Our Religion is Islam

Being married

2011-05-28T20:28:00.001+08:00

Hub made banana milkshake today. No need for expensive gifts, it's small little acts like these that makes a marriage all the more sweet.

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More exciting than World Cup

2011-05-08T09:40:00.000+08:00

Never had I stayed up so late to watch something so exciting as this other than watching DVDs when I couldn't sleep. Even the World Cup knocked me to bed halfway through the match.

It was a risky gamble made by SPP and PAP were overly confident, as usual.

Mr Chiam, thank you for taking in the punches and humiliation for the past 27 years in Parliament. It was really heart-breaking hearing the stories of how you tried to fight for our rights even though you got laughed at in your face by the ruling party. Still, you endured and persevered on with a smiling face and a humble heart.

Mr Yeo, you have done excellent in keeping peace with the world for us. Wrong move for some of the words you said during this campaign, but nevertheless, no one can ever deny the tremendous work you've done thus far.

The results are out, the people have spoken, and we will have to say goodbye to two of the most respectable people in Parliament.

With great power.. Comes great responsibility. Please, start listening.

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Of the ruling party

2011-05-02T11:38:00.000+08:00

They should be grateful that more people are passionate about their country, as opposed to the usual political apathy.

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Politics is HOT!

2011-04-08T07:47:00.001+08:00

I'm not one who is into politics. In fact, I am quite apathetic about it.

As much as Singaporeans complain and complain about the PAP, PAP will still end up as the ruling party and they will still win.

Why?

Because Singaporeans are a bunch of cowards who will not dare vote the oppositions. They're too scared to get out of their comfort zone.

We'll see the results for the upcoming GE. I hope Singaporeans prove me wrong on this.

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Goodbye FB, Hello Blogger!

2011-03-10T21:43:00.001+08:00

I deactivated my account in FB. That will be the case for the next few months or so. And now, I am back to blogging. =)

I realised I have been whining and complaining much on this blog instead. Whoopsie. Worrying about the community, talking about how they think. But not realising how or what I can do to help or change it. Tsk tsk.. Must talk less and act more. Bi 'idznillah.

Eemaan comes in phases. And it's something everyone experiences. It goes up and down, it's always changing. A sister just re-vamped her blog, removing all her pictures of her past, unhijabbed. And I realised I went through the same thing too. Upon donning the hijab, year after year my eemaan went another level. To normal hijab, to one that covers more, to start deleting pictures of me unhijabbed, to deleting pictures of myself online (but I can't avoid those who tag me or friends who want to take pictures with me), to privatising my account and now deactivating FB for a while.

We are no one to judge others. I only pray step by step any sisters who start wearing the hijab goes on a higher level of eemaan month after month to fully donning it properly. I can't help but wonder where do I stand as a sister in Islam. To keep mum, or to dispense advice where needed?

Where is our priority?

2010-12-31T12:45:00.001+08:00

A dear friend had warned others about a popular candy among teens that contained pork as its gelatin. I commend her for bringing the warnings up, but I couldn't help but ponder about our community.

I just have a question. Is to commit a larangan (evil) a bigger sin than to ignore a perintah (obligation)?

For eg, Adam's eating of the apple vs Allah's
command of Iblis to bow to Adam?

To put into clearer context, to drink vs to not pray.

I just find it funny how many muslims I know around me especially those in my family fuss about the halals and harams but clearly don't bother to fuss about / or obliged to the 5 times daily prayers. Weird bunch aren't we?

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The crazy spots one prayed

2010-12-19T13:02:00.000+08:00

All the earth is a place of prostration,
Every field and meadow, mountain, park, city, farm plantation.
Every roadside, seaside, hillside, walkway,
Any place clean and green can be a place to pray
When I think of every path, where I've ever trot,
I laugh at all the crazy spots I stopped to worship God.

Remember that long car ride?
Driving all night so far,
Under the summer moon we pulled off to the side,
Reclining in the front seat of the car.

Waking to a fajr bird sound,
And washing in the coin car wash we found.
With the water blaster making wudhu,
You sprayed me and I sprayed you.
We stood so drowsy in the dawn,
Behind the car wash dripping on the lawn.

All the earth is a place of prostration,
Every field and meadow, mountain, park, city, farm plantation.
Every roadside, seaside, hillside, walkway,
Any place clean and green can be a place to pray
When I think of every path, where I've ever trot,
I laugh at all the crazy spots I stopped to worship God.

Saturday shopping day, in a busy mall and bustling through the aisles,
Where everyone's getting in my way.
Each blank zombie we shop and face forty smiles.

Time comes for prayer attack,
Grab a pair of pants or a sweater from the rack.
Find a changing room and latch the door,
Set aside excuses and hit the floor.
As I go back to the mall,
It's easier then to make sense of it all.

All the earth is a place of prostration,
Every field and meadow, mountain, park, city, farm plantation.
Every roadside, seaside, hillside, walkway,
Any place clean and green can be a place to pray
When I think of every path, where I've ever trot,
I laugh at all the crazy spots I stopped to worship God.

And our socks froze to the blanket,
That we spread over the snow,
Your call to prayer bounced off the trees and across the icy meadow.
Crisp and clean cold air, our hearts were so aware,
Our bodies felt the frozen freedom what a very cool place for prayer!

All the earth is a place of prostration,
Every field and meadow, mountain, park, city, farm plantation.
Every roadside, seaside, hillside, walkway,
Any place clean and green can be a place to pray
When I think of every path, where I've ever trot,
I laugh at all the crazy spots I stopped to worship God.

There was a time next to the river;
There was a time in the school hall.
There was that stairwell in that building,
There was that forest in the fall.
The movie house corridor,
The airplane kitchen in the sky.
So many places I'm sure there'll be more
Pieces of earth to testify.

All the earth is a place of prostration,
Every field and meadow, mountain, park, city, farm plantation.
Every roadside, seaside, hillside, walkway,
Any place clean and green can be a place to pray
When I think of every path, where I've ever trot,
I laugh at all the crazy spots I stopped to worship God.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

I've always loved this nasheed. Okok, correction. I've always loved all nasheeds by Dawud Wharsnby Ali and Zain Bhikha. :p They always seem to make me fall into ponderation. It's amazing isn't it, that the world Earth is actually a mosque in itself?* =)

I never liked the idea of praying anywhere back then. Of course, I wasn't on hijab and to bring praying material everywhere I went wasn't my idea of travelling light. Then again, it was always excuses. Until I met Fadzillah from NurIkhwan and after that everyone else from Saff. Fadz was never on hijab. But she made no excuse to bring prayer materials with her, and will always find a way to pray and not kada' it (I don't believe in the Kada' concept though). I was a little embarassed of myself when I knew her. It's really her spirit of Islam and dawah in her that inspired me. Yes, pardon her flaws of being hijab-less, but it is only Him to Judge that.

When I started the hijab, my prayers still weren't prefect. I still missed it. Now what's the point of hijab, without prayers, no? So, with the help of her and the Saff gang, I learnt that you can pray anywhere, so long as it's clean physically and spiritually (not the graveyard or toilet in that sense).

I'm blessed to have met my husband too. His Saff and Yaqin training had also taught him the same thing. Although he falter sometimes before, but ever since we met we kinda make it a point to never miss our prayers, wherever we are. So far, my husband and I have made many open and enclosed areas into a musollah of our own. Saff even counducted jemaah prayers on the beach for one of our events there (there's no mosque at the beach). =)

I like the fact that we get to be like the muslims of other countries. They don't have the luxury of mosques in their countries, so they pray anywhere clean. I loved my experience in America. I met a few muslims, and they literally prayed out in the open. We Asians, are a little conservative, so we usually find a room or the staircases or somewhere enclosed. Heh. A friend of mine who is studying in Egypt managed to experience praying in the snow. I bet the feeling must have been nice. =)

Anyway, I knew my husband's family had never practised the act of not praying in a mosque / musollah. Actually, many people I know are like that too. Yes, it's may be more recommended to pray in a mosque / musollah. But sometimes some people make it WAJIB to pray in a mosque / musollah, that they despise the idea of praying anywhere else. I mean, if you're lacking time (say you're stuck in a traffic jam or you're in a mall and Maghrib is just 1 hour, and the nearest mosque / musollah is 1 hour plus away), are you just going to miss it?

So alhamdulillah, when we got back from Penang, it was right into Maghrib time. And since there was no musollah in the airport in the terminal where we were, I was pleasantly surprised and hubby's family agreed to make do with a secluded area to pray. I was just happy to share the experience with MIL and SIL. It may have been a little uncomfortable for them, especially when a man suddenly passed by where we were, but I am just happy to be able to pray with them, even if it wasn't in congregation.

Therefore, my dear friends. The Earth is clean. Don't make excuses to miss your prayers, ok? =)

* Narrated by Abu Dhaar
I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was built first?" He replied, "Al-Masjid-ul-Haram." I asked, "Which (was built) next?" He replied, "Al-Masjid-ul-Aqs-a (i.e. Jerusalem)." I asked, "What was the period in between them?" He replied, "Forty (years)." He then added, "Wherever the time for the prayer comes upon you, perform the prayer, for all the earth is a place of worshipping for you."
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 636 : Sahih Bukhari

Enjoin goodness, forbid evil

2010-12-04T16:58:00.000+08:00

Why am I so worried of people, when others just don't care at all? Sometimes, I wish I didn't care either. But my heart is so heavy looking at the people around me committing sins openly.

Pray but drink, eat pork and sleep around.
Pays zakat but do not adhere to the clothings of a Muslimah. Or maybe does cover up, but makes it very fashionable and everything is so tight the modest clothing of covering up becomes pointless.
Recites Qur'an but has a foul mouth.

What is being a Muslim all about these days? =(

It's the season to be...

2010-12-03T15:10:00.003+08:00

It's nearing the end of the year, and living in a community, more accurately, living in religious harmony can be quite a tricky thing. I know in the past I've blogged about celebrations in other religions but I can help but re-iterate my stand on this.

The lab is celebrating Christmas as usual, and as usual you have the gift-exchanging during this time. Like last year, I requested to be dropped out from the event, other than the year-end dinner. Everyone's busy decorating the office, and I recall there was a competition for the best decorated Christmas office last year. I'm not sure if there is going to be another again. And as usual, I didn't partake in the decorating.

So far, no one has come up to me and ask me why? Why do I choose to be a loner instead? Especially since being a Muslim in a Singapore society, everyone tend to celebrate everything together.

Just the other day, while a Malay Muslim colleague who was given the duty to be in-charge of the gift exchange and to prepare the names for others to pick (so that they can buy a gift for that person), the Queen went to asked her why I was not involved. This Queen, no one likes her. In fact, two batches of med techs and the previous staff of other departments all left this place because of her. I don't like her either. But alhamdulillah, Allah gave me strength. I still wonder how I managed to survived this long. I was under her initially. When everyone left and I couldn't take it, I changed department and my American boss based in Brussels is the best person I could ever work for. She really is a good boss, and I'd go all out for her. I even retracted my resignation because of my boss.

Anyways, that idiotic (pardon the anger, I really don't like her) Queen interrogated my dear colleague, especially since my dear colleague is willing to get herself involved. My dear colleague had difficulty explaining, she told me she was quite irritated. She told the Queen, "You cannot compare. Not all Muslims are the same. Not everyone will have the same beliefs and understanding." Rufi may not follow what I believe. Obviously Rufi is stricter. or something along the line.

But the Queen was unsatisfied, she retorted. "But I also have many other Malay friends who also celebrate Christmas what. What's the problem with that? Why they can celebrate but I cannot?" [I really find this a stupid question to ask]. You see, the Queen has some unfinished business, or rather a grudge against me because I was of the pioneer batch. The pioneer batch were rebellious against her illogical processes that doesn't give a good work flow and no one agreed with her on many things. Heck, even our associate director had problems with the Queen.

My dear colleague was rather pissed, she changed the subject to start discussion with the rest who's going to pick out who's name. It ended there.

I wished I was there to defend myself. If she has said, "But I also have....." to me, I would have said to her face out loud, "Oh yeah! I also have many Malay muslims friends who drink and eat pork." *rolls eyes and hope you understood my sarcasm*

Another colleague actually jokingly co-erced me into joining, though I explained to her my stand. And she comically said, "Aiyah, just tell your God you only doing it for fun lah. You only giving gifts lah, nothing else, not in the name of Christ to have the holiday mood or to enjoin the spirit of giving." How I wish you could answer to my God for me, for my actions are only accountable by my own self. I could only offer a smile.

Forget religion. Let's look at the logical sense and not from a religious point of view. If you really want to celebrate with everyone, you'd want to make everyone get involved in the festivals, even the ritual portion of it. Leaving it out would make it incomplete, don't you think? So why not get your non-Christians friends to the Church for masses to "get involved" in the celebration? FYI, my dear Queen, I used to celebrate Christmas with my very close Christian friend. And when I mean celebrate, I went to their house and did the prayers with them and had thanksgiving. But of course, that was the past. Anyway, obviously in this case, no non-Christians friends of yours would want attend it, correct?

Ok ok, let's look from another point of view. What if your colleague actually comes from a needy family? And she doesn't have money to buy the gifts to be involved in the celebrations? And you, the Queen, insists that everyone get involve? Don't you think that is a burden to her? Why the need to buy gifts? Buying gifts for the sake of buying? Or buying for the spirit of giving? Really? Hello.. wake up. Christmas is a capitalism affair. It's so commercialised. That includes Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and what nots when prices are jacked up, in the spirit of festivities. *pun intended*

Let's look from another point of view! It's not fair that you enforce Christmas on us, when during Hari Raya, Deepavali, Vesak Day, no one does anything. I don't see you celebrating Raya with us, putting up ketupats in the office. I don't see you putting up lights for Deepavali. I don't see you etc etc etc for etc etc etc. I just don't think it's fair. If you want to celebrate festivals as a team and as a company, then celebrate all festivals as well. If not, then don't celebrate any at all.

Now, you really wouldn't like it if I enforced fasting on you, would you? =) Besides, my dear Queen, you're a Hindu. You didn't question me last year, so why bring it up this year? Besides, why get so uptight about it when our other Christian colleagues have no qualms and completely understand my stand on this?

Humans can be so obstinate sometimes.

Silence is Golden

2010-11-27T06:50:00.001+08:00

Siapa yang buang siapa? You got your holy son. You dump us aside and jolly well don't need us. So why put the blame on us? Ugh! This is so driving me mad.

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Singapore Talking

2010-11-21T23:23:00.000+08:00

Just another talk show pertaining to issues close to heartland: Why aren't Singaporeans cleaning after themselves?

It's abit ridiculous this debate is still ongoing for eons. It all begins with the individual, don't just put responsibility to parents and schools. Some of my elders are not good example in keeping Sg clean. Does that mean I have to follow? we're living in the 21st century and cleanliness is everything. Thank goodness for Islam because cleanliness is part of Faith.

Another issue is about graciousness of Sinaporeans. I mean, COME ON ALREADY?! Do we really need to tell the person occupying the "Reserved for Needy People" seat to give it up for the needy people who have just entered the train or bus? Yes, I understand it's reserved for them, but what is so difficult with giving up YOUR CURRENT seat, even if it's not reserved. Now if everyone had that mentality, we wouldn't need to resort to reserved seats and irritating jingle to make us more gracious. -.-"

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Think Happy Thoughts

2010-10-30T09:45:00.002+08:00

When it's things related to her, it is always a big issue. I have gone through this once before. And I can't believe I have to go through it again. I was on the verge of depression last night. I seriously feel like giving up and washing my hands off it. I have indeed. But it's amazing how He is always Listening, every single day giving us subtle clues without us knowing it. I came across the article below while clearing my emails. Yes, it may just be a reminder from a friend, but it is through our surroundings that He communicates with us. I guess I have no choice, but to go through the test again. Alhamdulillah, everyone is on our side, and my husband has been very supportive. His family too. In fact, my mother-in-law has been very supportive of my decisions even before we were married. I am truly blessed. But I didn't want to confide in her again for I am too embarrassed this is happening again. It is tough going through this period, even more so that Eid 'Adha is coming. Oh dear Lord, You are the Only One who can help.

On a side note, I have a great desire to cancel my FB account, or rather just not logging in anymore. Sometimes, loneliness helps alot and the thought of being surrounded by happiness or happy people is depressing to me. Yes, call me weird, but that's how I have always been. =/

Testing, Affliction and Calamities

by Shaykh Dr. Saalih As-Saalih رحمه الله

Delivered on May 20th, 2006

http://albaseerah.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4151

EVERYTHING HAS BEEN PREORDAINED

Allaah سبحانه وتعالى preordained everything for us including our sustenance and our life spans. Allaah سبحانه وتعالى says in Surah az-Zukhruf, verse 32:

نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُم مَّعِيشَتَهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا
{…It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in this world...} [az-Zukhruf 43:32]

Our sustenance and livelihood are preordained with clear and certain measures. Illness is preordained, one’s welfare is preordained; everything in this life is preordained. So a person should accept what Allaah has preordained for him and should not hate, dislike or feel discomfort regarding the preordainments of the Almighty and All-Wise. On understanding that a certain test is a part of the decree of Allaah, one should submit his affair to Allaah and know that whatever befalls him could not have missed him and whatever misses him could not have befallen him.

HOW THE BELIEVER DEALS WITH TESTS AND TRIALS

Whosoever wants their life be monotonic (always according to his wishes and without trials), it is as if he wants the pre-decree of Allaah to be in accordance with his desires. This is wishful thinking. No matter what pre-ordinance or test occurs it a matter that is good for the believer. However, this is conditional upon the believer’s gratefulness to Allaah for His favours and his being patient during times of trial.

It is reported in Saheeh Muslim that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Amazing is the affair of the believer. His affair for him is all good, and this is for none except the believer. If he is touched by something good and he gives thanks, then it is good for him. And if he is touched by a calamity or hardship and he is patient then this is good for him.”[3]

Allaah سبحانه وتعالى stated in Surah an-Nisaa’, verse 19:

فَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئاً وَيَجْعَلَ اللّهُ فِيهِ خَيْراً كَثِيراً
{…it may be that you dislike a thing through which Allaah brings a great deal of good.} [An Nisaa’ 4:19]

And in surah al-Baqarah, verse 216:

وَعَسَى أَن تَكْرَهُواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَى أَن تُحِبُّواْ شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ وَاللّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَ

{…and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allaah knows but you do not know.} [Al-Baqarah 2:216]

One should recognize that Allaah is the One who tests him and also the One who bestows favours upon him. He should also know that not all that he dislikes is to be disliked in reality, and likewise, not everything which he desires is in reality beneficial for him. {Allaah knows and you do not know}.
Some of the Salaf رحمهم الله said “If you are afflicted by a calamity and you are a patient, then your calamity is one. But if you are not patient, then your calamity is doubled - losing the reward and losing the beloved one, the Hereafter (Paradise).” This saying of some of the Salaf is in relation to what Allaah سبحانه وتعالى mentions in Surah al-Hajj, verse 11:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ خَيْرٌ اطْمَأَنَّ بِهِ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ فِتْنَةٌ انقَلَبَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ خَسِرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةَ ذَلِكَ هُوَ الْخُسْرَانُ الْمُبِينُ

{And among mankind is he who worships Allaah as it were upon the edge (i.e. in doubt): if good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts to disbelief after embracing Islaam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss.} [Al-Hajj 22:11]

Yes, I may not like this, but this could possibly be the best for me. I pray this test will make me a better person, inshaAllah.

Ego

2010-09-27T14:06:00.001+08:00

SF burnout. And it's real.

I think I've had enough of refuting even from the same group. What's the point of you giving naseehah if you don't open your mind and take in naseehah (EVEN if it doesn't relate to the religion) as well?

Perplexed

2010-09-15T22:26:00.001+08:00

A friend suggested me to join I Abstain from BGR for the sake of Allah group in FB. Now, how do I abstain a BGR if i'm already married? especially since that BGR is direly needed in a marriage. :p

I know i know..

I just wanted to share this funny but DUH thought in my mind before I sleep.

In Your Name oh Lord, I lay to sleep, to rise in the morning by Your Leave. Ameen.

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The month of missing, random thoughts.

2010-08-25T16:18:00.003+08:00

I was just exchanging sms with a dear sister, and then I realised I am missing some things alot this month. I miss my husband (yes, everyday in fact, don't ask me why). I miss my mother (since we don't live under one roof). I miss the saff sisters. I miss organizing events. I miss Girls Go Camping. I miss those planning for days. I miss the breaking of fast at Chinese Garden. And the taraweeh under the stars. SubhanAllah. I miss SAFF. I miss Ramadhan camps, the old saff style. I miss reciting the Qur'an vigirously while waiting for Taraweeh. I miss learning and discovering more about Islam. I miss being inspired. I miss.... myself. And yes, I still miss you my dear little one as per my sms. :p

This Ramadhan didn't feel like it used to. Work is not soul-satisfying. I feel it eats up my Eeman instead of increasing it, as compared to my old workplace. Friends are growing and changing, and I sometimes feel the need to just avoid everyone. Avoid some people who may seem to be pious, but their words can pierce the heart of every Muslim, which is quite contradicting. People who are so full of ego just because they have more knowledge or experience in life. People who just love to show off what they have. People who say they use FB as a source of da'wah but they put others down in public. It's not correcting people of mistakes. It's literally putting people down through sarcasm. Yet they do not know that FB is an evil (in a way). If you're so pious and really follow the manhaj, you wouldn't have a FB account actually. And I admit now, I do not adhere to the manhaj, whatever you call it, because I am still learning after all. Who knows I am one of them sometimes, I may not realise it. I just want to keep quiet these days. Hmmmm..

من كان يؤمن بالله واليوم الآخر فليقل خيرا أو ليصمت
“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day let him speak good or remain silent.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Blessed Ramadhan, a month of reflection

2010-08-17T12:58:00.001+08:00

It's finally Ramadhan. I couldn't see the Ramadhan moon the other day. It would be so exciting to see it. One thought though, isn't it funny if countries who strictly adhere to moon sightings celebrate 'Eid two days earlier / later from everyone else? Was it the case during the Prophet saw's time, I wonder?..

But alhamdulillah, in Singapore we have a religious body that we can adhere to for the start of Ramadhan. They used both hisab and rukyah. It is difficult to observe the hilaal here because it appears low in the sky and for a mere 5 mins, but whatever it is, I don't believe in pointing fingers or making a big hoo-haa if people follow or do not follow the sunaah of seing the hilaal. We have to follow MUIS as they are the appointed leader and we are not supposed to go against our leaders until they cross the line. As a friend said, ultimately we have to follow our leader, for this case, they will answer to Allah swt as we the common people are supposed to be united and not break the ummah.

I know I have posted this nasheed before, but I can't help it. Heeee.. Uber cuteness!! :) I still wish to witness the hilaal. sob sob!

For Ramadhan articles, I found a very ruminative one.

From MuslimMatters.org:

Too often when we think about Ramadan, we only think about taraweh, suhur and iftar. Many Muslims spend the day sleeping or watching television to “pass the time” and many rush to complete as many Qur’ans as possible.

How many of us though, use this extra free time for reflection. Ramadan is supposed to be the time of the year in which we recharge out iman and prepare for the challanges facing us over the next eleven months. This can not be done unless we stop to contemplate our own faults and reflect upon the solutions during this important month.

A question arises though as to what should we reflect on during Ramadan and the following is a list of what I feel we all should reflect on, of course every individual will have specific issues that need more attention:

1) Your relationship with Allah: Is your life pleasing to Allah? Are you close to Allah? Do you understand His Book? Do you recite it outside of Ramadan?

2) Your relationship with your family: Does your family love you? Are you a burden or blessing to those around you? Will you be missed if you die today? Are you fulfilling the rights of your family? Are you a role model Muslim to your family?

3) Your relationship with people: Have you contributed to society? Do you have a legacy? Does your presence help others love Islam or does it chase them away from it?

4) The creation of Allah: pondering over the beauty of Allah’s creation helps one increase in piety and closeness to Allah.

5) The problems in society and what you can do to solve any of them.

Some people might say that Ramadan is a busy time for them and they do not have time to do this, so here is a list of the best times during Ramadan to set aside for reflection:

1) After Asr: I understand that most women are in the kitchen during this time but most of the men are either finding ways to pass the time or sleeping. Instead this could be a great time for reflection.

2) Before Iftar: Everybody is seated at the table waiting to sink their teeth into the variety of dates and savouries in front of them. Instead of looking at our watches every few seconds, let us make du’a or ponder during this time.

3) Qiyamul Layl: It is late, all the distractions are gone, you are alone praying to your Lord, this is the best time to contemplate on your own faults and ask Allah for help in solving them.

4) After Suhur or Fajr: Either you are sitting and waiting for fajr prayer or trying to fall asleep after the prayer, take this time to reflect and contemplate instead of revising the iftar menu for today.

I hope this article assists you in making this a Ramadan of change. As for myself, I hope to experience a Ramadan of reflection and growth. If I do not become a better Muslim this Ramadan, then I will have wasted this blessed month.

How many of us ponder upon points 3 and 5. How have I helped my community? Do I turn them away from Faith, or brought them closer to it?

Do I always get involved in debates, unknowingly not realising that I may have been showing off how much knowledge I have, when I am just but a mere student of knowledge, let alone belong to any Islamic University. Do I always tell people what they are doing is wrong, when some things are but khilaafs among scholars.

I noticed this in myself sometimes. And in some of my brothers and sisters in Islam. Why do we hate the sinners, when the thing we should hate is the sin, and not the sinners. Who are we to judge, when He is The Judge?

Allah musta'an. May this Ramadhan be a reflective one for me, and may Allah forgive me of my past mistakes especially when it came to hurting my fellow ikhwaat and akhwaat, ameen. :(

Life is Short

2010-07-22T14:18:00.001+08:00

I have been having chest pains. It started out a few weeks before the wedding. The pain started from the chest, heaviness and numbness, squeezing pain, that radiates out to the shoulder, neck before stopping short at the jaw. And it hurts the most when it hits the jaw.

Sometimes, I wonder. Maybe my life will be shorter than most people I know.

