The Reader

Screen Society?

The photo shown above was my favourite Nokia 6600 ,which the local phone vendors called 'sabun'[it looks like soap] but I gave it a better nickname Fatboy.I used this phone until the keypad got broken twice.After that it was BER(beyond economic repairs)before I changed to Treo.

I think most of us have noticed that more and more  people are deeply engrossed with the the messages on their mobile screens that when they walk they still keep reading or answering the written message.A few tried reading sms on motor bikes!Some time ago,a lady had bumped into me while she was reading sms on her phone! A few years ago,we only have sms,but now we have Facebook,Whatapps and Twitter messages that comes to our mobile phone screens.Just think how much time we face the screen everyday-at work with our desktop,at home with our laptop,TV and mobile phones,not to mention iPad and Kindle?

To parents,just reflect how much time you look into the faces of your children and talk to them compared to the time we spent on TV,PC,iPone,iPad etc?Have we become  the Screen Society where we use electronic screen as a gateway to communicate with our family members and friends?What is happening to us?On one occasion when I stopped at the traffic light,I saw a man talking on the phone, his wife was typing messages to reply sms and their kids at the back playing computer games.The four of them were in the same car but their minds were some where in cycberspace.

There is nothing wrong with the technology,but we must be aware and be  able to control its usage for our benefits.Never ever let eletronic gadgets control our lives.

 On personal side,my wife and me were born in the 50's and we are on the extreme sides of ICT.I love electronic gadgets and a few call me Pakcik Gadget but my wife only knows how to make and receive call on her mobile phone.She refused to learn how to send/read sms on her phone.So,at least we talk to each other on the phone.Joking aside,let us make time to talk to each other in persons,especially to our spouses and children.

 

 

Love cycling + Photography

WIN a bike and cycle accessories of your choice worth €350! Enter before 31st August to be in with a chance.

Eric Benjamin is a professional photographer that fell in love with cycling. As well as satisfying his own ‘adventuremonkey’ by cycling 200 miles a week across various terrain he also runs tours combining cycling and photography in the Flint Hills of Kansas. We managed to get him to brake for long enough to answer a few important questions…

On your website theadventuremonkey.com you talk about feeding your Adventure Monkey, what exactly is this?

via blog.hostelbookers.com

The above article extol the joys of cycling and taking photos at the same time.This is what happened to our cycling group called PUR-Putrajaya Urban Riders.Without a miss,we always stop for group photos and some of our members who love photography will take snapshots of the beautiful landscapes and flowers along our riding trails.

Personally,I love both cycling and taking photos.

Below is one example of our group photos:

Fasting, Materialism and Time Management: Ramadan Advice by Imam Suhaib Webb

via www.youtube.com

Let me share this very eduactional kuliyyah by Imam Shuaib Webb.I was very fascinated by his deep understanding of Islam and his mastery of Arabic languange.

Just a thought: Entangled by technology?

Previosly,life was much simpler then...

ICT has invaded us and many of us ended with iPhone,iPad,Kindle,Nokia N8(like me),BlackBerry,Twitter,Facebook,G+ etc.Do we really need all these???How about just a notebook,a pen and a simple phone that costs less RM200 instead of RM2000 like what is shown above?

Personally,I also joined the bandwagon and now I am reconsidering to get off and just cycle instead of get stuck in my car.We work hard to pay for all these luxuries and later they enslaved us.

‎"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." - Confucius

Just a thought..

 

 

Miracles of the Qur'an ..

THE QUR'AN IS THE WORD OF ALLAH

All that we have seen in this work shows us one clear fact: The Qur'an, this extraordinary book which was revealed to the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (saas), is a source of inspiration and true knowledge. The book of Islam-no matter what subject it refers to-is being proved as Allah's Word as each new piece of historical, scientific or archaeological information comes to light. Facts about scientific subjects and the news delivered to us about the past and future, facts that no one could have known at the time of the Qur'an's revelation, are announced in its verses. It is impossible for this information, examples of which we have discussed in detail in this book, to have been known with the level of knowledge and technology available in 7th century Arabia. With this in mind, let us ask:

Could anyone in 7th century Arabia have known that our atmosphere is made up of seven layers?

via miraclesofthequran.com

During the tazkirah last night at Masjid Al-Hasanah,we were reminded to read and contemplate on the ayats in the Holy Quran especially in this month of Quran-Ramadhan al-Mubarak.He said if we could spend one hour at pasar Ramadhan,two hours at shopping complexes and three hours watching TV,why not spend more time reading and understanding al-Quran.

Over to you and me..

Peringatan dari Surah Ibrahim.

Berikut,ialah tiga ayat pertama and ayat terakhir surah Ibrahim untuk memperingati kita semua sempena bulan Ramadhan al-Mubarak,1432.Sama-samalah kita termasuk didalam kumpulan Ululalbab,insyaAllah.

