What defines you? What legacy have you left behind?

"Think farming. What do you do if you want a great harvest? Plant lots of good seed.

What happens if you eat up the seed? No harvest. Life is farming" (Yawar Baig, "Thought share - life lessons of 55 years")

Have we ever allowed others to reap the benefits of the seeds we have planted?

"It is your character, your actions, what you stand for, your principles and your values, which define you.

Not what you possess. What you possess can be stolen or taken away from you.

Your character, your values, your principles - these are the stuff of memories that you leave behind.

By these you will be remembered, honorably or otherwise.

Live a life such that you will be remembered with honor.

Anyone sensible enough will seek to add value to himself, not cost. Possessions add cost, not value.

People who believe that possessions add value, or seek to convince others of this, seemingly have no value for themselves.

The 'awesomeness' of your car, your house, your watch, your clothing - none of these define you, are not statements, nor indicators of what human being you are." (Mirza Yawar Baig, "Bringing Up a Muslim Child")

We tend to deceptively drive ourselves into the mentality that our significance is marked by the physical magnitude of the wealth and richess we leave behind.

Let's take a step back and evaluate for ourselves - how do you measure the significance of a person? Let's take an easy example, the Top 100 Most Influential Persons in History, by Michael Hart. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100

And you will see that, this contemporary historian acknowledges that, throughout the course of human history - all the 100 most influential people, are not recognized for the material wealth that they leave behind. It's always the contribution, the role and effect they have have on society - and the footprint they leave behind on the hearts and minds of other men - men and women who have never met them - many many years after their death.

Which really puts into perspective, the authentic hadith narrated in Sahih Muslim, where the Prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"When the son of Adam dies, all of his good deeds are cut off except three:

1) a perpetual charity (which continues to benefit others)

2) good knowledge which benefits others; and

3) the prayers of a righteous child/progeny for his parents"

When you leave this material world, the Prophet tells us that the only thing that is of any avail to us, is of the positive things that we have left behind - the beneficial contributions to society, and the righteousness of our children (who, in turn, will continue to benefit others too!)

and you see, in some way or another, those 100 men were listed there, due to the significance of one or a combination of the three aspects listed above.*pls read disclaimer below

... Which of course, isn't surprising that this amazing statement came from the very same man - Muhammad - whom Michael Hart placed as the Number 1 most influential person in the history of mankind

Read the newspapers - memorials of people who have passed away. Who cares what physical riches they have gathered? What earned them a page in the newspaper is the true value that they've brought to the society and people around them.

Who cares about the jaded pop star who owns a 15-million dollar mansion by the sea who died because of drug overdose?

So let's take a backseat, reflect, and ask ourselves - what defines us?

What have we left behind for others?

When you go, will you be loved, or hated?

When you go, will people be relieved, or grieved, at your absence?

All that wealth and possessions that we have hoarded and amassed today - is it really that important?

Begin with the end in mind: what we do today - will these be of any avail to us tomorrow? Or even after we pass away?

..Or are we heedlessly enjoying fleeting things that will be a cause of regret, when we come back to our senses some day?

There will come, a time to change to a better person, and that time is NOW.

"Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe to be affected by Allah's Reminder, and that which has been revealed of the truth?

Lest they become as those who received the Scripture before, and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened?

And many of them were rebellious and disobedient" (Al-Hadid 57:16)

And Allah knows best.

- Why Islam? Why not!

"And remind them - for verily, the reminder profits those who believe" (Adz-Dzariyat 51:55)

*Disclaimer: before some of you jump on your seats, i fully acknowledge the fact that some of the people in Michael Hart's top 100 list (and some amongst the honourable mention) are not good people... in fact some of them are downright evil. No, I didn't say Hitler - but you get the point.

The point is to show the significance of the legacy we leave behind - the reason they have had such an influence is because of what they did - not what they owned.

And indeed, this also shows that conversely, any significant evil which you have caused in society will also leave a mark on them for many, many years to come.

the BLAMING culture - put an end to it!

Muhammad (peace & blessings of God be upon him), said:

“If somebody finds fault, blames you, and makes you feel ashamed of any of your defects,

do not (retaliate &) make him feel ashamed of any of his defects (in return).”

