How do you sleep?
How do you sleep at night?
For all that you have done
For all the damage from your hands has come
For all the tears you have caused to run
For all the fears you have caused the very young
For all the ties that bound you have undone
For all the lives you have wreaked havoc upon
For a father stolen for one not even his own
Pray tell me O Evil One!
How do you sleep at night?
...in dreamless oblivion, I suppose...
because a soul and conscience
you have none.

words
spoken
draw blood
from already
battered hearts

words
unspoken
draw life
from already
drained souls

thoughts
spoken
dissipate into
echoes
and
nothingness

thoughts
unspoken
shackle
imprison
distress
oppress
torment
vex
subdue
crush
and
paralyze
the spirit
mind
and body.

and emotions
expressed
repressed
so complex
joy
so intimately linked to sorrow
trust
worth not even a penny
loyalty
sold for but only a penny
and love
what is love?
but
thinly veneered
contempt
and
barely irrepressible
unsuppressable
passionate
all consuming
hate.


an-nimr

"It is authentically reported on the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said: "Seek what benefits you, and seek help only from Allah and do not lose heart. If any adversity comes to you, do not say: "If I had only acted in such-and-such a way, it would have been such-and-such;" but instead, say: "Allah has decreed (it) and what He willed, He has done," for verily, (the word) (if) opens the way for the work of Satan." ¹

Because Islam calls mankind to that which leads to success, prosperity and betterment of society, Allah's Messenger commanded the Muslims to take part in jihad in Allah's cause; and in order that they might attain the aforementioned blessings - in this life and the Hereafter – he ordered them to accept calamities - which are all from Allah's Qadr - with equanimity, and not to become depressed or open the door to regret or blame by saying: "If only I had done such-and-such a thing, I might have avoided this outcome;" for to do so will lead to anger and despair, and these are the works of the devil. Instead he guided them to that which is better and more worthy, which is to say: "Allah has decreed (it) and what He willed He has done."

Online source

Rabbi Ya Rahman - Yusuf islam @ Yahoo! Video

Rabbi Ya Rahman (My Lord, O Merciful One)
Yassirlee Amree (Grant me ease in my affairs)
Wam nahnil ghufraan (Bless me with forgiveness)
Washrahlee sadree (And open up my chest)
Warzuqnil Eman (Grant me strong faith)
Nawwarlee Qalbee (Enlighten my heart)
Waj al lil Qur'an (And make the Qur'an to me)
Yahdee lee aqlee (A guidance for my intellect)

My first crush...

was on Cikgu Karim...the tall, dashing, Physics teacher, back when I was in MRSM Kulim. He was quite a sight to behold. And he walked...in a certain manner, proud...straight... with confident strides.

He liked to walk around the room as he taught, holding that ruler in his hand...and one day, as my best friend Aween and I were staring at him, mesmerised as usual, with a thousand and one sordid teen fantasies running through our pubescent minds...he suddenly stopped. In front of us. I held my breath.

He looked down at our tables and just stared at Aween's open pencil case and seeing the word
"Je t'aime" she had stenciled inside just for fun (she went to school in Paris when younger and was fluent in French)...he smiled at her and said, "Merci Beaucoup"...what the hell for...we never knew.

But I was so jealous, because he spoke to her...in French! Darn...

Aween, I hate you!

Aween...

I remember when we took off to Kuantan and Kemaman in my distant-memory-of-a-beautiful '89 230CE Mercedes, leaky radiator and all... after a particularly bad episode, the first time I ever left my kids (I missed them the second I got on the hiway and was depressed throughout the trip)...we stopped at the Karak R&R, and the Chinese woman manning the kedai runcit we bought drinks from told me, "Haiya! Apasal lu kasi lu punya anak pakai ini macam! Manyak seksi wooo!"

"Woi! Auntie! Dia bukan saya punya anak la! Ini saya punya kawan! Aween, lain kali hang keluaq ngan aku, hang pakai guni boleh tak??"

Cepat get fat and motherly like the rest of us okay!

Cikgu Karim...

Oh yes...he was a real hunk...tall, bermisai, nice wavy, short hair we just wanted to run our fingers through...because he was so handsome, I flunked my Physics that year...I couldn't hear a word he was saying...the theories all became one muffled sound in the distance, so transfixed was I...hahaha.

And that was only a crush.

Love, I last heard, does more damage than flunking a test.

Anyways...

I'm in the mood...

to make...


banana pancakes tomorrow...

topped with yoghurt, or maybe drizzled with honey...

and butter...lots of butter.


Bananas...

They remind me of the time I had kodok pisang made over dapur kayu at his kampung when we first got married. Just me and him, and his wan. Very nice lady, arwah wan...very sweet, very old...tangan orang tua...kodok pisang on a dewy, misty kampung morning with hot tea, sitting on the pangkin...that was heavenly.

The first raya we went back to his kampung almost 16 years ago, (I think...I stopped counting...haha)...was also memorable. We had a tiff before that...and didn't talk all the way from KL to Tanjung Ipoh. Then we found, we had missed the last bus to Kampung Panglang and had to walk...I don't know how many kilometres or how many hours we walked in the pitch darkness, passing graves and secondary forests...but since we we supposed to be fighting, I couldn't ask...are we there yet??? I just silently followed him for what seemed like forever, until we reached kampung.

Hahaha...that was one longggg walk, I tell ya....

I like this cat.

Kids and I had Lilo and Stitch.
And Lilo's kittens,
Violet,
Fluffy,
Blackie.

Lilo - died
Violet - died
Fluffy - died
Blackie - died
Stitch - died

They all died.
There are many dead bodies in my garden.
Of cats...I mean...
and hamsters
turtles
and....
and....

man, I gotta go pee...
been holding it since 4 am.

Of Ugly Cowards

I'm wondering...who are those cowardly men? women? who are sending in many evil comments about my personal life into Kijangmas's blog which he kindly deleted... (why don't you send them over here...why there? nak jatuhkan maruah orang?)

You seem to know so much about me, that I could guess it's one of two people, one whose womanhood has expired (sadly) and the other whose womanhood never existed (also sad). Wonder what it makes them then?

Sad little excuses for women? (Includes the men with expired manhoods too, if I am guessing right, from the current pool of pathetic people I suspect).

But one can only guess, because cowards hide behind many faces... they have to...because theirs are too ugly and evil even for them to look in the mirror at themselves.

Of Memorable Quotes

"If we don't change, we will be changed.
It is no secret we have to change."
Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak on UMNO's need to clean up its act.

(ummm...duh?)

Okayyyy...
we have Ali Rustam still as the CM (front paged today, smiling, tak tebal muka pun...)
we have Khairy guilty but let off (can you share your secret to being richly unemployed, please?),
we have Mat Taib listing his feats (kahwin lari, breaking laws in foreign countries) compared to his "I no speaka Inglis",
we have Khir Toyo looking prettier than moi (with accusations of tempe-laundering still over his head)
we have Mukhriz (I got rich all by my own pretty-self, honest...no strings attached... yeah, we believe you).
and we also have Rahim Thamby Chik (remember how an underaged girl who was raped had to be "rehabilitated" while someone else got to go for umrah?)

And then there's someone who just can't stay in the kitchen and bake cookies or something like the rest of us....

Yup...Umno has cleaned up its act.

Broom please!

Me thinks they should take this medicine prescribed for some other crooks in order to REALLY heal UMNO. (link stolen from a dashing pirate's guide to making sense of life's puzzling puzzles...)

This old guard here meanwhile, rightly thinks the UMNO of today has lost the plot ie: gila uang!!!

Orang dulu berjuang,
Pertama hilang, kedua terbilang
Orang sekarang berjuang,
Pertama cari menang,
Sudah menang cari wang
Lepas itu, jatuhkan orang,
Hidup di awang-awang
Akhirnya jatuh terlentang

Aziz Tapa

UN: Gaza assault was 'inhumane'

The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories has said Israel's military offensive on Gaza "would seem to constitute a war crime of the greatest magnitude under international law".

Richard Falk called the 22-day bombardment a "massive assault on a densely populated urbanised setting", with the civilian population subjected to "an inhumane form of warfare that kills, maims and inflicts mental harm".

His findings were written in a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday.

Islamic and African countries backed by China, Cuba and Russia have a majority in the 47-member forum.

Neither Israel nor US, its principal ally, are members.

Falk said the Geneva Convention required forces at war to be able to distinguish between military targets and civilians.

If that is not possible, then "launching the attacks is inherently unlawful".

Israel launched its offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip in December saying it aimed to stop rocket fire by Hamas into southern Israel.

