Wednesday 31 July 2013

KISAH SEORANG MUALAF MUDA



Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Penyayang.

Sebulan sebelum Ramadhan, seorang anak muda berketurunan Cina tiba-tiba menghampiri suamiku di sebuah surau di kawasan perumahan kami. Dia menghampiri suamiku kerana disangka suamiku  seorang mualaf ,  wajah suamiku seperti seorang Cina. [Ya lah ibunya memang berketurunan Cina]

Dia menceritakan dia baharu sebulan memeluk agama Islam. Ibunya telah meninggal dunia sejak kecil lagi dan dia tinggal dengan ayahnya seorang Along [peminjam wang] di sebuah banglo berdekatan. Datuknya pula seorang paderi Kristian. Dia mempunyai dua orang abang dan kedua-dua abangnya telah memeluk Islam beberapa tahun yang lalu. SubhanaAllah ! Seorang abangnya tinggal di Kelantan dan seorang lagi menuntut di Mesir dalam pengajian Islam.

Dia bercerita lagi yang dia tidak tenang hidup dengan ayahnya  Perangai buruk ayahnya yang selalu mabuk dan membawa perempuan ke rumah amat tidak di senanginya. Kadang-kadang dia terdengar teriakn orang meminta tolong. Hidupnya terasa terhimpit walaupun di kelilingi dengan kemewahan. Abang-abangnya  masih menghubungi dan merekalah yang berdakwah kepadanya tentang Islam. Namun mereka terlampau takut untuk datang mengambilnya hatta ayahnya seorang samseng kaki pukul yang mempunyai ramai orang suruhan. Oleh itu dia bertekad ke JAWI dan memeluk Islam di sana. Dia begitu yakin hanya Islam dapat menyelamatkannya.

Pada ketika itu dia seorang pelajar tahun akhir di sebuah universiti di Kuala Lumpur. Apabila ayahnya mendapat tahu yang dia telah memeluk agama Islam, ayahnya begitu marah sekali. Ayahnya berusaha untuk menghalang dia dari meneruskan perjalanan sucinya itu. Semasa dia pulang dari kelas, ayahnya telah menghantar beberapa orang suruhannya untuk menangkapnya. Kemudian dia telah dikurung di dalam biliknya. Ayahnya telah merampas kad pengenalan dan telefon bimbitnya supaya dia tidak lari dari rumah. Yuran peperiksaan tahun akhirnya juga tidak dibayar.

Akhirnya dia dapat melepaskan diri semasa ayahnya tiada di rumah dan bersembunyi di surau di kawasan perumahan kami. Dia lari dengan hanya sehelai sepinggang. Disitulah dia bertemu suamiku dan menceritakan segala masalahnya.  Dia memilih surau kami kerana ia agak tersembunyi dari pandangan orang ramai. Katanya kalau di masjid berdekatan dia pasti ayahnya menghantar  konco2nya yang beragama Islam untuk menangkapnya. 

Alhamdulillah dengan pertolongan ahli qariah surau, mereka memberi bantuan pakaian, wang dan keperluan lain dan juga seorang sahabat yang pemurah telah melunaskan yuran peperiksaannya. Akhirnya dia dapat menduduki peperiksaan akhir dan kini bekerja di Johor Bharu.

Kami agak bimbang bagaimana dia dapt menjalani ibadah puasa buat kali pertama. Katanya abangnya yang di Mesir akan pulang ke tanahair kerana menjadi imam jemputan di salah satu masjid di Damansara. Dia akan bertemu abangnya nanti.

Begitulah kisah seorang mualaf muda yang mempunyai semangat yang begitu kental yang sanggup meninggalkan kemewahan dan keluarganya demi Islam. Renungan terutama untuk diri sendiri sanggupkah kita berkorban begitu sekali? Kita yang dilahirkan Islam sendiri tidak mensyukuri nikmat dilahirkan sebagai seorang Islam.

