Mirai E

When mum stays with me, I would sometimes professed that I often feel the pain (throbbing warm sensation) in my gastro-intestinal area that made my sleepless nights uncomfortable. I also lamented if I would live to see Eid next year (and so I wanted to make the best of it this year). 

Mum advised me to brush off those negative whispers in my head and told me that for as long as God bestows me the gift of life*, I should remain grateful (make the most of every day), be steadfast in my efforts to heal and continue to trust His Wisdom and Protection. She'll be with me every step of the way. Love you, ma. I'll end this post with the song, "Mirai E" (1998) by Kiroro - face your future and slowly walk on - and *QS al-'Anam 6:17 ❤.  

وَاِنۡ يَّمۡسَسۡكَ اللّٰهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهٗۤ اِلَّا هُوَ​ؕ وَاِنۡ يَّمۡسَسۡكَ بِخَيۡرٍ فَهُوَ عَلٰى كُلِّ شَىۡءٍ قَدِيۡرٌ‏

"And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him. And if He touches you with good - then He is, over all things, Competent."

In Remembrance

This week is in remembrance of my late sister-in law (today is her birthday) and dad (whose birthday falls on 7 June)! To my niece, Sarah... you'll remain brave and strong *hugs*...

Baby!

AlhamdulilLah! One of the many supplications during the recent Umrah trip has come true... Masya-Allah! What beautiful news when my second sister-in-law informed us the good news that she's pregnant! I'm looking forward to the bundle of joy in December (and the extended family continues to grow!). May Allah SWT bestow upon them a healthy baby who will grow up with a noble akhlaq and who will be of great benefit to the Ummah, amin ya Rabb!

Two

 

AlhamdulilLah! By Allah's will, had the opportunity to meet up with a faqir ilalLah and his beautiful wife. I learnt a great deal about ikhlas, shakur, taqwa ilalLah and sobr from this beautiful soul, subhaan-Allah!

QS at-Talaq: 65: 3 came to mind - "... And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him...". Looking at the lovebirds, the song above came to mind. Indeed, marriage is about mecy and love and sticking by each other, no matter what! :)

P/S: On a separate note, may Allah SWT bestow shifa' upon the beloved dad of a friend (across the ocean) and may He (SWT) fills his heart with ikhlas, mahabbah, rahmah and sobr as he goes about taking care of his dad and mum the best he can, amin ya Rabb! :)

Redha

My heart instinctively went out to my dear niece after the demise of her mum (may Allah SWT bless her soul for to Him we came from and to Him we shall return) this week... I could not fathom if I was in that tragic state (and oh how close I am to Ummi... she's my life!), hence no matter how I try to convince myself that I fully understand what my 13-year old niece is going through, I'd be lying as I could never fully feel the pain! May Allah SWT bestow the patience and sincerity in my beloved niece to let go and redha.

Three things continue to benefit the dead after one' death - her amal jariah and beneficial knowledge she taught others in her lifetime as well as her child who supplicates to Allah and seeks His forgiveness for her. May Siti Maisarah remember this and be steadfast in her supplication for her beloved late mum, insya Allah, amin Allahuma amin.

Miss Rania

I can't wait for lil Miss Rania to make her passport in January and visit her ole auntie... Miss her to bits :)

Nur Rania Adriana

[Photo courtesy of Norhisham Isnin]

On 2 Nov 2010, this sweet and adorable baby girl was born into this world. May she grow up to be the light (Nur) of Purity, Contentment (Rania) and Integrity (Adriana; Nisbah Afaf) that her name suggests, submitting fully to the will of Allah SWT. Can't wait to hold her in my arms :)

Brother

Today will be a short post. I'm proud of my younger brother for saying his piece via the Newpaper about the recent case that happened at Singapore's sports school. Its great to have such Physical Education teacher taking a firm stand on such things. Yes, it is a privilege (not a right) and parents of such errant kids should be educated or reminded if they do not realise it yet. Enough said!

Muhd Hanis Irfan

This free greeting created with Smilebox

 

May Allah SWT bestow you with a meaningful life full of patience, wisdom and the tireless dedication to seeking knowledge towards becoming a useful citizen of this world and the Hereafter, ameen ya Rabbal 'Alameen *hugs*

Family

It was great catching up with a good 'ole friend' after so long. AlhamdulilLah, he gives good, logical advice...Yes, I admit sometimes women tend to be irrational although the degree of rationality is subjective, ha! Subhan Allah, that is the fitrah of women, different from men :)

Anyway, have a safe flight, take care and see you real soon. Hugs and kisses to mama Zehra and papa Hasan. TaqabbalLahu minna wa minkum, taqabalLahu ya Karim, minal aidin wal faizin :)

Impending Arrival

Masya Allah, alhamdulilLah ala kulli haal... just spoke to my sister-in-law and she shared the good news that her third child would probably be a baby girl :)

For us in Singapore, we will pray that the delivery in November will be smooth sailing and that mother and child be safe and baby be healthy, Ameen ya Rabbal 'Alameen.

