Kenaikan Minyak: Bagaimana Kerajaan Boleh Bantu Golongan Pelajar?

Assalamu'alaikum wbt dan salam sejahtera,

Pada Rabu 4 Jun 2008, Perdana Menteri Malaysia telah mengumumkan kenaikan harga petrol sebanyak 78 sen dan minyak diesel sebanyak RM 1.00 mulai 5 Jun 2008. Mengikut beliau, kenaikan ini tidak dapat dielakkan disebabkan kenaikan harga minyak mentah sedunia yang kini telah melebihi USD 135 setong dan dijangkakan mencapai tahap USD 150 setong dalam beberapa minggu akan datang. Beliau juga mengumumkan kenaikan tarif elektrik di seluruh negara pada bulan Julai nanti.

Beberapa hari kemudian, Perdana Menteri Malaysia sekali telah mengumumkan beberapa langkah utama untuk mengurangkan beban rakyat disebabkan kenaikan bahan api ini seperti pengurangan kadar cukai jalan dan rebat tunai kepada pemilik kenderaan persendirian yang memperbaharui cukai jalan.

Saya tidak ingin mengulas lebih lanjut tentang apa yang kerajaan Malaysia boleh lakukan untuk mengurangkan bebanan rakyat kerana ianya telah banyak ditulis dan dibincangkan oleh ahli politik, ahli ekonomi, sarjana dan para blogger yang lain di alam maya ini. Cuma setakat ini, saya tidak menemui dan membaca mana-mana ulasan yang berkaitan dengan kesan kenaikan minyak secara tidak langsung kepada salah satu golongan yang tidak bekerja dan tidak mempunyai kenderaan sendiri iaitu golongan pelajar di sekolah-sekolah rendah dan menengah serta di institusi-institusi pengajian tinggi.

Golongan pelajar adalah salah satu golongan rakyat yang terbesar di Malaysia yang terdiri dari golongan pelajar-pelajar sekolah yang mula memasuki darjah satu pada umur 7 tahun dan tamat tingkatan lima pada umur 17 tahun atau tingkatan enam pada umur 20 tahun. Seterusnya, mereka akan meneruskan pengajian di peringkat tinggi iaitu untuk mengikuti kursus sijil, diploma, ijazah sarjana muda, ijazah sarjana dan doktor falsafah di universiti-universiti.

Lazimnya, tiada bantuan atau biasiswa diberikan kepada para pelajar sekolah rendah manakala terdapat beberapa jenis biasiswa diberikan kepada para pelajar sekolah menengah. Di peringkat universiti pula, biasiswa, bantuan dan pinjaman daripada pihak awam, badan berkanun dan pihak swasta diberikan kepada mereka yang layak menerimanya. Pihak yang memberikan pinjaman yang utama ialah Perbadanan Tabung Pengajian Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN).

Memandangkan kenaikan minyak ini akan memberikan kesan secara langsung dan tidak langsung kepada para pelajar seperti kos pengangkutan dari rumah ke sekolah bagi yang tinggal di rumah dan kos sara hidup yang meliputi penginapan dan makanan bagi yang menginap di asrama, wajarlah sekiranya pihak kerajaan turut memberikan bantuan kepada golongan pelajar yang terbabit ini seperti menambahkan bilangan dan amaun biasiswa kepada para pelajar. Tetapi memandangkan terdapat ratusan ribu para pelajar di seluruh negara, rasanya mungkin kerajaan tidak mampu untuk memberikan biasiswa kepada semua pelajar.

Jika selama ini, pihak ibu bapa mampu untuk menanggung pendidikan anak-anak mereka, adakah ibu bapa mereka masih lagi mampu untuk menanggung mereka selepas kenaikan minyak ini? Dengan kenaikan harga bahan api ini, Kesan Domino akan menyebabkan kenaikan harga-harga barang dan perkhidmatan di seluruh negara. Mungkin jika ibu bapa mempunyai seorang atau dua orang anak yang bersekolah, mereka masih mampu menyerap beban itu. Bagaimana pula jika mereka masih mempunyai 4, 5 atau lebih anak-anak yang masih bersekolah?

Untuk mengurangkan bebanan kepada ibu bapa yang masih lagi mempunyai anak-anak yang masih bersekolah, saya ingin mengutarakan beberapa cadangan seperti berikut:

a) BANTUAN PENGANGKUTAN KEPADA PARA PELAJAR SEKOLAH RENDAH DAN MENENGAH YANG MENAIKI BAS ATAU VAN SEKOLAH

Pihak kerajaan patut memberikan subsidi kepada setiap pelajar yang menaiki bas sekolah. Subsidi ini akan dibayar terus kepada pengusaha-pengusaha bas sekolah. Merujuk kepada berita berikut:

Noh yang juga Anggota Majlis Tertinggi Umno diminta mengulas laporan media pada Khamis bahawa Persekutuan Persatuan Bas Sekolah Malaysia (PPPBSM) akan mengenakan caj tambahan antara RM10 hingga RM50 sebulan mulai Isnin ini, manakala Persatuan Pengusaha-Pengusaha Lori Selangor dan Kuala Lumpur menaikkan harga perkhidmatannya sebanyak 35 peratus, berkuatkuasa serta merta.

Dalam laporan itu Pengerusi PPPBSM, Chee Ah Tey berkata 8,000 pengusaha bas bersetuju mengenakan caj tambahan itu, iaitu caj RM10 bagi perjalanan jarak dekat dan maksimum RM50 bagi perjalanan melebihi 30 kilometer, sementara menunggu kerajaan meluluskan tambang baru bas sekolah.

Kedua-dua perkembangan itu dijangka akan membebankan pengguna.

Rujukan: Bernama

Antara langkah-langkah yang kerajaan boleh lakukan ialah:

(i) Kerajaan akan menanggung tambang bas atau memberikan subsidi bagi sejumlah km pertama contohnya kerajaan menanggung tambang bas bagi 15 km pertama. Jika kediaman pelajar melebihi 15 km, lebihan harga tambang perlu dibayar oleh pelajar tetapi kerajaan akan memberikan sejumlah bantuan kewangan kepada mereka.

(ii) Kerajaan perlu membina sekolah-sekolah di kawasan-kawasan yang masih tidak mempunyai sekolah. Merujuk kepada berita di atas, saya agak terkejut apabila membaca masih terdapat para pelajar yang terpaksa berulang-alik sebanyak 30 km untuk ke sekolah:

maksimum RM50 bagi perjalanan melebihi 30 kilometer

Di kawasan-kawasan yang mempunyai kepadatan penduduk yang rendah, sekolah rendah dan menengah boleh digabungkan dalam satu kawasan atau bangunan manakala kemudahan-kemudahan lain seperti dewan dan padang boleh dikongsikan. Saiz dan lokasi sesebuah sekolah tersebut seharusnya sesuai untuk menampung jumlah pelajar dalam 10-15 km radius. Apabila lokasi sekolah jauh dari rumah, para pelajar sudah merasa keletihan apabila tiba di rumah dan seterusnya tidak larat untuk mengulangkaji di rumah. Natijahnya, prestasi akademik mereka akan merosot.

(iii) Sesetengah kawasan di luar bandar juga yang tidak mempunyai kemudahan pengangkutan bas sekolah. Saya tahu terdapat pelajar-pelajar dari Sekolah Menengah Jerangau, Dungun, Terengganu yang terpaksa menunggu dari jam 1.30 petang (tamat masa persekolahan) sehingga jam 3 petang untuk menanti bas awam untuk pulang ke rumah masing-masing. Jadi dalam kes ini, pihak berwajib sama ada kerajaan nasional atau negeri boleh menyediakan bas atau van sekolah untuk kemudahan para pelajar.

b) BANTUAN PENGANGKUTAN KEPADA PARA PELAJAR SEKOLAH RENDAH, MENENGAH DAN INSTITUSI PENGAJIAN TINGGI YANG MENAIKI PENGANGKUTAN AWAM

Buat masa ini, hanya pelajar sekolah rendah yang berusia 12 tahun ke bawah diberikan potongan 50% apabila menaiki pengangkutan awam. Untuk mengurangkan beban kenaikan bahan api ini kepada ibu bapa, saya mencadangkan supaya potongan ini diberikan kepada semua pelajar dengan kadar yang berbeza iaitu para pelajar hanya perlu membayar kadar-kadar berikut:

- pelajar sekolah rendah: 50 % harga asal

- pelajar sekolah menengah: 60% harga asal

- pelajar tingkatan 6, matrikulasi dan peringkat sijil (pelajar pra-universiti): 67% harga asal

- pelajar universiti dan diploma: 75% harga asal

Untuk memudahkan pengurusan, syarikat-syarikat pengangkutan akan memperkenalkan pas bulanan kepada golongan para pelajar ini dan para pelajar perlu membeli pas bulanan tersebut di kaunter syarikat masing-masing setelah mengisi beberapa borang untuk membuktikan mereka adalah pelajar yang sah di sesebuah sekolah atau institusi. Pas bulanan khas untuk pelajar ini telah pun lama digunakan di United Kingdom, contohnya syarikat bas First Manchester di bandaraya Manchester.

Jika diandaikan harga pas bulanan untuk orang-orang dewasa ialah RM 60 (RM 2 sehari), jadi harga yang dibayar oleh pelajar sekolah rendah ialah RM 30, sekolah menengah (RM 36), pra-universiti (RM 40.20) dan pelajar universiti (RM 45).

Beza sebanyak RM 15 sebulan ini bagi pelajar-pelajar universiti akan dibayar terus oleh kerajaan sebagai subsidi kepada syarikat-syarikat pengangkutan awam.

Berdasarkan kajian saya, syarikat Rapid Penang telah memperkenalkan pas bulanan pelajar sebanyak RM 50 sebulan kepada pelajar yang berumur 7-18 tahun manakala syarikat Rapid KL pula hanya memberikan tambang pelajar kepada pelajar sekolah yang memakai pakaian seragam sekolah.

Bagaimana pula dengan syarikat-syarikat bas di bandar-bandar dan kawasan-kawasan lain?

c) BANTUAN PENGANGKUTAN KEPADA PARA PELAJAR SEKOLAH MENENGAH DAN INSTITUSI PENGAJIAN TINGGI YANG MENAIKI PENGANGKUTAN AWAM BAS EKSPRESS

Para pelajar sekolah menengah dan IPT yang lazimnya tinggal di asrama merupakan pengguna utama bas ekspress. Pada masa ini, mereka perlu membayar harga penuh (harga tiket dewasa) apabila menggunakan pengangkutan awam berkenaan. Untuk membantu golongan tersebut, saya mencadangkan potongan harga turut diberikan kepada mereka:

- pelajar sekolah menengah: 60% harga asal

- pelajar tingkatan 6, matrikulasi dan peringkat sijil (pelajar pra-universiti): 67% harga asal

- pelajar universiti dan diploma: 75% harga asal

Walaupun begitu, disebabkan harga tiket bas ekspress yang jauh lebih mahal berbanding bas henti-henti dalam (b), para pelajar perlu membayar yuran keahlian pada kadar yang berpatutan (RM 20-30 setahun). Setelah mengisi borang keahlian, mendapatkan cop pengesahan dari institusi masing-masing dan membayar yuran keahlian, barulah mereka layak untuk menikmati potongan tersebut.

Contoh pengiraan dan penjimatan:

(A) Pelajar berasal dari Pulau Pinang dan sedang belajar di Kuala Lumpur

- Harga tiket bas Transnasional dari Terminal Bas Sungai Nibung, Pulau Pinang ke Hentian Puduraya KL sebelum 5/6/2008: RM 26.80 satu hala

Harga berdasarkan laman web berikut:

- Jangkaan kenaikan tambang bas: 10%

- Pelajar universiti berulang-alik dari KL ke Pulau Pinang sebanyak 8 kali dalam setahun.

- Harga kad keahlian pelajar: RM 30 setahun

Jumlah harga perjalanan (tanpa diskaun) = RM 26.80 x 1.10 (jangkaan kenaikan tambang bas) x 2 (pergi balik) x 8 (jumlah perjalanan setahun) = RM 471.68

Jumlah harga perjalanan (dengan diskaun) = {RM 26.80 x 1.10 x 0.75 (diskaun 25%, perlu membayar 75% sahaja) x 2 x 8} + RM 30 (yuran tahunan) = RM 383.76

Penjimatan tahunan = RM 471.68 - 383.76 = RM 87.92

(B) Pelajar berasal dari Johor Bahru dan belajar di Pulau Pinang

- Harga tiket bas Transnasional dari Terminal Bas Sungai Nibung, Pulau Pinang ke Hentian Larkin JB (transit di KL) sebelum 5/6/2008: RM 50.70 satu hala (PP-KL : RM 26.80, KL-JB: RM 23.90)

Harga berdasarkan laman web berikut:

- Jangkaan kenaikan tambang bas: 10%

- Pelajar universiti berulang-alik dari Pulau Pinang ke JB sebanyak 6 kali dalam setahun.

