Day 2: Main di Tepi Pantai

Sambungan.......

Menjelang waktu Subuh, kami berangkat ke sebuah masjid berdekatan. Kami mandi dan solat Subuh bersama-sama jemaah di situ. Selepas solat Subuh, kami mendengar Kuliah Subuh yang disampaikan oleh seorang ustaz. Rasanya ustaz tu orang Kedah sebab ayat-ayat beliau tidak terlepas dengan loghat2 Kedahnya. Kemudian, kami beri masa untuk berehat-rehat untuk mendapatkan tenaga bagi program seterusnya. Kebanyakan daripada kami mengambil peluang itu untuk tidur di bahagian luar masjid tersebut. Kami dikejutkan takkala matahari segalah di langit. Sebelum sarapan kami solat dhuha dahulu. Kami hanya makan kuih-muih dan air teh o sahaja.

Kemudian, tanpa melengah-lengahkan masa, kami bergerak ke destinasi seterusnya. Destinasi seterusnya ialah sebuah hotel kerajaan di sekitar PD lagi. Setibanya di sana, kami berkumpul di tepi pantai. Kami solat diatas pantai secara berjemaah. Ni la first time aku solat di atas pasir pantai. Inilah Islam, mudah tapi kita yang selalu menyusahkannya. Firman Allah S.W.T dalam Al-Quran.

يَاأَيُّهَاالَّذِينَآمَنُواْلاَ تَسْأَلُواْعَنْأَشْيَاءإِن تُبْدَلَكُمْ تَسُؤْكُمْوَإِنتَسْأَلُواْعَنْهَا حِينَيُنَزَّلُالْقُرْآنُتُبْدَلَكُمْ عَفَااللّهُعَنْهَاوَاللّهُغَفُورٌحَلِيمٌ .... 5:10

“Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! janganlah kamu bertanyakan (kepada
nabi) perkara-perkara yang jika diterangkan kepada kamu akan
menyusahkan kamu, dan jika kamu bertanya mengenainya ketika diturunkan
Al-Quran, tentulah akan diterangkan kepada kamu. Allah maafkan (kamu)
dari (kesalahan bertanyakan) perkara-perkara itu (yang tidak dinyatakan di
Dalam Al-Quran); kerana Allah Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Penyabar.”

Jelaslah, Islam adalah agama yang mudah. Mudah dalam erti kata dapat dilaksanakan di semua tempat, sesuai pada setiap masa dan bertepatan dengan fitrah kejadian manusia. Oleh kerana Islam adalah agama yang mudah, maka tidak sewajarnya diperberatkan dan dipersulitkan dengan sikap suka
mempersoalkan dan mempertikaikan suruhan dan larangan Allah S..W.T. Selain menghalang sesuatu perintah itu dilaksanakan dengan sempurna, ia juga boleh menimbulkan perbalahan dan keraguan pada perkara yang tidak sepatutnya berlaku. Allah S.W.T tidak membebankan hamba-Nya melaksanakan sesuatu amalan baik kecuali sekadar kemampuan mereka.

Kesempatan yang ada juga kami gunakan untuk beriadah. Kami bermain bola sepak, bola tampar dan main tuju2 bersama-sama. Subhanallah, bestnyer suasana riang begitu. Badan pun dan letih, kami mengambil kesempatan untuk mandi-manda di laut. Airnya sejuk jugak tapi nyaman rasanya.

Kemudian kami naik dan terus menjamah makanan tengah hari yang sudah siap dihadangkan dalam talam. Tengah hari itu kami makan nasi berlaukkan ikan keli goreng. Walaupun makan ramai2, tapi semua orang berasa kenyang. Tu la nikmatnya rezeki Tuhan apabila dikongsi bersama-sama.

Bila nak cerita pasal ISK ni? Tunggu ya. Bersambung...........

Day 1: ISK & Ribut...

Ini sambungan dari cerita ISK tadi...

Pada malam harinya, aku bersama beberapa orang rakan2ku pergi ke kedai untuk beli nasi. Ala, biasala hanya bakar ayam saja, nak makan kena la cari nasi pula. Bukan setakat nasi, air pun kena beli jugak, kalau tak minum air laut la jadinya. Selepas pulang ke tapak perkhemahan, semua orang sedang menunggu kepulangan kami. Ayam dah masak, nasi dan air pun dan sampai, apa lagi yang ditunggu-tunggu, serbu jela makanan-makanan tu. Semua orang makan dengan penuh berselera sekali.

Selesai makan, kami semula bersolat Isyak secara berjemaah. Dengan berhamparkan tikar mengkuang, kami solat di atas bentangan pantai yang indah. Subhanallah, cantik sungguh ciptaan Allah S.W.T. Selepas solat, kami berkumpul di tepi pantai. Sungguh romantis suasananya pada malam itu. Zubayr memulakan bicara. Kami buat la sedikait sesi 'sharing' pasal program itu. Semua orang nak tahu apa perspeksi masing-masing tentang pengalaman sepanjang program itu bermula. Tapi semua itu hanya seketika apabila hujan mula turun membasahi bumi Illahi. Apa lagi, bertempiaran la semua orang lari masuk ke dalam khemah. Aku mengambil peluang untuk menonton movie dengan laptop aku. Namun begitu, Zubayr melarangnya dengan alasan supaya kami boleh tidur awal untuk program besoknya. Aku hanya patuh tanpa berbuat apa-apa lalu dengan kecewanya menyimpan semula laptop aku. Semua orang mula memejamkan kelopak mata masing2 namun aku masih susah untuk melelapkan mata. Maklumlah, tadi dah tidur nyenyak dalam kereta.

2.00 pagi....

Maka bermulalah satu detik yang agak mencemaskan. Khemah kami dilanda tsunami, eh silap, bukan tsunami tapi angin kencang saja. Pada mulanya, angin hanya bertiup sepoi-sepoi bahasa diiringi dengan hujan renyai-renyai tapi dengan tiba-tiba angin kencang (ribut) menyusuri kami. Aku tidak dapat tidur dengan selesa kerana khemah terlalu 'pack' malah titisan air hujan asyik terjun ke atasku. Bila hujan mulai lebat, air mulai masuk di tepi2 khemah, apa lagi, aku terus bangun la. Aku dapat melihat situasi yang berlaku dengan jelas sekali memandangkan aku berada di hujung khemah. Rakan-rakanku mula bangun apabila menyedari khemah kami bergoyang-goyang dibedal angin kencang. Semua orang mula menahan khemah di bahagian tepi. Ada yang mula keluar dan berlari ke kereta dan van. Dan ada yang masih bertahan di dalam khemah. Kemudian, seorang demi seorang keluar dari khemah kerana khemah sudah terlalu nazak untuk bertahan. Aku pun turun keluar. Angin masih kencang dan khemah sudah tidak dapat diselamatkan lagi. Memandangkan keadaan sudah begitu, kami mengambil keputusan untuk menumbangkan khemah itu. Selepas ditumbangkan khemah, aku mengambil seketul batu untuk menindih khemah tersebut supaya ia tidak melayang dibawa angin kencang.

Semua orang berkejaran ke dalam kereta dan van. Kami semua sudah buntu di mana harus berteduh pada malam itu. Tu la, ujian Allah S.W.T, tanpa di sangka2 ianya berlaku. Kita tak dapat menduga apa yang Dia tetapkan untuk kita. Bertepatan dengan firman-Nya dalam Surah Yaasin.

(36:82) إِنَّمَآ أَمْرُهُ إِذَآ أَرَادَ شَيْئاً أَن يَقُولَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ

Maksudnya:Sesungguhnya keadaan kekuasaanNya apabila Dia menghendaki adanya sesuatu, hanyalah Dia berfirman kepada (hakikat) benda itu: Jadilah engkau!. Maka ia terus menjadi.

Mungkin Allah S.W.T turunkan semua ini untuk menguji hamba-hamba yang terleka dengan dunia dan Dia mahu melihat sejauh mana iman dalam diri hamba-hamba-Nya.

"Patutkah manusia menyangka bahawa mereka akan dibiarkan dengan hanya berkata: Kami beriman, sedang mereka tidak diuji (dengan sesuatu cubaan)?" (29:2)

Selesai bercerita sesi malam, belum masuk isi ISK lagi. Nak tahu? Ikuti la episod seterusnya....

Day 1: ISK? Apa itu?

Pertama kali diajak ke ISK, diri ini tertanya-tanya, apa itu ISK? Program apa tu? Ok ke tak ni? Nak join ke tak ni? Macam tak best jer? Beribu persoalan mula membelenggu fikiranku. Tapi hati berkata lain. "Pergi la ISK, boleh gi jalan-jalan kat Port Dickson, ada barbeque lagi, makan free lagi tu. Tapi adakah itu sume yang diimpi-impikan oleh aku? Aku bertanya pada diri sendiri.

