Ponderings of a searching mind

Wonderful Overseas Weekend 2010 !

2010-05-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

Coming to study overseas this autumn???

Then, this weekend programme is a programme ESPECIALLY for you ;D

While this aims to help everyone be a little less clueless when they arrive overseas, it's also our big aim to let this be a checkpoint for everyone to meet new friends too. Hopefully, flying overseas will be less intimidating and you'll feel more WELCOMED. Register now and hopefully, you're gonna love it! ;D

Throw it or Read it?

2010-02-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

A teacher once asked me,

Would you throw away a letter sent to your mailbox without seeing who is it for?

And then, she asked, "Would you then throw it away if you see it's for you?"

She continued, "You then learn that it's from your mother. Or anyone else in your life that you know sincerely and truly cares about you. Would you then throw it away?"

I said "No." to all the above.

And then, she went to describe the letter. " Very well. You then read the letter. In it, your mother wrote, "I want you to read this letter carefully, my dear, for these are important things I want you to know." "

Had my mother really wrote like that I would have had goosebumps.

My teacher continued. "She writes about what could harm you and asked you to avoid it. She writes about what would make you happy and to seek it. Ever so frequently, she told you she loves you, cares about you."

"Think about how you would feel about this letter. This very personal letter."

"Now, think about this Book." She put her hands on the Qur'an. "This book is for everyone of us. Every single one. From Him who loves us even before anyone else could begin to love us and after everyone has forgotten us. Think about how we should take His advice and His warnings."

Amazingly enough, the very first thing He lets known of this 'letter' is..

"Read. In the name of your Lord.." Al-Alaq, verse 1.

Would we really read and understand what the Book says?

Theme song: Afraid to read-Dawud Wharsnby ;))

A love letter in sweet honesty.

2010-01-22T12:56:00.000-08:00

To the Most loving...

You must love me because,

I need to wake up everyday knowing my parents are okay, I really do.

When I walk to school, I must not meet with an accident, I must not.

I need my limbs, my eyes, my mouth, my youth to be with me...they cannot be damaged, for that will be pain I cannot bear.

You cannot let anything happen to my brothers and sisters too.

That famine in Africa, natural disaster in Haiti and Indonesia..they are just not for me.

You have to love me, Allah, and protect me from all that. You must.

But, You have to understand that i can't love you the 'same' way.

You must understand that I cannot obey all your rules.

I have needs and I cannot be patient with all that rules.

I'm sorry, yes, but...what can i do?

You must love me and give me air, or I'll die.

You are the Most Loving, remember?

But You can't expect me to say thanks all the time. I forget easily.

I know I cannot live without your love, but You can without mine...

Lastly Allah...

I cannot stand the Fire..You must save me from it. I want to be a dweller of Paradise.

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

While this may not be the speech of the tongue, but it may well be the louder speech, that of our actions.

...too much?

please help Haiti.

2010-01-14T12:11:00.000-08:00

A massive earthquake hit Haiti around 5pm, January 12th 2010...

An estimated number of 45,000 to 50,000 people are dead.

AT THE SCENE

Andy Gallacher, BBC News, Haiti

Despite the promises of aid here there is still no sign of an organised relief effort.

Out in the streets of Port-au-Prince, the situation is now critical.

The voices that were being heard from inside the collapsed buildings have now fallen silent.

Haitians feel desperately alone, they are doing the best to fend for themselves but this is a place with no infrastructure.

People can only dig through buildings with their hands in an attempt to rescue any survivors.

You can help here.

Books that Shook the World series.

2009-12-28T04:56:00.001-08:00

I just finished this biography and I think it's a very satisfying read :) . If you've been reading the Quran but like me, don't really know much and would like to know how some prominent thinkers are said to search the Quran, try this book. It's not trying to influence you, it's just informing. :)

Only after I completed reading it that I noticed it's part of the "Books that Shook the World" series. More to read, more to know and more to ponder upon Insha Allah.

A special day. Part 2.

2009-12-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

The Academic Radiology department had a lunch before we all break up for holidays today, in the Hemsley, near Portland building.

So, after lunch, driven by a text message saying they want to perform a solah for our friend, Ariff (solat jenazah ghaib) in Portland building after Asr..I decided to do my Asr prayer there.

In the sister's prayer room, a group of sisters were discussing in a halaqah (a circle). And, I heard many questions asked and answered and discussed.

And after all this, a sister said "Hold my hand."

And a sister next to her said, "Yes, I was going to before you said it."

This sister continued to say "Ash.hadu.al.."

And the first sister followed.

Until the complete Shahadah was uttered.

I literally. froze. My Quran was lowered and I looked straight at them. And the second sister smiled at me and said " She embraced Islam." .

