Planners at Leeds City Council have given the green light to plans for a new centre of excellence for dance in Leeds. The new building will be home to Northern Ballet Theatre (NBT) and Phoenix Dance Theatre (Phoenix) and will be built on Quarry Hill next to the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Yorkshire Dance, the BBC and the Leeds College of Music. The designs by the Strategic Design Alliance, a partnership of Jacobs Architecture and Leeds City Council’s in-house architectural consultancy, were passed at a planning meeting earlier today.

The ambitious plans are for a six-storey building consisting of seven dance studios including a 200-seat studio theatre, office space, a health suite and a costume workshop. Alongside the two professional companies the building will eventually house a full-time classical dance school as well as Leeds Metropolitan University’s dance degree courses. The building will open in summer 2010.

In February NBT and Phoenix launched momentum, the campaign to raise the remaining £1.5million of the £12million building. To date the campaign has raised more than £800,000 from a number of trusts, foundations and individual donors. Mark Skipper, NBT’s Chief Executive is spearheading the momentum campaign:  “The planning decision means that we have reached a key milestone in this project’s progress. With building work due to start on site in four months time we are now looking for a number of businesses and individual donors to step forward and help us meet our fundraising target and achieve our ambitions.” Anyone wishing to support the momentum campaign should visit www.momentum.co.uk or contact Melanie Aram at NBT at melanie.aram@northernballettheatre.co.uk

The new building has received wide support from across the region with Leeds City Council investing £6.7million, including a contribution from Yorkshire Forward, and Arts Council England, Yorkshire investing £3.5million through the National Lottery.

Andy Carver, Executive Director of Arts Council England, Yorkshire said: "It's great news that this exciting project has reached such a significant milestone. ­Two of the country's leading dance companies will have a state-of-the-art new home in Leeds, bringing great dance to many more people in Yorkshire and beyond."

We will go to ground as winds chafe and howl,
cyclones testing the anchors,
the momentum of exclusion,
the power in the spin.

From the water hole we slide
into a misty wood green dark
translucent canopy above a glowing path.

The named ones lead, the younger follow.
Stories are told.
Time is reeled in for review.

The stories fill our hearts with hope
to endure this process,
this momentary affliction,
as our meme-osaurs devour one another
waiting for the next asteroid.

Wide-eyed ground surfers will spy
another wave of humus heading this way.
The bones of prior pirates will be flung into the sky.
An unwinding, befuddled, slouching, juggernaut
of galumphing brobdingnagians
will continue
playing Jesus like a wildcard,
selling identity to the appetite of the moment.

Sophi says, "Expect to be noticed.
As the season’s waning daylight reveals the evergreens,
expect to be noticed.
And protect your aboxal thinking
from looking too naily in the land of hammers."

read more | digg story

Ser original cada vez es más difícil, pero el nivel que ha adquirido Mayumaná les hace inalcanzable con respecto a otras compañías que han intentado idear fórmulas similares. Ellos son únicos y su forma de hacer arte también. La compañía nació en Israel en 1997 de la mano de Eylon Nuphar, Boaz Berman y el productor Roy Oferen, pero hoy cuenta entre sus miembros con artistas de muy diversas nacionalidades. Es una compañía cosmopolita, que apuesta por un estilo de música y una clase de danza universal, cuyo objetivo es impresionar al mayor número de espectadores posibles y trasportarlos a un éxtasis artístico total.

Nos gusten más o menos debemos ser objetivos y reconocer que realizar música con cubos de basura o ser verdaderamente popular como para protagonizar un anuncio de coca-cola por poder hacer percusiones con casi cualquier objeto no son algunas de las cualidades que todo el mundo tiene. De hecho, ahí radica el éxito de la compañía, es decir, en reunir artistas con cualidades únicas e inimitables, que crean y ejecutan espectáculos originales e inigualables.

Momentum, el nuevo espectáculo de la compañía llega con fuerza a Madrid: con más danza y con más melodías, pero sobre todo con mucho más ritmo. Este nuevo entramado artístico estará compuesto por once artista  de distintas nacionalidades que intentarán representar su particular sentido del tiempo y la sincronización en el Teatro Nuevo Apolo, lugar elegido para albergar el nuevo show.

