Arabs Involvement in Economic Activities in Kedah

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

 Alor Setar Town. Wish to visit it this Qurban holiday but I have assignments and thesis to finish :(

This post is based of Dr. Zahidi Zainol Rashid research from the Kedah Library Corporation. It is very interesting to read research from local researchers because we only read something from Western writers about our community even in British Malaya.

Not many of us actually are aware about our own community since we had been registered as Malays in Malaysia. Even some politicians in Malaysian national party and those involved in business like Mr. Syed Mukhtar al-Bukhary are also of Arab descent. I had checked his details in wikipedia and his ethnicity status had already been changed to Malay from Arab descents ya. You get business and you lie about your self yah... I don’t think that I am eligible for native rights for now if it is according to most of our compatriots thinking though we had been here for more than 300 years because we as individuals do not really receiving proper assistance in our life from political game. Some people also do not like Mr. Syed al-Bukhary since we have current issues like the digital TV so everyone is entitled to their opinion and inclination. The issue doesn’t really bother me anyway, haha. 

Supposedly we are registered as the Arab descents or just Arabs and not of other ethnicity identification but the British authority had converted everyone into Malays just because many of those who live in the state are fluent Classical Malay speakers, wearing sarong, married to Malay women or men, eating rice and working in the field. Thanks to British ‘master’ teaching of nation-state where everyone is compulsory to be converted into a particular race as a religion. 

Why can’t we be entitled to native privileges with our own ethnicity identification or just known by our religion while in our state, we are already considered as integral part of it since hundreds of years before independence granted by Her Highness Queen? I am also researching the same problem about Muslim Indians, Bangladeshis, and Pakistanis in Britain where they were told as trying to Islamicize Britain into Britishstan with Shariah, "Hand-Cutting," or Hijab zone. Perhaps some part of the threaten are true but I just personally think that Europeans are always paranoid of everything because they never really mingle with people around instead of boasting here and there. In this case, we are of the same religion people where Malays and Arabs are Muslims but with different racial background in the political frame taught by British. You British are our teachers…

I had also seen many Muslim Indians like in Penang racing among each other to get Malay status but they speak no Malay at home and they look Indian. They read and write in Tamil while calling themselves Malays. They also eat thoshai, curry, murungakai, raasam, payaasam, and etc and not Malay cuisines at home. Compared to my Hindu classmate whose name is Prema, she said that she also had rice like Malay at home and she does not know how to read or write in Tamil. Most of them are Tamil and Kerala Muslims and they had also married some Arab descents and hijacked the term Jawi Pekan from us. One of my cousin sisters who live in Penang is also married to a Muslim Indian and the guy family speaks pure Tamil but being identified as Malay. Isn’t it bad to lie? Our state had also been integrated in federal system of the country with centralized power in the south. I would actually prefer to be known as a Muslim like our Chinese national friends who are all considered as Hui but they speak Chinese like the majority of Han ethnic. We are indeed Muslims who believe in the God and the prophethood of Muhammad s.a.w, so we are not lying about ourselves in this part. Would it be better?

If we are forced to use nationality, then I would prefer to be known by my state identification, which is Kedah. Everyone in our family love our state and it would be called as kenegerian (spirit of a state) by others in urban areas which is in the southern states and considered as not patriotic toward Federal government which is also located in the southern part. I saw that Johorian are also kenegerian while nobody say anything to them.  

I faced problems in other states other than my state too. Those like in Selangor had discriminated us when we just arrived from other state so I mingled more with Chinese friends at the neighborhood. It was like we were foreigners in our own country. I understood how some Kelantanese feel but we from Kedah are not like Kelantanese with our groups. 

We are usually independent to ourselves and we try to mix around as possible as we can. I had also adapted myself into Chinese environment of Cheras of Kuala Lumpur when I was a young child before we moved for a moment to Kedah. We speak, we eat, we entertain ourselves and we behaved just like our Chinese neighbors. We have to survive in pressures when we migrated to other area even as young kids. So, that is why many people stumbled by would see a guy who is telling a “chaotic” young kid life. Growing like an isolated Chinese or Indian kid while not considered as a compatriot by others because some differences in our selves. 

We had also a neighbor from Egypt last time and she is married to an Imam from Terengganu. Her children are poor things. I saw them being treated badly by Malay kids when they tried to befriend them. All of them could not excel well in school too but they are not really lazy or stupid. I and my sister felt like crying when looking at the report card that they had shown to us. They speak Egyptian Arabic at home and that perhaps being a problem for them when they were registered by their father into national school. Inshaallah, I would also paste here a video, actually a movie starred by Muhammad Hilmy about an Egyptian Arab man who is an American by nationality had to face troubles in search for his own heritage in the mother of the world. Perhaps if I go for Yemen and speaking in Arabic, I would also being treated the same like the character played by Muhammad Hilmy, hahaha.

