BRIDEX Conference 2009

On Tuesday, 11th August 2009, BRIDEX (Brunei Darussalam International Defence Exhibition) Conference 2009 was held at Jerudong, Brunei Darussalam. Many top defence officials from about 25 plus countries came to the conference with the theme, Emerging and Future Security Threats and Challenges. Alhamdulillaah, I came to the conference as one of the ten conference delegates from Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Below are some of the pictures during the one day conference:


Thanks to Uncle Reeda of anakbrunei.org for taking this picture. :)


Networking with Pehin Halbi, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (three from left), and the other top defence officials from the other countries.


During the conference...


Luxurious lunch at the Royal Berkshire Hall, Jerudong Park.


After the conference...


Some of the things that I would like to share during the conference:

1) "What actions have you done to Palestine?", said one of the conference delegates (I think he's from Pakistan) with an angry tone and expression to one of the speakers from Sweden who talked about the Port and Maritime Security (he also mentioned the situation in the Middle-East especially in the Mediterranean Sea) during the conference. I really saluted and respected this uncle for questioning such a brave and risky question during the Q & A and Panel Discussion session. The conference's situation became silent for a while at that time for questioning such a sensitive issue. The speaker replied with a smile and it seemed that he tried to change the topic which made this uncle repeated the question for the second time. Once again, I would like to salute him for being brave to ask such a question to the Denmark's speaker. I felt ashamed and I felt like a coward for being silent with the rest of the delegates. It seemed that I was supporting the speaker. And wallaahi, NO! Ya Allaah, what have I done... I should, at the very least, do something like that for the people of Palestine. It might seem stupid if I did that. but, one day, Allaah would ask in aakhiroh, "What actions and efforts have you done in order to protect the ummah of Muhammad?"

2) "Kita Pengirahkah? Pengiran Anak kali?", said one of the conference delegates to me. Uncle, I'm not one of the royals and I'm not even married yet, haha... xD I'm just a slave of Allah. ;)

3) I found out that two of my students' father who attends my tuition classes, one is the director of Brunei Investment Agency (BIA), and another is the top officials from the Royal Brunei Technical Services (RBTS), attended the conference. And, I realized it after the conference! xD

Hmmm... after attending the conference, I feel like applying for a post of cadet officer next year after I finished my degree program. My plan before this was to apply for master's scholarship of Islamic Finance at UNISSA (and maybe, other universities).

Hmmm... wallaahu a'laam...

Ucapan Selamat Hari Raya Yang Sunnah

Ucapan Selamat Hari Raya daripada hadis-hadis sahih ialah:

تَقَبَّلَ اللهُ مِنَّا وَمِنْكُمْ

“Semoga Allah menerima (amalan) dari kami dan dari kamu”. (Lihat: Fathul Bari 2/446)

Ibnu Hajar rahimahullah berkata: Dari Jubair bin Nufair ia berkata:

كَانَ اَصْحَابُ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، اِذَا الْتَقَوْا يَوْمَ الْعِيْدِ يَقُوْلُ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ : تَقَبَّلَ اللهُ مِنَّا وَمِنْكَ

“Para sahabat Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam apabila bertemu di Hari Raya, sebahagian mereka mengucapkan kepada yang lain: Semoga Allah menerima (amalan) dari kami dan darimu”. (Lihat: Fathul Bari 2/446)

Menurut Ibnu Hajar, isnad hadis ini hasan. (Lihat: Fathul Bari 2/446) Ibnu Taimiyah apabila ditanya tentang ucapan selamat pada Hari Raya beliau menjawab:

“Katakanlah kepada yang lain apabila bertemu dengan ucapan:

تَقَبَّلَ اللهُ مِنَّا وَمِنْكُمْ

“Semoga Allah menerima (amalan) dari kami dan dari kamu”. (Lihat: Majmu’ al-Fatawa 24/253)

اَحَالَ اللهُ عَلَيْكَ

“Allah telah menghalalkan kepada kamu”. (Lihat: Whusul al-Amani bi Usul at-Tahani. Al-Jalal as-Suyuti)

