Feels like I haven't been posting for yeeeeeeeeeeeeaaars! Well, as you all know (if you're Muslim) we celebrated the end of Ramadhan on Monday, 23rd October 2006.
Alhamdulillah it was an eventful day. It will be a special one to me because this is my son's first Eid with the family. And to think that Abdurrahman was still in my womb, this time last year, amazes me. Time flies too quickly, don't you think?
Since that my mother-in-law left for Indonesia 4 days before Eid, to visit her sick mother, I am left to be the host of the house for Eid - which I've never done before. Cooking is not a stranger to me, but cooking a LARGE quantity that can feed a whole village is a bit overwhelming. That's what I had to do. Thank God it was an easy Indonesian dish that I could do- called "Bakso" or "Meiso". Of course, my dear mother was the one who aided me with all of it, except that I did the cooking, she just provided me with the tools.....hehhehe :)
The night before Eid, I was packing it! Didn't get to iron 2 loads of clothes the other day, so the morning of Eid I had to rush to fold the clothes and stuff 'em in the closet, prepare the food, change Abdurrahman into his tuxedo (yeh, he looked so cute in it!). We had to wait for someone to come & look after Robbie's dad while we went to pray @ Marrickville, Addison Rd. Subhanallah, it was fantastic!
Usually Robbie and I could go visit our families' houses after prayer on Eid, but this year was about to change. Since I had to organize everything, we didn't have a chance to go out until 12.30pm that day because we had guests. So when it came to the last guest leaving to go to another house, we picked up and left quickly before anyone else came....hehehhe - but we had only until 2pm to get back home.
I'm watching The Da Vinci Code on dvd at the moment. So I can't really concertrate on recalling on Monday's events.
I'll get back to it next time, aight.
HAPPY EID, EID MUBARAK EVERYONE!!
~Peace.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
Ramadhan Day 27
Indeed our greatest fear during this month, is not that we may break our fast, but that Allah may not accept it. Even if we were to fast each day perfectly, it is only through His mercy will it ever be accepted.
May Allah accept our fast and efforts as this months end draws near.
500 Years of Worship
Angel Jibrail (as) told Rasulullah (peace be upon him) the follwing incident about a man in the past who worshipped Allah Ta'ala continuously for 500 years. He was granted a shelter on top of a mountain that was surrounded by salty water. However, Allah caused a stream of sweet water to flow through the mountain for that individual. The man would drink from this water and use it to make ablution. Allah Ta'ala also raised a pomegranate tree from which the man would eat one fruit every day.
One day, this person supplicated to Allah that, "Oh Allah, bring my death while I am in the state of prostration." Allah accepted this dua of his. Whenever Jibrail (as) came down to the Earth, he found this man prostrating to Allah. Jibrail (as) said that on the day of Judgement, Allah will tell the angels to take this individual to Paradise through His mercy. However, this man will insist that he should enter paradise through the good deeds that he had performed.
Then, Allah will tell the angels to compare his good deeds with the blessings that were given to him in the world. It will be seen that 500 years of his worship does not even equal to the gift of eye sight that was given to him by Allah. The angels will be asked to take him towards the hell fire. Then the man will plead, "Oh Allah! Enter me into Paradise only through Your mercy."
At that point, Allah said to the man "Oh my servant, who created you?"
"Oh Allah, You have created me." replied the worshipper
"Were you created because of the good deeds you have done or because of My mercy?"
"Because of Your mercy." replied the worshipper
"Who granted you the ability to worship for 500 years?"
"Oh the Almighty! You have granted me that ability."
"Who placed you on the mountain surrounded by the ocean? Who caused a stream of sweet water to flow in between the salty water? Who caused a pomegranate tree to grow for you? Who granted you death while in the state of prostration?"
"Oh the Sustainer of the Worlds! You have done all of these."
Then Allah will say, "All these have happened due to My mercy and you too will enter Paradise only through My Mercy."
~Peace.
May Allah accept our fast and efforts as this months end draws near.
500 Years of Worship
Angel Jibrail (as) told Rasulullah (peace be upon him) the follwing incident about a man in the past who worshipped Allah Ta'ala continuously for 500 years. He was granted a shelter on top of a mountain that was surrounded by salty water. However, Allah caused a stream of sweet water to flow through the mountain for that individual. The man would drink from this water and use it to make ablution. Allah Ta'ala also raised a pomegranate tree from which the man would eat one fruit every day.
One day, this person supplicated to Allah that, "Oh Allah, bring my death while I am in the state of prostration." Allah accepted this dua of his. Whenever Jibrail (as) came down to the Earth, he found this man prostrating to Allah. Jibrail (as) said that on the day of Judgement, Allah will tell the angels to take this individual to Paradise through His mercy. However, this man will insist that he should enter paradise through the good deeds that he had performed.
Then, Allah will tell the angels to compare his good deeds with the blessings that were given to him in the world. It will be seen that 500 years of his worship does not even equal to the gift of eye sight that was given to him by Allah. The angels will be asked to take him towards the hell fire. Then the man will plead, "Oh Allah! Enter me into Paradise only through Your mercy."
At that point, Allah said to the man "Oh my servant, who created you?"
"Oh Allah, You have created me." replied the worshipper
"Were you created because of the good deeds you have done or because of My mercy?"
"Because of Your mercy." replied the worshipper
"Who granted you the ability to worship for 500 years?"
"Oh the Almighty! You have granted me that ability."
"Who placed you on the mountain surrounded by the ocean? Who caused a stream of sweet water to flow in between the salty water? Who caused a pomegranate tree to grow for you? Who granted you death while in the state of prostration?"
"Oh the Sustainer of the Worlds! You have done all of these."
Then Allah will say, "All these have happened due to My mercy and you too will enter Paradise only through My Mercy."
~Peace.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Ramadhan Day 26. (Possibly the Night of Power)
Tonight is portrayed to be one of the MOST IMPORTANT night during these last 10 days of Ramadhan. Yep, it's Laylatul Qadr. And i'm not wasting my night in blogging because I don't want to miss out on MASSIVE rewards from my Creator. So I'll just put in a story and end it there. Oh yeh, remember my Sony Ericsson W850i? I'm LOVING IT, YO! IT'S SOoooOOOoOOO AWESOME!! And i'm VERY, VERY, excited about Eid Al-Fitr on Monday 23rd October (inshallah). It'll be my son's first Eid celebration in his life - last year he was in the womb, hehehuehe.
Aight, I'll get to the story. When we sacrifice things for the sake of Allah, sometimes shaytan makes us question or regret that sacrifice. However, we should all understand that whatever you lose in this life for the sake of Allah, will be more than compensated for in Paradise, inshallah.
Indeed the most beautiful knowledge you can obtain, is the knowledge that your home in Paradise awaits you. May the peace and blessings be on the Prophet and his Sahaba who were guaranteed Paradise.
A Home For A Home In Paradise
Abdullah ibn Jahsh (ra) was among those who were the first to accept Islam. When the persecution of the Quraysh got severe, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) gave permission for his companions to emigrate to Madinah. Emigrating was not a new experience for Abdullah. He and some members of his immediate family had migrated before to Abyssinia. This time, however, his migration was on a far bigger scale. His family and relatives, men, women and children, migrated with him. In fact, his whole clan had become Muslims and accompanied him.
Abdullah's clan were not long gone when the alerted Quraysh leaders came out and made the rounds of the districts in Makkah to find out which Muslims had left and who had remained. Among these leaders were Abu Jahl and Utbah ibn Rabi'ah. Utbah looked at the houses of the Banu Jahsh through which the dusty winds were blowing.He banged on the doors and shouted: "The houses of the Banu Jahsh have become empty and are weeping for its occupants." Abdullah bin Jahsh had the most beautiful and expensive house. He sacrificed this house for the pleasure of Allah. Seeing it abandoned, Abu Jahl entered the house and took all its contents.
Later, when Abdullah ibn Jahsh heard what Abu Jahl had done to his house, he mentioned it to the Prophet (saw), who said: "Aren't you satisfied, O Abdullah, with what Allah has given you instead, a house in Paradise?"
"Yes, Messenger of Allah," replied Abdullah. From that moment he never had any regret for that house and became completely satisfied with the beautiful palaces that are awaiting for him in Paradise.
~Peace.
Aight, I'll get to the story. When we sacrifice things for the sake of Allah, sometimes shaytan makes us question or regret that sacrifice. However, we should all understand that whatever you lose in this life for the sake of Allah, will be more than compensated for in Paradise, inshallah.
Indeed the most beautiful knowledge you can obtain, is the knowledge that your home in Paradise awaits you. May the peace and blessings be on the Prophet and his Sahaba who were guaranteed Paradise.
