a2i | vibes

Questionnaire

2011-10-22T12:29:00.001+08:00

We had a questionnaire session during our English class this week, as an activity to ‘get to know one another’. Each of us must ask each of us in the class at least one question and we had to present the results. 50 questions asked by and to 50 students.

I chose two simple questions to ask. A question that would not require me to interact too long with the interviewee. “Is physiology your favourite subject?” and “Are you left- or right-handed?”

I was asked 50 different questions. Some of them were superficial, and some were deep. I tried to answer honestly, not trying to be too philosophical or theoretical. I established a protagonist (everybody else) and an antagonist (myself).

“Who do you prefer to marry: someone younger, older, or of the same age?”
“I’m indifferent. We’re all going to die one day.”

“What makes you upset?”
“Myself.”

“What is your dream?”
“I want everyone to be happy.”

“What would you do if today is the last day of your life?”
“I’d be good to everyone.”

Ah, general answers. Good and happy are subjective, right?

Good is what decreed good by God, and bad is what decreed bad by God.

But that last question — memang sangat menyentap. Deep.

FPSK

2011-10-08T11:50:00.001+08:00

Alhamdulillāh.

Thank you my Lord for giving me another chance to live as Your servant.

I am aware of Your bounties and I am aware of my sins;
Forgive me my Lord, for there is none who can forgive me but You.

Āmīn.

Relativity of Time

2011-05-19T17:09:00.001+08:00

People (including me) would rather spend four hours doing random things on the internet than four minutes of istighfar while waiting for the traffic light to turn green.

It’s only for four damned minutes and we are complaining; why not lament our lost four hours?

As Ronald Weasley said, we really need to sort out our priorities.

Human beings can be dumb sometimes. Intelligence is the quality possessed by those who plan their death i.e. prepare for the Hereafter.

Dunya is deceptive. Yet, it is also mazra’atul akhirah.

O Allah, guide us.

/aaiz

Persevere, Ilman!

2011-02-09T08:43:00.001+08:00

My blogging has been stagnant for quite some time.

Assignments, quizzes, tests, reports—continuous torrents of these are making me more and more selfless. Less and less human. More and more robotic. It’s not unfrequent that I thought of running away. It’s not just one or two times that I questioned myself: Am I enjoying this? Do I really love this life?

If I’m not one of them, I might be lost in these questions. I might just give up and rebel against life. But all praise be to Allah; He made me one of them and guided me to the path—the path of those who know why and how to persevere, who are trained to protect their identity, and who are taught what is the ultimate purpose of living.

With this constant internal fight between good and evil, I can't look highly at myself. Lawwamah maybe, not yet muthmainnah. Yes, faith does increase and decrease, but it is still a long way from the Prophet and his companions. They did not even sigh when their hands and legs were chopped off by the enemies of Allah, and I’m here whining and complaining about these petty chores I am made to do! O Rabb, it’s still a very, very long way to go…

My heart needs to be processed.

I have to stand firm against myself. My heart need to be strictly told on what purpose I am living this life. I need to strengthen my tarbiah dzatiyyah. Ilman, you are living this life because your parents asked you to do so, and Allah commands you with birr towards them. Ilman, you are living this life because you are a brick of the big building called ummah, and you have your obligations towards your society. Ilman, you are living this life because—don’t you long for the pleasure of your Lord?

Persevere, Ilman!

Allahumma ya muqallibal qulub, thabbit qulubana 'ala dinik, wa 'ala tho'atik, wa 'ala thoriqi da'watik.

O Allah, protect me from the weakness of heart and faith, and make me strong, with this honest letter from me to myself.

Amin.

Sem. Break = Books & Photography :)

2010-10-31T14:50:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum~

Alhamdulillah, I survived the first semester of Tamhidi USIM. After five months of roller-coaster life, the time I've waited for since the start of the semester has come... the semester break! And on top of that, my one-month holiday kicked off with two killer programmes: KL Photography Festival and book-shopping~! :D

1. Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival

KLPF :)

I was informed of this event when Abah messaged me a few days back. And yesterday when he fetched me from Nilai on his way back from outstation work at Melaka, he took me to Midvalley Exhibition Centre where the fest is still being held now 29-31 October 2010. It is really for the loaded ones (SLR lenses are all over RM1k), ha ha, but I still manage to buy myself a glassware and a few accessories: a close-up lens, a lens-pen and a blower; which made my budget glance from its original track :P

Close-up lens :)

Too close! And can be closer!

Look at that shallow depth of field... delicious!

2. Books, books, and books!

And today, my family and I went to a newly discovered 'arqa' book store: Dakwah Corner Bookstore, Section 14 Petaling Jaya. And we bought many, many books... stocking up for the holidays :)

Books I bought:

My books :)

Fortress of the Muslim (Sa'id bin Wahf al-Qahtani)
Sifat Shalat Nabi (Abdullah bin Abdurrahman al-Jibrin)
100 Ahadith About Islamic Manners (Darussalam)
Means of Steadfastness in Islam (Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid)
Kindness to Parents (Abdul Malik al-Qasim)
Seeking Forgiveness (Ibn Taimiyyah)
30 Ways to Attain Happiness (Muhammad bin Abdillah as-Shaayi')
Medicine in the Light of the Quran and Sunnah (Ahmed Taha)
Biomedical Issues: Islamic Perspective (Abu Fadl Mohsin Ebrahim)

Books Ummi bought:

Ummi's books :)

Simple Wisdom (Wahiduddin Khan)
Weakness of Faith (Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid)
I Want to Repent, But... (Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid)
Life is a Fading Shadow (Abdul Malik bin Muhammad ibnAbdul Rahman an-Qasim)
Berdakwah Melalui Penulisan Efektif (Hafiz Firdaus Abdullah)

Books Abah bought:

Tuntunan Do'a Ruqyah (Sa'id bin Wahf al-Qahtani)
Tuntunan Do'a Harian (Hamam Muhammad al-Jirf)

After that, we had a Western dinner at Station 21, Bangsar (steak!) and then went to MPH Subang Parade for... *ehem* and Zakiy bought himself a translated book by Keris Mas, Blood and Tears.

Zakiy's book :)

And Abah bought me my texts for the next semester, huhu.

Buy before they're sold out... learning something from the first semester.

And Ummi bought me a special book light! :D

Perfect... now I can read in the car at night :P

These are not all I have in the bag for the semester break... Abah also recently bought me two invaluable books: Tokoh-tokoh Besar Gerakan Islam dalam Sejarah by Saari Sungib and Menuju Kemenangan Dakwah Kampus by Ahmad Atian (PKS).

Great, great books... thanks, Abah!

Previously bought books from Dakwah Corner Bookstore:

I don't know when and where Ummi bought these...

A Commentary on Ibn Taymiyyah's Essay on the Heart (Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips)
How to Rectify the Heart (Abu Nasir Ibrahim Abdur-Rauf)

Not forgetting to mention books I bought at USIM:

Malay and English books bought at USIM :)

Arabic books bought at USIM :)

Kebangkitan Islam (Yusuf al-Qaradhawi)
Pemikiran Islam Liberal (Dr Ugi Suharto)
Sistem Politik Islam (Khalid Ali Muhammad al-Anbariy)
Etika Belajar & Mengajar al-Quran (Imam an-Nawawi)
Studies in Hadith Methodology and Literature (M. Mustafa al-A'zami)
Al-Madkhal li Dirasah al-Fiqh al-Islamiy (Ibrahim Abdurrahman Ibrahim)
Awlawiyyat al-Harakah al-Islamiyyah (Yusuf al-Qaradhawi)
Fiqh as-Sirah an-Nabawiyyah (Muhammad Sa'id Ramadhan al-Buti)

And finally... two monumental (series of) books Ustaz Adni gave me as a gift from Indonesia (jazakallah Ustaz!): Kumpulan Risalah Dakwah (or Majmu'ah ar-Rasail) by Hasan al-Banna, and Syarah Risalah Ta'alim by Muhammad Abdullah al-Khatib and Muhammad Abdul Halim Hamid.

Jazakallah khairal jaza', Ustaz Adni... too invaluable to be a gift!

A lot of good stuff to read during the break! I doubt if I can finish them all by the end of the holidays... he he.

