala tujuan, dan arah dari segala keinginan, serta mencakup segala tuntutan, kepadaNya lah isyarat yang difirmankan Allah kepada RasulNya Saw -bahwa kepada Tuhanmulah tujuan terakhir- karena Muhammad adalah mazhar dari pernyataan pertama (ta’ayyun awwal), dan Tuhan yang khusus baginya adalah Ketuhanan Yang Teragung ini. Ketahuilah bahwa segala nama dari nama-nama Allah merupakan gambaran dalam ilmu Allah yang bernama dengan ‘mahiat’ atau ‘ain sabitah’ (esensi yang tetap). Setiap nama juga memiliki gambaran di luar yang diberi nama dengan mazahir (penampakan atau fenomena) dan segala nama tadi merupakan pengatur dari mazahir (fenomena-fenomena) ini. Sedang Haqiqat Muhammadiyah merupakan gambaran dari nama ‘Allah’ yang menghimpun segala nama ketuhanan yang darinya muncul limpahan atas segala yang ada dan Allah Swt sebagai Tuhannya. Haqiqat Muhammadiyah yang mengatur gambaran alam seluruhnya dengan Tuhan yang tampil padanya, disebut dengan Rab al-arbab (Allah Swt).”

Perlu diketahui bahwa yang dimaksud dengan Haqiqat Muhammadiyah di sini bukanlah Nabi Muhammad sebagai manusianya namun Haqiqat Muhammadiayah adalah Asma dan Sifat Allah serta Akhlaqnya. Nabi muhammad disebut dengan Muhammad karena Beliau mampu berakhlaq dengan seluruh akhlaq ketuhanan tersebut.

Selanjutnya Ibn Arabi juga mengatakan:

“ketahuilah bahwa yang ada hanya Allah beserta sifatNya, af’alNya maka semuanya adalah Dia, denganNya, dariNya dan kepadaNya. Kalaulah ia terhijab dari alam ini walaupun sekejap maka binasalah alam ini secara keselurhan, kekalnya alam ini dengan penjagaanNYa dan penglihatanNya kepada alam. Akan tetapi jika sesuatu sangat tampak jelas dengan cahayaNya hingga pemahaman tidak mampu untuk mengetahuinya maka penampakan itulah yang disebut dengan hijab.”

Jadi asma dan sifat itulah yang disebut dengan Haqiqat Muhammadiyah, dan alam muncul dari hakikat tersebut. Oleh sebab itu Ibn Arabi mengungkapkan:

“Alam pada hakikatnya adalah satu namun yang hilang dan muncul adalah gambarnya saja”.

Maksudnya hakikat alam tadi berasal dari Zat Yang Satu, yang pada dasarnya gambaran alam tadi hilang dan muncul, artinya alam itu pada hakikatnya tiada berupa gambar saja. Dalam hal ini ia menyatakan:

“Maha Suci Allah yang menciptakan segala sesuatu Dialah segala sesuatu tadi.”

Artinya penampakannya tiada lain Dia juga, yang tampil dariNya adalah Dia juga.

Lebih jelasnya Syaikh Abd Ar-Rauf Singkil menjelaskan dalam sebuah karyanya:

“wujud alam ini tidak benar-benar sendiri, melainkan terjadi melalui pancaran. Yang dimaksud dengan memancar di sini adalah bagaikan memancarnya pengetahuan dari Allah Ta’ala. Seperti halnya alam ini bukan benar-benar Zat Allah, karena ia merupakan wujud yang baru, alam juga tidak benar-benar lain dariNya. Karena ia bukan wujud kedua yang berdiri sendiri disamping Allah.”

Jadi alam bukanlah sebenarnya Allah namun pancarannNya dengan kata lain hijabnya. Hal ini dikuatkan oleh penjelasan Willian dalam salah satu karyanya mengenai Ibn Arabi: “Hanya satu wujud dan seluruh eksistensi tiada lain adalah pancaran dari Wujud Yang Satu.” Kesimpulannya yang tampak itulah makhluk cipatanNya sedang ZatNya tetaplah ghaib. Hal ini dijelaskan oelh Ibn Arabi sebagai berikut:

“Allah nyata ditinjau dari penampakanNya pada cipatanNya dan batin dari segi Zatnya.”

Untuk lebih jelasnya, Tajalliyat Allah pada lingkatan wujud adalah merupakan penampakan Allah berupa kesempurnaan dan keagungan yang abadi. Zatnya merupakan sumber pancaran yang tak pernah habis keindahan dan keagunganNya. Ia merupakan perbendaharaan yang tersembunyi yang ingin tampil dan dikenal. Allah sebagai keindahan ingin membuka perbendahataan tersembunyi tersebut dengan Tajalliyat (teofani) Haq tentunya yang merupakan penampakan-penampakan dari keagungan, keindahan dan kesempurnaanNya dalam pentas alam yang maha luas.

Ibn Arabi berkata: “Alam maujud atau mengada denganNya”.

Tajalliyat al-Wujud dengan gambaran global dalam tiga hadirat:

1. Hadirat Zat (Tajalliyat Wujudiya Zatiya) yaitu pernyataan dengan diriNya untuk diriNya dari diriNya. Dalam hal ini Ia terbebas dari segala gambaran dan penampakan. Ini dikenal dengan Ahadiyat. Pada keadaan ini tampak Zat Allah terbebas dari segala sifat, nama, kualitas, dan gambaran. Ia merupakan Zat Yang Suci yang dikenal dengan rahasia dari segala rahasia, gaib dari segala yang gaib, sebagaimana ia merupakan penampakan Zat, atau cermin yang terpantul darinya hakikat keberadaan yang mutlak.

2. Tajalliyat Wujudiya Sifatiya yang merupakan pernyataan Allah dengan diriNya, untuk diriNya, pada penampakan kesempurnaanNya (asma) dan penampakan sifat-sifatNya yang azali. Keadaan ini dikenal dengan wahdah. Pada hal ini tampak hakikat keberadaan yang mutlah dalam hiasan kesempurnaan ini lah yang dikenal dedngan Haqiqat Muhammadiyah (kebenaran yang terpuji), setelah ia tersembunyi pada rahasia gaib yang mutlak denganjalan faid al-aqdas (atau limpahan yang paling suci karena ia langsung dari Zat Allah). Dalam keadaan ini tampillah al-A’yan as-Sabitah (esensi-esensi yang tetap) atau ma’lumat Allah.

3. Tajalliyat Wujudiyah Fi’liyah (af’aliyah) yaitu pernyataan Haq dengan diriNya untuk diriNya dalam fenomena esensi-esensi yang luar (A’yan Kharijah) atau hakikat-hakikat alam semesta. Keadaan ini dikenal dengan mutlaq dengan ZatNya, sifatNya dan perbuatanNya dengan jalan limpahan yang suci (al-faid al-muqaddas). Allah pun tampak pada gambaran esensi-esensi luar (A’yan Kharijah), baik yang abstrak maupun yang kongkrit yang merupakan asal dari alam semesta seluruhnya.

Allah Swt merupakan awal dari tajalliyat wujud segala fenomenanya dan dimensinya. Jadi Dia tidak berasal dari ketiadaan dan tidak berakhir kepada ketiadaan pula. Ia merupakan karya absolut yang berada pada lingkatan yang absolut, ia berasal dari yang Haq dengan Haq dan kepada yang Haq, baik dalam tahap Zat, Sifat dan Af’al. semuanya adalah penampakan dari hakikat yang satu.

Namun apakah berarti alam adalah Allah dan Allah adalah alam. Bisa dikatakan ‘ya’ atau ‘tidak’, sebagaimana yang beliau ungkapkan dalam salah satu karyanya:

“Dalam hal ini ada sebagian golongan sufi yang terpeleset jatuh dalam kekhilafan dari yang sebenarnya, mereka berkata tidak ada kecuali apa yang engkau lihat bahwa alam adalah Allah dan Allah adalah alam tiada lain. Sebabnya kesaksian ini terjadi karena mereka belim benar benar mencapai apa yang dicapai oleh muhaqiqun. Kalau mereka mencapai apa yang dicapai oleh muhaqiqin maka meraka tidak akan berkata demikian dan menetapkan segala hakikat pada tempatnya dan mengetahuinya dengan ilmu dan penyingkapan.”

Disamping itu penyatuan antara manusia dan hamba adalah mustahil ataupun Allah bertempat adalah juga mustahil. Hal ini ia jelaskan dalam sebuah kitabnya:

“Ittihad adalah mustahil karena dua zat menjadi satu, tidak akan mungkin bertemu antara hamba dan Tuhan pada satu wajah selamanya ditinjau dari ZatNya.”

Dari pernyataan ini jelas beliau tidak berpaham panteisme, jadi bagaimana menafsirkan wahdatulwujud tersebut? Sebagaimana yang diungkapkan sebelumnya bahwa Zat Allah adalah sumber segalanya. Jadi yang disebut eksistensi atau wujud adalah Zat tersebut. Sedangkan keadaan yang dikenal dngan Haqiqat Muhammadiyah (A’yan sabitah, wahdah, tajalliyat wjudiyah sifatiyah) merupakan penampakan atau bayangan dari Zat Yang Suci yang bernama Allah. Kemudian keadaan yang bernama Wahdaniyat (tajalliyat wujudiyah fi’liyah atau a’yan kharijiyah) adalah bayangan dari wahdah atau Haqiqat Muhammadiyah. Jadi seluruhnya bayangan dari Zat Yang Suci. Lebih jelasnya alam ini (a’yan kharijiyah) penampakan atau bayangan dari Asma Allah yang dikenal dengan Haqiqat Muhammdiyah ataupaun A’yan Sabitah. Sedangkan Asma adalah penampakan dari Zat Yang Maha Suci. Jadi bayangan adalah sesuatu yang pada hakikatnya tiada namun ia ada bergantung kepada Zat Allah, sebagaimana bayangan suatu benda.

Penjelasan diatas dikuatkan dengan perkataan Ibn Arabi dalam kitab Futuhat:

Jika Engkau nyatakan: “Tiada sesuatupun yang setara denganNya maka hilanglah bayangan sementara bayangan terbentang maka hendaklah engkau memperhatikan lebih teliti.”

Dalam kitab Al-Jalalah beliau menjelaskan:

“Segala sesuatu memiliki bayangan dan bayangan Allah adalah Arasy. Akan tetapi bukanlah setiap bayangan terbentang. Arasy bagi Tuhan adalah bayangan yang tidak terbentang, apakah engkau tidak memperhatikan bahwa jisim yang memiliki bayangan apabila diliputi oleh cahaya maka bayangannya ada padanya.”

Bayanganyang dimaksud di sini adalah alam semesta. Manusia memiliki banyak bayangan jika dia disinari oleh beberapa cahaya yang datang dari berbagai arah, wajahnya akan muncul dalam berbagai cermin yang pada hakikatnya ia adalah satu namun dipatulkan oleh beraam cermin. Begitu pula Allah Esa dari segi ZatNya dan berbilang dari segi penampakanNya dalam gambaran serta bayanganNya dalam cahaya. Jadi jelas bahwa sebenarnya alam ini adalah bayangan yang hakikatnya tiada atau dikenal dengan batil. Ibn Arabi menjelaskan:

“sebenar-benar ungkapan yang dikatakan oleh orang Arab bahwa; “segala sesuatu selain Allah adalah batil” karena siapa yang keberadannya tergantung kepada yang lain maka dia adalah tiada.”

Ia juga mengungkapkan dalam Risalah al-Wujudiyah:

“Sesungguhnya engkau tidak pernah ada sama sekali dan bukan pula engkau ada dengan dirimu atau ada di dalamNya atau bersamaNya dan bukan pula engkau binasa ataupun ada.”

