“Can Israel survive?”
This was the title of a article that was published in Time magazine.
And one reader wrote back in another issue:
“I propose that the US say, “Israel, we love and support you but not your unethical occupation of Palestinian territory. If you really recognize the right to the existence of a Palestinian state, prove it by getting out of the occupied territories and dismantling the remaining settlements. You might say, ‘Well, we did, in Gaza and look how that turned out!’ but the moral high ground would be yours- it is decidedly not after you kill more than 1000 Palestinians. And you would certainly have more worldwide sympathy and support as some Palestinians continue to bad-mouth your right to exist.
It wrote: 'Israel's Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, has promised a 'war to the bitter end.' But after 60 years of struggle to defend their existence against foreign threats and enemies within, many Israelis maybe wondering, where does that end lie? The threat posed by Hamas is only the most immediate of the many interlocking challenges facing Israel, some of which cast dark shadows over the long term viability of a democratic Jewish state.'
As much as any other nation on earth, Israel is based on a dream: the aspiration to establish a home for the Jews in the birth place of their ancestors. To a remarkable extent, that dream has been fulfilled, as Israek has grown into the most modern and democratic country in the Middle East and a dependable Ameriacan ally. A strong, confident Israel is in America's interest, but so is one that can find peace with its neighbors, cooperate with the Arabs to comtain common threats and, most important, reach a just and lasting solution with the Palestinians. But accomplishing all that will require Israel and its defenders to confront excruciating dilemmas: How do you make peace with those who don't seem to want it? How do you win a war when the other side believes time is on its side? And what would true security, in a hostile neighborhood populated with enemies, actually look like? As is always true in the Middle East, there are no easy ansers. But it's never been more vital that Israel start looking for them.
And Time reported: The most immediate challenge facing Israel is that posed by Hamas. Gaza's tradegy has for days been playing out on the world's TV sets. By 7 Jan, more than 700 Palestinians, many of them noncombatants, had been killed.
(From 2000, at least 6,000 Palestinians had been killed compared to the 1,000 odd Israelis. Can you tell who is innocent here?)
This is a bias report. Clearly, the Time correspondent is siding Israel. Against the people of Palestine. Against the civilians (innocent children and their families)
And this is a story of an innocent civilian, with his family:
Khaled Abed Rabu lost his 2 daughters Amal and Suwad on 7 Jan 09, the day Israeli tanks churned across the strawberry fields and knocked their way into a little park about 18m from their home. After the warning over the loudspeaker, Abed Rabu herded his wife, mother and 3 young daughters to the door and gave the children a white flag to wave. He saw 2 Israelis soldiers eating chocolate and potato chips beside their tank. Suddenly, a third Israeli soldier then popped out of the tank with an M-16 and fired a single shot. The next thing was, his 2 year old daughter was lying there with her insides spilling out. He started screaming at the soldiers, and then the soldier shot his 2 other girls. His wife fainted. His mother tried to drag Suwad inside the house, but the soldier shot his mother in the chest, shoulder and leg.
It was unclear whether the Israeli troops were under threat when they opened fire. Most of the residents there claimed that there were no Hamas fighters in the area at the time of the alleged incident. After the shootings, Abed Rabu said that he dragged his wounded children and mother into the doorway and shouted for help. The ambulance who was nearby, was driven by Samiyeh al-Sheikh said that he heard shots and screams coming from Abed Rabu's house. But when he tried to go toward them, the Israeli soldiers beat him up. Then, with a bulldozer, the soldiers backed the ambulance against my house and crushed it like sand.
He tried calling the Red Crescent, or friends with cars who could help his family reach a hospital. His daughter who was shot in the stomach was demanding for water. So for 2 hours, Abed Rabu was unable to summon help or move from the house despite pleading with the soldiers. Finally, his aged father picked up Samar in in his arms and stood in the doorway, risking or exchanging his life for his grandchildren. The soldiers finally relented and let them go. Even while walking, the soldiers did not lose grip on them as they fired at the dirt around their feet.
Abed Rabu walked and carried his daughters for more than a mile. But by the time they reached the hospital, the girls were dead. He sat alone beside his blasted home and cried out:
" I don't understand. I'm not Hamas. My girls weren't Hamas. Why did they do this to us?"
Isn't it sad?
Let us continue to pray for our Muslim brethen in Palestine and Gaza, may Allah swt have mercy and keep them safe from such terrorist acts against the civilians. amin.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Being a Muslim and its challenges
Ever since I got hold of the news that my teacher will be giving a talk at Darul Arqam this Friday, I didn’t cease my prayers to Allah swt, to aid him in his speech, to make smooth his speech so that the audience can hear him clearly.
I prayed more fervently for Ustaz than I prayed for myself.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… the days got nearer, I prayed harder. Thursday…. And finally Friday, 20 February arrived.
