A Little Reminder..

Bending the Rules

2012-01-29T09:02:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

We've all heard Islam being called "rigid", or "not flexible". Some people say that the rules in Islam are so strict, they don't allow any room for leniency or compromise. What most people don't realise is that ALL rules are "rigid". Federal laws, club/society rules, school/university rules. Have you ever come across a law that said its illegal to commit murder, unless the person you kill is a paedophile? Or is there a law that states that robbing a bank is a crime, unless you do it to feed your family? There isn't. All laws are strict and rigid in nature, meaning they are clear, straightforward and unambiguous.

What is acceptable however, is leniency in implementation of the laws. A person who murdered a serial killer out of revenge might be shown leniency with a lighter jail sentence. Being pulled over for speeding might not result in a ticket if you are speeding to get a person to the hospital. In any case, leniency and "bending of the rules" is offered not by the person who is governed by the laws, but by the people who uphold and enforce them. Politicians, judges, policeman, administrative officers, those who create, uphold, and enforce the laws are the ones with the power to bend them, to compromise, or to offer leniency when they see fit.

But why is it then when it comes to Islam, many Muslims see themselves fit to bend the laws according to their own understanding? The laws in Islam come from Allah, and only He has the power to grant leniency. No man can compromise with the laws Allah created.

In fact, He has already granted compromise in several aspects of the religion, like prayer. If you are sick, you can perform the prayers while sitting down, or lying down. If you are travelling, you can combine 2 prayers together and perform jamak. Even one of the pillars of Islam, hajj is only wajib to those who can afford it, not to every single person. We are even allowed to eat pork if there is no other food around to sustain us. If we are sick during Ramadhan and can't fast, we can replace it later when we are healthier. Zakat is not a fixed price which is the same for everyone, it is dependant on our income. Allah has given us so much leniency in Islam, so whoever said Islam is "rigid" obviously doesn't know Islam very well.

Having said that, there are a lot of instances where people "bend" the rules to their own liking. Wearing a tudung but also a tight shirt or tight pants? Eating in restaurants which don't serve pork but serve alcohol? Only covering your aurat during Hari Raya but not the rest of the year? Or how about covering your aurat in public, but posting pictures where you don't on Facebook? This may seem like bending the laws to some people, to me it seems a little disrespectful, like people mock Allah's laws.

When it comes to federal law, the politicians vote to pass new laws or amend old ones. But in Islam, Allah is the sole authority, and He said in the Quran that He has perfected Islam, so who are we to bend His laws?

What I learned from Twins of Faith

2011-12-26T22:01:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I was asked to write a review of the Twins of Faith programme. I don't think I will do the programme justice by writing a "review", since I can't recall everything that was shared. I will however try to write a brief summary of things I did learn. Hopefully it will help quench the thirst that some people have, even if its just a little.

1. The concept behind the name "Twins of Faith"

The "twins" of faith that are meant here are action and knowledge, or amal and ilm in Arabic. It means that in order to be a good Muslim, we must act with knowledge (right knowledge). Action without knowledge is pointless and misguiding, and knowledge without action is a waste.

2. The importance of spreading the values of Islam

Relating to the theme, once we have acquired knowledge, it is then our responsibility as a khalifah to spread and share the knowledge; dakwah. Dakwah doesn't mean we have to go up to a non-Muslim and tell him Islam is the way. Going to the masjid regularly can be a form of dakwah to our friends who don't. Taking care of our aurat can be dakwah by inspiring others to do the same. Actions are after all louder than words. How many people reverted to Islam after seeing the the actions of our Prophet PBUH?

3. Advice is a two-step procedure

Most people in Malaysia like to complain. About almost everything. And there are many people who are quick to see the faults in others. True as Muslims, it is our responsibility to advise our friends (and strangers) when they do something wrong. But many people just stop there. The first step is identifying a wrong, the second (which many people seem to forget) is to show what is right. Don't just say "You can't do that", instead continue with "You should do this...".

4. A Muslim should care for humanity

This is kinda obvious. Muslims must not only look after the welfare of other Muslims, but all of humanity. Easy to say I know, but how many of us would actually help a stranger on the side of the road who is changing a flat tyre?

5. Unity

Unity is a major issue here in Malaysia. Recently there's a fuss about Muslims wishing the Christians on Christmas day. Muslims are told they can't wish the Christians because it would acknowledge the status of Jesus as God and that he was born on 25th December. Many people (including some Muslims) however believe that there's nothing wrong with wishing the Christians in the spirit of unity. Unity is uniting despite difference in opinion and faith. One need not abandon his principles, his faith in order to establish unity among the society. Should a Hindu eat beef with his non-Hindu friends in the spirit of unity? Should a Muslim drink alcohol with his friends in the spirit of unity? Not wishing our friends of other faiths during their religious holidays (1 or 2 days a year) does not mean we disrespect them, or that we are against unity. What should count more is during the rest of the year (360+ days) we treat them with respect and love as our friends. Doesn't that show unity more than a holiday greeting?

6. Speak only what you know/Allah's will is absolute

This is another major issue in Malaysia. People speaking about Islam and Islamic principles without proper knowledge on the subject. Our Prophet PBUH didn't teach Islam based on what he thought was right. He taught based on what he was told by Allah. Humans are capable of thinking on their own. But when it comes to syariah law, things that Allah has already commanded, there is no need to "think" about it anymore. Nowadays we have people saying that some laws are inappropriate for our time. Some people think that man-made laws are more suitable than the laws that Allah made. That's not right. Nobody knows better than Allah.

7. Learn from the right sources

One downside to the internet is that everyone thinks they can learn anything. Have a question? Google and get an answer. This may be OK for mundane everyday issues. But not religious issues. You can't learn about hudud from Google. You can't be an expert in hadith from reading online. You can learn a few things sure, but its always better to learn from an expert. Similarly, you can't be a cardiologist from reading Wikipedia. You need to go to medical school. You can learn to play football from watching videos, but to be a pro you need proper training from coaches. The same applies to learning about Islam.

8. Be proud to be a Muslim

Some people are shy to practice Islam in public. They don't cover their aurat out of fear of weird looks from friends. They don't pray regularly because they don't want to be seen as "extremists". They eat anywhere they want regardless of halal status. Its as if they are ashamed of the way Islam should be practised. Its like they admit in their hearts that they believe in Allah, they believe in Islam, but they don't want to show it in public. Why? Some people (like me) proudly wear football jerseys when the team wins a big game. Some sisters proudly display pictures of them with celebrities. Why not show you are proud to be a Muslim by acting like one?

9. SMILE

On a lighter note, one speaker said he always sees Muslims with frowns on their face. He said we should smile more often. Sure we have problems, who doesn't? We need to remember that Allah does not put a burden on someone unless he can bear it. Besides, despite the problems we have, don't we have much much more to be happy about? I know a lot of people say I don't smile a lot. Its probably because I'm just thinking. I think a lot. So when I'm not smiling, you are seeing my "thinking face", not a sad face =p

I think I may have done more than write a "brief summary" haha. I would like to make an even 10 points, but you can count the entry before this and so we get an even 10. I hope you find this entry informative, and if you don't or if you wanted more I apologise. I have my limitations.

InsyaAllah if there is a similar event next year, maybe I will bring my laptop and write on the spot.

^___^

We are all dying.....

2011-12-24T22:59:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I want to share a story with you I heard at the Twins of Faith conference this morning. It was told by Bro. Boonaa Mohammed.

There's this woman, a Muslimah, who is sick and so goes to a doctor for a check up. After running some tests, the doctor comes back and says, "I'm sorry, but you are very ill. You only have one month to live". Upon hearing this, the woman then decides to make the most of the month she has left. She starts covering her aurah. She starts praying regularly, even the sunat prayers. She fasts. She donates to charity. She does all sorts of good deeds preparing to die. A month passes, and she goes back to the doctor. After a follow up, the doctor realises he made a mistake, and tells the woman, "I'm sorry, but I made a mistake. You won't die after all!".

I'm sure you can guess what the moral of the story is; don't wait until death comes knocking before you try to make yourself a better person, because we never know when we are going to die.

If you do not cover your aurah, what are you waiting for?

If you smoke, when will you stop?

If you don't pray subuh on time, when will you start trying harder?

Are you going to wait until you are dying before you start to make a change? I got news for you, you are dying. With every passing second, our "life timer" gets closer to zero (watch 'In Time'). With every day that comes and goes, we get closer to the day we die. In fact, every newborn baby, as soon as he is born, he is already dying.

There is no guarantee that we will live long enough to make a change. So what are we waiting for?

Doing good for the wrong reasons

2011-12-17T13:10:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

You know the saying "The end doesn't justify the means"? Or in Malay its "Niat tak menghalalkan cara". Basically they mean that we can't do the wrong things for the right reasons, for example robbing a bank to buy food for your family. Some people forget that the reverse holds true too. We shouldn't do the right thing for the wrong reasons. In this case, many people seem to look the other way. Let me give a few examples.

In Malaysia, the traditional tudung has received a serious fashion makeover. All different kinds of fashions and styles are out now. Not all of them keeping true to the original purpose of the tudung mind you, which is to cover your aurat and guard your modesty. So we are faced with a society which has transformed the concept of the tudung, and turned it into yet another accessory for women to flaunt in public. Don't get me wrong, its perfectly fine for women to want to dress nicely and to want to be fashionable. But when a woman wears a tudung because it is "fashionable", or because she wants to keep up with the latest trend, isn't the niat of wearing the tudung lost? Its supposed to be a symbol of modesty, not a sign of fashion or status. Wearing a tudung is necessary to cover your aurat, but if you put fashion ahead of function, you need to think twice about why you wear it.

Another example is entertainment. I'm all for entertainment. I regularly watch movies and TV shows, I listen to music, I play video games. There are some forms of entertainment which are acceptable and others which aren't. K-Pop for some reason is really hot among the females of our generation. Now I don't have anything against them, but like my friend rightly pointed out a while ago, girls can go crazy over these pretty boys. Its fine if you enjoy their music, but if you go crazy over them because they are so cute and adorable, how is that different from guys who enjoy watching Britney Spears' music videos? Guys are supposed to lower their gaze yes? Aren't girls supposed to do the same?

Fasting is another issue. Everyone of us should fast in Ramadhan no question. As for outside of Ramadhan there are many optional fasts. Now when we fast sincerely there's no problem. But when people fast as a means of losing weight, or to save money, that's a problem. Fasting is a spiritual exercise with added worldly benefits. We fast sincerely, we get both spiritual and worldly benefits. But fast solely for the worldly benefits, and that's probably all we get.

So remember, that saying I mentioned earlier is like a double-edged sword. It cuts both ways.

Ombak Rindu

2011-12-12T12:33:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Let me ask you a question. Is it ok to support someone who is doing something wrong? Some people might think as long as they themselves aren't doing it, its ok. But in Islam we are taught to be better than that. We are strongly encouraged to spread what is good, encourage others to do good, and to refrain from all that is bad. That includes stopping others from doing wrong wherever we can. If we have the power to stop someone from doing wrong, yet we just sit back and allow it to happen, we might as well have joined in the wrong-doing as well.

Back to the question I asked earlier, its bad enough if we don't stop others from doing something wrong, but what if we go further than that and encourage those who are doing something wrong?

One of the reasons I don't support local entertainment like music, movies or TV, is because I just don't like it. But another reason is because most of the people involved in the local entertainment industry are Muslims. Would it be right for me to support a female singer who in her music videos dances around in an outfit that is not covering her aurat? Or would it be right for me to support a man who in his movies hugs another woman as if she were his wife when she isn't? Would it be right for me to support a woman who while acting, wears a tudung, but when not on set doesn't?

One thing I realise is that some people do good by reminding their friends to always mind their aurat, take care of their akhlak and so on, but when it comes to Muslim celebrities, they turn a blind eye, as if Islam does not apply to them. Not only that, they shower the actors and singers with praise and adulation, which to me, is not something which should be done.

There's currently a status update being spread around Facebook about how an animated movie from the West although had no Muslims involved in its making, was full with Islamic values, yet a local movie which had many Muslims involved, was un-Islamic. I won't comment on that particular example, but I must say I agree with the principle in general. You don't have to be a Muslim to practice Islamic values, and just because you are Muslim, doesn't automatically make everything you do Islamic.

So I leave you to ponder my earlier question. Is it ok to support someone who is doing something wrong? If you say no, then is it ok to be supporting our local celebrities (not all but most of them) who aren't good Muslim/ah role models?

Speak Up!

2011-11-15T07:33:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

This is part of the script from possibly one of the greatest movies of all time, The Dark Knight.

Scene in a restaurant with Harvey, Bruce, Rachel and Natascha

Natascha: No, come on- how could you want to raise children in a city like this?
Wayne: I was raised here. I turned out OK.
Dent: Is Wayne Manor in the city limits?
Wayne: The Palisades? Sure. You know, as our new D.A. you might want to figure out where your jurisdiction ends.
Natascha: I'm talking about the kind of city that idolises a masked vigilante...
Dent: Gotham's proud of an ordinary man standing up for what's right.
Natascha: Gotham needs heroes like you- elected officials, not a man who thinks he's above the law.
Wayne: Exactly. Who appointed the Batman?
Dent: We did. All of us who stood by and let scum take control of our city.

Most people think that by remaining silent, not getting involved and staying out of trouble, they aren't affecting the world around them. They might think that even if they aren't doing any good, at least they aren't doing anything bad either. What they fail to realise is that silence is bad. When there are so many forms of injustice happening in our world today, everyone needs to stand up for something. Be it standing up against animal cruelty, promoting environmental awareness, fighting child abuse, anything. When no one speaks up, those who do wrong will continue to do so.

The media are doing their part as well. The Star's Facebook page is encouraging people to stand up against violence against women. ESPNSTAR have a TV advert for their show Monday Night Verdict which is encouraging people to speak their minds. A few individuals are seen with duct tape over their mouths, and eventually they peel off the tape, symbolising they are going to speak up.

So find something you believe in, and fight for it. Don't remain silent.

Darkness is merely the absence of light.

11.11.11

2011-11-11T09:13:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I have never seen any significance in "special dates". I don't get why the new year is such a big deal. I don't make a big fuss on my birthday. I don't see how the month you were born in can determine your personality (referring to horoscopes). I don't get why some people choose "special dates" to get married. And I definitely see no significance in today's date.

People are talking about how today is so special, they want to do something special to remember today. They want to mark this day as the day they make changes and improve themselves (like making resolutions). People welcome today's date as if its some member of the royal family. Some people I bet will get married today. Congratulations to those who do, but like I said, you won't gain any special blessings from today's date. There's no mystical or magical force today, nothing can help you improve yourself today, it will come and go just like any other day.

Why wait until 11.11.11 to make resolutions to try and be better? Shouldn't that be your resolution everyday? If you want to do something significant in your life, why wait until 11.11.11? You should try and make everyday significant. Don't tell me you only do "special things" on "special days".

And for the Muslims, you should know that believing in such "mystical powers" that arrive on "special dates" is akin to syirik. Instead of these special dates that come once every 100 or 1000 years, we are given Fridays which is mentioned in the Quran to be the best of days. And we get a Friday every week!! Why not make resolutions every Friday to become better Muslims? And by the way, the fact that today is Friday means nothing. Today is just as important as any other Friday. The date has no impact on the berkat of Friday.

I admit, it is cool to be part of the world's population that witnesses a certain "special" date. But that's about it. When we die, God will not ask us what we did on this day, He will ask what we did everyday of our lives. If you make today special, you should make every other day special as well.

PS: A little rant-like I know. But I'm entitled to a little rant once in a while on my blog aren't I?

Seksualiti Merdeka

2011-11-07T22:02:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Controversial subject I know. Then again, why should it be? In an "Islamic nation" such as Malaysia, the issue of "gay rights" should really be a none-issue because in Islam, homosexuality (as well as transgerderism) is forbidden. Its like the whole Ashraf Hafiz issue all over again.

In Islam its simple, if you're born male, you're meant to be male, and meant to be with females. End of story. No problems of guys falling in love with guys, guys wanting to be women and what not. Seksualiti Merdeka is not promoting homosexuality I know, its promoting acceptance, but as Malaysia claims to be a nation under Islamic rule (which it should be), there can be no movements encouraging acceptance of people with these problems. You cannot ask people to accept something which is wrong.

Human rights, and free will only go so far. They are not absolute. Humans are not free to to anything and everything they desire, which is why religion, as well as society implement rules. If you belong to a certain religion, or a certain society, a club or whatever, there are always rules. You have the right to do as you wish so long as you abide by these rules. Being Muslim, you cannot be gay. Therefore you will have no rights as one. There's no way around it.

Now I know some people will be arguing on behalf of the non-Muslims. Let me ask you this; the majority of people in Malaysia to my knowledge, believe in God and religion. Is there any religion which allows homosexuality? Transgenderism? I'm pretty sure Christianity does not, which by the way is probably the 2nd largest religion in Malaysia.

For the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community, if you wish to live your life that way, so be it, it is your choice. Just don't expect other Malaysians to accept your lifestyle when it is against their religious beliefs.

PS: I am not saying that we should completely ignore the LGBT community. There could be those who honestly need guidance, and in those situations we do need to provide support and help them get back on their feet.

Cleaning up after ourselves

2011-10-15T10:08:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum!

Almost a month since I've written something. Not that any of you would've realised anyway =p Been kinda dry lately in the idea department, haven't had anything really to write about. Until today!

