Assalamualaikum...
Haha, jadi rojak pula blog ni, sekejap BI sekejap BM... Takpelah, ada sesetengah lebih sesuai disampaikan dalam BI, yang lain pula lebih sesuai dalam BM...
hehe... Kenapa tiba-tiba post lagu ni??? Jiwang betul. XD
Jiwang tak jiwang belakang kira... Rasa rindu kepada keluarga yg kini berada di Malaysia.... melimpah ruah, tak dapat nak ditakung dek tempayan yang paling dalam sekalipun...
Abah, Mama, Abang, Kakak, Nenak, Atuk, Maklong dan Paklong... Rindu antum semua!!!!
Besides, this is one of my fav songs~ ;)
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Do you sleep for Akhirah?
One of the major issues of productivity that people face is how many hours should they sleep. Those who love their sleep argue that it’s important to sleep at least 6-8 hours each night for a long healthy life, whilst those on the other side believe that sleep is a waste of time and we should sleep the bare minimum to keep us going.
Recently I’ve started thinking about sleep in a different way which helped me resolve this dilemma; the answer seems to be the intention of sleep; if you’re sleeping for dunya (that is to be completely relaxed at work, home, family and to have a long healthy life), then sleeping would be very important to you and you would ensure that you sleep a minimum of 6-8 hours each night. Sleep will become sacred and the overruling factor in most of your decisions, e.g. Should I wake up for tahajjud or sleep? Sleep! Should I wake up early to work on this important piece of work or sleep? Sleep!
However, if you’re sleeping for akhirah, or sleeping for the sake of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), you’ll be sleeping just enough to give your due right to your body whilst not neglecting the fact that you’re here in this world for a temporary period and you’ll soon return to your Lord. You would try to minimize your sleep so that it doesn’t affect your worship – i.e. if you’re asking yourself whether you should sleep or wake up for tahajjud, you would choose to sleep less, you would choose the akhirah, where you would enjoy eternal rest. And this is the description that Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) gives about His slaves:
They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allah) and praying, with fear and hope]. (Adh-Dhariyat, Chapter #51, Verse #17)
Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allah’s Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. (As-Sajdah, Chapter #32, Verse #16)
Having said that, I would like to emphasize that giving due right to your body is partof the concept of sleeping for akhirah. This is evident in the hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him): (39) Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-’As: Allah’s Apostle said, “O ‘Abdullah! Have I not been informed that you fast all the day and stand in prayer all night?” I said, “Yes, O Allah’s Apostle!” He said, “Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave them (the fast) at other times; stand up for the prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you and your wife has a right over you.” (Sahih Bukhari, Book #62, Hadith #127)
Subhan Allah, how balanced and practical is a true Muslim’s way of life! So you should “listen” to your body; some days you may feel energetic and happy to sleep 3-4 hours, and you’ll be fine. However, some days your body will want you to sleep for 6-8 hours whilst not neglecting your obligatory duties such as salah or tending to your parent’s and family’s needs and that’s fine.
Here are some practical tips regarding sleep:
1. Always prepare for sleep, check out ProductiveMuslim’s sleep routine.
2. If you can, have a nap before or after Zhuhr prayer to reduce the amount of sleep you need at night.
3. Record your sleep time over a course of a week to understand your sleep pattern and how to optimize it.
Hope this helps! Have you been thinking about this issue? How did you resolve? What’s your sleep pattern like? And how can you make your sleep for akhira?
-an interesting article from productivemuslim.com
Recently I’ve started thinking about sleep in a different way which helped me resolve this dilemma; the answer seems to be the intention of sleep; if you’re sleeping for dunya (that is to be completely relaxed at work, home, family and to have a long healthy life), then sleeping would be very important to you and you would ensure that you sleep a minimum of 6-8 hours each night. Sleep will become sacred and the overruling factor in most of your decisions, e.g. Should I wake up for tahajjud or sleep? Sleep! Should I wake up early to work on this important piece of work or sleep? Sleep!
