Flashback through a black Ford

My husband and I was supposed to meet his long time friend for a reunion and a very early farewell dinner. But it was postponed to Sunday due to some personal committments that he had to attend to. So after we finished cleaning the house, we washed up, changed and left home for magrib at a nearby mosque.

Straight after prayers, we went to his usual makan place at Bukit Timah. We have been here for umpteen times, so much so that we don't need the menu. Flipping the pages of the menu is just a formality. And that's because we always have our usuals. Not that we weren't daring enough to try other things, but somehow it's either this dish or that. Mee bandung was a long time favourite for me there but on 2 occassions, the standards dropped so badly that the soup was so oily that i barely touched it. (usually i finished most of the soup) So we decided to abandon that, assuming that there was a change of chef and the standards have deteriorated. We hardly patronise that restaurant nowadays.

I was sitting near to the walkway and the carpark lots located alongside the restaurant. Taa-dah, i saw this familiar vehicle parked right infront of me:

The Ford Hatchback, the sports rim, the tinted window shield, the stickers on his car etc etc... Now the only thing left to confirm if this vehicle is his vehicle plate number. Somehow all these stuff seemed to be retrievable at any time. Haha. And though the vehicle was parked so near to me, because it was nightfall, i couldn't spot the vehicle number without my glasses. I told my husband to check the vehicle number for me but he could't see too. He stood up from where he sat, went to the toilet, walked near the vehicle and came back with the vehicle number. It was really Linus*.

I looked around but I didn't see him. When i finished my dinner, I stood up and I saw him and his wife at another table near the wash basin. Oh my God! I need to walk to that area. My hubby told me to say hi but i didn't dare to. As I walked past, he stood up too and almost hit me. I didn't turn my head and went straight to the basin. When I walked back, he was still at the cashier. But he didn't see me. I went back to my seat and my hubby asked me why didn't I greet my friend. I told him I was shy because his wife was around. Or perhaps I wasn't courageous enough to face them. Why? I wasn't sure myself either.

My hubby being the funny one, waved at him when he got into the car. But I told him not to. Because his window shield is darkly tinted(we can't see him but they can see us), so even if he sees us waving at him, he might wave back and we wouldn't know. Or he could have seen us but plainly ignored. I was procrastinating if I should email him to ask him if he sees us.

Arrgghh, flashes of memories returned...

And I finaally met his wife. In a silent mode.

Birthday Present

My husband claims that he is giving me either one of these as a birthday present:

How real is his promise coming true..... Allah knows best...

Well, now i have to make up my mind to decide which one i like; the Mazda 2 hatchback or 5-door or the Ford Focus hatchback....

Tough decision to make though. :)

Look at the bigger picture

It was said that Allah revealed to Prophet 'Uzayr a.s, "O 'Uzayr! If you committed a small sin, do not look at its smallness; rather look at Whom you have sinned against. If you are granted a small blessing, do not look at its smallness; rather look at the One who has granted it to you. And if a calamity befalls you, then do not complain against Me to My creation, just as I do not complain against you to My angels when your bad deeds are raised to Me."

(taken from Imam Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, Preparing for the day of Judgement)

Toilet interview

It's so hard to get squatting toilet bowls in modern buildings these days. Even if it exists, there would only be ONE. So after working here for almost a year now, there were only a few 'regulars' using that squatting cubicle. Besides the Muslimah colleagues in my office, not many of the other Chinese or Indian likes to use that cubicle.

But apparently, all of my colleagues have noticed that there was another colleague from another department in the same block likes to use that toilet too. At times, she would stand right infront of the cubicle and wait. At other times, when she is inside, she would take ages to come out. (right now, it seems like i know 'every toilet user' in this block.Haha) And after a few encounters in and out of the toilet, she hardly put on a smile on her face.

But things began to change when she caught me speaking mandarin. O Allah, may you please forgive your servant, for I have no intention to brag. Frankly speaking, a mandarin speaking tudung clad woman catches attention.(Of course, not the looks but the lingo she uses) So right after she heard me, she turned around and asked me:'Oh, you can speak mandarin?' And i replied; 'Yeah'. We didn't interact much that day.

