At Your Service!

Location: Graduate Students' Association Office, Level 6 University Center, Carleton University. Time: Lunch hours. People: Mr. Z and Mr. M. Classmate, post-grad Economics. Mr. Z - very smart and hardworking, from C. Mr. I - the don't know guy, from M. Note: This conversation took place two years ago. They were discussing on what to do after completing their studies while enjoying lunch.

Mr. Z: I want to look for a job and live here. There is a vast opportunity for people like us.

Mr. I: I want to go back to my country and teach.

Mr. Z: Academics? Get a life please... or at least, stay and teach here. I believe the pay will be higher than your country and mine as well.

Mr. I: Yes, you're right. The salary here is higher compared to my country. However, I still want to go back. I want to serve my people. I think you should do that also. Now is the time for us to go back and improve our people's conditions.

Mr. Z: I don't think I can do that alone. My country is too big and there are too many people. All of them only care about their own life. How can I bring prosperity to the people and the country? Only emperors and presidents can do that since they possess authority.

Mr. I: My friend, you don't have to be a politician in order to serve your people. That's why I choose to be a teacher back in my country. I know that I don't have the ability or the willingness to be a politician. Therefore, hopefully by being a good teacher, I can inject good values to my students there. Students are the future of the people. Every year, if you are able to teach 10 students, imagine in five years there will be 50 good leaders and professionals who are honest and hardworking in your country. What if you teach 100 students per year?

Mr. Z: I guess you're right. I don't understand why people from your country always think about others. I hope that one day the people of my country will be more like your people.

Mr. I: Altruism? Maybe... you don't know my people yet, hahaha!

Aftermath: Both Mr. Z and Mr. I decided not to end their studies in the near future...

Islamic Economics without Islamic Economics Professors

We are losing people, and we are losing them very fast. The greatest asset for an academic institution is good teachers. In this world of competition, when you cannot compete freely in the market, you need to create something that will differentiate you from others and hence you can claim that you cannot compete with others since you are very different. That's how companies in the same market try to attract loyalty from their customers by creating a brand and other stuff that will make us think that their good is somehow unique and superior.

Since the birth of IIUM, we claimed that through Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences, the university shall be the leader of Islamic Economics as well as the leader of the controversial Islamization of Economics as part and parcel of the Islamization of Knowledge plan. Now, after our Silver Jubilee celebration, we are still short of realizing that dream. Yes, 25 years may not be enough to make the university as the leader of Islamic Economics, which is the track that we choose ourselves. What more to compete with others in the field of Economics. We may need more time to do that.

However, none can deny that whatever decision that we choose today will eventually affect our target. Since I joined the university during my undergraduate years, I've been told that some senior professors of Islamic Economics left the university because of the differences that they have with the top management. Yet there are still some other good professors left and I managed to learn under them. After four years I graduated, many have left and more are leaving. Other institutions seem to offer better pay for these good academicians, especially those from Middle East countries as well as local private institutions. With so many people with background in Islamic Economics leaving, how can we pursue our goal?

Surprisingly, with so many people gone, human resource management of the university seems to be ignorant of the sign. We have designed a special car that normal driver cannot drive it, yet we did not bother our special drivers are leaving. Maybe not so distant in the future there will be no more Islamic Economics in IIUM...

A Simple Respect From You, Professor!

A simple respect, that is what we are asking from you. In academic world that is becoming increasingly competitive, and as we have always argued that free market is the best thing, no one should be blamed if some of us decided to leave and accept the most attractive offer. As academician, we must practice what we preach. What more if you are a professor, since a professor is highly respected in the society.

So please, whenever you leave to join other institutions, please vacate your office. A simple respect. There are other staff who need it. Junior staff who has come to fill in the position that has become available because a senior staff left. Otherwise, there will not be enough staff to cater the needs of the students and we don't want to cause trouble to our students. If you don't have the manpower to clear your 'grand archive', then pay a moving company to help you. If you feel that the rate is too high, just find some students and pay them. Surely they won't ask a higher rate than the moving company. Finally, if you still cannot do that, inform the department that you are not able to clean your office and anything left are free for anyone who wants it. The cleaners will come and clean it for you then.

Again, please don't let your office become a storage room after you have left. It's a misuse of public resources, and remember you'll be asked about it in front of Allah later. After all, we always preach Islamic Economics as the best economic system. I just say what others have raised in our meetings and talks.

Malay woman buried as a Buddhist

Setelah didakwah dengan baik dan bersungguh-sungguh, jika seseorang itu jelas tiada keyakinan terhadap Islam, berikan haknya untuk menjadi kafir, biar bangsa apa pun dia, Melayu atau Arab atau apa saja. Akhirat nanti urusan Allah. Kita sendiri masih belum tahu nasib kita.