If you guys want to buy good Islamic books, I suggest you to go to Fajar Ilmu Baru Enterprise at Wisma Yakin, Jalan Masjid India, KL. This store sells excellent Malay, Indonesian, English, and Arabic books. The main factor that attracts me to shop here is that they sell a lot of rare and interesting dakwah and haraki books. I bought my Fiqih Dakwah by Ustaz Jum'ah Amin here. Turath books, and other genres of books, ranging from the ones written by the salafs to those written by the sufis are sold here. More info here: http://www.fajarilmubaru.com.my/

Another recommendation is the Dakwah Corner Bookstore at Section 14, Petaling Jaya. They sell excellent English Islamic books by renowned publishers like Darussalam, and they are publishers themselves. Malay books are also available, but not a lot. I have longed for a book store like this; it is really hard to find good, INEXPENSIVE, English Islamic books. Yes, the pricing is like no others--very affordable! For more info and to get an idea of what they sell, visit: http://www.dakwahbookstore.com.my/.

Books: by first, read later. You will find the time to read the books. If not today, tomorrow. If not this week, next week. If not this month, next month. Or maybe next decade. But you will find the time. Even if you don't, somebody else will, and you will get the thawab (rewards from Allah) for letting others to gain knowledge! Definition oftabzir (waste): al-infaq fi al-haram hatta walau kana qalilan (spending on the unlawful even a little). Therefore, by this definition, buying books are not tabzir! =P

To my friends at USIM and Matrikulasi Kementerian (as well as other IPTs that are having their break now), do enjoy your holidays with something that will please Allah :)

Wassalam~

“Easy for you; you’re genius.”

2010-10-26T00:20:00.002+08:00

Salaamun ‘ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

To be frank, I have received the titular reply numerous times from my friends. And it is usually when I ask or advise them to do things which, more or less, contradict their ‘common sense’ on the factors of success. Alas, ‘common sense’ is never the absolute measure of truth; and in this post I shall reveal the irony behind the phrase.

I usually receive this reply when I:

advise them to relax and calm down the night before the exam,
talk them to praying in congregation at the musolla,
and inviting them to do something for the Ummah, or Islam itself.

“Hey, relax bro. Let’s go the mosque today and pray so that Allah will ease our examination tomorrow.”

“Relax? You’re a genius—it’s easy for you to say. We have to study five hours to compare to your one-hour worth of revision. We don’t have time.”

It’s not because I’m ‘genius’ that I’m able to calm down before the exam, pray at the musolla, and do something for my Deen. In actual fact, the reverse holds true. It’s because I do these things that I’m able to score decent marks for my exams, alhamdulillah. Sadly, a lot of people do not realise this.

They are trapped in the cycle of positive feedback mechanism: a failure stimulates them to do something which further diminishes their chance to succeed, intensifying the failure. It goes like this:

A student scored low for his exam.
He felt that he did not study enough.
He stayed up late to study before his next exam.
He felt sleepy on the day of the exam.
He forgot all the things he memorised the day before.
He scored low for the exam.
The vicious cycle repeats itself.

The same goes with going to the musolla. We must strive to improve our heart-dependency on Allah (HDA). We perform what He wants us to do, and abstain from what He forbids. If we help Him, He will help us. Refusing to pray in congregation at the musolla in order to have more study time will just bring negative effect.

Doing things for the Ummah (even a small one) has proven itself as a success factor to me. I remember so vividly how my participation in Fikruttaqwa helped me a lot in my Form Four mid-year exams. And how my Physics tutor sessions with some Science & Tech students helped me in my Tamhidi Semester I final exams.

As I wrote in a post before, it ain’t what we learn. There are a lot more to success than just studying. Remember Him, and He will remember you, insya-Allah.

All the best, wassalam.

Alhamdulillah.

2010-03-11T15:22:00.006+08:00

Salaamun 'ala man ittaba' al-Huda.

Alhamdulillah. All Praises be to Allah, the Lord of All Worlds who created you and me.

Today, I have two happy news to share with my readers :)

At-Taqwa Fourth Edition 2009 is physically in my hands right now! Pakcik Nur'Izzat sent 'em to school; 450 copies of my baby. He he.

And today, SPM results are out! Alhamdulillah, Allah gave me what I wished for. Straight 14 A's. Alhamdulillah.

Out of 14 subjects I took for SPM, Allah gave me 10 A+, 1 A (Bahasa Melayu), and 3 A- (Biology, Tasawwur, and EST). Oh, the Biology teacher got A- for Biology...

Alhamdulillah, all praises be to Allah! Insya-Allah I will post IKISS's SPM analysis if I have the time (and will).

Tonight, I will be off to Perlis, insya-Allah, for a camp called ProACTIVE Leaders' Retreat (ALERT) I 2010, formerly known as Perkhemahan Pewaris Remaja HALUAN Kebangsaan (PeWARIS) V 2010. I was entrusted as the Assistant Secretary I of the programme, cum "guru pengiring" for IKISS participants.

To Pakcik Izzat, thank you very much for your hard work on the magazine. May Allah bless and reward you the best-est of His rewards. (:

To Ummi and Abah, thank you for educating since before I was born until now. I love you guys "tak terpemanai". May Allah bestow upon you both His pleasure, blessings and forgiveness and reward you with the highest reward!

To my teachers, thank you so much for teaching me everything. Please "make halal" of the knowledge you teach me, and also for my results. Thank you, thank you, thank you, may Allah bless and bestow His pleasure!

To my friends, love you guys for the sake of Allah. Whatever our results may be, remember that is one way Allah arranges our affairs. He knows what is best for His servant.

To my students, thank you for your prayers! May Allah grant you guys with results better than me! That is the concept of Islamic education, let the listener be better than the informer. Love you guys for the sake of Allah. Seriously, I love you guys, 1F, 1A, 2F, 2A, 4 Imtinaan and 5 Itqan!

To my family, thank you for all the prayers and support!

Thank you all, thank you Allah.

Wassalam~

Great Post-SPM Life!

2010-03-07T02:36:00.003+08:00

Salaamun 'ala man ittaba' al-Huda.

Today is March 7th, 2010. Exactly one month after Jatidiri ended. My life has changed quite a bit after the camp. Maybe it's just because I'm not a school student anymore, but I'm totally convinced that my post-SPM life would be very different without Jatidiri.

Two days after Jatidiri, I received a message from my ex-Principal, Cikgu Abdullah Thaidi. The message read: "Are you interested in becoming the Biology teacher at IKISS?" I was like, at first, "What?!" Ha ha. Teaching Fourth and Five formers right after SPM is like something new at IKISS; never have been done before. I consulted my Ummi and Abah and they gave me the greenest light.

Cikgu Aisyah is on maternity lift for two months. The substitute teacher for Biology, Cikgu Hashidah, has to do office work besides teaching. So, Mudir wants me to take Biology off Cikgu Hashidah's timetable.

I never thought that teaching is this fulfilling. I am really enjoying my work now. Akhi Hanif (Gen VII) is also now a teacher at IKISS, but he is also a full-time warden. He needs to have some of his classes off. So I happily offered myself to take his Khat classes. After all, this is my chance to be close to my juniors of Generation XIII and Generation XIV.

In all, I now teach six classes: 1A, 1F, 2A, 2F, 4 Imtinaan and 5 Itqan. Of all these classes, the class I most enjoy teaching is 4 Imtinaan. You guys are simply the best. The boys are attentive and the girls are responsive. I hope they understand what I'm teaching, he he. 5 Itqan is just like 5 Ijtihad - silent and less responsive. 1A is cute and weird (imagine you are teaching and suddenly one girl comes in front and start arranging the tables). 1F is in high spirits and very proactive (a few stood up to answer when I asked for volunteers). Insya-Allah I will start to teaching 2A and 2F tomorrow. Can't wait!

Speaking of Itqan and Imtinaan, I'd like to go a little off-topic. Something special about IKISS is that we get to name our own batch when we enter Form Four, starting from the sixth batch. Sixth Batch (Akhi Ikhwan et al) is named Hikmah. Seventh Batch (Akhi Hanif et al) is Iltizam. Eighth Batch (Akhi Muhsin et al) is Imtiyaz. Ninth Batch (my batch) is Ijtihad. Tenth Batch (Abrar et al) is Itqan. Eleventh Batch (Adib et al) is Imtinaan. I love the tradition! Waiting for Mahfudz's batch...

