Kudos to The White Helmets

Bismillah.

In case you have yet to watch the heart-breaking documentary produced by one lovely British woman Joanna Natasegara (the beautiful lady in blue - see video below).

It's touching to see how emotionally affected she was during her Oscars appearance. It's encouraging to see her and her co-presenter Orlando (the docu director) speak like that about our Muslim brothers and sisters in Syria.

It's a must-watch documentary - The White Helmets, winner of the 'Best Short Documentary' at the 2017 Oscars. The docu lets you get a closer look at the sufferings in Syria and the selfless civilian volunteers known as the White Helmets, headed by Raed Saleh.

May Allah deliver His protection to the people of Syria. It's been six years now. February might have been fabulous to many of us, but let's not forget the less fortunate among us.

#Oscars: "Our organisation is guided by a verse from the Quran: 'To save one life is to save all of humanity'"

- Head of The White Helmets pic.twitter.com/Tg1OhfOtzT

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 27, 2017

The White Helmets documentary is available on Netflix.

Support the White Helmets, a Syrian organization comprised of civilian volunteers who offer assistance to conflict victims in Syria.

https://www.whitehelmets.org/en

Skip | Be a rebel

Bismillah.

Err...am not quite ready to rebel against my own plan to post something on a daily basis for 2017, bi-iznillah.

Was so close to missing one posting for Feb. But my determination is still going strong. Though I wish my will to sweat it out is as strong LOL.

Wish I could hire a personal fitness trainer just as I have hired a tajweed teacher. But the fact is you can't hire people to do sit-ups for you. It's a personal challenge. Likewise, you can't hire a charming man/woman to make you so happy that your heart skips a beat LOL. We can't and we should never keep the key to our happiness in somebody else's pocket.

Eza, you gotta jump for yourself!

Wish y'all a healthy week : )

-E-

Keeping up with technology | It's always worth a try

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum folks.

I have always considered myself ol' school until I embraced the newly launched Whatsapp enhanced "Status" feature where you could share more photos and video of your daily "status" or activities. It's always worth a try. Here it is.

LOL.

Hope you have had a wonderful Sunday, as I did. Alhamdulillahi hamdan yuwafi ni'amahu wayukafi umazidah.

***
You all know Mulla Nasrudin jokes, am pretty sure of that. Here's one for the weekend.

"As usual Mulla Nasrudin showed up for supper with dirty hands and a dirty face. "Go wash up," his wife screamed at him. "Night after night I tell you. And night after night you always come to the table without washing. Why don't you ever do it without my shouting at you?"

"Well" said Mulla, "It's always worth a try, who knows, you might forget once."

: D

It's always worth a try!

Mirror of the mind and eyes

Bismillah.

No amount of filter can hide what's reflected in our minds and eyes.

Face the world in the face, you know what I mean? Face it all without fear, face it all with an open mind and truthful heart, knowing "In His hand is all good" (Quran 3:26).

On a lighter note...

Face the world with a grateful face : )
#lapizplus #lapizmalaysia #lapizsensible

p/s

Feeling hyped-up cos I've rewarded myself with two new sunglasses LOL. Oh well, it's a buy one get one free. LOL. You gotta reward yourself at least once every month you know.

To the young readers out there who are still studying and struggling as a student/fresh executives, believe me, your day will come. Just focus on your studies/work now. Be patient, hang in there, sow the seeds, in no time you will reap the fruits. Just keep your faith up. Allah is indeed Kareem.

Happy Saturday!

The face is the mirror of the mind and eyes

Way of being | Magnanimous

Bismillah.

One significant lesson I learned today from Shaykh Allie Khalfe (again), that it's not exactly a "way of life", it's a "way of being".

A way of life is just limited to the zahiri, the external. As Muslims, we should understand that Islam is a way of being as it encapsulates both the zahir the exterior and the batin, the interior. It's both body and soul. The soul is going to live on forever in eternity in the next life. Therefore, it's a sense of being.