So yesterday I was out at a fast food restaurant, and you know how we normally just leave our tables after eating? We leave our mess on the table for the clean-up crew right? Well yesterday there was this guy, a foreigner at that, after eating he cleaned up after himself. He took all his waste to the rubbish bin himself. I don't recall ever seeing a local do that.

So it got me thinking. Why don't we clean up after ourselves? Sure its the job of the workers to clean the tables and what not, but is it so difficult to clean our own mess? I'm not saying we should clean other tables as well, just our own. And in restaurants where we are served on plates and nice dishes, I'm not saying we need to take our plates back to the kitchen, but the least we could do is make sure there are no food scraps lying on the table. Making life easier for others is not something that we should refrain from. If anything we should strive to try and make life easier for others.

It can apply in other scenarios too. Like if we collect recyclable materials at home to be sent to collectors, it would be better if we separated the material before sending it instead of just sending everything and leaving the collectors to sift through our waste separating it. Or if we go to cinemas, do you leave your waste at your seat after the movie or do you take it with you out of the hall and throw it away yourself? It would make life easier for the janitors who come in after every screening. When I was in school, it was compulsory for us to take our plates to the assigned basins after eating so the canteen workers wouldn't have to worry about collecting plates after recess. But in university, we normally leave our plates on the table after eating even though we know where the basins are.

Lets try to clean up after ourselves. If everyone does it it can make a real difference.

The Value of Integrity

2011-09-19T12:23:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Time for another story!

There were these friends who worked as lecturers in a university. They were good individuals with good morals, stood up for what they believed in and did what they thought was right. They had been teaching together for quite some time but lately they were feeling under pressure and stressed out. Some of their students were struggling in several subjects. They were lazy, too dependent on the lecturers for hints before exams, they weren't interested in learning. The lecturers tolerated them as much as they could, but even the best men (and women) have their limits.

With the new semester comes new students. And new challenges. These students apparently were more demanding, demanding hints for exams, and demanding to be passed even when they failed. Stumped, the lecturers met with their respected co-ordinators for help. Unfortunately the co-ordinators weren't much help. In order to maintain the good name of the university, producing graduates with good results and hence bringing in more students, the co-ordinators told the lecturers they had to pass the students anyway by any means necessary. Feeling uncomfortable with the situation they were in, they decided as soon as they could, they would quit the university.

Its quite inspirational really. Teaching is a noble profession. And those who really wish to teach can really make a difference in students' life. Safeguarding their futures in the process. Its become common for the current generations (including mine) of students to ask for hints before exams. To ask for pity marks in order to just pass an exam. And it doesn't help when administrators force lecturers to pass the students even when they don't deserve it just to guard the image of the university. The value of a proper tertiary education seems to have been lost in a time where only examination results are looked at.

This issue of integrity and doing what's right of course applies in all careers. As Muslims integrity is something of course that we need to have. If lets say one of the lecturers did as the co-ordinator said, and passed students who didn't deserve it, do you think they will be questioned about it on Judgement Day?

Never succumb into doing what you think is wrong. Its like I said on my Twitter yesterday, "Never feel ashamed/scared to do what's right. Your friends might leave you, but Allah will always be with those who do right.."

Something to share..

2011-09-16T07:03:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Not really a reminder this time, just wanted to share a story.

On my drive back home to Shah Alam yesterday from Kuantan, my friend and I stopped at an RnR to break our fast and for maghrib prayers. That's when my friend saw something kinda cute.

This young boy, probably around 5 years old was praying in the surau, unfortunately, his kiblat was a good 45 degrees off to the left. It was kinda funny to see. This little kid praying alone facing a little off-kiblat when there are a lot of other adults praying in one direction. What happened next was good to see. One guy tried to redirect the boy by dragging his sejadah to the proper direction, while the boy was still praying! What was amazing was that despite being redirected, the boy didn't stop praying. I expected him to like step off the sejadah as it was being redirected, but no, he stuck to his prayers.

Good to see little kids who are well educated about praying at a young age.

Breast Enlargement Products

2011-09-10T12:38:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

First weekend back in Kuantan and already I saw something which gave me an idea for a blog entry.

Yes you read the title correctly, and no its not a metaphor. I really am going to write about it.

The other day I went to East Coast Mall (ECM) for dinner, and on the way up the travelator I saw this advertisement on the wall for breast enlargement products. The entire stretch of the wall was plastered with this advertisement! For breast enlargement products! Now I don't know about you, but to me, that's a little inappropriate, especially considering the "Islamic Nation" status Malaysia apparently has.

Then I realised, products of this nature (for both males and females) appear in newspapers as well, and even on TV. Female products more so than male products I think. Is the issue of cup size really becoming so "normal" that enlargement products can be seen in mass media that often? I mean, women complain when men objectify women, and see women as nothing more than objects of sexual pleasure, yet these products seem to encourage such behaviour.

I hope that the relevant authorities, whoever they are attend to this issue promptly. Wouldn't it be embarrassing to have Muslim tourists coming to Malaysia, and seeing this kind of open attitude towards these products?

Post-Ramadhan Resolutions

2011-09-03T09:47:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

At the turn of the year, people always come up with their own New Year's resolutions. Personally, I don't see any significance in this. The new year is nothing special to me. Nothing noteworthy which would make you want to change for the better.

On the other hand, I have yet to see anybody come up with their own Post-Ramadhan resolutions, despite the fact that Ramadhan is the month we are all encouraged to better ourselves, and continue improving even after Ramadhan has passed. So here is a general list of Post-Ramadhan resolutions you can make your own. Some might be applicable to myself, others not. It's just a general list.

To wake up for tahajjud as often as I can.
To visit the masjid/surau as regularly as I can.
To give sedekah as often as I can.
To be more aware of ALL the prayer times.
To continuously guard my modesty and aurat.
To try my best to lower my gaze from things I shouldn't see.
To listen to religious talks/tazkirah more frequently.
To recite the Quran on a daily basis.
To stop smoking. (not applicable to me)
To puasa sunat regularly throughout the year.

10 examples of Post-Ramadhan resolutions we should all have. It may be difficult to achieve all of them, but we should really at least try to.

Do you have any other resolutions?

Duit Raya

2011-08-30T22:48:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

From time to time, my thinking can be a little outside the box, unorthodox even. This is one of those times.

What do you guys think about the local practice of giving duit raya to children? I know it seems harmless, but I can't help but feel like this practice is just leading to children associating Hari Raya with money. They will ask each other how much have they collected, they get upset when they only get small amounts from relatives, I mean its close to what the Christians do on Christmas; giving presents to one another.

It is a good concept in itself, sharing your wealth with kids, giving sedekah in a way. But I still feel uneasy with the whole thing. As adults, we are mature enough to know what Hari Raya is really about, but kids? I fear that without proper guidance from their parents, they will grow up expecting "payment" for fasting in Ramadhan.

Is it just a Malaysian custom? Do Muslims in other countries have similar customs? I don't know, but I think in an ideal situation, kids are taught about the true meaning of Hari Raya, what it means, and what it has to do with Ramadhan, instead of just giving them money to keep them happy.

Eid Mubarak!

2011-08-30T07:21:00.001+08:00

Selamata Hari Raya!

Eid Mubarak!

May Allah accept all our deeds throughout Ramadhan, and may we continue to be good Muslims throughout the rest of the year....

On radio today:"Adakah kita akan masih bermesra bersama syaitan pada malam syawal nanti, atau yang dulu teman kita si syaitan tidak lagi kenali kita kerana perubahan yg ketara?" So what you guys think we can do to stay strong with our faith aft Ramadhan?

2011-08-25T09:00:00.001+08:00

keep reminding each other so we all benefit and strive to be better Muslims..because Melayu (and Singaporeans) mudah lupa =p

Got a question for me?

Does Islam teaches karma?

2011-08-25T08:58:00.001+08:00

Karma, I don't think so. What Islam does teach however, is that Allah is Maha Adil. In a way, that is the same concept, but we mustn't believe in any force (like karma) other than Allah, which is syirik.

Got a question for me?

Seorang bapa atau seorang suami akan masuk neraka kalo anak prmpuan n isteri mereka xtutup aurat. Tp, kalo da bg advise smua, stil xnk pakai tudung jg, bapa n suami ni tetap akn masuk neraka jg ke?

2011-08-24T20:23:00.001+08:00

aku rasa bnd gini Allah je berhak bg jwpn..kita tau as manusia apa pbuatan yg akan lead to Jannah..and pbuatan apa will lead to Jahannam..tp ultimately Allah je yg blh decide sama ada pbuatan2 tu cukup atau x..

Got a question for me?

Boleh tak seorang lelaki bersentuhan dengan cousin perempuan dan ibu saudara?

2011-08-24T17:33:00.001+08:00

Setahu saya, selagi ada pertalian darah, xde mslh. kalau xde pertalian darah pula, sy xpasti.

in any case, kalau setakat nk bersalam dgn cousin/ibu saudara, rasanya ok. tp stakat tu jelah kut. nk peluk2, tmbhan pula kalau cousin sebaya kan..mcm x appropriate pulak. wallahualam.

kalau ada yg lbh mengetahui sila lah share ye :)

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Public Displays of Religion

2011-08-20T21:56:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Living in a country like Malaysia, even Singapore where there is a healthy mix of people from different races and religions, we should really be open to the different religious practices of others. I'm not saying we must agree, accept or embrace the practices of other religions, but we should definitely respect them no matter how we feel.

I know most people do, but there are still a small few who seem to be unable to tolerate even the smallest of religious displays in public. Like this guy who complained when a McDonald's played the azan when it was Maghrib. He apologised in the end, so no real harm done. But it just goes to show that there are still some people who fail to tolerate even the smallest things.

When its Chinese New Year, radio stations and shopping complexes play Chinese songs. When its fasting month, during Maghrib restaurants play the Azan on the radio. During Deepavali, you can normally find rice art (sorry, lack of a better term) on the floors in shopping complexes. These are all just small displays of religious celebrations that don't really bother anybody. There really is no need to rant about them.

Lets not make mountains out of molehills shall we?

A Little Reminder on Twitter!

2011-08-20T06:33:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

A Little Reminder has finally opened a Twitter account!! Yes I know, it took a LONG time, but better late than never.

I opened a Twitter account for one simple reason. Sometimes, I have something to say, but not in so many words; too short to write an entire entry. So in those instances, I'll tweet! At 140 characters, they will truly be "little" reminders.

So feel free to follow me on Twitter, there's a button in the sidebar. I'll tweet when I post a new entry here. Also if you like an entry, you can tweet it out and share it in your Twitterverse.

Don't forget you can also ask questions via Formspring. I'll answer what I can, and ask my friends for help if I can't answer your questions myself.

I hope you have a blessed ending to Ramadhan.

Gadis Bertudung Comel?

2011-08-18T09:00:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Its nothing new when we see people giving advice to the young Muslim females of Malaysia to dress modestly and cover their aurah properly. I think its probably one of the most common topics when we talk about problems with the Muslim youth of today. But it can't really be helped, because everywhere you look, there will always be young Muslim girls who don't dress properly. And as I only just found out, there are those who take advantage of this situation for their own, erm, satisfaction I think I will say.

If you Google anything along the lines of "awek melayu cun" or "gadis bertudung comel", you will find quite a few blogs dedicated to displaying pictures of young Muslim women who either don't cover their aurah properly, or they do cover properly, but take "cute" photos of themselves and post them online. No joke. Do so using your own discretion. I'm not suggesting or recommending it to anyone.

From what I saw, some blog owners take candid photos of Muslim women on the street, later enlarging the lower body area to highlight tight pants or skirts. Some "steal" photos from Facebook, or Myspace or any social networking site. And they don't discriminate. Working women, teenagers in school uniform, any cute pictures they can get their hands on, they post in their blogs.

So to the Muslim women of Malaysia, don't take this lightly. Please dress appropriately. You never know if someone snapped a photo of you on the streets. If you upload photos on Facebook, make sure they're private. Or better yet just refrain from taking/posting "cute" photos online. Remember that once something is on the web, it stays there forever. Are you willing to shoulder all the responsibility if a photo of you gets posted in one of these blogs and thousands of eyes see it?

Kte kan xboleh b'doa utk non Muslim kn. Even though kalo kte doa agr dia masuk Islam pun..xbley eh?

2011-08-14T16:14:00.001+08:00

xblh ke? aku ingat kalau nk doa Allah bukakan hati sesiapa so dia akan peluk Islam blh? ke aku silap?

Got a question for me?

What time is Maghrib?

2011-08-07T06:48:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Since Ramadhan started, I've seen two of my Facebook friends write about prayer times as their FB status. One friend wrote about how the day before Ramadhan, if you ask someone what time Maghrib was, chances are they wouldn't know, but if you ask them the next day (the 1st of Ramadhan) they most probably would know. Another friend wrote about how radio stations (the mainstream entertainment stations, not the state/Islamic stations) now start announcing the times for imsak and Maghrib. He also questioned why announce imsak times instead of Subuh.

It is a common thing isn't it? During Ramadhan, we all know what time imsak/Subuh and Maghrib is. Do we bother to take note of what time Zohor and Asar is? Isya I guess most guys do take note, assuming they go to the masjid for terawih. What's sad is if we don't bother at all anymore after Ramadhan to take note of the prayer times.

As for the radio stations, it is a good gesture that they announce the times during Ramadhan. Shows they care for their listeners who are fasting. But at the same time, it kinda makes you wonder why they don't continue to do so outside of Ramadhan. And for all the prayer times, not just Subuh and Maghrib. I mean, it might only take 30-60 seconds to announce the prayer times. I doubt that would be too difficult to do.

My mama prints out the daily prayer times each month and puts it up in our living room so we always know what the prayer times are. I hope those who read this make an effort to always be aware of the prayer times, even outside of Ramadhan.

What Are You Expecting?

2011-08-05T21:36:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

A couple of days ago, a friend of mine posted this link on Facebook, which touches on the misleading hadith about the rewards associated with performing terawih prayers on each night of Ramadhan. Then it hit me, well not really hit me, I've been thinking about this for a while, its just that after reading this link I decided to write about it, should we really be concerned about what rewards we get for our good deeds?

The most well known quantitative reward for ibadah that I know of, is that jemaah prayers are 27 times better than individual prayers. Other than that, I've heard of other qualitative comparisons, like mentioned in the link above, how not performing Asar prayers is equivalent to destroying the ka'abah. I'm sure there are many others I haven't heard about.

My point here is this; some of these are true, others may not be, nonetheless, as Muslims who believe that Allah is Al-Adl, Maha Adil, All-Just, we should not worry about what the rewards are for our ibadah, all we need to know is that we will definitely receive what we deserve.

If all the rewards were known to humans, we would definitely be calculating which ibadah we can afford to miss, and which we can't. Which is why I believe it is better to just perform all ibadah with a pure, sincere heart, without worrying how much of a reward we will get.

Allah is Al-Adl, He will reward us with what we deserve. Don't worry about comparing rewards metaphorically. Just stay sincere and insyaAllah all will be fine.

bole tak semayang istikharah utk dua benda yang berlainan?

2011-08-04T21:54:00.001+08:00

erm..blh kut..aku xsure sgt..kalau org lain ada jwpn sila kongsi ye :)

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Why is Transgerder-ism an Issue?

2011-08-03T05:57:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

This entry might seem insensitive or inappropriate by some, but regardless, I'll write it anyway as subtly as I can.

It's sad that Mohd Ashraf Hafiz Abdul Aziz (I'm using his given name, because to me he was never a woman) died of a heart attack at such a young age. Its almost suspicious that someone so young suffered a heart attack just days after being denied by the courts permission to change his name. But I'm not here to dispute the cause of death, I'll take the word of the doctors for it. So my condolences to the family. Regardless of the issue prior to his death, he was family and for that I pray his family stays strong during this fasting month.

Here comes the "insensitive" part. I don't understand why the country seems to be so "shocked" by his death. I'm shocked because he suffered a heart attack at such a young age, but that's about it. It is sad whenever anybody dies, especially when they are so young, but why does the whole country seem to mourn the death of this particular individual? I understand why people would mourn someone's death if he/she contributed greatly to society in one way or another, but I don't think Mohd Ashraf Hafiz gave any significant contributions to the country, correct me if I'm wrong.

We have politicians saying that trangenders should be given equal rights just as any other human being. Some are now saying that the government should pay more attention to transgerders' problems and understand their situation more closely. I agree that when an individual has problems, society should be there to provide support and guidance, but when the problem is sex-change, which is clearly prohibited in Islam, how far can we go in helping them? Counselling is necessary, men who think they are women and vice versa obviously are confused and need help. But I don't think in a Muslim nation, when a Muslim is confused about his/her gender, we should be supportive of their decision and encourage others to accept and embrace their condition. Islam prohibits sex-change, even men dressing up like women is prohibited. So why does it seem like many people are paying tribute to someone who clearly has gone against the religion?

I don't buy the "woman's spirit trapped in a man's body" theory. God doesn't make mistakes. If he makes you a man, you're a man, and vice versa. If you have XY chromosomes, you're a man; XX you're a woman. You can't change your genetic profile even if you change your physical appearance.

Why haven't I seen anyone praising the courts for their decision to deny the name change when it was obviously the right call according to Islam? All I've seen is people paying tribute to the victim.

