Jika tidak malu, kerjakanlah apa yang dikehendaki

Entry ini adalah artikel lama tahun 2009 yg baru di publishkan...

Semalam saya pergi menghadiri satu lagi rumah terbuka Eidul Fitri yang diadakan oleh rakan sekerja di Kerteh. Tak, tajuk di atas tiada kena mengena dengan rumah terbuka tersebut. Tajuk di atas saya ambil dari hadith sahih  yg diriwayatkan oleh Imam Bukhari rhm dan dipilih sebagai Hadith ke 20 dalam Matan Arba'in susunan Imam Nawawi rhm. Matan Hadis yg diterjemahkan berbunyi,

"Dari Abi Mas'ud 'Uqbah bin Amru al Al-Ansari al-Badri radiyallahu 'anh, katanya: Rasulullah SAW bersabda: Bahawasanya setengah yang didapati manusia dari perkataan nabi yang terdahulu; ialah apabila engkau tidak malu maka kerjakanlah apa yang engkau kehendaki."

Example of the Life of This World

There is a verse in the Quran where Allah SWT give an example of the life this world and it is  very straightforward and easy to understand for those who want to understand.  Allah says,

وَٱضۡرِبۡ لَهُم مَّثَلَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلۡنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخۡتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَأَصۡبَحَ هَشِيمً۬ا تَذۡرُوهُ ٱلرِّيَـٰحُ‌ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ مُّقۡتَدِرًا (٤٥)

 “and put forward to them the example of the life of this world, it is like the water (rain)

Kunci Kepada Kebahagiaan

Tidak dinafikan, kegembiraan adalah satu-satunya matlamat kehidupan di dunia yang dicari oleh semua manusia tanpa pengecualian. Tidak kira samada dia seorang muslim ataupun tidak, semuanya mencari kegembiraan/kebahagiaan (happiness)dalam hidup mereka walaupun cara yang digunakan adalah berbeza.

Namun, saya mengimani bahawa hanya orang muslim mukmin sahaja yang mampu mendapatkan kebahagiaan yang sebenar.Segala bentuk kebahagiaan yang diperolehi tanpa kepercayaan yang jitu kepada Allah SWT adalah merupakan ilusi semata-mata.

Mengajar Bukan Kerana Nama..

24/5/2010, bermula satu lagi pengalaman baru dalam hidup saya iaitu sebagai Penceramah untuk kursus CIDB yang dianjurkan oleh Universiti Malaysia Pahang dibawah Jabatan Center for Further Education (Cenfed).

Alhamdulillah, rasanya saya dapat menyampaikan ceramah mengenai Pengurusan Modul Business dengan berkesan kerana selepas hasil kaji selidik yang saya berikan kepada peserta, respon yang diberi agak memberansangkan. Daripada nilai 1-10, dimana 10 adalah terbaik, purata nilai yang diberikan kepada ceramah saya adalah 8, not bad for the first timer, although masa di Techart dulu saya memang biasa mengendalikan kursus untuk kakitangan Tapak.

Sememang dari dulu, saya cukup minat untuk mengajar dan selepas pulang dari Oversea dulupun saya pernah mengajar di Sekolah Yayasan Terengganu sebelum memulakan karier sebagai Jurutera.

I'm looking forward to the next kursus which tentatively scheduled from 26/6/2010 to 28/6/2010. Harap-harap jumlah peserta akan mencukupi otherwise kena postponelah..

Suasana semasa kursus

Menulis bukan kerana nama..

Sudah agak lama rasanya..lebih kurang 4 bulan saya tidak menulis di blog ini..kadang-kadang terfikir juga ada ke orang baca apa yang ditulis diblog ini...adakah ianya seperti rumput-rampai dicelah-celah pepohon bunga-bungaan yang berwarna-warni dengan bau-bauan yang mewangi..tidak terpandang oleh mata...tidak terbau oleh hidung...apatah lagi semakin hari semakin banyak pepohon bunga yang ditanam selain rumput rampai yang juga semakin menjalar.

Memang hajat di hati untuk menulis sekerap mungkin dengan topik yang pelbagai..namun apakan daya ada saja halangan yang datang...kekadang dalam bentuk kerja....keluarga..dan tidak sedikit ianya kerana kelemahan dan kekurangan empunya diri...

19hb May ini genaplah setahun blog ini berada di alam siber...semoga sedikit sebanyak artikel yang tercatat dalam blog ini memberi manafaat kepada saya dan juga pembaca.

