When love is rizq

Love is a rizq. Love is a provision.

Isn't it amazing that the feeling of love is a type of rizq?

Our Prophet (peace be upon him), in one occasion when mentioning about his wife, Khadija was reported to have said 'ruziqtu hubbiha' meaning 'Allah has provided me her love'.

'A'isha reported:
Never did I feel jealous of the wives of Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) except in case of Khadija, although I did not (have the privilege to) see her.

She further added that whenever Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) slaughtered a sheep, he said: 'Send it to the companions of Khadija.' I annoyed him one day and said: '(It is) Khadija only who always prevails upon your mind.' 

Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: 'Her love had been nurtured in my heart by Allah Himself.'

(Muslim)

I find this hadith to be really beautiful. In this profound hadith, our Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us that there is another kind of rizq. The rizq that is not visible for our eyes to see. The rizq, that can only be felt.

When our parents kissed our cheeks and told us that they love us, wouldn't we feel happy? When our friends, our dear sisters gave us a hug and told us that they love us for the sake of Allah, we would certainly feel grateful and we'll surely tell them we love them back. When a person came to us and told us that they love us, we without doubt would feel humbled and thankful, and if that person is of opposite gender, we would then manage this to the best of our abilty- to make it halal or to decline, after careful thoughts and performing our istikhaarah.

The fact that love is a type of rizq is indeed true. When we call it rizq, we realise that not all people can actually own it. Rizq, is a present from Allah, given to whoever He wants, whenever, wherever. There are so many people out there still seeking for love but have not found it. This is why the feeling of love, whether you love or being loved, should be cherished. And as a Muslim we cherish love in accordance to the shariah.

The only problem that we face today (or what I used to face) is that we don't know how to place this rizq in our lives. There are times when we are in denial that we try our best to deny this feeling from emerging in our heart. But then again, Islam never taught us to deny what our heart feels. The beauty of this religion is that it taught us to be cautious, that it shouldn't be handled so recklessly that we let it to dictate our lives. Because this is when love now becomes worship and obsession, while our worship should never be to the creation, but only to the Creator, the Owner of the love Himself.

That is why I find the story of Prophet Ibraheem (peace be upon him) who was tested to sacrifice his son, and the story of the mother of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) who was ordered by Allah to allow her son to float downstream of the great Nile river are full of lessons. 

And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, "O my son, indeed I
have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think." He said, "O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast." (Quran 37:102)

And We inspired to the mother of Moses, "Suckle him; but when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear and do not grieve. Indeed, We will return him to you and will make him [one] of the messengers."(Quran 28:7)

In these two occasions, Allah has taught us that loving your child is never wrong, but you have to realize this one important thing; that He is the One that you should love first before loving anything else- even if it is halal for you. Even if it is your spouse, your family and children. And what is more amazing is that once you let Allah to be your main focus in life, love will come back to you. It will multiply. Prophet Ismail (peace be upon him)  grew up to be a fine young man, continuing his father's legacy, while Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) did come back to his mother and became a great prophet in history. So never ever think that the sacrifice you make for the sake of Allah is not worth it. Rather, it is far, beyond worth it.

Thus in answering where and how to place this love in our lives, maybe we should just treat it like our medication- we know it heals us with the correct dosage we take but once we have it too much, we know we will kill ourselves.

So to every single person who have come to my life and giving me your love, you know I can never thank you enough. The gift of love you have given me has made my life so colourful.. And I hope that I can, or have returned it the same way, so our lives will be just as vibrant :)

I pray that God will bless us with the provision of love that we all desire, to make sure that the love we have for humanbeings will be the cause for us to enter his Jannah and not to lead us away from it. 

That being said, I think it is high time we cherish this rizq now. Be thankful if you love someone. Be even more thankful if you are being loved by someone. Because if you really are a truthful servant of God, you will understand that this rizq will enrich your heart. By cherishing this, you know you will always come back to the One who blesses you with this rizq. You will always come back to al-Wadood, the Most-Loving.

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I don't know your definition of love

                                                         



* This post is a reflection of what I felt after my convocation ceremony has ended*


Bismillah

I don't know what your definition of love is,

But for me, love is when your father came to your convocation ceremony bringing along a bouquet of fresh flowers into the hall. He carried it happily hoping to pass it to his daughter at the end of the event not knowing that the water beneath the bouquet was dripping down during the whole ceremony hence causing the floor around him to be flooded with water. Upon realizing, he wiped it with his handkerchief. Knowing it was to no avail as the handkerchief is now soaked, he then wiped it with his socks.


I don't know what your definition of love is,

But as for me, love is when your mother is ready to walk miles just so she can witness her daughter taking a scroll on the stage despite the fact that she knows it's going to be difficult for her Parkinson's disease. Despite the fact that she has aching soles that each step she takes is a painful one. But she keeps on putting a smile on her face and the pain is as if nothing to her when she gets the chance to kiss the cheeks of her daughter.


I don't know what your definition of love is,

But as far as I know, love is when your family always make time for you although they too, have other important things to do in life. Always listen to your problems, don't mind spending money to buy you gifts, give their support and will always lend their shoulders for you to cry on.


I don't know what your definition of love is,

But I just realised that love is when your juniors attending your convocation and give you a hug, presents and flowers, (some walk miles under the burning sun to see you and say congrats) although you actually did not offer that much of help except being a friend to them and uttered some encouraging words for them to keep on going. MashaAllah. May Allah bless you, beautiful soul. You know who you are ;)


I don't know what your definition of love is,

But what I know is, love is when you are feeling so hard to bid farewell to one another. Giving a hug and your self keep on wondering whether could this be the last hug? After you pretty much grew up in the university together. Shared the worry, the sadness with each other. Celebrating one's birthday and achievement as if it is your own. Will we be able to find this kind of friendship anywhere else..?



For whatever your definition of love is, I am so glad that my understanding of love are as such. Contrary to what most people believe, love, is not at all about your love towards opposite gender, for real love requires years to build. It needs sacrifice. For years I believe that I am not a person who is overly attached to people, but voila, this is me, today, not only attached to people but is attached to moments and memories as well.

As I bid farewell to my university years, I want to understand goodbye just like what Rumi once said,

'Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes. Because for those who love with heart and soul, there is no such thing as separation'

I would like to take this opportunity to really thank everyone who have made this possible. Wallahi, I don't think I can thank you enough. Alhamdulillah I am so grateful to Allah for blessing me with so many good people in my life- my parents for their constant support and motivation, my family, lecturers who are ever helpful, my batch and groupmates, akhowat, 'buddies', staff at the faculty, my patients for their trust and time! If I were in my patients' position, I don't think I will ever be able to do the same. May Allah continue to shower all of you with His blessings. Putting a title in front of my name is a big amaanah. I can feel the pressure. But I know I can do this because of the support I received from you, people.



*taking a deep breath*

Now life begins!



Ya Allah, I ask you to grant these people the best in their lives and hereafter. Alleviate their pain, make their affairs easy and bless them in whatever they are doing.

Ya Allah, bless the knowledge that I've obtained and let me utilise it well to serve this ummah.

Ya Allah, I ask You to keep guiding me, despite what the future offers. To don't ever leave me on my own. Because without You, I'm lost. Without Your love and guidance, I'm just a body walking without soul..

Ameen Ya Rabb!
'

'

                                                                       *nangis*
                                               

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Of beautiful encounter and making decisions

source

Bismillah

I know I've said this many times. But I just have to say this again, that life is always a matter of making decisions.