And so we met again. But it was in the toilet. Not quite an ideal place to da'wah. But if Allah swt put me in that situation, so be it. And here goes our conversation:

B.C :'So you are that girl right, that can speak mandarin?'
me :'Yes, that's me.'
B.C :You chinese or malay?
me :'Chinese Muslim'.
B.C :'Why you convert?
me :'I was searching for the truth of my existence in this world. I was a Buddhist before but didn't get my answers, and I chanced upon Islam and realised that this should be the right religion.
B.C :'Actually i think all religion is good and true.'
me :'Hmm... not quite. Islam want you to acknowledge the one and only God.'(at this point, she didn't wanted to ask further about Islam from her face expression)
B.C :'so your husband malay?'
me: 'Nope, he's also a Chinese.'
B.C :'oh, that's strange. I hardly know got such thing. So when did he convert?after knowing you?
me :'nope he converted at quite a young age of 18. So it was through a mutual friend that we began to know each other.'
B.C :'So your family all muslims?
me :'Nope, just me.'
B.C :'oh why like that? Your parents ok with it?
me :'not quite ok at first. but now they are ok.'
B.C :'But why you dressed like that?' i thought only Malay dress like that?'
me: 'this is how all Muslims dress.' God wanted all women to cover themselves modestly, that's why we cover ourselves.'
B.C :'But not all Muslims wear like that right?'
me :'eerrmm...'

I couldn't remember how we ended the conversation. As much as I want to share more details about the beauty of Islam, but normally people only like to ask what B.C asked and not about the religion per se. It's a pity though but never mind; for Allah wills whom He guides.

And Allah swt works miraculously in ways you can't imagine. so we leave it to our Creator and Sustainer of the Worlds.

Now, B.C is so friendly. and we even greet each other in the toilet.

Surah Al Nur

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.
The parable of His Light is as if there were a Niche
And within it a Lamp:
The Lamp enclosed in glass;
The glass as it were a brilliant star:
Lit from a blessed tree, an Olive,
Neither of the East nor of the West,
Whose oil is well-nigh luminous,
Though fire scarce touched it:
Light upon Light!
Allah do guide whom He will to His light:
Allah do set forth parables for men:
And Allah do know all things.
(Lit is such a light) in houses,
Which Allah have permitted to be raised to honour;
For the celebration, in them, of his name:
In them is He glorified in the mornings
And in the evenings, (again and again).
(Quran 24:35~36)

Prophet s.a.w - our Perfect Exemplar

"And thou (Muhammad) standest on an exalted standard of character. "
(Qur'an : Al Qalam 68:4)
Thus the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w himself said:
''Verily I have not been raised (as a Prophet) except to perfect the noble nature ( ahklaq) of mankind''. (Hadith)

Muslims, who bear witness that Muhammad s.a.w is the Messenger of Allah. We regard him as our teacher, guide and leader. Muhammad s.a.w. was sent as a mercyfor mankind and Allah refferred to him as the best examplar:
''Verily, in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example for everyone who looks forward (with hopes and awes) to Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah unceasingly''. (Qur'an: Al Ahzab 33:21)

Allah SWT, our Creator, has provided for us the way. Islam being the code for living, the guidance. As to how we should follow this, it is not merely the superficial adherence to its laws alone. Rather, being Muslims, requires us to emulate Muhammad s.a.w. for he epitomises the perfect man, who submitted and obeyed Allah. Thereby Allah educated and moulded his life and adorned it with exalted character. This is what Man should become, when he devotes himself as a servant of Allah. Although physically Man shares certain similarities with animals, he is destined to become the noblest of all of Allah's creatures. It is not something farfetched nor an idealist dream, but a reality which has been demonstrated in the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w, a man perfected by God.

I would like to share with all an interesting article from the desk of my teacher, Ustaz Zhulkeflee

http://zhulkeflee-archive.blogspot.com/2008/04/story-of-animals-in-farm.html

Reflection article in the new millenium

Here's another article which made me ponder alot too:

http://zhulkeflee-archive.blogspot.com/2008/04/new-millenium-reflection-as-witnesses.html

Once you are on his blog, you get to read so many articles there. Alhamdulillah.

