OAT

Can a people who has easy access to potable water at the turn of a tap conveniently located in an indoor toilet really understand the value of water?

Water is an indispensable ingredient for life on Earth. About 70% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, similar to the proportion found in the human body. Water is an important part of the medium where chemical reactions at the cellular level take place in the cytoplasm, just as it is important in the way that it is a habitat for the diverse marine and aquatic ecosystems that exist in the world.

Hence, to describe water as necessary in life is itself an understatement because it does not do justice to the scale in which every living creature is directly or indirectly dependent on water or at least the chemical properties of this essential substance.

But do we really appreciate water in a manner that is befitting of its role in supporting life on Earth?

As I read about life in certain parts of the Muslim world where water is hard to come by, I was struck by how this simple circumstance had profound effects on the religious piety of the Muslims living in those areas. When they read verses of the Quran that exhorted humans to be thankful to Allah for the rains that fall and bring life, they feel something in their hearts, a shudder running down their spine, a feeling of how the Quran is trying to speak to them about something that they are familiar with, something that is real and close to their very existence. The blessing of having to experience the feeling that the Words of Alllah are communicating directly with you cannot be described and it reinforces one's iman in submitting oneself to Allah, thus enabling one to be more steadfast in one's strive to be a better Muslim.

Herein lies the possible disadvantage that we citizens of "first-world" countries like Singapore has compared to our Muslim brethren living in the aforementioned rural places. Water is so easily available that we even waste it absentmindedly when we perform our wudhu, an act that is actually supposed to bring blessings to us when we carry it out. No matter how hard we try, it is harder still to achieve that feeling of genuine dependence on water because water is so easily available in our life. Ironically, it is harder to save water because it becomes troublesome to keep turning the tap off during the parts of the wudhu when do not actually need the running water, for example when we are brushing our body parts with our hands. Thus, it comes to a point where it is more convenient to simply waste a little bit of water than to keep turning the tap on and off throughout our wudhu. Such is the pitiful state of modern living in the "developed" world today.

Of course, our attitude and habits can easily change when we have to walk hundreds of metres from our houses to collect water for our daily use, which is why I have come to the conclusion that no matter how hard one tries, one simply cannot appreciate the value of water if one is living too comfortably in an environment where clean potable water is easily accessible at the turn of a tap, even if one is a Geography teacher who understands the pressing water issues afflicting our world today as well as a Muslim who has been taught by our Prophet s.a.w. that one should not waste water even if one was performing the wudhu at a running stream. Goodness.

If we are not mindful of our Islamic traditions, "development" can really harden our hearts and take us away from the path of religious piety, no matter how alluring it is to claim otherwise.

It is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds, and out of it We bring forth green stalks, from which We bring forth thick clustered grain. And out of the date-palm and its spathe come forth clusters of dates hanging low and near, and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety and taste). Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and the ripeness thereof. Verily! In these things there are signs for people who believe. - [6:99]

The Islamic tradition teaches that our attitude to the people around us during our lives on Earth will resemble Allah's attitude towards us when we are judged on the Day of Judgment.

For example, a Muslim who is generous and has no second thoughts about parting with his wealth to help those in need will find out that for all the deeds that he had done, Allah will benevolently give him large amounts of rewards, even for the simplest of deeds. This is because one of Allah's attributes is Al-Karim which means The (Most) Bountiful or Generous. Hence, it is not the nature of Allah to be less bountiful than his own creation and therefore Muslims who are willfully and sincerely generous will seek to reap the benefits of their actions because it is the nature of Allah to resemble, and better, the qualities of his creations on the Day of Judgment.

Similarly, a forgiving Muslim who might have made a lot of errors while he was living on Earth will somehow find that the balance will weigh heavily on his good deeds even though he himself knows that his mistakes were many and uncountable. In this case, he will realise that because he had been a forgiving person who was extremely willing to overlook the mistakes of his peers and the injustice done towards him, Allah had been extremely Forgiving in overlooking his mistakes when the good and bad deeds were being weighed during the Judgment. And no one else can claim that this is an unfair way of balancing the deeds because

"To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. Whether you show what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it. Then He will forgive whom He wills and punish whom He wills, and Allah is over all things competent." (2:284)

As such, we Muslims should realise that good behaviour accompanied by a staunch faith in Allah is the hallmark of adherence to our religion. Obligatory prayers and deeds aside, I believe the only way for us now to find peace in ourselves amidst this crazy secular life in Singapore is to be in the service of others each time the opportunity presents itself, be it to carry out an act of compassion, love, forgiveness or whatever else. We are not going to do it in the framework of social capital where we count and measure every deed that we are going to do and intend to demand Allah to repay us back for all the good deeds that we have done. That is not sincerity.

