Rilek1Corner

Tag: prayer

  • Dispatch Rider, 23, Plies The Roads With A Prayer And A Dream

    Dispatch Rider, 23, Plies The Roads With A Prayer And A Dream

    Friends of Mr Fitri Ismail used to tease him for being a delivery boy.

    “Last time, they liked to disturb me. They’d say, ‘See, I work in a cafe and I (am) already a manager but you are still doing deliveries’,” said the 23-year-old.

    But Mr Ismail is having the last laugh – for now, at least.

    For the past year, he has been pulling in $3,000 to $4,000 a month as a Deliveroo delivery rider, more than what some of his peers earn in their office or F&B jobs.

    “It’s funny to see those friends who used to poke fun at me now joining as dispatch riders too,” said Mr Ismail, who used to earn $1,200 as a pizza deliveryman after Central Provident Fund (CPF) deductions of about $400.

    Besides the good take-home pay, Mr Ismail enjoys his job’s flexible hours, which allow him to time his days off with his father’s medical appointments.

    But the gig economy job comes with the downsides that many have warned about.

    As a freelancer, Mr Ismail does not get the benefits that an employee has. There are no employer’s CPF contribution, medical benefits, paid annual leave or work injury compensation.

    “My mum worries about me not having funds in my CPF so I give her about $200 every month to top up my account and earn the interest there,” said Mr Ismail.

    He has a total of $4,000 in his CPF account now – which he knows will not go far for needs such as buying a flat or medical costs.

    So, he tries to make sure he squirrels away $1,800 a month as savings. Currently, he has about $10,000 in the bank.

    He wants to put aside $150,000 by the time he hits his 40s. Then, he hopes, he can quit being a dispatch rider and start his own F&B and delivery business with friends.

    “I only have a certificate from ITE so it’s hard to find other jobs. I tried applying to be a gym instructor, front-line police officer and technician but was rejected,” he said.

    Mr Ismail is one of 200,000 freelancers in Singapore, a group of workers that is expected to grow as the gig economy gains traction.

    While it has meant better take- home pay for some such as Mr Ismail, the Government and economists alike worry about their long- term financial health.

    Another concern is the fact that the job is physically demanding and can be risky.

    Mr Ismail plies the roads from 11.15am to 11.15pm, four or five days a week. He pushes himself to make two to three deliveries an hour in the Orchard area where he is based. That brings his hourly wage to an average of about $21. On top of his $8.50 an hour pay, he earns $4 on weekdays and $6 on weekends for every delivery.

    He has made up to 40 deliveries a day – a record among Deliveroo riders, according to Mr Ismail.

    His own biggest worry is getting injured in an accident on the road. So far, he has only had one minor run-in with a speeding car, which dented the back of his red and black Honda Wave motorbike.

    He knows that having a body fit enough for work is his only financial bulwark for now. Every day, as he straddles his vehicle and revs up its engine, he spends an extra five seconds mumbling a silent prayer.

    “God, please protect me on the roads and let me live another day.”

     

    Rilek1Corner

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Pioneer Leader Othman Wok Gets Special Mention During Friday Prayers At Mosques

    Pioneer Leader Othman Wok Gets Special Mention During Friday Prayers At Mosques

    The late pioneer Cabinet minister Othman Wok was remembered by Muslims at prayers on Friday (April 21) in mosques across the island.

    Mr Othman, who died on Monday (April 17) at the age of 92, received special mention in the second sermon for his contributions to racial harmony in Singapore.

    “Racial harmony does not come easy. It requires courage, countless sacrifices, and careful planning from various individuals and community leaders. Among those who have significantly contributed to the growth and development of this nation is the late Mr Othman Wok,” the sermon said.

    “His efforts in spearheading the development of multiracial policies have established Singapore as a successful pluralistic society.”

    Mr Othman was the first Malay Cabinet minister in independent Singapore and was committed to multiracialism, despite intense pressure from Malay supremacists in the 1960s.

    In the sermon, which was prepared by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) to be delivered by imams at all 71 mosques in Singapore, worshippers were reminded of their role in preserving the peace that Mr Othman worked to build.

