A Dream of Muslimah

www.iluvislam.com
Oleh : Nur20
Editor : NuurZaffan

I remember it was winter in England and I was catching a train back to the city where I lived. It was cold, I looked out, White snow was falling lightly from the gloomy sky. The train was moving fast, and as it moved I could see grounds in white all covered up by snow. ‘Covered up?’ the word rang in my head. Images of hijab and headscarf flashes on my mind.

For the two hours journey, I couldnt sleep even once. There was too much on my mind. I was born as a Muslim. And I didn‘t pray five times a day like everybody else. I hardly could read the Quran. People could say I was illiterate in a way. Because at times, it took me a long while to finish even a short verse from the Quran. It was in Arabic and I was never taught Arabic, that was my excuse of not reading. I thought as long as you have a good heart that‘s good enough. And if you don’t commit huge sins, you’ll be fine. But what she said, made my whole perspective looked, vain.

I was from London and on my way back home to the North West region. My heart wasn’t at ease. What she said had made me thinking, and I was thinking real hard. She was a nice girl. ‘Be a true Muslim, and not just a Muslim by name,’ she said politely with a smile, but the meaning was intense. She was merely quoting and was not saying it to me but my heart was touched. What kind of Muslim, had I been all these while? I don’t want to be a Muslim and only by name. It doesn’t sound good either. As the train moved, heading to North West where I lived, I let out few sighs.

Few months after later.. ‘Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim..,’ I read out loud before starting to read the Quran. My web-cam was on. That night We were in the middle of Quranic circle. It’s an activity that we do once a week. Through this circle, we read the Quran in turns. All were ladies. Sometimes we get to discussed about the meaning behind the Quran verses and some Hadith from Rasulullah. It was amazingly fun and I never thought I would actually had fun doing religious activity. I was very thankful to Siti and her older sister because now I can read the Quran much better. And since then, I keep on gradually changing, I realised. How I view life has changed too, a bit if not much.

At nights before I slept, I thought of going to a place. Somewhere faraway and seemed hard to reach but I knew its reachable. And if possible, I wanted to go there with someone that I loved. Of course that’s still remain as a wish and I hope it’ll come true one day. My life is never this calm! I now wear headscarf everywhere I go. It doesn’t feel right without it. Sometimes that leads to guilt, when people sees my hair. So I wear headscarf whenever I go out. My social activity especially when interacting with men has also changed. I used to be friendly and outgoing, even with the opposite gender. Now I feel sort of afraid. Sometimes I limit myself from being too ‘friendly’ with men. Sometimes, I think twice before I talked to them. Is it necessary or not to talk now? Because Women can be a fitnah to men, I don’t want to build up sins.

I used to look for a romantic boyfriend before. I searched high and low but funny that I never really had a boyfriend until now. I used to ask why? The question is why. Because I’m not unpretty. But now I understand the reason behind. Having a romantic relationship outside marriage can lead to something that breaks the law of Syariah. All praise to Allah, I’m glad I never had boyfriends before. I’m not worried if I don’t find a guy any sooner. I’m not looking for a relationship anymore. And definitely not looking for someone based on how romantic he is. I’m going with the flow, after all everything about humans has been written. I want to fix myself first.

I read somewhere about ‘Mencintai kerana Allah’ or ’Loving you because of God’. It was a nice Malay blog entry. I am aiming for that kind of love now. It sounds more pure than romantic love, to me.

‘What’s your dream guy like?’ a friend asked me one day while we ride on a taxi.

I didn’t replied him immediately though, ‘and have you found him?’ he added quickly.

‘Why do you want to know’ I politely asked with a smile.

‘Well, only asking,’ he replied calmly. Then there were silent. The road was wet due to the rain. It was soon before the taxi reached my home.

‘Was he like me?’ he then added. He was hinting something, I knew. I’ve been waiting for this moment all this year. And this could be a dream come true, but..

‘My dream guy is,’ I began ‘Someone who can guide me, you know, he leads and I follow,’ Then I paused.

‘I can be the guy,’ He said confidently.

