The Final Countdown - A tribute to the martyrs

Last year, I watched a series of interesting documentaries, Moon Machines at Discovery Channel. Although I was dissappointed Astro did not provide subtitle for the series, which made me watched the series with high volume plus extra 'noise' from my two little brothers, the series did provide valuable insights and information.

There was one episode that hooked me really deep with the scientific community at NASA and other space centres. In which I think, it was a sentiment shared worldwide. A sad and respectful remembrance from scientific communities and individuals, to the 7 martyrs that had lost their lives on 28 January 1986. I did tweet on that day, retweeting Obama's speech. But I did not have the time to finish my post, so I postponed it.

An episode that took my heart, and sent me speechless. It was my first time knowing that, and I was so sad by the fact. When I saw the craft exploded, I was like "Allah" covering my mouth with hand and another hand placed on my chest.

Space Shuttle Challenger's smoke plume after the in-flight breakup that killed all seven crew members [Wikipedia].

The disaster happened 73 seconds after the lift-off, when the spacecraft exploded leading to the deaths of its crews. You can read more here. Seven nice crews, some with families, died in the explosion.

STS-51-L crew: (front row) Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair; (back row) Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik.

Seven crews. Rest in Peace. Their sacrifices had made space exploration more meaningful than ever.

Although I am not a member of their community, nor I am an official scientist by title, I share the same spirit and sentiment with them. And of that, I raise my hand to my forehead -  a crisp salute to all of them.

Watch This, a journey from start to the end. A tribute for them. T_T

Cahaya yang tidak terpadam

Sudah sebulan habis membaca novel Hilal Asyraf - Takdir: Cahaya yang tak terpadam. Masih lagi terasa semangatnya. Lain kesannya berbanding novel-novel lain. Memang, setiap novel dan cerita ada kesan berlainan. Contohnya novel Ayat-ayat cinta, karakter utamanya membawa pembaca cenderung untuk menjadi 'romantik-baik-warak' sebegitu. Oh tidak. Aku bukan orang sebegitu - jadi, kesan buku-buku cinta yang bertemakan Islam tidak begitu berkesan. Banyak mana pun baca novel macam itu, macam ini je lah tuan yang membacanya. Karakter-karakter yang dibentangkan tidak begitu diminati. Terkesan memang - tetapi tidak berapa 'fit' dalam idea ke'hero'an yang ada dalam kepala.

Hari itu jalan-jalan di Giant. Selalunya kalau Ayaz dan Saif datang angin pelik mereka, akan sentiasa diminta bawa ke Giant untuk puaskan kehendak. Selalunya nak aiskrim dan donat coklat - yang mana kadang-kadang makan sikit lepas tu tak habis. Jadi masa jalan-jalan, nampak buku, usha sikit-sikit. Nampak buku Hilal Asyraf. Belilah. Perh. Satu hari baca sudah habis. Menakutkan sungguh. Teringat lagi masa tingkatan 4 - Asyraf Roslan bagi pinjam buku Warcraft Archives. Buku tebal tu compile kan 4 lore dalam Warcraft - memang lama baca sebab tebal, tapi habis sebab kita tertarik nak habiskan. Novel Hilal Asyraf yang ini ada kesan addiction yang sama macam novel Warcraft tu. Haunted, sebab sangat best.

Nak ceritanya, betapa seronok baca buku tu, sampai habis baca masa makan malam declare - "Cop..semua, nanti nama anak-anak Asif, Asif nak letak nama Fathi Auni dengan Fathan Adi. Jangan amik..". Takkan nak letak nama hero Angkasa pulak kan, kuno benor namenye. Haha. Betapa fanatiknya. Kenapa aku minat? Sebab aku sangat menyukai idea seorang lelaki, yang bukan sahaja di'equip'kan dengan akhlaq yang baik dan ilmu yang kukuh - tapi seorang lelaki yang mempunyai ciri-ciri kepahlawanan. Mungkin ini ciri-ciri lelaki tradisional. Biar. Aku lebih suka begitu. Betapa indahnya seorang lelaki yang mempunyai keupayaan untuk melindungi. Melindungi orang lain yang lebih memerlukan.

Sinopsis dan Nilai
Ceritanya berkisarkan akhir zaman yang betul-betul akhir. Tiada lagi senjata elektronik dan sebagainya. Jika hari ini kita dapat melihat sehingga peluru biasa pun mempunyai sirip untuk ketepatan. Sirip yang sentiasa meng'update' posisinya dengan satelit, dalam beratus mili saat, kecepatannya meng'adjust' posisi untuk mengenai sasaran. Tapi, zaman dalam novel ini, semua itu tiada. Bak kata Encik Einstein yang mengatakan perang dunia keempat akan menggunakan kayu dan batu. Latar masa ketika itu memang seolah-olah pada masa itu masa zaman dahulu. Hendak ke kota seberang wataknya menggunakan alat jarak zaman dahulu. Jika sekarang jarak diukur menggunakan kilometer, dalam novel ini menggunakan 'sehari perjalanan' atau 'dua hari perjalanan'.