A Home For A Home In Paradise
Abdullah ibn Jahsh (ra) was among those who were the first to accept Islam. When the persecution of the Quraysh got severe, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) gave permission for his companions to emigrate to Madinah. Emigrating was not a new experience for Abdullah. He and some members of his immediate family had migrated before to Abyssinia. This time, however, his migration was on a far bigger scale. His family and relatives, men, women and children, migrated with him. In fact, his whole clan had become Muslims and accompanied him.
Abdullah's clan were not long gone when the alerted Quraysh leaders came out and made the rounds of the districts in Makkah to find out which Muslims had left and who had remained. Among these leaders were Abu Jahl and Utbah ibn Rabi'ah. Utbah looked at the houses of the Banu Jahsh through which the dusty winds were blowing.He banged on the doors and shouted: "The houses of the Banu Jahsh have become empty and are weeping for its occupants." Abdullah bin Jahsh had the most beautiful and expensive house. He sacrificed this house for the pleasure of Allah. Seeing it abandoned, Abu Jahl entered the house and took all its contents.
Later, when Abdullah ibn Jahsh heard what Abu Jahl had done to his house, he mentioned it to the Prophet (saw), who said: "Aren't you satisfied, O Abdullah, with what Allah has given you instead, a house in Paradise?"
"Yes, Messenger of Allah," replied Abdullah. From that moment he never had any regret for that house and became completely satisfied with the beautiful palaces that are awaiting for him in Paradise.
~Peace.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Ramadhan Day 24.
Staying home on a cloudy day makes me feel soOO lazy. Which isn't a good feeling when i've got dozens of things to do. I just end up bumming around on the net, looking up ebay and stuff like that.
But Alhamdulillah yesterday I was pleased :) My Nokia 7600 was sold for $80.10, including post, and then I was thinking of upgrading phones with 3, I REALLY hate that stupid, worthless LG U8120. It's a frikkin' peice of crap! And so I've upgraded to the
SONY ERICSSON W850i. I've never been so pleased as much as I am with this one! I'M LOVIN' IT! ALHAMDULILLAH! I feel it'll take a lot for me to get bored with this phone- looks frikkin' hot!
I cannot complain with what i've got....teehee!
~Peace.
But Alhamdulillah yesterday I was pleased :) My Nokia 7600 was sold for $80.10, including post, and then I was thinking of upgrading phones with 3, I REALLY hate that stupid, worthless LG U8120. It's a frikkin' peice of crap! And so I've upgraded to the
SONY ERICSSON W850i. I've never been so pleased as much as I am with this one! I'M LOVIN' IT! ALHAMDULILLAH! I feel it'll take a lot for me to get bored with this phone- looks frikkin' hot!
I cannot complain with what i've got....teehee!~Peace.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Ramadhan Day 21.
OH MYYY...GOD! One of the hottest day today! Before it got too hot, I went bra-shopping @ Birkenhead Point. Pretty good! It would've been better if it wasn't so hot or if we weren't fasting. But I didn't bring my little boy along, cuz it was boiling! So we left him with his granny. I couldn't wait to get home and see him. As soon as we got home, I saw him and dropped everything then I hugged him as tight as I could. I can't be away from my boy for toOoO long.
I feel so behind in my Qur'an reading! I feel so ashamed!
Every Ramadhan I read the Qur'an from the beginning, but this year I was already half-way through the book and felt like I'm cheating starting from the middle. So I went back to the beginning. The Qur'an is divided into 30 parts- in Arabic it's called "Juz' ". So in Ramadhan you can easily finish the Qur'an by reading 1 part each day. But since females have their menstruational cycle once a month, I couldn't fast OR read the Qur'an. Because in Islam when women are menstruating they are in a state of impurity- not that they are impure themselves, but it's the thing inside which gives us the excuse to not pray, fast, and read the Qur'an.
Anyway, it's Day 21 of Ramadhan and I should be up to Part 21 (Juz' 21) of the Qur'an or at least past it. Rather, I'm only up to the 4th Part- I should be reading more. Especially when the last 10 nights of Ramadhan have arrived. This one special night of Ramadhan, called "Laylatul Qadr", meaning "The Night of Power", falls on one of the odd nights- e.g. on the night of Day 21, 23, 25 & so on. Whatever good deeds we do during these last 10 nights of Ramadhan, for the sake of Allah's pleasure, we receive the reward that is better than a thousand months. That's why it is soOoO important.
I want to post a story about struggle. Turn on the tv, read the newspaper, the sight of Muslims sufferring around the whole world has become common news. Occupation of our Lands, the slaughter of millions of Muslims, the negative propaganda made to make Islam look 'evil'. The torment and atrocities that were thrown upon the Muslims in the past 100 years has never been seen in the history of Islam. However, despite these struggles the Muslims go through, we have still stuck to our Islam, and day by day our convitction only strengthens. This following hadith tells the story of how the Prophet advised his companions on the issue of staying patient.
Don't Complain, Be Patient.
Khabbaab ibn al-Aratt (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "We complained to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was reclining on his cloak in the shade of the Ka'bah. We said to him: "Why do you not ask Allaah to help us (grant us victory)? Why do you not pray to Allaah for us?" He said, "A man from the people before you would be placed in a hole dug for him, then they would bring a saw and cut his head in two, yet that would not make him renounce his faith. They would use an iron comb to drag the flesh and nerves from his bones, yet that would not make him renounce his faith. By Allaah, this matter will be completed (i.e. Islam will be perfected and will prevail) until a rider travelling from Sana' to Hadramawt will fear nobody but Allaah or the attack of a wolf on his sheep, but you are too impatient." Source: Sahih Bukhari.
The conditions of Muslims may go up and down but Islam will always remain on top. We should never lose hope even during the most difficult times as Allah is always in control. Surely, Allah helps those who are patient.
~Peace.
I feel so behind in my Qur'an reading! I feel so ashamed!
Every Ramadhan I read the Qur'an from the beginning, but this year I was already half-way through the book and felt like I'm cheating starting from the middle. So I went back to the beginning. The Qur'an is divided into 30 parts- in Arabic it's called "Juz' ". So in Ramadhan you can easily finish the Qur'an by reading 1 part each day. But since females have their menstruational cycle once a month, I couldn't fast OR read the Qur'an. Because in Islam when women are menstruating they are in a state of impurity- not that they are impure themselves, but it's the thing inside which gives us the excuse to not pray, fast, and read the Qur'an.
Anyway, it's Day 21 of Ramadhan and I should be up to Part 21 (Juz' 21) of the Qur'an or at least past it. Rather, I'm only up to the 4th Part- I should be reading more. Especially when the last 10 nights of Ramadhan have arrived. This one special night of Ramadhan, called "Laylatul Qadr", meaning "The Night of Power", falls on one of the odd nights- e.g. on the night of Day 21, 23, 25 & so on. Whatever good deeds we do during these last 10 nights of Ramadhan, for the sake of Allah's pleasure, we receive the reward that is better than a thousand months. That's why it is soOoO important.
I want to post a story about struggle. Turn on the tv, read the newspaper, the sight of Muslims sufferring around the whole world has become common news. Occupation of our Lands, the slaughter of millions of Muslims, the negative propaganda made to make Islam look 'evil'. The torment and atrocities that were thrown upon the Muslims in the past 100 years has never been seen in the history of Islam. However, despite these struggles the Muslims go through, we have still stuck to our Islam, and day by day our convitction only strengthens. This following hadith tells the story of how the Prophet advised his companions on the issue of staying patient.
Don't Complain, Be Patient.
Khabbaab ibn al-Aratt (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "We complained to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was reclining on his cloak in the shade of the Ka'bah. We said to him: "Why do you not ask Allaah to help us (grant us victory)? Why do you not pray to Allaah for us?" He said, "A man from the people before you would be placed in a hole dug for him, then they would bring a saw and cut his head in two, yet that would not make him renounce his faith. They would use an iron comb to drag the flesh and nerves from his bones, yet that would not make him renounce his faith. By Allaah, this matter will be completed (i.e. Islam will be perfected and will prevail) until a rider travelling from Sana' to Hadramawt will fear nobody but Allaah or the attack of a wolf on his sheep, but you are too impatient." Source: Sahih Bukhari.
The conditions of Muslims may go up and down but Islam will always remain on top. We should never lose hope even during the most difficult times as Allah is always in control. Surely, Allah helps those who are patient.
~Peace.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Ramadhan Day 20
Haaaiii...yah! sup? Oh, nothing much bro..............anything new with you? *sigh* My word, it has been a hot day. Yesterday was hot, yeh? Went out for shopping, you know Thursday night shopping- good thing was we had Iftar in the food court- let me say, there was JAM-PACKED of Muslims....oh yeh! We had some Chinese and packed on food on our tiny plate of "self-serve". And yesterday was the FIRST TIME i've reunited with Gloria Jean's "Coco Loco".....phhwooaaahh, i was waiting a long time to taste it.
