Min Qolbi

Hidayah itu ibaratnya seperti kita sedang lena tidur dan di luar sana cahaya yang terang benderang sedang mengintip melalui celah-celah langsir yang menutupi bilik kita. Apakah kita mahu bangun dari lena dan tilam yang empuk untuk membuka langsir dan membiarkan cahaya di luar sana menerangi bilik kita atau terus tidur hingga cahaya itu terus lenyap?

Jangan disangka hidayah itu akan terus terpampang di hadapan mata kita... We have to take the first step to reach out for it.

Ya Muqallibal qulub... Thabbit qulubana 'ala deenik.
"Wahai Tuhan yang membolak-balikkan hati, tetapkanlah hati-hati ini di dalam Ad-deenMu..."

Wallahu'alam.

Assalamualaikum wrt,

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

"Ah, Farah Fadhil... kamu rasa kamu ni anasir ke qabil?"

Terkebil-kebil mendengar soalan itu diajukan kepada aku. For all this time, I've been hearing about all the theoritical explanation about anasir taghyir and qabil taghyir but I've never categorised myself. I've never evaluated myself before. For those of you who doesn't know what qabil and anasir taghyir are, they are two categories/types of mad'u you will find yourself facing with in da'wah. Anasir are those who are very influential to their surroundings; they have sort of like an aura where whatever he/she says, everyone is sure to follow. Someone like the president of an organization, ketua geng, the Queen Bee... you know, those type of people. Of course, once you are able to attract anasir to join together and work for Islam, they will be the most productive... They are able to make the people around them to follow them as well, but thing is, you have to work twice harder and they probably will have commitment issues because they are also occupied with other things, like presidenting a club or something like that. And then there are the qabils, those who prefer to lay low in any social groups and they are easily-influenced. Easily-attracted, I daresay.

"Ha? Emmm... Qabil lagi kot...."

Come to think of it, I found this path... the path that I'm walking on right now because of my qabil-ness (is there such a word..?). Syukur lillah because without Him I would never have found the true purpose of my life. Macam seorang ustaz ini pernah berkata... Aku bukan pergi mencari hidayah, tetapi hidayah itu yang datang melanggar aku. Well, something along those lines.

I'm not really good with words. Infact, I've never once found myself good with words. Many times, I've misused words... hurt my friends' feelings, saying really farcical things with no purpose at all and another billion things I've done which I'm not proud of. Sometimes, I get caught up in conversations that I really don't see any purpose of having them in the first place. Astaghfirullah... And at other times, while I'm not talking, I keep quiet. I keep most feelings to myself. Many of my friends have said before that sometimes, I can be very quiet... It's just that to start a conversation that is worth conversing about is not one of my best traits.

"I sent an email to my loved one, just the other day
It's sad communication has evolved this way.
We use so many words but have so little to relay
as angels scribble down every letter that we say.
All the viral attachments sent and passionate insults we vent
It's easy to be arrogant behind user passwords we invent.
But on the day the scrolls are laid, with every word and deed displayed,
when we read our accounts, I know, for one, I'll be afraid."
-Dawud Wharnsby Ali

So, I still find myself a qabil. But I know, I cannot stay in one altitude forever. That isn't istiqamah. To be steadfast, to thabat in this Deen... there's always something we should improve about ourselves. Hijrah. Keep moving forward.

"Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allah . That is better for you, if you only knew" (Taubah, 9:41)

Till then, wallahu'alam.

Semasa cuti summer yang lepas, my family had a small gathering with my dad's side of the family. Then, as usual... exchange of greetings, news of recent events in the family, aunts talking about their own husbands, children, grandchildren and uncles talking about business affairs. Agak terasa left out di sebalik perbualan mereka but I really like listening to one of my uncle's stories; he likes theology. His interest in religion is somewhat profound. Tetapi aku akui, pegangannya memang sesat. Tetapi yang menariknya, dia sangat berminat tentang Islam and there was one time, he said that Malaysian education should incorporate teachings of the Quran for the students not only for Muslim students but also for other students too. And economically as well. He admitted that the prophet saw was the best example of how we should live our life, moderately and not too over the top. He was also amazed at how Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. managed to spread Islam more than 2/3 of the world. Aku mengangguk tanda setuju, gembira pula ada orang berfikir sedemikian.