There was silence again, a long one. The taxi finally reached my home. I said goodbyes to him and walked to my front door. I wave before the taxi accelerated again. He smiled to me even though I didn’t gave him the answer. He was a nice guy but he couldn‘t be the guy. Because…

I want to live with a guy who could guide me, so that I can get closer to My Creator. I want a man who can lead as an Imam, in every prayers that we’re gonna do together as married couple. A man who would tell Islamic history as a bed-time-stories to our children in the future. I want a man who’ll read the holly Quran to me, to cheer me every time I’m down. That is my dream guy and before I can meet him, I knew I need to fix myself first.

One beautiful spring afternoon, I was at a function. There were many Malays all gathered. That’s when I met him. He’s not just decent but he has the characteristic of my dream guy. Every time our eyes met accidentally during the event, he quickly moved away his stare. That convinced me, even more. I knew he’ll be a good amir, a leader of a family. Secretly I prayed: O‘ Allah, I want that kind of guy as a partner in life. At nights before I slept, I thought of going to a place. Somewhere faraway and seemed hard to reach but I knew its reachable. And if possible, I wanted to go there with someone that I loved. I want to go to Jannah (the heaven) with him! I’ll wait here and I know the wait is worthy.

Iktibar dari Al Quran

Iktibar dari Al Quran
www.iluvislam.com
Ustaz Nasrudin Tantawi*
Editor:lailatulema

1. Gempa bumi yang berlaku di Padang dan Jambi Sumatera pada 30 September dan 1 Oktober baru - baru ini cukup memilukan .

2. Kemusnahan dan kebinasaan akibat gempa bumi yang dahsyat ini sukar untuk dianggar . Musnah harta benda dan binasa segala nyawa .

3. Namun peristiwa sedemikian tidaklah berlaku secara spontan atau hanya fenomena alam sebagaimana yang sering diungkapkan oleh mereka yang tidak beriman kepada Qadha' dan Qadar Allah swt .

4. Al Quran [ wahyu Allah swt ] telah menegaskan beberapa peringatan yang boleh di dapati dalam banyak surah dan ayat berguna untuk membimbing ummat manusia agar beriman , bertaqwa dan mengabdikan diri kepada Allah swt .

5. Antara yang menarik sekaligus membuktikan mukjizat al Quran ialah keselarasan ayat quran dengan peristiwa gempa bumi di Padang Sumatera . Gempa bumi yang berlaku di Padang pada 30 september tempohari ialah tepat jam 5.16 pm [ atau jam 17:16 ] dan gegaran kedua berlaku pada jam 5. 58 pm [ atau jam 17 : 58 ] . Sementara esoknya [ 1 Oktober ] jam 8.52 am berlaku gegaran susulan di Jambi .

6. Apabila kita selaraskan masa berlaku gempa bumi dengan surah dan ayat al quran , kita akan temui persamaannya seperti berikut . [ Jam 17 : 16 = Surah ke 17 ayat ke 16 ] [ Jam 17 : 58 = Surah ke 17 ayat ke 58 ] [ Jam 8:52 = Surah ke 8 ayat ke 52 ]

7. Secara indeksnya surah ke 17 ialah surah al Israa' sementara surah ke 8 ialah surah al Anfaal .

و إذا أردنا أن نهلك قرية أمرنا مترفيها ففسقوا فيها فحق عليها القول فدمرناها تدميرا

17.16 (QS. Al Israa’ ayat 16): “Dan jika Kami hendak membinasakan suatu negeri, maka Kami perintahkan kepada orang-orang yang hidup mewah di negeri itu (supaya mentaati Allah) tetapi mereka melakukan kedurhakaan dalam negeri itu, maka sudah sepantasnya berlaku terhadapnya perkataan (ketentuan Kami), kemudian Kami hancurkan negeri itu sehancur-hancurnya.”