Seminar on 'Our Beloved Mustafa'

I attended this seminar with my husband on Saturday, 3May 08. I was attracted to this seminar for several reasons mainly:
1.wanted to know more about our beloved Prophet saw
2.after knowing more, insya allah, be able to carry out his examples towards mankind.
3.to inculcate and instill a deeper love towards him. insya allah.
4.there were so many esteemed speakers. They were all my 'favourites'.
5.there was Qasidah and burdah recitals too. 'Live' somemore... (what more can you ask??)
6.and this was Ust Saifur's last participation

When we arrived, the Qasidah had already began. There were only back row seats available,that's because we were late. sob sob. We were given a folder with the program outline and the presentation papers inside. Masya allah, the papers prepared were packed with powerful knowledge about our Prophet saw.

The eminent As-Sayyid As-ShaykhAfeefuddin al-Gaylani, the 19th direct descendant of the famous scholar and saint ofIslam, Shaykh AbdulQadir al-Gaylani (1077-1166 AD/472-561Hijrah) delivered the keynote address for the seminar. He had shared with us many characteristics of Prophet saw that we should emulate with stories I never heard before.('cause my knowledge is limited) He talked and talked and everyone enjoyed what he shared, so perhaps it had lapsed into the other speaker's time. He was supposed to stay back but he had to rush off to Malaysia for a funeral.

The next esteemed speaker is our Prof Syed Farid from NUS. He is very good too. He talked about The Image of Prophet Muhammad and Islam today-Where did we go wrong? It's a good subject but somehow, there wasn't enough time for him to share with us his paper. Being a prof, i'm sure his research papers aren't limited to just that 30minutes or less. Anyhow, he still continued talking and asked for additional 10minutes. There wasn't enough time for Q&A either. I wanted to ask a question but couldn't find the opportunity. sad.

Then next was my ex teacher, Ust Mohammad Iqbal. He's well known as 'The convert who accomplished alot'. He presented, 'The Guidance and Counsel of Saiyidinna Muhammad saw.He too, had given us alot of hadith stories about our Prophet saw. And again, he was also prompted that he didn't have much time left, and likewise as the speakers before him, he couldn't finish what he wanted.

We broke for Asar prayers and refreshments. It didn't start ontime as scheduled henceforth, the constraint of time kept snowballing and snowballing from one speaker to another. From Shaykh Mohd Ibrahim(the Message of Rasullulah) to Ust Firdaus Yahya(Scenes from the Prophet of Mercy) (he's good with astronomy at Mjd Al-Falah) and then Ust Saifur Rahman(the Path of Love-Burdah of Imam Al-Busairi), everyone had to be so concerned with the time. Despite having such knowledgeable speakers and their marvellous notes, it wasn't that enjoyable to a certain extent because of the time factor.

Of course, SimplyIslam.sg really have to be applauded for their efforts to bring in so many knowledgeable and esteemed speakers but hopefully with the feedback i gave them, they would not squeeze in so many 'excellent stuff' within such a small frame of time.

Perhaps over the weekend would be fine. I wouldn't mind coming back twice to enjoy such marvellous 'company' amongst these speakers.

Nevertheless, thumbs up for the organisers and the seminar! Keep up the good work!

Have mercy upon us, Allah swt

I thought that it would be the end of my means of being close to my teacher, or attending his classes or acquiring knowledge when he came down with a stroke.

When I heard from another muslim sister that he had started a blog, masya allah! I was so elated. Finally I get a platform to communicate to him and enjoy the vast knowledge that Allah swt had bestowed upon him. Alhamdulillah, Allah didn't take him away from us. Yet.

Here's his blog address: (have sought his permission)

http://an-naseehah.blogspot.com/

Disturbing emails

My ex colleague emailed me an article or rather, another forwarded email from another Muslim. It was about 'sabotaging' Denmark products because of some stupid thing they did and hence got themselves into hot soup.

The previous saga was about the cartoonist who drew caricatures of our Prophet saw and the recent one was from a film director who released a anti Quran documentary.

To date, i've received about 3 emails of such content. But I deleted straight away after reading it, ignoring pleads to 'sabo' the country's products, and the threat of being questioned by Prophet that we will be asked;'What did you do when they laughed or make fun of me?How did you defend me?'

