I understand from reading his blog that Ustaz Hasrizal Abdul Jamil dislikes being praised. The wise have always cautioned us to be wary of praises because praises can lead to deterioration. I shall therefore refrain from singing praises about Ustaz Hasrizal's Murabbi Cinta and give credits only where they are due.
How shall I do this? Both Aku Terima Nikahnya and Bercinta Sampai ke Syurga greatly changed my understanding and perceptions about marriage and family life. I am now more realistic and pragmatic and also optimistic about being a man, a husband, a father, and a child. I understand that even in the best of families, the exemplary households of Rasulullah SAW and the Sahabah RAHum, happiness cannot be measured in terms of comfort or the absence of day to day turbulence. The real measure of happiness in families is in how they overcome the challenges in their lives. I think this is one of Ustaz Hasrizal's biggest point.
This time around, Ustaz's children are entering the schooling age and this period is with its own set of challenges. In one incident, Ustaz's eldest son, Saiful Islam (the name behind his website, I believe) got into a small quarrel at school because someone had taunted him with a rather unflattering name. An ordinary tiff kids get themselves into, I myself included (once we were planning to open a burger stall and I was in charge of buying the veggies, which was how I ended up being called "Apek Jual Sayur"). Like many instances that he wrote about, Ustaz Hasrizal approached this as a chance to talk about self-control.
As with his previous books, Murabbi Cinta is a compilation of his writings over at Saifulislam.com. Frequently visitors may recognise most of the content. I haven't checked how much of the book are new. More original content would add value to the book because at least readers will get more than just a hard copy compilation. The blending of Bahasa Melayu and English in Ustaz's writing is both refreshing and limiting, in my opinion. While the style may appeal to the urban and educated audiences, the effect may not be the same for those whose English are not quite good. I also think there are some parts in English that can sound just as eloquent if they are written in or translated into Bahasa Melayu.
That said, Murabbi Cinta and the rest of the series should be required reading for every Muslim Malaysian bakal pengantin, pengantin baru and pengantin lama. (Sorry, I just couldn't an word in English that captures the essence of the word pengantin.)