There is this du'a from Hisnul Muslim that I used to recite, and I hope it will be of your usual to start reciting it too. I love this du'a so much as it shows how weak we are as a servant to Allah. It contains so much of tawakkul. Here is the du'a


Ya hayyu ya qayyoom, birahmatika astagheeth, aslih lee sha/nee kullah, wala takilnee ila nafsee tarfata ayn

‘O Ever Living, O Self-Subsisting and Supporter of all, by Your mercy I seek assistance, rectify for me all of my affairs and do not leave me to myself, even for the blink of an eye.’



Subhanallah. Even for the blink of an eye? The Prophet saw really taught us something- our weakness and dependency to no one but Allah.


There are reasons why Allah gave us brain, so we are able to think *wisely*.There are reasons why we are the khalifah, and why Allah did not choose animals to make this world a better place. Well, if we want to take one's strength as the criterion to be a khalifah, I believe Allah would have chosen the lions, or the elephants. But He didn't.

It is due to the reason that we have intellect that Allah chose us to live in this world, to serve Him and to do good to the mankind.

So when I was given options, I really want to think again and again before coming up with decisions.

And the decision that I will make will inshaAllah, I hope is pleasing to Allah's sight. Life is a mystery. And I'm taking the steps to slowly exploring it- little by little. Because at the end of the day, what I really want is for Allah to be pleased with me. Wallahi, I'm just His servant, I own nothing. And I sincerely ask Allah to guide me in whatever decision that I'm about to make.

These past few weeks have been amazing. I might not have my job yet, but alhamdulillah I met so many beautiful people during this jobless time, or whatever you want to call this period is. Or 'zaman pengangguran?' Well, doesn't matter.

Thing is, I came to realize something. We might think that the person we meet is just another person but the reality is, they are not. All the people around us, they are AMAZING. I met these people randomly, had a chat and somehow they just shared their beautiful stories that left me in awe.

And there are many other incidents and conversations that I had with other people that are so inspiring and an eye-opener too. It was up to a point that I had to question my self. Why didn't I hear these stories before? How come I wasn't destined to meet these people long ago?


Until I finally got the answer. That it is not the matter of when and where that I meet these people, but rather it is the matter within me. I was too busy thinking about me, me and me until I forgot about the existence of the beautiful, kind-hearted people around me. It was always hey-I'm- saying-something-important-you-have-to-listen that I eventually do not know how to listen to what other people have to say. And amazingly, after I realized that, and started to really listen, my life seems to be more vibrant and colourful.


So if there's a message I want you to understand now, is to never take the people around us for granted. Understand them, listen to them. Each and everyone of them carries a story. The story that somehow will make you want to change and be certain in your decision. There are reasons why Allah send them and make you notice their presence in your life. It is now time to explore. Didn't we just say that life is a mystery? Well it is not a mystery until we venture out and start exploring!






IZ:   Funny that I'm writing this with nothing in my mind at first. I just let my fingers enjoying their little dance on this keyboard while at the same time letting my heart to talk to myself. Strangely they synchronised so well until the very last word..

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The fight

Bismillah.


I always feel that life is just like a bowl of salad. It is a mixture of emotions. We might hate the broccoli in the salad, or the onion, but hey, isn't there, in that same bowl of salad, the ever sweet, crunchy baby carrot? And also the green and fresh capsicum?  And to make it more awesome, there will always be that thousand island sauce to make the taste just perfect when you mix it all together.

Likewise this life. We might hate certain things that happened in our life. We are saddened by the unfulfilled expectations. We break when being tested with calamities. But have we ever reflected that those tests and tribulations are not, and will never be constant? Rather, Allah tests us and gives us alternately, in accordance to what we can bear. And that, gives life its flavour.


So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief.   Verily, with every difficulty there is relief. (Quran 94: 5-6)

5 years in dental school is not easy. I've learnt A LOT of things. And its not just about managing teeth like most of you would think. But I learnt friendship. I learnt respect. I learnt to give. I learnt to take. But most importantly, I learnt about me.. Allah is kind enough to put me in my condition now so that I know Him better. So that I become a person who depends on no one but Him. Trade me with a million dollar in exchange to my moments and my life as a dental student here in Faculty of Dentistry University Malaya, and I can say that I won't even give a glimpse on that money. By Allah, being placed in this university, in this faculty is by far the best thing that ever happened to me..

With that, I'm sharing you a poetry that I wrote a couple of months ago- a poem which describes my love-hate relationship (well for now I think it's more of love ;) ) with dentistry. Its my first attempt of writing a poem, so pardon me if it is not well put or anything. Whatever good in it comes from Allah, and whats bad comes from myself.



The Fight


I was looking at the stars so bright
As if telling me to never lose sight
Well they say, to get there I need to give my blood sweat and tears
And I was wondering will I ever be able to give that throughout the years

It once crossed my mind whether did I really make the right decision
Because often times, the struggles that I faced shook my emotion
But I remember what my father used to mention
That I've already  swum half the ocean
So there's no point looking back at the shore
For indeed the island is waiting for me, and thats for sure
So I keep on swimming...

Until I met people who want nothing but to be the best
That sometimes they have forgotten about the rest
Then I wonder if our friendship lies only to the (clinical) case
Because if that is so my friend, then we have absolutely failed the test

But I'm just glad that most of my friends are just amazing
They keep giving me hope and so motivating
To all these people who are so beautiful
Know that your presence in my life are like the moon so full
And for this friendship I will always be thankful
And I'm thankful not only because of the bond that happened
But also for the chance for us to be here as a student
To be taught by the lecturers whom God have chosen
To train us to be the best of student, and therefore the best of human
And for these teachers, may you be rewarded the highest place in the Heaven
Ameen.

You see my dear friend
This is not just a mere poetry nor a song
But this is what the heart been wanting to tell you for so long
As we call ourselves 'insan', we know we are not that strong
We tend to make mistakes all along
So when things started to be wrong
It is then time for us to really understand
That we are actually weak, hence we cant comprehend
Whatever obstacles that may come in hand
So to whom shall we raise our hand?

Waking up in the night so dark I cant see
But my heart is so hollow I'm longing to see Him
He is ar-Rahman, ar-Raheem
He, who when everybody leaves me is still there
Keep giving me hope when I'm in despair
Mending the heart when it's in need of repair
To God I put my reliance
To God I put my trust
Because what am I to Him if not just like the dust
I trust His plan, where there lies my future
As He is indeed the best planner!




I sincerely ask for your du'a to make our (final year students) affairs easy, for Allah to bless the knowledge that we've obtained, to reward those who have helped me and other friends throughout our life as a dental student, to bless my parents who have been supporting me, and for me and my friends to be able to pass the exams with flying colours. May all of us manage to become dentists who concern not just to the head and neck region of our patients, but to their soul as well. Ameen!



IZ: 2 weeks before the exams! *shivers*

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Coffee or Tea?

Bismillah

I used to never like coffee. In fact, I hated it. Whenever I went to a restaurant or got into a plane and they asked

"Coffee or tea, miss?"

It was always tea. Always. I even wondered how can everybody like coffee so much? The taste is  bitter and the colour is also well, not very pleasing considering that it will leave stain on your teeth.. no, that is a weak argument. Tea also leaves stain, dont they? But I guess you get my point 

There was a time, as I was studying in my school's study room a few years back, I saw one of my friends making coffee in the middle of the night (it was a boarding school, that's why we studied until midnight). Although I was soo sleepy that night and wanted to sleep but I had a lot to cover. So I went to this friend of mine and asked her whether I can have a packet of her coffee and being a kind-hearted person she was, she passed one, with a smile.

