tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28985585830203481552024-03-14T07:21:47.313+08:00Reflective PerspectivesThe Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.comBlogger341125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-29656896574032099002016-09-09T17:38:00.000+08:002016-09-09T17:41:25.751+08:00Muslim Wonder House<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(malay edition below)<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLb773cI28fu6SFAgNQy012moTKe4bMr1VLILFRD_lrYtmiZ8e9DOpcn8AYRH2SgFR5nYh0YxMMTAtuQH0q8zLFoa-5RVjSq24CKEcoJnjPLPCFF9E67rN6Z4Gxg2fB-mKL7xHv4tjcFgY/s1600/MWH.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLb773cI28fu6SFAgNQy012moTKe4bMr1VLILFRD_lrYtmiZ8e9DOpcn8AYRH2SgFR5nYh0YxMMTAtuQH0q8zLFoa-5RVjSq24CKEcoJnjPLPCFF9E67rN6Z4Gxg2fB-mKL7xHv4tjcFgY/s320/MWH.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<br />This mosque situated in Finsbury Park (When I say Finsbury Park, people go like -.-? But when I say 'its close to the Arsenal stadium', they go like owh okay :D) looks like a run down shop house more than a spiritual house. But I wouldn't trade it for a 100 beautiful mosques in Malaysia. It's called the Muslim Welfare House but we malaysians used to call it Mewah (Muslim Welfare House -> MWH -> MeWaH).<br /><br />Because it is so awesome. Look at the advertisements on their electronic noticeboard, they have:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqYstrr7XiPJcmhW0PFEsiFTwcpMRHPw4y3kHrm2wlhYhVo1bfmb9jUMaPAewsZvQIhCgFGxy9-cRocTj1WoeVnpmtmvBCV4uKhl-jVhaVjHaiORVvi4KkbrskNAVdcJNHpGUJjTbUBNO/s1600/DSC_2554.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKqYstrr7XiPJcmhW0PFEsiFTwcpMRHPw4y3kHrm2wlhYhVo1bfmb9jUMaPAewsZvQIhCgFGxy9-cRocTj1WoeVnpmtmvBCV4uKhl-jVhaVjHaiORVvi4KkbrskNAVdcJNHpGUJjTbUBNO/s320/DSC_2554.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHy5oH1mhw2AcBkcn89kJtD-e5NvAeWFOJLArZyFpYCA4Lp6mji_vNMVO0hp_wlHgrHJsGEWU9oIli1H1wAYQPtIaSQJGWo1KQGwEx_NuMuanRWDc4dOpwPpbBvnmTOrxZ8bIdmoSL6Oh0/s1600/DSC_2556.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHy5oH1mhw2AcBkcn89kJtD-e5NvAeWFOJLArZyFpYCA4Lp6mji_vNMVO0hp_wlHgrHJsGEWU9oIli1H1wAYQPtIaSQJGWo1KQGwEx_NuMuanRWDc4dOpwPpbBvnmTOrxZ8bIdmoSL6Oh0/s320/DSC_2556.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />1) Quran & Arabic class for kids (okay)<br />2) Housing advice for house-related problems (woah)<br />3) Training classes for those wanting to work in construction (woahhh)<br />4) Karate classes! (sugoiiiiiii!!!!)<br /><br />Even Jackie Chan would be proud of this mosque.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And I know they also have classes to train teachers, and local businessmen would use the mosque to hold their meetings. AND the mosque is packed to the brim during Maghrib prayers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Skeptics (disguised as intellectuals) would point out that 'muslims in britain lack the formal institutions, thus necessitating the use of the mosque as an all-encompassing avenue for resolving daily situations unlike in Malaysia where our institutions are more decentralised'. Still, it is rare to find a mosque offering karate classes, and we can definitely do more to position our mosques as the center of community life. So think about it please ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">***<br /><br />Masjid yang terletak di kawasan Finsbury Park ini (dekat dengan stadium Arsenal. Kalau cakap dengan orang Malaysia kena bagi rujukan stadium bola) nampak macam rumah kedai, bukan rumah ibadat. Tapi masjid ini lebih saya cintai daripada 100 masjid yang cantik di Malaysia. Namanya Muslim Welfare House (Rumah Kebajikan Islam) tapi kami pelajar malaysia panggil masjid ni Mewah (Muslim Welfare House -> MWH -> MeWaH. Malas nak sebut panjang lah tu)<br /><br />Masjid ni sangat mantap. Tengok papan bulletin dia:<br />1) Kelas quran dan bahasa Arab untuk kanak-kanak (okay)<br />2) Sesi nasihat perumahan (pergh)<br />3) Latihan untuk bakal buruh pembinaan (perghhh)<br />4) Kelas karate (すごい!!!!!)<br /><br />Jackie Chan mesti bangga dengan masjid ni. Saya dah lama dah bangga.<br /><br />Setahu saya ada juga kelas latihan untuk bakal guru, dan peniaga tempatan akan buat mesyuarat mereka di bilik mesyuarat masjid. Kalau pergi waktu Maghrib, masyaallah, penuhnya sampai terpaksa buka bilik belakang.<br /><br />Orang-orang skeptis akan berkata 'memanglah semua guna masjid. Kat sini kita ada pusat giatmara, Institut Latihan Perguruan, dewan sukan, dll' Ya, mungkin betul, tapi bukan semua masjid di UK ni yang tawarkan macam-macam program pembangunan masyarakat. Dan saya yakin masjid di Malaysia boleh buat lebih daripada menawarkan ustaz untuk kuliah subuh dan maghrib. Fikir-fikirkan dan selamat beramal ;)</span></div>
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The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-22811565607134357022016-09-08T15:12:00.001+08:002016-09-08T15:16:08.308+08:00Master Oogway's School<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(Malay version below. Disclaimer: the Malay version is not a translation and I did not intend it to be so. Both languages have a different mode of thinking and different ways of conveying, and it is the meaning that I intend to convey, not the exact words)<br /></span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />Yesterday I had the good fortune of visiting my university for the first time. The first time I heard about it was, I think, during my undergraduate days. We had an Islamic Society dinner and some guys from SOAS were there as well.<br /><br />I looked it up later and was quite intrigued. There's just something about the word 'oriental' that adds mystique to any word paired with it. Like how 'Oriental cuisine' conjures up an image of steaming tom yum made with a hundred different spices served in a 14th century Ming dynasty porcelain bowl (with dragons on the bowl, of course). Or how 'Oriental wisdom' brings to mind Master Oogway from Kungfu Panda. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Anyways, why did I choose to come here? You know, people try to rationalise a lot of their decisions as if they came about as a result of deliberate thought when actually, it was just a 'wow' or 'let's do it!' moment. I may spin stories about how my fridge is value-for-money, energy efficient, bla bla bla, while the actual 'wow' was the cool metallic silver exterior that made it look like it could be an Autobot in secret. And only then do we find good reasons to justify buying an Autobot. <br /><br />I guess it was the same with this university. School of Oriental and African Studies brings to mind the kind of school that Indiana Jones would have gone to before embarking on his quest to find oriental and african treasures. It brings to mind professors speaking 10 different Asian languages and wearing kain pelikat (jokes aside, there is a Russian professor at this institution whose specialization is medieval Malay manuscripts. He can read old Jawi, which makes him more literate than 99.9% of Malaysians!)<br /><br />And the good reasons kept coming in. Their page in Wikipedia had this bit of history: 'The school immediately became integral in training British administrators, colonial officials and spies for overseas postings across the British Empire.' Cool. Any school that trained an army of James Bonds gets my vote. And apparently Pendeta Zaaba and Syed Naquib al-Attas studied here too, so I hope real Oogways here could impart just a tiny bit of that wisdom to this unripe soul.<br /><br />***<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sekolah Master Oogway<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Semalam saya bertuah dapat melihat universiti saya buat kali pertama. Saya mula-mula dengar nama U ini masa zaman mahasiswa; ada makan malam Islamic Society dan adalah beberapa orang dari SOAS yang makan sekali.<br /><br />Kemudian saya kaji sedikit tentang tempat ini. Saya tertarik. 'Oriental & african' membayangkan orang-orang seperti Snouck Hurgronje, orientalis yang belajar bahasa orang kita, benar-benar masuk dalam budaya kita untuk mengambil hati dan mengubah cara fikir kita. 'Oriental' memberi bayangan sekumpulan pendeta ala-ala Master Oogway dalam Kungfu Panda, memberi kata-kata hikmah dan pedoman.<br /><br />Kenapa saya memilih untuk datang sini? Kita selalu memberi alasan panjang lebar untuk mewajarkan tindakan kita, padahal yang sebenarnya kita hanya ikut rasa hati. Contoh: peti sejuk saya memang jimat tenaga dan sangat tebat haba. Tapi saya cenderung nak beli mula-mula dulu sebab warnanya 'metallic' seperti seekor Transformers. Bila mahu ada seribu jalan, bila tak mahu ada seribu alasan. Betul sangat kata-kata tu.<br /><br />Samalah halnya dengan memilih universiti. School of Oriental and African Studies bunyinya macam sekolah yang melatih Indiana Jones sebelum beliau mengembara mencari harta karun. Bunyinya seperti ada Profesor yang reti bertutur bahasa-bahasa nusantara dan memakai kain pelikat (ada seorang Profesor Rusia di universiti ini, bidang pengkhususannya ialah manuskrip melayu lama. Perghh! Jangankan Jawi lama, Jawi masa SPM pun kita merangkak-rangkak).<br /><br />Hati saya udah terpaut. Kemudian saya buat lagi pembacaan, apa lagi alasan-alasan baik untuk saya datang ke sini. Dalam wikipedia tertulis sejarahnya secara ringkas: 'Sekolah ini menjadi sangat penting (semasa zaman penjajahan) dalam melatih pegawai-pegawai kerajaan British, pegawai kolonial dan para mata-mata' (saya bukan SB tuan-tuan). <br /><br />Kalau sekolah ini boleh melatih mata-mata sehingga fasih bahasa & budaya tempatan, saya nak tahu apa rahsia pendidikan tempat ini sehingga begitu ramai orang berkebolehan yang keluar darinya. Ilmuan Islam yang hebat seperti Pendeta Zaaba dan Syed Naquib al-Attas pun pernah belajar di sini, jadi saya rasa ini satu tempat yang baik untuk membuka minda yang kecil ini.</span></div>