Heronya Angkasa, yang mengembara untuk memenuhi takdirnya. Zaman itu zaman gelap - zaman seluruh dunia tunduk pada Sang Asura, watak jahat yang memerintah dunia. Dalam kegelapan dunia, masih terdapat segelintir yang masih berpegang pada kebenaran. Unsur 'Islam' dalam novel tersebut sering digandingkan dengan langit. Agama Langit, Kitab Langit, Utusan Langit. Yang menariknya, seni beladiri di dalam novel ini juga membabitkan fantasi yang besar. Bagi mereka yang pernah menonton Avatar The Last Airbender, Naruto, ataupun One Piece - membayangkan seni beladiri di dalam novel ini tidak menjadi masalah. Latar masyarakat di dalam novel ini, dari kalangan pahlawan mereka segelintir menguasai seni aura. Seni yang menggunakan tenaga di sekeliling. Semacam 'form chakra' di dalam Naruto yang terdiri daripada pelbagai jenis chakra iaitu angin, api, tanah, kilat, dan air. Atau pun Haki di dalam One Piece yang mana mereka yang betul-betul fokus dapat mengoptimumkan tenaga di sekeliling mereka. Macam dalam One Piece, ada tiga jenis bentuk pengolahan Haki. Yang pertama, dia panggil Observation Haki. Di mana pengguna Haki jenis ini sangat sensitif dengan keadaan sekeliling. Boleh mengesan pergerakan sekeliling. Tahap kedua, Armament Haki. Membolehkan pengolah melindungi badan menggunakan Haki, untuk pertahanan dan juga menyerang. Yang last sekali, jarang yang ada dan dapat optimumkan - Conquerer's Haki. (Watch : Types of Haki) Macam dalam novel Takdir, orang yang auranya kuat boleh suppress orang lain, sometimes to the extent tak boleh nak angkat kepala langsung. Macam apa yang berlaku pada hero Angkasa masa dia kena suppress dengan End, salah seorang jeneral Sang Asura.

Conquerer's Haki [Short Clip]. Tenaga yang dilepaskan oleh Luffy ke sekelilingnya - melemahkan musuh-musuh di sekelilingnya.

Selain seni aura, dalam novel ini juga ada include pasal serba sedikit pasal gerak, kekuda mende alah semua. Dalam Tae Kwon Do panggil pattern atau Tul. Cantik. Jadi, bila novel ini pun ada mention pasal gerak, lagi lah excited. Macam perh, Hilal Asyraf ni. Dalam banyak-banyak, aku ada terpesona dengan gerak dalam cerita Avatar the Last Airbender. Masa ini dua-dua nak belajar 'true' firebending. Jadi mereka pergi belajar dengan Firebender asal, Dragon!! Macam buat team pattern lah pulak. Beautiful.


Link Video Dragon Dance oleh Aang dan Zuko. Banyak-banyak scene smart, scene ini antara favorite.

 Selain perang, romantik pun ada. Suspens pun ada. Cara pembinaan karakter setiap watak sangat kemas dan teliti. Macam mana watak-watak sampingan pun boleh menarik pembaca berfikir pasal dia. Senang cerita, pembaca tak 'lost' sampai tak tahu nak expect apa sepanjang baca novel, juga tak boring sangat sebab jalan cerita dia dan pembinaan karakter dia sangat interesting. Penamaan dan penggunaan istilah pun sangatlah cool. Contoh agama Islam dipanggil agama Langit. Nabi Muhammad dipanggil utusan Langit. Macam ada satu situasi dimana Angkasa tengah baca Quran, ada orang lain, macam tertanya-tanya zaman tersebut jarang orang pandai baca Kitab Langit. Aku pun, ya Allah. Tak boleh smart lagi ke. Excited. Novel ini bagi idea macam mana Islam will prevail. Macam mana aqidah Islam itu kekal menjadi mutiara bagi penganut agama Langit, macam mana penganut itu mempengaruhi orang sekeliling. Orang-orang yang pada asalnya kosong agama dia, akhir sekali berjuang bersama-sama hero dan kawan-kawan dia.


Aku suka kisah pahlawan zaman dulu-dulu. Zaman nabi Muhammad - ramai sangat pahlawan-pahlawan hebat. Bukan sahaja pahlawan fizikal, tapi pahlawan dalam diri. Kalau zaman Crusade sibuk semua nak volunteer jadi Crusaders sebab dapat pengampunan dosa dari paderi dan pope - malah sepanjang Crusade mereka immune dengan dosa, bunuh semua termasuk saudara mereka Kristian Ortodoks sekali. Tapi pahlawan pimpinan nabi tidak begitu. Mereka kuat dalam dan luar. Bagi contoh Thalhah menahan berpuluh panah dengan badannya ketika perang Uhud untuk melindungi nabi yang terjatuh. Contoh lain Ja'far bin Abi Talib, sampai digelar Zul Janahain, yang memiliki dua sayap kerana keberaniannya berjuang ketika perang Mu'tah, putus dua tangan untuk memegang panji Islam. Bagi contoh 'Ali yang tidak jadi membunuh kerana diludah mukanya. Nak masuk pahlawan moden pula - kita bawa Yahya Ayyash yang syahid sebab handphone dia sendiri meletup, dikhianati oleh bapa saudaranya. Dia pakar bom, jurutera elektrik kelahiran Palestin. Nak lagi muda, aku bawa Faris 'Audah. Semua dah tahu cerita macam mana budak umur 14 tahun ini syahid. Tapi jangan lupa, pahlawan bukan sahaja orang yang berlawan orang lain. Fizikal, face to face. Ingat, mereka yang membantu anak yatim juga pahlawan, mereka yang berhempas pulas hidup dari hari ke hari surviving cancer juga pahlawan, mereka yang setiap hari pulang bekerja dan berbakti pada ibu bapa juga pahlawan, mereka yang sabar dengan ujian hidup juga pahlawan. Pahlawan, he never gives up!

Ingat nak buat post pasal kepahlawanan zaman nabi lah, aku bagi nama post tu "Warriors of the Past". Biar jadi motivasi. Macam dalam al Fatihah kita baca, "Jalan mereka yang TELAH diberi nikmat". Syeikh Hamza Yusuf hurai, untuk berjaya, kita rujuk jalan golongan yang Allah dah beri nikmat. Wallahu a'lam. :) Have a blessed day!

Konferens Riang

Masa kali pertama aku mendapat senarai nama daripada penyelaras, "Allah.. layak ke aku nak bawak budak-budak ni? Tak apa. Pelan-pelan kayuh". Masa kali pertama liqa', macam-macam fikrah gamaknya. Semua ada. Mereka ahli Nuqaba' Council SMIAAG. Mereka ini semua naqib-naqib untuk halaqah adik-adik tingkatan satu dan dua. Kali pertama liqa', aku buat jamuan. Depan pejabat sekolah. Nak tengok sorang-sorang, kenal dalam-dalam. Biar rapat hati.

