Thursday, October 05, 2006
Monday, October 02, 2006
Thoughts..
Nowadays, seems that for a younger person(young as in teenager to late 20s) to don the traditional baju kurung complete with a "songkok" or "kopiah" other than during hari raya is something that is not normal or uncool. It feels like the whole world is watching you and you get the occasional snigger. Then, whenever family members or friends see you, immediately they'll smack you with a label jokingly/ sarcastically,"Haah, ustaz!".
This is a sad thing that's prevalent in our society today.
Aanyway, was thinking about what Dr Mohd Asri said in an audio ceramah I heard just a while ago. About the need to change our views on Islam. Whenever people talk about Islam, its always about things concerning about ibadah, rituals, the hereafter, about it being backward, kuno, old tradition but little about Islam in the context of our daily life and for it to be associated with every single thing we do.
Islam is a way of life. Its just that majority don't understand or practice Islam the way it should be. And this leads to a shabby potrayal of Islam by the way muslims are today. That is not Islam. Islam is VIBRANT and where good morals are preserved in every situation! Just take a look at its rich history during the "so called" dark ages.. ---> (check out ..muslimheritage.com)
Everything in this world is Islam. Even if it concerns the study of science, geography, physics, psychology, maths, business studies, outside the context of what people perceive Islam is not part of.
This kind of misleading perception of Islam is something that needs to be realised and changed and it has to start with muslims themselves.
aanyway, just to share an interesting excerpt from an article ..Link here!!
GURU NANAK DAN KUCING ASHRAM (excerpt from saifulislam.com)
Pernah suatu ketika Guru Nanak dan pengikut-pengikutnya mahu mengerjakan sembahyang cara mereka. Tetapi mereka diganggu oleh kucing ashram yang menyelit-nyelit di celah kaki mereka. Lantas Guru Nanak mengarahkan supaya kucing ashram itu diikat di tiang setiap kali mereka mahu bersembahyang.
Selepas beberapa ketika, Guru Nanak telah meninggal dunia. Pengikutnya masih mengamalkan ajaran Guru Nanak seperti biasa dan setiap kali mereka mahu bersembahyang, mereka akan menambat kucing ashram tersebut di tiang. Akan tetapi selepas kucing ashram itu mati, pengikut-pengikut Guru Nanak mencari pula kucing lain untuk diikat setiap kali mereka mahu mengerjakan sembahyang!
Berkurun selepas itu, barulah ahli teologi membongkarkan hal ini, betapa kesilapan telah berlaku apabila pengikut ajaran Guru Nanak menyangkakan bahawa sembahyang mereka tidak sah tanpa kucing yang ditambat di tiang! Mengapa semua ini terjadi? Jawapannya mudah, bertaqlid buta dan agama menjadi ritual. (--"The Guru's Cat" from The Song of the Bird by Anthony De Mello)
Saya kisahkan cerita di atas kepada pelajar-pelajar sebuah kolej semasa mereka mengikuti sebuah kursus yang saya kendalikan bersama Fitrah Perkasa. Para pelajar dibawa ke tepi pantai dan kami belajar zikir dan fikir terhadap kebesaran Allah berpandukan ayat 190 serta 191 surah Aali Imran. Kemudian kami bersolat dua rakaat. Selepas solat di atas pasir, saya kisahkan cerita kucing ashram tersebut dan saya tanya kepada pelajar, mengapa kalian menyapu muka selepas memberi salam tadi? Soalan itu saya biarkan tergantung supaya pelajar kaitkan ia dengan kisah Guru Nanak dan kucing ashram itu tadi...
This is a sad thing that's prevalent in our society today.
Aanyway, was thinking about what Dr Mohd Asri said in an audio ceramah I heard just a while ago. About the need to change our views on Islam. Whenever people talk about Islam, its always about things concerning about ibadah, rituals, the hereafter, about it being backward, kuno, old tradition but little about Islam in the context of our daily life and for it to be associated with every single thing we do.
Islam is a way of life. Its just that majority don't understand or practice Islam the way it should be. And this leads to a shabby potrayal of Islam by the way muslims are today. That is not Islam. Islam is VIBRANT and where good morals are preserved in every situation! Just take a look at its rich history during the "so called" dark ages.. ---> (check out ..muslimheritage.com)
Everything in this world is Islam. Even if it concerns the study of science, geography, physics, psychology, maths, business studies, outside the context of what people perceive Islam is not part of.