En resumidas cuentas, se trata de un espectáculo totalmente nuevo donde el tiempo, la sincronía y la música en directo tienen un rol estelar pero que mantiene el lenguaje escénico, el sabor y el estilo de las creaciones anteriores de Mayumaná. Bailando e interpretando al ritmo de los latidos del corazón, con el sonido de gotas de agua cayendo y con distintos tipos de relojes dictando el movimiento a lo largo del tiempo, los artistas usarán el lenguaje de Mayumaná para expresar en el escenario su particular visión del tiempo.

Por si os interesa acudir...

Representación: entre el 30 de octubre y finales de noviembre
Teatro: Teatro Nuevo Apolo

Dirección: Plaza Tirso de Molina, 1. Madrid
Teléfono: 01 369 06 37

Transportes: Metro Tirso de Molina

Comprar entradas de Momentum

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Read the following 10 steps to avoid wrecking the deal: 

1. Establish a reasonable price for your business. An inflated figure either turns off or slows down potential business buyers. Hire an expert business broker for business evaluation to avoid costly mistakes during business sale. 

2. Continue with "business as usual." Obsessing about selling business to such an extent that your attention wavers from day-to-day demands, affecting sales, costs, and profits is not a good idea. Remember selling a business takes time, and your need your business listed in hot listings for sale to attract business buyers. 

3. Hire business brokers to ensure confidentiality. A confidentiality breach during the sale of a business can change the course of the transaction. A professional business broker will ensure all parties maintain complete confidentially till the dotted lines are signed. 

4. Prepare for business sale well in advance. Ensure business records are complete for at least several years back and do all pertinent legal or accounting "housecleaning"--as well as a literal sprucing-up of the plant or store. 

5. Be prepared for business buyers questions. The buyer will need appraisals on all assets as well as all pertinent information to satisfy environmental regulations (when real estate is concerned). The buyer might request other information for sourcing finance to buy business. 

6. Maximize leverage through competitive bidding. This is something you should let a professional business advisor handle as it can get tricky. Business broker will create a competitive situation to position you to get most out of the deal. 

7. Be flexible. Don't be the kind of seller who wants all-cash at the closing, or who won't accept any contingent payments or an asset transaction. Depend on the advice of an expert business broker - their knowledge of business financing and tax implications will ensure your deal is sweet instead of sour. 

8. Learn to Negotiate; not "dominate."You're used to being your own boss, but remember the buyer also is used to having their way. Learn and follow your business broker’s council on when "to hold" and when "to fold." 

9. Don’t over drag the deal. To keep the momentum up, work with your broker to keep your potential buyers interested and wrap the offer within a reasonable time. Don’t hold out for unreasonable demands. 

10. Stay focused and involved. You might feel pressured and burnt-out. But realize that the buyer may want you to stay within arm's reach for a while. Consult with business brokers to determine how you can help them to sell the business without unnecessary hitches.

Salah satu hal penting yang perlu dicatat adaah naik turunnya iman akan berimbas pada kedirian kita. Kebangkitan diri atau proses perbaikan diri kita. Maksudnya ketika iman kita ’yaziid’ maka dimungkinkan proses perbaikan diri kita meningkat atau minimal berlanjut. Atau bahkan dalam kondisi tertentu mengalami kebangkitan yang luar biasa. Sebaliknya ketika iman kita ’yanqush’ maka dimungkinkan tidak ada proses perbaikan diri sampai kemudian kita sadar lalu berusaha untuk meningkatkannya kembali.

Ketika kita paham bahwa iman itu ’yaziidu wa yanqushu’ maka orang-orang yang beriman yang bersemangat dalam perbaikan dirinya akan berusaha untuk senantias pada posisi ’yaziid’. Oleh karena itu mereka akan berusaha mengkondisikan dirinya agar selalu dalam nuansa perbaikan dan kebangkitan dirinya.

Kalau kita merasa biasa-biasa saja dalam tarbiyah atau merasa ’begini-begini saja’ atau bahkan merasa stagnan maka pada saat itulah kita perlu mencari momentum kebangkitan kita. Bisa jadi banyak momen kebangkitan yang dapat kita jadikan ’batu loncatan’ yang dapat berdampak besar tetapi mungkin kita mamu mengolahnya sehingga terlewatkan sebagai sebuah kejadian biasa. Banyak orang yang mendapat hidayah diawali dari hal-hal yang dianggap kecil di sekitarnya.

Atau kita itu merasa biasa-biasa saja karena kita kurang bisa menciptakan atau merekayasa momen kebangkitan itu sendiri. Ibarat hanya berpangku tangan menunggu peluang. Lalu bagaimana jika peluang yang ditunggu tidak datang-datang? Salah satu langkah terbaik jika tidakada peluang adalah berusaha untuk menciptakannya.