But the part which aggravates me the most was when he talked about how all the religions are the same; they convey only one thing. Truth. Bukan itu sahaja; kadang-kadang dia suka menafsir ayat2 Quran mengikut pandangan dia sendiri. Dia akui yang dia selalu juga berjumpa dgn ustaz2 utk bertanyakan hal2 Islam but when time doesn't really stand on his side, he results to reading it according to his own point of view. Dia berminat dengan Islam tetapi pada masa yang sama, dia tetap pada pendirian Buddhism dan Christian atau apa2 sahaja yang dipegangnya.

Pada pendapat aku, ilmunya tentang Islam masih di permukaan sahaja dan dia hanya mengambil bahagian2 yang dia rasa "convenient" kepada dirinya. Ibaratnya seperti jika dikatakan sekuntum bunga itu cantik dan diambilnya satu kelopak atau daunnya sahaja, masakan kita tahu sama ada bunga itu cantik atau tidak???

Semoga dia diberi hidayah oleh Allah. Semoga kelak dia membaca Quran bukan semata-mata untuk menambah ilmu atau membuat kajian atau sebagai penglipur lara sahaja, tetapi dia membaca dan belajar untuk melaksanakan, untuk menjadikan Quran sebagai garis panduan hidup dan meng"establish" hubungan yang lebih erat dengan Allah. Kesimpulannya, semoga kita semua mempunyai perasaan sebegitu terhadap Al-Quran Al-Karim.

Seperti kata Sayyid Qutb,"Perasaan ini jugalah yang menanam Al-Quran ke dalam jiwa mereka hingga ia meresap menjadi panduan dalam gerakan mereka, ia melahirkan pelajaran yang menggerakkan aktiviti, pelajaran yang tidak lagi merupakan teori yang bersarang di dalam kepala manusia dan di halaman kertas dan akhbar-akhbar sahaja, bahkan ianya menjadi kenyataan yang melahirkan kesan dan peristiwa yang mengubah garisan hidup."

"Bulan Ramadhan, bulan yang di dalamnya diturunkan (permulaan) al-Qur'an sebagai petunjuk bagi manusia dan penjelasan-penjelasan mengenai petunjuk itu dan pembeda (antara yang hak dan yang bathil)" 2:185

Pada suatu masa tidak jauh dari masa ini, aku sering terfikir cinta dunia itu indah, penuh keasyikan dan aku sering leka. Leka terhadapMu, ya Rabbi.

Maafkanlah hambaMu ini... Maafkanlah diri yang lemah lagi hina ini yang terkadang tidak mampu untuk menepis godaan dunia ini tanpa kekuatan dariMu.

Di saat aku sendiri, aku bertanya pada diriku, bagaimanakah sesuatu yang berada di depan mataku, sesuatu yang selalu aku alami hari-harian boleh membuat aku lebih jauh dariMu? Cinta dunia telah mengaburi hatiku. Perasaan cinta yang aku anggap indah itu datangnya dariMu, ya Ilahi.. Mengapa aku sering terlupa? Cinta yang Kau anugerahkan kepadaku jauh lebih indah, jauh lebih murni dan tiada batasannya. Namun, aku masih mencari-cari cinta dunia yang sementara.

Ya Rahman, aku memohon kepadaMu... di kala aku alpa, ingatkanlah diri ini. Di kala aku asyik, kejutkanlah hatiku ini dari keasyikan dunia. "Letakkanlah dunia di tanganku, bukan di hatiku."

Dan di kesempatan ini, aku ingin sekali lagi kembali kepadaMu..

Farah Md. Fadhil
19 Syawal

Assalamualaikum wrt,

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

Finally the end of the week has arrived.. but I doubt I can get any rest from it... indeed, the best rest or the most fulfilling rest we can attain is in paradise. These past few weeks, I can't seem to get any study done during weekends.. maybe it's because of my lack of time scheduling or maybe because I haven't given it my best shot. Maybe it's the combination of both. Hmm.. semoga Allah permudahkan urusan kita...

Suddenly, I have this rush of ideas through my head but I don't really know what to talk about. Anyway...

A week ago, we hosted an "open house". Before the event, we discussed thoroughly about where to serve what, who should do what or what should go where or how much should we pay for what and whatnot, and out of the blue adalah seorang hamba Allah who asked us all,"What is the purpose of us hosting this?" and he wasn't asking sarcastically or just for the fun of it (I think). Maybe he was confused or maybe he wanted us all to check our real intention or niat of doing this. Some answered,"boleh praktis... nnti nak kawen senang..." (I laughed at this) and some answered "Boleh makan2 nanti..." and "Nak rapatkan silaturrahimla..." And that got me thinking of this hadith (perhaps many of you have heard it before)...

