Shifa'

Short post today - the past few weeks has been a great reminder on the maqsud of "Hasbuna-Allah wa Ni'mal Wakeel" (Allah Alone is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs for us) and "Hasbi Rabbi JallalLah; Maafi Qalbi GhairulLah; Nur Muhammad SallalLah; Laa ilaaha illalLah" (Sufficient is for me, my Rabb; Allah is Great; There is none in my heart besides Allah; The Light of Muhammad SAW; There is no god but Allah).

Allahuma Rabbi-nas adhhabal ba'sa, ashfi wa antashafi, la shifa' illa shifa'uka shifa' la yughadiru saqama, aamiin ya Rabb! (O Allah! The Sustainer of Mankind! Remove the illness, cure the disease. You are the One Who cures. There is no cure except Your cure. Grant us a cure that leaves no illness)

P/S: A birthday shout out to Muris in Perth... wonder how have you been doing, mate? :)

Missing Grams

His advice will remain intact at the back of my mind - such wonderful advice, AlhamdulilLah!

Ghurabah

A timely reminder to the self - Allah SWT said, "Be not sad, surely Allah is with us" (QS 9:40). Indeed, how can one considers to be lonely when Allah SWT (Sam'iun, 'Alimun) is the best Guardian? So "seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allah is with the patient" (QS 2:153)... "For indeed, with hardship (will be) ease" (QS 94:5). And RasululLah SAW said, "Be in this world like a stranger or somebody passing on his way" (Hadith reported by Ibn Majah & Tirmidhi #2333)

Affinity

Al-Qurtubi said, “A person will feel an affinity with souls of one kind, and will get along with them because of the special quality that they have in common.” True indeed, masya-Allah! :)

Language

Its been awhile since I wrote any material in the Malay language... to be honest, I'm struggling at getting my grammar right, 'ala kulliy haal... Don't get me wrong, the Malay language is a beautiful language of 'orang Mulia', just that (sadly) the environment I'm in does not enable me to converse and write in Malay. The recent get-together after class was testimony to how many amongst us struggle not to abuse the language, what more preserve its 'sanctity'...

P/S: A quick birthday shout out to my dear cousin whose birthday was over the weekend :)

Alone But Not Lonely

AlhamdulilLah! Like intelligent conversations, beautiful companionships are blessings bestowed by Allah SWT, which I cherish dearly. Never would I lose sight of what is important - Islam is simple, but not simplistic and it requires the self to master the knowledge of the Deen to appreciate the significance of correct intentions, lilLahi Ta'ala. Ummi's advice sticks in my head - "Di mana pun kita berada, jaga diri dan nama baik keluarga" (loosely translated - no matter where we are, preserve one's honour and family's reputation). 

O Kiraman Katibin, I'm reminded of the supplication of Rabiatul Adawiyah - "O My Lord! I don't deserve Your blessings of Paradise. Yet, I don't have the strength to withstand Your torments of Hellfire. Thus, accept my repentance, and grant me Your forgiveness for my sins. For You are the Forgiver of great sins." Aamiin ya Rabb!

One

AlhamdulilLah! It is about time the Ummah stand united, in ranks, peacefully yet persistently sending a strong message - the need for the country to take the right step in joining the global call to stop oppressing our Muslimah at the workplace in matters of modesty. And today marks a historic turn - may the Ummah continue to seek Divine intervention and keep up with sending a consistent call for change at the workplace, especially since the 'leaders have abandoned' us. For truly, Allah SWT is with those who are oppressed. Allahu Akbar! We can never go wrong since Allah 'Azza wa Jall is our Guardian and Protector so march forward and speak the truth wa lau karihal kafirun. Allahu musta'aan!

P/S: A birthday shout out to my dearest niece, Rania, who turns 3 this month. May you grow up to be a modest Muslimah whom benefits the Deen, the family, the Ummah, and the society at large, aamiin ya Rabb! :) 

Serendipity

AlhamdulilLah, managed to shed light on what I needed to know, which has been at the back of my mind of late (learnt about Ibn Sirin along the way). I shall end the post with a nice excerpt from the movie, which dwells on the topic that there is no such thing as an accident or a coincidence; nothing happens by chance. No mere randomness; rather reflect on the lil signals. Hmm...

MardhatilLah

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. La ilaha il-Allah.

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar. Wa-lilLahil-Hamd.

Uttering the Takbeer, I'm reminded of the time spent with my late grandpa (may Allah SWT have mercy on his soul) during our Umrah together. AlhamdulilLah for the opportunity to do so with him. I've learnt much from conversing with him and observing his deeds. I understood now one of his favourite sayings, which he hung at home - "Ya Ilahi, Anta Maqsudi wa Ridhoka. Anta Mathlubi A'thinii Mahabbataka wa Ma'rifataka" - miss you much, grams! :)

P/S: Happy birthday lil Irfan... although you are now 7, in my eyes you will always be my lil nephew. May Allah SWT bestow you with barakah, rahmah, rizq, taufiq and hidayah and may He perpetually sends His angels to protect you and supplicate for you as you find your place in this world as one who benefits the Ummah and strive to attain Allah's redha, aamiin ya Rabb!

