Dakwah News in Malaysia at Glance

Tuesday 13th November 2007, I arrived together with Muhammad Qalby at the Airport in Kuala Lumpur, as the capital city of Negara Malaysia. Upon a short arrival at the airport, we continued with the next plane to leave for Pulau Penang, together with the group from Huraidhah Hadramaut, the one dignified by Allah, Al Arif billah Assayyid Alhabib Abdullah bin Ali bin Salim Alattas (Munsib Alattas), who was accompanied by his sons, Muhammad bin Abdullah and Sayyid Abdurrahman Aljunaid from Tarim Hadramaut, Yemen.

Indeed the cool face of Al Arif billah Al Habib Abdullah bin Ali bin Salim Alattas reminds us to the words from Rasulullah s.a.w: “Do you want me to inform you the best ones amongst all of you?, those are people whose face will make people recite dzikir and remember of Allah” (HR Imam Bukhari in Adabul Mufrad). This cool face conveys the solemnity and modesty of this noble figure, he is the one who keeps the strongest and the closest sanad to the Hujjatul Islam wa Barakatul Anam, Al Imam Umar bin Abdurrahman Alattas shohiburratib, who was the guru from Hujjatul Islam wa Barakatul Anam Al Imam Abdullah bin Alwi Alhaddad shohiburratib.

We arrived at Pulau Penang and were warmly welcomed by the young people and the young Moslem figures in the vicinity, and then we left for Masjid Negeri in Penang where we spent few hours to take rest. The mosque was grand with spacious rooms for honorable and foreign guests, proving that the mosque is often visited by guests from foreign countries. We also chatted with the Imam of the local mosques and headed for the mosque to pray Magrib together. The first presenter was Professor Doctor Dato’ Sayyid Aqil Al Mahdaliy, the Rector of University of Insaniyah, and the alumnae of University of Ainussyams Al Azhar Cairo, and I was the last one giving the religious speech. The event was ended with prayer and talqin dzikir by Al Arif Billah Assayyid Alhabib Abdullah bin Ali Alattas (Munsib Alattas Huraidhah, Hadramaut). Our speech was around the history of Al Imam Hujjatul Islam wa Barakatul Anam, Al Hafidh Al Musnid Alhabib Abdullah bin Alwi Alhaddad Shohiburratib rahimahullah. After the event, we continued with dinner at the mosque and went to Kedah to have rest.

Kedah
The following day, on Wednesday morning of 14th November 2007, we visited Ma’had Al Aliy Littafaqquh fiddin, led by Al Allamah Asseikh Fahmi Zam zamiy Al Banjary, a well known Ulama in the region of Kedah who also has an Islamic boarding school in the region of Banjar, South of Kalimantan. He is the alumnae of Professor Dr. Assayyid Al Allamah Al Musnid Alhabib Muhammad bin alwi Almalikiy, Mecca Al Mukarramah, a very Tawadhu person who loves Rasulullah s.a.w, which is clearly seen from the bright beaming faces of his hundreds of students as the lovers of Rasulullah s.a.w. After that, we visited Ma’had Tahfidhul Qur’an led by Sayyid Zainal Abidin Alaydrus who memorizes Alqur’an, just like all his daughters and sons. He is an amazing figure with the whole family guided by Alqur’an. At his place, I was asked to deliver a Taushiyah on the glory and magnificence of Alqur’an and Ahlul Qur’an.

That afternoon, we also attended majelis of the youth in the vicinity, Majelis Taklim Darul Hadits. I was asked to deliver Taushiyah before leaving for another majelis. After that, we went to Musholla Al Hidayah where around 200 audiences attended the majelis. After the majelis was ended with mushofahahah (shaking hands together), suddenly an old man hugged me while crying and said: “Habib, thank you for the taushiyah, I have been for 20 years practicing the wirid Allatif and Ratib Al Haddad, but only by this time I knew its Nobility and Certificate”. It was a brief but touching moment before we went back to our room for rest.

Thursday morning of 15th November 2007, we went to Ma’had Darul Muhajirin led by Syeikh Khairul Anwar, a very unique Islamic boarding school in salafy style (faithful people in the old days), because it was built in the middle of the forest. There was an interesting view when we arrived there, many cars have already fulfilled the area around the building in midst of the forest, as well as hundreds of men dressed in white turban and tabard who had been waiting for us since very early in the morning (subuh), while we arrived at 10.30 am. My Taushiyah ended near Dhuhur time, and we had lunch there before continuing our journey to Perlis.

Perlis
Perlis is one of the areas with the greatest wahabi movement in Malaysia, and the Mufti (the ulama leader) being elected in that area is a young man who is greatly against salafusshalih, scolding all the wali and Moslem representatives, and judging Moslem people as musyrik. Although he acts just like any other wahabi people, but he doesn’t want to be called wahabi, and he admits to truly follow madzab Syafii. Most of the Moslem people there are ahlussunnah waljamaah, but, just like in our own country, Moslem people don’t quickly react to such dangerous things that will ruin and destroy akidah of Moslem people.

