Have u ever missed someone and felt terrible
because u think that he/she doesn't miss u?
Missing someone is a terrible
but at the same time, sweet feeling.
U will be sitting around wondering
if u meant anything to him/her.
Thinking if he/she ever cares about u.
Laying on your bed,
thinking of the last time u were out together.
Logging on to the internet
hoping to see him/her online.
When u realise that he/she isn't online
and did not return your page,
u will start worrying if he/she is okay.
Missing someone is a way of growing up i guess.
It exposes u to loneliness.
It teaches u how to cope with being lonely
and let u know that there is actually a feeling known as emptiness.
Sometimes it feels good to miss someone.
U know that u really care
and u indulge in the feeling of loving/caring for him/her.
But missing someone and not knowing
if he/she is feeling the same is terrible.
U feel as if u are being left alone.
So if u miss someone, tell him/her and let them know.
At the same time, ask if they miss u.
Don't let the feeling of missing someone become jealousy or paranoia.
If u are the one being missed and u know it,
let the other party know.
If u miss him/her too, tell them!
Sunday 20 July 2008
Saturday 19 July 2008
SINAR CAHAYA AYAT KURSI
Sinar cahaya ayat KURSI
Message: hikmah ayat kursi & 7 point yg hrs diingat
SINAR CAHAYA AYAT KURSI
Dlm sebuah hadis, ada menyebut perihal
seekor syaitan yg duduk diatas pintu rumah.
Tugasnya ialah utk menanam keraguan di
hati suami terhadap kesetiaan isteri di rumah dan
keraguan dihati isteri terhadap kejujuran
suami di luar rumah.
Sebab itulah Rasulullah tidak akan masuk
rumah sehinggalah Baginda mendengar jawaban
salam daripada isterinya.
Disaat itu syaitan akan lari bersama-sama
dengan salam itu.
Hikmat Ayat Al-Kursi mengikut Hadis-hadis:
1) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi
apabila berbaring di tempat tidurnya, Allah SWT
mewakilkan dua orang Malaikat memeliharanya
hingga subuh.
2) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi di
akhir setiap sembahyang Fardhu, dia akan berada
dlm lindungan Allah SWT hingga sembahyang
yang lain.
3) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi di
akhir tiap sembahyang,tidak menegah akan dia
daripada masuk syurga kecuali maut dan barang
siapa membacanya ketika hendak tidur, Allah
SWT memelihara akan dia ke atas rumahnya,
rumah jirannya dan ahli rumah-rumah disekitarnya.
4) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi di
akhir tiap2 sembahyang fardhu, Allah SWT
menganugerahkan dia setiap hati orang
yg bersyukur,setiap perbuatan orang yg
benar,pahala nabi2 serta Allah melimpahkan
padanya rahmat.
5) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi
sebelum keluar rumahnya, maka Allah SWT
mengutuskan
70,000 Malaikat kepadanya - mereka semua
memohon keampunan dan mendoakan
baginya.
6) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi di
akhir sembahyang Allah SWT akan mengendalikan
pengambilan rohnya dan dia adalah seperti
orang yang berperang bersama Nabi Allah
sehingga mati
syahid.
7) Barang siapa yang membaca ayat Al-Kursi
ketika dalam kesempitan nescaya Allah SWT
berkenan memberi pertolongan kepadanya.
Dari Abdullah bin 'Amr r.a., Rasulullah S.A.W.
bersabda,Sampaikanlah pesanku biarpun
satu ayat..."
Wassalam,
"Utamakan SELAMAT dan SEHAT untuk Dunia Mu, Utamakan SHOLAT dan ZAKAT untuk Akhirat Mu"
-------------------------------------------------
>> Subhanallah...
Tujuh kalimat
Sabda Rasulullah S.A.W
" Barang siapa hafal tujuh kalimat, ia
terpandang mulia di sisi Allah dan Malaikat serta
diampuni dosa-dosanya walau sebanyak busa/buih laut "
1. Mengucap Bismillah pada tiap-tiap hendak melakukan sesuatu.
2. Mengucap Alhamdulillah pada tiap-tiap selesai
melakukan sesuatu.
3. Mengucap Astagfirullah jika lidah tersilap
perkataan yang tidak patut
4. Mengucap Insya Allah jika merencanakan
berbuat sesuatu di hari esok.
5. Mengucap La haula wala kuwwata illa
billah jika menghadapi sesuatu tak disukai dan tak
diingini.
6. Mengucap inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun
jika menghadapi dan menerima musibah.
7. Mengucap La ilaha illa Allah Muhammad Rasulullah sepanjang siang malam sehingga tak terpisah dari lidahnya dari tafsir hanafi, mudah-mudahan ingat, walau lambat-lambat mudah-mudahan selalu, walau sambil lalu mudah-
mudahan jadi bisa, karena sudah biasa!
Message: hikmah ayat kursi & 7 point yg hrs diingat
SINAR CAHAYA AYAT KURSI
Dlm sebuah hadis, ada menyebut perihal
seekor syaitan yg duduk diatas pintu rumah.
Tugasnya ialah utk menanam keraguan di
hati suami terhadap kesetiaan isteri di rumah dan
keraguan dihati isteri terhadap kejujuran
suami di luar rumah.
Sebab itulah Rasulullah tidak akan masuk
rumah sehinggalah Baginda mendengar jawaban
salam daripada isterinya.
Disaat itu syaitan akan lari bersama-sama
dengan salam itu.
Hikmat Ayat Al-Kursi mengikut Hadis-hadis:
1) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi
apabila berbaring di tempat tidurnya, Allah SWT
mewakilkan dua orang Malaikat memeliharanya
hingga subuh.
2) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi di
akhir setiap sembahyang Fardhu, dia akan berada
dlm lindungan Allah SWT hingga sembahyang
yang lain.
3) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi di
akhir tiap sembahyang,tidak menegah akan dia
daripada masuk syurga kecuali maut dan barang
siapa membacanya ketika hendak tidur, Allah
SWT memelihara akan dia ke atas rumahnya,
rumah jirannya dan ahli rumah-rumah disekitarnya.
4) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi di
akhir tiap2 sembahyang fardhu, Allah SWT
menganugerahkan dia setiap hati orang
yg bersyukur,setiap perbuatan orang yg
benar,pahala nabi2 serta Allah melimpahkan
padanya rahmat.
5) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi
sebelum keluar rumahnya, maka Allah SWT
mengutuskan
70,000 Malaikat kepadanya - mereka semua
memohon keampunan dan mendoakan
baginya.
6) Barang siapa membaca ayat Al-Kursi di
akhir sembahyang Allah SWT akan mengendalikan
pengambilan rohnya dan dia adalah seperti
orang yang berperang bersama Nabi Allah
sehingga mati
syahid.
7) Barang siapa yang membaca ayat Al-Kursi
ketika dalam kesempitan nescaya Allah SWT
berkenan memberi pertolongan kepadanya.
Dari Abdullah bin 'Amr r.a., Rasulullah S.A.W.
bersabda,Sampaikanlah pesanku biarpun
satu ayat..."
Wassalam,
"Utamakan SELAMAT dan SEHAT untuk Dunia Mu, Utamakan SHOLAT dan ZAKAT untuk Akhirat Mu"
-------------------------------------------------
>> Subhanallah...
Tujuh kalimat
Sabda Rasulullah S.A.W
" Barang siapa hafal tujuh kalimat, ia
terpandang mulia di sisi Allah dan Malaikat serta
diampuni dosa-dosanya walau sebanyak busa/buih laut "
1. Mengucap Bismillah pada tiap-tiap hendak melakukan sesuatu.
2. Mengucap Alhamdulillah pada tiap-tiap selesai
melakukan sesuatu.
3. Mengucap Astagfirullah jika lidah tersilap
perkataan yang tidak patut
4. Mengucap Insya Allah jika merencanakan
berbuat sesuatu di hari esok.
5. Mengucap La haula wala kuwwata illa
billah jika menghadapi sesuatu tak disukai dan tak
diingini.
6. Mengucap inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun
jika menghadapi dan menerima musibah.
7. Mengucap La ilaha illa Allah Muhammad Rasulullah sepanjang siang malam sehingga tak terpisah dari lidahnya dari tafsir hanafi, mudah-mudahan ingat, walau lambat-lambat mudah-mudahan selalu, walau sambil lalu mudah-
mudahan jadi bisa, karena sudah biasa!
AL QUR'AN
The Qur'an (in Anglicized form: Koran ) is certainly the greatest literary work in classical Arabic and for all Muslims stands as the definitive word of God (in Arabic: Allah ) spoken to the prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. When reading the Qur'an , you should realize that, for all Muslims, the text you are reading is quite literally the voice of God; because the Qur'an is the direct speech of God in Arabic, translation of the work is seen as blasphemy, as an unforgivable tampering with God's own speech. Nevertheless, the Qur'an has been translated into Turkish and Farsi (the language of Iran) in this century and is recited in these languages in religious services in Turkey and Iran. The Muslim community tolerates this but just barely. For all practical purposes, to be Muslim, then, means almost universally to be able to read and understand classical Arabic, despite what one's native language is.
The recitation began one night in the year 610 A.D., when Muhammad, born in Medina in 570, was asleep in Ramadan; a voice from heaven called out to him with the command, "Recite! Recite! Recite!" The angel recited three verses to him and when he awoke he had these verses, as he said, inscribed in his heart. From that point on, Muhammad believed himself to be a prophet and messenger of God, the last in a line of seven prophets (beginning with Abraham and ending with Jesus Christ, who was prophet number six) and responsible for inscribing the last and most important of God's direct messages to the world, the Arabic Recitation, which is the full name of the work. The people of God, that is, the Jews and the Christians, were going astray; the purpose of the Arabic Recitation was to restore God's faithful to the proper path. At different times in Muhammed's life the recitations would come to him; he would then repeat what he had heard and these would be memorized by certain people trained in remembering verses; some of these verses were written down on whatever was at hand. All these writings were collected in the caliphate of 'Uthman and the canonical text was established around 650 A.D. The writings were collected into a group of surah's and ordered according to length (each surah is meant to be a single recitation), though all Muslims also know the chronological or der of the recitations.
The Qur'an is organized into separate chapters called surahs. The order of the surahs, however, does not reflect the chronological order of the Quranic verses, nor does the surah structure reflect the nature of the original Quranic revelation. During his lifetime, Muhammad would have individual verses revealed to him; these revelations occurred unexpectedly and in surprising places. Typically, revelation would put Muhammad in a trance-like state. He, and others, would memorize the revealed verses and, under the guidance of Gabriel, Muhammad organized these verses into the existing surahs. The intervention of Gabriel in ordering the various verses in Islamic history is meant to guarantee not only the sanctity of the individual verses, but the religious validity of the organization of these verses in the Qur'an .
The Qur'an was an oral text throughout the lifetime of Muhammad; it was also a fluid text. The complete text resided only in the memories of Muahmmad and his followers. As he added verses and reorganized the text, his followers would rememorize the text in the light of the additions or edits. This means that the Qur'an was a living text during the lifetime of Muhammad. Certain verses revealed to Muhammad were later repudiated by him as "satanic" verses revealed not by Gabriel but by Satan. These verses were expunged from the text that so many had memorized.
After the death of Muhammad, the text of the Qur'an was written down in the caliphate of Abu Bakr. Until 'Uthman, one and only one written text existed. For over a decade after the death of Muhammad, the Qur'an remained primarily an oral text in the memories of the faithful. In Islamic accounts of the history of the Qur'an , this oral text was entirely faithful to the original verses—this is entirely possible, but Western historians generally agree that some corruptions must have produced slight variations throughout the Islamic world. Nevertheless, the military expansion of Islam led to two direct consequences concerning the integrity of the Quranic text. First, large numbers of the faithful were dying out in the various military expeditions. Each time someone died who had the Quranic text memorized, that meant that one copy of the Qur'an disappeared forever. Second, the expansion of Islam swelled the ranks of the faithful. Many of these new converts spoke other langagues and the original Arabic of the Qur'an began to corrupt. Faced with these two threats to the integrity of the Qur'an , 'Uthman orderd a rescension of the text to be made and to serve as the definitive written version of the text. A rescension is a version of a text that is assembled from all the variant versions of that text. 'Uthman, however, relied on two sources: the written text that had been ordered by Abu Bakr and that still existed, and the various oral texts of Muslims who memorized it during the lifetime of Muhammad. In Islamic history, there is no variation between these two sources, so the Uthmanic "rescension" is largely a codifying of a single version of a text. This version, the 'Uthmanic rescension, is the version of the Qur'an that has remained, unchanged, the central holy text of Islam.
