Sunday Fajar in KL

Bismillah.

Gooood morning folks : )

That's Subuh Azan (call to prayer) in KL this beautiful Sunday morning. There are at least three mosques calling for prayer. Subhanallah!

Anyway, this is just a short greeting to yáll to remind you of the 10,000-Salawat challenge. I am progressing slowly. Alhamdulillah so far.

One thing I have come to realize since I undertook the 10K-Salawat challenge is that I prefer silence to unnecessary chatters and noise. We are flooded with tonnes of messages each day, aren't we? It can be overwhelming and deafening sometimes. 

They say we have to learn silence just as we learn speech. Silence can do us much good. It's true.

Wish yáll a pleasant Sunday. Next week is a short week work-wise because it's going to be a longggg weekend YaHu! Can't wait for it to unfold. Have you finalized your holiday plans yet? Whatever it is, don't get stressed out and don't fight over it ok? LOL. The best plan is that which is destined by the Supreme Master Mind. Let's be open minded and leave room for divine surprises just because The Lord is the Best Planner. 

Ah...Thursday is of course special. It's Mawlid Ar-Rasul. Gotta gear up on the salawat. May Allah grant us more tawfiq. Ameen.

Allahumma ya Rabba Sayyidina Muhammad
wa ali Sayyidina Muhammad
salli wa salim ála Sayyidina Muhammad 
wa ála ali Sayyidina Muhammad
wa azib huzna qalbi
fid dunya wal akhirah
wa ajri ya Rabbi lutfakal-khafiyya
fi umurina wa umuril muslimin

The joy of giving

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillahi hamdan yuwafi 
ni'amahu wa yukafi u mazidah

Am lovinnnng it!

This is what I am up to. Preparing custom-made goody [canvas tote]bags for a group of tholabul ilmi (knowledge seekers) from abroad who will be joining a spiritual retreat (dawra) in Malaysia soon. Insya Allah.

I've commissioned a calligraphy lecturer to design that tholabul ilmi kufi. I've asked a good friend of mine to make Florentine biscuits and I've made a special sticker that says ''Made with Love by my bestie Hanim" : D

Of course the tote bags will be filled up with several more [secret] gifts that would hopefully make our visitors, the knowledge seekers, smile and stay happy throughout their journey in beautiful Malaysia.

Hopefully they would be kind enough to say a prayer for me : D

Florentine biscuits contain all kinds of nuts
plus two sunnah food items:
habbatus sauda and pumpkin seeds.
Stay tune for
Sunah Food Campaign - Video Competition (SFCVC).
On top of getting cash prizes, all six winners will also be given a fig plant
and a special videography course at Saiful Nang Academy,
Insya Allah.

Jumaah Mubarrak!

Wish yáll a fabulous weekend.

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullah.

-E-

Where you want to be

Bismillah.

Good evening folks,

Don't be so hard on yourself OK?

I am off for a night swim cos the pool is where I instinctively want to be ; )

KL is hot, people!

: P

p/s
Don't forget the 10,000-Salawat challenge. I am crawling but it's OK. Keep striving.
Terus berusaha!

Group| Look ahead

Bismillah.

Guten morgen folks.

Praise be to God for new acquaintances, contacts, partners, supporters, friends and positive people He keeps sending us, day in day out.

I remembered one corporate trainer by the name of Dr Reza, he said, if you are the smartest in your group, then your group is too small; if you are the richest in your group, then your group is too small; if you are the prettiest/most handsome in your group, then your group is too small.

I am feeling grateful that my group has drastically expanded on all three aspects. It's good to network and build good connections because the Quran says we are to cooperate on good deeds and piety. "Help one another in al-birr (righteousness) and at-taqwa (piety)...." 

And that funny trainer Dr Reza also reminded his class to not look back and the fact that the rear mirror is small unlike the windshield, simply because we are to give more focus on what's in front of us, and not so much the things which are behind us.

2015 is gradually coming to an end. We may want to look back just a wee bit, for lessons learned in the past 12 months and then focus on the new year ahead of us. Insya Allah.

I have achieved the minimum 200-postings target for the year, but I feel obligated to write while I can for the sake of you, regular readers who start your day by checking on this space. Masha Allah! Thank you. May Allah make us all benefit from good words and good vibes. Ameen.

Today, I eagerly wait for a special delivery - tote bags with Lisan al-Din logo on it. It's for my own private collection. I was wondering if the regular loyal readers would be interested to purchase it. We shall see.

Until then, wish y'all a greaaat day, wish you sihah wal afiah and....

p/s

Don't forget the 10,000-salawat challenge for this blessed month of Rabiul Awal. I have so far only managed 200+ LOL. I tell myself - Terus berusaha. Keep striving :)

But I have successfully memorized it. YaHu!

Allahumma ya Rabba Sayyidina Muhammad
wa ali Sayyidina Muhammad
salli wa salim ála Sayyidina Muhammad 
wa ála ali Sayyidina Muhammad
wa azib huzna qalbi
fid dunya wal akhirah
wa ajri ya Rabbi lutfakal-khafiyya
fi umurina wa umuril muslimin

Strive | "Usaha"

Bismillah.

I was among the bottom three students in class during the first few years in primary/elementary school. I remembered the teachers were not creative at all when commenting in my annual report cards. They had nothing better and nothing more to say than "Terus berusaha" which means keep striving. LOL.

