Fun?

Humans cannot be separated from songs, games, stories and any other kinds of fun. They always seek for them in the aim to calm their mind after working heavily. There's nothing wrong about it.

During the pilgrimage of Muslims to Madinah, the peple from Makkah were honored by Madinah people with the traditional music and some songs. Yet, Rasulullah did not prevent them. This story shows that Islam never stem the interest of people in music.

Nevertheless, Islam teaches us the way to have fun. In order to prevent ourselves from hedonism (obsession of fun), we must follow the rules so that our actions are counted as 'ibadah' or kindness.

Nowadays, I could see that most girls are too interested in Korean songs and movies. I'm not saying about all but most of them like the male actors or singers. And also, men are also addicted to anime from Japan. Everyday, they watch the movies in their laptops to have fun. These acts could be right and wrong.

First, look at the actors. Are they wearing proper clothes, covering their aurat? If that so, then go for it. However, if they wear inappropriate shirts, then try to avoid them. Remember, eyes are trust from Allah. We should always follow the rules because eyes are not ours.

Then, think. Is it going to affect your life? Is it going to cause you procrastinating? Even worse, is it going to make you forget about your prayers? Something to ponder about. This is the most important criteria to make the acts legal. Even if it is just a children show, but you tend to miss your prayer while watching it, so don't do it! Prayers are much more important than those things.

However, in seeking for relaxation after being busy for a long time, the best thing to do is to always remember Allah and practice zikr. Sometimes, go take wudhu' and recite some verses from Al-Quran.

“By remembering Allah, hearts will be in peace..”

Thus, keep interacting with Allah and you will feel the true inner peace in yourself, insyaAllah..

Nationalism: Good or Bad?

In the history books, we commonly see the word 'nationalism' everywhere. Even the main purpose of learning that subject is to instill the spirit of nationalism in the students and also others. However, have you ever think that it is good or bad?

First, let us take a look at the definition of NATIONALISM. Nationalism is the spirit of being loyal to own races and nations and also to give full commitment to preserve the importance of the races to compete with others. What do you think when you read it? Isn't it connected to the racism issues?

Now, let's take a deep look into the Islamic concept. Islam approves the work to preserve own nations and races. It is a must to protect our nations from the enemies and threats. Even Rasulullah s.a.w. loves his own family, Quraisy. Allah had also created a 'surah' based on the Quraisy tribe.

“Because it is a norm for Quraisy, their norms to travel in winter and summer. Thus, they should worship the God of this house(Kaabah), who has given them food to avoid them from being hungry and making them in peace from fear.”

(Quraisy:1-4)

So, it is proven that nationalism is not totally wrong. But there are two conditions that have to be fulfilled in order to make it as 'ibadah':

1. It does not exceed the love for Islam.
   
   Islam is not the property of any race. No one can actually claims that Islam is only for Arabs or Malays or Palestinians. Even Americans can revert to Islam. So, the love to Islam should be put much higher compared to other things. As an example, if someone with other races reverts to Islam, we should treat him or her as a brother.
   
   

“A muslim is a brother towards another muslim”

2. It recognizes other races' rights
   
   Don't be too obsessed about ours that you denies others' rights. For example, we cannot reserve a public place as ours. It is a public place and anyone should have their rights to have a rest or eat there.

“All people are the same, except for their faith”

Long ago, Rasulullah s.a.w. developed Madinah by uniting people of many races under one faith: Islam. The native people of Madinah called Ansar and the migrates from Makkah called Muhajirin were united although they came from different places. As they were both Islam, they could live together in peace and harmony.

But why nowadays, the 'bad' nationalism is widely hold? In 1924, the Ottoman's Empire was defeated and the main factor was they ignored the unity based on faith. They preferred their races to Islam. And then, countries based on races were developed. That's why we could see most nations are ruled by mostly one race. For example, Malaysia is for Malays, Japan is for Japanese and so on. Don't you realize that it is one of the ways to defeat Islam? History of Otoman's Empire had proven that nothing was more important than the unity based on our Islamic faith.

In a nutshell, a strong nationalism is bad because it contradicts with Islam. People should unite based on their faith, not races or nations. American Muslims, Palestinian Muslims, Japanese Muslims and any other Muslims should be in one line because we are all in one faith. However, Islam does not prohibit us from protecting our countries. Instead, we will be given much benefits from Allah when we strive for our beloved countries. Thus, protect your country and at the same time, unite under one faith.

Suicide?

Nothing can replace our life. Nobody can buy life. Even the cats. (You know, some people believe that cats have nine lives each. Yet, they'll still die, just like other creatures)

We are the creatures of Allah. Allah is the One who controls us. He is the one who sets our death time. However, no one can actually know his or hers. It is a secret. A secret that can only be revealed once the time come.

