Salam Maulidul Rasul 1436

Yesterday we celebrated the Prophet's birthday at a home in Bukit Petaling. The early morning ceremony began with doa/prayers; Yasin and doa selamat by a maahad tahfiz Nurul Iman (religious school) led by their Ustaz.

There followed a tazkirah by Ustaz Dato' Haji Mohd Najmuddin bin Elias Al Hafiz. He extolled the virtues of the Prophet and the five ways we may emulate him. This older brother of the more famous Ustaz Kazim Elias (UKE) is actually his replacement speaker because UKE is down with an ailment. We all hope he recovers soon. UKE is my favourite ustaz to listen to because he is witty and makes religion and religious issues interesting and enlightening.

Then a younger Ustaz Dr Fathul Bari expounded on the global scenario of Islam today. There were also nasyid songs in praise of the Prophet rendered by a few groups.

The occasion ended in the early afternoon with a sumptuous lunch for all guests.

Note: Last year the tazkirah was delivered by Ustaz Ravi Abdullah.
(In progress)

Puisi Selamat Puasa

Diucapkan selamat berpuasa
Dan kita berjumpa lagi
Di Jalan Raja Alang Kampung Baru
Untuk membeli kueh orang Melayu
Yang hanya rajin berniaga
Cuma bulan Ramadan.

Diucapkan selamat berpuasa
Moga-moga kita akan banyak bersabar
Dalam perjuangan menghadapi trafik jam
Disepanjang Jalan Semarak
Menuju ke Pasar Datuk Keramat.

Selamat berpuasa
Dan hendaknya pada tahun ini
Tidak ada lagi
Anak-anak Melayu yang cacat cedera
Atau gugur terkorban akibat
Bermain mercun buluh
Dan mercun buatan sendiri.

                                       Zahari Hasib

(Petikan sajak oleh Penyair Zahari Hasib dari artikel Sastera "Ramadan dan Aidilfitri dalam puisi" oleh Aminuddin Mansor, Mingguan Malaysia, 4 Ogos 2013.)

Salam Ramadan 

Salam Ramadhan al-Mubarak

It is the month of Ramadhan again, a month all Muslims look forward to. May all your good deeds be amply rewarded, and may you always have peace and happiness, now and always.




Pic by CNB (2009): One of the minarets of the Quba Mosque, Madinah, Saudi Arabia

Landmarks of Selangor: Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque

I have written about the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque (aka the Blue Mosque) before in my blog post of 30 June 2012. But as a very significant landmark of Selangor, I am posting a second entry on it in my continuing series of the 'Landmarks of Selangor' as I visit/revisit them (focusing on their history and architecture)*.

Ornate fencing around the Blue Mosque (CNB 2012)

This magnificent building in Shah Alam (SA) was built in 1988, at the behest of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, when SA became the new capital of Selangor. He requested of the designer/architect (Dato' Dr Hj Baharuddin bin Abu Kassim) for the design to be traditional and able to accommodate 20,000. The mosque is set in 14 hectares of landscaped grounds on the north bank of the eastern lake** of SA.

The tall minarets lend a fairy tale look (CNB 2013)

Malaysia's Blue Mosque has one of the largest domes of a religious building in the world; 51 metres in diameter and 54 metres in height from the hollow box ring beam that supports it. The ring beam, both outside and inside, is decorated with beautiful Quranic calligraphy. The four minarets soar into the sky at a height of 138 (or 142?) metres.

The Blue Mosque seen from the state museum (CNB 2013)

* Ref: Landmarks of Selangor. Jugra Publications, 2003
**Shah Alam has at least six man-made lakes.

Mawlid an-Nabi 1434

Salam Maulidur Rasul. The tradition of Mawlid (celebrating the Prophet Muhammad's birthday) probably goes back to the 10th century. The celebration by Muslims around the world has the main aim of reminding people of the way of life brought by the Prophet. This year Mawlid falls on the 24th January 2013.

In Malaysia Mawlid is celebrated well with special ceremonies and prayers in mosques and in homes. At the national and state levels it is celebrated with much grandeur.

Majlis Maulidul Rasul at a home in Shah Alam (CNB 2013)

This year I attended a Majlis Maulidur Rasul at a home in the neighbourhood. There was doa/prayers and also shaer/qasidah (lyric poetry) praising the Prophet, performed by a group from Sungai Petani, Kedah. Interestingly, there was Sufi twirling whirling* by a single performer as well.  I was fascinated because I had never seen a live performance of this meditative dance before. For a while  it was like being in Konya, Turkey!

All good Majlis end with great food and this was no different.

Sufi whirling  during Mawlid (CNB 2013)

(CNB 2013)

*Sufi whirling or spinning as practiced by dervishes is performed with the aim to reach the source of all perfection. The camel hair hat represents the tombstone of the ego, the wide white skirt represents the ego's shroud. Source: Wikipedia.