In my humble opinion, (many might not agree) Muslims should circulate emails responsibily. Even if it calls for justice, we should not simply take it into our own hands without knowing the facts or finding out the truth. What happens if there are Muslims in Denmark trying to make a living? What will happen when you sabotage the products but in actual fact, affecting the livelihood of the Muslims there? The cartoonist and the film director are all creations of Allah swt. To a certain extent, they are the ignorant ones. Allah swt is the 'Master of the Day of Judgement' so which means He holds the key to judgement followed by punishment of what we do here in this world. He preserved the Quran for mankind as guidance, so whoever distorts the truth as falsehood, He Himself will do the punishment as He deems fit.

Who are we to punish the Denmark like that?

I speak for myself. I am accountable for my own deeds. I deleted the email without forwarding to any Muslims. In my opinion, i feel that if we were to carry out that sabotage act, does it makes us to become just like them? not acting with proper intellect?

May Allah swt forgive me and my opinions and guide all Muslims on the straight path.amin.

Feeling nostalgic

My Primary School (Before)
My Primary School(after)

MacRitchie Reservoir

This is the place where I used to do my cross country run during my 5 years in secondary school. and i think I never came back to this place after so many donkey years. Haha.


Many would be familiar with the 2.4km run but yesterday, my friends was requesting that they want to do the 4.8km run and they prefer the terrain type because the normal route would bore him. Omigosh. My back wouldn't be able to take it. I'm lousy nowadays. Getting old. Backpain is my old injuiry.


I told them that they could continue without me if i can't catch up with them. Well, my husband volunteered to keep me company me because he got no choice.


I had forgotten how the 2.4km run scene looked like. But anyway, I started slow. Not long after, I approached a platform trail.(i couldn't remember seeing this donkey years back) And there were aluminium stands packed with information about the trees, inhabitants of the rainforest, the snakes, the animals found next to the water edge. So everything i passed by the stand, i would either stop or jog on the spot to read the information. And because of this, i was the last one in the pack. My husband would randomly slow down and looked out for me. And that in turn, slowed him down alot too. So in the end, my friends decided to cut short the platform trail and proceed to cut in through the terrain. It was pretty dark in there. Creepy crawlies, dead leaves and muddy spots everywhere. but without doubt, the air was fresh.

Perhaps i could make a fortune from my jogging in MacRitchie. Try my luck at spotting Mas Selamat b Kasturi. then i can get my hands on the reward. Heard it's more than $100k now.

I was really getting slow but i am steady. My husband might get pissed off, having to always slow down because of my tortoise like jogging. He didn't showed any expression of being pissed. He's a good guy. Not like me. Anyway, back to my run. So somehow, i ran and ran. Thoughts like ' is the end of this terrain coming soon' never appeared in my head at all although i was very tired and my legs were tired too. But suddenly, I just mustered all my energy preserved for this last bit and sprint all the way. Surprisingly, lesser than 6 mins, i saw light in front. I was happy. Finally.

After the jog, we treat ourselves to breakfast at Adam Food Centre. My ex favourite hangout. Nope, not my ex's fav hangout. Ok la, let's put it this way. My favourite place to get my favourite mee soto and teh halia. I got to eat my mee soto with lots of chilli but i didn't get to drink my favourite teh halia. I'm missing it. I missed the company of my ex too. (just kidding)

after the breakfast, me and my husband continued to slog ourselves with our household chores. Vacuuming. Mopping. Cleaning. Oh come to think of it, i have yet to clean my kitchen cabinets. Oopss.

Next day, I woke up with a terrible backache. Medicated plasters were all over my back.

Stained

What should I do when my heart is stained with black spots(from the sins that i committed)?


Has the spots stained the whole heart or half of it; or worse still, the Singlish way:'stain until cannot stain anymore'. This means: NO HOPE liao.


There's so many types of cleansing agents available in NTUC FP. Like; Clorex,Vanish O2, Bleach, Dynamo etc etc.. Which one does it job of cleansing away my spots better? Should i gulp it down or should i do some pre-soaking first?Maybe the latter would be more effective. Living costs has also risen, so can only buy the cheapest yet most effective cleansing agent.


Well, enough of my nonsense. If you think I would try that, don't be silly. Why?