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-75372791025508429922016-09-06T19:26:00.001+08:002016-09-08T15:12:32.713+08:00Nusantara Bonds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ukhuwah Nusantara</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(english translation below)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Di airport Heathrow ni, saya rasa saya seorang saja yang bawa bekal nasi impit, sambal bali & ikan bilis. Dengan tak malunya saya pun buka dan makan depan kedai marks & spencer. Orang sebelah saya yang mukanya kemelayuan pun tanya</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'where are you from?'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'malaysia'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'oh, no wonder you're eating rendang'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Itulah permulaan perkenalan saya dengan sahabat dari Brunei ini. Rupa-rupanya beliau pun penerima biasiswa Chevening + bekerja dengan kerajaan (Pejabat PM) + berkahwin dan ada anak berumur 8 bulan. Allahuakbar, banyak yang serupa. Takdir yang menakjubkan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dalam borak-borak kami yang singkat, saya tanya apa perancangan selepas belajar nanti, nak masuk politik ke. Dia kata 'Di Brunei tiada politik'. Menteri-menteri dipilih dari golongan yang berkelayakan, disaring oleh sebuah jawatankuasa dan diluluskan oleh Sultan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dalam bidang yang saya akan belajar nanti (political economy) ini satu kes yang menarik. Brunei bukan negara demokrasi, tapi HDInya (human development index) mencapai 0.856, lebih tinggi dari Malaysia (0.779). Betulkah demokrasi itu prasyarat untuk pembangunan negara? Kenapa Brunei secara umumnya maju menggunakan sistem monarki manakala Malaysia pula agak-agak maju dengan monarki berperlembagaan, dan Singapura pula tak ada raja langsung dan sangat maju.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ini soalan-soalan yang menarik dan insyaallah akan saya gali dalam setahun datang. Buat masa ini, saya gembira kerana terjalinnya hubungan bilateral (dua hala) dalam masa 10 minit disaksikan nasi impit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">***</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nusantara Bonds</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I might be the only one in Heathrow Airport eating a packed breakfast of nasi impit (compressed rice) and sambal (which, being a flammable object, thankfully escaped confiscation by the airport authorities). But it was due to this delectable dish that the guy sitting next to me asked</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'where are you from?'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'malaysia'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'oh, no wonder you're eating rendang'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You see? No one can rightfully call themselves a citizen of the nusantara if they could not identify rendang from a mile away. As it turned out, he was also a Chevening scholar, worked in the Bruneian PM's office (which surprised me as I didn't know that Brunei had a PM, until he said that the PM was the Sultan. Teehee) AND he was married with a 8-month old boy. Masyaallah, the wonders of destiny.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In our short chit chat I asked him his plans for the future. I asked if he was planning to go into politics. His response: 'In Brunei there are no politics'. Ministers are chosen based on merit, assessed by a nominating committee and approved by the sultan (If Trump heard this he'd be applying to become the Sultan of Brunei tomorrow). But things are working well so no one's making a big fuss out of it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the field that I am going to study (political economy) this is a really interesting case. Brunei is not a democracy but its HDI is 0.856, higher than Malaysia's (0.779). Is democracy really a prerequisite for development? Why is Brunei much well-off with a monarchic system, Malaysia reasonably so with a constitutional monarchy and Singapore very much well-off with no king at all?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These are interesting questions which I hope to understand (understanding is hard enough, let alone answering) in the next one year. For now, I'm just ecstatic in this bilateral relationship forged over food. How very nusantaran.</span>The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-46158214505682513272016-01-05T12:50:00.001+08:002016-01-05T12:51:14.684+08:00UMRAH, MENCARI MAKNA MENYINGKAP FITRAH - Bhg 1<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bahagian 1: Andai Kau Pergi</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(English version will be posted later)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Wahai sekalian manusia, bertaqwalah kepada tuhanmu” (Al Hajj:1)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Dan berjihadlah kepada Allah dengan sebenar-benar jihad. Dia telah memilih kamu dan tidak menjadikan untuk kamu kesusahan dalam ad-Din. Millah bapa kamu Ibrahim”. (Al Hajj:78)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ayat pertama surah al-Hajj menyentak sanubari, manakala ayat terakhir dalam surah al-Hajj akan terngiang-ngiang dalam benak sesiapa yang membaca surah tersebut, seakan-akan Allah mahu memberikan ‘parting words’ (kata-kata perpisahan) tentang makna mengerjakan haji dan adik kecilnya umrah, Seolah-olah mengatakan ‘Kerjakanlah Haji/umrah dan ikutilah contoh Nabi Ibrahim. Kamu akan terbentuk menjadi orang yang bertaqwa dan berjuang’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tahun lepas saya memberitahu saudara/saudari pembaca bahawa saya menulis dalam nota peribadi nama 3 tempat yang ingin saya lawati: Turki, Indonesia & Mesir. Dua yang pertama sudah dilawati pada 2014 & 2015. Saya berazam juga untuk membuat umrah & haji, cuma tidak tahu bila. Alhamdulillah penghujung tahun 2015 saya dikurniakan rezeki melawat Haramayn ash-Sharifayn. Ketiga-tiga lawatan ini atas ajakan keluarga dan sahabat, dan semasa menerima ajakan keluarga untuk mengerjakan umrah sebenarnya saya tidak punya simpanan yang mencukupi dan tidak tahu apakah rezeki yang akan saya peroleh. Maha Suci Allah sebaik-baik perancang.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Catatan ini sekadar penceritaan semula pemerhatian-pemerhatian, lintasan-lintasan hati dan buah fikiran yang diilhamkan kepada saya sepanjang perjalanan mengerjakan umrah. Ia bukan ‘revealed truth’ (kebenaran yang diwahyukan), hanya pendapat dan perasaan seorang insan. Jika apa yang ditulis ini bertepatan dengan teks & ruh al Quran dan as-Sunnah, maka ambillah kebaikannya dan jika tidak, maka sewajarnya ia diletak jauh-jauh.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dalam pendahuluan ini saya tidak menyentuh lagi ibadah umrah secara khusus. Saya mulakan dengan persiapan sebelum umrah tersebut, persiapan spiritual, mental dan fizikal.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> Setelah ditadabbur ayat-ayat berkenaan haji, terutama ayat pembuka dan penutup surah al-Hajj, saya sampai kepada kesedaran bahawa ibadah ini satu ibadah yang istimewa. Ia menuntut jihad yang besar dan persediaan yang rapi. Saya senaraikan antara persediaan-persediaannya di bawah. Ini bukanlah wajib, kerana syarat sah ibadah cukup dengan menyempurnakan rukun-rukunnya, tapi eloklah kita bersedia dengan mantap supaya boleh mengambil manfaat terbanyak daripada haji & umrah.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- Persediaan harta: Ini semua sudah maklum, berangkat ke Makkah dan Madinah menelan belanja yang tidak sedikit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- Persediaan jiwa: Meningkatkan kualiti ibadah kita dengan Allah SWT, supaya di sana kita tidak ‘pancit’ kerana tiba-tiba ‘pulun ibadah’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- Persediaan ilmu: Mengkaji semula kisah Nabi Ibrahim & Nabi Muhammad SAW, kerana di sana kita mengikut semula jejak mereka, merasai dengan dekat perjuangan dan susah-payah mereka menyebarkan risalah kebenaran.