Bukan hanya menunggu peluang karena terkadang peluang tidak muncul dengan sendirinya, tetapi harus diciptakan. Create your opportunities! Memang ini bukan hal sederhana. Salah satu kuncinya adalah tekad yang besar untuk maju karena kesungguhan dalam mencapai yang kita perjuangkan akan sebanding dengan apa yang kita peroleh. Yakinlah bahwa usaha kita tidak akan sia-sia, pasti ada jalan keluar dan hasilnya. Allah SWT berfirman: ” dan orang-orang yang bersungguh-sungguh di (jalan) Kami, sungguh-sungguh akan Kami tunjukkan jalan-jalan Kami...” (QS. Al-Ankabut: 29).

Beberapa ibrah yang bisa kita ambil misalnya ketika kita mencermati perjalanan hidup sahabat rasul Salman Al-Farisi. Beliau terkenal sebagai pemikir cerdas pada perang Khandaq. Pada masa mudanya beliau seorang pangeran kaya raya pewaris tahta. Tapi ketika beliau masih belum puas dengan kehidupannya, masih merasa belum menemukan ketenangan dan kebahagiaan, beliau bertekad untuk mencarinya meskipun harus rela meninggalkan semua harta, benda, pangkat dan kedudukan yang telah diraihnya.

Itulah sebuah pilihan momentum kehidupan yang diplihnya sebagai langkah awal menuju kebangkitan dirinya. Dari pilihan momentum itulah beliau menjalani kehidupan yang sesungguhnya. Kesengsaraan demi kesengsraan dihadapi dengan tabah. Perubahan status sosial yang luar biasa drastis, dari seorang pangeran terhormat yang tidak pernah kekurangan menjadi seorang budak belian yang harus melakukan pekerjaan-pekerjaan kasar.

Di balik semua itu memang Allah SWT mempunyai cara tersendiri untuk menguji kesungguhan hambanya dengan berbagai kesengsaraan, penderitaan untuk membuktikan kebenaran keimanan kita. ”....dan orang-orang yang sabar dalam kesempitan, penderitaan, dan dalam peperangan. Mereka itulah orang-orang yang benar dan mereka itulah orang-orang yang bertakwa.”

This month's exploration of momentum will go beyond the scientific insights. The idea of momentum has spread into many aspects of our society. Can artistic movements and presidential candidates both claim to have momentum? Do successful baseball teams and stock brokers feel momentum steering their fates? Do ideas themselves carry momentum as they spread in this new virtual world?

Both sides of the momentum equation must be understood. Continental plates move very slowly but contain millions of tons of mass. Particles of rock and dust can move extremely fast in the vacuum of space. Which of these would posses more momentum?

I then promised some more posts on the topic and promptly vanished.  I've been busy at work and trying to enjoy the college football season.  I have vowed to get some posts out in the next week addressing the vendor support for CMIS.  As I know most familiar with EMC's efforts, I'm starting with them.

What EMC has Done So Far

I want to start with a simple disclaimer.  I am focusing on EMC because I know EMC's actions the best, not because they are doing the best.  At this point, which vendor is doing the "best" does not matter.  What I am trying to gauge is if a vendor is doing enough to-date.  We are grading on a pass-fail scale here.  More detailed grades will be handed out in six months.  I am highlighting EMC because I have more information on their efforts and because they reached-out to me.

To start off, EMC began everything correctly.  Let's run down a basic checklist:

• Involved in the CMIS Standard?  Check. They were one of the leaders in the development of the standard.
• Released more than the obligatory press release?  Check. This only really applies to those that answered yes before as others may not have known in order to plan.  EMC had the press release and fresh blog posts from Craig, Cornelia, Chuck, Mark, and Andrew.  They even have a page with links to all the blog entries.  It has all the EMC bloggers and links to blogs from other vendors.
• Try to educate customers and partners? Check. They have held a customer webcast, The New Standard that Brings Exceptional Flexibility to Enterprise Content Management,  and placed the recording online.  They had a partner webcast today.
• Provide resources to learn more? Check. A Content Management Interoperability Services Community has been created on their EMC Labs/Developer Network platform.  It has useful information and you can download the specification from there directly.

All in all, a great start.

