The Real New Year / Perihal Hari Valentine

Selamat Tahun Baru...



Marilah baca artikel-artikel di Islam Online. Tambahkan sedikit ilmu pengetahuan. Muharram Safar Rabi'ul Awal Rabi'ul Thani Jumada Awal Jumada Ukhra Rejab Syaaban Ramadan Syawal Zulqaedah Zulhijjah...



Terima kasih penasyid sekalian (Yusuf Islam, Raihan, Hijjaz etc), kerana telah membantu kita mengingati bulan-bulan Islam. Hai, nak ingat pun kena menyanyi?



Hmmm maghrib sekejap lagi. New Year! Okay cau!



..



Valentine's Day pun semakin hampir. Apalah nak jadi? 2 tahun sudah, aku pernah menyaksikan sendiri gelagat pemuda-pemudi bersorakan dek Valentine's Day. Ketika itu, aku di KLCC menjemput rakan yang baru saja tiba dari KMYS lepas maghrib, dalam pukul 8 malam adalah kiranya.



Sewaktu perjalanan pulang, terkejut sungguh melihatkan ribuan anak muda bercanda di tepi kolam air pancur KLCC. Wah! Ramainya. Perasaan sangka baik masih kuat - mungkin ada bacaan Tahlil beramai-ramai kot sempena Valentine's Day. Wah! Brothers & sisters beramai pulak tu. Wah! Sungguh indah ukhuwwah... Tentu mendapat barakah!



Yeah, right! You're bloody right! Ukhuwwah kebendenye. Masing-masing menghayati keindahan tanpa disedari mereka dihujani dengan dosa. Semakin tua waktu malam, zikir-zikir neraka (ayat jiwang) semakin rancak. I love you, you love I. Awak sayang saya tak? Cinta kita tetap teguh honey. Apa hadiah utk Valentine's Day? I sanggup menempuh lautan api (baca: lautan api neraka) demi you. Dan banyak lagi zikir-zikir yang lain...



Itu lah dia. Valentine's Day ini pembunuh kasih ibu. Penyelar kasih bapa. Yang utama, menyembelih kasih Ilahi...



Minta kita semua dijauhkan dari membuat benda-benda yang tak berfaedah ini.



Wallahu'alam.

Berita Dari France

Diambil dari Bulletin Friendster:



"wey korg...sesapa yg kenal zapran..dak utp

ke...smap ke...mengikut cakap wak pai

melalui ym...zapran masuk hospital(kat

france la kot..ye aaa..dier blaja sana) sbb

ade problem kat peparu dier..ntah dgr kater

kena operate...ni aku dpt tau drpd wak

pai...kalau wak pai tipu maka tipu la cerita

ini..kalau wak pai ckp betol maka benarla

cerita ni..tapi aku personally pecaya aa citer

ni..sbb mase f2 dulu dier masuk hospital

pasal peparu bedarah..mari kite sama2

mendoakan kesejahteraan beliau...amin.."



-Amirudin-



Adakah ia RDS? Emphysema? Pneumothorax?

Sampai kena operate?

Wallahu'alam.



Baru masuk Respiratory System. Tak tahu sgt.



Cuma berdoa dia okay sahaja.

Worth a ponder

2 minggu lepas, article nih keluar di BMJ.



Generosity after tsunami could threaten neglected crises



Peter Moszynski



BMJ��2005;330:165, doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7484.165-b



Note: You will need an Athens account in order to access the full text.

The People Of The Boxes

By Dawud Wharnsby Ali:



There were once some people who all saw their lives like empty boxes

They looked around the world collecting up the things they liked

They filled their lives in boxes with the goodies that they gathered

And they all felt in control, content and they all felt all right

They climbed inside their boxes, they settled with their trinkets

They neither looked nor learnt much more and closed their lids up tight

Once they fastened up their boxes they smiled there inside

And they all thought in their darkness that the world was clear and bright



But the world is not a box,

There's no lid, no doors, no cardboard flaps or locks.

And everything in nature from the clouds to the rocks

Is a piece of the puzzle of the purpose of man;

It's the piece of the peace of Islam



Along came a wandering wise man whispering such words of truth,

Who stumbled on these boxes so separate side by side

He knocked upon the first one saying,

"Please come out and feel the day"

An answer came from deep within,

"You're not of us please go away"



He approached the second box and tapped thrice on the lid, saying,

"Peace to you inside, shall I show you a new way??

