Cairo's protest

Seeing the latest images from Cairo as thousands flooded the streets today brought memories of the places and people of Egypt. They have been under the regime too long. When we were driving down the busy streets of Cairo, we were shown the massive high-walled compound of Hosni Mubarak's palace, with barbed wires on top, and armed sentries at regular intervals on top of the wall. The first thing that came to my mind was that it looked like a fortress. I don't have a picture of it as around the area there were signposts saying 'No photography'.

The silent fortress alone said a lot.Or just one word. Oppression.

The scenarios we saw at various mosques, really showed that the people were stricken by poverty. We didn't go to Zamalek, the rich people area on the island in the middle of Nile River. The air must be different.

The protesters in Cairo today. Pic taken here

 

 

A police checkpoint on the way to Sinai. I sneaked this shot while he was not looking. Police checkpoints are a common sight in Egypt.

The government blocked mobile phone lines, facebook and twitter yesterday to stop people spreading messages for gatherings. But the people managed to spread fire by word of mouth. Today their internet connection is cut down. MasyaAllah.

Ya Allah, bless the people of Egypt. Give them a king that fears You. Give them Your Strength to free themselves and their neighbor Palestine.  And protect our family, brothers and sisters. Indeed You are our Mighty Protector. Ameen.

Masjid pertama Afrika

Mari mengungkap sejarah keislaman Mesir.

Rasulullah (saw) pernah mewasiatkan kepada para sahabat, "Sepeninggalanku nanti, Mesir adalah menjadi kewajipan kalian untuk membebaskannya, maka perlakukanlah ke atas penduduknya dengan baik, kerana mereka mempunyai ikatan dan hubungan kekeluargaan dengan kita"

Ketika itu Mesir dijajah Empayar Rom. Gereja-gereja di Mesir memang besar-besar! Kubah pun macam masjid cuma ada tanda salib di atas.

Sebuah Gereja Koptik di Mesir. Menurut ustaz pemandu pelancong kami, di sini tersimpan Kitab Injil sebenar. Wallahualam.

Amirul Mukminin Umar Al-Khatab (ra) menyahut cabaran ini dan menghantar pasukan tentera yang diketuai General Amru Ibn Al 'As untuk membebaskan Mesir dari jajahan Empayar Rom. Pada tahun ke 20 Hijrah, mereka berjaya menundukkan empayar hebat itu dan Islam mula berkuasa di Mesir.

Sedikit mengenai Amru ibn Al 'As. Beliau pada awal kerasulan Nabi Muhammad (saw) adalah antara yang kuat menentang baginda. Beliau juga bersama Khalid Ibn Al-Walid telah sama-sama memimpin tentera Quraisy mengalahkan tentera Islam di Perang Uhud. Adakah anda ingat yang hijrah pertama orang Islam adalah ke Habsyah, yang ketika itu diperintah oleh seorang raja Kristian yang Ahli Kitab? Kemudian datang utusan dari pemimpin Quraisy meminta dihantar pulang penduduk Mekah yang berlindung di negara itu? Utusan itulah Amru Ibn Al 'As. Ketika itu berlaku soal siasat antara Jaafar ibn Abi Talib dengan pendita-pendita raja tersebut untuk memastikan kerasulan Nabi Muhammad (saw). Menurut Amr, ketika itu dia telah mula mempertikaikan keangkuhan pemimpin Quraisy setelah mendengar dialog Jaafar dengan Raja dan para pendita. Tetapi beliau tidak memeluk Islam ketika itu.

Beliau hanya memeluk Islam selepas Pembukaan Kota Mekah. Tetapi semasa pemerintahan Khalifah Abu Bakar As-Siddiq (ra), beliau menjadi rapat dengannya dan terus memainkan peranan penting dalam penyebaran Islam. Jadi pengislaman Mesir adalah di tangan Amr Ibn Al 'As.

Sebaik saja berjaya menakluk Mesir, beliau mendirikan sebuah masjid yang masih berdiri hingga ke hari ini. Ia masjid pertama yang dibina di benua Afrika. Di sini jugalah tempat Imam Shafiee mengajar.