And I found myself thinking and thinking about the lecture that will take place at Darul Arqam, 8pm. I kept asking and asking Allah swt in my prayers for forgiveness and mercy. Because if Allah didn’t want the audience (which will be us) to reap the benefits of this lecture, He, the Al-Mighty could have got Ustaz to slur in his speech right?
By 8pm, the auditorium was already 98% filled. The good thing is, Darul has improved its PA system and the people who had to be seated outside would have the LCD screen and the audio audible to them. (my previous experience outside was quite bad).
Finally, about 8.20pm, Ustaz came into the auditorium on a wheelchair. Quickly, I recited ‘fatihah’ and then asked Allah swt for help.
After the introduction by the Head of Marketing/Communications of Darul, Ustaz briefly told the audience about what had happened to him 2 years ago. I am sure all of his students would be very happy for him that he is able to return and enlighten us with his talk. And so he opened the talk with a story with a light hearted joke that rocked the auditorium. It was a topic that Muslims needed badly at this time:
"Being a Muslim and its challlenges"
He talked about the importance of having taqwa and the true meaning of taqwa is the only criteria to be accessed in terms of nobility.
" O you who have attained to faith! Be conscious of Allah (taqwa) with a true conscious, and do not allow death to overtake you unless you are in a state of submission to Allah."
He told us the importance of knowing the verses that were contained in the Quran, directed to the Muslims. In it were lessons, guidance and teachings for the believers. He said that, if one truly has taqwa, one will be truly fearful towards Allah swt, and no thought of transgression would ever occur.
He also stressed the importance of learning Islam from the right sources. He mentioned that there was a surge of Islamic terms which portrayed Islam as being an orthodox religion, religion of raising jihadists, extremists etc. He also noted that Muslims themselves are 'going' towards the non Muslims Professors to learn about Islam. "Doesn't Islam has our own breed of scholars? Do we know who they are, and what did they contribute??"
It is indeed a shame, really. To think that our predesuccesors have contributed and sacrificed so much in the past. Islam's history has been so rich because of what they did. But now, we are doing nothing to preserve our religion. There are alot of things happening around us, and i believe people are aware of it so i don't want to go into details.
I prayed more fervently for Ustaz than I prayed for myself.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… the days got nearer, I prayed harder. Thursday…. And finally Friday, 20 February arrived.
And I found myself thinking and thinking about the lecture that will take place at Darul Arqam, 8pm. I kept asking and asking Allah swt in my prayers for forgiveness and mercy. Because if Allah didn’t want the audience (which will be us) to reap the benefits of this lecture, He, the Al-Mighty could have got Ustaz to slur in his speech right?
By 8pm, the auditorium was already 98% filled. The good thing is, Darul has improved its PA system and the people who had to be seated outside would have the LCD screen and the audio audible to them. (my previous experience outside was quite bad).
Finally, about 8.20pm, Ustaz came into the auditorium on a wheelchair. Quickly, I recited ‘fatihah’ and then asked Allah swt for help.
After the introduction by the Head of Marketing/Communications of Darul, Ustaz briefly told the audience about what had happened to him 2 years ago. I am sure all of his students would be very happy for him that he is able to return and enlighten us with his talk. And so he opened the talk with a story with a light hearted joke that rocked the auditorium. It was a topic that Muslims needed badly at this time:
"Being a Muslim and its challlenges"
He talked about the importance of having taqwa and the true meaning of taqwa is the only criteria to be accessed in terms of nobility.
" O you who have attained to faith! Be conscious of Allah (taqwa) with a true conscious, and do not allow death to overtake you unless you are in a state of submission to Allah."
He told us the importance of knowing the verses that were contained in the Quran, directed to the Muslims. In it were lessons, guidance and teachings for the believers. He said that, if one truly has taqwa, one will be truly fearful towards Allah swt, and no thought of transgression would ever occur.
He also stressed the importance of learning Islam from the right sources. He mentioned that there was a surge of Islamic terms which portrayed Islam as being an orthodox religion, religion of raising jihadists, extremists etc. He also noted that Muslims themselves are 'going' towards the non Muslims Professors to learn about Islam. "Doesn't Islam has our own breed of scholars? Do we know who they are, and what did they contribute??"
It is indeed a shame, really. To think that our predesuccesors have contributed and sacrificed so much in the past. Islam's history has been so rich because of what they did. But now, we are doing nothing to preserve our religion. There are alot of things happening around us, and i believe people are aware of it so i don't want to go into details.
Ustaz had alot to cover that night but due to time constraint, he had to stop. It was a pity. But nevertheless, he didn't close the door on us. Anyone could visit his
I really learnt alot of things that night. Now it's time to convert that theory into practical. Insya allah.
Monday, February 16, 2009
A visit to my teacher
I came across a device called the liptrainer at one of the fairs held in the Institute. According to the case studies presented by the Japanese salesguy, it has benefitted people who have snoring, eczema, sinus, down syndrome and even stroke patients! But I need to be convinced before I commit to buy the item which was quite pricey. But I’m thinking of this one person whom can benefit from this device, and that is my teacher, who has suffered a stroke almost 2 years ago.
