Where: Royal Plaza on Scotts

How to get there: The Musollah for Muslimin & Muslimah is on the second floor. From the hotel entrance, take the grand stairs on the right. Ablution is inside, equipped with sejadah and telekong. Cozy and clean as they’ve just renovated. Yay!

Don't be too proud of your achievements, remember that your parents is part of it.

Because they have been praying for you, for you that never know.

=,)

By time, 

surely man is in lost.

Save those who believe and do good deeds, 

and enjoin on each other truth and enjoin on each other patience. 

Surah Al Asr: ayah 1-3

Train comes and I don't know it's destination.

It's a one way ticket to a madman situation.

- Overload by Sugababes

I know I should have been a better friend back then. 

And it's never too late to make amends. 

For this step I take, I hope I'll be a helping hand.

Being with you, I think I've found a friend.

My two best friends whenever 

I had my inspection on.

Yes, I love tools.

I am thankful for being blessed. Little things, even to the smallest of it. I may at times not count my blessings but really, sometimes I would paused and say, Alhamdullilah. Even to the bad things that happen to me. This may not be the kind of ideal job for me, but Alhamdullilah. And at times, I do feel stressed out at work, but Alhamdullilah. I felt like leaving and I began to think, I am blessed here. I should count my blessings and realised maybe this is where Allah wants to put me.

He just needed me, to be thankful enough for whatever He gives.

ICE CREAM IS LOVED.

 This Dua was given to Aisyah from Rasulullah, 

to be read on the first day of woman whose on her period :

الحمد لله على كل حال واستغفر الله من كل ذنب
Alhamdulillah ala kulli hallin wa astaghfirullah min kulli zanbin

"Segala puji bagi Allah di atas segala haldan aku memohon keampunan kepada Allah daripada segala dosa."

Uniqlo denim jacket, Uniqlo white t-shirt, redwood shawl, floral flare skirt, 

grey sneakers, Longchamp Le Pliage tote, brown woven belt

Iman is of two halves:

Half is patience (Sabr),

and half is being thankful (Shukr).

- Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Because doing sit-ups causes 

abrasion to my butt!

Today was one of the randomness moment ever. I went all the way out for a friend of mine, who lost his father late last year. His mum left when he was in teens, leaving him and his younger sister being an orphan now. It thought me that life is precious and make me ponder, if I ever to lose any of my parents, will I be able to cope with grievance well. Sitting in front of him, I wondered if I ever get to feel what he felt. I wondered if I could get what's running in his mind, does it scares him? But I do know that death is real and true. Death teaches you to grow and death is the start of a new beginning of the hereafter.

Knowing that his younger sister who will be doing her pilgrimage soon, I took the effort of writing some love notes that contained good information to ease her preparation. I mean, imagine not having someone to guide you, how scared you'll be. I was really glad and thankful that I was guided for both of my Umrah back then. And knowing that she will be going there with her husband, I know how scary this could be for her. It's like seeking an adventure without the support and comfort from both of your loved ones but knowing that yes, they both still lives inside you. 

I know that both of them are strong, they are brave. Not many can go through what they both have went through, and really I am proud of them. Honestly, they've been the best fighters and so is their parents. And all I could do was to pray for them to Redha and believe that Inshallah to be reunited someday. Amin.

Damn onions.

Dear Isa.

You've been the cutest and loveable nephew that we can ever have. Your presence brought so much joys into our lives. How big you've grown and getting smarter day by day, Alhamdulillah. You are definitely loved by many and how each of us prayed for you. May you grow wiser, who has patience and tolerance towards the elderly. May you filled with Imaan and Taqwa, may you be a son who is Soleh. Inshallah Amin. 

My parents may not have a grandchild of their own, but your family has been very kind to share this love with us. Alhamdulillah. Allah is really great in His ways. He blessed us with blessings that we should learn to be contented with. I do hope as you get older, you'll take very good care of your sister, Maryam. Be the kind of brother who support his sister, be the kind of son who take love his parents, be the kind of grandson who show care and concerns to his grandparents, be the kind of Ummah who love Allah and Nabi Muhammad saw. I do hope that you will love my family and me, just like your family because it's really an honour to watch you grow. May success comes to you, for this Duniya and Akhirat. Amin.

