[Beramal dengan ajaran Islam itu satu tahap. Menyokong perjuangan Islam itu adalah satu tahap selepasnya. Menjadi pendukungnya pula adalah satu tahap lagi selepasnya. Menggabung diri dalam jamaah dakwah yang tersusun adalah satu tahap di atasnya. Semuanya dijanjikan kebaikan oleh Allah. Tetapi, pada setiap tahap, tahap kebaikan yang diperolehi juga berbeza. Justeru tiada sebab untuk menafikan kebenaran berlumba-lumba menuju tahap tertinggi iaitu 'berjihad di dalam satu jamaah yang tersusun dan kita adalah jundi/tentera yang taat terhadapnya'. Itulah impian muslim menuju puncak.

Ustaz Nik Mohamad Abduh

The best education's one that builds your confidence, lifts your spirit, empowers u to be the best u can be. Never the name of the varsity. - Limkokwing

Maulid

ANTARA PENDAPAT ULAMA MENGENAI MAULID

Imam Jalaluddin Al-Sayuti (Lihat kitab: Husnul Maqsad Fi Amal Maulid).

Beliau ditanya tentang hukum perayaan Maulid pada bulan Rabiulawal: Apakah orang yang merayakannya mendapat pahala? Beliau menjawab: Perayaan Maulid pada hakikatnya ialah mengumpulkan kebanyakkan orang untuk membaca beberapa ayat al-Quran. Kemudian menjelaskan jalan-jalan dakwah sejak mula diutuskannya Rasulullah. Acara itu diisi dengan menghidangkan makanan sebelum para hadirin kembali ke tempat masing-masing. Dengan tidak berlebihan saya katakan bahawa perayaan semacam itu tergolong dalam bidaah hasanah yang bila dilakukan akan mendapat pahala. Mereka telah mengagungkan kedudukan Nabi S.A.W. dan menyatakan kesyukuran mereka di atas kelahiran Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. sebagai penghulu umat.

Syeikh al-Islam Ibnu Taimiyah (Lihat kitab: Iqtidha as-Shirath al-Mustaqin).

Berkata Syeikh Islam Ibnu Taimiyah: Memuliakan Maulid dan merayakannya setiap tahun seperti yang dilakukan oleh sesetengah orang akan mendapat ganjaran pahala daripada Allah Taala kerana niatnya baik dan memuliakan Rasulullah S.A.W.

Terdapat ramai lagi ulama yang turut membolehkan sambutan Maulidur Rasul ini antaranya seperti: Imam Ibnu Hajar al-Asqalani, Al-Allamah Sayyid Ahmad Zaini Dahlan, Syeikh Muhammad al-Khazraji, al-Muhaddith Syeikh Dr. Al-Sayyid Muhammad bin al-Sayyid Alawi al-Maliki, Syeikh Atiyah Saqar, Syeikh Prof. Dr. Yusof al-Qaradhawi, Syeikh Prof. Dr. Ali Jumaah dan lain-lain lagi.

PERINGATAN PENTING

Kaedah Fiqhiyah menyatakan bermaksud:

Tidak boleh dibantah sesuatu hukum yang berlaku khilaf di kalangan fuqaha. Hanya yang boleh dibantah ialah perkara mungkar yang disepakati oleh para ulama di atas pengharamannya.

(Sila lihat kitab al-Asybah Wa al-Nazair Fi Qawaid Wa Furu Fiqh al-Syafiiyah karangan Imam Jalaluddin Al-Sayuti).

