Thursday, November 19, 2009

INGATAN BUAT AYAHANDA TERCINTA ALLAHYARHAM HAJI TUMI'AN BIN HJ ABDUL JALIL (15/3/1942-26/11/2007)

Dengan Nama Allah Yang Maha Pemurah Lagi Maha Penyayang,
 Segala Puji Bagi Allah, Tuhan Semesta Alam, Selawat Dan Salam Ke Atas Junjungan Kita Nabi Muhammad dan Ke atas Para Sahabatnya.

Ya Allah,
Ampunilah bagi kami segala dosa kami dan juga dosa dua ibu bapa kami dan kasihanilah mereka berdua sebagaimana mereka memelihara dan mendidikku di masa kecil.  Tempatkanlah mereka dikalangan orang-orang yang mendapat keredhaan Mu Ya- Allah. Sesungguhnya Engkaulah yang memiliki Kurnia Maha Agung, serta anugerah yang tak berakhir dan Engkaulah yang Maha Pengasih diantara semua pengasih. Berilah mereka balasan yang sebaik-baiknya, atas didikan mereka padaku dan Pahala yang besar atas kesayangan yang mereka limpahkan padaku, peliharalah mereka sebagaimana mereka memeliharaku.

Ya Allah,
Apa saja gangguan yang telah mereka rasakan atau kesusahan yang mereka deritakan kerana aku atau hilangnya sesuatu hak mereka kerana perbuatanku jadikanlah itu semua penyebab susutnya dosa-dosa mereka dan bertambahnya pahala kebaikan mereka dengan perkenan-Mu ya Allah hanya Engkaulah yang berhak membalas kejahatan dengan kebaikan berlipat ganda.

Ya Allah,
Bila magfirah-Mu telah mencapai mereka sebelumku, Izinkanlah mereka memberi syafa'at untukku. Tetapi jika sebaliknya, maka izinkanlah aku memberi syafa'at untuk mereka,  sehingga kami semua berkumpul bersama dengan santunan-Mu di tempat kediaman yang dinaungi kemulian-Mu, ampunan-Mu serta rahmat-Mu.

Sesungguhnya Engkaulah yang memiliki Kurnia Maha Agung, serta anugerah yang tak berakhir dan Engkaulah yang Maha Pengasih diantara semua pengasih.

Amin Ya Rabbul Alamin.

Ayah... Ibu ampunkanlah dosa-dosa anakmu.



Friday, October 30, 2009

Nigella sativa seed, Black Seed, Black Cummin or Habbatussauda

Nigella sativa is an annual flowering plant, native to southwest Asia. It grows to 20–30 cm (7.9–12 in) tall, with finely divided, linear (but not thread-like) leaves. The flowers are delicate, and usually coloured pale blue and white, with 5–10 petals. The fruit is a large and inflated capsule composed of 3–7 united follicles, each containing numerous seeds. The seed is used as a spice.

In English, Nigella sativa seed is variously called fennel flower, nutmeg flower, Roman coriander, blackseed, black caraway, or black onion seed. Other names used, sometimes misleadingly, are onion seed and black sesame, both of which are similar-looking but unrelated. The seeds are frequently referred to as black cumin (as in Bengali: kalo jira, kalo jeera, kali jeera), but this is also used for a different spice, Bunium persicum. The scientific name is a derivative of Latin niger "black". An older English name gith is now used for the corncockle. In English-speaking countries with large immigrant populations, it is also variously known as kalonji (Hindi कलौंजी kalauṃjī or कलोंजी kaloṃjī), kezah Hebrew קצח), chernushka (Russian), çörek otu (Turkish), habbat albarakah (Arabic حبه البركة ḥabbatu l-barakah "seed of blessing") or siyah daneh (Persian سیاه‌دانه siyâh dâne)or كلونجى in urdu. "KARIM JEERAKAM" in Malayalam.    Read more

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Malaysia Goes Down Tamely To China In Final

October 26, 2009 23:41 PM
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ALOR SETAR, Oct 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's junior badminton squad lost 0-3 to China in the final of the World Junior Badminton Championship at Sultan Abdul Halim Indoor Stadium here Monday.

The mixed double pair of Ow You Han-Ng Hui Ern lost 5-21,19-21 to Lu Kai-Boa Yixin while first single player Muhammad Syawal Mohd Ismail lost 15-21,23-25 to Tian Houwei.

China's domination was complete when Lu Kai-Liu-Peixuan beat Ow Yao Han-Chooi Kang Ming in three sets, 21-18,18-21 and 21-17.

With the win, China defended the title it won in Pune, India last year.

Head coach Sun Chenghua said becoming runners-up was quite an achievement although he had hoped that Malaysia would emerge champion.

"I am satisfied with their achievement. There are several events left and I am confident that they will rise to the occasion," he said.

Malaysia is banking on Muhammad Syawal and Iskandar Zulkarnain to reach the single semi-finals.

-- BERNAMA

Friday, October 23, 2009

BUDGET: Najib To Drive Malaysia Towards High-Income Economy

October 23, 2009 17:18 PM
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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has laid down a firm foundation to drive the nation towards embracing a high-income economy in the 2010 budget through bold proposals to raise private equity, invigorating the stock market, further developing Islamic finance while emphasising on micro-credit programmes.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said green technology would be promoted via a RM1.5 billion fund while small-and medium-scale industries development programmes and the construction sector -- both vital backbones to the economy -- would be given additional injection of funds.

As for the stock market, he said the government would liberalise the commission-sharing arrangements between stockbrokers and remisiers in two stages to enhance retail participation in the bourse.

Tabling the 2010 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat today, the prime minister said 100 per cent foreign equity participation would also be allowed in corporate finance and financial planning companies.

All public-listed firms too would be required to offer e-Dividend to shareholders to increase efficiency of the payment system.

Existing tax incentives for financial services, particularly Islamic finance, will be extended until 2015, with new measures put in place comprising a 20 per cent stamp duty exemption on Islamic financing instruments and deductions on expenditure incurred in the establishment of islamic stockbroking firms.

