I just do it, bro: Observing and Non-observing

If you ask "why do you pray eventhough you can't see the being you are worshipping?" randomly to people who claim to belong to a religious groups,

a possible answer by a non-observing person could be "I just do it, bro",

and a possible answer by an observing person also could be "I just do it, bro".

Although the possible answers are the same, there are two differences in terms of motivation that can be addressed. 

One is in terms of degree of disclosure. 

On one hand, the non-observing person is being fully honest on expressing his lack of rationale (all out). On the other hand, the observing person would say that to avoid being boastful by explaining his intrinsic motivation (partially out). 

Second is in terms of an attempt to be concise in speech.

In this case, the non-observing person would say that when he means, "i just do it because everyone is doing it" while the observing person would say that when he means, "i just do it because in my knowledge, it pleases Him".

Go Area & No-Go Area

Since religion deals a lot with moral compass, spirituality and philosophy, 

one can say that religion exists simply to facilitate us to become a good person.

Religion by nature has an orientation. "Okay, this is good and this is bad" despite the possibility of a grey area that is highly malleable by the general population's perception. 

Other branches of knowledge on the other hand have no orientation. Some options may suppress the basic feeling of guilt and shame. 

Take chemistry for example. One can be a great chemist who cures cancer or an evil chemist who helps to produce weapon of mass destruction. In both cases, the acquired knowledge of chemistry is utilized. 

Acquiring only other branches of knowledge besides religion is not enough to become a good person. 

A kind of comparative rarity

The watch, the chair and the iPhone

Strange is that if you found a watch on a wide, green field, you will spontaneously think that the watch must have a creator, a designer, a human mind and effort that creates it. Let alone you found a chair in the middle of the jungle. Or an iPhone in the Saharan Desert.

Maybe after we have erected a concrete, mechanical world, then the tiny green plant on the street will catch our attention. Then we will ask each other, "who invented that?"

Looking beyond one's lifetime

My interest is very specific. And upon my very limited concern is the idea of invisible investment rooted in my religion. In this world, you are free to sponsor and support any cause or movement that you wish. However, the religion has came to suggest that the most fruitful investment is the one that has a long-lasting effect. And the longest there is, is that of the ever-lasting one. It requires not only devotion and dedication in terms of time and energy, since it is invisible, it also requires faith.

Strange are the people who invest in a company that promises a handsome reward but unable to see the reward in their lifetime. But those are the most succesful ones.

The Game of Terminology

Arabisation of Malaysia? 

I am aware of the effect that a terminology can have. Choosing the 'right' terminology is the difference between 'propaganda' and 'public relation' on having different effects despite standing up for the same thing.

Well for me, the term "Arabisation" is used to define the process of being more conservative (in a way?) or being more observing in abiding the commands of the religion. It is true that it has becoming a trend in Malaysian culture nowadays and the community is exposed to new terms such as 'Hijabista' (a fashion trend) and even 'Tarbiah' (for dakwah). Simply put, the community has shown a greater affiliation towards the religion in multiple aspects. 

Factors such as availability and affordability of products plays an important role in supplying the increasing demand of 'Arabisation'. Trend setters such as former actresses and celebrities also imparts a huge influence to the society in this process. 

The chain of events of the process can be very simple. One thing leads to another. First they change their clothes, then who knows their heart changes. New pattern of habits start to form, new genre of books to read, new environment and new circle of friends. In the end, the value of individual life increases. 

So why bother calling it 'Arabisation' while we can call it 'Beautification' of our culture? 

In this process, what is bad we make it good and what is good we make it better. I completely agree that this process requires assimilation of culture or improvisation but adding new values is always better than preserving bad traditions. And this is done with due respect to traditions and its long rooted history in our culture. 

Vision

I think the story of atheism is similar to the story of the people of Taif. Although it may sounds absurd but the view on which I can see similarity is that both cases require a long-term vision. Oh and by atheism, I mean super-hardcore atheism that does not associate themselves with a dust of creationism.

What happened during the incident of Taif (which is a name of a place) was Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was pelted with stones until his blessed body bleed so badly that his sandals turned red. He (pbuh) was rejected and chased away and the people turned away from him and his message.

But the highlight of the story was not the rejection. After he was chased away from the village, he encountered an angel that offered him a deal. The deal was to destroy the village of Taif and everyone in it since they rejected the call and on top of that, bribing the village youngsters to pelt the prophet with stones.

However, the Prophet (pbuh) turned down the deal and instead raised his hands and make a prayer for God to guide the heart of the people of Taif. The prayer was that although the people rejected Islam in the mean time but their grandchildren will accept the invitation to Islam in later generation. The prayer was more than just a prayer, it was a long-term fruitful vision since the grandchildren of the people of Taif accepted the call.

I think it goes the same with atheism.

Atheism can be seen as a long-term investment scheme that will one day produce a fruit of faith to creationism and God and His Oneness in a way that 'faith' will no longer be called 'faith'. It is just the matter of time that one day 'faith' will be called 'the established truth'. And pretty much those who go against it can be considered uneducated.

I can be wrong. But someday, I know at a certain point, we will thank them for many things. We will thank them for their arguments, their contributions to their field and their views. And they will thank us too.

The prophet (pbuh) finished with a prayer so I'll finish with a prayer.

"Ya Allah, the One, the Most Wise and the Most Knowledgable, lift up the barrier between scientific knowledge and the knowledge of Your Deen so we may see it as a singular, indivisible truth."