A ceasefire was declared on January 18 after the offensive left about 1,400 Palestinians dead, many of them women and children.

Three Israeli civilians and 10 soldiers were killed during the offensive.

Blockade 'a crime'

Falk said that the Gaza border blockade also was not legally justified and may represent a "crime against peace", a principle established at the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals.

Israeli soldiers say killing civilians 'allowed'

Sealing the border, denying people the right to flee the war zone as refugees, may also be a crime against humanity, his report said.

He said Israel's violations included alleged "targeting of schools, mosques and ambulances" during the offensive, and its use of weapons including white phosphorus.

He also condemned the firing of rockets at civilian targets in southern Israel by Hamas.

Falk called for an independent experts group to investigate possible war crimes committed by both the Israeli military and Hamas.

He recommended witness testimonies as well as explanations from Israeli and Palestinian military commanders.

Falk gave the same death toll from Israel's offensive in December and January - 1,434 Palestinians, 960 of those civilians - as the Palestinian Human Rights Centre.

Israel disputes the figures and accuses Hamas fighters in Gaza of using civilians as human shields.

Falk said Israel's allegation should be investigated.

Israeli rejection

Daniel Seaman, a spokesman for the Israeli government, rejected Falk's assertions, saying that his report contained no truth or legitimacy.

"The soldiers, questioned by our military authorities, are saying these [in the report] are not first-person eyewitness accounts ... these are stories they heard second hand," Seaman said.

He said every military in the world "at times makes mistakes".

But "if we find our soldiers violated the code of conduct [in war], they will be dealt with, with the utmost severity of our laws", Seaman said.

"We do not need a Richard Falk, who is notorious for his anti-Israeli position, to tell us how to conduct ourselves."

Falk said the UN Security Council might set up an ad hoc tribunal to establish accountability for war crimes in Gaza, noting Israel has not signed the Rome statutes establishing the International Criminal Court.

He was refused entry into Israel two weeks before the offensive started, preventing him from a planned mission to Gaza. In the report, he said the refusal had set an "unfortunate precedent" for treatment of a special rapporteur.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Santa Barbara, California, Falk said he is not optimistic that his report will lead to concrete action.

"There is a lack of political will on the part of several major governments," he said.

"There has all along been a pervasive double standard with respect to the implementation of international criminal law.

"It has been applied to non-Western countries in the south and has exempted actors associated with Europe, North America and, generally, the north."

Rules of engagement

Falk's criticism came as reports surfaced in the Israeli media suggesting that Israeli forces killed Palestinian civilians under what may have been lax rules of engagement during the Gaza offensive.

Quoting Israeli soldiers who fought in the offensive, the Haaretz newspaper reported on Thursday that soldiers had ransacked and destroyed civilian property.

The soldiers' testimony, made at a course at Oranim Academic College in Tivon, runs counter to the Israeli army's claims that troops observed a high level of moral behaviour during the operation.

The testimonies include a description by an infantry squad leader in which he relates an incident where an Israeli sharpshooter shot a Palestinian mother and her two children, Haaretz reported.

If proved, the soldiers' testimonies could contribute to war crimes charges against Israel.

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Gaza, said that there was no doubt in the minds of Gazans that Israel committed war crimes during the assault.

"There is a certain level of satisfaction that these stories are coming out and that a body like the UN is saying the same things that they are saying," she said.

Sample Observations of Amputations

I was referred to some helpful health reference/self-diagnosis sites as in OMG! I knew it...I have that whatchamacallit degenerative brain disease after all for hypochondriacs by a dashing (ahem) doctor, and came across this:

(From the Bandolier: 'Evidence based thinking about healthcare"):

Average

"A measure for the central tendency of a sample of observations. The term average is most often used for the arithmetic mean, but sometimes also for the median. For instance, suppose the yearly income of five people is $50,000, $80,000, $100,000, $120,000, and $650,000. The arithmetic mean is the sum of these values divided by their number, that is, $200,000. The median is obtained by ranking the values (as above) and taking the one in the middle, that is, $100,000. When the distribution is asymmetric, as it is often with income, the mean and the median are not the same, and it can be the case that most people earn less than the mean.

Another example is with legs. Most people (99.9%) have two legs. But some have had amputations or accidents, so the average number of legs in the population is less than two. Therefore 99.9% of the population have more legs than average." (Should I be laughing here? Capt Calico Jack?)

And I got to thinking about a friend.

She was hit by a drunk driver, on her engagement day, as she was unloading some stuff by the Ulu Klang Highway, near Kampung Pasir. As she stood at the boot of her small Kia, with two others, she suddenly heard a loud screech, turned and saw this BMW coming straight at her, smashing her in between the two cars. A drunk. A drunk Iranian came out of the car, blubbering, asking for her forgiveness as she lay on road in shock, unable to move her crushed legs.

A drunk driver who had previously hurt someone else, we later found out, but was let off by the police...he is a rich young man. The rich can buy their freedom. They can also buy people off.

Well, this time he couldn't buy my friend new legs. She lost one, and the other is shattered, and she faces a long route to rehabilitation and recovery. But she is a strong woman. With a loving and accepting fiancee, and supportive friends and family, she will make it.

When I visited her at the hospital, the doctors were fighting to save her legs, and I saw, how the crushed, bleeding and putrefying more seriously injured one was making her so ill. They didn't have a choice. They finally had to cut it off to save her life.

Recovery is a long, winding and challenging road ahead for her. And then you have the "phantom limb pain".

In layman's term:

From the Wikipedia: The term “phantom limb” was first coined by American neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell in 1871 (Halligan, 2002). Mitchell described that “thousands of spirit limbs were haunting as many good soldiers, every now and then tormenting them” (Bittar et al, 2005). However, in 1551, French military surgeon Ambroise Paré recorded the first documentation of phantom limb pain when he reported that, “For the patients, long after the amputation is made, say that they still feel pain in the amputated part” (Bittar et al, 2005).

It says here that:

"If phantom limb sensations are normal then so too, alas, is phantom limb pain. This occurs in a majority of those who lose their limbs. (1) In fact, limbs do not need to be lost; it also occurs in conditions in which the brain is disconnected from the body, such as peripheral nerve injuries and after spinal cord injury, when an area becomes insentient (and usually paralysed).

The pain is described in various ways: burning, aching, 'as if the hand is being crushed in a vice,' etc. Such words, however, cannot fully encompass the experience of living with such a pain. In those with chronic pain after spinal cord injury it is frequently the pain rather than the paralysis that interferes with work and social life. One woman has said that paralysis does not stop life, but pain may. "

I hope my friend regains her life back soon and marries her fiancee like they planned before this horrible accident.

One cannot help though but draw an analogy from all this... to marriage and divorce.

Gangrene and amputations.

The chronic pain of a missing part of you.

Reviving the Individual.

Arshad Gamiet/Royal Holloway College/Univ. of London /UK. 30April99

from Khutbahbank.org.uk

Al hamdu lillahi rabbil ‘alameen. Was salaatu was salaamu ‘alaa ashrafil mursaleen. Sayidinaa wa nabi’na wamoulanaa Muhammadin wa’ala aalihee wa sahbihee wasallim.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters

Today’s khutbah is about reviving the Individual, so that we can become more effective as a community. It is based on an article by Khaled Is-haque, and was published in a magazine called "the Muslim" some years ago.

Individuals committed to serving Islam, are like building bricks fused together to form a solid wall. Each individual, like a brick, must be strong and capable of withstanding the loads and stresses that it is called upon to bear. Just as each brick must be fully burnt and purified in a kiln and pass certain minimum standards, so too an individual has to go through a process of training and development in order to be an effective ambassador of Islam. But what is involved in this construction of the individual? What has the individual got to do in order to prepare for this God-given role? These are fundamental questions – because, a pre- requisite to the revival of Muslim society is a revival of the individual or the self.

The starting point in this process is what the Qur'an calls the qalb – the human heart. Look at yourself and you will find inside you a whole universe - emotions, desires, urges, instincts - which motivate you from within. The qalb does not mean the pump which pushes blood around the body -- it means the centre or locus of the personality which is pumping motivations, desires and urges and which makes us do what we want to do. The Qur'an goes on to explain that this is the key to ourselves. Our success depends not on what we are physically, nor on what we do, but on what lies at the centre of our personality.

The Qur'án declares that

"Except the one who comes to Allah with a sound heart on the day of Judgement,"

no-one will be successful in the eyes of Alláh. Another hadíth of the Prophet - peace be upon him – says,:

"Beware, there is a piece of flesh in the human body. If it is right, then the whole body is right and sound; and if it is corrupted then the whole body is corrupted. Look, this is the 'heart'."

