Marhaban Ya Ramadhan.. A Reminiscence

SELAMAT MENJALANKAN IBADAH PUASA... SEMOGA BULAN RAMADHAN KALI INI PENUH BERKAH BUAT SEMUA! Amiiinnn....

Alhamdulillah.. masih dipertemukan lagi dengan Ramadhan tahun ini. Seperti Ramadhan tahun2 sebelumnya, tahun ini pun spesial karena saya ga puasa sendirian...tapi sama Babybee dalam perut. Selain itu, karena puasa pas hamil berarti ga coming moon jadinya kalau Babybee berkenan, kami bisa tamat puasanya.. which is a history in itself karena seumur2 belum pernah ngerasain tamat puasa, soalnya udah didatengin tamu bulanan dari umur 10tahun yg mana blm kuat puasa penuh jaman kecil itu.

1-2 bulan menjelang puasa udah latihan dgn bayar utang puasa.. Alhamdulillah lancar jaya. Cuma kadang2 pas puasa seringnya bobo2an aja ga ngapa2in, takut kecapean, haha.. jadi weh kuat2 aja org dikasur seharian wkwkw.. Disyukuri aja, pas puasa, pas lg ga banyak kegiatan alias pengangguran, jadi ada pilihan istirahat.. meskipun sebenernya pengen produktif juga biar tambah berkah.

Ramadhan tahun ini jg spesial karena akhirnya bisa puasa dan Lebaran di tanah air tercinta juga setelah absen 3 tahun. Tahun 2008 pas baru mulai S2 di Aussie, ga pulang Lebaran karena didatengin Mama dan Ade ke Brisbane. Tapi puasa ga sendirian, karena housemate-ku org Melayu Singapur jadi ada temen sahur dan buka..kita masak dan makan bareng.. klo males, buka puasanya di musholla kampus karena gratisan hehe. Tahun 2009, pas puasa sempet ke Indonesia tapi ga ke rumah, karena agendanya fieldwork untuk thesis di Salatiga 10 hari, nginepnya di mess di Ungaran, sahur dan buka sendiri dikamar tiap hari.. pas udah di Brisbane jg sahur sendirian karena housemate waktu itu orang India yg ga puasa.. kalo buka puasa sih kadang ditemenin Akang. Pas Lebaran juga, saya masak opor dan makanan Lebaran lainnya, dinikmati berdua di balkon apartemen bersama Akang :)

Nah tahun 2010 itu terindah sekaligus terberat, haha. Tepat 1 Ramadhan saya sampai di Brisbane, setelah pisah sama suami yg baru dinikahi 3 minggu gara2 visa saya telat jadinya (yaiyalah, ngurus visanya harus pake kartu keluarga dulu karena visa dependant..jadi abis nikah rempong ngurus KK baru apply lg). Sahur dimasakin Akang, hari pertama puasa dan hari pertama di Brisbane, langsung belanja kebutuhan sehari2 buat puasa, sorenya langsung masak buat buka. Jadi istri baru harus perform di bulan Ramadhan (especially di dapur) di negeri orang tanpa bantuan siapa2 itu susah banget lhoo.. Drama queen deh jadinya, sering berurai airmata..saking stressnya sampe sering migren daan tiap hari yg namanya gastritis/maag/GERD pasti kambuh jadi tiada hari tanpa minum antacid :( Saya kan jarang masak sebelumnya, kecuali terpaksa pas tinggal sendiri, itupun masih tergolong jarang soalny dapet housemate2 yg suka masak dan memberi..jadi seringnya dimasakin haha. Eh ini ujug2 harus masak tiap hari..pas puasa pula...udah mah amatir, masakannya ga bisa dirasain lagi, dan sore2 pasti jam2 kritis gitu kan.. haha stress deh. Tapi tetep indah dan menakjubkan (halah) because I spent it with my husband.. and I can't be more thankful for that. :) Oiya, waktu itu puasa pas winter.. yah mending sih karena jam5an udah Maghrib.. tapi dinginnya itu bikin lapernya extra loh! Dan harus bangun sahur di suhu yg 1 digit derajat celcius (meskipun ga sampe minus sih) itu perjuangan banget..apalagi klo harus nyiapin makanan.. brrrr....!! Tapi lebih berat puasa pas summer sih, disana panasnya ampun2an plus jadi panjang kan puasanya.. jam 7-8an gitu baru Maghrib, Subuhnya jam 1/2 3-3an. Waktu SMP disana, puasa pas summer ga kuat, batal2 mulu hehe.

