Akhirnya Part 3 bersambung juga.

Setelah hampir lebih setahun saya menangguhkannya. (sengaja atau tidak? Jangan ditanya. Baca sahajalah!)

Cerita kali ini berkitar di masalah fiqh.

Jemput baca.

Sentiasa Ingat Siapa Dirimu (Part 3)

"Bang, kami nak solat kat mana ye? Tak nampak pun surau kat sini." Tanya Ibrahim.

"Memanglah tak nampak, ni kan dewan makan. Nak pergi surau, korang keluar dewan makan ni, ikut jalan tar depan tu menuju ke laut. Sampai simpang 3 tu, ikut kiri. Jalan je terus sampai korang nampak surau. Bangunan warna hijau."

"Aik, macam jauh je bunyinya bang. Siap ade simpang lagi." Rashid menyampuk.

"Takde jauhnya. Hisap rokok sebatang pun tak sempat habis."

"Ceh, saje je abang nih. Bang, amacam bang? Bolehla. Bagi sebatang je."

Rakan-rakan yang lain tergelak kecil melihat telatah Rashid.

"Dah-dah. Awak ni tak habis-habis ye. Nanti kita bincang. Jangan risau, awak dapat punya rokok awak tu nanti. Ok, lepas ni korang leh pegi sembahyang. Lepas tu dalam pukul 2.30 kumpul dekat depan dewan kayu tu ye. Saya nak tunjukkan awak semua tempat ni."

Ibrahim berjalan menuju ke surau yang dimaksudkan. Langkahnya diikuti beberapa rakan-rakan watchnya. Dari kejauhan kelihatan surau kecil yang berwarna hijau muda. Tergantung sebuah papan tanda bertulis 'Solatlah sebelum kamu disolatkan', di sudut kanan bawahnya tertulis UTP '05. Barangkali buatan senior-seniornya dahulu. Suraunya bertangga kayu, didirikan kira-kira setengah meter dari tanah. Arah kiblat yang menghadap laut menyebabkan bayu laut yag nyaman menyapa muka tatkala jendela dibuka. Terbentang pemandangan laut yang amat indah. Suasana yang teramat indah buat mereka yang mentadabburi alam.

Para peserta segera mambasahkan anggota wudhu dan duduk menanti di atas surau, masing-masing saling tolak menolak untuk menjadi imam. Lalu mereka bertumpu kepada Ibrahim.

"Hah, budak SMAP Labu! Apa lagi ustaz, cepatlah jadi imam." Rashid bersuara. Gurauannya bernada sinis. Ibrahim hanya tersenyum.

"Kita nak solat jamak takdim ke ni?" Tiba-tiba Farhan bertanya. Masing-masing terdiam. Sekali lagi Ibrahim menjadi tumpuan.

"Kita boleh solat qasar jamak, sebab kita musafir." Ibrahim bersuara.

"Tapi kita boleh tiga hari sahajalah kan? Sebab kita seminggu di sini." Amirul bertanya.

"Sebenarnya kita bole solat qasar jamak sepanjang program kita ni. Sebabnya kita buka terus menetap di Outward Bound School ni. Kita akan ada ekspedisi ke pulau dan tempat-tempat lain."

"Aku ingat nak solat penuh je, malas fikir-fikir."

"Terpulang. Masalah fiqh ni, kita ikut mana yang menenangkan hati. Asalkan ada pendapat sahih yang kita pegang. Cuma qasar jamak ini adalah rukhsah yang diberikan oleh Allah kepada hamba-hambanya yang berada dalam keadaan musafir. Tawaran 'hadiah' kemudahan Allah. Kalau orang dah nak bagi hadiah, tak manislah kalau kita nak tolak kan?"

Masing-masing mengangguk dengan penjelasan Ibrahim. Lalu mereka sepakat mendirikan solat dengan Ibrahim sebagai imam. Solat Zohor didirikan dua rakaat dan disambung dengan dua rakaat Solat Asar. Beberapa orang kelihatan tidak mengikut rentak solat mereka. Cuma mengikut dua rakaat dan menyambung sendiri dua rakaat seterusnya. Barangkali yang tinggal berdekatan.

Selepas solat, Ibrahim mengambil peluang melakukan sedikit perkongsian. Majlis dibuka dengan kalimah basmallah, bacaan surah Al-Fatihah, puji-pujian ke atas Allah SWT serta selawat ke atas nabi.

"Sebenarnya Islam ini adalah agama yang mudah. Buktinya Allah telah memberikan pelbagai keringanan kepada hamba-hambaNya dalm pelbagai hal. Ketika sakit, kita boleh solat sambil duduk. Jika tidak mampu, boleh sambil mengiring, berbaring dan juga boleh dengan isyarat mata. Antara keringanan yang lain pula adalah ketika sedang bermusafir. Seseorang itu dibenarkan untuk mengqasar iaitu memendekkan serta menjamakkan atau menghimpunkan dua solat. Zohor dengan Asar dan Maghrib dengan Isyak. Mungkin antara kita ramai yang pernah belajar mengenai solat qasar jamak ketika di sekolah dulu, kan? Berapa jarak yang dibenarkan untuk menjamak serta mengqasarkan solat?"

Suasana sepi seketika, lalu Rashid menjawab.

"Tak silap aku 2 marhalah. Lebih kurang 90 kilometer. Betul tak Ustaz Im?"

"Betul tu. Ini yang kita belajar dulu masa di sekolah. Diriwayatkan dari Ibnu ‘Abbas radhiallahu 'anhu: “Wahai penduduk Mekah, janganlah kamu sekalian mengqasarkan sembahyang (bagi jarak perjalanan) yang kurang dari 4 barid (2 marhalah) iaitu dari Mekah ke Asfan.” Namun menurut Imam Al-Syaukani, hadith ini adalah hadith dhaif atau lemah kerana terdapat seorang perawi yang matruk, tertolak. Pendapat beliau boleh didapati daripada kitab Nailul Authar, jilid 3. Jadi, sebenarnya pendapat yang mengatakan 2 marhalah adalah jarak minima untuk melakukan jamak dan qasar ini adalah lemah."

"Jadi, berapa jarak untuk kita boleh jamak dan qasar?" Farhan bertanya.

"Sebenarnya Rasulullah SAW sendiri tidak pernah meletakkan had batasan yang memperbolehkan kita mengqasarkan solat. Bahkan Rasulullah SAW akan sentiasa mengqasarkan solat apabila baginda bermusafir keluar daripada Madinah. Anas bin Malik RA meriwayatkan :

Sesungguhnya Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam bersembahyang Zuhur empat rakaat di Madinah dan bersembahyang Asar di Dzil Hulaifah dua rakaat.

Hadis ini diriwayatkan oleh Imam Muslim dalam Kitab Shahih Muslim. Jarak perjalanan dari Madinah ke Dzil Hulaifah itu cuma 7 mil. 7 mil itu dengan antara 12 hingga 13 kilometer sahaja. Hadis ini juga adalah sebagai bukti bahawa Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam telah mengqasarkan sembahyang walaupun jarak perjalanan tersebut adalah kurang dari dua marhalah (83 kilometer).

Menurut Syaikh Al-Syinqithi rahimahullah, pendapat yang paling kuat adalah semua jenis perjalanan yang dikategorikan sebagai safar sekalipun jaraknya tidak jauh maka diperbolehkan pelakunya untuk mengqasarkan solat, kerana menurut beliau dalam nas hanya disebutkan safar secara mutlak, tanpa dibatasi dengan ukuran jarak mahupun hari. Nas yang dimaksudkan beliau adalah dalam Surah An-Nisa', ayat ke-101:

Dan apabila kamu bepergian di muka bumi, maka tidaklah mengapa kamu men-qashar sembahyang(mu)..[Q.S. An-Nisa, 4:101]


Contohnya, sekiranya seseorang itu rumahnya di Seri Iskandar, Perak dan setiap hari dia berulang-alik ke Kuala Lumpur kerana tempat kerjanya di sana, maka dia tidak dianggap sebagai musafir meskipun perjalanannya melebihi dua marhalah kerana ianya termasuk perjalanan yang berada dalam lingkungan kebiasaannya. Namun begitu bagi seseorang yang rumah dan pejabatnya di Tronoh, tetapi dia melakukan perjalanan ke Ipoh kerana menziarah keluarganya maka dia tetap dianggap sebagai musafir walaupun jarak perjalan tersebut kurang dari dua marhalah. Ini adalah kerana perjalanan tersebut di luar perjalanan yang menjadi adat kebiasaannya.