Narrated on the authority of Amirul Mu'minin, Abu Hafs 'Umar bin al-Khattab, radiyallahu 'anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, say:

"Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended. Thus, he whose migration (hijrah) was to Allah and His Messenger, his migration is to Allah and His Messenger; but he whose migration was for some worldly thing he might gain, or for a wife he might marry, his migration is to that for which he migrated."

[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]

Sometimes, even the smallest of actions, when you do it with utmost sincerity and just to get His Acceptance and Mercy, with His will... you will get what you wished for.

"Mereka yang berjuang untuk keredhaan Kami, pasti Kami tunjukkan jalan Kami, dan Allah tetap bersama orang yang berbuat baik." [29:69]

Abu Hurairah r.a. berkata: Bersabda Nabi s.a.w.: Saya telah melihat seorang masuk syurga, dan bersenang-senang kerana ia telah memotong suatu pohon yang mengganggu di jalan kaum muslimin.

(Riwayat Muslim)

Dalam riwayat lain: Seorang berjalan maka terganggu oleh dahan di jalan, maka ia berkata: Demi Allah saya akan menyingkirkan dahan ini dari jalan supaya tidak mengganggu pada kaum muslimin, maka ia masuk syurga.

Betapa penyayangnya Allah kan? I mean, if someone had moved a branch of a tree from the streets, we'd all be thinking... "Finally, org mpsj (majlis perbandaran subang jaya, in case some of you don't know) da buat pun keje diorg.. punyelah lame..." but if that person, pekerja mpsj tu really intended to move the tree branch because of Allah and so it would no longer be blocking a man from going to the mosque, imagine what would Allah grant him? Even if no one knows about what he did, Allah will surely, most definitely know about it.

"Dan semua yang kamu kerjakan dari kebaikan, maka Allah mengetahuinya." [2:197]

So, why waste time performing actions without a purpose when you can do them with exceptionally one purpose-because of Allah, and be granted with twice the good that you did?

provocative thought of the day. (hope this is provocative enough) я надеюсь!

Wallahu'alam.

Assalamualaikum wrt...

On account of not having any particular muse for the time being (and missing home very much), I'd like to introduce you to:

Amir, Ayman, Nuha and Nawal

Aqeel



Adam and Akmal



Alfi Dubies



Laina



Ilyana

Assalamualaikum wrt,

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

Alhamdulillah, eventhough the weather today was quite cold and most of us were exhausted, we managed again to perform tarawikh prayers today. Syukur lillah, setakat ini... sejak kita memulakan solat tarawikh di bilik ini, tak pernah sekali pun tertinggal. Harapnya dapat istiqamah.

This week was my second class of Philosophy. Frankly, most of the time I have no idea why we are even studying it. Hm, mungkin ada hikmah di sebaliknya. There was one part while we were discussing about Greek philosophers and there came up the term 'contemplation'. While my groupmates and the teacher were discussing what on earth 'contemplation' is - reclusing oneself and reflecting or thinking deeply and really, I have absolutely no idea what the Greek philosophers were thinking about while contemplating - I remembered that the Prophet pbuh once also often contemplated. And he contemplated about the society he lived in. How during the jahiliyah times, there were all sorts of misdoings and chaos around him and there came a time where he could not stand it any longer. It was then that he received his first revelation as a messenger of Allah. With one very important verb, iqra'! or read!..

But contemplation does not stop there, of course. Being a dai'e, contemplating is also one of the qualities we must have. Yes, mixing around with people is also important, for without mixing around or making new friends, how can one possibly enrich ukhuwwah? And without ukhuwwah, how can a dai'e fulfil his responsibilities of dakwah?

'Uzlah, or contemplating is one of the qualities a dai'e must have. But unlike the Greek philosophers who sit around 'thinking deeply' for hours and hours, a dai'e contemplates to bring himself closer to Allah. It is a way to communicate with Him, be it a prayer or performing namaz, or zikir or just telling Him about everything that you are feeling. As I have heard from an ustaz before, without establishing a strong relationship with Allah, how can you possibly let others see the beauty of Islam? If you are faced with challenges and difficulties while inviting people to the path of Islam (and undeniably, it is never-ending), how can you hold steadfast, how can you istiqamah without the strength that Allah grants you? Thus, our iman and our faith must also be stronghold in order to always continue to tsabat on this path.

