Emotional & Intellectual Growth

Mas, your view is highly commendable. Emotions & intellectual growth are both broad concepts. Whichever ways we venture, there must be a certain risk that we have to anticipate. How do we take it? Broadly, I think it is depending on your ability to stay open to feelings, both those that are pleasant and those that are unpleasant.

Have a nice day.

Kuala Lumpur International Batik Convention

Interested in contributing/participating actively as a volunteer in the Kuala Lumpur International Batik Convention next week? The convention – held/hosted by the Yayasan Budi Penyayang/KEKWA – will be held from November 28th – December 2nd at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

Accomodation/meals are provided, plus a small amount of day allowance (this is not at all about money; it is the experience/ambience that count, an opportunity that we do not get everyday).

Write to me by 5pm TODAY! I have 5 more seats available.

See you there.

Congrats, Nabilah!

Nabilah, congratulations! Well done.

Miracle

Timi asked me about ‘miracle’ (he was refering to the current state of Malaysian socio-political & economic issues, the recent demonstration by Bersih, in particular).

To that, I think the remarks made by the former PM, Tun Dr. Mahathir, is perhaps appropriate and timely.

He says, “There is no (Asian) miracle. It is just the realization of an idea, an idea of how to manage an economic system. It is making the right choices, the right mixture of political and economic methods.”

Is there truly such a thing as “miracle”?

Substance

Gan, I agree. We must all pay attention to substance as well as form, to principles as well as details. We shouldn't be 'syok sendiri' (lol).

Leave them unanswered

Dear all (esp. Tuju Sukma; Nakahiro; Rani-Rani; Mumtazmahal; Rhandi; Al-Ghazali Jr), apparently, I am at no place to answer all the questions that you have posted to me. Too many questions were asked unexpectedly while my thoughts were divided. As Al-Ghazali iterates, "to all questioners, let them ask God to forgive wherever my pen has transgressed and my foot has slipped, because delving into the flood of the divine mysteries is dangerous, and seeking to penetrate the divine lights from behind is arduous, not easy."

Or as Coolidge (Islamica) puts it, "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."