Does it look good to eat?

My very own version of a Western meal

Yesterday I whipped up this meal to give my husband a surprise. I wanted to give some kind of a variety to our meals instead of eating rice all the time.

After work, I went to the supermarket to get my ingredients. I made used of what I had in my fridge. Since I had some left over beef given by a neighbour who lived a few blocks away, I decided to do it the Western way. Since I didn't have a griller, I pan fried it with butter instead.

More ideas sprung up as I was preparing the beef slices. I marinated with black pepper, salt and a bit of soya sauce. I left it aside and prepared a fruit and vegetables salad. The idea of a garlic bread came up last minute because I didn't have any potatoes. (carbohydrates) . To make it really Western, I prepared mushroom soup too.

So abracadabra, here's the outcome. I would not say that the beef steaks are really fantastic because they had been kept in the freezer for quite some time and the beef slices were sliced by myself. Some of it were still quite 'chewy'.

My husband said that it's delicious but there's room for improvement.

Hint hint...

Be free...

On that Day from distress and remorse... (This khabar was transmitted through the sage Wahb ibn Munabbih)

Allah Most High proclaims:

'O Children of Adam, if you could see the minute span of precious time that remains until your death, you would renounce all selfish projects and vain expectations. You would restrain your desire to possess, in all its subtle forms. And you would wholeheartedly seek to intensify your good actions. Otherwise, regret will seize you as you are falling into death, when your family and servants leave you, when friends distance themselves from you and even intimates abandon you. From the moment of death, you will no longer be able to return to your people or increase your good actions. Therefore, live now with a clear vision of the Day of Resurrection and be free on that Day from distress and remorse.'

Enjoy a good laugh!!!

I had a really good laugh when i received this video. Are you familiar with Mariah Carey's songs?If you are, you would laugh to your hearts' content.

If you hadn't watched it before, enjoy it. If you had seen this, treat yourself to another good laugh.

Pay attention to the lyrics yeah.

Oily Oily

Yesterday, I took half day leave from work, wanted to spend some time shopping and yum-cha-ing with my mother.But unfortunately, my father applied leave too and they decided to make a trip to JB for other errands. So I told my husband that my mum couldn't make it, and he took half day leave, stashing away his piles of work to accompany me. Actually, I didn't need any company but I guess he took pity on me, afraid that I was all alone.

So we went to Vivocity. It was quite near to his workplace and there's a mosque nearby. On my way there, it started raining. We usually eat at Banquet but I thought we should go and have some cheap food so we went to Seah Imm Food centre.

So as you can see from the picture above, I ate something really OILY. and guess what was that??

LAKSA.(did u guess it correctly?)

I thought Malay laksa was going to be of the same kind like how the Chinese prepare.

Extracted from Wiki:
Origin
The origin of the name "laksa" is unclear. The name may originate from the Sanskrit word laksha (लक्ष)[citation needed], meaning "many" (in modern Hindi, lakh, or 100,000) and referring to the soup's many ingredients[1]. Another theory[2] traces it back to Hindi/Persian lakhshah, referring to a type of vermicelli. It has also been widely believed that "laksa" may also be derived from the Chinese word "la sha" (辣沙; pronounced "latsa" in Cantonese), meaning "spicy sand". This is because the laksa gravy contains an ingredient that feels mildly sandy.

Types of laksa
The term laksa is used to describe two different types of noodle soup dishes: curry laksa and assam laksa. Curry laksa refers to noodles served in coconut curry soup, while assam laksa refers to noodles served in sour fish soup. Usually, thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are preferred, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon or mee hoon) is also common and some variants use other types.

Curry laksa (in many places referred to simply as “laksa”) is a coconut-based curry soup. The main ingredients for most versions of curry laksa include tofu puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles. Some vendors may sell chicken laksa which uses chicken instead of shrimp. Cockles are usually very commonly used in laksa and most vendors would add them into laksa unless customers request not to have cockles for hygiene reasons. Laksa is commonly served with a spoonful of sambal chilli paste and is traditionally garnished with Vietnamese coriander, or laksa leaf, which is known in Malay as daun kesum. This is usually known as "Curry mee" in Penang rather than curry laksa, due to the different kind of noodles used (yellow mee or bee hoon, as opposed to the thick white laksa noodles). The name "Curry laksa" is more commonly used in Singapore. With the popularity of laksa in Singapore and Malaysia, there are even more 'varieties' of ingredients like lobster laksa, laksa yong tau foo and even plain laksa, just noodles and gravy, like the type found on Sungei Road. Laksa is extremely popular in Australia, especially in the Chinatown districts of the capital cities. Special deals, such as "Laksa Thursday" encourage many local business workers to frequent the Asian cafes to dine on Laksa and other noodle based soups.