Pendapat beliau boleh dibaca daripada buku Koreksi Total Ritual Shalat yang dikarang oleh Abu Ubaidah Masyhur bin Hassan."

"Owh, macam tu ke. Mudah rupanya. Tapi kenapa baru sekarang aku dengar pasal ni ye? Selama ni tak pernah dengar pun."

"Sebab tu kita kena banyak membaca dan berguru! Sebenarnya Islam ni mudah dan indah. Tinggal kita yang perlu menyedarinya. Tetapi, kita perlu ingat. Masalah fiqh ini masih ramai yang berbeza pedapat. Kalau kita telah mengetahui hujah dan dalil untuk sesuatu masalah fiqh, maka kita boleh beramal dengan apa yang kita tahu. Tetapi kita tidak boleh memaksa apatahlagi menyalahkan orang lain yang tidak sama pendapat dengan kita. Malah jika kita telah menerangkan dengan jelas, tetapi orang lain masih nak beramal dengan cara mereka, biarkan. Yang penting mereka solat. Nak jalan berapa kilometer baru nak solat jamak qasar itu tiada masalah. Yang jadi masalahnya ialah orang yang buat Jamak Takyah!"

"Jamak Takyah? Apa benda pula tu Im?"

"Macam namanyalah. Jalan sampai berpuluh-puluh malah beratus-ratus kilometer, tapi tak solat-solat! Tu la dia Jamak Takyah!"

Mereka yang lain tergelak kecil. Ibrahim menerangkan dengan sempurna apa yang diketahuinua mengenai solat jamak qasar.. Bibirnya melirik senyum. Bersyukur kerana Allah mengizinkannya untuk berkongsi sedikit ilmu dengan teman-temannya. Berharap dengan sedikit perkongsian itu akan membuka minda teman-temannya untuk lebih mendalami Islam.

Majlis ditutup. Suis kipas dimatikan. Jendela dirapatkan. Surau ditinggalkan. Semua berjalan menuju ke tempat yang telah ditetapkan oleh pembimbing watch masing-masing. Semua peserta kelihatan melayan perasaan masing-masing. Namun sepasang mata tertuju ke arah Ibrahim. Pandangan yang sukar ditafsirkan.

p/s: Sila baca Part 1 dan Part 2 untuk memahami jalan cerita.

~End Of Post~

So I'm in Malaysia, but my luggage isn't. Hence this post may appear a bit scruffy - like my current state. My first impressions of Kuala Lumpur: Modern and tidy. Sky scrappers and modern mosques. Generally courteous. Some chaos, but relatively calm traffic (okay - so I usually set this bar quite low with the traffic in Karachi - or worse, Rawalpindi/Islamabad). The train service from the airport (KLAI) to the city center was fantastic and fast - it got me there (70 kms) in 28 minutes (hey - when are we getting a fast train service from Boston to Amherst?).

No, I'm not here to only sing praise - remember, my bags are still sitting somewhere in Hong Kong. So I also happen to walk into a decent-size bookstore today (I think it was called MPH books) in Selangor (about 20 km from the city center). Apart from the regular fiction books, there were many technical books - computer-science, IT, Finance, Business. There was also a full section titled "Statues". I was initially quite impressed - that there was a full section devoted to a particular form of art. As it turns out, they misspelled "Statutes" - and this was the legal-studies section. There were two section devoted to religion, and two equal-sized sections for New-Age. But...but...no science section! I even inquired with the customer service - in case they had again misspelled it as "New-Age" - but no luck. They just didn't think it was important enough to have a section. Sigh...

So while I await for the bags (and the much-needed shaving kit), you can enjoy this 14th century Persian artwork depicting Noah's ark (tip from Tabsir). I'm sure luggage problems must have been a nightmare on the ark. Please also note the comment below the picture:

From Tabsir:

The story of Noah is shared in the three main monotheisms and still inspires creationists who are convinced that opportunist quasi-Neptunist forces from the great Deluge laid down almost all sedimentary layers on Earth. Above is an illustration from the Jami‘ al-tawarikh, produced in 1314/1315 for the Iranian vizier Rashid al-Din. In this case the ark was not the biblical box but a typical Arab dhow of the time with two masts, two steering oars and a rudder. The manuscript is housed in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art in London.

Illustration from Art of the First Cities, edited by Joan Aruz (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003), p. 491.

(The following guest post is a new experiment for this blog. It was written by Sarah Milstein in collaboration with kaChing CEO Andy Rachleff. kaChing has been very active in the Lean Startup movement. If you haven't seen it, Pascal's recent presentation on continuous deployment is a must-see; slides are here. In the interests of full disclosure: I am an advisor to kaChing but did not participate in the interviews that led to this case.

With case studies like this, we aim to illustrate specific Lean Startup techniques through the stories of current practitioners. It is written using the information that the company voluntarily shared, and therefore reflects their current thinking and recollections. I am particularly interested in feedback on this case study. Do you find it helpful? Please give us your feedback in the comments. Thanks, Eric)

You probably know that Flickr, the photo-sharing site, started out as an MMOG. And if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you may know that IMVU started out as an instant messaging add-on. It’s common, perhaps the norm, for startups to pivot like that—to discover that a product is catching on in unintended ways worth pursuing. Yet there’s a lot of mystery around pivots, and entrepreneurs ask all the time how you know it’s time to commit to a new direction.

To shed some light, I talked with kaChing, a destination that enables individual investors to find outstanding money managers to manage their money. The company’s audacious goal is to disrupt the $11 Trillion mutual fund industry. The startling part is that kaChing started out as a…Facebook game. That’s an epic pivot, like shifting from making solar calculators to powering the Space Shuttle. How’d it happen?

kaChing launched a virtual portfolio management game on Facebook in January 2008 and a similar version shortly thereafter on kaChing.com. The intent was to discover amateurs who could manage a portfolio as well if not better than professionals (think American Idol) and then facilitate individual investors giving them their real money to manage. In other words, the game would serve as a kind of minor league for the profession. Because kaChing prefers its portfolio managers to have a long track record, the marketplace launch (i.e., the version that would facilitate the investment of real money) was planned for late-2009.

kaChing deployed the game across a slew of platforms, including MySpace, the iPhone, and the Yahoo App Platform. The result? They attracted more than 450,000 portfolios—a decent number for a company that hoped a good percentage would prove out as capable managers. They also hoped a reasonable percentage would realize they were lousy money managers and would then convert to clients.

In the early fall of 2009, as kaChing prepared for its marketplace launch, the management team showed the app—which included real time market data, SEC-grade accounting, analytics, compliance and customer management tools—to a number of investment pros to get feedback and endorsements. One of those pros was John Powers, head of the Stanford endowment. He noted the platform would be good not only for amateurs who had proven themselves as outstanding portfolio managers in the game, but also for professional money managers —a group that had insufficient tools for managing and scaling their businesses.

The kaChing system was based on full transparency. A portfolio manager’s entire track record & holdings had to be disclosed. The company didn’t believe professionals would be willing to reveal that level of detail. But Powers’s reaction was intriguing enough to prompt Andy Rachleff, kaChing’s CEO, to call friends who were professional money managers and describe the idea. The response was surprisingly positive.

Andy Mathieson, a founder and managing member at Fairview Capital, was particularly supportive. He was unconcerned about transparency, noting the good have nothing to fear. Mathieson signed on to be a money manager in the marketplace launch, committing five years worth of prior transactional data. Mathieson’s firm has a minimum investment of $1 million dollars outside of kaChing. On kaChing, consumers could invest in Fairview Capital’s strategy with as little as $3k.

