Saya Sebuah Komputer Riba

Saya sebuah komputer riba. Saya dilahirkan dengan nama timangan Latitude D610 di sebuah 'hospital' Dell di Malaysia. Reka bentuk saya cukup kacak. Badan saya slim, dan disaluti warna kelabu yg cukup menawan. Dalaman saya pula tidak kurang hebatnya pada ketika itu. Saya mampu menyimpan maklumat sebanyak 80GB. Saya jugak dilengkapi dgn Intel Centrino dan bersistem operasi Microsoft XP. Cukup hebat, cukup menawan. Sayalah Romeo, sayala Juliet pada ketika itu. Alangkah indahnya kenangan...

Pada usia yang cukup muda, saya telah dihantarkan ke Amerika Syarikat untuk berbakti di sana. Betapa terujanya saya dengan pengalaman itu. Berhijrah ke luar negara memang menjadi mimpi saya dari kecil. Saya berpegang pada kata-kata, 'Jauh perjalanan, luas pandangan,'. 

Nasib baik saya tidak berakhir di situ. Setibanya ke tanah asing benua Amerika, saya mendapat berita bawaha saya akan di hantarkan sebuah universiti terkemuka dunia, iaitu Vanderbilt University. Saya cukup bangga! Dapat berkhidmat kepada ilmuan-ilmuan bakal pemimpin dunia cukup membuat saya begitu bersemangat, kerana saya pasti, dengan reka bentuk dan kelengkapan di dada, saya pasti tidak mengecewakan!

Setibanya saya di Vanderbilt Univeristy, saya telah diletakkan dalam kotak yg tertera perkataan Hubab Al Munzir Asmawi. Barangkali itu nama tuan saya, hati kecil saya terdetik. Dan sangkaan saya memang tepat sekali kerana saya telah diberikan kepada seorang pemuda dengan nama tersebut. Dia merupakan pelajar tahun pertama dalam jurusan kejuruteraan kimia. Yang lagi anehnya, dia juga berasal dari Malaysia, tanah tumpah darah saya juga! Tidak saya sangka bahawa saya akan berurusan dengan orang Melayu lagi.

Maka bermulalah pengembaraan saya bersama tuan baru saya Hubab Al Munzir Asmawi. Dia cukup bangga dengan saya, kerana saya merupakan komputer riba dia yang pertama. Saya selalu dibandingkan dengan komputer-komputer riba teman-temannya yang agak terdahulu. Komputer-komputer tersebut hitam dan besar, katanya. Tambahnya lagi, komputer-komputer tersebut tidak secanggih saya. Bangga saya apabila saya dibawa merata-rata oleh tuan saya, kerana semua mata memerhati dan memuji kecanngihan saya. Tuan saya pula cukup pandai menjaga saya. Pada ketika itulah saya rasa kenangan paling manis dalam hidup saya!

Namun, kusangka panas sampai ke petang, rupanya hujan di tengah hari! Setelah setahun bersama tuan saya, pelajar-pelajar tahun pertama yang baru mendaftar telah dikurniakan komputer riba yg lagi canggih daripada saya. Nama meraka Latitude D620. Meraka ini, walaupun dikira adik kepada saya, cukup sombong dan angkuh! Langsung tidak hormat akan saya, dan selalu menunjuk-nunjuk kecanggihan meraka di depan tuan saya. Cemburu!

Namun, tidak sama sekali saya berputus asa. Agi idup agi ngelaban! Itu juga motto hidup saya. Saya cuba memberi perkhidmatan yang terbaik kepada tuan saya, walaupun jauh di sudut hati saya sedar, saya tidak mampu bertahan lama. Saya juga akur, tuan saya sudah mula memikirkan samada mahu menukarkan saya ataupun tidak. Atas berkat usaha saya yang tidak kenal jemu, saya berjaya berkhidmat sehingga tuan saya tamat tahun ketiganya di Vanderbilt. 