The Arabs in Kedah were divided into two kinds of Arabs. One is of Sayyid descents of Ba’alawi or Alawiyyah. They are the descents of Hussein bin Ali k.w and Fatimah binti Rasulullah s.a.w. Most had arrived since 17 C. Before their arrival in Kedah, they had already stayed in Palembang, Acheh, Jambi, Singapore, Patani, Burma, Penang, and Perak. They came from many places in Yemen such as Sana Shahrir. Later they settled down in Kota Setar, Kuala Muda, Yan and Kubang Pasu. Our ancestors settled down in Kota Setar and Kubang Pasu. They had also married women from Gujarat where a village in Kubang Pasu was known with people of Arab-Gujarat descent and they were not even Malays to begin with. There is also Arab community in Gujarat province of India which is known as Chawsh. 

Some people might say muka belacan to people who call themselves Arabs now but for me I just do not want to lie and it is not that I wanted to boast about it. We realize that we look more Mongoloid than Arabs or Malays because of our mother genetic. I don’t take shrimp paste and I don’t take seafood as it is not permissible in our manhaj. I am not sure how belachan or how mongol I look like. Usually I would be mistaken by Nepalese migrant workers as one of them; some Punjabis (Western Indian) had also talked in Punjabi with me. When there are majority of Northern Indians or Arabs in a certain place, I would feel comfortable and mingle more with them compared to Malays. We also have the right to learn our ancestral language which is Arabic, speak in it and first we have to realize who we are just like our Chinese compatriots realize about who they are. Chinese compatriots had taught me many valuable lessons. Nowadays most of all are just fluent in Malay or English. Some perhaps speaking in Urdu, Chinese or Thai.

           

Those Arabs who were not Sayyid came earlier and settled in Kedah. Examples of them are Syeikh Ahmad bin Syeikh Ja’afar Qamiri, Syeikh Ahmad bin Syeikh Salleh Mawtti, Sheikh Ibrahim al-Biyari and Sheikh Abdullah. Sheikh Ibrahim for example was invited by his highness Tunku Mahmud, the brother of our beloved Sultan Abdul Hamid who ruled around 1882-1934. Sheikh Ibrahim was also a Chief Imam and a teacher of Quranic lessons.

Early stages of their arrival, the Arabs were visitors and traders. When Islam emerged again after the darkness, many religious science teachers and missionaries also arrived at the port and they settled in Kedah. Arabs as an integral part of Kedah society had been involved in political development in Kedah.

Many of Arabs from Sayyid descent are the Shahabuddin clan and they are the majority clan in Kedah. Most of them came from Hadramawt but stayed for few moments in Palembang, Acheh, and Pulau Pinang. Barakbah clan had arrived from Indonesia and from Yemen. One of a Sayyid who held an office in Sultanate of Kedah government was Sayyid Muhammad Aidid. He was a Secretary of Kedah Sultanate Affairs during the reign of our Sultan Abdul Hamid. 

Kedah state nowadays is known as the oldest state in Malaysia. We have historical tracks based from archeological excavations, written sources, and inscriptions. The Kedah Sultanate had already proved that it has a well-built society, possessing a state element, and employing its own political system. The emergence of Kedah kingdom since ancient time as a well-developed trading center and famous around the world was a factor which relates to the arrival of Arabs into the Kedah kingdom. 

Urmmm... Please don’t throw out... We also want to have pride of ourselves like Europeans and telling everyone around how marvelous our states are although our state is just a small state compared to the EU member states or even Sarawak in our federation, hehehe. I also felt the same in our classes learning about how magnificent Europe is. It does not count the US yet where some of my friends are also worshiping the US as their oracle with the influence of American movies and entertainment stuffs like American Idol, Justin Fag Bieber, Lady Ugly Gaga and etc.

The significance of Jerai Mountain in Kedah plateau for ships that sailed and the dependence on the monsoon wind and economy value in Kedah also became an important factor in the questions of the Arabs’ arrival in Kedah ports. The result from Kedah Malays with those people in Arabian states and the coming of Arabs themselves had earlier spread the light of Islam to Kedah kingdom compared to other states in Malaysian Peninsula today. 

The Sayyids are known for their profession as traders and they were making life from business. Just like Chinese and Indian in the cities. Other than trading, some of them were also involved in agricultural activities. For those Sayyids, agricultural activities like paddy cultivating are considered as new way of making a living which their forefathers had never done it before in Hadramawt. Those in Hadramawt only know a kind of plant which is tamr or date tree. So, trying to do paddy field was quite difficult for these Arabs since their life was based on the character of desert and it is different from trading.