Can religion and unity marry each other already?

Peace, hello and ahoy hoy!

Hmmm, I first encountered this image one or two years ago and I want you to take a good look at it.

Did you get it's message? Okay. But there's more.

Muslim comments vs the one comment

When this image was posted in a Facebook page (which I cant remember where), many Muslims, dozen responded in the same manner, claiming that this is the teaching of Islam! (which is in fact true!) However, one comment stood above all. And the idea behind the comment really struck me to this very day. I believe the commenter is not a Muslim but he has left a great insight in the matter of "common grounds". The comment went something like this:

"This has nothing to do with Islam. This is humanity."

Although it is not entirely true since it has something to do with Islam, but these few words made me went, "woooow, I need to ponder about this. Okay, no prejudice. Look at commonalities instead of differences in people."

The 99% similarity concept

Ooooookay, after a while, it seemed like i have realized something worth to be discussed about. 

Just like we all share the same 99% of DNA make ups, I do believe we too have 99% SHARED VALUES with other human beings. We are made up of people with different background and ethnicities. However if we look beyond the MINUTE DIFFERENCES within our scope of life, the core essence of values that we share are not that different. 

The 1% difference concept

More than anything else, religion is an instrument of morality, good conduct and righteousness. I believe every religion teaches goodness. The main difference between religion is in the concept of unseen beings. We worship what we worship, you worship yours. And we disassociate ourselves from transgressing mainly this boundary and some other boundaries associated with it. 

However, that is only one aspect of religion that difference is addressed. There are a lot more commonalities that we can find in religions. I believe every religion teaches respect and tolerance towards each other. Do we need more?

The importance of focusing on the 99%

Even an agnostic/non-practicing person can benefit from this. Respect, love, tolerance, patience, gentleness. We give no room for cruelty and dehumanising others. We exchange smiles and flowers and avoid hateful comments.

And do not insult those they invoke other than Allah , Otherwise, they insult Allah in enmity without knowledge. Thus We have made pleasing to every community their deeds. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them about what they used to do. -Quran 6:108

A reality check does not extinguish the core of the 99% concept

However reality does not seems to be in line with theories on paper. 

In many parts of the world today, people have becoming less and less interested in religion. Nope, let me rephrase that. 

"People have becoming less and less interested in the unseen-ness concept in religions. But i know, many of us still hold on to the common values inherited by the religion of their forefathers."

#1 Observing people: He truly lowered his gaze!

A person like this still exists! A person like this still exists! A man worthy of Paradise.

He has a look of honour and very pleasing to the eye. Shy, soft spoken and very warm. He has a positive vibe around him. A sign of high intellect and excellent moral conduct. He is everything but ordinary. Born and raised in the West but highly and in a way conservatively ethical. Excellent human being.

In the mess of the world today, I walked pass him this morning while heading to my lecture. I saw him coming towards my direction. A familiar face! Slowly, closer and closer. As usual, i waited for the moment of "eye contact" to greet a person. However, a shocking thing happened. He didn't even lifted his head while he was walking. His eyes were locked to the ground. He didn't ogled or looked around, even to see familiar faces.

He is indeed a rare, strange kind! In my opinion, he is lowering his gaze. He is performing an act of honour, pride and dignity. What a remarkable opportunity to see this kind of man. Praise be to Allah.

A Clue in Maslow's Hierarchy of Need

Peace to everyone. Since becoming psychology student, I have came across quite frequently a theory by a superstar psychologist named Abraham Maslow. He founded the famous Hierarchy of Need of Self-Actualization. The diagram representation of this theory is basically something like this:

It doesn't look as scary or complicated as it may seem. 

Imagine that, God forbid, you are drowning. And during that time of helplessness, all that you will think about is grabbing some air to breathe. You don't think of your Facebook profile, or what is on TV tonight. Your need, your priority and the thing that will occupy your mind is breathing. So the foundation of human needs goes from the bottom to the top of the pyramid. Simple.

However, from this simplistic model of one's need, one can see a bigger picture and understand (and probably tackle) one huge 21st century phenomenon of Islamophobia. Haha how is that possible?

Well, Islamophobia is actually a learned behaviour. Before 9/11, people didn't associated Islam with terrorism, barbarism and violence. Then and BOOM! The news of the 9/11 incident went sky rocketed. After years of repeated affirmative, people has a simple, not so elegant, equation in mind.

Terrorism, violence, barbarism = 9/11 = Islam

And out of frustration, (some) Muslims go like this. And usually these kind of people are the darling of the media.

Yeap, these are not very pleasing pictures. Non-Muslims, and more importantly the Islamophobes will be really really scared about of Islam. WHY? Well if you see the second level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Need, you will find SAFETY as a priority. They view Islam as a threat to their safety. 

Islam is loving, Islam is beautiful, Islam will make a grown man weep! The light of Islam will extinguish darkness upon darkness. 

As a muslim, I don't support provocative demonstration and rebel-like actions. Islam is peaceful. I won't give up on that. Islam as a symbol of hope, warmth, compassionate and tolerance. I don't believe Islam will dominate the world, but I believe that some day, Islam will be globally accepted by the inhabitants of the world through love, tolerance, harmony, kindness and tender. 

A true muslim will not be loud in the streets and threathening other people's safety and security, but a true muslim will go to the streets, with radiance of light glowing from his or her inner self and give people beautifully scented flowers, smile to them and wish them "Have a nice day!"

This is not a popular thought. But here's a flower for you :)

Something good.

