Pekerti

Teringat akan kata-kata Imam Hassan al-Banna,

"Mengapa bergaduh akan perkara yang sunat, sedangkan kesatuan itu wajib?"

Sempit sungguh akal sesetengah manusia.

Dalam kekalutan yang menutupi jalan perpaduan,

Pekerti, sayang, pekerti.

Adab budi yang menjadi legasi, kebanggaan bangsa dan generasi moyang kamu itu yang membezakan darjat.

Pekerti itu yang membuka jalan, membina jambatan, menerangi kegelapan kearah sesuatu yang lebih baik.

"The world is change by your example, not your opinion" - Paulo Coelho

P/s: I've been on tumblr for all these times, so whenever I try to write long post, I just couldn't. So, I start by writing short posts more often till I get the hang of it. Also, been trying to improve my grammar and vocab as well. I've been trying to find time to read all books in my shelf before going to buy plenty more during Big Bad Wolf this coming December.

Final semester. Bismillah.

Blessings

"Often when we talk about blessings, we expect immediate visible outcomes that allow us to say "I am blessed." Maybe we have to consider blessings that will only come upon our subsequent generations. Our obedience to God will allow our children to be blessed. And that in itself is a blessing."

Got this from Edmond, a friend.

That's something new, even for me. I, among many others also think like that. We are bounded tightly to the physical world. Thus, we appreciate what is tangible and opaque.

Our views on blessing itself matter. It should be redefine, much to our expectation of consequences of our daily actions, especially when we expect good outcome or reward. Blessing comes in all forms - materials, happiness, joy, laughter, something that could bring smiles to our faces, that's what we think - but looking all back, why don't we think of our kids, or the future perhaps?

There is a chinese proverb that I still remember.

"One generation plants the trees under whose shade future generation rests."

One of the best blessing you can get is the reward of the hereafter that you do for someone else in this world. Donating to the poor and homeless, giving food to orphans, or something as simple as making dua for someone you love without them knowing. So do something for someone else without expecting anything.

For instance, you donate some money to a homeless man you encounter on the street. You might think that your money is decreasing. But our lives circle on the concept of giving and receiving. To give doesn't mean you will get poor and your value will decrease, it's the opposite. To give to other people is to give value to ourselves. It's the self-actualization that makes people happy and feel the blessings, either within ourselves or from our surrounding, but what descend upon us is from the Lord.

It's not about possession, it's about appreciation.

We lives of each other. That's the fitrah of being a human, we are taught to be humane, to care for other people. Who knows, the seed you planted in people, will bear fruit for the less fortunate, and spreading its shade to other people, and maybe to our and their kids as well.

Invest in charity, insyaAllah we will be blessed.

Aside from teaching us how to be honest and ikhlas, may the good grow in us.

I intend to write long, but I need to study. So, mata na.

p/s: I may as well consider writing as a blessing to myself. And currently having my final exam. Doakan !

Vid: The Assistor

Remind me of when I was doing Food For Homeless last ramadhan. And I'm eager to do it again. Well, just need to find the time between life schedule.

Imam At-Termizi and Ibn Majah reported that the prophet (S.A.W) said, " Oh you people, spread salam among you, serve the food, behave kindly with your blood relations, and offer prayer at night when others are asleep and you will enter paradise safely."

Yup, spread salam and food :)

Serendipity

Serendipity means to find something good without even looking for it.

It's totally different from the malay proverb, "Seperti orang mengantuk, disorongkan bantal"

In brief, serendipity is like something happened and it pleased you without you dreaming for it, or in an unexpected situation, something good occurred.

A surprised birthday party perhaps.

Serendipity is full of the essence of "surprise", to explain it better.

Once, a friend asked me, what is the meaning of being happy?

The word "serene" came to me. I snatched my sketchbook from my mini wooden shelf, where I keep most of my important stuffs and books, and started turning from one page to another, until I stopped at "Bismillah" khat, that I was doodling about a month ago. Pleasure or state of being happy, comes from the Lord. 

On two different events, it linked me to both of these words, "serenity" and "serendipity".

Both words relate to pleasure whereby serenity is something you need to find, and serendipity, well, you don't even need to try. It comes down rolling to you.

Serenity is like trying to find heaven.

Serendipity is like you already are in heaven without asking for it.

We know which one is reality.

"For them will be the Home of Peace with their Lord. And He will be their protecting friend because of what they used to do (righteousness)."