Selepas itu, ada yang mula tak datang. Aku tahu - mereka tak bersetuju dengan dakwah Ikhwan. Advanced sungguh budak-budak zaman sekarang. Aku masa form 5 tak tahu pun mende alah macam ini. Tapi tak apa. Proceed dengan siapa yang ada. Mula-mula agak awkward. Ke arah mana aku nak bawa anak buah aku. Silibus ada, tapi aku rasa tak sesuai dengan mereka. Aku pun jumpa penyelaras, minta nak bawakan beberapa topik lain dari silibus. Alhamdulillah, diluluskan.


Membina, bukan sahaja tautan hati, tapi kefahaman - Muharikah
Dalam tempoh pertama, aku ulangkaji balik nota-nota lama usrah dulu. Ambil buku rujukan modul tarbiyah Islamiyah yang aku beli masa aku jaulah di Indonesia, rujuk balik Maza Ya'ni. Aku bentang tajuk Madlulusy Syahadah (Dalil-dalil syahadah), Syarat Syahadah, Ma'na La Ilaha Illallah. Semua ini berjalan dengan panjang dan perlahan. Aku sediakan peta minda. Nota. Aku selang-selikan dengan ta'aruf. Iya. Sebab aku masih baru dengan mereka, aku nak bina tautan hati. Sesi ini agak lama. Tambah pula topik ini topik aqidah. Nabi Muhammad SAW ambil masa nak dekat 13 tahun, tanam aqidah dalam dada sahabat betul-betul. Tanam iman dalam-dalam.

Kemudian aku masuk bab nubuwwah. Lepas aku rasa semua dah jelas, aku proceed dengan buku 'Apa erti aku menganut Islam?' bahagian pertama. Bab Aqidah sahaja sudah makan masa yang lama. Bila tanya balik naqib aku pasal tajuk-tajuk aqidah itu untuk clear betul-betul, selalu kene bidas - "Itulah..dulu masa ana explain, anta main, anta tido, anta makan..ha..skng datang merayu nak talaqqi pulak". Aduh. Setempek kena. Dalam hati nak tergelak. Perli-perli dia pun, akhirnya dapat juga duduk semeja. Dia korbankan masa bertahun-tahun bina kami masa di Al-Amin. Dari tingkatan tiga lagi. Aku dan kawan-kawan aku pula, kalau ada bantal krohhh, ada keropok ngappp, ada air slurrrp. Sebab itu bila aku fikir balik, kalau dia boleh bersabar dengan kerenah kami, kalau dia sanggup endure lamanya kami nak develop kefahaman dan minat - aku mesti boleh. Aku bersetuju dengan Ustaz Hasrizal - sesimple mana presentation kita, haruslah ada preparation. Lagi-lagi dengan anak-anak usrah. Untuk membina manusia, perlu ada banyak faktor hadir serentak. Perlunya niat yang betul, semangat dan jiddiyah yang tinggi, sistem gerak kerja yang berkesan, silibus yang teratur, dan paling penting sekali - redha Allah. Yang penting, kita ambil serius dan buat terbaik untuk membina manusia.

10 peribadi muslim

Masa ini, fokus aku untuk bina peribadi Muslim. Memang aku sendiri masih cuba untuk fulfill perkara ini. Dan aku nak mereka tahu aku pun bersama-sama dengan mereka untuk membina diri mereka. 10 Peribadi Muslim."Lambat lah bang nak kahwin kalau tunggu semua ni siap..". =.=' Asyik nak kahwin je. "Tak apa, nta buat, nanti ada lah bunga yang sedang membina diri pun sampai. Kalau dah sampai seru, sama-sama lah bina diri dan masjid."


Quran wanewani! - Benih suburrr..
Tiap-tiap kali mula halaqah, aku mula dengan baca Quran. Kemudian aku minta seorang demi seorang round table, cuba explain pengajaran yang mereka dapat dari ayat yang kami baca. Setiap kali. Aku nak tekankan betapa seorang ikhwah perlukan Quran. Biar mereka kenal Quran macam kenal tapak tangan sendiri. Tengok Quran-Quran akhawat, fuuh. Berseri-seri dengan pelekat warna-warni. Silau mata memandang. Tapi ikhwah tak perlu sangat lah nak pelekat-lekat kan? Kita main lekat sikit-sikit je. Untuk tahun ini sahaja - aku go through Maza Ya'ni bahagian pertama. Aku tanam dalam-dalam sirah-sirah nabi dan sahabat, fasa Makkah & fasa Madinah. Selalu buat kuiz. Minta mereka kaitkan diri dengan sahabat-sahabat nabi. Kaitkan sehari-hari dengan nabi. Biar dekat di hati. Sampai masa tamrin mereka, penceramah tanya soalan pasal sirah - mereka lah yang menjawabnya, laju pula. Penceramah tanya, mereka angkat, jawab. Tanya, angkat, jawab. Lepas itu semua pandang aku buat muka bangga sorang-sorang dapat jawab soalan penceramah.

Lepas segmen sirah, masuk ahwalul muslimin. Hal ehwal umat Islam. Aku suka cerita pasal Palestin. Sebab aku nak mati dekat sana satu hari nanti. Lepas itu, aku open counter untuk mereka bercerita update diri, ibadah, luahan hati dan hal-hal sekolah. Sebab mereka pimpinan sekolah, kadang-kadang sesi itu jadi panjang. Sampai ada yang tertinggal bas. Tumpang orang lain balik. Bulatan comel aku buat tiap-tiap Jumaat, 4.30 sampai 6.30 petang. Kadang-kadang anjak Khamis, sebab nak iftar sekali. Akhir sekali, mutaba'ah ibadah. (*Ada part yang dirahsiakan. Harap maklum.)

