Maher Zain Live in Concert 2011

Alhamdulillah, I've been waiting for this for quite some time and last night it become true. The first and the best concert I've ever attend, yet!

The rainy night of February 25th, 2011 witnessed Melawati Stadium filled with more than 7000 people for Maher Zain Live in Concert. My seat was actually very far left which will let me see nothing but the stage. Thanks to Adib's friend, Azfar who offered to take my ticket and giving his guest tickets to us. The seats happens to be at the centre of the third floor. Even though it's quite far, we can see everything! :D

Adib, my date :)

The MCs, Farahdiba and 'the guy' I'm not sure what's his name (sorry!) opened the night reminding all the audience that we are doing this for Allah's redha. The concert was started by energetic performance by Inteam which also the people responsible on bringing Maher Zain and friends for this event. Then Irfan Makki who originates from Pakistan but now lives in Canada performs three songs: Mother, Waiting for The Call and a wedding song (I forgot the title). Despite the great performances, everybody can't hide their eagerness for the man of the show. Not long after he appears singing Allahuakbar. It was a nice choice for an opener.

Inteam

Songs from were then sung for the next 1 hour, and everybody seems to be enjoying their selves. I realized everytime he is about to sing a song, he'll say bismillah. And a lot of mashaAllah and alhamdulillah along the concert. What a good example.

Fadly, the vocalis of Padi band (Indonesia) made an appearance featuring in InshaAllah song (Malaysia/Indonesia? version). Then the stage was joined by Mesut Kurtis and five children to sing Never Forget. They were very cute :)

Maher Zain rest for a while to give a chance for Mesut Kurtis to perform three songs. I realized this Turkish singer was bless with a very manly voice, and many of his songs are traditional zikir and solawat which I think suits him really well. One worth a mention is Burdah.

Maher Zain - The closest shot of him from my seat

Maher Zain came back to stage singing Allahi Allah Kiya Karo with Irfan Makki. He then surprises us with his new song which he just wrote exactly a week and a half ago. Freedom, inspired by the struggle of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen and neighboring countries which started in the past few months succeed in bringing the message to the audiences.

Announcing his last song InshaAllah in the Malay Version, everybody cheered but at the same time feeling very sad to know it's ending.
After the song ends, he said "Unfortunately that was really my last song." Everybody seems dissappointed.
Then he said indifferently, "Okay, everybody is tired, lets go home." That made us laugh.
"One more song?"
We said, "Yesssssss...!" More than anything!
"InsyaAllah... next year!" he laughs.

He looked at us and with a big smile on his face he said, "Okay two more songs! What do you want me to sing?"
We were so happy, some screamed out their favorite songs. For The Rest of My Life was the most screamed by the crowd.
"What about I sing Freedom first, and then The Rest of My Life, okay?", he offered.
We were euphoric. He then asked us to open our cellphone's light and wave it in the air. Everyone did it and the scene was like the night sky filled with dancing stars. It lits up the atmosphere.
As Maher Zain sings The Rest of My Life, the stadium echoed with the voices of the fans singing along.

Seeing the great respond from the crowd, he offers to sing InshaAllah once again, this time the English version. We sang along, feeling very satisfied and amused by this amazing night. MashaAllah.

Before excusing himself, Maher Zain thanks everybody who had contributed to realize the concert, giving credits to the percussions group and back-up singers, and to all the audiences for great support.

It ends at 12am and I went home with a big smile. Alhamdulillah :D


-IMAN NAILAH 2011-

Hikmah Piala AFF 2010

Tahniah pasukan bola sepak Malaysia kerana menang piala AFF Suzuki! (dan kami dapat cuti! hehe)

Safee Sali, Top Scorer AFF Cup 2010

My choice for best player: Khairul Fahmi

Malaysia memang hebat, terutama Safee dan Fahmi! Buat pertama kalinya saya yang hanya pandang sebelah mata terhadap arena bola sepak Malaysia (shame on me), saya tertanya-tanya, "Siapakah jejaka itu?" ;p They are good! Bukan sebab diorang pemain Malaysia atau sebab mereka menang piala AFF kali ni, kalau kalah pun I think they are almost the same skill level as the Europe and Latin soccer player. Selamatkan bola penalti??! That's a WOW man! Chelsea main (waktu semua star player injured) pun tak sebest Final leg I dan II Piala AFF. So keep it up Malaysia!

M. Nasuha berjaya merampas spotlight dari penyerang ternama Gonzales

Pemain Indonesia pun ape kurangnya. Nasuha dan Firman berjaya menggugat gawang Malaysia beberapa kali sampai akhirnya menembus juga pertahanan 'kebal' Fahmi. Bambang yang masuk padang beberapa minit setelah separuh masa kedua bermula turut memberi kelebihan buat Indonesia. Mereka layak mendapatkan kemenangan di Gelora Bung Karno tapi mungkin nasib lebih berpihak kepada Malaysia bila membelasah mereka 3-0 di Stadium Bukit Jalil. (bunyi dah macam pengulas sukan la pulak. hentam sajalah.)

Apapun kita sebagai penyokong cukup terhibur dengan permainan kedua pasukan. Semua drama, caci maki, rusuhan dan tunjuk perasaan akhirnya berakhir dengan keputusan yang penuh hikmah. Ketika Malaysia menang di Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia menyalahkan laser yang tak pasti ulah siapa. Buat beberapa hari airmata pun tumpah, berbalas sumpah seranah, batu menyergah dinding rumah. Doa berbalas doa sampai tibalah 29 Disember 2010, semua mata terbuka. Buat Malaysia, kita kagum dengan sikap matang Indonesia yang tidak membalas ketidakmatangan penyokong Malaysia pada leg I dan tetap unggul di tempat sendiri. Rakyat Indonesia pula sedikit sebanyak akur dengan kesungguhan pemain Malaysia. 2-1 buat Indonesia adalah tanda kemenangan, dan agregat 4-2 diharapkan dapat memberi kehormatan buat pemain Malaysia yang saya rasa sudah berusaha sebaik mungkin demi membanggakan negara mereka.

Allah ada perancangan-Nya. Cukup kita berusaha dan bersyukur dengan nikmat-Nya.

-IMAN NAILAH 2010-

Saat Rasulullah Dipersoalkan...

maher zain - The Chosen One

Found at: FilesTube

Sejenak marilah kita mengimbau kembali kisah Rasulullah dan para sahabat yang sedang berehat sejenak setelah pertempuran Hunain. Pada awalnya, kaum muslimin begitu bangga dengan kekuatan dan jumlah mereka yang 12,000. Tetapi Allah hendak mengajarkan bahawa logik jumlah bukan segalanya. Di atas itu semua, ada keimanan dalam dada, sikap tawadhu’ penuh waspada, dan perpaduan hati yang kukuh dalam taqwa.

