Keep It Sempoi, Sudah (and Sunnah)

Assalamu'alaykum.

I was at Bata yesterday looking for sandals to wear for my upcoming Umrah and Ziyarah (may Allah make it easy and accept it, in shaa Allaah!) and I started to have flashback memories of my teenage years, where I sometimes felt really upset and jealous of others because I didn't have a lot of money to spend on clothes, shoes or other fashionable items. (I still don't, haha! Alhamdulillah for that). So I used to psyche myself into thinking that I could still be stylish in my own way - sempoi way.

Because during my teenage angst years (I just had to put that), I was very much into underground music and its subculture (say astaghfirullah now - note the word WAS, yeah :D) so fashion sense wasn't really costly and as a matter of fact, it was really anti-fashion. All you needed was a pair of jeans (to be worn 'till torn), a T-shirt and a pair of Converse sneakers. Voila! You're done! Pretty basic punk rock stuff (astaghfirullah).

Even so, this kind of 'fashion' could also be expensive at times (to my standards!) As underground music and its culture became more mainstream, you saw designer brands also appealing to this type of 'fashion'. A trend. So what happened was you would have brands you could never afford portraying the exact coolness and style that you craved so much, but could never afford. It made me feel even worse. Sometimes, I thought to myself, "I'm gonna save up so I can buy that shirt/pair of jeans/whatever". But the price of the item always put me off - how could you spend RM200 or RM300 for a pair of jeans, never mind a t-shirt?!

So I always had to be content with that pair of jeans that will last me at least a couple of years (tu yang sampai koyak tu haha) or the handover jeans that Mum will provide from time to time (even though they're not cool - typical boring cut not slim or skinny cut that's what people were going for at the time). But hey - you do with what you have. Growing up my favourite spot for shopping was definately Sungei Wang Plaza and the Bukit Bintang area. You can find anything there!

There was this shop where t-shirts cost like RM20 and they come in unique designs. Barang rare, they would say. Itu yang penting sebenarnya! Haha baru underground~

Anyway - I'm thankful to be a pretty simple guy when it comes to fashion, (or the lack thereof). You could always find me happy in a t-shirt, shorts (these days its 3/4)/jeans, flip-flops and a cap. (Roll out of bed fashion) Oh yeah, the cap. A must have accessory. Haha. Rarely would you find me without a cap. And I was happy like that. So not having loads of money to splash out on clothes or fashion accessories didn't really bother me as much. I remember a time where the Von Dutch trucker cap was the in thing - everyone wanted to have one! So the ones who couldn't afford high fashion prices, what did they do? Head down to Sg. Wang/Uptown to get your rip-off version :D

So where am I getting at, you might ask?

I just want to share with you (especially the young ones reading this - if you feel that you have a dress a certain way to fit in with your friends/clique, then forget it. It's not worth it [pun intended. *ba dum tss])

That fad will pass, soon enough. And soon you'll find them spending another few hundred ringgit on the next trend, and the next and the next. You start to wonder what happened to the stuff that they bought earlier, did they even wear it enough times for them to buy new clothes. It just ends up in the closet. This is a reminder for myself, first and foremost. Because shopping at prices like RM20 can backfire as well - because its so cheap, you end up being suckered into the same trap by buying more! So there - lesson learned.

Besides, in my personal opinion, when you don't have a lot of clothes and you have to really make a decision when you buy them - it makes you more creative in a sense that you have to mix & match with what you have (okay i'm starting to sound like a sister now - i'd better stop!) My point being - being constrained brings out the best in you. You start to appreciate what you have. Compare that to people who just buy everything off the shelf. I used to really pop in Topshop (astaghfirullah, I know LOL) just for the sake of it.

SubhanAllah! I kid you not! Sometimes you see people walking in, checking out the clothes - and they're wearing the exact garb that the mannequin is wearing! So yeah, my point exactly. That's what can happen if you just buy for the sake of buying and you just have too much money to care.

So the moral of the story is: Buy only what you need, not what you want. It's easy to just buy into consumerism (pun intended), especially during those teenage years where you want to wear (again intended) what your favourite celebrity (astaghfirullah) is wearing or you follow a certain style of clothing (dressing, as the Malay slang goes - salad dressing? ba dum tss) be it skater, hip hop, underground, whatever - it's just not worth it. Plus, more often than not, its not Islamic! Few years down the line, you will be cringing at the sight of all those clothes and the money spent on it. Trust me.

Imagine - that money could have been used for other things! Such as sadaqa/charity. The Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"The Muslim says, 'All my wealth, all my wealth!' whereas he only really has three parts to his wealth: That which is eaten, and so it is consumed. That which is worn, and so it wears out. And that which is given in charity, for this is stored for him. Anything other than that will whither away to be left for the people behind him."

(Muslim)

Allah promises that whatever you give for charity, He will replace it. 

What are the 3 things that you will bring to your grave?

X marks the spot (_satu)

Bismillah.

I've always wanted to write this piece. I'm writing as it slips off my mind and into the keyboard. Topic: 

Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future.

One thing we must remember is: One day we are going to die. No matter what religion that person may be following, he is aware of this. Even the atheist. Even the person who believes in aliens. It is something that everyone believes in and thinks about, even though he may deny it or puts it at the back of his mind when reminded of it. Even the person who parties all night and gets high till he overdoses, he is still terrified when he realizes that he is dying and will try his level best to get sober and 'get back to reality', so to speak. So the point here is: We all know our time on this Earth is limited. 

So why live by the phrase, "Live your life to the fullest" or "Enjoy life while it lasts" or even "Party hard". Those phrases are among the cleanest that I can mention by the way, there are far worse that people hold on to, subhanAllah. 

