The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

Death is only the beginning; afterward comes the hard part.

Immediately I was sucked into the story and found myself at Wall Street in year 1920. I could almost hear the bomb exploded and swore my ears were ringing among the civilians. When the story reminisced on World War 1, it is as though I was transported to the war zone itself. When the author introduced me to Sigmund Freud, Marie Curie, and Thomas Lamont, I was intrigued. As the story evolved towards the United States Treasury, a building on Wall Street, I got a sense of how monetary based on gold had worked before the Bretton Woods system collapsed.

Indeed, for the first time in weeks my mind was able to wander and forget the mirage we call reality. 

Unlike any other historical fiction I'd read, this book seeped right into my soul. The choice of words that the author used and the scene he depicted, revived something in me that I thought had long abated. That something is the thirst to write placidly, without chains.

As the book has given back a piece of me, I in return, give this book 5+ stars.

I just hope that I won't lose this piece of me again.

The Charm of Knowledge

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

When my emotion and physique are not exhausted from work, I would pick up a non fiction book. I have piles of them waiting to be consumed in my office and my apartment. The one I'm currently reading is the The First Command by M. Jamal Haider. It is about Muslim intellectualism in the past.

But don't misunderstand, this is not a post about book review. This is a post on how I am inspired and at the same time stressed, by the Muslim savants from history at which the book highlights. I am inspired because their thirst for knowledge is so pure and sincere, and I am stressed because as an academician, I don't think I can reach their heights.

Source: Wikimedia

Martyrs of knowledge
The curiosity that these group of men possessed were immeasurable. They would go to great lengths for knowledge; always willing to sacrifice almost anything to get an ounce of it. Below is a bullet list of some of them:

• Ibn Sina, or most Westerns would call him Avicenna, had cured the King of Bukhara from an illness when he was mere 17 years old. The King had hired many physicians beforehand but all were unsuccessful. Out of gratefulness, the King wished to present him with a reward. Instead of asking for wealth or power, Ibn Sina asked for access to the King's extraordinary library.
• Abu al-Nasr al-Farabi or better known simply as al-Farabi, did not marry for he was highly focused in academia. I dare say that if most of you had known him, you would say that he doesn't have a life! Before that, he had endured poverty. He was employed as a gardener at first, and at last became the King's companion. He taught us that patience, determination and passion can help one pull through. Perhaps, he understood the meaning of life the most! 
• Abu Ali Hasan ibn al-Haytham or Ibn al-Haytham or Alhazen loved other fields except engineering. He hated it so much to the extent that he pretended to be mentally unstable when Caliph al-Hakim asked him to figure out how to stop floods. After the Caliph died, he pursued other fields of knowledge in Spain. This is another example of what passion, patience, and persistence can lead us to. In addition to all those lessons, we also learn what line of action to take when person(s) of authority asked us to do something that we don't like 😜
• Prince Khalid ibn Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah had abdicated his throne in order to study chemistry. People nowadays would call him a fool.

Most of them are also Mathematicians
It is interesting to know that regardless what their expertise were, most of them were also excellent in Mathematics! Below are some of them:

• Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (died c.840) - Geographer, Astronomer, and Mathematician 
• Banu Musa brothers (9th century) - Mathematicians and Mechanics 
• Thabit ibn Qurrah (836 - 901) - Mathematician, Astronomer, Mechanics and Translator from Greek to Arabic 
• Abu Abdullah al-Battani (858 - 929 CE) - Mathematician, Astronomer, and Mathematician 
• Al-Razi (864 - 930) - Studied medicine, mathematics, astronomy, chemistry, music and philosophy 
• Abu al-Nasr al-Farabi - Studied philosophy, logic, sociology, music, medicine, and mathematics 
• Abu al-Wafa Muhammad al-Buzjani (940 - 997) - Mathematician and Astronomer 
• Abu Ali Hasan ibn al-Haytham (965 - 1040) - Studied optics, mathematics, physics, and medicine 
• Omar Khayyam (1044 - 1123) - Studied mathematics, astronomy, poetry, and metaphysics

This fact is exceptionally intriguing for me because:

Reason 1: My undergraduate Degree was in Mathematical Science
When I entered into the last semester of my sophomore year in university, it began to dawn on me that Mathematics is not for me. I found it harder to learn and understand. Despite my interest in it, I can't seem to grapple with most of the concepts. But somehow when I did my Masters and Doctorate Degree, I always steered back towards some form of Mathematics. I suppose just like human love, I can't really forget Mathematics. Ever since I started reading this book, I decided that I should incorporate more Mathematics in my research; even if it turns out to be mediocre.