The Qur'an has one overriding theme, endlessly repeated and elaborated throughout the text: complete submission (in Arabic: islam ; muslim means "one who submits") to the word and the will of God, who is one God and the only God. The God of Islam is both a stern judge and endlessly forgiving; obedience to God wipes away all transgression. This submission, however, must be fully and rationally given; faith (iman ) is a rational consent to the truth of the word of God. Therefore, much of the Qu'ran concerns the word of God and how it is received and believed, or not received and believed as the case may be. As you read the text, try to identify the central ethical and religious principles. How are people supposed to behave towards one another? How is the human world divided? What human activities indicate faith? What is the role of mercy? What is the role of violence? What theory of history seems to animate this account? Why do people choose not to believe the prophets from Allah? In particular, the "theme" of this surah is the nature of Allah's "signs"? What are these signs? What guarantees their truth? Why are they called "manifest"? Why do they not convince the unbelievers?
You may find the text a bit disorganized and repetitious; the compositional principle of the Qur'an is called in Arabic, haqqiqah , or "formless essence." This is understood to mean that the various commands, injunctions, and accounts of God take on their fullest meaning by being repeated in several different combinations. This compositional principle becomes an artistic principle in Islamic art and architecture.
Your text is taken from The Qur'an , translated by E. H. Palmer (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1880). This text has been updated to more colloquial English by me. I'm only a beginner with Arabic, so the text has been updated in part by consulting other English translations.
(Richard Hooker)
The recitation began one night in the year 610 A.D., when Muhammad, born in Medina in 570, was asleep in Ramadan; a voice from heaven called out to him with the command, "Recite! Recite! Recite!" The angel recited three verses to him and when he awoke he had these verses, as he said, inscribed in his heart. From that point on, Muhammad believed himself to be a prophet and messenger of God, the last in a line of seven prophets (beginning with Abraham and ending with Jesus Christ, who was prophet number six) and responsible for inscribing the last and most important of God's direct messages to the world, the Arabic Recitation, which is the full name of the work. The people of God, that is, the Jews and the Christians, were going astray; the purpose of the Arabic Recitation was to restore God's faithful to the proper path. At different times in Muhammed's life the recitations would come to him; he would then repeat what he had heard and these would be memorized by certain people trained in remembering verses; some of these verses were written down on whatever was at hand. All these writings were collected in the caliphate of 'Uthman and the canonical text was established around 650 A.D. The writings were collected into a group of surah's and ordered according to length (each surah is meant to be a single recitation), though all Muslims also know the chronological or der of the recitations.
The Qur'an is organized into separate chapters called surahs. The order of the surahs, however, does not reflect the chronological order of the Quranic verses, nor does the surah structure reflect the nature of the original Quranic revelation. During his lifetime, Muhammad would have individual verses revealed to him; these revelations occurred unexpectedly and in surprising places. Typically, revelation would put Muhammad in a trance-like state. He, and others, would memorize the revealed verses and, under the guidance of Gabriel, Muhammad organized these verses into the existing surahs. The intervention of Gabriel in ordering the various verses in Islamic history is meant to guarantee not only the sanctity of the individual verses, but the religious validity of the organization of these verses in the Qur'an .
The Qur'an was an oral text throughout the lifetime of Muhammad; it was also a fluid text. The complete text resided only in the memories of Muahmmad and his followers. As he added verses and reorganized the text, his followers would rememorize the text in the light of the additions or edits. This means that the Qur'an was a living text during the lifetime of Muhammad. Certain verses revealed to Muhammad were later repudiated by him as "satanic" verses revealed not by Gabriel but by Satan. These verses were expunged from the text that so many had memorized.
After the death of Muhammad, the text of the Qur'an was written down in the caliphate of Abu Bakr. Until 'Uthman, one and only one written text existed. For over a decade after the death of Muhammad, the Qur'an remained primarily an oral text in the memories of the faithful. In Islamic accounts of the history of the Qur'an , this oral text was entirely faithful to the original verses—this is entirely possible, but Western historians generally agree that some corruptions must have produced slight variations throughout the Islamic world. Nevertheless, the military expansion of Islam led to two direct consequences concerning the integrity of the Quranic text. First, large numbers of the faithful were dying out in the various military expeditions. Each time someone died who had the Quranic text memorized, that meant that one copy of the Qur'an disappeared forever. Second, the expansion of Islam swelled the ranks of the faithful. Many of these new converts spoke other langagues and the original Arabic of the Qur'an began to corrupt. Faced with these two threats to the integrity of the Qur'an , 'Uthman orderd a rescension of the text to be made and to serve as the definitive written version of the text. A rescension is a version of a text that is assembled from all the variant versions of that text. 'Uthman, however, relied on two sources: the written text that had been ordered by Abu Bakr and that still existed, and the various oral texts of Muslims who memorized it during the lifetime of Muhammad. In Islamic history, there is no variation between these two sources, so the Uthmanic "rescension" is largely a codifying of a single version of a text. This version, the 'Uthmanic rescension, is the version of the Qur'an that has remained, unchanged, the central holy text of Islam.
The Qur'an has one overriding theme, endlessly repeated and elaborated throughout the text: complete submission (in Arabic: islam ; muslim means "one who submits") to the word and the will of God, who is one God and the only God. The God of Islam is both a stern judge and endlessly forgiving; obedience to God wipes away all transgression. This submission, however, must be fully and rationally given; faith (iman ) is a rational consent to the truth of the word of God. Therefore, much of the Qu'ran concerns the word of God and how it is received and believed, or not received and believed as the case may be. As you read the text, try to identify the central ethical and religious principles. How are people supposed to behave towards one another? How is the human world divided? What human activities indicate faith? What is the role of mercy? What is the role of violence? What theory of history seems to animate this account? Why do people choose not to believe the prophets from Allah? In particular, the "theme" of this surah is the nature of Allah's "signs"? What are these signs? What guarantees their truth? Why are they called "manifest"? Why do they not convince the unbelievers?
You may find the text a bit disorganized and repetitious; the compositional principle of the Qur'an is called in Arabic, haqqiqah , or "formless essence." This is understood to mean that the various commands, injunctions, and accounts of God take on their fullest meaning by being repeated in several different combinations. This compositional principle becomes an artistic principle in Islamic art and architecture.
Your text is taken from The Qur'an , translated by E. H. Palmer (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1880). This text has been updated to more colloquial English by me. I'm only a beginner with Arabic, so the text has been updated in part by consulting other English translations.
(Richard Hooker)
Friday 18 July 2008
Progressive Metal
Progressive Metal definition
Progressive metal (shortened to prog, or prog metal when differentiating from progressive rock) is a heavy brand of progressive rock which is characterized by the use of complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and other features.
Its origins can be traced all the way back to traditional progressive rock acts of the 1960s and '70s like Yes, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Genesis and Rush, but progressive metal didn't develop into a genre of its own until the mid-1980s. Acts such as Dream Theater, Queensrÿche and Fates Warning took elements of these progressive rock groups, primarily the instrumentation and compositional structure of songs, and merged them with heavy metal characteristics attributed to bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. The result could be described as a progressive rock mentality with heavy metal sounds.
The genre reached its commercial peak in the early '90s when Queensrÿche's "Silent Lucidity" became a massive radio and MTV hit. It was not a typical progressive metal song (it is more accurately described as a heavy metal power ballad), but nonetheless it opened Queensrÿche's music to a whole new legion of fans, which in turn had an effect on the popularity of other progressive metal bands of the time. In 1993 Dream Theater's "Pull Me Under", a more typical progressive metal song than "Silent Lucidity" but still more accurately described as straight heavy metal, became popular on radio and MTV.
If fringe progressive metal acts are to be included, Tool would be the most popular group in the genre. Tool exploded to prominence in the mid 90s with the release of their second album, Ænima, and have since gone on to become one of the most popular rock acts in the world. Their eclectic mix of heavy metal, rhythmic drumming, complex structures and deep lyrics has prompted many people to classify them as a progressive metal band although their music differs substantially from traditional progressive acts (see Diversity section, below).
Progressive metal could be broken down into countless sub-genres corresponding to certain other styles of music that have influenced progressive metal groups. Two bands that are commonly identified as progressive metal, King's X and Opeth, are at opposite ends of the sonic spectrum to one another. King's X are a group influenced very heavily by softer mainstream rock and grunge, whereas Opeth's growling vocals and ultra heavy guitars usually see them cited as death metal.
A good single example of the genre's diversity is The Mars Volta, who have successfully joined progressive metal and hardcore, genres which 10 years ago were opposites of each other in every way.
Classical and symphonic music has also had a significant impact on sections of the progressive metal genre, with bands such as Symphony X and Spock's Beard fusing traditional progressive metal with a complexity and grandeur usually found in classical. Similarly, bands like Liquid Tension Experiment and Planet X have a large jazz influence, as has their progenitor Dream Theater.
(This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Progressive Metal".)
Seratus Manusia Paling Berpengaruh Di Dunia
Nabi Muhammad SAW menempati kedudukan nomor satu daftar manusia yang paling berpengaruh dalam panggung sejarah dunia, dihitung sampai sekarang.
Hal ini dinyatakan oleh Michael H. Hart, seorang ahli astronomi dan ahli sejarah terkenal di Amerika Serikat dalam bukunya "The 100" yang terbit baru-baru Amerika Serikat.
Menurut Michael Hart, Nabi Muhammad SAW adalah orang yang paling berpengaruh di antara milyaran penduduk dunia, karena ia adalah satu-satunya manusia yang berhasil secara luar biasa baik dalam kegiatan keagamaan maupun pemerintahan
Daftar nama 100 orang paling berpengaruh itu selengkapnya adalah :
1. Nabi Muhammad SAW
2. Isaac Newton
3. Nabi Isa
4. Buddha
5. Confucius
6. Saint Paul
7. Thai Lun
8. Johan Gutemberg
9. Christopher Columbus
10. Albert Einstein
11. Karl Marx
12. Louis Pasteur
13. Galileo Galilei
14. Aristoteles
15. V.I. Lenin
16. Nabi Musa
17. Charles Darwin
18. Chin Huang Ti
19. Agustus Caesar
20. Mao Tse-tung
21. Genghis Khan
22. Euclid
23. Martin Luther
24. Nicolas Copernicus
25. James Watt
26. Constantine the Great
27. George Washington
28. Michael Faraday
29. James Clerk Maxwell
30. Orville dan Wilbur Wright
31. Antoine Laurent Lavoisier
32. Sigmund Freud
33. lskandar Zulkarnaen
34. Napoleon Bonaparte
35. Adolf Hitler
36. William Shakespeare
37. Adam Smith
38. Thomas Edison
39. Anton van Leuwenhoek
40. Plato 90. Menes
41. Gugleilmo Marconi
42. Ludwig van Beethoven
43, Werner Heisenberg
44. Alexander G Bell
45. Alexander Fleming
46. Simon Bolivar
47. Oliver Cromwell
48. John Locke
49. Michelangelo
50. Pans Urban II
51. Umar bin Khatab
52. Asoka
53. Sam Augustine
54. Max Planck
55. John Calvin
56. William Morton
57. William Harvey
58. Antoine Becquerel
59. Greger Mendel
60. Joseph Lister
61. Nicholas August Otto
62. Louis Daguerre
63. Joseph Stalin
64. Rene Descartes
65. Julius Caesar
66. Francisco Pizarro
67. Hernando Cortes
68. Ratu Isabella I
69. William the Congqueror
70. Thomas Jefferson
71. Jean Jacques Rousseau
72. Edward Jenner
73. Wilhelm Rontgen
74. Johan Sebastian Bach
75. Lau-tzu
76. Enrico Ferni
77. Thomas Maltus
78. Francis Bacon
79. Voltaire
80. John F. Kennedy
81. Gregory Pincus
82. Sui Wen Ti
83. Mani (Manes)
84. Vasco da Gama
85. Charlemagne
86. Cyrys the Great
87. Leonard Euler
88. Nicollo Machiavelli
89. Zoroaster
91. Peter the Great
92. Mencius
93. John Dalton
94. Homer
95. Ratu Elizabeth I
96. Justinian I
97. Johannes Kepler
98. Pablo Picasso
99. Mahavira
100. Niels Bohr
Hal ini dinyatakan oleh Michael H. Hart, seorang ahli astronomi dan ahli sejarah terkenal di Amerika Serikat dalam bukunya "The 100" yang terbit baru-baru Amerika Serikat.