On the Ar-Rahnu micro-credit programme, the government will encourage all Syariah-compliant financial and banking institutions such as Bank Muamalat and Bank Islam to offer this scheme to assist those unable to secure financing from financial institutions and to obtain business capital fast.

To support implementation of private sector projects in regional corridors, the government will allocate RM3.5 billion next year as part of efforts to ensure they are developed according to schedule.

Planned investments totalling RM221 billion have exceeded the Ninth Malaysia Plan target of RM145 billion.

The government will issue 1Malaysia Sukuk (Islamic Bond) totalling RM3 billion to all Malaysians aged 21 and above, with a minimum investment of RM1,000 and a maximum of RM50,000 plus a maturity period of three years, with a five per cent annual return paid quarterly.

To further promote the construction industry, Najib said RM9 billion has been allocated to finance infrastructure projects including RM4.7 billion for road and bridge projects and RM2.6 billion for water supply and sewerage services.

He said RM899 million will be allotted for rail facilities, RM820 million for ports and sea services and RM276 million for airport projects.
-- BERNAMA

Thursday, October 22, 2009

ClickBank Secret for Malaysians



Until middle of 2008, a lot of Malaysians were dying to make money from ClickBank. Unfortunately, due to unknown reasons, ClickBank rejected all Malaysians applications.

However some Malaysians decided to go through the "back door" and sign-up for a ClickBank account. I’m sure you remember this ebook by Gobala Krishnan called "Chapter-M"? Many Malaysians bought that a few years ago and tried their best to start their ClickBank business.

Why? Because ClickBank is the biggest affiliate opportunity, and by not using ClickBank you are losing out of many great products that you can promote to easily make money online. There are over 10,000 products according to ClickBank, which mostly consist of e-books, software and membership sites. ClickBank only sells digital products, and that is the best part!

Digital products, since they have no shipping cost or physical costs, have a very high profit margin. That's why the merchants can pay you up to 75% commissions to promote their products - you will never get this promoting a physical product, or promoting anything in the offline world.

Now any Malaysian can sign-up for a Clickbank account without backdoor methods, virtual offices or forwarding addresses. I think we should start taking advantage of this situation and make as much money as possible!

To make money from ClickBank is easy, if you know the secret formula.

1) Know How to Find the Best Products to Promote

As I said, there are over 10,000 products - so which one do you promote? Actually there is a formula to this, and almost all the information you want is already in the ClickBank website. You just need to know where to find it, and how to analyze the statistics and data.

2) Focus on One Market and Three to Five Products

You MUST select a market that you want to promote to. You cannot expect to promote one product related to Internet marketing and the other related to losing weight! This will just make you less focused and in the end you make no money at all!

Find one "niche" market that you feel comfortable with, and find out which are the top 3-5 ClickBank products. You can ignore the others as 80% of the sales will go to these top 5 items. You can't just promote one product because that will be a waste of your time. You cannot promote too many either, so 3-5 is the best number.

3) Write Web Pages That Sell and Convert

Yes, this is the most important part of it all. You can send the visitors or prospect directly to the product page with your affiliate link, and make money. However, if you want to maximize your commissions you need to create at least one page on your own, where you write a "product review" about these top 5 items, so the visitor can compare and decided which one is the best for him.

Your product review must be written in a way that it removes all doubts from your reader, convinces him that it is a great product, and make him want to buy immediately. The experts sometimes call these "landing pages" and they are proven to work better than blogs or any other type of website.

If you want more information on how to make money from ClickBank as a Malaysian, I strongly recommend you take a look at Rahsia ClickBank by Gobala Krishnan and Zamri Nanyan:

This is a really good package that explains everything I just told you in detail. Plus, they do all the hard work for you and give you "ready-made" ClickBank websites that you can use right away. All you need to do is upload it to your own web hosting, and then replace your ClickBank ID.

You can get more information on Rahsia ClickBank here:




Remember, ClickBank used to be closed to Malaysians and there is no guarantee that it will not happen again. However, if you start now you can take advantage of the situation and make tons of money online before most Malaysians even know what ClickBank is. Plus, if they ever close to Malaysia again, you will not be affected if you are already an affiliate who is making regular sales.

Rahsia ClickBank is a great way to get started, something I could honestly recommend to you.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Islamic finance industry stunted by lack of expertise

{ October 15, 2009 @ 2:27 pm } · { Islamic finance news }
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A shortage of expertise in the Islamic finance industry and the lack of regulatory harmonisation are the biggest obstacles facing the sector’s growth, according to Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI). Dr Mohamed Nedal Alchaar, the secretary general of the AAOIFI, said the Islamic finance industry would grow by 10 to 20 per cent in the next three years but there were some obstacles to this growth have been identified. In a speech on Islamic finance, entitled Saviour in the downturn?”, Dr Alchaar said a real concern was the lack of expertise within the industry. However he also added 600 people have already graduated through a training scheme set up by the AAOIFI, to help combat this void. Meanwhile, a global survey conducted by BDO Stoy Hayward among 150 financial services, found many felt there was also a significant lack of demand among Muslims for Islamic finance, “which could reflect both scepticism on religious grounds, a lack of awareness and concerns about cost-competitiveness.”

The BDO survey concluded however there was still strong growth potential for the market and with people looking for a new system after the financial crisis, perhaps Islamic finance could be the answer. There has been more attention paid to the sector since the crisis, however Dr Alchaar does not believe Islamic finance should be considered a “saviour” rising from the downturn. He said an Islamic system would never completely replace the conventional system, it will only ever exist as an alternative option. He said: “We will see growth in the sector for one simple reason. There are 1.6m Muslims in the world and that number will grow. We breed and we breed well.” Dr Alchaar was more concerned that harmony could be achieved between the two systems. He said: “It is not ethical or appropriate for us to say as a result of the recent breakdown, Islamic finance should rise over other ailing bodies. “The system has its own merits and lots to offer. The system should rise on its own and not as a result of the demise of something else.”

