SO BEAUTIFUL

My usrahmates and I joined a programme called Da'wah Course today, organised by the Islamic society. It was focusing on communicating Islam to the non-muslims to facilitate and encourage us to do the obligatory sunnah of our beloved prophet Muhammad s.a.w (p.b.u.h.) - that is to do da'wah. Yes, it is a sunnah, but it is a duty of us, muslims. I used to always interpret sunnah as wearing a turban, keeping the beard (both for guys obviously), etc. But it is actually everything that was done, spoken, or undone by rasulullah s.a.w. And one might not realise that things like da'wah to non muslims and bringing back the true Islamic country into the world up to achieving the world orde (ustaziatul 'alam) are also the sunnah. The obligatory ones in fact.

It was only a one day - no, actually, a half day course indeed. 11am -5pm. Let me just share and reflect back a few valuable points that I have learned today.

The course had one practical session where the facilitators acted as a non muslims and the participants had to answer the questions asked by them. Some of the questions might just be "tell me about Islam". As simple as that. Of course we can talk about thousands and millions of thing, but what do we want to focus on first especially if we have only 3 minutes with him/her? There was a quote from a brother: "You are not doing da'wah if you are just discussing about why you don't eat pork, why you don't drink alcohol, why you dont go to pub. But talk about the tauhid." Let them know that Allah is one. The one god that we worshipp. Let them believe that Allah is their god too. That Allah is everyone's god. Easier said than done of course, but we never know if it is through us that Allah wants to grant the hidayah to a non muslim. Let me give you a few more questions or statement that we as a muslim might want to start thinking of.

1. What is Allah? Why is your god different from others?
2. Aren't all the religions the same?
3. Why do good people or muslims still suffer if god exist? I have a friend who is suffering from cancer, she is a good person, the best one I have ever met. Why does god allow her to suffer when she is a good person?
4. Where does evil come from? From god?
5. I am not an evil person. I do good things, and I help lots of people. Would I be condemned to hell simply because I am not a muslim? - Man, this is though!
6. How can you be so sure Islam is true?
7. How do know Muhammad is a prophet? Didn't all sorts of other people claim to be prophets?
8. Why are dressing like that (for women)? Do you not feel oppressed? How do you find a boyfriend then? Do you not have one? (I actually got this one)
9. Do you have to pray five times a day? That must be so hard for you!
10. You are not even allowed to drink when you ae fasting? Hey, that is not good for your health is it?
11. Do you need to be particular about what you are eating? What is these halal meats?
12. You are not allowed to drink alcohol even a small sip of it? But isn't it good for the heart if you take redwine occasionally? You won't get drunk.

Some of these were questions I got from my friends too or from a stranger I met in the metro, or in a shop. It is a good thing they ask us - it means they are interested to know. And we do not even have to go and approach them. In this case, the least thing that we could do is to tell them about Islam. To let them know about Islam. To help them find the truth. Any question. Any statement.

Anyway, we do not have much time to discuss the questions. The key thing to answering these questions is definitely KNOWLEDGE. Sometimes we know Islam is right, any query directed to us will go back to the fact that Allah is fair and that there must be good thing that comes out of bad things because Allah knows the best for us. Many of us might have lots of knowledge, but knowledge without practising it is nothing. Trust me, trying to answer these questions and explain it carefully, trying no to offend anyone is not an easy thing to do especially when you never think of these questions, because you are born muslims. But practise makes perfect, right?

True success of doing da'wah is that you obey Allah and you made the effort. Every time you do da'wah you will be rewarded. If they become muslims, alhamdulillah. If not, it is all in Allah's hand.

ادْعُ إِلِى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُم بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ

"Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance."

[an-Nahl;125]

INVITE. It does not say MAKE SURE everybody will gladly be accepting it. But let them know. Give them choice. There are many prophets of Allah who did the preaching for many years, and some of them ended up with very few followers, or even none. But the key thing is, the effort was there. Even rasulullah s.a.w., the habibullah (one who Allah loves) was being tortured and treated so badly when he introduced Islam to the community.

By the way, back to the title of this post. An unexpected, unplanned beautiful event occured in the mosque during the course. I can still hear the announcement very loudly at the back of my head.

"Brothers and sisters, we are about to witness something that doesn't happen every day. We are about to witness a new birth".

There was a Caucasian brother, who wanted to say the syahadah, and admit that Allah is the only god and that Muhammad is the messenger of god. And it was very touched when he said it, that he actually has hearing problems, and he has to read the lip to understand or to know what the other brother was saying. And he said it in front of all of us. And he has just became a new person, who is free from sin, like a newborn. And I wish I can start as fresh as him.

Not only that, a few minutes later a sister came to us, and told us that an 11 years old girl who followed her granny (who is also a revert) to the course, has also said the syahadah after she stated her interest to become a muslim. And only after that, she began to think about her mother's acceptance.

11 years old girl and a guy with hearing and speech problems. Two in a row. It is so amazing how Allah can open their heart to accept Islam. Even when the media is currently busy reviewing the July 7 tragedy and keeps relating it to muslims as terrorists. Even when the channel 4 had just commented and created misconceptions about Islam in Undercover Mosque.

