Around the World

At the time of me typing this, some of the Muslims in Australia have done their tarawih.

Followed by the South East Asia countries (mostly).

A few more hours more will be the Muslims in Middle East.

Those in Europe and the States are probably still waiting for the moon.

And the world continue to rotate with alternation of day and night.

Around the world people worshiping Allah in the month of Mercy longitude by longitude.

Ahlan Ya Ramadhan.

I am having knots in my stomach. A very important guest is coming to all of us. May Allah allow allow us to meet Ramadhan to the fullest.

Challenge Yourself

I think if we have never challenge ourself (in terms of ibadah) perhaps Ramadhan is the time to start doing it.

If we have been praying exactly like how we prayed when we last left school, surely we can challenge ourself to improve it. Memorise new surah perhaps? I can never tell you how beautiful it is to be able to add more surah into our databank.

If we have never read any of the morning Adzkar, we can slowly start doing so. At least we can start by reciting the three quls three times and ayatul kursi in the morning and also after asr.

If we have never done the sunnah prayers associated to fard prayers, let's start by doing one by one now. My recommendation is the two rakaat before fajr prayer.

If we have never finish the quran in ramadhan, why not this year? A doable tip is read two pages before solat and another two pages after solat, Insya Allah.

If we have never given charity, why not be generous this time round. If you already are, Masya Allah good for you, may Allah bless you and your rizq. Prophet Mohammad sallahu alaihi wasalam was most generous this month.

If you never wake up in the later night to be in privacy with Allah, indeed this is the best time to start. Allah wants to give you what you need. Allah wants to boast your names in front of the angels. Allah's mercy is in abundance. It's the time of the year when discounts of ajr is everywhere for grabs.

You can choose which ibadah you want or better still pick them all. But also, Allah loves small act of worship but done consistently. Build yourself. Start little, aim big and be consistent.

Show Allah that you are the best of His slave. That you are worthy to be in his jannah. Do something outrageous this year. Something different. Something that makes your ramadhan this year stands out compare to the previous.

Surely we can! Allahu Akbar!

And the least you can do is fight the nafs that go against the ibadah of Ramadhan.

Of course "you" in the paragraphs above really meant "I" as in me.

Do you have any outrageous good deed that you want to challenge yourself this year?

Bismillah Police

Haziq has been a bit naughty lately. So told his other two siblings. He has not been saying Bismillah before eating. Gasps!

THE BOOK OF DRINKS (KITAB AL-ASHRIBA)
Muslim :: Book 23 : Hadith 5006
Jabir b. ‘Abdullah reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: When a person enters his house and mentions the name of Allah at the time of entering it and while eating the food, Satan says (addressing himself: You have no place to spend the night and no evening meal; but when he enters without mentioning the name of Allah, the Satan says: You have found a place to spend the night, and when he does not mention the name of Allah while eating food, he (the Satan) says: You have found a place to spend the night and evening meal. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Jabir b. Abdullah through the same chain of transmitters but with a slight variation of wording.

If you would like to read more, you can check out one of my older posts in the other blog : THE MANNERS OF EATING

Sya and Jack have been keeping in check with him. reminding him "Have you said your Bismillah" . have you said it? have you? Have you?



This is one of the latest attempts. Putting it on his plate to remind him.

They call themselves the Bismillah Police.

Part of efforts of enjoining good, forbidding evil. May Allah bless them.

Free Parking

When I came to Qatar in 2005, there was only one parking place that charges the patrons which is the airport parking. The rest of Qatar is free parking for all including the kerbs and whatever space you can squeeze your car on.

A few years later, they started dishing out summons those who park on kerbs and slap you with three demerit points while they are at it. (maximum demerit points is 14 for license suspension (i think)).

Then i think it was last year that they "beautify" the open parking space at the most prominent souk here - Souk Waqif. With a toll booth, clearly identifed lines for your parking bay, smaller space to park for everyone's mostly 5.4 gazoline drinker vehicles and smaller space to manouver as you reverse your car to get out and they began to charge you QR3 per entry.

This year the first major shopping mall is beginning to follow suit. With a whopping QR2 for one hour, QR5 for two hours, QR8 for three hours and QR10 each for further hours. The reason, as quoted by management which had inputs from loyal shoppers, is the difficulty to find parking at the mall because many selfish users are parking without actually going to the mall rather to work at nearby offices.

