LEARNING ORGANIZATION DRIVERS in THE CONTEXT of a UNIVERSITY: A VIEW FROM ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES

 Oleh: 

MOHD RAFI BIN MOHD SOLLEH

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND LIFE SCIENCES

UNISEL

INTRODUCTION

 

It is believed that learning university drivers do not contradict with Islamic Teachings. It is also believed that when all Muslims understand this, university vision will become a reality. With institutionalized Islamic Principles in university through Islamization will give a strength and new dimension to the staff. It can be quote from three hadith (in Malay language) below;

 

Bahawa Allah suka apabila seseorang dari kamu membuat sesuatu kerja

dengan memperelokkan kerjanya. (Muslim)

 

Sesungguhnya Allah itu suka jika seseorang daripada kamu membuat

sesuatu kerja dengan cekap. (Bukhari and Muslim)

 

Barang siapa yang di waktu petangnya merasakan kelelahan sebab

kerja tangannya, maka di waktu petang itulah ia terampun dosanya.

(Tabrani and Baihaqi)

           

Before this, the discussions about learning university are from other perspectives (western and Asian especially Japan). It is suggested that we look on learning university with Islamic perspectives because there are no other principles, disciplines or philosophies better than Islam. Islam is a religion for all mankind, throughout all centuries, and all places on the earth so there are no principles or disciplines that are new in Islam. The problem is Muslims do not implement Islamic Principles as a basis for their live or probably they do not know how to apply it.

 

Islamic Principles differ from other principles in the way it builds a bridge between this worldly live and akhirat (hereafter). In order to succeed in everything they do, Muslims need Allah blessing. No matter how hard they work and no matter how good their principles and disciplines, without Allah blessings, at the end, nothing works. Prof. Seyyed Hossein Nasr said that:

 

 

In Islam there are no work that are secular or without religious meaning.

Islam succeed in building a civilization that has everything influenced by

belief that everything is revealing kudus. This success has build a working

atmosphere with decency and akhlak not separated from economy.

 

Additionally, Prof. Dr. Syed Othman al-Habshi said that:

 

Contemporary societies have lost the invigorating forces which necessarily

comes from deep-rooted religious values. The industrial revolution was

actually motivated by the true protestant ethics and Puritanism. The

Islamic Empire was the result of genuine strive by God-conscious Muslims.

 

These are five principles of Learning Organization.

 

1. Mental Model

Muslims are taught to always accept and adapt all change in their live as long as it is does not contradicted Islamic Sharia and for good reason. Muslims are forbade to have a prejudice assumption on anything that contradicted their frame of mind or habit even though Islamic teaching will creates an Islamic frame of mind in Muslims mind. What they have to do is to study the change whether it contradicted to Islamic Teaching and would give a good result or not. This principle is discussed in below hadith (in Malay language):

 

Hendaklah kamu persampaikan dari aku akan mereka-mereka yang

dibelakang walaupun satu ayat dan hendaklah kamu bercerita daripada Bani

Isra'il tak mengapa kalau cerita yang berfaedah.  Dan barangsiapa sengaja

berdusta atasku, hendaklah ianya sediakan tempat duduknya di neraka.

(Riwayat Al-Bukhari)

 

In organizational perspectives, all staff must accept changes and a new and good opinions or suggestions even though they contradicted to staff frame of mind. This is to ensure that organizational vision could be achieved because different mental model would trigger a conflict and then separated and may be grouped the staffs. Islamic teaching forbade negative thinking and there should be truthful and trustworthy. 

 

2. Shared Vision

Muslims all over the world have a shared vision in their live and in everything they do. There is only one desire that each Muslims want to fulfill before they passed away, the desire to achieve Allah blessing and consent. Organizational vision is automatically being their vision as long as it is not contradicted to Islamic Sharia. This is because in order to achieve Allah consent, Muslims have to follow all Islamic Teaching and one of it is to do work with full commitments. In addition, they will get rewards from God.

