V.I.P.

"No one becomes someone on his own; No iron becomes a sharp dagger alone."

It's the end of the semester.  I'm in mixed-emotion...happy because my life will be less busy by one small notch...sad because I won't be seeing my students anymore :(  Many wonder why I'm sad about that. Here I'd like to share why I'm sad each time I'm apart from my V.I.P.  (Very Important Person / People).  Everybody has their own list of V.I.P.  You don't have to call the Protocol's Office to know my V.I.P. list.  They're all around me.  Apart from Allah the Almighty and Rasulullah p.b.uh., those in my V.I.P. list are my husband, my children, my mother, my teachers / lecturers, my former bosses, my former colleagues, my current colleagues, my neighbors, my friends and my students  ...

WHY SO MANY? Because we learn from everybody...

Back to the main reason of writing this entry - why be sad when I'm apart from my students?  To me, teaching isn't about teaching alone.  It's about sharing knowledge.  It's a two-way communication.  I teach, and I learn all at the same time...

We will feel the satisfaction when we find that our students actually appreciate and apply what we taught them to life.  

I am not such a religious person...Somehow, before I die, I do realize that I always have to hold on to this:

Abu Barzah Nadlah ibn Ubayd al-Aslami t  narrated that the Prophet r) said:  “A servant of Allâh will remain standing on the Day of Judgment till he is questioned:  about his age and how he spent it; and about his knowledge and how he utilized it; about his wealth from where he acquired it and in what (activities) he spent it; and about his body as to how he used it.”  (Tirmidhî  407)

I am glad that I am now teaching. I share knowledge and I educate them.  My students are always in my prayer.  They come from all walks of life.  Naturally, every mother will pray for  their children.  But how sure are you that your students have mothers that pray for them? (Mind you, thousands of muslim in this country don't perform their solah).  Therefore, I just do what I have to do.  This is my calling...

In return, I just hope that they will implement what they learn from me.  I am answerable for what I teach.  I've tried my best to give them the best...the right thing to do... and when the judgment day comes, I hope the knowledge I gave them will help me...

In the meantime...to all my students...If u ever hear of my death - I hope you will pray for me... say good things about me... convey the knowledge u received from me to others... recite Surah Yassin for me...recite Al-Quran for me... and I hope that's not too much to ask :)

Lastly, always remember...We learn 'something' from 'everybody' - be thankful to all the experience that u get from the people around you, be it good or bad.  Before I stop, I'd like to leave you with this thought:  

Abdullah Bin Mas’ud narrated:  “I asked the Prophet, ‘Which deed is the dearest to Allâh?’    He replied,  “To offer salaat (the prayers) at their early fixed times.” I asked, “What is the next (in goodness)?”   He replied, “To be good and dutiful to your parents.” I' again asked, “What is the next (in goodness)? “He replied, “To participate in jihad (religious fighting) in Allâh’s Cause.” (Bukhari 1/ 505)

Dear friends, family and students, let's join the cause to fight LAZINESS...jihad! Allahu Akhbar!