Rattle and Hum

Going back to the roots

Peribahasa Melayu mengatakan bagaikan sirih pulang ke gagang. Amende gagang tu beb? Sedap sebut je, maksud perumpamaan langsung tak pernah amik port. Serupa macam peribahasa “Melepaskan batuk di tangga.” Haaa…korang tau? Aku pun selama ni dok ingat pasal orang buat kerja ala-kadar serupa macam dia batuk kat tangga rumah aje. Eh?! Apa daaa persamaan tu? Batuk tu batuk la, apa kena mengena dengan dia buat kerja ala-kadar. Pening.

Setelah di kaji oleh aku (jadi cendekiawan bahasa kejap dalam 2-3 hari), rupanya “batuk” yang dimaksudkan itu adalah sejenis alat yang digunakan untuk menceduk air dari tempayan untuk membasuh kaki sebelum naik ke rumah. Ni citer orang dulu-dulu la. So, si polan yang pemalas or buat kerja cincai ni, lepas dia basuh kaki, dia lepaskan je “batuk” itu & tak disangkutkan di tempat yang sepatutnya. Haaa…gitu lah. Saja share ilmu sikit buat untuk kawan-kawan.

Berbalik ke sirih & gagang. Ni je yang aku sempat google beb “Bagai sirih pulang ke gagang membawa maksud, sesuatu yang kena atau sesuai pada tempatnya. Tangkai daun sirih yang diputuskan daripada pokoknya jika diletakkan semula pada bahagian asal, tidak akan nampak cacat celanya. Gagang merupakan tempat bekas tangkai daun sirih.” Nanti aku rajin kalu, aku cari lagi info.

Yang aku nak gebang is actually pasal event yang masuk Ahad lepas baru ni. UPM MTB Fete. Mountainbiking days sangat nostalgic buat aku. Malah aku started-off kayuh pun dengan mountainbiking hampir 12 tahun yang lalu. Lama sungguh, same age dengan motor EX5 yang aku dok tunggang buat cari rezeki tu.

Berbekalkan stamina ala-kadar, aku cuba gak gain sedikit lagi dengan mencurahkan dedikasi memanjat trainer selama hampir setiap hari minggu lepas. Average paling lama 30 minit atas sebab-sebab urusan domestik. Paling cepat 15 minit di atas sebab ke-pongeh-an & bosan. Maybe hari tu aku agak kepenatan bekerja la kot.

Punya lah cincai punya pasal, persediaan aku juga last minute untuk event tu. Sebab aku tak nak buh sebarang pressure. Training cincai, pastu berangan nak pi henjut untuk placing untuk timing buat amendenya?! Fikir logik la bro...

Memang almost the whole day Sabtu tu  aku agak kesibukan dengan urusan domestic (al-maklum tanggungjawab ayah dan jiran dan hamba Allah swt). Sampaikan lepas Isya’ baru aku ada ruang untuk melabuhkan punggung di atas sofa depan TV. Alhamdullillah. Nikmat Allah bagi untuk dapat duduk dengan rasa sedap.

Sempat lagi aku layan movie dengan wife sampai kul 12 tanpa rasa kalut. Lepas tu barulah aku dok sibuk mengemas & memunggah barang untuk event ke dalam kereta sebelum tidur. Cincai betul. Mat rock kata “sempoi…”konon...

Pagi bangun lambat! Padan muka. Lewat setengah jam & kalut sebab nak prepare for breakfast. Aku bersyukur sebab mempunyai kawan-kawan yang understanding. Spesis mountainbikers ni memang sempoi-sempoi belaka. Aku boleh kata mountaibikers are mostly down to earth people, maybe sebab depa ni suka main tanah kot. Hehe.

Jarang la jumpa yang poyo, unless he’s into it not for the passion, i.e. nak poyo dengan basikal dia yang mahal lagi canggih, nak bergaya dengan attire seperti jersi & Oakley original yang harga seribu ringgit tu, mahupun semata-mata sebab nak test power berlumba-lumba compare timing dengan kaum. Eh?! Apa daaa nak compare-compare timing? Ni jamboree la bukan race. Kalau nak hebat sangat, pi compare dengan rider yang atas podium tu la. Or kalau banyak sangat duit tu, pi masuk international race kat Timor Leste or Mongolia yang baru-baru ni si Razif tu masuk. Ishk! Kusut. Posers! 

Haaa…begitu lah senarionya kalau dah ada 1600 orang yang aku jumpa semalam. Tapi mostly memang sempoi. Aku?! Lagi la, basikal pun pinjam beb. Kawan yang bermurah hati tak kedekut harta dunia sudi meminjamkan basikal kat aku. Aku tak mampu beb, malah tengah-tengah peringkat zaman macam ni, aku fikirkan perbelanjaan untuk dunia juga kita perlu kaji semula. Ishk! Sentimental la pulak. Aduh.

Melaut pemandangan beb

Sampai tempat parking UPM, kami berempat pun bersiap sedia sambil melambung-lambung apa yang patut sebagai salah satu sesi warm-up rahang. Flag-off konon kul 7.30 a.m. tapi 7.27 a.m. Azmar masih baru nak bancuh gula dalam kopi McDonald yang aku tapau untuk dia. Ni kira standard la Modus Operandi macam ni. Tapi memang chill habis. No pressure. Ramai lah sahabat-sahabat lama aku jumpa balik & kami berjabat tangan sebagai tanda “welcome back bro”. Cis!

Penganjur prepare 45km untuk kami. Kombinasi trail yang agak menarik. Aku start almost 75% kat belakang sambil mengambil peluang mengimbau kembali nostalgia selama 7 tahun aku mengaji kat sini. Genap 10 tahun kira boleh dapat status PR la konon. Hehehe.

Banyak dah perubahan sejak 15 tahun yang lalu. Tapi kolej dan padang tempat kami beriadah setiap petang masih kekal menghijau. Bauan rumput segar selepas di potong di pagi hari sangat best. Sedut lama sikit boleh high macam daun ketum.

Kami pusing UPM dulu, on-road sebagai neutral zone. Jadi saper yang nak berkejor ke depan sebelum masuk trail boleh la henjut lebih sikit. Aku buat sekadar yang termampu. Ramai sangat beb. Melaut penuh jalan sampai tak nampak hujung & pangkal. Memang peloton besau.

