Installing PHP on Windows XP

This tutorial will show you how to install PHP 5.2.8 on machine running Windows XP.

To start with we will download all of the necessary applications which can be found at the following locations:

PHP: PHP download page
File to download: PHP 5.2.8 zip package

Create a folder on your desktop and place all downloaded files inside of it.

Now go the the C:\ drive and create a folder with a name webserver.
This will be the folder where all of our apache, php and mysql files will be kept. Inside of this create another folder: php.

Installing PHP
Go to your desktop and in the folder you initially created find file called php-5.2.8-Win32.zip.
Extract the content of this file to C:\webserver\php. Pull out all of the files from the php-5.2.8-Win32 folder and place them directly in C:\webserver\php.

Now we need to add our C:\webserver\php folder to the path of the Environment Variables.
To do this right click My Computer icon on your desktop and choose Properties. Then choose Advanced tab and click Environment Variables button (Fig. 13).

Fig. 13

Now select Path from the System variables list in the bottom part of the window and click Edit (Fig. 14).

Fig. 14

In the new window click inside the Variable value: box and press End button on your keyboard to get to the end of the path.
Now type in or copy and paste the following ;C:\webserver\php (Fig. 15). Make sure you start it with semicolon and to use back slashes.

Fig. 15

Once you have done this click OK in all of the windows until you close the System Properties window. Now you need to restart the computer.

Next step will be to find out if our PHP is working. Go to Start > Run and type cmd. In the command prompt window type php -v. You should see something like Fig. 16.

Fig. 16

We still have some tweaking to do before we finish our installation.
Go to C:\webserver\php and find file called php.ini-recommended. Rename that file to php.ini.
Open this file and make the following amendments:

1. identify line with doc_root = and change it to:
   doc_root = C:\webserver\Apache2\htdocs
2. identify line with extension_dir = "./" and change it to:
   extension_dir = C:\webserver\php\ext

Save and close the file.

Apache Configuration
Now we need to make sure that Apache knows where to search for php modules.
To do that first go to C:\webserver\Apache2\conf and open file httpd.conf in your text editor.
Because we will be running PHP as an Apache module which is faster and more secure option comparing to CGI binary, we will need to do the following changes to httpd.conf file:

1. identify LoadModule section and add the following line at the top of this section:
   LoadModule php5_module "C:/webserver/php/php5apache2.dll"
2. identify AddType section and add the following line at the top of this section:
   AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
3. lastly place the following line somewhere within the content:
   PHPIniDir "C:/webserver/php/" - ensure you have a closing slash at the end of the path.

Save and close file. Restart Apache by going to Start > All Programs > Apache HTTP Server 2.0.59 > Control Apache Server and click Restart.

Now go to C:\webserver\Apache2\htdocs folder and select all files by pressing Ctrl + A on your keyboard. Right click on any of the selected files and choose Properties. In Attributes section of the General tab tick Hidden checkbox and click Apply and OK to close the window. This way you will only see your own files in this folder which is the root of our web server and the place where you will be setting up all your projects.

Inside C:\webserver\Apache2\htdocs create a file and give it a name phpinfo.php. Open this file with your text editor and place the following line:
. Save and close the file.

Open your browser and type the following line in the URL:
http://localhost/phpinfo.php.
You should see now a PHP information page (Fig. 17).

Fig. 17

Now that our Apache and PHP is installed let´s move on to the next section where we will be installing MySQL.

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Installing Apache on Windows XP

This tutorial will show you how to install Apache 2.2.11 on machine running Windows XP.

To start with we will download all of the necessary applications which can be found at the following locations:

Apache: Apache download page
File to download: Win32 Binary (MSI Installer): apache_2.2.11-win32-x86-no_ssl.msi

Create a folder on your desktop and place all downloaded files inside of it.

Now go the the C:\ drive and create a folder with a name webserver.
This will be the folder where all of our apache files will be kept.

Installing Apache
Go to your desktop to the previously created folder and double click apache_2.2.11-win32-x86-no_ssl.msi. This will start installation of Apache web server. Follow the instructions:

Fig. 01 - Click next


Fig. 02 - Select I accept terms in the licence agreement and click next.


Fig. 03 - Click next


Fig. 04 - In the first two fields type in localhost and in the last one info@localhost. We will be installing Apache as a service which starts automatically when computer starts therefore we select Port 80. If you are about to use your web server just from time to time then you may choose Port 8080. This way you would need to start Apache manually everytime you are going to use it.


Fig. 05 - Select Custom and click next.


Fig. 06 - Because we want our server to be installed in C:\webserver click Change button to change the path of the installation.


Fig. 07 - Navigate to C:\webserver and click OK. On the next screen click next.


Fig. 08 - Now you are ready to install Apache. Click Install.


Fig. 09 - Once everything is done click Finish to exit setup.


Fig. 10 - You should now see a small Apache icon in the system tray.


Fig. 11 - In your C:\webserver folder you should notice an extra Apache2 folder has been created which stores your web server files.