As I hadn’t been well since my trip to Malaysia, I couldn’t arrange for a visit to my teacher’s place the week I returned back to Singapore. I wanted to pass him the device as soon as possible so that he could use it but just couldn’t find time in my hands to do so.
Finally, I got ‘clearance’ from my husband to visit my teacher after our Sunday class. Quickly I called Ustaz’s wife to ‘book for an appointment’. After several calls made, I finally got her permission to visit Ustaz. Alhamdulillah.
I got to Ustaz’s place ard 6.30pm after getting some groceries at a nearby supermarket.
He was already sitting at his usual armchair waiting for us. As soon as we got to our seats, I had noticed that he was in good spirits. Later I was told that he was so happy that we were coming because it has been a long time since his students came. I was feeling guilty. He was also looking much better nowadays. After exchanging questions of our wellbeing, he began asking me if I had been reading his blogs and which one was my favourite. I was actually following all of his blogs but only 3 blogs were often updated. Recently, Ustaz had created a new blog for his daughter. And this blog was only open to invitation to selected students of his. Alhamdulilah, I had this special privilege. Ustaz asked the development of my recitation and I told him I had stopped at surah al-Bayyinah because it was quite tough. So he told me to recite surah al-Qariah. I was so nervous and as usual, I didn’t quite do a good job.
We kept talking and talking despite being reminded by Ustaz’s wife to proceed to the dining area for our dinner. Alhamdulilah, even though the visit was planned at a short notice, she still managed to whip out so many dishes for us. During the dinner, she revealed to us that Ustaz will be conducting a talk at Darul Arqam this Friday, 20 Feb 09. Masya allah!!! I was really excited but yet a little worried about my teacher.
After our dinner and prayers, we continued talking. Ustaz shared a lot of things with us.
1. He completed the story of the student who could not find a place to slaughter a chicken where ‘no one can see him’.
2. He encouraged us to use the audio lessons on Quran recitation that he had took the effort to put it on his blog.
3. He also encouraged us to send blessings and salutations to our beloved Prophet saw and told us the ‘humongous’ benefits and rewards that we will reap from it.
4. He also reminded about our time in this dunya to perform good deeds for the preparation of the akhirah.
Listening to all his advice reminds me of the lessons that I attended with him. It makes me sad. Allah swt had almost took him away from us, and cut off all the channels of knowledge we could ever obtained from him.
But Allah swt is always the al-Compassionate, ar-Rahman, the al-Merciful, ar-Rahim. Although Ustaz is still experiencing the after-effects of the stroke, he continued to help so many people with the blogs that he created. The vast information that he has posted on his blogs are really fantastic. When you read them, you would not be able to imagine that all that was done by a stroke patient who had to perform all computer functions with only the help of the right hand, whereas I could write this post conveniently with the 2 hands that Allah swt has provided me with.
If it wasn’t because the next day was a working day, I wouldn’t want to leave the house. But of course, he had to rest after doing so much of the talking and sharing.
If Ustaz had done so much for his students, why shouldn’t we, as his students appreciate his work and blogs by reading it conscientiously. It is not put up there just for fun, but for the benefit of the weak ummah and one of them is ME.
After this visit, I told myself to buck up and insya allah try to do the things that he had advised us to carry out. And the first assignment I wanted to do is to get the book called ‘Dalail ul Khayrat’ and learn it as much as I can cope. Insya allah.
May Allah swt bestow upon me guidance and istiqamah. Amin.
As I hadn’t been well since my trip to Malaysia, I couldn’t arrange for a visit to my teacher’s place the week I returned back to Singapore. I wanted to pass him the device as soon as possible so that he could use it but just couldn’t find time in my hands to do so.
Finally, I got ‘clearance’ from my husband to visit my teacher after our Sunday class. Quickly I called Ustaz’s wife to ‘book for an appointment’. After several calls made, I finally got her permission to visit Ustaz. Alhamdulillah.
I got to Ustaz’s place ard 6.30pm after getting some groceries at a nearby supermarket.
He was already sitting at his usual armchair waiting for us. As soon as we got to our seats, I had noticed that he was in good spirits. Later I was told that he was so happy that we were coming because it has been a long time since his students came. I was feeling guilty. He was also looking much better nowadays. After exchanging questions of our wellbeing, he began asking me if I had been reading his blogs and which one was my favourite. I was actually following all of his blogs but only 3 blogs were often updated. Recently, Ustaz had created a new blog for his daughter. And this blog was only open to invitation to selected students of his. Alhamdulilah, I had this special privilege. Ustaz asked the development of my recitation and I told him I had stopped at surah al-Bayyinah because it was quite tough. So he told me to recite surah al-Qariah. I was so nervous and as usual, I didn’t quite do a good job.
