Technology Anyone??

Just thought of this...  

Technology is nice, makes a lot of things easy for us.  But then again... 

Now we need to rely on handphones to call our friends, cause we almost never memorize thir numbers.

Now we keep in touch via emails and social networking sites, but they require so little effort, and less personal, too, compared to letters.

Now every spare second we have, we spend in front of laptops and PCs, what happen to other hobbies and interests?  

Now we can go to so many places and not get lost, due to GPS and all, but I'm very much afraid, soon we would surely be lost without them.

Sometimes technology helps.  But at times, they make things too easy, that we use our brain less.  

Ever wondered, what would happen if  our handphone is lost?

Now would we survive if the laptop crashed?

What about if the earth's natural resources are finished?  Would we survive then?  What would we do with our time? (that is spent so much in front of computers, play station, i-pads and i-phones, handphones...) 

Is technology everything to you?

Will we be able to lead a normal life without technology?

BEWARE if you think you can't.

Be careful if you depend on technology, rely solely on technology.

For you've to be careful, that reliance you have, might be more than reliance to the Creator of man

The owner of all knowledge, including technology.

I'm not an anti-tech, but one does have to find ways to navigate life, so that technology doesn't become everything.  It is alright if Islam be everything for us, and we will perform outstanding in life.  But if, instead of Allah, we rely on technology more - then beware.  For if technology breaks down, or disaster strikes, we will break down as well.   Check our thoughts and iman, which matters more in ourselves.  If you hold on to technology only as another tool in life to become a better servant to Allah, then it is alright.  But if you see that everything MUST revolve around technology, then do re-think and set your mindsetting again, for Allah can take all the superb technology away from is in a matter of seconds if He wants to.  He had proven that He can do so, again and again.

And how many a generation We have destroyed before them, who were stronger in power than them, and (when Our Torment came) they ran for a refuge in the land! Could they find any place of refuge (for them to save themselves from destruction)? [Qaf: 36]

Nations of the past have been destroyed because they defy Allah's orders, and made partners to Allah.  Never think that with technology, we are getting so advance, that we can rely on technology alone.  For no matter what, Allah is always more powerful.  No matter what, at the end of the day, mankind still needs Allah to turn to, for his problems, for guidance.  Most importantly, at the end, we will still return to Him. 

~random thoughts.. but i guess, it is worth to ponder.  and do find ways to exercise the brain, though.  By memorizing the Quran, studying and learning new things [learn new skills, try variety of things too, for they sharpen numerous skills - not just sitting in front of the laptop].  Be thankful for the benifits of technology, but don't get carried away with them.  On top of that, do re-check our heart.  Is Allah at the top list, or technology, or.. other people?


sorry for the un-organized post.  first i decided to make this short, but it suddenly expanded, and expanded some more...


May Allah bless...




pic source: 
1. http://www.usfst.com/media/focus-area-images/FSTUS/issues-9-1/Technology_management_LG_FOC.png
2. http://www.usyd.edu.au/images/content/cws/news/newsevents/articles/2005/sep/petra.jpeg

Assignment and Reflection

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, most Merciful,

A short post this time round... but something, I hope, that would be worthwhile to ponder, process, and condition our hearts to.

I was writing my assignment regarding patient-practitioner relationship.  I typed in: "A vital ingredient in any successful relationship is trust..." and suddenly thought of the most important relationship of my life. Not only mine, but everyone's, actually.  Our relationship with our Creator and Sustainer, Allah.  

Hence a vital ingredient of success in our relationship with Allah is trust.  Trust, that He is the One, who we can always rely on, ever second of the day.  Trust, that Allah, with His never-ending love for His servants, would never give us any tests we are unable to face.  Trust, that Allah is always ready to assist us through everything that happen in our sometimes-complicated life.  Last but not least, trust that He will always protect His servants, and He is the best protector at all times.


