assalamualeikum wbt

fuuhhh.. done with exams yesterday, another one coming up next week! I got in touch with Safinaz and Shazlin (gurls from Assunta school) recently. Safinaz is still who she was but prettier and shazlin is so not like her before, very attractive and elegant! ;-) miss ya'll....

wow... the forum didn't get as much attention as it should, less than 30 people attended but I was expecting this. The topic is so inconsistent with the students' mind here nevertheless whoever attended the forum that day did learn or relaern something... eh? Abang Di has made the topic more intresting by inserting few points on responsbilities both man and woman has in marriage. Yes, some scholars agree that men should do all the work and women should only prepare themselves for their husband in a household. But most of gender stereotype suggest that women should do all the houseworks and men provide money and made big decisions for the family.

Let it go sis! let it go! we want the best for you! we love you!

oh well, reading all others' testimonials on me made me think who I was back then. I don't really think of myself as THAT nerd back then and I absolutely do not know how to be part of a conversation especially with guys. Most of the time I'll just ended up yelling or screaming to them.. hehe.. I do miss all of my friends espcially those from my high school -- what years we had eh!? tears, laughters and all other things... it is hard to start over now when everyone has all plan ahead of them, in high we're just us! nothing else, kan? ohh... doraemon, come and give me your pocket so that I could go back to those precious time... hehe...

alhamdulillah... may Allah guides to the right path and not let us walk with ignorance and arrogance... ameen -- can't wait to hear from my mom about my boxes =)

assalamualeikum wbt ..

we were talking about relationship abuse and violence in class today and it made me thought about myself -- I AM in an abusive relationship! by relationship I think it doesn't just refer to intimate contact between two person but it could be anything.

I believe I am abused mentally until my performance in school drop tremendously. I found my experiences similar to the symptoms -- feeling inferior, blaming myself, feeling powerless, losing control and lots more. There are cycles that the victims go through in the relationship starting with tension building, then the abusing and end up with calm phase where the abuser would act with love, give gifts and responsible. But soon after, the cycle will continue again.

Help, I need help! get me out of this relationship! help!

If you don't vote, you have no right to complaint your government! you are so ignorance in the first place that you let others decide for you!

assalamualeikum wbt

hmm.. just got some info about allowance rate in univ. of minne - they actually receive the same amount as we here do! I hope they have enough to survive... thanks arra =)

I just knew about soccer tournament; it's a pre-midwest tournament and we are held responsible as the host. Arif just called to ask some ideas for their dinner and right away I thought about chicken rice! hehehe... theme food for madisonians hahaha...

welcome all! welcome! have a pleasant stay here! and good luck for the game!

I am responsible for two project at work now. Both are due soon and I haven't done with any! bad thing is, I hate to wotk with the big scanner down at the basement and so it makes me work slow. I wish this project was not there in the first place! hahaha...

We went to visit Kak Fairuz the other day and then went to Penang Restaurant in chicago, there're so many people and the food was great! I ate pasembor and ais kacang =) . We arrived home after midnight the same day.

Aseks, happy birthday! I hope your day be filled with joy and laughter! =)

ic ic... now I get it! bite me! it's about going to the cinema thingy... ayoooo... why bother? mind your own business la... hehe.. so funny you... we're all adults now! please...

hey, at least I don't take advantages on my friends! =)

assalamualeikum wbt

fuhhh... time for spring break! alhamdulillah... am going on a trip to Milwaukee tomorrow morning insyaAllah... though it's gonna be a very short trip but I bet it will be lotsa fun and beneficial =)

ayookkk lin, can't make it to RPI la this break! sori tau.. what about fall break? yeh? huhuhu... I stood you up before, but please don't do the same to me eh? it's really out of my conscience before, without any intention. Luv u bebeh! hehe...

I ate a lot today, japan dish, subway, instant noodles, and finally dave's girl scout's cookies. The cookies taste so good, no wonder they managed to sell whole lot of them =) can I get another one? hehehehe...

Since there're only half of the students attended my lit class today, my prof decided to have a discussion about the 18-19th centuries society. He was emphasizing on patriarchal society that women lived in during the time. Did it repeat itself? Do the present people have the tools in building a relationship? if they do, why are there single mothers and why people keep get involve in 'bad' relationship? what is missing here? does the equality bring any good outcomes? hmm...

well, equality is not just giving two person the same thing, but to satisfy both needs equally. For example, my sponsor gives me different allowance than those people in NY, Minne and other main cities because they live in high cost living area while I live in less one. BUT as time passes, the cities that I live in are expecting more money from me and so my sponsor SHOULD increase my allowance to satisfy my need, right?
Well, this hasn't yet happen but I have hope that it will =)

HCA went on a visit to the orient (in 19th centuries orient was Turkey and some other neighboring countries) and he saw those sufism practicer performing their prayer, circling around in one place until they sank down to the earth. Intresting....

may Allah bless us all... ameen

assalamualeikum wbt

Audre Lord is black lesbian feminist who speak out her ideas and feelings through poetry. She has written many books on feminism. She has 2 children, a boy and a girl and is involve in mix races relationship.

I was introduced to her on my first week of class by my TA. She adored Audre Lord for her characters and her strong words. I read one of her book, unfortunately I find the book rather monotonous. Yet I am proud of how she stand up for her identity. I hope she'll maintain her abilities till the end.

Being the first-born child isn't really a pro. But learning to know our responsbilities is. I wish, and everyone wish they could turned back time and fixed thing right. Impossible! but we could try to not make it hapen one more time... insyaAllah..

Listen to Weezer's American Girl and Brown eyes - kewl!

assalamualeikum wbt

SubhanaAllah! It's beautiful outside!
I just got my comp fixed last weekend, thanks to Dave for his excellent job! thanks....

Anybody knows how to change blog's address? I wanna change mine =(

In my ws discussion on Thursday, we exchanged views on this book that we have to read for the class, it's called "The Schoolgirl" by Peggy Orienstein (bet I wrote it wrong). She did observations on 2 school in California areas in the 90s to try to see what effects does the hidden curiculum and the formal curiculum have on students.

I must agree that many of the middle school students are experiencing more than they should at their age; not just in school but also at home. For instance, few of the girls' mom are drug addicted and jobless. Peggy also wrote about few teachers who did not presented themselves well in front of their students. For example, one MALE History teacher kept saying 'Damn, Go to hell' etc. to his student all the time. Another teacher refused to assist students with questions and argue that they should not be spoonfeed all the time although she actually never teach anything to them.

I do think that students here and in Malaysia face the same gender issue. But here, they learned that it is ok for boys to tease girls sexually whereas in Malaysia boys think that they have power over girls. I remember one event in my high school, one boy in my class took a girl's desk and put it inside the male toilet because she asked him to go to mirning assembly. I also observed that girls in my class always had to give their lab report to the boys although they don't want to because they're afraid to be call bad.

These are the hidden curiculum that I, you and others learned at school. We learned to rank men above women and later could lead to other social problems such as rape, abuse and etc.

So, how should they hired teachers? My friend who is a computer science graduate was hired as a language teacher and he admitted that he knew nothing about the subject (language isn't easy academically you know). He ended up reading the textbook again and again to his student. What possibly could they learned from that?

'Allahualam...

assalamualeikum wbt

today is Friday - I am working on a Mac work station @ 4th floor Memorial Library. Christin's car got towed and another girl's car got a ticket for expired meter. Why are those parking reinforcement people became insanely unreasonable? Chris paid over $200 for getting back her car and I am so sorry for her. What we get from above: one, never have a car and second, always have an emergency fund for emergency situation! heh..

Today around 3pm we went upstairs to Special Collection to hear a presentation on the exhibit they have up there. It is mostly about the library history and record of historical buildings. The chopped off one level of Memorial Library just because the chancellor at Bascom complaint that it's blocking his view to capitol building - heh... small issue became big debate huh! apparently one's satisfaction became more important than others' education! heh...

what do you think about loyalty? how does being loyal or backstabber effect your life? Are you loyal in performing 'Ibadah? or were you just arranging yourself to look good in the eyes of the other but on the inside you were just not into it? Aren't we backstabbing our beliefs if we occasionally not praying or lying? hmm.... I mentioned before about good lies and bad lies, so to which category this one falls into? OR am I using the wrong word, should it not call LOYAL but sth else? if so, what is the word?

Hans Christian Andersen (Danish popular author in the 18th) did arrange himself to achieve fame and happiness, he managed to survive in this corrupt world by doing so, is he a good example?

ok, need to stop asking and try to find answer now... tata

assalamualeikum wbt

hmm... I put an article in atu4's forum page but one of my friend commented that he did not understand it -- I didn't at first, because it was part of a whole long article. But my attention was to present the fact that intent and intention are 2 different thing in our lives. 'Allahualam...

Is it wrong to be more educated than other people, more educated than men are? why men prefer women who are less educated or have the same level of education as them? Do the feel inferior with the fact that woman can earn more than them (but more education doesn't imply higher income, not all the time)?

hmm...

The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: so make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy. [Al - Hujurat:10]

O ye who believe! let not some men among you laugh at others: it may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): nor let some women laugh at others: it may be that the (latter) are better than the (former): nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames: ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed: and those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong.[Al - Hujurat:11]

loud and clear! no nicknaming people, no laughing at other's fawl and no hurting of each other physically or emotionally. Brotherhood and Sisterhood -- great idea for surviving in this cruel world. How may one get help? from the government? yeah.. occasionally, from neighbor? well... sometime you never see them, surely from sisters and brothers in Islam (if you're muslim and likewise in any other religion).

We cannot expect much from people when we give almost nothing to them either! heh... life isn't that easy beb! need to be tougher and stronger each day, and everyday we face different experiences hence forced us to be prepared all the time =)

'Allahualam...

assalamualeikum wbt

Kites on Ice event is going on in MEndota Lake. I went there this morning before I went for work. It is fabulous to see such colorful and creative kites surrounded by kids who loved it =) and I finally walked ON the lake! subhanallah....

assalamualeikum wbt

what I learned from the cassette -- I was listening to two lecture from Tuan Guru Dato' Nik Aziz earlier. In one cassette he was talking about talking the truth in Malay, Bercakap Benar.

Tuan Guru mostly gave talk based on the Quran or the Hadith and it is amazing, Allahuakbar. For example, he talked about ways we could tell lies and in which situation the lies is not a sin. Tuan Guru emphsized that even when you heard from someone else and then repeat what you heard to another person, you're considered lying. It is called khabar angin in Malay. Why is it prohibited? Because it is not sure wheter the thing that we heard is true or not YET and it could create a big mess after that.

Also, when we are praying, if we do understand the meaning of each ayah that we were reading, for example in the first few ayah after we takbeer, we agreed that we will concentrate ourselves only to Allah but we simply lying when we actually thinking about sth else such as girlfriend/boyfriend, what to eat after this and etc.

