Winter break 2012. (Berlin: part 1) =)

My first travelog of winter break in Berlin.=)

Alhamdulillah, managed to travel 2 countries in a row (Berlin & Istanbul) and then headed to Dublin utk mengutip mutiara ilmu mengenai surah Kahfi yg dikupas oleh Uztaz Hasrizal dlm PUISI 2012.

mind the language.

16-18 December 2012
pengembaraan musafir bermula ke Berlin, Germany. 2 hari yg padat dan seronok utk belajar mengenai sejarah German from a tourist guide yg sgt passionate in it.. and it was a FREE TOUR! hehe.there were 60 people from different nationality in the group. we walked around the berlin city to explore some of  the historic places.

Our FREE TOUR offers a great way to see the city, and is designed to provide a funny and enthusiastic overview of the city, no matter your budget – walking three and a half hours through the city of Berlin, we will cover Pariser Platz, The Brandenburg Gate, The Reichstag, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, The Site of Hitler’s Former Bunker, Luftwaffe HQ, The 17. June Memorial, The Berlin Wall, The Former SS Headquarters, Checkpoint Charlie, The 1920s Cabaret Mile, Gendarmenmarkt, Bebelplatz, The Old Royal Boulevard, Neue Wache, The TV Tower and Museum Island.http://www.newberlintours.com/daily-tours.html

One of the important lessons from ibrah sejarah German that need to be addressed is:

1. Wujudnya Berlin Wall yg merupakan sempadan memisahkan East and West Berlin. imagine waking up in the morning, realising that you are separated from your family and friends who used to live in the same neighborhood, but have then separated for 28 years!! However, it was also the symbolic boundary between democracy and Communism during the Cold War. [August 13, 1961 -- November 9, 198]

Berliners were shocked when they woke up that morning. What had once been a very fluid border was now rigid. No longer could East Berliners cross the border for operas, plays, soccer games, etc. No longer could the approximately 60,000 commuters head to West Berlin for well-paying jobs. No longer could families, friends, and lovers cross the border to meet their loved ones. Whichever side of the border one went to sleep on during the night of August 12, they were stuck on that side for decades. http://history1900s.about.com/od/coldwa1/a/berlinwall.htm 

From these, we cud see that tembok physical ini byk membawa mudarat kpd masyarakat dari pelbagai aspek. bagaimana pula dgn 'tembok hati' yg lebih dasyat?

 Dan sesungguhnya Kami jadikan untuk neraka jahanam banyak dari jin dan manusia yang mempunyai hati (tetapi) tidak mahu memahami dengannya (ayat-ayat Allah), dan yang mempunyai mata (tetapi) tidak mahu melihat dengannya (bukti keesaan Allah) dan yang mempunyai telinga (tetapi) tidak mahu mendengar dengannya (ajaran dan nasihat); mereka itu seperti binatang ternak, bahkan mereka lebih sesat lagi; mereka itulah orang-orang yang lalai.Al-A'araf:179

2nd bottom from left is the former bunker(underground) where Hitler died commit suicide

2. Betapa besarnye hikmah Allah da tentukan dlm setiap qada' dan qadar Allah. In this case, kecuaian Schabowski membongkar rahsia terbesar mengenai Berlin Wall dlm satu media conference telah menyebabkan runtuhnya tembok tersebut. which is a big blessing to people who have been separated for 28 years from their family and friends.

It was nearly 7:00 pm on November 9 when Schabowski, at the time spokesman of the central committee of the ruling SED party, pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket and read out a decree stating that visas would be freely granted to those wanting to travel outside or leave the country.

"As of when?" asked an Italian journalist.

Schabowski hesitated and then improvised: "As far as I know ... as of now."

The news conference was carried live by television networks and within minutes news bulletins were proclaiming that "The Wall has fallen".

Thousands of East Berliners started streaming towards the checkpoints leading to West Berlin, where baffled East German border guards, unsure what to do, kept phoning for instructions.

Eventually as the crowds grew ever larger, one barrier went up and bewildered East Berliners, who had been unable to cross freely for 28 years, staggered into the West.

2. visited the Memorial Holocaust as fitting tribute to the Jews that died before and during World War II as part of Hitler's plan to exterminate them.  the  use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it resulted in 50 million to over 73 million fatalities. These deaths make World War II by far the deadliest conflict in all of human history. the monumens may look different in terms of height but actually they are the same. we are the same! peace , humanity!

 Each is a five-sided monolith, individually unique in shape and size. Some are only ankle high while others tower over visitors. The paths that are shaped between the slabs undulate as well. Eisenman hoped to create a feeling of groundlessness and instability; a sense of disorientation. Most will agree that he succeeded.