Let us check our hearts, and question ourselves...  how is our relationship with Allah?  Do we trust Him?  Do we trust Allah most, or do we trust people more than Him?  Do we rely more on our parents to grant us happiness, or do we rely on Allah to give happiness?  Or... do we hope for happiness more from that special someone in our lives?  Who do we hope for security and protection?  Do we hope He will save us from harm, or do we trust more on the locks on our doors, grills on our windows, or that CCTV down in the hallway? 

Let us instill this trust in ourselves, just like the Prophet and his companions had in the past.  When Abu Bakr r.a gave all of his money for Allah's sake, to be spent for the preparation of a battle between the kuffar and the Muslims, the Prophet PBUH asked him: "what have you left for your wife and children?" what is his answer?  I left Allah and his angels to protect my family".  This is the answer from a true believer.  His trust in Allah is so much, that he leave his family solely to Allah.

Alhamdulillah, we manage to reach this stage.  Entering into this factory called Ramadhan.  A valuable opportunity to be processed to become better people, better servants to our Lord, and increase our sensitivity to the poor and needy.  Let us use the opportunity to be in this Ramadhan University, to learn to trust Allah more.  Condition our hearts to improve our relationship with Him... so that His redha will be with us, until we meet Him in the next life...  

Ramadhan Kareem everyone! may this Ramadhan brings all of us closer to Allah, and increase our imaan and taqwa.  Welcome to the month full of barakah and rahmah!  


pics credits to: http://xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com/ , http://iloveallahandrasulullah.blogspot.com/, http://theultimatestanding.blogspot.com/

Books and Me

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, most Merciful

Source: bookshelves.com

When I was younger, way back in Primary school, everyday, one lucky student would have to share regarding the book he/she was reading.  Be it fiction or non-fiction.  My love for books tripled then, i think..  Another contributing factor is the fact that my classmates and I have the opportunity to go to the school library and borrow books, each week, plus every morning's half hour reading session.  There, I learnt to enjoy English fiction books, and numerous non-fiction books as well, regarding sports and astronomy.  

Yet.. my love for books did not began there.  A huge contributing factor to my reading passion are my parents.  They spent so much of their money on books.  Be it school books, story books, encyclopaedias,  Islamic books, seerah of the Prophet and his companions... the list goes on.  

Now as the wheel of time turns, my love for books did not diminish.  Perhaps they change, in types of books, and also the time available to spend on my favorite pastime.  But I still try to find time to read, and to go to the bookstore every once in a while to increase my stock of books.  

Why share of books all of a sudden?  Actually, I just want to share a great book I am currently reading: Bumi Cinta.  Yep... another book by the author Habiburrahman el Shirazy.  But to me, this book is different from all his other books, for it tells of the challenges of Nafs when being a Muslim is gharib (strange).  When holding on to faith is scorned upon, and when free mixing, intermingling of different genders is a norm.  Another bonus point is, this book also tells of a place I've never been to before, Russia.  So my love to see different places and my imagination travels along with the characters.  I'll try write a full review of the book when I finished reading it, insyaAllah..

The Sealed Nectar is another book I am reading... I had read the Malay version years ago, but being a kid at the time, I think I did skip some parts, and read others.  Plus it was also a couple of years ago, and I have not read it since.  I am reading this, because I feel that I need to refresh myself of the most loved servant of Allah, the Prophet PBUH's life story.  Yeah, I learnt of his life ever since small. But this time, I try to read, and learn to implement his life story to my own.  Also to increase my own love to the person who sacrificed his life for our sake, to spread Islam.  So far I've read the intro, 1st and 2nd chapter.  I hope I can finish this in Ramadhan or Syawal, insyaAllah..

I haven't started on this book yet, although the target is to read it so that I appreciate the Quran more, and to ready myself for the Ramadhan.  But I'm hoping to find time to start soon, insyaAllah.. Al-Quran is Allah's love letters to His servants, so we should all try our best to delve into understanding and appreciating the Quran.  A Mu'min's heart should be shaken every time he hears of Allah's name, and much more when al-Quran is recited.  But we are so far from the Quran, at times.  In our day to day activities, in our interactions and emotions. Trying to get my heart closer to Allah and His love letters, hope this book will help.