و إن من قرية إلا نحن مهلكوها قبل يوم القيامة إو معذبوها عذابا شديدا كان ذلك في الكتاب مسطورا


17.58 (QS. Al Israa’ ayat 58): “Tak ada suatu negeri pun (yang durhaka penduduknya), melainkan Kami membinasakannya sebelum hari kiamat atau Kami azab (penduduknya) dengan azab yang sangat keras. Yang demikian itu telah tertulis di dalam kitab (Lauh Mahfuz).”

كدأب آل فرعون و الذين من قبلهم كفروا بأيات الله فأخذهم الله بذنوبهم إن الله قوي شديد العقاب


8.52 (QS. Al Anfaal: 52): (Keadaan mereka) serupa dengan keadaan Fir’aun dan pengikut-pengikutnya serta orang-orang sebelumnya. Mereka mengingkari ayat-ayat Allah, maka Allah menyiksa mereka disebabkan disebabkan dosa-dosanya. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Kuat lagi Amat Keras siksaan-Nya.”

8. Ayat - ayat di atas jelas menunjukkan azab dan musibah yang Allah swt timpakan ke atas sesebuah negara atau negeri lantaran penghuninya derhaka kepada Allah swt . Ia boleh berlaku dan telah berlaku di hadapan mata kepala kita biarpun jauh di negara orang untuk menjadi iktibar buat seluruh ummat manusia .

9. Ayat - ayat Allah ini merupakan sistem amaran awal yang perlu diambil perhatian oleh seluruh ummat manusia supaya menjauhi segala perbuatan mungkar dan maksiat yang dimurkai oleh Allah swt . Hari ini mungkin Indonesia , tetapi tidak mustahil ia boleh berlaku di negara kita Malaysia pula pada bila - bila [ wali'yazubillah ] jika maksiat dan mungkar makin membarah .

10. Kami menyeru seluruh rakyat negara ini agar kembali kepada Islam sekaligus meninggalkan maksiat dan mungkar [ zina , pergaulan bebas , pendedahan aurat , judi , arak , rogol , rompak , samun , rasuah , salah guna kuasa , zalim dan 1001 perkara mungkar ] agar seluruh rakyat dan negara di berkati dan dirahmati oleh Allah swt .

*Ustaz aktif menulis di blog beliau, http://episodeperjuangan.blogspot.com/

Paris Life : Main Suap-Suap

Paris Life : Main Suap-Suap
www.iLuvislam.com
Pelukis : Ihsan

Merawat Budaya Kuning Anak-anak

Merawat Budaya Kuning Anak-anak
www.iLuvislam.com
Ustaz Hj. Hasrizal
Editor : almusafirq8

"Kita ambil yang inilah. Biar sama dengan warna baju Abi" kata Ummu Saif kepada anak sulung kami.

"Ok!" jawabnya ringkas. Setuju tetapi dengan air muka yang tidak setuju.

Berbaju raya sewarna sedondon ini bukanlah kemestian bagi kami. Hanya sesekali. Fadhilatnya, memudahkan pengenalan diri tatkala anak-anak saudara sejumlah 36 orang itu mencabut baju seragam raya. Mudah untuk dikenal baju siapa, berpandukan warna.

"Yop sebenarnya nak baju warna apa?" saya tidak berpuas hati dengan reaksi anak yang tidak suka dengan baju yang bakal dipakai.

Seboleh-bolehnya saya tidak mahu membazir membeli pakaian yang nak dipakaikan kepada si anak, tetapi mengikut selera ibu bapa. Sedangkan harganya sama sahaja. Kenapa mahu dipaksa anak-anak memakai baju mengikut pilihan kita yang dibenci anak-anak?

Nanti kalau sikap seperti ini dibiarkan, silap-silap siapa suami dan isteri si anak pun mahu kita tentukan bila sampai masanya nanti.

"Yop nak baju warna kuning" jawab si anak.

"Hmm... kuning tak ada saiz. Nantilah kalau jumpa di tempat lain, kita tengok" saya membuat janji.

Tanpa bertangguh, kami sekeluarga segera pulang ke rumah selepas selesai membeli pakaian anak-anak. Suasana di pasaraya sangat sesak dan kami tidak mahu mendedahkan diri dan anak-anak kepada bahaya jangkitan H1N1 yang masih hangat.