Sampai aje trail head terus kami dihidangkan dengan first climb mencanak. Dari kejauhan aku dah nampak pemandangan macam semut berkumpul panjang sebab bottle neck, merayap slow je naik bukit. Yang lemah semangat dah mula tolak basikal. Sesak sungguh pendakian itu. Pendakian nampak rideable, lantas aku engage gear granny & pasang kuda-kuda untuk pelan-pelan kayuh naik bukit. Bila dah ramai sangat, mereka yang agak sedikit kiasu kadang-kadang lupa tentang persekitaran dia. Lantas mereka buat derk je bila kami yang tengah kayuh control macho nafas kuda ni cuba mencelah & menyelit.

Bagi mengelakkan usaha titik peluh ni terbantut sebab ke-kiasuan depa, maka diri yang peramah ini pun bermula lah melafazkan syair-syair arab yang penuh puitis untuk men-sound mereka itu supaya memberi laluan.

“Rider coming thru!”

“On your right!”

“Tumpang lalu abang long!”

“Air panas! Air panas! Tepi sikit!”

"Karipap! Karipap! Tiga singget!"

Antara dialog-dialog aku yang masyhur. Hehe.

Hati-hati Cik Salmah. Kalau tergolek kompom lencun :]

Bukit bukau trail ni semua di kawasan MARDI. Memang mantap & mantul untuk mereka yang senyuman & sengihan bertukar jadi hembusan melalui lubang hidung kembang 2cm. Ada trail yang boleh berdesup laju dan ada juga yang licin boleh menyebabkan tayar skid & kecut perut. Aku ni, disebabkan dua hari makan kari maka darah dah penuh rempah kari pi belasah semua descending dengan penuh gaya sambil mulut bising macam macha hensem. 

Descending down trails is obviously challenging. Sedikit lebih kurang macam tarian zapin la.You need all the body movement and balance. Besides, you need to be sharp and focus in choosing the best line of descending. Or else you’ll end up face planting or jadi jembalang semak or even sprawling all over the place. It can be something great to laugh at between friends or it can be something serious or fatal.

Talking about fatal, so I heard somebody died from cardiac arrest semalam masa ride. Innallillah.

Yes, the route is totally demanding. Kayuh road boleh lagi coasting or chillax tepi jalan kalau penat. Dalam hutan tu, trail tu turun naik ikut suka dia. Climb sampai 30 degree sepanjang 500m. Turun can be so steep and slippery. So sesaper yang tak beringat tu boleh mendatangkan mudarat untuk diri sendiri & orang lain.

Scenery sepanjang laluan berbagai. Paling cantik masa berada di puncak tertinggi dan sempat menjeling sesaat dua sebelum aku terpaksa focus semula ke trail.

Jatuhan?! Adat la tu kalau main off-road. Trail licin tu beb. Ada gak la dua tiga aksi lagak ngeri (konon) yang tak dapat elak. First masa turun bukit curam & jauh. Hasil tersilap pilih line & tak sempat tarik balik handlebar, genggaman brek belakang telah menyebabkan tayar belakang mendahului tayar depan. Bersepah kat atas hampir separuh trail insan yang bergelar Diket ni. Hahaha. Padan muka aku. Maybe sebab sebelum tu aku poyo la kot dengan sorang mamat tu. Tu lah dia. Allah swt bayaq cash je la ni.

Salah satu contoh Face Plant

Second aksi tergedodos berlaku betul-betul depan mata Alwin. Lantas aksi badut tersebut telah membuatkan dia kejung rahang bantai gelak sampai bergema hutan pine UPM tu. Hampeh lu. Tambah lagi brader photographer memang dok tunggu kat selekoh jahanam itu untuk capture bahan bukti. Hahaha.

The third one happened merely 50 meters ahead tu je. Dah memang kompom la Alwin boleh kejung gelak je menyaksikan my stupid stumble. Aduhai. Aku pun sendiri boleh gelak dengan aksi bengong aku tu.

Alhamdullillah tamat dengan senyuman kepuasan tanda nak lagi. Hehe. Thumbs up to penganjur dengan sajian trail yang enak & pedih kepala lutut & hulu hati. Dengan kadar yuran yang tak berapa sembelih, aku faham dengan goodies or medal yang dikalungkan.

Dan hari ni aku sedang merawat kejang betis & peha yang semalam menyerang menyebabkan aku tersengih menahan sakit di tengah-tengah hutan.

Nikmat beb

Hmmm...alahai. Ishk! Tak baik mengeluh. Kita sepatutnya lebih banyak bersyukur ye tak? OK. Alhamdullillah. Segala puji-pujian kepada Allah swt di atas segala malah semua nikmat yang kita dapat. Nikmat bernafas, nikmat suap nasi bryani sebelum solat Jumaat tadi, nikmat dapat peluk anak bini pagi tadi sebelum keluar rumah & berbagai-bagai nikmat lain lah. Nikmat-nikmat. Subhanallah.

Ishk! Lama bebenor aku tak menulis ni. Memang hasrat di hati tu sentiasa ada tapi bila dok depan pc terus takde feel. Chewah! Macam nak gubah lagu pulak.

Actually & basically aku banyak mem-blogging pun berlandaskan aktiviti sukan yang aku gemar buat pada hujung-hujung minggu tu. Dah la hampir 3 purnama aku tak beriadah, maka blog pun mula lah mandom. Apa lah sangat aku nak gebang. Kalau setakat start motor pi kedai beli susu pekat chap junjung tak yah aaa...

Anyway, la ni aku tengah ada feel. Tak kisah lah nak gebang apa pun. Janji otak & jari jemari ku ini tengah synchronize untuk mengalirkan buah fikiran yang tengah laju mengalir.