We kept talking and talking despite being reminded by Ustaz’s wife to proceed to the dining area for our dinner. Alhamdulilah, even though the visit was planned at a short notice, she still managed to whip out so many dishes for us. During the dinner, she revealed to us that Ustaz will be conducting a talk at Darul Arqam this Friday, 20 Feb 09. Masya allah!!! I was really excited but yet a little worried about my teacher.
After our dinner and prayers, we continued talking. Ustaz shared a lot of things with us.
1. He completed the story of the student who could not find a place to slaughter a chicken where ‘no one can see him’.
2. He encouraged us to use the audio lessons on Quran recitation that he had took the effort to put it on his blog.
3. He also encouraged us to send blessings and salutations to our beloved Prophet saw and told us the ‘humongous’ benefits and rewards that we will reap from it.
4. He also reminded about our time in this dunya to perform good deeds for the preparation of the akhirah.
Listening to all his advice reminds me of the lessons that I attended with him. It makes me sad. Allah swt had almost took him away from us, and cut off all the channels of knowledge we could ever obtained from him.
But Allah swt is always the al-Compassionate, ar-Rahman, the al-Merciful, ar-Rahim. Although Ustaz is still experiencing the after-effects of the stroke, he continued to help so many people with the blogs that he created. The vast information that he has posted on his blogs are really fantastic. When you read them, you would not be able to imagine that all that was done by a stroke patient who had to perform all computer functions with only the help of the right hand, whereas I could write this post conveniently with the 2 hands that Allah swt has provided me with.
If it wasn’t because the next day was a working day, I wouldn’t want to leave the house. But of course, he had to rest after doing so much of the talking and sharing.
If Ustaz had done so much for his students, why shouldn’t we, as his students appreciate his work and blogs by reading it conscientiously. It is not put up there just for fun, but for the benefit of the weak ummah and one of them is ME.
After this visit, I told myself to buck up and insya allah try to do the things that he had advised us to carry out. And the first assignment I wanted to do is to get the book called ‘Dalail ul Khayrat’ and learn it as much as I can cope. Insya allah.
May Allah swt bestow upon me guidance and istiqamah. Amin.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Questions from Taiwan
A friend from Taiwan dropped by Singapore a couple of days ago.
12 years ago, through a primary school gathering with my mates, I got to know this friend. He tagged along with his friend, who was my primary school mate. While exchanging telephone numbers amongst my mates, he wrote down his number happily and managed to copy mine down. From then, that’s how we became friends. We almost went into a relationship but it couldn’t work because he was in States and I was here. Now that’s history.
Nevertheless, we still continued to keep in touch with each other.
So apparently, he didn’t quite noticed that I’ve changed when he came here for a visit about 4 years ago. I became a muslim and I wasn’t wearing clothes that would flaunt my figure publicly. It was a short visit and I didn’t had the chance to tell him about my conversion.
The truth had spoken on its own when I invited my primary school mates to my wedding reception. And a couple of months later, he asked me on MSN if I was married. That was when I told him about my conversion. And because, Thank God, he was not a local, he did not utter that golden question; “ So your husband is a Malay?”
We talked a bit about our past but both of us had moved on. He had a girlfriend then.
1 year plus later, he called me and told me that he is coming back for a few days and would like to meet up. Omigosh, it has been a long time since we met. I was hesitant yet looking forward to seeing him. He had never seen my ‘new look’ and I wasn’t sure if he would scream at me.
So on the day when we were supposed to meet for lunch, I texted him in the morning and told him to prepare himself for a new change. Then he asked: 难到你变得更火辣，还是把自己包得像个粽子吧。我便回答：不是啦。就是比较回教的装扮啦。
I could sensed that there would be understanding from him. I took half day and went straight to Kinokuniya to meet him. He was in the queue when I arrived in Kino and immediately he spotted me and waved me to meet him in the queue. I was shocked. He told me that he was more or less prepared since I pre-empt him about my new ‘dressing’. We started talking excitedly in Mandarin, and got everyone staring.
After that, we went Delifrance for lunch. He wasn’t picky and he understood that my diet was different from the others. The moment we sat down, he pestered me for more details into the reasons why I converted. Slowly I explained to him what happened and how I got into Islam.
He began asking me lots of question about Islam. I loved questions. And I would be most willing to share. Somehow, he had gone to churches before and had some knowledge of similarities between Christianity and Islam. I told him that Prophet Jesus (Isa a.s) prayed to God alone, and told his people to submit to One God.
He (Jesus) answered: ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel’ ” (Mathew:15:24)
But when he was brought up to God and someone (close to his resemblance) replaced Jesus on the crufix, his message was diverted away from the straight path. Over the years, Christianity evolved from Paul. Why:
Jesus a.s. came for the Jews but Paul was interested to popularize this teaching amongst the Hellenized world (Romans and Greek). Scholars considered him to be a Hellenized Jew (i.e. a Jew strongly influenced by Greek culture and ways of life). He was not amongst the original disciples of Jesus. He was originally a persecutor but then later converted, claiming to have seen a ‘vision’.