- Harga kad keahlian pelajar: RM 30 setahun

Jumlah harga perjalanan (tanpa diskaun) = RM 50.70 x 1.10 (jangkaan kenaikan tambang bas) x 2 (pergi balik) x 6 (jumlah perjalanan setahun) = RM 669.24

Jumlah harga perjalanan (dengan diskaun) = {RM 50.70 x 1.10 x 0.75 (diskaun 25%, perlu membayar 75% sahaja) x 2 x 6} + RM 30 (yuran tahunan) = RM 531.93

Penjimatan tahunan = RM 669.24-531.93 = RM 137.31

Penjimatan tahunan ini adalah jumlah subsidi yang perlu dibayar oleh kerajaan kepada syarikat-syarikat pengusaha bas.

Antara contoh syarikat bas yang memberikan diskaun kepada golongan pelajar ialah National Express, UK

Kerajaan perlu memberikan insentif-insentif khas kepada pihak syarikat-syarikat pengangkutan awam supaya memperkenalkan sistem potongan harga tambang kepada para pelajar seperti:

- diesel bersubsidi yang lebih murah

- alat ganti kenderaan yang lebih murah tetapi berkualiti tinggi

Saya mencadangkan syarikat-syarikat pengangkutan awam terutamanya syarikat-syarikat bas ekspress ini supaya bergabung di bawah satu konsortium utama sahaja supaya insentif-insentif daripada kerajaan ini lebih mudah untuk disalurkan. Selain itu, dengan penubuhan satu konsortium khas bas ekspress ini, terdapat banyak lagi faedah-faedah lain yang boleh dinikmati oleh para pengguna seperti:

- kad keahlian tahunan itu tadi boleh digunakan di mana-mana syarikat bas ekspress yang bernaung di bawah konsortium khas ini. Bandingkan dengan membayar yuran tahunan RM 30 setahun kepada satu konsortium sahaja berbanding membayar RM 30 kepada setiap buah syarikat bas yang beroperasi.

- para peniaga dalam bidang lain contohnya syarikat kedai buku, optometris dan lain-lain akan berminat untuk bekerjasama dengan konsortium khas ini untuk sama-sama mempromosikan produk mereka dan juga memberikan diskaun khas kepada pemegang kad keahlian tahunan ini. Konsepnya seperti kad keahlian Popular Bookstore juga boleh digunakan untuk mendapatkan diskaun di kedai-kedai lain yang bekerjasama dengan Popular.

- tambang untuk sesebuah perjalanan dan gaji pemandu juga akan lebih mudah diselaraskan antara syarikat-syarikat bas tersebut.

- jika berlakunya bas yang rosak atau ketiadaan pemandu, syarikat-syarikat bas boleh menggunakan atau meminjam bas dan pemandu dari syarikat lain untuk beroperasi. Dalam hal ini, para penumpang tidak perlu menunggu sehingga berjam-jam disebabkan ketiadaan bas atau ketiadaan pemandu. Selain itu, pemandu-pemandu bas juga boleh menggantikan pemandu bas daripada syarikat lain yang bercuti atau yang telah bertugas.

Berdasarkan akhbar The Star 10 April 2008,

PUTRAJAYA: Four hours and no more - this is the maximum hours of driving per stretch that the authorities are seeking to make mandatory for all bus drivers.

A recently-concluded study on driver fatigue revealed that ideally a person behind the wheel of a bus should not drive longer than the specified period or risk losing concentration.

Spurred by recent events of frequent bus crashes, the two-month study was conducted collaboratively by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), Road Transport Department (JPJ), Road Safety Department and the police.

"Our findings are not just based on random information, but rather on scientific findings.

"The drivers in our test sample had to undertake a medical questionnaire and have their enzyme levels tested," he said, explaining that the lesser one's enzymes (which are practically protein), the less one's endurance.

Dr Radin added that a co-driver, required under law in a bus, may not get the amount of rest he or she needs sleeping on the bus.

Due to this, he said that a driver who on average drives eight hours a day, while sleeping the other eight hours on the bus, is actually working a total of 16 hours.

"It is completely different for a person to sleep on a bed and on a bus," said Dr Radin.

Jadi, untuk meningkatkan tahap keselamatan kepada para penumpang, para pemandu yang telah bertugas hendaklah berehat secukupnya terlebih dahulu sebelum kembali bertugas. Apabila konsortium ini ditubuhkan, kekurangan pemandu bas yang 'fresh' sekurang-kurangnya dapat diatasi kerana boleh meminjam pemandu bas yang 'fresh' dari syarikat lain.

- Jadual dan 'route' perjalanan dapat diselaraskan antara syarikat-syarikat. Contohnya jika selama ini, semua perjalanan bas ekspress dari Pulau Pinang ke Kuala Terengganu akan bertolak pada jam 9 malam dan tiba di Kuala Terengganu pada jam 5.30 pagi. Dengan penggabungan ini, ada bas akan bertolak pada jam 9 malam, 10 malam dan 11 malam. Ini dapat memberi kebebasan kepada para pengguna supaya dapat memilih waktu yang sesuai dengan mereka.

d) ELAUN KHAS BUKU KEPADA PARA PELAJAR SEKOLAH DAN INSTITUSI PENGAJIAN TINGGI

Untuk mengurangkan bebanan ibu bapa di atas kenaikan harga bahan api, kerajaan boleh memberikan elaun-elaun buku kepada setiap pelajar supaya pelajar dapat membeli buku-buku latihan atau rujukan (bagi pelajar sekolah) dan buku teks bagi pelajar IPT. Harga buku teks yang digunakan di IPT agak mahal iaitu antara RM 50-100 bagi setiap buah.

Elaun buku ini hendaklah diberikan dalam bentuk baucar di mana baucar-baucar ini hanya boleh digunakan untuk membeli buku-buku sahaja. Jika diberikan dalam bentuk tunai, dikhuatiri pelajar-pelajar akan menggunakannya untuk tujuan-tujuan lain seperti menonton wayang, menukar telefon bimbit baru, berjoli dan sebagainya.

Saya mencadangkan kadar-kadar elaun buku tahunan seperti berikut:

- sekolah rendah: RM 50

- sekolah menengah: RM 100-200

- IPT: RM 300-500

KESIMPULAN

Saya berharap kepada kerajaan tak kira kerajaan pusat mahupun kerajaan negeri yang ditadbir oleh Pakatan Rakyat supaya tidak melupakan kebajikan rakyat manakala bantuan yang hendak diberikan hendaklah menyeluruh iaitu semua pihak menerima bantuan tanpa mengira fahaman politik atau pun bangsa. Kenaikan harga bahan api yang drastik tanpa pengumuman awal mengejutkan rakyat. Rasanya rakyat akan lebih tenang sekiranya kenaikan dilakukan secara gradual dan diumumkan lebih awal. Masa kenaikan bahan api juga tidak sesuai kerana diumumkan semasa cuti sekolah di mana pada masa ini, rakyat Malaysia bercuti atau berjalan-jalan menziarahi kaum keluarga masing-masing di samping menghadiri kenduri-kenduri perkahwinan. Jika pengumuman dibuat lebih awal, rakyat dapat 'adjust' budget dengan lebih baik.

Subsidi-subsidi yang dicadangkan dalam artikel ini bolehlah diberikan oleh mana-mana pihak sama ada pihak kerajaan pusat mahupun kerajaan negeri. Pada pendapat saya, subsidi bas dan van sekolah serta pengangkutan awam (cadangan a & b) boleh dilaksanakan oleh pihak kerajaan negeri manakala cadangan c & d dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan pusat.

Wallahu'alam

Wassalam wbt

(c) MKMM 12/6/2008

http://mkmm79.blogspot.com/

P/s: sekiranya ada pembaca-pembaca yang mengenali rapat mana-mana ahli parlimen, boleh forward artikel ini kepada mereka supaya cadangan-cadangan ini dapat dibincangkan di peringkat tertinggi. Terima kasih.

Einstein's Neighbours Riddles

Neighbors - Back to the Einstein's Riddles

This quiz was probably made up by Albert Einstein and according to him 98% will not solve it. There is a row of five houses, each having a different color. In these houses live five people of various nationalities. Each of them nurtures a different beast, likes different drinks and smokes different brand of cigars.

1. The Brit lives in the Red house.

2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.

3. The Dane drinks tea.

4. The Green house is on the left of the White house.

5. The owner of the Green house drinks coffee.

6. The person who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.

7. The owner of the Yellow house smokes Dunhill.

8. The man living in the center house drinks milk.

9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.

10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.

11. The man who keeps horses lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill.

12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks beer.

13. The German smokes Prince.

14. The Norwegian lives next to the Blue house.

15. The man who smokes Blends has a neighbor who drinks water.

Which of the five house owners keeps fish as a pet? (are you one of the 2%).

The Most Beautiful Flower

The Most Beautiful Flower

Author: Unknown

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree. Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, For the world was intent on dragging me down.

And if that weren't enough to ruin my day, A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play. He stood right before me with his head tilted down And said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, With its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away.

But instead of retreating he sat next to my side And placed the flower to his nose and declared with surprise, "It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."

The weed before me was dying or dead. Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."

But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, He held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I noticed for the very first time That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun As I thanked him for picking the very best one. "You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play, Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.

I sat there and wondered how he managed to see A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. How did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see The problem was not with the world; the problem was me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see beauty, and appreciate every second that's mine.

And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose And smiled as that young boy, another weed in his hand About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

Life Is Wonderful

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help."

There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were u the one who changed my sign this morning? What did u write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what u said but in a different way."

What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day & I cannot see it."

Do you think the first sign & the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story:

Be thankful for what you have.

Be creative.

Be innovative.

Think differently and positively.

Invite the people towards good with wisdom.

Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When Life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile.

Face your past without regret.

Handle your present with confidence.

Prepare for the future without fear.

Keep the faith and drop the fear.

Don't believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs.

Life is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve.

Life is wonderful if you know how to live. Each day is as special as you want it to be………MAKE IT GREAT

The Secret of Jimmy Yen

Secret of Jimmy Yen, The

by: Adam Khan, , Self-Help Stuff That Works

A jury of distinguished scholars and scientists, including Albert Einstein and Orville Wright thought enough of Jimmy Yen to vote him one of the top ten Modern Revolutionaries of the Twentieth Century. Yet all he did was teach Chinese peasants to read.

What made that so amazing was that for four thousand years reading and writing in China was only done by the Scholars. "Everybody" knew, including the peasants themselves, that peasants were incapable of learning.

That thoroughly ingrained cultural belief was Jimmy Yen's first impossible" barrier. The second barrier was the Chinese language itself, consisting of 40,000 characters, each character signifying a different word! The third barrier was the lack of technology and good roads. How could Jimmy Yen reach the 350 million peasants in China?

Impossible odds, an impossibly huge goal-and yet he had almost attained it when he was forced (by Communism) to leave his country.

Did he give up? No. He learned from defeat and expanded his goal: Teach the rest of the Third World to read. Practical reading programs, like the ones he invented in China, started pumping out literate people like a gushing oil well in the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kenya, Columbia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Ghana, India-people became literate. For the first time in their entire genetic history, they had access to the accumulated knowledge of the human race.

For those of us who take literacy for granted, I'd like you to consider for a moment how narrow your world would be if you'd never learned how to read and there was no access to radios or TVs.

180,000 Chinese peasants were hired by the Allied Forces in WW1 as laborers in the war effort. Most of them had no idea-not a clue-where England, Germany or France was, they didn't know what they were being hired to do, and didn't even know what a war was!

Try to grasp, if you will, the vacancy, the darkness, the lack that existed in those people because they couldn't read. Jimmy Yen was a savior to them.

What was the secret of Jimmy Yen's success? He found a real need, and found in himself a strong desire to answer that need. And he took some action: He tried to do something about it even though it seemed impossible. He worked long hours. And he started with what he had in front of him and gradually took on more and more, a little upon a little.

The English author Thomas Carlyle said, "Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand." And that's what Jimmy Yen did. He started out teaching a few peasants to read, with no desks, no pens, no money, no overhead projectors. He started from where he found himself and did what was clearly at hand.

And that's all you need to do. Start now. Start here. And do what lies clearly at hand.

18 Holes In His Mind

18 Holes in His Mind

by: Author Unknown, A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul

Major James Nesmeth had a dream of improving his golf game - and he developed a unique method of achieving his goal. Until he devised this method, he was just your average weekend golfer, shooting in mid- to low-nineties. Then, for seven years, he completely quit the game. Never touched a club. Never set foot on a fairway.