Untuk menjelaskan perkataan ini ia mengutip perkataan Abu Said Al-Kharraj menyatakan: “Aku mengenal Allah dengan menghimpun segala dua hal yang bertentangan.” Artinya Dialah Yang Lahir dan Yang Batin tanpa keadaan yang lain. Dijelaskan juga dalam kitabnya Ar-risalah Al-Wujudiyah:

“Dialah Yang Awal tanpa berawal, Yang Akhir tanpa berakhir, Yang Lahir tanpa jelas, Yang Batin tanpa tersembunyi.”

Hal ini jika difahami berarti bahwa manusia tidak memiliki keberadaanyang independen dalam arti kata keberadaannya pada hakikatnya adalah bayangan dari keadaan Allah. Karena pada hakikatnya manusia tiada yang ada Allah. Jadi manusia adalah penampakan, bayangan atau ayat Allah yang pada hakikata adalah tiada atau khayal. Karena suatu yang sifatnya khayal berjumpa dengan khayal seolah kelihatan nyata.

Dalam Fusus al-Hikam Ibn Arabi mengungkapkan:

“Ketahuilah bahwa hadirat khayal merupakan hadirat yang menghimpun dan mencakup segal seuatu dan yang bukan sesuatu.”

Jadi jelas bahwa alam ini adalah fana atau khayal danyang kekal dan tampak adalah ZatNya Yang Suci dengan penampakan-penampakan yang indah dan agung yang mewujudkan kesempurnaanNya yang tiada batas.”

Di lain bukunya Ibn Arabi mengungkapkan:

“Tidak ada dalam wujud ini selain Allah, kita walupun ada (Maujudun) maka sesungguhnya keberadaan kita denganNya, barang siap yang keberadaannya dengan selain Allah maka ia masuk dalam hukum ketiadaan.”

Maksudnya ialah bahwa Allah ada dengan sendiriNya dan tidak mengambil keberadaannya dari yagn lain. Sedangkan alam adalah ada karena Allah mengadakannya. Jadi alam adalah keberadaanyang mungkin ada yang pada hakikatnya tiada. Di sini kita harus membedakan antara wujud dan maujud. Wujud merupakan isim masdar yang berarti keadaan dan Maujud merupakan isim maf’ul berarti sesuatu yang mengada karena pengaruh lain . Bisa ditafsirkan bahwa Allah adalah keberadaan itu sendiri atau Zat Yang Maha Ada, sedang maujud adalah sesuatu yang menjadi ada disebabkan hal lain. Maujud merupakan ‘objek’ yang berarti sesuatu yang menerima pengaruh perbuatan yang lain. Jadi sesuatu yang menjadi ada karena adanya keberadaan yang lain bukanlah keberadaan yang sejati namun keberadannya bergantung kepada Wujud Yang Sejati. Keberadaannya disebut dengan khayal, artinya ia ada karena bergantung pada Wujud Sejati. Namun jia sesuatu tidak bergantung kepada Wujud Sejati tentu dia tiada, karena siapa yang akan memberikannya keberadaan? Jadi jelas yang dimaksud dengan Wahdat al-Wujud adalah bahwa wujud yang sejati adalah satu. Bukan berarti alam adalah Allah dan Allah adalah alam.

Dalam menerangkan wahdatulwujud Ibnu Arabi kadang mengutip kuplet berikut, sebagaimana yang termaktub dalam kitab al-Alif:

* Dalam segala sesuatu Dia memiliki ayat

* Menunjukkan kenyataan bahwa Dia adalah Satu.

Kesatuan wujud ini juga dapat difahami dari sebuah hadis yang sering dikutip Ibn Arabi dalam menerangkan masalah Wahdat al-Wujud yaitu: Kanallahu wala syai’a ma’ahu artinya ‘dahulu Allah tiada sesuatu apapun besertaNya’. Disempurnakan dengan perkataan wahuwal aana ‘ala makaana artinya ‘sekarang Ia sebagaimana keadaanNya dahulu’. Maksud dari kedua pernyataan ini tidak ada sesuatu apapun yang menyertai Allah selamanya dan segalaNya pada sisiNya adalah tiada. ‘Tiada Tuhan selain Allah’ artinya segala sesuatu berupa alam yang gaib dan nyata adalah bayangan Allah yang pada hakikatnya tiada. Karena segala sesuatu yang tiada bisa dijadikan Tuhan oleh manusia dan yang pada hakikatnya yang ada hanya Zat Allah Yang Maha Suci yang bernama Allah.

Yang dapat disimpulkan dari penjelasan di atas ialah, alam bisa dikatakan Allah dan bisa juga tidak. Dilihat dari keterbatasan alam dan hakikatnya yang merupakan khayal semata maka alam bukanlah Allah. Namun jika dilihat bahwa alam tidak akan muncul dengan sendirinya dan mustahil ada wujid disamping Allah ataupun diataNya atau dibawahNya atau ditengahNya atau didalamNya atau diluarNya maka alam adalah penampakan Allah. Penampakan itu tiada lain allah jua adanya.

Dibalik itu semua dalam memahami hal ini bukanlah cukup dengan logika namun harus dibuktikan dengan penyaksian sebagaimana pernyataan Ibn Arabi:

“Tauhid adalah penyaksian danbukan pengetahuan, barang siapa menyaksikan maka ia telah bertauhid barang siapa hanya mengetahui ia belum bertauhid.”

Jadi beginilah yang dapat difahami dari Wahdat al-Wujud. Permasalahan Tanzih dan Tasybih akan lebih menjelaskan konsep Wahdat Wujud.

Al-Hirah (Ketakjuban, Kebingungan, Laut Tanpa Pantai, Anggur Keabadian)

AL-Hirah merupakan ketakjuban dan puncak dari pengenalan akan Allah yang dalam hal ini Ibn Arabi menjelaskan:

“Uluhiyyat (ketuhanan) dapat dikatakan karena ia merupakan tawajjuh (kehendak) Zat untuk mewujudkan semua hal yang mungkin, adapun Zat tidaklah dapat dikatakan namaun disaksikan.”

Hal ini mungkin dapat dijelaskan sebagai berikut:

Zat Allah Esa dan Tunggal adanya namun tidaksatu makhlukpun dapat mengetahui hakikat Zat tersebut serta segala potensi yang ada pada Zat Allah. Penyaksian akan ZatNya bisa terjadi pada orang tertentu dan penyaksian itu bukanlah meluputi akan keadaan ZatNya. Ol;eh sebab itu tidak bisa dikatakan karena segalanya luluh dan fana ketika penyaksian itu terjadi. Sedangkan Uluhiyat bisa dikatakan karena Ia berhubungan dengan segala yang mungkin. Dalam al-Quran Allah berfirman:

Wayuhazzirukumullahu nafsah

Artinya: Allah melarang kamu untuk berpikir tentang diri (Zat)Nya. Ali Imran 28.

Pada ayat yang lain, Allah berfirman:

Wamaa qadarullahu haqqa qadrih

Artinya: dan mereka tidak mampu memperkirakan Allah dengan sebenar-benar perkiraan, Al-An’am 91.

Di samping itu Kalimat Allah atau seala yang mewujud karenaNya atau segala yang berasal dariNya tidak terhingga atau tidak terbats, oleh sebab itu tidak ada bats dalam mengenal Allah Swt. Jadi yang diketahui hanya keesaanNya sedang kuasaNya tanpa batas.

Ibn Arabi menjelaskan dalam tafsirnya mengenai ayat terakhir daru surat al-Kahfi:

“Katakanlah jika lautan huyuli (asal keberadaan alam semesta) yang menerima berbagi macam gambar yang mewuudkan segala ilmu Allah dijadikan sebagai tinta untuk menuliskan segala makna dan hakikat dan roh yang ada pada ZatNya maka air lautan akan habis sebelum habisnya kalimat Allah, karena ia tidak terhingga adanya. Tidak mungkin satu yang terbatas bisa mengibaratkan Yang Tidak Terbatas.”

Jika dikaitkan dengan dua aspek yaitu tanzih dan tasybih, maka aspek tanzihNya adalah ketidak terbatasan Zat Allah atau Maha SuciNya Ia dari segala ikatan dan keterbatasan. Sedang aspek tasybihNya adalah kalimatNya atau fenomena segala alam ini yang mewujud denganNya. Alam ini sendiri juga tidak terbatas, sebagaimana kalimat Allah tidak terbatas. Jadi puncak pengenalan akan Allah adalah ketidak mampuan untuk mengenalNya dan ketakjban akan keMaha BesaranNya. Sebagaimana Nabi bersabda:

Allahumma la nuhshi tsanaan ‘alaika anta kama atsnaita ‘ala nafsika

Artinya: “Ya Tuhan kami kami tidak mampu menghumpun pujian kepadaMua sebagaimana Engakau memuji diriMu Sendiri.”

Abu Bakar berkata: “ketidak sanggupan untuk mengenal Allah adalah pengenalan. Oleh sebab itu Abu Talib al-Makki berkata: “tidak mengenal Allah selain Allah.” Nabi Saw juga pernah bersabda: “Rabbi zidni fika tahayyuran” yang artinya : “Wahai Tuhanku tambakanlah kepadaku keta’juban.” Hal ini dita’wilkan oleh Ib Arabi sebagai kesinambunan takalliyat Allah kepada Nabi Saw. Kesinambungan tajalliyat adalah bertambahnya senantiasa ilmu pengenalan akan Allah dan itu tentunya tiada batas.

Nabi Muhammad Saw merupakan jalan petunjuk kepada ketakjubanyang membaw panji pujian kelak dihari kiamat. Beliaulah hamba yang paling mengenal Allah. Oleh sebab itu seorang tidak akan mampau mengenal Allah kecuali melalui jalan atau cermin Muhammad Saw. Ibn Arabi menjelaskan dalam kitab fusus al-Hikam:

“Allah berfirman: “sesungguhnya sahabatmu tidaklah sesat dan salah: an-an’am 2, atau Ia tidak takut dalam keheranannya karena Ia mengetahi bahwa puncak dalam pengenalan akan Allah adalah hirah (ketakjuban). Maka barang siapa yang sampai dalam keadaan ini maka ia telah beroleh petunjuk dan dia adalah yang menunjuki dan menjelaskan dalam penetapan ketakjuban.”

Ibn Arabi menyebutkan: “ Yang Haq adalah lautan dasarnya adalah azali pantainya adalah abadi.” Inilah lautan yang tiada tepi, ia melantunkan syair dalam ketakjuban:

* Aku terkesima pada Samudera dantap pantai dan Pantai tanpa samudera

* Pada Cahaya pagi tanpa kegelapan dan Malam tanpa fajar

* Pada dunia tanpa tempat yang diketahui oleh pagan dan pendeta

* Pada kubah biri langit, menjulang tinggi dan berputar

* Kemahakuasaan adalah pusatNya dan pada bumi yang subur tanpa kubah dan tempat, tersembunyi rahasia.

Tasybih dan Tanzih

Permasalahan Tasybi dan Tanzi juga merupakan polemik dari daulu ingga sekarang. Dalam al ini Ibn Arabi berpendapat bahwa dalam mengenal Allah manusia harus melihat TanzihNya (Kesecuian Allah dari segala sifat yang baharu) pada TasybihNya (KeserupaanNya dengan yang baharu) dan tasybihNya pada tanzihNya. Artinya untuk mengenal Allah harus menggabungkan dua aspek tadi sekaligus. Ibn Arabi sering mengutip perkataan Abu Sa’id Al-Kharraj: “ Aku mengenal Allah dengan menggabungkan dua hal yang bertentangan.” Menurutnya apabila seorang menganal Allah hanya dengan aspek tanzih berarti dia telah membatasi kemutlakanNya. Karena tanzih berarti menafikan segala sifat bagi Allah sperti yang dilakukan ole kalangan Mu’tazila yang melucuti Tuhan dari segala sifat, hingga Allah menjadi suatu yang tak bisa dikenal dan dijangkau. Al ini mengakibatkan terputusnya hubungan Tuhan dengan manusia. Kemudian jika hanya mengenal Allah dalam aspek tasybih saja seperti yang dilakukan kalangan al_mujassimah maka mengakibatkan keserupaan Tuhan dengan yang baharu.