Now at IKISS, we have workers who once learnt at IKISS. Alumnis returning to serve their school a favour. We have Kak Mas from Generation II, Akhi Syahrul from Hikmah(VI), Akhi Hanif and Ukhti Atiqah from Iltizam(VII), Akhi Fattah from Imtiyaz(VIII), and Akhi Hashimi and Ilman from Ijtihad(IX). I hope after this our products continue to return and serve the school. Tarbiah fi aidina fi aidina faqat. Tarbiah is in our hands and only in our hands.

Besides teaching, I am now working for a camp which will be held in Perlis this upcoming weekend insya-Allah. The camp is called ALERT I, which stands for ProACTIVE Leaders Retreat. ALERT I is attended by participants hand-selected by the working committee - 140 students from SMIK, SMAKL, and MATRI. Oh, I can't wait to meet with the future leaders of the Ummah! It's gonna be exciting! (C'mon, what's more exciting than Islam?)

At-Taqwa Fourth Edition is in printing process. Expect it to be published by next week. I worked on the magazine for three weeks after Jatidiri. That's nothing compared to Pakcik Izzat who worked on it since I went to Jatidiri. All in all, it is finished. But ... we have serious financial issues here. I hope anybody good-hearted out there would stop by at IKISS and donate some money for our magazine!

I had fun with my family, too. On 25/2, we played futsal together. On 27/2 (Happy Birthday, Anwar), we went for bowling at Sunway. I guess programmes like these are nice and should be held more often ... they make our physique healthier and our silaturrahmi stronger ... and I suggest archery and paintball next!

Jatidiri opened a way for me to meet new and great personalities. We meet again after Jatidiri, greeted each other like we have known each other for a long time. At IKISS, at a restaurant, during a seminar at UKM, at ALERT meetings ... friends in Islam from all over Malaysia. Miss and love you guys for the sake of Allah!

And the last but not least; I hope you guys will pray for our good results. The SPM results will be out this Thursday, insya-Allah. I hope Allah will make my path to take Medicine easy. Amin. And I pray to Allah that my friends will get the results they wished for. (Ihsan, do you want me to pray for your minimal results so that you may take up Multimedia? Ha ha.)

11 March. The Ultimatum.

Pray for us.

Wassalam~

*I have converted the all caps JATIDIRI into first-letter-only Jatidiri following the style proposed by the latest edition of New Hart's Rules.

What Jatidiri Means to Me

2010-03-01T10:36:00.006+08:00

Salaamun 'ala man ittaba' al-Huda.

I've been yearning to write this post since I came back on 7th February, but I just couldn't. First, maybe because it's in English, and second, I am a bad summarizer, therefore to contain 47 days of great experiences into one single post is too much for me. Do I need to mention the writer's block? In this post I'll just grab keywords here and there which pop up into my mind when I think of Kursus Jati Diri dan Kesukarelawanan Remaja 2009/2010 (JATIDIRI) - the best camp that I have ever attended.

What JATIDIRI means to me?

Fikrah. Ukhuwah. Knowledge. Preparation.

To me, these are the four pillars of JATIDIRI. JATIDIRI is fikrah. JATIDIRI is ukhuwah. JATIDIRI is knowledge. JATIDIRI is preparation. JATIDIRI is not everything, but everything can be achieved if one opens one's heart and attend JATIDIRI. Why? Because JATIDIRI is tarbiyah; and everything can be achieved with tarbiyah.

I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who is involved in this camp, our murabbis, facilitators and others: thank you very much for JATIDIRI. May Allah bless you all and give you His Paradise. Thank you very much for your invaluable sacrifice!

To my friends, I miss and love you guys for the sake of Allah. You guys have made my life colourful. To Saifullah al-Maslul, even though we didn't win any prizes, but you guys are the best team ever! To all of JATIDIRI participants, may the memories we create together for two months at JATIDIRI be something that can guide us in the days to come. Our friends out there are heading towards an 'uncertain future'. But we, JATIDIRI graduates, know that the future is certain. Islam is going to take over the administration of the world. That's His promise. The system of the world will subjugate under the system of Allah. It is our job to remind those who are still sleeping out there, floating unknowingly towards an uncertain future, so that they wake up and head confidently towards happiness in this world and the hereafter.

To my family, thank you guys for bearing with my absence for two months!

Other participants write better than me about this camp. I guess I'm just a lousy writer.

Pray for me.

Wallahua'lam, wassalam.

2-Month Hiatus

2009-12-22T01:18:00.003+08:00

Salaamun ‘ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

I've a really sad announcement to make: I maybe wouldn't be updating this blog for two months. A few hours later (10:25 AM), I need to fly off to Kelantan to attend a course named Kursus Jati Diri dan Kesukarelawanan Remaja organised by HALUAN, an NGO. But still, the course insya-Allah will be filled with things so valuable to me. So, I need to take this lift. And I won't be updating my Markaz as promised in the last post. To my valuable readers, I'm truly sorry. Please do read my previous posts … and read my family's and friends' blogs yeah!

*At-Taqwa is finished — Alhamdulillah!

Wassalam~

Do Judge Your Book by Its Cover

2009-12-15T01:00:00.006+08:00

Salamun 'ala man ittaba' al-Huda.

People always say: never judge a book by its cover. Well, this is true—the cover does not necessarily reflect the contents of a book. So we, who have known this, should never judge something by only its outward appearance. Yeah, never judge a book by its cover, but always judge your book by its cover. Don't get it? Continue reading.

Face the Fact

People do judge books by their covers. That's a fact that we need to learn, no matter how desperate we want people to not judge something by its outward appearance. I've heard of someone, okay, it's my father, who wanted to buy quite a good book but decided not to because it uses a script font for body text. And you know what, I always judge a book by it's cover, well, maybe partly because I am a graphic designer, ha ha.

A beautiful cover means that the publisher has made an effort to make the book appealing to the public. Good design demands money; therefore, for the publisher to spend a great deal of bucks on the design of a book indicates that they think the book will sell, or in words, it has good content. An example I can give is PTS Publications; just look at the covers of their books: they know that good content must be accompanied with good presentation.

Judge your book by its cover...

That's why when we are in the business of da'wah—the process of transferring Islamic contents from its sources into human hearts—we need to decorate our message in its most appealing form. Allah Ta'ala said in the Qur'an:

Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance. (Surah an-Nahl: 125)

Allah calls us to spread His message with wisdom—with ways that don't make people run away from us. Allah said in the Qur'an:

It was mercy from God that you became compassionate towards them. Had you been harsh and mean-hearted, they would have abandoned you. Therefore, you shall pardon them and ask forgiveness for them, and consult them. Once you make a decision, carry out your plan, and trust in God. God loves those who trust in Him. (Surah Ali 'Imran: 159)

Allah, the Lord Himself, when revealing His words upon mankind, did so with the most beautiful way: the Qur'an is decorated with the most beautiful use of language and rhythm, recited with tajwid, and hummed to the most beautiful tune that is very pleasing to the ear. The scholars of Islam (may Allah bless them), after the death of our beloved Prophet (s.a.a.s.), presented the Quran elegantly by perfecting the Arabic calligraphy, khatt.

Therefore, when we want to explain Islam to the society, by sword or mouth or pen, we must do so with the most beautiful way. In a war, we need to practice adab (courtesy) as decreed in Islam. In speech, Islam told us to use the best and non-discriminating words. In writing, present your message with elegant use of language and appropriate use of typography.

... but not others'

Yeah, we, as Muslims who are conscious of who we are, should always present our da'wah in the most appealing way, but we need to accept da'wah of others even if it's horribly presented. There is a saying: unzur ila ma qila, wa la tanzur ila man qala. Look at what is said, don't look at who is saying. There's one moral value in Islam which is highly encouraged, that is husnuzzann. It is about thinking good of people's thoughts. Allah said in the Qur'an:

O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not on each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye would abhor it. But fear Allah. For Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. (Surah al-Hujurat: 12)

We are seekers of truth, so we need to obtain it in whatever form it is presented to us. We need to accept words of truth from anyone, even if it's from a drug-addict, if his words that time conform to the Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophet. Maybe some time ago, he learnt about Islam what we haven't. And that's the only knowledge of Islam he has. A good Muslim is a good listener to others. Truth is clear and false is clear, be them coming from an ustaz or a drug addict.

What are you trying to say, Ilman?