Dr Alchaar added that by embracing Islamic finance, the world could make strides to ending violence in the Middle East and extremism around the world. He said that a lot of the problems, for example in Palestine and Lebanon, were simply down to economics, and he was looking to strike harmony between these different economies. Islamic finance is there to fulfil the needs of people, and is built on a model of financial inclusion, social responsibility and ethics. He said that for those with no alternative to grow their money an Islamic financial system would offer people the opportunity to get a higher return, buy that book for their child, or put dinner on the table. He said: “It is easy to convince someone with no dinner on the table to turn to extremism and violence, whereas you would not expect someone happily driving a bentley to blow themselves up. “The system strives for harmony, communication between peoples, and the ability for them to connect and accept each other. “By helping us grow you will be helping yourself and helping the world.”


Available at: http://www.ftadviser.com/FTAdviser/Investments/Region/News/article/20091015/961309e4-b979-11de-8529-00144f2af8e8/Islamic-finance-industry-has-lack-of-expertise.jsp


Tuesday, October 13, 2009

WHAT IS fluoride?

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Fluoride is a waste product from fertilizer industry, a kind of rat poison and being used in the industrial sector as an insecticide to eliminate ants and cockroaches. Fluoride is a hidden poison (such as cyanide), is harmful, toxic and able to accumulate though few been swallowed.

Scam on nutritional health of sheep and goats

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I want to share my experience on a scam that happened to me recently. I received an email inviting me to join a part-time business on Sheep-LYX health suppliment for sheep and goats. She claimed the company base in United Kingdom. The email contents are as follows.
from


Noraini binti Abdullah
reply-to
nabdullah27@yahoo.com

to

date
Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 2:46 AM
subject
SALAM DARI RANTAU ORANG,
mailed-by
gmail.com
signed-by
gmail.com



Assalamualaikum dan Salam Sejahtera,

Sebelum saya memaklumkan hasrat saya menghantar email kepada saudara lebih baik saya memperkenalkan diri saya terlebih dahulu,nama saya Noraini binti Abdullah umur 38tahun berasal dari
Malaysia dan menetap di sini(Poole,Dorset United Kingdom) dan bekerja di sebuah Surgery Viterinary of Sheep and goat.
Tujuan saya menghantar email adalah kerana ingin mencari kenalan yang berminat untuk dengan partime business yang akan saya hendak perkenalkan .Business ini adalah mengenai produk SHEEP-LYX suppliment untuk kesihatan biri-biri dan juga kambing.
Jika anda berminat untuk mencuba dalam business ini sila balas email ini dengan segera dan juga tidak perlu bimbang business ini adalah halal dari segi agama dan juga undang-undang.
Dan jika tidak keberatan sila sertakan nombor phone untuk mudah saya hubungi anda untuk memperjelaskan lagi tentang urusan perniagaan ini.

Sekian wassalam dan salam sejahtera
       
(Noraini bt Abdullah)

And followed by the following email.

from


Noraini binti Abdullah
to
mualim

date
Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 10:41 PM
subject
KETERANGAN MENGENAI PERNIAGAAN
mailed-by
yahoo.com





Assalamualaikum dan Salam Sejahtera, Ribuan terima kasih saya ucapkan kepada saudara kerana sudi membalas email dan berminat untuk join venture bersama saya mengenai business yang saya cadangkan.Harap saudara berada dalam keadaan yang baik dan sentiasa dilindunginya. Berkenaan dengan business yang hendak saya perkenalkan adalah mengenai suppliment untuk kesihatan dan kecerdasan biri-biri dan juga kambing.Seperti yang saya telah beritahu saudara bahawa saya adalah seorang pekerja Surgery Company.Baru-baru saya dapat tahu bahawa suppliment(SHEEPLYX) amat diperlukan di sini(Surgery Company) kerana kekurangan stok. Sebelum ini saya adalah wakil dari Surgery pergi ke Malaysia untuk mendapatkan suppliment tersebut(SHEEPLYX) dari agen jualan di Malaysia.Tetapi sudah hampir setahun pihak Surgery tidak membuat sebarang order tentang suppliment ini.Dan kini menjadi isu penting kerana kehabisan stok dan harus dapatkan segera.Masalah bagi saya adalah,saya sekarang bukan lagi dibahagian pembelian malah telah bertukar kepada bahagian Ladang.Dan yang penting saya tidak boleh membiarkan pihak Surgery Company berhubung terus dengan agen jualan di Malaysia kerana harga yang saya beli dari agen dan jual kepada Surgery Company adalah berlainan.Pihak Surgery tidak boleh tahu tentang keuntungan ini,ia boleh mendatangkan masalah besar kepada saya. Tugas saudara mengenai urusan ini adalah menghubungi agen itu untuk memastikan harga dan juga stok yang ada.Dan seterusnya tugas saudara adalah menjadi agen jualan yang membekalkan suppliment itu kepada Pihak Majikan saya(Surgery Company).Dengan membeli suppliment dari agen jualan dan terus jual kepada Surgery Company.Harga yang sebelum ini yang saya beli dari agen adalah USD1350 per karton dan jual kepada Surgery adalah dengan harga USD3700. Mengenai keuntungan yang kita akan dapat,akan di bahagi kepada 60% untuk pihak saudara selepas tolak semua perbelanjaan untuk menguruskan urusan perniagaan ini. Saya harap saudara dapat memberi nombor talipon untuk mudah saya perjelaskan lagi tentang business ini. Sekian dahulu keterangan yang dapat saya leraikan.Email saya jika ada apa apa pertanyaan. Salam hormat dari, Noraini bt Abdullah

I tried to find some information related to the product by making a search in google and I found a blog telling a story about the scam. Its already happened last year.