Because it doesn't work this way.


Islamically speaking, purification of the heart is the key.


Nonsensically speaking, drinking Clorex might help.

Seriously speaking now, dhikr purifies your qalb or heart and makes it sound. (If your heart is sound, your body is sound) And you can only attain salvation and true success by having a pure and sound heart. The qalb or heart referred to here is not the pump in your breast that pushes blood around your body but rather the centre or locus of your personality which pumps out your desires and motivations and which makes you conduct yourself as you do. It is this qalb that lies at your centre and dictates your actions which is the key to your ultimate success.

And, another point to note is that seeking continuous forgiveness of Allah will assist in ensuring that our hearts and souls remain pure and wholesome. The Prophet saw said in this regard:
When a Believer sins, a black spot appears on his heart. But if he repents and seeks Allah's forgiveness, his heart becomes cleansed and polished. However if he continues to commit more and more sins(without seeking forgiveness), the spot continues to spread and ultimately covers all of his heart. This is the rust which Allah mentions in the Quran: 'What deeds they earn rust upon their hearts.'(al-Mutaffifin 83:14)

Though i sought forgiveness, but i still sinned. And then instead of repenting and not going back to repeat the sin, i forgot and then sinned again. i am hopeless.

In God's hand

Yesterday I went to visit my friend's wife in the hospital. She couldn't breathe on her own and had to be supported by the ventilator. She was in critical condition.

Actually I didn't know that she had been admitted into the hospital.

This is all part of Allah's plan.

I passed by Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and I thought i saw my friend in the cafe.I didn't want to knock on the glass panel, afraid of recognising the wrong person so i text him. And the reply came back:'My wife in ICU.Can't speak to you now. Sorry.' I was terribly shocked. I asked many questions in my reply to him but I received none after that. I became very worried about them.

I tried calling him but the woman on the other end of the line told me that it's not convenient to tell me what happen and told me not to go to the hospital. But I was worried. I couldn't sleep well at night.Still, I didn't give up. I continued asking him if I could drop by and pray for her.

The next day morning, he told me to go ICU of that hospital. Still worrying, I went to work and applied for afternoon leave and went to the hospital.

She was lying there, with all the tubes attached to her nose and mouth and some other parts of her body and mouth. Her lips were dry and I could see the chest breathing heavily through the machine. I felt sad. I kept reading Surah al-Fatiha even though she wasn't a Muslim. May Allah lighten her burden and keep her safe and healthy.amin.

Events that took place around me showed me signs of God's almightiness and power. His decree, no one could ever run away from it. His plan, no one could ruin it.
Signs of deterioration in one's body, from the lungs to the kidneys or even the heart will cause one to collaspe and never come back to earth again. Imagine His Almighty Powers? Does anyone understand?
The Gods that was carved out by mankind into idols or statues doesn't guarantee that every organ in his/her body will work well all the time. Do the idols work everyday to ensure that his/her heart will beat?

God fashioned us in the best shape.
(All Praises and Glory belong to Him)

and He positioned every organ in the right place. (Masya allah) Our organs doesn't come with the 'Big Bang'. Who else besides Him has the wisdom and might to do all this?

Ponder...

Friday Sermon - Emulating Prophet's character in us

Islamic Religious Council of Singapore
Friday Sermon
28 March 2008 / 20 Rabiulawal 1429

(3rd of Maulid Series)
Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h as a Blessing to All
My dearest brothers, may we all gain the blessings of Allah,
Let us remain truly conscious of Allah through taqwa. Taqwa that will develop in us the love for Allah s.w.t. and His beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Taqwa that is further developed when we follow his footsteps and emulate his examples. Such will enable us to bring blessings and mercy to everyone around us.

Last week, we reinforced our commitment to recite the selawat upon our beloved Prophet s.a.w., as a sign of our love for him. We have also promised to follow his footsteps and beautiful character that bring blessings to others.
This week, let us learn how we can bring blessings to anyone around us, as taught by our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

My dear brothers,
In the Islamic history (sirah), it is reported the story of an old Jewish lady who hated the Prophet s.a.w. She would litter the path of the Prophet s.a.w. with thorns and waste. The Prophet s.a.w. ignored her actions, and removed the litter so that others would not be hurt by it if they take the path. One day, the path was clear of any litter. The Prophet s.a.w. asked those who sat around the path what happened to the old lady. They responded that she was not well and was resting at home. The Prophet s.a.w remarked ”Poor lady, she must be very sad. Let’s pay her a visit.”