According to the Qur'an, the basis of corruption stems from within ourselves. The social institutions may be corrupt, there may be exploitation and abuse in the economic sphere and politics, but the basis of all these diseases lies inside our heart.

The Qur'an says 'The disease (is not somewhere in the body, it) is inside their heart."

What it is that stops man from seeing right and doing right, that turns him blind?

The Qur'an explains 'It is not the eyes which go blind but it is the heart inside you which goes blind."

This then is the basic starting point for any [Islamic] Movement, and any effort to improve human conditions. It should be our starting point. [It is] - to purify the heart and then summon it to the service of Alláh, through service to mankind, whether it be in a professional career, in government, in political institutions or in economic ventures. For us who are committed to Islam as a Movement and who are involved in the path of Jihad, attention should always remain riveted on keeping the heart - the centre of our personality - pure. Our whole attention must be focused on this continuous struggle. All the rites that have been prescribed by the Qur'an reach out to purify the deepest regions of our self.

The Qur'an states "It is not the flesh and blood that reaches Allah, it is the taqwa within your heart that finds acceptance. "

If the individual is the primary building brick of society, then the heart is its foundation within each man. The important question is therefore how should we set about preparing this most basic of building bricks. First we must understand that the 'heart' must submit totally and exclusively to its Creator. It cannot be compartmentalised - we cannot dedicate one piece of it to Allah, and another to some other god, like our wealth, our status, our career, our families and so on.

There is a beautiful verse in the Qur'an, which throws light on the absurdity of such a situation. It tells about some of the Mushrikin [those who associate partners with Alláh] who sacrifice animals and then say that one part of the animal is for Allah and another is for their other idols. Then it asks us to remember that whatever is assigned to Allah is also, in reality, assigned to the idols, because Allah does not accept something divided. He is One, indivisible, and wants us to be undivided in service to Him. So long as we remain divided within ourselves, so long as our heart lies in a hundred places, so long as our eyes are set in a hundred directions, so long as our destination is not one but many, we shall never be able to achieve that first condition for building a strong and pure Islamic personality.

innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.

The Purpose of Creation by Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips

Why Did God Create Mankind?

From the perspective of humankind, the question "Why did God create man?" implies "For what purpose was man created?" In the final revelation, this question is answered without any ambiguity. Humans are first informed by God that every human being is born with an innate consciousness of God. In Chapter al-A'raaf, Allaah said:

"[Remember] when your Lord extracted from the loins of Adam's children their descendants and made them testify [saying]: 'Am I not your Lord?'They said: 'Yes, we testify to it.'[This was] in case you say on the Day of Judgment: 'We were unaware of this'. Or you say: 'It was our ancestors who worshipped others besides Godand we are only their descendants. Will you then destroy us for what those liars did?' "
(Qur'aan, 7:172-3)

The Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him) explained that when Allaah created Adam, He took from him a covenant at a place called Na'maan on the 9th day of the 12th month. He then extracted from Adam all of his descendants who would be born until the end of the world, generation after generation, and spread them out before Him to take a covenant from them also. He spoke to them, face to face, making them bear witness that He was their Lord. Consequently, every human being is responsible for belief in God, which is imprinted on each and every soul. It is based on this inborn belief that Allaah defined the purpose of humankind's creation in Chapter ath-Thaariyaat :

"I have created the jinn and humankind only for My worship."
(Qur'aan, 51:56)

continued here

For her

I was at the doctor's today, at Plaza 138, adjoining Hotel Maya. Walking through the carpark, I looked out to the Ampang Muslim Cemetery behind. It's a lovely cemetery (the grainy picture didn't capture it well), mainly due to the huge old, shady trees and the many matured frangipani trees with their abundant white flowers. It looked very peaceful. I prayed that those waiting for the Final Hour there, were at peace too.


I miss you very much
it has been 12 long, tumultuous years
you seem like a long lost dream...
we had after all
been together for a lifetime...
it has been rough
dark
lonely
and
confusing
with no way out of the maze at times
but through it all
I still catch glimpses of you
and know that you are still there somewhere
and that
gives me hope
maybe one day
we will be together
and complete
again...if not in life
then in the sweet respite of death
and beyond...
where illusions
have no place
anymore.