In trading field, Arabs had traded various kinds of spices, clothes, books, and jewelries. Before the arrival of British in Pulau Pinang, the Arabs depend solely on business and trading and had controlled some parts of Kedah Sultanate economy. Arab communities did not only concentrated in particular areas in Kedah but they live all over Kedah Sultanate. Their nature is more inclined to business and trading. The Arab traders had already penetrated the areas of South East Asia since before the re-emergence of Islam. In the beginning, they just wanted to do business and trading and later bringing some profits from business to their states of origin but later they ended down here with settlements.  

When Islam was propagated again by the noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w, these Arabs had also brought together the teaching and propagated it to natives. They had left their family and their lands to propagate the teachings. Then they settled down in foreign lands and beginning new life. Due to their condition in foreign land, they have to survive through business and trading since they had no lands. After that, the court of Kedah had also support them so they had more opportunities in economy where the economy of traditional Malays were fully controlled by the rulers.  

Arabs at that time had the experience in business and they had good relation with court. The court had also opened for them the opportunity to run business as the right to do business was only granted by royal decree or by certain authority decided under royal permission. Only the sultan has the right to permit anyone he favors to run business in his territory.      

          

Many Arabs had already successful as entrepreneurs where they had also possessed companies and became directors of companies. It has to do with their experience in business beside they possess large capitals and strong basis in business. When British arrived from Pulau Pinang, Arabs economic survival had also been challenged. Then, they had also have to compete with Chinese merchants after Chinese penetrated Kedah market. From that on, they began to get involved in groceries shop business as well. I see, that’s why many of our people now trying to use other identification in securing their business survival and the mamaks had imitate it.

The impact from the competition of British and Chinese had made Arabs moving far into rural areas. Beside doing business and trading, they also trying to do agricultural and became landlords. Some of the lands were granted by the Sultan of Kedah as the lands in Kedah was the possession of the Sultan. The Sultan has every right on the lands and he would stamp the seal with the signature of the Regent. 

Thus, many of those paddy lands and farms being transferred into Arabs possession with the permission of our Sultan. But many of those Arabs had also pawned the lands to Chinese merchants to get quick money. For e.g in 1911, the rights for duty import collection on timber being granted by the court to Sayyid Othman from Yan district but he had pawned the right to a Chinese merchant for $ 400.00 per year. Many of Arabs during this period of time became bancrupt.

These recent, there are also Arabs who tried to involve themselves in agriculture and fishing industries. They were landlords in Yan, Kota Setar, Kuala Muda and Kubang Pasu districts. They were also active in renting their lands to others and never work on their own lands. They just love to stay at home and take everything for granted. 

 

Their attitude is related to the importance of status and their position as aristocrats and noblemen who possess properties as what had been viewed by Malays as having big houses complete with facilities and they have less working hours.

Paddy field is a main economy source in Kedah Sultanate during the time of British Malaya. With 12 miles early channel of water developed by subjects of Kedah Sultanate had made paddy cultivation become more advanced and Kedah could also supply rice to other areas as well. The water channel project of Wan Muhammad Saman and other figures like Syed Othman who had pawned his duty rights to a Chinese merchant had also involved with the regard to his area of supervision in Little Yan district was quite succesful.

Small portions of Arab communities became fishermen and there were also poor Arabs in Kedah since they only worked with others. They refused to admit that they were Arabs or even of Sayyid lineage. They had ommitted their Sayyid title as they were ashamed of their life if compared to other Arabs in the state.

During the reign of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah (1854-1879), there was a new position given to an Arab with the name Syed Muhammad. Syed Muhammad became a captain for a ship and was ordered to maintain and looking the ship with two sails bought by the Sultan from English.

Early history had shown that Arabs directly was involved in most of religious posts and affairs in the sultanate. When Kedah was surrendered by the empire of Siam to the British empire, all of the posts were paid with salary. Main posts like the mufti, judges, imam and others were held by Arabs. In education, they held postions such as directors, headmasters of religious and English schools, and supervisors of schools.  

     

Regarding lands, last time I heard that elders had also fighting and quarreling over lands until some of them had to run to Southern Thai as it turned into bloody conflict. We had also sold our grandpa land for dad’s part in Kodiang in Kubang Pasu district. Mum had forced dad to sell his inherited land when I was in the second year doing my first degree because it was not easy to maintain the land for paddy and considering that the family who rent the land didn’t help us to pay the tithe as they are non-Muslims and we are not living in the state so it was difficult for us to monitor renting rate and tithe for crops. The land was rented to a Chinese  family under the surname Hooi. After the land being sold, I heard that dad cried on the land as he felt guilty to his father but what to do. The land had already been problematic since before it was inherited to dad and we had gone to courts for solutions but to no avail. Dad sold the land to a rich Malay man. I was busy at that time so I did not also look at the process.  I also do not want to inherit the land. It only bring headache.