Meow

2010-07-21T10:45:00.003+08:00

My cat is cute.

I was bathing this morning when I heard scratches on the bathroom door. I opened the door to find my cat looking up at me from below, came into the bathroom like he owns the place, went straight to the drain and pee-d. So I closed the door and continued bathing while he pee-d. When he was done, he looked up to me, meow-ed, so I opened the door and off he went.

Betuah punya kucing. -.-"

Brand New

2010-07-20T22:18:00.001+08:00

Yeah, it is a lil bit too late for that? Or not. A new phase in life. Comes with a new blog skin. :p I used to create my own blogskin. Those were the days when I had Photoshop and a good PC. I would tweak HTMLs the whole night just to make it right. These days, I simply can't be bothered. Heh.

This blogskin: uber cuteness!! :) and I included more kiddish songs. Bubbly babies to enter my life soon? I seriously hope so.

And oh yes! Ramadhan's coming, alhamdulillah! :))

Sweet Moment

2010-07-16T17:43:00.002+08:00

It has been 12 days since I got married. And though there were a few glitches during the wedding, I am ever so grateful to the Al-Mighty Allah swt. The bestest moment, or should I say the highlight, of the wedding was the presence of my long lost uncle.

He was my fav uncle on my mother's side of the family. He was my mother's youngest brother. I grew up being surrounded by my relatives, mostly my mother's siblings, and her nieces and nephews (my older cousins). Out of all the uncles or cousin brothers I had, I was closest to him during my growing up years. He was my inspiration, apart from joking with me and teaching me about the values of life. We were always discussing the beautiful creations of Allah swt such as the beautiful heavenly bodies (astronomy), which became my number one interest throughout my teenage life. He was always asking me questions that made me think when I was only in primary school. So imagine my curiousity when he asked me one day, "Do you think the dinosaurs exists since they were not mentioned in the Qur'an, yet there were so many dinosaur fossils found worldwide?". :) Fascinating world indeed, isn't it?

Alas, when my grandmother passed away, creaks started appearing among my mother's siblings. Grandma was the rock that held eveybody down, the glue that kept everyone together. The food stall that my mother's siblings were tending to as a team became the central issue that broke everyone apart. Mistrust were imparted and in-laws made matters worst. I do not wish to air people's dirty laundry, but in short, he took over the stall and "left" the family. His whole family just disappeared into thin air. No calls, totally ignored everyone, no visits during 'Eid. When my cousin got married last year, the first after many many years, he did not come. We were hoping he did. I would understand why, because not many people can click with my cousin's father, and my uncle is one of them.

My mother and I did discuss if he would ever appear for my wedding. My mother is much loved and respected in the family. She's the only one who was highly educated during her time and took care of all her siblings. Even then, my uncle left her out of fear through the years. Deep down, I know the uncle I loved so much would never forget me. He still greeted me when I visited him at the stall once in a few years, although communication was restricted to just greetings.

On my wedding day, there I was sitting on the dais, a man appeared before me and shook my hand. I was ovewhelmed with extreme joy. I almost wanted to just hug my uncle. At that instant, all of my mother's siblings got up the dais and we took a picture. My first aunt was already crying, and my eyes welled up with tears.That was the most humbling, touching moment ever in my life. It was indeed a very joyous day.

Oh yes, he replied my message a few days after the wedding when I sms-ed everyone in the family thanking them for their presence. :)) I am indeed a blessed woman, alhamdulillah for a wonderful crazy life.

And of course, alhamdulillah for a patient and loving hubby. I am ONE HAPPY WOMAN. No wonder Islam encourages marriage. Heh.

I Love You, Forever

2010-07-04T08:00:00.001+08:00

When the vow is made today, I promise I will be with you till the end of my breath. I love you.

On this day as I enter a new phase of my life to fulfill half of the Deen, only to You I give all my hopes. May You bless our marriage and guide us steering this ship towards Your Highest Jannah, ameen.

2 more weeks

2010-06-20T08:43:00.001+08:00

Yet so many things not ready. Yikes! =S

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Weddings

2010-06-11T17:32:00.008+08:00

It's not easy being a Malay Muslim living in Singapore. You're living in a community, and you're bounded by culture. Backbiting is rampant, and with every step that you take, at least someone is bound to talk about you behind your back.

There's been many weddings this year. I guess it's the marriagable age.

I just want a simple wedding. Solemnisation followed by just a feast. No fancy decorations, no free-mixing, no loud music, no pelamin, no performances of kompang or even worst, kuda kepang which has its link to shirk, even if it's just for show with no recitations or whatsoever. Let's face it yeah, its roots is deep in shirk, and I definitely want to avoid that.

Pardon me for being super strict to myself and having a sharp tongue regarding this matter, but I want to start my marriage life on the right note. Whatever people want to do with their lives, it's their choice, but this is mine. Weddings should be full of barakah. Filled with His blessings, as well as prayers for the newly wed couple.

Unfortunately, family does not allow you to make your own decisions about your own life, what more your own wedding. We're both excited about the solemnisation and the holiday we would embark on. We're both just not looking forward to the wedding ceremony. The preparations have made both of us pretty jaded. Don't know why, but we're so compelled to making our family happy than seeking His pleasure instead. =(

I pray that my future generation would keep their wedding a simple affair, and I hope that my future husband and myself would not intervene if their choices are on par with the Deen. Why bother having an extravagant wedding bouquet only ending up in a divorce?

Google it, and you'll find the resources. You don't need me explaining the nuts and bolts of etiquettes of marriages and weddings in Islam. =)

"The best of marriage is one over which the least trouble and expense have been incurred" is a most off-flouted maxim of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Imperfect

2010-04-25T17:57:00.003+08:00

Many times, I question the reason why am I taking this big jump off the cliff. God knows I am not ready for such a major transition. Would I be a good wife? Would I be a good mother? Will I still be able to carry out my duties as a daughter?

Knowing my own character, I know I will never be good at any of it. I am capable of only destructions and hurting people. Life, or rather love, has made me cynical of things. I question myself, is all this worth it?

I am not having cold feet, but sometimes, just sometimes, I just want to leave Singapore and live on one of the islands of Maldives. Just me and nature. But let's wake up and smell the roses shall we? We're not living in a bubble. Yes, Singapore is making me very tired day by day. I just want live in the Western countries, tending to my own garden (no, I don't have green fingers. they'd probably die after 1 day. heee!). Or live on a farm, filled with horses, cats, what-have-yous.

I have gone through a whole lot in life. I don't mean to brag, but this bag of exprience puts my 30-year-old colleagues to shame. I've been through hell and back, like literally. Praises are only for Him for saving me and giving me a tight slap across the face. At least now, I have a clearer view of what I want to achieve in life. But, as human as I am.. we all need a break once in a while.

Preparations hasn't been good either. It's such a huge challenge. I don't have this much pressure when I am planning other kinds of events though.

And at the back of my mind, my family is always on my mind. I just want to be able to take care of my mother. There is never a day I think about the day she will leave this world, and I don't know if I am able to face that day. On the other hand, I am pretty much worried about my sister. She's on the path of self-destruction, and she doesn't realise it. I just wish she would be just as cynical as I am about love, and more untrusting of men. I am sorry, but we girls really have got to do this. It's the only way we can sift through and find the really sincere ones.

I was asked, why do I want to get married? It was a weird question. But to be honest, it's never about love. Love is just an appendix of it. The bulk of it is more because of the Deen. I don't want to fall into sin and living in this kind of community where you face humans 24/7, Satan has many chances to catch us. I just hope the same goes for him. Love is love, but love is blind. To be exact, people in love are blind. I've had enough of those kind of relationships, where it is just a pool of confusing emotions. My boss was baffled when I told her I wasn't marrying because of love. I think she was disgusted. If I could be rude, I would ask her, "Well.. look at what your love marriage brought you to. You and your husband ended up getting divorced." Look at where it brought my parents? My ex's parents. True love between humans doesn't exist. Only His Love for us is Eternal, that's my mantra.

But I still want to get married. There is no such thing as Mr. Right. Because no one is perfect. Like they say, marriage is about discovering perfection in an imperfect person.

Live and let live. Go with the flow, because Que Sara, Sara. Till then, I've got like about 70 more days to go! And I am thinking many times OVER!!!

Weeee!

2010-04-04T17:01:00.000+08:00

We bought Buffels! :) so happy..

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Me? Exercise? Errr..

2010-03-21T20:36:00.001+08:00

I just had my first fitting. And the lady said I need to lose some weight. Oh no! =S

No matter what I try, my weight just won't budge..

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Of Weddings

2010-03-19T10:05:00.001+08:00

A wedding of a friend just passed. Knowing how much my friend spent for the wedding, I just can't help but sigh. And knowing how much was spent for the rings, and after being confirmed by the friend itself the kind of partner the friend has, you can't help but be disappointed in what the partner thinks of wealth and materialism. More disappointing is that the friend is not a rich person.

Oh well, it's my war now, and inshaAllah, I just want to reap the barakah from my own wedding. May Allah bless my wedding, inshaAllah ameen. I pray I will be a good wife, who accepts and appreciates whatever my future husband can provide, ameen.

============================
Blessings of a simple marriage

A man came to Sufyan Bin Uyainah (may Allah have mercy on him) and complained about his wife. “I am the lowest and most despicable thing to her,” he said. Sufyan lowered his head for a few moments and asked, “Perhaps you wanted her in order to better your status?” The man said, “Indeed, Abu Muhammad.” Sufyan replied, “Whoever goes for glory will be tested with humiliation; whoever goes for wealth will be tested with poverty; but whoever goes for religiousness, Allah will bring together for him glory and wealth with the religion.”

Sufyan then mentioned his own story to the man. “We were four brothers,” he said. “Muhammad, ‘Umran, Ibrahim and I. Muhammad was the eldest, ‘Umran was the youngest, and I was in the middle. When Muhammad wanted to marry, he desired status and married a woman of higher standing, so Allah tested him with ignominy. ‘Umran desired wealth, so he married a richer woman and Allah tested him with poverty, as (her family) took everything from him and gave him nothing.”

“I pondered over their situation,” Sufyan continued. “Once when Mu’ammar Bin Rashid came to us, I consulted him and told him the story of my brothers. He reminded me of the Hadith of Yahya Bin Ja’dah and the Hadith of Ayesha.” The first Hadith states that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “A woman is married for four things: her religion, her status (lineage), her wealth or her beauty; so take the religious one and be successful.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) The second Hadith of Ayesha states that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The most blessed woman is she who is easiest to maintain.” (An-Nasa’i)

“Thus,” Sufyan said, “I chose (to marry a woman of) religion and with a modest dowry, in accordance with the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and Allah gave me status and wealth along with the religion.” – Abu Nu’aym, Hilyatu Al-Awliya (7/289, 290)

Note: The second Hadith has been graded weak by scholars. However, scholars point out there is another narration that supports and adds to its meaning, which states: “It is from the good qualities in a woman that she (is taken in marriage with) an easy dowry, an easy proposal (via her guardian) and an easy womb (i.e. she is fertile and bares children without difficulty).” (Musnad Ahmad)

Blogging

2010-02-17T20:37:00.001+08:00

I am on procrastination mode. I am supposed to be studying for tomorrow's class. But I am not.

Instead, I am doing what you're call, time absorbers. I am updating the links on my blog. I ended up having to delete three quarters of the climbers. Apparently, they're all "dead". Blogging was the IN thing when you're a student. You have time on your side, and you just love sharing your whole life with the whole world. New relationships, boring schoolwork, bad breakups, annoying family members. Anything at all, you just want to tell the whole world about the daily happenings of your life.

Now, all of us have entered a new phase of life. We've graduated. Moved on into the NATIONAL SLAVERY for the gentlemen or WORKING world for the ladies. And life just practically takes a 360 degree turn. You wake up, you leave for work, you finish work, you go home or you hang out with friends, or, you end up married having to tend to your household needs. Nay, you don't surf the net as often or get stuck to the PC tweaking HTMLs for your blog. You don't bother updating the world about your life because you learn to be wiser, and as they say in Malay *diam-diam ubi berisi, diam-diam besi berkarat. Then again, you're just enjoying life outside the Internet world.

I bet their lives are filled with many people and activities. Not to say that Net addicts are loners. That is so wrong, because many are social butterflies. For example, we have alot of superstars who blog on the go. And there are people who just love to share their thoughts on whatever issues that make the world talk (you know... the talkative ones. the ones teachers just love to scold for talking too much in class. keke).

In any case, there are different kinds of bloggers. I found these on the Net. My comments in purple.

Authority Blogger – Authority Bloggers blog to build a profile, credibility, loyalty, demonstrate and share expertise. Mostly IT geeks actually.

Relationship Blogger - They blog to make contacts and community. The social butterflies.

Pro Blogger – Pro Bloggers blog for direct income, such as Adsense or working for a blog network. Wanna be John Chows

Diarist / Journal – Possibly the most famous type of blogger, diarists use blogs as an online diary and just want to share their thoughts and life events. Most of them are introverts in real life.

Fan/Hobby - Hobby bloggers write about their fascinations, get a kick out of sharing with like-minded people and they need no more reward. The bulk of the TABLIODS!

Random – This would explain my personal blog, random bloggers just post cool stuff they find or whatever random thoughts are on their minds at that point. They don’t post for any conscious reason, just because they can. And yah, some just copy and paste too many articles on their blog instead of sharing their thoughts. Like me. Hah!

Business / Corporate – You blog for your company, either posting news, for public relations or to generate leads. Yeah, even my company has one now.

Citizen Journalist – While I am not a fan of this label, it is what most people use (in my mind you are a journalist or not, the citizen tag is not necessary). You scoop the news and write about it. Some are known to be kaypohs, especially when it Singaporeans.... like STOMPers.

Attention Deficit Syndrome - And then there are those serious guys out there who failed to impress publishers on their writing skills. They write stories, poems etc. Haha. Enough said.

Well, the list doesn't stop there. Which one is you? Me? I am definitely the Random one. And I don't really bother who reads my blog and who doesn't.

Anyway, I really have got to start studying now if I at least want to be a borderline student. Sometimes, I don't believe in taking exams for religious studies. The real exam is ongoing, between you and Him. Him, the Judge, giving you exams every single day. Imam Bukhari didn't have to sit for endless tests and exams you know. Heee...

*Literal translation: Casava (Manihot esculenta) grows abundant in silence, but iron corrodes in silence.. Explanation: Casava is a plant whose leaves and root are used mostly in Malay dishes. Unlike potatoes, casava continues to grow even when its roots are ripe for the picking, hence the proverb casava grows abundant in silence. Iron of course refers to daily tools, that are, if left inert (silence) will become rusty and useless. The gist of this is when someone goes into hiding, goes away for some time, or simply becomes silent, he could either be thinking about/doing something important, or nothing at all, and this differs from one person to the next.

How Muslims should react

2010-02-10T20:20:00.001+08:00

Avoid Argumentation

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Whoever does not argue when he is in the wrong will have a home built for him on the edge of Paradise. Whoever avoids it when he in the right will have a home built for him in the middle of Paradise. And whoever improves his own character, a home will be built for him in the highest part of Paradise.” [Tirmidhi]

Arguing with people is strongly discouraged in Islam. We are to state our point of view and then leave it at that. Nor are we to involve ourselves in matters that do not affect a person’s deen. Note that a person is to shun argument whether he is in the right or whether his stand is wrong. Both get houses built for them in Paradise. But since the person who knows that he is right finds it more difficult to leave the argument and let things be, he/she is promised a greater reward.

Arguing with people rarely gets anyone to change their minds. It usually only produces defensiveness and creates ill feelings between people. The issue becomes a matter of one’s ego and makes it more difficult for a person to change their stance. Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) loves to have Muslims live harmoniously with each other. Try this hadith out in practice, and you will see that your relations improve with people and that you have greater peace of mind. involve ourselves in matters that do not affect a person’s deen. Note that a person is to shun argument whether he is in the right or whether his stand is wrong. Both get houses built for them in Paradise. But since the person who knows that he is right finds it more difficult to leave the argument and let things be, he/she is promised a greater reward.

Have faith

2009-12-29T12:01:00.000+08:00

"God answers prayers in three ways: He says yes and gives you what you want, He says no and gives you something better or He says wait and gives you the best in His own time."

Negativites vs Positivities

2009-12-23T16:49:00.004+08:00

An ex of mine just lost his dad last Saturday. That ex was dear to me in my life back then. I will not disclose who, but he made a big impact in my life, for both good and bad reasons. I was close to his family. I loved his family, and still love his family. We still do keep in touch. No, not me and him. Me and his family that is. *me and him have this love-hate relationship. yes, even up till now, we still quarrel whenever we keep in touch. it's still hard to let go sometimes* So anyway, this news was pretty much a big blow to me.

I arrived to his funeral knowing that his family needs support, and to tell him that I will always be there for him, despite our past. It was sad news, but I know I will not let it affect me. I am a strong girl. Or rather, I was. I burst out crying during the funeral rites. AA said my face looked awful when I cried. -.-"

Anyway, it was a very nice feeling to see many familiar faces. Oh how I miss those faces. I miss his granny's cooking. I miss his aunts' cooking. I miss his tom yam. Yes, food. Hehe. But I definitely miss those good times we shared, the fun times we had with his cousins, the dinners we had, once with the whole family at JB including his dad and step mum. And his youngest brother, how I used to play, all the rumble and tumble while wrestling and tickling him all over. I guess he doesn't recognise me now. He has grown up so much. What was it... like.. 4-6 years ago?

As for his father, he was a good man. He took the boys in after getting divorced. Now, in our country, it's usually the women who will take over custody over the kids. So I seriously respect this man for doing so, because most men cannot handle such responsibility. He got married again only after the two boys became grown men. And my ex and I, would normally have lunch or dinner with his father whenever I slacked over at his place.

By now, I am sure most of you know who I am talking about. Memories flooded ever since the funeral, and it still lingers up till today. I have been deep in thoughts after the funerals. AA said I had been awfully quiet. I thought about the old times. I thought about his father. I thought about his situation. And I thought about mine, of what could have been. God knows what would have happened to me if my mother was to go. Will I be able to handle it? Love with man is not a big test for me. Career and family are the bigger tests. I can get over a man easily. But to get over the death of your very own mother, I can't say. AA lost his dad when he was younger, so he could understand the situation my ex was in. I was rather amused when AA told me he cried. To see AA rub my ex's back up and down to calm him down was uncanny. But I guess it should be a good sign. Anyway, ever since then, I have been thinking alot about the past.

As for Fiqh class yesterday, the topic was on DIVORCE. Of how it is a permissible thing, yet frowned upon by Allah swt. And the teacher said something that kinda struck a chord with the class. He said, "One of the major causes for divorce is because one party tend to focus on the negatives of the person, and forget all the positives of that person." How true. Whenever quarrels happened, it's always about the wife's ONE bad character, while all the good things about the wife (she takes care of him, she respects him, etc) are being forgotten. This is vice versa. And somehow, it kinda made me reflect about my past relationships, of how I abhor my ex's temper and jealousy, but I never looked at the good side of him. Of how he would always give in to my demands and needs, of how he would fetch me wherever I needed to go, of how he would care for me and how charming and gentlemanly he was. Well, maybe the gentleman side isn't such a good thing. Charming men attracts ladies, and that's not good news. Haha! I admit, I do miss him sometimes, especially when I am lonely. But I guess I really am a strong girl to look forward to my future.

But yeah, I would say most of our quarrels were based on that, of how I would find ways to break free of his grip on me. I admit, I was never a good person. I guess I still am not, despite the fact that I have donned the hijab and started practising the religion properly. I still have a lot of bad characteristics to scrape off. I am a flawed creation. Nay, I made myself a flawed creation when Allah swt made humans the best of His Creations, complete and beautiful.

This is definitely a trait I must learn to erase. I must always look on the good side of people. I can't really help myself, I am not trusting of people. Well, mostly towards men. When it comes to girls, I trust them easily. And I judge men too quickly, when by right everyone is made different.

Other than that, the topic had another side to it. Of how some people tend to always see the negative side of life, and ignoring the positive. I have friends who do that. And that isn't a healthy thing to do. Because such aura affects people. I learnt how not to let bad things affect me too much, that it will affect my relationship with people. Yes, people must NOT let bad things get to them. It seriously irks me when I see a black face on people all the time.

Should I or shouldn't I?

2009-12-04T17:26:00.001+08:00

Being a Muslim Singaporean sometimes can be quite tricky. You're trapped between being a practising Muslim, as well as juggling to be an accomodating Singaporean.

Christmas is around the corner, so how do I avoid being involved with the festivities? As far as I am concerned, I am not allowed to join in any celebration of sorts. So how do I tell them, I don't wish to be involved in the decorating of the office, as well as the exchanging of gifts?

Or is it me? I know, some Muslims will ostracise me for this. While some will encourage. But yet, they don't try to understand my situation because it is just not in my nature to be offensive to people. Well, let's just hope I'll fall sick and I don't have to turn up that day. =p

Overworked, underpaid

2009-12-01T18:38:00.000+08:00

They ought to get a higher pay. Janitors in Singapore are the worst paid workers when compared to the amount of work they've put in.

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Sleepy Me

2009-12-01T13:51:00.001+08:00

I don't get it. As of late, I have been having troubles trying to sleep at night. I took leave a day before Eid 'Adha, and the rest of the days I did not go to work. I just took one night to sleep very late, and for the rest of the nights, I HAVE been sleeping late because I just couldn't sleep. My body clock is abit messed up now. And even though I slept earlier last night, I still feel very tired. It doesn't help that I've got a great phone that allows me to watch youtube or surf the internet while I'm in bed. Because that's exactly what I'll do when I just can't fall asleep. Am I turning into an insomniac? Possibly so. The last time I was one, was during my polytechnic days.

Anyways, I received a funny email today. Enjoy!
=================================================
COMMITTEE:
Individuals
who can do
nothing individually
and sit to decide
that nothing can be done
together

DOCTOR:
A person
who kills
your ills
by pills,
and may even kill
you with his bills

CIGARETTE:
A pinch of tobacco
rolled in paper
with fire at one end
and a fool at the other!

MARRIAGE:
It's an agreement
wherein
a man loses his bachelor degree
and a woman gains her master

LECTURE:
An art of transmitting Information
from the notes of the lecturer
to the notes of students
without passing through the minds
of either

CONFERENCE:
The confusion of one man
multiplied by the
number present

COMPROMISE:
The art of dividing
a cake in such a way that
everybody believes
he got the biggest piece

TEARS:
The hydraulic force by which
masculine will power is
defeated by feminine water-power!

DICTIONARY:
A place where divorce comes
before marriage

CONFERENCE ROOM:
A place where everybody talks,
nobody listens
and everybody disagrees later on

CLASSIC:
A book
which people praise,
but never read

SMILE:
A curve
that can set
a lot of things straight!

OFFICE:
A place
where you can relax
after your strenuous
home life

ETC:
A sign
to make others believe
that you know
more than
you actually do

EXPERIENCE:
The name
men give
to their
Mistakes

ATOM BOMB:
An invention
to bring an end
to all
inventions

PHILOSOPHER:
A fool
who torments himself
during life,
to be spoken of
when dead

OPPORTUNIST:
A person
who starts taking bath
if he
accidentally falls
into a river

OPTIMIST:
A person
who while falling
from EIFFEL TOWER
says in midway
"SEE I AM NOT INJURED YET!"

PESSIMIST:
A person
who says that
O is the last letter
in ZERO,
Instead of the first letter
in OPPORTUNITY

MISER:
A person
who lives poor
so that
he can die RICH!

FATHER:
A banker
provided by
nature

CRIMINAL:
A guy
no different
from the other,
unless he gets caught

BOSS:
Someone
who is early
when you are late
and late
when you are early

POLITICIAN:
One who
shakes your hand
before elections
and your Confidence
Later

Just downloaded

2009-11-30T00:54:00.001+08:00

An app from App store called BlogPress Lite. Now I can blog on the go. :)

Dust Dust Dust Everywhere

2009-11-28T22:31:00.000+08:00

It's been 2 months since I last blogged. A lot of things has happened. And I mean alot. It's amazing how so many things can happen in such a short period of time. It's like, every single day, something would happen. Sometimes you just wish for an uneventful day all the time. Or even a boring day. Thankfully, today was that day. Tee hee..

For the first time in my life, I did not received any gifts for my birthday, which fell on the same day as Eid 'Adha. Alhamdulillah, money was saved. :) And that is what I have always wanted. Birthday wishes were abundant though.

I'm under alot of stress. Financially. I wish I could have turned back time and followed my stubborn ways. At least, I wouldn't be in this mess. I really shouldn't have listened and give in, even though it is family. But it has happened, and it has taught me a very valuable lesson. Never trust anyone but yourself.

Anyways, I love the new look on my blog. So pink, so ME. :)

Blessings

2009-09-17T17:13:00.000+08:00

I was tagged by a fellow sister to write a list of blessings in my life.

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Here are the rules:

· The point is to say a heartfelt ‘Thank God’. So, you’ll have to choose power blessings, ones that really really are endowments, that you couldn’t possibly feel deeper gratitude towards God for. Ones that you feel grateful for, everyday.
· After each blessing, you’ll have to choose one word to describe your state. Examples: “Happy”, “Excited”, “Thankful”, “Humble”. Or, you have to choose any word that comes to your mind after it anyway – one that’ll summarize it all.
· The ones you’d choose are preferred to be special to you, for instance, we all know that ‘Eye Sight’ is an immense blessing, and of course we can list it, but preferably if it has a special meaning to us.
· The number of your blessings should be between 5 and 10.
· After finishing your list, you should write the word: “El7amodellah” in bold, and say it out loud.
· You should tag as many friends as you can – even the ones who don’t blog, inform them that they must comment.
· After that, well, all you do is to be happy and to have ‘Reda’
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Honestly speaking, this is a rather private matter which I really don't find the need to indulge. But, it does serve as a good reminder to count my blessings everyday. Astaghfirullah, how easy for us to get frustrated of not getting what we want, when Allah swt is The Sustainer. The topic reminded me of my Aqeedah lessons in class and how, even as a tiny foetus, He ensure we would survive in our mothers' womb through nutrients given via the placenta. And as we grew into an infant coming out into the world, He gave us mouths so we could receive food. And knowing an infant is not able to eat solid food, He gave us nutrition from our mothers' milk. Indeed, Allah is Ever Knowing and Most Merciful.... How easily we rant for not getting enough to pay the bills, when we have a shelter over us. How easily we complaint of material wants when we are given enough for our needs.

