Reflection

With the name of Allah the Most Beneficent the Most Merciful

Updates: Salam everyone. Kaif haluk? Easter break just started, lasting 2 weeks =)..Alhamdulillah.. for this is the opportunity for me to collect myself and have a reflection on things. my hope is that i could make full use of this time space to 'fuel up', spirituallly, mentally and emotionally, InsyaAllah...indeed our battles are never ending and may Allah assist us in our steps, paved on this rightful path. Bi'iznillah..

Whoever hopes for the Meeting with Allah, then Allah's Term is surely coming. and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. (29:5)

this verse is addressed specifically to those of genuine iman in heart. those with the purity of intentions of living this life. those who knows truthfully the purpose of life, and relied his heart upon the divinity of the words of his Lord. those who wished and hoped to see Allah in the Hereafter. Note Allah said, "Whoever hopes...". Obviously this ayah addresses those who sincerely wants and hopes for it. Are we among these people? we do not deny that we all hoped for a meeting with Allah ar-Rahman...but does our actions justify our wishes?? Astaghfirullahalazim....

And whosoever strives, he strives only for himself. Verily, Allah is free of all wants from the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns, and all that exists).(29:6)

whatever that we commit for the sake of Allah, is for ourselves. For He said that He will not be deprived in any way, if we chose not to strive for His cause. the beauty of this religion is that, this deen is created perfectly in a way, to fulfill  OUR necessity as humans. it is all about us. for the sake of our wellbeing. thus it is plainly unacceptable and inexplicable if a person refuses such a grand offer by The Almighty One. this goes to show how callous and ungrateful one can be for denying such apparent truth. 

And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars, (although Allah knows all that before putting them to test).(29:3)

nobody is devoid of obstacles and hurdles in life. everyday there are challenges to overcome and goals to be fulfilled. the obstructions laid on our paths has the intention of, none other than to make us whole and stronger inside out. when our devotion is tested, when our beliefs are questioned, when the situation gets tougher, when our thoughts are pressured, we are pushed to make decisions which will justify the iman in heart. But remember the words of ar-Rahman.... "that with difficulty there is ease"(94:6) and insyaAllah...along problems, came the solutions. from every event, there is always something to ponder and to appreciate. Allah ar-Rahman had opened our eyes to so many facets of life through these experiences. so, cherish every single event in our lives, for there is always something for us to reflect.

Wallahu a'alam.

Cintaku...

Cintaku tak berdusta...
Tak mengenal ingkar...
Tak kenal nestapa...
Cintaku hanya indah..
Hanya bahagia untuk selamanya...

Apa yg kurasakan ini....
Persembahan untuk diriMu...
Kau dengarkan kasihku...

MencintaiMu tak mengenal waktu...
Tak mengenal puitis...
Hanya tulusnya hati...
MencintaiMu tak mengenal ragu...
Keyakinan hatiku hanya untuk diriMu
Selalu....

..........................................................................



Now ,then and forever =)

Reflection

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

"And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain, and add strength to your strength: so turn ye not back in sin!" 

the past week had been quite challenging for me, mentally and emotionally. i have yet to get used to the tight schedules, enormous influx of information, thick textbooks, studious weekends, and various assignments. Ya Allah...at one point i feel as if my life was replete with misery (and it was just the first week of the semester) but i somehow coaxed myself, that everything will get better as the semester moves along, insyaAllah. i dont have a reason to despair because Allah is Always There. He knows how i feel and He understands..He wouldnt burden me with something that He knew i couldnt bear..La yukallifullahu nafsan illa wus 'a ha...InsyaAllah. So, positive thoughts, thiqatan billah....ya ukhti!! 

when comes a time when you are being tested with something, i realised how important it is to relate everything back to Allah Taala. NOthing that happened in our lives is without His knowledge. Everything was arranged by Him and will fall into its rightful place when the time comes. Allah is indeed the best teacher in coaching us coursing through our lives. Every single event has its tazkirah, if only we just take a couple of seconds to ponder. When you see through the happenings of your life in context of this, you will find that you are more collected, calm and accepting.

i think i know why i was not feeling positive about life in the last couple of weeks. i did not take the time to think over, to ponder and to appreciate the essence, of what this new transition offered me. i was so into getting to know my new coursemates, catch up with lectures, reading the assigned pages of textbooks, digging into cadavers...that i did not give myself the time to have a reflection of what i had gone through. that made me feel so...wrong. and i knew something was missing.. so when i did not achieve what i planned, i felt downright frustrated. Astaghfirullahalazim..

But Alhamdulillah, things are turning out well now. InsyaAllah i could survive this rain =)

Wallahu a'alam...

Abdullah bin Jahasy

BIsmillahirrahmanirrahim...

