khuruj lagi dan lagi

"Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): "Jika bapa-bapa kamu, dan anak-anak kamu, dan saudara-saudara kamu, dan isteri-isteri (atau suami-suami) kamu, dan kaum keluarga kamu, dan harta benda yang kamu usahakan, dan perniagaan yang kamu bimbang akan merosot, dan rumah-rumah tempat tinggal yang kamu sukai, - (jika semuanya itu) menjadi perkara-perkara yang kamu cintai lebih daripada Allah dan RasulNya dan (daripada) berjihad untuk ugamaNya, maka tunggulah sehingga Allah mendatangkan keputusanNya (azab seksaNya); kerana Allah tidak akan memberi petunjuk kepada orang-orang yang fasik (derhaka)." (At-Taubah:24)

Keluar di jalan Allah..belajar korbankan diri, harta, dan masa untuk agama Allah tercinta. Merasa cebisan2 khazanah yang ditinggalkan Rasulullah dan para sahabat ajma'in. Menghidupkan kembali sunnah2 yang telah lama ditinggali. Jalan ini mengajar kita penat untuk agama, berpeluh dan sakit untuk agama, resah gelisah untuk agama, juga menangis untuk agama. Bukankah sesuatu yang diperoleh dengan susah payah itu selalunya lebih dihargai? Dan tentunya tiada yang lebih berharga berbanding nikmat Iman dan Islam. Agar dengan susah payah yang sedikit ini, dapat kami rasai nikmatnya sujud di hadapan-Mu..yang sekian hari semakin menjauh. Supaya dapat kami rasa pedih di hati ini bila agama-Mu tidak lagi dipeduli. Kami keluar dengan niat belajar. Kami lemah, kami takut, kami jahil..tapi tetap perlu kami teruskan perjuangan ini, selagi adanya izin dari-Mu. Kerana inilah harta yang ditinggalkan Rasul tercinta untuk kami memperbetul dan memperbaiki iman kami. Kurniakanlah kami kekuatan, keberanian, dan ilmu dari khazanah-Mu yang maha luas..agar cukup bekalan kami untuk terus berada di jalan ini.

p/s: Akan keluar 2 minggu mulai esok insyaAllah..seminggu sebelum dan selepas ijtima'

Boston. Minta doa dari semua ye..=)

whose counts?

'Aishah radhiallhu'anha once wrote a letter to Mu'awiyah, in which it says;

 سَلاَمٌ عَلَيْكَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنِّى سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم - يَقُولُ: "مَنِ الْتَمَسَ رِضَاءَ اللَّهِ بِسَخَطِ النَّاسِ كَفَاهُ اللَّهُ مُؤْنَةَ النَّاسِ وَمَنِ الْتَمَسَ رِضَاءَ النَّاسِ بِسَخَطِ اللَّهِ وَكَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ." وَالسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ.

`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah's Messenger (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever seeks Allah's pleasure at the cost of men's displeasure, will win the pleasure of Allah and Allah will cause men to be pleased with him. Whoever seeks to please men at the cost of Allah's displeasure, will win the displeasure of Allah, and Allah will cause men to be displeased with Him." [Reported by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih]

“Salam untukmu. Amma Ba’du. Sesungguhnya aku mendengar Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda,‘Barang siapa mencari redha Allah dengan membuat manusia murka, maka Allah akan bereskan urusannya dengan sesama manusia. Tetapi barang siapa mencari redha manusia dengan membuat Allah murka maka Allah akan serahkan orang tersebut kepada manusia’ Wassalamu ‘alaika.” (HR. Tirmidzi. Dalam As Silsilah Ash Sahihah, Syaikh Al Albani mengatakan bahwa hadith ini sahih)

The Prophet informs us in this Hadith that whoever sought Allah's Pleasure by obeying His Commands and abstaining from all of that which He has prohibited, without caring whether or not he pleased others and without paying heed to their insults and oppression, will achieve Allah's Pleasure and He will place love for that person in the hearts of mankind; but as for him who tried to please the people at the expense of his Religion, he will incur the Wrath of Allah, Most Glorified, Most High, and He will place hate of that person in the hearts of the people as a punishment for him because of his bad intentions - one only has to look at the present situation in the Muslim world to see the truth of this.

p/s: If you're doing something, or refraining from something for the sake of Allah, you have no reason whatsoever to despair despite the trials and tribulations you run into..for Allah's pleasure is the one that counts..wallahua'lam

usaha dakwah & tabligh

Ustaz Muhammad Qosim At-Timori menukilkan asas-asas usaha dakwah seperti yang terdapat di dalam buku Panduan Khuruj Fi Sabilillah 2003.

Asas-asas Usaha Dakwah dan Tabligh

1. Usaha melalui individu atau usaha berjemaah dan bukan usaha ijtima' besar-besaran (organisasi, persatuan etc.) Usaha dakwah ini tidak mengandalkan bayan atau ceramah atau kefasihan dalam berbicara akan tetapi kerja, zuhud. Inilah usaha yang mesti dikerjakan oleh setiap individu, atau mesti dilakukan dalam berjemaah. Kebiasaannya dalam sebuah persatuan, hanya yang mempunyai jawatan biasanya melakukan kerja manakala ahli-ahli lain hanya mengikut tanpa memainkan peranan tertentu.

2. Usaha melalui hati dan bukan pemikiran. Sejauh mana hati kita menangis, sejauh mana hati kita risau atau sejauh mana terbakarnya hati, atau sejauh mana risau runsingnya hati, bukan bagaimana pemikiran kita bekerja, atau bagaimana pemikiran kita membuat rancangan, atau bukan bagaimana pemikiran falsafah yang tinggi untuk mendapatkan idea.

3. Usaha melalui qadam dan bukan kalam. Asas usaha ini adalah pergerakan kaki dan bukan penamu. Sejauhmana kaki kita bergerak, sejauh mana kita bergerak melalui kaki-kaki kita. Sebab kita mesti pergi kepada khalayak ramai. Mereka yang sudah datang ke masjid mereka mencintai agama. Sedangkan mereka yang belum datang ke masjid belum mencintai agama. Oleh kerana itu maksud dakwah adalah untuk orang-orang ini. Jemaah yang sudah datang ke masjid kita beri ta'lim. Usaha ta'lim dengan duduk dalam majlis. Akan tetapi dakwah dengan terjun ke bawah, kita pergi dari manusia ke manusia, dari rumah ke rumah, maksudnya sejauh mana kita bergerak dengan kaki-kaki kita, kerana kerja ini bukanlah kerja 'sasterawan'. Kita harus berenang dalam lautan manusia, menyelam dalam laut dan mendapatkan mutiara-mutiara. Kita berusaha mendapatkan sedemikian orang yang dapat menerima fikir iman dan amal.

4. Usaha melalui Jan dan bukan Mal, usaha melalui diri bukan harta. Mal (harta) adalah keperluan bagi kita, mal untuk kesenangan kita. Sebagai umpama: jika kita hendak menghafalkan surat Fathihah, apakah kita mesti membelanjakan ratusan ribu atau jutaan ringgit untuk menghafal? Tentu tidak! yang diperlukan adalah masa dan kesungguhan. Kerana itu tasykil (ajakan) kita adalah orangnya bukan wangnya atau hartanya. Apabila kita hendak mentasykil, seseorang katakan bahwa "kami perlukan diri tuan dan bukan wang tuan".

5. Dengan tawadhu dan bukan aninah. Asas usaha dakwah adalah merendah diri dan bukan sombong atau membanggakan diri. Sombong adalah sifat syaitan. Kita mesti merasa tidak ada apa-apa. Saya ini kecil. Kita mesti merendah diri. Sebagaimana pohon apabila sarat dengan buahnya maka ia menunduk. Atau seperti timba apabila hendak menimba air, maka harus direndahkan. Demikian pula apabila kamu mahu menundukkan hati maka kamu akan dapat buat usaha dalam semua kalangan masyarakat, jika tidak kamu akan mengalami berbagai kesulitan.

