Formula solat sempurna.

"Berapa harga 'booklet' nih" tanyaku pada gadis bertudung kelabu yang sedang sibuk melayani pembeli itu.
Tangan ku memegang erat buku yang nipis dan comel itu.
"Lima ringgit je Cikgu" ujar beliau sambil tersenyum manis.
Ku buka dompet duit dan amat terperanjat kerana cuma ada dua keping note seringgit saja didalamnya.
Baru teringat, aku sepatutnya ke ATM dankeluarkan sedikit wang pagi tadi........
Ku simpan kembali dompet duit itu didalam beg galas  dan 'booklet' tersebut ku letakkan kembali bersama buku -buku yang lain.....

"Ya Allah.....jika ada rezeki, pasti aku akan dapat memilikinya...." doaku dalam hati.Sudah lama aku mencari buku seperti ini untuk memperbaiki solatku dan seterusnya dapat di kongsi bersama para pelajar di sekolah tempat aku bekerja.

"Eh, kak Ila beli buku yang mana?" tanya cikgu Sal sambil memasukkan beberapa keping note sepuluh ringgit di dompet duitnya.Mataku hanya dapat memandang sayu kearah duit di dompet  jenama "Bonia" warna perang itu.

Entah dari mana, tiba-tiba ada satu kekuatan yang datang hingga membuatkan ku pegang tangan Cikgu Sal dan berbisik padanya.....

"La....nape tak cakap dari tadi.....hi hi hi..." agak kuat juga Cikgu Sal tergelak sambil tangan kanannya bingkas mengambil dompet   dan mencapai salah satu dari buku comel  yang tinggal dua saja.
"Buku ni, saya hadiah kat akk....."ujar beliau sambil mengenyitkan mata kirinya.
"Sally...I luv you....moga Allah beri satu tempat di syurga kerana hadiah ini..." kataku padanya.....

Tiba-tiba rasa sebak pula.....
Asalnya tadi nak pinjam RM5, tapi kini dah dapat hadiah pula......
Syukur al Hamdulillah ya Allah...  kerana mengabulkan doaku dengan begitu pantas.....

The Plea of Four Siblings in Sweden: Addressing Big Questions

By: Raudah Mohd Yunus

A new wave of shock has just hit Malaysia. Four Malaysian siblings residing in Sweden were separated from their parents after the parents were arrested by Swedish authorities for allegedly hitting their son for not performing his daily prayers. 

The reported story in the news was not very clear though; the boy was said to have been found ‘a bit down’ at school. A concerned teacher approached him and he told her what allegedly happened. Alarmed at the possibility of abuse, the teacher reported the case to the school counselor who then contacted the Swedish police. The four kids were removed from school in one day and their parents, arrested. At the moment the children have been put under the care of a non-Muslim foster family and have expressed deep anguish and frustration over the difficulties they are facing in a new environment to which they cannot adjust.

This phenomenon is first and foremost not very familiar to Malaysian society as Malaysia is not a country with obsession about children’s rights, foster care system and forceful separation of children from their family members, especially parents. Sweden however has adopted a totally different model pertaining to such issues. It follows a strict set of regulations in ‘child abuse’ matters, has a very intricate foster care system and holds the reputation of being the first country in the world to have banned all forms of corporal (physical) punishment of children in 1979.

There seem to be loopholes in the supposed justice for the children and penalty against the parents. It is understood, no matter how difficult, that when someone has decided to reside in a foreign country then he or she will have to abide by the local law. But there remain some unanswered questions like why have the accused parents been initially denied access to a lawyer as reported? Why did the Swedish authority or social services refuse to let the children’s relatives, who have flown thousands of kilometers from Malaysia out of grave concern, see them? Isn’t it against human rights, that the poor parents were arrested and kept in detention before an official charge was made? Why does the Swedish law state that even if parents accused of child abuse are found not guilty, it does not mean they will be reunited with their children, as they will have to appeal before the court? Suppose the children were really in danger of mistreatment, why hasn’t the authority taken into consideration their cultural and religious association before simply giving them away to just any foster family?

For a nation which is deemed advanced in its so-called welfare system, what happened to the four innocent Malaysian kids was surely a blow to its human rights records. In fact, many western and Swedish experts have repeatedly criticized the way Swedish social services deal with suspected troubled families and implement the foster care system. Some even raised a genuine concern that the whole system is being commercialized and manipulated to serve the commercial greed of a certain vested interests. Foster homes and orphanages receive a large amount of financial aid by the government and some people who run these institutions were said to have become millionaires. Foster parents similarly get huge financial rewards as for offering supposed ‘care’ to the ‘abused’ children.  Studies revealed that close to fifty percent of children in foster care institutions come from migrant families. This has created deep suspicion among critics; that these children and their parents are being victimized by a system and manipulated by those with business interests.

