Iktibar

Ambil Iktibar Kejadian.

Thats a Malay equivalent to "Learn your Lesson" after being hit with negative incident (wait. Incidents are always negative).

They always like to tell us "there's a moral behind every story" and if we're critical enough we'll realise that God never intends harm to His servants, but He meant good.
To reach to this level of understanding would mean you have grasped the concept of gratitude.

But its not always that easy.
Especially when it involves human relations.

How well can we react to arrogant and insensitive remarks by someone we know?
How well do we stand to the friendship we thought we knew as the unfamiliar hateful words hurled to us?
How well do we cope to those who ditch us during our hard time?
What do we say to them after all these times, they're mocking us, belittling us, dissing and hurting us after what we did to them?
Do we turn away when they ask for forgiveness or do we embrace them?
Is it that easy to forgive and forget?

But first answer this..

We as servants to God, transgressed and sinned every day.

We delay our prayer time, we roll our eyes when our mothers ask us to help ger with the dishes, we deny the rights of our neighbours, we gossip about a friend to another friend, we wage war against ourselves, we classify people, we disunite ourselves with mazahibs difference of sunnis and the shiah, we spate of hungry and poor people while we shop lavishly, we look helplessly as our brothers in Falastin struggle with their life to defend what is theirs,we live our lives as if there is no Hereafter.

But He forgives.

Are you even better than Him not to forgive, now?
Forgive, you must.

Even as The Creator of things and beings, didn't we all commit 'something' against Him?
He Who had given us shelter and protection, Who had provided us , Who had given us joy in Life.
Who had given us Life. Imaan.

So what if someone spate you off?
Thats human nature.
We err.
We forget.

Remember the tearful day of our beloved Prophet saw in the city of Tha'if.
When Jibrail prepares himself to retaliate on behalf of the Prophet, seeing our beloved Prophet in pain and exhaustion for the stones thrown at him bloodied his face and the cruel words hurled at him pained his heart by the people of Tha'if, the Prophet stopped the angel.
He forgive them.

Yes.
He forgave them.
For their ignorance, some people say. But I believe that is the Prophet's loving and gentle nature.

What makes us even better than him?
Forgive, we must.


Someone close to me were hurt by her close friends.
It was unexpected to see how can a friendship that was built for so long was shattered in a day.
But they came back asking for forgiveness.
She accepted their apology and hold nothing against them deep in her heart.

I smiled. Baguslah dia ikut contoh Rasulullah.
But nevertheless, the moral of the story, the Iktibar is this: forgive. But Be careful.

While we do not end any friendship , but still choose your friends carefully.
Let this be a reminder for myself too. Iktibar.

Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi said:

"Know that not everyone is suitable to be your friend. You must verify that this potential friend has the neccessary characteristics that make friendship with him something to be desired. The one you seek to befriend must have five characteristics:

He must be intelligent, as there is no good in befriending an idiot, as he will only harm you when he wants to benefit you. By intelligent, we mean one who understands things as they are, either on his own, or if they are explained to him;

He must have good manners, and this is a must. One who is simply intelligent might be overcome by anger or desire, and obey his desire. Thus, there would be no benefit in befriending him;

He must not be a fasiq, as such a person would not fear Allah, and whoever does not fear Allah cannot be trusted;

He must not be an innovator, as his abundance of innovation is feared from befriending him;

He should not be eager for the dunya."

['Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin'; p. 126-132]

=) See ya guys around after the weekend!
White sandy beaches here we come!
Wasalam.