“Sesungguhnya Allah telah menolong kalian, hai para mukminin, di banyak medan peperangan. Dan (ingatlah) hari peperangan Hunain, ketika jumlahmu yang besar itu membanggakan kamu, tetapi (jumlah yang banyak itu) sama sekali tidak berguna bagimu, dan bumi yang luas itu terasa sempit bagimu, kemudian kamu berbalik ke belakang dan lari tunggang-langgang.” (At-Taubah : 25)

Ini adalah hari yang sulit. Ketika Rasulullah s.a.w menyaksikan hanya para sahabat yang ditarbiah sejak awal risalah yang tinggal di sisi baginda. Jumlahnya sedikit. Di manakah 12,000?

Akhirnya Al-‘Abbas bapa saudara Rasulullah berseru lantang memanggil kumpulan-kumpulan manusia. “Wahai kaum Ansar! Wahai mereka yang telah berbai’ah di bukit ‘Aqabah!” Maka satu persatu pun menyahut seruan, “Labbaik…labbaik..”

Namun seluruh wadya kabilah Hawazin dan Tsaqif telah bercerai-berai dan melarikan diri ke benteng mereka di Thaif. Sebenarnya mereka bertaruh kekayaan, dan keberanian Nabi s.a.w dan para sahabat tidak cukup memberi kekuatan kepada mereka sehingga sanggup kehilangan segalanya. Mereka menyayangi nyawa.

Kini tinggallah Rasulullah s.a.w membahagikan rampasan perang yang terdiri dari berlembah-lembah kambing, unta, emas, perak dan tawanan. Pertimbangan manusia mengatakan bahawa kaum Ansarlah yang paling berhak mendapat rampasan Hunain yang banyak itu. Tetapi Rasulullah malah memberikannya kepada pemuka-pemuka Thulaqaa, muallaf Makkah yang paling depan dalam melarikan diri dari pertempuran dan berkata, “Mereka tidak akan berhenti berlari sehingga mencapai laut!”

Ada sesuatu yang membebani setelah pembahagian itu, sesuatu yang disampaikan oleh Sa’ad ibn 'Ubadah dan menyebabkan kaum Ansar dikumpulkan di sebuah kandang kambing yang luas. Rasulullah s.a.w lalu datang berbicara kepada mereka.

“Wahai semua kaum Ansar, ada desas-desus yang sempat aku dengar dari kalian, dan di dalam diri kalian ada kegusaran terhadapku. Bukankah dulu aku datang, sementara kalian dalam keadaan sesat lalu Allah member petunjuk kepada kalian melalui diriku? Bukankah kalian dulu miskin lalu Allah menjadikan kalian kaya, bukankah dulu kalian bercerai-berai lalu Allah menyatukan hati kalian?”

Mereka menjawab, “Begitulah. Allah dan Rasul-Nya lebih murah hati dan lebih banyak kurnianya.”

“Apakah kalian tak mahu menjawabku, wahai orang-orang Ansar?”, tanya baginda.

Mereka lalu bertanya,”Dengan apa kami menjawabmu Ya Rasulullah? Milik Allah dan Rasul-Nyalah anugerah dan kurnia…”

Baginda bersabda,”Demi Allah, kalau kalian mahu, dan kalian adalah benar lagi dibenarkan, maka kalian bisa mengatakan kepadaku: Engkau datang kepada kami dalam keadaan didustakan, lalu kami membenarkanmu. Engkau datang dalam keadaan lemah lalu kami membantumu. Engkau datang dalam keadaan terusir lagi papa lalu kami memberikan tempat dan menyaramu…”

Sampai di sini air mata sudah mulai berlinang, pelupuk mereka terasa panas dan esak mulai tersedan.

“Apakah di hati kalian masih terbersit hasrat terhadap sampah dunia, yang dengan sampah itu aku mahu mengambil hati sekumpulan orang agar masuk Islam, sedangkan keislaman kalian tak mungkin lagi aku ragukan?”

“Wahai kaum Ansar, adakah tidak berkenan di hati kalian jika orang lain pulang bersama kambing dan unta, manakala kalian kembali bersama Allah dan Rasul-Nya ke tempat tinggal kalian?”

Esak itu semakin berat, janggut-janggut sudah basag dengan airmata.

“Demi Zat yang jiwa Muhammad dalam genggaman-Nya, kalau bukan kerana hijrah, tentu aku termasuk kaum Ansar. Jika manusia menempuh sebuah jalan di celah gunung, dan orang-orang Ansar memilih celah gunung yang lain, tentulah aku pilih celah yang dilalui kaum Ansar. Ya Allah, sayangilah orang-orang Ansar, anak orang-orang Ansar, dan cucu orang-orang Ansar…”, Rasulullah menutup penjelasannya dengan doa yang begitu mententeramkan.

Dan tentulah, akhir dari semua ini cukup mempesona, semempesona pengorbanan kaum Ansar selama ini, “Kami redha dengan Allah dan Rasul-Nya dalam pembahagian ini.., kami redha Allah dan Rasul-Nya menjadi bahagian bagi kami…”.

-Dipetik dari Buku “Bahagianya Merayakan Cinta” tulisan Salim A. Fillah. Salah satu dari puluhan coretan menyayat hati dan mengusik rasa yang terdapat dalam setiap helaian buku ini.

Sollu 'ala Rasulillah habib Al-Mustafa... wa 'ala alihi wa sohbihi ajma'in.

-IMAN NAILAH 2010-

Ketulusan Hati

Korang mesti tau lagu ni kan? Baru-baru ni tiba-tiba ia jadi dekat di hati saya. Perhatikan liriknya:

⁠Cintaku tak berdusta
⁠Tak mengenal ingkar
⁠Tak kenal nestapa
⁠Cintaku hanya indah
⁠Hanya bahagia untuk selamanya
⁠
Apa yang kurasakan ini
⁠Persembahan untuk dirimu
⁠Kau biarkan kasihku
⁠
⁠Mencintaimu tak mengenal waktu
⁠Tak mengenal puitis
⁠hanya tulusnya hati
⁠mencintaimu tak mengenal ragu
⁠keyakinan hatiku hanya untuk dirimu selalu...

Dengan alunan merdu suara Anuar Zain yang membuai di telinga dan susunan lagu yang membelai jiwa, saya kira pertama kali mendengarnya saja boleh buat korang setuju dengan saya.

Tapi cuba ubah cara pandang objek yang menjadi subjek cinta dalam lagu ni. Jadikan mu menjadi Mu, ya ubah yang dipuja sebagai Yang Maha Esa, Pemilik Segala Cinta.



Cuba dengarkan dan hayatinya dengan Dia sebagai fokus makna, air matamu akan terbit tanpa dipaksa-paksa.

Inilah ketulusan hati yang sebenarnya.

