Benar kata guru

Bismillah.

Malam ini malam yang dinaungi keinsafan kala mengenang betapa benar kata guru.

Teringat kata-kata Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam Al-Maliki tidak lama dulu dalam pengajian Al-Hikam yang sarat pengajaran hikmah yang tidak dapat disangkal hati mahupun fikiran.

Orang memandang diri kita baik adanya hanya kerna Allah melindungi keaiban kita. Dan teringat juga pesan Shaykh Fahmi yang dulu, agar jangan diungkit dosa kita yang lalu, jangan disebut-sebut lagi. Jangan pula bila Allah mengampuni kita dan menutupi aib kita yang lama, kita pula yang membukanya semula dan dengan tidak semena-mena menghidupkan lagi khilaf itu dengan menyebutnya kepada orang. Dan orang itu pula seolah menjadi saksi baharu kepada dosa kita.

Maha suci Allah, Dia mengetahui kesalahan kita setiap satu persatu, namun Dia masih menyayangi dan memberi kurniaNya. Sedangkan manusia asal saja mengetahui barang sedikit daripada keaiban kita, terus melarikan diri. Kita dianggap tidak cukup bersih biarpun sekadar sahabat. Tetapi Allah sebaliknya membersihkan diri kita dengan RahmatNya.

Maha suci Allah, semoga kita semua terus mendapat keampunan dan limpah kurniaNya.

Sekadar sebuah pesanan, janganlah menjauhi atau membenci sesiapa kerana masa silamnya kerana mungkin saja pengakhirannya lebih baik daripada apa yang bakal ditakdirkan Allah untuk kita.

Untuk sesiapa yang pernah mengenali saya sebelum ini dan yang mengetahui keburukan masa lalu saya, ketahuilah saya tidak mengharapkan hormat daripada kamu. Buanglah diri ini jauh-jauh jika itu dirasakan perlu. 

Kita semua akan kembali kepada Tuhan yang Satu dan kita sama-sama memerlukan keampunanNya, itu yang lebih utama. Hidup di dunia ini terlalu singkat untuk kita berseteru.

Yang cuba untuk menjadi ikhlas,

Eza

Al-Afuw by Hamid Iqbal Khan
http://www.redbubble.com/people/hamidsart

Cambodia fun facts

Bismillah.

It was my first trip to Cambodia, as mentioned before. Here are some more photos, some fun facts and a little trivia.

Our journey to Kampung Cham from Phnom Penh was best described as "infotainment". Our guide Haji Wahid of the Cambodian Mufti Office shared with us some pertinent information about Islam in Cambodia, the country's geography and all kinds of topics in a very entertaining way.  He is quite a character. He took us in his new car which is well equipped with all the phone chargers in the world (LOL), a proper power outlet and even a printer! So I learned there are three types of soil in the country, yellow, red and black.  Rubber, pepper and padi plantation areas lined the roads leading to Kampung Cham (our main travel objective). And I noticed the rubber trees there were slim and slender looking than what we have in Malaysia which is of the Hevea Brasiliensis kind, originating from Brazil. Slim and slender, probably because they are of the French type (LOL).
Next, let's talk about food : )
   

This is where I had the best char koay teow in a long time. D'Nyonya is a halal restaurant in Phnom Penh owned by a Malaysian. 

Another impressive halal restaurant in Phnom Penh. I especially love the beef murtabak which is a little different than those in Malaysia and Singapore but tasted superb to me.  

Dinner by the Mekong riverside at "Titanic" which serves par excellent halal western food. This place simply stole my heart. 

This caught my attention. Fresh flowers beautifully arranged and sold openly at the Central Market in Phnom Penh. Something I didn't expect to see. You know florists in Malaysia are like a luxury store. You only get to see few baskets of floral arrangement sold in dainty air-conditioned shops. You don't get to see so many pre-arranged flower baskets like these. This colorful sight reminded me of the rows of florists at a market in Barcelona, Spain, but even then they didn't have this many ready-to-go bouquets. I thought to see this in Cambodia, is simply amazing.

"Remembering Cambodia"
On a serious note, one personal lesson I learned during the trip:
You must make the best out of any situations
and try to see the good in any circumstances.

Kampung Cham, Cambodia - charming regardless

Bismillah.

Just a quick one before we fly home.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah we were able to visit Bak Onlong in Stung Trong, a district in the Kampung Cham province in Cambodia. Thanks to Sidi M who made the arrangement with Ustaz Haji Wahid Abdullah of the Cambodian Mufti Office. Ustaz Haji Wahid and his brother-in-law Haji Raffee drove us there. It took us about 3 hours to get there which is 170 km northeast of Phnom Penh.