Reason 2: Philosophy, poetry, AND mathematics?!
This is utterly mind boggling. In Malaysia at least, there is no one who would be an expert in philosophy or poetry WITH mathematics (if I'm wrong, please correct me). Those three different fields are just that, THREE DIFFERENT FIELDS! I however, do have have a few theories why, though. That my friends, will be in another post in the future, inshALLAH (God willing).


Still, there is one pertinent question to the current post that must be addressed; why was knowledge so alluring to the point that these Muslim scholars fell head over heels for it? I believe the words from M. Jamal Haider holds the obvious answer:

If now some scholars are using such verses (Quranic verses regarding geology, zoology, astrophysics etc.) as proof of authenticity of the Quran, in the past, such verses had directed the Muslims into an incredible quest for scientific knowledge that had lasted over a century.

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

If you're an ardent follower of my blog posts, you'd notice that I've found a (not so) new hobby; hiking. The allure of hiking once a week, to admire nature and breath in the fresh air together with new and old friends, leaves me begging for solitude on another day. It is on this day, the pull of my introvert side would call upon a novel to be present. Navigating Early written by Clare Vanderpool is one such novel.

This novel is by actual fact, a children's novel. I was too proud to buy the novel at first. But the synopsis had helped me battle with my ego. The story takes place on the Appalachian Trail attempted by two friends, one of whom is obsessed with the number pi (3.14). The synopsis certainly piqued the hiker and fallen Mathematician in me. Its true what people say, passion can overcome anything.

Jack Baker, 13 years old, had lost his mother at the end of World War II and was sent to a boarding school by his Naval Seal father. There, Jack met with a peculiar boy, Early Auden. Early has a pet frog named Bucky, likes to colour code his jellybeans when upset, and will silently exit any classroom when he disagrees with what's been taught. Early especially disagrees with his Mathematics teacher who thinks that the number pi has an end because Early opines that the number pi does NOT have an end. Early somehow came out with a story using the pi numbers which he only shared with Jack.

Early had an elder brother who died during the war. But Early does not buy that. There's a black bear who is terrorising hikers on the Appalachian trail and Early believes that he'll find his brother when he finds this bear. Jack thinks this as nonsense of course, but seeing that he's alone during school break, Jack might as well join Early on his quest. Besides, Early reminds him of his mother so much.

As a reader, what fascinates me most is how Early sees the world. It's truly outlandish how people see things differently and get judged harshly for that. Anyway, I believe this is what a good novelist should acquire, a SENSE of his/her characters. Early, if you had not guessed yet, is actually a savant and has high functioning form of autism. I give this book 5 stars.   

A page from the book

Hiking and Discovery

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

Currently in Malaysia, mountain and hill hiking are becoming a fad. Facebookers elate when they find new hill hiking spots and people race to post their hiking adventures on Instagram. These did not go unnoticed. Both responsible and irresponsible hiking trip organisers mushroomed and more people get sucked into the euphoria.

The hiking "fad" isn't necessary a negative connotation, though. It actually presents another method of spending time aside from the typical activities of shopping, dining, gaming, clubbing, and watching Korean soap operas. It began to dawn on people that they can still have a blast and de-stress while sweating.

There are also those who went one step further and find hiking therapeutic. Somehow, the world made much more sense, serenity becomes less elusive, and God is all the more omnipresent. I would like to believe that I'm in this category.


1. Constant steep trail = Never ending trials
Mount Datuk in Rembau is the most popular place to hike for those who want to transition from hill hiking to mountain hiking. 80% of its trail involve steep and tiring ascends. I remember pushing myself hard, controlled my breathing, and asked hikers descending the mountain how long more until we reach the top.

One of a few set of stairs leading to the top of Mount Datuk

Raihan, a friend of mine, told me that this steep trail symbolises the never ending trials that we face in life. The capability to breath in oxygen always comes with responsibilities, hardship, anger, annoyance, misunderstanding, and sometimes, the urge to just kill one self. This is simply how ALLAH had designed life to be.