What EMC Needs to do Next

This is where the rubber meets the road.  Any company can get this far.  Even getting the proposed CMIS standard finalized isn't enough.  What is needed now is visible support.  What needs to happen now?  Quite simple:

• Integrate CMIS into the Vision: At Momentum Europe, CMIS needs to be part of the keynote.  CMIS should be mentioned whenever EMC talks about where Enterprise Content Management is going.
• Continue to Develop the Standard: I have an analysis forthcoming.  I can say that it is a good start, but that it needs to grow.  Work should continue on evolving the standard.
• Release an Implementation: A tested, productized, CMIS interface needs to be released well before EMC World.  There should not be a license charge for specific it.  EMC, and other vendors, will make money on the licenses for the Content Server.  It would probably be too aggressive to have any of their applications use CMIS to interface to the Content Server by then, but the Content Server should be ready to be the back-end for any compliant front-end.

CMIS should not fade from view.  It should continue to be in the fore-front and new developments in the support, standard, and strategy need to continue to arise.  In a couple of years when the standard is pervasive, then it can fade into a fact of life.  Until then, EMC's commitment needs to continue to be visible and obvious.

Up next, a run-down of other vendors.

A picture of one of my lovely sisters getting her first gallery ready to open.  Her second will open soon, and will include a café.  I wish she weren't an ocean away!

I work best when I have long stretches of time alone.  As I work, my momentum builds, so at ten hours or so I am going at top speed and am most productive, after seventeen or eighteen hours I'm feeling that I've finished what I need to do and am ready to wind down.  Eighteen contiguous hours of solitude is not a common occurance in my life though.

Hablamos de los Chinos, quienes avanzan a paso firme y es por esto que se encuentran trabajando en el desarrollo de la tecnología que les permita llegar a Marte.

Para ello se han contactado con Roger Shawyer, un científico que ha desarrollado la tecnología denominada EmDrive (abreviatura de Unidad Electromagnética) y que, asegura, permitiría realizar un viaje a Marte en tan sólo 41 días (con la tecnología actual se lograría en 1 año).

Según palabras de su inventor

"El motor convierte energía eléctrica en empuje mediante microondas"

Claro que no son pocos los que tildan a su creador como un “científico loco” o un “charlatán”, ya que en teoría su invento violaría el principio de conservación del momentum.

Lo anterior no parece importar mucho a los Chinos, que ya han puesto a uno de los científicos de la Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) de Xi’an (el profesor Yang Juan) a trabajar en el EmDrive, con el objeto de desarrollar una nave tripulada que logre viajar por el espacio a una velocidad de 80.000 km/hora.

Tendremos que esperar para ver quién tiene la razón, los Chinos que apuestan por una tecnología que aún no se ha desarrollado o los científicos que la critican señalándola como imposible de realizar.

If  this sounds familiar, read on.

A dissertation client is having great trouble moving forward.  Every week when we talk, there’s been another obstacle which has kept her from meeting the weekly goal. 

What gets in her way is that she discounts all of the success she’s had that got her to where she is now.  From what she has told me, I know that for ten years she has been moving ahead in her academic life, but she routinely discounts any academic accomplishment or even the stamina that it’s taken for her to keep on this difficult path. 

She’s doing all-or-nothing thinking. 

Because she doesn’t have her PhD, none of the work along the way matters.  She made it through her qualifying papers, made it through 3 or 4 years of courses, got her master’s, and all the time has continued to work in a demanding job.

But none of it matters. 

She understands intellectually how a person can dismiss past success, but she thinks she doesn’t dismiss it because she intellectually understands how a person could do this.  But she does it. 

She continues to distort her experience.

Without acknowledging how hard she’s worked and how that work has brought success, she makes it incredibly difficult to make steady progress toward her PhD.

Giving yourself credit for each success, no matter how small, helps you gain momentum and ultimately move into flow.  If you distort your experience, you very likely will make procrastination the usual approach to your daily work. With procrastination your first response, you waste time and energy. 

Your work is hard enough without handicapping yourself. 

How about making a list of your successes?  Want to share them?  I’d love to hear what you conveniently forget about yourself.

To your best!

Nancy
Your International Dissertation and Academic Career Coach
nancy@nancywhichard.com
www.nancywhichard.com

P.S. Read more about procrastination in my newsletter Smart Tips. Go to www.nancywhichard.com to sign up.