Our aims were to visit a secondary and primary school - Madrasah Al Nikmah Al Islamiyah and the villagers living near the schools, to understand better how life is like for this small Muslim community of Bak Onlong who together with the other 170 villages in Kampung Cham province and 300 villages elsewhere in Cambodia, make up the half-million Muslim population in this little country neighboring Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos in Asia.

Kampung Cham is not just one village or kampung as I first thought. It is more like a district. It is the place to go if you wish to learn about meager living, reflect and be grateful for what you have. But make no mistake, in actual fact, they are luckier than us, because in all probability they will be among those who will first enter the heavens! 

 

It was raining on our way to Kampung Cham. A rare occasion said Haji Wahid. 

The secondary school comprises of only two classes for students aged between 12 to 17. The school administrators are hoping to have separate classrooms for the girls and boys soon bi-iznillah.

Ustaz Ahmad handing out small tokens.

The little girl is an orphan. The woman is a widow. It was a bliss for me to witness simple pure happiness on such a pretty and innocent face.

Houses surrounding the schools we visited.

Ustaz Haji Wahid, a popular representative from the Cambodian Mufti Office whose presence in Kampung Cham is much anticipated as he regularly brings people from all over the world who intend to visit Kampung Cham to spread a little cheer to them.

A kitchen in one of the houses which I entered. Happy that I made the house owner laugh when I tried out the mortar and pestle filled with lemongrass.

Electricity, at long last! Alhamdulillah. But it looks like a small scale private initiative which means that power is still a luxury item.

The schools use the similar syllabus as the one taught in one of the states in Malaysia. Madrasah Al Nikmah has been in operation with basic facilities (without electricity) for 2 years. 

A class of primary school students. Very cute aren't they? Sixty of the 170 students at Madrasah Al Nikmah are musafir. While waiting for the musafir's hostel to be ready, they simply shift the tables and sleep in this classroom. Each family living nearby the madrasah would donate one sack of rice each for the musafir students, MashaAllah!

Pretty girls preparing dessert (sweet jackfruit) for four of us visitors of the day.

 

Special lunch prepared by Sister Jawahir and the girls. May Allah reward them for their generosity.
We say Uun Tepuun to them. That's thank you in Cham language.

May Allah make us recognize His attributes of qabdhu and basthu. And make us know Him in all His myriad manifestations and thereby make us have more taqwa, regardless. Ameen.

Cambodia 360 degree

There's always a first time. My first trip to Cambodia.  

Here are some photos on arrival:

Phnom Penh International University

Lovely and cosy accommodation - the TeaHouse Hotel.
Who says chic can't be cheap?

The hotel's plus points:
Only USD 30 per night, chic decor, clean, great service
and most importantly
FREE HIGH SPEED INTERNET access throughout the hotel.
Food is not halal though.
But just get on the tuktuk and great halal food awaits,
only 10 minutes away.

God forgive me for thinking about pampering myself
before we go see the hard realities of life at Kampung Cham.

More tomorrow InshaAllah.

The heart matters

Bismillah.

I wish you a good weekend, whatever that's left of it. I am mentally exhausted due to lack of sleep. So pardon me if what you will read sounds a little weird and jaded. But let's just stick to the rule: write from the heart and follow your first instinct. By the way, Shaykh Yaqoubi too said, follow your first instinct because it's a divine whispering from Ar Rahman.

Someone once asked me this question: "Are we supposed to seek out for love or is it fated that we will meet our partner?" At that instant my first instinct was to say: "Love will find you". But I didn't. 

How often have you ignored and denied the whisperings of your heart?

Someone mentioned these facts about the heart which we all know but sometimes forget.  

He said: "Remember this - listen with your heart and act according to what your heart says. The heart knows what the mind does not. You know God not with the mind but with your heart."

Yes how true. And from a personal experience I also discovered that the heart seems to know something well ahead of the mind. Sometimes you find yourself feeling jealous towards someone when you have nothing to do with him/her, not yet. I think the heart knows love when it sees one. The heart knows that we know not. It can travel a great distant in a heartbeat. The heart wants and knows what is good for the person. So again, follow the heart. It's more than just a lump of meat. It's sensitive, it feels what we/others cannot yet feel. 

We traverse this path called life trying to balance between the judgments of the heart and the mind. And yes "the road is long, there bounds to be some bums along the way. So, the important thing is not to lose sight of the final destination."

