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.

Adab & Human Rights

[Source: Human Rights Action Center Organisation]

Thanks to my cousin for sharing this with me. Truly it is about Adab, subhan Allah.

PMI

From 27 Feb onwards, I will go through a 5-week PMI PMP certification course. Have asked around and it seems that the end-course exam is rather tricky. Please pray for me so that I will pass the exam, Ameen.

You may be wondering, "What is an instructional designer doing taking up a course meant for a Project Manager?" Let's just say its about optimising resources ;)

Guy Talk

My brother was channel surfing over the long Chinese New Year weekend before he settled on Oprah. I became equally curious to find out what the guest speaker, Steve Harvey said about what made men tick:

1. Every man has a plan. "Men don't come up to you to just talk. We come up to you with a plan. When a man approaches a woman, he already knows what he wants from her, but he doesn't know what it will cost. How much time do you want from me? What are your standards? What are your requirements? Because we'll rise to the occasion no matter how high you set the bar if we want to."

2. Men are like fishermen, "You've got sports fishermen, and you've got guys out there fishing to eat. You've got guys who are fishing to keep the fish, and you've got guys who are fishing to catch them, unhook them and throw them back. You've got to determine along the way which one of the fish you're going to be."

3. The way a man introduces you gives good insight into the status of your relationship. Steve said, "Men are very protective. We mark our territory. If a man loves you...he's willing to give you a title after a while. You're going to be his lady, his woman, his fiancée, his wife, his baby's mama, something."

4. Men are fixers, not talkers so better get to the point. "When you say, 'We need to talk,' men put up the barriers. I tell ladies, just sit down and strike up a conversation."

In summary, his advice for women is, "You've got to quit lowering your standards. Set your requirements up front so when a guy hooks you, he has to know this is business. And don't let the man set the pace of the relationship -- it's always the woman who has total control. With all that power, why do you suddenly relinquish this power just because you want a guy to accept you? That's stupid. Say: 'Look, if you want to be with me, this is what you got to do. This is what it takes to get to me. You know you've got a keeper when your man wants to make sure you're always safe, coz every man wants to protect his woman."

Afternote: Hmm, interesting. Felt the urge to read his best seller. Truly, Islam is beautiful as there are clear guidelines of how to conduct a successful marriage in Islam with adab and clearly-defined roles for each party. So ladies, don't settle for less ;)

The Exemplar Beyond Compare

AlhamdulilLah, I must thank Sis Yati for giving this book to me, The Exemplar Beyond Compare: Muhammad Mustafa SAW by Osman Nuri Topbas. An inspirational read! I get newly acquainted with the beautiful attributes of the Uswat' ul-Hasanah - Merciful and Compassionate, subhan Allah!
 
I acknowledge it is not easy to emulate the Prophet SAW in every sense of the word; we must ikhtiyar (make an effort) and not use the excuse "He is a prophet, who are we?". The Quran clearly states:
 
"Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah a quintessential example for one who hopes in Allah and the Latter Day and remembers Allah much." [al-Ahzab: 21]

"O Believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, and render not your actions vain." [Muhammad: 33]

"Who so obeys Allah and the Messenger, they are with those unto whom Allah has shown favour, of the prophets, the saints, the martyrs and the righteous. The best of company are they!" [an-Nisa: 69]

Read Syed Naquib al-Attas' article on Prophet Muhammad SAW here.

Afternote: Our beloved Prophet SAW dutifully did his daily and sunnah ibadah in order to attain mercy from Allah SWT so that during the Day of Judgment, he can intercede for his Ummah. How can we not follow his example if we truly love him?

Token of Gratitude

Reading Ayyuhal Walad strengthens my conviction that Islamic education must be taught through direct contact with teachers. This is how wisdom, not just knowledge, was acquired as one cannot gain wisdom from just reading because Islam is not a religion of self-interpretation. The guidance and support of a very knowledgeable and pious teacher is essential.