Perjalanan bermula di Kolej Cendana. Sebelum bertolak kami berkumpul di surau cendana, ramai juga la yang nak ikut program ISK tu. Lebih kurang 20 orang rasanya. Sebenarnya aku diajak oleh rakan kelasku, Abdullah Zubayr. Katanya program ni best dan pasal makan, "DOn't worry" katanya. Tambah2 ada barbeque pulak kan. Apa lagi kata naluriku, "Join je la". Aku menaiki kereta bersama Zubayr, Mukhlis dan Syaraful. Masa dalam perjalanan, kami buat satu sesi yang dimanakan 'TTT' iaitu Taaruf Tahap Tinggi. Kami buat perkongsian pasai diri masing2. Secaranya umumnya, dapatla kenai dengan kengkawan dalam kereta tu.

Kami berhenti rehat di sebuah R&R di Seremban kalau tak silap. Selepas solat Asar dan makan,kami berkumpul bersama2. Abang Adam, seorang akhi yang baru aku kenal hari itu yang mengetuai jaulah kami itu. Bukan nak memuji dia tapi memang betul yang beliau memang seorang yang hebat. Pada mulanya ingatkan beliau seorang akhi sebaya saja tapi rupa-rupanya lecturer. Umur baru 25 tahun dah jadi lecturer. Muda gila. Kalau nak tahu beliau ini seorang pelajar yang hebat dulu. Graduater from Imperial College United Kingdom. Then sambung master kat King College, UK pula. Yang paling bestnyer, beliau hanya ambil master dalam masa setahun saja. Memang hebat orangnya. Semasa berkumpul, beliau menerangkan kepada kami tentang tentatif program di sana. Di samping itu, beliau juga cuba menerangkan dan mengingatkan kami semula tentang niat kami ke sana. Betulkan niat kami kerana Lillah bukan kerana suka-suka. Dari situ, aku dapat menduga inilah program yang aku harapkan. Aku amat mendamba untuk dibawa ke program begini kerana jika harapkan diriku untuk berubah, mungkin lambat untuk aku bertindak. Alhamdulillah..

Tiba di muka bumi PD, aku melihat rakan-rakan dari tempat lain sedang mendirikan khemah untuk penginapan pada malam harinya. Selepas turun dari kereta, kami bersalaman dengan mereka. Menurut mereka, mereka pelajar persedian dari Kolej Mara Banting. Bestnyer dapat kenal kawan-kawan baru. Kemudian, kami berpecah untuk menjalankan aktiviti masing-masing. Ada yang membantu mendirikan khemah dan ada pula yang membantu membakar ayam. Fuh, sungguh indah suasana pada masa itu!

Ikutilah sambungannya selepas ini.. To be continued..

Kesyahidan Anas Bin Nadhr

Anas bin Nadhr ialah salah seorang daripada sahabat-sahabat Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. yang tidak mengambil bahagian dalam peperangan Badar. Dia berasa kesal kerana tidak menyertai peperangan tersebut. Oleh hal yang demikian dia sentiasa menanti-nanti peluang untuk menyertai peperangan untuk menebuskan apa yang dianggapnya suatu kerugian bagi dirinya. Kesempatan yang dinanti-nantinya itupun tiba apabila berlaku perang Uhud pada tahun berikutnya. Anas pun dengan serta merta menyertai tentera Muslimin dengan semangat kejihadan yang berkobar-kobar kemedan pertempuran. Sungguhpun bala tentera yang dihadapi mereka berkali-kali ganda banyaknya namun sedang tentera Muslimin mengatasi pihak musuh, tiba-tiba berlaku suatu kesilapan.

Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. telah menghantar sepasukan pemanah-pemanah yang terdiri daripada 50 orang untuk menguasai tentera berkuda pihak musuh yang mungkin menyerang tentera Muslimin dari belakang. Mereka diperintahkan supaya menetap diatas sebuah bukit dibelakang tentera Muslimin selagi mereka tidak menerima arahan daripada Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. sendiri menyuruh mereka berundur dari situ. Tetapi mereka ini telah mengingkari arahan Baginda s.a.w. Apabila mereka melihat askar-askar musuh lari lintang pukang, diburu oleh Mujahid-Mujahid Islam, mereka menyangka yang kemenangan telah pun tercapai lantas meninggalkan tempat mereka sambil berkejar-kejaran untuk mendapatkan harta rampasan. Yang tinggal diatas bukit itu hanyalah ketua mereka dan beberapa orang yang masih taat. Apabila dilihat oleh pemimpin tentera musyrikin yang bukit itu telah ditinggalkan, dia pun mengerah pasukannya menyebu dan membunuh tentera panah Muslimin yang masih bertahan diatasnya dan melancarkan serangan balas terhadap tentera muslimin dari belakang ketika mereka sedang asyik mengumpulkan tentera rampasan.Dalam keadaan kelam kabut inilah Anas terpandang kepada Saad bin Maaz yang sedang melalui hadapannya. Dia memekik mengatakan:"Ya Saad! Kemana engkau? Demi Allah! Aku mencium bau Syurga yang datangnya dari Jabal Uhud".

Dengan berkata demikian dia pun menerkam musuh lalu menentang mereka habis-habisan sehingga dia gugur sebagai Syahid dimedan peperangan. Apabila badannya yang berlumuran darah itu diperiksa terdapat tidak kurang dari 80 liang luka semuanya.Tidak ada siapa yang dapat mengenalinya melainkan saudara perempuannya sahaja. Orang yang berjihad dijalan Allah s.w.t.. dengan penuh keikhlasan dan kejujuran akan mengecap nikmat syurga di dunia ini dan di akirat kelak. Demikianlah hal keadaannya dengan sahabat Anas bin Nadhr.

American Becomes A Muslim...

"Barang siapa yang diberi petunjuk oleh Allah, maka dialah yang mendapat petunjuk" (QS. Al-A'raf: 178)

Gambaran ayat di atas terlihat seorang jutaan yang asalnya dari Amerika. Mark Shaffer namanya. Dia mengisytiharkan keislamannya pada hari Sabtu, 17 Oktober 2009 yang lalu. Saat itu Mark sedang melancong ke Saudi Arabia untuk mengunjungi beberapa kota terkenal seperti Riyadh, Najran, dan Jeddah selama 10 hari.

Mark adalah seorang jutaan terkenal dan pengacara berpengalaman di Los Angeles Amerika Serikat, khususnya terkait hukum sivil. Kes besar terakhir yang ditanganinya ialah berkait dengan penyanyi pop terkenal Amerika Michel Jackson seminggu sebelum beliau meninggal dunia.

Menurut pengakuannya, yang mengilhaminya masuk Islam adalah dorongan pribadinya yang kuat untuk mengenal Islam. Dan setelah membaca maklumat-maklumat yang benar tentang Islam, dia yakin bahawa Islam adalah agama yang benar.

Sebenarnya, Mark sudah memiliki sedikit pengetahuan tentang Islam. Dan ketika berada di Arab Saudi dan menyaksikan sendiri kehidupan kaum Muslimin, khususnya ketika mereka bersolat berjamaah, dorongan untuk lebih mendalami Islam menjadi semakin kuat.

Seorang pegawai pelancong yang menemani Mark selama 10 hari di Arab Saudi, Dhawi Ben Nashir menjadi saksi perjalanan keislaman Mark Shaffer. Ben Nasher menceritakan bahawa Mark mulai bertanya-tanya padanya tentang Islam sejak pertama kali menginjakkan kakinya di sana.

Sesampainya di A.Saudi, Mark menginap di kota Riyadh selama dua hari. Selama itu, Mark sangat concern pada Islam.

Selepas ke Riyadh, Mark pindah ke Najran, terus ke Abha dan Al-Ula. Di sanalah ketertarikannya pada Islam sangat terlihat. Ketika itu, dia sedang menuju ke padang pasir.

Di sana, dia melihat tiga pemuda A.Saudi yang mendampinginya sedang solat di atas permukaan padang pasir yang amat luas. Sungguh sebuah pemandangan yang sangat menakjubkan baginya.

Ben Nasher melanjutkan ceritanya, "Setelah dua hari di Al-Ula, kami pergi ke Al-Juf. Sesampai di Al-Juf, Mark minta dicarikan buku-buku tentang Islam. Lalu saya berikan beberapa buku tentang Islam. Semua buku tersebut dibaca habis oleh Mark. Esok paginya, dia minta saya mengajarkannya solat. Saya pun mengajarkannya solat dan bagaimana cara berwudhu'. Lalu dia ikut bersolat di samping saya."

Setelah mengikut bersolat bersamanya, Mark merasakan jiwanya sangat tenteram. Sebuah kenikmatan yang tidak terkira dibayangkannya.

Petang Khamisnya, Mark dan pegawai pelancongannya meninggalkan Al-Ula menuju kota Jeddah. Selama di perjalanan dia dilihat serius sekali membaca buku-buku tentang Islam. Dan pada Jum'at paginya, mereka mengunjungi kota tua Jeddah.