 Kadang-kadang, bila fikir balik tanggungjawab yang dipikul sangat berat. Aku perlu menggalas tugas walid - syeikh - qaid - 'alim. Kasih sayang - pembentukan diri - kepimpinan - ilmu. Banyak betul. Tapi bila fikir balik dah ramai yang usaha sehabis baik mereka untuk membina manusia, dan Allah permudahkan mereka. Aku juga menginginkan begitu.

Pelik, bila aku yang bawa mereka terasa ruhiyah aku yang naik pula. Tengok muda dan jernih jiwa mereka, amat rugi kalau disia-siakan untuk umat.

Mana Jemaahnya?
Kadang-kadang ada juga anak buah yang tertanya-tanya, bila lah aku nak perkenalkan jemaah pada mereka. Oh tidak. Tidak lagi. Aku dengan naqib aku dulu 3 tahun menunggu. Dah habis SPM baru dia introduce. Aku pun macam itu. Kenalkan pada Allah, pada Islam, pada ukhuwah, pada wajibnya beramal untuk Islam dari segi prinsip, hukum, dan darurat. Kenalkan pada nabi, senang cerita biar kenal semua. Kemudian baru pilih jalan mana yang mereka nak serahkan komitmen seumur hidup mereka. Lepas itu, aku ambil prinsip - tak perlu nak cerita keburukan jemaah lain untuk ajak mereka masuk jemaah sendiri. Itu tindakan pengecut. Kata pejuang. Kena lah gentlemen.

Jadi, akhir liqa' kami minggu lepas. Di Ulu Yam. Sedihnya. Aku pesan elok-elok, macam naqib aku pesan pada aku, "Anak buah bukan milik naqib. Jangan sekali-kali ingat sebab kita dakwah dia, dia milik kita". Milik siapa jadinya? Milik Allah, hadiah untuk umat yang sedang bangun.

Untuk naik atas, kena ikut tangga dia. Aku selalu cakap dengan anak buah aku. Kita buat kerja kita. Jangan sibuk hal orang lain. Maratib amal itu kena tertib kita follow. Kadang-kadang mereka pun pening. Kenapa kita tak join je yang dah ada? Atau mana-mana? Kita tak bersatu lah kalau macam ni. Ye ke? Aku tanya balik. Aku tunjuk tangan aku - dalam tangan ada apa? Ada sel otot, ada kulit, ada connective tissue, ada urat saraf, ada bulu, semua ada. Untuk apa? Supaya tangan ini dapat berfungsi dengan baik. Untuk bersatu, tak perlu menjadi satu. Bila ada khilafah naik nanti, kita akan patuh pada yang telah naik. Sementara itu, kita teruskan dengan membina. :)


Memori best!
Yang paling aku ingat, masa bulan Ramadhan. Nak iftar, kami semua pergi pasar malam. Ada seorang anak buah aku, naik motor dengan aku, entah macam mana mungkin sebab berat, tayar motor pecah. Haha. Habis aku balik rumah kena perli dengan Mama tersayang turunkan berat badan.

Lepas itu, dengan mereka ini, janganlah buka topik kahwin ke cinta ke. Habis dua jam masa silibus dihabiskan meluahkan perasaan, melayan rindu dendam, tak sabar nak dewasa mende alah. Jadi lah tempat luahan. Macam-macam ditanya pasal mende alah perasaan ini. Penat jugak den nak mendengar satu-satu. Kelahkah pun ade.

Rehlah - syok sekali. Kitorang sangat suka mandi sungai dan makan ayam dan daging bakar! Dan mereka suka suruh aku terjun tempat tinggi dulu. Suka suruh aku masuk sungai dulu. Bila aku suruh mandi dulu masa kami bakar ayam, dok kate sungai kene dirasmikan dulu. Lepas itu bila aku keluar nak buat pengisian sikit sebelum balik, semua nak ajak buat dalam sungai. Dalam sungai pula duduk sibuk main masukkan pasir dalam baju orang, simbah-simbah air kat orang, sampai main tarik seluar pun ada. Nasib baik aku duduk jauh-jauh awal-awal lagi. Mereka kalau dah 'masuk air' lain jadi nya. Haha. Bila nak balik, semua liat nak keluar dari air. Macam badak pun ada. Rindu betul.

Ada yang tak datang masa ini. Semuanya ada 9 orang.

Sebab mereka budak SPM, aku sangat stresskan untuk mereka fokuskan pada belajar. Letak seiring. Seimbangkan. Antara fungsi bulatan comel ini pun, mentawazzunkan fikrah. Balance balik, takut lepas balik rumah terlepas tarbiyah zatiyah seminggu, timbul rasa nak bias itu ini, fanatik itu ini, betul salah itu ini, bosan best itu ini - jadi balance balik. Biar mereka tengok dunia dengan kaca mata yang rabbani.

Sinergi!

Lima batch berkerjasama untuk menjayakan Kem Qiyadah tahun ini. 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17. Batch mane? Tengok kat jari kami.

Harapan aku, lepas mereka keluar. Mereka lah yang aku membangunkan umat di luar sana, pada masa yang sama tak melupakan Al-Amin tempat menyemai benih-benih subur untuk umat.


Terjun jangan tak terjun! 
Sekian. Penceritaan aku tentang bulatan gumbira aku bersama-sama anak-anak buah aku. Memang tak boleh cerita banyak-banyak. Mende ni kami rahsiakan selalu..sebab spesel :)

Amir Luqman - nak jadi akauntan.

Aku lah tu...

Nabeel di New Zealand

Khairul Iman bakal ustaz

Faruuq nak pergi belajar pondok Pasir Tumboh

Falah Azmi doktor muda.