Ironically, it was during this seven-year break from the game that Major Nesmeth came up with his amazingly effective technique for improving his game - a technique we can all learn from. In fact, the first time he set foot on a golf course after his hiatus from the game, he shot an astonishing 74! He had cut 20 strokes off his average without having swung a golf club in ven years! Unbelievable. Not only that, but his physical condition had actually deteriorated during those seven years.

What was Major Nesmeth's secret? Visualization. You see, Major Nesmeth had spent those seven years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. During those seven years, he was imprisoned in a cage that was approximately four and one-half feet high and five feet long.

During almost the entire time he was imprisoned, he saw no one, talked to no one and experienced no physical activity. During the first few months he did virtually nothing but hope and pray for his release. Then he realized he had to find some way to occupy his mind or he would lose his sanity and probably his life. That's when he learned to visualize.

In his mind, he selected his favorite golf course and started playing golf. Every day, he played a full 18 holes at the imaginary country club of his dreams. He experienced everything to the last detail. He saw himself dressed in his golfing clothes. He smelled the fragrance of the trees and the freshly trimmed grass. He experienced different weather conditions - windy spring days, overcast winter days, and sunny summer mornings. In his imagination, every detail of the tee, the individual blades of grass, the trees, the singing birds, the scampering squirrels and the lay of the course became totally real.

He felt the grip of the club in his hands. He instructed himself as he practiced smoothing out his down-swing and the follow-through on his shot. Then he watched the ball arc down the exact center of the fairway, bounce a couple of times and roll to the exact spot he had selected, all in his mind.

In the real world, he was in no hurry. He had no place to go. So in his mind he took every step on his way to the ball, just as if he were physically on the course. It took him just as long in imaginary time to play 18 holes as it would have taken in reality. Not a detail was omitted. Not once did he ever miss a shot, never a hook or a slice, never a missed putt.

Seven days a week. Four hours a day. Eighteen holes. Seven years. Twenty strokes off. Shot a 74.

A Million Dollar Lesson

A Million Dollar Lesson

by : Petey Parker

A cab driver taught me a million dollar lesson in customer satisfaction and expectation. Motivational speakers charge thousands of dollars to impart his kind of training to corporate executives and staff. It cost me a $12 taxi ride.

I had flown into Dallas for the sole purpose of calling on a client. Time was of the essence and my plan included a quick turnaround trip from and back to the airport. A spotless cab pulled up.

The driver rushed to open the passenger door for me and made sure I was comfortably seated before he closed the door. As he got in the driver's seat, he mentioned that the neatly folded Wall Street Journal next to me for my use. He then showed me several tapes and asked me what type of music I would enjoy.

Well! I looked around for a "Candid Camera!" Wouldn't you? I could not believe the service I was receiving!

I took the opportunity to say, "Obviously you take great pride in your work. You must have a story to tell."

"You bet," he replied, "I used to be in Corporate America. But I got tired of thinking my best would never be good enough. I decided to find my niche in life where I could feel proud of being the best I could be. I knew I would never be a rocket scientist, but I love driving cars, being of service and feeling like I have done a full day's work and done it well. I evaluate my personal assets and... wham! I became a cab driver. One thing I know for sure, to be good in my business I could simply just meet the expectations of my passengers. But, to be GREAT in my business, I have to EXCEED the customer's expectations! I like both the sound and the return of being 'great' better than just getting by on 'average'"

Did I tip him big time? You bet! Corporate America's loss is the traveling folk's friend!

-----

Lessons:

Go an Extra Mile when providing any Service to others. The is no good or bad job. You can make any job good. Good service always brings good return.

The Shipwreck

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements and to store his few possessions. But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky.

The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger.

"God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.

"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going badly. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground--it just may be a smoke signal that summons The Grace of God.

Pass this on. You never know who may be in need of this today.

Is The Water of Zam Zam Drinkable?

Is the Water of Zam Zam Drinkable?

Water Research by Tariq Hussain,

Desalting Engineer

We came here again to perform the Omrah, and I am reminded of the wonders of Zamzam. The well of Zamzam is the well that Allah caused to flow at Mekkah for Prophet Ibrahim's wife Hajar and for his oldest son Ismael, (peace be upon them all). Let me go back to how it all started. In 1971, an Egyptian doctor wrote to the European Press, a letter saying that Zamzam water was not fit for drinking purposes.

I immediately thought that this was just a form of prejudice against the Muslims and that since his Statement was based on the assumption that since the Ka'aba was a shallow place (below sea level) and located in the centre of the city of Makkah, the waste water of the city collecting through the drains fell into well holding the water.

Fortunately, the news came to King Faisal's ears who got extremely angry and decided to disprove the Egyptian doctor's provocative statemen! t. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources to investigate and send samples of Zamzam water to European laboratories for testing the potability of the water. The ministry then instructed the Jeddah Power and Desalination Plants to carry out this task. It was here that I was employed as a desalting engineer (chemical engineer to produce drinking water from sea water) I was chosen to carry out this assignment.

At this stage, I remember that I had no idea what the well holding the water looked like. I went to Makkah and reported to the authorities at the Ka'aba explaining my purpose of visit. They deputed a man to give me whatever help was required. When we reached the well, it was hard for me to believe that a pool of water more like a small pond, about 18 by 14 feet, was the well that supplied millions of gallons of water every year to hajis ever since it came into existence at the time of Hazrat Ibrahim A. S., many, many centuries ago.

I started my investigations and took the dimensions of the ! well. I asked the man to show me the depth of the well. First he took a shower and descended into the water. Then he straightened his body. I saw that the water level came up to just above his shoulders. His height was around five feet, eight inches. He then started moving from one corner to the other in the well (standing all the while since he was not allowed to dip his head into the water) in search of any inlet or pipeline inside the well to see from where the water came in.

However, the man reported that he could not find any inlet or pipeline inside the well. I thought of another idea. The water could be withdrawn rapidly with the help of a big transfer pump which was installed at the well for the Zamzam water storage tanks. In this way, the water level would drop enabling us to locate the point of entry of the water. Surprisingly, nothing was observed during the pumping period, but I knew that this was the only method by which you could find the entrance of the water to th! e well.

So I decided to repeat the process. But this time I instructed the man to stand still at one place and carefully observe any unusual thing happening inside the well. After a while, he suddenly raised his hands and shouted, Alhamdollillah! I have found it! The sand is dancing beneath my feet as the water oozes out of the bed of the well." Then he moved around the well during the pumping period and noticed the same phenomenon everywhere in the well.

Actually the flow of water into the well through the bed was equal at every point, thus keeping the level of the water steady. After I finished my observations I took the samples of the water for European laboratories to test. Before I left the Ka'aba, I asked the authorities about the other wells around Makkah. I was told that these wells were mostly dry.

When I reached my office in Jeddah I reported my findings to my boss who listened with great interest but made a very irrational comment that the Zamzam well co! uld be internally connected to the Red Sea. How was it possible when Makkah is about 75 kilometres away from the sea and the wells located before the city usually remains dry?

The results of the water samples tested by the European laboratories and the one we analysed in our own laboratory were found to be almost identical. The difference between Zamzam water and other water (city water) was in the quantity of calcium and magnesium salts. The content of these was slightly higher in Zamzam water. This may be why this water refreshes tired hajis, but moresignificantly, the water contains fluorides that have an effective germicidal action. Moreover, the remarks of the European laboratories showed that the water was fit for drinking. Hence the statement made by the Egyptian doctor was proved false.

When this was reported to King Faisal he was extremely pleased and ordered the contradiction of the report in the European Press. In a way, it was a blessing that this study was undertaken to show the chemical composition of the water. In f! act, the more you explore, the more wonders surface and you find yourself believing implicitly in the miracles of this water that Allah bestowed as a gift on the faithful coming from far and wide to the desert land for pilgrimage.

Let me sum up some of the features of Zamzam water. This well has never dried up. On the contrary it has always fulfilled the demand for water. It has always maintained the same salt composition and taste ever since it came into existence. Its potability (drinkability) has always been universally recognised as pilgrims from all over the world visit Ka'aba every year for Hajj and umrah, but have never complained about it. Instead, they have always enjoyed the water that refreshes them. Water tastes different at different places.

Zamzam water's appeal has always been universal. This water has never been chemically treated or chlorinated as is the case with water pumped into the cities. Biological growth and vegetation usually takes place in most wells. This makes the water unpalatable owing to the growth of algae causing taste and odour problems. But in the case of the Zamzam water well, there wasn't any sign of biological growth.

Centuries ago, Bibi Hajra A. S. searched desperately for water in the hills of Sufwa and Murwa to give to her newly born son Hazrat Ismail A. S. As she ran from one place to another in search of water, her child rubbed his feet against the sand. A pool of water surfaced, and by the grace of Allah, shaped itself into a well which came to be called Zamzam water. Please pass this on to everyone to know the facts of great wonders of Zamzam.

Sources:

http://muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/? p=443

http://www.islamicfinder.org/articles/a rticle. php? id=136&lang=

Sayang, Abang Minta Izin Untuk Nikah Sorang Lagi

"Sayang, Abang minta izin untuk nikah sorang lagi,"

Aliyah yang sedang melipat kain, terdiam seketika. Mungkin terkedu. Adakah pendengarannya kian kabur lantaran usianya yang kian beranjak.

Adakah dialog tadi hanya dilafazkan di dalam TV, sementelah TV juga dipasang. Tapi, ahh bukanlah. TV sedang menayangkan iklan Sunsilk, mustahil sudah ada siri baru iklan Sunsilk? Dia menghela nafas panjang. Dia memandang sekali imbas wajah Asraf Mukmin, kemudian tersenyum.

Meletakkan kain yang telah siap dilipat di tepi, bangun lantas menuju ke dapur. Langkahnya diatur tenang. Segelas air sejuk diteguk perlahan. Kemudian dia ke bilik Balqis, Sumayyah, Fatimah. Rutin hariannya, mencium puteri-puterinya sebelum dia masuk tidur. Dahulu, semasa puterinya kecil lagi, rutin itu dilakukan dengan suaminya. Kini, anak-anak kian beranjak remaja. Kemudian, dia menjenguk bilik putera bujangnya yang berdua, si kembar, Solehin dan Farihin.

Pengabisannya dia kembali kepada suaminya. Asraf Mukmin hanya diam, membatu diri. Dia amat mengenali isterinya. Jodoh yang diatur keluarga hampir 16 tahun yang lepas menghadiahkan dia sebuah keluarga yang bahagia, Aliyah adalah ikon isteri solehah. Namun, kehadiran Qistina, gadis genit yang menjawat jawatan pembantu tadbir kesetiausahaan di jabatannya benar-benar membuatkan dia lemah.

"Kau mampu Asraf, dengan gaji kau, aku rasa kau mampu untuk beri makan 2 keluarga," sokongan Hanif, teman sepejabat menguatkan lagi hujah apabila dia berdepan dengan Aliyah.

" Abang Asraf, Qis tak kisah. Qis sanggup bermadu jika itu yang ditakdirkan. Bimbinglah Qis, Qis perlukan seseorang yang mampu memimpin Qis," masih terngiang-ngiang bicara lunak Qis.

Akhir-akhir ini, panas rasanya punggung dia di rumah. Pagi-pagi, selesai solat subuh, cepat-cepat dia bersiap untuk ke pejabat. Tidak seperti kelaziman, dia akan bersarapan berjemaah bersama isteri dan anak- anak.

Aduhai, penangan Qis gadis kelahiran Bumi Kenyalang benar-benar menjerat hatinya.

" Abang , Aliyah setuju dengan permintaan Abg. Tapi, Aliyah nak berjumpa dengan wanita tu," Lembut dan tenang sayup-sayup suara isterinya.

Dia tahu, Aliyah bukan seorang yang panas baran. Aliyah terlalu sempurna, baik tetapi ahh hatinya kini sedang mengilai wanita yang jauh lebih muda.

"Bawa dia ke sini, tinggalkan dia bersama Aliyah selama 1 hari saja, boleh?" pelik benar permintaan isterinya.

Hendak dipengapakan apakah buah hatinya itu? Namun, tanpa sedar dia menganguk, tanda setuju. Sebab, dia yakin isterinya tidak akan melakukan perkara yang bukan-bukan.

