Etch-too-owe

Dawn. It's a cold, wet friday morning. It's been raining for quite long hours you see. Currently enjoying this weather. Cats huddle each other. Children strech and yawn lazily,taking longer time to wake up for fajr prayer. The sound of rain knocks the window panes. The music is soothing. Fat droplets hit the roof and the ground. Complaints of "cold..!" are heard many times. Is there anyone who really love rain? -that rain makes you smile everytime it greets. I can see the sky is dark blue and greyish. Not sure of how the sun would look like later though. Subhanallah. All these are meant for us, so that we won't forget to prostrate, be grateful and praise the Creator for His constant blessings and love.

Jumu'ah barakah!

Hummin'

I did it. 

- to conquer your fear is to let yourself experience new moments, meet new people, listen to new stories, learn and broaden perspectives, because Allah  wants you to enrich your soul and depend fully on him when it comes to everything. You give little, you get back a lot!

clue

I feel like writing. It's just after a long haul, or a busy week, I crave for quiet moments alone. I'm thinking, while the body needs rest, the soul needs a revive too. Maybe go for a quiet stroll on green paths, or just something as simple as reading old books in my keep.

again, it's not all about me.

giving something I love,
and getting more from Allah in return,

is the best way to revive.

edgy

Few days before ramadhan comes to an end. Final lapse. Many flood into mosques, jam-packed parking spaces, smiles on their faces, with unstoppable desire to embrace His love and the blessings of lailatulqadr.

In small villages, mothers pray in huts, fathers gather in a big group, mouth shut but their hearts shout.

All for the sake of one love,

His ultimate love, and acceptance.

goodie

it's a big city,
roaring cars,
tall concrete buildings,
blazing noise,
delicious food from street stalls,
smiling people,
flower trees,
concrete pavements,

one thing that always makes me smile,
is i can hear birds chirping away, every single morning.

i fear that i might not get the chance to enjoy it anymore,
it's like a gift,
and a sign of tawakkal,

birds go out in the morning not knowing of what food they will get for the day,
fly about with empty little stomachs, feeling hungry,
yet they return home feeling full and content,
and whose power leads to that?

Allahurobbuna

.

a super moon. subhanallah. 

unsung

"ever heard of unsung hero?"
"yeah,"
"a hero but not really famous?"
"agreed,"
"or being a quiet hero,"
"the world may benefit from their contributions, yet these heroes remain silent..."
"like the sahabah, they avoid from being recognised when they performed noble deeds,"
"we can be unsung heroes too,"
"but how?"
"restrain your anger and desires, and perform good deeds for Allah behind others, or in other words, secretly."
"secretly, hmm"

being secretive with your 'amal, helps to build taqwa. You do it for the sake of Allah, it's only between you and Allah, you know He is watching, and people should know nothing about your 'amal.

choo-choo

from this little corner, I saw her,

her gait, her shadow, her face.

she has a dream, she told me. 

she was patient. she requested one time and it was rejected. she came back with disappointment. she waited, she cried whole-heartedly and she requested again, this time with more effort. once again, it was turned down. this time she was more careful, she prepared everything, with more determination than before, she stood and presented her request, hey, the third trial got her through.

she taught me, when you help yourself, Allah will help you. You gotta have patience and determination. A Muslim never gives up, because a good or bad result depends on one's effort. what you think is what you get. Always think Allah loves you. most importantly, always, always hold onto God's line. He never goes 'offline' for you, 

the word love is uncountable,

what more of Allah's love?

a dream to be 'ibadurrohman!

Rich

I've been staying at home for quite some time now, so doing house chores is a normal routine. It's been raining usually in the morning for 3 days in a row, guess what -I've been hanging the same laundry for 3 days too. I started to feel a bit annoyed that drying the laundry took longer time than usual and there's more coming, unwashed. So i've been dreading that the rain is not helping me. It took me quite a while to realise that the rain makes me feel calm and happy. It makes me relaxed and relieved. It reminds me that I used to love the sound, smell and taste of the rain. The moment you think you are being put down by anything, an event, people, things, Allah has actually has so much good things in store for us. It's just maybe we forgot to stop for a while, take some time to breath, relax and enjoy the experience and the gifts around us.

I should stop for a while and listen to the rain, listen to the breeze that sways the trees and the soft tones produced by frogs in dark nights, feel the cold tingle in the air, smell the earth being hit by the rain drops, why not?