The word “messiah” was later translated into Greek which is “Kristos” (which has the meaning of ‘the anointed’). And from this Greek word it was kept in use, even in English with the Latinized spelling “Christ”. From this we get the word “Christians”.
We are told that many years after Jesus time (circa 100 CE), at a place called Antioch, the remnant followers of Jesus, was ridiculed, persecuted and mocked by their enemies. These Greek people started to refer them (followers of the prophet Jesus a.s. at that time) as “these are Christians”, implying wrongly that they “worshipped Jesus” – whereas they were of the Judaic tradition that believed in monotheism (One God).
My friend didn’t deny the existence of one God. He knew that scientists can only prove THAT much of stuff, but most of it aren’t explainable by SCIENCE. But the issue he brought up was very tricky and he really got me thinking deep into my religion and my faith that intertwined together.
“how did you know its HIM up there? And not someone else?”
“how can you be so sure that the Quran is still true and accurate even after 1400years ago?”
“So you can only rely on your beliefs to know that God exists? Well I don’t need to see God, but I just need some proofs about the certainty of God.”
I’ve explained all to him but he just kept going on and on. Back and forth. Back and forth. Rephrasing and rephrasing.
I couldn’t convince him. Neither could I give him good answers. And I was upset. I have failed in my da’wah. I realized that I do not possess the qualities to be a muslim who can da’wah.
Is it because of my weak faith? Or my lack of knowledge and intelligence?
After sending him off, I began to question myself. Deep deep down my heart. If I believed in God, why couldn’t I be able to give good solid answers? If my Tauhid was strong, why couldn’t I convince him?
Instead of entertaining the Shaytan and his whisperings, I read all the books that I could find in the house. I went through all the materials in Chinese about tauhid (monotheism) on the internet. And I posted him a note about believing in God in Facebook. I hope he reads. And I fervently pray to Allah:
“Oh Allah! Please bestow the right guidance upon my friend. Amin.”
Nevertheless, we still continued to keep in touch with each other.
So apparently, he didn’t quite noticed that I’ve changed when he came here for a visit about 4 years ago. I became a muslim and I wasn’t wearing clothes that would flaunt my figure publicly. It was a short visit and I didn’t had the chance to tell him about my conversion.
The truth had spoken on its own when I invited my primary school mates to my wedding reception. And a couple of months later, he asked me on MSN if I was married. That was when I told him about my conversion. And because, Thank God, he was not a local, he did not utter that golden question; “ So your husband is a Malay?”
We talked a bit about our past but both of us had moved on. He had a girlfriend then.
1 year plus later, he called me and told me that he is coming back for a few days and would like to meet up. Omigosh, it has been a long time since we met. I was hesitant yet looking forward to seeing him. He had never seen my ‘new look’ and I wasn’t sure if he would scream at me.
So on the day when we were supposed to meet for lunch, I texted him in the morning and told him to prepare himself for a new change. Then he asked: 难到你变得更火辣，还是把自己包得像个粽子吧。我便回答：不是啦。就是比较回教的装扮啦。
I could sensed that there would be understanding from him. I took half day and went straight to Kinokuniya to meet him. He was in the queue when I arrived in Kino and immediately he spotted me and waved me to meet him in the queue. I was shocked. He told me that he was more or less prepared since I pre-empt him about my new ‘dressing’. We started talking excitedly in Mandarin, and got everyone staring.
After that, we went Delifrance for lunch. He wasn’t picky and he understood that my diet was different from the others. The moment we sat down, he pestered me for more details into the reasons why I converted. Slowly I explained to him what happened and how I got into Islam.
He began asking me lots of question about Islam. I loved questions. And I would be most willing to share. Somehow, he had gone to churches before and had some knowledge of similarities between Christianity and Islam. I told him that Prophet Jesus (Isa a.s) prayed to God alone, and told his people to submit to One God.
He (Jesus) answered: ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel’ ” (Mathew:15:24)
But when he was brought up to God and someone (close to his resemblance) replaced Jesus on the crufix, his message was diverted away from the straight path. Over the years, Christianity evolved from Paul. Why:
Jesus a.s. came for the Jews but Paul was interested to popularize this teaching amongst the Hellenized world (Romans and Greek). Scholars considered him to be a Hellenized Jew (i.e. a Jew strongly influenced by Greek culture and ways of life). He was not amongst the original disciples of Jesus. He was originally a persecutor but then later converted, claiming to have seen a ‘vision’.
The word “messiah” was later translated into Greek which is “Kristos” (which has the meaning of ‘the anointed’). And from this Greek word it was kept in use, even in English with the Latinized spelling “Christ”. From this we get the word “Christians”.
We are told that many years after Jesus time (circa 100 CE), at a place called Antioch, the remnant followers of Jesus, was ridiculed, persecuted and mocked by their enemies. These Greek people started to refer them (followers of the prophet Jesus a.s. at that time) as “these are Christians”, implying wrongly that they “worshipped Jesus” – whereas they were of the Judaic tradition that believed in monotheism (One God).