To judge a book by its cover or not? It is a GOOD virtue to NOT judge a book by its cover. However, the reality is people DO judge a book by its cover. Therefore, we need to judge OUR book by its cover, so that it will appeal to the people, make them buy our books that'll educate them to not judge a book by its cover. Savvy?

Okay. We want to educate the society that it is not good to judge something based on outer appearance. But, the society do judge everything based on outer appearance. Therefore, in order to make them want to listen to us, we need to make our outer appearance as good as possible, so that they feel easy to approach us, and learn from us that it is not good to judge something based on outer appearance. Comprende?

He he. That's the gist of this post.

Oh, by books, I don't mean 'books' literally. In case you didn't get it. :p

Wallahua'lam.

Firstly, I want to apologize for not updating this blog for more than a month. I've been both busy and lazy. Shouganei darou na? I'm sitting for my SPM now, lol. There's only one subject left, i.e. Pendidikan Syariah Islamiah, which will take place this Wednesday, insya-Allah. Please pray for us, onegai shimasu!

Second, I've got a happy anouncement to make: I've done a reformation to my other blog, Markazul Fikr. It's motto now is Centre of Reference of Spread of Islam through Language, Literature, and Publication. Too many of's, but the Malay version is nice, I assure you. Check it out; it's in Malay and will be updated every week, insya-Allah, even when I'm at Kelantan—I'll use Blogger's scheduled posting feature.

*Ah, I really crave a domain name (preferably mfikr.com) for my Markaz! RM50 a year, that's cheap—kono yarou! Next year, Ilman, next year...

That's it, enjoy your life!

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Zakiy-chan!

2009-11-11T22:53:00.005+08:00

Salamun ‘ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

Was he not in my mother’s womb before he was born, I’d say he’s a gift that Allah bestowed upon us from the heavens. And that happened exactly 13 solar years ago. With these hands I hereby craft a post, made of love and brotherhood, to a cute little someone, who has always made us cheerful, who had saved me from the boredom of being alone: I dedicate this post to my li’l bro, Ahmad Zakiy Mohsin.

I was alone for four years before he was born into this world. On that very day, 11 November 1996 equivalent to 1 Rajab, Allah gave me a little brother. I can’t say that he had changed my life … well, it was just four kodomo years that I’ve been alone. However, I certainly cannot imagine how my life would be without him.

I remember those times when I scolded him for copying everything I did. “Have you not your own identity?” Ah, I, too, was immature at that time. Nowadays, I scold him, “Why don’t you want to be like me?” Haha. Allah have given me the position of a ‘Big Bro’, so I have to be a good example for him to follow, right? I’m certain that I’m not good enough of a brother for him. As much as I set good examples, I also equally set bad examples for my cute bro. Next year, God willing, I’ll be studying overseas. I guess these following days are the last days that I can guide him to be a fine man, a better man than I am. Well, after I finished studying, this cute brat will become a handsome young man with a mind of his own, right?

Just when last year he was so childish, this year he seems to grow up rapidly. He got his own interests: MILSIM, to give one example. He seems to know his subject comprehensively. He sometimes interrupts the diniyah conversations between me and our parents. He talks to me about problems of his young heart. He went out with his friends to a cyber-cafe and get scolded for it, haha. Yeah, he is growing.

Zakiy-chan,
I don’t wish for you to be like me. I just wish that you will have the understanding of Islam (fikrah Islamiyah) like I do, or even better. I hope that you live your name to its fullest, as Ummi and Abah had thought so hard and deep to give you that name. They hoped that I will be a noble and knowledgeable man. Alas, I was a bit naughty when I was little (until now, actually). Ummi and Abah wanted a son who is intelligent and does good deeds. There you are, Ahmad Zakiy Mohsin.

Although you sometimes slack off (more like, recently?), I personally think that you are “zakiy” enough. The one word that I am most jealous in your name is mohsin. Our parents hope that you, my bro, possess the ihsan. Ihsan is like the highest level that a Believer can attain, after islam and iman. I really hope that you will be what described by the Prophet s.a.a.s. as you worship Allah like you see Him; even if you cannot see Him, verily, He sees you.

O my brother, the Honourable One who is Intelligent and Excellent, if we are separated by whatever means, I want you to remember that we are always together, in this Holy verse of the Qur’an from which our parents named us:

When he (Musa) reached full age, and was firmly established (in life), We bestowed on him wisdom and knowledge (‘ilman): for thus do We reward those who do good (mohsin).—Al-Qasas: 14

I want you to understand the meaning of this verse thoroughly!

Happy Birthday, Zakiy …
Kullu 'Am wa Antum Bikhair!

Your brother,
Ahmad Ashraf Ilman
The Honourable One who is Noble for His Knowledge.

Life is Making Decisions

2009-10-31T23:59:00.002+08:00

Salaamun ‘ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

Once, a Muslim American motivator told us: life is making decisions. You and I have met countless choices since the beginning of our consciousness. And, you and I have made countless decisions for every choice that we face. The question is: on what basis should we decide when we face these junctions in life? A more interesting question is: do we really have the choice in making decisions? More after the jump!

Junctions in Life

Everyone needs to decide. I need to decide: to go for tuition today or not to go. You may decide what you shall eat for breakfast. A Standard Six student may decide which school does he want to go for secondary education. A Form Three student may have a hard time deciding whether to go to a tarbiyah-based institution or one based on academic achievement for the upper-secondary level. A fifth former, like my friends and I, may decide: to study or to work, after SPM. To take secular or diniyah courses. To hold tight to the 5 years worth of tarbiyah or get rid of it and return to the darkness of jahiliyah.

The Ultimate Antagonistic Results

I know, to decide is a hard thing, especially for big things. This will lead us to a question: for what do we decide? Surprisingly, the answer is very simple: to obtain the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala. It is known that all of us will return to Allah one day. That is definite. We also know that our deeds will be weighed and judged on the Day of Judgement. And… what happens after we have been judged? We will enter one out of two ultimate places of return: the Garden or the Fire. We decide for ourselves. Those countless decisions that we have made and will make decides our end: live happily in Jannah or live in agony in Jahim. Those are the ultimate goals for our life decisions.

The Prechoice and Predecision

When we are facing choices, we should know: there is a prechoice—a choice before any choices. This prechoice comes with a dyadic option: Islamic or Jahilic. Syari’ah-compliant or incompliant. For Allah or not for Allah. Everytime we are facing choices, the options need to be ‘filtered’ with these dyadic filter. The problem is, we always filter the options with our LUST. Should it be unknown, the only One that will save us from Hell is Allah. Allah Ta’ala said in His Book:

Surely (the only true) faith in Allah’s Sight is Islam—Aali ‘Imran: 19

And He also said,

And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers—Aali ‘Imran: 85

When we need to decide, prejudge the choices: does Allah agree with this or does He not? Get rid of all the options that do not agree with Allah’s Law. Only after that that you use your knowledge to make the best decision out of all the syariah-compliant options. As long as we live on Allah’s Earth, breathe in Allah’s oxygen and be Allah’s creation, we have no choice but to abide by His rules.

We don’t have any choice.

Actually, as Believers in Allah, we have no choice. Allah said in the Qur’an:

It is not fitting for a Believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision: if any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path.—Al-Ahzab: 36

As you see, it is not fitting for us to have any choice, if we say that we love Allah and His Messenger. Doesn’t this make our lives easier? We don’t have to think hard to decide… just follow what Allah and the Prophet have decreed!

Everything is in Allah’s Plan

After we get rid of all Jahilic options, and all the options left will trouble us prove difficult to us one way or another, do not fear, as Allah will surely help us, as we are helping His Deen by obeying His rules. He said in His Book:

O ye who believe! If ye help Allah, He will help you and will make your foothold firm—Muhammad: 7

I want to relate to you a story of a man, who fears Allah and made his decision with thy Lord in his heart…

It is reported that Abu Bakr Al-Miski was once asked, “We always find a good odour emanating from you—why or how?”

He answered, “By Allah, for years now I have not used any perfume, but the reason for the good smell has to do with an ordeal that I passed through.

“A woman once tricked me into entering her home. Then she closed (and locked) the door behind her, after which she began to seduce me. I became utterly bewildered as to what I should do, for I had no options before me. I said to her, ‘I need to go and purify myself.’

“She ordered her servant to take me to the bathroom, and when I entered it, I took feaces in my hand and wiped it all over my body. Then I returned to her in that state.