Ibnu Taimiyyah once said, "Ada keharusan bagi hamba untuk melakukan 'uzlah
agar dapat beribadah kepada Allah, berdzikir kepadaNya, membaca ayat-ayat-Nya,
melakukan muhasabah terhadap dirinya, berdoa kepada-Nya, meminta ampunan-Nya,
menjauhi tindakan-tindakan yang jelek, dan lain sebagainya.

'Uzlah is also one of many ways to istighfar and reflect on the past mistakes which we have done and learn from them. To ask forgiveness from Allah and promise never to repeat them again... To return to Him...

And lastly, always remember that...
"Verily in the remembrance of God do hearts find rest." (13:28)

*Meluahkan ketidakpuasan hati belajar Philosophy..*

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

Assalamualaikum wrt,

Sudah lama rasanya tak update kat sini. Beberapa hari dah berlalu sejak tiba di Nizhny. Ketibaan di airport seperti mengimbau semula kenangan masa mula2 tiba di Moscow setahun lalu; all the laughter, happy being among friends and the uncertainty of what's to come. Alhamdulillah, I'm quite settled down already and insyaAllah, the challenge will start any time now.

It is a truth universally acknowledged (mcm pembukaan buku cerita pula, hehe) that every man in this world has not but one purpose; and that is to find happiness. What differs a man from another is how they strive to find happiness, which way they choose to find an inner happiness within themselves. Kadangkala, kita berjumpa dgn sekumpulan org yg menganggap kebahagiaan dapat dicapai dengan kemewahan; owning millions of money, expensive cars and big houses. They spend their lives planning on how to gain wealth and worrying about how to keep them safe and make sure the money keeps on coming.

And there is another group of people who think fame can bring them happiness. And then, they try different ways to become famous, auditioning for Akademi Fantasia or Malaysian Idol, making new discoveries to win a Nobel Prize or any other award... in hopes that when they win, they will become famous and happy.

And there is another group of people who believe that when they have the combination of both wealth and fame, they have reached the top of the world.

But, amidst fame and wealth... amidst all the pleasure and happiness the world can offer us... we must always keep in mind that:

"Sesungguhnya kehidupan di dunia itu hanyalah permainan dan senda gurau..."
(47:36)

And when they have achieved all the riches of the world, they start to think of how they can achieve more, how they can gain more money or get more awards... And some regret becoming famous and rich because their lives are changed and they cannot live their own normal lives anymore. In the end, they lose the real meaning of happiness and end up becoming slaves to the money and wealth that they were worshiping besides Allah.

And in the end we are faced with the same question from the very beginning, how can you really find happiness? But before I answer that question, I would like to ask one more question... What are we composed of?

Sudah semestinya kita menjawab, diri ini mempunyai jasad dan roh. Jasad secara fizikalnya dan juga roh, yang kedua-duanya menghasilkan kehidupan; diri kita seperti yang sekarang ini.

And what are we made of? What is our body made of? Our body is made of clay, soil, earth. And since the body is made of earth, in order to nourish it, we need nutrients that come from the earth, plants and animals that eat plants, water from lakes and rivers that comes down from the skies and air. So in order to nourish the body, we eat and drink from the land around us.

And what of our roh? How do we nourish it? How do we make our roh, "happy" so to speak? And where does our roh come from?

"Kemudian apabila telah Aku sempurnakan kejadiannya dan Aku tiupkan roh ciptaanKu kepadanya; maka tunduklah kamu dengan bersujud kepadanya"
(38:72)

Setelah Allah menjadikan jasad Nabi Adam a.s., Dia meniupkan roh yang diciptakan ke dalam jasadnya. Dan di situlah jawapan kita. Roh kita ini datangnya daripada Allah, Allahlah yang telah menjadikan roh kita. And to nourish the roh is to achieve happiness. Hmm, macam mana pula? Seperti juga yang dikatakan sebelumnya, diri kita ini terdiri daripada jasad dan roh. Jasad itu akan sentiasa bertukar-tukar sepanjang hidup kita, sama ada kita akan menjadi lebih tua, lebih kuat atau lebih muda... tetapi kalau roh, roh akan tetap begitu sahaja. Roh adalah roh; pada akhirnya roh akan di tempatkan di syurga atau neraka.

