Dear Ramadhan

Bismillah.

Ramadhan Mubarak!

While I am writing this down, I am on medical leave for a day. I was having cold since last two days and yesterday my nose started to produce excess mucus. I was working yesterday but i just could not held it long. I was trying to speak to clients and at the same time wiping out my nose from almost drip mucus was not fun at all. I am pretty sure my clients can hear me breathing hardly. Plus the new office building is very cold. That does not make it any less harder. But still I can go fasting. Alhamdulillah.

Alright. Since it is the holy month of Ramadhan, I am sure that everyone is on top of the race to grab every opportunity to earn more rewards by doing more good deeds and more ibadah. It is so amazing to see everyone fasting, and some 'finding' their way back to perform salat since they are fasting. While, some others I see they started to give it a glance to Qur'an, and started to read verse by verse. Kudos to those who trying to get back on track and those who decide to DO it! You know that only YOU can make yourself do it. And hello! The big disturbance and distraction of evil and devil has been suspended for these 30 days. So, what are there left to excuse? If there's any, then it is only YOU. :)

For myself, I am trying to finish reading the whole Qur'an book within Ramadhan. After saw a facebook post on how to complete reading Qur'an in a month. The formula is to read 4 pages at every salat time.

I just feel that it would work for me. InsyaAllah. I hope it will. I need to achieve something out of this blessing month. After all, it is a month where any good deeds will be rewarded multiply. Doesn't that sounds like a 'Megasale' to you? I'd be not smart to not make any move to seize it. :) May Allah accept all of our ibadah.

How about you brothers and sisters? What have you been up to for this Ramadhan? ;)

Iftar in Patterson, New Jersey

Iftar in Middle east

Iftar at a mosque in Pakistan

In the name of Allah...

Bismillah.

Bismillah. What does this word means? Bismillah? It is an Arabic word which brings the meaning, "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Compassionate."

I feel moved to share a scene in my life that has to do with this common word, which is being cited countlessly everyday by a Muslim.

This happened when I was in Bosnia. In my office cubicle, there were four of us. All man except me. And the one who had always have the time to 'entertain' my long listed queries is Haris. He was sitting next to my desk plus he is more fluent in English than the rest in the cube so that explains why he had to answer me. Hehe. 

One day, he offered me a snack , Štapići, a salty stick biscuits. 

I took it right away and after the first bite, Haris said to me in puzzled face; 


Haris  : " Hey, you were saying something". 


I stopped chewing and asked him back.


Me      :  " What did I say?".
Haris  :  "You were saying something right before you eat."


Then only I understood what he meant.


Me     : " I was saying Bismillah."
Haris  :"I know but we say that only when we are having a feast like when iftaar and during eid etc."
Me     :"Oh. I suppose we say that everytime before we eat or drink. No matter how big is the   
            meal." 

                                                                                ...

What I would like to highlight from the story above is that, I would not have realized that I recited Bismillah if Haris did not mention it to me. It is good that he asked. That made me think that, one could actually done something naturally, if it is done repeatedly. That when it becomes a habit or natural, one might not notice it anymore.

I read it somewhere from religious storybook when I was little. There is a story of a woman who always say Bismillah everytime she is about to do anything. Before cooking, before eating, before working. Her husband just could not get his wife's behaviour. So one day he put her on trial. He emptied a wheat jar his wife usually use in cooking before his wife comes into the kitchen that day. When the wife came to the kitchen to cook, she took the wheat jar and before opened it, as usual she said "Bismillah". MashaAllah, as God has willed, she scooped out the wheat and start cooking. The husband who was hiding behind was very surprised to see that there the jar is filled! He was very sure that no one get into the kitchen after he emptied the jar and went into hiding and was waiting all the way for his wife to come in. Unbelievable but true. Allahu akbar!

Such a wonderful story we can learn from. Now, I try to make it a habit too. To say Bismillah before getting into vehicles, before making telephone calls, or when I am about to step out from the elevator. ;) 

Because I believe in the word. Because you know that you are asking Allah for his blessings on whatever you do. I don't think a person would say Bismillah before committing a crime or stealing. That would be twisted. ;) 

"Sayyidina Ali (ra) was reported to have said that saying Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim is a duaa that helps simplify a hard task and removes grief and brings happiness to the heart."

Bismillah. It may be just a word. But it has made and will make a difference! 

And I shed a tear to a goodbye

Bismillah.

Today is the day where they will leave Malaysia. Again. After spending a week here. They are going home tonight. Midnight flight as scheduled. Time flies and that I feel a lot when best things happen.

