Upin dan Ipin - Zakat Fitrah

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Please watch and comment (this video is in Malay). 

PS: I hope all my readers and subcribers comment, cause I want to know what you think of this video and the way the topic is presented in particular. Your feedback to this video would help me alot in the current research I’m doing . Even a one word comment is much appreciated.

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Check Out My New Muslim Artpiece

Purchased this artpiece by Peter Gould recently at Darul Arqam. Can’t figure out where exactly to place it yet, so here it is at my homestation:

It’s a beautful painting of the holy house set against a very serene setting. The minimalistic touch captures the mood, and the treatment of the white jemaah is exceptional. I’ll frame it up soon.

Do you like this painting too?

Be Careful of Sincere Scammers

With tough times ahead, more and more quick rich schemes are appearing on the net. These too have evolved… gone are the days of some bozo-looking email asking you to cash in some money first. Nowadays they may come in the form of quick courses promising a wealth of success, 1-2-3 easy steps to getting instant success, even a "train trainers" angle of approach.

The new wave of scamming all have one thing in common: to empower customers who have little product knowledge, the in-depth insight required to see behind the quick tips and promises, to promote the scheme itself… as trainers. Afterall, what could be more tempting than becoming a perceived expert in literally less than a day, by buying some course or going to some fancy seminar where thousands go to? Crowd size… that does symbolize something, right?

Personally these schemes are big headaches for practitioners like myself, who have been trained, who cannot begin to tell you how damaging these schemes are. And the fight for truth can be messy… because these "trained teachers" hold on to those quick-tips so tightly… they won’t barge and listen. And why should they? They are now experts… and here comes along some guy telling them that what they’re doing… is structurally hollow, based on quick easy tips without holistic understanding, using the latest well disguised fad /trend labelled "Millionaire-Marketing" or what have you. Of course they won’t listen.

And what then stops them in their tracks? Ironically, it’s another of such schemes promising easier, faster, better results… often packaging with ready-made courses and all. So they abandon the previously popularized thingy they’ve been doing… and switch allegiance.. switching ships…

Seemingly still lost at sea.

As far as history and my own experience has taught me, becoming successful has no one-off recipe, but a few are essential:

1. Right conditions (You could call it luck)
2. Hard work
3. Patience
4. Education (From a mentor, teacher, institution, a well guided trainer.)
5. Strategy (This requires an understanding beyond the tips. It requires a discipline of knowing where the tips were derived, when did they work, when should they be applied, when should they be changed and improved)
6. Purpose

The net is now flocked with what I cal "Sincere Scammers". Bright yet ignorant, optimistic yet misguided, they are riding off latest fads and tactics on disciplines that do not require much high-learning on the language side. Which is why you don’t see anything like "3 Easy Ways to Becoming a Neuro-Surgeon" (due to the many specific terms and facts required) … but you see tons with the word "Marketing", like "Easy Marketing" or "Make Millions with Marketing E-Couses" or something like that. The language is simple for sincere scammers to use.

Why do I call them "Sincere" ? It’s because they genuinely think they’re doing something right. It’s because if they go through the checklist above, items 2,3,4,5 they would just skip over, brush aside or not address.

A terrible plight. Because it’s such a well disguised trap, how then do we ourselves try to avoid it? There is one Razor’s test I know best, something which is written well in our Islamic tradition, and for good purpose:

Take knowledge with credible teachers, with the transmission of knowledge you know is sound. Look at the teacher himself and see if he walks the talk. Look at where he has learnt the knowledge from. Question his sources, his expertise. If you detect laziness in his methods, if he promotes material gain more than the spirit of learning itself, if he does not touch your heart more than your wallet…

Then time to shift.

2 Essentials of Personal Success

Today at class a friend of mine was explaining problems he had when it came to registering for Arab classes. After listening, I shared with him 2 essentials of planning which would not just help him to drive his Arabic, but perhaps any other. It then led me to think about something else…

In Islam, the divine method of wealth growth and purification is in the Zakat system. In it, the 2 divinely (Please note, this is set by God Himself) guided criteriums are Nisab (minimum sum) and haul (period).

So now, lo and behold…

The 2 essentials of personal success, towards making a vision into reality: committing to a Budget and Timeline.

This is perhaps the most exciting article I’ve ever written in a long time.

Be People of Principle

Like all other articles, this advice is for me first before it is towards others.

About 10 minutes ago I was walking towards the coffeeshop to take my usual nightly kopi break, when I chanced upon this cat.

