CINTA PANDANG PERTAMA ADALAH CINTA KEPADA IBU....

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

I tried many times to write about my mom, but somehow it got stuck.

Somehow these stupid tears kept rolling down my cheeks.

So this time I will l just keep on going...no stopping....

Sedari kecil, ibu ku mahu menjadi seorang guru. Mahu mengikut  jejak langkah kakaknya yang merupakan guru pertama di kampung mereka.

Namun kecelakaan melanda apabila tentera Jepun menyerang dan menawan Tanah Melayu. Cita-cita ibuku terus luntur dan terkubur.

Ibuku memang hanya berumur 13 tahun namun pada zaman itu jika telah tamat darjah 6 boleh sahaja memohon masuk ke Maktab Perguruan Melayu. Dia mempunyai kelayakan tapi sayang keadaan kala itu tidak membenarkan.

Ibu terpaksa bekerja di sebuah kilang dan di situlah masa hadapan ibu berubah....

Tiap-tiap hari apabila ibu siap habis bekerja, ketika mahu pulang, seorang askar muda Jepun pasti mengikuti ibu hingga sampai ke rumah. ( Latar belakang ini lah yang memberi inspirasi kepada abangku untuk menulis skrip filem 'Embun' yang telah diarahkan oleh Erma Fatima dan dilakonkan oleh Umie Aida)

Keadaan ini amat membimbangkan ibu dan ayahnya lantaran tahu akan kekejaman tentera Jepun.Ibuku terpaksa berhenti bekerja serta merta. Lantas satu pencarian cemas dimulakan. Pencarian seorang suami untuk ibuku...

Akhirnya pencariann ditemui iaitu bapaku yang ketika itu sudah berumur 25 tahun. Alam remaja ibu tamat ketika ianya baru sahaja bermula. Ibu terpaksa menanggung perit realiti hidup pada usia yang terlalu muda.

12 orang. Itulah kami, anak2 ibu. Malangnya anak sulungnya hanya mampu hidup sehari sahaja. Kata ibu itu antara pengalaman paling sedih, kehilangan anak pertamanya. Malam demi malam ibu akan tidur bertemankan baju anak sulungnya.

Namun Allah Maha Kuasa digantikan dengan 11 orang lagi cahaya mata.

Kejerihan ibu membesarkan kami dalam serba kemiskinan walaupun ketika bapaku masih hidup. Gaji bapa tidak seberapa namun dengan rahmat Allah, ibu dan bapaku dapat memberi makan dan pelajaran kepada kami seadanya.

Ombak besar membadai ibu lagi, kala usianya baru di awal 40-an, bapaku meninggalkan dunia ini buat selamanya. Bayangkan ketika itu kami memang dalam kesempitan sedangkan adikku yang kecil baru berusia setahun.

Ramai yang meminta ibuku menyerah kan aku dan adikku kepada mereka lantaran tidak yakin ibu mampu membesarkan kami dengan sempurna. Namun kasih ibu tiada batasan. Sebelum ini, Ibu pernah dipaksa menyerahkan salah seorang anakknya. Betapa sedih dan perit perasaan itu. Ia tidak akan berlaku lagi. Ibu berjanji pada dirinya akan mengharungi hidup ini namun untuk menyerahkan anaknya, tidak sekali.

Mujur dengan rahmat Allah, kakakku baru memulai pekerjaannya sebagai seorang guru. Bagai menyambung cita2 asal ibuku. Bersama dengan kakakku itu, ibu membesarkan kami sehingga kami menjadi insan2 yang berjaya.

Pada akhir bulan Mac 2014, ibuku telah menghembus nafasnya yang terakhir, ketika aku berada di tempat yang paling suci di dunia di dalam Masjidil Haram.Walaupun tidak berada disisi ketika ibuku sedang nazak, namun aku berasa dia seumpama berada sangat dekat denganku di dalam Masjidil Haram. Moga segala doaku untuk ibuku dimakbulkan Allah Yang Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang. Aameen...

