Book 1

This book records the virtues I have inherited from those who came before I am, from what I heard and told, and those whom I have lived beside, from what I experienced and learnt, and also those whom I have never met, whose works nonetheless have shaped the person I am.

From my mother: I learn discipline, patience, and hard work; to have always put my education first, and be grateful, whatever the result is, good or bad; She rarely display affection in the way others might expect. But in time, I understood that every sacrifice, every silent act, every order and yell, is her way of saying I care.

Further, to always put my best in my work, my colleagues, and my family; to be responsible with my work, and not rely on others; to not procrastinate, and always come early; to avoid any wrongdoings, especially corruption, nepotism, selfishness, and greed, even in thought; From her I also learnt to delay my cravings for things, because I may find it unnecessary later.

From what they say and I remember of my late father: responsibility, love to my family, and generosity; to always make contact, and always believe that “you reap what you sow”; He taught me to endure suffering in silence, but to remain kind because though his years were few, everyone still remembers his goodness; also to always be a devoted child and brother for my siblings.

From my Bunda: social interactions, loyalty, and generosity. It is not important who I am helping, but to always try to help whoever they are; to always help and care for my parents, and to be a devoted child; to be someone who is always reliable and trustworthy when given a position.

From my sister: not to put loyalty to friends above loyalty to family. 

From my maternal grandmother: to lead with kindness, but always be prepared for the worst; to raise children with discipline, yet never withhold affection; to stay loyal, even long after a loved one is gone.

From my paternal grandmother: that death in the family is inevitable; to grieve silently, and always show my stronger self to my children; to always maintain good health by exercising and eating healthy food. 

From my aunts and uncles: to always treat others kindly and generously; to always attend family gatherings; to always help each other in the family.

From my thesis professor and my academic advisor at Telkom University: to be endlessly curious and reflect on everything; always look for answers differently, even though there are already different solutions; to always help my pupils, and not see them differently. 

From my closest friend from childhood: to keep trying, even when the door closes, another one will open, to trust myself, but not isolate myself from others; to always stand for myself, and to respect my needs and condition.

From my best friend in high school: to always put my family first, and try hard for them, even if I have to move to new places; to bring laughter to my friends, but always with care, so my words don’t wound.

From my neighbor: I learnt how to be a heart of gold, a kind neighbor, and a faithful person; she was a woman of deep devotion, early to the mosque, kind to all, generous beyond measure; her final years wasn’t easy, she had to suffer with illness, yet she didn’t curse it. She bore it with patience, her faith unshaken. She never complained, only quiet strength she shone.

From Allah: that I have good grandparents, good parents, good family, good teachers, good relatives and friends, almost everyone; that I had a joyful childhood, with the privilege of experiencing my late father’s prime, and being loved by him deeply, and so by my grandmother; 

Furthermore, that I have been blessed with a balanced fortune, not in excess, nor in deprivation. Even though my father died young, he left me under the care of relatives whose help never failed; that I have been blessed with knowledge and sharp thinking makes it easy to understand my lessons in my school years. 

That in my preschool days, I was blessed with friends who were my family, who always defended me; that I had my school in front of my grandmother’s house where I would always go after school; and that I was able to survive from an illness in my head.

That in my elementary school days, I shared my time with Muh. Shalih, Anis Muammar, Fathur Rahman, Indra Jaya, Faiz Ahmad, Afifah Syam, Hijriyah Melati, Nurul Fitrah, Firdha Suci, and Maulidya Ananda; that I filled my childhood playing with them, in classrooms, in the school yard, and in internet cafes; that we wondered freely (ngebolang); That I was able to read and write early, and was able to help my friends do the same; that I could buy a lot of books, buy a PlayStation 2 and a PSP; that I was able to visit Bandung for the first time; that I was able to get a top score in my national exam; and was able to get a full scholarship to Athirah Bone JHS, even though I didn’t accept it. 

In my afternoons at TPA, that I had friends: Dihyah, Ahmad, Fadil, Fadel, Bambang, Wahyu; that I was taught by a patient ustadzah, who guided me in reading the Quran; that I was able to graduate with an A in my final exam, even though I was always dropping out and re-rolling.  

That in my Boarding School months, I was among friends: Fudhail, Arief, Genta, Imam, Sucipto, Juoro, Ibnu, Ardiansyah; that I had been always being protected from bullying from my upper classmen, which was common in Boarding Schools, which most of my friends experienced it, except me; that I learnt Mathematics from my teacher privately with Juoro and Ibnu in school’s mosque in the night, so I did not have to attend ‘gatherings’; that I was taught Arabic by one of the kindest person I have known, Ustadzah Asma, who was always asked my health conditions in the morning, and then write me some mufradats (words) in my notebook.

That in my Junior High School years in SMP 1 Bajeng, I was able to get into the ‘Kelas Unggulan’ or Advanced Class as a transfer student, and was able to meet and friend with Dihyah, Isra, Arya, Syu’aib, Anis, Izzah, Melati, Idha, Nurul, Muti, Andini; that I received tutoring from Pak Nurfalah in Mathematics, which planted understanding early, lasting through university, and have been always my strength; that I represented my regency in OSN IPA after was mentored with my teacher and also my aunt, Bu Hasmiaty, being the second from my school to do so, and inspired my junior to be better than me; also in my final year that I graduated 2nd best in national exam rankings from this school.

In my high school years in SMAN 2 Makassar, I once again entered the Advanced Class, and was able to meet and friend with Zhafran, Zayyan, Takeshi, Akram, Indra, Akil, Raihan, Ahna, Ihza, Rafli, Asilah, Rahdiah, Davina, Kharisma, Eka, and Aida; that I came to know Islam and manhaj salaf more deeply, studying from an Ustadz Salaf, such as, Ustadz Ahmad who taught me about how to read Al-Quran and lessons in Aqidah and Fiqih; that I was honored to serve as general secretary of Keramat, which I learnt how to manage an organization and to be responsible; and that I was able to always to get into the top 10 parallel ranks.

That in my university years in Telkom University, I was able to meet and friend with Hilman, Naufal, Mirai, Gilang, Farida, Anisa, Rahil and Asfa, especially Ubur (Hilman, Farida, Anisa) who helped me endure the life of a computer science student; that I lived in my Aunt’s House, who was very kind to me always, and never once treated me differently from her own children; that I lived in Bandung, a city of full memories, especially for me who have been living in the outskirts of my hometown; that I met my thesis supervisor, who I honored most due to his knowledge in the field I am in, also that he was very kind and always be helpful even when I chat him on the middle of the night; that I was able to graduate with a final GPA of 3.94 and was honoured with cum laude. 

After graduation, that I was able to get my desired IELTS Score and TPA, admitted to UGM as a Master’s student; that I have been spending my time learning something new, playing games with family and friends in Roblox.