Ramadhan tahun 2011 ini dimulai dengan saya dan Akang maaf2an dulu sampai mata berkaca2 mau nangis (hehe kami lebay), trus shalat Maghrib berjamaah. Akang nunggu berita dari pemerintah tentang penetapan 1 Ramadhan, pas udah pasti, dia berangkat ke mesjid sendirian naik motor. Saya ga ikut karena 1) harus naik motor perginya, 2) sekarang sering kegerahan..shalat di kamar yg berAC aja bisa bikin baju basah kuyup sama keringat..ga kebayang klo harus di mesjid lama2 yg rame dan cuma ada kipas angin (klo beruntung dpt angin), takut malah jd ga khusyu krn kepanasan..apalagi puasa tiap tetes keringat yg keluar jd sayang krn artinya banyak cairan yg keluar, bisa2 dehidrasi deh bumil, 3) ternyata shalatnya 23 rakaat ajah..makin ga kuat deh gw. Setelah makan malam, rencananya mau Isya dan tarawih di kamar.. yg ada malah ketiduran haha. Bangun2 jam 1, sesuai saran dokter, makan tetep 3x sehari eh semalam yah, ya intinya mindahin jadwal makan kan.. Jadi begitu  bangun langsung menuju dapur, makan buah pir kemudian nasi-rendang-kering kentang ahahaa..nikmat bener. Akang yg belum bobo sampe bengong begitu tau istrinya makan lagi dan bukan makan sahur, Eneng bilang "Kan kata dokter makan harus tetep 3x.. lagian kan Eneng ada Dede di dalem!" Wkwkww.. Setelah itu baru deh Isya-tarawih-witir.. baru bobo lagi jam2, dibangunin jam 4 kurang. Sahurnya menunya bikin gastritis banget.. pedes, berminyak dan bersantan, ga ada sayur pula :( Akhirnya mules2 ke kamar mandi dulu dan sebelum adzan Subuh harus nenggak antacid deh. Semogaa menu buka puasa hari ini lebih bersahabat buat lambungku...

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Ternyata...

...kunci meraih contentment in life adalah: "jangan ngoyo, pasrah tapi tetap haqqul yaqin pada Yang Maha Kuasa."

Dulu ga berharap bisa dapet UMPTN pilihan pertama.. tapi akhirnya bisa masuk ITB.

Dulu pas seleksi SSEAYP 2005 bener2 nothing to lose perasaannya, eh bener kepilih dong dan amazingly jadi Assistant Youth Leader/Assistant Group Leader pulak dari sekian banyak pemuda-pemudi hebat dari seluruh Indonesia :') Love you guys...

Sama juga waktu disuruh ikutan seleksi Brisbane International Student Ambassador mewakili Indonesia.. cuma berdoa kalo memang ini untukku dekatkanlah, kalau bukan ikhlaskanlah.. eh Alhamdulillah terpilih juga. Bisa masuk koran lokal di Brisbane dan di berbagai media di Tanah Air juga.. mendadak jd seleb hahah. Dari situ I learnt that I don't like being famous, too much for me (cih! gaya pisaan maneeh!)

Di semester 1 S2, saya stress karena transisi dari pola pikir natural scientist (with my Chemistry background) harus belajar ilmu sosial.. tapi tak dinyana di akhir semester nilai2 cemerlang semua, malah dapet award dari fakultas. :')

When he came into my life, I never expected it. Orang lagi mau konsen ke studi. Tapi yang terjadi.. it was love at first sight! I knew he was the one for me the moment I met him. Huhuhuu hopelessly romantic yah.. tapi bener kok. Sekali liat langsung nyetrum.. hehe. Dan setahun kemudian disahkanlah kami dihadapan Allah SWT and life couldn't be better now that I've completed half my religion with him.