AlhamdulilLah, with the grace of Allah SWT, Syeikh Abdul Halim has helped my friends and I along the path to Allah, adopting the Islamic Worldview with greater consciousness and purpose. He's been very generous in sharing his wisdom and knowledge with us. And we look forward to future classes with him, insya Allah.

Mohd Faris Mohd Hafiz

[Source courtesy of Aisyah Nur Adni]

Mum and I were planning to meet 3-week old Mohd Faris over the long weekend. Nonetheless, Allah SWT has other plans for us. Truly, there is hikmah in the way things turned out, subhan Allah. Isn't he simply adorable? Congrats to cousin Adni and hubby Hafiz on the adorable lil tyke. May he grow up to become the 'praiseworthy knight' his name suggests - live a life of personal jihad while protecting his loved ones from harm's way.
 
P/S: Looking at the photo, I instinctively thought of my 2 young heroes. Hope lil Irfan and Iqhwan are enjoying their vacation. Miss you loads!

Wish I Was There

[Source: Al Maghrib Institute]

I wish I could attend this seminar with my cousin in March coz I've benefitted alot just by watching the series of 29 talks the speaker has on Youtube. I would expect that this would be the brilliant follow-up or sequel coz I definitely agree with this statement:

"The heart of the believer is lit with a basic consciousness and awareness of Allah SWT. Consider what happens when that believer learns and establishes the proper foundation to understand Allah’s qualities from the Qur’aan and Sunnah…his heart will burst and beam with illuminating light, the light which results from an understanding of his Creator."

Subhan Allah, truly:
“... the fuel of revelation reaches him, gives glad tidings to his heart…the light of revelation is added to the light of his own God-given nature and the two combine to become, “light upon light” - Ibn Qayyim [Tafseer of Surah Nur :35]

Note to me: Check out the curriculum (in US)...and another closer to home... hmm...

P/S: Happy birthday dear Regy :)

Crisis in Muslim World

Off late, our local daily has been reporting on the breakdown of the Malay/Muslim community. It is odd that authoritaties taking care of the Malay/Muslim community could not figure out what is truly wrong with the community... It is not a new problem.

View this video to understand the root of the problem, highlighted by Syed Muhammad Naqieb al-Attas:

Note to friends and family: Seek knowledge in Islamic Worldview [and I have just the Syeikh to recommend you to, if you are really interested] coz it changes your perspective of the way you live your life, Subhan Allah.

365

January came and is about to leave us. Alot has happened this month - some people are departing, some are transferring, some remain true to their conviction, some just gave up trying. Whichever camp you belong to, its your life and you have approximately 344 days to live it so take control.

I shall leave you with an interesting video about how the year, month and day were derived (subhan Allah!):

P/S: Happy birthday to dear SS, SL, YB and Azhar :)

Don't Sigh

It is human nature to seek answers. Interesting enough, as we seek answers, the QalamulLah (Quran) already provided the answers:

1. We ask, "Why am I being tested?"
The Quran answered in Surah Al-Ankaboot:2-3, "Do men imagine that they will be left (at ease) because they say, We believe, and will not be tested with affliction? Lo! We tested those who were before them. Thus Allah knoweth those who are sincere, and knoweth those who feign."

2. We ask, "Why a test to this extent?"
The Quran answered in Surah Al-Baqara:286, "Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved..."

3. We ask, "Why I do not get what I yearned for?"
The Quran answered in Surah Al-Baqara:216, "...but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not."

4. We ask, "Why we feel frustrated?"
The Quran answered in Surah Al-Imran:139, "Faint not nor grieve, for ye will overcome them if ye are (indeed) believers."

5. We ask, "How can I counter this frustration?"
The Quran answered in Surah Al-Baqara:45, "Seek help in patience and prayer; and truly it is hard save for the humble-minded..."

6. We ask, "What do I get from all this?"
The Quran answered in Surah At-Tawba:111, "Lo! Allah hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden will be theirs..."

