إِذْ أَوَى ٱلْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةًۭ وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًۭا ١٠

˹Remember˺ when those youths took refuge in the cave, and said, “Our Lord! Grant us mercy from Yourself and guide us rightly through our ordeal.” (18:10)

Al-Haqq, the religion of Allah – those who believe in the Oneness of God – was challenged during the youths’ time. The society worshipped idols, even had some festivals in the act of idol-worship. It was a norm for the society, but it was definitely not the norm for those who believe in Allah. This was a huge deal because their values were clashing with the society’s. On top of that, the city was also governed by an arrogant king who threatened those who do not idol worship.

So, they had a few options,

1. To go with the majority and sacrifice their faith. So that they might not be killed or executed or like you know isolated by their society.

2. To fake idol worship for the sake of their safety.

3. To not go with the flow, not fake idol worship and actually stand up in what they believe in.

One of the reasons Allah had preserve the story of these youths was because they stood up for al-Haqq when they had options not to.

Their story really struck to me, because one of the reasons they were able to do what they did was because they were youths.

Youths, the people who have so much courage, so many passions, so much energy, so much … everything. You get the point. It’s like youth is a prime age for everyone. This is an age where you want to try everything. Even if you fail, you are still capable to restart and do something! An age where learning is possible, failure is welcomed, success is the goal. And these youths in the story of The Cave, they had a goal too. Which is to become a TRUE MUSLIM, and they WORKED for it.

When their world was telling them to bow to their idols, the youths responded with a solid no. Because they knew it was wrong, and they stood up for what is right even when their life were at stake. Can you imagine how courageous you have to be to do that? And that is the essence of youth. You have the courage to be brave. They had so much power that they were able to use their voice despite being oppressed to tell the ruler, “Hey, by the way, Allah is one,”.

وَرَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ إِذْ قَامُوا۟ فَقَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَن نَّدْعُوَا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ إِلَـٰهًۭا ۖ لَّقَدْ قُلْنَآ إِذًۭا شَطَطًا ١٤

And We strengthened their hearts when they stood up and declared, “Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. We will never call upon any god besides Him, or we would truly be uttering an outrageous lie.” (18:14)

And not only that, but they were also willing to sacrifice their comfort for the sake of al-Haqq and lived in a literal cave. Can you imagine, having to leave your comfortable home that has your bedroom, a proper toilet, proper food and like you know, home in general just because you wanted to save your Islam? Like that is so crazy. But that is the power of youth. They are able to go to that extent.

When a youth believe in al-Haqq, they are physically, mentally and spiritually ready to go against the odds of the worlds, just to save their belief.

The crazier part about all of the things the youths did was, Allah had never leave them alone.

He was there to see and helped them in everything they decided to do.

When the youths wanted to go against the king, Allah made firm of their hearts.

When they wanted to leave their comfort, Allah made sure to have prepared that uncomfortable cave to be the most comfortable and most merciful for them.

وَإِذِ ٱعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ فَأْوُۥٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلْكَهْفِ يَنشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُم مِّن رَّحْمَتِهِۦ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُم مِّنْ أَمْرِكُم مِّرْفَقًۭا ١٦

Since you have distanced yourselves from them and what they worship besides Allah, take refuge in the cave. Your Lord will extend His mercy to you and accommodate you in your ordeal.” (18:16)

Amazing.

Their story, especially now turning 21, really inspired me to always prioritize my faith above everything else.

The youths had to face the idols, but believe it or not, we also have our modern-day idols. Your phone, your likings that are not within Allah’s laws (i.e entertainment, the things we read, the things we see, the things we listen to, the things we say), your parents can also be your idols, your … basically, anything that is not Allah can be your idol. Which is scary because you know, then what is Islam to us?

The youths taught me to not go with the flow even when I have every reason to do so. Because they had options too, but they filtered their options with what is most pleasing to Allah rather than what is pleasing to society.

The youths taught me that it is never a waste of opportunity to put Allah and His religion above anything else because He will always be there. It was so good, that Allah honoured their story in the Quran and we read them every Friday.