11 years old girl. What did I do when I was 11? Playing galah panjang with boys, talking and obsessing about KRU and the musics, what else? If I was not a muslim at time, I doubt that I would have achieved that high level of thinking to make decisions about religion or even to care about my religion, and obviously not even try to find out the true religion. And a guy who has to read lip to communicate? Who uses sign language to talk to others? Very amazing. Seriously. There are so many of us, muslims or not, who are so perfect as a human being, having ears and eyes to see His "ayat", yet we keep them shut and do not use them wisely.

Some of us could not control ourselves from crying happily. Everyone was so touched. It was so beautiful. It was like a miracle. It is something that I never thought I would have witnessed.

BELAIAN IBU

[Hijjaz]

Tertanam naluri keibuan amat mendalam
Di jiwa insan yang mendambakan kebahagiaan
Oh... ibu

Di bahumu tergalas beban
Perjalananmu penuh rintangan
Kau titipkan kasih sayang
Sejujur pengorbanan
Tak ku nafikan

Di saat kita berjauhan
Rasa ingin ku berlari
Mendakapimu penuh girang
Bak si kecil kehilangan

Kau insan penyayang
Betapa ku merindu
Lembutnya belaian ibu
Membuatku terlena

Di wajah terlukis tenang
Debar di dada kau rahsiakan
Ku pastikan dikau aman
Dikurnia sejahtera
Tak ku lupakan

Di saat kita berjauhan
Rasa ingin ku berlari
Mendakapimu penuh girang
Bak si kecil kehilangan

Tiada aku tanpa ibu
Hanya (kau) satu didunia
Bertakhta dikau dijiwaku
Kau lah ibu yang tercinta

Kau insan pengasih
Betapa aku mengharap
Hadirnya restumu ibu
Membawaku ke syurga

Bersemi belaian kasih sayang nan berpanjangan
Darimu insan yang mendoakan kebahagiaan anak-anakmu
Oh... Ibu

HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY LITTLE (?) BRO

Tiap saat pun we grow up. Apa guna bertambah usia if we are not becoming more mature than before. If we still do not appreciate others that are important to us, and if we still do not know how to differentiate yang hak dan yang batil. My lil bro, hope you will grow up to be as nice a brother to us the siblings, as mithali a son to mama n papa, as funny and cheerful a friend to your friends, as brilliant a student to your teachers, as responsible a person to the ummah, and most important as obedient and faithful a believer to Allah.

Hey good news is no matter how old you are, you will always be a brother to a GOOD sister (hhehe)

*sori, aku copy je ayat ecard tu, malas nok tulis baru...*

TOO MUCH

Ok. I have not been writing for a while. Almost two months from Eid and now is very close to another Eid celebration. And I was planning to go back home and play with my first niece, but the ticket is so expensive I just can't afford it myself, and I just can't afford asking "a few grands" from my parents. Well, at least it is so sweet to know that some people do miss me at home, although some admitted it but some didn't, I so know that you do Im, hehehe :P

Ok so my niece has almost turns 3 months now. I went to carboot this morning and bought a few things for her. And Danish and Fatin are back here in Newcastle!! I can't believe how fast and clever has Danish grown up - he can repeat your words, follow your instructions, laugh hilariously (when you push him in that kereta sorong plastik), and he is undeniably cute.

Quick update. I have finished my first sem exam - I won't say it was great, but some of the stations was not that bad. I knew it whenever I screwed it (apart from the sleepy patient that I thought was asked to act as a tired and sleepy patient - whom I assumed might has had partial ptosis due to ?pancoast tumour - but apparently that was not the case). And that stupid cannula station, why on earth would I insert blood when the question clearly asked me to insert the iv fluid? Guys, PLEASE read the question carefully and do exactly what it says, do not just assume the question. And DO NOT PANIC. 5 minutes is more than enough for a question and a cannulation procedure. Seriously.

And AGM Balai Malaysia (Malaysian community in Newcastle) has also been held. And I have just officially started my holiday in which I am going nowhere really, as opposed to last year (went back to Malaysia - its been a year now!) and last 2 years when I travelled to few different places). I will spend 6 days at PMS (Perhimpunan Musim Sejuk) in coventry - which I am sure would be beneficial - then I am gonna have Asma' coming here. And I should probably go and visit a few people I have been too busy to visit during the term time, and go and visit the newborns as well. And there will be another Eid without family (isk isk isk) and then another term will begin very soon - I will start with paediatrics in South Tyneside hospital.

Now it seems like I am gonna have a really short break, but the best part is I should startlooking for July ticket coz I am definitely planning to go back this summer. InsyaAllah.