Pada akhir semesta itu, saya diserang oleh virus yang hebat. Saya jatuh sakit dan tidak mampu berfungsi sebaik-baiknya. Saya bersyukur, kerana tuan saya tidak berputus asa terus dengan saya, dia telah cuba sedaya upaya untuk menyelamatkan saya. Dengan bantuan kawannya, tuan saya telah format semula saya, dan Alhamdulillah, setelah itu, saya sembuh dari penyakit virus berbahaya tersebut. Malangnya, setelah format semula, saya gagal berfungsi sebaik sebelumnya. Saya gagal memberikan perkhidmatan yang terbaik kepada tuan saya. Tidak lama kemudian, saya diserang lagi dengan virus yang lebih hebat. Tidak mampu saya melawannya. Dengan imunisasi badan yang sudah lemah, serangan demi serangan virus telah saya hadapi. Persembahan saya tidak memberangsangkan. Sampai satu tahap, tuan saya tidak percaya pada saya untuk berkhidmat kepadanya dalam suatu ujiannya. Saya cukup sedih. Pada ketika itu, saya sudah merasakan ajal saya makin hampir. Tetapi bila?

Tidak kusangka, rupa-rupanya tuan saya sudah mula berbincang bersama teman-temannya tentang cara bagaimana mahu mendapatkan komputer baru. Dan tanpa pengetahuan saya juga, kira-kira satu minggu yang lalu, tuan saya telah menghubungi Dell untuk meminta komputer baru. Sudah jatuh ditimpa tangga, lagi malang nasib saya apabila pada hari Rabu yang lalu, tuan saya telah membawa pulang komputer ribanya yang baru, Dell Latitude D630. Walaupun komputer itu merupakan unit 'referbished', namun ianya tetap jauh lagi canggih dan baru daripada saya. Berdesing telinga saya apabila mendengar tuan saya memuji-muji komputer barunya itu. Lagi mengeruhkan keadaan, komputer barunya itu ditempatkan bersebelahan saya. Oleh itu, setiap kali saya bangun, saya mesti melihat kelibat 'orang ketiga' itu bersebelahan saya. Makin hari makin saya tidak digunakan. Saya dipand

ang sebagai 'scrap material' sahaja. Tambah penghinaan, apabila tuan saya menganggap komputer riba baru itu sebagai hadiah hari jadinya daripada Dell. Istimewa sangatkan D630 itu berbanding saya?

Tanggal Februari 27, 2009 merupakan hari terakhir saya. Benar kata mereka, dunia ini hanya sementara. Umur saya ketika itu belum pun mencecah empat tahun. Pada mulanya, saya menyangka tuan saya mahu menggunakan saya untuk project biodieselnya. Sangkaan saya meleset jauh sekali. Rupa-rupanya, tuan saya mahu bertindak kejam dengan menamatkan riwayat saya. Tiba-tiba saya dicurahkan dengan alkali KOH. Aduh, pedih! Sakit! Saya menjerit. Namun jeritan saya tidak diendahkan. Akhirnya, tamatlah riwayat saya sebagai sebuah komputer riba!

This is a tribute to my friend of three years, my dear laptop. I'm sorry it had to end this way. :(

hehhe...

Dell: Happy Birthday, Hubab!!

Dell said to me today, "Hubab, happy becoming birthday! Here's your birthday present!"




"Aww, Dell, you didn't have to! But thank you so much!" I replied. I was surprised.

So Dell gave me a laptop for my birthday. Isn't that something? (But it surely would've been much sweeter if Apple gave one instead, though!)

Anyway, obviously they didn't actually give me that laptop for my birthday, but heck, it's only two days anyway, so it's nice to 'perasan' the laptop as a birthday gift.

My old laptop, the one I loyally wore for 3 years and a half (since freshmen) finally 'gave way' and it was time to part with it. After so many difficulties and problems with it, I decided the best option was to get a new one. Like they say, 'Habis madu, sepah dibuang,'. So I had a chat with a Dell representative last Tuesday, and a week later, this Dell D630 was in my mailbox. Alhamdulillah.

So now a new chapter is opened with my new laptop.

Is Yoga Haram?