During the final year when I slowly and painfully emerged among the top ten students in school, they still wrote something to that effect: Usaha dengan lebih tekun which means the same thing - keep working hard, keep striving. Perhaps they were not allowed to venture far from the school's motto Usaha Tangga Kejayaan. LOL. That essentially means, effort is the ladder to success.

Now at this mature age, of course I understood better the value of usaha. Understood perfectly why all the teachers had to hammer it in the head, year in year out.

Now at this mature age, I smiled from ear to ear when an animation expert autographed his book and wrote Terus berusaha. It made me smile because it felt really good as if he truly understood my aspiration and dreams and the sweat and tears that come with it. Terus berusaha sounds a lot more hopeful now than ever before.

Tangis dan tawa. Terus berusaha.
Tears and Laughter. Keep striving.

My nephew got his PT3 Exam results today (14th Dec). He did pretty well, but still I am disappointed the fact that he did not usaha much. I reckon he only put in about 60% of effort.

I think this is a universal problem, we all have a lot of untapped potential which would have manifested into a bigger success had we strive 100%. We do not really optimize our brains, nor do we maximize the power of our limbs to usaha.  

Must work harder, you and I.

Congrats Kamil Arif & Imran Harris 

Usaha tangga kejayaan

p/s
Wish when I was 15 when I experienced my first ''success", wish I had an aunt who has a blog so she could blog about my good results. LOL.

p/s
Achip: Congrats and terus berusaha : )

10,000-Salawat Challenge

Bismillah.

Below is a screenshot from Muwasala.org. Habib Umar bin Hafiz recommends we recite below salawat 10,000 times in this blessed month of Rabiúl Awal.

I have never done it before, it should be a good and beneficial challenge for us to take up. Certainly better than making 10,000 steps around the malls. Unless you are shopping for gifts for your family, friends, guests or the less fortunate. I'm not talking about Xmas presents here but in Islam we are also encouraged to give presents to our family members/friends anytime throughout the year, to foster better relationships among us.

Anyhow, I'd like to be brave and take up this 10,000-salawat challenge. The Habib says it's a recommendation but for weaklings like me it sure is a challenge. LOL.

Let's see if we can do 500 in one sitting per day, that would take 20 days. But knowing me, I might completely forget all about it on the 3rd day. LOL. So then doing 1000 a day might be a better idea as it would take only 10 days to complete it. InsyaAllah. 

The salawat is indeed a good du'a as we are asking Allah to free us from sadness. We are all bound to feel sad at least on three occasions in a day, I reckon. LOL. Sadness is a big problem to mere mortals. 

Wa azib huzna qalbi 
fid dunya wal akhirah

Remove sadness from my heart 
in this world and the hereafter

This is a very powerful sentence we all should learn by heart. But of course once we start reciting the complete salawat for the 100th time, we will have memorized it fully bi-iznillah.

Allahumma ya Rabba Sayyidina Muhammad
wa ali Sayyidina Muhammad
salli wa salim ála Sayyidina Muhammad 
wa ála ali Sayyidina Muhammad
wa azib huzna qalbi
fid dunya wal akhirah
wa ajri ya Rabbi lutfakal-khafiyya
fi umurina wa umuril muslimin

Rabiul Awal Mubarak

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillahi hamdan yuwafi ni'amahu wayukafi u mazidah. Praise be to Allah for His endless bounties and boundless compassion. We have come to Rabiul Awal. I am yet to memorize this new salawat taught on Muwasala though.

Allahumma salli wa salim ala Sayyidina Muhamadin
Ahabbil mahbu bat
wa ash rafil makhluqat
wa af dholi ahlil aradhina was samawat

O Allah bestow prayers and peace
upon our Master Muhammad
the most beloved of all things beloved
the most noble of the most noble of created beings
and the best of the inhabitants of the earth and the heavens

***

Below is an excerpt of Habib Umar bin Hafiz's advice as related by Shaykh Abu Zaki [former Imam of Masjid Sultan Singapore] on 20th Nov 2015 at Masjid Al Falah. Shaykh Abu Zaki related three major advice given by Habib Umar during his tour to Indonesia and Singapore: about Allah waging war on us on account of riba; the correct method for dakwah and tawbah. A dear friend forwarded the lessons to me and below is my feeble attempt at translating Habib Umar's advice on dakwah.

As related by Shaykh Abu Zaki, Habib Umar said: There are people who use their Shaykh to attract popularity. They are two-faced. They use their Shaykh's name in order to be popular. If you intend to perform dakwah then employ the same approach as did the Prophet (pbuh). Put the Prophet in yourself. [Ask yourself] is this the method used by the Prophet? Would the Prophet endorse my way of doing dakwah? Does the Prophet hurt people? The Prophet wants everyone to enter the Heavens. He did not label anyone as misguided/blasphemous. [You] pretend to do dakwah on the words of the Prophet but you actually don't. Many people are eager to jump into dakwah based on the hadith: "Çonvey from me even if it is one verse'' yet they do not place the Prophet in themselves. The meaning of "from me" is from the Prophet, that is his akhlak and nothing from your nafs when you engage in dakwah. People compete in spreading the words of the Prophet but they do it in the wrong manner. You may convey thousands of the Prophet's words, but remember to put the Prophet in your heart and in your behavior.

***

Allahu Alam.

May I be forgiven for any errors in the translation.

Sallu alan Nabi.