Assalamualaikum and a very good morning to you dear readers...
I'm on leave today and it feels great to be at home after a round of hectic first quarter of the year (more or less). How time fly? It's already May and we have so many things on our plate! While cleaning my living room, I thot of this title to write in my blog - Education. I'm not gonna write on Experience (as the best teacher) but I'm gonna write on reasons people around me pursue formal education (high school / tertiary level). They pursue education for three main reasons - to get a job promotion or raise (career enhancement), to switch to a new field of work (career progression or development) or simply for KNOWLEDGE.
All my life I've experienced working in various field of work from school teacher, sales assistant at a supermarket, secretary to language lecturer. You name it, I've done it except for Math field, I failed my math LOL! If I may say...I am such a dynamic person (indecisive at first tho). Since Malaysia is an exam-oriented country, the nation has a stigma that non-straight-A students do not get a place in the community. That's pretty sad isn't it? This drives parents to push their children to study like robots - no-pain-no-gain! Or rather no-play-just-study! And I think that's crazy! Me for one, is one of those who didn't have much motivation to study when I was a teenager. I played a whole lot, I had the time of my life and all at the same time I just love to go to school! Not to pursue education, but to meet my friends! LOL! We did a lot of things together. Being in a convent, I'm sure u can imagine the rebels within our hearts BUT! I repeat...BUT we read a lot...The indoctrination at convents are among the best in all the public schools in the country. Discipline: First Class, no one spoke Malay and I just LOVE THE LIBRARY!!! I LOVE BOOKS and I hate numbers!!! Therefore, when I further my study - I've decided to pursue a Degree in Education, majoring TESL. This has brought me to the current magnificent life - It's nothing to others but it's just perfect for me :) In category, I belong to the group that pursue education for career development and also knowledge. I love to read, and I get paid for what I love to do that is reading and knowledge. I read and I impart knowledge to students and to who ever interested. There...there...teaching and coaching can be extremely therapeutic if u love what you're doing. To teach, you have to love teaching - NEVER EVER resort to teaching as the last option because all you'll get is just disappointment, hatred, boredom and all the negative thoughts. You just got to love kids, or to be precise - you have to love your audience (you could be teaching across competency and age level)...Quoting my Prof. He said "Make them love you and the rest will just fall into place". Another lecturer said "Always show your students that you are at least one step ahead of them and they will trust you". Dr. Noor Azman Othman always say "I like to make your life easy, so my life will be easy too" I believe that's taken from a hadith about making others' life easy and Allah will grant good deeds in return, etc. If I quote all the lecturers, or my father or many other mentors in my life I'll only be able to stop writing tomorrow LOL!
Those who are engrossed in climbing the career ladder, would pursue formal education for career enhancement. They enroll themselves in programs that are relevant to their current job and once the study is complete, they'll get a promotion + a salary raise - SIMPLE!
To conclude, I always like to go back to the Al-Quran and hadiths. What ever you do, it goes back to the BIG thing - that is, your intention or your NAWAITU... None of us is immortal, some day, some where, we are going to die and meet Allah. Before that, we must gauge all the good deeds we can perform now as an investment for the hereafter. We are answerable to everything that we do in life. Our solah, our sedekah and the knowledge we impart for the benefit of others. We are encountered for all the good and bad deeds. I am a person of sin. I have sinned. I am not a good serf to Allah but deep in my heart, I just wish that Allah will have mercy on me. I do not have to prove my sincerity to anybody accept Allah - he who knows, sees and hears everything. May Allah accept all the knowledge I impart to others and erase my sins from the book currently placed on my left shoulder...Amiin
✦ I LOVE YOU ALLAH✦
I will sleep tonight knowing it may be my last, I hope for tomorrow if not I have been blessed, I thank you Allah please forgive my past, I hope for another day for good works and pray, I love you Allah, nothing else to say!!!