Updates: this week is the commencing of my 2nd year of med school in UoA. so far it had been a fantastic week, Alhamdulillah..=) coursemates were great, they were friendly and tremendously helpful, MasyaAllah..yesterday i had my first cadaver lab. one word to describe it: Subhanallah. i did feel at one moment as if i was floating on air and my thoughts all cloudy, somehow an enervating atmosphere. maybe because of the pungent smell within the lab. but all in all, it was an experience that i will never forget, Subhanallah...=)

last night as i was browsing blogs, i came across an article about Abdullah bin Jahasy. Abdullah bin Jahasy was among the earliest people to submit to Islam. he was also a relative to our beloved Prophet SAW, namely a cousin. his best features are being virtuous and patient. other than that, he was also among the first ones to partake in Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah, leaving behind enormous wealth and dearly-loved hometown.

after embarking the Hijrah, rumours disseminated that the house of Bani Jahasy was being violently ripped apart by the Quraisy people. upon hearing this, gloom and grief engulfed Abdullah bin Jahasy, He went to see the Prophet SAW to relate his sorrows. 

" Are you doubtful of Allah's promise of presenting you a better house in Jannah?" Rasulullah asked. 

"Indeed, i did not, Ya Rasulullah," Abdullah responded. 

"Indeed you will get it," replied Rasulullah. And Abdullah was cheered by this response.

what i can decipher from this short event is, even Abdullah bin Jahasy, a great companion of Rasulullah could be emotionally disturbed when tested with such misfortune. He did not kept his feelings to himself, but he went to see Rasulullah to pour out his feelings. Rasulullah could have turned him away for wanting to discuss such insignificant matter, but he did not. He showed pity to Abdullah and gave him words of encouragement, which gave solace to his heart, MasyaAllah.

So what i learnt is that, it is okay to tell others how you feel, no matter how small it is. sometimes we need each other to remind and advise us of what is right. it may be irrelevant and petty, but it could relieve our mind a great deal to get rid off that petty matter. and as a friend who is being approached, please be considerate and have empathy towards your friend. take Rasulullah as your role model. insyaAllah, things will get clearer afterwards and you can focus on what is important in your life..=)

Wallahu a'alam.

Unconditional Love

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim....

Salam. Kaif haluk? insyaAllah everyone reading this is in the best of health. let us just take a few seconds, to look at ourselves, appreciate the ease that we are now feeling, be thankful for still having our loved ones with us,  appreciate the things around us that was given by Him out of love, and say a sincere Alhamdulillahi rabbil alamin...La ila ha illallah...Subhanallah...Allahuakbar....=)

when we were brought to existence: the second when the sperm and the ovum of our parents meet and fertilised, that was when our 'journey of love' started. the journey of 9 months that we go through, in our mothers' wombs tells it all. let me tell you that the probability of a slight error or fault occurring during that crucial 9 months is so great it could affect the baby significantly. to name a few disorders: autism, down syndrome, klinefelter, colour blindness, hemophilia, sickle cell disease etc.  Subhanallah..and when you came out in such perfect shape, please dont tell me you cant feel the love He showered and pampered you during that period. here you are devoid of any impairment, flaws or disability. Ya Allah...this is love...

everyone wants to be loved. almost all the songs and movies and novels ever created were dedicated to love. truly somebody who had learnt the LOVE in context of his relationship with Allah, will feel ultimate contentment within his soul...MasyaAllah...but what a pity, most people today have quite a distorted view of what is TRUE LOVE. love is good, when you are devoting it to rightful halal persons, such as your parents, siblings, friends...but the love that is rife today is far from the 'halal' love. 

the love that we obviously know is the human-to-human love. but what about human-to-Creator love? Allah had been accompanying us since the day we were brought to existence. He spoiled and indulged us with so many gifts and love. He gave us food and shelter. He sent us people to love. He gave us EVERYTHING. does HE deserve our love, more than anybody in our lives? well??=)

Be fair. To Allah and to yourself.

1. In school, you can often redo your exam if you fail. In the hereafter, if one fails there is no going back.

2. In school, you often do not know what questions will be asked. In the hereafter, there are only 3 questions: Who is your Lord? What is your Deen? And who is this man who was sent to you? But the answers are answers you live by.

3. In school, we stay up at night to prepare for the exam the next day. So too in Allah's exam, we should be staying up in night prayers.

4. In school, we pray and hope and work for an outstanding mark. So too should be our attitude towards Allah's exam.

5. In school, when we get a great mark, we erupt with happiness. So too will the believers erupt in happiness when they get their books in their right hands. Work for it.

6. In school, when we get a bad mark, sadness can be seen on our faces, and we dislike to face others. So too in the hereafter. Protect yourself from that.

7. During a school exam, you cannot ask anyone for help. In the hereafter, you can prepare from now to get assistance from Allah's Messenger, the Quran, and other ways of intercession.

8. In school, when exam time draws near, we banish distractions to focus on what is really important. In Allah's exam, isn't death within 1 heart beat? Banish distractions and focus.

9. In school, until exam results come out, we worry about the result. In Allah's exam, we don't know what our result will be, so we spend our days in hope and worry until the results come out.

