BAGAN PINANG: AN UNNEEDED ISSUE

In my comments on A Voice's post of 8 September 2009, I said that given the current political scenario, UMNO will be committing political suicide if it chooses Isa as the Bagan Pinang candidate. No matter how much his supporters argue about his loyalty, strength, ability to garner support, his good deeds as ex-MB, etc., he is, and seen as, already tainted. I opined that it's important for UMNO to close ranks in Bagan Piang/NS. In this context, the most honourable act would be for Isa to reject any offer to contest, give way to a clean candidate, and show full support and commitment to the selected candidate. No one should fail to see that DS Najib's efforts and measures to win the support of Chinese and Indian votes did not translate into votes and wins for BN in previous by-elections. We can expect the same thing to happen in Bagan Pinang if UMNO fail to learn the harsh lessons of those by-elections. I should add here that Isa's son should also not be selected, for even if the son is clean, he (and UMNO) will still not be able to escape his father's stigma being exploited by the PR campaigners in Bagan Pinang.
 
Up until his statement in Port Dickson on 25th September, as reported by Berita Harian dan Utusan Malaysia, Isa had remained relatively silent, letting his division people and supporters do the talking and promoting.  It seemed that there's nothing else in their mind except the good things about Isa; his past was a small aberration and, being human, should be forgiven. At that time, only Isa's name had been mentioned and trumpeted. The UMNO Deputy President has raised the need for more than one nominees, but the Teluk Kemang Division had remained steadfast in its choice of Isa. Nothing much was mentioned of other potential candidates.

His silence, i.e. not coming to the forefront and stating his stance, was telling in that it appeared to betray an ulterior motive. He seemed to be quietly endorsing the push for his candidacy from various quarters and let the UMNO leadership grapple with the issue but eventually would be forced to accept it. It was as though he was sending a message that he had, or was forced, to stand as candidate because it's the will of his Division and the grassroots. He seemed to be forcing the issue; it was like engineering a fait accompli. It's hard not to be critical of his motives. That is not the qualities we expect of a party leader. A party leader is a servant of the party, not vice-versa.

In addition, the aforementioned Berita Harian dan Utusan reports contained contradictory statements from Isa. In the Berita Harian report, Isa said that the Teluk Kemang Division had already submitted the names of three  candidates for consideration of party leaders. In the Utusan report, however, Isa stated that the list of candidates had not yet been submitted to party leaders and that he would do so at the appropriate time. Unless there is an oversight by the two papers or by Isa himself, we can take them as they were.

Now, in the same Berita Harian report, Isa gave his guarantee that he would assist UMNO in ensuring a victory in the by-elections regardless of whether he is selected as candidate or not. Nevertheless, Isa's previous silence on his candidacy and his contradictory statements on the list of candidates had created unnecessary attention to himself and UMNO and has become a needless issue. Even now, it seems to be all about Isa and no one else. All things point to, and centers on, Isa. He could have easily preempted the problem by coming to the forefront and rejecting any offer to stand as candidate.
 
Many party leaders and individuals have come out in support of Isa. Some have tried to rationalise the issue - that even a clean candidate is no guarantee of victory and that what is more important is leadership and voter's acceptance. They argued that a leader who has been found guilty of money politics can be given another chance if he has repented and has continued to show undivided loyalty to the party. Others have alleged that he was framed and that it was a conspiracy engineered by certain quarters during Pak Lah's reign. Such reasonings seem hallow because they still show support for a tainted candidate, which is another way of saying they endorse corruption. It does not matter how valid or otherwise the arguments, it's the voters who vote, not anybody else outside Bagan Pinang. Are they going to say the same thing if they persist with Isa's selection and then lose the by-elections? In any case, it is doubted that the PR elections machinery and, most notably, the voters would buy these arguments. Isa's past history, true or otherwise, has created sufficient perception for the PR campaigners to manipulate, as they had done in Permatang Pasir. Given the current political climate and recent successive by-elections defeats, the risk is too great to take.

What do we make of Isa's contradictory statements as regard the list of candidates? It's only two days away before UMNO announces its candidate. If it's true that the list has not been submitted, then by leaving things hanging without even an appearance of resolution and giving indication that the party is still grappling with the issue, surely does not bode well for the party. UMNO should know better than to put itself at a disadvantage even before the by-election begins.