Allahuakbar. I have never witnessed a reversion ever in my life. It was a decision between paradise and hell and she was so.......calm.

"It's like I have been driven by a motor lately and when I said it, it's like I should have said it a long time ago." said the sister.

I should have embraced her but I was so amazed I just sat there. Instead, I just looked at her, smiled and somehow uttered "Congratulations."...........and resumed reading the Quran.

My reaction was so inappropriate to picture the myriad of feeling I felt in me from witnessing one more person in this world choosing to uphold the principle:

There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger.

My principle.

That only what He thinks of me matters. This freedom from anyone's judgement, from social pressure, from anything else.

Alhamdulillah...I had a chance to make up for it. I met her in her very first aqidah class with my teacher, Teacher Fullah at the same place as before.

I sat in a small circle of three students and a teacher.

One was me, a muslim by birth. One was Nicole. She grew up an atheist, and now a muslim. And the other was Stephanie, a christian who just reverted to Islam a few hours ago.

All from different countries, from completely different backgrounds, languages, skin colour, you name it.

Here to learn what La ilaha ilallah means in our lives. Aqidah.

Truly, Allah showed me Islam on this day.

"O mankind! We have created you from male and a female, and have made you nations and tribes that you may know one another. The noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah is Knower, Aware." Al Hujurat, 13.

Like I was given a chance to be in the early days of Islam, when the only similarity between people was just La ilaha ilallah, Muhammad rasulullah.

And I felt special. :)

....

A special day. Part 1.

2009-12-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

Today was a special day.

The day began with a news of death of Ariff. He died in a car crash on his return from saying his vows in marriage (akad nikah) this morning. Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raa'jiun. (We belong to Allah and to Him we return).

I was shaken.

You see, it's common in our culture to want to wear hijab after marriage. to stop smoking after marriage. to pray five times a day after marriage, to finish reading the Quran after marriage. Basically, to be a muslim (one who fully submits to Allah) after marriage.

When is the wedding?

We lean our ambitions on something so uncertain. Like applying to a university that is not yet there. We don't know when it's going to exist or if it will ever exist, yet we want to be graduates of that university.

But, Allah taught me today that, in all that uncertainty..death is CERTAIN.

and it certainly comes at any time Allah wishes it.

So should we strive to be better any time we have a chance to because death, which is certain can come to us at any time or should we wait for a day (even if it isn't our wedding day) that is uncertain for us to be better...we might never see that day..we might never be better to Allah.

"Dan bersegeralah kamu kepada ampunan dari Tuhanmu dan kepada surga yang luasnya seluas langit dan bumi yang disediakan untuk orang-orang yang bertaqwa."
(Ali Imran: 133)

mr.OS

2009-11-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

i worked hard to get to a place not everyone can reach.
i own things not everyone can own.
in fact, i can achieve much more than this if i want to.
i am undeniably better than many people i know.
-Obnokschus Subconschus.

For OS to be telling the truth that he(or she, if you like) has the right to claim posession of the trophy for his success and more to come, he needs to at least be able to prove that..

he has been breathing self-made air to arrive at success :) no?

OS can be us in our good days. Feeling so proud being at the top (of whatever little bumps, even). Subconciously feeling better from people we (ever so subtly sometimes) perceive as being non-bump members.

The fact is though, look around...our bumps arent all that big anyway. Not putting ourselves down, but we are dependent for air, resources from the soil and water we can't make from scratch, the most basic things for us to succeed.

And yes, just like OS, we do not have full control over life neither are we self-sufficient in our journey to success. We cant guarantee anything.

It's almost embarassing then, for a moment to think of the times (hopefully not all the time) we feel ..simply put, better than others.

-talk about being thick =P

I didnt get to choose families.

2009-10-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about the picture.

This was in a dusty classroom. Those were the walls and the door.
The classroom's desks were made into operating tables.
Electricity isnt an affordable luxury too.

Improper? very much.

But it had to be done. Just so they wont need to consult "doctors" who offer a cheaper-than-hospital price for their "service", which has caused life-threatening bleeding in the past.

One of those days I was in Cambodia, I realized that instead of being fated to be born into my family...I could've easily be one of these poor malnourished children. It is COMPLETELY out of my control, in which country, let alone in which family I was born into.

So, then do they deserve a different treatment from the doctors than the kings, who with all due respect happen to be chosen to be born into their families?

Absolutely not =)

May we all be doctors with a GOLDEN standard of care to all. Insha Allah.

What clever people keep saying about clever things.

2009-10-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

This morning, I was sitting in my developmental neuroscience class, listening to the lecturer..

"Aristotle claims that the brain is the organ of thought but not the basis for thought.

Does this make sense to you?

