An Afternoon with the Hijjabed

Assalamualaykum and greetings!

Reality really bites...

http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=2b6sFiariDY

Watch and think, will you?

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Preview I

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Preview II

To me, hijab is not only for meant for women. Men as well have/wajib/must/ultimately need to lower their gaze, and keep their manners in check - is it not?

My say is - viewers are advised to refer any queries pertaining to hijab to those who are knowledgeable in this matter - don't refer to plain layman who might in the end miscontrues the concept of hijab altogether!

Hmmm... now I'm worried about my little sister back home...

Wallahua'lam.

Kelas tersenyap

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Rasanya kelas tersenyap yang pernah dilalui adalah kelas bahasa isyarat. Even nak clapping your hands pun pakai bahasa isyarat... sebab mereka tak dengar pun orang bertepuk tangan... hmmm baru terasa nikmat telinga, mulut dan lidah.

Mula-mula rasa pelik pula apabila guru bahasa isyarat adalah seorang yang bisu dan pekak... but masha Allah... rasanya ia jauh lebih baik dari mendapat guru yang dapat bertutur! At least boleh praktis jadi senyap, dan berisyarat sesama sendiri.

FYI, elemen penting dalam bahasa isyarat:

-Ekspresi muka - janganlah tanya 'apa khabar' tapi muka monyok. Pening orang nanti.
-Isyarat yang smooth je... tak laju dan tak slow - Nanti orang pun boleh jadi pening.
-Common sense

Haji

Baru-baru ini saya ada mengambil leaflet mengenai trip Haji tahun ini di Dublin Mosque. Paling murah GBP980, itu pun hotel 4 bintang! Nampak macam mahal bukan? Kalau nak dibandingkan dengan pakej Tabung Haji, rasanya sini murah sikit. Tapi, student-student macam saya ini, janji ada katil sudah... jadi GBP980 entah-entah boleh murah lagi, jika saya pilih pakej hotel yang tak berbintang langsung.

Pada saya, tak payah duduk hotel berbintang-bintang sangat. Di sana pun, yang lebih aulanya beribadat dan berkembara minda dan fizikal sepanjang masa, bukannya duduk memerapkan diri menikmati televisyen dan air-con, tak begitu? Kalaulah kita ke Baitullah, kemudian kita banyak duduk-duduk bersenang lenang di kamar hotel, maka alamatnya tak tercapailah objektif kita ke sana. Lainlah, jika dah siang-siang dah berniat nak duduk-duduk... yang pada saya, amatlah merugikan!

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//Foto khutbah eid - tidak releven langsung dengan coretan kali ini

Hmmm... terus serta merta teringatkan sahabat saya yang dengar-dengarnya bercadang nak tunaikan haji... tup tup petang itu juga saya ke rumahnya.

Maka, agak lama jugalah ziarah saya - berkongsi pengalaman, berbicara tentang rasa, hingga meleret-leret ke lewat malam, tapi rasanya memang tak cukup satu malam nak bercerita!

Sebut tentang haji, saya fikir, lagi 2 tahun akhirnya musim haji jatuh pada cuti musim sejuk, di negara-negara di hemisfera utara macam Ireland dan UK. Itu pun saya tak check dengan kalendar hijrah betul-betul... Insha Allah ada sahabat2 dari sini yang dapat tunaikan haji nanti.

Di down under, sememangnya musim haji tahun yang lepas dan tahun ini, jatuh pada cuti musim panas. Dan ada khabar juga sahabat-sahabat di sana yang berkesempatan... Mabruk!!!

Lagi satu, ini kira cerita lainlah. Pada hari terakhir Ramadan, sempat saya singgah Dublin Mosque, menjenguk sahabat saya Haseeb, yang alhamdulillah telah mengimarahkan fungsi masjid dengan lebih efektif. Sedang dia ralit menjawab panggilan telefon bertanyakan bila agaknya Syawal, dan bila bermulanya solat sunat Eid, tiba-tiba:

"Hello, tommorow is Eid, and the prayer begins at 9 in the morning..."
"Errr, actually I am calling because I wanted to become a Muslim"

I was stunted. Masha Allah... That was a gift of the last day of Ramadan. Akhirnya si pemanggil itu pun mengucap kalimah Syahadah pada waktu itu juga. Setelah diselidiki, sebenarnya beliau sudah lama mencari. Mencari erti hidup di dunia ini.... bagaimana pula kita? Sudahkah kita?