No Man Is An Island

Nice video highlighting that everyone is part of a family, even organisations - we all live in webs of interdependence and what we can do collectively matters. Get it? :)

Ummi

This year's birthday for Ummi, Uncle Zol, Cousin Eddie, Cousin Adni, and Cousin Izyan in the month of September was a rather low-key affair, considering that we've just lost beloved grandpa. Nonetheless, may the years ahead be filled with Allah's blessings and bestowals. May you live a long, healthy life and may your deeds attained Allah's redha and may He be pleased with you, aamiin Allahumma aamiin!

P/S: A supplication for 'Ayahanda' (my father in religion). May Allah SWT bestow you and family countless bounties, in ways only He can, in this world and in the Hereafter, for your noble and tireless efforts - to share what is beneficial, give timely reminders, needed admonitions, invite many towards the right guidance, show us the path of goodness, help us to continuously strive in seeking the pleasure of Allah SWT so as to gain nearness to Him and hoping for His acceptance and reward, aamiin ya rabb! (Oh... and to the one who shares his birthday... may I figure out why you have been appearing in my dreams, insya-Allah)

Yai - Heartbroken No More

AlhamdulilLah! Mohd Said Bin Hj Noor, at the age of 88, had attained his peace on Monday, 26 Syawal 1434 after his solat 'Asr, a time when Allah SWT closes all the books of account for the day. This quiet man, a private man by disposition, passed away privately when everyone around him was responding to the call of adzan for 'Asr prayer. So apt! And 'alam has been grieving with the family ever since. So poignant!

I'm just glad and relieved that I was able to spend quality time with him during his last days to bear witness to the signs of his final departure and learnt much from it. I learnt that death is not something to be sad about as the heartbroken returns to The Beloved. For the Mu'min, it is a moment anticipated for the longest time. I've resolved not to grieve but to be constantly reminded of his many legacies (he would have wanted that) - that solat is of utmost priority and to have istiqomah in doing so regardless of the situation one is in as it is a sign of one who is constantly grateful for the countless bounties provided. When it comes to Allah SWT, there is no compromise.  

Grams, you'll be missed for all those lessons - being a good 'abid, consistently striving in Allah's way, seeking His redha. "O thou human being that hast attained to inner peace! Return thou unto thy Sustainer, well-pleased [and] pleasing [Him]: enter, then, together with My [other true] servants yea, enter thou My paradise!" (QS Al Fajr)

IFLA WLIC @SG 2013

(Photo courtesy of NLB)

Today, the world witnesses history in the making in the Library and Information Industry in Singapore as it hosts, for the first time ever, the International Federation of Library Association's 'World Library International Congress 2013'! I'm glad to be part of the privileged team despite the long hours on duty. I'll end this post with the photo of the NLB staff whom volunteer their time on  top of steady state work back in the office :)

Grandpa

Taqabbalallahu minna wa minkum, shiyamana wa shiyamakum. Ja’alanallaahu minal aidin wal faizin. As the blessesd Ramadhan left us with the beckoning of 1 Syawal, time was spent with grams… Talking to aunt Zee on 2 Syawal revealed much about Motor Neurone Disease (MND), also called Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Iou Gehrig's disease. It often begins with weakness of the muscles in the hands or feet especially in the elderly. It eventually leads to generalised paralysis. In the majority of cases, the intellect and memory are not affected, nor are the senses of eyesight, hearing, taste, smell and touch (which explained why gram is still alert mentally – could recognise faces and converse through written words). I’ve read medical journals that seem to conclude that MNDs and certain hematologic disorders (such as lymphoma, which grams had previously) are not coincidental but pathogenetically related. Also, it does not help that gram’s have a history of heart disease and pneumonia. May Allah SWT purify him for his final return and may he attain husnul khatimah, aamiin Allahumma aamiin!

Great Expectations

Many have said that every form of relationship involves expectation. Shirke used to say, “Love doesn’t hurt; Expectations do.” Lao Tzu said, “Act without expectation.” Why? Dodinsky said, “If you are walking in the street of expectations, not far is a lonely bench called disappointment.” Shakespeare said, “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” For “Real love begins where nothing is expected in return”. So live life without expectations and you’ll appreciate things more as they come along. Hmm...

What does Islam say of this? Keep doing your part and leave the rest to Allah SWT. Indeed, the only reason you need to do something is none other than Allah SWT. Mum used to say, “If all the people are pleased with you but Allah is not, what have you gained? If Allah is pleased with you but no one else is, what have you lost?” 

“Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us; He is our Protector, and on Allah let the Believers put their trust” (QS 9:51). “… And live with them (people) in kindness. For if you dislike them, perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good” (QS 4:19). I'm reminded of what RasululLah SAW said - “Make it easy, do not make it difficult; convey glad-tidings and do not cause them to run away”. Indeed, in gentleness there is strength, reflecting a character of quality. Wa-Allahu a’lam :)

Sang Pencerah

Sang Pencerah is a film based on the true story of Ahmad Dahlan, the founder of the Muhammadiyah. I don’t quite have a good grasp of Indonesia's history and how the establishment of Muhammadiyah has impacted the Nusantara… may need to seek clarification from my relatives in Java, insya-Allah! :)

Interesting Conversations

 

AlhamdulilLah! Had an interesting post-class supper conversation with Ustaz, his family and some other students as we concluded the series of courses for this run. The topic of music came up and I learnt alot from Ustaz's sharing - maqamat, the definition of music, the adab of putting music in its proper place, use vs. abuse of a knowledge or skill, ziryab, 'Islamising music vs. musicising Islam', and the inspiration for P Ramlee's song "Achi-Achi buka pintu"... Indeed, the soul can be affected by the vibrations of sound and how I realised in the past, the elders would hum solawat, qasidah, etc while cradling a baby, almost like a soothing 'lullaby'. Sheikh Hamza Yusuf mentions hudur (presence of heart) in relation to music and the 4-beat like the song above 'La illaha ilalLah', subhan-Allah!

Also, catch up on Arabic tutorial (terms flashed in my mind's eye), barakalLah feek (you know who you are). As the saying goes - "Buah cempedak di luar pagar, ambil galah tolong jolokkan. Ana budak baru belajar, kalau salah tolong tunjukkan"... Loosely translated, "Sighting the jackfruit behind the gate of brick, prod at it with a long stick, as a student new at this trick, errors made correct me quick" :)

Kiyai

Sang Kyai is a film based on the true story of Hasyim Asy'ari, the founder of the NU. I don’t quite have a good grasp of Indonesia's history and how the establishment of NU has impacted the Nusantara… may need to seek clarification from my relatives in Java, insya-Allah! :)

Language

I'm reminded of this today - "Tiada kata secantik bahasa..." :)

Gurindam Jiwa

Hectic day but time well-spent today, alhamdulilLah! After a good session at a talk @Sultan Mosque, headed down to see grams... Auntie Ros took the opportunity to show the photographs we took during the last Umrah we did... looking back at the photos... I could see how loving my grandparents are... Indeed, when you reflect on the akad, you took an oath to accept your spouse as is... This song is dedicated to this loving couple... Just a niggling question - Why meet at the doorstep of heaven and not in heaven itself? Hmm... enough said, time to sleepzzZZ... Birthday shout out to my cousin Nurul, aunt Zulia and grandma! May Allah SWT bestow upon you a life filled with barakah, good health, rahmah, taufiq and hidayah, aamiin Allahumma aamiin!

Hmm...

Was working the night away and my pet cat kept me company... until a point where it felt that enough is enough (time for me to rest) ... so the strategy was "if you can't beat em, join em" (with the intent to distract)... it worked! Thanks for the timely reminder to take care of self before you take care of others, alhamdulilLah! :)

Luqman

AlhamdulilLah! Managed to spend some time with 1-month old Luqman yesterday. You can see the pride in mum's eyes when she cradled lil Luqman to sleep. Looking forward to seeing more of you real soon!

H&A

Had a chance to view the interview of the author of the book, "Habibie and Ainun"... touching! Masya-Allah... such a sentimental guy whose appreciation and love for his wife lasted beyond her last breath. I leave you with the movie's soundtrack and one of the poignant quotes from the book and the English translation of the soundtrack's chorus:

"Mereka mengira akulah kekasih yang baik bagimu, sayang... tanpa mereka sadari, bahwa kaulah yang menjadikan aku kekasih yang baik... Mana mungkin aku setia padahal memang kecenderunganku adalah mendua, tapi kau ajarkan aku kesetiaan, sehingga aku setia, kau ajarkan aku arti cinta, sehingga aku mampu mencintaimu seperti ini... Selamat jalan... Kau dariNya, dan kembali padaNya..."

(They think that I'm a good lover for you, darling... without them realising, that you are the one who made me the good lover that I am... How is it possible I remain loyal when my tendencies is to have more than one, but you taught me what it means to be loyal until I remain loyal, you taught me what it means to love until I'm able to love you this way... Farewell... From Him you came and to Him you shall return...)

"Cinta kita melukiskan sejarah, menggelarkan cerita penuh sukacita Sehingga siapa pun insan Tuhan pasti tahu - cinta kita sejati"

(Our love paints a historical picture, depicting a story filled with joy Until every servant of God will surely know - our love is pure and true)