Eidul Adha

Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) told his son, Prophet Ismail (Isaac) that he had a few dreams of him slaughtering his son. Prophet Ismail understood the meaning of the dream. Allah had ordered his father to slaughter him in yet another test of iman or faith. Prophets' dream are true.

Oh father, you will find me an obedient servant. Do what Allah has ordered you to do. I only have three request from you. First, tie me tightly until I cannot struggle at all. Second, take off my shirt so that it will not be tainted with blood. My mother, Hajar, will be sad if she see my shirt full of blood. Let her smell my clean shirt in remembrance of me, her only child. Thirdly, please use a very sharp knife so that I will suffer less.

On the fateful day, while Prophet Ibrahim was walking to the slaughter site, satan appeared and tried to persuade him not to go on with it. Don't you love your son, satan said among others. This happened three times at three different places and at each time, Prophet Ibrahim took some pebbles and threw at satan until he disappeared. He tied Prophet Ismail tightly and went on to put the sharp knife on his son's neck. Just when he was about to continue, Allah has substitute Prophet Ismail with a sheep. Both father and son has undergone the severe test successfully.

Today, while performing hajj, pilgrims will throw pebbles at Jamratul sughra, Jamratul Wusta and Jamratul Aqabah as a symbol of rejecting satan requests just like what Prophet Ibrahim had done. And on 10 Zulhijjah or a few days after that, they will slaughter sheep.

It was very difficult for my husband and I to reach the Jamratul Aqabah on the third day six years ago. The wave of people keep on pushing us back like strong current. We decided to try again later on. I was sad then. It was a lot easier when my husband took my mother in law earlier on. He cannot take us both at the same time for it would be difficult to handle. After resting for some time, we decided to try again on the second floor. Subhanallah, praise be to Allah, there were only a handful of people there then. It seems the big crowd had moved away. I kept on saying Alhamdulillah, thank you Allah, in my hearth.

This year, I send a check to an organization to have my Qurban or slaughtering of sheep done in Palestine. How they had suffered in the hand of Israel. When I celebrate Eidul Adha on 10 Zulhijjah this year (two days more), I won't feel guilty of celebrating it happily with my family while other muslims suffer somewhere else. Hopefully my small contribution will enlighten their day.

Ya Allah, bless all those that has suffer so much just to worship you as the one and only almighty god. Bless us all. Ameen.

Safa and Marwah

The desert was hot and barren. No tree, no source of water, no nothing. She looked at her husband in disbelief. He wanted to leave her and their baby alone in the middle of the desert? Only one question crossed her mind. Is this a command from Allah? Yes, her husband said. Then you must go she said. She watched him walking away, slowly disappearing from her sight leaving behind some water and food behind which finished soon enough. Her baby started crying. She became desperate and started looking for water. In her state of helplessness, she put down her baby and started to run to Safa hill. No water there. So she ran to the opposite Marwah hill. No water there too. The baby keep on crying. In her panic she ran from Safa to Marwah hill to and fro for seven times. Suddenly the baby stop crying and she saw a water pool gushing out at the end of her baby's feet. Subhanallah, praise be to Allah for sending this source of water. Not long after kabilah or groups of travelers stopped there and a town slowly build up.

That was the story of Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham, his wife Hajar and their son, Prophet Ismail or Isaac. When the order came down from Allah to leave his beloved wife and baby son in the middle of nowhere, he abided. When Hajar was told she was to be left behind because it was the command of Allah, she abided. Would you do the same if you are in their position? May Allah give us the strength to be abiding servants.

The town is Mecca. The water source is Zam Zam water that never run dry until today. A lot of the rituals during Hajj are to commemorate the sacrifices that Prophet Ibrahim and his family have done in order to obey Allah. Going to and fro from Safa to Marwah for seven times and ending up at Marwah hill while performing Sa'e during my Hajj six years ago, I can't imagine what Hajar had gone through for the place is indoor inside Masjidil Haram now. No more scorching hot sun on top of our head. No more sand and stone on the ground. What we are doing is nothing compared to what Prophet Ibrahim's family has gone through. Prophet Ibrahim in his prayer has asked Allah to bless his descendants. Indeed all the Prophets that came after him are his lineage.

Ya Allah. Blessed the family of Prophet Ibrahim. Blessed the family of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Bless us all. Ameen.

lineage - lineal descent from an ancestor; ancestry.

Follow the story of Prophet Ibrahim, the father of Prophets, at http://www.islamicity.com/Mosque/ibrahim.htm

That african man in Mina.

He was standing at the side of the road, watching passerby. My husband stopped beside him to buy mineral water being sold nearby. My husband started chatting with him while consuming the mineral water. He is from a country in African continent. This is the third time he went to perform hajj on foot, walking all the way. The first time he came, he was only ten years old, walking with his father. Now he is in the early twenty, working as a religious teacher teaching the holy Qur'an. He doesn't earn much but what little he earn he keep some to perform hajj. My husband was touched. Walking all the way from Africa?