When the marketplace launched on October 19, it included seven amateurs who had risen through the game’s ranks and four professionals, including Mathieson. Within a month, kaChing observed several interesting things. First, because the amateurs weren’t SEC-registered, the site had to refer to them with awkward terms like “geniuses.” That was confusing for consumers, who already had to figure out what on kaChing.com was a game and what was real. Second, out of 450,000 gamers, only seven had qualified to become kaChing managers. Third, the company expected hundreds of amateurs who performed poorly in the game to realize they weren’t good at investing and therefore become customers. in fact only five people converted into paying customers. Finally, after launch, 30 professional money managers, having read articles on the company, contacted kaChing out of the blue. These managers weren’t concerned with transparency. They were interested in the tools and new distribution medium kaChing provided.

In November, kaChing held an all-hands meeting, circling up chairs in their small Palo Alto office, to discuss whether they should focus solely on professionals and abandon the systems for proving amateurs. “Some people weren’t comfortable because it wasn’t as fun, and one senior engineer thought we’d be losing the part of kaChing that was an enabler for anyone who wanted to make it as a pro,” Rachleff recalls. “But what we really wanted to change was not who manages the money, but who has access to the best possible talent. We’d originally thought we’d need to build a significant business with amateur managers to get professionals to come on board, but fortunately It turns out that wasn’t necessary.”

The staff agreed they could better fulfill their goals by working just with professional managers. In December, they removed the game from kaChing.com. In February, they held another all-hands meeting to talk about shutting down the legacy Facebook game, which still had 60,000 active users. “Everybody felt the burden of supporting all those transactions every day,” says Pascal-Louis Perez, kaChing’s CTO. “It took a ton of our time, and just wasn’t contributing to our long term vision.” That all-hands lasted five minutes.

Which is a nice story. But when kaChing actually shut down each game, hundreds of angry players spewed venom. “We had to ignore them, because they weren’t our target audience – and were never likely to become customers.” says Rachleff.

kaChing says they had the fortitude to make quick decisions and stay the course not just because they’d observed how people were using the marketplace, but also because they’d spoken with hundreds of potential and past customers. To acquire new money managers, the company makes traditional sales calls, which means they’ve interviewed many, many professionals and gotten a strong sense of their needs. At the same time, whenever a customer closes an account, kaChing contacts the person to find out why; most agree to a short phone interview. (The site has about 700 active paying customers.

Perez says this level of contact, synthesized with their own observations, has given them confidence to make bold decisions. Of the money managers they’ve interviewed, he notes, “The feedback is consistent; we solve big enough problems for people that we believe they’ll come on board.”

With 21 employees today, kaChing is devoted to recruiting professional managers and finding product/market fit, first for money managers, then for consumers. Thus far the results are encouraging. More than 30 qualified professional money managers have been attracted to the platform and more than $190 million of customer assets have been committed as well.

The kaChing team is quick to note that because they’re still closing-in on product/market fit, they’re less data-driven than they plan to be once they’re in optimizing mode. “We create hypotheses, and test them,” says Rachleff. “If something fails, we cut it off. If something seems to succeed, we pursue it aggressively. You have to have the courage of your convictions. With limited data, you have to make tough decisions.”

Special thanks to Pascal-Louis Perez for sharing information and making this post possible.

I'm en route to Malaysia right now (sitting at JFK in NY) for a research trip. I have never been been to Malaysia so I'm really looking forward to it. In the mean time, I wanted to keep you busy pondering about our existence. Here is another 9 minute excerpt from Sagan's Pale Blue Dot (see earlier post Sagan on Science, Religion, and the Universe). I think Pale Blue Dot was the only book that Sagan read for an audio book, and the person putting these clips out is doing a great job of utilizing it. I also have it somewhere on a cassette - but don't have any means to play it anymore (a "morbid obsession with Sagan"? ;) ).

So here is Sagan - Consider again that pale blue dot:

Abu Muhammad menceritakan suatu kisah yang saya kira boleh kita ambil pengajaran yang banyak daripadanya. Kisah saat beliau sedang menghadiri mukhoyyam di Indonesia.

"Ana berharap anak ana tidak lahir dalam 2-3 hari ini." tiba-tiba seorang ikhwah bersuara.

"Hah, kenapa pula akhi?" Abu Muhammad dan ikhwah-ikhwah lain yang mendengarnya merasa pelik.

"Begini, ana punya 3 orang anak. Semuanya lahir ketika ana sedang menghadiri mukhoyyam. Kalau lahir yang ini juga, maka semua keempat-empat orang anak ana jadi anak mukhoyyam!"

Gambar Hiasan

Lalu kata-katanya itu disambut derai tawa oleh para ikhwah.

"Ibu dan bapa mertua ana betul-betul tidak puas hati dengan tindakan ana. Yalah, tiada di saat isteri melahirkan. Tetapi apa yang boleh dilakukan, kita ada urusan dakwah."

"Insya-Allah, semoga diberikan keadaan yang terbaik akhi."

"Amiin.." Mereka semua mengaminkan.

Begitulah sepatutnya seseorang itu bersikap. Mengutamakan Allah, Rasul dan Jihad di atas segala-galanya. Sebagaimana firmanNya :

Katakanlah: "jika bapa-bapa, anak-anak, saudara-saudara, isteri-isteri, kaum keluargamu, harta kekayaan yang kamu usahakan, perniagaan yang kamu khawatiri kerugiannya, dan tempat tinggal yang kamu sukai, adalah lebih kamu cintai dari Allah dan Rasul-Nya dan dari berjihad di jalan-Nya, maka tunggulah sampai Allah mendatangkan keputusan-Nya." Dan Allah tidak memberi petunjuk kepada orang-orang yang fasik.

[Q.S. At-Taubah, 9:24]

Tahapan kecintaan yang digarisi oleh Allah dalam Al-Quran itu adalah seperti berikut:

1. Allah
2. Rasul
3. Jihad
4. Ibu bapa
5. Anak-anak
6. Saudara mara
7. Isteri
8. Kaum kerabat
9. Harta kekayaan yang diusahakn
10. Perniagaan yang dikhuatiri kerugiannya
11. Tempat tinggal yang disukai

Isteri itu datangnya di tempat yang ketujuh. Apabila diseru kepada jihad maka seorang yag beriman itu sepatutnya mendahulukan seruan itu. Sepertimana Hazalah yang menyahut seruan jihad di saat dia sedang bersama dengan isterinya di malam yang pertama. Saat seruan jihad itu disahut, Hanzalah masih dalam keadaan junub. Inilah contoh yang ditunjukkah oleh para sahabat. 

Adakah mereka tidak tahu mencintai keluarga? Tidak. Bahkan mereka adalah pecinta yang sebenar-benarnya. Mencintai Allah di atas segalanya. Kehendak Allah diutamakan di atas kehendak dirinya. Ingin keluarganya juga menjadi orang-orang yang beriman. Jika kita inginkan keluarga kita sejahtera, bukannya dengan meninggalkan dakwah dan tarbiyah demi menyara keluarga. Nabi pernah bersabda, "Jagalah Allah, nescaya Allah akan menjagamu." Dalam membahas hadith ini, Dr. Aidh Al-Qarni menyatakan 8 terdapat kelebihan bagi seseorang yang menjaga Allah. Antaranya adalah Allah akan memelihara keturunannya.

Beliau membawakan contoh Nabi Ya'kub dan Nabi Yusuf yang terpisah. Diriwayatkan tempoh perpisahan kedua anak beranak ini adalah 80 tahun. Namun yang dirisaukan oleh Nabi Ya'kub bukannya hidup mati anaknya. Ketika bertemu dengan Yusuf saat Yusuf sudah menjadi bendahara negara, Yusuf bertanya kepadanya,

"Mengapakah kau menangis? Adakah kau tidak yakin dengan janji Allah yang akan menemukan kita?"

Semua antara kita barangkali berfikir Nabi Ya'kub menangis berterusan sehingga buta kerana kehilangan Nabi Yusuf yang disayanginya. Namun perhatikan kata-kata Nabi Ya'kub,

"Aku cukup yakin dengan janji Allah bahawa Allah akan menemukan kita. Yang aku takutkan adalah apabila aku bertemu dengan kau dan di saat itu kau dalam keadaan tidak beriman kepada Allah."

Bukan kehilangan Yusuf yang merisaukan dirinya. Tetapi kemungkinan hilangnya keimanan dalam diri Yusuf yang menjadi kerisauannya. Kesungguhannya ingin memelihara Allah dalam dirinya serta keluarganya ini  kemudiannya dibalas oleh Allah SWT dengan memelihara keturunannya.