Bismillah. In the name of Allah. I am planning to start something like a beneficial sort of thing on the internet. Let me take an Islamic point of view for example. Since the masses use the social media significantly more than the scholars of Islam, it is not shocking that nowadays, the muslims in general have become the front liner of the face of Islam. So what i meant is, probably the only way that people get to know Islam, is through the masses, or YOU. And if you are a bad example of Islam, maybe it can be hugely misleading and a fitna for the religion. So let me adress this properly.

1. Problem: Sometimes people are too into the freedom of expression that they forget to take good care of others feelings. Sometimes muslims do it too.

2. Demand: More guidelines on how to nicely converse with others even if they are really really really, pain stakingly mean to you. Give them alternatives on not what to say but HOW to say it.

3. So what now: Device something benefical for the people so they can adopt in their daily conversation (especially when you try to do dakwah or 'invitation' to non-muslims on the internet.)

A Love Confession by Israel to Malaysia

It is interesting how Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) has accused Malaysia of secretly prepared a base for powered parachute training for the military wing of Hamas, Izzudin Al Qassam. Their method of trying to bring Malaysia into the picture looks crafty but desperate.

So let me tell you something about Islam. The Zionists play for the world to their last drop of sweat to dominate the world while Allah the Almighty reminded us over and over again in the Quran that this world is just a play and amusement. Persevere in our righteousness and one day we will be at the upperhand. Globally accepted by the people of the world in the near future. 

The Zionists use clever techniques, deceptions, media control, hiding devious acts behind seeming noble cause and so many more. Even as a muslim, you will be slightly impressed with their techniques and how much effort and budget they put in selling their evil propaganda. (Maybe reading the book entitled "The International Jew" by Henry Ford could start up your gear. I just started reading it and it is amazing.)

However, Allah has a unique solution for this kind of problem. Like Einstein said, "We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." So if we want to outsmart a Sherlock-ian level of genius, we cannot be on par with them. We need to play an entirely new game. 

They could never grasp the depth of Islam and its teachings. They do not understand to which King do we worship and pray to. The King of Kings! This is our advantage that they WILL NEVER have. We have the Invisible Government of Allah as our helper. We have the Mother Nature as our ally. On top of all, we have Allah the Creator!

If we are close to Allah, then Allah will mobilize His entire army to be with us. The birds, the bees, tigers, the trees, the rocks, the oceans, the wind and the creatures we know nothing of are waiting for us to get closer to Allah. Some call it natural disaster, a thectonic movement of Earth's plate but if we are close to Allah, it is as if this natural disaster and "accidents" can be coordinated to favor us. Amazing yet i too still am a weak believer.

Even as a muslim, we too cannot grasp the full concept of our supplication (doa) to become our weapon. This is because we know so little and we can only see a pixel while Allah sees the whole picture. Sometimes a little more patience is needed to have a greater benefit in the future while clearly most of the time we are impatient. 

Allah and fate will act as a traitor to them one day. Parallel to reality speaking, it is as if Allah attends every secret meetings and councils that they conducted. Allah appears to be one of the members and favors them. He hears and He observes intently every voices spoken and unspoken in the meeting. Allah will not appear as the strongest being in the room rather Allah will keep silent throughout the meetings. He will not speak and become the center of attention. He will never reveal is Superiority. Not now. Not at the wrong time. And most of the time, this is how Allah acts and treats His enemies. He will give freedom to them to prepare themselves and march forward arrogantly in this land and still Allah will keep His silence and be at the last line of this marching formation. They will cause corruption after corruption along the way until up to a point that they will reach the edge of a cliff. And now, behind them is Allah and in front of them is death. That is the day when Allah reveals everything about Him. 

All of the incidents that happen is for Allah to corner them. Indeed, they do not know what will happen tomorrow and what awaits them. However, Allah can corner them right now if Allah wants to. But He loves us so much that He gives us time to return to Him. Indeed to Him we belong and to Him we shall return. That is a great reminder to me and to us all. So let us keep praying and get closer to Allah. 

We indulge in great sins in our life. Things that we are not proud of and things we don't wish others to know. But Allah hides our wrongdoings from the public. Sometimes i consider myself arrogant and weak, but Alhamdulillah Allah still gives me time to correct myself and to act according to my knowledge.

Ultraman is... Haram?

Bismillah.

In Islam, a judge cannot pass down a judgement when they are hungry, full, angry, sleepy, stress, in a marital turbulance or any sort of unhealthy mental state since all of these can lead to irrational thinking process and thus, disturbing the rightly outcome. So i will try to be in a healthy state of mind for this post since the issue that i want to discuss about seems to be a big deal for some.

In this post, i choose not to condemn anyone since i do not have complete knowledge of both of these things. Islam and Ultraman. Haha but maybe, just maybe, i can give a fruitful thought about this. 

If i am but correct, the issue seems to linger around a Malay translation of the comic Ultraman the Ultra Power which openly referring to one of the character's attribution as Allah or in English, God. 

To avoid such paranoia and immaturity that somehow has been deeply embedded into the society, i will try to position myself as a free agent on which i evaluate both sides of the critics. By a free agent i mean i am not bias. However, bare in your mind that i too have only a little knowledge regarding Islam. But from what i know, calmness and right understanding of necessary knowledge is the key to rational thinking and right decision making.

