What Goes Around Comes Around

Assalamualaikum w.b.t

No, it is not deja vu. I have not had it before. Neither had the others. It is simply the thumb rule of reciprocity. What goes around comes around. But that is that. Newton's third law of motion also applies here. What you do is what you will get in return- as a consequence, it depends on how you get it started.. This is rather conceptual, I know but I am not going to include even one solid example about it. I have many. I believe many people, too. But just think of this and relate it if what we have in our daily challenging life. The survival of the fittest by Darwin, if there's a truth about it, has nothing to do with evolution and should not be the way we see it (though that is what it conventionally all about-the theory of evolution). Instead, to be the fittest, and therefore survive, we must understand this law deduced by Allah the Almighty God. Taking this on a deeper level, we in Islam however believe that patience must always come along the way. In a best-seller book of La Tahzan (Arabic words for Don't Be Sad), the author clearly explained how we may come across with people who wrote something bad about us using a qalam (pen or pencil) we sincerely bought for them! Err, so what goes around now, do not come around? 

The truth is, if we are patient, then it is Allah's merit that we get in return, and the guilty will be punished by Allah with due consequence- and now our rules stand back ;) However, in today's era, it is not so us to just be patient and do nothing about it- at least a piece of advice would do, if we don't go for a more radical action :P

People also like to relate the occurence in life with Qada' and Qadar (Divine Will and Decree) of Allah- which is good, because that way, we actually associate everything to Allah and therefore (by right) surrender to his Willingness and the fact that He has the power in every single thing. One note though. It is more appropriate if we associate Qada' and Qadar with sunnatullah (Law of Allah) rather than destiny. They might be the same to a certain extent, but let me further elaborate on the way we should look at it.

If we take it as a destiny, then we tend to have lack of effort and sometimes motivation to achieve good things in life. Why? Well, because it's destined to be that way, isn't it? So, what's the point of trying so hard? Live with this principle- then success will always be at bay. Worst, we may eventually question Allah- Why did you make me like this? Why do you make this as my destiny? Ah huh? Seriosly? Do we dare question Allah, the All-Knowing? That's why, we just have to look at things from a better point of view. Sunnatullah. It is very simple. You do more, you gain more. No pain, no gain, so cliché right? Everyone has heard of the quote ;) But that is the whole point. We must strive our best and always go for an aim with greatest attempt and effort so that what we acquire at the end of it is well worth it. No short cut to success, yes you're right. I was thinking about that too. :) So, let us have a paradigm shift, today if we haven't, to admit that Allah has right in every single thing He does. Despite this though, praise be upon Allah a lot, because we mankind was created in the best way that He still granted us the free will to believe in Him, and also to decide what kind of life we want to live with. So my dear brothers and sisters, let's go make some colors on our fabric of life today and pray to Him a lot. Insya Allah wallahuaklam, He surely knows better.

Wassalam.

P/S: Some simple explanation about Qada' and Qadar here.

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Multitasking

Assalamualaikum w.b.t

It was quite some time that I felt something was wrong with me. I can not really cope with what I studied and I didn't feel like studying at all. It felt as if everything was a sheer waste of time and energy as I tend to forget things and required more drilling and repetition to retain inputs in the brain. I just kept going and thought that maybe it was due to some problems and unsolved matters that remained undecipherable. Seriously they took a toll on my brain and under pressure as a medical student, I occasionally thought of giving it up- at least for a while. Time by time, I even looked further ahead and knowing that a doctor is a profession with supposedly no margin for error, nothing seemed to make me feel better. I never helped myself to justify this ongoing self-degrading phenomenon and I started to feel bad about myself. All I could do was to pray and at the very least maintained the best level of my minimum performance. And Allah said in Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter number two, Verse number 155, translated as follows;

And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.)

It is typical me to always have many things to achieve in life. I like to set aims but too many aims are always troublesome. I did really well being whom I was before and as time changed, I finally realized that I too have to change. I am currently pursuing a degree in medicine and that certainly suggests that I should be more focussed on what I am doing. No more grab it all but now is a time to avoid the greed for knowledge and make way for prioritizing. Multitasking, as the title suggests.

I stumbled upon an article about Multitasking from STARMAG authored by Jessica Yadegaran and it had a life-changing impact to me personally. Well, not so much of the whole life, but the way I conduct myself especially in doing works and finishing tasks- this of course includes studying and memorizing facts.

I read the article over and over again and try to understand as much as I could from it. Allah is great. He actually wanted me to learn a lesson and the absence of productivity was actually due to the presence of multitasking- and that is the way I see it. I used to be a high multitaskers and I thought I was really good at it but it proved me wrong and dragged me down so much towards stagnancy, if not deterioration. So here I am again with an end to a journey, and the beginning of a new one.

