Labbaik

In several hours time, my wife and I will be leaving, insya-Allah, for our hajj pilgrimage.

I pray that our journey and everything pertaining to our hajj will go smoothly and safely. I also pray that our hajj will be accepted by Allah SWT as mabrur.

Frankly it is difficult for me to describe my feelings at the moment. This is a spiritual journey that requires one to be physically healthy, mentally prepared and emotionally stable. I am really looking forward to this journey.

I would like to express my sincerest thanks to all who have bade me well for this journey. Your prayers for the both of us are very valuable to us. Insya-Allah I look forward to seeing everyone again in a month's time.

Until then, I will be away from blogging. I hope that I will be able to share my experience when I return insya-Allah.

Aching shoulders

There is an old saying: Promises are like the full moon, if they are not kept at once, they diminish day by day. How true! If promises given to me can be exchanged with money, I would probably be the richest person in the world right now. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Frankly, only Allah knows how I feel at the moment. My shoulders ache as if I am carrying a huge burden. The burden may not be physical, but it is there nonetheless. I feel very tired and stressed, truth be told. Tired of waiting for promises to be realised. Stressed to be kept in the dark..

My only solace is by turning myself closer to Allah. I find myself in peace each time I answer the call for the daily prayers. And I am indeed looking forward to finding peace for my mind and soul in Makkah. To all who have prayed for my safe journey to Makkah, please accept my sincerest gratitude. Insya-Allah I will also pray for my true friends when I am there.

I am grateful to Allah for this opportunity to perform my haj at this age. At the same time, I am also grateful for the many signs that He has shown me this past few weeks. There are blessings behind everything that has happened. While we may not necessarily see these blessings immediately, I believe that we should always be thankful for them.

'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf

Out of the many companions of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, perhaps the one most well-known for his business acumen was 'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf. He was known to be wealthy, even when he had to start from scratch after the hijrah to Madinah al-Munawwarah from Makkah al-Mukarramah.

It was recorded in history that upon his arrival in Madinah, 'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf was assisted by an Ansar who provided him a loan for him to start his business. In just a short period of time, he became very successful and he paid up his debt almost immediately. He was not one who liked to have debts.

He was known to sell, among other things, camels. Interestingly he sold camels at their cost price. And yet he was able to make profit from trading camels. When people asked him his secret, he told them that he did not gain anything from selling camels. His profit, in actual effect, came from selling camels' leashes. Everyone who bought camels would require leashes, lest the camels escaped.

Such ingenuity is indeed something that we can learn if we want to take up business. 'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf to my mind is an examplary businessman. Today's Muslims can learn a lot from him. He was honest, hardworking and had high integrity. He did not resort to cheating or bribing people. He was also very prudent.

If today's Muslim businessmen can be half the man 'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf was, I would imagine the impact would be tremendous. But I guess that is not how things are. It is unfortunate that those who go into business have no good sense when it comes to running their businesses. Some set their eyes on big projects without an inkling as to how to deliver. Some get big projects, and the first thing that they do is to buy luxury cars. Some become so spendthrift that they ignore basic things in business like planning and budgeting.

Of course, I can just write on this. I am no businessman. I am just an observer who jots down what I see, and nothing more than that. I can only pray that those who do go into businesses have a good sense to be like 'Abdurrahman Bin 'Auf.

Peace of mind

In this modern life, everyone seems to be living in a ratrace society, always seemingly rushing. No wonder people seem stressed out.

I must admit that of late, I am feeling somewhat stressed. Anxiety, frustration, unhappiness and disappointment are probably the main contributors to my stress these days. From my past experience, one way to eliminate stress is to eliminate the factors contributing to it in the first place. I have identified the source of my stress. And I will find a way to eliminate the source so that I can have a peace of mind.

I will do so, insya-Allah, upon returning from Makkah. I will pray for guidance from Allah SWT when in the Holy Land. Hopefully, I can make the right decision come December.