Well,let me explain. In today's world we talk about the brain being mainly tissues and we talk about brain functions. Now,not all brain functions can be localized neuroanatomically..many many networks and parts of the brain can be activated during a certain task.So,we know there is a function but where exactly is it performed in the brain? we cannot tell."
said my lecturer.

And he continued,
"What's also amazing is that we know that for example oligodendocytes make myelins for the axons and astrocytes maintain the environment in the brain. But it seems now, there are some evidence of these cells exchanging roles...And I mean oligodendrocytes taking the role of astrocytes and vice versa."

And I thought, "Amazing, Subhanallah."

And then he said "But is there guidance for brain development?? Of course there is! It is guided by NATURE."

...................at this point i thought. "What??"

I mean, if I lay out all the ingredients to make a cake on a table, but never go on to make it..would it be a cake?

Every simplest thing has got to be MADE into what it is. The ingredients of a simple creation cant spontaneously come together to become it no matter how abundant these ingredients are in nature..

I've never heard of even little minute creatures in nature like bacteria to ever spontaneously come into existence on a lab table.

It only makes sense to me therefore that there is the Creator who creates and makes.

Then comes the question, so how can nature guide something that isnt known to it...since it is made by Someone else?

Then can the development of the complex brain that has been studied for yeaaaarss and yeaaarsss yet is still VERY VERY much one of man's most intriguing enigma be guided by..nature?..

It just doesnt seem to me like a valid statement, what more logical..what more true.

Allah knows best.

Mammalian brain wiring seen in technicolour.
Source:Chemistry World

Why stop hoping?

2009-10-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

Sehanyut-hanyut manusia, dia takkan hanyut melebihi lautan Allah,

Sesesat-sesat manusia, dia takkan sesat melebihi bumi Allah,

Sebagus-bagus manusia, dia takkan terlepas dari ujian Allah,

Sehebat-hebat manusia, dia takkan pernah mampu berhenti mengagumi kehebatan Allah.

No one is too far from Allah, yet no one can ever be too close too.

"Dan apabila hamba2Ku bertanya kepadamu(Muhammad) tentang Aku, maka sesungguhnya Aku dekat. Aku kabulkan permohonan orang yang berdoa apabila dia berdoa kepadaKu. Hendaklah mereka itu memenuhi (perintah)Ku dan beriman kepadaKu, agar mereka memperoleh kebenaran" 2:186

Heart to heart about my superheart

2009-08-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through a little pocket book of 40 hadith, that was given to me as a gift from a friend.

My favourite one is always and always hadith number 42.

But tonight, my mind keeps coming back to hadith 27 that goes like this:

Wabishah bin Ma'bad ra berkata:
Aku datang kepada Rasulullah SAW. Baginda bersabda, "Adakah engkau datang untuk bertanya tentang kebajikan?". Aku berkata, "Ya."

Baginda bersabda,

"Bertanyalah kepada hatimu. Kebajikan adalah apa yang menjadikan tenang jiwa dan hati, sedangkan dosa adalah apa yang menggelisahkan jiwa dan menimbulkan keraguan dalam hati, meskipun orang-orang terus membenarkanmu."

As simple as that...

It struck me hard. The fact is, really...I KNOW when i'm doing right and when i'm doing wrong. No matter what people may say.

I dont need to read books and learn extensively to tell what's right from wrong.

I was born with a heart. A superheart. Subhanallah...that I should always listen to.

My heart spoke, "so who is to blame when you still want to harm yourself?"

I pondered.

Allah loves you, that He gave you your heart.

"Kenape aku tak sayang diri aku sendiri selame ni. Sdgkan aku tak sanggup ke neraka."

Colours and music

2009-08-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

who says the blind do not want to know about colours, or the deaf about music?

tell it the way they can understand for beauty is for everyone.

Facing consequences

2009-08-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

Treat others the way you want Allah to treat you.
For He will treat you the way you treat others.

So, when someone is wronged and he...

..forgives and be kind, he really isn't being stupid.

And when someone is wronged and he...

..decides to become patient rather than to act upon anger, he isn't admitting weakness.

He is only getting forgiveness, kindness and support from Allah, the Almighty for Allah is always with the patient people.

When all our enemies, our family and friends have died, and whatever we fight for has vanished...

..and only heaven and hell are in front of us..

Wouldnt how Allah wants to treat us be the only thing that matters to our poor sinful soul?

Let's knock ourselves out having the kindest of hearts and face the consequences later. =p

Questions asking for answers..

2009-08-21T02:29:00.000-07:00

Why do i look for peace and relaxation in chaos and noise.

Why do i look for happiness where depressed people become more depressed.

Why do i ruin myself in my effort to fix what is wrong with my life.

Where do people go to be happy...

p/s i seem to worry my friends abit. "i" in this entry is only for the sake of empathizing with what i want to write about my surrounding. =)

the KIUTness of terengganu!!