Aku tidak mungkin dapat melupakan kata-kata akhir ibu pada ku ketika aku meminta izin untuk berangkat ke tanah suci, "Aku sayang sangat kat hang...." dalam loghat Utara kami.

Mak, cek sangat-sangat sayang mak....Moga roh mak dilindungi Allah di alam barzakh dan dimasukkan dalam syurga Firdhaus selama-lamanya. Semoga Allah Yang Maha Kuasa mempertemukan kita di sana mak.

Aameen Ya Rabbal 'Alameen.


(Cinta kepada ibu adalah cinta pandang pertama sebab pabila sahaja kita dilahirkan dan membuka mata, wajah ibu adalah antara pertama kita tatapi. Dan sejak itu kita mencintai ibu kita sehingga keakhirnya...)
                 






  

  May peace be upon you..

Stop thinking about what other people  say.

 As long as it is the right thing to do.

 Just do it!
           

APA ERTI KEJAYAAN?

Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Penyayang


Apakah itu kejayaan?

Bagiku...

Kejayaan adalah kebahagian

Kejayaan adalah ketenangan

Kejayaan adalah upaya untuk tersenyum walau dalam kesempitan

Kejayaan adalah mendidik anak2 bukan sahaja untuk dunia tetapi untuk akhirat jua

Kejayaan adalah punya tubuh yang sihat

Kejayaan bukannya ada harta menimbun tetapi mengguna harta untuk merimbun kebaikan

Kejayaan bukanya bergulung-gulung ilmu tetapi memanfaatkan ilmu itu

Kejayaan ialah dapat merasa nikmat melihat, menyentuh dan menghirup udara alam

Kejayaan ialah menyayangi diri meski banyak kelemahan

Kejayaan ialah mengambil berat tentang orang lain dengan penuh kasih sayang

Kejayaan ialah keupayaan mendengar dengan akal dan hati

Kejayaan adalah bersyukur atas segala anugerah Nya
dan apa sahaja yang dilontarkan

Kejayaan adalah mendapat keredhaaan Tuhan

Kejayaan yang hakiki adalah pabila kaki melangkah masuk ke gerbang syurga yang abadi...

Aameen...

FOOTSTEPS OF MY FATHER

In the name of Allah The Most Beneficent The Most Merciful

My father was not rich. In fact he was quite poor. But he has a heart of gold. And I was only lucky enough to know him for just 3 years.

I do not have memories of my father like other people who are fortunate enough to have their fathers until they become adults. All I have in my memory of my father are like still pictures. Like photographs in an album.

However, there were two vivid "pictures" I distinctly remembered about him.

I remembered him playing his violin in front of our rented house in Penang. I was told by my mom that he was an avid musician. Loved music and sports too. Winning quite a few badminton tournaments in his hey days. He played other musical instruments like the piano, guitar, accordion...

When I was a kid, I found his two piece white suit buried somewhere underneath other old clothes. That was the suit he worn when he had a gig. I imagined him wearing the white suit which is starched and ironed immaculately... and playing the grand piano on a grand ship. How I wish I could hear him play.

Unfortunately being a musician could not bring enough money to support his big family. There were eleven of us. So he had to work hard in the docks, under the sweltering heat to feed us. He cycled almost 10 km a day to his workplace and another 10km to get home. His skin sun burnt. His face gaunt.

Yet my mother told me if he came back from work and found one of us sick, he would immediately take us to see the doctor. I could imagined how exhausted he was but I guess a father's love knows no boundaries. Love can overcome even exhaustion.    

Sadly...the other "picture" I remembered of him was on the day of his death. I remembered him lying there...in my grandmother's house, like he was sleeping...with a faint smile on his lips. I remembered my five year old sister crying uncontrollably ( which is strange because she said she didn't remember anything) . She was my father's favourite daughter. And my brother playing marbles under our stilt house...oblivious to the  surroundings.