6. Dengan damai dan bukan perang (bermusuhan). Kita mesti berdamai dengan semua orang baru kita akan dapat buat usaha.

7. Usaha melalui ittihad dan bukan ikhtilaf. Asas usaha dakwah adalah kesatuan dan bukan perbezaan. Kita berusaha menjauhi sebarang perbezaan. Banyak perkara yang dapat kita cari yang membawa kepada persatuan. Jika kita hendak menyatukan umat, maka seboleh mungkin jauhkan hal-hal yang membawa kepada perpecahan.

8. Usaha melalui mesyuarah dan bukan melalui dictatorship. Mesyuarah adalah mengambil syor (cadangan) atau pendapat sebelum membuat keputusan. Apabila sudah diambil keputusan maka semua bersifat sami'na waato'na. Keputusan dibuat oleh amir, bukan berdasarkan undian majoriti. Seorang diktator tidak memerlukan mesyuarah, tidak memerlukan pendapat orang lain. Dalam perkara-perkara kolektif yang berkaitan ummat, maka mesyuarah adalah sangat penting. Mesyuarah itu perintah Allah dan sunnah Rasulullah.

9. Amru bil ma'ruf dan bukan nahi 'anil munkar. Asas usaha dakwah kita adalah yad'una ilakhair, menyeru kepada yang baik. Sebagaimana enam sifat kita semua ma'ruf. Apabila gelap maka adakanlah lampu. Apabila amal yang baik hidup maka amal-amal buruk akan pergi. Ketika muadzin melaungkan adzan, apa yang ia serukan? Ia tidak membuat larangan-larangan atau jangan buat ini atau itu. Dengan demikian usaha dakwah kita ialah mengajak manusia: Hai saudara! marilah ke masjid, mari duduk ta'lim, mari hadir dalam mesyuarah, mari duduk dalam majlis, mari ikut jaulah, mari ikut keluar khuruj di jalan Allah, inilah dakwah kita. Bayi yang baru lahir memerlukan ASI (Air Susu Ibu) yang segar dari ibunya bukan daging dan buah-buahan.

10. Usul dan bukan Furu. Asas usaha dakwah kita adalah usaha atas akar dan bukan cabang-cabangnya.

11. Qulyah dan bukan Juz'iyah. Hal-hal yang bersifat universal, hukum-hukum yang umum akan diterima oleh semua orang, tetapi berhati-hati kerana diantaranya terdapat banyak masalah yang membawa kepada khilafiah. Sebagai contoh: mengajak kepada solat dapat diterima oleh semua orang, tetapi perbahasan solat secara detail terdapat masalah masail.

12. Ijmal dan bukan Tafshil. Ijmal ertinya singkat, tepat, pendek dan bukan tafsir ertinya huraian-huraian secara panjang lebar, penjelasan, perbahasan secara mendalam. Usaha dakwah adalah declaration (keterangan atau maklumat), kerana itu mesti pendek, tepat dan ringkas.

13. Tamsir bukan Tanfir. Tamsir ertinya khabar gembira dan bukan tanfir ertinya khabar buruk, kebencian. Dalam usaha dakwah ini kita sampaikan khabar gembira. Memberitahu keutamaan-keutamaan, pahala-pahala, fadhilat-fadhilat, menyampaikan perkara-perkara yang manis, supaya semua orang dapat menerimanya. Jangan kita mengkritik, menyakiti perasaan orang lain dan kita mencerca atau melukai.

14. Istidar dan bukan Ishtihar. Istidar maknanya secara senyap-senyap dan bukan Ishtihar ertinya propaganda dengan publisiti untuk mempamerkan kehebatan. Maulana Ilyas rah.a berkata: "Sekiranya usaha ini telah berjalan 1000km pun tetapi kita mesti merasa masih pendek." Usaha ini adalah kerja kerohanian yang berkaitan dengan iman yakin, dan ikhlas. Sifat-sifat ini ada di dalam hati dan bukan untuk kemahsyhuran.

15. Akhirat dan bukan Dunia. Setiap orang berfikir untuk memperbaiki kehidupan dunia mereka, sebaliknya, semua nabi memberitahu manusia tentang kesenangan akhirat. Setiap orang berfikir bagaimana dunia saya dapat lebih baik, sebaliknya, Da'i berfikir bagaimana akhirat saya menjadi lebih baik.

Wallahu a'lam.

Sumber: karkuzaridakwahiman.blogspot.com

halaqah mesyuarah in a nutshell

Alhamdulillah. I think it's safe to say that the halaqah mesyuarah was a success. Considering this was the first time we had such event over here at ICR, it was not bad at all. On starting the mesyuarah, we had up to 50 brothers..and later on that number was decreasing due to some people leaving early. But still, we had a good number throughout. I was on khidmat (serving) so I was not there all the time to participate in the mesyuarah. To be frank, we didn't really "participate" in the discussion since all we actually did was listen to it. Anyway..at least I got to learn how to conduct such a scale of mesyuarah. Ok. Here's the sum-up of the program;

Buffalo Halaqah Mesyuarah
Venue: Islamic Center of Rochester (ICR) NY
Time: after Zuhr - Isya'

Umoor (Matters discussed):

1) Karkuzari of da'wah effort from different masjids (in order)

• Masjid Al-Huda, Lackawanna >> Burmese Musolla (Syracuse, NY) >> Islamic Center of Syracuse, NY >> ICR, Rochester >> Burmese community in Rochester >> RIT *sincerely, not worth addressing* >> Buffalo markaz >> Jamek masjid (Buffalo) 

2) Masthurat (Ladies) effort *not relevant to bachelors -_-")*

• One jama'ah is spending 3 days in January

3) 10 days masthurat jama'ah is going on January 17, 2012

4) Effort on students

• Jords (gatherings) for students to be discussed in city mesyuarahs (respective to the different masjids)

5) 2 months tarteeb Nizamuddin where people come to Nizamuddin to listen to latest tarteeb (instructions) from the ulama' and elders

6) 3 days (monthly) jama'ahs routing (for the next 2 months)

• Syracuse (Burmese) going to Utica and Rochester;
• Lackawanna going to Masjid al-Rahman, Rochester on 4th weekends;
• Rochester (ICR) going to Syracuse and Masjid al-Iman (Buffalo) on 3rd and 4th weekends respectively;
• Buffalo markaz: student jama'ah going to Lackawanna; 3rd week weekdays jama'ah going to Syracuse Burmese; 3rd weekend jama'ah going to Jamestown and Ollien; 4th week weekdays jama'ah going to Forest; 4th weekend jama'ah going to Hyme Road

7) The next halaqah mesyuarah will be held at Lackawanna masjid on Saturday, Feb 4, 2012, after Zuhr.

8) Effort on "dry" areas (places where there are muslims living but no access to the masjid)

9) Effort among different language brothers

Boston Ijtima' will be held on 23, 24, and 25 Disember 2011, from which the routing for our 10 days jama'ah will be decided. *Hoyeah! Really2 can't wait lah!*

a sunnah to carry on

Buffalo Halaqah Mesyuarah is due tomorrow, from after Zuhr until Isha'. Ok..Let me refresh your memory on this. Halaqah mesyuarah is a program in which brothers from different masjids within the halaqah get together to discuss the accounts of da'wah effort in their respective localities. Buffalo halaqah includes ICR, Niagara Falls, James Town, Lackawanna, Syracuse, and some others I can't recall. Conducting a mesyuarah is the order of Allah, and the sunnah of the Prophet saw and the sahabah ajma'in. Allah swt and His Prophet saw do not need any consultation, but there is khair (betterment) in it for this ummah. Mesyuarah unites the hearts of muslims, provided all the etiquettes are observed carefully. When a decision is met through mesyuarah, Allah's help will be with it insyaAllah. Also, when we listen to the various (karkuzaris) accounts, we will be more encouraged to bring up the level of our local efforts. Alhamdulillah, so far, the preparations are coming along just fine. Hopefully everything will go without a hitch. A few houses were assigned to do the cooking, and other tasks as well. There's nothing much we can contribute from our side, perhaps we'll just help serve the lunch tomorrow. About 50 people are expected to come this time. Since this effort is still new to ICR, we need to be a little more conscious of the rules and regulations of the masjid. All this while, halaqah mesyuarah has always been done at Buffalo markaz. There's some renovation work going on in the main prayer hall. I heard they are expanding the room to accommodate the growing number of people coming for prayers, especially the Jumu'ah prayer. So it seems like we are going to have the mesyuarah in the other building. Please pray for the smoothness of this event. May Allah make things easy for us and make this effort grow in Rochester..ameen.

like!