OK. Sejak bulan posa yang off-season tu (konon...), honestly aku memang dah hilang feel nak beriadah especially kayuh basikal. Lari jauh sekali. Swim? Lagi laaaa. Aku pun tak tau kenapa. Maybe badan aku kata nak berehat lama sikit. Or maybe otak malas nak fikir. Maybe jugak antara faktor utama sebab aku nak fokus kat exam kaklong. Yes. Aku rasa yang itu. Al-maklum aku ni bukan multi tasking, maka aku lebih selesa concentrate kat satu perkara demi satu perkara. Tambah lagi dengan demand kerja yang boleh kata meningkat. Maka langsung lah minda aku ni tak larat dah nak fikir pasal event sana sini. Mengadap facebook wall kawan-kawan pun bukan main laju aku scroll atas bawah. Lari sana sini. Kayuh sana sini. Berenang. Pergh! Aku tengok pun dah penat beb.

Alhamdullillah, kaklong pun dah settle exam. Ingat nak bernafas sikit, tapi ada exam sekolah agama pulak. Takpe, layan aje since aku pun takde nak rush untuk training apa-apa event. Walaupun awal-awal dulu dalam list dah masuk tapi aku asyik tangguh nak register (symptom malas nak masuk la tu). Ended up early bird lepas, angry bird lepas & sampai lah ke dead bird. Ku follow...

Stamina wise, aduhai...sungguh menyedihkan. Sebak dada ni masa aku kejor si Umar kat taman tasik rumah kami. Baru 20 langkah aku berlari, penyesalan tak terhingga singgah di setiap otot terutama otot jantung ni. Seminggu yang lalu aku try gak pusing Putrajaya dengan Alwin, Ziff and Azmar bersama-sama cangkuk geng Chap Ayam simulasi Powerman. Nak maintain speed sembang pun aku dah cecah level speed menyampah. Takpe, janji kayuh...

Disebabkan event mountainbike yang aku dah sign hujung minggu ni boleh dikatakan agak menarik minat aku, maka aku kuatkan semangat juga untuk bertenggek atas trainer sepanjang minggu ni. Ada hari layan lah jugak, ada hari masuk 15 minit pun dah meluat. Camner tu?!

Ku jangka berlambak lagi event yang akan berlangsung sampai ke hujung tahun. Aku juga yakin kawan-kawan akan terus sign & terus beriadah or berlumba or what ever target lah. Semoga berjaya. And jangan lupa supaya senantiasa bersyukur dengan nikmat yang Allah swt bagi ye. As-salam.

Can’t stop. Don’t want to, either

My second attempt for post raya ride was done in an almost bonking style. Almost. The attempt was revisiting the highland of Genting Peres. With only 20km clocked from previous first come back ride, a surge in the milage accumulation is pretty much drastic. Degil punya orang tua ni. However, when enthusiasm advanced more than the body can handle, the simplest route can be devastating.

We had a nice crowd that morning, especially from the TOK’s site. I guess due to the less demanding proposed route as well as ‘makan angin’ pace approach, the attendance was merry.

The early morning weather as well as the ‘merdeka’ lonesome traffic made it easier for us to slowly carve our way into Langat.

Our climb up Genting Peres was casual as well. We chat for most of the miles while keeping the pace chat-able. And not forgetting to remind myself, to keep the gearing as light as possible. This was specifically done to reserve the legs for the ride back home, as I was anticipating something more challenging than the climb itself.

A huge crowd gathered at Simpang Peres as well as at the peak. I don’t get to catch a glimpse of them, since none of them carried familiar faces. I guess only a handful that I met before but they went pass by in a blizz.

The break at the peak was brief. The road side was filled with bikes and cyclists alike. Almost thirty I guess. I just spent mere minutes capturing the moment whilst hydrating before plunging myself back down the winding road with a wheez. Didn’t look back or check who was on my wheels.

The ride back to Batu 18 was mixed with light intervals. If only it exist :P

I termed it as ‘light’ since I barely survive any surge of the interval heart rate more than a minute. Argh! That’s how weak I am right now. I guess the building blocks will have to be rearranged and rescheduled where appropriate…when the time comes, of course.

We were halted to proceed on back to BTHO when one of us had a puncture. Hence, the waiting game started with a bit of humor thrown in to kill the boredom. What was supposed to be group ride back home gone disaster when the legs started to give up and the motivation vanquished in the stale air.

I decided to ditch the drafting fiesta and strolled along to the regrouping point. An abrupt increase in miles had taken its toll but, it was not my first. It’s a norm. Especially when the spirits are sky high, but the legs are rock bottom screaming. Anyway, at least it gave me the pleasure of looking forward for another round of agony. Heads up!

Like Wilee used to say, “Can’t stop. Don’t want to, either.” :]

"Shut up legs!"

Dad, how far more?

First and foremost, as usual we have to praise to our beloved Allah swt for all the barakah from the month of Ramadhan until Syawal and until we are back to our usual routine.

Alhamdullillah our Ramadhan was pretty much accomplished, better than the previous. Alhamdullillah our Aidil Fitri was superb with more meaningful approach, more food and stronger silaturrahim with fellow family members, relatives and friends. Not forgetting my late father whom have left us for two years now and may Allah bless his soul and place him among the ambia’.

Approaching the weekend after a week of festive mood, I had to dodge those tempting laziness and put in some strength in setting my mind for a ride. With a bit of courage and a feather duster, I dragged my bike away from its month long resting place under the staircase into the middle of the living room. Gosh! It still had mud from the last ride! And when was that? With guilt, I ran through a damp cloth wiping it away exposing what was supposed to be a shining metal. The usual routine took place but with a bit more effort gathering the bike stuff from all over the house after a month of disregard.

However, the plan for the Saturday morning ride into Langat was shelved when rain came over for a nice cool shower outside the bedroom window prompted me to text Det and friends of the cancelation and carried on hiding myself under the hood. It was peaceful.

Hence, the remaining daylight was spent with more feasting which I lost count of the amount and type of food intake.

With words flying around that Langat will be packed with post raya cyclist, we were excited to hop on to the bandwagon. To add to the camaraderie, Amir decided to get his first long ride experience. We drove all the way to Batu 18 where the meeting place was set by the LeTuang gang. Now Amir has the empty kampong road to himself from Batu 18 to Simpang Peres and I don’t have to worry about traffic. It was also actually a reception ride for CK with his new Dogma and we have all eyes and drools all over the road that morning.