(Abu Dawud)

Usually, when somebody points out one of our shortcomings, whether in meetings, e-mails, workshops, challenge sessions, or even in domestic arguments at home – when they mention our flaws & defects, our ‘normal defense mechanism’ instinctively kicks in - we go on the defensive and start finding faults with them in return!

But – Allah tells us – the worst thing we could do is to take that insult, wrap it up, and throw it in a fireball to someone else! And yet this is something very prevalent amongst us today!

Allah tells us the effects of practicing the blaming and ‘pointing finger’ culture:

"And whoever earns a fault or a sin and then throws it on to someone innocent, he has indeed burdened himself with falsehood and manifest evil”(An-Nisa 4:112)

As if this is not given enough warning & emphasis in the Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad also said "A believer is not a fault-finder and is not abusive, obscene, or course."(Al-Bukhari, book of manners #313)

Are we having this attribute of being a BELIEVER, o Muslims?

Yes, sometimes you are wrongly at fault, stabbed in the back, and it’s VERY TEMPTING to get back at the fella – especially if you think you’re better than him/her

But you know what, O believers? Think twice before you lash out your tongue – he/she might be BETTER than you after all:

“O you who believe!

Let not some men among you laugh (& look down upon) others; it may be that they are better than them (the ones laughing);

nor let some women laugh (& look down upon) at others: it may be that that they are better (than the ones laughing)

do not defame another, or insult one another by bad nicknames

how evil is it, to insult one’s brother after having Faith

And whosoever does not repent, then such indeed are the Zalimun (the oppressors)”

(Al-Hujarat 49:11)

So the advice of our beloved Prophet in the hadith above - i.e. "do not retaliate humiliation against others" (abu dawud) - is that we should listen quietly and evaluate what we are being told:

- If this criticism is true, and there is something we can improve about ourselves, it is only to our own advantage to listen to it & heed – Alhamdulillah!

- If the criticism is unjustified, then we are rewarded for our patience and good behaviour in not retaliating. The angels (mala’ikah) will take care of defending our honour.

Yes, when he/she insults you– your ego get challenged, your honour takes a minor blow – patience will feel very painful. But you know what? Be certain, that Allah KNOWS what you’ve gone through – and He will reward you for that patience!

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “Never a believer is stricken with a discomfort, an illness, an anxiety, a grief or mental worry or even the pricking of a thorn, except that Allah will (of a surety) forgive (some of) his sins on account of his patience” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

.. and Allah will NEVER allow a single moment of your patience to go unrewarded & unwritten!

“And each person willl be paid in full of what he did; and He (Allah) is Best Aware of what they do.” (Az-Zumar 39:70)

A Muslim takes every available opportunity to benefit from everything – no matter what the circumstances are!

And this invincible mindset is perfectly described by the Prophet (peace be upon him):

“Amazing are the ways of a believer – there is good in every affair of his, and this is not the case with anyone else except for a believer. For if something good happens to him, he is thankful (to Allah), and thus there is good for him in it, and if a trial or difficulty befalls him, he is patient (in enduring the trial), and in that too, there is good for him” (Sahih Muslim)

Do we have what it takes to have these traits of a Believer, O brothers and sisters?

Let us all play our part to learn from & implement the ways of the Prophet as taught in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet – and by Allah, if we do - of a surety, there will be a positive change in the society today

Allah knows best - may He make us steadfast upon patience and gratitude

- Why Islam? Why not!

How to be SERIOUSLY wealthy

Some practical advice you can do to be SERIOUSLY rich & wealthy – right here, right now – proven effective since more than 1400 years ago! Hearken, O believers!

Prophet Muhammad, (peace & blessings be upon him) said: “Richness (wealth) is not in having many possessions, but (true) richness is the richness of the soul – contentment (of the heart)” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

People will only be wealthy & generous when they feel they have excess wealth. When you personally train yourself to feel contentment of the heart – satisfied with all that Allah has blessed you – this will have a powerful psychological effect that make you feel wealthy no matter what Allah grants to you – even if it’s not much! If you are content, even RM 100 can have a huge amount of blessing and suffice you.

..and if you don’t be content with what you have?

Your desires will come to no end! Even if Allah gives you double from what you have now, you will ask for more. Even if Allah gives you a Mercedes, you’d wish you’d have another Ferrarri!