Our role is to shower acts of good service to the people around us and hope that Allah may reward us in the same way because we sincerely believe that He is Most Gracious and Most Merciful. Subhanallah Most Glory be to Allah, what a beautiful tradition we Muslims have inherited yet chose to ignore.

Abu Darda' reported that the Prophet of Allah, upon him be peace, said, "Nothing is weightier on the Scale of Deeds than one's good manners."

No time to blog. Boring.

A weakness of man - which is just one of his many weak traits - is that he constantly feels the urge to reveal the details of his personal affairs to others. This sickness is an old one in the annals of history. The soul loves to spread secrets and disseminate stories. The connection between this topic and that of this book is that whoever spreads his secrets will inevitably feel regret, sadness and misery.

"When we resurrected them, they asked each other, "How long have you been here?" "We have been here one day or part of the day," they answered. "Your Lord knows best how long we stayed here, so let us send one of us with this money to the city. Let him fetch the cleanest food, and buy some for us. Let him keep a low profile, and attract no attention." [18:19]

From the book "Do not be sad" by 'Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni. Translated by Faisal ibn Muhammad Shafeeq

One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.

About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family.

"You aren't going to catch many fish that way," said the businessman to the fisherman, "you should be working rather than lying on the beach!"
The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, "And what will my reward be?"

"Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!" was the businessman's answer.
"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman, still smiling.

The businessman replied, "You will make money and you'll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!"
"And then what will my reward be?" asked the fisherman again.

The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman's questions. "You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!" he said.
"And then what will my reward be?" repeated the fisherman.

The businessman was getting angry. "Don't you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!"
Once again the fisherman asked, "And then what will my reward be?"

The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, "Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won't have a care in the world!"

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "And what do you think I'm doing right now?"

To me, the most important point that was driven home during the talk that was given at KL was about death. According to UKE, people should not be overtly sad during the deaths of their loved ones. The rationale behind such a seemingly emotionless move is the faith that all Muslims should have in life after death. There is nothing else that is certain in our lives on this Earth besides death. This has to form the first base of our psyche.

The second is that life on Earth is a journey towards death. The Prophet had taught us that for us to be successfully contented with our lives here on Earth, we should treat this life as a short rest in our long journeys back to Allah. Thus, the dunya is temporary and no matter how important or grand life posits itself to be, at the end of the day, all things of this world are inevitably transient.

According to UKE, if we have concrete faith in these two ideas, we should not then mourn excessively for those who died before us. Because life is a journey and death is a station before we reach our final destination. ALL of us will die, the issue is whether we shall meet again together in eternal happiness in paradise, or not. A person who cannot accept death and mourns greatly for his loved one does not understand that the dead man's journey on this Earth is simply accomplished earlier than his own. The living will follow the dead and if they are to meet again in the future, then it simply does not make sense to be knocking oneself senseless crying and grieving in anguish.

The analogy given was two friends who were seated in separate flights for haj. Both are taking the same haj package and will be meeting once again at the hotel in Saudi Arabia. The only difference is that one got an earlier flight, by a matter of hours, than the other. It does not make sense for both friends to hug and cry at the airport before the first flight goes off when they would be meeting later in the day at the hotel in Saudi.

Death is not a lesson nor a punishment for the dead. Death is a reminder for the living of the brevity of life here on Earth.

"Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death; but (all this was) that Allah might test what is in your breasts and purge what is in your hearts. For Allah knows well the secrets of your hearts." - From (3:154)

During the short trip to KL with the family over the CNY period, we watched "Ombak Rindu" in the tour bus. For reasons I am still unsure of, I found the story moving and poignant, to the point where I almost cried at some points. The keyword here is almost, and to be honest, I am unsure now of the exact parts during the movie when I felt this way. Perhaps it was when the village girl was begging the male character who just took her virginity to marry her because she did not want to do it with anyone else; or perhaps it was when she gave her husband her simple watch in exchange with his expensive one as their wedding gifts. In any case, I am quite frightened at the way I felt as I was watching this movie. Perhaps it is because I cannot wait to settle down and begin my own life as a co-independent in a harmonious marriage myself. Or perhaps work is just taking a toll on me and making me quite sick really with the veneer of our materialistic life in Singapore today, thereby making me sappy in the heart instead. I dunno. In any case, I believe a little bit of sappiness is healthy for me; as long as that sappiness does not translate to sickening acts of PDA for the whole world to see.

I am not sure if there was any relation to this feeling of sappiness that I was carrying with me on the way back to Singapore but when I slept at home for the first time in three nights, I dreamt of my ex-girlfriend. As usual I woke up feeling sad after that, not  because I was thinking of the could-haves and what not. The whole point about those rare times when I dream about my ex-girlfriend is always the same. That we were friends once again. In the dream last night, her daughter had already grown quite a bit and she was there having fun with her family and stuff and I was there and we were just talking about...stuff. The details get a little hazy in my dreams as usual by this point, but the point is we were friends. Like how we were before I started to act stupidly and got together with her and like they say, the rest is history. I think essentially it is okay for us to not be in contact like this, but maybe deep down I would rather it not be this way, though there are just some things in life that are beyond us.

