WAMY - Philippines

By: Abdulhamid M. Gunda

MSU Student, 1st Place in the 2nd Category

The seemingly appropriate questions I want to anchor that follow are in line with the worldly known descriptions of today’s Muslim populace being the threats against the westerners. Where are we now? Up to what extent we can spread our wings? Do we take steps to prevent any untoward attacks of the westerners? Or is there a guarantee our reserved weapons are sufficiently enough to sustain the more than everlasting starvations to come? And have we started implanting to our youths the real cure to whatever disease may come the Muslim Ummah more centuries to come? Come and let’s think of these, brothers and sisters.

The said questions which appear to be more pressing will hopefully remind and restrict our leaders, those whoever take the front seats of our walks to life, from disclaiming their shares in the time to come the fruits of what they had inculcated in us will adversely affect Muslim Ummah and cause Islam became tainted. God forbid million times. Yes, due to our heedlessness we unconsciously point our fingers to wherever place we think we could have our minutes pleasures the worldly life could offer. And at the end it is us the remnants of misguided leadership left all alone in an abandoned space accused as the barbaric, uneducated, illiterate, ignorant, incapable and the worst of all irreligious individuals soon to be diagnosed the cancers of the society.

Will these all be the chain we want to push till then? I suppose this is not what we want to see and remember as Muslim students awaited to be the next generations to Islamize the whole world InshaAllah. Admittedly, most of us if not all, are blind of what really the ideal Muslim student is. Is the reason still unknown? You know what the exact answer is. Stop, look, listen, chin up and read. This is the very simple step you need to do if you visit us in Marawi, the nationally known as the only Islamic City of the Philippines. The things you’ll see are the flying alhamdulillahs and congratulations, an aerial space almost filled with colored streamers and tarpaulins and the billboard-like posters of Datus and Baes. These are all but media of announcing it to the public that Muslims are not behind in terms of academic excellence as evidenced by the monthly board and bar passers in different fields not unless otherwise . However, despite of our increasing numbers of learned individuals, our eyes are still fogged to see what really is an ideal Muslim student?

Who and what is then an ideal Muslim student? The Holy Qur-an gives answers to this question. The Sunnah of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) illustrates the answers. Our contemporary Muslim scholars remind us of these answers. But our evil-commanding soul cover our eyes to see them, tied our extremities to find them, drained our minds to know them and hardened our hearts to refrain it from fervor to look for these answers. Here I can’t help but to reiterate. Muslims are those who follow Islam with sincere and complete submission to its teachings. And an ideal Muslim student is one of those people. Basically, an ideal Muslim student is he who mouth words and executes action with the six articles of faith as the stimulating agents. He whose intentions to do something is restricted with the Islamic Law. Thus, he intends to do something only for the sake of Allah.

Identity construction emphasizing being an ideal Muslim student is yes a great challenge every Muslim student should accept relentlessly. For I believe this entails our initial step to erase the unacceptable perception of our Non-Muslim brothers who see what the most of us is projecting in every place we go. Taking Islam as the very foundation of our endless search for knowledge sheers the real beauty of our religion and our being Muslims. But then again we have to remember that Islam is needed to be learned by its followers. Thus, we need to have fear in Allah to wall our weakened selves from the whispers of the Iblis aiming to stop us from doing so. Along the ways are plenty of rough roads and more thorny hills to climb, so an ideal Muslim student needs to keep firmly standing in what Allah has commanded for it’s only by this way he can survive these hurdles. Classrooms as one of the battle grounds, an ideal Muslim student never near into drowning but motivated to be above the rests. Never be faced-off but excelling in what all he does. And never come out to boast what he can do but rather remain still as the humble servant of Allah, an ideal Muslim student.

An ideal Muslim student does not get tired of giving a wrong answer in whatever test he is taking, for in every wrong answer he knows is an expansion of the limitless horizons of his search for knowledge influenced by the hadith that says “The best among you is the one who learns Qur-an and Teaches it.” We know one hadith that says we should find answers to every problem we have even though we could only find the answer in as far as China. But I think this is unparalleled to what somebody belief as one criterion of being an ideal Muslim student. To some, it is to have your degree finished abroad or in a plainly Islamic Institution. For so long as you do not prioritize your studies over your duty as Muslim then there will be nothing wrong which school you are in.  Actually, being an ideal Muslim student is not determined according to our status in life; family background is not a big deal, and not even with how we look. It’s never judged in where place you do stay for an ideal student does not necessarily choose a situation to live in. So long as we do not forget the real purpose of our creation as stated in the Holy Qur-an, then, we can be assured of a less spiritual morbidity in almost every time.

Socially, an ideal Muslim student has visions which predict or foretell a prosperous Islamic community the Muslims are aiming for. A son or a daughter every parent wants to give birth to; whose words outspoken courteously even animals listen to; whose commands assumed same that of a matured people other leaders are its prime movers; a village boy or a girl with good morals and right conducts; a role model and a peace keeping force to friendship rivalries; when be friend, company is treasured; what he portrays are the attributes of God; never cry out of misfortune but give thanks instead; appreciate the wisdom of every calamity he is afflicted of; with forgiving heart; and extends hands to help. With his kind heart and jovial face none will be hesitant to approach him, an ideal Muslim student.

Spiritually, he manages his times. He sees to it every second of his life is in Allah’s path. Never concedes to prefer the worldly life to the hereafter. So he does transform every action he takes as worship and never to boast. He takes every threats of life bravely, entailing the line that says “Please Allah even if the whole world is displeased.”

And ideally, as he is wrapped up with the hadith that says “Knowledge is light and ignorance is darkness.” An ideal Muslim student is power that is electrifying to enlighten the never lighted candle holders. Giving brighter light to where there is single phase. Ushers illuminating light to where there is the so called dancing-light. He is clothed with shielding light, Can shield his self from the shadow of darkness. He is the white amongst the blacks. When placed under blindness his rays even out shine. Spotted in the venue of the lusts of youth, his light resists the force and drive them far away from him self. He is a student the force of nature can not caught. His is the seal protected by Allah’s control over all creation. He is nowhere to place but a light and an ideal Muslim student, a light in the Dungeon.