Dan hakikatnya dia seharusnya bersyukur. Terlalu bersyukur. Kalaulah isterinya itu wanita lain, alamatnya perang dunia meletus lah jawabnya. Melayanglah periuk belanga. Ehhh, itu zaman dulu-dulu. Zaman sekarang ni, isteri-isteri lebih bijak. Teringat dia kisah seorang tentera yang disimbah dengan asid, gara-gara menyuarakan keinginan untuk menambah cawangan lagi satu. Kecacatan seumur hidup diterima sebagai hadiah sebuah perkahwinan yang tidak sempat dilangsungkan. Dan dia, hanya senyuman daripada Aliyah.

"Apa, nak suruh Qis jumpa dengan isteri Abg," terjegil bulat mata Qis yang berwarna hijau.

"Kak Aliyah yang minta," masih lembut dia memujuk Qis.

"Biar betul, apa dia nak buat dengan Qis?"

"Takutlah Qis, silap haribulan dia bunuh Qis!" terkejut Asraf Mukmin.

"Percayalah Qis, Aliyah bukan macam tu orangnya. Abg dah lama hidup dengannya. Abg faham,"

Qistina mengalih pandangannya. Mahu apakah bakal madunya berjumpa dengannya? Dia sering disogokkan dengan pelbagai cerita isteri pertama membuli isteri kedua. Heh, ini Qistina lah. Jangan haraplah jika nak membuli aku. Desis hati kecil Qistina.

Hari ini genap seminggu Qistina bercuti seminggu. Seminggu jugalah dia merindu. Puas dicuba untuk menghubungi Qistina, namun tidak berjaya.

Rakan serumah menyatakan mereka sendiri tidak mengetahui ke mana Qistina pergi. Genap seminggu juga peristiwa dia menghantar Qistina untuk ditemuduga oleh Aliyah. Sedangkan dia diminta oleh Aliyah bermunajat di Masjid Putra. Di masjid itu, hatinya benar-benar terusik. Sekian lamanya dia tidak menyibukkan dirinya dengan aktiviti keagamaan di masjid Putra.

Dulu, sebelum dia mengenali Qistina, saban malam dia akan bersama dengan Aliyah serta anak-anaknya, berjemaah dengan kariah masjid. Kemudian menghadiri majlis kuliah agama. Membaca AlQuran secara bertaranum itu adalah kesukaannya. Namun, lenggok Qistina melalaikannya. Haruman Qistina memudarkan bacaan taranumnya. Hatinya benar-benar sunyi. Sunyi dengan tasbih, tasmid yang sering dilagukan. Seharian di Masjid Putra, dia cuba mencari dirinya, Asraf Mukmin yang dulu. Asraf Mukmin anak Imam Kampung Seputih. Asraf Mukmin yang asyik dengan berzanji. Menitis air matanya.

Hatinya masih tertanya-tanya, apakah yang telah terjadi pada hari itu. Aliyah menunaikan tanggungjawabnya seperti biasa. Tiada kurangnya layanan Aliyah. Mulutnya seolah-olah terkunci untuk bertanya hal calon madu Aliyah.

Tit tit... sms menjengah masuk ke kantung inbox hensetnya. "Qis minta maaf. Qis bukan pilihan terbaik utk Abg jadikan isteri. Qis tidak sehebat kak Aliyah. Qis perlu jadikan diri Qis sehebatnya utk bersama Abg," Dibawah hensetnya, ada sekeping sampul besar.

Kepada:

Asraf Mukmin,

Suami yang tersayang...

Asraf Mukmin diburu kehairanan. Sampul berwarna cokelat yang hampir saiz dengan A4 itu dibuka perlahan.

Dengan Nama Allah Yang Maha Pemurah Lagi Maha Pengasihani,

Salam sejahtera buat suami yang tercinta, moga redhaNya sentiasa mengiringi jejak langkahmu.

Abg yang dikasihi,

Genap seminggu sesi temuduga yang Aliyah jalankan pada Qistina. Terima kasih kerana Abg membawakan Aliyah seorang calon madu yang begitu cantik. Di sini Aliyah kemukakan penilaian Aliyah.

1. Dengan ukuran badan ala-ala model, dia memang mengalahkan Aliyah yang sudah tidak nampak bentuk badan. Baju- bajunya memang mengikut peredaran zaman. Tapi, Aliyah sayangkan Abg. Aliyah tak sanggup Abg diheret ke neraka kerana menanggung dosa. Sedangkan dosa Abg sendiri pun, masih belum termampu untuk dijawab di akhirat sana , apatah lagi Abg nak menggalas dosa org lain. Aliyah sayangkan Abg...

2. Aliyah ada mengajak dia memasak. Memang pandai dia masak, apatah lagi western food. Tapi, Aliyah sayangkan Abg. Aliyah tahu selera Abg hanya pada lauk pauk kampung. Tapi tak tahulah pula Aliyah kalau-kalau selera Abg sudah berubah. Tapi, Aliyah masih ingat lagi, masa kita sekeluarga singgah di sebuah restoran western food, Abg muntahkan semua makanan western food tu. Lagi satu, anak-anak kita semuanya ikut selera ayah mereka. Kesian nanti, tak makan la pula anak- anak kita. Aliyah sayangkan Abg...

3. Aliyah ada mengajak dia solat berjemaah. Kelam kabut dibuatnya. Aliyah minta dia jadi Imam. Yelah, nanti dia akan menjadi ibu pada zuriat Abg yang lahir, jadinya Aliyah harapkan dia mampu untuk mengajar anak- anak Abg nanti untuk menjadi imam dan imamah yang beriman. Tapi, kalau dia sendiri pun kelam kabut memakai telekung... Aliyah sayangkan Abg...

Abg yang disayangi,

Cukuplah rasanya penilaian Aliyah. Kalau diungkap satu persatu, Aliyah tak terdaya. Abg lebih memahaminya. Ini penilaian selama 1 hari, Abg mungkin dapat membuat penilaian yang jauh lebih baik memandangkan Abg mengenalinya lebih dari Aliyah mengenalinya.

Abg yang dicintai,

Di dalam sampul ini ada borang keizinan berpoligami. Telah siap Aliyah tandatangan. Juga sekeping tiket penerbangan MAS ke Sarawak. Jika munajat Abg di Masjid Putra mengiayakan tindakan Abg ini, ambillah borang ini, isi dan pergilah kepada Qistina. Oh ya, lupa nak cakap, Qistina telah berada di sawarak. Menunggu Abg... Aliyah sayangkan Abg... Tetapi jika Abg merasakan Qistina masih belum cukup hebat untuk dijadikan isteri Abg, pergilah cari wanita yang setanding dengan Aliyah... Aliyah sayangkan Abg.

Tetapi, jika Abg merasakan Aliyah adalah isteri yang hebat untuk Abg.. tolonglah bukakan pintu bilik ni. Aliyah bawakan sarapan kegemaran Abg, roti canai.. air tangan Aliyah.

Salam sayang,

Aliyah Najihah binti Mohd Hazery

Tangannya pantas membuka pintu biliknya. Di situ berdiri Aliyah Najihah bersama-sama hidangan sarapan pagi kegemarannya. Dia tersenyum!

Benar, tiada isteri sehebat Aliyah isterinya!!! !!

************

MORAL OF THE STORY :

Bersyukurlah dengan apa yg kita ada. Cinta pada kecantikan tidak akan kekal selamanya.. You would only appreciate things when you lost it..

Penulis asal tidak diketahui ...

A Story of Two Pebbles

Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain.

He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.

1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven.

2) If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven.

3) But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.

Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her?

Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.

2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat.

3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment.

Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers.

What would you recommend to the Girl to do?

Well, here is what she did ....

The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked."

Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.

MORAL OF THE STORY:

Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don't attempt to think. Start your day with this thought provoking story and have a nice day.

DONT WORK HARD...... "WORK SMART"

How To Thank Someone

How To Thank Someone

Thanking somebody is more than a customary gesture... It will earn respect and a feeling of true appreciation from the recipient of your gratitude. They will know they made the right choice, and you will feel less indebted, but equally as grateful.

Steps

- Swallow your pride.

You may be less inclined to thank somebody if you feel as if you deserved whatever they did for you. On the other hand, do you remember being thanked for something that you considered to be routine? It creates satisfaction for the giver of an item or reaction that you are openly admitting that you appreciate their efforts and time.

- Don't overdo it.

Telling somebody thank you for every little thing will lessen the impact of a genuine show of appreciation. Just like, "I love you," use it sparingly, intensely, and not passively or cordially. Getting a person's eye contact is a small gesture to ensure appreciation and truth in giving your thanks.

- Don't forget.

Put yourself in the position of the person who has done the thing worth receiving thanks for. Several times per day, somebody is doing something for you, if it's their job or duty, or just a gift of time and attention, it's something for you. Always remember that. For example, finish your emails with "Thank you for your time and attention" because you genuinely appreciate the fact that somebody has taken the time to read your email and perhaps honor a request or acknowledge some information.

- Put it in writing.

If someone has given you a gift or invited you into their home, take the time out afterward to write a simple thank- you note and send it by old- fashioned snail mail.

- Change your wording.

Try phrases such as, "I appreciate that," "That was nice of you/kind of you," and "I owe you one," preceding "Thank you" or "Thanks."

- Be specific.

Tell the person how what they did or what they gave you will make your life more fulfilling. For example, if someone gave you a digital camera, in addition to saying "thank you," say: "This will be perfect for taking pictures of our new baby. I've been dying to send pictures to our friends by e-mail, and now I finally can."

Tips

Don't use "thank you." Be thankful.

Ask a close friend or family member to tell you the last time somebody thanked them for something, and remember what that means the next time you're out of the house.

Even when you miss an opportunity to thank someone, feel the respect for what that person or those people did for you. Get into the habit of appreciating other people doing things for you.

Benarkah Usia Umat Islam Hanya 1500 Tahun?

Satu penjelasan berkenaan salah satu 'chain mail/hoax/tazkirah? yang sering disebarkan di alam siber khususnya di Friendster ini.

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Benarkah Usia Umat Islam Hanya 1500 Tahun

Rabu, 26 Des 07 06:44 WIB

Kirim teman

Assalamu 'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Mohon kesediaan ustadz untuk menjawab tanda tanya besar yang menghantui rasa ingin tahu kami. Ceritanya begini:

Ada seorang ustadz dalam pernah ceramahnya mengatakanbahwa usia umat Islam 1500 tahun saja. Sehingga tinggal beberapa tahun lagi akan datang Dajjal, Nabi Isa dan Imam Mahdi.

Menurut beliau hal itu sudah dijelaskan dalam hadits nabi sebagaimana dituliskan dalam bukuHuru-hara Akhir Zamanoleh Amin Jamaluddin. Tentunya hal itu sangat membuat kami penasaran. Betulkah hal itu dan ternyata malah jadi polemik di tengah kami.

Tanpa bermaksud untuk menkonfrontir ceramah ustadz tersebut, barangkali ustadz bisa memberikan tambahan keterangan lewat kajian ilmu hadits. Yang jadi pertanyaan:

1. Siapakah yang meriwayatkan hadits itu? Dari kitab apa rujukannya?

2. Bagaimana kedudukan hadits yang terdapat dari kitab itu?

3. Siapakah Amin Jamaludin si penulis buku itu? Apakah dia seorang ahli hadits, ulama atau apa? Dan bisakah kitabnya itu dijadikan referensi rujukan kita?

Sebelumnya kami ucapkan terima kasih ustadz atas kesungguhan dan kesediaan waktu menjawab pertanyaan kami. Semoga Allah SWT membalas dengan pahala yang besar disisi-Nya, Amin

Wassalamu 'alaikum wr wb.

Izzudin Haraki Jawaban

Assalamu 'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Buku yang sempat menghebohkan dunia Islam itu judul aslinya adalah. Ditulis oleh seorang yang bernama Amin Muhammad Jamaluddin. Dalam edisi terjemahan bahasa Indonesia berjudul Huru-hara Akhir Zaman.

Mengomentari buku yang menghebohkan ini, Al-Ustadz Hamid bin Abdillah Al-'Ali mengatakan bahwa beliau tetap menghargai niat dan usaha penulisnya untuk mengingatkan umat Islam akan datangnya hari kiamat. Dan beliau juga berpesan agar para pembaca buku ini tidak gampang bersu'uzhan kepada penulisnya.

Namun beliau juga mengingatkan kepada penulis buku ini agar tidak menggunakan rujukan yang tidak ada sumber hadits yang kuat dan menghindari hadits palsu.

Memang kalau kita baca buku itu, di sana dinyatakan dengan pasti Imam Mahdi akan muncul sebelum masuk tahun 1430 Hijriyah, atau sekitar tahun setahun lagi dari sekarang. Juga disebutkan bahwa usia umat Islam yaitu 1500 tahun.