Maksud kaedah ini (di atas) secara lebih jelas ialah kita tidak boleh menafikan, membantah, atau menuduh bidaah lagi sesat dan sebagainya kepada orang lain yang memilih salah satu pendapat dalam perkara agama yang berlaku perselisihan pendapat ulama padanya. Malangnya jika dilihat fenomena hari terdapat segelintir golongan yang menceburi lapangan dakwah Islamiah menyanggah kaedah ini. Mereka dengan sewenang-wenangnya mengeluarkan perkataan yang kesat kepada orang yang berpegang dengan perkara khilafiyyah yang tidak sealiran dengan mereka dengan mengkafirkan, memfasiqkan dan membidaahkan golongan tersebut. Malah mereka hanya menyeru orang lain supaya memahami dan menerima pendapat mereka sahaja sedangkan mereka tidak melihat terlebih dahulu keadaan tempat dan suasana pada ketika itu. Inilah antara masalah terbesar yang menimbulkan banyak kesan negatif kepada umat Islam semenjak sekian lama.

PENUTUP

Suka saya mengambil kata-kata al-Muhaddith Syeikh Dr. Al-Sayyid Muhammad bin al-Sayyid Alawi al-Maliki seperti berikut:

Bahawa sesiapa yang hendak menolak perayaan ini atau perhimpunan mengingati Maulidur Rasul atau merayakan kelahirannya atau kehidupannya pada musim tertentu dengan alasan para salaf tidak pernah melakukannya maka alasan itu bukanlah satu dalil yang boleh diterima bahkan ia tidak berdalil langsung.

Di sini saya ingin menyeru kepada semua umat Islam agar sentiasa mengingati serta mendalami sirah baginda S.A.W. dan mengambil pengajaran daripadanya. Sayangilah dan hormatilah baginda S.A.W...

http://pondokhabib.wordpress.com (via Ustaz Azhar Idrus ( Original ))

Lalang dan Padi

Tanam padi lalang akan tumbuh..Tanam lalang padi takkan tumbuh...

analogi

Hidup mesti sentiasa berkompas cari akhirat..

dunia akan datang bila kita sungguh-sungguh cari akhirat.

Ustaz Ismail Kamus

Gagal Bukan Bererti Kalah

Perasaan yang sama seperti lima tahun lepas semasa masih di universiti.

Gagal

Pahit tetapi ia harus ditelan. Tak mudah untuk menerima hakikat kegagalan.Ia hakikat kehidupan.Sepanjang selusur kehidupan ini, mesti kita akan melalui fasa-fasa yang meresahkan ini.

Tapi ia bukan bermaksud kita sudah tersungkur.

Masih ada peluang untuk menebus.Cuma, ambil sedikit masa untuk ubat hati yang sedikit kecewa.

Sentiasalah positif.

Insyaallah duka itu akan ringan kembali.Hikmah wajib ada atas setiap kejadian.

Wallahualam.

Quote

[Razeman (@zemanx1) has shared a Tweet with you:

"theRealKiyosaki: One of the best skills of an entrepreneur is the ability to question. By asking new questions, new answers are found."
--http://twitter.com/theRealKiyosaki/status/159606016017825793]

[Razeman (@zemanx1) has shared a Tweet with you:

"drmuhaya: Reprogram our thinking and we reprogram our life"
--http://twitter.com/drmuhaya/status/158593732185292800]

Ibrah 53: Guru,Mentor?

What Do You Make, Teacher?