And we should all strive to be like the youths in the Cave.

May Allah allows and blesses my 21 like the youths in the Cave for He will never leave me alone and He honours those who preserve and save their faith.

it was a place that i learn, grow so much - about me, friends, parents. basically, beyond academics. here’s a walk-through of my kmb journey.

2022/2024 was my academic year and i took International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBDP) for my pre-U programme. what’s IBDP? i quote from the website, “is a challenging two-year educational program, promoting critical thinking, global awareness, and well-rounded development through rigorous coursework, independent research, and community service across six subject groups and core components,”. notice the bold words, they truly live up to it.

the fun of IB comes with a price haha. but i enjoyed it (i think).

it was definitely challenging. not sleeping and over consumption of caffeine is a normal occurence in KMB. imagine, your classes start at 9am and it ends at minimum of 3pm, and then you have 6 internal assessments to juggle, an EE that’s worth 4000 words, a TOK essay that can challenge your patience, CAS reflections that everyone just dread to do. and at the same time, you’re expected to excel in your overall academics and curricular.

i know, it sounds a lot. because it is a lot. and i’m being honest.

but would i trade my IBDP experience for anything else? nope.

though it was hard, somehow, it was a crucial point of my growth / young adult moment. it was not easy, given that you’re away from your parents most of the time, hardcore syllabus, so on and so forth. but, it was worth it. so many skills and life lessons along the way that you can never get it unless you’re an IB survivor.

my kmb journey was bearable, not because of me and my efforts. but it was bearable because it was an us effort. a collective effort that placed me in a small home away from home. a collective effort to struggle together. a collective effort to understand each other.

i was saved from my own mental torture of perfectionism because i had a circle in kmb that broke my chains in me. a circle that i think was God’s gift for me. a circle that saved me, from myself.

kmb was harsh, i will not lie. but having friends that are willing to just hold your hand and be with you was enough to give you strength. and my circle was a solehah one. we learned about Quran and how to live with it, all the way in kmb :)

find yourself a good circle if you’re planning to be in kolej mara banting.

kmb was my most memorable point of life, and i hope it’ll be for you too.

p.s: academic wise, i know i’m not elaborating much. pls do pm me on instagram if u’re in need of any help. ig: @/arkibaj

mungkin pada awalnya, kehadiran aku di surau an-Nur waktu minggu pertama di KMB hanyalah untuk memenuhi ciri-ciri pelajar yang cemerlang terbilang tu haha. mungkin nak attention sahaja pada asalnya. “waa dia ni pergi surau la, baru first week,”. mungkin sebab ikut kawan semata. tapi hadirnya aku dalam bulatan gembira ketika tu, deep down, regardless of any reasons, i knew it was speaking to me.

satu moment that i remember so dearly waktu bulatan gembira, waktu tengah seronok dengan fasa awal IB yang tak ada pressure tu, zaman muda-mudi lah kononnya, ukhti ni kata,

“belajar pun boleh sebab hawa nafsu,”.

terus tersentap kejap haha. what do you mean? belajar pun salah ke? bukan ke belajar tu cam my tujuan hakiki?

lepas tu, ada pula satu session ni, ukhti ni bagi analogi bola besi. “imagine bola besi tu ada 3 components - paling tengah is your aqidah (i.e your belief, kesukaan), the middle layer is your thoughts, and the last layer is your actions. bila leburnya bola besi tu, benda yang dalam akan eventually melted until sampai ke luar. cuba bayangkan kalau kita pekat dengan kesukaan kpop kita, cairnya bola besi tu, thoughts and actions semua akan ikut kpop. tapi kita kan muslim? sepatutnya bila aqidah kita islam, cairnya bola besi, thoughts and actions kita pun mestilah islam,”.

sekali lagi, tersentap. “hmm betul jugak,” said my inner self.

ever since then, i have been interested untuk dengar walaupun ada je la moment yang tak nak turun surau tu haha. barakallahufeek to that ukhti yang bersabar dengan saya waktu fasa tu.

