Two decades and six years.

I remember Egypt. I was there in 2010 with my sister. Historical place. Kind people. Interesting culture. If there is one word to describe my trip to Egypt, it would be a real BLESSING. I was there at the time of President Mubarak. And what is happening in Egypt right now is just plain heart-breaking :'( May Allah give President Morsi of Egypt the strength, courage and patience to go through these tough times. May Allah protect the righteous and innocence people in the country. May Allah give them victory. Allahumma Aamiin.

On a different note, I officially turned two decades and six years old on July 6th. My baby sister is twelve today. Alhamdulillah thumma Alhamdulillah. Thank You Allah for Your Entire Blessings. You have given me so much. You have never failed me. Regardless of the countless times I fall, Your Mercy still remains. You, the One who was there for me when everything and everyone else deserted me. You, the Only One who truly understands me. I am where I am today because of You. All that I was, all that I am, and all that I will ever be, is from You.

I hope and pray that my heart will always want to be close to You. I hope and pray that I will never give up on You. I hope and pray that I will do what I do for Your Sake and Only Your sake alone.

One fine evening in Egypt in June 2010. We were on top of a Jabal (mountain) overlooking a stunning view of the city. 

Until next time, insyaAllah. Assalamualaikum.

xxoo

Little things, big difference.

I once read a story about an old man and the seashells. It goes something like this: one day, a young man saw the old man walking by the shore, picking each seashell that he saw on the shore and putting it back into the sea. The young man asked the old man:

Young man: Dear old man, there thousands and more little seashells lying by the shore. It's impossible to save them all. Why are you doing what you're doing dear old man?

Old man: Young man, I may not be able to save them all. But I'm making a difference. By putting each seashell back into the sea, I know I am making a difference to the little creature's life. Each seashell counts.

Moral of the story: Small things count. Small things can make a big difference.

I want to be like the old man. I want to make a difference. I hope to make a difference. People may take for granted what I do, people may not appreciate what I do, but hey, it doesn't matter. I can try to live with that. Allah SWT is the Most Appreciative. He won't let one single effort that I make in order to please Him goes to waste. I know He won't :) And enough is Allah for me. May Allah make it easy for me to do my work, to earn a living, for His sake and only His sake alone. To gain His redha is my ultimate aim. He is my ultimate goal.

Ya Rabb, no matter how hard this life may get, please make me not give up on myself, please make me not give up on You. Aamiin.

Until next time, insyaAllah. Salaams xxx

"What is taken by Allah is NEVER lost" - Yasmin Mogahed

Today is the 3rd of Muharram 1433. Alhamdullilah, another year, another opportunity to be a better slave of Allah. Marhaban 1433! A lot has been going on. A real lot. Something very special and precious was stolen from me. I wasn't home when it was stolen. It happened during one of the weekdays. I remember exactly the date and day when it happened - Tuesday, November 8th. A day after Aidiladha celebration. How can I forget...

After work, I had pizzas with the cousins after which I went to Jame mosque for maghreb prayer. There was a few number of miss calls and a text message from mama. I was worried. In my mind, she must had something important to tell. Otherwise, she wouldn't call me again and again. Oh, I forgot. Earlier that day, I received a wall post from adik. She posted a sad face :( on my wall. I was worried. I had no idea what was that about. So when I received a few number of miss calls from mama, I thought something happen to adik. I gave mama a call. I remember she asked where I was. Then she told about my stolen stuff and about what happened to our home. I also remember she said something, "Redha kan saja". I was okay at first but slowly tears fell down my cheeks. I cried. I couldn't help it. I remember telling myself to calm down.

12th September 2007 - 8th November 2011. I had it for quite a long time. Had it with me for all the years while I was in university. Blessed, alhamdullilah. Allah knows what is best for me and enough is Allah for me. I know and I believe with all my heart that whatever had happened or will happen is all good for me. Allah is the One who created me from nothing to something. Allah is the One who loves me best like no others. Allah is the One who gives me everything that I need. He is the One who is the Most Kind, the Most Loving, the Most Merciful. He does not take anything away from me except that He meant something good for me. He does not take anything away from me to see me suffer or in pain. He only does what He does to help me, to give me the opportunity to be near to Him so that in my heart there will only be Him :)

It was saddening at first. When I tried to digest the information, and to learn of the fact that it was gone... just like that. That was saddening. But when I remember that everything will be gone eventually; all will diminish; not a single thing will last, my heart was at peace again even though there was still a few drop of tears flowing down my cheeks. Alhamdullilah thumma alhamdullilah. Thank You Allah for everything. Everything :)

"No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that" - Prophet Muhammad S.A.W (reported in Bukhari)

"Don't be sad if He separates you from something/someone you love. If only we knew about His plans, our hearts would melt with the warmth of His love" - Unknown

Until next time, insyaAllah. Good night. Salaams xx

If you have Allah, you have everything

SubhanAllah. Alhamdullilah. Allahuakbar.

Indahnya segala aturan Mu, ya Allah. Sangat indah. Aku mohon pada Mu agar Engkau kurniakan diri ku keupayaan untuk sentiasa redha dengan segala yang telah Engkau aturkan buat ku. Kerana sungguh Engkau yang menciptakan diri ku daripada tiada kepada ada, dan hanya Engkaulah yang Maha Mengetahui segala yang terbaik buat diri ku. Diri ku hanya insan yang lemah lagi hina, tidak mempunyai pengetahuan tentang apa apa melainkan apa yang Engkau izinkan untuk aku mengetahuinya.

