Are we Being Independent ?

"Allah memberikan satu misal perbandingan: Seorang hamba abdi yang menjadi milik orang, yang tidak berkuasa melakukan dengan bebasnya sesuatu pun; dan seorang lagi (yang merdeka) yang Kami kurniakan kepadanya pemberian yang baik (harta kekayaan) dari Kami, maka ia pun membelanjakan hartanya dengan bebasnya, samada secara bersembunyi atau berterang-terang; adakah kedua orang itu sama? Segala puji tertentu bagi Allah (dan Allah jualah yang berhak disembah), tetapi kebanyakan mereka (yang musyrik) tidak mengetahui (hakikat tauhid itu)" - An-Nahl 75

The nation is still in the state of celebration. Yes, we celebrated our 50th Independence from the British on 31st August 2007. Everywhere we go will see signs of celebration be it in terms of flags, banners or posters. Few will go even further by dressing themselves up with the national flags. We could also see many cars, buses, lorries and trucks flagging the Jalur Gemilang with pride. Turn on the TV or radio and we will almost be incessantly reminded about how our past leaders fought hard to achieve the independence that we are enjoying at the moment. Yes, in a glance we have indeed become independent and almost everyone could not agree more.


As a person who was born post independence, I could not really feel the suffering of those leaders that have fought for our independence. I am very sure that they have indeed sacrifice a lot for us and I just hope that Allah will reward them accordingly. My late father had often described to me how difficult the life before the independence especially during the Japanese occupation. My late father was in fact one of the lucky ones who survived the torturous life of the Japanese forced labor. As a teenager, he was taken away by the Japanese to help them build the infamous railway lines. According to him, we was a bit fortunate because he was selected to become a cook and hence spared the strenuous and laborious work on the field. My late father also vividly recalled on how his relatives had thought that he had gone forever with the Japanese but soon were very surprised to find out that he was still alive. Well, as a moslem, we beleive that only Allah can take one's life..not a second earlier, not a second later.


To me, independence is really about having a choice. The more choices we have, the more independent we should be. However, we must not forget that the choice that we make will come with the consequences of that choice. What we are now is due to the choice that we made in the past. People may argue that sometime the choice that we made was due to external factors and did not really due to our own judgement or will. Well, to some extend, that might be true. Some of us for instance, started thier lives on a much better condition than others. Some may start thier lives with a lot of struggle and handicaps. But, everyone has to make thier own decision given the conditions they are in with, sometimes in thier lives. I really don't agree with the beleive that one should be responsible not only to his or her own doing but also others. For me, blaming others for our own judgement is very sinful. That's why in Islam, nobody can't take the burden of dosa of someone else. After all, the greatest nikmat that is bestowed upon us from Allah is Iman and our choice must not runaway from this premise. What makes us different from other beings in this world is our freedom of choice. And if we can decide on a given set of choices based on the guidance from Allah and his messenger Muhammad S.A.W, we are actually freed from making a bad choice and that is what a true meaning of independence to me...

What can we do to Help?

I went to the huge Shah Alam pasar tani to accompany my other half for a quick browse-through shopping. It has been quite sometimes since I last visited this market as I always prefer easy access and hussle-free shopping particularly when we are shopping for groceries. In fact, thats what we did early Sunday when my other half did her weekly groceries at one of the Fresh Market Store in TTDI and at the same time I washed the Altis near a Car Wash station there. As soon as my other half finished her shopping, my car was cleaned and thus, we killed two birds with only one stone, so to speak :-)



The visit to the Pasar Tani was primarily the interest of my other half as she wanted to buy some cakes that according to her delicious. Well, that was actually the initial reason but nonetheless she ended up buying a pair of blue-colored batik dress :)..see, thats one reason why I don't fancy going to places like this as what we ended up buying maybe something that was not in the shopping list at first. I understand the predicament that shes's having as she is now at least 1 size down as a result of controled eating habit and good food supplement. I told her that shes is now having a nice problem of having to reconsider reviewing her wardrobe collection to fit her new lesser look. Thats one problem I wish to have as I am not very discipline when it comes to eating and I think shes also helping me to control my diet by reminding almost on daily basis whether I have taken my herbal tea or not.