RAHSIA WARNA KUNING

"Kenapa Yop nak baju warna kuning? Baju t-shirt nak kuning, baju Melayu pun nak kuning" saya cuba mengorek rahsia, selepas tiba di rumah.

"Yop suka kuning" jawabnya.

Hairan.

Macam mana boleh minat dengan warna kuning? Tiada sentuhan kuning di rumah kami.

"Kenapa Yop suka warna kuning?" saya bertanya lagi.

"Kuning warna kaya. Orang kaya!" jawab anak saya, malu-malu.

"HAH!?" tercengang saya dibuatnya.

Jawapan yang langsung tidak diduga.

"Yop suka pakai baju warna kuning sebab Yop suka kayalah, ya?" saya mahukan kepastian.

Dia mengangguk.

"Siapa kata warna kuning warna orang kaya?" saya menyambung pertanyaan lagi.

"Tak tahu. Kuning emas kot" jawabnya, selamba.

"Astaghfirullah. Materialistik sungguh!" saya menggaru kepala.

Entah di mana idea itu datang. Idea mahu kaya, mahu kelihatan kaya dan mengaitkan kuning dengan kekayaan.

"Lepas ni Abi rasa Yop tak payahlah gosok gigi. Biar gigi kuning. Baru nampak macam orang kaya. Orang kaya semua kuning. Baju kuning, gigi pun kuning!" saya melontar provokasi.

"Tak nak, tak nak" katanya tersengih-sengih mendengar cadangan saya.

IDEA YANG TIDAK SIHAT

Saya tidak suka dengan idea-idea kebendaan hinggap ke kepala anak-anak.

Keluarga kami tidaklah kaya dan tidak juga susah. Serba sederhana. Berbelanja masih mengira-ngira dan membeli mesti ada bajet dan bukan sesuka hati. Saya cuba pastikan kehidupan anak-anak tidak terganggu dengan kesusahan pada perkara-perkara yang penting buat mereka. Makan minum, pakaian, buku dan peralatan sekolah serta apa-apa yang bersangkutan dengan peningkatan diri mereka, saya cuba untuk tidak terlalu berkira.

Ada pun barangan yang tidak penting, dan mempunyai kesan yang tidak baik ke atas diri seperti PSP yang diinginkan si anak, saya tidak menyetujuinya. Dari semasa ke semasa, saya peringatkan mengapa PSP tiada dalam senarai. Cukuplah dengan komputer saya yang dikongsi bersama anak-anak, serta televisyen yang dipantau penggunaannya.

Daripada mana idea sukakan kekayaan dan mahu kelihatan kaya hinggap ke fikiran anak-anak saya?

Saya tidak dapat memastikannya.

Ia boleh datang daripada mana-mana sumber, dan soal itu tidak penting. Apa yang utama, ialah membetulkan kembali persepsi anak-anak terhadap kehidupan.

PERBANDINGAN

"Abi, nanti kalau Muiz dah besar macam mana?" kata Saiful Islam kepada saya.

"Macam mana apa?" saya tidak faham dengan soalannya.

"Nanti Muiz dah besar, kereta ni tak muat. Kenalah beli Alphard!" jawab anak saya.

Tersirap darah saya.

Geram pun geram juga.

Apabila pulang beraya, ada berbelas kereta adik beradik yang akan berkumpul di halaman rumah. Saya tidak pernah kisah siapa guna kereta apa, tetapi anak saya yang meminati ‘warna kuning simbol kekayaan' itu, rupa-rupanya jatuh hati dengan Alphard pakciknya.

Sudah berkali-kali beliau asyik tanyakan saya tentang Alphard, meminta pandangan sama ada saya suka dengan kereta itu atau tidak.

Pada detik pertama, memang ada rasa terkilan di hati. Terasa apabila dibanding-bandingkan. Apakah anakku sudah lupa yang dahulunya kita pernah berhimpit-himpit di dalam ATOS comel, kereta pertama kami? Setelah keluarga membesar daripada anak dua menjadi empat, kami memberanikan diri melangkah ke peringkat hidup seterusnya dengan menjual ATOS berkenaan serta digantikan dengan kereta 7-Seaters tempatan seadanya.

