just another thoughts

1) religion

i can see the beauty in Islam, and thus i'm very proud to be Muslim..the fact that i was born and raised as a Muslim is a great privilege to me - i don't have to struggle to find the TRUTH since it's already there..my parents have done great job so far by providing a very good basic understanding of Islam..and for that again, i'm so grateful..but, for all the knowledge, pertaining to Islam, that i have acquired so far, i'm still longing to know more..

but, as far as i appreciate all the knowledge taught to me by either any Muslim scholars, peers, roommates, or strangers, i, personally, prefer to know more about values in Islam..i don't agree when someone puts too much stress on, "what should/shouldn't do (halal & haram)" in Islam..yes, it's true, that everyone should be reminded of that for as a human being, naturally, we're forgetful..yes, it's true that in Islam, HALAL and HARAM is very clear...but, quoting from one Muslim scholars, whom i forgot his name, we should now see the world not only in black and white..so, my humble suggestion is that, instead of keep telling others about HALAL & HARAM in Islam, what if we tell them the real Islamic values: justice, respect, tolerance, hardworking and etc..that i believe would be more effective since it's the values that do matter at the end..yet, it's not that i'm saying we could do everything we want..what is HARAM remains HARAM, and vice versa..my only concerns is for us to not put too much stress on that scope: we should broaden our understandings by promoting & practicing all the good values in Islam.. 

2) pics

there was someone asking me, during a Malaysians conference, which keeps me wondering a lot: "why for every occasions, there should be a photo session at the end?" well, it seemed funny at first, but once i gave it some thoughts, it did make sense! i'm not a fan of photo-taking! yet, i do appreciate all wonderful pics, captured by some people since not everyone could do the same..however, i partly agree that pics could tell you everything for as far as i'm concerned, not every photo we see is REAL! sometimes, we could see a photo of married couple smiling and holding each other's hand, like they are happy being together..but, the reality is way different from what is shown in the pic! hence, don't get ourselves easily deceived by photos, especially when they are pics of politicians - you know what i mean, right? haha ;)

Ipman (Yip Man) ~ Inspired!

things have not been so well for me lately - all projects i'm working right now seem not very promising, in which the chance of failure is way higher than success..yet, i don't really care much about the results; it's the process that matters to me..plus, i'm really in a confusing mode right now - this explains the reason for me to seclude myself from others..i think, it's better to let only myself to be confused, rather dragging others into this disarray..sorry, if i seem to be a bit cold! ;)

anyway, enuf of complaining for  it's not what i really want to share with u today! i was blessed, i guess, for being able to watch ipman (1&2) lately..tho, i'm more to believe that everything shown in the movies, was way much to be exaggerate,d but deeply inside, i was and am really inspired with this man's characters - of all good things about him, i prefer his integrity! i have never seen such a noble man like he was - a very good father and husband, as well as a loyal person to his communities and friends..seriously, you guys have to watch these movies..

while watching these movies, i was wondering, if Yip Man could be such a great guy, what about our Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h)? .i assume, Prophet Muhammad should be way way way way better than Yip Man! in fact, our Prophet is declared by Allah to be the best human being in the Koran..with that in mind, try to imagine how great Our Prophet was - his r/ship with Allah, his families, his companions, and etc..this really tickles my curious mind to know more about his characters and life..if only i could live during his lifetime, i would be the luckiest man in the world..but, that's not gonna happen.. ;)

Congrats Egyptians!

Salaam Alaikum,

i think it's still not late for me to congratulate my brothers and sisters in Egypt, regardless of their religions and backgrounds, for a very sound victory to defeat the Mubarak's regime. now, it's time for them to change the whole corrupted system for the better. May Allah bless all of them for this struggle.

anyway, in reality, the struggle of Egyptians is far away to be done. The victory to dispose Mubarak and his cabinet buddies was just a beginning..there're lots of things to be done in future, which demands more commitment and sacrifice..yet, i'm very optimistic that these people, especially their youths, would be successful in forming a new fair and just system, regardless of any!

but, it's not the issue here..as far as i'm concerned about the Egyptians struggle, i'm more worried about our people..when the turmoil started in Egypt, i was happy to see how many of my friends were very concerned - almost everybody changed their FB status, for example, to show their strong support for these Egyptians..i was surprised, but more likely to be amazed with this sudden change of attitude..in fact, i was learning a lot from them: the history of Egypt, their struggles, and etc..yes, it sounded very promising to me! alas, when the turmoil settled, i rarely see or hear any comments of Egypt..are they not interested anymore? or do they think the struggle of Egyptians is over? and many more..

well, if the answer was yes for any of the above questions, i might be happy..but, if not, something might be wrong! it leads me to this very crucial question: "adakah kita berbunyi mengikut trend semasa?" if that was the case, i feel so sorry..maybe, we should tell our people to start doing something because they believe so, not merely because of others! otherwise, we could easily be fooled by mass crowd! think before act! ;) 

