The Reader

Maulidur Rasul

Sempena sambutan Maulidur Rasul hari ini,saya perturunkan disini dua ayat yang dibaca olih Imam pada hari Jumaat kelmarin.

Surah Al-Anbiya':

[107] Dan tiadalah Kami mengutuskan engkau (wahai Muhammad), melainkan untuk menjadi rahmat bagi sekalian alam.


Surah Al-Ahzaab:

[40] Bukanlah Nabi Muhammad itu (dengan sebab ada anak angkatnya) menjadi bapa yang sebenar bagi seseorang dari orang lelaki kamu, tetapi dia adalah Rasul Allah dan kesudahan segala Nabi-nabi dan (ingatlah) Allah adalah Maha Mengetahui akan tiap-tiap sesuatu.

"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular level." 
        Michael H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc.,         1978, p. 33.

Dibawah ini saya catitkan untuk renungan bersama kata-kata seorang guru kepada kami semasa di kuliyyah:

Umat Islam adalah gulungan minoriti di dunia.Mereka yang beriman adalah gulungan minoriti dari umat Islam.Mereka yang berilmu adalah gulungan minoriti dalam gulungan Islam dan beriman.Mereka yang mengamal sunnah Nabi adalah gulungan yang minoriti dalam gulungan yang Islam,iman dan berilmu.

Tanyalah diri sendiri,digulungan manakah kita?

Rahmah Allah swt bersama gulungan minoriti.

Ya Nabi Salam 'Alaika..

Never delay...

Surah Al -"Asr:

[1] Demi Masa! [2] Sesungguhnya manusia itu dalam kerugian; [3] Kecuali orang-orang yang beriman dan beramal soleh dan mereka pula berpesan-pesan dengan kebenaran serta berpesan-pesan dengan sabar.

During one of the kuliyyah at our masjid, we were reminded by the teacher NOT to postphone any good deeds or worships to Allah swt. This warning we have heard many a time, but how many of us took heed of it?

A friend of mine confided in me that he regretted very much for not taking care of his ailing mother.Now ,she is gone..nothing could be done.The lesson I learnt from him is that I 'balik kampung' every month for two days-just to be with my mother.

One good example was  shown by my late uncle.He went home to see his mother when she fell sick(last week of Feb.,2007);took her to the hospital and stayed in the kampung for four days. Three days later, he got a heart attack and passed away(1st March,2007). May Allah swt be pleased with him.

Last year, when my schoolmate was hospitalised in Kota Bharu for a kidney problem,I postphoned my visit to a week later. On the day I was supposed to go back to Kelantan, my son was admitted to hospital.So, I have to postphone my trip. Later that very day, I got the message that my sick schoolmate passed away.If only, I had gone back earlier.That is A BIG IF....

Just list down what what you have been postphoning.... arrange them according your own priorities and JUST DO IT.

As an example,what if we forget to seek forgiveness from Allah for our sins?

Here are a few relevant ayats to ponder.May Allah swt guide us all.

Surah Al-Mulk:

[2] Dialah yang telah mentakdirkan adanya mati dan hidup (kamu) untuk menguji dan menzahirkan keadaan kamu: Siapakah di antara kamu yang lebih baik amalnya; dan Dia Maha Kuasa (membalas amal kamu), lagi Maha Pengampun, (bagi orang-orang yang bertaubat)

Surah al-Mukminun

[99] Kesudahan golongan yang kufur ingkar itu apabila sampai ajal maut kepada salah seorang di antara mereka, berkatalah dia: Wahai Tuhanku, kembalikanlah daku (hidup semula di dunia). [100] Supaya aku mengerjakan amal-amal yang soleh dalam perkara-perkara yang telah aku tinggalkan. Tidak! Masakan dapat? Sesungguhnya perkataannya itu hanyalah kata-kata yang dia sahaja yang mengatakannya, sedang di hadapan mereka ada alam barzakh (yang mereka tinggal tetap padanya) hingga hari mereka dibangkitkan semula (pada hari kiamat). [101] Kemudian, apabila ditiup sangkakala, maka pada hari itu tidak ada lagi manfaat pertalian kerabat di antara mereka dan tidak pula sempat mereka bertanya-tanyaan. [102] Maka sesiapa yang berat timbangan amal baiknya, maka mereka itulah orang-orang yang berjaya. [103] Dan sesiapa yang ringan timbangan amal baiknya, maka merekalah orang-orang yang merugikan dirinya sendiri; mereka kekal di dalam Neraka Jahanam.

Note: Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi has written a very good guide entitled "Time In the Life of The Muslim",published by Islamic Inc.,Cairo, Egypt.

Book: I am muslim

First ,let me congratulate Dina Zaman the author of this book and Raman Krisnan the publisher.Both are my personal friends.

A few days ago, I bought a copy of this book at Silverfish Bookshop, owned by Raman.Now, I am half way through it.The book tells how some muslims practise their religion from their understanding and how the author sees it.