This scam has long been rampant. We must be careful and hope to spread to our friends. We can also refer to the following about the scam.

http://www.muslimconsumer.org.my/ppim/news.php?item.744.2

Anwar Ibrahim : A Common Word Between Us and You

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Plenary address by Anwar Ibrahim at the “Common Word Between Us and You” Conference on Muslim Christian Relations in the 21st Century at Georgetown University on October 7, 2009

In Love’s Labours Lost, the Bard tells us that:
… when Love speaks, the voice of all the gods
Makes heaven drowsy with the harmony
Act IV, Sc. III
There are few universities that have demonstrated as profound and enduring a commitment to interfaith work and civilizational dialogue as Georgetown. Where there is a clear lack of institutions focused on the nurturing of the ideas and values that would create such understanding between the Muslim world and the West, I commend John Esposito’s vision and commitment in heading the Prince Alaleed Center for Muslim Christian Understanding. Just after the Center was established in 1993 I remember delivering a lecture here on the need for civilisational dialogue where we asserted that the way forward was the pursuit of a convivencia: a harmonious and enriching experience of living together among people of diverse religions and cultures. I returned to Malaysia after that speech inspired by this spirit of engagement and keen to apply it to our Asian context where the prominence of a Muslim-Christian dialogue was of lesser importance to the other major civilizations which intermingled in my country. Within two years hosted the first ever conference on Islam and Confucianism that brought together such intellectual luminaries as Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Tu Weiming and over 1000 participants from across Asia and led to the establishment of a permanent center of Islam and Confucianism at the University of Malaya.

The encounter between East and West has for generations been caught within the vortex of competing essentialisms. Some in the East professed undying adherence to a way of life perceived as superior and more fulfilling thus rejecting categorically any foreign elements. Others overwhelmed by the dazzling splendour of Western civilization forswore their own culture and traditions and condemned their own people for backwardness. The folly of such extremes is apparent to us now. And yet while the civilizing mission of the West is over and forgotten, its legacy remains with us in the form of mistrust and apprehension between peoples and civilizations. A sinister strand of this age-old debate has recently surfaced that pits a violent and anti-modern Islamic world against the enlightened society of the West. One wonders whether after so many years and so many attempts to build bridges of understanding, are we really making any progress?

Fifteen years ago I spoke here at Georgetown University calling for the need for civilisational dialogue to overcome extreme positions and forge a new synthesis in the relation between East and West. The way forward was the pursuit of a convivencia: a harmonious and enriching experience of living together among people of diverse religions and cultures. If anything the 20th century showed us not only the marvels of technology but the fragility of the human condition so susceptible to ethnocentrism and fanaticism. A global village would come to fruition not only because of the advance of technology, but through the spread of ideas of justice and virtue and not merely tolerance of our collective differences. Huston Smith referred to this as shifting the centres of concern, from the self to family to community to nation and finally to humanity, thus overcoming the vices of selfishness, nepotism and parochial nationalism. Perhaps this is one interpretation of the Qur’anic injunction of li-ta’arafu.

Only a few years after that speech the tragedy of 9/11 struck. I was in solitary confinement at the time and only learned about the attacks through missives smuggled into prison by my lawyers and interspersed reports of the more friendly guards I sensed immediately the magnitude of the repercussions of this event. Certainly the work we had all done to broaden civilisational dialogue suffered a crippling blow and trust among our peoples would erode in the ensuing cycle of violence. But 9/11 and the subsequent attacks in Europe and Asia have highlighted the need for Muslim societies to address their internal social and political development. Economic development is alone not the only solution. A proper orientation must be developed for Muslim engagement with the world at large and within their own societies. Governments that monopolise the public discourse through draconian laws create breeding grounds for further discontent and marginalization.

The challenges before Muslims, like people of other traditions in Asia today, are indeed great. They must endeavour to alleviate ignorance, disease, and destitution. They have to battle corruption and arrest moral decay. They have to strengthen the institutions of civil society to ensure order and stability, as well as protect the individual from the unwarranted denial of his rights. Indeed, these are the imperatives of all the great religious traditions, and one could do no greater disservice than to invoke the name of tradition to justify excesses, injustices and authoritarianism in society. In this regard, the renewal of traditions must mean reliving their ideals — truth, justice and compassion — and not resurrecting past aberrations, of the depraved and the decadent.

Herein lies the new opportunity for engagement in this century. While there is still much effort to apply to the theme of understanding and dialogue on issues of theology and belief, there is certainly an opportunity in this historical moment to join forces around those universal values that unite humanity in the pursuit of freedom and justice.

The core problems of poverty, hunger and illiteracy afflicting the developing world still loom large on the global agenda. Joining these perennial challenges are the struggle for a clean environment, the attempt to abate the spread of nuclear weapons and upheaval of economies around the globe now subject to.

The Common Word Conference in this light is a remarkable achievement. The understandings forged thus far in a series of high level debases among global spiritual communities will leave an enduring legacy for future generations. But the work does not stop here in the ivory tower of this auspicious institution. On the contrary, our message of peace and of justice must reach deeper into the societies that we collectively represent. In our work to advance the higher ideals of humanity lies the point of convergence between East and West, where the twain shall meet.

Friday, October 09, 2009

Market Speculators – for good or bad?

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Speculators get a bad rap, especially when oil prices spike or a currency’s value is shattered. This is because the media often confuses the line between speculation and manipulation. Manipulation leads to overall economic damage, whereas speculation performs several important functions that keep our economy healthy. In this article, we’ll look at the function of speculators in the market.

Speculator is a person who trades derivatives, commodities, bonds, equities or currencies with a higher-than-average risk in return for a higher-than-average profit potential. Speculators take large risks, especially with respect to anticipating future price movements, in the hope of making quick, large gains.

What is a Speculator?
Before we get too deep, we have to make a distinction between a speculator and your typical middleman. A middleman can be thought of as the means by which products are dispersed. It would be a very different world if the products we need and/or want were produced nearby. More often than not, every product in your house has at least a component that has taken an international voyage to get there. The markup of the middleman usually matches the materials and overhead costs used to ship, sort, bag and display those products in a store near you, plus some profit to keep the middleman fulfilling this function. This gets maple syrup to Hawaii, Korean laptops to New York and other products to destinations where a higher profit can be realized.

