Aidulfitri 1432 H Pic: Mum's Cousins

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

Manage to get some pics from files sent by little sister. Thanks, little sis... This pics featuring pak su Omar which is our maternal uncle. Pak su Omar is mum's cousin brother. The title pak su means little uncle because he is the youngest of his siblings. Their mothers are siblings where our grandmother is the youngest of four siblings. All of them had passed away including our beloved grandmother. 

Differently to nowadays, their family bond is quite close though they're just cousins compared to younger generations. Mum told me that their mothers would travel far from north to south or either ways in order to stay up at cousins or relatives houses just to tie kinship among generations and helps everyone up before great religious celebration. When they passed away, mum tries to revive it but I don't feel comfortable with it. The same thing goes to my sisters. Now only I believe that it is important. But maybe I am not as friendly as older generation because my life had been different from them. The same thing goes to others. I prefer to be a loner. Oh yeah, mum actually is closer to her cousins compared to her own siblings. Weird isn't it, haha.  

Left: cousin brother Zulhairi, mum, dad, pak su 'Omar

Left: lil sis, second sis, younger sis, me, third sis

In Yahya Halal Restaurant, Samnak Khan, Dannok Town, Southern Thai region. Left: Niang Ta which is pak su Omar's wife (they're cousins too), cousin brother Zulhairi, pak su Omar, taking the order is the restaurant owner, dad, little sis, younger sis.

Mak teh nord's family in Batu Maung, Pulau Pinang. From left front is cousin brother Sobhi, his wife and his daughter, cousin brother Sobri's wife and their second child, cousin sister Wani, cousin brother Deen wife 'Ashiqeen and son, cousin brother Sabri. From left behind: Pak Teh Mun (mak teh Nord's husband), pak teh Mun's mother, mak teh Nord, cousin brother Muhammad Adi, cousin brother Deen and his daughter.

Pak su Omar is the younger brother of mak teh Nord. They have other three siblings. One of them, Niang Rogiah had passed away last two years and followed by her husband in the next two months, Yazid. May the God be merciful to their souls. Both of them are good, tolerant and peaceful people. I don't have any pics of their children but I hope to keep them in this site as for me to remember them in prayers and services also to keep me track to relatives. Rogiah, Khalid, Nord, Che Nah and Omar are maternal cousins of mum. Their mother, Hasnah is a sister of my beloved grandmother, Seehah. Grandmother has four siblings whom are Mahdzoum, Zakariyya, Hasnah, and Seehah which is her. Mahdzoum is dad's mother. That makes mum and dad both cousins of mother side.  All of these generations had passed away.

Pak su Omar and Niang Ta still has other two sons whom are Zulhilmi and Zulhaikal. Both of them live in Kuala Nerang because they do not want to move out back to Jitra. Perhaps they have many friends there and that is common. We can't easily say goodbye to friends :) I was quite close to Haikal (Zulhaikal). He was so little back then when I was nine years old living in Jitra. I feel quite embarrassed to Khairi (Zulhairi) which is their elder brother though he was the same age with me. He was an intelligent boy and quite popular among girls and boys (being his companies) when we were school pupils, hahaha. He was in different class anyway. I was not well known in schools, even my class teachers don't even recognize my face not even schoolmates, like wind.

Wish cousin brother Zulhairi, a happy marriage... selamat menempuhi kehidupan bertanggungjawab, may both of you build up a peaceful house and harmonious family, granted by the God with pious children and generations, His Will. I don't think I would be there at your marriage and I would like to apologize though you may not see it here, hahaha. Just want to avoid people asking me about marriage though I am happy to hear this good news. I think that I am still young though I do not style myself according to latest trend or fashion like other young men. It's closer to the end as what is prophesied in scriptures. I don't want my generations to suffer great destruction of yomul qiyamah. Let it end with me hopefully :)

اللهم صل على حبيبنا محمد صلى الله عليه و سلَّم وعلى أهله و صحبه اجمعين... Sealed with prayers for peace, mercy, and love, amin!

Mosque View: Masjid Jami' ash-Shihab

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Quite exhausted today. I didn't do any reading nor noting today because my sister had asked me to company her to watch movie at Alamanda and she was alone so I would also watch her out rather than leaving her alone because we do not know what would happen if we leave youths today without any supervision. 

Many people there as it is also semester break for schools. She planned to watch Kung Fu something Panda. But I don't know, maybe the tickets were sold out, so she just opted for Pirate of the Carribeans: On Stranger Tides in 3D versions. 