Sebelum waktu solat Jumaat tiba, mereka kembali ke hotel. Ben Nasher minta izin untuk solat Jumaat. Saat itu Mark ingin ikut bersamanya untuk solat Jumaat agar dapat menyaksikannya bagaimana solat Jumaat itu. "Welcome…," jawab Ben Naher dengan semangat.

"Kamipun pergi ke sebuah masjid yang tidak jauh dari hotel tempat kami menginap di Jeddah. Karana agak terlambat, saya dan sebahagian jamaah solat di luar masjid karana jamaahnya yang penuh. Terlihat Mark mengamati jamaah apalagi setelah selesai solat Jumaat, mereka saling bersalam-salaman dengan wajah yang cerah dan gembira. Mark semakin kagum dengan pemandangan tersebut," tutur Ben Nasher.

Setelah pulang ke hotel, tiba-tiba Mark menyampaikan kepada Ben Nasher tentang keinginannya untuk masuk Islam. Ben Nasher pun menyambutnya dengan gembira, "Silakan Anda mandi terlebih dulu," sarannya.

Setelah mandi, Ben Nasher membimbing Mark mengucapkan dua kalimat syahadah lalu solat sunat dua rakaat. Setelah itu, Mark mengungkapkan keinginannya untuk mengunjungi Masjid Haram di Makkah dan solat di sana sebelum dia meninggalkan Saudi Arabia.

Supaya dapat memasuki kota Makkah dan Masjidil Haram, Mark ditemani Ben Nasher pergi ke pejabat Dakwah dan Irsyad di kawasan Al-Hamro’ Jeddah untuk mengambil bukti rasmi keislamannya. Lalu Mark diberi sijil kemasukan dalam Islam. Kerana beberapa anggota pembantu yang mengikuti kunjungan Mark ke Saudi Arabia sudah harus kembali ke Amerika petang Sabtunya, alhamdullah, Ustaz Muhammad Turkistani bersedia mengantarkan Mark ke tanah haram Mekkah pagi itu juga.

Berkaitan kunjungan Mark ke Masjidil Haram, Ustaz Muhammad Turkistani menceritakan, "setelah Mark medapatkan sijil Islam sementara kami pun langsung berangkat menuju Masjidil Haram yang mulia. Ketika dia menyaksikan Masjidil Haram, kelihatan sekali wajahnya sangat cerah dan memancarkan kegembiraan yang luar biasa. Ketika dia masuk ke dalam Masjidil Haram dan menyaksikan sendiri Ka’bah, kegembiraannya semakin bertambah. Demi Allah saya tidak bisa mengungkapkannya dengan lisan akan pemandangan tersebut. Setelah dia tawaf mengelilingi Ka’bah yang mulia, kami solat sunat dan kemudian keluar dari Masjid Haram. Saya lihat Mark sangat berat untuk berpisah dengan Masjid Haram."

Setelah Mark mengumumkan keislamannya, dia sempat mengungkapkan kebahagiaanya pada al-Quran Al-Riyadh sambil berkata, "Saya tidak sanggup mengungkapkan perasaan saya saat ini. Sekarang saya baru dilahirkan kembali dan kehidupan saya baru bermula…" Mark menambahkan, "saya sangat bahagia. Kebahagiaan yang saya rasakan tidak sanggup saya ungkapkan pada anda saat saya berkunjung ke Masjidil Haram dan Ka’bah yang mulia."

Setelah menjadi muslim, Mark bertekat akan lebih serius mendalami Islam dan akan kembali lagi ke Saudi Arabia untuk menunaikan ibadah Haji.

Pagi Ahad 18 Okteber 2009, Mark meninggalkan Bandara King Abdul Aziz Jeddah menuju Amerika. Sebelum meninggalkan Jeddah, saat mengisi borang imigrasi, Mark mencatatkan agamanya adalah ISLAM.

Selamat jalan saudaraku . . . semoga Allah sentiasa menjagamu dan memilihmu untuk menjadi duta Islam di Amerika. Semoga Allah menganugerahkan hidayah kepada rakyat Amerika melalui tanganmu. Membuka mata hati pemimpin negerimu melalui sebab dirimu. . . .

Subhanallah....

Halloween~Harmless or Haram?

Do Muslims celebrate Halloween? How is Halloween perceived in Islam? To make an informed decision, we need to understand the history and traditions of this festival.

Religious Festivals

Muslims have two celebrations each year, 'Eid al-Fitr and 'Eid al-Adha. The celebrations are based in the Islamic faith and religious way of life. There are some who argue that Halloween, at least, is a cultural holiday, with no religious significance. To understand the issues, we need to look at the origins and history of Halloween.

Pagan Origins of Halloween

Halloween originated as the Eve of Samhain, a celebration marking the beginning of winter and the first day of the New Year among ancient pagans of the British Isles. On this occasion, it was believed that supernatural forces gathered together, that the barriers between the supernatural and human worlds were broken. They believed that spirits from other worlds (such as the souls of the dead) were able to visit earth during this time and roam about. At this time, they celebrated a joint festival for the sun god and the lord of the dead. The sun was thanked for the harvest and given moral support for the upcoming "battle" with winter. In ancient times, the pagans made sacrifices of animals and crops in order to please the gods.

They also believed that on October 31st, the lord of the dead gathered all the souls of the people who had died that year. The souls upon death would dwell in the body of an animal, then on this day the lord would announce what form they were to take for the next year.

Christian Influence

When Christianity came to the British Isles, the church tried to take attention away from these pagan rituals by placing a Christian holiday on the same day. The Christian festival, the Feast of All Saints, acknowledges the saints of the Christian faith in much the same way that Samhain had paid tribute to the pagan gods. The customs of Samhain survived anyway, and eventually became intertwined with the Christian holiday. These traditions were brought to the United States by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland.
Halloween Customs and Traditions

"Trick or Treating": It is widely believed that during the Feast of All Saints, peasants went from house to house asking for money to buy food for the upcoming feast. Additionally, people dressed in costumes would often play tricks on their neighbors. Blame for the resulting chaos was placed on the "spirits and goblins."

Images of bats, black cats, etc.: These animals were believed to communicate with the spirits of the dead. Black cats especially were believed to house the souls of witches.

Games such as bobbing for apples: The ancient pagans used divination techniques to foresee the future. There were various methods of doing this, and many have continued through traditional games, often played at children's parties.

Jack-O'-Lantern: The Irish brought the Jack-O'-Lantern to America. The tradition is based on a legend about a stingy, drunken man named Jack. Jack played a trick on the devil, then made the devil promise not to take his soul. The devil, upset, promised to leave Jack alone. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven because he was a stingy, mean drunk. Desperate for a resting place, he went to the devil but the devil also turned him away. Stuck on earth on a dark night, Jack was lost. The devil tossed him a lighted coal from the fire of Hell, which Jack placed inside a turnip as a lamp to light his way. Since that day, he has traveled the world over with his Jack-O'-Lantern in search of a resting place. Irish children carved out turnips and potatoes to light the night on Halloween. When the Irish came to America in great numbers in the 1840's, they found that a pumpkin made an even better lantern, and this "American tradition" came to be.

Islamic Teachings

Virtually all Halloween traditions are based either in ancient pagan culture, or in Christianity. From an Islamic point of view, they all are forms of idolatry (shirk). As Muslims, our celebrations should be ones that honor and uphold our faith and beliefs. How can we worship only Allah, the Creator, if we participate in activities that are based in pagan rituals, divination, and the spirit world? Many people participate in these celebrations without even understanding the history and the pagan connections, just because their friends are doing it, their parents did it ("it's a tradition!"), and because "it's fun!"

So what can we do, when our children see others dressed up, eating candy, and going to parties? While it may be tempting to join in, we must be careful to preserve our own traditions and not allow our children to be corrupted by this seemingly "innocent" fun. When tempted, remember the pagan origins of these traditions, and ask Allah to give you strength. Save the celebration, the fun and games, for our 'Eid festivals. Children can still have their fun, and most importantly, should learn that we only acknowledge holidays that have a religious significance to us as Muslims. Holidays are not just excuses to binge and be reckless. In Islam, our holidays retain their religious importance, while allowing proper time for rejoicing, fun and games.

Guidance From the Quran

"When it is said unto them, 'Come to what Allah has revealed, come to the Messenger,' they say, 'Enough for us are the ways we found our fathers following.' What! Even though their fathers were void of knowledge and guidance?" (Qur'an 5:104)

"Has not the time arrived for the believers, that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the Truth which has been revealed to them? That they should not become like those to whom was given the Book aforetime, but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard? For many among them are rebellious transgressors." (Qur'an 57:16)

A Time To Thank to God...

Sometimes we take things for granted and behave as if we created ourselves and acquired everything we have from our own efforts.

