A friend forwarded me a video entitled Sleep is Better than Prayer. It was a good video (and so true!) - I went on to watch the other videos related to it. My favourite is the one entitled: Don't Wear Hijab, You Will Look Ugly.
I can easily identify with the girl in the video. Oftentimes, I hesitate to go out thinking 'Am I dressed up to the occasion?', 'Is what I am wearing ok? or does it look too prudish?'.
Instead of asking 'Am I covering my aurat properly?', I sometimes ask 'Do I look fashionable enough?'
Who am I trying to impress here?
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Maryam
I became a fan of Iranian films ever since I saw Majid Majidi's Children of Heaven.
Thus, I was very excited to find out that there is an Iranian Film Festival in Kuala Lumpur from March 20 - April 2.
I grew more pleased when I found out that 'Saint Mary' (also known as Maryam Al-Muqaddasah) is one of 10 movies shown. When I was in Macquarie, I was shown a snippet of the movie and I've always wanted to see the full film.
The snippet was shown during a talk by Affinity Club entitled 'Who is Jesus Christ in Islam?'. Muslims do believe that Isa (Jesus) is the Messiah and that he was born miraculously. We also believe that Maryam (Saint Mary) is one of the most pious and purest women ever. So, the talk and the movie served to show the similarity between the Islam and Christianity.
The film is actually a condensed version of a television series of the same title.
I feel that it is a very beautiful movie. The most powerful scene has got to be the ending, where Mary returned with her newborn to Jerusalem. A big crowd has gathered to see whether the rumours surrounding her disappearance are true. When they saw the baby, they hurled insults and accusations at her. Maryam just kept quiet and gestured to her baby.
This scene is taken from Surah Maryam, verses 27-33:
27. Then she brought him (the baby) to her people, carrying him. They said: "O Maryam! Indeed you have brought a thing Fariyy (a mighty thing)."
28. "O sister of Harun! Your father was not a man who used to commit adultery, nor your mother was an unchaste woman."
29. Then she pointed to him. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"
30. He [Isa] said: "Verily I am a slave of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet;"
31. "And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me Salat (prayer), and Zakat, as long as I live."
32. "And dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblest."
33. "And Salam (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!"
The movie is in Persian with English subtitles. Its running time is 114 minutes. Oh yeah, the ticket costs only RM5!
For showtimes and the synopsis of the other movies, go to www.gsc.com.my
*Nisa kata dia nak tengok SEMUA
Thus, I was very excited to find out that there is an Iranian Film Festival in Kuala Lumpur from March 20 - April 2.
I grew more pleased when I found out that 'Saint Mary' (also known as Maryam Al-Muqaddasah) is one of 10 movies shown. When I was in Macquarie, I was shown a snippet of the movie and I've always wanted to see the full film.
The snippet was shown during a talk by Affinity Club entitled 'Who is Jesus Christ in Islam?'. Muslims do believe that Isa (Jesus) is the Messiah and that he was born miraculously. We also believe that Maryam (Saint Mary) is one of the most pious and purest women ever. So, the talk and the movie served to show the similarity between the Islam and Christianity.
The film is actually a condensed version of a television series of the same title.
I feel that it is a very beautiful movie. The most powerful scene has got to be the ending, where Mary returned with her newborn to Jerusalem. A big crowd has gathered to see whether the rumours surrounding her disappearance are true. When they saw the baby, they hurled insults and accusations at her. Maryam just kept quiet and gestured to her baby.
This scene is taken from Surah Maryam, verses 27-33:
27. Then she brought him (the baby) to her people, carrying him. They said: "O Maryam! Indeed you have brought a thing Fariyy (a mighty thing)."
28. "O sister of Harun! Your father was not a man who used to commit adultery, nor your mother was an unchaste woman."
29. Then she pointed to him. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"
30. He [Isa] said: "Verily I am a slave of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet;"
31. "And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me Salat (prayer), and Zakat, as long as I live."
32. "And dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblest."
33. "And Salam (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!"
The movie is in Persian with English subtitles. Its running time is 114 minutes. Oh yeah, the ticket costs only RM5!
