There is a moment when you are idle in your habit because you should shift to another new experience. The moment when you feel that you encounter writer's block. I am kind of in that situation. Then, I need to arise my own motivation to revive the old me. It is sort of difficult to start writing consistently when we let it space out. Now, I am trying to find the answer "WHY" I should write. Simon Sinek, an international speaker said "always start with why". Yes, answering why is actually the basic thing to ignite motivation to be able to accomplish our goals. When we start with why, we could achieve the meaningful reason why we should do something. We will not do it because everyone else does it or we just try because our friends do it and we do not want to be left behind. I think this idea is also beneficial if we want to nurture our unvarnished intention to write. Well, I came across this fruitful writing, a review of a book, written by Hafsah, an islamic writer. I am really into her words. I will put this book on my booklist to buy and read. So, knowing that writing is a sacred path is a powerful motivation.

They say that writing is a calling: I felt that calling as a young teen, but only in secret. Even at such a young age I was only too aware that my writing would not be taken seriously. It would not be encouraged and I would certainly be told to spend my time more wisely. It seems that in the Muslim community, fiction is seen as mere entertainment, a frivolous pastime.

More than a decade later, having studied literature for many years and understanding the true worth of stories, I am still painfully aware that my writing will not be taken seriously in our community. It leads me to often question the purpose of my writing and what it does to benefit my faith. Jill Jepson’s book, Writing As A Sacred Path, serves as a wonderful reminder that writing, with the right intention, can be intrinsically connected to faith and can even serve as a form of sadaqah.

“Storytellers are custodians of human history,” Jepson reminds us, they are “the recorders of the human experience, the voice of the human soul”. Stories define what it is to be human; they enlighten us and guide us. In this way, writing can be a spiritual act, a form of charity and prayer. Writing can help nourish our spiritual lives, inspire us to think openly, and can be a wonderful gift of gratitude to the rest of the world.

Sacred Path is an essential guide for Muslim writers as it not only reminds us of why we should be writing, but it also offers excellent writing advice. The book is structured in four parts, each section highlighting different spiritual journeys from which we can learn to hone our own skills. . Admittedly, I wouldn’t recommend Jepson’s advice in its entirety, but there is definitely more useful advice than not.

The Mystic Life, the first section, includes some questionable ritualistic exercises, but it also imparts some interesting ideas about altering your writing perspective, such as letting inanimate objects speak, visualising scenes and crafting analogies. I would never have thought to write like this but I can see that it would help your creativity to flow more openly.

The Monastic Path is a useful section that discusses the importance of solitude in allowing your creative energy to rise, to connect with your inner self to find your authenticity as a writer. Jepson also encourages the appreciation of community, from where our inspiration arises and to where we bestow our stories, our gifts of gratitude.

The third part, The Way of the Shaman, encourages us to use writing to face our inner demons. A few of the exercises seem creepily like exorcisms (!) but I very much agree that overcoming fears is integral to writing. The beautiful part of this section is where Jepson explains how we can develop a relationship with the natural world through observation. As writers, we must see the Earth as a beautiful gift from the Divine which we must appreciate and care for.

The last chapter, The Warrior Road, was the one that I felt that came closest to Islam, and it is a shame Jepson has not drawn more from Islam in this book. The chapter focuses on honour and courage, perceiving writing as a battle for truth, justice and peace. Writing, Jespson says, is “finding the truest part of ourselves and having the moral strength to never waver from what we hold sacred”. She goes on to say: “it takes courage to write the raw, unvarnished truth: to expose your most private memories, dreams, and fears: to face up to what is wrong in the world and put it on the page; and to write with utter authenticity.”

Overall, Sacred Path is an excellent book for both well established and would-be Muslim writers, offering both spiritual and practical advice. It is a reminder to us that if we have been blessed with the gift of writing then we are “entrusted with sacred work” and it becomes our duty to write. As Muslim women, especially, we must write to reclaim our voices that are so often supressed from both within and outside our communities. We must let the world know that we too can write – we have our own voices, our own minds, our own dreams.