All I need to do is see things from a different light. It is a small favour one could ask, to change the perspective from negative to positive. Change it from feeling like we are at loss to the feeling that we are special. 

Same goes to a real life experience that has a big impact to me. There is this guy with his friends and an ustaz who experienced flat tyre due to sharp objects on the road. I understood that If he sees the situation negatively, he'll say that it's his bad day after all. The ustaz said why not see it in a different light-you have a flat tyre, means you have saved someone else's day, perhaps someone who might be in the middle of an emergency, that someone may have a bigger trouble there. I took that example from APG's status. It's his own experience to be exact.

Another one example, when you donate, don't see it as you are helping others, but you are actually helping yourself, saving yourself on the day of judgment :)

Alhamdulillah. I feel 'light', do you?

              Image source: Google

littluns

Today is a giveaway day. Father will present 4 little children with a kitten each. Those kittens, they are twins with white coat and black spots, one with black coat and white spots and one with greyish stripes. The one with black stripes is my father's. he doesn't seem in favour to present it to anyone, well I suppose that includes me :). Oh well i kind of favour that black stripy guy too. 

Guess what, what i could see it's the great feeling of making children happy. Imagine their faces when they hold the little creatures in their arm. Rasulullah is a good model for loving and making children happy. I remembered one story, where rasulullah made a child happy.

Once rasulullah sat with Ali r.a and his companions and there was a serving of ripe dates. Ali piled many date seeds next to rasulullah's plate, to make it appeared like rasulullah ate most of them. Rasullah recognised that and he wanted to joke with Ali so he said, "are you swallowing the seeds with the date?" And everybody laughed. :)

(Reference-muhammad pocket guide, 2010)

What a sweet character he is!

Bye little ones. May the little children feel happy, and this experience develop their responsibility!

Pudding.

I went for a morning walk today, as usual. I could hear birds chirping away, as I strolled along the lonely path in the village. Not that it's always lonely, it's just because it's Sunday. Houses stood in silence, not much of activities yet. 

I walked past the big tree, which is my favourite sight. The sky was cloudy, really. I thought rain would come not very soon, yet after few steps from the surau,I could taste the rain literally. Small, silver drops of rain, it did not get me wet immediately but the cold atmosphere started to cling to me. 

Time to head home. And that's when it happened.

I looked up, expecting the see more of the crying sky. There it was, a streak of rainbow, not a semi-circle rainbow, just a quarter of it. But still, it's a grand sight as the cloudy sky was now of the colour of bright blue. 

It made me smile. Thank you Allah.

P/s: After the rainbow, it continues to rain, and the cloudy sky returns. I bet there's a thunder storm coming. But the happiness stays inside me. Allah gives what He wants to give, but you must always ask from Him and work with all your might and hope. You may dislike what you get but it is what you really need in order to survive.

Lots of love.

salju

Semuanya di tangan Allah,
Semuanya,
Walau dirasa ada yang kita punya,
Itu semua Allah yang punya,
Yang Maha Pemberi,
Yang mengambil semula,
Yang memberi sementara,
Yang mengurnia di masa-masa yang terbaik,

Kita hanya menyerahkan usaha dan doa, dan percaya semua yang terjadi adalah baik belaka.

forte

Brilliant colours,
Yellowish white,
makes me smile,
The moon tonight.

Scarce

Try hard, you can be the little tiny dot that makes a difference.

All black and one speck of white. That is you. Take some time to refresh the spirit and soul, Allah listens, Allah is close.

Chosen you. Chosen you. There must be reasons. There must be.

Uncertain ending but you can do something.

The night train

Another travel.

Pitched-dark night.
Neon lights.
Sleepy heads.
Shoes and sandals.
Queues and tickets.
Blue uniforms and nametags.
Railways and the sound from engines.
White beds, pillows and blankets.
Smiles and sun rise.
Hugs and laughters.
Helping hands and cats.

Breathtaking, serene.
Go forth and travel.
Meet new people and places.
Explore and be grateful -of so many gifts we get.

We'll be one happy soul.
And people can feel the vibe.

Alhamdulillah.

biscuits

When you feel that everything in life rushes by,
Things go fast,
You notice yourself catching up with too many occasions,
Your feelings crumble,
Your confidence stumble,
And you start to rumble,

Maybe you forget,
To pause for a couple of minutes,
And look at the stars,
To feel loved,

Just that. Because Allah is with you. He made the stars specially for you, to tell you that He always be there for you. He is waiting, above.