Amir rode gracefully. Toggling around with the gearing and cadence seemed second to nature for him. I guess the bike skills from his neighborhood adventure came in handy. Approaching KM7 the first anticipated question came out from him, “Berapa jauh lagi ayah?” To kill his boredom and mini suffer fest, I had to goreng him a bit about the route and its famous folklores tales. About the majestic climbs. As well as the sharing of cooling and peaceful climate that we cyclists endure on each ride. Well, that kept us occupied for at least a mile before he popped up a second gesture, “Sakit bontot la ayah”. Hehe. For an iron butt like me would have felt the same after an absence from cycling, and for Amir, that would be no exemption. Furthermore, he was not equipped with a pair of cycling short. Argh! I presumed that cute butt will have a long day ahead.

Approaching the final 500 meters, the climb up to Simpang Peres may well seemed to be Amir’s toughest point. Any forgiving day would have felt the same for any of us. But, the key point was not to stop and pushed on and that was what I did. Motivating him and with extra support and cheers from other fellow cyclists, Amir concurred the climb full strength. Alhamdullillah.

Masjlis berkampung at the junction was a ritual for a day of light and easy ride like today. Amir decided to stretch his legs and butt during the break before we descended back to Batu 18. Most of us went up Genting Peres which is a must for a comeback ride after a long break. As for the rest of us, we definitely don’t want to miss the breakfast window at the all time favorite Roti Canai Anje.

The 10km back to Batu 18 was done casually by Amir, except when he started to ask for the miles countdown to the finish. And he started to complain whenever the milestone on the roadside differed from the remaining distance I told him from the cyclometer. I presumed it’s a symptom of tiredness. But he remained cool. 20KM for his first long ride experience is an achievement indeed.

The everlasting distance, for him at least, ended with a plate of roti telur and favorite drink iced milo at Anje’s Joint. With Amir around, I have plenty of chance to loosen up the cycling legs before the start of a new training season. Nothing fancy, only a small event at the end of the month at a place full of memories. Like the wise said, we’ll see how it goes.

Jemput makan cikgu. Jemput makan kawan-kawan!

Dzikir Abu Nawas

Tiada yang lebih indah selain dzikir Abu Nawas yang sentiasa menyentuh jiwa tatkala kita bakal meninggalkan Madrasah Ramadhan.

The Ultimate Journey

Assalamualaikum wbt

Sempat gebang sikit hujung minggu ni since cuti Nuzul al-Quran ni ada kelapangan sikit. Gebang pun tak boleh panjang-panjang macam kuliah Subuh sebab banyak urusan lain jugak yang kita kena kawtim kan.

Petikan beberapa perkongsian berikut ni dari Ustadz Hanif Ghazali yang mai kat surau kami tanggal 27-Julai 2012 yang lalu. That would be circa 6-Ramadhan 1433 Hijrah. Ustadz ni punya memori memang tersangat aku kagum. Perhaps dia guna Core2 duo kot.

Dia merakamkan segala tarikh-tarikh kemenangan Islam sejak dari 1 Hijrah lagi sampai ke zaman ini. Paling koman pun yang aku boleh recall, ada dekat 20 lebih tarikh dan peristiwa yang beliau kongsikan. Hampir 10 minit jugak lah dia kasi perabih sejarah tu dengan tarikh dan sedikit ringkasan sejarah tersebut.

Jadi dapat dikupaskan bahawa Islam memang hebat zaman terdahulu especially zaman kepimpinan Rasullullah saw serta zaman khalifah-khalifah yang terkemudiannya. Hebat tak hebatnya mereka tu, hampir kesemua peperangan besar mereka peroleh kemenangan di bulan Ramadhan. Dalam menjalani ibadah berpuasa pun, mereka bukan sahaja mampu mengangkat pedang untuk berjuang, malah siap menang lagi. Ni bukan pi Olimpik siap boleh keluar statement qadha puasa sebab nak mengharumkan nama Negara beb. Mana ada hukum macam tu kecuali untuk mereka yang benar-benar sakit atau musafir untuk ke jalan Allah swt.

Sampaikan satu peperangan yang menarik perhatian aku, ustadz bercerita, kaum Yahudi siap tak nak berperang dengan tentera Islam di bulan Ramadhan sebab takut kalah. Sama ada mereka akan cuba habiskan perang tu sebelum sampai Ramadhan atau siap boleh pospon lepas Ramadhan. Sampai begitu sekali kehebatan umat Islam dulu. Allahuakbar.

Aku dapat simpulkan sendiri, keyakinan mereka dengan Allah swt yang tak berbelah bagi itulah kunci untuk kemenangan para sahabat tatkala itu. Subhanallah.

Lantas ustadz memanggil kita untuk merebut peluang di bulan yang teramat mulia ini untuk bermuhasobah. Mengenang kemungkaran yang telah kita lakukan selama 30 or 40 tahun kita hidup di dunia Allah swt ini. Tatkala inilah peluang yang terbuka luas Allah swt beri peluang atau buka pintu taubat untuk kita. Rugi sangatlah kalau kita tak grab the chance. Dah 30 hingga 40 tahun kita ni lara/lagha sangat dengan keduniaan. Dan pernahkah kita terfikir Allah swt yang maha pengasih & penyayang itu sentiasa memberi kita peluang untuk mengejar ketaqwaan dah 30-40 tahun jugak? Kalau 30-40 tahun kita masih lagi menganggap Ramadhan itu hanya berpuasa sebagai adat, maka sebaiknya lah kita timbal semula ideology tersebut. Jangan kita teruskan amalan sekadar ikutan semata-mata. Ambil lah peluang kolej Ramadhan ini sebagai  training ground untuk kita mengejar the ultimate marathon.

Seperti yang aku janjikan sebelum ini, ustadz menyentuh tentang malam seribu bulan iaitu malam Lailatul Qadr. Malam pengampunan yang ultimate dan di mana Allah swt akan limpahkan rezeki kepada umatNya yang beriman. Ustadz bagi tips macam mana kita nak kecapi peluang tersebut. Formulanya agak mudah tapi memang memerlukan komitmen & keikhlasan yang ultimate.

