The science of volcanic eruptions

1. Orang yang tidur dalam keadaan bersuci.

Imam Ibnu Hibban meriwayatkan dari Abdullah bin Umar r.a. bahawa Rasulullah SAW bersabda yang bermaksud, "Sesiapa yang tidur dalam keadaan suci, malaikat akan bersamanya di dalam pakaiannya. Dia tidak akan bangun hingga malaikat berdoa: "Ya Allah, ampunilah hamba-Mu si fulan kerana tidur dalam keadaan suci." (hadis ini disahihkan oleh Syaikh Al Albani dalam Shahih At Targhib wat Tarhib I/37)

2. Orang yang sedang duduk menunggu waktu solat.

Imam Muslim meriwayatkan dari Abu Hurairah r.a. bahawa Rasulullah SAW bersabda yang maksudnya, "Tidaklah salah seorang antara kalian yang duduk menunggu solat, selama ia berada dalam keadaan suci, kecuali kalangan malaikat akan mendoakannya: 'Ya Allah, ampunilah ia. Ya Allah sayangilah ia.'" (Sahih Muslim no. 469)

3. Orang yang berada di saf depan solat berjemaah.

Imam Abu Dawud (dan Ibnu Khuzaimah) dari Barra' bin 'Azib r.a. bahawa Rasulullah SAW bersabda yang bermaksud, "Sesungguhnya Allah dan kalangan malaikat-Nya berselawat ke atas (orang) yang berada pada saf depan." (hadis ini disahihkan oleh Syaikh Al Albani dalam Shahih Sunan Abi Dawud I/130)

4. Orang yang menyambung saf pada solat berjemaah (tidak membiarkan kekosongan di dalam saf).

Para Imam yaitu Ahmad, Ibnu Majah, Ibnu Khuzaimah, Ibnu Hibban dan Al Hakim meriwayatkan dari Aisyah r.a. bahawa Rasulullah SAW bersabda, maksudnya: "Sesungguhnya Allah dan kalangan malaikat selalu berselawat kepada orang yang menyambung saf-saf." (hadis ini disahihkan oleh Syaikh Al Albani dalam Shahih At Targhib wat Tarhib I/272)

9. Orang yang membelanjakan harta (infak).

Imam Bukhari dan Imam Muslim meriwayatkan dari Abu Hurairah r.a. bahawa Rasulullah SAW bersabda, maksudnya: "Tidak satu hari pun di mana pagi harinya seorang hamba ada padanya kecuali dua malaikat turun kepadanya, satu antara kedua-duanya berkata: 'Ya Allah, berikanlah ganti bagi orang yang berinfak. Dan lainnya berkata, 'Ya Allah, hancurkanlah harta orang yang pelit.'" (Shahih Bukhari no. 1442 dan Shahih Muslim no. 1010)

10. Orang yang sedang makan sahur.

Imam Ibnu Hibban dan Imam Ath Thabrani, meriwayatkan dari Abdullah bin Umar r.a. bahawa Rasulullah SAW bersabda maksudnya:"Sesungguhnya Allah dan kalangan malaikat-Nya berselawat kepada orang yang sedang makan sahur." (hadis ini dishahihkan oleh Syaikh Al Albani dalam Shahih At Targhiib wat Tarhiib I/519)

Itulah antara mereka yang mendapat doa malaikat. Saya semakin kurang terurus, perlukan masa untuk kembali kuat mengharung hidup. Ya, memang sedikit lemah namun keyakinan saya pada pertolongan Dia tak pernah sirna. Semoga doa penduduk langit yang sentiasa bertasbih memujiNya ditambah dengan doa hamba yang tidak kenal jemu meminta, dapat mengarahkan pandanganNya kepada saya, meskipun pandangan itu adalah pandangan yang hina. Allah, bantulah aku dan mereka.

Hanya Allah yang tahu betapa ingin kembali ke sisi mereka yang disayangi. Namun perjuangan masih berliku sebelum sampai ke persimpangan itu. Semoga Allah jadikan liku-liku ini sebagai medium saya menjadi matang(yes!). Akif, 1 1/2 months to go! Gambatte!

