TINTA PERKIM

Si “dia” berjalan menyusuri lorong yang penuh dengan kegelapan yang hanya disinari dengan lampu jalan yang berkelip-kelip. Disebalik kegelapan terdengar gelak ketawa yang membuat sebuah hati terpaut untuk pergi melihat, namun gelak ketawa itu datang dari setiap pelosok lorong yang hanya disinari dengan sinar bulan pada malam hari. Si “dia” tetap meneruskan langkahnya kearah gelak ketawa tersebut dan apa yang dilihat dengan mata si “dia” membuat dirinya tersenyum kerana ia datang dari kanak-kanak yang sedang bermain dengan riang ria tanpa terkesan dengan keadaan sekeliling mereka seolah-olah mereka telah selalu bermain di situ sehingga tidak menyedari kehadiran si “dia”.

“Dia” terus duduk di atas bahu jalan lorong tersebut sambil melihat kanak-kanak itu bermain dan tiba-tiba bahunya terasa seperti dicuit. “Dia” terus menoleh dan melihat seorang kanak-kanak kecil yang berumur dalam lingkungan 3 tahun sedang memandang “dia” dengan mata yang bundar seperti ingin bertanya atau meminta sesuatu. Si “dia” terus tersenyum melihat kanak-kanak tersebut lalu menghulurkan tangannya dan memanggil kanak-kanak tersebut untuk datang kepadanya. Lalu kanak-kanak itu datang kepadanya dengan langkah yang perlahan lalu duduk di atas riba si “dia”.

Apabila kanak-kanak tersebut duduk di ribanya, ia membuatkan bibir nya tersenyum sedikit dan mata mereka bersatu seolah ada banyak cerita yang ingin dikongsikan namun hanya kesunyian yang menyelubungi mereka sehingga si “dia” perasan bahawa mata kanak-kanak tersebut terarah ke tangannya yang memegang sebuah botol air yang selalu dibawa kemana-mana saja. Si “dia” pula terus membuka penutup botol air tersebut dan menghulurkannya kepada kanak-kanak itu. Kanak-kanak itu minum dengan banyak sekali dan apabila sudah hilang dahaga, kanak-kanak itu menghulur kembali botol tersebut sambil tersenyum dan terus berlari hingga ke hujung lorong dan terus hilang dari pandangan matanya. Si “dia” hanya tersenyum melihat gelagat kanak-kanak tersebut.

Kemudian, si “dia” meneruskan perjalanannya di lorong itu sehingga ke hujung dan sewaktu “dia” keluar dari lorong itu terdapat ramai kanak-kanak sedang berlari-lari di hadapannya dan menuju ke sebuah bangunan yang lama namun masih ada lampu yang menyinari seluruh bangunan tersebut. Si “dia” juga melihat beberapa orang dewasa berjalan dan menuju ke bangunan tersebut. Lalu si “dia” berjalan ke bangunan tersebut dan sewaktu tiba di tangga untuk naik ke tingkat atas, langkahnya terhenti kerana terpegun melihat lukisan-lukisan yang dilukis di dinding bangunan tersebut, lalu si “dia” menyambung langkahnya sambil melihat lukisan-lukisan itu. Lukisan itu membawa si “dia” ke suatu tempat di mana tertulis sebuah perkataan di atas pintu bilik itu: “Buku Jalanan Chow Kit”, dan apa yang membuat si “dia” tersentak dan terkejut sewaktu membuka pintu itu adalah kerana terdapat ramai kanak-kanak yang sedang belajar dan mengaji dan ada juga yang sedang bermain. Sewaktu si “dia” memerhati sekeliling kelas itu, matanya terkejut melihat kanak-kanak yang datang kepadanya sebentar tadi ada di situ dan sedang khusyuk mewarna sambil ketawa bersama cikgunya.

Kedatangan si “dia” di sambut oleh salah seorang cikgu di situ dan dari situ si “dia” dapat tahu bahawa ini merupakan tempat atau kelas untuk kanak-kanak yang tidak berpeluang pergi ke sekolah untuk belajar dan mengaji seperti kanak-kanak yang lain. Di sinilah tempat mereka menuntut ilmu, di sini juga tempat mereka bermain dan di sini juga tempat mereka mengenali Sang Pencipta. Mereka tidak pernah berputus asa untuk terus belajar seperti kanak-kanak yang lain dan tidak menjadikan kegelapan sebagai penghalang kerana mereka adalah “sinar cahaya di sebalik kegelapan malam” tersebut dan mereka adalah “Permata Chow Kit”.

