Great Lesson

if there was a lesson that i'll pass to my kids, or my grandkids is to always be humble..i just learned this from one great man, whom i recently got to know personally..prior of this, i barely knew him tho i read some of his writings..in fact, he was not ashamed to acknowledge his weaknesses, regardless of  how prestigious his current reputation is..well, i might disagree with some of his views, being that politically, socially, or even religiously, yet i do subscribe to his idea that we, as a human being, should be humble enough to keep learning; being that from tonnes of failures or successes we might have..you may assume i do exaggerate as i described him; and yes, you're right..i did exaggerate bout him..yet, deep down in my heart i already assume him as my mentor; and for those, who were lucky enough to join Alif Ba Ta conference this year, you might as well know who this person is..

well, some might admire a person who has the same belief as he/she does..but, in my case, it's entirely different..between him and me, there are a lot of differences..and these contradicts have made me to reconsider all my views again..maybe there were some fallacies of which i am yet to identify..besides, i also learned on how to show respects to others: it's not about laying down red carpet to show how we honor a person; rather how we value all the advices he/she might give to us..in fact, i was told not to show excessive respect to people since it might lead me to be a stupid follower, instead of the supportive one..

and for all these lesson, i feel blessed..maybe this's how Allah teaches me by sending a person, whom i rarely meet, but once met, i am significantly inspired...

POYO

i was blessed for being asked to be the moderator for the last Kedai Kopi in Stevens. it was such a great experience to discuss ideas with all participants..there were many problems as well as solutions identified throughout the 2 hr discourse..yet, there was one concern, raised in the middle of the discussion, that kept bothering me - the use of word "POYO!" i'm wondering how much negative effects this word has caused to our society? how this one word has severely hindered one from developing him/herself? 

well, this discussion might sound a bit lame and pathetic..but, just imagine the effects of changing this negative word so that it becoming positive..honestly speaking, it could create a great impact to our society..no one would be afraid/ashame to volunteer for certain tasks since he/she is happy to be labeled as POYO! 

so guys, keep telling yourself and your friends that being POYO, for good reasons, is good..believe me, if everybody spreads this new idea of POYO in his/her local society, we could be able to produce a lot more great leaders as well as concerned citizens..and then, our life would be much better! 

"I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do."  ~Edward Everett Hale

Interesting

"Girls are like apples on trees.The best ones are at the top of the trees.The boys don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they just get the rotten apples that are on the ground that aren't as good, but easy. So the apples at the top think there is something wrong with them, when, in reality, they are amazing. They just have to wait for the right boy to come along, the one who's brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree."  - source: FB

* to all real boys: PLEASE TAKE A RISK OF FALLING DOWN, AND GETTING HURT ;)

Asset or Liability?

being a homo sapiens, who is granted with both akal and nafs (will/desire), is pretty unique for we can choose to be either asset or liability to our societies..there's simply nothing in between..but, how to know of which side we belong to? 

first of the foremost, you need to ask yourself this one simple question: "could my society does better w/o me?" if the answer was no, you could be pretty sure that you do mean something to your society? if the answer was otherwise, you should go to the next question, "do i cause any harm to my society?" if the answer was YES, you are really in trouble..but, if the answer was NO, you should go back to the first question..it's as simple as that - going back and forth, till you finally find the right answer..

secondly, you might know either you're useful or not simply through the amount of responsibilities people bestowed upon you - the more, the better..if you were not given any tasks, something might be wrong since people do not trust you or in a bright side, people might not yet see your real potential..so, instead of further keeping yourself aside, you should go to your people and tell them about your unseen potential..don't be shy or afraid - volunteering for responsibilities has nothing to do with gila kuasa..plus, those who think that way are very narrow-minded, and usually they, themselves, have nothing to offer..

thirdly, you could simply go around, and ask your closed friends..well, sometimes, this method might be more efficient than the previous two..yet, this might depend on how serious and frank your friends are in giving you the feedbacks..but, based on our people, who rather to shut their mouth up than to tell their friends the real truth, i bet this method to be the least efficient..you might give it a try, but don't expect much from it..

so guys, if you notice that you have nothing to offer (zero contribution = liability), don't get very upset since you're not alone..there're millions of people out there, who are being the burdens to their society..yet, the difference between you and them is that you do realize that you're the liability..hence, try to go deep into yourself, and i'm pretty sure, you might find something beneficial to be offered to your people, in which you might not be aware yet..remember, you can choose to be an ASSET or a LIABILITY..but, i can guarantee you that the former is always preferred by many..

