Pokok besar

Akar umbinya perlu dicabut, barulah daunnya kan layu dengan sendiri, rantingnya mati, dahannya jatuh menyembah bumi, batangnya tersadai tidak dipeduli. Kalau mahu membuang ranting satu-persatu, bila kan habis kerja kita? Sementara mahu mematahkan ranting yang lain, ranting yang dipatahkan sebulan sebelumnya sudah mulai bertunas. Itu membuang masa namanya. Pokok tetap segar, teguh berdiri. Seolah-olah tidak pernah disentuh.

Paling-paling tidak, pokok ditebang bagi memudahkan akar dicabut. Batang pokok, ditakik sedikit demi sedikit, akhirnya kan tumbang jua. Logik akal, bukan?

Seperkara lagi, kalau semua ranting sudah habis dicantas, maka kita pun bergembira. Berehat sebelum meneruskan memangkas dahan. Tetapi, sekembalinya kita dari tempoh rehat, pokok telah kembali rimbun. Apakah yang harus dilakukan?

Inilah perumpamaan yang saya berikan apabila melihat senario hari ini. Maksiat berleluasa, kemungkaran di mana-mana. Bagaimanakah mahu mengatasinya? Jawapan skema, kembali kepada al-Quran dan sunnah. Tapi, praktikalnya bagaimana? Bukan masalah kecil itu harus diselesaikan terlebih dahulu. Bukan masalah kecil itu yang mendamba perhatian dan masa kita. Masalah besar, kita ketepikan. Kononnya belum sampai masa membicarakan soal itu. Saya pening, apakah keutamaan (priority) kita?

Dalam Islam sendiri ada mungkar soghir, mungkar kabir dan mungkar akbar. Mengapa kita menafikannya? Hanyut dalam kegembiraan kerana berjaya mematahkan ranting yang kecil membuatkan kita lupa kepada batang yang lebih besar yang menuntut pengorbanan jiwa, tenaga dan masa yang lebih besar. Hakikatnya, tanggungjawab kita sangat besar, iaitu melenyapkan pokok besar tersebut daripada alam ini.

Mengapakah kita tidak mahu mengambil cara Rasulullah? Cara yang telah diajar oleh Allah? Hukum pengharaman arak tidak diturunkan di Mekah, mengapa? Allah tahu, itu bukan perkara utama. Umat Islam mesti diberi kefahaman untuk melahirkan ketaatan. Apabila sudah faham, banjirlah seluruh Madinah dengan arak yang ditumpahkan kerana taat suruhan.

Selamat hari lahir buat ukhtie tersayang

Brownies with a Difference

I copied this story from my friend's blog a long time ago. During API's workshop last 2 weeks, I told this story to my group members and they like it very much (a little bit exaggerating here). To people, happy reading.

Many parents are hard pressed to explain to their youth why some music, movies, books, and magazines are not acceptable material for them to bring into the home or to listen to or see.

One parent came up with an original idea that is hard to refute. The father listened to all the reasons his children gave for wanting to see a particular X-rated film/movie.

It had their favorite actors. Everyone else was seeing it. Even other Muslims said it was great.

It was only rated PG because of the suggestion of sex-- they never really showed it. The language was pretty decent-- only three instances of vulgar words were used in the whole movie.

The teens did admit there was a scene where a building and a bunch of people were blown up, but the violence was just the normal stuff. It wasn't too bad. And, even if there were a few minor things, the special effects were fabulous and the plot was action packed.

However, even with all the justifications the teens made for the 13' rating, the father still wouldn't give in. He didn't even give his children a satisfactory explanation for saying, "No." He just said, "No!"

A little later on that evening the father asked his teens if they would like some brownies he had baked. He explained that he'd taken the family's favorite recipe and added a little something new. The children asked what it was.

The father calmly replied that he had added dog poop. However, he quickly assured them, it was only a little bit. All other ingredients were gourmet quality and he had taken great care to bake the brownies at the precise temperature for the exact time. He was sure the brownies would be superb.

Even with their father's promise that the brownies were of almost perfect quality, the teens would not take any. The father acted surprised. After all, it was only one small part that was causing them to be so stubborn. He was certain they would hardly notice it. Still the teens held firm and would not try the brownies.

The father then told his children how the movie they wanted to see was just like the brownies. Our minds trick us into believing that just a little bit of evil won't matter. But, the truth is even a little bit of "poop" makes the difference between a great treat and something disgusting and totally unacceptable.

The father went on to explain that even though the movie industry would have us believe that most of today's movies are acceptable fare for adults and youth, they are not.

Now, when this father's children want to see something that is of questionable material, the father merely asks them if they would like some of his special dog poop brownies. That closes the subject.

Let me see, what did I watch yesterday?

Mula bicara

Bismillahir rahmanir rahim

Kata orang, awal bismillah pembuka bicara. Kata Islam, ucapkanlah bismillah sebelum memulakan apa-apa. Subhanallah. Indahnya Islam.

Alhamdulillah, saya sudah berpindah ke rumah (baca:blog) baru. Sebenarnya, saya sudah lama berada di sini. Cuma kerja-kerja baikpulih dan mengecat dinding baru dijalankan. Kepada yang masih setia menjengah ke rumah lama, jemputlah bertamu di sini pula ya. Walaupun layanan dan kondisinya tidak sehebat mana, sudi-sudilah meninggal jejak tanda pernah bertandang ketika tuan rumah tiada.

Orang bertanya, mengapa saya berumah di ruangan maya? Terujakah melihat teman-teman yang masing-masing mempunyai rumah sendiri? Tercabarkah? Saya lebih selesa mengatakan saya tertarik dengan rumah mereka, lalu membina rumah sendiri. Tanpa niat untuk menyaingi, sekadar mahu berkongsi. Kata orang juga, sharing is caring. Dengan kewujudan rumah ini, saya dapat berkongsi dengan lebih ramai orang samada yang mengenali saya mahupun tidak. Di sini juga, adik-beradik saya akan lebih mengenali saya, memahami pemikiran saya, dan dapat menyelami jiwa saya, insya Allah.

Sempatkah saya menulis dalam keterbatasan waktu? Masa itu ada, cuma kita yang kadang-kadang tidak menghargainya. Masa terus berlalu tanpa menghiraukan kita. Kalau orang lain punya banyak masa, mengapa saya tidak? Kalau orang lain boleh menulis walaupun sibuk, mengapa saya tidak sempat? Kalau orang lain boleh buat banyak benda dalam hidupnya, mengapa saya tidak cukup masa untuk semua itu? Jangan hidup untuk diri sendiri sahaja.

Mampukah saya bertahan atau sekadar semangat di permulaan? Sama-sama kita nantikan...