Ku menatap dalam kelam

Tiada yang bisa ku lihat

Selain hanya nama-Mu ya Allah

Esok ataukah nanti

Ampuni semua salahku

Lindungi aku dari segala fitnah

Kau tempatku meminta

Kau beriku bahagia

Jadikan aku selamanya

Hamba-Mu yang slalu bertakwa

Ampuniku ya Allah

Yang sering melupakan-Mu

Saat Kau limpahkan karunia-Mu

Dalam sunyi aku bersujud

me and the deathly room

Have you ever spent the night in a hospital? If you have, you'd know how much it sucks stinks. I was once admitted to the hospital for suspected appendicitis. If I remember it right, it was the day before I had to register back to school following a school break. I was held in the ward only for one night, but it felt like a year. The air in there was filled with the smell of death; I felt as if my body was rotting away. Such atmosphere could turn a regular fever into a heart condition..no kidding.

That evening, my stomach hurt very badly. I was so much in pain that I was rolling around like a boulder over the floor. It felt like the veins in my stomach were breaking off. My dad was pretty much freaked out by this, and decided to take me to the hospital at that instant. *Hospital? Ok..I'm cool with that. Maybe I can get an MC from the doctor and stay at home for extra few days..hoho* So my anticipation was that, after they did a little checkup on me, I would be allowed to go home with a bag of medicines for regular diarrhea. I absolutely had no idea what I was getting myself into. To my greatest fear, the doctor said, "It looks like you have to stay in for tonight to confirm if you have appendicitis." *What?! Are you kidding me doctor? I only ate a few slices of mango. How on earth did I end up getting appendicitis?!* Next, the nurse put me on that electrolyte fluid thingy (what do you call that..intravenous therapy? Whatever..medicine people should know) It killed when she stuck the needle in my wrist.

My bed's surrounding was not helpful at all. The elderly man opposite to me was pretty much in a bad shape; he got blood in his urine! The urine (plus blood) drained through a long, thin plastic tube into a collection bag. What a scary sight that was. While next to me, a man with confirmed appendicitis was lying in his bed. There was a big handwritten tag on his bed that said "fasting." I was told that the guy was fasting in preparation for his surgery. Now I remember..the doctor did ask me to fast for 6 hours. *Wait. Am I going to be operated on too? But I thought it still hasn't been confirmed? No way..tell me this is not happening*

That night, I could not get myself to sleep. One reason was because my throat felt overwhelmingly dehydrated, another might have been because I had things playing on my mind (like..am I really going to be dissected?!) My stomach did not hurt as much anymore though. Then I think it was late in the night when I felt my thirst was becoming unbearable. So I got up and walked over to the nurses at the counter to ask for some water. My head felt dizzy..I was swinging left and right. I asked one of them, "Nurse, can I get some water? I'm so thirsty." She replied, "I'm sorry, but you have to stay on your fast at least for 6 hours." "But I'm really thirsty right now." "Just..hold on for a little longer okay..it's not much longer." *Nurse, you have no idea what I'm going through right now..I'm dying for a cup of water!* I was insisting to get some water, and she was persisting in not giving me any. However, realizing that I was passing out, they finally yielded. "Okay2. You can have some water. But after that you need to go back to bed ok?" *Yeah, I got my water.* After I drank the water, I finally could get myself to sleep. Alhamdulillah.. =)

The next morning, the doctor came to check on me..and he brought the whole gang with him too (practical doctors who seemed very enthusiastic to learn). I was surrounded. Their eyes were locked on me like I was a test subject or something. The doctor asked, "How are you feeling this morning?" I answered, "Oh, I'm feeling great. I think I'm alright now. Can I go home? Besides, I need to register back to school by this afternoon." *I don't care if it's appendicitis or not..I just wanna go home now!* He asked again, while pressing on my stomach, "Does it still hurt?" I blurted out, "Nope..it doesn't hurt anymore." *Silence* "Ok then..I think I can let you out already." "Really? Thank you doctor."  So I think, I didn't have appendicitis after all?

I've never liked being in a hospital at all, be it as a patient, or as a visitor. Just the smell of it can make me sick to my stomach. And to think that I can stand spending half a day in Biology lab.. *Come to think of it, I'm starting to wonder how the two are different from each other anyway. Hmm..* That might have been one of the reasons why I never wanted to be a doctor. But on top of that, I actually hate seeing blood. Once when I was in Form 5 (11th grade here), we were in the chemistry lab doing some experiment. A friend of mine cut his finger and a tremendous amount of blood started flowing down his arm. At this sight, I felt my head started spinning..I was sweating heavily. Fortunately I managed to get a hold of a chair just before I blacked out. That's embarrassing, isn't it??

p/s: To those who have spent more time in the hospital than I have, believe me, I do value your courage..hoho..The title was inspired by a film I recently watched..mind to take a guess?

take me home

I should have known where this was taking me

I should have known not to put my trust in anyone other than You.

All this while I've been wading around in bewilderment.

And now..I'm paying the price for my recklessness.

Here I am, betrayed and disappointed.

The more I indulged into delusion,

The more I came to compromise my oath to You,

The more I grew apart from You.

I've had enough..

I'm letting go of all this..

I'm sealing away the stories of yesterday..

I'm going back to You..

If You could just take me home..

I just want to be with You..for now

halaqah mesyuarah @ ICR

Here is a little karkuzari (account) of our recent khuruj to Syracuse. I know there is nothing much to be told actually from just a weekend's outing. But since this is my last year here in the US, I thought it would be great to capture as much memories as I can for me to look back on in the future. We had a good number of brothers this time, mostly high school students. Alhamdulillah..the management and the community there are growing more and more supportive of this effort. In fact, the Imam himself was exclusively addressing the importance of da'wah in his lectures throughout our stay, as a sign of support to our coming I believe. In one of his lectures he mentioned that by striving in da'wah, Allah swt will give us the correct understanding of our 'ilm (knowledge) and that He will correct our 'amal. By calling people towards good and forbid them from evil, we are actually encouraging ourselves to practice on our knowledge of Deen. In da'wah, we benefit ourselves before we benefit others..and even if we don't benefit others, we'll still get the benefits for ourselves.

During jaulah (visitation) on Saturday, we went out in two groups to see the local brothers around the area. Br. Tabreez, Ahmed, and I went to a Bosnian community about five minutes drive from the masjid. The other group, led by 'amir sab (Br. Intikhab) visited a Somalian community also not far from there. Br. Tabreez is a Bangladeshi brother who just moved to Syracuse from Los Angeles due to a change in workplace. He can speak a little Malay and knows a lot of places in Malaysia. He used to live in Brunei for a long time, and once went for 40 days in Malaysia. He said that his daughter used to be very good in Malay, so much so that she was getting better grades in Bahasa Melayu than the Malay kids in her class. And the people could not even tell her apart from the other Malay kids because of her flawless Malay. Wow..that is really something, isn't it? But unfortunately, she has forgotten everything about Malay now. Too bad..I was just thinking if I could..oops, never mind. ^^ But seriously, what a waste, kan?

Okay..as we were talking about how we were going to find any Muslims in the area, a passer-by greeted, "Assalamu'alaikum." We looked at each other in surprise. Subhanallah, problem solved! So we talked to the brother for a few minutes, and then went over to a group of Bosnian kids who were playing soccer there. They stopped playing and listened to us attentively. They are good kids. May Allah give hidayah to them, their parents, and the entire community there..ameen. I remember coming here for the first time about one and a half years ago, that's when I saw a Muslim brother drinking alcohol right before my eyes, despite realizing that it's haram. I can still remember his words; "Sorry brother, it's not the right time..I'm drinking alcohol here." It really affected me back then to see such a condition with my own eyes. That was only one case that I got to see, there are definitely more other Muslims out there who are on the verge of losing their iman, and we are not even aware of it. Towards the end of our stay, 'Amir sab briefed some local youngsters on how to start ta'alim in the masjid, and told them how important it is to go meet the other Muslim brothers and invite them to the masjid.