The event was planned to be held in a small mosque led by Assyeikh Al Fadhil Adda’i ilallah Ustaz Yusaini, a young Ulama who consistently fights against the wahabiy sect in Perlis. But when our program was heard by some mufti (religious counselors), those mufti declared a prohibition for us to hold the majelis and accused the majelis we planned to hold was the majelis of Syiah people. But Ustaz Yusaini who persistently explained our profile has made the accusation has no strong reason, hence they slandered our majelis has political reason, but again the accusation has been successfully resisted by Ustaz Yussainy. And when Moslem people in the region seemed to be warmly welcomed this great majelis, the mufti started to question me with the permit from the Malaysian Immigration, did I posses the official permit to perform dakwah in Malaysia directly from The Kingdom of Malaysia?, whereas in reality there has never been any rule to prohibit dakwah unless if the person who perform dakwah would make people go astray or violate the Kingdom of Malaysia.

The last decision was a strict prohibition from Perlis authority for me to give any religious speech in that event, and an order to arrest me if Ustaz Yussaine still insisted to propose me to deliver taushiyah in that Majelis Tablig Akbar. Hence I talked gently to Ustaz Yusainiy, that I wasn’t afraid of being arrested, because I would contact the people from Mabes Polri (Indonesian Police Force Headquarters) in Jakarta to ask the representative from Mabes Polri to guarantee the transparency of my dakwah. But it seemed that our youth people there to be worried and didn’t want anything to happen to me, hence the majelis was cancelled. Around thousands of audiences who came over from many places and were ready to listen to the speech, were greatly disappointed when Ustaz Yussaine announced that the keynote speaker was not allowed to give speech by the Perlis authority, they looked very disappointed and slowly went away. Friday morning I went to Kuala Lumpur.

Kualalumpur
We performed Jumat prayer at Syah Alam Great Mosque, and in the evening we attended the first Majelis Haul at Al Falah Mosque in Subang Jaya. The recitation of Wird Allathif was continued by the speech from Syeikh Muhammad Fuad Kamaluddin Almalikiy, followed by me as the second speaker, and followed by the next speaker, Prof. Dr. Saad bin Saad Jawish, the Lecturer on Hadis and Ushuluddin from the University of Al Azhar in Cairo, Egypt.

Saturday morning, during the subuh lectures I delivered mau’idhah at Darul Ihsan Mosque in Subang Jaya. And in the evening of 17th November 2007 there was a second haul night program, held at Al Aman Mosque on Damai Street. The first Speaker was Syeikh Muhamad Hafidh Slamet, followed by Syeikh Abdurrahman Ba’abbad from Hadramaut, then Syeikh Afeefuddin Al Gaylaniy Al Baghdadiy from Baghdad, followed by Prof. Dr. Saad bin Saad Jawish.

Sunday noon, 18th November 2007 was a rauhah program and gathering followed by a lunch banquet by Coordinator of the haul, Assayyid Abdurrahman Ali Alhaddad at his residence in Syah Alam, Kuala Lumpur. The lunch gathering was followed by Qasidah Muhammad Qalby and I delivered mau’idhah to wrap up the previous welcoming speeches by the Ulama in the vicinity. That night was the third haul being held at the Bukhari Mosque in Klang, Kuala Lumpur, with the first speaker Syeikh Najmuddin Alkherd, followed by me as the second speaker and ended by Prof. Dr. Sa’ad Jawish (The Lecturer of Ushuluddin Hadits program at the University of Al Azhar, Cairo).

Syeikh Sa’ad Jawish was a very modest and polite person, (he was holding a little microphone in his right hand in this photo file). He was very sympathetic to me and I really respect and love him, he always paid attention to me and it seemed that he was interested in what I delivered which always quoted from many hadits shahih from Bukhari. Then he gave me his address and he said he looked forward to my visit to Cairo, Egypt. It seemed to me that he was serious with his invitation, and not hypocrisy, and that he really meant to have me there, as much as I do hope for his visit to our Majelis in Jakarta.

After the majelis, we had our dinner in a VIP room of a local mosque, before I extended my farewell greeting to Syeikh Sa’ad. I hugged him as if he were my own father, and I couldn’t keep my tears from falling down when hugging him, and when I looked at his face, he was also in tears, then we separated. After that I approached Munsib Alattas who was sitting and being surrounded by many people trying to kiss his hand, and I extended my farewell greeting and my wish for him to visit Jakarta, Munsib replied: “Indeed my farewell with you is very hard O’ Munzir, although we only meet for couple of days but this dakwah experience has made our relationship quite close”, I bent down and kissed his thighs and moved slowly backwards because I couldn’t stand seeing his face after hearing such kind and touchy words from him.

When I came out from the mosque, there were already many people outside waiting for us to say farewell too, among others was the group of young people led by a young man who became the motivator for youth dakwah at the University of Islam Selangor, he was Sayyid Faishal bin Abdullah Alhabsyi. Kuala Lumpur was illuminated brightly with the spirit of Mahabbah towards Allah and His Prophet s.a.w who appeared in the celebration of Haul Imam Haddad, Subahanallah… although Imam Haddad had long passed away, still Allah s.w.t made him Rahimahullah as the mediator to extend His Blessings s.w.t towards all corners and regions all over Indonesia as well as in Kuala Lumpur. May Malaysia raise and become the Country of Nabawiy, and for Kuala Lumpur to become a city filled with the lovers of Rasulullah s.a.w, I extend my warm and prosperous wish always for the defenders of Prophet Rasulullah s.a.w in Malaysia.