Balancing Deen and Dunya

Most of us go through life thinking we have achieved the balance that we should be trying to achieve as Muslims (referring to balance as in between Dunya and Deen), but have we really?

One of the many random pillowtalk conversations with my mum a few weeks back had me asking myself, was I really balancing my life out? Did I really do as much to learn loving my faith as much as I have been doing for my education?

The system we were brought up in (well, at least for most of my generation), is that we spend most of the hours in our day studying about Chemistry, Mathematics etc. And then after, we play sports in the evening, and continue doing homework later on at night. And we'd probably have an hour or two of Islamic Studies classes every other day which most of us end up complaining about..... And we go on to college and university thinking that, "hey, we've made it through school and well, I've passed PAFA and scored A for my Islamic Studies. So, I should be alright" Then it got to me, we could've done better than that, we could've found a better "balance". I could've learnt more about my religion, and how it really relates to our every day life

How great it'd be like if every single activity and subject (or basically just most of the things we do), we relate to Islam. 

As simple as for instance, just telling facts like Ibn Muadh al-Jayyani attributed one of the law of sines; 

(Which was a formula we all referred throughout our whole highschool)

Or even, learnt sports that the Prophet did as Sunnah as part of our curricular activity such as Archery which is proven to increase our strength and focus that can benefit us in so many ways nowadays (especially given the fact that I get distracted so easily heh)

And those were just merely examples...There's so much more to that
But my point is,

Could we have achieved a better "balance"? More intergrated Islamic-ally? Could we have been more inspired by these other great Muslim Leaders?



Came across this though,
http://productivemuslim.com/is-dunya-haram-for-us-heres-how-to-balance-deen-and-dunya/

Why Robert Kuok is more than just 'The Sugar King'

"I will only leave a legacy of precious teachings, but not wealth or fortune to my children. Our business empire can be sustained for many generations to come if they follow the precious teachings taught to them"

I usually take weeks or months sometimes not even finish reading a book, but this was definitely one of the most interesting book I've ever read. One thing I definitely could conclude was that Robert Kuok was definitely more than just 'The Sugar King', well to me atleast. I could not help but to share the good attributes that he has to everyone else cause everyone should try to imply the principles he has (although biased based only by this book) 

Here's a couple of quotes that I personally love, 

"We cannot take wealth into our graves. Leaving too much fortune behind will ruin our offspring instead of helping them. Having too much money is like having poison, and wouldn't that eventually damage their brains? But because of love, we must leave something for them, so that they will have the opportunity to rise"

"I have often said that there are two things we need to do when we are alive.  First, it is to work hard to raise the family and secondly, to help those who need help in their education. Only by doing this will society progress, become harmonious and stable" 

Although his mother was not educated much, she played a very important role in his life and successful path in pursuing his business, 

"The only advice my mother gave us walk the virtuous path and that we should not become materialistic as we made money"

And he tries to help others and the environment as when he can,

In 2012, Shangri-La stopped offering shark fin dishes. At the same time, the hotel also phased out bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass. 

Although he is a Malaysian, he still had a soft heart for China since his parents were people of the Mainland China. His mission was to help develop China. 

The path for him might've seem easy in the public's eyes, but he actually went through some difficulties and hardships in building his first Shangri-La in Singapore. It was his first set up and in the first few months, he actually went through a huge loss. Beyond that, Robert Kuok had to find his way around the rigidity of China's investment system through connecting to the locals since China did not welcome foreign investors willingly, after their reformation.

Upon his perception towards progress in Malaysia,

"Kuok said that if Malaysia wanted to progress, the Malays would need to be more open-minded. He believed that education is crucial in determining a country's development, that the government shouldn't lower the standard of education but should instead address educational issues seriously"

Eventhough the sugar business might not be of a high profitability, Kuok quoted,

"Never be greedy because it is big, nor give up because it is small", which happens to be one of his business mantras. 