However, if you’re sleeping for akhirah, or sleeping for the sake of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala), you’ll be sleeping just enough to give your due right to your body whilst not neglecting the fact that you’re here in this world for a temporary period and you’ll soon return to your Lord. You would try to minimize your sleep so that it doesn’t affect your worship – i.e. if you’re asking yourself whether you should sleep or wake up for tahajjud, you would choose to sleep less, you would choose the akhirah, where you would enjoy eternal rest. And this is the description that Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) gives about His slaves:
They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allah) and praying, with fear and hope]. (Adh-Dhariyat, Chapter #51, Verse #17)
Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend (in charity in Allah’s Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them. (As-Sajdah, Chapter #32, Verse #16)
Having said that, I would like to emphasize that giving due right to your body is partof the concept of sleeping for akhirah. This is evident in the hadeeth of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him): (39) Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-’As: Allah’s Apostle said, “O ‘Abdullah! Have I not been informed that you fast all the day and stand in prayer all night?” I said, “Yes, O Allah’s Apostle!” He said, “Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave them (the fast) at other times; stand up for the prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you and your wife has a right over you.” (Sahih Bukhari, Book #62, Hadith #127)
Subhan Allah, how balanced and practical is a true Muslim’s way of life! So you should “listen” to your body; some days you may feel energetic and happy to sleep 3-4 hours, and you’ll be fine. However, some days your body will want you to sleep for 6-8 hours whilst not neglecting your obligatory duties such as salah or tending to your parent’s and family’s needs and that’s fine.
Here are some practical tips regarding sleep:
1. Always prepare for sleep, check out ProductiveMuslim’s sleep routine.
2. If you can, have a nap before or after Zhuhr prayer to reduce the amount of sleep you need at night.
3. Record your sleep time over a course of a week to understand your sleep pattern and how to optimize it.
Hope this helps! Have you been thinking about this issue? How did you resolve? What’s your sleep pattern like? And how can you make your sleep for akhira?
-an interesting article from productivemuslim.com
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Sense of Humor in Islam
A friend of mine once asked me: “Why are Muslims always gloomy?” I was surprised at this, so I asked him how he came to that conclusion, and he explained: “Once I told my friend about a funny thing that happened to me but he told me not to laugh…”
To help answer his query I though it would be useful to draw on the the advice and actions of our beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and look at how he led a balanced life with humour.
A goodly balanced life:
A narration which is apt in reflecting balance in our lives of happiness, is that of Abu Bakr As-Sideeq (May Allah be pleased with him) who met his friend Handhala in the street. Handhala confessed to Abu Bakr that he felt like a hypocrite and explained that when he was with the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) he would remember Allah and the Hereafter; but when he would leave his companionship), he would have his wives, children, and business on his mind, and attend to these matters. Abu Bakr said that he did the same, and so the two companions rushed to the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and spoke of their situation. The Prophet explained that if their state of mind remains the same in his presence and they are always busy in remembrance of Allah, the angels would be shaking their hands!
At this the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) parted some practical advice that some time should be devoted to your family and other affairs, and certain portions of time should be devoted to prayer and other forms of worship.
Smile and have fun!
Many of us have been taught that smiling is a prophetic sunnah as the Prophet himself was constantly seen smiling, and taught us that smiling in the face of our brother is charity. This is a fine example of conduct and his happy nature is reflected again when he (peace and blessings be upon him) raced with his wife ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and joked about when ‘Aishah won the first time and he (peace and blessings be upon him) won the next time they raced.
Yes, he was a Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) who prayed until his feet would swell yet we see in these examples how he was an all-around example for us of leading a life of balance. He would enjoy his friends and family, and having fun with them and even when asked about this by his Companions he replied that he would occasionally joke. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that whilst he did amuse others, he would always say the truth (narrated by Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal). This teaches us that we should not lie to have fun and we can relate funny stories, but only true ones and not those which backbite/humiliate others.
Islam came to guide people to the best of character by exerting self-control, so having fun does mean we’re not ‘gloomy’ and seen as ‘miserable’ like my friend at the beginning suggested however there are some protocols, guidelines and limits we should observe when having a sense of humour:
1) Don’t insult anyone by your jokes.
Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) says what means: “O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” (Al-Hujurat 49, Verse 11) This verse reflects the importance of being mindful of what you say even whilst you have a banter and joke with others.
2) Don’t frighten anyone as a joke.
We’ve all played a trick on a friend or two at one point perhaps creeping up on them in the dark, however we should refrain from casting fear into peoples’ hearts. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “It is not lawful to any Muslim to frighten another Muslim.” (Ibn Hajar)
3) Don’t lie to make people laugh
Sometimes, in our attempts to humour others one can fall into the trap of shaytan by exaggerating or telling false tales however we should remember it is forbidden to lie in Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed us to be truthful in making people laugh.
