Showing posts with label Gratitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gratitude. Show all posts

Monday, July 6, 2015

Counting days, and of endless complaints!

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Its 19 Ramadhan 1436H, 6th July 2015. I am now counting days. Am heading back home for Eid insyaAllah. International flight departing from Lagos on  Friday 10th July at 2PM. Intially I booked the ticket from PHC to Lagos on the morning of 10th itself. I will reach there around 11AM and just ample time to check in for my international flight.

However...... here, being Nigeria, things are not always going on as planned. I have been lucky so far, such that I've never encountered major delay, but this time, I don't want to risk it. Already requested for my flight to be changed to Thursday. So insyaAllah, by Thursday morning, I'll be leaving PHC, spend a night in Lagos and head off as planned on Friday.

My mind is really not here anymore. Seriously..hahaha.. hati dah separuh kat Malaysia. What more seeing people postings pictures of kuih raya, lagi la melonjak-lonjak nak balik la ni jugak. Ingat nak buat jugak sejenis kat sini... tapi malas la pulak. Dah berapa kali thaw butter..masuk freeze balik, esoknya thaw lagi...malamnya masuk freeze balik. Kalau butter tu boleh cakap, memang dia dah bahasa habih-habih..hahaha..

On a more serious note. At the point of writing this, Greece has voted 'No' for the payout step by IMF. That decisions drive down many currencies, in particular Euro, and MYR is not left out as well. The currency drop, petrol price increase, in Malaysia people talk about GST more than they talk about Allah SWT (nauzubillahi min zalik). People are complaining left, right and centre. And honestly, my only complain is about all of these complainers. How people are being so negative nowadays. I sometimes feels like screaming to these people asking them to just shut up. The complains does not do anything, be it justified or not.

I found this online. Will share this with my fellow complainers friend. InsyaAllah.
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Perfecting the Art of (not) complaining


He is Allah, the One. Allah, whom all creatures need. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him (Surah Ikhlas).
Perfecting the Art of (not) complaining

By: Adam Mohomed Sait
Have you ever found yourself falling into the habit of complaining, whether the complaint was valid or not? Bint Abdelhamid shares thirteen ways to perfect the art of (not) complaining.

They say that “misery loves company,” and it’s true. I spent some time in an educational institute overseas, where the teaching lay somewhere between mediocre and bad, and the institute policies were even worse. It helped, in a manner of speaking, to sit down with other sisters in the institute and outline all our misery and woes. It made us feel like we weren’t alone.

One of the sisters with us was several years younger than most, and rarely engaged in our “miserable company” sessions. It was obvious she understood all the institute’s shortcomings, but between finding other things to say and knowing it would all be over in a few months’ time, when we could move up to a different, betterrun part of the institute, she managed to always stay positive.

We talked to this young sister once, about her life and family. She was around fifteen years old at the time, and the eldest of three siblings. Their mother was mentally ill, incapable of caring for herself, let alone her family or children; and their father spent most of his time taking care of his ill wife. So caring for the younger siblings, seeing that they were well-fed and getting along in school, among other things, all fell largely on this fifteen-year-old’s shoulders.

It was clear that this sister had a lot to deal with, but she never complained. Even when she described her life, her mother, her responsibilities, she described them matter-of-factly, as simply a part of her existence. If anyone had the right to complain about something, among our gathering, it was this sister; but she never complained.

Unfortunately, we live in a culture of complaining, where it’s easy to strike up a conversation on how ridiculously high the prices are or how bitter cold the weather is. Sometimes, we complain about petty things, and sometimes about larger ones – but whatever it is, we find it easier to pick out the faults of our everyday lives and situations, even when we have so much to be thankful for.

In an effort to train myself to complain less (and hopefully squash the habit of complaining altogether), here is list for thirteen ways to complain less:

1. Make your complaint to Allah
When Yusuf (AS) was separated from his father, and Ya’qoob (AS) lost his eyesight due to sorrow, Ya’qoob (AS) said, “I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah…” [12:86].
Allah is the All-Capable, and the One Who can ease your affairs, so if there is something troubling you, make your complaint to Him, (SWT).

2. Only complain to the people if complaining is beneficial
This may be to get one of your rights, or the right of someone else you know – sometimes, complaining is necessary. Be as kind and polite about it as possible, and don’t overdo it.

3. Talk about practical solutions
Rather than making your complaint a constant, endless whine, talk about practical solutions to the problem you’re facing. Is it a problem without a visible, practical solution? Then make your complaint to Allah!

