Purpose Of Life According to Islam

How many people have really thought in  mind  what is the real purpose of this life, the purpose our existence, and what are doing here. Can i say that less than 1% of the human being have ever thought in their life what is the purpose of our life. Do we really required to know our purpose of life ?  I give an example, let say a traveller came to a crossroad, and ask a passerby where this road lead to? The passerby then ask where is  your destination and he replied ,  “anywhere” . So the passerby told him  to  take any road because it make no different.  So imagine, there traveller has no goal , what ever action he deeds it made no different because he wanted to go anywhere. And in reality many of us are leading our life in the same way. In another setting , we may ask a graduate,  what and why  really you want to graduate , and he said i just want to be graduated and never thot yet what i m going to do after that. Unfortunately most of us are living our life in such manner, leading our life without a purpose.

More often , we copied the goal of others without scrutinising it. Some people told why they studied arts  because his friend also took that course in the campus. We intend to emulate others, especially our idols, person who become our central attention like artists and film stars. They keen to follow their idol  life style and indulged in this way of life which also become their goal in achieving this particular purpose. Unfortunately  we blindly  follow the goals of others without realising what we are doing.

Who do you think would be the best person the replied to the question, what is the purpose of our life? Some may think scientists, philosophers or even our our own could answer these question but most of them were failed  and came varied answers. How if I say the best answer that can give these question is the creator of life Himself ?  In this sense I will share the purpose that clearly stated and mentioned in the perspective of Islam religion , which was revealed by Allah himself to His prophets.

In the Quran in  surah Al Dzariyat  chapter 51 and verse 56, said “ I have not created Jinn and the man but to only worship Me “  This infer in the form of worship or ibadah which means obeying the commandment of God. Any commandment of Allah that man obey it is called ibadah (worship) . It denoted that if you perform prayer, give charity, prepare neighbourly  needs,  do good to the others it also mean you perform a worship to God,  not just prayer ritual per se. In other sense, if you abstain yourself from doing what forbids  by Allah like telling lies, stealing, cheating and harm others its also means you are doing worship. In short if you follow the  commandment of Allah , in another word it also consider worshipped because it portray the act of obedient to Allah SWT.

ESRF and Books

After diagnosed with End Stage Renal Failure (ESRF) in 2019, there was grieve decline on my health . My body  no longer met its actual performance  and I bcome uncertain how resilient my  body can further sustain to maintain a good health. At that time , my kidney only work at 5% of its capacity.

In order to  mitigate my kidney from further damage, I went on strict protein diet,but unfortunately  my kidney crash rapidly and its started worsen my health even more.  It took me almost six month to progress from Stage 4 to reach  end stage and I had no choice but to  start the dialysis treatment . It was when I started to show severe simtoms of long fever , continous womitting, fatigueness and short of breath.

Kidney performs essential function to keep our body healthy . The toxic  that builds in our body being exerete by kidney filtration, keeping  up the balance of  minerals in our body . Kidney ensures  minerals in our body like sodium, phosforos, pottasium and fluid are in right balance and portion to keep our body function and perform well. Once the kidney fail to execute all his responsibilities,the body will start to deteriorate and gradually leads to  detrimental health crisis and lost of life.

Dialysis is treatment to replace kidney functions, to keep ESRF  patience sustain his health  . It filtered the patient toxicated blood in a dialyzer machine  and return back the clean blood to the blood stream through arterivenous acess made to the body. In order to stay alive, ESRF patients usually have to undergo dialysis treatment 3 times a week , 4 hours per session through out his life time. Unless the patients get  a new kidney from the donor for transplant procedure,  most probable he has a chance to lead  a normal life again. Statistic recorded that  less than 1 on 20 transplant  procedure faced rejection.

While on dialysis, its important to keep strict diet to control toxic  accumulation,  which easily fluctuate due to loss of kidney  function. Skiping dialysis sessions were  great factor that lead to the death of kidney patients. ESRF patients who stop dialysis most probably have a month to live according to medical experts.