In contrast, the speculator makes his/her money through contracts that allow him/her to control commodities without ever directly handling them. Generally speaking, speculators don’t arrange shipment and storage for the commodities that they control. This hands-off approach has given speculators the erroneous image of aloof financers jumping into markets they care nothing about in order to make profits from the producers – the salt-of-the-earth types that legislators are always claiming to defend.

Avoiding Shortages
The most obvious function that people overlook when criticizing speculators is their ability to head off shortages. Shortages are dangerous because they lead to price spikes and/or rationing of resources. If a drought kills off half the yield of hay in a given year, it’s natural to expect the price of hay to double in the fall. On wider economies of scale, however, these shortages are not as easy to spot. That’s why commodities speculators help to keep an eye on overall production, recognizing shortages and moving product to places of need (and consequently higher profit) through intermediaries – the middlemen who use futures contracts to control their costs. In this sense, speculators act as financers to allow the middleman to keep supply flowing around the world.

More than merely financing middlemen, speculators influence prices of commodities, currencies and other goods by using futures to encourage stockpiling against shortages. Just because we want cheap oil or mangoes doesn’t mean we should blame speculators when prices rise. More often, other factors, such as OPEC and tropical hurricanes, have raised the risk of a more volatile price in the future, so speculators raise prices now to smooth down the potentially larger future price. A higher price dampens current demand, decreasing consumption and prompting more resources – more people to take up mango growing or more funds for oil exploration – to go into increasing stockpiles. This price smoothing means that, while you might not appreciate paying $5 for gas or a mango, you will always be able to find some.

Preventing Manipulation
While people may recognize speculators’ importance in preventing shortages and smoothing prices, very few associate speculation with guarding against manipulation. In markets with healthy speculation, that is many different speculators participating, it is much harder to pull off a large-scale manipulation and much more costly to attempt it (and even costlier upon failing). Both Mr. Copper and Silver Thursday are examples of ongoing manipulations that eventually collapsed as more market speculators entered opposing trades. To avoid manipulation in markets we need more speculation, not less.
In thinly traded markets, prices are necessarily more volatile, and the chances for manipulation are increased because a few speculators can have a much bigger impact. In markets with no speculators, the power to manipulate prices swings yearly between producers and middlemen/buyers according to the health of the crop or yield of a commodity. These mini-monopolies and monopsonies result in more volatility being passed on to consumers in the form of varying prices.

Consequences and Currency
Even when we leave the level of commodities and go into one of the largest markets in the world, forex, we can see how speculators are essential for preventing manipulation. Governments are some of the most blatant manipulators. Governments want more money to fund programs while also wanting a robust currency for international trade. These conflicting interests encourage governments to peg their currencies while inflating away true value to pay for domestic spending. It’s currency speculators, through shorting and other means, that keep governments honest by speeding up the consequences of inflationary policies.

Show Me the Money
Speculators can make a lot of money when they are right, and that can anger producers and consumers alike. But these outsized profits are balanced against the risks they protect those same consumers and producers from. For every speculator making millions on a single contract, there is at least an equal number losing millions on the trade – or a dollar on each of a million smaller trades. In very volatile markets, like those after a natural disaster or black swan event, speculators often lose money on the whole, keeping prices stable by making up the difference out of their deep pockets.

Hug a Speculator
Taken cumulatively, speculation helps us far more than it could ever hurt us by moving risk to those who can financially handle it. Despite the misunderstanding and negativity speculators have to face, the potential for outsized profits will continue to attract people, as long as governments don’t regulate them into oblivion. With all the negativity aimed towards short-sellers and speculators, it’s easy for us to forget that their activities maintain prices, prevent shortages and increase the amount of risk they undertake. I don’t want to become a speculator, but it’s important that we preserve speculative investing for the people who do – more than important, it’s a necessity for a healthy market and vibrant economy. You don’t have to become a speculator, or even hug the next one you see, just remember that the next time you pay $5 a gallon for gas, it’s so we’ll still have some left over for next week, year, decade and century.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

SCBP, PQFTL and FWU AG sign agreement to provide Takaful products through their network

Press Release
Karachi, October 7: Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan (SCBP), the largest international Bank in Pakistan, has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Pak-Qatar Family Takaful, Pakistan’s first and largest family Takaful operator, and FWU AG, a global facilitator of bancatakaful.

This agreement will lay the foundation for Standard Chartered to launch Pakistan’s first Shariah compliant Bancassurance (BancaTakaful) products across its branch network. These products will provide Standard Chartered’s customers with Long term Savings plans specifically catered to fulfill their future financial needs. In addition, the Takaful cover, will offer financial protection to families for the fulfillment of the above obligations in case the breadwinner is unable to do so due to untimely death. All this without having to compromise on their beliefs.

Standard Chartered is the largest international Bank in Pakistan, employing a workforce of over 4,500 people. The Bank is also one of the largest MNC in the country. Over the last three years, it has added 142 branches and 33 cities to its distribution network, increasing the branch network to 162 branches in 41 cities by end 2008. In 2006, the Bank successfully executed the then largest ever Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the history of Pakistan’s banking industry with the acquisition of the Union Bank worth USD 487 million.
Pak-Qatar Family Takaful is Pakistan’s first Family Takaful operator. Its sponsors include some of the strongest financial institutions in the State of Qatar. Coming in with a customer centric strategy it will easily be living up to its role as the pioneer Family Takaful operator in the country.

The FWU Group has its Headquarters in Munich and is a recognized “Global Leader in Takaful expertise”, winning six Takaful Industry Awards in the past 2 years. It facilitates distribution of Family Takaful and Unit linked Savings products via a web based Point of Sale and administration system. Its International Takaful network includes offices in Karachi, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Luxembourg.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Islamic Finance Can Contribute To Global Growth

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- The increasingly significant role of Islamic finance will not only increase its potential to contribute to global financial stability but also towards strengthening global growth, Bank Negara Malaysia Governor, Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said Tuesday.

"In the search for the appropriate reforms, there is a general consensus that we need to return banking to its basic functions - to provide financial services that add value to the real economy. "This in fact represents the very essence of Islamic finance," she said in her keynote address at the Seminar on Islamic Finance: During and After the Global Financial Crisis, in Istanbul, Turkey. The speech was released here Tuesday.

