Selamat Ulang Tahun Kemerdekaan ke-50, MALAYSIA!!

And I quote, "Merdeka, merdeka, merdeka!!" - Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj, Dataran Merdeka, 31st August, 1957.

It's been 50 years now. 50 years of development, 50 years of prosperity, 50 years of peace (apart from 1969).

One way or another, Malaysia has went through a lot. And one might argue also that Malaysia is yet to develop to it's full potential. And I must say, it's true to every word. As long as there is hate, corruption, back stabbing and biting, racism, political instability, literacy, and all those other nonsense, Malaysia will never break out of the Third World cluster it finds itself in still. And as much as they want us to believe, Malaysia is no Islamic country.

But on this fine day, let's all hope and pray for the better of the country. Ameen.

The Death of Another Football Player

Another football player died earlier today (August 28), three days after collapsing on the field during a match. Sevilla's 22-year-old Antonio Puerta, had been in a critical condition in the Virgen del Rocio hospital in Seville since being admitted on Saturday.

The Spanish international was one of the most promosing youngsters.

So the Classes begin..

The title tells it all. Tomorrow classes of the 2007 fall semester kicks off. Good luck everybody, including myself, that is..

My thoughts on Sufism

First and foremost, I'm not here to condemn Sufism and what it believes, for I know, with the level of knowledge I have, I'm in no position to do so. My intention here is just to give an opinion about this issue. Sorry in advance should I offence anyone.

According to Wikipedia, however relevant it maybe, Sufism means: a mystic tradition within Islam and encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to divine love and the cultivation of the heart.

I was reading a book entitled 'Kisah Rabi'ah Al- Adawiyah: Sufi Wanita & Aramo Cinta Ilahi', which was basically telling the story of the great woman Sufi follower, Rabi'ah Al- Adawiyah. Even though I haven't read even half of the book, there were some parts of the book that really caught my attention.

Part 1: Syah Ni'matullah (another sufi follower) when asked what mazhab he was following, replied (in a poetic manner). "Wahai orang lalai, mazhab ape yg mesti kupunyai? Aku punya mazhad dan ibadah tersendiri, jauh berbeza dari mazhab Syafi'i dan Abu Hanifah. Mereka semua menempuh jalan mereka sendiri, sementara aku menikuti jalan nenek moyangku". What? Following the way of your fore fathers?

And when it is said to them, "Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger," they say, "Sufficient for us is that upon which we found our fathers." Even though their fathers knew nothing, nor were they guided? Al- Maidah: 104

Part 2: The fact that most Sufis don't marry (including Rabiah Al- Adawiyah). Fact is, Islam, unlike other religions is a strong advocate of marriage. The Prophet (pbuh) has said "there is no celibacy in Islam".

And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought. Ar- Rum: 21

Part 3: According to the book, also, how relevant or not it maybe, at her prime, Rabi'ah forgot to love the prophets and condemn syaitan. In the book, Rasulullah came to her in her dream and asked her whether or not she loved him. She replied, " Wahai Rasulullah! Siapakah gerangan org yg tidak mencintaimu? Kecintaanku kpd Allah tidak memberi kalbu dah hatiku ruang utk mencintai segenap makhluk-Nya". Like, duh, everyone knows we're supposed to love the Rasul, and all beings as well.

Part 4: What's with the 'combine with Allah' stuff? A Sufis' desire is to achieve makrifat, a 'pertemuan dgn Allah'. And sometimes, according to the book, their love for Allah brings them to a thought that they can combine with Allah. Wow! I thought that was something from the Hindu teachings, moksha (if I'm not mistaken, do correct me if I'm wrong) where once you achieve this stage, you combine with God.

Waalahua'lam...

Another Blog Update

As you can see very2 clearly now, my blog has been further updated. Enjoy..

p/s: thanks kpd yg bertungkus lumus menjayakannye...

Of Allah's Mercy

In the Hadith Qudsi, there are lots and lots of hadith mentioning the greatness of Allah's forgiveness. He is, after all The Most Merciful. Here, I include one of them. This hadith was mentioned in today's Friday prayer khutbah.

"Allah the Almighty said: O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it." -narrated by at-Tirmidhi and al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

Again, Allah is Most Merciful. No matter what sin we do, Allah forgives. That is, of course, with the exceptence of ascribing a god other than Allah. Nauzubillah.

We run, we fall, we pick ourselves up, we dust ourselves off, and we continue running.

A Blog Update

In case any of you haven't noticed, and I'm sure many of you haven't, I've now put labels on my blog entries. I'll be having more updates to this blog, so readers, embrace yourselves. ehehe..