A person diagnosed with ESRF  needs  to adjust to new routine of life long treatments.  Some may experience extreme post dialysis effects like low blood preassure  accompanied by shortness of breath, abdominal and musle cramps, nausea ,  vomiting and even blood infection (sepsis).

Its important for ESRF patients to listen closely  his body conditions and take appropriate and necesaary actions. Every 3 month they required to take blood test and timely monitored by nefrologist. I also suggest to ESRF's to keep themself updated with latest knowledge by joining support groups and thru  extensive reading. Here I keenly sharing some books that I had read, during my winding road as ESRF patient. Hope it benefits who share the same journey.

1. Chronic Kidney Disease, Life after Diagnose by Jeff A. Parke

2. You Are A Dialysis Patients by James F. Horn,  MD

3. How to Avoid Dialysis and cure kidney disease by Terry Cooksey

4. Anatomy of an Illness by Norman Cousins

5. The Doctor Kidney Diets by Mandip S. Kang MD

6. The Art of Medicine by Dr Herbert Hong Ping Kong

7. There is life after Dialysis by Vijay N. Shanker

8. Dialysis Without Fear by Daniel Offer MD

9. The Kidney Warriors by Vasundhara Raghavan

10. Kidney Disease A Guide for Living by Walter A. Hunt

11. Living Well With Kidney Failure by Juliet Auer

Rise and Fall of Turks Ottoman Empire

 

The origin of the Ottoman Turks, if viewed from a geographical point of view it is situated on the upper side of Syria. It can be said that the origins of these Turks began with them being known as nomadic travellers. They live a nomadic life like gipsies. They were majority lived in Central Asia where history concludes they came from the Moguls and Tartars. As for the name of the Ottoman Turks, where the Ottomans are referring to the first sultan or king of this empire, namely Sultan Uthman I. In the name of the first king, this kingdom was called Ottoman Turkey. During the reign of his grandfather, the empire was under constant attack by the Mogul and Tartar army. During the reign under king Sulaiman Shah with an army of 1000 people had tried to escape and seek refuge in the area ruled by the Seljuk province of Asia Minor called Anatolia. After the threat from Tatars and Mogul abated, the Sultan Sulaiman Shah decided to return to his former ruling territory and they were also forced to cross the Euphrates river. However, they were unlucky when the ship sank on a voyage to the original region and Sultan Sulaiman Shah was believed to have died during the drowning storm. As a result of the incident, the father of Uthman I, Ertugrul, was unhappy to return to his original territory and decided to turn back and return to the former area in Anatolia. Ertugrul begged for mercy and talked to the Seljuk rule of Rome under Sultan Alaudin Qauqubas at the time. Sultan Alauddin Qauqubas had given part of a small area to shelter under the large Seljuk government. With this the seal of a treaty of allegiance or allegiance of the Ottoman Turks with the government of King Alauddin Qauqubas. Thus, if there is a war and rebellion, Ertugrul will be involved in helping and defending the Seljuk Empire. Counted on the numerous  successes and in remembrance of the services of Ertugrul's army in  winning a series of wars, King Alauddin has appointed these armies as the sultan's pioneer army or the royal elite army. On top of that, due to many winning wars helping the Seljuks, the Ottoman Turks were given the gift of colonies and became large territories. So much so that they exist and live as a powerful state in Asia Minor Anatolia. However, in 1281 Ertugrul breathed his last breath and  the kingdom was inherited by Sultan Uthman who became a famous kingdom, the Ottoman Turkey. Uthman continued his father's rule with a large and powerful territory by being given the authority to rule but it was still under the auspices and rule of the Seljuk Rome.

In the year 1300 there were still attacks and attempts of conquest by the Tartars and Mongols but were successfully defeated by the army of Uthman I. It was soon reported about the death of Sultan Alauddin Qauqubas and the situation made it a little tricky as he did not have an heir to inherit the ruling throne. Therefore this opportunity was used by Uthman I to raise his name as the successor to the government of Sultan Alauddin Seljuk. He managed to garner votes from the remnants of the Tartars and Mongols who had been defeated at his hands who were also now under his rule. With this he officially succeeded in becoming the larger and first Ottoman Turkish ruler including the Seljuk  which was once under Sultan Alaudin Qauqubas.