Someone peaked out from a crack and said,

"You may just have a point, but it's so comfy in my box, in my box here I will stay."



But the world is not a box,

There's no lid, no doors, no cardboard flaps or locks.

And everything in nature from the clouds to the rocks

Is a piece of the puzzle of the purpose of man;

It's the piece of the peace of Islam



He stood before the final box; a hiding face peaked out to him,

And much to his surprise he said,

"I recognize those eyes"

"I see you and you see me, why not come out and be free?

Faith and flowers wilt and die if they are hidden from the sky."



Cuz the world is not a box,

There's no lid, no doors, no cardboard flaps or locks.

And everything in nature from the clouds to the rocks

Is a piece of the puzzle of the purpose of man;



Hmm...

Are we still trapped in?

Are we still 'branding' people happily like there is no other day?

How could we guide the others then?



Waallahu'alam

New Term

Hmmm... now I wonder what did I do in January 2004 last year. I could imagine how different it was.



Maybe I was hanging with the wrong crowd back then. Or maybe I didn't get what's really life is all about. Period.



Today, where exactly I want to go? Wow that's really tough question isn't it? At least now I know what I am supposed to do, and what I want to be. Phew!



Oh yes, please surf to:

Muslim Heritage - http://www.muslimheritage.com

FOSIS - http://www.fosis.org.uk

Esastera - http://www.esastera.com

Tafsir Ibn Kathir - http://www.tafsir.com

More tafsirs (Kabir, Qurtubi, Munir, et c) - http://www.al-tafsir.com

Young Muslims Canada - http://www.youngmuslims.ca

Ngokop (kembar Mustaza) - http://ngokop.blogdrive.com

MAB Online - http://www.mabonline.net - the reflections issue 3 is out now!





//Ngokop yang best atau nama sebenarnya Yusuf, dari Newcastle. Dia ni housemate Tuan Fairuz, schoolmate aku dulu. Dunia itu kecil!



January. Or Zulhijjah. I reckon it'll be a busy month now. Alhamdulillah the tsunamis didn't really give much of a dent to Malaysia. As of others, it was bad. Hundreds of thousands were left in tremendous grief. I just hope that relief organisations out there are keeping tabs with them. All we can do is - donate. Don't you feel guilty - while we're here sipping cappucinno and chatting loudly (and sometimes lewdly), like there's no other day, there are whole lot of them dying out there?



Oh well, new term is always at faster pace. With vivas and lots of events are coming, I guess if someone said I need a break, I would just boo them. No way! I believe there is no break in life. All that we have is "restructuring", same as in business world when a company ran aground - they do the "restructuring". Betul tak?



Come on, we're young and full of beans! But... temptations galore and challenges abound. Being young (and a youth) is like very much like driving a Ferrari. Without brakes, it is really dangerous. And this is time when Shaitan & our own desire look for the vulnerable, and try to tamper with the controls. It has been their time-tested trick to work through temptations and desires irresistible. No joke. The path of immorality always looks attractive, isn't that right?



Hmm... PUISI & Winter Gathering have given so much guidance and enlightenment. I hope those who were there will treasure the servings throughout the programme. It's matter of apply what we have learnt in our life. Or at least set an objective - "I don't want to be a plain vanilla medical student/doctor/etc.". It is just between nak atau tak nak.



Probably I was up high in the sky. And people always utter it loud - it is too idealistic. Becoming Musleh (those who make good things to others) is no easy work. One must read newspapers. One must more books. One should interacts with more diverse range of people (don't forget the rules too). And actually there's alot more list of do's and don'ts. Oh yes, one should be the avant garde in whatever field he or she is venturing (read : getting honours), while adopting efficient personal development practices (read : be more than just a student) to ensure the excellence does run in parallel in both lines we're drawing. Like Brother Wan Firdaus puts it, "getting the very best out of both world".



I guess that's enough for today. A little reminder for me. Aku bukannya baik pun.



And verily, Allah knows best.



Coming events:

-PPIMI AGM

-Shabir Ally tour

-Ibrahim Hewitt tour

-Tsunami Appeal

-Islamic Towers Week

-End The Occupation



Kalau ada budak Dublin yang membaca, silalah uar-uarkannya kepada semua...