FWD: RE: EMAIL

Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2006 21:42:14 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Re: [saifulislam.com] Pendapat Peribadi 'ISU MURTAD & DAKWAH'

saya pun sama.

saya rasa diorang salah sebab diorang tak friendly. saya rasa diorang salah sebab tak bermanis muka pada saya, sebab saya rasa saya deserve perkara2 ni.

saya juga memandang geng dakwah dengan pandangan negatif, sebabnya diorang pernah marah kawan baik saya yang berdua-duaan di taman bunga, atau juga pernah menyindir kawan saya yang sedang begayut dengan girlfriendnya berjam2. adakah camtu cara dakwah?

saya juga rasa pelik terhadap mahasiswa yang aktif berdakwah, sedangkan ramai lagi mahasiswa lain yang tidak menerima dakwah mereka. mahasiswa2 ni sepatutnya merancang bagaimana hendak menyebarkan Islam dengan lebih baik. kalau dilihat dalam universiti, sedikit je student yang terkesan dengan dakwah...yang lain enjoy je dunia tak ingat. sepatutnya geng2 dakwah ni rancang supaya lebih ramai student lain dapat didakwahkan sama.

siapa saya?

saya adalah antara manusia yang lebih mementingkan 'kaedah hikmah lembut' dari peri penting mesej dakwahnya.

saya juga adalah penonton2 tepi memandang sepi dan sinis pada geng dakwah melakukan kerja tanpa memberi bantuan pada mereka.

saya juga adalah manusia penonton yang sentiasa 'menghakimi' tindak tanduk geng dakwah, tapi lupa bahawa saya sebenarnya hanya penonton yang tidak menyumbang mana pada umat.

saya juga adalah manusia yang sentiasa memberi pandangan kepada gerakan islam pelajar dengan pelbagai cadangan, tetapi saya sendiri tidak/kurang membantu bersusah bersenang bersama membawa suara dakwah ke mercunya.

saya juga adalah manusia yang merasakan diri saya belum cukup baik untuk berdakwah, maka saya kena baiki diri saya dahulu baru saya akan berdakwah. bila saya nak baik?....sebenarnya saya tak tahu jawapan tu. sebenarnya saya tahu Yusuf Qardhawi pun tak akan kata dia dah baik maka dia dah boleh mula berdakwah.

sebenarnya saya tahu jawapan pada semua di atas. tetapi sebenarnya saya ingin jadi penonton je, saya malas nak susah2, nanti kalau aktif sangat saya takut pihak univeristy HEP blacklist saya. atau biasiswa saya ditarikbalik. saya takut hilang kawan2 saya yang ramai, yang panas telinga bila ada mamat datang dan dakwah pada mereka... saya tak nak hilang kawan, bilik penempatan university, dan segala-segalanya. akhir sekali saya takut saya tiada masa depan...

saya adalah salah seorang anak wawasan, salah seorang manifestasi produk pendidikan negara hadhari, tahu saya tidak membawa erti, kerana iman saya tidak teguh di hati.

kita tahu, biarlah dikumpulkan seluruh alam ini, merancang memusnahkan kita, jika tidak dengan redha-Nya ia tidak akan tertimpa ke atas kita. begitu juga sebaliknya. mari kita berlapang dada dengan perkara2 'kurang manis' yang pernah berlaku dalam 'golongan dakwah', kita doakan allah merahmati mereka.

mari bersama terjun ke lapangan ini, ambil segala yang baik sebagai panduan, yang tidak baik sebagai teladan. perbaikilah ia. mari teguhkan (bukan sekadar penonton) dan perkuatkan gerakan dakwah Islam ini. mari menjadi 'pelakon-pelakonnya ', cukuplah sudah lama kita menjadi 'penontonnya' .

penonton hanya membayar tiket wayang, pelakon lah mendapat ganjaran utamanya apabila filem menjadi box-office.

wallahu alam.

RAYA KETIGA DI PERANTAUAN

Kad raya kami untuk semua (designed amik dari www.sifoo.com) :

Before raya:
Alin ngan Athirah semangat buat kuih raya. Tien masak macam2. Tambah lagi ada orang minta buat rendang sebab kalau takde rendang tak rase raye katenye (saya la tu). Saya tolong menyibuk je kat dapur. Ada budak2 rasa raya lagi meriah, lagi semangat nak raya. Kak Jua gantung kad raya kat dinding. Terasa raya. Copy takbir raya dalam mp3 pastu dengar malam tu masa tengah masak.

Saya: Athirah, what are you doing tomorrow for Raya?
Athirah: Hey, tomorrow is Monday. I'm going to school.
(gelak je la...yakin betul budak ni jawab. Comel je.)

Raya pertama:
Pagi bangun lambat. Lepas subuh mandi bersiap2 pakai baju kurung nak pegi hospital. Biarlah orang pandang pelik its my raya. Pastuh terkejar2 makan sebab lambat dah. Bas datang pukul 7.46 am tapi tak sempat nak siap. Kalau tak naik bas ni, macam tak sempat nak naik metro jam 8.04 am. Nasib baik Kak Jua nak buat 2 trip hantar Madihah ngan Aina solat raya dulu, baru amik Kak Rabitah n the rest. So tumpang kereta Kak Jua gi metro station. Rupanya memang ade hikmah. Dalam kereta Nithia call, cakap bus ade strike ari ni, sikit je bus yang in service. Nasib baik tak tunggu bas, kalau tak takdenye nak minta Kak Jua hantarkan. Sampai2 metro, train to South Hylton arrived lagi 2 minit. Alhamdulillah. Thanks Kak Jua. Panic sebenarnye sebab pagi tu ade individual assessment.

