April 28, 2005

Between the two choices

Direct quote from Australian's National Cancer Prevention Policy 2004-2006:

"The NHMRC emphasises that, 'Unlike cardiovascular disease, there is no evidence that alcohol has any protective effect against cancer, at any level'(p. 74).

Also, in relation to heart disease, 'The benefits of alcohol in preventing heart disease can be achieved with as little as half a standard drink per day … Similar benefits can also be gained from strategies such as regular exercise, giving up smoking and a healthy diet' (pp. 68 & 69)."

So, excuses that alcohol is good for your health doesn't really apply anymore when there's another and a better way to get the same result of health... right?

"Mereka bertanya kepadamu tentang khamar (segala minuman yang memabukkan) dan judi. Katakanlah: "Pada keduanya itu terdapat dosa besar dan beberapa manfaat bagi manusia, tetapi dosa keduanya lebih besar dari manfaatnya..." Al-Baqarah (2) ayat 219

April 22, 2005

Cuma kepadaMu tempat aku mengadu...

"Ya Allah, tabahkanlah hati hambaMu ini... Jika ini ujian, aku redha; Jika ini kifarah dosaku, ampunkanlah daku ya Allah..."

Guilt

Chatting with my beloved cousin last night, we came to a conclusion. For a while, I thought I was very, very selfish. And with a sad heart, my mind was working what excuses to give. This would crush her. Unable to sleep, I read lecture notes and overwhealmed myself with the new names under the class of fungi.

Even that didn't take my mind of what I have to break to her the next morning. I hate to break bad news.

At last at 4.40 a.m., I fell onto the bed and was able to sleep soundly. But even in my sleep, I was having a bad dream about breaking the news. Worse, because of trying to find excuses for the news to her, I completely forgot about the trip to Fremantle Prison... Waking up with a start, I looked at my handphone- 7.06 a.m.

When she came into the library, to where I purposely sit so that she could see me easily, I whispered; 'I need to tell you something' And she nodded, sitting next to me.

Damn... I hate breaking bad news.

When I finished, she nodded and said she understood. For a moment, I thought I saw a flash of hurt or maybe dissapointment on her face. I was glad that she took the news calmly; in fact I was surprised for I didn't even blurt out every excuses and reasons of the news, and yet she understood.

And there's nothing else I feel except...

GUILT

I just hope everything doesn't change after this...

April 20, 2005

Inginkan...

Ada satu diskusi hebat di alam internet buat masa ini. Mungkin ia cuma pada pandanganku, atau mungkin aku sahaja yang terasa akan kehebatan diskusi ini. Namun, diskusi-diskusi sebeginilah yang membuta mataku akan pandangan orang lain terhadap sesuatu masalah. Sungguh agung ciptaan Ilahi yang telah menjadikan manusia pelbagai kaum dan rupa; seiring dengan itu, wujudnya juga pelbagai pendapat dan idea.

Aku bersetuju dengan satu diskusi dengan seorang sahabat: 'It's interesting to hear a comment about issue in Thailand awhile back from a perspective of a Thai himself- an open discussion where he thinks from different view, without the media influence.'

Dalam 'kehangatan' itu, hatiku terdetik untuk meluahkan apa yang aku rasa, sebagaimana orang lain lakukan. Dan respon-respon yang kemudiannya, ada yang aku akui, namun ada juga yang aku tolak.

Cuma, aku agak terkilan dengan satu respon. Jika benar seseorang itu membuat kesalahan, maka tegurlah dia dengan cara yang baik, secara berdepan dan penuh hikmah; bukan dengan cara yang penuh misteri dan di belakang orang itu. Maka, adakah aku melakukan perkara yang sama kini? Wallahualam...

Sesuatu yang aku belajar kali ini ialah, jika mahu memberi komen, berilah di waktu kita tidak berada di dalam emosi yang teramat kerana pada masa itu, nafsu amarah mengatasi iman dan akal.

We receive two guests from Adelaide; one is my friend's best friend, Noor- whom I met in Melbourne last year and have become good friend with, and another one is her housemate.
Introducing the housemate: Hazwani (versi cerah from Adelaide- menurut Shila) :D

-It's sooo kawai to meet another person named Wani as well!- :p

April 17, 2005

Aku rindu...

"Malam tadi 'kakak tiriku' datang tidur di rumah ini, di bilikku...
Hari ini dia meninggalkan daku sendiri lagi...
Aku rindu kakakku...