Dalam kitab Fusus al-Hikam Ia mengatakan:

“Pensucian dari orang yang mensucikan merupakan pembatasan bagi yang disucikan, karena ia telah mengistimewakan Allah dan memisahkanNya dari sesuatu yang menyerupai, jadi pensucianNya dari suatu sifat yang wajib merupakan keterikatan dan keterbatasan, maka tidak ada di sana kecualai Yang terikat dan Maha Tinggi dengan kemutlakanNya dan ketidak terbatasanNya.”

‘Abd al_raziq al-Qasyani menjelaskan mengenai hal ini bahwa tanzih berarti mengistimewakan Allah dari segala yang baharu yang sifatnya materi dan dari segala yang tidak pantas baginya pensucian dari sigat materi, hal ini berarti bahawa setiap seuatu yang berbeda dari yang lain maka ia tentu memiliki sigat yang bertentangan dari yang lain tersebut. Dengan begitu ia menjadi teriakt denagn suatu sifat dan erbatas dengan satu batasan. Jadi tanzih tersebut merupakan pembatasan. Lebih jelasnya, bahwa yang mensucikan telah mensucikan Allah dari sifat materi dan menyamakanNya dengan sifat rohani yang suci. Dengan begitu ia telah mensucikan Allah dari keterbatasan namun dengan sendirinya ia telah membatasNya dengan kemutlakan, sedang Allah Maha Suci dari ikatan keterbatasan dan kemutlakan, akan tetapi Ia Maha Mutlaq tidak terikat oleh tanzih maupun tasybih juga tidak menafikan keduanya. Ibn Arabi juga menjelaskan:

“Tidak ada yang serupa denganNya” potongan ayat ini mengisyaratkan tanzih, dan “Dia Maha Mendengar lagi Maha Melihat” potongan ayat ini mengisyaratkan tasybih.

Abd Karim al-Jily menerangkan mengenai hal ini sebagai berikut:

“Yang mensucikan mengosongkan Tuhan dari segala sifat sehingga dia menghilangkan kuasa Tuhan, yang menyerupakan Tuhan menghiasaiNya dengan sifat yang tak pantas aritnya memakaikan Tuhan dengan sifat selainNya (Mujassimah) sedang yang berada di antara keduanya (tidak mengosongkan dan tidak memakaikan) artinya seorang yang ‘arif yang beada antara tasybih dan tanzih tidak menanggalkan apa yang pantas bagi Allah dan menyifatiNya dengan pakaian atau sifat yang tidak pantas bagiNya. Bahkan ia berkata Allah adalah Yang Lahir dan Yang Batin atau ia menyifati Allah dengan Lahir dan Batin. Aspek Batin merupakan hukum kesempurnaan bagiNya sedang aspek Lahir merupakan nyatanya Ia dalam segala yang ada.”

Ibn Arabi menjelaskan dalam sebuah syair:

* jika engkau mengatakan dengan tanzih maka engakau membuatNya terikat

* jika engkau mengatakan dengan tasybih engkau membuatNya terbatas

* jika engakau katana dengan dua hal tadi maka engkau benar

* engkau menjadi imam dalam ma’rifat dan menjadi penghulu.

Penafsiran Ibn Arabi tentang tanzih dan tasybih sesuai dengan doktrin ontologisnya tentang wahdatulwujud, yang bertumpu pada perumusan ambiguous:

“Dia dan bukan Dia” (huwa la huwa) sebagai jawaban atas persoalan apakah alam identik dengan Tuhan. Dalam perumusanini terkadnung dua bagian jawaban:

bagian positif, yaitu ‘Dia’ dan bagian negatif, yaitu ‘bukan Dia’.

Bagian pertama menyatakan bahwa alam identik dengan Tuhan. Bagian terakhir menegaskan aspek tanzih Tuhan. Dapat pula dikatakan bahwa penafsiran Ibn Arabi tentang tanzih dan tasybih sejalan denagn prinsip memadukan segala hal yang bertentangan. Misalnya antara Yang Satu dan yang banyak, Yang Lahir dan Yang Batin. Oleh sebab itu dinaytakan Hakikat Muhammad lah yang menghimpun antar aspek tanzih dan tasybih antara Qran dan Furqan antara Jama’ dan Tafsil.

Ada ungkapan-ungkapan kaum sufi yang mengisyaratkan tasybih yang dikenal dengan syatahat seperti ungkapan Biyazid: “Maha Suci Aku betapa Agung keadaanKu.” Begitu juga imam Junaid: “Tidak ada dalam jubah ini selain Allah.” Al-Hallaj juga berkata: “Ana al-Haq.” Abu Bakar as-Syibli berkata: “Aku adalah titik dibawah Ba.” Perkatan ini semua mengandung tasybih al-Haq dengan yang baharu. Ada sebagian kaum yang mengkafifkan orang yang berkata demikian dan ada yang menta’wilkan. Kaum sufi berkata demikian dalam keadaan iluminasi dan menyaksikan Wajah Yang Satu hingga mereka menyatakan ungkapan syatahat (ungkapanyang janggal dalam keadaan fana). Sedangkan Fir’aun mengatakannya dalam kesadaran penuh akan keberadaan nafsunya dan keberadaan dirinya sebagi Tuhan dan tidak mengaku adanya Allah.

Ini semua berkaitan dengan ayat-ayat muhkamat dan mutasyabihat. Sepanjang sejarah pembicaraan ini taidak pernah habisnya, karena kasus Keesaan Tuhan terus bergulir. Ulama salaf mengimani ayat mutasyabihat dalam batasan tdiak menta’wilkan sebagaimana ungkapan Imam Malik: “Istiwa’ itu diketahui artinya, kaifiyyahnya tidak diketahui,beriman dengannya wajib, bertanya mengenainya bid’ah.” Ulama khalaf menta’wilkannya, ada yang menta’wilkannya dengan berkuasa dan mengatur. Sedang kaum Mu’tazilah mensucikan Tuhandari segala sifat apa lagi sifat yang bahari dengan alsan jika sifat itu qadim maka akan banyaklah yang qadim. Kaum mujassimah menyamakanNya dengan yang baharu dan seterusnya.

Berkaitan dengan muhkamat dan mutasyabihat ini dijelaskan dalam al-Quran surat Ali-Imran ayat 7:

Huwal lazi anzala…..

Artinya: Dialah yang menurunkan al-Quran kepadamu diantaranya ada yang muhkamat itulah ummul kitab (induk kiab) dan yang lainnya mutasyabihat.”

Jadi ayat yang muhkamat mewakili aspek tanzih sedang yang mutasyabihat mewakili aspek tasybih. Mengenai ayat ini Ibn Arabi menafsirkan ayat muhkamat adalah yang mengandung makna yang satu yang merupakan asal kitab dan tidak dimasuki penyerupaan dengan yang baharu, sedang yang lain mutasyabihat. Mutasyabihat ini yang mungkin memiliki dua makna atau lebih atas samr di situ antara yang haq dan yang batil, hal ini dikarenakan bahwa Allah memiliki Wajah Yang Esa dan Kekal setelah fananya makhluk yang tidak mengandung pluralitas dan keterbilangan disamping itu Allah juga memiliki wajah-wajah yang banyak sesuai dengan cermin-cermin penampakanNya berdasarkan potensi penampakanNya dan seluruhnya bersumber dari Wajah Yang Satu tadi. Pada wajah yang banyak inilah samar antara Haq dan yang batil maka turunlah ayat al-Quran agar ayat-ayat mutasyabihat diletakkan pada wajah-wajah yang sesuai dengan potensinya hingga setiap sesuatu berkaitan dengan yang lain sesuai dengan kesiapannya. Maka dari sinilah timbul ujian dan cobaan. Adapun orang ‘arif yang muhaqqa yang mengenal Wajah Yang Kekal dalam berbagai gambaran dan bentuk mengenal wajah tersebut dari wajah-wajah yang mustasyabihat maka ia mengembalikannya kepada muhkamat melaksanakan perkataan penyari:

“Sungguh Wajah hanyalah Saturda

Namun jika engkau perbanyak cermin Ia menjadi terbilang.”

Adapun orang yang terhijab (atau orang yang bengkok hatinya) dari kebenaran maka dia akam mengikuti yang mutasyabihat karena ia terhijab dari Yang Satu oleh yang banyak dan memilih keyakinan sesuai dengan seleranya untuk menyebarkan fitnah.

Jalan untuk mengenal yang muhkamat dan mutasyabihat adalah lewat cermin Muhammad Saw mengikuti ajarannya dengan memasrahkan pengetahun mengenai hal tersebut kepada Allah agar Allah membukakan kepad akita dan mengenalkan diriNya kepada kita. Hal ini yang dijelaskan oleh Ibn Arabi dalam kitabya Fusus al-Hikam dalam Fas Nuh As:

“Ketahuilah bahwa Allah menuntut dari hambanya untuk mengenalNya sebagaimana yang telah diterangkan oleh Lisan segala syariat dalam menyifatiNya, maka akal tidaklah boleh melampauiNya sebelum datangnya syariat, ilmu mengenaiNya pensucian dari sifat-sifat baharu, jadi seorang ‘arif adalah orang yang memiliki dua pengenalan tentang Allah: pengenalan sebelum datangnya syariat dan pengenalan yang ia peroleh dari syara’, akan tetapi syaratnya hendaklah ia menyerahkan ilmu tersebut kepada Allah, jika Allah menyingkapkan baginya tentang ilmu itu maka hal itu merupakan anugrah dari pintu pemberian Zat Allah.”

Kesimpulannya Allah Mutlak dengan keterbatasanNya dan Terbatas dengan kemutlakanNya. Dalam kata lain Allah Mutlak dari segi ZatNya Yang Maha Suci dari seala sifat dan terbatas dalam kemutlakan dengan nama-nama, sifat-sifat, af’al, dan mazahir kauniyah (fenomena-fenomena alam) yang merupakan tajalliyatNya yang tak terhingga. Jadi penampakanNya itu sendiri tidak terbatas, karena kalimatNya tidak pernah habis. Inilah yang disebut sebagai lautan yang tak bertepi.Dialah Yang Maha Esa dalam banyak rupa dan rupa yang banyak adalah pada hakikatnya wajah-wajah dari Zat Yang Esa. Yang banyak adalah tiada dan yang ada hanya Zat yang Esa. Dialah jami’ atau penghimpun segalanya dan fariq yang membedakan segalanya dalam berbagai rupa. Aspek JamalNya (keindahan) mewakili tasybih dan aspek JalalNya (keagungan) mewakili tanzih keduanya mewujudkan Kamal (kesempurnaan) bagi ZatNya. Namun keseluruhannya itu menunjukkan kemutlakan yang tak terhingga.

Di atas semua itu pengenalan akan Allah adalah ketidak tahuan. Kelemahan untuk mengenalNya adalah pengenalan. Mengutip perkataan Abu Talib al-Makki: “Tiada ada yang mampu mengenal, “tidak ada yagn setata denganNya dan Dia Maha Mendengar dan Maha Melihat” kecuali “Tidak ada yang setara denganNya dan Dia Maha Mendengar dan Maha Melihat”.

