Friday Prayers and Supplications

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah

Just a reminder for myself. It's not intended to others. Urm...... I dunno how to only private this post :'(

Narrated by Abu Hurairah r.a: Prophet Muhammad s.a.w talked about Friday and he said: "There is an hour on Friday and if a believer Muslim gets it while offering salat and asks something from Allah AWJ, then Allah will definitely meet his prayers". And prophet Muhammad s.a.w pointed out the shortness length of that particular time with his hands. - Sahih Bukhari

Understandings about the time:

1. From the time the imam enters the masjid on Friday's prayer until the prayer is over, in addition between two sermons. 

2. Others said that it is the last hour of the day which is after 'Asr prayer until Maghrib prayer services.

Our people hold the second understanding because the time of sermon we must pay our focus and attention for the sermon and following the supplications of the imam by heart. Usually I will tidy up my room in Friday morning, shower for Friday prayer service and after prayer service, lit up incense before walking to masjid, get something to eat in 'Asr and turn off all the electricity while waiting for Maghrib service as to remind ourselves that we were poor people who used to live in darkness and we only have candle sticks or oil lamp with us. If we have friend or at least a roommate, I will actually share with people around my bread and recite prayers or blessings for them through the salawat for prophet Muhammad s.a.w as to ask Allah to grant blessing for brothers because I am actually trying to begin the lessons of scripture (Glorious Quran memorization and checking) and other traditions. I try also to ask people around to check my recitation but I guess maybe they will be afraid when I begin the checking and closing it with some "weird" ceremonies and supplications. Weird for them but not weird for me.

Last time when I did this to my Kelantanese Malay roommates. They ran away from me and complaining to friend who always mingle with me though they were my roommate because they think I am worshiping satan, lol. People are so funny and that is why I am not comfortable with Malay or other South East Asian Muslims. They assume me as a "Malay" while our customs and traditions differ and I actually feel more comfortable with non-Muslims because they never run away from me. This is just our traditions and also customs. I was so sad because people do not tolerate differences in term of culture. For example when I was with my undergraduate roommate Zaidi, I just put my bread and some water as a service on his table because he was also afraid of me. He was a member of Islamic brotherhood student movement in our institution and I respect him so much. I used to ask him why he was running from me? Am I a monster or something? We are of the same age and I apologized many times for what I had done to him. It was just a formality for us to check people we are mingling with and being our habit :'(

I don't know about other Hadramis but I am still maintaining this. After I realized my errors as a young youth I perform again whatever had be done by elders. I can't put personal supplications and prayers here. It is not for others and people who view here are of different backgrounds. People must learn from basics and with guidance from teachers and mentors. Just reminding me to respect holy day which is Friday and sanctify it. 

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

Ten Things We Waste

Assalamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

Tablighi Musalla al-Hidayah,under Flat Hijau, Precint 9, Putrajaya Night View

Alhamdulillah, we completed our salatul 'Asr without any obstacle. I would like to congratulate people of precint 9/15, 9/16, Camelot area, and around for the establishment of a musalla in your area. It is a good news as many are waiting for the musalla. I wish that it would be lively with beneficial services in peace and harmony, inshaallah. Today is a celebration in Malaysia and a public holiday for most of people. It is Malaysia Day, a day commemorating the formation of Malaysia like we see today as a nation in 1963, 16th of September. Through votes, Borneo side which was the Northern Borneo Territory (Sabah and Serawak) included together with Malayan Peninsula to form Malaysia. 

I came back home yesterday because I only have a class in a week and the ticketing people at the Sungai Nibong express bus counter are so irresponsible. I don't know if people could sense that I am a person who hates to quarrel that made them dragging me to their counter. I end up with a non-proper bus and it stopped twice, the first stop was in Silvertage in Ipoh and the second time at a place which I can't barely remember. As a reminder to domestic and international passengers, always check on the bus and only go to authorized counter. Don't listen to people who drag you to counters. It's for your safety. Anyhow, I express my gratitude to the God for a safe journey though I didn't properly perform Maghrib prayer service as I had to perform it while sitting and being contained by the journey. I am going to perform it again for that particular masa tercedera (due time, injured time) also the rawatib prayers, praying You dear Lord to forgive me for that due time :'( Brothers and sisters, do not take the obligatory salat easily. It is a practice which brings us in contact with the God, our Creator Who keeps our safety in this mortal life. We are not sure whether the God would accept the compensation prayer services, but we hope and wish that He with His Mercy and Compassionate Love to accept us our service besides forgiving our sins.