Sorry if I've been insensitive, but that's how I see things. If you think an individual has the right to change his/her gender and that it is their own choice, you clearly are against Islamic principals.

PS: My views are based on my understanding of Islam, and concern the victim who I believe is Muslim. The arguments don't necessarily apply to non-Muslims who may not share the same views.

fedtri yahya's: "ustaz zahazan: wanita tidak digalakkan berjemaah di masjid kecuali suami mampu memastikan aurat isteri benar2 terjaga dan isteri tdk jadi asbab hilang kusyuk orang lain" kalau kite pg solat tp x bertembung dgn lelaki, kira blh ke?

2011-08-01T07:46:00.001+08:00

since solan tny psl suami isteri pny situation, aku jwb based on that jelah..

kalau suami biasa g masjid/surau, tp bini tgal kt umah solat sorg2..x adil gak gitu..suami dpt pahala jemaah hari2..bini xdpt..so better kalau suami solat kt umah n imamkan bini..jemaah gak..both dpt pahala jemaah..

kalau nk g masjid/surau, aku rasa isu btembung/aurat x jd mslh kalau smua laki n ppuan yg g masjid/surau 2 mmg tjaga iman mereka..yg ppuan dh mmg ttp aurat elok2..n laki xde nk gatal2 kacau ppuan..foundation dia iman yg kukuh..

tp ni jwpn ikut logic akal lah..logic manusia kdg2 xbtul..so kalau xbtul maaf ye :)

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Happy Ramadhan

2011-07-31T20:05:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Happy Ramadhan to all my friends and family, and to my readers.

Now I should probably write about what Ramadhan means to Muslims, how we should act throughout the month and all that, give reminders, but I've done that in the past already. So I'll just give you the links ok? :)

From 2008, Ramadhan Boot Camp.

From 2010, Ramadhan: The Month for Change.

In 2009 I just reposted the 2008 entry, hee ;)

So have a good Ramadhan, make the most of it, because we never know if we will be around for the next Ramadhan.

Are We Part-Time Muslims?

2011-07-30T09:22:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Being Muslim is a full-time job. That means at all times of the day, we must act in accordance with the religion. Its not enough to try and be a good Muslim only on Fridays, or only in Ramadhan. Its not good enough being Muslim only during the 5 daily prayers, but not during the rest of the day. But unfortunately, that's how some people are.

Some people pray, but don't cover their aurah when they go out. Some people fast in Ramadhan, but don't pray on a daily basis. Many people don't drink alcohol, but still eat in non-halal restaurants. Some people cover their aurah, but freely and shamelessly act like best friends with the opposite gender. Some people cover their aurah in public, but post free-hair pictures on Facebook. Some guys go to masjid/surau regularly, but wear shorts when they play football. Some people recite the Quran on a regular basis, but frequently use explicit language with their friends.

Need I go on?

It's difficult to try to be the best Muslim you can be, I know it is. But most of the examples I gave above are choices we make; they're not really things we have no control over. Most of the time, we freely choose to make those mistakes, either thinking that our other good deeds can cover up the bad, or we're just being stubborn. We know it's wrong but do it anyway, why is that?

Most jobs pay regardless if you're a full-time or part-time employee, but being Muslim only pays when you are a full-time Muslim.

PS: Many people think that being Muslim means you can't have fun. Being Muslim does not prevent you from having fun. You just need to make sure that what you do for fun does not hurt you as a Muslim.

No Muslim GRO's in Kuantan

2011-07-27T18:14:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Being Muslim, it should be common sense that you don't work or eat in an establishment that serves alcohol. It doesn't matter if you don't consume the alcohol, being in such a place in itself is already wrong. Its frustrating to see Muslims eating and working in restaurants and entertainment outlets that serve alcohol, with their mindset being "janji tak minum takpe". I mean its not like there's no other place to eat and work. Here in Malaysia there's like so many other places that are halal and don't serve alcohol, yet they insist on going to places that do serve alcohol, and obviously aren't halal.

On that note, I have to give props to the Kuantan Municipal Council (MPK) for barring Muslim women from working as GRO's starting next year. I only hope that nobody will come out and criticise the ban and force MPK to reverse their decision. In Malaysia, too often a good religious decision is overturned because some parties challenge the ruling. This ruling only affects Muslims, and is obviously in-line with religious teachings. No way can anyone say this is a bad ruling.

Having said that, we have had people opposing such a ban before. This wasn't the first time such a ruling was implemented. Back in January, I wrote this article which involves a similar kind of ban, which was implemented by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ). And there were those who opposed the ban, even Muslims!

It's ridiculous that we have Muslims fighting for the right to work in industries that involve drinking. Absolutely ridiculous. If human law states that possession of drugs (even without abuse) is illegal, surely Allah's law that drinking is prohibited also extends to selling and serving.

I hope other municipal councils will follow suit soon, and extend the ban to prevent ALL Muslims from entering any establishment that serves alcohol, including restaurants for any reason whatsoever. And that the bans stick.

Formspring

2011-07-22T07:38:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

For those who haven't noticed, I have a small Formspring widget in my sidebar there. I put it there so my readers could ask me questions if they had any. I've received a few so far, but made the mistake of not posting my responses in this blog.

I'll only post responses that are with religious content. I'll answer any other question of course, just won't post the response here.

My previous entry just a few minutes ago was from Formspring.

So don't shy-shy, ask away :)

In d Chelsea team, there's an Israeli player: Yossi Benayoun. N I think td dia ada masa friendly game dgn Msia. Taking into account the Israeli-Palestinian issue, what is your opinion on this matter? That is, wat do u feel when Yossi ada kat bumi msia ni?

2011-07-22T07:35:00.001+08:00

I'm a bit torn on the matter. As a Muslim, I know that we shouldn't have any connections with Israeli's, or even support them. But, Benayoun isn't the one terrorising Palestinians, he just plays football. I don't think its fair to him, to judge him based on what his country is doing. Its like saying all Malaysian are idiots based on how the PM handles certain issues. Just because a nation's leader is in the wrong, does not automatically make all his followers the same. For all we know, Benayoun could oppose the Palestinian oppression.

Then again, I'm thinking with my brain. And in Islam, we all know that the human mind has limits. Allah knows things we don't. So I could be wrong on the issue entirely.

Got a question for me?

Be Careful What You Wish For

2011-07-21T20:17:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Let me tell you a story, based on the saying "Be Careful What You Wish For". I'm not much of a story teller, so I'll just get to the point.

A few days ago, Mike (not real name) sent his car to the workshop after getting in a minor traffic accident. He tells Joe (not real name) about it. Later in the conversation, Joe asks Mike if he's going to Steve's (not real name) wedding this coming weekend. Mike says yes, coz he wants to give out his wedding invitations. Joe is quite surprised and in disbelief that Mike is getting married. So he says, "You better not be lying! If you are your car will get hit again!". He says this jokingly of course. Mike stands by his statement that he is going to give out his wedding invitations.

A couple of days later, Mike contacts Joe, asking him to take back what he said about getting into another accident. He asks this rather seriously. Without asking any questions, Joe says ok, he takes it back.

The next day, Mike comes clean to Joe, and says he's not getting married. He was just joking the other day. Joe didn't really care that he lied, but sensed there was more to this confession. As it turns out, Mike's car got hit again. One day after picking it up from the workshop.

True story.

So remember kids, be careful what you wish for, it just might come true.

Muslim Internet vloggers

2011-07-21T09:18:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

There seems to be an emerging trend among Malaysia's tech-savvy youth today; vlogging. Many people in the 20's age bracket I'm sure have seen at least one or two Malaysian-made vlogs on YouTube. Some of the most popular I think include IniAnwarHadi, matluthfi90, and Maria Elena. These guys are quite funny and entertaining, and what's brilliant is that they use their wit and charm to make videos with good content. Some touch on Islamic issues, while others touch on just everyday issues that everyone can relate to. Sure some videos might be more for entertainment purposes than anything else, but nonetheless most of the videos have some sort of good message that can help improve the attitude of the younger generation. So props to them.

Then there are some who focus more on dakwah in their vlogs. Local vlogger aimanazlan90 is a good example. Then we have probably the most liked and well-known dakwah videos from Ummah Films. These guys may focus on dakwah more than anything else, but they do it in an entertaining manner. You laugh and learn at the same time. Props for them too.

So you see, it isn't hard to do good nowadays. It's not hard to share a simple tazkirah with others. All you need is a little effort and insyaAllah your work will reach many people.

Muslims as a reflection of Islam

2011-07-11T10:55:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I have a friend who reverted to Islam quite a while ago. I knew her in school, and since she reverted she's reached out to me and we've been in touch. She asks me questions about the religion from time to time, and sometimes she's asked for my help when her friends ask her about the religion. She was asked a question on Formspring recently, basically asking her how much she knew about Islam when she reverted, and what she thought of Islam when she was in school. Part of her answer was the following:

"Back in school, I didn't know much about Islam but I know that I didn't like it (almost despised it). I felt that Muslims are hypocrites. I judged the religion by looking at the people and obviously, we can't judge a book by its cover."

We always say don't judge a book by its cover. But as I wrote more than two years ago in this entry, sometimes a book's cover does reveal the contents accurately.

With Islam, people on the outside looking in will most certainly judge the religion based on it's followers. You can't tell them "Don't judge a religion by its followers, you should read the Quran and hadith to understand Islam,". People on the outside have no intention to read the Quran when they can just as easily look at Muslims' behaviour, which should be in line with the Quran anyway. Its like me not wanting to read a book because there's a movie based on it.

Our actions reflect upon the religion. Remember that.

Real-life Dakwah

2011-07-06T11:47:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

The other day my brother and I went to the surau in Midvalley. Just before we were about to pray this elderly Middle Eastern guy comes to us and encourages us to pray jemaah, telling us it is 27 times better. Me and my brother already know this, but we just let him finish talking and wait for him to leave.

To this I have a question; How many of us would actually go up to a stranger, and give some advice? I don't mean advice like you read in newspaper or magazine columns, I'm talking about amar ma'ruf nahi munkar.

"Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity."
Quran 3:104

It's easy for us to give reminders to each other in controlled environments, like blogs (like what I do), via Facebook or Twitter, in classroom tazkirah, but its a whole different thing to actually go up to a young couple holding hands and hugging in public and telling them that what they are doing is wrong.

Most of us (even me) are scared of how they would react to us giving them advice. We are scared of being ridiculed for trying to do the right thing.

"Eleh, jangan sibuk lah kau!"

"Kau ni macam lah bagus sangat!"

"Alaa..rilek lah..enjoy sikit apa salah?"

I admit, even I haven't been brave enough to speak out against clear misconduct. With the majority of society today getting more and more brazen, more "Western", with religious authorities being slammed for doing what is right (remember the anti-V-Day campaigns?), how are normal everyday people like us supposed to go up to people and say "What you are doing is wrong"?

It definitely won't be easy. And we are likely to encounter a lot of hostility, but hey, somebody's gotta do it. We must do what we are capable of. Allah doesn't place a burden on anyone that they can not handle. Which is why we should do only what we can. And to me, going up to a bunch of kids acting inappropriately in public is definitely within our capabilities.

May the force be with you.

The Grapevine (pt 2)

2011-07-02T15:15:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Previously, on A Little Reminder.....Haha..Too much TV...

Anyway, in a previous post, I wrote about the viral nature of the internet, and how it's so easy to share news with others via Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc. And while I encouraged others to use this "virality" to do good and spread positive messages across the internet, I failed to give a warning about spreading lies and half-truths. Because like everything in this world, there's two sides to the internet.

There has been a lot of bad being spread across the internet recently. And I mean A LOT. In terms of politics, slander from politician to politician spreads through the media like wildfire. Other than politics, the F&B industry has been hit quite a bit too. There was a picture spreading throughout the Twitterverse a while back which allegedly showed a McDonald's notice on a glass door, saying that due to a recent string of robberies, African-American customers will be charged an extra $1.50 as "insurance". Needless to say, this was a hoax, but everyone spread the picture nonetheless, some believing it, and in the end McDonald's had to release a statement denying any such policy. But of course, the damage had been done.

Closer to home, Secret Recipe was hit with allegations that they use several ingredients which are not halal in their desserts. I don't know how it started, but it turns out there is the term "Secret Recipe" in two ingredients which are non-halal. Whoever discovered this must have assumed that the ingredients belong to and are used by Secret Recipe. Again, this was not the case as the term "Secret Recipe" was merely a generic term, not referring to the company. So Secret Recipe (the company) had to release a statement clarifying the issue that they use only halal ingredients as certified by JAKIM.

And just a few days ago, a video went viral allegedly showing a KFC employee scraping a piece of raw chicken along the bottom of his shoe during prep. The video wasn't a hoax. You actually see shoe and chicken in contact. The problem is, by sharing this video with others to see, what are we looking to accomplish? Are we looking to start a boycott of KFC? One employee's idiocy does not deserve to be used to generalise against an entire chain. Did we want to create awareness? Of what? That in Malaysia, there is one guy who scrapes raw chicken on his shoe during prep? What good will that do? If we wanted to do right, we would've sent the video to KFC and demanded they carry out an internal investigation.

We must be careful when sharing information on the internet. Not everything is as it seems. Sometimes by trying to create awareness we might actually be spreading lies. If we plan on using the internet to spread information, why not use the internet to first make sure the information we are going to spread is true?

Zina: An incurable disease?

2011-06-25T09:20:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Malaysia has recently implemented a new healthcare policy which requires all females aged 13 to receive human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination. Females who are older may receive the vaccine as well, but it isn't compulsory. HPV is a virus which causes cervical cancer, and is transmitted mainly via sexual activity. Here's my question; why vaccinate 13 year old girls against a virus which is transmitted sexually?

The concept of vaccination is that prevention is better than cure. While I agree with the concept, I still don't see the need to vaccinate 13 year olds against a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Is 13 the age at which most girls will start being sexually active?

If it is, then there is a serious problem with our society.

Looking at the vaccination on its own, it is a good step in preventing the spread of a particular disease. From a healthcare perspective, I don't see a major problem. But from a social perspective, I see a big problem.

You see, in Malaysia babies being born out of wedlock seems to be a common occurrence. Its even more surprising because Malaysia is supposed to be an "Islamic nation". Yet for some reason we seem to always read about babies being found is toilets, in dumpsters, on the streets, anywhere basically. That's not something you would expect to see in an Islamic nation.

Teenage girls sometimes are abandoned by family once they find out about her pregnancy, and most are outcast by peers once a baby bump is seen. This feeling of abandonment puts a lot of stress on young girls with nowhere to go. Being alone with a baby to care for with no one to turn to for support can prove too much for some, and so they dump the baby.

Our government has tried to address the issue in the past, but if you ask me, its not good enough. If we really believe that prevention is better than cure, then why are we not putting more effort into the root cause of baby dumping? Why are we treating the symptoms, but not the disease itself? Look at is this way; zina is the disease, and baby dumping is a symptom. Abandoned teenage girls is a symptom. STDs are a symptom. What the government has attempted to do so far is cure the symptoms, not prevent the disease.

The solution to baby dumpings? Set up a baby hatch. Solution to help support pregnant teenage girls? Open a school specifically for them. Solution to prevent transmission of STDs? Vaccinate the girls. All this effort to treat the symptoms, when the disease is still very much rampant.

The baby hatch is a good effort to protect unwanted babies no doubt. Its a better future for the innocent babies instead of being left to die in a dumpster. And the school is a place for pregnant teens to turn to for support and an education. And yes, vaccination is a good effort to prevent HPV transmission. But still all this can be avoided if more effort is put into eradicating zina from our Muslim society.

If anything, these "solutions" only encourage zina even more. If teens were worried about contracting HPV, they wont be after being vaccinated. If teens were worried about bringing a baby into the world, they might not be with the baby hatch available. And with the special school set up, there will always be a place for them to turn to for support should they run away from home. Its like we are enabling them.

Its weird that these measures are taken, but when certain parties want to carry out raids to keep a lid on zina, others are screaming violation of privacy.

Of course the government can't keep tabs on all teenagers. Which is why we have to ask how can parents do more to protect their children? Parents are the first line of defence, and a solid, Islamic upbringing is a must if we are to have any hope of fighting zina.

Treating the symptoms will not treat the disease. As long as the symptoms are treated and not the disease, society wont get any better.

Parenthood

2011-06-20T20:07:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

No, this isn't about the TV series Parenthood. Nor is it a sign that I am ready to become a parent. I'm anything but ready. Its just a general opinion on the cycle of life that is parenthood.

I bet many of us have heard our parents say something along the lines of "just wait until you get your own kids, then you'll know how I feel". Normally this is preceded by us, the kids, doing something wrong, or saying something hurtful which upset our parents. And I'm sure the cycle was repeated many times before with our parents and grandparents. And I'm sure we will suffer the same cycle too when we eventually have kids of our own.

But what can I say? It's one of the many circles of life. Kids will always be rude and rebellious to their parents, especially during the teenage years. Parents will struggle to cope with the hormonal rages of teens starting to find their place in the world. Trying to find a balance between discipline, and letting them grow and develop on their own. After that rebellious stage has come and gone, and the kids become mature, young adults, they start thinking of their future away from home. They wait eagerly for the time they fly away from the nest. Then when they start learning responsibilities of adulthood, especially in terms of financial stability, they start to look back on all the years they spent at home, without having to worry about any of it, because mom and dad handled everything.