Directions:
Diperoleh dari http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemahaman_Sufisme_Ibn_Arabi

introduction of irfan

2009-09-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

Introduction to 'Irfan

Martyr Murtada Mutahhari
This short introduction to irfan is a part of the author's book Ashnai ba ulum e Islami (An Introduction to the Islamic Sciences) written in seven parts, 1) logic, 2) philosophy, 3) kalam, 4) irfan, 5) fiqh, 6) usul al fiqh, 7) hikmat e amali (ethics).
'Irfan is one of the disciplines that originated within the realm of Islamic culture and developed there to attain a high level of sophistication. But before we can begin to discuss 'irfan, we must realize that it can be approached from two viewpoints: the social and the academic. Unlike the scholars of other Islamic disciplines - such as the Quranic commentators (mufassirun), the scholars of hadith (muhaddithun), the jurisprudents (fuqaha'), the theologians (mutakallimun), the philosophers, the men of literature, and the poets - the 'urafa' are a group of scholars who have not only developed their own science, 'irfan, producing great scholars and important books, but have also given rise within the Islamic world to a distinct social grouping. In this the 'urafa' are unique; for the scholars of the other Islamic disciplines - such as the jurisprudents, for instance - form solely academic groupings and are not viewed as a social group distinct from the rest of society.
In view of this distinction the gnostics, when referred to as belonging to a certain academic discipline, are called 'urafa' and when referred to as a social group are generally called Sufis (mutasawwifah).
The 'urafa' and sufis are not regarded as forming a separate sect in Islam, nor do they claim themselves to be such. They are to be found within every Islamic school and sect, yet, at the same time, they coalesce to form a distinct social group. The factors that set them apart from the rest of Islamic society are a distinctive chain of ideas and opinions, a special code governing their social intercourse, dress and even, sometimes, the way they wear their hair and beards, and their living communally in their hospices. (Pers. Khaniqah; Ar-ribat, zawiyah; Turk. tekkiye)
Of course, there are and have always been 'urafa' - particularly amongst the Shi'ah - who bear none of these external signs to distinguish them socially from others; yet, at the same time, they have been profoundly involved in the spiritual methodology of 'irfan (sayr wa suluk). It is these who are the real gnostics; not those who have invented for themselves hundreds of special mannerisms and customs and have brought innovations into being.
In this series of lectures, in which we are taking a general look at Islamic sciences and disciplines, we will not be dealing with the social and sectarian aspect of gnosis, that is to say, tasawwuf (sufism).
We will limit ourselves to an examination of 'irfan as a discipline and branch amongst the branches of Islam's scientific culture. To look thoroughly at the social aspects of sufism would require us to examine its causes and origins, the effects - positive and negative, beneficial and detrimental - it has and has had upon Islamic society, the nature of the relations between the sufis and other Islamic groups, the hue it has given to the whole of Islamic teachings, and the role it has played in the diffusion of Islam throughout the world. This is far beyond the range of these lectures, and here we will consider the tradition of 'irfan only as a science and as one of the academic disciplines of Islam.
'Irfan, as a scientific and academic discipline, itself has two branches: the practical and the theoretical. The practical aspect of 'irfan describes and explains the relationship and responsibilities the human being bears towards itself, towards the world and towards God. Here, 'irfan is similar to ethics (akhlaq), both of them being practical sciences. There do exist differences, however, and later we will explain them.
The practical teaching of 'irfan is also called the itinerary of the spiritual path (sayr wa suluk; lit. 'traveling and journeying'). Here, the wayfarer (salik) who desires to reach the goal of the sublime peak of humanness - that is to say, tawhid - is told where to set off, the ordered stages and stations that he must traverse, the states and conditions he will undergo at these stations, and the events that will befall him. Needless to say, all these stages and stations must be passed under the guidance and supervision of a mature and perfect example of humanity who, having traveled this path, is aware of the manners and ways of each station. If not, and there is no perfect human being to guide him on his path, he is in danger of going astray.
The perfect man, the master, who must necessarily accompany the novice on the spiritual journey according to the 'urafa', has been called in their vocabulary as Ta'ir al-quds (the Holy Bird) and Khidr:
Accompany my zeal on the path, O Ta'ir al-Quds,
The path to the goal is long, and I new to the journey.
Leave not this stage without the company of Khidr,
There is darkness ahead; be afraid of losing the way.
Of course, there is a world of difference between the tawhid of the 'arif and the general view of tawhid. For the 'arif, tawhid is the sublime peak of humanness and the final goal of his spiritual journey, while for the ordinary people, and even the philosophers, tawhid means the essential Unity of the Necessary Being. For the 'arif, tawhid means that the ultimate reality is only God, and everything other than God is mere appearance, not reality. The 'arif's tawhid means that 'other than God there is nothing'.
For the 'arif, tawhid means following a path and arriving at the stage when he sees nothing but God. However, this view of tawhid is not accepted by the opponents of the 'urafa', and some of them have declared such a view to be heretic. Yet the 'urafa' are convinced that this is the only true tawhid, and that the other stages of it cannot be said to be free of polytheism (shirk).
The 'urafa' do not see the attainment of the ideal stage of tawhid to be the function of reason and reflection. Rather they consider it to be the work of the heart, and attained through struggle, through the journeying, and through purifying and disciplining the self.
This, however, is the practical aspect of 'irfan, which is not unlike ethics in this respect, for both discuss a series of things that 'ought to be done'. However, there are differences, and the first of these is that 'irfan discusses the human being's relationship with itself, with the world and with God, and its primal concern is man's relationship with God. Systems of ethics, on the other hand, do not all consider it necessary for the relationship between man and God to be discussed; it is only the religious ethical systems that give importance and attention to this matter.
The second difference is that the methodology of spiritual progression, sayr wa suluk, as the words sayr (traveling) and suluk (journeying) imply, is a dynamic one, while ethics is static. That is, 'irfan speaks about a point of departure, a destination, and the stages and stations which, in their correct order, the wayfarer must traverse in order to arrive at the final destination. In the 'arif's view, there really is a path before the human being - a path that is actual and not in the least a metaphor - and this path must be followed stage by stage, station by station; to arrive at any station without having traversed the preceding one is, in the 'arif's view, impossible. Thus the 'arif views the human soul to be a living organism, like a seedling or like a child, whose perfection lies in growth and maturation in accordance with a particular system and order.
In ethics, however, the subjects are handled solely as a series of virtues, such as righteousness, honesty, sincerity, chastity, generosity, justice, and preferring others over oneself (ithar), to name but a few, with which the soul must be adorned. In the view of ethics, the human soul is rather like a house to be furnished with a series of beautiful objects, pictures and decorations, and no importance is attached to a particular sequence. It is not important where one begins or where one ends. It is of no consequence whether one starts at the ceiling or at the walls, at the top of a wall or at the bottom and so on. On the contrary, in 'irfan the ethical elements are discussed in a dynamic perspective.
The third difference between these two disciplines is that the spiritual elements of ethics are limited to concepts and ideas that are generally commonplace, while the spiritual elements of 'irfan are much more profound and expansive. In the spiritual methodology of 'irfan, much mention is made of the heart and the states and happenings it will experience, and these experiences are known only to the wayfarer of the path during the course of his struggles and his journey on the path, while other people have no idea of these states and happenings.
The other branch of 'irfan is related to interpretation of being, that is, God, the universe, and the human being. Here 'irfan resembles philosophy, for both seek to understand existence, whereas practical 'irfan seeks, like ethics, to change the human being. However, just as there are differences between practical 'irfan and ethics, so also there exist differences between theoretical 'irfan and philosophy, and in the following section we will explain these differences.

Theoretical Irfan
Theoretical 'irfan, as said before, is concerned with ontology, and discusses God, the world, and the human being. This aspect of 'irfan resembles theological philosophy (falsafeh-ye ilahi), which also seeks to describe being. Like theological philosophy, 'irfan also defines its subject, essential principles and problems, but whereas philosophy relies solely upon rational principles for its arguments, 'irfan bases its deductions on principles discovered through mystic experience (kashf) and then reverts to the language of reason to explain them.
The rationalistic deductions of philosophy can be likened to studying a passage written originally in the same language; the arguments of 'irfan, on the other hand, are like studying something that has been translated from some other language in which it was originally written. To be more precise, the 'arif wishes to explain those things which he claims to have witnessed with his heart and his entire being by using the language of reason.
The ontology of 'irfan is in several ways profoundly different from the ontology of philosophers. In the philosopher's view, both God and other things have reality, with the difference that while God is the Necessary Being (wajib al-wujud) and Existing-By-Himself, things other than God are only possible existents (mumkin al-wujud), existing- through-another, and are effects of the Necessary Being. However, the 'arif's ontology has no place for things other than God as existing alongside Him, even if they are effects of which He is the cause; rather, the Divine Being embraces and encompasses all things. That is to say, all things are names, qualities, and manifestations of God, not existents alongside Him.
The aim of the philosopher also differs from that of the 'arif. The philosopher wishes to understand the world; he wishes to form in his mind a correct and relatively complete picture of the realm of existence. The philosopher considers the highest mark of human perfection to lie in perceiving, by way of reason, the exact nature of existence, so that the macrocosm finds a reflection within his mind while he in turn becomes a rational microcosm. Thus it is said when defining philosophy that: [Philosophy is] the (final) development of a rational knower ('alim) into an actual world ('alam).
This means that philosophy is a study whereby a human being becomes a rational microcosm similar to the actual macrocosm. But the 'arif, on the other hand, would have nothing to do with reason and understanding; he wishes to reach the very kernel and reality of existence, God, to become connected to it and witness it.
In the 'arif's view, human perfection does not mean having a picture of the realm of existence in one's mind; rather it is to return, by means of treading the spiritual path of progression, to the origin from which one has come, to overcome the separation of distance between oneself and the Divine Essence, and, in the realm of nearness, to obliterate one's finite self to abide in Divine Infinitude.
The tools of the philosopher are reason, logic and deduction, while the tools of the 'arif are the heart, spiritual struggle, purification and disciplining of the self, and an inner dynamism.
Later, when we come to the world-view of 'irfan, we shall also discuss how it differs from the world-view of philosophy.
'Irfan, both practical and theoretical, is closely connected with the holy religion of Islam. Like every other religion - in fact more than any other religion - Islam has explained the relationships of man with God, with the world, and with himself; and it has also given attention to describing and explaining existence.
Now, the question inevitably arises here about the relation between the ideas of 'irfan and the teachings of Islam. Of course, the 'urafa' never claim that they have something to say that is above or beyond Islam, and they are earnest in their denials of any such imputations. In fact, they claim to have discovered more of the realities of Islam, and that they are the true Muslims. Whether in the practical teaching of 'irfan or the theoretical, the 'urafa' always support their views by referral to the Quran, the Sunnah of the Prophet and the Imams, and the practice of the eminent amongst the Prophet's Companions.
However, others have held different views about the 'urafa', and these may be mentioned:
(a) A group of muhaddithun and jurisprudents has been of the view that the 'urafa' are not practically bound to Islam, and that their referrals to the Quran and the Sunnah are merely a ruse to deceive the simple-minded people and to draw to themselves the hearts of the Muslims. This group is of the view that 'irfan, basically, has no connection with Islam.
(b) A group of modernists who do not have favourable relations with Islam and are ready to give a tumultuous welcome to anything that gives the appearance of freedom from the observances prescribed by the Shari'ah (ibahah) and which can be interpreted as a movement or uprising in the past against Islam and its laws, like the first group, believe that in practice the 'urafa' had no faith or belief in Islam, and that 'irfan and tasawwuf was a movement of the non-Arab peoples against Islam and the Arabs, disguised under the robes of spirituality.
This group and the first are united in their view that the 'urafa' are opposed to Islam. The difference between them is that the first group considers Islam to be sacred and, by banking on the Islamic sentiments of the Muslim masses, wishes to condemn the 'urafa' and, in this way, to hoot them off from the stage of the Islamic sciences. The second group, however, by leaning on the great personalities of the 'urafa'- some of whom are of world-renown - wishes to use them as a means of propaganda against Islam.
They detract Islam on the grounds that the subtle and sublime ideas of 'irfan found in Islamic culture are in fact alien to Islam. They consider that these elements entered Islamic culture from outside, for, they say, Islam and its ideas thrive on a far lower level. This group also claims that the 'urafa's citations of the Quran and hadith were solely due to dissimulation and fear of the masses. This, they claim, was a means for them to save their lives.
(c) Besides the above two, there is also a third group which takes a rather neutral view of 'irfan. The view of this group is that 'irfan and sufism contain many innovations and deviations that do not accord with the Quran and the traditions; that this is more true of the practical teaching of 'irfan than its theoretical ideas, especially where it takes a sectarian aspect. Yet, they say, the 'urafa', like the Islamic scholars of other ranks and the majority of Islamic sects, have had the most sincere intentions towards Islam, never wishing to make any assertions contrary to its teachings. It is quite possible that they have made mistakes, in the same way as the other types of scholars - theologians, philosophers, Quranic commentators, and jurisprudents - have made mistakes, but this has never been due to an evil intention towards Islam.
In the view of this group, the issue of the 'urafa's supposed opposition to Islam was raised by those who harbored a special prejudice either against 'irfan or against Islam. If a person were to disinterestedly study the books of the 'urafa', provided that he is acquainted with their terminology and language, although he might come across many a mistake, he will not doubt the sincerity of their complete devotion to Islam.
Of the three views, I prefer the third. I do not believe that the 'urafa' have had evil intentions towards Islam. At the same time I believe that it is necessary for those having specialized knowledge of 'irfan and of the profound teachings of Islam to undertake an objective research and disinterested study of the conformity of the issues of 'irfan with Islamic teachings.