For showtimes and the synopsis of the other movies, go to www.gsc.com.my
*Nisa kata dia nak tengok SEMUA
Sharing is Caring
A few weeks ago, I loaned my book, 'Does My Head Look Big in This?' to a friend in college. After she has finished reading it, she passed it to another friend, and that friend passed it to another, and another and another.
By the time it reached the ?th person, I got to know that a section of the book had fallen out.I was crestfallen... It was after all, a book that I adore.
Some time later, I read what Paulo Coelho has to say about books and libraries (in his book, Like the Flowing River - Thoughts and Reflections).
He said that despite of his love for reading, he doesn't own a lot of books. He only keeps his favourites ones and donates the rest to public libraries or gives them to other people.
He believes that "a book has its own journey to make, and should not be condemned to being stuck on a shelf".
He also says that he loves it when, "at a book signing, a reader comes up to [him] clutching a battered copy of one of [his] books that has been passed from friend to friend dozens of times".
After thinking about it, I now subscribe to his point of view. I would rather have my books become battered through much sharing than to have them looking brand new, on the shelf.
Sharing is Caring.
The book is about Amal, a Palestinian-Australian Muslim girl. She decides to wear the hijab "full-time". The book details the reactions she got from her classmates. The book also deals with issues like
* the stereotypes people have of minority groups,
* the common perception that Muslim women are "oppressed",
* culture vs. religion,
* etc.
The book is actually for young adults but older readers will enjoy it as well.
The author, Randa Abdel-Fattah (an Australian-Muslim herself), has another book entitled '10 Things I Hate about Me'.
*Image taken from Amazon.com
By the time it reached the ?th person, I got to know that a section of the book had fallen out.I was crestfallen... It was after all, a book that I adore.
Some time later, I read what Paulo Coelho has to say about books and libraries (in his book, Like the Flowing River - Thoughts and Reflections).
He said that despite of his love for reading, he doesn't own a lot of books. He only keeps his favourites ones and donates the rest to public libraries or gives them to other people.
He believes that "a book has its own journey to make, and should not be condemned to being stuck on a shelf".
He also says that he loves it when, "at a book signing, a reader comes up to [him] clutching a battered copy of one of [his] books that has been passed from friend to friend dozens of times".
After thinking about it, I now subscribe to his point of view. I would rather have my books become battered through much sharing than to have them looking brand new, on the shelf.
Sharing is Caring.
X X X
* the stereotypes people have of minority groups,
* the common perception that Muslim women are "oppressed",
* culture vs. religion,
* etc.
The book is actually for young adults but older readers will enjoy it as well.
The author, Randa Abdel-Fattah (an Australian-Muslim herself), has another book entitled '10 Things I Hate about Me'.
*Image taken from Amazon.com
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Sirah Junjungan
It was touted as the first ever Islamic musical theater in Malaysia.
I didn't plan on watching it but Nada, Fa & Zue strongly recommended that I do. They said that it was really touching (especially towards the end).
So I went with my sister. We were expecting a small crowd, like the one on Wednesday. Nada, Fa & Zue got upgraded to better seats since the audience was so small.
But on Friday, the place was packed. We had trouble finding a vacant parking space. There were bus loads of people. We were hoping that there are still tickets left (fat chance of being upgraded though).
Thankfully, there were tickets still. The RM50 ticket placed us on the upper circle of the Panggung Sari. Unlike Nada, I didn't get to see Jamal Abdillah "depan mata" (qoute, unqoute) :p
The show was around 2 hours' long. At times, I felt that it was a bit draggy.
On the whole, I was a bit disappointed. I was kind of expecting more. I wasn't "touched" as Fa promised I would.
But there are two parts in the show that I felt a lump in my throat:
Firstly, when Jamal Abdillah sang the song right after Rasulullah became an orphan.
Secondly, when the people of Madinah sang joyously to mark the arrival of the Prophet.
The most annoying part has got to be the "Latta Uzza" song. Hind's high pitch cackle is a close second.
