I came across this video yesterday. Quite interesting.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Friends
I am not very friendly. I seldom remember names. I prefer working to talking. I have only a few close friends because I don't have much time for socialising.
Alhamdulillah, a few friends that I made in the past are my closest friends now. I kept their secrets, celebrate their son's and daughters' weddings, give them words of comfort in time of their sorrow and respect them for who they are.
Alhamdulillah, I too became fast friends with some of those in the usrah group. Although I cannot choose my 'friends' at first, we build up the bond of friendship as time goes by. There are a few of those whom I adore even though we belong to different usrah groups now.
Those that are close to me are the nicest people I have met. We talk about our families not about other people, we support each other and think highly of other people. Most important of all, they seek the pleasure of Allah in what ever task they are doing.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Mother
My mum was not feeling very well. She was coughing and she spent her time sleeping. She didn't talk much.
'Let's go to the clinic,' I suggested to her.
'Which clinic?'
'Dr Khairuddin's because we know him well.'
I knew she was not sick. Something was bothering her, but she wouldn't tell.
On Saturday morning, I went to the wet market and bought live freshwater fish. I also bought mum's favourite kuih, bingkang ubi. She was lying on the bed , fully dressed when I reached her house. I served her the kuih and she sat up and ate it, much to my delight.
While she was eating, I cleaned the fish and grilled it in the multi-purpose cooker.
Then off we went to the clinic.
While I was driving, she told me what had happened. I listened.
She is going to celebrate her 70th birthday this February and she is still taking care of us. She worries about us all the time.
When we were young, there were only six of us to be fed and to be clothed. She made sure we excelled in our studies, so that hopefully, we can live happily ever after.
Her duties did not end there. She still has to monitor her 6 children and their respective spouses plus the grandchildren. She will be happy if everyone is happy, but she will be doubly sad if it happens otherwise.
To those young families, who still have mothers to come home to, please remember this:
i) Always be grateful to Allah for you are blessed with a life partner. Cherish him/her and live life according to the syariah. Observe your daily prayers, guide your chastity, be kind to your partner and look after your family well.
ii) Try your best to make ends meet. Plan your financial well and don't indulge in luxury item. But please be generous to your parents and Allah will reward you handsomely.
iii) Regard each others' parents as your own. Love them just the way you love your own. Make a time table for regular visits. Make them HAPPY.
When your mum is happy and well, your life is worth living!
'Let's go to the clinic,' I suggested to her.
'Which clinic?'
'Dr Khairuddin's because we know him well.'
I knew she was not sick. Something was bothering her, but she wouldn't tell.
On Saturday morning, I went to the wet market and bought live freshwater fish. I also bought mum's favourite kuih, bingkang ubi. She was lying on the bed , fully dressed when I reached her house. I served her the kuih and she sat up and ate it, much to my delight.
While she was eating, I cleaned the fish and grilled it in the multi-purpose cooker.
Then off we went to the clinic.
While I was driving, she told me what had happened. I listened.
She is going to celebrate her 70th birthday this February and she is still taking care of us. She worries about us all the time.
When we were young, there were only six of us to be fed and to be clothed. She made sure we excelled in our studies, so that hopefully, we can live happily ever after.
Her duties did not end there. She still has to monitor her 6 children and their respective spouses plus the grandchildren. She will be happy if everyone is happy, but she will be doubly sad if it happens otherwise.
To those young families, who still have mothers to come home to, please remember this:
i) Always be grateful to Allah for you are blessed with a life partner. Cherish him/her and live life according to the syariah. Observe your daily prayers, guide your chastity, be kind to your partner and look after your family well.
ii) Try your best to make ends meet. Plan your financial well and don't indulge in luxury item. But please be generous to your parents and Allah will reward you handsomely.
iii) Regard each others' parents as your own. Love them just the way you love your own. Make a time table for regular visits. Make them HAPPY.
When your mum is happy and well, your life is worth living!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Nice people deserve everything nice
We were having our first usrah for the new school session. One of the rukun usrah is taaruf (introduction) where everyone would introduce themselves. We have known each other for almost two years and we are close like sisters. So today, as an introduction, I pose them a different question.
How did they meet their spouses and their involvement in dakwah.
Almost all the usrah members , (7 of us) were from religious schools. To protect their privacies, I called two of them Mrs N and Mrs Z. Only my junior , Mrs M and I were from a different background.