Kakak, kapan lagi kita bisa berbual seperti malam tadi, ya?
Aku sungguh tenang bila disampingmu..
Mungkin kerana imanmu lebih dariku, maka setiap tutur katamu bagaikan nasihat buat diri kerdil ini...

Ya Allah, aku amat menyayangi kakakku... Ampunkanlah dosa-dosanya dan aku memohon limpah kurnia rahmatMu ke atasnya selamanya... Amin, amin ya rabbal 'alamin..."

Dan tersebutlah kisah seorang adik yang merindui kakaknya... (eh, tersalah letak prolog... kat bawah pulak!) :p

April 15, 2005

Jump to [Mencari Petunjuk]

May we get something out of this (while I'm still in the mood of discussing the moral issue)

"KEBANYAKAN umat Islam menganggap perzinaan itu adalah semata-mata melakukan persetubuhan haram dan inilah perbuatan maksiat yang dilarang keras dan merupakan satu daripada dosa-dosa besar...

Takrif "zina" itu luas, meliputi banyak aspek perlakuan. Rasulullah s.a.w memperincikannya sebagaimana dalam sabda-sabda Baginda s.a.w. yang bermaksud:
*"Zina dua mata itu menilik (memandang) perempuan yang ajnabi",
*"Zina kedua mata itu memandang, zina kedua telinga itu mendengar, zina kedua tangan itu menjabat, zina kedua kaki itu melangkah dan zina hati itu mengingini, mengangan-angankannya" - ( Riwayat Bukhari dan Muslim) ...

Larangan melakukan tindak-tanduk yang membawa kepada perbuatan zina itu bukan khusus ditujukan kepada pasangan yang berkenaan sahaja, tetapi termasuk juga orang lain yang terbabit (bersyubahat)...

Seorang orientalis pernah berkata, "Gelas minuman keras dan penyanyi perempuan dapat menghancurkan umat Muhammad. Ini lebih berkesan daripada apa yang dapat dilakukan oleh seribu meriam"..."


To read the full article (in Malay) please head to:
AlHuda [Budaya Taqrabul Zina]

Wallahualam...

April 14, 2005

Jump To [Esprit De Corps]

Salam!

Yo! I'm back, since now Blogger is ok...
:) From now on, TWM 2 will serve no purpose until further notice. :p

Anyway, I have a wonderful thought about a (prolonged) recent issue that doesn't seem to have an ending because most people (Muslim) refused to listen and admit to Allah's Law.

Amid the efforts that the Westerners are TRYING to take to solve their moral problems, us in Malaysia
'tergedik-gedik' want to destroy our moral values. Living here gives me the chances to watch some programmes that are not allowed to be screened in Malaysia, namely Maury and Jerry Springer. Those are not my favourite show, nor what I watch everyday, but at times when I do, I always think 'How disasterous! This is part of the reality of the most 'developed' and most civilsed country! Human don't act like human anymore. They disgrace themselves with such disasterous attitudes and morals! They feel no shame at all, in fact, are proud of what they've done'


Is this what we're trying to achive?

And I have always think, 'Alhamdulillah we don't have that kind of moral issues in Malaysia!' Well, maybe I might have to take back my words soon!
Jump to Pakdi [Topic: Inilah Mereka Orangnya]to read what provoked me to write this.

Question: Where is 'amal makruf, nahi mungkar'? Who's going to stand by it if we don't?

April 7, 2005

Ukhuwah

Walking back after the last lecture today to the bus stop (in front of Trinity College) with Zainab, a sister from Middle East, I asked her what's the meaning of ikhwah. And she explained about:
Ukhuwah: brotherhood (noun)
Ikhwah: brothers (p)
Akhawat: sisters (p)
Ukhti: sister (s)
Akhie: brother (s)
Akhwati (correct me if I'm wrong on this one): My sister
Ikhwani: My brother

Then she asked me, "Are you interested in learning Arabic?" I smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I wanted... I WANT to learn it!" She laughed softly and said, "Me and Afaf should do a class for you, Nabilah and Nooshin!" That would be lovely, yeah? "I should write down what I learned today." I said later. "And I shall ask you tomorrow!" She joked and we both laughed.

Ukhuwah. I once believed in 'friendship forever'. But when a problem strike, and the friendship crumbled due to misunderstanding and complication, I stopped believing in it. The only thing that stopped me from declaring that I don't believe in friendship anymore was Rasulullah's friendships with the sahabahs during his life.

And I realized that ukhuwah in the name of Allah is the long-lasting friendship you can have. You can build a friendship, or a relationship based on common things, same school, same unis, same country, same interest; or maybe even based on personality, on looks or how popular someone is... but none, and NONE can exceed the beauty and 'wonderful-ness' of ukhuwah in the name of Allah.