I don't feel any different watching the movie with the spectacle or without it. It just making my eyes more blurry. I can't remember anything except for a cathechist on board trying to convert pirates losing his virginity to a mermaid cause he kissed her and faithful spaniard catholics destroying the place where the blackbeard pirate is trying to get the water of youth to get few years of age from others. It's just a movie, I do not learn much from it like I learned from Telugu movie that I watched in Vaanavil channel in the evening before we went out to the shopping complex for the cinema. I guess the title of the movie is Ankit, Pallavi and Friends.   

Just found few pics in the older file. These pictures was taken around February last year. I and my parents were on our way to Kuala Sanglang in Perlis to attend a walimah (banquet for wedding) of my auntie's relative. I don't really know them because we are the relative of my uncle and not my auntie but as long as they are muslims and inviting us so I guess it is not a sin to join them. 

We also tried arabian style rice I mean the ones in the tray with beef. I don't eat beef so much because I had long avoided it due to my previous belief in my confusion. It is almost the same concept with Tablighi way where four persons sit at the table and began eating in the tray. They also have ayer asam (tamarind mixed with chillie cuts and shrimp paste) and I have to avoid those all. I just eat a little but I enjoy seeing their way of serving the banquet in different style.

The sun shines so bright and I guess the temperature around northern area at that time must be around 36 degree celcius because when I walked in the paddy field I could feel it was burning and the straws of the paddies look so crispy. 

This mosque is basically a Jami' mosque which is a big mosque where all of the congregations being assembled during communal prayers and festivities although it is not really huge. It is located in Kepala Batas just before we arrive Jitra town and after we were out of Alor Setar.

This is the front gate of the mosque, it has a unique style for the roof there at the front entrance. 

The minaret of the mosque, I noticed that there is only a minaret there.

The square in the mosque compound. Under the roof there, they have rooms for classes and also a places for ablution for both male and female in separate sides. It seems like being influenced by Mediterranean architecture.

This is under the roof from inside at the side of the prayer hall. In contrast to outside, it is a bit cooler than outside with marble floor.

The other ablution pool at the front entrance of the mosque if there are parishioner from the front gate entering the mosque. Those under the roofs are additional to this because it's serving many people for ritual cleaning.

 

The podium is attached at the wall and we can read some portions of Quranic verses on the wall written in gold paints. In every mosque, we can typically see mihrabs (semicircular niche at the wall) where imaam leads the prayer services in congregational prayers.

Fences for ladies to pray in the same prayer hall during congregational prayer services. Ladies may also pray above the mosque where we can see above surrounding the prayer hall. In mosques in South Asia or some in the Middle East, ladies are not praying in the mosque at all but just praying at home.

This is the dome of this mosque from inside.

This is among amazing mosques for me that I had ever been. I had actually been to this mosque several times but only on that February of 2010 that I managed to keep it as apart of visible memory. Anyway, how the mosque looks like is not important. But how we benefit the usage of mosque as the place where we seek knowledge, building congregation and relationships among brethren instead of only being a place of worship for maybe once a week on Friday or place for elders to continue their balance of life that they have. Everyone must also be involved in this institution and making it as a center for everyone seeking knowledge, strengthening imaan (faith), and performing 'amal (practices) and khidmah (services) to the Lord and community. 

So, when we visit a mosque although at that time there is no prayer service due to that it is not the prayer service time, we may perform salaat tihiyyatul masjid or the prayer to respect and paying homage to the Lord of the House where we prostrate. And after that we may also supplicate to Him with best of prayers that we have in humility. Hope everyone enjoys the pictures.

Chant salawaat to prophet Muhammad (saw) and his family and his companions. Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallim. Sealed with prayers for love and peace. 

Semester Break Begins!

Assalamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

We had began our semester break altogether with Chinese New Year holiday last Thursday. It is only a week holiday anyway. On Saturday, I felt so bored and  feel tensed with my Palestinian roommate. This recent roommate placed with me by the office is the second Palestinian. I had earlier lived with another Palestinian and also with an Indonesian after the first roommate moved out. So, I decided to have some sightseeing and day walk around Georgetown. 

Georgetown?? Hurmmm, I had been in Penang for almost four years, and now only that I get the chance to go to Georgetown. Many places in Penang that I haven't discover yet. Instead of thinking too much of whom will accompany me or being my company to travel. I went there alone... Of course I am afraid that it is not safe there in the town but before I went out I made some prayers so that Allah 'Azz wa Jalla will protect me. I believe He will always protect me.

To cut it short, I went to Georgetown by Rapidpenang from the bus stand just in front of Khaleel restaurant. I didn't plan much but I made some lists of places that I wanted to see. It just cost me two bucks for a bus ride and the rest I just spend on my food which doesn't take me much because I just eat like in a pinch.

