The extra class at home

There was very little time left and I was missing class due to some meeting that I have to attend outside town. The kids are due to take their PMR examination just the following week. I need to give them the last minute touch in order to better prepare them for the exam. So extra class at my house was the solution.

I had a few extra classes at home. Separate session for girls and boys. Without the other sex around, they were very vocal and open. They felt free to ask without feeling shy. I got to discover the topics that they are really weak in when they asked a lot of questions. They were more than happy to study at my home since they got to eat and drink. Hari Raya or Eid cookies were still abundant. It was like a holiday cum study session.

I have done my best. It's up to them now. Whatever result they will get, I rest at peace knowing that I have done my level best to help them up to the very last minute. May Allah bless my effort and their effort with success. Amin.

May Allah bless us all.

A lot has happened lately. I have had two open house. First was specifically for neighbours and my students. The second was for my husband's and my office mates. We moved in to this new house just over a year ago. In our busy schedule going to and from work, we hardly knew our neighbours except for the the few that live close by. In the back of my mind I felt uneasy about that. Neighbours are suppose to take care of each others. To help each others. It got to start from getting to know each other better. The open house provide that opportunity. It's like breaking the ice session. In future when I greet them, it won't be just for formality for they we are no longer stranger to each other. It will be like greeting friends.

My husband's and my office mates have had been requesting for an open house for a long time. They want to see the green garden, the fish ponds, the aquariums of sea and fresh water fish, the minute/mini chickens, the rabbits. How can we not share the source of our contentment at home. Perhaps it could give them ideas to lead a greener life. A house that will relieve you half of the source of stress at work. When my bougainvillea or roses were blooming with a mix of beautiful colours, as soon as I reach home I will stroll into my garden first before stepping inside the house. It was like the flowers were calling me to appreciate their beauty.

May Allah bless us all.

Eid Mubarak celebration

First we went to my husband's hometown down south. There were about 40 of us when we gathered around the meal on the last day of Ramadhan. A rare sight. On the first two days of Eid Mubarak, we went to a few houses. Met older relatives. Old faces that we got to see every year during Eid. Exchanging news. I always have a soft heart for older people. Something that Islam has taught me.

We went back home and spend three nights at home as the kids have requested. They wanted to spent some days studying. All of them are facing major examination after Eid. Then we went on up north to visit my parents. My father sponsored the whole extended family to bowling, the family's passion. Everyone aiming to be the champion this time around. A good activity to bond the family's tie.

On the way back we dropped my second son at his college. Some students were already there, studying for their final. Wishing him good luck, we drove home. Yesterday was my eldest son's turn to go back to his college.

This year our celebration is really simple. What's important is not what we wear or what cookies we prepare for our guess. It's more on meeting love ones and seeking forgiveness from each others. Wishing our elder relatives good health so that they can perform their prayers well. I can see light inside their eyes whenever I wish wish them this and they will hug me in return. In that instant it felt as though our souls have touched.

May Allah bless us all.

The blessing of Ramadhan

Ramadhan is in the third and phase. The phase where muslims are freed from the hell fire if they fill up their time with good deeds. Performing solat tarawwih, listening to tazkirah or reminder, giving alms or sedekah, or whatever it is just to seek Allah's pleasure. It is also the most trying phase since festive mood is in the air and people can easily go astray and immersed themselves in the preparation for Eid Al Mubarak or Hari Raya Aidilfitri. To the point that they abandon performing solat tarawwih in favour of shopping and making cookies. Telivision and radio are filled with Eid song instead of Qur'an recitation. Everything has its price. The higher the reward, the more price you have to pay for it. And being free from hell fire doesn't come cheap. We have to put aside our pleasure to seek Allah's pleasure.

I'm struggling too. Eid preparation is on the way. I have to make sure that I fill up my free time with Qur'an recitation or performing prayer or solah.

My eldest son just came home from his college. The whole family is waiting for my second son to come home soon. Then we can travel to my husband's hometown to celebrate Eid with my mother in law. And visiting my father in law's grave on the morning of Eid after performing Eid prayer. Then visiting relatives' houses to seek forgiveness from each other. That's the spirit, to seek forgiveness.

To all muslims out there, make full use of the remaining of the holy Ramadhan to fill our time with prayers, zikr or remembering Allah and reciting the holy Qur'an. This might be our last Ramadhan. Celebate Eid in the spirit of seeking forgiveness from each other.