If anyone were to ask me that tough question again "Are we supposed to seek out for love or is it fated that we will find our partner?" I'll borrow these words: "a heart will always find its way to the person seeking it." At the outset, we may not know, but as paradoxical or tautological as it may sound, we have to let the heart itself speaks because it knows, so we must pay attention to it. "What the heart feels, the mind can never understand. The heart has its own reasons that we can never comprehend."

"Desire, pure desire, ultimately comes from the heart. Lust comes from somewhere else. Desire comes together with love which of course comes from the heart. If love is missing in a relationship, then any sexual encounter is merely lust which comes from [lower] nafs which is no different than the behavior of animals. Animals don't fall in love. They only act out of their lusts. Humans have a heart but sadly many don't use it and ignore it. But there is more to love, desire and the heart. As Muslims there must be akad nikah (marriage solemnization) before intercourse. That differentiates us from the others." [More importantly, from the animals!]

Hmmm.... the heart matters, it does. And we must listen more to it, if we haven't.

On a different note, I leave you with this wise saying I saw on someone's FB wall. It's in Malay but let me translate it here: "If someone has changed for the better, do not dig out his/her past. We don't know how difficult it must be for him/her to forget the past. And do not argue about a person's past because we all have our own past, be it good or bad."  

Allahu a'lam. May Allah guide our hearts and keep us with the righteous. May He grant pardon to our sins. May He convert our past misdeeds into something worthy. May He make us a better person today than the yesteryears. May He grant us all a good ending. Ameen.

[Note: Many people can talk, but not many can walk the talk.]

Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin Al-Hamid in the UK, 2 - 9 June 2013

Bismillah.

MashaAllah, this is going to be very exciting! I am excited for our friends in the UK. Please mark your calendar folks! 

Please refer to this link below for latest info:

http://www.darulmurtadza.com/2013/05/jelajah-cinta-rasul-united-kingdom-2013.html

Datuk Dr. Afifi Al-Akiti at Masjid Muadz bin Jabal Malaysia

Bismillah.

Shaykh Datuk Dr. Afifi Al-Akiti was at Masjid Muadz bin Jabal on 26 April 2013. He was commenting on a newspaper article where someone had ruled bidaah this du'a attributed to the ulama' of the past. 

Dr. Afifi said just because some people mispronounced certain words, we shouldn't be too quick to declare it bidaah. So understand the real meaning behind this du'a which is considered a key of all khatamul du'a.

Ya amaanal kho ifin 

aminna mimma nakhof

Ya amaanal kho ifin 

salimna mimma nakhof

Ya amaanal kho ifin 

najjina mimma nakhof

O the One who grants peace to those in fear,

grant us peace (in this world) from all that we fear;

O the One who grants peace to those in fear,

grant us safety (in the hereafter) from all that we fear;

O the One who grants peace to those in fear,

deliver us from all that we fear.

Dr. Afifi said, if you were to read and understand this du'a carefully, it actually corresponds to the oft-repeated du'a: Rabbana aatina fid dunya hasanah, wa fil akhirati hasanah, wa ghina 'azab-annar.

He also said, it's good to recite this du'a if you are nervous about speaking in public or anything that you may be fearful of.

Allahu a'lam.

Credit: Darul Murtadza.com

Glory be to the only One who exists

Bismillah.

Day in, day out, as we embrace the coming and going of our days, we tend to take for granted the reality of our existence and the One who truly exists.

Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam Al-Maliki in one of his Al-Hikam lecture series at Ba'alawi KL said, "It's not that difficult to know Allah. Is it?"

There are two types of existence:

• mawjud hakiki
• mawjud majazi

Mawjud hakiki means there is no end to that existence, and that it truly exists. And that is the essence of Allah. Mawjud majazi means its existence is borrowed. In reality it does not exist. That's us, you and me. Consider this. We were not in existence. Then we came into being. And then we will go back to being non-existent.

There are three levels of zikr:

• ma'bud
• ma'sud
• mawjud

The zikir for ma'bud is la ilaha illAllah. There is no God but Allah. The zikir for ma'sud is Ilahi anta maqsudi wa redhaka matlubi. Meaning: the Lord is my aim and His mercy is my goal. The zikir for mawjud is la mawjud illAllah. Nothing exists save Allah.

"People have the tendency to misunderstand and complicate the wahdatul wujud teachings attributed to Shaykh Ibn Al-Arabi," said Shaykh Fahmi. But in actual fact, it's very simple. All it means is that in reality (hakiki) nothing exists except Allah.  