Let me make it short. In the article, the writer explained a result of a research conducted by cognitive scientists from Stanford University about multitasking. They recruited 100 students from which they divided into two more smaller groups. One is the high multitaskers and the other is the low multitaskers. People who do at least 5 things at one time are constituted as the former while those with lower are grouped in the later. After running a number of tests involving memory and one's attention to stimuli, they found out that the low multitaskers significantly outperformed their peers. This suggests a fair conclusion that brain is to a certain degree negatively affected from the habit of multitasking. In further elaboration, it says that one can have trouble remembering, focusing and switching tasks be it at work or even at school, because of too much of multitasking. Three major aspects briefly introduced as affected are safety, productivity and also education. Safety- one example is when one is driving while at the same time texting message on mobile- which is considered very dangerous as the car is left on autopilot mode so unwanted accidents can at any time take place. A simple one, isn't it? I won't elaborate on the other two aspects though.

The lesson from it is that we need to sit down and look back at the way we train and set our brain. In my case, I know I have to be more realistic and considerate to my own medulla oblongata and therefore limit the burden of tasks I put on it at one time. I honestly feel some changes after I came to realize about this and after I made some amendments. It is easier to remember things now and focus on tasks that I am up to. So friends out there, have you had the same problems? Consider multitasking as one factor. Maybe it'll help. Hope this sharing can help you make your life different, a little, if not revolutionary. Thank you very much for reading and for your time.

With love,

Mohd Amirul Asyraf bin Mohd Hanaffi

P/S: That's my real name, in case you don't know whom Ibnu Hanaffi is. ;) Take care!

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As-Shifa' Edition 022010/39

Assalamualaikum.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Mind you it's not a profit-based blog. It is only a way of me sharing pieces of thought, knowledge and feelings (story of personal life). Here is the front page of the magazine.

And please go here to download your copy (E-book)

I am sorry for the inconvenience caused- the need to be redirected to a number of websites, it is uncalled for and so  I apologize in advance. Thank you for your time and please enjoy reading.

P/S: Don't know why Facebook has blocked the content coming from 4shared (used by me to upload the file).

Jazakallah. Wassalam :)

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Courtesy and Opportunity

Assalamualaikum and happy reading to all.

How are you doing? Life is going fun huh? Or the other way around? Whatever it is, believe me, it is meant to be that way. Allah knows better and He only gives us kind of life we can live with.

Do we look around and ponder about His wonderful creations? :)

  

OPPORTUNITY

What is the opportunity we get in life? If it is a difficult thing, then it is an opportunity to perhaps learn from our mistake or at least learn to be stronger and more patient. Allah said in the Holy Qoran that what you think is good may not be, in reality good for you and what you think is not may be in reality, good for you. He creates us, so surely He knows better. On the other hand, if life serves us something good, it is an opportunity to thank Him and be grateful and share the happiness with people who may not have the same gift from Him. Opportunities are all around us today. Do we or do we not realize about their presence?

People are created with different attitudes and behaviors. A more common term used in psychological field is personality. We have people who are easy-going, neurotic and sensitive, serious and philosophical, introverted and quiet, extroverted and outspoken, and the list goes on and on.. The thing is, do we respect and acknowledge other people as the same mankind the way we think we are? Do we even realize that a hot-tempered person today may become the most patient individual the other day? Do we know that people are bound to change if God wills it such? Do we then provide some space for positive perceptions towards others? Start think deeply about this now and question ourselves- Are we whom we are now because we are the best type God creates or is it not a matter of complementation? Be grateful for who you are but at the same time, do not look down upon others and feel that you own the best type of personality, because God is fair and He creates things for reasons-and He knows best about them.

COURTESY

Apart from maintaining good relationship with Allah the Almighty, the All-Knowing God, we are commanded to maintain a good and friendly ties with all mankind. Either one can not be taken for granted and ignored.

One way of doing it is by saying thank you, if not giving anything in return. God needs not anything in return and is not affected even to the slightest by those whom are ungrateful, but human being are very fragile and weak, to the point that they always want some sort of appreciation and acknowledgement. But it is not wrong in the first place. What is so difficult about uttering the word thank you to someone who did something more than just saying thank you to you? Do you even have the courtesy to do this? Do you just forget or simply don't care? I on a personal basis never wanted to be treated as though I am reusable. Attended to when needed and utterly ignored at personal whim.  It hurts so much when it happens but then again, it is an opportunity to evaluate a person and distinguish on which one you can trust and which one you can't. Even more hurtful, is when a person blatantly claims credits out of your hardwork and never thank you for the help you give and finally treat you as if nothing happened in the past. Maybe sometimes we don't realize that this is what we condone in our daily life but we should take some quality time to really think about it and fix what's necessary. If any of you ever made me happy and helped me in any way but received not any thank you from me, let me apologize wholeheartedly now and let you know that I appreciate all your good deeds and May Allah bless you.