Sebenarnya, ramai orang-orang jadid (orang-orang baru) ini desire untuk mencari sinar kehidupan amatlah tinggi. Yang menjadi logam ketika dahulu, tetap menjadi logam (seperti sabda Rasulullah - sanad tak ingat...). Banyak lagi benda yang wajar dicontohi. Kitalah kena mencari...

Cuma, kadang-kadang kita memandang enteng terhadap orang-orang jadid ini. Tak nak appreciate yang mereka sudah pun memilih deen ini. Macamlah iman dan takwa kita power sangat. Ketahuilah, Allah saja yang tahu siapa yang lebih bertakwa (check surah an Najm ayat 31 & 32). Imam Ghazali dalam Bidayatul Hidayah pun ada mention bahawa, untuk membersihkan diri, kita kena pandang orang muda dari kita lebih kurang dosanya, dan orang tua pula, lebih banyak amalan kebaikan yang telah dikerjakan... so janganlah rasa diri itu besar dan bagus.

Waallahua'lam.

3 steps

Exams are coming in three 3 weeks time, and unfortunately there's alot to be revised soon. Oh well...

Basically, in order to get through, there's only 3 way and 3 way only:

1. Listen well to your teacher eg. "Read your notes!"
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2. If you are unsure, always ask!
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3. Then, pray hard...
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By His will, you will get through...

Fuh... seramnya exam dah dekat!

Eid Mubarak - Takbir!

After 1 month of fasting, we have Eid...

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//Asyraff dan Tokwan bertakbir

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//Hanif Khan bertakbir

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//Amil zakat fitrah, Haikal bersama pembayar yang pertama

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//Amil pun turut bertakbir

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//Giliran Mozo pula

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//Antara yang hadir... sila klik untuk foto yang lebih besar

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//Selepas bertakbir, kita makan!

Eid Mubarak again and again

Assalamualaykum warahmatullah kepada semua.

Well, setiap kali Eid Mubarak, maka ramailah akan membuat rumah terbuka, atau jamuanlah senangnya. Maka berbondong-bondonglah kita memenuhi rumah kawan kita... in fact, saya sendiri pun buat open house, pertama kali dalam sejarah hidup saya. Memang pening kepala sebab tak terlayan tetamu yang hadir dek banyak kerja di dapur. Haa... padan muka.

Hmmm... Sebelum ini hanya datang makan saja di rumah-rumah orang. Jadi di sini juga saya nak ucapkan terima kasih kepada yang hadir, semoga anda berpuas hati dengan layanan dan makanan yang dihidangkan. Bagi yang tidak sempat hadir, jemput-jemputlah datang lain kali... eh?

Tapi kan, tatkala tengah sibuk beraya, pernahkah kita terfikir,

"Eh, ini bercampur tak ingat sangat nih..."

Yang bercampur sangat ini bukanlah percampuran lauk pauk seperti antara lodeh dengan kari kambing yang kita jamah sehingga kenyang di jamuan yang kita hadiri, atau pun minuman seperti air sirap bandung dengan lai chi kang, tetapi itu lah dia lelaki dan perempuan... ishh ishh ishhh...

Please take note that benda is nothing to do with the so-called gender equality seperti yang sesetengah orang Islam kita, atau pun orientalis, atau pun siapa-siapalah sajalah yang laung-laungkan. Malah itu namanya mencari modal nak pertahankan pada pendapat saya. Kalau nak faham mengenai gender equality, mari kita baca karya Jamal Badawi - Gender Equality in Islam. Kemudian bila dah baca, jom kita diskas.

Dan, benda ini juga nothing to do dengan katanya sesetengah orang bahawa - "Isssshhhh gila sombong mamat or minah ini, open house die, die tak ajak pun...". Fikirlah, siapakah yang sombong sebenarnya? Atau apa ertinya sombong dalam situasi begini? Mungkin perkataan sombong langsung tidak wajar digunakan dalam ayat di atas!

Dan, kalau boleh mari kita hayati balik objektif Eid Fitri, seperti yang dicoretkan dalam mailing list PPIMI yang saya subscribe... "the spirit of eidul fitri is celebrating our happiness having had the oppurtunity to fast and beribadah di bulan ramadhan, prohibiting ourself from fullfilling our nafsu hoping that we can stay in that way, being a true muslim who can control his lust until the next ramadhan insyallah".