Wisdom

i was told, by a friend of mine, not to be obsessed finding wisdom from western scholars as Islam has provided complete guidelines for us to succeed both in this dunya and the Hereafter..instead of being offended by that, i took the advice from the positive side..but, being me, i never settled for one argument unless i found a very solid evidence to support such claim..

tho i took no effort to challenge his argument at that time, i have never stopped questioning the validity of his claim..my reason is simple: all knowledge is coming from one source - Allah, the Almighty..so, as long as the knowledge is good, i find no reason to reject it..yet, as a Muslim, it's not proper to answer questions solely based on our logics..we, instead, are told to learn from Koran and the Sunnah..and Praise be to Allah, i found one Hadith in regards to this issue;

The Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h said, "Wisdom is the lost item of the believer - whenever he finds it, he takes it."

In fact, even our Prophet Muhammad did so (learning from others). He said, "i was about to forbid you from having intercourse with your wives while they are breastfeeding children, but i saw that the Romans and Persians did that and it didn't harm their children." [reported by, al-Bukhari]

thus, i believe the wisdom could be find at anywhere at anytime..yet, as a Muslim, the Koran and the Sunnah are our ultimate guidelines..anything, which is contradicting with the teaching of both sources, is therefore considered wrong - that's for sure..otherwise, everything is permissible! see, how beautiful Islam is!

Mind

i don't understand why there are so many people, whose emotion can be easily disturbed..if men cannot control their emotion, what really makes them better than animals? yes, feeling/emotion is abstract..but, i believe we can control emotion (bad emotion) via our powerful mind..but, don't get me wrong..it's not like i'm saying that we should suppress our feelings..but, the way we control our feeling will determine how great we are..so, keep smiling regardless how sad/angry you are inside! in fact, no one want to see your sad face for everybody already have their own problems! ;)

Self-Reflection

my trip to the west coast so far is considerably good; i have been traveling to las vegas, san francisco, and now i'm staying in los angeles for a few days before going further south to san diego, and probably spending the last day in tijuana (border of mexico)..and the best part is that all of these places are further apart from one another..therefore, my friends and i spent most of our time in car/bus..and there were during these moments, i did self-reflection..ironically, as i was going deeper to know about myself, i found myself to be closer to God..i feel more grateful for what i'm today, and of course, i can make more sense about my upcoming future..and Praise be to Allah, currently i feel sooo good about myself - a feeling, in which i've never felt before..now, i do realize, most of my past times i have been getting busy (with school & games) till i forgot to find a moment for myself! but, thank God, i finally did! and now, instead of being so discouraging as a new semester is kicking off, i feel so excited..but, at the mean time, i wanna enjoy the rest of my holidays with my buddies.. ;)

p/s: it has been sometime since i update this blog; hence, please pardon for my poor writing as my brain is getting rusty during this break! 

11th Anniversary Dragons

some of Dragons' buddies i met during the last Summer

Praise be to Allah, the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful. it has been 11 years since i first met with all my high school buddies..though the memory was a bit blurry to me, i'm pretty sure i was very nervous on the same day about 11 years ago..ye lah, it was my first day in boarding school..well, i can't really remember either i was crying on that day or not..but, i was very upset to be far away from my family..

but, today on Jan 4, 2010 (m'sian time), i'm so grateful for the decision that i have made more than a decade ago..if i were to decide not to leave my kampung so to study in SAKTI (stands for Sains Kota Tinggi), i might not be what i'm today..maybe, my chance to study abroad will never existed..but, special thanks to my family, my primary and high school teachers for putting trust on me while i barely had one..and of course, my millions thank is to all my high school buddies, of whom i might be either very close to or merely a bit close to..i believe without you guys, i'm nothing..you guys had made my 5 years in high school to be my best time ever, in which i would treasure for the rest of my life..

recollecting all the memories back then, i was still remembering how difficult life was when i was in form one..bullying was very common at that time..but, it's getting better and better..but i guess, it was those moments that i do remember a lot..it's not that i wanna encourage bullying in hostel..but, those moments would be our all-time favorite topics whenever we're meeting again after school - it's not we keep our grudge towards those people, instead we typically burst into laugher to remember how stupid and timid we were back then..

now, everybody in our batch has his/her own path..even, some have already graduated from college, and thus have secured good jobs..while majority, like me, are still in college, burning midnight oil in order to pass our semester exams..but, while i was in m'sia back then, i was so glad to have a chance to reconcile with most of my old mates..tho it has been quite a while since my last meeting with them, i didn't feel any strange..instead, i was having great time together..we updated ourselves with the stories of one another..haha, how memorable the moments were..

so, to all my Dragons buddies, i wish happy 11th anniversary..i wish our friendship will remain strong, and thus last forever..may Allah guides us to His path so that we could be successful not only in this dunya but also in the Hereafter..all the best! ;)

my rantings!