- Nur Fatehah -

4/9/2021

Ainnur looked around with a satisfied grin. Finally, everything was almost done. She needs to fix her table and books. 'I will finish the rest tonight.'

She patted her hands lightly and cleaned them well. The time on the clock showed 2 pm. "Time flies so fast today... or is that me taking too long to unpack? Hmm, whatever.'

"Let's take a rest for a while. I'm hungry." Ainnur whispered to herself.

"Hani! Let's stop for a while. It's time for lunch !" She got up and stretched her limbs until a 'popped' sound was heard. Ugh, it feels so good, but she couldn’t help feeling like an old lady.

"Alright, Ai. Let's order take outs. I'm too tired to cook right now."

In her haste to walk out the door, she accidentally kicked something and injured her toe. She looked down and saw a book - a thick one, she might say. No wonder it hurts so much!

It looks familiar, but she couldn't remember what’s inside the book. She picked it up and decided to check it up later, but something fell, and she was stopped dead in her tracks.

A photo.

She crouched down to look at it, and a beautiful smile instantly graced her lip. She took both the book and the photo and jumped straight onto her bed, laid on her stomach, and turned every page excitedly while swinging her legs back and forth. She turned to the first page and read what's written on it with a calm tone.

" Here lies all the memories; KOA Batu 16, Kg. POS Lemoi."

Suddenly she was feeling nostalgic. She could feel her eyes turn glassy every time she turned each page and reminisced about all the events as if they happened yesterday.

It has been four years since she graduated from her university, and she remembered vividly her first time joining an aborigines program held in Kg. POS Lemoi, Cameron Highlands.

She was a very introverted girl back then in her university, but she can’t help feeling intrigued in trying new things and creating new experiences.

That was how she stumbled upon a society named Perkim Club and decided to try her luck. She applied for an interview, and surprisingly she was selected to be one of the committees for the aborigines program.

The journey was not easy. The village was too deep in the forest and the committees had to ride ‘4 x 4’ trucks to reach there. But despite all that, Ainnur welcomed the new experiences wholeheartedly.

It’s not like she experiences those adventures all the time, so she decided to savor all the things that came her way. Excitement sizzled through her body, and she couldn’t wait for what will happen next!

The ride took almost 8 hours, and she felt grateful when they arrived at the village as the car sickness worsened. However, as she descended from the truck, she was amazed at the sights beholding her. For an immediate moment, her nausea wore off.

The view of the village was bewitching, breathtaking and refreshing like lemon juice after a hangover that she was left perplexed and charmed. She had no hometown as her grandparents had been living in the city even before she was born and Ainnur knew right away that coming there was one of the best decisions she had ever made.

“C’mon, Ai. Let’s go and greet the villagers,” said Wafi and Danial after they finished helping set up the place. Both of them were the first few people Ainnur met when she started joining Perkim Club, and their friendship has bloomed ever since.

“Assalamualaikum, amek & apak! Mah igah (how are you)?” Greeted Wafi and Danial enthusiastically.

“Waalaikumussalam, kenon. Jar baik-baik saja. (We’re doing great),” replied them happily.

After some more greetings and introduction, they went back to continue with their tasks, and that's how they spent their next few days in the village. They cooked and had their meals together with the villagers like one big family. They also played some sports, conducted fun activities, spent their evening helping the elders, and held mentoring sessions with the children.

It was tiring and her body was heavy with exhaustion, but Ainnur could never regret her decision to join the program. Since then, she grabbed as many possible opportunities as she can to join the outreach programs because she knew each of them had different kinds of experiences waiting for her.

One time they went to KOA Batu 16 and had 'rewang' with the villagers. They cooked together with the elders, and the elders taught them their chicken curry recipe. God, it was so good. She still had their recipe, and she already remembered it by heart.

There was a time the guys went swimming with the children on the last day of the program. It was her third time going to Pos Lemoi, and she could not help but laugh at the memories.

The guys unintentionally dragged the time and got scolded by Nisa, the program coordinator at that time. We were supposed to move at noon, but we were a few hours late because of them. They were so scared when they realized their mistakes. Haha.