To do:

-"report" on PUISI & Winter Gathering (Journey to become Unta yang Rahila)

-scan photos at Melrose, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Coventry...

-research about Morocco & Tunisia, and Turkey for my summer trip. still contemplating... and counting the money too. jadi ke tak nih?

-finish up lots of overdue tasks... argh!



Oh ya, jumpa juga dengan Muizz. Kecilnya dunia.

Surti & Tejo, Aku Tak Pedulisme - PUISI 2004

Bertemakan "Tingginya Insan Kerana Al-Quran, Pembimbing Ummah Asas Kebenaran", PUISI 2004 memang masyuk! Mabruk alaikum! (semua yang terlibat)



PUISI kali ini menggarap buku yang dikarang oleh Sheikh Jamal-al-Din M Zarabozo, "How To Approach & Understand The Quran". Beliau merupakan one of the prominent scholars di Barat (macam Nuh Keller, Hamza Yusuf, Zaid Shakir) yang direcognise sendiri oleh Al-Azhar. Tampak dari kulit, isinya cukup informatif. Sayangnya buku tersebut tidak sempat sampai dek An Post yang sakan bercuti Krismas.



Tetamu yang hadir - Dr Masitah dari JASA, Datuk Dr Adham b Baba dari Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi, dan seorang lagi (tak ingat, nama penuh di buku catatan).



Dalam masa 4 hari, banyak yang dapat ditimba dari penceramah-penceramah yang mantap-mantap belaka. Ustaz Irfan, Ustaz Ibrahim, Ustaz Rahim, dan Ustaz Akmal memang power-power belaka macam lawmower. Participants pun banyak memberikan respons. Takdelah macam one-way-street.



Oh ya, Aku Tak Pedulisme... Surti & Tejo... itu semuanya antara topik-topik bengkel yang masih tergiang dalam kepala otak sehingga sekarang. Aku Tak Pedulisme adalah layman's term untuk escapism. Maksudnya duduk mencokoh seorang diri sehingga ngap serigala. Bila dah kena baham, barulah terngadah.



Surti & Tejo pula pasangan contoh yang disebutkan sebagai contoh realistik dalam pembentangan oleh Najmi Germ (betul ke eja nih?) mengenai senario-senario budak-budak remaja belia kita sekarang yang asyik tenggelam... Hmmm... Enaknya bercouple ya? Sebenarnya tiada langsung istilah bercouple pun dalam Islam. Nikah ada lah. Jangan pula beralasan kami berjumpa kerana Allah. Ha... Carilah artikel yang menimbun-nimbun dalam internet mengenai bercouple nih. Takdenye yang membenarkan. Ulamak-ulamak yang muktabar, memang amat tidak bersetuju - tak boleh lah maksudnya. Carilah fatwa mana-mana pun, dari Sheikh Qaradawi ke, Tantawi ke, memang takde langsung... Aku yakin 101% pembentangan ini memang straight menusuk kalbu peserta sekalian, termasuklah juga aku.



Mengenai kuliah-kuliah yang disampaikan...



Generasi Al-Quran Yang Unik - Apa kata Sheikh Qutb? Ada apa dengan Generasi Al-Quran?



Approach Kita Terhadap Al-Quran - Kita tak baca, tak pun baca untuk barakah, tak pun baca untuk protect kita dari hantu & syaitan, tak pun main quote-quote saja. Kita duk tumpu tang tu saja. Tak begitu? Macam mana nak befriend dengan Al-Quran?



Tujuan-tujuan Diturunkan Al-Quran - Kenapa malaikat, jin, gunung, ikan, gorila dan makhluk Allah yang lain tak diamanahkan dengan Kalam Allah ini? Sejauh mana pelaksanaan tujuan-tujuan tersebut? (tauhid, purpose of life, petunjuk menghadapi cabaran musuh-musuh Islam)



Mentafsir (interpreting) Al-Quran Dengan Cara Yang Betul - Tafsir & Ta'wil. Persediaan mentafsir (Ibn Taimiyyah). Cara mentafsir. Contoh-contoh tafsir bil ma'thur dan bil ra' yi. Apa yang kami sebagai pelajar boleh contribute? Hmmm... part nih memang technical sedikit.



Musuh-musuh Islam - Polisi Islam (tiada permusuhan dalam Islam melainkan dengan musuh-musuh Islam...) maksudnya kami tak nak cari susah. Jika anda nak bermusuh, kami retaliate balik lah. Freemasons, Zionism, Kristianisasi, Pecah & Perintah, et al.