It is ok to lie if your lies can save lives of the innocents. It is also fine to tell lies when you are trying to make peace between two enemies whether it is two big countries or simply between two friends.

Tuan Guru gave many sirah throughout his lecture and it helps in understanding the concept and the teaching.

Another Tuan Guru's lecture titled Luas Sempitnya Kubur but I listened to only half of it. InsyaAllah will try to finish the cassette soon.

May Allah forgive me for any wrong word that I have written. May Allah bless us all, ameen...

Salam Aidiladha

assalamualeikum wbt

just got back from a 'on the spot' meeting at Kak Sah's house. Intresting yet redundant... Allahualam.... May Allah forgive me for all my mistakes

BTW, If you happen to walk in Memorial Library, there's a small exhibition by the inspection entry about Digital Content Group (DCG), which I am working with right now. Also, here's the link to our website and details of what I do - http://uwdcc.library.wisc.edu/index.html

Feel free to browse through and remember, most of the pages were scanned by me =) hehehe...

Come on la bebeh.. grow up! The thing that you're keep doing is very very childish! we're in our teen-adult period, not kindergarden time! May Allah guide us through the right path ameen...

For those who are going back for good to Malaysia, I would like to wish yall GOOD LUCK with EVERYTHING! Life in Malaysia isn't any better than here... be careful ALWAYS! Luv yall, and InsyaAllah if time permits, we WILL meet again! Take care bebehs....

it is now 2:49 am and I could not YET close my eyes =(
Abg Rahman from Chicago is coming tomorrow to pick up boxes - me, Pab, Nany, Syu and Lis wanna ship some stuff back home. Apparently I have lots more boxes than some of them... haiyaaa....

I missed my niece la... how? looking at her picture made me very sad - I miss many parts of her life. I hope she'll become a good person InsyaAllah... How do you think Malaysians are educating their children? ARe they following the sunnah? Is it effective?

It depends, I would say. Family background and MONEY play roles here - bitter but true! Just be friend with anybody and learn sth from each of them. That's how you gain life experiences. You don't say you have the most knowledge about life when what you did is just sitting in front of the computer and chatting and watching bad stuff. heh...

OK, time to sleep! Have a good saturday everyone! May Allah bless us all! take care...

assalamualeikum wbt

assalamualeikum wbt

alhamdulillah... How's everybody doing? sth struck you? just act cool, that'll help! =)
I read this article earlier and it is of my interest - secularism vs. Islam

Secularism is defined in the Webster dictionary as: "A system of doctrines and practices that rejects any form of religious faith and worship" or "The belief that religion and ecclesiastical affairs should not enter into the function of the state especially into public education."

There is no doubt that secularism contradicts Islam in every aspect. They are two different paths that never meet; choosing one means rejecting the other. Hence, whoever chooses Islam has to reject secularism. In the following, we go in the details of explaining why.

1- First, secularism makes lawful what Allah has made unlawful.

The Rule of Allah (Shari`ah) is compulsory and has basic laws and regulations that cannot be changed. Some of these laws are concerned with the acts of worship, the relations between men and women, etc.

What is the position with regard to these laws?

Secularism makes adultery lawful if the male and the female are consenting adults.

As for Riba (interest on money), it is the basis of all financial transactions in secular economies. On the contrary, Allah says (s.2 A. 278): "O you who believe, fear Allah and leave what comes from Riba if you are believers. If you do not do so, then wait for a war from Allah and His Messenger."

As for alcohol, all secular systems allow the consumption of alcohol and make selling it a lawful business.

2- Second, secularism is clear unbelief (Kufr).

Secularism is based on separating religion from all the affairs of this life and hence, it rules by law and regulations other than Allah's laws. Hence, secularism rejects Allah's rules with no exception and prefers regulations other than Allah's and His Messenger's. In fact, many secularists claim that Allah's laws might have been suitable for the time they were revealed but are now outdated.

As a result, most of the laws governing the daily affairs of life in the countries ruled by secular systems contradict Islam. Allah says (S.5 A.50): "Do they seek a judgment of Ignorance? But, who, for a people whose faith is assured, can give better judgment than Allah?"

Ibn Katheer said in the Tafseer of this verse that Allah is denouncing those who reject His ruling and accept other rulings that are not based on the Shari`ah of Allah. Whoever does so is indeed a non-believer. Indeed, belief in Allah can never go with the acceptance of other than His rulings in one's heart. Allah says (S.5 A.44): "If any do fail to judge by what Allah has revealed, they are non-believers."

From the above, the status of secularism and its relation to Islam are clear. But the ignorance about the Islamic truth is still dominating the Muslim's mind. Most secular systems repeat slogans like "no religion in politics and no politics in religion" or "religion is for Allah, and the state is for the people." Such sayings portray their view of Islam as a religion to be practiced in the mosque only, and that it should not be allowed to rule life outside the mosque. Furthermore, they try to deceive people with democratic slogans like "personal freedom" and "people governing people." That means that people come first and no place is made for the ruling of Allah.

This is why secularism is clear Kufr, this is why secular systems have no legality and authority and should be rejected by Muslims.

Islam is a way of life - dunno why this phrase came up!? maybe it's always been used by people to demonstrate true believe. Heh... headache! headache! headache!

let us get away from secularism and live with the teaching of Al - Quran and As Sunnah insyaAllah..

assalamualeikum wbt

trip to DC was greeeaaattt =) I finally met my dearest friend - LIN! alhamdulillah... change not a bit, sweet girl with principal ;) hehe... nice to see you girl! and also my other atu4 friends wooo.... everybody is outstanding, ready to rule the world! yeahhhh... hehe... rindunye saye pada kalian semua...

I got sick on my way back to Madison and the flight attendant gave me aspirin. I was fine that night but the day after was terrible - worst day! Thanks to Ijan and Dave for your help and support! =)

Now I work almost 6 hours everyday until the end of winter break; call my mom almost everyday but the phonecard is not very friendly these days... WHY? WHY? WHY?

Life is empty without people around you - whoever mention about how wonderful life is ALONE is a true liar. How would you go for a day without talking a single word to another human being? especially the girls, HOW? ahaha... We always heard people say "we are nothing without the others" and yes, it is true.

Ya Allah! Tetapkanlah imanku, kuatkanlah semangatku, teguhkanlah pendirianku, selamatkanlah aku didunia dan akhirat... ameen

assalamualeikum wbt

cds of cinta kolestrol, laukku cukup masin, emak aku bini aku, paling comel and majlis khatam Quran Surau Perumahan Polis Jerantut - my sister was part of the event! is here! terima kasih banyak-banyak eka! and to alisa -- where's your letter? isk...

tomorrow math 441 final, May Allah make it easy for me.. ameen...

assalamualeikum wbt

sad, no! it's a tragic! what? no idea!
Ya Allah tabahkanlah aku, tetapkanlah imanku, teguhkanlah pendirianku Ya Allah.. Hanya padaMu aku berserah, hanya padaMu aku memohon ampun dan maaf.... tabahkanlah aku Ya Allah... ameen

sesungguhnya tidak ada apa yang dapat membuat aku bahagia daripada melihat rakan-rakan aku lebih bahagia dariku.
dan sesungguhnya tidak ada yang membuat aku dukacita daripada melihat rakan-rakanku lebih berdukacita dariku.
aku berdoa moga kita semua diberkati Allah dan sentiasa berada dalam lingkungan rahmatNya
jika ada silap dan salah yang pastinya dari diri yang tidak pernah akan sempurna ini,
aku mohon kemaafan dan keberkatan
andai ada makan dan minum yang aku telan, halalkanlah
sesungguhnya aku ini antara hamba Allah yang berusaha kearah keredhaanNya dan bersusah payah mempersembahkan yang terbaik buat kalian semua
maafkan dan berkatilah aku didunia dan akhirat
insyaAllah

I know I should have learned from the past but I didn't. I know it will end just like before but I ignored it. I always put myself in THE situation. WHY? why khairulbariah? Don't you have a brain? Don't you?

GooD LucK for finals everyone!

the art of giving and receiving is something that everyone should master on. It's nice and it's handy at times! Ya Allah rindunya pada mak, abah dan adik-adik....

assalamualeikum wbt

happy eid to all! Alhamdulillah we're able to live through the month of Ramadan and InsyaAllah this month was filled with 'ibadah - lillahita'ala ... 'Allahualam..

My housemates and I held a small gathering on second day of Syawal - lots of people came Alhamdulillah! I cooked some rice, chicken and desserts. It was nice and not at all tiring, Praise to Allah, the Almighty!

The very next day, we went to Kak Intan's house for another Eid gathering and AGAIN we ate lots and lots of food. Thanks to Kak Intan and family. May Allah bless you, your family and all of us ameen...

I went to Chicago - Prime Outlet on the way, bought chicken and turkey, had lunch at Penang Restaurant, Had a to go Halal KFC, Gurney Mills and finally headed back to Madison. I had fun! :-) Bought some dish set for my aunt and some stuff for myself too. Alhamdulillah....

Last night we invited our beloved seniors who are going to graduate soon (dec 2003) to our apt and served them turkey. Syu also helps with her spagethi, thanks Syu! Indeed another nice gathering! I wish all of you best of luck here and in future InsyaAllah... Please pray for my success too! ameen...

There was an accident in jalan Kuala Lipis-Merapoh between 2 buses. 14 passed away and lots were injured. Whose fault was that? The driver? The road condition? 'Allahualam... May they rest in peace ameen... Al Fatihah

Nuthin' much to say anymore except that I love my family so much that anyone could ever imagine. Thank you mak, abah and adik-adik, for your love, your support, your understanding and your care. InsyaAllah I'll be there whenever you needed me... May Allah bless us all! ameen...

astaghfirullah..... what a test -- my friend's dad was arrrested for receiving money from another party 2 days ago. The only reason the other party planning such revenge was because my friend's dad put his son in jail for drug abused. May Allah helps you and your family my dear...

They brought up the issu of police officers beating the captives in prison but did they ever wondered why? Who initiated the first action? Then the raping issue - If everyone knows the cell's layout than you know how impossible that was! There are many ways people want to put you down, it is worst for the police personel since once you got a case, you'll be automatically drawn out of job! Don't they realize that police also have families, sometimea big family to support?

