The Great Khalifah Umar ibn Abdul Aziz

"...When the Khalifah died the Roman emperor is reported to have said:

“I should not be the least surprised if a monk renounces the world and busies himself in worship behind closed doors, but I am simply amazed at this man who has a vast empire at his feet but he rejected it and lived the life of a monk....”

Umar ibn Abdul Aziz is a person who is just well known by a few Muslims (those who are interested in the history of Islam). After the death of Prophet Mohammed, for some years, is when he was born.

All Muslims nominated the leaders in Islam, who succeeded each other after Prophet’s death, unanimously, but before Omar was born, everything had changed due to worldly pleasures. That is the word DYNASTY was introduced, instead. And since Omar belonged to the reigning family, when his time for leadership came, he was given the opportunity.

Actually, the above is just a short summary of his introduction, but what impressed me hence calling him my hero, are the following reasons that were portrayed throughout his life span.

First, comparing his life before and after his leadership is that, he led a luxurious and royal life before, but he underwent a complete metamorphosis after his declaration. For example: -

Immediately when he became a leader, he dismissed all the governors who were known to be cruel and unjust to the servants. Therefore, the people were happier than ever.

Secondly, all the jewelry and valuable presents brought before him were deposited to the state treasury in a number of occasions, instead of taking it for personal treasury.

Also he gave out all his wealth for the betterment of the society until he was remained with only one shirt. His people realized this when he was always late for Friday prayers as a result of waiting for his only one shirt to dry after washing it. Furthermore, at times there was no food in his house, hence, one day he saw his children hiding their mouth not to be open to their father, and when he enquired, he discovered that his children had taken onions as food and were hiding the smell from reaching him. He felt pity on them and made sure that they had enough food. This shows that, even the kids have taken after their father’s heroic nature of understanding the situation. Moreover he did not have enough money to go for pilgrimage despite the fact that, he was the leader of the mightiest empire in that time.

In his office he had two candles, if he wanted to write the state affairs, he would use the candle that belonged to the state and if he wanted to write his own personal letters, he would use the candle, which he bought from his own money.

Omar ensured that, his governors follow the same path. For example one of the governors brought a letter requesting for more candle sticks but Omar replied, “I remember we used to walk in the dark night without candle sticks and we survived, do you want to tell me that now you are in a worse condition?” This shows that he was against extravagance.

In another occasion, there were a request for papers, but Omar replied again, “Make the points of your pens thinner, and write small hand writings including your important matters and leave the details in very short and straight forward form.

It was during his reign when all taxes were abolished. People commented that during the reign of other leaders the state treasury was filled up, but now there was nothing due to the abolishing of taxes and most of the savings were used to help the poor and the needy. He replied that the state treasury was not meant for the walls but the people, so why should they not be given?

Instead of taxes, he encouraged all the governors to argue people to practice agriculture and if anybody had a piece of land which he did not cultivate for three years, the land was to be taken and be given to somebody else who would cultivate, hence burning off laziness.

In order to strengthen up the administration he took the following steps: -

(i) State officials were excluded from entering into any business.

(ii) Unpaid labor was made illegal.

(iii) Pasture lands and game reserves, which were reserved for the family of the dignities, were evenly distributed among the poor for the purpose of cultivation.

(iv) He urged to all of the officials to listen the complaints of the people and during any occasion, he used to announce that, if any subject had seen any officer maltreating others should report him to the leader and he will be given a reward ranging from 100 - 300 dirhams.

His fruitful achievements lead to the well being of his society, and even when the time for annual obligatory charity from came, no one accepted it, but was to be sent to other towns to raise other's standards of living. Everybody could assist his family without begging. This brought about jubilance among the people and loyalty towards their leader.

Omar's leadership cannot be compared to any other person's - it was so unique. Different leaders reigned before and after him but none could break his record.

He died in the year 719 CE, after ruling for two years and five months. His subjects mourned in great pain, saying that, they would never have a leader like Omar.

By:
HAIDAR BATHAWAB

Ada 4 isteriku

Suatu ketika, ada seorang pedagang kaya yang mempunyai empat orang isteri. Dia mencintai isteri yang keempat dan memberikan harta dan kesenangan yang banyak. Sebab, isteri keempat adalah yang tercantik di antara kesemua isterinya. Maka, tidak hairan lelaki ini sering memberikan yang terbaik untuk isteri keempatnya itu.

Pedagang itu juga mencintai isterinya yang ketiga. Dia sangat bangga dengan isterinya ini, dan sering berusaha untuk memperkenalkan isteri ketiganya ini kepada semua temannya. Namun dia juga selalu bimbang kalau-kalau isterinya ini akan lari dengan lelaki yang lain.