It makes sense, don't you think? It's more than just having a good 'way of life'. It's about who we are, the sense of being while we are here in this physical realm, having with us both zahir and batin characteristics, knowing pretty well that the batin will continue to the eternal realm. It makes life more meaningful when we are more cognizant and appreciative of this sense of being. This, in my humble opinion, leads to magnanimity as a result of our soul being larger than life.

I have a feeling, thisssss... is going to be a happy...happy...weekend and I wish you the same.

Be happy. Don't just live happy, BE happy, you get what I mean?

Be magnanimous. But then again a magnanimous person should always be happy.

The best thing about the future

Bismillah.

I saw this tweet by 'Women of history' about the best thing about the future, that it comes one day at a time.

Edited it a bit, to my own understanding about the future and the present - today. It's a note to myself, as always. Hope you'll like my poster below.

Here's to today.
Happy Thursday : )

As ever,
-E-

Ba | Be | Bismillah | By all means, subscribe

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah anyhow, that, only at this age of mine, have I heard the meaning of ba in Bismillah.

Thanks to technology that I am able to have access to the tafseer lessons given by Shaykh Allie Khalfe of the Islamic Text Institute Cape Town. But it's not just technology, his lessons delivered through Soundcloud are bite-size, concise yet deep. I felt really stupid cos it seemed all the things I heard him elucidate were all new to me, like hello, where have I been?

I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to learn tafseer of the Quran. I know there are many tafseer lessons on offer out there, but I guess you are meant to learn from whomever you are meant to learn, like this saying quoted by Shaykh Allie in the second lesson of Tafseer of Surah Fatihah:

So I learned, that the lam in Alhamdulillah - in the lillah has got nine meanings! MashaAllah.

Unsubscribe from ignorance. Subscribe to the lessons. Subscribe to love for useful knowledge. Make full use of your time. Listen on the go, anywhere, anytime.

Below is a sample lesson on 'Shades of Love'.

"The word Shari'a (Revealed Law) is derived from the root shara'a and lexically means 'water'. The Shari'a, in addition to being the Revealed Law, is the path to the water of Divine Life, a path that flows, is flexible and far from extremism and rigidity."

- Shaykh Muhammad Allie Khalfe

Shaykh Allie Khalfe's lectures on Soundcloud | Basmalah and 'Shades of love'

Bismillah.

Subhanallah, this is by far the coolest initiative I've come across in 2017. February is looking fabulous!

We say mabruk to Shaykh Allie on this wonderful initiative of his and the Islamic Text Institute based in Cape Town, South Africa. 

Click below, to listen to sample lectures on:

• Bismillah (as part of a full lecture on tafseer of  Surah Fatihah), and
• Thirteen shades of love.

According to Shaykh Allie [in the sample lecture for Basmalah] there are two attributes of Allah in Bismilahirahmanirahim that is Rahman (mercy) and Rahim (grace/compassion), both of which belongs to the first type of three types of Allah's attributes i.e. Jamal (beauty).

The other two types of Allah's attributes are Jalal (majesty) and Kamal (perfection).

Azim (greatness), Mutakabbir (grandeur) and Qahar (conqueror) belong to the Jalal (majesty) category whereas Sami' and Basir belongs to Kamal (perfection) the third category of Allah's attributes. 

***

I have just subscribed to Shaykh Allie's Soundcloud. Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. To subscribe, simply send an email to islamictext at gmail dot com. For a small monthly fee of USD15, you will receive up to 10 audio lessons a month.

MashaAllah that's a very small fee compared to the value of the knowledge one could get. Let's just pray so that Allah will continue to bestow His tawfiq to Shaykh Allie and all the genuine shuyukh out there who strive to propagate a better understanding and appreciation of the deen. Ameen.

Subscribe for yourself and people you care/love, spread the knowledge.

"Richness does not come from an abundance of wealth, true richness is the richness of the heart."

- Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam

And spread the love. 

But..."Let not your love become an attachment, nor your hate become a destruction." 

- Sayyidina Umar Ibn Al Khattab.

p/s
Can't wait to inform my Quran tajweed teacher that I've subscribed for him : D
Wama tawfiqi illa billah.