If we take our body, for example. we nourish it with elements in which it is originated from... and the same goes for our roh, we nourish it with the same element from which our roh originated from... Allah. By sustaining a connection with Him. But how do we exactly connect with Him, you ask?

By doing what He asks us to do... praying, fasting, zikir - everything that will bring us closer to Him.. Have you ever wondered whenever you have done all 5 prayers in a day, you feel fulfilled? This is because...

"Aku tidak menciptakan jin dan manusia melainkan agar mereka beribadah kepadaKu"
(51:56)

We feel fulfilled and satisfied because we are fulfilling our purpose of life, that is to worship Him. Every single act of worship that we do, instantaneously, we feed our roh, we nourish it.. making it more alive. Even if our body is weak or ill, when our roh is happy and alive, we will be happy. =)

Something I read from a friend of mine. Well, I edited it just a little bit.

Truly in the heart there is a sadness that cannot be removed except with the happiness of knowing Allah and being true to Him. And in it there is an emptiness that can not be filled except with love for Him and by turning to Him and always remembering Him. And if a person were given all of the world and what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness.
-Ibn AlQayyim

Assalamualaikum wrt,

Penat juga sebenarnya semalam. I slept quite late, watching the 2005's remake of "Pride and Prejudice". I would say it is one of the best classic movies I've ever watched (mempromote movie pula). That got me thinking of how prejudice, or buruk sangka or su'u dzan can mislead and often make you misjudge a person. And not only that, but it is also one of the significant elements that destroy ukhuwah. And that is why in the Quran, Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 12, Allah forbids us to exploit prejudice...

"Hai orang-orang yang beriman, jauhilah kebanyakan dari prasangka, sesungguhnya prasangka itu adalah dosa" (49:12)

Bersangka buruk akan menyebabkan diri kita jauh daripada nasihat. Disebabkan berprasangkalah, hati kita akan tertutup untuk mendengar dan menerima nasihat daripada seseorang kawan. It is true that sometimes, a friend giving an advice might also make mistakes on his own account but that should not stop us from listening to him. Kita kena selalu ingat bahawa manusia bukan malaikat, bukan maksum... we are bound to make mistakes. So, take what is good from him and leave what isn't.

Dalam ukhuwah, kita kena sentiasa bersangka baik, no matter how hard the circumstances are. Sadly, we are always caught up in our own feelings and try our best to find fault in others (or tajassus, in Arabic). Bila selalu cuba untuk mencari kesalahan orang lain, mulalah kita nak menyebarkannya kepada orang lain dan menceritakan keburukannya. Bagaimana hendak membina ukhuwah jika kita selalu menganggap seseorang itu berkelakuan buruk?

Ibnul Mubarak once said, "Orang mukmin selalu mencari alasan agar boleh memaafkan, sementara orang munafik selalu mencari kesalahan."

Sahabat2 Rasulullah are good examples of hindering prejudice. Pernah suatu ketika, Saad bin Abi Waqas dan Khalid bin Walid berselisihan tentang suatu perkara. Tapi bila ade sorg ni yang menceritakan keburukan Khalid di depannya, Saad pun tegur:"Diamlah, kita berselisih ni tak sampai menyentuh masalah agama." Dan pernah pula, sorg ni memuji kebaikan Saad dan Khalid pun ikut memujinya.. Oran2 lain pun semua hairan, bukankah mereka berdua ni bergaduh... sempat pula si Khalid ni nak puji2 Saad tu. Khalid pun menjawab,"Perselisihan kami ni tak sampai menyentuh masalah agama.

Which goes to show, even if they disagree about something, they don't talk bad about the other behind his back or try to stab him and kill him because they do not want their disagreement to cause them to commit a sin.

So, bila2 kita bertekak dengan kawan kita, selalulah memujinya di depan orang lain! Kan bagus tu. Hmm, bertambah pahala.

On another side of the coin, Alhamdulillah pada 29 Ogos 2008 Abang Cam and Kak Jaemy telah dianugerahkan dengan seorang lagi putera! 3 boys in a row... (this should be fun, hehe). Nama yang diberikan ialah Alfi Dubies. Puas juga mencari makna nama tu, tapi tak dapat pula. It's a wonderful feeling, especially when you lay your eyes on such tiny being, holding his small, fragile hands... hilang semua kesedihan dan kerisauan seketika. Subhanallah.

Selamat menyambut ramadhan semua! Moga dengan bulan penuh keberkatan ini, kita terus berusaha untuk dekat denganNya.