Imam Ahmad rahimahullah berkata: “Aku tidak pernah memulakan mengucapkan Selamat Hari Raya kepada seseorangpun, namun bila ada orang mendahulukan mengucapkan itu, aku akan menjawabnya. Kerana menjawab ucapan selamat itu wajib, sedangkan mendahului ucapan tersebut bukanlah sunnah yang diperintahkan dan tidak pula dilarang. Sesiapa mengerjakannya maka baginya ada contoh dan siapa yang meninggalkannya baginya juga ada contoh”. (Lihat: Whusul al-Amani bi Usul at-Tahani. Al-Jalal as-Suyuti)

Ibnu Qudamah rahimahullah menjelaskan: “Muhammad bin Ziyad berkata: Aku pernah bersama Abu Umamah al-Bahali dan selainnya dari kalangan para sahabat Nabi. Mereka bila kembali dari solat Hari Raya berkata sebahagiannya dengan ucapan (Lihat: Al-Mughni 2/295):

تَقَبَّلَ اللهُ مِنَّا وَمِنْكُمْ

“Semoga Allah menerima dari kami dan dari kamu”.

Menurut Imam Ahmad: “Isnad hadis Abu Ummah jayyid (baik). (Lihat: Al-Jauharun Naqi 3/446) Begitu juga Imam Suyuti berkata: Isnad hadis ini hasan. (Lihat: Al-Hawi 1/81)

Selamat Hari Raya 1430 Hijrah!

Let us prepare ourselves more and more from now on for next year's last ten crucial days of Ramadhan 1431 Hijrah in 2010 where in it lies the holy Lailatul Qadr which is worth for 1000 months, insya-Allah. Selamat Hari Aidilfitri 1430 Hijrah, Mohon Maaf Zahir dan Batin. :)

Dan, semoga Allah menerima (amalan) dari kami dan dari kamu. :)

Happy 42nd Birthday Mama!

A sweet photo taken by Kaka Lina (Thanks!:D) during our sungkai at Bu Ina's house on Thursday, 17th September 2009

Ma, happy birthday yang ke 42 tahun. Words really can't express how much I love you. ^_^

Rasulullah SAW bersabda, “Bersungguh-sungguhlah dalam berbakti kepada ibumu, karena sesungguhnya syurga itu berada di bawah kedua kakinya.” - HR Imam Nasa’i dan Thabrani dengan sanad hasan

“Dan rendahkanlah dirimu terhadap mereka berdua dengan penuh kesayangan dan ucapkanlah: “Wahai Tuhanku, kasihilah mereka keduanya sebagaimana mereka berdua telah mendidik aku waktu kecil.” - Al Isra’:24

Crying While Running To The Masjid

Wednesday, 9th September 2009 / 19 Romadhon 1430

4:25 AM – I woke up. Realizing that I would be late for Qiaamullail at the Masjid, I only ate three dates (kurma) and drank a plenty of MARIGOLD Hi-Calcium Fresh Soya Milk for my sahur. I threw my tapau which was supposed to be my sahur for that time in the bakul sampah since I wanted to perform Qiaam at the Masjid. After that, I get prepared very quickly for getting ready to Qiaam at Masjid Universiti, UBD.

OTW to Masjid – I was running (usually, I walk to the masjid) since my niat was to perform eight roka’aat of Solat Tahajjud lillaahi ta’aala. For unknown reasons, when I was running on the way to the Masjid, I cried. At that time, I remembered a hadis where it said something like siapa yang tahu fadhilat solat Subuh, pasti tani mendatanginya walaupuin bila keadaan tani merangkak (by crawling! Just imagine how BIG the fadhilat is to the extent that urang yang crawling pun sanggup solat ani bah). At that time, I also said in my heart, “Kenapaaa tah ku lari-lari cani” Running from the hostel to masjid before azan Subuh, haha...

