Monday, April 25, 2011



Assalamualaikum, The below story is amazing and worth every second you spend reading it! ______________________________________________________________ The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane mad...e her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat he had told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg. 

It had been a year since Safiya, thirty-four, became blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. 

Once a fiercely independent woman, Safiya now felt condemned by this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on everyone around her. "How could this have happened to me?" she would plead, her heart knotted with anger. 

But no matter how much she cried or ranted, she knew the painful truth her sight was never going to return. A cloud of depression hung over Safiya's once optimistic spirit. Just getting through each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion. 

And all she had to cling to was her husband Meraj. Meraj was an Air Force officer and he loved Safiya with all of his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again. 

Meraj's military background had trained him well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he knew this was the most difficult battle he would ever face. 

Finally, Safiya felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. 

Meraj volunteered to drive her to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city. 

At first, this comforted Safiya and fulfilled Meraj's need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. 

Soon, however, Meraj realized that this arrangement was not working - it was hectic, and costly. Safiya is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But just the thought of mentioning it to her made him cringe. She was still so fragile, so angry. 

How would she react? Just as Meraj predicted, Safiya was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. "I am blind!" she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I am going? I feel like you are abandoning me." 

Meraj's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. Meraj promised Safiya that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what happened. 

For two solid weeks, Meraj, military uniform and all, accompanied Safiya to and from work each day. Meraj taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. Meraj helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her and save her a seat. Meraj made her laugh, even on those not-so-good days when she would trip exiting the bus or drop her briefcase. 

Each morning they made the journey together and Meraj would take a cab back to his office. Although this routine was even more costly and exhausting than the previous one, Meraj knew it was only a matter of time before Safiya would be able to ride the bus on her own. 

Meraj believed in her, in the Safiya he used to know before she would lost her sight, who was not afraid of any challenge and who would never, ever quit. 

Finally, Safiya decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Meraj, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, his love. Safiya said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly and Safiya had never felt better. Safiya was doing it! She was going to work all by herself! 

On Friday morning, Safiya took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Sister, I sure envy you." Safiya was not sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the driver, "Why do you say that you envy me?" 

The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and protected like you are." Safiya had no idea what the driver was talking about, and asked again, "What do you mean?" 

The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky woman." 

Tears of happiness poured down Safiya's cheeks. For although she could not physically see him, she had always felt Meraj's presence. Safiya was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she did not need to see to believe - Gift of Love that can bring light where there had been darkness ... 

Surely Noble Qur'an says: "The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another: they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil: they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His mercy: for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise."
 
Pray for me too.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Play and Learning





It is through play that much of children’s early learning is achieved. The physical, socio-emotional and intellectual development of children is dependent upon activity. Therefore, opportunity for play is a key aspect of the Kindergarten program. The program builds on, rather than detracts from, this natural approach to learning. 

Through touching, manipulating, exploring and testing, children find out about the world around them. Through interacting with other children and adults, they find out about themselves and their relationship to others. Through play, children imitate adults and experiment with what it means to be a caregiver, a fisher, a firefighter, a doctor and so on. Through play, they learn how to solve problems and work cooperatively with others.

Children engage in different types of play depending upon circumstances and particular needs. Types of play range from inactive observation to participation in group play requiring planning and cooperation. Kindergartens encourage several types of play. Associative play, occurs when children play with each other, sharing similar materials and activities in an unorganized way. Cooperative play requires organization for a purpose. In solitary play, children play alone and independently, following their own interest without reference to others. Children who watch other children playing, ask questions and make suggestions, but do not enter into the play are said to be engaging in onlooker play. Children who simply play beside each other with similar materials are engaged in parallel play.

There are stages of complexity of play. The first stage of play is simple exploration or manipulation of the play material. Examples of such play are scribbling with crayons, pouring water back and forth, feeling sand or ringing a bell. As children begin to use objects as symbols for something else, we say they are engaged in symbolic play. For instance, a child may cross two blocks to make an “airplane” or may use interlocking blocks to make a “boat”. This is the stage of play used by many Kindergarten children, who are, as Piaget labels it, in the preoperational stage. As children become able to play cooperatively, they begin to play games in which they devise rules. These rules change frequently, and normally the players can shift with little effort while adults are puzzled by flexibility in the rules. Most Kindergarten students are not ready for the complex level of play where game rules are rigid.

Spontaneous play in an activity-centred environment is characteristic of effective Kindergarten programs. After preparing a rich environment, the teacher has a role in extending play by observing the children, interacting with them, giving further information, adding or changing materials as appropriate and, in some instances, providing a sense of direction. This aspect of the teacher’s role is dealt with in more detail in the section of this guide regarding the role of the teacher. (See Teaching Kindergarten(Personal Qualities and Competencies of the Kindergarten Teacher or Using a Variety of Instructional Approaches).