When this little miracle came to live and grow in my womb, I had gone past the weeping and too-much-hoping phase. Semuanya sudah diserahkan ke Allah SWT and I put my obsession behind me to concentrate on other things needing my attention. I improved my relationship with my God, gave alms to the needy and the orphans, and just prayed. Setelah 6 bulan sebelumnya selalu H2C tiap waktu datang bulan tiba, when I found out I was pregnant malah santai jaya. Dibilangin orang2 klo hamil juga cuek aja.. begitu tahu.. huwaa.. langsung deh sujud syukur bersimbah airmata hehe.

So I believe in God's miracles and powers over us. And that His plans are waaay much better for us that we can ever imagine. Believe in Him.

I don't expect things.. but I have full faith in my God. Ternyata.. the key to get what we want is that simple. :)

Rabbi awzi'nii an asykura ni'mataka allatii an'amta 'alayya wa'alaa waalidayya wa-an a'mala shaalihan tardaahu wa-ashlih lii fii dzurriyyatii innii tubtu ilayka wa-innii mina almuslimiina
"Ya Tuhanku, tunjukilah aku untuk mensyukuri ni'mat Engkau yang telah Engkau berikan kepadaku dan kepada ibu bapakku dan supaya aku dapat berbuat amal yang saleh yang Engkau ridhai; berilah kebaikan kepadaku dengan (memberi kebaikan) kepada anak cucuku. Sesungguhnya aku bertaubat kepada Engkau dan sesungguhnya aku termasuk orang-orang yang berserah diri". (Q.S. Al Ahqaaf 46:15)
*my husband taught me this prayer, he would recite it after we do our shalat together :')

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The Financial Manager talks about Zakat

Today's email to dear husband:

A Note from Your Financial Manager Re: Zakat
1 message

---

Wichitra Yasya <*******@gmail.com>	Fri, May 27, 2011 at 1:08 PM
To: Tatas Baktilugina <*******@gmail.com>
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh Akang yang baik, Berhubung Eneng adalah financial manager Akang, Eneng bertanggungjawab mengelola penghasilan Akang agar bisa selalu barakah bagi kita sekeluarga yang menikmatinya, amin. Tentunya zakat menjadi perhatian Eneng, karena ini salah satu rukun Islam yang wajib. Setelah membaca dari Internet, termasuk dari buku Dr Yusuf Qardhawi, Eneng cenderung menyetujui adanya zakat profesi. Yusuf Qardhawi pun membenarkannya di bukunya Hukum-hukum Zakat. Mengenai besarnya tentunya harus sesuai nisabnya. Nisab yang dipakai yaitu 85 gram emas dalam haul 1 tahun. Dalam menghitung zakat, bisa kita perhitungkan hutang2 kita, saat ini yang ada hutang di Bank BRI sebesar Rp. x.xxx.xxx/bulan (mohon koreksi klo salah :). Berdasarkan penghasilan (yang dihitung yg Mei 2011) hitung2an kira2 seperti ini: Penghasilan Gaji + TKPKN = Rp x.xxx.xxx + Rp x.xxx.xxx =Rp x.xxx.xxx Pemasukan 1 tahun Rp x.xxx.xxx x 12 = Rp xx.xxx.xxx Hutang Kredit BRI Rp x.xxx.xxx x 12 = Rp xx.xxx.xxx Total Bersih Pendapatan =  Rp xx.xxx.xxx -Rp xx.xxx.xxx = Rp xx.xxx.xxx Nishab 85 gram emas (1 gram @ 400.000) = Rp 34.000.000 Berdasarkan perhitungan ini, jika penghasilan 1 tahun kita hitung sbg total bersih pendapatan, maka Akang tidak diwajibkan berzakat. Namun sebenarnya perhitungan zakat penghasilan ada 2, berdasarkan Dr Yusuf Qardhawi, yaitu: 1. Jika penghasilan dinilai pas-pasan, maka zakat dapat dihitung dari pendapatan bersih yaitu sudah dikurangi hutang, sehingga tidak begitu memberatkan. Berdasarkan ini, Akang tidak wajib berzakat karena belum mencapai nisabnya. 2. Jika dinilai penghasilan besar, maka zakat dihitung dari pendapatan kotor 1 tahun, jadi tidak dipotong biaya hidup atau hutang2. Berdasarkan ini, maka Akang wajib berzakat karena pendapatan kotor sudah mencapai nisabnya. Jika mengikuti yang ini, maka jumlah yang harus dizakatkan adalah 2,5% dari pendapatan kotor yaitu Rp. xx.xxx.xxx x 2,5% = Rp. 1.xxx.xxx. Jumlah ini untuk 1 tahun. Jadi bila akang memutuskan berzakat untuk periode haul bulan Mei 2011 - Mei 2012, maka jika zakat dibayarkan sekarang, penghasilan selanjutnya sampai Mei 2012 tidak perlu dizakatkan lagi, dan zakat wajib dikeluarkan lagi bulan Mei 2013. Namun bila dihitungnya untuk Mei 2010 - Mei 2011, maka Akang wajib bayar zakat selanjutnya pada Mei 2013. Kalau mau dibayar per bulan, tinggal dibagi 12 yaitu bayar sekitar Rp. 1xx.xxx/bulan. Dr Yusuf Qardhawi menganjurkan yang kedua untuk kehati-hatian, namun jika dinilai memberatkan untuk membayarnya, ambil jalan tengah dan ikut yang pertama. Bagaimana kalo nanti Eneng bekerja, apakah zakat penghasilan dihitung dari gabungan 2 pendapatan kita atau sendiri-sendiri? Menurut Ust. Sarwat Lc, zakat wajib dikeluarkan oleh seseorang yang memiliki harta atau penghasilan melebihi nisabnya, jadi lebih bersifat perorangan. Kalau penghasilan Eneng sudah memenuhi nisab, maka Eneng wajib berzakat untuk diri Eneng sendiri. Ini juga berlaku kalau misalnya Eneng memiliki emas batangan or perhiasan yg lebih dari 85 gram yg sudah dimiliki 1 tahun, Eneng sendiri yang wajib menzakatkan dari emas itu atas nama Eneng. Jadi intinya, zakat penghasilan itu sendiri-sendiri ya, bukan digabung2 meskipun suami-istri adalah satu kesatuan. Kesimpulannya? Eneng tidak masalah kalo Akang memutuskan untuk tidak berzakat berdasarkan perhitungan diatas yang menunjukkan penghasilan belum mencapai nisab. Eneng juga mendukung penuh kalo Akang mau mengeluarkan 100ribuan setiap bulannya atau bayar 1jutaan sekarang untuk zakat setahun lampau, atau tahun depan untuk zakat sekarang sampe setahun mendatang... karena toh yang kita keluarkan itu akan kembali lagi pada akhirnya, sudah dijamin Allah di Al Qur'anul Kariem :) Tapi kalaupun tidak, Eneng mewajibkan sebagian dari yang Akang terima disedekahkan.. karena Eneng yakin pintu rejeki datang dari situ. Tiada yang merugi karena banyak memberi, Allah sudah mencukupkan rejeki bagi tiap hamba2Nya, InsyaAllah.. setujuuu?? ^_^ With Love, Eneng Financial Manager RT SaMaRaBa Amin http://www.ustsarwat.com/search.php?id=1160450141 http://www.eramuslim.com/konsultasi/zakat/konsultasi-zakat-penghasilan-dlm-islam.htm http://luk.staff.ugm.ac.id/kmi/islam/Qardhawi/Zakat/index.html

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#Misi21 Day 2: listen to sermon on radio

Beberapa tahun yang lalu (yes, it's that long ago) saya rajin banget habis shalat Subuh nggak tidur lagi, tapi dengerin taushiah Aa Gym dan timnya di MQFM. FYI saya lumayan ngefans banget sama da'i kondang satu ini. Despite what the news says about him, kalo dia lagi membagikan ilmunya, buat saya "ngena" banget. Anyway, dulu waktu di Bandung hampir tiap malam Jum'at datang ke pesantrennya buat ikut pengajiannya. Pas pindah Jakarta, ya cuma bisa dengerin lewat radio, yang disiarin RRI Pro 2 FM sama Delta FM Jakarta.

