Can you capture the essence of what Ramadhan means to you in a picture?

This is the chance for you to bring out the artist in you! Go on, take out your DSLRs or any type of light-capturing gadget, and sharpen your skills.

Send in an original picture that captures the essence of what Ramadhan means to you (it could be anything  you feel like). This could be a picture you draw or a photograph you take, just make sure it represents Ramadan to you or Muslims all around the world!

You can send your pictures in two ways:

1. By posting  the link of your picture in the Comments feature below.

2. By e-mailing the picture to msm_nw@yahoo.co.uk . Make sure the subject line reads “What Does Ramadhan Mean to You?”

Let’s see how many faces of Ramadhan we can gather!

*Entries closed 20th Ramadhan 1429H, to make way for the precious last 10 days

Ramadhan Mubarak to all!

assalamualaikum wbt,

a piece to commemorate the coming of the awaited blessed month.

this being the ramadhan…

the month where as mentioned in the tradition of the Prophet peace be upon him as, ” When there comes the month of Ramadhan, the gates of mercy are opened and the gates of Hell are locked and the devils chained.“ (Sahih Bukhari)

every Muslim claimed to have awaited this month and its arrival was marked with much joy and happiness. it is regarded as the ‘bonus month’, the month where everything is given the reward many times over, the month where in it lies the night which equals to 1000 month, as recorded in surah 97:

“We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what is the Night of Power? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by God’s permission, on every errand. Peace! This until the rise of morn..”

as time goes on, so does our habits and surroundings. as i reflected back to the previous years when i was still in university, it was not a struggle to really maximize the month with lots of zikr, prayers, reciting the Quran, attending reminders, qiyyam and iktikaf. especially when, at the end of the day, or after lectures, you went back to the surroundings where people fast and pray like you, read the Quran and do zikr like you. even if you get a bit lazy from time to time, upon seeing other people relentlessly pursuing the fruits of Ramadhan, you will be left with the same valour afterwards, as you wouldn’t want to be the only one left out from the rewards.

but now, things have changed. you will spend your whole day around people who doesn’t fast nor pray, nor believe in Allah anyway. their life will go about as if nothing is different at all this month. why should it be? gates of mercy? gates of Hell? devils tied up? huh?

and you are left struggling to uphold the sacredness of this month on your own. you have to maintain it as a constant reminder in your heart, in your mind. you have to be in constant vigilance, sorting out the good from the bad, in order to really take care of your fast, not to let it be eroded in any way. this is because at the end of the day, fasting is not just about not eating or drinking, as related to us in this hadith:

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet said: “Fasting is not [abstaining] from eating and drinking only, but also from vain speech and foul language. If one of you is being cursed or annoyed, he should say: “I am fasting, I am fasting.” (Related by Ibn Khuzaimah, Ibn Hibban, and Al-Hakim. The latter said that it is Authentic according to Muslim’s criterion.)

anybody can not eat the whole day. those patients i see in ITU, some of them technically considered as fasting anyway if fasting just merely means not eating and drinking (of course they could not eat and drink, they are intubated!) so what is the difference between me and them, if it just down to ‘not eating or drinking?’

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet said: “Perhaps a fasting person will get nothing from his fast save hunger, and perhaps the one who stands to pray at night will get nothing from his standing except sleeplessness. “ (Related by An-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim. The latter said that it is Authentic according to Al-Bukhari’s criterion.)

it will be such a waste, if we are lumped into this category of people who fast, but doesn’t get anything beyond the physical effects of it.

it is then our challenge to make this ramadhan, better than the previous ramadhans. regardless how difficult or different the circumstances are today. so what if i’m on call untill 9pm and have to break my fast during hand over? or i am on night shift during ramadhan? i should not use this as an excuse to cut slack and miss out on the enormous blessings and rewards out for any Muslim to grab, during this whole month.

the Muslims had fought one of the greatest battle in Islamic History, the battle of Badr during the month of Ramadhan. And they won. even with the odds in terms of military numbers against them.

so we too, shall strive to do our best in our own ‘Battle of Badr’. and we will strive to win.

practical things that we can perhaps try:

1- refresh the intention everytime before going to work so that every second at work will count as ibadah.

2- to appear refreshed and energized, and to try our best to do the job well despite lack of glucose and hydration so as to present a positive impression to the non muslims. this is also in spirit of the hadith, ” Verily Allah has enjoined excellence with regard to everything.” (sahih muslim)

also to do away with the image that muslims are lazy and tired during ramadhan after not eating and drinking the whole day.

3- take advantage of night shifts to increase points for ramadhan. don’t forget to bring the quran with you in case there is free time during the night to recite the quran or while waiting for people to bleep you.

4- increase your zikr, don’t let the mind be idle, instead, fill it with remembrance of Allah, ie while waiting for ward round/hand over/teaching to start.