But why?

Allah wants us to be kind all the time. When we do not know when will we die, we will try to do goodness every and each time to ensure our death is a good death, to ensure that we do kindness when the time come. Isn't it good to die in the prayer? Isn't it good to die when we are helping others? Our death indicates the hereafter. A good death means 'jannah'.

Meanwhile, what if we die in the cinema? On the road, racing harmfully? Or in front of our computer, looking at the pornography pictures? It will be terrible, isn't it? Not only it indicates our bad future in the hereafter, our family members left will also be humiliated! People will talk about the person for a long time about something bad. Don't we feel pity to them?

Suicide is also categorized as a bad death. Some brainless people thought that suicide is the best alternative to solve problems especially about money, love and studies. Every month, or maybe everyday, we can read in the newspaper about anyone committing suicide or at least attempting it.

In Islam, one of the five basic things that are important to take care of is LIFE, either yours or others. So, committing suicide is already contradict with that principle. And there are very many ways to do it. Sometimes (or always), we are approaching it without being realized.

NO SMOKING

One of the most actions I have seen in my own country that contributes the most to the suicide cases is smoking. Although it is literally not considered as suicide in data collection, it IS actually killing yourselves. It is your own hands which put the cigarette into your mouth. It is your own mouths which suck the harmful gases. And you use your own money to buy it! In most cases, you can actually put the blame on yourselves. Who forced you to do it? No one, right?

Some organizations realized that traditional cigarettes are bad for health. Thus, they try to make an innovation by inventing the electronic cigarettes. Yet, it is also harmful! Some scientists also said that the chemicals in the e-cigarettes are much more harmful compared to the traditional ones. You are killing yourselves!

In addition to killing yourselves, you will also kill your beloved ones, the people who always beside you and also the ordinary citizens. Don't you feel pity to them? They are not guilty yet they are still affected! The harmful gases sneak out through the cigarettes will harm people who smell them. And they are your family, your relatives, your friends! You kill your loved ones, don't you realize it?

Thus, please and please, stop smoking for those who are smoking. You will kill yourself and your beloved ones!

“Don't kill yourselves. Verily, Allah loves you.”

[An-Nisa': 29]

Easy or Hard?

Continuing my story during the camp, on the second day, we had fun with the outdoor activity. Since most of the activities were indoor, we got really excited when we were going to play some physical games.

TREASURE HUNT

Sounds cliché right? However, it is a bit different with the usual one. We were firstly divided into 9 groups.

Then, we were told to hide our most valuable thing in the group within 100 meters radius from the hall we were in. We decided to choose a pair of spectacles to be hidden because compared to phones, it is much safer to be left. Only two people of each group were required to go and find its hiding place. The rest of us stayed in the hall. It took about 10 to 20 minutes for all groups to finish the task.

Next, the two members had to write the directions to find the valuable things. Knowing that other groups will use that directions to find ours, we decided to make more complicated directions instead of straight forward. In the mean time, there was also laughter among other groups which I felt they were also doing the same thing. Maybe all of us was going to walk around and around to search for the things.

Our thoughts came true! We were then required to use other group's directions to find the valuable thing. And to our surprise, we got the directions with only 3 steps! Wow, it's going to be easy! Well, definitely, it was really really easy. In addition, one of our members saw the thing was hidden there during the hiding period, so he could easily find it back. In just two minutes, we accomplished our goal! Alhamdulillah, what a relieve... We didn't have to walk far away.

We were the first to arrive at the starting point. After taking pictures, we sat in the hall, having a rest after a tiring(is it?) search. About 45 minutes later, there were still three more groups didn't manage to complete their task. We were asked to help one of the group to find it. But also with our help, we couldn't find it! At last, the facilitator asked the one who hid it show where the actual place is.

As soon as we finished having our tea, we gathered in the hall for feedback session. The groups which couldn't find the things complained about the directions they got. Some of them were not precise. For example, they wrote “walk 20 steps” whereas in reality, they have to walk double the steps! That's why they were lost. To make matters worse, one of the thing was hidden with the cameraman! The direction helped the group to arrive at the destination where the cameraman wandered around. Although he seemed to be suspicious-looking, well, following the group members anywhere they went, they still couldn't figure out the trick. Finally, they gave up and the person who hid it revealed the truth. There were also some funny steps like “2 steps forward, 2 steps backward, 2 steps left, 2 steps right.” It was funny yet annoying.

After hearing some feedbacks and complains, the facilitators announced the winners. We thought it was us. But the actual winner was the one who wrote the directions, who ease us in finding their thing. Another winner(writer) explained that they did that because the thing was an iPhone. It was really really valuable (we were surprised how could she give it) that they wanted it to be found as soon as possible.

