Etiket arşivi: Philippines

English

Re-Awakening

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When my colleague asked me to join the Risale-i Nur Institute Philippines’ 12th Young Women Making A Difference Summer Camp, I refused though indirectly. Except for her, I didnt know any of the participants and I have had unpleasant experiences with “Muslims” in the past. On second thought, I decided to give it a chance- and I am grateful I did.

On the orientation night, to introduce ourselves, we were asked “If you had only one month to live and only 5 things to do, what would those be?” Immediately, I felt the certainty of hell and paradise. Though I have reverted to Islam a few years back, my faith had gone really low to the point of doubting the existence of paradise and hell, but that question exactly jolted me back to the reality of death and the hereafter, that I felt fear of hell enter my heart and helped me prioritize my life.

Through the first lecture and sharing session, the visit to the orphanage and on the way to the Al-baraqah Center in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, I stayed aloof from the processes, but I could see how the other sisters who were strangers to me just a day before were very easy to be with and that they cared for all of us. Suddenly I wanted to be one of them, never to separate from them, they who are nearer to Allah (SWT) and definitely better than me.

The lectures and workshops and discussions about the names of Allah and the proofs of His unity, brought me to a deep state of reflection such that on the nature trek on the 6th day, all I see with every leaf, tree is how great Allah is! How all His creations are perfect, how All-Powerful He is to administer all of the universe, how each tiny and great thing is under His Dominion! It was fun trying to read the names of Allah in the tall trees and high falls. We understand that they are worshipping Allah by submitting to His will and by being mirrors to His Names.

In our visit to the Mormon Church and the Transfiguration Monastery, I didnt feel any animosity from them. There are so many common things between our beliefs, and even in some aspects like cleanliness and industry they practice these values better than we do. We enjoyed the sisterhood of the only Catholic participant even though she was able to join us only ın the last 3 days; and she too was amazed by how Muslims praise God, she even wore the veil during camp; and I saw the happiness in her eyes as she shared stories and kitchen duties with us. If only those of different religions work together, we will achieve paramount success in proving the existence of God, and in applying our common belief that all humans are created to serve and worship God.

Throughout the activities and interaction in the camp, I was able to reflect on my every action and my character. I learned to control my emotions, for I am impatient, I want everything to happen in the snap of a finger. Also, I got to admit that the only one to be blamed for my lack of faith was nobody but me. I used to blame Allah for my own failures and weaknesses, may He forgive me!

My family usually tells me I am good for nothing, but through the the Purpose of Life Workshop, I learned that every creation of Allah has a purpose, even the things that annoy me, like the fly and the cockroach, are actually microbe absorbers. And me? My purpose is to know and serve my Creator. Even if no one finds me important in this world, I now know that the King of the Universe put the value of the universe in me. He has endowed me with special abilities and emotions that I can utilize to serve Him. I cannot and I do not have to please everyone, I just have to please God. And I am happy that I found the group that made a difference in my life and will help me make a difference in others’ lives.

By Johara Evangelista de Los Reyes

nurnetwork.org

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English

Seeking the Qur’an And Its One Ray of The Light

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In the name of Allah the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

In  2007, The Most Merciful blessed me with dear brothers from the blessed community of the Risale-i Nur who gave me an opportunity to memorize and study the Qur’an in Turkey. After I graduated high school, I was understandably apprehensive as to what the coming years in Turkey would bring. With only my  firm intention to study Qur’an and its undoubtedly great interpretation in this century, THE RISALE-I NUR, I put my trust in  Allah, and,  supported by the Nur community in the Philippines, I took the first step of  the journey leading me far from my own home, city, region, and country.

My first summer abroad was in the company of some elder brothers (may Allah bless them ) in dersane in Istanbul. I was totally enchanted by their hospitality, affection, and care –which was beyond my imagination-  and whole-heartedly surrendered and finally convinced myself that, “if these people alone live on earth, Allah will turn it into paradise in an instant”.

The blessed month of Ramadan saw me leaving Istanbul and  transferring to the admirable city of Akhisar where I started my dersane life and enrolled in HILALIYE EGITIM VAKFI ( its course consists of both QUR’AN memorization and Risale-i Nur studies). I was again impressed by the same love and care, and that impression and affection I have of my sincere brothers in dersane lasts to this very day even though I am several thousand miles away from them. May Allah protect us all and our families!

Dersane is to me a home of learning (madrasa). Learning because my personality and character improved through practical proper living manners and ethics such as proper communication, relationship with brothers, cleaning, improving one’s practical skills, and living for the sake of Allah. Home because of the brotherly care and fatherly affection for the sake of Allah and His Messenger (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him) that fills the dersane.

