Twilight Saga II: Breaking Dawn

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

I just returned like 50 minutes ago from the theater watching the movie Breaking Dawn about the vampire thingy with a friend. Anyway he treats me with the ticket so first of all as a sign of gratitude, thank you. You shouldn't have it. I think I would love to be the first to treat people but when they treat me I feel just... Guilty and a little bit shy because it is not our right by rites or traditions...

The movie is still lingering about the characters such as the "vegetarian" Cullen family with the main hero, that British, Pattinson guy as Edward and Kirsten Stewart as Bella. In this second part of the saga, it shows briefly that Bella was transformed into a vampire by her husband, Edward. So, she could feel herself the obsession of being a white pale vampire. She also has daughter with her husband and giving birth to her when she was a human. Her name is Renesmee played by Mackenzie Foy. When Edward and Bella returned to their house, they founded that Jacob (Taylor Lautner) has an imprint on their daughter. I checked what does that mean. It means that the wolf gazed at the baby and had fallen in love with her. Then it is about the battle that nearly broken among the two sides of vampires and the werewolves because of misunderstanding. It also shows the battle scene but it is just a prophecy by Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) that Volturi or the Chief of Vampire Council would also be killed in the battle if he still insist to kill the half-vampire little girl who is Renesmee.

There are vampires of various nationalities involved in the scene where they allied to face Volturi. Two vampires from Romania had said that they waited for 1500 years to seek revenge on Volturi. But I am not sure what was their grudge with the chief. Maybe it is like a pact of Protestant vampires who protesting the centralized Catholic orders with the help of a Coptic vampire, lol. It was a peaceful ending anyway but the chief implies that there would be future battle where they would destroy the Cullen coven in Forks.

I did not really understand the movie when I watched it because I did not watched the first saga so kind of like puzzling what the hell is happening? I did not really watch the movies because it seems like too much of feminine fantasy. But I love the way they present the movie in the beginning. How I wish I know how to make my own videos with some computer knowledge and editing skill but too bad I am not so good in technical field and also bad with computer skills. It perhaps could serve to explain about my faith and belief. Also on cultures or environment surrounding me and what makes me a S.i.R since I do not like to be interviewed or discovered by people but love to cover my face when talking, using symbolization and appear like a hapless beggar or just among "people" in front others... lol... Thank you for stumbling by this humble site. Lord bless with much love...

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!   

A Sunday in UPM

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

Sandalwood - Kayu Cendana

I almost forgotten about this site. Have been quite busy lately. It has been almost two years I am stuck with the thesis. I had sent few things to be corrected and still not receiving approval. I guess my supervisor is a kind of perfectionist. It is good to be a perfectionist but we cannot be sure that everything that we produce is perfect. So, brothers and sisters. It is not easy to produce a thesis... I think I would just send it in total to the school to be evaluated maybe like next week before the due date on 7th of December 2012, insha Allah... hehehe...

I had also tried to maintain my rituals as always but I find that it becomes more tough as the day time seems to be shorter than the night one. Maybe in our region. I do not know about other regions unless if I check the weather cast and observing their time.

Well, this evening I just followed my mother to an agricultural expo in Universiti Putra Malaysia. To be honest, I do not like to be among the crowd though sometimes I would feel the importance to have some friends to talk with. I love peacefulness and tranquility more and feel better when I am alone. I am just like that. 

I did not buy anything but my mother bought few things she likes, hehe. I think it is ok as long as she knows the limit and not wasting. Other than that, most ladies sure love to shopping and but things that they like. I understood that and my mother has not really bought anything like jewelry for herself. We do not believe in anything like gold or silver as possession because we are nomadic kind of people. Some of my sisters who had already been to the expo yesterday said that they are interested in business and trade. Well, it is not my nature and inclination. I do not care if people say anything like I have got no life or anything. We do anything because of "specific purpose" and because of the "necessities". What do we really need? Are we really deprived to practice the life of merchants and traders? If we set up the business, we would have to get loan and being tied to materialism because we would always need to roll the capital. We would also have to be aggressive in order to survive in business world and we may tyrannize others or being tyrannized too.  It involves the karmma and it would not easily being stopped...

I just asked my mother to help me to buy a sandalwood tree to be planted behind our house. It is useful for religious rituals and respecting the scripture. It is also a Mediterranean culture to lit up sandalwood in scripture recitation and to "purify" the house's smell for rituals. We have also got some little "lady's finger" plants distributed by the ministry of agriculture in the expo by just filling up the form. Because it involves the "efforts" that I have to write to get the plants so I accept the trees. I do not like to take donated things because it involves our ancestors' dignity and advices. I tried to tell this to all of my family members but because they are not specifically being trained in religious responsibilities so they do not really understand what am I trying to tell them. I think I need to ask people on how to take care the sandalwood tree.   

