Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Trying it for tonight - again | Masjid Khalid Al-Walid

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, it's the eve of the 25th of Ramadan. We are all counting down the last ten great days of Ramadan. Hope mounts as tinge of sadness creeps in because soon Ramadan will be gone.

My favorite mosque Masjid Khalid Al-Walid was looking more resplendent than ever. The dark street leading to the masjid was lined with decorative Eid lights, though not as grand as Bukit Bintang during festive season, it was still a sight that soothed the heart. The lightings inside the mosque were grander tonight.

Datuk Noh Gadut, a prominent dai'e was delivering a tausiyah when I arrived. He was addressing the crowd which included some military VVIPs. He said the armed forces should beef up on spiritual and physical strengths so that "when your people attack the enemies just once or twice, that would suffice to cripple them." He also talked about the importance of being loyal to one's leader especially during combat and drew example from Khalid Al-Walid who on one occasion did not question when asked to back off as part of a war strategy. He also advised the military members not to be too concerned about positions and ranking as "we are all united in one singular niyyat - lillahi ta'ala. So that, people should, when heading for work recite inna solati wa nusuki wa mahyaya wa mamati lillahi ta'ala - going to work is like solah, it is ibadah, everything you do when you leave for work is ibadah..."       



Masjid Khalid Al-Walid is located at an area known as Mindef which is short for Ministry of Defence. This area was my late father's playground when he was a member of the military forces. I remembered as a child coming to Mindef occasionally to spend the school holidays with his superior's family who lived on the Mindef hill. That was in the '70s. The senior officials' quarters (bungalows) had been removed to make way for high density staff residential blocks. I remembered feeling overjoyed and impressed by the huge house then, and that was the first time I wished I would someday live in a nice big house too.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah that Allah lets us experience and learn and dream. So when He grants, we are most certainly grateful. Allah Kareem. Ramadan Kareem.


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