Before you know it, the kids who were once lectured by their parents are now doing the lecturing to their own kids.

I've been home since last November. I've been working on some research projects sure, but only from home. I haven't had to go to the labs, or office or anything. I reached a certain point where I just got tired of staying home. The daily chores I do, the things I help do for my parents, sometimes I just think in the back of my head "I can't wait for September". That's when I start my Masters. From time to time I even throw mini-tantrums at my sister when she refuses to help out. But when I reflect on where I am in life, the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate, and not long after that (hopefully =p) moving on to my own family, I guess I should make the most of what little time I have left at home, and enjoy the company of my family. Not complain about being tired or anything.

And I know many of my friends are currently at the same stage or thereabouts. Just got married, going to get married, waiting for Masters or already pursuing, just started work, or still looking. Wherever you are in your career, and in life, try to remember how much your parents helped get you there. One day you'll have to do the same for your kids.

Like they said in The Lion King, its the circle of life.

The Passing of a Friend....

2011-06-15T21:16:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Earlier today I received a text message saying one of my juniors had passed away. Quite a shock when someone you know passes. It takes you back as you try to remember your last conversation or the last time you two met.

On FB, my news feed was flooded with sadness from other juniors, his classmates especially. He was a real nice guy. Helped out in many activities. Liked by probably everyone. May Allah bless him and may all his good deeds be accepted by Allah, amin.

Seeing all the love for him on FB, I don't know if anyone else felt the way I did. I wondered, when I go, will people miss me? Will my absence be felt? Will I have done something worthwhile on this Earth, will I have left a part of me in others, will I have done enough good to prepare me for the next life?

You never know when your time will come. Death has no warning. No snooze button. You can't see it coming, you can't delay it. That's why we must always prepare for the next life. Always live like it's your last day here.

When we die, we leave everything behind. We go to Allah with our Iman. Of all the things we leave behind, let one of them be a warmth in peoples hearts.

Stay safe, and never forget Allah.

Earthquakes and Hackers?

2011-06-14T22:16:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Today most Malaysians will probably be talking about two things; the rise of the hackers in Malaysia, and the tremors felt after a 5.5-magnitude quake hit Sumatra. I'll leave the hacker story for now, and focus on the quake.

While I was in school, I think we were taught that Malaysia was "geographically protected" from earthquakes. Malaysia's position made it impossible for earthquakes to hit the country. Yet earlier today, tremors were felt in several areas, mainly in KL, Melaka and Perak. Tremors are not earthquakes I know, but still, for tremors to hit the country, I think that's a big deal.

Many people will say that the tremors might have been a warning from God. I won't disagree. Nothing happens without the say of The All-Mighty. So if something bad happens, He had willed it for a reason. I can think of two possible theories as to what the tremors were warning us against. Again I stress, just theories, just my opinions, nothing more.

Climate change has been so severe over the years, that Malaysia is slowly becoming more and more at risk of becoming earthquake prone.
Malaysia has become overrun by sex scandals, corruption, adultery, political nonsense and other negative happenings that God just gave us a little "nudge" as a warning.

Whatever you believe in, God, science, bad luck, karma, Malaysia is in a bad state. With the people getting more and more frustrated with the government because of price hikes, politicians fighting with each other, slandering one another, a club encouraging wives to act like prostitutes for their husbands, women being attacked by acid-splashers, hackers threatening government portals because of censorship, and to top it all off, tremors from a nearby earthquake.

May it be climate change or breakdown of society's moral values, the tremors could just be the nudge we needed as a warning. Either start going green or start fighting corruption, we need to start acting.

God's will has no boundaries. When God wants to send a message, He will send a message, regardless of what our school textbooks say.

Haters Gonna Hate

2011-06-12T23:18:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I watch a lot of TV. My friends know it, some of my readers might have even seen me mention it in this blog previously. I especially like the crime-fighting genre, and I've noticed something funny. Everytime when a body is discovered, and the detectives ask the family or friends did the victim have any enemies or did anyone have a problem with the victim, the response will almost always be "No...Everyone loved him/her". Then I will be like, if everyone loved him/her, why is he/she dead?? Obviously someone was angry enough or hated the victim enough to commit homicide. It's practically impossible to have EVERYONE like you. Believe me I know =p

Another example, Youtube. No matter how awesome a video is, be it a guy singing, playing guitar or piano, a cute baby or kittens, special FX videos, sporting excellence, there will ALWAYS be people who gave it a thumbs down vote. ALWAYS.

Thus, the internet meme Haters Gonna Hate was coined.

It's something we should remember too when it comes to decision making. At one point or another, we will say something, or do something and people will criticise us. No matter how carefully we choose our words, how thorough we were in exploring all the options, our final decision and words will always be met with negativity from some people.

We will never be able to please everyone. So don't worry when people disagree with you. Just because they do doesn't mean you're wrong. It just means they think differently from you. Be that as it may, criticism should always be met with an open mind, because there is always a possibility that we made a wrong decision.

But when people (trolls) start hating, mocking you, putting down your work, not giving any form of constructive criticism whatsoever, just talking trash, let the haters hate.

Obedient Wife Club

2011-06-06T21:49:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Recently our news portals have been rife with news concerning the establishment of the "Obedient Wife Club". While I applaud the overall goal of the club, which is to prevent problems such as domestic violence, divorce and adultery, I don't think they are doing it the right way.

What the club is saying in a nutshell, is that wives must obey and fulfil their husbands' every demand in order to keep them from straying and falling into the arms of another woman. And yes, the club does refer to sexual demands as well. The club recommends that wives treat husbands "better than a first-class prostitute" to keep him happy.

The way I see it, the club believes that the purpose of women in marriage is to please the husband. And if the husband strays, it is the wife who is to blame, not the husband. That just seems wrong to me. Surely wives, women in fact are of more value than that? To say that the wife is merely there to please the husband and fulfil his every demand is just rubbish, like wives are merely tools the husband uses to please himself. I may not be an ustaz, but I believe Islam places more value on wives, and women than that.

This will only paint a more negative picture of how Islam treats women. I know many people disagree with what this club believes in, but when they get in the media for all the world to see, the damage has been done.

Women are not tools for men to use. Islam does not put women in such a position. Husbands and wives are equally responsible for keeping each other happy and for taking care of each other.

"......They are your garments and ye are their garments......"
Quran 2:187

Hell on Earth?

2011-06-05T22:51:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

The other day I was about to watch Hell's Kitchen with my parents. We didn't make it through the opening 5mins because my mum didn't like all the swearing. Anyway, my parents then started talking about how we are so used to referencing "hell" that it seems like we're not afraid of it anymore, "it" being hell.

It's an observation I think not many might have noticed. We say so many things referencing the unseen such as heaven, hell, angels and demons/devils, that we sometimes forget that those things are actually beyond our realm of understanding. By constantly referencing them, we are in danger of forgetting how grand they are in magnitude.

For example, we are used to people comparing beautiful scenery with heaven, often saying things like "heaven on Earth". When in fact, heaven is nothing like Earth. "Hot as hell"; no way can we compare how hot it is here to how hot it is in hell. The beauty we see in females on Earth is nothing compared to that of the beauty of the angels, similarly as evil as some people may be, none are more evil than syaitan himself.

These kinds of comparisons are made when we want to emphasise the magnitude of something. And by comparing to ultimate examples, such as heaven for beauty or pleasure, hell for torture or heat, devils for evil and angels for kindness, we are emphasising how high in magnitude something is. That's fine as long as we remember that despite these comparisons, the ultimate good (heaven and angels) and the ultimate bad (hell and the devil) are nothing like we experience on Earth.

The danger is that we are so use to referencing heaven and hell in our daily lives, that we no longer strive to get into heaven, and we are no longer afraid of going to hell.

Everyone Lies

2011-06-04T10:45:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Growing up we were all taught to never lie. We were told that honesty is the best policy and that once we lie, most likely we're gonna hafta lie again to cover it up. Lies perpetuate lies.

However as we grow older, lying becomes more common. We lie to parents, to friends, co-workers, bosses, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, wives, anyone and everyone. Its like my friends' imaginary boyfriend (House M.D) said, "Everyone lies".

Now just because everyone does it, doesn't make it right. But the fact is that everyone does lie. I was watching an episode of Bones earlier, and in this episode there was this group of people who basically, don't lie. They are brutally honest with everyone and as a result, one of the members got beaten up almost on a daily basis. Lost his job, his wife left him, his son wanted nothing to do with him, and eventually his honesty cost him his life.

Also during this episode, the importance of white lies surfaced. White lies are lies you tell to protect another person's feelings. Like if your friend baked you a cake for your birthday which you didn't really like, but you say it was delicious anyway to protect their feelings, that's a white lie. So the argument was that without white lies, society would be in chaos. If everyone told the truth everytime, we would live in a very angry world. Social life would be hell. And there is some truth to that I think.

So what's more important? Honesty or protecting someone's feelings? People like Simon Cowell or Gordon Ramsey will say that honesty is more important than people's feelings. As for me, I'm quite honest most of the time with my friends, sometimes I have been a bit too blunt and have hurt some people. But at the same time I do try to sugar coat my honesty, sometimes.

Like I always say, balance is key. It doesn't matter what we talk about, balance is always the best way to go. Like the cake example I gave above, I would say thanks, but maybe ask my friend to try another recipe because the cake wasn't the best I've tasted =p

What would you do?

Man or Woman?

2011-05-26T11:13:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Gender is something determined by genetics. The chromosome that determines gender is the Y chromosome. If its present, you're a guy; if not you're a girl. For those who believe in Darwinism, they will say chance determines a baby's gender. For those who believe in God, they will say that He decides the gender. In any case, once you're gender is determined, there's no turning back. Either chance has determined that you will be a guy/girl, or God has.

So why is it we have guys trying to be girls and vice versa? Gender like many other things determined by genetics can't be altered. You can't change the colour of your eyes, your blood type, your hair colour and definitely not your gender. No matter how you dress, what you do to your hair, what you change your name to, what hormones and drugs you take, you will always be what you were born as.

For those who believe in God, changing your gender is like saying that God made a mistake. To me, acknowledging that you are not the gender you were meant to be, is dismissing your belief in God. Because whoever believes in God, believes that He doesn't make mistakes. That's what I think anyway.

The usually mundane court complex was abuzz as the man, clad in a red and white kebaya, attended proceedings.

Ashraf Hafiz Abdul Aziz, 25, who also wore a pink headscarf, had applied to change his name to Aleesha Farhana Abd Aziz.

Source

People who are of a more, "open" understanding will say that people have the right to choose their gender. But people of faith, who believe that nothing in this world happens without the will of God, will say that God doesn't make mistakes. Trying to change your gender is acknowledging that God made a mistake. So if you believe in God and you still want to change your gender, you best be prepared to be held accountable.

Judgement Day Predictions

2011-05-25T21:42:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

There have been many people who claim they can predict when life as we know it will come to an end. Some of them are self-appointed prophets, some are fortune-tellers, some are even groups of scientists. One thing they all have in common, is that they will never get it right.

As crestfallen followers of a California preacher who foresaw the world's end strained to find meaning in their lives, Harold Camping revised his apocalyptic prophecy, saying he was off by five months and the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21.

Source

I bet when he's wrong again in 5 months he'll offer another excuse. All people of the book, as far as I know, believe in Judgement Day, and that no one knows when it'll be, except for God. In Islam, as highly as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is looked up to, even he has no knowledge on when this day will be.

I know many people just laugh when someone predicts when the day will come, but there are many followers of people like Harold Camping.

One reason why man doesn't know when the day will come, and its a good one, is that not knowing will make people more cautious. Not knowing when the day will come, and not knowing when we will die will keep us on our toes. We should not assume we will live a long life. For all we know, we could die tomorrow. We never know. There's a saying something like live today like its your last. That's the practicality of not knowing when we will die.

Men ask thee concerning the Hour: Say, "The knowledge thereof is with Allah (alone)": and what will make thee understand?- perchance the Hour is nigh!

Quran 33:63

Malaysia: A Drinking Nation?

2011-05-23T11:40:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Malaysia is by our government's own admission, an Islamic nation. A country where Islam is the official religion. To the eyes of the world then, I would assume that being ranked the 10th largest consumer of alcohol in the world comes as a bit of a surprise.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has been named by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the world’s 10th largest consumer of alcohol despite its small population and size.
Statistics by the international body this year also showed that Malaysians spent over US$500mil (RM1.5bil) on alcohol with a per capita consumption of seven litres.

Source

This is tricky. The majority of Malaysians are Muslim, so we assume (actually, we should expect) that they don't drink. A census in the year 2000 said Muslims make up approximately 60% of the population. I don't think this number changed that much in 11 years. So, either 40% of Malaysians (non-Muslims) drink so much, that they alone are responsible for making Malaysia the world's 10th largest consumer of alcohol or, we have Muslims contributing to that "achievement". It seems more likely to me that the latter is what's happening in Malaysia.

I don't think 40% of Malaysia, which is already "small in population and size" compared to other nations can account for the sales that was recorded. It's much more likely that Muslims are contributing to sales of alcohol as well.

Whatever the case, our government (the government of a Muslim nation) should be embarrassed at this statistic for making alcohol as "accessible" as it is in this Muslim nation. I know I am.

How Low Will You Go?

2011-05-17T20:08:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Sometimes, people can be really stupid. I mean really. We've seen videos on YouTube, even on some TV shows where people do really stupid things. Among them, jumping off rooftops to emulate professional wrestling, jumping topless into a bunch of cacti, throwing a water bottle at a moose in the wild, riding your bike down the stairs only to faceplant, even holding a lighter to your butt when you fart to get a fireball. I'm not lying. Those are real life examples of human stupidity.

Why do people do these things? I have no idea. Maybe some guys want to show off? Lost a bet maybe. Peer pressure? Wanting to fit in? Whatever the reason, I think the root of this desire to do crazy things is wanting to be noticed. Wanting to be the centre of attention.

Most times, these guys may get hurt, or end up hurting others. On the rare occasion though, the really stupid end up dead.

A new craze sweeping the Internet known as "planking" claimed a life in Australia Sunday and police fear the tragedy may not be the last.

"This morning we have seen a young man take this activity a step further and attempt to plank on a balcony. Unfortunately he has tragically fallen to his death," Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett said.

Source

For those of you who are new to the term, planking is basically lying down flat on your face and belly. You do it in/on a funny/unique place, get a friend to snap a picture, then you post in online. You can try Googling for images to see what its all about.

Now, what's so cool about lying down flat on your face? People will do anything I guess to get noticed. Lying down flat on your bed is one thing, to go up seven storeys and do it on a balcony is just plain stupid.

Why do we so badly want to be, I guess the word is, famous? Popular? Why stoop so low just to get people to notice us? If you really wanna be noticed, why not try to do something substantial and worthwhile instead?

Everyone I feel has an inner desire to feel important. To feel like they have contributed something to society. We want to feel like people care about us. So much so we write blogs about what we do on a daily basis. We tweet about what we had for lunch. We update our relationship status on Facebook. We all do something, just for a little attention. Its not wrong, I do it to. Everyone is entitled I think to a little boost to their self-esteem. But when people cross the lines and do ridiculously stupid things which are of no possible importance, and contribute nothing to society, that's wrong.

There will always be people doing stupid things to grab attention. All I can say is if you read this entry, I hope you won't be one of them.

The Grapevine

2011-05-09T20:10:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Have you guys ever heard that when you share good knowledge with someone, and then they share it with others, and they in turn share it with others and so on, that everyone involved in that grapevine (chain of information) will be rewarded?

I read an article this morning that my friend posted on Facebook. About a revert, how he reverted to Islam and some other stuff. There's one part of it that explains this grapevine thing..

“My introduction to Islam came from a little boy on the street in Cairo, cleaning shoes with small plastic flip-flops on his feet. He saw my white skin and greeted me with assalamu alaikum. For 40 years in Britain, I’d seen Muslims; I’d seen them in the streets, and I knew what the TV told me — that Muslims chop your hands off and they beat women, but that little boy started the whole journey off.” Tawfiq’s credits him with all that he has achieved.

“I told the audience at Manchester Metropolitan University about the boy. I told them that on Judgement Day he would get the shock of his life. His good deeds and bad deeds will be read out from a clear book, and when his good deeds are finished, he will think, ‘That’s all the good I’ve done in this life.’ But then the angels will read out the shahadas that have been declared because of him, the books that have been written on Islam because of him, the articles, the TV programmes, this interview itself—all because of him.

Funnily enough that this article spread through Facebook quite a bit, just like a grapevine.

Haris Akram via Imama Karim

Jazli Aziz via Haris Akram

Azniza Azrai via Jazli Aziz

M Nabil Mahamad via Azniza Azrai

News, gossip, rumours, information spreads quickly today. Facebook for example is more than just a place where you meet old friends and keep in touch. The 'news feed' really is a news feed. Everyone gets news from Facebook nowadays. I first found out about Osama's "death" on Facebook. When oil prices go up, I find out via Facebook. The scholarship I'm currently applying for; found it on Facebook. So with so many people on Facebook, reading your blogs, following you on Twitter, do try to spread some "spiritual" news, instead of just fun and entertainment. Who knows how many people you may reach out to.

How rude.....

2011-05-04T07:28:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

"Every generation says that the younger generation is so rude. Are manners being lost as human civilisation ages?

PS: We say the younger generation is rude, the older generations probably say the same about us haha.."