selepas satu sesi to another, i felt this surged of belonging in bulatan gembira - as a place to seek my deen. to seek for an eternal home.

it came to my realization recently that, bulatan gembira meant beyond the weekly usrah, monthly daurah, but it was for a lifetime event that eventually will affect my next. it is an event that determines my next home soon. it is an event that impacts not just my life, but yours too.

bila bicara tentang bulatan gembira, i cannot help but to think of how much of an impact it brings just by becoming a true solid muslim. it is a place for me to build my jiwa suitable for the current condition of the ummah. terlalu banyak masalah dunia yang tidak boleh dinafikan. terlalu banyak kerosakan dan fasad dalam bumi ni - bukan sebab sesiapa tetapi manusia sendiri.

ظَهَرَ ٱلْفَسَادُ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِى ٱلنَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى عَمِلُوا۟ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

Corruption has spread on land and sea as a result of what people’s hands have done, so that Allah may cause them to taste ˹the consequences of˺ some of their deeds and perhaps they might return ˹to the Right Path˺. (ar-Rum:41)

i refuse to be complicit in any corruption in this world. dan the only way to make things right for the betterment of humanity - is to go back to Him. joining bulatan gembira is the platform.

bulatan gembira is also a place that i get to know myself. it is an endless tarbiyyah journey for me to discover who am i and my potentials. it is the platform that pushes me to strive better because of its clarity of purpose. with purpose, everything makes sense, and you have this urgency to constantly learn and give. you have nothing in mind but the purpose. you are pleasing none but Him. you crave for none but His jannah.

endless tarbiyyah - the journey of learning about Him and going back to Him,

and what is the best home if it’s not His promises for us here and there?

though bulatan gembira might seem small, trust me, it’s for a big mission.

Tyrant: Absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution

Al-Buruj is a surah that Allah responds to the atrocities of the world. It unfolds a story of أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْأُخْدُودِ (Ashabul Ukhdud), the story of makers of the ditch, the story of tyrants whose hands were full of bloods due to their complicity in the genocide of mu’mins (believers).

One of the wonders of Quran that I find amazing is how evergreen the stories are. When Allah revealed stories in the Quran, it does not limit the readers to think about what was happening then, but it also covers what is happening now. The atrocities that we see today unveiled by Allah 1400 years ago, and it is in our part to learn from it.

Ashabul Ukhdud of whom the story of their violence towards the mu’min was illustrated by Allah.

ٱلنَّارِ ذَاتِ ٱلْوَقُودِ ٥

the fire ˹pit˺, filled with fuel

إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌۭ ٦

when they sat around it,

وَهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌۭ ٧

watching what they had ˹ordered to be˺ done to the believers,

وَمَا نَقَمُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّآ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْحَمِيدِ ٨

who they resented for no reason other than belief in Allah—the Almighty, the Praiseworthy.

Ashabul Ukhdud did not just dig the ditch, but they made sure to set it on fire. The fact that the ditch is a place of no oxygen, no ventilation, it is hot down there, hard work – but they made sure to set it on fire. It shows their determination to kill the mu’mins.

Imagine getting excited about genocide? Crazy. Unfathomable.

They were not just excited; in fact, they were waiting for that moment. The killing of mu’mins in the pit of fire were done and witnessed by them. They find nothing but solace and pleasure to see mu’mins getting killed in their hands. They were the people who governs, they were the tyrants of the world.

Quran was sent to the entire humanity for three main purposes.

هُوَ ٱلَّذِى بَعَثَ فِى ٱلْأُمِّيِّـۧنَ رَسُولًۭا مِّنْهُمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ ٢

He is the One Who raised for the illiterate ˹people˺ a messenger from among themselves—reciting to them His revelations, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom, for indeed they had previously been clearly astray [al-Jumu’ah:2]

It is only possible to let Quran purify us when we relate Quran to our lives.

So, question is, what does ashabul ukhdud has anything to do with me?

If it is anything al-Buruj has taught me, it taught me that I do not have to be part of the world leaders to be a tyrant, I can be my own tyrant which also means I can be my own ashabul ukhdud.