Ya Allah, bila hati ini dilanda kesedihan, aku mohon agar Engkau kurniakan aku kekuatkan untuk menghadapi kesedihan itu dengan tabah. Bila hati ini dilanda perasaan marah, aku mohon agar Engkau kurniakan aku kesabaran agar dapat ku kawal perasaan marah ku. Bila hati ini dilanda perasaan rindu, aku mohon agar Engkau lindungi aku daripada merinduinya melebihi rindu ku kepada Mu dan kepada Nabi Muhammad SAW. Bila hati ini terasa ingin berputus asa, aku mohon agar Engkau kirimkan aku semangat untuk meneruskan perjuangan di dunia yang sementara ini.

Saratkan hati ku dengan cinta dan rindu buat Mu. Aku ingin, sangat ingin, agar dapat kembali kepada Mu dalam keadaan Engkau redha dengan diri ku. Aku ingin, sangat ingin, agar dapat bersua dengan kekasih Mu, Nabi Muhammad SAW. Izinkan aku mati dalam keadaan aku beriman kepada Mu, wahai Tuhan sekalian alam. Aamiin.

Marhaban Ya Ramadhan

Your presence was very much missed ya Ramadhan. Alhamdullilah thumma alhamdullilah, we meet again this year. Welcome Ramadhan 1432.

"Sekiranya umatku mengetahui kebaikan di dalam bulan Ramdhan nescaya mereka menginginkan agar sepanjang tahun semuanya menjadi Ramadhan." - Al-Hadis

Sabda Nabi Muhammad SAW: "Permulaan Ramadhan adalah rahmat, pertengahannya adalah pengampunan, manakala akhirnya merupakan pelepasan dari seksa nereka."

SubhanAllah, so blessed is this month of Ramadhan. Let's us all grab this opportunity to collect as many good deeds as we possibly can, to seek to be closed to Him, to gain His redha. Make this year Ramadhan count, let's!!! :)




I hope you will like the above as much as I do. Such a happy and cute piece of song. Salaams Ramadhan Kareem :) Please forgive any of my wrongdoings xxx

A light in the dark

Just when I thought I had a bad start to my day. My nasi was almost hangus (not because I don't know how to cook nasi but because I forgot to check on it while I was outside). And then my supposed to be half-boiled egg for breakfast didn't turn out to be the way I wanted it to be. It turned out to be fully boiled instead. So instead of having half-boiled, I had fully-boiled egg for breakfast. And I thought to myself while peeling the egg shell, "baru jua pagi..."

And then my phone rang. The screen showed number I'm not familiar with. Answered the phone and boy, I was speechless after I hung up. I can't describe in words what I was feeling right then. I was happy, scared, thankful, nervous, excited at the same time. It all mixed up together. It was like when I saw a person who I had a crush on. That feeling of seeing that one person you like and you then would get all cold and hot inside. It was like that.

Despite the mixed feeling, praises be to the One Who is The Most High, The Most Powerful. He makes the Most of Excellent Decisions. Whatever it is that He has given me or will give me, I believe it is for my best.

Salaams xxx

PS: You know that phrase "good things come to people who patiently wait", well guess what? It's true. Patient and not giving up are crucial ingredients to success. You need to have both. Not just one. I know sometimes it's just so hard to remain patient and not give up. When things just go all wrong, and there are all too much for you to take. You feeling all hopeless and unworthy. That is when you need to be EXTRA strong, try EXTRA more, and pray EXTRA hard. Just never lose hope. Allah is always there. Always close. Have faith in Him, and smile (:

Farewell 23!

In the end of the day, those who matter most to me are always those who would still love me the best even when I am at my very worst. They are those who would never give up on me even when I feel like giving up on myself. They are those who would shower me with words of encouragement when I am weak. They are those who would tell me "everything will be okay" when things are not okay. They are those who would still care for me even when I tell them to go away. They are those whom I loved with all my heart. They are my precious two, beloved annoying siblings, family and true friends. I am everything I am today because they loved me.

Above all those, praises be to the One who gives me this life. My fragile heart beats because of Him. He who gives me my precious two, my family and friends. He who gives me everything that I need. Alhamdullilah thumma alhamdullilah. I am not even a tiny piece of dust without Him. I belong to Him and only to Him I shall return.

23 has changed me. Alhamdullilah. It is time to say goodbye to 23 now!

Here is to 24!

Salaams :) xxx

That thing called HOPE, don't lose it!

"DO NOT ever lose hope in the mercy of Allah SWT. Keep making dua even if you go through your WHOLE life like that" - M. Alshareef

Terjatuh, tersungkur, tergugur, terkalah... inda apa. It is not the end of anything. Yang penting you have to bangkit semula, diri semula. It will be the end of everything if you stop trying. Keep the hope alive, do not stop making dua. Think well of Allah SWT, insyaAllah, everything will be well. Aamiin.

Tabahkan hati, kuatkan semangat :) I'm off to zZZzz (yes, at this hour. Cos I had probably less than 5 hours of sleep last night. Paying off the sleep debt now :P). Salaams.