2. Effort, patience, and perseverance always pay off
Still, ALLAH had also decreed that those with effort, patience, and perseverance will pull through. If not in this world, the next.

Kutu Hill is NOT a hill; its a mountain. Situated in Kuala Kubu Bharu, it rises 200+ meters more than Mount Datuk. If Mount Datuk is tiring, Kutu Hill is grueling. My knee gave way and my brother literally had to carry me down for a short while. Its not that the Kutu Hill trail is steeper, but it's longer, wilder, and lonelier. In comparison to Mount Datuk, not many people hike here.

View from the top of Kutu Hill

The Kutu Hill trail reminds me of my PhD studies a bit; a long, winding, and lonely odyssey which has not yet end! To quote Linkin Park, "Uphill struggle, blood, sweat, and tears". Nevertheless, each time I reach the peak of the mountain (or hill) that I'm hiking on, it gives me optimism that I can finish it. This also applies to my ambition of becoming a novelist (despite not being able to fulfill promises to my readers)! 

3. Its the journey that matters

Although messy and unpredictable, its often the journey that matters. There's no meaning if we achieve success by cheating and manipulating. The journey should pain us so that we grow wiser and kinder.  

This hit me when I hiked Botak Hill in Puncak Alam. The top was completely bare like a bald head (hence the name Botak) but the trail was pleasant. We were greeted by ferns, huge boulders, and birds freely roaming the vast sky.

Botak Hill trail

4. Compassion and teamwork
I felt pain not at Botak Hill but at Batu Chondong Hill in Ulu Klang. I fell when I was climbing down a tree. My friend Aisyah, not me, was traumatised with the incident (not to worry, I'm fully recovered, alhamdulillah).

The tree that I fell from, Batu Chondong Hill trail

Truthfully, I did not felt pain when I fell. Maybe I was in a daze but I also like to think that it was because Azratee and Aisyah comforted me. They were willing to slow down to my injured pace and hold my hand as I descended. I, who tends to be secretive, came to terms to the fact that expressing can reduce emotional hurt. 

5. Learning is infinite
To be honest, Batu Chondong Hill trail was the fastest hike for me in comparison to Kutu Hill, Botak Hill, and Mount Datuk. My knee didn't hurt one bit! Indeed, with experience comes skill. But, falling down from a tree, teaches me that I must never feel over confident. I should always be humble, careful, and keep on learning to become better. 

Gasing Hill is an educational jungle set in bustling Petaling Jaya, my very first hiking trail as an adult. Hence the word "educational" absolutely hit home with me because I had learned my very first lesson there; hiking is therapeutic. I remember that I was almost near crazy trying to include waqf (Google it!) into my economic model.

Gasing Hill trail

6. History is a great teacher
History has always been close to my heart. I was the best student for history during PMR (a centralised exam for Form 3 students during my time) and History of Mathematics was my favourite subject during undergraduate studies. My first publish book (which I retracted, by the way) was inspired from that subject.

People always say that we should forget the past. That, in my opinion, is utterly wrong. We have to accept and learn from it because the past is an invaluable teacher. Events in the past, can help guide our thoughts, feelings, actions, and decision making. For instance from the Quran:

And We certainly sent Noah to his people, and he remained among them a thousand years minus fifty years, and the flood seized them while they were wrongdoers. (Surah Al-Ankabut: 14)

This verse teaches us that even 950 years of effort can't change people's minds. It is really up to the individual themselves. Yet the Prophet Noah pressed on because he knows that ALLAH counts his effort; not whether he succeeds or not. As such, we should internalise these lessons that had occurred in the past when we read this verse. Not to mention, finance and economic, two out of many "professional" and "real" areas, still rely heavily on historical data for forecasting.

It is the reason of history that I attempted the Mount Berembun trans Telapak Buruk trail in Pantai twice. During the first try, I wasn't able to reach the World War-II B-24 Liberator air craft crash site. Still eager to see, I attempted the second time and made it to the site. Indeed, nobody can ever know how death may approach.