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- Persediaan bahasa: Ini adalah peluang terbaik berkenal-kenalan dengan umat Islam seluruh dunia. Alangkah baiknya kita mengetahui bahasa Arab walaupun pada tahap asas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- Persediaan fizikal: Ibadah haji & umrah ibadah yang memerlukan kekuatan fizikal, wajarlah kita pastikan bahawa jasmani berada pada tahap yang ‘fit’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nah, sebelum berangkat lagi jihad yang besar dituntut daripada kita. Dan disebabkan keunikan dan luarbiasanya kesan daripada ibadah ini, saya berpendapat bahawa waktu terbaik untuk melaksanakannya ialah ketika kita muda. Semasa itu kita masih kuat, minda masih segar dan secara kebiasaannya masih banyak baki umur untuk melaksanakan dalam hidup seharian pengajaran-pengajaran yang diperoleh semasa di sana.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Ya, semasa muda kita masih kuat, tapi masalahnya kita tiada wang dan tiada masa”.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Itu alasan. Sebab utama kita tidak dapat mengerjakan haji & umrah semasa muda ialah kerana kita tidak merancang untuk mengerjakan haji dan umrah semasa muda. Kita berangkat dalam keadaan wang yang cukup-cukup makan, kita berangkat semasa pekerjaan, perniagaan & keluarga menuntut masa yang banyak. Bukankah itu jihad besar yang kita laung-laungkan di lidah? Bukankah jihad yang besar itu membuahkan hasil yang manis? Kenapa kita tidak bersedia sehabis baik untuk mengerjakannya?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kita kata kita tidak mampu menyimpan wang untuk ke tanah haram, tapi kita mampu menyimpan untuk membeli perkakas dan bahan melaram.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Kita kata kita belum mampu untuk berjumpa rumah Allah, tapi kita mampu meletakkan wang muka yang besar untuk membeli rumah mewah.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Bertaqwalah dan berjuanglah, jangan biarkan kecintaan kepada dunia bersarang dalam hati. Bukankah Allah pemilik khazanah langit dan bumi?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Semakin lama saya renung, semakin bertambah keyakinan saya bahawa Islam adalah satu sistem kehidupan yang cantik. Dengan menegakkan rukun-rukun Islam dengan sempurna sahaja sudah cukup untuk mengubah hidup seseorang.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Syahadah mengatur setiap detik hidup.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Solat mengatur hidup hariannya.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Zakat mengatur hidup bulanannya.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Puasa mengatur hidup tahunannya.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Haji mengatur 'lifetime' (seumur hidup) nya. (kerana ia satu ibadah yang memerlukan perancangan hidup. Orang selalu membicarakan financial planning dan financial freedom. Kenapa tidak dibicarakan ibadah planning dan spiritual freedom?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Maka jadilah hidup seseorang itu diatur oleh dan berpaksikan ubudiyah (penghambaan kepada Tuhan). Ini satu kehidupan yang damai dan sempurna, yang hanya dirasai oleh mereka yang menyerahkan diri kepada Tuhan mereka.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">- Tamat Bahagian 1-</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-77009458653720144302015-05-31T09:21:00.002+08:002015-05-31T09:21:57.417+08:00Avengers, re-assembled<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“So, Captain America.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“It’s Captain Amrullah now.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Oh, sorry”. She felt like slapping her forehead. <i>Man,
how could I forget that?</i> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Who brought this reporter over here anyway?
Subhaaanallah, the things I have to go through.” He let out a long sigh. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Chill, Captain. You know we need the coverage. If the
Avengers start, then everyone else will follow.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“You talk to her then”. And he walked off.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Sorry about the Captain. He’s a bit stressed out
about the whole Rohingya issue.” He took off his sunglasses, and she could see
that he hasn’t been sleeping these past few days. “So, how can I help you
miss..?”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Natasha.” Her voice came out soft, and that’s not
like her at all. It was quite intimidating, seeing these legendary men in the
flesh. And there was a good reason why a lot of women swoon at the name of Tony
Stark.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Ehmm, let’s see…so Mr Stark, why did your team decide
to help now? It seems like a waste of your superpowers. Normal people can
handle it, governments can handle it”.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“That’s exactly the point. Governments can, and
should, handle the situation, but they aren’t. You have a LOT of Muslim
countries, and very rich ones too, but a lot of them are happy to be kicking
the can into their neighbours’ street. They’re thinking, ‘Thank god it’s not happening
in my backyard’, but that’s not the way to go. The whole <i>ummah </i>is like a
body, one part suffers and the whole wakes up in pain. Even I know that”.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Uhuh. Do you have permission for all this? You’re
trespassing into other countries’ land and seas, you know”.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">A grin formed at the side of his mouth. “Number one,
we don’t need permission from these people who have no sense. Number two, it is
<i>Allah’s</i> land and sea, he gave it to us so we can do good. Besides, no one
gets angry at the Avengers, and we hope that this superhero stuff will push
people into doing something.” At that, his eyes lit up. “In fact.....put this as
an ad in your newspaper, ‘Iron Man loves the Rohingyans. Do you?’ And add a
picture of Iron Man pointing straight, one hand at the hips.” He chuckles. “There,
that would get them going.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“I really hope that would”. She suddenly noticed
something peculiar about him. Throughout the whole interview he never looked at
her directly. Most of the time he was gazing at the floor or somewhere else. Tony
Stark, who had a well-known penchant for women, not taking the opportunity to
even <i>look</i> at one? This struck her as incredible.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Heads up guys, we’re getting heat signals a few miles
down”.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Wait, wait, before you go, one last question. We were
all shocked when all of you announced your reversion to Islam. How has that
changed you? I heard that Hollywood’s refusing to make another movie about the
Avengers.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Well, we like to say that we lost Hollywood, but
gained the Holy Word. And that is something I would never, ever give up, not
even if they take away my iron suits.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Never ever?”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Never never ever. It has changed us for the better,
definitely. Yes the Black Widow decided to stop, she had to protect her modesty
and decided to wear the veil, but she’s still coordinating our missions. Now we
only care about pleasing Allah, not the studio producers, not the media, nor
anyone else. Yeah, its all good.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Thank you Mr Stark.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“You’re welcome.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“By the way, aren’t you supposed to suit up or
something by now? I think we’re getting close.”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Don’t worry. We have a Hulk.”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">*************</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Dr Bruce Banner was sitting cross-legged in a pod at the
side of the carrier, eyes shut tight, fists clenched. He was muttering
something under his breath. Natasha tried hard to listen, but she couldn’t make
it out. He was, if she heard correctly, speaking in Arabic.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“What’s he saying?”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Wait..”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Dr Banner’s muttering became louder, his breathing
stronger. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">...وما لكم الا تقتلوا في سبيل الله</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“It’s a verse from the Quran, ‘What is it with you,
that you don’t fight in Allah’s cause..’”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Wow, he’s memorized the Quran? But you became muslim less than a year ago.”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“This is <i>Bruce Banner</i>, he’s a god-given genius.