A video I watched recently, indeed made me ashamed of myself. Ashamed that having both my eyes and ears, yet I failed to memorise the particular surah mentioned (especially more so I have to do it as my assignment, and an even assignment for future investment). This post reminded of Zain Bhikha's "Forgive me when I whine"..

Be grateful my friends, always. Especially more so that we are able to fulfill our duties in this holy month.

What not having Suhoor, and having excess food during breaking fast can lead to... BEWARE

2009-09-07T15:50:00.002+08:00

AKIBAT TAK BERSAHUR & AKIBAT BERBUKA SECARA BERLEBIHAN‏

This is what happens when you do not take Suhoor...

And this is what happens when you have too much food during breaking fast...

heeeee... hehehehee... Hope these had chased your Monday blues away. Thanks Hawanis, you made my day! =)

China’s Muslim Uyghurs Forbidden to Fast During Ramadan

2009-09-06T10:54:00.002+08:00

for real?

======================================================

A young Uyghur boy in Calgary,

Canada cries at a rally to protest the

Communist Party's suppression in

Xinjiang. (Jerry Wu/The Epoch Times)

Chinese authorities in Xinjiang Province have issued a notice that any Uyghur cadres or workers found not eating lunch during Ramadan could lose their jobs.

It is part of the campaign of local authorities in Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uyghur ethnic group, to force the Uyghur people to give up their religious rituals during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is a holy month in the Islamic calendar, which begun this year on Aug. 22. It requires not eating during the daytime.

“Free lunches, tea, and coffee—that authorities are calling ‘Care from the government’ or ‘Living allowance’—are being offered in government departments and companies. But it is actually a ploy used to find out who is fasting,” said Dilxat Raxit, World Uyghur Congress spokesman, speaking to The Epoch Times.

According to Dilxat, Uyghur Communist Party cadres throughout Xinjiang had been forced to sign “letters of responsibility” promising to avoid fasting and other religious activities. They are also responsible for enforcing the policy in their assigned areas, and face punishment if anyone in these areas fasts.

For the first time, Dilxat said, the crackdown has extended to retired Communist Party members. Current cadres are required to visit them to prevent them from participating in the fast. If anyone violates the ban, local leaders will be held responsible and severely punished, he said.

Muslim restaurant owners are forced to sign a document to remain open and continue selling alcohol during Ramadan or have their licenses revoked, he said.

Uyghurs arrested during the July riots in Urumqi are also prohibited from fasting; those who insist on fasting will be force fed food and water while enduring insults for their misbehavior, he said in the interview.

Monks in mosques are forced to preach to others that fasting is a “feudal activity” and harmful to health, said Dilxat. Otherwise, their religious certification will be cancelled.

When asked about Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Hu Jintao’s recent visit to Xinjiang, Dilxat said: “Xinjiang’s situation has not yet returned to normal. Rather than asking the local Han people to respect the religion and culture of Uyghur people, Hu encouraged the use of military troops to suppress and further restrict our religious freedom. The communist regime often talks about ‘maintaining stability,’ but what they do is always different from what they say. They are actually the ones who are destroying stability.”

An Epoch Times reporter contacted the CCP’s State Ethnic Affairs Commission to see whether the restrictions claimed by Dilxat were official, or what the official stance on Ramadan was. The media contact wouldn’t speak on the subject, instead giving two numbers in Xinjiang that he said the reporter would be able to call to find out more. Both numbers were continually busy, and when the reporter called the State Ethnic Affairs Commission back, the man hung up.

The directives are communicated on official Web sites in the region, however.

Additional reporting by Matthew Robertson

Read original article in Chinese.

Last Updated
Sep 1, 2009

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/21899

======================================================

How sad! =(

President Barack Obama's Ramadan Greetings

2009-09-03T10:33:00.000+08:00

Some great articles for reading

2009-09-01T15:10:00.018+08:00

Question: What Does Islam Teach On Manners And Dealing With Others?

Answer:

Islam places great emphasis on manners and on the proper way to deal with others, whether they are Muslims or not. Relations between people are very important in Islam, and maintaining good relations with others should be a main priority of a practicing Muslim. In fact, Islam teaches that Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said: "I have been sent to perfect the best of manners". He summarized the goal of his entire message into the perfection of the best of manners. The following is just a sample of some of the teachings of Islam regarding manners and relationships with others.

Kindness to the Neighbour: Islam greatly emphasizes the relationship with neighbours. Muslims are expected to treat their neighbours in the most kind and gentle way, and are strictly forbidden from harming them. In fact, the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said that a person who hurts their neighbours is not a believer. He also said that if a person does not hurt their neighbours, they will enter paradise, even if the rest of their acts of worship are not numerous. On the other hand, a person who performs plenty of worship but hurts their neighbours will enter hell fire.

Removing Obstacles From The Way: Can you believe that Islamic teachings extend even to clearing an obstacle from a path? Yes, it is true. The Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) taught us that one of the traits of a true believer is that they remove obstacles and harmful things from a public path or street.

Kindness to Parents: Islam has raised the importance of kindness to parents to the highest possible level. In numerous verses of the holy Qur'an, kindness to parents is mentioned immedeatly after belief in God. This shows that it is perhaps the most important action a Muslim must take after belief in God. Muslims are also instructed to take care of their parents, especially in their old age, just as their parents took care of them when they were young and weak. Muslims are forbidden from uttering even a single word of displeasure towards their parents.

Kindness to Spouses: There is a lot of emphasis in Islam on kind and fair treatment of spouses. The Qur'an describes marriage as tranquility and contentment, and teaches that God has created feelings of love and mercy between the spouses. In fact, the Qur'an further describes spouses as being garments for each other, in a reference to the sense of protection and warmth that spouses should provide to each other. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) forbade Muslims from mistreating and being unjust to their spouses. He went even further by saying that the best of men are those who treat their wives in the best way.

Honesty: Islam teaches us that we are to be honest in all our dealings with all people. There is no justification for lying and being deceitful. Islam teaches us that honesty leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to heaven, while lying leads to sinfulness, and sinfulness leads to the hell fire. The Prophet (pbuh) explicitly said that a person who cheats others is not a believer.

Mercy: Mercy is an important trait of any Muslim. Islam teaches us that mercy and kindness in every matter only makes things better, and the lack of mercy and kindness in any matter only makes it worse. In fact, the Qur'an teaches us that even with the person with whom we have an enmity, we should deal kindly and in the best possible way, as this will help to change this person from an enemy to a close ally. Muslims are even instructed to be merciful to animals. Although Muslims are allowed to eat the meat of certain animals, they are instructed to minimize the suffering of animals during their life and even during their slaughter. This is done by using a sharp knife to cut the throat and the main blood vessels to the animal's head, which ensures that the animal feels the least possible amount of pain. Muslims have been following these teachings for over 1400 years!

Smiling: Islam even goes to the extent of rewarding Muslims for smiling in the face of others! Smiling when others look at you is regarded as a form of charity for which Muslims get rewarded. This is why Muslims usually smile and shake hands when they meet, and they hug if they have not seen one another for a long time. Muslims are also instructed to greet each other when they see each other with the best possible greeting.

No Backbiting: Islam forbids backbiting, which is to talk about others behind their backs. The Qur'an compares backbiting to eating the flesh of your friend, which shows how hated this action is in Islam. The Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) taught us that mentioning anything negative about a person when they are not present is backbiting. One of his followers asked: "What if this negative thing is really true about this person?" The Prophet (pbuh) replied by saying that even if it is true, this is considered backbiting. But if it is false, it is even worse than backbiting because it is also a lie.

Do Not Curse or Ridicule: Muslims are forbidden from ridiculing or cursing others. The Qur'an teaches us that we should not do this because the person we are cursing or ridiculing may be better than us in many ways. Also, engaging in these types of actions casts doubt on the strength of the belief of a Muslim. Islam teaches us that God despises those who use foul language and continually curse and ridicule others.

Generosity: The Qur'an teaches us that we should be generous and give the needy and share our wealth. In fact, Islam teaches us that the poor have a share in our wealth, so it is not optional to give charity. It is their right. Also, Islam teaches us to be generous and to give others from what we have, even if we have a real need for it. When the early Muslims of the city of Al-Madinah received refugees from the city of Makkah, they divided their entire wealth with them in half, sharing with them their houses, farms, animals and money.

Friendship: Islam takes friendship to a higher level, referring to Muslims as brothers and sisters, and expecting them to treat each other as such. A Muslim is expected to wish for others that which they wish for themselves. Also, a Muslim is expected to give honest advice to friends and to be there for them and help them whenever possible. Muslims are forbidden from abandoning or boycotting a friend with whom they have had a disagreement for more than three days. After the three days, they are expected to forgive their friend and resume the friendship.

http://www.questionsaboutislam.com/faith-beliefs-practices/islam-teaches-manners.php

To Kill a Mocking Tongue
by Muhammad Alshareef

Al-Ma'roor ibn Suwayd narrates that he once saw Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu wearing a beautiful shawl. His slave standing next to him was wearing a shawl exactly like it, warm and beautiful. Ma'roor said to Abu Dharr, ?Perhaps you could take the shawl of your servant and give him another (less expensive) one.?

?Never,? said Abu Dharr, ?for I once had a servant whose mother was not Arab and I cussed him and his mother. That servant went to the Messenger of Allah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam complaining of the words I had said. When RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam saw me he commented, ?O Abu Dharr, you are a man who still has jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance) in him.??

Because of these painful words, Abu Dharr radi Allahu anhu would always dress his servants in the exact same garments that he would wear.

Dear brothers and sisters, Allah is disobeyed the most with our tongues. There is a sin that sweeps amongst us; a sin that many take lightly; a sin that is laughed at; a sin that could very well pull someone to Hellfire ? it is the sin of insulting others.

Read carefully this following verse. It is a commandment of Allah that begins with a call to those who claim to have eman. Allah ta'ala says:

O you who believe, let not one group of people make fun of another, who (the one's being made fun of) are perhaps better then them. And let no woman make fun of another woman who (the woman being made fun of) is perhaps better than herself. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by (offensive) nicknames. Wretched is the name (i.e. mention) of disobedience after (one's) faith. And whoever does not repent ? then it is those who are the dhaalimoon (the wrongdoers) (Al-Hujurat 49/11).

Perhaps the one that is being made fun of is more beloved to Allah. Subhan Allah! Let us remember this if we ever try to make fun of someone, perhaps Allah loves them and does not love us. Didn't the mushrikeen make fun of RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam, and we know Allah loved him and not them. Didn't the munaafiqeen make fun of the Sahaabaa, and we know Allah loved the Sahaabaa and not them.

RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:

?Verily, a person will speak words from those that Allah hates, paying no heed to what he is saying, and with those words he will plummet in to Hellfire? (Bukhari).

There are different reasons why a person would want to insult, make fun of and ridicule other community members:

Firstly, they have weak eman and their fear of Allah is poor. This is one of the major reasons.

Secondly, they spend a lot of their time in gatherings that bring no benefit.

Thirdly, they themselves may want others to praise them. Sadly, when there is a student or a community member that insults others, often it is they that want to be the ?cool' one. How can they be ?cool' if they are doing something that Allah and His Messenger hate?

Fourthly, they forget the punishment for those that make fun of others. Imam Al-Bayhaqi narrates in Shu'ab al-Eman, that RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said:

?Verily, those people that make fun of people ? for them a gate of Jannah will be opened. It will be said to them, ?Come (and enter).? That person will come with all their anguish and depression, but when he gets close, the gate will be closed in his face. Then another gate (to Jannah) will be opened and it will be said, ?Come (and enter).? So that person will come with all his anguish and depression. But when he gets close, the gate will be closed in his face. This will keep happening to him until it will get to the point where it will be said, ?Come (and enter),? and he will not come from the despair of ever entering paradise.?

Fifthly, those that make fun of others may do so out of love for the kuffar and a love to imitate them. How many times do we see the comedians mocking people and everyone laughing? Indeed, mocking others and insulting them is a characteristic of jaahiliyyah and kufr, and it is never a characteristic of a believer.

Allah ta'ala shows us in Surah Al-Mutaffifeen how this characteristic of laughing at others is a characteristic of the kuffar:

Indeed, those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed (Al-Mutaffifin 83/29).

The seriousness of this sin varies in accordance to the subject being insulted. On the highest level of seriousness is to make fun of Allah, His aayaat, or His Messenger sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam.

A group of munafiqeen started joking one day about their Qur'raa ( i.e. the Companions of Allah's Messenger). They described, in ridiculing terms, that they were large in stomachs, having lying tongues and being cowardly. Allah ta'ala tells us in the Qur'an:

And if you ask them, they will surely say, ?We were only conversing and playing.? Say, ?Is it Allah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?? / Make no excuse; you have disbelieved (i.e. rejected faith) after your belief. If We pardon one faction of you ? We will punish another faction because they were criminals (At-Tauba 9/65-66).

After Allah, His aayaat, or His Messenger sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, it is most serious to ridicule and make fun of the Sahaabaa. In the incident just mentioned, the comment of the munaafiqeen was actually directed at the Sahaabaa and the Qur'an shows us that this was a direct ridicule of Allah, His verses, and His Messenger.

Shaykh Al-Uthaymeen rahimahullah said, ?Thus it is understood that someone who curses and ridicules the Companions is a kafir. This is because cutting at the honor of the Sahaabee is in reality an attempt at ridiculing Allah and His Messenger and His Shari'ah.

Next it is most serious to ridicule the pious believers. For example, if someone were to ridicule a pious believer because of his practice of the deen, such as ridiculing a brother's beard or to mock a sister?s hijab, doing this ? mocking a Muslim because of his Islam ? may very well expel someone from the fold of Islam. Allah ta'ala says in Surah Al-Mutaffifeen:

Indeed, those that committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed (Al-Mutaffifin 83/29-30).

As reported in Tafseer At-Tabaree, the munaafiqeen were once sitting back watching the charity that the believers were giving. To those that gave much, like AbdurRahmaan ibn ?Awf, they said, ?He only gave it to show off.? For those that gave little, they said, ?Verily, Allah has no need for his petty offering.? And so Allah ta'ala revealed in Surah At-Tauba:

Those who criticize the contributors among the believers concerning their charities and (criticize) the ones who find nothing (to spend) except their effort, Allah will ridicule them and they will have a painful punishment (At-Tauba 9/79).

In addition to all the specific people mentioned, it is also most serious to ridicule humans in general. This applies to the God-fearing and the fusaaq. A believer should not humiliate people and/or use derogatory nicknames for them, nor should they ridicule their creation. Allah ta'aala says:

O you who believe, let not one group of people make fun of another (Al-Hujurat 49/11).

And RasulAllah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said, ?It is enough sin for a person that they would ridicule their Muslim brother?

Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood radi Allahu anhu used to say, as narrated by Ibn Abee ?Aasim, ?By Allah whom there is no God but He, there is nothing more worthy of a prolonged incarceration than one's tongue.?

PART II

Abu Musa radi Allahu anhu said, ?I asked Allah's Messenger, ?Who out of the Muslims is the best?' He replied, ?Those whom the other Muslims are safe from his tongue and hands?? (Agreed upon).

The mockingbird, native to the western hemisphere, has a very interesting name. The mockingbird gets its name from its ability to mimic the sounds of other animals. It combines song notes of it's own with sounds from other birds, doing so in almost a mocking way. It is an endangered species, and we hope in sha Allah that the mocking it got its name after will become endangered in our communities too.

Al-Hasan Al-Basree rahimahu Allah said, ?Whoever does not guard the slips of their tongue has not understood their Deen.?

Dear brothers and sisters, one of the saddest things is to see the regulars of the masjid, or the leaders of the Muslim youth, being the ones who mock others. So many youth groups and halaqas around North America are built on this notion that in order to be cool you must ridicule and mock others.

In other places, I personally know people who abandoned the local masjid because they did not want to be ridiculed by the Muslims. They felt more comfort and compassion in the character of the disbelievers. What will Allah ta'aala think of someone who does this to the Muslims, someone who is an obstacle for others to come closer to Allah? If we find a gathering of Muslims to be like this, it is our duty to command the good and forbid the evil and demand that this ridiculing stop once and for all.

In conclusion, the question that begs to be asked is: What is the cure for this disease of the tongue?

One: We should know that it is a major sin. In fact, a person may make a single statement ? not paying any heed to it ? by which he may slip into Hellfire.

Two: We should follow what our tongues are saying and not allow ourselves to stoop to vain talk.

Three: We should distance ourselves from those long useless gatherings where nothing is done for hours except laughing and chatting. Instead, we should replace our gatherings with the remembrance of Allah and good speech.

Four: We must glorify this deen and make enormous in our hearts the commandments of Allah ta'aala. If Allah says do not make fun of one another, our reply should be nothing more than, ?We hear and we obey.?

Five: We should warn others of the sin of insulting other people and making fun of them. Let us not allow ourselves to be as a silent Shaytaan listening to others being insulted. Let us speak up and say it clearly that this is not something loved by Allah and His Messenger. Proclaim that if Allah and His Messenger hate it, then so do you.

Six: If you feel that you just have to insult someone, ask Allah to protect you from the Shaytaan and this satanic act. As Allah ta'sala says:

And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing (Al-A?raf 7/200).

Seven: And of course, if anyone of us should fall into this sin, we should be swift in turning back to Allah in tauba. Say astaghfir Allah wa ?atoobo ilayh, O Allah, I ask You to forgive me and I return to You. Allah ta'ala says in the Qur'an:

And whoever does not repent ? then it is those who are the dhaalimoon (the wrongdoers) (Al-Hujurat 49/11).

Finally, if there is one thing that you remember from this khutbah let it be this following commandment of Allah ta'aala; memorize it and teach it to at least one other person:

O you who believe, let not one group of people make fun of another...(Al-Hujurat 49/11)
http://islamworld.net/resources/cache/620

Teaching your Child about Islam

Freda Shamma PhD

Children are born in a state of fitra (purity) and then their parents teach them to be believers or unbelievers. According to the Musnad Ibn Hanbal, "The children of the unbelievers are better than you grown-ups. Every living creature is born with a righteous nature." It is our obligation and duty as parents to teach our children so that they grow up to be believing, practicing Muslims. Sending the child to an Islamic weekend school or to a full-time Islamic school is an important but minor part of their Islamic education. The major 'institution of learning' for each child is his family, and the major 'professors' of this institution are the parents.

ROLE MODELING

The most effective way to teach anything to anybody is to be a role model. This is why Allah sent human beings as prophets to all peoples. Whether we willingly accept this job or not, it is a fact that your child learns how to function in life by watching what you do. Even the absent parent is role modeling to the degree that a boy, whose father abandoned his family, will probably treat his own children the same way.

Every time we deal with our children, we are teaching them, whether we intend to or not. There is a famous poem by an anonymous author that depicts this vividly. It begins:

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.

Therefore we must examine carefully how we deal with our child in order to have a desirable end result. This same poem continues:

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.

If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.

If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.

POSITIVE VS. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

As the above poem indicates, negative comments and treatment result in negative attributes in our children, and positive comments and treatment result in positive results. The term 'positive and negative reinforcement' is popular in modern psychology, but it was advocated by the Qu'ran and the actions and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), 1400 years ago. How do we use positive reinforcement to teach our children?

Young children are basically good. Furthermore they want to please their parents. When you praise them for their good behavior by telling them that Papa and/or Mama is happy with their action, you are using positive reinforcement. Unfortunately many parents ignore their child's good actions and only comment on the bad actions. Let us take an example.

EXAMPLE

Iman is three years old and has a baby brother, Samir, who is one. She gets out her blocks to play with and of course Samir crawls over to get involved. She gives him a red block and then proceeds to build a tower. Samir grows tired of his one block and tries to get more. In the process he knocks down the tower. Iman reacts angrily and grabs all the blocks and tells her brother that he can't play with any of the blocks. Her mother hears her and shouts at her angrily, "Iman you are a bad girl not to share with your brother. Give him some blocks!

Iman did two actions concerning her brother: 1. She gave him a block and 2. She took the blocks away. She received attention from her mother for the bad actions. This teaches her that if she wants attention from her mother, she should NOT share.

How else could the mother have handled it? If she had praised Iman when she first shared ("Iman, what a nice sister you are, to share with your brother. I'm so happy to see you do that."), then Iman would remember that her doing ‘good’ resulted in her mother's attention. When her brother knocks over her blocks, her first inclination will probably be to grab all the blocks but if her mother is there to console her and encourage her to try again ("Oh Iman, it's too bad that Samir knocked over your blocks. He was trying to play with you, but he is too little to be good at making towers. Why don't you build a little tower for him to play with, and then you can build a big one for yourself."), then she will happily give him more blocks. She will want to share next time as well because that action got her mother's attention.

INTEGRATING ISLAM INTO LIFE

One of the most important aspects of raising your children to be Muslims is to introduce the idea that Allah is also happy with their good actions. If you say that what they did or are doing is making you and Allah happy, then the child begins to associate good behavior with acting for the pleasure of Allah, which in a nutshell, is exactly what being a good Muslim involves. Can you say anything better of a believer other than that he/she does everything fi sabillah (for the sake of Allah)?

BAD CHILDREN

The child who errs is forgiven by Allah, and if he dies in childhood, he automatically goes to heaven. This mercy of Allah should guide us as we guide our children. It is not necessary to make the child fearful of Allah or fearful of going to hell. In fact, this approach is counter productive - it often achieves the very result we are trying to avoid. Stressing the negative and the punishment makes the child want to avoid anything to do with the religion. He or she grows up thinking that it is religion that keeps him from enjoying life.

ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH

When you are talking to children under the age of twelve, stress the characteristics of Allah that will give him security and assurances as he grows and encounters fearful situations and unknowns. He needs to be aware of the many blessings Allah has given to him to help him enjoy and cope with his life. And he needs to understand which actions Allah will be pleased with, rather than worry over punishment for mistakes he knows he will make.

ISLAM AND DAILY LIFE

Too often when parents think about talking to their children about Islam, they concentrate on the ritual of the five pillars. They teach them how to make salat (required prayer), and they teach them some short Qur'anic surat (chapters). These are important, but don't forget that Islam is a total way of life, and every aspect has an Islamic element that you need to talk about and demonstrate for your child. When the father goes off to work, the mother can say 'Good bye' or she can say 'Assalamu alaikum' and add its meaning in English, 'may Allah's peace be with you". As she and the young child start to do something together, she can mention that the father is doing what Allah says a good father should do - working to take care of the family. She can also mention, and the father should also mention it frequently, that she is trying to please Allah by doing many things to help her child and the family. When the child helps her mother clean off the table, the mother should mention that Allah is pleased with children who help their parents. Mentioning the Islamic aspect does not imply nor suggest that you need to deliver lectures about Islam to your child. No child wants to sit still long enough to hear a lecture about anything. The effective teaching comes as short comments or stories that point out the Islamic nature of the action. When the parents pay zakat (yearly compulsory tax), they should mention the fact to their children. When they visit the sick, they should quote a Qur'anic ayah (verse) or hadith (story about Prophet Muhammad) which indicates that this action pleases Allah. When there are two ways that a child can respond to a situation, the parent can mentions nicely which way will be pleasing to Allah.

The constant reference to Allah, the constant encouragement to do what is right, and the constant praise and positive reinforcement for doing the right actions, will focus your child on the right path.

ADOLESCENCE

As our children reach adolescence, they begin to question what they have been taught, especially if most of the youth they associate with are non-Muslims, or non-practicing Muslims.

If you have already established a positive relationship with your youth, then your teenage child will come to you with his/her questions and concerns. Do not mistake these questions and worries as a rebellion against you or against their religion. They see the kids at school dating, and it looks like fun. 'Why shouldn't we date?' they wonder. Be happy that your youth feels comfortable coming to you with these issues.

If you have not established a positive relationship with your child by this time, you will probably have a big problem on your hands, because your youth will have the same questions, but he won't come to you for a discussion about them. He will be seeking his answers from his friends, and if his friends are not actively practicing Muslims, he may be getting answers that go against Islam.

Why do some parents and youth have a positive relationship and others do not? There are at least two important factors here: time and what kind of time? Did the parents spend time with their children as they were growing up? Did they make a practice of asking their children about their school, their friends, their opinions on various things, and then LISTEN to their answers?

Remember positive reinforcement? What kind of time do the parents spend with their children? Is it based on positive reinforcement, or does the child expects to hear angry and negative comments every time he/she tries to talk to a parent?

EXAMPLE

Thirteen year Omar is fasting for his second year, during Ramadan. One Saturday he and another Muslim, Adnan, go to a non-Muslim friend's house to play. At one o'clock, Omar phones home to tell his mother, " Johnny keeps asking us to eat lunch. We told him we're fasting and he should go ahead, but he says if we don't eat, he won't either. Adnan says if I break my fast, he will too. What should I do?"

"I can't believe you're asking me that," complains his mother. "Allah is going to punish you if you don't fast! You know better than that? Why can't you act like a good Muslim. Your father and I have taught you better than that!"

How often will Omar asks his mother any questions after a response like that? By assuming that his behavior is negative and giving negative reinforcement, you can be sure that Omar is not likely to ask his mother for help again. Instead, imagine if his mother answered this way:

"You did the right thing by phoning when you weren't sure. But I think you already know what you should do. What do you think is the right thing to do?"

Omar answers, "I think I should say no, I'm going to keep fasting."

"You are exactly right," answers his mother. "I'm so proud of you for the way you are thinking."

EVALUATING THE NEGATIVE

When you have discussions with your youth, you may be alarmed at his rudeness, or his apparent rejection of everything you say. He may even tell you that you are stupid or you don't understand, or you don't care about him. This does not mean what it sounds like. It means that he does not feel comfortable with the answers he is getting. Maybe what you say is opposite to what he is feeling at that moment, or maybe he has given that answer to his non-Muslim friends and they have rejected that opinion.