Remains of the aircraft on Telapak Buruk

 
7. Living reminders of God
It is hard to shake the awe that every hill and mountain hiking has to offer. The animals serve as a reminder that ALLAH is Al-Khaliq (The Creator) while the ruins elucidate ALLAH as Al-Mumeet (The Destroyer). The fruits and rushing water speak of ALLAH Al-Muqeet (The Feeder) while the view from the mountain top shouts ALLAH Al-Aliyy (The Most High). Easy trails echo ALLAH Ar-Raheem (The Merciful) while the arduous ones constantly whisper ALLAH Al-Hafiz (The Guarding One). When I rest and put my head on the bare ground in prayer, I can't help but hear ALLAH Al-Mujeeb (The Responding One). As I descend down the hill, got in my car, and head home, my heart sings ALLAH Al-Ahad (The One).

Broga Hill in Broga

Lessons on Writing: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult (Spoiler Alert!)

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

It has been long since I post about a novel for one simple reason; I rarely have the time to read for leisure. But I needed to rest my mind so I skeptically bought Leaving Time. When I finish reading it however, I felt glad that I bought it. Not only that I felt refreshed, I also learned a few writing pointers.

But before I delve into those pointers, you need to know the story. Do read the synopsis here and let me fill in the ending later. Read the link, already? Alright then.

Jenna Metcalf and Virgil Stanhope are actually dead and living in the spirit world; of which they did not realise. Hence it's not that Alice didn't want to come back for Jenna but because she can't; she's alive and Jenna is not. Serenity Jones on the other hand, did not know that she was helping two spirits at first.


1. Introducing a riveting element of surprise

Photo credit: Christopher Michel

I find this to be extremely difficult to craft while Jodi Picoult exceeded expectations. Her trick was to make the life of Jenna and Virgil as mundane as possible by narrating the spirit world like our world, like the world of the living just so we do not suspect anything. For example, Jenna riding a bicycle, Jenna browsing the internet, Jenna living with her grandma, Virgil pretending to flirt with a lab attendant, and many others. To not make it look dull, the author added the element of mystery to the story. What I mean by mystery is, readers can't help but want to know why Alice left her daughter. From what Jenna describes her, surely Alice is in some kind of trouble. Maybe she's dead. Maybe she's in captive. So readers would just keep on reading and cling to their curiosity because they NEED to find out why. When the author dropped in casual (and some not so casual) hints throughout the story, the readers just read through them without giving much thought. Combining these three aspects: mundane, mystery, and casual hints will in the end have the awe effect on readers.    


2. Different ways to create awareness in story 

Photo credit: kikatani

More often than not, we write a story because we want to teach certain message(s), make the readers aware of certain issue(s), or provoke readers to think. As a result, we make these the main focus of our story. Take for instance the Hunger Games trilogy. We can easily see that the main message of the story is about political injustice (okay I didn't read the books but I watched the movie which is based on the books). We start to notice that this is happening in the real world.

Focusing back to Leaving Time, Jodi Picoult raised awareness on elephant exploitation and how we need to protect this majestic creature without making it the center stage. She does this by fashioning Alice as a scientist who studies elephant grief of which intertwines with Alice's own grief from losing her own daughter (of course the readers didn't realise it at first). Therefore, Jodi Picoult indirectly speaks to the readers' heart and conscience about the elephants, without making elephants the main focus.


3. The power of story that can reach minds and change hearts

Photo credit: ecooper99

I am an animal lover but now I have a special spot for elephants in my heart. All of this is because I read Leaving Time. So the fact that a book can do this to me becomes my motivation to work harder for my novelette and later writing projects. It made me realise more that writing is a gift from God and it should be used to impact the lives of HIS creatures on earth. Otherwise, we are just being ungrateful to HIM.

I also believe that bearing this in mind can help authors and bloggers to rise up to the grueling task of writing. The same can be said to those who dreams to be a writer. The possibility to change hearts can crush the wall of fear and lack of confidence that often surrounds a future writer.


I sincerely hope that you gain something from this week's post. I also hope that this post has touch or at least brush your lives. Until the next post...do take care! 
  

My Free Upcoming Novelette: The Origin of Letters to God

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

We bound to feel intense emotion at some point in our life. The feeling of elation when we get married, outrage when we experience betrayal, or anguish when our most beloved pass away. These feelings lead to two extremes which is either intoxication or death. And Letters to God is mostly born from the latter extreme.