He memorized the whole book in 2 months.”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">“Wow.”</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span> </span></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL" lang="AR-SA" style="line-height: 115%;"><span dir="RTL"></span><span dir="RTL"></span>..</span><span class="st"> والمستضعفين من الرجال والنساء والولدان...</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span class="st"><span lang="EN-US"><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>“He’s
a lot calmer now. He’s reading these verses to fire himself up.”</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span><br /> … الذين يقولون ربنا أخرجنا من هذه القرية الظالم أهلها واجعل لنا من لدنك وليا واجعل لنا من لدنك نصيرا <br /><span style="color: black;"><br />Dr Banner stopped reciting and opened his eyes. They had turned bright green. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">“Hulk ready.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Hawkeye opened a door. “They’re all yours, Hulk”.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Banner leaped out of the carrier bellowing at the top of his
lungs, his body transforming into a colossal green mass. They could hear a large
thump as he landed, the sound of gunfire and the Hulk’s awesome roars as he
wreaked havoc amongst the bandits.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">After a few seconds, there was just silence. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The intercom buzzed. “Banner here. The crooks are finished.
There are a lot of our brothers and sisters down here, some in cages. They look
famished and some need medical help, but otherwise they’ll be fine insyaallah.
Come down.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And one by one, they all fell down prostrating.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-48417490965401541172014-06-07T02:18:00.000+08:002014-06-07T02:18:19.468+08:00one last trip<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What would you give to have one last, perfect day with your loved ones?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mama: "You know, this is the last trip that we're going on together. After this adik is going to fly, and along is getting married."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'd give the world and everything that's in it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">xxxxxxxx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ask anyone who's married, and they'll tell you that its a very big step to take. But i guess that what crossed my mind were mostly rainbows and sunshine and butterflies, and the enormity and weight of what I'm getting myself into did not really sink in. Until this final holiday trip.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In many ways, this trip felt very different. My family loves to go on regular trips to a state up north, to rest and relax and go where the food is nice. Normally it would be a straight drive, stopping only at rest stations on the highway. But this time round</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We stopped by my brother's old school, where he took photos for memory's sake</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We took detours out of the highway to stop by several places that had wonderful food</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And for the first time ever, my dad took selfies of the whole family at every restaurant we visited, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My dad is not the type to say 'i love you boys', but i can understand from his actions that he's saying 'i love you boys' loud and clear.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'This is the last time we're eating here together. After this along and his wife will be bringing us here'...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">*drip,drip* awh man, writing this down is so hard..big boys aren't supposed to cry, adoi...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't have the words to describe this trip..victory lap? Homecoming? Down memory lane? Manhood ritual? The reality sunk in that im no longer a big boy, no more depending on my parents, i'll be a man with responsibilities and my own family to bring up and educate. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'(Patting parents' shoulders) jangan risau..janji ditepati' (don't worry..promises will be fulfilled) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Parents would worry a lot of things, and you could understand that. Will he be too busy with his wife and neglect us? Will he be around to help? Will he even visit? My mum told me that parents always see their children as their little babies, no matter how grown-up they are. Remember that, even if you're a high-ranking somebody. You could have never reached that high without being lifted, after allah, by a pair of blessed hands, who held you since the day you were born, put up with your screaming and poo, and proudly smiled on every graduation day too. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am deeply grateful to Allah that this trip happened. It was close to perfect. The memories, the wonderful meals together, the subtle hints, the comforting words. At night we played Risk, a military board game and that was a perfect game too (perfect because, obviously, i won).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Probably the last time we would all be in the same car together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Everything that happened during this trip made me feel like it was destined to be a final, perfect day with your loved ones before moving on to another world. In a way i am moving on to another totally different world, people ask me 'are you ready' and i say 'sort of' but you cannot really be sure you're ready until you're actually married. Don't worry, we'll cross the bridge when we get to it. Insyaallah.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you allah for gifting me with my parents.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you allah for gifting me with my brothers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you allah for gifting me with my future half.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank you, thank you, thank you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I hope that allah will accept us altogether into a Garden where there would only be one eternal, unending, perfect day.</span>The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-16311998636554173632014-04-18T12:52:00.001+08:002014-04-18T12:54:31.064+08:00Mr Karpal Singh- a reflection<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I was touched by this article on Karpal Singh:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/04/18/A-fighter-and-a-gentleman/</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Religious and political stances aside, I can't help but to admire his virtues as a human being. Replace the name 'Karpal Singh' with 'Mohamad X' and you find in him a lot of attributes that are ideal for a da'ie:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"..love or hate him, you have to admire the man’s tenacity."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"He was as fierce as a tiger when taking on his opponents but outside
of the political arena, he was soft-spoken, courteous and polite and
always a gentleman." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"You could not catch him using rude words especially in front of ladies and he treated all reporters with respect."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"Those who have been to his office are often surprised at how small and ordinary it is."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"Come to think of it, Karpal never once complained about the disabilities
he had to endure after the 2005 accident that cost him the use of his
limbs."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">While at the same time, his 'muslim' critics lack integrity, are foul-mouthed, extravagant to a nauseating degree and are wholly unrepentant, fearing warnings from the ballot paper more than warnings from the divine book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We are the worst enemies of our own selves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-29642722441950949982014-04-15T08:00:00.000+08:002014-04-15T08:00:02.464+08:00it slips awayHere's a neat tip for managing time.<br />
<br />
I can't remember who told this to me, but he got it from a brother in the mosque.<br />
<br />
And the simple way to a productive life is<br />
<br />
"After every solah, plan what you want to do until the next solah".<br />
<br />
That way, you will get two kinds of goodness.<br />
<br />
The goodness of using time wisely,<br />
<br />
And the goodness of arranging your life according to the times of solah, and not according to meal times.<br />
<br />
