Been a long time since I last posted, but never mind. In case you didn't know, I'm already starting a new semester as a 1st-year 2nd semester EE undergraduate at UTP, which started around a month ago. I've been thinking of updating this blog for a long time, but somehow I didn't seem to get the feeling to do it.
In a period of one month, many things have happened. I had to drop Professional Communication Skills because the subject now are only taught to third-years going to internships. I accidentally let down some of my friends in an incident which I had now regretted fully. I screwed up my online subject registration process and had to go to the ACS to sort things out manually, which, by this time, has already been sorted out. I already had my first Digital Electronics test which I seriously hope that I will score on since the questions were pretty tough. Even today, I had my first Vector Calculus not-so surprise quiz, which I managed to virtually finish perfectly.
And just now, from after the Maghrib prayers till 10.00 pm, I attended a religious ceramah at the UTP mosque. It was (mostly) about Israk Mikraj, and the one giving the ceramah was none other than Dato' Harussani Zakaria, the venerable Mufti of Perak! Boy, am I excited! I'm not just so because a Musfti is actually coming to our university to give talks, but also because DHZ happens to be the most outspoken of his peers in other states. He had commented much abou the issues and maladies concerning Muslims in recent times, and his opinions had been heard by everyone. He was celebrated by many for his audacity, yet he was lambasted in certain quarters for his boldness.
Either way, personally I found him very likeable. He had this aura of friendliness surrounding him, y'know, the aura that all elderly respectable religious teachers always possess.....
The topic was on Israk Mikraj. I've heard stories of this celebrated event in Islamic history, of how Prophet Muhammad SAW travelled in in one night from Makkah to Madinah and up towards the heavens, many times before, but this time, hearing from DHZ, several things which previously I knew none of I know now. Like, I knew that the daily solah was conceived during the Israk Mikraj, but the concept of repentance before death was also done during that moment. Like the solah, the concept of repentance also went though several stages; initially, God said that Muslims who repented a year before their death would be forgiven; after much request from Prophet Muhammad SAW, the time was reduced to only before Death reaches their throats(or something like that - I'm not good with direct translations). Apart from that, DHZ also covered the topic on Adam's creation, Iblis' treachery and Adam and Hawa's descent to earth. I learned again about something which I once knew but forgot - the characteristics of Iblis:
When Iblis swore to God that he would be the mortal enemy of Adam's ancestors, he asked God who would guide humanity and what are the guides based on; God replied that the prophets would guide humanity and the guides would be based on the four Holy Books (Injil, Zabur, Taurat and Furqan). Iblis got confused and asked, what about his kind? Then God replied, for Iblis:
1. Kings would be the one to guide humanity.
2. Fortune tellers would be the base of the guides.
3. The mosque of the Iblis would be places where people congregate for immoral activities.
4. Iblis' call to prayer would be hard music.
5. Iblis' food would be those food which, when eaten, were not started with Basmallah.
6. Iblis' drink would be those which can cause drunkiness.
That's pretty much everything new that I've learnt back then during the ceramah. Even if I didn't learn anything, I still appreciate it. For so long, my soul has been devoid of any spiritual fill; I hadn't taken my required share of constant religious knowledge as of late. Back in the ceramah, listening to DHZ, I felt really alive. My spirit was back to what it used to be. At least for now anyway. And that sudden surge in spirit that prompted me to finally blog again this day.
Salam.
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