Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (13)

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah for another opportunity to share something good. 

I am only a postman you know. Credit goes to my teammate for her dedication and commitment.

This bites of wisdom no. 13 is a bit long, but it's worth the time to ponder and reflect.

God bless!

p/s

I have just realized that this is the 100th posting for the year. Alhamdulillah, may the Lord let me type and post another 100 little sharings InshaAllah.

Our job is to just do, and leave it to God to do the accounting of our good and not so good deeds. He is the real 'Accountant' and not mortals.

I think for as long as a person needs to go to the washroom to empty himself/herself, he/she should not even try to play God and act as a 'Reckoner'. But of course there will always be people who needs an 'acting' job because they have got nothing much to do.

Hu... hu...may Allah forgive me.

Now everyone say:

May Allah forgive and bless our dear blogger sister Eza with husnul khatimah.

Ameen.

Thanks! I love you!
:)

Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (12)

Bismillah.

Ahh...soon we'll reach mid-Ramadan inshaAllah. This is Bite No. 12 for you.

I saw on Malaysian TV a humorous motivator talking about one simple but profound fact if we care to reflect on it. He said 'this is the time to give while we are still alive because when death comes, all we can afford is receive'. I have been thinking about writing something about it in Malay, so will our English-speaking readers excuse me.

Ya, apa yang dituturkan pakar motivasi itu sangat dalam maksudnya walaupun pada dasarnya kita semua maklum akan hakikat hidup dan mati. Semasa hidup inilah kita dapat memberi. Apakala mati kita hanya mampu menerima. Segala puji bagi Allah atas nikmat 'ijad' yakni nikmat keberadaan kita di sini. 

Ya beliau juga mengingatkan kita tentang kepentingan bersyukur. Seharusnya bersyukur selagi terasa sebarang nikmat yang ada di hadapan mata dan di sekeliling kita. Kerana belum tentu esok ianya masih di situ dek kurangnya shukur bahkan mungkin juga atas sebab kufur. Yang Maha Memberi itu Allah. Yang Memiliki itu Dia. Kita hanya penerima pinjaman, maka apalah yang hendak dibanggakan tentang 'rumah saya' 'kereta saya' 'kerja saya' 'suami saya' 'isteri saya' 'anak saya' 'cucu saya' 'duit saya' dan bermacam-macam 'saya punya'.

Pelbagai situasi yang kita lalui dari sehari ke sehari. Tentunya semua adalah pelajaran buat kita. Ianya pelajaran buat diri kita masing-masing. Ya masing-masing. Tetapi lumrah manusia, ramai yang menyibuk pula akan af'al Allah terhadap orang lain. 

Alangkah baiknya kita menyibukkan diri untuk memberi sementelah kita tidak tahu pemberian yang mana yang akan di iktiraf Ilahi. Usah peduli jika ia tidak di iktiraf manusia kerana mereka juga bakal ke liang lahad seperti kita. Yang lebih penting banyakkan memberi dan berbuat sesuatu dengan rasa syukur di atas peluang ini, di atas kesempatan sementara ini.

Ya, betapa indahnya rasa shukur. Betapa Maha Pemurah Maha Suci Tuhan. 
Ya, betapa bahagia itu kurniaNya jua. Bahagia yang Dia hadirkan di hati, itu milik peribadi.

Segala puji bagi Allah, Tuhan yang Maha Pengampun lagi Maha Penyayang.
Tuhan yang karib di hati.

Ramadan Mubarrak!
Wassalamualaikum warahmatullah.

Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (11)

Bismillah.

Ahh...plodding on to Day 11. Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.

'You must ensure that your speech is for the sake of Allah,
otherwise, let silence be dearer to you.'
- Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani






p/s
Pat on your back if you have been keeping silent on non-relevant matters.
Pat on your back if you are doing more and talking less.

Alhamdulillah.

Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (10)

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah for this 10th day of Ramadan.
One-third of the blessed month has passed.

Everyone is gearing up for the second phase InshaAllah.