Sehingga kalau dihitung dari sejak diutusnya nabi Muhammad SAW pada tahun 13 tahun sebelum hijrah hingga tahun ini, 1428 H, berarti usia umat Islam tinggal 1500 (1428+13) = 1500 - 1441 = 59 tahun lagi.

Titik Pangkal Masalah

Yang jadi masalah paling mendasar adalah darimana datangnya angka tahun 1430 hijriyah sebagai tahun kemunculan Al-Imam Mahdi? Dan darimana angka 1500 tahun sebagai usia umat Islam?

Menurut buku itu, angka tahun-tahun ini didapat dari hadits nabi Muhammad SAW. Dan diyakini oleh penulisnya sebagai hadits yang shahih dan bisa diterima.

Selain hadits tentang masa terjadinya kiamat, di dalam buku itu juga ada hadits lain seperti berikut ini:

Nu'aim bin Hammad meriwayatkan dengan sanadnya bahwa Rasulullah saw. bersabda, "Pada bulan Ramadhan terlihat tanda-tanda di langit, seperti tiang yang bersinar, pada bulan Syawwal terjadi malapetaka, pada bulan Dzulqa'idah terjadi kemusnahan, pada bulan Dzulhijjah para jamaah haji dirampok, dan pada Muharram, tahukah apakah Muharram itu?"

Rasulullah saw. juga bersabda:

"Akan ada suara dahsyat di bulan Ramadhan, huru-hara di bulan Syawal, konflik antara suku pada bulan Dzulqa'idah, dan pada tahun itu para jamaah haji dirampok dan terjadi pembantaian besar di Mina di mana ramai orang terbunuh dan darah mengalir di sana, sedangkan pada saat itu mereka berada di Jumrah Aqabah."

Baginda saw. juga bersabda:

"Bila telah muncul suara di bulan Ramadhan, maka akan terjadi huru-hara di bulan Syawwal...." Kami bertanya, "Suara apakah, ya Rasulullah?" Beliau menjawab, "Suara keras di pertengahan bulan Ramadhan, pada malam Juma'at, akan muncul suara keras yang membangunkan orang tidur, menjadikan orang yang berdiri jatuh terduduk, para gadis keluar dari pingitannya, pada malam Jum'at di tahun terjadinya banyak gempa.

Jika kalian telah melaksanakan shalat Subuh pada hari Juma'at, masuklah kalian ke dalam rumah kalian, tutuplah pintu-pintunya, sumbatlah lubang-lubangnya, dan selimutilah diri kalian, sumbatlah telinga kalian. Jika kalian merasakan adanya suara menggelegar, maka bersujudlah kalian kepada Allah dan ucapkanlah, "Mahasuci Al-Quddus, Mahasuci Al-Quddus, Rabb kami Al-Quddus!", kerana barangsiapa melakukan hal itu akan selamat, tetapi barangsiapa yang tidak melakukan hal itu akan binasa."

Benarkah Hadits itu Hadits Shahih?

Semua yang diceritakan dalam tema buku Ini adalah permasalahan ghaib, maka yang berhak mengatakan itu hanya nabi Muhammad SAW saja. Jadi seandainya memang ada hadits yang sampai ke derajat shahih, bolehlah kita jadikan pegangan.

Tapi masalah terbesarnya, ternyata apa yang diklaim sebagai hadits shahiholeh penulis buku itu, justru ditentang oleh para ahli hadits. Para ahli hadits bahkan sampai mengatakan bahwa hadits-hadits yang digunakan dalam kitab itu adalah hadits palsu dan batil. 100% tidak bisa dijadikan dasar dalam urusan agama.

Apalagi masalah huru-hara menjelang hari kiamat termasuk masalah aqidah. Maka haram hukumnya menggunakan riwayat itu sebagai dasar rujukan.

Apa yang diklaim sebagai hadits sebenarnya sama sekali tidak layak dikatakan sebagai sabda nabi Muhammad SAW. Dan untuk itu sudah ada ancaman dari beliau sendiri tentang orang yang mengatakan bahwa suatu lafadz itu merupakan perkataan beliau, padahal beliau sendiri tidak pernah mengatakannya.

Rasulullah SAW bersabda, "Siapa yang berdusta tentang aku secara sengaja, maka hendaklah dia menyiapkan tempat duduknya di neraka". (HR Muttafaqun 'alaihi).

Kelemahan Hadits Pada Buku Tersebut

1. Kelemahan Pertama: Tidak Membaca Makhthuthat

Kelemahan paling mendasar bahwa Amin Muhammad Jamaluddin meski banyak menggunakan hadits dari kitab Shahih Bukhari dan Shahih Muslim, namun pada bagian-bagian yang penting dan sangat musykil seperti perhitungan tahun turunnya Imam Al-Mahdi, beliau menggunakan hadits-hadits yang tidak jelas asal usulnya.

Di antara rujukan hadits yang bermasalah di kitab ini adalah klaim bahwa beliau menemukan makhthutah (naksah tulisan tangan) di sebuah perpustakaan di Istambul.

Setelah diteliti lebih jauh, ternyata Amin Muhammad Jamaluddin sebagai penulis tidak membaca langsung naskah tulisan tangan itu. Tetapi bersumber dari seseorang yang mengaku pernah menemukan makhthuthat itu di sebuah perpustakaan di Istanbul.

Jadi bahkan Amin Jamaluddin sendiri tidak pernah melihat langsung naskah itu dalam keadaan aslinya. Semata-mata informasi dari seseorang yang mengaku pernah melihatnya.

Dari sini saja pada dasarnya kaidah ilmiyah penulisan kitab ini sudah sangat bermasalah. Seharusnya penulis buku ini mencantumkan kopi dari makhthuthah ini dalam kitabnya. Dan akan menjadi satu cabang ilmu yang dikenal dengan nama Filologi.

2. Kelemahan Kedua: Makhthuthah Bermasalah

Menurut Ustaz Hatim Al-Auniy, anggota Hai'ah Tadris di Universtias Ummul Qura Makkah, makhthuthat yang diklaim sebagai berisi hadits shahih itu ternyata tidaklebihdari kumpulan hadits-hadits palsu nukilan dari Kitabul Fitan karya Nu'aim ibnu Hammad.

Padahal banyak dari para ulama sejak dahulu telah memberi peringatan tentang masalah periwayatan yang ada di dalam kitab Al-Fitan.

Al-Imam Ahmad mengatakan ada tiga kitab yang tidak punya dasar, di antaranya adalah Kitabul Fitan karya Nu'aim bin Hammad ini.

Sedangkan Adz-Dzahabi mengomentari tentang Nu'aim penulis makhthuthat ini sebagai orang yang jiwa manusia tidak mantap dengan riwayatnya. Senada dengan itu, Yahya bin Mu'in mengatakan bahwa Nu'aim ini meriwayatkan dari orang-orang yang tidak tsiqah (lihat Siyar A'lam An-Nubala' jilid 10 halaman 597-600).

Jadi anggaplah misalnya makhthuthat itu memang benar-benar ada di perpustakaan Istanbul sana, dan memang benar-benar ditulis oleh Nu'aim bin Hammad, tetap saja pengambilan dasar hadits itu bermasalah pada perawinya, yaitu Nu'aim bin Hammad.

3. Kelemahan Ketiga: Tadlis (Penipuan Nama Bukhari)

Para ahli hadits punya sebuah istilah yang disebut dengan tadlis. Makna mudahnya adalah penipuan. Di dalam buku ini Amin Jamaluddin menggunakan metode tadlis atau penipuan atas nama Al-Bukhari.

Hadits yang digunakan penulis buku ini sering diklaim sebagai hadits Bukhari, padahal bukan. Hadits itu sebenarnya terdapat dalam kitab tulisan gurunya Al-Bukhari yang bernama Nu'aim ibnu Hammad.

Benar bahwa Nu'aim ini guru Al-Bukhari, namun para ulama hadits banyak yang mengatakan bahwa Nu'aim ini adalah perawi yang bermasalah. Dan Al-Bukhari tidak pernah menggunakan sanad dari Nu'aim kecuali bila ada riwayat dari jalur yang lain menguatkan jalur Nu'aim.

Satu hal yang dilupakan adalah bahwa tidak mentang-mentang seseorang menjadi guru imam Al-Bukhari, lantas semua riwayat atau kitab hadits karyanya boleh dianggap shahih. Bahkan tidak semua hadits yang diriwayatkan oleh Al-Bukhari sendiri bisa dipastikan keshahihannya. Karena yang dikatakan hadits shahih adalah yang beliau masukkan ke dalam kitab shahihnya. Sedangkan kitab lain yang juga ditulis oleh beliau, belum tentu shahih.

Untuk sekedar diketahui, Al-Bukhari selain menyusun Kitab Ash-Shahih juga pernah menulis beberapa kitab lainnya seperti al-Adabul Mufrad, Raf’ul Yadain fish Shalah, al-Qira’ah khalfal Iman, Birrul Walidain, at-Tarikh ash-Shagir, Khalqu Af’aalil ‘Ibaad, adl-Dlu’afa (hadits-hadits lemah), al-Jaami’ al-Kabir, al-Musnad al-Kabir, at-Tafsir al-Kabir, Kitabul Asyribah, Kitabul Hibab, dan kitab Asaami ash-Shahabah. Tapi yang benar-benar beliau jamin keshahihannya hanyalah kitab As-Shahih saja.

Sebenarnya kita masih bisa membela Nu'aim ibnu Hammad sebagai guru Al-Bukhari. Karena beliau juga tidak pernah mengatakan hadits dalam kitab Al-Fitan itu sebagai hadits shahih, makanya beliau menuliskan hadits itu lengkap sanadnya, yang akan menjadi bahan buat para peneliti hadits untuk mengerjakan tugasnya. Dan dunia Islam memang mengenal Kitab Al-Fitan ini adalah kitab yang berisi hadits-hadits batil dan israiliyyat (dongeng bangsa Israil).

Sayangnya, Amin Jamaluddin menukil hadits hadits dalam kitab Al-Fitan itu begitu saja tanpa menyebutkan bahwa isnad hadits ini belum selesai dikerjakan dan dia sama sekali tidak mencantumkan daftar perawinya. Sehingga terkesan pembaca digiring untuk mengatakan seolah-olah hadits-hadits itu shahih dengan menyebutkan bahwa Nu'aim adalah guru imam Bukhari.

Buat mereka yang terlalu bersemangat tapi awam dengan ilmu naqd (kritik) hadits, mudah sekali percaya bahwa hadits-hadits itu sebagai hadits shahih.

4. Kelemahan Keempat: Dongeng Nostradamus

Salah satu kelemahan fatal buku ini adalah turut dicantumkannya juga dongeng-dongeng modern, semisal ramalan Nostradamus yang berkebangsaan Perancis, untuk menguatkan teori penulis buku.

Sejak kapan umat Islam berdalil dengan ramalan orang kafir, meski pun ramalan itu secara kebetulan memang terjadi. Sebab ramalan itu hukumnya haram, karena satu kebenaran ditambah dengan 100 kebohongan.

Salah satu ramalan batil yang disebut-sebut sangat terkenal adalah peristiwa 11 Sptember 2001 di Newyork. Salah satu petikan di buku itu sebagai berikut:

"Di suatu tahun di abad yang baru dan sembilan bulan, dari langit akan datang Raja Teror. Langit akan terbakar pada empat puluh lima derajat. Api akan turun di kota baru yang besar itu di kota York."

Dan masih banyak lagi kejanggalan-kejanggalan buku ini, sehingga para ulama sampai mengharamkan umat Islam merujuk buku ini dalam memahami ajaran Islam. Karena selain bercampurnya hadits shahih dan palsu, juga banyak berisi dongeng yang dihubung-hubungkan.

Wajar kalau ada pihak yang mengatakan tujuan buku ini diterbitkan tidak lain sekedar cari sensasi belaka. Dan alasan paling logis untuk itu sekedar meraup uang saja.

Harapan kepada umat Islam, setidaknya sebelum bicara hal-hal yang berbau masalah hari kiamat yang merupakan khabar ghaibi, syarat mutlaknya adalah memastikan hanya menggunakan hadits yang shahih dalam arti yang sebenarnya. Pastikan hadits memang telah disepakati keshahihannya oleh para ulama hadits.

Selain itu kitab sharah hadits itu wajib dibaca, semacam Fathul Bari oleh Al-'Allamah Ibnu Hajar Al-'Asqalani, kitab penjelasan untuk Shahih Bukhari, atau Syarah Shahih Muslim oleh Imam An-Nawawi untuk penjelasan Kitab Shahih Muslim.

Agar jangan tujuan mulia kita tercemar dengan kejahilan ilmu hadits kita, sehingga bukannya menyebarkan ilmu tetapi malah menjadi agen khurafat. Wal 'Iyadzhu billahi.