Rely? Exams? Birthday?

Assalamualaikum,

sebelum tros membaca, jom selawat dulu.^^

Sabda Rasullah SAW : Barangsiapa yang berselawat keatasku sekali,nescaya Allah akan turunkan rahmat keatasnya 10 kali ganda - (hari Muslim.)

seperti biasa, saya ingin memohon maaf atas kealpaan utk lambat update blog ni smpai da berhabuk. salah satu sbbnya adalah Twitter. salahkan dia. ok. xd point. sebenaranya busy ckt lately ni. anway, wat have I been doing for the past one month or so dat I really wanna share with u guys is about?



1.pergantungan hidup dengan Allah
                 
   During my family attachment sheme, where every medical student is assigned to a specific family and we need to explore about themselves, the illness and how they cope with it. One day during the interview, I was so inspired seeing how an Irish woman really rely on God ultimately.

 "what keep you strong after the accident?"

"I always talked to Him. I pray etc.."

See? how a non-Muslim pun sgt bergantung sepenuhnya kpd Tuhan. We as a Muslim perlu la berlebih2 lagi. its amazing that sometimes depa lebih mempraktikkan Islam itu daripada org Muslim sndri.

“	I went to the West and saw Islam, but no Muslims; I got back to the East and saw Muslims, but not Islam.	”
	— Muhammad Abduh

And what me even ponder myself like sometimes we only regard as supplications as the only means to talk to Allah, but when in fact its every single moment we can always talk to Allah. Make dzkir in your heart etc.Don't separate your "deen"-religion with your daily activities.

2. Live your live like an exam! 


Indeed our life now is like an exam- many challenges coming along the way. and the exam date we never  know exactly when! but it is CERTAIN that there will be one day that we will judged by Allah. so, are we prepared for the 'exams'? We never know when we'll be ready.

But along the way, we HAVE to make efforts to prepare for the exams. so that we won't fail the exams.but remember in mind that studying only would not guarantee you to score in the exams, but rather its the blessings from Him. and indeed all the strength come from Allah. so, always remember Allah in every thing you do..

P/S: that means you need to study hard and smart AND at the same time to rely to Allah only.

3. My 2nd birthday experience in Ireland.

Blessed with all the people around me, family, friends and most importantly to Allah. Alhamdulillah. =)

no words could payback Allah's blessing to us, and if we were to count His blessing, we would never be able to do that. This year my new vision is to be matured! to think like what Sultan Muhammad al-Fateh thinks. He was only 21 when he conquered Constantinopole!

lets learn from this great history and try to live up their strong spirits and faith! =))

Look at a bigger picture!

P/S: this sunday, In Shaa Allah we'll be going to have a trip to Berlin and Turkey to explore the world. dan mengambil ibrah kisah perjuangan Sultan Muhammad al-Fateh dan tenteranya.Doakan kteorg slamat pergi dan balik. =)

P/P/S: xsabar nk gne camera baru. my very first digital camera, first gadget after coming to Ireland.

Post Community Week. =)

Alhamdulillah, All praise to Allah for making this Community Week a success. we had  enjoyable time together. May Allah accept our good deeds. We would also like to thanks all the participants, volunteers, donators and committee members for a successful Community Week. We ask Allah to accept all efforts and contributions and guide us to the straight path.Jazakumullahu khairan jaza' (May Allah reward you with goodness) Aminn. =))

so, the main cause is to raise fund for the Cork Childrens' Leukemia Association by doing bake sale fundraising. its one of the activities that we usually organize annually in Islamic Society (Isoc). the response was so good, that even there's people coming again for more food. muffins, cupcakes, sandwiches, brownies, marble cake, onigiri (Japan delicacies), spring rolls n a long list of other Malaysians food to be written. they were so good, mouth watering!! hehe. =))

Other than that, we also collaborate with Discover Islam Ireland, which they had invited Sheikh Mcarthy to give a talk about the" Methodology Of the Prophet Muhammad". it was a great talk! and one of the steps of Prophet Muhammad SAW that he mentioned n really strikes me is that:

Be the role model! Act upon it first!

yes! be proactive, do what you preach or say to others, always try to improve yourself n others too Sometimes, I guess its not because of the lack of knowledge, but its because we are too scared, too embarrassed to break free from our comfort zone. to really shift our paradigm! 

from my own experience, being able to promote the food during the bake sale requires high courage! yes, at first you will feel scared etc, but as  you try n push yourself to the next level, u will soon discover that you yourself are capable of doing it. n as u practice, u will improved a lot. its juz the  matter of trying. And to do that, u need courage n smile! hehe. =)

And last night, was one of my best night because we learn a lot from each other. to see other people's goodness, to believe in yourself despite all the challenges u think you are not capable of coping with it, Allah knows best.