[Al-'An'am, 6: 127]

Untitled #18

Of true reliance and firm belief, in religion and in God,

Would one's effort matter?

Yes, there is a reliance on the divine's power,

And to supplicate from Him in times of need,

Of which He is the Most Merciful and Most Giving,

But, the concept of tawakkal is strayed far from our understanding

Anas (radi Allahu anhu) reported that a person asked Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam), “Should I tie my camel and have Tawakkul (trust in Allah for her protection) or should I leave her untied and have Tawakkul.” Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) replied, “Tie her and have Tawakkul.” 

(Hasan) [Jami At-Tirmidhi]

Ramadhan is coming to an end. The search for lailatul qadar has already begun, 

Whether we miss it or we still have a chance,

Kiss the ground a little longer.

The Malay Custom

When it comes to conspiracy theory, Jewish is to be blamed.

We rarely read. Ergo, we rarely think.

I'm older. So I'm wiser.

Back-biting is customary.

We don't dispute whatever fact we encounter. We accept everything wholly.

We are quite racist, to a certain degree.

Ramadhan is equal to Eid.

Giving and contribute to charity lower our values.

You are you, me is me.

Old customs need to be obeyed, despite its flaws.

Malay is Muslim. Muslim is Malay.

Art is only acceptable at primary / grade school level.

BN is government, PR is opposition. When the parliament is disbanded for election, the concept still stay the same. While in fact, during that time, both parties are on equal ground.

Masjid is something we think of on Friday.

Only professional jobs could make a living.

Straight A in exam is above everything.

Redha is obey.

Respect is imposed on people. Not by gaining them.

We are in rage when teacher hits our kids. Even though they are at fault.

We like to shout "Allahuakbar". In almost every event.

Once we get on TV, we are already a celebrity.

Learning thing in English, threatens the position of Bahasa Melayu.

"Negaraku" while sitting down, keep talking etc.

Pig is haraam, alcohol is, closer to halal.

Marriage needs a lot of money.

And more. Care to add any on the comment section.

Kami, Orang Gelandangan

"Erti hidupnya juga, beda." - Bapak Tono (Contengan Jalanan)

Semalam, aku jumpa salah satu erti hidup. Memberi. Berkesempatan join aktiviti kemasyarakatan yang dianjurkan oleh beberapa insan mulia mungkin, memberi bantuan makanan dan pakaian kepada warga bergelandangan di sekitar Kuala Lumpur. Orang homeless.

Actually, niat asalnya hanyalah suka-suka. Disebabkan hujung minggu, aku ada kelapangan apa salah nya nak join kan. Tapi bila aku sampai sana, boleh kata first time aku dapat experience benda-benda rare macam ni.

Bila aku tengok sendiri keadaan orang homeless ini, teringat aku pasal kisah K2. K2, watak dalam Contengan Jalanan, ventured to Jakarta to find his purpose of life. After meeting Bapak Tono in Australia, K2 decided to go on a trip to Indonesia, impromptu. And there, he met many kinds of people, and one of them is, "orang gelandangan".

So, bila aku tengok sendiri keadaan orang-orang homeless ni, macam-macam perasaan timbul selain mengingatkan aku kepada situasi K2 di Jakarta. Ada yang berjaga, ada yang tidur lena, ada yang tidur tak pakai baju, berselimutkan kotak, mencari makan di kala dingin malam, dan yang pasti berbumbungkan langit hitam dan awan kelabu.

Ada ramai, terlalu ramai orang homeless sekitar Kuala Lumpur. Mujur ada insan-insan prihatin yang tolong anjurkan aktiviti kemasyarakatan nak tolong orang-orang macam ni. And kebanyakan daripada dorang jugak tak lah tak bekerja, ada yang jadi guard, ada yang jadi janitor, tapi disebabkan oleh kos hidup yang tinggi di bandar, siapa yang mampu miliki rumah?

Ada aku dengar kisah sedih, ada yang gembira bila kitorang datang bawa baju and makanan. Ada yang siap bergurau lagi, dan mereka ni kadang-kadang lagi tahu tentang keadaan sekeliling daripada kita. Hidup susah, tidak melarat, tapi dimana erti kemanusiaan? Kebanyakkan daripada mereka bukan orang punyai kudrat, muka masing-masing berkerut, masing-masing menggigil kesejukan, kalau hujan, manakan mahu berteduh?