I wrote this on Facebook lastnight as a status update. It was meant to be a bit of a joke, perhaps even a little tongue-in-cheek. Surprisingly some of my friends made a few comments which suddenly turned it into a serious issue hehe..And from those comments, I got the idea for this entry.

One of the comments made was about how every time during Friday Prayers, the Imam would talk about the younger generation in a negative light. Some other comments then talked about how we cannot blame the younger generation entirely, because it is up to the older generation to educate them. So just as much as we blame the younger generation for the social ills we hear about in the news everyday, the older generation is just as guilty for failing to provide a proper upbringing for the youth.

And there is some truth to those comments I feel. Like my friend said about the Imam during Friday Prayers, I realised that everytime during the dua', the Imam will say "kembalikanlah generasi muda kita ke jalan yang engkau redhai", which loosely translated means "return our youth to the right path". So I always wondered, does that mean the older generations are already on the right path? Is the Imam trying to imply that only the youth of our country is misguided and that the adults are all perfectly on the "right" path? One look at the state of politics in Malaysia and you can tell how "on the right path" the adults are.

I've heard several times before, that when a student fails to learn something, it also means that the teacher has failed, because it is the teacher's responsibility to educate the student. I'm sure we've heard of parents blaming some teachers when their kids fail in school, even if the teacher is not to blame and the kid is the one who refuses to learn. But anyway, if we accept this mentality when it comes to the student-teacher relationship, why doesn't the same apply for the youth-adult dynamic? If teens are found to be lacking manners, social ethics and basic decorum, then shouldn't we look at their parents for failing to educate them properly?

I'm not pointing the finger at the older generation, nor am I saying that all teens are ill-mannered. I'm just providing a perspective from an in-between position. I'm not a teen, not yet an adult (no relation to Britney's song =p).

So where does this leave us? Adults need to realise that ill-mannered teens are a reflection of themselves to a certain extent. In order for the youth of our country to grow into responsible adults, the current crop of adults in society need to make sure they themselves are responsible enough first.

And to the people in my age range, the almost-adults, remember that as well when you have kids/students of your own.

Malaysia's Sex Scandal

2011-04-29T21:29:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I've said many times before, and people who know me know that I'm not politically-minded. But you don't need to be to see how embarrassing it is to be Malaysian, with a government and politicians who over the past few months (years even) have mostly just talked about sex.

While there are many (and I really mean many) other reasons for Malaysians to question our government, with the Lynas project in Kuantan as an example, their constant obsession with destroying the opposition leader through sexual accusations just gives Malaysians even more to be embarrassed and angry about.

Now I never analyse politics on my blog. So I won't start now. But what I am kinda iffy about, is that after publicly showing that sex tape, which in itself is already wrong, the film makers just today went to the masjid to swear on the Quran that it is indeed the opposition leader in that tape.

Now by watching a lot of TV, I know that in America at least, witnesses and defendants all swear by the Bible when taking the stand in court. That's how the justice system works there. But in Islam I'm not so sure if that is the case. I know that it is wrong to show porn in public. Even worse if you were involved in it just to trap someone and then bring them down. Then to go on into the masjid and swear on the Quran against the target? Seems to me like religion is being used as a political tool.

My friends told me that politics if done correctly the way Islam intended it to be, there will be no problems. Civilisations of the past where Muslims and non-Muslims peacefully co-existed is evidence of that. But when Islam is used as a political tool, and when politics are as filthy as pigs rolling around in the mud (pardon the comparison), even Muslims themselves can't stick together.

I'm not a political analyst. Just an ordinary Muslim, a Malaysian citizen embarrassed by our Muslim leaders.

Solat: The Pillar of Religion?

2011-04-29T09:35:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I met up with an old friend of mine yesterday after God knows how long. Had quite an interesting discussion. A few actually. When you meet up with old friends and all you talk about is politics and religion, you know you're old -_-'

So anyway, one of the things we talked about was people who appeared to be good Muslims at times, but at other times aren't. And also people who at first glance don't look like good Muslims, but actually are.

Normally, we would make the assumption that people who pray regularly 5 times a day, are good Muslims. And those who don't aren't. You would think that that is a fair assumption to make. I mean solat is after all one of the pillars of our religion. In Malay we also say it is tiang agama. I remember when I was in primary school, and I went to sekolah agama in the evenings, one of the ustaz said something like, solat is the pillar of Islam, and without it we don't have a solid foundation to build our religion on, or something like that. The same way we cannot build a sturdy building without strong pillars to support the foundation.

But today it seems like the importance and the significance of solat has somehow been lost in our community. No longer can we assume that everyone who prays is a good person. Sometimes, people pray just because they think they have to as a Muslim, but other than that they don't really practice Islam in their daily activities. Some people may pray, yet at night go clubbing. Some might pray, yet drink alcohol. Some might pray, yet be flirty with the opposite sex. Some pray, but dress inappropriately in public. You get my point?

There may also be some who see solat as a way of instant-sin-removal. They do all these things they shouldn't and so they pray to balance out the good-deeds bad-deeds scale. I wrote in an entry before about this, and to me its just like blowing up a balloon with a hole in it; you won't get anywhere. 1 + (-1) = 0.

I've seen videos of people praying in the streets. Praying on taxis. Praying on the grass. Praying in store rooms. We have the luxury of masjids and suraus almost everywhere we go. Yet somehow we have lost the true significance of solat.

Similar to how we can't assume that all girls who wear a tudung are good girls, we can no longer assume that everyone who prays is a good Muslim. And that's sad. Solat without significance in your life, is like constructing a building with pillars made of wet sand. Eventually it will all come crumbling down.

The Blame Game

2011-04-28T10:19:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Its human nature to blame others or to shift blame. Very rarely do we put our hands up and say "It's my fault". Everybody has pride, everybody has an ego. Even the best of us at one point or another always tries to shift blame when something goes wrong. Its only after a period of self-reflection that we sometimes turn around and realise that we are to blame for a mistake or something.

But in this modern day and age humans are finding another way of shifting blame. Not by blaming other people, but by blaming technology.

And one certain technological marvel that always seems to be blamed for everything is Facebook. In a recent article in The Star, Facebook was blamed for the rising number of divorces in Malaysia.

I don't think that it is ever fair to blame non-human elements for human mistakes. Guns can't be blamed for the high number of shootings in the USA for example. The law (made by humans) states that anyone can register a firearm. And in the end it is a human being who pulls the trigger anyway. We can't blame nasi lemak for obesity among school children. Parents are responsible for teaching them how to eat healthy. We can't blame the internet for the existence of pornography, do-it-yourself websites teaching you how to make bombs or even cyber crime. In the end, it always goes back to humans.

Saying that Facebook is responsible for divorce is not really a smart thing to say. Facebook is just a medium for people to interact. Without it, people still interact through other mediums.

In the end, we must always look at the human aspect of everything. Humans run this world we live in, not technology. Allah made humans the vicegerents of this planet for a reason, because we have the capacity to think. Its when we don't use that capacity correctly that problems start to happen. And when we start blaming technology for mistakes that humans make, we have to worry that pretty soon, humans will never be accountable for anything anymore.

Muslim Celebrities

2011-04-22T09:08:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Truth be told, here in Malaysia most celebrities who are Muslim, portray a bad image of Islam. Singers, actors, hosts who don't dress appropriately, who openly touchy-touchy with the opposite sex, who get "intimate" on screen and what not. Not all, but most are like that.

In an entry I wrote last year, I touched on how being born into Islam, is not the same as embracing Islam. Being born into Islam, does not automatically make you a Muslim, until you learn to embrace Islam. I also said that many of the better Muslims today are reverts, not people born into Islam. The same I think can be said of celebrities.

We've all heard of rappers embracing Islam. Here's a video of one who I think many of us will remember from a song he did with Usher.

When you are a celebrity, with the popularity and influence you have on people (especially the youth) in the society, you have the power to really make an impact, be it good or bad. Being a Muslim celebrity, you really have the power, the platform and the opportunity to perform dakwah.

It's a shame not many of our local celebrities fall into the "good impact" category.

When A Robber becomes a Muslim

2011-04-11T07:44:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

A few days ago, one of my friends posted a video on Facebook which reminded me of how Prophet Muhammad PBUH acted when dealing with non-Muslims in a way that made many of them want to embrace Islam.

I remember the story about how he fed a blind homeless man everyday even though the homeless man ridiculed him constantly. After the Prophet's passing, I think it was Abu Bakr who continued feeding the homeless man. Sensing the difference in how he was being fed, the homeless man asked, "Where is the man who has been feeding me all this while?" Abu Bakr replied, "He was Muhammad, and he has passed away". Upon hearing this, the homeless man cried and embraced Islam. I think that's the story. Forgive me if I got it wrong. But I think you get my point.

Here's the video of a modern retelling of this story, where a Muslim's kindness in giving a man food and money, led to him embracing Islam.

Some people write (like me), some people speak (tazkirah), but like that old saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

PS: Another friend of mine experienced something similar first hand, read her post here.

Front Row Seats!

2011-04-07T22:30:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Front row seats to any particular event are usually the most expensive tickets. A few good examples include front row seats to a concert and front row seats to a football match. Albeit the high prices, there are always those who will be willing to fork out the extra money to get as close to the action as possible.

Then again, there are certain events when people avoid the front row like the plague. Like in movie theatres. In class rooms (especially the guys). And to a lesser extent, when there are jemaah prayers. It kinda irritates me to see one guy pushing others to the front while he sits back.

When I was younger, I was told that kids need to pray behind the adults. I think most kids are taught this. While it may be true that kids should pray behind the adults, unfortunately as they get to the teenage/young adult stage of their life, they seem to fail to make that transition to the front row (saf).

If I am not mistaken, even though jemaah prayers is a 27x bonus compared to solo prayers, I think being in the first saf is even better, more afdhal. Correct me if I'm wrong.

In any case, if we are willing to pay top dollar for concert or football tickets, why not try our best to get in the front saf as well? Its free.

Exercising your Iman

2011-03-31T22:02:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

You know how when we exercise, we do what we can according to our current fitness level, and eventually the exercise gets more intense? If we start running for example, we normally just do a few laps first. And as we get fitter and build more stamina, we go on and do even more laps. When we start lifting weights, we start with relatively light weights, do a few reps. Eventually we get heavier weights, do more reps. We raise the bar, we progress.

If we do this for our health, we should do the same when it comes to our Iman, no?

When we want to start something, for example if we want to mengaji more frequently, we don't need to read 1 juzuk everytime. We can just as well start with a page or two, and as we get more fluent and start enjoying it, we can do more at a time. If a woman wants to start covering her aurat, she doesn't have to right away go for a jubah and purdah, although that would be highly ideal, its easier said than done. She can start by not wearing shorts or skirts. Stop wearing tight shirts. Start wearing baju kurung more often. The icing on the cake will be the tudung when she is ready. Aurat is more than just a tudung of course, but with the mindset of our society, the tudung seems to be the ultimate symbol of covering your aurat.

Enough about aurat. My point here is not about aurat, its about exercising in stages to develop your Iman, just as you would develop your health. When we exercise, its not important how much we do at one time, but that we continue doing it constantly. Similarly for our Iman, it doesn't matter if we recite 10 pages of the Quran one day, but don't recite any for the rest of the week. Nor if women cover their aurat immediately and fully after deciding to do so, only to slowly open up later. What is required is continuity.

We need continuity in our ibadah. Istiqamah.

Earth Hour

2011-03-26T22:48:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Earth Hour just passed. I was quite pleased to read this article about how many major shopping malls and hotels in Malaysia would be supporting Earth Hour. If these major corporations can make the effort to show some love for Mother Earth, why can't we do just the simplest of things to make a difference?

All Earth Hour is, is one hour without (or with minimal) use of energy. That's all it is. It's not that difficult to live in the dark for just one hour.

But just because it's called Earth Hour, doesn't mean it should stop there. What's the point in 'saving our planet' for one hour, if we ignore the call throughout the rest of the year? What we save in one hour won't make any difference if we really just observe one hour a year. All that's accomplished in one hour, can be undone the very next day.

8760. That's how many hours there are in a year. Is one hour a year enough to make a difference? It's a start, but it won't make any impact if we leave it at that. That's 0.01% of the year we dedicate to fixing our planet. Seriously, that's not enough.

Earth Hour should be about raising awareness for environmental issues we are all facing today. Its good if we observe Earth Hour and live in darkness for a while. But it'll be better if we continue the effort all year long. I'm not saying we should turn off the lights for one hour every day. But we should turn off the lights when we don't need them on. Turn off the TV when no one's watching. Recycle what you can instead of just throwing everything in the trash. Save fuel when you can. Fix a leaky tap. Use less/no plastic bags. Go paperless in class or in the office. There's so much more we can do apart from turning off our lights for one hour a year.

For every one person trying to make a difference, there are hundreds more who aren't. One hour a year is not enough to make a difference. You don't need to set aside a certain time and date to help save the planet.

Censoring the Uncensorable

2011-03-25T08:14:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

In the past, I wrote two entries on the issue of censorship is songs. The first was about censoring certain words, like "gun", words that refer to drinking, or Jewish words. The second, wasn't about censoring any words, but about not censoring entire songs, like Rude Boy by Rihanna or 3 by Britney Spears.

This time, it's about Lady Gaga. Now I'm not a fan. I think she's just rubbish to be honest. In the past, there was an abundance of good singers, who performed great songs. Now, Gaga leads the industry in the opposite direction. I'm sure most of you know about her latest song Born This Way which promotes homosexuality. In Malaysia, the radio stations censor parts of her song, trying to lessen the impact I guess. This made Gaga upset, and in response, she is encouraging the youth of our country to protest the censorship. When people in the Middle East are protesting against dictators and tyrants, she wants us to protest against censoring her gay song. Brilliant Gaga. Way to be a role model for little girls!

I've said in the past, censorship nowadays doesn't really work because of the internet. Movie channels can censor sex scenes or explicit language on TV, but we can just download an uncensored version of the movie from a torrent site. Radio stations can censor words in songs, but we can Google the lyrics online.

So why bother? I'll let Sue Sylvester tell you. This is an excerpt from Glee S02E05, "The Rocky Horror Glee Show". Basically, Will has his Glee kids perform songs with adult content, and Sue is telling him off for it.

Sue: You can't yell fire in a crowded theatre, and you cant expose kids to material like this, not on the taxpayers' dime.

Will: Oh please Sue! They have the internet, they are exposed!

Sue: Don't lead them to it! Don't make it okay! They're kids! And now more than ever high school is a dangerous place, and its our job to guide them through it safely.

With the internet, nothing is ever completely "censorable". Nonetheless, we must do our best to protect the young generation from inappropriate material, be it in movies, in songs or in video games. Songs that promote sex, homosexuality or any other inappropriate content shouldn't be on the air at all in my opinion.

For those looking in from the outside saying Islam is so strict and rigid that even music can't be enjoyed without any limitations, you tell me which religion freely promotes sex and homosexuality. Even in America, the "pioneers of free speech", don't Christians make up the majority of the population? I would think that they would be against this kind of "music" just as much as Muslims. Of course, that's only if they actually practice Christianity in the first place.

When Muslims stand up for the religion, it doesn't make them extreme. Its when you compare them to others who don't stand up at all that leads to that perception.

Who are you afraid of?

2011-03-21T08:35:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I remember my Standard 3 English teacher, can't remember her name, but I remember her. One of her favourite things to say to us in class was "Even if I can't see, who can see?? Allah can seeeee". Haha..still remember after all these years. She reminded us constantly about being good even if she, or any adults weren't around. Oh by the way, she was an Indian.

Ihsan I believe, is what we as Muslims are taught from young. To act as though Allah is right in front of us, even if we can't see Him. But it seems more and more obvious that most of us fear other humans more than we fear Allah.

Case in point.

A friend of mine said on FB in response to female Malaysian celebrities who don't dress Islamically, "byk je artis yg idiot camni. diorg cuma takut kena kutuk dgn peminat je. bukannya takut pada Allah. kalo diorg takut pada Allah, for sure diorg tutup aurat semua". (There are a lot of artists like this. They are scared of criticism from fans. Not scared of Allah. If they were, they would dress properly).

Celebrities, young couples, politicians, you name it. Most of us are more fearful of other humans, may it be the authorities, our parents, our friends, than we are of Allah. The reality of it is, we can run from the judgement of other humans, but we will never be able to run from the judgement of Allah.

Have You Read the Quran?

2011-03-14T10:20:00.006+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

My friend posted a video on Facebook, as well as her blog, and after watching it, I felt compelled to share it myself.

It's quite a long video, 1 hour 20 mins. It's about a young Christian, Joshua Evans, who found Islam by studying the Bible. Yup, the Bible. If you have the time you should watch the video.

Remember in my previous post, I said that by not allowing Muslims to read the Bible, we will not have any experts in comparative religion? Well this video shows again how reading various religious scriptures can make one an even stronger Muslim.

But what I really want to share with you in this post, isn't about reading other scriptures. I want to ask, have you ever read the Quran? If you watch the video you will know that the reason he studied the Bible was because his friend asked him, "Have you ever read the

Bible?". Read as in like you read a book or a novel. From front to back. We recite the Quran sure, but do we read it? From time to time we take the translation and look for a particular verse. But do we ever just pick up the translation and read it front to back? Like we would a book or novel? I'll be honest and say I have never done that.

