Lessons in Life

Salaam my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, may you stumble upon this humble blog of mine in good health and best state of iman. InsyaAllah i will try my best to come out with motivational articles as and when i have things to write on or came across some interesting things to share. :)

Dear friends, how many times in life did we do things according to what others told you to, and not according to what your heart really wanted? Ever came across someting that really made you angry, that you wanna punch that person's face? Ever felt disheartened and discouraged by people talking behind your back? Ever been backstabed before? Ever felt not being appreciated? All these are the normal things in life that sooner or later we will face. What do we call it as? A problem? An omen? A bad luck? yes.... NO! Please, dont do that...... instead, Lets us all look at it as lessons in life.............

Alhamdulillah. Well, fret not, for behind every dark cloud lies a silver lining. In this case, there's hikmah behind every obstacle that we faced in life. I agree that its not easy for us, being normal humans to take things coming our way with full of patience and determination. Its not easy, but let us all take the baby steps to learn how to cope with our "nafs" and "amarah".

Every situation is a lesson to be learned. From the most mundane chores to the most complex projects, life is always ready to teach you something. Life is ready to teach when you are willing to learn. And the more you learn from what life offers, the better life becomes. The lessons are usually not all that obvious. Yet they are there if you will think to take a look. The lessons are there in every moment, in every dilemma, in every frustration and every joy.

They are there in every sadness, every victory, every discomfort and every pleasure. Each lesson you learn paves the way for a new and even more valuable one. Each lesson you ignore keeps coming back, again and again. One way or another, life will teach you its lessons. When you're a willing student, those lessons are pure gold.

Let us take some time to ponder on this verse from Al-Quran:

On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray): "Our Lord! condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; help us against those who stand against faith."

(Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse : 286)

Are you the a Carrot, an Egg or a Coffee Bean?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life, and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it, and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first pot, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She then asked her to take the egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to smell and sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she smelled and tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What's the point, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity- boiling water-but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When trials and adversity knock on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a passive heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside, am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or, am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you become better and change the situation around you.

When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

Coney Island Fishing Experience

Good Day friends..... How's all of you? Doing fine i suppose.... heheheh, my best wishes for all of you, InsyaAllah. Alright then, just had a long weekend last week, spending my weekend from Saturday 4pm to Sunday 10am, where?....... I went fishing at Coney Island together with Bro Kassim and Daeng. We had so much fun together, fishing, cooking, making coffee, chit chatting and of coz, last but not least SLEEP!!!! hahhaah.

Had a close encounter with a wild boar when it appears all of a sudden from the jungle while Daeng and me were happily eating bread and 'sambal' sardines. Hmmmm, you know what Daeng, guess you were right, maybe the smell of the sardines lure it to come close to us. Daeng and me were like nearly jumping over the fence when we saw that thing!! Gosh!!! Its not just one or two, its the entire family of wild boars there, the mother the father the brother the sister!!!!!!! Finally we managed to throw some rocks at it to scare it away. Phew!!!!

The rest of the day was more focused towards fishing. Bro Kassim keeps on getting the good catch like stingrays, garoupas, and its big ok!!! Daeng and me keeps on getting small catfish, catfish and catfish... nothing else. Hehehehe, its ok, i'll make a comeback, i'll treat this as my learning trip first. Here are the pictures that i managed to take.......

True Love Relationship Advice

“Of Love--may God exalt you! -the first part is jesting, and the last part is right earnestness. So majestic are its diverse aspects, they are too subtle to be described; their reality can only be apprehended by personal experience. Love is neither disapproved by Religion, nor prohibited by the Law; for every heart is in God's hands.”

Ibn Hazm

A Love Advice

unknown author

I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me. Once when we were sitting by the beach when she stoods up and walked towards the sea, she filled the palm of her hand with some water and held it before me, and said this: "You see this water carefully contained on my hand? It symbolizes Love."

This was how I saw it: As long as you keep your hand caring-ly open and allow it to remain there, it will always be there. However, if you attempt to close your fingers round it and try to posses it, it will spill through the first cracks it finds.

This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet love... they try to posses it, they demand, they expect... and just like the water spilling out of your hand, love will retrieve from you. For love is meant to be free, you cannot change its nature. If there are people you love, allow them to be free beings.

Give and don't expect. Advise, but don't order. Ask, but never demand.

It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a lifetime to truly practice. It is the secret to true love. To truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love, and yet an unconditional caring.

A good companion is not like the rain, which comes and goes. It's like the air, sometimes very quite!

Motivational Thought

"I've Learned"

unknown author

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be some that can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I've learned that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.

I've learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts.

I've learned that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.

I've learned that you can do some thing in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I've learned that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I've learned that you can keep going long after you can't.

I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel. That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done regardless of the consequences.

I've learned that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I've learned that no matter good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I've learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I've learned that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

Kesepian

Dygta - Kesepian

kurindu disayangi

sepenuh hati

sedalam cintaku

setulus hatiku

kuingin memiliki

kekasih hati

tanpa air mata

tanpa kesalahan

bukan cinta

yang melukai diriku

dan meninggalkan hidupku

lagi

tolonglah aku

dari kehampaan ini

selamatkan cintaku

dari hancurnya hatiku

hempaskan kesendirian

yang tak pernah berakhir

bebaskan aku

dari keadaan ini

sempurnakan hidupku

dari rapuhnya jiwaku

adakah seseorang

yang melepaskanku

dari kesepian ini

Nasyid Recording

Last Saturday i went for a nasyid recording. Aiman called the day before telling me that since we are only recording vocals, we dont need the other boys (percussionist) to come. Ok then, but the thought of going to the recording studio alone was dissapointing.... me alone..... so boring! Luckily for me, during the last minute, Ramdan and Rahim decided to tag along. Hahaha, finally, there's someone to accompany me. The recording took 2 hours, just for one song..... well, an experince that i'm sure not to forget. We were recording "Keluarga Bahagia" song by Saujana. For those who want to hear me sing, please go to my previous post on 13/05/08 "Nasyid Performance in En-Naeem". Ramdan managed to capture some pictures during the recording.... so here goes... Hopefully the song will be ready by end of July.........

Who's the murderer?

Just last 2 weeks ago, we had a camp for Project Azam students and i was put in charge of the ice-breaking games and a short education talk. We had so much fun and laughter, as usual, Ramdan, Daeng, Zul will be there to make things crazier than ever, hahaha. During night time, we planned a game for the students, it is called the "Who's the murderer?". So, the scenario was, someone murdered Bro Daeng in one of the classrooms in the mosque, and they had to investigate and find who among the 4 suspect was the murderer. Guess what, one of the suspects was me. My hobby being one of the suspects was "COLLECTING STONES"! Hahahaha, how hilarious can that be!

The outcome was, i am the murderer! How? I throw stones at Bro Daeng till he bleeds to death! What da! Hahahahahaha! hehehe, the blood on Daeng's forehead, using a whiteboard marker, looks so real, that the stain remains there for hours, even after a few wash, look like one patch of birth mark to me. Throughout the camp, the kids will be calling me "Abg Wan, MURDERER!" hehehe kind of cute isn't it...... Yeah, My name is Wan, and i am always WanTED!