August 26, 2012

مخطوط makhtoot

today Ustaz Mahmoud started our class with his journey looking for a مَخْطُوط

"ya liyana, do you know what is a 'makhtoot'?"

i shook my head

"makhtoot is a hand written book, written by ulama' from ages ago. it comes from the word 'khat'...i've been looking for this makhtoot, written in the 900 hijriah, and one page cost me LE5...and this one is of 13 pages"



wow!

"nowadays liyana, people have lost the ability to appreciate these valuable old written knowledge...let me tell you...a story...about a makhtoot in Egypt...entitled 'kitab dawud' of a hundred pieces of papers, written by a jew who was a renowned doctor at the times of Andalus...he became a muslim and wrote this makhtoot in arabic

well,
in the year around 1920, there was this British who came to Egypt, he had studied arabic very well, and he visited the 'maktabatul makhtootot' (library of old hand written books) everyday.

the 'Amin' (the person in charged of the well beings of these old valuable handwritten books a.k.a librarian) noticed that he would sit and read these handwritten books.

the Amin said...one day however, the British took out a book that was hidden among the never-read-section...a very old book, that the Amin believed to have only been read by the writer if ever. the Brittish sat reading it intensely and once he finished, he brought the book to the Amin and said:


'i'd like to have this book, i'll give you THREE Thousand dollars for it!'
'huh?...i don't know, no books should be taken out from this library' said the Amin
'hmm, how about FOUR Thousand dollars?'

now the Amin realized that this book must've been very valuable...so he said
'i cannot allow that'
'FIVE Thousands dollars?' the British kept negotiating

'ermm....well, give me one week to have this book out for you' the Amin finally took the bait

so the Amin said he paid a person to copy the 200 pages of that hand written book in one week by hand and gave the original copy to the British.

unfortunately, one sad day, the Amin's house caught fire, and the whole copy that he had of that book was burnt but only small bit of a single paper left...=(

he was very sad but he kept telling the story of a book (of which he know not of it's title) that was taken by the British until his death.

now...around two to three years ago, a Muslim student from Egypt studying in Great Britain read books in one of the libraries and found a book entitled 'kitab dawud' in English. he fortunately have heard about the existence of this book from his Muslim Scholars, but to his knowledge, the book was originally written in Arabic...not English...

and...he had heard the story of the Amin who talked about a book taken by a British...things click!

so this student went searching for the writer of the book...the writer has passed away...huu
he asked around for the writers children instead...and finally was lead to the writer's grandson who lives in his grandfather's house

'does your grandfather keep his writing materials?' the student asked
'hurm, we still keep some of his possession in the basement below, you can go look around down there, we are about to throw them all out anyway' the grandson replied

so this student went searching among the writer's possession...and walla!
he found a very old shabby hand written Arabic book entitled 'kitab dawud'...he sat there for hours reading that book...a book of medical ailments and treatment, stories of the jews and their holy book 'taurah'...


finally, he climbed up the attic and asked the grandson if he could buy that book from him
'take it, we don't want it'

and so...that precious handwritten book finally return back to Egypt =)"

"did you see liyana how people who knows the value of these knowledge 'see' this old books? the British might have made double or triple the price he paid the Amin. but how his grandson didn't even notice the fortune inside that old book that it was return for free to Egypt"

wow!

am speechless!
as usual...a story i heard in Arabic that i'd love to share with the world...i try my best to translate it from my understanding...and Ustaz Mahmoud is very patient to stop at every point i was confused and made sure as much as he can i understand every single word...

pardon me if i made any mistakes...Ustaz Mahmoud taught me to always say this:

every good and benefits comes from Allah
and any mistakes or bad words come from myself the imperfect slave =)

August 17, 2012

ramadhan day 29

we spent last night in Jami' Arrahman Arrahim ^_^

i'd like to share how wonderful it is in that huge unbelievably crowded mosque...
i prayed beside the gates of the Mosque open air...
and it was not a wonder why...


because, the Imam who led the solat was such a wonderful person
an easy going, warm, joyful and friendly...i assume so as i only hear his voice

just before we started Isya' prayer he addressed his ma'mums...