Foster care is no safe haven. There have been many reports of physical and sexual abuse in foster homes and families. Statistics have shown that growing up in foster homes or families are not always better than staying with biological parents despite the family crises, depending on the type and extent. Children coming from foster institutions are reported to more likely suffer from mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and stunted milestones. They have a higher tendency to commit suicide and are more vulnerable to neglect, assault and exploitation. While it is true that child abuse is unacceptable and should be treated as a grave crime, the debate now should focus on the methods of handling this dilemma, the need to draw a clear demarcating line between light spanking for the purpose of disciplining and pure abuse, and perhaps the necessity to revisit the concept of corporal punishment all over again.  

In the case of the Malaysian couple who were arrested and had their four children separated from them before investigations were complete, the slogan ‘for the best interests of children’ often quoted by the social services in Sweden seems completely meaningless. How can a sudden separation from biological parents and giving them away to a complete stranger with different cultural and religious background, in a foreign country, serve any of the children’s interests? These will obviously only shock the innocent kids and subject them to an extreme anxiety of separation and other forms of mental torture. The least that could have been done was consulting the Malaysian embassy or any representatives of the Muslim organizations.

Now the tough question: Is the couple even guilty for disciplining their 12-year-old child by way of hitting the hand for not performing his prayers? The western gentry may frown upon such practice while Muslim society finds it completely sensible. Unless this barrier of differences in terms of values, ideologies and beliefs are properly and clearly explained, never shall the twain meet. In Islam, there is a famous Prophetic hadith which says: “Teach your children to perform salah (daily prayers) at the age of seven and chastise them (lightly) at the age of ten (for refusal to do so).”

This hadith conveys several important messages. First, it emphasizes the importance of prayers which is one of the five pillars of Islam so much so that every parent is supposed to educate his child about praying at the age of seven. When a child reaches ten, light hitting is allowed as the last resort to discipline him and make him realize that prayer is something not to be taken lightly. What many people fail to comprehend though, is the description of ‘hitting’ meant by the Prophet. Here, hitting is not violent beating or abusing as trumpeted by the ignorant and Islamophobes.

Light hitting referred by the hadith has many strict criteria as defined by scholars and experts such as the type and size of the tool that should be used, the intensity of the force, the part of body allowed to be spanked and the part to be avoided, and the circumstance in which hitting can take place. It is crucial however, to highlight here that the Prophet himself had never hit or spanked any child his whole life even though Islam deems it permissible. He was reported to have always used gentle words with children and treated them with utmost care and compassion.

In Chapter 29 verse 45 of the Qur’an God Almighty says: ‘Verily, the prayer (salah) prevents one from shameful and evil deeds.’ This revelation has been one of the most fundamental purposes or final objectives of ritual prayer. It is to discipline the believers and mold their characters so that they become cultured human beings who possess strong values and are able to refrain themselves from committing misdeeds no matter how tempting they are. If these noble objectives of prayer can be truly grasped, light hitting becomes a trivial issue let alone to be considered a violation of children’s rights.

Islam’s stance on corporal punishment is often seen as the last resort, after all other measures fail while the concept of love, compassion and good treatment for children remain as the primordial rules. In the midst of humans’ over-enthusiasm to promote justice and human rights, they are perhaps on the verge of losing balance between giving children their supposed rights and spoiling them.

The surrounding environment in which Muslim children live is another critical and sensitive area according to Islamic teachings. As children are highly observant  and tend to imitate what they see, Islam highly encourages parents and families to ensure that children grow up in a healthy environment; one which does not constantly expose them to temptations , negative elements and deleterious cultural habits such as indecent clothing,  sexual permissiveness, non-halal foods, and so forth. What mostly frustrated the international Muslim community in the recent case of the four siblings was the fact that they were put under the custody of a non-Muslim Swedish family, presumably Christian or atheist. Respect for other beliefs and religions in Islam, does not mean condoning the possibility of Muslim children’s identity being eroded and their faith and values, jeopardized.

Physical welfare is irrefutably vital. However, in Islam life is seen from a deeper perspective. Life and success are beyond material and worldly comfort. Not only sufficient food, comfortable bedrooms and loving families matter to children, but more importantly faith in God, the values instilled and the knowledge of the hereafter are equally or more paramount. This reality is easily understood only when the concept of a Supreme Being or Creator is appreciated. Societies which push the realm of God and religion behind, or into the mere narrow space of worship houses cannot perceive beyond the material world.