In this light-filled home, I realised and discovered the importance of a believer gaining happiness in this life and hereafter not just for himself but for the others as well, just as our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) reminds us, “The best of you is he who is beneficial to others”. In here I witnessed the importance of the messenger (PBUH), his teachings, and his practice and I hope my brothers are among those the Prophet (PBUH) refers to when he said that, “Whoever adheres to my practices when my community is corrupted shall receive the reward of a hundred martyrs”

HILALIYE is where I developed my memorizing skills and learned substantially about ISLAM, Qur’an, and all the basic knowledge that a Muslim must know. I remember youthful laughter all around as I entered and enrolled in HILALIYE. They offer hafiz education to adolescents  aged 13-16. First year into the course, we learned all the basic knowledge and on how to read the Qur’an fluently with Tajweed (proper way of reading). Turkish language is the medium of teaching. Within a short period of time, extensive and intensive reading of the Qur’an is done, and the short suras are memorized, after which the whole Qur’an is memorized in two or three years. During my first days in the course, I had great difficulty communicating  because my classmates couldnt speak English at all, for that reason I encouraged my self to learn Turkish language and solve the communication conflict between me and other fellows.

Alhamdulillah, after several headaches and sleepless nights trying to put  the Qur’an in memory, we were so blessed to have finished the course in 2009 within three years.

I am indebted to my teachers, advisers, agabeys (elder brothers), family and friends for being my hands and the feet that propelled me to succeed in this challenge. May Allah, the Most Merciful fill their hearts with light, guide all of us to the straight path and let us meet in the day of resurrection with our beloved prophet Muhammad (PBUH).  Amin.

Raffie Usman / Philippines (Click for original article)

Click for Turkish Version

English

A Life Renewed and Nurtured by the Risale-i Nur

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Before I met the Risale-i Nur Collection, I thought my life was already the kind of life I wanted to live. My heart was full of worldly desires, I wanted to be rich, richer than Bill Gates. I wanted to buy everything I want licit or illicit as long as it makes me happy. I didn’t care for the feelings of other people as long I got satisfied. My family thought I was a very good daughter, but without their knowledge I am the blacksheep in our family.

I had traumatic experience that made me abhor certain people. My heart was full of hatred and revenge for almost ten years, dreaming only of my sweet revenge. Although my mother raised me as a practicing Christian, all the prayers I memorized reached only the tip of my tongue. I easily forgot the essence of the prayers I learned during my childhood. I only remembered God when I have problems and need His help. I stopped going to church because for me the priest was lecturing the same thing always. At confession, even though the priest was saying my sins were forgiven, I was filled with doubts if Im realy forgiven by God. I was going to church just to please my teachers and family.

I wanted to be free, I wanted to do what I wanted because I believe I owned my life. I wanted people to see I’m strong and I hated people saying don’t do this, don’t do that. Whenever they say are you crazy? Why are you doing this thing etc? The more I wanted them to see how crazy I am. My motto in life before was, “As long as I am alive I will enjoy my life to the fullest”. Until I met Risale-i Nur… the first time I read Sincerity and Brotherhood all the principles and rules I adhered in life suddenly changed. Especially when I read this verse:

“In the Name of God, The Merciful The Compassionate. Those who suppress their anger and forgive people- verily God loves those who do good” (3:134).

“In the Name of God, The Merciful The Compassionate. Indeed we have created man on the most excellent patterns,*Then sent him down to the lowest of the low,* Except those who believe and do good deeds.” (95:4-6).

I couldn’t understand what I was feeling. I told myself, whatever I read from this books I  better forget it, I don’t want to think about it anymore. The more I don’t want to think about it the more it kept filling my mind, making me think of nothing else. Because of my pride I didn’t want to admit that what I read in the book was true. I kept on struggling with my evil commanding soul until I shared my thoughts to Sally abla. She told me that Allah is the best giver of justice, if justice couldn’t be achieved in this world surely Allah will grant it in the afterlife. I decided to stop thinking of my revenge and decided to continue my readings.

This time I read about the wisdom of the five daily prayers, making me see how religious Muslims are. I started praying before sleeping and thanking God after I woke-up. After the ders given on Ramadhan Thanks and Frugality I decided to perform fasting with them. On laylatul Qadr, I made my shahada without informing my family. When my family knew about it, they got very angry especially nun sister. I didn’t know what to do because they wanted me to stop seeing my Muslim friends and they wanted me to go back home. The first Muslim brother whom I met kept on telling me to trust Allah, Allah will help me. Alhamdulillah! Indeed Allah helped me and now my family already accepted me as their Muslim daughter.