Dan yang terakhir, kita pun harus sedar, niat tidak menghalalkan cara. Tidak pernah diajar oleh Islam untuk merapatkan talian silaturrahim, dan ukhwah serta nak berdakwah supaya kita semua faham Islam belaka (masha Allah, bagusnya niat...); kita kena bercampur gaul. Full stop.

Akhirul kalam, Salam Aidilfitri - Maaf zahir batin, saya pun hanya seorang manusia. Silap buat juga. Salah memanglah ada. Atas sebab tiba-tiba terspark off untuk taip, maka references pun tade...

Wallahua'lam.

Eid Mubarak again

Malaysian Embassy & MSD Aidil Fitri and Deepavali Open House



The Preparation:

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//Mustaza zoomed by with Pakcik Yusuf's sumptous curry



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//Hygiene was at its best, was it not?



The Climax:

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//The dignitaries - our ambassor & wife, plus the education attache



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//Makan time - but don't forget to smile! (Asyraff & Syafiq Ayman)



Photo, photo, photo!

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//Everyone was in the scene like this...



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//Brothers I



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//Brothers II, with yours truly in



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//Jawad & Ahmad of UCD ISOC were there too!

Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak - for all the hardship we've been through, but bear in mind... that was a pinch was it not?

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//Image from Muslim Directory UK

This year's eid is definitely a memorable one I suppose...

Referred pain

Ever since the Pakistani earthquake took place, fundraising activities mushroomed. It soothes the heart as you see it with your very eyes - everyone scrambled to give an aid.

May I relate this as analagous to 'referred pain' concept that I've learned here?

Over here in Dublin, we have fundraising activities, mostly organised by mosques, student societies, and individuals as well. Recently we had one charity iftar in RCSI. Then, the UCD people organised charity iftar PLUS, yes a capital plus, One Day National Fast (ODNF).

Now, what's the fuss about ODNF?
http://www.fosis.org.uk/iap/coordination.htm

Hmmm... GMIT, NUI Galway & UCD, I suppose more than EUR5k. Masha Allah... RCSI is about EUR800, but our friends up north in Belfast (Queen's University of Belfast) managed to collect a whopping GBP15k!!!

Then, how about TCD & NCI? Not yet. They're having the iftar today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday) respectively. Pray for their success eh?

Surely fundraising activity left alot of lessons to those who are involved. Even I am, got something to give a thought about... although it is quite bitter for me.

In a mailing list I'm subscribed to, I came across a true story that took place in of the college that participate in raising up the money - 2 people came up with EUR5k plus in no more than 2 days! How did they do it?

Well, they informed their college chaplain about their iniative. Then he triggered off the chain reaction by getting the news across the departments and offices in the college - so basically everyone from receptionist to the dean were aware that a fundraising is taking place. On the day, lecturers made announcement in classes to call for donations... Masha Allah! So everyone pour their euros in... and there you go - EUR5k plus for the earthquake.

And so one brother quoted : "The generosity of the Irish never fails to amaze me..."

Okay, now I've got few photos to share - UCD Islamic Society "One Day National Fast" Iftar.

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//It began with the recitation of verses from the holy Quran - Asyraff

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//Then, followed by azan of Maghrib. Pin drop silence for a few moments... instantly gone with the chatter...

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//Everyone's having a meal, lest not forget those who are starving at ground zero...

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//Oh yes, we have a lecture on Saturday too, are we not?

Image hosted by Photobucket.comLast but not least, Bidadari Besi II is up now. Actually I & II are a whole lot, it is just happen to split it into two.

- Bidadari Besi II, kindly go to here.
- Bidadari Besi I, point your browser to here.

Also, please spare some time to go through the publisher's website, As-Syaamil @ Ekuator, as there are alot more good comics!

Insha Allah, Bidadari Yang Berduka is soon to be uploaded.

How are things at ground zero?

Go to : http://www.iamalik.com

Subhanallah, I wish I could do the same.

Ramadan, apa buat?

Baca : Ramadan - Separuh Masa Kedua Piala Taqwa di saifulislam.com.