This began the reign of the Ottoman Turkish caliphate. Chronologically this reign began with Uthman I which ended in 1326. This was followed by the 2nd caliph namely Orhan I (1326-1359), Murad I (1359-1389), Sultan Bayazid I (1389-1402). An important event occured during Sultan Bayazid I was war with the King of Hungary, namely King Sigmund to seize the Balkans. The victory of the war against King Sigmund during the reign of Bayazid had elevated the authority and power of the Ottoman Turks because the adversaries were influential Christian tribes. But the Tartars and Mongols still did not remain silent, continuing to try to defeat the Ottoman Turks. Under the Commander of Timurlenk, Mongols managed to subdue Bayazid I in a fierce battle with an Ottoman army strength of 120 000 against a much larger Timurlenk army of 800 000. Bayazid was captured and detained and died  as a prisoner. The next heir was Muhammad I but there was a fight for the throne with his siblings, namely Mustafa, Sulaiman and Ahmad. Due to his cunning and success in gaining popularity and influence, Muhammad managed to present himself as the 5th caliph of the Ottoman Turks (1413-1421). The next 6th Sultan was Sultan Murad II (1421-1451) and followed by Sultan Muhammad II (1451-1481) who was more popularly named Sultan Muhammad Al- Fateh the conqueror of Constantinople.

 The history of the Ottoman Turkish rulling  experienced a collapse during the reign of Sultan Muhammad the 6th who had ruled from 1918 to 1922 who was also the 30th caliph. The post -World War I had urged Ottoman Turkey to make an agreement with the Allied Forces which consisted mostly of European bloc countries. This agreement is known as the Treaty of Sevres signed on January 20, 1920 where the Turkish government had to give up most of their territories especially the Hijjaz, Armenia and Izmir due to excessive debt burden. Sharif Hussain's collusion with the British government predicted the Hijaz would be given to him but that did not happen due to British cunning by breaking promises, this made him only get a smaller colony of Jordan while the Hijjaz had fallen into the hands of the Saudi family, Saudi Arabia.

The Sevres Agreement on the other hand met with opposition from the Turkish leftists and radicals especially the Turkish National Party under the leadership of Mustafa Kamal Attaturk. The party insisted that the caliphate not sign this agreement which could lead to the loss of large parts of Turkish territory. The British at the time had asked for the help of the Greek military (Greece) to subdue the Nationalist party under Kamal Attaturk. This war is the concern of the whole world especially Muslims because losing or winning this war will determine whether the name of Turkey will continue to exist on the world map and will end the Islamic caliphate  that has ruled over 500 years. This critical and important war that took place in Izmir eventually sided with Kamal Attaturk and immediately the Sevres agreement was annulled and the Turkish Nationalist party reclaimed the colony that had been liberated. This has resumed the continuity of Turkish power however it is no longer a caliphate ruling  system but Kamal Attaturk emerged as the first new Turkish president with a more secular pattern of government.

 

Understanding Learning Organization

 

There are various definitions of learning organisations, and the kinds of learning organizations that exist. According to Peter Senge, in his book The Fifth Discipline, a learning organization is a group that's working together to improve its capabilities to create results. He identified five characteristics of a learning organization that consist of System thinking, Personal Mastery, Mental Model, Team Learning and Shared Vision.

 Systems thinking is a framework used by learning organizations to think about businesses. This method lets people study a company as a bounded object. Learning organizations then use this method to measure the performance of their whole organization. The commitment to learning is referred to as personal mastery. This process allows individuals to improve their skills and become more productive. Personal mastery is also referred to as being able to see and interpret reality in a way that's both objective and spiritual. This process can be done through various forms of training and development, such as self-improvement. However, it is not always possible to force an individual to learn. Developing personal mastery can also help individuals achieve various positive outcomes, such as self-improvement, personal satisfaction, and commitment. It can also help them manage their work-life balance. A mental model is a set of assumptions and generalizations that describe what people can and cannot see. This type of model is often used by organizations and individuals to limit their observations. To become a successful learning organization, these assumptions and generalizations must be challenged.