I sat quietly in my room one day, pondering on the gloomy events of my life. I'd imagine how much more severe things can turn out; and the choices I have if they indeed become reality. One of the few options that I have is to give up. But giving up itself has many definitions; walk away, sink into depression, ignore reality, or taking ones own life. However in my religion Islam, giving up is abhorred. And this is where ALLAH gave me an idea for a story.

      
Thus I began to ponder further. What pushes a person to the point where suicide was the only option left? For a religious person, how come s(he) was able to defy God by not valuing life and be thankful of it?

I come to realise that I'm stepping into the realm of psychology which I have zero knowledge in. Despite the fact that info dumping is taboo in the realm of fiction writing, adequate knowledge is still needed to make a story appear realistic. With almost all efforts used to finish my Doctoral degree on time, I am certain that I can't spare time for another research area. On top of that, studying all religions in existence can be overwhelming (in fact I have much to learn about Islam). Also to be honest, the story can be a bore if not written artfully.

I almost gave up on the story before ALLAH inspired me again. Instead of a novel, why not a novelette? This way, I can create a fast pace story and a surface knowledge of psychology is all that I need. Since I'm more familiar with the major religions in Malaysia, I decide to focus on that. One downfall is that the study of religions can take years. Therefore I must admit that Letters to God won't do justice to some religions.

I refuse to take that as a setback though. Besides, my story is fiction and no story is perfect. So I switched on my laptop and started writing. Now and then, I would pause and browse the internet for real suicide stories and religious talks on the issue.

At present however, Letters to God is at a stand still. I'm suffering from writer's block and due to my P.h.D requirements, I am forced to take a short break from writing fiction. But be sure, I am never going to give up...ever!

Sunan - Nanggroe Sang Kembara by Ramlee Awang Murshid

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers!

I had spent my last weekend by reading this novel:

For those who follow my blog knows that books written by Ramlee Awang Murshid (RAM) is the only Malaysian book that I ever read.

Truth be told, this book was published months back but the worries and fear of embarking on a new phase of life (read PhD studies) had hindered me from purchasing it immediately.

This book narrates the life of Laksamana Sunan when he was still a young boy and a teenager. He is known as the "miracle boy" because he was still born; no cries, no movement, no nothing. But after minutes pass, he suddenly wailed like a normal baby.

Laksamana Sunan, or his real name Saifuddin, lives happily with his family at Kampung Punggor for a little over a decade. Then an unfaithful incident occurred; Orang Kaya Seman desired to be the chief of Punggor. He had set up a devious plan to overthrow Saifuddin's father who is the current chief. He remorselessly slandered Saifuddin and forced four other people, including his own daughter, to become false witnesses to implicate Saifuddin. As a result, Saifuddin was lashed with a cane in front of the villagers. Ashamed and felt betrayed by his own father, he ran away to Malacca. But misfortune still chased him; he was caught by pirates and sold as a slave at the port of Malacca, the very place he had hoped to find peace.

To understand why I love this novel, you must first know that this novel is a prologue to Sutera Bidadari, Cinta Sufi and other Laksamana Sunan series. In those series, Laksamana Sunan is already portrayed as a pious warrior, a perfect man to be precise. On the other hand, Sunan - Nanggroe Sang Kembara portrays his imperfect side, which is the person he is before he became a great warrior; much like Anakin Skywalker only he's the opposite.

I must say that I drank in this novel patiently, so as to really appreciate the hardships that Saifuddin went through. It is almost analogous with the PhD journey that I am currently in. Indeed, it is the hardships that make a person stronger and wiser.

Only one thing that disappoints me, RAM had left me hanging! There will be a continuation. So typical of him. Anyway, I award this novel 4.7/5

Rabiatul Adawiyah by Nurfaridah Rubani

I was at the bookstore in Masjid India; wanting to use the last of my book voucher. I peered upon piles and piles of books deciding which to buy. Then I recalled one of my many curiosities: sufism. You see, I don't know what sufism meant, its teachings and all, so I decided to purchase a book about this. Also, lurking somewhere deep down in my heart was a dreaded feeling that I would let only ALLAH and a loved one to know. This feeling that ALLAH had put in my heart urged me to acquire a book solely about Rabiatul Adawiyah. Thus I bought these two books:

1) Rabiatul Adawiyah by Nurfaridah Rubani

2) Muslim Saints and Mystics: Episodes from the Tadhkirah al Awliya' of Farid al-Din Attar translated by  
    A.J Arberry

However today, in this post, I won't be talking about sufism. I've only read the publisher's note, introduction and the chapter on Rabiatul Adawiyah from the second book so I don't think I can post about sufism just yet. Indeed, I don't think I will ever post it because I'm afraid that I might write it down wrongly; or people might interpret it differently. Instead, I would like to present to you a briefed autobiography of Rabiatul Adawiyah. Besides, I've also finished reading the first book.