    “Maintaining peace and harmony is especially crucial for a country with a multiracial society like Singapore. As such, it is imperative that we continue playing our roles in ensuring the preservation of peace and harmony that we have so enjoyed thus far,” the sermon said.

    The racial riots of the 1960s are a reminder of the importance of socio-religious harmony, and maintaining this is a shared national responsibility, not just that of the country’s leaders, the sermon also said.

    “We need to ensure that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy the peace and harmony that we have so inherited… May the efforts of the late Mr Othman Wok spark interest in our hearts and the future generations to contribute to the betterment of our state and religion,” it added.

    Mr Othman received a state-assisted funeral, and was buried at Choa Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery on Tuesday. A memorial service was held in his honour on Wednesday at Victoria Concert Hall.

     

    Rilek1Corner

    Source: http://www.straitstimes.com

  • Islamic Prayer Practice Can Cut Lower Back Pain, Boost Elasticity In Joints

    Islamic Prayer Practice Can Cut Lower Back Pain, Boost Elasticity In Joints

    If done properly, Muslim prayer ritual can reduce lower back pain, say researchers.

    The complex physical movements of the Muslim prayer ritual can reduce lower back pain if performed regularly and properly, claims a recent research.

    The paper was published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

    Five times a day, roughly 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide, bow, kneel, and place their foreheads to the ground in the direction of the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as part of the Islamic prayer ritual, the Salat.

    The ritual is one of the five obligatory elements of the faith set forth by the holy book, the Qur’an.

    “One way to think about the movements is that they are similar to those of yoga or physical therapy intervention exercises used to treat low back pain,” said Professor and Systems Science and Industrial Engineering Department Chair Mohammad Khasawneh, who is one of the authors of “An ergonomic study of body motions during Muslim prayer using digital human modelling.”

    While the research focused specifically on Islamic prayer practices, similar movements are also found in Christian and Jewish prayer rituals along with yoga and physical therapy.

    Working with Khasawneh, an interfaith team of Assistant Professor Faisal Aqlan from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Penn State Behrend, Assistant Professor Abdulaziz Ahmed from the Business Department at the University of Minnesota Crookston, and Performance Improvement Consultant Wen Cao from the Department of Operational Performance Improvement at the Peninsula Regional Medical Center were all co-authors of the paper.

    All three are alumni of the Industrial and Systems Engineering doctoral program at Binghamton University.

    “Physical health is influenced by socio-economic, lifestyle and religious factors. Moreover, studies indicate that there is a strong association between prayer and vigilance about maintaining a physically healthy lifestyle,” said Khasawneh. “Prayer can eliminate physical stress and anxiety, while there is also research that indicates prayer rituals can be considered an effective clinical treatment of neuro-musculoskeletal dysfunction.”

    Researchers analysed statistics based on the movements of computer-generated digital human models of healthy Indian, Asian, and American men and women, and models with lower back pain.

    The group found that the bowing portion is the most stressful on the lower back, but for individuals with low back pain, using proper knee and back angles during the ritual can reduce pain. The angles are based on individual body shapes.

    “The maximum compression forces created during prayer postures is much lower than National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) safety limits, and the movements can be safely considered a clinical treatment for low back pain, as it requires different movements of the human body on a regular basis,” Khasawneh said. “Based on the pain level, a combination of back and knee angles can be identified.”

    For those with back pain, maintaining exact prayer postures may not be possible. According to Islamic traditions and practices, if individuals cannot stand, they are allowed to pray seated or laying. If they are able to stand, they should maintain correct postures as much as they can.

    “The kneeling posture (sujud) increases the elasticity of joints. It is recommended for these individuals to spend more time in the kneeling posture,” Khasawneh said.

    According to the research team, using incorrect angles and movements can increase pain. The team also suggested that further study is needed for physically handicapped individuals, those with more extreme body types and women — especially pregnant women — to find the best movements for these groups. The group plans to further validate the findings with physical experiments using sensors and cameras to track the stresses on the individual body parts during the prayer ritual.

