Of Parenthood..

"Akak akak! A mother-to-be over there!" Can't help myself but to nudge2 my sister Nadiah when we passed by a pregnant lady on our way. And the same thing happens when it comes to seeing babies with pinchable cheeks! Eyes fixed in delight for a few seconds watching them. Hehe… Guess most ladies do share such similar sentiments. Come to think of it, little girls have always been given baby dolls for their playtime too.. a nurturing instinct that comes naturally since young? I believe so.. ((:

And just as I was waiting at the bus-stop the other day, a Muslimah came with a baby stroller and another hand holding her toddler securely. And as usual, liking to secretly observe how young mothers care for their children, I then started to notice something quite different. The mother seemed to be communicating with both her 4 year-old daughter and infant mostly with facial expressions and soft hand gestures, but of course never lacking in showing her tenderness and affection. And as we board the same bus, later did I realize that she was actually hearing-impaired and wasn't able to speak. masyaAllah… my heart really quivered at that point of time.. am definitely struck amazed with her strength of motherhood! Heart was touched deeply indeed.. ^_^




The incident did set me thinking on how the mother teaches and guides her children.. sure would be inspiring to be able to know them. (: 'Cos I do recognize how challenging the task is even for normal parents. Imagine the power of our very actions to greatly influence the little ones' upbringing! Definitely a big responsibility that comes with the bundle of happiness. Ya Allah.. I could never thank You enough for blessing me with my two wonderful parents. Raising three daughters with abundance of care and protection, helping us to grow in a much supportive Islamic setting and understanding.. It's beyond my imagination how they manage to do it for all these years. And seeing the video below till the end moved me strongly to tears.. and strengthen my love for them even more.. :') Dear Allah.. Do guide me to follow well in their footsteps..




P/S: Suddenly thought of some names like Zayd Hamzah & Faiz Husni, Farah Murshidah & Sarah Sakeenah for twin baby boys and girls.. Wheee~ Heheh =D 

Poem: My Way Back

There was a young girl, she loved Allah.
She didn't know why, just how much.
She talked to Him when she was lonely,
Knowing He was the One and Only.

She thought of Allah as her best Friend,
And knew He'd listen until The End.
She wanted to please Him and do what's right,
and be surrounded by His light.

But as this bud grew into a flower,
She realized people too have power.
Power to cloud your way of thinking,
And soon she felt her Iman sinking.

Although on the outside she went along,
On the inside she was still strong.
She knew Allah was just waiting,
For the right time for her awakening..



Alhamdulillah, the love for Him was always there.
Although it was in need of repair.
One day she decided to make her Hajj.
And make Allah her only Judge.

So a New Muslim she became,
And again began to praise His name.

I thank Allah from the bottom of my heart,
And thank the Teacher that gave me my new start.
May Allah bless you, you know who you are.
You have my Dua, whether I'm near or far.

"Ya Allah, keep me on the straight path,
And not the way that earns Your wrath.
Forgive me for the mistakes I've made,
Let me walk with patience, on the path You've laid.
Help keep my intention to please only You.
And keep my Iman as it was, when I was new."

~ by Ameena Ansari, USA

from IslamicPoetry.org [ Click here for more ]

The Changemakers

If the word "creativity" is ever mentioned, I must say that one of the first things which pop up in my head would be to associate it with designers and businessmen. Although of course, others who are not in this line no doubt possess such a powerful trait too! But seeing the works of the two professions above could leave me gaping in awe. "How did they do that??" Wow… I wonder what inventive ideas are brewing inside them.

I once found a book sitting nicely at the library's bookshelf, of which the title Social Entrepreneurship and Changemakers did grab my attention there. Sigh. Too bad my account's already full then so didn't manage to borrow a copy. But the keywords did make me go on a speedy google search with loads of references to look into. Hmmm. Very Interesting~ Wikipedia reads, "A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change." Simply said, a pioneer of innovation benefiting humanity! Really quite a big leap of effort to undertake yeh? But reading up on extraordinary figures who succeeded in making a large-scale positive impact on people, it just leaves me all the more inspired by the second. (:




Suddenly recalled a speech by Bro Helmy Isa from FMSA during an Exco Leadership Camp here at RP.. Reminding on the responsibility that lies on our shoulders to help the society. Very moving masyaAllah! Really hope I could attend more of his talks if there's any. Best! ^_^ And a publication by the local Muslim Trust Fund Association from June 2006 also notes of the increasingly high number of those who require our assistance and thoughtful actions..