Syish, a Bangladeshi student who also goes to RIT went with us this time. Now, there's something interesting about this guy. He used to live in Malaysia for more than 10 years, and went to school there. I believe his dad was teaching at some college at that time. It's kinda hard to believe that, throughout the 10 years, he did not learn any Malay at all, except for "Apa khabar," "Nasi Lemak," "Tom Yam," and a couple more words associated with food. It's because he actually went to an international school in which no Malay was spoken. Subhanallah..if he would've gone to a public school back then, I would be talking Malay with him right now. I told him how much I was disappointed with him. The next time you come to Malaysia, *perhaps for my wedding* I'm gonna make you learn Malay in 10 days. He was telling me his experience of travelling around Malaysia as a kid; now I was listening to his stories as though I was a foreign tourist who wanted to find out more about Malaysia. He actually knows more than I do, about my own country?! *oh, I so wanna go travel around Malaysia right now*

Alhamdulillah..we had a lot of fun, as we always do. The kids made intention to spend 10 days in this coming winter break. It is likely that we are going to Chicago again this time, considering that we received a special invitation from Br. Kamran. Mael and Wae have been to Chicago twice already..hoho..they must be looking forward to going somewhere else this time around. *Sorry guys, you'll have to go with what 'amir sab decides* The last thing..there is going to be a halaqah mesyuarah on this December 4th at Islamic Center of Rochester (ICR), from Zuhr till Isya', in which brothers from the different cities within Buffalo halaqah get together to present the karkuzaris of da'wah from their respective areas. This is the very first time that ICR is hosting the event; all this while it's always been done at Buffalo markaz (center) masjid. Hopefully everything will go in a smooth flow. And..Br. Irfan is back from India. We'll see him tonight insyaAllah. ^^

p/s: We RITans are on a one-week break now. Happy holidays people!

Cinta?

Tersebutlah sebuah kisah..

Ada seorang suami yang sering mengungkapkan kata-kata cinta kepada isterinya..”Aku CINTA pada mu”
…
“Sungguh! Aku Benar-benar Cinta Padamu..”
…
“I Luv U..I really really love you”
…Boleh dikatakan, hampir setiap malam si suami akan mengulangi kata-kata cinta yang sama sebelum mereka tidur..
..Tetapi, hal ini hanya berlaku pada waktu malam sahaja…
Apabila tiba waktu siang..
Lain pula ceritanya..
~Cara isterinya tak betul..
“Cara awak masak ni tak betul, sebab tu tak sedap…Awak patut belajar dengan mak saya!”
~Penampilan isterinya memalukan..
“Fesyen baju awak ni tak up-to-date ..Malu saya nak bawak awak jumpa lawan-kawan saya“
~Malas nak ambil tahu apa kerisauan isterinya..
“Pasal anak-anak, awak fikirlah sorang-sorang..Saya ada banyak lagi benda lain yg nak difikirkan”
Dan apabila tiba waktu malam…
Si suami masih lagi mengulang ayat-ayat cinta untuk isterinya seperti malam-malam sebelumnya
dan begitulah yg terjadi setiap hari..
bertahun-tahun lamanya..
sampai isterinya mati..
….
Sekiranya kita berada di tempat si isteri tadi..
bolehkah kita percaya bahawa suami kita mencintai diri kita,
dengan setulus hatinya
sebagaimana yang diberitahu pada setiap malam..??
Sedangkan di siang hari,
kata-kata cinta itu tidak pernah dibuktikan dgn perbuatannya???
….
Begitulah apa yang telah terjadi pada hari ini,
Kita selalu dengar orang kata…
“Ya Rasulullah, aku cinta padamu..”
“Ya Rasulullah, aku sayang padamu..”
“Allahumma Solli A’la Muhammad”
“Selawat dan salam ke atas junjungan besar kita Nabi Muhammad saw”
Tetapi dalam masa yg sama,
Dia tak suka lihat orang yang meniru penampilan Rasulullah saw,
“Apalah dia pakai jubah pergi Tesco..”"
Rimas aku tengok janggut dia”"
Pakai serban & kopiah??..ha-ha..never!”
Cara hidup dia pun jauh daripada cara hidup Rasulullah saw,
“makan kat lantai?? ..sakit pinggang laa”
“nak masuk bilik air pun kena tutup kepala..? Aihh..leceh la”"
gosok gigi guna kayu??..awak takde duit nak beli berus gigi ke?”
Dia juga tak mahu fikir macam mana fikir risau Rasulullah saw terhadap umat ini..
“orang sebelah rumah tak pakai tudung?..aghh..lantaklah dia..kubur masing2″”
anak tak solat subuh?..alaa..malaslah nak tegur,nanti dia lambat gi sekolah pulak”
“sepupu bawak pakwe balik kampung?…biarlah…dia dah besar..pandailah fikir sendiri”
“mak pak sedara bergaduh?..malas den nak campur..hal orang-orang tua”
Kalau beginilah sikap kita..
Agak-agaknya..bila kita berjumpa dgn Rasulullah saw di akhirat nanti…
Nak tak Baginda saw percaya yang kita benar-benar mencintai baginda?
Nak tak Baginda saw mengaku yang kita ni umatnya?
Tepuk dada, mari tanya diri sendiri..
~Adakah kita benar-benar mencintai Rasulullah saw?
bak kata omputih..”Action speaks louder than words”
Rasulullah saw bersabda:”Barangsiapa yang mencintai sunnahku, dia mencintaiku. Dan barangsiapa yang mencintaiku, dia akan bersamaku di dalam syurga“ (Maksud Hadis)

Reblogged from: AnakkuSoleh.com

PS: InsyaAllah..Belajar2 cintakan sunnah Baginda, semoga kita bertemu cinta Baginda. =)

PPS: Sekarang semua orang tgh sibuk dgn final exams. Sy ade lab report yg perlu disiapkan. -_-") *Yg dah habis exam pegi main jauh2!*

"zawaj"

A beautiful lecture on "Marriage in Islam" by Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman. I believe some of you would enjoy need this more than others do, especially if you are not married. But, even if you are married, it will still benefit you insyaAllah. Anything that adds to our Islamic knowledge is always worth the time, isn't it? =p

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

p/s: Currently reading "Risalah Untuk Wanita Mu'minah" by Dr. Muhammad Sa'id Ramadhan al-Buthy..so far I must say, it's a good read..very enlightening for sisters and brothers alike!

dodge ball

My body is aching all over from last night's dodgeball games. This is what happens if you force your "sleeping" muscles to work. But it's sumwhat worth it though, considering that team yellow turned out to be the champion. *hoyeah!?* We started out a loser, but then turned the tables around in the later half of the games. Hm..it feels great to work up some sweat in sports. It helps keep you in shape too. I haven't been working out much lately. In fact, I was surprised to find myself gasping when I was climbing up the stairs to my writing class on the 3rd floor! How serious is that? OK. This picture of Hanis below doesn't have to do with this entry, but I insisted to put it up because..she's so cute!! *I thought it was a guilt not to "share" her ^^"*

Hanis Nabila is in hijab now.. ^^

OK. We were supposed to go to Syracuse for this month's khuruj. But since we were short on people amir sab decided to go next week instead. Br. Nasir was pumped up to give the Somalian kids a follow-up visit. See if they can say the syahadah right this time. But for next weekend (the 4th weekend of the month,) the last halaqah syura assigned us the new Yamanese masjid on 300 Bay Street, just near downtown Rochester. I believe this trend of working within one's own locality has been encouraged by all the syuras, in line with the aim to strengthen local efforts. I've been longing to spend longer times in khuruj. Here, one and a half days don't really give the effect you expect, especially when going out with a group of youngsters; lack of tawajjuh (concentration) that is. I do enjoy going out with these kids though, just that sometimes I need to learn from more experienced brothers too. Sometimes, you need to listen more than talk. I miss to be in a jama'ah where there are hafizs of quran, madrasah students, or an 'alim. There's no limit to what you can gain from a good company. InsyaAllah this coming winter break will meet my longing. ^^ Oh, another thing. Br. Irfan is leaving for his hometown in India next week for Eidul Adha holidays. May he have a sound journey home, (and don't forget to come back!)