God says to the Prophet, "It's not you who threw, but I." In reality it is He who performed the action of throwing.

It's not too difficult to know Allah. Because the only existence there is, is Allah, His Essence. He is wujud hakiki. Everything else simply does not exist. Everything else is nil. 

There is a poem of Rabiatul Adawiyah in which she said, everything that is on this earth, belongs to the earth. Your car, your house, people, all belong to the earth. So in other words, in reality, it's not worthwhile so why bother?

The shaykh said: "Know that you are not veiled actually. You are not veiled from knowing (ma'rifat) Him. Nothing veils you from Him. We are very close to Allah. Some people think we are veiled by our nafs. But in actual fact, nothing veils us from Him. It's just your waham (misunderstanding/misconception) that you think you are veiled. If all that exists is He, then what can possibly veil you from Him? He is very close to you. It's very easy to know Him." 

If your iman is strong, you would be able to see akhirat now in this dunya. You must feel and think that akhirat is near. Do not mislead yourself thinking it's far. 

If Allah had not manifested Himself (tajalli) into the universe, it would not have existed. A thing has a value, only if and when Allah gives a value to it. For example, the Prophet, Allah makes him extraordinary, that is why he is extraordinary. Similarly, the holy lands Makkah and Madinah. These places are holy because Allah tajalli His greatness there. People who are seen as honorable is because Allah manifests His good qualities in them. People who are regarded as knowledgeable ('aleem) that's because He manifests His attribute Al-Aleem in them. Likewise, Ar-Razak, Al-Hakim and so on.

It is Allah who makes all things apparent (zahir). Everything good you see, His attribute is inside it and because He is its outer covering as well. Both zahir and batin, are His bounties. It is Allah who makes our batin good. It is Allah who makes our zahir good. Everything is from Him.

Consider all that exists in the skies and on earth. Consider His Power and Greatness. Do not think what makes up the skies or the earth, but think of the greatness of His creations. May Allah make you understand. Do not stop at what is created by Him or your thinking will just stop there at what is created. But think and consider Him. Do not look at the cup, but consider what is in the cup. This reflection and understanding will bring you to understanding tawhid of Allah. Al-akwaan (the created things/objects/the universe) have value because Allah gives value to them, or they shall not have any value at all.

So ask for greatness from Allah. Ask for value from Allah. Become ahlullah. Become the beloved of Allah. Become an agent of Allah's goodness to mankind. Become a receptacle, a channel of Allah's greatness.

___________________

Allahu a'lam. I seek refuge in Allah for any mistakes or misunderstanding that people might have from this notes. This is very deep. It's best that you refer to a guide/murshid if you require any clarifications.

The majlis ta'lim was hosted by:

JUMAAH MUBARRAK!

Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam Al-Maliki on praise and evidence of justice

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah we’re grateful to be in the presence of Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam Al-Maliki tonight. We must not take for granted ever the presence of habaib and shuyukh in our community. They are a gift, a borrowed gift from Allah.

Shaykh Fahmi elucidated a couple of aphorisms from Al-Hikam pertaining to praise. As stated in one aphorism, the shaykh asked: why do people praise us? It’s because people only see our zahir, what’s apparent and assume we are good. But really you should look at yourself with a critical view because only you know the reality of your heart, only you know your true state. Only you know your naughtiness and your nafs amarah. You know the carelessness in your heart. Abdullah bin Mas’ud was one sahabi who was worthy of praise, yet out of tawadhuk, he had this to say: “If people knew what I do at home, none would want to offer me praise.”

We don’t know the reality of our own nafs. Even a murshid guide sometimes missed out on certain aspects of your states, if Allah wished to hide it from him. The prophet too is not able to judge a person’s true state except for the facts which he sees presented to him.

There’s a story about a waliyullah (a saint) in Yemen who owned a good number of cows. When many of his cows went missing, the waliyullah lodged a report with the qadi (judge). The judge asked if he had any witness because the rule of law was such that the plaintiff should produce a witness and the accused must swear innocence under oath. But the waliyullah had no witness to prove that the stolen cows belonged to him while the thieves denied his charges. This made the waliyullah upset and to counter the situation he said he would ask his cows to speak up in his defense. The cows did defend their rightful owner but the judge said he could not accept cows as witness. The waliyullah got more upset with the judge and his wrath had caused the judge to get stuck in his chair! The judge then made a tawassul (du'a). He pleaded to Allah to release him because he was simply following the shari'at of Rasulullah in making his judgment. The judge eventually released himself from the chair and let the thieves keep the cows. But the thieves were frightened to see how powerful the waliyullah was and decided to tell the truth that they had in fact stolen the cows from the waliyullah. The moral of the story is that we can only judge based on physical evidence.