Islam Liberal:

ketika pulang ke m'sia tempoh hari, saya perasan tentang wujudnya sindrom "Kami percaya kepada Islam Liberal." well, based on what i've seen from those, who claim to be one, Islam Liberal can be described as following:

- sembahyang fardhu bukan kewajipan yang besar..justeru, meninggalkan solat bukan lah kesalahan yang besar

- buatlah jahat mana pun, selagi tidak mensyirikkan Allah adalah dibenarkan

- pergaulan sangat bebas lelaki dan perempuan

- mereka mengaku sebagai Muslim yang moden

well, in just a glance, we could simply know that this is totally wrong..but, what really upset me is the fact that this tenet is really popular among the teenagers..wow, it surprised me a lot..we have really been liberalized, don't we?

but, to solely blame these youngsters might be unfair too..in fact, we really need to find root of this problem - why these groups tend to divert from the actual teaching of Islam? i guess, maybe, Islam that have been portrayed to them is nothing but a ritual religion - praying 5 times/day w/o knowing the actual reason why we have to do so, fasting in month of ramadhan only to be thirsty and hungry for one whole day, and etc..and to make even worse, Islam is seen only to uphold the Hudud Law (as is Islam has nothing to offer but to punish the people), and etc.. or maybe, i guess, these people have not seen examples of real Muslims, who are not only pious but also are very successful in their works/professions.. or maybe, i guess, the way we teach them about Islam not really right - we're so obsessed to tell them how to do prayers, instead of why should we do prayer, for example..or maybe, these people just want to set themselves free from any responsibilities of being a Muslim

thus, it's very important for parents or parents-to-be to equip themselves with necessary knowledges of Islam..also, it's equally important to teach Islam to their kids not in a conventional way, but to convince their kids that Islam is the only true path by simply providing evidences from Koran/Sunnah and then to explain the wisdom behind them..for example, i always ask myself, if Allah is the Almighthy (yes, Allah is indeed the Almighty), why should we do prayer for him? why should we praise Him if He is the Most Sacred (yes, Allah is indeed the Most Sacred) ? but, as i've read the Koran, Allah has provided the answers for all my questions in the following verses:

a) 29.5 to 29.6:

"Whoever hopes to meet Allah (let them work hard), the term appointed by Allah will then most surely come; and He is the Hearing, the Knowing."

"And whoever strives hard, he strives only for his own soul; most surely Allah is Self-sufficient, above (need of) the worlds."

*see, Allah has clearly disclaimed any needs from His creation..instead, the only reason we have to do good deeds (by following His commands) is for our own benefits. and later in this Sura, Allah has explained the reason why we need to perform prayers;

b) 29.45

"Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and keep up prayer; surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do."

*ain't it beautiful? at the early Sura, Allah has clarified the needs of mankind to do good deeds, and to avoid evils..and later in the Sura, Allah mentioned that by performing Solah, we could keep ourselves from misbehaving..these verses are enough to convince me the reason to worship Allah, as the one and only God!

well, i believe there are many wisdoms in the Koran, that i'm yet to discover..just imagine, if you could provide such answers if ur kids ask u about the reasons to perform Solah..ain't it more beneficial to provide them with sound answers rather than to ask them to keep their mouths shut, and then to merely and blindly follow what has been taught to them in school..but, to be able to do this, parents should have sufficient knowledge about Islam..otherwise, if they give reasonings solely based on their logic, they might be distorting their kids from the actual teaching of Islam..

disclaimer: anyway, this is merely my opinions..i've no intention to degrade others..indeed, i'm neither a perfect Muslim..but, as i have always been told by my buddies, the dakwah is kinda hand-in-hand process, in which as you do advice others to do good, you are actually telling yourself to do the same thing..May Allah bless us ;)

The Chronicle of Hang Tuah: Revisited

of my past life:

saya dibesarkan dengan gambaran bahawa Hang Tuah adalah seorang hero, dan seterusnya wajar ditauladani..Hang Jebat pula dilabel sebagai pengkhianat, dan pembelot kepada Tuanku Sultan Melaka ketika itu..