Wassalam.

p/s - Siapa nak usrah>? Minat untuk membina diri, meningkatkan ruhi, mengenal Islam, bertemu dengan kawan-kawan yang OSEM dan sanggup mati untuk agama, tak perlu takut untuk buat salah sebab sini semua tegur je -tak simpan dalam tak main belakang. Dan paling best, kat sini semua manusia! Tak ada yang sempurna, tapi mengejar sempurna! :DD

p/s - Kalau nak, sila mesej! Haritu dah jumpa seorang lepasan SPM sekolah agama, nak mencari usrah. Jadi, kalau engkau orang pun nak join, sila lah. Komen boleh di sini, di FB pun boleh, mesej pun boleh.

Pemenang tempat kedua video OSEM Angel Pakai Gucci '11. Jom bangun sama-sama lawan raksaksa!

Ujian dan Mu'min

"Demi sesungguhnya! Kami akan menguji kamu dengan sedikit perasaan takut (kepada musuh) dan (dengan merasai) kelaparan, dan (dengan berlakunya) kekurangan dari harta benda dan jiwa serta hasil tanaman. Dan berilah khabar gembira kepada orang-orang yang sabar:
(Iaitu) orang-orang yang apabila mereka ditimpa oleh sesuatu kesusahan, mereka berkata: "Sesungguhnya kami adalah kepunyaan Allah dan kepada Allah jualah kami kembali."  [Al Baqarah 155-156]

*Rasulullah SAW bersabda "Aku takjub dengan perihal orang yang beriman.. Semuanya ada kebaikan.. Tidak ada suatu kebaikan pun kecuali ianya untuk orang yang beriman.. Apabila diberikan sesuatu nikmat, dia akan bersyukur.. Maka itu baik baginya.. Apabila diuji dengan suatu ujian, dia akan bersabar.. Maka itu juga baik baginya.."  Hadith ini diriwayatkan oleh Imam Muslim.

Moga Allah permudahkan -

Untuk abang UM tersayang, Thalhah Ajma'in, semoga cepat-cepat sembuh. Rindu ana pada enta. Walaupun baru kejap sama-sama berkonferens riang, dah rasa sayang. Ana doa moga enta cepat sembuh. Terima kasih kerana ambil berat dan care pada ana.

Untuk ex-schoolmate dari Al-Amin, ex-classmate dari DQ, ex-partner Setiausaha Biro Akademik, Jannah Radzi, moga enti terus kuat. Doa banyak-banyak, dan banyak-banyak sabar.
[Jannah Radzi dan keluarga dirompak di rumah mereka sebelum subuh, kerugian RM30ribu++. Sesiapa yang nak menyumbang boleh PM Facebook. I'll give you her account number. I'll post it too di Caliph14 dan Grup FCR. Terima kasih.]

* Tak dapat provide sanad betul, dengar masa khutbah, cari dah tak jumpa. Kthxbye.

Pluralist in Action

Assalamu'alaikum.

Pluralism. A philosophy that I've taken quite interested in. Because I think it's beautiful, and I think it's a transitional step to become a better person. Because from what I've seen and engaged, people with real pluralism in mind, they are really nice persons. These people - they act upon their belief. They are a bit like Muslims, where almost every step they take and things they do, they revolve around their principles. We may not realize it, but Islam is a very-very comprehensive and meticulous religion. Open up your Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Google, Safary or anything - and compare other religions with ours for good. You will be surprised by how our two main sources are preserved, and applied in our daily lives. Everything we do in our lives is an act of following the way of life of the greatest human on Earth - Prophet Muhammad. Peace and blessings be upon him.

But we are different in terms of faith. From one aspect, we feel relieved, calm, firm and assured by our faith because our physical proof which is the Quran is undeniably preserved and authentic - no doubt about it. And our creed comes with such a beautiful logic. It is like a nice person comes to our house, knocks politely, we feel safe, we like him and we invite him in. There's not an iota of doubt inviting him in. The same goes to our creed. Surah al Ikhlas in the Quran describes very well about our creed - that our God, Allah is the One and Only God. No father and son, independent, and nothing like Him. It follows the logic very well. It is our instinct to feel relief as we meet our purpose of life. We don't have vital conflicts to deal with - such as which one is greater? Jesus, the Father, or Holy Ghost? Nor we have any conflicting and contradicting premises between our scripture and our described creed such as Christians do. They have very much to deal, because the issues are fundamental - Original Sins, The Calling Eli Eli Lamma Sabatchani, who are the Sons of God, is there any other Alpha and Omega other than Jesus,  who are the real writers of important gospels and letters, does Christian's faith today is the real faith of Jesus or is it Pauline Christian, what about other sects that are dismissed especially during Council Of Nicea and many more. We can take another religions but it will be a very long list. While we Muslims, only have to deal with issues regarding misconceptions. So, it is a relief. Plus, we have a strong historical evidence and records following our stands, principles, and vital points of Islam.

Pluralists instead of referring to real physical records, evidences, and scriptures - they believe that truth lies everywhere. It is an entirely different context than we religious people (Read : Muslims, Christians, Hindus) usually believe. We believe that absolute truth is within our religion. Especially in Islam. We strongly believe that absolute truth is within Islam, and as for me, YES, I am confident that absolute truth lies in my religion. Is there any truth in any other religion? How can Muslims regard there is no truth in any other religion? Yes. We believe there have been some truths in other religion, as we believe Allah has sent thousands of messengers and prophets before Muhammad - two of them are Moses and Jesus(peace be upon them) which play a huge role in Judaism and Christianity. There is also possibility that Buddha and Hindu also originally a religion of Allah. But, as time passes by, we believe the essences are corrupted. And as Muhammad the last messenger of Allah, we believe it is a continuation and a completion of religion of Allah. Muhammad came and confirmed previous messages of previous prophets. We believe Muhammad did not create a new religion, but continued a legacy. In Quran for example, the proof that we believe there was a religion of God but carried different names - [2:62], Christians(Nasara), Jews(Yahudi - Haadu), Sabi'ins are example of it. The essence that should be in each of these old religions are belief in Allah, belief in the Day of Judgement, and the importance of good deeds. So if we take a verse from Chandogya Upanishad [6:1:2] "Ekam Evadvitiyam" which means "He is One without a Second" - yes, it is possible that once Hindu was also a religion of Allah. It is a normal perspective from any other religions that the absolute truth lies in theirs.