You would've expect that when it comes to friendships, he would pick friends that would benefit him. But he made friends who believed that would stay and has good attributes. When it comes to friendships, Kuok believed to "Make friends. But be able to distinguish the good and the bad"

The most important bit was when he shared the secrets of being a successful leader. Kuok believed that a successful leader would have to,

"Have a strong and highly efficient team of management talents and work closely with every level of subordinates. Be fair and honest. And to have a strong determination to strive"

There's so much more of his business attributes that many of us should practise in doing our own business but I guess the only way to find out is to read this book ! (it was actually sold out the first few weeks it was out which took me quite a struggle to grab it at some bookstores). All the quotes were extracted from the book of Robert Kuok by Kanyin Publications. Note that the story might be a bit draggy at the beginning but it gets really good after that. This blog post does not even do justice on how good the book is. 

21 : The Age of Discovering Yourself

Hi there !

Although I've only turned 21 only a few months ago, I feel like this phase has been going on awhile. I guess in your early 20s, you really decide who you are.

Its only natural, that you're in uni, whereby the decisions you make are based on your own perspectives, your own judgement and what you think is best for you. And it can get quite confusing at times since for some of us, most of the decisions we've been making for our lives has always been dependent on what our parents want for us.

For most of us, we tend to question even things as simple like, 'What do we like?' So if you ever feel like trying something different or out of ordinary, go ahead and try ! Get out of your comfort zone. Learn from experiences and stories from different people you meet (although you should experience with your own boundaries and limits preferably). But when people say you're only 21 and that you should live life, they meant it real ! Not only to party hard, get high and stuff. But to explore yourself, know what gives you adrenaline, what makes you happy, what you aspire to be. As selfish as it sounds, it's all gonna be about you, discovering you!

And it might not be as easy as it sounds sometimes. You might have times that some decisions are a bit difficult to be made. Like your heart tells you to do it but your mind tells you the other around. Just do what you feel is right, what feels like you, and you should be fine :) (Also never neglect your responsibilities whilst figuring out who you are hehehe)There will also be times that you have friends who come and go in life. And probably around this time of your life is when you'll know who are the friends who are most likely to stay. Just stay strong and know that you're not the only one going through this phase.

So don't beat yourself up too much, just take it slow. It's gonna be one hella roller coaster ride ! But, you'll pull through, just know that its only a phase, of growing up. Forgive yourself, forgive others, for the many mistakes that people make especially throughout this phase. And as cheesy as it sounds, its a phase of growing up to the adulthood, whether you like it or not ;)

The 3 Most Important Things To Hold By In Life

It's been about 2 weeks since I received one of the most important advice I've gotten from my boss while I was in my internship.

He told me, the three main things that you need to hold on to in everything you do is 'Perseverance', 'Trust' and 'Determination'. I've heard many successful stories of entrepreneur and leaders, but my boss wasn't kidding when he mentioned those three important words to hold on to. 

As I sat down for more than an hour listening to his advice, he gave a few examples of a few successful people in the world, but the one story that really caught my attention was how determined Vincent Tan was in his approach towards bringing McDonald's into Malaysia, how he wrote emails everyday for more than a year to McDonalds with his proposal and idea to them, back in the 1990s. 

"Only when there is perseverance can you achieve the impossible. Combined with determination, you'll get the focus you need to achieve what you really want. And gain trust. Getting others to trust your capabilities by proving yourself worth. But not only gain trust from others, but to yourself, believing that you'll pull through and you are capable of doing so."

So here's to being more determined, having more trust, and pulling through everything with more perseverance :)

It's Not Just Another Internship

Some people might say, you'll have your whole life to work. Once you start working, you can never stop. The time will come. What do you even want from an internship anyways? They don't really pay you that well anyways. On the other hand, there'll be those people who are just naturally workaholic. Some might be doing internships just to boost their CVs. Well, everyone has their own reasons in making their own choice, either to do or not to do an internship.

