Mount Stong, A Nice Remembrance

Although the expedition have been like a month ago. I feel the need to share what i've got when i went there. So, here goes..

The journey by bus to the leg of the mountain went on well. We had a quick stop at the nearby masjid for zuhr. It was a nice masjid, some of the elderly women of the kampung joined in for the Jum'ah prayer. We didn't. We had our zuhr after they finished.

We gather around for some briefing before starting the hike. And after that its hiking time. Up, up and up we go.

After about 15 minutes of hiking, i'm thinking to myself:

"What have I got myself into?"

A question that later seem so absurd to be asked. I'll tell you why later.

The journey up goes on smoothly..though some of the female students did punctured along the way. Luckily the guys are strong. Before the start, some of the girls 'arrogantly' say that they have 'tulang besi, urat dawai' and they're able to carry their heavy bag by themselves. Just halfway through, almost all the bags were carried by the guys..including mine. Hehe. Well, I didn't say that i'm strong. I'm as weak as an old granny this time around. The experience of hiking in mount Ledang was history. I wasn't as prepared as before.

The best thing about the journey is that i can know my students like i have never known them before. A different side of them are shown in this expedition, a different them compared to the ones i know in class. The journey together has bond us. And, i'm able to appreciate them more.

We've had our stop at the basecamp. And its nearly maghrib. We started hiking at aroung 4pm. The basecamp was just magnificient. The waterfall is great, the views are mesmerizing, the tents are..well, quite comfortable. You can't expect a comfy mattress on a hiking expedition. I'm more than grateful..coz the guys voluntarily want to carry my tent.

We start the journey to the top the next morning. After a cramp leg, a lot of stops, and a pail of sweats..we managed to arrive on top safely. sans two students who couldn't continue the journey due to health reason. Too bad for them.

The top was not like i imagined it. Its just a high small rock that u need to climb using the root of the tree. But, its a great experience to be standing on a really high point. We rest a bit, take pictures, fill our crying stomach, and then we head down.

All in all..it was an experience like never before. Every experience is never the same because we could learn many different things from each of them. I learn how to sooth a cramp leg, how to control your breathing when u feel really difficult to breath, how to be patient and always focus on reaching a goal, how to be prepared if you wanna do anything, either big or small, how to appreciate the nature that Allah has granted us and also the value of friendship.

Thank u Allah for letting me be and appreciate the other creation of yours.

Though I said that i've had enough of mountain climbing, i've change my mind. I'm ready for my next mountain. InsyaAllah.

Expedition to Gunung Stong, Kelantan

"Puan, I can't really study during weekend." says one of the students under my supervision.

"Why?". I ask

"We usually have programmes filling our time during weekends. and this weekend we are going to an expedition." he explains

"Expedition? What kind of expedition.?" I probe more.

"Expedition to Gunung Stong. Organized by the trekking class." He added.

"Wow! Can i join too?" I ask. Kind of distracted to the early purpose where i want to advice him to divide his time well.

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Being a self-proclaim adventurous person. I like outdoor activities very much. It gives me a good feeling of myself. And now, i got the opportunity to join the trekking class in their quest to tackle the Mount Stong in Kelantan.

Its going to be an adventurous weekend for me.

Pray that i'm able to climb to the top, given my not-so-well health. I wouldn't want it to get in my way. InsyaAllah i'll try my best.

So, no post for this weekend.

Will be back after the trip.

Gunung Stong, here we come!

Peaceful in Hardship

"Today i'm gonna share a piece of hadeeth narrated by Imam Bukhari and Muslim." Said En Rosdi to start the morning meeting with KTD staff.

"For those who in the morning, his heart is at peace, his physique is healthy and he has food for the day, it is as if Allah has laid out the whole world for him." He continued.

"Hmm...i'm very privileged to wake up everyday with food ready to be eaten. How I should increase my gratitude to Allah." I monologued.

Peaceful In Hardship

The hadeeth shared by En Rosdi comes at the right time. The last few weeks, i've been feeling really down and stress due to the workload, the people, and my surroundings. Relentlessly, i've complained on how hard life is. How difficult for me to handle things own my own being away from my husband. It is as if I couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel.