I am hoping to review and publish a video of a tausiyah given by a young shaykh from Singapore tomorrow InshaAllah. He is a murid of the honorable Habib Umar bin Hafiz. And he is good looking :)
So stay tune folks.

Meantime, let's ponder on these words of wisdom.
Wassalamualaikum warahmatullah.

Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (9)

Bismillah.

It's Friiiiday! YaHu!

In this Bites of Wisdom for Day 9, Ghawth Al Azam tells us we should make the first move and then leave the rest to Allah.

'You must be ready to make a start, while the completion of the process depends on Allah. From you, the beginning and from Allah is the conclusion.'

- Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani

You may recall that Shaykh Ibn Ata'illah also said the same thing.

From us the beginning.
So make the move.
Let's start something good.

Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (8)

Bismillah.

AsSalamualaikum,
Hi all,

We have come to Day 8. Let's ponder over these words of wisdom. I hope you appreciate the 'Ramadan Bites' as much as we do.

All the videos on Al Falah TV were edited by one petite young lady in our team but her talent is extraordinary. Only Allah is able to reckon the kind of hasanah she will get from her work. May Allah increase her knowledge and may we love the young and respect the old among us.

p/s God bless my mom with good health and long healthy life. She literally single-handedly cooked a wonderful iftar for us today. Alfu alfu Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. 

When I was at the hospital a few days ago, I found a stranger, a woman crying on my mother's shoulder and was holding my mother's hands like a child. I later learned that she had just been told by our doctor that she needs to get both her breasts removed as she's suffering from Stage 1 cancer. She was sobbing thinking about her predicament and that she does not a have a mother to whom she could turn to at this darkest hour of her life : (

Let's pray Allah will grant her strength, patience, and acceptance of His Divine decree. Ameen.

Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (6)

Bismillah

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.

Folks, I am grateful to be writing this from home after having had a minor surgery performed by a highly capable surgeon who has got one of the coolest names anyone could have - Al Amin. MashaAllah.

This was my second ops with him. I pray Allah will grant him more knowledge and skills. That Allah will manifest His shifa' through Dr. Al Amin's gentle hands and make him and us a sound person. Amin.

'When the human being is sound, there is none so sound as he. When he is pure, there is none so pure as he. When he is near to his Lord, there is none so near as he.'

- Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani

Let's digest this nugget of wisdom from the venerated Shaykh. May Allah forgive us for our lack of adab and for our incompetence in sharing something so pure and precious from such a spiritual elite.    

May you have a good iftar and good health to go through teraweh prayers. Kindly remember this faqir in your du'a. Thank you.

Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (5)

Bismillah

Alhanmdulillah wa shukrulillah for another bountiful day in Ramadan. May each day be a day of purification and advancement towards Him in the way that is pleasing to Him and accepted by Him. 

A prayer said by Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani in Ramadan 545 H:

'O Allah, delight our hearts, clothe our innermost beings with robes of honor and set our minds on what is between us and You beyond the understanding of creatures and our own understanding.'

Ameen.

Ramadan Kareem!

Sunset in KL on Day 3 of Ramadan 1436 Hijri
Rabbana ma kholakta haza batila
subhanaka faqina aza bannar

Seventy / Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (4)

Bismillah

'Darling I will be loving you 'til we are 70...' 

That is one sweet line from a popular song.

But this Ramadan the Lord says: For a good deed we do, He will multiply by 70. That extra offer is from an oft-repeated hadith every time the holy month arrives.

So, let's do plenty of good deeds before the time comes when our legs don't work like they used to before.

And surely, the Lord will be loving us 'til we are 70. The Lord will be with us 'til we are 70. The person who sings us that song - darling I will be loving you 'til you are 70 - might not be around. Yet, Ramadan turns up every year and the ever-generous Lord gives that 'times 70'. 

'Honey now take me into your loving arms...' sings a mortal lover some more.

Oh well, the Lord, in this special month takes us into His loving arms! This month and all other months till eternity.