I went downstairs, headed to the 'water cooler' machine and made my first cup of hot coffee. So that was it. First time in history! I could not even believe it my self. I took the courage to drink coffee. Yay me! And believe it or not, that was the first time I know that coffee can actually stimulate your brain and help you gain focus. I did not feel sleepy at all after that and can continue studying. Yes, it still taste bitter, but somehow, I could adapt to that taste. And today, you name it- cappucino, latte, espresso, frappucino- coffee is no longer alien to me :)

So, why am I telling you this story? Who cares when was the first time I drink coffee, right? Isn't this just a waste of your time? Wait. Let us go through this together :)

Don't you think that our life is always a matter of choosing between coffee and tea? What I mean is, in this life, we are always presented with choices- one which looks pleasing to our eyes, and one, the opposite. Oftenly the decision we make is always because of what our eyes perceive is cool- having great looks is cool, having amazing car and house is cool, hanging out with friends of opposite gender is cool. It is sad that our perspective of life is so narrow that we allow others, especially our circle of friends and the media, to make us agree with them although we ourselves know how the reality is.

As Allah said in the Quran,

And did We not show him the two highroads (of good and evil)? 

(Al-Balad: 10)

So yes, choices and decisions of choosing what's good and what's bad are the nature of life

Sometimes, our mind is blurred from seeing things that are supposed to be good because things like I said, from the influence of media itself and most importantly, from our own nafs. Take these examples:

1) You know performing ibadah will increase your reward for the Hereafter but your nafs tells you that you shouldn't be doing much, you think your body needs a rest and you feel like at least your ibadah is better than some people who don't pray at all. Hmmph...

2) You know watching too much tv is a waste of your time, but you are still doing it because there's this show that you've been following and you dont want to miss that although you have another important task to be done.

3) You know studying will help you to improve your grades but your nafs is telling you there are still plenty of time before the exams! "Rilekslah oii", your heart whispers.

Those are only a few examples. But I'm sure you can come up with more. We already knew that if we choose a path that is harder ( extra ibadah, cut down entertainment, avoid procrastination) will give us tremendous benefits, but how many of us are actually taking that path? But rather we are pleased with the easier road and being in the state of 'chillax' everytime..

This is where the analogy of coffee comes in. Coffee may taste bitter, but later on, you can count on it to stimulate  your brain in the early mornings and help you to achieve more in your work (by the will of Allah, of course), but plain tea- although it comes with sweet taste and scent, won't be able to do it.

Choosing a path to please Allah might need a lot of self-discipline and consistency, whether you want to do da'wah or just to become a better person. But this is the jihad of the nafs. And one who choose this path should feel proud that he's given the honor to worship and be the servant of his Creator. I remember hearing a lecture from the inspiring sister Yasmin Mogahed. It goes like this,

'When a person is being given a chance to do something for someone who is much respected to him or whom he admires (a rockstar for example), he always like to do it- even to tie that person's shoelace, he will boast about it, take his picture with that rockstar and tell everyone about it. He thinks he is honored. Now this is the King of the Universe we are talking about, the One who give us sustenance, shouldn't we feel more than honored to serve Him?'

It struck me deeply when I first heard it. May all of us take the chance of our health and time to serve our King and to be able to give our best in becoming His servant. Allahumma ameen!

 I pray that in this blessed month of Ramadhan, the month where the shaytans are all chained, will give us the opportunity to train our nafs, increase our taqwa, and for Allah to guide us in every decision that we are about to make, and to not ever leave us even in the blink of eyes. The path to Allah may seem hard, and not so glamorous but we have to be certain that what's waiting in the Akhirah is totally worth it, or to be accurate, beyond worth it. May the path that we choose, will make you and me see each other again. And I hope that will be at a place called Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen.

O You who believe! Shall I guide you to a commerce that will save you from a painful torment.That you believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam), and that you strive hard and fight in the Cause of Allah with your wealth and your lives, that will be better for you, if you but know! (If you do so) He will forgive you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow, and pleasant dwelling in Gardens of 'Adn - Eternity ['Adn (Edn) Paradise], that is indeed the great success (As-Saff: 10-12)

IZ: I hope that whoever is reading this does not think that I'm promoting coffee brands nor coffee shops here, or provoking you to stop drinking tea LOL. I have nothing against tea for your info. But as for these days, I'm #TeamCoffee :p 

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Perihal hati

Bismillah.

Perihal hati itu bagi saya, sangat unik dan istimewa. Bila kita mula suka kepada seseorang, kita akan kata kita sudah jatuh hati kepada orang tersebut. Bila kita melihat kezaliman depan mata, kita akan mula menyimpan perasaan benci dan katakan orang tersebut tak ada hati dan perasaan. Kita juga akan katakan tak sampai hati sebagai kata lain untuk menunjukkan perasaan kasihan. Unik bukan. Seolah-olah hati itulah yang menyimpan segala jenis emosi dalam diri kita- benci, sayang, rindu, marah, kepuasan- hati kita seumpama bertindak sebagai karung yang menyimpan isi nya kemas-kemas. Dan bila tiba waktunya karung itu juga akan penuh, mungkin juga akan terkoyak dan dihamburkan juga isinya akhirnya. Begitulah juga hati.


Saya jelas ramai yang suka bila bercakap soal hati. Terutama bab jatuh hati tu ;) Tapi maaf, post ini mungkin tak dapat menjelaskan perkara tersebut.. Post ini, inshaAllahu taala akan membincangkan isu yang lebih kritikal daripada itu.

Pernah dengar IMAN?

Ya, iman. Ketahuilah antara semua perkara/perasaan yang hati ini mampu simpan, iman lah ketuanya. Andai kita mahu hati yang tenang, kuat dan tabah, perhatikanlah paras iman dalam hati kita. Selalu kita dengar orang mengeluh hatinya kosong. Hatinya kering. Dan dia tercari-cari apa sebenarnya yang hatinya benar-benar mahukan.

Saya teringat kisah yang saya baca tempoh hari dalam buku 'Searching For A Job', ditulis oleh Dr Muhammad Abdul Rahman Al-Arifi yang dapat saya terjemahkan kepada lebih kurang begini.

Seorang lelaki datang mengadu kepada Shaykh dan katanya hatinya seolah-olah kosong dan hidupnya tiada erti. Lalu Shaykh itu pun bertanya kepada lelaki tersebut.

"Apabila kamu ingin menyenangkan mata kamu, apa yang kamu lakukan?"


"Saya akan ke pantai dan menikmati pemandangan indah"


"Jika kamu ingin menyenangkan telinga kamu, apa yang kamu lakukan?"


"Saya akan mendengar muzik yang saya sukai"


"Jika kamu ingin menyenangkan fikiran kamu, apakah yang kamu lakukan?"


"Saya akan keluar ke pusat membeli-belah dan menonton wayang."


Begitulah jawapan lelaki tersebut. Lalu Shaykh itu pun bertanya lagi.


"Sekarang, jika kamu ingin menyenangkan telinga kamu, bolehkah kamu ke pantai dan menikmati pemandangan indah?"


Lelaki itu diam dan lantas menjawab,


"Sudah tentu tidak. Ia tidak berkaitan dan tidak masuk akal."


"Dan jika kamu ingin menyenangkan telinga kamu, bolehkah kamu keluar membeli-belah?"

Lelaki itu pun menjawab tidak untuk soalan tersebut. Shaykh itu langsung menyambung.

"Lalu, bagaimana kamu ingin mendapat hati yang tenang jika pintu/laluan untuk sampai ke hati kamu semuanya dari arah yang salah dan tidak masuk akal?"

SubhanAllah.

Saya langsung terfikir. Barangkali kita terlupa bahawa telinga, mata dan anggota badan yang lain semuanya adalah pintu untuk sampai ke hati kita. Maka bila hati kita mahukan sesuatu, sepatutnya kita masuki hati itu melalui pintu yang sebenarnya.