Oh yes... I'm also currently reading heaps of journals, covering numerous topics, in order to do my proposal.  I feel like I enjoyed those too, for the more I read, the more curious I become.  Alhamdulillah, I found a new passion for journals, now. (^_^)

Well, that's it for now... I might write some book review if time permits, insyaAllah..  What books are you reading currently?  May all that we read increase our imaan and humbleness to Allah, al-'Aleem... He knows so much, and our knowledge is still so little...




** Upon writing this, I suddenly remembered the song: Afraid to Read by Dawud Wharnsby Ali.  So... I decide to share it here.  A simple song with deep meanings, indeed. Enjoy!

Wallahu'alam... May Allah bless..

Ramadhan: a Time for Revival or Survival?

This is something a friend of mine shared in her FB… hopefully you'll find it useful, as I had for my own preparation and mind setting for this coming Ramadhan. Three days to go… are we ready??

As in years past, the beloved yet unexpected guest of millions, "Holy Ramadan" once again enters our lives. Muslims are filled with great joy in anticipation of welcoming him. Yet to one unaccustomed, it would almost seem as if Muslims had never met him before!


All of a sudden, our new-found love for this guest causes us to radically change our daily schedules and habits to entertain him. Our Mosques mysteriously overflow with worshippers, chapters of the Quran are heard chanted till the wee hours of the morning accompanied by a hail of cries, and our social gatherings and feasts become livelier than ever before - all these sacrifices made to honor this special and 'holy' guest from Allah.

Isn't it interesting and ironic that while he is among us, for a full 30 days, we starve, read numerous articles on do's and don'ts of treating this guest, avoid watching TV in his presence, and sing songs or Nasheeds of joy, yet we fail to understand him and the mission of his visit? For some odd reason, this same "Holy Ramadan" becomes a stranger to us on the 1st of Shawwal!


Let the Scrubbing Begin!

What many of us forget is that this guest accompanies a deep purpose and responsibility. It is as Muhammad al-Shareef notes:

"Whenever a guest comes to our home, we prepare in advance for his arrival by vacuuming the carpet, dusting the shelves, and scrubbing the sinks. We should do this for our guest of Ramadan as well. But the scrubbing should not just be of our physical surroundings, it should include the scrubbing of our sins!"


Ever Wonder Why The 'Change' And 'Blessings' Don't Last?

Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi explains in Let Us Be Muslims:

"The greatest mistake we commit is to regard the outward shape of acts of prayer and fasting as the real 'Ibadah (worship) and we suffer from the delusion that whoever just fulfills these requirements performs the 'Ibadah of Allah. Just as physical strength cannot be obtained from the bread until it is fully digested, the spiritual power cannot be obtained from fasting until the person allows Ramadan's purpose to permeate one's heart and mind and dominate one's thought, intention and deed."


Ramadan - A Tool Of Transformation And Month Of Sharing

In addition to the indispensable personal benefits of fasting, Ramadan is a time for social awareness. As Hammudah 'Abd al-Ati describes in Islam in Focus:

"No sociologist or historian can say that there has been at any period of history anything comparable to this powerful institution of Islam: Fasting in the month of Ramadan. People have been crying throughout the ages for acceptable belonging, for unity, for brotherhood, for equality, but how echoless their voices have been, and how very little success they have met."


No Time To Hibernate!

As Dr. Abdullah Hakim Quick eloquently explains in Ramadan in History:

"Ramadan is actually a time of increased activity wherein the believer, now lightened of the burdens of constant eating and drinking, should be more willing to strive and struggle for Allah. The Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) nine Ramadans were filled with decisive events, such as Jihad, and he left us a shining example of sacrifice and submission to Allah. Throughout Islamic history, most of the significant battles were won in this month!"


Living Taqwa - Moving Dead Hearts To Action!

Quran [2:183] describes attainment of Taqwa to be the real purpose of Fasting. But, what is Taqwa?

Sayyid 'Umar ibn al-Khattab: "A person with the quality of Taqwa is like a person walking with caution on a thorny road. The way he would take care to save his clothes from getting entangled in the thorns, so is a person with Taqwa conscious of every action he does (for fear of falling into wrong)."