Islam, the last religion of Allah
Islam, is the last religion of Allah. A religion that will prevail to the end of time. The definition of Islam itself is sufficient to describe what does it really mean. Islam is not only a millah(religion) but it is the deen of Allah. Deen means 'way of life'. The word 'Islam' can be derived from three root words, 1. Aslama(to surrender) 2. Salima(pure, authentic) 3. Salam(peace). So, Islam means, "A way of life by submitting oneself to Allah in a pure and authentic way to attain inner peace and blessings". Why must I add 'pure and authentic' in the definition? To show you one of the differences between Islam and other religions. In Islam, everything we do have its sources. We worship Allah, the way Allah wants us to worship Him. Everything, is according to His wishes.

Pluralists believe that the truth may come from other religion as well - and none of these religions contain all the truth. They believe that everything in this world is inter-connected. Their main pillars are universal values - peace, human right, love, justice and many more. They acted on these values, and you can see that they are not biased to certain sides or groups. When you engage with them, you will learn to respect them. Because of how much efforts they have put to stand and act on what they believe. And I dare to say, although there is no actual pillar or reference to this belief, they hold it really firm. Truth can come from anyone, anywhere. In short, every religion is the same. Same in the context that it does not only bring people to the truth, but to the extent that details of each religion are not as important as the purpose of the religion itself. Contradictions are normal. When I first know about this philosophy, I was thinking, how can you live with all those contradictions in yourself? I mean, because they regard religions are all the same - and when they choose they want to live as a Muslim, they also think it's okay to wear cross or pray in a Gudwara to Satnam because nothing changes. Whoever God you worship, you will arrive to the truth. I myself don't understand how is this even possible. Such contradiction is unbearable.

Pluralism in Physics
But later, I come to understand the situation as I read a book "Isms and Oologies" by 'I don't remember who'.  The example is as follows. In physics, there are two 'contradicting' situations. Newtonian Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics. In Newtonian Mechanics, everything can be predicted and calculated. You can know an object will travel to where, its speed and arrive when - you just need enough information. But in Quantum Mechanics as Michio Kaku describes, 'nothing is certain'. It's a probabilistic world. You can never be sure, NEVER. For instance, you can only know either the momentum of an electron or its position. You can never know both. Never. Regardless how advanced the technology is, you will never know. It's the uncertainty principle.  For example, a specific electron can be at two places at one time. That's the quantum world. It behaves that way. Another example, if you shoot an electron at a big hill, there's a chance that the exact electron will create a tunnel through the hill and be at the other side of the hill. When we bring this example to macroscopic level, it is impossible. Earth cannot be at two places at a particular time. When we throw a ball to a thick hard wall, there's no way the ball could make a hole to that wall and be on the other side and the wall return hole-less. You got the idea? Quantum Mechanics is usually used to deal with things at microscopic level ie electrons and protons, while Newtonian Mechanics is used to deal with things at macroscopic level ie planets and stars. Today's scientists use both to deal with different problems - although in real life it's contradicting, but they use both to solve problems from both worlds. That's what we call pluralist. Still, in this scientific community, there are other people who believe in the theory of eveything - a theory that describes literally everything. They believe one day, the 'truth' they want will be found in the theory of eveything. While pluralist is okay with contradictions, this kind of people (monism) believes that absolute truth is contained in one entity. This kind of people is really much alike with us religious people. They are in search for ToE and they are not satisfied until they are able to explain why are Quantum Mechanics and other mechanics are so different etc. Except for each of us Muslims, Christians, and Jews believes that the absolute truth was already found and is within our own religion. (Read : QM as for now can also be applied to some aspects at macroscopic level)

Ada Shrodinger's cat di situ. Haha

He's a magnificent pluralist
He is very nice. He smiles, treats people nicely, and an ardent advocate of peace. When you talk to him, you will come to know that he is a man of principle. As for now, he often posts at an FB group - a group with various people with various faiths and religions; United Religions Initiative. Here is the example of his posts in the group.
1.
They are forever free who renounce all selfish desires and break away from the ego-cage of 'I,' 'me,' and 'mine' to be united with the Lord. Attain to this, and pass from death to immortality." (Hinduism. Bhagavad Gita 2.71)

"Torah abides only with him who regards himself as nothing." (Judaism. Talmud, Sota 21b)

"O son of Man! If you love Me, turn away from yourself; and if you seek My pleasure, regard not your own; that you may die in Me and I may eternally live in you." (Baha'i' Faith. Hidden Words of Baha'u'llah, Arabic 7)

"The Man of the Way wins no fame,
The highest virtue wins no gain,
The Great Man has no self." (Taoism. Chuang Tzu 17)

"If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." (Christianity. Mark 8.34-36)

"In the evening do not expect [to live till] morning, and in the morning do not expect evening. Prepare as lone as you are in good health for sickness, and so long as you are alive for death." (Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 40)

"He who has no thought of 'I' and 'mine' whatever toward his mind and body, he who grieves not for that which he has nott, he is, indeed, called a bhikku." (Buddhism. Dhammpada 367)

INNERWORK self-reflection for the week: "What does my faith/belief say about the Ego and Self-Denial?