I think a good lesson for me now is to not be rash in making the decisions that would matter in my life, especially with the people that I should start showing my love and gratitude to. This hot-blooded nature of mine has to be controlled, just like this sharp tongue, if I were to start learning any valuable lessons that my past decisions in life are trying to teach me for my future.

Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience. - Anonymous

How can the shepherd keep his flock safe if instead of having a sheepdog guarding his herd, he has one of the sheep doing the job instead?

What is the difference between our generation and the young really? Both are terribly influenced by the media, both are losing all forms of common sense, both have completely no idea of what is going on with society. How can one then be expected to guide or lead the young?

In the past, we looked to the older generation for guidance. Nowadays, the older folks want to be as hip as the young ones.

Not easy you know, to be a young teacher in our contemporary society.

A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true. - Socrates

My Ex-Level results are as follows.

1. Kahwin
2. Hilang.
3. Kahwin
4. Tunang
5. Kahwin

What a wasted youth.

Today, after a series of turns in events, I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks at Bugis. Watching the movie with a perspective on the influence of mainstream movies on society, I do realise that Alvin and the Chipmunks is not as innocent a movie as it is made out to be.

My first reaction as I was watching the movie (during the times I was awake) was to think about the target audience for this movie. Alvin and the chipmunks are definitely not stuff for "cool" young teens, so at most, I would think the movie is mostly aimed at primary school students? Most likely the lower primary I think, which was the age when I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks and those Disney cartoons.

If I was 3-7 when I was watching the movie, I doubt I would have understood well the "lessons" that the movie was trying to tell the audience. If I was a child, being naive and innocent, I would think that the movie is telling me that it is okay to disobey your father in order to have fun; because no matter how much mess I would be causing, things would finally be okay in the end. In addition, the movie was peppered with music and singing, issues of BGR and most glaringly for me, how the female chipmunks were made to dress in skimpy attire and prance about throughout the movie. Not to mention the scene in the casino where the chipmunks were gambling and the female chipmunks were dancing in a club, shaking their booties as they dress in their sexy and revealing clothing.

If you think I am making a mountain out of a molehill, I do hope you would think again of the underlying intentions behind these observations. This movie is after all targeted at young impressionable minds. Just imagine if this movie was acted by kids (the actual intended audience), obviously parents will be up in arms to criticize the use of female children in skimpy attire, singing and dancing and all the BGR stuff amongst the six chipmunks. Honestly, if you are not going to do that, it is my humble opinion that you are already sick in the mind.

That is why the movie industry, powered inevitably by the minions of The Deceiver, simply substitute the children characters for cartoonized animal ones. Parents who try so hard to be open minded and modern will simply be unaware of the negative impacts that this movie has on young minds at this little switch in characters, not realising that their young children, for whom this movie was intended, would continue to be influenced by these aspects of the movie as they grow up and reach their teenage years. As such, can we really be surprised at how our young are turning into at this point of time? All this continuous bombardment of sex, music and party (and gambling) make our children immune to its ill effects and they would think it is simply a part of social life. It is scary, really, if you would just sit quietly and think about this.

Of course the solution for parents who continue to think that movies like these are just for entertainment purposes is to teach and educate the children themselves. But isn't it silly to let your child watch a movie filled with music and dance and skimpily dressed young females (the chimpunks are supposed to be young) and then tell them that these are bad values? Or values that detract you from your purpose in life? I still think the best solution for parents with young children is to simply avoid such shows.

Talking about young children, I must say that it is good to see that you are happy with your husband and your newborn daughter. Nice name too, and very sweet. May Allah bless her always. And you both too.

Whoever takes care of two girls until they reach adulthood he and I will come together on the day of Resurrection - and he interlaced his fingers. - Reported by Muslim

Of course you are not going to step down. I did not believe for once that you were planning to. Stepping down is only for middle class and below.

You have a good day at work today.

If 2012 will indeed be the year that the Western powers invade Iran, create a proxy government and present the fake Messiah to the people.

Then Sheikh Imran Hosein is really the guy.

Well hello there. It is nice to see you here, which is something of a rare occurrence. Not many people know about this blog, less still bother to read it, so there is quite a high chance that I may be talking to myself, which is not an issue in any case because I do talk to myself quite often. Nevertheless, if you do happen to be here, I wish you a pleasant time at this blog and also a good day with whatever it is that you are doing today.

