By: Samsul Nizar
Profesor & Head of STAIN Bengkalis
Everyone knows about the soil. Soil and humans are like two sides of a coin or two lovebirds that cannot be separated. Although sometimes humans betray the soil, the soil never betrays humans. Indeed, the origin of human events from the ground cannot be denied from the process of the Prophet Adam to his descendants, who came from the essence of the soil. The origin of the incident made humans unable to separate from the soil. Humans live with the soil, take advantage of the nutrients and elements that the soil has, and finally return to the Creator Substance to borrow the soil media as a transit world until the apocalypse arrives. Even though everyone knows this process, only a few can understand, let alone actualize themselves on the philosophy of the soil, which turns out to be very deep, including:
First, the soil is a source of life. The soil gives life to everyone who is “friendly” to it. Soil is like a mother. It takes care of all humans without distinguishing between rich-poor, good-bad, big-small, obedient-disobedient, and so on. It fulfills the responsibilities to all humans, even though humans forget the duties of its caliphate.
Second, the soil is fair. Whoever is friendly with it, the soil will give something that makes people live prosperously. However, if humans destroy it, the soil will return the damage to humans-different human behaviour. Kindness is often seasoned with something to be achieved. If what you want is not obtained, kindness quickly turns into deception. Like the saying, “like helping a dog in a pinch”. When this happens, a million good things are destroyed by unfulfilled hopes.
Third, the soil values human beings on an equal basis. When humans die, the soil never takes sides or chooses humans (with various variants of world degrees). The good or the bad are all accepted and “hugged” warmly. Soil teaches forgiveness without vengeance. Imagine if the soil is like human nature. Maybe a few humans are accepted in their “womb”. However, the soil has a forgiving nature and sees humans equally as God’s creatures. Although in human life, they are often cruel to the soil.
Fourth, the soil can reduce the stench, including human bodies, after death. The ground covers the disgrace of humans (creatures), while humans open each other’s disgrace. The soil turns out to implement God’s command through the hadith Qudsi “Whoever relieves a Muslim of some worldly distress, Allah will relieve him of some of the distress of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever conceals (the faults of) a Muslim, Allah will conceal him (his faults) in this world and the Day of Resurrection.” ( Hadith by Bukhari).
Although soil has shown its nature and God through the above hadith explains, humans, especially in the digital era, are busy looking for, opening up, and publicizing the disgrace of others. This profession becomes a job to make money. Isn’t this what the Messenger of Allah saw about the creatures of hell who like to eat rotten meat while there is fresh meat beside them? When Allah sees good with double reward and evil only equal, humans see goodness as something equal and an error with multiple views. It is the opposite of what God teaches with what humans do.
Fifth, the soil seems despicable, but it can purify humans. The position of the soil as a place to dump all dirt and disease makes people need to wear footwear so they are not dirty by it. However, it turns out that the soil holds a sacredness that can remove heavy excrement. Scientifically, no tool on earth can remove germs in heavy excrement except soil. Even though it looks dirty, it has a purity that can purify humans. Humans may look clean, tidy and have a high degree of, but they often make what is sacred at first unclean.
Sixth, the soil is honest about its incompetence. When Allah asked the soil to be the caliph, the soil was honest with Allah for its inability. While humans often do not have the ability but claim to have the ability. They are not asked to carry the mandate but to ask for trust in various insulting ways as long as the goal is achieved. Allah states this through His words: “Indeed, We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they all declined to bear it, fearing it. But humanity assumed it, for they are truly wrongful to themselves and ignorant of the consequences.” (Surah al-Ahzab: 72).
However, humans are different from the soil they inhabit. When power is arrogant when it is trusted, it is treacherous, when powerless to ask for help, when it has the superiority to oppress or something else. Only a few humans have the nature of the soil to admit its incompetence. On the contrary, even though they are incapable and not an expert, they are still “greedy” to accept and achieve it by all means. Greedy nature (with its various variants) dominates.
Truly the soil holds a very deep philosophical literacy. Humans are too high to study beyond space but forget the closest object to them. Someday they will return to the origin of the incident. As a result of forgotten land literacy, it is natural that humans seem free to do anything while in the world because they forget the soil. If the literacy of the soil can be understood, then humans will be wise and civilized as long as they live on the soil. If this is done, humans will be at peace with the happiness promised by God while in the “womb” of the soil. In connection with the 31st Anniversary of Harian Riau Pos, this daily takes its position as a fertile and growing soil. Through this media, a culture of academic literacy across generations and disciplines thrives, as well as information that educates all components. They embrace society without knowing caste. They provide reliable and accurate information, like a tree growing on fertile soil. Trees are so shady for shelter, give intellectual oxygen to intelligent people, and bear the knowledge that benefits everyone.
All options exist for each person. If the right choice is to take soil literacy, then safety is obtained. It is what Harian Riau Pos has done, which does not reveal disgrace but brings achievements. However, when the soil has been forgotten, humiliation will be harvested, and the earth will, in turn, clamp down on it with hatred. It also appears in a handful of media that do not care about legalistic ethics and information accuracy.
Wa Allahua’lam bi al-Shawwab
Translated by Ruzaini, M.Pd. (Alumni of English Education Study Program of STAIN Bengkalis)