Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Kerja Kita Lebih Banyak Daripada Masa Yang Ada

Being a musafir is fun as well as beneficial. You see people, you see the world, and you get thousands of ways to feel closer to Allah.

The night of 22nd jan marked my last night with Azeem in melb, together as students. We’ve had our fair share of moments and now it’s time to say goodbye, just as expected since the very beginning of 2009. Tears of sebakness streaked down my face again as I remembered, yet again, the good old times we’ve shared, from conflicts to apologies, from I’m-gonna-die-in-this-pet-camp to oh-yeah-comfy-cs-apartments, from tears-of-joy to tears-of-sorrow, from bookworming-in-the-libraries to phototakings-in-the-suburbs, from stressing-my-mind-crazy to after-exam-detox, from nothing-to-do-ness to too-much-work-ness, from insecurity-of-the-future to contentment-of-the-present, from I’ve-had-enough-of-you’s to am-missing-you’s, from you’re-embarassing-me to all-right-i-trust-you, from annoyance to acceptance, from pillow talks to speeches, from secrets to sharings, from feverish selesema mornings to sweaty sporty evenings. Yeapp, we’ve had our moments. Tsk tsk...

Tskkkkkkkk *blow nose*

I’ve said goodbyes to a lot of friends before, its nothing new. And its not like the end of an ukhuwah either. We can contact online, if not via phone calls. For sure we’ll see each other again iA, the catch is, we’ll be students no more, and that’s a BIG deal. Despite adulthood being a stage of life we’re both eager to experience, we’ll be having bigger commitments and bigger fish to fry, and less time for you-and-I. As I imagined my soon to come missing-close-friend-syndrome and coming up with strategies to combat its possible resulting emotional distress, my mind wandered to the kind of friend each of us has been.

Dear Zm,
Thank you for being the shoulder I lean on, my punching bag, my pillar of strength, and thank you for letting me be the shoulder you lean on,your punching bag, your pillar of strength. Thank you for being my personal mentor and thank you for allowing me be your mentor. Thank you for being a part of my growing up and I hope I played a good role in your growing up too. Jazakillah khayr. Moga terus tsabat,
Hugs, Z.

The best kind of friend is the one whom when you look at her, she increases your taqwa:
Dari Ibnu Abas r.a berkata, Rasulullah ditanya : Siapakah di antara teman-teman kami yang paling baik? Rasulullah menjawab, "Seseorang yang mengingatkan kalian kepada Allah dengan melihat wajahnya, menambah ilmu kalian dengan pembicaraannya dan mengingatkan kalian dengan akhirat oleh amalanya." 
( HR: Imam Abdu bin Humaid)

And one of the best gifts in life is a good companion. One of the best perhiasan dunia is wanita solehah (HR Muslim), and some of your vital needs after death are doa anak yg soleh (HR Muslim) and pahala anak yang ber’amal dengan al qur’an (HR Ahmad)

How great is it to have these jannah helpers always by our sides. Either as a friend, as a daughter or as a wife, we girls have so many opportunities to be one, to find one and to make one. IA. Lets never stop reminding and racing each other towards becoming as solehah as we can ever be.

2:148  +  3:133  :  Quick

Everybody wants the best, everybody wants syurga. The problem is many of us are too occupied tending to our mixed priorities, thus hindering us from selecting the best deed, gaining the best reward and reaching the highest point. For instance, how many of us try our hardest to be the best kind of friend as stated in the above hadith? It really is difficult to get disciplined and rational minded when your al hawa’ keeps pulling you to the other side. Not to mention the whisperings and temptations of shaytan everywhere. Understanding Fiqh al awlawiyat iA can help us make wiser choices in our everyday life bi iznillah. In economics the term would be for us to make more efficient allocation of our limited resources. By limited, think about time, energy, health, money, intellect, raw materials, people...

With our limited resources of almost EVERYTHING, its all the more reasons for us to properly select our ‘amal and improve our efficiency and capabilities.