Masjid Amru Ibn Al 'As

bahagian tengah masjid

ruang solat

Ada satu cerita menarik tentang Amr Ibn Al 'As di Mesir. Ketika Islam datang ke Mesir, mereka menghadapi masalah rakyat Mesir yang mempunyai kepercayaan turun temurun bahawa Sungai Nil perlu korban manusia setiap tahun (atau bulan?) untuk memastikan ia terus mengalir. Ritual ini dihentikan oleh Gabenor Amr Al 'As ketika itu. Tetapi kemudian Mesir dilanda kemarau dan Sungai Nil menyusut dari hari ke hari. Orang-orang Mesir mula marah dan bertegas yang Sungai Nil perlu korban nyawa untuk terus mengalir. Amr Al 'As kemudian menghantar surat kepada Khalifah Umar Al-Khatab meminta bantuan.

Khalifah Umar kemudian menghantar sepucuk surat, bukan kepada Amru, tetapi kepada Sungai Nil, yang berbunyi..

Surat ini dikirimkan kepada Sungai Nil oleh Umar, hamba Allah dan Amirul Mukminin. Wahai Sungai Nil! Jika air yang mengalir di sungai ini adalah atas kuasamu maka ketahuilah bahawa kami tidak memerlukan kau, tetapi jika ianya mengalir di atas kekuasaan Allah swt maka kepadaNya kami pohonkan agar mengalirkan air di sungai ini. 

Amru Al As mencampakkan surat itu ke dalam Sungai Nil dan esoknya Sungai Nil naik aras airnya 48 kaki. Tak perlu korban manusia lagi.

Sungai Nil di waktu malam. Kelihatan Burj Al-Qahirah (Cairo Tower)

Gambar di atas diambil pada malam terakhir kami di Kaherah. Kami menaiki bot bercahaya meriah (siap dengan lagu gelek Arab) menyusuri Sungai Nil. Daratan yang kelihatan dalam gambar di atas bukannya seberang Sungai Nil, tetapi sebuah pulau di tengah Sungai Nil. Memang besar sungai ni. Patutlah rakyat Mesir takut dia kering sampai sanggup korbankan banyak nyawa. 

Sungai Nil. Gambar dari Wikipedia

Please pray with us

Assalamualaikum readers,

What is more heart wrenching than seeing your own child fighting for her life? 2 days ago Fariha bt Hj Morshidi was crossing a road on her way to her college in Manchester and she was hit by a car. She sustained serious brain injuries and a fractured pelvic. She now lies in a coma after a surgery removing blood clots from her brain.

All the Malaysians in Manchester are now praying for her safety and speed recovery. She is also the Iqra' teacher for our children in the weekly Sekolah Malaysia here. May Allah grants her health as she was before. And to her family members, may Allah ease their paths and give them endurance in this trying times, and reward their patience by raising them to a higher degree.

Please pray with us. Everything lies in Allah's Mercy now, as always.

A regret...

"All humans are dead except those who have knowledge. And all those who have knowledge are asleep, except those who do good deeds. And those who do good deeds are deceived, except those who are sincere. And those who are sincere are always in a state of worry." -Imam Ash-Shaafi'ee

Imam,

I came to your place of rest with little knowledge of you.
I stared and sighed, with a heart full of regrets of not knowing you as much as I should.
I followed you blindly.
I heard of your greatness and love of knowledge but I never made the commitment to be like you.
Under the glow of the green light, I could not feel you.
There I sent you Al Fatihah, and made a promise that when I stand in front of our Prophet's,
I would not have the same regret.

Al Fatihah. May Allah reward you with all the honors in Jannah.

Masjid Imam Shafiee, Kaherah

Makam Imam Shafiee

Makam Imam Shafiee

Dear readers, please recommend me a book of his biography or his works that I can benefit from. Thank you.

Macam-macam Mesir

1. Kami di Kaherah, Mesir tinggal di rumah ibu bapa Papaboyz (Atuk dan Wan). Atuk jaga pelajar2 tajaan Negeri Sembilan yang bakal jadi ustaz / ustazah. Di sekitar kawasan Rumah Negeri Sembilan ada Rumah Melaka dan Rumah Kelantan juga (Rumah Kelantan ada 3 biji ok--saya assume mungkin pelajar2 mereka pun 3 kali ganda banyaknya dari pelajar negeri lain).