EASY OR HARD

The lesson I learned from this activity, we should try to do the best and easiest way to direct our friends. Although at first we made a mistake to joke in the given directions, we were relieved to get the easiest direction containing only three steps. Imagine the groups which did not manage to finish their task, they were really tired when they got back, plus with the feeling of angry about the hard directions they got. And the facilitators told it in a fun way. When the group made the easiest and direct ways, it is the one who won the game, not the searcher.

The same goes in the reality. Although competition is sometimes good, but it is much more important to do kindness to others. No matter what they did, kindness is always the best thing.

“Be like a fruitful tree. Thrown with a stone, reply with a fruit”

A simple example to be pondered. You always encounter a woman who always make an angry face to you. But you usually smile to her although she never smile at you. And one day, her heart is opened to smile. Isn't it great to make people smile? :)

Another example is in the seerah. Long ago, Rasulullah s.a.w. always fed a blind man at a market. When he was feeding, the man always talked about bad things about Rasulullah s.a.w. However, Rasulullah s.a.w. keep feeding him everyday without getting angry. One day, Rasulullah s.a.w. was gone forever. Abu Bakr r.a, Rasulullah s.a.w.'s best friend went to the market to replace his best friend. However, the blind man realized that it was a different person. When Abu Bakr r.a told him that the actual person who fed him was Rasulullah s.a.w, he cried and on the spot, reverted to Islam. Rasulullah s.a.w's kindness had made the blind man to regret his bad acts and eventualy turned over a new leaf.

Thus, make kindness to everyone, no matter he or she is kind or bad. Remember, your kindness will be rewarded if you do it for the sake of Allah.

“Verily every action is based on the intention...”

[Hadith 40 Imam An-Nawawi]

Book: Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time

Being a member of Wong's family yet you flunked? It's ridiculous. However, it really happened to Stanford Wong. Pity him, his intelligence was the other way round. While all of his family members are bright, especially his dad and sister, he is the only sportsman among them. Basketball is his true passion, not the academics or books.

Credit: http://sveta-randomblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/book-review-of-stanford-wong-flunks-big.html

Long ago, his life was much more miserable! He was the worst person in school; no one wants to befriend him. However, things began to change when he was attracted to basketball. Being observant to the Team A games, he managed to imitate their movements and lastly, joined the basketball team. And what made him so proud is, he was the first and only sixth grade who succeed to be in the A-Team, the greatest team in his school.

Nevertheless, bad news came when he was going to enjoy the summer holiday. He flunked in English! He got F! His dad did not allow him to participate in a basketball camp in the summer. His awful grade was sticked on the refrigerator. His failure in sixth grade would prohibit him from continuing his studies. He had to pass it to be in the A-Team. To make matters worse, he was going to summer school!

No one in the team had gone to summer school. He had to maintain his reputation as the A-Team. Everyday, he sneaked to the class. And everyday, he had to be tutored by Millicent Min, his enemy since child. However, as time flows, he and Millicent were able to be together. And to my surprise, Millicent's help was working! She succeeded to make Stanford read and think about the book. And his English teacher began to like his book report.

Eventually, he passed English. And he live happily ever after... :p

This book taught me that every people has different skills and abilities, and they are not inherited.

“O mankind, verily We created you from male and female, then We created you in tribes and races so that you can know each other...”

(Surah Al-Hujurat:13)

People are different!
Credit: http://aoao2.deviantart.com/art/We-re-different-204348189

Yes, you might say that most intelligent people have the same background. However, once in a blue moon, one can find the similar thing like happened too Stanford Wong. His dad went to Stanford University. His sister also the same. And his father put his high expectation for Stanford to do the same. That's why his name is Stanford Wong. Yet, that high expectation made him crazy. He is different. Somehow, he is passionate in basketball, but his dad had never accept it. He did not even go to the game when Stanford played and won. However, after Stanford's attempt to run away from home, he began to change. He tried to spend more time to talk with Stanford. The most surprising act was he decided to refuse the offer to have a job with higher reputation just to reduce his time working. And that's what a loving dad should do. Not that I am saying people to just apply for a low-paying job, but try to spend your time with your family. They are your life. They are your heart. Without them, who else can make you happy? Something to ponder about...

Besides, Stanford had also reminded me the importance of being observant. All people are able to succeed when they are observant. For example, Stanford observed the A-Team players in their game for a long time. And once he got the chance to play, he just imitated them and it worked! That unique quality made him to vanquish his goal to be one of the best basketball player. In the real life, we learned history of our nation. Had you ever think why we did that? Well, a cliché answer. One who forget the history will repeat it back. That's for the failures. What about the good ones? We must follow it if we ever face the same problems.