Fig. 12 - Now let´s see if Apache is running. Open your browser and if you were installing Apache as a service (Port 80) then type in URL http://localhost and press Enter. You should see the same page as displayed above. If you were installing Apache using Port 8080 then you would need to first start it by going to Start > All Programs > Apache HTTP Server 2.0.59 > Control Apache Server and click Start. Then in your browers´s URL type http://localhost:8080. This should open the same page in your browser.
Make sure you allow Apache access on your firewall.

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13 free CMS options for Web Design Professionals Reviewed

At the center of most (if not all) web development projects is the old chestnut we call content management systems. Choosing a CMS for your website, or indeed for your enterprise is no easy task - in Europe alone, you have around 500 systems to choose from. Whether that system is something complex or something simple (i.e. hand editing), it is an essential part of a successful site. Enabling content editors to perform website updates (however inexperienced) with the web has always been something of a challenge for developers, thankfully there are a number of platforms and open source projects out there which take the hassle out of developing your own system, and can put you in the running for projects normally outside of your scope. The following hopefully provides a comprehensive overview of some of the best out there, and we’ve tried to be as comprehensive in our review of each.

Typo 3

Technology : PHP Supported
RDMS: MySQL, Oracle, MS-SQL, ODBC
Setup time: 45 minutes+
Supported OS: Windows / Unix / MacOSX

Features:

• On page editing
• Intuitive Tree Structure for pages , folders and files
• Internal Search Engine

URL: http://typo3.com
FEATURE URL: http://typo3.com/Feature_list.1243.0.html

If you are looking for power over simplicity then Typo 3 is one such option. Starting out with TYPO3 does require time and dedication, both from an administrative point of view. End users can expect to spend around 45 minutes plus to get up and running with the admin tools, depending on how IT literate they are at the minute. To take advantage of its full power, you will need to get your reading glasses out. Admins are going to get it tough, there is significant documentation - 1600 (and counting) pages of references and tutorials, and you are going to have to read at least some of it. However there is no question forum on their website, which you would expect from an Open source solution such as this. On the plus side, the features this product offers are second to none, and are continuing to grow through the PHP development community, and some of the clients using this include large brands such as Philips and the Museum of Science and Industry Chicago.

Cushy CMS

Technology : Browser Based (PHP engine)
Setup time: 5 minutes+
Supported OS: N/A - hosted

Features:

• On page editing
• Extremely Simple

URL: http://www.cushycms.com/

If Typo 3 is the Rolls Royce of the CMS world, then Cushy CMS has got to be a Mini. A fluffy Light and Small web 2.0 application this CMS is one of the easiest and quickest to get up and running with, although it is strictly a hosted solution, and to run it you need to provide your FTP details through Cushy’s website. In order to set the system up you simply add css styles to the sections which need changed, Cushy then changes the page on the fly, and sends it back to the ftp server itself. I would be a little worried about the security implications of passing FTP details over cleartext, and it obviously has to keep a hold on your passwords *somewhere* on its own server..which in my opinon is a bit of a risk. From their own website: “CushyCMS accesses and stores sensitive website login data as part of its daily operations. While we will take every reasonable precaution to secure these details (including the use of database data encryption), we will not accept any responsibility or liability for actions that may result from this data being intercepted or accessed by an unauthorized third-party.” In other words, if it all goes Pear shaped “We aint takin no responsibility “. None the less, this does seem to be a good concept for breaking things down to a simple level, my fear is that it is too simple. This current version will not enable content editors to add a new page - for that, they will have to go back to their webdesigner.

Made By Frog

Technology : PHP
RDMS: a MySQL database or SQLite 3
Setup time: 45 minutes+ Supported OS: *Nix (Apache)

Features:

• On page editing
• Simple Philosophy
• Add pages & Images
• Extendable, includes an API
• Uses Templating Code.

URL: http://www.madebyfrog.com/
SUPPORT FORUM: http://forum.madebyfrog.com/

Created as a PHP port of Radiant CMS (Ruby on Rails app), Frog CMS carries the motto “Fast and Simple”. And it stands up to the test - we found that it took up quite a bit smaller memory footprint than the Ruby equivalent. The learning curve (provided you know a bit about PHP) is also relatively fast, and you can be up and running with a content managed solution in as little as 45 minutes. Complimenting the main site is a support forum, and good clear documentation. However if you are a complete PHP newbie, this one probably is still a bit involved, and although it uses a templating system, it will still prove to be a pain to implement - say over something like Wordpress. We also found that the download on their site was corrupt, and had to grab it via Tortoise SVN. We would say to stick out at it though and you will be rewarded in what is an extremely well put together Open Source CMS.

Radiant CMS

Technology : Ruby On Rails
RDMS: MySQL database, PostReSQL, SQLite3
Setup time: 45 minutes+
Supported OS: *Nix (Apache)

Features:

• Elegant user interface
• Flexible templating with layouts, snippets, page parts, and a custom tagging language
• Simple user management and permissions

URL: http://www.radiantcms.com/

This is the product that inspired Frog CMS, and it has pretty much the same layout and feel as Frog, only that it is a Ruby on Rails app. The community around Radiant however does feel to be much more active, and if that is your bag, and you are a Ruby developer, then this is the CMS for you. Thankfully developers have started to break down the barriers to entry for content management systems, and the newer ones such Radiant have concentrated heavily on making things much more friendly for both the end user and web designers. The custom tagging langugage (Radius) is also particularly nice in this system, and should be a breeze for anyone who has done any Ruby work to pick up.

