He used to be in my wish list

He's simply stunning.
And Attractive.
Handsome.
Cute.
Sweet.
Adorable.
Not to mention rich.
And famous.
Romantic.
Charming.

I could stare at him for hours. I like his hair.

If only he's a true Moslem.
He might be a greater person.
A role leader. Perfect.
Too bad he isn't.
Else half of India would have been true Moslems too!

Most embarrasing moment...

March Hare was in the royal kitchen when the White Queen entered, Alice trailing at the back. As if she was well acknowledged that March Hare is as mad as his tea-party member the Mad Hatter and the Dormouse, the White Queen suddenly ducked her head, with no expression what so ever on her face when March Hare threw a saucer to her.


On the contrary, the saucer flew so fast directly towards my face, that I instinctively raised both hands to cover my face from being hit. Not only that, I also half-shouted "Uh!" for it was so unexpected.

As a result, other viewers seated close to me in this 3D movie (especially those at the back rows) laughed out loud and made fun of me for not being alert. Uhuk! Uhuk!  Kuang ajaq punya arnab!  (menjerit ala-ala Rita Rudaini @ Mami Jarum).

Well, the movie is as exciting as told by friends who recommended it to me. It's worth watching, especially in 3D. I wish I could keep the creepy Cheshire Cat as a pet. Could task him to answer the door for me. And the Red Queen could well be the butcher in my humble kitchen.  I like her line,

"OFF WITH THE HEAD"

Wahahaha...

Shaytaan Deceives

A'udzubillahi Minashaytaanir Rajiim

Iblees (iblis) once came to Prophet Musa A.S. and told him,

"You are the chosen messenger of Allah and have been blessed with the privilege of speaking directly to Allah. I wish to repent, so please intercede on my behalf before Allah so that he may accept my repentance."

Prophet Musa A.S. was happy and thought that Shaytaans’ repentance would put an end to sins.

He therefore made wudu', performed his prayer and make do’a to Allah. In reply, Allah told Prophet Musa A.S.,

"Iblees is lying. He merely wishes to deceive you. If he is really sincere, test him by telling him to prostrate before the grave of Prophet Adam A.S.. If he does this, his repentance will be accepted."

Prophet Musa A.S. was extremely overjoyed, thinking that this was a very easy condition for Iblees to comply with.

When Prophet Musa A.S. informed Iblees about the condition, Iblees became a whirlwind of fire and said,

"I did not prostrate to him while he was alive, how can I prostrate to him when he is dead ?


“Nevertheless, you have done me a good turn by interceding on my behalf. I shall therefore inform you of 3 conditions wherein you should be wary of me.


1) When man is angry, I run in his veins like his blood.


2) I incline the heart of the person fighting in jihad towards his wife, children and wealth, thereby causing him to desert the battlefield. Shaytaan also attempts to dissuade the student of Deen in this manner. Strengthening one's resolve may combat him.


3) When a strange man and woman are in isolation, I become the emissary between the two and incline each one towards the other. I remain engaged in this task until the two are tainted in sin."


extracted from [Tanbeehul Ghafileen]

Maria Tunku Sabri and me

I saw Maria Tunku Sabri in her latest TV commercial last night. She immediately reminds me of myself. We both actually have one common experience in life: Now I'm plump, now I'm slim. One moment slim, another moment plump. Today I'm plump, tomorrow I'll be slim again. Hahahaha...!!!

I suppose the age factor plays important role in determining how high your metabolisme burns the calories from your food intake and daily chores. I used to be a thin girl, but then I was active in hockey.

And netball.

And tennis.

Oh well...I can't live without sports.

But when hippie-yippie school days were replaced with hectic works at the office, my movement seemed restricted. I can't jump up and down when I've completed the assigned business proposal. I can't simply race towards the lift sharp 5.30pm for fear my kain baju kurung will go rabak. I also can't show-off my skill of tossing crumpled papers straight into a bin put far away on purpose. On top of all, I need to control ayu because men will instantly run away from me once they see me terkinja-kinja like monkeys on hot tar. Hmm, tak kawen la aku gamaknya.