 

According to Dr. Ghouse Shareef (1988), through admission of Allah S.W.T universal power and universal human brotherhood, we could build a Muslim organization that would achieve congruency goal where individually goal of its members would be harmonized to organizational goal. It is could also avoid dysfunction that is a conflict between members and organizational goal. As khalifah in this world, Dr. Shareef wrote that:

 

Muslim managers and Muslim workers simultaneously report to two

supervisors -   God and the human manager in that order. This will

create a successful team approach.

 

This principle is also agreed by western scholars. For example, Terrance E. Real and Allen A. Kennedy wrote in their book titled Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life.

 

Values are the bedrock of any corporate culture. As the essence of a

company's philosophy for achieving success, values provide a sense of

common direction for all employees and guidelines for their day-to-day

behavior ....often companies succeed because their employees can identify,

embrace, and act on values of the organization.

 

 

3. Team Learning

Muslims are taught to live together with their community, teammate and colleagues. They are forbade to live individually and avoiding in sharing with others. Each Muslim is like a mirror to other Muslims. Everyone has to mend others fault. This is discussed in below Quranic Ayat (in Malay language),

 

.....dan hendaklah tolong menolong kamu atas kebajikan dan takwa, dan

jangan kamu tolong menolong atas membuat dosa dan perseteruan......

(Al-Ma'idah:ayat 3)

 

Any knowledge that one has must also be shared to others. There is no confidential knowledge in Islam. Problems such as misunderstanding and conflict must be solved in musyawarah. An opportunity to speak and to share opinion must be given to everyone. A just and fair trial must be given to all accused person. These also could be done in a musyawarah. Other than that, Muslims must not feel ashamed to ask anything that they do not know to anyone. In addition, Muslim whose been asked can not humiliated; bullied, or ignored the one that asked you. Everyone needs some courage in order to ask question to others. This is discussed in below Quranic Ayat (in Malay language),

 

........bermesyuaratlah dengan mereka dalam urusan itu........(Ali-Imran:ayat 159)

 

4. Systems Thinking

Everything that Muslims do everyday must benefited either themselves or others (Muslims and non Muslims). Islam emphasizes and concerns more on society than individuals. Muslim must consider his society or teammate or colleagues as priority even though it will affect and harm himself individually. Team's vision is also his or her priority. Muslims must not do anything that will harm their society or team and in this case, their organization. This principle is discussed in below hadith (in Malay language):

 

 

Bandingan orang-orang mukmin dalam bercinta mereka dan berkasih

sayang mereka dan bertolong-tolongan mereka seperti bandingan satu

 badan; apabila sakit satu anggota daripadanya tertariklah sekalian

anggota (hingga)tiada dapat tidur dan demam.(Muslim)

 

 

 

5. Personal Mastery

Muslim must practice self-muhasabah which means always examine on himself in order to find any weakness, bad habits or insufficient of knowledge. Once the problems have been found, immediate repairs are taken sufficiently. Muslims must take it upon themselves to begin an immediate self-reformation. This process will only stop at the time they passed away. This is discussed in below dalil naqli (in Malay language),

  

 

Sesungguhnya Allah sukakan mukmin yang pakar (al-Muhtarif).

 (Tabrani, al-Hakim and al-Tarmidhi)

 

Barangsiapa berjalan atau mencari jalan buat menuntut ilmu, nescaya

 dimudah Allah Ta'ala baginya jalan ke syurga.(Riwayat Muslim)

 

....sesungguhnya Allah tidak mengubah apa yang ada pada sesuatu kaum

 sehingga mereka mengubah apa yang ada pada diri mereka sendiri.......

(Ar-Ra'd:11)

 

 

Application

 

To implement Islamic Principles in organization, first thing to do is to spread Islamic Knowledge among the staffs. Staff must understand Islamic Knowledge deeply so that they can accept and then adapt all Islamic Principles in their works. Prof. Dr. Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, contemporary Islamic Thinking expert wrote that:

 

Islamization is the liberation of man first from magical, mythological,

animistic, national, cultural tradition, and then from secular control over his

reason and his language. Islamization is a process not so much of evolution

as that of devolution to original nature; man as spirit is already perfect, but

man as such when actualized as physical being is subject to forgetfulness

and ignorance and in-justice to himself and hence is not necessarily perfect.