It is He who brought you forth from the wombs of your mother when you knew nothing, and He gave you hearing and sight and intelligence and affections, that you may give thanks to God. (Qur'an 16:78)

We thank You God for everything we have, for everything good that happens to us.

"Everything good that happens to you (O Mankind) is from God; everything bad that happens to you is from your own actions.: (4:79)

We thank You for creating us as humans, the best of creation, with intelligence and five portals to decide what is right and wrong.

"Have We not given him (mankind) two eyes, a tongue and a pair of lips, and shown Him the two highways of good and evil." (90:8-10)

Our Lord ! You sustained us through nine months of helpless intrauterine life, continued to provide us with food and other materials to sustain us throughout our life.

"O you who believe! Partake of good things which we have provided for you as sustenance, and render thanks to God, if it is truly Him that you worship." (2:172)

We thank You God not only for creating and sustaining us, but also for guiding us, for accepting our prayers and for forgiving us when we wrong ourselves. Thus it is impossible for us to deny You favors upon us.

"For how long, you will deny the favors of your Lord." (Qur'an: Surah Ar-Rahman)

We thank You God for our own gains. Whoever is thankful (to God) is in fact thankful for his own self.

"But if anyone is ungrateful, verily Allah is free of all wants, Worthy of all praise." (31:12)

We thank You God for giving us, to live and prosper a spacious land of freedom and opportunity, where 'the weak and oppressed could migrate to. (See Qur'an 4:97)

We should thank You God by remembering You , not on just one day a year but in our daily life.

"Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and reject not Faith." (Qur'an 2:152)

My Best Friend...

FRIENDSHIP REMAINS AND NEVER CAN END (F.R.A.N.C.E).

When the school year was going to start, it was the most joyful moments that I had ever had. Other people said I was a weird person because for them, they liked to go home rather than staying back at the hostel. I said so because when I got into the school, I could meet my friends and did everything with them. Being in the boarding school, I found it was very hard to make friends with people in my hometown. Although there were lots people that I called friend but none of them could be considered as a close friend. Nevertheless, it finally ended when I met a friend named Zikri. He was a new-intake student in form 4 from daily school. He came from very respectable background but he behaved as though there was nothing special about him. He was my age and even sat next to me. We made up our mind to join the same club as well.

Since we knew each other better, our intimacy increased as we always did almost every single thing together. One day, the advisor of my club asked us to join the club activity which was an expedition to Gua Niah. Without further thinking, I decided to leave the chance due to my financial problem but he persuaded me to join with him. He told that he wanted to help me to find the money together. So, we started to keep money by selling hot dog in hostel. We did it a few months and we got more than what we expected. As a result, we managed to join the expedition together without any barrier. As time passed, we had our own lives and pursued our studies at different institutions. It did not mean that we have no friendship ties anymore, but we often managed to see each other on holidays. We shared everything together as if there are no secrets between us. I could feel that he was the best friend that I have ever had and hopefully our friendships would last forever.

"Sleep Now, Remember Later"

Sleep Improves Memory

There are several different types of memory, and scientists have designed ways to test each type. Whether the test involves figuring out how to do something, remembering facts, or recalling life events, performance improves when you learn the task and then “sleep on it”. “It’s as if our brains squeeze in some extra practice time while we’re asleep....This isn’t to say that we can’t form memories when we’re awake. If someone tells you his name, you don’t need to fall asleep to remember it. However,sleep makes it more likely that you do.”

A Tired Brain Has Difficulty

Sleep-deprivation experiments have shown that a tired brain has a difficult time capturing memories of all sorts. In fact, when tired, we forget information associated with positive emotion more easily than information tied to negative emotion. This could explain, at least in part, why sleep deprivation can trigger depression in some people. Memories tainted with negative emotions seem to the most sticky, in the sleep-deprived brain.

Hippocampus talks to Neocortex

Sleep also seems to be the time when the brain’s two memory systems—the hippocampus and the neocortex— “talk” with one another. Experiences that become memories are laid down first in the hippocampus. To retain a memory, the brain has to ship it from the hippocampus to the neocortex—that wrinkled outer layer of the brain that processes higher thinking. Unlike the hippocampus, the neocortex is a master at weaving the new with the old. Sleep helps the hippocampus do its job by closing down external information for a while, so that the “undistracted” hippocampus can shuttle memories to the neocortex, and the neocortex can connect this memory to other related memories.

How sleep helps us consolidate memories is still a mystery. However, recent research suggests that in sleep, electrical waves of brain activity actually change the physical nature of the space (called a synapse) that connects one brain cell with another. This change greases the flow of information, so that brain cells deepen connections in a process that we know as learning.

Sleep Improves Understanding too!

It’s not just memory that is improved by sleep. Recent studies indicate that sleep also helps us develop new understanding. Scientific history is full of tales of scientists with nocturnal “aha!” experiences. The chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev, awakened from a dream with his periodic table of elements, the fundamental core to chemistry. In a recent study in Germany, subjects were given a game to play that required mathematical calculations. There was a hidden rule. If players happened to discover the hidden rule, they would identify final answers quicker. Speed was a part of winning the game. Some of the players played the game, did other things for eight hours and played the game again. Another set of players played the game in the early evening, slept, then played the game again after awakening. The players who slept were almost three times more likely to have the insight that allowed them to spot the hidden rule, than those who did not sleep. Yet, none of the players were told there was a hidden rule to even spot! Sleeping allowed these players to make a discovery and connect the dots. We spend about a third of our lives asleep, and we realize how little we understand about that third of our lives. So we continue experimenting, hoping to understand sleep better. And perhaps someday we will. After we’ve slept on it.

Why is this information so important? Some sleep researchers believe that for every two hours we spend awake, the brain needs an hour of sleep to figure out what all these awake experiences mean. Sleep plays a crucial role in constructing the meaning of our lives. And, breakdowns in sleep processing may contribute to the development of depression.

No Real Loss In Our Life..

“We are the champion – my friend,
And we’ll keep on fighting – till the end,
We are the champions,
We are the champions,
No time for losers,
Cause we are the champions – of the world.”

When you listen to this song, what first comes to your mind? Do you feel like a champion holding trophy on a stage? Is it everything for you? Is it really necessary to win? From the article “Winning Isn’t Everything” written by Pete Hamill, an American coach, Vince Lombardi once said “Winning isn’t everything, but the will to win is everything”. When you read the quote, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Do you think that the quote is eloquent or merely useless to people? Perhaps some people in the world might agree with the former and some might agree with the latter. For me, the quote is really meaningful as it is a motivation for me to improve myself and to be a better person. From the article, I agree that winning is not everything because the process to reach victory is the thing that helps me to develop my characters, winning is nothing without struggle and winning sometimes inhibits other winnings.

First of all, from the article, I found that the process is the thing that helps me to develop my characters. Pete Hamill told us about competition. He said that “Competition isn’t really a problem for Americans. All sports, in one way or another, are competitive. But an individual’s primary competition is with himself and all his attendant weaknesses” and “The problem isn’t competition, which is a part of life; it is in the notion of the necessity of triumph. A man can lose but still win. And the point of competition in sports is an old and not very fashionable one: It builds character”. It is very true what the writer had said in the article because I think that people can win at certain times and sometimes they can lose. Nevertheless, for me, the most important thing is how people confront the obstacles. Triumph or defeat is common among people because it’s merely the rule in any form of competition. The real competition is the competition within ourselves to overcome our weaknesses. For instance, during my high school years, I failed in my studies due to my active participation in sports. Even though I got bad results in my examination, I tried hard and was determined to overcome the problem. I reduced my involvement in sports, gave serious attention and focus on my studies. It indirectly built a better character in me where I tried to figure out my weaknesses and overcame them. On the other hand, from my failure, I realized that it is just a part of life. The failure motivated me to rebuild my character. In that situation, I managed to summon my strength to overcome my shyness so that I was brave enough to discuss my problems with my colleagues. Then, I started asking them if they were free, asking them to assist me in my studies. If this did not happen I would be very reluctant to consult and discuss my problems in studies with my friends. Even sometimes, my friends came to see me to ask some questions. By teaching them, I indirectly understood what I had learned, making my knowledge and understanding on that particular topic better. Simply said, the failure really helped me to develop my character as well as made me become a better person in my life as a student. In short, the real competition is the competition within ourselves and failure is not the biggest problem in our lives.

Another significance of the quote, “Winning isn’t everything” is winning is nothing without struggle. From the article, the writer tells that “The true athlete teaches us that winning isn’t everything, but struggle is – the struggle to simply get up in the morning or to see hope through the minefields of despair. Viewed that way, a marriage, or any relationship with another human being, is an ongoing struggle”. We know that from the article, the life is a series of struggles, not one gigantic effort. To struggle is the essence of everything because to win a game, to succeed in a job, to improve our lives, we need to struggle and put in a vast amount effort. Likewise our relationships with other human beings such as in marriage and friendships all require efforts and struggle. For me, struggling is a continuing process because in this real realm, there are too many challenges to face; so struggle is the only method to overcome this problem. For instance, ever since I was a small child, I had to cry to ask for food and up until now, I certainly ought to struggle to get my meal; I cannot just hope or cry for the food to come and then suddenly out of nowhere my food will just fell from the sky? Other than that, I also need to struggle in order to achieve the best grades in my studies and even to get a better position in my career in future. Clearly, we can see that struggling is a continuous process that people will go through.