Teringat saya kepada komen kawan lama saya apabila dia terbaca blog saya ini diawal dulu, katanya, "apa yang kau merepek dalam blog kau ni"...walaupun kata-katanya hanyalah sebagai gurauan tapi saya terima komen tersebut sebagai komen yang positif untuk saya menilai apa yang saya tulis sebelum di publishkan.

Akhir kalam buat kali ini setelah rehat yang agak lama...terimalah lagu Bukan Kerana Nama oleh Ramli Sarip...ya benar AKU MENULIS BUKAN KERANA NAMA.....

Black and White , Who is Colored?

When I born, I black

When I grow up, I black

When I go in Sun, I black

When I scared, I black

When I sick, I black

And when I die, I still black

And you white fellow

When you born, you pink

When you grow up, you white

When you go in sun, you red

When you cold, you blue

When you scared, you yellow

When you sick, you green

And when! You die , you gray

And you calling me colored?

Received a forwarded email for the above poem from a friend with a quote, "the  poem  was nominated by UN as the best poem of 2009 and written by an african kid". I've done some research but the statement can not be confirmed because there are few other versions about the origin of this poem such as :

1. It was nominated as the best poem of 2006 not 2009
2. It was a pop song in 1990s
3. It was written by Malcom X
4. It has been around since 1970s
5. Some say this is a prank or a hoax thai is circulating on the internet for some years.
6.  Some even say this poem is just a racist view about human life and has no merit or truth to support it by facts, stating that all babies, irrespective of their race and ethnicity are born in the same color. The newborn baby is reddish purple in color as the skin is very thin and transparent and we actually see the color of the blood which is the same in all humans. It takes several weeks of maturation before the baby develops permanent skin tone and color. Black kids get sun burn, they turn blue, they turn yellow when they are sick and they turn gray as the aging process continues.
   
   

Very interesting poem indeed....but just bear in mind that whether we are black or white or colored or whatever color of our skin is....Allah says in the Al Quran, Surah Al Hujuraat Verse 13 which means;

"O mankind! we created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and Tribes, that ye may know Each other (Not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the Most honoured of you In the sight of Allah is (He who is) the Most righteous of you. and Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)."...

Who are we to say otherwise?.....

Nikmat Masa

Kuliah subuh hari ini cukup menarik minat saya. Ianya masih lagi berkisar tentang keberkatan Ramadhan dan kelebihan Lailatul Qadar tapi satu perkara yg dikatakan oleh Ustaz tersebut berkenaan kelebihan nikmat masa yg dikurniakan Allah SWT menjawab beberapa soalan yg berlegar dikepala saya beberapa hari ini.

Persoalan yg berlegar dikepala saya ialah kenapa kadang2 kita merasakan kita telah membuat sesuatu perkara/ banyak perkara dalam satu masa yg panjang namun bila kita kita tengok jam..rupa-rupanya baru 30 minit masa berlalu. Dan dalam waktu yg lain..masa kita rasakan berjalan terlalu pantas sampaikan kerja2 masih banyak lagi tidak terbuat.

Ustaz tersebut menceritakan tentang pengalaman peribadinya mengalami nikmat masa semasa bertalaqqi dengan seorang sheikh semasa menuntut di Mesir. Diceritakannya pada satu hari sheikh tersebut memberitahu bahawa sesi talaqqi hari itu akan ambil masa panajng sikit kerana banyak tajuk/kitab yg akan disyarahkan. Mengikut ustaz, kebiasaannya sesi talaqqi akan ambil masa 2-3 jam sahaja.

Pada hari itu, memang dirasakan agak panjang sesi talaqqi tersebut dengan sheikh mengajar dari satu tajuk kesatu tajuk sehingga kaki dan belakang ustaz dan rakannya terasa kebas/lenguh. Melihat keadaan ustaz dan rakannya, tuan sheikh menyuruh ustaz dan rakannya supaya bersandar dan melunjurkan kaki. Kata ustaz, memang kebiasaan orang arab belajar sambil bersandar dan berlunjur tapi pelajar melayu biasanya duduk dengan tertib bila belajar. Ustaz dan rakan terus bertalaqqi tanpa melihat jam sehinggalah selesai.

Apabila telah keluar dari rumah sheikh tersebut, rakan ustaz melihat jamnya dari berkata pada ustaz,"sheikh, anta tahu berapa lama kita bertalaqqi tadi?, satu jam saja". SubhanALLAH...Allahuakbar...inilah kekuasaan Allah yg boleh memendekkan masa dan memanjangkan masa atas kehendakNya.

Kekuasaan Allah inilah juga yg menidurkan Ashabul Kahfi didalam satu gua selama 309 tahun yang hanya dirasa oleh mereka seperti satu atau sebahagian dari sehari. Kekuasaan Allah jualah yg menjaga tubuh badan dan pakaian mereka dari menjadi hancur dek lamanya masa berlalu sedangkan diluar gua, manusia2 sezamannya telah hancur dimakan tanah.