We had also encountered many problems like being cheated and stabbed by friends or ‘relatives’ as we helped people without checking their background. I don’t know whether our custom is suitable at all of the time. We would consider our close friends even not related by blood as brothers or sisters. So each time close friends having problems, we would also been dragged into their problems as we would feel guilty to let them alone. It’s like we live and die only for the happiness and comfort of our friends, brothers and sisters. We also would repay back the goodness done on us. In the case, one of a Tabligh guy that I sheltered. Last time, he actually had helped me with internet password. It was not really a big deal but we see even small matters as big and we must repay back whatever is given. I always remember people treatment to me because I count everything. Even a cent that people gave me, I actually never forget. I keep every detail in my memory. Sometimes it would be so absurd and people would regard us as crazy or perhaps scary, hahaha.

Urmmm, the fact about renting the land is true. But according to dad, our grandpa was not a lazy man. This is individual case. He was a hardworking man and also worked as a seeker of fertilizers. If dad lied then I am also lying. Like in our case as individuals and not as groups, we do not live in Kedah but we have to migrate to other states because of family problem, fate and we do not work only as traders and farmers. Some of these Arab decents children had been educated in nursing schools in case of my aunties and my dad was educated in a Singaporean Catholic school just after grandpa died. He was 12 years old at that time and luckily he was not baptized though he lived like a person without a religion, without a mother to teach him because his mother died when he was three years old being casted by black magic and I always thought that Malay village folks always love to cast spell on others that they are envious at. This is my generalization on other ethnics. Why people around the world love to generalize things without looking at discreet root problems instead of trying to do interview with both sides either the pros and contras? Life would be easy if we can always do generalizations ya? 

What had been mentioned in this research is also right in certain parts, because I also met other Arab descents and I myself do not like their attitude. Most of them who are still rich today or filthy rich could we say, are arrogant and Westernized too. I don’t even consider myself as related to them but rather stay quite though we know each other. I don’t even dare to go into cousin brother house because my feet perhaps are dirty and I am not also close to them. 

Some of us also received and accepted religious teachings with the Mercy of the God. We soon realized our responsibility to propagate the faith and the noble life and morality to ourselves and environment. I myself never try to take any advantage from privileges but instead trying to strictly follow morality guidance of religion. I just live like a hermit, wearing clothes like a street wanderer, isolating myself if I did wrong to others, I hate possessions and I don’t want anything associated with world attachment like lands, money, or etc. We look everything at individual capacity can’t we? : )    

I think it is also a good idea for us to find more researches about Arab communities in our state. Because I saw that many of those "racists" are actually of foreign ancestral lineage and that means that they are the one who are tak sedar diri. They perhaps are afraid that their "rights" would be uprooted in what we call as attachment to the world. This earth is not our possession but the possession of the God, the King of the Universe. No need to boast about true blood, Aryan blood, strong race blood, genius race, or whatever it is. In the end everyone will be rotten in the grave holes and we carry dirty things in our intestines. Look at everyone first as a human-being and whether he is a God fearing person or not. We do not look as this race or that race or looking at their status or position in society because the God does not care about that. He is far More Great, possessing Dominion, and Rich compared to anyone in the earth or heaven. I had talked about this with a Malay friend too in our discussion maybe I could make a post about the discussion regarding our experience : )

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!

Being Thankful to Everyone

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

This morning of 27th of Ramadan 1432 H just after Fajr service, I heard a speech given by a preacher whom I guess a Thai in the mosque. He talked about being thankful and grateful to everyone around us. How many of us are thankful to our family member say a husband being thankful to his wife for helping him preparing his needs in daily life? About a wife being thankful to her husband for taking care of her. About parents being thankful to their children for being their children. About children being thankful to their parents for love, care, and education provided by them. And about servants being thankful to His or Her Lord.

Al-Qamah and His Mother

He re-narrated to everyone the story about al-Qamah and his mother from the report of Thabrani and Ahmad. Al-Qamah was young man, very diligent in obeying the Lord through salat, sawm (fasting), and charity. Then come a news that he fell ill. Day by day, his illness became serious. His wife met the messenger of Allah, Muhammad s.a.w to tell him that her husband is on deathbed. The noble messenger s.a.w sent two of his companions whom are Bilal and Suhaib to guide the person on his deathbed with the testimony of faith. When they reached the place, they both guide him to say: "there is no gods but only the God," but al-Qamah could not recite the testimony. These two companions returned to the messenger s.a.w and informed him that al-Qamah could not recite the testimony. 