The Prophet s.a.w. went to her house, together with several companions. The Prophet bought some sweets as a gift to the old lady. Upon reaching her house, they sought permission to enter. The old lady was shocked to learn who had come to visit her. She felt embarrassed too. The Prophet s.a.w. presented the sweets, whilst asking after her. She relayed news of her illness to the Prophet s.a.w. Soon after, the Prophet raised his hands in prayer for the lady. Allah s.w.t. the Most Benevolent would not reject the prayers of His most beloved Prophet. The old lady felt better and was able to sit up. She wept out of sheer intrigue, and said”I never expected you to be so concerned with what befalls me. This, despite the fact that I hated you and did everything to hurt you. From this moment, I declare my faith as a Muslim.” She then recited the syahadah.
Let’s pause for a moment and reflect upon the beauty of the Prophet’s character. His boundless kindness, which had such a profound effect on a person who hated him that she repented and embraced the faith. That is the beauty of Rasulullah’s character.

This is in accordance to what Allah has said in the Holy Quran:
Which means: “and We have sent thee not but as a mercy to all the universe.”
( Surah Al-Anbiya: 107)

Let us reflect: how would we act if we are in the same situation? Can we show the same strength and pureness of character that Rasulullah has, no matter to whom? Can we repay an evil deed with kindness? Can we bring goodness even in the face of challenges?

My dear brothers,
We can still contribute and bring benefit to others although we face very difficult challenges in our lives today.

If we look at the example of our Prophet s.a.w., he always brought goodness to others at all times. In each of his role, whether as a husband, father, neighbour, leader or general, the Prophet remained compassionate and exhibited the best of moral character. He was concerned with what happens to others. He was very affected by the tribulations that afflict others. He loves his ummah dearly. These are the characteristics of our Holy Prophet s.a.w. at all times and in facing all challenges. Allah states this in the Holy Quran:

"Now has come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: it grieves him that you should perish: ardently anxious is he over you: to the believers is he most kind and merciful.”
(Surah At-Taubah verse 128)

Thus, my dear brothers, in facing the challenges of today, we must always seek the path of spreading compassion and blessings to others. Lets think of how others can enjoy the mercy and blessings of Islam through our personality and actions. What we therefore need to do is to embody the examples of the Holy Prophet s.a.w.

Firstly: We must be aware and concerned with all that happen around us. We need to know what happen to our families such as our children and wife, our relatives, neighbours and also friends. Share with them our concern and sorrow for them in times of need, in a kind and compassionate manner.

Secondly: Offer our help and assistance to them. We should not only be concerned, but instead, manifest our concern in offering assistance to those in need, either through financial means, or guidance, motivation and other ways possible. Any of these help will ease the burden on those going through periods of hardship in their lives.

Finally: In face of adversity and challenges, either to ourselves or our families, we must remember how our Prophet s.a.w. reacted. He had always remained patient and sought goodness to those who had hurt him. Let us follow his examples in doing good and bringing blessings and compassion to all. Leave the outcomes to Allah. As Allah says in Surah At-Taubah:
Which means: “But if they turn back, say: Allah is sufficient for me, there is no god but He; on Him do I rely, and He is the Lord of mighty power.”
(Surah At-Taubah verse 129)


Hopefully, with sincere love for Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., and by emulating his honourable personality, our community will stand firm with an honourable Muslim identity. We can become a community with a deep sense of kindness (ihsan) and desire to brings blessings to all. This is the essence of our Singaporean Muslim Identity that we aspire to forge together, InshaAllah.

Remember our Lord

Each day in our solat,we repeatedly make one humble request to Allah, our Creator and Sustainer: 'Guide us on the Straight Path'.(al fatiha 1:4) It is only by seeking and staying on the straight path, that we can ever hope to attain true salvation and success.

