just watched this very interesting documentary on central called cosmic time, where the origin of the universe and the whole concept of time was debated and presented in a truly enlightening fashion. well to cut the long story short, let me just highlight two points that scientists are saying.
1) time is not really eternal, it had a beginning, and will come to an end.
2) stars lose their light and die off after they become supernovas... and then become black holes.
2) the universe as we know it, is not really slowing down at all, and in fact, all parts of it are moving away faster and faster from each other. the big crunch that was purported before this, well, will most likely not happen. rather, it will be a big stretch - all particles will move apart from each other and be broken down.
my take from the documentary serves to reinforce some things in the Muslims' belief system.
1) Time is a concept which is created. Not even time is eternal, and only He Who Created is Eternal. And He is therefore the only One worthy of worship.
2) Everything will come to naught and will be destroyed at the end of time.
For the Muslims, here are the verses which foretells of these scientific findings, which people are only beginning to realise.
Surah Ar-Rahman 55:26-28
26. Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish.
27. And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honour will abide forever.
28. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny?
Surah Al-Waqiah 56:5-6
5. And the mountains will be powdered to dust.
6. So that they will become floating dust particles.
Surah At-Takwir 81:1-2
1. When the sun wound round and lost its light and is overthrown.
2. And when the stars shall fall.
Surah Al-Infitaar 82:1-5
1. When the heaven is cleft asunder.
2. And when the stars have fallen and scattered;
3. And when the seas are burst forth;
4. And when the graves are turned upside down (and they bring out their contents)
5. (Then) a person will know what he has sent forward and (what he has) left behind (of good or bad deeds).
Surah Al-Inshiqaaq 84:1-6
1. When the heaven is split asunder,
2. And listens and obeys its Lord, and it must do so;
3. And when the earth is stretched forth,
4. And has cast out all that was in it and became empty,
5. And listens and obeys its Lord, and it must do so;
6. O man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord with your deeds and actions (good or bad), a sure returning, so you will meet (i.e. the results of your deeds which you did).
masya Allah.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
alangkah malangnya
alangkah malangnya orang yang diberi ilmu tetapi tidak memanfaatkannya.
alangkah malangnya orang yang mengajar ilmu tetapi tidak menjalankannya.
alangkah malangnya orang yang tahu betapa dekatnya maut tetapi tidak bersedia untuknya.
Ya Allah, selamatkanlah diriku yang dhaif ini. and perbaikilah diriku menuju kepadaMu.
alangkah malangnya orang yang mengajar ilmu tetapi tidak menjalankannya.
alangkah malangnya orang yang tahu betapa dekatnya maut tetapi tidak bersedia untuknya.
Ya Allah, selamatkanlah diriku yang dhaif ini. and perbaikilah diriku menuju kepadaMu.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
my beloved grandma
Almarhumah Hajjah Rapiar Binte Rahim Khan Suratteemoga Allah sentiasa mencucuri rahmat ke atas dirinya.
nizar sayang nani.
Al-Fatihah.
Ad-Deen, Sahl!
i may have spoken with less finesse than i expected.
yesterday before class started, i was discussing with some friends about an issue.
and when i gave my opinion on it, one of them said that if i gave an answer like that, then what was the point of coming to class.
looking back, yes, perhaps i should have not added my opinion.
but i did not speak from loftiness.
in fact i thought i spoke because of being grounded.
and this was what i said:
the crux of the matter is, the merits of certain rituals/practices/actions (fadhailul amal) is as an encouragement for the individual to pursue the best way, according to recommendations. at the end of the day, the process of your trying to pursue a best course of action will be judged by none other than Allah, who knows your intentions truly. and by this belief, provided your intentions are true, Allah will reward you with what is promised, and perhaps more - for such is His Generosity.
and i explain it here (though perhaps my mistake was in not explaining it then...):
So while the basis of us seeking knowledge on a certain matter is good, it is not necessarily deemed so, if the point of you seeking knowledge is to set yourself aside from the majority, and to create disagreement by what knowledge you bring, especially if it is not really something which is deemed absolutely important.