Rabiah's parents were a poor lot. They do not possess even one drop of oil to anoint her navel, no lap nor a rag to swaddle her in. Rabiah's father, Ismail, then dreamed of Rasulullah saw.
"Be not sorrowful," the Prophet bade him. "The girl child who has just come to earth is a queen among women, who shall be be the intercessor for seventy thousand of my community Tomorrow," the Prophet continued, "go to Isa Zadan the governor of Basra. Write on a piece of paper to the following effect. 'Every night you send upon me a hundred blessings, and on Friday four hundred. Last night was Friday night and you forgot me. In expiation for that, give this man four hundred dinars lawfully acquired.'"
And so Ismail did what Rasulullah saw had told him in his dream. Ismail then acquired the dinars from the governor and bought all that was necessary.

Soon after, Ismail and his wife died and left Rabiah and her three sisters. A famine then came upon Basra and she and her sisters were scattered. Rabiah wandered and was seen by a wicked man who had captured and sold her as a slave for 6 dirhams.

One night, her master saw Rabiah bowing prostrate and praying.
"O God, Thou knowest that the desire of my heart is in conformity with Thy command, and that the light of my eye is in serving Thy court. If the affair lay with me, I would not rest one hour from serving Thee, but Thou Thyself hast set me under the hand of a creature."
Rabiah's master saw a lantern suspended without any chain above her head, the light whereof filled the whole house. Seeing this, he felt afraid and decides to set Rabiah free.

Rabiah then settled in Basrah where she attained great fame as a saint and a preacher and was highly esteemed by many of her pious contemporaries. She chose the life of celibacy so that she can focus all her time to worship and love only ALLAH swt.

There are many anecdotes about Rabiah. But I will mention only a few in this post.

"Do you desire for us to get married?" Hasan asked Rabiah.
"The tie of marriage applies to those who have being," Rabiah replied. "Here being has disappeared, for I have become naughted to self and exist only through Him. I belong wholly to Him. I live in the shadow of His control. You must ask my hand of Him, not of me."

Malik bin Dinar relates as follows:
I went to visit Rabiah and saw her with a broken pitcher out of which she drank and made her ritual ablutions, an old reed mat, and a brick which she occasionally used as a pillow. I was grieved.
"I have rich friends," I told her. "If you wish, I will get something from them for you."
"Malik, you have committed a grievous error," she answered. "Is not my Provider and theirs one and the same?"
"Yes," I replied.
"And has the Provider of the poor forgotten the poor on account of their poverty? And does HE remember the rich because of their riches?" she asked.
"No," I replied.
"Then," she went on, "since He knows my estate, how should I remind HIM? Such is HIS will, and I too wish as HE wills."  

After her death, she was seen in a dream.
She was asked "How did you fare with Munkar and Nakir?" She replied, "Those youths came to me and said, 'Who is thy Lord?' I answered, 'Return and say to God, with so many thousand creatures Thou didst not forget one feeble old woman. I, who have only Thee in the whole world, I shall never, forget Thee, that Thou shouldst sent one to ask me, Who is thy, God?'" 

To me, what inspires me about Rabiah is her sincerity in loving ALLAH. Nowadays, it's almost impossible to see anyone who loves ALLAH just like how Rabiah loves HIM. And Rabiah doesn't loves ALLAH because she wants to be in paradise or is afraid of the hell fire, in fact she loves ALLAH without expecting any return from him. The only thing that she wants is to meet ALLAH and be with him. This can be seen in her prayer:

O God, whatsoever Thou has apportioned to me of worldly, things, do Thou give that to Thy enemies; and whatsoever, Thou hast apportioned to me in the world to come, give that to Thy friends; for Thou sufficest me. O God, if I worship Thee for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell and if I worship Thee in hope of paradise, exclude me from Paradise; but if I worship Thee for Thy own sake, grudge me not Thy everlasting beauty. O God, my whole occupation and all my desire in this world of all worldly things, is to remember Thee, and in the world to come, of all things of the world to come, is to meet Thee. This is on my side, as I have stated; now do whatsoever Thou wilt.

