BismillahirRahmanirRaheem
In the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and day, and the ships which sail the seas to people's benefit, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky – by which He brings the earth to life when it was dead and scatters about in it creatures of every kind – and the varying direction of the winds, and the clouds subservient between heaven and earth, there are Signs for people who use their intellect.
(Surah al-Baqarah: 164)
Alhamdulillah, I had a few students who approached me to do postgraduate research. Once upon a time, I also went to see my supervisor and asked his permission to be under his guidance for a postgraduate research. I had very little clue of what research is and what does it take to do a research.
From my first formal step undertaking the research route, it has already been 10 years since. What do I learn throughout this journey, from my own experience and observing my student's experiences? During my PhD, I spent a lot of time in discussion with my supervisor on many topics. MasyaAllah, he is a very knowledgeable, good person and I make doa one day he will become a muslim, ameen. I remember he once said to me, to do a PhD (research generally) does not require a very smart person or a genius person, but actually requires a person with strong determination and keep on going (in our istilah we call it istiqamah).
Well, there you go, I can't agree more with his statement. Life will have always have its trials and tribulations, so does research. For me, if you want to succeed in your research, you need firstly, to have the right intention (niyyah). This is extremely important, because it will be the ground where you will stand back when you are hit with problems and difficulties. If the ground is not solid, you will have difficulties later on.
Secondly, I believe is to work hard and smart. From my limited observation, we generally are lacking the part of working hard and smart. We just want it easy, short cut and do not want to put the much effort needed to make the research successful. This is a disease we need to overcome. Well, hard work alone is not sufficient, working smart is also important. Why? You can work very hard, exhausting your time and energy but actually you can do the same work with little time by just planning and thinking ahead of your research. I was also guilty of this attitude, but I learned with time to improve on the matter. Some students struggled to think of how to think :) . Maybe it has to do with their previous education system that does not support critical and creative thinking. Hence, its not their fault, but the students need to learn, talk, discuss with others so that he/she will develop this logical thinking process and ability to plan for his/her research. Again, there is no short cut, the best is to have lots of discussion with the supervisor, but if this option is not available, the students can also discuss regarding the research matter with their fellow senior students.
Thirdly, is istiqomah, keep on going and going and going :)
This is perhaps the hardest, especially, when you are stumbled with many problems throughout your research journey. I went through this journey before, and I understand that it can be very tough at times. This is when your faith will help you. Always go back to Allah and ask Him to give you guidance, strength and support. Who else will be the best to help you during this rough times? Of course, its the source of ALL strength, the source of hidayah and The Most Knowing. I believe that there is always Hikmah (blessings) in all tribulations, whether you see it that time, or you cannot see it yet. Allah is ever Fair, ever Loving. He gave us test to make us go closer to Him. Nothing happens without His permissions. So keep on going!
Fourthly, strong determination. This goes back to your motivation of doing the research which goes back to your intention. This will lit the fire inside you. The best motivation is self motivation, which comes from your iman. So, regardless of a tsunami or earthquake that trembles the hearts , you will keep strongly pursuing the research because your intention (niyyah) is crystal clear. You do it for His sake and His sake alone. And you hope that this small contribution will in the end help humanity and the world. Believe me, if you can do that, the reward of Hereafter is waiting for you...
Finally, and most importantly....we believe that after we have done our best, Allah will take care of the rest. We make doa that our research is successful and we complete in time. But if Allah has ordained it to be otherwise, we should have syukr and redha (accept) of the path that Allah has chosen for us. Perhaps we can do some muhasabah (contemplating) on our work and how to make it better next time. Whatever it is, never to loose hope !
A very important tip for research, do not make your supervisors your enemy. This will NOT benefit you at all and may even backfire. Respect your lecturers and try to understand them. In Islam there are many examples of scholars (ulama') and their akhlaq with their teachers/supervisors. It is good to argue and have intellectual discussions with your supervisors but don't forget the adaab during the conversation, as akhlaq is the fruit of our imaan.
All the best to you who are starting the research journey, or in the middle of it or finishing your project. May Allah grants you bountiful of rewards in seeking knowledge and give you the baseerah and enjoyment throughout your research. Ameen.
25/9/2014