Di depan Rumah Negeri Sembilan, Kaherah

2. Siapa datang Mesir senang je nak berjalan2. Upah saja bakal2 ustaz ni yang memang buat kerja sampingan jadi pemandu pelancong dari Malaysia. Mereka sewakan kereta / van lepas tu bawa pergi tempat-tempat menarik, makam-makam, membeli belah semua. Haaa masa membeli belah memang kena ada ustaz-ustaz ni sebab mereka pandai tawar harga. Saya tanya mereka ni belajar apa? Ada yang belajar Al-Quran, ada belajar syariah. Belajar Quran sampai 7 tahun, baru kira ada degree Quran. MasyaAllah... lamanya. Yang belajar perubatan di Kaherah tinggal di asrama lain, di bawah MSD, bukan kerajaan negeri. Berjalan dengan ustaz2 ni, kita tanya diorang soalan sejarah tempat-tempat tu, diorang jawab siap dengan ayat Quran semua. hehehe respect.

3. Jalanraya di Mesir ni tak ada undang-undang sangat. Semua selit-menyelit saja, 3 lorong jadi 6 lorong pun tak ada hal. Tali pinggang suka hati, boleh sumbat-sumbat kereta ramai-ramai. Jalan dikongsi kereta beroda dan kereta keldai, kereta kuda semua ada. Lampu isyarat hampir tiada.

4. Sini ramai orang tinggal dalam rumah yang bila ahli keluarga bertambah (kahwin etc), mereka cuma tambah je lagi satu tingkat dia atas bangunan yang sedia ada. Jadi rumah-rumah ni bumbung semua flat, bumbung cantik-cantik tak ada, senang nak tambah tingkat. 

Tengok bangunan2 tu, semua macam separuh siap je kan, atas dia senang nak tambah tingkat bila diperlukan

5. Datang Mesir kena siap duit kecil banyak-banyak. Sebab mana-mana saja orang minta tips. Di airport minta tips. Naik unta dah bayar sewa unta pun tukang bawa unta mintak tips. Naik bot dah bayar bot pun mintak tips tambahan. Masuk masjid letak kasut tukang jaga kasut pun mintak tips. Yang minta sedekah pun ramai sebab ramai orang miskin. Siap-siap lah duit kecik banyak-banyak. Perkara ini memang sangat ketara hingga sebelum saya datang Mesir itulah yang dikomen oleh rakan sekerja saya yang pernah datang ke Mesir, "you have to tip everybody".


6. Walaupun mereka suka meminta, tapi mencuri tidak. Satu hari dompet Papaboyz terjatuh di tengah jalan di hadapan rumah. Dah setengah jam masuk rumah tiba-tiba ada student ketuk pintu pulangkan dompet. Tak sedar pun tercicir. Semua duit dan kad-kad segala ada cukup. Seorang lelaki tua yang 'homeless' yang selalu berlegar di kawasan itu yang menjumpainya dan menyerahkan pada student tadi. Atuk kata kalau beg kena ragut pun jerit saja dan pasti akan dapat semula beg dengan bantuan orang ramai.

7. Selain Egyptian cotton (yang memang mahal kalau nak beli kat UK ni), mereka banyak hasilkan kristal. Cantik! Kami pergi showroom Asfour Crystal. Penuh dengan chandelier dan ornamen mewah. Cuci mata je...

bling bling- semua kristal

alamak, menyesal pulak tak tangkap satu jam kristal ni

8. Saya pertama kali jumpa unta. Comelnya...hehehe. Semasa di Giza kami naik sekejap. Kemudian ketika mendaki Gunung Sinai saya naik lagi. Sebab dia tinggi pastu jalan melenggok-lenggok tu yang best.