The Quran explains:
'Whosoever holds onto Allah, he has already been guided onto a Straight Path.'(al-imran 3:101)

'Remember Allah, for He has guided you. '(al-Baqara 2:198)

'O you who believe! Remember Allah often with much remembrance. And glorify Him morning and evening.' (Luqman 31:41-42)

Hadith literature is similarly replete with references to the remembrance of Allah:

The Servant cannot perform a better deed which will save him from God's punishment than the remembrance of God.

The significance of dhikr lies in the fact that it is God's own chosen and recommended mode by which the muminun or Believers show gratitude for having been shown the straight path.In addition, it is indeed the surest way of attaining God's forgiveness and achieving the ultimate reward of Paradise.

The importance of dhikr then is not difficult to understand. It is dhikr that purifies your qalb or heart and makes it sound.And you can only attain salvation and true success by having a pure and sound heart.The qalb or 'heart' referred to here is not the pump in your breast that pushes blood around your body but rather the centre or locus of your personality which pumps out your desires and motivations and which makes you conduct yourself as you do.It is this qalb that lies at your centre and dictates your actions which is the key to your ultimate success.Thus, with reference to the Day of Judgment, the Quran declares:

'(It will be a Day) when neither wealth nor children shall profit, (and when)only he (will be saved)who comes before God with a sound heart(free of evil).' (ash-Shuara 26:88-89)

This point is more elaborately made in a hadith in which the Prophet says:
'Listen(to me)carefully.There is a lump of flesh in the body - if it is set right and made good, the entire body becomes good and healthy; but if it becomes diseased, the entire body becomes diseased.Remember well - it is the Heart. (Bukhari)

If the heart is the key to ultimate salvation and success, it may, likewise be the seat of much curruption and open doors to many evils.It may facilitate the corruption of political and economic activities and ultimately the social institutions of a society. Where such a state prevails, the Quran suggests that it is because people, individually, have become diseased in their hearts. (al-Baqara 2:10). In this state, people stop seeing and doing what is right.The Quran explains that this is not because they have become blind in their eyes but because their hearts have become blind.(al-Hajj 22:46) This blindness only draws them nearer to the ultimate chastisement.

It is the heart, as the decider of our ultimate fate, that must then be the starting point of any tazkiya programme, to purify this heart and then summon it to the service of mankind.Ibn al-Qayyim, one of the great scholars of Islam, states in his Kitab al Adhkar (the Book of Remembrance), that 'the heart which is devoid of the remembrance of Allah is a heart that is dead'; it is dead even and long before the body carrying the heart reaches its grave.Indeed, this living body that carries the heart is the heart's grave. Ibn al-Qayyim's statement is reminiscent of the hadith of the Prophet which states: 'The difference between someone who remembers His Lord and someone who does not is like the difference between the living and the dead.'(Bukhari) The statement is also reminiscent of the following verse of the Quran: Do not become like those who forget Allah and Allah makes them forget themselves. It is they who are truly deprived. (al-Hashr 59:19)

The purpose of tazkiya is to ensure that the heart never falls into a sorry state of being and that it is always alive with the remembrance of God. Prosperous indeed is one who purifies himself and remembers the name of his Guardian-Lord, and prays (unto Him). (al-Ala 87:14-15) The Prophet s.a.w further emphasised the importance of dhikr when he said to his Companions: 'Shall i not inform you of the best of your actions, the purest in the sight of your Lord, which raises your rank to the highest, which is better for you than spending gold and silver, better than meeting your enemy so that you strike at their necks and they strike at yours?' They replied: 'Yes indeed,' and he said: 'It is the remembrance of Allah.' (Tirmidhi)

Strive then, to fill all your moments, all your thoughts and all your actions with His remembrance. Recite tasbih or words of glorification and praise to punctuate all your actions and achievements.

taken from 'In the Early Hours..reflection and spiritual development by Khurram Murad

Muhammad (saw) - The Ideal Prophet

Man needs the light of his past experiences to brighten his present and future.

