Interview for Socscistan

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- Socscistan, 2009 -

The Blessed

How blessed are they,

Born with a silver spoon

In their mouth,

Never in need

Of anything

Except for

You.

How blessed are they,

Born with such beauty

In their being,

Never in need

Of anything

Except for

You.

How blessed are they,

Born with such intelligence

In their mind,

Never in need

Of anything

Except for

You.

How blessed am I,

Born with no wealth,

Beauty, nor intelligence,

Just so that

For my mere existence,

I can be grateful to

You.

- Faizal, S. S., 2010 -

An Excerpt from "The Heart" (2)

My heart

That has been given to the One and only

Who will always be there for me.

Yet my weak heart

Continues to be stricken with impurities

That threatens my love. 

- Faizal, S. S., 2010 -

Heroines in Islam

To view or download the article, click here. :)

- The Muslim Reader, 2009 -

5 Study Tips for Online Courses

I am currently volunteering as a teaching assistant for a new course at SeekersGuidance: Meccan Dawn: The Life of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad (registration is still open!) and I have just posted some study tips from which the students will hopefully be able to benefit, insha-Allah. Thought that I would post them here too :)

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Online classes are different from the usual “real-life” classes in that it is flexible—it can be done anywhere, especially in the comfort of your own home, and anytime to fit your busy schedule. However, this flexibility can easily become a disadvantage if you are not careful with developing an effective method of learning. Here are some tips (in the following chronological order) that you can keep in mind so as to benefit the most out of online courses, insha-Allah. 

1) Intend

It is important to have the right intention when taking any action, so the first thing that you have to ask yourself would be, “Why am I taking this course?” If your answer is anything but along the lines of seeking knowledge that will benefit yourself in this life and the hereafter or to get closer to Allah SWT, then take a moment to reflect and rethink your intentions. If you truly seek knowledge with pure and sincere intentions (ikhlas), insha-Allah He will facilitate things for you as you embark on this jihad to seek knowledge. Having sincere intentions will also give you the motivation to be disciplined and persevere when the going gets tough, insha-Allah.

2) Listen

After ensuring that you have the right intentions, it is now time to take the right actions. Set aside a consistent time period in the week to listen to the audio lectures, so that it will be like a regular weekly class. In this way, you would not have an excuse to procrastinate and fall behind on the lessons. More importantly, don’t just be a passive listener; engage in active listening by paying attention, taking down key points, and thinking critically about what you are listening to. Active listening will not only help you to encode the information better in your memory, and hence, making it easier to retain and retrieve it when you need it, but it will also help you to formulate meaningful questions that could possibly benefit everyone when you ask the instructor, insha-Allah.

3) Participate

Active listening would be futile if you do not participate actively in your online course by asking critical questions and contributing your ideas, perspectives, and comments on the subject that you are learning. After all, just because it is an online class, it does not mean that learning has to be an individual endeavour. It is in your best interest to participate regularly in the online forums or discussions with the instructor and other students; not only is it an excellent way to ask questions and get answers, it also helps you to develop the feeling that you are part of a real class, which could help you to stay motivated and disciplined to keep on track with your learning. With active participation, everyone can gain great insights from one another, much like in a real class, insha-Allah. 

Best of all, as participation is done online with an element of anonymity, you do not have to feel intimidated or upstaged by students who can think or speak faster than you like in a real-life class; you can take all of the time you need to think your ideas through and compose a response before posting your comments to your class. Thus, never hesitate to ask questions if you need clarifications about what you are learning and to participate in class discussions. Nonetheless, even with online anonymity in these forums, it is important to maintain adab, or the proper etiquette of politeness and respect when interacting with your classmates and instructors. Adab is necessary for a productive and conducive online learning environment, and you will find that your participation will be much valued by the instructor and other students, insha-Allah. 

4) Review

Active listening and participation in your course means that half of the battle is won, insha-Allah. The next step would be to review consistently what you have learned as the weeks go by. This is important for several reasons: first, so that it will refresh your memory and facilitate remembering in the future what you have learned, i.e., you will not forget easily what you have learned; second, so that you will be able to spot any important issue or question that you might have overlooked in the past and bring it up to the instructor and your classmates before it is too late; and third, so that you will be able to reflect upon what you have learned. Remember, you are looking to encode the knowledge that you have learned into your long-term memory, and not just in your short-term memory; consistent reviews will help you to do that, insha-Allah. 

5) Apply

Lastly, find ways to apply what you have learned to everyday life situations as this will help you to internalize what you are learning, thereby ensuring that you are truly benefiting from the knowledge that you are seeking, insha-Allah. Don’t forget to contribute and exchange ideas on such real-life applications of knowledge with your classmates via the online forums or discussions available so that everyone, including you, will be able to benefit from the experiences of one another, insha-Allah.

These tips are certainly not exhaustive and as you gain more experience with online courses, you might just come up with your own tips on achieving success with them. May Allah SWT help guide us in our efforts to seek knowledge, and as the du’a goes, fill our hearts and minds with true enlightenment, discerning intelligence, quick understanding, and knowledge, ameen. 

Siti Syuhada: My Lady of the Martyrs

Over the years, many have asked me about the meaning of my name, and I have always enjoyed telling a mini-story to accompany my response to that question. It was only a couple of years ago that I had found out my first name <Siti> meant <my lady> in Arabic, or a title for a noble woman; I had always taken for granted that it was a common first name for girls in Singapore and never bothered to check what it meant. Imagine how pleased I was to find out that people have been calling me their "Lady" all this while, masha-Allah!

My middle name <Syuhada>, however, gets reactions that lie on a continuum of "amazement" to "awkwardness". In Arabic, <Syuhada> is the plural of <Syahid>, a noun which has two meanings: 1) a witness (to the truth of Islam) 2) a martyr who has sacrificed his life in jihad fi sabilillah, or in striving in the way of Allah. With suicide bombers being the most popular stereotype of Muslim martyrs in the media, it can get rather awkward when I tell people what my middle name means. A stereotype is, as always, a misconstrued concept as the syuhada in Islam comprise many kinds and not just those who die at war, e.g., even mothers who die at childbirth; giving birth is said to be a jihad for the risks a mother takes to bring a child into the world require so much courage that should she die, she deserves a place in heaven just like the warriors who had fought and died for Allah SWT or the early Muslims who refused to renounce their religion and had to die for that, may Allah SWT be pleased with all of them. Many would be surprised to know that seeking knowledge is a form of jihad, or struggle, too. Even then, one can hardly be surprised at the reactions to me being called <my lady of the martyrs>. Once, a Palestinian read my name card and immediately chuckled, asking me if I knew what my name meant; I could only give a wry smile in response and nod knowingly.

I was to have been named <Siti NurJannah>, which would have meant <my lady of the light of heaven>, but my cousin had suggested to my parents to name me after her friend who shares the same birthday as me, hence the current name. While I am grateful for that, alhamdulillah, I do wonder how I would turn out if I had been named something else. Other girls get named after flowers, adjectives of beauty and gentleness etc., and I get such a strong name that would be extremely hard to live up to, for one can only imagine the prestige of being the lady of the martyrs, all of whom have been promised a place in heaven for sacrificing their lives in the way of Allah SWT. Indeed, Allah SWT knows best and may He guide me to live up to my name, ameen.