Masa pegi hospital, memang rasa nak balik sangat. Terbayang semua orang kumpul kat sport centre solat raya. Pastu jalan2 rumah orang, jumpe2 beraya, paling best boleh jumpe kuih2 raya and makanan2 malaysia yang jarang sangat orang buat kalau bukan untuk raya. Tapi nak buat macammana. Ada priorities. Yang mana wajib, yang mana sunat kena amik kira.

وما تقرب إلي عبدي بشيء أحب إلي مما افترضت عليه وما يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه

Ertinya : “..dan tidaklah hampir kepadaku seorang hambaKu dengan apa juapun, maka yang lebih ku sukai adalah mereka melaksanakan amalan fardhu/wajib ke atas mereka, dan sentiasalah mereka ingin menghampirkan diri mereka kepadaKu dengan mengerjakan amalan sunat sehinggalah aku kasih kepadanya…” (Riwayat Al-Bukhari, no 6021)

Tapi sampai je kat hospital, terus gi mintak leave of absence form. Harap2 lepas assessment boleh balik. Yakin je boleh. Diorang ni faham je.

Masa Richard ngan Sarah tengah kasi feedback:

Richard: Is there anything else you would like to say?
Saya: (unfold the form). I'd like to request an early leave for today. It's my eid celebration today. Do you think the workshops on shock this afternoon is really important to go to?
Sarah: I think you can go and see Chris and ask him about that. It should be fine. I'll hand the form in to Tracy.

Yeay! Balik awal, berjalan tak hengat. (influence Ija jugak ajak balik awal, hehe). Jumpa kawan mama masa kat rumah Kak Yati.

Saya: UiTM Dungun? Kenal la mak ayah Iffa... Wan Jaafar ngan Jamilah?
Kak Zu: Oh, Jamilah. Selalu jumpe tu. Die selalu jugak bawak anak2 dia datang ofis.
Saya: Ouh adik la tu. Suke sangat ikut mak die tu (hehe sori Im)
Kak Zu: Selalu jumpe 2 orang kat dalam toilet...
Saya: Erk...2 orang...tu saye la tu jugak kot akak. Ikut jugak kadang2. Hehhe.

Kecik betul dunia. Dah jumpe rupanya. (Sori Ma, dok ingat nok cite mase call ari tu).

Berjalan tak hengat, makan pun tak berenti. Dah amik sket2 je tapi banyak sangat juadah sampai penuh perut.

Raya 1st house at Kak Ita's.

Raya kedua:
(besok2 la update. Buat kerja lain plak).

KEYBOARD CHALLENGE

It is almost two months since I updated my blog. And I am struggling with the keyboard right now since it is not working perfectly as it used to. Moral of the story: Never place a glass of water next to your laptop when a chance for a book to fall and knock that glass of tea off is very likely. And more importantly, do not blow your wet keyboard with a hair dryer!

Always came up with ideas to write, but either too busy or too lazy to type them down. Time flies as quick as you could ever imagine. Third year is interesting but is very very tiring. It is already the 21st day of Ramadhan - presuming more people will be going to masjid as it is in these last ten days that the muslims should be decorating their path of finding the lailatul qadr, a night that is better than a thousand months (right?). Well at least that happens in here - reflecting me when I was back in Malaysia, final 10 days of Ramadhan, would probably be busy with the kuih raya (nyumnyum) and "preparation" for raya.

I miss my normal keyboard!!!!!

Ok. So I joined an arabic class today after 5 years leaving the language of the paradise behind, since form 5. And it was fine, very great indeed. But that's not the point. We had a conversation about the eid. All other students are married, and they were thinking about making eid celebration as the best one especially for their children. I thought it was because you know, it is mainly the kids who enjoy any celebration the most above all others. (I did).

But no. They have to make it the best celebration because it is a religious celebration and the kids need to know that it is more important than christmas celebration (which in general, is obviously important here for the Christians and any kid would enjoy it, trust me, christmas shopping starts as early as in this month already). They do not want their children to love other celebrations more than our own religious celebrations. Never thought of it that way before. Probably because the situation in Malaysia is totally different.

Seriously I do not like typing using this keyboard anymore.

All the best in finding the night, and EIDUKUM MUBAARAK.

TODAY

Travel back time
I haven't got any blog
Wonder how exactly did I end up with one

Today
Here I am
My fingers are dancing on the keyboard
If not to remind myself
Probably to share with others
Or just to say out loud my thoughts
Perhaps to practise my poor English and my writing skills
Most likely all of them in one
Exactly like what I'm doing right now

Just when the summer holiday started
I was looking all over the town
As best as I could
For a summer work
Cheers Kak Akma, for keeping me company
Unfortunately I couldn't find any
So I volunteered at a charity shop
Nice experience I have to say
Anyway I somehow miss operating the till there
Although I might be awarded
The clumsiest cashier ever