Now that Isa have his assurance that he would support whoever is selected as candidate, the question remains, will he walk the talk? Will he make sure that he will be able to contain any effort to sabotage the candidate and the party (which has already happened before in previous by-elections)? Will he be able to keep in check the egotistical and self-serving inclinations of his Divisional leaders and campaigners? Whatever he does, UMNO should keep reminding itself that the  biggest problem lies within the party itself, notably those within Isa's camp and others who fight for themselves instead of the party. 

In all, UMNO should learn the lesson of not shooting itself in the foot by drawing attention to a needless issue - an issue that could have been preempted in the first place.

THE ROYAL SPAT: SOME SENSE OF CIVILITY WILL DO

Rocky's Bru posted a Malay Mail report on the statement by the Raja Muda of Johor that "the RM50  million Negri Sembilan’s Tunku Dara Naquiah demanded as compensation for a 'vicious assault' on her son last October" was '"pure extortion', 'unreasonable' and should not be entertained."

In my comments to Rocky's earlier post, I said that having had resided both in Negri Sembilan and Johor - the very states of the two antagonists - I've become quite familiar with the two royal families, and I was sure then that there will be a strong reaction, at the very least some verbal tirades, from the Johor royalty. What followed next was just as had been expected. There will be no such verbal tirades in public of course, but not surprisingly, the Johor Royalty's reaction shows that it will not take the issue lying down.

Rocky suggested that a special body or council be set up to resolve problems involving members of the Malaysian royalty. This however may be costly  and time-consuming and I doubt the royal families involved would be willing to go through such taxing proceedings supervised by an external body. What would be more palatable is that the two royal families exercise some civility in handling the problem. They can choose a go-between or mediator - someone from the royal families of other states who is acceptable to both parties - and settle the matter quietly without resorting to legal action or trial by media. This is an internal royal matter and it should stay that way. Showing courteousness, respect and graciousness will go a long way towards building better relationship between the two royal families and improving the image of the country's royalty in general. Nothing can be gained by ill-feeling and acts of retribution.

Interestingly, the forthcoming by-elections will be held in a constituent in Negri Sembilan (Bagan Pinang). Coincidence or the work of "hidden hands"? It's anybody's guess. PR will no doubt go to town with this issue in their campaign and that is not good for the already beleaguered BN. As the recent Perak case shows convincingly, the royalties are easy meat for PR. And things will get worse if BN chooses the wrong candidate. 

Let's hope common sense eventually prevails.

Anwar: "Why the preoccupation?"

An anonymous commentator posted the following comment to my earlier posting, which I find interesting:

Why the pre-occupation with Anwar? I think Anwar is the only person who save Barisan Nasional from a total collapse to PAS-DAP coalition. PAS is using Anwar as an agent provocateur to continue to harrass the BN government. They are just waiting for BN to put him under ISA so that they can re-create the sympathy factor and ride into power, only this time they will have the Chinese on board and BN will fall like a sack of potatoes.

And Anwar is using PAS because PAS has a very strong political machinery, I think its even stronger than UMNO. It is lean, hungry and most important its a thinking machinery. Even now, PAS is beginning to beat its war drums in Bagan Pinang, and they actually believe that they can score a major upset.

So unless you are quite content to be under PAS-DAP rule,perhaps its time to lay off DSAI, because the more UMNO whacks him, the less useful he can be to rescue UMNO and BN from certain doom.

Just a thought, remember when DSAI split from ABIM to join UMNO. History does not repeat itself, it rhymes.

"Why the preoccupation with Anwar?" Not matter how devilish he is being portrayed by his opponents, no one can deny that he still holds a strong presence and influence in our political landscape. Whether such a presence brings comfort or resentment depends on which side one is on in the political divide. At the same time, we cannot escape the fact that since he appeared in our political life, events have shown that our country did not turn out to be as peaceful and orderly as we had hoped for. His presence has emboldened the PR coalition and its supporters to stir up or instigate one chaotic incident after another.

I emphasise the phrase "his presence" (both physical and mental) because without it, does anyone think PR would be brave enough to have done what they did? It also means he need not have to be present at the scene of the incident for it to happen. All his supporters need is to draw inspiration from his name.

