A gentle self-reminder

A recent encounter with a long-lost acquaintance (and followed by my wife’s advice – thank you dearie!) reminded me of a story during the lifetime of our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The following is what I am gently reminding myself of over and again.

Through our daily lives, we sometimes unintentionally seek to find people’s faults; but Allah asks us to see the good in them. Whether it is a rebellious ignorant youth, a self-centered celebrity, or arrogant young and inexperienced politicians (whose existence are so prevalent these days), or even a mean old man; But yet Allah asks us to see the good in them.

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Welcoming Speech at ICRC-IOA Seminar

The FOLLOWING IS MY WELCOMING Speech AT THE SEMINAR ON “Protection and Assistance of Civilians Affected by complex Emergencies and Armed Conflicts”, HOTEL EQUATORIAL kUALA LUMPUR

Mr Werner Kaspar, Head of Regional Delegation ICRC Kuala Lumpur, Distinguished speakers, Guest of honors, respected participants: I warmly welcome you to participate in this seminar on “Protection and Assistance of Civilians Affected by Complex Emergencies and Armed Conflicts” which is organized jointly by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Islamic Outreach ABIM. I believe that today’s event will bring fresh understanding and greater awareness about this important theme, especially for those who are involved in civil society organizations that have a political and moral responsibility to act in such situations.

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Virgins for suicide bombers?

This piece appeared originally in http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/113465

Noordin Mohd Top, Asia’s most wanted terrorist, was shot dead by a crack Indonesian anti-terrorism squad during a shoot-out in a village in Central Java.

The 41-year-old Malaysian-born Noordin, who had eluded the authorities for nine years, was gunned down along with three others in an ambush at his hideout in Solo. He was said to be responsible for a string of deadly bombings in Indonesia, including those in Bali in 2002 and two luxury hotels in Jakarta recently.Continue reading “Virgins for suicide bombers?”

Reviving the Culture of Idealism

A recent seminar at a local university came to “question time” after detailed presentations of the different tracks available to the participants who were mainly students. This call-for-questions was met with total silence.

Two microphones had been set up, yet not one single student approached these microphones. Furthermore, the session moderator, evidently unskilled in the matter and not knowing what to say, merely moved on to the next agenda item.Continue reading “Reviving the Culture of Idealism”

The Golden Mean by Imam Al-Haddad

Know that moderation and steering a middle course are required in all affairs and must be maintained. It has been handed down that “the best of the things are the middle ones”. And, “Moderation, deliberation, and graceful manners are one of twenty-five parts of Prophethood.”

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Key institutions used to control the opposition

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/110526

A primary principle of democratic government that can and should be imported into the Muslim Ummah is self-regulation by means of opposition dialogue and political parties. Political opposition, accomplished through the right channel and by reasonable means, is NOT the same as “sedition”, therefore blogs and other forms of detraction from majority party views may not be labeled as “seditious”, as is the habit here in Malaysia.

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Uwais Al-Qarani

In a Hadith Qudsi recorded by the Companion Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet Muhammad (s) said speaking from his Lord:

“Allah, Exalted and Mighty is He, loves of His creation the God-fearing, the pure in the heart, those who are hidden, and those who are innocent, whose face is dusty, whose hair is unkempt, whose stomach is empty, and who, if he asks permission to enter to the rulers, is not granted it, and if he were to ask for a gentle lady in marriage, he would be refused, and when he leaves the world it does not miss him, and if he goes out, his going out is not noticed, and if he falls sick, he is not attended to, and if he dies, he is not accompanied to his grave.“

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Farewell Thoughts

I am counting down the number of days before my term as ABIM vice president ends on 1 August 2009. Reflecting upon the many years in this organization, right now I do not think I am capable of recognizing how much I have learned or grown in the past several years or how much of that is owed to ABIM. It may be some time before I do, but what has particularly struck me is the dedication of a few big-hearted individuals I have met in the ABIM network. I found much invaluable experience from my encounters with them.

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