The Reader

Selamat Kembali Utusan Melayu

The World is Flat?

When I was small,I thought the world was flat.Well,what do you expect?My world was only my kampung in the 50's. Then,when I went to school the teacher told me the world is like a ball-a really big ball. I was not convinced but I began to believe when I was told about the analogy of the ship moving towards us from the horizon. I only managed to see the world from the  TV in 1965 when I was taken away from my kampung to a boarding school.After being exposed to the electronic media and some education at secondary level,I began to believe the world is like a ball. In September,1973 I went to study in England and I saw the sun rises not from the east and sets not on the west.Then,only I really believe that the world is like a big ball.

Now,some 30 years later,someone has written a book and trying to tell me that The World is Flat. On reading the bookcover,I don't believe it..but as rightly advised: Never judge the book by its covers...

The first time I saw the book entitled The World is Flat by Thomas L Friedman,I thought it must be a fiction( may be I have read too many novels last year).So I ignored it. When  I noticed the book is among the top selling non-fiction,I took time to have a look at it. A few days ago, I bought a copy of the book.Now I am reading it and the first chapter convinced me that the world is NOW flat.What happened to the world or to me?

Is there a paradox here? No,the word flat carries another meaning.

The detailed answers are in the book, but I think the world has become like my kampung( a village).So,it is safe for me now to believe that The World is Flat;-)-just like what I thought when I was small...

Tulips

First,let me thank my cousin, Kak Ja (again) who took the trouble to snap a few photos of my other favourite flower-tulip.My first encounter with tulips was when my wife and me visited Holland in April,1987.Ten years later,we went there again but the time was wrong and I came back with three wooden tulip flowers.

Great composition Kak Ja! I love the lovely tulips....and below are two close ups.

Looking at these photos,I feel like going to Birmingham tomorow.

Note:Just click on these small photos for better views.

Oh ,I forgot to add  this cute 'tupai'.

Are we believers???

[39:9] Is one who worships devoutly during the hours of the night prostrating himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord, (like one who does not)? Say: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition.

Referring to the above ayat in surah Az-Zumar,where are we-among those who know or among those who do not know?Or Among those who believe or those who pretend to believe?

In all probabilities,many of us muslims are sleeping through the whole nights,take no heed of the Hereafter and thought they could get what they want from their efforts. We tell ourselves and others that we are believers but our actions demonstrated that we donot.As an example, we work everyday to pay for our house mortgage so that our family can have a home in this world,and yet we did not work as hard for our abode in the Hereafter?As muslims,we must work for this world AND next world.

Dari pengajian saya yang sedikit,asas agama adalah keyakinan.Keyakinan yang sebenar tidak akan datang tanpa ilmu, kefahaman dan amalan. Ilmu perlu dicari dan dituntut;kefahaman memerlukan kita berfikir dan mendapat bimbangan dari Allah swt.

Let us don't waste anymore time.Just get cracking to accumulate as much amal ibadah as possible before our milestones in our life journey become our tomb stones.

Note: The photo above was taken at Masjid Saiyidina 'Ali near Madinah

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Book Warehouse Sale

  Times Bookshop warehouse sale 
  Originally uploaded by Mohd Adib Noh.

Yesterday, I was at this book warehouse sales.Discounts vary from book to book-ranging from 20% to 75% for older books.I love to buy old hardcovers for RM20.

By the time,I was at the cashier,I got 8 books in my basket, but I have to return 2 books because there was not enough cash in my wallet. Today,I am going again with my wife and children.

Puisi:Padamlah sebatang dian perkasa...

The photo below showed me reading the poem Semalam,Hari Ini dan Esok.(refer to yesterday posting) at a meeting of Klickrs.I did not know what got into me,somehow I was in a mood to read the poem I just copied into my notebook.

By the way,I am neither a writer nor a poet,but in a few situations,I just got a pen and write my feeings.Sounds familiar to you? All of us have feelings and a few of us need to put them down on paper.It can be just a short note or a few lines of 'sajak'(poetry). Below is an example of I wrote when my teacher(also my wife's uncle) passed away.He was the Editor of Dian Digest(Majalah Dian) and the translator to Bahasa the tafsir of Syed Qutb-Fizzalil Qu'ran):-

Azan subuh dipagi raya mengejutkan aku dari tidur.Semalaman sudah berkekang mata di surau bertasbeh disamping berjumpa sahabat lama dan sanak saudara.Semasa mengambil wuduk,talifon berdering memecah suasana sepi pagi.Aku bergegas menjawapnya."Ayah sudah meninggal sekejap tadi",beritahu Nublan anak bongsu guru agamaku-Ustaz Dato' Yusuf Zaki Yaakob..

Selepas solat subuh,aku bergegas memecut kereta kerumah beliau bersama isteriku.Aku kehilangan guru terhurmat dan isteriku kehilangan bapa saudara tersayang.Didalam perjalanan,kedengaran esak tangis dari isteriku.Setelah kematian ibunya,isteriku tinggal bersama bapa saudaranya yang juga guru agamaku.