Really, why must we be bothered if a woman looks a little bit plump? Are plumpy women evil? None that I know of. Thinner women are meaner and nastier, I can tell you that. In fact, most plump women that I know have pure hearts. They might put on extra size pants and shirts, but they actually have tiny little sensitive hearts.

Moral of the story, I don't actually care if some friends greet me and say,

"Hey I think you've put up a few pounds lah. Just look at your swelling tummy!"

Me and Maria Tunku Sabri are the same. We are happy with how we look like. That is why we can pose up sweet smiles on our faces. No food craving or calories restriction. No worries to skip the gym once in a while. If a dress gets too tight to put on, just buy another one. As long as you know you don't have any health problem, then why the unnecessary worries? Just make sure you do not cross the line and land in the obese territory. You'll be fine. Plump women are attractive. Just like Maria Tunku Sabri.

And me too. *perasan giler!*

Live life to the fullest. Live life as happy as you can with no regret. Be a good Muslim!

My people, my country, my question.....

I love to take pictures with my Nokia N70. It comes in handy whenever I need it. It's considered a piece of obsolete technology, now that Blackberry, LG Chocolate, Samsung and many other whatchamacallit brands conquered the market overnight. But I am happy with it.

Last Friday when my husband and I went to Kuala Lumpur to shop for necessities for the close coming umrah, we stopped by at Masjid India so that my husband could perform his Friday prayer. While waiting at one of the seats outside the mosque, I took the opportunity to take some pictures of what's going on around the place using my handphone.

This was taken half an hour before the Friday congregational prayer started. This old man has been statued like that in the middle of the hot sun for almost 45 minutes, in the state of a deep trance. I have been watching him for quite sometime and could not stop wondering what the old man was thinking when he stared blankly at the prayer mat. Was he not happy, tired, demotivated or feeling empty-hearted?








This was an old woman who sat just right next to me during the Friday congregational prayer. I thought she, just the same like me, was waiting for her husband before continue with their errands, but no, that's not the case. To my surprise, at one point of time she suddenly leaped forward to a man who was carrying big bags in both hands - FREE FOOD for sadaqah. These food were packed in small containers and distributed to poor people around the mosque by wealthy people who want to make good deeds on Friday. Masya-Allah, what a scene! I was so startled that I didn't even think of taking the picture to show how poor people, many of them who suddenly appeared from almost every corner of the mosque, 'attacked' the bags to get the food.


This was an old mother who belongs to nobody, taking a nap at the second floor of the mosque, after Friday prayer, perhaps tired after waiting and struggling for free food downstairs just now. Who wants to claim she is their mother? Who wants to take her home and give her proper food, clothing and shelter? I pray God protect her and have mercy on her.

Back at home, this was a couple of youngsters who sell raisins in boxes to commuters of a shopping complex. Should not they be in school at this hour? What motivate them to sell to the public? Money? Do they need money?

I could snap thousands and thousands of pictures of people living their lives in a poor state. But I can't load them all into this blog and I know damn well I don't have to do so because you (reader) also experience such scene everywhere you go, right? Once you've seen those pictures above that reflect the lifestyle of average Malaysians today, I'd like to ask you this question,

WTF is Permata Seni Muzik and Permata Seni Koir for?

Do we look like we need music and become a choir member to make sure food is fed into our mouth everyday to continue living? Can music guarantee we survive globalisation? Do other ISLAMIC countries have such fund to produce people who can sing well and play music, just like Malaysia? WTF, man?

There was something cold and sinister about the reply I received so far...

"lu pikir la sendiri"

I curse that 'Red Queen' from The Wonderland with big head and wide forehead who stares at young men with her ghostly eyes who always think of how to wallop more public money in her fat belly before her term ends...!!!