Tiba-tiba, si anak seolah-olah tidak menghargainya dan lebih berminat dengan kereta bapa saudaranya yang lebih besar dan mewah.

PEDIH MENJADI MANGSA PERBANDINGAN

Tetapi saya terbalikkan perasaan itu dan berkata kepada diri sendiri tentang pahitnya menjadi mangsa perbandingan. Justeru kita sebagai ibu bapa, jangan suka membanding-bandingkan anak sendiri dengan anak orang lain. Pahitnya sama bila anak-anak kita pula membandingkan kita dengan ibu bapa yang lain. Jangan buat anak-anak dengan apa yang kita tidak mahu mereka buat kepada kita.

Golden rule!

"Kamu tengok anak orang tu. Tertib, sopan, bijak. Tak bolehkah kamu jadi macam tu?" antara ayat-ayat ibu bapa yang boleh menghancurkan jati diri si anak.

"Kenapa kereta ayah tidak sebesar kereta pakcik itu?" itu pulang paku buah keras si anak kepada ibu bapa pula.

Jika tidak mahu dialog anak berisi racun perbandingan, kita sebagai ibu bapalah jangan memulakannya.

MENCARI PENYEMBUH

"Yop nak kaya?" saya bertanya kepada si anak.

"Nak!" jawabnya tanpa berselindung.

Tangannya masih di dalam poket baju Melayu, menggenggam duit raya barangkali.

"Kalau kaya dan banyak duit, Yop boleh beli apa?" saya bertanya lagi kepadanya.

"Beli apa-apa sahaja!" katanya dengan penuh yakin.

"Beli Alphard dan baju emas?" saya menyoalnya sambil menyindir.

Beliau mengangguk sambil tersengih. Faham dengan sindiran saya.

"Kalau Abi kaya, Abi boleh tak beli mata kat kedai kalau Yop buta? Ummi boleh tak beli telinga kat pasaraya kalau anak-anak dia pekak?" saya melontar soalan berfikir untuknya.

Saiful Islam terkejut.

Perlahan-lahan dia menggelengkan kepala.

"Kalau Abi kaya pakai Alphard, Abi boleh tak beli jantung kat hospital untuk ganti jantung yang rosak?" saya tambah lagi soalan.

Saiful Islam berubah sedikit air mukanya. Menggelengkan kepala lagi.

"Abi sangat bersyukur kepada Allah sebab duit Abi tak banyak tetapi anak-anak Abi semua sihat. Semua cukup kaki, cukup tangan, tiada yang cacat, tiada yang sakit. Abi bersyukur sebab kita tak kaya tapi kita bahagia" saya mahu memberi satu kesimpulan kepada anak-anak.

"Yop nak kaya ke Yop nak bahagia?" tanya Ummu Saif pula kepadanya.

"Nak bahagia" kata anak sulung kami.

Anak-anak yang lain hanya mendengar. Belum mengerti.

"Kalau nak bahagia, miskin boleh bahagia, kaya pun boleh bahagia. Syaratnya, kena bersyukur kepada Allah" balas Ummu Saif lagi.

"Jadi, Yop nak Alphard orang lain punya ke, atau kereta kita?" saya menyudahkan perbualan.

"Kereta kita" jawabnya.

"Alhamdulillah. Jom singgah kedai pekena nasi kandaq!" saya menarik nafas lega.

"Dan (ingatlah) ketika Tuhan kamu memberitahu: "Demi sesungguhnya! Jika kamu bersyukur nescaya Aku akan tambahi nikmatKu kepada kamu, dan demi sesungguhnya, jika kamu kufur ingkar sesungguhnya azabKu amatlah keras." [Ibrahim 14: 7]

Sumber asal : http://saifulislam.com/?p=6788

4 Exercises to Sharpen Your Brain

www.iLuvislam.com
By Dr. Maoshing Ni*
Sent by: Amirah Nuaimi
Editor: b_b

Think of your brain as a muscle: It gets stronger with exercise. Your everyday mental tasks are like walking, but how about a real workout? Try these simple exercises to boost your brain power and clear away the fog of forgetfulness.

