Keeping Up With The Thornbankers

A place called there

2011-02-17T12:26:00.000-08:00

Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Raheem

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going” – Anon

Jannah. That’s the place to be. That’s our final destination, insyaAllah.

It’s true what the saying is telling us. Here we are, aware of our purpose of life, aware that this life is temporary but the afterlife is eternal, believing with the utmost faith of the existence of Jannah, that we all dream of to be; thus striving hard to get there.

Word: striving. Hard.

I don’t quite know how to describe the hardship, but it helps if there’s an example to compare with. Let’s reflect within ourselves. Have you been tempted SO hard, to do something that you know is not going to benefit you? Something that you know is the calling of the nafs, therefore something you should avoid?

There you are, contemplating: Should I or shouldn’t I? The nagging voice egging you on to “just go do it; it will only take a while. For after you’re done, you can get back doing what it was you’re doing in the first place. Go on, take a chance on me. Live a little. Don’t be too rigid. You definitely EARNED a break.”

Behold, the trickery of Shaaitan and the soft summoning voice of the nafs; enticing us with exciting, temporary but immediate enjoyment.

But nay, for truly if you believe, you know what’s better for you. I know it’s quite hard to repel all these voices but that’s the way it is decreed to happen. [thus, ‘striving hard’]

“Mujahadah itu pahit, kerana syurga itu manis.” (Solusi, 4,p18.)

And this actually reminds me of another story. Of two fishermen; one who is an idolater and the other, an obedient Muslim. When they both went to the sea [I’m paraphrasing this story of course =)], the idolater said the idol’s name when fanning-out his net and the Muslim of course starts his, with the Lord’s name, a recitation of ‘Bismillah.’ When then it was time to draw the net, it was found that the idolater’s net was full of fish but the Muslim has none.

An angel watching the situation asked the Lord Al-Mighty: “O Allah, what has happened? The idol-worshipper has committed shirk but yet You gave him such generous provision while your faithful servant who remembers and says Your name before it, You grant him nothing.”

Then the Lord replies:

“For the idol-worshipper, I have reserved him a place in hell-fire. So what is the provision that eventually will get destroyed mean, if I give it to him? But for my faithful servant… I wanted him to have a place in my Paradise, and for that reason I put him on trials to see how deep is his faith in Me.”

So you see, this road that we have undertaken, to the place worth going… is definitely without a doubt will be full of obstacles and deterrants, a difficult one, never ‘all-singing-all-dancing’ but hey, on the other side of the coin, eternal Paradise, insyaAllah.

“Do the people think that they will be left to say, ‘We believe’ and they will not be tried?” [Al-Ankabut, 29:2]

H-E-L-L-O

2010-09-29T00:35:00.000-07:00

Alighting off the train,
Stepping on the platform,
With bated breath I looked up,
To the signboard that confirmed…
My being in this place.

Flying kisses I sent,
To the very air that blows,
To let others know,
That I am back again…

Traipsing down the streets,
That I never thought I would walk on again,
Climbing up the hill,
That once had led me home,
Bringing so much memory,
A pang of sweet angst,
Clawed in my heart.

Tears prickled at the back of my eyes,
As the bus passed by Pierrepoint Street,
Turning about the corner,
Watching those old, Victorian buildings,
Standing still so majestically,
Though aeons have passed.

Parade Garden too,
As lovely as I could remember,
Reminiscing the time I spent there,
Basking in the summer shine,
With book in hand,
And joy in heart.

Then its ascend at Bathwick Hill,
That leads to the University,
The familiar earache I felt,
That only the treacherous route could caused,
Brings fresh tears,
That I was trying so hard to hold…

Finally I arrived,
Lo and behold,
I am back again…
To the start of where,
All the memoirs are created.

The air undoubtedly is colder,
Its iciness seeped through my skin,
But I mind that not in the least,
For it is the distinct quality of the place.

I wandered around the Uni,
As far as my feet would allow me,
Each step reminded me,
Of the past events that it held.

I wanted to scream my heart out,
To let others know how I feel,
But with dignity I hold back,
And my heart full of praises,
To the Lord that made this feasible.

The bustles in the Parade,
The quacking sound of the ducks,
The calmness of the lake,
The shine bouncing off the Library glass…
Another familiar sight,
Another pang of memories.

Hello again, then I said,
To this place that too,
Has earned a special place in my heart,
Then, now… and for time to come.

Alhamdulillah

Farewell

2010-09-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

The crowd is overwhelming,
The emotions are too much,
Sadness I could feel,
Deep inside me.

I could feel they're being pulled,
From their firmly-rooted place,
Slowly but definitely,
Inch by inch,
Creeping on… to let,
The emotions get illuminated,
For tears to flood my face.

But strong I have to be,
At trying times like this,
Strength to go on,
So they won’t see me weakening,
Else it’ll be hard,
For them and for me.

Thus this façade I put on,
A masquerade of delight,
And a smile I plastered,
Goodbyes are said,
Respects to elders are given,
With leaden heart I left,
The pool of smiling faces.

Adieu I whispered,
Silently so they won’t hear,
To this place that I …
Called home.

In contrast to the normal warning, you definitely can try this at home!

2010-09-23T02:33:00.000-07:00

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh

I caught a glimpse of the sky today. It was blue. A real nice shade of blue. In contrast to that, pure whiteness of the clouds too I can see. And only by looking at that, I feel amazed. I am still amazed! I remembered quickly that all those are in favours of Allah, for ‘tis Him who made it so. Masya Allah : )

I lowered my gaze. Beholding my sight is the greenness of lush tree tops. Is it not a wonder to us that, though the sun shining so brightly that its intensity could burn, but the leaves and the grass, despite the dazzling shine, still maintain their life even though its water content could evaporate, leaving them dry and lifeless? Such were the intricate yet absolute arrangement that has been drawn by our Lord… in order that we may live in this world comfortably.

Having said that, I wanted to share this piece of commentary that I stumbled upon. It’s interesting that he/she wrote it in response to the saying:

"A picture speaks a thousand words…”

Ada pepatah mengatakan: “Satu gambar itu dapat mengkompilasikan seribu kata-kata…” Benarkah itu? Aku mengambil maksud pepatah itu sebagai cabaran; jika ia benar… seribu kata itu tidak akan datang dengan begitu mudah. Lalu aku mengambil keputusan untuk mencoba melakarkan suatu gambaran yang sangat klise dengan mengunakan bahasa demi menyahut kebenaran pepatah itu. Izinkan aku mengorak kata-kata terhadap pandangan ku ke atas gambar ini. Sekeping gambar yang menunjukkan waktu senja di tepi pantai.

Aku melihat persisiran pantai yang bermandikan warna langit. Indahnya pemandangan yang mencuri penglihatan ku. Dapat aku bayangkan… bunyi angin yang menderu, menyebabkan ketenangan laut berkocak, lalu ombak tercipta. Lantaran itu, air laut terdorong hingga ke persisiran pantai, membasahi pasir-pasir yang kering sebelum kembali semula ke dasar laut. Itulah rutin pasang surutnya air di tepi pantai. Kerana olesan air dipermukaan pasir yang tersusun rapi disebelah laut, menyebabkan refleksi warna langit terjadi… mencipta suatu visual yang memukau.

Aku melihat warna kuning, jingga, ungu... warna awan saling bertukar ganti dengan setiap kadar yang bergerak dengan aksi turunnya bebola jingga yang seawalnya terang menghias siang. Bebola matahari. Turunnya di waktu senja, menurut titah Tuhannya, bagi memberi ruang kepada malam untuk melabuhkan tirainya, agar bulan bisa menyinar, agar bintang bisa memagari bentangan langit yang luas. Namun warna langit tetap dengan birunya yang mendamaikan. Sebentar cuma sebelum bertukar menjadi pekatnya hitam… menandakan tibanya malam. Waktu yang diperintahkan untuk datang setiap hari bagi memberi kesempatan kepada manusia untuk melempiaskan lelah, bagi merehatkan otot-otot yang bekerja keras disiang hari. Ah, alangkah indahnya percaturan alam yang dimainkan oleh Sang Pencipta.

Lantas aku teringat kepada sepotong dzikir harian, yang mengulas tentang pertukarannya siang kepada malam. Ianya suatu aksi menunjukkan kekuasaan Sang Khaliq, bagi mengingati umat manusia yang kian lalai dibuai dunia:

“Sesungguhnya Engkau Maha Kuasa atas segala sesuatu. Engkau masukkan malam kedalam siang dan Engkau masukkan siang kedalam malam.” (Ali Imran)

Indahnya kata-kata Allah... tiada yang bisa mengalahkannya. Walau dengan sepotong ayat sekalipun, aku terpegun namun tiada kata dapat ku lakarkan bagi mendefininasikan perasaan ku. Rasa itu lahir dari batin, tidak terungkapkan secara zahirnya. Mungkin kerana itu lah juga pepatah itu wujud.

Aku pikir aku bisa menulis seribu patah perkataan. Namun, kerana wujudnya batasan bahasa yang sedikit cuma aku ketahui bagi mengambarkannya... aku gagal. Lalu aku akur bahawa sememangnya... “Satu gambar itu lebih banyak berkata…” Andaian ku salah dan pepatah itu benar.

A. Mohamad - (Jumlah kata: 383)

_____

So, can you write a thousand words worth trying to describe a picture? It isn’t easy I tell you (because I’ve tried and failed too! :S But it’s worth the effort) and I think so should you :D

This festive season...

2010-09-16T19:17:00.000-07:00

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh...

This greeting is a little late but nevertheless, I - on the behalf of the ex-six-thornbankers - would like to wish you a very happy lebaran! So:

Selamat Hari Raya
Salam Idul Fitri
Eid Mubarak
Taqabballahu Minna wa Minkum

Mohon maaf atas segala silap langkah dan kata yang pernah kami lakukan sepanjang persahabatan kami, sama ada disenghajakan mahupun tidak disenghajakan C:

p.s: Was about to put in a picture of us celebrating raya in 6 Thornbanks but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I could not post it in :|

Jaga Hati, Jaga Imaan,
Jaga Diri, Jaga Perbatasan

Nukilanku tentang cinta...

2010-09-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh.

Coretan hari ini saya mulakan dengan kalimah Basmalah, "Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Rahmeen" agar kesempurnaan yang terupaya dapat dikecapi.

Para pembaca sekalian, mungkin anda semua berasa hairan mengapakah saya mengunakan Bahasa Melayu baku bagi coretan ini. Akan tetapi, tidakkah anda sekalian berasa hairan akan mengapakah kita sering menggunakan Bahasa Inggeris padahal ianya bukanlah bahasa rasmi kita. Mengapakah kita berasa kekok sekiranya nukilan hati mahupun coretan seharian kita diceritakan menggunakan bahasa ini? Mungkinkah kerana Bahasa Inggeris itu terlalu mudah bagi kita, atau pun kita sudah terbiasa dengan Bahasa Melayu Brunei kita sehinggakan kita tidak memikir akan adanya keperluan berbahasa begini?

Lantas saya ingin mencuba bagi coretan hari ini walaupun saya akui ianya agak sukar untuk dilaksanakan. Sudah acap kali punat ‘backspace’ ditekan bagi menghapuskan ayat-ayat yang secara tidak langsung tertulis didalam Bahasa Inggeris. Namun usaha ini saya teruskan juga, kerana saya yakin bahawasanya saya akan dapat membuahkan sebuah karya didalam Bahasa Melayu. Tidakkah kita sewajarnya berasa malu sekiranya sebagai anak melayu kita tidak dapat menulis didalam bahasa melayu yang tertib? Iaitu bukanlah bahasa melayu yang songsang mahupun dengan menggunakan bahasa kasar sekalipun.

Tetapi itu bukanlah topik utama bagi coretan hari ini. Ingin saya perdebatkan tentang cinta pada kali ini. Definisi cinta... apakah itu?

Ianya berbeza bagi tiap manusia. Namun yang pasti, ianya dipersetujui bahawa cinta adalah suatu emosi yang membuahkan rasa afeksi ataupun kasih diantara sesama makhluk mahupun kebendaan. Bagi saya pula, cinta adalah suatu perasaan yang tidak mungkin dapat digambarkan secara menyeluruh melalui kata-kata, waima oleh sang pujangga melalui bait-bait puitis yang indah. Mengetahui cinta adalah merasai cinta. Lalu, adakah anda pernah bercinta?

Boleh juga suatu afeksi yang berlebihan boleh disalah ertikan sebagai cinta. Walhal mungkin saja ianya adalah perasaan simpati atau kasih mahupun empati. Manusia itu dilalaikan lalu dibisikkan bahawasanya yang dirasainya itu adalah cinta. Lalu seseorang akan mengaku dirinya sedang dilamun cinta. Alangkah bodohnya manusia, terperangkap dengan hasutan halus itu!

Mungkin perihal cinta sudah tidak begitu dipersoalkan lagi. Mungkin kerana ianya ada dimerata untuk dilihat lantas manusia tidak memikirkannya dengan lebih mendalam. Jika cinta yang disanjung manusia melalui bisikan itu agung, maka mengapakah masih ada perpisahan? Mengapakah masih ada perkelahian antara sesama manusia kerananya? Mengapakah harus ada hati yang terluka, perasaan yang terhuris dan jiwa yang tersiksa sehinggakan seseorang itu boleh melalukan perkara ekstrim yang amat dibenci oleh Allah? Mungkinkah cinta itu adalah sebuah mainan perasaan? Lalu, wajarkah ia merupakan cinta yang sebenar?

Cinta sebenar. Saya bukanlah seorang penulis yang bijak menyusun kata-kata lantas dapat melakar perasan itu. Seperti yang saya katakan, ianya tidak dapat didefinasikan secara menyeluruh walaupun saya pernah merasainya. Ya, saya pernah merasainya... Seketika itu. Anda mungkin bertanya, apakah yang terjadi dengannya sekarang? Ianya masih ada, namun didalam kesamaran yang sedikit menutup. Akan tetapi saya sedang berusaha menyingkap langsir yang menutup itu agar sinarnya tetap bersemarak hingga menusuk hingga ke kalbu yang dalam.