Kisah seorang tabi'in yang terkenal, Rabi'ah Ar-Ra'yu. Bapanya keluar berjihad selama 30 tahun, sejak dia masih dalam kandungan ibunya. Dia tidak pernah bersua dengan bapanya. Namun dia kemudiannya membesar menjadi salah seorang ulama' tersohor madinah di zamannya. Inilah yang terjadi apabila bapanya mengutamakan Allah di atas kecintaan keluarga.

Cinta Allah di atas segalanya

Kisah sama, Layanan berbeza

Namun kisah di zaman kita, apabila kita cuba mencontohi kecintaan ini, maka kita dipandang serong masyarakat. Jika seorang suami meninggalkan isteri saat dia ingin melahirkan kerana ada tugasan dakwah, maka si suami akan dikatakan suami yang tidak bertanggungjawab oleh keluarga. Tetapi jika keluar kerana sebagai seorang doktor yang perlu on-call, atau seorang jurutera petroleum yang perlu bekerja of shore, maka mereka dibiarkan pergi tanpa apa-apa tuduhan. Malah dipersilakan. Untuk tujuan akhirat, sangat dikecohkan. Tetapi untuk urusan dunia, sangat dialu-alukan. Mengapa double standard?

Seringkali nama Islam menjadi tempat terakhir

Bahkan di keadaan lain juga sama.

"Adik-adik semua jangan pergi program-program yang tidak dianjurkan oleh badan dakwah yang rasmi di universiti. Keselamatan tidak terjamin."

Biasa dengar?

Kalau nasihat seperti ini pula:

"Adik-adik, kalau pergi bandar tu jaga-jaga, banyak perkara yang boleh melunturkan iman. Wanita-wanita yang tidak menutup aurat, cerita-cerita di panggung wayang yang boleh merosakkan akidah, pergaulan bebas, macam-macam boleh berlaku. Jaga-jaga ya."

Pelik bukan? Orang amat takut serta dimomok-momokkan untuk pergi ke program-program islami, biar apapun namanya, lagi-lagi yang konon-kononnya diwar-warkan tidak ada kebenaran universiti dan sebagainya. Tetapi apabila pergi ke bandar untuk clubbing, menonton wayang, bersuka-ria membuang masa pula tidak pernah dipersoalkan. Mengapa?

Kesimpulan

Mungkin kita sukar untuk menerima sudut pandang seperti ini. Namun buat mereka yang menyakini saat pertemuannya dengan Allah, mengetahui tahap kecintaan yang mana perlu didahulukan, semestinya mereka tidak teragak-agak untuk membuat pilihan.

Dunia cuma sementara. Akhirat kekal selama-lamanya. Jika memang keadaan memerlukan kita membuat keputusan, maka putuskanlah mengikut 'manual'-Nya. Bukan atas dasar hawa nafsu.

Semoga Allah redha dengan kita.

~End Of Post~

This is a weekly post by Nidhal Guessoum (see his earlier posts here). Nidhal is an astrophysicist and Professor of Physics at American University of Sharjah.
In past few weeks or months, I have encountered a number of interesting “episodes” related to satellite technology.

First, a few months ago there was a news item in an Egyptian online paper stating that Iran and Qatar were collaborating on a project to put two telecommunications satellites that would compete with the Egyptian Nilesat, which carries hundreds of Arab (and some non-Arab) TV channels. Why? Because Nilesat had just dropped the Iranian (Arabic-speaking) news channel Al-Alam (which is similar to the English-language Press TV, for those who know that one).

Secondly, in the first few days of the Football World Cup, which was to be exclusively broadcast by Al-Jazeera Sports for the whole Arab world, there was that piracy/interfering operation, which prevented millions of Arab football fans from watching large parts of the first few games – an episode that has (unofficially) been placed on the back of the Nilesat operators.

Thirdly, just two weeks ago, Algeria had its second satellite launched, this time by India’s ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) – more on that below. And a few months ago, Iran took a quantum leap by showing that it now could both construct satellites and place them in orbit with its own rockets.

Finally, when I took part in COSPAR-10 (the UN’s “Committee on Space Research” Conference, which every two years draws a few thousands space and astrophysics researchers for a whole week of talks, exhibition, etc.), which ended just a few days ago, I noticed that this time not only did ISRO have a booth there (the only non-western organization to be displaying its achievements – and they are many), it will be sponsoring the next COSPAR meeting, in July 2012, in Mysore (close to Bangalore).

I could go on citing satellite “episodes” in my life, some more centrally than others… For example, that a colleague and I have a few students setting up a receiving station for a meteorological/environmental satellite. Also, the fact that Dubai (my neighbor-emirate) had its first satellite placed into orbit almost exactly a year ago, that Abu Dhabi has now for two consecutive years held a large Space Exhibition and Conference (in January of 2009 and 2010), etc.

Clearly, satellites have been on my mind – particularly in relation to the Arab-Muslim world – for some time now.

India became a “space power” in 1975 when it made its first launch. Before that it had for a decade developed missile and launching capabilities.

The Arab world first focused on telecommunications satellites in the seventies, with Arabsat (Arab Satellite Communications Organization) and (later) Nilesat paying for satellites to be placed in orbit and renting slots for TV and Radio channels. Arabsat was established in 1976 by the member states of the Arab League with a goal of serving the telecommunication, information, culture and education sectors; its first satellite was placed in orbit by Ariane in 1985. It has since had a good half dozen satellites operating on and off.

Somewhat similar to Arabsat, MEASAT (Malaysia East Asia Satellite) is a communications satellite operator with at least three geostationary satellites (MEASAT-1 and MEASAT-2 were launched in 1996 and MEASAT-3 in 2006).

In terms of individual countries, Iraq was the first Arab state to launch a satellite (in December 1989), becoming the tenth nation in the world to put one in orbit. Other Arab countries later had some satellites placed in orbit for them; they largely focused on remote sensing, e.g. Morocco (Maroc-Tubsat, launched in Dec. 2001) and Algeria (with its Alsat-1, developed by Surry and launched in Nov. 2002), or GSM-telephony, e.g. the UAE’s Thuraya (built by Boeing for 1 billion dollars, the first being launched in Oct. 2000, the second in Jan. 2003).

Finally, I should also mention Pakistan: in 2005 it tested its Shaheen II missile, which with a range of some 2,000 km is capable of putting a satellite in space – not to mention military applications.

So we see that except for Iran, which has lately signaled its serious will to become a regional space power, talking to the OIC (the Organization of the Islamic Conference) about designing and placing satellites for Muslim countries, either collectively or individually, we see lots of interest and some movement on the space technology front but little homegrown effort.

Contrast that with India, which has launched some 30 satellites, sometimes several at once, like it did two weeks ago when it delivered 5 satellites, including the Algerian Alsat-2 and the Indian Studsat, which was built by students of engineering colleges from Bangalore and Hyderabad… India is indeed a full-fledged space power, with a suite of high-resolution remote sensing satellites as well as others of various applications. India also, one may recall, sent a spacecraft to the moon, Chandrayaan-1, and found water there, probably the first real confirmation of that. And if this all is not enough, ISRO has announced its intention to develop a manned space program within the next several years…

Clearly this is a very broad topic, and attempting to cover the Arab and Muslim worlds in a short piece is practically impossible – I am guaranteed to have left out one important item or another. Please do fill in the missed spots…

I have posted earlier about several movements that are using religion (in this case - Islam) to teach and practice environmentalism. For example, check out this post from a few months ago: Green Muslims. Now PRI has a story about an island off the eastern coast of Africa, where its inhabitants are using Islam to foster better environmental habits. I think a green movement within Islam has a real potential of taking off, and apart from a good PR move, it may also have a good, positive impact on the climate. But there is one thing I found fascinating in this story: The locals on the island were suspicious when the environmental message was seen as coming from the "west". They suspected a hidden agenda associated with it. However, when it was reframed as something already in the Qur'an, then the support went up. Well, this is something we worry about scientific concepts as well - especially for something like biological evolution. When Muslim scholars accept evolution, they often appropriate the concept and either assign it to medieval Muslim scholars of the 12th and 13th centuries or find supporting verses in the Qur'an. While there are problems with these approaches, perhaps another way would be to highlight the works of Muslim evolutionary biologists & paleontologists, as well as pointing to important evolutionary discoveries on the territories belonging to Muslim countries - such as the recently discovered primate fossil from Saudi Arabia.

