My Little Assistants

Who needs a maid when you have 3?

Mama's little laundry assistant (budak boleh harap)

Mama's morning buddy- pukul 6 pagi. Aktiviti: hias kapal terbang dengan stickers.

Mama's kitchen assistant- making honey cornflakes

Mama's kitchen assistant- coating doughnuts with sugar

Making own buttered toast

Mama's little angels :D

The Diary of Ma Yan

(wrote this on November 25th 2010- just realized I haven't publish it)

Remember I promised to write about the Diary of Ma Yan? She is a Muslim peasant girl of Ningxia, China. the area she lives is almost a desert and life is very hard there. In winter the snow is heavy, although it is a blessing to them because the snow is one of their main source of water (collected, stored and melted in underground cisterns to use in dry times). She rarely gets to eat meat, sometimes only once a year in eid-ul Adha.

She kept diaries of her days in a boarding school with her brother. There they only eat once a day during lunch, no breakfast or dinner. And only rice is provided. If the children have money they could buy vegetables.

I copied here her entry on one particular day that she was very hungry.

Tuesday 30th October 2000


It's freezing today. My brother and I have no more bread. At lunchtime, the comrades are all eating and we have to stand by and grit our teeth.

Seeing my tears, my brother says, as if his heart were light, "Wait, sister, I'm going to borrow some lunch tickets," But I know he feels no better than I do. He simply wants to console me and stop me worrying about him. I go back to my dorm and sit on my bed and wait for him to return.

I'm dreaming of tthis bowl of yellow rice.

He takes a very long time to come back. Then he says, "Sister, there's no more rice."

He turns to leave. I watch my brother's receding back and I can't help letting the tears flow.

Do you know what hunger is? It's an unbearable pain.

I wonder when I'll stop experiencing hunger at school.....

***
During one school holiday, her mum broke the news that she could not continue her education anymore. They dont' have enough money. Her parents could only afford to sent her brother to school. That particular year the draught was harsh.

She wrote her mother a sad letter. The mother was distraught. On the sight of some foreigners her mother made a quick decision. She gave the letter and Ma Yan's diary to them. That became her lifeline.

Alhamdulillah, she is not hungry anymore. She now receives scholarship from France (yes France, not any Muslim country) to complete her studies. She also receives royalties from the publication of her diaries, in which she kindly donated 25% of it to the Children of Ningxia Foundation to help her neighbors and other children of Ningxia to complete their education.

A Night's Prayer...

for all Libyans, Egyptians, Palestinians and other oppressed brothers and sisters..

The other 6-year-old boy

Dear Adam,


Today you are 6. It is time for Mama to tell you about a boy. This boy was very different from you. You have everything a 6 year-old could dream of. Mama and Papa, all four grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, good school, friends, unlimited toys, books. You never went to sleep hungry. You never woke up scared.


This boy, he lived 1400 years ago. When he was 6, your age now, his mom died. He became an orphan. His dad already died when he was still in his mummy's tummy. He was really poor. He did not have everything that you have now. He had to live with his other family members. Surely it was not the same as having your own parents.


He became a shepherd. He did not get to go to school. Nobody even taught him to read or write. There is a reason to this. Mama will tell later. But why Mama wants to tell you about this boy?


He was a very special boy. He was born with nothing. But he had something that no one else ever had as much, or would ever have as much, and that is Allah's love. You remember Allah? Mama already told you that Allah is the One who creates us, Whom we will go to when we leave this world, Whose Love and Mercy we should strive for every second of our lives.


Why you must know about this poor orphan boy? Because you must love him more than you love Mama, Papa, Ammar, Abid or yourself. And we all must love Allah like he loved Allah. It is easier said than done. He himself said (when he was older) that living in this world while striving to love Allah at the end of time (most probably our time now) would be like holding a burning coal. It is easier to let go than to endure. But to let go must never be your option. You must remember this.


Adam, his name was Muhammad. Whenever we say his name, we will say sallallahualaihiwassalam (peace be upon him). He is our Holy Prophet. Your two brothers have his name, but you don't. Because you have the name of another great Prophet whose story is more complicated. Mama will tell you when you are older, InsyaAllah.


When he was about your age now, he had to take care of sheeps. When he was a bit older, he learned to trade and became a businessman. Mama always wonder what he was like during this period of his life, the life before prophethood, because not much is said about it. What his thoughts were when he was tending the sheep, what he thought of his travels. Did he ever cried when he watched other kids with their mothers? Did he play games with other teenagers? How good was his sales skills? We know that he was an honest man. We know that he had some signs of his prophethood. But we know very little of this part of his life.