Ustaz juga menerangkan tentang sebenarnya kita tidak perlu hairan jika ada cerita2 ulamak/orang soleh yg dapat mengerjakan solat 100 rakaat satu malam atau menghabiskan Al Quran 10 kali sehari kerana ALLAH mampu menjadikan masa itu panjang dan pendek bagi seseorang dengan KekuasaanNYA sebagai pencipta masa itu sendiri.

Perkara inilah yg tidak dapat difahami oleh Einstein walaupun dia mampu mengeluarkan Teori Relatifnya.




Semoga Allah SWT mengurniakan nikmat masa kepada kita supaya kita dapat beribadat sebanyak mungkin dalam kita mencari Lailtul Qadar pada saat-saat pecutan akhir dibulan Ramadhan Al Mubarak ini..

My First Ramadhan

I really can't remember vividly what it was like during my first ramadhan and I "think" I started fasting when I was 7 years old. Maybe because I was born Muslim, the thrill of ramadhan was not sort of things that stuck to my mind.

Thus, when I read the story of new reverts to Islam telling their first ramadhan experience, I really envy them because they were fasting based on their effort to please their new founding Creator whereas I was fasting just for the sake of following what my family did that time.

My only hope is from now onward , I will go through the month of ramadhan with full knowledge of its blessing and by the end of ramadhan , I will come out of it as a fully "recharged" muslim..InsyaAllah..