This kind of misleading perception of Islam is something that needs to be realised and changed and it has to start with muslims themselves.
aanyway, just to share an interesting excerpt from an article ..Link here!!
GURU NANAK DAN KUCING ASHRAM (excerpt from saifulislam.com)
Pernah suatu ketika Guru Nanak dan pengikut-pengikutnya mahu mengerjakan sembahyang cara mereka. Tetapi mereka diganggu oleh kucing ashram yang menyelit-nyelit di celah kaki mereka. Lantas Guru Nanak mengarahkan supaya kucing ashram itu diikat di tiang setiap kali mereka mahu bersembahyang.
Selepas beberapa ketika, Guru Nanak telah meninggal dunia. Pengikutnya masih mengamalkan ajaran Guru Nanak seperti biasa dan setiap kali mereka mahu bersembahyang, mereka akan menambat kucing ashram tersebut di tiang. Akan tetapi selepas kucing ashram itu mati, pengikut-pengikut Guru Nanak mencari pula kucing lain untuk diikat setiap kali mereka mahu mengerjakan sembahyang!
Berkurun selepas itu, barulah ahli teologi membongkarkan hal ini, betapa kesilapan telah berlaku apabila pengikut ajaran Guru Nanak menyangkakan bahawa sembahyang mereka tidak sah tanpa kucing yang ditambat di tiang! Mengapa semua ini terjadi? Jawapannya mudah, bertaqlid buta dan agama menjadi ritual. (--"The Guru's Cat" from The Song of the Bird by Anthony De Mello)
Saya kisahkan cerita di atas kepada pelajar-pelajar sebuah kolej semasa mereka mengikuti sebuah kursus yang saya kendalikan bersama Fitrah Perkasa. Para pelajar dibawa ke tepi pantai dan kami belajar zikir dan fikir terhadap kebesaran Allah berpandukan ayat 190 serta 191 surah Aali Imran. Kemudian kami bersolat dua rakaat. Selepas solat di atas pasir, saya kisahkan cerita kucing ashram tersebut dan saya tanya kepada pelajar, mengapa kalian menyapu muka selepas memberi salam tadi? Soalan itu saya biarkan tergantung supaya pelajar kaitkan ia dengan kisah Guru Nanak dan kucing ashram itu tadi...
Friday, September 29, 2006
Studies Show Fajr Prayer is Healthy
article from Islamonline.net.. for full versionClick here!!
By Karima Burns, MH, ND
14/03/2002
"And He it is Who made the night a covering for you, and the sleep a rest, and He made the day to rise up again" (Qur’an 25:47).
Certainly sleep is one of the blessings from Allah. At the end of a busy day a person looks forward to sleeping and regaining enough energy for the next day. Sleep is also important for good health and safety reasons. However, studies vary as to how much sleep is enough. Some studies claim 8-10 hours is a requirement for everyone. However, the Prophet Mohammad (saws) used to sleep very few hours in the night and used part of the night for prayer. Recent studies confirm that this may actually be healthier for some people...
By Karima Burns, MH, ND
14/03/2002
"And He it is Who made the night a covering for you, and the sleep a rest, and He made the day to rise up again" (Qur’an 25:47).
Certainly sleep is one of the blessings from Allah. At the end of a busy day a person looks forward to sleeping and regaining enough energy for the next day. Sleep is also important for good health and safety reasons. However, studies vary as to how much sleep is enough. Some studies claim 8-10 hours is a requirement for everyone. However, the Prophet Mohammad (saws) used to sleep very few hours in the night and used part of the night for prayer. Recent studies confirm that this may actually be healthier for some people...
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Hadith palsu kelebihan tarawih.
Hadith palsu kelebihan tarawih ---> Click here!!
Excerpt from this article:-
"Di dalam hadis tersebut nampaknya ada galakan supaya umat Islam rajin untuk melakukan amalan Tarawih dalam bulan Ramadan seperti kita sering dapati hadis ancaman terhadap orang yang meninggalkan sembahyang yang sebenarnya hadis itu pun direka atas nama nabi Muhammad s.a.w. seperti contoh satu hadis yang sebahagian darinya berbunyi: Jika seseorang itu meninggalkan sembahyang Zuhur dosanya adalah seperti dia berzina dengan ibunya sendiri. Jika dia meninggalkan sembahyang Asar dosanya adalah seperti meruntuhkan Kaabah.