“These stories are told to you so that you collect the lessons from them.”

Credit: https://www.probe.org/history-and-the-christian-faith/

One of the main problems we face now as Malaysians is the economic problem. Maybe we could do some research about the economics problem in 1997 and how we survived. I guess it could help, isn't it?

In conclusion, this book is really great as a motivation to be better in any field. Although it contains a bit about the 'monkey love' between a boy and a girl, just ignore it. Take the lessons, throw away the bad things.

Ignore the differences

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

I am very sorry for abandoning this pity blog. If you notice, my previous post was about a week ago. Actually, my friends and I went to a pre-departure program organized at one of the PLKN camps. One of the lessons I've learned there is to share and unite with each other.

There were two games related to both qualities.

1. Broken Square

We were divided into 9 groups. Each group received an envelope containing pieces of puzzle. We had to solve the puzzle to produce a perfect square. Howevet, we were prohibited from stealing, taking or snatching others' pieces.

We got 4 different triangles to be solved. Some groups received weird shapes like the shape of T. However, after some time, we still didn't managed to solve it.

Suddenly, one of the participants stand up and voiced out her opinion. "I am sure that we need to share our pieces to produce only ONE square for all of us. We can still share although we cannot steal or take others', right?" Then, our mission began. Each group representatives brought their pieces in front and worked together to solve it. Only after a few minutes, a big square was formed in front!

"Congrats to all of you! You managed to conplete this task perfectly. I said that you cannot steal, take, or snatch anything from other groups. Instead, you can GIVE to them," said the facilitator.

Tangan yang memberi lebih baik daripada tangan yang menerima.

To give is much better than to receive

(Malay proverb)

In the reality, we need to always find the connection between ourselves and others'. Even though we are different, the differences are the important qualities to make an awesome group.

"O people, we created you from males and females, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you will know each other."

 (Surah Al-Hujurat:13)

So, differences should not stem us to unite! Yet they will help us.

2. Investing?

We were divided into 4 groups. Each group received two flashcards, one with the symbol X and another with the symbol Y. In every round, each group representative needed to show either cards. Marks will be received based on the comparison with other teams.

(No of teams show X)-(No of teams show Y)
(Marks received if choose X)-(Marks received if choose Y)

4 - 0
+1 - 0

3 - 1
-3 - +6

2 - 2
-2 - +2

1 - 3
+2 - -4

0 - 4
0 - -1

Our group decided to show Y all the way as we could receive more profit and we could win! Others keep changing their Xs and Ys. And at last, we won and had a tie with another group although all groups got negatives.

We thought that we should calculate some probability in this game. However, we were wrong!

The facilitators' expectation was for all of us to show X. But why?

Although we only received +1 each round, yet we would still gain profit together. All groups would receive +10 for 10 rounds. All would get profits. Unlike what we did, all of us faced great loss when we compete each other.

Thus, in order to succeed, never leave our friends behind. Instead, walk together to the acme. Even with small steps, we'll still achieve success together later.

These two games had really taught me to be together with our friends all the time. Never leave our friends because of our selfishness. (But you can sell fish instead)

"You are not a true believer until you love your brothers just like you love yourselves."

Why I love you?

To love someone is a basic, and to be loved is also a basic in our life. Life without love is like the world without people. No one cares about others. Everyone does their own works, as if he or she is the only person exists.

Is it going to be like this?
Credit: http://rea-disappearance.wikispaces.com/The+World+Without+Us+-+Alan+Weismann+%26+Life+after+people+-+The+History+Channel

However, everybody knows that it is impossible. One needs others to survive. A child needs a mom to take care of him. A mom needs a husband to get some money to buy things. A dad needs a fisherman to get a fish to eat. A fisherman needs a knitter to knit the equipment to catch the fish. And the series goes on until we realize that no one can survive by themselves.

So, love is important. Without love, we could be depressed. We love our parents. We love our siblings. We love our pets. We love our friends. We love our teachers. We love our grandparents, and so on. But have you ever think, why should you love someone?

Anas r.a reported that Rasulullah s.a.w. said: “There are three things if found in a person, he will experience the sweetness of imaan: (1) a person who Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anyone else, (2) a person who loves a servant (of Allah) only for Allah, (3) and a person who hates returning to infidelity after Allah has saved him from it as he would hate to be thrown into the fire (of Hell).”

[Sahih Bukhari and Muslim]

According to the hadith, one of the qualities of people who feel the sweetness of imaan is to love others only for Allah.

FOR ALLAH

But what does it mean?