Begitu juga dengan isterinya yang kedua. Dia juga sangat menyukainya. Dia adalah seorang isteri yang sabar dan penuh pengertian. Bila-bila masa pun apabila pedagang ini mendapat masalah, dia selalu meminta pandangan isterinya yang kedua ini. dialah tempat bergantung. Dia selalu menolong dan mendampingi suaminya melalui masa-masa yang sulit.

Sama halnya dengan isterinya yang pertama. Dia adalah pasangan yang sangat setia. Dia sering membawa kebaikan bagi kehidupan keluarga ini. dialah yang merawat dan mengatur semua kekayaan dan usaha si suami. Akan tetapi si pedangang tidak begitu mencintainya. Walaupun isteri pertamanya ini begitu sayang kepadanya namun, pedagang ini tidak begitu memperdulikannya.

Suatu ketika, si pedagang sakit. Kemudian dia menyedari mungkin masa untuknya hidup tinggal tidak lama lagi. Dia mula merenungi semua kehidupan indahnya, dan berkata dalam hati, "Saat ini, aku punya empat orang isteri. Namun, apabila aku meninggal, aku akan sendiri. Betapa menyedihkan jika aku harus hidup sendiri."

Lalu dia meminta semua isterinya datang dan kemudian mulai bertanya pada isteri keempatnya, "Kaulah yang paling kucintai, kuberikan kau gaun dan perhiasan yang indah. Nah sekarang, aku akan mati, mahukah kau mendampingiku dan menemaniku?" Isteri keempatnya terdiam. "Tentu saja tidak!" jawab isterinya yang keempat, dan pergi begitu sahaja tanpa berkata-kata lagi. Jawapan itu sangat menyakitkan hati seakan-akan ada pisau yang terhunus dan menghiris-hiris hatinya.

Pedagang yang sedih itu lalu bertanya kepada isteri ketiganya, "Aku pun mencintaimu sepenuh hati, dan saat ini, hidupku akan berakhir. Mahukah kau ikut denganku, dan menemani akhir hayatku?". Isteri ketiganya menjawab, "Hidup begitu indah di sini. Aku akan menikah lagi jika kau mati". Pedagang begitu terpukul dengan jawapan isteri ketiganya itu.

Lalu, dia bertanya kepada isteri keduanya, "Aku selalu berpaling padamu setiap kali mendapat masalah. Dan kau selalu mahu membantuku. Kini, aku perlu sekali pertolonganmu. Kalau aku mati, mahukah kau ikut dan mendampingiku?" Si isteri kedua menjawab perlahan, "Maafkan aku...aku tak mampu menolongmu kali ini. Aku hanya boleh menghantarmu ke liang kubur saja. Nanti, akan kubuatkan makam yang indah buatmu."

Jawapan itu seperti kilat yang menyambar. Si pedagang kini berasa putus asa. Tiba-tiba terdengar satu suara, "Aku akan tinggal denganmu. Aku akan ikut ke manapun kau pergi. Aku, tak akan meninggalkanmu, aku akan setia bersamamu." Si pedagang lalu menoleh ke arah suara itu dan mendapati isteri pertamanya yang berkata begitu. Isteri pertamanya tampak begitu kurus. Badannya seperti orang yang kelaparan. Berasa menyesal, si pedagang lalu berguman, "Kalau saja aku mampu melayanmu lebih baik pada saat aku mampu, tak akan kubiarkan kau seperti ini isteriku."

Teman, sesungguhnya kita punya empat orang isteri dalam hidup ini;

ISTERI KEEMPAT adalah tubuh kita. Seberapa banyak waktu dan belanja yang kita keluarkan untuk tubuh kita supaya tampak indah dan gagah, semuanya akan hilang. Ia akan pergi segera apabila kita meninggal. Tak ada keindahan dan kegagahan yang tersisa saat kita menghadapNYA.

ISTERI KETIGA adalah status sosial dan kekayaan kita. Saat kita meninggal, semuanya akan pergi kepada yang lain. Mereka akan berpindah dan melupakan kita yang pernah memilikinya.

ISTERI KEDUA pula adalah kerabat dan teman-teman. Seberapa pun dekat hubungan kita dengan mereka, mereka tak akan mampu bersama kita selamanya. Hanya sampai kuburla mereka akan menemani kita.

DAN SESUNGGUHNYA ISTERI PERTAMA adalah jiwa dan amal kita. Mungkin kita sering mengabaikan dan melupakannya demi kekayaan dan kesenangan peribadi. Namun, sebenarnya, hanya jiwa dan amal kita sajalah yang mampu untuk terus setia dan mendampingi kemanapun kita melangkah. Hanya amal yang mampu menolong kita diakhirat kelak.

Jadi, selagi mampu, perlakukanlah jiwa dan amal kita dengan bijak. Jangan sampai kita menyesal kemudian hari!