So every time I return to my place of birth , Penang...I would imagine seeing my father in every nook and corner of the island. At the docks, at Padang Kota Lama, at the old mosque, at the village, at the Kopitiam, even imagining seeing him on the streets  cycling to go back home from work.

 Even when we had moved out from Penang and in my adolescent years,I used to go back to my kampong, I was amused when the villagers used to stop me and asked.."Anak Pak Haroon?" (Are you Haroon's daughter?) even years after my father passed away. He must be very famous! He must have done something really good...for people to still remember him.

FIFTY DOLLARS...

In the name of Allah The Most Beneficent The Most Merciful

Yes...It is true. This is the answer to a question a sister posed.

The question was...

Why do we feel that $50 worth so much  when we want to give sadaqa in a mosque and if we want to give, it is with a heavy heart? 
But the same amount of money of $50 feel so small when we want to spend in a shopping mall?

What's wrong with us?

The problem is... we are materialistic. We can only see that our money and our wealth can buy worldly goods. And it is never enough...

Yet at the same time...if we give sadaqa, we feel like we are losing and not gaining anything.
Because we cannot see what we are gaining through our eyes. We become blind and we are blind.

The truth is...sadaqa does not decrease our wealth instead it increases it.

Believe this...for every cent we spent in sadaqa, Allah will reward us bountiful more not just in this world but in the hereafter.

So...if you just happen to have that $50 in your pocket, why don't you put the money in the donation box in your local mosque instead of spending it in the mall.

You will get back a lot more....

KEEP COOL..CHILL OUT

May peace be upon you


A father was concerned about his son who has an anger management problem. The son got angry almost everyday. He will  shout profanities to anyone in front of him.

One day, the father said to his son, "Son, every time you feel anger welled up, go to the barn. Take with you a hammer and some nails."

"Then drive in the nails using the hammer until you feel satisfied."

So...every time the son feels angry, he takes the hammer and drives in the nails on the walls of the barn.

After one month, the father said to the son, "This time..pull out all the nails..."

Even though he felt peculiar, he just followed his father's instruction.

"What can you see on the walls, son."

"The walls are full of holes and they look rather ugly."

"Son..what you see is the effect of anger. When you get angry at someone you will not only hurt them but yourself. They might forgive you but the hurt might not go away. The wounds you inflicted on them might heal, but the scars may stay forever. And you also hurt yourself by becoming a bitter and unhappy person."

Anger can consume a man just like fire.

May Allah bless us with patience and calmness.

TOMORROW STARTS TODAY...

In the name of Allah The Most Beneficent The Most Merciful


Sometimes I wonder why do we worry about the future. The fact is we  cannot predict the future. Que sera...sera...whatever will be, will be, the future is not ours to see...

I used to sing that song over and over again when I was kid. But...I really didn't even understand what it means.

 We really do not know what the future holds for us. So, why do we worry?

I am a pathetic worrier...I wish I'm a warrior instead. But I'm not. I was preoccupied worrying about so many things and so many reasons. Then I realized that most of the things that I worried about didn't happen.

So...I just wasted a lot of my precious time worrying about nothing. I am still a worrier..a bit. Just can't help it...a habit if you like.

The truth of the matter is...the most important thing that we have to worry is ....now.

The key to the future is...now.

What we decide, what we do NOW affects the future. So the thing that really matter is the people and the the problems we are facing at present.

Don't worry about the future...it has already been decided today.

IKHLAS

In the name Allah The Most Benificent The Most Merciful

Once,  a large consignment of wine was being brought on a ship for a despotic king who was notorious for his tyranny. A pious man who happened to travel by that ship broke all the bottles or casks of wine except one. Nobody could stop him.

Everybody wondered how he dared to do this for nobody had the courage to face the cruelty of the king.

When the king was informed about it, he was surprised to learn that an ordinary man had the audacity to do all that . He also wondered why he left one cask intact.