of summer 2010:

saya mengambil keputusan untuk pulang ke Malaysia, walaupun cuti hanya selama 3 minggu...mungkin rasa kangan kepada keluarga melupakan seketika kepada faktor wang tambang yang agak mahal..alhamdulillah, keputusan untuk pulang agak tepat kerana ditakdiran ibu saudara yang dikasihi dihingapi penyakit kritikal ketika saya sampai..so, thank God, i managed to stay by her side in the hospital almost a week..plus, now, she's getting better and better..

mungkin kerana terlalu lama berada dalam keadaan dormant, saya meronta2 kebosanan di rumah..bukan bosan melihat wajah kedua ibu bapa tercinta, namun minda terasa semakin berkarat..maka, saya pun menggeledah rak buku lama, tinggalan arwah atuk..akhirnya terjumpa kepada sebuah buku usang mengenai Hang Tuah vs Hang Jebat..(okay, i forgot the actual title of the book)..buku ini dikarang oleh seorang penulis melayu masyhur, di mana gaya bahasanya begitu klassik..lebih menarik lagi buku ini diolah2 dalam bentuk penceritaan dan dialog..jadi, situasi yang kononnya berlaku diantara Hang Jebat dan Hang Tuah menjadi lebih jelas

so, as i was reading the book, i always kept in my mind that Hang Jebat was a traitor (at least, it was what my teachers told me)..so, i was a bit prejudice..yet, as i was following the story, something popped up in my mind - for what reasons Hang Jebat is a traitor? because of the revenge he took for the sake of his brother, Hang Tuah? for showing the Sultan that the decision to punish Hang Tuah was wrong? to fight so that the true justice would prevail? and the list goes on..i cannot find any other reasons, except Hang Jebat threw away the Sultan from the throne, and therefore, took in charge of Malacca's Palace..was it considered wrong to fight against the unjust Sultan?

of Winter 2010/2011

to be true, i never continued to find the answers for all questions that popped up in my mind while reading the book in last Summer..well, why should i care enough since the truth/credibility of the chronicles of Hang Tuah is still under dispute? some claimed to find Hang Tuah's grave somewhere in Jawa, and others denied the findings, and etc..

but, as i recently bumped to some related posts of the importance of revisiting this chronicle, i found these questions are worth to ponder..why? of course, we don't want to give the wrong message to our kids..early educations is extremely important, and thus should be done accordingly and properly..if we don't really rethink of this story, we might convey a distorted message to kids so to follow blindly of those in power, even though these people are doing wrong..or the worse, we might have kids, with fanatic mindset! 

yet, if this chronicle was merely a story-telling, who were then responsible to spread this propaganda? why Hang Jebah should be portrayed as a traitor, rather than a justice fighter? i think the real traitor was the one who told the Sultan the lie about Hang Tuah! 

again, in Islam, we are told to obey our Ruler, as long he's doing good to people..if he was not, we are free from any burden to follow his commands..so, this concept should be made crystal clear so that we are not misleading our younger generations..

of my disclaimer:

i might be wrong on this topic since my knowledge on our history is very limited..hence, i'm open to any criticism in regards to this particular topic! ;)

New Year's Resolution

hey, happy new year all! tho some might argue that this's not the actual new year for Muslims, i still believe it's not wrong to celebrate..why? as far as i'm concerned, new year is not even a religious festival..so, in Islam, everything (non-religious) is HALAL, unless it's clearly told to be HARAM in Koran or Sunnah..hence, i don't see any reasons to argue on this topic..i might be wrong tho! but, that's what i believe so far!

again, as is a tradition, everyone will throw his/her new year's resolutions..and, for me, this is a good thing..if someone choose to become a better person on this date, why should we discourage him/her to do so? instead, we should support them..it doesn't matter if he/she manages to keep his resolutions or not! this world has enough pessimistic guys, whom do not value innovations and positive attitudes..so, please don't include yourself to be one of those guys! 

lastly, i hope 2011 would be another great year of us..as i strolled around the times sq as to wait for the new year's countdown, i saw some volunteers distributing brochure about Islam, and its title is "Muslim for Peace!" i guess this is a good sign to tell people that Islam has never promoted extreme/terrorism..so, to those who claim to be Muslim, please act accordingly..we should be nice to non-muslims so that this sort of Islamophobia can be resolved a.s.a.p! 

Spread the LOVE, not the HATRED!