Thus in the individual, personal, existential, sense Islamization refers to

what is described above in which the Holy Prophet represents the highest

and most perfect example; in the collective, social and historical sense

Islamization refers to the community's striving towards realization of the

moral and ethical quality of social perfection achieved during the age

of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) who created it under Divine Guidance.

 

Second, Islamic Value must be included into modern concepts. Each principle, discipline and discussion must first be adapted according to Islamic Principles. Any principle, discipline or discussion that contradicted to Islamic Principles must be rejected. This is because it will drive them to a failure.

 

Third, material and spiritual must be blend together. This is because both need each other in order to succeed. This is fitrah or natural of human being. We all know that any disturbance on fitrah will produce bad effect. A problem in either one will affected the other.

 

Fourth, organization must hire workers with basic Islamic Knowledge and good in akhlak. This is to ensure that they could accept and adapt smoothly Islamic Principles in their work and do not opposing them. This is to make sure that there is no conflicts exist. For non-Muslim, they must understand that Islamic Principles will never affected them and be their burden.

 

Fifth, all staff must practice purification of heart. They may need to meet once a week in a program such as a brainstorming session so that everybody can practice muhasabah and then try not to repeats all the mistakes they did before. This also can be done through Islamic Activity like a kuliah, tadarrus, tazkirah and so on.

 

Sixth, reinventing of attitude. Actually, it is grown parallel with purification of heart. Akhlak will grow automatically when the heart is sincere or tulus. What they need now is a deep knowledge about Islamic Akhlak.

 

Seventh, rejuvenating of intellect-character. All character must not contradicted Islamic Character. Any contradiction must be rejected. 

KELESTARIAN ALAM SEKITAR, TANGGUNGJAWAB KITA BERSAMA

 Oleh : NOOR HALINI BINTI BAHARIM

Sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini, Malaysia berdepan dengan pelbagai isu-isu alam sekitar dan krisis bencana yang paling kritikal dalam sejarah negara. Kejadian bencana alam seperti tanah runtuh, banjir kilat, musim kemarau dan masalah jerebu yang semakin kerap berlaku telah meragut ribuan nyawa, kemusnahan harta benda dan menyebabkan kerugian berbillion ringgit. Kemerosotan kualiti alam sekitar yang berkait dengan kepesatan era revolusi industri jelas membuktikan kegagalan masyarakat dalam menterjemahkan konsep kelestarian alam sekitar semulajadi.

Menurut  Kamus Dewan Edisi Keempat, lestari bermaksud tidak berubah-ubah, kekal atau tetap.  Kelestarian alam sekitar adalah didefinisikan kepada interaksi, respon, sikap dan tanggungjawab memelihara alam sekitar untuk mengekalkan sumber semula jadi seperti sediakala. Oleh yang demikian, alam sekitar yang lestari dapat digambarkan sebagai persekitaran bumi dan kehidupan makhluk yang kekal bebas daripada sebarang unsur kerosakan alam.

Terdapat pelbagai cara yang boleh kita lakukan bagi membantu usaha memelihara alam sekitar yang bersih dan sihat. Berikut adalah langkah-langkah mudah yang boleh dilakukan dalam amalan gaya hidup kita tetapi memberikan impak besar kepada kelestarian alam sekitar.

1.   Gunakan air dengan bertanggungjawab

Air merupakan salah satu sumber asas dalam kehidupan manusia. Selain sebagai minuman, air bersih diperlukan untuk kita melakukan rutin harian seperti mandi, membasuh, memasak dan sebagainya. Di antara tindakan yang boleh diambil sebagai langkah penjimatan penggunaan air adalah menutup pili air semasa menggosok gigi dan bercukur, memasang tangki curahan air tandas dwisistem, segera membaiki paip air yang bocor dan menggunakan mesin basuh apabila muatan pakaian kotor telah penuh.