Definite banning of all kinds of corporal punishment on children might have some benefits from a certain perspective but unfortunately may not be the ultimate solution in educating and disciplining children as well as protecting their rights. As for the Malaysian case, it should be made a priority that the four disturbed children are handed over to a Muslim family who shares their belief, culture and domestic atmosphere. Nevertheless, the more vital questions are whether their parents are even guilty in the first place, and what benchmark should be used to fairly judge them.

You Decide for Them or You HELP Them to Decide???

Every child ventures the world at their own pace. Some may demonstrate a speed progress in talking, some may show skill in physical activities, others may find it easy to adapt with new people and etc...we, as parents should not set limitation to a child achievement from one dimension only.. typical parents, especially Malaysian parents always direct their focus to academic achievement of a child. The child is said to be intelligent if he/she manage to collect a string of A's in exam...The child is good to them if he/she gets good grades in school or college...but how many parents discover other talent in the child beside the good performance from academic perspective? How many parents reward a child if he/she shows good courtesy to the elderly people? How many parents praise a child if he/she willingly shares her /his portion of meal treat with other siblings? Whether you notice it or not, we always measure the level of intelligence from one narrow perspective, the mental. We neglect the importance of being intelligent from emotional, psychological, spiritual and physical perspectives.

Howard Gardner, a professor in psychology has identified the following distinct types of intelligence in his Multiple Intelligences Theory ("MI Theory"). The seven intelligences included:

1. Linguistic Children with this kind of intelligence enjoy writing, reading, telling stories or doing crossword puzzles.
2. Logical-Mathematical Children with lots of logical intelligence are interested in patterns, categories and relationships. They are drawn to arithmetic problems, strategy games and experiments.
3. Bodily-Kinesthetic These kids process knowledge through bodily sensations. They are often athletic, dancers or good at crafts such as sewing or woodworking.
4. Spatial- These children think in images and pictures. They may be fascinated with mazes or jigsaw puzzles, or spend free time drawing, building with Leggos or daydreaming.
5. Musical- Musical children are always singing or drumming to themselves. They are usually quite aware of sounds others may miss. These kids are often discriminating listeners.
6. Interpersonal- Children who are leaders among their peers, who are good at communicating and who seem to understand others' feelings and motives possess interpersonal intelligence.
7. Intrapersonal -These children may be shy. They are very aware of their own feelings and are self-motivated.

MI Theory teaches parents and educators to look for signs of innate precociousness in children and then to help develop them.

As parents, it is not fair to compare your children abilities with yours or with his/her other siblings'. Each child is special. Each child is highly potential in their own way. Our job is not to decide for the life of our children but to help them to become who they are supposed to be not what we think they should be!

Every year after the PMR result is released the usual popular problem faced by my students is - confuse to select the right package of subjects for their form 4. These students almost torn between conflicts of doing the things that they like or taking the subjects that their parents prefer. It is so common to hear statement such as 'i want to be a fashion designer but my mum wants me to be a doctor' or 'i hate add math, i want to be a businessman, why should i take science package?'

Which type of parents are you? Do you decide for your child's future? or you HELP them to choose what they want to become? I would like to suggest go and look for this book 'Frames of Mind' by Howard Gardner...digest the content and believe me, you will see magics in each child of yours...let them venture their potential an achieve the highest in life - the self-actualization on their on pace.

Wajarkah dirotan permata hati itu?

"Setiap anak dilahirkan atas fitrah. Ibubapanyalah yang meyahudikannya atau menasranikannya atau memajusikannya. (Hadis Riwayat Bukhari)"

Perkembangan anak-anak cenderung menurut fitrah azalinya. Perkembangan ini perlu dibimbing, dipantau dan disalurkan pada tempatnya. Ada masanya mereka dibelai, ada masanya mereka juga perlu didedahkan kepada disiplin terutamanya setelah mereka mencapai tahap mumaiyiz.

Latih dan perkenalkan disiplin secara bertahap mengikut pemahaman anak-anak. Penyampaian itu perlu dipermudahkan tanpa menggunakan kaedah ugut atau ancaman secara tak langsung.

Dalam hidup, setiap masa ada disiplin yang perlu dipatuhi. Disiplin itu bukanlah sekadar peraturan atau undang-undang ketat yang diterap secara kekerasan. Disiplin lebih bersifat amalan dan peraturan hidup yang tersusun dan terorganisasi, menjadikan seseorang individu itu kemas dalam penampilan, pemikiran dan perlakuannya.