Solat berjemaah waktu Maghrib

Solat berjemaah waktu Isya’

Solat berjemaah waktu Subuh

Kalau dapat kawtim yang tiga ni, InsyaAllah aku rasa kita juga tiada masalah untuk menunaikan solat-solat sunat tengah malam yang lain seperti tahajjud, taubat, hajat & solat sunat tasbih. Yang sunat inilah sebagai pelengkap di mana Allah swt senantiasa akan kagum dengan umatNya yang sanggup meninggalkan keenakan tilam & bantal yang empuk hanya untuk memperhambakan diri untukNya.

Ini bukan gebang kosong beb. Ini janji Allah swt yang telah tertulis di dalam Qalamullah. Janji Allah swt yang tidak akan dimungkiriNya.

Tapi jangan juga kita menyesali kerana tidak merebut peluang ini sebab terdapat beberapa golongan yang Allah swt tidak akan ampunkan dosa mereka walaupun para Malaikat cuba untuk mengaminkan doa mereka. Antara golongan tersebut ialah:

Mereka yang mensyirikkan Allah

Mereka yang menabur fitnah

Mereka yang melakukan dosa besar di bulan Ramadhan seperti minum arak

Mereka yang melakukan dosa secara terang-terangan di bulan Ramadhan seperti membuka aurat

Mereka yang memutuskan silaturrahim. Kalau ada yang masih bermasam muka dengan sahabat tu, elok lah sangat pi mohon ampun & maaf. Apatah lagi kalau punca bermasam muka tu semata-mata sebab dunia.

Mereka yang menderhakai ibu bapa mereka. Jangan tunggu raya baru nak mohon ampun & maaf. Sekarang ni elok pi buat teruih.

Na’uzubillah. Moga dijauhkan kita dari tergolong dalam golongan-golongan ini. Kalau kita masih atau pernah terjebak atau melakukan kemungkaran ini, rebutlah peluang bulan yang penuh kebesaran ini untuk bertaubat. Nak tau cara bertaubat, boleh mula dari sekarang untuk mencari ilmu taubat itu sendiri. Cara paling mudah untuk kita berjinak-jinak dengan pendekatan taubat, pi attend majlis Qiamullail yang dianjurkan di mana-mana surau dan masjid berdekatan. Sure ada punya, especially bila dah dekat-dekat nak habis Ramadhan ni.

Kalau kita boleh menyalurkan tenaga & komitmen untuk habiskan marathon, ultra marathon, powerman, ironman, swim marathon, jalan kaki 12 jam, kayuh beribu-ribu kilometer, raja bukit ka, aku rasa paling koman sejam setengah kita menurunkan martabat kita untuk sujud kepada Allah swt di Qiamullail pasti boleh. Pencapaian keduniaan dengan medal dan PB yang kita banggakan sangat tu, takde gunanya kalau kita masih tak kembali kepada jalan Allah swt, iaitu jalan yang menuju kepada kejayaan hakiki iaitu syurga Allah swt. Ini pesanan untuk diri aku, untuk keluargaku dan juga untuk sahabat-sahabatku.

“Sesungguhnya Kami menurunkan al-Qur’an pada malam al-Qadar, tahukah engkau apakah malam al-Qadar itu? Malam al-Qadar itu lebih baik dari seribu bulan. Pada malam itu turunlah malaikat-malaikat dan Jibril dengan izin Rabb mereka (untuk mengatur) segala urusan. Malam itu penuh kesejahteraan sehingga terbit fajar.”

(al-Qadar, 97: 1-5)

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Alhamdullillah segala puji-pujian, Tuhan  yang memelihara & mentadbir sekelian alam. Syukur ke hadrat Illahi kita telah melepasi fasa pertama bulan berkat Ramadhan. Semoga kita mendapat rahmat Allah yang diutuskan melalui malaikat-malaikat yang senantiasa berdoa untuk orang-orang yang beriman.

Aku mohon ampun & maaf di atas segala kekhilafan dalam meninggalkan blog untuk berkongsi bersama ilmu-ilmu Allah swt yang saban hari kami di surau tidak putus-putus terima dari ustadz-ustadz. Sehingga malam ini aku terpanggil untuk berbicara tentang tanggungjawab kita menyampaikan ilmu-ilmu (peringatan) ini untuk panduan kita mengejar ketaqwaan. Terutama di bulan yang penuh barakah ini.

Surah al-A’la

[8]Dan Kami tetap memberi kemudahan kepadamu untuk (melaksanakan segala perkara) Ugama yang mudah diterima oleh akal yang sihat. [9]Oleh itu berilah peringatan (kepada umat manusia dengan ajaran Al-Quran), kalau-kalau peringatan itu berguna (dan sudah tentu berguna); [10]Kerana orang yang takut (melanggar perintah Allah) akan menerima peringatan itu; [11]Dan (sebaliknya) orang yang sangat celaka akan menjauhinya, [12]Dia lah orang yang akan menderita bakaran neraka yang amat besar (azab seksanya),

Kuliah subuh weekend yang lalu kami didatangkan dengan Ustadz Badrul Hisham, yang sememangnya terkenal dengan kehebatannya bertutur mengenai ilmu Allah swt. Beliau cuba membawa kami dalam mengupas isi kandungan dan matlamat setiap amalan kita di bulan Ramadhan. Ini adalah semata-mata sebagai peringatan buat kita bahawa sesungguhnya ibadah berpuasa itu adalah rukun dan bukan adat.

Ustadz cuba mengupas rahsia ilmu Allah swt tentang puasa & sekaligus cuba mengkaitkan dengan segala ibadah lain dalam rukun Iman kita. Bahkan ustadz menggalakkan kita mengenali ilmu ibadah ini & difardhukan kita untuk senantiasa berilmu dalam mengerjakan ibadah. Ilmu akan membawa kita kepada kefahaman tentang apa yang kita buat & bukan semata-mata ikutan kerana dengan sekadar ikut-ikutan, kita belum tentu mendapat keredhaan Allah swt. Sesungguhnya dengan ilmu itu, ibadah kita akan lebih bermakna mudah-mudahan akan membawa kita kepada keimanan yang ultimate.

