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Viral begging

[Context: A viral video has gone around showing a lady begging in the name of charity for an orphan child. She has been approached and rebuked by a person (enough said about this person). It is unclear whether the beggar admitted to lie about collecting money for an orphan child or if she was actually poor. What is clear however is the discrepancies between the public about who is wrong or right. Was it fair that the beggar was publicly humiliated? If not, was it fair that such action be kept private and not try to prevent it? On the other, how does publicizing help people make better decisions? Is it always the case that it helps people, is it possible that it creates greater riffs in the society? Let’s talk about it.]

Three things.

1. Saying ‘begging for money’ is wrong

2. Saying ‘using a lie so people can give you money’ is wrong

3. Saying ‘using the money for wrong purposes’ is wrong

Let’s talk about the first one.

Is begging for money wrong? It may not be encouraged. But if that’s the only way out you have, is it wrong? Imagine you were in her position, pressured by the holidays coming up, could you possibly end up in her position? *Never mind, only applicable for people who live in poor conditions, others are not entitled to answer that*

In Islam, there are three categories in which a person can beg. Read below:

“...asking for help is not permissible except in one of three cases: a man who has incurred a debt (in order to reconcile between two parties), for whom it is permissible to ask for help until he has paid it off, then he should refrain; a man who has been stricken by a calamity that has destroyed all his wealth, for whom it is permissible to ask for help until he gets enough to get by – or he gets enough to meet his basic needs; and a man who is stricken by poverty and three men of wisdom among his people acknowledge that So and so has been stricken by poverty, then it becomes permissible for him to ask for help until he gets enough to get by – or to meet his basic needs. Apart from these cases asking for help, O Qabeesah, is haraam and the one who begs is consuming something haraam.” Narrated by Ahmad, Muslim, an-Nasaa’i and Abu Dawood.

It is still a wrongdoing on her part if she actually does not belong to any of these three categories.

Let’s talk about the second part.

True. It is wrong for someone, who does not belong to the above category, to become beggars. The question is, how valid is your assumption that the person is neither poor, in debt (for permissible reasons), or stricken by calamity in which all wealth is lost? How do you know if the person is really lying? What if she is covering up for a real reason in which she is afraid to admit? Anyway, if your assumption is valid, then yes it is wrong for such person to do such thing (begging wrongfully). But how you respond to it is a different thing altogether..

Let’s talk about the third part.

You cannot assume if that person is ‘not Islamically permissible to beg’. You cannot know whether they will actually use it for wrong purposes because firstly, you don’t know her and secondly, you do not bother asking about her situation. However, one thing is definitely clear. Your treatment towards that beggar. If you decline her in a harsh manner, or if you give accusing looks at her, or make unnecessary remarks about her actions, whether or not she is wrongfully begging, you are still wrongfully responding. You are responding unethically, but more importantly you are responding in the way that is not cultivated in Islam. If you want to decline, decline politely.

Allah says “and do not chide the one who asks for help” [ad-Duha 93:10] .

Do not rebuke the beggar. Do not raise your voice against the beggar. Instead, if you are so sure that she is asking for money wrongfully, then offer guidance. Offer advise. But offer advise with wisdom and with good intention. Not by rebuking her publicly and criticizing her like she has no shame.

Source of reference: 

https://islamqa.info/en/104781

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I did not almost die

That scary moment when you realise you could die at any time but you aren't truly ready for it. Scary!!!!! Grant us Husnul Khatimah ya Rabb. (I accidentally hit my head onto the corner of the car's door today and then my bro said I shouldn't take it lightly like I could have a concussion or something like seriously but no is not that serious, and then tonight I opened up the Quran randomly, and so while I was reading it was Surah Anbiya the verse then reads "Setiap yang bernyawa akan merasakan mati" and it made me reflect over how unready I am for this unpostpone-able certainty which will come at anytime, whenever it was decreed for. Like I could die from that car door if Allah wanted me too. You don't know when it will be but you know you will taste it for sure. And that's just too scary. But I guess it's scary when you're not preparing for it. The companions of the Prophet SAW literally waited for their deaths so they can be reunited with the Prophet. And I'm here, praying to be placed among the companions of the Prophet in the next life. But when this verse surfaces, I had to hold my breath. It ws like comparing the sky and the earth, the differences between me now and the Prophet SAW's companions then. But I'll just ask for it anyway. I'll do my best and I'll just ask for it anyway. Ya Rahman, grant us Husnul Khatimah and grant us a place among the companions of the Prophet in Jannah. Let us be neighbours ya Rabb!! Aameen ya Rabb!!) So anyway no I did not almost die like I jokingly said to my sisters when I hit my head. You never "almost died". Death will come to you when it means to come. Death does not miss its target. #onlyAllahknowswhenyouwilldie #sorrynotsorryfortalkingaboutdeathandying #youaregoingtodietoo #suchgrimhashtags #isthisconsideredhalaljoke

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So much for tying the camel

BUT the question was unfair.