Cinta sebenar adalah cinta yang tiada penghujungnya. Ianya kekal abadi; hakiki. Tidak pernah akan luntur walau maut memisahkan. Ianya akan membuatkan seseorang itu sentiasa berada didalam ketenangan, merasa selamat walau didalam keadaan yang sukar sekalipun. Tiada hati yang terluka, tiada duka yang tercipta. Rintihan perit tiada kedengaran, tangisan lara tidak terluahkan. Ujian yang datang adalah tanda kasih sayang. Kerana keyakinan terhadap cinta hakiki itu sangat utuh sehinggakan keraguan tidak bisa menembusi. Sehingga duka adalah suka, sehingga musibah adalah hadiah. Sehingga tangisan yang wujud hanyalah kerana perasaan syukur yang tidak terhingga kerana berjaya memilikinya, walau hanya sekelumit perasaan yang terdetik. Cinta hakiki itu ialah cinta kepada Sang Khaliq. Cinta yang tiada kondisi, cinta yang bukan berunsur materialistik.

Pepatah Inggris ada mengatakan: “When poverty knocks at the door, love flies out of a window.” Atau didalam Bahasa Melayunya: “Apabila kesusahan atau kemiskinan mengetuk pintu, cinta lari melalui tingkap.”

Cinta mainan. Berkali sudah terdengar atau terbaca cerita tentang kemiskinan yang melanda seseorang itu dapat menlenyapkan perasaan cinta yang ada. Menjadikan suka itu duka, menjadikan cinta itu benci. Lalu ketidakstabilan keadaan memaksa terjadinya perpisahan. Betulkah ia paksa? Ataupun perpisahan itu adalah suatu yang direlakan dalam situasi ini? Lantas apa terjadi dengan cinta itu?

Cinta hakiki. Kemiskinan yang melanda bukan pula dianggap keperitan. Ungkapan ‘Alhamdulillah’ pula sering terucapkan. Seseorang itu akan merasa lebih dekat kepada Sang Khaliq. Mungkinkah kerana seseorang itu tiada tempat lain untuk mengadu? Mungkin… namun yang pasti, dia akan sentiasa berada didalam ayunan asmara yang sebenar. Zikrullahnya itu lebih baik dari ketidakpuasan hati. Cintanya pula semakin mendalam.

Antara cinta mainan dan hakiki. Antara pepatah Inggeris, cinta yang lari dan cinta yang semakin mendalam. Mampukah anda memikirkan yang mana lebih baik untuk mu?

Walau luntasan pendapat yang tidak seberapa ini dikatakan dengan bait-bait yang tidak begitu sempurna, namun saya harap akan dapat membuka minda dan hati para pembaca. Mungkin diri ini merasa kekok dengan Bahasa Melayu lantas karya ini tidak begitu memberangsangkan. Segala kebaikkan datangnya dari Allah, segala kekurangan itu berasal dari diri ini juga.

Training my NFS

2010-08-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh.

How have you been doing? Any progress with the training? :)

In the last post, I was talking about training oneself with a deed or committing oneself to a deed or deeds so that by the end of Ramadhan, hopefully insyaAllah it will become a habit. Ameen.

So I decided to train myself with patience. Oh yes! How trying it has been. But Alhamdulillah, it kinda works somehow. You know that we are not born with it (another brilliant note pointed out by that friend of mine :D ). Imagine a baby. If the baby wants something, really really want it, then the baby will try to get our attention in order that we satisfy its want. If however we are unable to give the baby the attention that it seeks, well what do you think the baby will do? The baby will cry lah. Like, really loud and annoying at an earsplitting tone that you just want to shut the baby up and eventually do what it wants. God, babies do know how to manipulate us. Tsk tsk.

Anyway, so basically, you see… babies don’t have patience. Therefore, it is not something that we are born with; rather it is something that is developed within us as we grow.

You know, there a hadith relating imaan and patience:

“As-sabru minal imaan.”

“Patience is half of imaan.”

So if we could get to train our self with patience, insyaAllah our imaan will eventually rose. Could it also be true the other way round, though? InsyaAllah, wallahu’alam.

But anyway, how do you train yourself with patience? Well, there is lots of way to achieve this. It depends on where you want to inflict the patience; be it in your daily routines, your favourite chores or your habits etc. Me? I choose driving. Why? Well here it goes:

I kind of have an affliction. It’s called NFS – need for speed. It happens whenever I’m driving (apparently, duh!). I don’t know why I have the need but I know that I could not stand driving oh-so s-l-o-w-l-y! Or so I thought, hehe.

So because of this NFS condition that I have, I decided… hey, let’s try it on that! After all, driving too fast is never good and since I ‘could not stand’ it, I shall have to suffer and drive s-l-o-w because I want to be a patient person. And so it began.

I remind myself at all times to drive at moderate speed. Not too slow but again, not as fast as I would normally have. Especially if I am not in a hurry to catch something important. So one day I was driving (duh!). And automatically my foot slammed on the accelerator. Seeing as no car is behind me (therefore no pressure!) and quite a few cars in front of me, I said to myself to slow down a bit. Okay, so I lift my foot off the accelerator – just a bit! But at least I’m progressing. I am fighting my nafs (i.e. nfs) and training myself to be more patient. Whee!

And that went on for quite a while. Few days later, I managed to not have to lift my foot of the accelerator because… I am used to not driving that fast anymore. (Uh, are you bored by now? You should be! :p). But I am still driving at moderate speed. I don’t know if my moderate is somebody’s fast but at least it’s moderate to me. Progress.

And just yesterday, I was driving quite slowly. I even managed to stay on the left lane without having too much of an urge to go to the right lane; all the way from my house to the city centre and then to my grandma’s house. The distance is saying something and I am controlling it! Double whee! Or it could be because it’s raining that day haha, lol. No lah, after a while the rain stopped and I am still driving quite slowly *grins*

So! Have I mastered patience? Well, it’s not a one-off job. It’s a constant thing. Not on just one main action/habit but we need to apply it in our everyday routine. The driving adventure is just an example. Hehe.

Again, it differs with a person. What do you want to train yourself to this Ramadhan? :D

Jaga Diri, Jaga Imaan, Jaga Hati

It's been a while... RAMADHAN KAREEM!

2010-08-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Raheem.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh.

Aloha world out there! It has really been a while, has it not? For that, truly sorry for the absence from us the 6-Thornbankers. Or should I say, ex-6-Thornbankers now? Hehe.

To start with, Ramadhan Kareem to you all! Yes, it is that time of the year again, where MASSIVE sales are everywhere, in every little step that we took, in every small deed that we commit. But of course, profitable only if the intention is Lillahi Taa’la!

I have a confession to make. Okay, before everyone expects something REALLY big about to be told, let me be frank and say… it’s probably nothing to you. Hewhew. Well, it’s just that, I have not been writing much since… ages! Oh my. So pardon me for the simplicity of this post and any following posts that may come. The last piece of decent writing probably would be my last academic assignment. Whoa! Haha. And that is saying a lot, by the way.

So anyhow, I thought I might take up a bit of writing now that I actually had the time to write :S. God knows I’ve been busy! :) But no matter. Here we go:

..................................

As it turns out, I am out of idea of what to write! Or should I say, there’s too much to write that I could not bring myself to settle on one else I shall have to write a jumbled, incoherent piece that no one but me could understand! That would be troublesome then, seeing as I have to explain it again, wouldn’t it? Hmm… let me see!

Ah yes. It’s Ramadhan now, as we all know. I remembered (vaguely) a friend saying something about nafs and our imaan and its connection with the holy month. Well, let me rephrase it to my own. So it goes like this. Our imaan and our nafs are always, ALWAYS conflicting between themselves in our daily life.

For example… like, when a friend/family member invited you to recite the Quran together after Isya’ prayer but at the same time a special show is aired on TV that you just HAVE to watch it at that time because everybody’s talking about it and if you don’t watch it then you’re like… uncool. Boo!

So when our imaan is up, we tend to not follow that inner voice that says “C’mon, just this one time… you know you can always do to that next time.” (Sounds familiar? :O) But when it is otherwise, well should I say more? The inner voice, the oh-so-innocent-but-venomous-voice won. And this is… well this is the lure of the Shaitan that feeds on our nafs, which is to watch the tv. So basically, we’re in constant battle. And let me tell you my friend, if we are not too careful, if we do not spend a little bit of our time to ponder upon these things, we lose. BIG TIME. Sad, I know. Which is why we need to be CONSTANT VIGILANT (hehe, as Professor Moody would say it lol).

Anyway, so again, we’re in constant battle. Sometimes we won, sometimes we lose. I admit the latter has a higher probability of happening than the former, for me. But again, trying is the keyword here. Try not to lose. Oh sorry, let me rephrase that. Try to win! :D

Okay so, this friend of mine… she brought to light this interesting fact that I – and probably most of us – have overlooked! Jazakillahhu khair friend : ) She said, we have 12 months in a year. And in all those months, both our imaan and nafs fight with each other. All the time! But, mashaAllah… As we all know, Allah is the Great Planner, Allah Knows All. He made Ramadhan to be the blessed month, for we know in Ramadhan all Shaaitan are locked up so that we are free to commit ourselves to various deeds that are available. This means, our nafs can be tamed as it does not has its best friend. It’s not easy, I can tell you but it’s a start.

MashaAllah. Interesting, don’t you think? Our nafs has 11 months but we have an extra one month to train our self for the better, to increase our imaan and faith, to tame our nafs so that simple, good deeds that seemed hard to do before will be able to flow easily; just like if before you were a barren piece of land, then after the extra month, you’ll be a fertile piece of land with healthy grass growing on it due to the pouring, descendant flow of the incessant water.

(In case no one gets it, the water equals the good deeds that you attached yourself to, or trained yourself to commit, etc, while the grass is the state of your imaan in your heart.)

SO! One month to do it all, one month for a change, for a better future. Are you up to the challenge?

I’ll tell you about my ‘adventure’ with one of the things that I decided to do in next post, insyaAllah. Pray that I have the time to write it!

Therefore, remember our battle. Remember the formula is constant vigilant. Remember the keyword is to TRY. And remember, fighting our nafs does not equal to a considerable loss but a definite win. InsyaAllah :D

Oh, don’t forget the sale!

Ashabul Kahfi

2010-05-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Assalamualaikum wrb.

Aku berjalan bersendirian. Mencari ketenangan yang ku dambakan. Meraih kedamaian hati yang kian menghilang. Di sekelilingku, kesibukkan dunia semakin kelihatan. Sang pejalan kaki meningkat ramai, kenderaan semakin menyesakkan jalan raya. Namun kakiku melangkah rancak, mengikut alunan hati yang mencari. Sehingga akhirnya aku berhenti, terkesima melihat ciptaan Sang Khaliq yang teramat indah.

Sesekali, aku terfikir sejarah hidupku. Bagaimana indahnya membesar dengan kasih juga belai ibu dan ayah. Aku masih terbayang, bagaimana sekiranya aku meninginkan sesuatu, akan dengan mudah sahaja aku boleh mendapatkannya. Dari zaman kecilku menuju ke umur remaja. Memang aku akui, hidup yang aku lalui ku kecapi dengan nikmat kesenangan.

Di sini ku berdiri, berlalunya umur remaja. Aku meningkat dewasa, berada di bumi yang asing, sering merindui kampung halaman. Di sini ku renungi, pengalaman yang ku kumpul, segala rintangan dan cobaan yang datang menimpa. Semuanya dapat ku harungi. Pada ketika itu, aku tidak merenung jauh akan makna disebalik, kerana yang dipikiran hanyalah syukurku atas kebolehan merentasi halangan. Di bumi asing ini juga lah ku sedari betapa bertuahnya aku dilahirkan di dalam lingkungan keluarga yang pengasih, kerana aku mengalami betapa susahnya berdiri sendiri tanpa ayah juga ibu disampingku. Namun tidak ku kesali, kerana semuanya membina aku untuk menjadi seorang yang tabah, seorang yang kuat.

Ku bentangkan pemandanganku ke padang nan luas, yang menghijau indah di mata. Aku lihat langit sebiru laut, awan bermain gembira dibawa arus angin yang mendayu lembut. Sinar matahari yang cukup menerangi alam semesta. Seketika mataku berkaca. Seakan tidak percaya akan bisanya ada ciptaan seindah ini. Tetapi aku tahu akan kebenarannya, lalu ku hadapkan wajahku ke langit, mata terpejam lalu ku bisikkan: Allahhu Akbar! Indahnya ciptaan Mu.

Mindaku berputar. Kembali memikirkan nasib kehidupanku. Mengapakah aku merasakan seolah ada sesuatu yang kosong di dada ku… hatiku merasa tidak menentu…

Aku menghirup udara yang segar, menarik panjang lalu ke lepaskan lega. Tiba-tiba aku teringat akan suatu kisah; kisah yang pernah ku tonton dipaparan tv sewaktu kecilku. Ketika itu aku akui, ianya tidak begitu menimbulkan apa-apa perasan. Mungkin cuma rasa kagum. Tetapi aku terkenang juga, ketika aku mencari-cari erti hidupku. Aku bermuhasabah dengan kisah yang menjadi teman pembesaranku.

Aku terkenang kembali akan kisah Ashabul Kahfi. Tentang pemuda-pemuda yang diberi perlindungan Ilahi, dari cengkaman Raja Dikyanus yang zalim. Ketika cobaan datang menimpa, ketika hadir halangan terhadap agama yang satu, ketika imaan mereka diduga… Allah menghulurkan bantuan kepada mereka! Menidurkan mereka didalam gua, demi menjaga imaan mereka yang dilanda kemungkaran. Kerananya, mereka dijanjikan syurga!

Alangkah beruntungnya mereka, desis hatiku.

Namun aku teringat juga akan satu hadith, dimana Rasulullah menyebut akan bahawasanya umatnya lah yang terlebih dahulu dihisab berbanding dengan umat-umat yang lain. Sewaktu aku mendengar akan hadith itu, terus terang aku tidak memikirkan selanjutnya. Terus terang, aku merasa hiba dikatakan begitu. Aku merasa… tersangat beruntung diperlakukan begitu. Aku juga merasa kasih juga teramat sayang terhadap Rasulullah, kerana beliau terlalu cintakan umatnya. Aku bersyukur, ya! Kerana berada dinaungan umat yang terakhir.

Lalu aku memikir. Alangkah beruntungnya aku. Walhal baru tadi aku memikirkan tentang Ashabul Kahfi. Lalu siapakah yang lebih beruntung?

Di keluasan ciptaan Allah Yang Maha Esa, hatiku terdetik, suaraku sedikit teresak. Aku melihat gambaran secara luasnya. Bukankah kami lebih beruntung, kerana itulah janji Rasulullah? Tetapi ku lihat perjuanganku demi agamaku… Jika ku bandingkan dengan para Ashabul Kahfi yang mulia... Aku malu, Ya Rabb! Sungguh… Ampunkanlah aku!