-IMAN NAILAH 2010-

The Reality of Malaysian Medical System

Being a medical student and struggling for almost two years in Indonesian hospitals, my thoughts are always about coming back to Malaysia and serve my country with pride. I heard about people leaving their country for a better offer abroad, but this gives me a shock. I never thought there was another reason.

Why we left and why we will continue to leave...

Posted by: MS Mohamad

I read an interesting article today about a few prominent figures addressing their concern over the increasing UKM and UM medical graduates who have left the country to continue their medical practice overseas.

After reading the news for 3 times, I called a very close friend, an MD (UKM) graduate to ask his opinion on how the news might have affected him. He has been working in Singapore for more than a decade as a Consultant Surgeon with a certain sub-specialty

"Why be a slave in your own country, when you are a king in another?" He replied.

By the word slave, the writer does not exaggerate. He came out with his own experiences.

I still remember the days when I was doing seeing patients and rounds as an MO, while the staff nurses would mind their own business, having breakfast in the pantry, or having gossip chats at their own leisure. My House Officers would then have to do merely all the labour-work, up to the extent of setting intravenous drips, and serving medications. If I am to expect the nurses, my patients would have been dead, or the work would have been too slowly or incompletely done.

When I was a House Officer, I had to run down 4-5 floors just to review a blood investigation of a dying dengue patient. The ward staff would either be nowhere around, or will say that he is busy (busier than the doctor?) or the answer I got at that time:

"Doktor nak cepat, doktor turun sendirilah, gaji doktor lagi banyak dari saya"

Even when I was a Specialist, the staff nurses had to be called again and again just to make sure the management plan for the patient would be done. I was already used to answers from them:

“I’m busy with something else"

“My shift is already over"

...it was routine for me.

One time when I was a District Hospital Medical Officer, I was conducting a delivery of a baby. An MA insisted that I remove my car which was block-parking his car. I answered through the phone that I was busy.

He came to the labor room and yelled "Semua orang pun sibuk jugak, macamlah doktor seorang yang sibuk!”

This maybe just a few people, and the writer is unlucky enough to meet these kind of people over and over again. I myself had only experienced working and interacting with the non-goverment medical servants and they gave a good impression on me. So this might be biased, as for sure a 2 weeks experience cannot be compared with a two decades. Suddenly coming back to Malaysia (which is already a scary idea looking how unprepared I am to be a doctor) seems so terrifying.

The state health or Hospital Director would just give another inspirational talk (of bollocks) on team effort and beauty of teamwork.

Ooh, now I know how I got the wrong news.

The author also stated some comparisons with other countries including Indonesia:

A few colleagues who graduated from UK choose to serve there:

"The pay is more, and we get the respect we deserve"

Another works in Brunei:

“Here the staff nurses respect Malaysian doctors, and they are very co-operative" (He ended up marrying one)

A few are consultants in Singapore (working with me):

"Here we are treated well, we spearhead the management, and every else do their work to the best of their capabilities".

A few even enjoys working in Indonesia:

“The work-load is horrible since there are a lot of patients, but we are well respected by every hospital personnel" (They have migrated there for nearly a decade)

Now I might even consider staying in Indonesia. (On a second thought, no, no. Maybe not.)

I find that Malaysia is the only country that is making doctors' lives miserable and treated like rubbish. It was never about the pay in the first place. It is about the treatment we are getting and the false political-based promises. Do you know that the so-called circular about doctors can have the day off after working 24 hours straight released JULY 2009 is not yet implemented? Do you know that the raise of UD 41 to 44 does not involve every doctor in the government service?

I did not found this surprising, knowing our country and it's full of 'janji manismu', it's likely to happen. Yet, most of the bad treatments from fellow workers such as nurses, medical assistants, and management officers made me feel sad. And if we were not bound by ethics to serve our best for patients and to save lives, would we become like them too? We can bare the hardships and exhaustion for the good pay (eventhough still lower than other countries), could we when it's not as sweet as it used to be?

Instead of doctors demands for respect, we must first give to gain. Maybe this is where the problem first started. The respect must be recovered.

See here to read the full article. Credit to Apai who linked it at Facebook.

-IMAN NAILAH 2010-

A Beautiful Mind

A beautiful movie indeed.

I've heard about this movie for the first time from dr.Kris, a resident in Psychiatry Department, that was more than 10 months ago. It was just yesterday I watched it and I regretted for not doing it much earlier, when I'm in the department.

But better late than never.

A Beautiful Mind(2001), a film inspired from the life of dr. John Forbes Nash, a mathematical genius who made some of greatest discoveries in economic history. He is always unique in other people eyes, asocial but that's the thing that attracts people to him. He met his wife, Alicia Larde which is also one of his students at MIT. At the same time he works as a code broker for a classified bureau, and not long after that a tragedy occurs. This is when his life changed 180 degrees.

I don't want to spoil the main twist of the story, but I have to mention this; the movie are very successful in showing me a perspective of a troubled man's eye, that millions of other people out there were also suffering. And what's extraordinary about this story is that he achieved what people thought is impossible. That's an inspiration.

I insist all of you who read this, please go watch this movie. The first 15 minutes might be a little bit dull and too complicated for us to understand, but then the pace will get better and let you stuck to your seat till the end.

I have to remind you that this story isn't truly based on dr. John Nash's actual life as many facts were deliberately omitted from the film.

*A Beautiful Mind starred Russel Crowe, Ed Harris and Jennifer Connelly and directed by Ron Howard.

-IMAN NAILAH 2010-

ANUGERAH

	Nahwan Nur - Anugerah .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Anugerah

Album : Di Kala Hati Bercahaya
Munsyid : Nahwan Nur
http://liriknasyid.com

Jalan yang berliku
telah aku lalui
juga jalan berbilang simpang
telah aku redahi
aku rebah aku tersungkur
lalu bangkit berbekalkan azam
jua iman dari-Mu Tuhan
dalam meneruskan perjuangan

Anugerah dari-Mu Allah
kusalurkan menuju jalan-Mu
anugerah dari-Mu Allah
dalam mengetuk hati insani

Dari kamar sepi ini
kusenandung puisi lagu rindu
untuk-Mu Tuhan yang kuagungkan
demi kasih dan cinta ini

Tabah dalam menghadapi
segala cabaran dan rintangan
pasti nanti di suatu hari
perjuangan tersemat di hati

Terbinalah impian indah
yang tercipta dari anugerah
moga ia kan jadi nyata
sebagai pengukuh cinta kita

Lagu: Nasation Abdullah
Lirik: Romzi ishak & Nasation
Solo: Nasation Abdullah

My Latest Remedy

Assalamualaikum everybody!