One of the most important factors that a learning organization can consider when it comes to becoming successful is the establishment of a shared vision. This type of vision can help motivate its employees and provide them with a common identity. Unfortunately, this can be hindered by the traditional structures of the organization. One of the most important factors that a learning organization can consider when it comes to becoming successful is the establishment of a shared vision. This type of vision can help motivate its employees and provide them with a common identity. Team learning is also beneficial as it allows employees to improve their skills and solve problems more quickly. In team meetings, participants can improve their communication skills by being focused on listening, avoiding interruptions, and being interested in the other person's perspective. This type of environment can also help people develop a deeper understanding of each other.

In order to improve the quality of learning, organizations need to make sure that the people who are receiving the new information are willing to accept it. This can be done through the diffusion of knowledge, but it can be very challenging since the recipient's expectations are different from the new information. Today, many organizations rely on the use of technology to build their own knowledge repositories. These are usually built using the help of information technology. With a comprehensive knowledge infrastructure, an organization can create a practical knowledge base for its employees.

There are few arguments in the concept of Learning Organization. The concept of learning organization is focused mainly on the cultural dimension. It does not consider the other aspects of an organization, such as the structure a. To transform an organization, you need to attend to the various dimensions of the organization. For instance, focusing on training activities only serves to reinforce the cultural bias of an organization. In another shortcoming, despite the importance of collective and individual learning processes, the concept of learning doesn't connect them properly with the organization's strategic goals. For instance, in popular models of learning, the link between collective and individual learning is made. Therefore it is important that the link between these two components is emphasised

One of the most common issues that learning organizations face is fragmentation, competition, and reaction. Fragmentation occurs when an organization has multiple departments and functions, which can lead to a problem being broken down into pieces. Another issue is competition, which occurs when employees try to do better than others. While it is important to have a well-organized team meeting, it is also important to avoid the inappropriate habits that can affect the meeting's success. Having an agenda and setting an environment that is open and welcoming are some of the factors that can help improve team learning.

 

COLLECTION AND WRITING OF THE QUR'AN IN THE TIME OF THE PROPHET SAW

 

The collection of the Qur'an carries two understandings, namely the collection by memorization (al-hifz fi as-sudur) and the second is the collection by writing (al-hifz fi as-sutur). The word al-jam’u (الجمع) means to collect, memorize and remember. Jam’u al-Quran means one who memorizes it in his heart. As the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. always moving both his lips and tongue to recite the Qur’an before Jibril a.s. finished reciting the verse, this is because of his desire to memorise the revelation.

The first person to have the honour of collecting the Qur’an by memorizing and remembering in the heart was Rasulullah s.a.w. himself, before it was memorized by the other companions.Compilation in writing means writing the Qur'an in the form of separated verses and surahs, or only the verses are arranged but the surahs are written in separate manuscripts.

Collection of Al-Quran by memorization

Rasulullah s.a.w was very fond of revelation, in fact he always waited and longing for the revelation to come. When the revelation comes down, he will hasten to memorize and understand it. Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. an ummi (illiterate). Thus the Prophet s.a.w clung to the power of his memory to memorize every revelation revealed to him. He tried to collect the Qur'an in his chest and then read it to his companions.

Similarly, the companions, they will always be eager to memorize the verses of the Quran. They devote all their ability to read and memorize the verses of the Qur'an. This will allow them to teach it to their wives and children. Rasulullah himself had ignited their spirit to memorize the Quran. Many of the companions memorized the entire Qur'an. Among others are Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, Umar Al-Khattab, Thalhah, Huzaifah, Abu Hurairah, Abdullah bin Mas'ud, Abdullah bin Umar, Abdullah bin Abbas, Amru bin Ash and many more from among the companions.