I curse this stupid bunch of zombie followers for putting blind eyes on this and kept telling the citizen "everything is in control"

Lost and found, fate and destination

I was delighted to have found some friends, not only ordinary friends, but long long lost friends since I left primary school in 1984, SDASA in 1989, UiTM Johor in 1994, and De Montfort University in 1997. So many things took place within this range of 13 to 26 years of separation. When I first found Nxx via Facebook, she didn't even recognise me, eventhough we used to be best friends. Then I found Zxx, who was my 'public enemy' at school. It turned out that now Zxx is much closer at heart to me than Nxx. Some of them, like Exx, Nxx, Sxx, and Axx have settled somewhere abroad for quite a number of years and only come home to celebrate Eid Mubarak. It's sad to get to know about the demise of some familiar faces due to either critical illness (Lxx suffered from cancer) or fatal accident (Qxx was riding his bike when he was hit). To my surprise, some of my girl friends like Sxx and Kxx still stay single at the age of 38! And some like Mxx and Cxx already have grown up children as big as 17 years old when my eldest son was only 11...

I am proud to see those who do well in their lives. Friends like Exx, Mxx, Jxx, Fxx, Bxx and many more excel in their career paths. They are the top people who make decisions for the organisation they are attached to. Well done, guys! Then there are also those who did not quite make it, ended up at a much lower rank and found it difficult to push up the ladder further, like Axx and Jxx.

I also noticed that most of us now are guided well on the path of Islam. We live the Islamic way of life that promotes simplicity, modesty, harmony, humble, respect, less conflict and happy. Alhamdulillah. May we all be protected from the burning fire of hell. But there are also those minority who live in western styles and cultures. It's shocking to see familiar faces who used to be so naive in school many years ago, now have blond hair and wear mini skirts and put on thick make up and polish their nails red. More shocking to get to know that some even cosume alcoholic drinks and ignore their duty to pray or fast in Ramadhan. Astaghfirullah! May Allah shower them with lots and lots of hidayah so they'll be able to repent and turn back to the right path before it's too late.

Getting to know all that had happened to my friends really made think that I am truly a lucky person.

I am not rich, and I am thankful for that, else I would have forgotten to look down at those who are in need.

I am not poor either, and I am thankful for that, too, cause I might end up becoming a person with low self-esteem.

I am not pretty, and I am thankful for that, else I might be walking on the street in blond hair and mini skirts and spaghetti straps.

I am not ugly either, and I am so thankful for that, else I might be spending too much money buying beauty products and perhaps blame God for his creation.

I am not the VP or CEO or CFO or BOD of any company, and I am thankful for that, else I would have less time for my family.

But then I am not jobless either, and I am thankful I got just the right career for myself. Teaching has been a passion and it's in my blood line. I am happy to disseminate knowledge to everyone who seek for wisdom.

I am happy for being plain me.

Guided by the Almighty.

Living in peace.

Syukur Alhamdulillah.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - Courses

Saturday 13th March, 2010

My husband has acknowledged since the first time we set foot at the office of Andalusia Travel and Tours that short courses conducted for the pilgrims-to-be every weekend would be packed with many kinds of people from all walks of life who want to listen to the talk by Ustaz Haji Daud Che Ngah on the essential preparations before departing for umrah. We were advised to attend the course at least three weeks before departure, and our turn has come this week, so we decided to be there as early as possible to secure our seats. We thought that the office will only open at 9.00am, the usual business hour. Unfortunately we were wrong. People have been waiting since 7.00am in the morning and by the time we reached the place at 8.15am it was already jam-packed. Three floors were provided for the pilgrims-to-be during the course, two floors for men and another one for women. Anyway, men occupied only one floor, on the contrary, it was the women who conquered the other two floors. The speaker noticed this too, and nonchalantly uttered that it's the sign that the world is heading to an end soon (tanda-tanda qiamat). Na'uzubillah...