Lame tak post something...I'm sorry, I do wrote a few articles, poems and some extraordinary experiences remarks, but I haven't manage to finish them yet. (~.~)

I see now I have higher expectation towards myself as a writer, at least much more than I was in the last few months. There are a lot more requirements I demand from my writings to be published as a post in my blog. I am my own editor. Well, that's how a writer usually works when it didn't involve money in the process.

Actually I want to share a nice radio channel I found out from my roomate, Kak Kawtsar which is called Radio Nasyid. Click here to listen to it.

Untuk yang tinggal kat Malaysia, korang mesti tengah gelakkan aku kan. Sangatlah ketinggalan zaman. Well, better late than never. It's best now, but just better later.

Ape yang aku suka kat radio ni adalah:

1. Seperti IKIM.fm, it contains nasyid only! Takde lagu-lagu lagha yang melalaikan and the nasyids range from the most classic until the latest one!

2. Takde bicara-bicara DJ, takde omelan-omelan yang tak perlu (no offence to all the DJs out there!). Di sela-sela lagu nasyid diisi dengan ceramah, tazkirah, mutiara kata dan sajak2 kerohanian!

3. It's 24 hours! Suitable for students who cannot or forced not to sleep! Good news for Makassarian yang radio die sume tido kul 12/1am! At last we have a fren to accompany our lonely and long nite... \(^_^)/

4. It's made in Malaysia! Oh, you don't know how pleasant it is to listen to something 'close' to your ear and heart! It's a very effective remedy for a homesick people like me!

Ok then, take a listen to it while I finish my Dermatology assignmentSSSSS! ~then I'll continue on my unfinished blog posts, okay?

See you later my friends!

IMAN NAILAH 2009

noradrenaline2001@yahoo.com

The Kite Runner; The Novel

“For you, a thousand times over,” Amir said to Sohrab. With that, Amir was the happiest man in the snowy park of San Francisco.

The theme of the pleasure of giving is one of the best message delivered in “The Kite Runner” wrote by Khaled Hosseini. Friendship, love, guilt, fear, betrayal and salvation, hope and faith, cruelty and punishment are the other themes brought by the author. In the beginning, we were introduced to the main character Amir, an Afghan who migrated to the U.S, struggling with the guilt he hides for more than 25 years. With the call from Rahim Khan, a long time friend from Kabul, we were brought back to his childhood life where he live with his wealthy father and two loyal servants of a Hazara man name Ali and his son, Hassan who becomes his only best friend.

He treats Hassan like his toy, he plays with him and become the place he shows his compassion. As they play and grow together he learns how he like the company of Hassan, but in the same time he envy him for having the potential his father hopes in a son. He craves for his father’s affection, wanting his attention all for himself. One day, his fear made him betray Hassan and he made his only best friend leave with his father, not knowing that that would be the last time they see each other.

The story returns to the present and the image of that day still clear as the river. His cowardice has now become a big stone that covers his guilt. He’s now already an adult with a beautiful wife named Soraya, a good life as a writer and most important far from his long left but unforgettable sin. Now he was asked to go back to the place he most feared, to face it all again.

“There is a way to be good again”, said Rahim Khan. That sentence brought Amir back to Kabul, thinking he is visiting a sick old friend. Then everything gets 360 degrees when the truth is revealed. Hassan had been killed and he left a son. Now he has to retrieve the son from the Taliban whom had dominated the Afghan society. He hesitated and gave excuses, but the biggest truth is then revealed – he and Hassan are half-brothers.

How it ends? You have to read it yourself. The book had been first published in 2003 and the film adaptation had been made in 2007 if I'm not mistaken. Comparing both, I say the book maybe should just stay as a novel. There's no way the film can match up as emotional and as beautiful as the book. No offence to the film-maker, it's just that the story is so rich, cutting and simpling it up makes the story lose it's strength point.

I see Khaled Hosseini’s great quality is in the way he describe every plot of his story. He made believe like we are really experiencing the conflict, feeling all the emotion and the intensity. The characters were well built, as we get to know every person in depth without exaggeratedly described. I can easily absorb the development and the climaxes of the story even though many flashbacks technique were used in the book. Maybe in some plot can be easily predicted, but for me it still leaves a great impact.

I can say that the best persona of the book is the story itself. Maybe I rarely read novels, but I read short stories and watch a lot of movies. The story was extraordinary as it brought a simple theme but use a unique background and culture. Using a real current issue and event, the story seems real and poignant, yet it is so fresh; you had never heard something like it before.


-IMAN NAILAH 2009-

WE WILL NOT GO DOWN!

WE WILL NOT GO DOWN (Song for Gaza)
(Composed by Michael Heart)
Copyright 2009

A blinding flash of white light
Lit up the sky over Gaza tonight
People running for cover
Not knowing whether they’re dead or alive

They came with their tanks and their planes
With ravaging fiery flames
And nothing remains
Just a voice rising up in the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Women and children alike
Murdered and massacred night after night
While the so-called leaders of countries afar
Debated on who’s wrong or right

But their powerless words were in vain
And the bombs fell down like acid rain
But through the tears and the blood and the pain
You can still hear that voice through the smoky haze

We will not go down
In the night, without a fight
You can burn up our mosques and our homes and our schools
But our spirit will never die
We will not go down
In Gaza tonight

Pahlawan Uhud

Di tengah ‘kesibukan’ sebahagian besar dari pasukan pemanah mengumpulkan harta-harta peninggalan tentera musuh, Khalid bin Al-Walid mengambil kesempatan menggempur kembali tentera Muslim di kaki Jabal Uhud. Pasukan Muslim menjadi kucar-kacir, akibatnya mereka tidak dapat melawan tentera musyrikin secara teratur seperti yang dirancang. Keadaan sangat buruk sehinggakan ada yang tertikam sahabat sendiri. Rasulullah SAW pula terdedah kepada ancaman musuh, terutama ibn Qamiah yang bersumpah tidak akan pulang dari Uhud tanpa membunuh Muhammad.

Tiba-tiba meluru seorang sahabat dengan senjata melindungi Rasulullah SAW. Beliau menyeru sahabat-sahabat yang lain untuk turut melindungi baginda di tengah kekalutan itu. Kedengaran pekikan angkuh dan rakus ibn Qamiah mencari Nabi Muhammad SAW. Tanpa baju besi, sosok ini lantas berdepan dengan ibn Qamiah yang ternyata memiliki perlindungan dua lapis baju besi. Dengan tenaga dan pertahanan yang tidak standing ibn Qamiah, tikaman hinggap di tubuh beliau berkali-kali.