Although it is very hard, remain kind and positive with your youth. It really hurts the parent to hear these comments, but they are not really aimed at the parent, but at the thinking process he/she is now undertaking.

During your discussions with your youth, you will now want to include both positive and negative reinforcement. 'Yes', you may agree with your youth, 'it is very difficult not to drink when everyone else is, but remember that Allah will reward you for your good behavior, and remember His punishment if you follow someone other than Allah.'

When there are so many unIslamic forces putting pressure on your youth, he now needs to understand that Allah will hold him accountable for his actions. Allah will help if the youth ask Him for help, and he will be rewarded for following the right path, but accountability also means he will receive punishment for his bad deeds.

Life is too difficult to do by oneself. The young child has his parents who protect him, and encourage him and who 'know everything'. Then he/she grows up and discovers that mother and father don't really know everything. Furthermore at school he/she is hearing and seeing other philosophies of life, and the selfish, materialistic one most readily seen at school seems like fun, and besides, 'everyone else is doing it'. How is the youth supposed to figure out who is right? It is a difficult time for him/her, and it is up to the parents to be supportive, to encourage discussions, to make allowances for mistakes, but at the same time, to remain firm in their teaching of Islamic values.

SEVERAL ISSUES INVOLVED

While teaching and talking to our children about Islam, we need to be aware of certain hidden issues. These are secular vs. religious actions, facts vs. behavior and acquiescence vs. critical thinking. These issues affect our thinking and acting although few of us are aware of them.

SECULAR VS. RELIGIOUS

Hina was an attractive fifteen-year-old with a slender, attractive figure. She attended the Islamic weekend classes on a regular basis, wearing very short skirts and skintight sweaters. The teacher mentioned to her mother that she might want to encourage her daughter to dress more Islamically because her way of dress would attract undesired attraction of the boys at school.

"Hina, you have to change the way you are dressing. It's unIslamic. No more short skirts and you have to wear overlarge sweaters to hide your shape!" scolded her mother.

"Who are you to say anything?" responded Hina angrily. "Look at yourself, your dress is up to your knees and I can see everything about your shape!"

Hina's mother has a split personality when it comes to religion. On one hand she prays her prayers and fasts during Ramadan. On the other hand she likes to be 'fashionably' dressed when she interacts with non-Muslims. She reads the Qur'an most evenings, but spends her afternoon gossiping with her friends. What is her daughter learning?

Hassan is no better off with his father, who takes him to the weekend Islamic classes but tells him he can skip Juma because his academic studies are more important. Hassan's father is a leader in the Muslim community, but Hassan overhears him bragging to his friends about how he cheated on his income tax and got away with it.

If we as parents pick and choose which aspect of Islam to apply and which to omit from our own lives, we can hardly expect our children to live purely Islamic lives. If Hina's mother chooses her clothing based on what her non Muslim associates are wearing, then of course Hina will demand the same right, even though her mother feels like her clothes are too short or too tight. The question is, who is the authority and who has the right to decide? If it is Allah who has the right to decide, then parents have no right to pick and choose which practices they will follow. If it is the individual who decides, then children have as much right as their parents, once they reach puberty. Parents who think differently will have their youth point this out to them (if they are on speaking terms). For sure the youth will be thinking this. If you know you are not following what Allah orders, you can attempt to change your own behavior, admit to your youth that you are also still growing in your faith, and tell them frankly that you are trying to help them on the right path now because it will make their life easier and better. Then you will need to point out the times when your deviation from Islamic values has caused problems for you.

If you choose to ignore this aspect, most likely your children will choose to ignore your advice.

FACTS VS. BEHAVIOR

This aspect has already been alluded to in this paper, but it needs a bit of explanation. We expect the masjid (mosques) classes to teach our children how to read the Qur'an in Arabic, but not to understand what it means. We expect the masjid to teach our children how to pray, how to fast, etc. but NOT HOW TO LIVE, how to behave.

These are facts, not behavior. Many children know how to pray; very few feel the need to pray because they understand its importance. Quite a large number of children know how to read the Qur'an. Only a few read the Qur'an in order to understand what it is saying, or in order to answer their questions.

Islam is a complete way of life. The facts (the 5 pillars, the biography of Prophet Muhammad) are useful when they help the person learn how and why they should do something. The fact that Prophet Muhammad lived 1400 years ago is a fact. By itself, that fact is worthless. The fact, that he lived as a Muslim in a city where Muslims were few and persecuted, is worthless until it helps us realize that if he and the early Muslims could flourish in that setting, then so can we. When we teaching our children about Islam, we need to teach them how to behave, not just to memorize facts. Instead of giving them lists of facts to learn, set them an example and mention the Islamic connection while you are doing it. You visit someone who is sick; mention that this is an Islamic requirement, discuss with your child why it is good to do this act. Make sure you visit with sick people who are not part of your cultural group and non-Muslims as well. One important lesson for your child to learn is that Islamic behavior is good for everyone, even non-Muslims.

Watch TV with your children, especially the pre-teens. Don't preach, but discuss the behavior of the characters in the sitcom (comedy). Make comments like, 'Aren't you glad you're a Muslim so you don't have that problem' (concerning problems with dating, drinking, etc.)

Initiate discussions with your children. Bring up situations like, 'What should you do if a friend in school is out sick for a week?" It is extremely important to really listen to what your children are saying. They know in a second if your mind is preoccupied with something else. When you ask for their opinion, really listen to their answer, and make your next comment reflect theirs.

ACQUIESCENCE VS. CRITICAL THINKING

Many parents grew up in areas where colonizing rulers maintained schools for acquiescence. That is, pupils were taught to repeat exactly what the teacher told them. If the test question asked for 3 reasons why it is good to brush your teeth, the answer had to be the exact three reasons that the teacher had told them in class. The pupil is not supposed to think; he is supposed to accept everything without questioning. This is too often the way we teach our children about Islam. Do this action because Islam says you have to. Do this exactly the way I say because every other way is haram. Our children need to learn that there are two kinds of knowledge, that which is revealed and that which is humanly acquired. Knowledge revealed in the Qur'an and hadiths is unchanging and unarguable. Knowledge that is derived from our five senses and our own thinking is subject to error and can and should be questioned.

North American schools, including good Islamic schools, stress critical thinking. For children who grow up here, it is not sufficient to say you have to do this because I say so. You can expect your children to honor and obey you because Islam requires obedience to parents, but you must also explain and discuss why you are asking for their obedience. Your youth should be required to pray, because Allah says for them to pray, but you must also be open and willing to discuss why Allah would ask us to do that. What are the possible benefits of praying, what should you do if you feel like the prayer is empty of meaning to you, and so on. These questions don't mean your youth are turning away from Islam; they mean that your youth are thinking seriously about their religion. One of the most wonderful things about Islam is that because it is the truth, it can stand up to the most critical of questions.

Parents must also learn to acknowledge that they make mistakes, and they are ignorant of certain answers. Your child does not have the right to expect you to be able to explain every Islamic injunction. He/she does have the right to expect you to give an honest and open response to their questions. When you tell your youth, "That's an important question. I don't know the answer. Let's see if we can find out what the Qur'an says about it." then you have created an open, honest exchange of thoughts with your youth.

Discuss Islam with your children from the time they are young, stressing the positive, and encouraging them to speak frankly and freely to you. Be an Islamic role model for them. By the time they have emerged from their troubling, questioning adolescence, you will have children who have actively embraced Islam, and who want to be Muslim because they know that it will make their life better in this world, and in the hereafter, in shaa Allah (Allah willing).

This paper was first presented at the Annual Convention of the Islamic Society of North America, Chicago, Sept. 2, 2000.

Dr. Freda Shamma has her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, which she received from the University of Cincinnati. She has worked on curriculum development in several Muslim countries as well as for Islamic schools in North America. Currently she is the Director of Curriculum Development for FADEL (Foundation for Advancement and Development of Education and Learning) in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her latest publication can be found in Muslims and Islamization in North America: Problems and Prospects, ed. Amber Haque. Amana Publications.

Dr. Shamma has five children, the oldest of whom is married with two children, and the youngest is in high school. All of her children are active in Islamic work, and particularly active in MYNA, Muslim Youth of North America.

http://www.crescentlife.com/family%20matters/teaching_children_about_islam.htm

http://www.tebyan.net/index.aspx?pid=70261

Of Chain Letters, Yet Again!!..

2009-09-01T09:33:00.000+08:00

Morning morning, make people blood go upstairs. (Early in the morning, such emails just makes me a wee bit angry).

This advice serves as a very important reminder for us, and especially for myself.

Chain Mail 1
Subject: DONT DELETE! IF YOUR A MUSLIM! PLEASE READ THIS!

This is true.From Madina Sheikh Ahmed has sent this news.On a Friday Sheikh Ahmed fell asleep reading the Quraan. Then he dreamt the Prophet Muhammed (saw) standing in front of him and saying that in one week seven thousand people died but not even one was a true Muslim. None did what ALLAH wanted. He also said now is a bad time. These days Wives dont look after their Husbands,Girls go round without being covered they do not respect parents or others,Rich do not look after the poor,they do not give gifts or money or do not give fulfil zakaat.he also said to Sheikh Ahmed make people understand to give zakaat,To do prayer and to keep fast. The day of judgement is near. When There is a single star in the sky,straight away the path of forgiveness will close. The writing in The Quraan will disappear (vanish). The Sun will lower itself with Earth.

The Prophet said whoever reads this news to someone else, 'I WILL ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT MAKE HIM A PLACE IN PARADISE, AND IF SOMEONE DOES NOT BELIEVE THIS NEWS TO BE TRUE THEY WILL BE BANISHED FROM PARADISE '

If a poor person gives out this news to other people his/her good wish
Will come true. Sheikh Ahmed said if this is not true then my death will
Be off a Non-Muslim. The Prophet said 'KEEP FAST, DO PRAYERS, GIVE ZAKAAT AND GIVE KINDNESS TO THE POOR'

Whoever Forwards this will get his/her reward in three days. One Person Forward it to 40 people he had 8,000 thousand, take prophet in his Business. One Person did not believe this news and his son died. One
kept Saying he will forward it today,tomorrow but never forward this
News he died as well.

PLEASE DO NOT THINK THIS IS NOT TRUE. FORWARD THIS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE!

First and foremost, I am actually appalled that anyone would want to believe in such chain mails.

Although I understand that we need to do da'wah to remind each other of the coming Judgement Day, which none of us can escape, I do hope we would check on the authenticity of forwarded emails we receive, especially when it involves the sayings or doings of the Prophet saw.

I sincerely apologise for being harsh, but this is a serious matter. Firstly, quoting the prophet without its authentic source or verification is just not logical. Who would ever believe such things, especially for non-Muslims? Islam is a unique religion because we have original recorded sources of information, Quran and Sunnah. It is also not permissible to believe and forward such chain letters. In fact, there are scholars that have given fatwas on forwading emails and believing in them is considered as shirk (syirik). Research has shown that there is no such Sheikh Ahmed in Madina.

Yes, there may be some truth, especially about the End being near, but it is important to inform others where this really came from, and from where the points are taken from, so that people can verify. We may not believe in "Sheikh Ahmed", but by doing what the email tells us to (which is to forward) is to believe per se in the email itself, without us even realising it.

Just look at this line: "The Prophet said whoever reads this news to someone else, " I WILL ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT MAKE HIM A PLACE IN PARADISE, AND IF SOMEONE DOES NOT BELIEVE THIS NEWS TO BE TRUE THEY WILL BE BANISHED FROM PARADISE".

-------------------------------
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As (ra), Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Convey on my behalf even if it is only a verse of the Qur'an, relate traditions from Banu Israel, and there is no restriction on that; but he who deliberately attributes to me something false let him have his abode in Hell." - Al-Bukhari.
-------------------------------

Do we not see how serious this matter is? As much as we would want to uphold Islam, we must also remember not to spread untruth. There are many ways of proper da'wah, not by spreading and forwarding emails. Allah's promise of Judgement Day is true, and may we not live to see that day, ameen. Instead of forwarding such emails, let's encourage each other to follow the principals of Islam, which we know, are FACTS. =)

-----------------------------------------------
Volume 1, Book 2, Number 12:
Narrated Anas:

The Prophet said, "None of you will have faith till he wishes for his (Muslim) brother what he likes for himself."

-----------------------------------------------

With that, I have done my part to warn you of the danger that resides in this e-mail. Thank you for your time in reading this email. May Allah swt grant us all a place in Paradise, InshaAllah, ameen.

*No, no, I'm not wasting my "current" blogging about this, but rather, would like to inform everyone I know of such emails and also, a big warning, NEVER NEVER SEND FORWARDED / CHAIN MAILS TO ME UNLESS YOU'RE IN FOR A BIG REPLY FROM ME. =)

Ramadhan Moon Sighting

2009-08-21T13:09:00.006+08:00

I was surfing through the web and I came across this.
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http://blogs.muxlim.com/StormOfTruth/dont-disregard-this-beautiful-sunnah/

I remember when I was a kid, we would go up to the roof of our house on the 29th of Shabaan / Ramadhan and try to look for the new moon of Ramadhaan/ Shawaal.. It brings backs fond memories to the mind and I cant help but smile at the happiness and excitement that I felt as a kid trying to sight the new moon, perching on tiptoes, competing with my brother to spot it before he could!

I also remember the joy, simply at the anticipation of Ramadhaan…..Will we begin the fasting tomorrow ???

Or will it be the day after ???

Whether Eid will be next day or the day after. And when we did actually see it, the delight….indescribable, the giggles…uncontrollable

Sighting the moon was such a sweet joyful experience and it was part of the whole spirit of Ramadhaan. It only added to the whole beauty and sanctity of the blessed month, and to our Ibaadah and submission to Allaah.

And now, many years later, as another Ramadhaan approaches us, I look forward to another chance to look for the moon, this time with my kids, teaching them the importance of this Sunnah, sharing with them their innocent joy and excitement….their delight at seeing the bright crescent that brings glad tidings of a blessed month full of mercy and barakah.

After all, to search for the new moon is an ACT OF IBAADAH and a means of EARNING REWARD from Allaah.

And it is the SUNNAH of our beloved Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam

The Sunnah is seeing and not mere knowledge of moons existence above the horizon

The month of Ramadan does not begin with the birth of the moon. It does not even begin when it becomes possible to sight the moon. The month of Ramadan, according to the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam), begins with the SIGHTING of the moon. This means a human EYE has to see the crescent of Ramadan. And no one should dare to think that the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) did not realize that the new crescent of Ramadan could be behind the clouds.

There are many, many Ahaadeeth encouraging us to look( with our eyes) for the new moon.

The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Do not fast until you see the new moon, and do not stop fasting until you see it, and if it is concealed by clouds them count out (the thirty days of Shabaan ) for it.” (Bukhaari, Muslim

Aaishah (radiy Allahu anha) said, “The Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) used to treat Shaaban as he treats no other month. He would then fast for sighting (the moon) of Ramadhan. Whenever he could not sight it, he would count thirty days (for Shaaban) and then start the fast.” [Abu Dawood].

Sighting the new moon of Ramaadhan is a Fardh Kifaayah.

It is obligatory to witness the new moon for establishing certain acts of worship. If these acts are obligatory, such as fasting Ramadhan and Hajj, then witnessing the new moon also becomes obligatory on at least a part of the Muslim Ummah (Fardh Kifaayah). That is because, “what is necessary to fulfill the requirements of an obligation is an obligation itself.”

The Sunnah Dua upon seeing the new moon

The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) even taught us the dua to read when we see the new moon. So make an effort to sight the Ramadan moon with full attention and eagerness and say this prayer on sighting the moon:

Allaahu Akbar, Allaahumma ahillahu alayna bil amni wal eemaani, wassalaamati wal-Islaami, wattawfeeqi limaa tuhibbu Rabbanaa wa tardhaa, Rabbunaa wa Rabbukallaahu .

“Allaah is the greatest. O Allaah, let the crescent loom above us in safety, faith, peace, and Islaam, and in agreement with all that You love and pleases You. Our Lord and your Lord is Allaah.”

A neglected Sunnah??

It is a part of the beauty of Islam anticipating when fasting will start. When will Eid be? This builds up the excitement and love of these blessed times. And there is deepest wisdom in how Allah Subhaanahu wa Taala ordained these issues. This was the way of the Prophet(sallAllahu alayhi wasallam), the Sahaabah, and the Early generations, including the Four Imams.

Yet, it is sad to see many Muslims getting lost in the fast track world of machines and calculations and neglecting this act of Sunnah, thus losing out on the chance to earn reward from their Rabb for following the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) and his guidance.

SO REVIVE THE SUNNAH!

So work hard to revive the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) and dont belittle it. Practice it yourself, teach it to your children and others. Reviving aspects of the Sunnah that are being forgotten is one of the most important charitable deeds that a person can do during his lifetime and is a deed that will bring an immense reward

"Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward." (Tirmidhi)

He (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) also said: Pay attention to my Sunnah and the way of the Rightly-guided Khaleefahs after me, adhere to it and hold fast to it.(Saheeh Abi Dawud)

For our complete guidance, it is a must for us to learn and follow the Sunnah. If possible, let us invite others to learn and follow the same. We must know that our Creator sent His Messenger (pbuh) with Guidance and the Religion of Truth to make it prevail over all religions and that He promises great rewards for those who support the Truth.

“And he who brings the Truth and he who confirms (and supports) it -- such are the men who do right. They shall have all that they wish for, with their Rabb. Such is the reward of those who do good: so that Allah will remit from them (even) the worst in their deeds and give them their reward according to the best of what they have done.” (Qur’an 39:33-35)
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To each his own. I'm not sure of the authenticity of the dua though. I also read somewhere that only Shias in Lebanon rely on astronomical calculations rather than moon sightings by the naked eye, and that they start fasting today (hence some confusion among the FB community that fasting starts today as Shia fast a day before Ramadhan, and some calendar states today as 1 Ramadhan).

Wallahu'alam.

I did raise this up to dad once back then, how was it done during kampung days, did they sighted the moon and all. He didn't answer my question. Instead, dad said, it's very hard to sight the cresent moon these days because it will appear at the beginning of the night and it is always low in the sky. Then, it will disappear. Because of the tall buildings we have in Singapore.

Anyone has any idea where to get a good look of the moon? I'm sure it's fun. Because the article sounds fun. lol! Anyways, have a blessed Ramadhan everyone! Make full use of the blessed opportunity given! =)

Ramadan Moon

Ramadan Moon, Ramadan Moon,
Oh the people are coming and going; getting ready, to-ing and fro-ing
There’s a buzz in the world tonight; people are so excited
Daddy’s coming home soon; hoping to see the moon
Hoping to catch a sight; everyone’s so happy

Moon, Moon, come out soon
We’re out to see the Ramadan Moon
Clouds shift; fog lift! City put out your lights
We want to see the Ramadan Moon – tonight!

Now Ramadan has started; and the Moon has just been sighted
Tomorrow we all fast – every Muslim must
Now ‘Esha time is here; and it’s time to leave for prayer
The Imam is in the Mosque; the Qur’an is in his heart

Moon, Moon, come out soon
We’re off to see the Ramadan Moon
Clouds shift; fog lift! City put out your lights
We want to see the Ramadan Moon – tonight!

Moon, moon, moon,
From the early break of dawn, we'll go the whole day long
Shops are full of dates – but still we have to wait
Till the sun goes down, and it’s time to break our siyyam,
The food is on the plate – ooh! It tastes so good!

Moon, Moon, come out soon
We’re off to see the Ramadan Moon
Clouds shift; fog lift! City put out your lights
We want to see the Ramadan Moon – tonight!

3 more days

2009-08-19T11:32:00.000+08:00

to RAMADHAN!!!!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!... *I'm very excited!!!*

Chain Mails and Untruths

2009-08-12T10:58:00.001+08:00

Seriously, I do not know why some people are so easily fooled into believing in them, when there's no proof or credibility whatsoever.

It irks me so much. -.-"

ESP IF IT'S RELATED TO RELIGION!

Love

2009-08-05T16:28:00.002+08:00

My beloved uncle passed away yesterday morning at 3am. When he was admitted to the hospital on Sunday night, I didn't come down because I was informed very late at night. However, the next morning, we were informed he was in critical condition and may leave anytime.

I came by after work. He was in isolation in Critical Care Unit of the hospital. And I felt the sharpest pain in my heart when I saw him. I never knew it would hurt so much. To see him in such a state, hurts so much. He was, by then was on life support and his heart beat was faint. We found out he had TB, and there were many other kinds of bacterias in his body. He had pneumonia, in which his lungs were already filled with fluid.

I just kept crying... and crying... and crying.

I've had many happy memories with my uncle. Never did once he raised his voice with me. Never did he ever repremanded me for doing something wrong. Instead, he was the rock for everyone. He was always encouraging me to be better than I already am. He always believed and had faith in every one of his child, neices and nephews. He was, indeed, like a father figure.

He was the husband of my father's sister. Even though he was an uncle-in-law, we all felt he was a father to us. He was THE best uncle I have ever had. THE only uncle-in-law who has never given the family any problems. THE only uncle-in-law who was ever willing to help anyone and everyone. He was such a good man, that his boss came down and offered to pay for the funeral rites to repay him for being a model worker. He was very nice to strangers and neighbours. In short, he was a very very good man.

Indeed, my family had just lost a very good man. I can't help but cry each time I think of him. And when I see a half-bald man, I kept being reminded of him. His thick eyebrows especially.

Our aunt was still hoping for the best. She believed he would regain consciousness. We believed, he didn't want to trouble anyone if he was to become sick from then on if he regains consciouness and so, didn't fight back the disease. The doctor did his best, giving the last line of drugs to fight the bacteria. But he wasn't fighting it back.

We couldn't crowd around him and only 2 people were allowed in the room each time. By nightime fall, we knew he was going to go soon. We scrubbed our hands, wore the mask and took turns to go in, ask for forgiveness and say our last words to him. Yes, he may be in a coma, but we somehow felt he could hear us. His heartbeat raised when verses of the Quran were said by others before him. It was my turn and I went in with my dad. Dad kept repeating the shahadah to his ear, hoping he could hear and say it with him. I burst out crying and held myself at the corner of the room while I waited for my turn to talk to him.

I couldn't control myself. I only recalled reciting Ayatul Kursi to give myself strength. I just said prayers to Allah, hoping Allah would put him among the pious and reduce his pain of Sakaratul Maut.

I miss him so much now. I am so sad he will not be around to see me get married and to my future husband. It's weird that even when my grandmothers died, I didn't feel this so much pain.
You will not realised how much you really loved that person, until his demise.

I will always remember you Pak Teh. You were my favourite, and no one can ever take your place. I love you, always.

Prayers for my uncle, Al-Marhum Ishak Bin Mad Hasim. May Allah place him among the pious and bless his soul, ameen.

The Path

2009-07-16T19:08:00.000+08:00

Yesterday's The Path session was indeed thought-provoking. It was about Prophet Yusuf a.s.

To sum it up, there are a few reflection pointers to bring home.
1. Qada' & Qadar
2. Always have faith in Allah
3. Grab our opportunity to gain rewards for the Hereafter, while on Earth
4. At any point of time in our life, we must always be good and set a good example
5. Always ask help from Allah, not people

The main of the whole sharing session was, to sum it to the best, is about
"Inna ma'al-'usri yusra." Surah ash-Sharh (94:5)
Verily, with every hardship, comes ease.

I had forgotten about that ayah when he kept reminding me time and time again then. And how negative I have always been. I admit, I have always been a pessimist. But since yesterday's session, I shall relook into my mindset. What hit me the most was when Ustaz talk about how Allah was always there for us, but we always forget that fact.

There come upon the time when Yusuf was imprisoned, and a fellow inmates came to him to interpret their dreams, and when Yusuf had finished explaining, told the one who is being free to inform his king of Yusuf, so that he may be freed. That was when Ustaz said these few words.

When Prophet Yusuf was left in the well, he went to Allah for help. Who saved him? Allah
When Prophet Yusuf was accused by Zulaikha, he went to Allah for help. Who saved him? Allah
When Prophet Yusuf was chased by the women, he went to Allah for help. Who saved him? Allah
But when Prophet Yusuf was in jail, what did he do? He asked the inmate to help free him through the king. Hence, he stayed in prison for a few years instead for the inmate in the end forgot all about him.

MashaAllah... we forget so easily don't we? A very strong learning point, I must say. At every point of time in our life, whether we are in time of need, help, comfort and happiness, always approach Allah in humility and gratefulness.

An act of freewill

2009-07-05T00:04:00.001+08:00

I found this article online, which really caught my interest.
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From Times Online
June 26, 2009

Niqabi, interrupted
Wearing my niqab is a choice freely made, for spiritual reasons
Naima B.Robert

I put on my niqab, my face veil, each day before I leave the house, without a second thought. I drape it over my face, tie the ribbons at the back and adjust the opening over my eyes to make sure my peripheral vision is not affected.

Had I a full-length mirror next to the front door, I would be able to see what others see: a woman of average height and build, covered in several layers of fabric, a niqab, a jilbab, sometimes an abayah, sometimes all black, other times blue or brown. A Muslim woman in 'full veil'. A niqabi.

But is that truly how people see me? When I walk through the park with my little ones in tow, when I reverse my car into a parking space, when I browse the shelves in the frozen section, when I ask how to best cook asparagus at a market stall, what do people see? An oppressed woman? A nameless, voiceless individual? A criminal?

Well, if Mr Sarkozy and others like him have their way, I suppose I will be a criminal, won't I? Never mind that "it's a free country"; never mind that I made this choice from my own free will, as did the vast majority of covered women of my generation; never mind that I am, in every other respect, an upstanding citizen who works hard as a mother, author and magazine publisher, spends responsibly, recycles and tries to eat seasonally and buy local produce!
Yes, I cover my face, but I am still of this society. And, as crazy as it might sound, I am human, a human being with my own thoughts, feelings and opinions. I refuse to allow those who cannot know my reality to paint me as a cardboard cut-out, an oppressed, submissive, silenced relic of the Dark Ages. I am not a stereotype and, God willing, I never will be.