The messenger and prophet of the God ask them: "is his parents alive?" They both informed him that al-Qamah still has his mother alive and very old. The noble prophet s.a.w sent the old lady a message saying that if it is convenient for her to come, then she should quickly come as he has something urgent to talk about with her. If she could not come, then the prophet s.a.w will see her. She could not come, so the prophet s.a.w himself went to see her. 

She was informed by someone that the prophet s.a.w had arrived at her house. She leaned to her stick with her while saying: "may my life be a ransom for him, it is my pleasure to see the noble prophet s.a.w." After they exchange greeting, the prophet s.a.w asked her: "o.. al-Qamah's mother, tell me what type of person is your son?" She answered: "he is a good person striving in salat, in fasting, and spending amounts of his expenditure for charity." The prophet then said: "tell me the truth is that only you want to tell me, dear mother!" She said: "I am angry with him, he had preferred his wife over me. He did not put together the food that I prepared for them while I visited them last time." Then, the noble prophet s.a.w said: "surely, your anger prevents him from reciting the testimony of faith in his deathbed." The prophet s.a.w later turned and said to Bilal: "o Bilal! collect a piles of wood. We are going to cremate al-Qamah." She asked the prophet s.a.w in surprise: "what do you intend to do, dear prophet?" The prophet replied her: "I will burn him in front of your eyes." She suddenly burst into tears saying: "dear prophet, he is my son! I could not bear to see him being burnt!!!" Prophet s.a.w said to her: "dear mother, the God punishment is more severe and unbearable! If you wanted him to be in happiness in the hereafter, be reconcile with him and forgive him on what makes you feel angry! By the One who holds my soul, prayers, fasting, and charity is of no benefit to your son if you are angry with him!" The mother announced her forgiveness and pleasure to her son in front of everyone saying: "dear prophet of the God, I call upon the God the Most High, His angels, and those who are faithful present here to be my witness that I am now pleased with him. I forgive my son on whatever happened." The prophet asked his companion, Bilal to go to al-Qamah's house to see whether he could recite the testimony. Just to check whether the mother sincerely forgive her son or not. Upon stepping his feet into al-Qamah's house, Bilal heard al-Qamah reciting the testimony. He was assured that surely al-Qamah's mother anger toward him had tied his tongue to pronounce the testimony. Only after the mother feel pleased and freeing her anger that al-Qamah could get pass away in peace. The same day, al-Qamah passed away in peace.

The noble prophet s.a.w came to his house and ordering everyone to help with burial process which includes the ritual cleansing of the body and shrouding. They performed the salat for the body and buried the body of al-Qamah. The noble prophet s.a.w stood by the grave of al-Qamah saying: "you had accompanied the migrants (meccans) and the assistants (medinans). If anyone favors his wife over his mother, the God, His angles, and everyone around be it invinsible or visible will anathematize him! The God will never accept his spending for charity and his righteousness unless if he repents toward the God the Glorious the Majestic, and reconcile with his mother attaining her pleasure. The God's pleasure consists in mother's pleasure while the God's anger consists in mother's anger." It appears that al-Qamah had actually forgotten to put together his mom's cooking while they had their meal together. He didn't favor his wife over his mother. It was just a misunderstanding event. May Allah forgives al-Qamah, his mother, and his family and be pleased with their souls. This story that happened in the history is to emphasize that a mother is an important figure in a family. Children have to respect their parents and love them as it is apart of the God's order toward His servants. 

For Jama'at-e-Tabligh members who have non-member parents, make sure that you pleased your mother and father before you perform anything. People have different thinking. Till now, I still could not reconcile with my Tabligh cousins from my mother's brother which is my uncle. They still view me, my father, and my sisters as ungodly due to that we do not wear attire like them, speak in their style of speech nor behave like them. Perhaps, I still look like a kafir (infidel) in their view. Little sister just told me that cousin sister who currently lives in Britain with her family had told me to remove some pictures which seems not nice to her when she checked my previous blog. I had forgotten to delete that old blog. I thought that I had posted something evil but it's just some pictures regarding my opinion. I'll just delete that blog and I just open it up for personal language learning class. It was an effort to increase my skill in the language during my first degree time. I don't need it anyway since people could already detect me. 

Luckily I had long deleted my facebook account. It is so not me when people know me. It is better no one ever know me or my faith. I love the God for Him and not for others to judge my physical appearance. For my cousin's view on me, never mind. The God will judge me and everyone. If I am sinful, it is His right to cast me down the torment in hell. I am already facing punishment now when my already in sorrow heart is scratched here and there. He has His full right on me. On the contrary, I have no right to tie His hand to put me into hell or paradise though He is Merciful.

Preacher Experience Interwoven to the Topic

I don't know what is the person who gave us this morning lecture name but I guess he was a Thai from his experience and from his Thai proverbs. He reminds me of myself too when he told the congregation about when he almost thought that Buddhism is the path for him as he was schooled in Thai system. I wasn't schooled in Thai system but I observe the environment and monitoring it myself. 