Mrs N
She worked in a kindergarten. One day, after getting home from work, her mother told her that she had accepted a marriage proposal on her behalf . She was speechless because unknown to her mother, she had a crush on someone else. She prayed istikharah and without any doubt, accepted the proposal. They were married a year later and and were blessed with beautiful children.
Mrs Z
She was a final year student in a college when she got engaged with her collegemate, P. Unknown to her, P, was her husband's best buddy in Secondary school. They were planning to get married when P fell sick and passed away. Z carried on with her life, got a job in Ipoh and stayed with her parents. Six months later, she received an SMS from her would-be-husband. The friendship blossomed and six months later her husband called her mother a visit. They were married a year later.
Listening to their life stories is a great reminder , how fragile life is. We planned and Allah also planned, but Allah is the greatest Planner. As a mere human being, we should always be humble and live lives according to Allah's will. We should always be grateful to Him, be it in time of sorrow or happiness.
Both Z and N were obedient daughters. As dutiful daughters, they prioritised the parents' wishes more than their own desires. N could just decline the marriage proposal from an unknown suitor, but she chose to turn to Allah for the answer. Alhamdulillah, Allah had guided her in the right path. Allah, in return, has blessed her with a blissful married life .
I was humbled.
I would like to remind myself to find ways to make my mother happy. To lend her my ears, to buy her favourite food , let her speak out her dissatisfaction and just be there when she needs me.
How did they meet their spouses and their involvement in dakwah.
Almost all the usrah members , (7 of us) were from religious schools. To protect their privacies, I called two of them Mrs N and Mrs Z. Only my junior , Mrs M and I were from a different background.
Mrs N
She worked in a kindergarten. One day, after getting home from work, her mother told her that she had accepted a marriage proposal on her behalf . She was speechless because unknown to her mother, she had a crush on someone else. She prayed istikharah and without any doubt, accepted the proposal. They were married a year later and and were blessed with beautiful children.
Mrs Z
She was a final year student in a college when she got engaged with her collegemate, P. Unknown to her, P, was her husband's best buddy in Secondary school. They were planning to get married when P fell sick and passed away. Z carried on with her life, got a job in Ipoh and stayed with her parents. Six months later, she received an SMS from her would-be-husband. The friendship blossomed and six months later her husband called her mother a visit. They were married a year later.
Listening to their life stories is a great reminder , how fragile life is. We planned and Allah also planned, but Allah is the greatest Planner. As a mere human being, we should always be humble and live lives according to Allah's will. We should always be grateful to Him, be it in time of sorrow or happiness.
Both Z and N were obedient daughters. As dutiful daughters, they prioritised the parents' wishes more than their own desires. N could just decline the marriage proposal from an unknown suitor, but she chose to turn to Allah for the answer. Alhamdulillah, Allah had guided her in the right path. Allah, in return, has blessed her with a blissful married life .
I was humbled.
I would like to remind myself to find ways to make my mother happy. To lend her my ears, to buy her favourite food , let her speak out her dissatisfaction and just be there when she needs me.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Au Revoir
14th January 2011. My fifth sister's 44th birthday. Then, on 15th January at 2.30 a.m, off she went to Durban, South Africa with her husband and family.
In a special way, she is my favourite sister. When she was single, I sometimes couldn't understand her. She was not the ' gedik' type, not even the 'manja' type. She will never talk behind our back, and she was not scared to speak her mind out. She was and is still very serious with everything especially her work and the well-being of her/my parents. She is also very generous.
Luckily she got even better after she got married. She became more tolerant, gentle, understanding and more concerned, the opposite of Tuan Haji Azman who was more serious . He is the youngest in the family and he even has a nephew who was born in the same year as him. My sister and her husband is a match made in heaven. They were the ones who often visited my parents and lavished them with everything that they fancied. Once she employed the Indonesian maid to look after my parents for two years. She also bought health gadgets, the latest household appliances and furniture for my parent's house. Whenever I suggested that I chipped in as well, she protested, telling me that I had helped enough by staying near and helping them out.
Now, my sister and her family are in Durban. Her husband was posted there so she took one year unpaid leave. Their son, Aiman , a student in MRSM Serting stayed behind and will join them after the SPM examination.
None of us were in tears. I just hope, she'll be a much better person when she gets home in future.
I'll upload the photos later, insyaAllah.
In a special way, she is my favourite sister. When she was single, I sometimes couldn't understand her. She was not the ' gedik' type, not even the 'manja' type. She will never talk behind our back, and she was not scared to speak her mind out. She was and is still very serious with everything especially her work and the well-being of her/my parents. She is also very generous.