Variants of curry laksa include:
Laksa lemak, also known as nyonya laksa (Malay: Laksa nyonya), is a type of laksa with a rich coconut gravy. Lemak is a culinary description in the Malay language which specifically refers to the presence of coconut milk which adds a distinctive richness to a dish. As the name implies, it is made with a rich, slightly sweet and strongly spiced coconut gravy. Laksa lemak is usually made with a fish-based gravy and is heavily influenced by Thai laksa (Malay: Laksa Thai), perhaps to the point that one could say they are one and the same.

Katong laksa (Malay: Laksa Katong) is a variant of laksa lemak from the Katong area of Singapore. In Katong laksa, the noodles are normally cut up into smaller pieces so that the entire dish can be eaten with a spoon alone (that is, without chopsticks or a fork). Katong laksa is a strong contender for the heavily competed title of Singapore's national dish.

Sarawak laksa (Malay: Laksa Sarawak) comes from the town of Kuching in the Malaysian state Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. It is actually very different from the curry laksa as the soup contains no curry in its ingredient at all. It has a base of Sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemon grass and coconut milk, topped with omelette strips, chicken strips, prawns, fresh coriander and optionally lime. Ingredients such as bean sprouts, (sliced) fried tofu or other seafood are not traditional but are sometimes added.

A bowl of Penang laksa, a variant of assam laksa.
Assam laksa is a sour fish-based soup. Asam (or asam jawa) is the Malay word for tamarind, which is commonly used to give the stock its sour flavor. It is also common to use "asam keping" also known as "asam gelugor", dried slices of tamarind fruit, for added sourness. Modern Malay spelling is asam, though the spelling assam is still frequently used.
The main ingredients for assam laksa include shredded fish, normally kembung fish or mackerel, and finely sliced vegetables including cucumber, onions, red chillis, pineapple, lettuce, common mint, "daun kesum" (Vietnamese mint or laksa mint) and pink bunga kantan (ginger buds). Assam laksa is normally served with either thick rice noodles or thin rice noodles (vermicelli). And topped off with "petis udang" or "hae ko", a thick sweet prawn/shrimp paste.

Variants of assam laksa include:
Penang laksa (Malay: Laksa Pulau Pinang), also known as assam laksa from the Malay for tamarind, comes from the Malaysian island of Penang. It is made with mackerel (ikan kembung) soup and its main distinguishing feature is the assam or tamarind which gives the soup a sour taste. The fish is poached and then flaked. Other ingredients that give Penang laksa its distinctive flavour include lemongrass, galangal (lengkuas) and chilli. Typical garnishes include mint, pineapple slices, thinly sliced onion, hε-ko, a thick sweet prawn paste and use of torch ginger flower. This, and not 'curry mee' is the usual 'laksa' one gets in Penang.
Johor laksa (Malay: Laksa Johor), from Johor state in southern Malaysia, resembles Penang laksa only in the kind of fish used but differs in everything else. Johor laksa has coconut milk, use 'kerisik', dried prawns, lemon grass, galangal and spices akin to curry. The garnishing comprises slices of onion, beansprouts (taugeh), mint leaves, Vietnamese coriander or 'daun kesum', cucumber and pickled white radish. Sambal belacan (a kind of chili paste) is placed on the side. Finally, just before eating, freshly squeezed lime juice is sprinkled on the dish. Unique to Johor laksa is its Italian connection - spaghetti is used instead of the normal rice noodles or vermicelli.

Ipoh laksa (Malay: Laksa Ipoh), from the Malaysian city of Ipoh, is similar to Penang laksa but has a more sour (rather than sweet) taste. The soup stock contains prawn paste.
Kuala Kangsar Laksa (Malay: Laksa Kuala Kangsar), made of rice flour (usually hand made). The soup is rather lighter than the common laksa taste and so much different from Ipoh Laksa in shape, taste and smell. The local municipal council even built a complex called "Kompleks Cendol dan Laksa" near the river bank of the Perak River. It is the main attraction for tourist in Kuala Kangsar.

Perlis laksa (Malay: Laksa Perlis) and Kedah laksa (Malay: Laksa Kedah) is very similar to Penang laksa and only differs in the garnishing used. Sliced boiled eggs are usually added to the dish. In some places the soup is made of eel flesh.

Kelantanese laksa (Malay: Laksa Kelantan), white noodles served with curry and vegetables, is made differently in every state in Malaysia. The Kelantanese laksa employs the creamy white gravy which is richer and has full-bodied flavour. The main ingredients is fish flesh, although connoisseurs would certainly prefer the ones made of eels. Also known as "Lakse" in Kelantanese Malay dialect.