Apart from that, one victory sometimes inhibits other victories. From Pete’s article, I discovered that the writer said “Winning isn’t ‘the only thing.’ Such an idea muddles the idea of competition, not simply in sports, but in all aspects of our lives. We’ve learned the hard way in this century that the world is a complex place; it’s certainly not the National Football League. Winning isn’t the only thing in love, art, marriage, commerce, or politics; it’s not even the only thing in sport.” I agree with the quote in Hamill’s piece by Vince Lombardi because it relates to my own experience. When I was in primary school, I had always won the athletic events I participated in. In standard six, I had won three gold medals out of four events with new records and I was also declared the best athlete in my district. This continued until up my boarding school years. The successes have cost me my studies. I had thought that I could always be the winner either in sports or studies, but I was wrong. It was my fault for not giving serious attention in my academic achievements. I had often spent my time doing sport practices rather than using the time to study. I was very disappointed with my bad time management. In short, it is true what the writer said in the article that winning isn’t the only thing.

In conclusion, it is true that the quote by Vince Lombardi in Pete Hamill’s article, “Winning isn’t everything, but the will to win is the only thing”. Although the article seems to demean people, but at the same time it assists people to realize the reality of life in the world. In my view, I really agree with the contents of the article. Moreover, it is related to my own life. As a determined civilian, we should aim high to be the authentic winner. Lastly, I hope the article will motivate other readers as it is a real problem related to their lives as they had done to mine.

Barriers in My Life..

When I was in primary school, I was a student who was very active in sports. Ever since I was six years old, I have always been a top scorer in class. It was the sweetest moment in my life when I had been chosen as the best student in my school in the final primary year. At one time I was so preoccupied with the sports and ignored my studies. Even though I was very busy with my sport but I always scored in Mathematics and Science subject which were my favorite subjects but I failed to score well in English subject. The basics of education that I should have mastered in primary school were almost abandoned. Fortunately, upon realizing that the primary school evaluation test was approaching, I was back with the books. The deep understanding in Mathematics and Science subject somewhat helped me to give the chance upon me to focus more in English subject. I had to learn and revise all the previous lessons at the eleventh hour especially English. Eventually I succeeded in the test to get A in all subjects.

Following my straight A test results and my athletic record, I was offered to carry on my studies to Bandar Penawar Sport School which one of the best sports school in the country. I was very proud to be selected to go there because I was one of two students in my state who was elected to enroll there. However, I choose to continue my studies in full boarding school instead. My aim was to study hard but it was such a challenge especially when some subjects were taught in the English language. I was not able to master the basics of the language that was taught in primary school. Perhaps, it was because of my last minute studying. Other than that, I was also joined a more extreme sport which was rugby. My aim to study hard was not realized and I failed again. This continued until I reached the Fifth Form.

However, my involvement in Rugby ended when I was injured while playing futsal with my friends. According to doctors, the ligament at my knee was torn and I needed a long rest. I however, did not heed the doctor’s and my coach’s advice to rest. I continued playing as I thought I should maintain my fitness. This resulted to me not attending the classes for about two months because of that injury and even I forgot most of the lectures in class before. My English became worse and sometimes I felt that I never learnt anything about English. Nevertheless, I used the opportunity to learn and revise all the studies that I have missed. I had to study all the time in order to make up for the classes I had missed as an important major exam named Malaysian Certificate of Education was approaching. My poor time management had a negative impact on me. Sports were supposed to bring a good and positive impact on me, like the saying “A healthy body leads to a healthy mind”. In addition, I could not play many games since the tragedy until today.

For your information, I still face a difficulty in learning as the present medium of study at the tertiary level education is English.

My American Cultural Studies (ACS) Subject Task

Electro Hop – Famous Band

One of the famous band related to this music genre is the Black Eyed Peas.

a)BLACK EYED PEAS - BACKGROUND AND EVOLUTION

The Black Eyed Peas date back to 1988, when eighth-graders William Adams (will.i.am) and Allan Pineda (apl.de.ap) met and began rapping and performing together around Los Angeles. Further performances made by both them lead Taboo or his real name Jaime Luis Gómez to join the group. In 1998 they released their first album entitled “Behind the Front” which made them visible throughout the states. After their first success, once again they released their new album named “Bridging the Gap” in the next two years. In 2003, their group became more influential for the joining of Fergie which acts as a flower to the group. In the same year, they released their third album “Elephunk”. Fergie made their album more successful as they emphasize on different type of music in that particular album. As a result, they are well-known throughout the world. At this time, their first single in that album, “Where is the love?” ranked #8 in the U.S Hot 100. Their popularity only took them less than one year to produce their fourth album. “Monkey Business” was officially released to the public in the year 2005. Their effort did not stop there, where in 2009 and 2010 they released two albums in each year. They released “The E.N.D” (Energy Never Dies) in 2009 and “The Beginning” in 2010. Up until today, Black Eyed Peas plays a major role in developing hop-related music and influences much in the music industry.

b) BLACK EYED PEAS – MEMBERS BIBLIOGRAPHY

William James Adams Jr., was born on March 15, 1975 in East Los Angeles, California, better known by his stage name will.i.am(will-i-am) and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer. Will.i.am came to prominence in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop group, The Black Eyed Peas along with rappers apl.de.ap and Taboo and, later, singer Fergie. As a music producer, he has produced with other artists including Michael Jackson, Britney Spears ,Rihanna, and Usher.

Allan Pineda Lindo, Jr. was born on November 28, 1974 in Sapang Bato, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines, to a Filipino mother and an African American father and is better known by his stage name apl.de.ap. He is a rapper and record producer and is best known as a member of the The Black Eyed Peas. He studied in Holy Angel University. Apl.de.ap started performing with The Black Eyed Peas at Outside Lands in 2009. Apl.de.ap is working on a solo album.

Jaime Luis Gómez was born on July 14, 1975, in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California, the son of Aurora Sifuentes and Jimmy Gomez. His parents were Mexican American, and he also has Shoshone American Indian ancestry on his mother's side. He is better known by his stage name Taboo is a rapper and actor best known as a member of the hip hop group, The Black Eyed Peas. In music career, he joined The Black Eyed Peas in 1995. His group mates; apl.de.ap, will.i.am, and Robert Byrne were originally in a group called Atban Klann, but changed the name after changing record labels. Taboo is known for his capoeira-inspired dance moves (he is a practitioner of Jeet Kune Do concepts) and an eclectic style of dress. Taboo is in the process of creating a solo album, T.A.B.O.O.

Stacy Ann Ferguson was born on March 27, 1975 in Hacienda Heights, California, better known by her stage name Fergie, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, fashion designer and actress. She is from Irish, Scottish, Mexican (from a great-grandmother), and Native American descent. She is the female vocalist for the hip hop group, The Black Eyed Peas with whom she has attained charting success worldwide. Fergie joined The Black Eyed Peas and with The Black Eyed Peas, she enjoyed a series of hits and albums before releasing her debut album, The Dutchess, in September 2006 to similar success. As Fergie's five solo singles and six singles with the Black Eyed Peas have reached two million downloads in the United States, Fergie is the artist with most two-million sellers as of January 2011.

c) BLACK EYED PEAS – DISCOGRAPHY

This is some of the list of their album:
 Behind the Front (1998)
 Bridging the Gap (2000)
 Elephunk (2003)
 Monkey Business (2005)
 The E.N.D. (2009)
 The Beginning (2010)

d) BLACK EYED PEAS – ACHIEVEMENTS

The Black Eyed Peas have won totally 80 awards and they have had 116 nominations. They have won 6 Grammy Awards-(16 nominations), and too many others. They have been nominated in awards like : Billboard Music Awards, Brit Awards, People's Choice Awards, MTV Video Music Awards Japan, International Dance Music Awards, Billboard Awards, ARIA Awards.

Electro Hop Music Genre

I. Electro Hop – Brief Overview

Electro hop (sometimes called electronic hip hop, electronic rap or robot hip hop) is the fusion of electro, electroclash, electropop, electronica, ortechno with hip hop. The music usually has dancing in mind, however some forms of the music are electronica. The electro hop movement came about after the underground electro movement on the East Coast gained popularity with artists such as Mantronix, Man Parrish, Jonzun Crew, Newcleus, Planet Patroletc. The electro sound was pioneered by Kraftwerk and was further developed by Universal Zulu Nation leader and hip hop godfather Afrika Bambaataa. This style of hip hop began with an underground fanbase based primarily in Southern California; however, today electro hop artists can be found across the United States.