The gift of leisure | Al Basith | Expanded

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah was shukrulillah, feeling ecstatic that it's Monday and here I am writing from home-sweet-Penang home. Monday has lost its fangs it seems LOL.

Just another rambling as I am still recuperating from the intense Mawlid session at Masjid Kapitan Keling in George Town Penang held yesterday Sunday the 19th of Feb.

Am still hanging around this island in the sun to oversee my waterfall pond project which is not progressing to my expectation...arghhh! Anyhow, it feels good to be around our families and make ourselves useful for them, is it not?

Al Basith is He who makes our day easy and smooth. This Name as we are all aware appears in the oft-quoted Surah As Sharh.

"Did we not expand your breasts for you

and relieve you of your burden

that which weighed down your back?

Did we not exalt your name?

For truly with hardship comes ease

Truly with hardship comes ease

So when you are finished, toil

and seek your Lord."

(Quran:94)

***

So when we are finished, toil. What does that really mean? It wasn't clear to me.

This is what it means according to Tafsir al-Jalalyn:
"So when you are finished from performing prayer, toil exert yourself in supplication to God."

Tafsir al-Tustari:
"So when you are finished, toil [when you have completed] the prescribed prayer (salat) and you are seated, toil towards your Lord and return to Him as you were before [the existence] of the natural self, before the appearance of the creation, alone with the One alone, a secret with a secret.' Hence, God granted him (Muhammad s.a.w) the likeness of his primordial rank in the world, just as the Prophet s.a.w said, 'Truly, I possess a moment (waqt) with God, during which I cannot attend to other than Him.' This is the inner meaning of the verse.

***

This feeling of expansion (basthu) in the chest, of burden-less state, is common each time post-Mawlid, thanks to the du'a made by the honorable shuyukh namely Habib Hassan al-Attas from Singapore and Habib Ali Zainal Abidin Al Hamid. Indeed, being in the presence of enlightened souls always bring peace and joy.

Will post my notes of the Mawlid as soon as I can InshaAllah.

***

Be grateful for the gift of leisure time because we are not promised tomorrow.

Just because.
Because we are not promised tomorrow : )

Mawlid Akbar at Masjid Kapitan Keling Penang - 19 February 2017

Bismillah.

WIP posting.
Will share my notes later InShaAllah.

Habib Hassan Al Attas and Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin
were among the guest of honor

Procession of ulama from Buckingham Lane to the mosque entrance.
Jemaah from the Al Jenderami Foundation played a significant role in the event.
They came in one coach from Selangor.
It's easy to recognise them as they are all dressed in white, including their ladies.
Jemaah from Melaka came in two buses.

Habib Abdullah Al Habsyi and Shaykh Razak Al Masri
are among the guest of honors

Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin Al Hamid
expounded on three reasons for the gathering

Habib Hassan Al Attas from Masjid Ba'alwi Singapore
gave the keynote speech.
He mentioned a bit on the history of Habib Nuh's father (Habib Muhammad Al Habshi)
who played a crucial role in Penang.
His maqam is located at Kelawei Road, Penang.
Habib Nuh's maqam is located on Palmer Road Singapore.

Plan B | Tiramisu (Cheer me up) | Defending Google

Bismillah.

When in Penang, Plan B is always a better choice.

Yes, Alhamdulillah I am in Penang yet again. Praise be to the Lord for keeping me safe in my journeys to and fro for the past oh so many weekends.

I am talking about Plan B the eatery. 

But if your sidekick/best friend/soulmate's name starts with a B or if you call him/her B for baby or bae : D then Plan B is always a better choice when you are presented with Plan A and all the remaining 26 alphabets. LOL.

Yes, Plan B the eatery in Penang has got one of the best Ceasar Salads and Laksa Johor (Malaysian spicy fishy spaghetti). Ah...what a contrast Ceasar Salads and Laksa Johor you say, but yes, you can expect the unexpected at Plan B. That's why they say we must have Plan B in case the unexpected takes place. They even have Teh Tarik Tiramisu! If you know Malaysia, then you know Teh Tarik is our middle name. It's just milk tea the Malaysian way. Ah...yes they have Teh Tarik Tiramisu! That's like an Italian guy wearing kain pelikat really. LOL. 