P/s: The moment I get home, I'll go pinch her chubby cheeks!

how do I kill the "killer?"

The other day a friend of mine showed me a piece of paper. This was no ordinary paper. It triggered a flow of strong feelings in me. The paper put me in denial. It made me smile and frowned at the same time. It is something I've wanted to have..what I've always looked forward to having. But its just a piece of paper. How could it be so provocative?! I only saw it for a glimpse, yet it kept playing in my head and didn't stop but long afterward. OK lets cut the drama. The paper was none other than a sijil kursus pra perkahwinan (pre-marriage course cert.) No wonder I felt so much affected.^^ My friend is unofficially engaged now and I have yet to find a candidate? No way! (OK you know I'm overreacting here.) My friend told me I should go propose to a girl (which I think I did?) Then I replied (in defense); "How can I propose to a girl when I'm still not done with school..and haven't started a job?" Then here comes the killer answer; "Sustenance is in the hands of Allah..u don't have to worry about that. Our sustenance had been written before we were even born." I answered back (after a little while, being defensive but pretty much in denial;) "Hm..I know that..that's not what I'm worried about..I'm more concerned about myself being not ready..in knowledge and wisdom. I think I'm still a kid (well at least I act like one..and he actually nodded at this! Cis.) Then here comes another killer; "Part of marriage is about learning.. In fact that's the sweet part to it..You learn how to live with your spouse, to manage your household.." Silence broke out..Remained..Until a new topic came about..

OK..lets take a break.

"Islam itu mudah."

P/s: Almost completed my 2nd essay which has been much of a pain in the neck (Alhamdulillah!)..I'd say this is just an echo or a follow-through from my "writing-too-much-of-randomly-thought-words condition"..^^"

read & write

I haven't been writing up here as often as I used to, but I certainly have been writing a LOT this few weeks back. Besides, I guess this is one of those times for a blogger when production is not as fruitful..^^ Credits to this writing class I'm taking, I feel like my mind has "expanded" from too much cognitive work. As much as I like to write, I actually had a wobbly history with writing classes. I remember dropping a class and withdrawing from another a few quarters back, merely because of this lousy thought that "I am not in the mood" to write. Now when I think back to that, I don't think I'm any more zealous to write right now than I was back then. But don't get the wrong idea. I'm not planning on withdrawing this time (considering the tremendous effort I've put into this course) insyaAllah. My professor is making me read and write a LOT. I've been either staying up late or waking up early (or both) every other day to finish all the homework before class. But I'm glad that she finally came to realize how much she has made us do. One time she said in class; "You know what? When I looked back to the homework that I've given you..I just realize..it's a LOT. You guys are doing really really great with your assignments. You should be proud of yourself. Congratulations! Do you feel good about it?" And the class was like "Um..Uh..Yeah.." Well, at least she does acknowledge our commitment to her class..and I must say I kinda like her style..^^ and I'm glad I have my housemate taking this class with me..otherwise, it would have been even harder on me.

p/s: I called mom the other day. Hearing her voice, it relieved my longing for home a bit..=)

news from Chicago

We got a call from Br. Kamran yesterday. This was the first time we heard from him since he moved to Chicago about two months ago. We have lost a great companion in dakwah since then. Alhamdulillah..he and his family have settled down and found a new house over there. From his voice I could tell he is enjoying his new home a lot. He was telling me how the brothers there were very welcoming and happy to receive a new member in their community. And how much they look up to him as a hafiz of Quran. I'm glad to hear that the dakwah effort in his new place is very established and they have strong brothers on the team. I remember being to the markaz masjid in Chicago, and seeing such a great dakwah effort by the Arab brothers, I have no doubt that the surrounding places would at least get sprinkles of its noor. He was telling me how he feels inferior to the level of effort they have over there, that he needs to step at a faster pace to catch up with them. As much as he enjoys his new home, he and his family are starting to miss Rochester already. He said Atiqa and Taha have been mentioning Rochester. I told him we would love to pay him a visit..maybe during this coming winter break insyaAllah, along with spending some time over there. Alhamdulillah. Praise be to Allah. Established or not, strong or weak, this effort is growing all around the globe..and I couldn't be more grateful to be part of it, despite my countless shortcomings. May Allah open this effort to more and more of this ummah..ameen.

p/s: glad to hear some other friend of mine is also enjoying her new home..enjoy the roses while u can..^^

souvenir from Syracuse

An independent little lady who is not afraid of anyone. She's quite an entertainer..and sweetly talkative. Too bad I didn't get her name.

The way she mixes up her Urdu and English is just so cute. I still can't get over this little girl. I have a hunch that she's gonna become some great muslima in the future..insyaAllah. =) By the way..we didn't find her, she found us.

khabar dari Syracuse

Baru balik dari khuruj ke Syracuse. Risau jugak sebab dah lama sangat menyejuk kat Malaysia kan. Tapi alhamdulillah Allah masih sudi gunakan hamba-Nya yang lemah ini untuk agama-Nya yang mulia. Sedikit karkuzari daripada Syracuse. Imam Yassir dari Mesir dan pihak pengurusan rata2 mengalu2kan kedatangan jemaah. Ada seorang karkun lama yang baru pindah dari LA. Selain tu, kami jumpa Br. Hisyam, bekas pelajar RIT sekarang tinggal di Syracuse. Dia ada niat untuk keluar kalau ada peluang. InsyaAllah ini petanda baik bahawa usaha dakwah di masjid Syracuse akan berkembang. Mana tau kan..mungkin tak lama lagi ICR akan terima jemaah dari sana.

Masjid Syracuse, NY

Dua pelajar Somalia tempatan bawa Br. Nasir, saya, dan Ahmed jaulah ke kawasan perumahan Somalia tak jauh dari masjid. Alhamdulillah..kami dapat jumpa budak2 muda dalam lingkungan umur 17-20 tahun. Kalau dilihat keadaan mereka, sepatutnya kita rasa sedih. Mereka telah hilang identiti sebagai muslim..sudah terikut2 dengan gaya hidup barat yang merosakkan. Subhanallah..mereka ada nama2 yang bagus seperti "Ahmad." "Husin." "Ali.." tapi mereka hampir tidak boleh lagi mengucapkan kalimah. Br. Nasir ajar diorang mengucap kalimah semula..dan lepas tu kami mengucap bersama-sama beberapa kali. Kalau anda berada di situ, mungkin hati2 anda akan cukup tersentuh untuk menangis. Bila ditanya pula "Siapa nabi kita?" dengan tidak yakin mereka menjawab "Muhammad ke?" Jauh di sudut hati mereka masih ada sinar Iman..walaupun malap. Ini hanyalah salah satu contoh betapa saudara2 seIslam kita memerlukan kita. Siapa tahu berapa ramai lagi di luar sana, di ceruk2 dunia yang api keimanan mereka sudah semakin malap, hanya menunggu padam. Siapa lagi yang mereka boleh harapkan untuk datang membantu selain dari saudara2 seIslam mereka? Saya tidak mahu bercerita panjang..tepuk dada tanyalah iman. "Tidak sempurna iman seorang muslim sehingga dia suka untuk diri saudaranya apa yang disukai untuk dirinya." Wallahua'lam.

munafikkah aku?

Terasa diri ini sangat lemah..bukan pada badan tapi pada hati dan rohani, pada iman. Inilah kesan berjauhan dari suasana agama. Iman itu tiada jaminan, iman itu tidak tetap. Tidak seperti iman para Anbia' yang sentiasa meningkat, tidak juga seperti iman malaikat yang tidak naik dan turun. Tidak seperti iman para sahabat ajma'in yang menggunung teguh. Inilah iman seorang umat akhir zaman, senipis dan serapuh kulit bawang. Iman yang dicelup dalam noda dan kerosakan dunia. Iman itu bertindakbalas dengan suasana. Bila iman diletakkan dalam suasana yang betul, iman akan subur..tapi bila iman diletakkan di tempat sebaliknya, iman boleh layu..rosak. Sedangkan hazrat Hanzalah ra mengatakan dirinya munafik, bila resah gelisahnya di hadapan Rasulullah bertukar gelak tawa di rumah. Dan Abu Bakar ra sendiri mengiyakan keraguan Hanzalah ra, meragui iman mereka. Langsung mereka bertemu kekasih mereka Rasulullah untuk mendapatkan jawapan.