Tapi akhir2 ini, kegiatan saya habis shalat Subuh itu tidur lagi. Hehe. Si Akang udah sering mengingatkan, katany kalo tidur lagi, ga dapet rejeki yang lagi dibagi2in malaikat habis Subuh. Akang mah memang kebiasaannya ga pernah tidur habis shalat Subuh, kalo hari kerja langsung siap2 buat ke kantor (siapa suruh datang Jakarta).

Kadang2 kalo Subuh ga tidur lagi, langganannya nonton Mamah dan Aa di Indosiar. Tapi kemaren karena nemu handsfree HP, jadi bisa nyalain radionya, dan terdengarlah suara Aa di radio. Lumayan nambah ilmu agama dan senantiasa diingatkan untuk tetap istiqamah dalam menjalankan agama rahmat Islam kita ini.

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#Misi21 Day 5: Menghadiri Kajian Muslimah

Tadinya #Misi21 hari ini komplitnya adalah: "Menghadiri Kajian Muslimah dan Tabligh Akbar" .. tapi pada kenyataannya cuma sempat ke Kajian Muslimah aja, itupun telat.

Semua berawal dari salah naik angkot. Yaa bener sih jurusannya, tapi ini Metro Mini kerjanya ngetem mulu. Walhasil perjalanan dari rumah Pasar Minggu ke halte busway Jatipadang yang seharusnya bisa ditempuh 10-15menit, jadi 45menit sajaa.. mau nangis nggak sihh.. huhuww.. Belum lagi saltum nih, pakenya rok span yang agak2 ribet kalo jalan,sementara lumayan tuh yah dari halte Dukuh Atas 2 ke Dukuh Atas 1 yang arah Blok M- Kota. Pas turun di halte BI juga ternyataa lokasi mesjid di belakang kantornya, dari Thamrin masih 1 km lagi jaraknya. Hikss lagi.. Udah pengen cepet2 sampe jalannya agak buru2, disamping trotoarnya jadi jadi ga nyaman deh jalannya. Pas sampe, udah mulai acaranya, masih harus shalat Ashar dulu. Tapi masih dapet lah materinya, tentang Taubat. Cuma ustadzah-nya bukan Bunda Ningrum Maurice, namanya Ustadzah Halimah, saya juga belum kenal, tapi masih muda dan cantik dan Bahasa Arabnya pinter (yaiyalah ustadzah gitu).

Di mesjid itu juga dingin banget.. dan tampaknya saya jadi pusing karena abis panas keringetan di jalan langsung masuk ruangan AC nan sejuk itu. Jadi aja pas udah selesai acaranya, si akang nelpon, saya agak cranky karena kecapean dan memutuskan untuk ga ikut tabligh akbar yang disampaikan da'i favorit saya (despite what happens to him personally), Aa Gym. Oiya agak cranky juga karena pas lagi muhasabah, sedang tersedu2 mendengar si ustadzah memberi muhasabah yg menyentuh, si akang berkali2 nelpon, saya reject, kan ga khusyuk ntar berdoanya..Tapi abis itu langsung istighfar (langsung dipraktekin saran ustadzah) dan Akang juga nggak ngambil pusing, begitu ketemu langsung saya disambut dengan senyuman :)

Habis Maghrib baru ke atas nemuin akang yg baru pulang kantor, saya bilang boleh ikut kajian malam tapi makan dulu sekarang. Akhirnya akang jadinya ga ikut, jadinya nganter istrinya pulang, Ya ga bakal diijinin juga saya pulang sendirian jam segitu. Soalnya kalo ikut kajian juga selesainya malam jam9an, mau sampe rumah jam berapa. Akhirnya kita pulang, perdana nih naik motor berduaan. Tadinya seru, bakal romantis gitu. Ternyata boro2. Saya pake rok kan harus nyamping duduknya, dan pegel ternyata kalo harus melingkarkan lengan di pinggang suamiku. Jadi tetap aja pegangan ke belakang kayak naik ojek hehe. Sampe diprotes deh sama Akang, kurang romantis pegangannya. Lah mau gimana lagi, pegel bo badan diputer2. Sampe rumah, Akang kapok bonceng Eneng (curiga keberatan sayanya), dan Eneng juga kapok dibonceng, pinggang punggung pegel2...