When I told my mom that I didn't like the show, my sister reproached me: "Jangan la kata tak best... cakapla it was a commendable effort. After all, it was the first theater of its kind in Malaysia"
*terkedu seketika*
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Learning Arabic
I started learning Arabic recently. I joined the IIUM Arabic course for the public.
I was interested to learn the language since last year.
Before this, I recite the Quran without reading its translation. After I started reading the Quran hand-in-hand with is translation, I began to realize the importance of learning the language.
Knowing the meaning makes reading the Quran more "powerful" (it's a bit hard to describe its effect). But translations are only poor substitutes of the real thing. They could never convey the true essence of the message.
So, I enrol with my sister to learn the language. Classes are held every Monday and Wednesday, 8-10pm. There are 25 sessions in all. There is an examination at the end of the course and if you passed, you may proceed to the next level.
There are 20+ students in my class. Most of them are working adults or retirees. Only a handful are still studying. I like the ustaz who's teaching my class. He is so funny. But he scares me a bit since he often bombards us with tough questions. You really have to be alert and do your homework!
I also like going to IIUM at night. The buildings look so majestic. You also see people of various ethnic backgrounds. It's so multi-cultural that it reminds me of the Musolla at Macquarie University.
I think I would like very much to further my study at IIUM one day.
2 years ago, I learnt French and German as part of the B. Ed. (TESL) Foundation requirement.
And now, I could only remember bits and pieces of the language:
J'taime, Au revoir, Oui, Bonjour, Merci
Hopefully, my foray into Arabic won't suffer a similar fate.
From Marianne's handout:
Learners learn a language best when:
Pocket ALL: a user's guide to the teaching of languages and ESL
David Vale, Angela Scarino & Panny McKay
From Jill Murray's handout:
A good language learner:
I was interested to learn the language since last year.
Before this, I recite the Quran without reading its translation. After I started reading the Quran hand-in-hand with is translation, I began to realize the importance of learning the language.
Knowing the meaning makes reading the Quran more "powerful" (it's a bit hard to describe its effect). But translations are only poor substitutes of the real thing. They could never convey the true essence of the message.
So, I enrol with my sister to learn the language. Classes are held every Monday and Wednesday, 8-10pm. There are 25 sessions in all. There is an examination at the end of the course and if you passed, you may proceed to the next level.
There are 20+ students in my class. Most of them are working adults or retirees. Only a handful are still studying. I like the ustaz who's teaching my class. He is so funny. But he scares me a bit since he often bombards us with tough questions. You really have to be alert and do your homework!
I also like going to IIUM at night. The buildings look so majestic. You also see people of various ethnic backgrounds. It's so multi-cultural that it reminds me of the Musolla at Macquarie University.
I think I would like very much to further my study at IIUM one day.
2 years ago, I learnt French and German as part of the B. Ed. (TESL) Foundation requirement.
And now, I could only remember bits and pieces of the language:
J'taime, Au revoir, Oui, Bonjour, Merci
Hopefully, my foray into Arabic won't suffer a similar fate.
X X X
From Marianne's handout:
Learners learn a language best when:
- they are treated as individuals with their own needs and interests
- they are provided with opportunities to participate in communicative use of the target language in a wide range of activities
- they are exposed to communicative data which is comprehensible and relevant to their own needs and interests
- they focus deliberately on various language forms, skills, and strategies in order to support the process of language acquisition
- they are exposed to sociocultural data and direct experience of the culture(s) embedded within the target language
- they become aware of the role and nature of language and culture
- they are provided with appropriate feedback about their progress
- they are provided with opportunities to manage their own learning
Pocket ALL: a user's guide to the teaching of languages and ESL
David Vale, Angela Scarino & Panny McKay
X X X
From Jill Murray's handout:
A good language learner:
- attends to whether his/her performance meets the standards he/she has learnt
- enjoys grammar exercises
- begins learning in childhood
- has an above average IQ
- has good academic skills
- has a good self-image and lots of confidence
- is a willing and accurate guesser
- tries to get a message across, even if specific language knowledge is lacking
- is willing to make mistakes
- constantly looks for patterns in the language
- practices as often as possible
- analyses his/her own speech and the speech of others.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Election Day!