Wal ‘Ashr: Pengurusan Masa Dalam Islam. Hafiz Firdaus Abdullah1 Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala berfirman: وَالْعَصْرِ (1) إِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ (2) إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (3). Demi Masa! Sesungguhnya manusia itu dalam kerugian, kecuali orang-orang yang beriman dan beramal shalih, dan mereka pula berpesan-pesan dengan kebenaran serta berpesan-pesan dengan kesabaran. [al-‘Ashr 103:1-3] Dalam ayat di atas, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala menerangkan bahawa manusia sentiasa berada dalam kerugian kecuali mereka yang melakukan empat perkara: Beriman, iaitu memiliki aqidah yang sahih lagi kukuh terhadap Allah dan apa yang disyari‘atkan oleh-Nya. Melaksanakan amal shalih. Ia bukan sekadar solat, puasa dan zikir, tetapi meliputi semua amalan yang shalih di dalam Islam seperti berbuat baik kepada ibubapa, menghubungkan silaturahim, cemerlang dalam pembelajaran dan profesional dalam kerjaya. Berpesan-pesan kepada kebenaran. Memberi nasihat, tunjuk ajar dan teguran kepada orang lain tentang apa yang benar dan apa yang salah. Berpesan-pesan kepada kesabaran. Memberi nasihat kepada orang lain agar sabar dalam menghadapi musibah serta sabar dalam melaksanakan perintah larangan Allah. Saya yakin para pembaca sekalian telah menghafal dan mengetahui maksud tiga ayat al-Qur’an di atas sejak dari kecil. Akan tetapi timbul satu cabaran hebat: Masa! Tidak cukup masa untuk melaksanakan keempat-empat tuntutan dalam ayat tersebut. Mengapakah Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala bersumpah dengan masa padahal tuntutan-tuntutan yang disebut-Nya selepas sumpahan tersebut amat sukar dicapai kerana keterbatasan masa? Sebenarnya apabila Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala mengaitkannya dengan masa, bererti masa merupakan faktor utama dalam menentukan sama ada keempat-empat tuntutan tersebut berjaya kita capai atau tidak. Dalam erti kata lain, sesiapa yang memiliki pengurusan masa yang efisyen akan mampu mencapai tuntutan-tuntutan tersebut sehingga akhirnya menjadi orang yang beruntung. Sebaliknya sesiapa yang tidak memiliki pengurusan masa yang efisyen, dia akan gagal sehingga akhirnya menjadi orang yang rugi. Melalui tulisan ini, saya ingin berkongsi dengan para pembaca sekalian tentang bagaimana mengurus masa secara efisyen. Ia amat mudah, hanya terdiri dari lima langkah. Ia amat ringkas, hanya memerlukan lima belas minit dari masa anda. Akan tetapi ia amat penting, penentu sama ada anda menjadi orang yang beruntung atau rugi. Langkah # 1: Menyedari Bahawa Masa Adalah Tetap. Berhenti sekejap dan lihat kepada jam anda. Sama ada jam tangan, jam talifon bimbit atau jam di dinding. Sama ada jam yang menggunakan jarum atau angka digital. Terdapat pelbagai jenis jam dan pelbagai jenis reka bentuk, dengan kepelbagaian yang tidak mampu kita hitung. Akan tetapi dalam kepelbagaian tersebut, terdapat sesuatu yang sama, sesuatu yang tetap. Iaitu, 60 saat = 1 minit, 60 minit = 1 jam dan 24 jam = 1 hari. Formula di atas tidak dapat diubah atau diperlahankan. Kita tidak boleh mengubah agar dalam satu hari ada 30 jam. Kita tidak boleh memperlahankan agar 100 saat menjadi satu minit. Ringkasnya, masa adalah sesuatu yang tetap. Lalu bagaimanakah kita hendak melebihkan masa supaya dapat mencapai keempat-empat tuntutan dari surah al-‘Ashr? Jawapannya, kita tidak boleh melebihkan masa kerana ia adalah tetap. Sebaliknya kita boleh ubah perkara-perkara yang kita lakukan kerana ia tidak tetap. Salah satu sebab utama orang menghadapi masalah keterbatasan masa ialah kerana mereka melakukan terlalu banyak perkara. Sikap inilah yang perlu diubah, dari melakukan banyak perkara kepada melakukan hanya beberapa perkara. Sebagai contoh, seorang pelajar pusat pengajian tinggi mungkin melakukan perkara-perkara berikut sehingga menghadapi keterbatasan masa: Belajar jurusan yang diambil. Menyertai sesi latihan Kick Boxing setiap petang, dua kali seminggu. Menyertai kelab bahasa Inggeris. Menyertai pasukan sukarelawan menziarahi rumah orang kurang upaya setiap hari Ahad. Ahli panel rekabentuk grafik untuk risalah bulanan fakulti yang diterbitkan setiap bulan. Bermain untuk pasukan badminton asrama. Menghadiri kuliah-kuliah agama yang dianjurkan oleh masjid di kampus setiap hari. Menganjurkan usrah untuk pelajar-pelajar yang baru masuk ke kampus setiap malam Jumaat. Menjadi wakil penjual kad tambah nilai talifon bimbit untuk syarikat 015-xxx xxxx. Perkara-perkara di atas hendaklah diubah dan dikurangkan, umpama: Memberi tumpuan menuntut ilmu agama. Memberi tumpuan kepada jurusan yang diambil. Memberi perhatian kepada hal-ehwal ibubapa di kampung. Menyertai hanya satu aktiviti sukarelawan di kampus. Kenyataan saya di atas mungkin memeranjatkan. Bukankah lagi banyak yang dilakukan, lebih baik dan berjaya seseorang itu? Saya berkata, kenyataan tersebut sekali pun masyhur, perlu dipertimbangkan semula. Banyak tidak semestinya berjaya, sedikit tidak semestinya gagal. Ingat! Masa adalah tetap. Melakukan banyak perkara dalam masa yang tetap menyebabkan perkara-perkara yang dilakukan tidak mencapai kualiti yang terbaik. Malah adakalanya cukup syarat sahaja. Semua ini akhirnya melahirkan perasaan tidak puas hati, kekecewaan dan kehilangan motivasi. Sebaliknya melakukan beberapa perkara dalam masa yang tetap menyebabkan perkara-perkara yang dilakukan mencapai kualiti yang baik. Ini akhirnya melahirkan perasaan kesyukuran, puas hati dan motivasi untuk melakukan yang lebih baik pada masa akan datang. Langkah # 2: Fokus Dan Prioriti, Bukan Rambang Dan Suka Hati. Sebab kedua yang menyebabkan keterbatasan masa adalah sikap melakukan perkara-perkara secara rambang dan suka hati, tidak secara fokus dan berprioriti. Ditegaskan bahawa individu muslim yang berjaya bukanlah seorang yang melakukan banyak perkara, tetapi adalah seorang yang melakukan beberapa perkara dan dia melakukannya secara fokus dan berprioriti. Fokus maksudnya memberi tumpuan kepada sesuatu perkara secara mendalam sehingga menguasainya secara luas. Prioriti maksudnya menimbang sesuatu perkara, sama ada patut didahulukan atau dikemudiankan, sama ada patut dipertamakan atau diletakkan di tangga kedua, ketiga dan seterusnya. Sebagai contoh, menuntut ilmu agama hendaklah difokuskan kepada aqidah kerana aqidah yang sahih lagi kukuh menjamin kejayaan seorang muslim di dunia dan akhirat. Menuntut ilmu agama hendaklah diberi prioriti kerana seseorang yang memahami Islam secara benar akan menjadi individu yang berjaya, bukan sahaja dari sudut agama tetapi juga dari sudut pembelajaran, kerjaya dan motivasi diri. Memberi fokus dan prioriti kerana ilmu agama tidak bererti mengabaikan ilmu duniawi. Seorang muslim yang memiliki aqidah yang sahih lagi kukuh serta kefahaman Islam yang benar akan mengetahui bahawa Islam amat menuntut agar dia menjadi seorang yang profesional dalam urusan duniawi. Dia mengetahui firman Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala: وَقُلْ اعْمَلُوا فَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَسَتُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ. Dan katakanlah: “Beramallah kamu, maka Allah dan Rasul-Nya serta orang-orang yang beriman akan melihat apa yang kamu amalkan; dan kamu akan dikembalikan kepada (Allah) Yang Mengetahui perkara-perkara yang ghaib dan yang nyata, kemudian Dia (Allah) akan menerangkan kepada kamu apa yang kamu telah amalkan.” [al-Taubah 9:105] Dia mengetahui sabda Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam: إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى يُحِبُّ إِذَا عَمِلَ أَحَدُكُمْ عَمَلاً أَنْ يُتْقِنَهُ. Sesungguhnya Allah Ta’ala mengasihi jika seseorang itu beramal, dia beramal dengan cemerlang.2 Firman Allah yang bermaksud “Beramallah kamu…” adalah fi‘il amr yang berupa satu perintah. Ini menunjukkan kewajipan untuk kita beramal. Sementara perkataan “amal” bukanlah terhad kepada solat, puasa dan zikir tetapi meliputi semua aktiviti yang selari dengan Islam termasuk menuntut ilmu duniawi dan berkerja dalam jurusan duniawi. Sesiapa yang berpendapat perkataan amal hanyalah solat, puasa dan zikir, bererti dia masih berpegang kepada kefahaman sekularisme yang memisahkan antara agama dan dunia. Menyentuh tentang sekularisme, fahaman ini telah banyak mempengaruhi umat Islam pada masa kini. Di satu sudut kita akan temui orang yang hanya memberi tumpuan kepada agama hingga mengabaikan dunia. Di sudut yang lain kita temui pula orang yang hanya memberi tumpuan kepada dunia sehingga mengabaikan agama. Amat sedikit untuk ditemui orang yang memberi tumpuan kepada agama dan dunia sehingga mencapai kecemerlangan dalam kedua-duanya. Seterusnya amal tersebut kita lakukan sebaik mungkin, sesempurna mungkin. Ini kerana dari sudut aqidah, kita mengetahui bahawa Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala dan Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam melihat apa yang kita lakukan. Seolah-olah, Allah dan Rasulullah hadir mengawasi apa yang sedang kita lakukan. Kemudian di Hari Akhirat kelak …(Allah) akan menerangkan kepada kamu apa yang kamu telah amalkan.” Sudah tentu semua ini akan menyebabkan kita malu untuk melakukannya secara enteng atau sekadar melepaskan batuk di tangga. Sebaliknya kita akan melakukannya sesempurna mungkin kerana: “Sesungguhnya Allah Ta’ala mengasihi jika seseorang itu beramal, dia beramal dengan cemerlang.” Oleh itu, langkah kedua dalam mengurus masa ialah memberi fokus dan prioriti dalam beberapa perkara yang dilakukan sehingga setiap detikan saat memiliki nilai dan manfaat. Keberadaan masa yang sentiasa tetap menyebabkan kita tidak mampu untuk mensia-siakannya dengan sikap yang rambang dan suka hati. Langkah # 3: Menyedari Bahawa Masa Tidak Menunggu Sesiapa. Sekali