I strongly disagree with the accuses - police beating innocent, raping innocent etc. Innocent? why are they in there in the first place? Ya Allah... tetapkanlah imanku, teguhkan pendirianku, selamatkanlah keluargaku, keluarga rakanku dari segala bencana... ampunkanlah dosa-dosa kami, selamatkanlah kami diduani dan diakhirat.. ameen

Suratan Atau Kebetulan

Sesuatu yang tak disangka
Seringkali mendatangi kita
Itukah suratan dalam kehidupan
Atau sekadar satu kebetulan

Kita asyik membicarakan
Persoalan hidup dan pilihan
Serta kejujuran semakin berkurang
Masih tiada bertemu jawapan

Walau kita dihadapkan dengan berbagai pilihan
Mengapa sering terjadi
Pilihan tak menepati
Hingga amat menakutkan menghadapi masa depan
Seolah olah terhapus sebuah kehidupan yang kudus

Pertemuan sekali ini
Bagi diriku amat bererti
Tetapi ku bimbang untuk menyatakan
Bimbang kan berulang kesilapan

fate - how much do you believe in your fate? were you suppose to believe in fate or should you be blamed for your own doings? abstract yet explainable... right?

Allah is the Creator and He already have plans for each of His creation. Believe it or not, everything that takes place a minute ago, right now and even a minute after this is in Allah's hand. If so, why are there differences in human being? why some people suffer while others live happily? Well, if we look back at surah Al - Ankabut : 1-3 -- "(1)Alif Lam Mim(2)Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, "We believe," and that they will not be tested? (3)We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false."

yep... life is a test - a big test like our final test but bigger! Who passes the test is a true believer and who doesn't is false. Maintaining one's Iman and Taqwa is not an easy job. It is a process which required constant practice of Ibadah and good deeds. It is a complex system for human being, for Muslim to decide which side are they on. Gerun tak? I'm the one who is writing pun rasa gerun yg amat... Ya Allah ampunkanlah dosa-dosaku, kedua ibu bapaku, selamatkanlah kami didunia dan diakhirat... ameen....

Allahuakbar! Allahuakbar! Allahuakbar!

assalamualeikum wbt

I had Math 441 exam this morning. Apparently the cheat sheet isn't helping as much as it should! why? why? What is congruence to 3^147 (mod 221)? Is the set (G *) on Integers with operation subtraction a-b acting on the set, a group? aiyakk...

I saw Nur - sweet little girl maybe 5-6 years old at iftar AND her cute little sister 'Aishah who is around 1- 1 1/2 old. How cute.... We had baby lamb stuffed with rice on the table... MasyaAllah... it was very nice.. May Allah bless the individuals who prepared all the food ameen...

Next important event on my list would be my Math 340 exam which is coming next Wednesday. Huhuhu... please pray for my success dear readers...

Received eid card from Pucon. Thanks... :-) If anyone wants to send me eid card you can send to:

Khairulbariah Khairuddin
903 W Badger Rd Apt 7
Madison WI 53713 US

or just send e-card to comelsikit@hotmail.com

BTW, I don't mind receiving the cards after eid! hehe... thanks...

What would you do during this last ten days of Ramadan? I noticed a friend's nickname in MSN messanger; it says "gear 3 to gear 4" and I assumed he meant by his 'ibadah for this precious last tend ays of Ramadan. On one of these nights, Lailatulqadar will appears. The exact day and time have never been mentioned in the quran because it is a very special night. To ensure that we don't missed this night, we pray and recite the quran more often than we do during this last ten days. What a bless for all of us - Allah is so Ar - Rahman to give us such a night... Alhamdulillah

Yes... We should be better than we were yesterday and we should be better tomorrow than we are today, right? Let say we are trying to lessen the number of songs we listen to everyday. So yesterday we listened to 10 songs, today we listen to 9 songs and tommorow perhaps we will listen to only 8. That's an improvement though in small amount. It does matter since every deed even as small as an atom will be counted by Him.

I love my friends... SubhanaAllah... they help me a lot in living my life! Thank you so much all my friends... May everyone be blessed...

Enough for today - Jom baca Quran!

Ya Allah... Kau tetapkanlah imanku, teguhkanlah pendirianku Ya Allah... Janganlah Kau sesatkan aku Ya Allah.. Tabahkanlah hatiku Ya Allah... Hanya padaMu aku berserah, hanya padaMu aku memohon ampun dan maaf... ameen.

What if we could go back in time and tried to make things work better? what if we could easily erase our memories and start over and over again as new person, with empty mind? would that be a wonderful thing to happen in one's life? or not?

if u can't make others like you, at least don't make them hate you...

InsyaAllah...

assalamualeikum wbt

alhamdulillah... today's iftar went very very well! we ate lots and lots of food.. alhamdulillah... attendances are satisfying too! what a bless from Allah.. alhamdulillah... what did you do today? are you fasting?

I asked some friends to promote about Entertainment Night which is coming this December... and I also gave out some of my cloth collections. I feel so good, Thank You Allah!

Please recite dua' for me if I passed away.. please pray for me... thanks...

We cannot expect a perfect friend. Instead we learn from our friends weaknesses and if we could, we try to help our friend overcome it. There's nothing wrong with our friend actually, they are just different from us! There's small chances one could share the same behavior, same favorite with the other person. Should we hate our friend from being different from us? NO! we should accept it, because our friend also accepting us for our differences. Right?

There are two types of friend in this world -- one that builds you, the other ruins you! (I wrote about this before) How could you know which one is your friend? 'Allahualam... look deeper, think maturer (is there such word) and pray to Allah for guidance... insyaAllah then u'll know. Please and please be careful, don't regret later! 'Allahualam...

assalamualeikum wbt

why do people change? Why does one could be happy, friendly and joyful at one time but sad, evil and isolated at another time? why?

It is hard to cope with new thing, isn't it? Like say, you change from smoking to not smoking -- you will suffer a lot during the transition time. But soon after you've fit in, you'll find it easier, right? I think it does apply to friendship too. Let say, one time you were very close to this particular person, and another time you weren't instead you try to be close with another friend, you'll find it difficult to get along because you have been immunize (I would say) with your old friend. What you need to do, is to have patience and try to learn about your new friend and soon become close.

Why not legalized your marriage? What if something came up and is involving you rights and you couldn't stand for it. What if your partner died on his way to put your money in the bank. Who will have the right to own the money now? What if your partner treated you like hell and is constantly torturing you mentally and phisycally? To whom shall you report about it? Why would he do that to you?

odd numbers is bad, even is better. When you have odd numbers you'll be left behind.

1 question:
Masih adakah lelaki-lelaki yang berani meminang wanita-wanita tanpa terlebih dahulu bercinta dengan mereka? I like the concept of love after marriage, it sounds very sweet. Plus, you wouldn't catch yourself doing sins and you get to do anything you want since you both are already husband and wife.

assalamualeikum wbt

My fellow friend and her best friend passed away last Sunday after being hit by a pick up truck on her way back from Iftar at Ann Abor Islamic Center. Her name is Norhananim Zainol and her friend's name is Teh Nannie Roshema Roslan. It is quiet shocking but it is all in God's hand... 'Allahualam..

Few days following her death wasn't easy for me and I bet for other people who knew her as well, especially her parents. She was a very good girl, doing her own thing and excellent in school. It's a good thing that she passed away in this holly month of Ramadan insyaAllah....

will always miss her...

Today in class we have discussion on Malay/Indonesian Literature. Prof. Sarah Atis headed the discussion and showed us a video on bibiliography of one of the famous Indonesian writer. The writer's name is Pramoedya Ananta Toer.

Pramoedya Ananta Toer was born on March 2nd, 1925 somewhere in Indonesia. He experiences inferiority complexes, low-respect and always think of himself as a failure. His condition in the houseand outside the house made him more miserable. He is the eldest from 8 siblings and he describes himself as slow. It takes him 10 years to finish elementary school and his father always refer to him as 'Budak Bodoh' or stupid boy.

After completing his elementary school, he feels like opted to continue his study and meet his father about it, instead his father asked him to go back to elementary school. He did so, but one of his teacher, Mr. Amir asked him, "what were you doing here? Haven't you graduated?" Right after that, he took all his paper and pencils and run out of the class to his home. HE stopped by a cemetery and found a tree near by, he hug to the tree and scream to himself. That was his most lonely point in his life he said.

His mother died when he was 17 years old. He was the one who takes care of her mother when she was sick, prepared food for his other siblings and finally buried her. He remembered his mother advice, " Jangan sekali-kali memintak-mintak" and because of this he never asked help from anyone but settled his mother himself. His father become weaken after his mother's death and start gambling and drinking. BTW, his father was also a nationalist.

He went to Belanda/ Netherland soon after and met a Belanda girl and went out with her. He had sex with this girl and after he had sex with her that he feel free, he feel equal with everybody. He is very thankful to this BElanda girl for that.

He was in prison from Dutch rulling around 1965, Sukarno's and Suharto's. He was released from prison on Dec 1979. He had bad experience while in prison but he continued writing. He smuggled his writing through priests, prisonmate and other people who came and visit him when he was in prison.

He had his lowest point in life in prison. He starred at the wall and said, "Tuhan, kalau aku ini sudah tidak berguna kepada dunia, Kau ambillah nyawa aku" and then, he saw a Tiger image on the wall wanted to eat him but he is not afraid. He heard question, "Siapakah kau sebenarnya?" and "Apa yang kau mahu sebenarnya?" Those questions have not been answered till present.

Ignored my grammar and just regard the contents. I do think he has an intresting life. He build himself up from his own negative attitude. He live up till now trying to free Indonesia via literature and help people understand what they are going true exactly. People who understand him will agree but those who doesn't will always stand against him. 'Allahualam...

Arwah's family must be very sad waiting for their body returned to Malaysia. It has been like 4-5 days prior to their death but they are still on the earth. May Allah bless them and all of us ameen...

It's just weird, when at a time u have someone then at another time, she was gone, not for a short period but for rest of your life. I will miss u my friend. Halalkanlah semua perkara dan maafkanlah kib for everything. I'll do the same for you too. InsyaAllah...

assalamualeikum wbt

I observed some bad behavior,
(I am using feminin identifier since it is easier. It might happen among boys too)

(1) let say a friend told you a secret or about her problem or sth that should be just between you and her. And then when you meet with your other friend, you simply start the conversation with your friend story.

(2) You talk to this girl very nicely and friendly. Then, when you meet your other friend you would be like, "I hate her so much!" or simply just "she is crazy!" etc. etc.

(3) Someone ask for your help, and you would be like "ok, I can do that!" but then you keep cursing and complaining about it behind the person who ask for help.

(4) You don't want to do anything, but at the same time you are complaining about what others are doing! For example, you don't want to help clean the toilet but you are being sarcastic when others only clean the sink.

What the heck?

that's faking dude! that's hurt! even hurting when you treat her as your buddy but she talked behind your back. It's even worse because it is Ramadhan right now. Man, what were you thinking!