Selaras aku bersujud, mengucup lantai ciptaan Allah, mengabdikan diri kepada Yang Esa. Aku bersyukur, ya! Walau halangan tiba, aku pasti melaluinya. Aku bersyukur, ya! Kerana aku tahu Sang Pencipta menolongku. Kerana aku tahu, tiada yang mustahil jika mempunyai iman juga taqwa.

Sebuah karya: A. Mohammad

Wahai diri itu & ini

2010-05-18T00:50:00.000-07:00

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Wahai hati

Susahkah dikau

untuk ikhlas kerana Allah?

Baja apa yang engkau mahu aku letakkan ya..?

Wahai mata

Susahkan dikau untuk menundukkan pandanganmu?

Kau tak takut nikmat mata itu ditarik balik?

Atau perlu kau jalan sambil kau ditutup?

Tak bersyukurkah dikau oleh nikmatNya?

Wahai mulut

Susahkah dikau untuk berkata perkara yang baik?

Susahkah dikau untuk memberi sokongan kepada yang lain?

Susahkah dikau untuk berzikir membesarkan Ilahi?

Susahkah dikau untuk membaca ayat-ayatNya?

Perlukah aku menggunakan controller untuk mengawalmu?

Atau adakah perlu aku letak cili untuk menenangkanmu?

Wahai kumbang

Lemah sangatkah dikau dek tewas kepada bunga?

kepada bunga yang bertopengkan syaitan?

Susahkah dikau untuk menutup pusat sehingga patella kau?

Kau bilang kau kuat

Kau bilang kau hebat

Kau bilang kau macho

Namun adakah kau kuat untuk mengawal nafsu kau?

Adakah kau hebat untuk beribadah kepada Dia?

Adakah kau macho disisiNya??

Adakah kau sempoi disisiNya??

Oh kumbang,

sedarlah bahawa diri kita hanyalah seekor kumbang kecil..

Tak layak untuk mengambil sebiji epal di atas pohon itu..

Wahai bunga

Susahkah dikau untuk mengenakan pakaian yang bisa menutup maruahmu?

Susahkah dikau untuk istiqamah dalam pakaianmu?

oh wahai bunga

susahkah dikau untuk mengawal suaramu,perilakumu,tingkah lakumu

kau sedar yang kau diibaratkan seperti buah epal yang berada di atas pohon yang tinggi..

sungguh mahal hargamu..

tak terbeli maruahmu oleh sesiapa pun termasuklah jika si pembeli menggunakan mata wang Pound Sterling!

wahai bunga

apakah kau lupa

apakah kau sombong

apakah kau bangga dengan kecantikanmu?

kau bangga dengan mekarmu?

kau bangga dengan bentuk tubuhmu yang menawan?

semua itu milik Dia, milik Dia, milik ALLAH yang Maha Esa

Dia bagi kamu pinjam seketika didunia ini

Jangan menyesal pabila pinjaman itu ditarik semula!

Wahai kumbang dan Wahai bunga

Siapa kamu untuk berpegangan selagi tiada ikatan yang halal??

Siapa kamu untuk bergurau senda cuit sana cuit sini selagi tiada ikatan yang halal??

Siapa kamu untuk suap menyuap makan diantara satu sama lain selagi tiada ikatan yang halal??

Siapakau bunga? Siapa kau untuk panggil kumbang itu sebagai...? siapa kau?

Siapa kau..?

Jika betul si bunga sayang kepada si kumbang, usah bergelumang dengan dosa bertahun-tahun!

Binalah mahligai yang dikau impikan itu kerana itu lebih baik bagimu.

Marilah ketani berlumba-lumba untuk melakukan kebaikan. Fastabiqul khairats!

Peace & Du'a

Aku.

Exam tips?

2010-05-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh.

First of all, apologies to everyone for not updating this blog in such a long time. It's been commented on, and so I suppose a little note to share at these trying times wouldn't hurt :) Okay, so some of you might have recognize this from somewhere else, but have a go at it again. It wouldn't hurt, right? hehe. Well, it's up to you really :D

Anyway, as we’re all aware, examinations are looming, that is for those who has not had it yet. So good luck guys! Semoga di permudahkan oleh Sang Rabb, insyaAllah.

This serves as a reminder, as well as to summarise what we talked about in our last solat hajat event. First and foremost, Allah is still our priority no matter how busy we are with our revisions. Remember him in everything you do for it is with His will that we get to do what we wanted to do. Therefore, set our niat that we’re studying because of Allah, because Allah has decreed it upon us. And if our intention is right, everything will be made easy, insyaAllah.

Begin your day, upon waking up with a niat. Say it out loud. Say, “O Allah, today I am going to do my revision. I am going to do it for You, because you decreed upon me to study. Therefore I am studying because of You, so make ease for me.”

Also, if we remember Allah in what ever it is that we do, that is also considered as dzikir… And Allah says in the Quran:

“For without doubt, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction (peace).” (13:28)

So if our heart is at peace, it will be much easier for us to absorb and comprehend our lecture materials, insyaAllah. Before starting your revision or your exam, recite the Fatihah to calm your hearts, read Ayatul-Kursi and Surah Al-Kafiruun, Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Naas, to guard yourself from the trickery of syaaitan. Take your time reading the questions, comprehend them and make those structure/plans of your answers, contemplate upon them. For it was said in a hadith:

“Deliberation is from Allah and haste is from syaitaan.”

And put your trust in Allah i.e. tawakkal, thus recite: “Laa haulawalaa quwwata illa billahil’aliyyil ‘adzim.” Anything that you may discover afterwards upon completion of the examinations, don’t ponder upon it. Do not deliberate over what-ifs and should-have-beens. If you truly do understand the concept of tawakkal, these thoughts would not cross you mind for you know Allah has a better plan for you. Instead, look forward and learn from it. Make better for next time.

But does this mean, we should just make our intention right and let’s rely solely in Allah? No! You have to work to get what you want. Nothing will come easy in this life. Get into grip with good discipline for a better work environment. You are blessed with ‘tools’ (intelligence, senses, etc) from Allah, so make use of them to achieve what you wanted. Stay vigilant on your revision and study plans. Keep on answering those past year questions, for they are good practices.

So does that mean we should just work hard and have good discipline and stick to our study timetable or schedule? No! Don’t ever think that you can get through this with only hardwork… because that is a foolish thought. Sayyidina Ali (r.a.) said:

“Those who think they can achieve their aims without working are dreaming, and those who think they will attain their goals through exertion alone are over-confident and consider themselves self-sufficient.”

So, no matter how hard and trying these times may be, bear in mind that, you can go through this. How do I know? Because Allah said so :D

“On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear…” (2:286)

So work and strive for it! And may I also add, that these are not only to be applied or emphasized during the exam times. Keep it as a habit in your life, a daily routine if you want, anything. It definitely would not cost you a thing :D Be vigilant for it is the best of deeds.

Bittaufiq wannajah dan semoga dipermudahkan.

Jaga Diri Jaga Imaan

Syair... sebagai peringatan.

2010-03-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

An ukhti *winks* was kind enough to share this with me, so here I am sharing it with the rest of you.

Jika dunia dianggap berharga,

Maka negeri balasan Allah lebih tinggi dan mulia,

Jika harta dicari utk ditinggal,

Mengapa dia kikir terhadapnya,

Jika rezeki telah dibagi sesuai takdir,

Semakin kecil semangat utk memperolehnya semakin baik,

Jika tubuh diciptakan untuk mati,

Maka mati di jalan Allah kerana tikaman pedang lebih utama.

MasyaAllah.

A cold splash... 'tis what it is.

Assalamualaikum :)

Taking Off the Hijab

2010-03-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

-by Shazia Ahmad

Question

I understand that hijab is required, and I’ve been wearing it for some time now but I feel like putting it on might have been a mistake. I don’t feel like it’s made me become a better Muslim, and I feel almost like I’m deceiving people because they look at me as an example even though I’m still struggling with a lot of things. Also, if I take it off, is it really something Allah will punish me for? It seems like such a petty thing. Isn’t the most important thing having a clean heart?

Answer

Assalaamu `alaykum dear questioner,

Thank you for asking this question which opens up a number of important issues, and for entrusting us enough to share with us some of what you’re struggling with. I ask Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala – exalted is He) that He makes the words that I write beneficial to you and others who are reading, and that He leads you to the best decisions.

I’d like to start by addressing what I believe is the least important factor in this equation, and that is ‘what other people might think.’ It should never be the case that we alter our practice of Islam or our worship for the sake of other people, or what they might think or assume. People may be quick to judge or jump to conclusions, but whatever thoughts or opinions they have are strictly their responsibility, and not something we should be overly concerned with.

You said that you’re worried that wearing hijab may be deceiving, because people see you as better than you really are. But in truth all of us are sinners, and it is only from Allah’s mercy upon us that He is as-Siteer - the One who veils our faults and our flaws, and makes us seem better than we really are in others’ eyes. One famous scholar said, “If sins had a smell no one would come near me because of the stench!” Every single one of us has deficiencies and weaknesses, has made mistakes, has taken missteps or is presently taking them. We only do the best that we can, and any good deed that Allah grants us the opportunity to perform should be considered a blessing that we take advantage of. Instead of worrying about not being good enough, we can instead consider this as an opportunity to be thankful to Allah for concealing our negatives, and pray, “O Allah, forgive me for what they do not know about me, and make me even better than what they think.”

You will be hard-pressed to find anyone on this earth who can be considered ‘worthy’ of being a representative of Islam, because everyone has one dimension or another in their faith or practice in which they are lacking. However that doesn’t mean we should stop encouraging each other by whatever means are available to us. There is a very beautiful hadith related to this issue:

Anas relates that, “We asked the Prophet ﷺ, ‘O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, shouldn’t we refrain from calling others to goodness if we don’t practice all good things ourselves, and shouldn’t we refrain from forbidding wrong things until we ourselves have abstained from all the bad?’ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘You should call others to goodness even if you don’t do all good, and you should forbid bad things even if you don’t abstain from all of them yourselves.’” (Al-Tabarani)

Remember that by wearing hijab you are not saying to others ‘I am Islam’, but simply that ‘I am a Muslim’, meaning – I am someone who is trying to follow this religion, who accepts it as truth, sees beauty in it and hopes to beautify myself with it. I remember a quote attributed to Yusuf Islam: “Islam is not a state of being but it is a process of becoming,” – becoming more, become better, striving to reach that state of perfect submission and connection with Allah Most High, and May He help all of us achieve that, ameen.

You also said that you feel hijab has not really made you a better Muslim. A lot of times when a person first starts performing a good deed they feel an iman ‘rush’, a feeling of happiness at doing something good for the sake of Allah and energy to do more, improve themselves, etc. However, after some time, when that action starts to become just another part of a daily routine, it loses that power, and that increase in iman and excitement dissipates.

What a person needs, instead of focusing on those ‘rushes’, is a steady and constant diet of good deeds and spiritual nourishment. We cannot rely on one particular deed to ‘make’ us better Muslims. Instead, we have to take the reigns and make sure we are doing things regularly that increase us in iman, like recitation of the Qur’an, performing salah with consciousness and focus, dhikr, and so on. Wearing hijab can definitely be one of those things, but it is only one part of a whole that needs to be constructed. Just like exercise is important for good health, yet it has to be combined with eating right and many other things in order for the person to see the desired results in the end.

Also know that there is a direct relationship between a person’s actions and their inner state. We know that when someone is in a high state of iman it’s natural for him or her to start performing more good deeds. However, we may overlook the fact that the opposite is true as well – that just performing good deeds, even if one may not be ‘feeling it’, can affect us and change us. The limbs are inroads, and performing good deeds with them can soften a hardened heart, bring enlightenment to a closed mind, and give a person a feeling of rejuvenation and desire to come closer to Allah and do more positive things. I heard a scholar say that if one is feeling troubled, confused or in a low state of iman, “go quickly to action”; because good deeds can bring about that inner reawakening one may need. If we don’t see a change happening in us when we do a good deed, that doesn’t mean we should stop it but that perhaps we need to supplement it with others in order to gather the momentum needed to see results.

Thirdly, you are absolutely correct when you say that the most important thing is for us to have purified hearts. Allah (swt) emphasizes this in the Qur’an when He states that on the Day of Judgment nothing will be of benefit to the servant except “one who brings to Allah a clean, sound heart” (26:89). The question is, how does one achieve that? What purifies us and cleanses our hearts?

In our times we find that some people feel that we’ve reached a more ‘enlightened era’ in which spirituality can be derived solely from philosophy and ideas, and need not be bound by rituals and details of religion. However those who propound this notion forget that Allah did not create us as minds and souls alone – but coupled them with our physical bodies. We cannot deny the fact that we are body and soul, content and form, together, and each has its own needs and specifications for refinement. This is a sunnah of Allah in the way that we were created, and why prayer, fasting, and all our spiritual endeavors have very specific physical components. These forms house within them dimensions of meaning, but it is only from enacting them precisely that a profound spirituality can be achieved.

Purifying our hearts is the goal, but the means to reaching that goal is through the very real and specific physical prescriptions and commandments that Allah (swt) has given us. It is through His obedience and through following the teachings of our deen that we clean and polish our hearts. It is for this reason that I have to say that hijab is not something trivial. Anything that leads us to spiritual awareness, elevation, and purification – that helps us come closer to Allah – cannot be considered trivial or petty. Perhaps it is more likely that there are hidden depths within it that we do not perceive, or that we are not putting it in the proper context of its deeper purpose and meaning.

About punishment from Allah: a better way of looking at this issue is not considering the smallness or pettiness of the sin, but the greatness of the One whom we are sinning against. From His infinite wisdom, all-encompassing knowledge and vast mercy, in accordance to His Law – which is at its core about attaining benefit and warding off harm – He has instructed us to perform this action. In the Qur’an Allah says, ‘It may be that you dislike something and in it is goodness for you’ (2:216); ‘It may be that you dislike a thing but Allah brings about from it a great deal of good.’ (4:19) If someone chooses to step away from a prescribed action knowingly, we cannot deny that this is a sin, and that Allah holds us to account for our sins. However we always have hope in and pray for Allah’s mercy and kindness, as we know He can forgive all sins if He chooses.

In closing, I want to leave you with a beautiful quote from a Hadith Qudsi. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala said:

“My servant draws not near to Me with anything more beloved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him.” (Bukhari)

Know, dear questioner, that if you feel far from Allah, the solution is not to stop what you are doing and find a different way, but to persevere and continue on the path you are on, even though it is hard. This will make you beloved to Allah, and one who feels the happiness of being close to Him and being shaded by His Loving Mercy and care.