Semasa tiba,beberapa ahli keluarga terdekat sudah sampai dan duduk bertafakur disekeliling mayat yang terbujur.Terus aku ke katilnya dan membuka kain penutup muka untuk melihat wajah guruku buat kali terakhir.Wajahnya tenang dan tersenyum ...

Buat sekitika aku teringat saat-saat bersama-samanya.Banyak topik telah kami sama bicara........
Akan aku simpan dalam memori kenangan pribadiku.

Disudut hatiku terlihat sebatang Dian Perkasa padam buat selama-lamanya sesudah empat puluh tahun membakar diri menabur jasa untuk muslimin dan muslimat di Nusantara..

Below is the exchange of 'luahan rasa' between Irfan and me:

IRFAN ZAKY DATO YUSOFF ZAKY wrote:

> PESAN AYAHNDA

> Dia lebih rela,
> dilafaz jujur serangkai doa,
> dari ribuan tangisan hiba.

> Dia lebih rela,
> sesaat dikenang dalam bahagia,
> dari terus menjadi kenangan luka.

> ...Tinta luka daripada Irfan...

Mohd Adib Noh's reply:

Jangan berduka wahai adiknda,
ayahnda kembali kepada Khaliqnya,
pesan Ayahnda jangan dialpa,
teruskan perjuangan sekadar kita.

Padamlah sebatang dian perkasa,
membakar diri menabur jasa,
kepada keluarga,bangsa dan agama,
untuk dinikmati ummah di nusantara.

Hati menangisi pemergian guru dan bapa,
masih teringat kata-nasihat dan gurau senda,
kenangan manis buat sekita,
airmata mengalir tidak terasa.

Hati bertekad mencontuhi Ayahnda,
hidup berilmu hidup beragama,
singgah sebentar dimayapada,
dalam perjalanan menuju yang Esa.

...cebisan rasa dari Abedib yang menumpang kasih.

dan salam untuk Bonda.

Ulamak Produktif

25 Januari,1999.

Note: Photo was taken by Liyin

Semalam,Hari Ini dan Esok...

  dan Esok 
  Originally uploaded by Mohd Adib Noh.

This poem was written by my uncle many,many years ago as a reminder to himself and fellow readers when he was a director of JAKIM.I love it and always keep it safe in my website. Today,I decided to write it down in my plain moleskine notebook and I asked a friend Liyin to sketch my aging face next to it...

Now, I can take with me all the time and read it whenever I want it.

By the end of the year,I hope to write my own poem and make sketches of my own.

If you can't read the poem in the photo,here is the full text:

Semalam, Hari ini Dan Esok.

                         Semalam,
                         Wajah ini tampan bergaya,
                         Hari ini,
                         Sudah kendur pudar tiada bermaya.

                         Semalam,
                         Mata ini cantik bercahaya,
                         Hari ini,
                         Sudah layu,kabur dan gelap gelita.

                         Semalam,
                         Badan ini tegap dan sasa,
                         Hari ini,
                         Lemah,lusuh tidak berdaya.

                         Semalam,
                         Akal ini pintar bijaksana,
                         Hari ini,
                         Bingun,nyanyuk hilang geliganya.

                         Semalam,
                         Masa berada di puja dihormati,
                         Hari ini,
                         Bila semua hilang tiada siapa peduli.

                         Hari ini,
                         Hidup bernafas laju,
                         Esok,
                         Mati lesu dan kaku.

                         Oleh itu,
                         Berbaktilah sesama insani,
                         Bertaqwalah kepada Ilahi,
                         Biar bahagia di dunia ini,
                         Biar sejahtera di akhirat nanti.

                         Hj.Mohd.Shahir Hj.Abdulah

Tun Abdul Ghafar Baba

To my schoolmate Dato Tamrin bin Tun Ghafar,may I offer you and your  family my condolence.From Allah we all came and to Allah all of us shall return.We were born with nothing.And when we return to our Lord ,we also carry nothing except our iman and our amal(good and bad).If my late father was alive today, he will recite al-Fatihah and du'a for your dad.My father was personally grateful to your dad because your dad had approved a  fund to replace the surau for my kampung when he was the minister of rural development.The surau is still standing today.

May Allah reward Tun Ghafar for all his good deeds to all Malaysians and may Allah forgive his sins and may he rest in peace to continue his journey....

Al-Fatihah.

What I did yesterday..

At last...
Originally uploaded by Mohd Adib Noh.

It was a very hectic day yesterday.I think I need to extend my weekend till Monday.

It was personal errand in the morning;then attended the KL Flockr meeting at Mumbo Jumbo restaurant next to Pasar Seni in mid afternoon.Later at about 3pm,I rush to Palm Pda User group at Starbuck in KL Sentra.

Came home almost at 6pm and got ready to leave to Melaka for alumni dinner.Returned home to KL the same night and fell flat on my bed at 2am.

This morning,sent sms to a friend to inform that I could not lift my legs & open my eyes to jog at KLCC garden...

Zzzzzz...