So here goes Ramadan Bites of Wisdom for Day 4 of Ramadan. Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani tells us to leave the shell and aim for the kernel. And that we must give attention to He who loves us for our sake and not he who loves us for his sake.

 Ramadan Kareem!

p/s
I sure hope we can truly get near Him before we are 70.
Allahu a'lam.

Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (3)

Bismillah

Alhamdulillah for third day of Ramadan.

A thoughtful friend bought me a coffee table book showcasing lovely photos of Ramadan scenes around the world. Ramadan is not just a spiritual celebration, it is also a visual celebration, no doubt, with colorful food, people's outfits when they congregate for iftar and Terawih prayers. Scenes of people reciting the Holy Quran; people doing iktikaf at beautiful masjid; people counting tasbih of different colors and designs, all of which are a feast for the eyes.

The Holy Month of Ramadan
- A Visual Celebration
A publication by the Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia

p/s

Today, we are happy about Father's Day celebration at our dwelling place because tenants are given complimentary Frappuccino, YaHuuuu!

Allah Kareem.

Ramadan Kareem!

Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (2)

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah for second day of Ramadan.

Thank God for the evergreen words of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jilani. It was in 2009 when I first thought of sharing the Shaykh's wise words from his Ramadan tausiyah [quoted from 'The Sublime Revelation'.] 

And now let's revisit and represent it in another format.

Actually we were just thinking of having some kind of Ramadan greetings and using some video templates we had just purchased instead of keeping it idle on the bookshelf. So this niyyat has materialized into under 2-minutes video which hopefully could soothe the heart and make us ponder on the priceless wisdom of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani. If he was a contemporary celebrity author, we sure owe him a lot of royalty. May Allah sanctify his secrets and make us benefit from the select few People of Allah.

Ramadan Kareem!

***

Credit: Brother Ruslan Moore of Al Baz Publishing
Let's recite Al Fatihah for the late Muhtar Holland (d 2010) who translated the book from Arabic [Al Fath Ar Rabbani] to the English version - The Sublime Revelation.

http://www.al-baz.com/ourbooks.shtml

Ramadan Bites of Wisdom (1)

Bismilah





Ramadan Kareem!

May Allah continue to be generous upon us with bounties both zahir and batin.

Ramadan Kareem 1436 Hijri/2015

Bismillah.

It strikes me, as I was walking alone to the mosque. There are times when we are a 'party of five' or 'a party of three' and be merry, there are times when we have to walk alone. We all know that we are all going to walk alone in the final journey and the party of five or the party of three shall dismiss eventually. 

But then I realize, hey we are not walking alone after all. We are all walking with amal - our best buddy. This buddy will accompany us when all others will flee.

This blessed month of Ramadan, even when we are among people, remember that invisible travel mate, let's try to always walk with amal. Of course we are talking about good amal, our good buddy.

May Allah grant us the tawfiq to seize the bounties of Ramadan.

_____

Oh let us all pause and make a special prayer to all doctors out there. When they were young, these people had spent a lot more time studying as compared to the majority of us. They have had to sacrifice plenty of leisure time so that they could one day be the one we all depend on at the time of medical crisis. My small brain cannot imagine the kind of training doctors had gone through that they are able to make two dislocated and twisted bones go back to their original positions. May Allah bless Dr. R immensely for fixing my mother's bones on her right hand - the hand that bathed me when I was small, the hand that fed me, the hand that cooks for decades not just for me and the family but for my friends too, [some of you know how good her cooking is!], in fact she was getting ready to cook for our guests when the mishap occurred. God bless the hands that unite hearts, the hands that have made so many people happy, the tireless hands of a mother. May Allah give us the tawfiq to honor our mothers, not for as long as they live, but for as long as we live.

Ramadan Kareem!

God bless my mother whose hands
have made countless flower arrangements for our home;
the hands that flavor everything with love!

Gotta see more ~ Gotta keep moving

Bismillah.

In order to see more, we gotta move that butt, it's as simple as that. And they say

Another man we saw cycling joyfully in Melaka, Malaysia
Pic credit: H.E

We gotta move faster and do more while we are young and healthy, before we reach the 'sunset' phase. Below sunset was captured by yours truly in Melaka, Malaysia. Look who's having a conference.