And alhamdulillah, I managed to perform four roka’aat of solat Tahajjud at the Masjid before the azan Subuh. Well, four is bigger than zero. :)

Hmmm… It was something hard for me to explain why I was crying while running to the Masjid tadi atu. Slalunya inda bahh. Something like mixed feelings ada jua. For sure, I was finding rohmat, redho and keampunan from Allah di pagi 19 Romadhon. I could perform my Qiaam and solat Subuh at the hostel though. And I chose at the Masjid. Bulan puasa lagi kan, and Ramadhan tinggal dalam 10 hari lagi. Why not take the chances as if I am going to die soon.

But, most importantly, I really don’t want to miss solat Subuh berjamaa’ah di masjid for the third time in this blessing month of Ramadhan 1430 Hijrah. I already missed two though huhu...

And lastly, du’aakan that I would be like this and istiqomah selama-lamanya... aamiin...

Telah berkata pendeta Yahudi: "Tidak akan aku gentar pada ummat Islam selagi mana jumlah Muslims yang datang menunaikan solat Subuh berjamaa'ah tidak menyamai jumlah Muslims yang menunaikan solat Jum'at"

Words of Appreciation :')

Dear Mr Arina, this is Alina - Badruz's mum. Just to let you know that the GCSE results come out today and Badruz got 8 GCSEs (passed all subjects) and scored a C grade for Economics - which is the highest he could get as he took the Foundation Tier. My husband and I would like to say thank you for your great work in helping him understand more during the tuition classes. We really appreciate it and wish you well in your studies at UBD.

- Badruz's mother's SMS to me on Thursday, 27/08/2009, 21:42

Alhamdulillaah, it was all thanks to Allah.

Yang mengajar (manusia) dengan pena. - Suroh Al-'Alaq (96):4

:')

Thanawi 5 Abyadh's Gathering of 2009

The picture above shows my classmates and I in 2003. We are the Ma'had's intake of 1997. Hassan was the only one who was not included in this picture.


Then, Ma'had Islam Brunei was renovated in the same year. As a result, the science class of form four and form five was transferred to SUAMPRIPAD. And, the rest went to SPA and SMALHB. The picture above shows the Thanawi 5 Abyadh (Form Five 'White'). And yeah, Thanawi means 'form' and Abyadh means 'white' in Arabic. ;)


Six years later... ;) (From the left: Khalid, Sabri, I, Alimin and Hadi)


And, this is us, the ex-Form 5 Abyadh on Friday, 10th July 2008! :D

Alhamdulillaah, let me recalled what we, the ex-Thanawi 5 Abyadh, are doing now. Well, let me start from the ladies:

Amni, Khadizah and Syazwani (Lap): They are currently in the fourth year at Universiti Islam Antarabangsa, Malaysia, under the Ministry of Religious Affairs scholarship.
Nisah and Wana (the two who used to be called (or still) 'Pink', hehe): Currently in GSE/SHBIE, UBD, taking Bachelor of Primary Education. And both of them are married and blessed with four children (Nisah) and two children (Wana).
Ain: Currently, a guru ugama at a sekolah ugama in Berakas and is already married. A KUPUSB graduate.
Faizah, Farizah, Lainey, Ihsan, Fadil and Zimah: All of them are currently in their final year at Institut Pengajian Islam, UBD. And, alhamdulillaah, Zimah, got the one year Study Abroad Program (SAP) at Yarmouk University, Jordan. And, Ihsan is already married (or tunang?). I'm not really sure whether she is married or engaged, lupaaa... ;)
Hafilah and Teha: Both of them continued their studies in UK. Hafilah in Pharmacist and Teha in Biological Engineering when I'm not mistaken.
Rabiatul: Currently in APB, UBD.
Amal: Currently at ITB. And, married and blessed with a child (coming two).
And, this one lady, I forgot her name: Anybody knows what is she doing now?