Menurut Michael Hart, Nabi Muhammad SAW adalah orang yang paling berpengaruh di antara milyaran penduduk dunia, karena ia adalah satu-satunya manusia yang berhasil secara luar biasa baik dalam kegiatan keagamaan maupun pemerintahan
Daftar nama 100 orang paling berpengaruh itu selengkapnya adalah :
1. Nabi Muhammad SAW
2. Isaac Newton
3. Nabi Isa
4. Buddha
5. Confucius
6. Saint Paul
7. Thai Lun
8. Johan Gutemberg
9. Christopher Columbus
10. Albert Einstein
11. Karl Marx
12. Louis Pasteur
13. Galileo Galilei
14. Aristoteles
15. V.I. Lenin
16. Nabi Musa
17. Charles Darwin
18. Chin Huang Ti
19. Agustus Caesar
20. Mao Tse-tung
21. Genghis Khan
22. Euclid
23. Martin Luther
24. Nicolas Copernicus
25. James Watt
26. Constantine the Great
27. George Washington
28. Michael Faraday
29. James Clerk Maxwell
30. Orville dan Wilbur Wright
31. Antoine Laurent Lavoisier
32. Sigmund Freud
33. lskandar Zulkarnaen
34. Napoleon Bonaparte
35. Adolf Hitler
36. William Shakespeare
37. Adam Smith
38. Thomas Edison
39. Anton van Leuwenhoek
40. Plato 90. Menes
41. Gugleilmo Marconi
42. Ludwig van Beethoven
43, Werner Heisenberg
44. Alexander G Bell
45. Alexander Fleming
46. Simon Bolivar
47. Oliver Cromwell
48. John Locke
49. Michelangelo
50. Pans Urban II
51. Umar bin Khatab
52. Asoka
53. Sam Augustine
54. Max Planck
55. John Calvin
56. William Morton
57. William Harvey
58. Antoine Becquerel
59. Greger Mendel
60. Joseph Lister
61. Nicholas August Otto
62. Louis Daguerre
63. Joseph Stalin
64. Rene Descartes
65. Julius Caesar
66. Francisco Pizarro
67. Hernando Cortes
68. Ratu Isabella I
69. William the Congqueror
70. Thomas Jefferson
71. Jean Jacques Rousseau
72. Edward Jenner
73. Wilhelm Rontgen
74. Johan Sebastian Bach
75. Lau-tzu
76. Enrico Ferni
77. Thomas Maltus
78. Francis Bacon
79. Voltaire
80. John F. Kennedy
81. Gregory Pincus
82. Sui Wen Ti
83. Mani (Manes)
84. Vasco da Gama
85. Charlemagne
86. Cyrys the Great
87. Leonard Euler
88. Nicollo Machiavelli
89. Zoroaster
91. Peter the Great
92. Mencius
93. John Dalton
94. Homer
95. Ratu Elizabeth I
96. Justinian I
97. Johannes Kepler
98. Pablo Picasso
99. Mahavira
100. Niels Bohr
PESAN RUH KEPADA MANUSIA
Apabila roh keluar dari jasad, ia akan berkata-kata dan seluruh isi alam
sama ada di langit atau bumi akan mendengarnya kecuali jin dan manusia.
Apabila mayat dimandikan, lalu roh berkata : "Wahai orang yang memandikan,
aku minta kepadamu karana Allah untuk melepaskan pakaianku dengan
perlahan-lahan pada saat ini aku beristirahat daripada seretan malaikat
maut". Selepas itu, mayat pula bersuara sambil merayu : "Wahai orang yang
memandikan, janganlah engkau menuangkan airmu dalam keadaan panas. Begitu
juga jangan menuangnya dengan air yang dingin karana tubuhku terbakar
apabila terlepasnya roh dari tubuh".
Apabila dimandikan, roh sekali lagi merayu :"Demi Allah, wahai orang yang
memandikan jangan engkau menggosok aku dengan kuat sebab tubuhku luka-luka
dengan keluarnya roh". Setelah dimandi dan dikafankan, telapak kaki mayat
diikat dan ia pun memanggil-manggil dan berpesan lagi supaya jangan diikat
terlalu kuat serta mengafani kepalanya karana ingin melihat wajahnya
sendiri, anak-anak, isteri atau suami buat kali terakhir karana tidak
dapat melihat lagi sampai Hari Kiamat.
Sebaik keluar dari rumah lalu ia berpesan : "Demi Allah, wahai jemaahku,
aku telah meniggalkan isteriku menjadi Balu. Maka
janganlah kamu menyakitinya. Anak-anakku telah menjadi yatim dan janganlah
kalian Menyakiti mereka. Sesungguhnya pada hari itu aku telah keluar dari
rumahku dan aku tidak akan dapat kembali kepada mereka buat
selama-lamanya". Sesudah mayat diletakkan pada pengusung, sekali lagi
diserunya kepada jemaah supaya jangan mempercepatkan mayatnya ke kubur
selagi belum
mendengar suara anak-anak dan sanak saudara buat kali terakhir.
Sesudah dibawa dan melangkah sebanyak tiga langkah dari rumah, roh pula
berpesan: "Wahai Kekasihku, wahai saudaraku dan wahai anak-anakku, jangan
kamu diperdaya dunia sebagaimana ia memperdayakan aku dan janganlah kamu
lalai ketika ini sebagaimana ia melalaikan aku". "Sesungguhnya aku
tinggalkan apa yang aku telah aku kumpulkan untuk warisku dan sedikitpun
mereka tidak mau menanggung kesalahanku". "Adapun didunia, Allah menghisab
aku, padahal kamu berasa senang dengan keduniaan. Dan mereka juga tidak
mau mendoakan aku".
Ada satu riwayat dr Abi Qalabah mengenai mimpi beliau yang melihat kubur
pecah. Lalu mayat-mayat itu keluar dari duduk di tepi kubur masing-masing.
Bagaimanapun tidak seorang pun ada tanda-tanda memperolehi nur di muka
mereka. Dalam mimpi itu, Abi Qalabah dapat melihat jirannya juga dalam
keadaan yang sama. Lalu dia bertanya kepada mayat jirannya
mengenai ketiadaan nur itu. Maka mayat itu menjawab: "Sesungguhnya bagi
mereka yang memperolehi nur adalah karana petunjuk drpd anak-anak dan
teman-teman. Sebaliknya aku mempunyai anak-anak yang tidak soleh dan tidak
pernah mendoakan aku".
Setelah mendengar jawaban mayat itu, Abi Qalabah pun terjaga. Pada malam
itu juga dia memanggil anak jirannya dan menceritakan apa yang dilihatnya
dalam mimpi mengenai bapa mereka. Mendengar keadaan itu, anak-anak jiran
itu berjanji di hadapan Abi Qalabah akan mendoa dan bersedekah untuk
bapanya. Seterusnya tidak lama selepas itu, Abi Qalabah sekali lagi
bermimpi melihat jirannya. Bagaimanapun kali ini jirannya sudah ada nur
dimukanya dan kelihatan lebih terang daripada matahari.
Baginda Rasullullah S.A.W berkata:
Apabila telah sampai ajal seseorang itu maka akan masuklah satu kumpulan
malaikat ke dalam lubang-lubang kecil dalam badan dan kemudian mereka
menarik rohnya melalui kedua-dua telapak kakinya sehingga sampai kelutut.
Setelah itu datang pula sekumpulan malaikat yang lain masuk menarik roh
dari lutut hingga sampai ke perut dan kemudiannya mereka keluar. Datang
lagi satu kumpulan malaikat yang lain masuk dan menarik rohnya dari perut
hingga sampai ke dada dan kemudiannya mereka keluar.Dan akhir sekali
datang lagi satu kumpulan malaikat masuk dan menarik roh dari dadanya
hingga sampai ke kerongkong dan itulah yang dikatakan saat nazak orang itu."
Sambung Rasullullah S.A.W. lagi:
"Kalau orang yang nazak itu orang yang beriman, maka malaikat Jibrail A.S.
akan menebarkan sayapnya yang di sebelah kanan sehingga orang yang nazak
itu dapat melihat kedudukannya di syurga. Apabila orang yang beriman itu
melihat syurga, maka dia akan lupa kepada orang yang berada di
sekelilinginya. Ini adalah karana sangat rindunya pada syurga dan melihat
terus pandangannya kepada sayap Jibrail A.S. "Kalau orang yang nazak itu
orang munafik, maka Jibrail A.S. akan menebarkan sayap di sebelahkiri.
Maka orang yang nazak tu dapat melihat kedudukannya di neraka dan dalam
masa itu orang itu tidak lagi melihat orang di sekelilinginya. Ini adalah
kerana terlalu takutnya apabila melihat neraka yang akan menjadi tempat
tinggalnya.
Dari sebuah hadis bahawa apabila Allah S.W.T. menghendaki seorang mukmin
itu dicabut nyawanya maka datanglah malaikat maut. Apabila malaikat maut
hendak mencabut roh orang mukmin itu dari arah mulut maka keluarlah zikir
dari mulut orang mukmin itu dengan berkata: "Tidak ada jalan bagimu
mencabut rohorang ini melalui jalan ini kerana orang ini sentiasa
menjadikan lidahnya berzikir kepada Allah S.W.T." Setelah malaikat maut
mendengar penjelasan itu, maka dia pun kembali kepada AllahS.W.T.dan
menjelaskan apa yang diucapkan oleh lidah orang mukmin itu.
Lalu Allah S.W.T. berfirman yang bermaksud: "Wahai malaikat maut, kamu
cabutlah ruhnya dari arah lain." Sebaik saja malaikat maut mendapat
perintah Allah S.W.T. maka malaikat maut pun cuba mencabut roh orang
mukmin dari arah tangan. Tapi keluarlah sedekah dari arah tangan orang
mukmin itu, keluarlah usapan kepala anak-anak yatim dan keluar penulisan
ilmu. Maka berkata tangan: Tidak ada jalan bagimu untuk mencabut roh orang
mukmin dari arah ini, tangan ini telah mengeluarkan sedekah,tangan ini
mengusap kepala anak-anak yatim dan tangan ini menulis ilmu pengetahuan."
Oleh kerana malaikat maut gagal untuk mencabut roh orang mukmin dari arah
tangan maka malaikat maut cuba pula dari arah kaki. Malangnya malaikat
maut juga gagal melakukan sebab kaki berkata: Tidak ada jalan bagimu dari
arah ini Kerana kaki ini sentiasa berjalan berulang alik mengerjakan
sholat dengan berjemaah dan kaki ini juga berjalan menghadiri
majlis-majlis ilmu." Apabila gagal
malaikat maut,mencabut roh orang mukmin dari arah kaki, maka malaikat maut
cuba pula dari arah telinga. Sebaik saja malaikat maut menghampiri telinga
maka telinga pun berkata: "Tidak ada jalan bagimu dari arah ini kerana
telinga ini sentiasa mendengar bacaan Al-Quran dan zikir." Akhir sekali
malaikat maut cuba mencabut orang mukmin dari arah mata
tetapi baru saja hendak menghampiri mata maka berkata mata: "Tidak ada
jalan bagimu dari arah ini sebab mata ini sentiasa melihat beberapa mushaf
dan kitab-kitab dan mata ini sentiasa menangis kerana takutkan Allah."