It was related that Usamah bin Zaid had pursued and killed an enemy despite him professing the syahadah. Usamah decided to kill him anyway because he doubted the person's sincerity. When the Prophet (pbuh) questioned the call he made, Usamah defended himself. He assumed the enemy had said the syahadah out of desperation because he had no way to escape when Usamah chased after him to the edge of two mountains. The Prophet (pbuh), furious, asked Usamah: 'Did you cut open his heart to see if indeed he was not sincere?!'

Coming back to the topic on praise, Shaykh Fahmi said we should not be deceived by people praising us. We should remind ourselves: 'O nafs amarah, you are still distant from Allah!' 

You can praise people if you can be sure the person will not be negatively affected by your words of praise. Your praise might be haram if your words become fitnah to him causing him to feel riya/ujub (proud). All his amal would then become nullified and that would be unfortunate. 

When people praise us, we should feel ashamed before the Lord because He knows us best and that we don't actually have the good traits which people praise us for. Those who truly seek Allah's redha would be indifferent towards praise and blame.

Imam Shafi'e said: "It's impossible to please everyone, so improve your relationship with Allah instead, and then leave it to people should they want to praise or blame you."

Be certain that we are actually not as good as people might perceive, we are not khusyuk in our prayers, we have plenty of misdeeds etc. Don't change that certainty you have about yourself (your true state). 

People praise us due to what they perceive our outer state to be (zahir). It is Allah who makes them utter the words of praise. What people are actually praising is the good traits which Allah has honored us with. So it is He who is worthy of praise!

There are four types of praise:

qadim for qadim - Allah praising Himself

qadim for hadis - Allah praising man i.e the Prophet pbuh

hadis for hadis - people praising people e.g. we praising our guru/awliya

hadis for qadim - we praising Allah

The most important point, said Shaykh Fahmi was, all praise goes back to Allah, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil alamin. Therefore, there is no need for us to feel ujub/riya' because it's not ours to begin with, it all belongs to Allah. We should not forget our beginnings, we were nothing, we weren't born clever or rich. We didn't even know how to smile or laugh, all we knew was to cry. We didn't know alif, the number one etc., we knew nothing. Everything that we have now is given by Allah. So whenever people praise you, remember it is all from Allah, so praise Him.

There is a munajat in Al Hikam we should all practise: it is good to recite during subuh, to ask Allah to make us a place of manifestation (tajalli) for His good traits (ehsan) and to give us the most perfect of appearance. 

There is a difference between those who are zuhud and the areefbillah. People who are zuhud would feel disturbed when being praised because they see it coming from people (makhluk). The areefbillah however see it coming from Allah, so they don't have a problem about being praised. They would worry if people blamed them because they see it from Allah. The areefbillah are those who truly attain ma'rifah (gnosis). Their knowing of Allah, results in actions. They wish for nothing except Allah. Those who know Allah, would love Allah. They glorify Him. The ulama, awliya are areefbillah. But there are also awliya who are  hidden (mastur). Outwardly they appear to be ordinary but inwardly, their hearts are areef about Allah. As mentioned in the third chapter of Sayirrus Salikin, areefbillah have different roles. Some of them are occupied only in worshipping, some get involved in public affairs, some are teachers. All have different functions for the benefit of the ummah. They are obedient and they leave the munkar. Their iman is solid and worthy of praise.

A majlis hosted by:

  

Habib Ali Shaykh Abu Bakar of Tarim at Masjid Muadz bin Jabal Malaysia

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, we're indeed blessed to have a special guest from Tarim at the monthly mawlid celebration organized by Darul Murtadza on 3rd May 2013. Masjid Muadz bin Jabal is fast becoming an incredibly significant place of convening for prominent shuyukh and habaib around the world.

Habib Ali Shaykh Abu Bakar of Tarim used to serve as the principal of Darul Mustafa. Being one who's closely associated with Habib Umar bin Hafiz you could see the latter's influence in the manner Habib Ali speaks - concise and sharp, mashaAllah.

He said, as interpreted by Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin Al-Hamid:

Praise be to Allah and salutations be upon the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam. May Allah accept our gathering and bring us many benefits. When Allah wishes to grant us benefits, He will elevate our rank in akhirah. And when Allah elevates our rank, no one could bring us down.