The course started at 9.00am but soon after the session was interrupted with technical faulty of the sound system at the men's floor. They can only see the speaker through the screen installed on the wall, but can't hear what he was saying. Staff of Andalusia have been very helpful. They worked hard to solve the problem, climbing up and down the stairs, running between the power room at the ground floor and the course room at the third floor. After about half an hour, men participants were seen leaving the building with disappointed faces.  One of them was grumbling, saying that he travelled all the way from far north to attend the course.

Bersabarlah wahai jemaah sekalian. Ini baru sekecil-kecil dugaan Allah turunkan untuk menguji keimanan kita. Belum lagi bertolak ke Madinah dan Mekah yang lebih banyak lagi dugaan dan cabarannya yang bakal kita tempuhi. Beristighfar banyak-banyak dan berdoalah semoga Allah membantu kita. Insya-Allah, berkat kesabaran dan sifat bertolak-ansur serta merendah diri itu pasti akan ada balasannya yang manis dari Allah.

Despite the minor hiccup, the speaker has managed to complete his talk by 1.00 pm. We've learned a lot of new things about hajj and umrah and became so eager to be there soon. My husband and I look forward for the journey to purify our heart and soul, to be able to cleanse ourselves from the sins we commited.

May Allah bless our journey. Amin.

Alahai anakku sayang...

Aida is now 3years 2 months old. Other ordinary toddlers of her age would have been able to converse almost fluently by now, but Aida's progress has been a wee bit slow. I suppose one factor that contributes to this is because she stays at home alone most of the time with no one to talk to, so she gets less practice. The maid is of course there but what do you expect? She's got tonnes of house chores to settle before we come home in the evening, so the chance of talking like there's nothing to worry about is very slim.

Anyway, I am not saying that my child cannot talk at all. But she's still in her "baby talk" mode and though sometimes we wonder when she'll be talking like her brother and sister, we continue to enjoy our conversation with her. One day, while we were having breakfast ala-ala mat saleh outdoor at the porch, suddenly a neighbour's Persian cat hopped onto the garden table and meowed loudly. We were all surprised to see the cat's sudden appearance, but the most excited person was Aida.

"Ibu, taik kucing atas meja" she shouted.

When we heard that, we were stunned for a few second, then started searching for the cat's poop. Gosh! Habislah nasi lemak aku...We really thought there was one but no, there's no such thing.

"Ayah, taik kucing!" Aida shouted again, pointing at the cat.

We really did not understand what she was trying to tell us until finally my eldest son came out from the house and joined us. He explained that if Aida said "taik kucing" then what she really mean is "kucing".

We had a hard laugh. So, actually she was trying to tell us there's a cat on the table, but instead, she said there is a cat's poop on the table!!!

We tried to correct her. Using fried anchovies from the nasi lemak as bait, we made the cat stayed with us much longer. While the cat was eating, we taught Aida how to refer to a cat correctly in Malay language.

Oh well..... despite all the things we've tried, we failed.... till this very day, she still call a cat as taik kucing. Ha ha ha...

My son revealed more unthinkable everyday words promoted by Aida, the popular ones are:

1.) JONANG. 

If you think it has anything to do with THE JONAS BROTHERS, you're wrong. Aida loves to sing a song from a movie "Halimah Jongang" aired on TV. How she sing it?

"Jonang jonang jonang.... jonang jonang jonang.... bibik jonang..."

Yes. Poor bibik. Obviously she's the victim. Ha ha ha....

2.) AMAK.

Amak is the short of Alamak! Sentence example: "Amak! Taik kucing!" which really is "Alamak! Kucing!"

3.) BAIBI

This word has put us in dilemma for many months. It actually refers to "baby", but the way she pronounce it really sounds like BABI (pig). Oh my God!!! Help us!

4.) SHAIMAN

She is referring to Spiderman, actually... Ha ha ha... And almost immediately she will be glued to the wall with one leg lifted up as if to climb it.