Shari'ah, Tariqah and Haqiqah
One of the important points of contention between the 'urafa' and the non-'urafa', especially the jurisprudents, is the particular teaching of 'irfan regarding the Shari'ah, the Tariqah (the Way) and the Haqiqah (the Reality). Both agree in saying that the Shari'ah, the body of Islamic laws, is based upon a series of realities and beneficial objectives. The jurisprudents generally interpret these goals to consist of certain things that lead the human being to felicity, that is, to the highest possible level of benefit from God's material and spiritual favors to man. The 'urafa', on the other hand, believe that all the paths end in God, and that all goals and realities are merely the means, causes and agencies that impel the human being towards God.
The jurisprudents say only that underlying the laws of the Shariah is a series of benign objectives, that these objectives constitute the cause and spirit of the Shari'ah, and that the only way of attaining these objectives is to act in accordance with the Shari'ah. But the 'urafa' believe that the realities and objectives underlying the laws of the Shari'ah are of the nature of stations and stages on the human being's ascent towards God and in the process of man's access to the ultimate reality.
The 'urafa' believe that the esoteric aspect of the Shari'ah is the Way, the Tariqah, at whose end is the Reality (al-Haqiqah), that is tawhid (in the sense mentioned earlier), which is a stage acquired after the obliteration of the 'arif's self and his egoism. Thus the gnostic believes in three things: the Shari'ah, the Tariqah, and the Haqiqah, and that the Shari'ah is the means to, or the shell of the Tariqah, and the Tariqah again is the means to or the shell of the kernel of Haqiqah.
We have explained how the jurisprudents view Islam in the lectures on kalam.[1] They believe that the Islamic teachings can be grouped into three branches. The first of these is kalam, which deals with the principal doctrines (usul al-'aqa'id). In matters related to the doctrines it is necessary for the human being to acquire, through reason, shakeless belief and faith.
The second branch is ethics (akhlaq). It sets forth the instructions about one's duty in regard to ethical virtues and vices.
The third branch, fiqh, deals with the laws (ahkam), which relate to our external actions and behavior.
These three branches of Islamic teachings are separate from each other. The branch of kalam is related to thought and reason; the branch of akhlaq is related to the self, its faculties and habits; and the branch of fiqh is related to the organs and limbs of the body.
However, on the subject of doctrines, the 'urafa' do not consider merely mental and rational belief to be sufficient. They claim that whatever is to be believed in must be arrived at; one must strive to remove the veils between oneself and those realities.
Similarly, with respect to the second branch they do not consider ethics to be adequate on account of its being static and limited. In place of a philosophical ethics, they suggest a spiritual methodology (sayr wa suluk) with its particular composition.
Finally, in the third branch, they have no criticisms; only in specific instances do they express opinions that could, possibly, be taken as being opposed to the laws of fiqh.
These three branches are, therefore, termed by the 'urafa' as Shari'ah, Tariqah, and Haqiqah. Yet they believe that in exactly the same way as the human being cannot be divided into three sections, that is, the body, the self, and reason, which are not separate from each other and form an indivisible whole of which they constitute inward and outward aspects, so it is with the Shari'ah, the Tariqah, and the Haqiqah. One is outward shell, another is inward kernel, and the third is the kernel of the kernel. There is a difference, however, in that the 'urafa' consider the stages of human existence to be more than three; that is, they believe in a stage that transcends the domain of reason. God willing, this shall be explained later.

