"Make me a flightless bird, I am fine." - Mr Sphenisciformes | Accept your role

Bismillah.

It's 11 pm and I am super tired. As far as creativity is concerned...check the photo below borrowed from Brain Pickings - 11 pm's creativity doesn't look promising.

Anyway, how many of us took for granted about Penguin being the only bird that can't fly but can swim. Penguins are just adorable and people accept them for who they are. We don't really care that they "fail" to fly, do we? We don't mock a Penguin for being a bird and yet not able to fly. 

Imagine, how would you react if God were to tell you at the outset of your creation that He is going to make you a bird but you will be the only bird who can't fly? You might have jumped - No way, I am going to look like a fool! But Mr Penguin whose scientific name is Mr Sphenisciformes, accepted his role anyway.

  

What about us? What is our tolerance level? How much energy do we waste thinking about what people might say about us, about who we are when we are in fact who we are? How many of us spend time wondering what people might say if we do this or that or we don't do this or that? How many of us dare to be different and accept Allah's decree without a sigh?

I think if we're patient enough and acceptable about the Creator's decree, He would reward us. He makes penguins so cute that people ignore their so called "flaw". Likewise, I think we are going to look cool when we are comfortable in our skin and accept Allah's decree gladly.

Takhalli | Discard

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum

I am pleased to be able to wish you good morning on this lovely Friday. Alhamdulillah for being alive and healthy, for feeling calm and contented.

Feeling really good this morning after deleting some 15,000 emails under the "Social" and "Promotions" Tab! I'm not sure what to do with the 20,000 emails under the "Primary" Tab, yet, but that's ok for now. Discarding 15,000 emails just now made me feel good. LOL. It's like the feeling we usually have after doing the laundry and spring-cleaning the house.

It reminds me of the term takhalli, which I learned/heard from a couple of ustaz. I'm sure you are familiar with the term too. It comes in three actually: takhalli - tahalli - tajalli.

If you're not familiar, then please go read up or ask the experts on the meanings of these tasawwuf jargons.

Just remember takhalli every time you feel good about cleaning up your space, be it physical or virtual. Takhalli is about discarding the bad, the unnecessary and then empty the trash bin. It's about withdrawing and/or refraining from the negatives. It's not as easy as it sounds. It's a life-long process. 

On this blessed Friday, let's pray Allah would help us cleanse ourselves regularly, daily and not keep so much trash for too long. That He would forgive us completely. Amin Ya Rabb.  

Wish y'all a wonderful weekend.

p/s
Am excited about going to Penang, again : )
Again, next week and the week after and the week after....InShaAllah.
Alhamdulillah Allah Kareem.

Because he/she worked for it, you have to work for it too

Bismillah.

I am pretty sure when you were small, your father/guardian never told you how he dreamed of success. You just saw the fruits of his hard work. You got to enjoy the success he reaped from the work he put in. You still get to enjoy his success for as long as you live because he gave you education. That's a "living" success if you will. 

There is no fixed definition of success that could fit each person perfectly because our paths are different. Yet, there's only one definition for work - it means just that, work.

I was 17 when my late father bought me an Estee Lauder lipstick. For decades I took Estee Lauder for granted, as just another successful brand, until I saw this one saying by the woman who built the brand, who started building the brand in 1946.

    

I thought that's kinda masculine and raw a statement, coming from such a feminine beauty legend. It's like knocking some sense in your head, that you can't just put on a nice lipstick and sit and expect to be successful. You have got to work hard. That you shouldn't even be dreaming about success. That work is the only currency. That work is the only commodity.

I bet those people who're instrumental in your life, they were too busy working that you had no chance of hearing them talk about their dreams. They worked hard so you could taste their success. It's only fair that you work for it too because he/she had worked hard for it, for the love of you.

May Allah bless our parents/guardians for their hard work just so that we're adequately fed with tangible and intangible nourishments.

Amin Ya Rabb.

Oldest and youngest you | Du'a Ammar bin Yasir

Bismillah.

It's mid-week already. It's easy to get sucked into the daily chores and treat today as just another day. Then, I saw this quote below. That "today" must be made as the best day there is, it's not just another day,

The full version says:

"Today is the oldest you have ever been, and the youngest you'll ever be again. So live life to the fullest today and have no regrets."

Hmm... I thought we should naturally have regrets, for certain deeds, as a way of muhasabah.

Anyway, it's good to reflect on a daily basis of the fact that today is the oldest we have ever been and the youngest we'll ever be again. It's kinda sad to think about it, isn't it? But, seize the day we must, and make it our personal best.

And this beautiful dua' which Ammar bin Yasir heard from Prophet salallah alaihi wasalam is one du'a which could help us live life to the fullest for as long as He knows life is good for us. It's one du'a I intend to memorize, next. 

"O Allah, I ask You through Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over the creation,

give me life as long as You know life is good for me,

give me death as long as You know death is good for me

O Allah, I ask You for fear of You, in open and in secret

O Allah, bless me with true speech whether I am happy or angry

O Allah, I ask You for Your blessings that never finishes

O Allah, I ask You for joy/coolness of the eyes that never ceases

O Allah, I ask You for contentment with destiny 

and for ease of life after death

O Allah, I ask You for the joy/sweetness of looking at Your face

and an eagerness to meet You

O Allah, I seek refuge in You from hardship that harms

and tribulations that misguide

O Allah, adorn us with the raiment of faith

O Allah, make us of those guided and guiding."