Baginda SAW bersabda, "Demi zat dan jiwa dalam genggamanNya, sekiranya setiap waktu keadaan kamu sama seperti ketika berada di hadapanku maka para malaikat akan bersalaman dengan kamu walaupun di atas hamparan tidur dan sewaktu dalam perjalanan. Walaubagaimanapun, wahai Hanzalah, keadaan itu jarang-jarang berlaku." (Ihya' 'Ulumuddin & Muslim)

Dan siapalah kita dibanding mereka? Dapatkah kita merasa syurga dan neraka terpampang di hadapan mata? Mampukah kita berkata "Aku telah berpaling daripada dunia."? Tetapi masih lagi kita yakin dengan iman kita. Yakin bahawa iman ini sudah cukup ampuh untuk melayakkan kita ke syurga. Yakin bahawa dengan iman ini kita mampu goyang kaki di 'sana'. Kita umat terpilih. Sedang para Nabi mengharap untuk menjadi sebahagian umat bertuah ini, kita di sini tanpa meminta-minta. Inilah umat yang didahulukan syurga daripada yang lain, umat yang dibalas berganda untuk 'amal yang sedikit. Tapi lihatlah kini, lihat dengan bersungguh2, adakah masih kelihatan 'tuah' itu di kalangan kita. Kerosakan umat sudah terlalu hebat di akhir zaman ini. Ramai yang telah hanyut dibawa arus. Ramai juga yang terkial-kial berpaut pada akar2 kayu. Sebahagian yang ditebing menolong rakan2 untuk naik semula, manakala sebahagian yang lain hanya berpeluk tubuh melihat dari jauh. Lebih menyedihkan apabila yang cuba menyelamatkan juga ditarik jatuh ke dalam arus.

"Ya Rasulullah, aku rindu padamu." Terkadang aku terfikir, adakah aku layak mencetuskan kata-kata itu di bibir, bahkan di hati. Kadang2 aku risau..takut2 apa yang keluar dari rongga mulutku ini hanyalah bualan munafik semata. Aku menjadi saksi kepada rosaknya umatmu ini ya Rasulullah..yang pasti aku akan ditanya dan dipertanggungjawabkan mengenainya. Di setiap putaran jam, aku melihat kemungkaran di sekilingku. Lebih menyedihkan apabila aku melihat diriku sendiri lemah tidak berdaya, tidak mampu berbuat apa-apa. Aku selalu berharap engkau ada di sini untuk membimbing kami..aku tahu engkau juga selalu berharap begitu. Kerana bila aku menyusuri kehidupan sunnahmu, dapat kurasakan dalamnya cintamu..cintamu yang luarbiasa untuk kami umatmu ini. Dalam setiap sunnahmu engkau titipkan restu dan doa untuk ku. Melalui sunnahmu engkau terus berkata-kata kepadaku, walau kita tidak pernah bertemu. Semoga sunnah2mu terus menjadi pengikat kasih seorang Rasul dan umatnya.

Ya Allah. Aku sedar. Di dunia kini, ada dikalangan hamba2Mu yang semakin hari semakin mendekatiMu, semakin rapat mereka kepadaMu. Ketika sebahagian besar daripada kami sibuk menggagahkan diri mengaut segala kebaikan di dunia ini, sibuk mencari pengiktirafan dalam kalangan sendiri, hamba2Mu itu sibuk mengejar pengiktirafan dariMu. Aku rindu waktu2 yang ku lalui bersendirian denganMu. Aku rindu waktu2 yang berlalu ketika aku menangisi dosa2ku dihadapanMu. Ya Allah, kembalikan aku kepada waktu2 itu..kekalkan aku di situ, sebelum waktuku berlalu. Aku sedar. Aku bukan hamba yang baik kepadaMu. Tetapi hati ini rasa gembira untuk bersama hamba2Mu yang baik. Hati ini senang melihat mereka2 yang tekun mentaati perintahMu. Hati ini menangis gembira bila Engkau mendekatkan mereka kepadaku. Aku ingin jadi seperti mereka. Bolehkah aku ya Allah?

p/s: Sekadar curahan perasaan di petang hari..semoga memberi manfa'at bersama..=)

the story untold?

"Growing into Literacy"

Living in a country a thousand miles away from the English-speaking lands, how could a boy ever have anticipated the impact that this foreign language would make in his life. A boy who was still too naïve to project and foresee what he was going to need the most in his blurry academic future. As opposed to his mother-tongue, this was the language whose significance was not apparent to his eyes when he was in primary (elementary) school. The boy, unfortunately, was me. Back then, we were taught the basics of this language, and I would not do anything more than what my teacher told me to. Even if I were to, I could not seem to find a strong reason to do it. Reading and writing English was rare, let alone speaking; I would immediately get stuck on the second sentence as I finished my first. After all, I did not have any English background whatsoever to begin with, unlike those kids whose parents were professionals. My dad was not highly educated, nor was my mom. I'm not saying they were not clever, but opportunities to pursue studies were rare among the villagers. In the old days, most of us could not afford a tertiary education. So in my family, English was beyond our need. These were among the limitations that discouraged me from making any effort to polish my English literacy.

Years later, as I enrolled in the secondary-level education, I began to feel that there was a growing need for me to at least improve my literacy in English. I was admitted to a full boarding school in town, the place where kids from different places are recruited based on their excellent academic achievements in primary school. There, the environment had grown a little more competitive, academically. But still, it was not helpful enough to nurture the interest in me for advancing in English. We did more reading and writing here as compared to before, but to me it was all for the sake of fulfilling my obligation, or getting a grade good enough to get by. Don’t bother asking about spoken English, it was never emphasized. English was only spoken during class sessions, and in a very limited amount. To top that, those who tried to speak English outside class would be labeled a “show-off." In this case, I went along with the majority, refraining from taking any risk of going against the flow. This was the kind of attitude that crippled my progress. Nevertheless, my growing interest in the language forced me to do extra learning for myself, in secret. I started to pay more attention in class, and keep a handbook in my pocket titled “vocabulary." Deep inside, I had a hunch that the day will come when my extra efforts will somewhat pay off.

I graduated from secondary school with flying colors. I passed a scholarship interview and was enrolled in an American Credit Transfer Program (ACTP) at a college far from home. Here, I had a complete turnaround of my environment. I had to face a massive culture shock. The competition was much tougher; the atmosphere was dense with the pressure to get ahead. Here, not only was English highly emphasized, but it was also a "distinction" to those who were proficient in it. It was spoken everywhere in the area. Unlike those upper- and middle-class fellows who benefited from their childhood upbringings, I started out here from zero. As the name of the program implies, all the courses were biased toward English. Out of eight, six were devoted to English alone, be it Public Speaking, Writing, or Critical Reading. Upon admission, there was a placement test carried out to assign classes to students. To my worry, the test was based on English proficiency alone. Students were placed in classes ranked from the most proficient to the least proficient in English. It turned out that I was placed in the second last class. All of a sudden I felt a sense of inferiority surging into my veins, telling me I must regain my pride. I was not sure how my other classmates took the outcome, but to me it was an insult. The reason for the test was so that the teachers could give proportional attention to the different classes. I was so against the policy of discriminating us like that. Personally, I would have preferred the classes had been assigned randomly so we students could learn from each other, something which I thought to be more effective since we were closer to our friends than we were to our teachers. As a protest, I never went to any of the upper classes unless necessary, as I couldn’t get over my inferiority. On the other hand, those from the upper classes seemed to really enjoy visiting lower classes. I bore all these feelings for a semester long before the classes were finally assigned at random. From that point on, I made a vow to myself; I must and will catch up with those in the upper classes. If I were to make it abroad, I will make it prepared.