Today
The summer holiday has almost finished
Even the summer has already gone
No more sun so no more sunburn
Feels more like winter already but I'm fine with it
And I am a working lady, straining my eyes in front of the computer
Coping well to read the doctor's handwritings
Some are fine even very good indeed
But some look more like ECG readings to me
And those sometimes gave me headache
The first week I was so excited to get the job
But this week I sometimes glanced surreptitiously at the watch
Thinking when 5 o'clock is gonna come
But it doesn't matter if I go back early, really
Coz the pay is based per hour work
As long as I do not cheat or misuse the time
It should be fine
Only I worry if I summarise the notes far too slow
But again, it does took some time to figure out the ECG handwritings
Thanks to all staff for being helpful and well approachable

If you ask me
I'd prefer my student life I guess
Give me ten years doing medicine and I wouldn't mind
Well, except if I don't get my own allowance
That's a totally different situation

Two years ago
I started my first year studying medicine
Was quivered with fear and excitement when I first arrived here
Hoping to do my very best
Having been given a chance to come here
Despite thinking I was not good enough to even apply of coming here

Today
I am less than two weeks away
From my third clinical year which promises us no lectures (I suppose)
But have never did my best, not even tried
Only to regret it later in life
Lucky I still pass the year
And thanks to all my friends whom without them I wouldn't have done it
(by Allah's will of course)

Long time ago
I once was being tested
Thought that was the biggest problem I had ever faced
And there was hardly anyone I could consult to
And only now I realise that I was given a chance
To consult Him alone
Coz He always listens and He is The All-Knowing
And I was given an incredible strength
Never felt stronger than I used to

Today
I wonder where has the strength gone
I wonder why the prayers hasn't been the same
With all the good things that are happening
I should have been more grateful
But people seldomly see good things as tests
And tests from Him too, I am sure they are

Once I learned from a friend
Trouble definitely means a test
And most of the time people seek for help
But to have achieved your targets and desires
Those are also tests from Him
And to think that you aren't being tested at all
Is the invisible test
The latters are more dangerous
Coz people do not see them coming
And people tend to forget
when they are in great wealth
or when they are not in need of help

Three weeks ago
The newspaper were filled up with Israelis attacks on Lebanon
A big column was spared for three pictures of British soldiers
Who were killed in the attack
Yet a picture of a mother carrying her small innocent son
Who died in the horrible massacre
It was just a subset of a bigger photograph of troops
Probably one twelfth of it

A week ago
The weather forecast which has always been in the third page
Was moved to page eleven
Coz more important news of the terror plan has striken the Great Britain
And the news on the massacre in middle east became inconspicuous
I wonder how do people define t.e.r.r.o.r.i.s.m
And to be affected in some ways is inevitable in here
Emotionally if not physically
Only then I again realised
How powerful and couraging
The prayer bismillahitawakkaltu'alallah is
It's amazing yet scary
If this thing happened
Only to remind me of the powerful prayer
Coz shame on me
I hadn't bear that in mind
For quite a long time

Today
Let us pray for the innocents
No matter from what background they are
Keeping in mind that
To be just is to put things the way they are supposed to
Not to protect our own best of interests

Just now
I was just thinking of updating my blog
I even thought of doing so days ago
Shame on me again I didn't
Some people say it's not good to postpone a plan
But I have my own priorities other than blogging
(I bet to sleep well is considered one of them too?)

And right now
I think that's all I have to say for now
So good night and have a good day tomorrow
Coz in Islam there is no such thing as new year's eve
Or resolution at the beginning of a new year
Indeed every single day should be celebrated
First by being thankful to be awake again
After being half dead when we sleep
=_=

WHEN THE MOORS RULED EUROPE

This short documentary describes the glorious rule of Muslim Moors in what is now Spain. A forgotten history is remembered. Kak Jua was totally right. We should have watched it before going to Spain.

ALHAMDULILLAH

I just got meself a summer job! And credits to Elly for advertising the vacancy in the mailing list, and for having recommended me for it. And most of all, I cannot help being thankful to Allah. How brilliant has He arranged everything for me. Just nice. School summer holiday has just started so I do not have to pick up Kak Ita's kids anymore. And three weeks volunteering at the shop has been marvellous - a bit dissapointed though since I am just improving my skills operating the till, and I am quitting it in a couple of days.

When I pay for stuff that I shop for, most of the times, I will hear this:

"Here's your two pounds change and your receipt. Thank you"

or

"I'll put your receipt in the bag, and here's your two quid change"

In the past two days, I had a chance to imitate that. *wink*

Back to this new job. It is a position as a notes summariser in a GP practice. I hope I will be able to cope myself with the tasks and hopefully it would not strain my eyes so much to sit in front of the computers for long hours. The best part is, that the work at least has something to do with my course. Would give me a very relevant experience indeed.

Alhamdulillah.

GREY'S ANATOMY

I did a bit of packing today and I found a square note which I wanted to throw into the bin but the scribble on the paper seems very meaningful to get rid of that way, without saving it somewhere so I thought of saving and sharing it here. The quote was from a patient with heart problem in Grey's Anatomy (can't recall his name). He said:

"I believe in heaven. If I have to choose between
this life and one in heaven, I choose heaven."

I must have found the quote rather important or interesting or full of meaning that I jotted it down on a piece of paper and pinned it on my small notice board and never took it off whenever I was cleaning out the unwanted notices on the board.

May Allah lead us to the straight path in this life, for the best rewards in the next one.