Ustadz menyentuh tentang ibadah solat. Sesungguhnya ibadah ini difardhukan untuk kita sebagai bekalan dunia. Kita saban hari mendengar solat itu tiang agama. Benar. Tanpa tiang-tiang ini, kita akan mudah alpa dengan arus dunia yang semakin hebat melalaikan kita. Fardhu bermakna wajib. Itulah hisab pertama yang akan dipersoalkan di hari perhitungan kelak. Bahawasanya dengan kekuatan yang Allah swt kurniakan untuk kita, Istiqomah yang kita kejar kerana resam kita di dunia ini sentiasa gagal dengan isitiqomah. Maka semoga kita lebih berilmu dalam mengerja rukun pertama ini. Hadiri lah majlis-majlis ilmu, banyakkan bertanya dan tatapi lah buku-buku panduan agama.

Peringkat kedua dari solat ini, ustadz memanggil kita untuk mengenal pengertian berpuasa itu sendiri. Tentang rahmat Allah swt. Apa itu rahmat? Contoh yang paling nyata di fasa pertama ialah tak lain tak bukan dengan fenomena kehadiran yang besar dari umat Islam ke masjid-masjid dan surau. Allah swt telah menurunkan rahmat ke dunia dengan menyentuh hati setiap di antara kita di setiap pelusuk dunia untuk sama-sama ke masjid mengerjakan ibadah solat berjemaah. Itu lah di antara fenomena rahmat Allah yang sangat aku kagum. Pernahkah kita terfikir? Berjuta umat mengejar rahmat ini kerana peluang ini hanya didatangkan kepada kita hanya di bulan Ramadhan. Sesungguhnya Allah swt telah berjanji bahawa setiap amalan di bulan besar ini akan dibalas dengan ganjaran yang berlipat kali ganda. Itu janji Allah. Janji yang telah dinyatakan di dalam kalammullah, al-Quranulkarim.

Fasa kedua Ramadhan juga dikenali dengan fasa pengampunan atau maghfirah. Namun pengertian pengampunan tidak akan hadir tanpa rasa penyesalan di atas segala kemungkaran yang selama ini kita lakukan. Berbalik kepada rahmat yang kita kecapi di fasa pertama, beserta dengan kesedaran iman & istiqomah, maka kesedaran di atas dosa-dosa yang lalu akan kita rasai. Di saat dan ketika inilah kita akan bermunajad memohon pengampunanNya dengan rasa penuh penyesalan. Alat atau tools yang paling popular untuk kita terus memperhambakan diri ini adalah melalui Zikrullah. Zikir membantu kita sentiasa mengingati Allah. Setiap lafaz dibibir perlu penghayatan yang mendalam sehingga hati kita tersentuh dengan zikir tersebut. Lebih banyak kita berzikir, lebih sentiasa kita mengingati Allah, sekaligus kita akan terus memohon keampunan & meninggalkan segala kemungkaran.

Fasa ketiga. Fasa yang sering kali kita dengar sebagai fasa pembebasan dari api neraka. Di mana inilah sefaham aku sebagai matlamat kita hidup di bumi Allah. Bumi yang Allah pinjamkan untuk kita sebagai khalifah bagi mentadbir kehidupan kita sendiri, keluarga malah persekitaran kita. Segalanya adalah untuk dunia yang ultimate iaitu kehidupan di hari akhirat. Syurga. Itu yang kita mahukan. Sesungguhnya terdapat 4 jenis umat yang akan sentiasa dirindui syurga (1) Orang yang sentiasa membaca al-Quran. (2) Orang yang sentiasa menjaga pertuturannya. (3) Orang yang memberi makan kepada orang yang lapar. (4) Orang yang berpuasa di bulan Ramadhan.

Kita boleh kupas sendiri pengertian 4 jenis orang ini sesungguhnya ia nampak mudah untuk kita kecapi tapi tanpa ilmu, tanpa keimanan, tanpa istiqomah dan kesedaran sangat mudah juga untuk kita leka & melepaskan peluang yang Allah janjikan ini. Bahkan kita tambah lagi dengan kemungkaran.

Dalam kita mengejar keberkatan Ramadhan, jangan sekali-kali kita lupa dengan tanggungjawab lain kita sebagai umat Islam. Perkara-perkara yang paling asas seperti menjaga aurat. Ramai di kalangan kita yang semakin mengambil mudah dengan tanggungjawab ini. Bahkan sudah menjadi lumrah mencampur aduk kan ibadah dengan keingkaran menutup aurat. Kita berpuasa, kita bersolat tapi kita juga masih tidak menjaga aurat kita. Perkara paling asas ini perlu diperingatkan dari peringkat awal iaitu di peringkat organisasi keluarga sendiri. Ayah & suami selaku ketua keluarga adalah dipertanggungjawabkan untuk membimbing ahli keluarga tentang ini. Bahkan ingat mengingati juga perlu ada istiqomah dalam kita sama-sama menuju genggaman ketaqwaan.

Sesungguhnya apa yang buruk datangnya dari aku dan yang baik hanya dari Allah swt. Cukup setakat ini yang sempat aku kongsi bersama ilmu Allah swt dengan bantuan ustadz melalui tazkirah-tazkirah yang mampu aku catatkan.

Di 10 malam terakhir Ramadhan akan berlakunya malam Lailatu Qadr. Mudah-mudahan kita bersedia untuknya kerana belum tentu kita akan bertemu Ramadhan yang akan datang. Rebutlah peluang. Semoga dengan kekuatan yang Allah kurniakan, aku akan cuba kongsi bersama kehebatan malam tersebut. Allahuakbar. Amin.

Window

With this tiny window left of Syaaban, I hope it is not too late to wish Ed-Mubarak to all Muslims. May we get the best of Barakah & Rahmat from Allah swt in this great month. And may we pray from this tiny window, it will open up to a wider perspective of beautiful Islam for all of us.

Allah swt may have given us another chance to meet Ramadhan again this year. Praise to Allah for the health and opportunity.

I was on a roller coaster ride for the past few weeks. The central nerve system crashed at the very last moment prior to Ipoh Century Ride. Though, mentally I was in a lower anticipation of the ride, a small residue of spirit rode away with friends completing the distance. Truth be told, I was not so disappointed from the absence. Only Allah swt knows what is best for me.