“Shocked to see me like that, the woman ordered that I be removed from her home. I left and immediately took a shower. That very night I saw a dream; in it, it was said to me, ‘You have done that which no one else has ever done. I will make your smell good and pure in this world and in the Hereafter.’

“When I woke up, the smell of perfume was emanating from my body, and it has continued to emanate from my body until this very moment.”

Al-Muwa’iza wal-Majaliss, p. 224

Akhirul Kalam

Let’s eat halal food because Allah told us to. Let’s wear ‘aurat-covering clothes because Allah told us to. Let’s choose schools based on what Allah told us to. Let’s decide our lives based on what Allah told us to. When we face these choices in life, let’s decide with Allah and His Messenger in mind, may we be among those who succeed in this world and the Hereafter!

It Aint What We Learn!

2009-10-25T21:50:00.006+08:00

Salaamun ‘ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

SPM is near—less than one month away—so does the year-end exam for First to Fourth Formers of IKISS. What do you think the most appropriate thing a student should do at times like these? Be prepared. Yes. However, with what kind of preparation? Study, revise and practise? Heh, tis not that man… What we have in our heads contribute nothing, not even one-percent, to our success in the examination. So what is the real thing a student must do prior to the exam? More after the jump!

Let’s Be Clear.

You studied very hard for the whole year and you said that that will ensure your straight A’s? Or you studied so little but you are a naturally gifted born-genius and that secures you the string of A-plusses on the results slip? I am sorry to say, but working hard or being a genius do not have a say in the results. There’s only one—and only one—factor that decides whether we succeed or we fail. And that factor, the Ultimate Factor, is …

ALLAH.

Yes. It is ALLAH, our Lord, Who is the sole factor in determining our success. He decides what He wills and He does what He wants. He is the Creator of All Worlds. The Creator of man—we, humans, are His. Everything that we possess is also His, including our exam results. He is Ar-Razzaq. Good results are bounty and bad results are trial and reflection. He has the full right on our exam results. It should be known by heart, that He is the only one who ultimately decides what’s what for His creations.

Then, what exactly should we do?

1. Improve our HDA (Heart Dependence on Allah)

Allah is the only One deciding our results, we should depend only on Him. It’s with His love and blessings that we obtain good or bad results. Remember the story of an ‘abid, his prayers and his eye? If not, let me retell you the story:

There was an ‘abid (a person whose day filled only with prayer) who had prayed to Allah for his whole life. Then, on the Day of Judgement, he was called forth by Allah, “Do enter My Jannah with My blessings.” The ‘abid said, “I want to enter Your Jannah with my deeds.” Then, all of his deeds were put on one side of a balance and only one of his eyeball is put on the other side. It turned out that his one eyeball is a lot heavier than his years of prayers.

This story shows that Allah’s blessings on us are a lot more than our deeds and efforts. Getting good results are a form of blessing from Allah. Our lame revisions can’t even compare to His blessings. However, it should be noted that we still need to revise, but don’t we depend on our revision: let our dependence be only on Allah.

Allah is the Omnijust. A born-genius and a born-slow-learner both have the equal chance of getting straight A’s in an exam. If the genius doesn’t appreciate the blessing bestowed by Allah upon him, he won’t score. The opposite also applies, if the slow-learner works hard and knows that Allah looks at an honest effort of His servant, he will score, insyaAllah.

How about the case in which a rotten-hearted genius passes the exam with flying colours? Then, it’s an istidraj—the help of Allah on a bad person so as to increase his disobedience. How can his exam results help him when he is thrown into the depth of Jahim?

If a kind-hearted normal person fails, it’s a trial from Allah. If he accepts his failure with an open heart and practise husnuzzan towards Allah, what’s the effect of one failure compared to the Jannah of Allah?

Remember, that Allah will not put the deeds of Believers in vain…

2. Respect our Parents and Teachers

Let it be known that the prayers of parents and teachers are heard. If we annoy them or make them mad, how are we going to get good results? Ma ridha Allah illa fi ridha al-walidain—Allah’s pleasure is not but in the pleasure of parents. We must practise the Adab between a child with his/her parents and between a student with his/her teachers. These two things are the most common situation that we overlook:

Reluctant to help our parents because we are studying.
Skipping classes to study on our own.

I must restate that it ain’t what we learn. These are our real chances, as Muslims, to get good results: helping our parents when they ask us to even when we are in desperate need of revision and attending those monotonous classes by the teachers when we are more fit to revise alone. Do you think Allah will let your sacrifice to be in vain? If you are honest with Allah in helping your parents and celebrating your teachers’ classes, Allah will help you in the exam. It may be not as direct like a sudden increase in info in your head, but insyaAllah, it will be in ways we least expect:

Our head is clear enough that we can recall 100% of the next revision;
What we didn’t read didn’t come out in the exam;

… and so on.

3. Be courteous towards knowledge

With what I write above, I don’t mean that we don’t need to revise any more. We must revise and practise. I love the motto of our class, 5 Ijtihad, which is taken from an Arabic saying, “al-ilm la yu’thik ba'dhah hatta tu’thiyah kullak” which means knowledge will not give you one part until you give it all.

Verily, Allah will not change (the fate) of a group until they change (their fate) themselves. Allah will look at our efforts. We make efforts but we do depend only on Allah.

Study hard, study smart. Let it be known that you have 100% probability of getting an A and 100% probability of getting a G. This is because your results depend solely on Allah. In this eleventh hour, acknowledge your mistakes of not having enough preparation in your night prayers (qiamullail). Improve your relationship with Allah. Be polite with your parents, teachers and friends. Ask them to pray for your success. Respect knowledge as how the early generations respect knowledge and their teachers. REVISE and PRACTISE. Make a lot of effort. You want big, so you must act big. Tawakkal without effort is not the attitude of a Believer.

Akhirul Kalam

My friends always ask me how I score in exams. The answer is simple but usually unexpected: I practise courtesy towards my teachers. I’ve done a lot of mistakes in becoming a youth; but one thing I always keep inside my heart is respect towards individuals who sacrifice themselves to give me a piece of their honourable knowledge. I know that I’m not as great as Imam Ghazali. One day, Imam Ghazali was giving lecture to his students and suddenly a filthy looking man came into his class. Imam Ghazali asked all of his students to stand and give respect to the man. His students were puzzled and asked him for the reason. Imam Ghazali said, “This man once told me how to differentiate between a dog (male) and a bitch.” MasyaAllah, see, the respect of a scholar towards a non-respectable person who taught him such simple things!

I hope that helps to clear our perception on exam and results. Should a person more knowledgeable than me on this matter detect any mistake that may cause misunderstanding, I beg for your kindness to comment and correct my mistakes … I seek refuge in Allah from guiding people away from His path.

Wassalam~

SPM Trial Results

2009-10-16T01:01:00.005+08:00

Salaamun 'ala man ittaba' al-Huda.

Alhamdulillah, we meet again. I got a lot to write as a lot of things have happened. However, I guess I'll make 'em short and post 'em in one go. From the trial results to At-Taqwa, this post tells my life for these past weeks.

Trial Results—Nyoro~n!

Well, my results ain't bad, but still not good enough to make me confident to sit for SPM and get straight A+'s and get admitted into Al-Azhar University. (SPM grading system has been changed from 1A, 2A, 3B … to A+, A, A-, B+ … effective this year's SPM—guess why.) I took 14 subjects and got 11 1As and 3 2As. Alhamdulillah, I got straight A's but some are borderline. The worst is Additional Mathematics, for which I got 70%—one percent less and it'd be a 3B. Both PQS and Sejarah are 80% which is on the borderline of the 1A grade. Allah has warned me with this trial. I really need to stuff up for the real deal. Pray for me, ne?

SPM Timetable

I gotta love this one. SPM 2009 officially starts on 18 November and ends on 16 December. The spacing between the subjects is also perfect, for me, at least. The first paper is Bahasa Melayu and the last is PSI. Alhamdulillah, for this convenient schedule! One thing I'm curious though. It's written in the timetable that we're not allowed to bring communication devices into the exam hall. What about DSLR? SPM is a once in a lifetime event, man!