4) Don’t joke or laugh excessively
Unfortunately we are often culprit to this type of behaviour in a world which teaches us to ‘live in the moment’ however we can be so excessive in our laughter or joking that we lose sight of reality. I am not suggesting one should not have a laugh, but to avoid losing focus of the fact that this life is temporal and ultimate joy is in the Hereafter. Excessive laughter also hardens the heart and whilst it’s not forbidden to be happy, cheerful, or joyous and have a good time – remember your elation should be in moderation.
5) The best laugh is a big smile
Is a principle that can be derived from the Prophetic seerah. And as we have been taught in many ahadith that we should: ”Never disdain a good act even a small one, even if meeting a friend of yours with a smiling face” (Muslim) So next time your caught with a frowning face, embrace the sunnah and smile!
-article taken from productivemuslim.com-
To help answer his query I though it would be useful to draw on the the advice and actions of our beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and look at how he led a balanced life with humour.
A goodly balanced life:
A narration which is apt in reflecting balance in our lives of happiness, is that of Abu Bakr As-Sideeq (May Allah be pleased with him) who met his friend Handhala in the street. Handhala confessed to Abu Bakr that he felt like a hypocrite and explained that when he was with the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) he would remember Allah and the Hereafter; but when he would leave his companionship), he would have his wives, children, and business on his mind, and attend to these matters. Abu Bakr said that he did the same, and so the two companions rushed to the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and spoke of their situation. The Prophet explained that if their state of mind remains the same in his presence and they are always busy in remembrance of Allah, the angels would be shaking their hands!
At this the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) parted some practical advice that some time should be devoted to your family and other affairs, and certain portions of time should be devoted to prayer and other forms of worship.
Smile and have fun!
Many of us have been taught that smiling is a prophetic sunnah as the Prophet himself was constantly seen smiling, and taught us that smiling in the face of our brother is charity. This is a fine example of conduct and his happy nature is reflected again when he (peace and blessings be upon him) raced with his wife ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and joked about when ‘Aishah won the first time and he (peace and blessings be upon him) won the next time they raced.
Yes, he was a Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) who prayed until his feet would swell yet we see in these examples how he was an all-around example for us of leading a life of balance. He would enjoy his friends and family, and having fun with them and even when asked about this by his Companions he replied that he would occasionally joke. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that whilst he did amuse others, he would always say the truth (narrated by Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal). This teaches us that we should not lie to have fun and we can relate funny stories, but only true ones and not those which backbite/humiliate others.
Islam came to guide people to the best of character by exerting self-control, so having fun does mean we’re not ‘gloomy’ and seen as ‘miserable’ like my friend at the beginning suggested however there are some protocols, guidelines and limits we should observe when having a sense of humour:
1) Don’t insult anyone by your jokes.
Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) says what means: “O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one’s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.” (Al-Hujurat 49, Verse 11) This verse reflects the importance of being mindful of what you say even whilst you have a banter and joke with others.
2) Don’t frighten anyone as a joke.
We’ve all played a trick on a friend or two at one point perhaps creeping up on them in the dark, however we should refrain from casting fear into peoples’ hearts. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “It is not lawful to any Muslim to frighten another Muslim.” (Ibn Hajar)
3) Don’t lie to make people laugh
Sometimes, in our attempts to humour others one can fall into the trap of shaytan by exaggerating or telling false tales however we should remember it is forbidden to lie in Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed us to be truthful in making people laugh.
4) Don’t joke or laugh excessively
Unfortunately we are often culprit to this type of behaviour in a world which teaches us to ‘live in the moment’ however we can be so excessive in our laughter or joking that we lose sight of reality. I am not suggesting one should not have a laugh, but to avoid losing focus of the fact that this life is temporal and ultimate joy is in the Hereafter. Excessive laughter also hardens the heart and whilst it’s not forbidden to be happy, cheerful, or joyous and have a good time – remember your elation should be in moderation.
5) The best laugh is a big smile
Is a principle that can be derived from the Prophetic seerah. And as we have been taught in many ahadith that we should: ”Never disdain a good act even a small one, even if meeting a friend of yours with a smiling face” (Muslim) So next time your caught with a frowning face, embrace the sunnah and smile!
-article taken from productivemuslim.com-
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