A 'precious reminder' at the post office...

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful; blessings and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

Reflection

The Declining Day (Al-'Asr)
1. By the declining day,
2. Lo! Man is in a state of loss,
3. Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort 
one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance.

IKLAN               IKLAN             IKLAN           IKLAN        IKLAN         IKLAN 

SELEPAS PENCEN (usia 55 tahun pada 17 Februari 2017) penulis (LanH) berusaha menambah pendapatan dengan menjual buku terpakai (second hand) daripada koleksi sendiri. Semoga penulis LanH mendapat kebarakahan daripada usaha ini yang juga bertujuan untuk berdakwah. Untuk makluman, penulis tidak mahir dalam dunia IT, jadi hebahan ini dibuat seadanya. Sila lihat paparan sisi untuk urusan pembayaran dan sebagainya. Alamat e-mel: Lanh14@gmail.com

BUKU TERBUKA UNTUK JUALAN

2. Tajuk: Rahsia Madinah (Jejak Rasul 2)

Penulis: Khalil Ibrahim Mulla Khothir 

Penerbit: Al-Hidayah Publishers

Muka surat: 218 (Harga tertulis di buku RM14)

Hanya RM10 (termasuk belanja hantaran pos biasa)

Penilaian LanH terhadap buku ini yang sudah dibaca beliau: Sangat bagus

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1. Tajuk: Rahsia Mekah (Jejak Rasul 1)

Penulis: 'Atiq bin Ghaits Al-Biladi

Penerbit: Al-Hidayah Publishers

Muka surat: 300 (Harga tertulis di buku RM15)

Hanya RM10 (termasuk belanja hantaran pos biasa)

Penilaian LanH terhadap buku ini yang sudah dibaca beliau: Sangat bagus

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RECENTLY as I was in the rush, I entered a post office without taking off my motorcycle helmet. There were only two customers; within a minute my number was up. I went to the counter stated...a young woman was managing it.

Everything was 'fine' but suddenly the woman looked up from her desk and lashed at me, saying: "The (post) office is not a place to wear a helmet!" I was stunned...ready to 'shot back' the post office staff with the many excuses in my mind such as "I am here only for a minute", "hey, look the customer is always right" and "don't you have manners, where is your 'please', 'excuse me' or so on."

But, 'alhamdulillah' (all praise be to Allah SWT), the knowledge I gained from the hundreds of (tazkirah) lessons I had attended and listened, stopped me from doing so; silently I pulled the helmet from my head and remained 'still' until my 'business' was over. But inside, my heart was thumping hard...I heard the inner side of me saying: 'sabar, sabar, sabar' (be patience).

Yes, what lesson I learned from the many 'tazkirah' I followed? I remembered a guideline given by an 'ustazah' (female religious teacher) when one is being reminded, warned or criticize by our teachers, family members, friends and strangers.

"The first step is 'to freeze' yourself," said the 'ustazah'. "Don't open up your mouth; please remain silent. Control yourself. As for your hands, keep them lock in your pockets; who knows in anger you may slam the desk or slap the person involved.

"As for a good advice for example when a friend mentioned that you have a bad breath, just give a smile and say thank you...and off you go."

She said there are many benefits if we could 'freeze' ourselves. Let's the 'event' pass by and one day as we look back and analyze it we would realized that perhaps it was actually designed by Allah SWT to test us and for us to know our own selves better.

Perhaps too we are straying away from His true path for example involved in various wrong doings thus Allah SWT had sent a 'somebody' and in my case a post office staff 'to give me a stern warning'.

Doing reflections over the incident, I must admit that I am not a patience person. I am always in the rush...I want to settle 'my business' as quickly as possible and this sometimes lead me when riding my motorcycle to break laws such as beating traffic lights, entering a non entry lane, overtaking queues and as in 'the post office case' wore helmet which was not allowed.

Not only people give reminders to us, but most importantly it is from Allah SWT. Dear readers, during a 'tazkirah' recently, I heard an 'ustaz' said that many of us 'bulldozed off' the many reminders that Allah SWT had sent upon us for reminders benefits only those who fear Allah SWT. In Ayah 55, Surat adh-Dhariyat He says: "And remind them, for truly the believers benefit from being reminded."

Scholars said in the life of this world, Allah grants people a life long enough to take lessons from the many reminders He offers them. Essentially, there are many things that happen to a person in the course of his life that are to be regarded as reminders. 

For example, deaths being reported in the news or those we witness ourselves, should be taken as warnings. By these examples, Allah reminds us that we too may also meet our deaths at any moment. 

They said likewise, physical weaknesses we cannot forestall are also reminders from our Lord.  Allah creates these weaknesses in man to make him understand that this world is not worthy of being devoted to. 

In addition, the loss of certain blessings or some disaster may also be a reminder from Allah. Though a person may be very beautiful or wealthy, by the Will of Allah, it may take only an instant for him or her to lose his beauty or possessions.

Scholars said never forget that any of these instances are simply reminders from Allah to His servants as a mercy, and that we must reflect upon them, and proceed along the straight path to which He summons us. 

An 'ustaz' said 'the disappearance' (death) of the people around us especially among our family members and friends should awakened us that we are all travelers in our own way, yes we are travelers or wanderers living in this 'dunya' (world). 

"Since this world is temporary, as a traveler we should do a lot of good deeds towards human and our Creator, Allah SWT to bring along in our next journey (Hereafter)."

'Subhanallah' (Glory to God), its good  to warn all of us that life in this world is temporary and we are just like a traveler. In his 'hadith'; Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said: "My similitude and that of the life of this world is that of a traveler who took a rest at mid-day under a shade of a tree and then left it." (Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and al-Hakim)

We were like crews of a ship during a voyage that anchored at a port. The captain gave the workers a day break; they should 'pick up' important things for their stock for the next journey, perhaps for another one month before they embarked at another port.

The workers attitude differed from one another. Some took the day break seriously; the playful ones wasted their time while the forgetful ones fell in love with the surroundings of the town including local girls.

When the time was up; the ship sailed off; only the disciplined crews were on board; the rest were left on their own. Life in this world is like the stopover of the ship; we should work hard to 'grab' important things that could benefit us in the next journey. 

But what things to 'grab'? If we brought a refrigerator or a set of Jati furniture up to our ship...what benefits would we get? We were only inviting trouble, thus in the world 'grab' or do things that would be beneficial for us in the Hereafter.

The Prophet (peace be upon him, s.a.w.) said: "After the death of a person, his actions stop, except three things that he leaves behind: First, continuous charity; second, a knowledge from which some benefit may be obtained and; third, a virtuous son who make 'dua' (pray, supplicate) on his behalf." (Muslim).

In the Qur'an, Allah SWT says: Truly, the life of this world is nothing but a (quick passing) enjoyment, and verily, the Hereafter that is the home that will remain forever." (Qur'an 40:39)