Melihatkan keadaannya yang luka dan tidak bermaya, Rasulullah SAW segera menjerit ke arah anak-anak beliau, “Wahai anak-anak Ummu Umarah, awasi ibumu! Ibumu! Bantu dia segera!” Sepantas kilat anak-anaknya datang menyelamatkannya dari terus dicederakan ibn Qamiah, dan Musa’b ibn Umair segera menerpa ke arah ibn Qamiah untuk menghalangnya. Alangkah terkejutnya ibn Qamiah apabila mengetahui bahawa orang ditentangnya tanpa baju besi itu adalah seorang wanita . Hentakan dan terjahan Musa’b bin Umair bagai buku bertemu ruas, menyebabkan ibn Qamiah lari menyelamatkan diri. Rupanya Ummu Umarah hanyalah salah seorang dari muslimah-muslimah yang turut serta ke medan perang untuk bertindak sebagai jururawat.

Belum pun kecederaan Ummu Umarah lengkap dibalut oleh anak-anaknya, ibn Qamiah datang sekali lagi menerpa ke arah baginda Nabi SAW. Kali ini dia muncul bersama beberapa orang rakannya yang lengkap bersenjata. Ummu Umarah bingkas bangun untuk melindungi Rasulullah SAW bersama-sama anak-anaknya dan para sahabat lain. Sekali lagi, ibn Qamiah terpaksa akur dengan kekuatan pertahan tentera Muslimin melindungi Rasulullah. Sebaik ibn Qamiah dan kumpulannya mundur, Ummu Umarah longlai dan hampir rebah ke bumi. Rasulullah selai lagi berteriak ke arah anak-anak Ummu Umarah supaya menyelamatkan ibu mereka.

Ketika diusung oleh kedua-dua puteranya, Ummu Umarah yang sangat lemah sempat berkata kepada Rasulullah SAW, ” Doakanlah kami dapat menemanimu di syurga wahai Rasulullah.” Maka baginda terus mendoakan Ummu Umarah dan keluarganya, ”Ya Allah Ya Tuhanku, jadikanlah Ummu Umarah dan seluruh keluarganya teman-temanku di syurga!” Mendengarkan doa baginda, Ummu Umarah mencapai bahu kedua puteranya sambil berkata, ”Aku tidak peduli apa pun yang akan menimpaku di dunia selepas doa ini.”

Nota kaki : Nama sebenar Ummu Umarah ialah Nusaibah binti Ka’ab bin Amru bin Auf al-Anshariyyah. Beliau pernah terlibat dalam ikatan setia Aqabah yang kedua. Beliau juga memikul tanggungjawab menyampaikan dakwah Islam kepada wanita Yathrib sebagai persediaan menyambut hijrah Rasulullah SAW.

~Diubahsuai dari artikel Potret Mujahidah, Majalah Anis Feb 2008.

IMAN NAILAH 2008
noradrenaline2001@yahoo.com

Our Time is Anytime

"Almost dying changes nothing,

DYING changes EVERYTHING."

~House M.D.

We are ALL dying...

but are we changing?

. . . . .

Macam Api Dengan Minyak

Keperluan yang mampu membunuh kesejahteraan manusia...

Assalamualaikum dan salam sejahtera.

Saya dah lama musykil dengan isu ni. Kenapa sebenarnye harga minyak naik? Alasan pemimpin adalah kerana nak alirkan penggunaan wang negara utk subsidi minyak kepada pembangunan negara dan pembinaan trek kenderaan awam mcm projek keretapi terbaru tu. Subsidi tetap ada, tapi hanya untuk pemilik kenderaan dan akan diberi secara cash melalui akaun masing-masing. Berkesan atau tak, kite tengok jela nanti.

Tapi ape kaitannya dengan kejatuhan matawang USD?

Ada yg mengatakan bcuz of traders dah tak nak beli matawang US Dolar tapi beralih kepada bahan asas dunia mcm minyak petrol, gas mentah dll. Jadi harga minyak melambung naik. Kerana mahalnya jadi di Msia pun naik samela...

Ni pun dapat dari satu sumber. Tak pasti sejauh mana kesahihannya.

Apapun, yg untung tetap orang yang pandai mengambil kesempatan dari setiap peluang yg ada dan yg miskin dan terus melarat adalah rakyat yg tak berkuasa dan tak memahami pangkal mekanisme naiknya harga minyak ni. Yg mereka faham cuma bila harga minyak naik, tambang kenderaan awam naik, harga barang pun naik. Jadi mereka marah...tapi tak berusaha kepada mengubah apa yg mampu mereka ubah.

Semangat memprotes kpd pemerintah itu bagus, tapi harus disertai dengan pengetahuan yg cukup mendalam tentang hal yg diprotes. Kalau protes hanya utk perut, bila perut dh penuh(disuap), senyapla.
Atau kalau perut pun dah biase dgn lapar tu...senyap balik. Nanti bile dapat berita minyak naik lagi, bising semula. Tindakan bising ni mcm dah lut dan takde kesan lagi kepada pihak yg bertanggungjawab sbb dah hilang rasa tanggungjawab dalam diri mereka. Yang penting perut aku penuh. Dua-dua pihak same je.

minyak petrol - barang utk golongan elit sahaja?

So kalau nak ubah keadaan ni, mulalah dari pembentukan diri. Diri kita sendiri kena proaktif, bila bertembung dgn satu masalah, kaji sampai hujung pangkal supaya kita tak mcm tin kosong. Bising je lebih tapi dlm takde isi.

So seek to understand first, then to be understood. Bila dh faham masalah, barulah kita mampu cari penyelesaian yg paling efektif. Belajar dr masa lalu dan sentiasa pandang ke depan. kalau dulu kita berdemo smpai berjuta org takde kesan, kenapa kita rasa kali ni akan ada kesan?

Cari penyelesaian for win-win situation. Kita senang, pihak berwajib pun senang. Dlm kondisi kita yg tak berkuasa langsung utk tentukan harga minyak tu naik atau turun, buat masa sekarang kita cuba cr jalan spy kita x overspend walaupun harga minyak dah naik. Caranya? Berjimat! Puasa, elakkan berlebih2an, belanja apa yg perlu - first thing first.

Kalau dah cukup berjimat smpai dah takleh nak jimat lagi, banyakkan infaq. Kita akan rasa terbeban, lagi-lagi duit makin sikit. Tp percayalah kata Rasulullah: Dgn bersedeqah hartamu takkan berkurang malah berlipat ganda. Tak percaya, buat dulu dgn ikhlas. Infaq yg dilakukan pada waktu kita kesempitan lebuh bermakna dari waktu duit MARA baru masuk, contohnya.

Kesimpulannya take this situation as a test to see how good we are in managing our money. Sharpen the saw! Siapa tau, di masa depan kita akan hadapi masa-masa yg berkali ganda lebih susah...wallahua'lam.

Berdiam diri juga bukan satu option. Synergyze with others in making one step further. Caranya? Tunggulah pilihanraya berikutnya. Jangan lupa mengkaji yer...jangan merujuk kpd isu ni je.