By Muhammad Alshareef

Steeds: al-Adiyaat

Salam. it took an effort for me to write this one post. *sigh* i am currently not in the mood. in fact, i feel like i wanna lie around the house, watching telly, facebook-ing, and eating whatever there is in that fat fridge. not that im not aware that i shouldn't be wasting precious time like this ='(  i'm returning to auckland soon and by then i won't be having any time to read fikrah books or writing stuffs in this blog. huhuhu... gosh i need a push. i need to counsel myself, by writing sth in this blog. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim....=)

 In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

1. By the (Steeds) that run, with panting (breath),

2. And strike sparks of fire,

3. And push home the charge in the morning,

4. And raise the dust in clouds the while,

5. And penetrate forthwith into the midst (of the foe) en masse;-

6. Truly man is, to his Lord, ungrateful;

7. And to that (fact) he bears witness (by his deeds);

8. And violent is he in his love of wealth.

9. Does he not know,- when that which is in the graves is scattered abroad

10. And that which is (locked up) in (human) breasts is made manifest-

11. That their Lord had been Well-acquainted with them, (even to) that Day.? 

[1]Demi Kuda Perang yang tangkas berlari dengan kedengaran kencang nafasnya,
[2]Serta mencetuskan api dari telapak kakinya,
[3]Dan meluru menyerbu musuh pada waktu subuh,
[4]Sehingga menghamburkan debu pada waktu itu,
[5]Lalu menggempur ketika itu di tengah-tengah kumpulan musuh;
[6]Sesungguhnya manusia sangat tidak bersyukur akan nikmat Tuhannya.
[7]Dan sesungguhnya ia (dengan bawaannya) menerangkan dengan jelas keadaan yang demikian;
[8]Dan sesungguhnya ia melampau sangat sayangkan harta (secara tamak haloba).
[9](Patutkah ia bersikap demikian?) Tidakkah ia mengetahui (bagaimana keadaan) ketika dibongkarkan segala yang ada dalam kubur?
[10]Dan dikumpul serta didedahkan segala yang terpendam dalam dada?
[11]Sesungguhnya Tuhan mereka Maha Mengetahui dengan mendalam tentang (balasan yang diberikanNya kepada) mereka - pada hari itu.

Allah created Earth and its wondrous inhabitants along with a reason. there were underlying lessons that we can deduce by just watching and appreciating animals and nature. they give you an insight  to the Greatness of the Almighty, they penetrate your hearts with the love of Him and more importantly, they have the intention of bringing you closer to Your Creator and the Creator of this vast universe. MasyaAllah..=)

Lets take horse as an example. Horses by nature are beautiful. they are strong, agile and robust beasts. their fur are naturally sleek, soft and nice to touch. and when they trot, we can see how the muscles of their legs responded and synchronised with their movements. However these beasts by nature are wild and uncontrollable. they go in herds and stick to their own kind. they are animals of pride and arrogance.  


ironically, the horses that we see today are tame and 'friendly'. let me remind you that these horses were trained to obey their masters. they were taught to accept orders..such as bow down, sit, trot, etc. this showed that wild animals are able to be trained and tamed. 

1. By the (Steeds) that run, with panting (breath),

2. And strike sparks of fire,

3. And push home the charge in the morning,

4. And raise the dust in clouds the while,

5. And penetrate forthwith into the midst (of the foe) en masse;-

and they could also be trained into becoming steeds. steeds that stood firm in the face of danger. steeds that charge at fierce and armed enemies. steeds that obey their master.  

6. Truly man is, to his Lord, ungrateful;
7. And to that (fact) he bears witness (by his deeds);
8. And violent is he in his love of wealth.
9. Does he not know,- when that which is in the graves is scattered abroad
10. And that which is (locked up) in (human) breasts is made manifest-
11. That their Lord had been Well-acquainted with them, (even to) that Day.?

relating these consequent ayahs, we can see that Allah relates arrogance of humans with the courage of steeds. horses could be tamed into obeying their master. to fight for the cause of their master. what about humans? humans and horses have something in common. they both are 'wild' in their own distinctive ways; horses, in their rebellious ways, and humans, always wanting to satisfy their selfish desires and cravings. Humans are also ungrateful and arrogant. they bluntly go for the wealth and entertainment of the world, unconcerned of the watchful eye of The Master. nonchalant of The Day when their evil deeds are uncovered. 

thus the prime message that is being conveyed is, if animals can be tamed and trained to obey their master, humans too could be molded into becoming a faithful servant to their Master. humans were blessed with refined minds and they have the gift to differentiate right from wrong. they have the ability to make appropriate decisions with the guidance of al-Quran and Sunnah. humans are expected to utilise the contents of al-Quran and learn the likes and dislikes of the Master.

we Muslims are the steeds of Islam and we have a common Master. He calls for us to obey and work for His Cause. every effort that we thrust upon is counted and He will reward us for our patience and compliance.

Wallahu a'alam.