Modx CMS

Technology : PHP
RDMS: MySQL database
Setup time: 45 minutes+
Supported OS: *Nix (Apache)

Features:

• Strong Web Standards Support
• Web 2.0 Features
• Graphical Installer

URL: http://modxcms.com/

The MODx Ajax CMS and PHP Application Framework brings plenty to the table, with as it is a application framework, not only is ModX a CMS, but it is a Web application builder as well, supporting forms creation amongst other things. The templating language for ModX is particularly simple to get to grips with tags placeholders which are easily to integrate. ModX also has a strong focus towards two things close to my heart - search engine optimisation and Web Standards. Its no surprise then that ModX came out winner in the Most Promising Open Source Content Management System of 2007, holding off strong competition from SilverStrip, Nuke Evolution, Typolight and dotCMS - all reviewed here. “MODx is the alternative to hacking blogging tools and other tools to death, extended learning curves, and changing your workflow to fit software that just doesn’t quite “get it”. MODx allows you to focus on usability, design, content and building great sites, not on the tools that build them.”

SilverStripe

Technology : PHP
RDMS: MySQL database
Setup time: 30 minutes+
Supported OS: Windows/Linux/Mac

Features:

• Online image editor
• Widgets
• User Defined Forms
• Search Engine Optimised
• Windows and PHP installer.
• Version Control

URL: http://www.silverstripe.com

SilverStripe is an open source product born out of an existing closed source one. The small New Zealand based company decided last year to offer its innovative CMS to customers free, and as a result has achieved over 100,000 downloads of the system. And its no surprise why. SilverStripe is Wordpress on steroids, and because it is completely tailored towards content management, and not blogging, (although it can do this too) you wont be disappointed with the features. SilverStripe shinks (uploaded) images on the fly, has support for drafts and preview, allows users to review and roll back (version control) and has support for SEO out of the box (including URL rewriting). Its target market - is somewhere between Wordpress users and Mambo or Drupal which is perfect for the small to mid-sized development team. The companies credentials are also sound - Just last it achieved support from Google - in the form of Google’s summer of code 2007. Recently Sun did a bit of a case study on them too. We are keeping a close eye on this badboy.

Alfresco

Technology : JSP
RDMS: MySQL 5, Oracle 10
Setup time: 15 minutes+
Supported OS: Red Hat Enterprise, Sun Solaris 10, Windows Server 2003

Features:

• Enterprise Level solution
• Micro Sites
• WebDAV / LDAP Authentication
• Version Control
• Convert PDF to Text via upload
• Version Control

URL: http://www.alfresco.com

As an enterprise solution I expected this to be a typical “community” edition, pushing a closed source version with additional features at a premium. Not so with Alfresco, the only difference being the level of support your receive from the team. Installing Alfresco is a breeze, with database setup and other configuration done for you after answering a few questions - I had my test setup running on a Windows 2003 Server in about 15 minutes. Dropping different types of document into folders (spaces) generates new content on the site, and when combined with rules, enables web publishers to use PDF’s directly as web content. They would appear at first glance to be going after the Microsoft Sharepoint market, however compared to commercial content management and portal offerings, Alfresco lacks advanced workflow tools.

Typolight

Technology : PHP
RDMS: MySQL starting from 4.1, MySQLi, Oracle, MSSQL, PostgreSQL, Sybase
Setup time: 5-10 minutes+
Supported OS: Windows (IIS) / *Nix (Apache)

URL: http://www.typolight.org/

Features:

• Modular - easy to Extend
• MVC architecture
• Form generators
• Calendar/events
• Newsfeeds

Once you begin working with Typolight, you will realise that the capabilities of the product out of the box are extremely impressive. There is alot more functionality when comparing to other CMS systems out there, but fortunately aren’t so many features as to overpower the end user or administrators with them. User rights are extremely flexible where you can specify which user gets access to editing which field, which is refreshing compared to say Joomla, which guesses more at user access levels. The system also generates valid XHTML, and WAI accessible code, which is an added bonus.

DotCMS

Technology : J2EE/Java
RDMS: MySQL, Postgresql, MSSQL or Oracle.
Setup time: 60 minutes+
Supported OS: Windows or UNIX servers

Features:

• Site-wide Templating
• Streaming MP3 Player
• Content Relationships
• Inline Content Editing
• Content versioning

URL: http://www.dotcms.org

FEATURE URL: http://www.dotcms.org/the_dotcms/features.dot

dotCMS is a portal-based Web Content Management System. It offers a compelling set of features out of the box all on an extensible platform that can be customized to suit just about any Web CMS need - all provided you know your JSP. dotCMS, has gone down the commercialisation route of offering “on-demand” installs. At first impressions, dotCMS’s admin screens appeared relatively complex- I didn’t automatically know where to go and what to do when I had logged in, and for that reason - regardless of the functionality it took some time to get to grips with.