In any case, listen to the PRI story here (it is about 5 min long):

Green is the color commonly associated with Islam and some scholars say the Koran also commands Muslims to be green in the modern environmental sense. In East Africa, a development project using Islamic ethics has taught locals the Koranic imperatives of conserving natural resources. Some say eco-Islam has taken root. From Pemba Island in Tanzania, Matthew Brunwasser reports. 

Usually there are sappy scenes when movies depict departing souls (Raiders of the Last Ark being an exception). So here is Werner Herzog's take on it in The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Calls - New Orleans. If you like Herzog, you'll love the idiosyncrasies in the movie. And Nicholas Cage is at his weird best (in fact, I was reminded of the dancing soul scene in an interesting Slate article on Nicholas Cage's movie choices). But if you like non-fiction Herzog, then definitely check out the wonderful Encounters at the End of the World (see an earlier post here).

Here is a short scene involving a dancing soul from The Bad Lieutenant (warning: this clip contains profanity/crude language, violence, and drug-use):


See Roger Ebert's review here.

Here is a plug for a new Sayyid Qutb biography by John Calvert: Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islamism. I had a chance to meet John when I visited Creighton University couple of years ago. While I was there, he gave a talk about Qutb's days in Greeley, Colorado in the 1940's. First of all, the topic was fascinating. But what stuck out for me was the way John gave the talk: It was like a story-telling session as he created for us, in great detail, the Greeley that Qutb must have seen and his (Qutb's) reaction to it. If that talk is any indication, this book will be a fascinating read. By the way, one of John's earlier works provided the inspiration for a musical performed in Denver - and I think the title was "Qutb in Jahiliyya" (I have to confirm the title).

In any case, here is a review for the book from this week's Economist:

Pre-eminently among the pioneers of 20th-century Islamism, Sayyid Qutb has come to be seen as the evil genius who inspired today’s global jihad. As John Calvert argues in a persuasive new biography, Qutb’s reputation is not entirely undeserved, but it does less than justice to a complex and enigmatic figure.

One of the challenges any biographer faces is to explain Qutb’s evolution from romantic nationalist to mainstream Islamist, and finally to ardent revolutionary. Mr Calvert’s answer is to place his subject firmly on Egyptian soil. Like countless others in the years that followed the first world war, Qutb was a child of rural Egypt who migrated to Cairo as a young man to join the swelling ranks of the effendiyya, the new urban educated class. An intense, proud, rather melancholy man, he worked as a civil servant. In his spare time he struggled to establish himself as a writer of poetry, fiction and literary criticism.

In this early phase Qutb, a Muslim who had come under the spell of Sufism, subscribed to the essentially secular nationalism of the day, the focus of which was opposition to British rule in Egypt and to Zionist colonisation in Palestine. But by the late 1940s, disillusioned with the failings of the nationalist parties, he had become an Islamist and—as exemplified in his first important book, “Social Justice in Islam”—an Islamist of originality and power.

And here is the bit about Qutb's experience in America:

Shortly after finishing the manuscript, Qutb set off for the United States on a visit that was to last almost two years. The trip affected him deeply. Although he was impressed by America’s material accomplishments (and confessed to liking “Gone with the Wind”), he felt an abiding contempt for the materialism, racism and sexual promiscuity of what he saw as a debased Western culture. Was the encounter with America, as some have argued, the turning-point in Qutb’s radicalisation? Did the sight of scantily-clad women on the dance floors of Greeley, Colorado, turn the sexually repressed Egyptian into an Islamist zealot? Mr Calvert doubts it; the visit, he believes, confirmed the radical turn in Qutb’s thinking, rather than inspiring it.

Qutb returned to Egypt and was imprisoned, tortured, and eventually hanged by Nasser. But it is in the prison that he wrote his influential book:

 Imprisonment and torture turned him into an impassioned and embittered revolutionary. His book “Milestones”, written in prison to chart a future course for his crushed and demoralised movement, became an internationally influential manifesto of the Islamic revolution—not least because in 1966, two years after it was published, Qutb was hanged for treason, becoming a martyr for the cause.

Part of the originality of “Milestones” was Qutb’s use of the term jahiliyya to depict the abject condition of the Muslim world. Literally meaning ignorance, the term was originally used to describe the benighted condition of Arabia prior to the advent of Islam. But Qutb used it to condemn Muslim governments and societies which, in his eyes, had been corrupted by Western culture and secularism to the point where they had abandoned Islam. 

But Qutb's character is more complex and it seems that John has been able to bring this out in his book:

 Mr Calvert does not disguise the crudely Manichean character of Qutb’s worldview. He believed in an all-out global struggle between a noble vanguard of true Muslims and the massed ranks of jahiliyya. He depicted Islam’s external enemies as an insidious alliance of “Crusaders and Jews”—the same phrase that is used by al-Qaeda and the global jihadists of today.

But he was not, as has been suggested, an “Islamo-fascist” or an advocate of indiscriminate violence. Qutb opposed the killing of innocents and would have been appalled by what his followers, from the Egyptian radicals of the 1970s and 1980s to the current jihadist groups, have carried out in his name. This rich and carefully researched biography sets Qutb for the first time in his Egyptian context, rescuing him from caricature without whitewashing his radicalism. It is no small achievement.

Looks great. Read the full review here.

Galileo's bits and pieces (okay only bits) are on display at a newly renovated history of science museum in Florence. I had posted on this last November (see Galileo's fingers to be reunited!). Here is some of the fascinating history behind the way his body parts got to where they did - and be treated as "relics":

Now a particularly enduring Catholic practice is on prominent display in, of all places, Florence’s history of science museum, recently renovated and renamed to honor Galileo: Modern-day supporters of the famous heretic are exhibiting newly recovered bits of his body — three fingers and a gnarly molar sliced from his corpse nearly a century after he died — as if they were the relics of an actual saint.  

... 

The scientist’s troubles did not end with his death in 1642.

Nearly a century later, in 1737, members of Florence’s cultural and scientific elite unearthed the scientist’s remains in a peculiar Masonic rite. Freemasonry was growing as a counterweight to church power in those years and even today looms large in the Italian popular imagination as an anticlerical force.As a heretic he could not be given a proper church burial. But for years after his death, his followers in the circle of the grand dukes of Tuscany pushed to give him an honorable resting place.

According to a notary who recorded the strange proceedings, the historian and naturalist Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti used a knife to slice off several fingers, a tooth and a vertebra from Galileo’s body as souvenirs but refrained, it appears, from taking his brain. The scientist was then reburied in a ceremony, “symmetrical to a beatification,” said Mr. Galluzzi.

After taking their macabre souvenirs, the group placed Galileo’s remains in an elegant marble tomb in Florence’s Santa Croce church, a pointed statement from Tuscany’s powers that they were outside the Vatican’s control. The church has long been a shrine to humanism as much as to religion, and Galileo’s permanent neighbors include Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Rossini.

Galileo’s vertebra wound up at the University of Padua, famous for its medical school, while his middle finger wound up in the collection that formed the basis for the Galileo Museum. But the thumb, index finger and tooth disappeared in 1905, only to re-emerge last October, in an auction of reliquaries in Florence.

Alberto Bruschi, a Florence collector, bought what turned out to be Galileo’s digits and tooth at the urging of his daughter Candida, who collects reliquaries. She also happened to be writing her senior thesis on Galileo’s tomb.

After she observed that the figure on top of the reliquary resembled Galileo, the family called an expert who contacted Mr. Galluzzi, and the match was made.

A spokeswoman for the Pandolfini auction house, which sold the reliquaries, said it could not reveal their provenance but said it had no idea they were Galileo’s.

Mr. Bruschi credits providence with the find. “More than by chance, things are also helped along a bit by the souls of the dead,” he said in a telephone interview. “I think they could not have wound up in better hands.”

(A dentist who examined the tooth for the museum said it showed signs of gastric reflux and indicated that Galileo ground his teeth in his sleep.)