No one occupies a high position unless he/she occupies a supreme position in akhirah. You are not successful unless you make it to the Heavens. Allah says in the Qur'an, we shall all experience death. When we die, we shall be successful when we receive rewards in akhirah. Success is when Allah saves us. May with the barakah from this majlis Allah will not deny us from entering the heavens because this is a majlis where people acquire knowledge of the religion. Whomever Allah wishes him good, Allah makes him understand the religion.

Anyone who walks on this earth, walks only on two paths, either a heavenly path or the opposite of that. With your breath, you either bring yourself closer to the heavens or otherwise. With your speech, you either bring yourself closer to the heavens or otherwise. With your actions, you either bring yourself closer to the heavens or otherwise. With your intention, you either bring yourself closer to the heavens or otherwise. Each one os us can only tread on one path, whether you want it or you don't. Those who are smart would opt for a path to goodness - the path trodden by the Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam - he who is caring and loving. May Allah make us belong with those whom the Prophet loves. May we get closer to the Prophet. May Allah gather us with the Prophet in akhirah. The Prophet touches our hearts so that we would be close to him in akhirah. So that we would think how to get close to him, to find ways to get close to him - he upon whom we pin our hopes, the one we depend on; one whom we miss and long for, and we love mentioning his name. We learn from hadith, he who makes the most salawat to him will be closest to him. Who else would be close to the Prophet? He, who has good akhlak.

May Allah grant us the honor of making plenty of salawat. May Allah beautify our akhlak, our children and our family. Those who have excellent akhlak are loved by Allah, the Prophet and everyone around them. In akhirah he will be raised to the station of ahlul ibadah (pious worshippers) and those who fast and pray. Those who have a good akhlak, even if his amal be little, Allah will grant barakah to his amal. Even if his knowledge is minimal, Allah will grant barakah to his knowledge. And even if his ibadah is negligible i.e reading Quran, sadaqah or siyyam Allah would still grant plenty of barakah to him. Because Allah simply loves anyone with good akhlak.

_____________
Allahu a'lam.
May I be forgiven for any errors and omissions.
Pic credit: Darul Murtadza
http://www.darulmurtadza.com/

Rejab 1434 Hijri/2013

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,

It's the time of the year when we pray that one special prayer again:
Allahumma baarik lanaa
fi Rajaba wa Shaaban
wa balighna Ramadhan
war zuqna siyamah
wa qiyamah
wa taqabbal ha minna

What can we say, time flies. This is the fifth Rajab for this blog. Pray this year, we shall embrace these three sacred months better than ever before and that we concern ourselves in becoming more taqarrub (closer) to Allah InshaAllah.

And we pray this du'a attributed to the venerable Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jailani;

"O unique One (Wahid), make us uniquely Yours. Deliver us from creatures and choose us for Yourself. Certify our claims with the proof of Your grace and Your mercy. Gladden our hearts and ease our affairs. Let our companionship be with You and our loneliness with those who are apart from You. Let our concerns be but one concern, namely our concern with You, and grant us nearness to You in this world and the hereafter."

Ameen.

Libra Sun | Voted

Bismillah.

It's Sunday but no ordinary Sunday as it is the 5th of May 2013. Malaysians are busy voting as we speak. I am apolitical. Never keen to talk politics. But still, the first time I cast a vote, I was 22, when many of my friends were more concerned about going out dating rather than voting...heh heh.

It's a happy day. There have been so many happy days since realizing I was "taken". People must always excuse people who are in love, that's every citizen's right!

"No Libra sun

No Halloween

No giving thanks to all the Christmas joy you bring

But what it is, though old so new

To fill your heart like no three words could ever do

I just called to say I love you..."

____________________

And I just voted to say how much I care, I do! 

Last Friday, at the monthly mawlid hosted by Darul Murtadza at Masjid Muadz bin Jabal, Habib Ali Al-Hamid made a special du'a for a safe and smooth election, that Allah would continue to bless this country with peace, prosperity and improved relations amongst Muslims and non-Muslims.

Today I found myself joyfully singing along to that beautiful song 'Terima kasih Malaysia' [Thank you Malaysia]:

Terima kasih ku ucapkan pada Mu 

atas nikmat yang diberi padaku

Terima kasih ku ucapkan pada Mu

kerna aman sentosa selalu

Blue ink proved that I've exercised my rights.
It's the first time we are using ink.

p/s 
I am a Libran, you might have guessed : )
Take a listen 'Terima kasih Malaysia':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1cvFPbpHSU