Since I had been breast-feeding my son for a good 8 months, I didn't think that by drinking Coco Loco would be good for me, so I stopped. And now that i've stopped nursing my son, bring on the caffeine and V!!! woOOHOOoo!
The down-side thing is I have to find some new bras! Far out, i've now noticed what breastfeeding does to your breasts- if I didn't love my son I wouldn't have breast-fed him so I could keep my twins looking "up-beat". haahhha! But no worries, i'll tuck away the nursing bras and hunt some good new bras to hook mine up again.
It's scary to feel time going by so fast. For example, when I look @ my son, I remember when I heard his first cry into this world. I look back @ videos I've taken of him when he just a week old, I tear up whenever I look at those videos. After looking back on his birth, I look at him now and I just get this overwhelming feeling, and just grab him and hug him so tight. Mummy loves you darling.
*wipes tears away* Anyway, alot of times when we're with our friends we like to joke around. This joking around is all well and good. However, when it comes to the point where someone is hurt intentionally or unintentionally, although they may not show it, this could lead to hatred and loss of respect.
The Prophet (saw) said:
"Do not argue with your brother, do not joke excessively with him, do not make a promise to him then break it."
The true Muslim is above all that, and inshallah in this month of Ramadan, we want to increase in becoming better Muslims and people. And Allah knows best.
Hold Your Tongue
Mahmud was a very pious man, but he was not very attractive looking. One day, he was walking along the road, minding his own business, when a lady came up to him, and started calling him names and abusing him. This lady kept saying all kinds of nasty things, and Mahmud just listened to her patiently. Finally, when she was finished calling him names and abusing him, Mahmud just greeted her, smiled, and said:
"And a nice day to you" and continued on his way.
Why did Mahmud behave this way?
It is because he knew that everything she said was just a reflection of her inner self.
If you use bad language or constantly slandering people, then you are just making obvious to everybody how far away you really are from Allah, since your words are in reality a reflection of your own inner self.
~Peace.
Since I had been breast-feeding my son for a good 8 months, I didn't think that by drinking Coco Loco would be good for me, so I stopped. And now that i've stopped nursing my son, bring on the caffeine and V!!! woOOHOOoo!
The down-side thing is I have to find some new bras! Far out, i've now noticed what breastfeeding does to your breasts- if I didn't love my son I wouldn't have breast-fed him so I could keep my twins looking "up-beat". haahhha! But no worries, i'll tuck away the nursing bras and hunt some good new bras to hook mine up again.
It's scary to feel time going by so fast. For example, when I look @ my son, I remember when I heard his first cry into this world. I look back @ videos I've taken of him when he just a week old, I tear up whenever I look at those videos. After looking back on his birth, I look at him now and I just get this overwhelming feeling, and just grab him and hug him so tight. Mummy loves you darling.
*wipes tears away* Anyway, alot of times when we're with our friends we like to joke around. This joking around is all well and good. However, when it comes to the point where someone is hurt intentionally or unintentionally, although they may not show it, this could lead to hatred and loss of respect.
The Prophet (saw) said:
"Do not argue with your brother, do not joke excessively with him, do not make a promise to him then break it."
The true Muslim is above all that, and inshallah in this month of Ramadan, we want to increase in becoming better Muslims and people. And Allah knows best.
Hold Your Tongue
Mahmud was a very pious man, but he was not very attractive looking. One day, he was walking along the road, minding his own business, when a lady came up to him, and started calling him names and abusing him. This lady kept saying all kinds of nasty things, and Mahmud just listened to her patiently. Finally, when she was finished calling him names and abusing him, Mahmud just greeted her, smiled, and said:
"And a nice day to you" and continued on his way.
Why did Mahmud behave this way?
It is because he knew that everything she said was just a reflection of her inner self.
If you use bad language or constantly slandering people, then you are just making obvious to everybody how far away you really are from Allah, since your words are in reality a reflection of your own inner self.
~Peace.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Ramadhan Day 18 (skipped some)
*sigh* ohh gosh............missed out on a few days of post. I'm feeling kinda tired and my tummy's rumbling.....>_<. My Baby-G watch arrived the other day. Didn't know it was THAT chunky, LOL! I've never owned a Baby-G watch before. But after a couple of days, I'm deciding that I will sell my Casio Baby-G on ebay. In fact, I've already listed it. Along with my
Nokia 7600 and my Nokia 7370. If you're interested YOU CAN BID ON THEM :D. I'm over the 7370, I used to marvel @ it the first time it arrived - I suppose you do that to every new item you get. I'm plannig to sell those phones to get some sony ericsson, I don't know which one yet. InshaAllah, once I get the $$ I'll decide. And with the watch....i've found a cooler one, CHECK IT OUT, cheaper too.
Hey! Story time! Yay!
The Three Filters Test
During the golden Abbasid period, one of the scholars in Baghdad, the capital of Muslim caliphate at that time, was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," the scholar replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called The Three Filters Test."
"Three Filters?"
"That's right," the scholar continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say.
That's why I call it The Three Filters Test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said the scholar. "So you don't really know if it's true or not.
Now let's try the second filter, the filter of goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," the scholar continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of usefulness.
Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded the scholar, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"
"O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former)" ... (to end of Surah) Hujurat 49.12
"And spy not on each other behind their backs..." (to end of Surah) Hujurat 49.13
Praise be to Allah that we are Muslims...
~Peace.
Nokia 7600 and my Nokia 7370. If you're interested YOU CAN BID ON THEM :D. I'm over the 7370, I used to marvel @ it the first time it arrived - I suppose you do that to every new item you get. I'm plannig to sell those phones to get some sony ericsson, I don't know which one yet. InshaAllah, once I get the $$ I'll decide. And with the watch....i've found a cooler one, CHECK IT OUT, cheaper too.
Hey! Story time! Yay!
The Three Filters Test
During the golden Abbasid period, one of the scholars in Baghdad, the capital of Muslim caliphate at that time, was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," the scholar replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called The Three Filters Test."
"Three Filters?"
"That's right," the scholar continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say.
That's why I call it The Three Filters Test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said the scholar. "So you don't really know if it's true or not.
Now let's try the second filter, the filter of goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," the scholar continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of usefulness.
Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded the scholar, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"
"O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former)" ... (to end of Surah) Hujurat 49.12
"And spy not on each other behind their backs..." (to end of Surah) Hujurat 49.13
Praise be to Allah that we are Muslims...
~Peace.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Ramadhan Day 15
What up yo! Arrived @ my mum's house this morning and saw a package for moi.....yeh......moi! It turns out to be this Dream Theater "Drumavarium" dvd that I purchased online @ mike portnoy's site.
Most impressing thing is, I GOT HIS SIGNED AUTOGRAPHED ALONG WITH IT! How? He signed the package! pHwoaah! *dances* I've got his autograph.......hehheheh.....yay! Here, I'll show you:
And, look here: 
Mate, I'm reeallly impressed. I showed my brother - he's also a big fan of DT too, actually my brothers are the ones who influenced me with the music - and he was like...."whoaa! really?? Cool!"
I think I might keep the bubble-wrapped package for keepsakes. Who knows it might be worth some big $$$ in the near future! hahah! What a joke.
I made Caramel Slice with Chocolate Topping today..mmMMM :D I wonder how it'll taste like. We're all gonna taste it for Iftar, can't wait!!
Hey, did you know that Hercules existed in the time of The Prophet? I didn't know. Here's a short story on how Islam reached one of the great emperors ruling during the time of the Prophet (saw). In this story, Abu Sufyan has not embraced Islam yet, and was still considered an enemy of the Muslims, however, it was after the Conquest of Mecca that Abu Sufyan embraced Islam.
Hercules and Islam
Arabia, during the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s), was a country without any central authority. It was a country far from the civilised nations of those days. At the time Prophet Muhammad (s) was spreading Islam; asking people to turn away from worshipping idols to worshipping Allah, the Almighty, the All-Knower, the Master. The Prophet sent letters of invitation to Kings and Rulers of various countries in the world, inviting them to embrace Islam. Many of the letters were met with a favourable response whilst others were rejected.
In many cases, the messengers of the Prophet were badly treated and abused. But the Prophet was not worried by these setbacks. He was inviting people to the right path and a few setbacks could not deter him from propagating Islam.
Abu Sufyan a leader of the tribe of Quraish and the arch enemy of the Prophet was in Constantinople on a business trip, when the Prophet's letter of invitation reached Hercules, the Byzantine emperor of Eastern Roman Empire. Hercules, at the time was in his court at Constantinople celebrating his victory over the Persians.
Hercules read the letter through an interpreter and then asked the people in his court, to find out if there was someone in the city, who knew the Prophet. Abu Sufyan with his companions was brought into the court.
