Will History Repeat itself?

I had written the entry "Patience" (see below) 39 days prior to the start my first paper last semester. And today marks the eve of yet another 39 long days. How time flies. Reading entries during the days that led to my first paper, I realize that I was still pretty much sweetly distracted.

He shakes his head and smile.

There were times when I felt like giving up too. But reading those entries, I realize that despite having 39 days to catch up with the past, keep up with the present and prepare for the coming exams, I only made full use of my final few days. I could've done more.

To the he who shook his head and smiled, you cannot afford to be lazy. You do not wait for The Mood (to study) to come knocking on your door. You need to knock on his door instead. Create a nice environment to study in. Clean your room, clear your desk, arrange your notes and tutorials nicely. If you must, take a penknife and glide it across the LCD screen of your laptop - the Net is your biggest distraction.

In other words, "Let history repeat itself and there's no one to blame but yourself. "

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Monday, October 12, 2009

Patience

Written by marzuki. @ 11:27 AM

"Be patient (in adversity); for, verily, God will not let the reward of the righteous be wasted."

— The Holy Quran, Chapter 11, Verse 115

"[W]hoever abstains from asking others, Allah will make him contented, and whoever tries to make himself self-sufficient, Allah will make him self-sufficient. And whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient. Nobody can be given a blessing better and greater than patience."

— Prophet Muhammad (s) as reported by Abu Said Al Khudri in Sahih Bukhari, vol 2 hadith 548

I can feel a wave of panic and surrender coming. Negative Facebook statuses and comments like how one's tired of everything, tired of school, tired of life are beginning to affect me. My mind was not at ease despite the countless entries on sweet distractions. How could I not have noticed that the frequent entries about my sweet distractions are signs to myself that I'm being distracted from school. The harder school gets, the more I try to distract myself. It seems to me that such entries are my way of escaping the harsh reality of school. I seem to be calmer and "more in control" due to my ability to shift negative stresses to something that I like - things like writing. But is it good?

Nevertheless, I know that no matter how hard I try to be in control, I'll crack the moment I say that I've got things under control. Hence why I'll try to never again say that I'm in control of my situation. Coz I'm not. He is. And time and time again, I forget that He's in control. And I forget to be thankful and grateful.

As Muslims, we are in direct communication with the Almighty. He is the only One Who not only hears and knows all, but Who can change our situation and give us the patience to deal with our difficulties.

"Remember Me, and I shall remember you; be grateful to Me, and deny Me not"
(Quran 2:152)

39 more days to the finals. Stay positive. Keep working. Keep trying. And doa. Insyaallah, all will be fine.