Speaking about Shah Alam pasar tani, as I recall this market was actually started up with Sunday Car Boot Sale maybe about ten years ago. During that time, the market was not so huge and the merchandised items were primarily used goods sold by inviduals. Today, it is a fulfledge market selling anything you could ever imagines like cars, furniture, clothes, electronic product, books and food, including fresh and cooked. When the market was not so crowded as it is now, this was one place which I patronized almost every weekened to get our groceries. Today, it is a struggle just to find a place to park the car as the number of people that turned up is probably in the thousands, and not only limited to the Shah Alam citizens. Sometimes, you may also find foreigners in this market as I think this place has also become a tourist attraction similar to the Chatuchak Market in Bangkok albeit smaller in size.

However, despite the tremendous growth and progress this market has acheived, the perennial problem of people begging along the crowded pedestrian walkways is still omnipresent. Sometimes these people are not really 'begging' as they play musical instruments like the keyboards to entertain the crowd whilst hoping that they will part with thier loose spare change, I think. This is normally the trend of the less unfortunate people of the blinds. Sometimes, there are also seemingly healthy and normal individuals who choose to sit down in the middle of the pathway and reciting verses of the Al-Quran hoping for symphaty and of course, some loose change of the crowd. Most of the time, they are very properly dressed and for the women strictly dressed according to syariah with tudung, and for the men, with kopiah or serban. I am not very sure of thier origins but I have seriuos doubt that they are locals. But whoever they are, they dressed like moslems but the sad fact is, they beg for symphaty.


There is one hadis from Rasullulah S.A.W. which says 'Sesungguhnya Allah Taala Mengasihi orang miskin yang tidak suka meminta-minta, sedangkan ia mempunyai ramai anak'. Clearly, in Islam, we are very much discouraged from begging. I did some reading on Bimbingan Mukminin by Imam Ghazali and found the following phrases (in Malay) which some simplifications by me.

"seseorang itu harus mempunyai adab dan kesopanan lahir dan batin, sama ada dalam pergaulan mahupun dalam perbuatan, dan hakikat ini harus diperhati dan dijaga".

"Dari segi adab batin, Membenci kemiskinan itu tidaklah dilarang, tetapi sesorang itu hendaklah menjaukan diri dari perasaan benci terhadap apa yang telah ditakdirkan Allah ke atasnya".

"Dari segi adab lahiriah, seseorang itu hendaklah menunjukkan sikap sederhana, tidak meminta-minta kepada orang lain, malah hendaklah ia sentiasa bersabar dan bermanis muka, tidak selalu keluh-kesah, tidak suka mengadu dan menunjukkan kemiskinan, bahkan hendaklah ia merahsiakan tentang kemiskinanya". Firman Allah dalam Al-Baqarah Ayat 273 bermaksud " Mereka itu disangka oleh orang, orang yang tiada mengetahui sebagai orang-orang kaya, kerana mereka tidak suka meminta-minta orang lain"

In short what I leanrned is that, there are roles to be played by both the fortunate and the less fortunate. For the fortunate ones, helping the lesser is always a noble cause no matter how we viewed it. However, as a moslems, we should strive our very best to avoid from asking help from other people as long as we have the capability to do it ourselves. Giving is always better than receieving and this is one quality that each moslem must strive for...

Antara Dosa & Pahala

I was listening to the lecture by Uztaz Kariman on At-Taubah and the following are some key points which I felt worth to share with to everybody. Consider the following circumstances.


1. Let's say a particular person DOES NOT know that what he is doing is actually haram, e.g. drinking alcohol, zina or riba and keeps doing it like nobody business. Is he considered 'berdosa' or not ?

2. Let's say a particular person knows very well that something is haram to do but for some reason he inadvertently doing it (tak sengaja) ? For instance, eating unintentionally during fasting month or drinking 'beer' which he thought tea. Is he considered 'berdosa' or not ?

3. Let's say a particular person knows very well that something is haram to do and he wanted to do it but for some reason his intention did not materialise. For instance, he ordered a beer intentionally and when the order came and he took a sip, he realised that it was actually tea. Is he considered 'berdosa' or not ?


According to Ustaz Kariman and using several verses in the Quran, only person # 2 is not considered 'berdosa' while person #1 and #3 have done wrong and berdosa. A quoted example of why person #2 is not 'berdosa' is based on one Hadith Sahih from Rasullullah S.A.W about unintentional eating or drinking during fasting month. During Ramadhan, if we forgot that we are fasting (in the day) and drink or eat, we can actually just continue with our fasting until Maghreb time and insha'allah, will be counted as a normal fasting.Rasullullah mentioned this as a 'treat' from Allah to his servant and it will not take away any benefit of fasting from that person.