COUNTING DAYS

Today I went out with Kak Nurul to accompany her shopping for the arrival of a new baby girl insyaAllah. It turned out to be her accompanying me instead. It is summer sale in almost every store and I just had to control myself from spending too much. It was a tough determination to accomplish; a couple of skirts won't kill, will they? ***Hey, it was a bargain after all. Buy one get one free after 50% reduction*** ;-P

I had a nice day out with Kak Nurul really. And shopping for kids' stuff were so much fun. They were all so cute, more like you are playing with dolls, trying to fit the nicest dress for them, and comb their hair, and made them wear some accesories. *teringat selalu main anakkan (patung kertas) zaman kecik2 dulu. 20 sen je satu*. Anyhow, I really wish Fatin and Danish are here. Miss my favourite baby boy so much. Shopping would be much more fun if they were there!

Danish celebrating his first birthday in Malaysia

(without Auntie Iffa?? How could you??)

I thought I would go to the charity shop and do some work as usual. But I did not. I was so damn tired and did not dare to leave Kak Nurul going back on her own so I took the same bus as hers going back home. She is 36 week pregnant, and Danish was born when he was 36 weeks gestation, so it was quite worrying to let her walk alone. After performing my Zuhur prayer, I fell asleep and woke up at only half seven, so I urgently prayed Asar and ate my dinner before going to halaqah.

It was not my first time to fall asleep in the afternoon this week. It was my third time already. It was probably due to the summer weather which kept getting warm each day. Except today, it was raining for a while in the morning so the weather was just nice today. Not too warm and not too cold. Hehe, complaining the weather. Reminds me of a conversation with Farah - we are becoming more British now, always complaining about the weather.

And I won't blame the weather really. I have been out a lot, and I spent two days of the week for ice skating and beach (had fish and chips at tynemouth twice already in this week - fish and chips: still, so typical British). Ice skating was so fun, but it makes you tired. Or probably because I do not really know yet how to skate. Glad that for my last session I do not have to complete one round holding on the wall before gaining the confidence to go to the centre of the rink. I think to play tennis is much harder, although ice skating is similarly tiring. Especially for the brain. Probably because I was using up most of the energy being very conscious and trying very hard not to fall. A brilliant exercise for the cerebellum (?) I bet. Also, it so teaches me to appreciate how well has Allah created the world, that I do not have to walk on the ice, God I am so thankful for that. I just couldn't imagine wearing ice skating shoe all the time, it must be killing my feet in silence!

Ok. Back to today's activity. The halaqah. We were discussing about the tafsir of surah al-Maa'un and continued with our last unfinished topic from last week's usrah, the first element of Arkanul Bai'ah, to have a deep understanding of Islam as a way of life. I cannot recall why, but Kak Eleena mentioned a story about the pious man and a dog. For those who have not heard of the story, here goes story:

" A man was walking on a desert and he was very thirsty. He found a well and went down into it and drank. When he climbed up and came out of the well, he saw a dog, panting and eating earth out of thirst. He thought that the dog must be as thirsty as he was. so he went back down into the well, and using his shoe as a bucket, he filled in the water and then held it in is mouth until he climbed out. Then he gave the dog water."

It is a true story from a hadith (sahih bukhari and muslim if I am not mistaken) and the prophet stated that Allah had forgiven the man his sins because of his kindly act, and he will enter the paradise due to that.

Moral of the story; always be good, even to animals or plants, we are all the creations of Allah. Even dogs. Also as a reminder for myself who does not like dogs that much (I have my reasons, experienced running for being chased by dogs for quite a few times. Hehe, fell off once - shame on me!). True that for us muslims, when the dog is wet or for their faeces, we have to clean it with our "special" way. That is using one part of water from clean soil, and 6 parts of clean water (eg tap water, or rain). It sounds hard, but it is not that difficult when it comes to times you have to apply it. Reminds me of a conversation between a dog and a cow that I got as an instant message long, long time ago:

LEMBU: Hai anjing, apa habaq? Macam ada yg tak kena je?
ANJING: Aku tengah tension nih. Mau je aku gigit manusia tadi.
LEMBU : eh? kenapa?
ANJING: aku lalu tepi dua orang mansuia lelaki dan perempuan yg sedang berkepit. Tetiba si lelaki terperanjat dan terus melompat dan berkata "hoi anjing, pergi jauh2,najis!".
LEMBU: Ya, lah.ko kan haram. Najis tahap berat bagi manusia. Biasalah tu.
ANJING: Kalau aku najis sekali pon, kalau dia tersentuh aku, boleh disamak. Yang dia sentuh dan raba2 awek dia tu apa? boleh ke nak samak dosa?
LEMBU: Betul tu. Memegang wanita yg bukan mahramnya tanpa ikatan yg sah, lebih dahsyat kenajisannya daripada memegang ko anjing,malah tak boleh suci sekalipun di samak.
ANJING:wah.. ayat ko memang power la... manusia kena ubah pepatah "Pandai macam LEMBU"

Thanks to Lembu for making a clear comparison between halal haram and najis. Najis does not necessarily haram. Vice versa, haram does not necessarily means najis. Sometimes we take things for granted. Sometimes we like to complicate simple things.

So there goes another day of my summer holiday.