4. Let the small things pass
Anas ibn Malik said, “I served the Prophet (SAW) for twenty years. He never said ‘uff’ to me, and he never said about anything I had not done, ‘Why didn’t you do it?’ or about something I had done, ‘Why did you do that?’” [Muslim]. Most things are small enough that we can just let them go.

5. Speak about Allah’s favours
Rather than picking out everything that’s wrong in your life, try picking out some of the things that are right, and speaking about them. Allah (SWT) says, “But as for the favor of your Lord, report [it].” Doing this should not only help you avoid complaining, but you’ll also be fulfilling a command from Allah!

6. Remember those less fortunate
One way to jolt yourself back to reality and appreciate Allah’s blessings over you is to remember those less fortunate than you. Read about others suffering in Asia, Africa, and all over the world. Read about orphans in Palestine. Read about the homeless in your own country, your own city – interact with them if possible. Don’t drown yourself in despair, but use these stories as a means to be grateful and to thank Allah for what you have.

7. Reduce the stress in your life
You may be complaining because you have a sizeable amount of stress in your life. You need an outlet, and that’s understandable. Stop multitasking for a bit; take some quiet time out to relax: sit in a darkened room, breathing deeply for a few minutes; go for a walk outdoors; listen to some soothing anasheed, or read some Qur’an.

8. Read stories from the seerah
Take note from the words and ways of the Messenger (SAW), the sahabah, and the righteous generations after them. Learn from their manners and etiquettes in speech.

9. Talk about other useful matters
You don’t have to talk about the mundane things in your life that drive you crazy. Instead, talk about larger things that excite you: new knowledge you’ve learned; projects you’d like to work on; a wonderful nature trip that made you contemplate the beauty of Allah’s creation.

10. Tell funny stories (without lying)
There will still be time for chit-chat with friends and family. Instead of worrying them with complaints they can’t help with, tell them funny stories from work and life, cute things your kids said. Humour is a wonderful way to make everyone feel better!

11. Recognise complaining as a habit
Monitor your speech from time to time. Do you find that complaining is more of a habit than a useful endeavor? Recognising it as a habit is an important first step in learning to squash it.

12. Find better company
Do you find yourself complaining more when you’re around certain people? Maybe it’s because you have little in common with these people, or because they’re uninterested in being positive and thankful. If that’s the case, then it’s time to find better company, company which is a lot less “miserable.”

13. Talk less
In general. If you’ve tried everything you can think of, and still find yourself complaining too much, maybe it’s because you’re talking long after you’ve run out of things to say. Don’t let the shaytaan lead you into useless or harmful talk. Instead, keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah. Repent to Him often. Thank Him often. Praise Him often. Send salutations upon the Messenger (SAW) often.

When I think back to my time at that institute, I realise it’s too late to “undo” the complaining I once did. What I can do now is use that experience as a stepping stone towards complaining less and being more thankful. And instead of concentrating on all the faults of this institute (enumerating them won’t help anyone here), I can tell, instead, about that wonderful fifteen year old sister I met there, about how her more-difficult-life but complaint-free-tongue put me to shame, and about how her patience inspired me to seek the art of not complaining.

Original source click HERE

Till next time, wassalam.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Smile

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wa barakatuh..

Its hard to predict somebody's mood first thing in the morning, especially if that somebody is someone you are fond off, but all doubts are cast away, once that person smile... :) Alhamdulillah..




Smile is a forgotten sunnah.

Here is a a story of the sahabah which I think many of us knew.

Whenever Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) saw the Prophet he would find his blessed face as bright as the full moon, and whenever he (peace be upon him) gazed upon Anas, he would smile. Every encounter was met with a smile which caused the heart of this great companion to be greatly affected – so much so that he felt that he was the most beloved to him. Naturally he wanted his thoughts confirmed, so he asked the Prophet as to who the most beloved person to him was. The Prophet replied “Abu Bakr.” Hoping that he would be the most adored to the Prophet after Abu Bakr, he repeated the question and to Anas’s surprise, it wasn’t him but instead Umar. From this simple act, the Prophet was able to make Anas think that he was the most beloved person to him. It was with these small but greatly effective gestures that did not take much effort that made the Prophet so beloved to all people of his time. In fact, Abdullah ibn Haarith (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I did not see anyone who smiled more than the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).”[1]

Smile is contagious, keep on smiling :)

http://www.islam21c.com/spirituality/242-smiling-the-forgotten-sunnah/

Wassalam

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Sungguh...aku tersentuh...!!