This cat was alittle thin, its hair was alittle dirty, and its surroundings were alittle hostile…

But the cat was licking itself away. Despite the conditions, it was cleaning itself. It was doing what it had to do, not because of reward nor glory… but because it was following a principle. Despite the conditions.

So now then, for cat’s sake, let’s be people of principle as well.

“Verily! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which Allâh sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed Ayât (proofs, evidences, signs, etc.) for people of understanding”

(2:164)

More Than Job Relevance

Once upon a time, I was an anti-blogger. I couldn’t understand the maturity of the medium nor the people who would want to tell the whole world about their thoughts. Then one day, I came to the conclusion that I had to jump into it as well, because as someone trained in marketing, the future is in digimarketing, and I had to familiarize myself with the blogging landscape as well…

To stay relevant.

But how easy it is to “shake leg”. You’ve graduated, landed a nice job and you tell yourself “all is settled”. But wait a minute… what exactly is settled?

In Asia, when a tiger wakes up, it runs. To chase his prey.

In Asia, when a deer wakes up, it runs. To avoid being prey.

Conclusion? No matter what you are… Run.

I’ve lined up an arsenal of courses that I’ve enrolled myself in 2009 to stay relevant, one or two related to marketing, and the many rest on ukhrawi. I encourage you to do the same. It’s a good reminder that’s able to pull you back to earth if you find yourself swimming in an ivory tower of infallibility and perceived expertise. If anything, it’s not just to remain relevant, nor is it to continue to grow and be able to contribute…

But its to remain competitive.

“Inna salaati wa nusuki wa mahyaaya wa mamaati Lillaahi Rabb il-‘Aalameen, laa shareeka lahu wa bidzaalika umirtu wa ana awwal ul-muslimeen“.

“Indeed, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, no partner has He. With this I have been commanded and I am the first of the Muslims (those who submit to Him).“

5 Aidilfitri Home Customer Service Tips

As the music continues to play (literally, from my previous post), I’ve decided to share with you my list of must haves that will keep your guests rejoicing as you welcome their presence. Here’s my very own Aidilfitri Home-Customer Service Tips Pack:

1. Niche Food

I love going to my aunt’s place because of her sambal sotong. She does sambal sotong like no other, and because of that, guests are often aplenty at her house. Simple for her as well… little of this and that, but cook up a storm when it comes to sambal sotong. Recogize your own niche food, and treat.

2. Nice Door Mat

Invest in a “Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri Door Mat” or something nice lah, especially for you folks who have pets (and hence have to shut the gates most of the time even when expecting guests). It’s a much more pleasant sight than some scruffy old mat in front of a closed gate.

3. Keep Your Handphone in Your Pocket Always

Mobile telcos too go all smileys during Aidil Fitr as the number of outgoing calls rise. Be contactable. Oh, and make sure that call waiting ringing tone in your mobile phone fits the occassion too.

4. Drinks Drinks Drinks

Salaam, my name is Hafihz. I’ve travelled afar to visit you my friend. Oh… and I’m thirsty too. (…)

5. Contingency Answers to Sensitive Questions

Bound to happen. Your uncle will suddenly pop that question which you’d wish none would ask. It’s that family secret, hush hush thingy which gets you in a fix and is oh-so-hard to answer. Get ready with diplomatically nice answers to these questions.

Any of these familiar?

Selamat Hari Raya (Turn Up The Volume)

(Rarely you hear music on Hafihz.com … but what the heck, rejoice!)

PS: Here’s a rather out-of-point but good food tip for households celebrating Eidil Fitr in Singapore: Cook something else other than ketupat / lontong and your guests will love you. ; )

Reflections on Ramadan Blogging

The idea: To blog only about Ramadan during Ramadan.

The verdict: Not easy. Sort of like a restraintful feeling… suppressing the normal whimsical blog posts, the regular commentary on everyone else (other than yourself), the nitpicking of random thoughts.

Conclusion: An exercise in discipline. If you tried this out as well, share your comments and thoughts. I’d like to hear from you.

(We now return to our regular blogging channel…)

Ramadan and Ctrl+F5

Pressing Ctrl + F5 on your keyboard when surfing the net is also known as a hard refresh. This is when you clear your cache and reload your site… simply put it, it’s like surfing with a new com (in some ways).

Ramadan seems like a Ctrl + F5 to me. It’s an opportunity to go beyond just reflection: to recommit and upgrade, to explore and discover. That’s one way to keep the spirit of Ramadan alive post Ramadan… to keep that will committed to courses, books, programs, skills.

Ctrl + F5.

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