The Origins of Islamic 'Irfan
In order to understand any discipline or science, it is essential to study its history and the historical developments associated with it. One must also be acquainted with the personalities who have originated or inherited it and with its source books. In this lecture, and the fourth one, we will turn to these matters.
The first issue to arise is whether Islamic 'irfan is a discipline that originated in the Islamic tradition, such as fiqh, usul al-fiqh, tafsir, and 'ilm al-hadith. That is, is it one of those disciplines that were originated by the Muslims who, having received in Islam the original inspiration, sources and raw material, developed them by discovering their rules and principles? Or is it one of those sciences that found their way into the Islamic world from outside, like medicine and mathematics, which were then developed further by the Muslims in the environment of Islamic civilization and culture? Or is there a third possibility?
The 'urafa' themselves maintain the first of these alternatives, and are in no way ready to admit any other. Some orientalists, however, have insisted - and some still insist - on the second view that 'irfan and its subtle and sublime ideas have come into the Islamic world from outside. Sometimes they maintain a Christian origin for it, and claim that mysticism in Islam is the result of early contact of the Muslims with Christian monks. At other times they claim it to be a result of the Persians' reaction against Islam and the Arabs.
Then again sometimes they make it entirely a product of Neo-Platonism, which itself was composed of the ideas of Plato, Aristotle and Pythagoras, influenced by Alexandrian gnosticism and the views and beliefs of Judaism and Christianity. Sometimes they claim it to be derived from Buddhism. Similarly, the opponents of 'irfan in the Islamic world also strive to show the whole of 'irfan and sufism as being alien to Islam, and for this purpose they too maintain that gnosis has non-Islamic origins.
A third view admits that 'irfan, whether practical or theoretical, draws its primary inspiration and material from Islam itself; having taken this material, it has tried to give it a structure by devising certain rules and principles and in this process has also been influenced by external currents, specially the ideas of scholasticism and philosophy, especially of the Illuminationist school. Now there are a number of questions which arise in this context.
Firstly, to what extent have the 'urafa' been successful in developing correct rules and principles for structuring their material? Have the 'urafa' been as successful in carrying this out as the jurisprudents? To what extent have the 'urafa' felt themselves bound not to deviate from the actual principles of Islam? And, similarly, to what extent has 'irfan been influenced by the ideas of outside traditions? Has 'irfan assimilated these external ideas by shaping them in its particular moulds, and used them in its development? Or, contrarily, have the waves of these foreign currents carried away 'irfan in their flow?
Each of these questions requires a separate study and careful research. But that which is certain is that 'irfan has derived its basic sources of inspiration from Islam itself and from nowhere else. Let us consider this point.
Those who accept the first view, and to some extent also those who take the second view, see Islam as being a simple religion, popular and unsophisticated, free of all sorts of mysteries and difficult or unintelligible profundities.
To them, the doctrinal system of Islam rests on tawhid (monotheism), which means that just as a house has a builder other than itself, so the world has a transcendent Creator other than itself. Also, the basis of man's relationship with the enjoyments of this world is, in their view, zuhd (abstinence). In their definition of zuhd, it means refraining from the ephemeral pleasures of this world in order to attain the everlasting enjoyments of the Hereafter. Besides these, there are a series of simple and practical rituals and laws that are handled by fiqh.
Therefore, in this group's view, that which the 'urafa' call tawhid is an idea that goes beyond the simple monotheism of Islam; for the 'arif's view of tawhid is existentialist monism in the sense that he believes that nothing exists except God, His Names, Attributes, and manifestations.
The 'arif's conception of the spiritual path (sayr wa suluk), likewise, they say, also goes beyond the zuhd enjoined by Islam, for the spiritual path of 'irfan involves a number of ideas and concepts - such as love of God, annihilation in God, epiphany - that are not to be found in Islamic piety.
Similarly, the 'arif's concept of the Tariqah goes beyond the Shari'ah of Islam; for the practice of the Tariqah involves matters unknown to fiqh.
Furthermore, in the view of this group, the pious among the Holy Prophet's Companions whom the 'urafa' claim to be their precursors were no more than pious men. Their souls knew nothing of the spiritual path of 'irfan and its tawhid. They were simple otherworldly people who abstained from worldly pleasures and directed their attention to the Hereafter and whose souls were dominated by mixed feelings of fear and hope - fear of the punishment of Hell and hope of the rewards of Paradise. That is all.
In reality this view can in no way be endorsed. The primal sources of Islam are far more extensively richer than what this group - out of ignorance or knowingly - supposes. Neither the Islamic concept of tawhid is as simple and empty as they suppose, nor Islam limits man's spirituality to a dry piety, nor were the pious Companions of the Holy Prophet simple ascetics, nor is the Islamic code of conduct confined to the actions of bodily limbs and organs.
In this lecture, brief evidence will be produced that will suffice to show that Islam's fundamental teachings are capable of having inspired a chain of profound spiritual ideas, both in the theoretical and the practical realms of 'irfan. However, the question of the extent to which the Islamic mystics have used and benefited from Islam's fundamental teachings and the extent to which they may have deviated, is one that we cannot go into in these short lectures.
On the subject of tawhid, the Holy Quran never likens God and the creation to a builder and a house. The Quran identifies God as the Creator of the world, stating at the same time that His Holy Essence is everywhere and with everything:
Wither so ever you turn, there is the Face of God.... (2:115)
... And We are nearer to him than the jugular vein. (50:16)
He is the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward; .... (57:3)
Evidently, these kind of verses represent a call to the thinking minds to a conception of tawhid which goes beyond commonplace monotheism. A tradition of al-Kafi states that God revealed the opening verses of the Sura al-Hadid and the Sura al-'Ikhlas because He knew that in future generations there will emerge people who will think profoundly about tawhid.
As to the spiritual path of 'irfan, in which a series of stages leading to ultimate nearness to God are conceived, it suffices to take into account the Quranic verses which mention such notions as liqa 'Allah (meeting with God), ridwan Allah (God's good pleasure), or those which relate to revelation (wahy), ilham (inspiration), and the angels' speaking to others who are not prophets - for instance, Mary - and especially the verses relating to the Holy Prophet's Ascension (mi'raj; 17:1).
In the Quran there is mention of the 'commanding self' (al-nafs al-'ammarah; 12:53), the 'self-accusative self' (al-nafs al-lawwamah; 75:2), and the 'contented self' (al-nafs al-mutma'innah; 89:27). There is mention of 'acquired knowledge' (al-'ilm al-'ifadi) and inspired knowledge (al-'ilm al-ladunni; 18:65), and of forms of guidance resulting from spiritual struggle:
And those who struggle in Us, We will surely guide them to Our paths ... (29:69)
Mention is made in the Quran of the purification of the self, and it is counted as one of the things leading to salvation and deliverance:
(By the self) ... verily he who purifies it has succeeded, while he who corrupts it has indeed failed. (91:7-10)
There is also repeated mention there of love of God as a passion above all other human loves and attractions.
The Quran also speaks about all the particles of creation glorifying and praising God (17:44), and this is phrased in a way to imply that if one were to perfect his understanding, he would be able to perceive their praise and magnification of God. Moreover, the Quran raises the issue of the Divine breath in relation to the nature and constitution of the human being (32:9).
This, and much more besides, is sufficient to have inspired a comprehensive and magnificent spirituality regarding God, the world, and man, particularly regarding his relationship with God.
As previously mentioned, we are not considering how the Muslim 'urafa' have made use of these resources, or whether their utilization has been correct or incorrect. We are considering whether there did exist such great resources that could have provided effective inspiration for 'irfan in the Islamic world. Even if we suppose that those usually classed as 'urafa' could not make proper use of them, others who are not classed as such did make use of them.
In addition to the Quran, the traditions, sermons, supplications (du'a'), polemical dialogues (ihtijajat)* and the biographies of the great figures of Islam, all show that the spiritual life current in the early days of Islam was not merely a lifeless type of asceticism blended with a worship performed in the hope of the rewards of Paradise. Concepts and notions are found in the traditions, sermons, supplications, and polemical dialogues that stand at a very high level of sublimity. Similarly, the biographies of the leading personalities of the early days of Islam display many instances of spiritual ecstasy, visions, occurrences, inner insights, and burning spiritual love. We will now relate an example of it.
Al-Kafi relates that one morning after performing the dawn prayer, a young man (Harithah ibn Malik ibn Nu'man al-'Ansari) caught the Prophet's eye. Lean and pale, his eyes sunken, he gave the impression of being unaware of his own condition and of being unable to keep his balance. "How are you?" inquired the Prophet . "I have attained certain faith," the youth replied. "What is the sign of your certainty?" the Prophet asked.
The youth replied that his certainty had immersed him in grief. It kept him awake at night (in worship) and thirsty by day (in fasting), and had separated him from the world and its matters so completely that it seemed to him as if he could see the Divine Throne already set up (on the Judgement Day) to settle the people's accounts, that he together with all of mankind were raised from the dead. He said that it seemed to him that even at that moment he could see the people of Paradise enjoying its bounties, and the people of hell suffering torments and he could hear the roar of its flames.
The Holy Prophet (S) turned to his Companions and told them, "This is a man whose heart has been illuminated with the light of faith by God". Then he said to the youth, "Preserve this condition you are in, and do not let it be taken away from you." "Pray for me," the youth replied, "that God may grant me martyrdom."
Not long after this encounter, a battle took place, and the youth, taking part, was granted his wish and was martyred.
The life, utterances and prayers of the Holy Prophet (S) are rich with spiritual enthusiasm and ecstasy, and full of the indications of gnosis, and the 'urafa' often rely on the Prophet's supplications as reference and evidence for their views.
Similarly, the words of Amir al-Mu'minin 'Ali (A), to whom nearly all the 'urafa' and sufis trace the origin of their orders, are also spiritually inspiring. I wish to draw attention to two passages of the Nahj al-balaghah. In Khutbah No. 222, 'Ali states:
Certainly, God, the glorified, has made His remembrance the means of burnishing the hearts, which makes them hear after deafness, see after blindness, and makes them submissive after unruliness. In all the periods and times when there were no prophets, there have been individuals with whom God - precious are His bounties - spoke in whispers through their conscience and intellects.
In Khutbah No. 220, speaking about the men of God, he says:
He revives his intellect and mortifies his self, until his body becomes lean and his coarseness turns into refinement. Then an effulgence of extreme brightness shines forth for illuminating the path before him, opening all the doors and leading him straight to the gate of safety and the (permanent) abode. His feet, carrying his body, become fixed in the position of safety and comfort on account of that which engages his heart and on having won the good pleasure of his Lord.
The Islamic supplications, especially those of the Shi'ah, are also replete with spiritual teachings. The Du'a' Kumayl, the Du'a' Abi Hamzah, the supplications of al-Sahifat al-Kamilah and the group of supplications called Sha'baniyyah, all contain the most sublime spiritual ideas.
With the existence of all these resources in Islam, is there a need for us to search for the origin of Islamic 'irfan elsewhere?
This reminds us of the case of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari and his protest against the tyrants of his time and his vocal criticism of their practices. Abu Dharr was severely critical of the favoritism, partisan politics, injustice, corruption and tyranny of the post-Prophetic era in which he lived. This led him to suffer torture and exile, and finally it was in exile, deserted and alone, that he passed away from this world.
A number of orientalists have raised the question of what motivated Abu Dharr to act as he did. They are in search of something foreign to the world of Islam to explain his behavior.
George Jurdaq, a Lebanese Christian, provides an answer to these orientalists in his book al-'Imam 'Ali, sawt al-'adalah al-'insaniyyah (Imam 'Ali, the Voice of Human Justice). There he says that he is amazed at those who wish to trace Abu Dharr's mentality to an extra-Islamic source. He says it is as if they see someone standing at the side of a sea or river with a pitcher of water in his hands, and begin to wonder from which pool he has filled his pitcher, and then, completely ignoring the nearby sea or river, go off in search of a pool or pond to explain his full pitcher of water.
What other source other than Islam could have inspired Abu Dharr? Which source could have the power of Islam in inspiring the likes of Abu Dharr to rise against the tyrants of this world such as Mu'awiyah?
Now we see a similar pattern in regard to 'irfan. The orientalists are in search of a non-Islamic source of inspiration of 'irfan, while they completely overlook the great ocean of Islam.
Can we really be expected to overlook all these resources - the Holy Quran, the traditions, the sermons, the polemical dialogues, the supplications, and the biographies - simply in order to give credence to the view of a group of orientalists and their Eastern followers?
Formerly, the orientalists took great pains to project the origins of Islamic 'irfan as lying outside the original teachings of Islam. Lately, however, such individuals as the English R.A. Nicholson and the French Louis Massignon, after having made extensive studies in Islamic 'irfan, without being unacquainted with Islam in general, have expressly admitted that the principal sources of 'irfan are the Quran and the Prophet's Sunnah.
We will conclude this lecture by quoting a passage by Nicholson from the book The Legacy of Islam:
(Though Muhammad left no system of dogmatic or mystical theology, the Qur'an contains the raw materials of both. Being the outcome of feeling than reflection, the Prophet's statements about God are formally inconsistent, and while Muslim scholastics have embodied in their creed the aspect of transcendence, the Sufis, following his example, have combined the transcendent aspect with that of immanence, on which, though it is less prominent in the Qur'an, they naturally lay greater emphasis.)[2]
'Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth' (xxiv:35);
'He is the first and the last and the outward and the inward' (lvii:3);
'there is no god but He; everything is perishing except His Face' (xxviii:88);
'Have breathed into him (man) of My spirit' (xv:29);
'Verily, We have created man and We know what his soul suggests to him, for We are nigher unto him than the neck-artery' (1:15);
'wheresoever ye turn, there is the Face of Allah' (ii:114);
'he to whom Allah giveth no light hath no light at all' (xxiv:40).
Surely the seeds of mysticism are here. And, for the early Sufis, the Qur'an is not only the Word of God: it is the primary means of drawing near to Him. By fervent prayer, by meditating profoundly on the text as a whole and in particular on the mysterious passages (xvii:1; liii:1-18) concerning the Night journey and Ascension, they endeavored to reproduce the Prophet's mystical experience in themselves.[3]
... The doctrine of a mystical union imparted by divine grace goes beyond anything in the Qur'an, but is stated plainly in apocryphal traditions of the Prophet, e.g. God said, "My servant draws nigh unto Me by works of supererogation, and I love him; and when I love him, I am his ear, so that he hears by Me, and his eye, so that he sees by Me, and his tongue, so that he speaks by Me, and his hand, so that he takes by Me."[4]
As repeatedly said before, we are not concerned here with the question whether the 'urafa' have succeeded in correctly utilizing the inspiration provided by Islam; our purpose was to consider whether the main source of their inspiration lay within Islam or outside it.

A Brief History
The previous lecture dealt with the question of locating the principal origin of Islamic 'irfan, that is, whether there exists in the teachings of Islam and the lives of the Holy Prophet and the Imams a precedent that could have inspired a series of profound and subtle mystical ideas, on a theoretical level, and which could have prompted spiritual enthusiasm and mystical elation on a practical level. The answer to this question was seen to be positive. Now we will continue this discussion.
The genuine teachings of Islam and the lives of its spiritual leaders, so rich with spirituality and spiritual splendor, which have provided the inspiration for profound spirituality in the Islamic world, are not encompassed by that which is termed as 'irfan or sufism. However, it is beyond the scope of these lectures to discuss other parts of Islamic teachings that do not bear this name.
We will continue our discussion on the branch that is labeled as 'irfan or sufism, and obviously the limited scope of these lectures does not permit us to go into a critical research. Here we will try to give an outline of the currents and events that have occurred within this branch. For this purpose, it appears to be appropriate that we begin by providing a simple history of 'irfan or Sufism from the beginnings of Islam until at least the 10th/16th century, before turning, so far as is practical in a venture such as this, to an analysis of the issues of 'irfan.
What seems certain is that in the early era of Islam, that is throughout the 1st/7th century at least, there existed no group amongst the Muslims known as 'urafa' or sufis. The name sufi was first used in the 2nd/8th century.
The first person to be called by the name sufi is Abu Hashim al- Kufi. He lived in the 2nd/8th century and he it was who first built at Ramlah, in Palestine, a hospice for worship by a group of ascetically- minded Muslims.[5] The date of Abu Hashim's death is not known, but he was the teacher of Sufyan al-Thawri who died in 161/777.
Abu al-Qasim Qushayri, himself an eminent 'arif and sufi, states that the name sufi had appeared before the year 200/815. Nicholson also states that the name appeared towards the end of the 2nd century H. From a tradition contained in kitab al-ma'ishah (vol. V) of al-Kafi, it appears that a group - Sufyan al-Thawri and a number of others - existed in the time of al-'Imam al-Sadiq (A) (that is to say, during the first half of the 2nd century H.) who were already called by this name.

2009-09-07T13:23:00.003-07:00

Memiliki Mimpi Terindah

Nasruddin mengenakan jubah sufinya dan memutuskan untuk melakukan sebuah pengembaraan suci. Di tengah perjalanan, ia bertemu dengan seorang yogi dan seorang pendeta.

Mereka bertiga sepakat membentuk tim. Ketika sampai di sebuah perkampungan, kedua teman seperjalanan meminta Nasruddin untuk mencari dana, sementara mereka berdua berdakwah. Nasruddin berhasil mengumpulkan uang yang kemudian dibelanjakannya untuk halwa.

Nasruddin menyarankan agar makanan itu segera dibagi, tapi yang lain merasa belum terlalu lapar sehingga diputuskan untuk membaginya pada malam harinya saja.

Mereka bertiga melanjutkan perjalanan. Dan ketika malam tiba, Nasruddin langsung meminta porsinya "karena akulah alat untuk memperoleh makanan itu."

Sementara itu, yang lain tidak setuju. Sang pendeta mengajukan alasan. Karena bentuk tubuhnya yang paling bagus, maka pantaslah kalau ia yang makan lebih dulu.

Sang yogi juga menyampaikan keadaan dirinya bahwa ia hanya makan sekali dalam tiga hari terakhir ini. Karenanya harus mendapat bagian yang lebih banyak.

Akhirnya mereka putuskan untuk tidur dengan sebuah janji bahwa yang malamnya bermimpi paling bagus, boleh makan halwa lebih dulu. Begitu bangun, sang pendeta bilang: "Dalam mimpi aku melihat pendiri agamaku membuat tanda salib. Itu berarti aku telah memperoleh berkah istimewa."