This was adapted and taken from
http://malaysiafinance.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-do-you-make-teacher.html

~~~~~~~~~~~

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued:
"What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

To stress his point he said to another guest;
"You're a teacher, Boon. Be honest. What do you make?"

Teacher Boon, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied,
"You want to know what I make?
(She paused for a second, then began...)


"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like he was a Medal of Honor winner.Then I give a reassuring pat on the shoulder of another because he showed improvement. He had only two red marks over the last monthly test in which he had three red marks!

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 min. without an I Pod or a Game Cube.

You want to know what I make?
(She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)

I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them how to write and then I make them write.
Keyboarding isn't everything.
I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math.
They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my Malay, Chinese and Indian students learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they
were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life

( Boon paused one last time and then continued.)

Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make?
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ALL YOUR LIVES, EDUCATING KIDS AND PREPARING THEM TO BECOME CEO's, AND DOCTORS AND ENGINEERS..........
What do you make Mr. CEO?

His jaw dropped; he went silent.

Ibrah 52: Quote from Steve Jobs

Sekadar Berkongsi:

Quote of Steve Jobs

On Technology

“It takes these very simple-minded instructions—‘Go fetch a number, add it to this number, put the result there, perceive if it’s greater than this other number’––but executes them at a rate of, let’s say, 1,000,000 per second. At 1,000,000 per second, the results appear to be magic.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“The problem is I’m older now, I’m 40 years old, and this stuff doesn’t change the world. It really doesn’t.

“I’m sorry, it’s true. Having children really changes your view on these things. We’re born, we live for a brief instant, and we die. It’s been happening for a long time. Technology is not changing it much — if at all.

“These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and support groups, get medical information, the latest experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence life. I’m not downplaying that.

“But it’s a disservice to constantly put things in this radical new light — that it’s going to change everything. Things don’t have to change the world to be important.” [Wired, February 1996]

***

“I think it’s brought the world a lot closer together, and will continue to do that. There are downsides to everything; there are unintended consequences to everything. The most corrosive piece of technology that I’ve ever seen is called television — but then, again, television, at its best, is magnificent.” [Rolling Stone, Dec. 3, 2003]

On Design

“We think the Mac will sell zillions, but we didn’t build the Mac for anybody else. We built it for ourselves. We were the group of people who were going to judge whether it was great or not. We weren’t going to go out and do market research. We just wanted to build the best thing we could build.

AP

Steve Jobs in 1997

When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works. The design of the Mac wasn’t what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked. To design something really well, you have to get it. You have to really grok what it’s all about. It takes a passionate commitment to really thoroughly understand something, chew it up, not just quickly swallow it. Most people don’t take the time to do that.

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.

“Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have. [Wired, February 1996]

***

“For something this complicated, it’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” [BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998, in a profile that also included the following gem: "Steve clearly has done an incredible job," says former Apple Chief Financial Officer Joseph Graziano. "But the $64,000 question is: Will Apple ever resume growth?"]

***

“This is what customers pay us for–to sweat all these details so it’s easy and pleasant for them to use our computers. We’re supposed to be really good at this. That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to customers, but it’s hard for them to tell you what they want when they’ve never seen anything remotely like it. Take desktop video editing. I never got one request from someone who wanted to edit movies on his computer. Yet now that people see it, they say, ‘Oh my God, that’s great!’” [Fortune, January 24 2000]