Imagine dude, you trust this person very much that you tell her everything but she is talking about you behind your back. Moreover, she makes others fight between them! She told her friend that girl is bla bla, then she go to the other person and said bla bla bla... both get upset and then get into fight!

aaaarrgghhh....... what an imagination!?

beware my friends,

there are two types of friends in this world - one that helps build you, the other one will ruins you. How and when they do it? Well, you will never knew unless you start being careful from now on. Sometime you think that she is doing good for you, but think twice dude! she might be taking advantage of you, that's her propaganda! hahaha... why am I such a negative thinker? am I that person? think twice dude!

jangan makan daging sendiri nanti....

take care...

assalamualeikum wbt

Ramadhan Mubarak everyone!!!
It's already the seventh day guys! alhamdulillah.. So how's life treating everybody? How many terawih u did every night? How much charity u already gave out? Did you feed the poor people?

As for me, a studying hard student ;-) I go to the Islamic Center for breaking fast. Everyday there'll be individuals cooking food for the singles. How nice they are!... may Allah bless them all.... There's one day where we had quarter of a whole chicken with rice! alhamdulillah... it was so goodd.... :-)

Why do we fast? When did people first start fasting? Unfortunately I don't have enough sources to present the answers to the above questions :-( But if anyone have any, please share....

I wish to invite all sisters here to break fast at my place, hang out and do some stuff, pray together, eat together of course! :-) and then we could talk about life! about good deeds! eh? I think that would be nice, what do you all think?

Have a pleasant ramadhan. Cope with the struggle! InsyaAllah...

A Watched pot never boils

"A watched pot never boils." Now imagine a tiny, quantum-size "pot of water" being heated on a really tiny stove. We all know pots of water boil, given a few minutes or so. You would certainly think the watched quantum pot would also boil. It turns out, however, that if you vigilantly watch the pot, it will never boil. In fact, all vigilantly watched "quantum pots" never boil, even if they are heated forever. The only requirement for this to happen is that observers must have the intent to see the object in its initial state. This intent is determined by the frequency of their observations. The observers must look repeatedly in very short time intervals to find the object in the same state. Suppose physicists don't watch vigilantly, or suppose they do, but with the intent of seeing the quantum pot boil naturally. Then what? If the physicists look intermittently, expecting it to boil eventually, the pot will follow its natural course and will boil. Infrequent observations have little effect on the result. Or if the physicists wish, they may vigilantly observe the object along its natural evolution and will observe the same result. In other words, a watched pot boils if you intend it to.

Finally, there is another bizarre aspect to all this. What if you want the watched pot to do something weird? If your intent to observe that occurrence is vigilant enough, the object actually will follow the strange path. Hence a watched pot boils on a cake of ice, if you intend it to.

Here I need to point out that "intent" and "intentions" are not the same thing. By "intent," I am referring to a person's active observation. To make what you desire come true you need to pursue your vision vigorously, not passively dream about it and hope it will come true. If this "watched-pot" theory turns out to be correct at the human level, then our desires and accompanying actions are what actually govern our daily lives. Luck has nothing to do with it.

Fred Alan Wolf is the National Book Award-winning author of Taking the Quantum Leap.

Assalamualeikum wbt

Menemui sahabat-sahabat yang diingati selalu….
Dah lama rasanya tak berkomunikasi either secara messenger atau face to face kan? Jadi macam mana semuanya? Harap semua dalam lingkungan rahmat-Nya serta aman dan sejahtera selalu.

InsyaAllah panjang umur, murah rezeki tak lama lagi dpt la kita ‘berjumpa’ dengan bulan Ramdhan yang mana ialah satu bulan yang penuh dengan kerahmatan dan satu bulan dimana syaitan-syaitan ‘diikat’ supaya membolehkan kita beribadata dengan bersungguh-sungguh dan membuktikan bahawa setiap perbuatan kita adalah dari kehendak dna ‘nafs’ kita sendiri, betul?

Persiapan menyambut Ramadhan? Sekadar ingin berkongsi pengalaman berpuasa di Madison tercinta ini…

Sekarang bulan Syaaban, disunatkan berpuasa (ada bermacam-macam hadith berkenaan tuntutan sunat berpuasa dlm bulan ini, boleh rujuk sendiri). Masih ada masa beberapa hari lagi tapi jangan pula berpuasa pada hari syak nanti (iaitu 29 Syaaban) yer.

Bagi yang duduk di dormitory, susah nak berbuka yer? Kesian… ada beberapa option utk berbuka puasa, antaranya:

1) mendaftarkan diti untuk Iftar di Islamic Center (dekat dgn rumah Gavin dan Sollihein) yang mana juadah berbuka disediakan hampir setiap petang (kecuali hujung minggu) – keterangan lanjut akan menyusul beberapa hari lg!

2) Bagi hujung minggu pula, bolehlah mengikuti perkembangan semasa tentang majlis-majlis berbuka puasa PERCUMA anjuran either MISA, MSA atau Islamic Center sendiri. Jangan lepaskan peluang merasa daging kambing, nasi beriyani dari middle eastern countries and also from Pakistan, heh.

Solat terawih – antara perbuatan-perbuatan sunat dalam bulan Ramadhan. Kalau di Islamic Center memang tiap-tiap malam insyaAllah diadakan solat terawih, juga di masjid As Sunnah. Kalau rajin boleh tunaikan 21 rakaat penuh, kalau kurang mampu bolehlah dibuat beberapa yang mampu.

Persediaan mental dan fizikal – hussshhhh.. payah ni! Tp naseb baik sekarang cuaca dingin dan waktu siang pendek (bertuahnya kita kan!?). Minum air banyak-banyak, kalau dah tahu tak mampu nak bertahan disiang hari, bersahurlah walau hanya dengan seteguk air. Harap gunakanlah dengan sebaik-baiknya, insyaAllah…

Kalau ada yang belum habis ganti puasa tu, cepat-cepat la ganti yer (ditujukan kepada kedua-dua kaum tidak hanya satu). Kalau ada perkara yang ragu-ragu, eloklah bertanya kpd yang lebih tahu atau berbincang sesama rakan dan buat rujukan bersama-sama.

Itulah sahaja coretan kali ini.

Moga diberkati-Nya

assalamualeikum wbt

It is Sunday afternoon and I am suppose to study but I don't! heh... what a confession eh? I'll have Anthro exam on Monday -- May Allah make it easy for me.... insyaAllah

Atok is leaving to Pasir Puteh, Kelantan Monday night along with Pak Lang! iskk.... hope he could stay a little bit longer at mak's house and grow fatter! hehe... At least atok made his round trip to visit all of his relatives! gud atok! you're an achiever! hehe... How's my cute little niece doing? hope she's doing fine insyaAllah...

I think the MISA's comittee reallly having a critical situation reagrding members involvement via website and mailing list until bro Hakim need to explain his experiences! I don't know if that is going to help or not since the mailing list is still 'quiet' shame on me, shame on me....

my mak want me to experiment sth la... but I insisted not to because I don't think I am that strong to face the consequences... but I would try it soon! hehe... thanks mak! hehe... (mother-daugther secret nih!) hahahaha....

why do I laugh so much today!? hmm... I'm really into Mazu's lasagna maybe... It really made me want to sleep though I ate only a piece of it! it taste very2 good! everyone should taste it la.... hehe...

meow meow... aum aum... nyam nyam...
Aseks, who is anim? new girl eh? gud2! at least u're moving on! am happy for u! heh... history will always remained.....

that's all for today! If I write another line, it would be about gender which I don't want to! heh....

wish me luck for exam! thank you.

assalamualeikum wbt

nuthin' much to say except that I have exam this coming Friday -- Math 441. May Allah make it easy on me... ameen... My grandpa visits my family back in Jerantut. He asks my mom to bring him to Negeri Sembilan because he wanted to meet his reltives and friends there. I think he misses my arwah grandma and her grave is in NS. That's why he wanted to go there.... 'Allahualam....

I am still here...
Oh, I already wrote the reflection paper! It's 3 pages long and it is NOT intresting, seriously! heh... I just mumbled and wandering off the topic but I like it... at least I did understand the story. BTW, the title of the story is "Women in Fear" by Inaam Kachachi and Iranian journalist who is now living in Paris.

Today we had 2 presenters on 2 stories from Iranian writers too! The titles for both are "The Native Boy" and "Love". Both are 20 pages long, so I didn't really read all of them, instead just jumping right to the end and made my own conclusion which is not quiet as sophisticated / complex (hahaha...) as others in my class.

How do you deal with a drinker, well a Muslim drinker? How would you go to him and ask him to stop drinking and at the same time make him understand that I am doing so for his own sake? Howwwww...?

What is the meaning of LOVE and SURRENDER ?
(Why did I ask the meaning of both word at the same time?) I don't know myself but both words seem to relate to each other, but I don't know how and where. For example,

I LOVE MYSELF
I SURRENDER MYSELF

hmm.. is it making any sense at all? I don't think so. What about

I LOVE GOD
I SURRENDER GOD

hmm.. 'Allahualam....

I don't have any article for today, but I do want to emphasize that I AM A MUSLIM alhamdulillah.... :-)

Sleeping and missing salaat al-fajr

A brother complained: ¡§I miss salaat al-Ffjr on most days, and I hardly ever pray it at the right time. Usually I do not wake up until after the sun has risen, or at best I wake up after the time for praying fajr in jamaa¡¦ah. I have tried to wake up at the right time, with no success. What is the solution to this problem?¡¨

All praise be to Allah. The solution to this problem, like others, has two aspects: theoretical and practical.

The theoretical aspect may be further broken down into two points:

(1) The Muslim should know the great status of salaat al-fajr in the sight of Allah, may He be glorified. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ¡§Whoever prays the dawn prayer in congregation, it is as if he had prayed the whole night long.¡¨ (Muslim, p. 454, no. 656; al-Tirmidhi, 221).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said: ¡§The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are salaat al-¡¦isha¡¦ and salaat al-fajr, but if they only knew what they contain, they would come even if they had to crawl.¡¨ (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 2/424; Saheeh al-Jaami¡¦, 133).

¡§Whoever prays fajr is under the protection of Allah. Do not put yourselves in a situation where Allah has to call you to account for your negligence.¡¨ (Reported by al-Tabaraani, 7/267; Saheeh al-Jaami¡¦, no. 6344).

¡§Angels come to you in shifts by night and by day. They meet at salaat al-fajr and salaat al-¡¥asr, then those who had stayed with you at night ascend, and are asked by the One Who knows better than they: ¡¥How did you find My servants?¡¦ They say, ¡¥We left them when they were praying, and we came to them when they were praying.¡¦¡¨ (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 2/33).

¡§The best of prayers in the sight of Allah is the dawn prayer on Friday, in congregation.¡¨ (Reported by Abu Na¡¦eem in al-Hilyah, 7/207, and in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1566).

According to a saheeh hadeeth: ¡§Whoever prays al-Bardayn will enter Paradise.¡¨ (Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 2/52). Al-Bardayn are fajr and ¡¥asr.