According to Piaget, it is through play that children construct a sense of order and meaning out of their environment. They are constantly organizing and reorganizing new information and experiences. This process of altering previously established patterns of organization (schemas) is what Piaget calls learning. It is not the same kind of learning as simple recall of names or facts.

Experience has an effect upon children’s play. In a Kindergarten classroom, there may be some children who do not know how to play constructively and imaginatively. They engage in physical activities such as climbing, running or swinging, but are not able to concentrate very long or develop an idea through several levels of play. These children may be used to more passive activities such as watching television. Their natural tendencies to investigate and ask questions may not have been encouraged. For this reason, teachers need to help children develop ideas and, in some instances, provide a model for children by assuming a child’s role and entering into the play. It may not be sufficient simply to provide interesting and suitable play materials.

Children come to Kindergarten having had very different sorts of experiences at home, and in nursery schools, play groups or day- care centres. Therefore, their responses to the Kindergarten program vary. Some preschool and day-care programs encourage self-directed, self-initiated play. Others place more emphasis on teacher-directed activities and step-by-step crafts. These programs often face the difficult task of managing large numbers of children in settings and facilities not designed for children and with inadequate materials. Just as parents/caregivers vary in the way they set limits and manage their children, preschools and day-care centres also employ different methods of managing children in groups. When children enter Kindergarten they sometimes need help in:
  • using play as a means of developing confidence in themselves and their ability to learn
  • acquiring appropriate social skills
  • becoming self-directed persons.
Children who have achieved a degree of self-confidence, appropriate social skills and self-direction are ready to engage in the kind of sustained play which enables significant growth in knowledge and understanding. A well-planned Kindergarten program provides suitably challenging activities and materials for each child.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Tujuh Perkara Yang Membuat Anda Bermotivasi


Malas, lemah, penat, longlai adalah resam jika anda bukanlah berniat dengan penuh kesungguhan dan bersemangat untuk menikmati kebahagiaan di pagi hari.
Waktu pagi adalah ujian untuk anda, pagi adalah nikmat untuk anda, pagi adalah penentu arah kejayaan dan kegagalan dalam hidup anda.

Justeru itu adakah kita mahu mensia-siakannya?

Ayuh sahabat, bangkitlah! Perkara terbaik yang anda patut lakukan di waktu pagi, adalah:

01. Bersyukur, bersyukur, bersyukur
 
Bersyukurlah sebab anda masih diberi peluang untuk meneruskan hidup, anda juga masih ada kesempatan untuk melakukan yang terbaik hari ini, lebih baik dari yang kelmarin.

02. Tekad Bermotivasi
 
Pasang niat dalam hati yang anda mahu jadi bersemangat sepenuhnya. Ambil beberapa artikel-artikel motivasi pendek dan baca dalam seminit dua.
Di waktu awal pagi, jangan buka email, baca newspaper, baca gosip-gosip mahupun join sesi mengumpat bersama kawan-kawan. Sebab, ia menerbitkan energi negatif lalu menghalang anda dari bermotivasi sepanjang hari.

03. Dekatkan Diri Dengan Sesi Motivasi
 
Ikuti sesi-sesi motivasi di media, misalnya Motivasi Pagi di TV3 dan sesi motivasi Dr Izzy di Hot FM. Luangkan masa 3-5 minit memberi motivasi pada diri sendiri melalui sesi-sesi motivasi pendek ni.

Motivasi harus dijaga, sebab kalau tak di jaga ia mudah turun. Kesannya, anda menjadi tidak bersemangat, lemah longlai dan lemas.

04. Dalam Apa Jua Yang Anda Buat, Mulakan Dengan Bismillah
 
Bila anda mula punch card nak masuk kerja, baca bismillah, moga anda dijauhkan dari bisikan syaitan yang membuat anda lalai, mengantuk, macam tak cukup ‘cas betri’ saja.

Andai kata anda seorang pelajar, bermula dari nak masuk kelas, duduk di kerusi anda dan mula nak bukak buku, mulakan semuanya dengan bismillah. Moga apa jua yang anda lakukan mendapat keberkatan.

Masuk saje ke dalam kelas, pasang niat anda mahu menuntut ilmu. Bila istiqamah melakukannya, anda punya peluang cerah untuk menjadi cemerlang!

05. Set Target Kemajuan Diri Sendiri
 
Ini juga kurang dititikberatkan. Bila dah keluar rumah sama ada ke kelas atau ke tempat kerja, kita tak tahu apa yang kita nak capai hari tu. Betul tak?

Kita hanya nak sampai di sana, bekerja (atau menghadiri kelas) lepas tu nanti petang balik rumah, berehat, makan, minum, pastu tidur. Esok pagi, bangun dan perkara sama berulang lagi.

