The Reader

The day we return..

This photo was taken on November 16, 2005 using aPanasonic DMC-FX8 at the back of Masjid Sayyidina Ali,a few kms from Madinah.This photo is to remind me that when I return to Allah,I will be dressed up in a few pieces of white clothes and nothing else of any worldy possesions if I have any will accompany me.I shall come alone and none will accompany me,not even my wife and my children.It would a long lonely days and nights...unless I have my iman and my amal accepted by Allah.

By the way,my 78 years old mother has bought her 'kain kapan'-the clothes that is needed to wrap her body when she dies.It cost her about RM60.And our final abode is six feet underground and it costs less than a few hundred ringgit to construct.Compare that to your present house!Lately, when my age is approaching 60,I become more aware of my own mortality.Many thought only others die and forget that we are also going to die.According to our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW,the wise among us are those who remember death and getting ready for it.Are we REALLY getting ready for it???

Ramdhan is going to leave us again in a few days time...Let us ponder how much we put our time and efforts for this dunia(short and temporary) and how much we have put time and effort for our akhirat(long and forever)..

Let me qoute an excerpt from the book "Don't Be Sad".

It is incumbent upon everyone to realise that death is hovering above us.At any moment,day or night,death can come.Caliph Ali bin Abu Taalib expressed in lucid terms the reality of our life:

" The Hereafter is travelling towards us and this life is travelling away from us; so be among the children of the Hereafter and not the children of this world.For today is action without reckoning(judgement), and tomorrow is reckoning without action".

From this saying,we can learn how imperative it is for us to improve ourselves,to renew our repentance.and to know that we are dealing with The Lord,Who is Generous,Powerful,Great and Kind.

Death does not seek permission prior to arrival,nor does it gives early warning that it is on the way. The Qur'an informs us:

{[No person knows what he will earn tomorrow,and no person knows in what land he will die]}-Qur'an 31:34

 

 

{[The Appointment to you is for a Day,which you cannot put back for an hour(or a moment) nor put forward]}-Qur'an 34:30

Berlumba-lumbalah kamu (mengerjakan amal-amal yang baik) untuk mendapat keampunan dari Tuhan kamu, dan mendapat Syurga yang bidangnya seluas segala langit dan bumi, yang disediakan bagi orang-orang yang beriman kepada Allah dan Rasul-rasulNya; yang demikian ialah limpah kurnia Allah, diberikanNya kepada sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya; dan Allah sememangnya mempunyai limpah kurnia yang besar.

(Al-Hadiid 57:21) | <Embed> | English Translation

Photo credit: Munir Adib

Leveraging ICT

I was very pleased to see a few members of the congregation at the Majlis Halaqah Al-Qur'an at Masjid Al-Hasanah,BB Bangi were using smart phones,iPads and Samsung Tabs to refer to the Quran and its the translations.Even the Nazir Masjid and Imam were using Samsung Tab!

The majis started with the Recital of ayat 17:7 to 18.Later,we listened to the tafseer of the ayats.After the kuliyyah,all of us were told to read Quran for 40 minutes non-stop.

Let us strive harder to be "Ahli Allah" by loving Qur'an and make it our routine to recite The Qur'an daily,

If you have the chance,please attend this type of majlis ilmu.InsyaAllah,we shall be guided.

Honouring Ramadan

Let me share this note from Nasiha.Let us honour our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by following his sunnah.

Shaban is one of the meritorious months for which we find some particular instructions in the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It is reported in the authentic ahadith that Prophet Muhammad used to fast most of the month in Shaban. These fasts were not obligatory on him but Shaban is the month immediately preceding the month of Ramadan. Therefore, some preparatory measures are suggested by Prophet Muhammad. Some of these are given below:

1. The blessed companion Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that Prophet Muhammad was asked, "Which fast is the most meritorious after the fasts of Ramadan?" He replied, "Fasts of Shaban in honour of Ramadan." [Tirmidhi]

2. The blessed companion Usama ibn Zaid, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that he asked Prophet Muhammad: "Messenger of Allah,I have seen you fasting in the month of Shaban so frequently that I have never seen you fasting in any other month." Prophet Muhammad replied: "That (Shaban) is a month between Rajab and Ramadan which is neglected by many people. And it is a month in which an account of the deeds (of human beings) is presented before the Lord of the universe, so, I wish that my deeds be presented at a time when I am in a state of fasting." [An-Nasai]

3. Ummul Mumineen Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, says, "Prophet Muhammad used to fast the whole of Shaban. I said to him, 'Messenger of Allah, is Shaban your most favourite month for fasting?' He said, 'In this month Allah prescribes the list of the persons dying this year. Therefore, I like that my death comes when I am in a state of fasting.'" [Bukhari]

4. In another report Aisha says: "I never saw the Messenger of Allah fast a complete month except for Ramadan, and I have never seen him fast more in a month than he did in Shaban." [Bukhaari, Muslim]

These reports indicate that fasting in the month of Shaban, though not obligatory, is so meritorious that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, did not like to miss it.