It is that great time of the year for us teachers here in Singapore where we do not have to report to work for at least three-quarters of a month. Inevitably, I end up being very bored at times because there is absolutely nothing pressing to do. However, I have since realised that it is improper for a Muslim to be complaining of boredom in life because as the saying goes, good health and free time are two precious gifts from Allah that men tend to overlook. Anyway, complaining about boredom would not bring excitement to me so it really does not help at all. I still remember Halimah telling me that I always complain and though those words stung when I first heard them, I guess they are true and words that are true always make good advice no matter how hurtful they seem to be at first. People ought to learn that, I feel.

A lot of free time during these holidays has enabled me think more about more things, which can be either good or bad or both, as what usually happens in most cases. But one of the popular conclusions that I come to is that, when I reflect on the things that I have done, and gone through, for the past five years of my life, it seems that the things that I used to treasure and covet last time are usually distant memories at this point of time. And I know that this cycle will repeat itself so the things that I may put in so much effort to pursue now might actually appear to be not so important later on in life.

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that I should live life to the fullest and for the moment, and then let it fade to the recesses of memories once the moment has passed. Oh no, please do not get me wrong when I say live life to the fullest. I am not thinking of skydiving or swimming butt naked at Sentosa or anything like that (nor am I saying I have such wishes in my heart either). What I mean is that perhaps from now on, when I do things in terms of work and play (if I get around to doing them), I should put in my best effort while I am at it, and then quit worrying about them once I am done with the work. After all, life is transient and we cannot let ourselves be bogged down by disappointments or jubilations from the past. And at this point of time, I am reminded of a quote in the Islamic tradition that the idea of asceticism is not that one owns nothing, but that nothing owns that person. It is a most useful reminder indeed for us in our materialistic world today.

Can the warriors of today
who achieve victory through firepower
describe the meaning of courage
to the defeated in the past
who fell by the sword?

To go into battle against your opponent with sword in hand and lose somehow seemed a more courageous thing to do than to stand from afar and shoot down your enemies one by one.

So many simple actions of today have actually lost their meaning and symbolism when one compares them against those same actions carried out in the past.

"The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it." - Carl Gustav Jung

Is it true that girls are now settling for guys of less caliber because there is a shortage of available guys who would make good partners? So much so that they would more often than not, grab any guy who shows an inkling of love for them even if that guy does not seem to be the type that would make a good husband?

Anyway, this was one of the questions that was discussed just now. Interesting much.

Good luck everyone.

"The whole world is a provision, and the best object of benefit of the world is the pious woman." - Sahih Muslim

In contemporary Singapore, the stereotypical cycle of life goes something like this: deprived childhood with a lack of parental care and guidance; followed by goodness knows how many long years of compulsory education which in reality is just paper chase; which is then accompanied by intermittent National Service for the guys which attempts to do some last minute nationalistic brain-washing; before one finally signs on to a life of servitude to one's career.

As such, it is heartwarming to see so many of my peers making plans to (or already have made plans to) settle down. Making plans to be engaged, making wedding plans, getting married in various forms of ceremonies, newly-wed couples expecting children and young couples bringing up young children. It's just serenely happy in that sense. For me at least.

I think it is nice that we see everyone whom we have known since our teenage or young adult days moving on to the next phase of life. I mean now is the period of marriage and weddings, soon it'll be the arrival of children, then children's marriage, then a period of funerals, barring any different plans that God may have in store for us. Hmmm I wonder if we would still be in contact when we all start dying one by one. Probably, given all this new age communication tools and devices. But anyway.

Our society nowadays tends to forget the immense importance that family upbringing has on the development of the next generation. I do hope that with all of us starting our families and building our ideal homes and lives with our partners, we would try to take a step away from our work and focus a little bit more on managing our families. Our parents' generation was the baby-boom generation, who witnessed first-hand the deceptive grandeur of technological advancements and brought us up within a particular framework of mind of what success is; ours is the first to start seeing the negative impacts of living a life desolate of or distant from moral values, so hopefully the way we bring up our children would be a little different from the way we were brought up.

I wish all my peers who are getting married or starting their families the very best and may we always be guided in bringing up our next generation the right way. Pak gebing gebing. If you know what I mean.

"When a man marries, he has fulfilled half of his religion, so let him fear Allah regarding the remaining half." - Holy Prophet

The things that you can be threatened with reveal the things that you hold dear in life; and that in turn, underscores the values that you live your life by.

Each time I read about an exhibit that claims to display 'realistic' dinosaurs, I'll just think what the hell.

To live a life without purpose is worse than to experience death.

Because there is no choice in death.

I need to get out of the house.

You are definitely right that people should practise more caution and patience with all the controversies surrounding the silat furore that has happened at the recent SEA Games.

The question is: Would you have displayed the same maturity and restraint that you are now advocating others to show, if it had been your team that was on the receiving end?

The harshest and most memorable lessons are after all, the ones that affect us personally.

Patience is a virtue.