I always hope for a brother. But little did I know, Allah gave me a lot of brothers. Alhamdulillah. I was never the kind of girl who dreamt of having a majority of a man, working in the same environment as me. It just that I felt like this life is designed for me. I asked for several things but Allah gave it to in a different way or form some time. Alhamdulillah. 

These guys whom I looked up to as my brothers, my fathers and a mentor; they really look after me and welcome me to be part of their clan. There was no discrimination but the care I felt. They kept a look out for me, hearing my grumbles and tolerating me. Pretty much, they were gentleman and honestly, chivalry isn't dead somehow. Haha. 

What I fear most sometimes is how others perceive me, especially their spouses, partners or wives. May Allah protect me from Fitnah. Inshallah, Amin. I have never ever, had any intentions of seducing or flirting with my colleagues, may all these be refrained Inshallah Amin. In fact, when I talk to these guys, I'm like a gangster and perhaps like a little girl whenever I'm hungry. Honestly, the fact that I respect their partners, I would refrain texting them at night and at times, I do keep their wives in loop! Haha. Pretty much, they are brothers to me. And I glad that I not only have one, but many. Alhamdulillah.

May Allah bless them and family with kids, may Allah gives them happiness, good health and Rezeki. Amin.

Bilal ibn Rab'ah was a black slave belonging to 'Umayyah ibn Khalaf. He was tall, thin and slightly hump-backed. Thick grayish hair crowned his head. He moved about silently - speaking only in reply. He was born to two slave parents, making him a slave. He used to travel to ash-Sham for 'Umayyah's trading caravan, braving the bitter cold of winter and the extreme heat of summer. His only recompense was a handful of dates each day that he ate to strengthen his body. At his master's house he would serve the guests while going hungry. He was overworked and mistreated as were 'Umayyah's other slaves.

Bilal would often hear about Muhammad (saw), and Islam, through the alarming discussions between his master and guests. Soon he felt drawn to this religion. He would listen to Abu Bakr calling to Islam, and slowly his heart was filled with Imaan. He went with Abu Bakr to the Prophet (saw) and declared his submission to Islam. This was a daring move from a slave who belonged to a staunch enemy of Muhammad. He was the seventh person to accept Islam. Abu Bakr and others of the same tribal status, were spared from harm by the Quraysh. However, the wrath of the disbelievers fell upon the Muslims who had no tribe to defend them. 'Umayyah ibn Khalaf used to force Bilal to go outside during the hottest part of the day wearing a suit of armour where he would then be thrown face down in the sand and leave him to bake in the sun. He would not return except to turn him on his back. He would have a gigantic rock placed on his chest and then say, "You will stay here until you die or deny Muhammad and worship al-Lat and al-'Uzzah." 

Bilal used to endure this only by saying, "One, One." Abu Bakr passed by one day while they were torturing him. He said to 'Umayyah, "Have you no fear of Allah that you treat this poor man like this?" 'Umayyah replied, "You are the one who corrupted him, so you save him from his plight!" Abu Bakr replied, "Then sell him to me, you can state your price." 'Umayyah who was not to let a good deal pass by, he then sell Bilal and said, "I would have sold him to you even if you had offered me but an ounce of gold." Abu Bakr answered, "I would have bought him even if you asked a hundred ounces." Abu Bakr and Bilal went to the Prophet (saw) with the good news. There he announced, "I am setting Bilal free, O Messenger of Allah." This greatly pleased the Prophet (saw) not to mention Bilal himself.

When the Muslims were settled in Madinah, Islam became firmly established - salah, zak'at and fasting were instituted. In the beginning, Muslims gathered for salah at the appointed times without being summoned. Later the Prophet (saw) thought about using a trumpet like that the Jews used to summon to salah. He disliked the idea and ordered a clapper to be made to be beaten at salah times.