But, Allah, the Most Merciful has led me back to Him. Showing me His endless Love. Guiding me to understand what's the wisdom behind all the obstacles he had for me. This comes in a form of a small piece of advice I got from my newlywed friend, Kak Zah.

"We borrow everything from Allah, and yet, we still complained about things that we borrow without thinking that, what if one day Allah takes everything back?". Shared kak Zah.

That last word from her kind of wake me up. How can I not see that? How could i be so blind to not see all the rahmah that Allah has given me. How could i complained of my wonderful life?

Insan.

That explains it. Being an Insan who constantly forgetting, who repeatedly making mistakes and who never satisfy with what they have.

To realise back from all the mistakes I made is a bless that Allah has given me. To see the peacefulness amid all the hardship. To see the beauty in it. The lesson learnt from it. I couldn't get it anywhere else if Allah doesn't let me see it.

Alhamdulillah. Thank you Allah for letting me experience a peaceful heart. A calmness that arise if you just let everything go and seek Allah for help. A pure peace of heart which you can't explain. A sensation that you will get if you hold nothing against Allah for all that He laid out for you. No grudge held. No more hurtful feelings towards what had happened.

Let us be that someone mentioned in the hadeeth above. If you missed being it yesterday. Start today.

Lesson From Seerah: How The Prophet Cope with Losses (Part II)

An Attitude of Dignity and Honor

When the disbelievers had completed their attacks and mutilation of the corpses of the Companions, Abu Sufyan scaled mount Uhud looking for the Prophet, Abu Bakr, and `Umar. He called out to them and taunted them, but `Umar did not give the response of a defeated, dismayed, weak and submissive victim. Rather he replied: "O enemy of God, those whom you have just mentioned, I tell you that they are still alive. God has maintained what you hate!"

Abu Sufyan replied: The mutilation of your dead is something I did not order. However, it did not displease me. May Hubal (their idol) be sublime!

At the behest of the Prophet, ‘Umar replied: God is more Sublime, Exalted, and Mightier!

Abu Sufyan then shouted: Al-`Uzza (another idol) is ours, and you have no `Uzza!

`Umar then made his famous statement: God is our Supporter, and you have none.

Frustrated, Abu Sufyan muttered: Today is revenge for Badr, as war is conducted with alternating successes.

Unrelenting, `Umar yelled back: No, we are not the same. Our dead are in Paradise, while yours are in Hell!

This shows that no matter how demoralizing a loss may be for Muslims, and no matter how mosques are bombed to rubble, or children are made into orphans and burned to a crisp by white phosphorous bombs, or basic food and medicine are held back from them and no matter you have been subjected to cruelty -you should always keep your head up, your boldness intact, and put aside your anxiety and dismay.

New Morale at Hamra’ Al-Asad

The battle of Hamra’ Al-Asad is a practical way that showed how the Prophet transformed the defeat into victory.

While the disbelievers were still on their way back to Makkah, the Muslims had arrived back in Madinah in a state of exhaustion, pain, and sorrow. However, none of these hindrances prevented the Prophet from what he was about to do next; he went around and gathered all of the injured Muslims who had fought at Uhud the day before in order to lead them in pursuit of the army that had just defeated them. The Prophet only wanted those injured and exhausted soldiers who were still recovering from their wounds to join him. This was unheard of; an army composed exclusively of crippled fighters who had just experienced a major military defeat!

The prophet sent a messenger to relay to Abu Sufyan and his troops that the Muslims had regrouped, recovered, and were hot on their heels. Abu Sufyan could not believe his ears, and the anxiety and panic that had gripped the Muslims only the day before was now spreading among his own troops. He then decided that it was in his best interest to retreat to Makka and cancel his plan to attack Madinah. However, in an attempt to frighten and intimidate the Muslims from pursuing him, Abu Sufyan sent a message back to the Muslims that he had gathered the ranks of all the Makkans to lay the Prophet and his army to waste.

On this occasion Almighty God says,

(Those to whom the people said: “Verily, the people have gathered against you a great army. So, fear them.) (Al `Imran: 173)

What was the response of the injured Prophet and his small group of crippled fighters to this threat from the man who had just defeated them in the battlefield?