May Allah enliven and enlighten our hearts and grant us closeness to Him. May He make us people who love to worship Him, and through our worship become close to Him and gain His love. May He make our hearts firm and steadfast on our deen, and grant us strength and bravery in our spiritual struggles. May He guide us to the best decisions and make easy for us the path of khayr [goodness]. Ameen ya Rabb.

WAllahu a`lam – and He alone knows best.

Wasalaamu alaykum

The Rewards of Good Deeds

2010-03-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

'AbdAllah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) related this Saying from his Lord:

"Allah (The Glorified and the Exalted) has written down the good deeds and the bad ones. Then He explained it (by saying that) he who has intended a good deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed; but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as from ten good deeds to seven hundred times, or many times over. But if he has intended a bad deed and has not done it, Allah writes it down with Himself as a full good deed, but if he has intended it and has done it, Allah writes it down as one bad deed." (Bukhari and Muslim)

On the authority of Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) who reported that Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said:

"Whosoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah will remove from him one of the griefs of the Day of Judgement. Whosoever alleviates (the lot of) a needy person, Allah will alleviate (his lot) in this world and the next. Whosoever shields a Muslim, Allah will shield him in this world and the next. Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, without tranquility descending upon them, mercy enveloping them, the angles surrounding them, and Allah making mention of them amongst those who are with Him. Whosoever is slowed down by his actions will not be hastened forward by his lineage." (Muslim)

Buraida (may Allah be pleased with him) said that one morning Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) called Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, "What did you do to get to Paradise before me? I have never entered Paradise without hearing the rustling of your garments in front of me." He replied, "Messenger of Allah, I have never called the adhan without praying two rak'a (salah) and no impurity has ever happened to me without my performing ablution on the spot and thinking that I owed Allah (The Glorified and The Exalted) two rak'a." Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said. "It is because of them." (Tirmidhi)

Everything That Is Going To Happen Is Near At Hand

2010-03-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This is one of the famous saying of Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him):

"Before he created us, Allah knew that we would sin and disobey Him; yet He still made us Muslims. O sinners, hurry to repent before the pangs of death overcome you, before the time of utter regret is upon you. Work, for death is coming, and everything that is coming near at hand. Death hovers over you day and night; it will not come late, not even for one who has lost track of time (i.e., although the one who has loses track of time is late for all his appointments, he will not be late for his appointment with death)."

Salam :D

Ini Sejarah Kita

2010-03-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah.

I was waiting for a show (cheh!) this late in the night, was browsing the net and masyaAllah, look what I found! I'm sure most of us have heard about the 1001 Inventions Exhibition that is to be held in London - Discovering The Muslim Heritage In Our World. In any case you have not heard of it, here's the video that is widely shared all over the net (esp. Facebook :P):

Thinking back, how silly was I to have thought that... Einstein is the physician/mathematician to look up at, works of Michelangelo and Da Vinci would set me apart by just knowing about them, to think that Antonio Pigafetta and Jean Passepartout (well, not really :P) are among the first few travelers that set out an expedition to explore the unknowns... and many more actually! To think that the Romans and the Greeks Civilization was one of the greatest... Man, how mistaken was I, huh?

Silly. That's what I am; for having thoughts like that.

No matter. For now, together I urge you all to embrace the fact that Muslim Civilization remains the greatest that had ever swept the world. The evidence are clearly there, what's to stop you from believing?

The next video... MasyaALLAH, I'll let you to form your own opinion about it =)

It's our turn now, InsyaAllah. Even if what we want to achieve now is not going to happen in our lifetime, maybe it will serve for better in the next. Remember the words:

"Dreams of yesterdays eventuate today. Tomorrow (future) held ours."

InsyaAllah.

2010-03-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

Abdullah bin Alwi Al-Haddad dlm Kitabul Hikam berkata:

"Awalnya kebaikan itu berat utk dilakukan, tetapi akhirnya penuh dgn nikmat. Org yg berbuat baik ibarat seorg pendaki gunung. Ia tak akan merasa tenang sbelum sampai ke puncaknya. Sedang keburukan itu awalnya manis dan akhirnya kelak berat. Org yg melakukan keburukan ibarat seseorg yg jatuh dari puncak gunung. Ia baru akan merasa sakit setelah mendarat di tanah."

Beramal dengan jiddan

2010-03-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

"Narrated Aishah (radhi-yallaahu 'anhaa): The Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said, “Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and receive good news because one's good deeds will not make him enter Paradise.” They asked, “Even you, O Allah's Messenger?” He said, “Even I, unless and until Allah protects me with His pardon and His Mercy."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, Hadith No. 474

2010-03-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

Ibnu 'Athaaillah dllm kitab Tajul Arus berkata: beramallah sesuai kekuatanmu, perbaikilah masa lalumu dgn bynk berdzikir sebab tidak ada amal yg lebih mudah dari dzikir... Dzikir dpt kamu lakukan ketika berdiri, duduk, berbaring maupun sakit...

Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda:

[ وليكن لسانك رطبا بذكر الله ]

'Dan hendaknya lisanmu basah dengan berdzikir kpd Allah...'

Kullu Ma Qaddarallahhu Khair =)

2010-02-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Raheem

Ibnu Taimiyyah bercerita tentang seorang menteri yang selalu menjawab ‘baik’ setiap kali ditanya pendapatnya tentang sesuatu. Suatu hari menteri ini menghadiri acara makan malam bersama Raja. Ketika sedang memotong buah, Raja dengan tidak sengaja telah mencederakan jari telunjuknya sendiri. Pisau yang dia gunakan untuk memotong buah telah menyebabkan jari telunjuknya terpotong dan merasa kesakitan. Raja pun bertanya bertanya kepada menteri yang duduk di sebelahnya tentang kejadian yang baru saja dialaminya.

“Baik wahai Raja,” jawab menteri itu tanpa keraguan.

“Apa? Kamu katakan ini baik?” Raja terperanjat dengan jawapan itu.

“Ya wahai Raja. Itu baik.”

Raja sangat marah dengan jawapan itu. Mana mungkin jarinya yang luka parah seperti itu dianggap menterinya sebagai hal yang baik? Maka dia pun memerintahkan menteri itu ditangkap dan dimasukkan ke dalam penjara. Kemudian Raja mengunjungi menterinya di penjara dan bertanya padanya, “Sekarang, apa pendapatmu tentang keadaanmu sendiri, masih mahu berada di dalam penjara seperti ini?”

“Baik wahai Raja,” jawab menteri itu tanpa ragu-ragu.

Mendengar jawapan itu, Raja menjadi semakin marah dan segera meninggalkan menterinya sendirian di dalam penjara. Dia merasa menterinya itu sangat bodoh dan keterlaluan dalam memberikan pendapat. Beberapa hari kemudian, Raja pergi berburu di dalam hutan dan ditemani menterinya yang lain kerana menteri yang biasa menemaninya telah dipenjarakan. Mereka pun berangkat dengan kuda menuju ke hutan. Oleh kerana menteri yang baru tidak biasa dengan cara Raja menunggang kuda, akhirya dia tertinggal jauh di belakang. Mereka terpisah dan Raja sendiri akhirnya sesat di dalam hutan. Bukan hanya tersesat, Raja juga ditangkap oleh sekumpulan penyembah berhala yang tinggal di dalam hutan tersebut.

Raja tersebut ditahan oleh para penyembah berhala dan mereka menetapkan Raja sebagai korban untuk berhala mereka. Mereka melakukan upacara selama tujuh hari dan pada hari ketujuh mereka membawa Raja ke tempat persembahan. Saat Raja sudah siap untuk dikorbankan, mereka melihat jari telunjuk raja terpotong, lalu mereka ragu untuk mengorbankan Raja.

“Kita hanya mempersembahkan yang terbaik dan sempurna pada berhala kita,” kata ketua suku yang memimpin upacara tersebut. “Orang ini jari telunjuknya terpotong, jadi dia tidak layak menjadi korban”.

Dengan itu, mereka melepaskan Raja tersebut dan beliau kembali ke kerajaannya dengan perasaan yang gembira. Selang beberapa hari peristiwa itu, Raja teringat akan kata-kata menterinya yang telah membuatnya marah ketika jarinya terpotong.

Dia segera ke penjara dan berkata kepada menteri itu, “Apa yang kamu katakan waktu jari saya terpotong memang betul. Itu memang hal yang baik."

Lalu dia pun menceritakan apa yang dialaminya hingga dia akhirnya selamat dari ancaman kematian. Menteri itu berkata, “Saya berada di dalam penjara ini juga baik kerana jika saya pergi dengan Raja pada hari itu, saya juga pasti turut tertangkap. Tentu saya akan dijadikan korban kerana anggota tubuh saya lengkap dan tidak ada yang cacat."

Maka Ibnu Taimiyyah menutup cerita ini dengan mengatakan, “Semua yang ditetapkan oleh Allah adalah baik."

Ref: Syed Alwi Alatas, "Bila Allah menduga kita."

Don't turn us in, though!

2010-02-02T06:01:00.003-08:00

I'm not sure if you remember what a red-message on top of an entry means, but in case you don't, it means..... THIS ENTRY IS A RANDOM ONE!!! Hahaha.

Salam

Hot story guyss!! Rumah kami panas balik, yeayee!! Alhamdulillah. The heater was shut-off during the weekend, and when we came back in the wee hours that marks the first day of February, The House's (cheaah!) atmosphere was so gelid we had to on our portable heater to make comfy. Or stay curled up in our own duvet (it helped!). And to think that, we actually stand the cold last year... brrgghh! How on earth did we managed to do that huh? It's a wonder, really.

The culprits for the awful experience? Well, I'll let the picture deliver it to you :P

LOL. Sebenarnya kan show off the picture saja. Haha. Cool, no? This is one of our ole-ole from Londres (as Miss J called it). Oh, and plus, we saw Random gums. The real one. Finally. Haha. Excited ku berabis. Told one of the culprits about it, she got excited as well. Pokoknya, kami iski lah ah liat the Random gums.

Jaga Diri, Jaga Imaan.

Not-so-much-of-a-fairytale!

2010-02-01T02:19:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, a group of girls decided to be away from their home. Thus, they planned a trip. Of the many occasions during their trip, one was very much fresh in their minds.

The girls crafted their way through the throng; glancing sides to sides, sighing wonder at the sight they feasted upon. It was their maiden trip to the huge mall. For some anyway.

They've been there for nearly an hour, but nothing catches their eyes really. Turning about a corner upon visiting a shoe shop, a booth was strategically set up to attract the eyes of unwary shoppers as the rounded the corner. Such was the advertising skill, cunningly latching their prey. The girls... not an exception. The gadgets displayed made them stopped, arrested in track at the beauty of the technology. The offer made to them caused their hearts to sway towards acceptance. Should I, should I not?

The salespersons, sensing a win-situation, fervently relates to them the features, trying his/her best to persuade them into buying. Hearts fluttered indecisively.

One has made firm in her choice. She has been giving the gadget coveting glances; impatient to have it all for herself, to hold it with her hands knowing it was hers. The other two inclined to follow her; the other two, alas, not so.

In the end?

Let's just say, it was a lucky day for the salespersons when the girls paused at their booth. Now, three delighted hearts are content with their own.

And they all live happily ever after :)

Look back and learn

2010-01-28T00:08:00.000-08:00

Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Raheem

Assalamualaikum all. So, in a few hours or so, most of you will be free from the exam fever that has gripped you for the past 3 weeks. And, the most frequent question asked would probably be: "How was exam? Ok?"

Then you go, "Uh... ok lah, I wish I did better." or "I should have... " or "If only..."

Word: IF. Iatah yang paling mahal ni.

But, usually after all those replies we uttered, we'll (probably) say "Tawakkal lah saja."

Then, if you truly do just that, the above replies wouldn't have come out from your lips. When (you're) asked the question, you'd just go straight to "Tawakkal" instead of playing around with ifs and what-should-have-beens.

But of course, we're human. We're never satisfied with what we did. However, if we understand the meaning of the concept of Tawakkal, we'll probably have a feeling of contentment though we did not do so well (in whatever it is that we're doing).

A friend of mine once said: "To know meaning is to know life and love... when the heart is empty, the mind doesn't work."

Thus with comprehension do we find satisfaction, insyaAllah.

Here's a very beautiful, self-explanatory excerpt on Tawakkal:

"You asked me about tawakkul [total reliance on Allah]: it means that you should strengthen your believe in everything promised by Allah the Exalted, that is, believe in whatever that has been destined for you will reach you inevitably, even if everybody in the universe should strive to keep it from you, and whatever has not been written for you will never reach you even if all of (the) creation assisted you."

So, other than hardwork and good discipline, Allah should be prioritised in everything that you do.

Sayyidina Ali (r.a.) said:

"Those who think they can achieve their aims without work are dreaming, and those who think they can attain their goals through exertion alone are overconfident and consider themselves self-sufficient."

Jaga Diri, Jaga Imaan

fortune-telling-and-what-not quizzes on Facebook

2010-01-24T07:57:00.000-08:00

HUKUM BERTANYA TUKANG RAMAL

Nabi Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam telah melarang umatnya daripada bertemu dengan tukang ramal, apatah lagi mempercayai ramalannya.

Sabda baginda:

من أتى عرافا فسأله عن شيء لم تقبل له صلاة أربعين ليلة

Maksudnya, “Sesiapa mendatangi tukang ramal lalu bertanyakan sesuatu kepadanya, maka tidak diterima sembahyang baginya selama empat puluh malam”. (Direkod oleh Muslim).

Di dalam hadis lain:

مَنْ أَتَى كَاهِنًا أَوْ عَرَّافًا فَصَدَّقَهُ بِمَا يَقُول فَقَدْ كَفَرَ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى مُحَمَّد

Maksudnya, “Sesiapa mendatangi tukang ramal lalu mempercayai apa yang dikatakannya, maka dia telah kufur kepada apa yang diturunkan ke atas Muhammad”. (Direkod oleh Ashab Al-Sunan).

Mendatangi tukang ramal bukanlah satu kekufuran atau syirik secara mutlak. Menurut Syeikh Al-Utsaimin, ia boleh dibahagikan kepada tiga katagori.

Pertama: Orang yang datang kepada tukang ramal untuk bertanya ramalan sesuatu, tetapi tidak mempercayainya. Perbuatan ini adalah haram, dan balasannya ialah tidak diterima sembahyang selama 40 hari.

