saturday, dr danial bin zainal abiddin, mjd darul ghufran

nabi muhammad s.a.w. telah bersabda yang di akhir zaman akan banyak huru-hara. ramai yang akan terbunuh. gempa bumi akan lebih kerap berlaku. researchers have coined the 20th century as the century of war. the war in Bosnia, the war in Iraq, the war in Palestine, etc. thousands of people have died, thousands more are suffering. there are also more occurrences of earthquakes. thus leading to more loss of lives. ini lah tanda2 hari qiamat semakin hampir.

islam mengajar kita budaya rahmah. rahmah membawa erti kata belas kasihan (rahmah can be translated as pity, compassion, human understanding, sympathy, kindness and mercy). "nabi s.a.w. telah diutus sebagai rahmat bagi seluruh alam" (al-anbiya':107). prophet muhammad s.a.w. teaches us to show kindness to everyone (both muslim and non-muslim) and everything (even animals). for example, in islam, we have to slaughter an animal before it can be consumed. why do we slaughter by cutting off its jugular veins, windpipe and foodtract (for more info about the steps to slaughtering in accordance to islam, go to http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/EnvironmentalServices/FoodHygieneandStandards/halaal3.asp) using a very sharp knife? it's because 1. when the knife is very sharp, the animal will not feel the pain of being cut (just like when you get a paper cut. you don't realize that you've been cut, until much later), 2. when the windpipe is cut off, oxygen cannot flow in, 3. when the jugular veins are cut off, the blood carrying oxygen cannot flow to the brain. if the brain does not receive oxygen, it will cease to function and thus the animal will not feel pain. thus, even through slaughtering, we are taught to show compassion to the animal. islam also teaches us to respect other people's belongings (whether they belong to a muslim or a non-muslim) and to keep a good relationship with Allah and our fellow mankind.

islam provides us with a lot of opportunities to practice altruism. at the start of the day, islam teaches us to think of ways to perform the sedekah. sedekah boleh dilakukan dengan berbagai cara. 1. dengan mulut: mengucapkan Assalamualaikum pada sesama umat islam, memberi nasihat/kata2 perangsang, 2. dengan tenaga: menolong seseorang mengangkat barang, 3. dengan setiap langkah ke tempat solat, 4. dengan menjauhkan bahaya dari laluan: mengangkat sampah yang ada di tengah2 jalan. kita digalakkan memupuk sikap kesukarelaan kerana sesiapa yang menolong orang lain, Allah akan menolong kita. sesiapa yang meringankan beban orang lain, Allah akan meringankan beban kita.

konsep kesukarelaan ada 2 prinsip: 1. ikhlas (niat kerana Allah) dan 2. muhsin (ikut cara yang betul). don't be like robin hood. he robs from the rich to give to the poor. him wanting to help the poor is good but the way he gets his means is wrong. robbing is wrong no matter if it is taken from the rich. the end doesn't justify the means. in altruism, we must have both ikhlas and muhsin.

scientists have found that people who perform acts of altruism have a more positive mental health. through acts of altruism, they get a euphoria that decreases the output of stress hormones. their cardiovascular health also increases and their immune system strengthens.