The different segments of humanity which have done anything to make this world a better place to live in deserve our gratitude; but, the most deserving of our gratitude are the prophets of God. Each one of them has, in his own time, presented a winsome example of his sublime conduct and moral behaviour. If one was a model of endurance, others were embodiments of selflessness, sacrifice, fervour for Truth and Oneness of God, submission to the Will of the Lord, chastity and piety. In short, each of them was a lighthouse of guidance showing the path of exalted behaviour in one or the other walk of life every man has to tread in his sojourn on the earth. Man, however, stood in need of another guide who could illuminate the entire gamut of human behaviour, in all its diversity, by his comprehensive example of goodness and virtue.

Man, in other words, needed a perfect and universal exemplar who could place in his hands a guide book of practical life, so that every wayfarer may reach his destination safely. And this exemplar did come to the world in the person of the last of the prophets, Muhammad, on whom be peace and blessings of the Lord.

taken from Muhammad - the ideal Prophet

Slippers were Stolen!

I went to Vivocity with my husband last Saturday. I planned a birthday luncheon celebration for my mum.

After our noon swimming, we headed straight down to the Temenggong Mosque for our zuhr prayers. As usual, there wasn't much people in the mosque. After zuhr, we headed to Vivocity, Swensens to meet my family. It was a hearty and sinful lunch. I could have burnt away quite alot of calories after the swim but i ordered 'fried chicken delight'. Too late for regrets. Since everyone was so full, we didn't have any desserts after that. Instead we walked around to digest the food and we had some hot drinks before we parted.

Asar (prayers) sets in by the time we left Vivocity. So we headed back to the mosque. Frankly speaking, I didn't quite like the toilet there because it's quite open and you need to leave your shoes at 2 different spots and they were actually quite exposed to the 'public'. After taking my ablution, I left my slippers (at the usual place) and walked towards the female praying area. A lady who just walked out from the female prayer hall passed me. Usually, i wouldn't think so much after removing my slippers but strangely, I had somekind of a feeling that something would happen.

After my prayers, I walked towards the shoes area. I was already looking ahead before I reached. My blue slippers was GONE!!!!!!! I called out my hubby, who was standing there, that my slippers was gone. I told him to look around for me while i check the toilet. Perhaps there might be some makcik who mistakenly used my slippers and went to the toilet. But it was not there either. We looked around and checked everywhere; the drains, rubbish chute, ablution and toilet cubicles but my favourite slippers was nowhere to be found.

I was very sad. I just experienced a 'stolen experience' at a mosque. A place which i never thought that stealing would happen.Though i knew that this wasn't right but i had some suspicions about that lady that passed me because no one left the prayer hall after her.

I had to console myself that 'everything comes from Allah and shall return back to Him'.

Inevitably, I can't help to think about my slippers till now. I do feel a little bit for my slippers even though i know i should not yearn for the 'dunya' (worldly)things too much. I don't want it to get attached to my heart but i don't know why i kept thinking about it. Maybe the reason is, I can't accept the fact that this has happened. In a mosque. Period.

Or perhaps, it's a test from Allah.

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

"If Allah touch thee with affliction, none can remove it but He; if He touch thee with happiness, He hath power over all things. "He is the Irresistible, (watching) from above over His worshippers; and He is the Wise acquainted with all things." (Surah al-anaam 6:16-17)

Sometimes we would forget that EVERYTHING comes from Allah swt. When something bad falls upon us, we tend to ask ourselves;'Why?' or 'This shouldn't happen'. When something good happen to us, did we remember to thank Him, or all we did was;'Something far more better than this should happen' or maybe 'Why was I given this, when i asked for that?'

We can only perceive things from our level of wisdom but Allah knows all things. He has power over ALL things. He knows us better than we know ourselves. Though Allah might not answer your du'as (supplications), that doesn't mean He didn't hear you. In actual fact, He hears and He knows what we asked for. But because whatever that He gives, He knows if it's good or bad for us.

Here's the good news (i was told) that if Allah swt doesn't answer your supplications here, don't despair or be disheartened. Because He is keeping all that you have asked for when you goes to Paradise.

Alhamdulillah.

May Allah swt forgive my mistakes in this post. May Allah swt forgives us all. Amin amin.

How do you use your time?

Think and reflect about this:

As time slipped past us so swiftly everyday, is it wise to ask ourselves, have we done anything fruitful here in this world or for the Hereafter?

We will be asked about how we spend the time given to us, the wealth given to us, the knowledge bestowed upon us.... Did we use it wisely?