A summary of Hamza Yusuf's lecture

I just finished hearing an audio lecture presented by a prominent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, seconds ago, and i think it might worth for me to pen down it's summary here as a reminder for me as well as to anyone else.
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Al-Mi'raj ; A night of Advice

Everyday is the day of Allah SWT, and everyone needs to be reminded of the greatness n gracefullness of Allah. Sheikh Hamza Yusuf presented this lecture on the 27th of Rejab, a memorable day where Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon him) was transcended from this world to meet The Creator. He further explained the story in which i will not go into it as i assumes that the readers have at least a brief knowledge of the event.

These are some of the advices that he mentioned in the lecture:

• Don't do something only for the sake of satisfaction. Do it with an intention and purpose to strengthen ourselves. Eg. read stories, watch movies, travelling etc.
• Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the most beautiful in speech.
• If you don't benefit anything (in any sort of way) in something, leave it.
• The self flees from moderation in everything. It loves extremism, in guidance, love, intimacy, excellence, success, satisfaction. Most people never talk about it (not aware of it).
• Islam is about moderation in all these things. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did loads of things with his family, wives, companions, children, people of Makkah & Madinah, trade, war, etc (showing that he was invloved in various physical state), but his absolute state was the consciousness of Allah SWT. He's the best example one could follow.
• Seek a friend in his path to help you. Treat him with his state, not yours, coz people are different in states.
• Friendship is a hard thing. A friend is the one who goes through thick & thin with you. Brotherhood is different than friends, they even go to the extent in harming themselves to benefit you.
• Be concerned with people in a group. They behave in one way individually and could be different collectively. Some people dont like to be pushed around (eg. People of Fallujah). Bangladeshis are nice, harmless people, which is a good thing! But others took advantage from their kindness. (this really rings a bell of my own racial community!)
• Concern yourself with time, do anything with temperance. A really strong man will ended up as a weak person. Work in this world as you live forever, work in the next-world like you're gonna die tomorrow.
• Beware in the position of leadership. It is a service, and a leader is the servant of it's people. Dont make people as your servant.
• Use our time wisely, organise it.
• Dont be a fanatic, in truth or false. Al-Haq is something relative, what might be right to a person might be wrong to another person.
  
• Dont claim what you deserve. Dont expect anything from this world. Whoever claims a rank greater than he deserve, it will be taken away. Whoever claims a rank lower than he deserves, he will be uplifted in an unexpectable rank. Eg. Imam Ali - "i'm just a Muslim" .
• Dont give, from the companion you sit with, something outside of his state. If you give something lower than his state, he'll not be contented. If you give more, they couldnt take it and will leave you.....(Oo friends who claim themselves as Da'ie, this is true wisdom!)
• Never expect anyone in this world to understand your state, coz everyone can only understand based on their frame of reference. But when there is a similarity in people's outlook & aspiration, they can work together. People tend to flock with others who are similar to them. Birds of a feather flock together!
• Do not belittle the things we've said coz it can harm us!
• Guard our secret. The heart of the one whom we tell our secret is not a safe place. Imam Ali reminded us that those who tells someone a secret, and gets mad when that person tell another person, is a fool, coz the state of the heart of the latter is as the same as the former.
• Dont leave something which we are devoted. Be committed to mastery in whatever we do. Perfecting it is a craft & art.
  
• Dont believe in your ego, dont obey it, event for a single moment. Beware of the decision we made. 'Azm is the final state of intention.
  
• Dont waste our time in anything we dont need to do.
• Treat others as like how we like to be treated.
• Guard our tongue, dont mention others false. Others have false, but they have eyes too! And they could see our false...
• Live well with people, dont aggress anyone.
• Have taqwa in Allah wherever we are, treat others in the best of ways.
• Always seek the most beautiful in dignity.

Last but not least.....our ummah is here to stay!
Indeed, his words are full of wisdoms, and his teachings come from his teachers, descended directly, in a chain of knowledge descendence, from our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

May Allah gives His mercy to all of us....ameen

Pelihara permuafakatan - Amanat PM sempena Hari Kemerdekaan ke-49

KUALA LUMPUR 30 Ogos – Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengajak masyarakat majmuk Malaysia memelihara semangat permuafakatan dan kerjasama yang menjadi tonggak kekuatan negara sejak awal kemerdekaan.

Katanya, pembangunan negara yang dinikmati sekarang adalah hasil daripada perpaduan yang terjalin antara rakyat pelbagai kaum dan agama selama ini.

‘‘Perpaduan rakyat Malaysia menjadi kekuatan kepada kita, pastikanlah, kekuatan itu (terus) menjadi milik kita pada hari ini. Muafakat yang elok, kerjasama kukuh dan berkesan, ini adalah amat perlu,’’ katanya dalam perutusan khas yang disiarkan menerusi radio dan televisyen sempena sambutan Hari Kemerdekaan Ke-49, di sini malam ini.

Perdana Menteri berkata, dalam memupuk dan memelihara perpaduan, setiap rakyat Malaysia harus bersifat sabar, bertimbang rasa, mengutamakan kerjasama serta saling menghormati antara satu sama lain.

Merujuk kepada insiden 13 Mei 1969, Abdullah mengingatkan warga Malaysia agar mengambil iktibar daripada titik hitam dalam sejarah negara itu dan mengelak daripada melakukan sesuatu yang boleh menggugat perpaduan dan kerjasama antara kaum.

Abdullah berkata, rakyat harus mengelak melakukan apa jua perbuatan yang merosakkan permuafakatan kerana ia akan menghakis dan menghilangkan kekuatan negara.

“Apa yang membuat kesusahan kepada kita, kita perlu elakkan, itulah maknanya kita belajar daripada sejarah, di samping itu, kita juga perlu mengukir sejarah kita, mengukir sejarah membina tamadun di masa hadapan,’’ ujar beliau.

Abdullah menambah generasi sekarang, yang menikmati warisan perjuangan generasi dahulu, bertanggungjawab untuk menjadikan Malaysia sebuah negara lebih maju dan berjaya, untuk diwariskan kepada generasi akan datang.

“Ataupun sekurang-kurangnya sebagai sebuah negara yang mempunyai kerajaan yang ada rancangan yang tersusun dan diatur dengan baik... supaya negara kita akan dapat meningkat maju,’’ katanya.

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Overall, i see this as a good speech, but lacks clarity. His speech lacks the power that could drive listeners to become better followers. Unlike Tun 'appa namaa, appa namaa', he's more of a "takpalaaa, dia nak buat dia buat lah....".

Few days back he commented on an issue regarding the international corruption index, in which the world witnessed Malaysia ranked 39th of all. Malaysia??! Corruption??! Islamic state??! Muslim-majority country??! What's happening here?!

Few weeks back, he told the press that any interference of other religious activities into the Melayu-Muslim activites and territories should be stopped. People might think differently, but i personally think that this is just another quick-fix, short-sighted solution for the problem

aiyaa...... Malaysia Malaysia ku....

Selamat menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan ke-49!

1st Post.....

A great day to start a new blog

Why?!
Concerned people chose to articulate their thoughts. Great majority (i'm assuming) chose to express their feelings. Me? might be a mixture of both.

Topics? Issues?
Simply, there are a great number of blogs concerned with politics, sports, religious issues, entertainment, gossips, crap&junk etc. Mine, also, might be a blend of all these ingredients with a little pinch of self-made spices!

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.....here goes