But where are those who will listen? At the end of the day, Muslim women have been saying for years that the hijab et al are not oppressive, that we cover as an act of faith, that this is a bonafide spiritual lifestyle choice. But the debate rages on, ironically, largely to the exclusion of the women who actually do cover their faces.

The focus on the niqab is, in my opinion, utterly misplaced. Don't the French have anything better to do than tell Muslim women how to dress? Don't our societies have bigger problems than a relative handful of women choosing to cover their faces out of religious conviction? The "burka issue" has become a red herring: there are issues that Muslim women face that are more pressing, more wide-reaching and, essentially, more relevant than whether or not they should be covering with a niqab, burqa or hijab.

At the end of the day, all a ban will do is force Muslim women who choose to cover to retreat even further - it is not going to result in a mass "liberation" of Muslim women from the veil. All women, covered or not, deserve the opportunity to dress as they see fit, to be educated, to work where they deem appropriate and run their lives in accordance with their principles, as long as these choices do not impinge on others' freedoms. And last time I looked, being able to see a woman's hair, legs or face were not rights granted alongside "liberté, egalité et fraternité".
As a Muslim woman living in the UK, I am so grateful for the fact that my society does not force me to choose between being a practising Muslim and an active member of society. I have been able to study, to work, to establish a writing career and run a magazine business, all while wearing a niqaab. I think that that is a credit to British society, no matter what the anti-multiculturalists may say, and I think the French could learn some very valuable lessons from the British approach.

So, three cheers for those women who make the choice to cover, in whatever way and still go out there every day. Go out to brave the scorn and ridicule of those who think they understand the burka better than those who actually wear it. Go out to face the humiliating headlines. Go out to face the taunts of schoolchildren. Go out to fight another day. Go out to do their bit for society and the common good. Because you never know, if Mr Sarkozy and his supporters have their way, there could come a day when these women think twice about going out there into a society that cannot bear the way they look. And, who knows, I could be one of them.

And, while some would disagree, I think that would be a sad day.

Na'ima B. Robert is the founding editor of SISTERS , a magazine for Muslim women and author of 'From My Sisters' Lips ', a look at the lives of British Muslim women who cover.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6584782.ece
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Time and time again, people just keep on debating about trivial issues, instead of crafting out solutions on how we can improve the lives of those who are in need of help.

I have been donning the hijab, and it has by far, given me the most respect I have ever been given as opposed to wearing all kinds of liberal clothing. Even while covered with long sleeves, without the hijab, I never received the same treatment. So how it is the hijab, oppressing? When it liberated me of a self-destructive lifestyle.

This article reminded me of a conversation with an American colleague I had while I was in US.

"What is Burqa? What is Hijab?"

After giving a long explanation, even quoting about the Catholic nuns, all I get at the end of the conversation was, "Whatever, I still think it's oppressed!"

-_______________________________________-"

Burning Out

2009-06-29T16:15:00.001+08:00

Life in Highland Heights was indeed peaceful. I miss those days of reflection, enjoying nature at its best, staring into sunsets, reciting the Qur'an in peace and soak in His beauty.

It's hectic here in Singapore, and the experience has made me rethink my future decisions.

No, not that I want to run away from everything, but for the sake of my Muslim soul, I really need to consider this decision.

I had the chance to discuss religion. I had the chance to practise the religion in a different manner. I had the chance to meet Muslims from other regions. I had the mini chance to explore the religion.

My soul is an explorer, an adventurer. And keeping me rooted to this island soil is killing me slowly. In time, inshaAllah.

We are, afterall, "travellers" on His Earth.....

Girls Go Camping

2009-06-19T15:06:00.001+08:00

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO SEE MORE DETAILS!

Assalamualaikum!

Calling all muslim ladies within the ages of 17-25!! Saff Perdaus is organising an all girls, survival-themed camp. This camp will be one of the first few events which is part of the Girls Go Series(GGS). Visit http://girlsgoseries.blogspot.com/ for more details and registration form.

Camp details:
When? 26th till 28th June 2009
Where? Camp Christine, Jalan Bahtera
For who? Girls age from 17 to 25
Registration places?
1. Saff Student Service Centre
Blk 361 Bukit Batok St 31
#01-467
Singapore 650361
Tel: 6513 2313
Fax: 6562 5475

2. Perdaus
Blk 364 Bukit Batok St 31
#01-259
Singapore 650364
Tel: 6513 2300
Fax: 6566 4852

3. Madrasah Perdaus; Bedok
Blk 125 Bedok North Road
#01-115
Singapore 460125
Tel: 6513 2315
Fax: 6242 5347

Hurry! Register before 23rd June 09
Further enquiries call Afifah at 65132305 or email afifah@perdaus.org.sg

The List of Eights

2009-06-15T13:43:00.000+08:00

Phew!! Been back from US since 22 May, and I haven't got the time to sit down and rest. Well, yes, welcome back to reality, a world of work responsibilities. There are so many things to do, with such a little amount of time. I really deserve another break.

Anyways, though I had my laptop along with me in US, I chose to bring along an empty notebook that was decorated with words and pictures from the man and his family. So yeah, I pretty much penned my thoughts there. And will transfer my reflections here soon enough.

It was a wonderful trip. A trip that I will never forget. A trip that I wish to return to. I can't help it. I don't like living in Singapore. But I am thankful for the system here. It's definitely very efficient.

Oh! Before I forget, I was tagged by Shimaa. So I owe her one on this. Hey shimaa!.. it's ain;t that easy to do this. I have just a few things, not 8. =p

8 Things I’m looking forward to:
1. My Driving Licence
2. My new Lab
3. Future Rock Climbing sessions @ Dairy Farm
4. Girls Go Camping end of this month
5. Ramadhan!!! oh Ramadhan!!!
6. Upgrading of iPhone 3G software. and i'll be able to send MMS then. woot!!
7. Getting married soon
8. Umrah!!!

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Pack my bags to stay over at dad for the week
2. Had meeting to finalise the activities for the camp
3. Cleaned up my room
4. Did my laundry
5. None
6. None
7. None
8. None

8 Things I Wish I could do: (ranked by the degree of feasibleness)
- I didn't follow the ranking. =p -
1. Drive my car which I have but can't drive
2. Travel the world
3. Get married
4. Enter Uni
5. Migrate
6. Fly!!
7. None
8. None

8 Shows I Watch
1. Criminal Minds
2. CSI
3. CSI: Miami
4. CSI: New York
5. House
6. Bones
7. Without a Trace
8. Ghost Whisperer

8 Things I Love:
1. Chocolates!!!!!
2. Cats!!!!
3. FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!
4. Rock Climbing!
5. Learning new things
6. Adventure
7. Camping
8. Munch Munch!!!!!!!

heh.. so who do I tag? well, I shan't put in names, but anyone who loves to be tagged, and anyone who has free time. =)

Goodbye Singapore!

2009-05-04T23:50:00.002+08:00

So it is, the time has come for me to leave. I don't what's out there for me. Going to a swine-flu hit nation, it's especially daunting for me. Nonetheless, I put all my hope and trust in Him that I will be under His Care and Protection always.

Yep yep, I'm leaving Singapore for the Land of the Free, USA, for a working stint. I wouldn't be there for long I hope, unless if something bad was to happen. Initially, I was slotted for 2 months, and now, it's reduced to 3 weeks. Somehow or rather, I did wished I would be there longer. Just to get away from things for a while. Hehe..

Swine flu is one matter, discrimination is another, food is third, the list goes on and on and on. But more importantly, would I be able to perform my Ibadah as I easily as I could, back here in peaceful Singapore? InshaAllah..

CHANTAL KREVIAZUK

"Leaving On A Jet Plane"

I'm... I'm...

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

But the dawn is breakin', it's early morn
The taxi's waitin', he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go

I'm ...

There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
I'll tell you now, they don't mean a thing

Every place I go, I think of you
Every song I sing, I sing for you
When I come back I'll wear your wedding ring

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time, oh, let me kiss you
And close your eyes and I'll be on my way

Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave alone
About the times that I won't have to say ...

Oh, kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go

And I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go

But I'm leaving on a jet plane
(Ah ah ah ah)
Leaving on a jet plane
(Ah ah ah ah)
Leaving on a jet plane
(Ah ah ah ah)
Leaving on a jet plane
(Ah ah ah ah)
Leaving on a jet plane
(Ah ah ah ah)
Leaving on a jet plane
(Ah ah ah ah)
Leaving on a jet plane
(Ah ah ah ah)
Leaving on a jet plane
(Ah ah ah ah)
(Leaving) On a jet plane

You'll be on my mind always, munch munch.

Doa Seorang Kekasih

2009-04-20T23:23:00.002+08:00

Let's Relite!!!

2009-03-30T11:15:00.003+08:00

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam...

IF YOU ARE A FULL-TIME MADRASAH STUDENT &
BETWEEN SEC 3 TO PRE-U 2,
WE WANT YOU!!!

Gain indispensable experience & be part of this enlightening!

Camp Relite!09- Inflame: The Awakening Within

Organized by Impian-Pergas & Saff-Perdaus

filled with Islamic knowledge packed with fun and thrills that would move you to another level of devotion...

What's in for you???

Water Rafting

River Crossing

Amazing Race

Campfire

Sharing session with Special Guest Speaker

Date : 10 to 12 April 2009 (start at 5pm)
Place : Terror Sea Scout @ St. Helena Rd (Sembawang)
Fees : $20 ONLY! ( per pax, in group of 4), $25 for each individual

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

MAKE YOUR APRIL '09 AN UNFORGETTABLE ONE. =D

LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE, SO HURRY! HOPE TO SEE YOUR NAME ON OUR LIST!

REGISTRATION CLOSES 3 APRIL 2009.

For more details, visit our blog at http://relite09.blogspot.com/ or facebook at http://doiop.com/relite!09

SPREAD THE WORD!! :)

I know I will

2009-03-28T09:02:00.002+08:00

Congratulations.. May you have a blessed marriage, and may all your dreams come true, ameen.

Looking Away

2009-03-11T15:33:00.002+08:00

Excess Emotional Baggage

2009-02-25T11:12:00.000+08:00

My HDD died 2 months back. And I sent it for a diagnosis recently, hoping that it may still be saved. The doctor at the shop said, "InshaAllah, boleh. Let's see what I can do for you".

In the end, the doctor said, "No hope". Innalillahi wa innalillahi rojiun (Verily we belong to Allah, and surely we will return to Allah). This indeed was a musibah (misfortune) for me. Yes yes, I should have backed up my HDD. Should have this, should have that. Should I regret?

When I first found out it wasn't working, my heart griped. All my files, all my work, all my PICTURES of my distant memory.

I told myself in the past, I will take my time in deleting my picture of jahiliyah times, on the advice of a friend. I told myself, I will print and return any of my ex's pictures. I told myself, I will take my time in spring cleaning the HDD.

But I didn't do it. On the excuse that I couldn't find the time to do so, although it's partly true. I think each time I look at the pictures, I get reminded of the past. I used to tell myself, I won't get affected. Sometimes I don't, but during quiet moments, I do.

Somehow or rather, as the weeks passed, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I didn't even think much about it. But rather, I'm thankful, that He made it such a way that I didn't even have to see those pictures. And as of lately, some of my friends are also going through something similar, reminiscing of times with that someone who were not meant to be ours.

He has better plans for us. He always has. And at the end of the tunnel, there is always light. I believe in looking at the good side of things these days. Tha,t for everything that happens, there is hikmah (wisdom) behind it. Even the bad things that happen to us, are actually good things if we think about it.

"...But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not." Al Baqarah, Verse 216.

I learnt not to hold on to the past. I learnt to let go of excess emotional baggage that dragged me down and held me back.

"Look forward for the future destination, the Hereafter. In the end, all these won't matter."

Fortunate is he - Zain Bhikha *I still need those documents... my projects!!.. heh.

Just a little guess

2009-02-17T16:29:00.000+08:00

I'm hoping, I'm praying, that my guess is correct.

I would love to see them together. For it's what I had wished once in the past. They seem just perfect.

Why should we celebrate St Valentine Day?

2009-02-14T16:04:00.000+08:00

With permission from Sis Maryam..

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Another day yet approaches on which Muslims become inane and participate in it with much ebullience.

Every 14th of February across the globe, couples give each other gifts as a sign of their love.

Most of them do not even know why they are celebrating this day and what the origin of this day is. Apart from other people, across the Muslim world such acts are carried out on this day as well.

Historians link this day to a certain St. Valentine. The Catholic Church identifies some three saints who were martyrs and all three were called Valentine.

There are variations in the origin of this day. Some say that this day originates from a Roman called Valentine who was asked to give up Christianity but refused to do so and thus was killed on 14th February 269 C.E., the day which was also allocated to love lotteries.

Another tradition arises from the time of Emperor Claudius II. He came to a conclusion that single men made better soldiers and thus made it illegal for young men to marry.

No wives, no families – hence better soldiers. During this time St. Valentine was a priest at the temple and he found the actions of Claudius outrageous and thus defied the emperor. He married off young men in private.

When the emperor got to know the actions of Valentine, he sent him to jail and according to certain sources; he was to be put to death. In 496 C.E., the 14th of February was set as a day to honor St. Valentine by Pope Gelasius.

Some legends also inform us that St. Valentine fell in love with the Jailer’s daughter who would visit him often before he was put to death. It is also stated that before his death, Valentine wrote a letter for her (sort of a love letter) and signed it off as “From Your Valentine”.

One cannot point to the exact origin of this day however on thing is for certain that regardless of which version of the story holds to be true, this is an event which the Muslims were not asked by our beloved Prophet Muhammad(saw) to celebrate.

This is a day with origins deep within Christianity and not Islam. It should also be pointed out the Christianity as a religion does not either ask its followers to celebrate this day.

This day is a complete innovation by man. It honors a saint not of the Islamic religion but of Christianity. It is also important to point out here that in the pagan Roman days, mid-February was allocated for the festival of love. It is also believed commonly by some that these Roman traditions seeped into what we now call the Valentine’s Day.

Every year Muslims spend a lot of money buying chocolates, jewelries, cards and a range of other gift items. While it is perfectly okay for married couples to give each other gifts, it is most definitely against Islam for unmarried ‘couples’ to follow these practices. Islam does recognize the factor ‘love’ but does not recognize ‘love affairs’.

So why do we forget our teachings and the Law of Allah (swt) so easily?

First let me point out that when I said above that it is okay for married couples to give each other gifts, I certainly did not mean that they should do it on this particular day. In Islam a husband and wife should express love for each other every single day hence borrowing the name given to 14th of February, I would say that everyday should be a Valentine’s Day for the husband and wife.

So what happens when a husband and wife go out of their way to express their love for each other particularly on this day? When the child sees that his or her parents are going out of their way on this particular day, he or she would automatically start to associate this day as being one in which you are to express you love for your loved ones and thus even unintentionally we as parents would be teaching them that this day is actually of some significance.

As Muslims we should know and realize the importance of our religious teachings. Islam in itself is a religion of peace and love and thus we are to express our love not only towards our parents, wives/husbands, and children but also towards our neighbors, the poor and the needy, and all of the Muslim Ummah and humanity.

So we are to express this love and care for them throughout the year. No one particular day is needed for us to express our love for others.

To a Muslim, Islam should be the first and foremost priority and we should not blindly imitate the rest of the world. Just because they want to follow a day does not mean that we as Muslims should do the same.

We are told by Prophet Muhammad(saw) not to imitate the non-Muslims then why do we repeatedly imitate them?

Islam is a complete way of life and we are to follow this complete way of life to come close to Allah (swt). We should not be a party to the irreligious practices that do take place on that day among everyone; Muslims or non-Muslims.

As being part of the Muslim Ummah we should boycott such manmade innovations and not be a part of it. InshaAllah we should all make a decision to move towards Islam rather than away from it by becoming a part of such un-Islamic events.

- Ebrahim Saifuddin

A husband who sincerely loves his wife does not need this holiday to remind him of his love. He expresses his love for his wife at all times and on all occasions.

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Sis Maryam is a convert (I'd prefer to use the word "revert". heh) from Canada. It's good that she has background knowledge of the day, coming from the religion before Hidayah. As much as love should be shown everyday to the ones we love, it is not right for Muslims to single out this day and join in the celebrations. Much like Christmas, Easter Sundays, Boxing Day, Vesak Day, Deepavali, so on and so forth.

Islam has only 2 specific day for festivals and celebrations, which are Eid Adha and Eid Fitr. Sometimes, we tend to get carried away with "being inclusive" to the community that we forget our fundamentals.

Alas, they always say, it's all about intentions. Yes, ibadah is all about intentions. Innama a'malu binniah, but that does not mean it automatically makes our actions halal. For example, being a Robin Hood. The act of stealing from the rich to give to the poor, although the intentions to help the poor is noble, does not mean the act is correct.

What's even sacrier is, should we "join in the fun" when we may not know if the act of even "joining for the sake of harmony and fun" could be shirk (Literally, "association")? And shirk, as we all know, is the biggest sin to commit.

Recently during the CNY, a friend related her story that a non-muslim family member whose son married her Malay cousin, brought along Yu Sheng during a gathering, and the whole Malay family partake in the *Lo Hei ceremony except for her because she felt uneasy with the idea. She shuddered when her little cousin came running to her with a bowl of Yu Sheng saying, "Kakak!! Uncle say must eat this. Eat this for good luck. Later tomorrow past exams!" Astaghfirullah.. what are we teaching our kids?.. =(

She was disappointed after finding out from her Chinese convert friend, that Lo Hei is shirk, and that her whole Chinese convert family do not conduct the ceremony during CNY, except that they have a gathering with the rest of their non-muslim Chinese family members.

Alas, she can't say much because her family is ignorant of the religion. But can we claim ignorance if there is so much knowledge out there to gain? What are we to answer to Him? That we do not know even though there are so many kuliahs about Islam around us?

So people, do spread the love to those who are halal to you, but make it everyday because that's what Islam teaches, and not to single out just one day to show your love to your husband / wife / siblings / family / friends. =)

*Lo Hei: this dish is served as an appetizer to raise 'good luck' for the new year and is usually eaten on Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year. In a celebration known as "lo hei" (Cantonese 撈起 or 捞起), families and friends gather around the table and, on cue, proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying 吉祥话 (Jíxiáng Huà, auspicious wishes) out loud to mark the start of a prosperous new year and it's customary that the higher you toss, the greater your fortunes! - Wikipedia

of black holes, rain, flowers, dinosaurs, cats and islam.

2009-02-09T13:03:00.004+08:00

Of my past..

His blog's rated:

TV Reviews

Mine's rated:

Movie Reviews

Just as I guessed. I'm still a child inside, trying to break free from the shackles of modernity and corrupted world. He used to call me endearing. I loved the way he made me felt. Like a small girl always yearning to be hugged.

And I've always thought he's a genius. Have always loved the way he thinks. The way he talks. The witty way he'd respond to all my nonsensical questions. We shared so many in common. And I really mean, many. And his birthday is just the day after mine. We were like twins. But we weren't fated to be as one. And we never even together at all. I guess it's all in the past now...

I received news yesterday of his big day next month. Alhamdulillah alhamdulillah alhamdulillahi rabbil 'alamin. I shan't be sad, I shan't be disappointed, I shan't regret. I shall be happy.

Congratulations.

Allah swt knows best. And I believe everything that happens, has a very good reason to it.

Blisters of Life

2009-02-05T00:20:00.002+08:00

when the muscles don't contract.. pain sets in easily.

when was the last i had a good climb? almost 6 months back. I got this blister about three weeks ago while having an "intense" climbing session at ClimbAsia with Maryah and her other half.

-------------------------------------------
A blister is a small pocket of fluid within the upper layers of the skin. Blisters can be filled with blood (known as blood blisters) or with pus (if they become infected). However, most blisters are filled with a clear fluid called serum or plasma. Serum is the part of the blood that remains after red blood cells and clotting agents have been removed.

A blister usually forms because the outer layer of the skin has become damaged. Fluid collects under the damaged layer of skin, cushioning the tissue underneath, protecting it from further damage and allowing it to heal.

A blood-blister usually forms when a minute blood vessel close to the surface of the skin ruptures (breaks) and blood leaks into a tear between the layers of skin. This can happen if the skin is crushed, pinched or aggressively squeezed.

Blisters can also form as an associate feature of certain diseases.

The word "blister" entered English in the 14th century. It came from the Middle Dutch "bluyster", blister and was a modification of the Old French "blostre" which meant a leprous nodule -- a rise in the skin due to leprosy.

- Wikipedia
-------------------------------------------

You know.. a blister heals very easily. Within 2 weeks, it dries up and a new skin grows. By the end of the 3rd week, it's barely even there.

If only blisters of the heart are of the same case. It hurts me to see some of my heart-broken friends. They put their heart and soul into relationships, only to be despaired at the end. To see them in such a miserable state, isn't a pleasure. But, I believe, everything happens for a very good reason, inshaAllah.

I've never believed in love. True love, between humans do not exist, no matter how hard some people try to convince me about that. Human love, will always be temporary, because life itself, is not eternal. I've only known of one kind of eternal love. And I believe I do not need to share that.

They put so much hope in their partner, only to be disappointed when their hopes are crushed.

My dear, don't despair. It's not the end of the world that you are not together anymore. Don't be blinded by love. Love is not love as what you perceive it to be. Love is mutual respect, understanding, sacrifice, trust and responsibility. In fact, it's many more. But never ever ever put all your hopes in a person, because only He is deserving of it.

"When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way." - Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 186

Always have faith and have husnu dzhon (positive thinking) towards Him. Be steadfast and have trust in your Lord that He will never let you down

Just an article for reads: Why doesnt Allaah answer our duaas?
A friend's blog on a topic of BGR: http://firdausajmain.multiply.com/journal/item/76/time_is_running_out

Allah gives what we asked for. Sometimes, He doesn't give us what we asked for, but something as good, or even better. Sometimes, we don't get anything because we are spared that something bad might happen instead. Best still, even if we don't get what we want or what we need, we will get a much greater reward, for accepting His decree on Judgement Day, than what we were asking for.

"We cannot learn without pain - Aristotle"

Street Donation Drive 080209 :: Latest Update People!! ::

2009-02-01T17:35:00.000+08:00

Dear all!!

Latest update - Changes to the shifts! Good news - we will have 3 shifts instead of 2 with, hence, less hours for you!

Below are the collection points and the respective shifts. Email us your desired collection point and shifts right now!

1. Perdaus Bedok

Address: Blk 125 Bedok North Road #01-115 Singapore 460125

Collection Areas: Tampines Central, Bedok Central, Pasir Ris Central, Geylang Serai and vicinity of Simei MRT Station-Paya Lebar MRT Station-Eunos MRT Station.

First Shift : 9.00am - 12.00pm
Second Shift : 12.00pm - 3.00pm
Third Shift : 3.00pm - 6.00pm

2. Saff Perdaus Centre

Address: Blk 361, Bukit Batok St 31 #01-267

Collection Areas: Jurong East Central, Bukit Batok Central, Bukit Gombak Central, Boon Lay Central, Woodlands Central.

First Shift : 9.00am - 12.00pm
Second Shift : 12.00pm - 3.00pm
Third Shift : 3.00pm - 6.00pm

3. Masjid al Falah

Address: #01-01 Cairnhill Place S229650

Collection Areas: Tanglin Road, Orchard Road, Orchard Boulevard, Somerset, Dhoby Ghaut, Victory Street (around SMU).

First Shift : 11.00am - 1.30pm
Second Shift : 1.30pm - 4.00pm
Third Shift : 4.00pm - 6.30pm

4. Masjid Sultan/ A church near City Hall (TBC)

Collection Areas: Arab Street,Bugis Junction, City Hall, Suntec City, Esplanade, Boat Quay, Chinatown, Raffles Place.

First Shift : 11.00am - 1.30pm
Second Shift : 1.30pm - 4.00pm
Third Shift : 4.00pm - 6.30pm

Looking forward to you email ( afifah@perdaus.org.sg / khairu.rejal@gmail.com ) and keep on spreading the word people!

And if you are still at this point in time figuring out when is the date, well, its the 8th February 2009.

6 months 8 days 12 hours

2009-01-31T08:42:00.004+08:00

you are sorely missed.

ooooooo...
ooooooo...

Verse 1:
Do you ever think about me?
Do you ever cry yourself to sleep?
In the middle of the night when you awake
Are you calling out for me?
Do you ever really miss?
I can't believe i'm acting like this
I was crazy
How I still can feel your kiss

Chorus:
It's been six months, eight days, twelve hours
Since you went away
Yea yea...
I miss you so much and I don't know what to say
I should be over you
I should know better but it's just not the case
It's been six months, eight days, twelve hours
Since you went away

Verse 2:
Do you ever ask about me?
Do your friends still tell you what to do?
Everytime the phone rings,
Do you wish it was me calling you?
Do you still feel the same?
Or has time put out the flame?
I miss you...
Is everything ok?

Chorus

Verse 3:
It's hard enough just passing the time,
When I can't seem to get you off my mind
And where is the good hand goodbye
Tell me why...
Tell me why...

Chorus

Sing it for me....
ooooooo...(until music fades)

Street Donation Drive :: Gaza Relief ::

2009-01-28T11:59:00.000+08:00

Dear all,

Saff Perdaus along with Mercy Relief and other student/ youth organizations are raising funds from the streets in the hope of providing support for the recovery and rebuilding effort in Gaza

This effort aims to pull together youth and and global citizens alike to garner our effort, energy and resources in harnessing support for the victims of the conflict.

Collection Points at this point will be at the following locations:

1. Perdaus Hong Kah (Blk 364 Bukit Batok St 31)
2. Perdaus Bedok (Blk 125 Bedok North Road)
3. TBC : Masjid al Falah

Time and Place
Date:
Sunday, February 8, 2009

Time:
9:00am - 9:00pm

Areas of Collection:

1. Bugis
2. City Hall
3. Suntec Boulevard
4. Esplanade
5. Clark Quay
6. Boat Quay
7. Chinatown
8. Dhoby Ghaut
9. Somerset
10. Orchard Road
11. Tanglin Road
12. Tampines
13. Bedok
14. Simei
15. Geylang Serai
16. Bukit Batok
17. Jurong East
18. Boon Lay

Instrument:
Donation Tins

Join us and sign up with your friends today!