Bila aku dah tengok sendiri kehidupan macam tu, bila aku sendiri hulur makanan dan pakaian dekat dorang, rasa sebak pun ada. Ada insan yang tak berapa beruntung macam kita. Tapi aku tengok dorang masih lagi boleh tersenyum. Pengalaman hebat, walau dalam satu malam.

Nak cerita, memang susah. Kalau ada kesempatan, maybe boleh rasa sendiri, boleh tengok dengan mata sendiri macam mana orang-orang ini hidup. Hidup orang gelandangan. Hidup orang homeless. Yang pasti, kita kena bersyukur kita tak diuji macam dorang. Moga mereka tabah, dan terus ingat tuhan. Dan, moga tuhan permudahkan.

Ada pakcik mualaf (revert) nama Sulaiman, " Baju Melayu ada? Boleh pakai masa raya."

Sayup aku dengar.

Hygge

"Complete absence of anything annoying, irritating or emotionally overwhelming, and the presence of pleasure from comforting, gentle and soothing things"

Hygge is a Danish word, or rather a Danish culture. Often, it is a condition or a situation that we want and enjoy the most, alas it is seldom to achieve. The connotation of a 'hygge' is hard to obtain, a subtle idea when it comes to living in a fast-paced changing world.

Thus, for such reason, in my opinion, 'hygge' is equal to the "promising heaven". The conditions which suit the meaning of 'hygge' is so foreign to our keen sense. 

It claws right into your heart, but the meaning itself is just too inconceivable, in a rusted world,

by which 'hyyge' is forever lost

And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter - that is the [eternal] life, if only they knew.

[Al-Ankabut, 29 : 64]

Vid: The Blind Boy Who Doesn't Want To See Again

Oh, I can view the video but I can't play it in full screen. In case this also happens to you, here is a link.

Link

Sorry for the long title. But this is a must watch video. I've seen it before and I cried my eyes out. I watched it again, and I cried again. Nevertheless, I found that I can embedded this video in my blog, so here it is.

I don't know what to say if I have ever met this boy. Admire yes, pitiful yes. But at the end of the video, a simple yet fearful question will be asked upon us during the day of judgement.

How would you ask Allah to excuse you on the doomsday?

A lot of people want to change but the excuse they give to us is always the same. I'm waiting for hidayah to come for me to change. Hidayah, nur, guidance or whatever you prefer to call them is already there, bestowed upon us since the birth of Muhammad and the relevation of the Quran. More than 1000 years ago. So what hidayah are you looking for?

Personally, I don't think we need to pray to Allah to show his guidance or the easiest word we can understand is "petunjuk" right in front of our face. We all know the fact that humans are the best creation of Allah. When we are among the best creations, there must be something in us that makes us the best creation of all. Some people say it is 'Aql' which differentiate us humankind from animals. But there must be something.

When we have a mind of our own, to my understanding shaytan also can think. But they don't live physically in our world. That makes us no different if we say that 'aql' is what makes us the best creation. Indeed, Allah has given numerous of blessing that we couldn't possibly name all of them. But between us and shaytan, maybe, we have the power of transgress. 

We are sinners. But the blessing that Allah has personally given, a great privilege, is our own potential to transgress to goodness and a fear that is bound only to Allah. Like what this kid has realised. Maybe he has seen something that we don't, we don't know for sure but if my sight were taken from me, I might give up on this life during that moment.

All in all, I really admire this kid. Not all people have the will to survive like that and still putting a smile, and he knows what fear of Allah means. 

"And it is He who produced for you hearing and vision and hearts; little you are grateful. And it is He who has multiplied you throughout the earth and to Him you will gather. And it is He who gives life and caused death, and His is the alternation of the night and the day. Then will you not reason?"

[Al-Mukminun, 78 - 80]

It's 3 a.m. I wish to write more. I'm kinda tired and I usually need to arrange my sentences before writing anything long, so I think I'll stop at this point. Anyway, watch the video.

Sedih gila siak. Sobs. 

Vid: Beatles FTW

All you need is love. It's a disgrace to attack other people's faith like that be it any religion unless it really promotes violence. But to my understanding after reading books about comparative religion not so long ago, none of them mentions anything that can be interpreted as violence. All religions promotes peace, otherwise it won't be called a religion, neither do people will actually accept it. Even children know that much.