                                                          

Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.

kelebihan Hari Arafah. =)

Amal Istimewa pada Hari Arafah bagi yang Tidak Sedang Haji

Amal Istimewa Hari Arafah | Hari Arafah merupakan hari yang istimewa. Pada tanggal 9 Dzulhijjah ini jama'ah haji sedang menjalankan wukuf di Arafah, sebuah rukun haji yang bisa disebut paling inti. Lalu bagaimana dengan kita yang tidak sedang menjalankan ibadah haji? Berikut ini beberapa amal istimewa yang perlu dilakukan oleh umat Islam yang tidak sedang pergi Haji pada hari Arafah ini:


1. Puasa Arafah
Amal istimewa pada hari Arafah yang memiliki keutamaan luar biasa adalah puasa Arafah. Puasa Arafah merupakan puasa sunnah yang sangat dianjurkan, sunnah muakad. Diantara keutamaan puasa Arafah adalah dihapuskannya dosa selama dua tahun:

سُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ فَقَالَ يُكَفِّرُ السَّنَةَ الْمَاضِيَةَ وَالْبَاقِيَةَ

Rasulullah SAW pernah ditanya tentang puasa hari Arafah, beliau menjawab, “Puasa itu menghapus dosa satu tahun yang lalu dan satu tahun berikutnya.” (HR. Muslim)

Selain dihapuskannya dosa satu tahun sebelumnya dan satu tahun sesudahnya, puasa Arafah juga memiliki keutamaan lain. Selengkapnya bisa dibaca di artikel 3 Keutamaan Puasa Arafah

2. Berdoa / Memperbanyak Doa
Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam bersabda:

خَيْرُ الدُّعَاءِ دُعَاءُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ

“Sebaik-baik do’a adalah do’a pada hari Arafah." (HR. Tirmidzi, hasan)

Para ulama menjelaskan bahwa maksud sebaik-baik doa pada hadits tersebut adalah doa pada Hari Arafah paling cepat dipenuhi/dikabulkan Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.

Oleh karena itu, mari kita perbanyak doa pada hari Arafah. Doa apa yang dibaca? Terserah Anda. Tidak ada batas khusus. Anda bisa berdoa untuk kebaikan akhirat, juga bisa untuk kebaikan dunia. Namun sebaiknya Anda tidak meninggalkan doa untuk dijaga/diselamatkan Allah dari neraka karena Arafah adalah hari pembebasan dari neraka.

مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْتِقَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ عَبْدًا مِنَ النَّارِ مِنْ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ

“Di antara hari yang Allah banyak membebaskan seseorang dari neraka adalah hari Arafah” (HR. Muslim)

3. Memperbanyak Dzikir
Amal istimewa lainnya pada hari Arafah adalah memperbanyak dzikir, khususnya yang diajarkan Nabi. Dalam hadits riwayat Tirmidzi di atas, setelah menyebutkan sebaik-baik doa adalah pada hari Arafah, beliu menunjukkan sebaik-baik ucapan/dzikir, yaitu membaca :

لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Artinya: Tidak ada Ilah kecuali Allah semata, tidak ada sekutu bagi-Nya. MilikNyalah segala kerajaan dan segala pujian, Allah Maha Menguasai segala sesuatu

Rasulullah shallallahu 'alaihi wasallam bersabda:

خَيْرُ الدُّعَاءِ دُعَاءُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ وَخَيْرُ مَا قُلْتُ أَنَا وَالنَّبِيُّونَ مِنْ قَبْلِى لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

“Sebaik-baik yang kuucapkan, begitu pula diucapkan oleh para Nabi sebelumku adalah ucapan “Laa ilaha illallah wahdahu laa syarika lah, lahul mulku walahul hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli syai-in qadiir” (HR. Tirmidzi, hasan)

Keempat: Puasa pada hari Arafah akan mengampuni dosa dua tahun. Dari Abu Qotadah, Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda,

صِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِى قَبْلَهُ وَالسَّنَةَ الَّتِى بَعْدَهُ وَصِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَاشُورَاءَ أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِى قَبْلَهُ

“Puasa Arafah (9 Dzulhijjah) dapat menghapuskan dosa setahun yang lalu dan setahun akan datang. Puasa Asyuro (10 Muharram) akan menghapuskan dosa setahun yang lalu” (HR. Muslim no. 1162).

