I used to be a teacher — an English teacher. I taught in two institutions simultaneously. One of them was located in a remote area; a village in a mountain. Every trip took me approximately three hours by motorcycle to get there. Since I taught here only for three days, I had to stay at the university dormitory which was in the middle of nowhere. Literally in a jungle where I had to cross a small rocky river. Meanwhile, I spent the other three days teaching at a school in my village. …

PS: This piece is inspired by an interesting conversation I had with a friend I never met — OAQ. The subject is viewed from the Islamic angle on Stoicism.

A year of dismay and distress has successfully brought me to lose control over myself and let it get the best of me. That’s true that the weakest moments reveal what we truly believe and made of. And that’s exactly when my strength and protection were gone and self-doubts and irrational anxiety ate me up. As a Muslim, I have always tried to bounce back spiritually — yes Islamically — as…

Three years ago, one of the largest and rare ‘longest’ earthquakes rocked my hometown, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia; the moment that made me realize the fickleness of Mother Nature. The earthquake was on everyone’s minds. Even though it wasn’t something new, this catastrophe extremely increased in both frequency and intensity.

Scientists believe that such an increase is due to a combination of natural and made-made factors. Instead of focusing on the natural scientific explanation, I would rather talk about its made-made factor. Human actions, for example, contribute to the suffering and destruction of the earth. …

Lately, I somewhat understand why Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle oppose democracy. Well, not thoroughly, but they do emphasize the importance of skill required for voting and that skill to be possessed by the people a.k.a voters. What these Greek philosophers regret about the democratic system is that the voters decide their choice and make a judgment based on their intuition and feelings, whereas, in order to choose a leader, it takes not only skill but also wisdom and well understanding concerning the real issue being faced.

Since democracy is associated with the election, Socrates argues that letting the citizens vote…

Muslims are in a great number in this world. But they are disunited. The Muslim community is in a miserable condition in Kashmir, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, Myanmar including Uyghur community, etc. The Muslim world and its leadership have become irresponsible and self-centered. [1]

Islam is most strongly perceived as a threat in Europe and the USA. [2]

94% killed in the world’s conflicts are Muslim. Currently, one in every three weapons manufacture are sold to the Middle East. Instead of spending their resources on education, health, research, and developments, the Muslim point guns at each other over very…

1. The Rainbow Troops, by Andrea Hirata

1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Disclaimer: The title is inspired by the lecture of Sh. Hamza Yusuf on “The Power of Powerlessness”.

The trees are turning. The leaves are falling. The wind is piercing.

Those leaves, without any resistance and resentment, just let the wind blow them away; that life should be about acceptance, comprehension, and understanding. It does not matter in what forms the acceptance, comprehension, and understanding come, either through agony, pain, trials, or hardship, it teaches us to be able to let go and go with the flow.

No, it does not mean that we are weak. Instead, it means we can…