Sesungguhnya setiap perbuatan yang dilakukan seorang muslim akan dianggap sebagai ibadah jika ia mematuhi garis panduan yang dikehendaki syarak. Namun kenapa masih ada komuniti pekerja yang memandang remeh mengenai kerja yang diusahakan dengan melakukan sambil lewa dan ala kadar. Salah satu punca yang dikenalpasti adalah kerana mereka menganggap kerja sebagai amalan rutin untuk mendapat upah atau hasil tanpa membabitkan perancangan, etika dan kualiti.
Kerja merupakan” kesungguhan yang dilaksanakan oleh manusia bagi mendapatkan upah atau ganjaran”.Manakala ibadah bermaksud” kepatuhan dari ketaatan kita kepada ketinggian dan kekuasaan Allah yang diiringi kesanggupan menyerah diri kepadanya”. Apabila digabungkan ,ia bolehlah diertikan sebagai tugas atau tanggungjawab untuk meraih pendapatan dan keredhaan Allah.
Sesungguhnya bekerja amat dituntut oleh Islam bagi membolehkan umat manusia mendapat rezeki kurniaan Allah dan secara tidak langsung menjadi mekanisme memakmurkan muka bumi ini. Ini menepati penciptaan manusia sebagai khalifah di muka bumi ini. Allah Taala berfirman dalam surah AtTaubah ayat 105 yang bermaksud:
“Katanakanlah(Wahai Muhammad):”Beramallah kamu(akan segala yang diperintahkan), maka Allah dan RasulNya serta orang yang beriman akan melihat apa yang kamu kerjakan; dan kamu akan dikembalikan kepada (Allah) Yang mengetahui perkara-perkara yang ghaib dan yang nyata, kemudian dia memberitahu kepada kamu apa yang kamu telah kerjakan”
Segala tindakan dan kerja hendaklah berorientasikan kepada ciri-ciri serta nilai-nilai kerja sebagai amal soleh dan bersifat sepadu antara duniawi dan ukhrawi, rohani dan jasmani. Allah Taala berfirman dalam surah Al Jumaah ayat 10 yang bermaksud:
“Kemudian setelah selesai solat,maka bertebaranlah kamu di mukabumi (untuk menjalankan urusan masing-masing), dan carilah limpah kurniaan Allah, serta ingatlah Allah sebanyak-banykanya(dalam setiap keadaan), supaya kamu berjaya(di dunia dan akhirat)
Sesuatu kerja itu dikategorikan sebagai ibadah apabila ia bekerja untuk:
1.Bekerja untuk keperluan diri
Sabda Rasulullah SAW yang bermaksud:
“Jika pergi sesorang di antara kamu pada tengahari untuk mengambil kayu bakar dibelakangnya, sehingga dia dapat bersedekah darinya dan mencegah daripada meminta-minta maka yang demikian adalah lebih baik baginya daripada meminta-minta kepada orang lain sama ada diberi atau tidak kerana tangan yang di atas adalah lebih baik daripada tangan yang dibawah, mulailah daripada yang terdekat.”
2. Bekerja untuk keperluan keluarga.
Rasulullad S.A.W bersabda: “Sesungguhnya Allah sangat cintakan kepada orang mu’min yang bekerja (Hadiht)”.
3. Bekerja untuk keperluan masyarakat
Umum mengetahui tidak semua manusia mempunyia kepakaran dalam semua bidang. Untuk itu kemahiran individu dapat menyumbang kepada kesejahteraan masyarakat yang diklasifikasikan sebagai tuntutan fardhu kifayah sebagai menepati firman Allah yang bermaksud: “Bertanyalah pada orang yang lebih tahu jika kamu tidak mengetahui.”
4. Bekerja untuk memakmurkan bumi Allah
Pekerjaan yang kita lakukan mempunyai hubungan kait yang rapat dengan unsur kehidupan manusia didunia selain memelihara segala nikmat Allah yang dikurniakan dimuka bumi ini.