[Kain pelikat = traditional Malay sarong worn by conservative men.]

It must be the salty caramel-ish air of this lovely balmy island. I tend to get a lil hyped-up when I am in Penang. Alhamdulillah. Penang is like a Tiramisu island. Tiramisu means cheer me up/pick me up/lift me up, so I learned from Google.

Speaking of Google, I feel sorry for him/her because there are many pious/self-righteous people who look down on Google as a source of reference for Islamic knowledge. I mean it's not its fault. We often hear ustaz/pious people poking fun at "Ustaz/Shaykh Google", poking fun at people who google up Islamic matters as if people would solely rely on Google for spiritual enlightenment. There are just too many pious men backbiting the innocent Google, believe me.

C'mon guys, at least Mr. or Mrs. Google won't laugh at you/look down on you if you were to ask "stupid" or basic questions. I have experienced some ustaz giving me a condescending look when I asked about something which they considered too basic. I have learned quite a bit about the deen through Google and I am not being apologetic about it. Mr Google opened doors to some shuyukh which I didn't have access to before. Mr Google shed a light on some topics of the religion which were foreign to me before. I can't possibly be phoning/whatsapping an ustaz if I suddenly have a burning question at night cos it's just inappropriate to do so. His wife might think I am after her husband LOL.

So, yes I defend the ever so neutral and helpful Google. Thank God for Google.

Rambling from my fave spot.
Alhamdulillah for His munificence.

Cheer someone on | Change your life, strategy, story and state

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah we have come to the 7th week of the year. It's the 48th day into the new year 2017. 

When does a new year become old? LOL. It feels pretty new and upbeat still, to me.

I saw this tweet by one of my favorite motivators - Steve Gutzler. He asked if this week, we have set the standard? Be a leader? Ignore negativity? Promote solutions? Cheer someone on? Have fun?

 

It's Friday, so it's good to check on this week's performance. It's also good to ask ourselves those questions, if we have done any six of them in a major way, so far this year. Forty-eight days have passed already this year, we have done quite a bit I'm sure. 

This week, I'd say the highlight of my week was that I cheered someone on. I cheered on a lady for her hard-fought accomplishment. It felt good to have been able to make someone feel good about herself. Alhamdulillah.

Oh this week, I'm sure many of you have had some fun! It's relatively easy to have fun, to do item number 6, as compared to the other items. 

Oh...I would like to also cheer on a friend (N) who intends to pursue a Master's degree. Yes, we are told to make du'a so that Allah increases us in knowledge, which means we have to make an effort to pursue/further our studies to the highest level possible. And as Muslims, we should strive to be excellent in our respective fields. We have to do more than just good. We have to be great in our jobs. We should not settle for good. We gotta aim higher. 

"I'd rather aim high and miss, than aim low and hit", says Les Brown, one famous American speaker/author.

I learned something not-so-new today. It's about the 80-20 rule. It dawned upon me that we should not miss out on the 20% that could yield 80% in the hereafter. Reading a bit of Quran every day is the 20% which would bring 80% Return on Investment in our grave. Because the Quran will appear as a handsome man standing near our head when we die, while those alive get busy preparing to send us to the grave. The Quran will appear as a good looking man who refuses to leave us alone when Munkar & Nakir turn up to question us. When the questioning session is over, the good looking man would place a beautiful, scented, silk carpet for us to sleep on. He will not leave us alone until it's time for us to enter the Heavens, bi iznillah. 

Handsome male/female companion(s) on earth is just good while we are here roaming on this earth. She/he is no good 6 feet underground. LOL. Let's reserve 20% of our daily effort for reading the Quran, perhaps 20 minutes? Let's cheer someone on to read the Quran. I hope I have cheered you on.

I'd like to borrow these wise words of Tony Robins: "If you want to change your life, you have to change your strategy, you have to change your story and you have to change your state."