Alif, Laam, Raa'. Ini ialah Kitab (Al-Quran) Kami turunkan dia kepadamu (wahai Muhammad), supaya engkau mengeluarkan umat manusia seluruhnya dari gelap-gelita kufur kepada cahaya iman - dengan izin Tuhan mereka - ke jalan Allah Yang Maha Kuasa lagi Maha Terpuji. (Ibrahim 14:1) | <Embed> | English Translation 


Allah jua yang memiliki segala yang ada di langit serta yang ada di bumi; dan kecelakaan besar bagi orang-orang yang kufur ingkar (terhadap Al-Quran) dari azab yang amat berat (yang akan menimpa mereka kelak). (Ibrahim 14:2) | <Embed> | English Translation 


Orang-orang yang mengutamakan dunia lebih daripada akhirat, dan menghalangi manusia dari jalan agama Allah, serta menghendaki jalan itu menjadi bengkok terpesong, mereka itulah orang-orang yang terjerumus ke dalam kesesatan yang jauh terpesongnya. (Ibrahim 14:3) | <Embed> | English Translation 

(Al-Quran) ini disampaikan kepada manusia supaya mereka diberi ingat dan diberi nasihat dengannya; dan supaya mereka mengetahui (dengan hujjah-hujjah yang tersebut di dalamnya) bahawa sesungguhnya Allah ialah Tuhan Yang Maha Esa; dan supaya orang-orang yang mempunyai fikiran, beringat dan insaf. (Ibrahim 14:52) | <Embed> | English Translation 

 

 

How to Acheive Istiqamah (Steadfastness) | iloveAllaah.com

1. Always being aware of the final destination, i.e. the Day of Judgment (Akhirah). And to use this awareness in a positive way as a motive to do good deeds. One way to do it is through remembering that a person's journey towards Akhirah starts the minute he / she passes away and leaves this world. One of the Salafs said: "If you live until the morning do not wait for the evening and if you live until the evening do not wait for the morning."

2. Commitment (Musharatah). One has to make a commitment that he/she will be steadfast and will do things in the right way and in the best way possible, and to adhere to conjunctions of Islam. Unfortunately many Muslims are being lenient in making such a commitment.

3. To make continuous efforts (Mujahadah) to bring that commitment to reality. Some Muslims dare to make the commitment, but dare not to make the effort to make the commitment a reality.

via blog.iloveallaah.com

Now, we are almost half way through Ramadhan 1432.How to keep the good deeds that we have been doing in the last 14 days going or even improve them?Let me share this very information note on istiqamah.Yes istiqamah! Not only until the end of Ramadhan but all the way after Ramadhan until the next Ramadhan..

Good morning from Bachok,Kelantan.

His name is Uncle

He was 84 years old.Two days ago he passed away in his sleep.Not on his bed or at a hospital but on a chair while taking a nap at a bikeshop in Petaling Jaya.According to the bikeshop owner,this old man always came to his shop even though his bicycles needs no repairs.He came for a chat-yes,for a chat.He mus have been very lonely.On the day he passed away,he asked the shopowner to join him for lunch.The shopwoner refused because he was very busy attending to his business.So the old man named Uncle took a seat and slept on it.He never wake up...

No one cared to know his name.He was just an old man on his own riding an old bike.I have seen a few of them in town.If you see any of them in town,at least give them a smile...we are too busy even to know their names.What more caring about them...

Below is a photo of one of them I took many years ago at Kg.Pandan,KL.Just look at the hands and the bike...

Pelajaran dari kisah2 para nabi..

Demi sesungguhnya, kisah Nabi-nabi itu mengandungi pelajaran yang mendatangkan iktibar bagi orang-orang yang mempunyai akal fikiran. (Kisah Nabi-nabi yang terkandung dalam Al-Quran) bukanlah ia cerita-cerita yang diada-adakan, tetapi ia mengesahkan apa yang tersebut di dalam Kitab-kitab agama yang terdahulu daripadanya, dan ia sebagai keterangan yang menjelaskan tiap-tiap sesuatu, serta menjadi hidayah petunjuk dan rahmat bagi kaum yang (mahu) beriman. (Yusuf 12:111) |<Embed> | English Translation 

Pagi kelmarin saya baca kembali kisah Nabi Yususf and Ayahnya Nabi Yaakub.Tergenang air mata menghayati kasih seorang ayah terhadap anaknya.Nabi Yaakub menangis hingga buta matanya tetapi dia masih tidak putus asa terhadap rahmah dari Tuhannya...

Saya memperingati diri saya dan pembaca agar membaca kisah2 para ambia agar kita dapat pelbagai pengajaran dari kisah-kisah tersebut saperti firman Allah tercatit diatas.

One book I have read and recommended for your reading is entitled The Footsteps of The Prophet by Tariq Ramadhan.