Person #1 is considered 'berdosa' although he does not know that what he is doing is sinful. He must repent (bertaubat)to clear this sin. In Islam, we are asked to learn and find knowledge as much as possible. Islam does not allow his follower just to sit back and remain ignorant and use this excuse to commit 'dosa'. In Islam ignorance is not a bliss and one must make all the effort to learn and to practice what he learns. Many Muslims know about big sins such as drinking alcohol, not performing the solat,not fasting and others but very few realise that the sin of being lazy is also very big. Islam also forbids his followers from getting 'frustrated' orputus-asa. Allah's rahmat is limitless and once we got frustrated,we are actually insinuating that Allah's is not merciful to us and this is actually a very big sin indeed. Always believe that Allah's help to his servant is always there but if we do not get what we want after trying very hard, we must also believe that this is could be better for us, Al-Baqarah 216.

"...dan boleh jadi kamu benci kepada sesuatu padahal ia baik bagi kamu, dan boleh jadi kamu suka kepada sesuatu padahal ia buruk bagi kamu. Dan (ingatlah), Allah jualah Yang Mengetahui (semuanya itu) sedang kamu tidak mengetahuinya."

Person #3 is also 'berdosa'. He knows that it is wrong to drink alcohol and he blatantly ordered the beer to fulfil his passion. However, he did not get to drink the beer as his beer was actually switched to tea. In Islam, this person is already considered 'berdosa' and he must repent (bertaubat).


Ustaz Kariman also mentioned that some 'dosa' does not require a person to repent as Allah will give forgiveness if certain conditions have been met. However, 'dosa syirik' is not forgivable just like that unless one repents wholeheartedly. The concept of repentance is repeatedly mentioned in the Quran. Even Firaun who claimed that he is God, was also given chance to repent by Allah and of course, the door of Taubah is always open to everyone no matter how much 'dosa' he has accumulated in his life...Wallahua'lam

The World According to Ants

The other day while I was talking to my friend, the subject about perfection came about. I asked him what is his view of 'perfect life'. His answer was somewhat expected as he told me that to him, perfect life is having what you want on top of what you need.



I told my friend that there is no perfect life in this world because everything in this world will come to an end, some sooner than the other. In fact as humans, we don't actually know the true meaning of 'perfect life' as everything in this world is 'nisbi' in nature. Yes, we have the definition of 'perfect' in the dictionary but those definition is also created by an 'imperfect' being thus lacks the true meaning as understood by us, the mortal humans. In fact when we try to define 'perfect life' in our own words, we are actually defining it in based on our own perspective and what we believe as 'perfect', might not even be 'mediocre' to others. In the Quran, Allah describes the perception of humans about the worldy living lucidly on Surah Yunus Verse-24 as following.

Sesungguhnya bandingan kehidupan dunia hanyalah seperti air hujan yang Kami turunkan dari langit, lalu (tumbuhlah dengan suburnya) tanam-tanaman di bumi dari jenis-jenis yang dimakan oleh manusia dan binatang - bercampur-baur dan berpaut-pautan (pokok-pokok dan pohonnya) dengan sebab air itu; hingga apabila bumi itu lengkap sempurna dengan keindahannya dan berhias (dengan bunga-bungaan yang berwarna-warni), dan penduduknya pun menyangka bahawa mereka dapat berbagai-bagai tanaman serta menguasainya (mengambil hasilnya), datanglah perintah Kami menimpakannya dengan bencana pada waktu malam atau pada siang hari, lalu Kami jadikan dia hancur-lebur, seolah-olah ia tidak ada sebelum itu. Demikianlah Kami menjelaskan ayat-ayat keterangan Kami satu persatu bagi kaum yang mahu berfikir (dan mengambil iktibar daripadanya). Yunus-24

Human will always feel inadequate and unhappy in this world and that's why, Allah gives us Iman and Islam to guide our imperfection. There are so many verses in the Al-Quran describing the perfect life in akhirat and the following two qouted verses are some examples.

(Allah melakukan yang demikian) supaya Ia memasukkan orang yang beriman - lelaki dan perempuan - ke dalam syurga yang mengalir di bawahnya beberapa sungai; dengan keadaan kekal mereka di dalamnya, serta menghapuskan dosa-dosa mereka; dan adalah yang demikian itu pada sisi Allah - merupakan kejayaan yang besar (untuk mereka); Al-Fath 5

Diedarkan kepada mereka pinggan-pinggan besar dan piala-piala dari emas; dan di dalam Syurga itu pula disediakan segala yang diingini oleh nafsu serta di pandang indah oleh mata; dan (dikatakan kepada mereka): "Kamu adalah tetap kekal di dalamnya." - Al-Zukhruf 71


To me, perfecf life does not exist in this world. No matter how hard we try to have a perfect life, having all we want and what we need, we will never achieve that or be satisfied with it. However, knowing our limitations, we must not stop from learning new things in life and at least try to be perfect in whatever we are trying to achieve. The are so many things in this world that Allah has created for us to learn and to use as a guide for us to become a better person.