EVERYONE LOVES TO PAY FOR THEIR PARKING SPACE

Oh well.

So I went the other day, forgetting that they are already charging the parking. When I got there and saw the booth and the gantry and the signboard about the parking charges, I regretted immediately for coming. (We can still enjoy free parking elsewhere here). The parking space has gotten smaller. Also they put a sensor on the floor in a form of two small humps thus not allowing my long car to enter fully into the bay.

Anyway when I am done with shopping (got three scarves really nice and cheap. Wee heee)), I proceeded to the parking meter machine. Lo and behold! It was out of service! Great! And there is only one machine there. No information was put, so I had to assume that there is another parking meter machine at another exit in the middle of the mall.

Lo and behold again! It was also out of service!

Getting a bit pissed off, had to walk further to find another machine.

Lo and behold again and again! It says it is out of service in arabic!

Bleargh!

Went to the information counter and calming myself while at that. It is an ugly sight to see a woman screaming at an information counter I think.

So I asked and the info counter girl said, oh it is still free.

Lo and behold!

Ceh!

In my defense, the papers said initially 1st of july then they said 18th July. When I went it was after 18th. Plus they should put some signange telling us that it is still free.

Alhamdulillah for calming down.

The Hot Water from the Hose is Unlike Al Hameem

It is the month of July again. Where the summer heat in the Middle East is soaring. Not to the fullest peak but already reaching 50 Celcius in the noon.

I am still steadfast in taking care of my plants. The challenges are high really. I must say many of the "softer" plants have wilt or burnt or died mercilessly.

When I water them in the morning, even before seven, the water from the hose is hot. Even when i water them later in the day, the water from the hose is hot. At night when the sun is shining on on the other part of the world, the water from the hose remains hot.

The conclusion is the plants are all the time enduring hot water.

Some die but many remain very much alive (at least that's what I hope for my small garden.)

Can you imagine being forced to take hot water all the time?

At least the plants are in my jannah - my garden.

Those in hell will be forced to take hot boiling water. And hell is no garden

Al Waqia 56: 51-56

Then moreover, verily, you the erring-ones, the deniers (of Resurrection)! "You verily will eat of the trees of Zaqqûm. "Then you will fill your bellies therewith, "And drink boiling water on top of it. "And you will drink (that) like thirsty camels!". That will be their entertainment on the Day of Recompense!

The arabic word to watch for is Al Hameem - EXTREMELY HOT WATER

Muhammad 47: 15

(Are these) like those who shall dwell for ever in the Fire, and be given, to drink, boiling water, so that it cuts up their bowels?

Al Kahf 18: 29

And if they ask for help (relief, water) they will be granted water like boiling oil, that will scald their faces. Terrible is the drink, and an evil Murtafaq (dwelling, resting place)!

Ibrahim 14: 16-17

In front of him (every obstinate, arrogant dictator) is Hell, and he will be made to drink boiling, festering water. He will sip it unwillingly, and he will find a great difficulty to swallow it down his throat[], and death will come to him from every side, yet he will not die and in front of him, will be a great torment.

As Sad 38: 57

This is so! Then let them taste it, a boiling fluid and dirty wound discharges.

And then there is Al Ghassaq which is boiling fluid and dirty wound discharges . The festering pus that oozes out of the skin pf people of hell. the juice of the people of hell.

As Sad 38: 57
This is so! Then let them taste it, a boiling fluid and dirty wound discharges.

The hot water from the water hose is unlike Al Hameem.

May Allah protect us from Hell fire.

A Teenager in the House

Masya Allah, Haziq has turned 13 last week. As thirteen is the fist number in the ascending order that has teen in it, I consider this age as the official teenage age.

Ahlan to the youthful phase where energy is at abundance, hormone is running wild, opposite gender is confusing yet interesting.

I greeted him in the morning, with him already at the computer table and trust me is not work he was doing. Anyway I greeted him in the morning and started conversing with him. His two siblings sprawling on haziq's bed still in their pyjamas.