Setelah gagal maka malaikat maut kembali kepada Allah S.W.T. Kemudian
AllahS.W.T. berfirman yang bermaksud:"Wahai malaikatKu, tulis AsmaKu
ditelapak tanganmu dan tunjukkan kepada roh orang yang beriman itu."
Sebaik saja mendapat perintah AllahS.W.T. maka malaikat maut menghampiri
roh orang itu dan menunjukkan Asma Allah S.W.T. Sebaik saja melihat Asma
Allah dan cintanya kepada Allah S.W.T maka keluarlah roh tersebut dari
arah mulut dengan tenang.
Abu Bakar R.A. telah ditanya tentang kemana roh pergi setelah ia keluar
dari jasad. Maka berkata Abu Bakar R.A: "Roh itu menuju ketujuh tempat:
1. Roh para Nabi dan utusan menuju ke Syurga Adnin
2. Roh para ulama menuju ke Syurga Firdaus
3. Roh mereka yang berbahagia menuju ke Syurga Iiyyina
4. Roh para shuhada berterbangan seperti burung di syurga mengikut
kehendak mereka
5. Roh para mukmin yang berdosa akan tergantung di udara tidak di bumi dan
tdk di langit sampai hari Kiamat
6. Roh anak-anak orang yang beriman akan berada di gunung dari minyak misik
7. Roh orang-orang kafir akan berada dlm neraka Sijjin,mereka disiksa
beserta jasadnya hingga hari Kiamat
Telah bersabda Rasullullah Saw :
Tiga kelompok manusia yang akan dijabat tangannya oleh para malaikat pada
hari mereka keluar dari kuburnya:
1. Orang-orang yang mati syahid
2. Orang-orang yang mengerjakan solat malam dalam bulan suci ramadhan
3. Orang berpuasa di hari Arafah
Sekian untuk ingatan kita bersama.
Kalau rajin. Tolong sebarkan kisah ini kepada saudara Islam yang lain.
Ilmu yang bermanfaat ialah salah satu amal yang berkekalan bagi orang yang
mengajarnya meskipun dia sudah mati.
Panjangkan kisah ini kepada semua saudara islam kita.
Dari Abdullah bin 'Amr r.a., Rasulullah s.a.w. bersabda,
"Sampaikanlah pesanku biarpun satu ayat "
sama ada di langit atau bumi akan mendengarnya kecuali jin dan manusia.
Apabila mayat dimandikan, lalu roh berkata : "Wahai orang yang memandikan,
aku minta kepadamu karana Allah untuk melepaskan pakaianku dengan
perlahan-lahan pada saat ini aku beristirahat daripada seretan malaikat
maut". Selepas itu, mayat pula bersuara sambil merayu : "Wahai orang yang
memandikan, janganlah engkau menuangkan airmu dalam keadaan panas. Begitu
juga jangan menuangnya dengan air yang dingin karana tubuhku terbakar
apabila terlepasnya roh dari tubuh".
Apabila dimandikan, roh sekali lagi merayu :"Demi Allah, wahai orang yang
memandikan jangan engkau menggosok aku dengan kuat sebab tubuhku luka-luka
dengan keluarnya roh". Setelah dimandi dan dikafankan, telapak kaki mayat
diikat dan ia pun memanggil-manggil dan berpesan lagi supaya jangan diikat
terlalu kuat serta mengafani kepalanya karana ingin melihat wajahnya
sendiri, anak-anak, isteri atau suami buat kali terakhir karana tidak
dapat melihat lagi sampai Hari Kiamat.
Sebaik keluar dari rumah lalu ia berpesan : "Demi Allah, wahai jemaahku,
aku telah meniggalkan isteriku menjadi Balu. Maka
janganlah kamu menyakitinya. Anak-anakku telah menjadi yatim dan janganlah
kalian Menyakiti mereka. Sesungguhnya pada hari itu aku telah keluar dari
rumahku dan aku tidak akan dapat kembali kepada mereka buat
selama-lamanya". Sesudah mayat diletakkan pada pengusung, sekali lagi
diserunya kepada jemaah supaya jangan mempercepatkan mayatnya ke kubur
selagi belum
mendengar suara anak-anak dan sanak saudara buat kali terakhir.
Sesudah dibawa dan melangkah sebanyak tiga langkah dari rumah, roh pula
berpesan: "Wahai Kekasihku, wahai saudaraku dan wahai anak-anakku, jangan
kamu diperdaya dunia sebagaimana ia memperdayakan aku dan janganlah kamu
lalai ketika ini sebagaimana ia melalaikan aku". "Sesungguhnya aku
tinggalkan apa yang aku telah aku kumpulkan untuk warisku dan sedikitpun
mereka tidak mau menanggung kesalahanku". "Adapun didunia, Allah menghisab
aku, padahal kamu berasa senang dengan keduniaan. Dan mereka juga tidak
mau mendoakan aku".
Ada satu riwayat dr Abi Qalabah mengenai mimpi beliau yang melihat kubur
pecah. Lalu mayat-mayat itu keluar dari duduk di tepi kubur masing-masing.
Bagaimanapun tidak seorang pun ada tanda-tanda memperolehi nur di muka
mereka. Dalam mimpi itu, Abi Qalabah dapat melihat jirannya juga dalam
keadaan yang sama. Lalu dia bertanya kepada mayat jirannya
mengenai ketiadaan nur itu. Maka mayat itu menjawab: "Sesungguhnya bagi
mereka yang memperolehi nur adalah karana petunjuk drpd anak-anak dan
teman-teman. Sebaliknya aku mempunyai anak-anak yang tidak soleh dan tidak
pernah mendoakan aku".
Setelah mendengar jawaban mayat itu, Abi Qalabah pun terjaga. Pada malam
itu juga dia memanggil anak jirannya dan menceritakan apa yang dilihatnya
dalam mimpi mengenai bapa mereka. Mendengar keadaan itu, anak-anak jiran
itu berjanji di hadapan Abi Qalabah akan mendoa dan bersedekah untuk
bapanya. Seterusnya tidak lama selepas itu, Abi Qalabah sekali lagi
bermimpi melihat jirannya. Bagaimanapun kali ini jirannya sudah ada nur
dimukanya dan kelihatan lebih terang daripada matahari.
Baginda Rasullullah S.A.W berkata:
Apabila telah sampai ajal seseorang itu maka akan masuklah satu kumpulan
malaikat ke dalam lubang-lubang kecil dalam badan dan kemudian mereka
menarik rohnya melalui kedua-dua telapak kakinya sehingga sampai kelutut.
Setelah itu datang pula sekumpulan malaikat yang lain masuk menarik roh
dari lutut hingga sampai ke perut dan kemudiannya mereka keluar. Datang
lagi satu kumpulan malaikat yang lain masuk dan menarik rohnya dari perut
hingga sampai ke dada dan kemudiannya mereka keluar.Dan akhir sekali
datang lagi satu kumpulan malaikat masuk dan menarik roh dari dadanya
hingga sampai ke kerongkong dan itulah yang dikatakan saat nazak orang itu."
Sambung Rasullullah S.A.W. lagi:
"Kalau orang yang nazak itu orang yang beriman, maka malaikat Jibrail A.S.
akan menebarkan sayapnya yang di sebelah kanan sehingga orang yang nazak
itu dapat melihat kedudukannya di syurga. Apabila orang yang beriman itu
melihat syurga, maka dia akan lupa kepada orang yang berada di
sekelilinginya. Ini adalah karana sangat rindunya pada syurga dan melihat
terus pandangannya kepada sayap Jibrail A.S. "Kalau orang yang nazak itu
orang munafik, maka Jibrail A.S. akan menebarkan sayap di sebelahkiri.
Maka orang yang nazak tu dapat melihat kedudukannya di neraka dan dalam
masa itu orang itu tidak lagi melihat orang di sekelilinginya. Ini adalah
kerana terlalu takutnya apabila melihat neraka yang akan menjadi tempat
tinggalnya.
Dari sebuah hadis bahawa apabila Allah S.W.T. menghendaki seorang mukmin
itu dicabut nyawanya maka datanglah malaikat maut. Apabila malaikat maut
hendak mencabut roh orang mukmin itu dari arah mulut maka keluarlah zikir
dari mulut orang mukmin itu dengan berkata: "Tidak ada jalan bagimu
mencabut rohorang ini melalui jalan ini kerana orang ini sentiasa
menjadikan lidahnya berzikir kepada Allah S.W.T." Setelah malaikat maut
mendengar penjelasan itu, maka dia pun kembali kepada AllahS.W.T.dan
menjelaskan apa yang diucapkan oleh lidah orang mukmin itu.
Lalu Allah S.W.T. berfirman yang bermaksud: "Wahai malaikat maut, kamu
cabutlah ruhnya dari arah lain." Sebaik saja malaikat maut mendapat
perintah Allah S.W.T. maka malaikat maut pun cuba mencabut roh orang
mukmin dari arah tangan. Tapi keluarlah sedekah dari arah tangan orang
mukmin itu, keluarlah usapan kepala anak-anak yatim dan keluar penulisan
ilmu. Maka berkata tangan: Tidak ada jalan bagimu untuk mencabut roh orang
mukmin dari arah ini, tangan ini telah mengeluarkan sedekah,tangan ini
mengusap kepala anak-anak yatim dan tangan ini menulis ilmu pengetahuan."
Oleh kerana malaikat maut gagal untuk mencabut roh orang mukmin dari arah
tangan maka malaikat maut cuba pula dari arah kaki. Malangnya malaikat
maut juga gagal melakukan sebab kaki berkata: Tidak ada jalan bagimu dari
arah ini Kerana kaki ini sentiasa berjalan berulang alik mengerjakan
sholat dengan berjemaah dan kaki ini juga berjalan menghadiri
majlis-majlis ilmu." Apabila gagal
malaikat maut,mencabut roh orang mukmin dari arah kaki, maka malaikat maut
cuba pula dari arah telinga. Sebaik saja malaikat maut menghampiri telinga
maka telinga pun berkata: "Tidak ada jalan bagimu dari arah ini kerana
telinga ini sentiasa mendengar bacaan Al-Quran dan zikir." Akhir sekali
malaikat maut cuba mencabut orang mukmin dari arah mata
tetapi baru saja hendak menghampiri mata maka berkata mata: "Tidak ada
jalan bagimu dari arah ini sebab mata ini sentiasa melihat beberapa mushaf
dan kitab-kitab dan mata ini sentiasa menangis kerana takutkan Allah."
Setelah gagal maka malaikat maut kembali kepada Allah S.W.T. Kemudian
AllahS.W.T. berfirman yang bermaksud:"Wahai malaikatKu, tulis AsmaKu
ditelapak tanganmu dan tunjukkan kepada roh orang yang beriman itu."
Sebaik saja mendapat perintah AllahS.W.T. maka malaikat maut menghampiri
roh orang itu dan menunjukkan Asma Allah S.W.T. Sebaik saja melihat Asma
Allah dan cintanya kepada Allah S.W.T maka keluarlah roh tersebut dari
arah mulut dengan tenang.
Abu Bakar R.A. telah ditanya tentang kemana roh pergi setelah ia keluar
dari jasad. Maka berkata Abu Bakar R.A: "Roh itu menuju ketujuh tempat:
1. Roh para Nabi dan utusan menuju ke Syurga Adnin
2. Roh para ulama menuju ke Syurga Firdaus
3. Roh mereka yang berbahagia menuju ke Syurga Iiyyina
4. Roh para shuhada berterbangan seperti burung di syurga mengikut
kehendak mereka
5. Roh para mukmin yang berdosa akan tergantung di udara tidak di bumi dan
tdk di langit sampai hari Kiamat
6. Roh anak-anak orang yang beriman akan berada di gunung dari minyak misik
7. Roh orang-orang kafir akan berada dlm neraka Sijjin,mereka disiksa
beserta jasadnya hingga hari Kiamat
Telah bersabda Rasullullah Saw :
Tiga kelompok manusia yang akan dijabat tangannya oleh para malaikat pada
hari mereka keluar dari kuburnya:
1. Orang-orang yang mati syahid
2. Orang-orang yang mengerjakan solat malam dalam bulan suci ramadhan
3. Orang berpuasa di hari Arafah
Sekian untuk ingatan kita bersama.