The emperor asked Abu Sufyan, "What kind of family does Muhammad belong to?"
"Noble", replied Abu Sufyan
"Has there been a king in his family?" Hercules asked.
"No," said Abu Sufyan
"Are the people who have accepted his religion poor or rich?" Hercules questioned again.
"They are poor", replied Abu Sufyan.
Hercules was now becoming more and more interested and he went on asking questions.
His next question was, "Are his followers on the increase or decrease?"
"Increasing", Abu Sufyan replied shortly.
"Have you known him to tell lies"? asked Hercules.
"No", admitted Abu Sufyan.
"Does he ever go against his convents?", Hercules once again asked.
"Not so far. But we have to see whether he carries out the new agreement made between us and him", Abu Sufyan answered lengthily for a change.
"Have you ever fought him in wars?" Hercules questioned.
"Yes", answered Abu Sufyan
"What has been the result?" Hercules asked, getting more and more interested.
"Sometimes we have won, sometimes he", replied Abu Sufyan.
"What does he teach?" asked Hercules
"Worship One God, join no partners with Him, carry out your prayers, be chaste, speak the truth and keep union with your relatives", answered Abu Sufyan, even surprised at his own answer as it sounded like he was preaching Islam.
Hercules stood up and said, "If all you said is true, then I am sure that this Prophet's Kingdom will reach here where I am standing. I was certain that a Prophet was coming, but I didn't know that he would be born in Arabia. If I were to go there, I would embrace Islam and wash the Prophet's feet with my own hands."
This was the way in which the Prophet spread Islam.
He impressed them by his truthfulness, honesty, noble character and dedication in the service of Allah. He did not compel people to accept Islam under threat of waging wars, nor did he compel people to accept Islam by the force of the sword. He fought only in defence, and only when the enemies waged war on him.
~Peace.
Most impressing thing is, I GOT HIS SIGNED AUTOGRAPHED ALONG WITH IT! How? He signed the package! pHwoaah! *dances* I've got his autograph.......hehheheh.....yay! Here, I'll show you:
And, look here: 
Mate, I'm reeallly impressed. I showed my brother - he's also a big fan of DT too, actually my brothers are the ones who influenced me with the music - and he was like...."whoaa! really?? Cool!"I think I might keep the bubble-wrapped package for keepsakes. Who knows it might be worth some big $$$ in the near future! hahah! What a joke.
I made Caramel Slice with Chocolate Topping today..mmMMM :D I wonder how it'll taste like. We're all gonna taste it for Iftar, can't wait!!
Hey, did you know that Hercules existed in the time of The Prophet? I didn't know. Here's a short story on how Islam reached one of the great emperors ruling during the time of the Prophet (saw). In this story, Abu Sufyan has not embraced Islam yet, and was still considered an enemy of the Muslims, however, it was after the Conquest of Mecca that Abu Sufyan embraced Islam.
Hercules and Islam
Arabia, during the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s), was a country without any central authority. It was a country far from the civilised nations of those days. At the time Prophet Muhammad (s) was spreading Islam; asking people to turn away from worshipping idols to worshipping Allah, the Almighty, the All-Knower, the Master. The Prophet sent letters of invitation to Kings and Rulers of various countries in the world, inviting them to embrace Islam. Many of the letters were met with a favourable response whilst others were rejected.
In many cases, the messengers of the Prophet were badly treated and abused. But the Prophet was not worried by these setbacks. He was inviting people to the right path and a few setbacks could not deter him from propagating Islam.
Abu Sufyan a leader of the tribe of Quraish and the arch enemy of the Prophet was in Constantinople on a business trip, when the Prophet's letter of invitation reached Hercules, the Byzantine emperor of Eastern Roman Empire. Hercules, at the time was in his court at Constantinople celebrating his victory over the Persians.
Hercules read the letter through an interpreter and then asked the people in his court, to find out if there was someone in the city, who knew the Prophet. Abu Sufyan with his companions was brought into the court.
The emperor asked Abu Sufyan, "What kind of family does Muhammad belong to?"
"Noble", replied Abu Sufyan
"Has there been a king in his family?" Hercules asked.
"No," said Abu Sufyan
"Are the people who have accepted his religion poor or rich?" Hercules questioned again.
"They are poor", replied Abu Sufyan.
Hercules was now becoming more and more interested and he went on asking questions.
His next question was, "Are his followers on the increase or decrease?"
"Increasing", Abu Sufyan replied shortly.
"Have you known him to tell lies"? asked Hercules.
"No", admitted Abu Sufyan.
"Does he ever go against his convents?", Hercules once again asked.
"Not so far. But we have to see whether he carries out the new agreement made between us and him", Abu Sufyan answered lengthily for a change.
"Have you ever fought him in wars?" Hercules questioned.
"Yes", answered Abu Sufyan
"What has been the result?" Hercules asked, getting more and more interested.
"Sometimes we have won, sometimes he", replied Abu Sufyan.
"What does he teach?" asked Hercules
"Worship One God, join no partners with Him, carry out your prayers, be chaste, speak the truth and keep union with your relatives", answered Abu Sufyan, even surprised at his own answer as it sounded like he was preaching Islam.
Hercules stood up and said, "If all you said is true, then I am sure that this Prophet's Kingdom will reach here where I am standing. I was certain that a Prophet was coming, but I didn't know that he would be born in Arabia. If I were to go there, I would embrace Islam and wash the Prophet's feet with my own hands."
This was the way in which the Prophet spread Islam.
He impressed them by his truthfulness, honesty, noble character and dedication in the service of Allah. He did not compel people to accept Islam under threat of waging wars, nor did he compel people to accept Islam by the force of the sword. He fought only in defence, and only when the enemies waged war on him.
~Peace.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Ramadhan Day 14.
I love this special month..........when you think about it, Ramadhan is not that long. It's only consisted of three groups of 10 days each - now that's a short time! We'll miss you when you go away, Ramadhan. Please let us see you come back next year, Allah willing.
Hmm.....usually we go out on Saturdays, but today was an exception - cuz we're fasting and there's no reason to go out, because all those shopping malls have food everywhere, and we're not gonna eat anyway, what's the use. So I just slept in, after waking up @ 3.20am and slept @ 6am. I needed the sleep 'cuz I felt like a zombie....aaaarrrghh! Abdurrahman got a new walker today. He wasn't very keen to walk with it, everytime we'd move the walker with him in it, he'd sulk and cry - he just likes the musical thingies on it........cute!
Wanna read another story? Sure you do!
The Shepherd
Once upon a time, there lived in Basra an old man whose only occupation was caring for and loving his only son who was a handsome young man. The old man invested all his money on his son's education. The young man went away for a few years and acquired an education at a well known university under the great scholars of that age.
The day had arrived for the son to return from his studies and the old man waited at the door for his son. When the son came and met his father, the old man looked in his eyes and felt great disappointment.
"What have you learnt my son?" he asked
"I have learnt everything there was to be learnt, father"
"But have you learnt what cannot be taught?" asked the father "Go, my son and learn what cannot be taught"
The young man went back to his teacher and asked him to teach him what cannot be taught.
"Go away to the mountains with this four hundred sheep and come back when they are one thousand" said his teacher.
So the young man went to the mountains and became a shepherd. There for the first time he encountered a silence. He had no one to talk to. The sheep did not understand his language. In his desperation, he would talk to them but they would look back at him as if to say he was stupid. Slowly but surely he began to forget all his wordly knowledge, his ego, his pride and he became quiet like the sheep and great wisdom and humility came to him.
At the end of the two years when the number of sheep had grown to one thousand, he returned to his master and fell on his knees.
"Now you have learnt what cannot be taught" said the teacher.
Note: It's interesting to note that the Prophets of Allah (pbut) at some point in their lives, generally before becoming a Prophet, tended to sheep and other such animals.
~Peace.
Hmm.....usually we go out on Saturdays, but today was an exception - cuz we're fasting and there's no reason to go out, because all those shopping malls have food everywhere, and we're not gonna eat anyway, what's the use. So I just slept in, after waking up @ 3.20am and slept @ 6am. I needed the sleep 'cuz I felt like a zombie....aaaarrrghh! Abdurrahman got a new walker today. He wasn't very keen to walk with it, everytime we'd move the walker with him in it, he'd sulk and cry - he just likes the musical thingies on it........cute!
Wanna read another story? Sure you do!
The Shepherd
Once upon a time, there lived in Basra an old man whose only occupation was caring for and loving his only son who was a handsome young man. The old man invested all his money on his son's education. The young man went away for a few years and acquired an education at a well known university under the great scholars of that age.
The day had arrived for the son to return from his studies and the old man waited at the door for his son. When the son came and met his father, the old man looked in his eyes and felt great disappointment.