Wallahu a'lam bishshawab, wassalamu 'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Ahmad Sarwat, Lc

Sumber asal

One Thousand Marbles

1000 Marbles

Author: Unknown

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not working. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago I was shuffling toward my office downstairs with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. This was before Reinee's knee surgery. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.

I turned the computer on in order to listen to a Saturday morning voice chat room. Along the way I came across an older-sounding chap with a tremendous golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.

"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well, but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet.

Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "Let me tell you something, Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities."

And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."

"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years."

"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part."

"It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty- eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy- five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."

"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here next to my gear. Every Saturday since then I have taken one marble out and thrown it away."

"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."

"Now let me tell you one last thing before I signoff with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday, then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."

"It was nice to meet you Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on this computer chat room."

You could have heard a pin drop when this fellow signed off.

I had planned to work on the computer that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few buddies for tennis. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss.

"C'mon honey, I'm taking you to breakfast."

"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles.

Is The Water of Zam Zam Drinkable?

Is the Water of Zam Zam Drinkable?

Water Research by Tariq Hussain,

Desalting Engineer

We came here again to perform the Omrah, and I am reminded of the wonders of Zamzam. The well of Zamzam is the well that Allah caused to flow at Mekkah for Prophet Ibrahim's wife Hajar and for his oldest son Ismael, (peace be upon them all). Let me go back to how it all started. In 1971, an Egyptian doctor wrote to the European Press, a letter saying that Zamzam water was not fit for drinking purposes.

I immediately thought that this was just a form of prejudice against the Muslims and that since his Statement was based on the assumption that since the Ka'aba was a shallow place (below sea level) and located in the centre of the city of Makkah, the waste water of the city collecting through the drains fell into well holding the water.

Fortunately, the news came to King Faisal's ears who got extremely angry and decided to disprove the Egyptian doctor's provocative statemen! t. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources to investigate and send samples of Zamzam water to European laboratories for testing the potability of the water. The ministry then instructed the Jeddah Power and Desalination Plants to carry out this task. It was here that I was employed as a desalting engineer (chemical engineer to produce drinking water from sea water) I was chosen to carry out this assignment.

At this stage, I remember that I had no idea what the well holding the water looked like. I went to Makkah and reported to the authorities at the Ka'aba explaining my purpose of visit. They deputed a man to give me whatever help was required. When we reached the well, it was hard for me to believe that a pool of water more like a small pond, about 18 by 14 feet, was the well that supplied millions of gallons of water every year to hajis ever since it came into existence at the time of Hazrat Ibrahim A. S., many, many centuries ago.

I started my investigations and took the dimensions of the ! well. I asked the man to show me the depth of the well. First he took a shower and descended into the water. Then he straightened his body. I saw that the water level came up to just above his shoulders. His height was around five feet, eight inches. He then started moving from one corner to the other in the well (standing all the while since he was not allowed to dip his head into the water) in search of any inlet or pipeline inside the well to see from where the water came in.

However, the man reported that he could not find any inlet or pipeline inside the well. I thought of another idea. The water could be withdrawn rapidly with the help of a big transfer pump which was installed at the well for the Zamzam water storage tanks. In this way, the water level would drop enabling us to locate the point of entry of the water. Surprisingly, nothing was observed during the pumping period, but I knew that this was the only method by which you could find the entrance of the water to th! e well.

So I decided to repeat the process. But this time I instructed the man to stand still at one place and carefully observe any unusual thing happening inside the well. After a while, he suddenly raised his hands and shouted, Alhamdollillah! I have found it! The sand is dancing beneath my feet as the water oozes out of the bed of the well." Then he moved around the well during the pumping period and noticed the same phenomenon everywhere in the well.

Actually the flow of water into the well through the bed was equal at every point, thus keeping the level of the water steady. After I finished my observations I took the samples of the water for European laboratories to test. Before I left the Ka'aba, I asked the authorities about the other wells around Makkah. I was told that these wells were mostly dry.

When I reached my office in Jeddah I reported my findings to my boss who listened with great interest but made a very irrational comment that the Zamzam well co! uld be internally connected to the Red Sea. How was it possible when Makkah is about 75 kilometres away from the sea and the wells located before the city usually remains dry?

The results of the water samples tested by the European laboratories and the one we analysed in our own laboratory were found to be almost identical. The difference between Zamzam water and other water (city water) was in the quantity of calcium and magnesium salts. The content of these was slightly higher in Zamzam water. This may be why this water refreshes tired hajis, but moresignificantly, the water contains fluorides that have an effective germicidal action. Moreover, the remarks of the European laboratories showed that the water was fit for drinking. Hence the statement made by the Egyptian doctor was proved false.

When this was reported to King Faisal he was extremely pleased and ordered the contradiction of the report in the European Press. In a way, it was a blessing that this study was undertaken to show the chemical composition of the water. In f! act, the more you explore, the more wonders surface and you find yourself believing implicitly in the miracles of this water that Allah bestowed as a gift on the faithful coming from far and wide to the desert land for pilgrimage.

Let me sum up some of the features of Zamzam water. This well has never dried up. On the contrary it has always fulfilled the demand for water. It has always maintained the same salt composition and taste ever since it came into existence. Its potability (drinkability) has always been universally recognised as pilgrims from all over the world visit Ka'aba every year for Hajj and umrah, but have never complained about it. Instead, they have always enjoyed the water that refreshes them. Water tastes different at different places.

Zamzam water's appeal has always been universal. This water has never been chemically treated or chlorinated as is the case with water pumped into the cities. Biological growth and vegetation usually takes place in most wells. This makes the water unpalatable owing to the growth of algae causing taste and odour problems. But in the case of the Zamzam water well, there wasn't any sign of biological growth.

Centuries ago, Bibi Hajra A. S. searched desperately for water in the hills of Sufwa and Murwa to give to her newly born son Hazrat Ismail A. S. As she ran from one place to another in search of water, her child rubbed his feet against the sand. A pool of water surfaced, and by the grace of Allah, shaped itself into a well which came to be called Zamzam water. Please pass this on to everyone to know the facts of great wonders of Zamzam.

Sources:

http://muslimmedianetwork.com/mmn/?p=443

http://www.islamicfinder.org/articles/article.php? id=136&lang=

Kahwin Orang Miskin vs Orang Kaya

Kahwin Orang miskin & Kahwin Orang Kaya

Dipetik dari sebuah Yahoogroups

=====================

saya dapat posting dari kawan. saya rasa kawan saya ni bukanlah "saya" dalam cerita dibawah.

sekadar berkongsi .... dari email yang diterima .... maklumlaaa musim orang naik pelamin skarang nih...

MUSIM orang kahwin, tentulah cerita orang kahwin juga yang mendapat tempat. Sana sini majlis perkahwinan berlangsung. Yang kecil, yang besar, yang glamor dan yang sunyi sepi. Yang penting, impian pasangan untuk hidup bersama telah tercapai. Dan pastinya cerita yang ingin saya kongsi dengan pembaca minggu ini juga berkaitan dengan majlis kahwin. Apa tidaknya, ramai yang menelefon ingin berkongsi pandangan mengenai majlis perkahwinan sekarang.

Setelah meneliti dan mencari yang terbaik saya memilih untuk berkongsi pendapat Datin W. Perbualan kami yang mengambil masa selama hampir sejam menceritakan segala-galanya tentang perbezaan kahwin orang miskin dan kahwin orang kaya.

"Miskin yang dimaksudkan adalah orang kurang berada yang hanya membuat kenduri kahwin di rumah, tidak di dewan atau hotel bertaraf lima bintang," demikian Datin W memulakan bicaranya.

Datin W telah menghadiri sembilan majlis perkahwinan sepanjang cuti sekolah baru-baru ini. Ada banyak beza, katanya. Lalu dia namakan majlis itu kahwin orang miskin dan kahwin orang kaya.

"Lima daripada majlis tersebut diadakan di hotel dan dewan yang bertaraf lima bintang sementara empat lagi di rumah. Saya pergi ke semua majlis itu bagi memenuhi undangan kawan-kawan lama dan rakan sepejabat. Di tempat bertaraf lima bintang memang menarik dan serba serbi canggih. Makanan terhidang depan mata, siap ada napkin, bunga terletak indah di tengah meja, makanan diletakkan dalam bekas cantik. Siap ada kopi, teh dan pemanis mulut. Kerusi juga beriben dan beralas indah. Sayangnya, letih menunggu berjam-jam sehinggakan perut mula berjoget kerana lapar," kata Datin W.

Menurut Datin W, sudahlah terpaksa datang awal untuk mencari parkir dan berbaris untuk masuk ke dewan. Kemudian macam orang bodoh, melilau mencari kerusi yang entah di mana letaknya. Kalau tempat duduk bebas lebih mudah, tapi yang ada nombor parahlah. Terpaksa pula berlegar-legar mencari tempat duduk. Kalau nasib baik ada penyambut tetamu cekap, lekaslah dapat duduk. Jika tidak macam kerang busuk terhegeh-hegeh mencari kerusi.

Pernah melalui pengalaman yang sama, saya mencelah dengan berkata, biasanya majlis yang mewah itu ada penyambut tetamu. Bagaimana boleh jadi macam itu?

"Memang ada penyambut tetamu, tetapi kalau sudah letak yang comel lote tapi tak tahu buat kerja susah juga. Pakai cantik-cantik, berbaris tepi pintu dan asyik tersenyum kepada tetamu. Bukan hendak tolong tunjuk tempat, tapi sibuk bergambar dan bersalam sambil berbalas-balas gesel pipi tanpa mengira lelaki perempuan," tambah Datin W.

Memang betul, saya juga pernah melihat senario ini dengan mata sendiri. Perihal bukan muhrim tidak kira kaum dan agama berbalas ciuman di pipi pada majlis orang kahwin sudah menjadi trend masyarakat kelas 'atasan' sejak akhir-akhir ini.

Tidak berhenti di situ sahaja, Datin W turut menegur sikap segelintir tetamu yang ada pangkat tetapi tidak tahu menghormati tetamu lain.

"Saya malu dan kecewa dengan sikap orang-orang ini. Ada jawatan tinggi, ada pangkat dan pakai lawa tapi otak tidak boleh berfikir pentingkan diri sahaja," suaranya agak meninggi.

Mendengar suaranya yang agak tinggi, saya bertanya kenapa.

"Bayangkan kita sudah berbaris panjang, tiba-tiba di depan ada satu hamba Allah berpangkat jumpa kawan dia sepasang suami isteri, bersalam kemudian disuruh masuk barisan di hadapannya. "Kemudian datang seorang lagi, juga disuruh masuk, sehingga genap lima pasangan kawan mereka memotong Q. Sakitnya hati kita! Sekurang-kurangnya hormatkan tetamu lain. Ini tidak, mentang-mentang mereka ada nama, orang kenal, boleh buat sesuka hati," tambah Datin W.

Di dalam dewan pula, kata Datin W, suasananya memang cantik. Pokok bunga di sana sini, layar pun ada untuk tetamu yang duduk jauh dari pelamin. Tapi sayangnya dek kerana pokok-pokok bunga yang tinggi menjulang macam dalam hutan, pandangan sebahagian tetamu terlindung. Yang kelihatan hanya hujung kepala pengantin, tiang pelamin dan kepala tetamu lain.

Saya tersenyum sendiri. Mati akal saya untuk menjawab kata-kata Datin W. Lalu saya meminta pendapatnya terhadap apa yang dikatakannya sebagai kenduri di rumah orang miskin.

"Ini yang saya hendak cerita. Banyak bezanya macam langit dengan bumi. Saya pergi empat buah rumah teman sekerja saya yang menerima menantu. Makanan dihidang secara bufet. Ada yang katering, ada yang masih gotong royong memasak. Paling kurang ada lima enam jenis lauk dan buah-buahan sebagai pencuci mulut. Dua daripada rumah itu siap disediakan teh tarik, kopi O dan bubur kacang.

"Tetamu boleh enjoy makan sambil sembang-sembang tengok pengantin bersanding. Selepas bersanding, pengantin dan ibu bapa datang bawah khemah menyapa tetamu sambil mengucapkan terima kasih dan bersalaman. Tidak payah berbaris, tunggu dua jam baru hendak makan. Boleh ambil sendiri dan makan sepuas hati, tiada siapa melarang,'' jelasnya.

Berbeza dengan majlis orang kaya, pengantin dan tuan rumah tunggu depan pintu, habis tetamu kenamaan beredar, mereka pun lesap. Tinggal tetamu terkapai-kapai mencari jalan pulang.