Kalau rajin. Tolong sebarkan kisah ini kepada saudara Islam yang lain.
Ilmu yang bermanfaat ialah salah satu amal yang berkekalan bagi orang yang
mengajarnya meskipun dia sudah mati.
Panjangkan kisah ini kepada semua saudara islam kita.
Dari Abdullah bin 'Amr r.a., Rasulullah s.a.w. bersabda,
"Sampaikanlah pesanku biarpun satu ayat "
Pasangan Hidup Sejati
Suatu waktu, ada seorang pedagang kaya yang mempunyai 4 orang istri.
Dia mencintai istri yang keempat, dan menganugerahinya harta dan
kesenangan
yang banyak. Sebab, dialah yang tercantik diantara semua istrinya. Pria
ini
selalu memberikan yang terbaik buat istri keempatnya ini.
Pedagang itu juga mencintai istrinya yang ketiga. Dia sangat bangga
dengan
istrinya ini, dan selalu berusaha untuk memperkenalkan wanita ini kepada
semua temannya. Namun, ia juga selalu khawatir kalau istrinya ini akan
lari
dengan pria yang lain.
Begitu juga dengan istri yang kedua. Ia pun sangat menyukainya. Ia adalah
istri yang sabar dan pengertian. Kapanpun pedagang ini mendapat masalah,
dia
selalu meminta pertimbangan istrinya ini. Dialah tempat bergantung. Dia
selalu menolong dan mendampingi suaminya, melewati masa-masa yang sulit.
Sama halnya dengan istri yang pertama. Dia adalah pasangan yang sangat
setia. Dia selalu membawa perbaikan bagi kehidupan keluarga ini. Dia lah
yang merawat dan mengatur semua kekayaan dan usaha sang suami.Akan tetapi,
sang pedagang, tak begitu mencintainya. Walaupun sang istri pertama ini
begitu sayang padanya, namun, pedagang ini tak begitu mempedulikannya.
Suatu ketika, si pedagang sakit. Lama kemudian, ia menyadari, bahwa ia
akan
segera meninggal. Dia meresapi semua kehidupan indahnya, dan berkata dalam
hati. "Saat ini, aku punya 4 orang istri. Namun, saat aku meninggal,aku
akan
sendiri. Betapa menyedihkan jika aku harus hidup sendiri."
Lalu, ia meminta semua istrinya datang, dan kemudian mulai bertanya pada
istri Keempatnya.
"Kaulah yang paling kucintai, kuberikan kau gaun dan perhiasan yang indah.
Nah, sekarang, aku akan mati, maukah kau mendampingiku dan menemaniku? Ia
terdiam. "Tentu saja tidak, "jawab istri keempat, dan pergi begitu saja
tanpa berkata-kata lagi. Jawaban itu sangat menyakitkan hati.Seakan-akan,
ada pisau yang terhunus dan mengiris-iris hatinya.
Pedagang yang sedih itu lalu bertanya pada istri ketiga.
"Akupun mencintaimu sepenuh hati, dan saat ini, hidupku akan berakhir.
Maukah kau ikut denganku, dan menemani akhir hayatku?" Istrinya menjawab,
"Hidup begitu indah disini. Aku akan menikah lagi jika kau mati." Sang
pedagang begitu terpukul dengan ucapan ini. Badannya mulai merasa demam.
Lalu, ia bertanya pada istri keduanya.
"Aku selalu berpaling padamu setiap kali mendapat masalah. Dan kau selalu
mau membantuku.Kini, aku butuh sekali pertolonganmu. Kalau ku mati, maukah
kau ikut dan mendampingiku?"
Sang istri menjawab pelan. "Maafkan aku," ujarnya, "Aku tak bisa
menolongmu
kali ini. Aku hanya bisa mengantarmu hingga ke liang kubur saja.
Nanti,akan
kubuatkan makam yang indah buatmu." Jawaban itu seperti kilat yang
menyambar.
Sang pedagang kini merasa putus asa. Tiba-tiba terdengar sebuah suara.
"Aku akan tinggal denganmu. Aku akan ikut kemanapun kau pergi. Aku, tak
akan
meninggalkanmu, aku akan setia bersamamu. Sang pedagang lalu menoleh ke
samping, dan mendapati istri pertamanya disana. Dia tampak begitu kurus.
Badannya tampak seperti orang yang kelaparan.
Merasa menyesal, sang pedagang lalu bergumam, "Kalau saja,aku bisa
merawatmu
lebih baik saat ku mampu, tak akan kubiarkan kau seperti ini, istriku."
******* KESIMPULANNYA*******
Teman, sesungguhnya kita punya 4 orang istri dalam hidup ini.
Istri yang keempat, adalah tubuh kita.
Seberapapun banyak waktu dan biaya yang kita keluarkan untuk tubuh kita
supaya tampak indah dan gagah, semuanya akan hilang. Ia akan pergi segera
kalau kita meninggal. Tak ada keindahan dan kegagahan yang tersisa saat
kita
menghadap-Nya.
Istri yang ketiga, adalah status sosial dan kekayaan.
Saat kita meninggal, semuanya akan pergi kepada yang lain. Mereka akan
berpindah, dan melupakan kita yang pernah memilikinya.
Sedangkan istri yang kedua, adalah kerabat dan teman-teman. Seberapapun
dekat hubungan kita dengan mereka, mereka tak akan bisa bersama kita
selamanya. Hanya sampai kuburlah mereka akan menemani kita.
Dan, teman, sesungguhnya, istri pertama kita adalah jiwa dan amal kita.
Mungkin, kita sering mengabaikan, dan melupakannya demi kekayaan
dankesenangan pribadi. Namun, sebenarnya, hanya jiwa dan amal kita sajalah
yang mampu untuk terus setia dan mendampingi kemanapun kita melangkah.
Hanya
amal yang mampu menolong kita di akhirat kelak.
Jadi, selagi mampu, perlakukanlah jiwa dan amal kita dengan bijak. Jangan
sampai kita menyesal belakangan.
Dia mencintai istri yang keempat, dan menganugerahinya harta dan
kesenangan
yang banyak. Sebab, dialah yang tercantik diantara semua istrinya. Pria
ini
selalu memberikan yang terbaik buat istri keempatnya ini.
Pedagang itu juga mencintai istrinya yang ketiga. Dia sangat bangga
dengan
istrinya ini, dan selalu berusaha untuk memperkenalkan wanita ini kepada
semua temannya. Namun, ia juga selalu khawatir kalau istrinya ini akan
lari
dengan pria yang lain.
Begitu juga dengan istri yang kedua. Ia pun sangat menyukainya. Ia adalah
istri yang sabar dan pengertian. Kapanpun pedagang ini mendapat masalah,
dia
selalu meminta pertimbangan istrinya ini. Dialah tempat bergantung. Dia
selalu menolong dan mendampingi suaminya, melewati masa-masa yang sulit.
Sama halnya dengan istri yang pertama. Dia adalah pasangan yang sangat
setia. Dia selalu membawa perbaikan bagi kehidupan keluarga ini. Dia lah
yang merawat dan mengatur semua kekayaan dan usaha sang suami.Akan tetapi,
sang pedagang, tak begitu mencintainya. Walaupun sang istri pertama ini
begitu sayang padanya, namun, pedagang ini tak begitu mempedulikannya.
Suatu ketika, si pedagang sakit. Lama kemudian, ia menyadari, bahwa ia
akan
segera meninggal. Dia meresapi semua kehidupan indahnya, dan berkata dalam
hati. "Saat ini, aku punya 4 orang istri. Namun, saat aku meninggal,aku
akan
sendiri. Betapa menyedihkan jika aku harus hidup sendiri."
Lalu, ia meminta semua istrinya datang, dan kemudian mulai bertanya pada
istri Keempatnya.
"Kaulah yang paling kucintai, kuberikan kau gaun dan perhiasan yang indah.
Nah, sekarang, aku akan mati, maukah kau mendampingiku dan menemaniku? Ia
terdiam. "Tentu saja tidak, "jawab istri keempat, dan pergi begitu saja
tanpa berkata-kata lagi. Jawaban itu sangat menyakitkan hati.Seakan-akan,
ada pisau yang terhunus dan mengiris-iris hatinya.
Pedagang yang sedih itu lalu bertanya pada istri ketiga.
"Akupun mencintaimu sepenuh hati, dan saat ini, hidupku akan berakhir.
Maukah kau ikut denganku, dan menemani akhir hayatku?" Istrinya menjawab,
"Hidup begitu indah disini. Aku akan menikah lagi jika kau mati." Sang
pedagang begitu terpukul dengan ucapan ini. Badannya mulai merasa demam.
Lalu, ia bertanya pada istri keduanya.
"Aku selalu berpaling padamu setiap kali mendapat masalah. Dan kau selalu
mau membantuku.Kini, aku butuh sekali pertolonganmu. Kalau ku mati, maukah
kau ikut dan mendampingiku?"
Sang istri menjawab pelan. "Maafkan aku," ujarnya, "Aku tak bisa
menolongmu
kali ini. Aku hanya bisa mengantarmu hingga ke liang kubur saja.
Nanti,akan
kubuatkan makam yang indah buatmu." Jawaban itu seperti kilat yang
menyambar.
Sang pedagang kini merasa putus asa. Tiba-tiba terdengar sebuah suara.
"Aku akan tinggal denganmu. Aku akan ikut kemanapun kau pergi. Aku, tak
akan
meninggalkanmu, aku akan setia bersamamu. Sang pedagang lalu menoleh ke
samping, dan mendapati istri pertamanya disana. Dia tampak begitu kurus.
Badannya tampak seperti orang yang kelaparan.
Merasa menyesal, sang pedagang lalu bergumam, "Kalau saja,aku bisa
merawatmu
lebih baik saat ku mampu, tak akan kubiarkan kau seperti ini, istriku."
******* KESIMPULANNYA*******
Teman, sesungguhnya kita punya 4 orang istri dalam hidup ini.
Istri yang keempat, adalah tubuh kita.
Seberapapun banyak waktu dan biaya yang kita keluarkan untuk tubuh kita
supaya tampak indah dan gagah, semuanya akan hilang. Ia akan pergi segera
kalau kita meninggal. Tak ada keindahan dan kegagahan yang tersisa saat
kita
menghadap-Nya.
Istri yang ketiga, adalah status sosial dan kekayaan.
Saat kita meninggal, semuanya akan pergi kepada yang lain. Mereka akan
berpindah, dan melupakan kita yang pernah memilikinya.
Sedangkan istri yang kedua, adalah kerabat dan teman-teman. Seberapapun
dekat hubungan kita dengan mereka, mereka tak akan bisa bersama kita
selamanya. Hanya sampai kuburlah mereka akan menemani kita.
Dan, teman, sesungguhnya, istri pertama kita adalah jiwa dan amal kita.
Mungkin, kita sering mengabaikan, dan melupakannya demi kekayaan
dankesenangan pribadi. Namun, sebenarnya, hanya jiwa dan amal kita sajalah
yang mampu untuk terus setia dan mendampingi kemanapun kita melangkah.
Hanya
amal yang mampu menolong kita di akhirat kelak.
Jadi, selagi mampu, perlakukanlah jiwa dan amal kita dengan bijak. Jangan
sampai kita menyesal belakangan.
INGIN SUKSES...? JGN BERMENTAL PENGEMIS
Salah satu ajaran Rasulullah saw, yang berkaitan dengan manajemen diri adalah Sukses dengan membiasakan diri untuk tidak bermental pengemis.
Salah satu hadis riwayat Abu Dawud, Nasai, dan Tirmidzi, dikisahkan bahwa seorang laki-laki dari golongan Anshor datang menghadap Rasulullah saw. Dia memohon agar Rasulullah saw memberinya sesuatu untuk dimakan. ''Memang kamu tidak mempunyai sesuatu di rumah?'' tanya Rasulullah.