Contact Info

Phone:	65132305
Email:	saff@perdaus.org.sg/ afifah@perdaus.org.sg

ME

2009-01-13T15:12:00.006+08:00

about you
You are an Experiencer

Your inquisitive nature, imagination, and hands-on practicality make you an EXPERIENCER.

Although you have an active imagination, you also concern yourself with the functional elements of things.

You are willing to experiment to find things that work the most efficiently.

Getting stuck in certain habits is boring to you—you'd rather find new experiences.

Accordingly, experiences are more important to you than objects—you'd rather spend your money and energy on events and adventures than on material things.

You like to contemplate a lot of options before making a decision, and you're willing and able to consider a lot of different angles to problems.

You're open to suggestions, and often rely on others to assess the merit of those suggestions.

You have an ability to see the big picture—not just how things are, but how they could be—in a variety of situations.

Never one to be found in chic boutiques or trendy clothing stores, you take an extremely practical approach to getting dressed.

If you want to be different:

Have faith that your imagination and practicality will complement each other, and lead to good decisions on your part.

Take the initiative in seeking things out—don't wait for them to come to you.

----------------------------------
how you relate to others
You are Genuine

Your outgoing personality, your preference for order, and your cautious appreciation of others makes you GENUINE.

You aren't afraid to occasionally be the center of attention. You are comfortable and confident in social situations.

As a charismatic kind of person, you tend to be energized by other people and enjoy their company.

When other people are upset, you are able to think about the situation rationally, without getting too caught up in their feelings.

At times you find it difficult to understand where other people are coming from, and wish they could just see things the way you do.

You are a strongly principled person who believes in right and wrong. This helps you make decisions easily when it comes to moral issues – you don't have to waste time hedging on important values.

In your experience, people tend to get what they deserve. Because of this, you work hard and try to follow your principles in your day-to-day life, knowing that you will be rewarded for your efforts.

If you want to be different:

You have many friends, but you only trust a few of these people when it really counts. Opening yourself up to more of your friends will help you create more strong and meaningful relationships.

Be cautious when judging someone—try harder to understand his or her perspective—and you will become a more intuitive person.

hahahaha!! check it out, roll over blue and dirty green. average masculinity, slightly low femininity. -.-" so me, isn't it?

i miss being ME.

i just want, to be alone. i don't why, but i'm beginning to miss my sister, alot.

Mercy Relief links with 2 UN agencies for humanitarian relief to Gaza

2009-01-11T12:00:00.000+08:00

Mercy Relief links with 2 UN agencies for humanitarian relief to Gaza

Mercy Relief (MR) has obtained the fundraising permit from the Commissioner of Charities (Permit no: 0002/2009) to raise funds in support of the international humanitarian community’s relief efforts in and around Gaza. The permit will run for one month from 10 January - 9 February 2009.

It has always been MR’s modus operandi to personally deliver or oversee the delivery of aid to affected areas. This current case is no different.

MR has been communicating directly with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to consult and explore the most effective form of support that MR can provide. Both UN agencies welcomed MR’s offer of support and have agreed to receive and facilitate the delivery of MR’s donations and relief supplies to the affected locations within Gaza.

This is not the first time that MR is working with the UN agencies. It has worked closely with UN agencies such as UN OCHA, UNDP, WHO, Unicef, WFP and IOM in Aceh tsunami, Nias earthquake, Muzaffarabad earthquake and cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.

MR understands from UNRWA that the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip will resume as soon as possible. The announcement came after UNRWA received assurances from Israeli officials that attacks on UN schools and vehicles would not continue. UNRWA, which had been delivering food to up to a million Gazans during past 8 months of Israeli blockade, suspended its operations in the region last Thursday after one of its truck drivers was killed in an Israeli strike on an aid convoy.

This will not be MR’s first assistance to Palestine. It previously worked with the El Wafa hospital in Gaza in 2003, providing an ambulance and medical supplies worth SGD 383,000.

For those who are desirous of contributing to the relief efforts, they may do so through the following modes:

· Tele-Mercy
1900 112 1010 (for a $10 donation)
1900 112 1050 (for a $50 donation)

· Cheque
Cross to: 'Mercy Relief Limited', and indicate "Gaza Conflict Relief" on the reverse
Send to: 160 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh #01-1568, Singapore 310160

· ATM Transfer / Internet Banking
To Mercy Relief's DBS Current Account 054-900493-6

For queries, please contact Mercy Relief at 6332 6320 / intouch@mercyrelief.org

When Will It End?

2009-01-05T14:46:00.003+08:00

As we sit cosily in our homes, do give a little thought to what happens to our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters in Gaza Strip. As the humanitarian crisis heightened, I cringed at the thoughts of the endless stream of wounded civilians in the hospitals, of the babies crying out for the soft and warm hug from their dead mothers, and the children whose childhood are being robbed from.

Will it only end after the whole of Gaza is "stripped" of its people? Is this Bush's last move by giving consent before he steps down? Will we see another 9/11? How will they ever hope for an end to Anti-Americanism?.. Innocent children do not deserve this...

A friend has been asking if Singapore is giving any humanitarian aid. None that I know of actually, because I've been searching for one myself. In the meantime, we can do a little bit by donating to Free Gaza movement. There are many petitions online too.

My dear friends.. as we embark on a "new year", let us not stop supplicating for those in need, regardless of where they are.

Year In, Year Out

2009-01-03T14:01:00.000+08:00

There were many things in my mind for the past few days. With the coming of 2009, many had their resolutions at hand. I was suddenly recalled of a friend's post RE-solution. Pardon the pun, it was definitely thought provoking, and I couldn't help but agree to the blogger's thoughts. *on a side note, do try the 6-meem approach*

Anyways, how many times have you had those checklist ready at the beginning of the year, but only achieve 1/4 of it at the end of the year? Heh, don't snigger. =P We can hardly execute everything that we've planned. Why? Lack of time, lack of money, lack of energy, etc etc etc. I'm not saying we shouldn't plan anything. We should, but for me, it's better to have "resolutions" every quarter of the year rather than one whole year. Actually, I don't do resolutions for that matter. More like, things to take note of. All in all, we must always remember that "Allah is The Best of Planners." [Al Imran, Verse 54]. Amidst the rat race and unachieved goals, we should always be "istiqamah" (straight, firm and steadfast) in our efforts and our Faith.

Anyways, I was just thinking aloud. What does success mean to you? For me, success is not measured by the moo-lah I have in my bank, what kind of car I've bought, or how many paper certs I've earned but rather of the things I've done per day that would earn His Pleasure *which unfortunately, it seems that I have a lot of work to do. gaahhh.. * Like Maryam said, "Worldly achievements are temporary, regardless of how great they may be. There is an end to everything in this dunya."

A simple kindness a day, that's my driver for today, tomorrow and the days to come. At least one, be it returning trays to the Tray Counter, giving up a seat for the needy, donating money for charity, or even as simple as making my mother smile. How do you measure your success in life? =)

Put a plug to it and start acting

2008-12-23T14:50:00.005+08:00

Have you ever been into a discussion, which leads on to backbiting without us realising it? Sometimes, to the point of condemning other people. I hate the kind of feeling when in the heat of discussion, we go on generalising how bad a community is. Then move on to detailing the bad things that people do, even to saying "And also look at the ITEs ... It's like a malay kampong." Are ITEs that bad? At least they're getting education. And mind you, a friend of mine is a 10-pointer for O'level, yet he CHOSE to go to ITE. They're not stupid. And not all school drop-outs are stupid. They just learn things about life the difficult way.

Yes, I know it exists. But aren't we taught to hide people's flaws? Why can't discussions be more objective or more encouraging?

Yeah, there's always the bad apples, but there's no appreciation of those who go direct to the ground level to try and fix things in the community. Yeah, we can go on condemning that the Malay grassroots and MMOs aren't doing enough. Yeah, statistics will always show that our community will always be lagging behind. And yes, I understand that it is worrying that our young people are not fully equipped to succeed in the rat race. But, what do we do about it?

Have you ever been into a discussion, where it's just talk and talk and talk. Complain and complain and complain. But nothing really comes out of it. Because it's just talk. And actions usually speak louder than words.

As much as I don't want to accept the fact that we're sorely behind in education, I do not wish to condemn people, and not even recognising the efforts that the MMOs have been putting in for the community. The key word here is, EFFORT. But of course, to them, it's just NOT enough. -.-"

What about the rest of us? Complain that young malays will forever have that "rilek one corner" (relax at one corner and be idle) mentality yet we still do nothing about but just... talk? Try working with the youths at risk, it's not an easy thing to do. At the very least, there are people out there who pour their hearts out sacrificing their lives helping other people who don't want to help themselves. Do we see US doing that? Yet, there are people out there who will continue to sit behind a pc and talk and talk and talk, complain and complain and complain, despite all the efforts.

I realised I don't want to fall into that anymore. I want to put my words, into action.

Why are we so affected by figures that we don't even bother to worry about what's more important in life? Our duty to Him. Our duty to Him includes education as a whole, not just secular education per se.

My point is, if everyone was to understand the importance of religion, to have an Allah-centred life, we would be successful in life, even in education. For seeking knowledge is an important part of Islam. Islam encompass everything, when will people ever realise that?

If you feel so much for the cause, stop talking, stop discussion. Get in direct contact with these poeple who needs some waking up and do something about it. Because you're only opening a door for other to backbites others.

The Bucket List

2008-12-17T14:19:00.005+08:00

Bored. Boring. Boredom.

I'm actually rather sick of hearing people who keep on saying they're bored. I mean, is life that boring? One would not be bored if one were to find something to do. And I am very sure there are many things to do, don't you think? Everyone seems so busy and preoccupied with things, so I find it rather hard to believe that anyone has nothing to do. Actually, that empty space is the perfect time for dzikrullah, apart from the fact that it should be every moment in our life. So, dzikr when you suddenly feel that you have nothing to do, for everyone of us has an important purpose in life. ;)

"And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should worship Me." - Surah Adh-Dhariyat, Verse 56

And if you feel a tad more hardworking, open up *like Maria loves to say it* The Scripture. It'll be your best bed-side companion, as I have discovered. =)

Ohhh.. I realised another pet peeve today. Talking to moody people. May be insignificant, but it sure is annoying. Period.

Anyways, I was tagged by Shimaa a few weeks back. I still owe her the list. I wouldn't think she would remember, but she did. I completely forgotten about it, until I stumbled upon a sister's blog from US, detailing her bucket list just now. And so, here it is.

As usual, being the curious person that I am, I did a little research on what this list is all about, after a brief explanation from her. Did a google and retrieved the answer. The Bucket List is actually a movie, aired last year. I've not been much of a movie buff as of late, that I didn't even know this movie existed. Haha!

Anyways, it's a story of two, terminally ill men who were diagnosed with cancer and had only a few months left to live. One of the character wrote out a "bucket list", things that he wants to do, before he "kicks the bucket". Not wanting to spoil the script for those who hasn't watch it, the two set out on a journey to fulfill that bucket list. I think I shall buy the DVD one day. Seems like a good story. =)

My Bucket List will comprise of things I may or may not be able to do. Traditionally in the movie, Morgan Freeman listed 17. I shall do the same and will break them into two parts, things I may be able to do, and things I've always dreamed of doing. I tag ANYONE who has "free" time to do this.

My Bucket List:

Learn Arabic and fully comprehend texts in Arabic.
Go on an overseas expedition trip.
Bring my parents for Hajj.
Marry a God-fearing man.
Amar ma'aruf nahi munkar, Enjoining of good and forbidding evil. It's a tough thing to do sometimes.
A private, married Islamic life.
Be a certified climbing / abseiling instructor.
Finish the Quran with enunciating the proper tajwid.
Learn more about Islam. There's so much that we don't know.
My own Home.

Become a scientist / astronaunt / astronomer / doctor / vet / researcher / religious teacher / hafiz-ah.
Backpacking the globe and discover how Islam is practised all around the world.
Mountain climbing.
Obtain super-powers and save the world from wars. Hmmm... maybe I can do this subtly. =P
Adopt a child.
Be more involved in community work. I still believe I'm lacking on that.
Migrate.

Yup, that's pretty much it. I don't know if I will ever carry out My Bucket List. I mean, who knows what the future holds, and only He knows when my time is up. Time is so precious and life is so fragile. What if it's tomorrow? Gosh... I'm truly unprepared for that. Are we ready to see our "scale"? =S

In Advanced... and I screwed my Multiply template. HAHA!

2008-11-25T10:02:00.000+08:00

So I screwed up my Multiply layout. =P

I was in the process of tweaking a layout for a friend, and I shot myself in the foot by trying it out on this account. *bleargh* I didn't save the layout in my HDD, so yeah, I'm trying to figure out the HTMLs again after MONTHS of not touching it.

I'm almost there.. kinda stuck with the white foreground. Couldn't quite figure out how to get it off. Anyone can help? Somehow, I miss those days of designing templates for blogspot. My PC crashed, so yeah, no more Adobe Photoshop till I have enough money to fix it. I can make do without it. =)

Anyways, been getting advanced gifts these days. As advanced as 1 week before. *faint* I don't know how many times must I say this. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE MONEY ON ME! I must POST and WRITE this up. I already "warned" some of you already. =P

2 watches, a book and Body Shop products. Lemme see.. $120 + $100** + $30** + $20** = $250!! *though I must say, the book is what I wanted. though I just couldn't find the time to seek out for it. yay! haha!*

Not that I'm not grateful and thankful or appreciative of it.. But...

Wei!!!.. $250 is enough for my transport for 2 months. Enough for my kids primary school education for half a year. Enough for me to do Qurban. haiyo.. better to give me money right? =P $10 oso can. it's enough for my transport for 3 days. Or food. XD or better still, donate it to charity for me. I get the reward, you also get the rewards.

I said it before and I'll say it again. I don't want anything for my birthday. If you insist on getting me something, then, make something. I've always treasured things which are hand-made, especially of recyled items. They're all kept in my Chestbox of Memories. =)

But, the best present of all, would be prayers. Do du'a for me. That's all that I need right now. And more than I could ever ask for.

Qurban 1429H for the Needy

2008-11-21T09:02:00.003+08:00

From Brother Khairu's Blog..
Qurban for Refugees from Palestine and Darfur
Qurban and Compassion The tale of a father and his son
Qurban and Contributions

Saff Perdaus is humbled to be given the opportunity in organizing a Qurban campaign where canned "qurban" meat from Australia will be distributed to the refugees from Darfur and Palestine. Since, there are lack of electricity thus proper refrigeration, canned meat are the best form of contribution from us to them.

A goat is enough for 24 cans of meat which can help families to sustain for weeks if not months - something we take for granted here in Singapore.

For more information or to order - email to Sis Afifah (Executive Officer, Saff Perdaus): afifah@perdaus.org.sg or call us at 65132305 today.

A Test of Patience

2008-11-10T15:28:00.002+08:00

I never expected myself to be in this situation when I was younger. As a kid, one does not really think much about the future, much less how the bad things that can happen. But bad things do happen, and how we survive through it, matters.

I don't know how much longer I can hold, but I know by making that first step, it can put my mind and heart at ease.

It's uncanny that I chance upon these articles today, after all the tears flowing every few hours. I do feel useless now, but I know my future is bright. I know I will be stronger. I just wish I am strong enough now to solve the present.

*note: I don't really like putting up too many articles at one go. But I received all 3 articles on the same day at about the same timing. These articles serve as reminders for me especially. So pardon me by spoiling your eyes with too many words.

Thank you Kak Mariah, thank you Kak Iszra, thank you Ustaz for making me smile on this rainy day. And thank you sis Ramiza for allowing me to share part of your article on my blog.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Imâm Ahmad said: “Allâh has mentioned patience in the Qur’ân in ninety places.” Here,we will list the different contexts in which patience appears.

1. Instruction. Patience in enjoined upon believers: “And be patient for your patience is but by Allâh…” (an-Nahl 16:127). “Now await in patience the command of your Lord…” (at-tûr 54:48).

2. That which is opposite to patience is forbidden: “…and be in no haste about the (unbelievers)…” (al-Ahqâf 46:35). “So lose not heart nor fall in despair…” (Al ‘Imrân 3:139). “…and be not like the Companion of the Fish (i.e. Yûnus [AS]) –when he cried out in agony” (al-Qalâm 68:48).

3. Patience is made a condition of success and prosperity: “O you who believe!Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allâh; that you may prosper” (Al ‘Imrân 3:200).

4. The rewards of those who exercise patience will be doubled: “Twice will they be given their reward, for that they have persevered…” (al-Qasas 28:54). “…Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!” (az-Zumar 39:10).

Sulaymân ibn Qâsim said that the reward of every deed is known, except for the reward of patience, which will be like heavy rain.

5. Patience and îmân are prerequisites for leadership in religion: “And We appointed,from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our commands, so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our Signs” (as-Sajdah 32:24).

6. Patience is the way to earn the companionship of Allâh: “…and be patient and persevering: for Allâh is with those who patiently persevere” (al-Anfâl 8:46). Abû Alî ad-Daqqaq said: “People who have patience are the true winners in this world and the next, because they have the companionship of Allâh.”

7. Allâh will reward those who have patience with a threefold reward: blessings, mercy and guidance: “…but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere – who say, when afflicted with calamity: ‘To Allâh we belong, and to Him is our return’ – they are those on whom (descend) blessings from their Lord, and Mercy and they are the ones that receive guidance” (al-Baqarah 2:155-7). When people came to offer their condolences to one of the salaf, for some calamity that had befallen him, he said: “Why should I not practice patience, when Allâh has promised those who have patience three rewards, each of which is better than this world and everything in it?”

8. Patience is a means of seeking Allâh’s help: “…seek (Allâh’s) help with patient perseverance and prayer…” (al-Baqarah 2:45). So whoever has no patience has no help.

9. Patience and taqwâ are conditions for Allâh’s help and support: “Yea – if you remain firm, and act aright, even if the enemy should rush here on you in hot haste, your Lord would help you with five thousand angels making a terrific onslaught” (Al ‘Imrân 3:125).

10. Patience and taqwâ are a great protection against the cunning of enemies: “…But if you are constant and do right, not the least harm will their cunning do to you…” (Al‘Imrân 3:120).

11. The angels will salute the people of patience in Jannah: “…and angels shall enter unto them from every gate (with the salutation of): ‘Peace unto you for that you persevered in patience! Now how excellent is the final Home!’ ” (ar-Ra‘d 13:24).

12. Allâh made it permissible to treat our enemies no worse than they treat us, but He has made it clear that practising patience is better: “And if you do catch them out, catch them out no worse than they catch you out: but if you show patience, that is indeed the best (course) for those who are patient” (an-Nahl 16:126).

13. Allâh made patience and right actions a condition for forgiveness and great reward:“Not so those who show patience and constancy, and work righteousness; for themis forgiveness (of wrong actions) and a great reward!” (Hûd 11:11).

14. Allâh has made patience a standard of courage and determination in the conduct of one’s affairs: “But indeed if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs” (ash-Shûra 42:43) “(Luqmân said:) ‘O my son! …enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong:and bear with patient constancy whate’er betide you, for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs” (Luqmân 31:17).

15. Allâh has promised the believers His support and victory, and has said that they deserve this because of their patience: “…The fair promise of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because they had patience and constancy…” (al-A‘raf 7:137).

16. Allâh has made patience a condition of His love: “How many of the Prophets fought (in Allâh’s way), and with them (fought) large bands of godly men? But they never lost heart if they met with disaster in Allâh’s way, nor did they weaken (in will) nor give in. And Allâh loves those who are firm and steadfast (as-sâbirîn)” (Al ‘Imrân 3:146).

17. Allâh has made patience a condition of receiving many blessings: “But those who had been granted (true) knowledge said: ‘Alas for you! The reward of Allâh (in the Hereafter) is best for those who believe and work righteousness: but this none shall attain, save those who steadfastly persevere (in good)” (al-Qasas 28:80). “And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint – none but persons of the greatest good fortune” (Fussilât 41:35).

18. Allâh has mentioned that only those who practise patience and gratitude will benefit from the Signs of Allâh: “Do you not see that the ships sail through the Ocean by the grace of Allâh? – that He may show you of His Signs? Verily in this are Signs for all who constantly persevere and give thanks” (Luqmân 31:31). “And among His Signsare the ships, smooth-running through the ocean, (tall) as mountains. If it be His Will, He can still the Wind: then they would become motionless on the back of the (ocean). Verily in this are Signs for everyone who patiently perseveres and is grateful” (ash-Shûra 42:32-33).

19. Allâh praised Ayyûb (AS) for his patience: “…Truly We found him full of patience and constancy, how excellent in Our service! Ever did he turn (to Us)!” (Sâd 38:44). Allâh described Ayyûb (AS) as excellent because of his patience, so the person who fails to exercise patience when it is necessary will be regarded as a failure and a sinner.

20. Allâh has given a general ruling that whoever does not have faith and does not belong to the people of truth and patience, is in state of loss. This means that the only true winners are people of patience: “By (the Token of) Time (through the Ages), verily Man is in loss, except such as have Faith, and do right actions, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of the Truth, and of Patience and Constancy” (al-‘Asr 103:1-3)

Commenting on this sûrah, Imâm ash-Shâfi‘î said: “If people thought deeply on this sûrah, it would provide enough guidance, as man cannot attain perfection without perfecting these two things, his knowledge and his actions, i.e. his faith and right actions.As he is required to perfect himself, so he is required to perfect others, which is joining together in mutual teaching of the truth. The foundation of all this is patience.”

21. Allâh has mentioned that the main characteristic of those who attain salvation is patience and compassion: “Then will he be of those who believe and enjoin patience,(constancy, and self-restraint), and enjoin deeds of kindness and compassion. Such are the companions of the right had” (al-Balad 90:18).

22. Allâh has mentioned patience alongside the pillars of Islâm and îmân, as He has mentioned it alongside sâlah: “Nay, seek (Allâh’s) help with patient perseverance and prayer…” (al-Baqarah 2:45); alongside right actions: “Not so those who show patience and constancy, and do right actions; for them is forgiveness (of wrong actions) and a great reward” (Hûd 11:11); alongside gratitude (shukr): “…Verily in this are Signs for everyone who patiently perseveres and is grateful” (ash-Shûra 42:32-33); alongside truth: “…and (join together) in the mutual teaching of truth, and of patience and constancy” (al-‘Asr 103:1-3); alongside compassion: “…those who believe and enjoin patience, (constancy, and self-restraint), and enjoin deeds of kindness and compassion…” (al-Balad 90:17); alongside faith: “…so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our Signs” (as-Sajdah 32:24); alongside truth: “…for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant…”

Source :
Patience and Gratitude
By Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah
An abridgement of his original work entitled, “Uddat as-Sâbireen wa Dhâkirat ash-Shâkireen” ©
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The roller-coaster ride and Key to patience

AS we travel through life, we find ourselves in one of two situations. Either something good is happening in our lives, in which case as Muslims our role is to thank Allah for the blessing, or something bad or something we dislike is happening to us, and our role then is to be patient. This is the formula for a happy life, a life cruising towards earning the pleasure of Allah. Sabr (patience) or Shukr (gratitude), the worry stops here.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

"Strange is the affair of the believer. Verily, all his affairs are good for him. If something pleasing befalls him, he thanks (Allah) and it becomes better for him. And if something harmful befalls him he is patient (Saabir) and it becomes better for him. And this is only for the believer." (Saheeh Muslim)

Ibn Al-Jawzi said, "If this world was not a station of tests it would not be filled with sicknesses and filth. If life were not about hardship, then the prophets and the pious would have lived the most comfortable of lives. Nay, Adam suffered test after test until he left the world. Nuh cried for 300 years. Ibrahim was thrown into a pit of fire and later told to slaughter his son. Ya'qub cried until he became blind. Musa challenged Pharaoh and was tested by his people. 'Isa had no provision except the morsels his disciples provided him with. And Muhammad (peace be upon him) met poverty with patience as his uncle, one of the most beloved relatives to him, was slain and mutilated, and his people disbelieved in him ... and the list of prophets and the pious goes on and on."

What happens to us happens by the will of Allah. It is a pillar of our Imam that we believe in Qada'a and Qadr, and that we are pleased with Allah's choice. Good or seemingly bad, it is the test of this world. How can we imagine that we shall not be tested when those who were better than us suffered?

Al-Hasan Ibn Arafah narrated that he visited Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal after he was whipped and tortured by the Khalifa for not budging from the truth (the Khalifa insisted that the Qur'an was created, while the truth is that the Qur'an is the word of Allah, His speech).

He said to him, "O Abu Abdllah, you have reached the station of the Prophets!"

He said, "Keep quiet. Verily, I saw nothing more than people selling their Deen and I saw scholars who were with me, sell their faith. So I said to myself, 'Who am I, what am I? What am I going to say to Allah tomorrow when I stand in front of Him and He asks me, 'Did you sell your Deen like the others did?'"

He continued, "So I looked at the whip and the sword and chose them. And I said, 'If I die, I shall return to Allah and say that I was told to say that one of Your Attributes was something created but I did not say. "After that, it will be up to Him - either to punish me or be Merciful to me."

Al-Hasan Bin Arafah then asked, "Did you feel pain when they whipped you?"

He said, "Yes, I felt the pain up to 20 lashes then I lost all feeling (They whipped him over 80 times). After it was over I felt no pain and that day I prayed Dhuhr standing."

Al-Hasan Bin Arafah started weeping when he heard what had happened. Imam Ahmad questioned him, "Why are you crying? I did not lose my Imam. After that why should I care if I lose my life?"

These people were better than us, but this was how they were tested.

We must also remember that:

· Much of what befalls us is the direct result of our own sins. Allah:

"And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much." (Qur'an, 42:30)

Muhammad Bin Sireen used to say when his debts piled up and he felt sad, "I know that the cause of this sadness is a sin I committed over 40 years ago."

· People understand that when something bad happens it is a test from Allah. But even the good things that happen to us are a test. Allah says:

"And We tried them with good (blessings) and evil (calamities) in order that they might turn (to Allah's Obedience)." (Qur'an, 7:168)

Abdul Malik Bin Ishaq said, "There is no one that is not tested with health and prosperity to measure how thankful he is."