Even if you get an iPhone 3Gs, you'd be unthankful because you didn't wait for the new and slick iPhone 4!!

These bottomless desires are beautifully expressed in a hadith of the Prophet (peace & blessings of Allah be upon him), when he said,

"If the son of Adam were given a valley full of gold, he would desire to have a second one; and if he were given the second one, he would desire to have a third, for nothing fills the belly of Adam's son except dust. And Allah forgives he who repents to Him." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, #446)

But you know what? When you are thankful & content – you’d realize that you are well off, after all!

When you are thankful & content – even with that little salary that you’ll get, you’ll feel you’re on top of the world..! (& even feel you have enough excess to give in charity!)

Isn’t this true richness, o fellow brothers & sisters?

Hasan Al-Basri once asked a person who was desirous of wealth, “would you like that I pay you 100,000 to take away your eyesight? Would you like that I pay you 100,000 for me to take away your ears and your hearing capabilities? Would you like that I pay you 100,000 for your hands? For your feet? For your nose? For your tongue? For your heart?”

To which the student replied “no” to all his questioned. Finally, he answered,

“you’re a walking millionaire, and you don’t even know it!”

O fellow brothers in humanity,

• How many people out there are surviving with less salary, less pay, more children & more responsibilities than you? And yet our pay is ALWAYS “not enough”?
• How many people out there are having to wake up at 4am to take the bus, because they can’t afford a car? And your car ain’t “slick enough”?
• How many people out there are having to walk for hours and hours in one day just to get their daily supply of clean drinking water? And we complain of “lousy food”?
• How many people out there are missing out on the beautiful sights of Allah’s creation because Allah takes away their eyesight?
• How many people out there are having so much difficulty because they lost their feet & their ability to walk? And we hardly ever go to the masjid in congregational prayers & exercise our gratitude to the Almighty?




• How many people out there are spending their lifetimes rotting away in prison? And we claim we “don’t have enough time” to study & benefit from the final Revelation of Allah – the Qur’an!




Look to those who have less than you - and you will realize you have everything that you can possibly need!

The Prophet said, “When one of you looks at (and compares yourself with) one who stands at a higher level than you with regard to wealth and physical appearance,

he should (instead) see one who stands at a lower level than you in regard to these things,

for this will (make you grateful, and) keep you from belittling Allah’s Favour to you” (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)

Be grateful for all that you have - and not only will you conquer your own self-desires - but amazingly, Allah will give you more!

And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed, "if you are thankful, I will give you more (of My blessings); but if you are thankless, verily! My Punishment is indeed severe" (Ibrahim 14:7)

“…And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his ownself, and whoever is ungrateful, (he is only ungrateful only for the loss of his own self). Certainly! My Lord (Allah) is Rich, Bountiful" (An-Naml 27:40)

and what if you persist in your desires?

"and he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful" (Al-Imran 3:144)

The greatest of riches that you can attain, O servants of Allah, is contentment of one’s soul, and having a contented heart, and this will not be achieved except through sincere humility to Allah, and calling upon Him in Du’aa and placing reliance upon Him.

Be the master of your desires, O servants of Allah – be content, and you shall set yourself free!

..And Allah knows best

"Why Islam? Why NOT?!"



Modesty (Haya) - The Honour and Self-Respect of a Muslim!

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Iman consists of more than seventy branches. And haya (modesty) is a part of faith.’” (al-Bukhari)

Allah tells us in the Qur'an, “O children of Adam, We have provided you with garments to cover your bodies, as well as for luxury. But the best garment is the garment of righteousness. These are some of God's signs, that they may take heed.” (Al-A`raf 7:26)

Modesty is a beautiful virtue in Islam. In a time when the Arabs would treat their women like worthless creatures, and at the same time some Christian scholars went to the extent of even debating on whether or not the women have souls or are they of the jin - it was during this time, the teachings of Islam came in and completely liberated people of all these false ideas and mistreatment of women. Islam gave women a special status to be treated with kindness, gentleness, and utmost respect.

Prophet Muhammad, Rasulullah ﺻﻟﻰﺍﷲﻋﻟﻳﻪ ﻮﺳﻟﻢ said: “The most perfect of the believers in faith is he who is the best of them in conduct, and the best of you in conduct are those who are best to their wives” (At-Tirmidzi)

And to elevate them in status, the teachings of Islam established a very important part in every single human being, with a great emphasis on the women - self respect.