2009-08-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

KIUT stands for keen iluvislam.com's teachers.

There are kiutors, who are overseas univ students and there are kiutees. Our kiutees are 11 year old pupils dari kelas plg terkebelakang in a rural area school.

KIUT MIUT programme is where kiutors Meet, Interact, Understand and Train the kiutees. Meeting the students isnt the essential part of the prog. One meet, and then communication continues via letters and postcards between kiutors and kiutees.

We aim to provide strong and continuous motivation and support to these children since they are still very young.

"melentur buluh biar dari rebungnya." "mencegah lebih baik dpd mengubati" kata org.

They still have a large capacity to thrive, however left behind they are now. Insha Allah.

Me n my team chose Terengganu.

SK Bukit Losong's last standard 5 class, 5 Akrab.

We decided to meet the kids. psyched!!! XD

KFC lunch with the kiutees~ semua tesipu2 lg, belang belum nampak!

We kicked off in the computer lab. Videos, songs and our picture slides of life in the UK. The kids got excited~

"Siaaapa jumpa Losong dalam world map ni???"

Yg angkat tgn ni bkn yg jumpa Losong dlm world map, tp yg minat Manchester United. =P
"Nanti saya nak pergi sini."

"Abang kecik2 dulu dok tahu buat mende gi skoloh. Gi balek maen gi balek maen. Dpt UPSR corot,baru nak temenung. Ni abang nok kabo pengalamang abang sendiri...."

Fuh, Salam hebat gile. Even managed to capture the naughty ones attention!

Had a chance to pray Dzuhur and Asr with our kiutees. Our prayers for all these lovelies.

_____________________________________________________________

Assalamualaikum ^_^

Apa khabar hari ini?

Seronok dapat berkenalan dengan awak =)

Nama awak siapa?

Awak darjah berapa?

Pada waktu lapang, apa yang paling awak suka buat?

Nanti dah besar, awak nak jadi apa?

Banyak betul tanya abang/kakak ni. Hehe. Balaslah nanti bila senang. Dan tanyalah pula apa yang adik nak tahu tentang abang/kakak. =)

Belajar rajin-rajin. Jaga diri dan jaga solat ye!

Yang seronok dapat berkawan dengan adik,

Abang/ Kakak.

_____________________________________________________________
A letter received by each pupil to start off KIUT programme.

Kiutors had to assist the children to reply to the abang kakak as not all can spell and write well. Their letters will fly with us to the UK to be handed to the kiutors so KIUT can kick off~...chomel kakak ni XD.

Take a break, with some cartoons =D

Dah petang, takkan tak gi main! Game ni nama dia sukakuiz. dah bawak bola pingpong guna sudu sampai depan ade kuiz pulak.
"Betaw akak rukun Islam." "Yg tu yg ada 5 ke 6 yeh kak?"
"Crocodiles are reptiles,mammals or plants?" " PLANTS!"
Hehee.

A lot of children out there did not get the opportunities and supportive learning environment we did when we were smaller.
They are brilliant and active in nature but are slow to learn things in class. Maybe it's just motivation and support that is lacking. Kiutors play a role to send and reply postcards/letters, send presents when they excel in the exams (or get their first A!) and get them driven.

With a little push and guidance, Insha Allah, more children can become better people in dunia n akhirat.

Overseas uni students interested to have a kiutee from the KIUT programme,
please contact Daus at labuan_star@yahoo.com.

YOU WOULDNT WANT TO MISS THE FUN!

my cambodia snippet 2

2009-08-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

A boy in a cooking pot, center of picture. Little boats like the one in the corner of the picture are the common transport of the poor along Tonle Sap.

A pot of guilt and regret.

We stumbled upon many beggars in Cambodia. Every time we eat lunch at a stall, there will be little children poking us, asking for money. After we finish our food, these children will swarm the table to eat our leftovers.

Allah...the first time this happened we were..speechless. Our toothpicks, our tissue papers were floating in our bowls. They simply removed them...and ate their hearts out.

Traumatized, we always offered fresh meals for the children beggars the next times we eat (a bowl of noodles isn't so pricey in Cambodia).

However, this boy was different.

We were on a boat along the Tonle Sap lake. As usual, "money...money" can be heard all around. As we were to take off, this boy came rowing as fast as he can, crying for money. Crying. This, never happened. We gave him a little sum of money and we take off.

And he cried even harder, screaming for more. I was puzzled. But we already took off.

"Could it be that his mother is so sick, he needs money desperately?"
"When was the last time he ate?"

....why is he in a pot, shouldnt he be in a boat like every other poor beggars around?

I dont know anything about the boy but I knew he was desperate. And truly.....I could have given him more. I really.really could.

