Don't Be Depressed :)

This post is derived from Sheikh Hamza Yusuf’s audio lecture in the rights and responsibility of a husband and a wife (and children). I got the compilation as a gift from my fabulous aunties from MPF as a gift. (Thank you... thank you…)

In one of the many lectures, he mentions that Saydina Ali Karamullahu Wajhah reminded us not to be depressed over matters in this world.

Saydina Ali Karamullahu Wajhah said that the world is of 6 things which are:

1.    Ma’kul: Something that you eat.

2.    Mashkur: Something that you drink.

3.    Malbus: Something that you wear.

4.    Markub: Something that you ride.

5.    Mashmum: Something that you smell.

6.    Mankuwah: Someone that you marry.

In other words, it is out of these 6 matters that we achieve the best satisfaction in life.

And then Saydina Ali Karamullahu Wajhah invites us to analyse into these 6 matters from its best source.

The highest thing that you eat is honey… it originates from the vomit of bees.

The highest thing that you drink is water… every single animal drinks it too.

The highest thing that you wear is silk… it is the excretion of a worm.

The highest thing that you ride is a horse… on it men are killed.

The highest thing that you smell is musk... it is created from the mucus of a gazelle.

The highest pleasure that you get from marriage is the meeting point of where you urinate from.

Now think back again.

Is this life worth being depressed about or should we enjoy it in such a way that would allow us to obtain the best life in the Hereafter?

Blog adjourned.

To My Buddy: Budin, The Baby Bird.

This post is dedicated to my buddy Budin, The Baby Bird.

*Budin, The Baby Bird*

We found him lying helplessly at our balcony.

His nest was too high for us to put him back in.

So we took him in and gave him a shoebox to be sheltered from the cold night and sunny day.

We never saw his parents come back for him. Maybe they did but they didn’t know how to get him back to their nest.

He was very weak so we continuously cared for him the whole night and day.

He grew stronger after just a day. I thought he was going to make it. So I named him “Budin”.

I gave him a name because I was committed to care and nurse him for as long as he wants my assistance.

He fell asleep as I was feeding him last night. Chomel gila...

I went to bed as well.

Then I had a nightmare. I dreamt that I was playing with a toy attached to some string. Whenever I threw it, it would fly and with the string, I could maneuver it back to me. It was really exciting. Then suddenly, as my toy landed, I found Budin’s shoebox beside me. As I opened the lid, I saw a group of red ants surrounding Budin. Budin was not moving anymore.

Terkejut!

I woke up instantly and ran to see Budin.

Unfortunately, my nightmare was in fact, a reality.

Tiny red ants were crawling all around Budin’s body.

Budin is no more.  

The Bride said that he came to say goodbye to me in my sleep.

Sedih.

Kesian Budin.

Budin oh Budin.

We were not sure why you fell, why we found you or even why was your stay so short.

We do know that you have managed to generate much love from such a short time you were with us.

There is much Hikmah in anything that He plans for us . I am sure that one of the Hikmah that can be understood here is that He has allowed us to love you Budin.

My buddy Budin, The Baby Bird.

May you rest in peace.

Blog adjourned.

Berd and Budin

Three days ago, I went to lunch with the Bride and her colleague at Baloh, Damansara Perdana. While I was waiting for her to arrive, there was one salesman walking with two bird cages. I thought he was selling real birds complete with a cage and the decorations so I called him to get a closer look.

Actually, he was selling a toy bird in a cage that responds to sounds. If you clap in front of it, the bird will happily chirp all sorts of bird sounds. He was selling it fro RM22. I thought it would be a cool pet toy for Alisha so I bargained with him to sell it to me at RM20. Fortunately, he agreed. I thought he purposely marked up the price to RM22 so that his customers would feel like they got a good price when they bargained RM2 with him. Smart fellow. J

So there I was, waiting by the roadside for the Bride with a pet toy bird in a cage. The Bride thought I bought a real bird! Hehehe.

In order to avoid Alisha from being confused, we decided to name the pet toy bird “Berd, The Bird”. This way, we can call it a “Berd” but Alisha would think that we were calling it “bird”. We even taped the speaker underneath the cage so that Berd’s chirping is not too loud. Hehehe. Smart parents.

*Berd, The Bird*

Just as I suspected, Alisha loves Berd, The Bird. She would bring him along everywhere in the room by dragging the whole cage with her. Berd doesn’t mind being handled by Alisha and would continuously chirp her similar cute sounds all the time.