How's brothers and sisters 'Ashura fasting yesterdays? I just performed it on the 9th day of Muharram and on the 10th of Muharram. It is an optional fasting anyway just to commemorate the liberation of Moses a.s and his people from Egypt but if brothers and sisters performed that. I would like to congratulate you. Other than that I just did some light chest beating, mourning and some prayers for imam Ali r.a, imam Hassan r.a, imam Hussain r.a and other family members alone at the mosque after the Maghrib. 

I walked to the mosque because I do not like people to see me like following some kind of cult and maybe sometimes there are differences because of jurisprudence school as I am a Hanbali in the midst of Shafi'ies. So, praying and worshiping in a larger space would be better because I could hide behind the walls and pillars. I saw Twelver Shi'a brothers performed beating and procession too but I do not think that it is necessary to hurt ourselves just to show how deep our love and sorry for the Ahl Bayt and imam Ali r.a family. I am aware that there are few of the Twelver marjas talked about the importance of the mourning for them. 

I think it is just more than enough to be moderate and pray also for all bani Hashim clan and all Muslim brethren regardless nations and spreading love to all people regardless faith and background. Try not to be selective. Prayers for mercy to be granted upon all is better than prayers for anathema on others because His Forgiveness is wide. 

Reminder too. This month of Muharram is among four respected months within our traditions and rites. We should try to avoid tyranny, war, battle, quarrels and stay away from fighting others or each other if they do not start anything which harm us or our existence. Verses mentioning about these could be founded in Surat al-Tawbah verses 6 and 36. There are also numbers of hadiths mentioning about which months are those respected months and hadiths about practices in the respected months ranging from extremely weak to valid. 

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!      

General Signs of Doomsday

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

I have been reading and listening about these signs in parts of eschatology speeches by various scholars, kitabs of different sects such as Sunna and Shi'a Islam, and also of different philosophical religions such as of Hindu-Buddhism where I also listened to both Hindu and Buddhist acharyas speeches. We actually could see these signs happening since long in which, it actually happens gradually. If we notice these earlier then it would be fortunate. If not, then we would be among the losers. If I talked about these matters without mentioning the sources, many of my Muslim friends and relatives said that I am losing my mind. I am talking with basis and I am not a reader of conspiracy sites. I also mentioned these to non-Muslim friends such as of Buddhism traditions and some of them also thought that I am a lunatic, lol.

What I could comment about these signs... We could not avoid these. It would certainly happen because the doomsday is the fact of the universe. It is the promise of the Lord and part of our pillars of faith which mentions the faith that hereafter is a fact. If brothers and sisters are living in Malaysia, Singapore or Indonesia, try to find this classical book written by Nuruddin al-Raniri known as Negeri Akhirat. It means the Land of Hereafter. I just talked about this figure in the gap of few posts and it is just for brothers and sisters information. Not only because he is from the mission circle I am particularly affiliated, hehe. In our Shi'a brothers' sources based from al-Irshad, they recorded the speeches of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir r.a saying that the world would be destroyed by two kind of deaths. The first one is the white death. While the second one is the red death. White death means the death due to diseases and plagues. The red death refers to bloodbath war. 

Major Events

Back to Negeri Akhirat, Nuruddin al-Raniri talks about the Signs of Doomsday in a special chapter. In His research, he basically making a research about seven major events before the Doomsday. Basically I don't like to talk about these. Because some people would mention about the Glory of Islam as a "World" dominion. For us who engaged ourselves within the tasawwuf science. Worldly concerns is not of our aim and must be avoided in our speeches. We are aiming for the glorious appearance of the Holy Lord and not the "fake" dominion of the temporary Earth. If people asking me out here about tasawwuf sciences, I would just shut my mouth especially if I could sense it has something to do with "worldly" matters. I personally do not like to exaggerate on "petty" matters but one must strive hard to fulfill the aim of life which is to return to Him. Those seven major events are:

1. Sun rises in the West where the circulation of the Earth is reversing to the other side.

2. The Gog and Magog.

3. The Ethiopian armies who would demolish the cubicle in our holy shrine in Mecca.

4. The Guided Imam or the al-Mahdi.

5. The False Messiah or the Dajjal.

6. Jesus a.s descension.

7. The underworld creature.

Regions being Hit with Disaster

Nuruddin mentioned that the Doomsday would be initialized by a catastrophic disaster. Few regions would be destroyed and vanquished before the Resurrection event. Those regions are:

1. Mecca would be destroyed through the hands of people from Ethiopia. 

2. Medina would be destroyed through the hands of the disbelievers.

3. Basra in Iraq would be flooded and sunken.

4. Kufah in Iraq would be invaded by the Turks.

5. Armenia would experience thunder and lighting storm.

6. Balkh in Central Asia would experience greater earthquake. 

7. People in Khorasan and Isfahan in Persian speaking land would be killing among themselves.

8. Yemen would be attacked by locusts.

9. Indian sub-continent would be flooded.

10. Egyptian land would be drained where water of its rivers would be dried out.

These narrations compiled by al-Raniri signifies that regions in Central Asia, Northern Africa, Indian sub-continent and Middle East would experience war or experiencing natural disasters and diseases. According to him, the demolition of these cities and region would be initialized with pain and torments.  He supports this narrations with a verse from Surat al-Israa' 17:58. Allah says: "And indeed among countries except that We destroy them before the day of Resurrection or we cast torments upon them as it is written in the Book (Guarded Tablet)".  

There are two kinds of Doomsday of the Earth. One is the outer Doomsday while the other is the inner Doomsday. 

Outer Doomsday

1. Smoke covering the skies. 

2. Three region with the hills flying all over in the East, the West and in the Arabian Peninsula.

3. Fire flaming from the wells in Aden and in other narrations it is in Arabian region.

4. Human-being and creatures would be chased to the assembly field.

The smoke according to some researchers signifies pollution in large scale as industries become uncontrollable. The hills flying in regions signifies earthquakes and landslides all over the three regions. Fire flaming signifies the oils exploitation in the Middle East.    

Inner Doomsday

These visible events would be signified with the emergence of seven major signs mentioned. In the period of Doomsday events. There are also inner Doomsday signs which actually happens spiritually. We can see it now without having to deal with "theories" which look like academically structured or just random brawling theories. Whatever people say or deny about these, it is still happening. 

1. Beautiful and great mosques are constructed but not so many people joining congregational prayer services.

2. Sky scratching towers and buildings constructed with all sorts of architecture. Some people are doing this in the name of nation and religious glory but the real meaning is for the worldly fame and for business.

3. People are backbiting among each other. I could see this too, from politicians down to civilians and public.

4. People are leaving behind the command of charity and chastity or prohibiting vices and evil.

5. Women resembling men and men resembling women. 

6. Men having lust on men and women having lust on women. 

7. Many women are riding on the horse (driving vehicle).

8. People who tyrannize others but his carcass is still receiving a shroud and sent to the graveyard by many people.

9. Wicked becoming more wicked while the believers is returning to virtuous deeds. 

10. Many hypocrites in religious deeds but they are also those who disrespect the jurists, insulting the religion and killing human without any "justified" reasons.

11. Teaching of scriptures becoming the source of living. I could see many advertisements around such as "Teaching Quran" please call this number. And this is viewed as common by people. When people teaching the scripture, they should not demand for money and not even think about it. But it is different now. 

12. And a son is making his father as an infidel, while a father is making his son as an infidel.

13. There is no love and mercy among family members. I could also see this around me. I don't have to look far.

Although many mosques could be seen around but rarely people feel the spirit to perform prayer services in congregations. The calling toward charity and chastity and prohibiting vices and evil is left behind. Men wearing and behaving like women and otherwise. Tyranny and human life is seen as nothing. Jurists are insulted and disrespected. Who are these jurists? They are those who study the scripture knowledge and specializing in divine law. There are also hypocrites amongst religious people. They use the religion as a source for a living and for worldly fame. These are also known as the fitna or the tests of the Lord of the universe. It is not really easy to escape from these. Even I am also having doubts on my self.       

There are also various sources for these signs in Islamic scholars compilation and narrations whether they are of Sunna or Shi'a lineages. There are also mentions about these events in Hindu gospels and Buddhist basket of metaphysical affairs where I have got them from my discourses with few devout Buddhist friends from Thailand. Regarding the Imam Mahdi, it is a subject of polemics. Nuruddin and some scholars especially the Twelver Shi'a Muslim brothers hold that this imam exist but there are also scholars who reject the existence of this imam. Nuruddin believes has this root from the emergence of communities of slander. As for me, whether this imam is in existence or not is not really a matter to worry about. We need to worry about the signs following the events of Resurrection more than this matter. Insha Allah if we have time, we may discuss about this topic further.   

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!