Now I have friends whom I love because of Allah; friendship and relationship based on Islam- even though I've just known some of them for a few days, and we are thousand miles apart, and only keep in touch via phone, or internet- Yet, these are strongest bonds that will last forever, insyaAllah...

Miss you fillah!

Currently humming: Mawlay by Muhammad al-Husayn and Tangan Tak Bermata by AlarmMe...

Waking thoughts in the morning...

It's interesting to suddenly realize in a class that 'that is exactly what Islam has said!' or just reasoning with myself what would Islam point of view be in a topic- and in the end you'll find them as preventative measures and some facts of life, suitable with the nature of human's mind and emotion. And every Monday, during some part in Psychology of Healing I amused myself with the logic that westerners try to come up with and compare it with the sunnatullah of human creation.

Subhanallah, Islam has thought us this and that. Being an-naas we are, only when the westernes came up with theories that Islam has long said, we amused ourself with their genius findings!

How weak human are, yeah?

In the last tute, I was wondering off. And the tutor looked at me and ask what would be Islam's opinion on the topic. I looked around to one Arab brother who also took the option because I wasn't sure where to start. He explained the concept of rahmah/rahmat and redha and also one of the functions of dua. I finished off by giving a gist of an ayah in the Quran.

It felt wonderful when non-Muslims ask me about my deen. What I don't understand is why Muslims themselves refused to listen and practic the real Islam: only taking parts that they think are useful and practical to them?

And when the world crumbles down to their feet, they are at loss and start to find things to blame... Those who realized their mistakes would come back to Allah... The saddest part is those who are still in the darkness and still looking for answers from the point of view of human's logic explanation! (yg masih bertuhankan barat DAN dunia!)

Wallahualam

April 5, 2005

The Wonder of Questions: Series 1: Part 3

The last part in the first series, insyaAllah... Let's review the last 3 questions:

In the book, there are 3 questions that human will keep on searching and looking for the answer. And yet, human without the right guidance will not be able to answer them:

Where did we come from?
Why do we exist?
Where are we going later/soon?

I took anthropology last year. They DO provide the answers to these questions and yet, they are NOT satisfying. I'm still wondering how these people could live on the answer that these evolutionist provided when they only raised more questions afterwards?

Look at the evolutionists/human's answer:

1. We come from the product of evolution. We were from the same origin when in billion and zillion years ago, the first organism sprang into life
(from no where, which is so contradictory to their principle- the concept of trades, you loose something when you gain something- because if organisms gain something by springing into life, what’s the trade-off?) And we came from the same root as the monkeys, baboons, gorillas, and orang-utans
(which is so absurd! If we are from the same root as them, then, we can no longer state we’re any different from them because we’re an animal in the end! Isn’t it?)

2. We exist to reproduce.
(No wonder there are so much cases of unwanted pregnancies!)

3. Survival of the fittest: The unfits will die (and all traces gone) while the fits will keep on reproducing, leaving their marks (DNA) that enable the next generation to live.
(So what happen when the next generations die? When IS the real end?)

And now look at Islam’s answer:

1. Allah made us, from a drop of water from man, and soon it becomes a clump of blood, and then a piece of meat, and soon bones which would be enveloped in more meat. And when a baby is born, he is made of Tharaib (women’s breast bone). And these all came from the Quran, when Allah explained the creation of human.
(Surah al-Haj, al-Mu’minun and At-Thariq)

The best thing is, all these run parallel with science, no let me rephrase that, science is the one that run parallel with the Quran! And all these have been in the Quran long before science was even introduced!

2.
Surah Adz Dzariat (51:56) "Dan Aku todak jadikan Jin dan Manusia itu melainkan supaya mereka mengabdikan diri kepadaKu"
(Full stop- what more answer do you need?)

3. We'd be returned back to Allah, just as how we came from Him. We'll be weighted on our deeds and sins and will be rewarded for it. (Surah
Al-Insyiqaaq, Ar-Ruum, Az-Zumar, An-Najm, Al-‘Alaq)

Hence, the Earth is a platform or a stage where we do things to please Allah and in submission to Him because soon, we'd be going back to Him as how He has created us in the first place. And this platform is the place where we do what He has told us to do through His messenger, Muhammad (p.b.u.h). And Muhammad left us with Al-Quran and As-Sunnah as our guidelines.

Thus, why WON’T we follow them (the guidelines) now?


Wallahualam...
Author's note: Into nasyeed Mawlay at the moment!