Landmarks of Selangor: Indian Muslim Mosque

Masjid India Muslim in Klang (CNB 2013)

The Masjid India Muslim (Indian Muslim Mosque) at Jalan Tengku Kelana, Klang is just a stone's throw from the Sultan Suleiman Building. Its history dates back from 1904, when the site was awarded by Sultan Alaeddin Suleiman Shah to the mosque's founder, R. E. Mohamad Kassim.

An earlier timber building was replaced by a concrete and brick structure and officially opened in 1974. The present day four-storey building built in 2009 is to cater to the growth of the Indian Muslim community in Klang.

The sky was downcast by the time we approached the Masjid (on Saturday, 05/01/13), so I only took a photo while at the traffic light junction before we headed for home. I need to visit at a later time for a better look.

Ref: Landmarks of Selangor. Jugra Publications, 2003.

Landmarks of Selangor: Sultan Suleiman Mosque

Masjid Sultan Suleiman (CNB 2013)

Constructed in the year 1932, the Sultan Suleiman Mosque is sited just below the Istana Alam Shah. A and I stopped by to take some pictures, after visiting the Royal Gallery at the Sultan Suleiman Building on Saturday (05/01/13). We noted the unique egg yellow of its numerous domes.

The building's most beautiful interior is of  'Islamic, neogothic and Art Deco detailing'.

There is a model of this mosque in the Muzium Sultan Alam Shah and the architect is noted as a British, L. Keste Ven (i.e. Leofric Kesteven). The mosque can accomodate a congregation of 3,000.

Ref: Landmarks of Selangor. Jugra Publications, 2003.

Salam Maal Hijrah

Salam Maal Hijrah 1434

May we all 'hijrah' to become better human beings in this very tumultuous world. Have your 1434 resolutions in place, and 2013 will have been taken care of.  Amin.

Note: B embroidered the stylised 'Bismillahhirrahmanirrahim'  
while studying in USM.  

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha

Ba & Mak leaving for Hajj on Jordan Airlines, 23.11.1974
Bro MN accompanied them.

Salam Ramadhan

It is the 4th day of Ramadhan... may you have a blessed month. May this ninth month of the Muslim calendar be meaningful for you and family in observing one of the five pillars of Islam.


On the light side; enjoy Lat's take on the Ramadhan of yesteryear ... I remember that in Alor Star where I spent part of my childhood, the big blocks of ice came from boxes lined with gunny sacks and sawdust. Since only a small block was needed, they cost only 10 cents. Or was it 5 cents? I was sometimes sent to buy the ice block for our iftar, and yes, sometimes there was not enough sawdust because the shop man was kedekut!

The Shah Alam Blue Mosque

Dome of the Shah Alam Blue Mosque at night (CNB 2012)

My first encounter with this beautiful blue mosque was way back when I was a librarian in USM (Pulau Pinang) and was in Selangor for the International Association of School Librarians' Conference in early 1989. At the time it had just been completed (March 1988) but with some foreign delegates, we were taken there for a visit to this biggest mosque in Malaysia, and 'second biggest mosque in Southeast Asia'. It is reputed to have the world's tallest minarets at 142.3 m, and biggest dome with a diameter of 51.2 m. (But now superceded by other mosques).

A view of the Blue Mosque at dusk (CNB 2012)

This state mosque, officially known as the Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, is strategically located in the Shah Alam City Centre. Now that we live in Shah Alam, this mosque is special to us.

Salam Maulidur Rasul

Salam Maulidur Rasul kepada semua umat Islam.

Aqiqah, Berendoi & Cukur Jambul

Over the years I have had the opportunity to attend kenduris (feasts) held to celebrate the blessed occasions of newborns. Aqiqah, I understand, is the sacrifice of an animal on the occasion of a child's birth. This is highly encouraged since the days of the Prophet Mohammad when he and his companions used to perform aqiqah when bestowed newborns. Aqiqah, ususally carried out by parents or grandparents of the newborn, has the benefit of announcing the birth, and celebrating the blessed occasion with family and friends (the poor should be included by the offering of food and meat served then).

Malay culture and tradition has included the berendoi/buai bayi (cradling) and the cukur jambul (tonsure ritual for newborns) in these occasions. The newborn is dressed in new clothes and placed in a cradle, around which the family and guests are seated. Prayers are recited and a marhaban or berzanji group will sing praises to the Prophet. They may include songs about how the new mother had undergone hardships of pregnancy and birth and how much the newborn has been looked forward to.

