farewell meal with Ustaz Saif-ur-Rahman

had a meal with Ustaz Saif-ur-Rahman yesterday night at Garuda Padang Cuisine, in an effort to meet up with him before he finally departs for the US. in his own words, it was to prevent a certain someone from feeling left out, and "nanti merajuk pulak"... in any case, it was indeed our benefit and honour to be able to bring him out for a meal, and for him to grace the event with his presence, despite the ultimately packed schedule that he is running in this last local week that he has. so first and foremost, my deepest gratitude to you for taking time out for us.

it was meant to be a relaxed dinner, and it was. but as it is with scholars, we, the non-scholars tend to do consultations anyways. but it was a good 2.5 hours worth of talking. and just made me realise how much i have missed out, and will perhaps be missing out for the next few years, till he comes back. and that is if he decides to teach, if and when he does come back.

the content of the whole conversation we had, among the 3-4 of us cannot be replicated in its entirety here. so i will just highlight the golden moments of the conversation, and some take-away points that the blessed fellow decided to share with us. some of these points are of course expressed in my own understanding (so even if you did not say it, just take it as a student giving his feedback, and rephrasing, ok?).

on a youthful appearance: wudhu', solat, and exercise. all of these are crucial in ensuring the balance of life of a muslim. in solat, you gain discipline of time management, and to gain the freshness of mind, you do your wudhu'. Especially so for the tahajjud and dawn prayers, which are crucial for the attainment of spiritual luminescence, which can be seen from the countenance of those who are committed to them. Exercise produces endorphins, which makes you feel happy and keep your state of mind and emotions stable. With stability, you are less likely to feel depressed and stressed, which helps prevent the aging process. Exercise also energises you, so you feel strong and energetic, and young. Feel young, look young.

on life: one needs to have a long-term plan, be it 10, 20 or even 30 years. If one has a long-term plan, the quibbles of life that one experiences in the short term, is put into perspective, and one moves on much faster, and with less baggage.

on friends: the best friends are those founded on faith. sincerity in looking for friends who are firmly grounded in faith, will ensure that all else that comes with those friendships are blessed. you will feel at peace with them, and they will feel at peace with you.

on subtlety: one does not need to be exuberant in the expression of one's character or self. there are times and places when one can drop off masks and be at ease, but there are also times when one needs to be firm and assert oneself, in order to achieve a certain impact. to hide aspects of oneself, is not a sign of weakness, but rather is a sign that one is able to control the situation one finds oneself in.

on da'wah: a muslim is not a da'i only when he puts on his religious attire. a muslim is a da'i all the times. and one does not need to appear to be pious to be pious. in fact one's piety is measured by the extent that one strives in his community, and that standard is different for each individual. just be the best that you can, and let that be your da'wah. one can have fun, and still be a good muslim. conversely, one can be an asatizah, but still be unable to fulfill one's obligations. hence one should know what one's responsibilities are, and fulfill them as how they are meant to be.

on discipline: it has to be self-motivated to achieve maximal impact.

on perspective: progressive vs contemporary. progressive is looking forward. contemporary is already passe the minute we finish talking about it. hence be progressive, because status quo is never enough.

on being: we are people with many facets. each of these facets need to be understood. how we look to other people can be based on any of the facets. however, what is more important is how each of the facets reflect who we are, and whether we can be at peace with what each of these facets show. cleanse the inside, and the outside will follow.

on etiquette of conversation: talk what should be talked about, and refrain from asking what should not be asked. things that benefit should be shared. things that do not benefit should be left unshared.

many many more things we talked about, and many more things i internalised.
its just amazing how one simple encounter can bring about so many different points of learning.

frankly in my 26 years of life, i have only been with Ustaz for barely 60 hours. but i believe that it is not just me, but other students as well, who have been touched by his wisdom and charisma.
again, may Allah expedite your journey to higher learning, and higher realisations, and may He allow the ummah to benefit from you, through your efforts.

Yarhamukallah, wa yahfazukallah ya shaykhi.

BON VOYAGE!