Collection of the Qur'an in Writing

In the time of the Prophets.a.w. further efforts to preserve and compile the Qur’an have existed. Not only a memorized collection but also a written collection. This was proved when the Prophet s.a.w. has appointed the author of revelation among the four Khulafa 'al-Rasyidin, namely Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Sayyidina Umar al-Khattab, Sayyidina Uthman bin Affan and Sayyidina Ali bin Abi Talib. Apart from that, among his companions are Muawiyah, Ubai bin Ka'ab, Zaid bin Thabit, Al-Arqam bin Abi Al-Arqam, Khalid bin Al-Walid, Az-Zubir bin Al-Awwam, Abdullah bin Mas'ud and many more again.Among of f them, the most numerous and frequent writers of revelation were Zaid bin Thabit, Mu'awiyah, Abdullah bin Mas'ud and Ali bin Abi Talib. Whenever a revelation was sent down by Allah S.W.T., he would recite it in the presence of the companions ordering them to write it down in accordance with what had been recited in his chest. The writing on the sheet helped memorization in their chests. As the Messenger of Allah s.a.w. ordering the companions to write the verses from the revelation that was revealed, he also showed the position of the arrangement of the verses and placed the surahs in their particular place.

During this time the writers of the revelation wrote the verses of the Qur'an on the fronds of the tamar, the lumps of stone, the bones of camels and sheep that had been dried, the skins of animals, the skins or leaves of wood and so on. . Zaid bin Thabit said: "We wrote the Qur'an in the presence of the Messenger of Allah s.a.w. on the skin of animals ". (HR. Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak). This shows how difficult it was for the companions to write revelations on such devices. But in wisdom, where the writing of the Qur'an further increases the strength of their memorization. As Rasulullah memorized the Qur'an and recited it in front of the Angel Jibril a.s., so the companions also recited the verses of the Qur'an that they memorized and wrote it in front of Rasulullah s.a.w.

The writings written by the writers of the revelation were kept in the house of the Prophet s.a.w. In addition they also write for themselves. However , in the time of Rasulullah s.a.w., the Quran has not been collected in one mushaf (bound book).

Why The Quran Is Not Collected In One Mushaf

During the lifetime of the Prophet s.a.w, he did not collect the verses of the Qur'an in one mushaf, but found that the verses of the Qur'an were in a mixed and scattered state. Such a situation occurred because at that time the Qur’an was not revealed at once, even the Qur’an was revealed gradually. Such a situation makes it difficult to write the Qur'an into a single mushaf, unless after all the verses of the Qur'an are perfectly revealed to the Prophet s.a.w.

Apart from that, the order of the verses and surahs also does not follow the order of its descent. When examining the arrangement made of the Qur'an, it is clear that some verses were revealed later, but in the Qur'an are placed at the beginning of the surah. Therefore, if the Qur’an was written and compiled into one mushaf as early as its revelation, then surely it should always be changed every time a revelation is revealed to Rasulullah s.a.w.

During the life of Rasulullah s.a.w., there were also some verses of the Qur’an that were abrogated by a new revelation that abrogated them. Therefore, if from the beginning the Qur'an is collected in one mushaf, of course amendment after amendment must be made to the mushaf every time there is a repeal of a verse. It will definitely complicate the situation and Rasulullah s.a.w. never ordered the companions to collect the verses of the Qur'an into one mushaf.

Too many memorizers and  the writers of the Qur'an and it  causes the writing of the Qur'an to be everywhere. They did not feel that the collection in one mushaf was necessary because they had memorized the entire verse of the Qur’an in their respective chests, as has been shown by Rasulullah s.a.w. to them. Rasulullah s.a.w. has also explained to them the location of all the verses and surahs as directed by Allah S.W.T.

During the reign of Rasulullah s.a.w. the Muslims were in a good, peaceful  atmosphere, there was no slandering each other, besides the memorizers were too many. Therefore, there are no requirements that lead to the collection of the Qur'an into one mushaf. Furthermore, tools for writing were difficult to find because at that time they only carved writing on pieces of wood, stone blocks, dry skins and even bones.