Almighty God says,

(But it only increased them in faith, and they said: Allah(God) is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs.) (Al ‘Imran 3: 173)

And the injured Prophet and his Companions stayed at Hamra’ Al-Asad waited for three whole days to confront this great army of Abu Sufyan who was simply bluffing and his men were too afraid to pull through with their threats.

Reflect on how the Prophet was able to so effectively reverse the devastation of Uhud in just a matter of days:

• He revived the morale of the crippled Muslims who had just experienced loss and defeat by insisting that they be the ones to accompany him in pursuit of the very enemy that had just defeated them.

• He enfeebled the morale of the disbelievers who had just experienced victory by showing them that no matter how hard the blow was, Muslims always still have their honor, bravery, and will to face those who challenge them.

• He restored the military reputation and power of the Muslims that had temporarily suffered as a result of the events at Uhud.

The effectiveness of the Prophet as a leader at times of crisis cannot be overstated. It is often said that a person can be judged by how he handles crises and disasters as anyone can be calm and composed in times of ease. This concept can be applied to groups and nations as well as individuals. Therefore, this episode in the seerah teaches us that even at the worst times and in the midst of the most depressing crises, it is possible to reverse the loss, psychologically if not physically.

Similarly, it is upon us to look into ourselves as individuals and groups and see if we are reacting to the devastation and loss experienced in Gaza in the proper way and with the proper attitude. It should all serve to strengthen us, teach us that despair, anxiety, and victimization should not be in the dictionary of Muslims, and to maintain our honor and confidence following defeat and keep our heads raised high in the face of loss.

Almighty God says in the Qura'n,

(Faint not nor grieve, for ye will overcome them if ye are (indeed) believers.) (Al `Imran 3:139-140)

by: Tariq Mehana

Plateau...

I've hit a state of plateau.

No words voluntarily cross my mind. I've to think hard of what to write.

Its not a good sign. It shows how my mind lack of exercise.

..sigh...

Keep thinkin'..keep thinkin'.

"Our Lord!" (they say), "Let not our hearts deviate now after Thou hast guided us, but grant us mercy from Thine own Presence; for Thou art the Grantor of bounties without measure."
(Surah Ali-Imran: 8)

Lesson from Seerah: How the Prophet Cope with Losses (Part I)

"Bro, lets hit the McD..I'm hungry la." Says a brother to his friend.

"Man..don't you know that we supposed to boycott Israeli product? After all that they've done to our ikhwah." Remark his friend as a response.

"But, the issue is long done, bro. The Palestinians are already ok. The UN have ordered the ceasefire." Said he in defence.

"That's what they want you to think, but to me the issue will never be done until ALL the Israeli vanished from the holy ground of Palestine. I won't touch ANY of their product." Came back the reply to end the conversation.
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The issue, problem, or whatever you want to call it have taken the world by storm. Millions of dollars poured in to help the Palestinians. Many people show their sympathy and support. It's a good sign that the muslim still care for their ikhwah.

But, an issue will always be an issue,,something which has its season. After a while the issue will cool off and nobody bother to look at it anymore.

That's why it's important for us to always be reminded of our dear muslim in a land torn apiece by the Israel La'natullah. Lets pour in our prayer and du'a for them every time we pray. That's the least that we could do to help them.

A lesson from seerah will surely be a calming reminder for us to cope with the losses of the muslim who actually fight for the right for US to be muslim now.
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Looking back and thinking of the emotions felt over the last month, the one word that stands out constantly in our hearts is "helpless". The reality is that we were helpless, and that we were silently witnessing helpless people; our helpless people.

The images of the charred bodies of infants, blood-soaked hijabs of sobbing mothers, mosques turned into rubble, stockpiles of food being fed to white phosphorous flames instead of the starving people they were meant for, fathers frantically and tearfully pulling corpses of their families from the remains of bombed out homes – these images will forever remain in our conscience and memory.

This reality mirrors another one experienced by the Messenger of God and his Companions more than one thousand four hundred years ago after the battle of Uhud. Reviewing the events surrounding this defeat, one cannot help but be affected by the helplessness felt by the Muslims the moment they realized just how deep their material loss was in that battle, just as what we are feeling at this moment when reflecting on what was taken from us as a result of the Israeli attack onGaza.