2. Elakkan pembaziran tenaga elektrik

Setiap peralatan elektrik yang digunakan perlulah bersesuaian dengan spesifikasi saiz, kapasiti, ruang, kuasa dan digunakan secara optimum dan ketika perlu. Penggunaan tenaga elektrik yang berlebihan menyumbang kepada pembaziran bahan api fosil seperti arang batu dan gas dan seterusnya meningkatkan penghasilan karbon yang menyebabkan pemanasan global dan pencemaran udara.

3. Tanam pokok

Aktiviti berkebun atau bercucuk tanam membantu mengurangkan kesan cuaca panas dan meningkatkan kualiti alam sekitar. Selain daripada memperindahkan sudut dan menyumbang kepada penghijauan persekitaran, aktiviti ini juga menjadi suatu bentuk terapi minda yang dapat memberikan ketenangan diwaktu menghadapi tekanan kerja.

4. Gantikan penggunaan barangan guna buang kepada barangan guna semula

Pembuangan barangan guna buang yang telah rosak dan tidak diperlukan lagi akan meningkatkan sisa buangan pepejal di tapak pelupusan sampah. Oleh itu, penggunaan barangan guna semula dapat meningkatkan jangka hayat tapak pelupusan, membantu mengurangkan isu pelupusan sampah yang meruncing dan mengurangkan pencemaran alam semula jadi. Penggunaan bateri boleh dicas semula, menggantikan beg plastik dengan beg mesra alam ketika membeli belah, membawa bekas makanan dan botol minuman sendiri ketika pembelian adalah contoh-contoh amalan yang boleh dipraktikkan sebagai usaha melestarikan alam sekitar.

5. Melaksanakan pengurusan sisa elektrik dan elektronik (e-sisa) dengan baik

Pelupusan sisa elektrik dan elektronik dengan cara yang salah menyebabkan pembebasan logam berat yang berbahaya  seperti merkuri, kadmium dan plumbum yang memberikan implikasi negatif kepada manusia dan alam sekitar. Gunakan perkhidmatan kontraktor berlesen yang dilantik oleh Jabatan Alam Sekitar bagi mengendalikan pengurusan e-sisa daripada industri dan isi rumah dan penghantaran ke pusat pengumpulan yang ditetapkan.

6. Amalkan kitar semula

Kitar semula bermaksud mengumpulkan dan mengolah semula bahan buangan menjadi barangan yang baru. Amalan ini adalah usaha terbaik untuk mengurangkan sisa buangan, menjimatkan penggunaan bahan mentah baru, dan mengelakkan pencemaran alam. Di antara contoh barangan yang boleh dikitar semula adalah plastik, logam, kertas dan kaca.

7. Beralih kepada penggunaan tenaga hijau

Tenaga hijau ialah sumber tenaga yang diperoleh daripada alam sekitar secara semula jadi seperti sinar matahari, angin, air dan lain-lain. Sumber tenaga hijau adalah sumber yang boleh diperbaharui dan penggunaan sumber ini untuk penjanaan tenaga hanya memberikan impak minimum kepada alam sekitar. Pada masa kini, tenaga hijau kian popular digunakan dalam penghasilan panel solar dan kenderaan tenaga solar yang mampu menjimatkan penggunaan bahan api fosil dan mengurangkan pembebasan gas-gas berbahaya ke atmosfera bumi.

 

Kewajiban menjaga kelestarian alam sekitar adalah tanggungjawab kita bersama. Memelihara alam sekitar pada dasarnya adalah suatu perkara yang mudah. Namun, jika hanya segelintir sahaja yang menjiwai dan mempraktiskan usaha melestarikan alam sekitar, generasi akan datang pastinya akan menghadapi kesulitan dalam meneruskan kelangsungan hidup di muka bumi ini yang semakin tenat.