Post-SPM Activities

We don't have any real plans yet, but we vaguely planned to go for an outing on the 17th of December, the day after the last day of SPM, also Rafi's birthday. It's not actually a tension-releasing outing, but more of a bond-strengthening one. Ukhuwwah. Some of the boys wanted to go for a trip to Bukit Merah, Perak on the 23rd till 25th. I'm not sure about this one, after what we experienced in Melaka. About 10 days after SPM, insyaAllah, we'll be going to Kelantan for the annual seniors' school camp. It'll take about… one month, probably. MATRI and SMASKL students will be joining. Except for the Kelantan camp, take what I write here with a grain of salt—SPM has not even started yet.

2 Fathanah

Ustaz Daniel said to us that the sinnul bulugh or the age of puberty has lowered. Mischief, which was always the pride of Form Three students, this year is snatched by Form Two. Mudir has requested Muhsin and Ammar Haron to take care of 'em. They shuffle and they couple. They break the law and they parkour. I'm afraid… afraid that I might have not done my job well that they have become like this. They are insolent, and rebelious. Rebeliousness is normal in teenagers, but my friends and I were not like that, even when we were in Form Three. They say bad things at SMIK's blog. What can I do now?

Class with Ustaz Darus

A group of my friends and I have requested Ustaz Darus to teach us Arabic after Zuhr on Wednesdays. It's actually not because we are not good in Arabic (actually, yes) but because we missed his class, his wisdom, his sempoi jokes, in which invaluable diamonds reside. Syaikhuna does not teach Form Five. So, we kindly asked him for this and he gladly agreed! Uhibbuka, ya Ustaz! The first class was on 7 October. Then, we translated together the first paragraph of the book on Solahuddin Al-Ayubi by Abdullah Nasih Ulwan. His side lectures, his commentaries on Arabic language and culture—all of them are top notch. Who does not expect that from Ustaz Darus?

At-Taqwa 2009

Mattaku, SPM is just around the corner and I'm still stuck with At-Taqwa. Fear not; tomorrow, insyaAllah, we will be finishing the magazine in one sitting. Tomorrow is the day of the closing ceremony for cocurricular activities (Majlis Penutupan Kokurikulum) so there'll be a feast. However, for the members of At-Taqwa Editorial Board, it'll be a li'l different. We're going to eat in the Markaz of At-Taqwa… while getting the job done! This is jihad… the pen is mightier than the sword!

I guess I wrote too much. Babbling a lot is not good for the heart of a Believer, or so said Imam Al-Ghazali. So, let's recharge our iman and Islam by improving our connection with our Lord, ALLAH, the Creator of All Worlds!

Wassalam~

The Last Halaqah

2009-10-11T02:21:00.005+08:00

Salaamun 'ala man ittaba' al-Huda.

Last Friday, I didn't went to school for various reasons. Despite that, I still begged my father to send me to school after Maghrib. Why? Because that night was the night of our last Halaqah for our school days.

The atmosphere that night was truely melancholic. It's not that I won't be meeting Uncle Hamdan, Hashimi, Rafi', Rahim, Basyth and A'aiman anymore after this; I will be meeting them at school, insyaAllah. It is the fact that that night was our last time we would hear Uncle Hamdan's weekly treat of tazkirah as a group—that's what made me utterly in melancholy.

There was officially no tazkirah that night. It was a feast, commemorating the offical closing of our Halaqah. That being said, we were not left with no soup for the soul at all. We had our share of what we call in our-speak, sembang tarbawi, or educational chat (this is a literal translation that could not even match the nuance of the original term). Uncle Hamdan treated us with satay, lemang, nasi impit and seaweeds special from Korea.

After the feast, Uncle Hamdan asked every one of us to give our final speeches.

Basyth starts,

If we are alone, we will fall easily.

Hashimi's turn,

We are in a jama'ah; connect with each other.

Rafi' continued,

Do absolutely what Allah told us to, and we will be victorious.

After my so-so speech, Uncle Hamdan wrapped up,

Our work does not stop here. It must be continued forever, till the day of Judgement.

A'aiman bit late, commented,

Stay strong on this path of da'wah.

I will remember these words. These words are better than the upcoming SPM, the world, and all its contents ... Thank you, my friends; thank you Uncle Hamdan; thank you Brother Shahrul! May Allah be pleased with you all and bless you with His jannah!

My Eid Photos!

2009-09-27T15:12:00.017+08:00

Salaamun ‘ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

It’s this time in the year again! Eid pics! This journal post is dedicated just to that … I don’t think I like Facebook for storing my images, though. So my kith and kin, head to my blog for my version of Eid al-Fitr!

1 Syawwal

Wassalam~

Someone died today.

2009-09-25T16:36:00.009+08:00

Salaamun ‘ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

Today is Friday. It’s the Eid holidays so Zakiy and I went to Jami’ Ar-Rahimiyah for the Friday Prayer. Everything was normal until, after the post-solah du’a, the Imam announced that we were going to perform the janazah prayer. A woman died; I heard from the people talking that she is a custom’s daughter. Inna lillah wa inna ilaihi raji’un.

And so we went to the front to perform the prayer. It kinda makes me sad. A sizable congregation was there performing the solah, but even a lot more just left the mosque, not even bothering to perform the solah which takes less than three minutes with no bowing nor prostrating. What has happened to our society?

They don’t know.

That’s the most logical and husnuzzan theory I can think of. The society doesn’t know how to perform the prayer. It’s quite simple, really. The prayer consists of four takbirs after the niat. The niat is, actually, our intention that goes from the heart. You don’t have to really specify “I pray the janazah prayer with four takbirs fard kifayah for Allah Ta’ala” by mouth. It suffices that you know you are performing the janazah prayer, you know how to do it, and you do it just for the sake of Allah.

Then the Imam calls out the first takbir. After that, you recite the Fatiha by yourself. Then he calls out the second takbir, after which you recite the Solawat Ibrahimiah, the usual solawat we recite during the last tahiyyat, which goes from Allahumma solli ’ala sayyidina Muhammad … fil ‘alameena innaka hameedun majeed.

After the third takbir, we pray so that Allah will forgive the sins of the deceased: Allahumma ighfir lahu warhamhu wa ‘aafihi wa’fu ‘anhu (for male janazah) or Allahumma ighfir laha warhamha wa ‘aafiha wa’fu ’anha (for female). Lastly, after the fourth takbir, we recite this: Allahumma la tahrimna ajrahu, wa la taftinna ba’dahu, wa ighfir lana wa lahu (for male) or Allahumma la tahrimna ajraha, wa la taftinna ba’daha, wa ighfir lana wa laha (for female).

After that, the Imam will call out the salaam and that’s about it. For more info, click here.

But really, people ought to know this. This is Standard Six PAFA. Even if they don’t know, what’s the harm in sparing three minutes respecting the dead? Just perform the solah, join the congregation, follow the Imam, and pray for the deceased.

Benefits of the Janazah Prayer (Funeral Prayer)

The Prophet (saas) said, “Whoever attends the funeral procession till he offers the funeral prayer for it, will get a reward equal to one Qirat, and whoever accompanies it till burial, will get a reward equal to two Qirats.” It was asked “what are two Qirats?” He replied, “like two huge mountains.”—Sahih Bukhari Vol. 2, 410

Where is unity?

Today’s event seriously showed the lack of ukhuwwah between Muslims in our country. It’s illogical that all of them who didn’t pray don’t know the how-to’s of janazah prayer. I believe that a sizable number of them do know; they just don’t feel like doing it. Bridges between hearts? Just remains a theory for the general Malaysian Muslim. Giving salaam to strangers is considered, well, strange in today’s community; but we are talking about dead people.

Where have our respect for the dead gone? Where is love between Muslims? Allah said in the Qur’an (49:10), Verily, the Believers are not but a single brotherhood. Say, if one of our family members dies, won’t we perform the prayer upon him/her? Won’t we ask Allah to forgive him/her? We love our family, don’t we? So why can’t we love others who share the same faith as we do like our own brothers and sisters?

This is the case when a Muslimah in our own neighbourhood dies. I wonder what exactly do we feel towards the killing of Palestinians by the Zionist regime? The Prophet (saas) said (weak) as reported by Imam Tabrani, Those, who do not concern with the affairs of the Muslims, are not from them. Do we want to be part of the Muslim community? If so, start concerning with affairs of the Muslim community.