According to Al-Zarkasyi’s view that the Qur’an was not written in a mushaf in the time of Rasulullah s.a.w. for fear of change in it. So the writing was done a bit late. Most scholars are of the opinion that the collection and writing of the Qur’an in the time of the Prophet s.a.w. done covering seven letters.

 

Letters : Some Hope for our Politics

 Looking at the current political scenario, I just want to share some laymen's thoughts and a humble way forward. What I really hope to see is that this country is run by a bunch of people with deeper seriousness to implement good governance and keep aside their personal interest. We have seen the power interest as luxury gain and longing while spending a splendid amount of cost to accommodate the pristineness of people in power.

This came to me with the question : do we really need power in order to contribute to the nation? How can we give something  out of ourselves without eager to get our luxury return? Our country has run on itself without a minister during early political turmoil early this year when the government had to be resolved befòre new decision was made. At that time there was an early outbreak of covid 19 pandemic and the country had been administered by KSU and DG and went on a superb job. So it proved and measured the capability of our hardliners in handling the real job of managing the country effectively.

Leadership is an important catalyst to determine the right and effective policies but when politics become narrative as the battle of power, it yields nothing but instability and worsening country survivability.

Those in power will not let their empire collapse to another party , because defeat means  their past misdoings will be unraveled . For the hardcore supporters,  losing  their boses will lead them to the lost of teñders and projects.  All this portrays the interests of each one hold and try not losing what that they already had.

The government today was formed by pact or coalitions of combined parties who allied each other to oust those currently in power. They make promises to each other if they win, powers are distributed evenly and each party member will have their portfolios in the cabinet. Inherently this type of government has a weak foundation and won't stand strong in trying moments . This was clearly showcased when members of one party or parliament were leapfrogging to another party because of some internal crisis and loss of trust and interest.

Today we see again another political upheaval when the leader of some party seek audien from the royal palace claiming he has a majority of vote in the parliament. The breathtaking drama will reoccur and the citizens again were put in economical jeopardy.

It's inevitable for the heated rivalry to occur, because we are the one who carve the scenario leading to it. When being in power is more important than serving the nation,  just see what would happen next.

I  believe shared vision was never established among the people who want to be in power. As long as he claims he will be a better leader than the current one, then the rat race will potentially prolong.

And my final thot, without being too hopeless and giving up, let us sometimes work together for betterment. Humans are always a  solution to harness, not a problem that disrupts a nation

Study on Happiness and Sucesss

Ever wondered what it takes to live a happy life? A study conducted by Harvard researchers revealed that men are more likely to feel satisfied and successful if they have close relationships. The findings indicate that social ties can improve a person's mental and physical health.

For the study, researchers analyzed the lives of 724 men for 79 years. They were divided into two groups based on their backgrounds. The first group was comprised of college students while the other group was composed of boys from  most impoverished areas.

For the study, the researchers asked the men about their lives and work every year since 1938. They learned that living a happy life is a result of having close relationships with family and friends. Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist, said the study revealed that social ties can improve a person's mental and physical health. Waldinger also noted that having social connections can improve a person's health and prolong their lives. However, he also noted that loneliness can lead to various health issues. For instance, people who are more isolated tend to experience lower happiness and slower brain function.

Focusing on the quantity of our social connections can lead to negative effects. For instance, living in the midst of conflict can affect our health. Being in the midst of warm and wholehearted relationships can also help protect us from getting divorced.

Being in a good relationship can protect our brains from the effects of age. For those who were in long-term relationships, the study revealed that they experienced better memories than those who were in unstable relationships.The study also revealed that people's happiness at age 50 was more important than their cholesterol levels. Those who were most satisfied at that time were the healthiest individuals at age 80.

Arguments in relationsp sometimes didn't affect the memories of the couples in the study. For the couples that were in long-term relationships, arguments didn't matter as long as they knew that they could count on each other, accoding to Waldinger.

In nutshell having a good relationship is very important for a person's happiness. This include in organization setting, that having a manager and an employee who are close to one another can also improve a person's mental and physical health.