· Patience must be observed from the beginning, and there are things that contradict patience like tearing ones shirt, slapping ones face, and cursing and wailing.

Umm Salamah narrates that she heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:

"Any Muslim who says when a calamity befalls him that which Allah commanded him: 'To Allah we belong and to him we return. O Allah reward me in this calamity and give me better than it' - Allah will grant him better than (that which he lost)." (Sahih Muslim)

· The hardships that befall us distinguish the true believers from the insincere ones. Shumayt Bin Ajlaan said, "The pious and the ungrateful are hidden by health, when calamities befall the two men are separated (by how they react)."

Allah asks in the Qur'an:

"Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: "We believe," and will not be tested. And We indeed tested those who were before them..." (Qur'an, 29:2-3).

Allah's glad tidings for the patient ones:

And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.).

Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: "Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return."

"They are those on whom are the Salawat (blessings) (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones." (Qur'an, 2:155-157)

Key to patience

Always remember we are on a journey and the destination is the Hereafter - Paradise or Hell. We shall be leaving the world behind us and we will return back to Allah. This is what needs our focus. If Allah is pleased with us then no worry. If He is not pleased with us then all worry.

Types of Patience

Patience in the obedience of Allah. For example, one must be patient and perform their Fajr Salah regularly at its appointed time.

Patience in not disobeying Allah. Leaving sins and being consistent in avoiding them.

Patience in what Allah decrees for us. For example, if our child was to pass away we should be patient and seek the reward of Allah in our patience and say only that which is pleasing to Allah.
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When afflicted with calamity, people divide into four levels,
by Shaik Uthaymeen

Lowest level (Discontent)
a- In the heart - as if angry with Allaah - and so he rails against what Allaah has ordained for him [This is haram; could lead to kufr]
b- Invoking woe, destruction [Haram]
c- Physical - tearing clothes, slapping cheecks [Haram]

Second level (Patience)
So he considers it heavy, yet he bears it, although he hates it should occur and his eeman protects him - by Allaah's Permission - from discontent. So it happening and not happening are not the same to him. This is wajib (obligatory) , because Allaah commanded us to be patient: Surely, Allaah is with those who are As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). (Al-Anfal 8:46)

Third Level (Acceptance)
That a person accepts misfortune, so that its presence or absence is the same. Its (the calamity's) presence is not hard on him, and this is preferred, although not wajib.

Highest Level (Gratitude)
This is the highest level. It is by thanking Allaah for the misfortune which has befallen because he knows that this misfortune is a cause of his sins being remitted and it might be a cause of his reward being increased. The Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihiwasallam) said, "There is no misfortune that afflicts a Muslim except that Allaah remits a sin from him because of it, even the prick he receives from a thorn."
Source: fataawa on 'aqidah, pp. 193-194
from Ramiza's Blog

Obama wins!

2008-11-05T08:11:00.006+08:00

Obama wins historic

US election

Democratic Senator Barack Obama has been elected the first black president of the United States.

"It's been a long time coming, but tonight... change has come to America," the president-elect told a jubilant crowd at a park in Chicago.

His rival John McCain accepted defeat, saying "I deeply admire and commend" Mr Obama. He called on his supporters to lend the next president their goodwill.

The BBC's Justin Webb said the result would have a profound impact on the US.

"On every level America will be changed by this result... [it] will never be the same," he said.

Mr Obama captured the key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, before passing the essential figure of 270 electoral college votes at 0400 GMT, when projections showed he had also taken California and a slew of other states.

Then came the news that he had also seized Florida, Virginia and Colorado - all of which voted Republican in 2004 - turning swathes of the map from red to blue.

Several other key swing states are hanging in the balance.

In Indiana and North Carolina, with most of the vote counted, there was less than 0.5% between the two candidates.

However, the popular vote remains close. At 0440 GMT it stood at 51.1% for the Democratic Senator from Illinois, against 47.7% for Arizona Senator McCain.

The main developments include:

Mr Obama is projected to have seized Ohio, New Mexico, Iowa, Virginia, Florida, Colorado and Nevada - all Republican wins in 2004.
He is also projected to have won: Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Delaware, Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Maryland, Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island, California, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon.
Mr McCain is projected to have won: Kentucky, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Georgia, Louisiana, West Virginia, Texas, Mississippi, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, South Dakota.
Turnout was reported to be extremely high - in some places "unprecedented".
The Democrats made early gains in the Senate race, seizing seats from the Republicans in Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire and New Mexico.
Exit polls suggest the economy was the major deciding factor for six out of 10 voters.
Nine out of 10 said the candidates' race was not important to their vote, the Associated Press reported. Almost as many said age did not matter.

Several states reported a high turnout. It was predicted 130 million Americans, or more, would vote - more than for any election since 1960.

Many Americans said they felt they were voting in a historic election, not least because of the possibility of choosing the first African-American president.

Faton Fall, 40, a black voter queuing at a Baptist church in Chicago, said: "It means a lot to me. I'm overwhelmed. I can't say more."

Congressional race

There are also elections to renew the entire US House of Representatives and a third of US Senate seats.

Democrats are expected to expand majorities in both chambers.

They need to gain nine Senate seats to reach a 60-seat majority that would give them extra legislative power.

In the presidential vote, under the US Electoral College system, states are allocated votes based on their representation in Congress.

In almost every state, the winner gets all these college votes.

To become president, a candidate needs to win a majority across the country - 270 college votes out of a possible 538.

The presidential election has been the most expensive in US history - costing $2.4bn, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Source
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have never been a big fan of politics. On one hand, I am not surprised nor jubilant that Obama won. But, this is definitely the first for a change. Historic indeed..
Will we see more change in the future to come? Will he deliver?
Whatever the case is, I'm just glad Bush is OUT. LOL!!..

Amar Maaruf Nahi Mungkar..

2008-11-04T11:25:00.000+08:00

I was surfing the internet when i came upon a khutbah issued by MUIS back in 2001.

"Jihad is striving for amar maaruf wa nahi mungkar. It is fighting for Truth, striving for the good. And it is fighting against all deviation and evil. Jihad is the responsibility of every man and woman to help others and save them from the punshiment of the Hereafter. That is why, a Muslim should not pray for evil to fall upon others. Instead, a Muslim prays for hidayah and guidance for his brothers and sisters. A Muslim prays that all of Mankind is guided to the truth. A Muslim prays for even his kufr enemy to be blessed with hidayah. Why? Because we want the hikmah of jihad to be realised. We want our Jihad to call people to Islam, to help them realise the Truth and come into goodness. That is our responsibility."

Of course, it is always easier said than done. Of course, it is always easier to do amar maaruf then to nahi mungkar. despite da'wah bil hikmah.

"...we worked so hard to build on our amal.. on collecting our good deeds to seek mardhotillah, but it takes just an instance, a second for all our hard work to be erased by a simple sin committed.."

Ya Allah... oh how I've sinned all these while. All those seen and unseen committed sins.. Oh how strong the Devil's whispers... I pray that we are all in Your Protection always, Ya Allah..

My Personality Report

2008-10-20T09:37:00.000+08:00

Just did a personality test over at jobscentral.com

hmmmmmm... what do you think? honestly, some wrong, but mostly right. oh well... =D

___________________________________________

Results for Rufihaza Binti Ramlee

At a Glance

• Works hard, puts in long hours and keeps busy with work.

• Punctual, completes work on time.

• Sees people as nice and friendly, not comfortable to wheel and deal.

• A good supporter of others.

• Orderly, methodical and systematic, takes care to plan in detail.

• Less expressive verbally.

While at Work

Diligence and discipline are characteristics of Ms Rufihaza's work attitude. She is often pre-occupied with the tasks at hand. As she derives satisfaction from being immersed in work and thrives on being involved, expect Ms Rufihaza to put in long and extended hours at work.

Time is a major concern for Ms Rufihaza. She is frequently punctual and even early for appointments. When time is critical, she moves quickly and acts promptly. Having a sense of urgency means that Ms Rufihaza pushes to get things done when there is a deadline and allocates time properly when planning or organising activities. She can be depended upon to get work done on schedule.

Ms Rufihaza generally will persist with work until it is completed but may at times not complete her tasks.

Ms Rufihaza is able to produce work that is moderately high in quality but she may at times be careless.

Ms Rufihaza is generally objective but may at times be emotional.

Although Ms Rufihaza is usually a sympathetic person, she may at times be selective about being involved in the personal problems of people.

Ms Rufihaza is friendly and outgoing when she is with friends although she may at times prefer to be quiet.

Ms Rufihaza selectively forms strong bonds with people although these bonds may not be very deep.

Ms Rufihaza is moderately serious about her responsibilities and selectively takes ownership of her work.

Ms Rufihaza is moderately concerned with prestige, rank and reputation.

Ms Rufihaza sees people as friendly, reliable and honest. She is trusting and believes what people say. She tends to be unsuspecting of people.s behaviour and motives. She is uncomfortable when she has to wheel and deal.

A good supporter to the people around her, Ms Rufihaza does not desire to lead or influence people. She is uncomfortable taking charge and does not feel the thrill of challenge in leading others. She prefers to responds rather than initiate. She looks to others to provide direction and does not naturally want to persuade or motivate others to take a certain course of action.

Ms Rufihaza is as keen to explore abstract concepts when the topic appeals to her and she is as interested to discuss theoretical issues as the average person.

Being orderly, methodical and systematic, Ms Rufihaza spends considerable time planning ahead and organizing activities. She ensures that programmes are scheduled properly and takes care to plan in detail. Formulating procedures and policies is her forte.

Ms Rufihaza is not an expressive person and may have difficulty expressing her ideas, thoughts or plans. Her language ability may not be strong and she could be described as a person of few words.

Ms Rufihaza is generally able to tolerate some uncertainty although she would be uncomfortable if uncertainty or changes increase.

Summary
You have received this report because you have completed your Personality Profiling on JobsCentral. You may or may not understand the information fully. However do take a moment to reflect bearing in mind that your decisions are based on these sub-dimensions. This report can help you understand yourself better once you start making use of the information. You can contact C-VAT at enquiries@c-vat.com for further assistance on interpreting this report. Consultation fees applies.

WORK
A Hard Work 19
B Time 16
C Finish Job 11
P Good Work 15

RELATIONS
D Affection 11
E Empathy 12
F Sociability 11
G Loyalty 13

CONTROL
H Dominance 13
I Status 11
J Politics 5
K Leadership 8

THOUGHT
L Abstraction 14
M Planning-Organizing 20
N Exposition 10
O Tolerance Ambiguity 11

Visualization

that crossroad of my life

2008-10-15T06:01:00.000+08:00

I have never thought as being in love, or making the decision to get married and settle down as one of the crossroads in my life. I've never made it a priority that it is an important and big decision. I guess I couldn't care less.

But I always made finding a job a very important decision. I took upon this lab technician job because, not only you really just "work" a few hours a day, I get to study and do research during my free time at work. It's periodic. As in, it's only busy during stable period of curriculum time (less of clashes with concerts, workshops, outings, school days, school functions, etc) or during exam period such as SPA and O'levels.

On top of that, you're a civil servant, enjoy great benefits and bonuses. I couldn't ask for more, except for replacements of a few teachers I particularly do not like to work with. I have no qualms except for working with that nonya. And also the constant carrying of things up and down the 3 storeys of labs.

The P offered me a post this morning while I was tapping in at the General Office. She asked if I was interested in teaching. Of course, I said, "Yes!" So she went on saying about Allied Educators, currently known as Education Associate (EDA) in many primary and secondary schools. When I was a relief teacher back at Gongshang Pri, I had met and worked with a few of them, specifically, Special Needs Officers (SNOs). Gongshang Pri is unique in the sense that they accept students with special needs, and I had one autistic kid in my class. These officers would periodically come in and work with the students. They aide the teachers along, giving feedbacks and tips on how to work with these brilliant students.

What are they?

Allied educators (AED) partner teachers to nurture and develop every child in school. They can be AED (Counselling) who provides social and emotional support to students, AED (Learning and Behavioural Support) who guides the learning of students with special educational needs or AED (Teaching and Learning) who co-teaches/teaches subjects and assists with pastoral care and co-curricular programmes.

I found out that working hours would be the same, 42 hours a week. A year's bond. The pay is also about what I'm getting now. Furthermore, you'll be just like the rest of the civil servants. The only big difference between what I'm doing now and that post is that, I get to teach, and work with youth. I'll be just like a teacher, but more of aiding the students in schoolwork, and even in their lives. I would also have to come up with programmes that would enhance Teaching and Learning. A good prospect. There are career developments and advancement opportunites. You can go on into teaching in the future. One of my passion is teaching. That is why I provide tuition. At the expense of not getting much pay, because I always believe that education should always be free. And I love working with youths, they have so much potential in life.

I've applied for teaching 5 times, and I've gone for the interview twice, only to be rejected in the end. Come to think of it, I'm always going at the wrong timing.

What about my diploma? Biomedical Science, Pharmaceutical Science track. Should I abandon medicine just like that, 3 whole years of tertiary poly education gone down the drain. Or should I move back into the pharmaceutical industry? I will definitely get a pay cut, but I want to work part-time, now that I'm going to be the sole breadwinner of my family. Need to find a place to rent. Need to support for sis further studies. And I want to further studies as well! Being a civil servant, you are not allowed to work part-time. And I used to love working in Guardian. I love the service industry! Helping customers, attending to their needs, explaining about medicines. If I get to become a pharmacy technician, I can also dispense medicines at Guardian itself! And you just keep on learning more about the current biomedical industry.

Haiz.. I'm truly lost. =S

in the midst of doing my assignment

2008-10-13T18:53:00.001+08:00

kids will always top the day.

Kick His What?

lol! the most funniest video ever! wait for the 3rd baby.

Where the hell is Matt? - 2008

2008-10-13T15:07:00.001+08:00

okay larh... so maybe today is tube day. but you just got to love the one in India.

14 months in the making, 42 countries, and a cast of thousands.

now that's the kinda trip that i wanna go on. =P

when it rained

2008-10-13T14:07:00.003+08:00

class 95's playing lady rain. sometimes, the whole environment just fits your current mood, without you wanting it. just like yesterday morning, when i was having breakfast alone while awaiting my friend at Delifrance *i ate twice, once before my friend's arrival, twice after my friend's arrival. whooops!*. anyways, i was wondering away, waiting for my meal to be served *which took quite some time*, and i must say, i was feeling low. and these songs just had to go on air.

nothing's gonna change my love for you - original rendition by glenn medeiros
glory of love - peter cetera
don't know much - aaron neville & linda ronstadt
i swear - all for one
love me - collin raye

like.. what the heck man. as much as i love old sappy love songs, i just wasn't in the mood. brought back too many memories. *dush!*

on a happy note, i know this is superbly old, okay, not THAT old since it's this year still, but i just LOVE discovery's ad!

boom dee ya da people! i love the whole world!!!!..

The Veil (Hijab)

2008-10-08T12:00:00.001+08:00

The Veil By Dawud Wharnsby Ali

They say, "Oh, poor girl, you're so beautiful you know
It's a shame that you cover up your beauty so."
She just smiles and graciously responds reassuringly,
"This beauty that I have is just one simple part of me.
This body that I have, no stranger has the right to see.
These long clothes, this shawl I wear, ensure my modesty.
Faith is more essential than fashion, wouldn't you agree?

This hijab,
This mark of piety,
Is an act of faith, a symbol,
For all the world to see.
A simple cloth, to protect her dignity.
So lift the veil from your heart to see the heart of purity.

They tell her, "Girl, don't you know this is the West and you are free?
You don't need to be opressed, ashamed of your femininity."
She just shakes her head and she speaks so assuredly,

"See the bill-boards and the magazines that line the check-out isles, with their phony painted faces and their air-brushed smiles?
Well their sheer clothes and low cut gowns are really not for me.
You call it freedom, I call it anarchy."

This hijab,
This mark of piety,
Is an act of faith, a symbol,
For all the world to see.
A simple cloth, to protect her dignity.
So lift the veil from your heart to see the heart of purity.
Lift the veil from your heart and seek the heart of purity.

__________________________________________________

I'm proud to be a veiled Muslim woman! =)

Human Relations Program

2008-10-07T15:10:00.004+08:00

Like finally?! Finally what? Finally reverting back to blogspot. Although I must admit, I was getting used to Multiply. I love the cross-posting. However, Multiply still failed at being user-friendly.

If only Blogger had that "Access: Individuals" function, then everything would be purrrrrrrrrrfect.

Anyways, I received two chain mail yet again. Don't people just use their brain to think or something? Okay, pardon my arrogance, but I SERIOUSLY HATE, no, ABHOR chain mails.

However, something got me smiling today. In the midst of surfing the internet, I came across this. Crack me up for a while. Enjoy.

________________________________________________________

When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her someplace expensive…
so, I took her to a gas station…
and then the fight started…

********

After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security.
The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver’s license to verify my age.
I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home.
I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later.
The woman said, ‘Unbutton your shirt’.
So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair.
She said, ‘That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me’ and she processed my Social Security application.
When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office.
She said, ‘You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability, too’.
And then the fight started…

********

My wife and I were sitting at a table at my high school reunion, and I kept staring at a drunken lady swigging her drink as she sat alone at a nearby table.
My wife asked, ‘Do you know her?’
‘Yes,’ I sighed, ’she’s my old girlfriend. I understand she took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear she hasn’t been sober since.’
‘My God!’ says my wife, ‘Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?’
And then the fight started…

********

I rear-ended a car this morning.
So, there we were alongside the road and slowly the other driver got out of his car.
You know how sometimes you just get soooo stressed and little things just seem funny?
Yeah, well I couldn’t believe it… he was a DWARF!!!
He stormed over to my car, looked up at me, and shouted, ‘I AM NOT HAPPY!!!’
So, I looked down at him and said, ‘Well, then which one are you?’
And then the fight started…

********

A woman is standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror.
She is not happy with what she sees and says to her husband,
‘I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.’
The husband replies, ‘Your eyesight’s darn near perfect’.
And then the fight started…

Medical Therapies = SPA Therapies?

2008-10-06T13:47:00.002+08:00

So the recent fad is the Fish Spa Therapy.. One wonders what it is all about.

Let's take a look.

Traditionally, fish spa therapy is used as a temporary cure of symptoms for patients with psoriasis. Patients allow these doctor fishes to consume dead and excess skin that grows on psoriasis lesions, leaving behind new skin cells to grow. These two species of doctor fishes, scientifically called, Garra Rufa (thank god it's not Rufi =P) and Cyprinion macrostomus. The species used in the local outlets (Kampong Fish Therapy, Qian Hu Fish Farm and Underwater World) is Garra Rufa.

A fellow multiply-ian, Kak Izsra, has went for it, and it seems that her verdict is good about the therapy. Well, we're seeing a trend of medicinal therapy going mainstream these days. Question is, would anyone try another medical therapy that I am going to disucss about, if it ever goes mainstream? It's definitely not meant for the faint-hearted. =D

Leech Therapy

What are leeches? Leeches are small little squirmy creatures that feed on small invertebrates. Leeches can consume 4-6 times their body weight in a single feeding. They would attach themselves to their host and stay there until they are big and full, in which they would tumble off to digest. There's a joke about leech and lawyer. Both sucks you dry, but the leech stops when you're dead. =P I believe for those who have been to camps that involved walking around swamps would have definitely come across leeches before. *shivers at that memory*

The unique thing about leeches is that they release chemicals as they feed, specifically, an anesthetic, which allows the host not to feel anything as they feed on the host, and an anti-clotting enzyme, which prevents the blood from clotting, into the bloodstream of the host.
It is this anti-clotting enzyme that makes it highly recommended to be used in the medical world, especially when it comes to microsurgery and reattaching of limbs. It in the event where surgeons have troubles in reattaching the veins due to its nature, leeches are summoned to the rescue for that specific duty. It allows oxygenated blood to flow to the vein / wound and allows healing to occur (new blood fed to the wound).

"In 1985, a Harvard physician was having great difficulty in reattaching the ear of a five-year-old child; the tiny veins kept clotting. He decided to use leeches and the ear was saved. This success established leeches in the modern medical world. Since then, leeches have saved lives and limbs, reducing severe and dangerous venous engorgement post-surgery in fingers, toes, ear, and scalp reattachments; limb transplants; skin flap surgery; and breast reconstruction."

Recently, a Hollywood star admitted to using leech therapy. Demi Moore said that detoxifies your blood and it's her secret to looking fabulously young. This is, however, not scientifically proven.

Would you try it for detoxification / beautification purposes? I heard it's used in treatment in varicose veins. Would you try this to get rid of those unsightly veins on your legs?

I'd never do it, even if it's proven to make us look 20 years younger, I'll NEVER do it. Unless, if it ever happens that one of my limbs wishes to be separated from me, i wouldn't hesitate to scream for the leech!!

Ohhh.. going out of topic, have you heard of another microsurgeon?

Maggot Therapy

As the name goes, this therapy involves maggot. Eeeeewww! Eeeeewww you, these microsurgeons are heroes for gangrene, which is the common complication for diabetic patients. Also, have you heard of MRSA? It's the bacteria infamously known as your, Flesh Eating Bug / Bacteria. (*note: It does not eat up your flesh, but rather, destroys the skin and muscles by releasing toxins).

Being selective, maggots only eat dead tissues. So, when you smack a pile of disinfected maggots onto a gangrenous wound, these hungry monsters would start gobbling up all the dead stuff, leaving behind only the living tissues. Viola! You have just the healthy tissue growing.

Not your nomal maggots though. Only greenbottle fly species because its maggots does not eat into living flesh, other species do.

I've said enough about microsurgeons for today, so... do view this website and watch this vid. You'll be amazed!

p/s: I'm addicted to ORLivedotcom @ youtube. I should have been a doctor. baaaahhh!!.. I seriously miss being in the biomed industry!!!!...

Of its Departure

2008-09-30T13:46:00.001+08:00

It rained yesterday. I stood by the window in the lab, wondering away...

Have I become a better muslimah than the previous Ramadhan? Have I truly changed from within? Have I done more deeds than the previous Ramadhan?

Indeed, I'd never thought that I would get to perform as much Qiyaam and Tadarus than the previous Ramadhan. I didn't even know what Qiyaam was all about until towards the end of the previous Ramadhan. However, I felt that I didn't do much for the community. I should have given more on that part.

However, the main questions still remained. Has He accepted my ibadah? Will He accept it?

As Ramadhan ends, I feel so much at a loss. I feel even sadder than before. Ramadhan 1427H was more peaceful for me. The turning point when I embarked that change.

Ramadhan 1429H is just too colourful for me. Too colourful at home to be exact. But, Allah is forever listening. Something that I had wished for so long to happen, happened this Ramadhan. And that was more than I could ever ask for.

Alhamdulillahi rabbil 'alamin..

Supplicate, always supplicate, and don't ever give up hope in Him, my friends. Let us not stop performing these amal maa'ruf even after Ramadhan. Let's not stop our continuous ibadah after Ramadhan..

Farewell Ramadhan..

تقبل الله منا ومنك
Taqqabbal Allahu minnaa wa minkum. Minal aidin wal fa'izin wal maqbullin.

Eid Mubarak to one and all, may you have a blessed eid with your loved ones.

Ramadhan: A Month of Weakness?

2008-09-19T13:45:00.000+08:00

"I want you to take my child out of PE!" a mother came barging in the General Office last Monday while I was drawing keys out for the labs. She was directing her comments to the Head of PE who was doing her work on the PC nearby.

To our minds, we were thinking, "Ohhh!.. Must be a girl!"

"I don't want you to allow my son to go for PE! Do you know that he came home weak and almost like fainting?! He was sick!" lambasted the mother to the PE teacher. Apparently, the boy did not inform the teacher. I believe he was afraid to, because the PE teacher is rather firm in her ways. However, she has always meant well. Looking at the "Fitness Club" students running and doing push-ups every few mornings, I could see she really wants the kids to shed some weights and be healthy.

The Principal who was walking around wondered what the commotion was all about. She asked about the ruckus, and as the mother explained, she said, "Oh, okay, he was sick, yes, he shouldn't be allowed to do PE for that period."

To which the mother replied, "It's not just about being sick. You shouldn't allow my son to do PE for the rest of the month. Don't you know it is the fasting month?!"

As far as all of us are concerned, the PE teachers do not ENFORCE the Muslims to do PE. Muslims are to do light PE. They cannot escape PE, but they are allowed to stop while exercising if they cannot handle it. Also, if one is sick, it is MAKRUH to fast, and SUNNAH to break it.

By then, I was already out of the GO. And with updates from my lab attendant, he told me that he was chided for not trying to help out with the situation since he was standing nearby. He responded to the Principal that when it comes to religion, he would not want to get involved, especially since his son is in the school, and his son does PE too. He wouldn't want to be seen as supporting the school and get a complaint from the mother to MOE, if that was to happen. I found out her son is in Secondary 2. And I was left wondering about our fellow young comrades in primary schools performing their ibadah, their fasts, enthusiastically.

To get the gist, when it commented that other Muslims had no problem doing PE, the mother replied, "I'm not talking about other people, I'm talking about my son."

All in all, is Ramadhan a month of weakness that we shouldn't be doing anything else but pure resting? When the incident occured, I suddenly remembered an article that was posted that morning itself in Berita Harian.

Ramadhan is a month of strength. A month of opportunity, a month of blessings. Isn't exercise, to keep one healthy, a form of ibadah too? Our body is an amanah given to us, and it is our responsibility to look after it, for the sake of Allah. And, have we forgotten the Battle of Badr? The very first war of Islam that Rasulullah saw and his companions partake, was in the month of Ramadhan itself.

When I was in secondary school, I recall sleeping alot during Ramadhan, complaining to mum that I lack the energy to do much. And yes, even during PE, we muslims used Ramadhan as an excuse to avoid 2.4km run. Mum was always nagging that I was wasting my fast away, and I shouldn't sleep while fasting.

However, a friend once said, even sleep is ibadah for a person who is fasting, quoting a hadith, much to my discovery later on in life, it was a weak one. (see: Commonly quoted weak hadiths).