5.) SHUBIN

This is her "adopted father". He is no other than MR. BEAN...!   She will not allow you to change the channel when he's amusing her, even though she has watched the same sitcom over and over again for thousand times...

That's Aida Amani, my miracle baby....I love you, Darling..!

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - Ruling on conveying Salam to the Prophet

As told by Asma bint Shameem

"Please convey my salaams to the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) when you go and visit Madeenah."

Thats what they said to me as I was leaving for Hajj this year.

Some even said, "Take my name personally and say so-and-so has sent you the salaams, O Prophet of Allah."

And it wasnt just a few who requested this. Many, many people asked me to do so. I also know that it was out of sheer love and utmost respect for the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) that they said this. But my dear brother/sister in Islaam, I have to tell you that this is an action that is NOT prescribed in the Shareeah.

Now, I am not saying that sending blessings and salaams on the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) itself is bad. Surely it is one of the best and most virtuous of deeds and one of the most beloved of deeds to Allah and of course, we should send salaams on the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) all the time, as much as we can. And Allah will send blessings on you in return tenfold. That is surely good.

What is wrong is telling a person traveling to Madeenah to convey your salaams to him (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam).

Did you know that your salaams will reach him (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) no matter where you are, whether you are standing in front of his grave in Madeenah or you are thousands of miles away in the U.S.or even when you are in your room in Bombay?

The Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
"Send blessings upon me for your greeting will reach me no matter where you are”.
(Abu Dawood--saheeh by al-Albaani)


And he (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
Allah has angels who go around on earth, conveying to me the salaam of my ummah”
(al-Nasaai-saheeh by al-Albaani)

So, it doesnt really matter whether you are in the privacy of your home or in the midst of the market place, or if you are a bedouin living in Madeenah or an astronaut flying in space. If you send salaams on the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam), he will receive them.

Besides, wouldnt you like to send your salaams personally to the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) instead of sending it through somebody who may forget ? Or he may not convey the salaams with that love and respect you would like him to?

How do we know it is wrong ?

We know it is wrong because it was not the practice of the Sahaabah or the righteous people after them to convey the salaams of each other at the grave of the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) every time one of them visited Madeenah. If it was something good, surely, the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) would have taught the Sahaabah to do that or he would have given us instructions to do so. But the fact of the matter is that he (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) instructed us to do quite the opposite.

He (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said,
"Do not take my grave as a place of festivity (which you visit repeatedly). Send blessings upon me for your greeting will reach me no matter where you are.?
(Abu Dawood)

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said: "If you send salaam upon him (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) from the farthest ends of the earth, your salaam will reach him, because Allah has appointed angels who travel about the earth, and if anyone sends salaams upon the Messenger (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam), they convey that salaam to the Messenger (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam). So if we say now,

“O Allah, send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah,”

our salaam will be transmitted to him. In prayer we say, “Al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allahi wa barakaatuhu” (Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings) and the salaam is transmitted to him.

Shaikh Ibn Baaz said: "Sending salaams to the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) as an act or worship is an innovation (bid'ah). In fact it is not prescribed to send salaam to anyone who is deceased, rather salaams are to be said to the dead by one who visits him (his grave)..." (Majmoo Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 23/416, 417)

Just say Allahumma Salli ala Muhammad from the bottom of your heart.....with utter love and devotion....and the angels will be honored to carry this piece of love to him and convey your salaams to him and he will surely receive it.

Guaranteed.

The world is getting old. Are you prepared to die tomorrow?

What do I mean with such a question?

I'll tell you more in my next posting, Insya-Allah.

Is EARTH the biggest thing in existence?

Is the Earth the biggest thing in existence?

Certainly not!

Allah the Almighty has created planet Jupiter, which is 1,300 times bigger than Earth.

The picture compared the size of Earth and Jupiter.

Is there anything bigger than Jupiter then?

Certainly there is.....the Sun!

Can you see the arrow pointing at a small dot? That's Earth!

Is there anything bigger than the Sun?