II. Electro Hop - History and Development

The Electro hop movement began and remained prominent during the 1980s. Then, it slowly faded from mainstream throughout the 1990s. As of the late 2000s it has made a comeback and remains very popular with many artists like Kanye West, Three Six Mafia and the Black Eyed Peas. Its most modern form is a mix of hip hop and electro house. Some tracks may be confused with electropop, grime and hip house due to interchangeable and similar styles. Alonzo Williams was one of the early DJs on the West Coast and many consider him the godfather of West Coast hip hop. He helped usher in the electro hop scene. His Eve After Dark nightclub was important to the future of west coast hip hop and was pivotal in creating the careers of Dr. Dre and DJ Yella along with a lot of other west coast hip hop talent getting noticed. By the late 1980s the electro hop movement went into decline as a controversial new hip hop genre was developing on the West Coast: gangsta rap. This was pioneered by Ice-T and popularized by controversial and influential group N.W.A. The Unknown DJ like Dr Dre and Yella would embrace the gangsta rap genre producing for gangsta rap artists such as Compton's Most Wanted, The D.O.C, J.J. Fad, Above The Law and would reinvent hip hop and change the landscape of hip hop forever. Even though the electro hop sound went into decline, the sound became influential in the development of G-Funk and various other hip hop genres. It is also influential to many hip hop producers including The Neptunes. Artists such as Egyptian Lover still perform music today and continue their cult legacy.

Originally, hip hop evolved as a more advanced version of disco music (just as disco was a more 'technologically' advanced version of jazz and funk), incorporating spoken rhymes as the main vocals (otherwise known as MCing). After the collapse of disco and post-disco, hip hop slowly progressed as more of a vocal form of music, very popular amongst R&B and jazz listeners. This led on to hip hop music adopting R&B vocals and vice versa, within the same track of music, hence a new style of (relatively 'underground') music formed called 'Contemporary R&B'. As soon as the new style of R&B incorporated the more beat-based, almost 'robotic' vocal style of 'rap', R&B listeners saw this as more of a clubby, seemingly futuristic edge to the older style.

Electro hop music typically features harsher synthesizer sounds than other styles of hip hop, often utilizing heavily distorted lead and bass sounds, as well as "bleep"-ing square leads and abrasive digital brass effects. Drum sequencing is typically more minimal than other genres, and frequently has characteristic segments where the kick drum stops or is shortened and a march-style snare pattern prevails for 2 or more bars before returning to a typical kick drum-dominated hip hop beat. This kind of music actually has various effects to us human which influents our emotion so much. Sometimes it soothes us, and sometimes it is kind of stimulating as well as entertaining. In conclusion, electro hop music genre is one of the most valuable music genre ever created.

Apa yang Perlu Kalau Nak Belajar?

1. Niat yang betul

Niat merupakan dari segi bahasa bermaksud kehendak hati atau tujuan hati. Manakala dari sujud istilahnya pula, niat bermaksud gerak hati melaksanakan sesuatu pekerjaan dengan tujuan mencari keredhaan Allah S.W.T. Sebelum kita melakukan apa – apa perkara kita hendaklah mempunyai niat yang baik. Seperti sabda Rasullullah S.A.W:

“Sesungguhnya setiap amalan itu bergantung kepada niatnya.”
(Hadis Riwayah Al Bukhari wa Muslim)

Orang yang tidak mempunyai niat yang betul semasa belajar tidak akan belajar dengan baik. Mereka tidak akan mempunyai komitmen terhadap apa yang sedang dipelajarinya. Ramai orang belajar tetapi tidak faham atau memahami apa yang mereka belajar dan kenapa mereka belajar. Setiap perkara yang kita lakukan perlulah berdasarkan niat kita. Jika kita berniat untuk kebaikan, maka Allah akan berikan kebaikan kepada kita melalui pelajaran kita namun jika kita belajar tanpa niat kerana Allah S.W.T sudah pasti kita tidak akan beroleh apa – apa.

2. Mempunyai ketekunan dan ketabahan

Setiap sesuatu yang dilakukan memerlukan ketekunan dan ketabahan. Musuh utama dalam usaha kita mencapai kejayaan dalam pelajaran adalah kebosanan dan kemalasan. Begitu juga dengan komitmen dan minat yang mendalam apabila melakukan sesuatu, insha Allah akan membawa kepada kejayaan.

3. Bentuk sifat ingin mencuba

Keinginan untuk meroka sesuatu yang baru dalam bidang keilmuan akan membentuk sifat kretif dan inovatif dalam diri di samping menambahkan ilmu pengatahuan. Kita selalu beranggapan bahawa apa yang kita tahu adalah benar, sebab kita menerima sesuatu yang baru atau sesuatu yang kita tidak tahu daripada orang lain. Oleh sebab itu kita sentiasa pertahankan apa yang kita tahu padahal jika kita sendiri yang mengkajinya, hasilnya pasti berbeza dengan apa yang kita tahu selama ini. Ilmu Allah S.W.T itu terlalu luas dan kita perlu mengkajinya kerana jika tersilap mengkaji maka hasilnya akan memudharatkan diri kita sendiri malah orang lain juga.

4. Sabar

Dalam menjalani kehidupan sebagai seorang pelajar, kesabaran merupakan aspek yang amat penting terhadap pengurusan diri kita. Orang yang berakhlak akan sentiasa sabar dalam menjalani kehidupan di alam pembelajaran. Misalnya, kita gagal dalam peperiksaan atau mendapat markah yang rendah dalam peperiksaan, orang yang berakhlak akan redha dan sabar dengan ketentuan yang telah ditetapkan oleh Allah S.W.T malah akan lebih berusaha untuk meningkatkan prestasinya pada masa hadapan. Sabar merupakan perintah Allah S.W.T dalam kitab suci Al-Quran.

Firmannya dalam surah Al-Baqarah ayat ke-153:

“Hai orang-orang yang beriman, mintalah pertolongan kepada Allah dengan sabar dan shalat, sesungguhnya Allah beserta orang-orang yang sabar.” (2:153)

Akhlak? Penting Ker?

Akhlak yang mulia merupakan sesuatu yang amat disukai dan dipuji oleh Allah S.W.T, Rasullullah S.A.W dan seluruh manusia di alam ini sama ada yang beragama Islam mahupun yang bukan Islam. Dapat kita simpulkan disini bahawa akhlak bersifat sejagat. Melalui akhlak yang mulia, kita dapat menjalinkan hubungan kasih sayang dalam kalangan manusia sama ada manusia yang beragama Islam mahupun yang bukan beragama Islam.

Selain itu, melalui akhlak yang mulia juga, manusia tidak akan bersifat riyak dan sombong walaupun mereka hebat dan istimewa. Sebagai contoh, kita lihat sendiri akhlak Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. Firman Allah S.W.T dalam Al-Quran Surah Al-Ahzab: 21.


(33:21) لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا


Maksudnya: Sesungguhnya telah ada pada diri Rasulullah itu suri teladan yang baik bagimu (yaitu) bagi orang yang mengaharapkan (rahmat) Allah dan (kedatangan) hari kiamat dan dia banyak menyebut Allah.

Beliau (Nabi Muhammad S.A.W) merupakan seorang rasul utusan Allah S.W.T yang paling mulia di dunia ini. Walaupunn memiliki jawatan yang tinggi sebagai pemimpin utama umat Islam, namun, dengan akhlak yang sangat mulia, baginda tidak memilih untuk bersifat riyak, angkuh dan sombong dengan kelebihan dan jawatan yang ada pada diri baginda. Jika kita menyedari tentang kepentingan berakhlak terhadap diri dan orang lain, sudah pasti tidak ada manusia yang terbiar dengan penderitaan dan kesusahan disebabkan kemiskinan, peperangan, bencana alam dan sebagainya. Ini kerana apabila manusia menyedari peranan akhlak dalam diri masing – masing, sudah pasti mereka tidak tegar melihat penderitaan saudara – saudara mereka yang kurang bernasib baik itu. Mereka akan segera menghulurkan bantuan tidak kisah dalam apa – apa bentuk seperti wang ringgit, pakaian, makanan, dan sebagainya.

Akhlak juga mendidik diri kita menjadi lebih baik dan bersikap positif disamping bersikap terbuka. Misalnya, jika ada dalam kalangan manusia melakukan kesalahan dan kesilapan sesama mereka, ia tidak akan berlaku permusuhan yang berpanjangan kerana pihak yang benar akan segera memberi maaf dan pihak yang salah akan bersegera meminta maaf. Selain itu juga, akhlak mendidik kita supaya menjadi insan yang bertolak ansur serta berlapang dada dengan bermacam – macam ragam dan kerenah manusia dan melahirkan masyarakat yang di antara satu sama lain mengutamakan orang lain melebihi kepentingan diri sendiri.