Unta comel yang tahap kecomelan sama dengan panda

Konvoi unta, saya naik dengan Ammar

9. Kat sini ada roti canai sebesar dulang. Dalam perjalanan ke Alexandria kami singgah di Qariah Al-Asad (Kampung Singa) iaitu sebuah restoran yang ada mini zoo. Di situ beberapa orang perempuan duduk bersila menebar roti canai hingga selebar meja. Bila dah tebar diorang lipat jadi lebar dulang. Tapi makan cicah dengan madu dan satu 'sambal' yang rasanya macam tempoyak hahahaa. Perlahan je kitorang makan. Kalau pekena kari mesti dah licin sekelip mata.

tebar roti canai lebar meja, minyak yang diorang pakai toksah cakaplah, entah berapa liter

Roti canai lebar dulang

10. Di sini banyak kedai jual jus buah segar. Memang puree buah yang tak ada campur air. Minum jus mangga macam makan buah mangga. Satu gelas besar harga 2.50 LE saja (dalam 35pence). Murah sangat! Kalau saya duduk Mesir dijamin kuota 5 a-day tu mesti dapat terlaksanalah setiap hari. Anticancers at its cheapest.

Kedai jus buah, berhenti je kereta tepi jalan, order, minum dalam kereta pastu pulangkan gelas, dari delima sampai kiwi pun ada

Segelas koktail- guava + strawberry + pisang + epal

11. Satu hari kami pergi ke Dahab dan menginap di hotel di tepi pantai (depan pantai, belakang gurun). Air paip yang keluar adalah masin! Ya tak ya, mana pulak kat gurun nak dapat air, ambil kat laut lah jawabnya. Siapa yang ada anak kecil bawa lah travelling kettle sebab 2 hotel yang kami pergi dua-dua tidak menyediakan kettle. Lainlah kalau duduk Hilton atau Sheraton tak tahu lah.

12. Di satu lebuhraya ketika menuju Terusan Suez, terdapat satu siri papan tanda. Selang beberapa kilometer akan ada satu papan tanda. Apakah yang tertera di atas papan-papan tanda itu? Asma ul-Husna!

13. Kisah buku pulak. Di Mesir saya dapat satu buku istimewa iaitu sebuah kitab yang ditulis oleh Ibn Qayyim Al-Jauziyah (hidup kurun ke 13, antara gurunya ialah Ibn Taymiyyah dan antara muridnya ialah Ibn Kathir). Kalau bahasa Arab tajuknya Al-Tibb Al-Nabawiyya, terjemahnya Perubatan Nabi atau dalam english Healing with the Medicine of the Prophet. Siapa-siapa yang tahu mana-mana orang yang mengajarkan kitab ini bolehlah bagi tahu saya.

14. Di Mesir juga waktu saya sangat bermakna kerana berjaya menghabiskan Travelog Dakwah, Meniti hari Esok karangan Prof Kamil. Saya pinjam buku ibu mertua saya. Terima kasih, Mama. Buku ini memang dalam wishlist untuk beli bila balik Malaysia, tak sangka dapat baca lebih awal. Prof Kamil memang manusia yang bersungguh. Double respect.

nanti sambung lagi...

Preparing for 2011

Tomorrow is the start of a new year, and insyaAllah it will be an interesting year for us. We are hopeful that we can return to Malaysia in a few months time and I have many plans ahead, especially for the kids. For myself, I plan to get back to work, as my family needs me, and also to study, medical and other things, and I ask Allah to give me good, righteous teachers. But to start the year, I want to be a more humble person.

If you are a doctor, you will understand that this is not easy. If you don't have a profession yet, and you want to be a humble person, then cross medical doctor out of your list. Being one is not good for one's ego. People constantly look high up on you, even your family members ("anak den doktor kat spital tampin tu haa")...---> ni bukan mak saya yg cakap ok...

Even in a small hospital, the doctors have their own parking spaces, their own pantry, in monthly assemblies (we are a government agency, remember) the front seats are reserved for us, the nurses and other support staffs greet us at the corridors. Whoever begin their work as a doctor with pure intentions in their hearts, will surely later have the seeds of arrogance planted. How many times do we feel that we have saved somebody while the truth is that it was never in our hands?

Indeed this arrogance and feeling of superiority is also displayed among the doctors themselves. Between consultants and junior doctors, between a physician and a surgeon ("this is my field, I know better than you") and between doctors in district hospitals and general hospitals.