5- treat everyone around you, colleagues, patients, relatives with the best of manners.

6- be aware of the conversation that goes around you. when you detect that the conversation is revolving around something not at all useful or worse, talking not-so-good things about other people ie backbite (which can be quite common here but they don’t seem to regard it as backbite or something negative), try to excuse yourself to get away from it, or if you can’t, try to block it out of your mind and make istighfar, or even better, change the topic of conversation.

7- although there might be limited time to do supererogatory prayers during work shift, ensure that the obligatory ones were performed very well.

may Allah give us the strength to remain steadfast and patient all throughout Ramadhan, in order to reap its fruits, later in the Hereafter.
wallahu’alam

-Dr Nik Munirah

Ku sering bermimpi,
Ku sering berdoa,
Diri ini kan menjadi seperti
bulan yang mengambang,
Walau tidak mampu menyinar sendiri,
Dia tetap gah mencahayai malam.

Ku sedar diri ini kerdil,
Namun,
Tetapku berharap agar jiwa ini,
Jiwa ini diberi kekuatan Ilahi
agar dapat kesempurnaan matlamat hidupku,
Di bumi yang fana ini.

-alia, leeds-

khemah dipasang. hujan turun. khemah bocor. ade kain tuala jd korban utk keringkan khemah. jazakillah pd yg sanggup mengorbankan kepunyaan sndiri utk org lain. sesungguhnya Dia tahu, dan Dia berjanji memberi ganjaran. maka bergembiralah. hhuhu. masa utk muhasabah. dlm khemah yg basah, dipenuhi manusia yg masing2 mengeluarkan haba, dah tentu khemah tu jd x selesa. dgn barang sana sini, skjap2 bau sardin, kejap2 bau tuna, kejap2 bau kain basah. mcm2 ade. mlm2 tdo dlm khemah basah, menggigil kesejukan. nk pakai stokin, stokin pun basah. alahai, kecut2 dah kaki. huhu. nak tdo panas punye pasal, tdo dlm khemah kecik tu smpi enam org. peheheh.. mmg kaku tdo. nak merengkot pon x muat. huhu. tp alhamdulillah, lena nye tdo sbb panas. bayangkan semua yg kite lalui dlm mase seminggu ni, adek kakak kite di bumi itu lalui setiap hari. dlm susah payah tu, kite tahu dan kite yakin, bahawa bile balek rumah nnt, ade katil dan bantal empuk yg setia menunggu. ade shower air panas yg melegakan, sedia diguna. ade makanan yg enak, ade air mcm2 perisa utk diminum. tp mereka? ntah bile, sampai bile agaknye hari2 mereka terus begini. mungkin smpi ke anak cucu skali pun. tp satu sahaja, yg mereka pegang dgn teguh, menjadi harapan hati2 mereka. janji Allah. bahawa kemenangan itu pasti bg mereka. bg kita. kerana mereka adalah kita. AllahuAkbar. doakan mereka dberi segala kekuatan.

secebis kenangan dr Yorkshire Dales,

SummerCamp MSM 2008

I can be anywhere doing anything and I’m mindful of God
I’m pleased in good and happy in harm
and now I realize that I already live in a land called paradise

In general, sensible people know the importance of time.

Imagine there is a bank which credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day.

What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!

Well, everyone has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose.

It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours.

There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow”. You must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today.

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who has failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who has given birth to a pre-mature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE DAY, ask a daily wage laborer who has kids to feed.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who has missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who has avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLI-SECOND, ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time … and remember that time waits for no one. . .

Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery, today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present!

Source: http://www.ezsoftech.com/Akram/time.asp

The Characteristics of Time

We are to bear in mind that time has certain characteristics, among of which are the following:

1. Time passes quickly.
2. Time that passes can never return, nor can it be compensated for, for time is irretrievable.
3. Time is the most precious thing that man possesses.

Muslim’s Duty towards Time:

Having all this great value and importance, time is to be duly appreciated and managed. In Islam there is no room for slogans like the so-called “killing time”, for in Islam time is really valuable. In fact, wasting time is much more dangerous than squandering property, because unlike property, time cannot be compensated. Free time is a blessing that is overlooked, and not wholly appreciated by many people.

This indicates that it’s very important for a Muslim to try his utmost to husband his time and make the best use of it in beneficial things. A Muslim may use portion of his time in making invocations and supplications, celebrating the praises of Allah. The Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), used to supplicate: “O Allah! I seek refuge in You from sorrow and distress, and I seek refuge in You from disability and laziness.”

A Muslim should learn how to organize his time, and make a realistic plan for his worldly and religious duties, without any of them overlapping the other. That is to say that one should know how to arrange his priorities: the most important and the most urgent comes first, and carried out according to schedule. Organizing time also includes leaving a place for relaxation and entertainment, for ‘all work and no play make Jack a dull boy.’