If we were to apply these to the habit of reading the Quran, we could say this:
If you want to change your "life" in the grave, you have to change the strategy on your daily routine by spending 20 minutes to read, that's like investing 20% only. By doing so, your story for the day will change. And, your state now and in the hereafter will be handsomely insured, more than 80% I reckon.      

[C'mon Eza, you can do it!]

***

Reference on shafaat from the Quran: Prof Ahmad Sathori Ismail

  

Faith

Bismillah.

Keep your faith up, folks and always speak the language of faith!

Happy Thursday.

: )


Quote credit: World Changing Women Twitter

Your hearing, your sight and your heart

Bismillah.

Yet again, my Quran teacher imparted a simple but significant lesson.

Wa in Arabic means 'or' or 'and'. 

When I stopped my recital of verse 46 of Surah An'am at sam 'akum (meaning hearing), the ustaz pointed my mistake. That certain phrases must be read together as in the case of verse 46, sam'akum wa absorakum must be read together because it's a pair. It means "your hearing and your sight".

So, you can't stop at "and". You must finish the whole pairing or sentence or in this case a question. You must read the question in full or it would be meaningless. In the case of verse 46, it's a stern question from the Lord.

"Say, 'Have you considered if God were to take away your hearing and your sight, and seal up your hearts, who is the god other than Allah who could restore them for you?' See how we explain the signs! Yet, thereafter they turn away."

Subhanallah!

He could take them away, our hearing, our sight and He could also seal up our hearts. And if He were to do that, there is no other god who could restore them, except He.

***

May Allah have mercy on us. May He preserve our hearing. May He preserve our sight. May He preserve for us an illuminated heart. Ameen.

I love you | Shaykh Ninowy on the power of love

Bismillah.

Is it a coincidence that I chanced upon a talk by Shaykh Ninowy regarding love on the 14th of Feb? Nah...actually the talk was given by Shaykh Ninowy on Friday 3rd of Feb at a local Islamic radio station in KL, Malaysia. The topic was: the power of love.

Yes, I'm sure many of you would have noticed that Shaykh Ninowy talks about love, a lot!  

Shaykh Ninowy began his talk with the usual greeting and added a lil something special, he said 'may the mahhabah of Allah be with you!'

He began by quoting verse 31 of Surah Ali Imran Allah tells the Prophet: "Say O Muhammad, if you do love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive your sins."

The verse is unique in that it begins with love, it ends with love and in the middle is following the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), it connects your love to Allah's love. That's the beauty of our religion, it starts with love, it ends with love and the connector to all love is Prophet Muhammad salallah alaihi wasalam. Our faith is about love. If there is no love there is no deen.

It's amazing how the phrase I love you, evokes such universal joy. It brings warmth to everyone. Even if people don't mean it, but especially when they do mean it. Simply saying and meaning 'I love you' to people, could change their life 180 degrees. The real reason for this is because we are created by Allah Al Wadud, the Most Loving. 

Shaykh Ninowy's talk was simply mesmerizing, I urge you to take a listen here:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1424992594177468&id=133986386611435

Although the recording is interspersed with a bit of Malay language, I encourage you (foreigners) to ignore the non-English parts and just keep listening. Shaykh Ninowy explains how we are connected with the eternal love because it is Al Wadud who created us and we were already connected with Him in our primordial state and how we are connected to the love of the Prophet for 1400 over years as he expressed his love to see us his ummah, who never saw him, yet believe in him.   

The Power of Remembering Allah | Maher Zain

Bismillah.

It's Monday. No need to have Monday blues, because Allah gives us many good things without us asking. His remembrance of us precedes our remembrance of Him. May He forgive our shortcomings and not withhold His blessings onto us, on account of our weaknesses.

May we have a productive and wonderful week. 

Ameen Ya Rabb.

Shielding oneself | Bismillahil lazi la ilaha illa huwa

Bismillah.

In case you're like me, one who has the tendency to get du'a all mixed up. 

This is the correct du'a (one of) for shielding oneself from the prying eyes of the unseen creations e.g. the Jinn.