'before we start our prayers today, i'd like to tell you something,
here in this mosque...we are crowded, packed but we tolerate our fellow muslims just to pray together, we read the du'a together and 'ameen' the dua together, we cried together...but sadly, right after we exit this mosque i see some of our brothers and sister get into fights in the streets...for a simple matter...

you have just tolerated one another in this mosque, why can't we tolerate one another throughout the day?...say sorry, say thankyou...give pardons...i really hope we look into this matter dear fellow muslims. if we are here just to show off, it is better for us to pray in our houses...we don't want to ruin our prayers with 'riak' (boasting) my dear brothers and sisters...

now, i'd like to ask our brothers in the mosque to take a step forward, to give some space for your friends to enter this mosque, and for those who are outside the mosque on the streets, try your best to be behind the 'Imam' as much as you can...and squeeze in...let your fellow brothers and sister in...it's okay for us to be this crowded. zahmah fi rahmah insyaAllah (crowded in blessing insyaAllah)

pardon me as i translated his speech which i kept only in mind...i dun take notes as i wasn't prepare for such a wonderful tazkirah before isya' prayers...his words are of course much more wonderful!

being addressed like that before solat was a first time to me...
usually in other mosques, i only hear the Imam's voice saying "AllahuAkbar" and the crowded buzz around me suddenly become quiet and we are already praying...

after 4 raka'ahs of taraweeh, instead of giving a tazkirah (which i never focused in before n other mosques...mainly because it needs effort in my side to translate it, so i read the quran instead usually)

the Imam talks about the sufferings of our fellow muslims in Syria, Myanmar and Palestine...and he said there's an Islamic Relief volunteers are moving around boxes for donations...

and he said
'we are living in this very blessed and peaceful country, we eat properly, we sleep soundly, we work and earn money everyday...we do not have citizens dying from hunger at least...Egypt is blessed by Allah, we are even recorded in this holy book alQuran...since the times of nabi Yussuf alaihissalam, we become the provider for other countries in the difficult times...

(and he read surah Yussuf verse 46 - 49)

and in this blessed mosque, we are gathered among rich and wealthy people...rich and wealthy and also blessed to be here in this mosques with us...do lend some of Allah's blessings to you, so that Allah will increase it more...muslims are one, let's help our fellow muslims'

and then the Imam made an auction for most of his belongings...
he auctioned 2 of his best Tafseer and got LE10 000 each if am not mistaken, his staff, his robe, his prayer mat...someone even mentioned, why don't you auction yourself ya Imam?
'Wallahi if i am worthy to be auction for i'd give myself, but what good would i be for you?i can't cook, i do not clean houses...i just read books...hehehe'
such an easy going person...made me feel like i know him already ;)

and those thousands were given to the Islamic Relief mission

being among those rich people...it triggers me,
the best position we could be in is in the position to provide
but being given that much wealth in itself is a test..

on our way home after subuh ^_^

may Allah put us all in the best position to be his slaves...ameen
in the end, it's Allah's blessings we are looking for ^_^

August 13, 2012

ramadhan day 25: jami' bilal

this is my first time ever to meet so many...i mean 'a lot!' of "healthy" Egyptian adult and children
hehe

well, being in the hospital most of the time, i was never exposed to such crowds
but last night, i went to Jami' Bilal...about 30-45 mins drive from my place...
there were so so many people coming for taraweeh...
even the park beside the Jami' was full

my first time to be part of this huge crowd
and it gives us an extra lift of spirit to perform Ibadah
coz, the Jami' is not just full during taraweeh...
when we woke up for tahajjud, the park is still in use!
Subhanallah! Egyptians really live up the last ten days of Ramadhan... ^_^

after Tahajjud we had iftor in the park and solat subh there


i never knew that going to masjid was this much fun!...^_^


my focus is actually the beautiful crescent!if u can see it...
canteknye bulan....ad bintang2 di langit...hee :)