Luckily she got even better after she got married. She became more tolerant, gentle, understanding and more concerned, the opposite of Tuan Haji Azman who was more serious . He is the youngest in the family and he even has a nephew who was born in the same year as him. My sister and her husband is a match made in heaven. They were the ones who often visited my parents and lavished them with everything that they fancied. Once she employed the Indonesian maid to look after my parents for two years. She also bought health gadgets, the latest household appliances and furniture for my parent's house. Whenever I suggested that I chipped in as well, she protested, telling me that I had helped enough by staying near and helping them out.
Now, my sister and her family are in Durban. Her husband was posted there so she took one year unpaid leave. Their son, Aiman , a student in MRSM Serting stayed behind and will join them after the SPM examination.
None of us were in tears. I just hope, she'll be a much better person when she gets home in future.
I'll upload the photos later, insyaAllah.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Lovelorn
You cried your hearts out. You spent sleepless nights, thinking.... What have I done wrong? What should I do to make it right? You walked like a zombie, unaware of the people around you. Your phone was left unanswered and you shut yourself off from the universe. Your tears flowed freely, especially when your song, 'kenangan terindah' was in the air. Food tasted bitter and you kept asking yourself, 'When will this end? Will I be happy again? Why me?
You wouldn't recognise yourself when you saw your reflection in the mirror. There was a feeling of general malaise and you looked so unhappy. You felt as if the world might just come to an end!
Don't despair. Time will heal the painful memories.Believe me, you deserve to be happy for only Allah knows how hard you try to make it worked . Take charge of your life and get this in your mind ; the jerk was not meant for you.
Love Allah first before you love others. Take good care of yourself before you care for others. You don't have to spend your entire life looking for love or expect love to be knocking on your door. Just be yourself. Remember to keep yourself busy with remembering Allah and in fulfilling your duties, and Allah in His mercy will never let you down. Let's pray that you are not going to be afflicted with another heartache. We pray that you spend the rest of your life with remarkable feats that will make us, proud of you.
You wouldn't recognise yourself when you saw your reflection in the mirror. There was a feeling of general malaise and you looked so unhappy. You felt as if the world might just come to an end!
Don't despair. Time will heal the painful memories.Believe me, you deserve to be happy for only Allah knows how hard you try to make it worked . Take charge of your life and get this in your mind ; the jerk was not meant for you.
Love Allah first before you love others. Take good care of yourself before you care for others. You don't have to spend your entire life looking for love or expect love to be knocking on your door. Just be yourself. Remember to keep yourself busy with remembering Allah and in fulfilling your duties, and Allah in His mercy will never let you down. Let's pray that you are not going to be afflicted with another heartache. We pray that you spend the rest of your life with remarkable feats that will make us, proud of you.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Enrolment
3rd January 2011.
Almost 200 new students enrolled on the first day of schooling. The Year 1 students particularly caught my attention. They are the cheerful bunch, full of energy and always eager to obey the teachers' instructions . Until today, all the students looked happy and contented. Until this morning, there were still a few parents who sat in the school canteen waiting for their children.
I saw one boy wearing sandals. I was thinking of ignoring it, but he cheerfully told me,
"Lupa pakai kasut. Nanti ayah datang bawa kasut."
During recess, I saw one of the teacher's son sitting alone in the corner. His mother is on maternity leave , and he looked so unsure of himself. Alhamdulillah, there is always a teacher to assist him.
4 January 2011
There was a commotion in the school. A Year 1 student was found missing.He was supposed to wait for his mother in the canteen. Everyone looked for him and his mother was almost in tears. Half an hour later, we found him strolling happily around the school grounds with his friend!
We also got acquainted with a generous couple who offered to equip the school surau with a new curtain. Since the students perform Dzuhur prayers at the end of the day, they also offered to buy everyone a pair of rubber slippers each! We were very humbled by their kind gesture.
There is still a lot to be done ; new faces to be remembered, new skills to be taught and new souls to be coaxed. I have to get myself organised and strive to work smarter!
Almost 200 new students enrolled on the first day of schooling. The Year 1 students particularly caught my attention. They are the cheerful bunch, full of energy and always eager to obey the teachers' instructions . Until today, all the students looked happy and contented. Until this morning, there were still a few parents who sat in the school canteen waiting for their children.
I saw one boy wearing sandals. I was thinking of ignoring it, but he cheerfully told me,
"Lupa pakai kasut. Nanti ayah datang bawa kasut."