So before i start, i want the audience to understand who Allah is to us, the muslims. He is the One free of need, the Inventor, the Creator of everything in the Heavens and the Earth. He does not have a beginning nor an ending. He is Unique and there is nothing like Him. We cannot see Him yet so as for now, He "communicated" with us through revelations. He gave us guidance on how to live, to love but not many truly, truly follow. Including me. Simply put, this life is a series of tests to us, a test of belief, fate acceptance, how we behave and how we react to each fate subjected to us while remain our composure and faith in Him and His Supreme Wisdom and Intellect. We expect to see Him, for some moment after we die. So if we spend our life doing good things and remember Him with great remembrance, then we have aced the test. Well, that is life, in a nutshell, in Islam.

So that is Allah and a little about life. He created oxygen, so He does not need to breath. He created the Sun, so He does not need it also. He designed our brain, so we cannot even begin to compare us with Him. He created any form of organism or sustanance, so He does not need it in any form of imaginable or unimaginable way. But we need Him for uncountable amount of reasons. He is the Source of Wisdom and Knowledge. We cannot know everything that He knows. In Islam, we know the reason why we are created, but We do not know (yet?) why He created us. But such little knowledge is sufficient for us to know what is the purpose of our life and creation.

Okay, back to the main issue of this post. Yes, it is true that we cannot refer anything as Allah except for Allah Himself with His rightly, Godly attributes. So how to know the true nature of Allah? In Islam, we must learn so. This is an ancient knowledge preserved since the beginning of human kind. So without such knowledge we have all the tendency in this world to refer to any other persona as Allah besides Allah, the One. And that is forbidden rather sparking dangerous implications since this huge matter is as if we are creating a lie about the Almighty God. So as a muslim, it is one of our duty to this world to tell people about Allah and with rationality, discuss with people about the catastrophy it brings when we make contradictory claims that lead to false understanding of the true nature of Allah. Let me give you a few examples:

1) A non muslim says that Allah is my God. There is nothing like Him. He has no beginning nor an ending. He is not born or give birth. He is indeed the All Powerful. 

2) A muslim says that Allah does not know everything. 

Indeed, for clear reasons, we have no problem with premise 1, but have a problem with premise 2 regardless of who they are. Claiming you are muslim, means that you follow the path to get closer to the Creator, to Allah. It does not means that you become instantly a perfect man, with perfect morality, wisdom and knowldege.

In Islam, it is a sin to make fun of other's religion. So there is no use of killing or burn their religious book as that is a bigger sin. If Islam teaches even a pinch of unreasonable violence and immorality, then i am not scared to leave it. But no. I see the reality of the world today. Through the eye and mind of a muslim, i see too many false doings in the name of Islam. Openly rather sincerely, i apologize for that.

As for this matter, here is how i think this case is supposed to be dealt. The prohibition of the whole series of that Ultraman comic book seems to be irrelavant. Firstly because the word "Allah" used maybe due to the product of an accident. Secondly, somehow it shows intolerancy of the Muslim community where we take this in a very extreme and strict way. Thirdly, it pushes away people from knowing the true nature of Islam.

So my suggestion is that giving them the time to reprint an edited version of the comic is better than prohibit the whole series. This means that what is considered "haram" in Islam is the first version of the comic whereby there is misuse of the word Allah in some of the content. And then we have no problem with the edited version :) 

Finally, maybe my words are not loud enough to spark a change in this huge world. So i just want to use this room to have a little responsiblity to respond to my friends with something that is on my mind to ease and untangle the burden, confusion and entanglement in yours. Do leave a comment or PM if you have any discomfort with my idea. I dont give fatwa, this is just my opinion on how we supposed to deal with this matter as a rational muslim.

Write things you want to improve in a piece of paper

Step by step, inch by inch, and play by play.

Let us improve ourselves and get better everyday.

1) Do something productive. Stay hungry for something that cant be learned in textbooks.

2) Personalize yourself. Create you and your own palace of talent.

3) Have a good heart. Nobody likes angry and foolish people.

4) You are responsible for the skin you expose, the clothes you wear and your hygiene.

5) Take care of what is in your mouth. Utter more goodness day by day.

6) Follow a bad deeds with a good deed. 

Abu Tharr said to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, "Give me advice", the prophet said "If you do a bad deed, then follow it with a good one that will wipe it out." Abu Tharr said "Oh Messenger of Allah, is "La Ilaha Illa Lah" from the good deeds?" The prophet pbuh replied: "It is the best deed."

Be merciful to yourself. Forgive and let go. Return in sincere repentance. Allah loves you :)

Initializing "Heavenly Protocol: Going Overt"

I am not an extremist. 

I try my best not to study for exams and get those flying colours of social dogma.

But yet, i am struggling to find the means of why am i studying the things that i study?

Can a mark on a paper really tells me how much i worth?

I want to learn something outside the textbook, but is it really worth it?

These are some questions, still clinging to my thoughts till this day.

So, as for my life, i filled it with a series of projects.

Something out of the realm of A's, grades and achievements.

I even consider myself an agent, an asset of Allah's Intelligence Agency.

And my mission is to do something in life, keeping myself busy with something interesting yet beneficial.

Yes, the name Allah's Intelligence Agency is a bid'ah but the content is not.

That is how i interestingly view Islam and make myself feels a little more lifted.

I am an asset, trained by Allah through guidance, knowledge and wisdom,

and i am here for a purpose. 

To be his servant, worshipping Him and work for this global agency of Islam.

We have specific outline for clothings, foods we consume, and every aspect of life.

We live by moral codes and on top of all, we have specific ways of worshipping exclusively for us.