As for me, I don't think my iman can reach Rabiah's level. I certainly can't live a celibacy life. I think, all that I can do, is put in my best effort to love HIM sincerely, and always put ALLAH first in my life. I may not be able to follow her lifestyle totally, but there are some that I can apply. InsyALLAH.  

Andrea Hirata

I wasn't able to gather much about Andrea Hirata. All that I can obtain about him was from his novels, an article from The Jakarta Post and pages vi - x of Padang Bulan (copied from chloe meslin cousteau). The details from these pages was what that had urged me to write to you about him.

                                            Picture taken from Sharing is Fun

Andrea Hirata is from the Island of Belitung, Indonesia. It is on this very island where the story of Laskar Pelangi took place. This first novel was actually written for his teacher.

“I always wanted to write her a book,” he says, leaning forward across the coffee table. “Ever since I was in the third grade, I had this profound image stored in my head: the rain was pouring down hard one morning and, holding a banana leaf over her head, Ms. Muslimah urged her students to come to school.

“It was incredible. So, I said to myself, ‘Some day I’m going to write her a book.’ And I did, many years later.” 
(Andrea Hirata: A Writer's Journey)

Andrea Hirata attended a postgraduate programme at Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom and had passed cum laude. His studies was sponsored by the European Union scholarship. He then did a research at Groningen, Holland and Sorbonne, Paris. He studied the development of pricing models, especially in the economic theory of communication. After that, he had worked in a financial institution at London before working in a telecommunication enterprise at Indonesia. However, he was not happy at both of the places. In the year 2010, he received a writing scholarship award from University of Iowa, USA.

Now, Andrea Hirata lives in Belitong Island with his parents. He spends his time in a cabin at the river banks and at the edge of his village without any phone line, internet and electricity. He also likes to day dream. At times, Andrea Hirata would volunteer teaching English and Mathematics to young children. He is also testing his voice at the mosque in order to be a muazzin.

After finishing his new book, Dwilogi Padang Bulan dan Cinta di Dalam Gelas, he plans to take care of a few cows in the hope that the cows will inspire  him to write more novels.

He'll only go out from the island to attend book festivals and overseas film.

Four of his books had been translated into English. Laskar Pelangi, his first book, will be translated into Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, Korean and other Asian and European countries.
The below pictures are taken from chloe meslin cousteau.

What I'm inspired most by Andrea Hirata is that he had the opportunity to work in promising firms but instead, he chose this. He follows what he wants; day dreaming, write novels and be a volunteer teacher. I'm also in awe because it is very rare for a South East Asian writer to enter the international market; more so when the writer's books are translated into various languages.
It is because of his novels, Sang Pemimpi and Edensor that I dream to travel and learn about cultures and people. It is because of those novels (one of the reasons, actually) that I want to pursue my Masters in the UK but sadly...lets not get to that.

Andrea Hirata is a dreamer, a traveler, a learner, a contributor and a motivator... Despite all of that, he always puts his home at heart. MasyALLAH.

“I’m a small-town boy who comes from a traditional family on a tiny island called Belitung,” he says. “I may not know where I’m going, but I’ll always know where to come home to.”
(Andrea Hirata: A Writer's Journey)

Uzumaki Naruto

I bet those who know me will say, "Don't you ever get bored of Naruto?" or "That's the only thing that you keep talking about; Naruto, Naruto, Naruto!" Okay firstly, I don't always talk about Naruto. I mean, I do talk about somebody else: Dr Gregory House, Hermione, Parker.. And secondly, I actually want to share with you the reason I admire Uzumaki Naruto so much. Unlike other fans (I think so), my perspective of Naruto is different. Please, I implore you to not stop reading. Give me a chance to explain.


A Brief Biography of Naruto

Uzumaki Naruto is the son of Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. Around the time of his birth, the Nine Tailed Fox had attacked the village of Konoha. The ninjas of Konoha fought bravely in order to defeat this monster an alas, won. The Fourth Hokage had sealed this monster inside of Naruto with the hope that Naruto will be regard of as a hero one day. Soon after, the Fourth Hokage passed away.

