If we help Allah, Allah will help us back

(1) Top 8 ways to boost your Ramadan spirit this year
by Sound Vision Staff writer

1. Dua
Ask Allah to make this the most awesome, spiritually uplifting Ramadan you've ever had. Only He can make it happen and relying on Him completely is one step in boosting our spirits.

2. Quiet your mind, turn off the...
TV, internet, radio, cell phone, pager, iPod, etc. No, not all day, but for at least 10 minutes a day. Find a quiet place, close your eyes and connect with God. At first, your mind will swirl with the useless and not-so-useless info in your head. But force it to think of three things in these few minutes:

a. Allah
b. your purpose in life
c. are you living your life on purpose?
d. Do this every day of Ramadan if you can. If that's not possible, try it at least three times a week.

3.Learn about great Muslims
Even if you've read it before, read or listen to Abdul Wahid Hamid's Companions of the Prophet again this Ramadan. Read about or listen to the story of a Companion daily. Well-written and short, this is a wonderful way to see how other Muslims retained their strength of faith against incredible odds. A sure-fire spirituality booster.

4. Connect to the Quran
The Quran is God's way of talking to us. It's one of the most important keys to spiritual upliftment. This Ramadan, connect to the Quran in a new way. If you already read Quran regularly, perhaps you can choose a new theme to focus on or select a Surah you haven't read in a while. If you don't read Quran regularly, maybe you can read just two minutes of Quran a day, reading only from the first page you encounter when you open up the Book.

In addition, try to keep a Quranic journal to record your reflections, questions, thoughts, etc. about what you've read.

5. Take care of others
Whether it's someone who's away from their family, a person who's having problems with a spouse or their kids or a fellow student struggling with their grades, make an extra effort this Ramadan to help others out. The spiritual boost you get in return is well worth it.

6. Feed the hungry
While your stomach shrieks in protest, give that panhandler some change, volunteer at a soup kitchen, get involved with your local food pantry or make a couple of bag lunches to give to the hungry you meet on your way to school or work. And don't forget the survivors of Hurricane Katrina, as well as those suffering from hunger in Niger and Mali.

7. Give up one lifelong bad habit
Ask yourself what some of your defining traits are. Then decide which is the worst of them. Is it a hot temper? Apathy? Laziness? Impatience? Whatever it is, use this Ramadan to put an end to it. Practice the opposite of your bad habit every day until the end of the month. By then Insha Allah, you'll look back and be amazed at what a change you've made for the better.

8. Use those Nights of Power
The last ten nights or Ramadan aren't called the Nights of Power for nothing. Use these precious times for deep, heartfelt Dua (supplication), self-analysis, reflection and serious thought.


(2) Jumpa Kak Mas

Assalamualaikum wbt,

Semalam terjumpa Kak Mas and Sufia di surau KLCC ketika my auntie and I nak perform solat maghrib. Dah lama sangat tak jumpa Kak Mas, and biler jumpa tu mmg overwhelmed, happy sgt sampai lepas dah jumpa tu my kepala pening sket. Mmg biasa ler kalau i become overwhelmed with something, jadi pening sket, samada dlm keadaan over tension or over happy. Both could lead me to migraine hehe.

Kak Mas had asked me to join one project Nisa'. Alhamdulillah i had gone thru all the final exams, and i will be having my semester break for a month. Will be back to school one week after Raya. Hopefully i can contribute something within semester break ni. Kak Mas ada nyatakan satu isu yang telah menyebabkan Sis Adinura terbang ke bumi Misra, pening juga isunya. Diharapkan dgn usaha yang telah dan akan dibuat,Allah akan permudahkan segala usaha dan niat yang telah disandarkan kepadaNya.

Insya Allah, kalau kita bantu Allah, Allah akan bantu kita kembali. I had hold to this statement very strongly since i was in SRC dulu. And mmg sudah terbukti dahulu. Remember Ika, yg aku nangis2 lepas solat sbb tension time nak organize program 'Treasure of Knowledge' utk Institusi Usrah dulu? Time tu betul2 risau pasal first time buat program sendiri, pastu budget tak cukup and dun know how to cover expenses for canopy etc, but alhamdulillah the program turned to be great (at least from my personal opinion) especially for malam yg kita organize theatre and nasyid (import from UKM and UIA) in which Ika jadi menjerit 'kehisterian' sbb director malam tu agak blank sket mcm mana nak organize. Nasib baik kita ada adik2 and commitee yg power2 time tu kan Tikot. Ingat lagi Abg Nafis,Drafizan, Sharizal and the rest bertungkus lumus 1 hour before the program. Panic kan time tu, tapi mmg best. Hihi.

I still remember what did you say to me when i was crying after solat Zuhur time tgh handle program and risau ttg budget (tu yg payah jadi accountant ni, siap pernah debate ngan Abg Nafis biler buat budget review for this program ni, i wanted it to be minimized as much as possible meanwhile Abg Nafis tak setuju sbb hujah dia, kalau nak quality kenalaa bayar lebih sket, but for me, try hard to reduce cost to the lowest level that you can go and then produce the maximum output as many as possible. Mmg accountants berkira sket pasal duit2 nih, tak caya refer postings Aini yg tak puas hati biler ada top mgmt yg spend duit syarikat lavishly padahal derang try giler2 nak selamatkan duit TM, 1 cent pun akan berkira kalau buat international settlement).Hehe.

Ayat yang Ika cakap waktu nampak i cried lepas solat Zuhur time handle program:

"Siti, aku tak risau kalau ko buat program usrah ni, Allah mesti tolong sbb kita bantu Dia. Tapi kalau ko buat program lain, ko patut risau ". (Kalau utk program lain mmg patut kena risau sbb time tu budget mmg tak cukup utk accommodate perlbagai programs yang akan dilaksanakan dalam minggu Treasure of Knowledge tu). Alhamdulillah, tgh hari Ika cakap benda tu, petang tu terus ada solution utk cover duit, mmg bebetul bersyukur time tu :)

:)

Lama dah actually tak bergiat ngan Nisa, kekadang jek join alumni. Itu pun kadang-kadang sekiranya tidak bercanggah dengan schedule study. Tapi kebanyakannya mmg bercanggah :)

Takpelah,kan. Kita cuba sedaya mana yang termampu. Yang penting masih bersama. Tak dapat bagi tenaga, bagilah wang ringgit atau idea. Bergantung kepada kemampuan masing-masing.


(3) Ramadhan datang lagi
I just wanna wish Selamat Berpuasa pada semua. Bulan ini bulan mendidik sahsiah dan peribadi kita. Moga kita menjadi graduan cemerlang bulan Ramadhan tahun ini sebelum menunggu Ramadhan yang akan datang next year.

Kiranya ini Ramadhan terakhir buat kita, sama-sama kita mohon maaf dan juga memaafkan orang lain yang pernah buat salah pada kita. Juga perbanyakkan taubat dan zikir, moga apabila Ramadhan berakhir, kita juga turut menjadi suci seperti bayi yang baru dilahirkan tanpa dosa dan noda.

Wish all the best juga pada Rollie and my friends yang akan ada exam malam ni and malam esok.

Assalamualaikum :)