Then 'Abdullah ibn Zayd came to him and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I had a dream last night. A man wearing two green garments came to me holding a bell, so I offered to buy it. When he asked me what I wanted it for, I told him that it was to summon people to salah, whereupon he offered to show me a better way. It was to say four times, 'Allahu Akbar', then to say twice, 'ash-shadu alla ilaha illa Allah', then twice, 'ash-hadu anna Muhammad ur-rasulullah', then twice, 'hayyah 'alas-salah', then twice, 'hayyah 'alal-falah', then 'Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, laa ilaha illa Allah.' "

"It is a true vision insha'Allah," said the Prophet (saw) adding, "Go and teach it to Bilal for he has a more beautiful and far reaching voice." For the first time Madinah resonated with the adhan as Bilal was saying it. It was only fitting that the one who uttered the word of Tawhid under the harshest of torture should utter it during the adhan. When 'Umar heard the adhan he rushed to the Prophet and said, "By the One Who has sent you with the Truth I had the same dream about it!". Revelation has already preceded you," replied the Prophet (saw).

Badr was a day etched in Bilal's memory. Quraysh was inflicted a heavy defeat and many were taken prisoner. Among them was 'Umayyah. When Bilal saw him, the memories of what he, and other Muslims, has endured in Makkah came rushing back to him. He exclaimed, "The arch-enemy of Allah - 'Umayyah ibn Khalaf! May I not live if he lives!" Now 'Umayyah was 'Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf's prisoner, and this fact dissuaded Bilal from attacking 'Umayyah himself. But, because Bilal kept crying these words, one of the Sahabah killed Umayyah with his sword.

The Prophet (saw) entered the conquest of Makkah not as a proud conquerer, but as a humble servant of Allah. He bowed his so low that it almost touched his mount. After he ordered that all idols be destroyed, he stood at the door of the Kaa'bah and said, "There is no god but Allah alone. He has no associate ... O Quraysh, Allah has taken you from the haughtiness of jahiliyyah and its veneration of ancestors. Man springs from Adam and Adam sprang from dust," then he recited verses from the Qur'an until he said, "Verily the most noble of you in Allah's sight is the most pious." [Al-Qur'an 49:13] He ordered Bilal to make the adhan on the rooftop of the Kaab'ah. Hearing his voice, a disbeliever exclaimed, "Look at this black man!" His friend replied, "When Allah hates someone he turns him to the worst." History however attests that Bilal occupied a distinguished position among the Prophet's Companions. 'Umar would often say, "Abu Bakr is our master and he freed our master." Meaning Bilal. But Bilal would say, "I am only a man who used to be a slave."

Bilal was mu'adhin (the caller to salah) during the time of the Prophet (saw). After he would make adhan, he would stand at the Prophet's door and say, "Hayyah 'alas-salah, hayyah 'alal-falah, the salah O Messenger of Allah." The sweet days with the Prophet (saw) soon came to an end. Everyone in Madinah wept over the death of the dearest man ever on the earth. Bilal was asked to make adhan before the burial of the Prophet. He started the call, "Allahu Akbar ... ", but when he came to the name of the Prophet (saw) he was sobbing so heavily, he could not continue. He said, "By Allah I will not say the adhan anymore."

Bilal asked the Khalifah, Abu Bakr, to allow him to go to ash-Sham for jihad, he spent the rest of his life there. He made adhan only twice since then. The first was when 'Umar came to ash-Sham. The second was when he visited the tomb of the Prophet (saw) in Madinah. Upon hearing his voice, people started to cry for it reminded them of the days of the Prophet (saw) .

On his death bed, Bilal's last words were, "Tomorrow you will meet you loved ones, Muhammad and his Companions." He died in Aleppo at the age of sixty four. His memory is still alive with us today whenever we hear the adhan.

Resources: http://sunnahonline.com/library/history-of-islam/307-bilal-ibn-rabah

A man once came to the Messenger of Allah (saw), and complained that he feels hardness in his heart. The Messenger of Allah said, what translated means, "Would you like that your heart becomes soft and that you acquire what you need? Be merciful with the orphan, pat his head and feed him from what you eat. This will soften your heart, and enable you to get what you need." 