Or the question was unfairly worded.

To determine whether “will the person give you troubles”  opens up many interpretations and way too many doors of possibilities. In any case, anybody can give you trouble you will never foresee. You thought you knew the person, but in fact you do not know a person until you lived with them. Even if you lived with them for a while, the person might well change in a month, a year or a decade. On the flip side, maybe you expected troubles but later found out that there was more than what has met your eyes.

Had you asked, “could the person he or she is today cause you substantial problems”, it could have helped narrowed down the question. First of all, you would need to describe what the person is like today so everyone can know what type of person he or she is. And that’s the point. That’s who the person is today. Second of all, you would need to explain the aspects of your life which you consider important. This second point is great because firstly, we can tell how ready you are and how matured you are before stepping into this blessed realm of life. Notice the emphasis on you. The responsibility is laid on you. Secondly, it helps people around you to consider the compatibility of the features of your choice of spouse with the life you would like to have realistically. This includes practicability of living together, financial status, character compatibility, like-mindedness in future-building, and basically shared goals and purposes. You will need this when you are blindly in love.

BUT I still think one thing was unfair.

How come we only ask these things only when we have personal disapproval of someone’s choice of spouse and tend to disregard those we do not mind blindly approving? This is the other side of the coin which is waiting for investigation.

It tells us about our biases, our attitude and approaches in dealing with things that are foreign to us. And it either tells that we are open to differences, or narrowed down into our isolated culture and life. It either tells us that we follow the values that all human lives are equal, or that we think ours is superior. It could tell us if we are blinded by the evil past, or if we have faith in world harmony.

With that said, one still should be careful with choosing the right spouse for yourself, your family and your future children. Do what is right in the sight of God as for tying the camel, then put your faith in God.

Peace.

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Ridiculously wonderful

How come for that one moment in time, the sight of you made my heart stop.

At least it felt like it did.

I couldn’t explain its feeling.

It was a mixture of amazement, awe in perfection, but I guess also of sadness, regret and confusion. It was bedazzling, but it was also baffling. 

But these words don’t give justice to how ridiculously wonderful the sight of you was.

You would be my inspiration to paint, if I knew how to.

You would be the reason I sang, if I had the voice to.

You would be the strength for me to get up, whenever I needed to,

You are exactly why I have to write, for where else can I possibly keep you.

And then the moment ends. 

If I keep you here, at least I know where I can find you.

Until the next time we meet.

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Check our Facebook Page

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Build, rather than destroy.

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Forgive me, please.

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Fight again tomorrow.

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Rezeki tidak pernah salah alamat

If you lose a contest. Don’t despair. Rezeki Allah tidak pernah salah alamat. Perhaps the winner needed the reward more than you did.

If you are financially tight for a while now. Don’t despair. Rezeki Allah tidak pernah salah alamat. Perhaps the strength you get through the hardship will make you appreciate life better than you can ever have. 

 If you haven’t met ‘The One’ yet. Don’t despair. Rezeki Allah tidak pernah salah alamat. Perhaps you were given more time to better your own self first.

If you are feeling jobless, empty and void. Don’t despair. Rezeki Allah tidak pernah salah alamat. Perhaps this can remind you to re-check your relationship with God, so you can remember to realign your purpose of life with your actions. :)

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It’s much more complicated

Ok so someone said something along the line of this: Schools still spoon-feed. We are still doing rote-learning. We talk about ‘independent learning’ and ‘producing creativity’ but that’s not what we do in classrooms. We don’t allow the students to think freely in classrooms. This is why our children cannot mature correctly.

Here’s the thing. It’s much more complicated than just “Schools and teachers do not walk the talk”. First of all, every school - every classroom - is unique on its own way because of the type of students we have in it. Secondly, every child has their own pace and style in learning. We can definitely group them into certain abilities or learning differences, but this will again be unique to the classroom or context they are placed in. IN SHORT, we cannot reduce today’s circumstances in teaching and learning as just - teachers are not doing their jobs and our teaching system needs to change.