But there isnt a second chance, I dont think.

Still, I just cannot forget.

...

my cambodia snippet 1

2009-08-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

roly, left in the picture.

Funny reality: I keep asking for light forgetting I already have the sun.

I know of a friend, Roly is his name. I'm sure everyone on the trip will remember him for life =). He is a fifth year medical student in USS, Cambodia. He's from a muslim village in Kampots(i'm not sure of the spelling) Province, where most men work as fishermen.

In his village, education commonly goes as far as primary school. And then, they are expected to share the responsibility to feed the family. Fishing is known to be hard work with not much gain in return.

But the child Roly wanted to study more. He had a different idea of how life should be. How education can help improve things. His parents werent happy. His grandparents disapproved. The people in the village shared his family's views too : Education is not important. Working for money to feed the family is.

This made Roly a stubborn child, always and always. He realized this. And he knew he was the only one. Still, he insisted to not want to work. He begged his family to give him 3 more years so he can finish high school.

So he spent teenage years cycling 20km to high school everyday during weekdays and fishing with his father during weekends. Whenever he wasn't studying hard, he worked hard.

Alhamdulillah, he was offered a scholarship to do medicine in USS from the Cambodian Government at the end of high school. He had to continue being "the stubborn one".

The scholarship only covers tuition fees so he needed money for a place to stay in Pnom Penh, food to eat as well as books to read.

His parents can only afford half of these expenses, having other siblings to take care of. Because of this, life was very hard in the first month before he managed to find himself a job. Two jobs to be precise.

He distributed newspapers in the early mornings, attend classes during the day and work at a restaurant from 5pm to 10pm. And everyone knows medicine calls for a lot of time reading too. So he sleeps whenever he can. As before, he studies hard when he isnt working hard.

Despite having two jobs, buying books is still a dream. Books from the library are limited so they cant be taken out. So he photostated books to read for this is the only "affordable" choice. But Alhamdulillah, he knew about IMAC, the Islamic Medical Association of Cambodia who referred him to IDB, the Islamic Developmental Bank. He received a small sum of money every month from IDB. However, in third year, more books are needed. Staying up late in the library isnt enough anymore as many references are in english yet medicine in USS is taught in french. So, he needs more time with books now to translate and study. Life gets more and more pressing for Roly.

"Sometimes I feel so tired I just want to pack up and return to my village." he said.

But he can't. He has pushed this far and he isn't coming back empty-handed, he told us.

Despite all this, he excelled in class. Throughout the length of our stay with him, he always received calls from his friends, asking him to explain something or another from the lectures. He leads a study group and managed to get a teaching job at a private school where he teaches anatomy and biology.

He spends his nights preparing for his own classes as well as the classes that he teaches. "Sometimes I don't sleep." said Roly. How he manages is beyond me.

Life is hard for Roly until today. But he knows that he is far from being most unfortunate. Allah has given him a very strong will to study and intelligence to come with that. He is the only person, the first person he likes to call it, who gets into university in his village. This calls for a show of thanks to Allah. He finds time to help in IMAC's medical and social relief to the poor to do circumcisions as well as mobile clinics. This is how we got to meet him in Kg. Cham.

He told us, one day he will return to serve and help the people of his village. Actions speak louder than words. Whatever he told them before about education, they dont pay attention to. So he really...really wants to prove to his people that education, in Allah's will, can bring success. A better life. He wants others to understand, to follow his footsteps. To know that success is possible to whoever who wants it. Be you the most poverty-stricken person or a rich man. The journey is a tough one but he wants to show others that he will make it. And others will too if they wish to.

And I thought. This is just one person. Amongst hundreds who disapprove. Roly was definitely just one person, but Allah chose him to be the one who changes others. And one person may be all it takes.

Allah...truly Ya Allah, I am embarassed with every time that I become ungrateful...how I whined and how I sighed living a life full of ease.

Forgive me.

alif.wau.jim.ya.alif.nun.

2009-06-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

What I missed to see before:

The days are created by Allah with the sun shining bright, like there aren't going to be nights.
Even in the rainy days, there will still be light.

And the nights...yes, the nights are dark. much much darker than the days.
But then, there is the moon. no matter how hidden or how small...there it is, every night providing what amount of light Allah wills for that night.

The days and nights. like happiness and troubles. Are created for those who think. Masha Allah..

In the years of my life, with aaaalllll those days and nights..not once before have I realized that Allah, does not leave us in total darkness. No matter how little light there is, there will always be light. One just has to look for it in times of what feels like..blinding darkness.

There.will.be.light.

Insha Allah.

"And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out. And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish His purpose; verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion." At-Talaq, verses 2,3

Subhanallah.