***

“Look at the design of a lot of consumer products — they’re really complicated surfaces. We tried to make something much more holistic and simple. When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can often times arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions. Most people just don’t put in the time or energy to get there. We believe that customers are smart, and want objects which are well thought through.” [MSNBC and Newsweek interview, Oct. 14, 2006]

On His Products

“I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard on something, but working on Macintosh was the neatest experience of my life. Almost everyone who worked on it will say that. None of us wanted to release it at the end. It was as though we knew that once it was out of our hands, it wouldn’t be ours anymore. When we finally presented it at the shareholders’ meeting, everyone in the auditorium gave it a five-minute ovation. What was incredible to me was that I could see the Mac team in the first few rows. It was as though none of us could believe we’d actually finished it. Everyone started crying.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

Playboy: We were warned about you: Before this Interview began, someone said we were “about to be snowed by the best.”

[Smiling] “We’re just enthusiastic about what we do.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them.” [On Mac OS X, Fortune, Jan. 24, 2000]

***

“It will go down in history as a turning point for the music industry. This is landmark stuff. I can’t overestimate it!” [On the iTunes Music Store, Fortune, May 12, 2003]

***

“Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything. … One is very fortunate if you get to work on just one of these in your career. Apple’s been very fortunate it’s been able to introduce a few of these into the world.” [Announcement of the iPhone, Jan. 9, 2007]

On Business

“You know, my main reaction to this money thing is that it’s humorous, all the attention to it, because it’s hardly the most insightful or valuable thing that’s happened to me.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

***

Q: There’s a lot of symbolism to your return. Is that going to be enough to reinvigorate the company with a sense of magic?

“You’re missing it. This is not a one-man show. What’s reinvigorating this company is two things: One, there’s a lot of really talented people in this company who listened to the world tell them they were losers for a couple of years, and some of them were on the verge of starting to believe it themselves. But they’re not losers. What they didn’t have was a good set of coaches, a good plan. A good senior management team. But they have that now.” [BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998]

***

“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.” [Fortune, Nov. 9, 1998]

***

“The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament.” [Apple Confidential: The Real Story of Apple Computer Inc., May 1999]

***

“The problem with the Internet startup craze isn’t that too many people are starting companies; it’s that too many people aren’t sticking with it. That’s somewhat understandable, because there are many moments that are filled with despair and agony, when you have to fire people and cancel things and deal with very difficult situations. That’s when you find out who you are and what your values are.

“So when these people sell out, even though they get fabulously rich, they’re gypping themselves out of one of the potentially most rewarding experiences of their unfolding lives. Without it, they may never know their values or how to keep their newfound wealth in perspective.” [Fortune, Jan. 24, 2000]

***

“The system is that there is no system. That doesn’t mean we don’t have process. Apple is a very disciplined company, and we have great processes. But that’s not what it’s about. Process makes you more efficient.

“But innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we’ve been thinking about a problem. It’s ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.

“And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We’re always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important. [BusinessWeek, Oct. 12, 2004]

On His Competitors

Playboy: Are you saying that the people who made PCjr don’t have that kind of pride in the product?

“If they did, they wouldn’t have made the PCjr.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“Some people are saying that we ought to put an IBM PC on every desk in America to improve productivity. It won’t work. The special incantations you have to learn this time are the “slash q-zs” and things like that. The manual for WordStar, the most popular word-processing program, is 400 pages thick. To write a novel, you have to read a novel––one that reads like a mystery to most people. They’re not going to learn slash q-z any more than they’re going to learn Morse code. That is what Macintosh is all about.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste. They have absolutely no taste. And I don’t mean that in a small way, I mean that in a big way, in the sense that they don’t think of original ideas, and they don’t bring much culture into their products.”

“I am saddened, not by Microsoft’s success — I have no problem with their success. They’ve earned their success, for the most part. I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third-rate products.” [Triumph of the Nerds, 1996]

