… وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ …

… ketahuilah bahwa sesungguhnya Allah membatasi antara manusia dan hatinya …

Dinukilkan kehebatan ilham Syed Qutb mentadabbur ayat ini di dalam Zilal, tentang kekuasaan Allah penguasa hati.

Allah Menguasai Hati Manusia

Ini gambaran qudrat Allah yang amat berkuasa dan amat halus dan amat menakutkan, di mana ia dapat menghalangkan di antara seorang dengan hatinya, iaitu ia memisahkan di antaranya dengan hatinya, ia menguasainya, menyekat dan membalik-balikkan hati dan menanganinya mengikut sebagaimana yang dikehendaki-Nya, sedangkan pemilik hati itu tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa walaupun hatinya terletak dalam rongga di antara dua lambungnya.

Sebenarnya itulah gambaran hati yang amat menakutkan yang dilukis dalam ayat al-Quran sedangkan pengungkapan manusia tidak mampu menggambarkan kesan gambaran ini di dalam hati atau memberikan kesan ini dalam saraf dan perasaan.

Itulah gambaran yang memerlukan kesedaran dan kewaspadaan yang berterusan terhadap segala idea yang bergerak dan terlintas di dalam hati, juga terhadap segala keinginan dan kecenderungan yang berlegar di dalam hati kerana takut tergelincir. Pendeknya ia memerlukan kewaspadaan yang berterusan terhadap segala tempat gelincir segala bisikan dan perasaan. Ia memerlukan seorang itu sentiasa bergantung kepada Allah kerana dikhuatiri hati itu terbalik atau berubah di dalam saat-saat kelalaian dan kelupaannya atau di dalam mana-mana tindak-tanduknya yang terburu-buru.

Rasullulah s.a.w. walaupun sentiasa maksum atau dipelihara Allah, namun beliau banyak membaca doa yang berikut:
 اللَّهُمَّ يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِى عَلَى دِينِكَ

Jika beginilah keadaan seseorang rasul yang ma’sum, bagaimana pula dengan manusia-manusia biasa yang bukan rasul dan bukan pula ma’sum?

Hadis diriwayatkan daripada Syahr bin Hausyab, katanya:

قُلْتُ لأُمِّ سَلَمَةَ : يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُ دُعَاءِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا كَانَ عِنْدَكِ ؟ قَالَتْ : كَانَ أَكْثَرُ دُعَائِهِ : يَا مُقَلِّبَ القُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ قَالَتْ : فَقُلْتُ : يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مَا لأَكْثَرِ دُعَائِكَ يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ ؟ قَالَ : يَا أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ آدَمِيٌّ إِلاَّ وَقَلْبُهُ بَيْنَ أُصْبُعَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ اللهِ ، فَمَنْ شَاءَ أَقَامَ ، وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَزَاغَ.

Maksudnya: Aku pernah bertanya kepada Ummu Salamah: “Wahai Ummul Mukminin! Apakah doa Rasulullah SAW yang paling banyak apabila Baginda SAW disisi engkau?” Beliau menjawab: “Doa Baginda SAW yang paling banyak adalah: (يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ) – “Wahai Tuhan yang membolak-balikkan hati, tetapkanlah hatiku di atas agama-Mu.” –Ummu Salamah berkata: “Aku pernah berkata kepada Rasulullah SAW; Wahai Rasulullah! Betapa sering engkau berdoa: “يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ”. Lalu Baginda SAW menjawab: “Wahai Ummu Salamah! Sesungguhnya tidak ada seorang anak Adam pun melainkan hatinya berada di dalam genggaman kekuasaan Allah. Barangsiapa yang Allah kehendaki, maka Dia akan meluruskannya dan barangsiapa yang Allah kehendaki maka Dia akan membelokkannya.”

Riwayat Imam Ahmad (26618) dan al-Tirmizi (3522)

He said: “The big teams of the past – and I don’t say we are a big team now, that will be decided in a couple of years – they stay together for a number of years. They do not need a lot of changes. I am not comparing us with Barcelona of five, six or seven years ago but they stayed together. A new player came in and struggled and so it was the same players who played again. Man United had the class of ’92. How long did they stay together? They changed a few after [Eric] Cantona got older and brought in Van the Man [Ruud van Nistelrooy] or whoever. You do not change completely.

“We are a good team together in a very difficult league with a lot of competitors desperate to get the position we are in. Nobody knows how it will look exactly but Sunday showed we will be fine and the rest is what we make of it.”

Kilo mentioned this winning philosophy for a team and organization, that the members need to be together for sometime to achieve the goals.

The right mix of strengths enables the team to be stable and experience incremental progression and performance.

In the transfer window, obsession with bringing talents may pose the risk that the person aka new comer is not the right fit for the squad. Hire the missing puzzle without being succumbed to other’s circumstances.

Having your own benchmark is strange where you are seen as a contrarian in today’s 24/7 news culture.

In one of the most competitive football league, talent management and retainment are critical for long term success. Klopp’s philosophy is admirable as he is not going for the fast money spending approach. Liverpool have a lot of problems starting this 19/20 season but similar to the predicament when Coutinho left, the team evolved into a three striker club with Salah, Firmino and Mane.

With Hendo, Milner and Wini as the dominant midfielders that are not particularly attacking-styled. They have the best wing-backs, to counter-balance this running and assisting without fatigue.

Who have ever thought they can survive such a lost of one of the best attacking mid-fielder in those times. By the way they have Ox, Kieta, Shaq who is not that fully dangerous yet…

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/coutinho-can-liverpool-transfer-news-16775733

…, Klopp has gone on record numerous times to reassert his philosophy.

The same message around long-term planning, group development and trust in his players has rung through on each occasion.

“In the transfer window, you have to build a team that you think you want to go into the season with. But I have that team already.”

“You cannot sign just because people want you to sign someone. This team is a good age with space for improvement.”

“I really think it makes sense to keep this team together but we have to prove that.”

“You have to find the solutions on the training ground and that’s what we do now.”

“I really think big teams of the past – and I don’t say we are a big team now, that will be decided in a couple of years – they stay together for a number of years.”

“There was an underlying current of disgruntlement between the manager and board and that doesn’t help the people playing on the pitch,” added Gillespie.

“As much as players say it shouldn’t or doesn’t affect them, ultimately it has to have some sort of effect.

“Your work environment is dictated by the people at the top and I think that is a big difference at this moment in time when you look at Liverpool.

“Everything seems to be heading in the right direction from the top down.”

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48987404

In the competitive football league, the owners leadership, (what is meant here is walking the talk) is critical.

Liverpool has since achieved the runners up status 4 times since they last won the league in 1990.

You can sense that when the top is doing great, the people down under will excel in their undertakings.