The man was captured and interrogated. He said, "My conscience had urged me to do this, you may punish me as you like."

He was then asked why one cask was left unbroken?

He replied,"At first I broke the casks of wine out of my religious sentiments, but when only one was left....my heart felt elated. I then felt that breaking this last cask would be for the satisfaction of my ego. I, therefore, did not break it."

Finding him selfless in what he did, the king ordered his release.

To do good deeds you need 'Ikhlas'. It requires words, thoughts and deeds that should be compatible...
only for the pleasure of Allah s.w.t alone. Thus, we must constantly looked inside our heart whether our deeds are indeed because of Allah or because of our desire for worldly things.
    

HAPPY DAYS!

May peace be upon you.

I've been wrapped up doing translation which seems to be an endless effort. It gives 'Lost in Translation' a whole new meaning to me.

You know guys..sometimes even a mundane and boring work can be rewarding. It's how you look at it.

So today I decided I want to be happy.

 No matter how much work we have, how much problems burden us, how things don't go our way. Decide to be happy! Most importantly make someone happy today.

Buy a cup tea/coffee for a stranger, give a bouquet of flowers to your wife, give hugs to your friends, and to the old lady that pass by your house every morning...just give her a smile and say hello.

Giving doesn't need to be monetary. Giving is actually happiness.

I LOVE EXOTIC FRUITS!

      

May Peace be upon you.

It's the fruit season in Malaysia. Durians, rambutans, mangosteens can be seen almost everywhere especially sold by the roadside.

When I was a kid my family and I will usually spend our school holidays in my kampong (village).
The name of my kampong is appropriately known as Kampong Seronok. Directly translated 'Seronok' means Fun.

My kampong is in fact a really fun place to be. Well, when i was kid anyway. We didn't have to buy these exotic fruits. They were free. The only thing is you have to go and find them.

My late aunt lived in our old ancestral home. At that time, there was no electricity, no gas stove and the bathroom was outside the house. We went to sleep early since there was not much you can do without electric lights. But the nights were filled with my aunt's bedtime stories.

                       This is not my real ancestral house...but you get the idea how it looks like so many, many years ago. Now it is a brick house.

She would tell me a whole chests of stories which I would treasure for the rest of my life.

During the durian season, I would follow my aunt to the fruit orchard before dawn, when it was still dark, searching for the beautiful, pungent fruits. To people who do not know... you cannot pluck durians. You have to wait for them to fall on their own sweet time.

And why do we have to find them so early in the morning...? Simply because, any later, all the fruits would be missing. Durians are prized fruits, known as the king of the fruits, they could fetch quite a handsome sum of money.

Armed with just a torchlight, we would search for the fruits on the grounds under the durian trees. My aunt would say, "If you want to find durians, follow your nose not your eyes."

                                                            DURIANS

To me durians have a lovely,unique smell but to some especially foreigners, the smell is so strong that they even describe them having the same smell of a sewage?!

Another fruit that perhaps the young generation would not know is 'keriang'. A boy in my kampong would invite me to join his 'gang' to find this fruit.

 We had to go across the cemetery grounds where my dad was laid to rest. and climbed the hill and at the edge of the jungle we could find the 'Keriang' trees. I have no idea whether somebody planted them or they were wild fruit trees.

The fruits are deep purple in colour and if you're eating them, make sure you're not wearing a white shirt because the stain will stay forever...

                                              KERIANG/ KERIAN FRUITS

The Keriang fruits taste sour yet slightly sweet and bitter. Well... I had a great time finding them with my friends. This fruit is not popular nowdays, perhaps unknown to many youngsters today. What a pity because it is such an exciting, beautiful fruit with  a real exotic taste.

 

THE PRECIOUS THING IN YOUR LIFE

May peace be upon you.

Late one night, a man came home from a long tiring night working. When he arrived home the only thing on his mind was to rest and go to sleep before he started work all over again tomorrow morrning.