[Amin Ya Rabb]

Reference:

http://seekershub.org/blog/2011/01/comprehensive-prophetic-supplication-for-the-good-of-this-life-and-the-next-and-protection-from-all-harm/

  

Make time for Quran

Bismillah.

Quoted from: Islamic Online Univ Twitter

I just needed to have this important reminder here.

Last night was my 12th private Quran lesson, Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. I think the best thing I did in 2016 was to start this private Quran lesson.

No doubt, the ustaz gets paid for it, but the fact is that his effort is priceless. Imagine how Allah moved his heart to accept the offer and moved his limbs to travel quite a distance to come to my place twice a week. Imagine the pahala (rewards) he gets for each mile he traveled. I reckon he gets more rewards from the session than me, the student, am pretty sure of that. Each week he has to adjust his schedule to accommodate his students just because everybody cannot seem to stick to the agreed-upon days. So at the start of the week, he would diligently follow up with all his students, fixing the lesson slots for everybody. MashaAllah.

Sometimes, this super-lazy-me wished I could have class every day just so that I would read the Quran every single day. But of course, that's not feasible. There's just so much that he (our guide/people) could do to help me (us). We have to do a lot more on our own.

I know my ustaz must be very sincere in teaching, yes I know, because last night when I was awakened in the middle of the night, my tongue instantly and voluntarily pronounced tha, za zo and dho! Because he told me the night before that I had the tendency to mispronounce those letters, that the makhraj need to be perfect, not just good but perfect! So what happened was, my tongue magically, consciously or unconsciously practised the pronunciation of those letters repeatedly the moment I was awakened in the middle of the night! LOL. On a serious note, I think only a truly sincere teacher could impart knowledge onto a person's soul. Sincere teaching hits deeper.   

May Allah grant us the tawfiq to read the Quran on a daily basis. May Allah make it easy for us to prioritise our daily activities in the way that's pleasing to Him. Amin Ya Rabb.

Hold on to that crown

Bismillah.

Good evening to you loyal readers who keep coming back hoping to see me show up LOL.

Yes, I've decided to show up every day InshaAllah even if I have to write a posting from a phone. Even if all I could say is Alhamdulillah!

Anyway, here's a reminder to us all. It's a saying by the venerable Imam Shafie:

"Health is a crown that the healthy wear on their heads, only the sick people can see the crown."

Yes and yet how many of us take, the blessings of good health, for granted?

Oftentimes as we get caught in the daily grind perhaps chasing after something that we don't really need, or that we have enough already, we take for granted of the invisible crown above our head. Let's be grateful for the crown of health. Let's be more grateful of it today than yesterday and repeat tomorrow.

If I recalled correctly it's said that the two blessings that most people tend to ignore until it's a little too late are the blessings of good health and having free time.

Until tomorrow,
Good night from KL.

-E-

p/s
I humbly ask for your du'a for my uncle who is ill. I'm humbled that each time I parted with him, he would say "thank you" even though I have not done much favor for him. And in fact, the reverse is true.

The 32nd Majlis Ratib Jalalia held in Penang | Shaykh Dr Thaika Shuaib

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. Feeling really fortunate to have sat in majlis zikir and mawlid led by Shaykh Dr Thaika Shuaib. The event was officially known as 'The 32nd Grand Majlis of Ratib Jalalia'. It was held at the historic Masjid Lebuh Acheh in Penang on 7th January 2017.

Shaykh Dr Thaika Shuaib is a Sufi Master, an Islamic Scholar from South India who is also known as an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and an author. He has been listed among 'The 500 Most Influential Muslim' for 5 years in a row, beginning from 2013. He received his PhD from the Columbia Pacific University, USA.

Shaykh Dr Thaika Shuaib comes from an outstanding family background of renowned Islamic scholars and is said to be a descendant of Sayyidina Abu Bakar (r.a). MashaAllah tabarakallah! I have not known or met anyone who descends from the much-beloved companion of Rasulullah salallah alaihi wasalam. We all know, albeit just having a speck of knowedge of the wonderful good deeds that Sayyidina Abu Bakar r.a. had done for the Prophet pbuh and Islam. We all know about Sayyidina Abu Bakar as a doting sahabi, and here we have his family among us. Subhanallah! 

For more info on Shaykh Dr Thaika Shuaib, please visit
http://thaikashuaib.org/biography/
http://thaikashuaib.org/lineage-forefathers/

When I was at the majlis, I did not forget to say a prayer for some of you readers/friends of this blog who are close to me. You know who you are!

May Allah grant Shaykh Dr Thaika good health and a long life so we could benefit from his presence and guidance. Amin Ya Rabb.

Shaykh Dr Thaika Shuaib at Masjid Lebuh Acheh, Penang
7 Jan 2017

p/s

Later today, I intend to visit Shaykh Abdullah Bukhari (Penang's top scholar) InShaAllah. The shaykh will be a guest of honor at an event tonight where Shaykh Dr Thaika Shuaib will give a talk in Tamil. I am going to request Shaykh Abdullah Bukhari to convey my salam to Shaykh Dr Thaika. YaHuuu, wish me luck : )

p/s
Mission accomplished, Alhamdulillah!