Preparing for a spiritual journey

I believe that a human being has three components which are interlinked with one another. The components are the physical, the mental (incorporating the intellectual and the emotional), and finally the spiritual. As a Muslim, I am of the opinion that each of these components has to be looked after and taken care of.

Most people will probably find looking after the physical well-being as the most obvious. This is because we can sense the physical component of ourselves using the five senses. That is why when we get hungry, we eat. We drink when we are thirsty. And if we are unwell, we will go for medical treatment.

The mental well-being is perhaps slightly more difficult to look after. The intellectual aspect of the mental well-being can be looked after by enriching ourselves with knowledge. The emotional aspect of the emotional well-being must be taken care of as well so that we would be mentally healthy, and not mentally disturbed.

The spiritual component is without doubt the most difficult to tend to. Some deny the existence of this component because it could not be scientifically observed. Nonetheless, as a Muslim, I hold that this component does exist even though we could not quantify it scientifically.

This spiritual component has to be continuously strengthened, and this is done through the many acts of worship prescribed in Islam. On a daily basis, the spiritual component is strengthened five times a day through the compulsory daily prayer. On an annual basis, this spiritual component goes through a month of fasting in Ramadhan where one faces many tests which, when overcome successfully, would increase the level of piety.

Another act of worship that strengthens the spiritual component comes in the form of the pilgrimage to Makkah. This is made compulsory on all Muslims who can afford to do so once in their lives. Many Muslims look forward to this pilgrimage. It is an experience that many cherish. And many who have gone to Makkah longed to return again and again.

Alhamdulillah, I have received my calling to go to Makkah this year. This is something I have been looking forward to for the past year. I pray that this spiritual journey will help in rejuvenating and strengthening my faith, insha-Allah.

Welcome home

I was at KLIA at 3 a.m. on Monday morning waiting for my parents' return from their pilgrimage to Makkah. Their flight touched down just after 4 a.m. and they finally got to the departure hall around 5:30 a.m.

There was a huge crowd as expected. Family members were waiting anxiously to see their loved ones. It was an emotional wait, as most of the jamaah haji are senior citizens, most of whom like my parents, have never been overseas (or at least as far away as Saudi Arabia). They have been away for about 45 days, and everyone was most definitely eager to see them walk out into the departure hall. One interesting banner caught my eyes. The writing on the banner was: "Welcome home, Haji Abah and Hajjah Mama". Cute wordings, but yet very apt.

Alhamdulillah, my parents arrived safely. While they have some coughs and fever due to the harsh conditions especially in Makkah, Arafah, Muzdalifah and Mina, they are well. As their eldest son, I am happy that I have been able to assist them in sending them to perform their fifth pillar of Islam. I know that it has always been my parents' dream to go to Makkah. And this year, their dream has become a reality.

Welcome home, Haji Abah and Hajjah Mama!

Joy and sorrow

I was back in Kedah over the weekend. My parents organised a kenduri kesyukuran as they will be going to Makkah for their Haj in about two weeks time. Many relatives and friends came over to wish them a safe journey. It was quite a touching scene actually to so many people coming over and praying for my parents' safe sojourn for their pilgrimage.

On the same day of the kenduri, two friends namely Szakif and Sholihin were at the International Islamic University Malaysia for their convocation ceremony. My heartfelt congratulations to the both of them on their academic achievement, and I pray that they will continue to achieve success in their respective careers.

Later that same evening, I received a text message from the son of someone I have known for many years. His mother Puan Adawiyah Yassin, affectionately known as "Kak Ada", had suffered a stroke and is now unable to speak. Kak Ada was my producer back when I was a contributor to the Voice of Islam, a radio channel aired by RTM. According to the message, Kak Ada has been discharged from hospital and is now in Seremban. The news took me by surprise. I pray that her health will improve and that she and her family be strong in this trying times.

Around the same time I received the text message regarding Kak Ada, I received another text message from my colleague Encik Mazilan who informed me that our executive chairman at Yayasan Ilmuwan, Dr Khairul 'Azmi Mohamad, had just underwent a surgery in Johor Bahru. He is recovering well from the surgery. I pray for his speedy recovery.