But it should be kept in mind that the fasts of Shaban are for those persons only who are capable of keeping them without causing deficiency in the obligatory fasts of Ramadan. Therefore, if one fears that after fasting in Shaban, he will lose strength or freshness for the fasts of Ramadan and will not be able to fast in it with freshness, he should not fast in Shaban, because the fasts of Ramadan, being obligatory, are more important than the optional fasts of Shaban. That is why Prophet Muhammad himself has forbidden the Muslims from fasting one or two days immediately before the commencement of Ramadan. The blessed Companion Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reports Prophet Muhammad to have said, "Do not fast after the first half of the month of Shaban is gone." [Bukhari]

Compiled From:
Sha'ban: Merits, Do's, and Dont's - Taqi Usmani

 

Du'a

Memang benarlah kesempurnaan solat lelaki adalah di masjid...amat enak saya mendengar dan menghayati imam membca surah Maryam.Bukan sahaja lunak di teliga tetapi terasa kelazatannya di hati...Ya Allhahu Rabbi.Please accept my syukran for your blessings and your makbulan of my du'a.All praises belong to You,The Lord of All the Worlds,Seen and unseen,Known and unknown.Please forgive me for my shortfalls and negligence for not praising You as You should be praised!And my Lord,please forgive me again for my inadequacy in seeking Your forgiveness.

..and good morning everyone.May you have a good day,every day..

Guide to khushoo' in solat[download]

All of knows the importance of khushoo' in solat and only a few could achieve and experience the state of khushoo'.Personally,I am still struggling at every solat everyday!!!Let me share this note and I hope you can follow and insyaAllah,may Allah grant all of khushoo'.

Here is the Download Thirtythreewaysofdevelopingkhushooinprayer you can download the above.Below is a photo I snapped a few years ago...

 

Eidil Adha al-Mubarak:-)

SELAMAT HARI RAYA HAJI KEPADA SEMUA PEMBACA The Reader.

GREETINGS OF EIDUL ADHA TO ALL READERS OF The  Reader.

Ya Hujjaj in Makkah and in Mina,may you have a successful and blessed wukuf in 'Arafah,and may your wishes of Haj Mabrur be granted by Allah swt.

May the SPIRIT OF THE QURBAN WITH ALL OF US...

PS: 
"It is not required of thee (O Apostle), to set them on the right path, but God sets on the right path whom He pleaseth. Whatever of good ye give benefits your own souls, and ye shall only do so seeking the "Face" of God. Whatever good ye give, shall be rendered back to you, and ye shall not Be dealt with unjustly."-Surah al-Baqarah,ayat 272)

 Good read for The Hajj.

Night photography Revisited

The above shot was taken using my DSLR Canon 400D in August,2008.Since then ,I seldom take my DSLR to take photos at night.Most of the time,I use my compact Lumix TZ2.A few months ago,I saw my riding buddy Rahmat Hussien alway took beautiful and stunning night photos of our cycling activities.He uses his Lumix LX5.Inspired by him,I also bought a Lumix LX5 so that I could get better photos.

Yes,I did some improvements but I have yet to develop the skills.Looking at my Canon DSLR collecting dusts in my cupboard,I think I must do justice to my purchase of a few thousands on this DSLR.It is time I must read more on this nocturnal shooting and start walking around with my Canon 400D...Here is a link to tips on night photography.

Below is my shot with my Lumix LX5:

 

 

Salam Eidil Fitri 1432(2011)

To all my muslim blog readers,may I wish you Eid Mubarak and Selamat Hari Raya,Maaf Zahir Batin .

Taqaballahu Minna wa Minkum! (May Allah accept it from us and you)

Let us celebrate our victory in obeying  the Command of Allah to fast for the whole of month of Ramadhan.May Allah accept our ibadah and we achieve the taqwa,insyaAllah.

ALLAHU AKHBAR,ALLAHU AKHABAR,ALLAHU AKHBAR...

The above photo is the main entrance to Masjid al-Hasanah ,Bangi.

Selamat Hari Raya Puasa 1432

Kita telah bersama Ramadhan hampir sebulan.Hampir tiba masanya Ramadhan akan meninggalkan kita dalam dua tiga hari lagi dan tahun depan belum tentu kita akan bersamanya.Setiap kita yang masih bernafas ini diberi peluang berkali-kali untuk berusaha mencari rahmah dan keampunan Allah dalam perjalanan untuk mencapai taqwa sebagai matlamat puasa Ramadhan.Disamping itu kita juga diberi satu malam bernama Lailtul Qadar dengan segala keberkatannya.InsyaAllah kita dapat ganjaran yang sewajarnya dari Allah swt selaras dengan kerja amalan kita.Ya ,amalan kita...