A person does not want his or her best friend to be harmed in any ways. A mom does not want her child to be harmed also. Everyone does not want the beloved ones to be harmed. But it is not only about the safety in the world. It is also about the hereafter.

To love someone for the sake of Allah is to protect him or her from the danger of 'maksiat' (evil things). This also includes the minor sins like procrastinating to perform prayers, littering, talking back about someone and many other things. No one wants to be in the hellfire right? So, to show our love to them, invite them to do good deeds. Every time you want to perform the prayers, invite them to join you. Every time you see they are wasting their time with unnecessary things, advise them. But never scold them! A smart person is the one who can advise people effectively. For example, you can always talk to him or her with low voice. “My friend, let's go to the musolla. Allah is waiting for us.” Even if he or she does not want to, keep on trying. I am sure that with Allah's will, your friend's eyes will be opened to see the benefits of good deeds.

Protect from 'maksiat'!
Credit: http://www.recoverdatas.com/protect-computer-viruses-spyware/

“But I am not a good person. How can I ask people to be good?”

Well, I am also not a perfect person. In fact, I am advising my ownself. Many of us think that we should be nice before we ask others to do the same thing. However, don't take your weakness to stem your intention to turn other people to the way of Islam. Whenever you see someone is doing the wrong things, just advise him although you actually did the same. And then, you will realize that you had done something not appropriate and quickly ask Allah's forgiveness. We may not be perfect but we can strive to be perfect by inviting others to be perfect. That is called the love for the sake of Allah.

Credit: http://www.hdwallpapers.in/love-desktop-wallpapers.html

I LOVE YOU FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH

UHIBBUKUM FILLAH

:)

Mind Your Manners Please...

One day, I was in the train, going back home. The train was really packed! Like in a sardine can! I had to arrange my feet to stand perfectly so that I would not fall. Furthermore, the handle was too far, so I only rely on the stability of my feet at that time. And then, it went worse.

Packed, but not like this...
Credit: http://indulgy.com/post/Aa5XWoFOE1/train-in-bangladesh-packed-with-happy-resident

The train stopped by Mid Valley, one of the station with many passengers that are going to ride on and off. Some people managed to enter the coach. And then, come a group of young ladies. Half of them were inside, but half of them were still outside. Although I think there was no place to even breathe, they still pushed people to go inside. They push and push and push until the lady managed to be inside. I was the one who suffered. I was going to fall! I couldn't stand it anymore! I tried to reach the nearest handle to keep me stand up. At last, I was standing with feet wide apart and between them was my bag. -_- All the way I had to keep my feet like that until I arrived at the destination.

All people, regardless races, religions, or anything should know the manners. It is acceptable to do ridiculous things only if you are a baby. Are you a baby?

In schools, we are taught about Morals and also for Muslims, Islamic Education. But then, what happened when we get out of school? What happened to all the lessons you've studied? Of course, only some of us did it. I'm not blaming everyone. But let's take the lessons from this story.

For me, I think it is better for them to let others to go first rather than pushing. Or, they can also enter other coaches. There's nothing different, right? They can still reach their destination at the same exact time.

Credit: http://www.dgbnhf.com/

“...and don't throw yourselves using your hands into destruction, and do good. Indeed, Allah loves the good doers. “

[Al-Baqarah 2:195]

So, by doing good to others, Allah will love us. People will love us. And also other creatures will love us. That's really good, isn't it?

Credit: http://vector-magz.com/clip-art-2/best-friends-clip-art-item-4/

Thus, think before you do it!

ZZZ...

When do you sleep? How do you sleep? Do you have a good sleep?

Some people suffer the difficulties to sleep, commonly known as insomnia. Usually, those people need more than 30 minutes to fall asleep and they frequently get awake. As all of us know, sleep is really important in our lives. Besides retrieving back the energy for the next day, it can also increase the productivity and focus. Just imagine when you do not sleep that night, the next day will be terrible and you cannot even think critically.

Credit: http://healthprofessionalsnyc.com/medical/foresthills/forest-hills/pediatric-medical-care/

So, how can we avoid from insomnia?

1. AVOID HEAVY EXERCISES BEFORE SLEEP
   In colleges, I could see that most students usually play badminton or soccer or anything at night. This also occurs in the real life too, where we usually spend our time watching soccer game at approximately 8 o'clock. However, do you know that it is BAD for our health? Most medical specialists prohibit people to do heavy exercises about 4 to 6 hours before sleeping. Instead, it is encouraged to do it in the evening or morning because it can ease us to sleep at night.
   