(2) The Muslim should understand the seriousness of missing salaat al-fajr. This is explained by the hadeeth already quoted:

¡§The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are salaat al-¡¦isha¡¦ and salaat al-Fajr¡K¡¨

In al-Saheeh, it is reported that Ibn ¡¥Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: ¡§If we did not see a person at fajr and ¡¥isha¡¦ prayers, we would think badly of him.¡¨ (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Mu¡¦jam al-Kabeer, 12/271. Al-Haythami said, the men of al-Tabaraani are muwaththaqoon (trustworthy). al-Majma¡¦, 2/40). They thought badly of a person who was absent from these two prayers because regular performance of them is an indication of a person¡¦s faith and a measure of his sincerity. Other prayers may be easier to do because they are more convenient to a person¡¦s circumstances and fit in with his work and his sleep, but only those who are determined and sincere, people whom one hopes are good people, will be able to pray fajr and ¡¥isha¡¦ regularly in congregation.

Another hadeeth which indicates the seriousness of missing salaat al-fajr is: ¡§Whoever prays fajr is under the protection of Allah. Do not put yourselves in a situation where Allah has to call you to account for your negligence, because whoever finds himself in this situation will be sorted out and then thrown on his face in the Fire of Hell.¡¨ (Reported by Muslim, p. 454).

These two points are sufficient to guarantee that the Muslim¡¦s heart will burn with the concern to ensure that he does not miss fajr. The first motivates him to strive to earn the reward for fajr, and the second acts as a warning that will deter him from committing the sin of negligence.

The practical aspect of dealing with this problem includes a number of steps which the Muslim can take in order to get used to performing salaat al-fajr regularly in congregation. These steps include:

„h Sleeping early. According to a saheeh hadeeth, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to dislike sleeping before ¡¥isha¡¦ and talking afterwards. The Muslim should not sleep before salaat al-¡¦isha¡¦ because it is obvious that most of those who sleep before it will spend the rest of the night feeling so tired and heavy that it will be as if they are ill.

„h Also, the Muslim should not talk after ¡¥isha¡¦, and the scholars have explained the reason why doing so is disliked: it is because doing so leads to people staying up late, which in turns leads to the fear that they will sleep and miss qiyaam al-layl, or the correct or preferred time for fajr prayer.
The kind of talk that is disliked after ¡¥isha¡¦, as the commentators explain, is that in which there is no clear benefit, but if there is some benefit ¡V such as studying and gaining knowledge, learning stories of righteous people, speaking to a guest, spending time with one¡¦s wife and family, speaking to travellers and taking care of them and their luggage, or any other permissible reason ¡V then there is nothing wrong with it. This has no connection with the reasons for which many people stay up late nowadays, to do wrong and commit sin! So the Muslim should sleep early, so that he can wake up refreshed to pray fajr and avoid the kind of late nights that make him too tired to get up and pray fajr in congregation.

„h It is a fact that people differ with regard to their need for sleep, so it is not possible to dictate a set number of hours that people should sleep, but each person should stick to the time that will give him enough sleep to wake up refreshed for salaat al-fajr. If a person knows from experience that sleeping after 11 p.m., for example, will mean that he cannot get up for fajr, then from an Islamic point of view he should not sleep any later than that¡K and so on.

„h Making sure that one is clean (taahir) and reciting adhkaar (prayers) before sleeping. This helps a person to get up for fajr.

„h Having a sincere intention and being determined, when going to sleep, that one will get up for fajr. But a person who goes to sleep hoping that the alarm will not go off, and that no one will come and wake him up, will not ¡V with such a corrupt intention ¡V be able to get up to pray fajr whilst he still has this bad intention.

„h Remembering Allah as soon as one wakes up. Some people may initially wake up, then they go back to sleep again. But if a person remembers Allah straight after waking up, this will loosen one of the knots of Shaytaan, and will motivate him to get up. When he performs wudoo¡¦, his determination becomes stronger, and Shaytaan is driven further away, and when he prays, his shaytaan is defeated, his balance (of good deeds) becomes heavier, and he will feel happy and energetic.

„h Seeking help from one¡¦s family and friends to pray fajr, and encouraging one another in this regard. This is essential, and is undoubtedly included in the words of Allah (interpretation of the meanings):
¡§¡K Help you one another in al-birr and al-taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety)¡K¡¨ [al-Maa¡¦idah 5:2]
¡§By al-¡¥asr (time). Verily! Man is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth and recommend one another to patience.¡¨ [al-¡¥Asr 103:1-3]

„h The Muslim should encourage his wife, for example by waking her up to pray fajr, and she should encourage him, no matter how tired and exhausted he may be. Children should also seek their father¡¦s help to wake up, so he can wake them when it is time for the prayer. No father should say ¡§They have exams, they are tired, let them sleep, poor kids.¡¨ It is a mistake to think that be doing this one is being a kind and merciful parent; true parental mercy means that the father wakes them up to worship Allah. ¡§And enjoin al-salaah (the prayer) on your family, and be patient in offering them (the prayers)¡K¡¨ [Ta-Ha 20:132 ¡V interpretation of the meaning].

„h Just as family members should help and encourage one another to pray fajr, so brothers in Islam can also help one another. For example, university students living in the same residence or neighbours in the same neighbourhood can help one another by knocking on a neighbour¡¦s door to wake him for prayer and helping him to worship Allah.

„h Praying to Allah to help him to wake up to pray fajr in congregation. Du¡¦aa¡¦ is one of the greatest sources of strength and success in all things.

„h Using various means of being woken up, such as alarm clocks. These should be put in the most appropriate place. Some people put the alarm clock next to their head, and when it rings, they turn if off at once and go straight back to sleep. Such a person should put the clock a little further away, so that he can feel that it is really waking him up.

One can also arrange to receive alarm calls from the telephone company, and no Muslim should think that it is too much to pay for this service if he needs it, because this is spending in the way of Allah, and waking up to obey the command of Allah cannot be measured in terms of worldly wealth.

„h Throwing water in the face of the person who is sleeping. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) praised the man who gets up at night to pray, and wakes his wife, and when she refuses to get up, he throws water in her face; and he praised the woman who gets up at night to pray, and wakes her husband, and when he refuses to get up, she throws water in his face. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 2/250; Saheeh al-Jaami¡¦, 3494).

Throwing water in a person¡¦s face is one of the means of waking a person for prayer that is prescribed by sharee¡¦ah. In fact it is quite refreshing and energizing. Some people may become enraged when woken in this manner, and they may shout and swear and issue threats, so the person who is seeking to wake another should employ wisdom and patience, and remember that the pens are lifted from the record of one who is sleeping (i.e., his deeds are not being recorded while he is asleep) ¡V so he should put up with any bad treatment, and not let this put him off trying to wake people up for prayer.

„h Not sleeping alone. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade any man to sleep alone. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 2/91; al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 60). Perhaps the wisdom behind this prohibition is that a person could sleep too long if there is no-one to wake him up for prayer.

„h Not sleeping in remote places where it would not occur to anyone that someone could be sleeping there, such as a person sleeping on the roof of a house without telling his family where he is, or sleeping in a remote part of the house or student residence, so that no-one will know to wake him for prayer, but everyone will think that he is in the mosque when in fact he is fast asleep. Anyone who needs to sleep in a remote place should tell the people around him where he will be so that they can come and wake him.

„h Being lively and active upon waking. One should get up straightaway, and not wake up in stages, as some people do. A person could be woken up several times, and each time he gets up, but when his friend leaves, he goes back to bed. Waking up in stages usually ends in failure, and the only way to prevent falling asleep again is to get up straight away.

„h Not setting the alarm too early. If a person knows that there is still a long time to go until the time of the prayer, he may think, ¡§I still have time, let me sleep a little more¡K¡¨ Everyone should know how to handle himself and avoid this situation.

„h Lighting a lamp when waking up ¡V or, in our modern times, switching on the light. This has the effect of dispelling sleepiness.

„h Not staying up late, even to pray qiyaam al-layl. Some people may stay up late to pray qiyaam al-layl, then fall asleep a few minutes before fajr and be unable to wake up for the prayer. This happens a lot in Ramadaan ¡V people stay up late and sleep a little while before fajr, so they miss the prayer. No doubt this is a grave error, because fard (obligatory) prayer should take precedence over naafil (supererogatory) prayer. So what about those who stay up late not to pray but to commit sin, or at best to do permissible things? The Shaytaan may make the idea of staying up late to discuss important matters attractive to some daa¡¦iyahs (Islamic workers), then they sleep late and miss the prayer, thus losing much more than they gained.

„h Not eating too much before going to sleep. Eating too much makes one sleep deeply. The one who eats a lot gets very tired, and sleeps a lot, thus losing a lot. So one should try to eat lightly in the evening.

„h Warning about the misinterpretation of the sunnah to lie down after praying the sunnah of fajr. Some people may have heard the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ¡§When any one of you has prayed, let him lie down on his right side.¡¨ (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 420; Saheeh al-Jaami¡¦, 642). It was also reported that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had prayed the sunnah of fajr, he would lie down, then Bilaal would call him to prayer, and he would stand up to pray. People may have heard these ahaadeeth, and be keen to follow this proven sunnah, but they do not understand how to do it properly. So a person may pray the sunnah of fajr, then lie down on his right side, and fall fast asleep until the sun rises. This is because of a lack of proper understanding. The lying down is not for the purpose of sleeping, and Bilaal used to come and tell the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when it was time to pray. Moreover, as was reported by Imaam Ahmad and Ibn Hibbaan in a saheeh hadeeth, if the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wanted to rest before fajr, he would put his head on his right palm, propped up on his elbow. (Reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad, 5/298; Saheeh al-Jaami¡¦, no. 4752). This kind of resting prevents one from falling fast asleep, because in this case one¡¦s head is propped up on one¡¦s palm and elbow, and will drop if one dozes off, thus waking one up again. In addition to this, Bilaal was entrusted with the responsibility of waking the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for the fajr prayer.

„h Praying qiyaam al-layl late in the night, just before fajr, so that when one finishes witr, the call for fajr prayer is given, making the worship continuous. The night prayer should be offered during the last third of the night ¡V which is the preferred time ¡V and immediately followed by the fajr prayer, whilst one is feeling awake and energetic.

„h Following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in lying down to sleep. So a person should lie on his right side, placing his right cheek on his right hand. This position makes it easy to wake up. The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and this is better than sleeping in any other position which may make it difficult to wake up.

„h Helping oneself by taking a nap during the day, because this will help a person by making him need less sleep at night.

„h Not sleeping after ¡¥asr or maghrib, because this will make a person sleep late, and whoever sleeps late will find it difficult to wake up.

„h Finally, sincere devotion to Allah is the best thing to motivate a person to get up for prayer, because Allah is the One Who is controlling all means of help. If a person has that true sincerity and his heart is burning with devotion to Allah, then Allah will help him to get up to pray fajr in congregation, even if he goes to sleep only a few moments before fajr.