1. Use your non-dominant hand
Tackling new tasks improves brain capacity in younger people and has a restorative effect on mental faculties that are declining. Boost your brain power right now by performing everyday activities with your non-dominant hand. If you're right-handed, use your left hand to eat, drink, comb your hair, and brush your teeth. Try writing your name with your non-dominant hand or put your mouse pad on the other side of the keyboard.

Why does this work? The human brain starts declining after the age of 30 especially in women with each successive pregnancy. By exercising your brain through the use of non-dominant hand, you are stimulating the opposite side of the brain and activating blood flow, which slows down the brain aging process and improves mental capacity. Evidence from functional brain imaging shows that the process of neuroplasticity¹ can be enhanced by studying new things, especially hand-eye coordinated exercises like developing the use of your non-dominant hand and practicing visualization meditation.

Stimulating communication between the two hemispheres even helps physical balance. Mind-body exercises like tai chi coach people to use the right and left side of the body equally. Try switching it up in sports. For instance, in tennis, switch the racquet to your non-dominant side and play.


2. Work out your brain
You have to use it or lose it! You can work out your mind just like you work out your body. Mental exercises that will keep your brain fit include doing crossword puzzles, playing chess, or memorizing names, shopping lists, and phone numbers. When I was a young boy, to keep my brain function strong, my father had me memorize Tang Dynasty poetry. Every day I had to memorize a new poem and recite it back. Learn the words to a poem or a new song and repeat them back from memory. Set aside the calculator and add manually instead. Keep challenging yourself with tasks that are new to you.

Whatever mental exercise you choose, the key to success is to practice every day at the same time; you are developing and activating new neural pathways, and consistent cycles will keep the brain on track.

3. Move your fingers to improve your brain
Many people marvel that Asian children seem so intelligent. It could be because they use their fingers more frequently. They eat with chopsticks and at one time, they used to compute with an abacus in school. In fact, some studies have been done with children who use an abacus daily, and findings show that engaging the fingers stimulates nerve endings that go directly to the brain, increasing circulation. Take advantage of this by practicing motor activities that use your fingertips, like crocheting, knitting, and other arts and crafts where you are manipulating small parts. Try playing the piano or a stringed instrument.

Here is an exercise you can do anywhere, at any time. Put one finger on top of the one next to it, then try to stack the next finger on top of that. Or hold a pencil or pen between your index and middle fingers, roll it over until it's balanced between the middle and ring fingers, then again to between the ring finger and pinky. This exercise has a beneficial impact on brain health for anyone at any age, but especially for people in their 40s, 50s and beyond,when signs of brain aging starts to set in.

Why does this work? A map of the brain shows that the nerve endings on your fingertips correspond to more areas of the brain than any other body area, except perhaps the tongue and lips. Therefore, finger exercise and movements can be useful in stimulating the neurons in the brain. The National Institute of Mental Health conducted experiments that showed finger exercises enlarged the capacity of the participants' brains, increased connections between neurons, forged new neural pathways, and increased circulation to the brain areas. The researchers concluded that finger exercise contributed significantly to brain plasticity, the ability of the brain to renew itself. Increased circulation means more oxygen and nutrients for the brain cells and decreased waste products that clog up the brain.


4. Stimulate brain acuity with self-massage
To improve concentration and memory try this self-massage that stimulates two easy-to-find acupressure points on your neck at the base of the skull. Cross your hands behind you with the palms cradling the back of your head, your thumbs in the grooves on each side of your neck, and your index fingers crossing one another below the skull, just above the thumbs. Sit in a chair, lean your head back, and let it rest against the pressure of your thumbs and index fingers. Slowly inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth, letting your whole body relax. Do this for three to five minutes. You'll increase blood flow to the brain and at the same time relax the neck muscles, which often tense up in response to stress, constricting blood vessels in the area.


Glossary
¹ the brain's natural ability to form new connections