   
2. TAKE A BATH
   According to a research by Michigan State University, taking a warm bath 2 hours before going to bed can help us to sleep, especially for those who suffer depression related disturbances. I think it is basically because our body will be much cooler and fresher, which comfort us before sleeping. Besides taking a bath, we can also practice a simpler alternative: taking wudhu' (ablution). It is much faster and most importantly, it is SUNNAH!
   
   “Rasulullah s.a.w. said: When you are going to the bed, you should take wudhu' just like you are going to perform a prayer”
   [Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]
   
   
3. AVOID STRESS
   When you are stress, you will keep thinking about that problem and it will makes you hard to sleep. For example, you had a fight with your best friend that evening. Later at night, you will feel guilty or angry with him or her. You will keep entertaining your emotions and you cannot fall asleep at all. On the other hand, Islam teaches us to remember Allah before we sleep.
   
   “Rasulullah s.a.w. said: Anyone who lies down to sleep and does not remember Allah(zikr) he or she will face loss at Allah's side.”
   [Narrated by Abu Daud]
   
   
   Furthermore, we are also encouraged to forgive others before we sleep. Remember, sleep is a short death. If only we die without forgiving others, they will have to face dangers in the hereafter.
   
   
   
4. SLEEP ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE
   Most students and adults do this: wake up early in weekdays but wake up late in weekends. They usually use the excuses like this, “I don't get enough sleep during weekdays, so I have to sleep more during weekends.” Unfortunately, this is wrong! You will only get a good sleep if you follow your sleep schedule. For example, if you sleep from 11 pm to 6 am during weekdays, you should do the same on holidays. There shouldn't be any differences among the days. Just try to sleep accordingly. How many hours should you sleep then? Actually, it's up to your own body. Some people only need 5 hours, while some others may need up to 9 hours. Don't force yourselves to follow others, or else you'll suffer!
   
   

Credit: http://emshelley.deviantart.com/art/Sleeping-Eevee-Animation-224070444

Although we, Muslims, are encouraged to wake up early in the morning to perform Tahajjud prayers and others, we should still have enough sleep.

“Rasulullah s.a.w said: You should sleep until the sleepiness goes away.”

[Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim]

So, let's have a good sleep to be more productive!  

I'm not a bee...

I'm not a bee...

Sorry for not updating this blog recently. My friends and I were really busy last few days. We had to handle our college Open Day with the carnivals and also exhibitions. Truly, it was a tough job for us.

Credit: http://the-new-professional.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-busy-excuse.html

Even though it was a BIG event, we still managed to complete it almost smoothly. Although there were some problems, they were all minors and we could handle it easily, Alhamdulillah...

What's our strength?

AS BUSY AS BEES

Though we are not bees, we can still take the great attitudes of them.

1. TEAMWORK
   They are divided into some groups according to their work. Some of them take care of the princess, while others work together to get their honey. Some of them search for honey and some others keep the honey in their hives.
   
   

2. 

   Credit: http://www.expresspros.co.za/independent-workers-teach-them-problem-solving/

   PROBLEM SOLVING
   From what I read, bees have the instinct about the needs of their communities. For example, when the bees in the hive are short of food, the workers will search for more honey from the flowers far away. They know it based on the speed of the bees in the hive collecting their products. The faster the bees in the hive collect, the more honey they need and vice versa. So, when they have enough honey, they just have to go to nearby flowers. So, they will not lose much energy for unnecessary acts.
   
   
   
3. GOOD PRODUCTS
   Their teamwork and great minds produce one of the best remedy in the world: honey. According to researches, honey can increase the energy (University of Memphis), act as moisturizers(National Honey Board), increase our immunity (University of Clemson), and many other advantages.
   

Credit: http://wonderville.com/gallery/animal-kingdom/insects/honey-bees

In Al-Quran, bees are also mentioned as one of the name of Surah: Surah An-Nahl.

“Coming out from the bees' stomach is honey with variety colors, inside it is the remedy to cure humans.”

[Surah An-Nahl:69]

How wonderful the bees are! Truly, none among Allah's creation has no reasons beneath it. Next time we see the bees, think about this and say:

SUBHANALLAH

Credit: http://www.artizara.com/subhan-allah-islamic-art-print.html

Being VIPs

Recently, I attended a grand ceremony located at Royale Chulan Hotel, Jalan Conlay, Kuala Lumpur. We were required to gather there about 3 hours before the ceremony started to do the rehearsal.

When we were lining up to start the rehearsal, one of the committee members approached us. “We need 7 people to help us.” And so, without hesitating, people near her, including me, followed her into the hall (actually it is a ballroom according to its name). Others remained at their lines.

We had never thought that we were going to be the 'VIP'!