I cast my first vote today! :)
Kak Yom, Abafan, Kakak and I walked to our polling station: Dewan Serbaguna Taman Keramat at 9am.
Someone in a PAS-decorated car offered us a ride but since the Dewan is just a short distance away, we politely declined.
After checking our names, we joined the long queue. I met three of my former schoolmates there! They all have finished their study and are now working.
After about 30 minutes, our turn finally came. Kak Yom went in first, followed by Kakak. Both of them took a short time to cast their vote. I guess they made up their mind long ago.
Then, came my turn. After ticking off my name, the SPR officer said loudly: "ROS-YA-DA Sulaiman". I grimaced. Boy, I do hate people mispronouncing my name like that.
Surprisingly, being the fence sitter that I am, I also took a short time. I looked at the candidates' names, took a deep breath, proclaimed Bismillah, and ticked. Went to the boxes to slot my voting slips and then it was over.
Wow.
So that's how voting feels like.
Leaving the Dewan, a Keadilan man casually asked: "Dah pangkah dah apa2 yang patut dipangkah?".
My sisters just smiled *undi adalah rahsia* in response
When we arrived home, Mama & Papa have not left home to vote yet. They are supposed to vote in Sek. Ren. Agama Taman Keramat.
Then Mama dropped the bombshell. They haven't left home yet because Papa decided NOT to vote in this election.
*G A S P*
Papa?? Not Voting??
That's so unlikely. Papa & politics go hand in hand. He's like the most "politically and socially engaged" person in the house - He devours the newspapers daily - He keeps tracks of all the latest election news...
What's happening here?
Braving myself, I asked Papa why he's not voting.
He replied that he has no confidence in the present leadership and yet he did not believe the opposition either.
Oh. I see.
I guess Papa feels the same way as me. I guess a lot of people feel the same way as well.
If they did vote for the opposition, it's not due to the opposition's capabilities, but more of a protest aimed at the government.
The list is rather long isn't it?
-The indelible ink fiasco
-The V. K. Lingam video
-The whole Khairy controversy
-The biased media
-Widespread corruption
Will the opposition make a better government? I have my doubts. But I do think that we need a strong opposition in the Parliament. Otherwise, there's no check and balance system in place.
We shall see how Malaysians vote tonight. Whatever the results, to quote Malaysiakini, "Those elected, please get down to work tomorrow!"
Kak Yom, Abafan, Kakak and I walked to our polling station: Dewan Serbaguna Taman Keramat at 9am.
Someone in a PAS-decorated car offered us a ride but since the Dewan is just a short distance away, we politely declined.
After checking our names, we joined the long queue. I met three of my former schoolmates there! They all have finished their study and are now working.
After about 30 minutes, our turn finally came. Kak Yom went in first, followed by Kakak. Both of them took a short time to cast their vote. I guess they made up their mind long ago.
Then, came my turn. After ticking off my name, the SPR officer said loudly: "ROS-YA-DA Sulaiman". I grimaced. Boy, I do hate people mispronouncing my name like that.
Surprisingly, being the fence sitter that I am, I also took a short time. I looked at the candidates' names, took a deep breath, proclaimed Bismillah, and ticked. Went to the boxes to slot my voting slips and then it was over.
Wow.
So that's how voting feels like.
Leaving the Dewan, a Keadilan man casually asked: "Dah pangkah dah apa2 yang patut dipangkah?".
My sisters just smiled *undi adalah rahsia* in response
When we arrived home, Mama & Papa have not left home to vote yet. They are supposed to vote in Sek. Ren. Agama Taman Keramat.
Then Mama dropped the bombshell. They haven't left home yet because Papa decided NOT to vote in this election.
*G A S P*
Papa?? Not Voting??
That's so unlikely. Papa & politics go hand in hand. He's like the most "politically and socially engaged" person in the house - He devours the newspapers daily - He keeps tracks of all the latest election news...
What's happening here?
Braving myself, I asked Papa why he's not voting.