During recess, I saw one of the teacher's son sitting alone in the corner. His mother is on maternity leave , and he looked so unsure of himself. Alhamdulillah, there is always a teacher to assist him.
4 January 2011
There was a commotion in the school. A Year 1 student was found missing.He was supposed to wait for his mother in the canteen. Everyone looked for him and his mother was almost in tears. Half an hour later, we found him strolling happily around the school grounds with his friend!
We also got acquainted with a generous couple who offered to equip the school surau with a new curtain. Since the students perform Dzuhur prayers at the end of the day, they also offered to buy everyone a pair of rubber slippers each! We were very humbled by their kind gesture.
There is still a lot to be done ; new faces to be remembered, new skills to be taught and new souls to be coaxed. I have to get myself organised and strive to work smarter!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Year, New determination , a better person.
InsyaAllah.
It is not dificult to be a better person. Be a better mother/mother-in-law, a better teacher, a better daughter, a better sister, a better wife, a better colleague, a better leader but of course with the intention of seeking Allah's pleasure and with the mercy of Allah .
For example : In any organisation, there'll always be a few with all sorts of problem; not punctual, avoiding work, absent from work and we can just ignore him/her resulting in dissatisfaction among the others. A good leader should let the problem worker analyses his/her problem and improve himself /herself in the process.
It is easier said than done. To be a better mother, you have to be a good listener. To be a better friend, you have to reduce talking and listen more. In hadiths, Rasulullah s.a.w always stresses the importance of listening to talking. In fact, if we have nothing good to talk about, we are advised to shut up! May be, this is the first thing that I have to remind myself . Talk when necessary or keep quiet.
What if somebody persistently called you names and hurt your feelings ? In my experience, only people whose lives are not blessed with Allah's guidance will do this directly to you. I would check myself first : Do I perform my daily prayers? My manners to friends, parents, siblings? My quran reading? My food consumpion, is it halal?
If you hardly perform your prayers, only khatam al-quran once in your entire life, and you don't bother to be well versed in spiritual matters then you are the likely candidate to cause sorrow and hardship to people who happen to cross your path.
Rasul Allah (s.a.w) said: "The example of a good companion and a bad one is the bearer of musk and the worker on the fires. A bearer of musk would give you some, you might buy some from him, or you might enjoy the fragrance of his musk. The worker on the fires, on the other hand, might spoil your clothes with sparks from his bellows, or you can get a bad smell from him." [Sahih Bukhari]
Who are the top 5 people you hang out with? List them. Now look at their qualities and you'll notice that you are the product or the sum of them. Do they have the outstanding qualities that you seek? If not, then it's time to find some bearers of musk that you can truly smell great from.
Wallahualam.
It is not dificult to be a better person. Be a better mother/mother-in-law, a better teacher, a better daughter, a better sister, a better wife, a better colleague, a better leader but of course with the intention of seeking Allah's pleasure and with the mercy of Allah .
For example : In any organisation, there'll always be a few with all sorts of problem; not punctual, avoiding work, absent from work and we can just ignore him/her resulting in dissatisfaction among the others. A good leader should let the problem worker analyses his/her problem and improve himself /herself in the process.
It is easier said than done. To be a better mother, you have to be a good listener. To be a better friend, you have to reduce talking and listen more. In hadiths, Rasulullah s.a.w always stresses the importance of listening to talking. In fact, if we have nothing good to talk about, we are advised to shut up! May be, this is the first thing that I have to remind myself . Talk when necessary or keep quiet.
What if somebody persistently called you names and hurt your feelings ? In my experience, only people whose lives are not blessed with Allah's guidance will do this directly to you. I would check myself first : Do I perform my daily prayers? My manners to friends, parents, siblings? My quran reading? My food consumpion, is it halal?
If you hardly perform your prayers, only khatam al-quran once in your entire life, and you don't bother to be well versed in spiritual matters then you are the likely candidate to cause sorrow and hardship to people who happen to cross your path.
Rasul Allah (s.a.w) said: "The example of a good companion and a bad one is the bearer of musk and the worker on the fires. A bearer of musk would give you some, you might buy some from him, or you might enjoy the fragrance of his musk. The worker on the fires, on the other hand, might spoil your clothes with sparks from his bellows, or you can get a bad smell from him." [Sahih Bukhari]
Who are the top 5 people you hang out with? List them. Now look at their qualities and you'll notice that you are the product or the sum of them. Do they have the outstanding qualities that you seek? If not, then it's time to find some bearers of musk that you can truly smell great from.
Wallahualam.
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