Recovery took ages for this old module. I was mentally weak with only enough memory to run the task of an employee. Not even a gigabyte. Being so tight with work schedule, I have only a handful of mind left for the remaining task and chores for the family. Not a single glimpse of thought was managed for my love of cycling. The evening was only spent following what remains from the stages of Tour de France. If I fell asleep with only 10 km to finish, the morning shall be spent watching the race highlights. However, the spirit of it was not as high as before. Adding to the calamity, I found more favorite riders abandoning the tour, be it due to injuries from crashes or from failing doping tests.

Allah almighty. He gave me strength to recover just in time for Ramadhan. From the burnt out spirit of cycling and the flu, I was re-fresh for Ramadhan. As a human, the building blocks of Rejab & Syaaban went pass me in a brief. I pray that I have the strength for the powerful Ramadhan challenge.

Allow me to shed some light from tonight’s message of tazkirah.

In this early chapter of the holy month, we were reminded to be prepared for it. We are being given this chance, this year. We should cherish the moment in full swing and take advantage of  the capital given by Allah swt for the investment.

1.    Aqidah. It is a strong word. We should embrace the definition. We should look back and recuperate our beliefs and faith. Make it stronger. Put it deep into our hearts that Allah swt is the only God & Muhammad s.a.w. is his messenger. Faith in the science of al-Quran. Faith in Malaikat. Faith in the afterlife. And even in Qada’ & Qadar. How far have we embrace the Rukun of Iman?

2.    Knowledge. Grab this chance to go deeper into the knowledge of Islam. Start from the simplest things of wudhu’ and solat. Or even our perspective of aurat. An even the meaning of salawat is a very strong insight. Or even we may need to define ourselves to the task of Tarawih. Knowledge brings us closer to being Taqwa, as we do not want our sacrifices goes down the drain without knowing the right knowledge.

3.  Physical. Stay healthy and strong. No it’s not for the races and challenges after Ramadhan that we so looked forward to. Not the KOM. Not Powerman. Not even for that 10K race a week after Aidilfitri. We need the stamina to embrace the 30 days with plans and workout schedule for Ramadhan. Tarawih, Tadarus, Tahajjud, Hajat, Dhuha, Tafsir, Tazkirah. This is one great building block.

4.    Focus. Ramadhan comes only once in a year. Chasing the glories of PBs and podiums or even logging dailymiles for the rest of the 11 months had to make way. This is the true and reality of the eternal life. We might want to consider cutting down time spent on day works and workouts. Go moderate. Forget about those hill repeats for a moment. Cut down on those training talks. The amount of amal is so small compared to the life that we chase on this surface of earth. How do we justify that? Are we prepared to answer for the judgment day? Allahu akbar. The almighty and nothing comes close to Him. Not even the 20k carbon frames, or the 15k Lightweight wheels.

It is still not too late. We are provided with the chance. Again. For this year. Some souls were not. They have returned to the Creator. Last year’s Ramadhan was their last. We? We don’t have the slightest idea of what awaits around the corner. We might not be able to see Aidilfitri after all. Or even that race we have signed for. Hence, this window is our chance.

These may sound so harsh for some but I’m just shedding some lights of the importance of the true fight that we should be thinking of. May Allah swt have mercy on us and give us strength to fight our place for the ‘podium’. Amin.  :]

The Two Sisters

Hold on. This post is going to be epic. It’s an epic since I covered almost the hold Sunday on it since the ride was on Saturday. And it took the whole day because most of it was running the duty of a principal monitoring younglings’ revision and eating. Hence, it would be advisable to spend time reading it while having a packet of kuaci or if you skip lunch or puasa sunat Senin-Khamis :]

Epic nya haiii…

This is the ride of 2012 (at the moment of entry). It was the one that I bit off more than I can chew. It is the one that I rarely can commit due to other priority commitments. And the one that I don’t easily commit for the risk that I barely can take.

With Ipoh Century Ride weeks away, a few of us are nearing the end of our training program. Which means, it’s taper time! Balik kampong. Makan. Rest the mind. Rest the body. It’s time for it to rebuild the system for the finale. I was so looking forward to it. No, not the finale but the taper instead. Hahaha. Al-maklum, full time weekend warrior & yes, I meant full time sebab no weekdays training agendas. Give me hill repeats, speed drills, night rides, saddling up on trainers. No thanks. I have to take a rain cheque.

When the miles are high for the ultimate week in the training regime, I don’t have many route options around. Unlike running, we can always run alone hitting the gritting plateau (secret training la kira). But, we can’t afford to cycle alone for 5 to 6 hours. Especially when love ones waiting for us at home. Especially when hitting cyclists with cars are like virtual games in Playstation (maybe this is one of the theory?!).

I had only 2 options. Saturday ride with BJCC doing the fabled Genting Sempah – Gap – Genting Sempah, covering 170km with 2 major climbs that can make you lose your minds and legs at the same time. Or, I can join another group to Morib and back. Getting another tan line after last week’s Kuala Selangor ride is just like killing the spirit. The sun ain’t getting any cooler nowadays. And dehydrating big time at this age isn’t wise. Hence, the grannies were signed.

Gorgeous terrain

I haven’t been around this part of cycling routes for this year. Travelling from Cheras takes 30km while burning fossil fuel just for a ride isn’t a good practice if I want to safe earth and at the same time stay healthy. But, today it’s optional. We met up with the rest of the close buddies at Petronas Taman Melati (nostalgic la pulak bila teringat Genting Trailblazer 2010). Eventually rendezvoused with BJCC at R&R Genting Sempah. The cool breeze from Genting Highland was just awesome. But, we haven’t much time to enjoy it.

A short brief by ride leader, Capt. Roy and headcount found 16 gave a shot at the crazy thing while 5-6 others will bail off at Bentong only. We rolled off from GS onto the old Gombak  Road all strung out tapping brakes now and then less any room for chit chats due to poor road condition (I thought election road supposed to be here as well?). All the way down to Bentong covering 30km in an hour which with my rusty mathematical mind, the attempt back up will double the time. Argh!