But although the relics may be the museum’s sexiest draw, they are a small part of the museum, which reopened last month after a high-tech renovation that transformed it into one of Italy’s best boutique collections, a veritable curiosity cabinet of beautifully wrought scientific instruments.

Read the full article here.

Go see it! And see it on the big screen - (even IMAX - if you have the option). See the trailer for the film here.

Inception is a visual treat with a challenging plot line. I wish it was half-an-hour shorter with some reduced chases and gunfights. But then again, Christopher Nolan was making a summer blockbuster, and it would have been hard for him to convince the studios to shell $200 million for a movie about dream invasions.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. What I say will not exactly be a plot-spoiler, but it does address the theme of the film. So if you don't want to know any thing more about the film, avoid the next few lines (you can listen to the spoiler-free autopsy below). [for more reviews, see our Film Autopsy Blog]

So what is this movie about? When I saw the film the first time, I was caught up in the complex layering of dreams. I was struck by the fact that Nolan, who is amazing at creating atmosphere, did not take much advantage of surrealism afforded by the world of dreams. So I was initially disappointed to see no references to Dali (it would have been so cool to see a random molten clock on the beach...) or to Luis Bunuel, etc. But thinking about the movie afterwards, and after seeing it the second time, it is quite clear that Inception is not really about dreams. Yes, dreams serve as a premise - but that's about it.

If it's not really about dreams - then what is it about? I think it is movies themselves - the art of making films and the experience of watching them as individuals. As Kevin Anderson puts it nicely in our No-glove autopsy of Inception, when we go to a movie, we share a collected dream, but the experience and meaning of the dream is often shaped by our own past experiences and prejudices that we bring to the film. We discuss more on these themes in the two autopsies below.

My appreciation of the film grew enormously after my second viewing. Despite its complex plot, I think the movie is very consistent with the world it creates. I also love the music. The characters, like in other Nolan films, are quite a bit wound-up - and they could have used a bit more sense of humor - especially with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page at Nolan's disposal (they do share a splendidly sweet moment - but it appeared to me to have been improvised and likely not in the script. You'll know when you see the scene). But then again, Nolan seems to be fascinated by the dark side of human nature - ala Stanley Kubrick - but he is not there yet. This may not be a perfect film, but this is still a fantastic film that reaffirms the magic of big-screen cinema.

Kevin Anderson and I had two autopsies for Inception: One with spoilers and one without. So first, here is the regular autopsy (spoiler-free review) of Inception:


And here is the No-glove autopsy (with spoilers) of Inception:


Of course, you can find autopsies of other recent films at the Film Autopsy Blog.

The cover of this week's Nature announces the discovery of the fossilized remains of a previously unknown primate that provides clues to the divergence from monkeys to apes. The discovery was made in Saudi Arabia - and I hope this spurs further interest in paleontology and other related sciences within the region. Just as Pakicetus (a whale ancestor) points to its discovery in Pakistan, this new fossil has been named Saadanius hijazensis, owing to its location of discovery. You can read more about the discovery here, and access the full journal article here. 
Now very interestingly, Nature Middle East in collaboration with Nature Videos, has produced a short video in Arabic to explain the discovery to a wider audience. I think this is a splendid effort! It humanizes researchers by adding faces to names. In addition, it also shows the collaborative nature of this work. Here is the Arabic version (thanks to the House of Wisdom blog - you should check it out):


And here is the english version:



Here is the cover of Nature and the description below:

This fossil cranium of a new stem catarrhine from western Saudi Arabia allows palaeontologists to place a more accurate date than previously possible on the divergence of cercopithecoids (Old World monkeys) and hominoids (apes and humans) within Old World higher primates (Catarrhini). The new specimen dates to the mid-Oligocene, around 29 million to 28 million years ago, and has no crown catarrhine specializations other than the presence of a tubular ectotympanic, suggesting that the divergence of Old World monkeys and hominoids happened after that date. The cover shows the anterior view of the cranium, which has its lateral incisors, canines and broad molars in situ. The size of the cranium indicates a medium-sized primate, between 15 and 20 kilograms in body mass. Photo credit: Daniel Erickson/Bonnie Miljour, University of Michigan.

Read the full article here.

Here we are again, David & Sheri Burns at Long Lane Honey Bee Farms with another fun lesson in beekeeping. In today’s lesson, I want to share some things that you should NOT DO! Why not learn from the mistakes of others? Before we get into today’s lesson, here’s an update from Long Lane Honey Bee Farms.
We had a lot of fun at our basic beekeeping course last Saturday. The students were great, the bees were cooperative and the weather was perfect. This coming Saturday is our Advance Beekeeping Course! We still have room for a couple more students to join us, so click here for more info. Stop repeating the same mistakes. Learn more and do better.

No one guessed our mystery photo on our last lesson. From left to right, a jar of sweet tea, a jar of honey with comb, and a jar of pickled eggs.
A few weeks ago I attended the Heartland Apicultural Society (HAS) meeting in Cookeville, Tennessee and it was great.  I met several of you who follow our online lessons, have bought supplies from us, etc. While I was on an elevator I met Joel who bought a queen from us a few years ago. He recognized my shirt and said the queen was doing good. Another lady from Ohio introduced herself at lunch and mentioned that she really enjoys our lessons and has shared them with other beekeepers. The HAS, of course, had great speakers, hands on apiary workshops and more. For me, the highlight was listening to Dr. Clarence Collison. No one I know of holds a match to his knowledge of beekeeping and the honey bee. He writes a monthly column in the BEE CULTURE.

Speaking of Dr. Collison, he heads up the Eastern Apicultural Society’s Master Beekeeper program which I will be attending next month in Boone, North Carolina to go through my second year of testing. Several from our family will be going over for the whole week for the EAS beekeeping conference. The master beekeeping program consumes the last two days of the conference. If you can afford the time away, I would strongly encourage you to come and enjoy the conference. Outstanding speakers and workshops. It is absolutely the most superbly orchestrated beekeeping conference, ever! If you can’t come every day, you can chose the latter part of the week. It’s a blast. I hope to see you there. I’ll be wearing the yellow “Long Lane Honey Bee Farms” shirt like the one in the picture. For more information on the EAS conference Click Here.
LESSON 77: DON’T DO THAT
Okay, so you are enjoying beekeeping, but you’ve already made a few mistakes. Don’t feel badly, we all do it. Just don’t repeat the same mistakes every year. To help you avoid repeating mistakes and to help you avoid them all together, let me give you a list of things I’m calling the “Don’t Do That” list. Let’s go…
DON’T DO THAT
1) Don’t put off beekeeping, thinking you’ll do it later. Make a determined effort to start keeping bees next Spring.
2) Do not leave a frame out of a hive. Always put the frames back! If you don’t, you are guilty of violating bee space. The bees will nicely fill the vacant frame space with comb that you’ll never be able to work with.

3) Do not use a bee vac in the afternoon when the foragers are returning from their flights. The suction will pull out the honey from their honey stomachs and drown all the other bees in the vac.
4) Don’t drip honey or throw comb near a hive. Sometimes we need to remove burr comb from a hive. Carry it away from the hive. If you throw it on the ground next to the hive, robbers will smell the honey and comb and may be enticed to go into the hive and start robbing it.
5) Don’t use old equipment. American Foul Brood spores can live dormant in abandon hives and stored equipment for nearly 80 years and activate once you start using the frames or boxes.
6) Don’t dump out your smoker in dry grass. Don’t set your hot smoker down on your truck’s plastic bed liner or store it in the garage before it’s cooled down. And don’t blow sparks or a flame into the hive when smoking.
7) Don’t be caught without something to put a swarm in. Keep a spare hive on hand. As more people learn that you’re a beekeeper, you will receive calls to retrieve swarms. Be prepared.
8) Don’t assume your hive is doing well based on what you see at the entrance. Just because they are bringing in pollen does not guarantee they have a laying queen. Check your hive every 2 weeks and verify you have a laying queen by inspecting her brood pattern and checking for newly laid eggs.
9) Don’t forget your hat and veil. No matter how calm your bees may bee, anything may set them off. Always protect your head and face. (Especially if you have somewhere special to go that night!)
10) Don’t be an isolated beekeeper. You will benefit from joining your local association, attending conferences and classes and networking with other more experienced beekeepers.
11) Don’t place a queen excluder below a honey super with undrawn comb. Wait until the comb is starting to be drawn out, then check to be sure the queen is not in the super. Then you can place the queen excluder below the honey super.
12) Don’t allow your hive to become congested. While a crowded hive is a healthy hive, they may run out of empty cells for the queen to lay. Continue to monitor your hive to make sure the colony has room to expand.
13) Don’t cheat and harvest honey before it is completely sealed. If you harvest frames that are not sealed completely, your honey’s moisture level may be too high, causing the honey to eventually ferment, foam and taste like yeast.
14) Don’t be oblivious to pests and diseases in the hive. Know the most common pests and diseases and learn how to identify and treat your colonies if these show up.
15) Don’t force your bees to your neighbor’s swimming pool for water. Keep water around your property in the sun for bees to find. Bees can more easily detect polarized light so keep your water source in direction sun light because light is polarized once it reflects from the surface of water.
16) Don’t pull a frame out if it is really close to the frames beside it. You may “roll” your bees, even kill the queen. Remove a frame near the wall that is less tight, then slide the frames to allow room to freely lift each frame.
17) Don’t mix up your frames. When you pull out a frame, place it back in the same place and orientation.
18) Don’t work hives in poor weather. Bees are calmer on sunny days with higher barometric pressure.
19) Don’t take your chances with an old queen. Requeen every year or two. A younger queen’s pheromones will reduce swarming and she will lay more prolific.


