Min Qolbi

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.