Top 15 Ways to Build Your Subscriber List

Email marketing can be profitable for any business, no matter what kind of product or service you offer. It is significantly cheaper than other advertising methods and, if done right, helps build loyalty and trust with customers. As a result, you generate more sales and more profits!

The foundation for successful email marketing is a targeted, permission-based email list. Marketers call contact lists their "goldmine" because it can generate much of their sales revenue. If you've built up a list of opt-in subscribers that are qualified and interested in what you have to offer, then you've completed the first step and are on your way. Now it's time to "mine" for gold!

Below you'll find several list-building and retention ideas that will help you get the best results from all your email marketing activities:

1. Provide useful, relevant content. Your visitors will not give you their email addresses just because they can subscribe to your newsletter free of charge. You have to provide unique and valuable information that will be of interest or use to them.

2. Add a subscription form to every page on your website. Make sure it stands out so it is easy to find. If it doesn't look cluttered, you may want to include more than one on some pages. For instance, if your opt-in form always appears in the top-left corner of your site, you may want to add one at the end of your most popular articles.

3. Add subscription forms to your social media pages. Make sure that you don't waste this valuable source of revenue opportunities. Integrate your sign-up forms with Facebook and more!

4. Make it easy for readers to sign up. The more information you request, the fewer people will opt-in. In most cases, a name and an email address should suffice. If it's not necessary, don't include it here. You can always survey them once they're customers! We do recommend that you provide a link to your Privacy Policy however.

5. Publish a Privacy Policy. Let your readers know that they can be confident you will not share their information with others. The easiest way to do this is to set up a Privacy Policy web page and provide the link to it below your opt-in form. (Note: If you don't have one, put the words "privacy policy generator" into a search engine and you should be able to find a suitable form to use.)

6. Provide samples of your newsletters and Ezines. This lets potential subscribers review your materials before they sign up to determine if it's something they'd be interested in.

7. Archive past newsletters and articles. An online library of past newsletters and articles is both appealing and useful to visitors and builds your credibility as an authority. In addition, if your articles are written with good SEO techniques in mind, they can increase traffic to your website through enhanced search engine positioning.

8. Give gifts subscribers can actually use. Offer an opt-in bonus for joining your subscriber list! Write an ebook or provide a PDF business report, or even hire a programmer to create downloadable or web-based software. But don't limit yourself to offering gifts to opt-ins. Give them out when your readers fill out a survey, provide a testimonial, success story, or a great product idea. Let them know when they can expect the next gift offer. Everyone likes to get something for free! And if you pass out "goodies" throughout the year, your subscribers will feel truly appreciated − and that's good for business!

9. Ask your subscribers to pass it on. Word of mouth is a powerful viral technique that works great with email marketing. If your subscribers find your content interesting, amusing or informative, they'll probably share it with their friends. This can be a great source of new customers, so make sure to remind them to "pass it on".

10. Let others reprint your newsletter as long as the content is not modified. If you're happy to share your content with the universe, then why not! Many webmasters and newsletter publishers are actively looking for high-quality content and, if they reprint your newsletter, you'll get new subscribers, and more traffic and links pointing to your site.

11. Include a "Sign Up" button in your newsletter. If you're using plain text instead of HTML, be sure to provide a text link to your subscription page. You may feel that this is not required because the subscriber is already on your list, but remember that readers will forward your newsletters to others, or reprint them online. Make it easy for them to subscribe!

12. Add a squeeze page. A squeeze page has one goal − to acquire opt-ins and build your list. Think of it as a mini-sales letter to go along with your subscription or opt-in gift. It should feature a strong headline and a couple of powerful benefits that should make subscribers salivate to sign up! Once created, use a service such as WordTracker to find hundreds of targeted keywords, and promote your offer using pay-per-click advertising from Google, MSN and Yahoo. Now that should make a splash!

13. Include testimonials on your squeeze page. This is crucial. Put one or two strong testimonials from satisfied customers on your squeeze page. This can be in any format, but you may find that multimedia (audio or video) is more "believable" and inspires more people to action. To further enhance believability, get permission to use actual customer names, locations and/or urls (Don't use "Bob K, FL"). Add a note inviting others to participate. After all, it's free publicity!

14. Blog religiously. Blogging is a great way to communicate with prospects and potential customers, and creates a nice synergy with your email marketing. Be sure to include your newsletter sign-up form on each page of your blog. You can start a free blog at Blogger or WordPress.

15. Post on other blogs. Post thoughtful comments and information on similar blogs with a link to your squeeze or opt-in pages. Also comment on others' blogs through trackbacks. In most cases, your comments will be posted on their blogs with a link back to your site. This is an easy way to generate new traffic and subscribers, and get your brand out there!

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.