Spiritual Digest

digest February 2016AUTHORS: Wazien Naufal, Iznan Tarip, Jasmine Zaini.DESIGNER: FH

Upcoming Events Page 3 Page 7 words Page 8 of Page 14 wisdom

Khatam al-Qur’an celebration is coming soon for mostBruneian societies in the UK, in conjunction with Brunei’s 32nd National Independence Day celebration this year. Let us take a moment to reflect our engagement with the Qur’an so far:Reciting, check! Reflecting, ??For the khatam celebration, many of us have engaged the Qur’an with our brain when reciting Alhamdulillah, all praise to God. It’s prime time to engage the Qur’an with our hearts too!“They have hearts with which they do not understand,they have eyes with which they do not see,and they have ears with which they do not hear.Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray.It is they who are the heedless.”(7:179) 3

Deep understanding of His words, and true guidance, lies in the heart of every person.It is a huge loss if we do not engage the Qur’an with our hearts!There are plenty of ways to engage the Qur’an whole-heartedly. Here are some practical steps you can take: 1. Read translations of the Qur’an in languages you are comfortable with as the first step 2. Know more stories and histories regarding the characters in the Qur’an. Stories of prophets, saints and sinners add richness to our understanding 3. Visualise the verses is also another way to engage with the Qur’an. There are abundance of illustrationsfor us to relate to, such as visions of the Hereafter 4

4. Study the Qur’an through any means! Studying with a teacher is preferable, but youtube is also filled with short videosof powerful reminders derived from the Qur’an. No more excuses!5. Experience the verses in your own life. For example, Allah subhanahu wa Ta’ala mentioned about travelling the land and learning lessons from history. History are signs left byAllah subhanahu wa Ta’ala for us to ponder. Your spare time spent on reading as well as pondering on the verses is time well spent. The Qur’an is not only for us to read, but also to learn and live it. Ultimately it is about manifesting the Qur’an in our daily life. This is what it means to truly understand something: knowledge that leads to actions. Prophet Muhammad sallAllahu alaihi wasallam is a prime example of a “walking” Qur’an! 5

There’s plenty of benefits you can get out of this miracle book, in this world and the Hereafter: 1. Relaxation from simply reading or hearing the verses 2. A source of knowledge, guidance and truth which leads to good deeds benefiting ourselves as well as others 3. Elevate our status in the sight of Allah, in this world and the Hereafter 4. Intervention (syafaat) during Judgement day May our Khatam al-Qur’an celebrations be blessed, bringing positivity in our life to its participants and attendees alike. Amiin. 6

Upcoming EventsBruneian students' Regional Khatam al-Quran celebration in conjunction with Brunei's 32nd National independence Day celebration. Region North: Lancaster, 20th February Region Midlands: Leicester, 20th March Region South: Essex, 21st February In total, there are 27 student societiesjoining in with approximately 250 students participating. The celebrations is sponsored by Brunei Student Unit and Brunei Student Union in the United Kingdom, as well as support from local universities extending their support for the events. May Allah subhanahu wa Ta'ala give His mercy and blessingsupon those who participated and made the events successful. 7

This is a story about “generations” of studentsstudying in the UK, most onBrunei government scholarship,averaging three to four years.This is about our life story,a romance filled with passion and agony,an end-vision of transcendence of freedom. It has been over a year since BruRosa was first founded and institutionalised. But it wasn’t the dream of one person dating back one year ago, or a group of people. Rather, it was a collective dream, a dream and a vision of many “generations” of students. BruRosa is never an end, but rather an arc to an unfinished story, yet to fulfil our natural needs.The story began here.In the land far from our Mothers,awakened from a very deepslumber of false dreams,we find ourselves re-enchantedinto the real world of immaterialityand of infinity, a world of eternal happiness.The story unfolding before our eyesis not of human-made fairy tales,but a story of castles to be owned and treasures to be claimed. 8 And eternal Love.

This is the reality of this world and the next. You and I are the story-makers. And our story in this world is finite and only a fraction of the ultimate life-story. As we go through our life, you will realise that it’ s filled with love: from your parents, friends, families,and even marketers and celebrities (for different reasons). But we tend to forget al-Wadood, the Loving One. He gave all of his creation love and favours accordingly, without needing to be loved back. His love and mercy is only intended for the benefit and advantage of the loved. Even though we betray His love so many times, He still loves us, showers us with His mercy, and still opens the door for us to return back to Him.Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala is our eternal and ultimate lover.THE MOST LOVING ONE 9

Being in this romance requires truth and perseverance! The eternal world is real, but so is the struggle. The struggle is real indeed! They can come in so many insidious forms. We, specifically the Bruneian students, have to overcome so many hurdles to strengthen our relationship with our Creator, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala. And the struggles we faced are indeed very unique. It’s a struggle, for example, to wake up for Fajr/Subuh prayer and make wudu with very cold water. It’s a struggle to fulfil the five daily obligatory prayers with lectures and workshops to attend. It’s a struggle to fit in with our colleagues, or the society on and off campus. And now, the struggle includes an internal as well as external struggle to wear a hijab. Now, it’s a struggle to fight misconceptions of Islam, of media misrepresentation, or “terrorism”.10

But, oh luxuries!Just another insidious form of struggle!And it’s an even more treacherous lover!Healthy body, abundant wealth,so much free time, where were these luxuries spent?Most are lost, sucked into the black hole of online shopping,of stores and supermarkets, of bellies expanding,of screens after screens of rotten fantasies.All sucked into false promises of more luxuries in this temporary world.Luxuries are a real challenge,and one that many are not aware of. “We want Paradise. We need Paradise!” says some. In small numbers at first, silo-ed, they whispered of wants, to be released from the chains of treacherous lovers. But these small voices grew. It grew, louder and louder and louder. It grew, generations after generations, but it was always there, unnoticed. These voices grew, but probably not loud enough, not yet. 11

None of them were pure-hearted, but everyone was struggling, united by the love and mercy of Allah, the Most Merciful. And they grew gardens together, Gardens of Paradise. Kem Ibadah, Kem Motivasi Hijrah, Umrah trips, Majlis Khatam al-Qur’an, Maulud Nabi celebrations, Ramadhan and Eid celebrations, and many more. These circles of remembrance are what the Prophet Muhammad sallAllahu alaihi wasallam called Gardens of Paradise. Some gardens are small, some large, but sizes never mattered. It’s the quality that counts, the richness of remembrance in the hearts, drenching the spiritual thirsts of its attendees. With love and mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, these gardens grew year after year Alhamdulillah.12

But still, none were perfect. Many stories untold and needs unfulfilled, people waiting to arrive at freedom and transcendence. And now the story-makers have left to return back to the motherland, will the story in the United Kingdom end? Dear new story-writers, Materialise the vision of past generations, the true vision of Islam. To see mankind worshipping its Creator in its totality, chanting together: “There is no god worthy of worship except God”. You are never alone. Happy 32nd Brunei National Independence Day, with the theme ‘Visionary Generation’ (Generasi Berwawasan).May the flower shaped theme be bloomed in the garden of Paradise. 13

words of wisdom \"The more you read the more things you know. The more that you learn the more places you will go.\" - Dr. Seuss \"There is nothing more beneficial for the heart than reading the Quran with contemplation and reflection. Hence, to recite a single verse in the Quran with contemplation and reflection is better than reciting the Quran to completion without any contemplation or reflection.\" - Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah \"The Prophet said 'keep on reciting the Quran for by Him in Whose Hand my life is, Quran runs away (is forgotten) faster than camels that are released from their tying ropes.\" - Bukhari14