So, my question is to you, should one NOT exercise during Ramadhan? Should parents STOP their children from doing PE? How should parents encourage their children to do otherwise?

From just this incident alone, we can see parents play a very important role in a child's upbringing. I've always thought, how a child turns out, solely depends on the family's upbringing.

Feeling like the least favourite child - Being a Malay Singaporean

2008-09-15T13:42:00.000+08:00

A very interesting article. Although, I have to disgree on one action of hers. The article somehow resonates how most of us feel I guess. Growing up, the phrase, WORK TWICE AS HARD, was like a dogma to me too. In the end, I didn't do well on that part unfortunately, although I had many chances to. Swallowed by disappointments and low self esteem, teen angst and rebellion just take over. Heh. I pray my kids will never follow my foot steps. eeekkk!..

Feeling like the least favourite child

By:NUR DIANAH SUHAIMI

Publication: The Straits Times 10/08/2008

Three writers share their hopes for Singapore this National Day

As a Malay, I’ve always been told that I have to work twice as hard to prove my worth. When I was younger, I always thought of myself as the quintessential Singaporean.

Of my four late grandparents, two were Malay, one was Chinese and one was Indian. This, I concluded, makes me a mix of all the main races in the country. But I later realised that it was not what goes into my blood that matters, but what my identity card says under “Race”.

Because my paternal grandfather was of Bugis origin, my IC says I’m Malay. I speak the language at home, learnt it in school, eat the food and practise the culture. And because of my being Malay, I’ve always felt like a lesser Singaporean than those from other racial groups.

I grew up clueless about the concept of national service because my father was never enlisted.

He is Singaporean all right, born and bred here like the rest of the boys born in 1955. He is not handicapped in any way. He did well in school and participated in sports.

Unlike the rest, however, he entered university immediately after his A levels. He often told me that his schoolmates said he was “lucky” because he was not called up for national service.

“What lucky?” he would tell them. “Would you feel lucky if your country doesn’t trust you?”

So I learnt about the rigours of national service from my male cousins. They would describe in vivid detail their training regimes, the terrible food they were served and the torture inflicted upon them – most of which, I would later realise, were exaggerations.

But one thing these stories had in common was that they all revolved around the Police Academy in Thomson. As I got older, it puzzled me why my Chinese friends constantly referred to NS as “army”. In my family and among my Malay friends, being enlisted in the army was like hitting the jackpot. The majority served in the police force because, as is known, the Government was not comfortable with Malay Muslims serving in the army. But there are more of them now.

Throughout my life, my father has always told me that as a Malay, I need to work twice as hard to prove my worth. He said people have the misconception that all Malays are inherently lazy.

I was later to get the exact same advice from a Malay minister in office who is a family friend.

When I started work, I realised that the advice rang true, especially because I wear my religion on my head. My professionalism suddenly became an issue. One question I was asked at a job interview was whether I would be willing to enter a nightclub to chase a story. I answered: “If it’s part of the job, why not? And you can rest assured I won’t be tempted to have fun.”

When I attend media events, before I can introduce myself, people assume I write for the Malay daily Berita Harian. A male Malay colleague in The Straits Times has the same problem, too.

This makes me wonder if people also assume that all Chinese reporters are from Lianhe Zaobao and Indian reporters from Tamil Murasu.

People also question if I can do stories which require stake-outs in the sleazy lanes of Geylang. They say because of my tudung I will stick out like a sore thumb. So I changed into a baseball cap and a men’s sports jacket – all borrowed from my husband – when I covered Geylang.

I do not want to be seen as different from the rest just because I dress differently. I want the same opportunities and the same job challenges.

Beneath the tudung, I, too, have hair and a functioning brain. And if anything, I feel that my tudung has actually helped me secure some difficult interviews.

Newsmakers – of all races – tend to trust me more because I look guai (Hokkien for well-behaved) and thus, they feel, less likely to write critical stuff about them.

Recently, I had a conversation with several colleagues about this essay. I told them I never thought of myself as being particularly patriotic. One Chinese colleague thought this was unfair. “But you got to enjoy free education,” she said.

Sure, for the entire 365 days I spent in Primary 1 in 1989. But my parents paid for my school and university fees for the next 15 years I was studying.

It seems that many Singaporeans do not know that Malays have stopped getting free education since 1990. If I remember clearly, the news made front-page news at that time.

We went on to talk about the Singapore Government’s belief that Malays here would never point a missile at their fellow Muslim neighbours in a war.

I said if not for family ties, I would have no qualms about leaving the country. Someone then remarked that this is why Malays like myself are not trusted. But I answered that this lack of patriotism on my part comes from not being trusted, and for being treated like a potential traitor.

It is not just the NS issue. It is the frustration of explaining to non-Malays that I don’t get special privileges from the Government. It is having to deal with those who question my professionalism because of my religion. It is having people assume, day after day, that you are lowly educated, lazy and poor. It is like being the least favourite child in a family. This child will try to win his parents’ love only for so long. After a while, he will just be engulfed by disappointment and bitterness.

I also believe that it is this “least favourite child” mentality which makes most Malays defensive and protective of their own kind.

Why do you think Malay families spent hundreds of dollars voting for two Malay boys in the Singapore Idol singing contest? And do you know that Malays who voted for other competitors were frowned upon by the community?

The same happens to me at work. When I write stories which put Malays in a bad light, I am labelled a traitor. A Malay reader once wrote to me to say: “I thought a Malay journalist would have more empathy for these unfortunate people than a non-Malay journalist.”

But such is the case when you are a Malay Singaporean. Your life is not just about you, as much as you want it to be. You are made to feel responsible for the rest of the pack and your actions affect them as well. If you trip, the entire community falls with you. But if you triumph, it is considered everyone’s success.

When 12-year-old Natasha Nabila hit the headlines last year for her record PSLE aggregate of 294, I was among the thousands of Malays here who celebrated the news. I sent instant messages to my friends on Gmail and chatted excitedly with my Malay colleagues at work.

Suddenly a 12-year-old has become the symbol of hope for the community and a message to the rest that Malays can do it too – and not just in singing competitions.

And just like that, the “least favourite child” in me feels a lot happier.

Each year, come Aug 9, my father, who never had the opportunity to do national service, dutifully hangs two flags at home – one on the front gate and the other by the side gate.

I wonder if putting up two flags is his way of making himself feel like a better-loved child of Singapore.

ndianah@sph.com.sg

rantings in the month of Ramadhan.. can i? just?.. scream?

2008-09-10T12:21:00.000+08:00

yep, it is indeed, the so-called "burn out period." sore throat, heavy eyebags, feverish forehead, aching joints, runny nose, your-what-nots. took MC on monday, and was put on Amoxycillin. there goes my 5 days of fasting, on top of the normal 7. gaaaah.. but stubborn as i am, i'm not sticking to the 3-times-a-day, 8-hourly schedule because i soooooooooo do not want to sacrifice my fast. =P

anyways, i didn't know organising a big event is so.... tiring. absorbed all of your energy. blame it on the late nights. when there's time to sleep, we didn't sleep. stayed up talking about things instead. kekekeke!!.. then again, i'm glad we girls stayed up. got to know more about that sister facilitator. i didn't think an event would affect her so much. i don't recall having such a hard time being a facilitator for my previous camps. but i'm glad she's much better now.

and as for kak Isz.. though i've known her for some time, i've never really got to work with her for a camp. last year's RR we weren't in the same group. not that we are now, but at least i got to work much closer with her now. she's great at coming up with tazkirahs. maklumlah, beralim. =P dah kak, takmu terbang tinggi2. =P

of course, with alot of back up from the rest of the sisters (afifah, kak nani, siti OOOOOooooOOO, mardhiah, etc).. i tell you, i think this year's Ramadhan Rocks betul punya sister power. okay, i can't wait for Go Girls Series, then it'd be extreme girl power! lol! i have alot to learn. especially about the Deen. waduh.. punya lah cetek. and we (sisters) still haven't got over that witr incident. =P

happiness aside, i finally sat down and typed out mum's resignation letter before i went for the camp. she's been bugging me to type it out for her. and when the letter was printed, i finally felt the whole weight on my shoulders. i started to think about what's going to happen in the future. mum really needs this break. she can't possibly work anymore. she's getting old. and her health isn't getting better.

so yeah, the whole responsibility to be the sole breadwinner of the family will be, yours truly. *faint* we also have plans to rent a house and move out from bik nah's place asap. but that would mean more moolah to find.

sometimes, i wish i was a man, so that i can really speak up to them. blood + money suckers. no, im not angry. and i can't help but label them these. why? because it's really true. so is it wrong for me to state facts? mum is doing most of the housework. and mind you, she does it even on her working days. and not only did i find out that mum is paying more than HALF of what was promised for the car, she's also paying for a lot of other things. promises promises promises.. rrrrrrrright.

so, there is a good thing in mum quitting her job. and men oh man, you're made a man, but you do not know your priorities, nor do you even act like a man, not the role-model to the family the way you should be. shame on you, oh men. not generalising or anything, but sad to say, i'm always meeting the weaker species of men. it'll only boost my feministic ego.

-_-" so not helping there.

her last day will be the end of Ramadhan. should i find myself a new job? *ponders*

The Flame

2008-08-27T21:42:00.000+08:00

"the silly voice is still haunting the head"..

it's been raining everyday for the past few days. *sighs* will it still be the same for ramadhan? after all, the meaning of ramadhan is "intensely heat". allahu 'alam.

Rain

2008-08-24T20:27:00.000+08:00

sundays are my intensive tuition days. as per normal, i set out in the early morning for tuition. i packed light for once. didn't want to carry so many assesment books, especially since i've prepared the things that i want to teach the day before. so anyways, i totally forgot to pack my umbrella at first. but before i left home, i saw mum's brolly on the dining table. rushing out, i took it and place it in my bag.

WHOOOSH! afternoon came, with heavy showers, and i thought i was all prepared. wrong!! the umbrella turned out to be.... SPOILT. -_____-"

i ended up being wet. my jeans were drenched. my hands were drenched. my bag was drenched. i was drenched all over, except for the front portion of me, from face all the way to the waist. was freezing cold in the bus and drain. haiz.

so, the moral of the story is.. *inspect your brolly before you leave home* LOL!

anyways, just to share the song of the day. or rather, the song that wouldn't want to leave my head for the whole day.

Someday When we are wiser, When the world's older, When we have learned. I pray Someday we may yet live To live and let live. Someday Life will be fairer, Need will be rarer Greed will not pay. God speed this bright millennium On its way. Let it come Someday. Someday Our fight will be won then, We'll stand in the sun then, That bright afternoon. Till then, on days when the sun is gone, We'll hang on, If we wish upon the moon. There are some days dark and bitter Seems we haven't got a prayer But a prayer for something better Is the one thing we all share Someday When we are wiser, When the world's older, When we have learned. I pray Someday we may yet live To live and let live Someday Life will be fairer, Need will be rarer Greed will not pay. God speed his bright millennium On its way. Let it come If we wish upon the moon One day Someday soon One day Someday soon gosh.. ramadhan's coming soon.. hopefully everything will be okay, bi iznillah!..

Don't know much

2008-08-19T08:33:00.001+08:00

Linda ronstadt featuring aaron neville
(barry mann/cynthia weil/tom snow)

Look at this face
I know the years are showin
Look at this life
I still dont know where its goin

I dont know much
But I know I love you
And that may be
All I need to know

Look at these eyes
They never seen what mattered
Look at these dreams
So beaten and so battered, hooooh

I dont know much
But I know I love you
And that may be
All I need to know

So many questions
Still left unanswered
So much
Ive never broken through

And when I feel you near me
Sometimes I see so clearly
The only truth Ive ever known
Is me and you

Look at this man
So blessed with inspiration
Look at this soul
Still searching for salvation

I dont know much
But I know I love you
And that may be
All I need to know

I dont know much
But I know I love you
That may be
All I need to know

I dont know much
But I know I love you
That may be
All there is to know, whoaohohohah
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i still do Abu Hurairah.

what a wonderful world

2008-08-17T20:17:00.000+08:00

today was a hectic day for me. the day began with publicity stunt at madrasah perdaus at 10.30am. then off for tution at 12pm till 1.30pm, then rush back to perdaus bedok for the next publicity stunt at 3pm, then off for another tuition at 4pm to 6pm. did alot of travelling today. and on top of that, i think my bag weighed 5kg today (there were 5 books, 3 assessments, and 2 texts), as i wanted to pass the text books to my tuition kid, and a dear friend added on the weight by passing me a thick stack of practice papers. -_-" i think i probably lost alot of weight as well today, with that much weight on my back, plus walking long distances to get to my destinations. phew!

tomorrow would be mum's 57th birthday. and as of now, i really have no idea what to do. i'm actually torn among choices. spend time with mum, funeral rites classes, or faci meeting at SAFF. eeeekkk!! definitely has to be choice number 1, no question asked. heh. i'm really hoping to rent a house soon. have gotten my friend to help seek out for me. i really need to get mum and sis out of this house soon. i'm dying inside living in this house. if only mum can see the bigger picture. haiz....

was going home just now when i noticed the moon brighter and more beautiful than usual. after having such sad nights for the pass few nights, it was really uplifting to see the beautiful moon. and it's the small things in life like this that makes life worth living. it was then when Yusuf Islam's, "The White Moon", started playing in my mind. and of the whole story how the it came about.. i can't wait for ramadhan to come. =)

before the clock strike midnight to wish mummy happy birthday, we (mum, me and sis) just slacked on the bed, watching "Marah Marah Sayang" on the tube. adush.. sungguh the memorable. i loved watching that movie when i was younger. tunes of the oldies has always been my faves. tee hee..

saper suker lagu nie angkat tangan?!

haiz.. i still miss you much. ='(

Just one last

2008-08-13T20:02:00.000+08:00

I know ______________________________, but I still ___________________________.

A Beautiful Poem

2008-08-11T11:41:00.000+08:00

was going through my email earlier, and I received this from Brother Hafiz Noorahman, sharing it with the whole team. beautiful indeed.

No matter how down we feel
And how much the sadness is real
We are willing to go the way
Even if the goal seems far away

Our aim is clear
And there is nothing to fear
Allah (swt) will help us surely
If we obeyed Him truly

There is nothing so hard
We just have to cross the yard
So let us do what we should
Or try to do what we could
Why not? What else shall we do?
Come on let us drive through and through

Are you happy with what we are?
I'm asking Muslims near and far
Don't you think it is enough?
Talking about silly stuff
Isn't it time to wake?
And give more than we take?

I'd leave the answers for you
And wait to see what we'll do……

as i read it, i'm reminded of surah al-asr, of the countless times we recite it after each discussions and meetings, and of absorbing the meaning. we are indeed in loss.. oh how have i wasted my time on unneccessary things

"By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy." (AL-ASR 103:1-3)

Ramadhan Rocks 2008: The Ultimate Thirst Quencher

2008-08-04T10:13:00.000+08:00

Ramadhan Rocks 2008

The Ultimate Thirst Quencher

Imagine this: In hot climate, one loses approximately 2.5 litres of water each day through normal bodily functions. 70 percent of the human body is made up of water and to counter dehydration, one needs to restore the proper balance of water in their body.

That is the natural thirst which must be quenched and be satisfied. But what about the thirst of the soul and mind?

Ramadhan Rocks 2008 by Saff-Perdaus, is all geared up to rehydrate the body, mind and soul by imbuing the positive message of Ramadhan through outdoor experiential learning.

Spurred by the achievements of Ramadhan Rocks 2006, Saff Perdaus organized an encore programme last year called Ramadhan Rocks v. Xtreme 1428, which received an overwhelming response from youths.

This year’s event is specially formulated to nourish and uplift the spiritual self through motivational reflections and challenge the human body’s limits, thus discovering new strength from within. With action-packed and exciting activities lined up, such as mass cycling, coupled together with high-rope activities, participants can expect an invigorating experience that will have great impact on their minds, hearts and their lives as a whole.

Ramadhan Rocks 2008 offers an optimal combination of physical and spiritual activities, such as mass prayer and breaking of fast by the beach, which promotes a sense of togetherness amongst the group as well as an opportunity for personal spiritual development in the peaceful atmosphere of the coast. This 2 nights - 2 days adventure camp also aims to emphasise the appreciation of the human body. The participants will be enlightened on the blessings and readily-functions of their limbs, as they participate in the vigorous sports while fasting.

Ramadhan Rocks 2008 will revolutionize the participants' perception of Ramadhan, as energizing, soulful and enriching. Not only that, by the end of this camp, the participants will feel more refreshed as their thirst of the body, heart and soul will be quenched.

30.07.08

Everything starts with Allah

2008-07-30T12:09:00.001+08:00

there comes one point of time in our life where there is so much turbulence. so much turmoil. so much work. so much things to do. and we'd get so busy with life, we forget the reason why we are here. the reason why we are created.

"And I have not created the jinn and the men except to worship Me" (Surah Adh - Dhariyat, Verse 56)

our main purpose in life, is to serve Him, and only Him. with that, we should realise our responsibility as a khalifah-Allah (vicegerent of Allah).

"Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said: "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not." (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 30)

recently, i learnt about "Amar ma'ruf nahi mungkar" (enjoining good and forbidding evil) for during Hadith class. it is a form of da'wah. let's make this our true calling.

to end, i leave a quote from faithhub's weekly inspirations from the Quran.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything starts with Allah

How many times do we teach our children that A stands for apple, and B stands for Boy, etc, when we forget that A stands for ALLAH and that everything starts with HIM?

In the Name of Allah (Surah Al-Fatihah, Verse 1)

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Eggs

2008-07-22T09:31:00.012+08:00

i had the most amazing dream yesterday. it was wonderful. sweet. nice. a happy one. but i woke up feeling sad and crying. funny huh??..

anyways, what do you get if you were to soak eggs in vinegar? *yes, this job sometimes makes you sad at the fact that we waste food for practicals*

yup yup. vinegar eats up the lining of the egg, leaving behind the semi-permeable membrane / sac. this experiment was needed to show osmosis. =) sometimes, i just love this job. it's the interesting experiments and the wonderful kids that make me want to stay, besides being a civil servant plus the good pay. it's the teachers that make me wanna leave. bah!..

it must have been

2008-07-21T14:24:00.003+08:00

it's raining..

i wish i wish i wish.

it's times like these when it's great to listen to oldies. wanted to put up the one by roxette, but some people won't listen to it. this will do. nothing beats the original though.

It must have been love
Roxette

Lay a whisper on my pillow
Leave the winter on the ground
I wake up lonely, is there a silence
In the bedroom and all around

Touch me now, I close my eyes
And dream away...

It must have been love, but it's over now
It must have been good, but I lost it somehow
It must have been love, but it's over now
From the moment we touched till the time had run out

Make believing we're together
That I'm sheltered by your heart
But in and outside I turn to water
Like a teardrop in your palm

And it's a hard winter's day
I dream away...

It must have been love, but it's over now
It was all that I wanted, now I'm living without
It must have been love, but it's over now
It's where the water flows, it's where the wind blows

It must have been love, but it's over now
It must have been good, but I lost it somehow
It must have been love, but it's over now
From the moment we touched till the time had run out

FOOD

2008-07-21T08:46:00.009+08:00

i was having a terrible stomach ache yesterday while on the way to meet mum. an excruciating pain that i don't wish to remember.

anyways, i've got to admit. despite the pain, i had lots of fun yesterday. mum had some cooking session. or rather a demostration to attend at ComCentre office. she normally has her massaging sessions at a SPA there. so anyways, the lady-in-charge is an apparent distributor of Amway products. so is mum. so i think she was doing some demo for some cooking utensils sold by Amway.

you know, i normally do not believe such items. especially when they're MLM-linked. but boy was i in a big surprise. though it was supposedly a demo, it's pretty hands on. i was there with sis just to accompany mum. and it was a small group, probably about 7 of us? but hell it was fun.

cooking... what's not fun about that? ;)

so yep, i kinda had to cook. everyone had a chance to cook. the item is called iCook. cook it the healthy way, and in a short time. to know more about the cookware, click here

truly an experience. i cooked nasi briyani using the cookware. without oil. and it doesn't stick! we cooked chicken chop without oil too! many dishes WITHOUT oil! very healthy indeed! =) posting up the pics of the dishes we made yesterday.

beef with no oil

healthy chicken chop

beef marsala in the making

spaghetti gravy

base for chicken mushroom soup (butter and flour)

salad

kak yati, the head for the demo

finished salad

finished beef marsala

finished chicken chop

briyani rice

my favourite! but it's without the colouring.

seeeee!!.. no burns, it doesn't stick to the pan, and we didn't use oil. amazing isn't it?

anyways, by the time i got home, my tummy ache was getting worst than ever. the pain was so acute, i knocked out early last night. right now, tummy feel quesy. =(

what is love?

2008-07-19T07:51:00.009+08:00

i've lost all hope and faith in this crazy little thing called love. love is an emotion filled with confusion, no happy endings, just hurt and sadness. i should have just stuck to being a love cynic. i shouldn't have believed again. i don't believe in love and should have remained that way.

i'm not surprised if it's retribution either. better now than in the Hereafter.

but..

i ~~can~~ have to accept what He has ordained. and i will. that is a promise.

Kaer
Izinkan Ku Pergi

sinaran mata cerita segalanya
duka lara terpendam memori semalam
tinggal segala cinta tiada kembalinya
abadi kasih kita kau bawa bersama
mimpi indah mekar saat cinta bersemi
sedetik asmara syurga selamanya

pergilah rinduku hilangkan dirimu
tak sanggup menanggung derita di kalbuku
pergilah sayangku bermula semula
semangat cintaku membara kerana dia
tiada niatku

tersemat jiwa setia bersamanya
cinta murni berdua beribu tahunnya
mimpi indah mekar saat cinta bersemi
sedetik asmara syurga selamanya

pergilah rinduku hilangkan dirimu
tak sanggup menanggung derita di kalbuku
pergilah sayang bermula semula
semangat cintaku membara kerana dia
tiada niatku

oh..pergilah sayangku bermula semula
semangat cintaku membara kerana dia
tiada niatku

maafkan daku duhai kasih
izinkan ku pergi

all in day's work

2008-07-18T08:29:00.004+08:00

yesterday was rather, "happening".

one of the stopwatches, which was prepared for a class on tuesday, was found to be missing, after a practical. since my HOD wasn't around for two days, i informed him of the matter when he came back to school yesterday. the teacher-in-charge was informed the day before, but she couldn't get the students to admit who stole it.

so, naturally, my HOD seeked out for the discipline mistress to help. all 4 of us (my HOD, the DM, me and the teacher) went to the class. my HOD and the DM did all the interrogations. no one admitted. then, the DM bribed, "whoever saw or whoever know who stole, come and tell me. i'll give you merit points for that". and in an instant, two girls came forward and said they know of who stole it.

the school had implemented the merits and de-merit points as of the beginning of this year. for those who want to pass and move on to the next level, they have to satisfy an amount of merit points. if not, they would be retained and not move on the next level the following year.

anyway, she told them to wait outside. but suddenly, 2 more boys went outside and said they know of the suspect. then finally, when all of us were outside to ask more questions, a boy came out and admitted that he stole it.

this incident happened with a Sec 1 class. goodness. it's a good thing that he admitted. the DM digged into things and found quite alot about the boy. sad things though. unfortunately, the majority of the kids in this school do not come from a good background of family. it is always the same case with many children from broken homes. with the lack of moral support, they tend to "take another colourful path" in life.

i'm not angry at the boy. i'm more worried. it's lucky that he stole in school, though it's very wrong. what if he had done it outside. the police would definitely be called in. and that would complicate matters. i hope this boy would go through some counselling sessions. i've seen him from afar. i just didn't expect him to steal it. he looked like the goody-two-shoes kind of boy.

may Allah forgive his sin.

on a good note, two Pinoy girls came into the lab after school hours to work on their Aromachemistry project. i must say, the foreign students are way much well-mannered than the local students. the girls are so full of sugary sweetness!

they were trying to make lemon grass syrup by melting lemon grass filtrate with sugar in a 250ml beaker. and then test for microbes. while i was putting the agar plates into the incubator, one of them came up to me.

girl: "Miss Haza.. I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm sorry to make you angry. But we shrunk your beaker *whips out a 50ml beaker and giggles*

me: -_-" oh gosh.. you guys are so lame. *sticks out tongue*

hehe!!.. they helped me cleaned up the lab and "accompanied" me in the lab for the next hour while they did their project. very very sweet girls i tell you. hehe!

anyways, was hanging out wif a fellow sister the other day. so before she arrived, i did my asar at royal plaza. and before i exit the door of the musollah, a woman was right in front of me. naturally, she left the door open by putting her hand and stopping it from swinging back, for me to leave. as we walked down the staircase, there was a man about 2 steps ahead of us. being the first in line, he opened the door at the bottom of the staircase, that opens into the lobby of the hotel. unfortunately, he didn't leave the door open for us ladies.

the lady before me commented to me.

lady: "this man so selfish. can't even open the door for us. we're directly behind him."

from her accent, i believe she's from Brunei. i couldn't care less, but yeah, she hinted at something true these days. i giggled as she whined, and i commented, "Yes, madam, it's very hard to find chivalry in men these days", in which she smiled widely, much in agreement.

i took the MRT later that night to get to Bukit Gombak. i was with my huge Timbuktu bag on one shoulder, a huge Tangs paper bag in one hand, and a Marks and Spencer plastic bag in the other (i didn't go shopping, we bought something for someone. =P). and the train was packed. when the train reached Bishan, a commuter got up from her seat and left the train. that seat was directly in front of me. but before i could make my move to sit down, a man cut in and sat down instead. boy was i fuming. you aren't carrying anything. and the seat was directly in front of me. and you're a MAN. that really proved my point that it's very hard to find chivalry these days.

thank god i was plugged into nasheeds. it calmed me down. i'd probably cursed and swear if it was me back then. all i did was stared at him. i think he felt guilty after that cos he shifted around, like about to get up and offer me the seat. but i shook my head, denying the seat. thank god the next station, another commuter got up, leaving it empty for me.

i wish there was a law that says all men are to give up their seats in public transports to ladies, except for old and frailed men, or children up to the age of 12. =P