20) Don’t give up!  Beekeeping, for most, is an enjoyable hobby. Hobbyist become attached to their animals. When a hive dies, a beekeeper can become discourage and want to quit. This is understandable. But do not despair!  If your hive dies, consider the good news:
   1.  You have drawn comb for next year’s package to build up faster. 
   2.  You gained a wealth of skill and information for next year.
   3.  You have time to evaluate why your hive died and what you can do better next year.
Thanks for joining us for another beekeeping lesson from Long Lane Honey Bee Farms. We’ve given you 20 “don’ts” today, advice to help you avoid the most common mistakes.
We hope you enjoyed today’s lesson and if you want to leave a little tip on the table for the service you received from today’s lesson, we would appreciate any donation.  You can click on the link below to leave a donation of any amount.

Remember, we are selling queens through September and it’s always beneficial to requeen after June 21 so that you know you have a young queen going into winter. Also, we sell woodenware, beekeeping equipment and everything to do with honey bees. Check out our main website at: www.honeybeesonline.com
Here’s our information and our summer hours:
Summer Hours:
Mon – Thur 8:30 am – 4 pm Central Time
FRI-SAT  visits & pickups by appointment only
Long Lane Honey Bee Farms
14556 N. 1020 E. Rd
Fairmount, IL 61841
(217) 427-2678
www.honeybeesonline.com
Email: david@honeybeesonline.com

Dengan nama Allah Yang Maha Pemurah Lagi Maha Penyayang. Segala puji dan syukur kita panjatkan buat Allah SWT yang telah membeirkan segala nikmat yang kita nikmati di saat ini. Semoga di setiap saat dan ketika kita melakukan setiap amal hanya keranaNya demi mensyukuri nikmat-nikmatNya ini.

Dakwah merupakan sesuatu yang wajib buat semua mereka yang mengaku sebagai seorang Muslim. Seorang ulama’ dakwah pernah berkata, “Barangsiapa yang mengatakan tiada tuhan selain Allah dan Muhammad itu persuruh Allah, maka dia adalah seorang da’i.” Allah telah menegaskan akan tanggungjawab berdakwah ini dengan begitu banyak sekali di dalam Al-Quran. Antaranya :

Dan hendaklah ada di antara kamu segolongan umat yang menyeru kepada kebajikan, menyuruh kepada yang ma'ruf dan mencegah dari yang mungkar; merekalah orang-orang yang beruntung. [Q.S. 'Ali Imran. 3:104]

Kini ramai golongan yang mula menyahut seruan Allah ini, terutamanya daripada kalangan remaja, khususnya mahasiswa-mahasiswa di institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) dalam dan luar negara. Dan setiap individu pastinya akan cuba untuk menjalankan penyeruan kepada kebaikan (amar ma’ruf) dan mencegah kemungkaran (nahi mungkar) ini dengan cara yang paling diyakininya. Keadaan ini akan menghasilkan variasi gerakan dalam penyeruan  ke jalan yang suci ini. Namun jika tidak dicermati, sesuatu yang baik ini akan kelihatan sebagai sesuatu yang buruk, malah mungkin boleh mencetuskan perpecahan yang tidak kita ingini.

Pelbagai warna dengan fungsi yang sama - mewarnai (Picture from deviant art)

Kepelbagaian Jemaah

Dalam mengharungi kehidupan kampus, kita perlu menyedari akan hakikat bahwa ada ramai pihak yang ingin berjuang untuk menegakkan Islam. Dan setiap daripada mereka mempunyai gerak kerja serta sudut pandang tersendiri dalam cara-cara untuk menyebarluaskan fikrah Islamiah kepada masyarakat.

Ada yang berpandangan dakwah perlu dimulakan dengan mempunyai kuasa, agar kita dapat menguasai masyarakat kampus, lalu dengan kuasa itu kita akan mengubah masyarakat ke arah yang lebih baik.

Ada yang mengatakan kita perlu terus menerus menceritakan kelebihan amal kebaikan, ganjaran-ganjaran pahala yang bakal diterima atas ibadah yang dilakukan agar masyarakat akan tertarik kepada kebaikan dan dengan sendirinya meninggalkan keburukan.

Ada pula yang berpendapat masyarakat ini perlu ditarbiyah dengan kefahaman islam dengan baik, lalu dengan kefahaman dan pengamalan Islam itu masyarakat akan mengubah kehidupan mereka ke arah kehidupan yang sesuai dengan syariat dan diredhai oleh Allah SWT.

Banyak lagi fikrah-fikrah yang kita lihat. Bahkan mereka yang kelihatan mempunyai fikrah yang sama juga kita akan lihat bahawa mereka mempunyai cara mengatur organisasi yang tersendiri. Sehingga kita akan melihat begitu banyak gerakan Islam yang ada. 

Lalu timbullah persoalan, “Bolehkah banyak-banyak jemaah macam ni? Nanti orang-orang bukan Islam lihat Muslim ini lemah. Nak menegakkan agama sahaja tidak bersatu."

Sebenarnya banyaknya jemaah yang wujud sekarang ini bukanlah sebuah kesalahan ataupun tanda-tanda perpecahan. Banyaknya jemaah ini menandakan ada ramai orang yang ingin menyahut seruan Allah ini:

..oleh itu berlumba-lumbalah kamu mengerjakan kebaikan...[Q.S. Al-Baqarah, 2:148]

Masing-masing ingin melakukan perbaikan umat yang terbaik. Mereka yakin dengan jalan perjuangan mereka. Mereka sama-sama ingin menjadi mereka yang paling diredhai Allah. Bukankan ini baik?

Berlumba-lumba untuk menjadi yang terbaik

Menyikapi Kepelbagaian

Untuk menyikapi kepelbagaian jemaah yang ada ini, eloklah kita menelusuri buku Fiqh Al-Ikhtilaf , Fiqh Perbezaan pendapat oleh Syeikh Yusuf Al-Qaradhwi. Dalam mukaddimah buknyanya beliau menulis :

"Hati saya resah jika musuh itu datang dari dalam tubuh kebangkitan Islam itu sendiri. Satu gerakan Islam melancarkan makar terhadap gerakan Islam yang lain.


Saya pun tidak resah bila di dalam tubuh kebangkitan Islam terdapat pelbagai madrasah, kelompok, atau jemaah, yang masing-masing mempunyai manhaj yang tersindiri dalam berkhidmat dan berjuang menegakkan Islam di muka bumi, sesuai dengan sasaran, skala prioriti dan tahapan mereka.


Saya tidak termasuk orang-orang yang bermimpi menginginkan dan menyerukan kepada satu jemaah atau satu gerakan Islam yang akan menghimpun semua aktivis Islam dalam satu sistem dan di bawah satu pimpinan. Terlalu banyak masalah yang merintanginya di samping impian yang memang tidak kena pada tempatnya.”