Hidup Anda bagai dalam 1 bulatan, situ-situ saja.

Mulai hari ini, ubah sikap anda. Set target apa yang anda mahu capai, lagi best setkan untuk setiap hari.

Andai anda seorang pelajar, set target berapa bab yang anda nak ulangkaji, berapa buah buku yang anda nak baca dalam minggu ni, berapa soalan anda nak bertanya pada lecturer atau guru anda nanti.

Andai anda seorang usahawan, set target berapa jualan yang anda nak capai hari ini dan berapa keuntungan yang anda nak dapat hasil dari bisnes anda. Set juga apa yang anda nak pelajari hari ni dalam bidang bisnes anda.

Andai anda seorang pekerja, set berapa tugas yang anda nak siapkan dan set limit masa untuk anda menyiapkan segalanya. Kecekapan seorang pekerja di nilai dari kepantasan, ketepatan dan kekemasan.

06. Lihat Warna Cerah
 
Warna boleh mempengaruhi mood. Warna cerah membuat kita jadi energetik, ceria dan penuh dengan idea.

Setiap hari, lihat warna-warna yang cerah seperti kuning, merah, biru dan hijau. Cara ni saya dah test sendiri, berkesan sungguh!

Dekatkan diri dengan benda-benda berwarna cerah sebab ia mampu merubah mood anda menjadi positif.

07. Penuhkan Hati Dengan Kemaafan
 
Lepaskan segala yang dulu-dulu. Maafkan orang diwaktu pagi, maafkan kesalahan semuanya dari dulu sampai sekarang.

Lepaskan dendam, rasa tak puas hati, geram, sakit hati dan yang sewaktu dengannya.

Andai emosi-emosi negatif ni bersarang di hati (walaupun sedikit) ia menghalang motivasi. Kesannya, anda jadi orang yang tak bersemangat langsung.

Lebih teruk, anda jadi orang yang berfikiran negatif, hanya nampak yang negatif dalam diri setiap orang, setiap situasi dan setiap benda.

Anda mesti berubah untuk kemajuan diri.

Berani Berubah Untuk Kecemerlangan Hidup.

10 WAYS TO DEFEAT ANGER: BECAUSE ANGER HURT SOMEONE FEELINGS WHICH WILL MAKE U REGRET FOR THE REST OF UR LIFE ASTAGHFIRALLAH by Abdul Malik


10 WAYS TO DEFEAT ANGER: BECAUSE ANGER HURT SOMEONE FEELINGS WHICH WILL MAKE U REGRET FOR THE REST OF UR LIFE ASTAGHFIRALLAH
by Abdul Malik on Thursday, 21 April 2011 at 10:07

Anger: 10(ten) ways to defeat it….

1 – Seek refuge with Allah from the Devil (ANGER AND WRATH.) :


When someone is angry, mad, and reaches a state of having wrath against any person, he should make a special Du’a. In doing so he will cool down . It is reported that the Messenger of Allah said (narrated by Sulaiman Ibn Sard and reported by Bukhari and Muslim) that while Sulaiman was with the Prophet , two persons were blaming each other. The face of one became red and his jugular veins swelled. the Prophet said. I know a statement if he or she say’s it then the person with anger will cool down.

The person with anger should say : “I SEEK REFUGE IN ALLAH FROM SATAN THE OUTCAST.“
Sulayman bin Sard narrated:

“I was sitting with the Prophet, when two men began slandering one another. One of them was red in the face, and the veins on his neck were standing out. The Prophet said: “I know a word which, if he were to say it, what he feels would go away. If he said: “I seek refuge with Allah from the Devil,” what he feels would go away.’”
['Fath al-Bari'; 6/337]

The Messenger of Allah said:

“If a man gets angry and says: “I seek refuge with Allah,” his anger will go away.”
['Sahih al-Jami'; # 695]

2 – Remain silent:

The Messenger of Allah said:

“If any of you becomes angry, let him keep silent.”
['Sahih al-Jami'; # 693]

3 - Sit down or lie down:

“Abu Dharr was taking his camels to drink at a trough that he owned, when some other people came along and said to one another: “Who can compete with Abu Dharr in bringing animals to drink and make his hair stand on end?” A man said: “I can.” So, he brought his animals and competed with Abu Dharr and ended up breaking the trough.Abu Dharr was standing when he saw this, so, he sat down, then he laid down. Someone asked him: “O Abu Dharr, why did you sit down then lie down?” He said: “The Messenger of Allah said: “If any of you becomes angry and he is standing, let him sit down, so that his anger will go away. If iit does not go away, let him lie down.”
[Reported in the 'Musnad' of Ahmad (5/152) and 'Sahih al-Jami' (694)]

al-Imam al-Khattabi said:


“One who is standing is in a position to strike and destroy, while the one who is sitting is less likely to do that, and the one who is lying down can do neither. It is possible that the Prophet told the angry person to sit down or lie down so that he would not do something that he would later regret, and Allah Knows best.”
['Ma'alim as-Sunan'; 5/141]

4 – Smile:
By looking from the advise given by our beloved Prophet Muhammed we shouldn’t become anger and furious. If we remember the advise and saying of our beloved Prophet Muhammed then the person becoming angry will control his anger.