The photos of ants above are one of so many examples of how Allah created a small creature that seems very irrelevant to us but true to its form, this creature called ant is very important for ecological balancing of the world. I took these photos on Saturday morning and fully utilised my 60mm Macro lens for this purpose. After looking at them, I could not help but feel amazed of how 'perfect' Allah creation is no matter how small they are and I also realised that there are so many things that I do not know about life let alone to have a perfect living...

Cloud...A Sign of Tragedy ?

Sometime last week I was driving with my other half from BJ towards TTDI Jaya and suddenly notice thick cloud formation overhanging this residential area. Quickly, my mind rekindled with the images of flash-flood which has become a perennial problem for this residential area, much to the anger and sadness of many residence on how the local authority has managed this flood prone area over the last several years.




I have many friends staying in TTDi Jaya and I can understand how they feel whenever the wheather suddenly becomes unfriendlier wet for fear that the they have to be prepared for another round of flood. I myself have personaly experienced flood since my childhood and also when I was staying in Section U1 Shah Alam. But in my opinion, the recurring flash flood haunting the residence of TTDi Jaya can easily beat any of those experiences on flood I have ever experienced in my life for the problem that they are suffering is always repeating and to some extend has become an unsolved problem, at least at this point in time. Definitely the recurring flood in TTDI Jaya will cause drop in its property market and also interruption of business activity whenever it happens.

At the moment, there is a project of raising the enbankment wall along the river passing through TTDI. I really hope that this project will eventually solve the flooding problem of TTDI Jaya as this is one community which I beleive can really flourish to be another excellent residential area in the Shah Alam city.

Study of the Al-Quran at Work...

Accept the challenges, so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory

Always tell yourself … Tomorrow is a brand new day.

Adopting a right attitude can convert a negative into a positive one.

Every Thursday, one of the meeting rooms in our office turns into a classroom for the Al-Quran Lafaz Harfiyah and Basic Arabic Language class. This class is conducted by Uztaz Dahnir, originally from Indonesia and now residing in Malaysia. I have very high regards to Ustaz Dahnir as he is a very simple man, and understandably very religous. Besides,he has a very good command of the Arabic Language thanks to his early education in country like Yemen as he once told us.



I have been following Ustaz Dhanir class way back in 2004 when our office was still in PJ before we were asked to move to Bangsar. I still remember during those days, the attendance to his class was quite good as all of us were housed in the same floor of the building. Even our big boss and her husband used to attend his class. Sadly after our office moved to Bangsar and we were housed in different floors, the attendance has in fact dwindled but nonetheless we still have several people who are still 'loyal' and regularly attend the class. However, I have to admit that I am not a perfect student either as far as attending his excellence class due to my workload and sometimes due to other seemingly endless worldy things. Nonetheless, as much as possible, I am trying very hard to attend his class as one of my good friend put it, like attending ' taman-taman syurga'.



For general information, Al-Quran study through the Harfiyah method is one of the best way to learn how to translate the Holy Quran word by word. The beauty and the miracle of Al-Quran is that many of the words are highly repetitive and easily remembered. Furthermore, Allah's choice of using the Arabic language for the Al-Quran was not done without purpose as the language itself is very well structured, complete and easily learnt, albeit we have to put some effort into learning it.



My own experience of learning the Harfiyah technique is that it is best to have a copy of the Al-Quran with Lafaz Harfiyah that promotes this learning method. Although in our class Ustaz will give extract of the ayat(s) we are learning that week in the Harfiyah format, I also purchased separately 10 Volume of the Al-Quran with Lafaz Harfiyah to facilitate the learning process. Of course the key to successful learning is also about istiqamah or consistency. As much as possible, try reading the Quran every day even with 1 or 2 ayats. In my case, I normally do my reading after the Subuh Prayer just before getting ready to go to work.