#Repost from http://esotericsips.com/

It's been a long time I do not post anything in my blog. I categorize myself as unitask person. I think I could not get multiple things done well at once. I should focus on one thing then move to another thing. Hmm, it might be my personal justification that I cannot manage my time well, whereas literally people can still spare their time if they really think that writing is part of their lives. Well, I somewhat get lost recently. It is like I enter a new life which is very different from what I had endured previously. But then, I am learning and always learning in this life.

I feel like kind of relieved now because my first semester has already finished. The holiday is coming very soon. Meaning that no more uni activities and other study's responsibilities. This state of condition will influence our mood and reduce our excitement to study. Sometimes, we work better under pressure right? So, what comes in my mind is I should motivate myself to keep improving. I am the type of person who is very vulnerable if not surrounded by positive environment. I could become very indolent, unproductive, and disorganized if I am lack of positive activities though I just study. Thus, I always find activities or people who can motivate and inspire me to keep growing in virtues and achievements. 

This might be my declaration that I should keep updating my blog which was very lonely recently. No matter what I will write. I will write whatever comes in my mind and feeling. I should tell the world that I am still alive, very grateful and blissful. Alhamdulillah for everything that You have bestowed in my beautiful life, God. I should be happy then I can make everyone else happy. I should be tranquil then I can make other people tranquil.

Melbourne, 5 November 2015

Sampaikan salam kita pada matahari
Saat langkah kaki menyentuh butiran air yang membeku
Kita menatap langit berkabut
Ada jeda di dada yang terasa lapang
Kuyakin itu rasa syukurmu kepada Sang Pencipta
dan cahaya di langit Mt. Buller seketika menghilang

Kemana langkah setelah ini?

Kita tak tahu
Sampai kita menyadari
bahwa mimpi telah menyatukan kita di sini

Kita mungkin bahagia
Tapi orang tak tahu
Bahwa kita pernah menangis
Di dingin dan gelapnya malam

Mari kembali mengejar matahari!!!

Melbourne, 9 Agustus 2015

Apa yang kau rasakan saat air jatuh dari langit
Langit gelap dengan warnanya yang mungkin menyerupai hatimu
Kau lihat seekor burung hinggap di beranda rumahmu
Dan anak kecil yang lucu tertawa manis bersama gerimis yang jatuh
Tak ada suara, dia ikut memandangi langit kosong dengan hatinya yang selalu lapang
Yang kau perhatikan hanyalah binar matanya
Dapatkah kau menemukan bahagia melampaui itu?
Seumpama surga-surga kecil di bumi
Suara-suara angin menutup keburukan pagi
Dan membawa ketenangan hati
Menerbangkan setitik air, mengenai pipimu
Kemana hari ini akan berlabuh
Semoga rasa syukur selalu terbit di hatimu untuk nikmat yang tak kau tahu apakah sanggup membawanya

16 Juni 2015

Tidak seperti biasanya ketika kita menghabiskan pagi dengan menyeduh teh

Sambil menyaksikan sisa-sisa embun di rumput halaman

Pagi kali ini kau mulai sibuk mengurusi kedua cahaya mata yang mewarnai harimu

Dan membuatmu lebih bersyukur atas penantian yang lama.

Sinar matahari mungkin masih sama diselingi oleh hujan yang sesekali jatuh

Tak banyak waktu untuk kita berdua kali ini

aku mulai terbiasa dengan perpisahan

bahkan kedatanganku kali ini pun tak akan lama

Aku merindukan saat kita duduk di beranda dan menatap langit malam yang indah

Beribu bintang yang cahayanya seolah terpantul ke wajahmu

Menandakan bahwa kau selalu bahagia dengan kehadiranku

Aku tahu pengorbananmu

Aku ingat jelas setiap lelah yang tercipta untuk membuatku lebih bersinar

Bahkan keberuntungan yang kudapatkan adalah sebagian dari doa-doamu yang menembus langit

bagaimana bisa kutinggalkan setiap sudut rumah tempatku kembali

di kamar ini udara di subuh hari membuatku menggingil sampai-sampai hidungku akan berair di pagi harinya