You are not happy alone when you smile, you make us too..

Reading this blog is already a contribution- though I may hardly know who you are and when you do it. But you must know, that I appreciate it with the sincerest feelings I have in my heart.

"Do good to others, and others will do good unto you."

Wassalam.. ;)

.

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Under Hot Sun

Assalamualaikum and good day to all- even if you read this at night, don't care :p

Today I followed my dad to fetch some stuff he uses for his landscaping work. It was around 1 pm and therefore very boiling hot. I bet it reached 42 degree Celcius already (err how do I write symbol in blogger :P). The thing is, this is what he always does to earn money for the family. Hard, exhausting labour work. My dad is aging faster because of this and he quite always complains about chest pain- which makes the whole family worried. More worrisome, hospital is what he is most anti at, all the time. Sigh~ Wana wait until I become a doctor? That is more or less 5 years down the road my dear. Nevertheless, we try our best to always care about what he eats and make sure he has enough rest and other necessary things that healthy lifestyle constitutes. It is not easy though, but it is what that makes us feel closer in the family. I, as among the eldest after my Along and elder sister, am aware of my role and responsibility as part of them. It takes time though, to really walk the talk. I want to do more for the family, because my 20 years so far has less to do with them. I want to become a better son. A hot son, if you will (as in hot artistes and rockstars :P) The way I shall put it, I want to be a hot son, for a dad under the hot sun. 

Love the same blood! :)

MCKK (Malay College Kuala Kangsar)

The  boys are now busy with exams. They are about to embark on another battle of the year, PPM or Piala Perdana Menteri, a debate tournament among SBPs (boarding schools) in Malaysia. Earlier this year, in the UIA Interschool Debate Championship, BM team lost at quarter final and English team was not bad to end their journey at Octo final. They could have done more, and as part of the coaching team, I always know and make myself aware that I hold big responsibility to achieve the goals, of helping them win and more importantly still, of proper upbringing of MCKK debaters- whom should never be devoid of values as a leader and a true human being- with courtesy and high competence in life. I train myself to be that first before I want them to. :) Perhaps, as part of KPI (Key Performance Index haha now everyone wants to have KPI :P) for blog after this, I shall write more stories about the boys, and not forgetting the fellow respected coaches.

It ends here today. Keep in touch all! And yeah, take care ^_^

Wassalam.. :)

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Support

Assalamualaikum...

This is a true story. There was one man, a dad of a son, whom always came to watch his son playing sports at school. More interestingly, he was blind. People always wondered why and finally had the courage to ask the poor old man. Why did you come if you can't even see your son playing? The humble old man simply told them that to him, what matters above everything is not the fact that you can see your son, but when your son realized your presence, he will therefore felt motivated, supported and encouraged- hence do better in his whatever doings. People were equally shocked and inspired by the sincere answer from the noble blind old man.

Sometimes we do not know how much people around us try their best to help protect us, motivate us, make us happy and do everything they can to cherish us and enhance our life. Have we ever appreciated them all. Are we aware of them in the first place? Take some little time to ponder about people around us especially the family and friends, we may then be surprised by how much they have done their best just for us. Do we then take them for granted? Going deeper and rather on a larger perspective, these people and their kind acts, who granted them all to us?- Allah the Almighty God, the sole creator of the whole universe including time, space and distance we are bound to. Have we ever thanked Him? Are the five daily prayers just enough? Or more than enough? Think and think again.

We experience life to ponder and understand. We eat to live and not live to eat. But in love's case it is fantastically different. Because it is best if we love to live and also live to love both.

With love,

Amirul (Ibnu Hanaffi) :)

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Want to strive

Assalamualaikum and good day to all. Ups and Downs in life have been part of me now. It is very difficult at times to accept failures especially when it is the same thing all over again. When then I need to buck up and rebegin the journey, it is very difficult and sense of giving up appears to take over. It is always then something unexpected that comes out of nowhere, providing me back the spirit and desire to keep moving and going, and because it is unknown, I always believe that it is a 'gift' from Allah the Almighty God. Ameen~ Last weekend, the time was spent at Tronoh, battling in Nasyid competition and secured the fourth place despite the feeling that we have badly performed! haha that was not our best (not a surprise if even we ranked last- thank God that's not the case) because the best us, even with limited resource, will deserve the first place. :) After all, being me, despite the youngest in the team, I pointed out to them that the more important thing from all the days we had all been going through is the chance to know each other and build a brotherhood tie (ukhuwah) among ourselves. That is certainly of utmost importance. I always aim for something bigger for things I do in life, so that either a success or a failure, won't make so much difference, because I value the process much more than the result. Similarly, the journey is way more significant and lesson-contained than the destination itself. That, is and will always be one of my principles in life. Praying to Allah to do more and gain more and still find it hard to contribute as much to family, the way I did to others whom I barely know. But I believe that it is a matter of time, and the power of dreams that will make me achieve what I want.                                                                                                                                                    What is dangerous is not that you don't reach a high aim, but when you achieve an easy task. Be preoccupied not. :)

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Me is Me..