Yang lain merasa amat terkesan, tapi kemudian sang yogi menyambung: "Aku mimpi pergi ke Nirwana, tapi tidak menemukan apa-apa."Sekarang giliran Nasruddin.

"Aku mimpi bertemu seorang guru Sufi, Nabi Khidir, yang hanya muncul di depan orang yang paling suci. Ia berkata: 'Nasruddin, makanlah halwa itu sekarang juga!' Dan, tentu saja, aku harus mematuhinya."

2009-09-07T13:23:00.002-07:00

Memiliki Mimpi Terindah

Nasruddin mengenakan jubah sufinya dan memutuskan untuk melakukan sebuah pengembaraan suci. Di tengah perjalanan, ia bertemu dengan seorang yogi dan seorang pendeta.

2009-09-07T13:23:00.001-07:00

Memiliki Mimpi Terindah

Nasruddin mengenakan jubah sufinya dan memutuskan untuk melakukan sebuah pengembaraan suci. Di tengah perjalanan, ia bertemu dengan seorang yogi dan seorang pendeta.

2009-09-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

Memiliki Mimpi Terindah

Nasruddin mengenakan jubah sufinya dan memutuskan untuk melakukan sebuah pengembaraan suci. Di tengah perjalanan, ia bertemu dengan seorang yogi dan seorang pendeta.

HUMOR SUFI

2009-09-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Tiket ke Syurga

Seorang pemuda, ahli amal ibadah datang ke seorang Sufi. Sang pemuda dengan bangganya mengatakan kalau dirinya sudah melakukan amal ibadah wajib, sunnah, baca Al-Qur’an, berkorban untuk orang lain dan kelak harapan satu satunya adalah masuk syurga dengan tumpukan amalnya.
Bahkan sang pemuda tadi malah punya catatan amal baiknya selama ini dalam buku hariannya, dari hari ke hari.
“Saya kira sudah cukup bagus apa yang saya lakukan Tuan…”
“Apa yang sudah anda lakukan?”
“Amal ibadah bekal bagi syurga saya nanti…”
“Kapan anda menciptakan amal ibadah, kok anda merasa punya?”
Pemuda itu diam…lalu berkata,
“Bukankah semua itu hasil jerih payah saya sesuai dengan perintah dan larangan Allah?”

“Siapa yang menggerakkan jerih payah dan usahamu itu?”
“Saya sendiri…hmmm….”
“Jadi kamu mau masuk syurga sendiri dengan amal-amalmu itu?”
“Jelas dong tuan…”
“Saya nggak jamin kamu bisa masuk ke syurga. Kalau toh masuk kamu malah akan tersesat disana…”
Pemuda itu terkejut bukan main atas ungkapan Sang Sufi. Pemuda itu antara marah dan diam, ingin sekali menampar muka sang sufi.
“Mana mungkin di syurga ada yang tersesat. Jangan-jangan tuan ini ikut aliran sesat…” kata pemuda itu menuding Sang Sufi.
“Kamu benar. Tapi sesat bagi syetan, petunjuk bagi saya….”
“Toloong diperjelas…”

“Begini saja, seluruh amalmu itu seandainya ditolak oleh Allah bagaimana?”
“Lho kenapa?”
“Siapa tahu anda tidak ikhlas dalam menjalankan amal anda?”
“Saya ikhlas kok, sungguh ikhlas. Bahkan setiap keikhlasan saya masih saya ingat semua…”
“Nah, mana mungkin ada orang yang ikhlas, kalau masih mengingat-ingat amal baiknya? Mana mungkin anda ikhlas kalau anda masih mengandalkan amal ibadah anda?
Mana mungkin anda ikhlas kalau anda sudah merasa puas dengan amal anda sekarang ini?”

Pemuda itu duduk lunglai seperti mengalami anti klimaks, pikirannya melayang membayang bagaimana soal tersesat di syurga, soal amal yang tidak diterima, soal ikhlas dan tidak ikhlas.
Dalam kondisi setengah frustrasi, Sang sufi menepuk pundaknya.
“Hai anak muda. Jangan kecewa, jangan putus asa. Kamu cukup istighfar saja. Kalau kamu berambisi masuk syurga itu baik pula. Tapi, kalau kamu tidak bertemu dengan Sang Tuan Pemilik dan Pencipta syurga bagaimana? Kan sama dengan orang masuk rumah orang, lalu anda tidak berjumpa dengan tuan rumah, apakah anda seperti orang linglung atau orang yang bahagia?”
“Saya harus bagaimana tuan…”

“Mulailah menuju Sang Pencipta syurga, maka seluruh nikmatnya akan diberikan kepadamu. Amalmu bukan tiket ke syurga. Tapi ikhlasmu dalam beramal merupakan wadah bagi ridlo dan rahmat-Nya, yang menarik dirimu masuk ke dalamnya…”
Pemuda itu semakin bengong antara tahu dan tidak.
“Begini saja, anak muda. Mana mungkin syurga tanpa Allah, mana mungkin neraka bersama Allah?”
Pemuda itu tetap saja bengong. Mulutnya melongo seperti kerbau.

Partikel Higgs

2009-09-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

The God Particle

At the Heart of All Matter The hunt for the God particle

By Joel Achenbach
Photograph by Peter Ginter

If you were to dig a hole 300 feet straight down from the center of the charming French village of Crozet, you'd pop into a setting that calls to mind the subterranean lair of one of those James Bond villains. A garishly lit tunnel ten feet in diameter curves away into the distance, interrupted every few miles by lofty chambers crammed with heavy steel structures, cables, pipes, wires, magnets, tubes, shafts, catwalks, and enigmatic gizmos.

This technological netherworld is one very big scientific instrument, specifically, a particle accelerator-an atomic peashooter more powerful than any ever built. It's called the Large Hadron Collider, and its purpose is simple but ambitious: to crack the code of the physical world; to figure out what the universe is made of; in other words, to get to the very bottom of things.

Starting sometime in the coming months, two beams of particles will race in opposite directions around the tunnel, which forms an underground ring 17 miles in circumference. The particles will be guided by more than a thousand cylindrical, supercooled magnets, linked like sausages. At four locations the beams will converge, sending the particles crashing into each other at nearly the speed of light. If all goes right, matter will be transformed by the violent collisions into wads of energy, which will in turn condense back into various intriguing types of particles, some of them never seen before. That's the essence of experimental particle physics: You smash stuff together and see what other stuff comes out.
Those masses of equipment spaced along the tunnel will scrutinize the spray from the collisions. The largest, ATLAS, has a detector that's seven stories tall. The heaviest, CMS (for Compact Muon Solenoid), is heftier than the Eiffel Tower. "Bigger is better if you're searching for smaller" could be the motto at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, better known by its historic acronym CERN, the international laboratory that houses the Large Hadron Collider.

It sounds scary, and it is. Building the LHC in a tunnel was a prudent move. The particle beam could drill a hole in just about anything, although the most likely victim would be the apparatus itself. One minor calamity has already happened: A magnet all but jumped out of its skin during a test in March 2007. Since then 24 magnets have been retrofitted to fix a design flaw. The people running the LHC aren't in a rush to talk about all the things that can go wrong, perhaps because the public has a way of worrying that mad scientists will accidentally create a black hole that devours the Earth.

The more plausible fear is that the collider will fail to find the things that physicists insist must be lurking in the deep substrate of reality. Such a big machine needs to produce big science, big answers, something that can generate a headline as well as interesting particles. But even an endeavor of this scale isn't going to answer all the important questions of matter and energy. Not a chance. This is because a century of particle physics has given us a fundamental truth: Reality doesn't reveal its secrets easily.

Put it this way: The universe is a tough nut to crack.

Go back a little more than a century to the late 1800s, and look at the field of physics: a mature science, and rather complacent. There were those who believed there wasn't much more to do than smooth out some rough edges in nature's plan. There was a sensible order to things, a clockwork universe governed by Newtonian forces, with atoms as the foundation of matter. Atoms were indivisible by definition—the word comes from the Greek for "uncuttable."

But then strange things started popping up in laboratories: x-rays, gamma rays, a mysterious phenomenon called radioactivity. Physicist J. J. Thomson discovered the electron. Atoms were not indivisible after all, but had constituents. Was it, as Thomson believed, a pudding, with electrons embedded like raisins? No. In 1911 physicist Ernest Rutherford announced that atoms are mostly empty space, their mass concentrated in a tiny nucleus orbited by electrons.

Physics underwent one revolution after another. Einstein's special theory of relativity (1905) begat the general theory of relativity (1915), and suddenly even such reliable concepts as absolute space and absolute time had been discarded in favor of a mind-boggling space-time fabric in which two events can never be said to be simultaneous. Matter bends space; space directs how matter moves. Light is both a particle and a wave. Energy and mass are inter- changeable. Reality is probabilistic and not deterministic: Einstein didn't believe that God plays dice with the universe, but that became the scientific orthodoxy.
By the early 1930s Ernest Lawrence had invented the first circular particle accelerator, or "cyclotron." It fit in his hand.

Now the U.S. government has an accelerator that's hidden beneath several square miles of tallgrass prairie and a small herd of buffalo at its Fermilab facility west of Chicago. When you drive on the Junipero Serra freeway near Palo Alto, California, you pass directly over a two-mile linear accelerator. The LHC crosses the border between two countries. There are still physicists who do tabletop physics—who try to get big answers with modest means—but realistically you need huge, powerful, energetic devices to pry open the fabric of reality.

We know things today that Einstein, Rutherford, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, and the rest of the great physicists of a century ago couldn't have imagined. But we're nowhere near a final theory of physical reality. Molecules are made of atoms; atoms are made of particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons; protons and neutrons (which are the "hadrons" that give the collider its name) are made of odd things called quarks and gluons—but already we're into a fuzzy zone. Are quarks fundamental particles, or made of something smaller yet? Electrons are believed to be fundamental, but you wouldn't want to bet your life on it.

Still, theoretical physicists crave simplicity. They'd like to have a model of reality that snaps together neatly. Their standard model, developed in the 1960s and 1970s, is widely viewed as unwieldy, like a contraption with too many loose ends and knobs and dangling bits. It includes 57 fundamental particles, with no rhyme or reason to many of the numbers describing how the particles interact. "We had a theory that started out really beautiful and elegant," says Joe Lykken, a theorist at Fermilab, "and then someone beat on it and made it really ugly."

The standard model can't explain several towering mysteries about the universe that have their roots in the minuscule world of particles and forces. If there's one truly extraordinary concept to emerge from the past century of inquiry, it's that the cosmos we see was once smaller than an atom. This is why particle physicists talk about cosmology and cosmologists talk about particle physics: Our existence, our entire universe, emerged from things that happened at the smallest imaginable scale. The big bang theory tells us that the known universe once had no dimensions at all—no up or down, no left or right, no passage of time, and laws of physics beyond our vision.

How does an infinitely dense universe become a vast and spacious one? And how is it filled with matter? In theory, as the early universe expanded, energy should have condensed into equal amounts of matter and antimatter, which would then have annihilated each other on contact, reverting to pure energy. On paper, the universe should be empty. But it's full of stars and planets and charming French villages and so on. The LHC experiments may help physicists understand our good fortune to be in a universe that grew with just enough more matter than antimatter.
What about the riddle of dark matter? Scrutiny of the motion of distant galaxies indicates that they are subject to more gravity than their visible matter could possibly account for. There must be some exotic hidden matter in the mix. A theory called supersymmetry could account for this: It states that every fundamental particle had a much more massive counterpart in the early universe. The electron might have had a hefty partner that physicists refer to as the selectron. The muon might have had the smuon. The quark might have had ... the squark. Many of those supersymmetric partners would have been unstable, but one kind may have been just stable enough to survive since the dawn of time. And those particles might, at this very second, be streaming through your body without interacting with your meat and bones. They might be dark matter.