May Allah bless us all.

Islam and Muslims

Many people confused Islam with muslims. Both are regarded as a single entity, the same thing. But they are not.

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (p.b.u.h), was given the holy task of spreading the words of Allah. Just like Prophet Musa (Moses) and Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ). No wonder Islam, Judaism and Christianity share the same holy land - Baitul Maqdis in Palestin. Palestine is the land of prophets. Many prophets were born or died in Palestine, including Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham), Lut (Lot), Dawood (David), Suleiman (Solomon), Musa (Moses), and Isa (Jesus), alayhimu-salam.

What a Christian does is very rarely connected to his faith and religion but what a muslim does is always regarded as due to his religious belief. Muslims themselves should change this negative perspective by practicing true Islam. In this holy month of Ramadhan, break our fast moderately. Don't fill up our table with all kinds of dish and dessert. Lead a moderate life and pay out zakat to help the poor and needy. Be kind to the non muslims and show our good characters. Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) only have war with those that have confiscated the belongings of Meccan muslims that migrated to Medinah to save their faith. Lead our life just like the way Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) led his life.

May Allah bless us all.

Welcome Ramadhan

The blessed month of Ramadhan is back. Every year each muslim will pray to live long enough to meet Ramadhan again. Not everyone will make it. Ahsan wa sahlan ya Ramadhan; welcome, welcome the blessed month of Ramadhan.

Muslim will fast during the day. No food or drink. When I was studying in US a long time ago, one of my American group member offered me chewing gum. She knew that I was fasting but she though fasting must be like not eating meat, like the Buddhist. She was so surprised when I explained that when muslims fast, not even a single drop of water will go to our stomach. Why? That's the real, pure way of knowing how the poor feel when they were forced not to eat when there's nothing around to eat. If we have experienced the hunger then we will have more compassion for the poor and needy.

It's also a good practice to rest our digestive system that have been over worked for eleven months already. Modern science have proven that most of the modern diseases are caused by food, or rather plenty of it. If muslims eat too much when they break their fast, then they got themselves to be blamed, not Islam. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (p.b.u.h) broke his fast by eating a few dates and a glass of plain water. Then he performed maghrib prayer. He only ate his meal after that. A light meal.

Fasting is also a good way to increase our iman or faith towards Allah. Many battle have been won during Ramadhan like the battle of Badar. Palestine was liberated from the Christian soldiers by Sallahuddin Al Ayubi in the holy month of Ramadhan too. For the true, pious believers, fasting will only increase their productivity since they do not have to think or spent much time on eating. Many offices organize religious talk during lunch hour, a more productive activity than eating. Pious workers will not waste their time and will work diligently because they are accountable to Allah, not just their employer. I find myself being more productive in the month of Ramadhan since eating time is spend on work instead.

May this Ramadhan be a better Ramadhan than all the previous Ramadhans. May Allah bless us all.

Perseverence

I was about to go to bed when the movie caught my attention. It was based on true story about John, a delinquent jail attendance and his effort to get his boys to break away from their gang. They are willing to die to stay in their gang. So he created an american football team called Mustang to give them sense of belonging and something worth while to do and to be proud of.

The team has high hope for their first game but they were shattered by their disgraceful defeat of 38-0. Rising from the frustration and to keep on trying was like getting themselves out from a highly pressurized room to the open space outside. If they remain in the room, they will be crushed. If they remain to be a gang member, they will die young. But the journey was really tough. It was team spirit that give them the strength to overcome all hurdles along the way.

In a way, I'm in the same story line. I have a bad team too. Form 3G consists some of the worst boys in the school. They are highly strung kids. Iskandar seldom attend class because he can't wake up in the morning. Jeff was always sleeping in class because he got night part time job that last until 2 a.m. Nizam's uniform defy the school uniform code in every way. A slack that is too tight. A shirt that only fit for an eight year old boy instead of fifteen years old. Just to name a few. I took over the class in March after my study leave was over. Their May mid year examination was too near for me to prepare them for it. I have to write some personal notes on their paper to encourage them to keep on trying even though most of them have '0' for their paper II. How do you tell a child he/she has a future when he/se score zero? That's my job as a teacher. And I did it honestly; not just to cheer them up.

Their PMR trial is less than two weeks time from now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that each and everyone of them will improve and a few will even produce astounding results. We can only try. Allah will determine. May Allah blessed my efforts.

May Allah bless us all.