"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at the forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts). That is purer for them. Verily, Allah is All-Aware of what they do." (An-Nur 24:30)

Men have been created with the natural disposition of being attracted to women. And it is out of this 'instinct' that Allah has commanded the women to cover themselves up to close the doors of evil from the eyes of man. When you cover yourself up, concealing the adornments and attractions of your body to men, this shows you pay attention to your honour - you don't want to men to drool at you, or to talk to you just for the sake of getting in bed with you. You want people to interact with you as a person, and not an object of sexual desire.

Women who cover their adornments from the eyes of prying eyes of men obviously aren't worried that "men don't want to marry me" because of the recognition that, in fact, it is these qualities, of self-respect, dignity, honour and God-conciousness towards Allah - these are amongst the qualities of the "dream girl" to a Muslim man.

Prophet Muhammad said: “Men choose women for four reasons: for their money, for their rank, for their beauty and for their religion, but marry one who is religious and you will succeed” (Bukhari, Muslim).

The Prophet (saw) also said, “A heart that is grateful (to Allah), a tongue that remembers and mentions (Allah), and a righteous wife who would assist you in the affairs of your life and religion: those are the best treasures for the people.”
(Al Bayhaqi, Tirmidhi)

But here today, in the society we live in, self respect and honour are no longer virtues that are no longer highly looked upon anymore. Here we see in the media everywhere - television, newspapers, internet - women are prioritizing the public display of their beauty to others and the adherence to 'fashion' so highly to the point that the necessity of haya and modesty has all but been forgotten. People who cover themselves up are looked upon as 'backward' or 'not following current trends'.



Right here, right now?
Which is what triggered me to write this blog today. My lovely wife Dewi just informed me that in today's newspaper had an article regarding the niqab. As yet another test upon mankind, Allah has ordained that the disbelievers raise the issue of the niqab (also known as 'purdah', or 'burqa', or the face covering which the Muslimah wear) upon the Muslim ummah. Here we see a great deal of authorities, be it countries, universities, governments - all of them going to great extents to prohibit women from wearing it. (http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=0131&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Bicara_Agama&pg=ba_01.htm


But the thing that ticked me off most, is the last statement of the article - "Oleh itu adalah sesuatu yang malang jika ada sesetengah umat Islam ingin membantah sesuatu yang dalam Islam sendiripun tidak mewajibkannya." (translated - Therefore it is unfortunate if there are some Muslims who are so adamant on wanting something which is not even obligatory in Islam)

Brothers and sisters in Islam! (i have no better way to express this, so excuse me) WHAT IN THE WORLD IS WRONG WITH YOU? These women want to cover themselves up from the eyes of men! These women may think their faces as being attractive and could be a fitnah for the eyes of other men, so they took the honourable move of covering themselves up. LET THEM DO SO!

Yes, whether or not it is obligatory has been a subject of great dispute and khliaf (differences) but the strongest opinion is that, indeed it is not obligatory - but that being said, it is still encouraged - the Prophet's wives wore it to prevent others from being attracted to them in any way.

If it is encouraged in Islam, let it BE! Help your Muslim sisters who pay attention to their honour - let them move towards the Haya which is so loved by Allah and His Messenger! What will you do when a trial like this happens? When foreign governments oppress our sisters' honour? You take their sides and go against Muslims? You too want to discourage your Muslim sisters from doing what is loved so dearly by Allah, for the sake of her modesty? Even one so-called Muslim SCHOLAR actually supports France's decision to ban the niqab?

Allahum-Musta'an.

And the irony is, on the next section of fashion, you have female artists showing off their bodies with very little clothing on their bodies. And you have MUSLIM writers promoting this fashion.

Allahum-Musta'an..

May Allah help us all in differentiating the good and the evil, and to loving our dignity, to being pleased with the beauty of His teachings to mankind. May Allah grant us the wisdom to sincerely become better people for the sake of earning His pleasure and the reward of Paradise, and to protect ourselves from the punishment of the Hellfire, for our ignorance and our arrogance.

"Alif Lam Mim. Do people think that they will be left alone because they say 'We believe', and that they will not be tested and tried? And We indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will CERTAINLY make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars!" (Al-Ankabut 29:1-3)