My friend didn’t deny the existence of one God. He knew that scientists can only prove THAT much of stuff, but most of it aren’t explainable by SCIENCE. But the issue he brought up was very tricky and he really got me thinking deep into my religion and my faith that intertwined together.
“how did you know its HIM up there? And not someone else?”
“how can you be so sure that the Quran is still true and accurate even after 1400years ago?”
“So you can only rely on your beliefs to know that God exists? Well I don’t need to see God, but I just need some proofs about the certainty of God.”
I’ve explained all to him but he just kept going on and on. Back and forth. Back and forth. Rephrasing and rephrasing.
I couldn’t convince him. Neither could I give him good answers. And I was upset. I have failed in my da’wah. I realized that I do not possess the qualities to be a muslim who can da’wah.
Is it because of my weak faith? Or my lack of knowledge and intelligence?
After sending him off, I began to question myself. Deep deep down my heart. If I believed in God, why couldn’t I be able to give good solid answers? If my Tauhid was strong, why couldn’t I convince him?
Instead of entertaining the Shaytan and his whisperings, I read all the books that I could find in the house. I went through all the materials in Chinese about tauhid (monotheism) on the internet. And I posted him a note about believing in God in Facebook. I hope he reads. And I fervently pray to Allah:
“Oh Allah! Please bestow the right guidance upon my friend. Amin.”
Friday, February 13, 2009
Post CNY update (Part 2)
Since gambling was out of the question (of course it never occured in our minds) we spent most of our time in the mall.
But guess what my dad suggested to me: 'Take down your scarf lah, and you can go in and have a look.' My face went blank. ???
Anyway, I 'psycho-ed' my hubby to buy tickets to the Outdoor Theme Park. He didn't like the idea of riding those scary machines that swing you 'up and down', or 'left and right'. I had to keep re-assuring him that; 'this looks harmless; and 'hey, that look harmless too'. Some of the rides were closed temporarily for maintenance and security checks. Some were closed because the weather was wet and misty so the rides had to be suspended. It was really such a disappointment. We bought tickets for UNLIMITED rides but we took LIMITED rides. Sigh.
And to further aggravate my sorrow, we went into the Indoor Theme Park. Now, this is for families with kids, or kids who don't qualify for Outdoor Theme Park. I joined my nieces and nephews for some kiddy rides. There was only one roller coaster ride inside that looked really fast and exciting, so all of us went to queue up. Guess what, my hubby didn't want to join us. Omigosh.
It was really fastt.. But i needed the adrenalin. Genting is too bored for me, so roller coaster rides has to be it.
I didn't get to fulfil my 'thirst' from the Theme Parks hence it wasn't a satisfying trip. And somehow, most of the 'activities' that my family and relatives engaged in were not in the 'legal' zones. Somehow, i think, the 'change' in me made me feel 'left out' and 'drifted away' from them.
Though i don't really like the 'change'. But i didn't regret the 'change' i had decided to make.
Praises be to Him. The One and Only in my heart.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Post CNY update
I haven’t been updating for a long time. And all the things which I wanted to post were stuck in my head for a very long time.
I think I will start from my trip to Malaysia, Genting Highlands during the recent Chinese New year period.
It has been donkey years since I went up to the Highlands with my parents and relatives. Man, this has really been donkey donkey years ago. I am not joking. When I was young, say about 5-6 years old, my parents will make a trip to the Highlands at least twice a year. And until now, the Genting Saga continues…
My husband really hated the idea of going up to the Highlands because it’s a place where it’s not blessed due to the fact that there are casinos everywhere. Gambling thoughts are prevalent in almost every visitor up there. I had a hard time convincing him to go because I wanted to go because my parents asked me to go and because it’s Chinese New Year and because my Auntie and her entire family (cousins and nephews and nieces) are also going too. And that makes the entire headcount to 17! And we are driving up as a convoy. Doesn’t that sound exciting? When I was a teenager, my dad loves to drive up with his friends as a convoy. And the total number of cars: 8 cars!
So my husband relented but I know that at the back of his mind, he isn’t really looking forward to the trip as much as I do. I could tell. As for me, I was looking forward to spending time with my family even though it has to be up in the Highlands where my parents might most probably visit the Casino more often than anything else.
So our schedule was planned way ahead of our subuh time. They wanted to get to the Customs as early as 5pm so that we won’t bum ourselves into any massive pre CNY jam.
Which means, we will have a problem with our prayers. But my cousin assured me that once I pass the S’pore and M’sia customs, we will get to the nearest petrol station. (my cousin understood our prayers obligations and he related that to everybody)
But we forgot one thing. In S’pore, the K.S.S is prevalent. And our PM should be proud of us. Because WE are UNITED in our thinking. Every Singaporean who wants to go M’sia and spend their CNY actually thinks the same way as we do. And guess what, just before we even got to Woodlands to meet my parents and the others, there was a traffic message up on the LED board: ‘MASSIVE JAM AT BKE AND CAUSEWAY’. My jaw dropped!