We talked about a few important things

The Prophet said:
There are seven whom Allah ill shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade: a just ruler; a youth who grew up in the worship of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; a man whose heart is attached to the mosques; two men who love each other for Allah's sake, meeting for that and parting upon that; a man who is called by a woman of beauty and position [for illegal intercourse], but be says: 'I fear Allah', a man who gives in charity and hides it, such that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives in charity; and a man who remembered Allah in private and so his eyes shed tears.'

Narrated by Abu Hurairah & collected in Sahih al-Bukhari

Sayiddina Ali's courage even at young age willing to sacrifice himself replacing the Prophet sallahu alaihi wasalam knowing that it could be his death instead.

Remember the story of the young apperentice in the story of the People of the Ditch? The apprentice was a youth who holds on to his eemaan to his death.

Remember the story of the sleepers of the cave? The youths who refused to worship other than Allah, being the stranger in their own community. Threathed by death, they fleed away only to be saved by Allah. They then became a sign of Allah's power to mankind.

Have you forgotten about Mus'ab bin Umair? The handsome young man, the son of rich family, who when the truth settles in his heart, became one of those who strive hard in the deen. He was the one who guide the Ansars and spread Islam in Madinah before Prophet Muhamamd sallalhu alaihi wasalam made hijrah.

Countless examples of youth, some short life and some live into strong men, has Allah strong in their heart. Nothing shakes their heart, Insya Allah. Their eemaan strong and intact. Their energy channeled in the correct path.

May you strive to be among the leaders of the muttaquun.

Kita Muda Hanya Sekali Aje Babe

Anda muda?
Bertenaga?
Mempunyai makan pakai yang cukup?
Masa yang ada hanya di luangkan dengan bersosial samada di social network atau borak-borak dengan rakan atau menonton TV?
Anda masih mempunyai nyawa?

Jika anda ada salah satu dari kriteria di atas, maka anda termasuk dalam kategori orang yang ada "advantage".

hadith of ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhu reported in the mustadrak of Al-Haakim, musnad Imam Ahmad, and others, with an authentic chain of narration. In this hadith the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam said to a man while he was advising him:

"Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth, before you become old; and your health, before you fall sick; and your richness, before you become poor; and your free time before you become busy; and your life, before your death."

And if we put the end objective in life is to be in Jannah, where we can finally see Allah's face and have a totally pure blissful ending, the advantage we want to grab (as per hadith) mestilah perkara-perkara yang boleh bawak kita ke jannah.

This is in contrast to the more glamorous objective of "kita muda hanya sekali" and adding to it another phrase , "dah tua nanti kita taubatlah."

Muda hanya sekali. Cantik, kuat dan bertenaga juga hanya sementara. Yang sangat pasti ialah mati. Selepas itu berdiri di hadapan Allah yang akan bertanya apa yang kita sudah lakukan semasa kita muda, kuat, bertenaga, berwang.

Just think about it. really think about it. Because this answer among many others will determine your position of life after that. In the blissful paradise or doom to hell?

What we would answer to Allah is what we are living our life now.

May Allah assist us in living our life in worshiping Him alone.
_____________________

I am putting up a clip about a man, who has regrets in his past life of not doing what he could do when he was more able. But Alhamdulillah, Allah still give him life, and indeed, Masya Allah, he is taking the final advantage of his ability, to spread daawah. May Allah preserve him and erase all his past sins.



_____________________________

We had a small halaqah on this. Can be read HERE - TAKING CARE OF YOUR TIME.

I suppose this is my present to haziq who just turned 13 today. May Allah make him among the muttaqun.

When the Lights Went Out

As you know it is summer in middle east and it is hot. Reaching 50C in the mid afternoon. Thus you can imagine that we need the air condition all the time. All houses have air condition in every room except the toilet. And as expected the summer electricity bills shoot up. (water bills also because I had to use more water for the plants).

In this not so new house now we are even more dependent on the electricity. The landlord provided us with electric ceramic top cooker (tak suka!!!!)

Somehow the electricity provider has been doing a bit of hiccups in this sweltering hot season and have cut off electricity too many a time. This is not something normal and it has left us in the hot just a bit too frequent.