A very elaborately decorated cradle for a very
special baby at the ceremony I attended in
Shah Alam (CNB 2010)

The Marhaban group at the above do. Note the green coconut
on the right (CNB 2010)

A young member of the Marhaban group above (CNB 2010)

For the cukur jambul, the new father or mother will carry the baby around to the persons (usually grandparents, family elders, religious leaders) who will each snip a lock of hair. It is customary, though not compulsory, for those who do the honours to present the baby with a gift in cash or kind). The locks of hair are placed in a bowl of water and  after the ceremony is over, the father will bury the hair in the ground, anywhere in the yard.

(The dulang or ceremonial tray for the cukur jambul usually holds a new pair of scissors, and a bowl of water or a young coconut cut and shaped like a bowl. Sometimes bunga rampai, beras kunyit, some honey and dates are also included in the tray.)

The dulang at a ceremony I attended in Taman Tun Dr Ismail
(CNB 2010) 

After the above ceremony, guests will be served food (including the aqiqah meat) and drinks. Then bunga telur (party favour) - in the form of the traditional bunga telur (decorative hard boiled egg) or the more modern sweets, cakes or chocolates - are given out when guests leave.

Traditional bunga telur for the guests at the TTDI do (CNB 2010)

Note: Some families do put on very lavish ceremonies that now, there are 'party planners' who offer 'Aqiqah, Berendoi & Cukur Jambul' packages with a theme! My, oh my!

Fikrah Dr Salam (Harian Metro, 21/10/2011) Antara perkara sunnah yang boleh di lakukan ibubapa apabila mendapat zuriat adalah anak itu 1. Diazan & diiqamahkan 2. dilakukan aqiqah 3.diberi nama yang baik 4. dilakukan (tahniq) atau dibelah mulut dengan benda manis seperti kurma & dibaca doa 5. dicukur rambut & diberi sedekah seberat timbangnya 6. dikhatankan 7. menindik telinga bagi anak perempuan 8. diberi penjagaan & penyusuan sebaik mungkin.

Salam Maal Hijrah 1433

Salam Maal Hijrah 1433. May all your doas be fulfilled and may we all hijrah (migrate) from any bad to good and any negative to positive.

(Sorry I am a day late posting this because the Muslim New Year began yesterday 27th November 2011, but, better late than never.)

My Arabia: An Umrah & Ziarah Travelogue

With my sister CY and two other friends, we joined the Umrah & Ziarah group tour of Ibtisam led by Ustadz Haji Hassan Mahmud Al Hafiz in July 2009. (The Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage or shortened version of the Haj).

Allow me some introductory notes about the Umrah. The 3 pillars of Umrah : Ihram (intention of starting umrah; "Actions are but by intentions", Tawaf  (7 circuits around the Ka'bah), Sa'y (7 times; start at As-Safa and end at Al-Marwah). The 2 obligatory duties of Umrah: Entering Ihram for it from outside the sanctuary (Haram) and shaving the head/cutting the hair to exit Ihram.

Day 1: We board a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane at KLIA in the afternoon and reach Jeddah around 6.00 pm local time there. We board a bus to Madinah, stopping at Wadi Toreiq (?) for isyak/maghrib prayers and dinner of lamb mandi.

Minaret of mosque at ... (CNB 2009)

My plateful of Lamb Mandi (CNB 2009)

Day 2: We reach Madinah in the very early morning and checked into the Hotel. Subuh prayers (at 4.05 am) was at the Masjid Nabawi or Prophet's Mosque. After our prayers we had breakfast at the hotel; Indonesian catered food. (There was noticeably, a large number of Indonesians from Kalimantan. I found out that they had had a good harvest and so many could afford to come for Umrah.)

My sister and I then went to the Raudhah (the Prophet's grave/tomb). It was pretty chaotic there, with the female guards raising their voices to keep order and persuading the large crowd to enter by 'region', (Asians last, after the Arabs and Persians). The Masjid Nabawi was just a stone's throw from our hotel, so all prayers were done there.

After the isyak prayers, we had dinner (Indonesian food would be our staple for the rest of our stay in Arabia) and then went next door to the Souq Al-Saha for a bit of shopping. The shops there offered books*, the Quran, prayer mats, tasbih (prayer beads) and clothes, especially the abaya. (You can also buy these from the street peddlars in front of the mosque, although they are constantly being asked to move by the police).

The Prophet's Mosque (CNB 2009)

Inside the Masjid Nabawi/Prophet's Mosque (CNB 2009)

Women in Masjid Nabawi (CNB 2009)

Day 3: We visited (and prayed in) the Quba Mosque, and also stopped by the Jabal Uhud (Mt Uhud). At a date farm/orchard, we bought fresh dates and I think I had the best chai (tea) there. We also visited and prayed at the Al-Qiblatain Mosque, the mosque with two Qiblah. Before going back to the Hotel, we stopped by a date souq; a whole souq dedicated to dates of all kinds.