Kesannya, akan lahir masyarakat yang adil dan bertimbang rasa di antara satu sama lain. Malah tidak akan ada di kalangan manusia yang terasa dizalimi dan rasa teraniaya. Selain itu, masyarakat yang rendah kedudukannya di dalam masyarakat akan dapat dihindarkan dan mereka tidak akan berasa terhina dan dihina oleh orang lain. Hasil daripada akhlak yang mulia, maka akan lahir masyarakat yang hidup aman damai, selamat sejahtera, berkasih saying dan harmoni. Maka, dengan itu tidak berlakulah di dalam masyarakat manusia hal – hal yang menakutkan datang daripada perbuatan sesama manusia.

Sendiri Menyepi..

Hari ini kududuk sendiri menyepi di bilikku. Apa lagi yang mampu kubuat. Oleh kerana bangun agak lewat, kaki ini berat unruk melangkah ke kedai. Buat apa lagi kalau bukan bersarapan, bak kata orang Kedah, "menyorok". Namun begitu, kukuatkan diri bangun mencapai tuala untuk mandi. Badan yang lemah perlu dikuatkan semula untuk menjalani rutin harian seperti biasa.

Kerjaku bermula hari ini. Semalam aku men'format'kan laptopku. Memandangkan laptop aku selalu lambat dan ada butang la tidak berfungsi, aku mengambil keputusan untuk men'format'kannya. Lagipun, aku rasa contents or unneeded file or software dah mengganggu sistem laptopku itu, jadi jalan terbaikku adalah men'FORMAT'kannya. Setelah selesai meng'install' Window 7 Home Premium, aku mula mencari software2 yang penting untuk dimuatkan dalam laptop aku yang sudah 'suci' itu. Alhamdulillah, sume berjalan dengan lancar. Semua butang keyboard sudah berfungsi. Tapi masalah besar muncul pula apabila installer Microsoft Office Pro 2010 tak ada. Aku mula meminta pertolongan dari sahabat karibku, Muhammad Hanif Hazemi. Dialah yang banyak membantu aku selama ini. Tetapi masalah muncul lagi apabila server yang kami masuk diblok seketika kerana terlalu ramai yang memasukinya. Percubaan kami pada malam harinya hanya 'percuma' bak kata orang Indonesia la yang bermaksud sia-sia. Aku mula mendesak 'Kaben' (nama panggilan Hanif) untuk menyelesaikan masalah itu namun masih belum berjaya. Aku mendapat satu pengajaran apabila Karben berkata "Hang ni pikiqkan dunia sangat la". Aku tersentap dengan ayat-ayat tu. Niat dihati hanya untuk bercakap kosong saja tapi ada yang terasa. Ia memberi satu 'ibrah' (pengajaran) kepada aku supaya perlunya menjaga kata2 walaupun kita hanya menganggapnya sebagai saja2 tetapi orang di sekitar kita tidak merasai apa yang kita fikirkan. Aku menghantar mereka ke pintu pagar Kolej Cendana.

Seterusnya, aku melangkah semula ke bilik dengan harapan untuk tidur dengan nyenyaknya. Tapi memang dugaan la dengan adanya laptop disisi. Aku mula men'download' segala software yang berguna untuk dimuatkan di dalam laptopku ini. Untuk muzik, aku tidak lagi mahu berfikir panjang kerana Window Media Player pun dah cukup hebatnya cuma masih tinggal software untuk video clip and movie je belum lagi. Aku mula melayari laman sesawang "FileHippoo" untuk mencari software2 berkaitan. Alhamdulillah, memang tak salah link yang aku masukakan. Terdapat banyak software yang boleh dimuat turun. Apa lagi, dengan tamaknya, aku men'download' hampir kesemua software2 disitu. Kemudian, aku mencuba satu persatu software tersebut dengan harapan aku dapat temui sofware yang paling menarik untuk movie dan video clipku. Setelah beberapa kali mencuba, akhirnya aku menjumpai software yang agak menarik iaitu KM Player. Ok la software yang ini, boleh full screenkan video or movie kita.

Malam pun sudah mula menjadi lebih gelap dan unggas2 di taman mulai menutupi kotak suara mereka untuk bekalan hari esoknya. Mataku berat untuk mengelip2kan kelopaknya dan mati kecillah aku di situ.

Selamat malam.....

My Research Paper

Salam everyone. Actually this is my first research paper that I have made during Spring Semester 2011 at International Education Center (INTEC), Universiti Teknologi Mara Kampus Seksyen 17. Generally, it was about my research on solar system. I wanted to do so because of I wanted to enhance my knowledges about solar. Since I was 17, after SPM, I worked in Shah Alam at an solar energy company. I learnt a lot from the work and now I want to share with you all a little bit information about solar. Hopefully, you enjoy reading my research.. Thank you

~~Solar Energy is Applicable for the Future~~

Can you imagine one day, when you wake up from sleep, you walk to switch on the lamp but there is no electricity. Then, when you are walking out of your home to take the car for breakfast, you noticed your electricity bill in front of your door. You are very shocked to see the notice “The electricity service at your home has been cut because of very high usage.” You feel very frustrated and make your way to the car. When you start the car engine, it does not work because there is no fuel. Life without electricity and natural resources like fossil fuel is nothing and meaningless. To avoid such problem from happening, we should find another source and use them in the proper and right ways. If the resource is used in a sustainable fashion, the energy is consumed at a rate comparable to that at which energy is being replenished. Renewable energy is thus inexhaustible as opposed to conventional sources of energy which have a limited lifespan. One way to encourage extensive use of renewables is to provide greater public understanding of energy systems and energy supply as well as the benefits of renewable resources especially its long term environmental benefits. One example of renewable energy is solar energy. There are three aspects that will be discussed in this research paper, which are the viability of solar energy compared to natural resources from the earth, the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy and the implementation of solar energy in real life.

Nowadays, the world is blessed with a generous supply of conventional fossil energy resources such as oil, gas and coal as well as renewable energy resources like hydropower, biomass and solar. We simply use them from day by day but we should know that, it is not going to last forever because we are already aware of many of our natural resources from the earth have their limits. On top of that, the world's population will jump from 6.5 billion to around 9 billion over the next 50 years. . However, the natural gas, reserves can meet the country’s requirements for only the next for 50 – 60 years, while oil for the next 20 – 30 years. (JBEG, 1999). So, the usage of energy will gradually increase and we should find other resources to replace the raw resources before it eventually decreases and becomes depleted from the world. For instance, nowadays, the modern world is built on oil. It is used to power transport, construction, manufacturing, and food production - our entire economy. The Peak Oil theory suggests that oil production for a given reserve will follow a bell curve. Now, the production for the reserve is rising to a peak, and then begins declining due to the fact that as the oil levels get lower, it becomes more expensive to retrieve, ending up at a point where you have to put more energy into sucking up and refining the oil than you get out of using it.

As we can see nowadays, the use of natural resources like coal contributes to the greenhouse effect and other serious environmental problems. The world is warming faster and faster than at any time in the last 10,000 years and the 1990 was the warmest decade in the past millennium. Climate change will have an increasingly significant impact on the world circumstances, communities and businesses. As the average temperature has risen, we have also seen an increase in the incident of hot days and hot nights, and a reduction in the number of cold days and nights. As a society, we need to reduce our consumption of electricity and fuel and move toward renewable sources like solar energy resource. Currently, the worldwide renewable percentage contribution is about 18%. Rapid development of renewable energy use is mainly hindered by low fossil fuel prices in world energy markets. By the year 2020, the World Energy Council predicts that the contribution from renewable energy will rise to 30%. Again, half of the total growth is projected in the developing nations. However, solar will become increasingly important with comparable contribution to other resources. In the long term, solar is predicted to be the most dominant renewable energy resources.

Solar energy is a renewable energy source that has been used widely all over the world. It can be used in many technologies and day–to–day usages like heat, electricity, transportation and many more. Nevertheless, like all great things the nature has ever seen, there are two sides of the coin. It means that, even though the solar energy brings lots of benefit, it also has disadvantages. Nevertheless, those drawbacks can be overcome and resolved to satisfy and fulfill the folks’ demands. The first advantage of solar energy is that it is a renewable resource. It does not contribute to pollution as it is an eco-friendly and also helps to decrease the harmful emission of the greenhouse gases. It is truly an ever green source of clean, sustainable power. Moreover, there are no emissions from generating solar power unlike most other methods used to generate power and electricity. Solar energy is also clean and does not let out hazardous and harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and etc. which usually electric generation does. In addition, the energy supply from the solar will last as long as the sun continues to shine.