Wallahu'alam.

Assalamualaikum wrt,

If I asked you what you thought about exams, what exactly would your answer be?
-"frightening", "scary", "teeth-shattering", "awful"... or you might probably run away from me from asking such peculiar question (must be a real geek to run away from me).

But seriously, what do you think about exams?

Ada seorang budak ni yang sangat2 genius, org kate tak pernah fail sekali pun dlm hidup dia and his marks for exams are always 95% and above (never less), dan dlm satu sekolah die tak pernah dpt nombor lg tinggi dr 3. Hebat betul budak ni kan? (jealouslah pulak...) Berita tentang kepintaran budak ni pun tersebar satu negara, dan di sebuah sekolah yg sangat prestigiouslah kononnya, pengetuanya pun memberi tawaran kpd budak ini untuk masuk sekolah die, belajar for 6 months only untuk SPM - and not only that, semua answer schemes untuk soalan peperiksaan yang besar itu will be passed to him. All he has to do is study that answer schemes for 6 months and jawab soalan2 yg dah diberi jawapannya bulat2. And the great thing about this prestigious school is it has all the facilities you want. Nak tuition? Cikgu sentiasa ade 24 jam kalau nk bertanya? swimming pool? gelanggang tennis, bola sepak, etc? bilik yg sgt selesa n ade air-cond? ape2 sajelah...

Budak ni dgn selambenye pula ckp tak nak... Tak ke bengang pengetua tu tadi? Aduh2, org da bg jln kluar yg senang tp dia tak nak pulak.

And here's the billion-dollar question; takutkah anda semua (yg tgh bace ni...) pada hari kiamat???
-"Mestilah takut, siapa yang tak?", "AAAH!!! Esok nak kiamat ke???!!!" or you might probably run away from me again (this time, I might understand why).

Sepatutnya kite sbg org Islam, patut rase seronok, happy sebab ada hari qiamat ni. Because with every work that we do, every amal soleh, every good deed that we do because of Him... when The Day comes, we will be protected and gain His Blessings to enter jannah. Indeed, we should be motivated to work hard. Setiap amal soleh yang kita buat akan dibalas olehNya. And in some ways we are quite similar to the genius boy I told you about before.

"Hai orang-orang yang beriman, mahukah kamu aku tunjukkan suatu perniagaan yang dapat menyelamatkan kamu dari azab yang pedih?"
"(Iaitu) kamu beriman kepada Allah dan rasul-Nya dan berjihad di jalan Allah dengan harta dan jiwamu. Itulah yang lebih baik bagi kamu jika kamu mengetahuinya."
As-Saff:10-11

The offer has already been made, the answer scheme... well, it comes with the offer as well... It really is up to us whether we want to accept it or not. A few verses from the Quran is not suffice enough? Well, we have the whole Quran in our hands, don't we? Use it, study it... for the Exam to come. And facilities you ask?

"Bukankah Kami telah menjadikan bumi itu sebagai hamparan?"
"Dan gunung-ganang sebagai pasak?"
"Dan Kami jadikan kamu berpasang-pasangan,"
"dan Kami jadikan tidurmu untuk istirahat,"
"dan Kami jadikan malam sebagai pakaian,"
"dan Kami jadikan siang untuk mencari penghidupan,"
"dan Kami bina di atas kamu tujuh buat langit yang kukuh,"
"dan Kami jadikan (matahari) pelita yang amat terang (benderang),"
"dan Kami turunkan dari awan air yang mencurah-curah,"
"supaya Kami tumbuhkan dengan air itu biji-bijian dan tumbuh-tumbuhan,"
"dan kebun-kebun yang subur?"
An-Naba':6-16

And if you make another list of it, I bet you can find a billion other facilities that Allah has granted us. And in the end, it all comes down to us; do we really want to take up on that offer or not?

If we recall the story about the genius boy... Strangely, he disregarded the offer. Maybe he thought why should he go through such hard work when he already has achieved so much? He is now officially the most genius boy, he could get tons of money if he voluntered to get his brains experimented on (ok, that is quite bizarre) or if he has rich parents, he could just sit around all day, playing video games and enjoying himself. There is another possibility that he is scared of failing the exam...