2.‎"Every sacrifice is a boat to heaven." (Hinduism. Satapatha Brahmana 4.2.5.10)

"Lo! We have given you abundance; so pray to your Lord, and sacrifice." (Islam. Qur'an 108.1-2)

"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (Christianity. John 15.13)

"One must have the courage to face life as it is. to go through sorrows and always sacrifice oneself for the sake of others." (African Tradition. Kenyan-Kipsigis saying)

"A bodhisattva resolves, 'I should accept all sufferings for the sake of sentient beings, and enable them to escape from the abyss of immeasurable woes of birth and death... Why? Because I have set my mind on enlightenment in order to liberate all sentient beings; I do not seek the unexcelled way for my own sake.'" (Buddhism. Garland Sutra)

"Let all your deeds be done for the sake of Heaven." (Judaism. Mishnah, Abot 2.17)

Inner Work self-reflection & self-awareness guide for the week:
"WHAT SACRIFICE HAVE I MADE FOR THE OTHER? WHAT SACRIFICE HAS ANOTHER MADE FOR ME?"

To our Muslim brothers and sisters: Bayramiz Eidil Adha Mubarak Olsun!

To me, a person with this kind of paradigm is nice and kind. He takes good values from every faith, and appreciates it very well. This kind of person, you will have a hard time to start comparing which one is better, your religion or his ideology. You know why, unlike other religions, this philosophy ACCEPTS truth might come from anyone. So they are the kind of people who is very open-minded. For example, when you face people from another religion, it's easier(Read : not EASY) as you can start comparing, and they have 'something' to defend - something fixed - the religion itself. You know what are their weak spots, and you know how exactly they will react. But with pluralists, it's kind of like this "Yeah.. each person has its own opinions" without getting anywhere close to being challenged or provoked at all. And his life revolves around his values. One of the good things that I learned from him, is he really wishes he could stop 'religious-motivated violence'. As he views religion as something beautiful, he wants people to stop using religion as an excuse to do violence. Until now, I do not know, how to really deal with it. Care to give any ideas? The only thing that we Muslims have, is the real assurance of the Oneness of Allah, greatest example of Muhammad, and the outstanding Quran - which lead us to believe we are on the right track. And I know, they only rely on the beauties of their values.

He really is a nice person, and I pray to Allah so that one day, Allah will bless him His hidayah. Amin..

[Declaration of Global Ethics]
Their declaration.

Conclusion
There has been a major confusion to Muslims about how to regard this philosophy. Pluralism, is a philosophy that puts every religion as equal and each religion will bring you to the truth. We believe that Islam is the only way to the truth. We are taught by Prophet Muhammad, to respect another religion and faith, to treat people as nice and kind as possible even though they are people from different faiths, and to live Islam as our way of life. "Lakum diinukum waliya diin" Surah Al Kaafirun. They have their own ways of lives, we have our way of life too. We don't need to be the same as them. Pluralism instead is about lowering your 'fences' to let people in and accept them. Acceptance is the key word. Because the way they see, these fences and differences are the contributing factors to religious-motivated violence. We Muslims have no urgency to lower our fences or dissolve our limitations and prohibitions, because our beloved Prophet had taught us, that he also can live peacefully with the Jews at Madinah without 'lowering any fences'. It's the akhlaq of the prophet that we need to constantly embrace.

Freedom and Justice Party

You can also have a look at a new party in Egypt, Freedom and Justice Party - their vice president is a Coptic Christian. People say that this party is very closely related to Muslim Brotherhood, Al Ikhwan Al Muslimun - but IM says the party operates separately. :) Even a proponent of Daulah Islamiah can have a Coptic as their vice. Still, before the first meeting the Muslim members went to the mosque to pray together. What a view! Video


* This is a post ignited by my amazement towards my friend, a pluralist - May Allah bless him Hidayah! Amin.

Di Manakah Abi?

Dalam damai, teratak sepi menjelma pertanyaan menyentak hati.
Bermainlah pilu sang isteri, membelai pipi permata hati.

"Ummi, di manakah Abi?".
 Bergetarlah bibir mencari, perlukah ku kisahkan apa yang terjadi.
Pada si kecil yang ingin mengerti,
"Sayang Abi, kekasih Ummi pergi mencari cinta Ilahi".

"Tidurlah sayang, Ummi dodoikan bersama zikir mendamaikan.
 Bangunmu esok menjadi pejuang mujahid sepanjang zaman".
[Di Manakah Abi - Ar Raid]

"Apakah doa engkau?" tanya Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqas kepada Abdullah bin Jahsy semasa perang Badar.

"Saya harap yang Berkuasa atas segala-galanya akan membenarkan saya menumbangkan ramai musuh. Hingga akhirnya saya bertemu dengan lawan yang amat kuat dan hebat. Saya akan bertempur dengannya bersungguh-sungguh. Kemudian saya akan dibunuh olehnya. Kedua-dua tangan saya dikerat. Telinga saya dipotong. Kemudian hidung saya dicabut, biji mata saya dicungkil."
"Agar nanti apabila ditanya Allah kemana hilangnya semua pancaindera saya, saya menjawab semuanya telang hilang semasa saya berjuang di jalan-Nya untuk membela Agama dan RasulNya. Lalu Allah membalas jawapanku dengan jawapan 'Sadaqta'(Engkau benar..)." [Doa Abdullah bin Jahsy semasa perang Badar]

Sa'ad mememui badan Abdullah bin Jahsy sesuai dengan doanya di akhir peperangan. Hidung dan telinganya digantungkan pada sebatang pokok dengan seutas tali.

Ya Allah, kau kurniakan untuk aku dan rakan-rakanku syahid, sebagaimana kau kurniakan kepada mereka-mereka yang terdahulu syahid. Jadikanlah kami pembela-pembela agamaMu. Amin.

Di akhir hari, kita hanyalah seorang hambaNya. Allah tidak memerlukan kita, tapi kitalah yang memerlukan Allah.

Picturesque 4 : Of Superbike and Baby Po

Of A Superbike

Kawasaki Ninja

On road, there are a few types of drivers. Along my years (only 5 years.. heh) of driving, I come to a conclusion that drivers of cool cars aren't the same with drivers of cool bikes. They aren't the same. Still, my conclusion only applies to my living area and its vicinity.