Entah siapa yang mengajarkan, bila hati kita tak keruan, kita haruslah keluar ke panggung-panggung wayang dan keluar membeli-belah. Mungkin juga perlu berkaraoke dan hadiri konsert-konsert artis yang diminati. Namun persoalannya, benarkah itu akan memberi ketenangan? Dan kalaupun kita berasa seronok dan dapat melupakan masalah kita ketika di tempat tersebut, adakah kita kan masih berasa tenang keesokan harinya?

Antara sebab mengapa saya menulis tentang ini adalah kerana saya melihat ramai yang belum jelas dari mana datangnya sumber ketenangan. Lalu mereka cuba memasuki hati mereka melalui pelbagai pintu, dari pelbagai arah tanpa mengetahui apa yang di'feed' kan kepada hati mereka hanya tambah melemahkan lagi hati yang sedia 'fragile' itu..


Dalam Al-Quran, Allah berfirman

"(Iaitu) orang-orang yang beriman dan tenang tenteram hati mereka dengan zikrullah". Ketahuilah dengan "zikrullah" itu, tenang tenteramlah hati manusia. (Ar-Ra'd :28)


Maka di sini saya saya sediakan beberapa point untuk bagaimana mengingati Allah dan secara langsung untuk meningkatkan keimanan dan ketenangan hati kita, biidznillah.




1)Zikir pagi dan petang
Selepas solat subuh, jangan terus tidur my dearests. Waktu pagi itu sangat penuh dengan keberkatan. Apa salahnya luangkan 15 minit lagi untuk amalkan zikir daripada sunnah Rasulullah saw. Sedar tak sedar, lepas dah berzikir anda pun tak lagi mengantuk dan boleh sambung kerja lain seperti study, jogging, kemas rumah dan sebagainya. Kalau berkesempatan ke Pustaka Mukmin di Masjid Jamek atau mana-mana kedai buku, carilah buku kecil bertajuk Hisnul Muslim/ Perisai Muslim. Dalam buku  tersebut ada disertakan zikir yang diamalkan Rasulullah saw pada waktu pagi dan petang dan doa-doa yang lain. Kalau tak ada dijual, mungkin boleh maklumkan kepada saya dan inshaAllah akan saya belikan. Kalau tak ada duit nak beli pun boleh beritahu saya. InshaAllah saya boleh beri kepada anda secara percuma :)



Dan sebutlah serta ingatlah akan Tuhanmu dalam hatimu, dengan merendah diri serta dengan perasaan takut (melanggar perintahnya), dan dengan tidak pula menyaringkan suara, pada waktu pagi dan petang dan janganlah engkau menjadi dari orang-orang yang lalai. (Al-A'raaf: 205)


2)Moment of solitude
Ketika hati saya tak keruan, selalu saya pastikan saya mempunyai MoS ini untuk 'reshuffle' semula prioriti dan tujuan hidup saya. Pada waktu inilah hati kita benar-benar bersuara, tanpa hiruk-pikuk pusat membeli belah ataupun laungan muzik yang kuat- dan pada waktu inilah kita boleh betul-betul mendengar apa yang hati kita mahukan.. Apa yang saya maksudkan dengan MoS ialah keperluan untuk mengasingkan diri kita daripada orang ramai untuk beberapa ketika. Lawatilah taman-taman rekreasi sambil melihat langit, pokok-pokok rendang dan disapa angin sepoi-sepoi bahasa, atau paling mudah boleh dilakukan di bilik anda sendiri- sambil merenung kipas siling yang berpusing itu, berinteraksilah dengan hati anda, tanya, apakah yang hati anda mahukan? Dan saya yakin jawapannya tidak lari daripada mahu mencari Tuhan, sumber ketenangan itu sendiri..


3)Solat malam
Dan yang paling penting, mintalah kepada Allah sendiri untuk hati yang tenang. Sebagai seorang Muslim, yakinilah bahawa segalanya tak akan dapat tercapai tanpa berdoa kepada Allah. Lalu bangunlah dan mintalah kepadaNya di 1/3 malam terakhir dan ikutilah dengan membaca ayat-ayat cintaNya kepada kita. Ketahuilah bahawa Allah akan turun ke syurga yang paling rendah untuk mendengar rintihan kita pada sepertiga malam yang terakhir itu. Bukankah ia satu kerugian yang besar jika kita terus lena sedangkan Allah sedang menunggu untuk memperkenankan doa kita?


My dear brothers and sisters, biarkan hati anda bersuara untuk kembali ke fitrahnya, untuk mencari Tuhannya. Berhentilah menafikan apa sebenarnya yang hati anda mahukan. Carilah jalan keluar. Apa yang saya tulis hanyalah cadangan dan alhamdulillah ia sangat berkesan kepada saya. Hati saya milik saya, hati anda milik anda. Jadi terpulanglah kepada anda bagaimana mahu mengawalnya dan memandunya ke arah yang dituju.


Dalam satu hadith Qudsi disebutkan,




"Aku dalam sangkaan hamba-Ku, dan Aku akan selalu bersamanya ketika ia mengingat-Ku. Kemudian apabila ia ingat Aku dalam dirinya, Aku pun mengingatnya dalam diri-Ku, dan jika ia ingat kepada-Ku dalam satu kaum, maka Aku akan mengingatnya dalam kaum yang lebih banyak dari pada kaum itu. Jika ia mendekat kepada-Ku sejengkal, Aku akan mendekatinya sehasta. Jika ia mendekati-Ku satu hasta, Aku akan mendekatinya sedepa. Dan jika ia datang kepada-Ku dengan berjalan kaki, aku akan datang kepadanya dengan lari-lari kecil." (Riwayat Bukhari dan Muslim)




SubhanAllah. Hebatnya kasih sayang Allah. Saya doakan Allah sentiasa akan tunjukkan jalan kepada siapa yang sedang mencariNya. I've searched for Him and I've found Him alhamdulillah. And soon, you will too. I totally believe that. InshaAllah :)





IZ: Dan untuk saya lebih mengenali hati saya ini, inshaAllah hujung minggu ni saya akan menyertai Heart Therapy course yang disampaikan oleh Shaykh Yahya Adel Ibrahim daripada Al-Kauthar Institute. Info selanjutnya di sini. Tak sabar nak pergi. Siapa yang berkesempatan, ayuhlah! :)

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The Forgotten Blessings

Bismillah

I remember there was a time when I was so hungry after coming back from class. With hectic life schedule, sometimes having proper meal is not really an important issue for students like us. Until when I got back during the evening, then only I realized how hungry I was. So off I went to the nearest cafe and grab some bread with cold drink. "Alhamdulillah!" I said as I felt the coldness of the drink running down my throat. The feeling? Indescribable.

And recently I was having this stomachache, which was excruciatingly painful that it did not even resolve when I took the first medication- Chinese herbs. To make things worse, that night we were about to have our family dinner at this nice restaurant. Of course I didn't want to miss that golden opportunity. So I tried to calm my self down and did istighfar as many as I could. 2 hour before the dinner, I took paracetamol and not long after that, the pain vanished!


Subhan-Allah wa Alhamdulillah.

These 2 incidents got me thinking. I was hungry and not long after that, I managed to get food. I was having pain and after taking painkiller, the pain disappeared. But what about those who live in a country that to get food is like hoping for a miracle to happen? What about those people who are being tested with diseases and pain, but they can't even afford to get the medicine, or in a more serious condition, they don't even know what is the cure for the pain they are having.


 Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu alayhi wasallam)  has reminded us with this beautiful hadith;

“Take benefit of five before five: Your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before you are preoccupied, and your life before your death” (Narrated by Ibn Abbas and reported by Al Hakim)

When talking about being grateful, there can never be any greater example that we can learn from, besides Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu alayhi wasallam) . There was a time when 'Aisha (radiyallahu anha), wife of Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu alayhi wasallam) was in great awe when she saw him standing for so long, tirelessly performing his prayer in the middle of the night that lead her to ask him,

“O Prophet of Allāh, why do you undergo so much hardship despite the fact that Allāh has pardoned for you your earlier and later sins?” He (pbuh) responded, “Afala akuna abdan shakura? Should I not prove myself to be a thankful servant?” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)

Subhan-Allah. How this beautiful hadith can give so much of impact to our lives. The fact that Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)  striving so hard to please Allah with his ibadah although he has been promised Paradise is something that all of us should ponder.We are being blessed with young age and full of energy, but we neglect this blessing by loitering around and not doing much for this ummah. We've been blessed with health, but we neglect it by eating unhealthily. Allah has blessed us with more than enough money for us and the family, but we are so stingy when it comes to giving charity and spending it for His cause. We have so much time, but we are wasting it with too much of entertainment. Until one day when Izrail comes, there can never be anybody else who are at loss but the people who choose to live in this way. Na'udzhubillah. May Allah forgive us.


Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)  has set us an excellent example through this hadith. So now it depends on us on how are we going to shape our lives. Lets start by first instilling the feeling of thankfulness in our hearts and followed by expressing it through our deeds and actions. Wouldn't you feel embarrass to face someone who has been lending you something amazing and constantly giving you a favor, but there you are, meeting them, seeing them and act as if you owe nothing to them? And now this is our Lord who has been blessing us with so many things since we were born, we walk on the Earth that He created, yet we do not feel embarrass towards Him?


Let us strive towards becoming a grateful slave of Allah, for we just don't know when and in which way His favor will come into our lives. People who are thankful will never be at loss. In Quran, Allah says;



And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.'       (Quran; 14: 7)



May Allah guide us to be among the people who constantly remember Him, be thankful to Him, and to be able to use the blessings He bestowed us with, only for His cause. We ask Allah to forgive us for the arrogance that we have in our hearts, and replace it with humbleness and seriousness in attaining His blessings. Allahumma ameen.

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#That Awkward Moment

Bismillah

Assalamualaikum. Hi. Hope that everybody is doing just fine. I just recovered from a fever 2 days back and feeling better now, alhamdulillah. I guess the body can't yet adapt to the new life routine after a long break- with classes, clinics, labs.. hence, the fever. But knowing the fact that Allah is so merciful that He forgives the sins of one who is being inflicted with diseases and trials, the fever seems like nothing but a blessing in fact. Isn't it amazing how Islam can make your life so calm and positive? I just love being a Muslim :)

Anyways, 2 posts before this were in Malay so this one is going to be in English and I really hope that you don't mind with it, as I feel much better writing my experience in English. Because sometimes, I find my self struggling when trying to write in Malay, as I tried not to be too 'skema' when writing a post and not to be too laid back as well. So writing in English seems just fine :)

Right. Back to the topic.

I believe that most of us have, at least once, experienced an awkward moment in our life. Or it is also so common among us that it has even become a trending tweet on twitter (to those who have twitter account, u know what I mean). And yes, recently, I was experiencing this awkward moment and here's my story.

Right after me and my group went back from our visit to a kindergarten for our Community Dentistry project, we decided to have our lunch outside of the faculty since well, we were not at the faculty? lol. And so we went to the nearest restaurant and had our lunch there. All 14 of us. So there I sat, next to my Indian classmate, in front of my Chinese friends and with the same table of my Malay friend. Talk about implementing 1 Malaysia. Heh.

After we made the order and waited for the food to come, suddenly my Chinese friend, a guy, said.. 'Siapa kat sini yang paling alim?' and I was like.. what a weird question! So everybody keep saying they are (in joking kind of way) but suddenly my friend next to me said.. 'Here, beside me' ( pointing to me), and everybody went silent and they all together said 'Well.. ya ya, could be.." and nodded in agreement. And I, in my heart said.. 'This is indeed an awkward moment!'

I actually, was about to burst into laughter but I just smiled at that time. No, I wasnt going to laugh because the fact is not tue and I tried to deny it.. but it's another way around. Deep in my heart I feel blessed, and happy and speechless because first, the question was raised by a non-muslim, or rather, a not-yet Muslim inshaAllah.. and secondly, it is a not-yet Muslim too who acknowledge my religious level! So I really feel amazing because alhamdulilllah, if this is really true, I guess I have a little bit succeeded in becoming an ambassador of my religion at the faculty. Yay! Alhamdulillah!

You see, I'm not trying to brag here about me being religious and all that. Some people even feel very shy and tried to deny it when people say they are becoming more religious. So I guess it is not something for people to feel proud about. From a big hijab, one will then make it shorter and shorter, only to fit into the crowd and to be regarded as cool, as they can mingle with a lot of people- regardless the gender of their company even. Na'udzubillah. It is rather sad for people to think that to do what MOST people do is cool because the reality is, it is not. But I, on the other hand, feels very very happy if people see me as someone who's being religious. Or strange. Or different from them. Alhamdulillah for such feeling Ya Allah :))

It has been authentically narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu ‘alaihiwasallam) in the Saheeh Hadeeth [Ibn Maajah, kitaab al fitan 3986] and also [Sahih Muslim :The Book of Faith (Kitab Al-Iman): Book 1 : Hadith 270], who said: 

'Islam began as something strange and it will return strange as it began, so glad tidings for the strangers'


The conversation then went on and on. We talked about our customs and classes and getting married until he asked this question that I know although it was asked generally to all, but I can see that his eyes were actually landed on my eyes. He then said;

"So I was asking Nur (our friend from another group of this batch) where did she go during Valentine's Day with her boyfriend and she said she didnt celebrate Valentine's Day. Hence she and her boyfriend did not go out that night. Is there any specific Valentine's Day among Muslims that I dont know?"

"Well.. No," I answered. Since most of them think that I'm the most religious there, I guess I shall be the one to answer the question. I then continued as everybody seems like wanting an explanation.

"We, Muslims believe that we do not need a special day to express our love to our loved ones. Why can't we just tell them that we love them every single day? And if by giving presents indicate the true meaning of love, shouldn't it be done, like.. every week or every month? As love is universal, so does expressing it, right? "

 Brief silent.

 "And one more thing, it is also prohibited for Muslims to celebrate something that is not in line with what the religion is teaching. Erm, so what is the history of this Valentine's Day anyway? If you don't mind me asking?"

He answered

"Well, Valentine's Day has got nothing to do with love actually" From the tone of his voice I know he was trying to justify the relevance of V Day and it is okay for Muslims to celebrate it as it is not something haram for us, or simply put,  not a day for boyfriend and girlfriend. "It is actually the day of the death of a monk" He concluded.

"Oh! Then why are these people celebrating the day of the death of a person?" I questioned. But he just said.. "Ya, its a long story I believe.. I'm not very sure about that.."

Then the food came and everybody just forget about the conversation and started eating. So thats it.


After we came back and headed to the faculty, I just cant get the conversation we had out of my head. Here are my conclusions about what happened that day.


1) I believe that this friend of mine has always been wanting to ask questions about Islam, but he just dont have the opportunity to do so. And it is just sad if this thing keeps happening among our other not-yet Muslim friends. We seem to be living in our comfort zone, thinking that we've done good enough for ourselves without even trying to explain to them what Islam is all about and subsequently inviting them in. Therefore, I guess it is not wrong for us Muslims to sometimes have a cup of coffee with friends of other religions because inshaAllahu taala it is not just foods that we have together are going to be awesome, but let the food for their soul be awesome too.