So here's my challenge to my readers. Just how Joshua's friend challenged him to read the entire Bible start to finish, lets try to read the Quran start to finish. Not reciting (mengaji), I'm sure we do that almost everyday. Read. The translation. Read and understand just like we would any other book. I'll try to do so myself, and it might take some time, I'm not exactly a fast reader. But when I do eventually finish it, I'll let you know insyaAllah.

Challenge accepted.

Malay Bibles

2011-03-13T08:17:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

This issue about Bibles being printed in Malay has been going around for quite some time. I'm not sure if its because of the use of the word "Allah" in Malay Bibles, or whether its purely about the language.

If its about the word "Allah", then it would be easy to settle. Just use the word "Tuhan" instead. Tuhan is afterall the Malay translation of God. Allah is Arabic. If the Christians want to print Bibles in Malay, then use Tuhan. Simple as that.

If its purely about the language, then I think its quite petty really. Why can't the Christians print their Bible in Malay? I believe the Government is rationalising the ban by saying that they are protecting Muslims from converting to Christianity. That's quite dumb if you ask me. Like Malay's can't read English??

I understand the intention of protecting Muslims. But is it really necessary? I mean, if a Muslim's faith is weak, and they show no effort or intention to build it up, they will lose it eventually, regardless if they read the Bible or not. Fact is, I think its safe to assume that the average Muslim won't be in any danger of converting to Christianity even if Malay Bibles are made available. The faith of the average Muslim is not that weak.

Another thing. I don't think its fair to want to "prevent" Muslims from reading the Bible, or any other religious books for that matter. If that was the case, what would happen to comparative religion? The likes of Shah Kirit and Yusuf Estes wouldn't be as knowledgeable as they are if they weren't allowed to read scriptures of other religions. The best way to gain knowledge is by reading, even if its another religion's scripture, its still knowledge. By discouraging Muslims from reading the Bible, the government is indirectly discouraging Muslims from pursuing comparative religion studies. That's how I see it.

The Quran is printed in Malay and in English in Malaysia. Why can't Christians be given the same right? Does that mean Hindu scriptures can't be in either Malay or English as well?

I bet if Muslims saw a non-Muslim reading the Quran, they would be pleased to see the interest shown to learn Islam. But if a Muslim were to see another Muslim reading the Bible, they would look at it like, "What the hell are you doing???"

Let the Christians practice freely I say. There's no need for another inter-religious debate in our country.

A good experience..

2011-03-07T19:12:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Last weekend I went to The Gardens to watch "I am Number Four". This ain't a movie review so I'll move on =p

Movie was at 2.20pm, so after lunch me and my bro headed to the surau for Zohor. Normally, most people will be praying solo. It's not often there are jemaah prayers in public suraus. But that day was different. A dad and his kid were ready to pray, so too me and my bro. So we started jemaah, and it grew as more people joined.

Got me thinking. Its been a while since I joined a jemaah prayer in a public surau in a mall. It doesn't happen often enough.

Reminder to my readers; try to start jemaah whenever you can. You all know its better than flying solo.

What Made the Great Scholars of the Past so Great?

2011-02-28T20:24:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I'm currently assisting on a research project, and my main task is to read up on the history of scholars from the Golden Age of Islamic science. It gave me an opportunity to learn how much the great scholars of the past contributed to science and medicine, contributions that we overlook day after day.

What also amazes me, is how dedicated they were in their pursuit of knowledge. They didn't have the internet like we do. They had to look for physical books EVERY TIME they wanted to read works from previous scholars. And they didn't have Google translate either. They had to get works in foreign languages translated themselves. They didn't have the technology we have in labs today. Yet they were the ones who came up with all sorts of original ideas for experiments, using what ever they had at their disposal. They didn't have Facebook and e-mail to discuss theories with their colleagues. They had to meet everytime they wanted to discuss something.

And they didn't stop at pursuing knowledge. Nope. They went at lengths to share that knowledge with everyone. Some individuals, wrote hundreds of books. Thousands of treatises. And they didn't have typewriters or computers/laptops like we do. They had to actually WRITE what they discovered on paper themselves.

What about our generation today? How dedicated are we in our pursuit of knowledge? With the internet at our fingertips, how often do we use it for academic gain, as compared to entertainment? How much effort do we have to put in just to write a simple assignment? A lab report? A thesis?

With the technology we have today, we still make excuses for not studying. We still make excuses for not completing our assignments, we still complain about how difficult it is to gain academically. We don't realise how difficult it was back then for the likes of ibn Sina, al-zahrawi, al-razi. Without all the technology we have today, they contributed so much to science and medicine. It's not technology that moves knowledge forward, its the will to learn. And quite honestly, we have lost that will that made the scholars of the past so great.

Here is a short history lesson to end this post:

al-Jabr, a great Muslim chemist, wrote nearly 3000 treatises. He is credited with the synthesis of chemical compounds such as ammonia, acetic acid, sodium hydroxide, citric acid and tartaric acid.
al-Kindi was the first to apply mathematics to pharmacology, in other words, he developed the idea of quantifying the strength of drugs.
al-Razi, at a time before microbes were proven to exist, hung pieces of meat around Baghdad when asked to build a hospital. He eventually chose the site where the meat decomposed the slowest, indirectly applying the concept of airborne microbes in his methodology. He described the clinical differences of smallpox and measles. Nothing new has been added since.
al-Zahrawi was the world's first orthopaedic surgeon. He invented the method of reducing dislocated shoulders, known today as "Kocher's Method". He is the author of the first independent surgical treatise ever written in detail. He was also the first to provide illustration of surgical equipment, over 200, many which he himself invented.
ibn Sina's 14-volume masterpiece, The Canon of Medicine, comprising more than one million words, set the standards for medicine, from the time of its completion in 1025, all the way up to the 19th century. ibn Sina was such a respected and knowledgeable figure, we will forever be known as the "Prince of Physicians".

Gay Marriage in Islam

2011-02-20T22:53:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Have you ever wondered, how something so clear and unambiguous can be so wrongly misconstrued?

Something that has been so clearly pointed out, yet there are some who seem oblivious to it?

Islam and homosexuality do not mix. Islam has clearly stated that homosexuality is not allowed, with the people of Nabi Lut being a prime example.

Yet there are people in the UK, Muslims, who are fighting for gay rights, one of which, being the right to wed.

British gay Muslims seek Islamic weddings

One of the key advocates of Muslim gay marriage is the American Imam, Daayiee Abdullah - who himself is gay. He has performed a number of gay nikahs in America and has also advised gay British Muslim couples on how to perform the ceremony.

"Since Islamic legal precedence does not allow same sexes to wed, Muslim societies make it a legal impossibility within Islam [but] by not allowing same-sex couples to wed, there is a direct attack on the Koran's message that each person has a mate who is their 'comfort and their cloak'."

Source

Haih. When Muslims are fighting for gay equality, and Imam's are using the Quran to justify their misconduct, it makes you kinda lose hope and feel sad with how Islam has fallen.

Double Standards

2011-02-16T11:06:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Nothing really new to write about. But something that happened recently did get my mind wondering a bit.

You know how this past week, some politicians have been disagreeing about the status of V-Day in Malaysia, or more specifically in Islam's perspective. We have some ustaz's and ustazah's saying its not encouraged for Muslims to celebrate, to my understanding even Imam Muda said the same thing. Now here's the problem, why is it that when it comes to religion, everyone thinks that they have the authority, or the knowledge to challenge the opinions of religious leaders/experts?

When you choose to go to a doctor because you're sick, you won't challenge the doctor's advice right? You trust their expertise. When you ask a nutritionist how to eat healthy, you won't mock them when they say to stop eating fried foods, you know they know more about it than you do. Yet when it comes to religious issues, like V-Day, or how smoking is haram because it causes bodily harm, or how women who don't cover their aurat say "takpe, Tuhan tak tengok luaran, Dia tengok dalaman", it seems like everyone is qualified to challenge what the ulamak says.

Every field has experts, even religion. Yet when the experts in religion say something, it seems like anyone can challenge their opinion. Yes everyone is entitled to their own personal opinion, but when our opinion differs from that of the experts, we need to be open minded to the possibility that we are most likely wrong on the matter.

There seems to be double standards when it comes to accepting religious rulings.

Don’t play moral police, SIS tells PAS

2011-02-10T09:44:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Just yesterday I wrote about why I don't encourage the celebration of V-Day by Muslims. Today I read online that SIS was discouraging PAS from carrying out checks/raids to prevent immoral activities from happening.

Its media and communications senior programme officer, Yasmin Masidi, said moral policing was against Islamic values and fundamental liberties.

She added: “It violates personal dignity and privacy, which is forbidden in the Quran and Hadith.”

Source

I believe the Quranic verse referred to is this one:

O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion as much (as possible): for suspicion in some cases is a sin: And spy not on each other behind their backs. Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, ye would abhor it...But fear Allah. For Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.

Quran 49:12

So SIS is saying that spying on others is wrong. But isn't it also wrong to ignore maksiat yang berleluasa when we know it is happening?

Here is how I see it. Yes spying in wrong. Spying like installing hidden cameras and mics in hotel rooms, looking into hotel rooms from a building across the street using binoculars, peeking into neighbours' houses. That is spying. Observing others without their knowledge and consent.

But if the authorities have reason to believe that a group of people are planning a V-Day "get together" at a closed venue, is it not then their duty to apprehend those involved? Or if we go to a shopping mall car park and see a young couple making out in a car, should we not stop them?

Spying may be wrong, but if we are well informed of a planned sexual-activity, or if we see with our own eyes through no act of spying maksiat happening at that very moment, should we not interfere?

When the authorities carry out raids at hotels, I don't see it as an invasion of privacy. If they knock on the door and inspect rooms with the consent of the occupants, that isn't an invasion of privacy in my opinion.

As far as this article goes, stating that PAS plans to go out to popular love-sites and distribute flyers and such, I see no reason why SIS would be against it. There is no invasion of privacy when you are in public.

Bottom line is this. SIS says that what PAS plan to do is un-Islamic. But which is worse? Making the effort to prevent/discourage youth from engaging in sexual activities, or allowing them the "right" to their privacy, which will lead to even more baby dumpings in the future?

Valentines: Here We Go Again

2011-02-09T18:16:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Every year come February, we are sure to hear the same old argument about whether or not Valentine's Day should be practised in a Muslim community/country. Here in Malaysia, where we have both Muslims and non-Muslims, it becomes tricky. Some non-Muslims don't really understand why some people feel that V-Day should be disallowed. Heck, we even have Muslims who are pro V-Day. Most arguments stem around the history of V-Day. How it was "created", and the Christian influence it has. I'm not gonna get into that. I'm just gonna try and rationalise why I think, we should not promote V-Day to the younger Muslim generation.

What exactly is V-Day all about? Love? Romance? Here are some news articles related to what most people believe V-Day is all about.

“For example, several years ago, a hotel in Kuala Terengganu offered free rooms for 100 couples on first-come-first-served basis.

“Last year, there was a campaign to promote a no-panties day in conjunction with Valentine’s Day,” he said.

Source

A shop in the US state of Alabama on Tuesday launched a Valentine's Day offer it hopes will trigger a large response in a limp economy: customers can swap their guns for sex toys.

Source

What's the theme in these two excerpts? Sex. Oh wait, you know what one of the new movies to be released Valentines week this year is? No Strings Attached. You know what it's about? Friends with benefits, which eventually I assume will lead to a romance. Weird this kind of movie is released Valentine's week don't you think?

Some purists will believe that V-Day is not all about sex. They will say that it's about love and romance. Well the reality of it is that the majority of the world's population although they may initially relate V-Day with love and romance, still relate it with one other thing; sex. And that is not something we want to be promoting to the youth of the Muslim population in Malaysia.

Our youth has been exposed to enough sex-oriented movies and music. Do we really need a "holiday" which promotes the same? Kids nowadays don't need another excuse to mess around. They can do so anywhere anytime.

SEVERAL couples have been spotted using the emergency lane of the Kajang-Seremban Highway (Lekas) to smooch.

The lonely stretch is being used as a lovemaking point from midnight to 3am, reported Berita Harian.

Source

V-Day may have originally been a holiday for people truly in love to express their feelings with one another. But in today's world, I just think it does more harm to our youth than good.

As for the married population, you don't need to wait for the 14th of February to buy flowers and chocolates for your loved ones. You can do so anytime throughout the year.

I know the same arguments will arise again next year, but for what it's worth, I am still against V-Day.

The Worst Brings out the Best in People

2011-02-03T15:24:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I'm sure everyone by now knows about the turmoil in Egypt. Anti-government protests have been raging on for the past few days now. But its nice to know that amidst the turmoil and chaos, there is still a ray of hope for inter-religious peace.

Christians protecting Muslims as they pray

Source

May Malaysia one day experience the same religious tolerance as epitomised in this picture, instead of all the dirty politics that go on using religion as justification.

Interracial Integration: Where to Draw the Line?

2011-01-31T07:43:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Lee Kuan Yew was in the headlines this past few days for some comments he made in his book "Hard Truths To Keep Singapore Going". Those of you who know me know that I'm not into politics. So I won't be making a political analysis of his statements and what not. But I will write about an issue he brought up in his book, the lack of integration between Muslims and people of other faiths.

In the book, Mr Lee made the comments when asked to assess the progress of multiracialism in Singapore.

“I have to speak candidly to be of value, but I do not want to offend the Muslim community,” said MM Lee.

“I think we were progressing very nicely until the surge of Islam came, and if you asked me for my observations, the other communities have easier integration — friends, intermarriages and so on, Indians with Chinese, Chinese with Indians — than Muslims. That’s the result of the surge from the Arab states,” said the former Prime Minister of Singapore.

“I would say today, we can integrate all religions and races except Islam. I think the Muslims socially do not cause any trouble, but they are distinct and separate,” he added.

He also said, “But now, you go to schools with Malay and Chinese, there’s a halal and non-halal segment and so, too, the universities. And they tend to sit separately so as not to be contaminated. All that becomes a social divide.”

He added that this becomes a “veil” among peoples. When quizzed on what Muslims can do to integrate better, he replied, “Be less strict on Islamic observances and say ‘Okay, I’ll eat with you.’”

Source

Interracial integration. Seems like most people when they hear this kind of topic they think of Muslims and Islam. I believe many non-Muslims feel that Islam is a religion which makes interracial integration, or even socialising with people from different faiths difficult. That may be true, but difficult I don't think because of the religion itself, but because people fail to be tolerant towards Islam and its teachings.

One common factor in these situations seems to be food.

A few years ago, my neighbour had a CNY jamuan at his house. I think it was, or maybe it was just a house-warming or something. Anyway, he invited all the neighbours, which included Muslim families as well. Now some might think that this is a potential flashpoint. Muslim families eating with Chinese families. But during the event, the hosts catered from halal Muslim caterers. Flashpoint averted.

2 years ago, IIUM Kuantan Campus organised an interfaith dialogue and invited people from other religions as well, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus etc. Food that was catered was halal of course, but for the Hindus we even prepared a vegetarian menu just for them. Again, flashpoint averted.

There will be no problem in integration, if everyone learns to tolerate other religions' obligations. Muslims can't eat pork (or anything non-halal), Hindus can't eat beef (to my understanding), so if you want to host a jamuan for people from different faiths, just make sure that everyone's needs are met.

There's nothing wrong if a Malay, a Chinese and an Indian go eat together at a mamak shop while watching football. Nothing wrong if Malays, Chinese and Indians go watch movies together. Nothing wrong if they go shopping together or go bowling together.

I do want to stress one thing. Religion and race are NOT the same. Malay, Chinese and Indian are races. Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are religions. Religious issues cannot be integrated. You can't ask a Muslim to eat at a non-Halal restaurant in the name of unity. That does not mean a Chinese family can't be invited to a Malay wedding.

Interracial integration can be achieved, as long as everybody is tolerant towards each other's religion.

The World is a Neutral Place

2011-01-23T07:56:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Everyone I'm sure is familiar with the "why-is-God-doing-this-to-me" feeling. We are often confronted with such events, and while some may be easier for us to navigate, others may seem a little too hard to handle. But like I've said before, and I'm sure many of you have already heard, Allah never puts a burden on us which we cannot bear.

"On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear....."
Quran 2:286

So that's always a good way of looking at things. Another is expecting great rewards from the tests we are put through. Like, waiting for the silver lining behind each cloud.

"So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief:"
Quran 94:5

Another way we can look at these burdens, or tests, is from a neutral perspective. We always tend to label things that happen to us as either good, or bad. And these labels are somewhat universal for everyone. Like getting a promotion at work is a good thing. Losing your handphone is a bad thing etc. But if these "labels" are universal for everyone, why do some people react differently to them after a certain period of time?

A promotion may seem good at first, until we realise all the extra responsibilities and headaches it comes with. Losing a handphone may seem bad at first, but we forget all about it once we get a new more advanced smartphone. So are these labels interchangeable? Can a burden turn out to be a blessing and vice versa? That may be the case sometimes. Or, we can look at everything from a neutral perspective.

In November I attended a conference on the science of traditional healing practices. One very interesting talk was given by a researcher from UMT I think it was. He had a very interesting principle which he shared, and that is that everything that happens to us is neutral in nature, neither positive nor negative. It's how we react to these neutral events that determine their nature. Whether they are a positive or a negative experience.