Prompted by the inferiority I once experienced, the next two years were devoted seriously to my pursuit. I did anything I could to improve my literacy skills, from imitating what the teachers said in class to jotting down new words and phrases into my ever-present handbook. There were times when I even resorted to talking to myself when no one was around. That was how serious I was to learn this language. After two years, the moment I had been waiting for finally appeared. I made it through to a university in this foreign land of America. When I first came, I realized it was the time to put all that I had learned in theory into practice, as I was going to have everything I needed to boost my literacy. Having focused my life on this sort of disappointment-driven pursuit, I had to pay the price for my obsession. I was getting ahead of myself, and was so concerned with reaching perfection that I became paranoid about making mistakes. I was not sure what had caused me to resort to being a perfectionist, but it had been an awful experience. Now I wouldn’t speak or write any English unless I was certain it was hundred percent correct. For this reason, there were times when I ended up being silent due to the fear of looking or sounding "imperfect." Not only was I paranoid about being imperfect, but I was also afraid of seeing someone better than me among my fellow native friends. I used to regard them as potential threats to myself. At this point, my obsession was doing me more harm than good.

I finally came to realize my damaging mistake; I took in too much from the book because I thought I could learn everything from it, believing that everything other than what was written in the books was inaccurate. I did not realize there was more to acquire through hands-on experiences. Now, I have learned much from my history and started to take things easy on myself. Over time I realize that having a goal and passion to make it real is good, but beware that it may turn on us if it happens to grow into an obsession. I have learned that the best way to improving my literacy is to learn as I go. There’s no need to push myself too hard just trying to stay ahead, when it is actually doing me more harm. My revenge-driven pursuit ends here, I now regard growing into literacy as an enjoyment rather than a burden.

A work submitted to Karen van Meenen of Writing Seminar

summer break breaks down

It's..good to be back. I came back to Rochester to a big loss. Br. Kamran, the Pakistani software engineer who has been with us since I first came here has moved to Chicago on a workplace shift. A couple days before I left for Malaysia, I was not feeling well..so I didn't get to say my farewell to him. Now I'm back to his absence. But that's the reality of this life, people come and go..and in fact, ultimately, we all will have to go. People meet and people part. The only different is whether the meeting and parting are done for the sake of Allah or for some worldly gaining. Hopefully ours have been for his pleasure alone. If we were a soccer team, I would say Br. Kamran is the playmaker. That's how significant he is in our so-called jaulah team. Anyway, the dakwah work here has to go on, with or without him. If you lose a playmaker, then you gotta find a new one, but the game has to continue. Like what the elders are saying, you should do this effort of dakwah to the extent that even if all the syeikh were to leave it, you will still do it. After all, dakwah is first for yourself. InsyaAllah we'll be paying him a visit this coming Winter break and spend some time in khuruj there at once.

It's my final year here at RIT..can't wait to have it all done and be unemployed..haha. I didn't set high hopes to graduate with highest honors or anything..enough to be able to graduate and get a decent job..insyaAllah. Anything more, I would regard it as a bonus. Now, there might be someone who is curious about what I did in my Summer break out there..well, it was wonderful..mostly due to the fact that I got to fast the entire Ramadhan and celebrate Eidul Fitri with my family..after 2 years. You wouldn't want to know what I did throughout the break..haha..it was filled with laxity and laziness. I hope all my friends had a wonderful break to leave behind. Maybe the only thing that is worth mentioning is there were a lot of jama'ahs going out in khuruj around the area, and among those was a three-day jama'ah that came to my home masjid. The least I could do was assist them in any way possible throughout their stay. Too bad I didn't get to spend any time in khuruj myself. Hm..perhaps the following pics would better describe what I went through during my break.

Naim and Nadia
My lovely little niece and nephew working on the jigsaw puzzles I bought them. This was at my sister's place in Klang, before I actually returned to my hometown in Sg. Manik.

The candy to my eyes. =)
They may have almost everything here in the US, but do they have this? No they don't.


Adam Mustaqim bin Rosli.
The thing I enjoyed the most was picking on this little fuss maker. This little brother of mine, he is such a hyper! Even I have trouble keeping up with him. His coming was a little 'overdue'..he's the same age as Naim. But thanks to that, at least my mom has someone to keep her company while I'm away. =)

GoGo the 2nd.
This was the 2nd candidate on my to-bully list. Our first GoGo died of old age, so this one was named after him..by my little sister. He voluntarily hopped and squeezed in. I thought he wanted to come with me..or perhaps he was reluctant to let me go.

Nadia in her 'Raya' outfit. I really love seeing little girls in 'Baju Kurung'..they are just adorable aren't they? (oh, this applies to BIG GIRLS too) =)

Teluk Intan Science School's 19th batch Raya reunion
It's always a great thing to be able to meet up with old friends and catch up on old things.

Old buddies get together
We wrapped up the reunion with a futsal game at a court in town

Well..that's pretty much of it. I don't know if someone would find a bachelor's holidays tale interesting at all..oh, perhaps a bachelorette would? hehe. Looking forward to my next khuruj! =)

balik kampung!

Alhamdulillah..I reached Malaysia in one piece. Now staying at my sister's place in Klang..taking my time to recuperate from the tedious journey I had. 16 hours of sitting and doing nothing on the flight..man..that WAS tedious. I and my housemate were in the very back row..thanks to his brilliant plan, at least we got extra leg- and stretchroom. I tried every single sleeping posture I could (you name it!) but still found it hard to fall asleep. And when I did fall asleep it wouldn't be longer than half an hour. Whenever I looked around to the other passengers, I would go like "Hey, how could these people here fall asleep so effortlessly?!" "..I'm putting my life on the line here just trying to fall asleep!" I didn't dare to check on those in front though..=) We started out with a larger group, but then upon transit, some took a different flight home..to Penang I guess. That left me and my housemate. Fortunately the later journey from Hong Kong to Malaysia took only a couple of hours..and at this point I already had a switch of mood! This was when all kinds of foods and dishes popped into my mind, one after another. Seeing some Malaysians around and hearing some Malay upon boarding somewhat made me feel good. I hate to say this, but at this point even looking at the kelapa sawit plantation down below was a joyful experience..something I could never have imagined feeling if I hadn't been traveling. Hm..the moment we stepped foot at KLIA, all the pains and fatigue paid right off. Oh Malaysia! No matter how great the other countries seem, you are always number one here (pounding my chest).

This caught my eye at the JFK airport, NY..reading helped with the waiting. I hope someone else found it useful too?

The plane that took us from Hong Kong to KLIA ready for boarding

As soon as we arrived (at noon), we had nothing in mind but food (well, apparently we had had this since before)..and we thought we could quench our craving for KFC! One meal of two pieces of chicken, wedges, and a shared coke..how 'romantic' and jimat. We didn't really want to stuff our face..just to give it a taste after some time kan. Then we went over to Secret Recipe for some yummy laksa. My housemate and I said our farewells soon afterward as he was taking a cab home. As for me, I had to wait all the way till the evening for my sis to pick me up. Some friend of mine was actually arriving from Ireland in the afternoon, and I was planning to receive him..but I couldn't seem to find him at the arrivals hall. Never mind, we'll meet later insyaAllah..maybe at masjid Sri Petaling, since I myself have plans to go there sometime soon. I could really use some refreshing 'air' from there. For many, your journeys might have ended there at whatever destinations you guys had in mind. But my journey continues..I'm leaving for my real home, Kg. Sg. Manik, this morning on a bus. Can't wait to see my mom and dad, and akim and e'ah. Come to think of it, it's kinda like a double joy for me..seeing my sis alone after a long time sure was a delight, and now I'm seeing my parents for the other part of the joy. Before that, I think I'm gonna need to get a haircut..before my mom starts lecturing me on my hair. (She just can't accept her sonny looks better with long hair..haha) Kidding mom..I'm gonna need it anyway since this hair of mine is really starting to annoy me. Not that I like keeping my hair long, just that it is hard to find a male hairstylist back in Rochester..almost all of them are female..and no girl touches my hair! haha (Baru rambut panjang..ni kalau balik ade subang gelang suma, memang kena baling terompah la kot!)