Today, insyaAllah,I will attend a literary function(in conjuction with KL International Literay Festival) at The Marmalade,Bangsar Village 11 at 5pm where Dina Zaman will read a few pages and answers some questions about her book.

Current readings:

1.The Hundred Tales of Wisdom-by Idries Shah

2.Sweetness in The Belly -by Camilla Gibb

Mukhsin

Oked...Oked...Oked...

Dengan berbasikal..

Mukhsin:"Nak kemana?"

Oked:"Nak ke London.."

Mukhsin:"Jauh tu.."

Teringat kisah cinta Puppy Love ditahun 1964....

My wife,my son and me went to watch the movie at KLCC last night.I t was hilarious at times and we had a good laugh...It has a few sad moments that almost choked me to tears...and it reminds me of my own story when I was 12 years old.

Built environment

Yesterday I visited a friend who is a lecturer at UPM Faculty of Architecture and managed to snapped a few photos at the entrance. With the presence of the greens, I felt nice and cool especially during this hot weather now.Kudos to the architects who managed to 'soften' the hard concrete structures of the buildings.

I love good lanscaping works and properly maintained external environment. Below are some photos..

KL International Literary Festival

  Book Bungee 
  Originally uploaded by Adibi.

First,let me thank my friend Chet for the tip on the above event and for a gift of book bungee as shown in the photo.I really appreciate that!

There are a few programmes I wish to attend and here is the link to it.

Let's take some time to appreciate literature...

Shadowy figures

  ???? 
  Originally uploaded by m.a.h.e.r.a.d.i.b..

As we walked around the garden at KLCC this morning, my son took the photo of our shadows.

Talking about shadowy figures, we can't identify anyone from the shadows.I may be shorter than my son, but I may appear taller. So, beware of shadowy figures who may have bad intentions against us.

As the night falls, all shadows disappeared into darkness....the shadowy figures will be lurking in the dark waiting for their victims.

So, be more careful at night.

PS: I am just having fun writing on the word 'shadows'.

Landslide in Putrajaya

Most Malaysians have read about the above and our PM was shocked in disbelief that a landslide has occurred in Putrajaya-the new administrative centre of Malaysia.

As a civil engineer, I am not shocked at all. Landslides can happen any where-anytime. It is a man-made earth structure which was planned, designed and constructed and maintained by people. Mistakes can take place in any of the fore-mentioned engineering processes. With heavy downpours and/or lack of proper maintenance, the soil matrix characterics may have changed from the original assumptions in the design.

According to an engineering report of Hong Kong's landslides,only 10% can be detected from initial soil movement. I am no expert in geotechnical engineering, my question is how to be fore-warned for the other 90%?

Personally, I avoid living near or on slope.

Obedience

Al Nahl (The Bees) Chapter 16: Verse 128 - "Surely God is with those who refrain from disobeying Him in awe of Him and who do good deeds."

The above ayat made me flashed back to last five decades of my life...there were many,many times that I had disobeyed the commands of Allah knowingly and unknowingly.May Allah Al Ghaffur al Rahim forgive me. Now, I know why some of my some of my du'a were not granted by Allah swt. What about you?

From Surah al-Fatihah:

6) Guide us to the Straight Path. 7) The Path of those on whom You have bestowed your grace, not the Path of those who earned your Anger, nor of those that went astray.

Just wonder how many time we may have gone astray?Here is the link to a short note I wrote a year ago about 'wandering without guidance'.

As normal human beings,we were (and will be) seduced by the syaitan and our own nafs to go against the commands of Allah swt everyday.That why is we need to istighfar to Allah everyday.My teacher told me to do it at least 100 times a day and I am still struggling...

Without forgiveness from Allah swt, our sins are getting bigger by the day and that will keep us away from Allah swt.There will come a time,Allah will abondon us like wandering animals(ya'mahuun) as mentioned in the Qur'an. So, let's be reminded to obey His commands as mentioned in the above ayat so that Allah will be us in this world and next world.

Let's ponder on this ayat from surah At-Taubah:

[112] Those that turn (to Allah) in repentance; that serve Him, and praise Him; that wander in devotion to the Cause of Allah; that bow down and prostrate themselves in prayer; that enjoin good and forbid evil; and observe the limits set by Allah; (these do rejoice). So proclaim the glad tidings to the Believers.

World Day for Water

  Sungai Mengalir Lesu 
  Originally uploaded by Adibi.

Today is  a day dedicated to water by UN General Assembly since 1993. You can read more about it here.To my fellow Malaysians, there is a special feature in NST today brought to you by IndahWater and British Council. My kudos to them.

The photo shown is an example of the colours of pollutions of the river next Pandan Jaya STAR station.Other rivers in the country are no better-in general.By the way, 97% of the water we drink comes from the rivers.So before you drink that glass of water today, just give a thought to it...and as muslim,I thank Allah swt for it.

PS: While on the train one day, as it leaves the station, I heard a weak whisper from the sick river nearby:" Why are you people keep polluting me with your rubbish and yet you keep coming back to me to get clean water for you to drink?".I replied:" It was not me but those idiots who.."