lagi saya ingin meminta para pembaca merenung kepada jam. Perhatikan bahawa ia sentiasa bergerak. Jika ia terhenti kerana kehabisan bateri atau kerana anda menghentikannya, jam-jam yang lain tetap bergerak. Semua ini mengarah kepada satu kesedaran yang amat penting, iaitu masa tidak menunggu sesiapa. Saya yakin semua orang tahu akan hakikat ini. Akan tetapi kadangkala kita melakukan perkara-perkara yang memberi gambaran seolah-olah masa menunggu kita. Seolah-olah masa berhenti sementara bagi membolehkan kita melakukan perkara-perkara tersebut. Apakah perkara-perkara yang saya maksudkan itu? Berikut saya kemukakan beberapa contoh: Menyambung tidur selepas solat Subuh pada hari cuti. Jika hari Isnin hingga Jumaat bangun pukul 5.45 pagi, solat Subuh berjamaah dan terus ke kuliah atau pejabat, maka pada hari cuti bangun dilewatkan hingga pukul 8 atau 9 pagi. Ada juga yang melanjutkannya hingga siang hari. Meluangkan masa antara 1 hingga 2 jam membaca surat khabar. Menonton orang lain bersukan, seperti menonton perlawanan bola sepak, futsal, hoki, tenis dan sebagainya. Beriktikaf di hadapan kaca TV, purata antara 1 hingga 3 jam setiap hari. Keluar makan bersama rakan-rakan dengan tempoh yang lama, purata antara 1 hingga 2 jam. Contoh-contoh di atas adalah segelintir dari sekian banyak perkara yang kita lakukan yang sebenarnya merupakan satu kesia-siaan masa. Istilah seerti baginya ialah pembaziran masa dan pembaziran, sama ada melibatkan masa, wang, kesihatan, pemikiran dan perbuatan, adalah suatu tindakan yang tidak sepatutnya menjadi ciri-ciri seorang muslim. Ini kerana: إِنَّ الْمُبَذِّرِينَ كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang membazir itu adalah saudara-saudara syaitan. [al-Isra’ 17:27] Di sini saya tidak bermaksud untuk menyuruh para pembaca sekalian mengabaikan perkara-perkara di atas. Jika anda ingin tidur lebih untuk merehatkan minda dan tubuh pada hari cuti, lakukanlah ia pada waktu siang dan bukan pada waktu pagi. Waktu pagi adalah saat yang penuh keberkatan untuk kita lakukan aktiviti yang bermanfaat. Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam pernah berdoa: اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لأُمَّتِي فِي بُكُورِهَا. Ya Allah! Berkatilah umat aku pada pagi hari.3 Ada pun waktu siang, maka Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam berpesan: قِيْلُوْا، فَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِيْنَ لاَ تَقِيْلُ. Tidurlah (sebentar) pada siang hari kerana sesungguhnya syaitan-syaitan tidak tidur pada siang hari.4 Merujuk kepada surat khabar, anda sudah mendapat berita dengan hanya membaca beberapa perenggan pertama bagi setiap laporan. Kemudian jika anda membacanya dengan manhaj fokus dan prioriti, 80% dari laporan yang dikemukakan boleh diabaikan. Semua ini membolehkan anda khatam membaca surat khabar dalam masa 15 minit sahaja. Ada pun sukan, maka Islam menganjurkan kita untuk bersukan demi kekuatan dan kesihatan. Berkenaan kekuatan, Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam bersabda: الْمُؤْمِنُ الْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ الْمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ. Seorang mukmin yang kuat lebih baik dan dicintai oleh Allah berbanding mukmin yang lemah.5 Ada pun kesihatan, Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam lazim berdoa: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي دِينِي وَدُنْيَايَ وَأَهْلِي وَمَالِي. Ya Allah! Aku memohon kepada Engkau kesihatan yang baik di dunia dan akhirat. Ya Allah! Aku memohon kepada Engkau keampunan dan kesihatan yang baik dalam urusan agamaku, duniaku, ahli keluargaku dan hartaku.6 Walaubagaimana pun bezakan bahawa Islam menganjurkan kita bersukan dan bukan menonton orang lain bersukan. Saya sebenarnya amat hairan memerhatikan gelagat orang yang menonton orang lain bersukan. Bukan sekadar menonton, mereka menyokong pasukan yang ditonton dengan penuh jiwa dan raga. Mereka menunggu perlawanan bermula dengan penuh debaran. Mereka memerhati perlawanan dengan penuh kekhusyukan, kekhusyukan yang mengalahkan semua nilai khusyuk solatnya dalam sehari. Jika pasukan yang disokong menang mereka melompat kegembiraan. Jika sebaliknya, mereka tunduk kesedihan mengalirkan air mata. Kepada para penonton seumpama perenggan di atas, saya ingin bertanya beberapa soalan mudah. Jika anda sakit, adakah pasukan yang anda sokong datang untuk menziarahi anda? Jika anda menghadapi kesempitan kewangan, adakah pasukan yang anda sokong memberikan sumbangan atau pinjaman? Jika anda gagal dalam kehidupan, adakah pasukan yang anda sokong akan membantu anda mencapai kejayaan? Saya yakin jawapannya tidak. Oleh itu kenapakah anda menyerahkan segala jiwa dan raga, termasuk masa anda, kepada satu pasukan yang tidak kisah langsung tentang anda? Ada pun menonton TV, maka tontonlah dengan manhaj fokus dan prioriti, iaitu satu dua rancangan yang memberi manfaat kepada pembangunan minda. Percayalah, kebanyakan pemilik syarikat siaran TV tidak menonton apa yang disiarkan oleh syarikatnya melainkan beberapa rancangan yang terpilih. Mereka tahu, jika mereka menonton TV saban hari, mereka tidak akan menjadi individu berjaya yang dapat memiliki sebuah syarikat siaran TV. Akhir sekali, makan bersama-sama rakan dianjurkan oleh Islam kerana memiliki keberkatan di dalamnya. Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam pernah menegaskan: فَاجْتَمِعُوا عَلَى طَعَامِكُمْ وَاذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ يُبَارَكْ لَكُمْ فِيهِ. Berkumpullah kalian ketika makan dan sebutlah nama Allah padanya (Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim), nescaya makanan kalian akan diberkati.7 Oleh itu makan bersama adalah sunnah Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam. Akan tetapi menghabiskan masa yang lama ketika makan bersama adalah pembaziran masa dan pembaziran adalah sunnah…… Langkah # 4: Di Celah-Celah Masa Ada Masa. Sebenarnya dalam keterbatasan masa yang dihadapi, kita boleh memiliki masa yang lebih. Berikut dikemukakan beberapa tip untuk mencari masa di celah-celah masa: Berani berkata tidak. Apabila orang lain mengajak anda untuk melakukan aktiviti yang sia-sia atau minimum manfaatnya, beranikan diri berkata tidak. Tolaklah ajakan tersebut dengan sopan, umpama: “Tak mengapa silakan, saya ada kertas kerja fakulti yang belum disiapkan.” Atau yang lebih baik: “Tak mengapalah, saya ada kertas kerja fakulti yang belum disiapkan. Hmm! Alang-alang anta ada masa lapang, jom kita siapkan bersama?” Gunakan kaedah temujanji (appointment). Kaedah temujanji bukan hanya untuk orang yang sudah berjaya tetapi juga untuk orang yang ingin berjaya. Apabila ada rakan yang ingin menziarahi anda, tetapkan waktu bermula dan berakhir. Apabila ada mesyuarat persatuan, minta ditetapkan waktu mula dan akhir. Kemudian jangan anda berganjak dari waktu yang dijanjikan. Kaedah ini mungkin kurang selesa bagi rakan atau ahli-ahli persatuan anda, justeru sejak awal berilah penjelasan yang hikmah tentangnya. Manfaatkan bas dan tandas. Dua suasana yang lazim kita lalui tetapi tidak sedar bahawa masa boleh dimanfaatkan di dalamnya. Ketika dalam pengangkutan awam dan tandas, kita sebenarnya memiliki masa untuk membaca, mengkaji dan berfikir. Maka janganlah bazirkannya dengan nyanyian dan khayalan. Do Not Disturb. Peranan tanda Do not disturb please bukan saja untuk digantung pada tombol pintu bilik hotel, tetapi juga untuk digantung pada tombol pintu bilik asrama atau dileher anda. Apabila anda sedang melakukan aktiviti yang penting, cuba elakkan faktor-faktor yang boleh menyebabkan gangguan. Senyapkan talifon bimbit. Tutup pintu bilik asrama. Pastikan rakan perbincangan di perpustakaan adalah mereka yang benar-benar fokus dalam perbincangan. Ketahuilah bahawa satu gangguan akan merosakkan fokus anda pada kadar dua hingga tiga kali ganda dari tempoh gangguan itu sendiri. Sebagai contoh, anda mungkin mengambil masa 20 saat untuk membaca dan menjawab satu pesanan ringkas (SMS). Akan tetapi anda akan mengambil masa 1 minit untuk mengembalikan fokus kepada apa yang sedang anda lakukan sebelum itu. Kemudian, lazimnya SMS tersebut akan berbalas semula. Oleh kerana itulah dikatakan: A minor interruption will lead to many other interruptions. Cepat bukan jimat. Wujud satu kefahaman, bahawa sesuatu aktiviti yang dilakukan dengan cepat akan menjimatkan masa. Sebenarnya tidak. Ia bahkan membazir masa. Sebabnya: Cepat menyebabkan anda terpaksa menggunakan fikiran pada kadar yang tinggi. Ini menyebabkan ia cepat letih sehingga tidak dapat melakukan aktiviti seterusnya dengan efisyen. Cepat menyebabkan projek yang anda lakukan memiliki banyak kesilapan dan kekurangan. Akhirnya anda terpaksa melakukan semula dari awal untuk menampung kesilapan dan kekurangan tersebut demi mencapai kualiti yang memuaskan. Anda akan mudah marah dan merungut apabila berlaku gangguan yang tidak dijangkakan. Ini kerana gangguan tersebut mempengaruhi kadar kecepatan anda. Namun yang sebenarnya mengganggu ialah sikap anda yang ingin cepat sehingga mudah marah dan merungut. Satu gangguan mungkin mengambil masa 5 minit, tetapi anda akan memerlukan 15 minit untuk kembali tenang dan lapang. Anda mungkin dapat membaca buku dalam masa yang cepat (speed reading). Akan tetapi dalam kecepatan tersebut banyak poin penting yang anda tertinggal atau salah faham. Kemudian apabila ingin membuat kertas kerja, anda gagal mengemukakan maklumat yang bermanfaat dan tepat padahal semuanya sedia terkandung dalam buku-buku yang sudah anda baca sebelum itu. Akhirnya anda terpaksa merujuk semula kepada buku-buku tersebut. Oleh itu cepat bukanlah jimat. Sikap yang terbaik ialah dipertengahan antara cepat dan lambat. Sikap yang dimaksudkan ialah tenang. Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam pernah berpesan: اَلتَّأَنِيْ مِنَ اللهِ وَالْعَجَلَةُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ. Ketenangan adalah dari Allah manakala ketergesa-gesaan adalah dari syaitan.8 Lakukan pelaburan masa. Pelaburan bererti menggunakan modal yang kecil untuk memperoleh manfaat yang besar di kemudian hari. Pelaburan bukan sahaja berkaitan dengan wang ringgit, tetapi juga masa. Gunakan masa yang sedikit sebagai pelaburan untuk mencapai manfaat masa yang besar di kemudian hari. Satu contoh mudah, saya yakin para pembaca sekalian lazim menggunakan perisian Microsoft Word untuk menyiapkan kertas kerja kuliah dan sebagainya. Saya juga menggunakannya untuk menulis risalah ini. Pada mulanya saya menggunakan perisian tersebut secara terus tanpa belajar apa-apa tentangnya. “Alaah! Microsoft Word! Siapa yang tak tahu guna?” Akan tetapi pada satu hari, saya mengambil keputusan untuk belajar tentangnya. Saya membeli buku The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Microsoft Word 97 oleh Daniel T. Babola yang diterbitkan oleh QUE Corporation, tahun 1996. Saya mengambil masa kira-kira tiga minggu untuk mengkajinya. “Wah! Sungguh banyak yang mampu dilakukan oleh perisian ini. Dan semua itu dapat dilakukan dengan amat mudah.” Demikian bisik hati saya. Apa yang saya belajar dalam tiga minggu tersebut, sepuluh tahun yang lalu, dapat saya manfaatkan hingga hari ini. Tiga minggu tersebut merupakan satu pelaburan masa yang benar-benar menguntungkan. Ia, alhamdulillah, membolehkah saya melakukan pelbagai kerja dengan perisian Microsoft Word dan semuanya dapat dilakukan dengan mudah dan kemas. Tak dapat bayangkan apa yang saya maksudkan? Cubalah anda melaburkan masa membacanya. Carilah edisi yang terkini. Saya yakin kertas kerja kuliah dapat anda siapkan dengan kemas lagi canggih dalam masa sejam berbanding tiga jam sebelumnya. Belanjakan RM untuk masa. Ada satu kata pepatah Inggeris: Time is more valuable than money. Iyya! Masa lebih bernilai dari wang ringgit. Maka gunakanlah wang ringgit untuk memperoleh masa yang lebih. Kertas kerja kuliah anda sekali lagi saya jadikan contoh. Adakah anda terpaksa ke makmal komputer atau cybercafe untuk menaipnya? Banyak masa yang terbuang di sana, dari menunggu giliran sehinggalah kepada petunjuk di skrin yang tidak bergerak searah dengan tetikus. Sebagai alternatif lain, cuba beli komputer riba sendiri. Anda tidak perlu membelanjakan wang yang banyak. Memadai komputer riba terpakai dengan kelajuan prosesan sederhana. RM1500.00 yang anda belanjakan akan dapat menjimatkan masa anda dalam jumlah yang tidak dapat dihitung. Menyentuh berkenaan mencari masa di celah-celah masa, saya tidaklah bermaksud agar para pembaca sekalian menggunakan seluruh masa yang ada untuk bekerja keras. Islam tidak menyuruh umatnya menjadi rahib yang hanya beribadah mahu pun robot yang hanya bekerja. Sebaliknya Islam membolehkan agar ibadah dan kerja diselang-seli dengan lawak jenaka, sembang-sembang bersama rakan dan beristirehat. Ringkasnya, setiap sesuatu ada masanya, yang penting hendaklah kita membahagikannya secara adil. Salah seorang sahabat dan juru tulis Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam bernama Hanzhalah al-Usaidi radhiallahu 'anh pernah menceritakan: ‘Satu hari saya berjumpa dengan Abu Bakar as-Shiddiq radhiallahu 'anh.” Abu Bakar bertanya: “Kamu apa khabar?” Hanzalah menjawab: “Saya telah melakukan satu kemunafiqan!” “Subhanallah! Apa yang kamu cakap ni?” “Sebentar tadi saya bersama Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam. Baginda mengingatkan kami berkenaan neraka dan syurga sehingga seolah-olah saya dapat melihat dengan mata saya sendiri. Apabila saya berangkat pulang dari sisi Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam, saya bermain-main bersama isteri dan anak-anak serta melakukan beberapa urusan sehingga saya lupa kebanyakan (dari apa yang dipelajari dari Rasulullah sebelum itu).” “Demi Allah! Saya juga pernah mengalami hal yang sama!” ujar Abu Bakar. Kemudian Hanzhalah dan Abu Bakar pergi berjumpa Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam. Hanzhalah berkata: “Wahai Rasulullah! Saya telah menjadi seorang munafiq!” Rasulullah bertanya: “Kenapa sedemikian?” Lalu Hanzhalah menceritakan apa yang terjadi padanya. Lalu Rasulullah bersabda: وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ إِنْ لَوْ تَدُومُونَ عَلَى مَا تَكُونُونَ عِنْدِي وَفِي الذِّكْرِ لَصَافَحَتْكُمْ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ عَلَى فُرُشِكُمْ وَفِي طُرُقِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَا حَنْظَلَةُ سَاعَةً وَسَاعَةً (ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ). “Demi Allah yang jiwaku berada di Tangan-Nya, kalau kalian sentiasa dalam keadaan seperti ketika bersamaku dan kalian sentiasa berzikir, nescaya para malaikat akan menemani kalian di atas tempat tidur dan juga di jalanan. Akan tetapi wahai Hanzhalah, segala sesuatu ada masanya.” (Baginda mengulanginya tiga kali).9 Langkah # 5: Carilah Keberkatan Dalam Masa. Sebelum ini saya ada menerangkan tentang formula masa dan pergerakan jam. Memang, ia tidak dapat diubah. Akan tetapi sebagai seorang mukmin, kita beriman kepada wujudnya sesuatu yang istimewa di sebalik formula masa dan pergerakan jam. Perkara istimewa tersebut tidak dapat diukur dengan apa-apa formula dan tidak dapat dilihat pada mana-mana jam. Perkara istimewa tersebut ialah keberkatan yang dikurniakan oleh Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala kepada para hamba-Nya yang terpilih. Dengan keberkatan ini, seseorang itu mampu melakukan banyak perkara bermanfaat untuk agama, umat, manusia dan alam sekali pun dalam formula masa dan pergerakan jam yang tetap sama. Bagaimanakah memperoleh atau mencari keberkatan dalam masa? Berikut dikemukakan dua cara: Memberi perhatian kepada hal-ehwal ibubapa. Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam bersabda: رِضَى الرَّبِّ فِي رِضَى الْوَالِدِ وَسَخَطُ الرَّبِّ فِي سَخَطِ الْوَالِدِ. Keredhaan Allah terletak pada keredhaan ibubapa manakala kemurkaan Allah terletak pada kemurkaan ibubapa.10 Luangkanlah masa sekurang-kurang seminggu sekali untuk menalifon ibubapa atau menulis surat kepada mereka. Sebulan sekali, baliklah ke kampung menziarahi dan memperhatikan hal ehwal mereka. Dalam zaman materialisme dan individualisme masa kini, ibubapa sering diketepikan. Akan tetapi ketahuilah, keredhaan Allah terletak pada keredhaan ibubapa kita. Jika ibubapa redha kepada kita, Allah juga akan redha kepada kita. Apabila Allah redha kepada kita, tidak ada perkataan yang mampu saya taip untuk menggambarkan hasilnya.11 Sedekahkan masa. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala berfirman: مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنْبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنْبُلَةٍ مِائَةُ حَبَّةٍ وَاللَّهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ. Bandingan (derma) orang-orang yang membelanjakan hartanya pada jalan Allah, ialah sama seperti sebiji benih yang tumbuh menerbitkan tujuh tangkai; tiap-tiap tangkai itu pula mengandungi seratus biji. Dan (ingatlah), Allah akan melipat gandakan pahala bagi sesiapa yang dikehendaki-Nya, dan Allah Maha Luas (rahmat) kurnia-Nya, lagi Meliputi ilmu pengetahuan-Nya. [al-Baqarah 2:261] Dalam ayat di atas Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala menerangkan pulangan dividen harta bagi sesiapa yang sebelum itu mensedekahkan hartanya secara ikhlas untuk kebaikan agama dan umat Islam. Secara analogi, demikianlah juga dividen masa yang akan diperoleh oleh sesiapa yang mensedekahkan masanya secara ikhlas demi kebaikan agama dan umat Islam. Sedekah masa yang saya maksudkan ialah melakukan kerja-kerja sukarelawan. Kerja sukarelawan tersebut bukanlah kerana kumpulan atau persatuan, tetapi kerana agama dan umat. Antara kerja sukarelawan yang saya maksudkan ialah mengajar tusyen kepada pelajar-pelajar sekolah luar bandar, melawat hospital, melawat rumah orang tua, melawat rumah orang kurang upaya dan memperbaiki rumah yang rosak di kawasan kampung. Jika anda menguasai ilmu agama, lakukanlah amar ma’ruf dan nahi mungkar.12 Jika anda menguasai ilmu perbandingan agama, maka jadilah seorang pendakwah. Sesiapa yang mensedekahkan masanya demi kebaikan agama dan umat Islam, maka Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala akan mengurniakan kepadanya kelapangan masa untuk melakukan pelbagai lagi perkara yang bermanfaat. Dua perkara di atas, iaitu memperhatikan hal-ehwal ibubapa dan melakukan aktiviti sukarelawan telah saya senaraikan ketika mengupas langkah pengurusan masa # 1. Di sana saya senaraikan bahawa jumlah perkara yang hendak dilakukan oleh seseorang hendaklah dikurangkan kepada: Memberi tumpuan menuntut ilmu agama. Memberi tumpuan kepada jurusan yang diambil. Memberi perhatian kepada hal-ehwal ibubapa di kampung. Menyertai hanya satu aktiviti sukarelawan di kampus. Apabila anda melakukan perkara ketiga dan keempat secara ikhlas dan sebaik-baiknya, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala akan mengurniakan keberkatan dalam masa anda sehingga anda memiliki kelapangan untuk melakukan perkara-perkara lain yang bermanfaat. Maka setelah itu, senarai empat perkara di atas boleh anda tambah menjadi lima, enam dan seterusnya. Akan tetapi ingat, hendaklah perkara yang anda tambah itu masuk dalam kategori firman Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala: وَالْعَصْرِ (1) إِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَفِي خُسْرٍ (2) إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا بِالصَّبْرِ (3). Demi Masa! Sesungguhnya manusia itu dalam kerugian, kecuali orang-orang yang beriman dan beramal shalih, dan mereka pula berpesan-pesan dengan kebenaran serta berpesan-pesan dengan kesabaran. [al-‘Ashr 103:1-3]