History has shown that there have been more than 100 distinct banking crises in this recent three decades, and inherent in Islamic finance is the explicit elements that address several of the issues that have surfaced in the conventional financial system during the current crisis, she said. "The challenge before us is to build a new financial architecture that would allow for the more efficient functioning of not only financial intermediation within national economies but also across borders.

"Islamic finance, with its emphasis on a strong linkage to productive economic activity, its inbuilt check and balances, and its high level of disclosure and transparency, offers this," she said. Zeti explained that as Islamic finance continues to become an integral part of the global financial system, it would increasingly be exposed to risks of financial stress arising from global financial instability and global economic activity.

She said this would also necessitate a greater global engagement between those that are driving the reform agenda, given that it would result in new structures, standards and regulatory regimes for the industry. "This is particularly important when such standards become the basis on which assessments are made by multilateral agencies, rating agencies and the market at large. Such engagament also facilitates cooperation and collaboration in achieving our shared interest of preserving global financial stability," she added.

In Islamic finance, financial innovation must be tested against the 'Maqasid al-Shariah' (objectives of the Syariah), where the primary objective is the realisation of benefit to the people, she said. Zeti also urged for financial innovation to be supported by robust risk management and strong governance practices. "The explicit risk sharing element between the financier and customer in Islamic finance obligates its participants to evaluate risk profile of the product or investment proposition, the underlying trends in earnings and cash flows, and its income-producing potential," she said. This allows the pricing of funds to be adjusted accordingly.

Zeti also called for an integrated crisis management framework as part of a more comprehensive infrastructure, to ensure that any emerging crisis in the Islamic financial system is promptly managed. She said more facilitative and modernised legal framework was also required to make business more conducive for Islamic finance. In addition, the boundaries of the regulatory framework for Islamic finance would also have to be regularly adapted to keep pace with the evolution and transformation of the financial system.

Citing the case of Malaysia, she said the comprehensive legal, regulatory and supervisory framework for Islamic finance was further supported by a financial safety net framework that encompasses the lender of last resort facility and a deposit insurance system.

-- BERNAMA

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Leonardo anggap Ronaldinho bukan lagi hebat

JURULATIH AC Milan, Leonardo menganggap Ronaldinho bukan lagi pemain hebat seperti sebelumnya.

Bekas pemain terbaik dunia dan Eropah itu tidak diletakkan dalam kesebelasan utama ketika kemenangan 1-0 ke atas Bologna baru-baru ini dan Leonardo berkata, Ronaldinho berdepan masalah kembali pada prestasi terbaik. “Dia pemenang Ballon d’Or dan adalah normal untuk dirinya dianalisis, tapi saya fikir banyak faktor yang perlu dipertimbangkan. “Memang benar Ronaldinho bukan pemain yang sama seperti tiga tahun lalu biarpun dia mempamerkan beberapa persembahan yang agak baik tahun ini,” katanya.

Bekas jurulatih Napoli dan Fiorentina, Emiliano Mondonico pula menganggap Ronaldinho tidak cukup bagus untuk menjadi pemimpin di Milan dan menuju ke era kejatuhan. “Dia tidak mempunyai karakter atau kualiti menjadi pemimpin di Milan. Setakat ini dia kurang meyakinkan,” katanya.

Begitupun, presiden Barcelona, Joan Laporta percaya Ronaldinho akan kembali mencapai prestasi terbaiknya. “Saya fikir Ronaldinho akan kembali menemui sentuhannya kerana dia pemain hebat,” katanya.

Legenda Milan, Franco Baresi turut mempertahankan Ronaldinho. “Saya fikir Ronaldinho tetap penting untuk Milan,” katanya.

Penjualan Kaka ke Real Madrid sepatutnya memberikan peluang kepada Ronaldinho untuk menyinar tapi sejak perlawanan pembukaan musim ini di Siena, dia gagal menyerlah.

Ronaldinho mempunyai kontrak dengan Milan sehingga Jun 2011.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

AT LEAST 8 STILL TRAPPED ALIVE UNDER RUBBLE OF LANDMARK HOTEL IN INDONESIA

PADANG, Indonesia Oct 3 (NNN-Bernama) -- At least eight people were believed to remain trapped alive under the rubble of Ambacang, the landmark hotel in the quake-shit city of Padang, West Sumatra two days after a powerful earthquake hit the province on Wednesday, China's Xinhua news agency reported quoting a rescue team member as saying here on Saturday.

Padang Evacuation Team member, Airlangga, said that the team is in the middle of efforts to take those trapped victims from under the rubble.

The victims, he said, responded with voice signals when evacuation team members called them and or clapped their hands.

One of the victims even sent a text message to one of his family members, he added.

"One of the victims, at room 338, sent an SMS, informing that he is still alive," he said.

The 7.6-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday devastated more than 100 kilometers along the western coast of Sumatra island, killing more than 500 people, destroying more than 20,000 houses and buildings and injuring more than 2,400 people.
 

-- NNN-BERNAMA

Maklumat penting tentang Puasa Ganti, Syawal & Ziarah Raya

Oleh : Ustaz Zaharuddin Abd Rahman www.zaharuddin.net

Puasa sunat Syawal sememangnya amat popular di kalangan masyarakat kita hari ini. Dikesempatan ini saya suka menasihatkan semua yang ingin mengamalkan puasa sunat ini agar berhati-hati dari tipu daya syaitan yang kerap berjaya menjadikan seseorang individu yang berpuasa itu bermegah dan riya' dengan amalannya.
" kau , dah hari ker berapa dah?"
"aku dah 5 hari dah ni"
"esok aku raya (sunat syawal)"
Ini adalah antara kata-kata yang kerap didengari di bulan syawal ini.
Ia menjadi seolah-olah satu budaya untuk berlumba menamatkan puasa enam. Ia agak terpuji tetapi ia dicemari oleh habahan-hebahan yang dibuat tentang bilangan hari puasanya bertujuan melihat 'sapa lebih hebat?'.
Amat dibimbangi, tindakan ini bakal menghilangkan seluruh pahala puasa sunatnya. Kerana ia boleh menjadikan seseorang merasa riya, serta memperdengarkan amalan masing-masing yang sepatutnya di sembunyikan khas untuk Allah.