LAWATAN KERJA AGRO FARMING FELS-UNISEL KE TAMAN AGROTEKNOLOGI MARDI

 

Program lawatan kerja ke Taman Agroteknologi MARDI Cameron Highlands pada 2 Jun 2022 dianjurkan buat pertama kalinya sebagai memenuhi salah satu agenda /perancangan Projek Agro Farming FKSH-UNISEL. Program lawatan ini diadakan sebagai pengisian bagi minggu cuti pertengahan semester universiti di mana tidak mengganggu aktiviti perkuliahan. Lawatan yang disertai oleh 16 orang staf FKSH ini bertujuan untuk memberikan pendedahan dan pengetahuan berkaitan teknologi pertanian terkini seiring dengan perkembangan semasa dalam membangunkan projek Agro Farming di UNISEL dan dalam aktiviti pengajaran dan pembelajaran pada masa akan datang.

AKTIVITI YANG DIJALANKAN

Penerangan dari pihak MARDI Cameron Highlands berkenaan Profil

             Taman Agroteknologi MARDI Cameron Highlands

Lawatan ke Taman-Taman

Lawatan ke Test Bed (Makmal Pemprosesan) Teknologi MARDI dan penerangan mengenai proses-proses dan juga mesin alatan

Lawatan ke Plot Tanaman

Lawatan ke Plot Tanaman Tanpa Tanah (Teknik Fertigasi Meja)

Lawatan ke Plot Demo Penyelidikan (Pemuliharaan Tanah/Plot hakisan tanah)

Pusat Jualan Pokok- Pembelian Beberapa Pokok (Lavender & Keladi) Untuk Ditanam Di Tapak Projek Agro Farming FKSH-UNISEL.

PENUTUP

Semoga program lawatan kerja ini dapat memberikan impak yang positif dan bermanfaat kepada semua pihak yang terlibat terutamanya para peserta yang terdiri daripada Staf FELS sendiri di mana mampu meningkatkan pengetahuan  terhadap  teknologi pertanian terkini seiring dengan perkembangan semasa dalam membangunkan projek Agro Farming di UNISEL dan dalam aktiviti pengajaran dan pembelajaran pada masa akan datang.

Oleh: Sulaiman Abdul Haq Bin Hazman

Microplastics – their occurrence in marine and soil ecosystems

 By Noor Fazreen Dzulkafli,

Department of Science and Biotechnology,

FELS

Plastics are widely used because they are lightweight, durable, and inexpensive. Low recovery rates and improper disposal of plastic waste have resulted in the accumulation of plastics in the environment After entering the environment, plastics may degrade into microplastics through various processes, such as hydrolysis, oxidation, photodegradation, mechanical corrosion, and biological degradation.

Microplastics, commonly defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm are widely distributed in many types of habitats from land to the ocean. Microplastics are ubiquitous and interact with the biotic and abiotic environment, potentially threatening the biota and ecological functioning of biogenic habitats in aquatic ecosystems. The common microplastics can be found in the form of fibres, fragments, pellets, microbeads, and foam (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Example of common microplastics that can be found in our environment

Microplastic in the marine ecosystem

The distribution and transportation of microplastics into marine environments are influenced by anthropogenic activities, wind, tides, and water current conditions. Microplastics are distributed in the oceans globally where accumulation takes place. Due to the relatively small size, microplastics are easily ingested by marine organisms and have been found to accumulate in tissues, the circulatory system, and the brain. More importantly, microplastics can enter food webs (Figure 2), and therefore, they pose negative consequences for human health.

 Furthermore, microplastics in the environment can serve as vectors for organic and metallic contaminants owing to their remarkable binding capacity. It was also reported that the density of microplastics and their interaction with the surrounding biological life affect their distribution in the marine water column.

Figure 2 Pathway of microplastic in marine ecosystem

Occurrence of microplastics in soils

As industrial development has accelerated and the manufacture and disposal of plastics have increased, concerns about plastic pollution on soil are growing. Compared with the aquatic ecosystem, microplastics in soils are poorly understood. However, soils are considered the major storage for microplastics, and they may enter the soils through agricultural film breaking, sewage sludge utilization, organic manure application, water irrigation, atmospheric deposition, surface runoff, mulch films, and landfilling activities (Figure 3).