Take a demotion at work for example. Seems like a negative experience, and it will be if we allow it to keep us down, if we avoid any further responsibility, and if we choose to sit back and stay at the bottom of the corporate ladder. But if we look at it as a challenge, we work hard to get back on top, we put in more effort in the office and take the initiative, we might end up higher up the ladder than we were initially.

My sister was involved in a debate at school, on the topic of suffering, whether it makes people better or not. I gave her a few superhero examples for an introduction. Bruce Wayne wouldn't be Batman if his parents weren't murdered. Peter Parker wouldn't use his powers for good and Spiderman wouldn't exist if his uncle wasn't murdered. Tony Stark wouldn't create the Ironman suit if he wasn't abducted in the Middle East (movie references hehe).

Positive reactions make for positive actions. React negatively to something, and it will become a negative experience.

But I don't drink!!

2011-01-15T17:52:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

A few days ago, my friends and I were having dinner before a movie, and there was a pretty heavy topic we discussed about. One of my friends asked whether it was OK or not for Muslims to work in certain places, and the places in question were retail shops, music shops, and supermarkets/hypermarkets. Retail shops, like Topshop or Padini, because we might end up selling clothes that do not cover our aurat properly (referring to female clothing), music shops because we would be selling music, which some people consider melalaikan, and supermarkets because we might be handling transactions of alcohol. Most of these cases might not actually happen on a daily basis, but the possibility is always there. And if we are faced with such situations, most of us will just turn a blind eye. If the customer is a non-Muslim its not really an issue, the issue only arises when we are selling to Muslims.

Then yesterday, I read this in The Star:

SUBANG JAYA: A public outcry has erupted following a move by the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) to ban Muslims from working at entertainment outlets with liquor licences. The council is facing pressure to rescind the controversial ruling.

Now for me, the ban is a good thing. Dealing with alcohol should be avoided at all costs. I know the typical response will be "But I don't drink, I just sell!". I would expect drug dealers to say the same thing when they are busted, "But I don't smoke it! I just sell it!!"

Drugs abuse (cocain, meth etc.) is not the only illegal aspect of it. So is the possession, intention to distribute, and dealing of it. So when it comes to drugs, even the dealers are put behind bars. For Muslims, it should be the same when it comes to alcohol. Drinking is of course forbidden, but so to is the possession, intention to distribute and dealing of it, i.e. working in pubs and bars. It's common sense really, if Muslims are not allowed to consume alcohol, we should not be allowed to sell it either.

I don't think that those are the only jobs available in the entire job market. So the "there's no where else to work" excuse is rubbish in my opinion.

I say the ban should not only be upheld by MPSJ, but should be enforced nationwide. Leave the clubs and pubs for the non-Muslims. We Muslims shouldn't be involved in anyway.

Why the Lack of Suraus?

2011-01-08T18:08:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

One thing I dislike about most public suraus, normally in shopping malls, is the smell of feet. Serious, no joke. But that really can't be helped. Another thing I dislike, is that most malls today (in Malaysia at least) have the tiniest of suraus! The mall itself is normally huge, with hundreds of shops, restaurants and stalls, meant to accommodate hundreds of parking bays, and thousands of people (mostly Muslim Malays who need to pray 5 times a day) on a daily basis. Yet the suraus normally can accommodate at most about 50 people. And to make matters worst, normally, there are only one or two of these small suraus in each mall.

Why can't there be a bigger surau? Or at least more? Like one on each floor or something? Either one big surau that can fit a lot of people, or a lot of small ones located at each end of the mall or on each floor. I thought we live in an "Islamic nation", don't we?

The Arabs seem to get it right.

"The Abraj al-Bait complex will house a giant shopping mall, over 2,000 hotel rooms, two helipads and a prayer area that can fit 30,000 people."

Source

Digital Salam

2011-01-02T22:47:00.001+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I'm sure many of us have been taught then when greeted by someone, or more specifically, when someone offers us salam, we should reply in equal, if not better.

"When a (courteous) greeting is offered you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous, or (at least) of equal courtesy. Allah takes careful account of all things."
Quran 4:86

Most of us have no problem with this in real-life. But in the cyber world, it's a different story. E-mails, SMSes, chats, blogs, when we are greeted by a salam in these media, how often do we actually reply in equal or better?

If someone sends us an SMS that starts with "Assalamualaikum", how often do we actually reply with "wa alaikum salam"? We might just reply "wslm" most of the time, right? Sometimes we might not even reply the salam.

I've made the mistake of not replying a full salam on this blog before in a comment. My mother had to point it out to me, so I corrected it -_-'

So now I'm extending her advice to the rest of you. Don't be stingy in giving and replying salam just because its online, or an SMS. The same rules still apply when sincere salam is given, regardless of the medium of communication.

The Universal Pout

2010-12-25T09:16:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I previously started watching the series Lie To Me, and quite honestly I'm a little addicted. Learning how to spot lies is kinda cool, and together with Criminal Minds makes for a great "unofficial" social studies-type class. You won't get a degree sure, but its better than nothing. One of the main principles in Lie To Me, is that facial expressions are universal. Everyone no matter race, age, religion, nationality, they all show the same facial expression when feeling the same emotions. A teenager when asked if doing drugs by a parent will show the same facial expression as a celebrity if asked by a reporter if s/he had an affair, if they are both guilty.

Now, keep this principle of universality in mind for my next point.

Have you ever wondered why most women, not all but most, especially the younger Malay generation are so fond of taking pouting (muncung) pictures?? This seems to be universal when it comes to young Malay girls. Non-Malays not so much.

I mean, I'm just throwing out a theory here, but do girls feel, "sexy" when they do that? Is the "kissing lips" face a sign of sexuality? Assuming it is, is it because Malay girls aren't allowed to dress in skirts and tight clothes, and they compensate with the pout? I don't think so because even girls who don't cover their aurat pout in pictures. I really don't understand this weird phenomena =p

"Why" aside, I do have one concern. I don't have a problem with women posting their pictures on Facebook or the internet in general, women have every right to just as much as men. But what I'm worried about are these pouting pictures. Whatever the reason behind it may be, you can't deny that the most common, or "universal" purpose of such photos are to grab the attention of men. Even if that wasn't the initial intention of the pouter, as a guy I can't deny that those pictures are attention grabbers. I don't like it when women post those pictures on Facebook, quite honestly I find them annoying, but I always notice them nonetheless.

So here's my final word on the matter. I don't know why women do it, but I would suggest to them to not post those pictures on the internet. Or even anything remotely "sexy" or attractive. The world is full of sickos and guys who love pictures of hot, sexy women. Who knows, some of your friends might even have a secret collection of your photos and you know nothing about it. No point in covering your aurat, protecting your humility if you post your attractive pictures on Facebook for everyone to see.

Islam and Knowledge

2010-12-23T16:17:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I've talked about science from an Islamic POV quite a few times, most recently here. But on my recent Facebook status another discussion ensued, and I recalled an episode of "Bones" where a Muslim intern working at the Jeffersonian (an anthropologic institute) was explaining to his colleagues how he can balance both a rational scientific mind with an Islamic lifestyle. Here's an excerpt of the script:

HODGINS: How do you balance an archaic religious belief with a life devoted to science?
ARASTOO: This discussion is exactly what I hoped to avoid.
CAM: It's not our fault you let the accent slip.
ARASTOO: There's no conflict between Allah and science. Allah created the mystery of the world, and science struggles, and mostly fails, to explain it. But the search for truth is honorable, and I honor Allah through the search for truth.

Islam and science are not contradictory. Neither is Islam and economics or Islam and politics. Every aspect of knowledge can be, and is related to Islam. Its human error that makes them unmixable.

Familiarity breeds Carelessness

2010-12-21T23:45:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I was reading an article online about the recent tragedy involving a bus and how its being deemed the worst road accident in Malaysian history. The author wasn't really reporting on the accident, but more on why such incidents occur. One factor he gave was the fact that because land transportation has become so frequent, we tend to take the whole process for granted. Especially the safety component of travel. I can see his point.

As a counter argument, he said that when it comes to air travel, before every single flight, there is a safety briefing by the cabin crew. Before every flight, the planes are checked. Its the same regardless of where the planes are going, what time the flight is, how long the journey will take. If air travel is this particular about safety, why are we not about land travel, even though we travel on land much more frequently than we do compared to air? And as a side note, you will never ever hear a news report about a commercial plane being flown by a pilot without a license. Unlike bus drivers who have been caught driving without a license. I'm just saying.

When we get comfortable doing something, we tend to go into autopilot when we do it. Being on autopilot makes us less vigilant, we don't focus as much as we should and we tend to get careless. This is human nature I guess. It might take some will power to override autopilot, but one thing we should always remember, is to recite Bismillah before doing anything, even the things we usually do on autopilot.

Driving. Studying. Cooking. Working. Ironing. Washing dishes. Doing the laundry. All seem quite mundane, but anything can go wrong if we aren't careful. That's why we should do everything in the name of Allah by reciting Bismillah.

A simple measure we can take to make our lives that little bit safer. Don't forget to recite Bismillah before your next drive, before your next flight, and especially before your next bus ride.

Respecting the Azan

2010-12-14T06:49:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

When I was in Kuantan, one of the places I usually went to watch football is a place called Celup, which is located right next to the masjid. One of the things I really respect about this place is that when the azan is heard, they mute the TV until the azan is finished, respecting the azan. It's not something we really think about, preach or practice in our society today.

I once heard that we should give the azan our utmost respect and attention, so much so that even if we are in the middle of reciting the Quran, we should stop to respond the the call. How many of us actually stop what we are doing when we hear the azan? I gotta admit, even I don't stop what I'm doing all the time. This is as much a reminder to myself as it is to others.

We fail to acknowledge the importance and significance of the azan. I wrote a post once about how the times of prayer around the world are so elegantly in sync that there isn't a moment in time where this Earth does not hear the azan. One more thing about the azan we don't really think about is that even in this modern age with technology doing practically everything, making our lives easier, the azan is still recited by a bilal for every single prayer. Just think, it would be easier to install a PA system connected to a computer that plays the azan everytime masuk waktu. Yet the bilal, ever since 1400 years ago still recites the azan every single time.

The azan is only like 5mins. It shouldn't be that hard to show your respect for that long should it? We don't even need to stand at attention like we do for the national anthem. If we can stand for the duration of the anthem, the azan really does deserve more.

Child Marriage

2010-12-13T07:35:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Malaysia has been in a bit of a debate about the concept of child marriages after 14-year-old Siti Maryam Mahmood (Maya) got married to 23-year-old Abdul Manan Othman earlier this year on October 22nd. Some are even claiming it is nothing more than a "legal" form of paedophilia.

Here's my take. For the non-Muslims I can understand their concerns. Child marriage may not be something they are familiar with. What I don't get is why some Muslims are concerned. After all, our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) married Aisyah (may Allah be pleased with her) when she was still very young. So to me, Muslims who don't agree with this marriage, don't agree with what our Prophet did earlier either. Also from a religious perspective, the marriage is completely legit (halal). There's nothing wrong with it from a religious point of view, so those who oppose it can be seen as opposing something our religion allows, mengharamkan yang halal.

Rationally on the other hand, yes paedophilia is a serious issue that should not be taken lightly, but this marriage is not a paedophilic act in my opinion because all parties involved welcome the union with arms wide open. Both families agreed, Maya was not pressured into it, there is no "sexual component" as far as we know that played a hand in the marriage, so why create a fuss? And based on the interviews she gave, Maya seems like a very mature individual despite her young age. It's better for them to marry young instead of having all kinds of slander thrown at them by outsiders looking in. And it's also better to marry young instead of getting knocked up and dumping your baby in a dumpster, which sadly seems to be the norm nowadays.

The divorce rate in this modern age is extremely high to my understanding, and these marriages usually happen in the "normal" age rage. So age may not be as important a factor in divorce cases. Its not fair to assume the same will happen to this newly-wed couple just because Maya is younger.

Leave them be. Whether Allah blesses their marriage or not, its none of our business. We should not interfere regardless.

Balance

2010-12-03T15:55:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Last week I attended the 3rd International Conference on Advancement in Science and Technology (iCAST) and I even presented a paper. So while preparing for my presentation, I showed my slides to a friend asking for an opinion, and he asked me "Is this an Islamic conference or something?", while referring to my slide with Quranic verses that I used to incorporate an Islamic perspective into my presentation. I said no. It may have been organised by IIUM, but it was open to everyone including non-Muslims, we even invited non-Muslim speakers and students to the conference. I told him "Just because it's a scientific conference, doesn't mean we should ignore the Islamic aspect of science". He told me "You should put that in your blog", so I did.

As Muslims we need to remember that Islam is more than just a religion, its a way of life, and everything we do can be related to Islam, even science. That's what IIUM means by Islamisation of knowledge I believe. Islam should not be practiced only in masjids and suraus, not only on Friday, and not only in Ramadhan. We should not act "Islamic" only when we pray or mengaji. Being Muslim is a full-time thing, not part-time and not based on a contract. We tend to forget that sometimes.

However, there are some people who take the "full-time" thing a bit too far, and live only for Islam and neglect every other worldly thing. No music, no "western dressing", no standing for the national anthem even. True, Islam is and should be #1 on our priority list, but moderation works both ways; we can't be too duniawi, and we can't be too Islamic (some may term this as extremism). Balance like I say all the time, is the key to everything. Students shouldn't be too nerdy and study around the clock, at the same time they shouldn't be too laid back either. Its OK to eat junk food and fast food once in a while, as long as we stay fit and eat healthy every other time. The same should go with our way of life, its OK to have fun, as long as we do it how Islam teaches us. We should work towards jannah, but at the same time not at the expense of a comfortable life. The concept of balance can be summed up by the following verses;

"O ye who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic): That is best for you if ye but knew! And when the Prayer is finished, then may ye disperse through the land, and seek of the Bounty of Allah. and celebrate the Praises of Allah often (and without stint): that ye may prosper." Quran 62:9-10

So remember, Islam is a part of everything we do, but remember to maintain a good balance, like Hannah Montana said, "You get the best of both worlds".

Of the Two Eids

2010-11-19T07:15:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

In Malaysia, we're known as people who celebrate every national holiday/celebration, regardless of race or religion. Some say its good, it promotes inter-racial tolerance and really personifies the 1Malaysia spirit. Others say cultural festivals are alright to be celebrated by all, but religious celebrations should be kept to one's own religion.

That issue aside, within Islam itself, we have two major celebrations, Eidul Fitri and Eidul Adha. What concerns me is when some Muslims celebrate other holidays on a much larger scale than they do our own celebrations. In fact between the two, Eidul Adha is dwarfed by Eidul Fitri, here in Malaysia at least.

Before Eidul Fitri, we have all kinds of signs that the holiday is coming, raya songs playing everywhere, raya sales, people start asking what colour your baju raya is this year. What happens before Eidul Adha? Almost nothing. People go to lengths to make Eidul Fitri a grand celebration, with the Malaysian favourite the open house, redecorating their houses and such. Yet for Eidul Adha, not everyone makes the same effort.

Eidul Adha should be celebrated just as grand as Eidul Fitri. Take a look at what each celebration represents. Eidul Fitri, our personal victory over temptation for an entire month. Eidul Adha, personal sacrifice for the religion. Why should one be more important than the other?

Both major holidays are of great importance and significance to the religion, and should be celebrated as such. We should really be worried when we start making other celebrations more important than our Eid.

The Value of A Woman

2010-11-09T17:32:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Some people may question the rationale behind Islam requiring their women to dress covered from head to toe. Some call it oppressive. They say women should be free, should be able to parade their body in public if they want to, but what does that say of the intrinsic value of a woman?

Is a woman's value placed solely on her looks? Does a woman's appearance represent her ability to contribute to society? Is a woman with curves any better than an overweight woman?

Islam teaches us not to look solely at a being's physical appearance. Women are held in high regard in Islam. Hence, women are encouraged to dress moderately, and show the world what they are capable of using their wits, their intellect and their minds, not their bodies.

Why should women be used like marketing tools? A large number of advertisements use women as models, be it TV or advertisement boards. It's like a woman's body is nothing more than a piece of meat used to make a profit. Isn't that oppressive??

A women who uses her body to get noticed, will only be noticed for her body, and nothing else. Might sound harsh, but that's how the world mostly is.

Tudung Fashion?

2010-11-02T00:15:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Sorry ladies, this entry will be a bit gender-related. Not that I'm intentionally targeting the women, but when it comes to the issue of tudung fashion, it's best to go straight to the source.

Busana Muslimah, that "Islamic" fashion show that our first lady was in charge of, to me it painted a misguided image of Islam. Westerners believe that the way Islam makes women dress is oppressive. It denies women the right to be pretty, the right to feel confident about their appearance, the right to dress as they please. Maybe this was one reason the fashion show was carried out, to show that Islamic dressing can be fashionable. Unfortunately, the fashion wasn't Islamic. In fact the models weren't even covering their aurat properly. And interviews on TV, where the people involved were talking crap about how they want to show that Islam can be fashionable, Islam does not oppress women, how Islam can be "modern", only made issues worst. Just because something has the name "Islamic" in it, doesn't make it right. The fashion show was a disgrace, tarnishing the pure name of Islam, and obliterating the single most important role of covering your aurat; humility.