(Fiqh Ikhtilaf, Mukaddimah, m/s 10)

Seperti yang dinukilkan oleh beliau, setiap mempunyai gerak kerja dan strategi dakwah yang cukup berbeza malah cara menguruskan organisasi yang tersendiri. Bagaimana kita mengharapkan mereka ini dapat berkerja dalam satu organisasi dengan satu ketua?

Sikap yang perlu ada dalam menanggapi kepelbagaian :

1.   Menerima konsep kepelbagaian jamaah Islamiyyah

Kepelbagaian jemaah tidak akan menjadi masalah apabila semua pihak  mampu menyikapi perbezaan ini dengan baik. Kita perlu mengiktiraf akan adanya kepelbagaian jemaah dan mereka itu memang ‘layak’ untuk wujud. Masalah akan muncul apabila ada individu-individu atau mana-mana pihak menjadi taksub dan fanatik akan jemaahnya sendiri sehingga menikam dan mengecam orang lain yang bukan daripada jemaahnya. Hanya dia yang benar, yang lain salah dan tidak perlu wujud. Semua perlu menyertainya.

“Kami yang paling awal ada di sini. Kamu masuk tidak ketuk pintu!”

Jadi, jika kamu yang paling awal berdakwah di sini, maksudnya tidak boleh orang lain berdakwah sama? Orang yang sudah punya cara gerak kerja yang diyakininya hanya boleh duduk diam dan tidak berdakwah? Semua orang perlu menyertai kamu walaupun tidak setuju dengan kamu?

Saudaraku, janganlah bersikap seperti ini. Fenomena ini hanya menambahkan bilangan musuh dalam berjuang. Tawarkan sahaja kelebihan yang ada pada kita, dan biarkan orang lain memilih yang mana sesuai dengan caranya. Bayangkan jika kita yang menjadi pemula baru bagi fikrah dakwah yang kita bawa di tempat kita. Kita amat meyakini cara kita, tetapi kita dipaksa untuk mengikuti gerakan lain yang kita tidak yakin dengan cara perjuangannya. Mahukah kita? Terimalah mereka seadanya.

Mulakan perubahan dengan menerimanya

2.  Menghormati di antara satu sama lain dan menjauhkan prasangka-prasangka buruk
“Dia rampas mad’u ana!” seorang yang berkopiah mengeluh.

“Ana yang mula-mula dekati adik tu.” Kata seorang wanita bertudung labuh.

“Ana harap enta tidak ‘mengganggu’ adik-adik yang telah bersama dengan jemaah kami. Mereka semua sudah berkomitmen dan bersedia untuk ditarbiyah bersama-sama jemaah kami.” Kata presiden sesebuah jemaah kepada presiden jemaah yang lain.

Sebenarnya saya mahu tergelak mendengar perbualan-perbualan ini. Bayangkan jika adik-adik yang kononnya ‘ditarik’ daripada jemaah mereka itu berada di hadapan, adakah anda mahu berkata-kata seperti itu?

Ketahuilah pintu dakwah adalah Al-Fahmu, yakni kefahaman. Seseorang yang sudah faham dan yakin dengan ideologi pergerakan serta perjuangan sesebuah gerakan dakwah itu sudah pasti akan menyokongnya tanpa berbelah bahagi. Terjadinya fenomena ‘Lompat Jemaah’ ini adalah kerana kurangnya akan kefahaman yang diberikan. Jadi salahnya bukanlah pada jemaah yang menjadi pilihan mad’u kita itu, tetapi diri kita sendiri. Bersangka baiklah kepada mereka dengan merasakan bahawa kita masih belum mampu memberi pemahaman baik kepadanya, lalu dia memilih gerakan yang menurutnya lebih baik.

Ketidakfahaman membawa kepada keraguan (Picture from Deviant Art)

Saya sering mengatakan kepada mad’u-mad’u saya yang bertanya tentang banyaknya jemaah yang ada dan bolehkah jika ingin mengikut mereka,

“Antum semua tahu di Malaysia ini ada macam-macam jemaah. Ada PAS, JIM, ISMA, ABIM, Tabligh, dan macam-macam lagi. Semua mereka tu baik sebab mereka berdakwah untuk mengajak manusia mendekati Allah.

“Tetapi ana tidak bersama dengan mereka sebab ana cuba untuk memperbaiki umat dengan cara yang terbaik. Ana tidak kisah anak halaqoh nak ikut mana-mana jemaah yang ada, tetapi ana akan cuba meyakinkan mereka bahawa jalan yang ana tempuhi ini adalah jalan yang terbaik untuk mereka menjaga iman mereka serta menggerakkan dakwah.

“Jika mereka tidak mahu memilih untuk bersama dengan ana, ana akan menganggap mereka memang tidak ditakdirkan untuk berada dalam jalan yang ana pilih ini dan ana akan terus berdakwah kepada orang lain dengan cara yang sama.”

Lalu ada yang berkata, “Wah, sombongnya, macam jemaah dia yang paling baik!”

Maafkan saya, bagi saya ini bukanlah suatu kesombongan, tetapi berfikir secara rasional. Apakah rasionalnya anda untuk bersama dengan gerakan yang anda ikuti sekarang tetapi anda tidak yakin bahawa gerakan anda sedang melakukan yang terbaik? Lebih baik anda tinggalkan gerakan itu dan ikut mana-mana gerakan yang anda rasa lebih baik.

Kefahaman yang benar membentuk fikrah yang tidak tergoyahkan!

Meyakini bahawa jemaah kita adalah jemaah yang terbaik adalah sesuatu kewajaran. Namun kemudianya mengaku kepada semua bahawa jemaah kitalah yang terbaik mengatasi jemaah-jemaah lain adalah suatu tindakan yang berlebih-lebihan.

Wahai Pendakwah, Sedarlah

Sedarlah, banyaknya jemaah yang muncul sebenarnya memudahkan urusan kita. Semakin banyak pilihan yang boleh diikuti oleh masyarakat sebelum mereka terjebak dalam kerosakan moral yang jauh lebih membimbangkan. Jika mereka tidak bersama kita, maka dia boleh bersama dengan sesiapa sahaja yang memperjuangkan Islam. Jika setiap pendakwah bersikap seperti ini, nescaya akan lahirlah generasi baru dalam umat ini. Generasi pendakwah yang semuanya bersama-sama berusaha dengan matlamat yang sama. Kita tetap bersama dalam penyatuan matlamat.

Sedarlah, tugas kita adalah untuk memperbaiki umat. Umat kini sedang berada di ambang kerosakannya. Hampir setiap hari kita boleh membaca kisah-kisah yang mengaibkan masyarakat kita di dalam surat khabar. Bahkan menjadi sesuatu yang pelik jika dalam seminggu tiada kisah bayi yang dibuang ke tong sampah mahupun di jalanan. Keruntuhan akhlak dan moral bertambah bagaikan cendawan di musim hujan.

Lalu apakah yang kita lakukan? Sibuk menyalahkan antara satu sama lain? Lalu umat terus tenggelam dalam kegelapan jahiliyah yang tidak berkesudahan. Di mana kita untuk menghulurkan tangan menyelamatkan mereka?

Umat kita jauh lebih parah daripada ini

Kesimpulan : Jadilah Doktor Kepada Umat

Berdakwahlah bagaikan doktor. Doktor yang diamanahkan dengan negara yang penuh dengan pesakit-pesakit yang kronik. Sudah pasti kita tidak mampu menyelamatkan kesemua pesakit-pesakit itu. Dan kita perlukan bantuan doktor-doktor lain, meskipun mereka tidak sama tempat belajarnya dengan kita dahulu, dan tidak sama teknik pengubatan yang digunakan. 

Jika pesakit yang ingin kita ubati telah diuruskan oleh doktor yang lain, biarkan sahaja. Masih ramai pesakit yang memerlukan bantuan kita. Tidak kisah siapa yang mengguruskan mereka, yang penting mereka semua dapat diselamatkan.

Tidak mungkin kita akan bergaduh dengan doktor yang lain semata-mata berebut seorang pesakit. Fahamilah keadaan masyarakat. Masih ramai yang perlu diselamatkan. Masih ramai.

Marilah menjadi doktor yang baik kepada umat!

~End Of Post~