Sekarang tinggal nak dengan tak nak saja. Tegas Ustaz Ibrahim, buat apa yang kita mampu. Kuatkan kekuatan kita, dan jangan lupa upgrade kelemahan kita. Rugilah dah belajar penat-penat, pastu buang ke longkang saja, tak gitu? Baik tak yah datang. Buang masa.



Akhirul kalam, Insya Allah aku akan coretkan lagi isi-isi PUISI 2004 (maybe seperate blog), selepas balik Melrose dan Coventry nanti. Tak prepare sangat pun entry kali ini. Sooner or later, I'll have it written, untuk peringatan aku dan pembaca-pembaca yang happen to visit this blog.



Oh ya, screw you faithfreedom.org.



Wallahu'alam.

Longing For The Divine

Sekali terpandang kalendar 'Longing For The Divine' keluaran Islamic Relief tergantung di dinding, rupanya dah hampir di pengakhiran tahun Masihi. Bagi tahun Hijrah pula, tinggal 2 purnama lagi. Dah nak habis rupanya ya?



Begitulah juga peperiksaan penggal pertama. Yang terakhir, lusa.



And yet, the end will mark a beginning of post-exam 'fever'. In other words, a series of campaign to 'restructure' myself as a Muslim. There's more to life than what I've done so far. The best way to explain the whole conundrum is - I'm here on a mission.



Post-exam checklist :

-Genealogy project // mak & ayah, abang minta tolong ya?

-Habiskan (dan ambil ikhtibar) buku-buku yang tersusun rapi di almari

-PUISI 2004 - recharge station I // booklet + tolong Al Akhbar si Alif

-Ski Trip extended version @ Melrose - recharge station II // photos, photos & photos!

-PMS @ MRC, Coventry - recharge station III



Oh yes, last Friday I went for IAWM talk on Fallujah. A doctor all the way from Fallujah hosted the moving insights of that bloody disaster. Also, the appearance of a prominent journalist (I can't recall his name) is an absolute crowd-puller. The talk went on for nearly 2 hours, with both speakers delivered a superb, moving live experience commentary.



Hmmm... actually I decided to go there on the spur of moment. An email from a friend really boggled up my mind - to go, or not to go?



Nevertheless, it was a good evening. Really. IAWM did a good job, and they even have a plan for anti-discrimation campaign, which encompasses Anti-Islamophobia, and the Hijab as well. I wonder how they're going about that matter. Just pray hard that it will not lead to further misconceptions and widen the bleeding cut the we've already had.



That night I crashed in 322 for a sudden urge to excavate deeper on history from a historian (a friend). Hmmm... History is one the best enlightenment for those who went astray, isn't it? Until now, I am still in limbo, and deeply longing for the divine from Ilahi.



Wallahu'alam.

What Am I Like?

Atas desakan saudara Reazal Effendy bin Abu Samad, aku pun menduduki ujian personaliti diri ini - BBC 'What Am I Like?'



The result suggested that I am a counsellor. What the heck?



Have a peek at the explaination pertaining being a counsellor here.





//A counsellor is made up of these personality aspects as shown above...



Hmmm... since I did the test only once - the result may not reflects my true self.

Syawal II

Eh rupanya dah 3 kali aku beraya tanpa keluarga di sisi. Yang pertama, ketika di Perth 2 tahun lepas. Aku membuat keputusan yang tidak masuk akal - balik lewat untuk merasa beraya di perantauan. Beraya bersama Halim. Cukup seronok sebab dapat pengalaman baru...



Raya kedua pula, di Dublin. Tiba di Malaysia Hall agak lambat, tapi dapat juga tempat untuk solat sunat Aidilfitri, itu pun setelah menyelit-nyelit antara saf-saf. Meriah juga, tetapi agak lain berbanding tahun lepas, mungkin tahun ini banyak rakan-rakan senasib.



Raya ketiga, paling lain sekali. Aku pun tidak tahu kenapa. Agaknya kerinduan terhadap keluarga sedikit sebanyak merencatkan sel-sel otak aku. Heh. Walaubagaimanapun, raya tahun ini pada pendapat aku, paling meriah sebab banyak menziarahi kenalan serta senior dan super senior yang boleh dianggap sebagai keluarga di sini.