Biarlah insiden berebut mayat tidak berulang kembali. Kalau hendak berebut, berebut dengan berlumba-lumba berdakwah kepada yang masih hidup dan berlumba-lumba memberi kefahaman berterusan dan menjaga kebajikan mereka. Kita berhukum pada yang zahir, Allah lebih tahu akan iman tatkala seseorang meninggal dunia.

Allah Selamatkan Sultan Mahkota

Buletin Utama sebentar tadi, tatkala menceritakan kisah 100 hari pemerintahan Pakatan Rakyat di Negeri Kedah Darul Aman menyebut tiada sebarang perubahan selain rebet cukai tanah sehinggakan tidak nampak kelainan antara pemerintahan Barisan Nasional. Tiada projek. Tetapi disebut pula pertukaran pegawai-pegawai peringkat akar umbi, dari ketua kampung sehingga ahli kerajaan tempatan. Yang lama dihentikan, yang baru dilantik, terutama dari kalangan penyokong parti pemerintah. Ada perubahan atau tidak sebenarnya?

Komen dari Menteri Besar, Ustaz Haji Azizan Abdul Razak sememangnya menarik. Pegawai kerajaan kini diberi kebebasan berpolitik, dan tidak perlu takut bersuara. Sesuatu yang sangat berharga di mata rakyat tetapi sukar ditemui di bawah pemerintahan Barisan Nasional. Andai bikin serupa cakap, kredit bagi Kerajaan Negeri Kedah!

Kemudian disebut pula akan sambutan Jubli Emas pemerintahan Ke bawah DYMM Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah tidak lama lagi. Perbelanjaan untuk sambutan gilang-gemilang itu yang didakwa amat penting bagi sistem beraja Negeri Kedah kini dipotong 50%. Mungkin mereka yang membikin berita lupa bahawa tonggak raja dan kerajaan bukan terletak pada kehebatan sambutan Jubli Emas atau apa-apa keraian. Tonggak kekuatan raja dan kerajaan terletak pada rakyat. Apa guna wang rakyat dihabiskan berjuta hanya untuk tujuan keraian sedangkan rakyat hidup melarat? Tambahan pula dalam keadaan sekarang.

Kurangnya perbelanjaan untuk keraian tidak akan mengurangkan kebesaran raja, kerana kebesaran raja terletak pada rakyat yang dipayunginya. Renung kembali zaman kegemilangan pemerintahan Sayyidina 'Umar al-Khattab radiyallahu 'anhu. Tiada keraian untuk meraikan pemerintahannya. Lihat bagaimana beliau mengendalikan empayar yang begitu besar dengan cara hidup yang serba daif. Tiada istana. Tiada pemandu. Tiada orang suruhan. Makanan pun roti kasar. Namun namanya tetap gemilang terpahat sehingga kini. Kredit lagi bagi Kerajaan Negeri Kedah. Pastinya raja yang berjiwa rakyat tidak sanggup mengadakan keraian besar-besaran tatkala rakyat dihimpit kesusahan.

Aqiqah

Alhamdulillah, tanggal 14 Jun 2008 majlis kenduri sempena aqiqah anak kedua saya, Aiman berlangsung dengan lancar. Dua ekor biri-biri dikorbankan. Seekor masak rendang, seekor lagi masak kurma. Majlis bermula dari 12 tengahari dan selesai kira-kira 4 petang. Juadah cukup, cuma ada lebih sedikit. Kira-kira 400 tetamu hadir, termasuk 50 anak-anak yatim dari Wisma Yatim Pulau Pinang yang dijemput khas. Pada kesempatan ini, saya mengucapkan berbanyak terima kasih kepada sahabat-sahabat yang sudi hadir, terutama yang datang dari jauh.

Saudara Abu 'Umar bersama Aiman

Saudara 'Aisy, Maryam minum vitagen kegemaran

Sedikit sebanyak kefahaman saya tentang aqiqah yang mirip dengan sunnah warisan kita daripada junjungan agung, Muhammad sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, saya petik dari buku Ahkamul 'Aqiqah karya Abu Muhammad 'Ishom ibn Mar'i.

*Gambar ihsan Abu 'Umar

DAURAH ILMIYYAH PERLIS (19 Jun Sehingga 12 Julai 2008)

Promosi menarik dari Jabatan Mufti Perlis. Zaman saya dulu kitab-kitab tidak disediakan, dan perlu keluar perbelanjaan sendiri untuk hadir daurah seperti ini. Alhamdulillah sekarang banyak kemudahan disediakan. Tunggu apa lagi?