Many of us get too distracted with the world; with our possessions and material wealth. Sometimes, our love for the riches of the world surpasses beyond control and at one point, we become ignorant and arrogant, thinking why should we be tested when we are obviously too good for it (perasan btol)? We forget that this world, this lifetime is temporary and that in the afterlife is something we should be chasing for. And our fear of the Big Day? Our fear of failing the hisab? Why should we fear of failing it? Bukankah Allah itu Maha Adil lagi Bijaksana? Maha Pemurah dan Penyayang terhadap hamba-hambaNya yang soleh... We should be determined to work hard for Him instead of moping and worrying about failing.

Wallahu'alam.

Assalamualaikum,

I just returned from Singapore a few days ago, went to visit some of my relatives.. Cuti summer kali ni agak/perasan/buat2 busy (sampai terpaksa cancel a few times nk kluar dgn shaq, sorry!) and takde chance lagi nak jumpe ex-classmates di Jasin dulu. Hmm, next time I have to think about making my own holiday schedule, hehe... Anyway, my holidays are going to be over soon; one week left until my "grand" return to Russia. A few more things to be packed and a few other things to be done.

My time in Singapore was very brief, inadequate so to speak. Rase macam tak puas pula, sebab tak dapat nak jumpe semua sedare because they were not on holiday. Singapore has not gone through much change, at least physically (sebab tak cukup tanah kot.. huhu) but they were still tenaciously investigating and trying to capture Mas Selamat, JI leader who escaped from a detention centre there. And the thing that amuses me was they had our thumbprints verified at the immigration centre, as if Selamat would disguise as me.

Hmm, masa di Singapore tu, sempat juga pergi shopping sekejap. Selalunya, tak pergi jalan-jalan pun sebab berjalan raya je di rumah sedare. And I bought a book entitled "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. He written another book before called "The Kite Runner". His stories revolve around the predicaments that occured in Afghanistan (and the author himself was born there), during the Soviet and Taliban reign mostly. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is a story aboutMariam and Laila, both born in Afghanistan with different histories and entourage. They meet during difficult times, being wives to an abusive husband and the reign of Taliban which oppresses women and obstructs their freedom. But amidst all of the sufferings they face, they endure and establish a sense of affection and respect towards each other. One of my favorite lines from the book is when Mariam teaches Laila's daughter, Aziza a fewverses from the Quran and how to perform namaz prayers.

It's all I have to give her, Mariam had said to Laila, these knowledge, these prayers. They're the only true possession I've ever had.




Setakat tu jelah bole cerita, yang lain tu kalau nak tahu lagi, bace sendiri buku tu, hehe.

And our last usrah with Kak Anie, Kak Firdausi also came to join us. We played a little game before ending our usrah. Kak Firdausi asked us to list down 5 qualities that you want in your future spouse; and not those he-must-be-handsome-and-own-tons-of-money qualities but well, more specific ones, for example: he memorises the 30th juzu' in the Quran or whenever it is time for prayers, he quickly goes to the mosque for jamaah or he invites you for jamaah together. You know, those kind of qualities.


And we listed and we shared (not going to write down mine here) and she asked us do you have these qualities in you? And the most intriguing question was... will you marry you? Interesting, no? Will you marry you? And not in an insane, narcissistic way but more metaphoric. Will you marry someone who has the same characteristics as you do?

[30:21] Among His proofs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves, in order to have tranquility and contentment with each other, and He placed in your hearts love and care towards your spouses. In this, there are sufficient proofs for people who think.

Wallahu'alam.

Assalamualaikum,

“Barakallahu lakuma wa jama’a bainakuma fi khair..”
In hopes that Allah will bless and unite the both of you in benevolence.

Jauh jugak rupenye rumah Kak Sikin… might also be because of my inadequate ability in interpreting maps, jauh tersasar dr pangkal jalan. Lain kali, take note of not letting me read maps… I’m better at driving… an auto car, hehe (haram kalo drive manual).

Teringat pula satu analogy ni.. Our life is a journey, I think everyone agrees with that. It’s like taking the commuter to reach well, Seremban for example… but on our way there, we accidentally get side-tracked and end up shopping in Mid Valley or strolling around in KL Central but eventually, after we have finished shopping because we ran out of money, or suddenly a friend calls us, yelling on the phone asking us why we haven’t reached Seremban yet, we quickly take the commuter again to reach Seremban. And this story is quite similar to us. In surah Al-Dhariyat, verse 56 it is stated that our ghayah (or purpose) of living is Allah. To worship Him and attain His Mercy and Love. But along the way, us being very forgetful people, we are always distracted by the amusement and entertainment the world has to offer until sometimes we forget our purpose (or destination) in the first place - which is Allah. That is why we have to always find a way to keep us on track, straight towards that one final destination.