And for the record, listen to The Beatles.

All you need is love ! Love is all you need !

Untitled #9

Bagaimana kita boleh menyangka ukhuwah itu

Akan sentiasa segar di hati kita,

Sedangkan ukhuwah itu berpaksikan iman,

Yang fitrahnya naik dan turun?

-Abu Syahid ( Zahid )-

My two cents on this. While we're longing for human affection, I think we might forget something, that above all relationships in this world  is our connection to the Almighty. This connection is build by imaan, and to sustain that imaan, we need mujahadah and we also need istiqomah. But the most crucial thing, pointed by Zahid, is the nature of imaan itself.

Yang fitrahnya naik dan turun

Our imaan can go up and down. To ponder such a strong statement ( it's not baseless and it's actually a fact ), then what about love? I'm actually afraid to talk about love. For me, love and imaan are almost the same thing. Love has a deep meaning behind the word itself that we can never actually define the term by our linguistic ability. Love is more than a noun, love is also a verb.

When I say love is almost the same as imaan, the only word I can think of love is goodness. And this goodness is not subjective as we might think that the meaning differs for each people. Goodness here is what is implored by Allah in the Quran, and what is demonstrated by our Prophet. That is what I mean by goodness. 

Be kind to our neighbour is love. Be considerate to other people including enemy is love. Take care of our nature is love. Meeting people and leaving them is love. Even removing something that might harm people on the road (wood block, thorn etc) is love. While all the good actions are considered as parts of love, I assured you that love is maybe the highest form of faith, it is the pinnacle of imaan.

We are really familiar with Ar-Rahman (Maha Pemurah, Entirely Merciful) and Ar-Rahim (Maha Penyayang, Specially Merciful). And there is another one, Al-Wadud (Maha Pencinta, Most Loving). Allah bathes his blessing to all people in the world without exception (Ar-Rahman) and a special blessing for those who follow His guidance and avoid doing what He has prohibited (Ar-Rahim) and He also is the Most Loving One. When Allah possesses the nature of love, love then again can be defined as being merciful to all creations existed in this world, be it humans, animals or nature.

Thus, none should utter the word love so aimlessly when we don't know that love actually holds a greater part of what life is all about. The more good deeds we do, the more we have attained love. And vice versa, the more harms we do including to ourselves, our level of 'love' is decreasing. When the nature of love has change from linguistic definition of human being to what has been outlined for imaan, perhaps love is basically similar to imaan.

While in Islam we refer our form of faith as imaan, our knowledge of this dunya and our fitrah of seeking purity and Oneness may conjure a different definition that can be understood solely by our races, which is the word love. When imaan is rooted in the heart, then to speech and finally to limbs, the same condition is applied to love. Heart, word and action.

Hence, when someone mentions love, we should not only think about the human interaction that we are familiar with and longing for. Love is the greatest of all.

So, why not take the definition of love to a higher level?

p/s: I got the job offer at Brunsfield. And I'm thinking of accepting it. Maybe I'll have to suffer for about 5 months, commuting from Kajang to Damansara, but in a near future, it'll benefit me a lot. More than I'd expected. So yeah, I'll be signing the contract this Thursday. Thanks for the support and du'a. May Allah repay your kindness :)

Maal Hijrah

I have few things to talk about regarding Maal Hijrah. But since I don't have enough evidence to support my argument, I don't think I can write about it.

But maybe exposing some of the important points is acceptable.

Regarding the du'a. Du'a akhir tahun and du'a awal tahun. People would recite the suratul Yassin and dua akhir tahun after Asr, then Yassin again along with the dua awal tahun after Maghrib prayer.

In Canada, most likely Muslims don't really bother with these specific ibadah during Awal Muharram. People will just celebrate the fact that it is a brand new year for Muslims. I thought to myself, maybe these ibadahs are just another creation (bid'ah) like any other ibadahs Malay people do. So I googled about it and I was right. There is no solid proof that reciting dua awal tahun and dua akhir tahun is a sunnah from Prophet Muhammad. So, I read a few articles discussing about this thing.