"What have you learnt my son?" he asked
"I have learnt everything there was to be learnt, father"
"But have you learnt what cannot be taught?" asked the father "Go, my son and learn what cannot be taught"
The young man went back to his teacher and asked him to teach him what cannot be taught.
"Go away to the mountains with this four hundred sheep and come back when they are one thousand" said his teacher.
So the young man went to the mountains and became a shepherd. There for the first time he encountered a silence. He had no one to talk to. The sheep did not understand his language. In his desperation, he would talk to them but they would look back at him as if to say he was stupid. Slowly but surely he began to forget all his wordly knowledge, his ego, his pride and he became quiet like the sheep and great wisdom and humility came to him.
At the end of the two years when the number of sheep had grown to one thousand, he returned to his master and fell on his knees.
"Now you have learnt what cannot be taught" said the teacher.
Note: It's interesting to note that the Prophets of Allah (pbut) at some point in their lives, generally before becoming a Prophet, tended to sheep and other such animals.
~Peace.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Ramadhan Day 13.
At last! InshaAllah i'm fasting today! About bloody time!
Usually, i'd be used to the feeling of fasting by now. But since I've only fasted 2 days out of 13, I sometimes forget that I'm fasting, and accidently taste my baby's food to check if it's still hot......oops! Yeh, that happens.
I got an email from this photo thing called dotphoto.com. They're having this contest where you submit a photo of your baby; and so I did. 1st prize is $500 American Express Gift Card, 2nd prize is an iPod Nano, 3rd prize is a $50 Best Buy Gift Card. So I thought, what the heck, and submitted this photo in:
By now, I've got loaaads of photos of him; but I never have the time to develop them- and even if I do, I can't. Because i'm not even allowed to drive - thanx to a certain someone. *ahem*
Hmm....what else is new? Oh yeh! Went shopping yesterday, right after Robbie came home from work. He wanted to have take-out for Iftar, but I'd already cooked for dinner. I cooked this indian-style chicken curry, with a little Indonesian twist, served with roti cane. In Indonesian it's called "Roti Jalo". So, take-out was out of the question; perhaps we'll have that next week. Anyway, went shopping and bought the important stuff and didn't waffle around 'cuz it was close to 6pm.
Have you tried those straw thingies called "Sip Ahhh!"?? In a box there's 10 standard-sized straws with small flavoured beads. They're awesome! I tried the one's with cookies & cream.....ooOoHHhHhHh......they're delicious!
I better stay away from food & drinks topics. Time for another story!
Wealth & Poverty
It was an usual meeting. The Prophet (saw) was in his place and his companions gathered around him to hear the words of wisdom and guidance. Suddenly a poor man in rags appeared, saluted the gathering:
"Assalamu 'alaikum" (Peace be on you)
and finding a vacant place, comfortably sat down.
The Prophet (saw) had taught them that all Muslims were brothers and in a gathering you should sit wherever you find a place, regardless of any status. Now, it so happened that this poor man was seated next to a very rich man. The rich man felt very disturbed and tried to collect the edges of his dress around himself, so that the poor man didn't touch them.
The Prophet (saw) observed this and addressing the rich man he said:
"Perhaps you are afraid that his poverty would affect you?"
"No, O Messenger of Allah," he said.
"Then perhaps you were apprehensive about some of your wealth flying away to him?"
"No, O Messenger of Allah."
"Or you feared that your clothes would become dirty if he touched them?"
"No, O Messenger of Allah."
"Then why did you draw yourself and your clothes away from him?"
The rich man said:
"I admit that was the most undesirable thing to do. It was an error and I confess my guilt. Now to make amends for it I will give away half of my wealth to this Muslim brother so that I may be forgiven."
Just as he said this, the poor man rose and said,
"O Prophet of Allah, I do not accept this offer."
People present were taken by surprise, they thought that the poor man was a fool, but then he explained:
"O Prophet of Allah, I refuse to accept this offer because I fear that I might then become arrogant and illtreat my Muslim brothers the way he did to me."
~Peace.
Usually, i'd be used to the feeling of fasting by now. But since I've only fasted 2 days out of 13, I sometimes forget that I'm fasting, and accidently taste my baby's food to check if it's still hot......oops! Yeh, that happens.
I got an email from this photo thing called dotphoto.com. They're having this contest where you submit a photo of your baby; and so I did. 1st prize is $500 American Express Gift Card, 2nd prize is an iPod Nano, 3rd prize is a $50 Best Buy Gift Card. So I thought, what the heck, and submitted this photo in:
By now, I've got loaaads of photos of him; but I never have the time to develop them- and even if I do, I can't. Because i'm not even allowed to drive - thanx to a certain someone. *ahem*Hmm....what else is new? Oh yeh! Went shopping yesterday, right after Robbie came home from work. He wanted to have take-out for Iftar, but I'd already cooked for dinner. I cooked this indian-style chicken curry, with a little Indonesian twist, served with roti cane. In Indonesian it's called "Roti Jalo". So, take-out was out of the question; perhaps we'll have that next week. Anyway, went shopping and bought the important stuff and didn't waffle around 'cuz it was close to 6pm.
Have you tried those straw thingies called "Sip Ahhh!"?? In a box there's 10 standard-sized straws with small flavoured beads. They're awesome! I tried the one's with cookies & cream.....ooOoHHhHhHh......they're delicious!
I better stay away from food & drinks topics. Time for another story!
Wealth & Poverty
It was an usual meeting. The Prophet (saw) was in his place and his companions gathered around him to hear the words of wisdom and guidance. Suddenly a poor man in rags appeared, saluted the gathering:
"Assalamu 'alaikum" (Peace be on you)
and finding a vacant place, comfortably sat down.
The Prophet (saw) had taught them that all Muslims were brothers and in a gathering you should sit wherever you find a place, regardless of any status. Now, it so happened that this poor man was seated next to a very rich man. The rich man felt very disturbed and tried to collect the edges of his dress around himself, so that the poor man didn't touch them.
The Prophet (saw) observed this and addressing the rich man he said:
"Perhaps you are afraid that his poverty would affect you?"
"No, O Messenger of Allah," he said.
"Then perhaps you were apprehensive about some of your wealth flying away to him?"
"No, O Messenger of Allah."
"Or you feared that your clothes would become dirty if he touched them?"
"No, O Messenger of Allah."
"Then why did you draw yourself and your clothes away from him?"
The rich man said:
"I admit that was the most undesirable thing to do. It was an error and I confess my guilt. Now to make amends for it I will give away half of my wealth to this Muslim brother so that I may be forgiven."
Just as he said this, the poor man rose and said,
"O Prophet of Allah, I do not accept this offer."
People present were taken by surprise, they thought that the poor man was a fool, but then he explained:
"O Prophet of Allah, I refuse to accept this offer because I fear that I might then become arrogant and illtreat my Muslim brothers the way he did to me."
~Peace.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Ramadhan Day 12.
Salaams all. I've got 2 stories for ya! It's about "The Athiest Teacher" & "The Man and The Cocoon".
The Athiest Teacher.
A young woman teacher, with obvious liberal tendecies, explains to her class of small children that she is an athiest. She asks her class if they're athiests too. Not really knowing what anthiesm is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks. There is, however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Zainab has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not an athiest."
Then, asks the teacher, "What are you?" "I'm a Muslim." The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Zainab why she is a Muslim. "Well, I was brought up knowing and loving God. My mum is a Muslim, and my dad is a Muslim, so I am a Muslim."
The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason!" she says loudly, "What if your mum was a moron, and your dad was a moron, - what would you be then?"
She paused, and smiled. "Then..." says Zainab, "I'd be an athiest."
The Man and The Cocoon
A man found a cocoon of a butterly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would grow and expand to be able to support the body, which would eventually become smaller.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Allah's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If Allah allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never "fly"!
I asked for Strength...
And Allah gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom...
And Allah gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity...
And Allah gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage...
And Allah gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love...
And Allah gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favours...
And Allah gave me Oppurtunities.
I recieved nothing I wanted...
And Allah gave me Everything I needed!
"So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators!" [Surah 23: Ayah 14]
~Peace.
The Athiest Teacher.
A young woman teacher, with obvious liberal tendecies, explains to her class of small children that she is an athiest. She asks her class if they're athiests too. Not really knowing what anthiesm is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks. There is, however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Zainab has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not an athiest."
Then, asks the teacher, "What are you?" "I'm a Muslim." The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Zainab why she is a Muslim. "Well, I was brought up knowing and loving God. My mum is a Muslim, and my dad is a Muslim, so I am a Muslim."
The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason!" she says loudly, "What if your mum was a moron, and your dad was a moron, - what would you be then?"
She paused, and smiled. "Then..." says Zainab, "I'd be an athiest."
The Man and The Cocoon
A man found a cocoon of a butterly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would grow and expand to be able to support the body, which would eventually become smaller.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Allah's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If Allah allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never "fly"!