The Highest Authority is hidden, unseen and unmatched.

No one has ever seen Him but some has heard His Voice and His Words.

He introduced Himself as the One, the Maker, the Creator of Everything, the Merciful, and so many more.

We will meet Him one day.

And this is the One i submitted myself to.

He is Pure, He is the Light and He is free from any need.

As an asset, my first leap of faith is to answer:

Do you believe that I, the Creator, exist?

If you do, what and how will you serve Me?

I imparted on you knowledge, skills and everything you need, how will you use it?

This agency is indestructable. 

It transcends through space, time, dimension and logic.

Maybe some of you have killed and massacred His helpless agents.

But we are Islam, we should forgive and show mercy, but most of us forget.

Allah does not give us weapons to kill one other.

Killing is the last resort when peace is beyond reach and when we are under attack. 

Allah has given us mind to think, eyes to see, ears to hear, and heart to love and understand.

So use it wisely.

Indeed we are muslims. Assets of the One, the Highest Authority and this is a pinch of our life.

An opportunist. An asset. An idealist.

In order for you to attain victory in the path of Allah, you need three things:

1) Faith in Allah

2) Systematic plans and organization

3) Istiqamah (perseverance)

-Hasan Al-Banna

Faith in Allah means that whatever the result is, how things will spin around and stress the world out of you, in the end you will say "Yes! Yes! Everything is happening according to Allah's plan. Muahahaha i am where Allah wants me to be *evil laugh* >:D hehe so take opportunity in everything that life serves you. When life gives you lemon, you make lemonade. That is how a muslim should act! Well i know sometimes we screwed up so much and brag endlessly about life, but the important thing is that find your center quickly and regain your focus. No worries, Allah will help you. Just hope for the best and ready for the worst.

Saidina Ali, may blessings of Allah be upon him once said that "if you fight unsystematically for the sake of Allah while your enemy fight you systematically, surely you will lose." The help of Allah and the ultimate victory will never be yours until you are united by your differences. We are created to compliment each other. If you cant do the task alone, if you cant find that value of x and y in your homework, do not afraid to ask :D Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in His cause in a row as though they are a [single] structure joined firmly -As Saff 4

Being istiqamah means that you will grow stronger as the challange gets greater. So that means, looking back and run away is not a choice except if it brings a more fruitful advantage. And it also means a constant quality control. Your performance must always be at tip top condition :-) If you want to get that A, go and get it! Get that A! Get that first place in that competition if you think that it can improve your life and others. Do the best and be the best that you can. Because after all, you are where Allah wants you to be.

You are an asset of Allah! You are here on a mission. A lifetime mission to survive this world while bringing the message of Islam. Stick and stones may break your bones, but Allah says that it will all be worth it. Probably you are the only glimpse of Islam that someone will see in their life. So make it cool and stylish B-) Islam has provides you ALL of the content that you need. So use your skills, talents and knowledge to beautify it. 

Think of the opportunity and advantages of everything that Allah has sent down to you. Be the people of intellect and be clear of the fact that Allah is in control. He is the Master, and His Knowledge encompasses everything! You are sufficient to bear your own burden. And remember, you are the asset of Allah and you are here for a mission. Never forget that mission.

Love, 

Izzat Haikal bin Abdullah Halim

Just like taking a bath, we need reminders everyday.

Some of the things i have gained this week.

1) In Islam, the brotherhood transcends spatial dimension as it is obligatory to believe that the djinns and humans were created to worship The Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. The djinns are blessed with great strength compared to us but we are blessed with great intellect and thus we are superior. Just like humans, some of them believe and are dedicated to the Message of Oneness of God but some are not. It is not in our responsibility to communicate with them and convey them the Message. However, there are something that we need to take care for them. The foods of the believing djinns. Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him once said that to perform istinjak, (cleaning your pubic parts after excretion purpose) use water or something with rough texture until you are fully clean but never use bones to do it. This is because bones are the food of the believing djinns while the unbelieving ones eat anything filthy. And another food for the believing djinns is a food eaten in the name of Allah or the Basmallah. So dont let them die in hunger okay?

2) I heard in IKIM fm a very gentle voice of an Ustaz but i didnt get his name. He said that many of us have created a not-so-good habit in ourselves when we perform the ablution. While we are supposed to avoid wasting, it is as if we are unconciously promoting it. For example, he said that, we dont need a handful amount of water to wash our face during the ablution while keeping the tap running wastefully. A little water on your one hand and the other hand to close the tap soon afterwards is sufficient enough. And then spread the water on your face with both of your hands. It will be better. Same goes to every process of the ablution. Together we can make change of this habit.

3) Let us talk about business for a while. Although it seems that i am not in a right place to that about this. But yeah, whatever. The only difference between our ideas and the ideas of the entrepreneurs is that they take their ideas into action. They are brave enough to make it happen and take all the risks of failing. The future may be blurry for them, but whatever it is, follow your guts and intuition because somehow they know what you need to do in life. Your attitude makes all the difference. 

4) Being selfless or putting others before you doesnt mean that you give in everything to others and left nothing to yourself. Being selfless is about being self sufficient and become free of need of anything. It is true that once Saidina Abu Bakr, among the first people to accept Islam, gave everything in his possession for this religion. However, the context of his action must be understood first. He was a merchant, a business man who was capable of keeping his financial flow running and stable. So dont burden yourself so much because it may cause a fitnah to this beautiful way of life. People who dont understand may misintepret and say, "that muslim guy over there always asking for money and never work for himself, you know. Is that how Islam teaches them to be?" The answer is no. We must do something in life and try to avoid asking. But if we truly need to, the Mercy of God is always there for you.