***

“I wish him the best, I really do. I just think he and Microsoft are a bit narrow. He’d be a broader guy if he had dropped acid once or gone off to an ashram when he was younger.” [On Bill Gates, The New York Times, Jan. 12, 1997]

On Predicting the Future

“I’ll always stay connected with Apple. I hope that throughout my life I’ll sort of have the thread of my life and the thread of Apple weave in and out of each other, like a tapestry. There may be a few years when I’m not there, but I’ll always come back. [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it to a nationwide communications network. We’re just in the beginning stages of what will be a truly remarkable breakthrough for most people––as remarkable as the telephone.” [Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985]

***

“The desktop computer industry is dead. Innovation has virtually ceased. Microsoft dominates with very little innovation. That’s over. Apple lost. The desktop market has entered the dark ages, and it’s going to be in the dark ages for the next 10 years, or certainly for the rest of this decade.

“It’s like when IBM drove a lot of innovation out of the computer industry before the microprocessor came along. Eventually, Microsoft will crumble because of complacency, and maybe some new things will grow. But until that happens, until there’s some fundamental technology shift, it’s just over.” [Wired, February 1996]

***

The desktop metaphor was invented because one, you were a stand-alone device, and two, you had to manage your own storage. That’s a very big thing in a desktop world. And that may go away. You may not have to manage your own storage. You may not store much before too long. [Wired, February 1996]

On Life

“It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy.” [1982, quoted in Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple, 1987]

***

“When you’re young, you look at television and think, There’s a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That’s a far more depressing thought. Conspiracy is optimistic! You can shoot the bastards! We can have a revolution! But the networks are really in business to give people what they want. It’s the truth.” [Wired, February 1996]

***

“I’m an optimist in the sense that I believe humans are noble and honorable, and some of them are really smart. I have a very optimistic view of individuals. As individuals, people are inherently good. I have a somewhat more pessimistic view of people in groups. And I remain extremely concerned when I see what’s happening in our country, which is in many ways the luckiest place in the world. We don’t seem to be excited about making our country a better place for our kids.” [Wired, February 1996]

***

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

***

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

***

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

***

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.” [NBC Nightly News, May 2006]

***

And One More Thing

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

Ibrah 51: 27.5m

Malaysia’s population has increased to 27.5 million last year from 22.2 million in 2000, according to the latest census by the Statistics Department.

Malays were the largest ethnic group in the country, comprising 50.1 per cent of the 27,484,596 total.
They were followed by the Chinese (22.5 per cent), non-Malay Bumiputeras (11.8 per cent), Indians (6.7 per cent), and others (0.7 per cent).

Non-Malaysian citizens numbered 2.25 million or 8.2 per cent of the population.

Malays made up the highest proportion of the population in Terengganu (95 per cent), Putrajaya (94.6 per cent) and Kelantan (92.7 per cent).

The highest proportion of Chinese could be found in Penang (42.9 per cent) while the greatest concentration of Indians was in Negri Sembilan (14.3 per cent).

Seventy-one per cent of Malaysians now live in urban areas, compared to just 27 per cent in 1957 when Malaysia achieved independence.

In 2010, Malaysia also recorded 475,816 births, 17.5 per 1,000 population, versus 129,327 deaths or 4.8 for every 1,000 population.

Fertility rates were highest in the Bumiputera community at 2.6, down from 3.5 in 2000, while it fell to 1.5 from 2.6 among the Chinese and to 1.7 from 2.5 in the Indian community over the past decade.

Chief statistician Dr Abdul Rahman Hasan said the lower fertility rates could be explained by the growing number of women who are entering the workforce and increased access to contraceptives.

“When women participate in the economy, the age of marriage will go up.


[Bukan bias gender mahupun anti-wanita, tapi ini realiti. Kita mula bergerak menuju Jepun atau China atau yang lebih dekat Singapura, dimana kadar kelahiran yang rendah memeningkan pemerintah.

Kemajuan yang kita kejar, dalam masa yang sama menidakkan sesuatu yang lain. Kita semakin kurang 'melahirkan' generasi baru kerana semua orang sibuk mengejar kareer.

Nabi Muhammad menggesa kita meramaikan umat, supaya lebih ramai Islam dibumi ini. Sama-sama kita fikir.

Wallahualam]