Witness how he has made a fool of our judiciary in his sodomy trial by initiating one delay after another when he knows fully well he is being unfair to the other party (Saiful) and when, in the latest attempt to disqualify the prosecution team, he even went to the extent of contravening the constitutional provision with regard to his rights. Does anyone think he was not appraised by his lawyers about the relevant constitutional provision and that his action was an abuse of court process? Surely, lawyers being lawyers, they are not that dumb; neither is Anwar. It was simply meant to keep alive "his presence".

In fact he has a fool of many people many times over, and this has repeatedly been highlighted in the blogsphere. There have been many evidences of this, of which 16 Sept is one. There are others as shown in this article here. Watch the video under the heading "Anwar sakit berkerusi roda". Isn't that evidence damning enough? The lies he concocted are mind-boggling. We know the rest of the story - how the Anwar stories flooded the blogsphere with critiques and praises in equal measures. If anyone want further explanation as to why people, notably bloggers, are so preoccupied with Anwar, this is it. He created his own persona that attracted the crowd. His supporters (such as the commentator) have to live by it. You live by the sword, you die by it, so the supporters have no cause to complain about the consuming fixation on Anwar. The aforementioned article and video have been in the blogsphere for some time, yet his supporters' obsession vis-à-vis his "innocence" and "saintly" disposition persist. It is for this reason too that this blogger raises the need to uncover the motivation behind the supporters' obsession.

"PAS is using Anwar as an agent provocateur to continue to harass the BN government"? An interesting view, but others will surely counter - and have already done so - that it should be the other way round - that Anwar is using PAS to further his ambition. Otherwise, how do we explain the manner in which certain PAS leaders/members listen to him more than their own party members, to the extent that Anwar is considered their real leader? Remember, Anwar was once a vociferous critic of PAS when he was in UMNO. Now it's the other way round. True,  anything can happen in politics - enemies today, friends tomorrow. But Anwar still has people within PAS who do not trust him, as demonstrated by his failure to get a foothold in it through its proxies (the so-called Endorgan) in this year's party election. The PAS-Anwar "bond" is  an arguably deceptive one. They are simply tied by political aspirations but their ideological differences remain indisputable. Would PAS be willing to recruit as an agent a person who was once critical of what the party stood for and who therefore could not be trusted? Further, by using the Anwar-as-PAS-agent argument, the commentator is deflecting, conveniently I suppose, from the link between Anwar and his foreign sponsors, which is also well-documented in the article quoted above and elsewhere in the blogsphere. Which then is more tenable - Anwar as PAS agent or Anwar as foreign agent? 

"...Anwar is the only person who save Barisan Nasional from a total collapse to PAS-DAP coalition"?  Do BN really need Anwar to save itself? BN is in the considerably weakened situation because of the defeats in GE 2008. UMNO, the bulwark of BN, is weakened internally by continuing corruption and its inability to cleanse the party. The only way UMNO/BN can save themselves is to put their house in order, not through Anwar's intervention.

"...PAS-DAP rule..."? Admittedly the union is holding out but, like any union of disparate ideologies, it is at best a tenuous one. By sacrificing some of its theological aspirations, PAS has gone too far beyond its original objectives that there's bound to be repercussions. There are still leaders and members within the party who continue to be bounded by its original goals and struggle.  Judging by what happened in Perak, Selangor and Penang, it's DAP that has become the more dominant partner and this is troubling some PAS leaders.  To rule a country under such as fragile union would obviously spell trouble, and this is not discounting its lack of experience in governing a country. The Perikatan Party (later enlarged to become BN) that led the country in 1957, while also lacking experience in governing a country, did not suffer from the same fragility as the current PR coalition. The Perikatan Party assumed control of the country from a position of strength. Can we say the same of PR if it rules the country?  Can we say the same of PR in the states it control? So, until  PAS and DAP - and PR generally - sort out their differences and get down to the job of proper governance, instead of indulging in squabbling, blaming, and instigating disorder, the possibility of a PAS-DAP rule is remote.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA

SELAMAT HARI RAYA KEPADA RAKAN-RAKAN BLOGGER SERTA SAUDARA DAN SAUDARI MUSLIMIN DAN MUSLIMAT SEKELIAN.

SEMOGA KITA SENTIASA DIBERKATI ALLAH.

Revisiting Anwar's 16 September Folly: Is It Worth It?

16th September has come and gone. Many blogs, such Big Dog, Tunku, Unspinners and My Anger (to name a few), have posted revisits to that day. I wonder whether it's worth it to revisit an occasion that has become a laughing stock to many of us, even though Anwar's obsessive pursuit  remains an "auspicious" occasion worth remembering for his equally obsessive followers (he hasn't given up, has he?).