Isu minyak ni akan reda juga...tak seminggu dua minggu lagi, tunggulah sebulan dua lagi. Janganlah semangat kita sama mcm api yang disimbah di minyak yg mahal, hilang minyak, hilanglah apinya. Jadi, beremosi dan berjuanglah kerana Allah... Bentuklah diri yang peduli kerana Islam, kerana melihatkan kezaliman dan ketidakadilan, kesusahan saudara-saudara miskin, kepayahan ibu bapa kita berjuang memberi kita kehidupan yang serba cukup.

Kalau perasan kat atas saya ada boldkan beberapa ayat. Semuanya sebenarnya adalah 6 dari 7 Habits of Highly Effective Mukmin yg saya dptkan dari Permai 08 yg lalu. Semuanya terlintas masa saya tulis artikel ni, bukan sengaja nak dikaitkan. Satu lagi adalah begin with the end in mind yang saya rasa kalau saya fikir dalam-dalam lagi boleh je dimasukkan. Very applicable, not only in words but also very effectively in our daily lives actions. Maka amalkanlah apa yg telah kita pelajari!

IMAN NAILAH 2008
noradrenaline2001@yahoo.com

PERMAI '08 : Permai di Hati

Sesampainya di Vila Taman Eden di Jalan Kaliurang, Yogyakarta, kami dapat merasa kedinginan bayu malam itu. Jam dah menunjukkan pukul 9.30 malam. Kalau ikutkan Slot I dah berlangsung setengah jalan. “Takpelah, asal dapat ikut bakinya…dari tak dapat langsung…”, kata hati cuba memujuk kekecewaan.

Sempat lagi bergambar walaupun dah terlambat mengikuti Slot I

Para AJK Program menyambut kami dengan mesra walaupun malam dah agak larut. Mereka memaklumkan bahawa Slot I baru saja bermula. Hati kami kembali antusias. Cepat-cepat kami menghantar bagasi-bagasi ke depan bilik yang telah ditetapkan untuk kami (masing-masing mendapat kamar berlainan supaya saling bercampur dengan wakil dari tempat lain). Timbul juga kebimbangan dalam hati kalau-kalau Ustaz Hasrizal kepenatan setelah melalui perjalanan dari Malaysia ke sini yang mana akan memberi kesan kepada kualiti penyampaiannya malam ini. Tak kurang bimbang juga bila melihatkan kondisi tubuh yang agak capek ni nak menerima segala input yang bakal disuapkan.

Akhirnya kami sampai ke ruang ceramah yang terletak di aras paling bawah bangunan tersebut. Kelihatan sosok itu sedang berbicara di hadapan lebih kurang 100 orang mahasiswa yang begitu fokus dengan perbicaraannya. Sambil mengambil tempat duduk, mindaku cuba menelan realiti yang berlaku di depanku. "Ustaz Hasrizal tengah bercakap depan mata ni...macam mimpi pulak...selalu tengok dalam internet je..." hatiku bercakap sendiri.

“Saya merasakan semacam satu amanah yang besar yang harus saya pikul bila melihat anda bersusah payah datang ke mari, dan ada yang sampai naik flight semata-mata nak ke program ini…” Ustaz Hasrizal meluahkan perasaannya. Terharu bila mendengar kata-kata itu terpacul dari mulut ustaz. Tiba-tiba saja jiwa ini membara dengan suatu semangat baru. Malam itu ustaz isikan dengan pengenalan kepada modul yang akan dibawakan sepanjang program Permai ’08 ini iaitu “7 Habits of Highly Effective Mukmin” yang mana diadaptasi dari buku motovasi tulisan Franklin Covey iaitu “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.

Sepanjang Slot I beliau menekankan tentang pentingnya ‘Paradigm Shift’ iaitu ‘Perubahan Cara Melihat”. Penekanan ini datang bila melihatkan keadaan umat Islam sekarang yang tidak lagi sesuai dengan apa yang digambarkan dalam Al-Quran. Kalau sifat-sifat orang Yahudi yang dijelaskan dalam Al-Quran (Al-Hajj) sangat bertepatan dengan sifat mereka sekarang, di manakah salahnya? Apakah Al-Quran yang tersalah menyifatkan atau Muslim itu sendiri yang tersalah menyifatkan dirinya? Jawapannya ada pada diri kita masing-masing.

Apakah kita bangga menjadi muslim di zaman ini? Memetik kata-kata Yusuf Islam “Saya bernasib baik kerana bertemu Islam sebelum bertemu seorang Muslim”, terasa hilang kesucian kalimah ‘Muslim’ itu. Tercemar kerana manusia-manusia yang telah digambarkan Rasulullah sebagai buih-buih di lautan, banyak tapi tak berguna dan tak signifikan sebagai seorang Muslim. Ustaz sendiri dari pemerhatiannya terhadap anak-anak muda Islam kini mendapati bahawa mereka mempejuangkan sesuatu yang tepat, tapi tak jelas. Buktinya, bila ditanyakan kepada mereka, kenapa berkecimpung dalam bidang dakwah? Jawapannya, demi mencapai keredhaan Allah. Tepat! Tapi apakah kita jelas jalan dan tujuannya? Pastikah kita sudah berada di jalan yang betul dan telah sampai di matlamat yang dituju?

Setelah merungkaikan permasalahan yang membuatkan kami tersedar akan kebingungan Muslim dalam perjuangannya, Ustaz mula mengungkap peran ‘7 habits’ yang bakal dijelaskan pada slot-slot akan datang melalui kepentingan akhlak dalam kehidupan seorang muslim. Habits yang boleh disamaertikan sebagai akhlak bermaksud sesuatu yang dilakukan tanpa memerlukan justifikasi akal. Sebagai contoh, kita melihat ada orang miskin yang cacat kakinya di tepi jalan, kita lantas merasa kasihan terhadap orang itu. Kita buka dompet dan melihat berapa yang ada. “Ada RM50, eh banyak sangat. Paling kecil pun RM10 je. Nanti nak balik takde duit kecil pulak. Selak-selak lagi rupenya ada lagi RM5. Kita pun ambillah RM5 tu dan menghulurkan kepada orang cacat tu. Maka yang baru saja berlaku belum boleh kita klasifikasikan sebagai akhlak kerana kita perlu berfikir sebelum melakukan tindakan tersebut.

Seterusnya ustaz masuk ke point cara melihat atau paradigma. Kita sedia maklum ada banyak deria yang boleh kita gunakan untuk melihat. Pernah dengar lagu ini:

Pandangan mata selalu menipu
Pandangan akal selalu tersalah
Pandangan nafsu selalu melulu
Pandangan hati itu yang hakiki
(Kalau hati itu bersih)

Ustaz memberikam contoh mudah yang sudah biasa kita dengar tapi jarang kita hayati. Kita gunakan deria-deria di atas untuk satu situasi yang sama. Katakanlah baru sampai sebuah kotak parsel yang berisi kuih-kuih raya dari Malaysia.