2) It is necessary, I mean REALLY necessary for Muslims to equip themselves with knowledge of this deen. I really wish that I can quote a verse from the Quran or a hadith during this conversation but sadly, I couldnt think of one. Only after I got back, this hadith about confessing love to someone when we think that we actually love that person, crossed my mind.

A man was sitting with our Holy Prophet when another one passed. The sitting one said, "O Messenger of ALLAH! I love this man." The Prophet said, "Have you told him?" The man said, "No." The Prophet said, "Tell him!" The man rose to his feet and went to the man who was passing by and said, "I love you for the sake of ALLAH." He said, "May ALLAH for whose sake you love me, love you in return!" 

 Allah.. May Allah forgive me for my forgetfulness and aid me some other time. Ameen

3) Be proud of our religion! Never feel afraid to talk about Islam regardless to friends of similar, or different religion. Sometimes you are just going to be surprised by the results you got. You may think that this person who often wear inappropriately (for Muslim girls) will have no interest at all about Islam, but dear, I've experienced the opposite. Alhamdulillah  we now often talk about Islam during our free time and inshaAllah, I can see that she is becoming a better Muslimah day by day.



So that's all for now I guess. Would love to read your experience as well if you have experienced any. Till then, take care. Barakallahu feekum!

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Kembara India 2012

Bismillah

Alhamdulillah, sudah seminggu saya kembali dari kembara di bumi India. Kalau bukan kerana besarnya kasih sayang Allah, tidak mungkin saya dapat ke sana, melihat budaya berbeza dan mengenali insan-insan istimewa di sana. Maka saya kembalikan puji-pujian dan syukur kepada Allah- Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, Allahuakbar.


Dan sombongnya saya jika setelah seminggu lamanya saya di sana tapi tak pun mengambil peluang untuk berkongsi ibrah dan pengalaman di India. Maka saya coretkan post ini, mudah-mudahan dapat memberi manfaat kepada yang membaca inshaAllahu ta'ala.


Perginya saya dan keluarga ke India pada 27 Januari yang lalu bukanlah kerana apa-apa misi penting seperti yang ditanyakan kepada saya oleh rakan-rakan, tapi sekadar mengikut kehendak ayah tersayang yang mahu sangat melihat Taj Mahal secara 'live' Jadi ketika diajak untuk ikut serta, memang laju saja saya nyatakan persetujuan. Siapa yang tak suka travel, ye tak? Tambahan pula insan yang tak berharta macam saya ni memang haruslah mengharapkan belas ihsan ayahanda dan bonda untuk belanja trip ke sana. Huhu.


Menjejakkan kaki ke India jam 8.30 malam waktu tempatan (2 jam 30 min awal dari waktu Malaysia), kami ( saya, ibu, ayah,kakak serta pakcik dan makcik) disambut cuaca damai dan selesa dengan suhu 15 darjah celcius. Terus check-in di Hotel Rockwell Plaza di Karol Bagh, New Delhi, hari pertama berakhir dengan merefleksi apa yang sudah saya lalui pada hari tersebut. Daripada gelagat penumpang di dalam pesawat yang tak henti-henti memesan beer sehingga pramugara tidak mahu lagi menjual kepadanya sehinggalah ke pemandangan menyedihkan ketika masuk ke bandar New Delhi. Tidak pernah seumur hidup saya melihat sebegitu ramai orang yang 'homeless' di satu bandar dan tambah lebih menyedihkan, apabila mereka terpaksa menyalakan unggun api untuk memanaskan badan. Tiada baju panas, tiada heater, tiada tempat perlindungan. Hanya selimut lusuh dan unggun api yang mampu mereka miliki untuk merasa sedikit selesa. Allah..



Hari 2
Hari kedua kami dibawa untuk bersiar-siar di kota New Delhi. Bermula dengan melawat Jama Masjid di Old Delhi dan menaiki beca di Chandi Chowk, kemudian ke India Gate. Rancangan untuk ke Raj Ghat iaitu tempat memorial Mahatma Gandhi dan President's House terpaksa dibatalkan kerana penutupan tempat tersebut sempena Hari Republik India yang disambut dua hari sebelum kedatangan kami.

  Jama Masjid 

Dengan India menjadi negara yang padat populasinya, tidak dapat tidak, kami harus berdepan dengan trafik yang padat dan lautan manusia di mana saja kami berada. Sehingga boleh saya katakan, mata saya langsung jadi letih kerana melihat terlalu ramai manusia. Kami difahamkan di bandar New Delhi sahaja, populasinya ada lebih kurang 20 juta orang, sedangkan di seluruh Malaysia populasinya hanya lebih kurang 28 juta orang. Jadi tidak hairanlah begitu ramai manusia yang kelihatan di bandar tersebut, dan mungkin atas sebab itu  dan kesukaran mendapat pekerjaan, ramai yang terpaksa minta sedekah demi sesuap nasi.



Hari 3
Jam 9 pagi, kami bersedia untuk check-out dan menuju ke Agra. Perjalanan ke Agra mengambil masa dalam lebih kurang 5 jam. Dan pada pendapat saya, pengalaman paling berharga saya di India adalah ketika berada dalam bas. Melihat ragam manusia yang pelbagai di jalan raya adakalanya mencuit hati, dan ada juga yang menyedihkan.


Meneliti pembangunan di India, sukar untuk saya nyatakan tahap kemodenan mereka. Adakalanya rumah-rumah mereka besar-besar belaka dan mall mereka pula tak kurang canggihnya, dan kadang-kala rumah setinggan yang diperbuat daripada ranting-ranting pokok dan plastik-plastik pun banyak juga di India. Jurang kehidupan mereka terlalu ketara. Rata-rata mereka yang bekerja bukan untuk produktiviti negara, tapi lebih kepada untuk mendapatkan rezeki untuk hari itu saja. Maka adik-adik seawal umur 7 tahun yang sepatutnya ke sekolah sudah mula membanting tulang bekerja itu dan ini, menjual itu demi mencari rezeki untuk diri dan keluarga.

             
                                     Pemandangan 'unik' ketika masuk ke kota Agra

Sampai di Agra dan check-in di hotel, kami dibawa melihat kebanggaan India, Taj Mahal. MashaAllah, memang tak dapat  dinafikan kecantikan monumen Taj Mahal tersebut. Walaupun ramai yang terpesona dengan kisah cinta Shah Jahan kepada isterinya, tapi entahlah, saya kira agak kejam sebenarnya untuk merekrut beribu-ribu rakyat yang akhirnya menyebabkan kematian mereka semata-mata untuk membuktikan kesungguhan cintanya kepada si isteri. Walaubagaimanapun, saya tetap kagum dengan kebolehan mereka pada zaman tersebut. Kaligrafi Quran yang sangat indah dan marbel-marbel yang diukir di dinding Taj Mahal memang membuatkan saya faham kenapa Taj Mahal diiktiraf sebagai keajaiban dunia.

Hari 4
Hari keempat kami bersedia untuk ke Jaipur yang memakan masa 5 jam dari Agra. Sempat berhenti sebentar untuk mencuba samosa yang sangat sedap dan kopi panas yang menambahkan kesegaran dan tenaga untuk meneruskan perjalanan.

Saya masih ingat pengalaman ketika sudah sampai di kota Jaipur. Disebabkan masa sudah suntuk untuk jamak akhir di hotel, kami membuat keputusan untuk solat di salah satu masjid di sana.