Umbraco

Technology : ASP.NET (C#)
RDMS: MS SQL
Setup time: 10 minutes+
Supported OS: Windows

Features:

• Super simple template engine
• Full support for Ajax frameworks like Script.aculo.us or ASP.NET Ajax
• Scheduled publishing
• Support for any .NET Language including C# and VB.NET

URL: http://www.umbraco.org

If you are a Microsoft aficionado, you will be quite aware that open source projects on the .NET platform are few and far between. The same is true with CMS systems, with (to my knowledge) only DotNetNuke, and Umbraco contending for the position of best ASP.NET open source content management solution. It’s a further bonus to discover that not only is umbraco open source, but its also an awesome, well built piece of software. As with most CMS systems being developed now, Umbraco is too committed to webstandards, and indeed has focused on provding at platform to achieve perfect CSS and XHTML zen. It utilises XSLT to style content, so a knowledge of this would be an advantage - although its not a necessity. We were up and running within about 10 minutes - the .NET installer script setting up the database etc, all we had to do was set some bits and pieces in IIS. If you are a .NET developer - go grab a copy, as the user community has also achieved notarity- winning awards - you know that you’ll be backed up with exceptional support.

CMS Made Simple

Technology : PHP
RDMS: MySQL
Setup time: 15 minutes+
Supported OS: *Nix

Features:

• Modular and extensible
• Minimal server requirements
• Small footprint
• Content hierarchy with unlimited depth and size

URL: http://www.cmsmadesimple.org/

FEATURE URL:http://www.cmsmadesimple.org/features/

To get a site up with CMS Made Simple is just that, simple. For those with more advanced ambitions there are plenty of addons to download. And there is an excellent community at your service. The cms admin system is very clean - both from a code and design perspective. We found the learning curve quite gradual, which is an extremely important point in a CMS. The third party modules being developed add additional value to the project - with everything from E-commerce to core Translation.

Drupal

Technology : PHP
RDMS: MySQL/PostgreSQL
Setup time: 45 minutes+
Supported OS: *Nix and Windows

Features:

• Friendly URLs
• Modules & Support
• Personalisation

URL: http://drupal.org/
FEATURE URL: http://drupal.org/features

Unlike Mambo, it is easy to hack the templates, layout, menus and navigation of a Drupal site, which make it the perfect system for developers and designers alike. It’s architecture is somewhat difficult to get to grips with, and this is made no easier with its own jargon throughout the documentation - but when you bite through its tough exterior, Drupal is an extremely juicy fruit in the middle - and its juice definitely worth the squeeze. The search engine optimisation support is second to none, with super friendly URL’s - which is what you would expect from a system of this size. Primarily Drupal’s strength lies in its user contributed modules allowing you to extend functionality by easily installing the functionality required. At time of writing there were over 3500 user contributed modules on the site.

Mambo

Technology : PHP
RDMS: MySQL/PostgreSQL
Setup time: 35 minutes+
Supported OS: *Nix and Windows

Features:

• Page caching
• Content macro language (mambots)
• visitor statistics
• Voting / Polls
• Internationalisation

URL: http://www.mamboserver.com/

First impressions with Mambo is that its interface is very clean and usable, however development of the system has been somewhat overtaken, by Joomla. For the un-initiated, Joomla is a fork of the main mambo trunk, and some of the leads development team left to set up Joomla. Fast forward a few years, and Joomla wins last year’s Open Source awards. Anyway, politics aside, the system is still of Enterprise Quality, and extremely feature rich. It can be easily configured to allow registered users to log in and edit pages via the web, as we would expect the tools made available for authors are straightforward and require little or no training. From a developer perspective, some decent documentation is available at http://docs.mamboserver.com/.

Well with over 500 CMS systems out there…we couldn’t review them all. But if there isn’t anything in here to meet your needs, maybe some of these will. If there are any we have missed here let us know..Feel free to comment.

Some of the best of the rest..

For Blogging..And CMS.

http://www.wordpress.org
http://www.movabletype.org

Just CMS

http://www.aegir-cms.org/
http://www.joomla.org
http://expressionengine.com
http://www.postnuke.com
http://www.ariadne-cms.org/
http://wiki.flux-cms.org
http://bricolage.cc/

Comprehensive List of CMS systems
http://www.oscom.org/matrix/

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Windows Driver Uninstall: "Failed to uninstall the device. The device may be required to boot up the computer."

Solution for receiving the following error message:

"Failed to uninstall the device. The device may be required to boot up the computer."
When trying to uninstall devices...

(Click on certain images, if they are hard to read.)
---- Solution 1 ----
(Will Remove Driver For Good!)
(More Advanced, if you are not sure, please comment!, screwing up the registry is sometimes irreversible)
Open device manager (either from control panel or type 'devmgmt.msc' in Run...)
Right click on the device that you are tying to uninstall
Choose 'Properties'
Goto 'Details' Tab

Make Note of the Boxed Region In the Following Image (the "code")
(Format, if no image, ???\??????????\?????????)
(Note: the whole phrase will need to be noted, you can just leave this window in the background)

Open Regedit (Start -> Run -> regedit)
Goto "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum"

Now the noted "Code" comes into use...
Within Enum, goto the "folder" that first appears in the "code"
For the above example I would expand/goto the folder HID
Then from within that folder expand/choose the next part (after first '\') of the "code"
Then, if applicable, choose the sub-folder (following the 2nd '\') of the "code"

For the example above (HID\VID_413C&PID_2003\6&348914A4&0&000), I would choose

Right click on the "folder" and choose delete.
(Note: If there is only one sub-folder, go one folder up! (VID_413C&PID_2003)
If you get a security access error, please continue, if not then congrats, your driver is successfully deleted.