All the best ;)The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-37307159930713904742014-04-12T08:00:00.000+08:002014-04-12T08:00:03.852+08:00think good of your brother whatever colour he is<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-32673624580699607062014-04-09T08:00:00.000+08:002014-04-09T08:00:05.222+08:00pac-iman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-17771153677280933212014-04-06T08:00:00.000+08:002014-04-06T08:00:08.191+08:00It's a twelve-to-twelve job<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-22623434561988672432014-04-02T11:58:00.001+08:002014-04-02T11:58:38.944+08:00Prostrators inc.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-86986148036942087712014-03-30T23:41:00.000+08:002014-03-30T23:43:48.480+08:00little gestures, big love<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Assalamu'alaikum ustaz"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Waalaikumussalam. Ramai geng" (quite a big gang you have there)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">***********************</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Ada bungkus? Ada nak tambah?" (Any takeaways? Any add-ons?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Ada 2 roti kosong. Tak tambah" (2 plain rotis. Nothing to add)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why would anyone ask about takeaways and add-ons? It was a weird question, but i appreciate that the shaykh is being friendly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">*********************</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Orang tadi dah bayar" (he paid for it already)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ahhh, so that explains the takeaway question.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Upon hearing those four words, my heart shed a tender tear.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>He paid for it.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i>
To put it in another way: he, a prominent shaykh, a leader among the ranks of du'at, honoured you eventhough he hardly knows you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To others that might only be worth a few ringgit. But to a <i>jund majhul </i>(unknown soldier) like me, that is more precious and poignant than attending daurahs every night of the week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How true is this statement: a truthful man communicates to other truthful men more through his actions than through his tongue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Afterwards i gave a message to him: "salam ustaz, jazakallah belanja roti canai pagi tadi (y)" (salam ustaz, thank you for the roti canai this morning)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And he replied.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Antum orang mulia..allah sentiasa murahkan rezeki" (you are noble people..allah will always provide for you)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Allah.......</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I will never delete that message :')</span>The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-68065421897693277172014-03-28T08:00:00.000+08:002014-03-28T08:00:07.042+08:00that tingling feeling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-19065842938759350992014-03-25T18:36:00.000+08:002014-03-25T18:36:59.563+08:00If today was your last day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPm7b05upLe0-EZIGLuOjS5I9CqV2u_jaicI_qbSFAQU6bV9C3TLxphZpYhu0WWxAlU6jZ7UlyOHhiy_G7NvzK4f9CXDVxd8kbHwDtbqRtzsSJVshAABTohYiqoE36pcKshGo5qVtOkdfk/s1600/Mh370_08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPm7b05upLe0-EZIGLuOjS5I9CqV2u_jaicI_qbSFAQU6bV9C3TLxphZpYhu0WWxAlU6jZ7UlyOHhiy_G7NvzK4f9CXDVxd8kbHwDtbqRtzsSJVshAABTohYiqoE36pcKshGo5qVtOkdfk/s1600/Mh370_08.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*allah is sufficient for me, he is the best disposer of affairs. Make me die as a muslim, and join me with the soliheen..</td></tr>
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<br />The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-89471417119054054022014-03-24T17:58:00.000+08:002014-03-24T17:58:32.305+08:0023 on 23<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">23rd march 2009. My last birthday in the 'black hole', before Allah broke my chains and set me free from the enveloping darkness, pain and nothingness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">now 5 years have passed and i am 23.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A lot can happen in 5 years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">you can come to realise that the world you once knew,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">is nothing but an illusion, trapping all souls but a few.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">you can lose a close friend, whose time was up and due. Only twenty-four, but touched more hearts than a man who's fourty-two. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">others, you also lose, but not to an earthy mound.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">this dunya took them and shook them, till their hearts flipped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">and turned around</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">leaving behind no word or sound.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">but don't be disheartened,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">there are others on this road,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">whose hearts never waver</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">while they shoulder crushing loads</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">they are chosen by the Master</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">heroes coming to your aid</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">they're not unblemished angels</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">but they will always keep you straight.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">************</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">let's try to make the best of our short lives. abu hurairah lived with the prophet less than 5 years, but he used his abilities to the maximum and narrated more hadeeth than everyone else.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">thank you for all the wishes and du'as.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">maybe this will be my last birthday as a (fill in the blank). maybe, just maybe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span>The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-83482602837926068632014-03-02T21:27:00.000+08:002014-03-02T21:27:21.994+08:00the carpet in the corner<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am a carpet in the back corner of a mosque. That may not be as glamorous as being a <i>khat</i> writing on the wall or a gigantic chandelier hanging from the ceiling, but</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Who am i to complain. Carpets get changed every now and then, so might as well enjoy my time here before the dust settles. I've been here only a few months, the old carpets were replaced because a really Big Man came to the mosque to officiate a ceremony, and apparently green just wouldn't do. I asked the front-door carpet, how was it? What did it feel like to be graced by two Very Important Feet?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Rough. A bit sweaty. Somewhat smelly. Like any other feet."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Please forgive his sarcasm. I guess you tend to be grumpy if you get stepped upon everyday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Contrary to what you might think, being a carpet isn't all that bad. We're vacuumed once a week by this kindly old man and then sprayed with, what's the name of that thing? Febriz? Febreeze? I can't remember, my head's full of fluff. Assuming i have a head, that is. Sure, there's the occasional saliva drool or 'urethral discharge' (little children are a particular dread. I can still hear the carpet in the middle, screaming in horror as a little boy walking with his father suddenly stood still, said 'daddy, i want to weewee' and let loose without a moment's pause. *shudder*) but overall, things are awesome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If i have something to complain about, it's that i hardly ever get used. Except on fridays. Lucky those front-row carpets, they always have visitors. Why not build a mosque with just two rows then? I don't know, human logic escapes me. I heard the imam's mat (he's been here the longest, no one dares to change him because he's a particular favorite of the imam. He is also the wisest and most rug-ged amongst us) say that humans have even more fluff in their head than carpets. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So that has been my life so far. Looking forward to Fridays, and passing the time looking at those 'wise and rug-ged' humans who are a staple feature of this place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until something interesting happened a week ago. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After the last prayer of the day, all those humans would go back and do whatever it is humans do. But last week, all of them went back except for one small group. They walked to the back of the mosque and *nervous excitement* sat on me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Me! Of all the carpets in the world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">These were not like the other humans who usually attended the mosque. They were less wrinkly, laughed at every other sentence..and wore some kind of blue fabric that felt a bit rough. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then they sat in a small circle, and suddenly everyone was quiet and sober. They each took out a mid-sized book and all the books had colourful stickers in them. I've seen humans reading these books, but never with stickers. And the things these people talked about, some of them i never heard before.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"..we are khaleefas....ustaziyatul alam..our mosques are half-empty, the carpets gathering dust.."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Did i hear right? Carpets? These humans are strange, they look different, they talk different. They went on and on until the old man came, made a waving gesture and said</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Okay boys, out out. It's time for me to lock the door".