Ibrah 50: Tax Cuts - A Simple Lesson In Economics

Economics 101

You may have seen this before but it still rattles me.

Tax, tax cuts and how it all works...

Sometimes Politicians can exclaim; "It's just a tax cut for the rich!", and it is just accepted to be fact. But what does that really mean? Just in case you are not completely clear on this issue, we hope the following will help.

Tax Cuts - A Simple Lesson In Economics

This is how the cookie crumbles. Please read it carefully.

Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner. The bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.

The sixth would pay $3.

The seventh $7.

The eighth $12.

The ninth $18.

The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.


So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20."

So, now dinner for the ten only cost $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes.

So, the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six, the paying customers? How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share'?

The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being 'PAID' to eat their meal.

So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).

The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man "but he got $10!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up at the table anymore.

As noted in a review below, this was not written by me.
No way of knowing who wrote this, but to the best of my knowledge the content is accurate.

Ibrah 49 :Melahirkan seorang 'Ibnu Sina'

Seorang doktor yang juga hafiz al-Quran 30 juzuk, bisa sahaja masih seorang sekular!


Seorang lagi 'Ibnu Sina' sangat jauh untuk dihasilkan dengan hanya mengusahakan seorang mahasiswa hafal
30 juzuk, kemudian mengambil jurusan kejuruteraan.


Kita mesti bercita-cita untuk menjadi seorang yang 'total' islamik. Seorang jurutera yang kerjanya memajukan masyarakat dari sudut kebendaan dan kejiwaan.

Benda dalam bentuk ilmu kejuruteraannya.
Jiwa dalam menjadi model seorang Islam yang utuh.

Yang memberi dua kali impak, samada dari sudut keduniaan dan akhiratnya sekali.

Amat sukar tapi tidaklah mustahil.
Zemanx

Ibrah 47: Conquer Your Sadness

Bertrand Russell’s  steps

First you must know how to conquer unhappiness.

1. Don’t be taken in by melancholy

Melancholy is only a passing mood; don’t mistake it for wisdom. Prolonged sadness can lead to mental depression, a sickness associated with suicidal tendency. You must believe that you can change your mood simply by doing something different – play a game or talk to a good friend for diversion.

2. Don't get caught in the competitive treadmill

Life is always a struggle. You compete in school, in university and at work … always wanting to do better and making more money. You really do not need so much to be happy. You must know when to stop chasing material possessions and learn to be contented. You cannot be happy if you are still greedy for more and more.

Feeling happy is the only true success. Don’t work so hard until you forget how to be happy.

3. Develop the right attitude to boredom and excitement

Everyone has a natural fear of boredom. That is why one always has the urge to find things to do. Very few people can just sit down, do nothing and simply enjoy peace and tranquility (but give it a try!). Do not fear a little boredom for a certain amount of boredom in life is to be expected.

The opposite of boredom is excitement but be careful in seeking it. Incidentally, there is a recent news report from Australia that the easy availability of Viagra and other stimulants has raised the level of sexual activity amongst senior citizens (that is, those over 75) to exceptional levels of excitement. Just imagine that. Excitement is best sought in small doses and in the right places.

4. Make your worries concrete, don’t suppress them

Get a sense of perspective. Ask yourself “what is the worst thing that can possibly happen?” For example if your doctor tells you that your disease is incurable, you must realise that worry will not make you better. The best you can do is to find enjoyment every day for whatever life you have left.

On the other hand though, when you have a difficult problem, do not suppress it because it will not go away by itself. Face it, grapple with it and try to find a way to resolve it. Do what you can and believe that it will be alright when the time comes. Remember! Prolonged worrying can cause mental depression.

5. Don’t envy, admire!

Since I have already touched on envy and jealousy at the start of my talk, I only wish to add this: Enjoy what you have for its own sake. Don’t compare yourself with others who are more successful than you.

When you are sad, compare yourself with people who are in a worse situation.

6. Fight back against guilt and shame

When you are young, you are easily influenced by your religious teachers and your parents. As a result, your conscience is formed. Many things you like to do but are considered sinful will make you unhappy as your conscience pricks you. Unless you are able to change your mindset, you will be unhappy.