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

Guide us Ya Allah. for we aren't the ones who create light, neither are we the ones who create happiness.

My right to complain.

2009-06-08T09:34:00.000-07:00

If one had Einstein as his supervisor, and then given a truck of workload. Would he groan in Eistein's face? He would simply accept, awestruck by the fact that he is being supervised by one of the epitomes of intelligence, one cannot deny.

When an examination takes place, no unnecessary speaking or actions take place. Everyone behaves so appropriately that any slight misconduct is noticed by everyone in the examination hall.

But everyday, we find things to complain about. In the face of our God. The Almighty All-Wise All-Hearing All-Seeing Great God. Instead of bowing down in gratefulness and patience, we complain...and without shame too. About the weather, studies, food, work. Everything. But we know He watches us, listens to us..at all times. And to think, it is He who provides all that we complain about. It is a part of His plan for the best. Yet He listens to us complaining about every little gift of challenge, of hardship we fail to notice.

Everyday, we speak as we wish..regardless of things being true or not, necessary or unimportant , using language we will never use with anyone respectable, let alone noble. It is nice to ponder upon the fact that a very knowledgeable and practising religious teacher does not speak the way a mob does.

Would we speak differently and act differently had we understood how noble are the recorders(Raqib and Atid, the angels) in the eyes of Allah? 'Kiraaman kaatibin' they are described as in the Quran. The noble recorders. A statement by the God so great, that nothing can be compared with Him.

This God called them noble.

Noblemen in human terms are people around kings and queens with mountains of richness and great descendence. We arent talking human terms at all in this issue but in terms infinitely greater.

And needless to note, these noble creations accompany us...at all times.

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

Allah...how we are weaklings. Ungrateful and rude weaklings that You bestow with mercy and love everyday at all times.

Guide us Ya Allah. To goodness in dunia and akhirah.

From Nottingham to Derby,with love...

2009-06-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

CRM 2009 presents...

Nottingham's own trio set on a 35km cycling trip to Derby. They have voluntarily come up to the CRM team to help raise enough funds to buy medical supplies and other humanitarian needs of the poor in Cambodia.

As eager as they are to help the cause, we, the CRM team will do our best to visit house-to-house around Nottingham's student housing area to drop a sponsorship form, for each household's convenience. These sponsorship forms (hopefully,together with your contribution) will then be collected in roughly a week's time Insha Allah.

For households that wish to sponsor but the CRM team aren't able to reach due to various unfortunate reasons, please be happy to transfer the money to the account stated in the poster.

Take-home message:

Sponsor them, and make their cause your cause too.

"Enlightening the hopes of Cambodia"

Theme song: BASIKAL TUA oleh tak lain dan tak bukan,SUDIRMAN.

Truth or Dare

2009-05-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

Not daring to think of the coming of death

is not daring to become ambitious.

REFRESHED!

2009-05-08T04:03:00.001-07:00

When the sun smiles brilliantly to my face,

And the trees greet with its colorful sways,

And the cool wind blows softly, a company on my way,

Ah...this is bliss.

This is the Gift.

..And in his farm he had a swine and a camel (or a horse).

2009-05-02T04:06:00.000-07:00

" While man is in this world, two things are necessary for him: first, the protection and nurture of his soul; secondly, the care and nurture of his body. The proper nourishment of the soul...is the knowledge and love of God, and to be absorbed in the love of anything but God is the ruin of the soul.

The body, so to speak, is simply the riding-animal of the soul, and perishes while the soul endures. The soul should take care of the body, just as a pilgrim on his way to Mecca takes care of his camel; but if the pilgrim spends his whole lifetime in feeding and adorning his camel, the caravan will leave him behind, and he will perish in the desert." Imam Al-Ghazzali, the Alchemy of Happiness.

Swine flu made me ponder. Had there been a news release saying H1N1 virus of swine flu may live in chocolate bars, we will chuck away all our chocolate bars. For we are terrified that we might get the flu virus and we might die. The Malays would even chuck their rice, had rice possess the potential to help spread the virus.

We would do anything in our might to avoid the perish of our "camel" aka riding-animal aka body and the bodies of our loved ones.

But, we aren't as scared to do things that ruin the soul.
But why..we began as a soul, that then acquires the body, and this body will perish, and we are again left with just the soul. It is our soul that carries on.

"It is, so to speak, the rider of the animal soul, when that perishes it still remains, but is like a horseman who has been dismounted, or like a hunter who has lost his weapons." Imam Al Ghazzali, the Alchemy of Happiness

It is scary when Allah teaches us, that the things that we do to ruin our soul, may well be a permanent damage. Because our soul is what we continues on in, not our body.

"He who is blind in this life, will be blind in the next life, and astray from the path." 17:72

It's unthinkable, why then, are we more afraid to do things that perishes the body, than to do things that perishes the heart..and the soul.