5) If a problem comes to you and it is against your conventional wisdom or the status quo, the best thing is to solve it by discussion. Discussion brings means of understanding between parties involved, including their objectives, pros and cons, methodologies and system of organization. Do not find things that differ us, find a common understanding. Voice out like the wise.

Glad tidings to you!

It is a brilliant sight indeed. Full of wonders. His eyes are like rubies. His smile is perfection. White teeth and handsome face, indeed a very gorgeous man is standing before me, staring humbly to the ground while a smile magnificently carved on his face. His body is slender with a little tinch of toughness beautified with a pearly white cloak, a pair of leather sandals and hypnotizing fragrance, unforgettable.

"Assalamualaikum," he greets me. "I have been expecting you for months."

Waalaikumussalam. Do i know you from somewhere? Have we met before?

A short pause, and then it is the cheeky smile again. A smile followed by repeated head movements indicating a no.

I am clearly confused. Imagine for a moment. 

Under the spectacular sight of the full moon and the brilliant constellation swarming the heaven so divinely, stands a humble young man before you and greets you with a lovely voice and melodious tone. I am not scared however. He seems like a good young man to me. It is just that i am deadly puzzled.

"Tell me about Islam in the world today." A short question with a firm voice.

I am not sure how to answer that, but it seems like we are slowly reconstructing on one part but deconstructing on another. Morals, tolerance and righteous words are lost through time, but somehow Islam is spreading regardless of this vast hecticness. Many people understand Islam in a very weird way. We are supposed to be the people with the highest morality and awesome character, proud yet humble and kind, but unfortunately we are not. Some of us including me sometimes prevent this dream to become a reality.

"So what is the cause then?" 

If i were to assume the root of this madness, i would probably point out the fact that most of us failed to pay attention to details, or the small things in life that make up the total sum of the world. Every word spoken, every inch of skin exposed, every ego blasted and every action we do should be taken into account in order to improve ourself. We cannot change if we do not know what to change. Change needs patience and knowledge.

"So what do you want to do now?"

Inside my head rings the quote of Mahatma Gandhi, the peace fighter of India dated back in the era of British colonialism. Be the change you want to see in this world, Gandhi said.

That is a piece of beautiful advice but nobody seems to care about it.

So i tell him that i started small. I improve myself, my habit and my consciousness in order to radiate a better me. I become a little more conscious day after day of cleanliness, tidiness, my clothes and what i spill out to others . I try to become selfless from time to time, putting others before myself. 

"Can you be a little more specific on how you improve what you want to improve?" he asked.

Well, i try to isolate myself from others quite frequently, thinking of the hollowness and rooms to improve in my life. By being alone with my mind and my body, i can rationalize my thinking and become sincere to myself. I know my own weaknesses so i need to scrape it out of my life. This life is a series of endless battles revolving around the means of self improvement. A powerful Verse in the Holy Quran sums up the whole purpose of this life, along with the trials and tribulations it serve.

Say (O Muhammad): "I am only a human being like yourselves; it has been revealed to me that your deity is God Alone. Anyone who is expecting to meet his Lord should act honorably and not associate anyone in the worship due his Lord."

Holy Quran 18:110

Indeed this is among the Verses, unmatched. 

As i said earlier, the small things and habits that we have equates to the total sum of  the outcome of our life. Two highly devoted angels are currently writing a biography about me. A highly detailed document of everything that i do. But i dictate the title and the content of the book because i am in control of my path. Although i am scared of the outcome, but i know God is the Most Merciful. Like seriously, only a blind heart will not see His Majestic Knowledge. How can they learn science so complex but they cannot comprehend the idea of this universe and every life form has a Maker, an Inventor that we should be proud of and be thankful of. Only Him, we should praise and worship. An ideal Maker, the Master and Owner of everything.

"Indeed." He replies, short and then continue. "Many muslims knows the teachings of Islam, but only a few truly follows. Explain your idea if you love to."

Well, my idea is simple. It is widely true because they understand religion as a big and heavy thing to swallow. It is about supernaturalism and strict rules, like the guards of Hell strictly watching them from above. But that is not how i view it. I view Islam as an amazing way to live. An ideology so beautiful, it is as if that a perfect example of mankind stands before you and guides you how to behave.

Islam is like your close companion figuratively beside you right now. An imaginary friend that teaches you awesome stuffs in life. Islam is a very handsome young man or a beautiful devoted woman; a source of great wisdom and wonderful teachings. Islam accompanies you everywhere. 

When you are sad, he comforts you. 

When you go to the toilet, he does not peek but rather gives you advice to do it the right way. 

When you go to work, he teaches you about ettiquette and respect. 

When you say bad stuffs, he will be like, "no, no, no, my friend. You should not say that. Say something nice. Make others happy and comfortable with you. Smile like you imagine me smiling." 

Just picture the most wonderful person with the best of manners accompanies you every single moment. He is Islam, manifested. That is why i love to be alone. Islam teaches me peace and tranquility. He draws me nearer to my Creator. He loves me and he wants to guide me. 

Maybe if i were to imagine Islam in real life, i will manifest him in appearance just like you, o stranger! 

I giggle a little but it is a sincere statement. How can i not be serious. Handsome face with black hair, humble and lovely. Pure manifestation of wisdom and intellect. You are very wonderful, you know?