According to Bertrand Russell, consensual sex between two adults can be very thrilling and the partners should not be made to feel ashamed or guilty. Russell expounded this concept almost a century ago. Today a majority of the people – at least in this auditorium – are prepared to accept the idea. A minority though would think that Russell was encouraging divorce as he was an atheist.

Statistics show that more than 50% of people in Europe and the US are divorced. Frequently many marriages that are unhappy do not end in divorce only because of the constraining factors of religion, children, guilt and shame. So to be happy, you need to understand and appreciate Russell’s philosophy on this issue.

7. Don’t suffer from an exaggerated sense of injustice

We must be concerned about politics because it affects all of us in so many ways and impacts on the future of our children. But you must bear in mind that you alone cannot change the situation or the flow of current affairs. After you have done what you can, leave it to fate and don’t be unhappy.

8. Don’t care too much what others think

"Respect public opinion only to avoid starvation and jail."

Normally you will not feel happy to do something without your spouse’s approval, or that of friends and family. But you must not be afraid to exercise your own judgment in certain important matters, e.g. when to buy and when to sell shares. Your wife may not be giving the best advice on these matters.

Everyone has his own opinion but who is right and who is wrong is a constant puzzle. For example, the Catholics forbid divorce but it is allowed by the Muslim and the civil courts.

The secrets of happiness

Now you must know how to conquer happiness. The next six measures make up Steps 9 to 14 of the Bertrand Russell philosophy to happiness.

1. Cultivate zest

Get into the habit of taking a lively and friendly interest in everything. The more things a man is interested in, the more opportunities he has to make himself happy. An introvert cannot be happy. Outside working hours, you must have a lot of free time to make yourself happy. Make new friends, have more hobbies, play games, surf the Internet, watch football and movies, etc.

2. Be affectionate

Do not be afraid to show kindness and affection to people e.g. tipping waiters and the jaga kereta. You cannot be happy if you do not have the feeling that you are doing something good and people love you. You will feel happy if you can make someone happy.

You can create happiness by offering scholarships to help needy students without expecting anything in return. I have done so and found happiness in this. All the recipients have to promise me is that when they are financially solvent they will help other needy students. In this way, they will continue to do charity and create happiness after I die.

Avoid an argument because no one wins in any argument. Remember how you felt the last time you had an argument with someone. When you receive affection or admiration, you would feel secure and this enables you to perform better. By the same token, you should do the same unto others.

Here I would like to quote from Russell’s book again. “The best type of affection is reciprocally life-giving: each receives affection with joy and gives it without effort, and each finds the whole world more interesting in consequence of the existence of this reciprocal happiness. There is, however, another kind, by no means uncommon, in which one person sucks the vitality of the other, one receives what the other gives, but gives almost nothing in return. Some very vital people belong to this bloodsucking type. They extract the vitality from one victim after another, but while they prosper and grow interesting, those upon whom they live grow pale and dim and dull.”

3. Be a good parent

Give your child time and not too much money.

The bond between parents and children is often one of the greatest source of happiness. But in many cases, it is also a source of unhappiness to both parties. In fact, studies show that in most cases, at least one of both parties is unhappy in the relationship. The reasons for this phenomenon are too many and varied and would be outside the scope of this talk.

4. Do interesting, varied and constructive work

Living in a competitive world, one is born to do work. Everyone needs to work. Work prevents boredom. Even uninteresting work will make holidays more enjoyable. Work offers the opportunity for you to achieve your ambition. Try to find interesting work so that you can enjoy doing it.

5. Cultivate plenty of relaxing minor interests

Enjoy as many hobbies and pursuits as you can; make sure these provide a difference from your day job. For example: Keep a dog, read, surf the Net, play games, watch TV or contact your friends more frequently. You must realise most of your enjoyment is generated from the people closest to you – your friends, children and your spouse.

6. Find the right balance between effort and resignation

A man occupies almost all his time in worrying about his wife, children, his work and his financial position. All these burdens are bound to depress and tire him.