Okay, back to cerita sblmnya. Sampai2 je dgn mak, dah jumpe Farahin and Kak Aishah. Once or twice, I glanced at Kak Sikin and her husband. They looked happy and I wish happiness to the both of them… =) Hmm, nak cerita panjang2, diri sendiri pun belum lagi, so baik diamkan diri. I was really surprised to meet Wan there! Lagi lame tak jumpe Wan… Mula2, as usual… sgt2lah blurr, terfikirlah yang mungkin Wan dgn Kak Sikin somehow related to each other (sbb due duenye same kecil) or terserempak and became friends (unlikely, I know) tapi bila fikir2 balik, barulah sedar yang abang Wan pun belajar kat Russia… hehe.

It’s 2 a.m. InsyaAllah, I'll be travelling away from home tomorrow. Until then, assalamualaikum wrt…

Assalamualaikum wrt,

Actually, the thought of putting up a new blog has crossed my mind for some time already but ntahlah, rase mcm kena bg commitment pulak kalau buat blog sendiri, hehe..
Anyway, tadi baru Nurul ckp da lame rupenye tak update blog ni.

Hmm, mule2 nk cite pasal mukhayyam hari tu. Mukhayyam mmg best! Bile time 1st2 mukhayyam tu, rs mcm blurr sket (ikut je mane org pergi n terima je ape yg org bg) - atau mgkin, ni one of my attributes--- seorg yg blurr pd bile2 mase. But by the end of the mukhayyam, I finally got the message. Pengisian2 yg diberi tu bknlah sekadar utk diterima n didigest (skali dgn nasi n sardin atau telur yg hari2 kitorg mkn tu) tetapi juga utk membuka mata ni yg selame ni agak rabun (literally speaking). And if I could simplify it, I would simplify it in these few phrases; "tariq dakwah, tariq wahidah"; Jalan dakwah, jalan yg satu. It is the only way our Prophet, Muhammad p.b.u.h. and his companions have ever followed. Tidak ada jalan yg lain selain jalan dakwah dlm Islam. And if you're following some other way, then, that is not Islam. "To invite people to iman and amal and uniting their hearts with love and ukhuwwah." Itulah tariq wahidah. Indah kan?

And the realization that dawned upon me was crystal clear. Kalau dulu, murabbiahlah yg bg segala pengisian… Kite yg adek2 ni, dgr and terima je. And obviously, it doesn’t end there. If it did end there, then it would just be like a barrel of water which is stagnant and not moving, compared to the water in the river which is always flowing. Kalau air tu static je, air itu sendiri akan menjadi kotor dan tak mampu untuk membersihkan apa2 tapi lain pulak dgn air sungai yg sentiasa mengalir, bukan sahaja sentiasa bersih tapi juga dapat membersihkan benda2 yang di sekelilingnya. I realize, whether we are reluctant or not, we have to be the ones now yg juga memberi pengisian kpd org lain; that in every usrah/halaqah/circle/whatever you call it there is a certain goal to be reached. Iaitu adalah untuk melahirkan para murabbi/murabbiah/daie/whatever you call them. Giliran kita pula utk menjadi murabbi/murabbiah. InsyaAllah, dgn niat krnNya, walau ilmu di dada ini hanyalah sikit je kalo nk compare dgn ulama' n ahli fuqaha'... dgn keberkatan dr Allah, kita boleh melakukannya. Kita tk mungkin dpt rase betapa manisnya tarbiyah kalau kita sendiri belum mentarbiyah org lain.

Ukhuwah fillah. One of the more significant things I was able to grasp on. Bile nak blk n berpisah dgn kwn2 sume, hmm... rs mcm sdeyla plak. Walaupun kaki still separa bengkak tapi terlupa kejap pasal kaki yg sakit tu waktu pergi jungle trekking, mndi air terjun sume (balik rumah tu terase balik.. eh, kaki ni bengkak lg rupenye). What stronger ties than the ties of those with the same faith and aqidah? Walaupun baru seminggu berpisah, dah rindu dah kat diorg... Entah bile boleh jmpe lg.. (ke Germany plak utk winter??? hehe, bole gak, insyaAllah).






The clock is showing 2.50 am. Hmm, tonight is probably the latest I’ve ever stayed up in weeks.

Wallahu’alam.