Adakah tidak cukup dengan janji ganjaran dari Allah bagi orang yang menghidupkan malam Ramadan yang terdapat dalam kitab hadis shahih contohnya hadis yang bermaksud: Sesiapa yang menghidupkan malam Ramadan dengan penuh keimanan dan mengharapkan ganjaran dari Allah diampunkan dosa-dosanya yang lalu.(Al-Bukhari)
Dan adakah tidak cukup dengan ancaman terhadap orang yang meninggalkan sembahyang yang terdapat dalam al-Quran antaranya firman Allah yang bermaksud: Apakah yang menyebabkan kamu dimasukkan ke dalam neraka saqar? Mereka menjawab: Kami dahulu termasuk orang yang tidak mengerjakan sembahyang. (Al-Muddatsir)
Sebenarnya bagi mereka yang suka menghidupkan malam Ramadan tidak mesti dengan adanya hadis rekaan yang seperti ini mereka akan bersungguh-sungguh dalam menghidupkan amalan Tarawih ini. Dan orang yang malas bersembahyang bawalah hadis yang bagaimana teruk sekalipun seksaannya, namun mereka tetap tidak mahu mengerjakannya."
Other interesting facts from article:-
1) ciri-ciri hadis maudhu`(rekaan)
2) Dalam kitab-kitab hadis palsu (maudhu`aat) sendiri pun tidak didapati hadis ini. Ini menunjukkan bahawa hadis ini merupakan satu hadis yang baru diada-adakan sehingga ulama-ulama hadis dahulu yang menulis tentang hadis maudhu` pun tidak mengetahui akan wujudnya hadis ini.
Excerpt from this article:-
"Di dalam hadis tersebut nampaknya ada galakan supaya umat Islam rajin untuk melakukan amalan Tarawih dalam bulan Ramadan seperti kita sering dapati hadis ancaman terhadap orang yang meninggalkan sembahyang yang sebenarnya hadis itu pun direka atas nama nabi Muhammad s.a.w. seperti contoh satu hadis yang sebahagian darinya berbunyi: Jika seseorang itu meninggalkan sembahyang Zuhur dosanya adalah seperti dia berzina dengan ibunya sendiri. Jika dia meninggalkan sembahyang Asar dosanya adalah seperti meruntuhkan Kaabah.
Adakah tidak cukup dengan janji ganjaran dari Allah bagi orang yang menghidupkan malam Ramadan yang terdapat dalam kitab hadis shahih contohnya hadis yang bermaksud: Sesiapa yang menghidupkan malam Ramadan dengan penuh keimanan dan mengharapkan ganjaran dari Allah diampunkan dosa-dosanya yang lalu.(Al-Bukhari)
Dan adakah tidak cukup dengan ancaman terhadap orang yang meninggalkan sembahyang yang terdapat dalam al-Quran antaranya firman Allah yang bermaksud: Apakah yang menyebabkan kamu dimasukkan ke dalam neraka saqar? Mereka menjawab: Kami dahulu termasuk orang yang tidak mengerjakan sembahyang. (Al-Muddatsir)
Sebenarnya bagi mereka yang suka menghidupkan malam Ramadan tidak mesti dengan adanya hadis rekaan yang seperti ini mereka akan bersungguh-sungguh dalam menghidupkan amalan Tarawih ini. Dan orang yang malas bersembahyang bawalah hadis yang bagaimana teruk sekalipun seksaannya, namun mereka tetap tidak mahu mengerjakannya."
Other interesting facts from article:-
1) ciri-ciri hadis maudhu`(rekaan)
2) Dalam kitab-kitab hadis palsu (maudhu`aat) sendiri pun tidak didapati hadis ini. Ini menunjukkan bahawa hadis ini merupakan satu hadis yang baru diada-adakan sehingga ulama-ulama hadis dahulu yang menulis tentang hadis maudhu` pun tidak mengetahui akan wujudnya hadis ini.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Amalan membaca surah Yasin.