case in point - to jama' qasr vs to do a normal jemaah, while on a journey. on one hand, to jama' qasr is a convenience given by Allah to those travelling on a journey, and some scholars consider that it is better to take from what Allah has given to us as a convenience. on the other hand, other scholars feel that it is better to pray the jemaah with the people of the land, because the merits of a jemaah is more encouraged. so the question that was being parlayed was about which side had more merit. And in fact there is no clear resolution to it, because both sides represent accepted opinions of scholars.
what i would say is that if it were more convenient for you to do the jama' qasr, and there does not seem to be a jemaah around, then do it. and if there is a jemaah around, then just join it. it is not that you are being fickle, but it is about what is best fit for you at the time and situation that you find yourself in. and in all instances, dedicate that action to Allah, and let Him be the Judge. the issue of the merit of the action is not even a consideration for me, because it is pointless to think about the merits of it, because all judgement is by Allah. thinking about the merits of it, to me, somehow diminishes the sincerity of what you are doing. what is more important is the sincerity in your carrying out of your worship (ihsan and ikhlas).
maybe as students, we ask. and that is right, as we want to upgrade ourselves.
but as practicing muslims, we should also consider that islam is never burdenful upon us.
the religion is simple.
why do we make it difficult by picking on small issues?
yesterday before class started, i was discussing with some friends about an issue.
and when i gave my opinion on it, one of them said that if i gave an answer like that, then what was the point of coming to class.
looking back, yes, perhaps i should have not added my opinion.
but i did not speak from loftiness.
in fact i thought i spoke because of being grounded.
and this was what i said:
the crux of the matter is, the merits of certain rituals/practices/actions (fadhailul amal) is as an encouragement for the individual to pursue the best way, according to recommendations. at the end of the day, the process of your trying to pursue a best course of action will be judged by none other than Allah, who knows your intentions truly. and by this belief, provided your intentions are true, Allah will reward you with what is promised, and perhaps more - for such is His Generosity.
and i explain it here (though perhaps my mistake was in not explaining it then...):
So while the basis of us seeking knowledge on a certain matter is good, it is not necessarily deemed so, if the point of you seeking knowledge is to set yourself aside from the majority, and to create disagreement by what knowledge you bring, especially if it is not really something which is deemed absolutely important.
case in point - to jama' qasr vs to do a normal jemaah, while on a journey. on one hand, to jama' qasr is a convenience given by Allah to those travelling on a journey, and some scholars consider that it is better to take from what Allah has given to us as a convenience. on the other hand, other scholars feel that it is better to pray the jemaah with the people of the land, because the merits of a jemaah is more encouraged. so the question that was being parlayed was about which side had more merit. And in fact there is no clear resolution to it, because both sides represent accepted opinions of scholars.
what i would say is that if it were more convenient for you to do the jama' qasr, and there does not seem to be a jemaah around, then do it. and if there is a jemaah around, then just join it. it is not that you are being fickle, but it is about what is best fit for you at the time and situation that you find yourself in. and in all instances, dedicate that action to Allah, and let Him be the Judge. the issue of the merit of the action is not even a consideration for me, because it is pointless to think about the merits of it, because all judgement is by Allah. thinking about the merits of it, to me, somehow diminishes the sincerity of what you are doing. what is more important is the sincerity in your carrying out of your worship (ihsan and ikhlas).
maybe as students, we ask. and that is right, as we want to upgrade ourselves.
but as practicing muslims, we should also consider that islam is never burdenful upon us.
the religion is simple.
why do we make it difficult by picking on small issues?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
the good and the bad
the bad first.
maybe i have talked too much.
but i hope that i am forgiven on both sides for my speech... because i intended good for it. not harm.
and i hope good comes out of it, not distrust and betrayal.
the good.
may all the actions that are taken lead to a good end.
and may all the efforts expended reach the intended aims.
i am proud too.
and you all should be.