This sincerity and devotion may cause some very enthusiastic people to find unusual ways to help themselves to wake up to pray, which is a sign of their eagerness and keenness. One of them may set a number of alarm clocks to wake him up, setting each one a few minutes later than the other, so that if he turns the first one off, the next one will wake him a few moments later, and so on. Another may tie a string to his wrist, with the other end dangling from his window, so that when one of his friends passes by on his way to the mosque, he can pull on the string and wake him for fajr prayer.

See what can be achieved with sincerity and determination, may Allah guide you! But the bitter truth is that weakness of faith and lack of sincerity are widespread among people nowadays, as we can see from the small numbers of people to be found praying in the mosques at fajr, despite the fact that there are so many people living around the mosques in many neighbourhoods.

But no doubt there are people who sleep so heavily that it is almost like an illness, and they may be excused, because the matter is beyond their control. People in this situation should turn to Allah for help, and do everything that they possibly can, and visit the doctor, to try to find a cure.

Finally, a word about a well known phenomenon: some people claim that there is a hadeeth which says that the person who wants to get up for fajr should recite the last part of Soorat al-Kahf before sleeping, and have the intention in his heart to get up at a certain hour, and this will make him get up at that time. They claim that this is a tried and tested method. Our response is that there is no such saheeh hadeeth, and this carries no weight whatsoever. The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Explanation of Soorah al-`Asr (The Time)

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

(1) By time,
(2) Verily, man is in loss,
(3) Except those who believe and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to Truth and exhort one another to patience.

< By Time > That is, the ages during which the deeds – both good and bad – of the sons of Aadam `alayhis salam take place. Maalik said that it refers to the time of `asr prayer, but the first explanation is more correct. Allah swears by it (time) that mankind is in loss, that is misfortune and ruin.

< Except those who believe and do righteous deeds > Allah excludes those of mankind who believe sincerely with all their hearts and do good deeds with their hands.

< And exhort one another to Truth > That is, in the face of misfortune or calamity, the things which have been written for us and the persecution of those who would seek to harm whoever orders the good and forbids the evil. It is reported that Musailamah (he was an arch-liar who lived at the time of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam and falsely claimed to be a brother-prophet) was visited by `Amr ibn al-`Aas after the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam had begun his mission, but before `Amr had embraced Islaam and Musailamah said to him: "What does your companion (the Prophet sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam) say about this time?" `Amr replied: "A soorah has been revealed to him which is concise, yet elegant." "And what is it?" inquired Musailamah. "It is: < By time, Verily, man is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous deeds and exhort one another to Truth and exhort one another to patience >." Musailamah thought about this for a while and then he said: "It has been revealed to me something like that." "What would that be?" asked `Amr. He replied, "Oh, wabr (Hyrax, an animal described by ibn Katheer as resembling a cat, having long ears, and a large breast and being for the rest, very ugly.)! Oh, wabr! You are merely two ears and a breast and the rest of you is but a hole." Then he asked: "What do you think, oh, `Amr?" `Amr replied, "By Allah! Surely you are aware that I know you lie!" Musailamah intended by the composition of these nonsensical verses to produce something which was the very antithesis of the clarity and conciseness of the Qur’aan; as a result it did not even convince a pagan idol-worshipper of the time.

According to at-Tabaraani, whenever any two Companions of the Prophet sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam met, they would not part, until one of them had recited to the other Soorah Al-`Asr and then delivered Salaams upon him. Ash-Shaafi`I said: "If the people were to ponder on this Soorah, it would be sufficient for them." This is the end of the tafseer of Soorah al-`Asr, all praise is due to Allah and from Him proceeds all Grace.

Kisah lima perkara aneh

Kisah lima perkara aneh

Abu Laits as-Samarqandi adalah seorang ahli fiqh yang masyur. Suatu ketika dia pernah berkata, ayahku menceritakan bahawa antara Nabi-nabi yang bukan Rasul ada menerima wahyu dalam bentuk mimpi dan ada yang hanya mendengar suara.

Maka salah seorang Nabi yang menerima wahyu melalui mimpi itu, pada suatu malam bermimpi diperintahkan yang berbunyi, "Esok engkau dikehendaki keluar dari rumah pada waktu pagi menghala ke barat. Engkau dikehendaki berbuat, pertama; apa yang engkau lihat (hadapi) maka makanlah, kedua; engkau sembunyikan, ketiga; engkau terimalah, keempat; jangan engkau putuskan harapan, yang kelima; larilah engkau daripadanya."

Pada keesokan harinya, Nabi itu pun keluar dari rumahnya menuju ke barat dan kebetulan yang pertama dihadapinya ialah sebuah bukit besar berwarna hitam. Nabi itu kebingungan sambil berkata, "Aku diperintahkan memakan pertama aku hadapi, tapi sungguh aneh sesuatu yang mustahil yang tidak dapat dilaksanakan."

Maka Nabi itu terus berjalan menuju ke bukit itu dengan hasrat untuk memakannya. Ketika dia menghampirinya, tiba-tiba bukit itu mengecilkan diri sehingga menjadi sebesar buku roti. Maka Nabi itu pun mengambilnya lalu disuapkan ke mulutnya. Bila ditelan terasa sungguh manis bagaikan madu. Dia pun mengucapkan syukur 'Alhamdulillah'.

Kemudian Nabi itu meneruskan perjalanannya lalu bertemu pula dengan sebuah mangkuk emas. Dia teringat akan arahan mimpinya supaya disembunyikan, lantas Nabi itu pun menggali sebuah lubang lalu ditanamkan mangkuk emas itu, kemudian ditinggalkannya. Tiba-tiba mangkuk emas itu terkeluar semula. Nabi itu pun menanamkannya semula sehingga tiga kali berturut-turut.

Maka berkatalah Nabi itu, "Aku telah melaksanakan perintahmu." Lalu dia pun meneruskan perjalanannya tanpa disedari oleh Nabi itu yang mangkuk emas itu terkeluar semula dari tempat ia ditanam.

Ketika dia sedang berjalan, tiba-tiba dia ternampak seekor burung helang sedang mengejar seekor burung kecil. Kemudian terdengarlah burung kecil itu berkata, "Wahai Nabi Allah, tolonglah aku."

Mendengar rayuan burung itu, hatinya merasa simpati lalu dia pun mengambil burung itu dan dimasukkan ke dalam bajunya. Melihatkan keadaan itu, lantas burung helang itu pun datang menghampiri Nabi itu sambil berkata, "Wahai Nabi Allah, aku sangat lapar dan aku mengejar burung itu sejak pagi tadi. Oleh itu janganlah engkau patahkan harapanku dari rezekiku."

Nabi itu teringatkan pesanan arahan dalam mimpinya yang keempat, iaitu tidak boleh putuskan harapan. Dia menjadi kebingungan untuk menyelesaikan perkara itu. Akhirnya dia membuat keputusan untuk mengambil pedangnya lalu memotong sedikit daging pehanya dan diberikan kepada helang itu. Setelah mendapat daging itu, helang pun terbang dan burung kecil tadi dilepaskan dari dalam bajunya.

Selepas kejadian itu, Nabi meneruskan perjalannya. Tidak lama kemudian dia bertemu dengan satu bangkai yang amat busuk baunya, maka dia pun bergegas lari dari situ kerana tidak tahan menghidu bau yang menyakitkan hidungnya. Setelah menemui kelima-lima peristiwa itu, maka kembalilah Nabi ke rumahnya. Pada malam itu, Nabi pun berdoa. Dalam doanya dia berkata, "Ya Allah, aku telah pun melaksanakan perintah-Mu sebagaimana yang diberitahu di dalam mimpiku, maka jelaskanlah kepadaku erti semuanya ini."

Dalam mimpi beliau telah diberitahu oleh Allah S.W.T. bahawa, "Yang pertama engkau makan itu ialah marah. Pada mulanya nampak besar seperti bukit tetapi pada akhirnya jika bersabar dan dapat mengawal serta menahannya, maka marah itu pun akan menjadi lebih manis daripada madu.

Kedua; semua amal kebaikan (budi), walaupun disembunyikan, maka ia tetap akan nampak jua. Ketiga; jika sudah menerima amanah seseorang, maka janganlah kamu khianat kepadanya. Keempat; jika orang meminta kepadamu, maka usahakanlah untuknya demi membantu kepadanya meskipun kau sendiri berhajat. Kelima; bau yang busuk itu ialah ghibah (menceritakan hal seseorang). Maka larilah dari orang-orang yang sedang duduk berkumpul membuat ghibah."

Saudara-saudaraku, kelima-lima kisah ini hendaklah kita semaikan dalam diri kita, sebab kelima-lima perkara ini sentiasa sahaja berlaku dalam kehidupan kita sehari-hari. Perkara yang tidak dapat kita elakkan setiap hari ialah mengata hal orang, memang menjadi tabiat seseorang itu suka mengata hal orang lain. Haruslah kita ingat bahawa kata-mengata hal seseorang itu akan menghilangkan pahala kita, sebab ada sebuah hadis mengatakan di akhirat nanti ada seorang hamba Allah akan terkejut melihat pahala yang tidak pernah dikerjakannya. Lalu dia bertanya, "Wahai Allah, sesungguhnya pahala yang Kamu berikan ini tidak pernah aku kerjakan di dunia dulu."

Maka berkata Allah S.W.T., "Ini adalah pahala orang yang mengata-ngata tentang dirimu." Dengan ini haruslah kita sedar bahawa walaupun apa yang kita kata itu memang benar, tetapi kata-mengata itu akan merugikan diri kita sendiri. Oleh kerana itu, hendaklah kita jangan mengata hal orang walaupun ia benar.

presentation

assalamualeikum wbt

will be doing a presentation on a story titled "Together" from my course reading for Muslim Literature class soon. Hope to share with everyone else here insyaAllah... wait for updates eh... :-)

on phase

masyaAllah.... It's already been more than 2 years since I first flew to this 'land of opportunity'.... many many things occurred while here.... and I've been back to 'land of diversity' twice since.... I have a niece, Nur Alia is her name.... pretty but totally chose by my sister and her husband. Practically I am doing fine here alhamdulillah... but intentionally my goal(s) hasn't yet reached! as one bro asked me earlier, "dapat nafas baru balik ke Malaysia?" well, honestly, it's all here! going back to the 'land of diversity' is like turning back to my past life! who is me originally, how much have I changed? All this trully make me believed that I am no better than any other creatures in this world. To be able to stand on my own feet and to collect all my sorrow inside ME, that's maybe what makes me different -- perhaps...

It is quiet a tough job to satisfy other people and at the same time to satisfy our ownself. I hardly understand how human behave and wheather that behavior reflects themselves or just a matter of yet satisfaying other people too... It's almost impossible to stick to only ourself in this world. Again, what would be the point God creates us all if not to interact with one another right? and also with other God's creation: trees, birds and etc.