August 12, 2012

ramadhan day 24: let go

the moment i realized the essence of what i've gone through...
i feel blessed that Allah is always with me in this wonderful life
^_^
Alhamdulillah

hehe, the incident that happen last night wasn't that dramatic as my intro...but a 'tear-trickling-experience' for me

ieqa and i wanted to take a taxi to Jami' Rawwas again for taraweeh...
but just for taraweeh because i promised ustazah Maha i'd be there

we came down during azan for isya'
but, no worries...Jami' Rawwas starts prayer a bit late...
so we stood in front of 'Musa' trying to stop a taxi

a taxi came
'assalamualaykum, Gami' Rawwas lausamah'
'Rawwas hunak?'
'Aaa' (nodding)
'tsk' (with the index finger)

hmm...second taxi came...
another 'tsk' (with the index finger)

the third...the fourth....the fifth....

ieqa said 'maybe the traffic is bad there...guess, Jami' Ibrahim? (which can be reached on foot)

a bit dissapointed...because i've promised...but if i kept waiting for a taxi, i might miss both isya' prayers with the imam in Jami' Rawwas and Jami' Ibrahim...


resignedly...we started our steps to Jami' Ibrahim
but along the way, we still tried to stop any empty taxi

sixth...nope
seventh...'masyi!'

huh!.................i stopped in my track. stunned.
we were just about another 25 steps to Jami' Ibrahim...hee
Alhamdulillah....^_^

'see, sometimes...we just need to let go! Allah will take care of it for you...' ieqa said...

friends,
Allah never wants you to be the best
but He wants you to try your best
and He'll definitely take care of the rest

Subhanallah...:')


August 11, 2012

ramadhan day 23: i'tikaf

what does "i'tikaf" means?

it means, staying in a mosque to worship Allah
excluding all your worldly stuffs

first time i did it! :D
last night...
in Jami' Rawwas...
with panna, ieqa, adah, hana, aimi, and mufid ^_^
it was like... a 'stay-over' with friends
in a mosque
with lots of Tahajjud Prayers and Quran reading...


i was told,
anything we do in the mosque will be rewarded as good deed
this include;
sleeping, sitting, standing, rubbing your nose...whatever possible thing you do
just, remember to put your intention for i'tikaf
such an easy way to get rewards right?

was fun for a first time,
but this morn i woke up, it was zuhr already...erk!
hehe : )

تقبل الله منا ومنكم

August 09, 2012

ramadhan day 21

huh!
am finally in the last ten days of Ramadhan...isk,
time flew so fast....

guess what?
we missed sahoor!!!
huuu...
am dead worried...
waking up at the sound of azan subh
i looked longingly at my water bottle by my table...
owh how will i survive this long day.....................(dramaticnyerrr..LOL)

no more heavy foods before sleep!!!
(wasn't that heavy, i took arruz billaban...heavy?)

it's cold rice in milk desert...nyumnyum

but, miraculously :D
my day went as normally as it could've been...
i did wake up to doc Hussein's revision class
afternoon discussion with panna didn't end up with sleep...hehe
(which was rare infact!!)
and i even cooked for iftar

barakah fi Ramadhan ^_^

for this last 10 days of Ramadhan,
may all our sins be forgiven by Allah
i pray for all of u and me :)


August 07, 2012

ramadhan day 19: سَبْعُ المَثَانِي

have you heard about سَبْعُ المَثَانِي?

