Glad tidings

"And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your hearts. Undoubtedly in these are signs for those who reflect." [Surat ar-Rum: 21]

As mum shares the good news about my younger brother getting engaged in June, we got to discussing what is Islam's views on dating? Not from the Western Worldview but from Islamic Worldview especially in the 21st century.

She said it boils down to one's intent, meaning you are not interested in testing the water, rather you have fixed your sight on a 'spouse material' and would like to engage him or her within the purview of the Syariah law in order to make an informed decision.

Hmm... perhaps this video could shed some light to what mum meant... In Islam, there is no such thing as love before marriage but it is preferable to look at the person you want to marry, interact and select accordingly, based on one's virtue, wealth, nobility and beauty, in this order of importance.

P/S: To my lil brother, marriage is a tremendous responsibility so prepare your mind for it. It is not just about love but mercy too. May Allah SWT bless you and lady D with a smooth path towards a blissful married life, Ameen.

Rottnest

Subhan Allah, this is a beautiful place. To a certain degree, I'm glad my pal is enjoying his work there at Rottnest and then back at Perth. On the other hand, the reason why mum discourages me to stay in Alanya for the long-term was because of such a surrounding. She constantly reminds me that life on earth is paradise only for the Jahiliah. May I not lose sight of the ultimate purpose of life on earth, insya Allah.

P/S: Let's all commemorate Earth Hour and switch off unwanted lights and start living green.

Divine Love

Our beloved Prophet SAW once said, "A companion whom you should stay close to is one whom when you look at him/her, you're reminded of Allah SWT, when you hear his/her words, your knowledge increases and when you observe his/her deeds, you're reminded of Hereafter."

Oh Allah, enable Your servant to see the truth, to love another whom loves You above all things such that it strengthens my love for You, Ameen.

P/S #1: Happy birthday to my lil Iqhwan. Had a blast over the weekend and thank you for paying your tired ol' aunt a visit, extending a brief but much needed respite from work work work *hugs*.

P/S #2: Thanks for the sound advice, Sis. You always have my welfare at heart :)

Appreciation

Hmm this is interesting. A long-distant friend who, out of the blue, shares music by Buckethead. On hindsight, yes, he knows that I used to be a fan of Pat Metheny during my youth... and that I have a 'thing' for talented guitarists.

Thank you, Muris, for sharing 3 files from Buckethead with me recently. I've post one of them here and here's the other one. Enjoy the great guitarwork by this mysterious talent :)

Afternote: Just realised after talking to Muris that 8 March 2010 was International Women's Day. Thanks for commemorating a day in a woman's life :)

True Love

"A child is a deposit in the hands of the parents. The child’s pure heart is like a precious gem. Like wax, a child can take any shape. When small, it has not taken any shape. It is like pure soil. You will reap what you sow in pure soil."

Following up from my earlier post and after a brief correspondence with my uncle, I'd like to say that if children are taught the tenets of Iman (belief), the Quran and the commandments of Allah SWT and accustomed to doing them, they will attain religious and worldly happiness. And their parents and teachers will share this happiness of theirs.

If they are not taught and trained, they will become unhappy. The sin of each evil they will commit will be given to their parents and teachers, too. Allahu ta’ala declares in the sixth ayat of Surah at-Tahrim, “Protect yourselves and those in your homes and under your command from the fire!”

It is more important for a father to protect his children against the fire of Hell than against worldly fire. And protecting them against the fire of Hell is to teach them Iman, the fard (commandment) and haram (prohibition) to accustom them to worshipping, and to protect them against irreligious and immoral friends. The source of all kinds of immoral deeds is an evil friend.

Our beloved Prophet SAW, by stating, “All children are born fit and suitable for Islam. Later, their parents make them Christians, Jews or irreligious”, indicates that both for the settlement and for the annihilation of Islam, the most important work on children can be done when they are still young.

Then, the first duty of each Muslim is to teach his children Islam and the Quran al-karim. The child is a great blessing. If the blessing is not appreciated, it will be lost. Therefore, pedagogy, i.e. the science of teaching children, is a very valuable science in the Islamic religion.

Afternote: My colleagues, soon-to-be-mums shared their concerns with me over lunch one day, whether they will be good mothers to their first born. I told them, trust in the God-given maternal instincts :)

Occupation 101

Part 1 outline the oppressions in Ireland, Algeria, America, South Africa, Holy Land, etc. The rest of the 11-part series for those who want to know the Truth.

Part 2 highlights the injustice faced by the oppressed homeless to push them to leave the country

Part 3 highlights about what truly happened chronologically in history (must see!)

Part 4 highlights how Palestinians became displaced to third-class citizens

Part 5 highlights virtually no power in the hands of the Palestinians (harrassment by Zionist)

Part 6 highlights Palestinians are oppressed due to US AIPAC, Fundamentalist Christians, American media

Part 7 highlights US aid for Zionist, at the expense of Palestine and US people (for control of oil?)

Part 8 highlights how Israel oppresses the Palestinians (held hostage in a gigantic prison)

Part 9 highlights Palestinians's fear living in Gaza (children have no will to live; became dehumanized)

Part 10 highlights the Internationl Solidarity Movement (human rights movement to fight Israel terrorism)

Part 11 highlights that Americans will never understand what is happening in Gaza (will they?)

Afternote: Please recite this doa for our Ummah in Palestine and include it in our daily prayer. May Allah SWT protects them from harm's way and may the oppression stops, Ameen.