Today, my nephew, Fauwaz who is the same age as me came by with his brother, Fida'ie. Fauwaz was my favorite nephew and friend even though I have bitter experience with my cousins who is his father and the younger brother of his father. He is a former schoolmate with me in the Ma'ahad al-'Alawiyyah ad-Diniyyah, Perlis. Again, I am not a well-known student. So, nobody would ever remember me. I am sure and I wish it to be like that. I am very pleased with this condition :)

Each time, when people talk with me about personal matters, I would feel uncomfortable with questions like awek (girlfriend), marriage, and others. People are always fast when talking about sunnah regarding marriage or matrimonial but when talking about the responsibility of raising the child and salvation of family members, the Judgement of the Lord in the Day on what we did as a husband and wife to children, where are those sunnah??? As for me, everything is there in His Guarded Tablet. I don't have to worry about my age or time for marriage. When we follow the trend, we only make ourselves more worried, let people say anything they want. Human are not the same, we have our own traits. Let He decides, that is His job and everything will happen according to fitrah (nature). We just do our job and responsibility.

Now come to our lesson today as what had been delivered in the lesson of Ibnu Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, may Allah be Merciful to him. He summarized that there are 10 things that we tend to waste. They are: 

1. Knowledge. We have the knowledge but we do not taking any action with it so it is a waste. It eventually hits my own nose back.         

2. Our actions. We perform actions and practices without sincerity, so they are also wasted in vanity. The 10 Commandments also talks about the same thing, not to mention His Name in vanity.  

3. Our wealth. It is wasted by using it on things that will not bring us meritorious deeds. We waste our money, status, authority and etc on things which have no benefit on us in this life and hereafter. 

4. Our hearts. It is wasted because they are empty from the love of Allah. It is empty of the feeling of longing to see Him, and a feeling of peace and contentment. Our hearts are filled with something else or someone else (worldly affairs).

5. Our body parts. They are wasted without any usage toward worship and service to Allah (the God).

6. Our love. Our emotional love is misdirected. It is not towards Allah but towards something (like car, motorbikes, world cup, and etc) and someone else (awek, boyfriend, kekasih, lover, cinta hati, etc).

7. Our time. It is wasted and not properly used to compensate for whatever passed, time is wasted without doing any meritorious and righteous deeds as to cover up our past deeds.

8. Our intellect. It is wasted on things which is not beneficial, that are detrimental to society and the individual, and not in contemplation, musing or tafakkur (deep thinking) and muhasibah (reflection). 

9. Our service. It is wasted on someone or something which brings us not closer to Allah. It does not benefit the world and human civilization.

10. Our Dzikr. Our exaltation and remembrance to the God is wasted if it does not affect us in our hearts.

Most of the things mentioned also hit my nose here, so it could also function as an advice for myself. This is actually from mum's lesson that she gets from the mosque she always visit. She said that she's not good in paraphrasing words and her language style is limited so she asked me to help her. I am not good in speech too neither good in writing but I am trying to perform a common duty like other brothers and sisters beside begging forgiveness from the God. A Muslim is a person who helps his brothers and sisters to get closer to the God, helping in charity and chastity, avoiding vices wherever possible and eliminates enmity.

I wish mum and every mother merits from the God, may Allah be Merciful to mum and other mothers by granting each of them health, faith and real wealth, amin! I would like to express my thankfulness to people who help us with the lesson and providing us materials. Thanks also to mum for the circulation orally or materially, thank you for helping me back to consciousness though I was a rebel.

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