Certainly there is... a star named Antares!

The arrow is now pointing at the Sun. We can no longer see our Earth because it's too small!

Masya-Allah..SubhanAllah! The bigger dot is actually the 'moon' that circles Antares. This is amazing!

Are there more stars like Antares or is it the only one?

There certainly are many more...!

This picture shows a small part of the sky with innumerable giant stars like Antares.

Is there something bigger than Antares?

There certainly is! The VY Canis Majoris..!

The small dot is "As-Syamsina" or the Sun. It would take more than 7,000,000,000,000,000 (7 quadrallion) Earths to fill the volume of VY Canis Majoris!!!

Is there anything bigger than VY Canis Majoris?

Of course there is... The Pulsar!!!

Pulsars are highly magnetized, rotating neutron stars that emit beams of radiation. Their radiation can only be observed when the beam of emission is pointing straight towards the Earth (sometimes also referred as 'The Lighthouse Effect'). The first Pulsar was observed on November 28, 1967.

Interesting fact about Pulsar:

Pulsars made strange sounds like a hammer or knock. The link below is from Cornell University database on the sound of Pulsars. Please listen to it. You'll be amazed. http://www.astro.cornell.edu/~deneva/psr_sounds/pulsars_sounds.htm

Notice how the sounds seem like a knocking in the stillness of the night.

The Quran has related the details of Pulsar long before man discovered it!

Allah gives a description of these stars through two words: "Tariq" (knocking sounds) and "Thaqib" (magnetic waves):

"By the Heavens and At-Tariq (one who knocks at night): and what will make you to know what At-Tariq is? (It is) the star of piercing (brightness)" At-Tariq: 3-1

Masya-Allah!

Is there something more in the Universe that is more significant?

Yes, there is.. The Black Hole.

Scientists have recently discovered the existence of the black holes they called Stars. The black hole is characterized by three properties:

1. It cannot be seen

2. Are at high speeds

3. Attract everything as if it sweeps everything from the sky.

Interesting fact, isn't it? The Quran has accurately described this long before man discovered the black holes in three words: "Al-Khunnas" (cannot be seen); "Al-Jawar" (moves swiftly); and "Al-Kunnas" (sweeps and gathers everything to itself):

"So verily I swear by the (planets) receded. and by the planets that move swiftly and hide"

Allah the Amighty!

If the Sun burns us (the Earth), the Pulsars emits harmful radiations and the Black holes sweeps everything up, how safe are we (the Earth)?

Allah the Almighty took care of that for us...

The Earth (blue planet on the right in the picture above) is surrounded by a very strong magnetic field that shileds us from harms. On rare occassion, the magnetic shield manifests itself beautifuly, like this: 

This is the picture of the polar Aurora, or,  after many years of study, the scientists refer to it as the Earth's magnetic field. The Aurora is Earth's defense mechanism.

SubhanAllah...! 

Then there certainly is something bigger...That is the Galaxy...

A galaxy is a system of stars and planets. Many planets of different sizes and stars like Antares, VY Canis Majoris and Pulsars reside within a galaxy. They are just like small specs of dust in it!!! The galaxy where our Earth resides is called "The Milky Way".

How many galaxies are there?

The Universe has countless numbers of galaxies!!!!  Each of the small dot in the picture above is a galaxy!

Allah says in the Quran:

Anything bigger than the galaxies? Yes, there is!

There is something else SO BIG that even the countless group of galaxies will look like the spec of dust!

What is it?

It is "An-Naar"  The Hellfire...

The stones of the universe (galaxies) and human beings and jinns will be but only the fuel that burns in it!

And there is something MUCH BIGGER than the big An-Naar...

It is "Al-Jannah" The Heaven...

The Jannah is more gracious and spacious, prepared for the believers.

So, is Al-Jannah the biggest thing of all?

No. There is one more that is the biggest of all...