-- Security Access Fix --

Right click on the "folder" that you tried to delete
Select "Permissions..."
Choose 'Everyone'
Check "Full Control" under "Allow"

Click "Apply"
Now try to delete the "folder" again and should successfully delete!

If you are having trouble with any of the above steps, please comment!
If this successfully fixed you problem, feel free to comment also!


---- Solution 2 ----
(Quick and Dirty, Not Recommended!)
Open device manager (either from control panel or type 'devmgmt.msc' in Run...)
Right click on the device that you are tying to uninstall
Choose 'Update Driver'

Then choose:
Install From Specific Location

Click Next
Choose "Don't Search, I will choose the driver to install."
Click Next
Choose a Random Driver from the category of your current device.
(NOT RECOMMENDED!!)


The second solution, was mainly for advanced users, with an alternate idea of how to do it, it was not intended to be a step-by-step instruction.

Thanks For Reading! Hope It Helps!

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Money Is Not Everything

Money can buy a house but not a home. Money can buy a bed but not sleep. Money can buy a clock but not time. Money can buy a book but not knowledge. Money can buy food but not appetite.

Money can be acquired in many ways. Most people will work to earn money. Some will create a business to accumulate and increase the amount of money they have. In moments of desperation, most people would pawn their jewelry and other belongings to obtain instant money. Some of them would sell their properties and even their structured settlements in order for them to have available cash. The worst thing of all is that a person would risk his own life and dignity by doing a criminal act only to have money. How ironic it is. They think of money as everything to their lives, but they’re wrong, absolutely wrong.

The reality that we should embrace is that we need money, but it does not follow that money is the only reason of our existence here on earth. Money is important, but it is not everything. There are many factors that can create fulfillment here on earth, not money alone. They are our family, our friends, and even our new acquaintances. They can help us grow and reach our goals. Remember that money is only a material thing. It is created for our convenience, but it should be used for good. It is created for us to control; it is not made to control us. Imagine a person has enough money to buy anything and everything that he wants, but can you imagine that with only that resource that such a person could be truly happy and fulfilled?

Money is good but loving it makes it bad. We can work hard to earn more money. We can sell our properties and our other belongings to have money in emergencies. Remember, we should work not only for the reason of receiving but also for the reason of giving. Money is indeed important, but it is not everything.

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Can You Talk With Your Body Language?

Body language is without words yet powerful. Most of us dismiss it because we were not taught to read them. And learning how to read the signs will set apart a thick-skinned person from one that knows how to retreat at the sight of the right signs, in the settings of a date. The power is that there so much unsaid messages hidden in them, and knowing what these messages mean can serve us a great deal, whether it's a conversation with a friend, a boss, an executive, or a love interest.

In presentation, one can watch the body languages whether the speaker is one with substance or just some terrified person forced to speak. The signs of fidgety hand movements, bad legs position will tell us how comfortable the speaker is about speaking. A nervous one will probably forget the points, due to the inability to focus.

When talking to anyone, one can tell from body movements if your audience is interested in what you have to say. Slouching backwards and a bored face are obvious signs, and there's more such as playing with the pen, tapping of the feet on the ground. All these mean "Get it over already! I'm bored! " . The eyes, windows of the soul, can also tell you if you are getting attention.

In a negotiation with a business partner, or a banker, it is wise for watch for signs and then change your approach on the spot. If you are seeing signs that they are bored, hold back no more to ensure a swift and mutually beneficial agreement. On the other hand, if they look very interested, or anxious, you can keep playing the games into your hands.

Well, in a conversation where at least one party would be angry, observing body languages can help you determine your "fight or flight" decision. Angry eyes and clenched fists indicate that you either step back or if you really have to, resolve the manner by all means.

This skill of observing body language is very useful in life. It can help you make decisions and avoid making someone upset.

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Jangan salah gunakan agama bagi kepentingan diri

Dari DR. MOHD ASRI ZAINUL ABIDIN ( Mufti Perlis )

ISLAM adalah matlamat yang dituju, bukan alat yang dipergunakan. Malangnya dalam masyarakat hari ini, banyak keadaan menunjukkan Islam itu tidak lebih daripada alat yang dipergunakan.
Islam dipergunakan untuk keuntungan peribadi, perniagaan, politik dan lain-lain.