Laksam, a speciality of the Malaysian state of Terengganu, is made with very thick flat white rice flour noodles in a white gravy of boiled fish and coconut milk. Traditionally laksam is eaten with hands rather than with eating utensils due to the gravy's thick consistency.

Now, that's alot of information about Laksa which I didn't know.

Prayers - a man's best deeds

Some days I travel near, some days I travel far. I'm not talking about travelling to my workplace but rather, 'travelling spiritually' during my prayers. And most unfortunately, not even anywhere near God but everywhere that my thoughts would bring me. That's actually not something to be proud of though.

I really hope I can improve the state of humility and awareness during my Prayer. So I kept on finding the most suitable book that, insya allah will help me in achieving my goals. This excerpt that i'm highlighting here is from the book: The Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship by Imam Ghazali. (you can get it from Wardah Bookshop)

Internal Prerequisites of Prayer: Actions of the Heart


Many Quranic Verses and traditions could be cited in evidence of this, including the words of God, Exalted is He:

'And perform the Prayer to remember Me.' (Surah Ta Ha, 20:14)


The obvious force of the imperative is to make something obligatory. Since heedlessness is the opposite of remembrance, how can someone who is heedless throughout his Prayer be performing it in remembrance of God? The Exalted One said:

'Do not be one of those who are neglectful.' (Surah al-A'raf, 7:205)


Here we have a negative imperative, with the obvious foce of a prohibition. God, Great and Glorious is He, also says:

'... until you know what you are saying.' (surah al-Nisa, 4:43)


This explains the reason for debarring those who are intoxicated(from the Mosque), but the term 'intoxicated' applies by extension to those who are wholly preoccupied with temptations and worldly thoughts.

When the Prophet saw, said: 'The prayer is nothing but submissiveness and humility....' he used a particularly definite and emphatic construction in Arabic. He also said: 'If a man's Prayer does not deter him from indecency and mischief, he gains nothing from God but remoteness.' Heedless Prayer does nothing to deter a man from these vices. The heedless are alluded to in the Tradition: ' Many of those who pray derive nothing from their prayers except weariness and strain. The Prophet saw said: 'A man gets credit only for that part of his Prayer of which he is conscious.' This is confirmed by the Tradition: 'When performing the Prayer, one is conversing intimately with one's Lord. Speaking in a state of heedlessness is certainly not what is meant by intimate conversation with the Lord.


What is the point of praying: 'Show us the Straight Path,' if one is in a state of absent-mindedness?If it is not intended as a humble entreaty and supplication, why bother with the idle mouthing of the words, especially if it has become a habit?

The purpose of Quranic recitation and expressions of remembrance (at various stages in the ritual Payer) is undoubtedly praises and glorifications, supplications and entreaties, addressed to God, Great and Glorious is He. But the veil of heedlessness screens the heart from Him. Far from seeing or witnessing Him, the heedless worshipper is not even aware of Whom he is addressing, as his tongue moves purely from force of habit. How remote this is from the purpose of ritual Prayer, which was prescribed for the refinement of the heart, the renewal of Divine remembrance, and to secure the knot of faith!

Ritual Prayer has been made the chief pillar of religion, the criterion for distinguishing between unbelief and Islam. It takes precedence over the Pilgrimage and other forms of worship. It is unique in having capital punishment as the penalty for its abandonment. I (writer) do not believe that ritual Prayer enjoys all this special dignity by virtue of its external motions, unless these are linked to the purpose of intimate communion with God. That is what has priority over Fasting, Zakat, Prilgrimage and so on; indeed over sacrifices and offerings which entail self denial through financial outlay. As God, Exalted is He says:
'It is not their flesh nor their blood that reaches Him. It is your devotion that reaches Him.' (surah al-Hajj 22:37)

What is meant here by 'devotion' (taqwa), is a quality that gains control over the heart, disposing it to comply with the commands it is required to obey.

What, then, of the ritual Prayer, if its actions are without purpose?
___________________________________________________________________
That marks the end of the excerpt.

Well, this acts as a warning for myself. To remind myself the importance of gathering all my humility and awareness for the One Lord, Most Majestic, Most High, the all-Knowing.

Disclaimer: I am only a lowly servant who wants to seek solace and obedience with my Lord. I am in no position to judge anyone or to pass comments on anyone.

Do not despair

Do not despair of Allah's mercy.(Al-Zumar:53).

Do not despair when in spite of intense supplication, there is a delay in receiving the expected gift. He has guaranteed that he will respond what He chooses for you, and not what you choose for yourself,and at the time He chooses not the time you desire. (Ibn Ata'illah)

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...