Lemonade

Sometimes when i heard what my friends have gone through, and compared my unpleasant (or the lack of it) experiences to theirs, i found myself to be hmm, what's the word....? "protected"?

Or did my optimistic point of view neutralize the bad parts of life?

Perhaps, it is really because ...

"No soul shall have a burden laid on it greater than it can bear." - Quran

If i was in my friends' shoes, i probably would have collapsed under pressure and fail those life-tests without a doubt. So it is either i am too weak to be put through those experiences or it's just not my time to learn from those hardship and shall remain innocent and immature.


Nonetheless, being happy and peaceful is a satisfying choice when...

“ And if you would count the favors of Allah, never could you be able to count them. Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”  -Qur'an

When life throws you lemons, make lemonade. 

Blind faith?

Marina Mahathir: "The excuse given for not allowing non-muslims to use the word Allah because it would confuse muslims.. and i think that is terribly demeaning to describe ourselves if we have faith in our own religion...  "

Knowledge + senses + logic + unbias experiment --> Faith

"There is no substitute to knowledge. You have to understand your own religion" - Khalid Samad

But most people based their beliefs on blind and baseless faith. Most claimed to be muslims or christians when they don't even know their holy books... and many chose a particular belief (including atheism) because its "cool" or because they have been exposed to only one side of the coin and decided only that side exists....but, of course,


One side of the coin doesn't dispel the other side of the coin.

The world as it is, does not comes in as only black and white. Vise versa, saying the world is colorful doesn't mean transparency/colorless/darkness is not optional.


Hence, let's be skeptical towards our sources of beliefs.. say, that include preachers AND book writers. ;)





(Q 17:36)  follow not that whereof thou hast no knowledge. Lo! the hearing and the sight and the heart - of each of these it will be asked.




(Q 2:62)

That those who believed and those who repented/guided/Jews , and the Christians and the Sabians/converts , who believed with God and the Day the Last/Resurrection Day, and made/did correct/righteous deeds, so for them their reward (is) at their lord, and no fear/fright on them, and nor they be sad/grieving.

"Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allahhath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks.

and Allah heareth and knoweth all things." - quran

Religion.

"How many times do you pray?"

"Twice a day."

"everyday?"

"i try to.. "

"how about you?"

"twice a year"

Another one admitted the last time she prayed was many years ago.Both of them had tried drugs and alcohol.
...well, at least we were open and did not give judgemental comments to each other.


Then there's another one who told me she was an atheist but during that group-lunch, she said she's a buddhist... hm, may be she's both atheist and a Buddhist.

As for me, i wish i could be assertive in correcting misconception about Islam when it arised during conversation.... Such as  what is haram and halal according to the quran... or said out openly how that i pray in Malay and English instead of Arabic... or to question so called "islamic" laws that were truly did not come from the Quran but so-called "sayings of the prophets."

---
Today was my aunt's wedding, and she invited her friends from PERKIM to the small kenduri. As i sat with my dad and casually asked if he wants to debate with them about Islam, he said no.
 
He said that there will be a time, guidance will come to each one of us.. through a way or someone sent by god...(then it's up to all of us whether to reject or accept that guidance) and this time he's not up for a debate.. although he was active in online and offline religion debates, but now he'll just rest and does his job as a father.

"Let there be no compulsion in religion" -  2;256 Quran

Truth stands out clear from Error:

whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah
hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks.

And Allah heareth and knoweth all things." -

Conflict.

Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!

 And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restrain-- none but persons of the greatest good fortune."

And if an incitement to discord is made to you by the evil one, seek refuge in Allah. He is the one Who hears and knows all things."

Quran 41:34 - 41:36

A sign.

The book flew all across to Australia from Singapore and at that night it rested on his lap. Staring at the reader, it gathered its breath and shouted "Dream Big!"


In the dorm room and half way through the book his eyes reached out to starry night beyond the window.

"Hmmmm, may be i shall be a successful singer! No no, a chef,"
His eyes sparkled as he thought to himself. A pen jumped from the table and dived into his palm. And lines of words began to march on a piece of white paper.

• Entertainment field
  
• Event management.
• Singer
• Chef
• Interior designer
  

It was bed time right after that and he bowed his head low and said softly,
"Lord, show me a sign of my career path."

That night he dreamed of incoherent images, but at the end of the dream a clear voice said,

"An Educator"


It was dawn and he lives on, feeling satisfied to haste and saunter on the hidden, winding path, set by his Creator. Each time he strayed from the path, his heart went ee-oowww eee-ooow eee-ooow, just like the red bulge on Ultraman's outdated costume ringing "oi, change tactic la!" .. But each time he's nearer to the right path, his heart's wings grow more feathers with each step he took. 

Quran 2:186 -- When my servants ask you about Me, I am always near. I answer their prayers when they pray to Me. The people shall respond to Me and believe in Me, in order to be guided.