My First Ramadan By Khalid Paschalis

It was around the last days of Sha`ban (the eighth month of the Hijri calendar), and I was speaking with my Muslim friends about Ramadan and fasting. I had already read of the importance and benefits of fasting, and I really wanted to live this experience. I was very anxious, though. I kept thinking that it might be difficult for me to abstain from food and water during the daytime for a whole month! My best friend gave me advice on how to fast and be able to make it for the whole day. Then Ramadan arrived! I remember myself waking up very early to eat my sahur (the meal before fasting). I remembered my friend's advice to drink much water. I ate and then I performed the Fajr Prayer. It felt different from the other times. It was something I can't explain, I was actually really living the prayer, it just felt great! Later that day I went to the university. I was anxious that if I saw the other students eating or drinking water, it would make me thirsty and hungry. Anyway, I felt confident and went on. During that day I didn't really feel very hungry or thirsty, al-hamdu lillah. It wasn't as hard as I first thought it would be. I actually felt better and I felt my stomach clean. During the next days along with my medical studies, I studied a lot about Islam. I was reading the Qur'an and Hadith, I was talking with my friends. It was a great opportunity to widen my knowledge of Islam. My mother was not very pleased with my fasting and she kept telling me that I would not make it and that it would harm me. Al-hamdu lillah, she was wrong! I had a problem with my stomach before Ramadan and it was cured just because of my fasting! Another good opportunity the holy month gave me was that I met more Muslims in my community. I met many students I hadn't known of before, and they were really pleased to welcome me as a new Muslim in their company. We had iftar (meal to break the fast) together some days and we spoke on a variety of things. How great it was! When Ramadan was slowly coming to its end, I actually got used to fasting and it was something I knew I would miss later. The last night before `Eid, I was feeling a different person — a better person. I woke up very early next day and went to the mosque for the `Eid Prayer. It was more crowded than I had ever seen it before, and I realized that Muslims in my community aren't as few as I first thought. The prayer finished and I went with my friends to eat breakfast in the university cafeteria. How strange it seemed to me to eat at that time! I missed that period until now that Ramadan has begun once again. This is my second Ramadan and it is so the same and yet so different from my previous one! The first Ramadan is really an experience never forgotten! Remembrances of a First Ramadan By Aisha Robertson Women praying in a mosque. This upcoming Ramadan will be my fourteenth, al-hamdu lillah, and I am looking forward to it, in sha' Allah. I was 27 years old when I converted to Islam and consequently spent 27 years celebrating Christian holidays and birthdays. I did go through a transition period of adjustment to my new faith and way of life and al-hamdu lillah, I feel a deep sense of ownership and pride in the Islamic holidays I now celebrate as a Muslimah. After converting to Islam, I was quick to learn salah (prayer) and wear hijab. I was incredibly grateful to Allah Almighty (subhanahu wa ta`ala) for the hidaya (guidance to the true path) I was given and I wanted to be identified in public as a Muslim. I could hardly wait for my first Ramadan because this would be the pillar of Islam that I would do with the whole Muslim community. It is true that fasting is an individual act. However, breaking the fast and sharing iftars (meals to break the fast) along with performing the Tarawih Prayer are things that are usually done collectively. Before converting to Islam I had fasted the 40 days of Lent; however, it was not the same as the fast of Ramadan because I did drink water during the day. Even though I had this experience of fasting previously, I was still quite anxious about going without food and water during the day. I was not sure if I could do it, especially being in America where most people are not Muslim and daily life is not adjusted for Ramadan. But I knew that if Allah commanded me to do it then it was possible. I recall being very lonely during my first Ramadan. I was a new convert and I was single. Basically, I woke up for sahur (meal before fasting) and ate it alone, broke my fast alone and prayed Tarawih Prayer alone. I was a university graduate student and I lived alone. The Muslim Students Association at my university was dominated by brothers and consequently the iftars they held were for brothers only. So I really could not attend them. I did not know many sisters at that time and the local masjid was very far from where I lived. I did not have a car to drive to the masjid for community iftars and Tarawih Prayer. Al-hamdu lillah, I did feel however, that Allah was always with me. In a way, I began to feel very close to Allah. One of the best things that happened during my first Ramadan was that I got married, al-hamdu lillah. I was actually engaged but because of my circumstances and lack of family support we decided it would be best to marry even though it was Ramadan. Al-hamdu lillah, I was then able to eat sahur with my husband, pray, and break the fast with him. It brought me a great sense of peace and contentment, al-hamdu lillah. I also was able to go to the masjid for the Tarawih Prayer one time, and I loved the entire experience of praying with so many sisters. I began to feel that I was part of the larger community of Muslims. One of my friends, Aminah, is also a convert. I asked her about her experiences during her first Ramadan and I found we shared a similar experience of being anxious. Sister Aminah also had a wonderful experience when meeting other Muslims. Aminah told me she felt "a strangeness because I wasn't used to being treated like family from people I barely knew. Especially since I was used to the kind of people who only treated you right when they wanted something." Sister Aisha is another convert friend who lives in Kenya. Aisha explained to me that she found her first Ramadan to be spiritually fulfilling even though it was also a bit lonely for her. Aisha told me, "I really needed to replenish my spiritual needs and I loved the sacrifice. I visited the masjid several times and from then my masjid phobia disappeared for good. I had this phobia to go to the masjid because I wasn't sure I would be able to say the prayers correctly, as I had learned to pray on my own through books and used to do it in the house." When Aisha told me about her masjid phobia I smiled because I went through the same experience. Aisha also told me that her `Eid was rather uneventful because she, along with her husband and small daughter, had no other Muslim family. However, they were thankful to Allah the Almighty for everything. Aisha explained, "You see both of us being reverts, we have no close Muslim ties, this is a time Muslims want to be with their close ones and so no one seems to want guests. That is when I came up with a dream to set up a house for reverts where they can feel at home especially during times like Ramadan!" I think Aisha's idea is a great one and I pray it comes to fruition. I was able to spend my first `Eid Al-Fitr with my husband and his family but I still felt a bit lonely. Perhaps it is because my own family was not able to celebrate with me. Allah promises to test us and I just view all of my lonely experiences as a test from Allah the Most High. These experiences are also a reaffirmation of my reason for converting to Islam, which was for the sake of Allah alone and not for pleasing people or for other worldly benefits.

From Islamonline.net

Ramadhan Tanpa Bonda

Ramadhan yang bakal menjelang tidak lama lagi mengingatkan kembali akan kepulangan Bonda ke rahmatullah pada bulan syawal tahun lepas. Ramadhan 1429 Hijrah merupakan ramadhan terakhir dapat ku hayati bersama Bonda. Bonda pulang menemui Penciptanya setelah menahan kesakitan selama 4 bulan. Ramadhan 1429 hijrah juga merupakan ramadhan yang pertama (selepas aku menjadi dewasa), aku menyambut sepenuhnya di negeri asalku, Terengganu.

Hampir 18 tahun aku merantau keluar dari kampung halaman mencari rezeki dari KL ke Johor, Johor ke Sabah, balik ke Semenanjung dan menetap sekejap di Negeri Sembilan, akhirnya bekerja di Kuala Lumpur dan membeli rumah serta menetap di Rawang, Selangor.

Pada bulan November 2007, aku meletakkan jawatan sebagai Senior Manager disebuah syarikat dan mengambil keputusan untuk balik ke Terengganu. Ku tinggalkan segala kehebatan Kuala Lumpur, ku tinggalkan kawan-kawan, ku tinggalkan jiran-jiran yang telah ku kenali lebih dari 10 tahun, ku tinggalkan rumah yang telah ku ubahsuai dan ku tinggalkan pangkat dan kerja yang selesa untuk kembali ke Terengganu...demi seorang Bonda. Ku tinggalkan segala-galanya itu supaya dapat ku berjumpa ibuku sekurang-kurangnya sekali seminggu.