One of the methods of managing his time properly is for a Muslim to get up early and sleep early, for early hours always yield great blessings. Starting his day with prayer and the supplication of the morning brings the Muslim Allah’s grace. A Muslim should always bear in mind that every time has its own task that suits it. Doing tasks in their due times brings about peace of mind and comfort.

Finally, we would like to cite the following Hadith of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), quoting from the Book of Ibrahim, peace be upon him: “A sane person, unless he is mindless, should have four hours: an hour to invoke to his Lord, an hour to count his own deeds, an hour to contemplate about the creation of Allah and an hour to satisfy his worldly needs.”

Verily, time is very important for our success both in this temporary world and the eternal world to come. If we waste time, if we abuse it, then we waste and abuse our lives. In the Life Hereafter we will be among the losers, who will suffer the torments in the Hell Fire, if Allah the Almighty will not forgive us. Therefore, if we really give value to our lives then, we must give due value to the importance of time.

Source: http://www.ezsoftech.com/Akram/time.asp

There are among those who believe in the popular saying as “Time is Gold.”

Time in Islam is more than Gold or any precious material thing in this world. Of all religions, only Islam guides mankind not only to the importance of time but also how to value it. Allah the Almighty and His Messenger, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), very clearly tell us the value of time, why we must not waste it and how we can make use of our time wisely to increase our Eeman (Faith) and thus attain success, especially eternal success in the life hereafter.

Both the Qur’an and the Sunnah enjoin Muslims to be conscious of time. We are reminded that life in this world is nothing but temporary. We never know when death has been appointed for us. We must value time for the satisfaction of Allah the Almighty. For our guidance and success, we must never waste time nor abuse it.

Ibn Abbas narrated that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:

“There are two blessings which many people lose: (They are) health and free time for doing good.” (Bukhari 8/421)

Indeed, we displease Allah the Most High when we abuse time. We must remember that time must be spent to fulfill our very purpose in life that is to worship Allah all throughout our lives. Allah makes this very clear in the Qur’an when He says:

I have only created Jinns and Men, that they may serve Me. No Sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me. For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance, Lord of Power, Steadfast (for ever). Qur’an (51:56-58 )

But celebrate the praises of thy Lord, and be of those who prostrate themselves in adoration. And serve thy Lord until there come unto thee the Hour that is certain (i.e., death). Qur’an (15:98-99)

Everything we do in accordance with the Qur’an and the Sunnah is an act of worship. Such worship must be done sincerely for the pleasure of Allah alone. We should make use of our time (which includes our “free time”) in doing beneficial things especially those that will make us closer to Allah and earn His Mercy.

Corollary to the above divine commandment, we must ask ourselves: Have we been obeying Allah and His Messenger? To what extent have we used our time learning the Qur’an and the Sunnah in order to have correct Eeman (Faith), to do righteous deeds, to enjoin the Truth or do Da’wah, and be patient and constant? As time passes by, are we sure we are devoting our time for the sincere worship and pleasure of Allah the Most High? Are we taking guidance from the following very enlightening Ayat (Qur’anic verses)?

By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy. Qur’an (103:1-3)

In line with the above Qur’anic injunction, we have to discipline ourselves by giving value to the importance of time. Islam encourages Muslims to care for time, to utilize it wisely and not to waste it and to benefit from it. Besides, it holds them responsible for their time.

We have to remember that on the Day of Judgment we shall be asked how we spent our lives, wealth and knowledge. In other words, we will be questioned on how we spent everything that Allah has given us as implied in the following Hadith:

Narrated Abdullah Bin Mas`ud Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said:

“A man shall be asked concerning four things on the day of resurrection: concerning his life, how he spent it; concerning his youth, how he grew old; concerning his wealth, whence he acquired it, and in what way he spent it; and what was it that he did with the knowledge that he had.”

The above Hadith urges Muslims to take the initiative, and not to delay good deeds; man’s life is not free from impediments, such as those calamities, which can prevent him from accomplishing what could have been done earlier. Wise are those who grab available opportunities before being handicapped by obstacles.

To be successful, we have to manage our time wisely by making plans for virtuous deeds that please Allah the Almighty. We must spend time learning Islam based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

Time - Use it, do not abuse it

Our attitude towards time indicates our attitude towards the value of the capital of life. If we want to purchase something, we require financial capital; and if we want to do something in life, we require the capital of life, time. That is why the Qur’an exhorts us to value the time we have before life is up. Qur’an (63:10)

Realize that…

• Time is the measure of life, time is an amaanah (trust), time is a gift from the Creator and its proper use will determine our outcome for eternity.
• We are born in time, live in time and die in time; time is the ambit within which we operate. What we do with time is what we do with our lives.
• Each one must realize that every moment that passes by is an opportunity gone, used or abused; never to return. Soon time will be up and we’ll have to leave this physical world and give account for our lives.
• The more we remind ourselves of the responsibility of the present the better we get at living the moment and the better we live the present moment the better the consequence for the future.