Many times I have said that I want to study and become a specialist, but if becoming a specialist will result in me (or my family) being thrown into the Hellfire, then Ya Allah, please deter me from achieving it. Please be with me all the way. And if that is Your decision, please grant me sabar and redha.

The Iblis worshiped Allah longer than any of us, and has knowledge greater than any of us, but what made him The Cursed One? His arrogance that he was made from fire and Adam (alaihissalam) was only made from dirt.

Rasulullah (saw) said;


“The Heaven and Hellfire were arguing, and the Hellfire said, ‘What’s wrong with me? Only arrogant people go into me.’ The Heaven was saying, ‘What’s wrong with me? Only the humble people go into me.’”

I put an excerpt from a series of lectures by Imam Suhaib Webb on the Surah Al-Fatihah, in which he deals with the topic of arrogance. Taken from here.

In the Qur’an Allah (swt) gave us a story in Surat al-Hujurat. Some Arabs came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “We believe, we are mu’minoon (believers).” Allah (swt) said, “The Bedouins say, “We have believed.” Say, “You have not [yet] believed; but say [instead], ‘We have submitted,’ for faith has not yet entered your hearts,” (Qur’an 49:14). Don’t give yourself names which you are not.

Look at the Qur’an. How did Allah (swt) describe the Prophet ﷺ? This is beautiful. Allah (swt) told the Prophet ﷺ “Say, “I am only a man like you […]”(Qur’an 18:110). Can you imagine that you are the Prophet ﷺ, and you know that you are the last Prophet ﷺ. You are sinless and Allah (swt) has forgiven everything that you have ever done before and after. You are the one who was given so many karamat (mercies) and mu’juzat (miracles) from Allah (swt). Imagine that you have to go to the people and say, “I’m a man like you.” You have to go to a bedouin who cannot read or write, who doesn’t know anything, and say, “I’m like you.” Imam Qurtubi explained that Allah (swt) tells the Prophet ﷺ in so many places in the Qur’an to say “I am a man like you” to teach us not to give ourselves big labels. We should not say, “I am a Sheikh! A scholar! The sea of knowledge!” Look at the man who went and urinated in the masjid. The Prophet ﷺ has to come to him and say, “I am a man like you.” Why did Allah (swt) say in Surat al-Jumu’ah, “It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger from themselves […]” (Qur’an 62:2)? Imam Qurtubi explained that in these verses Allah (swt) wants to teach us to be humble. He wants to teach the Prophet ﷺ humility and teach us also indirectly. We shouldn’t give ourselves these big labels and big titles. Just be yourself. Be simple. Be a normal person.

One time a man came into Madinah and he found some people sitting on the ground. He wasn’t Muslim and he asked, “Where is Muhammed?” The Prophet Muhammed ﷺ answered, “I am Muhammed.” The man responded, “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his Messenger.” Imagine, the Prophet ﷺ was sitting on the ground, and he could not be differentiated from others. Be careful of position.

Someone asked why do I have to put the dr title in front of my name for this blog. I don't know why. It must be my ego in play. Now I want to change it. I thought I wanted to put something like 'A Woman Like You' then I realized what about the male readers? hehehehe....

So I presented my dilemma and asked the Wise Man of the House for his opinion. He said...

"tak payah tukar, yang penting niat tu nak berlagak ke tak... (the problem is I'm quite sure there was some elements of arrogance when I chose to use this name 2 years ago)....tak pun tukar je jadi Fat Mama Mirabelle"---[sambil menghirup mi kari tak pandang keliling]

hahahahahahaha.....(itu ler laki aku yang baik budi, jangan korang tak tau..)

**Mama Mirabelle is a mommy elephant who likes to tell stories to her baby elephant in the series 'Mama Mirabelle Home Movies'.

Back to the main topic..I must admit that this is my hardest resolution ever as it does not have a clear method and it is not measurable (by humans). The deadline is of course my death. I wouldn't even know if I succeed, until many thousand years from now. Feel free to help me with this anytime. And I ask for your forgiveness, readers, if I ever hurt you in the past because of my arrogance.


So to start 2011, I think I will just use Mamaboyz. Of course this will have to change again if we were to be blessed with girl/s.

Welcome 2011. May Allah be with us in our every steps. And every step bring us closer to Him.