First regroup at Shell Bentong had almost everybody rushing for the loo. Chilling and shaky ride I guess. After farewell and exchanging lucks with the shorter route buddies, we headed on through the busy Bentong town in a pack until Jalan Teras, the juncture into the rurals. It was the start of engaging into climbing legs and where the road took a rolling and scenic way.

Out of town and into the wild

I guess the damped air and the foul odor of processed rubber from local plantations took the best out of us. As we attempted the demanding route, the demand for O2 increases, hence I find it unpleasant to be breathing the odor. But, we had no choice. We tried to stay together most of the time but the rolling hills kept on splitting us. As charted, the peak should be at Sang Lee (sounds more to me like Sara Lee the cake….yummy at one time, ages ago).  With fresh legs, reaching the first summit was almost unnoticed. We were rewarded with 40kph into TT mode to Tranum. Syiok oooo…

We didn’t stop long to regroup, since everyone was excited to go for the ‘kill’. And which also reminds me that this kill is only half of the ultimate one. The scenic fresh route was always a therapy for scenic lovers like me. Plus, the gradual 2-3% and at times 4% climb slowly combine into a massive 20km long strength/endurance chillax (depends on how you define your attack).

Of course all of us were lost into our own fantasies. The front group was probably fantasizing on Col du Tourmalet of Mont Ventoux famous climb. The second group (a mix of BJCC & us) was definitely fantasizing the meal up at the Gap for lunch! The last group, I’ve no idea but looking from the spinning ratio, dying was probably best defined.

We have done 64km in our legs and the 20km upwards was slowly feasting on the remaining juice. Halfway through, the body started to resist comfort. Legs getting heavier and even my shoulders getting stiffer and pain were definitely defining the whole situation. It seemed endless and a few others started counting the remaining miles (it may sound like the female voice from the mobile GPS at times). It was the greatest relief upon seeing the famous Fraser Hill (ala Hollywood) sign atop the hill. We really can’t take another bit of the climb if they decided to move the rest area 100 meters further.

Snaking into the highland

No more delicious chicken rice like last time, perhaps due to the lack of travelers stopping by since the one way up to Fraser’s Hill & the other way down have re-commissioned. Hence, we only had nasi lemak or burger. I had both!. The chill moments made me starve, and the remaining 84km back to GS with an empty stomach would call disaster. We chill for half an hour until the whole group arrived.

Like climbing Everest (chewah! Macam gempak aje bunyi), the ride back was the ultimate challenge. The monstrosity of the 30km climb back from Bentong to GS was too vague to imagine. It can come in many ways. It can be a ‘downhill’ ride, literally, or a crawl of life.

I took the safer way descending down to Tranum by coasting as much as possible. Safe the legs la konon. Hehe. Descending can be horrific for some, but as long as we pick the safest line, it should be the best way to enjoy the refreshing breeze smacking your face.

Alhamdullillah we regrouped safely down at Tranum and resume in a pack all the way towards Jalan Teras (the main road Bentong-Raub) once again. It was another wise attempt to stay together nailing the rolling Sang Lee stretch when the climate started to adds to the punishing miles. We took turn doing the pulling, and that 20km went by with a brief. Phew! That went well for a start, I meant back.

Profile

The ride into Bentong divided us into three groups due to traffic and road junctions. I was caught doing the pulling for almost 7km into town and opening up for a rest was not an option when vehicles buzzing by like bullets. Argh! The bee line strung out with almost about 10 riders behind. I knew I had to keep it going to avoid distracting the traffic and going slower will open up risks. I guess that attempt zapped up 20% of my remaining juice which was supposed to be utilized for the remaining climb.

Upon checking in at Shell Bentong, I can hardly stand. The mart’s floor was the most comfortable place to enjoy a can of Coke, plus the airconditioned room. The front group decided to cool down with the famous Kow Po ice kacang. The last group was nowhere to be seen. The five of us was what’s left to attempt the final push. Iqbal from BJCC was a new buddy in the group.

Exiting Bentong and back into old Gombak Road was mostly lead by Azmar. I was silently latching on to Jaja’s wheel at the back of five of us. The solidarity feeling was starting to go void, where it kept playing in my mind to just let go. This iron-butt can no longer stand another hour. Climbing all the way back provides no room for coasting, it’s either I stand climb or took a break by the road side.

My short goal was to get myself up to the Hot Spring. 10km mark. The longest I felt, ever. I soaked my head and dehydrate as much as possible. I knew the end will come soon, but in cycling, it’s all about hanging out a little bit longer.

The first group caught up with us. Then the third group, which seemed like a good chance to latch on and form a bigger climbing bunch. We managed to stay in a group of ten, but still I was playing roulette struggling to keep up.

The bitterest sight in a ride group was the sight of the last butt fading away into a corner. That happened at KM15 into the climb. I can’t hold on much longer and slowly resorted to obey my screaming heart rate. Azmar decided to let lose as well, from the trust in us, he volunteered to accompany me. I latched on to his wheel for another 5km until we arrived to a few of us whom decided to take a break at a school lay-by. It was a big relief.

Refreshing from the pain was the only accord that I can afford. Just like stopping at water stations in a marathon. It gave me a boost for the next round. I had to leave the group since it was now an individual/solo struggle. A few of them seemed so exhausted, which reminds me not to stay long to wait. Azmar was caught on a phone, but I just had to leave and trust that he will definitely catch up. It was me and me alone for the next endless 5km to Janda Baik junction. The bad road condition just adds up banging this tired mortal.

Azmar was complaining of starving. We opted for another quick stop to share my dates. I squeezed my last drop of water from the bottle and knew that the last push will be inenvitable. I just had to keep on spinning and avoiding the red zone. It was not because that I don’t want to go bonk in the middle of the remaining 6km climb, but the post ride condition was my priority. Injury and excessive fatigue was not in the menu. Slowly does it, Azmar was screaming as we approached the rest area, and I was holding my relieveness…big time! Alhamdullillah.

It was an epic journey, an epic distance. 168km in 6 hours plus of riding time. That should cover the two weeks rest/taper-balik kampong- bedal.com part. Cheers to all ride buddies. You guys were awesome suffer freaks.

One for the classroom photo