dan cahaya bulan yang lembut tak lagi menembus jendela kamar

seperti rumah yang menunggu seseorang yang baru

aku beruntung dihadiahi ruang yang luas untuk menerjemahkan alam

dan perkenalan-perkenalan yang membuatku banyak belajar

melihat kabut dan senja di tempat berbeda

dan itu mungkin saja bagian dari kalimat yang kau rapalkan di sepertigamalam-mu

entah dengan cara apa membalas ini semua

Polewali, 22 April 2015

Studying in a university might be very interesting for some people. We can find a lot of knowledge and friends there. Also, we can do many fascinating activities. Types of students in the university absolutely vary. We may find smart, diligent, lazy students. Some of them have either good or bad qualities. The qualities will determine the success of the students. To be identified as successful students, people should at least have these merits, self-discipline, an excellent academic performance, and great organizational experiences.

Firstly, successful students should have self-discipline. These students obviously pay attention to the time management. They do not want to waste their time vainly. In addition, they have arranged all their schedules. They even make the ‘to do’ list in the night before they start their day to ensure that each activity has appropriate time. Furthermore, they are never late in every occasion both in class and extracurricular activities. Each of their time should be meaningful. Although they are very discipline, they still allocate their spare time. They have even organized well their leisure time when and where to spend. They can balance their activities well. In short, students who have self-discipline will be successful because they can spend their time efficiently.

Secondly, the qualities of successful students can be traced by those who have an excellent academic performance. These students are very studious and always focus on their study. Moreover, they always come to class on time and almost never miss the class. They have prepared well before the class starts and also submit their assignment on time. In the end, they generally acquire satisfying mark. Even though satisfying mark does not clearly dispose our success in the future, superb mark or academic track record is an indication that the students have done their best in understanding materials. Having excellent academic track record is very significant because it can show whether the student master their field or not. Furthermore, the students having this asset are so responsible with their field that they can be an expert someday. Although some people think that academically perfect GPA does not guarantee a better future and a successful work, the students having the great academic record have showed their best in learning process and acquire materials perfectly. It will definitely be one of assets to have a better future. In brief, to be successful students, people are supposed to have an excellent academic performance.

The third type of successful students is those who have rich organizational experience. These students love getting involved in various extracurricular activities because they think that being in a club or an organization will build their network and they can socialize with many people. With this advantage, they can establish such lucrative relation that can be valuable for their future. In addition, they can also develop their hobby or interest in certain field depending on the club they are engaged in. It absolutely can add value of either soft or hard skill in their performance. Moreover, being part of the organization can give us opportunity to foster a leadership skill which is very useful in working field. In the working field, leadership skill and organization experiences are more needed than academic track record because a company want to see how people’s performance in accomplishing a project, overcoming a problem, and giving solutions which can only be learned if we are engaged in the organization.

In conclusion, being a successful student is longed for everyone. To reach the ideal, we should have at least three credits which are self-discipline, excellent academic performance, and superb organizational experiences. Those merits will form us to be better not only in the school life but also in the working field.

Abdullah Al-Armany -rahimahullah- menceritakan: 

“Saya pernah sekali dalam perjalanan melewati seorang rahib di sebuah biara, maka dia berkata kepada saya, “Wahai orang muslim, apakah jalan yang paling dekat menuju Allah Azza wa Jalla menurut kalian?”

Saya jawab, “Menyelisihi hawa nafsu.” Lalu dia pun kembali masuk ke biaranya. 

Ketika saya tiba di Mekkah di musim haji, tiba-tiba ada seseorang mengucapkan salam kepada saya di Ka’bah, maka saya pun bertanya: “Siapakah Anda?”

 
Dia menjawab, “Saya rahib yang pernah bertemu dengan Anda.” Saya pun bertanya, “Dengan sebab apa Anda boleh sampai ke tempat ini?”

Dia menjawab: “Dengan sebab perkataan Anda. Saya menawarkan Islam kepada diri saya, tetapi diri saya menolaknya, maka saya pun mengetahui bahwa Islam adalah agama yang benar, sehingga saya pun masuk Islam dan menyelisihi diri saya sendiri, maka saya pun merasa beruntung dan selamat.”

:: taken from: http://ilmucahayakehidupan.com