The Magnitude Losses at Uhud

Uhud affected the Muslims on many fronts. First of all, in what was possibly the most dangerous hour in the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he found himself unprotected and exposed to the enemy on the battlefield, except for the presence of Talhah and Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas. This led the disbelievers to rush and take advantage of the opportunity to inflict as much physical pain on him as they could. They followed through by pelting him with stones (resulting in breaking his tooth and cutting his lip), cleaving his forehead, striking his shoulder with a sword, and striking him in the face so forcefully that his helmet pierced his cheek and caused a gaping wound. This audacity of the disbelievers deeply affected the Prophet that while wiping the blood from his face, he asked:

"How can people who cut the face of their Prophet and break his incisor tooth - he who calls them to worship God - how can such people thrive or be successful?"

The Archers' Mount

Imagine also the emotion felt by the Prophet and his Companions at the sight of Mus`ab bin `Umayr - who was personally appointed by the Prophet to bring Islam to Madinah - as both of his hands were amputated by the disbelievers in his attempt to secure the banner of the Muslims before they killed him.

Picture in your mind the disbelievers mistaking the corpse of Mus`ab for the Prophet, yelling "Muhammad is killed!" and sending a wave of disbelief through the Muslim ranks that demoralized many of them and caused them to give up the fight and turn back to Madinah.

Imagine the sadness that swept over the Companions as they assessed the aftermath of the battle to find the corpses of seventy of their brethren scattered around the battlefield, mutilated and disfigured by the spiteful disbelievers. Imagine then the shock and pain of the Prophet as he recognized the body of his beloved uncle, the Lion of God, Hamzah, as he lay among the casualties. Ibn Mas’ud said: "We have never seen the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) weeping so much as he did for Hamzah bin `Abdul-Muttalib. "

Imagine the dismay the Muslims must have felt seeing that after their groundbreaking victory at Badr, only a year earlier, they had now lost seventy of their brethren compared to the disbelievers’ only 22 men casualties. Such a loss would not only demoralize the Muslim army, but would also leave their military reputation, credibility, and dignity damaged in the eyes of the people.

All of this was the result of one single avoidable mistake of disobedience to the Prophet,s order on the part of the archers stationed on a hill. All of those deaths, losses, sadness, and sorrow were easily avoidable had they simply obeyed a single command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Undoubtedly, such circumstances would bring down any group and cause them immense pain, helplessness, dismay, and despair. However, the Prophet and his Companions were not such a group. They were a group who lived by the slogan,

(And do not despair or be sad, as you are the most superior so long as you are believers.) (Al `Imran 3:139)

They were a group who knew how to take advantage of their hard situation and hold their heads up high whatever the odds stacked against them were.

continued in Part II..

Congrats Mael.!! on Your Graduation.

After attending a workshop held by UTM at KL on wednesday, I decided to have a night sleep at my mother-in-law house before heading off to JB.

I was soo home-sick that I can't wait to go back home. Although I still consider my mother-in-law home as my home too.

Going back to JB means a time to catch up with my mom and dad, playing with my first niece, Ainin Sofiya and celebrating my brother-in-law's (Mael) graduation at UTM. Wow..! its like throwing 3 birds with one stone..hehe.

I got like a week holiday, thanks to the Sultan Kelantan Holiday which happen to be on Monday and Tuesday. So its time for me to let my hair down for a while. I've been very stress lately. Maybe because due to the workload and how I miss my hubby so much.

Alhamdulillah...i got to meet all the people that i really want to see on my holiday.

I've got some pic on Mael graduation. It sure is fun to have your convocation. Can't wait for my turn next.

Ma, sumaiyah, Mael and the heavily pregnant Adah after coming out of the convocation hall

The cheerful sofiyah a.k.a the photographer of the day

Na'emah, my second youngest sister-in-law. The one with the magic fan

Sumaiyah, my youngest sister-in-law with Mael adjusting her mortarboard. Hehe...an encouragement to her to graduate one day.

Ma, abah, mael and adah. At the parking lot after the convocation.

My quiet and soft-spoken abah. Having a taste of wearing the robe and mortarboard. Things which he missed to do before.