Momentum Stockholm organized the whole programme and took care of every detail. The event was held at SIDA headquarters a very modern complex in uptown Stockholm. SIDA´s interest in collaborating with developing  and European countries where gender equity is still not a reality (most of them) raises many questions about our perception of what daily violence really is and its consequences and many ideas for understanding tribes and groups of our society.

We developed a visual diary of participants, lectures, workshops and the organization of the event.

Cool things in very Cool Stockholm

That momentum changed everything. Even before my trip, I had been entertaining the notion of studying or working abroad. I think it would be fascinating to live in a European country for awhile. It was just a "silly dream" until I managed to get my feet on foreign ground. When I returned home, my desire to re-locate in Europe was much stronger. It still is. I think it's the most fitting option for me. However, I don't know how much of that feeling is just the need to get away from the bubble that is my city. Maybe I'd be just as happy on the opposite coast as I would be in France or England. I don't want to leave for the wrong reasons, and I'm not entirely sure that if I had to make the decision today, I could make it without a clouded mind. It remains another question mark.

I was at a career seminar last year that was supposed to help students meet alumni who used their degrees to form professional careers. It was not especially helpful to psychology students because one alum was a TSS worker and the other had a similar job. In other words, they portrayed the typical jobs students can get straight out of college (technically, while in college as well). What I remember most is that the speaker advised us "never burn any bridges" because we might end up working - directly or indirectly - for that person someday. I think I remember this so well because my best friend (who attended with me) and I actively contributed to the ruin of our otherwise great friendship soon afterwards. Only a handful of the people I've met and befriended in the past two years remain close. It was particularly sad watching some of the friendships fade to the point where we walk by one another without speaking. But there are reasons that things got that way. Even at the beginning of this month, I walked away from an entire group of friends [who became family and then mere acquaintances] because of some random, immature, public bet -- placed on me. Everything that has happened, good and not so good, has made me more and more thankful for the friends I've met since the beginning of last year. And while I've burned quite a few bridges, I've finally (finally) left the drama on the other side.

Tiger was taking advantage of a lovely Spring day. He was lying face down on the sun lounge in the backyard, when he observed an ant.

There was nothing remarkable about the ant. At least not from the outward appearance, and when he first appeared on Tiger's newspaper, well, Tiger just brushed the ant away. But a few moments later, the ant appeared again on the edge of the newspaper. Before he had a chance to brush the ant away again, Tiger watched as it ran the length of the paper. Later when this tale was being recounted to me, Tiger was still amazed at the ant's warp speed. And determination.

As Tiger retired to ruminate over his observation, I decided that it was perfect for this blog.

You see, the ant had a clear goal. He knew his exact destination. And when an opportunity presented itself, he took advantage of it. He was given a short cut to his destination, and without hesitation, and with added energy he just went for it.

Imagine if it had just stuck to the known path - how long would the journey have taken? Twist and turn, blade by blade.

Are you taking advantage of opportunities presenting themselves, despite initial knock backs? And if you get brushed aside, does that mean that you just give up or does it give you extra incentive to go again and get it right this time?

Wow. Who knew I could learn do much from a second hand account of an ant's journey!

Looking for a quick easy way to make $25? Well, how about getting paid $25 just for setting up an account with a new company that’s been called the “PayPal Killer”?

There’s been lots of recent buzz in the Blogosphere about a new company called Revolution Money Exchange which is well funded by VC’s like Citi, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank. Their board of directors has internet pioneer, Ted Leonsis and Steve Case (co-founder of AOL) so you know it’s a legit operation.

For those of you who use PayPal, you know they charge a certain percentage on whatever transaction you make. For example, if you try to pay back your friend $100 for that dinner last night you have to give PayPal 3% or $3 of that $100. The nice thing about the Revolution Money Exchange is that they don’t charge you a dime!

Here’s a screenshot of my dashboard after I signed up and got my $25 free bonus. The signup process only took me a few minutes and I’m still waiting for RME to deposit a small amount into my bank account to verify and complete the entire account setup.

Their site is a little slow I’m guessing because of the popularity so you’ll need to be patient. The only caveat is you need to have a US address otherwise you don’t qualify for the bonus. I’m sure once they gain enough momentum, they will open it up for other countries as well.

You can also make up to $500 in referral bonuses if you invite your friends, family, co-workers, etc. The more people you tell about MoneyExchange, the more bonuses you can get. You will get a $10 referral bonus for each person who registers from your referral and is approved. And they’ll get $25 just for opening an account before April 15, 2008 May 15, 2008. I just got off the phone with their customer service department to confirm but it’s true, they’ve extended the $25 bonus for another month!