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Thanks uncle."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"So we'll meet again next week? Same place?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They all nodded in agreement.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Okay, for starters let's make intention to come to the mosque for fajr every day".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They then got up and left. Interesting. I wonder who they were.</span>The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-82301010769862848362014-02-15T16:24:00.000+08:002014-02-15T16:25:58.623+08:00The BBB Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Recently, we went to visit a shaykh, who is already 65 years old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And he was a true-blue example of our desired Muslim Individual<span style="font-size: xx-small;">TM. </span>In addition to having <i>shaykhi </i>qualities (greets you warmly, gives sincere and heart-melting advice, and has a house full of books), he is also</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Physically fit (relative to age).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">With a flat tummy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A friend of mine went on a camping trip with this shaykh once, and they had to trek down the shoreline. This was a rocky shore, not a sandy one. Imagine climbing up and down rocks when <i>you </i>are 60. And another friend told me that one of the things that made his heart fall for D&T was seeing this same shaykh playing takraw with people much younger than him. Awesome.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">rockin' it at 65</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not too long ago, we went to a waterfall with another shaykh, also aged 65. I was quite worried because it was quite an uphill climb, and 65-year-old men could get knee sores or something like that. To my amazement, he went up faster than myself and when we finally got to the waterfall, he didn't sit on a boring old bench. No, he went on top of a large rock and sat there cross-legged. It was as if he came straight out of a Kungfu Panda movie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wonder what i'll be like at 65 (assuming we live that long. I presume that the average lifespans of CIA targets are much shorter)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYlzPSQl0jrmNR1j8c8cn77U5fcHW_hzUp6Uxeq5Cv5PmSjt7UEm0AcTrp9y6y_r9TFxVVFfZAfyrk2NdbZ67y-YYuM-uls45aX2CUij1EUYVldILYvC6h7OD8NwKfCghvSxGDsFgbuVh/s1600/Old+man_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYlzPSQl0jrmNR1j8c8cn77U5fcHW_hzUp6Uxeq5Cv5PmSjt7UEm0AcTrp9y6y_r9TFxVVFfZAfyrk2NdbZ67y-YYuM-uls45aX2CUij1EUYVldILYvC6h7OD8NwKfCghvSxGDsFgbuVh/s1600/Old+man_01.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Art-thritis: the art of making light diseases look life-threatening to skip obligations.</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqV5Pe3bjeGcqgYSWdPMin6547qMmevdjNG0A-Uz-dQNJwJ9pqK295q8BofT7aU0GXSLOgYm81VsASjaejMFGre5Nym8mMw-wii6NejgAPcWwdMj_YStukjTytE9DmQoE1InSfNarus0T/s1600/Old+man_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqV5Pe3bjeGcqgYSWdPMin6547qMmevdjNG0A-Uz-dQNJwJ9pqK295q8BofT7aU0GXSLOgYm81VsASjaejMFGre5Nym8mMw-wii6NejgAPcWwdMj_YStukjTytE9DmQoE1InSfNarus0T/s1600/Old+man_02.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That's where we need to widen our understanding of D&T. Fitness and health is not just a part of tarbiyyah, it is an <i>important</i> part of tarbiyyah. The very point of tarbiyyah is to produce people who are excellent in every sphere of life, and not just excellent in attending their weekly circles with no noticeable output.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">D&T is a life-long career, and superhuman stamina is needed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Abu ayyub died in a raid against the byzantine empire. At that time, he was over 80.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rasulullah himself started going on skirmishes and campaigns when he was above 50. When things got tense in a war, the sahabah would take cover behind rasulullah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Imagine, these were young men sheltering behind a very senior pakcik. Makes you want to shed tender tears while uttering 'awesome' with trembling lips.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So inspired by the example taught by rasulullah and the contemporary example of our two shaykhs, today we on RP are launching a new club. Its totally voluntary, you can join anytime and drop out anytime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Its called</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The BBB club.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Belia Benci Buncit (youth against bulge)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Membership fees are zero, and if you want to join just follow these simple steps:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1. Eat moderately</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2. Fast 3 times a month</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. Commit to a daily physical activity. No gym membership required. 15 minutes of light physical exercise will do, like walking fast, running up the stairs, shadow boxing etc.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4. Avoid junk food and junk drinks and eat healthy food. Sunnah supplements are recommended. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you 'make intention' to do all of the above, then welcome to the BBB club! :DDD</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Then we can produce a generation of </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhjM1MzMXIyzK4fmn-wUusyG4pP0qSRyogmrRk_uW35QGsbke-8URCOYB8RU7tTF5VNkcCOt3MsaeoZvC2J2UgQe3osWyzBpfxUzIy5F3nZfRmPYfW5hpo7Ek2MhUVgjhpW9jezklpUHh/s1600/Old+man_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhjM1MzMXIyzK4fmn-wUusyG4pP0qSRyogmrRk_uW35QGsbke-8URCOYB8RU7tTF5VNkcCOt3MsaeoZvC2J2UgQe3osWyzBpfxUzIy5F3nZfRmPYfW5hpo7Ek2MhUVgjhpW9jezklpUHh/s1600/Old+man_03.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And NOT</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KZIuOEG6hAR_I6hXzW2zl8AICf2N4pNqLzSJ9KUf6_PC_-71s-D2rt_D_BbKe0zIWy5FBvFg-PhRfDsbKWRz7x3AnX91VsrNoNcesk1Xk-9I3OSZPsJayWC0TUs0E0gWDt0xy52O3dLS/s1600/Old+man_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KZIuOEG6hAR_I6hXzW2zl8AICf2N4pNqLzSJ9KUf6_PC_-71s-D2rt_D_BbKe0zIWy5FBvFg-PhRfDsbKWRz7x3AnX91VsrNoNcesk1Xk-9I3OSZPsJayWC0TUs0E0gWDt0xy52O3dLS/s1600/Old+man_04.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Because the stomach is the worst vessel that a son of Adam can fill. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Its a touchy subject, but at least one person has to press the (belly) button.</span></div>
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The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-16846043543254022142014-02-12T17:18:00.001+08:002014-02-12T17:18:27.639+08:00The original Brother<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Today we remember the death of one of the leading lights of Islam in the 20th century:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ustaz Hasan al-Banna.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">History is one of my personal obsessions. I love it because by seeing history we see patterns and trends, we see unchangeable, universal laws that Allah set in governing the affairs of men.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It is particularly interesting to read about the lives of great men, and I love to see the dates in which important events happen to them, how old they were at that time and what they did at that age. To take al-Banna for example:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- Born in the year 1906. Memorised the Qur'an at a young age, entered Madrasah ar-Rasyad at the age of 8, and then primary school, and then Madrasah Mu'allimin (teaching school) Damanhur, and finaly the Darul 'Uloom in Cairo. Graduated in 1927 <b>(21 years old) </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- An activist from early on, he set up a society for the prevention of Munkar in school and with his friend Ahmad Sukkari set up another society for the same purposes in the teaching school.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- Worked as a teacher in Ismailiyyah in 1927 <b>(21 years old)</b>. People call the late teens and early twenties as 'formative years', the ages where young people are most susceptible to new ideas and most willing to fight for those ideas (the bulk of Rasulullah's early followers were in this age bracket). Ismailiyyah is a city on the west bank of the Suez Canal, then still controlled by the British. Let us look at some of the forces acting to shape the identity and character of the young al-Banna:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />1. Being born into a scholarly family (his father was a scholar of hadith)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">2. Constant tarbiyyah since he was small</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">3. Living in close proximity to the British presence, he must have had a strong sense of the degradation and humiliation faced by muslims living under colonialism</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">These influences are not exhaustive, but I hope that they convey the impression that Allah prepares the right conditions for the right people to come out at the right time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span id="verse_5210_language_6_content"><b>"..And whoever believes in Allah - He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knowing of all things." (At Taghabun:11)</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- Established al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin (the Muslim Brotherhood) in 1927 <b>(21 years old)</b>. The call of the MB spread across Egypt, and al-Banna himself visited around 3,000 villages in Egypt to spread the da'wah.