Why do people like or dislike sth or someone? why can't everyone be positive about everything and pursue life happily and in peace? What is the significance of having war?

all this really clustered in my mind and made me insane... So many questions yet so little answers.... 'Allahualam... Allah Knows best...

assalamualeikum wbt

"Our Lord! Thy Reach is over all things, in Mercy and Knowledge. Forgive, then, those who turn in Repentance, and follow thy Path; and preserve them from the Penalty of the Blazing Fire! And grant, our Lord! that they enter the Gardens of Eternity, which Thou hast promised to them, and to the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their posterity! for Thou art (He), the Exalted in Might, Full of Wisdom.” (40:7-8)

Rabi'a al-'Adawiya......

Your hope in my heart is the rarest treasure
Your Name on my tongue is the sweetest word
My choicest hours
Are the hours I spend with You --

O God, I can't live in this world
Without remembering You--
How can I endure the next world
Without seeing Your face?

I am a stranger in Your country
And lonely among Your worshippers:
This is the substance of my complaint.

Dream Fable

I saw myself in a wide green garden, more beautiful than I could begin to understand. In this garden was a young girl. I said to her, "How wonderful this place is!"

"Would you like to see a place even more wonderful than this?" she asked.

"Oh yes," I answered. Then taking me by the hand, she led me on until we came to a magnificent palace, like nothing that was ever seen by human eyes. The young girl knocked on the door, and someone opened it. Immediately both of us were flooded with light.

God alone knows the inner meaning of the maidens we saw living there. Each one carried in her hand a serving-tray filled with light. The young girl asked the maidens where they were going, and they answered her, "We are looking for someone who was drowned in the sea, and so became a martyr. She never slept at night, not one wink! We are going to rub funeral spices on her body."

"Then rub some on my friend here," the young girl said.

"Once upon a time," said the maidens, "part of this spice and the fragrance of it clung to her body -- but then she shied away."

Quickly the young girl let go of my hand, turned, and said to me:

"Your prayers are your light;
Your devotion is your strength;
Sleep is the enemy of both.
Your life is the only opportunity that life can give you.
If you ignore it, if you waste it,
You will only turn to dust."

Then the young girl disappeared.

In love, nothing exists between breast and Breast.
Speech is born out of longing,
True description from the real taste.
The one who tastes, knows;
the one who explains, lies.
How can you describe the true form of Something
In whose presence you are blotted out?
And in whose being you still exist?
And who lives as a sign for your journey?

hidup untuk makan or makan untuk hidup?

assalamualeikum wbt

heh... blogger.com got new features!!!! kewl2! heheh.... today is my last working day! yahoooo!!!!!!! alhamdulillah.... tomorrow and the next few days I'll be relaxing and some house cleaning huhuhu... got email from Amir yesterday; he's in Israel rite now.... see u next fall!

can't wait to got back home la... Good Luck for STC MISG/IMSA and SUMMER CAMP MISA 2003... May Allah make it easy for us all insyaAllah...

assalamualeikum wbt

Dalam sebuah hadis, diriwayatkan tentang seorang penjahat yang ingin bertaubat. Ia masuk ke masjid. Ketika itu Rasulullah S.A.W sedang mengimamkan solat. Setelah menunaikan solat mereka berbincang-bincang dan penjahat yang ingin bertaubat itu mendengar Rasulullah S.A.W berkata, “Barangsiapa yang meninggalkan sesuatu yang haram maka akan memperolehinya ketika sudah halal.”

Setelah Rasulullah S.A.W dan para sahabat bersurai, pemuda itu turut meninggalkan masjid. Hatinya masih ragu untuk mengutarakan taubatnya. Namun ucapan Nabi tadi amat terkesan di hatinya.

Malam pun menjelang. Suasana yang sering menggoda dirinya untuk melakukan keburukan. Tiba-tiba dia berhasrat untuk merompak salah sebuah rumah yang dihuni oleh seorang janda. Ternyata di rumah janda itu terdapat banyak makanan yang enak dan pasti mengundang selera. Ketika dia sedang memulakan suapannya tiba-tiba dia teringat kata-kata Rasulullah S.A.W siang tadi. Akhirnya dia tak jadi makan.

Tatkala beranjak ke bilik ke bilik lain, dia menumpai perhiasan dan wang yang banyak. Dan ketika dia hendak mengambilnya, sekali lagi dia teringat kata-kata Rasulullah S.A.W. Lalu dia membatalkan niat jahatnya. Setelah itu dia masuk pula ke sebuah bilik yang besar. Didapatinya janda mu’minah itu sedang terbaring tidur dengan lenanya. Apabila ternampak wajah janda yang cantik dan rupawan itu, dia tergoda dan bermaksud untuk melampiaskan nafsunya. Namun tiba-tiba dia teringat kembali kata-kata Rasulullah S.A.W tadi. Barangsiapa yang meninggalkan sesuatu yang haram ia akan memperolehi barang tersebut ketika ia sudah halal.

Akhirnya, sekali lagi beliau membatalkan niat jahatnya. Lalu dia pergi meninggalkan rumah itu dengan hati yang lega kerana mampu mengalahkan nafsunya.

Fajar mula menyinsing. Penjahat tadi pergi menunaikan solat subuh di masjid. Kali ini dia bertekad, dia akan bertaubat di hadapan Rasulullah S.A.W. Setelah solat, beliau duduk menyendiri di satu sudut masjid, merenung kembali peristiwa yang baru dialaminya malam tadi. Dan menghitung betapa besar dosanya andai perbuatan itu dilakukan.

Ketika matahari terbit datanglah seorang wanita ke masjid dan menceritakan kepada Rasulullah S.A.W kejadia semalam di rumahnya. Walaupun tiada barang yang hilang namun beliau khuatirkalau-kalau pencuri itu datang menyelidik semalam dan akan datang lagi malam nanti. Wanita itu juga memohon kepada Rasulullah S.A.W aga r sudilah mencarikan seorang yang sanggup menjaga rumahnya. “Kenapa kau hidup sendirian?” tanya Rasulullah S.A.W padanya. Wanita itu menjawab bahawa suaminya telah meninggal dunia.

Rasulullah S.A.W mengarahkan pandangannya kepada seorang yang sedang duduk menyendiri di satu sudut masjid. Rasulullah S.A.W bertanya pada lelaki tersebut (penjahat tadi), adakah beliau sudah beristeri?

Setelah Rasulullah S.A.W mengetahui bahawa lelaki itu telah kematian isterinya, maka baginda menawarkannya seorang calon isteri. Lelaki itu terdiam begitu juga janda yang mengadu tadi. Mereka sama-sama malu. Tetapi Rasulullah S.A.W yang arif kemudian mengikat kedua insan itu menjadi suami isteri yang sah. Dan, pecahlah tangis lelaki itu, lalu diceritakannya kepada Rasulullah S.A.W peristiwa yang sebenarnya, dan bahawa pencuri itu tidak lain adalah dirinya sendiri.

Wanita itu keluar dari masjid dari masjid diiringi lelaki yang kini telah menjadi suaminya. Mereka berjalan beriringan menuju rumah yang malam tadi hampir dicerobohinya. Disana makanan-makanan yang enak masih utuh seperti yang dilihatnya malam tadi. Bezanya sekarang, makanan itu sudah tidak haram lagi. Maka tanpa ragu-ragu makanan itu disantapnya.

Wang, emas dan perhiasan yang hendak dicuri, kini sudah menjadi miliknya yang halal. Bahkan dia boleh menggunakannya untuk berniaga, tanpa haram sedikitpun. Sementara wanita cantik yang hampir dinodainya semalam, kini benar-benar sudah menjadi isterinya… berkat kemampuannya menahan nafsu syaitannya.

Lelaki itu berbisik sendiri dalam hati, “Benarlah sabda Rasulullah S.A.W, barangsiapa meninggalkan yang haram maka ia akan memperolehinya ketika ia sudah menjadi halal.”

Demikian indah Islam mengajar erti cinta. Cinta yang tidak diliputi keraguan, cinta yang menimbulkan rasa tenteram, cinta yang menumbuhkan kedamaian, cinta yang menyuburkan keimanan dan ketaqwaan. Cinta yang apabila kita meneguknya akan diperolehi kenikmatan yang lebih dalam lagi.

Marilah kita menjenguk dan menyemak hati kita. Masihkah ada cinta di sana? Sudahkah kita mengemas cinta kita dengan kemasan Cinta Rabbani dan memberi label halal di atasnya? Dan sudahkah kita menyingkirkan cinta syhwat yang akan menjerumuskan kita dalam petaka yang berpanjangan?

assalamualeikum wbt

just called home -- my sis was charged to the hospital for bleeding urination, my mom said it isn't that serious (normal for pregnant woman) insyaAllah.... her husband went fishing and sell the fish he caught to pay for the hospital fees. Be tough sis! Allah always with us!

my other sis is counting days to my return, how sweet! will make use of the time very well this time, spending time with my family and family and family... :-)

I updated pictures section with photos of baby nurin camela. Me and my housemates went to visit them earlier this evening. MasyaAllah... she's sooooo a good baby girl, just sleeping ALL THE TIME. Then we went to the park near the campus dormitory. White & pink roses, assumed lavender, and many other kinds of flowers are so beautiful. Thank you Allah! Thank you Allah

pooh is GONE!!!!! where's pooh!?????? :-(

assalamualeikum wbt

hmm... going back to Malaysia in 12 days... huhuhuhu so eppyyy :-) though it's a last minute plan. So, how's life treating everyone? good?worsen? I'm glad to be here alhamdulillah... may Allah make it easy on me and everyone else insyaAllah...

assalamualeikum wbt

long time no writing aaa... hmm... been busy lately, with works and life (did I?) a little bit to warm up my heart AGAIN heh...

Munafik adalah penyakit hati

SATU daripada tanda orang munafik ialah dia mengaku beriman dengan lidah, sedangkan hatinya penuh kesesatan. Ia memperlihatkan Islam dan menyembunyikan kekufuran.

Oleh itu, Islam menolak dan meletakkan mereka dalam golongan orang tidak beriman dan ia dijelaskan dalam firman Allah bermaksud: “Antara manusia ada yang mengatakan: Kami beriman kepada Allah dan hari Akhirat, pada hal mereka sesungguhnya bukan orang beriman. Mereka hendak menipu Allah dan orang beriman, pada hal mereka hanya menipu diri sendiri, sedang mereka tidak sedar.” Al-Baqarah: 8-10

Sebenarnya, dengan berbuat demikian mereka cuba menipu Allah, pada hal Allah mengetahui segalanya.

Akal mereka yang tidak waras membuatkan mereka menyangka mereka dapat menipu Allah. Ini kerana tiada sesuatu yang berlaku di dunia ini tersembunyi daripada pengetahuan Allah.