Kedua: Orang yang bertanya tukang ramal, dan mempercayai apa yang diramalnya. Perbuatan ini selain haram, ia menyebabkan jatuh kafir kepada Allah. Kerana mempercayai bahawa tukang ramal mengetahui perkara-perkara ghaib yang merupakan hak mutlak Allah. Ia juga satu bentuk mendustakan ayat-ayat Al-Quran yang menegaskan bahawa ilmu ghaib adalah kepunyaan Allah semata-mata.

Ketiga: Orang yang bertanya tukang ramal kerana maslahah untuk menyelidiki dakwaannya. Supaya dapat dijelaskan pendustaannya atau diambil tindakan terhadapnya. Tindakan ini adalah harus sebagaimana Nabi Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam pernah bertanya beberapa soalan terhadap Ibn Shoyyad.

Justeru, sebelum pengguna Facebook menyertai kuiz-kuiz ramalan, pastikan dulu dia termasuk dalam kategori manakah.

SEKADAR MAIN-MAIN

Sesetengah penagih kuiz-kuiz ini mempertahankan tindakan mereka dengan hujah kuiz-kuiz ramalan itu hanyalah satu bentuk permainan merehatkan minda sahaja, tanpa mempercayainya.

Sedarkah mereka bahawa dalam perkara Akidah, kita dilarang menjadikannya sebagai main-mainan dan olok-olokan? Bolehkah akidah tentang qadha dan qadar dijadikan main-mainan? Akidah bahawa Allah sahaja yang mengetahui perkara ghaib boleh dijadikan bahan mainan?

Di samping itu, adakah kita pasti kuiz-kuiz seperti itu langsung tidak memberi kesan kepada akidah pengguna Facebook yang rata-ratanya adalah remaja dan muda-mudi? Bagi saya, kuiz-kuiz ramalan di dalam Facebook adalah satu fitnah terhadap pengguna-pengguna Muslim, terutama mereka yang cetek ilmu agama.

Mereka yang bertanggungjawab mencipta kuiz-kuiz ini, hendaklah bertaubat kepada Allah kerana perbuatan mereka boleh membawa fitnah dan bencana kepada akidah orang Islam lain. Allah berfirman:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ

Maksudnya, “Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang menimpakan bencana untuk memesongkan orang-orang lelaki yang beriman dan orang-orang perempuan yang beriman, kemudian mereka tidak bertaubat, maka mereka akan beroleh azab Neraka Jahanam dan mereka akan beroleh lagi azab api yang kuat membakar. (Al-Buruj: 10).

so brothers and sisters, what can we learn from this? Menjaga akidah itu sangatlah penting and how I hear you ask? dengan mantapkan lagi ilmu agama ketani... :)

Syaitan pernah menyebut, " Sesungguhnya aku lebih takut dari seorang yang berilmu dari 1000 orang yang rajin beribadat tanpa ilmu".

Assalamualaikum.

Jaga diri, hiasi peribadi,

jaga hati, perbetulkan akidah dan mantapkan iman

Ameen Ameen Ya Rabb.

Self Reflection

2010-01-23T00:51:00.000-08:00

Assalamualaikum w.r.t.b.

The Blessing of Repentence or The Blessing of Richness?

A resident in Damascus, Ubaidah bin Muhajir was a well-respected and extremely rich businessman, who one day decided to make a business trip to Azerbaijan. After a long day of travel, Ubaidah came across a pasture and a river that ran alongside it. He decided to make camp there and was resting when he heard the sound of someone praising Allah S.W.T.

Going to the source of the sound, Ubaidah came across a man who, attired in a garment made of straw and was resting in a ditch. After having extended greetings of peace to the man, Ubaidah inquired: "Who are you, O slave of Allah?"

"A Muslim," answered the man.

"How difficult your circumstances seem to be," said Ubaidah.

"I lead a life that is replete with blessings," said the main.

"How can you say that when you are wearing nothing but a covering made of straw!" exclaimed Ubaidah.

"And why shouldn't I praise Allah for creating me, for giving me good form, for causing me to be born healthy, and for covering that part of my body which I dislike mentioning? Who goes to sleep having greater blessings than these, all of which I enjoy?"

"May Allah have mercy on you," said Ubaidah. "Will you not come to my camp, for I have made camp beside the river?"

"Why?" the man asked.

"So that I can feed you and give you real clothing, making it unnecessary for you to wear straw."

"I have no need for any of that," said the man.

Ubaidah later said, "I then left him and returned to my campsite. I later fell into contemplation, and the more I thought about my situation, the more I despised my life and even myself. Here I was, the richest man in Damascus having nearly as much wealth as I had, and yet, I was on a journey to make even more money. It was at that point that I said: O Allah, I indeed repent to You for the evilness of my situation."

Ubaidah thereafter turned away from the pursuit of acquiring wealth, and instead dedicated his life to repentance and worship.

---

Because of what Allah has given us (which is a massive quantity such that we can never repay it) to be thankful to Him, at all times, is the least we can do. To remember Him in everything that we do, for whatever it is that we do, we're relying on Him, on His nikmat.

Here you are reading, and here I am writing, we're using the body on which He has cased our souls into. For you are reading with your eyes, comprehending it with your brain, and hopefully, InsyaAllah, feel it with your heart.

It's not that hard, is it? To stop for a while and say: "Alhamdulillah Ya Rabb, Thank You for giving all these nikmat that You have given to me all these while."

Just Alhamdulillah is also good enough :)

Mengenal apa itu kebaikan dan dosa

2010-01-20T03:07:00.000-08:00

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Dari Nawwas bin Sam’an radhiallahuanhu , dari Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam baginda bersabda : “Kebaikan adalah akhlak yang baik, dan dosa adalah apa yang terasa mengganggu jiwamu dan engkau tidak suka jika diketahui manusia. “
(Riwayat Muslim)

Dan dari Wabishah bin Ma’bad radhiallahuanhu dia berkata : Saya mendatangi Rasulullah saw, lalu baginda bersabda : Engkau datang untuk menanyakan kebaikan?, saya menjawab : Ya. Baginda bersabda : Mintalah pendapat dari hatimu, kebaikan adalah apa yang jiwa dan hati tenang kerananya, dan dosa adalah apa yang terasa mengganggu jiwa dan menimbulkan keragu-raguan dalam dada, meskipun orang-orang memberi fatwa kepadamu dan mereka membenarkannya.
Ref: (Hadits hasan kami riwayatkan dari dua musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal dan Ad Darimi dengan sanad yang hasan)

Mari ketani tingkatkan amal dan iman :)

La Taqrabuzzina.

Ummu Tariq

Reaching out

2010-01-18T07:36:00.000-08:00

Salam :)

Maybe you're thinking... eh, masih jua update even though last time cakap: busy lah, revision lah, buat assignment lah, etc. Eksen saja dorang ani cakap cematu...

The answer is: I just can't keep away from this page. :P Banar! So do you, kan? If not, kenapa masih di sini, inda ja? :P Nadawah!! Main-main saja.. thank you anyway for reading. Even though selalunya.... nvm!

Anyway, iatah, I read this (the following) and I just knew it at that instant when I first read it that I need to share it with you lot out there. Happy reading!

---

Every Friday afternoon, after the Jumma prayers, the Imam and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out "PATH TO PARADISE" and other Islamic literature.

This particular and fortunate Friday afternoon, as the time came for the Imam and his son to go to the streets with their booklets, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring rain.

The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK, dad, I'm ready!'

His dad asked, 'Ready for what?'

'Dad, it's time we go out and distribute these Islamic books.'

Dad responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring rain.'

The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, aren't people still going to hell, even though it's raining?'

Dad answers, 'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'

Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go? Please...'

His father hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here are the booklets. Be careful son.'

'Thanks, Dad!'

And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a pamphlet or a booklet.

After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST BOOKLET. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a booklet to, but the streets were totally deserted.

Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered..

He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer.

Finally, he turned to leave, but something stopped him.

Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch!

He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.

Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly asked, 'What can I do for you, son?'

With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that ALLAH REALLY LOVES AND CARES FOR YOU and I came to give you my very last booklet which will tell you all about God, the real purpose of creation, and how to achieve His pleasure.'

With that, he handed her his last booklet and turned to leave.

She called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'

Next week on Friday afternoon after Jumma prayers, the Imam was giving some lectures. As he concludes the lectures, he asked, 'Does anybody have questions or want to say anything?'

Slowly, in the back row among the ladies, an elderly lady's voice was heard over the speaker.

'No one in this gathering knows me. I've never been here before. You see, before last Friday I was not a Muslim, and thought I could be. My husband died few years ago, leaving me totally alone in this world.. Last Friday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, I was contemplating suicide as i had no hope left.

So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home.. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.

I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly....

I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.

When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, 'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that ALLAH REALLY LOVES AND CARES FOR YOU!'

Then he gave me this booklet, Path To Paradise that I now hold in my hand.

As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this book. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any more.

You see? I am now a Happy Vicegerent of the One True God. Since the address of your congregation was stamped on the back of this booklet, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell.'

There was not a dry eye in the mosque. The shouts of TAKBIR... ALLAH AKBAR.. rented the air.

The Imam (Dad) descended from the pulpit to the front row where the little angel was seated.

He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

Probably no jama'at has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a father that was more filled with love and honor for his son... Except for one. This very one...

---

Beneficial? I do hope so! :)

Okeh, jaga diri, jaga iman. Salam!

p.s.: To those having exams, selamat berjuang! Jangan lupa selawat and tawakkal to Allah.

7 JUTA SEDUNIA!

2010-01-11T07:53:00.000-08:00

Assalamualaikum!

Sebenarnya nada plan kan update this blog until habis our own assessment. Assessment being: exams, essays and any kind of writing that has a deadline to it, etc... you get the picture, right?Sigh, anyway... iatah, sekalinya (sorry ah, becerita tah ku sekajap nah) :P

Sekalinya... aku ani boring wah. Aku check lah blog ani mana tau ada new update magically appear *winks*... sekalinya nada. So, sedih tah ko ni? No! Andang jua aku expect nada pasal kami sibuk. Sekalinya kan... I was about to click the 'X' button, kan tutup the window... tapi aku masih mau jua scroll ke bawah. So aku scroll lah kan. Sekalinya... *look at the 'keen readers' "

Guilty tia aku pasal inda update. Hence this.

Bath inda snow lagi. B-O-ring! Sama... cuba tah Yen Sushi ani dapat delivery. Or Jamuna or Eastern Eye! We need real food guys! Awu... kami selama ani keep on munching on Pringles and Thorntons chocolates, and... um, apalagi.... Um.. apa apa lah! Pokoknya, we need REAL, SOLID, MOUTH-WATERING-FINGER-LICKING-GOOD type of food. Well, dapat pulang ke kadainya... TAPI, kami malas jalan. Pasal sajuk. And kami takut tegelincir. As Ka Reefah implied, karang mikin surut bukit Thornbank atu, pasal kmi tegelincir di sana balik2. *blush*. Bulih, patut nya kesiankan kami lah Ka Reefah, BUKAN BUKIT! :D

Anyway, yeah. Even though the icy condition made us slip and slide and (dare I say it?) fall... We still want the snow! Please, snow, please... listen to our pleading voices. Let you come down and whiten the streets. Let you fall so we can be away from our books. (evil laughs!) So come down already, in any manner you choose! Snow dusts kah, flecks kah, or even better, thick drops! Like, um... (sorry for being technical, but I've always wanted to see this!) a sphere of 2cm in diameter? Is it too much to ask? Huh? Huh?

Aha. So, you see? Where all these readings has got me to?

Actually, that wasn't really the point of this entry. I know I said I'm writing this pasal kesian to the readers, which means, nothing specific to write about, but ada sebenarnya kan ku cakapkan wah... Sekajap ah... let me recall. Snow ni punya pasal... balum turun... ish!

Um, ah!! Nah, aku ingat sudah.... Atu kami ada new phrase. Its:

"7 JUTA SEDUNIA" :)

Scene: Suka barang.
Line: Waaaahhh, lawa jua.... aku suka. Berabis!! 7 JUTA SEDUNIA lawanya!

Scene: Sasak.
Line: Eh, Eastern Eye ani, cuba tah ada delivery! Boring 7 JUTA SEDUNIA!

Geddit? Haha. We use them all the time... Or sometimes, pakai 7 JUTA saja, or SEDUNIA saja. But for maximum impact, combine both lah. Baru power... 7 JUTA SEDUNIA! HAHA. See what I mean?

Anyway, yeah. Pokoknya aku kan becerita pasal our new phrase ani lah ah. Tapi ada tia the snow factor masuk and the delivery dilemma that we're having.

Happy using our phrase!

The Reality of Our Existence

2010-01-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh

Apa khabar everyone? I hope semua sihat, Alhamdulillah. We're all busy, kan? Pasal kan exam... inda papa, insyaAllah, soon it will be over. Sabar saja tia dulu. And we're really sorry for making you come and visit this page (if ada orang visit lah ah!:P) but nada jua update... Oh well, another sabar factor to add on! :D

So, with nothing specific in mind to write about here, I thought I'd share something useful, insyaAllah. Beneficial lah at least, yes?

"The diversions of this world are often so enticing that those who are enjoying them do not see life for what it really is. That is why it is so rare, and actually nice when it happens, to see a ruler or king (or a person, in our case) who perceives the reality of life.

Al-Asma'o reported that the ruler Ar-Rashid once ordered for many delicacies to be prepared for him. He wanted to have a nice party for himself, so he had a hall decorated for him, and he invited the famous poet Abul-'Atahiyyah.

When the party had begun, Ar-Rashid looked at Abul-'Atahiyyah and said, "Describe the pleasures of the world that we are enjoying." It was often the case that kings and rulers requested poets to compose impromptu verses for them. Abul-'Atahiyyah began thus:

Live in comfort as long as you please,

Under the shades of high and wonderful castles.

"Wonderful, wonderful. Please continue," said Ar-Rashid.

Abul-'Atahiyyah continued:

All that you desired is brought to you

Quickly, both in the morning and in the evening.

"Wonderful, wonderful," chimed in Ar-Rashid. "Please continue."

He resumed thus:

Then when the souls are parting,

Through the breast with a croaking sound,

It is then that one comes to know:

I have lived nothing but a life of deception.

Ar-Rashid began to weep profusely, and some of those who are present looked reproachfully at Abul-'Atahiyyah and said, "The Leader of the Believers has invited you here to make him happy, yet all that you have succeeded in doing is making him sad."

"Leave him alone," said Ar-Rashid with a sigh. "He simply noticed that we were in a state of blindness, and disliked adding to it even more blindness." "

More of something like this next time? InsyaAllah.