Secondly, the usage of solar energy can save money. First thing first, people will think about the cost because they know that the installation cost of solar system is very high. Actually merely the initial cost of installation is very high and expensive but the electricity generation is essentially free for the next time and onward. As the systems last for extraordinarily long times, you will be producing free electricity the entire time for your home in the future. Furthermore, you will not have to pay your monthly electrical bills. Simply say, it helps to save your electrical service’s expenditure in long–term period. Other than that, the solar energy does not need fuel, thus saving us money as well as the possibility of polluting the environment by burning fuel. There is no incurring cost; once the initial costing is taken care of, it is virtually maintenance free and it is easily expandable. In addition, solar panels can be added according to the requirement for a family or any machine. Maybe, it seems too expensive to be owned by common people but I believe that as the demand rises for cleaner energy sources and new technologies continue to be developed, the prices of the solar power system will continue to decreasing so that people can have a chance and afford to install it at their shelter places.

Besides that, the solar energy can operate entirely independently, not requiring any connections or anything to a power or gas grid at all, so it can be used easily and effectively anywhere. The system can be set up in remote locations, making it more practical and cost-effective than the supply of utility electricity to a new site. So those locations can rely on solar energy even if the modern technologies do not reach out to them. Nevertheless the installation systems depend on design and usage - how much energy that is being used. If the average electricity usage of the certain place is high, it would need a larger solar system design so that it can support the usage. There are two types of installation of solar systems which are Off-Grid system and Grid-Connected system. First thing first, the Off-Grid system is divided into two which are standalone system and hybrid system. The standalone system consists of the photovoltaic array which is built up of a number of photovoltaic panels to make up the peak power capacity, the charger-controller for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery and a battery bank for storing the electrical energy generated for later use. Storing electrical energy makes PV systems a reliable source of electric power day and night, rain or shine.

Another system named hybrid system has the components of the standalone system but with an additional power generating system such as diesel, wind or wave generators. This system is capable of supplying power without interruption since the diesel generator can be programmed to operate at such intervals so as to maintain the battery bank fully charged. Hybrid systems also combine a number of electricity production and storage pieces to meet energy demand of a given facility or community. Meanwhile, the Grid-Connected system consists of the photovoltaic array and inverter. The inverter converts the direct current electricity generated by the PV array into alternating current electricity which is synchronized with the mains electricity so that excess electricity generated at any time is fed into the grid. Basically, this system is connected with Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to ensure that the power supply is sufficient without any lacking and problems. In this system, the costumers get electricity supply from both TNB and solar power system. The users cannot only buy, but also can sell electricity each month. When the home requires less electricity that the PV array is generating, the excess is fed (or sold) back to the utility and vice versa. By using this way, the utility backs up the PV like batteries do in stand-alone system thus eliminating the need of battery bank which adds to the cost of the system.

The most notable disadvantage of the solar power system is the extremely high initial cost. Actually the high cost of the system is due to the high-cost semiconductor materials which are used to build solar energy system. The costumers usually have to pay lots of money for the first installation. Since the solar power comes from energy produced by the sun, it is highly dependent on climate and weather pattern. The solar energy is not available at night and also may not be accessible in cases of bad weather conditions. The efficiency of the system also relies on the location of the sun, although this problem can be overcome with the installation of certain components. Besides that, the installation of solar panels requires a large area in order to achieve a good level of efficiency. Nowadays, people assume the solar power system can be used only when the weather is bright. So, they take it as a reason to deny the advantages of using the solar system.

On the other side, I want to aver that the thought is totally false. Generally, the solar power system has batteries to store electricity power and it can withstand almost five days with no sunlight. In Malaysia, solar energy is endowed with more than 10 hours of sunshine daily all year round. Its high level of global solar radiation ranges from 12 MJ/m2/day to as high as 21MJ/m2/day (Zain-Ahmed,2000). It also make up between 30-50% of the total (or global) solar radiation (Zain-Ahmed, 1991). Plus, the solar panel merely needs about four hours to fully charge. Moreover, the solar plate is very sensitive towards sunlight and surrounding temperature. For your information, the ambient temperature remains uniformly high over the country throughout the year. Average ambient temperatures are between 26.0oC to 32.0oC. Most locations have a relative humidity of 80% – 88%, rising to nearly 90% in highland areas, and never falling below 60% (Niewolt, 1981). In Malaysia, the monthly average daily solar radiation is 4000–5000 Whr/m2 with the monthly average sunshine duration ranging from four hours to eight hours (Sopian and Othman, 1992).

Because the energy production method creates environmental and health concerns, it is beneficial for scientists and researchers to investigate and improve the solar energy production that is eco-friendly and cleaner compared to other sources. In addition to reducing pollution, it also can reduce the costs of energy in homes and buildings. There are many application of solar energy is created throughout the world across a range of industries, transportation and communication. First of all, solar energy is an important advance in the effort to save the environment and can be implemented for industrial usages. Most industries operate as usual where the power supply is already available. However, there are some places that do not have access to a power grid or energy is not readily available in some form. In this case, the viability of solar energy is very beneficial and becomes crucial in order to generate energy so that the industries can operate similar to other places. Solar energy has been used since the beginning of time as it was developed and in the 1830’s one of the other solar energy platform had been developed as a solar energy cooker on a safari. Since then, many solar energy applications have been formulated, and almost everyone can take advantages of these inventions. For instance, a couple of years ago, a 1.3 megawatt solar-powered stadium have been built in Switzerland, and then in 2009, Taiwan has built a new solar powered stadium for World Game in July. About 8844 solar panel was installed on the stadium roof where it can generate enough energy to power the stadium’s 3300 lights and two huge television screens.

Apart from that, solar energy is often used for communication purposes. It is consumed to power the stations of telecommunication, radio and television. In Malaysia, solar energy is utilized for a gigantic project, V-SAT Satellite Communication for Bario Airport in Sarawak by Gading Kencana Sdn Bhd, an energy service company. As the number of travelers going to Bario increases, the airport needs to improve and upgrade its facilities to handle more frequent flight. Besides using solar energy for facilities in handling the flight, it is also used to power the telecommunication satellite (VSAT) which provide free Wi-Fi internet access to passengers’ usages and a Nano base station for mobile phone connections.

Other than that, solar energy is also utilized in transportation industries such as solar car, solar boat and solar flight where people created them in an attempt to reduce the use of petroleum, lighthouse signal, traffic signal and the warning light found on the aircraft. First thing first, since the1980s, the development of a solar powered car has been an engineering goal. Some vehicle use solar panels for auxiliary power, such as for air conditioning, to keep the interior cool, thus reducing fuel consumption. In 1974, the first solar flight has been made by the unmanned AstroFlight Sunrise plane. Followed by the Solar Riser in 1979, it made the first flight in a solar-powered, fully-controlled, man-carrying flying machine, reaching an altitude of 40 feet. Other than that, a solar balloon was also created. It is a black balloon that is filled with ordinary air. As the sunlight reaches the solar panel on the balloon, the system operates to heat the air inside the balloon and then expands the air causing an upward buoyancy force like a heated hot air balloon.

Secondly, the application of solar energy can be used in almost all industries as well as in residential setting especially for home usages. Most people have no problem to get electricity and other form of energy for their house but it becomes a burden or difficulty for people who live in rural areas. Basically, rural area is located very far away from the towns or cities that have electricity generation and facilities. It is very hard to supply the electricity to those places because they are somewhat far away hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the nearest cities. So, the best solution for such problem is by providing and installing solar system at those places. Basically, at rural areas, people typically use the standalone, or off-grid, solar power systems which consist of solar panels and a battery bank. Apart from that, the usage of solar energy is not only for the rural area but it is also being used in urban areas as well. In suburban and even urban area, people use solar energy for their water heater. Heating water using electricity can be an expensive undertaking and can cost homeowners a lot of money. Applications of solar energy can help people to reduce their water heating and electricity cost. In solar water system, solar thermal collectors are used to heat water and then solar energy propels the water through the system. Solar thermal applications are the most developed and widely used with the flat plate solar collectors being the most technologically developed (Sopian, 2000). This is much more efficient and has lower harmful effects than using electricity-powered water heater system. A study that was carried out in 1996 estimated that the market growth rate was 15%. It is estimated that by year 2020, about 500 000 households will installed with the system (Singh and Boon, 1996).

In conclusion, I strongly believe that the solar energy has a high potential to become an energy resource and is the best alternative renewable resources for the future. Solar has the potential for significant sustained growth, and solar investment may indeed be, at this point of time, the very best area in renewable energy to invest in. According to Altenews’s conclusions, a solar investment strategy could be multifaceted and include multiple components. Based on the researches, interviews, reasons and views regarding the solar system that I have provided, it clearly proven that solar power industry is balanced to carry on its high annual growth. Various qualities make short-term solar growth likely, and factors such as the end of the solar silicon shortage and sales in new markets may push solar power into the realm of conventional power generation, on par with the oil, coal and nuclear. But again, bear in mind that one day, when the natural resources from the earth has run out, the world then will depend on solar resources for generating power for the future generation usages.

After read my research, what did you feel? I think we should develop the solar energy in our country IF we want our natural resources from the earth to exist in this world. Think back people. That's all everyone. Thank you so much for reading.
Assalamualaikum....