Kelima: Hari Arafah adalah hari pengampunan dosa dan pembebasan dari siksa neraka. Dari ‘Aisyah, ia berkata bahwa Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda,

مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْتِقَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ عَبْدًا مِنَ النَّارِ مِنْ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ وَإِنَّهُ لَيَدْنُو ثُمَّ يُبَاهِى بِهِمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ فَيَقُولُ مَا أَرَادَ هَؤُلاَءِ

“Di antara hari yang Allah banyak membebaskan seseorang dari neraka adalah hari Arofah. Dia akan mendekati mereka lalu akan menampakkan keutamaan mereka pada para malaikat. Kemudian Allah berfirman: Apa yang diinginkan oleh mereka?” (HR. Muslim no. 1348).
Allah pun begitu bangga dengan orang yang wukuf di Arafah. Dari ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al ‘Ash, ia berkata bahwa Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam bersabda,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُبَاهِى مَلاَئِكَتَهُ عَشِيَّةَ عَرَفَةَ بِأَهْلِ عَرَفَةَ فَيَقُولُ انْظُرُوا إِلَى عِبَادِى أَتَوْنِى شُعْثاً غُبْراً

“Sesungguhnya Allah berbangga kepada para malaikat-Nya pada sore Arafah dengan orang-orang di Arafah, dan berkata: “Lihatlah keadaan hambaku, mereka mendatangiku dalam keadaan kusut dan berdebu” (HR. Ahmad 2: 224. Syaikh Syu’aib Al Arnauth mengatakan bahwa sanadnya tidaklah mengapa).

Failte Freshers 2012

it is 11.40 pm and I'm updating my blog after quite a while. 

Failte Freshers is a freshers camp to welcome all the juniors specifically at Cork, Ireland.It was a great experience to be part of the committee who organized it n to be part of the family who strives to become the Ulul Albab insyaAllah.


 
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. 3:191

Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.

sunrise at Youghal. MasyaAllah.=)

From what I love most of all the talk about '7 habits of highly effective people' given by Dr Nazir is

 "everything that happens in your life is actually preparing you for your future"

Group Amani, from left: Fira, Juju,Ain, me, Amy, Seha, Wani. =)

look at the bigger picture, to be positive at all time, to be proactive and not all the time reactive. How?

"Pause! Think for a moment! it is worthwhile for me to say this to someone, to do this etc?"

langit Ilahi

''Among His Signs are the Night and the Day and the sun and Moon. Adore not the Sun and the Moon but adore Allah Who created them if it is Him ye wish to serve''( 41 ; 37) 

Begin with the end in mind because everything is created twice, to built a house we need to draw the architectural plan of the house. to organize an event you need to plan the event. same goes to yourself and in your life as a whole. what is your goal in your life? *Think*

housemates. Uhibuki fillah lillahi ta'ala.. =))

8 - The Conditions of La Ilaha illAllah - Fundamentals of Faith - Yasir ...

little piece of advice.

sorry for d delayed post, didn't get internet at home since thursday ago.

 

since my arrival, days have been full. mula2, teman junior g city tour and quite occupied with the activities organized by Persatuan Pelajar Malaysia Cork for the 1st year juniors. I guessed this little contribution is just a little gift of appreciation for them just like what the seniors have been doing for us. =)

The same week, there's a Discover Islam Week at Imperial Hotel in cork city. My friends and I attended the talk about "Concept of God in Islam, Christiany and Hinduism" by brother Imran who is a very experienced in comparative religions etc. it was a really informative and interactive, where non-muslims get the chance to ask what is in their mind about Islam. eg: how and by whom Quran is written?

farahin(housemate) and me.=)

and wat I learned from that other than renewing my iman is that we really need to communicate about Islam to others, to clear their misconceptions so that khilafah Islamiyah itu dpt ditegakkan! so, we need to read Quran and to follow it.

"When you're saying about Quran being so universal on how u we should rule the world in terms of economics etc, why almost all the Islamic countries are listed as poor countries in the world? [in other words why muslims are poor?]" asked by an Irish non-muslim.

Brother Imran answered because "most muslims don't follow Quran in their life."

sentap tros!

so here, I'll just list down the other pieces of advice(tambah2 ckt) from a dakwah training by Brother Imran which I attended at Brookfield, one day before the talk.

• If you left Quran, Allah will left you. =(

• "Kul" -Katakan, say it to non-muslims

• We need Allah, Allah give opportunity to us to spread dakwah, to contribute for Islam.

•  Don't beg, be bold and optimistic when spreading dakwah

•  Change yourself, or Allah will change you until your children don't know about Islam in the future

will update my other stories later. =)