The Prose and Poetry in Al-Muntalaq

Malay-Arabic version

Al-Muntalaq, “The beginning of a journey” or “setting out for a journey” is a book which was written by Muhammad Ahmad Ar-Rashid. This book has a religious-motivational theme that brings up the topics like the purpose of life, the challenges in life and the ways to face the challenges. These topics were discussed in the scope of view of Islam.

The beauty of this book is how Ahmad elaborates the contents that he wants to deliver. Despite the common way of the motivational books were written, Ahmad uses Arabic poetry in this book. In each topic, he will insert poetries from famous poets like Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Muhammad Iqbal and Ibnu Al-Mubarak or the ones that he wrote.

The very important question that Ahmad raised is about the prose and poetry. Ahmad says, that the book writers that write on the motivational theme should not separate the prose and the poetry. He added that a message that is written by using the conventional writing style is not sensational as the one that was written in poetry. With poetry, the readers will have a deep feeling towards the point, they will feel calm or angry or inspired to apply the teachings from the book.

A poetry in Al-Muntalaq, from: http://slideplayer.com/slide/5253610/

“Happiness is;

when you live with the intellect with pure reasoning.

For solving all the hard problems in life,

And for thinking

“from where I came? To where I’ll go? Why I was created?”

And when the answers come,

All the confusions disappear, and all actions that were made,

Are good behaviors.”

Ahmad also points out a serious issue like ‘jihad’ in Islam. He wrote a section about the definition of jihad which is ‘the struggle’. It is wider and broader than struggling to force everyone to become a Muslim by using weapons-which is not part of the teaching of Islam. He wrote about the ‘jihad’ or the struggle to bring a community towards goodness and tranquility and the patience that one needs to have to create good behaviors and decrease wrongdoings in the society.

This is a very crucial point that everyone should read, as the problems from the word ‘jihad’ are worsening from day to day. The extremist like ISIS or Al-Qaeda manipulate this Arabic word and claim that the kills and tortures that they have done are all right within their fake Islamic understanding. When the world heard about the extremists and what they were saying about jihad and Islam, the world outside Arab world will equate Islam to terrorism. This is because the non-Arabic speakers not understand what the extremists say in their video of slaughtering innocents. They only heard the phrases that the extremists repeated which are ‘Islam, Jihad, and La-ilah-illa Allah’ that have no meanings related to catastrophe and extremism except ‘Peace, the struggle and Allah is the only god’ respectively.

Al-Muntalaq is one of the best religious-motivational books that everyone should read no matter what religions, language spoken, or where they are. On one hand, the book supplies fascinating Arabic poetries which persuade the reader to finish the book. On the other hand, Al-Muntalaq provides some vitals issues in life and how to manage those issues peacefully.

Al-Muntalaq will surely open readers’ eyes and mind as the Ahmad uses and chooses all the words carefully to ensure all the readers understand the contents that he delivers.