There is a couple of du'a for a similar situation and I am reminded of my first and only experience being in a majlis with Shaykh Yaqoubi who said, it sufficed that you recite a'uzubillahi minasyaitanirajim, but you have got to say it with conviction. May Allah grant safety to him and ease his affairs. 

May Allah protect us all from evil eyes. Ameen.   

***

So...this....is what it is for Sunday posting. I'm trying my best to catch up with this space and all other things that are taking place in the other space. Hope you have had a pleasant weekend.

"Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions. Never know too much to learn something new."
 - Og Mandino (1923 - 1996)

This | Hada

Bismillah.

One pious family friend, Hamid, had just passed away. I shall remember him always because he was one of only two persons who called me Hada instead of Eza. 

Google says Hada in the Arabic language means "this". All this while I thought hada means "to guide" like a verb to huda - guidance. Hada is also an Arabic Boy's name meaning the Myrtle tree. And that its origin is Hebrew, meaning: she who radiates joy.

I have had many pious people giving me all kinds of interpretations for my name. I know, roughly, what it means but I never really bothered about my "last name" Hada until this one friend of mine passed away. He was one man well known for his piety who performed the daily prayers in congregation most of the time. He was blessed with clairvoyance. The last time I saw Hamid was when my mother and I sent him and wife off for umrah. Sad to have learned from his wife that he was planning to visit my Penang home in December.

May Allah grant strength to his wife who seems to be severely affected by his passing. I wish I could impart some joy to her, but grief can only be healed through time. He is Time. He is the One who makes us laugh and cry.

p/s
Al Fatihah for Uncle Hamid.

Expect Allah's blessings

Bismillah.

Why be afraid of what could go wrong?
Be excited about what could go right!

We should expect the blessings of Allah because "in his hands is all good" (Quran 3:26).

Wish y'all a day filled with amazing blessings from Allah.

Be like this gentleman. I encountered him yesterday. There was a pail containing about 1 kg of small prawns, near him. His wife sat on the nearby rocks, with their little boy sleeping on her lap. When we asked him if it was a good spot for fishing, he replied calmly that he was expecting some small prawns and had this to say: "It's good. It's up to Allah to grant how much I could get from here."

I truly admired his quiet, patient, positive, cool demeanor.

May Allah make our hearts free from relying on people so we may taste the joy of depending on Him. Ameen.

-E-

  

Twice lucky | Serabai Penang

Bismillah.

Yes...yes...yes...Malaysians are all in holiday mood, in conjunction with the Hindu Thaipusam festival today Thursday. Our Chinese friends are all feeling festive too because Chap Goh Mei is just around the corner. Chap Goh Mei means the 15th night of Chinese New Year in Hokkien language [widely spoken in Penang]. The celebration is considered as the Chinese version of Valentine's Day. 

Was at the nursery yesterday, and somehow, I instinctively picked up a potted plant - the Anthurium not realizing it's a "lucky plant". It's synonymous with hospitality and is thought to bring luck. It's also known as the Flamingo Flower or Boy Flower.

Yes, I have been feeling twice lucky and wish to give a shout-out to one honest and thoughtful Chinese, Teka shop manager who kept my sunglasses in her safe hands for about three months! I thought I'd lost it but nay, thanks to her. Teka and its people are indeed a trusted household name.

    

Folks, thanks for listening to my holiday ramblings. Life is full of little, yet significant blessings each and every day. 

My lucky "Boy Flower"

Am promoting Teka, yes!
Teka, as you know, sells home and kitchen appliances.
They don't sell sunglasses. LOL.
Michael Kors, yes they do offer chic shades. 

Yes, I wish to promote Serabai too. It's a traditional pancake popular in Penang and I was pleasantly surprised to see it in Bandung! They call it Kue Serabi Bandung Manis. One famous Serabai stall in Penang is located at Taman Tun Sardon in Gelugor (my neighborhood). Believe me the queue there during weekends/public holidays, is as long and winding as those at KLCC Auntie Anne's pretzel! Serabai is also a local dialect of Malay meaning "unkempt face" LOL. The Serabai pancake (made of rice flour and served with sweet sauce) however, is neat and fair.

