Hard Rock Hearts

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

Updates: Salam everyone. Kaif haluk? May we find ourselves in the best of health and most importantly in the best of iman. it's funny how we keep forgetting what is important and tend to ace for something that has been pre-arranged for us. it's just hilarious how we tend to get upset over small and insignificant matters. we keep losing track of the bigger picture of things. there are too many things that keep obstructing our views of what is relevant and what is not. fortunately, we have a Guardian, who always, and never failed to remind us when we start to go astray. Allah has His Ways of teaching and guiding us, in competence to our abilities and endurance. Ya Allah, for all the bad thoughts i have of you, please forgive me. Astaghfirullahalazim...please guide me in every single step i take...Amin.

Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) to be affected by Allah's Reminder (this Qur'an), and that which has been revealed of the truth, lest they become as those who received the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] before, and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of them were Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah). (57:16)

Belum sampaikah lagi masanya bagi orang-orang yang beriman, untuk khusyuk hati mereka mematuhi peringatan dan pengajaran Allah serta mematuhi kebenaran (Al-Quran) yang diturunkan (kepada mereka)? Dan janganlah pula mereka menjadi seperti orang-orang yang telah diberikan Kitab sebelum mereka, setelah orang-orang itu melalui masa yang lanjut maka hati mereka menjadi keras, dan banyak di antaranya orang-orang yang fasik – derhaka. (57:16)

Allah addressed this ayah to the people who believe in the oneness of Allah, in other words the people of iman. Allah questioned us, the people of iman, why have we taken His reminder (the Quran) for granted. Why have we neglected the warnings in the Quran? When is the time for us to be serious of the teachings in the Quran? This is a reminder for Muslims to be serious about the warnings of Allah. Allah compared the Muslims to the people of the Book (Ahlul Kitab), who willed their hearts to become hardened by not obeying Allah's orders. 

This means, there is absolute possibility that we Muslims tend to allow our hearts and minds to be invaded by matters that is not of pertinence to Allah, that our hearts could be hardened by them. So what happens when the hearts are hardened? Basically we do not feel guilty for disobeying Allah, we tend to take for granted what is important in the religion, and we may not be affected anymore by the words in the Quran. Naudzubillahi min zalik..=( May Allah save you and I from all of these. May we apply istiqamah in our lives, so that we could ace for the pleasures of Allah, and avoid His Wrath.    

But the saying goes, humans tend to err. We sometimes tend to sin without realising. Nobody is devoid of making mistakes, except Rasulullah and the Messengers before him. So what does Allah has to say for this? MAsyaAllah..the following ayah is very beautiful. He said:

Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death! Indeed We have made clear the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) to you, if you but understand. (57:17)

Ketahuilah kamu, bahawa Allah menghidupkan bumi sesudah matinya; sesungguhnya Kami telah menjelaskan kepada kamu keterangan-keterangan dan bukti, supaya kamu memahaminya (57:17)

Allah has the supremacy to give life to waht is dead! What does this means? If He could give life to what is already dead, is it likely that He could give 'life' to a 'dead' heart? Or in other words, is it possible that He could treat our hardened hearts? MasyaAllah...of course He can!  

Hence, when we realised that we had wronged Allah, the immediate thing to do is: invoke Him for His Help and Assistance to get us back on the right tracks. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Gracious. He accepted us for our weaknesses and flaws, MasyaAllah..All we have to do is just raise our hands and sincerely ask for His Forgiveness. And He would be more than willing to accept our repentance. Is that too much to ask?

Wallahu a'alam...

Bestow me the strength of Bilal bin Rabah

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim...

Bilal bin Rabah was a slave..

He was black and very much dissed others

He was not handsome, unlike Mus'ab bin Umair

He was not rich, unlike Abdul Rahman Auf

He was not that bold like Umar al-Khattab

He did not stand out like most Companions

Abu Dzar even called him a black mother's son, by accident (but apologised later)

But there were some things that Allah gave him which differentiate him from others

That Rasulullah dreamt of hearing the sound of his footsteps in front of Rasulullah in Paradise (Hadith)

He was bestowed a strong heart, a steadfast soul, hardcore resilience, abundance of patience, and sincerity.

He stood firm in face of adversity and always have positive thoughts of Allah

Subhanallah! HOw i wish to see you in Jannah, Ya Bilal bin Rabah

I am not that special

I am not that brilliant, unlike A
I don't always score high marks in exams, unlike R

I am not that pretty or charming, unlike H

I don't think i'm an interesting person, not like T

I don't think I am that popular among friends, unlike Z

I don't think I stood out, unlikeL

But there is one thing i know that is special about me

I tawakkal everytime i wanna do something and  i accept His decisions whole-heartedly

I know that everytime I fall, i can pick myself up and move on

Because I know that Allah gave me a strong heart

I know deep inside that He will not desert me, He will not abandon me,
He will always be there for me no matter waht

I Know that He tested me with something that is important for me 
to make me stronger and whole

And He Knows That I'm saying all this because I LOVE HIM..

And there is only one thing I ask of You Ya Rahman, please give me the heart and resilience of the great Companion of Rasulullah, Bilal bin Rabah...

T.T

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??=)