Investment

"Hijrah itu pengorbanan, hijrah itu persaudaraan..."

Resolutions, yes resolutions. To be materialised. Been splurging with new books from one of my favourite bookstores earlier today. Although it's main purpose was for education, no harm getting to know in depth our religion, mah? I would have stayed longer but I had to visit my uncle who had just undergone an operation. I always stay very long in bookstores. But these as investments, worthwhile even for personal use.

Indeed hijrah brings an impact to me this year round. Why? Maybe because I've been mugging with my research for the past one week and straining my eyes the whole day on the seerah of Rasulullah, including his hijrah and other sahabahs' sacrifices. There's just a lot of discoveries and new perspectives or point of view - politics especially (well, i don't quite favour reading on Politics). Maybe in the past, what I've learnt was merely memorising facts and the timeline of events and vomitting them back in exams. But now, refreshing myself on Islamic History makes me explore newer things and I realise the importance of it. The realisation of how tougher it is now that we have to come out with our own critical opinions based on various relevant resources. Especially when it involves terms which are highly intellectual. Maybe this is one of my components of Hijrah...

To say that hijrah as a paradigm shift is just a cliche. It's way beyond that and it holds different interpretations to different people. Hijrah in the past might differ from hijrah in the modern world. But, as Muslims, it roots down to a single niyyah. Niyyah that solely us Muslims should heed and practise.

To all my akhawat and ikhwah fillaah, I pray that all of us will step ahead afresh and recharge ourselves for this new year. As this hijrah might bring special meaning to each and everyone of you, may whatever you want to achieve for, if it's best for you from Allah, may he reply to your du'as. Let us pray for each other...