I asked for Strength...
And Allah gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom...
And Allah gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity...
And Allah gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage...
And Allah gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love...
And Allah gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favours...
And Allah gave me Oppurtunities.
I recieved nothing I wanted...
And Allah gave me Everything I needed!
"So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators!" [Surah 23: Ayah 14]
~Peace.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Ramadhan stories.
I'm losing the feeling of Ramadhan spirit- it's slowly creeping away from me. I've only fasted 2 out of these 11 days. Alhamdulillah I fasted on the first day. On monday, tuesday, wednesday, friday& saturday, my throat couldn't cope with the dryness. Then the bizzare thing happened on Saturday night, while we were having Iftar @ Tempe mosque. My menstruational cycle had begun, hahha! Far out!! InhsAllah it's ending soon, and I get to fast & catch up with qur'an-reading! Honestly, I can't wait.
I was cruising through dealsdirect and I contemplating on getting a new watch. This time I wanted a different style. I'm sick of the analog-style watches and dug deep for those digital display ones. A 'Funky Casio Baby G Digital Watch'. What possessed me into buying it? Somehting, I guess. I just felt like a change whenever I look at my wrist.
I was cruising through dealsdirect and I contemplating on getting a new watch. This time I wanted a different style. I'm sick of the analog-style watches and dug deep for those digital display ones. A 'Funky Casio Baby G Digital Watch'. What possessed me into buying it? Somehting, I guess. I just felt like a change whenever I look at my wrist.
Going for a watch like that is beyond me. I usually prefer to wear analog watches with the date displaying on the side, so I won't have to bug anyone with the day's date. These days i'm fed up with them. My uncle gave me a Rolex watch as a wedding gift. Later on I realised it was fake; because the date toggle didn't work properly. The same uncle who bought me an "original", white gold Guess watch when I was in year 10, which later on the watch started to rust. I thought, white gold don't rust, you tight-ass! I'M FED UP WITH THEM, I NEED A CHANGE IN WATCHES, DAMMIT!
On a much brighter note, I want to share some Ramadhan stories while we are in this special month. I've been getting these insightful stories in my email, from a brother Firdaus, jazakallah brother. I will try to post them here everyday (*rolls eyes* yeahhh ...riiiight).
True Story....
There was once a man who was an enemy to Islam. He had three famous questions that no person could answer. No Islamic scholar in Baghdad could answer his three questions...thus he made fun of Islam in public. He constantly ridiculed Islam and the Muslims. One day a small boy, who`s age was 10, came along and heard the man yelling and screaming at Muslims in the street. He was challenging people openly to answer the three questions.
The boy stood quietly and watched. He then decided that he would challenge the man. He walked up and told the man, "I will accept your challenge".
The man laughed at the boy and ridiculed the Muslims even more by saying, "A ten year old boy challenges me. Is this all you people have to offer!"
But the boy patiently reiterated his stance. He would challenge the man, and with Allah`s help and guidance, he would put this to an end. The man finally accepted.
The entire city gathered around a small "hill" where open addresses were usually made. The man climbed to the top, and in a loud voice asked his first question.
"What is your God doing right now?"
The small boy thought for a little while and then told the man to climb down the hill and to allow him to go up in order to address the question.
The man says "What? You want me to come down?"
The boy says, "Yes. I need to reply, right?"
The man made his way down and the small boy, age 10, with his little feet made his way up.
This small child`s reply was "Oh Allah Almighty! You be my witness in front of all these people. You have just willed that a Kafir be brought down to a low level, and that a Muslim be brought to a high level!"
The crowd cheered and screamed "Takbir"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!"
The man was humiliated, but he boldly asked his Second question... "What existed before your God?"
The small child thought and thought.
Then he asked the man to count backwards. "Count from 10 backwards."
The man counted..."10, 9 ,8 , 7 , 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,0"
The boy asked, "What comes before 0 ?"
The man: "I don`t know...nothing."
The boy: "Exactly. Nothing was before Allah, for He is eternal and absolute."
The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!!"
The man, now completely frustrated, asked his final question. "In which direction is your Allah facing?"
The boy thought and thought.
He then asked for a candle. A candle was brought to him. The blessed child handed it to the man and asked him to light it.
The man did so and remarked, "What is this supposed to prove?"
The young boy asked, "In which direction is light from the candle going?"
The man responded, "It is going in all directions."
The boy: "You have answered your own question. Allah`s light (noor) goes in all directions. He is everywhere. There is no where that He cannot be found.
The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!"
The man was so impressed and so moved by the boy`s knowledge and spirituality, that he embraced Islam and became a student of the young boy.
So ended the debate.
Who was the young boy?
The young boy was one of our leaders and one of the greatest scholars, Imam Abu Hanîfa (May Allah bless him).
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Melbourne, you stole my heart.
Sunday Morning, 24th September 2006.
So, I woke up excited about going to Melbourne that night. The only thing is: I felt my throat being itchy & sore, and my nose blocked! But alhamdulillah (thank God) though, Allah has given me this chance to visit Melbourne and just be with my hubby & little boy (a chance that I VERY RARELY get to have in Sydney). We've said our farewells to our families that day & my brother took us to the airport. Our flight was delayed by 1/2 an hour, so we left Sydney @ approx. 8.06pm. My hubby flies and stays in Melbourne for free 'cuz his company paid for him; and what about me & abdurrahman? Of course, Robbie's paid for us :) At first, our seats on the plane were separate because the seats were booked at different times. But alhamdulillah (thank God) they re-arranged us to sit together. Flight was pretty good. Couldn't enjoy the meal much 'cuz they had braise beef and peas with mashed potatoes. So Robbie & I just had the peas & mashed potatoes.
This is my first time travelling out of Sydney with a child, and I wasn't sure how abdurrahman would cope. Surprisingly, he was a such a good boy! He hugged me during take-off and slept through dinner & landing (,").
Alhamdulillah (praise God), we arrived approx. @ 10pm in Melbourne. I waited by our bags whlie Robbie went to pick up the car he hired for our stay. It was a pretty cool car: Holden Barina, 2004 model, Red, European made AND manual, which I LOVE! The odd thing about the joystick with Euro-made cars is the 'reverse' shift. You have to lift the lower part of the stick and move it up to gear 1. Nevertheless, I knew I was going to LOVE my stay in Melb. 'cuz I got to drive! Ever since my son's birth my hubby wouldn't let me drive - for some reason. For him to let me drive around in Melb. was a big & generous thing. So I accepted with a 'hell yeah!'.
Monday 25th September, 2006
I intended to visit a different mosque each day. There's nothing more satisfying than going to pray @ a mosque and seeing Muslims of all races uniting under the one roof. I arrived @ the City Mosque on Jeffcott St. and parked the car.
When I saw the parking ticket machine, I thought 'Oh dear Lord!' But you know what? It's only 60 cents per 1/2 hour, cheap! Then it doomed on me, 'cuz I had no left-over change! Then this lady was coming my way & knew I was after some change of money. We talked abit and told me she was Muslim and fasting. She looked in her bag for a change of $5 but then handed me a $2 coin- she told me I could have it. Thank God for that!
That was my Monday afternoon for you. We had Iftar at this Turkish restaurant called 'Alasya' up @ Brunswick- Adana Kebabs RULE!
Tuesday 26th September, 2006
Tuesday morning comes and I haven't fasted since Monday. After the flight my throat worsened and it felt like I was swallowing the sharpest knife everytime. After having Sahur (breakfast before fasting before dawn comes) I stayed up catching up on my Qur'an-reading and most of all excited about the day's adventure. I decided to check out Chadstone Shopping Mall @ Chadstone, 10kms drive from the city. I browsed through these high-class shops and thought: "no way am I spending my money here. $1000 would be gone in 1/2 an hour!" But I ended up buying 2 cds ($9.99 each) @ HMV & 3 Dream Theater cds from JB HIFI. The mall covered a pretty large surface area but I still think Parramtta Westfield is bigger- as in the number of levels.
Satisfied with my purchases, I headed out to pray Zuhr @ Dandenong mosque, on Dalgety st. I finally arrived there only to find the footpaths FULL of cars & the mosque's carpark were full of people gaathered around as if waiting for someone famous to appear. Then my eyes fell on this car which carries the dead muslim bodies to their final destination- the grave. Not only the men gathered around, women & young girls were also gathered around and apparently blocking the entrance to the women's prayer section. I realised I wasn't going to find a way to the entrance. So I decided to pray Zuhr back at the hotel. That evening we went to this halal Indian restaurant called 'Shiva'. I had the Hot Lamb Curry and Robbie had the Butter Chicken with Nan bread.