Last words

I want to highlight three points:

Study Islam. Specifically, fiqh—especially these occassional prayers like janazah prayer and eclipse prayers. Islam asks us to. So we must.
Respect the deceased. And pray for their forgiveness. Sparing three minutes for Islam is not hard. Allah said in the Qur’an (2:45-46)

Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to khasyi’een (those who bring a lowly spirit),—who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord, and that they are to return to Him.
Love our brothers and sisters in Islam. Seriously. We are not but a single brotherhood. We ought to love our Muslim brothers/sisters like we love our own siblings; or to a greater extent, like we love ourselves. If they sinned, we feel the responsibility to correct them. That’s what brothers do.

Wallahua'lam.

Eid Mubarak, minna!

2009-09-25T06:22:00.011+08:00

Salaamun ’ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

I guess I’m a bit late this year to wish “Selamat Hari Raya” to all my blog readers specifically and to all Muslims generally. So, Selamat Hari Raya! To quote the traditional Islamic greeting for every celebration, kullu 'aam wa antum bikhair. It means, may you be in wellness every year. My Eid this year is not so much different this year compared to last year, except that I now own a DSLR and I still don't get angpau from Ummi and Abah yet! :)

Eid al-Fitr means celebration of fitrah. Fitrah on the other hand, means “the original state”. This Eid is to celebrate the return of a Muslim to his fitrah; his original state of creation. Man, and all other creatures, originally submit to the decree of Allah. However, Allah has honoured man by giving him free will. This free will, other than being an honour, is also a tribulation. Man can choose whether he wants to stay on his fitrah as all other creatures in this universe do, or deviate from God's path and become astray.

What's Ramadhan got to do with fitrah?

In one year's time, man can be deviated too far from Allah— too far from his fitrah. Allah, the Most Compassionate, prepares for him a month for him to cleanse his heart from all things that deviate him from the Straight Path. He fasts and he prays during the month of Ramadhan. He disassociates himself from food, women and vain things. He concentrates on prayer, Qur'anic recitation and charity. Now, after thirty days of intense cleansing, his heart is pure. He has now returned to his fitrah. His eyes, his ears, his mouth, his limbs and his heart; all now submit solely to Allah the Exalted. Allah, the Most Merciful now give him a gift: Eid al-Fitr.

The Road Not Taken

At this point, the man has two choices: to pay back the 30-day abstinence or to keep the momentum going. For those who choose to former, I want to tell you a story. A story of a peasant who was one day given hell loads of money. The money was just enough to build a three-story grand bungalow on top of a hill near the beach. So, he contacted a construction company to build for him his bungalow. The contractor told him that the project would take about one month. So the now-rich peasant waited patiently for his bungalow to be completed. After one month, that is, after the bungalow was complete, the peasant now decided to destroy the bungalow built in one month; in just one day after its completion! Now he has lost his bungalow and the money went to waste. You built a palace of taqwa in thirty days just for you to destroy on the first day of Syawal! Oh, what a waste … verily, what a waste!

Those who choose the latter are those who succeed. The man, after thinking deep on Syawal Eve, decides to take the second option. He wakes up the next morning and glorify his Lord with the holy exclamation of joy: Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar, Lailahaillallah wa Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar, wa Lillahilhamd! He cleanses himself by doing the nafilah bath of Eid al-Fitr. He prays fajr in congregation with his family before he thanks Allah for giving him the chance to complete Ramadhan this year. After that, he continues to glorify his Lord with the holy exclamation of joy until it's the time to go to the mosque to pray Solat Aidilfitri with the Muslim society in the neighbourhood. Oh, what a joy he feels to live in Islam! Not long after, he goes to the houses of his kith and kin. He eats moderately to make sure he doesn’t stun his stomach. Lastly, her friends and family come over to his house to strengthen the bonds on the blessed day.

Make It A Year

On the next day, he decides he wants to start the nafilah 6-day fasting. It is the tradition of the Prophet to fast six days in the month of Syawal, preferably starting the second day of the month. He knows that as a weak servant of Allah, his Ramadhan must have some weakness. Therefore, he feels the need to compensate that with at least six days of fasting when other people are busy eating. He also knows that he has to keep the momentum going to preserve the palace he built for thirty days! Lastly, he also knows the fasting a month in Ramadhan followed by six days in Syawal is equal to fasting the whole year. All he wants is the pleasure of his Lord.

The man keeps his momentum going with little fluctuations but steadily increasing until the day he dies; and then he lives happily ever after (literally)! Now after following the journey of the man, which option do you opt for?

Last Bit

Before I end this post, I want to share an Arabic saying related to Eid:

ليس العيد لمن لبس الجديد ولكن العيد لمن طاعته يزيد

The celebration of Eid is not for those who wear new clothes, but it is for those whose obedience to Allah increase.

Wallahua'lam, wassalam.

*I’ll try to post my raya pics later! (insyaAllah)
*Thanks to Ustaz Muzakkir for his post in PeWaris Y!Groups.

Spring Cleaning

2009-09-22T07:44:00.004+08:00

Salaamun ’ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

Eid Mubarak, everyone. Do you notice anything different about my blog today?

Totally. I did a total redesign of my blog. I even deleted all my previous posts. In the spirit of Eid when people were busy doing house-cleaning, I decided to do some spring cleaning on my blog. My previous posts— some are good but a great deal of them are junk. So, after making a backup, I cleared my blog. Don’t worry, they will be posted back on this blog — once I edited them. :)

More design rationale after the jump!

What’s with the redesign?

It’s nothing much, though. I'm finishing my school life this year so I want my blog to have that essence of maturity— prepared for my post-school posts. The previous design was a bit “grungish” and it did reflect my inner-self back in my junior secondary days. Things change, so do I, and so do my inner-self. I want something clean. I want to return to my fitrah. Innallah jamil yuhibbul jamal, says Prophet Muhammad (saas). Clean and elegant web design is, IMO, the Muslim way compared to grunge design. However, a li’l “Islamic grunge” design won’t hurt, right? Hehe…

Design notes for the 1337 @ 933K community

The header uses a background image of the lallang image shot by me at Pulau Indah a few months ago. I’m a bit lazy right now to put in the lens info but if you need it just leave a comment or PM me. The header logo is of the the Helvetica family; the a2i | vibes uses the Bold typeface while the slogan underneath uses the Light typeface. And right, that’s me beside the logo. Rafi’ shot the picture when I gave my Arabic speech on the closing night of Mahrajan Thaqafi.

The kawaii little icons on the right of my sidebar are from the Fugue Icons set, which can be downloaded from the Pinvoke website. The hover effect of the search bar is achieved by using some CSS.

For the body copy, the font size is set to 1 em (roughly 16 px on most modern browsers). The post copy is of the Helvetica Neue typeface at 1.125 em (roughly 18 pts at normal rendering) with the line height of 1.5 ems. To maintain the vertical rhythm, the margins of the <p> element is also set to 1.5 ems. For those who don’t have the Helvetica Neue typeface, the fall-backs are Helvetica, followed by Arial then the generic sans-serif. The post title is of the elegant Times New Roman (oh I miss this font!) typeface, set at 3 ems. The post-date and the by-line are set to Verdana typeface at 0.875 ems.

Due to the redesign, I discovered that Blogger has implemented the "Read more" function, alhamdulillah!

Why obliterate all posts? I wanna read ’em!

A da'ie cannot show his bad side to his mad'u. Not to be a hypocrite, but some things are better left secret. My previous posts, especially prior to 2008, contain a lot of junk. I will repost them eventually (insyaAllah), as I have saved all of them to my laptop. The only thing is, they will be edited. Bad words will be removed or striked out, Malay posts will be translated into English and I will put some commentary on posts that I think I should. For example, I was really mad at my class one day in 2007 so I blurted all of it in my blog. When I'm going to repost that, I will put some commentary saying that “this is not what a Muslim should do when he's angry!” Lol, srsly. So, this will be my post-SPM project!

That’s it folks. I’ve explained the rationale of the design and the semantics. So if you have any more questions unanswered, let me know in the comments.

And let me know what you think about my design, too!

Wassalam.

UPDATE: The design is now centred after Qubezo's advice.

Oneness: Only Allahs, not Malaysias

2009-09-08T18:35:00.011+08:00

Salaamun ‘ala man ittaba’ al-Huda.

Quoted (for truth) from Wikipedia:

The first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, contradicted this stance in the 1980s, saying, “All talk on Islamic States is just an empty dream. No man in his right sense would accept a nation which bases its political administration on religion, and in a country like Malaysia with its multiracial and multireligious people, there is no room for an Islamic State.”