Manakala cirri-ciri kerja itu, dianggap sebagai ibadah apabila memenuhi perkara berikut:-
a) Niat kerana Allah
b) Berteraskan Iman dan taqwa
c) Tidak meninggalkan yang wajib
d) Mendapat ganjaran dunia dan akhirat
Namum sesuatu kerja itu dianggap sebagai ibadah apabila :-
a) Pekerjaan itu mestilah perbuatan yang harus atau boleh dikerjakan menurut syara’
b) Pekerjaan yang disertakan dengan niat dan diredhai Allah
c) Pekerjaan yang dilaksanakan dengan tekun, cekap dan bersungguh-sungguh
d) Pekerjaan berasaskan prinsip syariah seperti amanah, adil dan bertanggungjawab
e) Menghasilkan kerja yang berkualiti
Apabila semua perkara di atas telah tercerna maka ia akan melahirkan beberapa implikasi berikut:-
a) Menerima 3 jenis balasan
1) Mendapat balasan dalambentuk material
2) Mendapat balasan dalam bentuk kepuasan
3) Mendapat pahala di akhirat kelak
b) Ia akan dirangsang dengan kuat untuk bekerja
c) Ia akan menjadi seorang proaktif berdisplin dan boleh dipercayai
d) Ia akan selalu berwaspada untuk mengelakkan diri dari sebarang kemungkaran termasuk perkara tidak bermoral
e) Ia menjadi pekerja yang berprestasi tinggi
Oleh itu, marilah kita bermuhasabah diri sempena merayakan sambutan Hari Pekerja yang jatuh pada 1 Mei setahun dengan sentiasa membetulkan niat apabila melangkah keluar rumah untuk bekerja bahawa semua kerja yang dilaksanakan kerana Allah Taala. Mudah-mudahan setiap pergerakan kita dari mula berdoa keluar rumah hingga kita pulang dikira sebagai ibadah dan amal soleh, rezeki yang diterima penuh keberkatan dan dapat menghindar diri dari bersifat culas dalam pekerjaaan kerana konsep ihsan yang menjadi pegangan hidup kita.
Disediakan Oleh:
Nordin bin Bayadi
Bahagian Dakwah, JAIS
Assalamualaikum...
LOL! It's been aeons since I last updated my blog...Someone says that I write too much on Facebook that sometimes I make people nauseous, or wanna puke or think I'm a hypocrite...Therefore, today I'd like to share my experience on doing something too much...
Firstly, I eat too much. As a baby I was born a prem baby (well, just a few weeks early). As a toddler, I was very thin...thin from head to toe. I had that pale thin hair, pale skin, sleepy eyes and I didn't talk much. So my mom took me to many clinics for check-ups and I guess all doctors failed to convince her that I was normal. She fed me with tons and tons of chocolate and by the age of 5, my mom succeeded in making me a chubby kid. As I grow up, I maintained chubby, but I could still get involved in sports activities at school. I participated in MSSWP, the school netball team but unfortunately, at the age of 12, I got involved with an accident - broke my nose, my legs and fractured my ankles. There goes the hobby - The doctor said "No sports for a year"...Too much of jogging has lead me to that accident, a motorcycle knocked me down while I was jogging (preparing for a netball tournament)...As I enrolled in the secondary school, I secretly participated in the annual sports preliminary round for the new athletes selection. We had to run 10 laps around the school but I managed to run only 9 laps - and I was already too heavy to compete with the others...Kaboosh! There goes my dream, into the drain...
As a teenager, I read a lot of books. Didn't have so many close friends...just a few...Intan, Fiffy, Baby, Etta, the rest are just...I shall say...hmmm...acquaintance? What did I do? And why? I read a lot of books. When I came back from Paris, I had to struggle at school...had to learn Bahasa Melayu and English all at once. I didn't have much guts to speak in English with my teachers...With friends - not so badlah! To improve my language, I read books...I've lost count of the books I've read...I just found out that some of them in high school regarded me as a 'freak' coz all I did was put on my walkman (secretly of course - because the school HM was very strict) and read story books. At one point of time, there were times when I secretly took out books from the school library because we were not allowed to borrow more than 2 books at once. Hmmm...I took it out, read it at home and secretly returned it. So I guess, too much of reading made me a book thief. My apology dear librarians...LOL!!!