A few days here, I'm starting to feel the heatwave. Its been like almost a year I haven't broken a sweat..I mean, real sweat. Even when I do play some sports back in the US, it won't last long before it evaporates out. OK..where am I getting at now..What I mean is..I'll get used to it soon insyaAllah..=D OK..since I don't have internet access in my kampung, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to write pretty soon. So..till then, see u insyaAllah. Jom balik kampung! =)

an afternoon in the life of a bachelor

Yeah..at last! The day I've been looking forward to is finally here. My journey home begins tomorrow. I don't know who else are going on the same flight with me among the RITans, but I do know a bunch of us are leaving tomorrow, or the day after. Whoever you are guys, may we all have a sound journey back to the company of our loved ones. =)

I went fishing the other day (for the very 1st time here!) with my housemates. Haha..to me this was more like a housemates get-together kind of thing, rather than a fishing experience. Well since we are gonna be apart for quite some time, I thought it was 'cute' to spend some quality time with my housemates here. So this was one of the activities we did to occupy this 'happy' week.

diving board?

adik bongsu (red) & abang long Rustic
menguji tahap kesabaran masing2

abang long main air

housemate sementara di Rustic
merangkap bekas housemate di Intec
(eh tu ikan ke kayu?)

"Ikan2 mari lah sini kita beramah mesra"

adik bongsu berjalan ke Monroe Community College (MCC)
di seberang Rustic Village setiap hari

housemates for the longest of time!

"Eh betul ke aku pasang nih..mcm x betul jek"

Abg Amer: "Ha..camni cara pasang umpan.."
Adik Arep: "O..tak gigit pulak cacing tu?"

This is where we were; at a river next to The Gosnell Boathouse,
in one of Rochester's suburbs

In Summer, the sceneries here are not much different from Malaysia's - this is the time in the year when you can enjoy the sunlight and the evergreen views all you want (before the Winter snatches them away!) I hope this coming break at home will somewhat rekindle the fading study spirit in me. I really miss my mom's lectures..and her cooking too not to mention. I know I'm short on pounds, but I don't wish to stuff my face with all the food I can find..but it's gonna be fun though, checking things off my to-eat list..=D

p/s: Luggage kosong..xtau nak isi ape?

anak-anak ku

Silap..anak-anak BUAH ku..yang belum sempat ku jumpa. Petanda yang sangat kukuh bahawa aku sudah
boleh kahwin
tua. Lepas ni akan berkumandanglah perkataan "pakcik" di mana-mana..huhu. Don't worry girls..balik ni uncle kasi duit raya suma..dalam USD lagi tu..hehe. Apa kaitan post ni dengan dakwah? Ha..kalau nak diorang ni semua merasa nikmat 'amal agama, kenalah berusaha sekarang supaya agama tak pudar di zaman diorang nanti..kan? =)

AISYAH HUMAIRA

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

BATRISYA MIRZA

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

HANIS NABILA

Hm..kenapa semuanya girls nih? Takde org nak temankan pakcik korang ni sparring lepas ni.

p/s: Kepada ibu bapa budak2 di atas, minta kebenaran untuk memaparkan gambar anak2 korang yang cute2 ni ye. Tiba2 rasa nak pergi makan kenduri..haha..dah nak balik Malaysia ni mmg macam2!

my love at first sight

Alhamdulillah. Things are getting more reasonable over here..with only one exam and one lab report left, I can finally catch a deep breath. As promised, I'm going to write a special post on the Northeastern States Ijtima' I attended in Reading Pennsylvania from 17th to 19th of June, 2011. You see..when I write, I always tend to write too much. I don't know if I can keep it short this time, but I'll try to keep it sweet. Bear with me OK. =)  

Specifically speaking, the ijtima' was held at Greater Reading Expo Center, 12th Street Reading, PA. It is a HUGE indoor facility that can fit thousands of people at one time. I was surprised myself to see how gigantic this place was - for such a scale of gathering, I thought it was gonna be in an open field or something, like we have back home. The halaqahs that participated in the event include Buffalo, Boston, Connecticut, Manhattan & Bronx, Li, Queens, Brooklyn, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Springfield, and Raleigh. Our city Rochester falls under the Buffalo halaqah. Five groups came from Rochester, excluding the Burmies who had their own arrangements. I was in the first group that left after Fajr on Friday. The other groups joined us later in the ijtima'. The journey there from Islamic Center of Rochester (ICR) took about 5-6 hours of driving.

The purpose of attending an ijtima' is (correct me if I'm wrong) to listen to the bayans and to send out jama'ahs. Alhamdulillah from this blessed gathering, about 30 jama'ahs were sent out all around the place, including the Malaysian masturat jama'ah that was sent to Rochester. For the convenience of the event, the attendees were requested to sit in their respective halaqahs. There were signs pasted at different spots, designating the different halaqahs. Apart from the typical bayans that we listened to throughout the ijtima', there were also:

a gathering for the ulama'

a gathering for old workers

(brothers who have spent 4 months, or regular 40 days) 

a gathering for the youth 

an Arabic ta'alimi halaqah

I met all those I'd wanted to meet here in this ijtima', among whom were Syeikh Hassan of the last Boston Ijtima', Syeikh Abdul Badi' and Br. Fuwad of Boston, Br. Amin Shah of Penang, and the Malaysian masturat jama'ah that came to Rochester recently. I even had lunch once with the Malaysian jama'ah in the foreign jama'ahs room. Speaking of foreign jama'ahs, there were also jama'ahs from England and Pakistan that were stopping by at the ijtima'. On top of that, I talked to a lot of great brothers throughout the two days. I met two Moroccan brothers who really look up to us from Malaysia, and this American revert who just came back from spending 4 months. There were times when I would just stand in the midst of the crowd and started looking around from one far end to the other, just to see if I cold find familiar faces among those thousands of people. All kinds of people were there, and from their expressions I could tell they all were as happy as I was. I remember one brother was saying. "This is the kind of gathering where you meet the best of people.." I couldn't agree more.

My moments in the ijtima' got into full swing on the last day when our halaqah, Buffalo, was put on khidmat (serving) along with the other halaqahs that had not done it. We were divided into several groups, each of which was put in charge of one serving lane. And for each group there was an 'amir. Lets see, if I can remember it right I think I was in group 15. Though it was my first time serving at a huge ijtima' like this, I had so much fun with it. We were even kinda competing with each other to give the best serving. Then, I saw Maulana Abdul Muqeet. He was on khidmat too since he is from Buffalo. I was thinking..he has the status of an 'alim, yet he is serving the other brothers. And most of the people there don't even know him. Apart from the ulama' in this world who live in comfort, he is among those who strive in the path of sacrifice..like most of the ulama' in this effort do. I remember someone was saying..in this effort, we all have our own sacrifice to give..and for the ulama', they have to give their honor by meeting the people, instead of waiting for the people to come to them. Likewise, the speakers who gave the bayans, people don't even know their names - no titles, no achievements, and no recognitions are announced prior to a speech. They speak and they go, just like that. Here, you may be sitting next to a doctor, a lawyer, a millionaire, or a minister even..without you realizing it. They all sit shoulder to shoulder, eat the same food, use the same washrooms, and sleep in the same place. As Br. Kamran was saying, "If you can't find ikhlas in this effort, then you won't find it anywhere else."

"my love at first sight"
courtesy of tvtube777 (more videos on YouTube)

At the end of the day, all who attended this gathering went back to their cities with their own unique experiences to keep. As for myself, no worldly words can describe what I felt inside every second I was there. As Br. Kamran was saying, "you can hear all kind of stories about an ijtima', but it is never the same as your own first-hand experience." I was happy to see a lot of youngsters in the program. May Allah open this effort to those who came for the first time, the way He opened it to me not long ago. I fell in love with the 'simplicity' of this effort, and it's closeness to the effort of Prophet Muhammad saw. Lastly..I'd like to leave you with this saying from Br. Nasiruddin to ponder over; "This (effort) is not an organization, with a president and board of directors..no registrations, no membership fees, no fund raising..this is just an 'amal." Wallahua'lam. May Allah keep us all in His blessing..always.

*halaqah - a designation for an area that is manageable to a markaz (center) masjid

p/s: Hurm..It seems I've been falling in love a lot lately..=)