Inilah yang menunjukkan mereka jahil, tidak mengenal Allah. Jika mereka mengetahui, tentu mereka sedar Allah tidak boleh ditipu.

Tipu bererti bencana terhadap diri sendiri, baik di dunia mahupun di akhirat, kerana Allah berkuasa membongkar segala rahsia mereka.

Sesungguhnya, sifat nifak (munafik) adalah penyakit hati yang berbahaya. Dalam konteks sebuah masyarakat, ia adalah duri dalam daging yang menikam dari dalam.

Ini pernah berlaku dalam sejarah Rasulullah s.a.w ketika baginda membina masyarakat Islam pertama di kota Madinah.

Golongan munafik sesungguhnya jauh lebih besar bahayanya daripada orang yang terus kufur. Mereka musuh dalam selimut bagi sesebuah negara, organisasi dan masyarakat.

Dalam ayat berkenaan juga Allah menjelaskan, orang munafik sebenarnya ada penyakit dalam hati mereka.

Muhammad Jamaluddin al-Qasimi dalam tafsirnya berkata, sakit adalah lawan bagi sihat, manakala hati yang sakit bererti hati yang tidak sihat dan lemah keyakinannya terhadap pegangan agama.

Orang munafik sebenarnya berdolak-dalih sikapnya di antara Islam dan kufur.

Di atas sifat itu, Allah menambah terhadap mereka pelbagai penyakit dan sifat keji seperti hasad, dengki, sombong dan penipu.

Akibatnya, mereka akan menerima azab amat pedih di akhirat. Dalam ayat lain Allah berfirman bermaksud: “Sesungguhnya orang munafik (ditempatkan) di tingkat paling bawah di neraka, dan kamu sekali-kali tidak akan mendapat seorang penolong pun bagi mereka.” An-Nisa: 145

Prof Dr Wahbah al-Zuhaili dalam tafsirnya menulis, sejarah membuktikan Rasulullah kerap kali berdepan ancaman munafikin pada zamannya, tetapi akhirnya baginda berjaya menewaskan mereka.

Tabiat sama

Hal ini membenarkan fakta sejarah bahawa munafik dan Yahudi adalah dua perkara yang sepadu dan sebati kerana ia ada sifat dan tabiat sama.

Orang munafik memutar-belitkan orang lain dengan perbuatan dan kata-kata, memperlihatkan kelembutan bahasa dan kehalusan budi.

Bagaimanapun, semua itu sebenarnya ‘racun’ yang boleh membunuh. Demikian kalau kita perhatikan gelagat Yahudi dalam kancah politik dunia hari ini.

Ayat itu sebenarnya menggambarkan apa berlaku di kota Madinah pada zaman Rasulullah s.a.w. Walaupun ayat itu ditujukan kepada golongan munafik, ia juga mencakupi setiap orang yang ada ciri munafik di sepanjang zaman.

Sekali pun masa dan tempat berubah, sifatnya sama. Oleh itu, hukumnya juga sama. Nifak adalah sifat dalaman atau penyakit hati, tidak kira siapa, bangsa, bila dan di mana ia berlaku.

Walaupun masa sudah lama berlalu dan umat Islam tersebar di seluruh dunia, kita dapati gambaran seperti itu berulang lagi kepada generasi hari ini. Kita dapati ramai orang tidak berani menyatakan kebenaran dan keimanannya sebagai mukmin sejati, sebaliknya berani mengingkari kebenaran, sekali pun menjejaskan keimanannya.

Bagi mengenali umat Islam munafik, Rasulullah s.a.w menerangkan beberapa tanda dalam sabdanya bermaksud: “Tanda munafik itu tiga, iaitu apabila dia bercakap dusta, apabila berjanji tidak ditepati dan apabila diserahkan amanah, dikhianati.” (Riyawat Bukhari dan Muslim)

Kesimpulannya, dusta atau sikap talam dua muka adalah ciri munafik. Marilah kita sama-sama beriman dengan ikhlas kepada Allah dengan menjauhkan diri daripada bersifat lain di mulut, lain di hati.

Sebaliknya, bersikap terus terang dalam kata-kata dan berani bertindak, selari dengan keimanan kepada Allah. Inilah sifat mukmin yang sejati. Semoga Allah memberi kita kekuatan berani kerana benar dan takut kerana salah.

Ketawa melampau hilang ilmu

BANYAK ketawa menjadikan hati semakin malap dan tidak berseri. Lampu hati tidak bersinar dan akhirnya terus tidak menyala. Hati juga tidak berfungsi lagi.

Nabi Muhammad s.a.w melarang umatnya daripada gelak-ketawa yang melampaui batas. Ini kerana banyak ketawa menghilangkan akal dan ilmu. Barangsiapa ketawa tergelak-gelak, akan hilang satu pintu daripada pintu ilmu.

Kenapa dilarang ketawa berdekah-dekah? Dalam keadaan suka yang keterlaluan, hati kita lalai dan lupa suasana akhirat dan alam barzah yang bakal kita tempuhi kelak.

Dunia hanya tempat tumpangan sementara. Kita menuju ke destinasi yang belum tentu menjanjikan kebahagiaan abadi. Sepatutnya kita berfikir bagaimana kedudukan kita di sana, sama ada berbahagia atau menderita.

Berbahagia di dunia bersifat sementara, tetapi di akhirat berpanjangan tanpa had. Penderitaan di dunia hanya seketika, tetapi di akhirat azabnya berterusan dan berkekalan.

Merenung dan memikirkan keadaan ini cukup untuk kita menghisab diri serta menyedarkan diri kita mengenai bahaya yang akan ditempuh.

“Tertawa-tawa di masjid menggelapkan suasana kubur,” demikian ditegaskan oleh Rasulullah s.a.w. Kita sedia maklum, kubur ialah rumah yang bakal kita duduki bagi tempoh panjang.

Kita keseorangan dan kesunyian tanpa teman dan keluarga. Kubur adalah satu pintu ke syurga atau neraka. Betapa dalam kegelapan di sana, kita digelapkan lagi dengan sikap kita yang suka terbahak-bahak di dunia.

Ketawa yang melampaui batas menjadikan kita kurang berilmu. Apabila kurang ilmu, akal turun menjadi kurang. Kepekaan terhadap akhirat juga menurun.

Nabi pernah bersabda: “Barangsiapa tertawa-tawa nescaya dilaknat akan dia oleh Allah (Al-Jabbar). Mereka yang banyak tertawa di dunia nescaya banyak menangis di akhirat.”

Saidina Ali sentiasa mengeluh: “...jauhnya perjalanan...sedikitnya bekalan...”

Dalam hadis lain, Rasulullah bersabda, bermaksud: “Barangsiapa banyak tertawa-tawa, nescaya meringankan api neraka.”

Kita tidak pula dilarang menunjukkan perasaan suka terhadap sesuatu. Cuma yang dilarang ialah berterusan gembira dengan ketawa berlebihan.

Sebaik-baik cara bergembira ialah seperti yang dicontohkan oleh Rasullullah s.a.w. Baginda tidak terbahak-bahak, tetapi hanya tersenyum menampakkan gigi tanpa bersuara kuat.

Beberapa sahabatnya pernah berkata: “Ketawa segala nabi ialah tersenyum, tetapi ketawa syaitan itu tergelak-gelak.”

assalamualeikum wbt

Perbezaan nilai dan budaya antara dalam dan luar rumah mewujudkan konflik kepada peribadi anak-anak sehingga menyebabkan timbul kesangsian kepada mereka. Untuk mengatasinya, anak-anak terpaksa mencari pegangan hidup tertentu untuk dijadikan panduan.

Penyelaras Ikatan Mahasiswa Muslim Malaysia Pulau Pinang, Dr Mohd Zin Kandar, berkata konflik yang dihadapi anak-anak sebenarnya banyak didorong oleh persekitaran semasa yang semakin kompleks, termasuk dari segi pergaulan, tahap sosioekonomi serta pertembungan budaya.

“Persekitaran tidak sihat banyak mempengaruhi pelajar ke arah melakukan perbuatan yang salah kerana tiada pegangan boleh dijadikan benteng daripada bertindak di luar batasan.

“Di rumah, kita dapati ibu bapa menerapkan nilai-nilai murni, tetapi apabila mereka keluar, nilai itu tiada dalam masyarakat dan ia akan mempengaruhi diri anak-anak.

“Keadaan menjadi lebih buruk jika gejala itu berpunca daripada sokongan dan dorongan rakan-rakan,” katanya.

Mohd Zin berkata, masalah kesihatan mental di kalangan anak-anak masa kini banyak dikaitkan dengan keadaan zaman yang semakin berubah, selain kehidupan sesebuah keluarga. Menurutnya, apa yang perlu dititikberatkan dalam masalah yang melanda itu ialah institusi kekeluargaan perlu berfungsi sebagai pihak yang mesti bertindak awal menghalangnya daripada menjadi lebih buruk.

“Dalam hal ini, ibu bapa perlu memahami nilai kekeluargaan seperti menerapkan nilai Islam dalam keluarga sehingga mewujudkan hubungan akrab sesama anggota.

“Apa berlaku kini, ia tidak ditunjukkan dalam keluarga dan ibu bapa perlu memulakannya dengan menunjukkan contoh supaya anak-anak dapat mengikuti apa yang dilakukan mereka,” katanya.

Kata beliau, yang menjadi masalah ialah ada ibu bapa meminta anak-anak bersolat, tetapi mereka sendiri tidak berbuat demikian.
Katanya, apabila anak-anak semakin membesar dan boleh berfikir secara matang, akan timbul di dalam diri mereka persoalan mengapa ibu bapa tidak melakukan apa yang disuruh mereka dan ini akan mencetuskan konflik dalaman yang membawa kepada penentangan arahan yang diberikan.

Mohd Zin yang juga pakar motivasi berkata, nasihat saja tidak mencukupi untuk memberi contoh terbaik kepada anak kerana tindakan juga penting ditunjukkan kepada mereka.

“Masalah kesihatan mental yang dihadapi pelajar ketika ini akan memberi kesan kepada pembelajaran di sekolah.

“Apabila fikiran mereka bermasalah, tumpuan terhadap pelajaran akan terjejas kerana mereka bukan dalam keadaan sihat untuk belajar,” katanya.

al fatihah to one of our friend who's sister passed away in an accident (refer to today's headlines in utusan.com.my). May she be blessed... ameen

we had a picnic today at Vilas Picnic Point -- Kak Sah and family and Kak Aya's children came! yeay! we had chickens, sosej, corns and some desserts -- alhamdulillah it went well, at the end Abg Malik asked Nurin if she wanted to come home with us; she said YES! huhuhu... but then she need to ask Kak Aya's permission first (maybe tomorrow Nurin!?) :-)