But to his dismay, he found his young son not asleep yet. He scolded his son and told him to go to bed.

Instead the boy asked him,

"How much do you make per hour, dad ?"

The question made the man angry.

"What? Non of your business, son."

"Oh! Come on dad, please tell me...how much do your boss pay you for one hour?"

Tired and thinking that his son will get off his back if he answered  the question,

"$100 an hour. Are you satisfied!?"

"May I borrow $50. I pay you back when I have the money."

The man was furious.

"You have the nerve to ask me for money! Do you know how hard I have to work everyday to earn that money? And you're going to use that money on some useless things. You go to bed right now, young man!" Ordered the man angrily.

The young boy marched to his bedroom gloomily.

After some time, after his anger subsided, the man started to think, and said to himself,
"What on earth does a small kid like him want that kind of money? There must be something more to this.."

So he decided to go and ask his son,

"Son, are you still awake?"

"Yeah..dad."

"I'm sorry I scolded you just now. Here's the $50. What do you want to do with the money?"

Gratefully the boy accepted the money and almost at the same time he took a few crumpled dollars under his pillow.

When his father saw this, he started to get angry again because he thought he was right that the boy just wanted to buy some useless expensive toy but before he can say anything, the boy said,

"All this money is for you, dad." He handed all the money to his father.

"Why? What for?" said his father bewildered.

"I would like to pay for one hour's of your time, dad so you could spend that time with me. I really miss you dad..."

The man hugged his young son with tears welled up in his eyes and just realized he was too busy with his work that he forgot the most precious thing in his life.....

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY MALAYSIA !

May peace be upon you.

Tomorrow MALAYSIA will be celebrating her 56th Independence Day. If she is human, she probably have a few grandchildren...

But most importantly...she is definitely matured and learned a lot through life experiences.

We live in a country where we have different races, religions and cultures. Malays, Indians, Chinese, Kadazans, Iban, Murut, Bidayuh.....

However... our differences are in fact our strength and not our weaknesses.

Let us respect each other...live together...help one another...so we can build a great nation.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, MALAYSIA !

                           MERDEKA!
                            
                           MERDEKA!

                           MERDEKA! 

A LITTLE MONEY, CARDIGAN AND FRIENDSHIP

May peace be upon you.


One day two good friends find themselves having to say goodbye. One of them, T had to go abroad to further her studies. Her friend,N, lived quite far away. So to make sure, N, came to see her at the airport, she gave her some transport money.

However on the day she supposed to leave, she waited and waited for her friend at the airport but was disappointed. Her friend never turned up. She was terribly sad because she thought her friend didn't care.

She went abroad and they lost contact for more than 20 years.

For so many years, N tried to find T and finally she did find her. T was surprised yet touched when N explained to her the reason she didn't go to the airport more than 20 years ago.. Tears rolled down their cheeks.


"I didn't go because I didn't want to say goodbye. I'm sorry I  didn't tell you earlier... I used the money you gave me to buy a cardigan.  Every time I feel cold, I will put it on so that it will remind me the warmth of your love and your friendship...."

KEMALANGAN BAS ....LAGI?

Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pemurah lagi Maha Penyayang.

Di negara-negara luar rakyatnya mati kerana peperangan atau tidak cukup makan. Di Malaysia, rakyat mati kerana kemalangan jalanraya yang boleh dielakkan dan kerana terlebih makan yang juga boleh dielakkan.

Kemalangan ngeri di Genting Highlands bukanlah yang pertama malah kemalangan begini berlaku setiap tahun di Malaysia

Di dada akhbar diberitakan, Pak Menteri berkata jangan menunding jari...Huh? Patut lah kemalangan begini asyik berulang lagi dan lagi.

Soalnya jika malapetaka seperti ini terjadi, kita mesti cari sebabnya, puncanya.. kerana sesuatu kemalangan berlaku selalunya bukan kerana satu sebab tetapi beberapa sebab. Selepas itu, barulah kita akan dapat mencari cara-cara mengatasinya.