''Tentu saja ada wahai Rasulullah. Saya masih mempunyai sehelai kain yang sebagiannya kami pakai dan sebagian lainnya kami hamparkan, serta sebuah gelas besar tempat kami minum air,'' jawab laki-laki itu.
Nabi kemudian menyuruhnya membawa dan memperlihatkan barang-barang itu kepadanya. Si laki-laki Anshor itu lalu membawa barang itu dan menyerahkannya pada nabi. ''Siapa yang akan membeli barang-barang ini?'' kata nabi. Seorang laki-laki berkata, ''Aku berani dengan harga satu dirham.''
Rasulullah menimpali, ''Siapa yang akan menambah lebih dari satu dirham?'' Seorang laki-laki berkata, ''Aku mengambilnya dengan harga dua dirham.'' Nabi kemudian memberikan dua barang itu kepada penawar terakhir dan mengambil dua dirham itu, lalu memberikannya kepada lelaki Anshor tersebut. ''Belikan makanan dengan salah satu dari dua dirham ini lalu berikan kepada keluargamu, dan belikan sebuah kapak dengan satu dirham lainnya kemudian bawalah kapak tersebut kepadaku.''
Si laki-laki Anshor itu pun bergegas melakukan apa yang diperintahkan Rasulullah saw. Dia menyerahkan kapak yang baru dibelinya kepada Rasulullah saw. Setelah itu, Rasulullah saw memberikan pegangannya, lalu bersabda, ''Pergi dan carilah kayu bakar, kemudian juallah. Aku tidak ingin sama sekali melihatmu selama lima belas hari.''
Setelah mengerjakan perintah Rasulullah saw itu, datanglah laki-laki Anshor itu membawa 10 dirham kemudian membeli makanan dengan sebagian dari uang itu. Rasulullah bersabda, ''Ini lebih baik daripada kamu meminta-minta karena hal itu hanya akan menjadikan noda di wajahmu pada hari kiamat nanti.''
Ada beberapa hikmah sangat penting yaitu;
Pertama, hindarkan sikap meminta, sebab bisa melemahkan kegigihan jiwa untuk menghadapi hidup ini;
Kedua, Isi perut kita dari hasil keringat sendiri agar halal prestatif, bukan halal karena belas kasihan orang, apalagi karena sebel;
Ketiga, Berani menghadapi resiko psikologis dengan cara ada rentang waktu kegigihan tidak merengek-rengek minta bantuan misalnya 15 hari seperti terapi psikologis yang dilakukan Rasululullah saw.
Salah satu hadis riwayat Abu Dawud, Nasai, dan Tirmidzi, dikisahkan bahwa seorang laki-laki dari golongan Anshor datang menghadap Rasulullah saw. Dia memohon agar Rasulullah saw memberinya sesuatu untuk dimakan. ''Memang kamu tidak mempunyai sesuatu di rumah?'' tanya Rasulullah.
''Tentu saja ada wahai Rasulullah. Saya masih mempunyai sehelai kain yang sebagiannya kami pakai dan sebagian lainnya kami hamparkan, serta sebuah gelas besar tempat kami minum air,'' jawab laki-laki itu.
Nabi kemudian menyuruhnya membawa dan memperlihatkan barang-barang itu kepadanya. Si laki-laki Anshor itu lalu membawa barang itu dan menyerahkannya pada nabi. ''Siapa yang akan membeli barang-barang ini?'' kata nabi. Seorang laki-laki berkata, ''Aku berani dengan harga satu dirham.''
Rasulullah menimpali, ''Siapa yang akan menambah lebih dari satu dirham?'' Seorang laki-laki berkata, ''Aku mengambilnya dengan harga dua dirham.'' Nabi kemudian memberikan dua barang itu kepada penawar terakhir dan mengambil dua dirham itu, lalu memberikannya kepada lelaki Anshor tersebut. ''Belikan makanan dengan salah satu dari dua dirham ini lalu berikan kepada keluargamu, dan belikan sebuah kapak dengan satu dirham lainnya kemudian bawalah kapak tersebut kepadaku.''
Si laki-laki Anshor itu pun bergegas melakukan apa yang diperintahkan Rasulullah saw. Dia menyerahkan kapak yang baru dibelinya kepada Rasulullah saw. Setelah itu, Rasulullah saw memberikan pegangannya, lalu bersabda, ''Pergi dan carilah kayu bakar, kemudian juallah. Aku tidak ingin sama sekali melihatmu selama lima belas hari.''
Setelah mengerjakan perintah Rasulullah saw itu, datanglah laki-laki Anshor itu membawa 10 dirham kemudian membeli makanan dengan sebagian dari uang itu. Rasulullah bersabda, ''Ini lebih baik daripada kamu meminta-minta karena hal itu hanya akan menjadikan noda di wajahmu pada hari kiamat nanti.''
Ada beberapa hikmah sangat penting yaitu;
Pertama, hindarkan sikap meminta, sebab bisa melemahkan kegigihan jiwa untuk menghadapi hidup ini;
Kedua, Isi perut kita dari hasil keringat sendiri agar halal prestatif, bukan halal karena belas kasihan orang, apalagi karena sebel;
Ketiga, Berani menghadapi resiko psikologis dengan cara ada rentang waktu kegigihan tidak merengek-rengek minta bantuan misalnya 15 hari seperti terapi psikologis yang dilakukan Rasululullah saw.
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name "Majesty" by John Myung, John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, before they dropped out to support the band. Though a number of lineup changes followed, the three original members remain today along with James LaBrie and Jordan Rudess.
Dream Theater has become one of the most successful progressive rock bands since the height of the genre in the mid-1970s. Although the band has had a few successful hits (notably 'Pull Me Under' in the early 1990s, which received extensive MTV rotation), they have mostly stayed underground for their career, feeding off support from their fans.
The band is well known for the technical proficiency of its instrumentalists, who have won many awards from music instruction magazines. Dream Theater's members have collaborated with many other notable musicians. Guitarist John Petrucci was named as the third player on the G3 tour six times, more than any other invited guitarist, following in the footsteps of Eric Johnson, Robert Fripp, and Yngwie Malmsteen.
The band's two highest selling albums are the gold selling Images and Words (1992), although it reached only #61 on the Billboard 200 charts,[1] and Awake (1994) which reached #32 on the Billboard 200. Recently Systematic Chaos entered US Billboard 200 at #19. [1] Dream Theater has sold over two million albums in the U.S.,[2] and over 8 million albums and DVDs worldwide.[3]
The band is currently promoting their latest effort, Systematic Chaos, with a world tour that began on June 3, 2007 in Milan, Italy
=> History
Dream Theater was formed in September of 1985 when guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung decided to form a band in their spare time while studying at the Berklee College of Music. The pair came across drummer Mike Portnoy in one of Berklee's rehearsal rooms, where he was asked to join the band. The trio started off by covering Iron Maiden and Rush songs in the rehearsal rooms at Berklee.
Myung, Petrucci, and Portnoy settled on the name Majesty for their newly formed group. According to the The Score So Far… documentary, they were waiting in line for tickets to a Rush concert at the Berklee Performance Center while listening to the band on a boom box. Portnoy commented that the ending of the song "Bastille Day" (from the album Caress of Steel) sounded "majestic." It was then decided that Majesty would be the band's name [5].
The trio then set out to fill the remaining positions in the group. Petrucci asked his high school band-mate Kevin Moore to play keyboards. After accepting the position, another friend from home, Chris Collins, was recruited as lead vocalist after band members heard him sing a cover of "Queen of the Reich" by Queensrÿche[6] During this time, Portnoy, Petrucci and Myung's hectic schedules forced them to abandon their studies to concentrate on their music. Moore also left his college, SUNY Fredonia, to concentrate on the band.
=> The Majesty Demos and the birth of "Dream Theater" (1986–1987)
The beginning months of 1986 were filled with various concert dates in and around the New York City area. During this time, the band recorded a collection of demos, titled The Majesty Demos. The initial run of 1,000 sold out within six months, and dubbed copies of the cassette became popular within the progressive metal scene. The Majesty Demos are still available in their original tape format today, despite being released officially on CD through Mike Portnoy's YtseJam Records.
In November 1986, after a few months of writing and performing together, Chris Collins left the band due to creative differences. After a year of trying to find a replacement, Charlie Dominici, who was far older and more experienced than anyone else in the band, successfully auditioned for the group. With the stability that Dominici's appointment brought to Majesty, they began to increase the number of shows played in the New York City area, gaining a considerable amount of exposure.
Shortly after hiring Dominici, a Las Vegas group also named Majesty threatened legal action for intellectual property infringement related to the use of their name, so the band was forced to adopt a new moniker. Various possibilities were proposed and tested, among them Glasser, Magus, and M1, which were all rejected[8] until Portnoy's father suggested the name Dream Theater, the name of a movie house in Monterey, California.
=> When Dream and Day Unite (1988–1990)
John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, Charlie Dominici, Kevin Moore, John Myung
John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, Charlie Dominici, Kevin Moore, John Myung
With this stability, Dream Theater concentrated on writing more material while playing more concerts in New York and in neighboring states. This eventually attracted the attention of Mechanic Records, a division of MCA. Dream Theater signed their first record contract with Mechanic on June 23, 1988 and set out to record their debut album.
When Dream and Day Unite was released in 1989 to far less fanfare than the band had anticipated. Mechanic ended up breaking the majority of the financial promises they had made to Dream Theater prior to signing their contract, so the band was restricted to playing around New York City. The promotional tour for the album consisted of just five concerts, all of which were relatively local. Their first show was at Sundance in Bay Shore, New York opening for the classic rock power trio Zebra.
After the fourth show, Dominici was fired because of personal and creative differences. Shortly after, however, the band Marillion asked Dream Theater to open for them at a gig at the Ritz in New York, so Dominici was given the opportunity to perform one last time. It would be another two years before Dream Theater had a replacement vocalist.
=> Images and Words (1991–1993)
Following Dominici's firing, Dream Theater fought successfully to be released from their contract with Mechanic, and set about auditioning singers and writing material for their next album. In their search for a new singer they auditioned over 200 people, among them former Fates Warning front man John Arch; all were turned down. In mid-1990, at a gig in New York, Dream Theater introduced Steve Stone as their new singer. He performed just three songs with the band before he was fired for performing less than adequately. It was five months before Dream Theater played another show, this time all-instrumental (under the name YtseJam). Until mid-1992 the band remained focused in an attempt to hire another singer and writing additional music.[9]. It was during this period that they wrote the majority of what would become the 1992's Images and Words.
In late 1991, Kevin James LaBrie, of glam metal band Winter Rose, was flown from Canada to New York for an audition. LaBrie jammed on three songs with the band, and was immediately hired to fill the vocalist position. Once recruited, LaBrie decided to drop his first name to avoid confusion with the other Kevin in the band. For the next few months, the band returned to playing live shows (still mostly around NYC), while working on vocal parts for the music written before acquiring LaBrie. ATCO Records (now EastWest), a division of Elektra Records, signed Dream Theater to a seven album contract based on a three song demo (later made available as "The ATCO Demos" through the Dream Theater fan club).
The first album to be recorded under their new record contract was 1992's Images and Words. For promotion, the label released a CD Single and video clip for the song "Another Day", but neither made significant commercial impact. The song "Pull Me Under", however, managed to garner a high level of radio airplay without any organized promotion from the band or their label. In response, ATCO produced a video clip for "Pull Me Under", which saw heavy rotation on MTV. A third video clip was produced for "Take the Time", but it was not nearly as successful as "Pull Me Under".
The success of "Pull Me Under", combined with relentless touring throughout the U.S. and Japan, caused Images and Words to achieve gold record certification in the States and platinum status in Japan. A tour of Europe followed in 1993, which included a show at London's famed Marquee Club. The show was recorded and released as Live at the Marquee, Dream Theater's first official live album. Additionally, a video compilation of their Japanese concerts (mixed in with documentary-style footage of the off-stage portion of the tour) was released as Images and Words: Live in Tokyo.