Thirdly, we do have an advanced system of learning in place. It is a work in progress within schools - some a lot slower than others - but the system has been put by the ‘people above’. Is it wrong to expect the teachers who are the ‘people below’ to move together towards this mission and vision for holistic education? Not at all. In fact, many are striving towards the same goals for the generation we have today and tomorrow. The problem is that many teachers still are not FAMILIAR to the skills students are expected to learn from the 21st Century Teaching and Learning, let alone to find and administer avenues to teach them. Even if they have a relatively strong grasp over this new ‘system’ of teaching, unfortunately there ARE real problems of lacking in resources and funding to implement this type of teaching and learning which would meet the standards for 21st century learning. Which totally doesn’t make sense - will You please decide if education is important enough for good funding and investing?

Lastly, I feel like people who have never experienced teaching in schools simple should not feel like they are entitled to give an opinion about how schools are like in this country - especially when their idea of children development comes from short foreign articles, completely detached from our local context, and especially when their knowledge of local classroom learning is limited in the first place. If anything though, I know many teachers who are willing to work towards bridging the gap between theory and practice in teaching and learning. It is not impossible, so don’t make it sound like it is.

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“We talk about social service, service to the people, service to humanity, service to others who are far away, helping to bring peace to the world - but often we forget that it is the very people around us that we must live for first of all. If you cannot serve your wife or husband or child or parent - how are you going to serve society? If you cannot make your own child happy, how do you expect to be able to make anyone else happy? If all our friends in the peace movement or of service communities of any kind do not love and help each other, whom can we love and help?

Thích Nhất Hạnh (via purplebuddhaproject)

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Great things can come in small packages. But I can't reduce 'great' into something physical, when it's abstract, intangible. Non-generalisable. Non-categorisable. Non-definitive. You know it when you see it. You know it when you feel it. You know it when you experience it. Those are the great things in life. They come in any type of package you make it to be.

Teachersyouth

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Who am I cheating?

Sometimes I worry about how others would judge me for what I do, and then I remember there's the Ultimate Judge. Yes, I am free to do what I like. Yes, I can ignore what the others say. I can choose to see eye to eye with those who share my opinions and feelings, and agree to disagree with those not on my side. But in the end... No, I can't say I feel confident that The Most Merciful will give me the leeway each time I regress. No, I can't say I know with absolute certain that The Most Forgiving will disregard each wrongdoing I made by good choice. He CERTAINLY can if He chooses to, but I CERTAINLY cannot guarantee that He will. I hope at least I never grow to entitle myself this privilege of certainty, of giving myself a guarantee on behalf of anyone else at all. Don't try to cheat the rules that were divinely set in stone. You only cheat yourself, alas.

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Learn from the Hercules Beetle. Embrace both good and bad, beautiful and ugly, strong and weak sides you own, until you finally find your true self.

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Mother’s instinct

She is probably searching for her daughters. Just going to have a look at where she saw them last. Ground floor. Not there. Cry out a moan because she is starting to become anxious. Feed her baby as usual, but she’s missing the rest. Restless. Maybe in the room with the big bowl of water where she drinks from sometimes, when hers isn’t filled. She doesn’t hear any sound or movement which could tell her that her babies were in there. Usually she hear their distress call before they come out all soaked, but she’s always glad in the end as she sniffs their scent. Comes back her worrisome mother’s instinct. Where else can they possibly be? Check in the master’s bedroom. Maybe she will find her daughters sleeping on the side of her master. Communicate her worries to the owners of the home. Where are my daughters? She has been extra anxious as her baby bump has started to grow bigger and bigger. Patrol the other room when she gets the chance. Poor mother of kittens, as her three daughters were sent away to live in a better home. 

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Live in the present

Don’t overthink. Live in the present. Appreciate the people around you. Find the good in people, learn from the bad, but still appreciate the ugly. Grow from these reflections. Be inspired and inspire. Be true to your heart. Have some moral values. Stick to your principles. Don’t be too critical. It will only consume you from the inside, and you won’t realise until you are trapped as its prisoner. It seems safe and it feels right. But don’t be deceived by the snuggling warmth of being on the side of your ego’s iron wall.

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The bad news is nothing lasts forever. The good news is nothing lasts forever.