(Hadith At-Tabaraanee & As-Silsilah as-Saheehah)

Be in the company of those who boost your 

spirituality and motivates you to do 

good than those who makes you 

feel low and unworthy.

-Mufti Ismail Menk

When your main agenda is to eat (well yes, we ate alot!) 

but unintentionally you ter-buy many things!

=D

Prophet Muhammad said:

"He who loves my Sunnah has loved me,

and he who loves me will be with me in Paradise."

(Hadith Tirmizi)

I used to head to the mosque with my fellow ex colleague back then during lunch time and I totally missed those moments. And each time I went to mosque, I would instantly think of him. Mashallah. That impact he made in me. 

I was happy to be here today. It felt like as if I'm back in Madinah/Makkah. Iktikaf in mosque by performing solat sunat while waiting for Zohor. Mashallah. I took longer time to recite my prayers and zikir. I really performing my Umrah. Mashallah, only Allah knows this feeling deep down inside me. So when Zohor started, in this mosque it's pretty much there's a glass wall facing the male jemaah's. Mashallah, standing behind all of them. I weeped a little, secretly I wanted so much be be married. To have my own Imam to lead me. Mashallah, that yearning. I know Allah is testing me so much to be patience and yet He is blessing me with all the things that I shouldn't asked for. Alhamdullilah, they are sufficient for me and how could I even ask for more.

=,)

Mosque: 

Masjid Jamiyah Ar Rabitah

601 Tiong Bahru Rd, Singapore 158787

One day.

Or Day one.

You decide.

One of the important Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) that not many known for, is the woman he described as his "mother after my own mother. She is the rest of my family."

Barakah or Umm Ayman was the name of the woman whom the noble Prophet esteemed so highly. She was the first person to hold him in her arms when he was born and the only person who knew him from that point until his death. She was one of the few Muslims who the Prophet assured of a place in Paradise.

"Be a mother to him, Barakah. And don't ever leave him," Amina instructed her about her son as she lay dying. Barakah did not fail in her responsibility.

Her beginnings were more than humble. In her youth, the Abyssinian girl was put up for sale in Makkah as a slave. In pre-Islamic Arabia, slavery was no shame, and slaves were treated like animals. But Barakah was blessed to be treated with kindness. She was bought by a noble and gentle man: Abdullah, the son of Abdul Muttalib. The father of the Prophet.

Barakah not only took care of Abdullah's affairs as a servant in his home, but after he married the Prophet's mother, she looked after Amina as well. It was Barakah who slept at the foot of Amina's bed and comforted her when, only two weeks after her wedding, her husband was instructed to leave for that journey to Syria, after which he never came back. It was Barakah who took care of Amina during her pregnancy. It was also Barakah who gave Amina the news of her husband's death at Yathrib, what was later to be known as Madinah.

As the Prophet faced tragedy upon tragedy, Brakah was there for him. From the time when his mother died when he was six, to when his grandfather Abdul Muttalib died when he was eight, Barakah stayed with the Prophet. It was only after the Prophet married Khadija (as) that she married, and that too, on their insistence. She married Ubayd ibn Zayd from the Khazraj tribe of Yathrib and they had a son named Ayman, thus her name Umm Ayman.

When the Prophet received the prophethood, Barakah was among the first Muslims, and like the others, bravely faced the punishments of the Quraish for those who dared to believe in La ilaha illa Allah Muhammadur Rasool ullah. She and Zayd ibn Harithah, another companion who lived in the Prophet's household, put their lives on the line to find out about the plots and conspiracies of the pagan Makkans against the Prophet and the Muslims.

During the Battle of Uhud she gave out water to the thirsty soldiers and took care of the wounded. She accompanied the Prophet on some expeditions. She tied her well-being to that of Islam. During a visit from the Prophet, he asked: "Ya Ummi! Are you well?" and she would reply: "I am well, O Messenger of Allah so long as Islam is."

Barakah's husband died not very long after their marriage. When she was in about her 50s, the Prophet, when speaking to his companions said, "Should one of you desire to marry a woman from the people of Paradise, let him marry Barakah." It was Zayd who stepped forward and agreed to marry her. They had a son named Usamah who was described as "the beloved son of the beloved." In other words, the Prophet loved both he and his father.

