Well sekitar sebulan yang lalu saya baru mendapatkan buku "The Great Story Of Muhammad". Udah kelar baca ret? Belom lah... bukunya tebel banget. hhihi....

Belum ada setengah juga yang saya baca tapi udah gak kuat menahan rindu.
Buku ini akan membawa imajinasi kita langsung ke zaman Rasulullah. Seakan-akan memang kita sangat dekat dengan Rasul dan sahabat-sahabatnya. Kita diajak untuk ikut merasakan kesedihan Rasulullah saat ditinggal kedua orang tuanya dan kakek yang sangat mencintainya. Terlebih saat itu memang Rasul masih anak-anak.

Saya sendiri jadi lebih memahami mengapa kita perlu bershalawat untuk Nabi, dan juga lebih memahami mengapa para sahabat begitu mencintai Rasulullah lebih dari dirinya sendiri. Bukan hanya sahabat, tapi sebagian besar makhluk ciptaan Allah.

They insulted him when they didn’t know who he was

They became his followers when they truly knew his way
What a shame! What they say ~

Where are you in my dreams? You feel so close but so far
When All I want is to see your face in front of me ~
You make me chase around shadows in the moonlight
Only for the sunrise to open my eyes..
Makes me jump to my feet walk around the city streets
Hoping that I’ll find you by my side

Then I feel your sunlight, beautiful and so bright
Feeling I’m in your arms for a while..
Hours pass like a breeze moving through the palm trees
Hand in hand you and me with your smile..

The very mention of you becomes my tranquility

To take your name, it becomes my sanity

Those sweet conversations of yours I would listen too

If the world deems them offensive, what do I care?

I need you in my life, like the air with which I breathe
So let them say what they want to say..
It’s the same game they always play. I’ll turn my ears the other way
It makes no difference either way. Let them say what they want to say
Salutations upon my beloved
It’s a game they’re always going to play

A nice song from Sami Yusuf, It's A Game :)

Karena sesuatu hal, sumur zam-zam pernah dikubur dan menghilang. Tak ada orang yang dapat menemukannya hingga suatu hari.....

Abdul Muthalib, seorang yang sangat dihormati di Mekkah kala itu, bermimpi bahwa Allah SWT memerintahkannya menggali sumur zam-zam di sebuah lokasi. Orang-orang Quraisy awalnya hendak membantu, tetapi Abdul Muthalib tetap bersikeras bahwa perihal penggalian sumur zam-zam ini khusus ditugaskan untuknya langsung dari Allah. Dan memang benar, hanya Abdul Muthalib saja yang dapat menemukan letak sumur zam-zam dan menggalinya kembali.

Setelah itu beliau bernazar, jika memiliki 10 orang anak maka ia akan menyembelih salah satunya untuk Ka'bah jika telah mencapai usia baligh. WHAT ?? Tentu saja nazar ini mengejutkan keluarganya. Beliau tetap pada pendiriannya meskipun keluarganya memohon untuk membatalkan nazar itu.

Dan akhirnya nazar itu memang harus ditepati saat ia dikaruniai 10 orang anak.

Anak-anaknya tentu saja terkejut. Tapi perlahan Abdul Muthalib memberikan pengertian pada mereka perihal nazar itu, dan mereka mengerti.

Abdul Muthalib menuliskan sepuluh nama anaknya di masing-masing panah undian.

Yang keluar adalah nama ABDULLAH. Sekarang giliran Abdul Muthalib yang terkejut. Pasalnya, Abdullah ini adalah anak yang paling tampan, paling bersih jiwanya dan yang paling disayang.

Hari itu pun tiba. Abdullah dihadapkan wajahnya ke Ka'bah. Saat itu orang-orang pun telah berusaha mencegah. Kemudian ada yang mengusulkan agar Abdul Muthalib menceritakan nazar ini pada seorang wanita peramal dan meminta pendapatnya. Beliau setuju.

Hasilnya, Abdul Muthalib disuruh menuliskan nama Abdullah dan 10 nama unta di panah undian. Jika yang keluar adalan nama unta, maka ia harus menyembelih 10 ekor unta. Namun jika nama Abdullah yang keluar maka ia harus menyembelih 10 ekor unta begitu seterusnya hingga nama unta yang keluar.

Setelah diundi, ternyata nama Abdullah terus yang keluar hingga 10x. Itu berarti Abdul Muthalib harus menyembelih 100 ekor unta. FYI, zaman dulu, diyat (denda) maksimal dibayarkan dengan 10 ekor unta. Karena kejadian ini, diyat jadi 100 ekor unta.

Kemudian Abdullah dinikahkan dengan Aminah, gadis terhormat di kalangan Quraisy. Setelah menikah, mereka tinggal di Mekkah.

Suatu hari Abdullah dikirim ke Yatsrib oleh Abdul Muthalib untuk mengurusi kurma. Namun ketika tiba di sana, Abdullah sakit parah dan akhirnya meninggal dalam usia 25 tahun. Saat itu Aminah tengah mengandung Rasulullah SAW...

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Referensi: The Great Story of Muhammad

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing? 

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Ah~ this is the late late post (2007)
I read this article from facebook, I think I can freely share this.
and you might also like this original article on Washington Post (click!)

One never tires of gazing at the sight of the House of Allah, the Kaa'ba. The site upon which the mercy and blessings of Allah are constantly descending. There is truly nothing comparable to the House of Allah on this Earth. People wish time would stand still so they could keep gazing at the Kaa'ba; their thirst is never quenched, rather it increases.