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- In his 30s, established the Muslim Brotherhood Theatre, as well as several magazines and newspapers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- Resigned from teaching in the year 1946 <b>(40 years old)</b>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- 1947-1948 <b>(41/42 years old)</b> - Sent thousands of MB members to Palestine to resist the Israeli onslaught. In 1948 the members of the <i>Ikhwan</i> were estimated to be at least half a million</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">- Assassinated on the 12th of February 1949, <b>aged 43</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here is an example of someone who made maximum use of his youth. We could take inspiration from the fact that he was already leading a formidable revivalist movement in his 20s, when most 20-year olds today are preoccupied with what job to apply for, what car to buy or what show to watch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We could take inspiration from the fact that in his youth, he reached out to a lot of people, either by going great distances to meet them personally, or indirectly through his writings and his followers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Western authors would say that he died a 'premature death', because he died at a very young age and it is at 40 that people usually reach the height of their abilities. But we say that Allah makes the best decisions, because </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">eventhough al-Banna died young</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">His thought and his struggle is going strong until today. It is a sign that this struggle is not dependent on one individual.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It is a struggle that has withstood hostile propaganda, executions, ruthless dictators, mass arrests and more. It is a sign that the truth has settled in the hearts of men, and the truth will not be sold for cheap earthly rewards. The truth does not need us, we need it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The fact that al-Banna could achieve so much in so short a life, begs the question:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">What have <i>you </i>done today? </span>The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-82514856558039703312014-02-09T21:45:00.001+08:002014-02-10T21:09:43.263+08:00Diseases of a murabbi<p dir=ltr>10 Diseases that you definitely want to avoid as a murabbi, courtesy of ustaz wan ahmad sanadi and brother amri (and reformatted to fit with the spirit of this blog :D):</p>
<p dir=ltr>1. <b>Tipus</b> -Tidak punya selera (no appetite) - no appetite for tarbiyyah, no appetite to manage other people's tarbiyyah, no appetite for heart-to-heart talks. May result in premature death and hardening of the heart. Sobs</p>
<p dir=ltr>2. <b>Mual</b> - Mutu amat lemah (super low quality) - no quality. We don't conduct quality circles and don't produce quality men. No noticeable increase in akhlaq, to take an extreme example, cannot even read the quran well. Double sobs.</p>
<p dir=ltr>3. <b>Kudis</b> - Kurang disiplin (lacking discipline) - circles are conducted according to MMT (malay meridian time), which is always GMT+30 minutes. No one finishes their assignments. Walks like a duckling when late, instead of running like a gazelle. Discipline is a basic tenet of D&T, which is why we have mukhayyam (campings). </p>
<p dir=ltr>4. <b>Asma</b> - Asal masuk kelas (as long as you attend class)- 'i'm doing a big favor to da'wah by just being here, people need my aura'. Summed  up by the popular proverb, 'releasing cough on the stairs' (melepaskan batuk di tangga)</p>
<p dir=ltr>5. <b>TB</b> -Technology Blind - the fact that you are reading this blog on various devices means that you are vaccinated against this particular disease :D.</p>
<p dir=ltr>6. <b>Kusta</b> -Kurang strategi (lack of strategy)- if, in our jahiliyyah, we could create complex strategies to overcome goblins, ogres and trolls, we could surely come up with a strategy to turn ogres into princes who will rid the world of the evil empire! Muahahahaha</p>
<p dir=ltr>7. <b>Kram</b> - Kurang keterampilan (lack of appearance) - example: forgetting to brush your teeth since morning. Your mutarabbi will then hear about hell in addition to experiencing it first-hand.</p>
<p dir=ltr>8. <b>Asam</b> <b>urat</b> - Asal sampai bahan, tapi kurang akurat (inaccurate information) - 'err..i think that this sahabah said that..i think allah said it in this aayah, im not really sure..you guys lah check it out, this is tarbiyyah for you, im just testing you out'.</p>
<p dir=ltr>9. <b>Lesu</b> - Lemah sumber (weak sources) - 'okay, you can refer to fi zilal..and, erm, fi zilal, and, erm..did i say fi zilal?'</p>
<p dir=ltr>And our favorite acronym for today:</p>
<p dir=ltr>10. <b>Diarea</b> -Di kelas, anak-anak diremehkan (neglecting our children)- not giving a thought towards our mutarabbi, never caring whether they live or die. Trust me, fall into this disease and they'll go out of da'wah faster than real diarrhoea comes out of the body.</p>
<p dir=ltr>Love, your unqualified doctor. ^^v</p>
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-6657213241563283902014-01-11T08:15:00.001+08:002014-01-11T08:38:44.782+08:00School of liberali?<p dir=ltr>Today's story happened on..yes, you guessed correctly, the train, again.</p>
<p dir=ltr>I took half-day off at work and waited on the platform at 12.35, hoping that by 12.45 the train would come. Then it would take another 50 minutes, so i would arrive by 1.35, just in time for <i>jumu'ah. </i></p>
<p dir=ltr>If the komuter had an identity card,  i think that it'll have 'Malay' written under the 'race' heading. Because it eventually came at 1.00 o'clock. At this rate you'll never arrive in time for <i>jumu'ah </i>*sigh*</p>
<p dir=ltr>I didn't know where to stop, because i didn't know of any stations close to a mosque. Close to one station, an arab guy tapped me and asked what time jumu'ah was. I told him and he gave an exasperated look. Right out of the blue, a mosque appeared past the train and this guy said 'come on, hurry hurry, we pray here' so we got out and hurried to the mosque that dropped down from the sky.</p>
<p dir=ltr>"What's your name?"</p>
<p dir=ltr>'Ikmal'</p>
<p dir=ltr>"Ismail?"</p>
<p dir=ltr>'La la, ikmal'</p>
<p dir=ltr>"Ismail"</p>
<p dir=ltr>Never mind.</p>
<p dir=ltr>While we were walking, this man asked told me what he was doing. "I went for 11 interviews, this morning i went to INCEIF, not good..malaysia is <i>liberali, </i>school of <i>liberali</i> (liberal school of thought)"</p>
<p dir=ltr>My heart dropped 1 meter.</p>
<p dir=ltr>"To study islamic finance here is not good".</p>
<p dir=ltr>5 metres.</p>
<p dir=ltr>"Where do you work?"</p>
<p dir=ltr>My heart is now at the bottom of a deep deep well. "Ermm, i work at a bank"</p>
<p dir=ltr>"No, no, you must change. You must change your job. Allah will provide rizq for you, there is lots of riba (in the financial system)".</p>
<p dir=ltr>I mildly protested with assurances of 'yes yes we're trying to change (the system)' but i think he misheard me and insisted that i change my job.</p>
<p dir=ltr>"Where are you from?"</p>
<p dir=ltr>"Jordan". 'Amman?' "No, north of amman." Interesting. Its as if allah sent this guy all the way to bring me out for jumu'ah prayers, and tell me about the reality of my job. And from jordan too, no less. What an extraordinary twist of qadr.</p>
<p dir=ltr>Later on, he asked me to look at his work application and translate several things from malay into english. This was no ordinary man, he has a degree and a masters degree and previously worked at a bank and a securities' institution and came to malaysia to apply for a PhD.</p>
<p dir=ltr>And he came all the way to teach me that: you are sitting in a position of responsibility and you see haraam happening. try to change it and don't be content with your wealth and qualifications. Because nothing can save us from falling into a deep, deep pit of blazing flames except of allah.</p>