Wednesday 27th September, 2006
Wednesday morning. It was time to say goodbye to the apartment because we were moving, just down the hall, to a studio. Personally, I prefer the apartment 'cuz I felt I had my own house, my own space. The apartment had a living room, to the side of it was a kitchen, down the hall was the bathroom & bedroom opposite of each other.
The studio, on the other hand, had everything in the one room - of course, a separate room for the bathroom.
After everything was settled in the studio, Abdurrahman & I ventured out into the city of Melbourne! Finally I arrived at what I thought was a factory outlet, but I was wrong. It was more like the cheaper side of Melb. But all was good because I finally got some anti-inflammatory 'Strepfen' & Betadine Sore Throat Gargle for my dying throat. With no more interest in the place I decided to get some Thai take-away for Iftar. The Thai restaurant was in this small alley called 'Little Bourke Street'. Cutest little Chinatown i've ever seen. I don't think I visited a mosque that day.
Thursday 28th September, 2006
At last I attempted to fast today because I honestly thought that I could do it without my throat worsening the very next day, regardless I came through. Number 1 thing to do on my list that day was to find this mosque in Fitzroy on Brunswick St. Unfortunately, the map in the car we hired was a little out of date. The mosque ended up being on Palmer St. off Brunswick St. Which had a no right turn (damn it!). I had to go around the block. While I was trying to find the mosque, my son, sitting @ the back, was crying his little lungs out! And so I had no choice but to stop wherever I could to calm him down. Poor baby, I thought. No wonder he was stressed - he was telling me to change his nappy, ahhaah. After all that drama, I finally found the place. I was expecting a big mosque but it was only a standard one.
I prayed Zuhr there and headed for the City mosque to pray 'Asr. While I was praying 'Asr, I noticed @ the corner of my eye, a lady was playfully pinching my son's cheeks. After I finished praying I saw coming toward us and she wanted to hold him. She wanted to show him to the other sisters and asked me if it was alright, of course, I replied. Five seconds later I hear a distinct: "Mashallah! He's so gorgeous!" I praise Allah everytime someone comments on my son's beauty, because it is only from Allah.
Robbie & I wanted to have Italian for Iftar. They didn't do take-away and the place was FULL of alcohol - which is strange for a 'halal' restaurant. There was NO WAY we would Iftar in a place full of wine during this special month of Ramadhan. So I txt'd Robbie in which he replied that Mexican was the next choice. According to the list of halal restaurants from an internet site, "Mexicasa" was in the Queen Victoria (QV) Centre. Guess what. After 1/2 an hour of walking around trying to find this 'Mexicasa', I finally asked a security guard and he told me that "they used to be here some time ago, but not anymore." That's when I flipped out of my mind! So I called Robbie & we decided to have Iftar @ this halal Indonesian restaurant called "Es Teler 77", on Swanston St. Hektik place! Great food! But I would prefer my mum's cooking over theirs, hahaha. We were busy after getting back from the restaurant because we were to leave Melbourne on Friday night. That meant we had to start packing before going to bed.
Friday 29th September, 2006
I didn't think that I would stress out on Friday morning- but bloody hell, I did. I had to get everything packed and ready to check out of the hotel by 12 noon. I thought thatI would be able to check-out BEFORE 12pm, but I was dead wrong! Everything's ready & the time was 11.30am. I was freaking out 'cuz I had 2 heavy bags and 2 plastic bags filled with food & drinks to put in the car...........plus an 8.5kgs baby in my arms during the whole transaction. The hotel we stayed @ was called 'Oaks Griffin'. They have this card-swiping security thing happening when you want to go up to your rooms or get out of the carpark. That's pretty neat, I thought, until I wanted to go back up to get some more stuff after putting in the first 2 bags in the car. I couldn't leave little Abs in the room, all in his lonesome, while I was doing all that. I had no choice but to bring along- too bad he couldn't walk yet. So from the carpark lift, wanting to go up to level 2. Swiped the card for about 5 times and still wasn't getting the green light; "bloody hell!" I thought. I went up to the ground floor (via the stairs) for the reception, to sort things out, and they did. So i've gotten the rest of the bags, went down to the car, buckled my son in, ready to head out, but the it happened again! Swiped my card a thousand frikking times only getting the red light- the flamin' gate won't open!
With the carpark; you swipe your card in until you see a green light and the gate opens. Well, you can imagine, i'm sitting there facing the gate. I had to park the car and unload my son (by this time my arms were numb fron carrying him back & forth). I asked the guy @ the reception to fix it up for me. And to that he replied: "Didn't I do this for you before?" I replied "Yes, this time it's for the carpark." He answered with a mere "Oh." Then the girl next to him added "It's because the card expred @ 10am." That's bullcrap! I thought to myself. Then I said "My husband asked for an extension to 12noon the other day!" And she said "Oh...yeh." AAaargh!! And so I thrusted my hotel cards @ them and got the hell outta there. Until I had to come back to collect my son's shoes, which I have forgotten to pack earlier.
I thought I was gonna have fun for the remaining hours- if it wasn't for the stupid AFL grand final! Half the main road was blocked due to some public event. I spent my 1/2-1 hour in trying to find a way around it but ended up in the Botanical Gardens, haha!
Amazingly enough I found it interesting and took photos of it and decided to visit this mosque in Brunswick on Sydney Rd.
I found the place, prayed Zuhr there & headed back to pick up Robbie. Earlier in the week, his cousin had asked him, via sms, to get some candy from a shop called "Suga"- in Federation Square, 'cuz they don't sell it in Sydney. I tried my hardest but the time was 5.45pm on the Friday, my son was crying @ the back seat & to top it all up, our flight was @ 7pm. There was no time. But all was good. We made it to the airport just in time to check-in and board the plane. We had this large Sucuklu Pide for Iftar, ddaammmnnn that stuff is good! The flight back to Sydney was good, only took 55 minutes.
Overall...
I love Melbourne! InshaAllah Robbie will work from there again....someday. Only this time I hope it'll be a little longer. If I had the choice, i'd stay there! Driving in the heart of Melbourne is so much enjoyable than driving in Sydney city. Even though it's much busier with the trams and all, everybody is pretty much well-behaved with their driving. Nobody speeds! It's like everyone's cruising along with no problems. But there is this one thing though. In some city streets, if you want to turn right; you have to take the far left lane and then do a hook-right turn. At first, I got confused, but I got the hang of it. I began to feel familiar driving in those streets- i just loved it!
I was somewhat sad coming back to Sydney. I had my own living space in Melbourne and I had the freedom to drive. Whereas, in Sydney, I don't have my own living space and I don't get to drive- which to some extent, is driving me insane. But I ask Allah for patience and to give me something better later on in life.
Overall, Melbourne was DA BOMB y'all! Whenever you have the time & money to spend, go visit Melbourne! At least longer than 5 days.
~Peace!
Some more photos:
The Arts Centre
Sunset @ the bridge, near Federation Square
7 News in Melbourne
Remember these??
So, I woke up excited about going to Melbourne that night. The only thing is: I felt my throat being itchy & sore, and my nose blocked! But alhamdulillah (thank God) though, Allah has given me this chance to visit Melbourne and just be with my hubby & little boy (a chance that I VERY RARELY get to have in Sydney). We've said our farewells to our families that day & my brother took us to the airport. Our flight was delayed by 1/2 an hour, so we left Sydney @ approx. 8.06pm. My hubby flies and stays in Melbourne for free 'cuz his company paid for him; and what about me & abdurrahman? Of course, Robbie's paid for us :) At first, our seats on the plane were separate because the seats were booked at different times. But alhamdulillah (thank God) they re-arranged us to sit together. Flight was pretty good. Couldn't enjoy the meal much 'cuz they had braise beef and peas with mashed potatoes. So Robbie & I just had the peas & mashed potatoes.
This is my first time travelling out of Sydney with a child, and I wasn't sure how abdurrahman would cope. Surprisingly, he was a such a good boy! He hugged me during take-off and slept through dinner & landing (,").
Alhamdulillah (praise God), we arrived approx. @ 10pm in Melbourne. I waited by our bags whlie Robbie went to pick up the car he hired for our stay. It was a pretty cool car: Holden Barina, 2004 model, Red, European made AND manual, which I LOVE! The odd thing about the joystick with Euro-made cars is the 'reverse' shift. You have to lift the lower part of the stick and move it up to gear 1. Nevertheless, I knew I was going to LOVE my stay in Melb. 'cuz I got to drive! Ever since my son's birth my hubby wouldn't let me drive - for some reason. For him to let me drive around in Melb. was a big & generous thing. So I accepted with a 'hell yeah!'.
Monday 25th September, 2006
I intended to visit a different mosque each day. There's nothing more satisfying than going to pray @ a mosque and seeing Muslims of all races uniting under the one roof. I arrived @ the City Mosque on Jeffcott St. and parked the car.