Pemandu-pemandu bas selalu menyalahkan brek tidak makan. Saya masih ingat lagi satu kemalangan di Gombak di mana sebuah bas dari Genting Highlands melanggar dari belakang sebuah kereta yang berhenti di simpang lampu isyarat. Kereta itu burst into flames dan kesemua pemandu dan penumpang kereta mati hangus. Kes masuk mahkamah dan surprise! surprise! pemandunya terlepas atas alasan... brek rosak.

Persoalannya... bukankah  pemandu dan majikannya mempunyai duty of care , kewajipan untuk memastikan bas dalam keadaan yang baik sebelum perjalanan. Kes begini berulang beberapa kali dan selalunya pemandu dan pemilik bas akan terlepas. Menghairankan...

Semua rakyat Malaysia tahu hakikat ini... hampir semua pemandu bas di Malaysia memandu bas seperti mereka memandu kereta F1. Yang peliknya kita amat jarang melihat bas2 ini ditahan polis.

  Lack of enforcement amat ketara di Malaysia menyebabkan pemandu2 yang tidak bertanggunjawb ini bermaharajalela. Saya masih ingat lagi semasa saya pergi on tour ke Eropah dengan menaiki bas persiaran, tiap-tiap 2 jam pemandu bas mesti berhenti berehat dan tiap-tiap kali dia berhenti ada sahaja polis yang datang memeriksa log book pemandu untk memastikan dia mengikut undang2.

 Di Jerman, kami di berhentikan di lebuhraya beberapa kali
oleh polis peronda semata-mata untuk memastikan pemandu mengikut peraturan. Polis peronda lebuhraya  mereka menaiki kereta Porsche lagi...

Di UK semasa menaiki bas dari Birmingham ke Heathrow Airport, saya rasa seperti floating atas kapas tetapi bila saya naik bas di Malaysia seperti naik roller-coaster. Kalaulah pemandu Malaysia boleh berubah sikap, alangkah amannya jalanraya di Malaysia.
 
Saya harap dari kejadian kemalangan ngeri ini, pihak berkuasa akan mengambil langkah2 yang tegas dan tepat agar malapetaka buatan manusia ini tidak berlaku lagi atau sekurang2nya dapat dikurangkan.

Takziah diucapkan kepada keluarga mangsa.

 

MAY PEACE BE UPON YOU



SOMETIMES FROM THE ASHES OF WARS,  GREAT NATIONS WERE BORN.

America (The American Civil War), Japan (World War ll), South Korea (the Korean War)

HOWEVER...

MOST OF THE TIME THROUGH COUP D 'ETAT, ONLY DICTATORS  AND OPPRESSION WON....

RUMAH KOSONG INI...

Rumah kosong ini...

pernah penuh dengan tawa
pernah penuh dengan tangis
pernah penuh dengan kata-kata..
pernah penuh dengan cinta.

Kalakian....

Rumah kosong ini...
Penuh meruak sepi
penuh meruak sunyi
penuh meruak tanpa isi.


Kau terasa tertinggal dan ditinggal.
 
Namun hakiki...
insan itu tidak pernah sendiri
Bukankah Ilahi ada di sisi
Tidak meninggalkan diri
Senantiasa menerima hambaNya
walaupun berlumuran dosa....

EID MUBARAK /SELAMAT HARI RAYA !

These pictures were taken on Eid day taken superbly by my niece, Nani. It captures the true friendship of two cousins, Ali and my son, Amir.

We enjoyed our Eid together with our beloved family, Alhamdulillah. Hei..and our family was featured live on MHI TV3 on the second day of Eid! Not many families can top that....

Hope everyone had a joyous Eid and may Allah accept our 'amal during Ramadhan..

HAPPY BELATED EID!    EID MUBARAK ! 

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....

   

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...

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.