Pembangunan Modal Insan Siri 5

Dalam memahami aspek pembangunan modal insan di dalam Islam, amat penting untuk kita memahami aqidah dan iman. Secara khusus dari segi terminologi, pengertian aqidah boleh dirumuskan dalam ungkapan definisi berikut:

“Himpunan pernyataan-pernyataan benar yang bersifat badihi (terbukti kebenarannya tanpa perlu dibuktikan), diterima kebenarannya menerusi penggunaan akal yang waras, didengar daripada sumber wahyu dan diterima secara semulajadi oleh manusia; manusia kemudiannya menyimpulkan secara kemas di dalam hatinya, disemat secara kemas dalam jiwa raganya dalam keadaan ia memutuskan secara jazam (pasti) kesahihannya, menerima secara putus kewujudan dan penyabitannya; dia tidak berpandangan bahawa yang sebaliknya adalah sahih ataupun wujud.” – petikan dari kitab Al-Aqidah wa al-Suluk wa al-Infisam Baynahuma (Aqidah Al-Mu’min).

Sayyid Sabiq, di dalam kitabnya bertajuk “Al-Aqa’id Al-Islamiyyah”, menghuraikan pengertian aqidah atau keimanan ini berdasarkan kepercayaan terhadap enam perkara berikut:

1. Makrifat kepada Allah swt: iaitu mengetahui Allah swt dengan mengenal nama-namaNya yang mulia, sifat-sifatNya yang tinggi. Mengenal juga bukti-bukti kewujudanNya dan kenyataan sifat keagunganNya di alam semesta dan di dunia ini.
2. Makrifat kepada alam yang ada disebalik alam yang nyata ini iaitu alam yang tidak dapat dilihat, serta kekuatan kebaikan yang terdapat di dalamnya iaitu malaikat. Selain mengenal kekuatan kejahatan iaitu Iblis dan para tenteranya yang terdiri daripada syaitan. Di samping itu, mengenal makhluk lain seperti jin dan roh yang wujud di alam ini.
3. Makrifat dengan kitab-kitab Allah swt yang diturunkan sebagai batas untuk mengetahui yang haq dan batil, kebaikan dan kejahatan. halal dan haram serta baik dan buruk.
4. Makrifat dengan para Nabi Allah swt dan rasul-rasulNya yang dipilih sebagai pembimbing hidayah, juga sebagai pemimpin seluruh makhluk ke arah haq.
5. Makrifat kepada hari akhirat dan peristiwa-peristiwa seperti kebangkitan dari kubur, balasan pahala dan seksaan serta syurga dan neraka.
6. Makrifat kepada takdir atas segala peraturan di alam ini sama ada dalam penciptaan atau aturan Allah swt

Berdasarkan keterangan diatas, dapat dirumuskan bahawa pengertian aqidah menunjukkan kepada keyakinan yang mantap dan kukuh terhadap rukun iman yang enam, sebagaimana yang dinyatakan oleh Rasulullah s.a.w. dalam hadis berikut yang bermaksud:

Jibril bertanya: Khabarkan kepadaku tentang Iman. Baginda bersabda: Beriman kepada Allah swt dan para malaikatNya, kitab-kitabNya, para rasulNya, hari akhirat dan beriman kepada qadarNya yang baik dan yang buruk. Jibril berkata: Kamu benar.

Pengertian akidah ini akan membantu kita dalam memahami konsep pembangunan modal insan yang akan dibincangkan di dalam siri-siri seterusnya.

Biryani for the Soul (6): Too Much of Anything is Good For Nothing

I had the opportunity to spend about 12 days in Bangkok, Thailand last year. I was attending a course and so I booked a room in the same hotel as the course. Incidentally, the hotel was in Soi Sukhumvit 13, which was the centre of all things Biryani. Indian Restaurants serving biryani was everywhere and all of them were within walking distance.

As expected, being the avid biryani fan, I started the first day with Mutton Biryani from a restaurant. The second day was Chicken Biryani and on the third day, I had Prawn Biryani. That was the routine every day, till day five. I couldn’t.