1o malam terakhir sudah pun dekat. Selalunya orang dah sok sek sok sek tentang nak beriktikaf di masjid. Jadi kenalah tanam azam... tak begitu?

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//Berbuka bersama rakan di Dublin Mosque

"Yeah brother... come on, make 5 please!"


"Food is only for 5 people...."

"Say Bismillah brother... here's yours!"

Begitulah kemeriahan berbuka puasa di Dublin Mosque. Berbuka percuma bukan pokoknya, tapi keindahan suasananya. Terasa sangatlah aman dan tenteram... serta sedap yang amat sangat, dek kelazatan ayam Tandoori Pakcik Yusuf kita.

Selepas berbuka percuma, kenalah bersedekah. Allah dah limpahkan rahmat dan rezeki untuk kita, maka wajiblah kita untuk kongsi dengan orang lain. Jadi, jom sedekah! Untuk masjid. Untuk sahabat kita di Kashmir sana. Untuk orang Palestin. Untuk warga Chechnya....

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//Rembatan kencang semasa futsal

Walaupun Ramadan, senaman tetap ada. Orang-orang terdahulu berperang - Badr, Fathul Makkah, dan lain-lain. Belum masuk Salahuddin Al Ayubi lagi. Takkan kita keletihan saja, eh?

Cuma kalau difikirkan kembali, patutnya berpuasalah menambah kekuatan kita tak begitu?

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//Di RCSI Prayer Room

Selain itu, khatamkahlah Quran.

Sehari sejuzuk.

Setiap kali selepas solat fardhu 4.5 muka.

Dah baca, lihatlah terjemahan dan tafsirnya. Barulah faham. Barulah terasa bahawa Al-Quran itu merupakan petunjuk dan panduan untuk kita.

Di online ada Fizilal dan Ibn Kathir - jom tengok nak?

Selain itu, cuba buka balik Raheeq Al-Makhtoum, atau sirah Nabawiyah. Di bulan yang baik ini, banyak ganjarannya. Moga-moga Allah merubah hati kita ke arah jalan ketaqwaan...

Dan, di sepuluh malam terakhirlah kita kunci jam loceng supaya boleh bangun malam. Cuba fikir balik, berapa kali aku dah bangun malam dalam Ramadan ini?

Yang penting, kejarlah ganjaran malam Lailatul-Qadr, bukannya malam Halloween...


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//Inqilab!!! Revolusi!!!

Ingatlah, bulan Ramadan inilah kita memperbaharui diri kita. Yang buruk kita buang. Yang dah kemas, kita lawakan lagi. Dan, kita anda ingin memulakan tabiat yang baru, seperti rajin membaca Quran ketika commuting, mulailah sekarang, sewaktu bulan Ramadan... bila lagi kan?

Sesungguhnya peringatan ini lebih layak untuk orang yang menaip, dari orang yang membrowse blog ini...

Wallahua'lam.

Ramadan's Galore

Assalamualaykum & greetings.

Ramadan is truly a blessed month. Deeds are multiplied. Shaytan are chained. Gates of Heaven is wide open. But trials & tribulations never end... as a test from Ilahi, to harden your faith up to the highest level possible.

Well, in Dublin we're having Tarawih spree here and there. There are many tarawih places here - Dublin Mosque, Clonskeagh, Barry & Sons, RCSI Prayer Room, and a whole lot more in other suburbs.

It is wonderful to have iftars at the mosque (not because it is free), for its atmosphere of brotherhood.

It is just so wonderful to meet your fellow classmates in tarawih places with smiles and warmth of the ukhuwwah.

It is more wonderful to have your fellow classmates to tasmi' your recitation of Quran.

And, it is more, more wonderful to have your fellow classmates to keep reminding you to prepare for the i'tikaf later on during the last 10 nights of Ramadan...

Hmm... I just pray that this Ramadan is the best Ramadan I ever had.

Wallahua'lam.

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//Brother Moez Masoud @ "I'm a Muslim, get me out of here" organised by FOSIS Ireland

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//28 years ago - can I? I can!

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//A good book - we have the ultimate guidance, yet we have not make full use of it

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//Two people, one vision - Datuk Chua Soi Lek & Lucas of PMCSA

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//Dubliners

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//Sambutan Pelajar Baru @ RCSI, brought to you by PPIMI