Salam :)

Ref: Muhammad Abduh Mughawiri

The BIG 31st.

2009-12-31T13:09:00.001-08:00

Salam kepada pembaca setia 6 Thornbanks, harap diampunkan kerana telah lama menghilang entah kemana, di kala ini kami sedang menikmati suasana akhir tahun bak bulan yang menanti akan masanya untuk menyinarkan dirinya. Oh! Sungguh indah sekali ciptaan yang Maha kuasa, seharusnya kita semua bersyukur kehadrat Ilahi dengan lahirnya ciptaan malam, yang dimasukkan kedalam siang, untuk memberi kerehatan kepada manusia dan Dialah juga yang memasukkan siang kepada malam. Kita bertafakkur sejenak, adakah kita benar benar sedar akan semuanya ini? Pernahkan kita terfikir bahawa Allah menciptakan kesemuanya ini untuk kesenangan kita semata2 untuk beribadah kepadaNya? Subanallah.

So...........! um, the big 31st huh?

So what have we done so far this year? Let's recall, shall we?

We start off with our very own housemate's surprise B'day party! Dearest Amal turned big 21!

No, she didn't have Bertie as her present. But a book recipe instead! Big thanks to the very suave looking Indian gentleman, the big boss himself! But he looked very similar to this man *trying to search for his picture...
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Oh, just save it for later!
Toodles!
Will continue, InsyaAllah.
Jgn beulah, yes?

Sincerely yours,
AiMaWaMal.

Yawm al-Qiyamat

2009-12-31T02:33:00.000-08:00

The Signs are listed in roughly chronological order, although the order is not necessarily precise, especially for those in the future.

This is a brief summary of the signs; there are many books, articles, cassettes etc. which discuss these in greater detail. May Allah enable us to recognise and heed the Signs, and strengthen us in the times of tribulation.

"Are they waiting for anything except the Hour, to come to them suddenly? But its Signs have already come!" (Al-Qur’an, Surah Muhammad)

Past

1. Splitting of the Moon.

2. Death of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

3. A form of death which will kill thousands of Muslims. (Understood to refer to the plague of Amwas during the
caliphate of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.)

4. A major fighting in Madinah (understood to refer to the battle of al-Harrah during the caliphate of Yazid, 63 AH).

5. The Muslim conquest of Jerusalem.

6. The Muslim conquest of Constantinople.

7. Two large groups of Muslims will fight in war.

8. A war between the Muslims and a reddish people with small eyes, wearing sandals made of hair (understood to refer to
the Mongol Tatar invasion of the Islamic lands.)

9. A peace agreement between the Muslims and non-Muslims from the yellow race (Chinese, Mongols, etc.)

10. Thirty impostors (dajjal) will appear, each thinking he is a prophet.

Present?

11. Naked, destitute, barefoot shepherds will compete in building tall buildings.

12. The slave-woman will give birth to her master or mistress.

13. A trial (fitnah) which will enter every Arab household.

14. Knowledge will be taken away (by the death of people of knowledge), and ignorance will prevail.

15. Wine (intoxicants, alcohol) will be drunk in great quantities.

16. Illegal sexual intercourse will become widespread.

17. Earthquakes will increase.

18. Time will pass more quickly.

19. Tribulations (fitan) will prevail.

20. Bloodshed will increase.

21. A man will pass by the grave of another and wish he was in the latter’s place.

22. Trustworthiness will be lost, i.e. when authority is given to those who do not deserve it.

23. People will gather for prayer, but will be unable to find an imam to lead them.

Future

24. The number of men will decrease, whilst the number of women will increase, until for every man there are 50 women.

25. The Euphrates will reveal a treasure of gold, and many will die fighting over it, each one hoping to be the one who gains
the treasure.

26. The Romans (Europeans) will come to a place called A’maq or Wabiq, and an army of the best people will go forth from Madinah to face them.

27. The Muslim conquest of Rome.

28. The Mahdi (guided one) will appear, and be the Imam of the Muslims.

29. Jesus Christ will descend in Damascus, and pray behind the Mahdi.

30. Jesus will break the cross and kill the swine, i.e. destroy the false christianity.

31. The Antichrist (al-masih al-dajjal, the false christ) will appear, with all his tools of deception, and be an immense trial. He will be followed by 70,000 Jews from Isfahan (present-day Iran).

32. The appearance of Ya’juj and Ma’juj (Gog and Magog), and the associated tribulations.

33. The emergence of the Beast from the Earth, carrying the Staff of Moses and the Seal of Solomon, who will speak to the people, telling them they did not believe with certainty in the Divine Signs.

34. A major war between the Muslims (including Jews and Christians who truly believe in Jesus after his return) led by the Imam Mahdi, and the Jews plus other non-Muslims led by the Antichrist.

35. Jesus will kill the Antichrist at the gate of Ludd (Lod in present-day Israel, site of an airport and a major Israeli military base).

36. A time of great peace and serenity during and after the remaining lifetime of Jesus.

37. Wealth will come so abundant that it will become difficult to find someone to accept charity.

38. Arabia will become a land of gardens and rivers.

39. Society will then decay.

40. The buttocks of the women of the tribe of Daws will again sway in circumambulation (tawaf) around the idol Dhul-Khulsah.

41. A great fire in the Hijaz, seen by the inhabitants of Busra.

42. Three major armies will sink into the earth: one in the east, one in the west, one in Arabia.

43. An Abyssinian leader with thin shins will destroy the Ka’bah.

44. The huge cloud of smoke.

45. The sun will rise from the west (its place of setting).

46. A gentle wind which will take the souls of the believers.

47. There is no-one left on the earth saying, "Allah, Allah" or "There is no god except Allah."

48. Eventually the Day of Judgment is established upon the worst of the people, who copulate like donkeys in public.

49. The blowing in the Trumpet by the Angel Israfil, upon which everyone will faint except as Allah wills.

50. The second blowing in the Trumpet, upon which everyone will be resurrected.

______________________________________________________________

The question here is..
Are we all ready for this?
Neither am i.

Supposedly...

2009-12-27T04:49:00.000-08:00

Salam

Yes! Supposedly, now's the time to write lotsa posts here. Sadly, it's not so. Busy? I guess you can say that. Kinda. Yep. What with guests coming and going......

Plus, we're seconds away (exaggerating) to becoming a doctor. LOL. House joke, sorry!

There's nothing in my mind really, now. It's all been filled with doctor-to-be-work at the moment. :P

Anything worth sharing? Um, maybe this (?):

"Berdzikir lah dengan nama Tuhanmu..." C:

Kisah cinta ku... (heh!)

2009-12-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

Salam readers!

So I found this somewhere; reference stated below (sadang2 tah reference ani! Urgh :P) For the sake of (a little) light reading, enjoy it! [This source has no connection what-so-ever with any of the Thornbanker's real feelings; if there is so, be informed that it is purely coincidental] Hehe

Oh, did I mentioned it's going to be in Malay? :)

Teman bertanya kepadaku akan siapakah cintaku?
Di ketika itu, hatiku terdetik mengingati mu.
Entah mengapa namamu muncul dipikiran.
Lalu aku tersenyum.
Temanku semakin binggung.
Namun aku bertanya kembali,
"Apakah itu yang dinamakan cinta?"

Cinta, bagiku tiada definisi yang mencengkam.
Ianya suatu perasaan yang tiba di lubuk hati,
tika hati dilanda badai rindu.
Definisi cinta tidak lengkap,
jika diungkapkan oleh mereka yang belum merasainya.
Lantas, siapalah aku untuk menggambarkannya.

Aku mengenalmu dari kecilku.
Aku membesar bersama mu.
Dalam kerianganku bersama temanku,
Engkau selalu berada bersamaku.
Waktu lapangku... ku isikan bersamamu.
Alangkah indahnya...

Namun, itulah sekilas gambaran hidupku.
Tahun meningkat, aku kian menjauh darimu.
Di suatu saat, adakalanya aku merasa
sepertinya aku meninggalkan mu.
Di dalam keghairahanku mengejar dunia,
Engkau seakan hilang dari mindaku.
Dunia ku capai... tetapi cinta ku... ?

Gembiranya aku bertemu mu kembali.
Akan ku peluk engkau, sekiranya bisa ku lakukan.
Pertemuanku akan mu... membuatku tenang.
Hidupku... bagai lebih bermakna.
Ku jalani hari ku sebaik mungkin;
Seperti mana yang engkau lakukan sebelum ku.

Jauhnya engkau dari ku...
Aku tahu betapa dekatnya engkau dihatiku.

Rindu....
Kepadamu, datang lagi.

Ref: N.Tarip, Thoughts

R-Ac!

2009-12-13T09:37:00.000-08:00

Apa tu nah ertinya?

Pfft! I'm bored, like, serious-ley! I want this for dinner again. Even if it's the same thing two days in a row :( It was good bah! The very good...

Look, look kamu...si Amal happy :D

Kan kan... whaddit I say?

"Hmm, apa baik kan dimakan ahh?"

"Eyh, mana tia bento ku ani. Payah jua menu baru ani :P"

"Excuse me, can I have Aborigine salad?" HAHA.

Talk about being a carnivore :P:P Sorry Ka Reefah!

I told you it was good!

Word of the day: Jaga JANTUNG (*winks*) and jaga diri.
Assalamualaikum! :)

A Day In

2009-12-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

HO - MY - GOD!

I know riighht! It's been a while. 2 words though: we're busy. Enough said. :P (Well, technically it's 3 words but, whatever! *pei ru's tone* hehe)

"Right. And sooo.. that's what they always say... "
"Hey! It's true."

Well, the two thornbankers are still battling with their Technical Review, one with a quiz/test this Monday and the other one with a work proposal for next year. And moi? Well... who knows which one of those Thornbankers am I, right?

Teeheehee. And so... news! Today we're having our second let's-do-work-in-the-living-room-session! :P And to show you how 'rajin' we are, (cheh! rajin kah last minute? :P) let's take a peek at what had happened to our living room:

Let's take a close up on those stacks of books! (Spot the cough drops :D *ahuk ahuk*)

And in the midst of all these academic writings... ada orang melipat baju! :O hehehe

To cap the day, we went somewhere for dinner. But I'm too lazy to post up the pictures. Nanti tah! :)

Till then, Assalamualaikum. Take care!

Achhoo! Alhamdulillah

2009-12-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

And so it begins. Again. Yes, the flu-cold season is here! NOOOOO! Note to cough/cold/nose-blocked/sore-throat/etc: Just so you know, you are not welcome okay! We don’t need you!

Let’s ponder. Where does this flu-thingy came from?

‘Dari bacteria.’
‘Eh manada, salah tu kau ah, virus kali ah!’
‘Boo, lagi tah salah. Dari Allah lah.’
'Eh, napa diam? Kalah kamu kah?’

‘Sabar, sabar. Napa pulang dari Allah? Flu ani bagi tani sakit jua...’
‘Sekalinya mesti yang baik saja datang dari Allah? Kalau Allah andang kan bagi tani ujian, kalau Allah kan liat cana tani react on what He had given us, inda dapat kn?’

So, the winner?

Yes, everything is from Allah. But why? Iatah soalan yang paling mahal ni. Maybe… it’s a reminder for us. How?

For me, in the current state of workload and end-of-semester-is-approaching-and-holiday-is-starting-soon mood, obviously I tend to work hard. Literally! [Sampai pengsan…? Haha] Which equals to improper meals, lots of junk food, sleep-late-wake-up-early, ahir balik rumah, etc…

So how is this a reminder again? Ertinya… Sadang-sadang tah makan junk food, balik awal so that tidur awal so that cukup tidur! Oh, and dapat makan proper meal. So that when all those are done, inda lagi damam, inda lagi sore throat, inda lagi batuk, inda lagi sneeze, inda ja? Jaaa!

See! Sakit ani nikmat dari Allah jua… Supaya tani dapat rehat from all the hectic-ness around us. It’s up to a person to think and twist about the subject to find out what is the hidden message behind everything that has happened. I am sure there is one, or more! If you just spend a little bit more time on it, InsyaAllah you'll find it. :)

Assalamualaikum

Untuk renungan bersama C=

2009-12-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

So, this goes back to the crucial question:
"What's your life purpose?"

This one is for you!

2009-11-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

Assalamualaikum readers. Uh, no this is not for all if you even though it says so in the title. Heh. Sorry. Rather, this one is for JOR!

Yes, you Jormasnidah Jormasie aka Miss Lisa Bentley! Haha.

Anyway, I know you've been very very curious about this, so I'm writing just to let you know, I am to meet my "boyfriend" soon! (cheh) :P :P

Helpful? I guess not. Keep guessing Jor :)

We love you!

xoxo
Thornbank girls

two of the Tumbing Restaurants waitresses are on BBC

2009-11-29T14:07:00.001-08:00

Assalamualaikum

In this post, you will finally get to see all the Thornbankers, which also equals to the owner and waitress of Tunbing Restaurants, just near the Tambing ;) (promotion sekajap aa). What we had recently? LOTS actually but since i need to sprint my foot to somewhere, I will just going to write a brief ones, yea. Hope the housemates would not mind :) Last Tuesday night, we somewhat went to this Italy Restaurant, more like a sweet escape. for all of us. "lawa jua You malam ani, Baby" - For Wani, ('cos i know she LOVVEEs to hear that!) HAHA.. Another promotion here, you all need to go there!!! If mau cheaper, try to check StudentBeans more frequent. sounds macam cheapskate, kah? :P oh well, that's what happened when the owner of Tunbing Restuarants refused to increase our salary! note to Emma! :P

this is what happen when we give them too much milk :P A guy passed by and said "oh! it's milk!"

Most recently; kemarin, where Bath Islamic Society was holding an event just to celebrate Eid Mubarak. I was quite impressed with the people who came yesterday, in a way that we are all the same, humans. Aimi and I seriously thought it was only for the students but nah, we were wrong. For me, i experienced meeting a lot of new people yesterday, not saying i am too friendly or what but yea. Macam arah orang kawin pulang jua rasanya~ hehe.. I kind of miss the atmosphere where the children are playing around with their balloons, where most of the women are wearing their scarfs and carrying their babies everywhere but yea, we had that yesterday. Sometimes i envy them pasal they got to stay here with their families where we aren't. But looking at the brighter side, BANYAK we gain from this experience kan, which i think too much to mention here.

Our new basement :) HEHEHE..

p/s: you know who am i :P (kan nisah!! :P)
i know the title has got nothing to do with the post! HEHE..