Read this article with an open mind. Then its up to you to make your own conclusions.
Pengamalan membaca surah Yasin: Bahaya jika ia menjadi iktikad[keyakinan ia sesuatu dari al-Quran dan Hadith(shahih)] ---> Click Here!!
Summary from this article:-
1) Mengamalkan bacaan Surah Yasin pada malam jumaat sesuatu yang tidak pernah berlaku pada zaman Nabi SAW dan para sahabat.
2) Yang ada dari hadith shahih, membaca surah Kahfi pada malam Jumaat.
3) Menentukan hari tertentu dengan bacaan tertentu, cara tertentu memerlukan dalil daripada al-Quran atau Sunnah Nabi SAW
4) Kita wajib mengamalkan pembacaan al-Quran dengan apa sahaja surah bukan sahaja mengkhususkan kepada surah Yasin sedangkan al-Quran begitu luas.
Pengamalan membaca surah Yasin: Bahaya jika ia menjadi iktikad[keyakinan ia sesuatu dari al-Quran dan Hadith(shahih)] ---> Click Here!!
Summary from this article:-
1) Mengamalkan bacaan Surah Yasin pada malam jumaat sesuatu yang tidak pernah berlaku pada zaman Nabi SAW dan para sahabat.
2) Yang ada dari hadith shahih, membaca surah Kahfi pada malam Jumaat.
3) Menentukan hari tertentu dengan bacaan tertentu, cara tertentu memerlukan dalil daripada al-Quran atau Sunnah Nabi SAW
4) Kita wajib mengamalkan pembacaan al-Quran dengan apa sahaja surah bukan sahaja mengkhususkan kepada surah Yasin sedangkan al-Quran begitu luas.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
....sher moh!!?
Mr Zack. Animator. Friend. Crappy kaki. Lipas. Mosher. His company will be missed by all. Should we be sad that he's leaving? Naah. For me, I think its great that he's leaving. Wait, dun get me wrong!? I mean We should be proud that he's one of the few(maybe the only) anak melayu Singapura who's dabbling in animation for an international, well-reputed company. So we should be happy and inspired by his determination and achievements.
Still, life here won't be the same till he returns..with who else can I create a laughing corner out of nothing?!(sorry insider thingy). Well, for now, there's still MSN yea.. K la bro.. Take care of your back in SF. Remember, dun pick up soaps if you ever see one lying around uh.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Shake head.
Whats the use of creating so many chances but not able to convert even one??!! Wake up lah dey.. time to get going!!
*1 hr later*
Oh well, its better than having no chances at all.. The team is improving in a number of areas, more prominantly in the usage of flanks and the depth of the squad. We have young promising players in all areas like Daniel Agger(he's a real solid centre-back), Sissoko(already a solid midfielder) and Kuyt(flashes of a solid striker). I'm sure they'll pull together soon.
Better to make mistakes now than later(consoling myself)
*1 hr later*
Oh well, its better than having no chances at all.. The team is improving in a number of areas, more prominantly in the usage of flanks and the depth of the squad. We have young promising players in all areas like Daniel Agger(he's a real solid centre-back), Sissoko(already a solid midfielder) and Kuyt(flashes of a solid striker). I'm sure they'll pull together soon.
Better to make mistakes now than later(consoling myself)
Saturday, September 16, 2006
New added links!
Alhamdulillah, found and added 2 new links for "Islam" section.
We're so fortunate to be in a period where knowledge is widely available, even at the click of a "mouse"!? The only ones preventing us from having the knowledge is ourselves.
"al-Firdaus.com" is a website where there's e-books for you to read. "Majalah I" is a popular magazine in Malaysia with lots of good articles on Islam. The link is an e-magazine version of it
We're so fortunate to be in a period where knowledge is widely available, even at the click of a "mouse"!? The only ones preventing us from having the knowledge is ourselves.
"al-Firdaus.com" is a website where there's e-books for you to read. "Majalah I" is a popular magazine in Malaysia with lots of good articles on Islam. The link is an e-magazine version of it
Lalang, Oh Lalang!
Interesting reflection on "lalang"...
