23rd Ramadan - Transit

Aren’t we all transiting? 

Landing at Changi Airport - transit to China

As I read surah Al-Anbiya (The Prophets) and surah Ash-Shu’ara’ (The Poets) - over and over again stories on how the people of olden days were told of their ignorance of Allah’s messengers and prophets and how their continuous disobedience caused Allah’s anger and vengeance until the entire nation was wiped out e.g. Hud’s people, Lot’s people, Musa’s people, Noah’s people.

In those instances it was narrated that that was easy for God, to wipe out and to rebuild just like creations before. Why can we not see that God is one and there is nothing like God. Nothing can be attributed to God because all things comes from God. How then can we associate others with God?

So aren’t we all in a state of transition- from this life to the next and perhaps over and over again as that is easy for God. If all diseases have its cure according to the holy Quran, then the cure for old age is indeed death. The stoics mindset has much truth in it. The love of ones fate and the remembrance of death because only in such remembrances do we acknowledge our insignificance and a realisation of humility and compassion to each other while always observing ourselves as an autonomous being capable of adaptability and self control in any situation by virtue of our mind and values. 

In prayer at KLIA2 surau during Ishak just before departure 

On the way to the airport I had the chance to know the grab driver who happens to be a young entrepreneur from Melaka. We exchanged numbers in that in the future we may be able to collaborate and build on each other’s strengths. Danish is his name and he is also from a mix parentage like me. He declared himself a workaholic- so I thought that all or most workaholics turn out to be businessmen as I have met many these past year with the same temperament and work style. Relentless. 

As I travel with my kids to China while transiting in Singapore to visit their father, I reflect on all occasions during my service as an academic and as a manager in higher education over the past decade. Whether I should continue in academia or just diversify into corporate? Of course I am acknowledging what I did wrong and how I can make it better. Some of which was arrogance in my youth, impulsiveness in my determination and impatience in my stubbornness. All of which caused ripple effects through the organisation if one was unable to change, be agile and adaptable while observing humility via feedback for improvement. I hope I have changed and am determined to make things better, inshaAllah. 

Allahulam