Guide us. Ya Allah.

sama je

2009-05-02T03:29:00.000-07:00

wak din* : sama je, merokok tak merokok, semua pon mati. ye tak, kakak "doctor" anis?

me:
ha'ah. betul. semua pun mati. sama je.

Yang beza, lepas mati.

Kubur orang yang merokok dengan tak merokok, tak sama.

Kubur orang yang makan terlalu banyak tak bersederhana, dengan yang makan cukup cukup je,

tak sama.

Kubur orang yang ikut cakap Allah, dengan tak ikut cakap Allah, takkan sama.

Lepas tu, dekat akhirat, darjat orang semua berbeza. Berganda ganda bezanya darjat manusia berbanding jurang kaya dan miskin di Indonesia.

Dekat sana, baru lah bagai langit dan bumi bezanya, yang merokok dan tak merokok.

Tapi betul lah yang Wak Din cakap tu. Sama je, merokok tak merokok, semuanya mati.

What the Quran says...
" And make not your own hands contribute to your destruction." 2:195

Tak sama...
"Katakanlah (Muhammad), 'Tidaklah sama yang buruk(khabees) dengan yang baik(tayyib), meskipun banyaknya keburukan itu menarik hatimu, maka bertakwalah kepada Allah wahai orang-orang yang mempunyai akal sihat, agar kamu beruntung." 5:100

Betul ke nanti di akhirat tak sama yang khabees dengan yang tayyib...
"Agar Allah memisahkan golongan yang buruk(khabees) dari yang baik(tayyib), dan menjadikan (golongan) yang buruk itu sebahagiannya di atas yang lain, lalu kesemuanya ditumpukkanNya, dan dimasukkanNya ke dalam neraka Jahannam. Mereka itulah orang-orang yang rugi." 8:37

Allah tells us, any choices that we make in this life, between tayyib dan khabees, takkan sama consequences nya in the next life.

All the best to us in making choices.

*wakdin mestila bukan nama sebenar.

p/s thanks aisyah. u made me ponder.

"Jauhnya last page, dekatnya exam dates"

2009-04-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

Me1: Bersabar. Bersolat. Berdoa. Bertenang. Belajar.

Me2: Bersolat. InsyaAllah boleh. Berdoa, InsyaAllah. belajar...pun InsyaAllah boleh.

Me2: Bersabar dan bertenang...Susah sangat. Gelisah dan panik lagi mudah.

Me1: ............Mungkin sebab tu upah dari Allah bagi yang sabar dan yang tenang...tak mampu nak dibayangkan akal mahalnya.

"Katakanlah (Muhammad), 'Wahai hamba-hambaKu yang beriman! Bertakwalah kepada Tuhanmu." Bagi orang yang berbuat baik di dunia ini akan memperoleh kebaikan. Dan bumi Allah iu luas. Hanya orang - orang yang bersabarlah yang disempurnakan pahalanya tanpa batas." 39:10

"Wahai jiwa yang tenang! Kembalilah kepada Tuhanmu dengan hati yang redha dan diredhaiNya. Maka masuklah ke dalam golongan hamba-hambaKu, dan masuklah ke dalam syurgaKu." 89:27-30

La haula wa la quwwata illa biLLah.

"Verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest" 13:28

Cambodia Relief Mission (CRM) 2009

2009-04-28T00:10:00.000-07:00

In essence, what CRM09 is about:

15 students from universities in United Kingdom and Ireland under the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia, Insya Allah are going to 7-8 villages in Cambodia.
The plan is to provide 3 types of relief, InsyaAllah (if God wills it) :

1. Medical relief - mobile clinics for free consultation, medical check up, antenatal advice and paediatric care.

2. Educational relief - provide basic knowledge regarding hygiene, child health care and

women's health.

3. Social relief - distribute donations of clothes, blankets, self care and dental care

products, books etc.

In 1,2,3. the student volunteers will assist the doctors in patient handling, take part in distributing leaflets and donations besides providing simple educative information to the villagers.

Community work - visit to homes of patients who aren't able to access our mobile clinics. - distribute donations to homes of villagers and offer what domestic errands we can help them with. - visit local schools and orphanages to help start reading corners for informal learning.

InsyaAllah, the team will arrive in Cambodia on the 24th of July and return home on the 5th of August 2009. Hence, we have about 2 weeks to carry out our relief projects.

We cannot avoid limitations of time, but we hope that insufficient funding will not stop us from delivering our best to provide for the poor and the needy.