Islam diperlakukan oleh sesetengah pihak bagai pelaris jualan. Atau Islam dibuat bagaikan saluran media untuk mengiklankan barangan. Islam ditampal dalam aktiviti kehidupan sesetengah pihak bukan kerana kecintaan kepada Islam, tetapi kerana itu boleh mempengaruhi orang ramai. Ini samalah dengan seorang tuan kedai yang menggantungkan ayat-ayat al-Quran di dinding kedainya untuk menarik perhatian pelanggan semata-mata. Padahal dia tidak pun berpegang kepada isi kandungan ayat yang digantung. Islam yang menuntut agar bersih dan jujur dalam perniagaan tidak pun dilakukannya. Bahkan lebih teruk lagi, mungkin dia tidak bersolat, berpuasa dan perkara-perkara asas yang lain sebagai seorang muslim. Namun dinding kedainya dipenuhi ayat al-Quran. Maka ayat al-Quran itu bukan pegangan hidupnya, tetapi alat yang dipergunakan untuk kepentingan dirinya. Bukan sedikit orang yang seperti tuan kedai itu dalam masyarakat kita. Mungkin bidang kepentingan dan caranya berbeza-beza, tetapi perbuatan mengeksploitasikan agama itu adalah sama.

Saya amat tidak bersetuju apabila produk-produk yang melantik penceramahpenceramah agama sebagai duta produk mereka. Maka para penceramah ini akan berceramah ke sana sini menggunakan nas- nas agama itu dan ini untuk dikaitkan dengan produk yang dia didutakan. Jadilah agama mainan 'golongan peniaga' dalam mempengaruhi orang awam. Hadis-hadis yang entah daripada mana asalnya atau yang tidak sahih dikeluarkan untuk melariskan produk. Orang awam yang jahil akan terpengaruh. Kadang-kala nas yang digunakan itu benar tetapi dieksploitasikan. Umpamanya al-Quran memang menyebut tentang kelebihan madu seperti firman Allah: (maksudnya) "Dan Tuhanmu memberi ilham kepada lebah: Hendaklah engkau membuat sarangmu di gunung-ganang dan di pokok-pokok kayu dan juga di bangunan-bangunan yang didirikan oleh manusia. Kemudian makanlah dari segala jenis bunga-bungaan dan buah-buahan (yang engkau sukai), serta turutlah peraturan Tuhanmu yang dimudahkannya kepadamu. (dengan itu) akan keluarlah daripada perutnya minuman (madu) yang berlainan warnanya, yang mengandungi penawar bagi manusia. Sesungguhnya pada yang demikian itu, ada tanda bagi orang-orang yang mahu berfikir. (Surah al-Nahl: ayat 68-69). Ayat ini adalah umum, tidak dikaitkan dengan mana-mana produk. Maka janganlah digunakannya untuk dikhususkan kepada syarikat tertentu, padahal sudah ribuan tahun manusia meminum madu dan menikmati manfaatnya, sebelum syarikat- syarikat hari ini wujud. Namun, apabila lidah penceramah agama berkempen untuk produk tertentu, maka jelaslah bahawa dia mengeksploitasikan agama untuk memajukan poketnya, bukan mendaulatkan agamanya. Jika dia ingin berkempen orang ramai meminum madu, silakan. Ayat tadi pun berkempen untuk itu. Tetapi hendaklah secara umum, bukan berkepentingan. Daerah dakwah itu hendaklah menjadi daerah yang bersih dari kepentingan peribadi. Masalahnya, apabila masyarakat kita ada ramai penceramah yang bermodalkan agama, kurang pula yang menjadikan agama adalah matlamat dalam dakwah, maka beginilah jadinya. Sebab itu barangkali, Nabi SAW membersih masjid dari sebarang perniagaan, seperti sabda baginda SAW: "Jika kamu melihat seseorang menjual atau membeli di masjid, maka katakanlah: Allah tidak akan menguntungkan perniagaanmu." (Riwayat al-Tirmizi, disahihkan oleh al-Albani).