Once, while on a visit to Washington, people told me that a woman had accepted Islam and had some questions for me. They told me that many non-practicing Muslim women had started practicing again due to her. At prayer time she would dress in her best clothes as if readying herself for someone special, and would become oblivious to everything around her as soon she started praying.

After a brief question and answer session, I asked her what prompted her to accept Islam. She sighed and started explaining; "I was a Jew and my husband was a Christian who was posted in Saudi Arabia for some technical work. Everyday I used to see Muslim men and women dressed in white on their way somewhere. I asked my husband where they were going and he told me that they go to perform pilgrimage at the Muslim shrine of Kaa'ba. I expressed a desire to go but he told me that non-Muslims were not allowed. However, I was determined and so we both bought white clothes and set out. Fortunately no one stopped us and we reached Makkah, from where we found directions to the Kaa'ba. Upon seeing the Kaa'ba our eyes froze and time seemed to stand still. When we turned to look at each other after some time, we were both crying. With our eyes we told each other that this was the Truth and we should accept Islam. No one ever told me about Islam, but there were so many blessings descending on that House that they changed my life forever."

The blessings of Tawhid descend in Makkah, and the blessings of Prophethood descend in Madinah. One has seen nothing in life if he has not seen these two holy sites. May Allah give all Muslims the opportunity to visit to His House.

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Source: Excerpt from a speech of Shaikh Zulfiqar - sacredlearning.com

Sabtu kemarin tanggal 4 Mei 2013 ada pelatihan rajutan di Plaza Blok M lantai 6, tapi sayang sekali saya ga bisa hadir... padahal acaranya membuat Amigurumi Donat. Saya belum pernah membuat amigurumi sebelumnya, jadi saya rasa pelatihan ini akan bermanfaat sekali. Hehe...

Amigurumi (編みぐるみ^?, lit. crocheted or knitted stuffed toy) is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and anthropomorphic creatures. The word is derived from a combination of the Japanese words ami, meaning crocheted or knitted, and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll.^[1] Amigurumi are typically animals, but can include artistic renderings or inanimate objects endowed with anthropomorphic features,^[2] as is typical in Japanese culture. - Wikipedia.org

Akhirnya saya lihat video tutorialnya saja di youtube. Ternyata tidak sulit untuk membuatnya. Di hari libur itulah saya mencoba mempraktekan sedikit ilmu amigurumiology. Hehe..
Saya juga telah mencatat polanya biar ga lupa kalau mau buat lagi.

1	Ch	15
2	Sc	1	+ 2	1	+ 2
3	Sc	1	1	+ 2	1	1	+ 2
4	Sc	1	1	1	+ 2	1	1	1	+ 2
5	Sc	1	1	1	1	1	+ 2	1	1	1	1	1	+ 2
6	Sc	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
7	Sc	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
8	Sc	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
9	Sc	1	1	1	1	1	- 2	1	1	1	1	1	- 2
10	Sc	1	1	1	- 2	1	1	1	- 2
11	Sc	1	1	- 2	1	1	- 2
12	Sc	1	- 2	1	- 2
13	Sc	1	- 2	1	- 2
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12

Ch = Chain
Sc = Single Crochet
+ = Increase
- = Decrease

Gomen, belum pernah pakai pola sebelumnya -__- tapi kira-kira polanya begini lah.
Semuanya pakai single crochet, yang +2 itu maksudnya satu Sc dijadikan 2 (Increase) dan yang -2 itu sebaliknya. ^.^)v

Jangan sedih, karena di bulan Mei ini full pelatihan, pameran dan bazar rajutan di Plaza Blok M Lt.6. (^_^)

Berikut ini adalah insiden tentang kerusakan mesin di sebuah kapal yang sangat besar. Pemilik kapal mencoba satu per satu ahli mesin, tapi tak ada di antara mereka yang mengetahui bagaimana cara untuk memperbaikinya. Kemudian mereka mendatangi seorang lelaki tua yang telah memperbaiki kapal laut sejak masih muda. Dia membawa tas besar dengan alat-alat bersamanya, dan ketika dia tiba, dia segera melakukan pekerjaannya. Dia memeriksa mesin dengan hati-hati, dari atas sampai ke bawah.

Dua pemilik kapal laut di sana, memperhatikan pekerjaan lelaki itu, berharap dia akan mengetahui apa yang harus dilakukan. Setelah melihat segala sesuatunya, lelaki tua meraih tasnya dan mengambil sebuah palu kecil. Dengan lembut dia mengetukkan sesuatu. Dengan cepat, tiba-tiba mesin menyala dan dengan hati-hati dia menarik palunya. Mesin telah diperbaiki! Seminggu kemudian, pemilik kapal menerima tagihan dari lelaki tua sebesar sepuluh ribu dollar.

"Apa?!" Pemilik berseru. "Dia hampir tidak melakukan apa-apa!"

Jadi dia menuliskan catatan untuk lelaki tua yang berbunyi "Tolong kirimkan rincian tagihannya."

Si lelaki itu mengirimkan tagihan yang dibaca:

Mengetuk dengan palu $2.00

Tahu tempat untuk mengetuknya $9998.00

Usaha itu penting, tapi mengetahui di mana untuk membuat usaha dalam hidupmu membuat segalanya berbeda. Pengetahuan dalam islam dinilai sangat tinggi. Pengetahuan akan menguntungkan kita di dunia dan di akhirat.

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Sumber:

Sekedar berbagi salah satu kisah inspiratif favorit saya, Cerita ke-7 dari Islamic Stories For Muslims (and non muslim). Bisa didownload gratis untuk 30 cerita bagi pengguna Android, sisanya premium jadi harus bayar. Hehe..