I also heard from somewhere that if we read the Quran consistently, insha'allah, we can become healthier and 'awet muda'. I do not know how true this is nor can I find any hadis to support it but to me the real purpose of reading the Quran is to understand it's real meaning and to apply it in our daily lives. From time to time, it is also good for us to substantiate our understanding in the Quran Translation by attending ceramah or listening to tapes/CDs especially in the car while being trapped in the traffic jam. I also have several tafseer lectures downloaded into my IPOD besides all those songs and movies. My favorites Quran Tafseer lecture series are from Ustaz Kariman, also an Indonesian who regularly conducts his lectures in private homes in the Klang Valley area. Normally I bought Ustaz Kariman CDs from a friend in the office who is a regular student to Ustaz Kariman lectures.



I am a man of many wishes and one of my wishes is to be fluent in the Arabic Language. Learning the Harfiyah method has actually helped me a lot in understanding many words in the Quran, alhamdullilah. Understanding arabic language will definitely help in understanding the Quranic language even better and hopefully one day I will have the oppurtunity to learn this language in a more serious and committed manner, insha'allah.

Jangan Mengeluh...

Sahabat baik saya menghantar peringatan ini untuk saya melalui email. Saya rasa elok kalau saya muatkan di dalam blog ini untuk tatapan semua....

JANGAN MENGELUH ...........
Kita selalu Bertanya....................dan Al-Quran sudah menjawabnya.................

KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA AKU DIUJI?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Apakah manusia itu mengira bahawa mereka dibiarkan saja mengatakan; "Kami telah beriman," ("I am full of faith to Allah") sedangkan mereka tidak diuji? Dan sesungguhnya Kami telah menguji org2 yg sebelum mereka, maka sesungguhnya Allah mengetahui org2 yg benar dan, sesungguhnya Dia mengetahui org2 yg dusta."
-Surah Al-Ankabut ayat 2-3

KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA AKU TAK DAPAT APA YG AKU IDAM-IDAMKAN?

QURAN MENJAWAB
"Boleh jadi kamu membenci sesua tu padahal ia amat baik bagimu, dan boleh jadi pula kamu menyukai sesuatu, padahal ia amat buruk bagimu, Allah mengetahui sedang kamu tidak mengetahui."
- Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 216

KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA UJIAN SEBERAT INI?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Allah tidak membebani seseorang itu melainkan sesuai dengan kesanggupannya."
- Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 286

KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA RASA FRUST?

QURAN MENJAWAB
"Jgnlah kamu bersikap lemah, dan jgnlah pula kamu bersedih hati, padahal kamulah org2 yg paling tinggi darjatnya, jika kamu org2 yg beriman."
- Surah Al-Imran ayat 139

KITA BERTANYA : BAGAIMANA HARUS AKU MENGHADAPINYA?

QURAN MENJAWAB
"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Bersabarlah kamu (menghadapi segala kesukaran dalam mengerjakan perkara-perkara yang berkebajikan), dan kuatkanlah kesabaran kamu lebih daripada kesabaran musuh, di medan perjuangan), dan bersedialah (dengan kekuatan pertahanan di daerah-daerah sempadan) serta bertaqwalah (be fearfull of Allah The Almighty) kamu kepada Allah supaya, kamu berjaya (mencapai kemenangan)."

KITA BERTANYA : BAGAIMANA HARUS AKU MENGHADAPINYA?

QURAN MENJAWAB
"Dan mintalah pertolongan (kepada Allah) dengan jalan sabar dan mengerjakan sembahyang; dan sesungguhnya sembahyang itu amatlah berat kecuali kepada orang-orang yang khusyuk"
- Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 45

KITA BERTANYA : APA YANG AKU DAPAT DRPD SEMUA INI?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Sesungguhnya Allah telah membeli dari org2 mu'min, diri, harta mereka dengan memberikan syurga utk mereka... ?
- Surah At-Taubah ayat 111

KITA BERTANYA : KEPADA SIAPA AKU BERHARAP?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Cukuplah Allah bagiku, tidak ada Tuhan selain dari Nya. Hanya kepadaNya aku bertawakkal."
- Surah At-Taubah ayat 129

KITA BERKATA : AKU TAK DAPAT TAHAN!!!

QURAN MENJAWAB
"... ..dan jgnlah kamu berputus asa dr rahmat Allah. Sesungguhnya tiada berputus asa dr rahmat Allah melainkan kaum yg kafir."
- Surah Yusuf ayat 12

Are You Serious Enough ?