Conference of the birds

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah for good health, for having the abilities to move about and see His creations.

I was inspired to see so many young talents today. Met a brother who had just graduated from a uni in Japan. He studied electronics engineering but he's more passionate about being an entrepreneur. During his student days in Japan, it was hard to get halal burger, so he decided to make his own burger patties and sell 'Burger Malaysia' to fellow Malaysian students. Now that he is back here, his passion for home-made burger is still burning. He re-branded 'Burger Malaysia' to 'Tokyo Burger'. How clever? For the time being he only sells at events/roadshows or special catering. I asked if he'd ever work as an engineer. He was quick to reply: No!

Gotta be brave and be yourself.
FB: TheTokyoBurger

I've never been so proud of the local brands until today. The country has got some really great talents indeed! Now I know why one of my nephews is crazy about 'Tempatan [Local] Fest'.

E endorses Qurratu.
Quality and price as good as H&M methinks

Scarf, shirt and tote bag
all made in Malaysia by young Malaysians!
The totebag is designed by Bloothersfamily
- four uni students who dived into tote biz only two months ago.

Love and support local y'all!
And praise the Lord for another good day.

To discover and be discovered

Bismillah.

YaHuuuu, today I just couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.

That's because... I discovered on Dr Jasser Auda's FB [hidden amidst many big news and great stories about his scholarly activities] a link to my blog post, an old one, but relevant of course.

http://lisanaldin.blogspot.com/2014/09/on-neediness-and-freedom.html

If only I had discovered this in September last year! Ma sha Allah! My happy hormones would have stayed on high for a long long time. LOL.

Oh I am also super happy that he is happy with the video produced by Al Falah TV, the one featuring him.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.  

It is all Allah's wisdom and generosity.

"In His Hand is all good." 
(Quran 3:26)

Sing: I feel good....la la la la....

Good nite y'all.

My world of words

Bismillah.

All of a sudden I have a strange strong urge to write. I'll be frank as always, I have just had a good laugh watching 'Delicious Men'. LOL. Now calm down, it's a Korean TV program about four good looking and witty celebrities trying to set up a cafe. Oh well that's where the 'delicious' bit comes in.

I am writing this post from a phone cos the craving to write is extra ordinary and my nephews are playing snooker overtime so they cannot yet fetch my Surface from my Soho.

I missed writing, I missed my world of words here. I felt like the last lot of posts were lacking of something. I didn't dive deep enough in my world of words. It's a dark deep ocean where I can shout anything and presumably no one will hear. It's like dancing like no one is looking. Writing is so private and intimate. It lets you explore the depth of your soul that spoken words pale in comparison. Written words are sexier than spoken words because it can take you to places that spoken words can't.

I love my world of words because it is like a dark room that will not discriminate anyone who enters. It is a free universe that welcomes all, bitter words, hyped up emotions, lifeless laments, fierce smashing, anything.

Words drive me. Words are my world.

No wonder the Creator asks us to read.
Do you read a spoken word? Nah!
Ought to thank the Lord for the "written" world.
It gives meaning to the white empty space.

PRAISE THE LORD.

___________________

10 June 2015

My Surface finally arrived at 00:57. I was already sleeping. But it's worth waking up to. And then I noticed a couple of sweet messages from one learned blog reader. This picture postcard is from her. How lovely to know that another soul appreciates 'my world of words' too.

Thanks Dr P.

Book Insights with: Dr Jasser Auda - 'A Journey to God' (Part 1)

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.

It is Allah's wisdom and generosity that I discovered Dr Jasser Auda's book in September 2014 and was given the opportunity to meet him in May 2015 to ask him about the Hikam aphorisms discussed in his book: 'A Journey to God - Reflections on the Hikam of Ibn Ata'illah'.

