Futur... a phenomenon much feared by the Da'is whose hearts are truly committed to da’wah. When interpreted from the aspect of meaning, “Futur” itself carries the connotation of “decreasing”, “disconnected” or “stopping after having moved”. Futur also carries the connotation of lazy, the habit of delaying or procrastinating. This disease starts small i.e. delaying a task, and if it is not curbed early it would develop and become uncontrollably chronic i.e. completely stopping or dropping out from the work of Islam. Futur can happen in a number of situations whether in the context of ibaadah, such as:

• The disappearance of khushoo’ in solat.
• The recitation of Al-Quran feels bland.
• Doing tafakkur remembering Allah SWT feels heavier.
• Not only declining in terms of the quality of the ibaadah, but also in the quantity.

Futur can also happen in the context of da’wah. As an example, an activist who used to be active in propagating the risalah of Allah SWT during the campus days, etc. but after having comforts in life i.e. gaining wealth trhrough having good job, he begins to distance himself from the activities of da’wah and systematic programs of tarbiyyah. This is common and happens a lot of times... may those of us who are still in campus be protected from this, ameen.

There are many things that could cause the above two things to happen or easily put, there are a lot of factors that could bring one to Futur. Amongst them are:

• Sins and Disobedience to Allah SWT

Sins and disobedience that are committed could make the hearts feel uneasy and in there, is an indication that our attitude are actually not in line with the commandments of Allah SWT. Because of the committed sins, uneasiness in the soul appears and that uneasiness in the soul could drag us into the decline of the quality and quantity of ibaadah. All the more so, if the sins are not viewed as serious regardless that they are only categorized as small sins. But if those small sins are accumulated, wouldn’t they pile up and mount in the end? Rasulullah SAW illustrated to us that a sin that is committed would leave behind a black dot in our heart. If we let that happens, the heart would eventually darken and unable to differentiate between haq and bathil. But if it is accompanied by istghfar, it would then shine again.

• Excessive in Mubah (allowed/neutral) Things

Allah SWT does not prohibit His slaves from enjoying the permissible things but let them be done in moderation. Allah SWT says in surah Al-A’raf, verse 31, which means:

"...eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah SWT loveth not the wasters."

Ummul Mu’mineen Aishah RA stated:

“The first disaster that befalls this ummah after their Prophet passed away is satiation...”

• When the Feeling of Laziness in Performing Obedience Exists.

Namely, the feeling of being inclined to trivialize good deeds or ibaadah and also neglecting daily good deeds such as praying in congregation, sunnah prayers, Qiyyamullail, etc. In brief, all the deeds are simply hollow (i.e. empty in ruh)

• When the Hearts are Not Touched by the Holy Verses of the Qur’an.

Al-Qur'an is the holy book sent down by Allah SWT to His Rasul SAW which becomes the guidebook for mankind. The book that contains all that mankind requires, be they in the form of promises, threats, commandments or prohibitions. Of course, there is no denying that a majority of us read the Qur’an every day, but the question is: are we really getting the points of the verses that we read and then “digesting” them so that they become our shields and fortresses in ensuring that we are not falling into something that could invite the wrath of Allah SWT? Not to mention if we are lazy to read the Qur’an... starting to leave it little by little and until one day the Qur’an only serves as a house decoration or wedding gift.... Na'uzubillah~

• When Giving Less Attention on the Current Issues of the Islamic Ummah

This thing has always infected the Muslims whose lives are in the state of the so-called ‘comfort zone’. Though, the reality is that we are being attacked from all sides. No bullets, no bombs, no mortars and no landmines but we are already bold enough to declare proudly that we are safe in our country. No need to worry and in fact we are even grateful that the hardships suffered by the countries of our brothers and sisters in aqeedah such as Palestine, do not hit our country. Whereas, we forget that we are also under ferocious attack with the bullets of ideology. The Ghazwul Fikri schemed by the West is successful in stabbing the souls of our children and the Islamic ummah until there is no more feeling of empathy left for their own brothers and sisters.

In fact, we are also attacked by the ideologies planned by the Islamic ummah themselves, which could challenge the aqeedah that is sahih. Those who are busy launching the campaign of national flag waving in convoys of motorcade without trying to relate or open the eyes of the public that while they are enjoying the celebration of the national or independence day, there are still brothers and sisters who become refugees in their own homeland such as Baitul Maqdis and Gaza! Indeed, this could also contribute to the lack of concerns of the Islamic ummah on the problems suffered by their own brothers and sisters elsewhere.

When a Muslim who understands the responsibility of delivering the risalah of da’wah to others is also trapped into this matter i.e. when he begins to forget the hardships of our brothers and sisters in aqeedah who are grappling in their own homelands, that indeed is a sign of Futur. Especially if it is not treated, it will spread and eventually cause a Da'i to start forgetting his brothers in his do’a every time in solat, or forgetting to do infaq with his wealth for helping the struggles of his brothers.

And the most critical of it is when his emotion becomes frozen when witnessing the problems of the Islamic ummah, who are oppressed, instead he is feeling thankful that he is not struck by such problems. When there is no feeling of empathy, nor struggling for the sake of overcoming the problems of the ummah, it is also an indication that there is no sense of responsibility towards the Dien.

• When Giving Too Much Attention to Worldly Affairs as Compared to Akhirah.

Oftentimes, this happens to all including the few people who understand the responsibility and importance of giving da’wah to others. We are too busy and excessive in giving attention to ourselves in almost every matter, such as what meals are we going to eat and drink, what clothes to wear, how to beautify our living places, etc.

• When being Prone to Avoid Good Bi’ah (environment).

The presence of the feeling of discomfort when mixing with people who are struggling in the way of Allah, as well as the people who love the Dien, also contributed to the declining and weakening of the self. They feel that they already have enough ‘ilm (knowledge) and they are satisfied with the tarbiyyah that they possessed to the extent that they refuse to receive the ‘ilm given by others.