I just couldn’t take another plate of Biryani. I couldn’t even think about Biryani. I was in Biryani Heaven, but had over dosed on Biryani!

The same applies in our life.

We strive for excellence every day and we move towards success. But in most cases, we tend to define “having more” as success. We become entrapped in this cycle, so much so that we believe that the more we have, the more successful we are. That could not be farther from the truth.

Now, do not misunderstand. I am not implying that you should have mediocre standards or stop pursuing excellence and success. Instead, I am suggesting that we should not associate “things” and material possessions as a measure of our success.

Our success should be measured based on our efforts and hard work. It should be measured based on how we have grown.

If we were to attach success to the quantity of material possessions, we will never to be able to reap the true benefits of success – our personal growth and peace.

I can have all the biryani I want in Bangkok, but too much of it is meaningless. Biryani is special because we appreciate the occasional indulgence.

Too Much of Anything is Good For Nothing – Anonymous

Similarly, appreciate and enjoy the fruits of success. Remember, success is the strategy, happiness is the goal.

Biryani for the Soul (2): Be Better Than Yesterday

We’re all different. Each of us are a statistic probability. Every event happened exactly at the right moment, the right place, the right sequence which brings us to the unique point of existence. There is no one on earth that has the exact same experience, worldview, resources or capabilities. We are different. We need to accept this.

When we accept that each of us are different, then we realize that each of us write our own version of the story. It becomes clear that some people progress faster than others and some people slower. It is not because some are slower or some are faster, it is because each are charting their own journey.

So, we need to stop comparing ourselves to other. Instead, we need to compare ourself to who we were yesterday. We need to be better than yesterday. Only then, will be progress.

Biryani for the Soul (1): They see Failures, I see Lessons

Failures and Mistakes are our teachers and masters.

When you fail, sit down and observe.

1. What mistakes did you make?
2. What mistakes did others do that caused the problem?
3. How did you respond?
4. How did others in the problem respond?
5. How can the outcome be different?
6. What can you change immediately?
7. What can you change in the midterm?
8. What can you change in the long term?

When others fail, go and talk to them.

1. What mistakes did they make?
2. How did they respond?
3. How can their outcome be different?
4. How can you improve to avoid making the same mistake?
5. Could they have avoided the mistake or failure?

Always, take the time to observe the failures. Because failures offer us an opportunity to rise and be better. It gives us an opportunity to introspect, improvise and adapt. If we allow that moment to pass without contemplation, the idiot will always repeat his mistakes.

Leadership – Inspiring and Motivating (Part 4)

Inspiring and Motivating is an essential part of leadership. A pat on the shoulder, an on-the-spot recognition, a praise on a job well done resonates deeper into the human soul. We often forget that our staff and followers are humans, that require the occasional affirmation from others. It is the quintessential feeling that allows us to work as a “pack” and function as a “society”.

In sport, when the game is tied and time out is called, the coach reminds the players what is at stake – the reward that waits for the winning team that makes the effort. This is inspiring them to reach greatness by sacrificing momentary pain and putting in the maximum effort to gain the reward later.

Another way of inspiring the team as a manager is to challenge the team members with the memory of past victories, with examples of their accomplishments, contributions and sacrifices. This helps the leader to inspire them and acknowledge their contributions at the same time. The team is motivated to surpass, not others, but themselves.

Essentially, a leader will need to enthuse, excite and encourage so that the followers believe that they can do it. Motivating and inspiring is about them, not about you. It is about their qualities. It is about instilling confidence and energy that focuses their efforts in achieving results. That is essence that will imbue the followers with ownership.

The leader needs to make the follower “own” the vision. He/She needs to inspire and motivate to an extent that followers or their team accept the vision as their own vision and strive to achieve that goal. This is how self-perpetuating motivation arises.

As people become motivated, they trust, which reinforces their abilities. This affirms their actions which, in turn, motivates them.