Examples of the ‘amalan that should be more prioritised as they're more loved by Allah, ( in my own words, bear with it ) =_=


      - Org yg paling dikasihi Allah swt is org yg paling bermanfaat. And perbuatan yang paling dikasihi Allah swt is kegembiraan yg dimasukkan ke dlm diri seorang muslim ... And it is better to walk with someone utk satu keperluan da’wah than beri’tikaf in masjid for a month. (HR Thabrani)


            -  It is better to sit alone than in company with the bad; and it is better still to sit with the good than alone. It is better to speak to a seeker of knowledge than to remain silent; but silence is better than idle words."
(HR Bukhari)


            - It is better to solat awal waktu than berbuat baik to your parents, and it is better to be kind to your parents than berjihad (HR Muslim)


            -  It is better to become a mu’min yg kuat rather than being a mu’min yg lemah (HR Muslim)


            -  It is better to participate in (medan Jihad) di jalan Allah than bersolat di rumah for 70 years. (HR Tirmizi)


Even on personal love we have priorities: Love Allah and Rasul more than you love your parents, for a daughter. Love Allah and Rasul more than you love your husband, for a wife. And love your parents / husband more than you love yourself. For they (and by loving them) hold the keys to your heaven and hell. I read this somewhere. Errkkk, scaryyyyyyyy *biting nails* And at the same time, you won’t complete your iman until you love all your muslimin wal muslimat as much as you love yourself (HR Bukhari).

And many many more, not only on the individual basis but also on the community level. So at every second, train your mind to recall the more prioritised ‘amal, and train your body and al hawa’ to adhere to and prefer it. (there’s a hadis regarding this, x sempat nak quote) At every chance you get, perbaharukan niat and consistently weigh your deeds and options. Be your own self observer, and have taqwa.

This is of course not undermining the less prioritised ‘amal. They’re still ‘amal, not sins, and if you opt for them instead they’ll still iA menghasilkan buah.

Another thing to note is that different people have different capabilities, therefore have different priorities in contribution.


"Orang kaya yang memiliki banyak harta, dan hatinya merasa sayang untuk menyumbangkan hartanya itu: maka sadaqah hartanya dan kerelaan hatinya untuk menyumbangkan hartanya itu lebih utama baginya dibandingkan qiyamullail dan berpuasa sunnah di siang hari. Orang yang berani dan kuat, yang ditakuti musuh: keikutsertaannya dalam pasukan jihad walau sebentar, dan berjihad melawan musuh-musuh Allah, baginya lebih utama dibandingkan melaksanakan ibadah haji, berpuasa, bersedekah dan melakukan ibadah sunnah. Orang yang berpengetahuan, yang mengetahui sunnah nabi, ilmu halal haram, dan ilmu tentang mana yang baik dan mana yang tercela menurut agama: baginya bergaul dengan manusia, mengajarkan mereka, dan memberikan mereka nasiat dalam agama, itu lebih utama daripada mengucilkan diri, menghabiskan waktunya untuk solat, membaca al Qur'an dan bertasbih. Pejabat pemerintah yang memegang urusan manusia: baginya duduk sbentar untuk mengurusi perkara masyarakat, membantu orang yang dizalimi, menjalankan hadd Allah, membantu pihak yang benar, melawan pihak yang salah, itu lebih utama baginya daripada beribadah bertahun tahun." ( 'Uddatu as Shaabiriin wa Dzakhiiratu asy Syaakiriin)


Which one are we ?

A gift of tazkirah for you zm! Reminders can go a long way iAllah. Haaa! apa take home msg? Homework: cari and buat some more amal2 yang awla’=P Jom mengarang manusia. Take care and keep in touch <3 

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Allah al Wali

yesterday evening was soooooooooooooooooooooooo.., i cant find words to describe it but, i pray Allah would always keep me reminded of those intense feeling of pasrah and reliance on Him. please dont let me forget, please guide me towards the path of those who are forever bertaqwa. havent felt such nervousness, non study oriented nervousness, for a very very long time..maybe ever since my first flight to australia. always have a good laugh everytime i recall those moments on the plane, me, being scared of heights, did everything in my power that came to mind to meditate (forcefully), be it, berzikir out loud, much to the embarrassment of azeem and iman next to me haha.

so yesterday was a very similar case, and i do not know why! sleepless nights of thinking, wondering, practicing and praying did no good to help me relax. and i think i flunked it.. 1st impression: FAILED.. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! T_T
may Allah bring out the best of everything.

from another point of view, i appreciate this feeling of total helplessness and in desperate need of support from the All Mighty. wouldnt mind having to face it everyday, at least that would get me constantly reminded and on my toes.

hey, by the way, its interesting to note that the english idiom of "on your toes" is in line with the islamic comparison of taqwa.