I had a chat with CD the other day on what else..photography. He showed me his collection of photos which are to me, very good for a part-timer pro like him. Of course, when you have to invest so much on things you like to do, money wise or time, you can only expect good result. Heck, I noticed from the photos, he even used his wife and kids as models..but whatever it is, CD is really serious in his task be it his hobby or his day-time job..I guess that's why he is very succesful now..:-))

Speaking about being serious, the other day a good friend of mine politely told me the seriousness (tone wise maybe) of my blog writings sampai "nak comment pun tak berani..". Well, actually I don't mind receiving comments, be it good or not, so that I can improve my writings and also to apologize if my writing is deemed sensitive in nature to some people. To me as a muslim we must allow for comments and most importantly, we should listen to others as much as possible. Remember, Surah Az-Zumar Verse 19

..Yang berusaha mendengar perkataan-perkataan yang sampai kepada-Nya lalu mereka memilih dan menurut akan yang sebaik-baiknya (pada segi hukum agama); mereka itulah orang yang diberi hidayah petunjuk oleh Allah, dan mereka itulah orang yang berakal sempurna.

On being serious, over the years, I have developed so many 'serious' hobbies from astronomy to classical guitar and many others sampai I sendiri pun dah lupa. Some are very cheap and some are quite expensive. Maybe I should ask my other half because she's the one who has to tolerate all these things I do!...but one thing for sure, I will take my past-time activities also as seriously and that include this blog :-((. As much as possible, I would like my blog to be different from others..if possible lah..and besides, don't really fancy on the idea of posting too many photos of my immediate family members after watching one of the CSI series which tells about a phsyco kidnapper using pictures taken from the internet. For me, enough just to post something which is beneficial and good to share with others (if others like it) as a lesson or a reminder that we are only here in this world for a purpose. In other words, kalau kita boleh gunakan platform blogging ini sebagai satu cara untuk berdakwah di jalan Allah, we should use it and use it wisely, Al-Maidah Verse 67

Wahai Rasul Allah! Sampaikanlah apa yang telah diturunkan kepadamu dari Tuhanmu; jika engkau tidak melakukannya (dengan menyampaikan semuanya), maka bermakna tiadalah engkau menyampaikan perutusan-Nya; dan Allah jualah akan memeliharamu dari (kejahatan) manusia. Sesungguhnya Allah tidak memberi hidayah petunjuk kepada kaum yang kafir

Thus for all of you reading my post (macam bagus je ni), do feel free to make comment if you have any. :-))

Dan orang (Islam) yang datang kemudian daripada mereka (berdoa dengan) berkata: "Wahai Tuhan kami! Ampunkanlah dosa-dosa kami dan dosa saudara-saudara kami yang mendahului kami dalam iman, dan janganlah Engkau jadikan dalam hati kami perasaan hasad dengki dan dendam terhadap orang yang beriman. Wahai Tuhan kami! sesungguhnya Engkau Amat Melimpah Belas Kasihan dan Rahmat-Mu".

Complete Cycle of Human Creation

Currently I am reading the book "Mukjizat Al-Quran" by Muhammad Mutawalli Sya'rawi. One of the things which has never crossed my mind until I read this book is about how Allah completed the full cycle of human creation. The rule of nature dictates the creation of a human being by sexual desire and unification of a man and a woman and the whole process of insemination, pregnancy and birth. This is sunatullah for the human creation and being the creator of this rule, Allah can make exception as He pleases as a constant reminder to to all human beings about His power and might.

First Allah created Adam, father of all human beings, not from any part of man or a woman. Then Allah created Hawa (Eve), from part of Adam (a man). To complete the cycle, Allah created Isa from part of woman (Maryam) !


As for you and me, we are here in this world, from our moms and dads, as what sunatullah has dictated...and we should be thankful to Allah for giving us the chance to serve Him in this transient pleasure call dunia!

Sacrifice and Hajj

" Dan serukanlah umat manusia untuk mengerjakan ibadat Haji, nescaya mereka akan datang ke (rumah Tuhan) mu dengan berjalan kaki, dan dengan menunggang berjenis-jenis unta yang kurus {R.1027} , yang datangnya dari berbagai jalan (dan ceruk rantau) yang jauh"-Al Hajj Ayat 27

Early Wednesday morning, we were at the KLIA waiting for my sister and brother in lawsfrom thier trip to Mecca after performing the Hajj. Together with us, there were hundreds of people at the airport waiting for their loved ones and one can easily spot many beaming faces, hugs, kisses and also tears of joy emanating all over upon the much anticipated reunions. Almost similar circusmtance 47 days ago at LUTH Kelana Jaya, I also saw many people sending their loved ones for Hajj but the situation then was a bit different of sort as the ambiance was more melancholic and the mood was somber as loved ones prepared to leave homes for the sake of Allah.