Pada mulanya Ramadhan,kita mempunyai pelan tindakan untuk beribadah kepada Allah di bulan Ramadhan al-Mubarak.Setiap hari kita lihat apa yang kita laksanakan dari pelan asal kita.Umumnya,kita tidak dapat mencapai 100%,tetapi apa yang penting kita laksanakan sebahagian dari pelan tindakan kita.Dan dari analisa prestasi kita,kita dapat mengenal tahap keupayaan dan kesanggupan kita melaksanakan ibadah khusus dalam bulan Ramadhan Kareem.Kita akan kenal siapa kita sebenarnya!Dari pengalaman peribadi saya,prestasi kita amat banyak mencerminkan hakikat diri kita yang sebenar dan bukan apa yang kita anggap atau sangka.Setelah muhasabah diri,kita perlu bercita-cita dan memohon kepada Allah swt supaya akan dapat meningkatan prestasi amalan Ramadahn dan lain-lain di masa yang akan datang,insyaAllah.

Sebagaimana firman Allah swt yang bermaksud:"Segala urusan kembali kepada Allah.."Kita hanya mampu merancang dan berusaha,tetapi segala ketentuan dan hasilnya di tentukan olih Allah jua.Sebagaimana muslim yang lain,saya merancang untuk menambah lagi kuantiti dan kualiti ibadah diakhir sapertiga Ramadhan.Rancangan ini terggangu pada hari 18 Ramadhan dimana saya mengalami batuk teruk sehingga beberapa hari saya terpaksa tidak puasa.Sekarang saya masih tidak saperti biasa tetapi sudah dapat puasa kembali secara 'off and on' bergantung kepada keadaan kesihatan saya.Pengajaran dari ini ialah saya perlu beribadah apabila diberi peluang tanpa berharap untuk buat dihari kemudian.Dalam tempuh dua bulan yang lepas,dua orang sepupu saya yang berumur 60 tahun(hanya dua tahun lebih tua dari  saya) telah kembali ke Rahmatullah.Alhamdulilah saya masih hidup dan dapat solat setiap hari dan tidak mengalami penyakit kronik.

This experience reminds me of the saying,"Today is a present,that is why it is called a present(a.k.a a gift)! and the phrase,"We propose,God disposes".

Eidil Fitri is  near...Let us return to our fitrah,insyaAllah and may I wish you Eid Mubarak,Selamat Hari Raya,Maaf Zahir Batin.

Pengurusan wang zakat

Persoalan ini telah saya tertanya beberapa tahun lepas yang membuatkan saya terus beri duit zakat saya kepada yang perlu secara terus tanpa melalui badan kutipan zakat pihak pemerintah.Berikut saya petik pandangan Dr Asri,mantan Mufti Perlis berkaitan isu semasa:

Jelas beliau, sekiranya wang zakat digunakan secara telus mustahil umat Islam perlu meminta bantuan daripada penganut agama lain.

“Ke mana perginya wang zakat kita? Ratusan juta hasil kutipan yang diumumkan saban tahun, apakah tidak mampu untuk membantu fakir miskin ini keluar dari kesusahan mereka sehingga tidak perlu meminta ‘sedekah’ kepada orang lain? Mengapa kerenah biokrasi begitu tinggi untuk fakir miskin mendapatkan bantuan zakat? Semua orang yang pernah berurusan dengan hal ini, akan ada pengalaman mereka sendiri. Untuk mendapatkan RM100 hingga RM200 pun, begitu banyak kerenahnya.

“Sedangkan pejabat zakat kelihatan mewah, gaji pegawai dan bos begitu tinggi dan peralatan urusan juga begitu canggih. Apakah belanja yang tinggi itu hanya untuk urusan mencari pembayar, tetapi tiada kesungguhan yang memadai untuk mencari penerima yang layak? Tujuan zakat antaranya untuk mendekatkan hati manusia dengan Islam. Sebab itu, ada hak untuk golongan mualaf. Bagaimanakah mungkin pengurusan zakat gagal melakukan hal ini, sehingga yang sudah Muslim ingin meninggalkan Islam kerana gagal mendapat bantuan daripada umat Islam khususnya zakat?” soalnya.

Justeru Asri meminta supaya tidak bersangka buruk kepada pihak yang bersedia menghulurkan bantuan kepada umat Islam.

“Janganlah jika kita gagal membantu sedangkan kita mampu tapi kita menyalahkan orang lain yang membantu. Setiap orang akan terpengaruh dengan pihak yang berbuat baik kepadanya. Itu fitrah manusia. Jika dia lemah iman, mungkin agamanya juga diserahkan. Mereka yang terpengaruh dengan pihak gereja atas budi baik, itu sesuatu yang tidak pelik.

“Namun yang pelik, bagaimana dalam negara Islam, umat kita boleh menukar agama disebabkan layanan yang tidak memuaskan oleh masyarakat Muslim? Sebaliknya mereka terpengaruh dengan sikap baik penganut agama lain. Apakah slogan-slogan agama kita selamat ini hanya kosmetik yang tidak berpijak kepada realiti kehidupan?,” katanya.

Pernah guru agama bertanya,mana ada nas yang memboleh duit zakat untuk membina masjid?