When we had gathered everyone at Woodlands to set off for the Causeway, it was really bad. Cars were simply not moving at all. And this goes on for 10minutes. Imagine me and my husband’s reaction. So my dad decided (he’s like the Head/Chief of the convoy) to u-turn and go by the other way. It was much better but we know we wouldn’t be able to get out from this sooner than an hour.
My parents asked about our prayers. So I told them that if such circumstances arise, give us 10mins of silence and we will pray at our seats. She was more than happy to switch off her Buddhism ‘dzikir’ on the audio player in the car. (initially, husband said that it would really looked weird to them if we were to pray in the car, with all that actions of takbir and stuff). I think they peeped on us but they kept their comments to themselves.
While waiting, my mum developed this urgency to visit the toilet. I think she was really really urgent. It was so bad that she almost wanted to do it in a bottle. I kept talking to her to distract her from thinking. But it got so worse when we were finally served by an auntie officer at the immigration counter. I guessed it’s the urgency that is driving her crazy because the officer took her own sweet time, and she was really checking us one by one. And my mum was so mad at her. Finally when we cleared the immigration, everyone rushed to the toilet. J
There was another jam leading to the M’sia customs. So the entire episode of ‘jamming’ took us about 3-4hours. If I was taking the driver’s seat, my legs would get cramps because of the clutching. Thank God my father spared me the agony.
There wasn’t a lot of stops along the way. We didn’t had breakfast before we left S’pore so we just snacked on the tidbits I brought.
And Gosh, I thought we were almost reaching when we got stuck in another jam again. This was the last stretch of road before we reached the ‘entrance’ of Highlands below the hills. 2 traffic accidents happened causing the jam.
Jam here, Jam there, everywhere Jam Jam.. Oh MacDonalds, had a farm… Ooops..
Alhamdulillah! Finally, we got up there 2 hours later. Thank God!
But the moment I got out of the car and into the hotel lobby, I sneezed non-stop. Oh dear! Please no! I was cold, my nose was blocked and my throat began to hurt. My husband and I quickly went to find the musollah to settle our prayers. Now we can combine our zuhr and asar prayers as travelers.
The night itself, I slept with a blocked nose.
But Alhamdulillah. Thank God I was sick.
I think I will start from my trip to Malaysia, Genting Highlands during the recent Chinese New year period.
It has been donkey years since I went up to the Highlands with my parents and relatives. Man, this has really been donkey donkey years ago. I am not joking. When I was young, say about 5-6 years old, my parents will make a trip to the Highlands at least twice a year. And until now, the Genting Saga continues…
My husband really hated the idea of going up to the Highlands because it’s a place where it’s not blessed due to the fact that there are casinos everywhere. Gambling thoughts are prevalent in almost every visitor up there. I had a hard time convincing him to go because I wanted to go because my parents asked me to go and because it’s Chinese New Year and because my Auntie and her entire family (cousins and nephews and nieces) are also going too. And that makes the entire headcount to 17! And we are driving up as a convoy. Doesn’t that sound exciting? When I was a teenager, my dad loves to drive up with his friends as a convoy. And the total number of cars: 8 cars!
So my husband relented but I know that at the back of his mind, he isn’t really looking forward to the trip as much as I do. I could tell. As for me, I was looking forward to spending time with my family even though it has to be up in the Highlands where my parents might most probably visit the Casino more often than anything else.
So our schedule was planned way ahead of our subuh time. They wanted to get to the Customs as early as 5pm so that we won’t bum ourselves into any massive pre CNY jam.
Which means, we will have a problem with our prayers. But my cousin assured me that once I pass the S’pore and M’sia customs, we will get to the nearest petrol station. (my cousin understood our prayers obligations and he related that to everybody)
But we forgot one thing. In S’pore, the K.S.S is prevalent. And our PM should be proud of us. Because WE are UNITED in our thinking. Every Singaporean who wants to go M’sia and spend their CNY actually thinks the same way as we do. And guess what, just before we even got to Woodlands to meet my parents and the others, there was a traffic message up on the LED board: ‘MASSIVE JAM AT BKE AND CAUSEWAY’. My jaw dropped!
When we had gathered everyone at Woodlands to set off for the Causeway, it was really bad. Cars were simply not moving at all. And this goes on for 10minutes. Imagine me and my husband’s reaction. So my dad decided (he’s like the Head/Chief of the convoy) to u-turn and go by the other way. It was much better but we know we wouldn’t be able to get out from this sooner than an hour.
My parents asked about our prayers. So I told them that if such circumstances arise, give us 10mins of silence and we will pray at our seats. She was more than happy to switch off her Buddhism ‘dzikir’ on the audio player in the car. (initially, husband said that it would really looked weird to them if we were to pray in the car, with all that actions of takbir and stuff). I think they peeped on us but they kept their comments to themselves.