Ziarah & Puasa Sunat

Saya tidak nafikan ada yang terpaksa memberitahu apabila ada rakan yang ajak makan dan menziarahi rumah rakan. Tatkala itu, ia tidaklah terkeji dan masing-masing bertanggung jawab menjaga niat dan hati masing-masing agar tidak timbul perasaan tersebut.
Puasa sunat ini juga tidak sewajarnya menjadi penghalang menerima jemputan rakan-rakan yang membuat rumah terbuka.

Isu Keutamaan Antara Sunat Syawal & Qadha

Selain itu, satu isu yang kerap ditimbulkan berkenaan hal ini adalah tentang penggabungannya dengan puasa ganti ramadhan dan puasa yang mana satu lebih perlu diutamakan.
Jika ada yang bertanya manakah yang lebih baik di antara puasa sunat syawwal dan puasa qadha?. Jawapannya sudah tentu adalah puasa Qadha. Ini terbukti dari hadis Qudsi yang sohih :
 
وما تقرب إلي عبدي بشيء أحب إلي مما افترضت عليه وما يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه
Ertinya : "..dan tidaklah hampir kepadaku seorang hambaKu dengan apa juapun, maka yang lebih ku sukai adalah mereka melaksanakan amalan fardhu/wajib ke atas mereka, dan sentiasalah mereka ingin menghampirkan diri mereka kepadaKu dengan mengerjakan amalan sunat sehinggalah aku kasih kepadanya..." (Riwayat Al-Bukhari, no 6021)


Hadis tadi sebagai asas keutamaan, walau bagaimanapun dari sudut praktikal jawapannya mungkin berbeza menurut keadaan diri seseorang. 
 

Hadis tadi sebagai asas keutamaan, walau bagaimanapun dari sudut praktikal jawapannya mungkin berbeza menurut keadaan diri seseorang.

Maksudnya begini, jika seseorang itu perlu Qadha puasanya selama 30, berpuluh atau berbelas hari (kerana nifas atau haid yang lama di bulan Ramadan sebagai contoh) dan tubuhnya juga sihat dan di yakini masih kuat. Eloklah ia mengerjakan puasa sunat Syawwal terlebih dahulu di ketika itu . Ini adalah kerana waktu sunnat puasa Syawwal yang singkat berbanding Qadha (sepanjang tahun).
Bagaimanapun harus di ingat, walaupun waktu bagi puasa Qadha adalah panjang, kita tetap tidak pasti adakah kita mampu sampai ke tarikh itu atau ajal menjelang dahulu.
Seseorang yang mati sebelum mengganti puasa Ramadannya tetapi sudah berpuasa sunat Syawwal akan pasti bermasalah kerana ia dikira masih berhutang dengan Allah SWT.
Bagaimanapun seseorang yang mati setelah berjaya menggantikan puasanya tetapi tidak sempat berpuasa sunat Syawwal, pastinya tiada sebarang masalah pun, malah mungkin ia juga mungkin boleh mendapat pahala sunat syawal itu sekali. Berdasarkan sabda Nabi SAW
‏إن الله كتب الحسنات والسيئات ثم بين ذلك فمن هم بحسنة فلم يعملها كتبها الله له عنده حسنة كاملة فإن هو هم بها فعملها كتبها الله له عنده عشر حسنات إلى سبع مائة ضعف إلى أضعاف كثيرة ومن هم بسيئة فلم يعملها كتبها الله له عنده حسنة كاملة فإن هو هم بها فعملها كتبها الله له سيئة واحدة
Ertinya " ... barangsiapa yang beringinan melakukan kebaikan tetapi tidak melakukannya, telah di tuliskan oleh Allah baginya pahala penuh, maka jika ia beringinan dan kemudian melakukannya, di tuliskan 10 pahala sehingga 700 kali ganda.." ( Riwayat Al-Bukhari, no 6010)
Kita harus memahami bahawa darjat puasa Qadha adalah lebih tinggi dan tanggungjawab bagi menunaikannya adalah jauh lebih besar dari sunat Syawwal, ini kerana puasa qadha adalah puasa wajib dan merupakan ‘hutang' ibadah dengan Allah berbanding puasa syawwal yang hanyalah sebagai tambahan pahala