Afternote: Mum's prayers came true, subhan Allah... La hawla wala kuwata ilLah bilLahil 'Azeem :)

Mama

"The heart of a mother is a deep abyss, at the bottom of which you will always find forgiveness. For a mother is the only person on earth who can divide her love among her children and each child still have all her love. For a mother's love grows by giving."

A tribute to my light, my strength... no words of gratitude could do justice for all that you've done.

Power of True Intent

Tears kept trickling down my cheeks as I watched this heart-rending movie, subhan Allah! Instinctively I'm reminded of mum, her unconditional love and relentless sacrifices. More importantly, her yearning to be a guest of Allah's most sacred house... It has been my greatest wish to bring her there and may Allah pave the way for us in the near future, insya Allah!

This movie also reminds us among other things, the power of a true intent, compassion, humanity, and that Allah's help can come from places we never thought of. So strive in the way of Allah and don't despair, as rightly pointed out in the testimony of those who watched the movie here.

Muslimah

[Source courtesy of Abidah el Khalieqy]

When I watch this movie, "Perempuan Berkalung Sorban" (Lady with a Turban), it struck me that truly our beloved Prophet SAW is the best exemplar for humankind with regards to how to engage and treat women.

Indeed, in Islam, women hold a privileged position if one truly makes references to the Quran and Hadith and contemplates on sirah (history) of RasululLah SAW and his family, particularly his wives and daughters.

Perhaps this movie is deem 'controversial' because of the half-truth depiction of life in a pesantren (traditional Islamic school)... one of my beloved uncle went to Pesantren and women there are not treated in such a manner; The film-maker has the amanah (responsibility) to convey the whole truth and nothing but the truth... as such 'Islamic' movie is seen by the world over. This is what we call Media Literacy :)

I end this post with the movie's trailer:

 

Afternote: I can't stress enough the importance of seeking knowledge then operationalise one's life accordingly, see Islam in its totality (syumul) and truth (haq) and not take bits and pieces out of convenience. May Allah Azza wa Jalla protects us from the hellfire, ameen ya Rabbal 'Alameen.

Islamic Living

I actually read the book by Habiburrahman El Shirazy before watching this movie (have watched Part 2 as well, masya Allah... truly Allah SWT works in miraculous ways).

If only more of such Islamic movies were made, depicting the reality of the Ummah's life according to Sharia' law. Truly, the islamic paradigm is different from the western paradigm, subhan Allah.

Mum has become a fan of another author from Malaysia, Hasrizal Abdul Jamil and I know deep in her heart, she would have wished that he follows the footsteps of Habiburrahman El Shirazy and make movies too.

Afternote: I must admit, with humility and a tinge of embarassment, that I've not been keeping myself updated with Malay authors of today... but that does not mean that I've lost my Malay/Muslim identity :)

Book Exchange

[Source courtesy of NLB, Singapore]

Whew! Was on duty for half a day at the Book Exchange event at Victoria street. Approximately 73,000 books exchanged hands between 6,000 library patrons. To those who supported the event, thank you for your support, especially for dropping by NLB Academy's booth to say "Hi", catch up or subscribe to the promotion offered. :) 

Qaisarah Batrisyia

[Courtesy of cousin Wahyudi Othman]

AlhamdulilLah. On the morning of 10 April 2010, my cousin and his wife became proud parents of this adorable baby girl, Qaisarah Batrisyia. May she grow up to be the intelligent queen (as her name suggests) with a heart filled with wisdom, ameen.

Afterthought: With Faris and Qaisarah, the extended family continues to grow... awaiting the confirmation of another 'impending arrival' :)

Family First

AlhamdulilLah, alhamdulilLah, alhamdulilLah... A new-found friend's search to find his life companion  has finally ended. And it is true what the old and wise say - a man needs a woman by his side in order to find balance in his life, without one, he somehow feels 'incomplete'. What Ustaz Rahmat said in one of his previous lectures rings true, men and women are designed differently and placed in the scheme of things for a specific reason, subhan Allah.

Afternote: Noble is one who can love someone for the sake of Allah SWT alone. May his mum gain a companion to help her raise the kids to be good citizens of the world as one united family, ameen :)

090410

A quick shout out from us (including her brothers in the photo above) to my niece, Siti Maisarah... Happy birthday, may Allah SWT bless you with peace a bounty. Study smart and may you excel in your PSLE this year  *hugs*

GrandPa

Grandpa was constantly at the back of my mind simply because today is his special day. AlhamdulilLah, alhamdulilLah, alhamdulilLah... after going for regular therapy, he seems to have regained his health after a bout of lymphoma-pneumonia remission. May Allah SWT bless this great man and place him among the ihsanul kamil in jannatul firdaus, ameen ya Rabbal a'lamin.