And he talked about how thankful he is when his parents sent him to madrasah in Southern Thailand memorizing tough things from Arabic grammars to other religious sciences after his schooling time. When he was a child, he almost thought that Buddhism is the path for him. Later, Christian missionaries with pamphlets about 'Jesus Love to be spread into Family' in their schools in Southern Thailand and he almost thought Christianity is a path for him. So, his parents had performed their responsibility and displaying love and care through his education. This is what I heard from him.

I don't think that those catechists had done anything wrong. They just perform their duty according to their path to evangelize and providing information to others. It would come back to individual ability to think, education provided by family, choice, and guidance from Allah. There is nothing to be proud of for others if a person embrace a certain faith. That is a personal choice for a particular person, we do not have stamp to identify whether we are Muslim, non-Muslim or others on our forehead though sometimes we may judge people from their attire or physical appearance. It is in heart, practices, and how we conduct our life. Allah will eventually judge everyone regarding which path He wants us to be with.

The preacher also listened to a great Buddhist guru talked about being thankful. I would just translate what he said in Thai into English. He said that the guru said: "servants need to be thankful to trees for providing us air to live, thankful to parents for incarnating us. Being thankful to food that becomes our meal." He said that there is no mention about the God in the guru speech.

Buddhist Worldview on Liberation of Soul and the God

As this teaching is also the teaching that I had previously learned and practiced, I would like to inform brothers and sisters on what I had learned as a matter of comparative studies if brothers and sisters are interested in the development of ideologies and religions. Buddhism never talk about any Supreme Being as to avoid speculating beyond metaphysical boundaries. Buddhists have some suttas dealing with this but not all of people reading that part. The goal for Buddhist, Jains, Sikhs and Hindus are alike. To achieve liberation from the cycle of life though they might differ in developments. Take note that cycle of life means hell and torments for physical cage. Physical cage is human body, or any other forms such as animals, insects, or plants.

As to achieve liberation of soul, they need to perform 'responsible life' in which they call it as dharmma. Life in this trailokiya (three realms) whether in hell, in the earth, or in paradise is determined by our deeds. That is called as karmma. When karmma is crushed only, a person will be liberated. So, the conduct of life is very important for them compared to know about the God as to avoid being harmed by karmma and reincarnated in the hell realm, the earthly realm or paradise realm in which a soul will stuck there for thousands of years undergoing tortures. There is no creation nor destruction in its greater cosmology. Since unknown period, there were many universe like this universe. When this particular universe being sucked out and blast off after the end of dark period of the universe. There will be other universe emerge. This process never stop and something which continues. It has to do with previous Brahman scriptures when talking about cosmology. I hope that it more or less helps enhance anyone who passed by here in understanding how some of your neighbors or non-Muslim friends view these worlds.

Importance of Morality and Religious Sciences   

What I could recall, the preacher said, there is of no use if a person or students getting good grades, study well if he or she knows nothing about morality. Or doing something without sincerity. Maybe he or she is forced by parents to study and getting good grades. That would be what his or her parents want. It is superficial. The more important thing is to educate children according to what is prescribed by the God through His scripture (Quran) and prophetic traditions. It is ok if our children do not do well in academics but make sure that our children have ample religious education. My previous lower six teacher had badly humiliated me in front of my friends though she studied in prestigious university in the US :'

He talked too about the analogy of fan at the wall or pillars in the mosque. If the moving fan is not attached to the wall or pillars, it will slash people's head down there. It is an analogy for ideology that we hold. When we hold something without any basis and guidance, it will harm others and ourselves.

Summary 

What I could summarize from this is that, people today neglected soul in everything. Some are afraid and allergic to purification of soul until those who tried to purify their soul being condemned to hell through earthly lisaan (tongue). We have to be careful with our speech, our thought, and our acts. We'll be responsible with all of these in front of Him in the hereafter. When we do not care about our soul, then what is the mass? Can a mass move without soul? Take a look at stones. What happened when we scold the stone? Or talking to the stone or wall? Regarding soul, the preacher had used cellphone analogy with sim-card in it. Sim-card and processor in the cellphone is the soul and mind while the phone is the mass. Without the card, the phone would be of no use. This topic about being thankful to others also related to soul. When we are thankful and appreciate everyone close to us, we will be at peace. The world will have less war and fights. 

Thus I end this post and the record of what I had listened in the morning with my humble prayer for forgiveness for myself, my parents, my grandparents may Allah bless us all no matter where we are. I pray that His wisdom descends on everyone, insyaallah. Sealed with prayers for peace, mercy, and love, amin!

OK, Repeating Paper...