Pada awalnya saya agak gembira juga bila dah masuk ke Jaipur, melihat banyaknya universiti dan kolej-kolej, jalan rayanya juga agak moden, jadi di sudut hati saya berbisik ..'InshaAllah masjid dia bersih kot..' Alhamdulillah akhirnya setelah masuk ke kampung-kampung di sana, akhirnya kami berjaya menunaikan kewajipan kami di sebuah masjid mini di sebuah kampung, walaupun tak begitu cantik dan bersih seperti sangkaan saya, tapi masih ok untuk kami tunaikan kewajipan kepada Allah. Alhamdulillah.

 Salah satu perkampungan di Jaipur

Peristiwa lucu yang tak dapat saya lupakan ialah ketika kami keluar saja daripada masjid, boleh kata hampir seluruh kampung menunggu di luar masjid untuk melihat kami. Mungkin sudah berpuluh tahun agaknya tak pernah ada orang yang features nya berbeza daripada mereka yang masuk ke kampung tersebut, jadi kami dilihat sangat pelik pulak -_- Huhu. Sayu hati melihat penduduk dan kemudahan di sana. Masjid yang kecil dan sudah luntur warnanya, kitab-kitab yang sudah usang.. dalam hati, saya berdoa moga-moga akan ada Sang Pencerah yang datang ke kawasan tersebut, menyeru kepada Islam yang sebenarnya, menyubur 'izzah dalam hati setiap Muslim di sana. Allahumma ameen.


Destinasi kami seterusnya ialah ke kedai jewellery. Uniknya, kedai jewellery di sana terdapat di kawasan yang agak terpencil dan berada di kawasan perumahan. Oleh kerana saya dan keluarga bukanlah peminat jewellery, maka banyak masa dihabiskan dengan berjalan di kawasan sekitar. Sekali lagi, adik-adik yang sedang bermain di luar rumah begitu teruja bila nampak kami. Dan bertambah-tambah teruja lagi bila dihulur coklat dan biskut kepada mereka. Tatkala saya minta untuk bergambar dengan adik-adik ni, bukan main seronok semuanya. Safiyya (yang saya tahu namanya lepas abangnya memanggilnya dengan nama tersebut) terus ambil tudung baru, berwarna pink. Mungkin kerana ingin kelihatan cantik dalam gambar nanti. MashaAllah, those kids are cute ^^

                                                          Safiyya dan rakan-rakan :)

Dua hari berada di Jaipur kami berpeluang melihat tinggalan sejarah maharaja Rajasthan, masuk ke istana mereka, berpeluang untuk menaiki gajah dan mempelajari sedikit bidang astronomi, hasil daripada kebijaksanaan  rakyat Jaipur dahulu kala. Jaipur sememangnya kota yang wajib dilawati sekiranya anda ke India.



Hari 6
Hari keenam kami bertolak semula ke Delhi. Sekali lagi, trafik di India benar-benar boleh membuatkan kami sakit jantung jadinya. Sudah tak terkira berapa banyak kalinya saya beristighfar ketika ada kereta lain yang ingin memotong. Dan kadang-kala ketika berhenti sekejap pun, akan ada orang yang mengetuk tingkap menjual pelbagai barangan dan makanan. Ada yang bawa monyet pun ada, dan sekiranya anda halakan kamera untuk mengambil gambar, dengan pantas tuannya akan minta duit kepada anda. Macam-macam..


Setelah seminggu berada di India, ada satu perkara yang cukup saya kesalkan. Kerana terlalu mengikut kata-kata orang yang sudah ke India, saya pun tak begitu memberi kepada peminta sedekah di sana. Kata mereka, kalau beri seorang, berpuluh-puluh yang lain akan datang. Jadi saya ikutkan kata-kata itu, tanpa usul periksa. Allah.. bukankan ada baiknya saya cuba untuk memberi dahulu daripada ikut kata-kata mereka membabi-buta? Dan, bukankah rezeki itu Allah yang beri, atas alasan apa saya perlu menjadi terlalu takut untuk memberi sedekah? Ampunkan aku Ya Allah..


Saya juga sebenarnya agak risau jika saya berada lebih lama di India. Melihat jumlah peminta sedekah yang ramai di mana-mana tempat yang saya lawati, saya cukup risau andai tiada lagi perasaan belas dalam hati saya untuk mereka, sebab saya melihat masyarakat di sana pun tidak mengendahkan langsung peminta sedekah di kawasan mereka. Apakah hati saya juga kan menjadi keras sekiranya saya melihat situasi seperti itu hari demi hari? Na'udzhubillah


All in all, saya sangat bersyukur atas kesempatan yang diberikan Allah untuk trip ini. Sememangnya ia satu pengalaman yang membuka mata untuk melihat, juga membuka mata hati. Being grateful for what we have is one thing, but having the feeling of wanting to help and make changes is another. Saya berdoa moga-moga Allah panjangkan usia untuk ke India lagi, tapi sudah tentu bukan lagi untuk holiday, tapi untuk memberi sedikit sinar harapan kepada masyarakat Muslim di sana juga untuk menebus ketidakmampuan saya untuk membantu mereka pada trip kali ini. Dalam hati saya menyimpan angan-angan dan impian, I'm dreaming of building a school with no fee at all to the beggars and homeless kids there one day, inshaAllahu ta'ala.

Now who's up for the mission? We can start planning from now..  :)

Oleh itu, bukankah ada baiknya mereka mengembara di muka bumi supaya - dengan melihat kesan-kesan yang tersebut - mereka menjadi orang-orang yang ada hati yang dengannya mereka dapat memahami, atau ada telinga yang dengannya mereka dapat mendengar? (Tetapi kalaulah mereka mengembara pun tidak juga berguna) kerana keadaan yang sebenarnya bukanlah mata kepala yang buta, tetapi yang buta itu ialah mata hati yang ada di dalam dada. Al-Hajj:46






5 Fakta Rawak (baca: random facts) tentang India

1) Jangan sesekali beli makanan yang dijual atau pun diberi percuma di tepi-tepi jalan. Anda tak mahu trip anda jadi trip yang tak dapat dilupakan kerana pengalaman sakit perut sepanjang perjalanan, kan?

2) Kalau mampu, pastikan ada banyak duit pecah yang disimpan dalam saku (and guard it well). Sebab sampai saja di sana, orang akan tak henti-henti minta tip daripada anda walaupun pertolongan yang diminta adalah sangat mudah, ataupun anda tak minta tolong pun, tapi mereka akan 'sangat sedia membantu' dan minta tip selepas itu  -_-  Tapi, takpe lah, niat sedekah bak kata ayah saya

3) Satu kelebihan buat Muslimah Malaysia. Orang di sana sangat suka dengan feature 'Asian' kita dan sangat suka dengan hijab. I think that's the best da'wah opportunity to explain what Islam and wearing hijab is all about. So grab those chances!

4)Ya, jangan terkejut sekiranya ketika anda sedang menaiki kereta di jalan raya tiba-tiba anda ternampak di sebelah anda keluarga kambing, keluarga lembu dan kerbau, encik unta, mr. piggy, atau pun encik gajah. Pendek kata, jangan ingat jalan raya itu anda yang punya. Kena kongsi ok.. hehe

5)Soal makanan tak begitu sukar di India. Kedai pure-vege sangat banyak jika anda mahu makan roti-roti yang sedap lagi marvellous, dan kedai Muslim pun ada jika anda inginkan briyani yang super duper awesome. Pendek kata, asalkan kedai itu bersih, soal makanan bukan masalah di India. Oh, dan jangan lupa sentiasa bawa hand sanitizer supaya tak bau kari dan dal, dan untuk elakkan infection jugak ok :)




IZ: Harus lebih bersemangat untuk belajar dan grad for we have an important mission to accomplish right? Biidznillah!