Assalamualaikum w.b.t...

Let me tell you a series of events, and then at the end of the day how all that make me feel.
  1. Arriving at Residential Area with 2 people waiting.
  2. Arriving at the office with a booked cubicle under my name
  3. Heard my name mentioned even before I stepped into my future boss' room.
  4. Having talked to another manager (my future boss' level) only to find out he knows almost all about my recruitment, justification and what kind of development that I should be looking at.
  5. Receiving series of welcome email from fellow Malaysians here. And this leads to another memorable moments. By lunch time, a guy walks in, my future boss had emailed him earlier, letting him know that I am visiting, in just hours, I received those 'Selamat Datang' greetings, and this guy walks into the office and asked if I can join him for lunch, meet Bunyak, from Sarawak. We took a seat at the restaurant and sitting next to me was Vladimir (a pinoy by the way) and later Anton and Ravi (I think) join us. I get my brief intro to MASIP (used to stand for Malaysians in Port Harcourt) but now they have converted to Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore & Phillipines gang. They started throwing tips, jokes, do's and don'ts and there has even be a request for me to cook nasi lemak. 
  6. Today,we had Safety Day at work and I have to leave by lunch time to meet with the Outpost ladies (the expats wife) in the RA. Taxis were not available to send me back, so what happen is I was sent back to RA by the GM's driver (the GM is my boss's boss). Siap ada escort lagi..(well, that's standard, due to safety reason)..
    escort kat belakang ye...
  7. Same thing, during lunch I get more tips, packing list, tricks to 'bring in' stuffs and the whole enchilada. 
  8. The head of the Outpost ladies is actually the wife to my boss's boss. She later drove me around to look for the houses. The condition was bad, at least few that we looked at was a total rundown. No doubt the real estate people will fix it before I came, but the condition is too bad that it will take quite some time for the renovation. Of course we weren't too happy. My boss's boss was actually out on business trip, and he only came back later in the afternoon. With some turns of events, I was stuck with the wife until he came back. I met him for the first time in their house. (Gila ko..first time jumpa dah kat umah..gila personal) She told him about the houses condition, and he somehow sits on this committee that discuss about this kind of stuff, promised to bring this up. There are few other houses that we are supposed to look at, but tomorrow would be my last day. He asked me to push some of the appointment and make time to iron out all about the house issue. I will be in the office in the morning, and hence need a separate arrangement for the transport back to RA by lunch time, and guess what...? the GM offered his car and his driver...again...!!!
    Denise checking out the house for me
They even sent me back to the guest house after that. Reaching the room, it dawn on me, did I deserve this? I definitely gets way more than I deserve, too much, too good. Regardless, I felt blessed, rasa syukur sangat-sangat that Allah has put me in this position, around all of these people. Seriously rasa tak layak dapat nikmat sebanyak ini. I pray for Allah to give me the strength to deliver what I have promise them, moga Allah permudah segala urusan visa dan segala bagai...
*mode hari : tersentuh sangat-sangat....

Sunday, February 8, 2009

That Literally Hurts!!

I have been having lower back pain for quite some time and after some visit to my local doc, she refered me to a specialist, an orthopeadic to be exact. I did an x-ray but nothing conclusive comes out from that. As follow up I went back for MRI and the results were not good. My lumbar section from L3 all the way to L5 has evident signs of wear and tear. That explains the back pain, at times it is so serious that I just could not get up.

According to the doc, its irreversible, and it is permanent. I was prescribed with some pain med and patches for my back. Ordered to attend physiotheraphy, which I will start next week. For now, am no longer in pain but was advised to be extra careful in all my activities. I can no longer slouch...(which I don't think did anyway), no more heavy lifting (I admit to be doing this quite a lot..even when I was small).

If I'm not be careful, the pain will come again and definitely affect my daily routine. I promise to take good care of myself. Or course I will, after looking at the medical bills, well the company is paying but, after two visits, the bill was around RM1400++, includes all MRI, x-ray,consultation and also the meds. Physio is not included yet...haish...

Spend last weekend catching with some old frens who is due to deliver this May. She didn't even get maternity benefit from the place she is working right now, nor does her hubby. Boy, am I grateful to be where I am now and I have to make the best out of this.

p/s: I have not been using my dental benefits for the past 2 years...am going to start.