Jumlah pemohon yang datang untuk mendapatkan bantuan kewangan semakin bertambah setiap hari. Jika biasanya mereka yang dibantu itu ialah golongan fakir dan miskin, orang-orang tua yang uzur, cacat anggota dan sebagainya tetapi apa yang dihadapi MTFA hari ini ialah ibu-ibu muda dan ibu-ibu tunggal yang bermasalah. Kebanyakan masalah yang dihadapi oleh ibu-ibu tersebut itu ialah masalah menyara hidup seharian akibat perceraian atau suami mereka yang masih muda dan tidak mempunyai pekerjaan tetap.

 


Wondering what the 8 icons above signify? Those are actually the Millennium Development Goals put together during a United Nations Millennium Summit back in 2000, of a pledge to work together to make a better world for all by 2015. Clicking on the individual icons on its webpage do give a good highlight on some of the worrying issues there are now. Like for example, Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger...

"Imagine: Waking up each morning without enough food to eat, without clean water to drink, without health care or a home. Fact: More than 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day."

How truly lucky we are not to be under such situations. But this calls for our much needed service in lending a hand too yeh? Nevermind if the action begins small; 'cos it still is a valuable deed in the eyes of Allah. =) Joining hands with others who have the same passion does magnify the strength too! As one of the youth organisations here focusing on humanitarian efforts, Nur Ikhwan certainly is a noteworthy team that you may want to consider joining for a start ;)

And how amazing it really felt seeing the huge number of sisters and brothers from different youth groups and student societies across Singapore, coming together in a single event to assist in volunteering for Saff Perdaus' Ramadhan Rocks last year. Knowing that the hearts are fixed on a sole mission, prayers built on longing and working hard for Allah's mercy together on those days of Ramadhan, it was definitely a memorable experience that still remains intact with me.. :))








Big plans, big hopes, may Allah guide us through..

"For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women,
for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women
who humble themselves, for men and women who give in Charity, for men and women who fast,
for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise,
for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward."

~ Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 35

The Growing Up years...

It puzzles me sometimes when people tried to guess my age. 'Cos the response which I get varied greatly. Most said I look 20-ish, an uncle thought I was 23, and by far one of the most shocking was when an Insurance Agent suddenly stopped me in my tracks while walking at Jurong East Interchange, asking how many children have I already had. Adoii. First question pulak tuh. -____- "Hmm.. U sure you're 19 Diy?" "Oh yes I am!"

Hehe. Okay never mind all that. Guess still being a child-at-heart doesn't go in line with how I may portray myself outside. =P Anyways, last Thursday Ibu brought us three sisters and dear younger cousin Faiqah to IMM for a few rounds of window-shopping and the actual spree for stocking kitchen foodstuff at Giant superstore. And my oh my… It's been a long time since I last get a plushie for free! And a super adorable one at that! Thank you so much Ibu… <3 ^_^ Didn't usually buy soft toys on a regular basis, perhaps once in a while only those which really catch my eye like these palm-sized Superman and Spiderman Mashi Maro. Ahh.. uber cute. How nice if I could one day transform them into a Pendekar in Silat attire / apple green baju kurong / or an Arabian warrior complete with a white & gold suit and turban. =P







On a different note, the thought of orphans sprung to mind when my friend 'Arafah mentioned about this in her blog. Recently came across an Islamic Relief website too on the subject of sponsoring one (there's a total of 20,000 orphans in 21 countries worldwide currently under the program) [Click Here]. And browsing through Darul Ihsan's and Darul Ma'wa's homepage instantly made me wonder of how the growing up years may be for them.. Going through different experiences, seeing life through the eyes of a child.. masyaAllah. Truly a humbling account in teaching one's heart to be more compassionate and grateful. Pondered for a while on how we could possibly render our help for them.. with continuous support to look after their emotional and spiritual needs being part of it, a twice a month visit at least for a start? wAllahu'alam. Definitely in need of a better plan. Hope the precious young souls are safe in Allah's care right now.. ameen ya Rahman.