I call Anwar's stunt a folly. The synonyms for folly are foolishness, madness, stupidity, idiocy, silliness, craziness, and recklessness, all of which are apt depictions of what he did on that day.

I for one never believed he would have achieved his "coup". I had watched in amusement his play-acting while the event unfolded. I believed then that he simply did not have the numbers, and there's no reason to believe it now. If he really had the number, he would have brought about the defection and change over of government in Parliament, then seen the Agong to effect the take over. He knew the correct procedures and he chose, deliberately I believe, not to pursue it. It's that simple.

A far more appropriate question would be: Shouldn't we just let it (16 Sept) go and focus on other questions regarding Anwar that need to be addressed, as well as other national issues at hand? Whether he has given up his pursuit or not is an open question. But making a din in the blogsphere and elsewhere, even if justified, will only serve to perpetually put him in the limelight  as far his ambition to be PM is concerned (and further boost his ego), which is what he always seeks, even if the event has discredited him in the eyes of many of us. We should not be distracted by 16 Sept per se. We should be well appraised by now that distractions and diversions are part of his game plan.

Some of the more serious question that we, as peace-loving Malaysians, should be addressing with regard to Anwar include:

1. Why is he given special treatment by the judiciary (the sodomy trial) and the government as a whole (doing things with impunity and without reproach)?
2. Why is he always ahead of the government in strategising his actions? There's every reason to believe he has his own people within the government to do his bidding? Who are they? By their past connections with Anwar (while he was in the government where he had built his network), we should know some of them by now. Some have left him, some have stuck by him thick and thin. Even then, do we really know whether the defectors have abandoned him completely? More importantly, it's the "invisible hands" that we should be concerned about.
3. Why are his followers persistently being obsessive? Money? Position and prestige? Follow the leader blindly? Mob rule? Herd instinct? Possessed?
4. More critically, is 16 Sept a means to an end? Is in part of a hidden agenda or a grand design?
   

Only by addressing at the questions will we able to uncover the real reasons behind his compulsive demeanour, his followers' obsession, and the inertia that is gripping the government. It's all in his head, his mind, what he thinks. It's the battle of the mind - his and his followers' - that we should be focusing on. 

True, many bloggers have written about the above matters, but they have not stopped him in his track, have they?

TANDA-TANDA KEBESARAN ALLAH

Foto-Foto Terindah dan Paling Menakjubkan Dari Seluruh Dunia


Satu email dari seorang rakan menunjukkan beberapa gambar tempat-tempat terindah dan paling menakjubkan di dunia yang sangat jarang dilihat sebelumnya. Dari keindahan Antartika, kota-kota di atas awan, pantai-pantai tersembunyi yang menakjubkan dan tempat-tempat lain yang lebih mengagumkan.

1. Di Suatu Tempat Di Puncak Dunia

 

Gambar di  atas adalah puncak Himalaya Tibet. Ini adalah titik tertinggi di seluruh Planet Bumi. Dengan foto dan cahaya seperti ini Himalaya nampak seperti sebuah tempat di planet lain.

2. Cahaya Misterius Di Utara

Sinar Aurora Borealis yang "spektakuler" di langit Alaska (ujung utara Amerika, dekat Kutub Utara). Aurora sebenarnya adalah cahaya natural di angkasa yang terjadi akibat tabrakan partikel-partikel medan magnet bumi dengan atom dan molekul dari atas atmosfir bumi. Warnanya yang paling umum ada dua, hijau dan merah dan dapa dilihat pada waktu malam.

3. Benteng Chittogarh, India

4. Desa Warna-Warni

Cinque Terre, Riviera, adalah salah satu tujuan wisata paling populer di Itali. Kota yang terkenal keindahannya ini dibangun selama ratusan tahun, dan keunikannya tetap terjaga. Makanan laut disini juga sangat istimewa, tentu karena letaknya yang di pinggir laut Mediteranian (sebahagian dari UNESCO World Heritage Site).

5. Sebuah Kota Di Atas Awan

Inilah Machu Picchu, kota dari peradaban Inca yang hilang. Letaknya di Lembah Urumba, Peru, di puncak gunung, 2430 meter di atas permukaan laut. Tempat ini dibangun pada puncak kejayaan peradaban mereka, tahun 1460-an.