Credit: http://woffc.org/archives/764

As soon as we entered the hall, we were seated at the VIP's table. The table was so huge that only half of it was used for 7 people. I thought that maybe they did not want the VIPs to turn around to look at the stage, so they left the front side of the table empty. In front of each of us were the basic cutlery and plates and glasses. We also sneaked at the menu to find out our food for that event. Mmm.. Nasi Tomato, Ayam Masak Merah, Ikan Sweet Sour,... Besides, there were also appetizers and desserts, which are chicken soup and sagu(I think this was the most scrumptious food served there). Looks like we were going to have full stomachs!

After waiting for a few moments, the masters of ceremony(MC) began to speak. And suddenly, one of us was asked to go onto the stage. And then more and more of us. They were called Dato', Datin and so on. And what had surprised us is that they were escorted all the way from the floor to the stage. I was actually quite relieved. My friend and I, only two of us were not required to go onto the stage. We just had to sit back and watch them acting like VIPs. :P

Next, we had to follow the committee members to a special lounge. Wow, not only we were in one of the most luxurious hotel in Malaysia, we also had the chance to be in a room where most VIPs rest before the events begin. It was actually a small room with sofas and also coffee tables. The sofas were arranged as if they want the VIPs to talk to each other. Nothing more actually...

Then, we were required to go to the hall and rehearse with our fellow friends. They were already in the hall, and we had to pretend to be the VIPs in front of them! I felt like I want to laugh at that very moment when we stepped into the hall, but I tried to hold it. After the national song, we sat back on the chair. When one of my friend was called to give a speech(pretending as VIP), others suddenly laughed. Luckily, she could control her emotions up there. :D However, suddenly, the committee were confused. I had to go onto the stage to give certificates to others. Luckily, no one was laughing.

And.... that's all about my experience about being the VIPs for a few minutes.

But, what's the point of telling this stories?

Most people want to be the VIPs as they want to be escorted all the time and many other reasons. However, one thing you should think. The VIPs are not all about feeling grand. They have to do their JOBS and AMANAH. They own bigger RESPONSIBILITIES. They have much more WORKS. Truly, it's not easy to be like them.

A great leader leads others to the right path!
Credit: http://www.wheel.ie/leadership

However, I am not saying that you should not be the leaders or VIPs. Yet, we have to be prepared to lead others and not just think about the rewards we are going to get.

ONE IS THE LEADER OF ONESELF

All of us are khalifah! We have to make this world a proper place to live, we have to practice Islam all the time, we have to bring others to enter the Jannah with us, to be the best among human beings.

“You are not the true believers until you love others just like you love yourselves”

Let's enter Jannah together!
Credit: http://www.clipartpanda.com/categories/group-of-girl-friends-clipart

So, let's be the best leader without hoping for rewards!

Should I excel in the academics?

My teacher once told his experience...

One day, in a class, a lecturer distributed the latest exam marks to his students. He was very angry about them.
 "You are 'kafir'! How can you get  very bad marks for this exam?!"
Then, someone asked, "Why do you say that we are 'kafir'? There's no connection between our academic performance and our imaan. We are still Muslims!"
 "Well, you did not concentrate in your studies. You just play around, without thinking to be the best in your studies. Muslims are obliged to learn."
Another student voiced out,"but you are the one who is wrong. We did not understand what you taught."
"then why you did not meet me andbask about it?"
"some of the questions in the exam had not been taught by you."
"maybe you are the one who were absent on that class. Or maybe you were not concentrating."

From this story, I could conclude that studies is crucial. Anything begins from learning. Since we were born, we learned how to crawl, to sit, to stand, to walk, to run and then to talk and so on. Until now, we are still learning, including the elders. Whether it is formal education or informal, it is still important in our life. We do not want to be a stupid person right?

Allah praises the ones who are bright. But who are they?

"Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for the people of wisdom, [190] who remember Allah standing and sitting, and (lying) on their sides, and ponder on the creation of the heavens and the earth (saying:) "Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. We proclaim Your purity. So, save us from the punishment of Fire. [191]

(surah Ali Imran)

According to this ayat, there are TWO characters of ulul albab, the people of wisdom:

1) remember Allah standing and sitting

2) ponder the creations of the heavens and the earth

So, both Islam and studies are important. We must take both of them as our priority. Learnings can help us to know more about the creations of Allah. For example, when we know that there is a river underwater, as stated in the Quran, our imaan will be stronger as it proves the truth of Quran. And such discoveries even made the researchers to revert to Islam! How wonderful it is!

Thus, excel in your academics and contribute to  Islam!

Losing...

Yesterday, my mom told me a shocking story. Her friend was taking care of her mother in her house. One day, her brother came by to visit their mother who was really sick at that time. However, things went opposite. Her brother suddenly fell and after a while, was confirmed to die.