The development of modern agriculture results in the extensive use of agricultural membranes and sludge, as well as the changes in irrigation methods, leaving plenty of microplastics on the soil surface. Moreover, due to the disturbance of farming, harvesting, and other agronomic practices on the soil, the plastic on the surface may migrate downward or spread around. Additionally, the infiltration process of water flow such as rainfall or irrigation from top to bottom in the soil renders microplastics to transfer downward along the soil voids, and eventually possibly enter the groundwater. Adsorption of potentially toxic elements onto microplastic can be toxic to soil organisms (microorganisms and microorganisms), reducing soil fertility and having an impact on crop quality and quantity.

Figure 3 Sources and impacts of microplastics in soil

“SENI MIKROB”

                                                                          BAKTERIA

Hubungan manusia dengan bakteria atau hidupan seni sentiasa rumit dan sukar dijelaskan. Manusia sentiasa takut kepada “kuman”, iaitu organisma di sebalik penyakit, namun manusia menerima mereka memandangkan peranan mereka dalam siratan makanan, penghasilan produk berinovasi seperti makanan, bahan pelincir, pelarut, tenaga, ubat-ubatan, bioplastik, digunakan dalam struktur binaan bagi memperbaiki batu bata retak secara semulajadi dan sebagainya. Pelbagai jenis mikrob terdapat di badan kita mahupun dalam persekitaran yang boleh dimanfaatkan untuk pelbagai aplikasi dalam kehidupan kita dan masih belum diterokai dengan lebih mendalam sehingga kini.

Bakteria yang dikultur di dalam inkubator, Makmal Mikrobiologi, UNISEL.

SENI PERTUMBUHAN BAKTERIA

Pertumbuhan bakteria telah dijadikan sebagai seni agar. Penggunaan  media pertumbuhan makmal biasa sebagai kanvas dan menggunakan pertumbuhan mikroorganisma sebagai seni bagi mencipta rupa dan gambaran seperti lakaran, lukisan dan juga karya seni 3D. Bakteria yang tidak dapat dilihat oleh mata manusia dicalit pada agar-agar. Hidupan seni ini akan membiak pada agar-agar untuk mendedahkan karya seni yang dicalit dan hasilnya dapat dilihat selepas melalui proses inkubasi.

             Kultur bakteria yang dilihat menggunakan “colony counter”

AKTIVITI PERSAMPELAN BAKTERIA

Penghasilan seni mikrob telah dilakukan oleh pelajar Yayasan Selangor melalui aktiviti persampelan seperti berikut:

a.	Menyanyi selama ± 1 minit dengan menghala pada permukaan plat agar.
b.	Batuk sebanyak 3 kali atau 5 saat pada permukaan plat agar.
c.	Bercakap selama ± 1 minit dengan menghala pada permukaan plat agar.
d.	Ketawa dan mengilai sambil menyebut “hahaha” pada permukaan plat agar.
e.	Tarik nafas dan tahan selama 3 saat dan hembus sekuatnya pada permukaan plat agar.
f.	Swab permukaan lidah menggunakan putik kapas dan calit corak pada plat agar.
g.	Pilih satu tempat (contoh: permukaan daun, tanah, lantai, kerusi dll) dan calitkan corak pada plat agar.
h.	Swab kulit dan calit corak pada plat agar.
i.	Pilih satu objek atau barang peribadi (contoh: permukaan hp, beg, pensil) dan calitkan corak pada plat agar.

Aktiviti persampelan mikrob

HASIL SENI MIKROB

Selepas diinkubasi plat agar selama 24 jam, hasilnya tidak dapat dijangkakan kerana lukisan yang dicalit pada awalnya tidak dapat dilihat oleh mata kasar dan sampel yang diambil merupakan mikrob yang berada di badan peserta atau di sekitar makmal.

Berikut adalah di antara hasil-hasil seni yang dihasilkan oleh pelajar Yayasan Selangor semasa aktiviti STEM.

Hasil seni kultur mikrob dari sampel badan peserta dan sekitar makmal.

Oleh: Dr Roshani Binti Othman