try finding this word here...i love this Qasidah...
(Panna said there are their future sons in there -for her, Shae n Nadiah...mine x de ea? hehe)


in Surah alHijr, verse 87

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم

وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَىكَ سَبْعًا مِنَ الْمَثَانِى وَالقُرْءَانَ الْعَظِيمَ
And indeed, We have bestowed upon you seven of alMathani (seven repeatedly recited Verses), and the Grand Quran.
صدق الله العظيم

what are these seven Verses that we repeatedly cite throughout our day?
that is
non other than
the first Surah in Al Quran

surah alFatihah

ustaz Mahmoud told me that
surah al Fatihah is equal to the whole AlQuran,
surah al Zalzalah is equal to half of AlQuran
and surah al Ikhlas is equal to a third of the AlQuran

and he also told me this 'touching' fact

back in his days,
prophet Musa alaihissalam read in the Taurah
that Allah has granted a nation with 'sab'ul mathani'
seven holy Verses that is repeatedly cited
so prophet Musa alaihissalam asked Allah to grant him and his people those Verses too
but Allah denied his request

and
prophet Daud alaihissalam
who is known to have the most beautiful voice
and praised Allah day and night
was only granted part of the 'sab'ul mathani'
which is azZabur
also known as مزمير داود (flute of Dawud)

Christians and Jews searched high and low for this holy Verses

but it was not given to them
it was infact
sent down
specially for
the Ummah of prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
'us'

how touching it is
the fact that we are not level with Allah's messengers
and even,
with all the bad things we've done
or we've never done any right things in our life
but because we are the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
Allah permits our lips to cite this سبع المثاني
which He denied prophet Musa a.s
and only give a part of it to prophet Dawud a.s

سبحان الله والحمد لله و لا إله إلا الله والله أكبر

thus,
in every raka'ah of our prayers,
remember to think about
this beautiful blessing Allah has bestowed on us
a blessing that really doesn't match our worships to Him

thank you ustaz Mahmoud for this beautiful sharing ^_^

*when a thing become significant in your life, you tend to share it with the most dearest to your heart ^_^

August 05, 2012

ramadhan day 17

today is the day we celebrate nuzul Quran! ^_^

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرّجيم

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِى أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْءِانُ
 هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ
وَبَيِّنَتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالفُرْقَانِ

surah alBaqarah: 185

i had the pleasure of attending an iftor event held by PERUBATAN
with the theme: AlQuran; love letter from Allah
and Sheikh Rohimuddin was invited to give the Tafseer of surah AlQadar




i never thought of attending his classes any more since last july...but, Allah knows best
"happie ^_^"

let me share some gems that triggers my inner mind there

ليلة القدر is a hidden night amongst the night of Ramadhan

(3) لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ
The night of AlQadr is better than a thousand months

which means, worshipping Allah in just this one night is better than a thousand months of worshipping
WOW! that's like 83 years or so...
even if we survived to live for more than 83 years and we did nothing but worshipping Allah, there is no guarantee all our 'ibadahs will be accepted

so, how can we get this heap of rewards?

Sheikh said,

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

(1) إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَهُ فِى لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ
Verily, We have sent it (this Quran) down in the night of AlQadr (decree)

ليلة القدر here is also interpreted as 'a "great" "perfect" person'
(i'll work in simplifying how this comes out insyaAllah one day...hee) 

and that is non other than our beloved Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم
no one walking on earth is perfect except for our حبيب الله

the Prophet's Companions, when asked to describe him (s.a.w) said

"خلقه القرءان": his character is like the Quran itself
"هو القرءان يمشى على الأرض": he is like a walking Quran

this tells us that,
to want ليلة القدر, 
we need to act as that perfect person

this night is not given freely
it is not found by mere signs like the a prostrating tree or a calm cloudy day
(these are the examples of signs i was told since kindergarten..)

people that understand this verse, 
worked really hard to worship Allah for years, 
just to be granted this one special night
Sheikh also mentioned, 
there's this someone (unfortunately i didn't catch his name) said

"for 20 years i suffered to hold my tongue from saying bad things
to get hold of ليلة القدر
and after that one night, 
doing good deeds is not a suffering for me anymore"

let's work our way, 
to perfect our characters
and be specially selected by Allah 
for this special night
yosh!!

All the best fighting for it! ;)

*and i would not have heard this wonderful Tafseer
if this birthday girl has not requested us to celebrate her birthday here
^_^


happy birthday Norfarhana Sam!
thanx for giving us a 'present' on your birthday

and thank you Allah for granting me such wonderful friends