7th Ramadan 1438 H | Dispense with everything

Bismillah.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,

I am sure you are as excited that the weekend is here.

Next weekend will be more exciting for me inShaAllah as it will be the time to reap some "good fruits" bi-iznillah. And then the following weekend will be even more meaningful spiritually for all of us as we await the Laylatul Qadar inShaAllah.

In this Ramadan Bites of Wisdom, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani, teaches us to make du'a so that Allah enables us to dispense with everything. And that we find satisfaction only with Him.

Dispense in this context, means to do without. That we do without everything, save Him. It may sound like a lofty Sufi philosophy but in my humble opinion, if you sort of reverse that, and you attach Him in everything that you do with the simple intention of Bismillah, then He is with us, for every single thing that we can say Bismillah for. They say, the wise pious men say, if you are about to do something and you find it hard/inappropriate to say Bismillah, it's quite likely that you are about to do a wrong thing. 

Of course, you can't logically say Bismillah when you enter a laghah venue/gathering such as a disco. LOL.   

May Allah continue to guide us. May Allah forgive us.
"I don't believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be." - says Ken Venturi.

It's true, it's especially true in Ramadan when opportunities and possibilities are plenty.
We just have to choose the right ones.

Jumaah Mubarak! 

6th Ramadan 1438 H | God's good pleasure

Bismillah.

May Allah grant us the capability to see with the eyes of the heart. May Allah grant us the strength to only prefer God's good pleasure and that the displeasure of others mean nothing to us. Ameen.

Tonight in my sujud, I felt a different kind of connection with the earth.

Subhana Rabbiyal a'la wabihamdih

Glory be to the Lord Most High

Tonight in the sweetness of teraweh I realized how fair Allah is. On several occasions, I thought of taking "justice" in my own hand, but then I realized the obvious that I can't possibly be more just or more clever in judging or crafting a response to anything. Allah has yet again shown how fair and wise He is in dealing with all matters at hand. When I made sujud tonight, I came to a higher degree of sensitivity and awareness of how vast and solid the earth is. Not a single thing that takes place on its stage escape the sight, hearing, and knowledge of Allah.

So let's just relax and let God.

The proof is getting clearer.

5th Ramadan | Delight our hearts

Bismillah.

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.

***

On a lighter note, I am delighted I managed to juggle teraweh, reading the Quran, and shopping LOL. Yes, Alhamdulillah, got new clothes for Eid, Raya cookies, Raya decor items etc; and paid zakat already, I'm all set should the Syawal Crescent decide to appear : D 

Maybe not yet...cos gotta fix some DIY stuff. Just hope the tool functions. DIY Queen is gonna get cranky if it doesn't LOL.

Oh...would be nice for my guests if I could get a new plush carpet and a console table...etcetera.

Never mind me, I'm just being real cos being real requires no effort. 

Anyway, let's fastabiqul khairat - compete on reading the Quran, and all other good deeds. Ramadan delights the hearts, no doubt. Thank You Allah for Ramadan!

4th Ramadan 1438 H | Lord seeker

Bismillah.

Seek neither this world nor the Hereafter.

Seek the Lord of the Worlds and the Hereafter.

The world is a bridge. There's no need to over-decorate a bridge because we will cross to the end and leave it behind anyway. The Hereafter is like candy to those who seek a handful of rewards.

The shaykh says, in other words, [in my own silly interpretation] be close to the candy-maker. I think it makes sense. If we are close to a candy-maker, he could spin up a cotton candy anytime. But cotton candy is like a shell, we are supposed to be near to the kernel - the sugar - the Source.

The Shaykh also say: we must give attention and interest to those who love us for our sake and not for their sake.

In any case, this Ramadan, let's spend more time to speak to the Lord, than speak to the mortals.

3rd Ramadan 1438 H | Be useful to yourself

Bismillah.

Remind myself I will, to speak less, read more. Read beneficial materials. Read the Quran. Master on the major instead of the minor.

Be useful to yourself first and then others.
: )

Salam Sahur from KL.

Quran Marathon

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah, at the time of writing (Saturday 11pm), most Malaysians have just completed the teraweeh prayers.

I have a confession to make, the moment I reached home from the mosque, this is what I hunted for - my post-teraweeh snacks. LOL. We all have our own favorite food for iftar, late night snacks and sahur, I'm sure. 

Meat floss in Spring Roll wrappers
- a friend made these yummies.
Excuse me the photo has nothing to do with the posting subject 😂

But I don't feel guilty snacking cos today I did pretty well with the Quran marathon ; )

Yes, Alhamdulillah, this posting is a special shout out to my Quran teacher. He has trained me pretty well since Nov last year, so I am now capable of reading one juzuk/chapter in one sitting which takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes on average. One sitting in the morning and one before iftar, so 2 chapters a day went by like a song - thanks to him!

May Allah grant him His secret knowledge and gnosis and fulfill his dream to complete a second degree in Islamic Studies. Just imagine someone with a BSc. from a uni abroad can be so talented in teaching the Quran that he has received teaching certs from several state authorities. That shows we must stay true to our own personal interests regardless of our academic qualifications.

I have also noticed that it's good to read one chapter of the Quran ahead of time so that when you go for teraweeh you will become familiar with what the imam recites. For example, on day two of teraweeh we should read Chapter Two during the day because that's what the imam would usually recite on the second night. Let's try. We won't know our real capabilities unless we keep trying. May Allah give us plenty of stamina to run the Quran Marathon until the finish line. Ameen.

OK good night folks.

Ramadan Kareem!

Sahur & Subuh in KL | 1st Ramadan 1438 Hijri

Bismillah.




Assalamualaikum warahmatullah,

May Allah grant us good health and the tawfiq to wake up for Fajar, Sahur and Subuh prayers every day of this year's Ramadan. 

Oh Allah, just as You have peeled off the night and present a new day, enable us to remove the blemished skins of yesterday's deeds. Rejuvenate for us the appearance of our iman, tawakkul, yaqin and sabr on this brand new day. Let our tongues speak the truth. Let us be the receptacle of the most precious bounties which You have reserved for those who fast truthfully zahir and batin, on each day of the blessed Ramadan.

Ameen.

Pre-dawn in KL - 1st Ramadan 1438 H

The KL Tower lights up at the call of Subuh azan on this first day of Ramadan