You can’t beat that deal since everybody wins! Seems to be a big price for RME to pay for each customer but they are banking on the future of you using their services.

After you sign up, make sure to click on their “refer a friend” link and start telling all your friends and family about this program. It’s a great way to make some easy money! Just remember the deadline is coming up quick (5/15/08) so get them to join asap. Enjoy!

Some people get it. Some do not. Having a blog is not the point. Using technology, your resources, the elements you have around you to build momentum for "your thing" IS the point. What a shame it would be if you stayed in your comfort zone and missed your moment because you did not want to stretch a little bit. Are you using the language of the community around you or are you expecting your community to learn your dialects? What tools are you not maximizing and why? Will it take a change in your routine or a stretch to maximize your reach, maybe...and it just might be worth doing..."im just sayin"

Have a great weekend.

Postingan kali ini adalah materi khutbah jum'at di masjid KPU Tanjung Priok yang di sampaikan oleh saudara kita, teman kita BAMBANG HERU. Mudah-mudahan bisa menjadi renungan di bulan penuh barokah ini.

Sebagian besar kita mungkin mengenal Khalifah Umar bin abdul Aziz

Ayah dan ibunya

Ummi Ashim menikah dengan Abdul Aziz bin Marwan. Abdul Aziz adalah Gubernur Mesir di era khalifah Abdul Malik bin Marwan (685 - 705 M) yang merupakan kakaknya. Abdul Mallik bin Marwan adalah seorang shaleh, ahli fiqh dan tafsir, serta raja yang baik terlepas dari permasalahan ummat yang diwarisi oleh ayahnya (Marwan bin Hakam) saat itu.

Dari perkawinan itu, lahirlah Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Beliau dilahirkan di Halawan, kampung yang terletak di Mesir, pada tahun 61 Hijrah.

Beliau telah menghafal al-Quran sejak masih kecil. Merantau ke Madinah untuk menimba ilmu pengetahuan. Beliau telah berguru dengan beberapa tokoh terkemuka spt Imam Malik b. Anas, Urwah b. Zubair, Abdullah b. Jaafar, Yusuf b. Abdullah

Jabatan gubernur Madinah/Hijaz dan berjaya mentadbir wilayah itu dengan baik. Ketika itu usianya lebih kurang 28 tahun. Pada zaman Sulaiman bin Abdul Malik memerintah, beliau dilantik menjadi menteri kanan dan penasihat utama khalifah. Pada masa itu usianya 33 tahun.

Umar bin Abdul Aziz mempersunting Fatimah binti Abdul Malik bin Marwan sebagai istrinya. Fatimah binti Abdul Malik bin Marwan adalah putri dari khalifah Abdul Malik bin Marwan

Khalifah

Atas wasiat yang dikeluarkan oleh khalifah Sulaiman bin Abdul Malik, Umar bin Abdul Aziz diangkat menjadi khalifah pada usianya 37 tahun. Beliau dilantik menjadi Khalifah selepas kematian Sulaiman bin Abdul Malik tetapi beliau tidak suka kepada pelantikan tersebut. Lalu beliau memerintahkan supaya memanggil orang ramai untuk mendirikan sembahyang. Selepas itu orang ramai mula berpusu-pusu pergi ke masjid. Apabila mereka semua telah berkumpul, beliau bangun menyampaikan ucapan. Lantas beliau mengucapkan puji-pujian kepada Allah dan berselawat kepada Nabi s.a.w kemudian beliau berkata:

“Wahai sekalian umat manusia! Aku telah diuji untuk memegang tugas ini tanpa meminta pandangan daripada aku terlebih dahulu dan bukan juga permintaan daripada aku serta tidak dibincangkan bersama dengan umat Islam. Sekarang aku membatalkan baiah yang kamu berikan kepada aku dan pilihlah seorang Khalifah yang kamu reda”.

Tiba-tiba orang ramai serentak berkata:

“Kami telah memilih kamu wahai Amirul Mukminin dan kami juga reda kepada kamu. Oleh yang demikian perintahlah kami dengan kebaikan dan keberkatan”.