Normally, which is really really rare like once in three years, when there is a need of maintenance work or upgrading, they would notify us beforehand. But these past few weeks we have been experiencing black out surprises, not to our liking.

It was just a few days ago we had one at 8 in the morning. I rushed the kids to take their shower because without electricity the water pump is stalled thus leaving us without water very soon.

Then I cannot cook because we use electric cooker. (hooray for great excuses!)

No air condition. Alhamdulillah we could stand it for a while. The house was cooling.

Then no internet. That's like almost no life for me.

Not to mention my computer is acting up nowadays perhaps due to frequent sudden shut down.

Upon enquiring, they said its due to cable failures. Might take 5 hours to repair.

I decided to wait for sometime. Just in case you know. Come Dzuhur, we are already hot and we need food and things to do other than the reading and congkak game we were playing, I decided to go out.

The thing is, my car is parked within the compound of my house (Alhamdulillah). Under the shade. Alhamdulillah. Sealed by a roller shutter that I can use remote control on. Alhamdulillah. So Insya Allah tak adalah kisah-kisah macam ni lagi. READ HERE.

Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know already, roller shutter that uses remote control, uses electricity for it to roll up and down.

So when the lights went out, lollies got stuck in the house.

But naaahhhh, I called the cab instead.

وَيۡلٌ۬ يَوۡمَٮِٕذٍ۬ لِّلۡمُكَذِّبِينَ (Wailun yaumaidzin lil mukadzzibin)

When I was little and I used to read the stories of the prophets and also how they refuse to accept the message. How the story narrated their refusal to accept Allah as one God and that they one day will be raised again and will have to answer before the one god. Prophet after prophet coming with one main message, that there is no other god worthy to worship except Allah. Then i read about pagan quraysh who denied the message of rasulullah and remain steadfast on their believe in worshiping idols, I used to imagine pre civilisation days.

These stories, to me at my younger age, only happen in the days when there are no cars and no phones. Where people probably dance around fire and wear old fashion clothes and had to dig holes for their toilet. I use to imagine the stories of the past with people wearing old fashion clothes like the one they wear in the arab tele series that I always watch when i was a kid in Ramadhan. Where we label these people as jahiliyah. It does not happen to people who have technologies.

Only as i grow up, I realised that history repeats. Civilisation after civilisation. Technology improves but people's mindset and ideology are the same. In fact in many ways, the era we are now has much more tribulation than the jahiliyyah times. Those who deny also wears suit and can be exceptionally clever. Abu Jahal, for your information was also an exceptionally clever man in his time. They use to call him Abu Hakam.

At least (not defending them though), the Quraysh still believe in Allah that Allah is the one who creates, the one who gives rizq and the one who gives life and death. Except that they need an intermediary to make dua to Allah such that all worship instead of given to the Lord who Creates, is given to the idols who they create themselves.

Many a time we read, that the non believers in this time refused to accept that Allah has promised that they will be raised again to be questioned for all the things they deed when they are alive. They scoff at this idea, unable to believe how Allah can raise you when you have changed to dust and bones. Forgetting that Allah created them from nothing in the first place and everything is easy for Him.

Everything is created by chance and luck.
When we die, it will just be the end so no one can do anything to us even though we killed thousand of men in our lifetime. No one also will do anything to the one who oppress us and gangrape the women in our house. When the oppressors die, they escape everything.
All those written in religious scrolls and Books are fairy tales just like aesop's.
You are backward for believing in God.

Indeed the Believers are those who believe in Ghaib. May Allah guides those who are not.

Stephen Hawking: 'There is no heaven; it's a fairy story'"

Al Mutafiffin 10-17

Woe, that Day, to those who deny. (10)
Those who deny the Day of Recompense. (11)
And none can deny it except every transgressor beyond bounds, (in disbelief, oppression and disobedience to Allâh), the sinner! (12)
When Our Verses (of the Qur'ân) are recited to him he says: "Tales of the ancients!" (13)
Nay! But on their hearts is the Rân (covering of sins and evil deeds) which they used to earn[] (14)
Nay! Surely, they (evil-doers) will be veiled from seeing their Lord that Day. (15) Then, verily they will indeed enter (and taste) the burning flame of Hell. (16)
Then, it will be said to them: "This is what you used to deny!" (17)