SERBAN

Interesting. While the muslims here are fighting for the right to wear Hijab in school, we have the serban issue in Malaysia:

1. Pelajar ditegah berserban -- Bukan sebahagian daripada pakaian seragam sekolah - Hakim
2. Serban: Islam tiada penghormatan apabila Mahkamah tolak rayuan

Hmmm...

ME IN THE SUMMER

Already a month of summer holiday. And surprisingly I do not spend as much time at home as I expected.

1. I sometimes picked up Aisyah and Azri from school (Luqman as well, but now that he's gone back to Malaysia for good really miss him, and Nasya too). And I've got their house key with me. I slept there a few times before Kak Ina moved into Ija's room. So that is my third home I guess.

2. And I've got a new temporary housemate. Not that Kak Ina is gonna stay there for a short period of time, but it is me that need to pack up my things and move out since I have given up the room to Zalehani. Too complex explanation for why have I given it up, so I better not start writing about it. But alhamdulillah, insyaAllah will be moving out into Kak Jua's (yeay! Jadi housemate Kak Jua yang comel!) --> Duk Fenham jugak akhirnya.

***Panjang umur Kak Jua, I had to pause for a moment to answer her call***

3. And I went to ISLAMEXPO which was being held at Alexandra Palace in London for four days - I only attended three. It was great and I got to know Nor, my Singaporean usrahmate while I was there. So sad that she has left for good as well, right after the expo. So, ISLAMEXPO...Most of the talks were about things that we might have always been discussing while having our tea or lunch break, or while watching the telly, or while in the bus. Palestine and Iraq issue, 7 July and September 11, Islam and terrorism (?) etc. There was one talk about Islamic school, questioning whether it is a vessel of integration or isolation. Hmm...interesting topic although they only mentioned about having Islamic faith school here in the UK. We are so lucky to have 54 (I guess, in 2001) SMKAs in Malaysia, and not to mention that all the school will have Islamic lesson as a particular subject on its own to expose the kids with the history and basic knowledge of Islam. In contrast, it sounds very hard for muslim parents here to ensure their kidsto grow up within an Islamic environment. They will need to send their kids to extra classes provided by the masjids or any Islamic organisation to gain knowledge on Islam.

And there were exhibitions and shops too at the expo.

4. I applied for paid jobs but I was being rejected for at least three times by now. Hopefully something will turn up later, although I am not that much in need of a job really. So, I am currently volunteering at a charity shop, British heart Foundation. It is quite nice. Meeting some new people and learning some new tasks - at least when I evaluate myself before I go to sleep, I do not have any regret about spending my time at home doing particularly nothing useful at all.

Everything works out fine, and I am expecting to see my Kelana Convoy friends this weekend (so called coz I met them during the trip).

ISLAMIC BIRTH DATE

Mine was 10 Ramadhan 1404. Can celebrate that after the iftar then.

Find out yours here.

A point to ponder:

On our birthdays,

should our mums give us presents

OR

should we give them gifts instead?

They have given us the gift to be born in this world, not to mention how painful does it seemed to give birth and to take care of the children until they are able to undergo the life independently. And no, it does not stop just there, I suppose.

p/s: Miss mama. Mama comel =)

WHAT'S WITH RUDENESS AND MALAYSIA?

When I read Ija's blog, I could not agree more, trust me! (Sorry Ija, I am going to copy-paste your brilliant writing my dear).

As many have been aware ,Malaysia is placed the third rudest country in a survey held by RD. Even though the survey did not encompass a wide range of tests, the result gives something for us to think about. They have included three tests- the 'door' test, to see who would readily hold the door to others, the 'document' test to look for helpful Malaysians in picking the papers on the floor and lastly the 'thank you' test to see the friendliness among the sale assistants.

Some agreed and some didn't to the very fact that Malaysians are rude, or should I say, impolite ( it sounds milder). I should say I agree, to some extent based on what I saw and what I have experienced myself. For me, Malaysians are not accustomed to giving smiles to everybody (no matter who they are ) and say out lovely expressions to the people we communicate with.

Those tests might not so much a part of our culture such as holding the door or doorlifts hence the third rudest is labelled. However, the readiness to help picking up the papers ( helping picking up anything!) and saying 'thank you' should be every person's manner in daily lives. It is a shame for us that in a survey held by a local newspaper, only two out of seven people had helped picking up the papers when the documents are purposely dropped in front of them. Some just smiled and went off, and some had given a smirk. It is not just the matter of the bad image the tourists can observe but it is also the issue of the manner among ourseleves, Malaysians.

People who has been abroad would agree with me that WEsteners are much better in terms of the communications and interactions to the publics. I walk to school everyday and I have to pass a small gate to the field. i have not encountered a single day that nobody walking in front wouldn't open the door for me. Some will just hold it even I am still far behind so I have to run so that they wont wait too long. The elderly never say 'thank you' without uttering charming words such as 'lovely', 'gorgeous', 'sweet' at the end of their sentence. Some randomly say 'hi' in the middle of the road and ask about tennis if they see that you are holding the tennis racquet.