Oleh: Hafiz Firdaus Abdullah (www.al-firdaus.com)
Apabila kita menyentuh sifat jati diri, lazimnya sifat tersebut dibandingkan dengan lalang, iaitu sejenis tumbuhan yang hidup di merata tempat. “Jangan jadi seperti lalang yang melentuk ke sana ke sini apabila ditiup angin. Kita perlu memiliki jati diri yang tidak mudah melentuk umpama lalang!”, demikian pesanan yang selalu diberi.
Akan tetapi kali ini, dalam rangka memenuhi jemputan pihak Kolej Shah Putra, Kuantan, untuk membicara berkenaan Jati Diri Umat Islam pada Sabtu 9 September 2006, saya tidak akan membandingkan sifat jati diri dengan lalang. Sebaliknya saya akan mengumpamakan jati diri dengan lalang. Ya! Untuk umat Islam memiliki jati diri, kita perlu mencontohi lalang.
Di atas bukanlah satu kesilapan ejaan atau susunan ayat.
Agar kita lebih memahami bagaimana sifat jati diri boleh diumpamakan atau dicontohi dengan merujuk kepada lalang, marilah kita mengkaji lima sifat lalang yang begitu terserlah, sekali pun mungkin di antara pembaca ada yang tidak menyedarinya...
Click here for more on article
Oleh: Hafiz Firdaus Abdullah (www.al-firdaus.com)
Apabila kita menyentuh sifat jati diri, lazimnya sifat tersebut dibandingkan dengan lalang, iaitu sejenis tumbuhan yang hidup di merata tempat. “Jangan jadi seperti lalang yang melentuk ke sana ke sini apabila ditiup angin. Kita perlu memiliki jati diri yang tidak mudah melentuk umpama lalang!”, demikian pesanan yang selalu diberi.
Akan tetapi kali ini, dalam rangka memenuhi jemputan pihak Kolej Shah Putra, Kuantan, untuk membicara berkenaan Jati Diri Umat Islam pada Sabtu 9 September 2006, saya tidak akan membandingkan sifat jati diri dengan lalang. Sebaliknya saya akan mengumpamakan jati diri dengan lalang. Ya! Untuk umat Islam memiliki jati diri, kita perlu mencontohi lalang.
Di atas bukanlah satu kesilapan ejaan atau susunan ayat.
Agar kita lebih memahami bagaimana sifat jati diri boleh diumpamakan atau dicontohi dengan merujuk kepada lalang, marilah kita mengkaji lima sifat lalang yang begitu terserlah, sekali pun mungkin di antara pembaca ada yang tidak menyedarinya...
Click here for more on article
Friday, September 15, 2006
Don't Let Yourself Be Used!
..from Islamonline.net(I felt that this article is good to be reflected upon that this is the 3rd time i've republished it here)
By Latiefa Achmat**
Mar. 4, 2006
The world is growing and developing very quickly. In fact, it is getting extremely hard for people to keep up with all the changes to the point that many young people are not so sure what is expected of them. If there was one word to describe our modern age, it would be fast. People these days want fast service, fast-food, fast cars — everything has to be fast and no one wants to wait.
This obsession with speed has reduced people's threshold of patience. Traffic lights and traffic jams are considered to be the curse of the modern age because people don't like to wait. And so their patience gets less and less while people's expectations get higher and higher.
Everything in life has a price tag and we could safely say that the price of today's high-tech fast world is the break-down of relationships. Making a relationship work takes patience. So we see families fall apart when the going gets tough — people just give up and leave.
We have gotten used to using quick remedies when we are ill, and this mentality has been transposed into our emotional problems. We want to be better now! We want the problem to be fixed now!
As a consequence, many marriages are failing, and many young people these days are extremely cautious about committing themselves to a long-term relationship. The idea of being "tied down" and unable to escape, should problems arise, frightens many people who have grown up with the "quick-fix" mentality. So, just like buying a new washing machine with a twelve-month warranty, young people are looking for a relationship that comes with a guarantee for success.
In an attempt to get this, people have adopted the notion of "try before you buy," meaning they think a relationship is more guaranteed to succeed if the two people in a relationship know each other on every level before committing themselves.
So people in today's world might end up "trying" out a relationship with a number of potential life partners before they find someone who may work. We have to look at what happens to all those young people who have been "tried" and then discarded.