Naruto grew up on his own then; and sadly, not the way the Fourth Hokage had hoped for. Instead of looking up to him, the people of the village hated him and blamed him as the monster who had pillaged Konoha. And because of this, Naruto was singled out and became a loner.

At a young age, Naruto had joined the Ninja Academy in order to train himself to be a ninja. The other young ninjas treated him the same way as their parents did; they hated him and avoided him. So in order to gain their attention, Naruto vandalizes the whole village. He had sprayed pain at the Hokage Monument, drew on the Hokage's face and many other childish acts.

As he spent his days learning in the Ninja Academy, his teacher, Umino Iruka finally recognizes Naruto as who he is; a human being and a ninja. Iruka had acknowledged Naruto's dream of becoming a Hokage, truly believes in him. Soon after that, Naruto successfully made friends with Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Hinata and his other fellow genins.

Naruto First Film: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

Naruto's team was sent on a mission to escort Princess Koyuki back to her old country called the Snow Country. However the Snow Country is now controlled by Koyuki's uncle, Doto. He was the one who had killed his own brother, Koyuki's father, so that he can rule the country in tyranny. Despite Sandayuu's (one of the faithfull warrior of the Snow Country) on knees request for Princess Koyuki to take over the Snow Country, Princess Koyuki ignores it. There's no point in fighting and hoping. This is because to her, fighting will only cause death and sorrow. Do watch the best movie moments in the film here. Below is one inspirational quote from the video:

Naruto: If you give up, I'm sure it'll be quite a relief. No one will bother you, or even pay attention to you. It was alright but it was still really painful. I felt there was no place for me in this world. But..I have good friends now. And when I tried my best and didn't give up, good things happened! If you give up, your dreams and everything else, will end right here!

"...and never give up hope of Allah's Soothing Mercy: truly no one despairs of Allah's Soothing Mercy, except those who have no faith." (Surah Yusuf:87)

"Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah. for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Az-Zumar:53)


"...Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)..." (Ar-Ra'd:11)

Naruto and Jiraiya


As he grows up, Naruto starts to train under higher rank ninjas. From Iruka, Naruto moved on to Kakashi and finally to Jiraiya. This he must do in order to become a powerful ninja and to fulfil his dream in becoming a Hokage. What's more, training under Jiraiya requires Naruto to travel alongside him. So he left Konoha and had only return after years of training. During his training, Naruto obeys Jiraiya's every lesson and slowly grew close to his mentor.

“If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will cause him to travel on one of the roads of paradise. The angels will lower their wings in their great pleasure with one who seeks knowledge, the inhabitants of the heavens and the Earth and the fish in the deep waters will ask forgiveness for the learned man. The superiority of the learned man over the devout is like that of the moon, on the night when it is full, over the rest of the stars. The learned are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets leave neither dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who takes it takes an abundant portion.” (Sunan Abu Dawud)

"Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline: or the dwellings in which ye delight - are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause;- then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious. " (At-Taubah:24)

Naruto and Sasuke


In his heart, Naruto regards Sasuke as his closest friend even though he shows dislike at him. Ever since Sasuke's whole clan had been killed, Naruto's urge to get close to him is more profound. To Naruto, Sasuke is like a brother. That's why when Sasuke starts to seek power from Orochimaru and up until he joins the Akatsuki, Naruto still persisted in saving him from his evil ways.

"Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to attain felicity." (Ali Imran:104)


Rasullluah saw said: No man is a true believer unless he desires for his brother that, which he desires for himself. (Bukhari)

What I'm Trying to Say


From Naruto's biography up until the sub title above, I'm sure that you can sense a bit of Naruto's determination and perseverance to be accepted, and to fulfill his dreams: How he had altered people's outlook towards him, how he can find the positive amongst all the negative and how he can still stand after falling down countless times and most importantly, how he desperately holds on to his principle: his Way of the Ninja.

And this is our journey in the reality too: To defeat our nafsu (lust, desire) and Satan, to stand back up each time we lose to them (nafsu and Satan), to keep hoping for ALLAH's mercy and love; and to live by the Islamic way of life 


"So patiently persevere: for verily the promise of Allah is true: nor let those shake thy firmness, who have (themselves) no certainty of faith." (Ar-Rum:60)