Do you wonder what he looked like? Well there are some description of the adult him. It was said that he was of a medium stature, he was neither very tall nor very short. He was handsome, of medium built and his hair was neither very curly nor very straight (but was slightly wavy). He had a wheat-coloured complexion. When he walked, he leaned forward slightly*.  And he walked with a fast pace. Mama also read once that he always smile, and his smile would bring peace to one's heart, and when he shake his hand with another person, he would never be the one to let go first. 


Why Allah loves him so much, Adam? Well, to start with, he never told a lie. His only priority is to please Allah and spread Allah's message. He once said that even if his favourite daughter Fatimah steals, he would cut her hand. Do Mama has the heart to cut your hand if you steal? Allah forbids we would ever be faced with that situation. Mama also knows that before he sleeps he would say Allah's name. Then he would wake up in the middle of the night to pray to Him. Some of his companions sometimes followed his night prayer. They said that when they followed the Prophet's (saw) night prayers, they would have to lean themselves onto pillars to support themselves because it was soo long. He would read AlBaqarah, Ali Imran and AnNisa' just in one rakaat. That was how long it was. Not just that, for every sentence that praise Allah, he would say tasbih. For every sentence on blessings, he would ask for priority from Allah. For every sentence on Hellfire, he would ask for Allah's forgiveness.**It was truly the prayer of one whose purpose of living was solely to worship Allah.


Can we ever meet him? In Heaven yes. But to reach him we must follow his footsteps. And the path would never be easy. The path to Heaven is full of hardship. It is the road less traveled. It is not the way of the majority. 


Adam, you are 6 today. Remember this 6 year-old orphan boy. There are a lot more to tell. Not just about him, but also his wives, his loyal companions, his journeys. Mama will tell you more and more about him until he becomes your best friend. Then hopefully you will love him enough to be among his companions at our final destination.


Happy birthday Adam. May you have a blessed life, here and after.


Love,
Mama.




*Reported by Anas Bin Malik (ra)
** Reported by Abdullah Ibn Abbas (ra).

Jannah

A goal so far.. yet so close



This is a poem by a young Muslim poet from America, Ammar Al-Shukry. Here is an interview of him by my favourite Virtual Mosque.

When asked how does he encourage others to experiment with and develop their creative talents, he answered:

My advice would be to highlight what makes you special and not what makes you ordinary. I’d always be disappointed when I’d hear a Muslim artist talking along the same lines as the non Muslims, about the same superficial things. It’s the syndrome that everyone is talking about how they want to be different but really acting the same. What makes us special is Islam. When we highlight, it we shine because all we’re doing is reflecting off of its light

********************************************************************

Another kinetic typograpic video on the story of Prophet Isa (as)- Al Hayat Al Dunya, narrated by Sheikh Yusuf Estes. A very disturbing one, made me ponder for days...

The Egypt Revolution

I can't believe in my lifetime I would witness a great historical event, and I had the urge to record it in this blog. 18 days of mass protests, to bring down an arrogant tyrant. We have been following the Egypt Revolution closely, because we just returned from there, and also because our parents are still there. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to experience Egypt before the revolution, and perhaps in the future I will have the chance to go there again and appreciate the difference.

A lot can be learned from the revolution. It was powered by the youth and the professionals. It was somewhat well organized and peaceful (the protesters were peaceful). They marched together, have volunteers stood guard the entrances of Tahrir Square to prevent protesters from bringing weapons, doctors and nurses stations to care for the wounded, perform solat on the streets, respecting other religions etc. They fully utilized the mosques and the churches to organize movements, despite telephone and internet breakdown.

Photo by Mohamed Abed, Getty Images

In retrospect, the blocking of Facebook, Twitter and later internet has probably served as a catalyst to the revolution despite the regime's opposite intention. People could not just sit and follow from FB or Twitter in the comfort of their own living rooms, they were forced to join in the streets because they could not do otherwise. How magnificent was Allah's plan. He is indeed the Best Planner.

One thing for sure, they stand firm and stand united (am putting this in present tense as it is a du'a). They persevered. I remembered thinking how long they would last. I don't know if it were Malaysian youths how long we would last.

I also remember the feeling of disbelief  after watching Mubarak's last speech. He was addressing the nation as if the people were with him. He was talking as if he was actually pressured from outside, not from his own countrymen. What a deluded tyrant.

love this pic- Source

The revolution is a symbol of unity. It was not led by Ikhwanul Muslimin or other party. I cannot help but put this photo of 2 million Egyptians praying behind one Imam. Simply moving.

Final Friday

Here is a video by a muslimah named Asmaa Mahfouz on January 18 that helped spark the revolution. She was calling people to come to Tahrir Square with her on January 25. It was really inspiring seeing her pledge. She said to the camera, man of Egypt, if you have some dignity and manhood, come with me and protect me. Allah won't change us unless we change ourselves first (Quran, 13:11), that's His promise. It went viral after that.

A personal account here by a young Egyptian dentist who marched with his gynecologist father. How the revolution grew the man in him and demolished his wall of fear.