While waiting, my mum developed this urgency to visit the toilet. I think she was really really urgent. It was so bad that she almost wanted to do it in a bottle. I kept talking to her to distract her from thinking. But it got so worse when we were finally served by an auntie officer at the immigration counter. I guessed it’s the urgency that is driving her crazy because the officer took her own sweet time, and she was really checking us one by one. And my mum was so mad at her. Finally when we cleared the immigration, everyone rushed to the toilet. J
There was another jam leading to the M’sia customs. So the entire episode of ‘jamming’ took us about 3-4hours. If I was taking the driver’s seat, my legs would get cramps because of the clutching. Thank God my father spared me the agony.
There wasn’t a lot of stops along the way. We didn’t had breakfast before we left S’pore so we just snacked on the tidbits I brought.
And Gosh, I thought we were almost reaching when we got stuck in another jam again. This was the last stretch of road before we reached the ‘entrance’ of Highlands below the hills. 2 traffic accidents happened causing the jam.
Jam here, Jam there, everywhere Jam Jam.. Oh MacDonalds, had a farm… Ooops..
Alhamdulillah! Finally, we got up there 2 hours later. Thank God!
But the moment I got out of the car and into the hotel lobby, I sneezed non-stop. Oh dear! Please no! I was cold, my nose was blocked and my throat began to hurt. My husband and I quickly went to find the musollah to settle our prayers. Now we can combine our zuhr and asar prayers as travelers.
The night itself, I slept with a blocked nose.
But Alhamdulillah. Thank God I was sick.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Misunderstood
Right up till now, 4 years into my conversion, I still have people coming up to me, asking if I do celebrate Chinese New Year since I’m a ‘Malay’ now.
Umpteen times have I repeated myself, that I am and will always be a Chinese. Wearing a scarf doesn’t make me less of a Chinese and being a Muslim doesn’t contradict nor clash with my beliefs and practices.
My colleagues were exchanging CNY cards one week before. Those who understood ‘who I really am’ would not leave me out on this, whereas those who didn’t, I received none. Receiving CNY cards or not is actually a small matter. I don’t really bother if I don’t get a single card. What bothers me most is the one-sided perception that people have towards muslims like us, who are not amongst the majority Malays/Muslims. And it really bothers me because I think there’s a need to let them in on the truth about Islam being a universal religion, and not a religion for the Malays (no offence to the Malays are intended in this post). Thus, I could really understand the urgency felt by my teacher to spread the message of Islam (da’wah) to the public.
So back to what happened at my workplace. On the last working day before CNY, all of us went around to shake hands and wished everyone. My Malay/Muslim colleague wished me ‘Happy Holidays’. I was shocked! I corrected her and say: “You should wish me Happy Chinese New Year, and I should wish you Happy Holidays instead.” And she replied: “ oh yeah yeah. Sorry.”
Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue. Allah knows best.
I think I would rather they ask from the horse’s mouth than to assume that I’m a Malay and I have adopted the ‘Malay’ religion and culture. Seriously, I wouldn’t mind sharing with them if they are INTERESTED to find out more.
Umpteen times have I repeated myself, that I am and will always be a Chinese. Wearing a scarf doesn’t make me less of a Chinese and being a Muslim doesn’t contradict nor clash with my beliefs and practices.
My colleagues were exchanging CNY cards one week before. Those who understood ‘who I really am’ would not leave me out on this, whereas those who didn’t, I received none. Receiving CNY cards or not is actually a small matter. I don’t really bother if I don’t get a single card. What bothers me most is the one-sided perception that people have towards muslims like us, who are not amongst the majority Malays/Muslims. And it really bothers me because I think there’s a need to let them in on the truth about Islam being a universal religion, and not a religion for the Malays (no offence to the Malays are intended in this post). Thus, I could really understand the urgency felt by my teacher to spread the message of Islam (da’wah) to the public.
So back to what happened at my workplace. On the last working day before CNY, all of us went around to shake hands and wished everyone. My Malay/Muslim colleague wished me ‘Happy Holidays’. I was shocked! I corrected her and say: “You should wish me Happy Chinese New Year, and I should wish you Happy Holidays instead.” And she replied: “ oh yeah yeah. Sorry.”
Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue. Allah knows best.
I think I would rather they ask from the horse’s mouth than to assume that I’m a Malay and I have adopted the ‘Malay’ religion and culture. Seriously, I wouldn’t mind sharing with them if they are INTERESTED to find out more.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A different phase
In the name of Allah Most Compassionate Most Merciful
My good friend has given birth to a baby girl this morning. In the wee hours of Tuesday at 2.09am.
All Praises is to Allah swt!
She didn't want to know the sex of the baby, so I bet it must have been really exciting when the baby finally exited the womb of her mother and entered this world.
With the birth of her first child, she enters motherhood. Another phase of her life. I am so happy for her.
May Allah swt keep this baby safe, healthy and let her be pious and righteous and filial to her parents. Amin ya rabbal alamin!
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