Meanwhile, there was another shocking news. A flaperon found in Reunion(pronounced as re-yu-nee-yo) Island was confirmed to be the debris of MH370, a missing airplane since 8th of March last year. The families of the passengers on board seemed to be more sad and wanted more evidence to prove the expected crash.

From both stories, we can conclude that death is unpredictable. Death can come anywhere, anytime,  by any factors. I remembered one of the popular saying by Ramlee Awang Murshid in the Sunan novel series:

MATI ITU PASTI, HIDUP INSYAALLAH

"Death is confirmed, to remain alive InsyaAllah"

Also in surah Ali Imran, ayat 185:

                         Every soul shall have a taste of death...

So, everyone will die, no one can refute this. However, how to control ourselves when we lose our beloved ones? What if they are the ones in the MH370? How can we go on with our life without them?

To lose someone is one of the challenges that we have to go. Allah wants to test is whether our imaan is strong or not, whether we are able to accept the fate or not. The greater our imaan is, the greater the challenges. Just look at Rasulullah s.a.w. He was the greatest human being of all the universe, yet He had to face the challenges of losing the beloved ones, His dad, His mom, His grandpa, His uncle, His wife, His sons,... But he could go through all of them, because Allah knew he could.

In surah Al Baqarah ayat 286:

            Allah does not charge a soul except within its capacity...
Believe in yourself, you can do it!

Nothing is impossible.

Hurry, hurry, hurry

Our most recent assignment was to present about the differences between Asian culture and American culture. From my research and also the presentations by others, I found out that the major difference that had attracted me was about time.

"Time waits for nobody"
"Time is golden"
"If you're on time, you're late"
Those are among the popular maxims among Americans regarding the time. These shows how they are really concern about the time. I always hear that the lecturers in the USA are really strict in deadlines of assignments. If they want them by a date, then it is. They won't accept them more if you are late. Also in most events, people will show up at the stated time. Different with Malaysians, we think that 8.50 is too early to go to an event which starts at 9 o'clock.

Supposedly, we have to have the punctuality in ourselves. By being ready earlier, we could  actually feel more calm because we do not have to rush to and fro. And rushing can also result to carelessness, which will interrupt our incoming activities. For example, if we only start preparing to go to the class about 5 minutes before it begins, we may leave a few important things such as note books or even worse, homeworks. So, then we have to explain to the teacher why we cannot submit the work, or we have to write the notes in pieces of papers which are not really appropriate.

In Islam, we are also encouraged to be punctual all the time.

 By Al-'Asr (the time). Verily! Man is in loss, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth and recommend one another to patience.  (Surah Al-Asr:1-3)

So, it is absolutely important to manage our time that Allah had even created a surah about it. According to this surah, we are productive only when we do some good deeds and also invite people to join us. Procrastinating is not included.

Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: "the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, grabbed my shoulder and said: Be in this world like a stranger or a passer-by, and Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, used to say: "If you enter into the evening do not wait for the morning, and if you enter into the morning do not wait for the evening, and take from your health for your illness, and from your life for your death." [Narrator: Abdullah ibn Umar, in Sahih Al-Bukhari]

It is shown that Islam is really concerned about the time according to the hadith and Al-Quran. Thus, we, Muslims especially, should show a.good example in time management. Let's be punctual!

A piece of Peace

Looking at Malaysia nowadays, I think this country once known as peaceful and harmony is getting worse. The Lowyat issue, the changing of cabinets, the political issues and so on were disturbing me. Talking about peace, I rembered one ayat:

And if two factions among the believers should fight, then make settlement between the two. But if one of them oppresses the other, then fight against the one that oppresses until it returns to the ordinance of Allah . And if it returns, then make settlement between them in justice and act justly. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.     (QS Al-Hujurat 49:9)

There are 4 versions of stories related to the reasons why the ayat was revealed. Most of them are about the fight resulted from the words. Thus, it is not necessarily about the war or the big fight, but also the small ones. Sometimes, people fight just because of small matters. It is important for ourselves to unite and avoid any bad actions, whether with the Muslims or non-muslims. We are all one. Don't we will feel uncomfortable and stressful when our community fights each other?

So, talking about the Malaysian community. We consists of multi-ethnic people with various religions. However, that will not make us apart. In fact, people outside respect us for living peacefully in one country. We don't want catastrophes like the 13th May tragedy, right? So, try to avoid mentioning about sensitive issues, especially about races. If you ever want to talk about it, make sure that it will not hurt anybody. Please,
think before you do anything.

Lastly, I hope Malaysia will remain as a peaceful Islamic country. Remember, Islam don't allow us to fight those who won't harm our religion.