Buat bonda & ayahanda sekeluarga, Salam Aidilfitri.



...





Hmmm... timbunan kerja semakin bertambah. Al maklumlah peperiksaan bakal kunjung tiba. Kadang-kadang rasa banyak lah pula yang ditelaah. Alahai...



Minggu lepas, bersua dengan rakan yang sedang menuntut di tahun 3. Tiba-tiba tersembul soalan dari dia : What does Islam says about violence? Aku menjawab : That's a very broad. How can I go about on that? Setelah beberapa detik dia memperincikan apa-apa yang hendak ditanya, aku cuba menjawab beberapa soalan dengan seberapa yang aku mampu. Ia berkenaaan jihad, terrorisma, dan beberapa isu semasa misalnya pembunuhan Margaret Hasan. Di akhir perbualan, dia rupanya hendak mengajak ke majlis perbincangannya Jumaat nanti. Ada perbincangan sihat katanya, bertajuk : Can violence be justified?



Begitulah suasana di sini. Memang banyak perbualan sebegitu. Harap tak disia-siakan begitu saja. Adakalanya benar-benar menguji kesabaran, kerana perbincangan hendak disertai dengan niat yang ikhlas. Tanpanya, tiada manfaat yang boleh digarap. Buang air liur saja dek masing-masing punya fiil. Beberapa kali juga terjumpa manusia semacam itu. Asyik nak undermine orang. Jadi bertikam lidah pula.



"Don't tell me that a crazy named Muhammad has come up with a so-called Holy Koran!"

"Please, do you think I'm buying it? These guys, are very much like him, beat their wife, chop hands and do all other crazy stuff..."



Itulah sampel-sampel dari bicara yang tidak ikhlas. Tiada saling hormat menghormati. Buang masa aku saja melayan orang sebegini.



Hmmm... aku pun bukannya banyak ilmu. Apa yang kita mampu buat, kita buat, tak begitu?



...





Oh yes, after the ISOC meeting, Alhamdulillah I feel much better now. It is good to see people working together for good cause, isn't it? More people means lesser headache. Why? Because I feel so relieved seeing many brothers and sisters showing their enthusiasism on doing the work. It is just sometimes when things are getting blurry, there are people that willing to shed some light to make things clear. Jazakallah to those people...



Hmmm... now the work has to commence from now : Palestine Appeal, Islamic Awareness Week, End The Occupation Conference.



Wallahu'alam.

Syawal I

Syawal dah tiba... now what? Fikirkanlah ya?



Oh ya, mahu promosi sedikit :



Perhimpunan Ukhuwwah Islamiyyah Seluruh Ireland PUISI 2004 - http://www.gundala.com/puisi2004



Winter Retreat - http://www.winter-retreat.com



...



Raya tahun ini lebih meriah? Agakla. Mana takya, ratusan Dubliners bertakbir & bertahmid di Malaysia Hall Dublin pada pagi 1 Syawal. Sayu...



Setelah selesai khutbah Aidilfitri dan ucapan terakhir Mr Ambassador kita, Datuk Ali, Dubliners yang berketi laksa banyaknya 'menyerang' nasi impit, lodeh, rendang serta kuih-muih yang terhidang. Terima kasih Cikgu Sulaiman! Semoga jasamu Allah balas banyak-banyak.



Wallahualam.

Ramadan III

Saban hari kami keresahan menunggu keputusan bila jatuhnya 1 Syawal. Dalam pukul 5.30 petang Jumaat lepas, berderit-derit bunyi handphone dek pesanan teks yang lebih kurang bunyinya begini:



"Saya mewakili Imam Masjid Clonskeagh (atau Slongskis menurut sebutan Jinggo), mengisytiharkan, bahawa Hari Raya Aidilfitri jatuh pada Sabtu, 13 November 2004 (dengan nada Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-raja)."



Terus bersemangat nak bertakbir...



Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar

La ilaha Illahu Wallahu Akbar

Allahu akbar Walillahil Hamd



Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Maaf Zahir & Batin

Ramadan Mubarak II

//Berwudhu di Howth - Di mana bumi dipijak, di situ tempat kita boleh solat...



Ramadan dah pun tiba ke 10 malam yang terakhir. Cepat sungguh masa berlalu...



Ooppss dah lambat untuk terawih nih. Beransur dulu ya!