After years of involvement, it was finally her last time to be part of such programs as she would now graduate. During her previous program in Pos Lemoi, they held a sharing session with the villagers and used that time to talk about their times together for the past few years.

She remembered one of the villagers, Kak Siti, who said to her before she left the village on her last program, “I’m so glad that we got to know each other. We here will always treasure our memories with you and the others. Please take care and come visit us whenever you have time.”

Ainnur was pulled out from her deep thoughts when she heard Hani shout from across the room, asking what she wanted to eat. Her friend’s voice startled her from her reminiscence, and she giggled softly.

She couldn’t help herself from going back to the good ol’ days. She got up from her bed and took her phone on the vanity before furiously typing with a smile on her face.

‘Hey guys, remember our last program in Lemoi 4 years ago ?’

The series of pinged from the notifications made her smile turn into a full-blown laugh. She knew right away they were going to have a great time reminiscing their memories together, and she intended to do just that.

She went out of her room and replied to Hani before going straight to the kitchen. “Let’s have chicken curry today. I will cook.”

They might not have time to go there anymore, but the many memories that were made will surely be cherished. Always.

- Mardhhan -

28/8/2021

The tinkle of the notification from her phone chimed loudly in the otherwise still room. She quickly snatched it from the table and continued her previous position on the floor.

It’s another one!

She has just started last week, and her motivation has yet to fade away. Why would that happen when it is something she has been wanting to try for a long time? She excitedly replied to the messages while swinging her legs back and forth.

A lot of people around her said that it’s a bit early for her to be involved in this kind of thing and dissuaded her from going through with the plan. She appreciated the advice, but she can’t help but think otherwise. Why does age have to be an excuse to not test out a new kind of stage?

“Just focus on your studies. Mom and dad can still provide all the essentials you need.”

Sure, but this is not just about the money. It’s about the experiences she will get to have, the mistakes she could learn from, the skills she could not possibly discover in her usual classes. It’s all these things combined to shape the unique attitude in her personality that surely will come in handy in the future.

She got up from the floor to lay down on her bed instead while still being distracted by her phone. The homework from her teachers had been done early that morning, so she opened her Instagram business account to check if there’s any other new messages she might miss.

Unlike some students her age, studying was something she actually enjoyed so it’s not like she completely abandoned her studies. If she can do both simultaneously, why not?

“You’re just a normal girl, and this is a completely different world. They’re much more ruthless than what you’re used to.”

Then, isn’t it even better? She’s starting at a young age, so she can prepare herself much earlier than everyone else. And normal? She scoffed at the idea. Would ‘normal girl’ be interested in business at her age? Would ‘normal girl’ still be as motivated as she is when they don’t get any customers for days?

She’s going to prove to them that the phrase ‘normal girl’ does not even exist in her vocabulary. And that girl they once thought were ordinary is going to be the one they would stare at with envy.

They can say whatever they want, but unless it’s some good advice or constructive comments that she could actually learn from, she will ignore those remarks and judgements. And she will make sure to come out as the best version of herself at the end of this journey.

- A.H -

21/8/2021

What is the role of business and entrepreneurship in Islam? Should Muslims strive to become entrepreneurs? This is a topic rarely talked about and so we will explore the connection between Islam and entrepreneurship. Here are five reasons why every Muslim should consider starting their own business.

Reason 1: Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) was an entrepreneur

Our own prophet Muhammad PBUH was a businessman and an entrepreneur. He created true value around him, not just through his business dealings but also through his character as he was known as “Al-Amin” which means “the Trustworthy one”.

If there’s one example that we should always try to follow as Muslims, it’s the example of our Prophet PBUH and this is the first and most important link between entrepreneurship and Islam.

Reason 2: Entrepreneurship is about creating value

Entrepreneurship is at the core of all Islamic values because it’s mainly about value creation. As an entrepreneur, we create value in the lives of our customers and improve the lives of society as a whole. We also seek to solve their problems and by doing so, they reward us in the form of money.

Building a business has a financial impact on our wealth as it allows us to be wealthier and thus we can spend the money to improve our community and society. Not only that, as mentioned before, it also has this spiritual impact since it allows us to improve the lives of our customers.

Reason 3: We get to maximize our Zakat impact

As Muslims, we are obligated to give 2.5% of our wealth towards charity every single year and as an entrepreneur, it also comes out from a portion of our business profits.