Pertama
Solat merupakan pendekatan terbaik bagi membina disiplin diri. Melaksanakan tuntutan solat membuktikan kita sedar adanya keterikatan antara kita sebagai hamba dengan Pencipta. Ada tanggungjawab yang perlu dilaksanakan. Justeru, mendidik anak bersolat terletak atas kewajipan mutlak ibu bapa. Pada usia tujuh tahun anak-anak perlu disuruh bersolat dan pada usia sepuluh tahun, anak-anak itu boleh dihukum jika tidak bersolat. Jika dihayati mafhum hadis ini, kenapa umur 7 tahun yang dinyatakan? bukan 5, bukan 6. Secara purata, anak-anak mencapai peringkat mumaiyiz pada usia 7 tahun. Tempoh yang diberikan untuk mendidik anak-anak melaksanakan solat ialah selama tiga tahun. Setelah sempurna didikan itu, dan anak-anak masih meninggalkan solat, barulah dibolehkan untuk menjatuhkan hukuman atas mereka. Mulakanlah didikan ini dengan mengajak mereka solat bersama-sama. Berjemaah di rumah atau dibawa ke surau untuk sama-sama berjemaah. Perdengarkan bacaan dalam solat dan minta anak-anak mengikutnya. Jangan lupa ganjaran bagi mereka yang berjaya melaksanakan solat (pada peringkat awal sahaja).

Perkara lazim yang berlaku dalam masyarakat kita, tempoh tiga tahun yang diberikan untuk mendidik anak-anak solat itu tidak digunakan dengan sebaik-baiknya. Juga mereka gagal menghukum anak-anak yang tidak solat pada usia 10 tahun. Lebih parah, dibiarkan sahaja anak-anak itu tanpa teguran. Sebenarnya pada peringkat usia 10 tahun, jiwa anak-anak masih lembut dan boleh dilentur. Mereka jarang melawan jika ditegur atau dihukum. Sekiranya dibiarkan sehingga peringkat pertengahan remaja, baru hendak menghukum atau menegur, anak-anak ini sudah pandai memberontak atau melawan. Maka, tersandarlah ibu bapa keletihan kerana penat menegur anak-anak yang enggan solat. Kesilapannya terletak pada ibu bapa itu sebenarnya, kerana tidak menghargai tempoh masa fitrah yang telah ditetapkan Allah dalam melentur jiwa anak.
Maka, para ibu bapa sekalian, masa yang berlalu tidak akan kembali lagi, selagi masih berupaya membentuk generasi soleh wa musleh, teruskan usaha antum, Jangan berputus asa..Anak-anak yang jinak jiwanya dengan hukum-hukum Allah akan lembut juga bila bermuamalah dengan manusia.

Kedua
Ajarlah anak-anak membersihkan persekitaran bilik mandi dan tandas di rumah. Boleh dibuat jadual tugasan mingguan giliran bagi anak-anak untuk membersihkan tandas dan bilik mandi. Aktiviti ini sebenarnya melentur sikap ego anak-anak juga menanam sifat tawaduk. Walaupun ada bibik di rumah, anak-anak patut difahamkan bahawa tanggungjawab menjaga kamar persendirian seperti tandas dan bilik mandi adalah tugas yang wajib dilaksanakan oleh mereka. Mereka juga seharusnya difahamkan bahawa kebersihan kamar mandi dan tandas itu melambangkan nilai peribadi dan disiplin diri.

Masih segar dalam ingatan saya, sewaktu kami adik-beradik di peringkat sekolah rendah lagi, abah telah melatih kami mengurus kebersihan persekitaran rumah. Pagi hujung minggu biasanya adalah masa 'gotong-royong' keluarga yang akan berakhir dengan hidangan makan tengah hari yang istimewa. Abah mengajar kami bagaimana menggunakan berus tandas, membersihkan lantai bilik mandi dan menghilangkan habuk di almari buku. Juga, membantu mama menghantar plastik sampah ke tong sampah di luar rumah. Memang rasa puas bila rumah bersih atas daya usaha bersama.

Ketiga
Anak-anak juga perlu diajar menghargai masa. Masa makan, masa tidur, masa bangun dari tidur, masa solat, masa beriadah dan sebagainya perlu ada penetapan. Bukannya membiarkan anak-anak itu mengikut aturan masa mereka sendiri. Masa makan contohnya, adalah masa bersama-sama keluarga. Makan bersama-sama boleh mengeratkan kemesraan dan menjadi wadah untuk ibu bapa menyelami perasaan anak-anak.