Lalu beliau berpesan kepada orang ramai supaya bertakwa, zuhud kepada kekayaan dunia dan mendorong mereka supaya cintakan akhirat kemudian beliau berkata pula kepada mereka: “Wahai sekalian umat manusia! Sesiapa yang taat kepada Allah, dia wajib ditaati dan sesiapa yang tidak taat kepada Allah, dia tidak wajib ditaati oleh sesiapapun. Wahai sekalian umat manusia! Taatlah kamu kepada aku selagi aku taat kepada Allah di dalam memimpin kamu dan sekiranya aku tidak taat kepada Allah, janganlah sesiapa mentaati aku”.

Umar rahimahullah pernah menghimpunkan sekumpulan ahli fikih dan ulama kemudian beliau berkata kepada mereka: “Aku menghimpunkan kamu semua untuk bertanya pendapat tentang perkara yang berkaitan dengan barangan yang diambil secara zalim yang masih berada bersama-sama dengan keluarga aku?” Lalu mereka menjawab: “Wahai Amirul Mukminin! perkara tersebut berlaku bukan pada masa pemerintahan kamu dan dosa kezaliman tersebut ditanggung oleh orang yang mencerobohnya.” Walau bagaimanapun Umar tidak puas hati dengan jawapan tersebut sebaliknya beliau menerima pendapat daripada kumpulan yang lain termasuk anak beliau sendiri Abdul Malik yang berkata kepada beliau: “Aku berpendapat bahawa ia hendaklah dikembalikan kepada pemilik asalnya selagi kamu mengetahuinya. Sekiranya kamu tidak mengembalikannya, kamu akan menanggung dosa bersama-sama dengan orang yang mengambilnya secara zalim.” Umar berpuas hati mendengar pendapat tersebut lalu beliau mengembalikan semula barangan yang diambil secara zalim kepada pemilik asalnya.

Sesudah Umar bin Abdul Aziz diangkat menjadi khalifah dan Amirul Mukminin, Umar langsung mengajukan pilihan kepada Fatimah, isteri tercinta.

Umar berkata kepadanya, “Isteriku sayang, aku harap engkau memilih satu di antar dua.”

Fatimah bertanya kepada suaminya, “Memilih apa, kakanda?”

Umar bin Abdul Azz menerangkan, “Memilih antara perhiasan emas berlian yang kau pakai dengan Umar bin Abdul Aziz yang mendampingimu.”

Kata Fatimah, “Demi Allah, Aku tidak memilih pendamping lebih mulia daripadamu, ya Amirul Mukminin. Inilah emas permata dan seluruh perhiasanku.”

Kemudian Khalifah Umar bin Abdul Aziz menerima semua perhiasan itu dan menyerahkannya ke Baitulmal, kas Negara kaum muslimin. Sementara Umar bin Abdul Aziz dan keluarganya makan makanan rakyat biasa, yaitu roti dan garam sedikit.

Khalifah Umar bin Abdul Aziz yang terkenal dengan keadilannya telah menjadikan keadilan sebagai keutamaan pemerintahannya. Beliau ingin semua rakyat dilayani dengan adil tidak memandang keturunan dan pangkat supaya keadilan dapat berjalan dengan sempurna. Keadilan yang beliau perjuangan adalah menyamai keadilan di zaman kakeknya, Khalifah Umar Al-Khatab.

pemberontakan dalaman, kurang berlaku penyelewengan, rakyat mendapat layanan yang sewajarnya dan menjadi kaya-raya hinggakan Baitulmal penuh dengan harta zakat kerana tiada lagi orang yang mahu menerima zakat. Rakyat umumnya sudah kaya ataupun sekurang-kurangnya mau berdikari sendiri. Pada zaman pemerintahan Umar bin Abdul Aziz ra, pasukan kaum muslimin sudah mencapai pintu kota Paris di sebelah barat dan negeri Cina di sebelah timur. Pada waktu itu kekuasaan pemerintahan di Portugal dan Spanyol berada di bawah kekuasaannya.

Umar bin Abdul Aziz tidak saja menjadi cermin tentang tokoh yang agung. Tapi juga contoh bagaimana ia menjalani prosesi-prosesi perbaikan diri dalam jangka yang tidak pendek. Para penulis sejarah menjelaskan, perubahan hidup Umar bin Abdul Aziz itu tidak datang secara tiba-tiba. Tetapi melalui sebuah proses yang lama, berhari-hari, bahkan bertahun-tahun. Dimulai ketika ia dikirim ibunya ke Madinah, untuk tinggal bersama pamannya yang juga salah satu putra Umar bin Khattab. Saat itu ibunya prihatin dengan lingkungan istana Bani Umayyah, yang sangat mempengaruhi karakter Umar bin Abdul Aziz.