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Kerana Dia cinta sejatiku

Bismilllah

Sebelum anda baca post ini, saya minta anda untuk lupakan sebentar siapa yang menulisnya. Kerana saya tahu pembaca blog saya ini tak lah ramai mana, dan yang membaca itu pula kebanyakannya adalah kenalan saya, maka saya minta anda untuk cuba bayangkan bukan saya yang menulis ini, tapi ia adalah dari seorang saudara/ a sister in faith yang sedaya upaya membina ikhlas supaya apa yang cuba disampaikan ini dapat terus sampai ke hati anda. Fahami isi nya, bukan penyampainya. Walaupun post ini adalah agak peribadi buat saya, tapi saya kira harus saya kongsikan agar lebih ramai yang dapat manfaatnya inshaAllah.


Lewat kebelakangan ini, saya banyak berfikir dan merefleksi, terutamanya selepas pulang daripada Twins of Faith Conference tempoh hari. Fikir tentang kehidupan yang pernah saya lalui dan bakal saya lalui. Sungguh, terlalu banyaaaak nikmat yang Allah beri kepada saya. Nikmat dilahirkan sebagai Islam terutamanya. Dan selepas itu, nikmat dilahirkan dalam keluarga yang agak senang pula. Tak cukup dengan itu, nikmat berjaya masuk ke UM ni pula.


Dan jika kamu menghitung nikmat Allah (yang dilimpahkannya kepada kamu), tiadalah kamu akan dapat menghitungnya satu persatu; sesungguhnya Allah Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani.  (An-Nahl: 18)


Sehingga pada satu ketika, saya terfikir.. 'Apa lah yang aku buat hebat sangat sampai dapat banyak sangat nikmat ni' Dan langsung saya tersentap, terfikir dan tersedar yang rupa-rupanya saya belum berbuat apa-apa lagi. Setakat solat 5 waktu dan mengaji sikit-sikit tu, itu belum cukup untuk menunjukkan saya betul-betul hargai nikmat yang sungguh hebat ini. Allah...

Mari kenali saya 7 tahun yang lalu.

Sewaktu di sekolah menengah, saya sangat rajin study. Kerana sangat mahu berjaya dalam exam, selalu saya stay up sampai tengah malam dan hujung minggu pun masih dengan buku. Begitu juga sewaktu di asasi. Masih begitu rajin sampai roommate saya selalu lari ke bilik kawan dia sebab stress saya rajin study huhu. Dah lah rajin study, lepas tu rajin pulak pergi surau. Solat hajat semua. Ok cukup. Tentu anda rasa saya sangat bangga dengan diri saya maka saya ceritakan ini semua kepada anda kan?

Hakikatnya.. bukan begitu! Betul, saya selalu pergi surau dan rajin study semua, tapi itu semua untuk apa? Ketika itu semuanya hanyalah untuk berjaya dalam peperiksaan. Saya rajin ke surau supaya Allah bantu saya dalam exam. Kerana saya takut jika saya gagal,orang akan pandang rendah, pandang serong kepada saya. Maka saya berusaha keras untuk mengelakkan perasaan malu, malu dengan pandangan manusia. Astaghfirullah. Tidak cukup dengan itu, saya telah menggunakan Allah untuk mencapai target saya, iaitu untuk berjaya dalam exam dan kehidupan di dunia. Allahu.. tiada langsung perasaan bangga dalam diri ini, tapi yang wujud adalah hanya perasaan hina... Ampunkan aku Ya Allah T_T

Perkara ini saya kira ramai yang terlepas pandang. Kerana mahu berjaya dalam exam, kita gunakan Allah. Kerana mahu rezeki yang banyak dan melimpah ruah, kita gunakan Allah. Kerana mahu berkahwin dengan orang itu dan ini, kita minta tolong dengan Allah.

Tapi, bukankah ia sepatutnya begini..?

Kerana mahukan Allah dan syurgaNya, kita perlu bersungguh-sungguh menuntut ilmu, berjaya atau tidak dalam exam.. itu bukan persoalannya.


Sabda Rasulullah saw,  Sesiapa yang mengambil jalan untuk menuntut ilmu, Allah akan permudahkan kepadanya jalan menuju ke syurga (Muslim)


Juga, kerana mahukan Allah, kita mahukan rezeki dan wang yang secukupnya supaya boleh diinfaq ke jalanNya. Kerana mahukan Allah, kita perlu berkahwin dengan orang-orang soleh supaya baitul muslim yang bakal terbina mendapat redhaNya, dan dapat menghasilkan mujahid dan mujahidah yang 'izzah dengan Islam yang syumul ini. Tapi, sedikit sekali dalam kehidupan kita, kita tujukan apa saja.. and with  that I mean ANYTHING yang kita lakukan semata-mata untukNya.

Dan apa yang membuatkan saya bertambah-tambah sedih dan terharu dan malu kepada Allah lagi ialah walaupun kadang-kala saya tersalah niat ketika melakukan sesuatu perkara, Allah masih beri apa yang saya minta. Sungguh, Allah itu Maha Penyayang, Maha Mengasihani.

                                                                           kredit


Dulu-dulu, walaupun saya rajin study dan rajin minta tolong pada Allah, tapi saya masih lagi ada perasaan 'insecure'. Dan bila difikir balik, semua itu berlaku hanya apabila kita terlalu risau dengan pandangan manusia,  matlamat utama kehidupan kita belum betul-betul ditujukan kepada Allah semata-mata.

Dan kini, Allah beri saya satu lagi nikmat, iaitu nikmat untuk fahami hakikat kehidupan ini hanyalah untuk Dia. Amazingly, selepas saya faham itu semua.. tiada lagi perasaan 'insecure'. Kini yang wujud hanyalah perasaan yakin dan percaya bahawa Allah sentiasa bersama saya, membantu saya menghadapi mehnah / ujian di dunia yang fana ini. Manusia mungkin boleh berkata apa saja yang mereka mahukan, tapi hakikatnya, bukanlah mereka yang mengganjari saya syurga atau mengazab saya dengan api neraka kelak (nauzhubillah). Itu yang pasti.


Point nya di sini, andai sebelum ini kita pernah tersilap dan terleka dengan mainan dunia ini, mungkin sudah sampai masanya untuk kita 'reshuffle' semula prioriti hidup kita dan lantas, dengan perasaan rendah hati dan jiwa kehambaan, kita kembali kepada Dia. Sekiranya dalam hidup ini kita hanya mahukan kesenangan di dunia semata-mata, Allah pasti akan berikan dunia kepada kita. Tapi sekiranya kita mahukan kehidupan dunia dan akhirat yang berkat dan selamat, itu  pun akan diberikan Allah kepada kita. Maka pilihlah sewajarnya.


Moga sedikit perkongsian ini dapat memberi manfaat yang besar kepada anda yang membaca. Barakallahu feekum!





Allahu Rabbi.. sungguh banyak kasihMu kepada ku. Andai dapat ku rendahkan dahiku lebih dari rendahnya tanah yang ku sentuh setiap hari dalam solatku, aku sanggup Ya Rabb! Moga Engkau bimbing hati ini, hati yang mudah berbolak-balik ini.. terus lurus ke jalan menuju syurgaMu. Allahumma ameen.






IZ: Dah start study week. Mohon doanya ya agar saya diberi kefahaman dalam pelajaran dan dapat menjawab exam dengan tenang dan berjaya dengan cemerlang, dengan niat hanya satu- untuk menggapai redhaNya! ^^

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