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

Gosh, I almost faint after I check back my postgraduate programmes guidebook. I still have to repeat the paper for European Union Politics and Decision Making because C is not a pass grade. We have to at least get C+ (2.33) for all of papers. Sometimes we feel like we want to return to the past and never take any risk but just stay safe. However I never opt for security but always fallen into this kind of situation :'(

Just for everyone to see, though Publick Learning Institution is 'free' for everyone, we still have to pay for everything. It just appears like convenient but in reality it is not. Nothing is free, not even our breath in this world. During our degree time, we just get the loan from National Higher Education Loan (PTPTN). It is a loan with 3% interest and after the introduction of Ujrah system which I am not really sure on how to calculate it. I just know that the 3% interest is reduced to 1% through this system. Since we are non-chosen students and of poor family, we borrow money from the national loaning system. I just took 15% of the loan for first degree and I paid the loan back even though I was jobless with my savings just few months after finishing studies. I just spend those loan strictly for studies. I never buy any motorcycle or trying to impress girls or friends with loan money. I didn't know that higher education is not a must for us. If I know about this, I would rather stay as an overseer or an operator in factory just after I finished my MCE. At least I do not burden others including our 'government' or society.

I always admire our labor compatriots working as lorry drivers, operators in factory or other kids who never have any opportunities to study because they know what is the reality of life down there though they might not know how to paraphrase in words due to the lack of education. I befriend with some of them like Wan who was a year younger than me. His hometown is in Baling. I get to know him when I took my driving license around 2009. In the beginning I thought that he was from Kelantan. The way he talked to me made me wanted to hit his face since I thought that he was mocking me trying to imitate my northern accent mixed with Patanese sound. When he told me he was from Baling only that made me more friendly to him as I know, that is the way they talk. He never sit for Malaysian Certificate Examination (SPM), but at least he is brave to come down to Kuala Lumpur to find job with little expenditure, with low pay, and alone without any friend by his side. I had lost contact with him but I wish him happiness, fortune, well-being and health always.

For post-graduate students, there are mini-budget something but last time I didn't get any access to it and now it's over. My computer skill is very bad. I just learned to manage this blog slowly. So, I just used my own savings from previous working experience to pay the fee. I was stingy with myself and I hold tight my belly, never spend my time with friends, nor outing to experience world around until I don't feel anything interest me anymore. I just went out these recent for rehlah with minimum budget and tight plannings due to that I was so tensed. 

Sometimes I helped my sisters or other friends. If they are generous, they would donate me something if no, then I do not want anything. I never ask money, I just help others to free them from burden. I understand people's situation. Sometimes my parents would financially support me, I can't ask them anymore since I am already a man not a kid. It is a shame to burden them, can't even see their face for being a useless child. So, when we pay ourselves only we know how much that we spent for our studies.

This is in conjunction with what had already happened in the United States and not to forget Britain regarding the increase in educational fees. Students may take this as comparison to the situation in their respective countries. We do not have welfare government here. I don't feel like migrating to Europe or any other humanitarian Northern countries like some 'barbaric' South Asian Muslims who wanted to turn other region to be regions under their dominion while getting the benefits out of European or Northern countries tax-payers' money. The only thing that amuse me now is only the God, though I can't see Him with my lowly material eyes. I am looking for Him and His beautiful Love.

In Malaysia here for post-graduate degree, we spent for a semester like this coming semester about RM3,880 which is around USD1308.16, EU904.20 or GBP792.27.  University fees includes:

Tuition Fees RM3,450 (RM150 x 23 units where 20 units are for our own dissertation cost)

Exam Fees RM345 (RM15 x 23 units)

Commuter Bus Service RM60

Health Service Fees RM20

Student Welfare Fund RM5

Total : RM3,880 

That is only for university cost and I know it is still considered as cheap when we convert our money to European or American currency but the living cost is not cheap. It does not include forced language class in the language center (enforced by the director of language center) and room rental in which we have to pay for every month and it is permanent for the years we are studying and having classes in here. 

Forced Language Class RM300 per semester (2 semesters obligatory course will cost us RM600)

Room Rental RM120 per month (we have to stuck here about 2 bloody years and it costs us around RM3000) 

Altogether total until the end to come is : RM10,000 (EU2,331.16)

To cover all of these, we perhaps have to work in convenient store or restaurants or in the supermarket like in Tesco. But it would take us our time and energy which also affecting us in our thesis working for little payment. Poor people like us could work even harder than Bangladeshi migrant workers and we receive same or even worse treatment like those migrant workers. Politicians up there are just talking like it is easy for them while most of them up above the rank never experience what we in the lower root are experiencing. They study abroad since young, they inherit their grandparents' feudal inheritance since colonial time and they maintain it in evolutionized form where now they become leaders of a modern country. Their children will so on possess that. Unfortunate once upon a time sultanate feudal lords' descents like us would still have to survive like other paupers, we do not properly get any inheritance from our elders.