Sesungguhnya nikmat yang paling berharga yang Allah swt anugerahkan kepada kita di dunia ini adalah kita dijadikan sebagai seorang muslim. Semoga Allah sentiasa memberi hidayah dan perlindunganNya kepada anak muda ini. Aameen....

   

Sunday 28 July 2013

ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH ?




In the name of Allah The Most Merciful The Most Benificent


If you're having a baby, would you consider to have your baby at home? But without any assistance from a midwife or even your mother. Just you and your husband.

Some would say it is foolhardy but some would say it is brave. I would say it is FANTASTIC!

This is what my niece, Maisarah and her husband, Abdul Ghani planned for their second baby. Having their baby born at their own home.

She just gave birth to a healthy baby girl 8 days ago at her home with only the help from her loving husband. Wow! Can you believe it. I have 5 children and I don;t think I'm that brave enough.

Ghani's face lit up when he told us, about his experience in detail.  I was flabbergasted at first but then feel so happy for them. Not many husbands can share this monumental experience.

To some who might freak out when reading this [especially the husbands],,,.of course they went through a thorough training with an experienced and knowledgeable trainer before delivering their baby. Fortunately, the labor was not long and Ghani successfully delivered their beautiful second baby and cut the umbilical chord without a hitch.

I know many doctors or midwives would not agree to this method, but this is to show that delivering a baby is a natural process. In addition, the parents have the freedom of control in the birth instead of being controlled by the hospital, doctors and nurses' regulations which I personally  dislike when I was in labor. No need for drugs or painkillers which might affect the baby. Plus it's free!

A word of advice please do not attempt this if your wife is suffering from some sort of illnesses like high blood pressure or diabetes or the unborn baby has some health issues. If you and your wife are super healthy, why not, go ahead.. well... if you're brave enough.

Congratulations you guys! Good job Ghani and Maisarah. This is an experience that you guys and your family will treasure for the rest of your life...

Tuesday 23 July 2013

LIFE IS LIKE A DURIAN



May peace be upon you.
   

 An experienced teacher was elated that he was promoted as a principal of a school. His joy however, was short-lived after he found out that he would be posted to the remotest school in his country. The school is for the 'orang asli'  children living in several small villages in the jungle.

The school is so remote that there isn't any proper roads leading there. You need to ride on a scrambler motorbike in order to reach the school because the only road there  is a mud track .

It was hard for him the first time. He had to leave his family behind since there was no proper accommodation for them. And when he rode the scrambler which he was unaccustomed to, he fell and had mud all over him.

At last after 4 arduous hours he reached the school. The school is surrounded with dense jungle but to his relieved it was a proper school with concrete one storey buildings and running water. But... no electricity.

So when he entered the school compound, where the teachers, the students and their parents were waiting, he looked like a...well...someone who just went through a mud bath. They were all staring at him.

A boy said to his mother, "He looks like a water buffalo!" There was silence.

Suddenly there was a laugh. The new headmaster  broke into laughter. "Yes, you're right. I do look like a water buffalo." And everybody there joined him laughing. That incident broke the ice.

The community welcomed him and they knew from that moment, he was the one. He is the one who is going to change the school's future.

The school had only six classes from year 1 to year 6. There were only 9 to10 students in one class and only 6 teachers including him. The passing rate is 0% and during the 'petai' and 'durian' seasons, the students will mysteriously disappeared. He soon learned that they will go into the jungle with their parents to find these favourite  delicacies. Petai and durians are very much sought after in Malaysia so they fetch quite a handsome sum of profit.

                                            PETAI

                                                 DURIAN

Therefore, he knew he had a long way to go in order to improve the students' achievements and the school as a whole. He knew in a remote place like this he had to reach out to the community to help him.

He began his approach by learning the community's culture and language. For example, he found out that they don't cane their children so he instructed all the teachers never to met out corporal punishment against the students. Any teacher who failed to follow this, will be transferred.

He respected the Orang Asli's tradition and in return they gave full co-operation to him. Student's attendance improved and their grades started to get better.