Tapi Alhamdulillaaah dimudahkan juga jalan sampai ke mesjid setelah sekian lama. Tapi ke depannya nggak lagi2 deh saya ikutan MMQ yang di BI. Datang ke Masjid Pondok Indah aja seperti biasa. Mungkin juga ke Masjid Alatief Pasaraya. Karena nggak jauh dari rumah, kesananya ga ribet, dan acaranya ga sore (untuk di Masjid Alatief).

Kalo ada yang berminat hadir di Majlis Manajemen Qolbu (kajian Muslimah - kajian Qur'an tematik - tabligh akbar bersama Aa Gym), bisa lihat jadwalnya di situs Daarut Tauhid Jakarta. Tapi kalo di Bandung, silakan datang ke Pesantren DT Gegerkalong tiap malam Jum'at, kalo perlu i'tikaf disana... makyuss dehh.. I've been doing it for years ;)

batal dapat siraman rohani dari Aa Gym, tapi tetap dapat penyejuk qalbu dari Kajian Muslimah

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The Scimitar and the Veil: Extraordinary Women of Islam

Author	Heath, Jennifer.
Title	The scimitar and the veil : extraordinary women of Islam / Jennifer Heath.
Publisher	Mahwah, N.J. : Hidden Spring, c2004.

I. "Paradise lies at the feet of the mothers" : in the beginning : women of the prophetate -- II. "That does not come from you, but from her behind the curtain" : scholars of the Hadith -- III. "Be like wax and illumine the world. Be like a needle and work naked" : ascetics, saints, and mystics -- IV. "If you do not fall in battle, someone is saving you as a token of shame" : warriors and amazons -- V. "Drink from this cup, then be gracious to her who sent it by paying a visit after sunset" : rebels and concubines -- VI. "Listening stirs the heart to see god" : musicians and dancers -- VII. "We have left the account for the day of accountings" : rulers, regents, queen mothers, and philanthropists -- VIII. "To educate a woman is to educate the whole world ..." : tradeswomen and learned ladies -- IX. "Enjoy life! Who cares what people say?" : poets -- The five pillars of Islam.

The Scimitar and the Veil is a book written to introduce, and perhaps improve the perceptions of Western people on Muslim women. It accounts very comprehensively the history of famous or at least recorded Muslim women from the first woman to become a Muslim (Khadijah bint Khuwaylid RA) to queens, poets and tradeswomen of the 19th century.

So it is a very comprehensive book, around 465 pages.. and took me 2 months to finish reading it. And what do I think about it?

Well, the author has really gone to great lengths to research and write on these remarkable Muslim women. I became very engaged in the beginning, in the first section on the first Muslim women, those whose lives are personally touched by the physical presence of Prophet Muhammad SAW. How lucky they are to know him personally.. and to be loved by him! I've read before their stories, especially Prophet Muhammad SAW's wives or Ummul Mu'minin, such as Khadijah bint Khuwaylid RA and Aisyah bint Abu Bakr RA, but I was never able to really engage with it. I guess the stories or books I read were more of a historical account. What is different about this book is that it is (sometimes overly) romanticised. It actually portrayed the personal feelings of these women. Like how Khadijah RA dreamed of Muhammad SAW. It was told in this book that she went up to the roof of her house to get some air, then she watched a group of traders walked past and saw that Muhammad SAW was shining. It accounted, with dialogue, how anxious she was after she proposed to Muhammad SAW. And the part about Aisyah RA were also documented in such a way that I could actually feel what she was feeling and really could imagine what she is like. So it wasn't like reading a textbook (I used to feel this way when reading the previous books on Ummul Mu'minin).

Although, I'm sure a lot of people, particularly Muslim, would object that such great women are portrayed in this way. I mean who really knows for sure that Khadijah actually said or thought, or what the other Ummul Mu'minin thought in their hearts. So I think some of the dialogues are made up, just to spice up the story.. but I love it! I imagine too that those reading this book, especially women, would want a romantic story rather than a textbook-like account.