=> Awake (1994)
Eager to work on fresh material, Dream Theater retreated to the studio in May 1994. Awake, Dream Theater's third studio album, was released in October 1994 in a hail of controversy among fans. Shortly before the album was mixed, Moore announced to the rest of the band that he wished to concentrate on his own musical interests and would be quitting Dream Theater[10]. Moore was simply no longer interested in touring, nor did he favor the style of music Dream Theater performed. As a result, the band had to scramble to find a replacement keyboardist before a tour could be considered.
Jens Johansson, who would go on to become a member of Stratovarius, was among the biggest names to audition; however, the band members were eager to fill the position with keyboardist Jordan Rudess. Portnoy and Petrucci had come across Rudess in Keyboard Magazine, where he was recognized as "best new talent" in the reader's poll. The two invited him to play a trial gig with the band at the Concrete Foundations Forum in Burbank, CA[9]. For the members of Dream Theater, the show went incredibly well, and Rudess was asked to fill the keyboardist position permanently; however, Rudess opted to tour with The Dixie Dregs instead since it granted him more personal latitude. Disappointed, Dream Theater hired fellow Berklee alumnus Derek Sherinian, whose previous work included stints with Alice Cooper and Kiss, to fill in for the Awake promotional tour. By the conclusion of the tour, the band decided to take Sherinian on as Moore's full-time replacement.
=> A Change of Seasons and Falling into Infinity (1995–1998)
Once again finding themselves with a new member, Dream Theater did not immediately start working on new material. Fans around the world, united on the YtseJam Mailing List (the most popular form of communication between Dream Theater fans at that point), had started placing pressure on the band to officially release the song "A Change of Seasons". It had been written in 1989 and was intended to be a part of Images and Words, but at almost 17 minutes, it was deemed too long for studio placement. However, the band did perform it live on occasion while continuing to revise it in the years leading up to 1995.
The petition was successful, and the group entered BearTracks Studios in New York in April 1995 to rewrite and record the 23 minute song with Sherinian contributing significantly to the final product. To disseminate "A Change of Seasons", the band released it as an EP along with a collection of cover songs recorded live at the Uncovered fan club gig.
After a short run of small concerts to promote A Change of Seasons, Dream Theater took a break for a few months. To keep busy, however, the band released a special Christmas CD through their official fan club, consisting of rare live tracks recorded during the band's early years. They continued releasing a new CD each Christmas until 2005.[11]Also during the break the individual members set out to write compositions for their upcoming collaborative writing sessions.
Meanwhile, there were several changes at EastWest, and Dream Theater's main contact within the label was fired. As a result, the new team at the company were unaccustomed to the relationship Dream Theater had with former EastWest personnel, and they pressured Dream Theater to write an album that was more accessible. At the end of 1996, they entered the studio to write their next album. In addition to pressuring the band to adopt a more mainstream sound, EastWest recruited writer/producer Desmond Child to work with Petrucci on polishing the lyrics to his song "You Or Me". The whole band substantially reworked the music to the song, and it appeared on the album as "You Not Me" with a chorus that was barely reminiscent of the original. Child also had a noticeable impact on the album, with a shift towards compositions that were less complex and more radio-friendly.
The band wrote almost two CDs worth of material, including a 20 minute long follow-up to the Images and Words song "Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper". The label, however, did not allow the release of a double album because it felt that a 140-minute record would not be digestible by the general public. James LaBrie also felt that the CD should be a single disc.[12] Most of the unused songs were released in other ways later on, either on fan club Christmas CDs, or at live shows.
The material that made it onto the album proper was released as Falling Into Infinity, which received a mixed reception from fans who were more familiar with the band's earlier sound. While the album was moderately progressive-sounding, tracks such as "Hollow Years" and "You Not Me" prompted some to believe it was the dawn of a new, mainstream-sounding Dream Theater. Overall, the album was both a critical and commercial disappointment. Although Portnoy didn't speak out publicly at the time, many years later, in the 2004 DVD commentary for 5 Years in a LIVEtime, he revealed that he had been so discouraged during this period he'd considered disbanding Dream Theater altogether.
During the European leg of the Falling Into Infinity world tour, two shows were recorded for a live album entitled Once In A LIVEtime, in France and The Netherlands. The album was released at around the same time as the video 5 Years in a LIVEtime, which chronicled the time from when Kevin Moore left the band up to the Falling Into Infinity promotional tour.
=> Scenes from a Memory and first live DVD (1999–2000)
In 1997, Magna Carta Records' Mike Varney invited Portnoy to assemble a progressive 'supergroup' to work on an album, which would become the first in a long string of side-projects for the members of Dream Theater [13]. The lineup consisted of Portnoy on drums, Petrucci on guitar, Tony Levin on bass, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess, who had finished with the Dixie Dregs. The band assumed the name Liquid Tension Experiment, and would act as a medium through which Portnoy and Petrucci could once again court Rudess to join Dream Theater. In 1999, he accepted an offer to become the third full-time Dream Theater keyboardist, replacing Sherinian.
With yet another new member, Dream Theater entered BearTracks Studio once again to write and record their next album. As a result of an ultimatum from Portnoy, the label gave the band complete creative control. The follow-up to "Metropolis Part 1", which was written during the Falling Into Infinity sessions (but not used on that album), was taken off the shelf for reworking. They decided to expand the 20-minute song into a complete concept album, with a story revolving around themes such as reincarnation, murder and betrayal. To avoid stirring up the fan base, a tight veil of secrecy enveloped the writing and recording process. The only things fans were privy to prior to its release were a track list that had been leaked against the band's wishes, and a release date. In 1999, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory was released to high critical acclaim. It was hailed as Dream Theater's masterpiece by many fans and critics alike, despite only reaching #73 on the US album chart.[1]
A massive world tour followed, taking over a year to complete, by far their largest to that point. The concerts reflected the theatrical aspect of the album. They played the entire Scenes From a Memory album from start to finish, with a video screen on the back wall of the stage showing a narrative companion to the story of the album. In addition to playing the album in its entirety, the band also played a second set of Dream Theater songs, as well as a few covers and improvisations of old Dream Theater material. For one extra special show, at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, actors were hired to play characters in the story, and a gospel choir was enlisted to perform in some sections of the performance.
This show, the last North American date of the tour, was recorded for the band's first DVD release. After many technical delays, the DVD, titled Metropolis 2000, was released in early 2001. Shortly after, the band announced that an audio version of the concert, with the entire four-hour long set-list (most of which had to be cut from the DVD to save space), would be released.
The cover for the CD version of the concert, titled Live Scenes From New York, depicted one of Dream Theater's early logos (the Images And Words-era burning heart, modeled on the Sacred Heart of Christ) modified to show an apple (as in "Big Apple") instead of the heart, and the New York skyline, including the twin towers of the World Trade Center, in the flame above it. In an unfortunate coincidence, the album was released on the same date as the September 11, 2001 attacks. The album was quickly recalled by the band and was re-released with revised artwork later[14].
=> Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)
"Overture"
Play sound
"Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" from Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence.
Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Putting the whole ordeal behind them, Dream Theater once again entered BearTracks Studios to record their sixth studio album. Four years after they first petitioned EastWest to allow them to release a double album, they finally got their chance with Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. The first disc consisted of five tracks of 7-13 minutes in length, and the second disc was devoted entirely to the 42-minute title track, which is to date the longest song Dream Theater has written. The genesis of that song came when Rudess wrote what would become the "Overture" section of "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence", and the band took some different melodies and ideas contained within it and expanded them into chapters of the complete piece.
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence ended up being received very well by critics and the press. It was the most publicized of Dream Theater's albums since Awake, debuting on the Billboard charts at #46[1] and the Billboard Internet charts at #1.[15] Throughout the next year and a half they toured the world once more, with an expanded live show including a select few special "album cover" gigs (see Cover songs section, below), in which they played Metallica's Master of Puppets and Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast in their entirety.
=> Train of Thought (2003–2004)
During 2003, Dream Theater entered the studio to write and record another album. Since Scenes From A Memory was written and recorded simultaneously in the studio, in the spirit of change, the band took a different approach by setting aside three weeks for writing prior to recording. In the middle of the recording sessions for the album, a special tour with two other progressive metal bands, Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, was undertaken in North America. The "Escape From The Studio American tour", as it was referred to in Dream Theater's promotional material, featured Queensrÿche and Dream Theater as co-headlining acts with Fates Warning performing supporting act duties. As a finale for each concert there was an extended encore in which both Dream Theater and Queensrÿche performed together on stage simultaneously, often playing cover songs.
At the completion of the tour, Dream Theater returned to the studio to finish the recording of their seventh album, Train of Thought. They concentrated more on writing a great song-oriented album, a mindset inspired by covering Master of Puppets and Number of the Beast on a previous concert tour. As a result, the heavy metal sound of those two albums seemed to creep into Train of Thought.[16] The album was a critical success, but it alienated a fair proportion of Dream Theater's fans that enjoy traditional progressive rock such as Yes or King Crimson more than modern heavy metal like Tool[citation needed]. Regardless, it seemed to expand Dream Theater's fan base into new territory, that of mainstream heavy metal[citation needed].
Another world tour followed, during which Dream Theater performed support act duties for one of their major influences, Yes. A modest North American tour was completed by the two bands, after which Dream Theater continued to tour the world with their so-called "An Evening With Dream Theater" shows.
Their next move was to release another live CD/DVD combination, this time recorded at the famous Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on their Train of Thought world tour. Live at Budokan was released on October 5, 2004, and further propelled Dream Theater's reputation as one of the premier live acts in progressive metal.
=> Octavarium and Score (2005–2006)
"I Walk Beside You"
Play sound
"I Walk Beside You" from Octavarium.
Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Dream Theater after concert in Paris (2005). Left to right: Portnoy, Petrucci, LaBrie, Myung, Rudess
Dream Theater after concert in Paris (2005). Left to right: Portnoy, Petrucci, LaBrie, Myung, Rudess
Upon the completion of their Train of Thought promotional tour, Dream Theater entered the Hit Factory studios in NYC to record their eighth album. As it turned out, they would be the last group ever to record in that famous studio, and after they wrapped up their final session, the lights were turned off at the studio forever.
Octavarium, was released on June 7, 2005 and took the band's sound in yet another new direction. Among its eight songs is a continuation of Portnoy's "Alcoholics Anonymous" suite ("The Root of All Evil", steps 6-7 in the 12-step plan), as well as the title track, a musically versatile 24 minute epic rivaling "A Change of Seasons". Octavarium received mixed reviews from fans and has been the subject of spirited debate. In particular, some fans thought that the band wore its musical influences too prominently on its sleeve (e.g. "Never Enough" has been compared to Muse's "Stockholm Syndrome"[17] and the relatively radio-friendly "I Walk Beside You," which combines a sound reminiscent of U2 and Coldplay)[18]. Octavarium was the last album under their seven-album deal with Elektra Records, which had inherited the contract upon its absorption of EastWest Records.
Dream Theater toured extensively throughout 2005 and 2006 to celebrate their 20th Anniversary as a band, including a headlining spot on Gigantour. During a show on August 2, 2005 in Dallas, the band paid tribute to Pantera's late guitarist Dimebag Darrell by performing the song "Cemetery Gates" as an encore. In addition was the unexpected appearance of fellow musicians Russell Allen, Burton C. Bell and Dave Mustaine, who joined the band on stage to perform parts of the song.
Dream Theater later departed from Gigantour and continued on with their own series of concerts. The 20th anniversary tour concluded with a show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 1, 2006. Though the show had minimal promotion, it was sold out days after tickets were made available. This show, which was recorded for a CD/DVD called Score released on August 29, 2006 through Rhino Records, was the band's first concert accompanied by a full symphonic orchestra (the "Octavarium Orchestra").