My decision to proceed with an internship for 6 weeks wasn't planned months ago, it came along the way throughout my Summer holidays. It was when my cousin convinced me into applying at ZulRafique & Partners. Alhamdulillah, being accepted as an intern there, I could say, it's one of the best decisions I've made in my life (well, so far hehe). But why so ?

Beyond networking, you'll get great advice from others who has been in the legal field for a way longer time. Partners, legal associates or even the other chambies would probably give you a heads up on what you should expect in your career, what you should do to make yourself more prepared into the working life, and the most important part, is when they tell you the things they wished they had done or did not do to get them to how they are today. These advice that they give might be considered as a 'shortcut' to success in life or a 'cheat' for those who implement them I guess ;)

Then, the working life experience comes. You usually would get real working life experience if you've interned for a month at least. The longer the time of your intern, the more colleagues/seniors would be able to give more work to you, the more they trust you and the cycle of getting more work continues ! Beyond that, working 9-5 everyday isn't as easy as it seems; or as 'okay' as to many. It took me a week to get used to the idea that my life was going to be behind a computer from 9.30-6.30PM for 5 days a week. Not just that, there were times that I even had to come back from the office around midnight and miss a couple of lunch (not that I'm complaining) but that's the reality, work life is tough. Your 'movements' are somehow rather limited as well and you won't get as much freedom as you might have had in your uni years. You'll actually get the struggle how other people strive to make money for their living everyday.

Besides that, you'd probably enjoy the extra income (provided that the firm pays you for your internship!). You'd also most likely get a clearer view of what you'd want to expect out of yourself and how you'd aspire to be like in a few years time. You might enjoy studying the subject, but you might not enjoy the job scope of it, or using it in practice. Well, an internship is kinda the right time to find out ! Either if you prefer to use the knowledge and skills acquired from your degree into your working life. 

And after all that, you'll have a great time ! (Well, at least I did). Every experience is valuable hence, I don't see a harm as to, what not give it a try ? What is there to lose? Why not ? :)

Young Love

If you were to ask me, 'Do you love kids?', my answer would always be 'Depends'. Although I never knew why, but I was never fond of all the kids around me. Then a few nights ago at Kechara Soup Kitchen, I finally understood myself, why I've always said, 'Depends'.

It was when these kids surprised me by jumping on my back for a piggy back ride,  was when I knew why. That I've only loved kids who likes interacting with activities rather than what technology offers nowadays. It was a wonder to myself and many around, how I didn't mind that these kids from Chow Kit might be sick or not as clean. But they surprised me with the love they still have for people, that somehow it was alright to play with them, carefree.

"These kids have so much love for the people, even though the society might not have shown them much of it"

And they were just as happy (or maybe even happier) as how other 'wealthy' kids are, just that these kids were sharing the small toy cars and played it together.

I could say that all in one night, not only have I learnt that there was no boundaries to love, but that the littlest things can bring so much happiness in life. These kids have taught me so much and insyaAllah, I hope one day, I can give them the happiness they have given to me. 

Fear of Falling in Love,

"I fear of falling in love. No, the heart ache if it doesn't work out does not fear me. People will always get hurt, doesn't matter if you're in or not in a relationship. I fear that when I fall inlove, I would lose myself. My own identity. What defines me. I fear that I place my time and effort too much on that one person when I could've spared my love for others who deprive of love more. I fear that when I fall inlove, I would fall out of my family and friends. I fear that I might actually be more inlove with the idea of being in a relationship rather than loving the person for who he is. Worst of all, I fear that in the end of the day, I won't even be able to define what love is"