Quite an eventful and emotional weekend indeed.

Safe journey

A close friend and former colleague, Rohaizad, has just left for Makkah al-Mukaramah for his umrah today. He will be there for about two weeks.

I pray so that he'll be healthy and strong throughout his minor pilgrimage.

The calling

I celebrated Aidiladha with my family in our hometown up north. My wife partook in the qurban (sacrifice) with her siblings. And on the second day of Aidiladha, my mother-in-law had a kenduri (feast). It was quite a hectic day, but a celebration nonetheless.

I have this wish that I could perform the haj which is the fifth pillar of Islam in the next few years. I do not want to wait until my old age to perform this once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to the Holy Land of Makkah. And I also plan to perform my umrah in the not-so-far future. It is as if Makkah is calling me, and the call seems to be getting louder and clearer by the day.

I pray that my wish to set foot on the Makkah al-Mukaramah will be a reality.

Until then, I would like to wish all Muslims, a happy and blessed Aidiladha. May we grasp the true meaning of qurban, insya-Allah.

Expensive help

Maids or domestic helpers are virtually a must these days for Malaysians, especially in big cities where both husband and wife work. Unfortunately, it is difficult nay, impossible, for us to find local helpers. Most locals prefer to work in factories where the pay is better - and really, this is only logical.

As such, we have to resort to foreign helpers especially from Indonesia. I was surprised therefore, when I was told this morning that the cost of hiring a maid has sky-rocketed if we use agencies. Of course, the alternative is to source for the helpers ourselves, and take care of all the bureaucratic procedures on our own. That way, we can reduce the cost.

For me, I prefer agencies for two reasons. Firstly, I find the process of sourcing for maids and applying for their permits a bit tedious. I know this is a sorry excuse, but I just don't have the patience for this sort of thing. Secondly, and more importantly, most agencies train their maids for two months before they are hired. The training involves a lot of things such as familiarising themselves with Bahasa Malaysia, hands-on training in taking care after babies and infants, using electrical appliances common in Malaysia, etc.

From my personal experience, the training is a lot of help when the helpers come to work for their employers. Miscommunication and the time taken for them to settle down into their jobs are greatly reduced.

However, because of perceived bad treatment that the Indonesian helpers receive in Malaysia, and because of the lure of higher wages in other countries such as Singapore, China and Saudi Arabia, most Indonesians prefer to work in these countries. This resulted in lack of manpower supply for domestic helpers to Malaysia. Even when they want to come to this country, they prefer to work as restaurant helpers, cleaners, factory workers and construction workers - where the freedom is greater.

I was told this morning that it now costs RM8,000 to get a helper through an agency, and their monthly wage is now RM600. So, for a two-year contract, an employer would have to fork out nearly RM20,000 for one domestic helper.

If we were to spread this over two years, that would come to about RM833. Wouldn't an SPM holder want to work with this wage (accomodation and meals included)?

Managing geniuses

Aside from the local political issues, Malaysians seem to follow with great interest the story of Sufiah Yusof. Her success story was first told way back in 1998 - both here in Malaysia and the UK. But when her latest story was published on Sunday, many people were shocked. The shock was felt not only in Malaysia but also in the UK. Some of the common responses could be read here. Even her ex-husband who is now working in Saudi Arabia was shocked when the news reached him.

Sufiah - then and now

If this story is indeed true, then most definitely it's a sad fate that had befallen the one-time math prodigy. Whether we want to admit or not, a successful person is not necessarily the most intelligent or brilliant person. One may possess a high intellectual prowess, but intellectuality is only one dimension that makes up a person's complete self. The physical, psychological, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions should never be ignored. If any one of these dimensions are ignored, we would end up being an unstable or insecure person. One wonders what could have driven Sufiah to prostitution taking up the pseudonym Shilpa Lee?