Alhamdulillah, Allah SWT telah berikan aku kesempatan selama 6 bulan untuk aku meluangkan masa bersama-sama bonda...duduk dikerusi di halaman rumahnya dan melihat pandangan orang lalu lalang sambil melayan bicara dengan Bonda. Banyak yang dibicarakannya dan selalunya berkisah mengenai anak-anaknya termasuklah aku.

Setiap kali berbicara dengan Bonda, aku cuba sedaya upaya untuk tidak menyakiti hatinya, cuba melayan bicara hatinya sebaik mungkin. Aku cuba praktikkan firman ALLAH SWT dalam Surah
Al-Israa' Ayat 23-24 yang bermaksud,

"Dan Tuhanmu telah perintahkan, supaya engkau tidak menyembah melainkan kepadaNya semata-mata, dan hendaklah engkau berbuat baik kepada ibu bapa. Jika salah seorang dari keduanya, atau kedua-duanya sekali sampai kepada umur tua dalam jagaan dan peliharaanmu, maka janganlah engkau berkata kepada mereka ( sebarang perkataan kasar) sekalipun perkataan "ah", dan janganlah engkau menengking menyergah mereka, tetapi katakan kepada mereka perkataan mulia (yang bersopan santun). Dan hendaklah engkau merendah diri kepada keduanya kerana belas kasihan dan kasih sayangmu, dan doakanlah (untuk mereka, dengan berkata), " Wahai Tuhanku! Cucurkanlah rahmat kepada mereka berdua sebagaimana mereka telah mencurahkan kasih sayangnya memelihara dan mendidikku semasa kecil."

Setiap masa kelapangan, aku akan menjenguk bonda dan kadang-kadang aku datang semasa bekerja bersama rakan sekerja. Masih ku ingat kata-kata rakanku itu selepas berjumpa Bonda, " Mak demo mace muko demo...nampok sihat lagi dio". Rupa-rupanya dalam kelihatan sihat itu Bonda mengidap penyakit kencing manis kronik yang hanya dikesan sebulan selepas itu. 2 jari kaki kanannya terpaksa dipotong dan seterusnya penyakit tersebut menjadi 'asbab' kepulangannya ke Rahmatullah dalam bulan Syawal yang lalu.

Semasa menyambut Ramadhan sebelum pemergiannya, Bonda dalam keadaan yang amat lemah menyebabkan dia tidak dapat berpuasa. Sepanjang ramadhan tersebut, aku sentiasa menziarahinya hampir setiap hari untuk melihat keadaannya dan menatap wajahnya. Aku lakukan ini kerana pernah teringat kata-kata seorang ustaz ,

"Ada lima perkara apabila kita menatapnya akan mendapat pahala iaitu melihat Kaabah, mushaf al-Quran, melihat wajah ibu bapa, orang alim dan memandang wajah suami isteri dengan penuh kasih sayang,"

Setiap kali apabila hendak berpisah, aku akan mohon keampunannya dan Bonda juga tidak pernah lupa ucapkan, "Mok pun mintak maaf gok, Di". Bagaimanakah aku seorang anak ingin maafkan seorang ibu yang tidak pernah membuat kesalahan pada diriku..yang jika adapun sedikit rasa ketidakpuasan hatiku terhadapnya, telah kubuang jauh-jauh...aku telah redha Bonda menjadi Ibuku didunia dan diakhirat.

Ramadhan datang lagi tahun ini dan seperti biasa ianya akan disambut dengan kegembiraan bagi orang-orang yang mencari rahmat dan redha Allah. Bulan dimana diturunkan Alquran sebagai petunjuk dan menjadi pembeza antara yang hak dan yang batil sepertimana firman Allah yang bermaksud,

" ..Bulan Ramadhan, bulan yang di dalamnya diturunkan al-Quran sebagai petunjuk bagi manusia dan penjelasan-penjelasan mengenai petunjuk itu dan menjadi pembeza ( di antara yang hak dengan yang bathil),"
Sural Al-Baqarah Ayat 185.

Ya, Ramadhan datang lagi dan kali ini akan ku sambut tanpa Bonda disisi. Tiada lagi wajah Bonda untuk kutatapi, tiada lagi bicara Bonda yang dapat ku dengari.... hanya doa yang dapat kukirim.. semoga bonda tenang disisi Ilahi.