My husband and I make it a point to save every bit that we can in order to perform hajj as early as possible while we are still young and strong. My husband wanted to change to a bigger motorbike to go to work which would take almost an hour to arrive riding a small motorbike. Plus riding a small motorbike for a long time twice a day take its toll on my husband's waist, it sometime aches. But I told him to put everything on hold until we have perform our hajj first. As soon as we can afford it we perform our hajj using the muassasah or the cheapest choice. We did't go using package scheme since it is expensive and would take us longer time to come out with the money even though it is much more comfortable and easier. Choosing muassasah would mean walking eight kilometers to the jamrah area and walking another eight kilometers back to our camp every day for three consecutive days. We don't mind that as long as we could perform our hajj at the earliest time possible.

Meeting with this african guy has made the hardship that we faced pale into insignificant. Our condition is luxury to his eyes since he don't stay in a hotel in Mecca or Medina or living in a camp at Mina. He sleep where condition permit him, having the sky as his cover. Every step he made earned him blessing from Allah Almighty and he made thousands and thousands of steps to perform hajj to get Allah's blessing. Subhanallah, glory be to Allah.

Ya Allah, bless all those who has perform hajj to seek your blessing. And bless all those who pray every day for a miracle chance to perform hajj even though they are poor. Give them the pahala or rewards equal to those who has perform hajj.

May Allah bless us all. Ameen.

Aching heart

It's pilgrimage season again. Today is the 20th of Zul Qa'da. Next month is Zul Hijjah - the hajj month. My hearth has been aching for quite some time now. Longing for the holy places of Mecca and Medina. The memory of performing my hajj six years ago keep on coming back to me especially when I heard friends and relatives taking their flight there.

I envy the stone on the hill along the road to Mecca. They had seen Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, during his life time but I have not. I still hope to see him in my dream before I die. I envy the birds that hover over heads when we were performing our prayer in Kaabah. They live in the holy land of Mecca while I'm just a visitor.

The first time I performed my tawaf, surrounding the kaabah for seven times, my eyes were brimming with tears and I was speechless. No words can describe how I felt at that time. My heart was filled with many thanks to Allah for allowing me to be a guess. It was the closest I have been physically with Prophet Muhammad, performing a ritual that he has performed long before me at the very same spot. A ritual that signify the oneness of the muslim ummah regardless of country of origin, class or color. Circling around a building that does not have a single picture or idol/statue in it because muslims do not worship things but worship the one and only almighty god that does not have a shape or occupy a specific space. Allah is everywhere. Especially in the heart of the believers.

I have never fail to pray to Allah for a chance to go back there, at least for my umrah or small hajj. Please pray for me too.

May Allah bless us all.

aching - a continuous or prolonged dull pain in a part of one's body : the ache in her head worsened.

hover - remain in one place in the air : army helicopters hovered overhead.

ritual - religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actionsperformed according to a prescribed order

Planting a seed

"When you grow up you will shine like a star". That's the note I wrote to a student in facebook when she request to be a friend of mine. She answered back, "Thank you teacher. I will prove it to you one day". From that day onward whenever she saw me, she will wave her hand to me. I will wave back with a smile. That is one seed that I have planted. One day it will grow into a beautiful and fruitful tree.

People tend to focus their mind on negative things. Not enough effort, not good enough, not smart,.......... Culture and surrounding shape the way we think. I choose to follow the steps of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. He can see the strength of everyone around him. He accepted Saidina Ali's opinion (Saidina Ali was ten years old then) when older sahabat or companions wanted to brush him aside. To them Saidina Ali is a little boy not worth paying attention to but Prophet Muhammad taught them otherwise. There is a potential germ in every stone. We just have to give them a chance.

Years ago when I was picking up my then small kids from the house of the baby sitter, she was crying and scolding her third son. He sold his sister's bicycle to buy drug that he was addicted to. It was a sad picture. The mother looked so haggard while the son just looked down on the floor. I need to break the tension. I told her that despite her son's present condition, one day when she pass away, it could be that this is the son that will remember her the most in his prayer. I was planting another seed in the mind of the son. Hopefully the seed will grow one day.

That was almost fifteen years ago. I heard the baby sitter has passed away. But I don't know what happen to the son. I pray to Allah that he will always remember his mom in his prayer everyday. InsyaAllah, with the will of Allah, Allah will grant my doa or prayer. And I always pray for the best for everyone. Life is too short to fill our life with hatred that will only burn us down slowly from inside.

May Allah bless us all with wisdom and guidance. May Allah bless us all. Ameen.

haggard - looking exhausted and unwell, esp. from fatigue, worry, or suffering : I trailed on behind, haggard and disheveled.