At about 1.40am, I saw my brother and sister in-laws emerged from the arrival doors almost one hour after the plane touched down. After some quick greetings and hugs, we quickly settle down and started to exchange stories while they were waiting for the connecting flight to KT scheduled several hours later. I could easily sense how happy my brother in law now that he has completed his Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam. Who wouldn't. In few hour time he will be reunited with his children after leaving them for almost 50 days and praying for thier safety every minute.

Performing Hajj is for the sake of Allah and indeed it requires a lot of sacrifice. Many people would agree that having enough money is only part of the requirement. For the financially stable people, they would prefer to go to Hajj with the best possible package. And for some, going 'muassasah' is the only choice they have. Whatever the capability that one has, the real intention of Hajj is to obey Allah's instruction to His slaves and the willingness to sacrifice for His course.

(Sesungguhnya) orang yang beriman dan berhijrah serta berjihad pada jalan Allah dengan harta benda dan jiwa mereka adalah lebih besar dan tinggi darjatnya di sisi Allah (daripada orang Haji dan orang yang memakmurkan masjid sahaja); dan mereka itulah orang yang berjaya. At-Taubah Ayat 20

One must be prepared to endure 40 days of total subsmission to Allah leaving everything they love, including thier own children, behind. The story of Nabi Ibrahim constantly reminds us of how we as a muslim, must not put anything between us and Allah, even when it means sacrificing our loved ones. The story of how Nabi Ibrahim left Siti Sara in the dessert alone and how he was asked by Allah to sacrifice Nabi Ismail are not mere legends but indeed a message that Allah wants to tell us that no one is greater than Him. This is the ultimate concept of ' La-Ilah-ha-Illalah' and understanding this piece of word goes beyond just saying it in our daily wirid.

I have not performed the Hajj yet though my other half and me have actually registered with LUTH for this purpose albeit, we were in the very long list of registered people. We pray to Allah that one day we will be given the oppurtunity to perform this holy ritual and become among the millions muslim already performed the Hajj.

At 3.30am, both me and my other half left KLIA for home. We were a bit tired and sleepy, but felt inspired nonetheless...AlHamdulliah..Amin..

Being Outside at the Time of Magrib

Question: What is the ruling on believers being outside after Maghrib?
Is it disliked?

Answered by the Fatwa Department Research Committee - chaired by
Sheikh `Abd al-Wahhâb al-Turayrî

It is not prohibited for believers to be outside at the time of Maghrib. Indeed, it is required for men to go out at that time, since they have to go to the mosques to perform their Maghrib prayers and then go outside again after prayer in order to return to their homes.

We are encouraged, however, to keep our children indoors at this time, for the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "When night falls, keep your children indoors, for the devils are out and about at this time. When an hour of the night goes by, you can let them go." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî: (3280, 5623) and Sahîh Muslim (2012)]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: "Cover your dishes, close your ontainers, shut your doors, and keep your children indoors at nightfall, for the Jinn are out and about and stalking." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (3316)]

The meaning of "hour" in the above hadîth is explained by the following hadîth where the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "Do not send out your cattle or your children when the sun sets until the blackness of the night descends, for indeed the Satans are sent forth when the Sun sets until the blackness of the night descends." [Sahîh
Muslim (2013)

Ayat of the Day - Al-Baqarah-26

Presently we are being plagued by the Dengue Fever. Only few weeks ago two of my friends have some sort of experience with this desease either personally or by association.

The following ayat from Surah Al-Baraqah Ver 28 strucked me deeply in relation to why and how Allah created all living things in this world and how we perceived them as a Muslim.


26. Verily, Allâh is not ashamed to set forth a parable even of a mosquito or so much more when it is bigger (or less when it is smaller) than it. And as for those who believe, they know that it is the Truth from their Lord, but as for those who disbelieve, they say: "What did Allâh intend by this parable?" By it He misleads many, and many He guides thereby. And He misleads thereby only those who are Al-Fâsiqûn (the rebellious, disobedient to Allâh).

Clearly, in any creation by Allah big or small, there is always something that we can learn and ponder upon. Only our iman will lead us to full admiration of Allah or total disregard of His might. Wallahua'lam.