=> Systematic Chaos (2007)
Dream Theater's latest album Systematic Chaos was released on June 5, 2007. The record marked their first with new label Roadrunner Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. Roadrunner implemented increased promotion for the album, and as a result, Systematic Chaos reached number 19 on the Billboard 200, marking the highest initial charting album in Dream Theater's career.[19] It also saw the release of a video for "Constant Motion" on July 14, the band's first music video since the mid-1990s. An authorized book entitled Lifting Shadows, detailing their first twenty years, is also set for release before the end of 2007.[20] Systematic Chaos contains eight tracks, but technically only seven songs. The album contains an epic titled "In the Presence of Enemies", bookending the album as tracks 1 and 8, Portnoy's continuing AA Saga with the song "Repentance", and a song of political nature, "Prophets of War".
The 2007/2008 Chaos In Motion World Tour started off in Italy. Dream Theater played in the Gods of Metal concert on June 3, 2007.[21] Dream Theater also appeared at the Fields Of Rock Festival in the Netherlands on June 17, 2007[22]. They also played at various other European festivals including the UK's Download Festival and the French festival Hellfest Summer Open Air with other bands such as Megadeth, Korn, Mastodon and Slayer.
Dream Theater returned to perform the North American leg of the tour on July 24 in San Diego, California and wrapped up on August 26 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They played with opening acts Redemption and Into Eternity. Dream Theater will continued their "Chaos In Motion" tour for the rest of the year and into 2008, playing shows in Asia, South America and, for the first time, Australia. [23]
=> Greatest Hit (...and 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs) (2008)
On April 1, 2008, a two-disc compilation album entitled Greatest Hit (...and 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs) was released by the band. The title jokingly references the song "Pull Me Under," the band's only significant radio hit. The album is Dream Theater's first greatest hits album, it also included three new song re-mixes, and an unreleased track.
Dream Theater is currently preparing for their package tour dubbed as "Progressive Nation Tour 2008," which starts on May 2nd. Joining them on the tour will be Opeth, Between the Buried and Me as well as 3. Unlike previous Dream Theater tours they will perform in cities that they have not visited in the past (such as Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) or cities they haven't played in for several years. This tour also marks the first time, since the release of Images & Words, where the group will perform in small venues and performance theaters.
[edit] Logo and imagery
The Dream Theater wordmark and Majesty symbol.
The Dream Theater wordmark and Majesty symbol.
Despite the band being forced to change their name, Dream Theater adopted a custom logo (known as the Majesty symbol) and wordmark which has appeared on the vast majority of their promotional material and on the front cover of every Dream Theater studio album. The Majesty symbol is derived from Mary Queen of Scots' mark,[24] which was re-worked by Charlie Dominici for use on the album artwork for When Dream and Day Unite.[25] It consists of a capital Phi, a capital Lambda, and a capital Mu[citation needed].
=> Live performances
Throughout their career, Dream Theater's live shows have gradually become bigger, longer, and more diverse. The most obvious example of this is their rotational set list policy. That is, every single night of every tour has its set list devised by Portnoy using a meticulous process that ensures its uniqueness. Factors such as set lists from previous cities are taken into account to ensure that people who see Dream Theater multiple times within the same area will not see the same songs performed twice, and even the set list from the last time the band was in a particular city is taken into account for the benefit of fans who see the band on successive tours.[26]
Rudess and Petrucci dueling in Buenos Aires (2008).
Rudess and Petrucci dueling in Buenos Aires (2008).
For this to be possible, the band prepares to play the majority of its catalogue at any performance, depending on what Portnoy decides to program for that night. This process also requires the employment of a complex lighting system to load pre-configured lighting cues based on the individual songs.
Some of Dream Theater's more notable touring partners include Deep Purple, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Iron Maiden, Joe Satriani, King's X, Marillion, Megadeth, In Flames, Pain of Salvation, Porcupine Tree, Queensrÿche, Riverside, Spock's Beard, Fear Factory, Enchant, Symphony X, and Yes. In 2005, Dream Theater toured North America with the Gigantour festival, co-headlining with Megadeth, and were honored to be graced on stage by the presence of the likes of Megadeth and Iron Maiden.
The band's full world tours, since Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, have predominantly been so-called "Evening with..." tours, in which the band performs for at least three hours with an intermission and no opening act. The show that was recorded for Live Scenes From New York was nearly four hours in length, and resulted in Portnoy almost being hospitalized.[27][28]
"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
Play sound
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", live at Nagoya, Japan.
Problems listening to the file? See media help.
There is also a significant amount of humor, casualness, and improvisation attached to a Dream Theater concert. In the midst of "A Change of Seasons" it is quite common for themes such as those for Major League Baseball and The Simpsons to be quoted, and Rudess routinely modifies his solo section in the song and others, often playing the ragtime section of "When the Water Breaks" from Liquid Tension Experiment 2. Other quotations include "Mary Had a Little Lamb" during "Endless Sacrifice" on the Gigantour, a calliope-inspired break between verses of "Under a Glass Moon", a quote of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina"'s main melody played by Petrucci while performing the intro solo of "Through Her Eyes" in Buenos Aires, the Turkish March at a concert in Istanbul, and the opening riff of Rush's A Passage to Bangkok at a show in Bangkok, Thailand. On the most recent "20th Anniversary World Tour" Rudess has even thrown in a short "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" theme in a break during "Endless Sacrifice".
Occasionally, a member of the audience is picked at random to perform on stage, an example of which can be seen during Portnoy's drum solo on the Live at Budokan DVD. There have also been many impromptu renditions of "Happy Birthday" when a member of the band or crew have a birthday corresponding to a tour date, which normally results in a birthday cake being thrown at the subject.
Perhaps the best example of Dream Theater's unpredictable concert structure is that during Derek Sherinian's time with the band. At selected shows the band members all swapped instruments and performed an encore as the fictitious band dubbed Nightmare Cinema. They usually performed a cover of Deep Purple's "Perfect Strangers", and, on one occasion, Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution." At some shows, Sherinian, Petrucci and Portnoy would take the stage together under the name "Nicky Lemons and the Migraine Brothers". Sherinian, wearing a feather boa and novelty sunglasses, would perform a pop-punk song entitled "I Don't Like You" with Petrucci and Portnoy backing.
Dream Theater's largest audience as a headlining act was 20,000 in Santiago, Chile on December 6, 2005. [29] This was during their first tour of South American countries other than Brazil (which they had visited in 1997 and 1998).
=> Bootleg culture
Mike Portnoy started an official bootlegs series in response to Dream Theater fans' affinity for live versions of their concerts. Dream Theater is one of the most actively bootlegged bands in the progressive metal genre. Since their very first shows in New York as Majesty, fans have recorded almost every single show that Dream Theater have played (occasionally there are three or four versions of a single concert), and some very elaborate and professional recordings have been released.
However, not every member in the band tolerates the release of Dream Theater bootlegs. Portnoy is the most pro-bootlegging member, since he was an avid collector of many bootlegs in his younger days and keeps his own personal archive of Dream Theater material in his basement. Petrucci and LaBrie have voiced opposition to people recording their concerts. Petrucci takes issue with bootleggers because he prefers audience members to concentrate on the musicians on stage, and not the level adjustments on their recording device. LaBrie, on the other hand, argues that bootlegging takes ownership and control over Dream Theater's performances away from the band themselves and into the hands of the public. Myung has expressed mild opposition to bootlegging, but in some interviews has mentioned that he does not particularly take great issue with it.
Dream Theater have released a series of official bootlegs, demos and other rarities through YtseJam Records, headed by Portnoy [30]. They include demos the band put out before official albums, as well as many live shows, including shows where the band has covered a particular album. Albums covered include Dark Side of the Moon, Made in Japan, Master of Puppets, and Number of the Beast.
=> Cover songs
Dream Theater has been known for covering other artists' work throughout their career. They took this practice to a new level during the promotional tour for Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. At three special gigs, one each in Barcelona, Chicago and New York City, they covered Metallica's Master of Puppets album in its entirety after a full set of Dream Theater material. This came as a surprise to fans, as there was no sign that this was to occur, other than it being announced that the gigs involved, which were the second of a two-night stand in each city, would be "extra special". This tradition can most likely be traced back to one of Mike Portnoy's favorite bands, Phish, who began a series of performing "musical costumes" of entire albums from other artists each Halloween beginning in 1994. Portnoy devised this "album cover" as the first in a series of gigs to be played as tributes to bands that had been influential in the formation and development of Dream Theater. The covers set divided many fans who attended the shows, with some people saying that they went to a Dream Theater concert to see original music and not another artist's work. Others, however, said that it was a bonus and not a replacement for a normal Dream Theater concert, since an ordinary gig had been played the night before.
On the next leg of the tour they covered Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast and received a similar reaction to Master of Puppets, although it was already known that a cover was to be performed that night because the tour itinerary included two successive gigs in a single city. On October 11, 2005, Dream Theater covered Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Dream Theater's official webpage stated that the second sets of the second nights in Amsterdam, London, Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Tokyo (October 11, October 25, December 4, December 11 and January 13 respectively), and also the second set of the January 15 show in Osaka, would be a classic album covered in its entirety. Dark Side of the Moon was played again on October 25 in London. However, in Buenos Aires (December 4) and São Paulo (December 11) the 'classic album' played was Dream Theater's own Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, to make up for not having visited Argentina and Brazil in their Metropolis 2000 tour. On January 13, 2006 (Tokyo) and on the 15th (Osaka), Dream Theater covered Deep Purple's live album Made in Japan. Portnoy says that he has one more cover show planned, but refuses to reveal when it will occur, or what album will be covered.[31]
During Gigantour 2005, Dream Theater did a cover of Pantera's "Cemetery Gates" as a tribute to the late "Dimebag" Darrel Lance Abbott. As an added bonus, they had Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory, and Russell Allen of Symphony X do guest vocals and Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, do the main solo for the song.
In addition, Dream Theater released several live cover songs on their EP A Change of Seasons, including songs from Elton John, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Journey, Kansas, and Dixie Dregs.
=> Discography
Main article: Dream Theater discography
=> Studio releases
* 1989: When Dream and Day Unite
* 1992: Images and Words
* 1994: Awake
* 1997: Falling into Infinity
* 1999: Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory
* 2002: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
* 2003: Train of Thought
* 2005: Octavarium
* 2007: Systematic Chaos
=> Band members
For more details on this topic, see List of Dream Theater band members.
=> Current members
* James LaBrie - lead vocals, percussion (1991-present)
* John Myung - bass, chapman stick (1985-present)
* John Petrucci - guitar, backing vocals (1985-present)
* Mike Portnoy - drums, percussion, vocals (1985-present)
* Jordan Rudess - keyboards, continuum, lap steel guitar (1999-present)
=> Awards and certificates
RIAA gold and platinum certification
1. Images and Words (Gold) - February 2, 1995
2. Metropolis 2000: Live Scenes From New York (Gold) - November 8, 2002
3. Live at Budokan (DVD) (Platinum) - January 26, 2005
4. Live in Tokyo/5 Years in a Livetime (Platinum) - March 22, 2006
5. Score (DVD) (Platinum) - October 11, 2006 [32]
Keyboard Magazine Jordan Rudess was awarded the following 'Keyboard Magazine Reader's Poll award':
1. Best New Talent (1994)
Modern Drummer Mike Portnoy won the following Modern Drummer magazine Reader's Poll awards:
1. Best Up & Coming Talent (1994)
2. Best Progressive Rock Drummer (1995-2006)
3. Best Recorded Performance (1995 for Awake, 1996 for A Change of Seasons, 1998 for Falling Into Infinity, 2000 for Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory, 2002 for Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, and 2007 for Score)
4. Best Clinician (2000, 2002)
5. Best Educational Video/DVD (2000, 2002)
6. Hall of Fame Inductee (2004)
Guitar World The album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory was ranked #95 on the magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Albums of All Time.
Total Guitar John Petrucci won Guitarist of the year award (2007).
Other recognitions
1. At Dream Theater's Salt Lake City show, Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. signed a proclamation making July 30, 2007 "Dream Theater Day" in the state of Utah.
2. On December 2007, Dream Theater were chosen as the Xbox Live's artist of the month.
3. Dream Theater's music video "Constant Motion" was voted second in the Headbanger's Ball 2007 competition.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