The ibadah is generally acceptable due to its benefit of reminding you of Allah and Rasulullah. But the fact the ibadah is equipped with 'false benefit' such as 

'Barangsiapa membacanya syaitan akan berkata: Kami telah penat letih bersamanya sepanjang tahun, tetapi dia (pembaca doa berkenaan) merusak amalan kami dalam masa sesaat (dengan membaca doa tersebut).”

is likely making a false accusation in Islam and to Rasullulah by upholding a mere disreputable principle. Like I mentioned it before, the ibadah is acceptable but if people take lightly of this matter and accept and believe what they read without proper consent and research, things go haywire. And syaria law regarding this matter may change from 'harus' to 'makruh' or even 'haraam'.

Well, what I just wrote is not a brief explanation of this Awal Muharram's practice. I'm sure you can find a more thorough explanation with Quranic evidence and hadith about Maal Hijrah ibadah or ask people who have the a wider knowledge of this affair.

For me, Muharram is the first month in Muslim calendar, a mark for the starting of Hijrah year in Islamic history. When it is called Hijrah, the meaning of Hijrah itself is sufficient enough for us to ponder upon day and night. But still, that doesn't mean we can't make du'a. After all, du'a is the weapon of a Mukmin. 

Happy Maal Hijrah / Awal Muharram 

The Day of Arafah

Happy fasting everyone ! May our sins for the past year and the next are forgiven. Amin !

Vid: Everything Begins With Tarbiyyah

If you watch the video, I don't have a thing to say.

On a side note, the highlight of my holiday, I spent it watching drama. Most of them are old japanese dramas, not too old, date back in 05 - 10. And in all these dramas, which I can relate to the video, is the theme of human factor. No matter how good the system is, no matter how effective a solution to a problem can be, human factor plays the most important role. And that's why I think people are interesting.

There are too many human's wonders, and there, lies a vast of knowledge in them.

Vid: Save Maryam

Untitled #3

"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous."

[Al-Baqarah, 2: 183]

10 more days till Ramadhan.

May Allah bless us with a meaningful Ramadhan. May we boost our imaan during this upcoming holy month, and may our past and future sins are forgiven.

The clock is ticking. The search for Lailatul Qadar

Taz: Islam atau islam?

This conversation happened between me and my junior, Adam about a month ago. While it was intended to be a casual topic of conversation, I think he made a good point.

Adam: Abang, kalau abang tulis perkataan "Islam", abang tulis "ai" tu huruf kecil ke huruf besar?

Me: Soalan trick ke apa ni? Tulis jawi.

Adam: Haha, takde lah ( mata mengerling meminta jawapan ).

Me: Huruf besar lah kot. Kenapa?

Adam: Kalau ana, ana tulis huruf kecil.

Me: Ada beza ke?

Adam: Kita tengok dari sudut tatabahasa Melayu lah kan. Bila "Islam" tu ditulis dengan huruf "ai" besar, Islam tu jadi "kata nama". Bila "ai" tu huruf kecil, "islam" itu jadi "kata kerja".

Me: Haha, aku tulis jawi jelah lepas ni.

What's the good point I was mentioning earlier? I think Adam's words have already made it clear.

p/s: Barca kalah !

Vid: Exam

Video made by juniors from Ottawa. Maybe lepas ni, dah banyak buat video, boleh mereka-mereka ini improve mutu lakonan dorang. Haha.

I am grateful and blessed to meet such people who always strive towards success and constantly reminding me of doing not only the right things, but to be righteous. I called them people of excellence.

Sekarang musim final exam. So, all the best to friends and happy graduation to all final year students. May Allah bless all of you with excellent results, insyaAllah.

Dipetik daripada blog Munir,

Dinukilkan satu frasa indah, "ukhuwwah itu ialah apabila kita mendoakan ikhwah yang lain"

Vid: 3 Plus 1

Sorry. I had to. Cheesy video. Ayat skema gila, haha. But damn it. My eyes are "sweating" after watching this.

It was posted like two weeks ago but I didn't had the chance to watch this since the internet was lagging. Straight to the point, I realized I'm not a good friend, and I might hurt your feelings, whether deliberately or not.

I apologize. This is a tribute to you, friends. And, I freaking miss high school. And Taylor's too. Apa lah post awal-awal bulan March ni tacing-tacing pulak.

Vid: Antara Dua

Salam. It's March already. It's been almost a year. Nuh, never mind.

I've lots of videos to be posted, but shall I post a bundle of them at once? Or do I need to wait for a suitable time?

About this vid, I was like, Oh Snap ! I guess you have to watch it to know why. Well, that's the whole point of posting it. And cheer to another busy month ! Tell you later. Enjoice :)