Praying (Doa') to Allah

While talking to my friend just before making our putts on the Green of 12th Hole at KRTU yesterday, he told me about his experience on asking favour from a religious person to make doa' for the well being of his children particularly before examination. I think his intention is basically noble with the objective of securing Allah's blessing and goodness for his children. Of course he told me that asking for the doa' is only part of the effort as the real effort is preparing for the exam itself by his children. Being a father myself I suddenly recall the following ayat from Al-Baqarah 186.


" And when my slaves ask you concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by my Knowledge). I responds to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and beleive in Me, so that they may be led aright"

I still recall from one of the tafseer series lecture by Ustaz Kariman that in the context of Surah 2-18, there is no "Kul" word which refers to the word "say" or "tell" following the ayat that starts with "when my slaves ask you concerning Me.." According to Ustaz Kariman, the word "kul" was intended to be dropped to convey the seriousness of Allah in telling His slaves that that they can interact directly to Him for help without using a third person. The continuation of that ayat also says that "I responds to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me" which also means that Allah will answer the prayer of His slave if he prays to Him. However, the last portion of the Ayat clearly says that "So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright", which indicates that, for a doa to be accepted, one must first believe in Allah and obey all His commands.

As I am not a scholar in Al-Quran, my shallow understanding of this Ayat is briefly described as following.

1. As a Muslim, we can actually pray or make DOA directly to Allah without having a third person to do that for us. This is because, Allah is always near to His slave and always listen to all his doa and predicament.

2. For a doa to be accepted by Allah, we must first believe in Him and obey all his commands which essentially can be summarised in two: Do's and Don't.

Ayat 2-18 is a definitive way described in Al-Quran of how we as Muslim can always ask anything to Allah directly. This ayat also tells us that if we are a believer and an obedient Muslim, our doa will be accepted by Allah. Indirectly, our dependency on others for help can also be lessened if not eliminated if we really understand this ayat and put it into practice. Wallahhua'lam...

Hariraya Korban di Masjid Bukit Jelutong

Seperti di tahun-tahun yang lepas, Masjid Bukit Jelutong sekali lagi menganjurkan acara korban dan aqiqah sempena sambutan Hariraya IdilAdha Tahun 2006 bersamaan 10 Zulhijjah 1427. Pada tahun ini pihak jawatankuasa masjid telah memperuntukkan sebanyak 13 ekor lembu untuk disembelih di perkarangan masjid dan selebihnya lagi sebanyak 5 ekor telah diberikan terus kepada masjid-masjid disekitar lembah Kelang. Sambutan yang telah diberikan oleh para qariah Bukit Jelutong amat menggalakkan sekali dimana saya anggarkan lebih dari seratus jemaah telah terlibat dalam sessi melapah dan membahagi-bahagikan daging kepada para peserta korban dan juga sukarelawan. Walaupun ini baru kali kedua saya terlibat secara langsung dalam acara korban di masjid ini, saya dapat merasakan yang para jemaah Bukit Jelutong amat perihatin dalam hal-hal keagamaan dan amat ikhlas dalam menjayakan majlis tersebut. Suasana meriah dan penuh mesra dapat dirasakan dimana kebanyakan yang hadir turut membawa ahli keluarga masing-masing.





Yang amat ketara dalam majlis korban tersebut adalah dari segi pengurusannya yang pada pendapat saya amat efisyen dan membanggakan. Tahniah kepada ahli-ahli jawatankuasa masjid yang telah bertungkus-lumus dalam persedian mereka untuk mengadakan majlis yang sebegitu meriah dan juga kepada semua yang telah hadir dalam memberikan kerjasama yang amat baik sekali.

Bagi saya, natijah sebenar sambutan Hariraya Korban adalah dari sikap kita kepada Allah dan agama islam. Sebagai seorang muslim, kita mesti menanamkan cita-cita untuk menjadi seorang yang muhsin yang senantiasa mancari keridaan Allah. Pengorbanan kita dari sudut kewangan sahaja memang tidak mencukupi untuk kita menjadi manusia muhsinin. Hariraya korban adalah salah satu dari peluang yang telah diberikan oleh Allah kepada kita untuk membuktikan tahap keimanan kita kepadanya dan melibatkan diri dalam majlis-maljis sedemikian yang mana kita bukan sahaja berkorban dari segi wang ringgit tetapi juga dari segi masa dan tenaga, adalah memang dituntut. Semuga Allah menerima segala pengorbanan yang telah kita usahakan selama ini dan diharap Allah masih memberikan kita kekuatan dan rezeki untuk terus berbakti kepada Islam.