Besides that, if we are working with a team or if we employ other Muslims, then they are also required to give Zakat or charity through the income that they earned working for us, which means that our Zakat impact is magnified. Hence, we don’t just get rewarded for our donations but also the donations of our employees and team as well.

Reason 4: We are able to practice our faith with freedom

As an entrepreneur, we control our own schedule which means that we don’t have to have an awkward conversation with our boss about taking a break for prayer time, for example, or we won’t have to worry about not knowing the date of Eid until the very night before.

We get to spend and control the time that we wish for worship and this strengthens our connection with Allah SWT as it gives us the freedom to practise our faith freely.

Reason 5: We can change the narrative

We all know how negatively Islam and Muslims are often portrayed in ‘western media’. Thankfully, as an entrepreneur and a business owner, we have the opportunity to change that.

This is because as Muslims, we are representatives of Islam and as we seek to serve our clients with honesty, trustworthiness, willingness to serve and a positive attitude, we’re actually building bridges of understanding and connections with others and therefore change the narrative surrounding Islam and Muslims.

We’ll never know if all it takes to change someone’s views on Islam is just a smile or positive feedback as they gain benefit from our products.

-Qaiyum Uzir-

14/8/2021

Wahai 'aku',

Kamu bukan seperti dulu,

Yang sentiasa lemau dan lesu.

Bukan juga yang bergantung pada waktu untuk menentukan,

Bahkan tidak lagi terikat pada manusia untuk memutuskan keputusan.

Kerana kamu memilih untuk memanfaatkan masa dan usia,

Maka jalan ini yang kamu pilih dan usahakan.

*****

"Tanpa tujuan dalam hidup, kehidupan ini akan jadi suatu rutin yang membosankan"

Siapa yang tak bosan bila rutin yang acap kali diulang sama persis tidak berubah? Terutamanya bagi mereka yang bergelar mahasiswa. Masa yang ada ibarat sekejap cuma.

Tapi cuba kita lihat, bagaimana cara kita menikmati dan memanfaatkan masa? Apa pula tujuan yang kita tetapkan dalam kehidupan? Apa pula yang kita mahukan seiring masa berjalan?

Pada akhirnya, kita sendiri yang perlu menetapkan definisi hidup kita. Tujuan kita berada di dunia.

*****

Walaupun 'penat belajar' sering aku guna sebagai alasan untuk tidak terlalu aktif dalam berprogram dan berpersatuan, tapi atas nama 'amanah', terdapat beberapa program yang aku perlu turut sama gerakkan. Melaksanakan program kerana jawatan yang dipegang, dalam erti kata lain, 'terpaksa dalam kerelaan'.

Banyak juga program di mana aku menjadi penggerak, tetapi ada satu program yang memang mengubah perspektif aku secara total sebagai manusia bergelar mahasiswa iaitu program Tadarus Al-Quran. Melihat mereka yang sanggup berpartisipasi tanpa menunggu kelapangan waktu, namun mereka berusaha meluang waktu. Di sini beza aku dan mereka yang sama-sama bergelar mahasiswa.

Hakikatnya program ini memerlukan komitmen yang agak lama tapi mereka sanggup dan rela menyertai walhal aku hanya menggunakan tiket keterpaksaan. Pada masa yang sama, aku sedar program sebegini yang amat diperlukan dan kalau bukan kami selaku Exco Spiritual dan Modul yang menjadi perantara bagi mereka dan program sebegini, siapa lagi?

Aku kini memilih untuk memanfaatkan masa dan usia sedia ada bagi memberi manfaat untuk mereka yang lain. Moga diri kita sentiasa cinta akan sesuatu yang bermanfaat dan sentiasa bertujuan jelas. Kerana pepatah arab mengatakan "manusia menjadi hamba pada apa yang dicintainya."

Justeru janganlah kita tersalah mencintai kerana nanti tersalahlah kita dalam menentukan arah tujuan. Dalam pada itu, hati-hatilah kita mencintai kerana cinta tidak berhenti dalam hati dan tidak pula berhenti dengan kata-kata tapi akan berujung dengan tindakan.

Moga tindakan kita pada akhirnya membawa kepada kebaikan dan bukan pula keburukan.

- E.N -

7/8/2021