Assalamualaikum w.b.t and a good day to all beloved friends and followers..                                                                                                                                 First of all, I want to extend my warmest apology for not updating my blog for more than one month. Now, it is always a time to walk the talk. Academically, I am way to go and unless I make serious amendments, I will not be up to par again. Dad has always wanted me to score high in study. 90 % of his SMSes to me were about study. I know that I am more than able to achieve high and I have never failed to prove it since I was 5 and I am always on top since. Complacency came into picture of my life along the way and I was buried beneath the ground. Now I am staging a comeback and ready to restrike. Genius was not born, they were made. I am not a genius but I aim to make myself one. And right from the start, I know I could, and more importantly I have to. Walk the talk, again. I will make this slow, but steady. Engaging in more responsibilities and learn as much as possible especially from science, environment and people I look up upon. Currently with the need to head the coaching team of MCKK debating team, I will myself improve first. It is just a matter of time before I make myself into the IMU debating club, so that I can learn, and spread the knowledge. It is all about articulation, knowledge and eloquence. Sacrifice is inevitable. No excuse. Just go ahead. At the same time, I am going to sketch a plan for the upcoming holiday in early May. One week should be more than enough to help make something for my two sisters whom will sit for two big exams this year. I am playing roles as a Muslim, a son, a student, a brother, a friend and a man whom lives with honesty and sincerity. A guy who holds firm to his principle, that as far as history is concern, he will only forgive but not forget. Cheated once, no more second, always counted, trust is lost and sorry, it remains that way, forever. I am very positive that I am born to contribute to the society, but I am more than just positive that I will not contribute to the society, unless my family benefited from me FIRST.                                                                                                                                                   With love. Wassallam.    

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2Ds: Dancing or Debating?

haha sometimes it is not easy to realize that life is so fun, intertwined with moments of boredom and uncertainties. But I kinda, like the life I have now. Way to go though, I have greater aims and much bigger things to achieve and I really wanted to fulfill them.

What could have I done to take the plunge, and get myself out of this slow moving easy going environment? What could have made me feel more powerful and forced to jump to my limits? Alright, I have to make decisions, the tough ones, breaking more walls, and perhaps (sometimes) hearts, and move on to get to the next levels. By the end of this weekend, will come up with a 3-month plan and will work out on it. See if I could have done more and will let the time decide.

Was invited to join a dance, Zapin dance, traditionally originates from Johor, a type of dance I find quite masculine (the steps and movement etc) relative to most other classic Malay dances, so I took the offer, and of course the challenge and went for the first practice just now. Well, obviously, chicken dance and Poco-Poco are the only 'prior experience' or talent (if you swish) that I have so far, then what about a new one huh? Let's give it a try, certainly not a problem.

By the way, being new I am, I just sat there and watched them do their movements first, well maybe next time sooner after, my turn comes. Something, in the middle of the boring mood, caught my eye by the way. This one guy, a senior, who has been making a number of announcements when we have short breaks between two lectures, and he is a debater. An IMU debater, ex, in INTEC's case. He was having sort of discussion with I don't know whom, at this one side at the corner on the fourth floor. I assumed they were preparing for a debate or something. So, I can't help myself, but wonder, oh God, do I really have to do this?Like, dancing? Seriously? haha How about debating? I know quite sometime later, I will have to make a decision. Something to do with my life in the long run. I always look ahead and wanted to take the most and best out of everything. I really do. And debating, is the real life I was in. I look forward to get to that again, insya Allah. Seriously, I miss those times, when we fight, and when we talk, then we fight because we talk, and we talk because we want to give a fight! We debate, we discuss and we share ideas, it was really fun back then at school. Hopefully, that kind of moments would come again in my life, though maybe much more diffferent from what I expect it to be. Oh no, really, I am debataholic!! Wana go for it! :P

I have been doing good with books, because I like to read and make friends with books and 'socialize' with them. But as we go along, new things come in the way and you learn new lessons. Books are, yeah, books. I have to (unfortunately) finally accept that things are different in real life. Like, you know, they are real, so when you consider that, you need to account for how dynamic many things can be. The people, the circumstances, everything is like a whole different world. Instead of shifting from this other dimension of life though, I prefer to stay in between, and see if I could overstep to the other dimension, one at a time, but seriously world of words on printed books and eye straining laptop screens is much different from the world you are realistically in. Still, though like two sides of a coin, they are different. I am getting used to this and on my way to understand life better. I must now equip myself with as much knowledge as I possibly could, stretch my limit to its very max and make more successes. They said, if you wanted change, be the change!

Yes, I certainly will.. :)

Wassalam.

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