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Ever since I was little, ambition has always been an integral part of my life. I remember that it was once a big deal to have an ambition. By the time that you were in primary school, the adults at the time would already by then instill you with having an ambition, particularly regarding occupation.

If I’m not mistaken, the most common answer at the time would be either engineer or a doctor. If you would fast forward to this time, I have not the slightest idea what it would be, even though I myself have many more siblings that are in primary school.

Our definition of an ambition is primarily targeted toward our financial security, or perhaps, security as in general. At the time, doctors and engineers ranked first as in the blue collar hierarchy. In simple words, they are equal to being rich. I really don’t know how much truth in it, since if you work in government sector, the basic salary would be pretty much the same as other government officers. The only perks for the doctors, would be the allowances, perhaps. However, do keep in your mind that the allowances, the oncalls in particular, are not worth the pounding headache that comes with it.

For an oncall, doctors are entitled to ( I’m referring to House officers only), rm 100 per call, in which you have to work from 5pm until 8 am onward plus the working hours. Imagine working from 8am until 5pm the next day without stop. In other words, you are working from (24 hours + 8 hours )  a total of 32 hours nonstop for rm 100. or rm 110 for 24 hours (weekend calls ) ..try dividing 110/24 = rm 4.50 an hour. I don’t know whether that counts as expensive labor. Once, I’ve heard a “penceramah” lamented how lowly he was paid, in which rm 50 an hour. Here, us doctors work for rm 4.50 an hour, working in stressful environment, in which in certain circumstances would have to decide a matter of life and death. Pardon me, for my uncouth remarks.

Anyway, back to my original topic, which is ambition. So, many of us would strive hard to reach these ambition of ours. Thus, we toil ourselves in order to achieve our highly esteemed endeavours. But through our journey, some of us may discover that the ambition that we set is not really the one we should be seeking for. The ambition that we have toiled for, is in fact have been a fallacy. Life’s security, is not the end of the life’s journey. Seeking happiness for our own selves by reaping in the dunya’s pleasures is not the ultimate dream.

Our ambition is much more higher than that. Our ambition is set by the All Powerful Creator.

We have to be aware of this and make this to be realized by other people. Or else, those who do not strive in this path, will continue to be deluded by the dunya’s mirage. Inadvertently, this would lead to an unpleasant end.

If we analyze our world today, or even long time ago, for that matter, the hustle bustle of our everyday life would beckon us to indulge in the day to day matter relentlessly, not letting us to engage in a deeper thought of what is really important in our life. What more if we entice ourselves in our nafs desire? Then we would definitely be strayed from the path that has been set to us by the Almighty. Our life would be reduced to making ourselves be constantly in a state of endorphin stimulated.

However, the real world is really the Hereafter…this is only a place where we toil for the sake of the Hereafter.

“Dan orang – orang kafir dan yang mendustakan ayat – ayat Kami, maka mereka akan merasakan azab yang menghinakan.

“ dan orang – orang yang berhijrah di jalan Allah, kemudian mereka terbunuh atau mati, sungguh, Allah akan memberikan kepada mereka rezeki yang baik (syurga). Dan sesungguhnya Allah adalah pemberi rezeki yang terbaik.”

In the end, it’s either syurga or the Hellfire. There is no in between.
We may know this theoretically..but is it felt by us? Do we REALIZE it? If we ask people, I would think that almost everybody would agree to this fact. Yet the problem is, the realization or the feeling is nevertheless low among us.

Many a times, we fail to inculcate this feeling towards our youths today. The system does not allow us to spend time to instill the value. The system today would only allow us to KNOW but not to FEEL. To be EDUCATED but not to be TARBIYYAH”ed or TRAINED. To be AMBITIOUS but only for certain aspect..

Wallahu’alam…