It was a beautiful sunny morning with a gentle breeze. We were surrounded by acres of open rice fields in a local village famous for its home-stay industry, called Kg. Sungai Haji Dorani in Kuala Selangor. We were listening to IKIM’s workshop young multiracial participants on “Malaysians Living Together” sharing what their impressions were of…
The discourse on Islam and democracy has always been vibrant whether it is in the Muslim world or even among scholars and practitioners of the democracy in the West. The reason behind this is that Islam, as a religion, has some basic principles that might not be compatible to the sets of idealisms pursued by…
For the second year running, our 56th Merdeka day this weekend will coincide with the ongoing celebrations of Syawwal. Within the contexts of nationhood and victory—in battling personal desires of every kind, both occasions provide us opportunities to reflect meaningfully on our duties and responsibilities as citizens of this nation as well as Muslims. The…
Fresh from the month-long day-fasting of Ramadan, the celebrations of Idul Fitri is all the more joyous. On this blessed celebration, al-Ghazzali (d. 505/1111) pointed out that the heart of those who perform fasting had to depend on Allah and be apprehensive. Being apprehensive refers to the state of suspense between hope and fear of…
The month of Ramadhan holds immense importance for Muslims. Highly venerated in Islam, it is distinguished from other months of the Islamic calendar by a number of characteristics, privileges and virtues. Fasting is made compulsory throughout Ramadhan on all Muslims who have attained the age of puberty and of sound mind. While fasting, Muslims are…
For Muslims, Ramadan is special because it is during this month that the Quran was revealed for the first time. This event is known as Nuzul al-Quran (descent of the Quran) and it happened 13 years before the Prophet migrated (Hijra) to Medinah. He received the revelation whilst he was in one of his frequent retreats in…
As the holy month of Ramadhan enters its second week, it is essential for us to understand that it is not just about fasting and refraining of one’s edacity for food, it is also the most excellent time to reflect the purpose of our being and also the state of our souls. The Prophet Muhammad…
The spate of problems that have taken place worldwide of late are somewhat worrying. At the international level, political conflicts among nations, sectarian wars, uprisings against ruling governments make up daily news headlines. Although happenings within the country do not match international standards, talk of post-election issues is apparently still rife for many Malaysians. For…
One of the common challenges faced by most organisations is the issue of non-compliance in their day-to-day business operations. To a certain extent, non-compliance may result in the downfall of the entire organisation. Undeniably, such is a fact as can be seen from many infamous corporate scandals such as Enron and WorldCom; and the dissolution…
Whenever people talk about entrepreneurship, the concept that comes to mind is about people starting their own business. Although the idea is compatible in part with the concept of sustainable entrepreneurship with a slight difference, entrepreneurship is nothing more than the power to make things happen. According to Oscar Motomura, an entrepreneur is anyone capable…