And here is the faces and profiles of those perished. Doctors, lawyers, university graduates..they were not peasants. They were the country's assets. May Allah bless them for standing for the oppressed.

For you who do not care, take a step back and reflect. It is not too late to read, digest and learn from the revolution. Don't carry the nonchalant attitude as if this does not matter at all. This is a lesson in hope. In human dignity. Do not despair in whatever conditions you are in. Fight your own 'inner Mubarak'. (notice how the meaning of mubarak here has changed to something really opposite to the actual meaning). Fight for our own spiritually oppressed soul. Get up for prayers (on time!). Learn the Quran. Steadfast in guarding our heart and tongue. Teach our children. I read that the word iblis is rooted from the word 'ba-la-sa' which carries the meaning of despair. The Iblis caused you to despair because he is in despair himself. Have hope in Allah's Mercy.

May Allah bless Egypt with a Musa to replace the Pharaoh. And may Allah free Masjidil Aqsa and Baitul Muqaddis. May one day we can travel there safely and pray there, and remember that's the place where our Prophet (saw) was brought to the heavens on the night of Mikraj.

Jejak Nabi Musa (as)- Part 2

Selepas seminggu di Kaherah, kami berpeluang melawat Semenanjung Sinai. Saya kata berpeluang kerana ia tiada dalam perancangan (perancangan belanjawan). Semua ayah Papaboyz tanggung :D. Kalau tidak memang tiada rezeki kami. Semasa merancang aktiviti ke Mesir saya ada mengira-ngira cukupkah kalau melencong ke Tanah Suci? Tapi rupa-rupanya rezeki kami bukan ke Tanah Suci tetapi Lembah Suci. Di manakah Lembah Suci itu?

Tak apa, kita cerita hal siangnya dulu. Dari Kaherah kami melintasi Terusan Suez dan melintas padang pasir untuk ke Taba'.

Gambar diambil dari sini.

Di Taba' kami berdiri di persisiran Teluk Aqabah melihat sempadan Israel dan Jordan. Singgah sekejap sahaja. Tapi sempat juga mendapat 3 pesanan teks dalam telefon bimbit dari syarikat telekomunikasi- 'Welcome to Israel, Welcome to Jordan, Welcome to Saudi Arabia'. Meriah.

Indahnya Teluk Aqabah..

Apa signifikannya Teluk Aqabah?

Kemungkinan Teluk Aqabah adalah tempat Nabi Musa (as) membelah laut untuk menyelamatkan kaumnya dari Firaun. Tiada bukti sahih di mana lokasi sebenar kejadian hebat itu, walaupun ada teori mengatakan di sekitar Nuweiba (lihat peta) kerana penemuan artifak ribuan tahun di dasarnya (wallahualam). Teluk Aqabah juga kemungkinan tempatnya Nabi Musa (as) bertemu Nabi Khidir (as), nabi yang lebih banyak ilmu darinya.

Yang penting, bukan lokasinya, tapi iktibar kejadiannya. Kita selalu mengaitkan kejadian membelah laut itu dengan mukjizat hebat Nabi Musa (as). Tapi ketika berhadapan dengan lautan luas (kemungkinan mati) dengan tentera Firaun di belakang (juga kemungkinan mati), apakah perasaan kaum Nabi Musa (as)? Apakah pula perasaan Nabi Musa (as)? Ia dua perkara yang bertentangan.

Bani Israel         : Sesungguhnya kita akan dapat ditawan!
Nabi Musa (as) : Sekali-kali tidak! Sesungguhnya Tuhanku besertaku, kelak Dia akan memberi petunjuk kepadaku.


(Dialog dari Al-Quran, 26:61-62)

Di kala bertemu jalan buntu, dikelilingi pula aura negatif dari kaumnya, Nabi Musa (as) masih teguh tawakalnya.

Mengenai pertemuan dengan Nabi Khidir (as) pula, sangat banyak hikmahnya. Baca banyak kali pun, setiap kali tentu akan terjumpa hikmah yang baru. Tetapi ia kisah yang menunjukkan macammana tinggi kita belajar pun, berapa banyak ilmu yang kita ada pun, ada orang lain yang lebih pandai dari kita, dan kita tak akan bersabar dengan sesuatu yang tidak kita ketahui.

Saat mereka didalam perahu yang ditumpangi, datanglah seekor burung lalu hinggap di hujung perahu itu. Burung itu meneguk air dengan paruhnya, lalu Nabi Khidir berkata, “Ilmuku dan ilmumu jika berbanding dengan ilmu Allah, adalah seperti air yang diteguk burung itu dari lautan yang luas ini." (Sahih Bukhari)

Dan, ilmuku dan ilmu-mu, tidak setitik pun dari ilmu kedua-dua manusia hebat itu.

p/s- Lembah Suci dalam Part 3 ok..