One example of Barakah's dedication to Islam and the Prophet was when she trekked across the burning desert through sandstorms on foot from Makkah to Madinah to join the Prophet. Despite the harshness of the journey though, she persisted, and was given good news when she reached her destination. When she got to Madinah, swollen feet, dust-covered face and all, the Prophet said to her, "Ya Barakah! Ya Ummi! Indeed for you is a place in Paradise!"

She became a widow again, after Zayd was killed during the Battle of Mutah in Syria. She also lived to see her son's martyrdom at the Battle of Hunayn. Barakah lived to see her other "son" died as well: the Prophet. But it was not for him she cried. When asked, she said, "By Allah, I knew that the Messenger of Allah would die but I cry now because the revelation from on high has come to an end for us."

Barakah died when Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was Khalifa.

Resources: https://www.soundvision.com/article/umm-ayman-barakah-may-allah-be-pleased-with-her

Know that if people 

are impressed with you,

in reality they are

impressed with the

beauty of Allah's

covering of your sins.

-Ibn Al-Jawzi

Sometimes I really do wonder what and why things turned out this way. Things may have changed and it will never be the same again. The awkwardness that we tried to brush it off. It's like we knew something terrible had happened and yet, we all seems to be ok with it when it's not. To the people who pretends that things never happen, it's neither you're being weak nor strong but actually reckless. Because you not only hurt your inner you but with the surroundings too, and nothing will ever be right. You'll never attain peace and may Allah forgives our sins.

Life is really unpredictable, really.

Just like the weather.

 The bravery of the Messenger of Allah (swt)

What the Prophet (saw) might have lacked in terms of physical strength- and by all accounts, he certainly was strong- he more than amply made up for with bravery and fearlessness, qualities he possessed because he feared no one but Allah (swt). In those days, battles were frightening affairs. Granted, war is always brutal, but in the Prophet’s time, the soldiers did not fire bullets at one another from distances; instead they physically clashed against one another with swords raised; with heads flying in the air at the scene of the battle; with limbs being chopped off with powerful strokes of the sword; and with blood staining people’s skin, clothings and armor - not to mention pools of blood that formed on the ground. Just voluntarily walk onto such a battlefield requires a great deal of fortitude and courage. But the Prophet (saw) did not just walk onto the battlefields, standing safely behind rows of soldiers; on the contrary, he fought in the front row, quite often being nearer to the enemy than any other Muslim soldier.

The Prophet (saw) never once fled from a battle; more telling, to be sure, is the fact that he never even retreated: If others defensively moved back a few feet or more when the enemy attacked, the Prophet (saw) maintained his position, refusing to give up even an inch of ground to the enemy. At times, the Prophet (saw) acted as commander, supervising the proceedings of a battle from a command post. But when fighting intensified, when body parts flew into the air and blood sprayed out from exposed wounds, and when the decisive stages of battle were taking place- the Prophet (saw) was, without fail, at the forefront of his army, with calm nerves and with complete trust in his Lord.

In the early days of his migration to Madeenah, the Prophet (saw) hid in a cave with Abu Bakr as Siddeeq (ra); neither of them was armed, and they were surrounded by polytheists who had unsheathed swords coupled with malevolent hearts, the most dangerous of combinations. These were the men who wanted nothing more than to kill the Prophet (saw). Upon seeing an expression of fear on Abu Bakr’s face, the Prophet (saw) said: “O Abu Bakr, what do you think of two (people), when Allah is the third (member) of their group.” {Related by Bukhari (3653, 4663) and Muslim (2381),  on the authority of Abu Bakr.} 

That, without a doubt, is the pinnacle of bravery. 

Muhammad: As If You Can See Him

By A’id al-Qarni

(page 106-107)

Life is weird.

You can go from being strangers,

to being friends,

to being more than friends,

to being practically strangers again.

I just feel like I need to save everyone.

To redeem myself.

(Thomas, The Maze Runner)