When I saw the parking ticket machine, I thought 'Oh dear Lord!' But you know what? It's only 60 cents per 1/2 hour, cheap! Then it doomed on me, 'cuz I had no left-over change! Then this lady was coming my way & knew I was after some change of money. We talked abit and told me she was Muslim and fasting. She looked in her bag for a change of $5 but then handed me a $2 coin- she told me I could have it. Thank God for that!
That was my Monday afternoon for you. We had Iftar at this Turkish restaurant called 'Alasya' up @ Brunswick- Adana Kebabs RULE!
Tuesday 26th September, 2006
Tuesday morning comes and I haven't fasted since Monday. After the flight my throat worsened and it felt like I was swallowing the sharpest knife everytime. After having Sahur (breakfast before fasting before dawn comes) I stayed up catching up on my Qur'an-reading and most of all excited about the day's adventure. I decided to check out Chadstone Shopping Mall @ Chadstone, 10kms drive from the city. I browsed through these high-class shops and thought: "no way am I spending my money here. $1000 would be gone in 1/2 an hour!" But I ended up buying 2 cds ($9.99 each) @ HMV & 3 Dream Theater cds from JB HIFI. The mall covered a pretty large surface area but I still think Parramtta Westfield is bigger- as in the number of levels.
Satisfied with my purchases, I headed out to pray Zuhr @ Dandenong mosque, on Dalgety st. I finally arrived there only to find the footpaths FULL of cars & the mosque's carpark were full of people gaathered around as if waiting for someone famous to appear. Then my eyes fell on this car which carries the dead muslim bodies to their final destination- the grave. Not only the men gathered around, women & young girls were also gathered around and apparently blocking the entrance to the women's prayer section. I realised I wasn't going to find a way to the entrance. So I decided to pray Zuhr back at the hotel. That evening we went to this halal Indian restaurant called 'Shiva'. I had the Hot Lamb Curry and Robbie had the Butter Chicken with Nan bread.
Wednesday 27th September, 2006
Wednesday morning. It was time to say goodbye to the apartment because we were moving, just down the hall, to a studio. Personally, I prefer the apartment 'cuz I felt I had my own house, my own space. The apartment had a living room, to the side of it was a kitchen, down the hall was the bathroom & bedroom opposite of each other.
The studio, on the other hand, had everything in the one room - of course, a separate room for the bathroom.
After everything was settled in the studio, Abdurrahman & I ventured out into the city of Melbourne! Finally I arrived at what I thought was a factory outlet, but I was wrong. It was more like the cheaper side of Melb. But all was good because I finally got some anti-inflammatory 'Strepfen' & Betadine Sore Throat Gargle for my dying throat. With no more interest in the place I decided to get some Thai take-away for Iftar. The Thai restaurant was in this small alley called 'Little Bourke Street'. Cutest little Chinatown i've ever seen. I don't think I visited a mosque that day.Thursday 28th September, 2006
At last I attempted to fast today because I honestly thought that I could do it without my throat worsening the very next day, regardless I came through. Number 1 thing to do on my list that day was to find this mosque in Fitzroy on Brunswick St. Unfortunately, the map in the car we hired was a little out of date. The mosque ended up being on Palmer St. off Brunswick St. Which had a no right turn (damn it!). I had to go around the block. While I was trying to find the mosque, my son, sitting @ the back, was crying his little lungs out! And so I had no choice but to stop wherever I could to calm him down. Poor baby, I thought. No wonder he was stressed - he was telling me to change his nappy, ahhaah. After all that drama, I finally found the place. I was expecting a big mosque but it was only a standard one.
I prayed Zuhr there and headed for the City mosque to pray 'Asr. While I was praying 'Asr, I noticed @ the corner of my eye, a lady was playfully pinching my son's cheeks. After I finished praying I saw coming toward us and she wanted to hold him. She wanted to show him to the other sisters and asked me if it was alright, of course, I replied. Five seconds later I hear a distinct: "Mashallah! He's so gorgeous!" I praise Allah everytime someone comments on my son's beauty, because it is only from Allah.
Robbie & I wanted to have Italian for Iftar. They didn't do take-away and the place was FULL of alcohol - which is strange for a 'halal' restaurant. There was NO WAY we would Iftar in a place full of wine during this special month of Ramadhan. So I txt'd Robbie in which he replied that Mexican was the next choice. According to the list of halal restaurants from an internet site, "Mexicasa" was in the Queen Victoria (QV) Centre. Guess what. After 1/2 an hour of walking around trying to find this 'Mexicasa', I finally asked a security guard and he told me that "they used to be here some time ago, but not anymore." That's when I flipped out of my mind! So I called Robbie & we decided to have Iftar @ this halal Indonesian restaurant called "Es Teler 77", on Swanston St. Hektik place! Great food! But I would prefer my mum's cooking over theirs, hahaha. We were busy after getting back from the restaurant because we were to leave Melbourne on Friday night. That meant we had to start packing before going to bed.
Friday 29th September, 2006
I didn't think that I would stress out on Friday morning- but bloody hell, I did. I had to get everything packed and ready to check out of the hotel by 12 noon. I thought thatI would be able to check-out BEFORE 12pm, but I was dead wrong! Everything's ready & the time was 11.30am. I was freaking out 'cuz I had 2 heavy bags and 2 plastic bags filled with food & drinks to put in the car...........plus an 8.5kgs baby in my arms during the whole transaction. The hotel we stayed @ was called 'Oaks Griffin'. They have this card-swiping security thing happening when you want to go up to your rooms or get out of the carpark. That's pretty neat, I thought, until I wanted to go back up to get some more stuff after putting in the first 2 bags in the car. I couldn't leave little Abs in the room, all in his lonesome, while I was doing all that. I had no choice but to bring along- too bad he couldn't walk yet. So from the carpark lift, wanting to go up to level 2. Swiped the card for about 5 times and still wasn't getting the green light; "bloody hell!" I thought. I went up to the ground floor (via the stairs) for the reception, to sort things out, and they did. So i've gotten the rest of the bags, went down to the car, buckled my son in, ready to head out, but the it happened again! Swiped my card a thousand frikking times only getting the red light- the flamin' gate won't open!
With the carpark; you swipe your card in until you see a green light and the gate opens. Well, you can imagine, i'm sitting there facing the gate. I had to park the car and unload my son (by this time my arms were numb fron carrying him back & forth). I asked the guy @ the reception to fix it up for me. And to that he replied: "Didn't I do this for you before?" I replied "Yes, this time it's for the carpark." He answered with a mere "Oh." Then the girl next to him added "It's because the card expred @ 10am." That's bullcrap! I thought to myself. Then I said "My husband asked for an extension to 12noon the other day!" And she said "Oh...yeh." AAaargh!! And so I thrusted my hotel cards @ them and got the hell outta there. Until I had to come back to collect my son's shoes, which I have forgotten to pack earlier.
I thought I was gonna have fun for the remaining hours- if it wasn't for the stupid AFL grand final! Half the main road was blocked due to some public event. I spent my 1/2-1 hour in trying to find a way around it but ended up in the Botanical Gardens, haha!
Amazingly enough I found it interesting and took photos of it and decided to visit this mosque in Brunswick on Sydney Rd.
I found the place, prayed Zuhr there & headed back to pick up Robbie. Earlier in the week, his cousin had asked him, via sms, to get some candy from a shop called "Suga"- in Federation Square, 'cuz they don't sell it in Sydney. I tried my hardest but the time was 5.45pm on the Friday, my son was crying @ the back seat & to top it all up, our flight was @ 7pm. There was no time. But all was good. We made it to the airport just in time to check-in and board the plane. We had this large Sucuklu Pide for Iftar, ddaammmnnn that stuff is good! The flight back to Sydney was good, only took 55 minutes.
Overall...
I love Melbourne! InshaAllah Robbie will work from there again....someday. Only this time I hope it'll be a little longer. If I had the choice, i'd stay there! Driving in the heart of Melbourne is so much enjoyable than driving in Sydney city. Even though it's much busier with the trams and all, everybody is pretty much well-behaved with their driving. Nobody speeds! It's like everyone's cruising along with no problems. But there is this one thing though. In some city streets, if you want to turn right; you have to take the far left lane and then do a hook-right turn. At first, I got confused, but I got the hang of it. I began to feel familiar driving in those streets- i just loved it!
I was somewhat sad coming back to Sydney. I had my own living space in Melbourne and I had the freedom to drive. Whereas, in Sydney, I don't have my own living space and I don't get to drive- which to some extent, is driving me insane. But I ask Allah for patience and to give me something better later on in life.
Overall, Melbourne was DA BOMB y'all! Whenever you have the time & money to spend, go visit Melbourne! At least longer than 5 days.
~Peace!
Some more photos:
The Arts Centre
Sunset @ the bridge, near Federation Square
7 News in Melbourne
Remember these??
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)