Yesterday, Alisha and I were playing at the balcony beside our television area. We were trying to chirp at the real birds flying home. Suddenly, I heard a cute tiny sound coming from the side of the balcony.

Lo and Behold! 

There was a baby bird lying on the floor. I think it fell from its nest located in between the roof of the balcony. Ants were already on the way to attack it. I quickly called the Bride to save it from further harm as I was holding Alisha. It looked like it was okay Alhamdulillah. My maid said that there was another baby bird that had fell there earlier during the day but it was already dead when she found it.

*The baby bird that fell from her unreachable nest*

 The Bride and I quickly took the baby bird inside and showed it to Alisha. Alisha seronok gila dapat tengok a real baby bird. J

*Look mommy, its a real baby bird!*

*Psst... Daddy nak keep the baby bird eh??*

*Can I give it my cracker? Polly wants a cracker?*

Upon googling the many ways to care for a baby bird, we have now placed it in a shoe box at the side of the balcony upstairs just beside the roof where we suspect is its nest. Tak sampai pulak nak letak dia at her own nest.

Last night and today we fed it with minced meat. The pet shop that I went to just now said to give it nestum so I got a syringe and fed it with Alisha’s nestle baby cereal that she doesn’t want to eat anymore.

It looks like it’s getting better now.

In the meantime, I have decided to call it “Budin”.

 *Rambut macam Budin*

*Alisha and Mommy feeding Budin*

So I am planning to continue feeding it until it learns how to fly and to find its own food.

*hello Budin!*

Now Alisha has Berd and I have Budin.

Blog adjourned.

Disappointing News

Today, something got me to watch the news.

I chose Buletin Utama TV3.

In one of its news, Buletin Utama reported that Tuan Guru Nik Aziz bribed RM300 each to 3 gentlemen who had just embraced Islam in an open event somewhere in Kelantan. These 3 gentlemen were some orang asli in Kelantan. Buletin Utama further reported that sources said that the money used (all RM900 I suppose) were taken from a taukey balak (logging boss) from Kelantan. TV3 had the cheek to say that they got it from some source. They didn’t even mention if the source is reliable or not.

The moment I heard the news, I immediately told the Bride that somehow I feel so sad for Tuan Guru. There he was, leading a group of witnesses to convert 3 orang asli (something which we all would want to be part of as the reward from Allah is just beyond your wildest imagination) and the news is reporting that he is bribing them to vote for PAS.

Amenda ni???

So instead of starting with my work, I googled “Nik Aziz sogok orang asli rm300”. There were a few results that matched what I was looking for. It was from those fanatic political blogs which you would only believe if you are a fanatic like them.

These bloggers may not know (or are just too fanatic to even consider) that when a brother embraces Islam (or how my ex-rector, Prof Kamal Hassan in IIUM puts it, reverts back to Islam), he has a right to receive alms and this right is enshrined in the Quran in Surah Taubah verse 60:

60. Alms (Zakat) are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds); for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to Truth); for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom.

Therefore, it is a common thing that reverts be given some cash to help him with his new life. On the day of the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet (pbuh) distributed the bulk of war booty (from the Tabuk war if I am not mistaken) to the Quraish in Mecca (who had just embraced Islam after The Conquest Of Mecca) and not much to the Ansar from Madinah. Ulama concluded that the Prophet’s aim was to soften the hearts of the Meccans towards Islam as they had just embraced Islam and into its fold. It is necessary for them to taste firsthand the material benefits that Islam can bring even though that is not the purpose of embracing Islam. (See Sahih Muslim Volume 5, book 58, Number 122) These bloggers had no evidence from where Tuan Guru Nik Aziz got the cash to be given to the reverts and they were certainly not among those who would give that poor old man any benefit of the doubt (Husnul Zann  or sangka baik). I am assuming that it is from the Zakat fund. Let us say that I am wrong and the money was from the taukey balak, how did they know that the money was meant to bribe the reverts to vote for PAS and not to ease their burden as reverts?

Remember: Slandering is worse than killing!

Pelik betul macam mana Orang Islam sanggup gunakan Islam sebagai propaganda politik.

Worst still is how a national television such as TV3 could cite these baseless accusations as part of its national news!!!

Gila punye kerja.

See how the media could twist a sincere act of witnessing conversion to be some fitnah about bribery?

Buletin TV3, you have truly disappointed me tonight!

Blog adjourned.