6. Massif De La Chartreuse

Formasi perbatuan yang super-unik di pergunungan di timur Perancis

7. Rekreasi Di Hujung Dunia

Berdayung santai di laut Arktik yang sejernih kristal (tapi dingin). Arktik adalah wilayah di Kutub Utara bumi (dari Bahasa Yunani yang berarti Beruang)

8. Sebuah Kota Di Dalam Gunung

Lihatlah kedahsyatan pintu gerbang raksasa ini. Petra adalah kota yang dibentuk di dalam sebuah gunung batu di Jordan. Tempat ini awalnya dibangun 100 tahun sebelum masehi oleh bangsa Nabatean. Petra dulu sempat berkembang menjadi pusat perdagangan yang makmur di zaman Romawi karena letaknya yang strategis di Arabia. Di dalamnya juga terdapat aliran sungai bawah tanah yang airnya berlimpah. Kota ini dan sejarahnya ada disebut di dalam Al-Quran.

9. Teluk Navagio, Zakynthos, Yunani

Semua ini menunjukkan tanda-tanda kebesaran Allah, supaya membawa keinsafan betapa kerdilnya kita sebagai manusia. Manusia hanya boleh merancang dan membina apa juga pun, tetapi Allah adalah Perancang Yang Terbaik dan segala yang manusia rancang dan lakukan adalah atas Kehendak dan KuasaNya semata-mata.

Laylat Al-Qadr – A Most Distinguished Night

Though all parts of Ramadhan are full of blessings and rewards, its last ten days hold a special status reflected in the recommendations and practices of Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him - pbuh), and his companions. These are the nights that the Prophet (pbuh) used to spend in constant worship, doa and dhikr. It is in these last ten days of Ramadhan that we strive to seek Laylat Al-Qadr - the greatest night of the year like the Day of `Arafah is the greatest day of the year. It is a night about which Allah revealed a full Surah, Surah Al-Qadr and the 3rd to the 6th verses of Surat ad-Dukhan.

What is Laylat Al-Qadr?

Laylat Al-Qadr is:

• The night when the Qur'an was reveled.
• The night when the Message (the Final and seal of all messages) sent to Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) started.
• The night when the light, that would illuminate mankind to the end of life, started.
• The night when every matter of ordainment is decreed.

In Surah Al-Qadr, Allah says:

(From on high, We [Allah] bestowed it [i.e. the Qur'an] on the Night of Decree. Would that you knew what the Night of Decree is! The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. On that night, the angels and the Spirit by their Lord's permission descend with all His decrees. That night is peace, till the break of dawn.) (Surah Al-Qadr 97:1-5)

According to Sayed Qutb (1906-1966), a prominent and influential Muslim intellectual and writer, “this surah speaks (loosely translated as "the Supreme Society," including Allah and the angels). That night marked the beginning of the revelation of the Qur'an to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), an event unparalleled in the history of humankind for its splendour and the significance it has for the life of humankind as a whole.”

Seeking Laylat Al-Qadr

Abu Hurairah related that the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Whoever spends Laylat Al-Qadr in prayer, believing in Allah and seeking His reward, all his past sins will be forgiven." (Hadith Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

We do not know on what exact night Laylat Al-Qadr falls. Some of the Hadiths indicate that Lailatul-Qadr is in the last ten nights, while others indicate that it is in the odd nights of the last ten, i.e. 21^st, 23^rd, 25^th, the 27^th and the 29^th of Ramadhan. Ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said, "Look for the Night of Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadhan, on the night when nine or seven or five nights remain out of the last ten nights of Ramadhan (i.e. 21, 23, 25, respectively)." [Hadith Bukhari]

The best way for a Muslim to seek this special night is by spending and maximising the last ten nights of Ramadhan engaged in various acts of worship. These include reading the Qur'an, dhikr (remembrance of Allah), and begging Allah's forgiveness. The Prophet (pbuh) strove his best in seeking it during that time by engaging in these acts. The Prophet (pbuh) would stay up during the last ten nights, would wake his wives, and then would remain apart from them to worship.

Some of the recommended acts of worship (which are by no means exhaustive) during the last ten nights of Ramadhan include:

1. Take a vacation for Allah: We take a break from our jobs for almost everything in life. Why not this time to focus on worshiping and thanking our Creator. Taking vacation can make it easier to stay awake at night to do extra ibadah, not having to worry about getting to work the next day. It will also facilitate doing i’tikaf.