Kali ini saya bersetuju dengan Datin W kerana apa yang diucapkannya benar belaka. Lebih selesa menghadiri majlis kahwin orang miskin daripada ke majlis orang kaya. Kalau ke rumah orang biasa, letak sahaja kereta di mana, tepi jalan, padang atau kawasan lapang, asal jangan halang laluan orang. Tapi kalau di tempat lima bintang, berpusing lima enam kali belum nampak parkir kosong, kira pi kira mai, bayarannya sama banyak dengan makan nasi kandar di restoran mamak.

Dalam berfikir saya dikejutkan dengan suara Datin W yang masih bersemangat untuk bercerita lagi tentang majlis kahwin orang kaya.

"Bukan setakat itu sahaja, tetamu yang datang juga alahai memang berfesyen habis, kebanyakannya berfesyen macam hendak ke festival filem. Seksi dan menjolok mata pun ada, nak glamor punya pasal, tidak tahu beza majlis," tambahnya.

Kata-kata Datin W mengingatkan saya kepada satu kumpulan anak-anak remaja yang menghadiri majlis kahwin dengan menaiki kereta Mercedes. Empat orang dalam sebuah kereta, ertinya dua pasang. Cantik, tampan dan segak. Mereka memakai baju Melayu lengkap bersamping sementara anak daranya pula memakai kebaya lis jarang dengan tiub bertutup bahagian dada dan perut sahaja. Padanannya kain batik diikat pario sehingga ke paras peha. Bayangkan!

"Apakah pesanan kepada orang di luar sana yang mungkin keliru dengan pendapat Datin?'' soal saya yang cuba membakar semangatnya.

"Pesanan saya, jangan rasa rendah diri jika tidak dijemput ke majlis kahwin orang kaya, jangan rasa terhina bila asyik ke majlis orang miskin. Kaya atau miskin bukan ukurannya. Yang penting jemputan tuan rumah dipenuhi."

"Apa pun," kata Datin W, "kita semua sama di sisi Tuhan. Yang berbeza hanyalah pangkat, darjat dan kemewahan yang juga dianugerahkan Tuhan. Jangan sesekali lupa.''

Saya hargai pandangan Datin W yang berpengalaman luas dalam perkara ini. Jika direnung semula, betul juga katanya. Majlis perkahwinan juga kini semakin sengit. Persaingan makin hebat. Seperti juga Datin W, saya turut mengalami pengalaman yang berharga. Buat pertama kali dalam sejarah, saya dan teman-teman pulang dengan tangan kosong daripada majlis perkahwinan orang kaya baru-baru ini sedangkan ramai tetamu glamor membawa dua tiga cenderamata setiap seorang.

Bezanya, pada hari yang sama, pada majlis kahwin orang miskin yang kami hadiri, kami dibekalkan buah tangan, sebuah beg kertas penuh dengan kuih tradisional, gula-gula, kek dan sapu tangan dan bunga telur yang cantik. Apa sudah jadi? Ada diskriminasi juga kah? Apa pun bukan buah tangan yang jadi impian, tetapi menghargai jemputan. Pada masa yang sama seronok melihat lakonan manusia di pentas dunia!

Menutup kata, terimalah serangkap pantun daripada saya.

Anggerik rimba kembang serumpun
Kiambang di tasik jadi pilihan
Tercalar adat sopan dan santun
Ambil iktibar jadikan teladan.

Membangun Kepercayaan Diri Sendiri

"Kalau mereka boleh berjaya, saya pun boleh berjaya"

Inilah kata-kata yang sering dilafazkan oleh orang yang cemerlang dalam hidupnya. Apabila menghadapi masalah atau jalan buntu, mereka tidak mudah berputus asa kerana berkeyakinan bahawa kalau orang lain boleh buat sesuatu atau berjaya mengapa mereka tidak boleh.

Rujukan mereka ialah orang yang cemerlang yang telah membuktikan kehebatan diri. Tetapi bagi orang yang lemah pula ada tiga kemungkinan. Pertama mereka tidak ada rujukan mana- mana orang yang cemerlang. Keduanya kalau ada pun rujukan orang yang cemerlang, mereka merasakan mereka tidak mampu atau layak untuk berjaya seperti itu. Atau ketiganya rujukan mereka ialah rakan orang lemah sendiri.

Bagi merasionalkan kelemahan atau kemalasan mereka, orang ini akan berkata "kalau si dia tu sudah berusaha pun masih gagal, buat apa kita berusaha bersungguh-sungguh" .

Membangun Kepercayaan diri

Bagi sebahagian kita yang punya masalah rendahnya kepercayaan- diri atau merasa telah kehilangan kepercayaan diri, mungkin Anda boleh menjadikan langkah- langkah berikut ini sebagai proses latihan:

1. Menciptakan definisi diri positif.

Steve Chandler mengatakan, "Cara terbaik untuk mengubah sistem keyakinanmu adalah mengubah definisi dirimu."

Bagaimana menciptakan definisi diri positif. Di antara cara yang boleh kita lakukan adalah:

o Membuat kesimpulan yang positif tentang diri sendiri / membuat pendapat yang positif tentang diri sendiri. Positif di sini ertinya yang boleh mendorong atau yang boleh membangun, bukan yang merosakkan atau yang menghancurkan.

o Belajar melihat bahagian-bahagian positif / kelebihan / kekuatan yang kita miliki

o Membuka dialog dengan diri sendiri tentang hal-hal positif yang boleh kita lakukan, dari mulai yang paling kecil dan dari mulai yang boleh kita lakukan hari ini.

Selain itu, yang perlu dilakukan adalah menghentikan persepsi diri negatif yang muncul, seperti misalnya saya tidak punya kelebihan apa-apa, hidup saya tidak berharga, saya hanya beban masyarakat, dan seterusnya. Setelah kita menghentikan, tugas kita adalah menggantinya dengan yang positif, konstruktif dan motivatif. Ini hanya syarat awal dan tidak cukup untuk membangun kepercayaan diri.

2. Memperjuangkan keinginan yang positif

Selanjutnya adalah merumuskan program / agenda perbaikan diri. Ini boleh berbentuk misalnya memiliki target baru yang hendak kita wujudkan atau merumuskan langkah-langkah positif yang hendak kita lakukan. Entah itu besar atau kecil, yang pentingnya harus ada perubahan atau peningkatan ke arah yang lebih positif. Semakin banyak hal-hal positif (target, tujuan atau keinginan) yang sanggup kita wujudkan, semakin kuatlah keinginan kita. Kita perlu ingat bahawa pada akhirnya kita hanya akan menjadi lebih baik dengan cara melakukan sesuatu yang baik buat kita. Titik. Tidak ada yang boleh mengganti prinsip ini.

3. Mengatasi masalah secara positif

Semangat juga boleh diperkuatkan dengan cara memberikan bukti kepada diri sendiri bahwa kita ternyata berhasil mengatasi masalah yang menimpa kita. Semakin banyak masalah yang sanggup kita selesaikan, semakin kuatlah motivasi diri. Lama kelamaan kita menjadi orang yang tidak mudah menyerah kalah ketika menghadapi masalah. Kerana itu ada yang mengingatkan, begitu kita sudah terbiasa merasa pasrah atau kalah, ini nanti akan menjadi kebiasaan yang membuat kita seringkali bermasalah.

4. Memiliki dasar keputusan yang positif.

Kalau dibaca dari praktis hidup secara keseluruhan, memang tidak ada orang yang selalu yakin atas kemampuannya dalam menghadapi masalah atau dalam mewujudkan keinginan. Orang yang sekelas Mahatma Gandhi saja sempat goyah ketika tiba-tiba realiti berubah secara tak terduga-duga. Tapi, Gandhi punya cara yang boleh kita tiru:

"Ketika saya putus asa maka saya selalu ingat bahwa sepanjang sejarah, jalan yang ditempuh dengan kebenaran dan cinta selalu menang. Ada beberapa kejahatan dan pembunuhan yang sepertinya menang tetapi akhirnya kalah. Fikirkan ucapan saya ini, SELALU". Ertinya, kepercayaan Gandhi tumbuh lagi setelah mengingat bahwa langkahnya sudah dilandasi oleh prinsip- prinsip yang benar.

5. Memiliki model / teladan yang positif

Yang penting lagi adalah menemukan orang lain yang boleh kita contohi dari segi kepercayaan dirinya. Ini memang menuntut kita untuk sering membuka mata melihat orang lain yang lebih bagus dari kita lalu menjadikannya sebagai teladan atau idola. Demikian pentingnya peranan orang lain ini, ada yang mengatakan bahwa kita boleh memperbaiki diri dari dua hal:

a) pengalaman peribadi (life experiencing) dan

b) duplicating (mencontoh dan mempelajari orang lain).

Creating Your Mission Statement

Creating Your Mission Statement - A Movie and More

by Julie Jordan Scott

The opening scenes of "Jerry Maguire" are forever imprinted in my minds eye. As the audience, we are shown a brief synopsis of Jerry's life as a high powered Sports Agent who manages the careers of a multitude of big money athletes. He is at a convention of some kind with all of his fellow Sports Agents.

We enter a dream sequence. Jerry is jarred awake while dreaming with an epiphany of sorts as he raises this question in an internal dialogue. "Who had I become? A shark in a suit? I hated myself. I hated my place in this world. " Like a man possessed, he rose out of his bed and sat down at the laptop he had set up in his hotel room. Jerry continued to speak inside his head, "One page became twenty five, I became my father's son again."

He continued, saying he remembered the wise words of his mentor who said "The key to this business is personal relationships."

Feverishly, Jerry crafted his Personal Manifesto. "I had lost the ability to B. S.," he wrote, "It (the Mission Statement) was the me I had always wanted to be."

He entitled his declaration "The Things We Think and Do Not Say." He took his work to a 24 hour copy store so that he could distribute his wisdom to the other Sports Agents. The long haired clerk at the store looked into his eyes and said, surferesque, "That's how you become great, man!" Jerry put a copy in each mailbox of his peers and blissfully went to sleep.

Temporarily, anyway. We soon learn that for Jerry, proclaiming what he believed through his Mission Statement was indeed a risky business. He called the hotel desk clerk when he once again awoke with a start to see if the copies of his Mission Statement been picked up by his peers. To his horror, it was reported that many copies of his work had been distributed.

Jerry soon found his life seriously altered by what he believed. He quickly lost his high powered job and found himself living out his Mission Statement, but it was far from comfortable. Sure, his mentor had said "The key to this business is personal relationships" but did his only client have to be so obnoxious, arrogant, loud and forever adding insult to injury, by continually spouting the now trademark "Show me the money!" phrase over and over and over?

We live alongside Jerry for two hours, cheering him through personal financial ruin, romance, marriage, separation, reunion, and finally the rebuilding of his career. But it is a career on HIS terms, in HIS way, following HIS manifesto and HIS alone!

Do all Mission statements need to be written at times of such personal awakening a la Jerry Maguire? Not at all! Mission statements can be mulled over, rewritten, revised, reduced and reiterated. They can be written alone, which would be a Personal Mission statement, or they can be written collaboratively with a team work approach.

A Mission Statement can be written for a family or Organization. They can be one sentence, they can be pages upon pages upon pages. There is no set formula in a format for Mission Statements, however the basics are the same regardless of structure or length.

Well, for Jerry Maguire its one thing, but for me? Why Write a Mission Statement? Why should I take time out from my busy schedule trying to get my venture up and running to write a Mission Statement? The answer to this is simple. Some people may choose to travel to an unknown destination without a roadmap, but most will get to their destination more quickly if a map is carefully drawn out prior to putting the key into ignition putting the foot on the gas.

Carefully crafting your Mission Statement could be paramount in mapping out your future. Think for a moment.

* Why did you start your endeavor?

* What were you hoping to do that had not been done before?

* Simply stated, what is the purpose for your project?

* How will you do things differently?

Jerry Maguire had multiple reasons for striking out as he did, for being a Sports Agent in a different way. What are your reasons? Why is your heart calling out to you to step out and see this project to fruition?

Secondly, your Mission Statement can bring focus to your exact priorities. You may believe in your mind what your priorities are but when you actually sit down with a pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard you may be surprised with what you discover.

Hit a roadblock in creating your Mission Statement? Maybe you are saying to yourself, I have NO IDEA know what either my purpose or priorities are at this point! Do not be discouraged! I have found that the easiest thing to do at this point is to take a deep breath, relax and brainstorm for ten or fifteen minute.

Take out a blank sheet of paper or bring up a blank document on your computer. Ask yourself the questions that were brought up about your purpose for starting this project. What were you personally looking for, yearning for, hoping for? Where are the Passions within you for this particular project?