Isu Gabung Sunat & Qadha

Isu menggabungkan puasa qadha dan syawal sememangnya amat popular, pandangan ringkas saya adalah seperti berikut :-
Tidak elok untuk menggabungkan kedua-duanya bagi mereka yang mampu (dari sudut kesihatan tubuh dan lain-lain) untuk memisahkannya. Ini kerana sepengetahuan saya tiada dalil yang specifik membuktikan Nabi SAW pernah melakukannya atau menganjurkan kepada para sahabat untuk menggabungkannya.
Apabila Nabi, sahabat dan salaf soleh tidak melakukannya maka pastinya ia bukanlah amalan yang terpilih dan terbaik kerana pilihan Nabi SAW dan para sahabat selamanya adalah yang terbaik.
Malah terdapat juga hujjah-hujjah yang menyebabkan pandangan yang yang mengharuskan penggabungan ‘qadha dan ganti' itu dipersoalkan, iaitu :-
1. Jika seseorang mengatakan boleh gabung puasa qadha (yang wajib) dengan puasa syawwal (yang sunat) maka sudah tentu selepas ini timbul pula individu yang cuba menggabungkan solat wajib dengan solat sunat, seperti gabungan solat isyak dengan terawih, atau subuh dengan ‘tahiyyatul masjid' atau dengan solat sunat fajar, atau solat jumaat dengan solat sunat ‘tahiyyatul masjid'. Maka ini pasti menyebabkan masalah lain timbul dalam ibadah wajib termasuk rekaan-rekaan pelik seperti solat fardhu subuh campur istikharah dan lain-lain.
2. Menurut Prof. Dr Syeikh Abd Malik as-Sa'dy (ex-Lajnah Fatwa Iraq) dan Prof Dr Mohd ‘Uqlah el-Ibrahim (Jordan) mereka berpendapat bahawa amalan wajib tidak boleh digabungkan dengan apa-apa amalan wajib atau sunat lain, kerana amalan wajib memerlukan tumpuan khusus yang tidak berbelah bahagi semasa pelaksanaannya dan ia perlu bagi mengangkat tuntutan kewajibannya. Justeru, tindakan menggabungkan ini pasti mengurangkan kesempurnaan hamba dalam menunaikan tuntutan wajib mereka. Wallahu a'lam.
3. Tindakan A'isyah r.a yang melewatkan Qadha pula boleh di jadikan hujjah bahawa beliau mengasingkan kedua-dua puasa Qadha dan Syawwal. Maka inilah yang terpilih sepatutnya. (tidak gabungkan kerana Aisyah r.a tidak menggabungkannya) . Aisyah menyebut :
كأن يكون عليّ الصيام من شهر رمضان فما أقضيه حتى يجئ شعبان
Ertinya : Kewajiban ke atasku untuk puasa (Qadha) dari puasa Ramdhan, tidaklah aku menggantinya sehingga datang sya'ban" ( Riwayat Muslim, no 101)
4. Amalan wajib (qadha) memerlukan niat yang ‘jazam' (tepat dan pasti) maka tindakan mengabungkan ia dengan niat puasa sunat mungkin boleh merosakkannya kepastiannya. Kerana itulah ulama yang mengizinkannya mencadangkan agar diniat puasa qadha sahaja, adapun syawwal itu dipendam sahaja dengan harapan Allah menerimanya.
Bagaimanapun, ulama yang mencadangkan ini jelas menyatakan bahawa tindakan menggabungkannya tetap mengurangkan pahala sunat syawwal ini kerana tidak diniat dan tidak dilakukan sepenuhnya (Hasyiah As-Syarqawi ‘ala al-Tahrir, Syeikh Zakaria Al-Ansary, 1/427; naqal dari Min Ahsanil Kalam Fil Fatawa, Atiyyah Saqr, 2/23)
5. Malah ada pula yang berhujjah bahawa amalan sunat tidak boleh ditunaikan sebelum amalan fardu. Demikian menurut Syeikh Abu Raghib al-Asfahani, Syeikh Ihsan Muhammad 'Aayish al-'Utaibi dan juga di sebutkan oleh Dr Yusof Al-Qaradawi di dalam kitabnya Fiqh Awalwiyyat. Ini ada asasnya kerana berdasarkan hadith Nabi SAW
 
من صام رمضان ثم أتبعه ستاً من شوال فكأنما صام الدهر

Ertinya: "Barangsiapa telah berpuasa Ramadan kemudian diikuti dengan 6 hari dari dari Syawwal (puasa) maka ia adalah seperti (pahala) puasa ad-Dahr (setahun)" (Riwayat Al-Bukhari, no 6502).
6. Kita dapat melihat penggunaan ‘fe'il madhi' iaitu ‘past tense' bagi puasa Ramadan, mungkin sahaja boleh membawa makna sesiapa yang belum lengkap puasa Ramadannya perlulah melengkapkan dahulu, kemudian barulah mereka layak bagi mendapat peruntukan pahala sunat Syawwal.
7. Hujjah ulama yang mengharuskannya adalah hadith
" Sesungguhnya amalan itu berdasarkan kepada niat, dan bagi seseorang apa yang diniatkan." (Riwayat Bukhari, no 1, 1/12)
Ia dilihat agak umum, memang benar apa yang diniatkan adalah penting, tetapi niat mempunyai kaedah dan cara-caranya bagi diterima, contohnya seperti niat solat yang di cadangkan di dalam mazhab Syafie dimulakan semasa lafaz takbiratul ihram di sebut, jika tidak niat itu tidak dikira. (Rujuk Al-umm, hlm 78, cet Baytul Afkar; Rawdhah At-Tolibin, An-Nawawi, cet Baytul Afkar, hlm 103).
Justeru, niat juga ada displinnya dan tidak boleh di buat sesuka hati di dalam ibadah.


Kesimpulan

Kesimpulan dalam yang mengutarakan perbincangan yang terbatas ini : Elok sangat tidak digabungkan dan elok sangat didahulukan yang wajib (qadha) daripada sunat (syawwal);
Pandangan yang membolehkan saya anggap sebagai rukhsah "keringanan" bagi mereka yang mempunyai kesukaran kerana uzur dan tidak mampu untuk mengasingkannya. Antara ulama yang membolehkan untuk menggabungkannya adalah beberapa ulama dari mazhab Syafie (Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/602), Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA), Syeikh Atiyyah Saqar, panelis fiqh Islam online.net dan beberapa yang lain.

Sekian

Zaharuddin Abd Rahman
25 Oktober 2006
(Diedit semula pada 3 Syawal 1428 H = 15 Oktober 2007)
TERBIT SEMULA : 8 OKTOBER 2008 ( 9 Syawal 1429 H)


Friday, October 02, 2009

Visiting Abang Tapa in Eid Fitr 1430h

On 1 October 2009, I bring my parents-in-law, who came to my house for Eid Fitr. to Abang Mustafa home who lived in No.. 38, Lrg. Jambu 5, Taman Sri Delima, Jalan Kuching, KL.

Abang Mustafa b. Mohd Zubair, 56, or better known Abg Tapa, is the eldest cousin in my wife family next to her mother's side .

We chat about the story during his long career as a soldier and his childhood. Abg Tapa also tells about his hobby of taking pictures and was showing a collection of photo albums. Among the interesting collection is a collection of photo during my wedding ceremony.-


Abang Tapa and my father-in-law talking about their childhood stories. In the middle is my mother-in-law.