He replied that he has no confidence in the present leadership and yet he did not believe the opposition either.
Oh. I see.
I guess Papa feels the same way as me. I guess a lot of people feel the same way as well.
If they did vote for the opposition, it's not due to the opposition's capabilities, but more of a protest aimed at the government.
The list is rather long isn't it?
-The indelible ink fiasco
-The V. K. Lingam video
-The whole Khairy controversy
-The biased media
-Widespread corruption
Will the opposition make a better government? I have my doubts. But I do think that we need a strong opposition in the Parliament. Otherwise, there's no check and balance system in place.
We shall see how Malaysians vote tonight. Whatever the results, to quote Malaysiakini, "Those elected, please get down to work tomorrow!"
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Paradise Now
My friend 'Ainur recommended the film to me. The movie was an Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film in 2005. It won the Golden Globe award for the same category. Intrigued, I bought the DVD.
The movie is about two lifelong friends, Said and Khaled, who are chosen to carry out suicide mission in Tel Aviv. The mission went wrong the first time. Said and Khaled got separated. With explosives strapped to their body, Said and Khaled start to question whether they are doing the right thing. Suha, a female acquaintance of theirs tried to persuade them to change their mind.
The movie really made a big impact on me. It got me thinking about a lot of issues.
I was particularly struck by how different Palestine and Israel look like. The former is so bleak while the latter is thriving.
Below are the three scenes which affected me the most.
X X X
Said visiting Suha on the night before the operation
Suha: Do you go to the movie?
Said: No. There's no cinema in Nablus anyway.
Suha: I know. Have you ever been to a cinema before?
Said: Yes, once. Ten years ago when we burned down Revoly Cinema (deadpanned)
Suha: (shocked) You did that?
Said: Not alone. There were lots of us.
Suha: Why? What did the cinema do to you?
Said: Not the cinema. Israel. When Israel decided not to employ any workers from the West Bank, we demonstrated. Then we ended up in the cinema and set it on fire.
Suha: But why the cinema?
Said: Why us?
Suha: I don't know...
X X X
Suha trying to persuade Khaled to abandon their missionSuha: Why are you doing this?
Khaled: If we can't live as equals, at least we'll die as equals.
Suha: If you can kill and die for equality, you should be able to find a way to be equal in life.
Khaled: How? Through your human rights group?
Suha: For example! Then at least the Israelis don't have an excuse to keep on killing.
Khaled: Don't be so naive. There can be no freedom without struggle. As long as there is injustice, someone must make a sacrifice.
Suha: That's not sacrifice. That's revenge! If you kill, there's no difference between victim and occupier.
Khaled: If we had airplanes, we wouldn't need martyrs. That's the difference.
Suha: The difference is that the Israeli military is still stronger.
Khaled: Then let us be equal in death. We still have paradise.
Suha: (exasperated) There is no paradise. It only exists in your head!
Khaled: Astaghfirullahalazim .... Astaghfirullahalazim. May God forgive you. If you were not Abu Azzam's daughter... Anyway, I'd rather have paradise in my head than live in this hell. In this life, we're dead anyway. One chooses bitterness when the alternative is even bitterer.
Suha: And what about us? The ones who remain? Will we win that way? Don't you see that what you're doing is destroying us? And that you give Israel an excuse to carry on?
Khaled: So with no excuse, Israel will stop?
Suha: Perhaps! We have to turn in into a moral war.
Khaled: How, if Israel has no morals?
X X X
Said explaining his motivations
"I was born in a refugee camp. I was allowed to leave the West bank once. I was six at the time and needed surgery. Just that one time."
"Life here is like life imprisonment. The crimes of the occupation are countless. The worst crime of all is to exploit the people's weaknesses and turn them into collaborators (Palestinians working for the Israelis). By doing that, they not only kill the resistance, they also ruin families... ruin their dignity and ruin an entire people."
"When my father was executed, I was 10 years-old. He was a good person. But he grew weak. For that, I hold the occupation responsible. They must understand that if they recruit collaborators, they must pay the price for it."