Sometimes I worry when I read about young children with great academic abilities. Throughout the years, we have seen many of these child prodigies. When stories about their uniqueness come out, all are in awe - which is very much expected. Everyone applauds them. They are idolised by society. No doubt, all this is well and good.

But I have these questions to ask: Do we monitor their progress? More importantly, are the children's success being managed correctly? And the one million dollar question is, where are they now?

Oft-times I wondered whatever happened to the prodigies of yesteryears. I have heard many stories about the fate that has befallen them, with Sufiah's fate being the latest. I have always said to many people that, while it is good to score a string of A's in your SPM or A-Level or whatever, at the end of the day, these A's are just your ticket into universities. What is more important is your success at the university level. I have seen many who didn't do so well (read: didn't get a string of A's at the school level), but came out from university with flying colours. It would be a shame if the student who scored at the school level couldn't do as well at the tertiary level.

Success is not measured by how many A's you get on paper because the fact of the matter is that one needs not be a genius at the school level to be a true genius in life.

Sadly, I believe that we should shoulder part of the blame for our inability, or rather, failure to manage success stories such as our child prodigies.

Aidiladha wish

Aidiladha is one of the two celebrations in the Muslim calendar (the other being Aidilfitri). This important day is celebrated in conjunction with the performance of the Haj or pilgrimage to Makkah and the commemoration of the qurban or sacrifice undertaken by the Abu al-Anbiya', Prophet Ibrahim 'alaihissalam.

May I take this oportunity to record my Aidiladha wish to all Muslims who frequent this humble blog. Eid Mubarak!

Final frontier

To be able to watch a historic moment in our lifetime is indeed awe-inspiring and humbling. I was virtually glued in front of the television last night to watch the first Malaysian's flight into space. The news can be read here and the historic visual here. The full list of space travel by nationality can be obtained here.

Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor became the first Malaysian astronaut. I am sure this historic achievement is a day to be remembered by all Malaysians. Interestingly enough, while Dr. Sheikh may not be the first Muslim in space, he will be the first to be celebrating Eid there. The honour of the first Muslim in space went to a Saudi prince, Salman al-Saud in 1985.

In any case, I pray that the docking of the Soyuz TMA-11 at the International Space Station scheduled for tomorrow will go smoothly and that our first astronaut will return home safely in about ten days time.

This is certainly one for the history books. Just like Yuri Gagarin is remembered as the first man in space and Neil Armstrong honoured as the first man on the moon, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar will be remembered as the first Malaysian in space by all Malaysians. Syabas!

10th October 2007 will forever be remembered as one of the most important dates in Malaysian history.

150th post: Call of hijrah

Just 20 days after people around the world celebrated the beginning of the solar new year of 2007, it is now time to commemorate the beginning of the Hijriyyah new year. Muslims all over the world remember that the "Hijrah" of the Prophet Muhammad SAW from Makkah al-Mukaramah to Madinah al-Munawarah as the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the Prophet SAW as well as a new dawn for Islam and the Muslims as a whole. All this can of course be read in the history books.

For the Muslims of the present day, there lies a challenge to emulate the spirit of hijrah. In essence, hijrah is a call for the betterment of one's self and from thereon, the betterment of the community. This is not unlike the new year resolutions made every time people step into the new year. You can dub it whatever you want - new year resolutions or call of hijrah - what is important is that we persevere in ensuring whatever we resolve to realise and improve will not merely remain empty talk.

Lest we forget, we should walk the talk, and not just give lip service. We should also not be like those who just say what people want to hear, and yet are unable to deliver the goods. Herein lies the challenge of turning our resolutions into reality.

On a personal note, I have set forth my own resolutions for both 2007 AD and 1428 H. Aptly enough, one of these resolutions will be put to test on the 1st of Muharram which is the first day of the new Muslim lunar year. In any case, I will report in this blog as to whether this particular resolution will come to fruition or just be wishful thinking.

On the dawn of the new Hijriyyah year, and in conjunction with this blog's 150th post, I wish all visitors of this blog, a prosperous and productive year ahead, insya-Allah.