Khutbah Terakhir Nabi SAW

Getting Out of Our Comfort Zone!

just imagine how scare was our Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) when he first got the revelation from Allah to spread His Message to the all mankind.. was it easy for the Prophet (p.b.u.h) to teach his ignorant people of this new faith (Islam)? Alhamdulillah, the Prophet  (p.b.u.h) managed to get out of his comfort zone so to spread the message of Islam..and now, there are billions of Muslims all around the world! We should thank  the Prophet  (p.b.u.h) for his struggles so to free us from all kinds of superstitious rituals, practiced by our ancestors, to the worship of the one and only God, ALLAH! 

now, if we really love Prophet Muhammad  (p.b.u.h), we should follow all of his footprints - firstly, by getting out from our comfort zone! once, we manage to live outside of this zone, only then, all subsequent changes (i.e. mindset, attitude, etc) will take place..but, how to define this zone? frankly, i, myself, don't have any ultimate answer for the question for it varies individually..perhaps, for me, my comfort zone is to live my life as others do, which mean i don't have the gut to do differently..maybe, my comfort zone is to get myself surrounded with people, of whom have the same ideology as mine! possibly, my comfort zone is to always depending on others to get all my works done, w/o me, putting sufficient efforts on it..and the list goes on!

in conclusion, getting out of this zone might not be a pleasure thing to do..instead, many times, you'd find that you're indeed fighting w/ your inner-self (soul).. and, believe me, it is the most unpleasant, terrible fight ever! don't easily give up, and  blindly follow you heart - indeed, use your mind, and have firm belief that Allah will help you on this so-called self-war! 

"WHOEVER DEPENDS ON ALLAH, IT'S ENOUGH FOR HIM"

Learning Process

the moment you assume that you're smart is actually the end point of your learning process..logically, if you were smart, what's the purpose of learning then? why would you bother to learn new things or ideas? 

so,we should be humble with our knowledge for it's very little compared to the knowledge of God! don't get upset when someone trying to belittle you since that person is nothing but merely stupid! give him/her a damn! there is a quote, more or less like the following;

"you have to be smart enough to realize that you're stupid!"

hence, those who sincerely think he/she is smart is the real moron!  ;)

Perubatan Islam

how more islamic the so-called "perubatan islam" as compared to the conventional one? i don't see any differences tho..for me, as long as the method is permissible by Islam, it's enough..this idea simply applies as we try to distinguish between western vs islamic education..my question is, how islamic our islamic education is? and how western the so-called western education is? why should we use labeling?well, my view might be biased, but doesn't it make sense for us to stop labelling? ;)

Questioning

don't stop questioning for everything in this world is worth to ponder..whenever someone tells you a novel idea, for example, don't easily accept it - repel the idea as much as possible or else it would eventually become your habit..but, do it in intellectual way, which means you should do lots of reasonings..believe me, up till one point, if the idea was true, you would run out of questions to repel it..and, only then, you should accept the idea..my point is simple - don't blindly follow others..if they were doing A, it doesn't mean we should also choose A..don't be afraid to do things differently..don't be afraid to chart your own path since success is built upon choice, not simply fate! if we decided to succeed both in this dunya and hereafter, we should do it accordingly!  ;)

The Keys to the Heart

“The keys to the life of the heart lie in reflecting upon the Quran, being humble before Allah in secret, and leaving sins.”  

Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyyah

Something Worth to Ponder!

petikan dari esei, Tumbuh Tiada Berbuah, karangan al-marhum Prof Dr Syed Hussein al- Attas;

"bagi para penulis dan penyair kita di Malaysia dan Asia Tenggara seluruhnya, apakah ertinya soal pembukaan kembali pintu ijtihad ini? Ertinya mereka harus menghidupkan semangan bebas berfikir; bebas dari belenggu feudalisme; dari belenggu faham taklid yang negatif. Mereka mesti menghidupkan semangat ini hingga ada nanti yang terpengaruh dan tampil ke muka, di kalangan generasi yang akan datang, bagi mendirikan sistem-sistem pemikiran yang dapat menggerakkan jiwa masyarakat ke arah kemajuan dan keadilan"

revolution

1) is it interesting to see how a small country like Tunisia can aspire people of Egypt to fight their current corrupted, and incompetent oppressive government?

2) who are the people behind Hosni Mubarak? i suppose these people, whoever they are, must be very powerful, and thus very much influential..anyone to make a guess??

3) what would really happen after all these upheavals and struggles? who will then restore the peace and stability of these countries?

4) what really make these people upset towards their government? is it because of poor economic management, or the denial of their basic human rights?

5) who will be benefited from the current revolution? is it the people or the sponsor of the newly formed government? if the later was true, who would then be the sponsor?

6) why it takes so long for people to realize? 30 years living under oppressive government was not a short period of time..

7) and the questions go on..

8) but, as much as i'm happy for the current struggles of Egyptians, i believe that change can always go into two directions: better or worse..i hope it would lead to the better future for all these countries..