I brought a bag filled with few clothes with me just in case and a camera to capture some memories. Well, I made my move to Georgetown around 12:00 noon and of course I arrived at the town around Zhuhr prayer. The first place that I visit was Masjid Kapitan Keling. 

After that, I walked around and capturing pictures. Here are some pictures that I get. This one is just close to KOMTAR, on the flyover junctions. It is quite interesting, well for me because we can see those crossing roads from above. We can talk about philosophical matters here related to the flyover junctions but I would like to avoid it here because I just want to record my experience walking all the day alone in the town in silence : )

I can't really remember which roads and streets that I had passed by because I believe I walked around and around without having the chance to jot down the names of the road.  What I can remember, I walked along Jalan Macalister too.

Along Jalan Macalister, I can see foodstalls selling Chinese cuisines. And I was trying to find Jalan Zainal Abiddin which was previously known as Jalan Yahudi. Just to see the Jewish cemetery because I had heard that those people were once settled there. But at that time, it was already Asar prayer time. I have to stop by at a mosque or at least a musalla to respect the Lord who have the Dominion over the Time. 

Then I found this mosque, Masjid Pakistan. I went inside and pray together with the congregation there. The imaam has a good voice and recitation, maasyaa-Allah!!! Too bad that I can't stay long there because I am on foot and I have to follow everything according to what I had planned in a bit last night. It's not a big mosque, just a little one with small number of people in the congregation. 

This house is the Center of Sun Yat Sen. Everybody knows that he was related to the early development of Guomindang. Also few Chinese Muslims from Guangxi and Gansu involved in Guomindang and Chinese Nationalism. But I was not fortunate that day because the center was closed once I walked in front the center. Maybe next time, I still have plenty of times to plan everything and Allah will arrange it for me.

 Maqabir Yahudi (Jewish Cemetery)

 Jalan Zainal Abiddin (Jalan Yahudi)

  
The Jewish cemetery is taken care by an Indian family. They locked the gate and they have a dog there. I don't want my pants being polluted by dogs fur because I need it for praying so I just stay outside the gate and snapping the picture. 

I guess they might be hired by those Jews who had moved out from Penang to other countries like Australia or Singapore to take care the grave of those deceased family members. I saw a guy looking something, perhaps his family member grave by reading the name inside the grave compound.

Later, I visited three Buddhist temples in that same day. It just reminds me of my confused times. But I just went there for visit like normal tourists, not as a devotee anymore. I don't kneel to Buddhas' idol like before and chanting gathas in Pali, Thai and Chinese with my heart crying pouring down all of my problems and asking for things that I need in front of the rupam (idol). 

I saw "tikam nombor" lists at Wat Pushparam prayer hall for civilians in Jalan Perak. I don't think that it is right in Buddhism either, because it is considered as speculating on something which we are not sure. I don't want to talk with the monks there and  I am sure they are puzzled looking at a strange guy who walks passed all of the idols and just standing in front the idols and grinning alone without performing any "vai" or worship.

 Wat Pushparam, Jalan Perak

Wat Chaiyamanggalaram

On the way to civilian prayer space in Wat Thammikara

Not to forget that I was locked in Wat Thammikara. It is a Burmese temple. I keep snapping pictures and reading about the deities in there till I forgot that the temple is closing. The monk was locking the gate in the evening. They are in renovation for the time-being. 

I had to pretend to be a Thai and talking in Thai to workers and monks there asking politely the other way out from there as not to create problem for everyone, hahaha. Or else I will have to sleep in the temple compound or asking mercy from the monks there to shelter me in Kutthi which is monks' compartments while I would be donating something in return to them. 

The day after the visit to Georgetown, I planned to visit Kek Lok Si but I changed my mind. I better go home first and seeing my parents because I think that they might miss me. I could sense that when my mother keep sending me messages asking me here and there, what am I doing, had I prayed? She might feel lonely like I feel too.

This travel reflects my journey to return back to my ancestors' faith and heritage. Walking in silence alone with prayers in my heart to Allah SWT and trying to find His love and lamenting my sins for blaming Him without any rights as we are just His creature not even equal to Him. 

There are few other pictures but I think these are just enough and I will just print the rest out for my memory. Chinese New Year will begin at 3rd of February I guess. I still have some times to stay at home. 

I end this post with my prayers to Allah 'Azza wa Jalla for His Mercy to everyone.  Bless be our journey in this world to the hereafter world. Help us O Allah to see You, Your Glorious appearance. What else is more satisfying then seeing You O Glorious God :)