Very few people, except singles, have never quarreled with their spouses. Very few parents have not endured grave anxiety when their children are ill. Very few businessmen have never met financial difficulties and few professional men have not faced periods of failure. It is at such times that the wide variety of cultivated interests provides an outlet for amusement and happiness.

Joy in sharing

Let me end by emphasizing again that happiness is a state of mind.

Research has identified a number of attributes that correlate with happiness: Relationships and social interaction, marital status, employment, health, democratic freedom, optimism, religious involvement, income and proximity to other happy people.

Philosophers and religious thinkers often define happiness in terms of living or leading a good life rather than simply as an emotion. I recommend this traditional definition of happiness to all of you.

In my talk tonight, I have attempted to go beyond the conquest of happiness as it has been analysed by Bertrand Russell. This I have done by introducing an additional important element and that is the joy and contentment that comes with giving and sharing.

Finally, if even one of you here tonight goes home stimulated by this talk and feels inspired to share your talent and material wealth with others, then I will feel that it has been a successful outcome.

Ibrah 48:Cermin Kehidupan

Sungguh lama sekali tidak menulis sesuatu dalam blog ini. Tahun yang amat sibuk dalam karier dengan pelbagai perubahan dan tanda aras dalam kehidupan berkeluarga.Semoga Allah terus merahmati dan menyayangi kita semua.


Terkesan dengan kuliah ringkas di subuhari di Tinggi Alpha, berbicara tentang kepentingan membentuk ahli keluarga sendiri supaya berfikiran positif dan kental mentalnya. Si suami di pelantar minyak rata-rata meninggalkan tanggungjawab mendidik anak-anak sepenuhnya kepada isteri dirumah.Justeru isteri tiada pilihan selain menjadi super-mama dlm kehidupan.Renungan buat diri isteri-isteri. Mampukah kalian?

Isteri itu cermin kepada suami.Begitu sebaliknya.

Bila anda menyunting seorang perawan yg baik budi, baik pekerti menjadi suri anda, maka ingatlah yang barang baik itu tidak akan kekal baik jika tiada penambahbaikan. Tarbiah rumahtangga mesti seiring supaya suami-isteri kekal menjadi manusia berkualiti kepada pasangan masing-masing dan juga kepada masyarakat.

Buruknya perangai isteri adalah berpunca dari si suami.
Buruknya tingkahlaku anak-anak berpunca dari ayah dan ibu.
Lalai si suami jika isteri tiada berperanan.

Usah mengomel isteri tidak sempurna,banyak perangai dan kalian mahu cari lain yang lebih baik.Adat alam kalian akan 'dapat' yang berperangai sama atau lebih teruk. Sunnah alam, jika mahu kek yang gebu, kena cari penguli yang terbaik. Jika kalian sekadar gred C, manakan logik mahu mengharap isteri kalian Gred A?

Cermin diri sendiri.
Jangan jadi Pak Pandir.

Tiada pilihan - jika benar mahu rumahtangga itu kekal terbina dengan unsur kasih-sayang, maka usah diabaikan sama sekali unsur penambahbaikan.

Buat tidak tahu dan tidak peduli seumpama kanser dalam rumahtangga. Tiada disedari sehingga sudah tahap 4 menunggu ajal.Jangan sampai ditahap itu baru berani untuk berubah.Usah jadi dayus. Isteri dan anak itu beban terberatmu didunia. Silap langkah,api neraka bukan main panasnya.
Buat renungan pada diri sendiri dan isteri.Semoga bermanfaat.

Wassalam
Tinggi Alpha

Ibrah 44: Jerung Dalam Kehidupan

Masalah itu sesungguhnya adalah sahabat.
Ia mendewasakan,ia mematangkan dan ia menambahbaik diri kita.


Cuma,mestilah menyelesaikan masalah itu dengan jiwa dan akal yang positif. Kerana berfikiran positif sahaja kunci untuk kita belajar dan mengambil ibrah dari apa-apa jua masalah.


Berfikiran negatif hanya menambah masalah.Masalah tidak terungkai, teladan pun tidak tercerna, yang tinggal, kegusaran hati yang kian menambah, keluh-kesah yang tidak kunjung habis.


Amat rugi.


Sekadar memetik satu cerita yang memberi inspirasi. Kita ini manusia lemah, Tuhan jadikan alam ini tidak sia-sia, maka, belajarlah dan ambillah ibrah sebanyak mungkin, walau dari cerita sang nelayan.

Kisah Nelayan Jepun


The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever.


The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh.


The Japanese did not like the taste.


To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their
boats.


They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen
fish.


The frozen fish brought a lower price. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive.


Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.


So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan? If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend?


How Japanese Fish Stay Fresh:


To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very
lively state. The fish are challenged.


Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired & dull, so we need a Shark in our life to keep us awake and moving? Basically in our lives Sharks are new challenges to
keep us active and taste better...


The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a challenge


"If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are Conqueror. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. "




Wassalam.
MO KL