Other extraordinary women that were portrayed were scholars, warriors, queens, rulers, queen-mothers, tradeswomen, mystics, etc.. but mostly it really showed its "girl power" promise through the accounts of women warriors and rulers. I think the author is trying to say that "girls can really rawk" by going to war and even ruling a whole kingdom and be in power over men. Well, okay. I'm not really into this part. I don't like any accounts of war of violence, especially when women are involved. As for women leaders, well, surprisingly, I'm not into that either. I am totally into girl power, but I believe sometimes women and men have their place, naturally.

I'm not saying I oppose of women leaders and warriors. Just not interested. I am more interested in women who tend to their family more, and do it in piety of Allah and really happy doing it. Now that's girl power. ;)

I'm also not able to engage with chapters III, V and VI on saints/mystics, rebels/concubines and musicians/dancers respectively. Chapter III told about Muslim women ascetics or mystics, or in Islam we call them Sufi. Personally, I don't really approve of Sufism or those who submit to Islam in such a way they ignore other people or the environment around them. As if the only thing matters is their relationship to Allah SWT. Islam, in my view, is a very communal and social religion. That is why it is so comprehensive. So this chapter tells Muslim women, who, through their constant devotion in praying, crying, loving Allah SWT were able to perform miracles. Hmm.. really? I'm a bit skeptic on this.

The chapter on rebels and concubines also didn't appeal to me. Who likes the word "rebel" and "concubine" and have them associated with Muslim woman? Not me. Especially how they stated that Prophet Muhammad SAW had a concubine who was a Christian, Maria al-Qibtiyyah. If concubine here means it is a "secondary wife", then fine. But if it means a woman who is not legally married to him, but cohabits with him.. then I'm a bit concerned. The concubines that were portrayed here were those "residing in a harem and kept, as by a sultan, for sexual purposes". *sigh* Are men allowed to do this? And they are sultan, too! Those with high power. Isn't this zina? Although it is interesting to read about the politics going on in the harem with these concubines, I am a bit upset how it is connected to Islam with its strict sanction of zina. The next chapter on musicians and dancers also gave me a similar feeling with the previous chapter, as musicians and dancers are mostly associated with concubines who had these talents to be presented to please her master or sultan.


To be honest, the only chapter I thoroughly enjoyed was the first one. Towards the end it got boring for me, since it was too long and maybe I just got bored, so I started skipping pages, stories, and sometimes a whole chapter. The last chapter I didn't even bother to read. But I was able to read the part of how the person responsible for trades in Aceh and Gresik are women! I think that's the only time Southeast Asian women were mentioned. Which was sad, Cut Nyak Dien or RA Kartini should have had their places in this book. Most women portrayed originated from the Middle East, Africa or East Asia. Which got me thinking, if a similar book were to be written on Muslim women 20th century onwards..would Indonesia have gained more portion? After all, we are the largest Muslim country in the world...


Nevertheless, although there were some points I didn't agree on, I do agree this book is quite a treasure. Those wanting to learn about real Muslim women in history should read this book, especially women. Though I don't recommend it to men.. they might get boring reading the romanticised parts and may get the wrong ideas on the parts about concubines, polygamy, etc.


And I would just like to clarify some points that could be misleading Islam in this book:
1. Although in Islam polygamy is allowed, as stated in the Qur'an, but the conditions of it have to be met, i.e. the man is able to be just to his wives in all cases, the latter marriage is endorsed by the previous wife, etc.
2. Having concubines, meaning women not legally married to a man but can be involved in sexual relationships with them, are not allowed in Islam. This is called zina, and the sanction in the Qur'an is very severe. In fact, it is said one of the reasons polygamy can be allowed is to prevent committing the sin of zina.
3. The consumption of alcohol for drinks is prohibited in Islam. In this book the characters were described as drinking wine and even getting drunk. Prohibition of alcohol is debatable, though, some say that if it is in an amount that is not dangerous i.e. doesn't get the person drunk, then it is okay. As long as they don't get drunk. But for me, no alcoholic drinks (please note, it's drinks! not legal medicines) can go through my throat, thank you!
4. On the veil. From my readings, discussions, etc.. I have come to believe that the most important is the veil of the heart, rather than physical veil. But I do really recommend women to wear very decent clothes and not showing their body parts. For me, personally, that is a dignified woman who loves herself and most importantly loves Allah SWT. ;)

Wichi's verdict: unputdownable | read | skim | pass

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