It is "Al-Arash ArRahman"

This is the Throne of Allah, and one leg itself extends over heavens and earths. And even the Throne is nothing but so small in front of The Majesty of Allah Almighty alone.

This is where everything ends, because He is the First and Last.

Mum, I'm a Muslim...!

I watched this interesting documentary on Astro Oasis about four British women who embraced Islam and become a Muslim despite the warning of Muslim terrorism in New York on September 11 by the so called "world police".

These women have strong courage to defend what they believe and to guard their faith in their new religion. The most interesting part of the documentary that really made me want to jump and say "That's it!!" was when one of these new sisters in Islam asked by the interviewer why she decided to convert to Islam. She said something like this,

"I read the Bible and the Qu'ran. Whilst the Qur'an tells you the history and personal background of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)from his childhood until his last breath, I can't find any history of Jesus. Who is he? Where did he come from? How am I to believe him?"

The documentary film is available on http://www.youtube.com/ if you are interested to watch it for yourself. This is part 2 of 6 of the film).

But then, there's also a part of the documentary that I don't quit agree, that was when one of the sisters was asked what's the punishment for adulterers in Islam and she answered,

"Murdered. Adulterers will be murdered"

For people who do not understand the Islamic syari'ah law, they would say that sort of punishment is 'extremely barbaric'. But really, that's not what she meant. For adultery, if one is not married yet, then one will be caned 100 times on their bare back. Reason: body cells that were hit when caned will trigger alert to produce 'prevention'(sorry, I'll find the right word and replace it here later)so that the chance of getting infected with HIV AIDS is slim.

On the other hand, if the adulterer is married, then one need to be stoned to death. Reason: to prevent one from transfering HIV AIDS from oneself to spouse and possibly their child(ren). We've seen such common scenarios where a man infected his wife and sometimes his unborn child with HIV AIDS. They live in despair, shut themselves away from other people, they bear low confidence in themselves, and finally die in misery. There are logic explanations behind each and every rules and law proposed in Islam that if you fully understand its purpose, you would agree to it as well.

It's wonderful to know that more people around the world are choosing Islam as their way of life. I am proud I was born a Muslim.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series- Preparation

February 27, 2010

My husband surprised me when he suggested we both go perform umrah in the very near future. He said that the time has come for us to 'meet' our Creator, Allah the Almighty.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am ready"

That smile on his face...His eyes was sparkling when he said this. I am the happiest person in this world. I have long been persuading him to take me to Makkah for umrah, but he always said he's not ready yet.

"There's no purpose of you going there when your heart and mind is absent. It will be a great waste".


But this time it's different. I know his decision is firm. He will not change his mind. He has decided that we are now ready physically and spiritually. This is the time. My prayer has been answered. I'll soon become the Almighty's guest of honour. Syukur alhamdulillah!

We immediately searched the internet for the best travel agent that handles umrah packages. We found Andalusia Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd and my husband agreed instantly that we should travel with them. Finding the appropriate date seems not a problem at all. I told my husband that I have longed to visit Jordan and he agreed to fulfill my wish. When we enquired about Jordan package, there's only ONE travelling date left, with only TWO seats left, as if it is meant for us to be on that plane. Date of travel is from April 6th to 20th, and I have checked that on these dates, I am free from teaching workloads, my PhD supervisor should be on maternity leave therefore she will not miss me, my colloquium will be held in June, my schooling children have no monthly tests or exams, my husband should have cleared his works before the auditors come into the office and most important of all, I should be free from my menses so that I could perform my prayers without barriers. Wonderful! So wonderful, as if it has been pre-planned carefully.

Is this co-incidence? I don't think so! I told my best friend about this and she said,

"That's because you have received a special invitation from Allah to visit Him!"

Agree! I have been invited...