This is the man who was said to be Malaysia’s First Prime Minister. Was he godly enough to deny a system bestowed on mankind by ALLAH? Wasn’t Madinah multiracial and multireligious? Was there no room in Madinah for an Islamic State?

Our beloved land was ruled by tyrants and ignorants since the fall of Malaccan Sultanate until … NOW. The last two rulers even cover up their jahili doings with seemingly good ideas—one with his “new” concept of Islam and one with his unity of the people. Yes, we live in the same country. We respect each other. But my Deen is my Deen and your Deen is your Deen. If Malaysia is to unite, race-based parties should be demolished. We unite because of faith. We unite because of Islam. Converting to Islam is converting to Islam, not converting to “Melayu”.

Oneness is only ALLAH’s. Malaysia shouldn’t take it from Him. If the people of Malaysia believe in Allah, then we can acquire that oneness—of Malaysian ummah. We respect the non-Muslims. But just don’t let them control what we can and can’t do. Only Allah has the right to do that and He demands that we respect the peaceful non-Muslims, and yet he demands that we follow only His orders. He demands hudud. So non-Muslims should just shut up. You write ignorant babbles in Star Columnists. He prohibits premarital sexual activities. So non-Muslims should just shut up. This is our law. So don’t go around writing in the newspapers that our law is draconian! Which is more draconian—the law bestowed by God or the law thought up by man? I believe all Malaysians do believe in God, right?

Ya ALLAH, please save my country from the leadership of tyrants and ignorants!

The trial starts!

2009-09-08T17:06:00.002+08:00

Salaamun 'ala man ittaba' al-Huda.

Just a quick post, just to get anybody updated. :)

Today I'll be taking the Chemistry SPM trial test, insyaALLAH.

Actually, the trial starts last week with Bahasa Melayu papers, that's why I have not much time to update this blog.

All over, the trial takes about three weeks, which means it will end just before Aidilfitri. I am kinda put off with this since I will not be able to balance Ramadhan and SPM. I miss last year's Ramadhan when I can read the Qur'an during free time at school with my friends. This year, we won't have free time since papers start when school starts and end when school ends. Although I still can read the Qur'an at home, it is just not the same as reading it in congregation with my friends. At night, if last year I can devote myself for prayers, this time I need to spare some time for revision. Moreover, I'm not well-prepared for the trial exam... (my bad)

So, I hope that you will pray for our success! Or pray that I will study hard. Bleh, I am in dire need for motivation to study right now! Even the trial exam won't shatter my laziness! I know I shouldn't be lazy right now. SPM is approaching. Ramadhan should never be made the reason for weakness and laziness. The Prophet (saas) and his companions fought the Battle of Badr (and a lot more battles) during the month of Ramadhan! They walked miles from Medina to the well of Badr and I ride Perodua Viva everyday to Ibn Khaldun! To quote Ustaz Adni, aina nahnu min Rasulillah wa ashabih? How far are we from the Prophet and his companions? Far. Extremely.

A doa for today:

Allahumma layyin qalbi kama layyanta al-hadid li Dawud!
"Ya ALLAH, soften my heart as you have softened iron for Dawud (David)!"

That's all, wassalam~

Need to get to work!

2009-08-31T10:17:00.003+08:00

Salaamun 'ala man ittaba' al-Huda.

The image speaks for itself. Haha, I'm just trying to make a lolcat here.

Really, even though we hear some people say that D&T is more important than SPM, somehow SPM matters for D&T. A saying goes: "D&T is first, but academic achievement is not second."

Well, gotta get back to work! Wassalam~

Today, I smiled at them.

2009-08-28T07:56:00.012+08:00

Salaamun 'ala man ittaba' al-Huda.

Today, I smiled at them.

They are the ones who made me as I am today.

From them, I learn which step I should take next.

I am taught which path I should follow.

They may be not perfect,
but they have perfected me.

They are not the most important people to me,
but they recieve guidance from those who are.

They may have wronged,
but they teach me not to do the same mistake.

"They" are not a few,
but 16 people altogether.

And I, am the 17th of "them", today.

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

Hey there, yes, all of you.

I just wanna tell you something:

Thank you for staying true to your name,
Thank you for believing in ALLAH,
Thank you for choosing this path,

And I must thank ALLAH
who makes you and I
the way we are!
Alhamdulillah!

And you #16,
Even though I've just left you about seven hours ago,
I will miss you.
You are the changing point,
that make this #17, better.
Thank you, my past.

To Ummi and Abah...
who patiently live along
with the 17 of us,

full of mahabbah,
full of mawaddah,

I express my gatitude here
for giving "us" a very beautiful name
that starts with the most beautiful name
of the most beautiful person on Earth.

Honourable, Noble, Knowledgeable;
For what more could I ask?

The Honourable One
who is Noble
because of his Knowledge.

Yes Ummi and Abah,
I will live by this name,
insyaALLAH...

until the last "me",
who is HONOURABLE because of ISLAM,
is spilled his NOBLE blood,
just because he says to the world,
"I have been given KNOWLEDGE and understanding-
that there is no God except ALLAH,
and Muhammad is HIS Messenger."

Amin!

Marhaban Ya Ramadhan!

2009-08-21T11:20:00.000+08:00

Salam Alaykum!

It's RAMADHAN! YES, believe me, IT'S RAMADHAN!
ALLAH have allowed us to become the guest of the noblest month ever! Yeah, I know I've mentioned this in my last post, but we have to live the syi'ar man, the spirit of Islam, spirit of Ramadhan! In actual truth, I'm truly excited that Ramadhan has spread it wings while I'm still alive (by the will of Allah) to witness Ramadhan this year. Alhamdulillah! More after the jump~

My teachers always said to us, "Madrasah Ramadhan is near." "Madrasah Ramadhan" means "school of Ramadhan." Ramadhan is a month that will educate us. That will teach us patience, perseverance, generosity, tolerance, empathy, and jihad. Ramadhan is called Madrasah Tarbiyah Jihadiyah - School of Jihad Education. Why is it called like that? You see my fellow brothers and sisters, during Ramadhan, we fast on the days and pray on the nights. We strive during the day and cleanse our heart at night; just like the warriors of ISLAM did during wartime. Additionally, ALLAH gave the Muslims great wins during Ramadhan!

I invite all of us Muslims to improve and increase our ibadah during this holy month, especially nafilah prayers, Qur'anic recitation and charity. May ALLAH be pleased with us and reward us with His Jannah!

*P/S: Anyone would like to volunteer writing a Ramadhan post for Fikruttaqwa Online?!

a2i | vibes

Questionnaire

FPSK

Relativity of Time

Persevere, Ilman!

Sem. Break = Books & Photography :)

“Easy for you; you’re genius.”

Alhamdulillah.

Great Post-SPM Life!

What Jatidiri Means to Me

What JATIDIRI means to me?

2-Month Hiatus

Do Judge Your Book by Its Cover

Face the Fact

Judge your book by its cover...

... but not others'

What are you trying to say, Ilman?

Otanjoubi Omedetou, Zakiy-chan!

Life is Making Decisions

Junctions in Life

The Ultimate Antagonistic Results

The Prechoice and Predecision

We don’t have any choice.

Everything is in Allah’s Plan

Akhirul Kalam

It Aint What We Learn!

Let’s Be Clear.

ALLAH.

1. Improve our HDA (Heart Dependence on Allah)

2. Respect our Parents and Teachers

3. Be courteous towards knowledge

Akhirul Kalam

SPM Trial Results

Trial Results—Nyoro~n!

SPM Timetable

Post-SPM Activities

2 Fathanah

Class with Ustaz Darus

At-Taqwa 2009

The Last Halaqah

My Eid Photos!

1 Syawwal

Someone died today.

They don’t know.

Benefits of the Janazah Prayer (Funeral Prayer)

Where is unity?

Last words

Eid Mubarak, minna!

What's Ramadhan got to do with fitrah?

The Road Not Taken

Make It A Year

Last Bit

Spring Cleaning

What’s with the redesign?

Design notes for the 1337 @ 933K community

Why obliterate all posts? I wanna read ’em!

Oneness: Only Allahs, not Malaysias

The trial starts!

Need to get to work!

Today, I smiled at them.

Marhaban Ya Ramadhan!

It Aint What We Learn!

Oneness: Only Allahs, not Malaysias