Pok Pet

I'm amused.

By the parents of this kelab kelas. A club set up apparently for parents to get involved in helping the kids (or school?) do a good job in the coming UPSR. I'm wondering why as an AJK, I have no idea of any meetings and how they come up with the tuition/extra classes schedules. I thought we agreed at the initial meeting NOT to hold classes on Sundays and school holidays too as some highly competitive and enthusiastic parents ("oh...anak you tak pernah lagi UPSR ye...patutlah you tak tau") pressed for. No wonder, they didn't call me for subsequent meets... There WERE other parents who felt that Sundays should be reserved for family and relaxation too!

And so what. The UPSR is not a neurosurgery licensing exam. Yes, I want my daughter to do well, strive to be her best, excel at whatever she does because that is what Allah wants of each of us, be the best we can be...BUT not merely be a statistic so that the school gets accolades. I would rather the school hold extra hafalan Quran classes, extra Arabic classes, elocution, public speaking and other fun learning activities than merely extra tuition classes to fulfill the UPSR sekolah cemerlang or whatever agenda. They ARE kids. Let them be kids lah for even a bloody day.

For what we pay...for this private Islamic school...shouldn't she be getting extra attention IN class? Or during school days? Ater school I can take, but weekends and holidays too? Are the teachers/schools doing their jobs well then in the first place that we NEED all these extra classes? Much like cramming instead of actually learning something to be gained over the long term. Well, at 300 per kid per month...these private schools should know better than me, eh?

And as for those parents who "suck up" for extra attention. Oh well. Lots of idiotic parents at that school. I once commented on some of the teachers' habit of pinching, pulas perut and whacking kids for inane reasons, and the suckers-up got their panties and spendars in a bunch (there were some who agreed with me, but usually the intelligent ones like these are far and few) and one woman even twisted all my words and her carbon-copy of an evil spawn went around the school telling her friends how Sakinah's mum called her mum "babi hutan". No idiots. I called you people IDIOTS. Because an innocent teguran to the teachers from me, some teachers to be precise (coz there ARE some great teachers there) spiralled into an ugly episode when you pendengkis poured petrol onto the issue and got personal with me. Remember. I called you IDIOT bukan babi hutan... don't insult the poor animals... Sheesh...can't even read my emails properly ker? Cuna tanye Ustaz yang baik tu apa I tulis... Batu api betul. Mak borek anak rintik (my peribahasa).

On to number 2...

I get pissed when I get a question like the one I got from a certain YB at the same school, whom I once I asked to help a woman who insisted on prostituting herself in full view of the greater Wangsa Maju area...he asked me one day (maybe it was just an innocent query, but I hated it)..."oh, you yang ade blog tu ye?"

Me: "Ya...YB amacam dengan pompuan tu?"( Dalam hati: So what, its just a bloody blog)

YB:"Tak pe kita biar dulu...slow2. ( Me: ??) Banyak masa you nak blog eh?" ( Dalam hati YB: Tak de buat apa2 ke kat umah ke you ni, terkangkang jer banyak tul masa lapang?)

Me: "Tak de lah...Saya kerja online, research online... sementara tu nak relak, saya tulislah apa2...post la apa2 saya nak share"(Dalam hati: "Oh shut up..suka hati aku ler...do I ask you to pay me?? Why does everyone ask me that? It's my own blog, my own life and catharsis laaaa...stop asking me stupid question leh tak..and why the heck do I have to justify everything anyway to anybody! 30 minutes ker, 3 jam ker...ade I kacau orang???)

Number 3...

Why la school... you keep showing videos of suffering in Palestine to the kids...balik2 tu sahaja, only that...I have the utmost respect and affinity for the Palestinians and FEEL for them SO much, but please also expose the suffering elsewhere in this world too...aren't Muslims supposed to help all the oppressed and in need?? I remember when my daughter went around collecting donations at school for the Cyclone Nargis victims in Burma, the principal sort of had to qualify the effort with a comment about derma for Palestine. Of course la that goes without saying laaaa...dah memang ade Tabung Palestine hari2 kek situ...just because the Burmese are non-Muslims, Allah cakap tak yah tolong? Pedulikan orang tu? Itu ke ajaran nabi Muhammad SAW? Maaflah kalau saya salah tafsir komen tersebut....

Number 4...

Can you people at school STOP showing the horror dramatization of seksa kubur complete with lightning and special effects of a booming voice going 'MA RABBUKA!!!", siap dengan bau kapur barus, tanah kubur merah etc...Ceh! I want my kids to LOVE HIM and fear His Displeasure out of LOVE for HIM not be terrified of meeting Him and hating death laaaa.... macam paria (no offense to Indians laaa) betul drama...lepaih tu nak kutuk India dramatik...dua kali lima jugak. Tak dak langsung ka cerita yang elok sikit buat anak2 tengok positive side...bukan semua kubur ade ulaq besaq la...sheesh...tak boleh ka pulak cerita the joys and promise of Paradise...balasan orang2 yang berbuat baik, yang beriman padaNya... cerita pasal His Infinite Mercy and Blessings...Anak saya sampai sakit2 perut kecut tengok documentary macam drama siul tu semua....siap nak practise apa nak jawab kat Malaikat dalam kubur.

MANA BOLEH PRACTISE MENDE2 NIH!!!!