Islam teaches us to dress humbly. Modestly. Not in ways that attract too much attention to ourselves. Not in ways that are meant to sexually attract the opposite sex. What's the point of wearing a tudung, in an attempt to cover your aurat, if the rest of your attire is meant to attract attention? Tight pants, tight shirts, what's the point in a tudung if you show your body anyway?

The "tudung fashion" has become a hot market today. All kinds of tudungs. All meant to attract attention. The best way to wear a tudung in fact is in a way that does NOT attract attention. The tudung is not just a cloth you use to cover your hair. It's a symbol for a Muslimah that she is protecting herself from the impure thoughts of man. That she is humble, modest and does not put her physical appearance as a priority. The tudung is supposed to be a shield for the women from unknown men, not bait.

On Facebook, there's some kind of contest going on. Fashion bertudung or something. Women post their pictures, and ask for votes. Sure, bertudung. Like I said earlier, with tight pants and shirts, what's the point of your tudung? What's the point of your tudung if you publicly promote yourself in the contest? How is the tudung working to protect your modesty and humility?

I understand the need for women to want to look nice. When women look nice, the feel good, they feel confident. Getting praised for how you look, every women likes that. But at what cost? Your humility and modesty?

Just because a fashion show has the name "Islamic" in it, doesn't make it Islamic. And just because a model wears a tudung, doesn't make her an "Islamic" model. Just another model.

Temptation

2010-10-31T07:50:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I went to the movies yesterday with my sister. While purchasing our tickets, the guy behind the counter offered us couple seats. Funny. Told him she was my sister and he apologised. No big deal.

But later I thought to myself, temptation can come in all sorts of forms. If the guy were to offer couple seats to an actual couple (Muslim), I think 8 out of 10 couples might follow through.

We can't blame temptation if we go down that path. Humans can be weak at times. Given the right (or should I say, wrong) conditions, humans can fall to temptation.

So we stay away when we can. If we are on a diet, we wouldn't go to a place like Dunkin Donuts or Secret Recipe with all the sweets on display. If we need to save money, we shouldn't go to a mall and window shop. If we have exams, we "should" stop playing games and such.

Islam doesn't just say to not do certain things, but also not to come near it. Avoid temptation in the first place. That's the best way to protect ourselves.

Prayer Times, The Azan, and Movies

2010-10-24T20:17:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Time management is an issue that many people encounter daily. Some are punctual, disciplined and well-organised. Others are almost always late, lack self-discipline and go with the flow. Group activities are often disrupted by those who aren't punctual. Classes are interrupted, meetings start late, dinners get cold.

Yet for certain events, people seem to always be on time. Examinations, express bus trips, movies, to watch football matches. The main difference between the type of events people are willing to be late for, and those they can't risk being late for, is that the latter will normally start without delay, or without having to wait for anyone. Movies will start regardless if all ticket holders are in the cinema, express buses won't wait long, and examinations start on time even if some students are still missing.

My question is this; is it this mindset that leads to us delaying our prayers?

We know we have until the next waktu to pray, so we normally take our own sweet time. Very rarely do we make the effort to pray just as it masuk waktu.

In some masjids and suraus, they have a big display on a wall with the current prayer times. And on some of these displays, they also have an ayat from the Quran, which is normally this one:

".....For such prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times."
Quran 4:103

Most of us take the prayer times for granted. We fail to see how significant the timing of our daily prayers actually is. Our daily prayers are timed so elegantly, that with the rotation of our planet there is not a single moment where the Earth is without the sound of the azan. Watch this video and you'll see how.

We can be on time for movies, exams, bus trips, football. Why don't we apply the same discipline to our prayers?

If we can pray on time, or early because we have a movie/bus/football game to catch, is our intention to pray early pure? Why don't we pray early other times as well?

Self-discipline comes from proper motivation. If you are properly motivated, you will be disciplined. So we need to ask ourselves, what is our motivation for praying?

Donuts!

2010-10-22T11:54:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Short story today.

*beep beep*

Mike: ey, an SMS!

*Mike, will you be on campus today or tomorrow? I want to give you, John and Brad something - Allison*

*I'll be on campus tomorrow evening. What are you giving us??*

*OK I'll see you tomorrow around 5PM. It's a surprise ;)*

Mike: I wonder what it is. Hmmm...

The next day at 5PM on campus.......

Allison: Mike, here you go!

Mike: Donuts!! (^___^) 2 dozen?!? What's the occasion?

Allison: I wanted to give you and your housemates a little treat :)

Mike: You said yesterday the surprise was for myself John and Brad. Why us?

Allison: The three of you had treated (read: belanja) me before in the past, so now I want to return the favour (^^)V

Mike: You remembered?? When did I do that? I can't even recall!

Allison: It's not important. Just enjoy the donuts!

Mike: OK..thanks!

Lesson of the story: Always do good to others when you can, and don't expect anything in return. An act of kindness might one day be repaid with another.

Lambert in Malaysia (pt 2)

2010-10-18T07:18:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

“The demonstration shows the kind of extremism practised by the party,” said MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.

“They should exercise greater moderation,” Karyawan president Datuk Freddie Fernandez said, adding that PAS should understand there were Malaysians who appreciated Lambert’s talents.

“This is yet another selfish act by PAS. They fail to understand that homosexuality is the inherent nature of certain people and clearly not a form of culture,” said Kedah Gerakan chief Tan Keng Liang.

Source

In the eyes of the West, extremism is blowing up innocent civilians. Here, it is protesting against a concert by a gay artiste.

They say we are too strict and want us to show moderation towards homosexuality, something which is clearly forbidden in Islam.

They say the protest was selfish. How is it selfish by protesting against something your faith has said is wrong?

If this is what some people in our government believe about Islam, how can Malaysia look to be an "Islamic nation"?

Some say Muslims need to understand this and that, not be so narrow-minded and broaden our horizons. But how many of those people actually took the time to try and understand Islam?

Autopilot

2010-10-17T08:00:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Humans are creatures of habit. When we get into a rhythm, when we have a daily routine that we repeat again and again, we tend to go into an "autopilot" mode, where we go through the routine without actually focusing on it, without actually thinking about it, we just do it.

When you wake up in the morning, you don't really need to think about what you need to do. You might just walk around like a zombie, going about your routine which might include a morning trip to the toilet, a quick shower, Subuh, light breakfast, maybe cereal and coffee, before you know it you're out the door on the way to work.

Then, you drive to work everyday taking the same route. Eventually you end up being able to drive down the same route without actually having to think about where you're going, about which lane you need to be in, you just drive.

Then when you get to work, you do almost the same thing everyday whatever it may be. Sign documents, file documents, teach classes, write reports, go to meetings, meet with clients, it all becomes so familiar that you can do all of it without any extra effort.

This may be an amazing capability of our brain to remember and perform similar tasks efficiently and without hassle, but it can have a downside.

When we pray, do we actually put an effort in, or do we just do it on autopilot? Do we actually take note of what we are reciting, or do we just mumble it automatically without paying attention? Do we keep track of our recitation, our actions, or do we just go up and down up and down like a well-oiled piston? Our daily prayers are the most likely tasks we perform on autopilot. Ever since we were old enough, we have been praying 5 times a day, non-stop, and we will continue to do so until we die. Doing so on autopilot is once or twice inevitable.

This is where the term kusyuk comes in. Overriding the autopilot, and taking control of your recitations and actions, paying attention to what you are actually doing, being aware of actually praying to Allah, that is what constitutes a prayer. Not physically mumbling and going up and down.

It's good to have an autopilot function. Makes our daily lives a bit easier. But sometimes we just need to disable it.

Adam Lambert in Malaysia

2010-10-15T07:25:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

In response to a post in my c-box, this post will be about the recent concert by Adam Lambert here in Malaysia.

Like with previous concerts by American singers, there was bound to be some opposition to a self-professed gay coming to Malaysia to perform. If you ask me, it seems inappropriate to say the least that Malaysia, an "Islamic nation" by our government's own admission, would allow an international performer who is gay to perform in Malaysia. Just picture a headline that would read "Muslim majority nation Malaysia welcomes gay performer Adam Lambert". No paper might actually publish a title like that, but that is the fact of the matter.

I don't discriminated in a musical sense when it comes to gay singers. Adam Lambert has entertaining songs, just like Elton John has some great classics. However being a Muslim majority nation, one that is striving to become the halal hub in this region, allowing Adam Lambert to perform here was a dent to Malaysia's image as a nation trying to gain Islamic excellence in my opinion.

Kudos to him however for agreeing to control his performance in respect for Malaysian culture.

As Malaysia is a multi-racial country, the non-Muslims have a right to entertainment, however there needs to be a balance in having a right to entertainment, and upholding Islamic values. I think this concert swung that balance in the direction of rights for entertainment.

Because He Is A Muslim

2010-10-08T07:42:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Sometimes we get ideas and inspiration from funny places. I got the idea for this post from a conversation I had with a Muslim foreigner - which took place in a dream.

The details of the conversation are a bit fuzzy to me, but what I do remember is what's really important. Basically, another Muslim brother was accused of doing something wrong, and I was discussing it with this friend of mine. Suddenly he says "I know he did the right thing". I was wondering how he knew that for a fact, so I asked him how he knew. To that, he replied "because he is a Muslim". How's that for bersangka baik?

Too many times we always believe that the "bad" explanation is the "right" one. When we should actually be assuming the opposite. That's what giving the benefit of the doubt means. Especially when it comes to another brother or sister. In some cases, the bad explanation may actually be the truth but that doesn't matter. Until a story is confirmed without a doubt, we must always assume the best, and see the best in people.

This dream reminded me of a post I wrote a while ago. Even my subconscious agrees with my writing hehe..

1Malaysia, 1Halal

2010-10-07T13:48:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I've written several entries about the importance of eating halal food, and how in Malaysia, we cannot assume that all non-pork meals are halal. During Ramadhan also there was an issue with hotel buffets that were not halal, despite being named "Ramadhan buffet". Too many parties issuing halal certificates was one problem, but starting April next year, it seems that may no longer be a problem.

Single halal certificate beginning April

PUTRAJAYA: The single halal logo and certification will come into force by April next year, said Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“The draft (Bill) will be tabled in Parliament later this month and we expect to have it gazetted and enforced by April next year,” he said at a joint press conference with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom here yesterday.

Jamil Khir said once the new logo and certification came into force, manufacturers and companies could no longer get their halal certification from private companies.

Remember to eat from what's good =)

Family

2010-10-05T11:28:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I like watching TV shows of the crime-busting genre. Criminal Minds, CSI, Bones, Castle, Numbers to name a few. Most cases, people kill with the usual motives, money, love (variations include sex and jealousy) or anger. Yet sometimes, you can't help but feel like the "bad guys" are actually not that bad.

In the rare cases where this happens, the crime was committed for family. Sometimes, people kill to protect their family. Sometimes people are blackmailed and will do anything as long as their family is safe. Some people confess to a crime they didn't commit, to protect their family members who did. To these people, family is everything, something worth killing or even going to jail for.

Most of us haven't, and I hope will not encounter such circumstances. Then again, because we are in our comfort zone, we sometimes take family for granted. Simple requests become burdens, favours are seen as annoyances. We most likely won't have to go to jail for our family, and we hopefully will never have to kill to protect our family, so while we are still capable, we should always do what we can for family.

"Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted" - Paul Pearsall

Missing What You Never Had

2010-09-29T07:04:00.004+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Most of us have heard the saying "You never know what you got until its gone" or sayings similar to that. We often equate it to how generous Allah is, and how we will never be able to count His blessings because there are just too many to count, which is why we only realise what we had once we lose it.

"And He giveth you of all that ye ask for. But if ye count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude." (Quran, 14:34)

There is another saying which is somewhat related, yet not used as much I think. "You can never miss what you never had". When you think about it, it does make sense. By never experiencing something, we can never know what it feels like, therefore we can never actually miss it, regardless of what people say. Like when people smoke for example, and they come across someone who doesn't they might say something like "you don't know what you're missing bro". They're right, we don't know what we're missing, and when it comes to things that we should not be doing, that's how it's supposed to be.

When it comes to things we shouldn't be doing, Islam takes a simple approach: don't even come close to it. Islam doesn't say, "you can try a bit, but not too much" or something like "you can do it if you like, and stop if you don't". Things that are forbidden, are straight out forbidden, simple. Extra-marital sex is forbidden, and so to is coming close to it, like being alone with someone from the opposite sex in a secluded area. Alcohol and any other intoxicating products are forbidden all together, even a single drop.

"Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils)." (Quran, 17:32)

"They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit."" (Quran, 2:219)

By not even trying once, we are avoiding the possibility of repeated offences, and like its mentioned in 17:32 above, we are avoiding opening the road to other evils.

Like they say in the field of medicine and healthcare, prevention is better than cure.

Viral Knowledge

2010-09-23T05:41:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

I experienced something for the first time during Friday prayers last week. During the khutbah, the khatib actually stopped for a moment, and told off a few teenagers who were talking in the prayer hall. People talking during the khutbah isn't something new, people do it all the time even though they're not supposed to, but this was the first time I personally experienced witnessing the khatib telling off people who were talking. Reminders are given every week just before the khutbah, not to talk, but some people just don't listen. As a side note, I personally consider SMS-ing during the khutbah a form "talking" as well, which is why I try to avoid it.

Talking when someone is speaking publicly is rude. Everyone I think will agree to that. I understand that sometimes, we need to say something to someone quite urgently (or not), but nonetheless there are instances when we feel the need to talk even if momentarily during a speech. To me, if we keep our voice down, and keep our chatter to a minimum, it should be all right. But talking throughout a presentation/speech/lecture while paying almost no attention whatsoever to the speaker is just plain wrong. Not only is it disrespectful, but we lose the opportunity of subconsciously obtaining some form of knowledge which will be embedded in our minds.

Have you ever experienced remembering something, a saying or a quotation, a fact or an opinion, without really remembering who said it, where you heard it, when you read it or why you know it? It happens to me quite a lot. I think that we have the ability to store an enormous amount of information in our brain, but our ability to recall is what limits our actual potential. If I'm not mistaken, we only use 10% of our brain most of the time (I can't remember where I learnt this from =p). Hence from time to time, we may experience knowing or remembering something, even if the details are a bit blurred.

This is why I think knowledge can be considered somewhat viral. We have the potential to pick up knowledge subconsciously and remembering it even if we don't intend to. Just listening to a talk might lead us to remembering something said, even if in the future we don't remember who gave the talk. And if we share that knowledge with others, it will keep spreading and spreading, just like a virus.

A friend introduced me to an article recently about why Malaysians seem to be getting married at a later age nowadays. I shared it on Facebook, and sure enough more people shared it with their own networks, and the message was spread. People repost blog entries and share it with their own readers, we post links on Facebook to share something interesting we've read online. Knowledge is like a virus that continually spreads throughout a network and we are all involved in the dissemination.

So the next time you attend a presentation, talk or speech, even a lecture, try to give as much attention as you can. You might be able to learn more than you think. And any knowledge you gain, and share with others, will be your bekalan for the hereafter insyaAllah =)

John Legend on Ground Zero Masjid

2010-09-16T13:19:00.005+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

This issue has split the USA into two. And on both sides, we have people who support freedom of religion, we have people who have lost friends and family on 9/11, we have Islamophobes (right term?), we have people who don't even care. Everyone has their own opinion, and when the issue is finally settled, there will be unhappy parties for sure.

I just hope the Americans realise, that Muslims living in America, are American citizens too. They are not just denying the rights of Muslims to peacefully practice their religion, their denying the rights of their fellow Americans as well.

And one more thing, these people who believe Islam is a religion of violence, one that tells its followers to kill non-believers, if this was ever true, don't you think with Muslims all over the world, we would have suicide bombings everyday everywhere? The fact that there are billions of Muslims living peacefully all over the world, not killing people, this doesn't say anything about what the religion truly preaches?

Open your eyes people.

Happy Eidul Fitri!!

2010-09-09T14:41:00.000+08:00

Good Networking

2010-09-04T21:07:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Earlier this morning, I read this post, and it reminded me of one of my posts from last year, which was inspired by this post.

See..read one post, get three free =p

Before It's Too Late..

2010-09-01T06:55:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum,

Some people don't believe, or maybe I should say, are less open to the idea that Allah shows us signs from time to time. I don't mean signs of His existence, I'm talking about signs which show us why we can, and why we can't do something. For example, why we can't eat pork has been scientifically proven from a health perspective. Allah uses science in this case to teach us. Science also teaches us why alcohol is forbidden, as well as drug abuse. But from time to time, unfortunate events happen to some people, out of their own ignorance and errors in judgement. These are signs which are more obvious than science, yet it's funny how people seem to ignore these signs the most.

Some kids who play with mercun end up with fingers blown off, in some cases, these mercun can be fatal to the innocent as well. Yet people still ignore these signs for bursts of entertainment. Only after something happens directly to them will they insaf.

Road accidents are another example during this time of year. Every year, people die on the road due to reckless driving and driving while feeling sleepy. The police have Ops Sikap I think it's called every year to monitor the balik kampung rush. Yet every year, there will always be families who never make it back. Again, only after people are directly involved will they insaf.

Everybody has the "it won't happen to me" attitude. This is normally why these mishaps happen, because people get complacent, they're not careful. They forget that we can never know what will happen to us. We can drive as safely as humanly possible, yet still get into an accident because some other driver fell asleep behind the wheel.

We shouldn't wait until something bad happens to us before we insaf, we should always be careful in everything we do, before it's too late..