In an age where the fitna level is reaching ridiculously crazy levels, how can one stay sane and be on the Saved Path? I fully understand how easy it is to sin, how easy it is to fall back into sin and just do sin after sin after sin after sin without feeling no remorse because it has become normal till you feel sick and 'bad' if you do a good deed. SubhanAllah! What drives a human to behave like this? It is even worse when you're Muslim and you're doing these evil acts.

Now hang on a minute. I'm beginning to sound a little judgmental. That's not good. One lesson I have learned is: Never, ever pass judgement on a person. Because you never know how that person may turn out to be. Seriously. It is easier said than done. I believe in that fact because I am living proof. Why do I use the term "living" proof? There's a profound reason to that, if Allah allows that story to be told and one day it shall come to pass, in sha Allah.

The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said in a hadeeth, "A person is upon the religion of his close friend, so beware whom you befriend." 

[Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi]

That statement, maa shaa Allah, is so true. Especially during those teenage years where you feel it's not cool to be around your parents anymore, you feel that you want to be independent when you're not, you value your friends company more than your own family, you want to rebel and experiment with different things and ideas and so forth... you catch my drift. SubhanAllah, its become so prevalent that it has become the 'normal' thing in modern day society, especially with urban families. And don't just think that it happens to people who come from broken families. It can happen to a child from a religious family, where the parents are strict and impose their ideas over them. 

It doesn't help when we're fed with Western-style ideologies through television, literature, music and art. We live in an immensely secular, God-less world. Blatant paganism may be gone now expect for a few select places in the world, but those idols have been replaced by celebrities who people sort of 'worship' in a way, like rock stars, movie stars, and politicians. If we're not careful, we might fall into syirk!  (attaining partners with Allah) Do you know what the biggest sin in Islam is? She does: 

Cute baby maa shaa Allah! 

*answer at 0:37

That clip always makes me smile. :)

So today at work I was watching this video right, "From Punk Rock to Islam" and its subsequent link; "Fiqh of Chillin" and I immediately felt the urge to write this post, on the topic of change from darkness to light because it is a story that is so dear to my heart. I have always felt that Allah subhana wa Ta'ala brought me back to the Straight Path for this reason: To make dawah to those who are struggling to find the Truth on the wrong path.

TWINS OF FAITH MADNESS

It has begun.

I'm still at the office.

Printing out copies of press releases for tomorrow's (today!) press conference.

Which have yet to be inserted into the goodie bags.


Allahul musta'an.



End: my.twinsoffaith.com

What's in a name?

I found something really disturbing - yet interesting - at the same time: 

http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?view=1&surname=kalman

Why the name Kalman, you might ask? Well I guess I was meant to be a nerd -_-"

Special K

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalman_filter

Why I have to start writing again

USE YOUR TALENT FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH

Why I have to start writing again.

Bismillah. Alhamdulillah. Wassolatu wassalamu ala Rasool lillah.
Amma ba'adu.

I begin by praising Allah azza Wa Jalla, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, Ruler of the Day of Judgement and the Rightful Owner of our souls.

I was at a talk a few days ago at the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) and the topic was about Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (radhi Allahu anhu) and the speaker was deriving lessons from the life of this great man, maa shaa Allah. One of the lessons was to use your God-given talent for the betterment of the Ummah.

As he said this, something tripped up in my brain. I have been going through another 'what is my real career purpose' phase of late and this interesting piece of information really got to me. I have always known somehow that writing is what I am good at (alhamdulillah) compared to all the other things that I have attempted to do my entire life, but somehow I have always avoided it. I remember being at this stage of life ten years ago, when getting As for the linguistic subjects were the highlight of my SPM results. Somehow, I chose the other way.

Fast forward ten years. Those ten years have really shaped up life and how I want it to be from now on. Like, seriously. It's been from one end to another. A real roller-coaster ride. And now I want to stop and get off.

This is gonna be long. I need to make some coffee.

I lied. I found some teh tarik instead. LOL. (Note: Please don't take this seriously, a Muslim doesn't lie. - Sarcastic disclaimer)

I have found what my purpose in life is, and that is to please Allah, our Creator. I took me a while to really get it. I mean, you can know about it, you can read about it, someone can tell you about it but the reality is: once you get it, you will REALLY get it. It's called hidayah (guidance). Allah says in the Glorious Qur'an:

"Verily, you (O Muhammad) guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided."

(28:56)

How do we get it? Well, you have to earn your stripes! From my personal experience, you will have to really WANT it. You'll have to be really sincere. (and Allah knows best)

Say: "Whether you conceal what is in your hearts or bring it into the open, God knows it: for He knows all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and God has the power to will anything." (3:29)

Allah will make you go through trials (fitna) and He will test you, to see whether you are truly a Believer. (mu'min)

"Do people think that they will be let go merely by saying: “We believe,” and that they will not be tested?" (29:2)

So you catch my drift, right? In sha Allah, you will. (insert smiley face here)

So yeah, I will make my intention to blog herein to make da'wah (spread the beautiful message of Islam), biidznillah. This will count as my first official post; I will retain my previous post to keep in line with the random nature of myself and this blog. Plus it was written like 5 seconds before I had to leave the house.

p/s: Not that long after all, eh? Sorry - got distracted along the way. (story of my life so far! LOL)

End: It's getting really late and my teh tarik that has halia in it is finished. It's already the last third of the night and know that this is a VERY, VERY, VERY good time to worship Allah and make du'a. Do you know why? Leave your answer in the comments!

Assalamu'alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Get out

Going out for another trip today