ESQ basic training (2)

wow, what a long time gap between part 1 and 2! well, i've been a little busy lately, so i hadn't got the time to write the second part on this topic. during the training, there were a lot of sessions where we reflected on ourselves (muhasabah). they switched of the lights and told us deep meaningful stories such as the stories about Allah gifts to us and how we forgot to be grateful for them, stories about our parents' love and sacrifices for us, the stories about unfortunate people and how we took the things (sight, hearing etc) for granted.

during these sessions, most of the participants will usually cry but not me. it's not the stories doesn't got to me, but i'm not the type of person that would cry in front of others. honestly, i'm a 'crybaby' and will usually cry about the smallest thing when i'm alone.. the training also reminded us on our real and first purpose on this earth. we, human (insan) accepted the role of caliph (khalifah) when all the other beings declined it. and it's our duty to worship (beribadah) to the One and Only, Allah.

The Noble Quran (Aurah Adh - Dhariyat)

the training also taught us to learn and understand the meaning of Asma Ul-Husna, the 99 namesof Allah. there's a song in Malaysia for remembering the names. I do know and memorize the song but i don't know most of the meanings. and by understanding the names of Allah and the properties, will help us improve ourselves into becoming a better person.

Asma Ul-Husna

and if you realize, everytime we want to turn or change into being a better person, we always encounter things that would prevent us from being it. there's always the temptation that brought us back to our former not so good selves. these temptations may come from the devils (syaithon), from the people around us and even from deep within ourselves (nafsu/syahwat). in the ESQ model that i posted in part 1, there's a black circle around FITRAH  with the label 'Zero Manacle Process (ZMP).' The ZMPis what blocking us from having a pure and good FITRAH. According to ESQ, there seven reasons;

1. negative perception (prasangka negatif)
2. life principal (prinsip hidup)
3. experience (pengalaman)
4. benefits (kepentingan)
5. point of view (sudut pandangan)
6. comparison (pembandingan)
7. fanaticism (fanatisme)

we also reminded about the love of our beloved prophet, Nabi Muhammad (saw) for us eventhough he never got the chance to know or meet us. before he died (wafat), he kept saying 'Ummati..Ummati.. Ummati..'  which are us! Nabi Muhammad (saw) is the last prophet and messeger. please keep this in mind, since lately, they are a lot of people claiming they are messenger and prophet and taught believes that are against our Islamic teachings or more commonly known in malay as ajaran sesat.

i really hope that my two entries on ESQ training would help us realize what is really important in lfe. if we live only for this world (dunia) that is only temporary and forget about the afterworld (akhirat) that is eternal, may we change our reason of living into the right path. these entries are not only for your eyes but as a reminder for myself as well. insyaAllah, we will all change for the better.