Anas bin Malik narrated:

“I was walking with the Messenger of Allah, and he was wearing a Najrani cloak with a rough collar. A bedouin came and seized him roughly by the edge of his cloak, and I saw the marks left on his neck by the collar. Then the bedouin ordered him to give him some of the wealth of Allah that he had. The Prophet turned to him and smiled, then ordered that he should be given something.”
['Fath al-Bari'; 10/375]

Anas: (Allah be pleased with him) reported that the messenger of Allah Muhammad said:

“Who so takes up his tongue as treasure Allah will keep his secrets concealed and who so restrains his anger Allah will with hold his punishment on the resurrection day and who so ascribes excuse to Allah will accept his excuse.So by reading this we should refrain from becoming anger. Because anger destroys one faith. The person in anger forgets where he is and says anything which he regrets after.”

5 – Remember the advice of the Prophet:

Abu Hurayrah narrated:

“A man said to the Prophet: “Advise me.” He said: “Do not become angry.” The man repeated his request several times, and each time the Prophet said to him: “Do not become angry.”
['Fath al-Bari'; 10/456]

According to another narration, the man later said:

“I thought about what the Prophet said, and I realized that anger combines all kinds of evil.”
[Reported in the 'Musnad' of Ahmad; 5/373]

6 – Remember the high status of those who control themselves:

The Messenger of Allah said:

“The strong man is not the one who can overpower others. Rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself when he gets angry.”
[Reported in the 'Musnad' of Ahmad; 2/236, and it is authentic]

The Messenger of Allah also said:

“The strongest man is the one who, when he gets angry and his face reddens and his hackles rise, is able to defeat his anger.”
['Sahih al-Jami'; # 3859]

Anas bin Malik narrated :

“The Messenger of Allah passed by some people who were wrestling. He asked: “What is this?” They said: “So-and-so is the strongest; he can beat anybody.” The Messenger of Allah then said: “Shall I not tell you who is even stronger then him? The man who, when he is mistreated by another, controls his anger, has defeated his own devil and the devil of the one who made him angry.”
['Fath al-Bari'; 10/519]

The Messenger of Allah said:

“Do not become angry, and Paradise is yours.”
['Sahih al-Jami'; # 7374]

The Messenger of Allah said:


“Whoever controls his anger at the time when he has the means to act upon it, Allah will call him before all of mankind on the Day of Resurrection, and will let him choose of the Hur al-’Ayn whoever he wants.”
[Reported by Abu Dawud (4777), and it is in 'Sahih al-Jami' (6518)]

8 - Remember that resisting anger is one of the signs of righteousness:

{“And march forth in the way to forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for the righteous; those who spend in prosperity and in adversity, repress anger, and pardon men. Verily, Allah loves the good-doers.”}
[Sourate N°3 The Family of Imran Al 'Imran Aya n°134]

9 – Submit to reminders:

Ibn ‘Abbas narrated:

“A man sought permission to speak to ‘Umar bin al-Khattab, then he said: “O Ibn al-Khattab, you are not giving us much and you are not judging fairly between us.” ‘Umar was so angry that he was about to attack the man, but al-Hurr bin Qays – who was one of those present – said: “O Commander of the Believers! Allah said to His Prophet: {“Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish.”} [al-A'raf; 199], and this man is one of the foolish.” By Allah, ‘Umar could go no further after al-Hurr had recited this verse to him, as he a man who was careful to adhere to the Book of Allah.”
['Fath al-Bari'; 4/304]
…as opposed to how one of the hypocrites reacted when one of the Companions said to him: “Seek refuge with Allah from the Devil,” So, he replied: “Do you think I am crazy? Go away!”
['Fath al-Bari'; 1/465]

10 – Remember the bad effects of anger:

‘Alqamah bin Wa’il narrated:

“My father said to me: “I was sitting with the Prophet, when a man came to him leading another man by a rope. He said: “O Messenger of Allah, this man killed my brother.” The Messenger of Allah asked him, “Did you kill him?” He said: “Yes, I killed him.” He asked: “How did you kill him?” He said: “He and I were hitting a tree to make the leaves fall for animal feed, and then he insulted me, so I struck him on the side of the head with an axe and killed him.”
['Sahih Muslim'; # 1307]