Sunday, January 5, 2014

Amalan Terencat Niat Sucinya


“Eleh dia ni, baca novel boleh berjam-jam, tapi baca Quran semuka dua je. Entah apa-apa entah.”

Begitulah adu seorang saudara perempuan saya. Dia dicemuh kerana kegemarannya membaca novel.

“Tapi saya baca juga Quran. Bukan tak baca langsung.” katanya lagi sambil mencebik dan hampir menangis.

Saya menarik nafas. Inilah yang menyebabkan orang-orang yang melakukan amalan terencat niat sucinya.

Inilah yang menyebabkan orang-orang yang mulanya hendak beramal kerana Allah, tapi akhirnya jatuh kepada beramal untuk manusia. Nauzubillah.

Benar. Manusia yang tidak rugi itu adalah mereka yang sentiasa berpesan dengan kebenaran dan kesabaran (boleh rujuk surah al-Asr). Namun dalam berpesan dan menegur, perlu ada hikmah dan cara.

Cukup baikkah kita, cukup banyakkah amal kita, cukup alimkah kita hendak mempertikai amalan orang lain?

Nabi Muhammad SAW ketika ziarah ke rumah orang sakit, tidak pernah pertikai orang itu selama ini banyak ibadah ke, orang itu selama ni rajin ke masjid ke.

Nabi Muhammad SAW ziarah seseorang itu kerana dia adalah saudara semuslim.

Lalu kita, yang entah berapa banyak amal ni kenapa nak pertikai amalan orang?

Suka saya ingatkan, Nabi Muhammad SAW pernah bersabda maksudnya : “Wahai manusia, laksanakanlah amalan-amalan menurut kemampuan kamu.

Sesungguhnya Allah tidak akan bosan sebelum kamu merasa bosan. Sesungguhnya amalan yang paling disukai Allah ialah amalan yang ringan namun berterusan.” (Hadis Riwayat Muslim)

Mungkin, kita lihat orang tu baca novel berjam-jam. Namun sekurang-kurangnya dia ada baca al-Quran walaupun satu muka. Dan dia baca Quran itu secara berterusan.

Itu lebih baik dari dia baca Quran 3 jam hari ni, tapi esok, esok, dan esok lagi dia tak baca langsung.

Nah, manakah yang lebih baik? Amalan yang sikit namun berterusan ataupun sekali saja beramal, lepas tu tak amal dah? Bukankah dalam Islam kita dituntut untuk istiqamah?

Jika kita menegur dengan kasar, mungkin nanti dia beramal, tapi amalannya hanya untuk puaskan hati manusia. lalu mana ikhlasnya, mana manisnya ibadah itu?

Tidak. Saya bukan ingin menangkan golongan yang baca novel, tidak juga ingin menyalahkan yang menegur. Cuma, hendak menegur itu ada cara. Dan ibadah itu ada peringkat.

Mana tahu hari ini dia baca al-Quran semuka, tapi kerana berterusan, dia akan seronok beramal dan minggu hadapan dia akan mula dengan dua muka, tiga muka, malah mungkin bulan hadapan dia akan baca al-Quran satu juzuk.

Yang penting adalah istiqamah dan berterusan. Bukan hangat-hangat tahi ayam, hari ni buat sungguh-sungguh esok lupa.

Islam itu luas. Islam itu indah. Kenapa perlu bersengketa? :)

Saya akhirkan tulisan ini dengan satu lagi hadis Nabi ;
Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda yang maksudnya : Bertafakur sesaat adalah lebih baik daripada beribadat setahun. (riwayat ad-Dailani).

Dapatkah tangkap maksudnya? Amal yang sikit itu, namun dalam sikit itu ada keikhlasan dan kecintaan terhadap Allah, maka itulah yang bermakna berbanding yang melakukan amal ibadah sekali banyak, tapi tiada keikhlasan. Wallahualam.

- Copy-

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Career Advice for Teens. -Selfnote-



We all know how tough it can be on teenagers when at just 15 years of age, they are asked to decide what their lifetime career will be.


Have you ever heard… “The next few years are so important”, “you must choose your career now, and choose your subjects accordingly”. Oh the pressure!


My advice on this page does not come from the stars, it comes from experience. A very wise teacher once told me:
“Choose the subjects you like, and the ones you’re good at”


I took his advice and I haven’t looked back. It’s been awhile since I left school and I’m still not sure what I want to do for the rest of my life. I own and run this website, I studied IT but am now working my way up the Marketing ladder in a career I fell into because I loved it. I have also occasionally taken up part-time studies to learn other skills that interested me and I’m currently saving my pennies so that I can buy an investment property and earn a little bit through that one day.


Believe me, the opportunities are endless and there is ALWAYS a different way to get to the career you want, when you know what you want to do. There are so many things you can do with your life after school. You name it, you can do it and more often than not, you can make a career from doing it too.


Did you know that the average person changes their career in a major way, three times in their lifetime? So really, you are only choosing your first career. Don’t panic if it’s not everything you thought it would be. That’s what the concept of a mature age student is for. So you can go back to school whether it be university/college/tafe etc. to learn something different.


And remember…
“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”
If you enroll in higher education (eg. university, college, tafe) and decide you don’t like where your subjects are heading, simply enroll in another course! It’s become very easy these days for university students worldwide to swap and change courses, degrees and subjects. Sure it might take another year or two before you finish the new course, but what’s two years when faced with the rest of your life?
“A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation,with the bricks that others                                                                                                    throw at him or her.”
Lastly, it takes a huge amount of determination to get you through these tough years. So don’t think it will be an easy ride. I believe that the harder you work during your school years, the more benefit you will receive out of them, in all the years to follow. When I was 15, my mathematics teacher told my whole class, this last phrase about studying and doing homework, and I hope it hits the same spot in you that it did in me at that age.
“the pain of self-discipline,
is easier to bear,
than the pain of regret”


To be honest, I believe this last phrase can be applied in almost all areas of your life.

Work hard and play hard. Don’t take yourself too seriously, because life can be a long journey and you may as well enjoy it every step of the way.


Good luck and remember, anything is possible!


Give your trust in Allah.