Destiny: Part 1

'O Allaah, there is no ease except in that which You have made easy, and You make the difficulty, if You wish, easy.’

I would like to apologize to drmaza.com English section readers for falling behind on my translation. It is truly one of the highlights in my life to have the opportunity to do this translation work, to give whatever little contribution that I can in the world of da’wah. I do miss the glorious feeling of satisfaction that I experience every time I complete translating an article because it means a lot to me to know that there are people out there who benefit from it.

My professional life as an engineer with Petronas has taken quite a significant turn and the path that I am walking on now demands a more extensive commitment and in meeting that requirement, it really drains me of my energy. Because of that, when I get home from work, I’ll have enough strength left to do only the basic life’s routine like solat and checking on Hajar’s homework and probably do a little bit of reading just before bedtime. Previously, I was able to effectively spend a couple of hours every night to work on the translation. These days, I can still spend a couple of hours every night sitting in front of my laptop but I can hardly finish up one paragraph by the end of it.

To do the translation, I have to do lots of intense thinking and this necessitates me to have a high level of energy. That is because I am not blessed with having intrinsic lingual flair. I am technically inclined by nature and my education background is technical. It is not like me to write using ‘ornamental’ terms and style. It is simply not in me. Therefore, I had to try hard to deviate from my ‘natural’ style of writing in coming up with a translation that is as lingually artistic as the original article. If it’s up to me, I would just write the translation in bullet format and probably with a diagram or two to illustrate the scenario being discussed.

Nevertheless, I hope that this is just another phase of my life that will only last for a short while. Probably, things will get easier (with less debilitating effect) once I get the hang of it. I pray for Allah to continously give me the strength, and to show me the way, to play a part in the sacred struggle of upholding His religion.

Women's World in Malaysia

Muktamar PAS has been concluded and two of its headlines grabbed my attention. First is the maiden appearance of my good friend Puan Hawa Yaa’cob at the PAS national level presenting the motion formulated by Dewan Muslimat Melaka. She is only 32 but has achieved so much in life. Just a few years after working in her first job as a Chemical Engineer, she made a bold step of quitting her job to concentrate on her preferred career as a Unit Trust consultant (she likes the term Wealth Advisor better).

Many were skeptical of her move naturally since being skeptical is what we Malays do best. It did not take long for her to prove them wrong. After what seemed like a blink of an eye, the number of her clients built up so much that she had to set up an office to manage them and today, she is so much at the top of it all.

Hawa presented the motion that called for the denunciation of the judiciary which she said did not appreciate the principle of separation of powers between the executive and legislative and did not take drastic actions to restore its image. It was indeed a heavy topic to discourse and only a lady as single-minded as Hawa can deliberate it with ease.

She has always been passionate about making the country, and even the world, to change for the better. Her dedication in contributing to the society is immeasurable. I have always supported her involvement in politics because she has all the quality to not just be good at it but most importantly, to yield a worthy impact to the society.

The second headline that caught my attention was the motion to ban SIS. Dr Lo’ Lo’ made a swift statement denouncing that motion and instead, she called for everyone to engage more in discussions rather than making speculations.

No one party or faction is free of flaw including SIS. However, to charge someone or some group with endangering the akidah of the Muslims necessitates the accuser to provide evidences that can prove beyond doubt the danger is truly existent and operational. If they believe that some of the standpoints embraced by SIS are misleading or do not conform to the true teachings of Islam, it should be stated as that rather than haphazardly condensing into one general statement that is light on the tongue but heavy on the scale of justice.

It is comforting to know that those holding the top posts in Dewan Muslimat like Dr Lo’ Lo’ and Dr Mariah have a more congenial attitude towards SIS and prefer to use the educating approach rather than the punishing approach. One needs to know and understand the causes that SIS is fighting for in order to ‘make a sense out’ of their existence.

But then, the detractors will add to their argument that the end does not justify the means. If that is the case, what we should be saying to all the women’s right activists is, as mentioned by Dr. Asri in one of his articles titled ‘Oh Wanita! Pastikan Arah Perjuanganmu’, that we wish to tell all the advocators of women’s rights that we are with you and your struggle to uphold women’s right but we have to ascertain first the course of the struggle. We will work it out together and with Allah’s Aids and Blessings, we will make the country, and the world, a better place for women, and men, to live in.

"I love my mother but she beats me"

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/5/28/nation/3998052&sec=nation

I shed some tears when I read this story. It was a short news report on, yet again, child abuse. Though distressing and deplorable, this sort of news is getting more and more common in our country. However, this particular report zapped the core of my being and brought tears into my eyes because of the statement the boy made. He said, “I love my mother but she beats me”. This is what a child’s unconditional love is all about.

The boy was five years old and he cried his heart out when they were trying to take him away from his mother. At this age, a child is at its purest and most naïve stage. The world starts to intrigue him and he begins to develop his own way of thinking. The love that he has for his father and mother will grow stronger as he is able to better appreciate the things his parents do for him. At the same time, he will also try to do things to please his parents and to preserve their affection on him. To him, his parents are his whole world.

No matter how intense his mother scolds him for his mistake, he will still love her and prefer to cry away his sadness in her arms. No matter how much his mother ignores him, he will still pine for her and cry out her name in his sleep. No matter how much his mother beats him, he still loves her because she is her mother who means the whole world to him.