     

    Source: HindustanTimes

  • Ruang Bersolat Yang Selesa Di Atas Kapal Terbang Saudi Airline

    Ruang Bersolat Yang Selesa Di Atas Kapal Terbang Saudi Airline

    Sоlаt ialah tіаng аgаmа dаn ѕеоrаng Muѕlіm wajib mеnunаіkаn solat mengikut wаktu-wаktu уаng tеlаh dіtеtарkаn.

    Bagi mеrеkа yang mеmрunуаі реngаlаmаn bеrѕоlаt dі dalam mаnа-mаnа реѕаwаt, раѕtіnуа anda tahu bеtара tіdаk ѕеlеѕаnуа untuk bersolat dі tempat duduk anda berbanding dengan solat dі аtаѕ lantai.

    Sеlаіn dаrіраdа іtu, mаѕаlаh untuk bеrwuduk dі mana kеdudukаn ѕіnkі уаng tinggi dаrі lantai раѕtіnуа mengehadkan pergerakan kаkі аndа di dаlаm ruangan tandas pesawat уаng kесіl dаn tіdаk lupa juga dеngаn arah kiblat уаng kebanyakkannya tіdаk diberitahu ѕеmаѕа аndа menaiki mana-mana pesawat ѕеbеlum іnі.

    Tetapi ѕеkіrаnуа аndа mеnаіkі реѕаwаt mіlіk ѕуаrіkаt penerbangan Sаudі Aіrlіnеѕ dаn Irаn Aіr, tеrdараt ruang ѕоlаt уаng ѕеlеѕа dіѕеdіаkаn dі dаlаm реѕаwаt untuk реrjаlаnаn jarak jаuh.

    Ruangan ѕоlаt уаng terletak di ruangan kаbіn ekonomi іnі lеngkар dеngаn реnunjuk аrаh kіblаt уаng dірараrkаn pada skrin LCD уаng dipasang раdа dinding di ruang іnі.

    Sеlаіn dаrіраdа іtu, ѕуаrіkаt реnеrbаngаn Sаudі Airlines juga tіdаk mеnghіdаngkаn minuman kеrаѕ dаn daging babi dі dalam mana-mana pesawat mеrеkа dаn mereka juga tidak mеngаmbіl wаnіtа berwarganegara Arаb Saudi untuk bertugas ѕеbаgаі рrаmugаrі tetapi ѕеbаlіknуа mеrеkа mеngаmbіl wanita-wanita уаng bеrаѕаl daripada nеgаrа-nеgаrа lаіn ѕереrtі  Pаkіѕtаn, Filipina, Albаnіа dаn Bоѕnіа untuk bekerja ѕеbаgаі kru реnеrbаngаn mеrеkа.

     

     

    Source: ohmymedia

  • Cef Bob: Do Not Be Racist, Instead, Educate And Enlighten Others

    Cef Bob: Do Not Be Racist, Instead, Educate And Enlighten Others

    The mid day prayer time was about to end and I quickly took my wudhu at T2’s airport toilet this afternoon and was rinsing my feet at the sink when the cleaner, a PRC, gestured me to not do that. Wait ah people. Hold on to your horses. Before the word PRC starts to tingle your inner racism, please read on.

    All this while he was smiling, doing signs that the sink is for washing hands and faces not your stinking feet. Ok the last part was from me. ?. Granted. He was right but I still went on with it as I was about to finish. I apologised “Tui Pu Chi ah pong yu”. (Sorry my friend)
    And tried to tell him I need to do this as it’s obligatory before I pray. To somewhat educate and let him intergrate into our multiracial and multi religious society. But knowing little mandarin I don’t know how I could relay my message.

    After saying “Tui Pu Chi” I told him “Wo de kowtow lau pan” which literally means I bow big boss man whilst doing the praying motion. He stopped everything he was doing and immediately apologize profusely. Which I replied “mei shi” (it doesn’t matter) and we bid our goodbyes and I went on to pray lah.

    So my closet racist friends, (yes I know quite a handful of them), treat everyone with respect. Don’t yaya papaya ask them to learn English if you encounter with them refusing to speak the universal language. Now no excuses not to communicate with ease. Use google translator. No need to sulk. Suprise them. Be the bigger person. And earn akhirat points abundantly, In Shaa Allah. ?

    Quran 49:13
    O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.

     

    Source: Shahrizal Salleh