Kalau dengan pandangan MATA, kita akan lihat KUIH-KUIH RAYA YANG ENAK. Kalau dengan pandangan AKAL, kita akan lihat KUIH TAT NENAS YANG ELOK BUATANNYA. KITA FIKIR NI MESTI KUIH BELI NI SEBAB ADA LABEL HARGA KAT LUAR.
Kalau dengan pandangan NAFSU, KITA TERUS BEDAL, PASTU BARU TANYA, “SAPE PUNYE KUIH NI?”.
Kalau pandangan HATI, kita akan RASA TERHARU DAN SAYU MENGINGATKAN MAK DI KAMPUNG DAN SERTA-MERTA MENGALIRLAH AIRMATA TANPA KITA PAKSA-PAKSA.

Nampak tak? Jadi rasanya kitapun boleh nampak kesimpulannya. Gunakanlah mata hati anda.

Alhamdulillah, malam itu saja kami dah dapat banyak input bermanfaat yang disampaikan dengan bersahaja tetapi dengan cara yang cukup kena dengan jiwa remaja kami. Ustaz sering menyelangi slide-slidenya dengan tayangan video yang berkaitan dengan bahan yang disampaikan. Maka yang tinggi ambang rasa menariknya macam aku ni tetap mudah memberi tumpuan kerana keperlbagaian media yang dimanipulasi oleh ustaz. Mengantuk? Memang takdelah…makin tak sabar nak ikut slot-slot berikutnya esok!

IMAN NAILAH 2008
noradrenaline2001@yahoo.com

~akan datang : pengalaman di hari-hari berikutnya di Permai '08~

SAVE MALAY LITERATURE!

Malay lit under threat- A. Samad Said
Sources: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=20962 By: Bissme S.


National Laureate Abdul Samad Muhammad Said, better known as A. Samad Said, has 65 books to his credit, from short stories to poetry. His popular novels include Salina, Hujan Pagi, Cinta Fansuri and Langit Petang. The state of serious Malay literature in the country, however, makes the writer sad, angry, and frustrated. He tells Bissme S. he has given up all hope of it getting the recognition and support it deserves.

What is the biggest challenge you face as a Sasterawan Negara (National Laureate)?

To get real recognition, to have all your work accepted, especially in school. As a writer, you usually want your books to be accessible to students, who will be your audience in the future. There was recently a news report that two years from now, books by national laureates would not be included in the school curriculum.


What is your opinion on this matter?

Some clever guys in the Education Ministry have said Sasterawan Negara books shouldn’t be included in school because they are difficult. During my school days, we studied William Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, John Buchan’s The 39 Steps and Lord Byron. They were hard. But we had good teachers as intermediaries ... to help us understand the text. When you are 18 or 19, you already know these famous literature figures. So you don’t agree with the move? I think what they are doing is insulting. Usman Awang, Keris Mas and Shanon Ahmad have been writing for almost 50 years. You cannot just say all the work of Sasterawan Negara are difficult. There are bound to be one or two books that are suitable. You can say my poem Al-Amin is very difficult. But I have another poem Kita Ini Tetamu Singgah, which has been made a song. That poem is easy. You must have teachers to help you understand the text, so you have some knowledge of good literature. When Anwar Ibrahim was the Education Minister, and then when he was Finance Minister, he took care of this. He respected literature. He remembered writers. He even sent me books ... good books ... to read. He would invite Sasterawan Negara to read poems and their work for his office functions. This is rarely done now. He even invited W.S. Rendra from Indonesia to read poems for his functions. He encouraged reading.Even in Tun (Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad)’s time, he sent me books. He wrote "Samad, you should read this." They (Mahathir and Anwar) created situations where you love literature, where you loved writers.

Do you think these situations no longer exist?

Yes. It is very clear from what they are doing. Some people say you’re angry because you’ll get less in royalties when your books are not used in schools. I am 72 now. I don’t need a lot to survive on. I just need a small amount of money. I don’t even have a car. So I don’t have to worry about petrol and road tax. It is not about royalties. I don’t mind that they don’t want to use my books.



So you believe fewer youth will develop the reading habit as a result of the move?

Yes. With the help of the Education Ministry, this will happen. Just think of these students two decades from now. They are not exposed to good literature. If you start saying the work of Sasterawan Negara are difficult at school level, then don’t expect them to touch these books when they leave school. You are sending out a clear message - do not read the work of Sasterawan Negara. Everything should start in school. We are not creating a situation where people will read good literature. In America the students are studying To Kill A Mocking Bird, and in England they go for Lord Of The Flies. All are difficult books. If you want simple books, then just read ABC all the time.

Are you sad at the situation?

I used to be. But not anymore. I am angry now. They should be respecting Sasterawan Negara. But they are not. What is your hope for serious Malay literature? What changes would you like to see the government make? I don’t want to visualise anything anymore. I have no more hope. I will leave the situation the way it is. There is a small group of people in the ministry who are so clever, let them go on being clever. If they want it like that, let it be. I want to make them happy.

It appears that you have given up?

Yes. I have given up. I am sick of it. I don’t care any more. I am defeated. What is your view of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP)? They have no tongue. (Writers association) Gapena (Gabungan Penulis Nasional) has no tongue now. They have not shown any reaction to this school situation. Their silence shows that they agree with what the ministry is doing.

The last time we spoke, you said you were trying to get from DBP the copyright for your books so you can publish your own books. Did you succeed?

Not all. They have given me the rights to 12 books, but not to seven others ... the most important ones ... the ones I want.

DBP always says the work of Sasterawan Negara is difficult to sell. When you ask for your copyright, they don’t want to give it to you.

I think it is the right time to give me the rights to all my books. What is the point of keeping the copyright for my books if people are not interested in reading them?

Is it your opinion that we do not appreciate Malaysia’s literature figures?

I believe so. I have just returned from Korea after attending an Asia Africa Literary Festival. I was there for nine days. It was wonderful to see how they loved books and writers.There was a special segment on me on TV. I was so inspired that I have written 68 poems and will compile them into a book called Soneta Pohon Ginkgo (available in the market in April). My poems were recently translated into Bangla and launched in Bangladesh. It appears that I am beginning to be appreciated in other countries. So I don’t worry that my country doesn’t appreciate me.

Do you think the country will ever learn to appreciate you?

When you are no longer here, then they will appreciate you. They will sing praises of you. They will say we have lost a shinning star from the sky. They will say you are so good. They will say hilang tak dapat diganti. (what is lost cannot be replaced)

You constantly criticise DBP. But they gave you your first big break. They launched you into stardom by publishing your books. Some might say you are biting the hand that feeds you.