In northern states like Kedah sultanate before the formation of Malaysia and other modern countries today through Atlantic agreement, there are people who were appointed as chieftains in districts by the sultan. These people act as the vassal lords for the sultan who controls the sultanate with his administration. The court of the raja of Perlis for example was descended of Arau district chieftain before they are appointed to hold the kingship for a separate state which was actually apart of our unified sultanate. I am not sure about other states in Malaysia but several federal politicians are the grandchildren of certain states' ministers, everyone knows that. Previously, these states in modern Malaysia were not unified under federal administration system like today though sometimes we would stuck in lame racial or homogeneity pre-colonial time issue when those politicians regardless what party they are representing play the issue to get vote. I began to understand all of these when I was stuck in form six classes (2005).  

As for me, to visit Thailand for three days or going out for local towns just for sightseeing, I have to really check my expenditure. Compared to Public Service Department (JPA) or Citizen's Trust Council (MARA) scholarship students in Europe or abroad for example who have sponsorship for them to visit other European countries or places if they are feeling tensed or releasing the burden in mind. I do understand, they deserve that. They study well and they've got good results having no problems during schooling time. Even non-Bumi fellow students too wanted that privilege. I am a Bumi myself since peranakan people are classified as Bumis and 'Malay' like normal Malays according to states' law and British nation-state recognition in police stations with officers from straits and federated states. I do not get all of those things first because I have no connection or acquaintances in certain department, and second I am not good in studies as in Malaysia we are judged from our examination and not from our thinking, no recognition for differences in ability and talent or real ability shown outside of the paper. I just consider myself as unfortunate. Instead, all of these things previously made me a boy full of hatred to the world until I had to submit myself to Buddha's teaching and trying to legally destroy myself according to meditation manner since I can't change anything when I was in my lower secondary education.

Next semester, our class would be full class and another next semester would be the same. Studying like this for me is a night-mare experience. I don't even use our university clinics instead I'm just depending on natural remedies, yet we have to pay for the fees in every semester. I had bad experiences with public servants in hospitals or clinics. I saw my dad was treated like white rat in the hospital. We have to sign the paper saying that hospital could put on surgery with him and making him as an experiment toy for medical students. Luckily mum refused to sign those papers though she didn't pass her MCE. This happened many years ago, before he was admitted to the National Heart Institute in 2000. 

My experience, I was almost dying with dengue and to check the symptoms at the medical assistant in the most sophisticated clinics in federal government territory took me in waiting from morning at 8:00 to 16:00 almost time out for public servants. There wasn't so many people and I never demand any VVIP treatment because I know who I am and my place. When I went into the room, I saw that the medical assistant was having his leisure time with yahoo messenger. I was affected by dengue symptoms for about three times. The third time, I almost passed out alone without no one realizing it outside of my school in Jalan Semenyih in Kajang. It is not my intention to talk about government weaknesses or public servants as government will always change. Nobody is perfect too. It is about the attitude of our society and morality. It includes everything such as systems and institutions around and how concern are our society to the environment. Institutions and systems are controlled by men.

When we try to tell them that we are suffering, they would pose up that there are many people suffering in the world. But those person who cast out those words are not experiencing what those people who suffer in the world are experiencing. People are not the same, their experience are not the same too. We do not realize about it unless if we are in their shoes. I remember I read the same thing, about Gautama Buddha who went out of his dad's palace when he saw samsarn (sufferings). He is the son of a king but he had lowered himself to experience what others' had experienced. Most of our politicians or people who always talk to others because they actually never know what others' had experienced in this country are "Muslims." Have they ever try to do what Gautama Buddha did? If Buddha is not an Islamic example, then have everyone of us really try following what our noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w did in his early prophethood time? Muhammad s.a.w was not a fortunate child too. He lost his father and his mother. Then many people that he love passed away leaving him alone without any support to preach Allah's teaching :'(

This is a bit of a local bumiputera student in a south east Asia country experience as a post-degree student lack of mobility. I believe other compatriots and fellow south east Asian countries' citizen must have their own stories too. Out of government help except for family support and generous friends' donation for now. Even, without any direct help from government, we still sacrifice ourselves for the nation, humanity and civilization without bothering our own comfort. I do not know whether I could apply for zakat and I do not think that we are eligible for that. Maybe we try to survive until our last breath because when we complain to human-being, we would only get nothing except for stigma. Menosia dah senang biasanya demo lupa orang lain... This period is the period of evil. We only believe in Allah and His teachings. If we can't survive, may Allah helps us with our faith to Him and His messenger, insyaallah... (I'm thinking of death, I miss it now)

Sealed with prayers for peace, mercy, and love, amin!