An old man had onced wiped the cream at the corner of my mouth when I had finished eating the doughnut. And, surprise surprise, at that particular time we were queuing for the bus. He was a total stranger but for God's sake he wiped my mouth!!!``Ija selekeh`` ( It sounds creepy and I was scared but then I realised that he was so nice!!)

I am not merely comparing but it is something we should learn from the Westerners. Some might not agree with what I said and what i am going to say but different people encounter different situations, hence have different say. Some men are too afraid to be called a 'gentleman' by helping the women carrying heavy bags. I had onced carried a few large and indeed heavy luggages in a station but nobody cares to help me carrying it on the stairs. In France at one time this very gentleman helped me and friends carrying just a medium-sized bag, up to the next floor without being asked.

Lest you forget- we are claimed to be the third rudest so we definitely need a change whether the results are reliabe or not.

Courtesy call- let us practise more courtesy, put smiles on our face (hey smiling is a brilliant exercise for the facial muscles-u move 20 muscles just for smiling!!), be ready to help people in need, the least is picking up the litter and papers ;) and say 'thanks' and 'sorry' appropriately.

Let's just wait for the next survey and look where are we among the others.

ps; its good to be back. malaysia best!

I myself have experienced most of the things Ija was telling, so definitely could not agree more with her. Ouh, except for the last sentence, I totally objected that one, hihi. But, it's not that bad to be left in the UK during the summer holiday. I still do have a great time!

Although, on the other hand, of course I am not expecting a stranger especially a man to wipe my mouth, (just bear in mind that in her case, this man did not know about the limitations we have and I am sure if they do, they would have respected her as a muslim). And I do think that it would have been very weird if we translate the charming words into Malay - sayang, si manis , etc. (although what makes it weird might be due to the way people normally use those words back in Malaysia). But that should never restrict us from saying thank you or sorry, whenever appropriate.

Now that reminds me of the use of salam "Assalamualaikum". In a talk from a reliable person, he mentioned that it is not even wrong for a man to give salam to a woman (and vice versa), given that the intention is right, that is to greet people in a polite manner. In fact the salam itself is a prayer from a muslim to another. However, some do use it in a different way. I am not making this up but I am sure some of you have heard this: "Assalamualaikum...tak jawab berdosa". Was it a really sincere salam? It is this kind of behaviours that gives the perception that salam is so restricted. But please do not get me wrong here, as I was saying, it is all based on our intentions. "Tepuk dada tanyalah iman". And this does not only apply to salam. In fact everything else should be done wholeheartedly because of Allah, hoping to get the blessings from Him. And to say this is just theoretical is not totally true because Allah has sent us His messengers, so that we can learn from them, as they did make the Lillahita'ala as much practical as it should be.

One last thing that I would like to mention here is how Malaysians treat Malaysians as compared to treating the tourists (or probably to be more specific, the Caucasians). I do not know if this is just me, but I do think that some Malaysians treat the outsiders really good, giving them the best service as possible, as compared to those living in the same country. I cannot remember the address of a website quoting a typical Malaysian's behaviour. It was about a waiter. When a Malaysian comes asking for a table of a fully booked restaurant, the waiting staff would add a table near the kitchen, but when a tourist comes, he would give a table next to a window where one can view the tranquility in Allah's creation, a beautiful view of how green the earth is and a lake situated outside the restaurant. It is a good thing, but aren't Malaysians categorised as homo-sapiens as well?

Why not we reflect ourselves based on what the article has mentioned, give it a thought, and make an effort to be a better person, a better Malaysian (shall I relate this to the topic we are discussing), and the most important one, a better MUSLIM?

ALONE

That's right. I am alone in home.

Three weeks gone in a snap.

In those three weeks time, right after the exam, I have no time to be alone on my own. I couldn't even see my room's carpet coz the room was full of people. I even have to sleep in Ija's room. But now, my room seems to be very empty, also very big and has lots of space.

And all other rooms in the house are empty too. No occupiers. =(

Gonna have to find a new house to stay anyway. Hmm...

JAPANESE SECRET

Another lecture slide from the LSE - now only wanna put these things on the blog, a very obvious proof of last minute study. (I always hate last minute study, but I have always done it indeed, arrrghhhhh).


Just thought someone might wanna try this (well, I haven't).

p/s: Ape pun, ajal maut di tangan Allah.

EXAM

Below is the examinations timetable for 2nd year medical students in the Newcastle University:

Tuesday, 23 May 2006
OSCPE

Wednesday, 24 May 2006
EMI

Thursday, 25 May 2006
DIT

These exams (and another assignment results) would determine whether we will be allowed to go on to the next clinical year stage.

Hoping to get help from Allah, ar-Rahman and ar-Rahim.

Pray for our success!

THE STONE BABY

I was revising my lecture notes on the LSE and stumbled across this picture.

Yes. I know it is not a nice pleasant picture to look at, but let us all take some time to thank Allah that we were not born in this condition. (Stone baby is due to dystrophic calcification).

Not to mention the so many disease I have came across, only being two years in the medical school, insyaAllah the more we learn how Allah has given us our best conditions, the more we will appreciate the health as one of the nikmat. Well, we will never realise how we appreciate things until we lose them, right? Let's always appreciate His nikmat and blessings.