The Reader

The muslim polishes his soul through worship

The muslim is obliged to take care of his soul,so he starts to polish it and refine it through constant worship and awareness of Allah swt, night and day.He is alert to devious tricks and deceptive whispers of the Shaytan and if,in one moment of human weakness,evil thoughts come to him from that source,he remembers Allah swt and finds his way back to the Straight Path. {{ Those who fear Allah,when a thought of evil from Satan assaults them,bring Allah to remembrance,when lo! They see aright}}( Qur'an 7:201) Therefore ,the Prophet s.a.w used to tell his Companions:"Renew your faith." He was asked," O Messenger of Allah,how do we renew our faith?" He said,"By frequently repeating lailaha illa-Allah." The muslim seeks to strenghten his soul through various kinds of worship which he performs out of obedience to and fear of Allah swt,such as reading Qur'an carefully and with understanding,and remembering Allah swt with humility,and praying correctly and with presence of mind,and other kinds of worship and spiritual exercises,training himself to adhere to different acts of worship until they become second nature and he cannot do without them.Thus he develops and enhances his feelings until,in most cases,he becomes alert and aware,conscious that Allah swt is watching him in public and in private,so that he never mistreats the people he deals with and he never deviates from the True Path. Note: The above text is taken from page 45 of the book entitled The Ideal Muslim written by Dr Muhammad Ali Al Hashimi.(ISBN:9960-672-05-0)I recommed you to buy this good book published by International Islamic Publishing House.Website: http://www.iiph.com.sa . I bought this book in Makkah for SR 35.

via adib.typepad.com

As we travel through our journey of life,we pass through many dirty places and our souls could get dirty or corrupted in many ways..Let me this note which I wrote almost 10 years ago.Thanks for reading..

How do you cross this bridge on MTB?

Cycling in campus..

On my way to see VC of UPM last week,I saw painted cycling lanes.This is a good beginning to get students to cycle to attend lectures.According to VC Datuk Mohd Fauzi Ramlan,he has also built covered walkways to get students to walk to attend lectures instead of waiting for the buses.As a supportor of healthy lifestyle through walking and cycling,may I wish UPM's initiaves a success and congratulate the VC for taking the lead on Green Campus.How about other university campus?Your feedback are most welcome.

Below is a photo of a cycling event(Gaza Ride) taking place in Putrajaya.I am happy to see more and more people are cycling especially with their friends and family members.

Businessman dies in superbike crash

In the 9.30am incident, the victim identified as Datuk Majura Muda, was with three other friends, also riding superbikes, heading towards Genting Sempah.

 

It was learnt that upon reaching a sharp corner, his Kawasaki Concours 14 slipped and went straight into the steel road divider railings.

via www.nst.com.my

This bad news comes too often.To my friends who enjoy riding superbikes,please be more careful.On my way back from Hari Raya holidays,I saw with my own eyes,a superbike rider skidded and fell on KL Karak HIghway!
Personally,I ban all bikes for my sons and me.If my decision is in errors.let it be on the safe side.Every weekend,I cycle in Putrajaya...It is much safer.

Yesterday I got a pleasant suprise to get the notice from 500px.com that this photo of mine has reached the level of POPULAR.This is a first time for me and it really made my day and motivated me to keep shooting photos in the same way I did with sketching.

T o keep improving,I just do it everyday or whenever I can..

Keeping a Strong Faith During Tough Times : Wisdom from Quran and Hadith : IqraSense.com

During hardships and calamities, it is natural to get swept away by the affliction of the moment. During such trials of faith, unless we are careful, Satan can inject fear and plant doubts in our hearts and minds. Our beliefs in such vulnerable states may become overpowered by feelings of the moment resulting in the dwindling of our faith. Some of us start questioning the fairness and wisdom underlying such divine decisions while others get mired in a blame game. All in all, we may find ourselves lost, helpless, and stalled finding it difficult to gather ourselves and move forward.

For such situations specifically and others in general, Islam teaches us to stay in control by hanging on to the Mercy and Grace of Allah. We pray that Allah keeps us safe from the challenges and trials of life, but as Muslims we should know and understand Quran’s message and the prophet’s guidance for handling tough moments in life. The following summarizes some of the key guidance related to this matter.

Even when all doors appear to have been closed, as true believers we should never let feelings of helplessness succumb us. Consider the following hadith of the prophet (S. A. W. S.) and ibn Al-Qayyim’s commentary on that hadith:

via www.iqrasense.com

Pesanan guru saya:Jangan kamu berputus asa dengan rahmat dari Allah.

Sketching using different media

On the right is my sketch using electronic paper apps called Paper53.I used a stylus and drew it on my iPad.It is very convenient and easy to use.Previously,(more than 5 years) when I sketched using my pen,pencils and notebook ,I need a lot of efforts and I only sketched once a month.Nowadays using my ipad,I can sketch everyday like what is shown on the right..

 

 

 

On the left is what I did five years ago using pen and pencils in a moleskine notebook.This method required more things for me to carry around compared to the above method.

Both have their own beauty...

By the way,I am having fun either way.

Have a good weekend,folks.

Syaikh Al-Qaradhawi: Jadikan hari Jumat (besok) sebagai hari perlawanan Umat Islam dunia terhadap pembantaian di Mesir – Arrahmah.com

(Arrahmah.com) – Syaikh Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi, Ketua Persatuan Ulama Muslimin se-Dunia (Al-Ittihad al-’Alami li ‘Ulama’ al-Muslimin) melalui pernyataan resminya menyikapi pembantaian umat Islam oleh junta militer Mesir yang terjadi sejak Rabu (14/8/2013) pagi waktu Mesir kemarin, lansir elbehira.

Syaikh Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi menyeru kepada Kaum Muslimin di seluruh dunia untuk menjadikan hari Jumat (16/8) besok sebagai hari pengecaman Umat Islam dunia terhadap pembantaian besar dan atas ditumpahkannya darah Kaum Muslimin di Mesir.

Dalam menyikapi pembantaian brutal yang dilakukan oleh junta militer Mesir terhadap Umat Islam di sana, Syaikh Yusuf Al-Qaradhawi pada hari ini, Kamis (15/8), mengatakan: “Saya menyerukan kepada massa Umat Islam di seluruh dunia untuk menjadikan hari Jumat, 16 Agustus, sebagai hari pengecaman terhadap pembantaian [di Mesir].”

via www.arrahmah.com

Sama-samalah kita bersatu usaha untuk menzahirkan kebencian kita terhadap kebatilan dan kezaliman dan menyokong semua usaha menegak kebenaran dan kebaikan untuk umat manusia khususnya apa sedang di alami olih rakyat Mesir yang dizalimi olih rejim tenteranya sendiri dengan sokongan negara2 yang berkepentingan jahat.

Rabaa's second massacre -photos..

via secure.flickr.com

An armed intervention against civilian people who stage protests is unacceptable, regardless of its justification.

President Abdullah Gul-Turkey
May Allah have mercy and protect the people of Egypt and destroy the tyrant Egyptian military!

Telok Cempedak Revisited

I could not recall when was the first time I went to stay at Kuantan Hyatt Regency hotel but today visit is a walk with my wife on the beautiful beach..

Let me share some snapshots..