Our attitude towards the future influences our mind-set towards the rest of life. Being positive about life ahead is among life’s greatest motivators. Hope is the best attitude one can harbor towards the future; this realistic expectation that something good or better could/will happen if only we continue doing the best we can. Remember that today well-lived makes yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Wise are the words of the one who said … “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

“O Allah! Make life a means for every dimension of goodness.” [Prayer of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)]

Source: http://www.ezsoftech.com/Akram/time.asp

Entah kenapa, diri ini sering terfikir.

Apakah gunanya aku kepada manusia?

Kalau manusia itu terlalu luas, aku kecilkan skopnya pada negara.

Masih terlalu besar?

Apakah gunanya aku kepada komuniti aku di bandar L?

Terlalu ramai?

Apakah gunanya aku kepada rakan seangkatanku?

Apakah gunanya aku kepada teman-teman serumahku?

Andai itu skopnya masih besar, ingin sahaja aku label diriku sebagai PENTINGKAN DIRI SENDIRI!

Tidakkah aku mempunyai kegunaan kepada orang lain? Kenapa aku tidak tahu apa gunanya aku?

Tenang, tenang. Jangan risau.

Mari kita duduk, merenung sejenak satu antara berjuta makhluk Al-Khaliq.

Sepohon kelapa?

Dari akar umbinya ke hujung daunnya yang tirus. Berguna pada manusia hingga digelar pokok 1001 guna. Akarnya menahan pepasir pantai dari terus terhakis dek ombak. Batangnya jika tidak dibuat tiang pondok dijadikan pangkin beristirehat. Pelepah menjadi mainan kanak-kanak riang. Lidinya menjadi idaman pengusaha penyapu. Buahnya pula… MMmmm, air kelapa muda bersama nasi kandar panas. Apabila tua, isinya dijadikan santan, sabutnya dijadikan penyapu. Subhanallah, dari muda ke tua sepohon kelapa berbakti kepada manusia dan alam. Begitulah Al-Khaliq menciptakan makhlukNya. Mempunyai tujuan dan kegunaan. Begitu juga manusia. Dijadikan sebaik-baik ciptaan dan diangkat menjadi khalifah Bumi selain mengabdikan diri kepadaNya. Itulah kegunaan kita. Akan tetapi, adakah sama kegunaan dan manfaat? Pertama sekali mari kita bersama membuat refleksi diri. Kita ingatkan diri kita kenapa kita dijadikan?

Ingat lagi Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 30?

’Dan ingatlah ketika Tuhanmu berfirman kepada para malaikat ,”Aku hendak menjadikan khalifah di bumi. Mereka berkata, ”Apakah Engkau hendak menjadikan orang yang merosak dam menumpahkan dara di sana,sedangkan kami bertasbih memujiMu dan menyucikan namaMu?” Dia berfirman, Sungguh Aku mengetahui apa yang tidak kamu mengetahui”

Dan Surah Az-Zariyat ayat 56?

” Tidak Aku menciptakan Jin dan manusia melainkan agar mereka beribadah kepadaku”

Hidup kita hanya kerana 2 tujuan ini. Satu untuk menjadi khalifah, dua untuk beribadah. Haa… di situlah manfaat kita. Apalah guna hidup ini jika digunakan hanya untuk makan, minum dan tidur. Oleh itu,buatlah sesuatu yang boleh memberi manfaat kepada orang lain dan masyarakat.Muhasabah diri sekali lagi dan cuba kita ’list’kan perkara-perkara yang telah kita lakukan sepanjang hidup kita yang boleh memberi manfaat kepada orang lain. Bak kata pepatah buatan sendiri ”Buat baik dibalas baik, beri manfaat kepada orang lain, insyaAllah, di akhirat tak kan rugi”. Manfaat bukan sahaja dalam apa yang kita lakukan, malah badan jasadiah kita ini harus dimanfaatkan. Kalau perlu guna badan kita untuk angkat barang, di situlah manfaatnya. Kalau perlu guna akal kita untuk fikir strategi bagaimana nak jalan-jalan di Turkey dalam masa 2 hari, di situlah manfaatnya.. dan banyak lagi yang insya-Allah bermanfaat… Jadikanlah pokok kelapa sebagai teladan, andai pokok kelapa mempunyai 1001 manfaat, biarlah kita bermanfaat lebih dari itu. Harap-harap kita dapat menjadi Ulul Albab yang melihat tanda kekuasaan Allah (s.w.t) melalui penciptaan langit dan bumi dan mengambil pelajaran daripadanya…

Wallahua’lam

Teratak Hijau…

LS2 9LA