The leader of the world can be a tyrant if they do not adhere to the law they have initiated, or they change their law according to their needs and necessities. This has always been the notion for the imperialists to sweep every atrocity they have done under the rug. They put labels as new narratives, change people’s education to make sure everyone is in the same wavelength as them, put out new movies and dramas to normalize their way of life and the list goes on.

But again, how do all of these relate ashabul ukhdud, me and us?

You do not have to be a leader to be on the side of the tyrant.

You do not have to be a leader to commit atrocity.

You just have to follow their life and submit to them to be part of the tyrant.

When I read their story, I cannot help but to think of how this resonates with the world today. With what is happening in the genocide of Palestinians, Syrians, Sudan, Congo, Uyghurs, Kashmir, and so many oppressed Muslim countries around the world, each one of us is a witness to the atrocities done by the world’s tyrants.

And unfortunately, it stays there.

We are just witnesses with no active actions done. We are just witnesses who decide to stare and not care. We are just witnesses who follow and submit to the tyrants and atrocities.

And Allah says,

قُتِلَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْأُخْدُودِ ٤

Condemned are the makers of the ditch

He condemns ashabul ukhdud.

He condemns the tyrants

He condemns everyone who decides to become a part of the tyrant.

And Allah promises,

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا۟ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا۟ فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ ٱلْحَرِيقِ ١٠

Those who persecute the believing men and women and then do not repent will certainly suffer the punishment of Hell and the torment of burning.

He promises to unveil His own torment to the people who thought they have the power to governs their life and others. We are currently witnessing persecution of our own brothers and sisters who are essentially the believing people, and our actions can tell whose side are we on. The tyrants or Him?

The subject of ‘power’ has always salivated the tyrants because it is their only way to stay in the ‘greatest position’. As an individual, living a normal life is powerful. Having food on our table is powerful. Having our necessities completed is powerful. And these powers, undoubtedly has made us to live in our own world. Becoming individualistic is tyranny because you do not care about what happens to the person beside you. Who are we to not care? Who are we to think we have that power to be careless of others? Who are we to think we are powerful?

Allah responds in al-Buruj to dismantle every single ‘power’ we claim to have.

ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ شَهِيدٌ ٩

˹the One˺ to Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and earth. And Allah is a Witness over all things.

When we think we are powerful, Allah retaliates and says He governs the heavens and the Earth. We do not even govern our own heartbeat, what makes us think we can govern our lives? Let alone, govern others. What we do is witnessed by Him. Our choices are witnessed by Him. He sees and cares. Choices are in our hands, and we must believe that our choices are held accountable on the Day.

إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ يُبْدِئُ وَيُعِيدُ ١٣

˹For˺ He is certainly the One Who originates and resurrects ˹all˺.

Our silence is complicity because it is our choice to be silent. Our purchase of boycott items is complicity because it is our hands that choose and pay it. Our algorithm on social media that deviates us from the Ummah is complicity because we control what we consume. Everything we do that are not helping the ummah is complicity which means everything can turn us into ashabul ukhdud.

However, we have to remember that Islam is not a religion of hopelessness, because regardless of anything, as long as the Day has not come yet,

وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلْوَدُودُ ١٤

And He is the All-Forgiving, All-Loving.

He is willing to forgive us. Every day is another day for us to prove ourselves that we are not the people whom Allah condemned. Every day is another day for us to repent and give our best effort for Him and the Ummah.

With Allah, it makes our life has purpose and this dunya cannot easily deviate us from our initial reason why we are here. With Allah, the world tyrants can be crushed and vanished.

وَٱللَّهُ مِن وَرَآئِهِم مُّحِيطٌۢ ٢٠

But Allah encompasses them from all sides.

Al-Buruj has taught me the formula of trampling my tyrant self and the world’s tyrants which is – to be on His side. To believe and execute and sacrifice for Him, always. His rewards in His Jannah for us are too generous and it is only rational for us to not take His rewards for granted.

Be rational and let’s do our part. Bismillah!

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