7. We ask, "Who do I turn to?"
The Quran answered in Surah At-Tawba:129, "...Allah sufficeth me. There is no God save Him. In Him have I put my trust, and He is Lord of the Tremendous Throne."

Afterthought: It is seemingly counter productive to sigh. Everyone has 2 choices - be accoubtable for your life and do something about it or wallow in self-pity and lament your poor situation in silence, thank you.

Family Gathering

Today shall be a short post. My cousins from KL would be dropping by later and my cousin from Kluang will also arrive shortly. As my relatives are widely dispersed across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and one currently finishing her studies in Australia while another in Canada... it is times like these when we gather around at grams and catch up with each other's life. Enjoy the long weekend, folks (I know I definitely will!)

P/S: Happy birthday to Aunt B! :)

Islam's Journey

Sheikh Abdul Halim triggered this post. Being the inquisitive creature that I am, I decided to 'investigate' since he posed the challenge about figuring out how Islam reached South East Asia :)

From the early days of Islam, there were two routes eastwards: the land route and the sea route to China which, for example, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W - Saad ibn Abi Waqqas sailed.

Accounts of how Islam spread to this region vary according to different translations. Nonetheless, anyone keen to understand the History of Islam should read the book by Professor Masud ul-Hassan. Or you can read the simplified version of "The Coming and Spread of Islam in South East Asia" here and here.

Afterthought: The deeper I dug, the more I want to know the Origins of Islam... hmm, its an assignment on its own but its worthwhile because it strengthens my Islamic identity, Subhan Allah. Read 1000 years of missing Muslim heritage.

2011

They say "A house is not a home". I'm just glad my nephews will get a nice roof over their heads by end of 2011 and may their home be filled with laughter and love as they grow up to be useful citizens of the world. Truly, blessed is a family that stays together, ameen!

Afterthought: In retrospect, I recalled countless stories about our beloved Prophet SAW and how simply he lived a life full of substance for the Hereafter. Truly, he is the exemplar beyond compare. That simple life is all that I desire - "Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of the fire." Ameen. [Surah al-Baqarah: 201]

Gentle Reminder

Allow me to kickstart the  new islamic year with this post...May we benefit from this constant reminder...

Before Imam Syafie returned to rahmatulLah, he said,
"Whoever wants to leave this world safely, practice these 10 habits":

1. Be accountable to ALLAH SWT.
Invite others to good deeds, prevent others from bad deeds, love piety and abhor vices.

2. Be accountable to our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW
Salawat to the Prophet, hold steadfastly to the Syaria’ law, rely on the As-Sunnah (Hadith), love Prophet’s sahabat and compete in seeking Allah’s pleasure

3. Be accountable to oneself
Less sleep, less food, less speech (aka more ibadah), be content and prudent with one’s wealth.

4. Be accountable to the Angel of death
Complete ibadah left behind previously and do them in multiples, seek forgiveness from those oppressed or discriminated, be prepared for death and love Allah SWT.

5. Be accountable to your grave
Avoid urinating all over, conduct more Tahajud and help those who are oppressed or disciminated.

6. Be accountable to good and evil (Munkar and Nakir)
Abstain from telling lies, speak the truth, leave vices and constantly give advice or receive advice to remind each other to do good.

7. Be accountable to the scale (Mizan)
Suppress anger, more zikir, sincere in deeds and willingness to bear hardships without complaining

8. Be accountable to the bridge (Sirat)
Avoid back-biting, be pious, help the pious, prefer congregational prayer to praying alone

9. Be accountable to the Gatekeeper of hell (Malik)
Fear Allah SWT, be kind to and patient with your parents, donate publicly or in secret, improve one’s akhlak.

10. Be accountable to the Gatekeeper of heaven (Ridhwan)
Submit to Allah’s will, be patient during hardships, be thankful for Allah’s bounty and repent from sins.

P/S: Happy birthday dear Muris :)