I remember watching this movie about the life of a Nanny in metropolitan New York. She had to take care of a 6 year old boy whom was deprived of parental love but kept on trying to buy their love. When she felt that she had have enough of her employer’s nonsense and decided to leave the family, she left behind an advice that really touched my heart. She said, “Love the boy while he still has his love only for you, before he stops loving you.”

One has to have a barren soul to be incapable to appreciate and celebrate the magical unadulterated love of a child. Abu Huraira narrated: “Allah's Apostle kissed Al-Hasan bin Ali while Al-Aqra' bin Habis At-Tamim was sitting beside him. Al-Aqra said, "I have ten children and I have never kissed anyone of them," Allah's Apostle cast a look at him and said, "Whoever is not merciful to others will not be treated mercifully."” (Reported by Bukhari)

That is the rule of the game in this world. What goes around comes around. Be merciful to others if you want others to be merciful to you. Love others if you want to be loved. You may have the might and the power to hit your child now for the slightest mistakes that he makes but what makes you think that he will not strike back at you when you’re old and frail.

Anger can turn a human being into a beast in mere seconds and only the strong ones are able to preserve their humaneness when permeated by anger as stated by this hadith. Narrated Abu Huraira: “Allah's Apostle said, "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger." (Reported by Bukhari)

Ibnu al-Qayyim wrote a beautiful book on patience and in that book, he included a verse that says,

O you the servant of a body
You become a human being by having a soul
And not by having a body

The Story of Hajar

Hajar is my firstborn child. When I was still carrying her, just like any other first mum, I was so obsessed with trying to come up with the most perfect name for her. I didn't want it to be too long or too short or too common or too different and it had to carry a significant meaning. That didn’t sound so hard, did it?

Well, after months of searching, I was still not able to find the perfect name I was looking for. I almost gave up and thought of just naming her after the doctor that delivered her. But then, on one fine day, I was reading a book about all the women that occupy an elevated status in Islam and I was really moved by the story of Hajar, the wife of Prophet Abraham.

It was not the first time I read about it. In fact, I have heard of Hajar’s story of survival many times before ever since I was a school girl. I think it gave me a different kind of impact reading it at that particular time because I was just about to be a mother and I could clearly imagine how it would feel like to be left alone in a barren desert with your newly born baby. My motherly instinct would kick in and I wouldn’t even have the time to think about myself as I frantically think of how my baby will survive the unforgiving harshness of the desert. As a refresher to most of us, let me share with you the first half of the hadith that narrates the story of Hajar.

Narrated Ibn Abbas:

“When Abraham had differences with his wife, (because of her jealousy of Hajar, Ishmael's mother), he took Ishmael and his mother and went away. They had a water-skin with them containing some water, Ishmael's mother used to drink water from the water-skin so that her milk would increase for her child. When Abraham reached Mecca, he made her sit under a tree and afterwards returned home.

Ishmael's mother followed him, and when they reached Kada', she called him from behind, 'O Abraham! To whom are you leaving us?' He replied, '(I am leaving you) to Allah's (Care).' She said, 'I am satisfied to be with Allah.' She returned to her place and started drinking water from the water-skin, and her milk increased for her child. When the water had all been used up, she said to herself, 'I'd better go and look so that I may see somebody.'

She ascended the Safa mountain and looked, hoping to see somebody, but in vain. When she came down to the valley, she ran till she reached the Marwa mountain. She ran to and fro (between the two mountains) many times. Then she said to herself, 'I'd better go and see the state of the child,' she went and found it in a state of one on the point of dying. She could not endure to watch it dying and said (to herself), 'If I go and look, I may find somebody.' She went and ascended the Safa mountain and looked for a long while but could not find anybody.

Thus she completed seven rounds (of running) between Safa and Marwa. Again she said (to herself), 'I'd better go back and see the state of the child.' But suddenly she heard a voice, and she said to that strange voice, 'Help us if you can offer any help.' Lo! It was Gabriel (who had made the voice). Gabriel hit the earth with his heel like this (Ibn 'Abbas hit the earth with his heel to Illustrate it), and so the water gushed out. Ishmael's mother was astonished and started digging.

(Abu Al-Qasim) (i.e. the Prophet) said, "If she had left the water, (flow naturally without her intervention), it would have been flowing on the surface of the earth.") Ishmael's mother started drinking from the water and her milk increased for her child. Afterwards some people of the tribe of Jurhum, while passing through the bottom of the valley, saw some birds, and that astonished them, and they said, 'Birds can only be found at a place where there is water.' They sent a messenger who searched the place and found the water, and returned to inform them about it. Then they all went to her and said, 'O ishmael's mother! Will you allow us to be with you (or dwell with you)?' (And thus they stayed there.)” [Reported by Bukhari]

Note that at first, Hajar gave the most common response any one of us would give at that situation. She got worried. But when her husband assured her that it was actually Allah that commanded him to do that, she became perfectly calm and composed. And that is the best self motivational tip anyone can give you to achieve the highest level of inner strength.

If you believe that the hardship you're about to face is actually destined by Allah, and that it is to gain the blessing of Allah, without doubts, you will have the absolute strength to face it with a full sense of submission to Allah. You know that Allah will be with you all the way and whatsoever is in store at the end of it, it is as wished by Allah and Allah knows best of what is the best for you.

I wanted my daughter to turn out to be as strong as Hajar, to be as submissive to Allah as Hajar, to be as determined as Hajar, to have a soul as emancipated as Hajar who did not depend on anyone but Allah to survive. And so I named my first daughter Hajar.