Penangites eat Serabai for breakfast/mid-morning snacks.
They don't usually look serabai though.
LOL

  

Cheers!

Alhamdulillah washukrulillah for Allah's abundant generosity.

Salawat by Imam Abu Hassan As-Shadhilli

Bismillah.

"O Allah, send prayers and blessings 
upon our master Muhammad, 
the essential light and the secret 
flowing through all the names 
and attributes."


Allahumma salli wa barik 'ala Sayyidina Muhammad
Al nuuril zaati
was sirris-shariya
fi sa iril asma'i was sifati

Something for us to learn by heart.

Wish y'all a pleasant and productive mid-week.
: )



Credit: Essential Islam Twitter

My own time zone | MYGMT

Bismillah.

A girlfriend sent me a quote which might have ended up in your Inbox/phones too. It made a lot of sense to me, thus I decided to put it here as a reminder.

It's about being in our own unique Time Zone.

"New York is 3 hours ahead of California, but it does not mean that California is slow, or that New York is fast. Both are working based on their own Time Zone.

Someone is still single. [That's me. Alhamdulillah!] Someone got married and 'waited' 10 years before having a child. There is another who had a baby within a year of marriage.

Someone graduated at the age of 22 [That's me! Alhamdulillah!]...someone graduated at the age of 22, yet waited 5 years before securing a good job; and there is another who graduated at 27 and secured employment immediately! [Secured a job immediately, that's yours truly, Alhamdulillah!]  

Someone became a CEO at 25 and died at 50 while another became a CEO at 50 and lived to 90 years.

Everyone works based on their Time Zone. People can have things worked out only according to their pace. Work in your "time zone".

Your colleagues, friends, younger ones might 'seem' to go ahead of you. Maybe some might 'seem' to be behind you. Everyone is in this world running their own lane in their own time. God has a different plan for everybody. Time is the difference. Obama retires at 55, Trump resumes at 70. Don't envy them or mock them, it's their Time Zone. You are in yours! Hold on, be strong and stay true to yourself. All things shall work together for your good. You're not late, you're not early, you're very much on time. Stay blessed! You are in your Time Zone."

***

How true!

Yes! To the bystanders/roadside critics/skeptics who ever jeered at me and mocked Allah's Divine Plan for me, I have got this poster for you. LOL. If you have got teenagers in your family who are sensitive regarding peer pressures, share my poster with them. LOL.

Malaysia is GMT +08:00 but we have to be in "my GMT" [MYGMT] all the time, no matter where we are, that's what the wise sayings quoted above is all about.

OK folks, good night, from one balmy island in the sun : )

-E-

Thank God for good appetite

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah I am grateful to have beaten the rooster again this morning. Gotta thank Allah for another chance called today. Gotta thank Allah for good health and good appetite.

I had spent the last few weeks visiting my uncle at the hospital. It was humbling to see how Allah removed the blessings of good appetite for food from so many people I saw at the hospital.

You may have plenty of cash but if you don't have a good appetite you won't want take a look even if there's a Michelin Star meals on the table before your eyes.

Let's be grateful for little daily things which we take for granted. May Allah grant us more for being humble at acknowledging His bounties no matter how small or mundane.

"Whenever you get an appetite, you feed yourself. Therefore, fill your belly on wisdom of things old and new. Only swallow the truth, lest you choke on the lies."

- Amaka Imani Nkosazana in Sweet Destiny

Rivers & Roads

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah we gotta praise the Lord for creating pathways as a medium for our journeys. Ours and that of our forefathers who were brave sea voyagers and travelers who embraced the unknown and blazed the trail.

I am traveling again for the umpteenth time and this time it's surreal how I felt the humility of the roads on which we traverse.

Had the Almighty made this whole wide world a chaotic unsystematic random piece of land, we would have been lost, we would not have been guided.

The Most Wise He is, the Creator who furnishes us with the means even before we knew it.

This might sound silly to you, but I think rivers and roads are just like hot and cold drinks we need so we could quench our thirst. It's one and the same as far as its purpose is concerned. Roads and rivers are the only two options, especially in the old days. But then again flight paths may be considered as roads too. There has to be a trek and Allah says in the verse quoted above, it's all meant to guide us. He wants us guided. We are not meant to be lost. Glory be to Him Allah Al Hadi.