There was quite a commotion a few months back when Majlis Fatwa Kebangsaan of Malaysia issued the yoga practice as haram. So the question arises here, is yoga actually haram in Islam?

Yoga, as defined by Wikipedia is a traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India. The word is associated with meditative practices in both Buddhism and Hinduism. In Hinduism, it also refers to one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu Philosophy, and to the goal toward which that school directs its practices. From the Merriam-Webster dictionary: a Hindu theistic philosophy teaching the suppression of all activity of body, mind, and will in order that the self may realize its distinction from them and attain liberation. Finally, from dictionary.com: a school of Hindu philosophy advocating and prescribing a course of physical and mental disciplines for attaining liberation from the material world and union of the self with the Supreme Being or ultimate principle.

All Muslim scholars agree that yoga, when it's spiritual chantings and mantras are included in the exercise is haram. There should obviously be no doubt about that. There's no knowing what all those chantings and mantras mean and refer to. That is indeed blasphemy and leads to syirik. Nauzubillah hi min zaalik.

However, is it also considered haram to practice just the exercise part of yoga, i.e minus the mantras? This is where the debate lies. Some scholars say it's ok to do so, while others believe otherwise. And both have strong grounds to hold their case. I am stressing here that I am not issuing a fatwa of my own. That is not my level. I am merely just pointing out the reasons some scholars believe it is permissible in Islam to practice yoga (the exercise) and otherwise.

The debate behind the opinion that yoga is haram is largely based on the hadith ,' Whoever resembles a people is one of them' (Abu Daud). And since Yoga's root is Hinduism, it falls in that category. Other than that, since Yoga contains the mantras which praises and proclaims another deity other than Allah, it is syirik, and must therefore be prevented. Do correct me if I'm wrong.

On the other hand, yoga is considered permissible according to some scholars is when it is preformed without the chantings of mantras. Because yoga, without the mantras is just like any other flexibility exercise.

I do yoga for the sole purpose of increasing my flexibility. Having good flexibility helps me increase my range of movement, makes me less prone to injuries, and decreases muscle pain. Read more on yoga physical health benefits here. The bizarre movements you do in yoga certainly helps in reaching this goal. And while others like to believe that yoga also increases spiritual strength and helps you relax, I don't really buy into them. Yoga movements are really tough, and so it is really hard for me to relax while doing them. LOL. Anyway, I have better ways of finding inner peace. And that is of course is through the remembrance of Allah.

'Only in the remembrance of Allah can the heart find peace,' - surah Ar-rad: 28

My P90X Review

Recently, I've started a new work out program called P90X. It's a new work out program that I discovered from Qayyum (which he got it from Hanum), and I tell ya, it definitely isn't one of those crap workouts you see on tv!

But first and foremost, what is this P90X? Well, P90X is an extreme exercise program designed to build, shape, and tone muscle. The course of the program is 90 days, of which is divided into 3 phases. And based on the 'manual', by 90 days you would have a ripped, toned, and muscular body. What I like about this program is that it doesn't require any fancy equipment at all. All you need is a set of dumbells and/or exercise bands, and a yoga mat (gosh, only 3 things. or am I missing anything?). And ya, there is also a diet program that comes along with it. Read more about P90X here. The trainer is, btw, Tony Horton.

Alhamdulillah, yesterday I accomplished the first phase. The exercise routines weren't so bad, once you get used to it. I remember during the first week, when my body was just learning the new workouts, it ached all over for the whole week! But over the course of time, your body adapts to this vigorous routines and voila, no pain at all. The diet program that accomodates the exercise wasn't so bad, too. The first phase was called 'fat shredder', and true to it's words, it does burn fat. Why? Because you don't eat anything much other than protein. No kidding, most of my pants are starting to fall off, and my rib cage is becoming more visible. And heck, no more buncit2! lol.

So really, I do feel that this proram actually does work. I feel different, I look different. I'd love to put my before and after photos here, but they're too discrete. As Tony Hurton likes to say through out the videos, "It's X, ladies and gentlemen!"