After few months, I decided to stay in Marawi dersane and I enrolled at Mindanao State university (MSU) taking AB-Islamic Studies, Alhamdulillah! Reading Risale- i Nur helped me a lot. Staying in dersane is the most enjoyable and sweetest thing in my life. I feel the true essence of true sisterhood in Islam in dersane. I learned many things like extending my patience and loving my sisters for Allah’s sake. I learned how to forget and forgive, admit my faults and ask forgiveness. I realized that Allah is the Most Merciful and Most Forgiving, as a human being how can I not forgive? I saw the reason why it’s hard for me to forgive and see my mistakes because of my pride.

I was very ashamed when I read this sentence:

“A human being is not worthy to be called human if he doesn’t know how to give thanks to his Creator”. Or I learned to count my blessings in life and to be thankful to Allah (swt). I lost many friends whom I thought were my true friends but Alhamdulillah, Allah gave me more true and sincere brothers and sisters in Islam. I am far from my family but Alhamdulillah! Allah gave me new and larger family in Islam who love and care for me for Allah’s sake.

When I read in the Letters about the compassion and sacrifices of the parents for their children I was very ashamed that I did not appreciate the care and love of my parents for me especially my mother. My love for my parents increased when I learned how to love and care the creation for the sake of Creator. Through my readings of Risale-i Nur Collection all my questions in life was answered. Before, I didn’t know what was the purpose of my life and what I wanted to do in life. After I read Risale-i Nur Collection and knowing the purpose of my life I asked forgiveness and gave thanks to Allah for giving me another chance to live. I suddenly realized how valuable time is, I wasted my twenty-four pieces of gold into nothing. Through the light of Risale-i Nur and the Qur’an the road of darkness which I was walking suddenly illuminated and changed its course. Now that I know what is the purpose of my life I only want to serve my Creator. Inshaallah through the classes that I teach and through our outreach programs, I want other people to see the beauty of Islam. Same goes with my family and those people who I led to the wrong way because of my wrong doings. I am very thankful to my Creator, Who guided me to His true religion (Islam) and those people who became an instrument for me to see the right path. Praise be to Allah for the religion of Islam and perfect belief.

Salvy Nualda Niones/ Philippines

Note: This letter has been originally published on the “Risale-i Nur Institute of Philippines Lahika Connections” journal, February 2011 issue.

English

First Women’s Dersane in Jakarta

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Jakarta, March 6, 2011 – Young, curious students from the nearby UIN Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, intellectuals,   hospitable mothers with their babies in tow  came  to the formal opening of the women’s dersane(medresseh) in Jakarta, Indonesia. This Risale–i Nur Study Center for Women of the Yayasan Nur Semesta (World Nur Institute) was set up by the Nur Community and sister Nuriye, as soon as she returned to Indonesia after a year of studying at several dersanes in Turkey.

Full of passion and fervor for  the Risale and service, she stays lively, determined, optimistic and thankful  despite the expected difficulties  and challenges of starting a new dersane. Mashallah, not  surprising, for she was given this lesson when she was 18, when after an accident she got blind and became paralyzed. A month and a half into her  blindness and paralysis, she never stopped complaining about her condition, crying and asking ‘Why Me?’  The moment that she finally accepted Allah’s will for  her  and gave thanks for it, Allah (SWT) instantly returned her sight and made her walk again!

Having had her private library of Islamic literature which she called Nur library  even before meeting the Risale-I Nur  Collection, she at once loved  the Letters  of Ustad Bediuzzaman upon being introduced to it.

The inauguration of the dersane was done together with  a belated commemoration of the Mawlid-an Nabi(SAW). A descendant of Rasul’s (SAW) uncle Abbas, Prof. Nabila Lubis of the UIN Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Department of Arabic Studies, and   translator of the Risale-i Nur Collections’ Flashes and Short Words to Bahasa Indonesia,  talked about  the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Her  daughter, Prof. Dr. Amany Lubis of the same university’s Department of Arabic History, presented a short  biography of Said Nursi, author of the Risale-i Nur, and shared beautiful memories  of their  experiences in Turkey.  A presentation of the activities of the Risale-i Nur  Community in the Philippines was also given by Sally Tayaban of the Philippines.

Titin Mufarrohah, a regular visitor who has been bringing women to the dersane, says she and her friends experience healing every time they come to the dersane. A graduate of Islamic  Studies, she has wanted a more intimate relationship  with Allah(SWT) but felt a lack of it all her life. She had wanted to know the essence, the inner wisdom of the rituals in Islam like the prayers, and  had found it in the lessons in dersane. Thus, for her and the regular comers, it is a place for the brokenhearted, for those searching for wisdom, for those who want a deeper, more meaningful understanding of their faith.

Risale-i Nur Institute Philippines Media/ Sally Tayaban

Click for Turkish version : www.nurnet.org/jakartada-ilk-hanimlar-dersanesi