"Whatever of good reaches you is from Allah and whatever of evil befalls you is from yourself."
An-Nisa:79
how true.
maybe i have talked too much.
but i hope that i am forgiven on both sides for my speech... because i intended good for it. not harm.
and i hope good comes out of it, not distrust and betrayal.
the good.
may all the actions that are taken lead to a good end.
and may all the efforts expended reach the intended aims.
i am proud too.
and you all should be.
"Whatever of good reaches you is from Allah and whatever of evil befalls you is from yourself."
An-Nisa:79
how true.
Asma'ul Husna
"The Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah: so call upon Him by them..."
Al-A'raf: 180
I especially love the last prayers...
"Oh Most Compassionate, have compassion upon our weaknesses...
Oh Forgiver, forgive our sins...
Oh Concealer, conceal our faults...
Oh Bestower of Honour, honour our Ummah...
Oh Granter of prayers, answer our prayers...
Oh Gentle One, be gentle with us..."
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
thankful
Mu`awiyah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah said, "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of Deen.''
i can only express my thanks to Allah for allowing me the opportunities that i have been given to partake of the Sacred Knowledge.
Oh Allah!
Verily You have given me great blessings with the gift of a sound mind and intact faculties with which i can appreciate the sciences of the Ulumuddin.
Oh Allah!
Let me be among those who benefit from and give benefit to others from the knowledge You have Bestowed.
Oh Allah!
Forgive me by the knowledge that You have Given me, and save me from Your fire.
Oh Allah!
Let me not be among those who disdain and trivialise Your Favours upon us, for without Your Mercy, i will surely perish.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
doing the right thing
haiz. did i do the right thing?
sometimes the truth hurts, and sometimes you don't want to hear some things from people.
but i sincerely felt that i needed to say it. because i don't want you to stay that way.
in any case, i apologise if you feel that i was not empathetic.
that i am just one more of those people who do not understand the way you feel.
if you are upset with me, its ok.
but don't be sad for yourself, please.
Allah forgive me, if i have transgressed.
sometimes the truth hurts, and sometimes you don't want to hear some things from people.
but i sincerely felt that i needed to say it. because i don't want you to stay that way.
in any case, i apologise if you feel that i was not empathetic.
that i am just one more of those people who do not understand the way you feel.
if you are upset with me, its ok.
but don't be sad for yourself, please.
Allah forgive me, if i have transgressed.
a land called paradise
taken from faiezah's blog. its a beautiful, simple video on how we Muslims are just human after all.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
lesson in song
Desir pasir di padang tandus
Segersang pemikiran hati
Terkisah ku di antara cinta yang rumit
Bila keyakinanku datang
Kasih bukan sekadar cinta
Pengorbanan cinta yang agung
Ku pertaruhkan
Maafkan bila ku tak sempurna
Cinta ini tak mungkin ku cegah
Ayat-ayat cinta bercerita
Cintaku padamu
Bila bahagia mulai menyentuh
Seakan ku bisa hidup lebih lama
Namun harus ku tinggalkan cinta
Ketika ku bersujud
Rossa - Ayat-ayat Cinta
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Saturday, February 02, 2008
ayat-ayat cinta (proses of love)
am being superficial here. this is a story about a man who is torn between 4 people. premise of the story is supposed to be touching. hope to be able to catch it. want to read the book first. see the trailer, and you know what i mean.
i hope things turn out
because believe me, i have been trying.
but sometimes the only thing that can make it right is yourself.
so you got to have faith. that things are going to change for the better.
despite how they may look now.
and when you think you got no one else to turn to, turn to yourself to pick yourself up.
and please don't stay sad.
but sometimes the only thing that can make it right is yourself.
so you got to have faith. that things are going to change for the better.
despite how they may look now.
and when you think you got no one else to turn to, turn to yourself to pick yourself up.
and please don't stay sad.
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