Think of your brain as a muscle: It gets stronger with exercise. Your everyday mental tasks are like walking, but how about a real workout? Try these simple exercises to boost your brain power and clear away the fog of forgetfulness.

1. Use your non-dominant hand
Tackling new tasks improves brain capacity in younger people and has a restorative effect on mental faculties that are declining. Boost your brain power right now by performing everyday activities with your non-dominant hand. If you're right-handed, use your left hand to eat, drink, comb your hair, and brush your teeth. Try writing your name with your non-dominant hand or put your mouse pad on the other side of the keyboard.

Why does this work? The human brain starts declining after the age of 30 especially in women with each successive pregnancy. By exercising your brain through the use of non-dominant hand, you are stimulating the opposite side of the brain and activating blood flow, which slows down the brain aging process and improves mental capacity. Evidence from functional brain imaging shows that the process of neuroplasticity -- the brain's natural ability to form new connections -- can be enhanced by studying new things, especially hand-eye coordinated exercises like developing the use of your non-dominant hand and practicing visualization meditation. For an effective guided visualization that will also increase your years, check out Meditations to Live to Be 100.

Stimulating communication between the two hemispheres even helps physical balance. Mind-body exercises like tai chi coach people to use the right and left side of the body equally. Try switching it up in sports. For instance, in tennis, switch the racquet to your non-dominant side and play.

2. Work out your brain
You have to use it or lose it! You can work out your mind just like you work out your body. Mental exercises that will keep your brain fit include doing crossword puzzles, playing chess, or memorizing names, shopping lists, and phone numbers. When I was a young boy, to keep my brain function strong, my father had me memorize Tang Dynasty poetry. Every day I had to memorize a new poem and recite it back. Learn the words to a poem or a new song and repeat them back from memory. Set aside the calculator and add manually instead. Keep challenging yourself with tasks that are new to you.

Whatever mental exercise you choose, the key to success is to practice every day at the same time; you are developing and activating new neural pathways, and consistent cycles will keep the brain on track.

3. Move your fingers to improve your brain
Many people marvel that Asian children seem so intelligent. It could be because they use their fingers more frequently. They eat with chopsticks and at one time, they used to compute with an abacus in school. In fact, some studies have been done with children who use an abacus daily, and findings show that engaging the fingers stimulates nerve endings that go directly to the brain, increasing circulation. Take advantage of this by practicing motor activities that use your fingertips, like crocheting, knitting, and other arts and crafts where you are manipulating small parts. Try playing the piano or a stringed instrument.

Here is an exercise you can do anywhere, at any time. Put one finger on top of the one next to it, then try to stack the next finger on top of that. Or hold a pencil or pen between your index and middle fingers, roll it over until it's balanced between the middle and ring fingers, then again to between the ring finger and pinky. This exercise has a beneficial impact on brain health for anyone at any age, but especially for people in their 40s, 50s and beyond -- when signs of brain aging starts to set in.

Why does this work? A map of the brain shows that the nerve endings on your fingertips correspond to more areas of the brain than any other body area, except perhaps the tongue and lips. Therefore, finger exercise and movements can be useful in stimulating the neurons in the brain. The National Institute of Mental Health conducted experiments that showed finger exercises enlarged the capacity of the participants' brains, increased connections between neurons, forged new neural pathways, and increased circulation to the brain areas. The researchers concluded that finger exercise contributed significantly to brain plasticity, the ability of the brain to renew itself. Increased circulation means more oxygen and nutrients for the brain cells and decreased waste products that clog up the brain.

4. Stimulate brain acuity with self-massage
To improve concentration and memory try this self-massage that stimulates two easy-to-find acupressure points on your neck at the base of the skull. Cross your hands behind you with the palms cradling the back of your head, your thumbs in the grooves on each side of your neck, and your index fingers crossing one another below the skull, just above the thumbs. Sit in a chair, lean your head back, and let it rest against the pressure of your thumbs and index fingers. Slowly inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth, letting your whole body relax. Do this for three to five minutes. You'll increase blood flow to the brain and at the same time relax the neck muscles, which often tense up in response to stress, constricting blood vessels in the area.

You can find these, and many other brain boosting tips in my new book, Second Spring. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!