March 3, 2010

My husband and I settled three important things yesterday in preparation for umrah:

We went to the Immigration Department at Wangsa Maju to renew our international passports that have already expired. Arrived at 8.30 am, but the queue was already long till it reached the outer side of the building. My husband has prepared the necessary documents from home to save time and all the hassle- renewal forms filled in and signed, a photocopy of national identification card, passport-sized photos and the expired passports. These items must be ready to be submitted to the officer or else you will not be given a number, thus your application not processed. We decided to renew our passports for a period of two years at the cost of RM100 each.

Waiting in a trance gave me headache. I need to move around,  or at least do something. Simply putting both hands on the lap and daydream will cause my brain to rot. My husband yawned, and yawned, and yawned..... After three hours waiting, we collected our passports with relief  *yay!*. By the time we left, the Immigration Department was so packed up with people that I almost suffocated for fresh air.

Next stop was Zarif Clinic at Celcom HQ Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz. We went to see the doctor for our menangitis injection. This is a must for those who want to leave the country and travel to countries with dry and hot weather like Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE. You'll get a card that record the injection. Ouch! My arm hurts!

Our final destination was Andalusia Travel and Tours located at Taman Maluri Kuala Lumpur - the travel agent. We submitted all necessary documents to apply for visa, paid the remaining balance for our package, and that's it! Everything is settled. Now waiting for our turn to attend a half-day course conducted by the travel agent before we depart for Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Tentatively that will be in two weeks time. In the mean time, we will be reading more books on the dos and don'ts when visiting and performing umrah.

I pray Allah will make this easy for us both, and also protect our families that we left behind when we are away. I am so excited that I started to get sleep disorder. I am counting my days eagerly. Thank you Allah. Thank you for inviting me to Your House.


   

Anders Backman - my Swedish friend

Introducing Anders Backman, 43, from Gottenberg, Sweden. Also known as Gnarl the Beast in Tagged. A simple man, yet full of humor. A very kind-hearted person, who devotes all his love to his beautiful soulmate, Tina Carlstorm and their three children.

I met Anders on the net. He approached me in one of the 'meet friends from all over the world' site and of course later we became friends. Honestly at first I thought he is a species that comes from the same tribe of mentally-retarded people who turn internet into an environmental apocalypse with their flirting demeanor -- in their first email they'll chant the common  'hi how are you doing' note and the next time they will ask if you're interested to have sex with them online! Sheesh!

But getting to know Anders..... I admit that he's different from the rest. He aims to make as many international friends as possible to fulfill his mission to improve his English language. In his very first email to me he even warned me 'dont get me wrong but I belong to someone else so don't even think of falling in love with me!'  

Hahahaha....*rolling on the floor*.  That's so straight forward but it's cute. I mean, how on earth would he be so sure that I will fall in love with him after several conversations? Hey Anders, that should be my line, not yours!

The beauty of our friendship...? Priceless! Of course we exchange common things like personal experiences, about relationships with our spouses, about raising the children, about works, traveling experience, adventures, past times, and many others, but the best of all is our 'foreign language session' where he'll teach me simple everyday Swedish language and I'll convert them to Malay language for him. Some of the words/sentences he taught me are:

God morgan - Good morning
Hej, mitt namn ar Ati - Hello, my name is Ati
Lat oss dricka kaffe - let's drink coffee
Jag foredrar te - I prefer tea
Kall? - cold?
Varm - hot
Vi ses nasta gang - We see next time
Ha en trevlig dag - Have a nice day
God natt - Good night
Jag alskar dig! - I love you!

...and of course the simple counting from one to ten... (I think for beginners like me, number six must be the easiest to remember!)

ett - one
tva - two
tre - three
fyra - four
fem - five
sex - six
sju - seven
atta - eight
nio - nine
tio - ten

We truly had good times together and I really miss him for these moments. Gosh! Wish I have more time to chat with him on the net. Well, I used to get hooked up to the internet at least five to six hours a day but since I am getting busier with my study I have to leave my friends aside for now. I have not written to him for many months, but I hope he will still remember me, just the way I remember him.

Anders, my good online friend. Like a rare diamond in the glittering sands.