By smashing pieces of matter together, creating energies and temperatures not seen since the universe's earliest moments, the LHC could reveal the particles and forces that wrote the rules for everything that followed. It could help answer one of the most basic questions for any sentient being in our universe: What is this place?

There's one puzzle piece in particular that physicists hope to pick out of the debris from the LHC's high-energy collisions. Some call it the God particle.

The first thing you learn when you ask scientists about the God particle is that it's bad form to call it that. The particle was named a few years back by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon Lederman, who has a knack for turning a phrase. Naturally the moniker took root among journalists, who know a good name for a particle when they hear one (it beats the heck out of the muon or the Z-boson).

The preferred name for the God particle among physicists is the Higgs boson, or the Higgs particle, or simply the Higgs, in honor of the University of Edinburgh physicist Peter Higgs, who proposed its existence more than 40 years ago. Most physicists believe that there must be a Higgs field that pervades all space; the Higgs particle would be the carrier of the field and would interact with other particles, sort of the way a Jedi knight in Star Wars is the carrier of the "force." The Higgs is a crucial part of the standard model of particle physics—but no one's ever found it.

Theoretical physicist John Ellis is one of the CERN scientists searching for the Higgs. He works amid totemic stacks of scientific papers that seem to defy the normal laws of gravity. He has long, gray hair and a long, white beard and, with all due respect, looks as if he belongs on a mountaintop in Tibet. Ellis explains that the Higgs field, in theory, is what gives fundamental particles mass. He offers an analogy: Different fundamental particles, he says, are like a crowd of people running through mud. Some particles, like quarks, have big boots that get covered with lots of mud; others, like electrons, have little shoes that barely gather any mud at all. Photons don't wear shoes—they just glide over the top of the mud without picking any up. And the Higgs field is the mud.
The Higgs boson is presumed to be massive compared with most subatomic particles. It might have 100 to 200 times the mass of a proton. That's why you need a huge collider to produce a Higgs—the more energy in the collision, the more massive the particles in the debris. But a jumbo particle like the Higgs would also be, like all oversize particles, unstable. It's not the kind of particle that sticks around in a manner that we can detect—in a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second it will decay into other particles. What the LHC can do is create a tiny, compact wad of energy from which a Higgs might spark into existence long enough and vivaciously enough to be recognized. Building a contraption like the LHC to find the Higgs is a bit like embarking on a career as a stand-up comic with the hope that at some point in your career you'll happen to blurt out a joke that's not only side-splittingly funny but also a palindrome.

You can take an elevator down into the LHC tunnel if you wear a hard hat and carry an emergency oxygen mask. When I visited, I found a major construction project still under way, with all the usual sounds of blowtorches and metal saws. Workers were installing magnets. They've since completed the process, having installed more than 1,600 magnets, most half the length of a basketball court and weighing more than 30 tons.

Oddly enough, none of those magnets will accelerate particles. The acceleration will come from electrical waves in a separate apparatus that boosts particles around the ring. The job of the magnets is to nudge the beams of particles to bend ever so slightly around the ring. Lots of particles moving at nearly the speed of light have only one desire in life: to keep moving straight ahead. So the bend needs to be gradual—thus the 17-mile circumference of the ring.

When the particles collide, they'll produce showers of debris as their energy gets transformed into mass. The physicists won't see the Higgs itself in that shower, but two of the four major experiments that the LHC will perform are capable of recording the detritus of the disintegrating Higgs—the telltale signal that a Higgs is decaying. And the assumption is that only the rare collision—one among many trillions—will produce a Higgs. Most collisions won't result in anything terribly interesting. The particle—or rather its debris—will show up in a detector's computers, found by sorting through massive amounts of data measured in petabytes—thousands of trillions of bits.

A major issue for CERN is how to decide that they've found the Higgs. How much proof do you need? They've got two experiments competing to find the same particle. Do they announce the discovery by one experiment even if the other hasn't confirmed it yet?

The relationship between the ATLAS and CMS experiments is like Coke versus Pepsi. They're working the same side of the street, but with different techniques. And they're highly competitive. The day I went to see ATLAS, the man in charge, Peter Jenni, found out that I'd already seen the CMS experiment. "Now you'll see something bigger," he said. His voice carried a slight my-detector-is-better-than-yours tone.

CMS was built at the surface and will be lowered in several large chunks down through a shaft into a cavern along the tunnel. Tactlessly, I asked Dave Barney, one of the CMS scientists, what would happen if something went wrong and a part was dropped. You know, splat.

"That won't happen," he said fiercely. "That's the worst thing imaginable." I realized that I was treading on delicate territory whenever I asked what kinds of things could go wrong with the LHC. No, the collider can't blow up the world, but this is high- energy physics. When those magnets are turned on, scientist Richard Jacobsson pointed out, a person swinging a hammer in the vicinity would do well to wear a helmet.
When the LHC starts smashing particles, Europe will suddenly become the dominant location for particle physics, and the United States will find itself struggling to figure out how to stay relevant. Perhaps that's a petty concern given the magnitude of what the LHC might turn up, but it's something people talk about. Since the Manhattan Project there's been a general notion that the U.S. dominates the world of physics. Until now, the energy frontier has been at Fermilab, home of the Tevatron. That collider has found some important particles, but it might not have quite enough juice to nail the Higgs.

Some U.S. money has gone into the LHC, which will cost billions of dollars: five, maybe ten—the exact number is elusive (the science will be precise, but the accounting apparently follows the Uncertainty Principle). But most of the engineering is being done by European firms. Jürgen Schukraft, who supervises an LHC experiment named ALICE (which will re-create conditions the same as those just after the big bang), said, "The brain drain that used to go from Europe to the States definitely has reversed."

The cynic might say that there's no practical use for any of this, that there might be other uses for all the money and brainpower going into these particle guns. But we live in a civilization shaped by physics. We know that the forces within an atom are so powerful that, unleashed and directed against humanity, they can obliterate cities in an instant. The laptop computer on which I'm writing uses microprocessors that would not exist had we not discovered quantum physics and the quirky behavior of electrons. This story will be posted on the World Wide Web—invented, in case you hadn't heard, at CERN, by computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee. Maybe you're reading it while listening to your iPod, which wouldn't exist but for something called "giant magnetoresistance." Two physicists discovered it independently in the late 1980s, with not much thought of how it might eventually be used. It became crucial to making tiny consumer electronics that used magnetized hard disks. The physicists won a Nobel Prize in 2007, and you got a nifty sound system that's smaller than a Hershey bar.

When I asked Peter Jenni why the LHC is important, he said, "Humankind differs from a collection of ants. We have intellectual curiosity; we need to understand the mechanisms of life and the universe."

And anyone who thinks these big machines are soulless contraptions should listen to Richard Jacobsson. The LHC is replacing a particle detector he worked with for a decade. He came to know every inch of that instrument. He understood its moods and idiosyncrasies. The day the engineers came to rip it out, Jacobsson was overcome with emotion. "I had tears in my eyes," he said. "When they cut the cables, I thought blood would flow out." Now entire lives are wrapped up in the new machine, which physicists have been dreaming about since the 1980s.

Many people at CERN are hoping they'll get more than just answers: They'd like to uncover some new mysteries. John Ellis confided that he wouldn't even mind if the LHC failed to find a Higgs. "Many of us theorists would find that failure much more interesting than if we just find another boring old particle that some theorists predicted 45 years ago."

New puzzles seem a sure bet. After all, the universe doesn't seem to be constructed for our investigative convenience. We're big, sloppy meat-creatures who haven't even taken a good census of the species of bacteria that live in our bodies. One day I asked George Smoot, a Nobel laureate physicist, if he thinks our most basic questions will ever be answered.

"It depends on how I'm feeling on any particular day," he said. "But every day I go to work I'm making a bet that the universe is simple, symmetric, and aesthetically pleasing—a universe that we humans, with our limited perspective, will someday understand."

FROM NGM

KOLAM SUSU

2009-09-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

How Tidal Power Plants Work

There are three basic ways we can harnass tidal power .

By Mary Bellis, About.com

"The power of the rise and fall of the sea level or tidal power, can be harnessed to generate electricity"

Tidal Power
Tidal power traditionally involves erecting a dam across the opening to a tidal basin. The dam includes a sluice that is opened to allow the tide to flow into the basin; the sluice is then closed, and as the sea level drops, traditional hydropower technologies can be used to generate electricity from the elevated water in the basin. Some researchers are also trying to extract energy directly from tidal flow streams.
The energy potential of tidal basins is large — the largest facility, the La Rance station in France, generates 240 megawatts of power. Currently, France is the only country that successfully uses this power source. French engineers have noted that if the use of tidal power on a global level was brought to high enough levels, the Earth would slow its rotation by 24 hours every 2,000 years.
Tidal energy systems can have environmental impacts on tidal basins because of reduced tidal flow and silt buildup.
3 Ways of Using the Tidal Power of the Ocean
There are three basic ways to tap the ocean for its energy. We can use the ocean's waves, we can use the ocean's high and low tides, or we can use temperature differences in the water.
1 Wave Energy
Kinetic energy (movement) exists in the moving waves of the ocean. That energy can be used to power a turbine. In this simple example, (illustrated to the right) the wave rises into a chamber. The rising water forces the air out of the chamber. The moving air spins a turbine which can turn a generator.
When the wave goes down, air flows through the turbine and back into the chamber through doors that are normally closed.
This is only one type of wave-energy system. Others actually use the up and down motion of the wave to power a piston that moves up and down inside a cylinder. That piston can also turn a generator.
Most wave-energy systems are very small. But, they can be used to power a warning buoy or a small light house.
2 Tidal Energy
Another form of ocean energy is called tidal energy. When tides comes into the shore, they can be trapped in reservoirs behind dams. Then when the tide drops, the water behind the dam can be let out just like in a regular hydroelectric power plant.
In order for this to work well, you need large increases in tides. An increase of at least 16 feet between low tide to high tide is needed. There are only a few places where this tide change occurs around the earth. Some power plants are already operating using this idea. One plant in France makes enough energy from tides to power 240,000 homes.

2009-09-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

How the Bermuda Triangle Works
by Lee Ann Obringer

You won't find it on any official map and you won't know when you cross the line, but according to some people, the Bermuda Triangle is a very real place where dozen of ships, planes and people have disappeared with no good explanation. Since a magazine first coined the phrase "Bermuda Triangle" in 1964, the mystery has continued to attract attention. When you dig deeper into most cases, though, they're much less mysterious. Either they were never in the area to begin with, they were actually found, or there's a reasonable explanation for their disappearance.
Does this mean there's nothing to the claims of so many who have had odd experiences in the Bermuda Triangle? Not necessarily. Scientists have documented deviations from the norm in the area and have found some interesting formations on the seafloor within the Bermuda Triangle's boundaries. So, for those who like to believe in it, there is plenty fuel for the fire.
In this article, we'll look at the facts surrounding what we do know about the area as well as some of the most commonly-recited stories. We'll also explore the bizarre theories like aliens and space portals as well as the mundane explanations.

¬Many think of the Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, as an "imaginary" area. The U. S. Board of Geographic Names does not recognize the Bermuda Triangle and does not maintain an official file on it. However, within this imaginary area, many real vessels and the people aboard them have seemingly disappeared without explanation.
The Bermuda Triangle is located off the Southeastern coast of the United States in the Atlantic Ocean, with its apexes in the vicinities of Bermuda, Miami, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. It covers roughly 500,000 square miles.
The area may have been named after its Bermuda apex since Bermuda was once known as the "Isle of Devils." Treacherous reefs that have ensnared ships sailing too close to its shores surround Bermuda, and there are hundreds of shipwrecks in the waters that surround it.

HABA LAM ANGEN

2009-09-07T12:19:00.000-07:00

Haba Lam Angen

2009-08-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hai..kiban ? Na puasa uroenyo, padum rakaat taraweh ?