But the thing is, i do not know your name. I do not know where you come from and it seems like suddenly you just appeared out of nowhere. You left me stunned and amazed by your appearance and you asked me questions that who knows you have better answers. I just want to know who you are. 

A short pause as i unpatiently waiting for a response.

Are you my manifestation of Islam? How's that even possible? Have i gone crazy?

The breeze of the night cripples on my skin. Blood circulates my body at a greater speed. Tension rising. With a cool smile and sophisticated eyes, he raises his head and his shining eyes pierce straight through my retinas. An eye contact for the first time!

It stuns me in a million ways. My body freezes and the hairs on my hand erect orchastrally. What is this feeling? Dazed i am.

"My friend," he tries to comfort me with his lovely hypnotic voice. "Your time, your journey has come to an end. It's time for you to leave everything behind now. I am your good deeds and i am here to bring you a glad tidings of Paradise. I want to thank you for beautifying me all your life. Your time in this world is well spent and the Most Merciful is pleased with you. Although your life is short but you have spent it very greatly. You are generous to the needy, you spent quality time alone with God and you have uttered from your mouth only love, repentance and remembrance of Allah throughout your life. And you have followed the teachings of Islam whole heartedly. So glad tidings are to you, o believer! Indeed Allah has forgave your sins for you have never associated Him with any other deity."

I am trembling with fear as before me stands a man with pearl of tears coming down his eyes as he approaches me, spreading his arm trying to hug me. His fragrance fills the surrounding air. Lovely. How can i forget the smell. 

The warmth of his hug turns cold as i feel my soul leaving my body. I will die in his arms. The feeling is just plainly undescribable. No words can do justice to express this sentimental moment.

"Proclaim the testimony of faith, o servant of Allah!" He commands me in hurry. Maybe he too feels my ice cold body, paralyzed and frozen legs. My warmth is gone. My pulse is weakening. I am dying. O my God, i am dying and my age barely reaches 30. But it is a great experience altogether to feel alive for that span of time. 

Today is the day that i will depart to a new world, a new beginning. Thank you Allah for this extraordinary experience. What a good life it is. My life is complete.

I met an old man today

Do read my previous entry first. This article and the previous one may differ from your opinion. But i just want to share mine. Maybe i will be the voice you are shy to be.

In the environment on which i was raised, i have seen the destruction that the gift of freedom has brought. The freedom of thinking leads to blindness towards the truth and the false. The freedom of human rights lead to immoralities that keeps on spreading every single day. Who will put a stop to this? :(

While i was standing there hearing the speech at the mosque, there was an old man who just came by and stood beside me with a cigarette lighted up. He said to me, "ni pasal nak gulingkan kerajaan ke?" I replied, "tak, ni pasal nak bantah sistem demokrasi. Dia nak tegakkan khalifah Islam. So takda parti politik, takda pilihan raya" And then he laughed a bit and said "hmmm, tak payahlah semua ni." I was stunned because he is a muslim and he is blind regarding the history of Islam. This religion is our rope and hope that we hold on to when we have nothing. When we are out of food, and scared in the middle of a jungle, we prayed to Our Lord with sincerity. After the Almighty has sufficed us with our nose to breathe, the oxygen to be inhaled, the systems that made up our body, waters to drink and quench our thirsts, all he can be thankful to is the government? But God made life possible! God made YOU possible.

He has a bigger concern of his patriotism compared to the religion of his Lord. And i thought we prayed 5 times a day to keep reminding us who is in control of this lowly world and everything in it and far beyond it. The Caliphate was in this world for more than a thousand years up until the year 1922 (i think) when the traitor, Kamal Antarturk sold this religion for the benefit of himself and those who supported him. And now his body is not accepted by the earth. Verily, it is obligatory to have this system fully operated and this desicion is the desicion of the concensus of the ulama'. When our beloved Prophet died, there were a few hours before they appointed Saidina Abu Bakar to be the First Caliph. Some ulama' intepreted this by saying it is not obligatory of the Caliphate system because of the few hours of leaderless. But many of the ulama' intepreted is as it is obligatory to have the Caliphate but a few hours or period of time to unite the hearts of the muslims is acceptable.

Back to the story. "Dulu pakcik antara orang yang pertama bantu naikkan Malaysia ni. Masa zaman komunis, 13 Mei semua dulu pakcik dah ada jawatan dah. Pakcik dah berjuang dulu. Tak payahlah dik semua ni. Orang muda sekarang semua kerajaan salah. Semua nak bantah. Diorang tak tau berapa banyak kerajaan dah berkorban dulu. Malaysia dah makmur sekarang. Nak apa lagi? Apa lagi yang tak cukup?" And then he paused for a while and continued, "ha apa pendirian adik?" 

"Saya cuma nak apa yang terbaik untuk generasi selepas saya je. Saya taknak lagi pergaduhan antara dua pihak yang besar ni," i spontaneously replied. "Hmmm, tak payahlah dik, orang sekarang cerdik pandai tapi bukan pandai sangat pun. Penat dulu kami berjuang untuk negara. Orang sekarang ni semua tak kena." And i just stood silence, smiled and nodded.

I appreciate his past efforts. Indeed he is a very patriotic man. But am i a bad person if i disagree with him and everyone who has the same way of thinking and i chose to have my own opinion? Yes, i dont understand what he has been through in his past. I dont understand his fight and struggle. But that doesnt mean that i dont appreciate this peace and harmony we have. Am i a bad person if i dont care about my race? The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said that "the Arabs are not better than the non Arabs. And the non Arabs are not better than the Arabs. No white man is better than a black man nor a black man is better than a white man. Except in faith in Allah."