Yes. I bite the hand if I see the hand doesn’t really give me good things (laughs). It is wrong to say DBP gives me anything. The people give tax to the government and the government goes through DBP and then DBP gives the money to me. It is people’s money that published my books. If I owe anything to anyone, I owe to the people who paid taxes. I don’t owe DBP. It is their mission is to see what allocation they have and give the money to the authors who they think can give back to the country. The money is not from the DBP director’s own pocket. Some people think I might have grudges against DBP. But that is not the case.

What kind of roles do you like to see DBP play in promoting literature?

I don’t want to complain about DBP anymore. What is done is done. What I care about now is just give me back my copyright and I will be happy.

How do other Sasterawan Negara feel about the situation?

Maybe I am the only one who is not happy with what is happening. Maybe the others are happy. I should not represent them.

What do you think of your own writing and your own work?

I keep meeting people who ask me about the same book I wrote almost 50 years ago. I wrote it when I was 23. I’m going to be 73 in April and people are still taking about Salina (his first novel). It is as if they don’t know that I have written 65 books. I have gone into short stories, novels, essays, poems and plays. But people keep coming back with the same book. Yes they know me, it doesn’t necessarily mean they read my work. I believe they read my work only when they are in school. (Salina is a school textbook) Only those who want to be writers read all my books later.

How do you know people don’t read your other books?

I know when people read my work. When I ask questions about my books, they grope in the dark. Reading is not easy. Unless you have cultivated the habit, you will not read. Things are becoming easier with the existing graphic novels. Now they can see pictures only. The intellectual groups always complain that my books are difficult to read, my books are difficult to study.

So why don’t you make your books easy to read like popular fiction?

I am always moving up. I should not go down. They (readers) should also go up. If they don’t understand me, it doesn’t mean I am wrong. I am 72 and I have been through all sorts of experiences. I don’t just make a sentence. I care about every word I write, whether it is reasonable, whether it is beautiful. Schools must help them come to that level. Instead they just say the books are difficult, so let us run away from them.

You could write in English. Why don’t you write in that language?

People have in the past advised me to write in English, so I will get a bigger audience. But I want to create Malay literature. When I die, I want to leave behind a khazanah Melayu (Malay heritage). You can have my work in English after you translate it. A lot of writers in the world write in their mother tongue and have their work translated into English. Some say you see English as a colonial language and as a result dislike English and refuse to write in it. (feigning disapproval) Yes. I dislike the English language. Yes, I don’t like it that you write in English ... You have no alternative because English is the language of the world. Most of what I have read is also in English. As I said earlier, I want to create Malay literature.

So why haven’t we translated your work as well as that of other Sasterawan Negara in English so the books can be sold in the overseas market?

You should ask this question to DBP and the National Translation Institute. That is their work. I wonder what the function of the institute is if they don’t translate work. Do you think the media is supportive of serious Malay literature? They are not helping. Malay newspapers do not have a specific literary editor ... I don’t know about English language newspapers. As a result, good books get ignored. Bad books get advertised and supported. Good literary events don’t get reported.

Do you think you have come to a stage where critics are afraid to criticise your work and say what you have produced is the work of a genius?

We do not have good critics. I don’t worry about that. But there are people who still say I write rubbish. There have been arguments before this on why a book like Salina, in which I write about prostitutes in Singapore, should be promoted in school. They say the topic is not suitable for students. But in America students read To Kill A Mockingbird, which is about racial discrimination. They want to explain to students about racial discrimination.

How would you like to be remembered?

As an A. Samad Said who was always unhappy with what was happening around him. Why this unhappiness? I want different things. I dream of a caring society, where there is peace, where we respect each other, where we will always smile always, where we shake hands and hug each other. We don’t get that in Iraq or Pakistan or Indonesia, and we don’t get that in Afghanistan. But this is the world, This is not heaven. You get that only in heaven.

Some people believe this is zaman kejatuhan (the era of the downfall) of serious Malay literature. Do you agree?

I do not think literature has jatuh (fallen). There are still new young writers such as Faizal Tehrani and Nisah Harun who are writing serious literature. If I can fall down, they too can fall down. But I always tell them to continue to write no matter what. But there is no appreciation for what you have given them. I would say this is zaman kejatuhan penulis (the era of the downfall of writers).

Did you ever imagine that serious literature would be in the doldrums when you first started writing?

Never. When I started writing (in his 20s), I thought the writing scene would have a vibrant and marvellous future. But I was wrong. If they don’t want to read my books, what can I do? If they don’t want to read books, what can I do? They will be stupid because they don’t read.

In the current situation, how do you motivate yourself to write?

There are times when I want to give up writing altogether. But when I pray, I feel peaceful and I become inspired. Lately, I have been painting and drawing. I held an exhibition recently and sold 20 paintings. I got more than for what I write.

Seeing the present state of serious Malay literature, do you ever wish you could turn back the clock and had never chosen to be a writer?

I would still want to be a writer, even knowing this would be the ending. I will not change the fact that I am a writer. Writing is in my blood. What is your advice to budding writers who want to dabble in serious Malay literature? I have no more advice for writers. They no longer need my advice. They know Malay literature will not be supported.



~PLEASE SUPPORT MALAY LITERATURE! SAVE OUR HERITAGE!~

~IMAN NAILAH 2008~
noradrenaline2001@yahoo.com

Relax Your Mind with Your Ear

I HOPE YOU DANCE
(played in the first tract of this blog sidebar mp3 player)

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your feel to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door close as I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance…
I hope you dance…

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin’ might mean taking chances but they worth takin’
Lovin’ might be a mistake but it’s worth makin’

Don’t let some helping heart lead you bitter
When you come close to selling out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance
I hope you dance

This is a song introduced and recommended by a lovely sister (thx Ukht Khadijah!) not long ago. It was sung by Lee Ann Womack, an American country song singer. The song’s title would made you think this is just another typical love song, but spending sometime listening to the lyric made you realize it bring some thoughtful meanings. The title itself means hoping you would get up and put your best effort in life. By using the word ‘dance’, the song is referring to an act that needs courage, confidence, knowledge and also skill to be accomplished. Now just from the title you can see how deep the song’s approach is. The lyrics itself is full with words of motivation, encouragement, and advice that is so nicely written and arranged, making it grows easily in your mind and heart. But then what are lyrics without the music right? Combining country-music and ballads as its genre, it fits beautifully with the lyrics. The singer’s uniqueness in both voice and singing-style made it a memorable and extraordinary song. Enough with all the appraisal, why don’t you check it out yourself and see how it effects you.

An advice, you may felt overwhelmed by this review, but take a few minutes and listen to it for a few times because a song’s music is like the first impression, the appearance of a person while the lyrics are the person’s personality, the persona when you get to know them. So get to know both of them when you listen to this song!

~IMAN NAILAH 2008~
noradrenaline2001@yahoo.com