Dieksploitasikan

Seperti biasa, apabila datang bulan puasa, atau ada kematian, akan ada pihak membuat duit dengan mendakwa mereka boleh menghasilkan pahala berbayar yang akan dieksport kepada si mati ke alam barzakh. Ini dengan cara membayar wang kepada mereka yang berzikir atau membaca al-Quran yang dipanggil 'tahlil' khas yang berbayar. Maka ramailah 'tekong' yang melimpah ruah wang pada bulan puasa ini hasil daripada tempahan pahala orang ramai yang hendak dihantar kepada kaum keluarga mereka yang telah meninggal. Pahala yang ditempah itu, kelihatannya lebih laris dari kuih dan baju raya. Seperti mana orang kaya pada Hari Raya akan lebih mewah dengan kuih dan baju yang tempah, barangkali hari ini ada yang menganggap mereka juga akan begitu mewah di akhirat dengan pahala-pahala yang dibayar dan dihantar ke akhirat untuk digunakan di sana bagi mendapatkan syurga. Maka, barangkali ramailah yang akan menganggap nanti bahawa mereka tidak perlu banyak amalan untuk masuk syurga, tetapi perlu banyak duit kerana pahala boleh dibeli di dunia dan dikirim ke sana. Sehingga yang terbaru pahala itu boleh ditempah secara online. Malangnya, oleh kerana yang berniaga pahala ini terdiri daripada kalangan golongan agama, maka banyaklah pula nas yang dieksploitasikan untuk memastikan perniagaan pahala itu berjalan lancar. Digunakan kenyataan ulama dahulu dan sekarang sehingga orang ramai yang jahil tidak dapat membezakan antara maksud sebenar para ulama itu dan 'bisnes' mereka pada hari ini. Ya, memang terdapat perbezaan pendapat tentang sampai ataupun tidak bacaan pahala kepada si mati. Namun, pihak yang menyatakan sampai tidak pernah membenarkan 'menjual pahala' kepada si mati dengan bayaran seperti yang dibuat pada hari ini. Di sini saya petik apa yang disebut dalam kitab akidah yang terkenal dan dianggap rujukan penting kesarjanaan Islam iaitu Syarh al-Tahawiyyah oleh Ibn Abi al-Izz al-Hanafi (meninggal 792H) yang merupakan salah seorang penyokong pendapat yang menyatakan bacaan al-Quran sampai kepada si mati, katanya: "Ulama berbeza pendapat (mengenai sampai atau tidak kepada si mati) ibadah badaniyyah; seperti puasa, solat, bacaan al-Quran dan zikir. Pendapat Abu Hanifah dan majoriti salaf ia sampai. Apa yang masyhur dalam Mazhab al-Syafi'i dan Malik tidak sampai" (m.s 458). Seterusnya beliau menyebut: "Adapun mengupah orang untuk membaca al-Quran dan dihadiahkan kepada si mati, ini tidak pernah dilakukan oleh sesiapa pun di kalangan ulama salaf. Tidak pernah disuruh atau diberi kelonggaran oleh mana- mana sarjana agung dalam agama ini. Tanpa sebarang perbezaan di kalangan ulama; mengupah untuk pahala bacaan adalah tidak dibolehkan. Apa yang mereka berbeza mengenai keharusan upah adalah dalam bab mengajar al-Quran dan yang sepertinya; di mana manfaatnya sampai kepada orang lain. Pahala tidak akan sampai kepada si mati melainkan amalan itu ikhlas kerana Allah. Perbuatan upah itu adalah tidak ikhlas. Maka tiada pahala untuk dihadiahkan kepada si mati. Maka jangan ada yang menyebut bahawa dia menyewa orang untuk berpuasa atau bersolat lalu dihadiahkan pahalanya kepada si mati. Namun, jika dia memberi kepada sesiapa yang membaca al-Quran; mengajar dan belajar sebagai bantuan kepada ahli al-Quran, ini termasuk dalam sedekah, maka harus…jika dia berwasiat agar diberikan bahagian daripada hartanya kepada sesiapa yang membaca al- Quran di kuburnya, maka wasiat itu batil kerana termasuk dalam jenis upah…jika dia menentukan wakaf untuk sesiapa yang membaca al-Quran di kuburnya, maka penentuan itu batil. Namun jika dia membaca al-Quran dan menghadiahkannya secara sukarela tanpa upah, maka ia sampai kepada si mati seperti mana sampainya pahala solat dan haji (m.s. 463-464, tahqiq: Ahmad Syakir, Riyadh: Wizarah al-Syuun al-Islamiyyah). Inilah pendapat mereka yang bersetuju menyatakan ia sampai, bukan seperti yang dieksploitasikan. Jika nak cari yang sokong ambil upah memang ada, seperti mana ustaz yang kaki hisap rokok tentu menyatakan rokok makruh, walaupun seluruh fatwa antarabangsa; ulama dan para pakar kesihatan menyatakan ia haram.

Lebih penting daripada itu, apa yang ditegaskan oleh insan yang tidak boleh dipertikaikan ucapannya, iaitu Rasulullah SAW: "Bacalah al-Quran dan mintalah daripada Allah (pahala) kerana selepas kamu akan ada kaum yang membaca al-Quran dan meminta (upah) daripada manusia" (Riwayat Ahmad dan al-Tirmizi, dinilai hasan oleh al-Albani). Namun, pulus punya pasal pahala pun orang sudah jual. Mungkin jika saudagar unta leher panjang Jamal Pak Tongkol dengar, dia akan kata: "Jual pahala lebih untung daripada jual unta".

Di samping di sana terdapat ramai sarjana, termasuk al-Imam al-Syafi'i sendiri yang menganggap bacaan al-Quran tidak sampai pahalanya kepada si mati. Tokoh tafsir al-Quran yang agung, al-Imam Ibn Kathir (meninggal 774H) ketika menafsirkan firman Allah SWT dalam Surah al-Najm, ayat 39 (maksudnya): "Dan sesungguhnya tidak ada (balasan) bagi seseorang melainkan (balasan) apa yang diusahakannya", beliau menyebut: "Maksudnya, seperti mana seseorang tidak menanggung dosa orang lain, demikian dia tidak mendapat pahala melainkan apa yang diusahakannya sendiri. Dari ayat yang mulia ini al-Imam al-Syafi'i dan sesiapa yang mengikutnya membuat kesimpulan bahawa pahala bacaan al-Quran tidak sampai kepada si mati kerana itu bukan amalan dan usaha mereka. Justeru itu, Rasulullah SAW tidak pernah menggalak atau menyuruh atau menunjukkan umatnya kepada perkara tersebut sama ada secara nas yang jelas, atau isyarat. Tidak pernah diriwayatkan seorang pun dari kalangan sahabah r.a yang berbuat demikian. Jika itu sesuatu yang baik, tentu mereka telah mendahului kita melakukannya. Bab ibadah khusus hanya terbatas dalam lingkungan nas semata, tidak boleh diubah- ubah dengan berbagai-bagai kias dan pandangan. Adapun doa dan sedekah, maka itu disepakati sampai pahala keduanya kepada si mati kerana dinaskan oleh syarak". (Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Quran al-'Azim, 4/328, Beirut: Muassasah al-Rayyan).