And, the gentlemen:

Hassan and Alimin: Both of them are working now as a guru ugama at a sekolah ugama somewhere in Tutong. Both of them are KUPUSB graduates.
Hadi and Hafiz: Now at IPI, UBD. And alhamdulillaah, Hadi got the one year SAP at Jordan and finished it.
Malik: Now working dah and alhamdulillaah, engaged dah panya ia ani. Hehe...
Khalid: Currently at ITB.
Sabri: Insya-Allaah, he would continue his master program at Loughborough University next semester. A graduate from Loughborough University.
Arina: well, that is me! :P

Well, overall, alhamdulillaah, it was really a nice gathering. We talked about lots of things, hehe... And yeah, thanks to Amni, the mastermind of the gathering event, we usually do this about, at least, once a year... ;)

P/s: Any wrong or misleading information? Do let me know ya, hehe...

Jazakumullaahu khoiro!

12:13 PM, Monday, 13th July 2009

Three Choices, One Decision

The picture above shows Bu Usu's new house at Rimba. About five minutes of driving from Universiti Brunei Darussalam. *winks* ;)

Today, 27th June 2009, I helped my aunt, Bu Usu, with my bros, my aunts and my cousins sorting things, angkat-angkat barang and so on out at her new house. Dari pagi sampai kan azan Maghrib.

And after that, I rushed to Masjid Jame' to solat Maghrib. And then, I went to Kiarong to teach a tuition class there from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM. And alhamdulillaah... :) One of my students offered herself to treat or belanja us (the class n the teacher!) at Kiulap at her uncle's restaurant. Well, I have to admit, she's a wealthy girl. Thanks for the treat, yeah. And also, because of that, the class was finished one hour earlier. :P I was tired, really tired (and still, even now, masa ku menaip ani). And your belanja to all of us at least made me happy. :)

Well... I have three choices today:
1) To help my aunt at her new house
2) To do urgent RESCO works with the RESCO members
3) To attend Perkhemahan Belia Dinamik 2009 (anjuran Dynamic Youth Club,Institut Teknologi Brunei) as a facilitator or a participant

And I chose the first one. Why? Because I had already agreed to help Bu Usu before I was called to do work under RESCO. I did not chose the third choice since I know I would be busy this week and next week because of the Sukan Staf Seborneo at UBD. And again, RESCO would be involved. And hmmm... It is about more than one week now that I did not meet my ikhwah. Because of the clash with my family activities. Huhu. Uhibbuka fillaah yaa akhii...

And ohh, by the way, as of now, there are 25 confirmed cases of AH1N1 in Brunei. Innaalillaah, that is indeed really fast for such a small country. Mari kita sama-sama membaca, menghayati dan memahami hadis Bukhori di bawah ini:

“Apabila kamu mendengar penyakit berjangkit terjadi di suatu negeri. Maka, janganlah kamu datang ke tempat itu. Dan, kalau kamu sedang berada dalam negeri yang tengah berjangkit penyakit menular itu. Maka, janganlah kamu keluar dari negeri itu. Kerana hendak melarikan diri.” - Hadis Bukhori

Tapinya kan..... Hmmm...

That is all for today, salaam all. :)

Sunday, 28th June 2009, I:16 AM

Tunas Taqwa 2009: Inspirasiku

These two-days event took place from Sunday, 14th June 2009 (one day after I finished my teaching assistanship at SMSO), until Monday, 15th June 2009. I became one of the facilitators in this event. And 'thanks so much' to akhi Kyar, I became the group facilitator for the Hikmah group. :P And wow, I really gained a lot from this event. :D Well, do enjoy some of the pictures below. ^_^


These are one of the two beautiful banners. The other banner (which was also similar like this one) was at the entrance of the Berakas Forest Recreational Park.


These are the cute children from the Hikmah group. From the left: Amar, Mu'az, Miqdad, Rahman, Khairul (the group's leader), Irham, Khairuddin, and Ammar. And errr... me, Abang Arina, the group's facilitor. :P


These are some of the cute participants. They were briefed about the two-days event.


These are some of the facilitators. They were introducing themselves to the cute participants.


Well, as you see from this picture, sharing is indeed caring. The cute participants (and even us, the facilitators) are encouraged to eat like this during breakfast, lunch and dinner during the two-days event. Wow, you should try this sometimes. :)


I forgot the name of this game. And I had fun watching the cute children played this game. And it was even more fun, when the facilitators, were involved in this game. I really loved it!