But one thing for sure, I do applaud the initiatives run by the local organizations here in taking care of the children's welfare. Darul Ihsan for example, operates two separate orphanages for housing boys and girls, while having an educational financial aid scheme where orphans not staying at the orphanage receive monthly financial assistance. Alhamdulillah.. May Allah places the generous souls among those who receive His Forgiveness and Mercy in this world and the hereafter.. Let's try to do our part too ye? InsyaAllah. =))

The Prophet (may peace be upon him) said:

"I and the person who looks after an orphan will be in Paradise together like this..." - then he raised his forefinger and middle finger together. (Hadith Bukhari)

Novel Pilihan: PPC

Sedang mendengar: Kupinang engkau dengan Al-Quran - Gradasi

"Kuakui ada satu nama yang membuatku selalu bergetar bila mendengarnya, namun tak lebih dari itu. Aku tidak pernah berusaha merindukannya. Dan tak akan pernah kuizinkan diriku merindukannya. Karena aku merasa itu sia-sia. Aku tak mau melakukan hal yang sia-sia dan membuang tenaga. Aku lebih memilih mencurah seluruh rindu dendam, haru biru rindu dan deru cintaku untuk belajar dan mendekati Al-Qur'an..." ~ Fahri bin Abdullah Shiddiq

MasyaAllah. Tiap kali novel Habiburrahman El-Shirazy dapat ana capai dan nikmati dengan penuh debar, pasti kesan yang ditinggalkan ialah rasa yang cukup membahagiakan sekali! Kisahnya selalu aja membuat pembaca ingin terus perbaiki diri lagi. Tambahan pula dengan hero dan heroine-nya mukmin yang soleh dan solehah.. aduh. Andai hati ini bisa cair, pasti laju ia mengalir~ hehe

Pudarnya Pesona Cleopatra (PPC) ada mengandungi 2 mini novel - PPC dan Setitis Embun Cinta Niyala. Dua2 tak kurang hebatnya! Dan kalau dahulunya dalam buku Ayat-Ayat Cinta ada watak utama Fahri, yang ini ditampilkan pula Muhammad Faiq bin Saiful Anam dalam cerita yang kedua. Dan persamaan yang dapat ana lihat di dalam hero2 Pak Habiburrahman ialah, hati mereka sungguh dekat dengan al-Quran.. Mengagumkan! =)

Terngiang-ngiang ungkapan dari PPC di fikiran ana.. "Di zaman moden seperti ini, mencari gadis solehah lebih susah daripada mencari perempuan cantik." Allahu Akbar. Sisters tersayang, sama2 kita usahakan untuk terus men"solehah"kan diri ye? Bukan sekadar untuk memiliki pasangan yang soleh, namun yang terpenting untuk mendapatkan cinta Tuhan selamanya.. ameen insyaAllah.





"Jam loceng di kamarnya berdering kuat. Lalu mati. Dia mendengar suara derit pintu. Lalu kecipak air. Ia menatap jam dinding. Pukul tiga. Tidak lama kemudian, dia mendengar suara alunan ayat-ayat suci al-Quran. Suara itu begitu jernih, fasih, tartil dan indah. Menyentuh hati siapa yang mendengarnya. Setelah empat tahun abangnya berada di Mesir, semakin indah bacaan al-Qurannya. Ah, abang Faiq, dalam keadaan letih dari perjalanan yang jauh, masih juga bangun tengah malam. Alangkah bahagianya siapa yang menjadi isterimu. Setiap malam boleh solat tahajjud bersama. Menangis bersama di hadapan Allah. Lalu anak-anakmu sesekali diajak ikut serta. Rumahmu penuh cahaya Qurani. Baunya harum wangi kasturi. Alangkah indahnya..." ~ Setitis Embun Cinta Niyala

Ya Allah.. hati ini ku cuba 'tuk menutup dengan rapat, agar ia tidak terpaut pada sesiapa dengan mudahnya.. namun kurniakanlah rasa sayang di dalamnya hanya tika waktu dan pilihan yang Engkau tetapkan, ialah yang terbaik buatku suatu saat nanti..