Let us help you reach out to them. Donate to us, sponsor us, and put more meaning to your money. We need your help in ensuring success of this project.

p/s If you are in the UK and Ireland, we sadly cannot accept contributions other than in monetary form as we cannot afford to ship them home. However, if you do have contacts in Malaysia that we can approach to obtain monetary funds, dental care and health products, books, clothes etc, please do contact anyone of us in our crm 09 blog

Come watch our video!

DONATE AND HELP US MAKE THIS RELIEF MISSION A SUCCESS.

To my Dear Professor

2009-04-25T03:10:00.000-07:00

Done my reading for the night and picked up my Quran. I pondered. Allah...if only my professor knows. I always think in dialogs. The dialogs in my head went :

Professor: What do you Muslims believe?

Student: We believe that God is One and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.

Professor: You learn science, a knowledge from evidence. Tell me why you think there is God?

Student: Because there exist you and me, the microorganisms we cant see and the nature so amazingly complex but beautiful. I don't know anyone or anything that can make any of these, but we are all here. There has to be a Creator.

Professor: Okay. What about spontaneity. Why do you reject the possibility that substances may well just spontaneously exist and then from there, organisms are formed.

Student: I don't believe something as complex as us can ever be spontaneous sir. How can the existence of DNA so precise be spontaneous. Even the saliva has many functions. And all these functions are relevant to the mouth, not randomly beneficial to the legs or the head. It moisturises the mouth that may easily be dry as the air in the environment is dryer than in the mouth (osmosis), it contains antibodies to protect the mouth as it is an area exposed to pathogens and insults, it contains digestive enzymes as it is where food comes in from. The saliva, sir, is so systematic it can never be spontaneously formed.

Professor: Okay. Then, tell me, why do you believe that there is only ONE God?

Student: I see this in two ways. The first was explained to me by a teacher. You realize how in every atom of every cell in our body and in everything else, the electrons go around the positively charged nucleus. These electrons stay in their orbits and simply don't collide with the next. This is the system of which we and every single thing in this world function by. So, there isn't any other system but one. And then the planets go around the Sun in the same system. That one, same system.

Professor: Yes, I am aware of that. What's your second point?

Student: That everything works best only if they go by Allah's way. The way of this One God. In the Quran, which we believe is the words of God, we are taught that the strong has to help to weak. The better off has to help the needy. And our Prophet Muhammad preaches the very same thing. In the body sir, if there is any damage, these damaged cells will be helped by local inflammatory response cells. Neighboring capillaries, neutrophils will all work to help this damaged area heal. They provide the damaged area with food (nutrients), cleaning service (neutrophils removing debris) and even a new home (scar tissue formation). They may not be able to function best in this new home, but still they now have another home. This is how tissue healing works. Had there been no inflammatory response, there will be no healing. That is also why, sir, in Islam, we reject the proud evolutionary idea of 'The Survival of The Fittest". If the way we choose to work by is this, then the stronger ones will trample on the weak ones. Not only that that the social problems not heal, the problem will be cancerous. The way of Allah that He explains in the Quran for many aspects of life, is what our body functions best by. It is what we will function best by.

Professor: Right. I do know that Muhammad preaches about Islam. But how do you know he is the Messenger of God? That he speaks of teachings from God?

Student: Interesting, I was just pondering about this. What we know about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is what he said and what he did. Whatever he conveyed. When I was studying your lecture on apoptosis, I was reminded of this. I believe now, even more, that Muhammad (PBUH) conveys the teaching of the One God because he calls for us to follow the already existing system in us that Allah created. For example, he taught us to support our brothers in wrong and in right. Then, a companion asked, but how can we support our brother in wrong? Then, the Prophet said, by stopping him from doing wrong. This, sir, is the way God's creation works too. In our cell cycle, you know better than me that there are checkpoints. A checkpoint between the Growth phase 1 to the Synthesis phase ensures that this cell that wishes to undergo further DNA synthesis and then further growth and cell division has its DNA in correct and good conditions. DNA integrity, you call it. If the checkpoint detects that the DNA integrity of the cell is impaired,like when the DNA contains mutations (hence will produce bad daughter cells), the following phases of the cell cycle will not be allowed to continue. If the DNA damage is less severe, the process in simply delayed until the damage is corrected. If the damage is very severe, the cell is sent for apoptosis (programmed cell death). Is this not how the Prophet asked us to work by? The way of the Creator. This is among how I know that Muhammad (PBUH) conveys the teaching of the One God.

Professor: Hm, like you said before, the way Genome integrity is maintained would work best in society too. Only, they call it law and order. We truly function best if we follow this system.

Student: Yes. Our Prophet also calls it brotherhood.

Professor: It's very interesting that "God is One, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God" that you believe comprises all this. I must admit, I will think more about the concept. Thanks for sharing. Have a good day.

Student: That, which you call concept, we call Guidance. And it's a real pleasure sir. You have a good day too.