Young people most often enter a relationship wholeheartedly and with enthusiasm that comes with their age. They are often idealistic and so when they try out a relationship and completely give themselves to their partner and then the relationship fails, this causes them to fall down hard. Many young people feel disheartened, disillusioned, and depressed when they are rejected.
But the idea of being free to try out a potential partner is all too common. Even though the divorce rate continues to rise, many people opt for this unfortunate way of life.
Allah gave us the boundaries of our behavior. He gave us guidelines to live by and rules to follow so that all people are respected and protected. Muslims are not permitted to use each other in any way and this applies to relationships as well. The only way for a young man and woman to share their lives together is through marriage. Islam has made this abundantly clear and we are also not to get carried away with the fast-life mentality and think that once we marry we will automatically have a perfect life — just like pressing buttons on a food-vending machine!
How can it be otherwise when relationships are built on sharing and nurturing? I've met married couples who have been married for 30 or 40 years and they are happy. They admit that they're still getting to know each other.
Most young people look forward to having a happy, stable relationship with someone they love and to building a happy, stable family. This grows out of patience, good character, commitment, and energy to face life and meet its challenges together. In this context there is no room to "try before you buy" or use people with the goal of just having fun and then discarding them as if they were disposable.
** Latiefa Achmat is an Islamic counselor and social worker in Cape Town, South Africa. She can be contacted at youth_campaign@iolteam.com.
By Latiefa Achmat**
Mar. 4, 2006
The world is growing and developing very quickly. In fact, it is getting extremely hard for people to keep up with all the changes to the point that many young people are not so sure what is expected of them. If there was one word to describe our modern age, it would be fast. People these days want fast service, fast-food, fast cars — everything has to be fast and no one wants to wait.
This obsession with speed has reduced people's threshold of patience. Traffic lights and traffic jams are considered to be the curse of the modern age because people don't like to wait. And so their patience gets less and less while people's expectations get higher and higher.
Everything in life has a price tag and we could safely say that the price of today's high-tech fast world is the break-down of relationships. Making a relationship work takes patience. So we see families fall apart when the going gets tough — people just give up and leave.
We have gotten used to using quick remedies when we are ill, and this mentality has been transposed into our emotional problems. We want to be better now! We want the problem to be fixed now!
As a consequence, many marriages are failing, and many young people these days are extremely cautious about committing themselves to a long-term relationship. The idea of being "tied down" and unable to escape, should problems arise, frightens many people who have grown up with the "quick-fix" mentality. So, just like buying a new washing machine with a twelve-month warranty, young people are looking for a relationship that comes with a guarantee for success.
In an attempt to get this, people have adopted the notion of "try before you buy," meaning they think a relationship is more guaranteed to succeed if the two people in a relationship know each other on every level before committing themselves.
So people in today's world might end up "trying" out a relationship with a number of potential life partners before they find someone who may work. We have to look at what happens to all those young people who have been "tried" and then discarded.
Young people most often enter a relationship wholeheartedly and with enthusiasm that comes with their age. They are often idealistic and so when they try out a relationship and completely give themselves to their partner and then the relationship fails, this causes them to fall down hard. Many young people feel disheartened, disillusioned, and depressed when they are rejected.
But the idea of being free to try out a potential partner is all too common. Even though the divorce rate continues to rise, many people opt for this unfortunate way of life.
Allah gave us the boundaries of our behavior. He gave us guidelines to live by and rules to follow so that all people are respected and protected. Muslims are not permitted to use each other in any way and this applies to relationships as well. The only way for a young man and woman to share their lives together is through marriage. Islam has made this abundantly clear and we are also not to get carried away with the fast-life mentality and think that once we marry we will automatically have a perfect life — just like pressing buttons on a food-vending machine!
How can it be otherwise when relationships are built on sharing and nurturing? I've met married couples who have been married for 30 or 40 years and they are happy. They admit that they're still getting to know each other.
Most young people look forward to having a happy, stable relationship with someone they love and to building a happy, stable family. This grows out of patience, good character, commitment, and energy to face life and meet its challenges together. In this context there is no room to "try before you buy" or use people with the goal of just having fun and then discarding them as if they were disposable.
** Latiefa Achmat is an Islamic counselor and social worker in Cape Town, South Africa. She can be contacted at youth_campaign@iolteam.com.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
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