So can i be blind about my skin colour solely for my religion? To extinguish hatred, intolerence and every disease be it racism, sexism, social misconducts, and every single problem on the face of this planet. Supporting my religion does not means that i am a supporter of a political party or anything. Those who are right stays right regardless how bad they are and vice versa. If this cause of mine promotes a particle of hatred, oppression, violence and injustice, then there will be no reason to fight for it. I know that there are only two general reasons why people will against something. One is the injustice and oppression that a party brings. Another one is misunderstanding and lack of knowledge regarding the message. So i hope that i am crystal clear with my writing.

A loving environment who cries and prays to God, be kind to His people and be colour blind regarding the colour of our skin. Everywhere there are smiles and love and cleanliness and beautiful speech. I may be crazy to dream of any of this but if everybody take part in it, if everybody guards and be the master of their own tongue, we will start to see a better tomorrow :)

You know, tongue is a very tricky muscle. Its like it has a mind of his own. It sometimes spills out something bad spontaneously, and causes mistakes on your speech. It is tireless, boneless and it helps our vocal cord to make sense the sounds that we are making. Whosoever can have the mastery over this organ, and ones anger and ones emotion and ones private parts and modesty will be a great person.

May love and peace be in the air. Be silent when we are angry. Be a good example to the youngsters. "Not from my Ummah, (community) the old ones who do not love the young ones and the young ones who do not respect the old ones," said our Prophet peace be upon him. Treat people the way we want to be treated. And be amazed as you witness the change in your life.

Sincerely, out of love :)

My dream shared

There i was standing at the compound of the mosque right after the Friday Prayer hearing a free talker gave a speech. They were neither talking about "gulingkan kerajaan", "turun" or whatsoever because that is the hot polemic in Malaysia today. It is all about politics, disunity and pride. But this was not what he spoke of. The speaker talked about the Caliphate Rulings. He pleaded the hearer to stop this crazy political system that leads to all sorts of problem in Malaysia today. He condemned the "Perhimpunan Turun" and also some of the government's policies like building a wine or beer or any kind of intoxicants factories. 

"If they want to get drunk and destroy their body, then do it at another country. They can even take a bath with it."

Further, he added that he was not pleased with the democratic system that destroys the future of the next generation. He wanted to change the system entirely because this system is destroying this nation, it is a chaos out of order. There will be not much differences to be brought if the Caliphate is to be introduced. It is not that everyone has to a muslim or anything. The world will be a free world.

But there is a major change that is going to take place. And that is the religious and spiritual aspect. The major part of this system is that we must put our religion as the main priority in life, regardless whatsoever. Our purpose of life, breathing and working, will not be studying, getting a job with a good salary and then die leaving our children and properties. Throughout our life, we must live with the moral codes and ethics of our own system of religion and belief. Even if there is only one Jew or etc in this country, he must be trialed with his own system of jurisprudence. He must never be discriminated even if he is the minority. He has his rights.

And this major change also means, far lesser entertainment and no pornography or any kind of misconduct so that we live in a God-conscious environment and society everyday and everywhere. Knowledge, kindness and love of every religion must be amplified at maximum. We worship the way we worship and we must be kind to each other and respect each other and be tolerant. This is a very good approach to develop the next generation. Seriously we dont want the next generation to the next Miley C*rus or sex symbol or something that is even close. Respect yourself and others. That is what the Caliphate system is bringing.

As for the muslims, it is hugely, hugely, hugely recommended for us to take care of our clothes, the way we talk and the way we deal with things. Because life is about cause and effect. We are sufficient for our own deeds. This is also applicable for the non muslims. Everything starts at home. We must take care of our own family members. Be a great parent to our children. In addition, this system of Caliphate also helps to fight poverty by distributing charity and alms to the eligible needy every month or year. Being charitable to the needy is highly recommended in this system. It is a noble way to live by putting others before yourself. Plus, the criminal laws enforced are not to punish the wrong doers but to educate and give conciousness to them and the public. Think about any kind of problems and Islam has the solution.

There will more devoted, knowledgable, humble men and women in this world. A knowledge not just to get A in exam but to get A in life. Islam does not forbids you to play the sport you love or having your dream cars and houses. Islam only teaches you how to do it the right way. Want to get rich and successful? Go ahead but do not cheat, oppress others with interest or recalibrate your scale unjustly, gambling, sell illegal stuffs or any kind of misconduct. Easy. Islam is very easy. Allah wants to take care of us from mistreating ourself, our family and others. 

Oh by the way, somebody will ask, "why is it a must for the leader, somehow like the Prime Minister of this system must be a muslim?" Well, the answer is all of these that are to be implemented were sent down from Allah to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and then it is passed down to the Muslims. Furthermore, taking advices from the knowledgables among the scholars of Islam is a part of being the Caliph (the leader.)

So you know that it is not because we are thirsty for power and control. A God-fearing man will be scared if a responsibilty is to be put on his shoulder. The First Caliph, Saidina Abu Bakr As Siddiq fainted when the congregation pointed him as the Caliph after the death of our beloved Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. And the change of the Second Caliph, Saidina Omar Al Khattab was more astonishing. From a strict man he became very humble and soft spoken man. 

Indeed we can make this dream a reality. I am not sure how many people agrees with me. Do comment or inbox me or anything :)