Upon Selfishness

"I believe the longer we look at ourselves in the mirror, the more selfish we are prone to be. The more selfies we take, the more we would be 'full of ourselves'. The more we talk about ourselves, the more we are too self-orientated. But don't get me wrong, there are certain benefits in all this. It's just I fear that one day, the society we live in, would care way too much for themselves that they care too little for others. Would pressure themselves to keep up with the materialistic world rather than living the real world. Would help others only with intentions that they would be able to look better for themselves rather than to make others live a better life. I am afraid that the future of our society, would be filled with more selfish people rather than selfless, for the good"

Time,

"I wish to travel the world, to learn. I wish I spared more time for others, rather than myself. I wish I spent more time improving myself, increasing my skills. I wish I spent more time with my family and friends. Yet I wish I spent time working, to learn the value of money and live the reality. Yet life is so short and time is so limited. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way"

Is the law really providing justice ?

Throughout our tour in Cappadocia, I met this heartful & loving lady in her 20s who sort of changed my perspective towards prisoners or in general, the law & justice (not that I had the worst perspective towards prisoners before this but it got me to ponder on a few things)

As a law student, you've always been taught that the law is create to accommodate others in providing justice. It changes within time, and adapts to cases, according to the majority of the society. 

But this lady I met earlier; Paripersia (a Mexican-Iranian girl) quoted,

'If the law is meant to bring justice, then all the corrupted politicians (or even all the politicians) in the world would be in prison. And the prisoners, usually in desperation due to poverty or lack of justice, would not even have to be in prisons in the first place'

Most of us would have looked down to prisoners. Discriminate them. Isolate them. But have we ever stopped and ponder, are we not at least a little bit responsible for what happened to them? Isn't the government as well ?

Imagine, if we live in a community, that helped each other. That treats each other equally and with respect. If all the wealth was evenly distributed or at least the gap between the rich and the poor wouldn't be as big as how it is now. If corruption or any crime committed is made to be punished. If the law really provides justice. 

They say the law is created to protect people's rights. To give them safety. Doesn't matter if you are the majority or minority. But we often see the faults in law, in failure to protect the minority's rights. For instance, the French Law does not protect much of Muslims and their rights in wearing headscarves to school.

On the other hand, another fault in the law that I've come to realise as well is that it actually fails to protect the rights of the poor in the world, which holds the majority of the population. Atleast 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. How much of the law has been created to protect these people? To prevent them from breaking the laws in the future? To provide them justice? Should it even be considered as just that the poor is suffering too much while seeing the rich live their lives so easily, only to leave them with more hatred and jealousy?

I understand that some policies are made in order to encounter the problem of poverty, but as much of a role they are in the society, they are mainly guidelines. And equity can only help one so little. 

So the question that has been lingering in my mind is that,

'Is the law really providing justice? Have we been educated on the wrong understanding on what justice really is? Are we, ourselves, even being just to others ?'

Freedom of Speech

'Yes, We do have a right to freedom of speech, but it comes with limitations' 

Charlie Hebdo's defence in their rights to freedom of speech is that they are against extremism as a whole, not just religion nor even just politicians. You cannot expect these writers to understand us who praise our God and love our religion as I assume most of them do not have the same believe in religion as we do, respectively. I am not to give my opinon on journalists being jailed for the articles they write regarding their country. And I am not to write on how freedom of speech should be practiced in a democratic country, but these writers and activists for Freedom of Speech should know what they stand up for when they stand up for rights of Freedom of Speech.

I do question at times, if we do have the rights to absolute Freedom of Speech, wouldn't it be great for magazines to publish articles and covers on criticizing or making fun of those Mothers or Parents who are 'extremely' protective of their children ? 

(Note to not take this literally but is more of a sarcasm statement. We can't make those who do not believe in their religion to understand us with our religion, but the closest to letting them be in our shoes, is that if the world were to criticize the ones that are 'close to their hearts'.It is of the same concept but different facts)

Nevertheless, the statutory interpretation of the term 'Freedom of Speech' itself should be out in the media now to really acknowledge the public on the real definition of it and its limits. Even if it does not have any limits, the world needs to know.