"A life without dignity is worthless. Especially when it reminds you day after day of humiliation and weakness. "
"And the world watches cowardly, indifferently. If you are all alone, faced with this oppression, you have to find a way to stop the injustice."
"They must understand that if there's no security for us, there'll be none for them either."
"It's not about power. Their power doesn't help them. I tried to deliver this message to them but I couldn't find another way."
"Even worse, they've convinced the world and themselves that they are the victims. How can that be? How can the occupier be the victim? If they take on the role of the oppressor and the victim then I have no other choice but to also be a victim and a murderer as well."
X X X
The trailer
For more info, click here
Saturday, January 26, 2008
3 weeks into IPBA
Despite having to wake up extra early to go to college, I do enjoy staying out of the hostel. Commuting is not so bad; You just have to avoid the peak hours. And to combat boredom from the 20-minute journey, you just need to have a book in hand or occupy your mind with thinking about something.
It's also nice that I have my sister with me. We usually stop for a roti canai at the Kerinchi station before embarking for IPBA/UM. The 15-minute morning walk is refreshing. Seriously. No embellishment here.
I do miss IPBA occasionally. I miss going for dinner with friends, going to the surau, playing volleyball, and having a nice afternoon nap in my room after one whole morning of lecture.
Semester 1 is quite ok thus far. I like all my tutors. They are all wonderfully-different from one another. One lecturer likes to narrate his experiences at the expense of not completing the task at hand. But that's ok because I really admire his love for the teaching profession and how he always have the students' best interest at heart.
Another lecturer likes to give homework *groan*. But the tasks she set us will tremendously help us prepare for the exam, so that's ok too I suppose. Plus, she cracks us up with her "umbrella, ella, ella" joke.
I have a former lecturer as my tutor for another subject. I've always like her so there's no problem there. Another lecturer is a very lively individual. That makes learning so much more enjoyable.
But while tutorials are all right, lectures are quite hard to endure.
I find it difficult to pay attention, or even keep awake. I've tried sitting in front - it didn't work.
Need to find another strategy!
It's also nice that I have my sister with me. We usually stop for a roti canai at the Kerinchi station before embarking for IPBA/UM. The 15-minute morning walk is refreshing. Seriously. No embellishment here.
I do miss IPBA occasionally. I miss going for dinner with friends, going to the surau, playing volleyball, and having a nice afternoon nap in my room after one whole morning of lecture.
Semester 1 is quite ok thus far. I like all my tutors. They are all wonderfully-different from one another. One lecturer likes to narrate his experiences at the expense of not completing the task at hand. But that's ok because I really admire his love for the teaching profession and how he always have the students' best interest at heart.
Another lecturer likes to give homework *groan*. But the tasks she set us will tremendously help us prepare for the exam, so that's ok too I suppose. Plus, she cracks us up with her "umbrella, ella, ella" joke.
I have a former lecturer as my tutor for another subject. I've always like her so there's no problem there. Another lecturer is a very lively individual. That makes learning so much more enjoyable.
But while tutorials are all right, lectures are quite hard to endure.
I find it difficult to pay attention, or even keep awake. I've tried sitting in front - it didn't work.
Need to find another strategy!
X X X
Excerpts from "Ketika Cinta Bertasbih"
by: Habiburrahman El-Shirazy
Bakda shalat Isya ia tetap di masjid untuk mengaji kitab Al Hikam karya Ibnu Athaillah As Sakandari dengan Adil Ramadhan. Malam itu ia mendapat pencerahan sangat berharga dari kitab Al Hikam tentang hal yang sangat penting baginya sebagai seorang penuntut ilmu. Ibnu Athaillah mengatakan,
"Khairul ilmi ma kaanatil khasyyah ma'ahu. Ilmu yang paling baik adalah yang disertai khasyyah."