He also treated the other teachers as his family. Looking after them just like they were his brothers and sisters. The teachers in turn look after the students like their own children.

Somehow he managed to get electricity to the school so the students who lived in the school's hostel can study and do their homework at night.

With all of them working together and with full determination, soon the school became the best rural school in the country.

Life is a bit like a durian, it is thorny and so difficult to pry open and yet when you succeed, it is so sweet and delicious.


Friday 19 July 2013

THE LAUNDRY STORY




May peace be upon you.


I would like to share an interesting story that was narrated to me by a friend, Farzana. Funny but wirh a beautiful lesson.

A couple was sitting in their kitchen having breakfast. Through the kitchen window, the wife was observing their neighbour's laundry being hung outside.

"I don't think our neighbour know how to wash their clothes properly. They don't look very clean to me. Perhaps they used the wrong detergent." The wife said.

But the husband kept quiet, sipping slowly his coffee.

The next day, the same thing happen again. The wife commented that their neighbour still do not know how to clean their laundry. And still the husband kept quiet.

This went on for a few days until one day the wife cried, "Ahh... they finally knew how to wash their clothes properly! Look... their laundry is so clean."

The husband who has kept quiet all this time suddenly spoke,
"I cleaned our kitchen's window this morning, it was dirty."


Unfortunately, many of us.. well... most of us can easily identify the mistakes and weaknesses of other people but fail to see our own mistakes, our own weaknesses. We criticize, we condemn and belittle people for their shortcomings and yet blind to see our own faults.

Perhaps next time we should see people through a clean window....



Wednesday 17 July 2013

ALWAYS LOOK AT THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE!


May peace be upon you.

Two siblings only two years apart. The younger died earlier in his 40s of a heart attack while the older one survived until his 80s. They ate the same food and more or less had the same lifestyle. So why?

 The only difference between them is that the older brother has a sunnier disposition i.e he is happier while his younger brother was always anxious and depressed.

 A research done by John Hopkins University School of Medicine and published in the American Journal of Cardiology stated," If you are by nature a cheerful person and look on the bright side of life, you are more likely to be protected from cardiac events.'

 The research further stated even though  happy people still do have many risk factors for coronary disease, they had fewer serious heart events.

Therefore....always look at the bright side of life. Be positive. When was the last time we had a problem? We can hardly remember it? Because it was always resolved and there is always a way to overcome our problem.

 If we are facing a predicament today,  there is a solution to it. It only needs time, patience and some effort.

SO...DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY! It might save your life.



 



 

Wednesday 10 July 2013

THE WIND AND THE ANT




In the name of Allah The Most Merciful, The Most Beneficent


One day an ant was stuck on a tree. He held firmly to the tree because down below was a river.

The naughty wind wanted to make the ant fall. So, it blew as hard as it could. But the stronger the wind blew, the firmer the ant held on to the tree. He just won't budge.

Now the wind is not happy. Why can't I knock down a tiny ant with my mighty strength?

Then the wind got an idea.What if I used a softer and gentler wind?

Thus the wind started to blow gently towards the tree. The tree started to rock gently to and fro. This made the ant sleepy as the wind lull the ant to sleep.

And... fast asleep the ant let go of his grip and fell into the river...

This story  of course is just an analogy and the moral of the story?

Well, we human beings when faced with a catastrophe for example an earthquake or a war, our faith becomes stronger. Or facing any predicament or difficulties, our faith becomes stronger than ever.

This strength however can be defeated so easily. It is defeated when we are presented with worldly pleasures.

Pleasures of the world lull us to sleep and let  us slip away from our faith.

This is well known to our enemy, the Satan and its cohorts. Hence it uses money, alcohol, drugs, sex and etc. that attracted our desire to corrupt us... to make us fall.

Even watching television, surfing the internet, chatting and playing online or electronic games EXCESSIVELY  can easily lure us from remembrance of Allah. 

And when we fall...we won't just fall into a river......

