Love is Cinto

If somebody asked me, what had I learned in graduate school, I'd say I had learned about perspective . A pair of new glasses to see the world in different light, that is from Islamic viewpoint derived from the Qur'an & Sunnah. This might sound simple and old stuff for most of you, but for me, it turned me upside down. The religion that I had been born with did not look the same anymore. Some of you might be wondering why would I study Islamic Finance (IF) in the first place when I had no background whatsoever in Islamic thingy. It was actually a pure logical curiosity that drawn me to IF. My first encounter to IF was back in 2011-ish when I took Islamic Accounting in my undergraduate - I wanted to learn how it differed from the conventional one. Then, my interest was extended when I decided to write a bachelor thesis on Islamic banking performance in Indonesia. That was it. I had never come across to IF issues ever since. Long story short, in 2014, I started to ...

Thank you for reminding me that I shouldn't be afraid of who I am. I am a Muslim A Muslim woman who wear headscarf in daily basis. If now, my religion is targeted by misconception, I should not step back. Well, we had this struggle on the early age of its revelation. Other religions and minorities also had been through the similar type of situation. The shadow will soon shed away, Inshaa Allah. So I shall not fear. Because I have Allah, as the Protector. I study in the UK now. Soon as the Paris attack occurred, hate crime against Muslim was awaken. I am not afraid here in Durham, since it is a small lovely city. But I had this thought in mind when approaching 2016 New Year eve. There was a news about some random guy pushed a hijabi woman to railway in London's subway, and it got me caught a glimpse of fear to be in public [if I were in London] and I was like, "thank God, I live in this city" Then I think to myself, How lucky ...

“I don’t like this” Think again! Why don’t you like it? Is it because of your ego? Is it because of what Allah has said? Well, it has never been about you, me, or us. Ask again! “Does Allah like it?” That’s the question that we should pose to ourselves, because we are here, in this dunya,  to please Allah. Our task then is to vigorously learn and reflect on Allah’s Kalaam (words).  Certainly, we won’t be following the wrong thing and think of it as from Allah, right? That’s why it is important to root for reliable sources with critical thinking. Besides, Allah always challenges us to think, doesn’t He?

Satu hal yang aku pelajari dari teman dan sahabat yang saat ini sudah berumahtangga.  I know their story long before they decided to get marry. I may say, I knew a few of their problems that almost break them apart. But they made it anyway. That’s not because their couple are perfect and never make mistakes. It’s actually the other way around. They made mistakes and were forgiven. Forgive and move on. That’s the key. My friends decided that these imperfect men were perfect for them. I pray for their happiness, merciful, and blessed marriage. I don’t know if it’s only me, but I usually will use a check lists. Once they satistified the first item, they pass onto the next one. Up until all the lists are checked. Guess what? That’s never happen. No one has ever made it to the last list. They must had been fallen out in the process. Hmmm.. Now, I feel like that kind of approach is a total joke. Because the journey is never been about finding the one who can fulfill them al...

Corresponding to the last post, I am not saying that every religion is right. NO! Tolerance does not go that far.  Sure, a person would say that his/her belief is the right one. If not, why would (s)he bother to follow its teachings? Saying “all religions are true” is so diplomatic speech. Deep down, we know what we believe in and why. And sure, as a Muslim, I would strongly say that Islam is the right one. That’s my ultimate truth. That’s for me. For you? You can decide it on your own and I respect that. To me, the above paragraph shows  tolerance in my humble opinion.  Tolerance allows you to respect others’ view even when you are standing across their position. It enables you to come up and say your opinion fearlessly even when nobody agrees with you (and you do not  force  them to). The ability to  acknowledge the existing differences  without violently impose our views on others [or vice versa], and eliminating the necessity ...

I am not the type of person who enjoys crowd, party, nor spend money extravagantly. But, watching fireworks display on the US Independence Day was just exceptional. I remember it was summer 2012 when I and my fellow USIPPers walked down to DC for Fourth of July celebration. There is a certain optimism in the air when the giant fireworks sparked and got closer to us. They touched us personally, somehow. I didn’t know if this was even possible (haha!). My eyes widened as my heart filled up with joy. I was there. We were there, people from all races, genders, and faiths. But, we still shared something in common: enjoying the same beauty and peace. Somehow, the display gave us hope amidst whatever difficult situation the people or the country were facing. Aku masih inget banget. Macem orang Indonesia pada umumnya, ketika kita menyaksikan sesuatu yang asik di negara lain , we just can’t help but to compare it with what would had happened if we were in Indonesia. There must have...

For these last couple of days, I basically bombarder my posts by linking Mr. Nouman Ali Khan’s videos. Haha just can’t help it because I find it interesting, intriguing, and responding to my queries this whole time. Often, I feel like it directly answering my questions or discussions I had recently with a friend. I would not say that I completely agree with him in every matters, but mostly I do. He tried to explain issues in a rationale and fair manner without putting rationality as the ultimate truth (you know what I mean?), unlike prescriptive khutbah (sermon) that I used to listen when I was a kid. Honestly, that kind of prescriptive speech, I would say, also contributed to the distance I had been taking from learning Islam. It simply didn’t satisfy me. IMHO, we need to transform our learning process into more participatory, treat kids as an active learner, and avoid taqlid (follow things unquestionably). I believe Allah’s messages in the Qur’an are not for nothing, they must...