A shop along the highway.
The signage says: Hot & Cold drinks

Being a musafir is always  a blessing
Alhamdulillahi hamdan yuwafi niamahu wayukafi u mazidah

Colors of our lives

Bismillah.

Good morning folks.

Alhamdulillah to be up early and beat the rooster one more time LOL. We are still in the Gong Xi Gong Xi mood, aren't we?

So I learned from a Chinese contractor that he has to be with his family again for a special prayer, therefore all works could only resume next week. Yes, can't wait to be in Penang again soon InshaAllah.

Lanterns at Paragon Penang
during the Chinese New Year celebration week

More lanterns at Design Village Premium Outlet in Penang

Red, is, of course, the in color during this festivities. It is associated with prosperity and good luck. The Chinese believe that one should wear red or shades of red like pink, orange, yellow, purple or magenta. I think Malaysians do not have problems in this regard. We are a colorful nation throughout the year.

I think, at the psychological level, one should try choose a bright color for one's thoughts as it could impact the soul.

  

So let's think and dream in beautiful vivid colors!

Wish y'all a colorful and meaningful weekend!

From Orang Kampung with love,

Orang kampung = village dwellers

Happy Friday | Smile, put your head up and don't let anyone's words take you down

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum folks,

Just a quick greeting this lovely Friday morning.

Alhamdulillah praise be to Allah for giving us another day. Let's thank Allah for all the blessings around us, there's someone who could be praying for something that which we are now enjoying e.g. good health, peace of mind, a tranquil heart, to name but three.

"No matter how wealthy you are, you cannot buy peace of mind and contentment. That can only be granted by Allah." - Dr Bilal Phillips

Jumaah Mubarak!


Credit: Inspirational Quotes Tweet

Make your speech lovely | Listen with love

Bismillah.

May we speak lovingly and listen attentively with love. If we don't talk nonsense, if we speak truthfully, people would love listening to us. This is pretty basic, but we often forget the basics because our minds tend to get caught up in its own complex mental knots so that what comes out from the mouth is foul-smelling.

Ahhh...as for me, I pray Allah would give me the capabilities to write in such a way that others love to read what I write. That they love reading because it heals them, because it inspires them, because it consoles them, because it gives them hope, and because it puts a smile on their face.

I learned from the talks by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf in the video which I posted a couple of days ago, about Malcolm X being impressed with one inmate John Bembry because of the words the latter spoke. Malcolm was impressed that Bembry never swore, thus he was impressed by the respect Bembry commanded through language, alone. And this love for Bembry's lovely speech had induced an intellectual awakening on the part of Malcolm who began to read voraciously at the prison's library.

It's amazing how a person's speech could have such a significant impact on someone.

So, today, go out and speak in such a way that people love to listen to you. And listen in such a way that people love to speak to you.

Coming back to February

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah

I hope all the genuine readers are doing well. You must be busy catching up with the new year as it is, believe it or not, February already. I have been occupied hence this back-dated posting to mark a beautiful sweet month called February. So coming back to 1st of Feb is sweeter than the setback of missing the opportunities to blog on time.

Quote credit: Wilson Luna

You all know the root word for tawba is to turn back. It is always a relief to turn back to our original pristine state after having distracted or diverted for a wee bit. Only those who have gotten derailed and who got puzzled after being lost would know the sweetness of returning home.

Having families and friends to help carry a flag so we know where to head back after having roamed somewhat far, is a blessing. 

Here's my favorite tweet of the day. 

"Life is filled with a lot of challenges, the last thing you need is people who try to drain your energy. So, find positive people!" - Steve Gutzler

On a positive note, should you ever feel your energy drained, go have some nice piece of cake all by yourself. Having a good dessert by yourself is ten times better than sitting/chatting with a negative person. LOL.

May Allah give us good companions, good laughter, good provisions and more good times so that our February will be fabulous, bi iznillah.