لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله

A Lebanese poet once said

“Travel and tell no one,

live a true love life and tell no one,

live happily and tell no one,

people ruin beautiful things.”

and I live by it.

We are all prone to making mistakes: small ones, big ones; frequently, rarely; different ones, same ones. When we attempt to compare our sins to Allah’s infinite Mercy, even the worst of them, our actions will forever be outweighed by His Compassion and willingness to forgive us. Yet God is the Most Merciful, Most Forgiving.

As for repeated sins, Allah will continue to forgive mercifully as long as you continue to sincerely try to move away from the sin. Every time you fall into the sin, you repent sincerely and have true intention of not doing it again, He continues to honour your request for forgiveness. The key is not to give up the effort of staying away from the sin, and being sincere in your efforts as well as your repentance.

Do not ever lose hope in the mercy of Allah, nor underestimate your potential. Don’t let the Shaytan win; he wants you to lose hope in Allah; and if you lose hope in Allah, what’s left? It’s okay to keep falling as long as you keep getting back up. Never give up, not until your last heartbeat.

maa syaa Allah

The 17th Ramadan marks the anniversary of the first battle in Islam, the Battle of Badr.

Masjid al-Areesh is located near where the battle took place, and the masjid is built on the spot where the Prophet ‎ﷺ pitched his tent and commanded 313 soldiers in battle.

"The best of people are those that bring most benefit to the rest of mankind."

(HR. Ahmad, Thabrani, Daruqutni)

I got my heart broken and I survived, I failed 3 courses in university and graduated, I got rejected in the very first job I applied for and got promoted yesterday, I went through hard times with my family but then two years later, we laughed our hearts out over lunch. The closest friends disappointed me several times but I made new friends and loved them with all my heart. I did it once, I can do it again.

Contemplating nature’s geometry

Fibonacci sequences appear in nature extensively, most notably in biological settings, such as branching in trees, arrangement of leaves on a stem, the fruitlets of a pineapple, the flowering of artichoke, an uncurling fern and the arrangement of a pine cone, and the family tree of honeybees.

Scientists have pointed out the presence of the Fibonacci sequence in nature, using it to explain the (golden ratio-related) pentagonal form of some flowers. But these geometrical forms go beyond the floral realm, and are found throughout nature.

This is why the number 1.618033 is often known as the Golden ratio in mathematics. Two quantities are in the golden ratio if their ratio is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities. The golden ratio appears in some of the aforementioned patterns in nature, including the spiral arrangement of leaves and other plant parts. German mathematician Simon Jacob noted that consecutive Fibonacci numbers converge to the golden ratio; this was rediscovered by Johannes Kepler later.

This abundance of intricate geometry, measured proportions, and efficiency in nature often reminds me of the opening verses of the 87th surah of the Quran:

“Glorify the name of your Lord the Most High; who created [all things] in due proportion.”

— the Quran (87:1,2)

Indeed, the Quran repeatedly invites its reader to ponder upon natural phenomenon for they point to a wisdom and a design behind them.

“The sun and the moon follow their calculated courses; the plants and the trees submit to His designs; He has raised up the sky. He has set the balance; so that you may not exceed in the balance.”

— the Quran (55:5-8)

The balance (al-mizaan) mentioned here is seen by most exegetes as a reference to justice. It can also be seen as a reference to honoring the balance and harmony of the created order.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said :

The best of you is the one with best character.

Allah yang Jauh Lebih Merindukanmu

Pernah nggak sih kita merasa saat kita sedang futur. Saat kualitas dan kuantitas tilawah dan murajaah menurun. Saat derap langkah kaki menuju masjid untuk memenuhi panggilannya terasa berat. Saat sekedar mengeluarkan sepuluh ribu untuk bersedekah terasa susah. Saat berniat menghadiri majelis ilmu justru merasa malas. 

Saat itulah kita sebenarnya sadar. Kita sadar makin menjauh dariNya. Percaya atau tidak pasti akan senantiasa ada perasaan bersalah di dalam jiwa ini. Tapi entah mengapa kita berusaha melawan perasaan jujur tersebut. Kita seolah membohongi diri kita sendiri bahwa kita butuh refreshing. Ah iya, daripada datang kajian mending jalan-jalan, sekali-sekali lah. Lalu lantas bukan lagi sekali namun berkali-kali. Ah, ntar dulu deh tilawahnya, masih sibuk ada tugas. Hingga akhirnya kita tak menyentuh Al-Quran sama sekali. 

Lantas tiba-tiba pernah nggak sih merasa lalu datang aneka kesulitan. Lalu datang waktu yang kita rasa disia-siakan. Seharusnya plan kita ini, tapi nyatanya begini. Seharusnya mau belajar tapi malah ngantuk. Seharusnya target hari ini selesai tugas itu nyatanya sampai seminggu belum selesai. 

Lalu kita justru menyalahkanNya. Kok teman saya yang kayaknya ga pernah shalat tapi dapat nilai bagus. Sementara saya yang shalat dan beriman kepadaNya justru mendapat hasil dibawah mereka. Di saat kita menyalahkanNya, tanpa sadar kita bukan semakin dekat. Namun justru semakin jauh dariNya. 

Lalu Allah lagi-lagi memberi kesulitan. Tak seperti biasanya semangatmu menurun, padahal kamu bilang kamu sudah refreshing untuk jalan-jalan. Padahla kamu juga sudah menyeleseikan tugasmu, namun semangat dan motivasimu entah mengapa hilang. 

Kamu tidak sadar bahwa segala kesulitanmu, segala kesia-siaan waktumu, segala kegagalanmu adalah isyarat dariNya bahwa Allah begitu merindukanmu. Allah rindu dengan tilawahmu, yang barangkali masih terbata-bata, masih kesulitan mengeja A-Ba-Tsa, dengan tajwid dan makhrijul huruf ala kadarnya, tapi kamu selalu berusaha keras menyelesaikannya. 

Allah begitu merindukanmu, ketika mendengarmu sebagai hamba yang meminta ini itu terlalu banyak, namun Allah begitu mendengarkanmu dan mensetting waktu kapan akan mengabulkan doamu. 

Allah begitu merindukanmu, ketika kamu mengikuti majelis ilmu, walau kamu di dalamnya terkantuk-kantuk, namun usahamu untuk tetap terjaga, membuat malaikat tak kuasa menahan diri untuk mencatat amal kebajikanmu. 

Allah begitu merindukanmu, manakala kau justru menyalahkanNya atas apa yang terjadi, namun Ia tak pernah langsung mengazabmu, hanya saja memberimu isyarat - isyarat yang lain agar kamu memahami. 

Ya, Allah begitu merindukanmu. Tak terhitung sudah isyarat-isyarat yang disampaikan kepadamu.  Sekarang, apakah kita benar-benar merindukanNya?