Look up when you are down.

teeny twee

Someday,
What you are going through right now
Will end.
You won't be sad your whole life,
You won't be happy all the time,
All these feelings have its own time lapse,
It will come and go,
Start and end,
Be felt and gone...

It's the way you perceive and react to it, that's what counts beside Allah.

Life must go on, under the shade of His love, His ultimate acceptance, His pleasure.

Allahurobbuna.

Life is like a traveler, who comes across a shady tree, which offers a resting spot, before he continues his journey to his destination.

Don't focus too much on the tree,
for life itself is a journey!
Live once, and enjoy the benefits from your lifetime FOREVER.

This photo, is a great one to compliment this entry.

Extract

"Introverts find social gathering draining.
Being in the crowd drains their energy. They charge their batteries while being alone. They enjoy their own company. They enjoy nurturing their habits, like gardening, reading, writing, keeping journals and even daydreaming. They learn best through observation. They listen more than talk. They are self-aware, keep emotions private, keep enthusiasm to self, interested in self-knowledge and self-understanding."

I see. Thank you Allah for making me see this.

Someone used to say, "you know yourself so much". I lost words to explain how I achieve that point but I know it is there with me for a long time.

I stayed aside in my very last gathering, a cohort dinner gala. I preferred sitting alone rather than clicking and snapping and posing and smiling for photography session. I was totally drained at that moment.

I used to hate crowds and that stays in me till now. Night market is the last place I would choose to go, unless I really have to find something there and it's very urgent.

But that does not mean I am not friendly and remain shut towards the world, no.
I hang around with my housemates then I will have my me-time in my room alone.

When I travel with a public transport like train or bus, I will choose a seat close to the window so that I can look outside, think and enjoy my time alone and relate myself and my life to it. It is always refreshing and fun to do that.

Thank you Allah. Now I know, and I am grateful for this chance. Should use it for the good of the ummah! InshaAllah.

Little Traveller

I met the people I love
time spent with nice food,
warm smiles and pep talks,
of life, families and interests,
of quran and sunnah,
of reminders and life experiences,
watching the natural wonders
around us, actions of people,
and various survival efforts of imaan,
learning to be patient and trust Allah,

I am also reminded that-
When you give your best
You get the best in return.

Sorry my ideas are not organised.
But inshaAllah readers get what I am trying to imply.

That Gaza cartoon boy, is an effort to make the world see the urgency of humanitarian aids and du'a, a single person can give.

Come, really squeeze your potentials for Islam.

Of dry twigs

There is this walkway or I would rather say -a small path leading to my home sweet home. It always feels nice to walk through, bet you, you will be amused and comforted by the smell of grass, the shady trees, some bright red flowers and the scattered pebbles along the way.

You see, there is one more thing that catches my attention every time I skipped my way throught that little road. There is also a big, old tree. Well, it is a dead tree. You could even count the dry leaves that are left between its many twigs. If you walk close at dawn, you will see this great silhoutte formed before you- and you will smile in seconds without you realizing it.

This tree makes me 'see'.
Allah creates life.
Allah creates death.
Yet death is beautiful for a tree that amuses me.

And for us, death is beautiful -make syahid as one of our many dreams.

The tree, captured today (wed,06022013) - close at dawn.

Irony-ing

There was this Australian guy, he flew all the way from Sydney, and dropped by to have a chat with a few locals. He was one curious man, always animated and he said 'hi' to every single person he met on the street.

It was noon. As i was packing up, he came up to me, you see out of the blue he asked me this,

"I saw the word repent in this children book, it's a strong word. I think it means like you feel sorry of your wrong deeds and you want to start anew, and improve yourself to be better, am i right?"

Ditto, Steven. You got it right.

That hit me right in the chest.
Repent.

Thank you Allah.

A non-muslim telling you about returning to Allah, that is surely nothing else but a clear hint. Return. Repent.

By the way the title of the children book is "Benny the Bully". Sorry, can't remember who the author is.

Nick of time

In need of vacation
A kind of time out
No need super expensive
europe trip to Italy
or Rome or Bath
stones of stonehenge
colloseum you don't have to welcome me
just a feet dip in a small stream
or watch people in the streets
or have an ice cream treat
under a shady tree
watch star at fajr
with those i love

I'll be content. InshaAllah :)