This will be....

2009-11-29T00:38:00.000-08:00

the MOST random post ever. I just woke up and I immediately opened the BROWNEST curtain in my room expecting the sun to shine on me and as I stretched my body at its LONGEST time...*doing a lot of grunting while stretching* FYI,in the morning, my face is usually the WHITEST face you'll ever see. So imagine..a white ghost stretching on your neighbors see through internal balcony. So as I stretch and grunt...I paused! Then there was someone all this while exactly right in front me but on the external side. LOLEST!? (the most lol, geddit?) He must've been as SHOCKED as me. Anyways,without further delays,I instantly closed the curtian at my STRONGEST motion ever..and for the sake of modesty,I took a picture of him. hahah.

Tadaaaa....
"He wasnt even looking at me..He was busy washing his car!"

He was not in front of me...but 'literally' he was.Btw, another FYI, just after I woke up,I ate this HUGE random gum and this must be the trails of it plus the trails of STRESSFULLNESS. Thus, it aint my fault! ;P~

p.s. Pointless?.....Maybe. Pure entertainment? Fo sho! (for sure!)

Hot story!!

2009-11-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

Salam guys.

Eh eh, hooot stooorrryyy yooo! *Amal's voice* :)

Sekarang aku di library. Sekalinya ada bini-bini ani wah, duduk dapan ku. I know, I know, I should be doing work, not looking at people, but... H-O-T yo!! Banar! Telefonnya lagi balik-balik bunyi tu. Popular jua tu..

Sekalinya ia baca buku ani wah. The Art of Infinite. Makes you think what she's taking eh?

Awu aku random.

Assalamualaikum :)

Stepping in to the puddle!

2009-11-27T03:45:00.000-08:00

Salam readers.

What is it with rain and Bath? Seriously, I do wonder. Is it because Bath is named as such that we have rainy days for weeks? FYI, Bath rained everyday this week so far. Without exception! I suppose, andangnya kali sudah kana plan macam ani so that everytime kami ke uni, kami pakai payung and/or waterproof boots, so that inda sia-sia kami bali payung and the boots, so that kami inda kana masukkan dalam kategori membazir... kah? *Shrugs*

Tapi Syukur Alhamdulillah, ada hujan. Mun panas berabis, ngalih saja bayar extra cost for air-con. Atleast kalau hujan, makin banyak air di dunia. Inda ja? Jaaa! Manada... water cycle fixed kali ahh. Mun hujan banyak pun, inda jua increase the amount of water di dunia ani. :)

Did you know that, water made up 70% of the Earth surface? And of this 70% of water coverage, 97.5% of it is in ocean form. Massive banar! And actually, the amount of water available for us is just 2.5%. Kesian tani... And remember, this is out of 70%, not 100%. Calculate tia, lagi tah sikit the amount...

So okay, let's take the small percentage of water that's available for us. I.e. to be shared between all creation of Allah; human beings, animals, plants, etc. And let's call this... x%. So with this x% of water, basically we can have the commodity for a hot soak in the bathtub, wash our clothes so that we'll smell nice (p.s. ikut brand detergent lah jua ni ah :P), feed ourselves, dapat buat pasta or indomie and cucur pisang... etc.

If we were to delve deeper, x% of water (or less lah ah since tani sudah pakai some of this amount for all the commodities above) can encompass the manufacturing industry, such that the effect is what we are having and enjoying at the moment. Buat baju and coats for winter season, buat stokin thermal, buat Robinson (random pasal atm, aku taisliur Robinson hehe), apalagi.. manufacture of plastic for bottles or file utk simpan notes or bags or laptop or iPod/iTouch or (paham lah sudah ni ahh! Inda lagi ku tefikir apa :P) Pokoknya, macam-macam lah tani dapat, untuk tani enjoy!

My point is? I do have a point to say!

With just this x% of water, we gained a lot of worldly pleasures. Lavish lifestyle (for some), exquisite food supply, better quality of living conditions, semua lah.

But it's funny that, despite all these things that has been bestowed for us as a rahmat, we are too arrogant to even say thank you to the One providing us with all these nikmat. Is it really that hard, to stop and think for a while, where did we get all these things? Surely, all the nikmat didn't just come out of thin air, right? Is it really hard to say, at the very least, Syukur Alhamdulillah?

Having said that, let's reflect at this hadith:

"By Allah, this world (is so insignificant in comparison) to the Hereafter that if one of you should dip his finger in the ocean and then he should see as to what has stuck to it……" (Sahih Muslim)

So now, let's see. What is it that'll stuck (i.e. cling) to your finger when you dip it in the ocean? Jangan pulang cari ocean banar... air dalam cawan pun boleh kalau kan experiment :) Aku saja lah yang cuba. Boleh pulang kamu cuba jua, but then kalau ku tunggu answer everyone, inda bejalan ni post ah *winks*

Anyway, what clings on our fingertip is JUST a droplet of water. And from the hadith, this one drop of water is DUNYA - all these nikmat we've got to thank for, all the blissful things we enjoyed so far. And in comparison with the rest of the ocean, which is what's there in the Hereafter i.e. Jannah, Subhanallah, this amount is very very very small.

And this very very very small amount equals to the nikmat we get from the x% of water PLUS all the other nikmat that we get from air, fauna, flora, the changing of day and night, etc.

MasyaAllah. And to think, we seldom even say Thank You Allah for everything we've got. Did we, in our daily life, stop and have a look around, look at what this world i.e. dunya has got to offer - be it the mall or people or food or scenic environment - and say, "Wow, everything is created by Allah" or "Syukur Alhamdulillah" or "Thank You Allah for everything, All Praises is For You?"

Inda kan? Ok, bagi chan lah, ada lah ah, kadang-kadang. Tapi what do we usually say? "Waah! Lawa jua..." OR "Siuk ehh, basar shopping mall nya ah!" Inda ja?

So, let's pause and ponder about this.

Maybe I have not deliver this as good as it should have been, maybe you're not affected by these rhetorical words written here, but for what it's worth, all the good things come from Allah and others are from me.

:)
Assalamualaikum!

In fairness of things...

2009-11-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Raheem

‘All praise is for Allaah who gave us life after having taken it from us and unto Him is the Resurrection.’

These are the words that escape my lips as I woke up. The splattering rain can be heard from the window. It’s raining again, I thought.

With the extra knowledge gained over the weekend, I go about wondering what I should do next. It reminds me really of what I should be doing here. At times it scares me – not in a bad way. But then again, to Allah is all praises, I am sure He will show me His Guidance along the way.

Having said that, I was overcome with joy when a friend of mine realizes the true meaning of Islam. Really, it was simple. I remembered once, another friend of mine recommended him about the documentary “The Arrivals.” I remembered us talking about it, and we were urging him to watch it.

He did eventually. And MasyaAllah, the impact it had on him was astonishing. He was watching this one episode (I don’t know which) and apparently it scared him real bad. I mean, when you think about it… yes, the documentary does makes you become more aware of what is happening around us. To him, the documentary curdled his blood. His heart was beating with each revelation that was shown. His hands were literally shaking. He said, none of the scary movies he’d watched before can compare to this. I mean, of course! After all, this is the truth. It’s happening, even now!

Anyway, so as soon as he became aware of all the things that we fell for, he literally deleted from his laptop all his music, all his movies and tv series… everything! He wants no association with what had been planted all these times by ‘those’ people. He said and I quote, “Yes, I prayed before. But now, every time I pray, I ask for forgiveness for I know I have done a lot (of sins).” “I am really ashamed…”

So, if that can be his turning point, do you think it’s safe to assume that that can also be ours? Maybe. But until you’ve watched it, I guess you’ll never know.

So now, we have a pact. Well, in a sense. We agreed on each one of us will have to remind each other so as to not be drawn to all the manipulative things that appears right to our susceptible minds. InsyaAllah. Again, as a self reminder, this is what’s expected from you by our Lord.

*blank*

Oh. And yeah, you know the song we had in Bamsa night last year, “Here in my home”? So I had the lyrics changed – to accommodate my view on the topic we had last time. (Okay, some of you may not understand this, but then again, this is the way it’s supposed to be. To the others, this is for you!)

Hold on, sisters hold on,
The road is long,
(But) we gotta keep moving on,
We are strong, this ain’t heavy!

Cool, no? Haha. At least I think so! :P

x
Assalamualaikum

Sheer boredom leads to...

2009-11-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

Salam guys.

Warning: I think tau kali kamu eh kalau ada warning ani gerenti tah random. But just to add, this one will be random+rojak!

Cubatah ada post magically appear hehe. Keyword: cubatah. Sorry ah kamu, busy saja wah kami of the late. InsyaAllah, masa cuti, berabis tah kali kami ni. Yeah, right! LOL. Inda pulang kali tu, because kalau cuti kami main-main tia, mikin tia pulang inda be update. Susah jua ah. Hmm.

Anyway, yeah. Hari ani berangin. Nyaman. Macam be aircon di Brunei rasanya.. Iatah tadi wah masa lecture, lecturer ku ani balum lagi habis lecture wah, even though masanya habis sudah, pasal ia mau habiskan jua ia punya material hari atu. Majal. Anyway, sekalinya suddenly pintu lecture room atu kana buka and ada this group of students lah liat ke dalam. Sekali the girl in front, macam nada saja ia masuk. Laju lagi tu jalannya. Kawannya yang lain inda masuk pasal dorang realize bukan dorang punya lecture. Lapas atu masa kawannya panggil ia suruh keluar balik, ia macam bangang and tekajut. Sekalinya ia liat kami sekali lagi, pastu ia tunduk, malu and ketawa2, lapas atu belari ke luar. Kesian wah the girl, ia pikir ia late lagi tu. Tapi kami ketawa pulang pasal cali. Aduii.. I know, nada point sebenarnya this post.

Haha.

Oh yeah, tadi kami solat wah. And in the middle of wirid, ada tia phone bunyi. Ada orang call. The receiver of the call jawab lah kan. Sekali the caller ani cakap nyaring wah, aku yang duduk-duduk di bilik atu kedangaran lah conversation nya a bit. I wasn’t eavesdropping btw! Haha. Anyway, sekali the caller said, “Hey (insert the receiver name)! I want to ask you something. But you must never tell (insert my name) about this because bla bla bla…”

After that point, aku ketawa-ketawa wah! Macam… spoil!! Pacah. Although, inda pulang ku dangar banar apa dorang cakapkan after that pasal aku ketawa-ketawa. Haha.

Now it’s 10 ish. Ngantuk ku sudah yo! Awu tadi awal ku bangun. Anyway, iatah, two nights ago, I was doing some reading. I skipped my dinner so I was a bit hungry. A bit. Kiranya, I can wait till breakfast lah tu ah. Pasal ngalih ku jua sudah wah, so aku masuk katil and was doing some reading… Sekalinya, antah ah… Lapar banar tah kali bah! Haha. Ada this particular equation in the passage, it was suppose to be Hagen-Poiseuille equation. Sekalinya apanah! Aku baca, Haagen-Daz equation. HAHAHA. Literally ku blink mataku balik-balik and giling-giling kepala macam in the cartoons, just to see if I was reading the right thing or not. HAHA. Pacah eh. Ketawa-ketawa ku masa kan tidur olehnya.

Now to think of it, banyak kali jua aku ketawa this week ah. Takut ku menangis anytime soon.

Okay, so... the randomness in me is disappearing now. A more meaning post next time? InsyaAllah.

Bye for now.
Assalamualaikum.

Have you ever wonder...

2009-11-14T05:52:00.000-08:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Assalamualaikum warahmatulahhi wabarakatuh.

Yes, two posts in one day! Berabis jua, you might say. Well, bila tah lagi kan membuat berabis cemani. Mun normal days, sama jua sibuk. Baik tah weekend ani top up posts, plus top up imaan jua :)

Anyway, me and a housemate was enthralled when we first saw this. And of course, again, it's good to share it with you all out there.

Why Our Supplications

Are Not Answered?

Ibraheem Ibn Adham, may Allah have mecy upon him, was a third century scholar, a teacher and a companion of Sufyaan Ath-Thawree, and he was asked about the saying of Allah - The Most High:

"And Your Lord says:

'Call on me and I shall answer your prayer...' [40:60]

We supplicate and we are not answered."

So he said to them:

"You know Allah,

Yet you do not obey Him,

You recite the Quraan,

Yet you do not act according to it,

You know Shaaitan,

Yet you have agreed with him,

You proclaim your love for Paradise,

Yet you do not act to gain it,

You proclaim your fear for the Fire,

Yet you do not prevent yourself from sins,

You say: 'Indeed death is true,'

Yet you have not prepare for it,

You busy yourself with finding faults in others,

Yet you do not look at your own faults,

You eat that which Allah has provide for you,

Yet you do not thank Him,

You bury your dead,

Yet you do not take a lesson from it."

Ref: Kushoo fis Solaat (p62) of Ibn Rajab al-Hambalee -rahimullah

What is your reason for not wearing Hijab?

2009-11-14T00:49:00.000-08:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Raheem
In The Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Compassionate.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh.

Readers, apologies for the non-productive posts. InshaAllah, this one I hope will benefit you as it did to me. I stumble upon this only just. I know with certainty that I need to share this with you. It's quite lengthy but I really do hope you enjoy it. :)

What is you reason for not wearing Hijab?

1st Excuse:

I am not convinced of Hijab.

Can I ask you sister, who are you? You may reply: I'm a Muslim.

And what is the meaning of Muslim? The one who completely submits himself totally to Allah for achieving peace, am I right? Well sister, Hijab is a clear commandment of Allah SWT and Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. How can we disobey them and deny what Allah and His Messenger have given to us? Prophet Ibrahim AS had to sacrifice his son and even he didn't understand why he had to do such a thing. Does not it teach us how to submit our will to Allah?

2nd Excuse:

The women who say that the most important thing is what is inside, that her intentions are always good, and she is a good person, and the Hijab is the Hijab of the heart. And these women say that they pray 5 times a day, pray the night prayers, pray the voluntary prayers, gives charity. However, she feels that this is enough worship for her.

Remember the holy verse of Al-Quran:

“……….Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do. Those are they who have brought the life of this world at the price of Hereafter. Their torment shall not be lightened nor shall they be helped." [2:85-86]

3rd Excuse:

The Hijab is not comfortable. And really difficult to maintain in some countries especially in tropical countries. A woman can complain that she loses her hair when she puts on the Hijab, because of the heat. So come on, do you want me to lose my hair and get bald? I won't put it on because my hair falls off.