being on your toes would generally refer to someone being alert and always ready to go/ react, right?.

while taqwa can be compared to as walking through a narrow path with thorny bushes on both sides and the person walking though tries his best to keep his clothes from being torn, with the clothes resembling iman and the thorns resembling sins. this opinion of one salaf illustrated a picture of a person walking on tip toes and being alert on the every location of the thorns.

so when you look at your feet and toes, remember how cautious you should be, how you should always be on your toes regarding everything every time.

back to yesterday. i didnt eat the whole day, and i couldnt really sleep the night before. but i'm still energetic and 'on my toes' when evening comes haha. must be the nervous hormones keeping me awake. hmm, they're pretty handy when caffeine is not around yea. so thankful for this amazing experience, strengthening my belief on my everlasting unconditional need for Allah al Waliy.

ya Allah al Waliyy, ya Allah al Waliyy, ya Allah al Waliyy
ya Allah my Wali, ya Allah my Protector, ya Allah my Guardian.

the example of Allah as al Waliyy is significant in many surahs in the alqur'an, from how Allah is the Wali when Rasulullah saw and his friend were in the cave when the Quraisy were searching for them and were just near the cave entrance,  to how Allah was the Wali to Nabi Yusuf as. his whole life was dependent on the mercy of Allah swt.

yusuf as said,

12:101: "Creator of the heavens and earth, You are my Wali in this world and in the Hereafter"

and indeed,

2:257: "Allah is the Wali of those who believe"

when a girl is to get married, her father (or her other closest adult male relative) is the wali, to hand her over to the future husband. for the wife, its the husband.

for children, the father/mother is the wali in all their affairs, be it in signing school record books and payments, or just in any mischief they do. when neighbours get angry, they complain to the father/mother.

for orphans, their wali might be their nearest relative alive, or they may get adopted and have a non blood related person as their wali.

for a person in court, her wali is her lawyer whom she trusts, fighting for her best interest.

wali is simply, the one who has custody over us, who is our guardian and helper, closest friend whom we can put our whole trust and reliance on. the wali is the the one who talks on our behalf, the one whom our actions and decisions are based upon and the one to whom we seek refuge to.

and on top of all these mortal walis of ours, is the most perfect, our ilah, our rabb, Allah al Wali.

may Allah increase our iman, and our iman in Him as our ultimate, sole, one and only al Waliyy.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

with al haq

2011 has gone so fast! think last year was the year that went fastest pour moi! undoubtedly due to the busy schedules. and summer in melb was the bomb man, c'est the truth. merci beaucoup to all my guests and friends who stayed for summer, you girls made my months, holidays not to forget. alhamdulillah.

and last year was also the toughest of the toughest of years so far! phewww to have survived alive still standing. i will soooo miss my friends :') you girls were with me through the thick and thin, only Allah can repay, i pray. xxxx

and jan 2012 welcomed me with such good news and hopes, thank you Allah, thank you Allah. alhamdulillah alhamdulillah..

c'est la vie of a student. you study hard, and long for the holidays. you struggle, and then you rest.

after hardship comes ease, after hardship comes ease.

how easy was it for Rasulullah to submit to these words when they were first revealed? people threatened him, Muslims were tortured, hatred towards the muslim minority were everywhere expressed, no, it wasnt easy. but al fatah did come after all, apres beaucoup of faith and struggles, and after many tests separating the real mujahids and munafiqs.

if we were born during those times, which path would we have chosen?

i remember there was a gift card once i saw in a shop it read: "families are but accidents, you're just born in it." it would have been such an honour to have been born during Rasulullah's time, living in the community of the salfusshaleh. learning the sunnah fresh and live, seeing the revelation itself, living with our most beloved.

...

but yeahhh nowadays we have edgy tech savvy stuffs, we have electricity, travel convenience, and education opportunities, al qur'an as sunnah are compiled and distributed, a much easier life by farrrrrrrr, who wouldnt wanna miss that.

then let us be thankful for our qada' and qadar, to be born in this generation, in our particular family, it is iA a gift in itself, with reason and al haq, by the careful planning of The One All mighty, perfect in every way, and never need to rest. Allah chose you family for you. its not, an accident.

 after hard ship comes ease. after hardship comes ease.

but lets not allow our ease be the cause of our eternal hardship, on the day where many would so wish that they were turned to dust, were never born, never been given life.