Use of English: The key is training teachers

By ARIF CHRISTOPHER BELL, Kuala Lumpur

2009/03/09

I REFER to the letter "Let's work with the ministry" (NST, March 3) from Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim of the Parents Action Group for Education (Page). I may be able to contribute several ideas on how we can collaborate with the Education Ministry.

I am an education consultant and was responsible for developing the Project to Improve English in Rural Schools (Piers) programme, which the writer mentioned, while I was working with the CfBT Education Trust.

Since January 2006, the project has shown that even students in rural areas, be they Malays, Chinese, Indians, Iban or Kadazan, are able to learn Maths and Science successfully in English.

The key to making this well-founded policy successful is to (re)train the teachers involved.

I would like to make the following points based on my experience of working as a teacher and education manager, both internationally and locally, since 1977:

- Students in the rural areas are able to learn Maths and Science effectively in English if the subjects are taught well.

In fact, they can learn better in English as they have to pay more attention to understanding the subjects. It also helps when teachers standardise the use of the language to teach the subjects.

Moreover, the quality materials and teaching aids available for learning Maths and Science in English are unmatched in any language.

Other educational systems, such as those in Europe and Singapore, which use English as the medium of instruction, have proven to be successful.

- Teachers are the key to ensuring the success of learning Maths and Science in English. They cannot be blamed for any failure if they are not given proper English proficiency training and, more importantly, school-based training to teach the subjects in English.

Even Maths and Science teachers who are proficient in English may end up teaching the subjects poorly if they are not aware of the linguistic elements involved in learning (especially in simplifying and standardising the language to enable students to comprehend better).

- There is nothing wrong with allowing bilingual or multilingual code-switching in the classrooms or outside if this helps in the learning process.

A gradual move from using English, together with other languages, only for lessons and activities towards more prominent use of the language in its standard form, would work well for both students and teachers.

The generosity of Negri Sembilan royal trusts (Tuanku Ja'afar Educational Trust, Tuanku Najihah Foundation and Yayasan Tunku Naquiyuddin), Yayasan Negri Sembilan, HSBC Malaysia and Hap Seng Consolidated has enabled the successful implementation of the Piers programme to raise the standard of English, Maths and Science in 110 primary schools, involving 340 teachers and 45,000 students in Negri Sembilan and Sabah since 2006.

This year, I am launching a secondary school adaptation programme which will use the same approach, with some improvements. This Secondary English Language Enrichment and Communication Teaching (Select) project aims to help young Malaysians get a quality education and better employment opportunities.

Select employs, supports and manages experienced and qualified native speakers as teachers and consultants to raise the standard of English, Maths and Science in secondary schools.

The first English Language teacher consultant will be based at a school in Kuala Pilah. This person will teach Communication English and collaborate with about 40 Malaysian colleagues and a cluster of six to 10 secondary schools.

The consultant will draw up a training programme to upgrade teachers' proficiency in English, improve teaching methodology and serve as a resource person and adviser to senior teachers.

The first Select project will be funded, again, by the three Negri Sembilan royal trusts, with the support of the education authorities. I am confident Select will be as successful as the Piers project.

I urge those interested, whether from the government or private sector, to consider a nationwide adoption of the delivery mechanism.

Moreover, there is no evidence to show that the use of Bahasa Malaysia will decline if English were to be used as the medium of instruction for the two technical subjects.

Ask the Chinese, Singaporeans, Dutch, Swedes and Germans, all of whom have successfully experienced English and other bilingual mediums of instruction in the education system of their country.

Where are we headed?

I can't help but be afraid at the seemingly blinding speed at which this nation is hurtling towards self-destruction. It is OBVIOUS that MALAYSIA DOESN'T HAVE A PLAN A OR B OR C...or D anymore.

No one feels confident anymore. Political impasses, economic uncertainties, stagnant educational system, rising crime, social problems, racial tensions, unemployment etc, you name it. We haven't yet reached the depths of total despair, but looking at the pathetically and hastily prepared flip-flop policies, any fool can see that that day is not too far away. I fear for my kids' future. Where is the sense of responsibility and amanah of these Malay/Muslim leaders who dare take up the mantle of leadership and public service? At such a critical time as this, why haven't we gotten the best of the best in this nation; the educators, economists, experts from all fields to brainstorm, plan and strategize the direction we are going to take in this extremely disastrous and worrying period?

Is the Third Industrial Master Plan still relevant given that our manufacturing sector is taking a beating from the battered economies of the US and UK and even China?

Is the 10 billion ringgit stimulus package enough to help stimulate the economy? What has the previous 7 billion package and bail-out of Valuecap achieved?

The lack of details are not at all confidence-inspiring.

Investing in retraining, upgrading our schools and educational system, infrastructure, job re-creation, manpower development, identifying new growth areas, agricultural self-sufficiency are some of the areas I personally feel are still being neglected.

I don't really know. I'm not qualified to make an educated judgment or offers suggestions, I guess.

But it doesn't take a genius to see and sense we are LOST. And it's scary to be lost in stormy weather.

And I am not alone:

By Tengku Razaleigh From Razaleigh.com:

Dato’ Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s call for a unity government should be taken seriously.

I appealed for discussions leading to a unity solution last September, when it was already clear that the country is at a dangerous impasse. I said it is time to come together.

The factors I mentioned were:

1. Our political conflicts threaten to deteriorate into constitutional crises.
2. We will be suffering the effects of a global economic crisis on a scale we have never faced.
3. Racial and religious issues, fanned by politics and media incitement, threaten to spiral out of control.
4. The very integrity of the Federation is at stake. The grievances of Sabah and Sarawak cannot be papered-over with political manoeuvres. They are about the fundamental basis of the Federation.

There is a real danger of our falling into a long-term loop of decline, with job losses, crime, social conflict, institutional breakdown and political instability feeding upon each other.

Our problems are fundamental, and must be faced immediately. But BN cannot do this alone

Such problems have been accumulating for decades. They cannot be fixed with a mere change at the top because Umno, in its present undemocratic, patronage-driven form, is part of the problem. MCA and MIC and Gerakan are in tatters and the BN system has broken down. The negotiated power-sharing arrangement which held the Alliance and the Barisan Nasional together has stopped working, not merely from the failure of one or two individuals, but for structural reasons. But this arrangement is what gave BN its electoral success, underwrote our claim to represent the major communities of Malaysia, and ensured political stability. This breakdown is a serious matter. We have known no other system since Independence.

With the very basis of the BN in question, we cease being able to win elections and find ourselves taking increasingly desperate measures to stay in power.

As UMNO drifts farther from the Malaysian mainstream, the temptation to find support in racial and religous sentiment grows. There will be a tendency to maintain power by with the instruments of state. Such actions achieve victory without confidence, power without legitimacy. They undermine the legitimacy of the government and of key institutions such as the police and the judiciary. They undermine the rule of law. Lately even the sanctity of Parliament has been dishonoured. As a government loses legitimacy the only instruments left to it will be those of brute power.

The culmination of the “transition plan” next month will not magically set us on the path to restoration either. That device for avoiding the renewal of leadership has turned Umno’s elections process into a twice extended year-long public spectacle in the procurement of positions, with more than a thousand reports of corruption and abuse now buried without further ado. The winners of the coming party elections in March may find themselves lacking legitimacy in the eyes of public if they think they have thereby won the right to become government leaders.

The results of the last elections speaks of the rakyat’s desire for change, but for peaceful change led by a government that has the confidence of the people. They ask for a halt to the thievery and social rot of corruption, they seek unity and peace, a brighter future for their children and tangible improvements in their lives.

The BN is unable to address such needs amidst the historic challenges of this time, but neither is the Opposition which, although it has some capable people, is a raw, tenuous association of ideologically opposed parties often bound by little more than their opposition to BN.

BN has the numbers in Parliament to hold onto the federal government without reaching out to the Opposition, but without some kind of a unity government solution, at least in the interim, the Malaysian rakyat will not have a government that can do more than hang on grimly to a deteriorating status quo. The foundations of our stability, and of our previous success, are eroding fast, and will soon be gone. After we have drifted past a certain point — and we have drifted for awhile now — we may wake up to find ourselves in freefall.

With an epic economic crisis, failing institutions, pervasive and institutionalised corruption, increasing crime, the deteriorating employability of our graduates, growing joblessness and the erosion of the rule of law, with increasing hardship among our people, we need to do more than coast down to a failure that we can already forsee. We need to come together to chart a better path. That must begin with a leap beyond our bankrupt politics, made by party leaders and elected representatives of the people who rise to statesmanship.

This, roughly, is the case for a government of unity.