I wish I could send them off to the airport. To bid and wave final goodbye. Unfortunately I'm working today. But I told myself that I would give them a call before midnight. Before they go on board.

After I reached home at about 9pm, and was doing some cleaning, I was thinking of them. Really. How yesterday's outing was greatly good yet too short. Imagining that they are not going home for good tonight. Hoping to rewind it some other times again.

When I walked into my room, I checked my phone. And saw a text message and one missed call.

*Oh my oh my* 

I touched on the envelope icon on screen and the message says;

"Selam, we are heading towards airport, we all feel that time spent with you was too short, all the best to you and your families, Seida, Serif, Davud n Delila..."

:')

Quickly, I checked out call log on the phone, and it was from Serif. 

With an overwhelming heart, I returned the call and we were exchanging words and best wishes. And both were wishing, hoping and praying that we could meet again in future. Whether in Malaysia or Bosnia. As Seida said earlier, she always prayed to come back to Malaysia and when all of us were least expecting it, thought that it was almost impossible, Allah has granted and allowed them to walk again in the land of Malaysia. Allahu akbar! Never lose hope in Allah. Never. :') And I can then meet them in my country this time. 

And I can't put words on how I felt after we hung up the phone. All I know I was shedding tears. Oh how I love them in the name of Allah. Never that I regretted my decision taking the path to Bosnia and to have met them. And everyone there. 

"O Allah, bless them. And their land.

And let me walk in Bosnia again. Ameen Ya Robb."

ćao ćao i vidimo se, inshallah!

Awaiting Guests

Bismillah.

Next week, I will receive guests from far far away, Bosnia. Yeay! Mr Šerif and Seida Mustafić  (remember the post on Sledging) are coming back to Malaysia, along with their kids, Davud and Delila, after 12 years they left Malaysia. They used to live in Malaysia for 8 years. I bet they have a pretty long list-to-do in mind. Tom yam soup! Durian! Seremban! And the list definitely goes on and on. hehe. I am feeling excited for them. Yeah, thinking how lucky for them to come back to their second home. Hey, I miss my second home too! Doesn't that count? :P 

 Seida and Šerif

Oh, what bring them down here after 12 years?

Well, our well known architect, Dato Haji Esa Mohamed (who designed Kuala Lumpur International Airport etc) is a friend to them. 

I met Dato Haji and his Bosnian Australian wife during Sarajevo Business Forum 2011.

And then, me and my friends and also Šerif and Seida, along with other Bosnian friends were invited by Dato Haji Esa for a dinner at Park Prinčeva. 

Nice place, though.

Dato' Haji Esa was trying to get some camera shot and Šerif (in red shirt) was sitting next to him. And I was at the end of the table. :P

Dato Haji Esa's wife with Seida and Delila

So, they are coming down soon to attend Dato Haji Esa's invitation on his daughter's wedding.

Aww..

Can't wait to meet them. 

Any idea on where to bring them in KL? :)

What is it with me and the bus?

Bismillah.

I don't really opt for bus if I had to take public transport to go around the city at my place. Unless there is a need for me to travel far to other state, then I would consider it. I'd rather take the trains. Even now, I'm taking trains to go to work. It is faster and you can avoid road congestion. :)

My so-called moments with bus:

• Kindergarten time
• School trips
• When I studied in a university in north Malaysia (UiTM Kedah). I have no choice but to take express bus from my hometown of KL to Kedah which takes five hours.
• When I continued my studies in Shah Alam. The bus-stop is right in front of my house block. It was impossible not to feel fortunate and take the bus when other students complained they had to walk three to four blocks to get to the bus-stop.
• Practical training / internship in Bosnia. The bus is free of charge. Furthermore, the city trams is not linked to my office complex area so I had to

This yellow bus is the company's bus. 

Hari-hari naik bas ni. Seriously, macam kerja kat kilang. Memang pun! :p Cumanya bas ni lebih dipenuhi dengan orang-orang tua berbanding orang muda seperti kat Malaysia.

Apologize for the blurry picture. It was cold I can hardly hold the camera.

Wanna have a ride?

Apart from that, I actually would like to admit I like to do one thing when I travel to another country. If I see any tourist bus like hop-on hop-off in other country, the result is going to be as below:

There was no me in this photo unfortunately because the bus was moving.

Okay. That is the main point of this post actually. haha. I started to take photo with tour bus when I was in Budapest though I know we have it here in Kuala Lumpur. And then, I saw more and more in Vienna, Paris, and Germany. InshaAllah, hopefully more to see. All of a sudden, it has become a must-take-photo for me if I see it.

So, what is your must-take-photo when you travel?