As an adult...I developed a terrible skill - A skill of being EXTRA talkative and OUTSPOKEN all at the same time. Those who really know me would normally understand what I say or write because they can relate to the situations that I was facing at that particular time but...well...you know...there are so many people around you - If u don't watch what you say, u might just be perceived the wrong way most of the time because they don't really know you and they do not know what is going on in your head. Business Communication tip: DO NOT ASSUME THAT PEOPLE CAN READ YOUR MIND - that's why I'm very straight forward. Some might think you're a hypocrite (for being loud? Ironic, right?), some might think I snapped at them (maybe because she / he said something to me at the wrong time) and the list goes on...
I would like to explain something here...I'm normally LOUD or FRANK in three situations (maybe more):
1. When I'm concerned about something - usually things in the office...I'll try to be clear and concise...
2. When I'm angry with people who put their nose where it doesn't belong...
3. When I've told something to a family member and no action is taken...
4. When I just wanna get something out of my system...
I like to share my sorrows with my friends...Unfortunately, under some circumstances...some of them get tired of listening...some of them thinks I'm a hypocrite - for example, I express my love for my ill mom via Facebook but I share my sorrow of taking the burden alone (usually with FRIENDS) they think I grumble about it. One even say it straight to my face that "I have to do it because she's my mom" - Well of course I know that! The phrase "have to" shouldn't exist! I guess I was wrong....Wrong about what? Wrong about sharing my sorrows with friends OR wrong about perceiving that I actually have friends. What are friends for? It's simple as ABC - friends are people who would always be there for you through thick and thin...If one thinks that what you say or what you do makes he / she sick and just wanna put a stop to it, tired of listening to it...then, that person is not a friend...
All in all, when you're straight forward, people think you're harsh...What is wrong and what is right here? Can anybody tell me? I would like to share a hadith here...sorry I have to write it in Malay coz I got it from an ustaz and haven't found the time to translate it....it's something about "Mencari keredhaan Allah dengan kemarahan manusia is much more better than mencari keredhaan manusia dengan kemarahan Allah and if kita mencari keredhaan Allah, nescaya Allah akan sentiasa permudahkan segala urusan kita...." panjang lagi but I don't remember the whole hadith...forgive me...I just wish everything will be easy...I just wish I can pour my heart out...everything out...but I doubt that people will understand...After all, quoting my secretary "Fatin", we cannot please everybody and quoting my x-boss "Kak Nikki", too much of anything is not good...Where does that bring me? I for one, have never failed to listen to my friends sorrows...I don't believe in being too polite that I fail to communicate what's in my head...If I don't like to hear / read something that a person wrote on Facebook or in the real life, I'll just ignore...it's none of my business anyway, why should I put my nose where it doesn't belong? And yet, too much of honesty makes me annoying to some others...I'm just a human being - I should, therefore, go back to the Al-Quran and Hadith...for instance: "Do not say anything if u do not have anything nice to say" BUT, DEAR READERS, THAT HADITH WAS NOT MEANT FOR US TO BE HYPOCRITES...kat depan, jadi kawan, kat belakang, jadi lawan. It's more hurtful when you bathmouth people / people that u pretend to be your friend, behind their back...I pray to Allah to regain myself...I just wanna go back to my OLD SELF, the one that Intan and Fiffy used to know...loving too many people willl only get myself hurt OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I share my thoughts, only with those I consider my friends (that I love very much - sometimes even more than my own siblings because only my friends know all my predicament). Forgive me for all the disturbance I caused you...