Gambaran

Apa yang saya risaukan, perkara ini akan memberikan gambaran yang salah orang ramai termasuk bukan Muslim kepada Islam. Mereka akan menganggap syurga itu boleh dijual beli berdasarkan kekayaan dan upah daripada kroni-kroni yang masih hidup. Hilanglah kehebatan nilai perjuangan dan pengorbanan para pejuang Islam yang terkorban dan dikorbankan dalam memperoleh syurga, jika pahala ke syurga itu boleh dibayar atau ditempah.

Mesej saya adalah jangan ekspoitasikan Islam untuk keuntungan. Dalam banyak hal Islam itu menjadi kabur disebabkan oleh penganutnya sendiri. Kita memang marah jika ada orang Islam atau bukan Islam yang menentang laungan azan. Azan adalah syiar kepada Islam dan masyarakatnya. Namun, bacaan-bacaan selain azan yang dipasang dengan kuat sehingga mengganggu penduduk sekitar, tidak pernah disuruh oleh Islam. Bahkan jika ia dilaungkan seperti azan, kuat kedengaran di menara masjid, maka itu menyanggahi Islam. Ini termasuk bacaan al-Quran, selawat dan apa-apa zikir sekali pun. Bacaan itu baik, tetapi bukan sampai mengeliru dan mengganggu orang lain. Saya pernah mendapat aduan seorang ibu yang tinggal berdekatan masjid bahawa bayinya yang kecil sering tidak dapat tidur disebabkan masjid berkenaan memasang bacaan-bacaan yang panjang dan berbagai- bagai sebelum waktu solat. Saya beritahu dia, itu bukan ajaran Islam. Al-Imam al- Hafizd Ibn Jauzi (meninggal 597H) pernah mengkritik hal ini, katanya: "Antara tipu daya Iblis ialah mereka yang mencampur adukkan azan dengan peringatan, tasbih dan nasihat. Mereka jadikan azan di antaranya lalu bercampur aduk. Para ulama membenci segala yang ditambah kepada azan. Banyak kita lihat orang yang bangun waktu malam lalu memberikan peringatan dan nasihat atas menara azan. Di kalangan mereka ada yang membaca al-Quran dengan suara yang tinggi lalu menghalang tidur orang ramai dan mengganggu bacaan orang yang bertahajjud. Kesemuanya itu adalah perkara- perkara mungkar". ( Ibn Jauzi, Talbis Iblis, 159, Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah). Lebih buruk jika yang dikuatkan itu ceramah-ceramah yang bersifat 'permusuhan' lalu dipaksa orang tidak mahu hadir mendengar dari tempikan pembesar suara.

Sebab itu bagi saya, jika orang bukan Islam membantah azan, itu satu kebiadapan yang patut diambil tindakan. Namun, jika mereka membantah perkara-perkara lain yang disalahgunakan atas nama masjid dan Islam, kita patut semak terlebih dahulu sebelum bertindak. Jangan gunakan isu agama dalam perkara yang tidak benar.

Begitu juga parti-parti politik, jangan jadikan agama sebagai 'penghalal' kepada tindakan. Ramai orang politik yang bertindak terlebih dahulu, lalu cari dalil agama untuk menjustifikasikannya. Bukan cari dalil agama dulu, baru bertindak. Maka agama dalam keadaan seperti ini sering menjadi mangsa. Bak kata Kata Dr. Salah al-Khalidi: "Sesungguhnya sebahagian manusia telah tersalah dalam hubungan mereka dengan al-Quran. Mereka memasuki alam al-Quran (menghayati al-Quran) yang luas dengan cara yang tidak betul… ada pula yang mengambil al-Quran dengan niat serta latar belakang tertentu, juga tujuan yang hendak diperolehnya maka dia menyelewengkan jalannya, memutar belitkannya, memaksamaksa dalil dan nas serta memayah-mayahkan ulasan untuk dijadikan alasan bagi dirinya.." (Salah 'Abd al-Fattah al-Khalidi, Mafatih li al-Ta'amul ma'a al-Quran, m.s 90, Jordan: Dar al-Manar). Bebaskan diri kita daripada menyalahgunakan Islam!

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Congratulations to the winners of the PDA Essentials Awards 2008

An excellent afternoon was had yesterday by all at the PDA Essentials Awards. Judged by some of the industry’s leading names and by you the eXpansys customer; Roger Butterworth, eXpansys CEO enjoyed handing out the awards to the worthy winners.

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Best Satnav System

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Samsung Omnia

PDAE Readers Award – Best Satnav

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