The above picture is one example of great bikes. And drivers of these kind of bikes really have set a very good example on road. Let me tell you a bit about how most of them behave on road.

Of Whys
1. During red light, bikers from 'golongan marhaen', rempit or any kind will ignore the red light, find a space, wait for a clear line and then accelerate. Especially when it is raining or on a very hot day. Most bikers will develop a kind of sharp sense knowing when the lights will turn color, the duration for each color, and few seconds of buffer between colors. If you can see at any time, you can see that they don't actually looking at the light in front of them. They will either look at the traffic light across them, or they will see reflection of colors from either signboards or poles from traffic light they can't see straight. So they can have a good guess when their light will turn green. And then, when the other light turns orange, even when their own light is still red, they will accelerate. Most of them will behave this way. BUT, for superbikers, they are different. Even when all bikes have gone ignoring the red light, you will find them still at their place. Relaxed and cool. I don't know the real reason behind this. Whether if they get a ticket it would be much more expensive than normal bike, wallahu a'lam. But, in term of obeying traffic, yes, they do set a very good example.

2. There was a time, at Youth Leadership Programe URI, I sit beside our van driver for the program. He said to me, the thing he's afraid the most on road was motorcyclists. Because of their unpredictable nature. Well, that's understandable. Often, when a motorcyclist sees a hole to slip in a tight traffic, he/she will try to slip as fast as possible. It is because their size is small, so, any hole will do. We call this 'cilok'. And often too, they forget to give signals. It's like if you draw any graph, their curve will not be very smooth and predictable. Still, a large portion of them gives signals. Same goes to superbikers. They respect the road, and they are respected.

3. Usually, when the light turns green, some motorcyclists will 'press' like heaven sampai yang terpacak-pacak. If not terpacak pun, it's like they are trying to lead and be the first of the horde that's just been released. And you know how cool are superbikers, they don't even get distracted by the other bikers. They just speed up normally, and with their own pace catching up with others. Although initially they are left out from the rest of the speeding bikers, those superbikers will end up un'chase'able by the early speeders. And the way you see how they behave from a spectator's view, so cool.

4. And the best is, they are so polite on road, yet they are so skillful. What does I mean is that they give way to people, they don't just cut people's way, during traffic jam especially, they are so skillful in 'mencelah' to the extend sometimes even when usual bikers are afraid to pass through some narrow slips between cars, they pass through it like nothing. And if they can't pass it, they will stay quiet and wait. On the contrary, some bikers even press in free gear to warn car drivers to make way for them. Some even hit the side mirrors. And most will honk 6 harakat or more.

5. And you know why they can drive so fast? One factor that I know is because of their attire. You know, when you are wearing something loose, and you ride your bike so fast, your shirt and your trousers are flapping so fast, it makes you feel cautious. But, when you wear tight driving jacket, the air doesn't make any of your parts flapping, so you kind of forget how fast you are and you just cruise along the road happily. But, it's a bit dangerous, it can be very deceiving.

Why do I say superbikers are different than expensive car drivers?

From what I've seen and experienced, most BMW and Mercedes drivers in the area of Damansara, PJ, Gombak - they really don't have any sense of giving signals. Most of them. The numbers can go up to 90 percent. Even when I'm driving car, they don't know how to give signals. I don't know why. It happens mostly to people with expensive cars. Proton, Innova, and other normal cars do give signals. But them? Entah. Perhaps I'm committing a fallacy of  generalization - but again, this situation only applies in my living area as far as I'm concerned.

If someone wants to compare drivers of great cars and bikes, I can say, they are not the same. One side have less sensitivities, less skillful, and a bit 'noob' on road (Noob in context of respecting road users), another side is more skillful, does a better job in setting example for other drivers.

Ini pun superb!

There are some things worth sharing here, so that new motorcyclists can take note.

1. If it is too windy, stop. I once drove along MRR2, where at that time, rain started to pour. Few of us motorcyclists still continued, so we sped up hoping to get past the raining cloud. So, in that cluster it was like around 100 km/h or more. Then, all of a sudden, a huge blast of wind passed. My cluster, at that time was in the middle lane, somehow was pushed to the right lane where the cars moved so fast. One of us was even almost hit a big lorry. That wind pushed us to the next lane while we were moving. It felt like your bike moved without you realizing. I never thought that wind could be so powerful. Since, I will always bend my body lower when  I'm speeding in rain in case of emergency.

2. For motorcyclists, it is dangerous if you are travelling when the road is wet and there are thunders dancing upon you. For cars, it is safe. But not for bikers. Because lightning can struck you while you are on bike. Once, when some bikers and I stopped under a fly over during a heavy downpour, a flash of lightning struck very near to us. At the same time, almost all of us under the fly-over felt the 'shock', the same feeling when you touched a leaked circuit - hot and numb. We talked about it, and we never knew that lightning have that kind of 'area-of-effect' (AOE). But then, I still suspended my conclusion, until after I watched River Monster, where in that episode, Jeremy Wade's cameraman was zapped by lightning, and he felt a little dizzy. The lightning didn't hit him directly, but the spot so near it made the cameraman went dizzy and fell. So, watch out if there any thunder festival up there. You might get stunned.


Baby Po
So, since baby Shrek, I've never found anything cuter. But, when Dragon Warrior Po came into action to search for his long-lost history, I found his 'smaller' version very intriguing and exciting. And seriously, I couldn't stand the cuteness. Let the picture tells the cuteness....So, I rank baby Po as the most cutest thing in history.

p/s 1 : There're so much reasons for people out there to continue living, why give up? :D
p/s 2 : I'm towards a healthier life. Just weeks ago, masa program, jadi Faci, seorang budak perempuan datang, 'abang akan jadi lagi hensem kalau kurus lagi skit'. *blushing* .. For that, I've been swimming 0.5 kilometers every day. So, keep motivating me! Haha.. Siapa-siapa nak ajar Butterfly Stroke boleh datang rumah.