You have no idea how delighted I was to see him : D

You have no idea how overjoyed I was to be able to upload this video successfully after the fourth attempt. I must thank my young nephews for going an extra mile to get it up despite some tech glitches. We at Al Falah TV are all amateurs with a big heart inshaAllah.

For Allah's wisdom and generosity, we say once again Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah.

Publisher credit: Awakening Publications UK

http://www.jasserauda.net/en/


http://lisanaldin.blogspot.com/2015/05/book-insights-with-dr-jasser-auda.html

Memories of a passing friend

Bismillah.

Innalillah wa inna ilai hira ji'un.

A friend I cherish passed away last Thursday. She was in her early 50s when she died.

She was a friend I treasured and would always remember because at one point in life, our paths crossed as we both were looking for a guide. 

I shall forever be indebted to her for having brought me to a majlis where I got to see for the first and last time, the face of the venerated Meccan scholar Shaykh Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki (1944-2004). 

She was a medical doctor. She had a twin sister who's also a medical doctor. They're the youngest child in a large family of good reputation. Their mother was an exceptional woman who was once crowned Ibu Mithali [Exemplary Mother].

She related to me how strict and highly disciplined her mother was. She had many siblings so her mother would customarily count and fairly divide the number of Rambutan or Langsat (local fruits) each one could eat. She could afford a good car but out of admiration for her mother, she had been driving an old car because she said, 'My mother was one person who would use a thing until it's completely unusable. This is just one small lesson I picked up from her.' 

Unlike mine, the notes she took from the majlis ta'alim we both attended were always neat and beautifully written. She was a detail oriented person. She was the only friend I knew who studied at the Cambridge University.

This morning, I had mixed feelings going out on the balcony because right there - at the lush green spot full of trees - along the highway, is where she's buried last Thursday.

I am holding back my tears as I type this.

I cannot think of any other way to honor her, other than to humbly ask you to pause and recite Al Fatihah for her:

Allahyarham Dr Azidah Hashim

Snap back ~ Snapback

Bismillah.

Yo! This posting is a small shout-out to my nephews and nieces. They have been very helpful, so involved in Al Falah TV and Exa Publishing assignments at home and abroad.

Vietnam and Singapore were a success Alhamdulillah. So, guys, let's pray hard and work smart so that we can do Morocco and Cape Town next, bi-iznillah. Ameen!

The more doubts and negativity some people throw at us, the quicker we gotta snap back with a lot more meaningful work.

Because you guys love the snapback so much, this pose is for you : D

Snap back for good!
[Quiksilver@Sing-a-pore]

Peace!

Beautiful Monday Morning

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah to be able to chill on a Monday morning. It's not often we get to chill on Mondays eh?

This evening is special as it is Nisfu Shaaban night. If you are in Singapore, be sure to attend a special gathering at Masjid Ba'alwie tonight. But no matter where you are this evening, please remember this faqir.

Yesterday, we were fortunate to have attended [albeit for a couple of hours] the 2-day dawra on Kitab Bidayatul Hidayah led by Shaykh Fahmi Zamzam Al Maliki. The event was organized by Nur Insan headed by Brother Farish.

Our kind friends were indeed generous as they had allowed us to speak briefly with Shaykh Fahmi, Alhamdulillah. Shaykh Fahmi reminded us on the value of time. It is important to not waste time because one minute is more valuable than the most expensive gemstone in this whole wide world. In one minute, one should be able to say about 20 subhanallah. The value of one subhanallah could fill up the mizan. At the mahsyar, children would flee from their mother for fear that the mother would beg for the reward of one subhanallah he/she had recited in dunya. Everyone would be in need of any little good deeds, even it be one subhanallah - said our dearest fatherly Shaykh Fahmi.

That much I could share with you this Monday morning. May Allah grant us the tawfiq to not waste time and to use time effectively.

Praise be to God for another beautiful day

in Singapore.

May the Lord bless all the early risers and hard working people
 who start their days early so that we are able to have a good breakfast.

Pratha bread and murtabak at Victory 

on North Bridge Road, Singapore

May Allah let us all swing to success.
And always be grateful for His bounties. Ameen