Keempat
Pada peringkat anak-anak sudah mumaiyiz (antara 6-7 tahun), anak-anak boleh diajar mengemaskan tempat tidur setiap pagi sebelum ke meja makan untuk bersarapan. Cadar katil ditegangkan mengikut kemampuan, bantal disusun di kepala katil. Selimut dilipat dan diletakkan di tempatnya. Latihan ini penting supaya anak-anak terbiasa mengurus kawasan persendiriannya dengan baik. Permulaannya ibu bapa boleh membantu dan melakukan perkara tersebut bersama anak-anak. Apabila mereka sudah terbiasa sekali-sekala ibu bapa bolehlah menjalankan 'inspection' kekemasan bilik. Sekiranya anak-anak ini tidak pernah dilatih mengemas tempat tidur sendiri, atau sekadar melepaskan tugasan itu kepada bibik di rumah, anak-anak tidak akan belajar erti tanggungjawab. Bilik anak-anak yang kotor dan bersepah-sepah sebenarnya melambangkan peribadi yang gersang dari disiplin. Bukti kegagalan ibu bapa mendisiplinkan anak-anak! Jadi, sebelum anda melenting memarahi anak-anak remaja yang langsung tidak ambil peduli hal-ehwal kebersihan rumah, cuba introspeksi diri anda, pernahkah anda luangkan masa mendidik mereka erti kebersihan dan kekemasan semasa peringkat umur mereka sepatutnya dilatih?


'Didiklah anak-anak kamu dengan tiga hal: mencintai Nabi, mencintai ahli baitnya, dan mencintai al-Quran..(Hadis Riwayat At-Thabrani)'

Visi dan Misi

IKRAM ialah sebuah pertubuhan Islam yang menyeluruh, yang bekerja untuk menegakkan Islam di Malaysia. Matlamat IKRAM ialah:

1. Menyebarkan risalah Islam melalui dakwah, serta mempertahankannya daripada kebatilan dan syubahat;
2. Mengumpulkan hati dan jiwa individu Muslim di atas dasar Islam dan membina akhlak yang mulia;
3. Meninggikan taraf sosio-ekonomi umat Islam;
4. Memupuk keadilan masyarakat dan kesejahteraan sosial serta membenteras kejahilan, kemiskinan, keruntuhan moral dan menggalakkan kerja kebajikan, tanpa mengira bangsa dan agama;
5. Memperjuangkan hak umat Islam dan berusaha meningkatkan kesatuan dan perpaduan di kalangan mereka;
   
6. Menegakkan syariat Islam secara praktikal;
7. Mengadakan hubungan dan kerjasama dengan mana-mana pihak dalam memajukan kepentingan umat Islam;
8. Bekerjasama dengan mana-mana pertubuhan yang mempunyai objektif yang selari bagi memajukan kepentingan Islam, umat Islam dan masyarakat.

Jom Taaruf!

Pengenalan

Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia (IKRAM) adalah sebuah pertubuhan dakwah, kebajikan serta tarbiah yang mengambil peduli tentang urusan-urusan kehidupan masyarakat umum sejajar dengan cara hidup dan ajaran-ajaran Islam. Ia tidak bertujuan membuat keuntungan dan berusaha untuk penegakan perundangan Islam di Malaysia.

Logo IKRAM

Logo IKRAM merangkumi dua bahagian: Sebuah huruf Arab atau Jawi iaitu “alif”; dan sebuah “glob” atau “dunia” di atas “alif”. Bila dicantumkan, kedua-dua bahagian ini boleh dilihat sebagai huruf Roman “i”. Maka kaedah seni yang digunakan menghasilkan pencantuman dan penindihan antara “alif” dengan “i”.

Makna lambang IKRAM ialah seperti berikut:

i. Huruf Arab “alif” dan huruf Roman “i” adalah permulaan bagi perkataan Ikram, Islam, Iman dan Ihsan serta juga beberapa perkataan yang membawa makna yang positif di dalam bahasa Melayu dan bahasa Inggeris seperti Inovasi dan Integriti.

ii. Dua warna yang digunakan ialah warna batu firus hijau kebiru-biruan atau torquoise (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2002. Kamus Dwibahasa Bahasa Inggeris – Bahasa Melayu Edisi Kedua) bagi “alif” dan warna hijau bagi “glob”. Warna batu firus adalah warna segar kontemporari dan warna hijau adalah warna kesegaran sejagat.