Astaghfirullah. Sister, Allah SWT said:

“Say that the Hell fire is stronger than the heat of the world.”

The Prophet SAW said:

“Hell is surrounded by our desires, and Jannah is surrounded by the good things.”

Is it still difficult for you to put on the Hijab? But you'll take GREAT deeds for following Allah's command! Hmm..

4th Excuse:

The women say that they knew many ladies who wore Hijab and they have the worst of manners, and do the worst of things. So I don't want to put the Hijab on because I don't want to be like them.

Okay, I agree with you sister. But there are many people who pray, but do bad deeds too. Does it mean we shouldn't pray? Some people go to Hajj so that they can hide under the title of Hajj and that they can do bad things. Does that mean we shouldn't go to Hajj? So sister, the wrong is not in the religion, but in the people themselves. So is the Hijab bad or the person who wears the Hijab?

5th Excuse:

Allah has not guided me yet. I will put on the Hijab, but Allah hasn't guided me to do so now. So, when I will be 50 years old and I have enjoyed my life, I'll put on the Hijab.

No sister, this excuse is totally wrong. Allah SWT said:

“Allah does not change a people's situation unless they change what is within themselves.”

You will not put the Hijab on until you change what is within yourself and work towards putting on the Hijab. It's not acceptable for you to say that Allah has not guided you. No, He has guided you and the proof is that you are listening to these words. The reason you are listening to these words is; Allah has opened the journey of guidance to you. So, it is up to you to obey Him or to not.

6th Excuse:

When I will get married I'll put on the Hijab. Mahal yo jawapannya ah! Mun inda kawin cemana.. Anyway:

So let me tell you, a lot of men look for the pious, religious woman who respects herself with her Hijab, more than those men who look for the other women. And Allah has written whom you will marry anyway! So you won't marry anyone else except for that person that Allah has chosen for you. Don't be afraid; put your trust in Allah. Allah will give you the pious husband. So when you marry, marry someone who will love you for your righteousness in spite of your physical beauties.

Once a man came to a scholar and asked him:

"If I'm going to marry my sister to someone, who should it be? "

The Scholar replied:

"Marry her to a man who is a servant of Allah, so if he loved her, he will respect her, and if he hated her, he will not treat her badly. Marry the man that will protect you and be happy that you are a wearing the veil. "

Bearing with me still? But it's good, isn't it?

7th Excuse:

I'm still too young to maintain Hijab.

Do you know when you'll die sister? The death rate for youths is increasing! I want to give you an example of a girl. I have taken the following story from an Islamic Site:

“This is a true story that really happened in Egypt, Alexandria in Ramadhan. The man was telling me that his wife wears a veil. Living in front of them was a young girl who was not wearing the veil. And the girl has good things inside her heart, like many of our sisters in Islam. However, she doesn't understand the meaning of the veil and the meaning it has in Islam. So he said that his wife had good relations with this girl. She didn't ignore her just because she doesn't wear the Hijab. They were friends. So one day the young girl had come to ask the wife if she'd come shopping with her to buy some jeans. So the intelligent wife (who knows that she has to call the girl towards Allah) agreed to go shopping with her, but under one condition: the girl comes with the wife to an Islamic circle that was going to start. The girl agreed.

So they went to the circle which was about repentance to Allah. The girl was so inspired by what was being said, and started to cry until she kept repeating one sentence over and over again: 'I've repented Allah, please someone cover me.' The people told her: 'Okay, let us take you home and you can put the Hijab on.' But she refused, wanting to be covered right at that moment with the Hijab; she couldn't go out without it. So they got her a scarf and a dress, and she left the building with it on. And as soon as she left to cross the road, a car hit her and she died.

She died after she had repented. She is lucky that she repented before she died. So never give the excuse that you are still young, because you never know when you will die.”

8th Excuse:

I want to follow fashion and if I wear the Hijab I'll be out of fashion.

Isn't Allah dearer to you than fashion? I swear when you put the Hijab on, you'll have light shinning from within you, and you'll be more beautiful with your Hijab.

9th Excuse:

I want to follow the Westerners.

Who respect the woman more? Islam or those people who can’t even sell matches without painting a half-naked woman on it? Are they the ones who have respected the woman or exploited the woman? Or Islam, who has respected the woman and covered her and liberated her from exploitation? Do you want respect from Islam or from those apostles? The choice is yours...

10th Excuse:

I don't want to because I'm afraid of taking it off.

Sister, why don't you put it on with firm faith and ask Allah to always protect you and let you never take it off. Of course I'm not saying that taking off the Hijab isn't a sin. Taking off the Hijab is the biggest sin because you would be encouraging other women to do the same. Never ever do this please. Allah would hate that. Wear the Hijab and do these three things to make sure you will never take it off:

1- Have good religious friends
2- Attend and listen to Islamic lectures
3- Make duaa (supplications) to ask God to keep your Hijab on and strengthen your faith.

Still here? Why, you're a keen reader, aren't you? Alhamdulillah. Read on then :)

The Last Excuse:

I'm shy and embarrassed from what my friends and relatives will say if I put the Hijab on.

Sister, won't you be ashamed of yourself from Allah on the Day of Judgement? Won't you be embarrassed when you see the Prophet on the Day of Judgement?

On the Day of Judgement, you will be thirsty and the Prophet will be giving water to everyone. And you will run to him, but two angels will stop you going further. The Prophet will say, 'Leave her! She is from my nation.'

The angels will say: We cannot Prophet Muhammad, for she did not obey Allah's command.

So the Prophet would say, 'Go away, far away, I do not want to have anything to do with you because you didn't listen to Allah's command.' SubhanAllah. Surely this is not what we want, right?

And who will be embarrassed in that day? The one who is showing her body to every one or the one who is respecting and covering it? The Prophet said:

"Grab Islam with your hands and teeth!"

A call to my Muslim sisters...

Sisters in Islam, remember that you are an example to all the Muslim and non-Muslim women. With your manners, worship, smile, even when you are walking down the street, you are an example to everyone and you will indeed inspire many people, without even saying a word. You purify your society! Your good deeds are extreme of value to Allah. You will guide your sisters in Islam. You are our example, our ambassador of Islam.

Jazakillahhu Khairan Kathira to the person who had all these questions answered. May we never waver from our faith, inshaAllah.

x
Assalamualaikum,
Jaga Diri, Jaga Hati, Jaga Iman.

Mr HAG

2009-11-13T10:57:00.001-08:00

Assalamualaikum w.b.t.

Warning: At least one Random gum was definitely taken before this.

I have a friend.
His name is Mr. Half-A-Guy.
He didn't believe that I'm writing a blog, eventhough it's a shared one.
His exact words were, and I quote,
"You blog?"

And so I told him that I would write about him sometime.
And this is it, I guess.
So, there you go, Mr. Half-A-Guy.
That is, if you're reading this.
Ha-Ha.

P/s: Sorry readers, a very unproductive post, I know! But... I warned you, didn't I? :)

For You

2009-11-11T02:32:00.000-08:00

Assalamualaikum w.b.t.

No, I definitely did not take any Random gums today :P

This may sound poetic.
This may sound insincere.
This may sound fabricated.

But in my defence,
These words reside in my mind;

my fingertips itching to write it down.
I owe someone this much. Probably more.
Albeit the little voice at the back of my mind that says,

"Hey, never mind that. Time will clean this up.

You don’t have to do this."
Despite the laughter we go through after it,
I know I had to write.
I want you to know, writing this is never an obligation.
I know what I have done cannot be undone.

Know that, while you may feel all the things you felt right now,

I never meant it to have caused this.
Know that, I have tried in every possible way to not hurt you.
Know that, I never meant to make you feel any different.
Know that, the times spent with you were never a façade for something else.
Know that, I am terribly sorry for what I have caused you to feel.
Know that, it is my arrogance that led to what had happen.
Know that, in the deepest of my heart, I will always love you.

For you are the sunshine of this little place I call my second home.
For you, without your smiles, without your spontaneous amazing wit, are not you at all.
For you, the real you, are the one whom I missed the most.

If I were to turn back the time, will I be able to do it differently?
Then if things were different, will I have learnt something?

The truth is, I am afraid of losing you.
The truth is, I am begging for your forgiveness.

For I know, what I’ve done craft a fissure within you,
And words unspoken might eventually engrave a grudge.
And I never want it to take precedence between us.

When will all of this be truly over?
Allah knows.
And with His Guidance, I’d say, let’s ride this over together.
InshaAllah.

P/s: Please come back. I miss you!

What is the colour of your parachute?

2009-11-11T01:03:00.000-08:00

Salam,

It’s Wednesday morning and for once it feels like I finally have a little time all to myself, only for one whole week that is. I needed it. Especially after a hive of uni works, so much that it’s taken a toll on me emotion-wise :P So, staying in the house is the wisest thing to do when all we’re hearing on the news is the cold, wet and sticky air. True enough, it’s been gloomy, dull and grey outside. The perfect backdrop to an easy day in, I would say.

On another note, Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed your gas, electric bills going through the roof and especially groceries were getting pricier (Even though we’ve been here just for over a month now). Or haven’t you? That being said, buying the same item, but paying a lot more. Even my pint of guilty-pleasure i.e “Haagen Dazs” too has gone up. (OK, so what else is new, right? :P) And speaking of groceries, the Southgate malls in Bath are not as what I expected, sure they may be some funky stores where the sales persons are looking ever so eager to serve anyone who walks through their doors, but really, none of the stores really appealed to me. (NB: I’ve only been to the New Look (irony: New, but very limited selection of garments), two- storey Boots (BIG and Pretty), Republic (so-so, but I had an eye for the baby pink cardigan, it’s ridiculously comel!), Animal (Room sejuta’s fave :P) and that’s pretty much it. I can’t really say why though, my little gut tells me that I am just one of those people who can’t be easily amused. But Alhamdulillah, we still have ICELAND! And YEAY for that! (Cheapskate is so over-rated :P).

I would want to ride on a bright pink parachute
Yours truly,
6 Thornbank occupier (pun barangkali lapas mkn gula2 randoms!)
Assalamualaikum.
Jaga diri, jaga iman, jaga hati.

Aiming For The Stars

2009-11-10T07:24:00.000-08:00

Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Raheem

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh.

Another random post? No, I don't think so. Inda ku makan gula-gula random hari ani. LOL. But then again, that's just me. Manatau kamu pikir ani random.

Anyway, dear girls and readers, on this coming Thursday there's going to be a video session organised by BUIS and below is the snippet of what you're going to get, if you're planning on going.

When we plan a long awaited overseas holiday or even a weekend trip, we usually go through much planning regarding every stage of the trip. However, even though we plan a holiday in such detail, it's ironic that we sometimes don’t take the time to plan our life or even our journey to the hereafter.

People who do not set goals, drift aimlessly in life, from one day to the next, not really knowing where they are going and not knowing if they have arrived. Setting goals is important because it gives direction, meaning and purpose to our life. Ultimately, the short term and medium term goals must link up to the long term goals so that there is harmony and direction in our daily activities. We will never know what we are capable of achieving if we do not set high enough goals for ourselves.

On personal note, I soooo want to go! Bah girls, join eh? Dorang yang lain ada ni this time :)

x
Assalamualaikum

HOUSE RULES!!

2009-11-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

Bismillahhir Rahmaannir Raheem.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahhi wabarakatuh.

Dear readers. Yes, we finally did it. It took quite some time, I know.. but hey, better late than never right?

Ok, so here's a little storyline. So how did we come by this idea? Well, one dear housemate suggested it one night and the idea just kept on gnawing on me day and night. Lol. I mean, seriously, I could see it in my mind the lines that I'd want to write on this blog. Before I sleep, when I'm walking... pretty much most of the time. Phew! So, after much persuading and debating and shuffling (haha), we're finally launching it! Yeay!

And that is why I got the privilege to write first. Wooohooo! *kidding*

Anyway, here's the thing. You may know us by person, or you may know us through friends or through friends of friends, and so on. Nevermind that. Thing is, we're the Thornbankers! We're housemates, dedicated (inshaAllah) to write this blog together, and here's a little snippet of what you should get.

So there are four of us here. House rule number one: We write, you read. Simple. You're not to know who wrote which post. You may guess, and you may be right, but that's as far as it goes. We'll neither confirm nor deny it. Unless, we accidentally let it slip. But let's leave it at that, shall we? :)

2nd house rule. No wait, I don't think we have another one. Hmm... But we do have loads of favourite phrases. Current one, you say? "HOT STORYY YOO!!" Hahaha. And the hot story for today? Yoo, urang thornbanks ada blog yoo! LOL

Oooh, we do have another house rule. And this is a must, seriously. If you ever come by to our place, you must never never let this happen. Curious? Tutup wah air-con atu, membazir karan eh! Haha. Yes, we do have air-con (in the UK!) and no, I'm not going to explain further here. You'll have to be in Thornbank in order to know more :P

I know I'm ranting nonsense now, and thus I think I should stop here and let the others take over, how about that eh? :)

Last but not least, do enjoy our writings!

x
Night all. Assalamualaikum.

*Keeping Up With The Thornbankers*

A place called there

H-E-L-L-O

Farewell

In contrast to the normal warning, you definitely can try this at home!

This festive season...

Nukilanku tentang cinta...

Training my NFS

It's been a while... RAMADHAN KAREEM!

Ashabul Kahfi

Wahai diri itu & ini

Exam tips?

Syair... sebagai peringatan.

Taking Off the Hijab

The Rewards of Good Deeds

Everything That Is Going To Happen Is Near At Hand

Ini Sejarah Kita

Beramal dengan jiddan

Kullu Ma Qaddarallahhu Khair =)

Don't turn us in, though!

Not-so-much-of-a-fairytale!

Look back and learn

fortune-telling-and-what-not quizzes on Facebook

Self Reflection

Mengenal apa itu kebaikan dan dosa

Reaching out

7 JUTA SEDUNIA!

The Reality of Our Existence

The BIG 31st.

Yawm al-Qiyamat

Supposedly...

Kisah cinta ku... (heh!)

R-Ac!

A Day In

Achhoo! *Alhamdulillah*

Untuk renungan bersama C=

This one is for you!

two of the Tumbing Restaurants waitresses are on BBC

This will be....

Hot story!!

Stepping in to the puddle!

In fairness of things...

Sheer boredom leads to...

Have you ever wonder...

What is your reason for not wearing Hijab?

Mr HAG

For You

What is the colour of your parachute?

Aiming For The Stars

HOUSE RULES!!

Keeping Up With The Thornbankers

Achhoo! Alhamdulillah