So be aware, always put our guard up, don't waste our precious time... especially in this blessed month of  Ramadhan.

Monday 8 July 2013

RAMADHAN IS HERE !

                            Ramadhan Moon by Yusuf Islam and friends


In the name of Allah the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent

On the last day of Sha'ban, the Messenger of Allah (saw) addressed us and said "O people, there comes upon you now a great month, a most blessed month, in which lies a night greater in worth than one thousand months..."

The first part of Ramadhan is the period of mercy, whereby it is meant that Allah's mercy is showered.

The middle part of Ramadhan is the period when forgiveness is granted as a reward for the fasting.

The last part of Ramadhan brings immunity from Jahannam.

Whosoever feeds the hungry, clothes the poor and grants refuge to the traveler, he or she will be saved on the day of Judgement.

It is a month of giving, a month of forgiveness and a month of patience and to show kindness to all creatures of God.

Brothers and sisters in Islam, please remember our brothers and sisters in Syria, Palestine and in Mesir/Egypt in your du'a throughout this blessed month.


WISHING ALL MUSLIMS........RAMADHAN AL MUBARAK !

Thursday 4 July 2013

WHY DO WE HAVE TO FIGHT ?



                                       You and I by Irfan Makki
                                            

May peace be upon you

I found myself difficult to write sad things. Especially about wars.  The world had witnessed and still witnessing horrendous wars.

 When I was a kid, it was the Vietnam War. Malaysia also had its fair share of war. The Communist insurgent was war against Malaysia. I'm glad that was over. Then came the Afghanistan war, the Cold War, the Bosnian War and the list goes on and on...

Today it is in Syria and in Mesir/ Egypt it is looming.

Why do human beings like to fight? Why can't we sit down and talk? If they really want to fight, just fight one to one combat between the Generals or their champions or whatever as long as it does not involve women and children and the weak.

My heart breaks into pieces when I see children maimed or killed in this ruthless war. Are their tears and blood  so cheap? Are they just collateral damages? There must be an International convention for women, children and the weak to be  be allowed to leave the country before or when the war erupted.

I was a volunteer in a Bosnian Refugee camp [not exactly a camp more like a building converted into a temporary shelter] during the Bosnian War. It was sad to see women and children who had to flee from their own country and live in a place with just basic amenities.

The thing that touched my heart when I was at the camp was, even in their dire straits, these women who had lost their property and perhaps their family... offered me a bag of their coffee beans. It seemed those beans meant a lot to them and they wanted to share it with me. Words could not describe how I felt at that moment.

I learned that humanities will not die even in a terrible, troubled situation. LOVE WILL PREVAIL.


Wednesday 3 July 2013

BADAK NI NAK LALU...


Assalamu'alaikum wrt dan selamat sejahtera


 Seorang kawan saya pernah menceritakan kepada saya satu kisah lucu tetapi mempunyai teladan.

Suatu hari dua orang pelajar Malaysia sedang menunggu bas di sebuah stesen bas di London.  Seorang wanita 'Mat Saleh' yang berbadan gempal datang dan duduk berdekatan dengan mereka.

Pelajar2 lelaki ini pun mula mempersendakan wanita ini dalam Bahasa Melayu.  Mereka memanggilnya antara lain sebagai 'badak'. Saya rasa ramai pelajar2 Malaysia yang menggunakan 'kelebihan' bahasa untuk mengutuk orang lain semasa di negara asing.

Tiba2 wanita 'mat saleh' itu bangun dan berkata, "Minta maaf , 'badak' ni nak tumpang lalu", di dalam bahasa Melayu yang fasih.

Terkejut katak la budak2 Malaysia tu. Rupa-rupanya wanita itu boleh memahami dan fasih berbahasa Melayu.

Oleh itu, pengajarannya janganlah kutuk orang dalam bahasa apa pun. Terlajak kata, tak boleh tarik balik. Kadang2 badan boleh binasa.

Gunalah bahasa untuk kebaikan bukan untuk menyakitkan hati orang lain.