Never too late , START NOW !

It's never late to start something. 

These past few weeks , I've been getting involved in various course leading to the issue of volunteering. Last week I attended The Malaysian Initiative on behalf of the IKRAM UK-Eire, and I've been telling everyone how beneficial the forums were. 

Which some may say on the surface of the event , it will be a little bit bias on political stand , which I may admit to that for the first forum concerning political literacy , but all in all its really a beneficial one and I concluded it to be beneficial and interesting because I am wide awake for all the sessions , mind it was Saturday and the event took place from 8.00 am till 6.00 pm ( since I had meetings with other student leaders as well ). 

I am perhaps drawn towards the economics discussion because the questions are indeed provocative and when we talked about figures being the evidence of the discussion , you certainly need to be transparent on the answers , as we draw logics between both figures and policies in general. 

However when we had this qodhoya session in our usrah last week, its a session to update what's going on with your life and important notes to share with the rest of the group, I remembered how my other usrahmate was prone towards the Volunteering is Universal , and I had my second thoughts on reviewing the second slot to be as interesting as the economics discussion. 

But since I was in the middle of preparing myself to moderate the forum for Seminar For Muslim Women (SEMAWAR) last weekend , I barely thought of writing things happening in TMI in proper notes. 

The session with Dr Fauziah Hassan and Sister Ameena Blake were amusing. Alhamdulillah indeed Allah is behind all the affairs and He eased it all the way through alhamdulillah

SEMINAR FOR MUSLIM WOMEN - SEMAWAR -  Birmingham March 2017 

For you who don't know who is Dr Fauziah , she is one of the delegate for Women Boat to Gaza last year ( correct me if I am wrong ) at she went to the mission at the age of 59/60 , nearly 6 decades of her age. Incredible woman indeed. While Sister Ameena Blake, who reverted at the age of 17 which is so so young. Thinking how mischievous my life was at the age of 17 , knowing someone reverted at such a young age is something amusing indeed. 

Long story cut short , 

The essence of the discussion is about unleashing your potentials and making a difference , which talked about doing charity and how it may affect you and your surrounding. 

I remembered my first 'formal' volunteering experience was Kalsom , I did some volunteering in the past during school days even tutoring in Tambak Paya during my first summer holiday back in 2015. Truthfully the reason why I applied for Kalsom , is for the resume wise and apparently everyone else at my age are getting involved with such camps , so I wanted to try it myself. But since I know the applicants are very high in numbers , I never thought that I will get the facilitator position. 

All these while working under IKRAM programs , especially at my Wales and South West region , I am used to work with all girls #girlspowereceh and it will be about the religion and related motions. But Kalsom and Seeds of Deeds Camp were really an eye opener. I saw many great people whom I admired from far. Trust me I was usually a person with high confidence but that's not what happened when I was volunteering for Kalsom , I am much better in Seeds of Deeds I guess. 

Little that I know , I gained so much confidence and learnt a lot from the camp especially the usage of English in my daily life. ( very true ) ( I'm still struggling with the grammars , mind me ) 

But that's not what I am trying to write about here. ( I babbled too much I know , sorry ) 

After hearing to wonderful experience of two distinguished speakers during SEMAWAR coupled with my memories hearing to Volunteering is Universal during TMI , 

I know that its never too late to start  doing something in your life , particularly volunteering or doing charity . And the reasons you're doing it at first might be driven by the fact that you want to add values in your resume. 

I was taken aback when they said 'Your volunteering will be a one-off volunteering if its only for resume reason'

Never mind , its okay 

whatever reason beneath the reason why you start , you'll figure things out. As you go along the way , hopefully getting older and wiser, you started to realize that volunteering is actually addictive , your original intention of getting your resume attractive will start to disappear , and you're doing it because you enjoy doing it.

Not to mention a hadith uttered by Rasulullah saw 

Every soul must do charity every day when sun rises. 

And quoting the a chanting mantra by Syed Hadi , the Kalsom Movement 22nd president. 

If not now , when. If not us , who? 

And the fact that seeing someone at the old age were really keen to get involved with this Palestinian cause , I know that it is never too late to start .

This brings me back to a topic discussed during my first Perhimpunan Musim Sejuk in 2014 , 

about ' Peranan  Pemuda'  : THE ROLE OF YOUTH. 

And I remembered the story about Abu Ayyub Al Ansari , who followed the troops to set Constantinople free from the Romans / Byzantine Empire. He was really old that time but he was driven by the hadith uttered by Rasulullah saw during Khandak Battle ( the famous trench dug ) 

' Constantinople , satu hari akan dibuka oleh sebaik baik raja dan sebaik baik tentera' 

So Abu Ayyub Al Ansari heard that it and wanted to be the one who Rasulullah mentioned in that hadith. Note that Khandak Battle happened thousand/hundred years before the Fall of Constantinople , even by the time Rasulullah said that hadith , Roman empire was a big empire at that time and it seems that what Rasulullah said was something nearly impossible. How can even that be true. But because those words come from the very dear messenger of Allah , the Al-Amin , this Abu Ayyub Al Ansari was determined to follow the troops.

He's old , and by the definition of 'normal youth' according to the political discussion , maximum age is 40 years old , but this Sir Ayyub is said to be nearing 100 or more. But what he had is the quality of youth he possessed  in his soul , his determination is what lacking in today's youth. This story of Sir Ayyub will forever be kept inside my heart . 

After the hadith uttered and known by the companions , many troops were sent to defeat the Byzantine power, but none were successful ( including the troops Sir Ayyub followed ) until the glorious and success by Sultan Muhamad Al Fateh and the gang. 

One famous history about Sir Ayyub is that he asked to be buried near the strong wall of Constantinople , so he can hear the steps of the troops defeating that big power. 

But when I went there, knowing that his grave is not even close with the wall , but his determination and owning a soul of youth , are indeed admirable. 

Highlight of the story : 

You can be a youth whatever age you're at , but if you happened to read this at a very young age, use your power , your strength , your time to contribute back to the society. 

As we're talking about charity : some may say that smile is charity , so we just need to smile and that suffice. But I solemnly believe that we can do more than just smile aren't we?

Never too late. 

START NOW !