ad infinitum

The fourth level of human spirit is reflective. It never ceases increasing in this manner ad infinitum.

Need a laugh sometimes

I got this from a friend recently. Have fun reading.

I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste.
David Bissonette

After marriage, husband and wife become two sides of a coin; they just can't face each other, but still they stay together.
Hemant Joshi

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
Socrates

Woman inspires us to great things, and prevents us from achieving them.
Dumas

I had some words with my wife, and she had some paragraphs with me.
Anonymous

Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays.
Henny Youngman

I don't worry about terrorism. I was married for two years.
Sam Kinison

There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage. James Holt McGavran

I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn't.
Patrick Murray

Two secrets to keep your marriage brimming1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it;2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
Nash

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once...
Dom
My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.
Rodney Dangerfield

A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong.
Milton Berle

Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy.
Anonymous

A man inserted an 'ad' in the classifieds: "Wife wanted". Next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."
Anonymous

First Guy (proudly): "My wife's an angel!"Second Guy: "You're lucky, mine's still alive."

It has been long since

I was at the E9 block, Putrajaya, with Prof Hazman. Had a fairly short discussion with Prof Hasan Said (Ketua Pengarah IPT, KPT). Soon after, a group of academics from the University of Malaya came in. The team was headed by Prof Raduan Ariff, the Dean (Arts Faculty). It has been a very long time since I last met him days after the 1986's convocation.

Wish u best of health, Prof Raduan!

Intellectual

For your reading pleasure... it is published in the latest issue of Islamica

The Sincere Muslim Intellectual

By R. DAVID COOLIDGE"

Actions are only judged by the intentions which accompany them." This phrase is repeated in mosques and classrooms across the world, and is found in books too numerable to document. At first thought, we might assume that its meaning is obvious and that it is essential to how people think of Islam. However, concepts understood intellectually do not always translate into states of being, which in turn give life to those very concepts. Such is the case in many of the intellectual discussions on Islam that pervade our lives.

Perhaps if you grew up in a country or house devoid of intellectualism, you might protest out of fear that I am decrying intellectualism. This would be a fair response. But for those of us, many in North America and Europe, who are stimulated by discussion after discussion and book after book, the situation is often radically different. Rachid al-Ghannouchi reportedly said that Tunisians in Tunis need human rights, while Tunisians in France need mosques. Different points of emphasis for different folks.

What I have felt in the core of my being is the fact that I can never know with absolute certainty when I am speaking or writing or teaching or reading for the sake of Allah alone. I can distinguish tasks, such as when I am reading Qur'an for my own benefit or when I am writing an academic paper for the acceptance of my teacher, but I can never truly know what Allah thinks of how I spend my time and energy. I seek the assistance and advice of those who I feel are pious and intelligent and learned, attempting to shade my moral responsibility under the nasihah (advice) of others, but I know that there is no shade except the shade of Allah. I make istikharah (supplication for guidance) in search of Allah's decision, but I can never be totally sure of the outcome.

Yet around me, I see people rushing to be heard, rushing to speak, and rushing to lead. Am I better for taking it slow? Are they better for having the drive to act? I can never know. I do know that Allah will debase the scholar who speaks for his own vainglory, and will honor the one who writes and teaches and learns for His sake alone. Also, I know that the complexity of our lives demands sophisticated intellectual discourse. The mind constructs or deconstructs, and the heart becomes darkened or enlightened. Allah is the One in control.Perhaps you might object to the insinuation that I might be able to know the intentions of others.

This too would be fair. I speak from my experience, and all I can say in my defense is that if I have felt it, and struggled with it, then it must be a reality for others. But even more than that, this struggle has been documented in the works of some of the greatest Muslims who have ever lived. If they felt it too, then at least I know that I am in good company.The pragmatist says, "I need a job," or "You have to get ahead," or "You have to have your voice heard," or "Things are pressing and there is no time for reflection," but that always rings hollow to me. Perhaps I am wrong or spoiled or out of touch. Perhaps not. At the end of the day, which is death, perhaps our works will be accepted. Perhaps not. I fear standing before the Lord of the Worlds and being told, "You wrote this article to be praised by the people," and I hope to be told, "Peace for you now, no more need to worry. You did fine."Even in writing this article, I may be betraying that which the article intends to promote.

But the fear of punishment cannot override the urge to act when one can reasonably justify the action as righteous, and when one has also sincerely attempted to be sincere. For almost a decade, I have contemplated publishing something: Islamic theories on religion, critiques of secular historiography, personal conversion narratives, theoretical perspectives on the nature of subjectivity in intellectual traditions that strive for objectivity, and so on. But something has always held me back.

I can only hope that this preliminary attempt is timely and acceptable in the eyes of Allah. If Imams al-Nawawi and al-Bukhari thought it appropriate to begin with the hadith of sincerity, then who am I to begin from a different angle?This is a struggle we all must face in the core of our souls, and it cannot be avoided. It is immensely hard, but it must be done. Whether one is a graduate student, a professor, a murid (disciple), a talib al-'ilm (student of knowledge), a shaykh, a transnational Muslim intellectual, or whatever, we must face this challenge. If we ignore it and assume we are fine, then we are lost. Of that I am certain, and God knows best.

Mind Your Language

Dean,

Prior to our conversation last night, I think it is understandable that there are some type of backbiting which are permissible. If I may quote one of the stories when Urwa Az-Zubair reported that Aishah (r.a) informed him of the following: A man asked permission to see the Prophet (saw) and he said: "Give him authorisation to enter. What an evil brother or a son of his people!" When he entered upon him, he talked to him in a moderate manner.

I (Urwa) said: Messenger of Allah! You have said what you want to have said about him, then you talked to him moderately.

He replied: "Aishah! The worst people in the sight of Allah is he whom people leaves and deserts for fear of his obscene language or speech."

Leaders

Having read The Edge (1st week of September issue), I can safely conclude that leadership is all about what people choose to do or not to do!

When September comes...

I'm a bit uncomfortable with two issues, today:

1
The Sg Buloh Leprosy site - again, UiTM is mentioned in a rather negative manner.

2
Something is certainly not right with the Bush's administration pertaining to Iran's firm standing on it's nuclear enrichment project right.

>>> Need some time to reflect on these two issues.

Class of BC3C

I hope I didn't act too harsh (or perhaps too firm) on some of your class members last week. As I said, I wasn't hurt at all, and it was not at all a punishment for not carrying out what they were supposed to do (delivering the task satisfactorily). If it was, however, perceived as a punishment, then consider it as a part and parcel of teaching & learning processes. I really hope the incident will somehow enlightens us on the importance of 'researching' and 'checking'. Never assume anything before we carry out some cross-referencing.

Smile again, please.