Sayyid 'Ali ibn Abi Talib: "Taqwa means fearing Allah, acting in accordance with the Quran, contentment with whatever little you have, and preparing for the day of departure (death)."

Imam al-Ghazali narrates: "Whoever fears something (in the creation of Allah) runs away from it, whereas whoever fears Allah runs to Him (out of love and obedience)!"

Let us all begin to live a life of Taqwa this Ramadan to avoid the 'thorns' that come our way in the form of worldly temptations in the media and society in general.


Intensifying Our Love And Study Of The Quran

It is said when you love someone, you would know every little thing he or she says, likes and dislikes. How can we claim to love Allah, yet know very little about His message and gift to us? Ramadan offers the rare opportunity for an intense reflection on the message of the Quran. It is the source of a constant revolution in the lives of millions of those who possess a living heart, as Allah says, "Indeed in this (Quran) there is remembrance for those who have a living heart, listen attentively and are awake to taking heed." [Qaaf: 37]

It is reported that Imam al-Zuhri would say about Ramadan, "It is recitation of the Quran and feeding of people." Similarly, 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) would recite from the pages of the Quran starting at the break of day at dawn in Ramadan until the sun had risen.

This Was The Spirit Of Ramadan

"This was the spirit of Ramadan that enabled our righteous forefathers to face seemingly impossible challenges. It was a time of intense activity, spending the day outside and the night in prayer while calling upon Allah for His forgiveness. Today, the Muslim world is faced with drought, military aggression, widespread corruption and tempting materialism. Surely we are in need of believers who can walk in the footsteps of our beloved Prophet (pbuh), the illustrious Sahabah, and leaders like Tariq ibn Ziyad, Salahuddin and the countless heroes of Islam. Surely we are in need of the Muslims whose fast is complete and not just a source of hunger and thirst. May Allah raise up a generation of Muslims who can carry Islam to all corners of the globe in a manner that befits our age."

a passionate reminder from Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick.


FYI: xiexie to my friend Khairiah (who share via email abt this)

See You There!

In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, most Merciful

Assalamualaikum wbt...  A short post this time round, just to advertise...

Let's all go and see what's out there, shall we?  

Yeah, so many times, we think that RM 10.00 and a whole day (of your holiday, mind you!) is too much to sacrifice.  But then again, this is only so little, if we compare the sacrifices that the Palestinians have to make, nor the sacrifices that the Prophet's (PBUH) and his companions had made for Islam.

Just one day... spent in order to gain knowledge and increase faith.  Is it not worth it?  So.. come on, guys.. let's see what knowledge is in store for us to gain out there.  Hopefully, the program will not only increase your knowledge, but also your imaan as well.  See you in Masjid Wilayah, insyaAllah...

For more info, visit:

http://haluansiswa.haluan.org.my/index.php/component/jcalpro/view/99/1

Or contact: 013-6284940

till then.. prepare yourselves for Ramadhan, and take care of yourselves, your faith, iman and amal. (^_^)

|| A Prayer, a Hope ||

O Allah...

I am trying my best,

to trust You, and only You

to overcome the doubts in my mind

to shed light in the smoky haze

Perhaps because I did not trust You enough

or seek Your guidance enough

or maybe did not try as hard as i should

to overcome the predicament

O Allah.. 

Forgive me when I whine..

Forgive my mountain-load of sins..

When I did not use my time right

When I did not take my responsibilities seriously

When I did not thank You for all the blessings and gifts You showered me

and most of all, when I failed to become a good servant to You

Lord of all Creations

Dear Lord...

This servant of yours is currently here

In the end of one road, trying to chose her path

So help her make the best decision 

For her future, her faith and her happiness

Bring her away from indecision and doubts 

Verily only Your Pleasure does she hope to seek

Reminder to self: 

Verily at the end of hardship is relief! 

Don't despair, although currently things seem so difficult.

<Mode: currently busy with thesis proposals, assignments and clinics... But this thick cloud of doubts simply refuses to go away..>