The 'Ikhtiar Hidup' game. The cute participants were asked to role play of a fire incident. I also learned, for the first time, how to make a stretcher from the sisters. *shy*


Good acting by Danial (or Daniel, do correct me when I'm wrong ya) as the victim of a fire incident during the 'Ikhtiar Hidup' game. *two thumbs up*


It was indeed fun and enjoyable to see how the children learn how to cook during the cooking competition. I even learned something about cooking from them and from the sisters. ;)

Tuesday, 23rd June 2009, 6:16 PM

My Semester Six: The Conclusion

Alhamdulillaah... Thanks to Allaah that I got an overall C+ in my semester 6’s exam (ABBCCCD). And yeah, this is my first time getting an overall C+ since the first semester. Alhamdulillaah~ Wasyukuurillaah~ Bersyukuur~ Padamu ya Allaah~~~ :D

And, before that, I need to say many thanks or syukron to my friend, Muhammad Qawiem Qiwamuddin. I learn a lot from you bro. I learn how you revived the Kelab Fotografi PMUBD which was in extinction as the new chairman of the club. I learn how to be a great and a potential people like you. And so on... Without you also, I would not get a B in our course, A Multidisciplinary Approach for a Sustainable Environment. Words can’t express how much I need to thank you bro. Jazaakallaahu khoiron yaa sohaabii... :’)

Returning to the topic, my semester six, was, my busiest semester so far. I had many assignments to do in this semester. The highest number of assignments that I had to do so far since the first semester. And yeah, most of it, errr... I did it at the last minute. *gulp*

Not just that, I also involved myself in UBD’s extra curricular activities (ECA). In UBD, I am the Deputy Chairman 3 for Kelab Teater UBD. I am a member since semester 3. And I am also the Secretary for El Legua de Retratista Fotografia (the new name for Kelab Fotografi PMUBD). I am also a member since semester 3. And I am also the Biro Kerohanian for the UBD Residential College Organization (RESCO) since semester 5. And I am also a member for the Kelab Al-Qur’an since this semester also. And overall, my participation in ECA for this semester, my semester 6, was the highest since the first semester. There were other activities that I participated also.


My second performance as one of the Kelab Teater UBD members. At the Songket Ballroom, Rizqun International Hotel, Gadong. During the MBPAM 2009. On Friday, 13th March 2009.


My first time experiencing as the Pengerusi Majlis Bersama. During the Pertandingan Dikir Syarafil Anam anjuran Biro Kerohanian, RESCO. On Friday, 27th March 2009.


El Legua de Retratista Fotografia (The new name for the Kelab Fotografi PMUBD) with Qawiem as its new chairman.

Outside UBD, I work part-time at night as a tuition teacher teaching economics and history at Thumbsup Tuition School since March. Thanks to Abu Zar for offering me the job for the second time. I rejected the offer when he offered me the job before that, ooopppsss...I also learn Arabic language at Masjid Universiti, UBD, every Tuesday, after solat Maghrib. I also involve in halaqoh. For those who don’t know, halaqoh is a term which means a meeting of a group of people learning, teaching, discussing and so on about Islam.

And hmmm... I realized... I realized that, the busier I am, the better the overall result that I got, hehe... Alhamdulillaah... And hmmm... I think I’m going to end my post now. I have to prepare for tonight. I’m going to sleep at Masjid Beribi for the second time tonight for qiaamullail. And yes, innsyaaAllaah, I would meet the brothers tonight. It has been about two days I did not see and meet them since Monday. And I feel like I’m missing them already. Alhamdulillaah.... :D

And lastly, I do hope you would learn something from this post, my previous posts, and my upcoming posts. And, whether you learn something from me, or not, I request you all to do at least one thing. At least one thing, hehe... And that is, to pray and pray for me to be consistent and consistent and consistent in the road that would lead me to jannah in the hereafter. Aamiiin... May Allah blesses you all. Aamiiin... ^_^

Wednesday, 17th June 2009, 5:24 PM