Chances are you would not start something you did not enjoy a lot, because your success would be highly unlikely in that case! So don't even consciously think! Don't worry about making sense: just let the words flow. One word, phrase or sentence at a time. This will help unblock your mind as well as remind you what your project is all about. If you had fallen out of love with your project, this will be a great tool to re-ignite the Passion that you once had for it!

Discovering your purpose should then remind you of your priorities. Your Purpose uncovers the why, while the priorities uncover which of your smaller tasks comes first. Look at each task in small, manageable chunks, breaking each one down as far as you need to and date when each task should be completed.

Creating my website makes a perfect example! First, I set a date for "completion" (although it will always be a work in progress). Actually, this is the date when I want all components to be functioning efficiently: all the Passion Pages with an active article Ezines for each Passion, Bulletin Boards in place and with dialogue taking place, the Passion Surveys being easily accessible and regularly utilized by the Guests at my Site.

So, in addition to prioritizing, I had to map out my plan. A few months prior to completion, I had quite a few of these aspects in place. One of the first tasks I chose to complete was crafting a brief Mission Statement which would be a herald atop all my main pages. I knew the next step would be building the skeleton of the site, deciding what format to use and that sort of thing. This was a big challenge since I am not a technical person. For practice, I built a personal website, with the assistance of a dear friend who knows a lot more about computers than I do!

With my 5Passions page, there was a lot of teamwork in its creation, including requesting people from other sites to come visit mine and give me constructive criticism.

With my friend and "partner in building my site" I found some free bulletin boards, as well as finding a list host to use for my ezine, both for free. I mapped out a very "do-able" schedule for the creation of my e-zines. So on a rigorous yet not overwhelming schedule, all the pieces were crafted into place.

Finally, you want your Mission Statement to be an evolving document that can take your project from here into perpetuity. Once you have written it, it can be revisited and revised as need be. Sections can be added and deleted over time.

Most importantly, you want your overall Mission Statement to have that feeling of "YES! This is My (Our)Mission!" It should evoke a sense of Joy, a sense of the good old fashioned marching orders we were given by our childhood coaches.

So what's stopping you? Get out your favorite writing tool and start crafting your Mission Statement. Jerry found love and a new life when he wrote his! What are you going to find? I think you will find something near and dear to your heart. Chances are, you will find You!

-- By Julie Jordan Scott

Three Stories From My Life

Three Stories From My Life

As delivered by Steve Jobs

This is the very inspirational speech given by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, to the graduating class of Stanford University on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Di Celah-celah Kepayahan

Di Celah-Celah Kepayahan

Tiga orang pemuda bersedia untuk memetik mangga di sebuah kebun. Pemilik kebun tersebut tiba bersama peralatan. Dia meminjamkan sebuah galah yang panjang kepada pemuda pertama. Di hujung galah terdapat satu linkaran bulat yang diikat bersamanya jaring membentuk serkup. Untuk dua lagi pemuda yang sedang menantikan peralatan mereka, dipinjamkannya kayu yang tidaklah panjang mana namun turut mempunyai serkup di hujungnya. Pemilik kebun itu menyatakan dia akan memberi upah setimpal dengan hasil pungutan mangga yang diperolehi.

Pemuda pertama memulakan kerja. Dengan mudah dia menyerkup buah-buah mangga yang bergantungan di pokok-pokok. Pemuda kedua terpaksa memanjat sedikit bagi membolehkannya memetik kerana ‘galah pendek’ yang diberikan pemilik kebun tadi menyukarkannya untuk memetik mangga semudah pemuda pertama. Pemuda ketiga turut mencuba, dia terasa susah. Pemuda ketiga memandang betapa mudahnya pemuda pertama memetik buah-buah mangga tersebut.

Pemuda ketiga itu tidak berpuas hati dan memaki pemilik kebun yang padanya sengaja mahu menyusahkannya. Dia membuang galah kontotnya dan berlalu pergi sambil merungut. Dia persoalkan betapa tidak adilnya pemilik kebun tadi kerana sudah tentulah pemuda pertama dapat mengaut upah lebih banyak tanpa perlu bersusah payah. Dia rasa dizalimi.

Setelah selesai memungut semua mangga-mangga maka pemuda pertama dan kedua tadi pun kembali bertemu pemiliknya dengan hasil pungutan. Pemuda pertama memperoleh lima bakul mangga. Pemuda kedua sekadar memperoleh tiga bakul.

Pemilik kebun memberikan pemuda pertama upahnya. Dia kemudian menghulurkan pemuda kedua upahnya. Pemuda kedua terkejut melihat upahnya sama dengan pemuda pertama sekalipun jumlah pungutan berlainan. Rupanya pemilik kebun yang sangat pengasih dan pemurah itu memberi pemuda kedua lebih sedikit upah kerana mengambil kira kesusahan tambahan yang dirasai pemuda kedua berbanding pemuda pertama.

PEMUDA KETIGA YANG KALAH

Pemuda ketiga itu adalah gambaran orang yang tewas kerana kesusahan yang menimpa dirinya. Dia melihat orang yang lebih senang daripadanya dan menjadikan apa dilihat itu sebagai lesennya untuk merungut merasa sangat susah. Walhal pemilik kebun itu merupakan seorang yang sangat pengasih dan penyayang. Masakan dia tidak akan mengambil kira kesusahan yang dilalui lalu tiada upah lebih akan diberi.

Sekiranya ramai orang yang senang hidupnya bisa tewas dengan sikap tidak bersyukur, orang yang ditimpa kesusahan pula lazim tewas kerana merungut tentang kesusahannya. Lebih dasyat jika diletakkan Tuhan di kandang tertuduh kerana menjadikan nasibnya susah. Tidak akan mampu terlepas daripada kedua-dua kekalahan besar itu melainkan apabila ia faham tentang fungsinya diciptakan dan faham adanya kehidupan selepas mati.

Perlunya kewujudan alam selepas mati bagi menjustifikasikan keadilan. Seorang pembunuh yang menamatkan ribuan nyawa tidaklah adil sekiranya nyawanya hanya ditamatkan sekali. Keadilan dirasakan tercapai hanya apabila nyawanya ditamatkan beribu kali sesuai dengan kesalahannya. Maka ini hanya dapat dicapai pada hari pembalasan, pada kehidupan selepas mati dan bukan di alam ini.

Atas dasar keadilan dan sifat pemurah Tuhan juga, maka sesiapa yang telah bersusah-susah untuk patuh pada Tuhannya ketika di dunia, Tuhan Maha Pemurah ingin memberi balasan nikmat yang infiniti pada merek a. Nikmat infiniti yang ingin Pencipta alam ini kurniakan mustahil boleh wujud di dalam dimensi ini yang segalanya tidak kekal. Maka sekali lagi, alam selepas kematian perlu untuk itu.

Bicara tentang fungsi.

Pencipta sudah menjelaskan siapa kita dalam firman-Nya yang masyhur tentang tujuan diciptakan manusia. Allah Subhanau wa Ta’ala berfirman:

Dan (ingatlah) Aku tidak menciptakan jin dan manusia melainkan untuk mengabdikan diri kepadaKu. [az-Zariyat 51:56]

Jelas manusia hanya hamba. Hamba yang melalui ujian-ujian untuk tunduk, patuh dan berserah diri kepada Penciptanya. Dewan ujiannya adalah di dunia ini ketika manusia itu hidup.‘Passing mark’nya pula adalah kesabaran dan berserah diri kepada Penciptanya. Semua telah ‘dibocorkan’ oleh Allah Subhana wa Ta’ala di dalam firmannya:

Demi sesungguhnya! Kami akan menguji kamu dengan sedikit perasaan takut dan (dengan merasai) kelaparan dan (dengan berlakunya) kekurangan dari harta benda dan jiwa serta hasil tanaman dan berilah khabar gembira kepada orang-orang yang sabar. (Iaitu) orang-orang yang apabila mereka ditimpa oleh sesuatu kesusahan, mereka berkata: Sesungguhnya kami adalah kepunyaan Allah dan kepada Allah jualah kami kembali. [al-Baqarah 2:155-156]

Tubuh badan, keluarga, kesihatan, nyawa, segalanya hanya pinjaman untuk melalui ujian yang akan memberikan ‘markah’ sebagai bekalan berjumpa Pemilik alam ini. Kehilangan ahli keluarga, kesihatan, harta dan sebagainya bukanlah bererti kita kehilangan sesuatu milik kita, tetapi kita cuma kehilangan pinjaman yang diberikan!

Setiap individu mungkin memperoleh pinjaman yang berbeza-beza kuantiti atau kualitinya untuk melalui ujian di dunia. Seperti juga galah yang dipinjamkan dalam cerita tiga pemuda pemetik mangga diatas. Seseorang mungkin diuji dengan kesihatan yang baik untuk melihat sejauh mana ia bersyukur dengan kesihatan itu dan menggunakannya untuk kebaikan sejagat. Ada pula yang mungkin diuji dengan penyakit kronik. Untuk melihat sejauh mana ia akan bersyukur dan bersabar.

Allah tidak memberati seseorang melainkan apa yang terdaya olehnya. [al-Baqarah 2:286]

Mungkin ada perkara yang kelihatan sebagai kelebihan bagi mereka yang sihat tubuh badan. Sedar atau tidak, ada juga ruang ganjaran yang tidak mampu diperolehi oleh orang sihat tetapi orang yang tidak sihat mampu menggapainya.

BAGAIMANA IBADAT SI MISKIN MAMPU SETANDING SI KAYA?

Daripada Abu Hurairah radhiallahu ‘anh, katanya:

Orang-orang fakir Muhajirin datang kepada Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam, lalu mereka bekata: “Orang-orang kaya sudah meraih darjat tinggi serta kenikmatan kekal abadi.” Tanya Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wassalam: “Kenapa begitu?” Jawab mereka, “Mereka solat seperti kami, berpuasa seperti kami dan mereka bersedekah sedangkan kami tidak dapat bersedekah, mereka memerdekakan hamba sedangkan kami tidak (mampu) memerdekakan hamba. Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam bersabda: “Sukakah kamu aku ajarkan kepada kamu amal perbuatan yang dapat memperoleh pahala orang-orang terdahulu serta mendahului pahala orang yang sesudah kamu? dan tidak ada yang lebih utama daripada kamu melainkan orang yang mengamalkan seperti amalanmu” Mereka menjawab: “Baiklah, wahai Rasulullah.” Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam bersabda: “Hendaklah kamu bertasbih, bertakbir dan bertahmid selepas solat 33 kali.” Berkata Abu Shalih: Orang-orang miskin dari kaum Muhajirin kembali kepada Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam dan berkata: “Saudara-saudara kami yang kaya mendengar apa yang kami lakukan, maka mereka melakukan hal yang serupa.” Rasulullah shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam bersabda: “Itulah kurniaan Allah yang diberikan-Nya kepada sesiapa yang dikehendaki-Nya” [Sahih Muslim – no: 595]

Dalam menghuraikan maksud dan faedah-faedah hadis di atas, ulamak memberikan pelbagai interpretasi. Antara interpretasinya adalah bahawa sebenarnya setiap pihak di dalam hadis tersebut mempunyai kelebihan. Yang kaya dengan kelebihan amalan yang disebutkan di atas, ibadah bersifat harta dan tentu sekali disertakan dengan ujian kesyukuran. Yang miskin pula dengan kelebihan menjadi sebab terdedahnya amalan penuh berkat tersebut kerana mereka bertanya. Bukankah bagi mereka yang memulakan kebaikan, dia memperoleh pahala amalan tersebut dan pahala orang yang mencontohinya? Seperti sabda Nabi shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam:

Sesiapa yang memulakan dalam Islam sunnah yang baik lalu ia diamalkan selepas itu, ditulis untuknya (pahala) seperti pahala orang yang mengamalkannya tanpa dikurangkan pahala mereka (para pengamal itu) sedikit pun. [Sahih Muslim – no: 1017]

Dan tentu sekali kemiskinan mereka itu disertai dengan ujian kesabaran terhadap kesukaran hidup. Kedua kelompok mempunyai kelebihan dan ujian mereka tersendiri.

Begitulah Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala sentiasa adil. Setiap manusia tidak kira apapun keadaan mereka sentiasa ada ruang untuk mencapai redha-Nya dan memperoleh ganjaran terbaik buat akhirat.

Kita bukanlah dizalimi sekiranya dihinggapi penyakit kronik, miskin, kurang upaya dan sebagainya. Tetapi sebenarnya diuji. Dan dalam ujian berat itu ada ruang yang boleh kita gunakan untuk menggapai redha Tuhan. Yang mungkin ruang tersebut tak mampu ditemui orang yang tidak ditimpa masalah seperti kita.

alFaisal Cyberjaya

24 Disember 2007 / 14 Zulhijjah 1428

7.30 am

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