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-76037544570006082014-01-04T23:49:00.001+08:002014-01-04T23:49:34.531+08:00Problems with your house/office/circle mates? Then read this.<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We recently moved, so every morning now my dad and i take the train to work (the komuter now is quite reliable, whoever did <i>that</i> transformation programme with ikhlas i pray you'll be repaid with compounded <i>ajr). </i>This blog talks quite a lot about trains, doesn't it? Anyways, one morning we were trying to find a parking spot and there was only one left. It was in front of a pile of rubbish and under a tree. Not the best of places, but whatever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I spent a full happy day at work doing..ermmm..something beneficial, im sure</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And did not think about the car until i came back in the evening.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There seemed to be black stripes covering the car..when i came closer, the stripes turned out to be LINES AND LINES OF ANTS, crawling all over it. Arghhhhh.Blerghh. Bluekkk. I couldn't find any words to describe the dismay that i felt, so you'll have to forgive these un-<i>tarbawi</i> expressions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Please don't let there be any creepy crawlies inside</i>. I opened the door, and under the door was a whole swarm of them<i>. </i>T_T luckily there were just a few on the seat, so i could brush them off and drive the car home. I drived as fast as i could, hoping the wind would blow them off and didn't even slow down driving over some bumpers, hoping they would be bumped off like a rodeo on his bull. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img height="226" src="http://mountainpestcontrol.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/39/files/ants-596x338.jpg" width="400" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That night i sprayed ridsect on and inside the car. The next day my brother took the car for a wash, they had to wash the engine as well because it was also colonised. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And i can swear that as at 4th january, 2000 hours malaysian time, some of them were still in the car. When it rains they disappear, but if the weather's okay they come out again, albeit in fewer numbers. These must be CIA-trained ants, experts in strategy and espionage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">=.=</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But i want to thank these ants for teaching me a lesson in amal jama'ie (that's translated as <i>working together </i>for those of you whose mother tongue is english). I didn't know that small black squishy creatures could reach such a sophisticated level of organisation. Let's look at some of the reasons why ants are exceptionally good at teamwork:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1. They think and move like one body</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In my twisted imagination, this is what i assume happened - An advance scout of ants go out to explore their surroundings. They spot the car and send back a report to their nest. The other ants all then receive the same orders: *SILVER CAR. LOTS OF CAVITIES FOR NESTING. FOOD CRUMBS ON THE FLOOR. GET YOUR FORMATIONS READY*. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And they all went out with one heart, when you see them you don't see individual ants but a horrifying, flowing black stream. None of the ants suddenly decides to drop out and take ballet classes. When they move, they move as <b>one</b>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2. They communicate well</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ants are really good at communication too, hence their superb organisation. In fact, scientists have realised that ants produce sounds that are differentiated, that they actually have a language. <a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/2013/02/shhh-ants-are-talking" target="_blank">(click here)</a>. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3. They specialise and complement each other</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some ants collect food. Some take care of the larvae. The queen just lays eggs. Flying male ants just pass on their genes and then die. Does this mean they're good-for-nothing hedonists? No, each is playing out his role according to what Allah has commanded. They're all f-ant-astic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4. They don't backbite, backstab, or hold grudges</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think the above is self-explanatory.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To be fair, working together has its drawbacks and challenges. The ants might all be pursuing the same, non-optimal strategy (their strategy to take over my car was less than optimal, they were running on the outside of the car where there was a dangerous exposure to death by ridsect or carwash. A more optimal strategy would be to go up the inside of the tyres and up the chassis, colonising the car bit by bit from within. Then i'll have a real nightmare). </span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If ants had the emotions of human beings, they might be complaining about other ants. ('i can't work with him, he's been working in the rubbish heap for god's sake!', 'I do all the heavy lifting', 'that ant forgot to greet me with his antenna', etc.). If their nest was far away, it might take some time before the colony reaches a decision and gives orders to the frontline ants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><img height="400" src="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/bve/lowres/social-issues-think_tank-academic-collaborations-academia-professions-bven254l.jpg" width="324" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nevertheless, the point i'm trying to make here is that when these ants work in single file, they can undertake huge projects like attacking a car. If it was just one ant or a small group of red ones, the big ugly enemy (me) could have just flicked them away. But a whole colony, even if it did not succeed in capturing the car, could bring disruption to the enemy's schedule, cause great distress (while i was driving home i felt like there were ants in my pants eventhough there were none) and also financial ruin (it cost RM35 to wash and vacuum the whole car. The carwash man shook his head in disbelief at the sight of so many insects). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And when they work in concert, they're even more terrifying than fire ants eventhough they don't usually bite.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So the lesson for tonight is,</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A <i>jama'ah</i> of harmless black ants is infinitely better than a single black ant,</span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And much much better than a small group of tough and charismatic fire ants.</span></b></div>
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-75701897273987322392013-12-27T17:23:00.000+08:002013-12-27T17:23:18.649+08:00of tolls and trolls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-65711833819636570502013-12-22T11:01:00.001+08:002013-12-22T11:01:11.625+08:00I'm proposing, and i hope you'll say 'yes'<p dir=ltr>Musa 'alaihissalam was a prophet with a very strong character, and Rasulullah compared the character of Umar ibn al khattab to that of Musa. You had to be strong if your people turned to worshipping a golden cow after seeing obvious miracles performed in front of them. He was physically strong (he accidentally killed a Copt just by pushing him)</p>
<p dir=ltr>But more importantly, he was very strong-willed.</p>
<p dir=ltr>When Allah told Musa to go and find al-Khidr, he said to his assistant</p>
<p dir=ltr>"<b>I will not give up until i reach the meeting point of the two seas; or i will walk for years and years". (Al kahf:60)</b></p>
<p dir=ltr>He was so fired up about it, that he was willing to walk for YEARS AND YEARS. But obviously,  no one could walk non-stop for years. </p>
<p dir=ltr><b>"When they had passed on (some distance), Musa said to his attendant: "Bring us our early meal; truly we have suffered much fatigue at this journey of ours."</b> (Al kahf: 62)</p>
<p dir=ltr>Being humans, we have some constraints put on us. We feel hungry, we need sleep, we have to rest a little bit, we have families to take care of, we need to work to sustain a living. No one was born with wings sprouting from their backs and light shining from their fingers. </p>
<p dir=ltr>But we should learn from the example of Musa. The initial mindset should be <b>'i'll walk for years and years',</b> and not <b>'i'll walk if the road is smooth, there are R&Rs down the road, someone takes care of my business, etc...".</b> One brother told us have a 'no worries' attitude to D&T.</p>
<p dir=ltr>"3 circles per week? No worries mate".</p>
<p dir=ltr>"I've never spoken on this topic before..but no worries mate, consider it done."</p>
<p dir=ltr>"You're asking me to write a book???? *puffs up cheeks and exhales slowly*...no worries mate, i'll give it a try".</p>
<p dir=ltr>If any opportunity of good comes to you, say 'yes' first. And then we'll talk about the constraints. You can't think straight and can't sleep if someone proposes marriage to you. But allah is proposing paradise to you,and a lot of people don't look like they want to say 'yes'.</p>
<p dir=ltr>Remember, you'll never know your limit if you never tried to reach it.</p>
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2898558583020348155.post-43456899951881621462013-12-18T23:03:00.001+08:002013-12-18T23:03:58.579+08:00Before you build that mosque<p dir=ltr>Reading an obituary of the late nelson mandela, i was struck by this particular passage:</p>
<p dir=ltr>"Winnie, his second wife, whom he married in 1958, came to share his political cause, but from the first realised that 'he belongs to them', the public. This was a complaint of the children too, as mr Mandela himself confessed. He was, one told him, 'a father to all our people, but you have never had time to be a father to me."</p>
<p dir=ltr>This is a real risk for people who are serving a public cause.</p>
<p dir=ltr>So to all my brothers and sisters who are still 'missing by half' (yours truly included),</p>
<p dir=ltr>Choose and prepare and plan wisely,</p>
<p dir=ltr>Think well, because building the foundation blocks of a society is not an easy thing,</p>
<p dir=ltr>And its even more of a challenge because we must be fathers and mothers to all the ummah, in addition to becoming fathers and mothers to young khalids and umars, and little aishahs and nusaybahs.</p>
The Authorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04243232539920661785noreply@blogger.com0