Di Madinah, Umar bin Abdul Aziz hidup dalam suasana yang baru. Penuh dengan ilmu dan kezuhudan, dua hal yang merupakan warisan kehidupan para sahabat Rasululloh saw. Setiap hari ia belajar, mendengarkan bimbingan dan pengarahan. Jiwanya terus disirami dengan nasehat dan hal-hal yang membersihkannya. Umar bin Abdul Aziz benar-benar telah tenggelam dalam suasana hidup penduduk Madinah. Akalnya penuh dengan ilmu-ilmu mereka. Jiwanya menyatu dengan mereka, penuh dengan ketawadhu'an.

Kisah Umar bin Abdul Aziz masih sangat panjang dibanding dengan cuplikan diatas. Tetapi setidaknya hal diatas cukup memberi penegasan bagi kita, bahwa untuk menjadi baik itu mungkin, bagi siapa saja. Karena rentang waktu yang tersedia bagi manusia memberi kesempatan yang sangat berharga untuk berubah, berbuat dan menata ulang kepribadiannya. Memang, proses menjadi baik itu panjang. Tetapi keputusan untuk memulai menjadi baik hanya memerlukan waktu beberapa saat. Ya, perbaikan diri memang tidak kenal henti. Tetapi kemauan dan kemantapan untuk memulai perbaikan diri itu hanya perlu waktu sebentar. Hanya dibutuhkan kejujuran di dasar hati. Agar fitrah manusia berbicara apa adanya. Saat itu jawabannya akan langsung ada, bahwa setiap kita harus menjadi baik, memulai menjadi baik atau setidaknya memilih untuk menjadi baik.

Hadits Rasulullah menggaris bawahi bahwa memperbaiki diri merupakan bagian dari irama hidup seorang muslim. Seperti nampak jelas dalam sabdanya, "Sesungguhnya manusia itu banyak salahnya. Dan sesunguhnya sebaik-baik orang yang banyak salahnya, adalah orang yang banyak bertaubat." (HR Tirmidzi). Banyak salahnya, artinya kesalahan itu sangat mungkin akan terus terjadi. Maka meratapi dan menyesali kekurangan dan kesalahan itu perlu. Tetapi yang jauh lebih perlu lagi adalah bagaimana memperbaiki kesalahan itu. Maka, seperti dalam lanjutan hadits tersebut, banyak bertaubat artinya ada proses yang terus berjalan untuk memperbaiki kesalahan tersebut.

Hal itu pula yang dapat kita maknai dari firman Allah Swt, "Dan janganlah sekali-kali kamu mati, melainkan dalam keadaan sebagai muslim." (QS Ali Imran : 103). Arinya, setiap saat kematian itu bisa datang. Tetapi kematian itu sendiri sangat gelap bagi manusia. Maka, setiap saat pula seorang muslim harus berjuang antara kesalahan dengan perbaikan, antara dosa dengan taubat. Tak lain, agar pada detik kematian itu tiba, ia tiba pada saat baiknya, atau pada saat taubatnya.

Maka memperbaiki diri menjadi kebutuhan hidup utama kita. Agar, segala yang kita makan, yang kita minum, yang kita hirup untuk menyambung nafas-nafas kita, untuk menegakkan tulang-tulang persendian kita, tidak sampai hanya untuk memperlambat sat-saat Allah akan mengadzab kita. Tetapi sebaliknya, segalanya menjadi bagian penting dari saat-saat kita untuk selalu tegar memperbaiki diri, memohon penerimaan dan ampunan Allah swt.

Mari jadikan Ramadhan sebagai Syahrut Tarbiyah, momentum untuk melakukan perbaikan diri, perbaikan dan kebaikan yang kita lakukan di bulan ini, mari kita jaga, pertahankan, bahkan kalau mungkin tingkatkan, sampai akhir Ramadhan, bahkan sebelas bulan berikutnya.....bahkan sampai akhir hayat kita. Semoga Allah memberi kemudahan dan keberkahan kepada kita semua.

Mari terus saling ingatkan, saling memberi keteladanan dan saling mendoakan untuk kebaikan dunia akhirat kita.

Disarikan dari beberapa sumber (Tulisan ust Ahmad Zairofi, Tarbawi press, dan beberapa unduhan di internet), dari bahan khutbah MBT KPU BC Tg Priok 5 September 2008.