Adil Ramadhan menjelaskan bahwa khasyyah adalah rasa takut kepada Allah yang disertai mengagungkan Allah. Maka segala jenis ilmu yang tidak mendatangkan rasa takut kepada Allah dan juga tidak mendatangkan pengagungan kepada Allah tiada kebaikannya sama sekali. Adil Ramadhan berpesan pada Azzam,
"Untuk mengetahui ilmumu bermanfaat atau tidak cukuplah kaulihat bekasnya. Jika dengan itu kau semakin takut kepada Allah dan semakin baik ibadahmu kepada-Nya, maka itulah tanda ilmumu benar-benar bermanfaat. Jika sebaliknya maka berhati-hatilah, Saudaraku!"
by: Habiburrahman El-Shirazy
Bakda shalat Isya ia tetap di masjid untuk mengaji kitab Al Hikam karya Ibnu Athaillah As Sakandari dengan Adil Ramadhan. Malam itu ia mendapat pencerahan sangat berharga dari kitab Al Hikam tentang hal yang sangat penting baginya sebagai seorang penuntut ilmu. Ibnu Athaillah mengatakan,
"Khairul ilmi ma kaanatil khasyyah ma'ahu. Ilmu yang paling baik adalah yang disertai khasyyah."
Adil Ramadhan menjelaskan bahwa khasyyah adalah rasa takut kepada Allah yang disertai mengagungkan Allah. Maka segala jenis ilmu yang tidak mendatangkan rasa takut kepada Allah dan juga tidak mendatangkan pengagungan kepada Allah tiada kebaikannya sama sekali. Adil Ramadhan berpesan pada Azzam,
"Untuk mengetahui ilmumu bermanfaat atau tidak cukuplah kaulihat bekasnya. Jika dengan itu kau semakin takut kepada Allah dan semakin baik ibadahmu kepada-Nya, maka itulah tanda ilmumu benar-benar bermanfaat. Jika sebaliknya maka berhati-hatilah, Saudaraku!"
X X X
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell, where his influence stops"
-Henry Brooks Adams-
-Henry Brooks Adams-
Saturday, December 22, 2007
TIMES Bookstore Year-End Warehouse Sale
I wrote in the previous entry that I have so many books lined up to be read.So, when my sister asked me to go to a book sale with her, I only tagged along to keep her company. I quietly resolved not to buy anything.
heh~
Turned out I bought 6 books:
1) Hegemony or Survival by Noah Chomsky
2) The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
3) Enemy Combatant by Moazzam Begg
4) The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
5) Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
6) The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
All of them cost RM12 each.
Surprisingly, the warehouse sale has a lot of new titles as well. So, do check the place out if you have the time :)
X X X
Al-Jaahiz, the writer, advises you to repel anxiety through reading books. It will repel boredom and depression. He said:
"The book is a companion that does not praise you and does not entice you to evil. It is a friend that does not bore you and it is a neighbour that causes you no harm. It is an acquaintance that desires not to extract from you favours through flattery and it does not deceive you with duplicity and lies. When you a poring through the pages of a book, your senses are stimulated and your intellect sharpens. Furthermore, your tongue will find eloquence and grandeur. Through reading the biographies of others, you gain an appreciation of common people and you learn the ways of kings. It can even be said that you sometimes learn from the pages of a book in a month, that which you do not learn from the tongues of men in a century. All this benefit, yet no loss in wealth and no need to stand at the door of the teacher who is waiting for his fees, to learn from someone who is lower than you in manners.
The book obeys you by night as it does by day, both when you are traveling and when you are at home. A book is not impaired by sleep nor does it tire in the late hours of the night. It is a teacher who is there for you whenever you are in need of it and it is the teacher, who, if you refuse to give to it, it does not refuse to give to you. If you abandon it, it does not decrease in obedience. And when all turn against you, showing you enmity, it remains by your side. As long as you are remotely attached to a book, it suffices you from having to keep company from those who are idle. It prevents you from sitting on your doorstep and watching those who pass by. It saves you from mixing with those who are frivolous in their character, who are foul in their speech, who are base in character, and who are woeful in their ignorance. If the only benefit of a book was that it keeps you from foolish daydreaming and prevents you from frivolity, it would certainly be considered to be a true friend who has given you a great favour."
Taken from:
Don't be Sad
by 'Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarnee
translated by: Faisal ibn Muhammad
International Islamic Publishing House
pg. 136
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