2. Do I'tikaf: It was a practice of the Prophet to spend the last ten days and nights of Ramadhan in the mosque for i'tikaf. Those in i'tikaf stay in the mosque all this time, performing various forms of dhikr, like doing extra solat (prayer), recitation and study of the Quran.

3. Making Doa (supplication) of Laylat Al-Qadr: Imam Ahmad recorded from `A’ishah that she said, “"O Messenger of Allah! If I find the Night of Laylat Al-Qadr what should I say?”" He replied, "Say: O Allah! Verily, You are the Oft-Pardoning, You love to pardon, so pardon me." (Hadith At-Tirmidhi). The transliteration of this Dua is "Allahumma innaka 'afuwwun tuhibbul 'afwa fa'fu 'annaa".

4. Recite and reflect on the meaning of the Quran: You can choose Surahs or passages from the Quran, which you have heard in the Tarawih prayer. If you attend a class where the recitation of the Quran is taught, this is a great time to put your knowledge into practice. Choose the latest Surah or Surahs you've heard in Tarawih and read their translation and Tafseer. Then think deeply about their meaning and how it affects you on a personal level.

5. Make a personal Doa list: Ask yourself what you really want from Allah. Make a list of each and everything, no matter how small or how big, whether it deals with this world or not. Allah loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready, you can do three things: (a) ask Allah to give you those things; (b) think about what actions you have taken to get those things, and (c) develop a work plan to get those things in future.

6. Evaluate yourself (muhassabah diri): Ask yourself the questions that need to be asked. Evaluate where you are and where you are going. Let this evaluation lead you to feel happiness for the good you have done and remorse for the bad you have done.

7. Make up with other Muslims: Quarrelling and disagreement was the reason why the exact day of Laylat Al-Qadr was not revealed to us, so we should not lose its reward by making the same mistake. `Ubadah ibn As-Samit narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) came out to inform us about the Night of Qadr but two Muslims were quarrelling with each other. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "I came out to inform you about Laylat Al-Qadr but such-and-such persons were quarrelling, so the news about it was taken away; yet that might be for your own good, so search for it on the 29th, 27th and 25th (of Ramadhan)” (Hadith Al-Bukhari).

8. Show extra generosity: We are encouraged to be extra generous during the last ten nights of Ramadhan. Ibn `Abbas related: "Allah's Messenger (pbuh) was the most generous of all people in doing good, and he was at his most generous during the month of Ramadhan. Jibreel used to meet with him every year throughout the month of Ramadhan, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could recite the Qur'an to him. Whenever Jibreel met with him, he became more generous than a beneficial breeze." (Hadith Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

9. Have Iftar with the family: If you've spent Iftar time on weekdays in your cubicle at work alone with a couple of dates, now is the last few days you'll have this Ramadhan to spend with your family. Use it wisely.

10. Take the family to Tarawih: Have your spouse and kids missed Tarawih most of Ramadhan because you weren't there to drive them to the mosque, which is too far away to walk to? If so, do all of yourselves a favour and bring everyone for Tarawih in these last ten nights.

11. To do list for Laylat Al-Qadr: Make a to-do checklist for each Laylat Al-Qadr night. This should define how you would like your night, the one better than a thousand months, to be used. Pick things from this list and define the sequence you would like to do things in. This will help you avoid wasting your time in unproductive chats which common in the festive atmosphere of mosques at the Laylat Al-Qadr.

[Source: islamonline and islamicity ]



One last note:

Firstly, I urge all Muslims to maximise the last ten days of Ramadhan. We should all pray to Allah, the All Mighty and Most Merciful, to bless us this Ramadhan by witnessing Laylatul-Qadr.

Secondly, I urge all Muslims that we strive to bring about the unity of our Muslim brothers in this country. We all know the squabbling that has preoccupied unceasingly our fellow Muslims from UMNO and PAS. Let us pray the Muslims from both parties at least do two of the recommended acts mentioned above: evaluate themselves (muhassabah diri) and make up, i.e. forgive and forget. Forget politics that divide, think and act like Muslims, for only under Islam can they unite. Islam forbids its followers to be divisive, so why should they continue to squabble and tear at each other? Let us all hope and pray for a united ummah in these last ten days of the blessed Ramadhan.