The Quba Mosque (CNB 2009)

At Jabal Uhud (2009)

Colourful 'not so ripe' dates (CNB 2009)

CY, me and a friend pose with dates (2009)

The Al Qiblatain Mosque (CNB 2009)

Day 4: After subuh prayers and breakfast, we walked around the area. The buildings were mostly hotels, all quite recently built. We also revisited the Raudhah. (Meticulous search of bag, and body, by the female guards, meant that no handphones or cameras could be brought into the Masjid Nabawi. But some do get through).

In the afternoon, after a sunat ihram bath, we left Madinah for Makkah. We prayed asar at Bir Ali (miqat) where we went into ihram. On reaching Makkah, we checked into a hotel within walking distance to Al-Masjid Al-Haram (Haram Mosque). At 11.50 pm, we went to the Haram Mosque to do our Umrah under the guidance of Ustadz Mastor. Our tawaf and sa'y took us till 2.30 am. My first sight of the Ka'bah was indeed surreal (as in a dream). Allahuakbar!

Iranian theology students at Bir Ali (CNB 2009)

The Bir Ali Mosque (CNB 2009)

The Arabian sunset on our way to Makkah (CNB 2009)

The Ka'bah within the Haram Mosque (CNB 2009)

Day 5: All our prayers were done in Al-Masjid Al-Haram; we walked back to the hotel only for mealtimes and short rests in between. The Haram Mosque was always crowded and sometimes there were saf (prayer row) discomforts (like being squeezed in between very large Arab ladies). On our way from the hotel to the Haram Mosque and vice versa, we pass by lots of shops and a supermarket in a mall. I sometimes stop at the shops to buy Arabian confectionary and get the Saudi Gazette or Arab News. Once at the Bindawood Complex, we were perusing in a bookshop and as we paid for our purchase, we were given a Quran each. A gift from an Arab gentleman whom we only caught a glimpse of. "Shukran (thank you) for the kind gift and may Allah bless you".

On an access road to the Haram Mosque (CNB 2009)

One of the many entrances into the Haram Mosque (CY 2009)

Day 6: After subuh prayers, we went on a tour of the outskirts of Makkah. We visited Jabal Thawr (Mt Thawr) where in a cave here, the Prophet Muhammad sought refuge from his persecutors, the Quraish. We  also visited Muzdalifah, Mina, and 'Arafat. Mt Arafat, a granite hill, also known as Jabal Rahmah (Mount of Mercy), is where the Prophet delivered his farewell sermon. It is also believed to be where Adam and Eve met again after 200 years following their expulsion.

We stopped at the Masjid Al-Ji'ranah/Jurana (miqat) for prayers and enter into ihram for our second umrah. Enroute back to Makkah, we stopped to look at Jabal Nur or 'The Mountain of Light', where in the Hira Cave, the Prophet received his first revelation from Allah through the angel Gabriel.

At the Mt Thawr (2009)

Pilgrims on the Jabal Rahmah (CNB 2009)

On a decorated camel in Arafat (2009)

Jabal Nur (CNB 2009)

Day 7: In between prayers at the Al-Masjid Al-Haram, meals and rest at the hotel, we also did the occasional shopping in the vicinity, for yashmak, rosaries, attar (perfume), habbatussaudah (blackseed), dates, nuts, and dried fruits. I also tried the local ice cream, breads, and mixed fruit juice (this last item was not a good idea, because I had a massive stomach upset after that).

Day 8: In the morning we went to the Al-Masjid Taneem/Masjid At-Tan'im (the nearest miqat) to pray and enter into ihram for our third umrah (this is for Ba). Back at the Al-Masjid Al-Haram, at the end of our sa'y, we rested on Mt. Marwah after tahlul (cutting of hair). The Haram Mosque complex is big and a couple of times we forgot from which entrance we came in and where we had left our footwear!

In the late afternoon, our group visited a camel farm along the old Jeddah-Makkah road, where I had a taste of fresh camel milk. Eerr... it is an acquired taste. Ali, our Arab Bedouin van driver was a speed maniac and the more we told him to slow down, the more he would revv up the engine of his old van! After the camel farm we went on to Hudaibiyah Mosque for prayers and to enter ihram from this miqat. Nearby is the remains of the old mosque where the Prophet used to pray in. There was an old man there selling rosaries made from some unusual material - date seeds and camel bone. We also visited the Museum on the architecture of the two mosques (Al-Masjid Al-Haram & Masjid Nabawi) before going back to Makkah.

Al-Masjid Tan'eem (CNB 2009)

At the camel farm (2009)

Two Arabs and a few camels (CNB 2009)

Serving up fresh camel milk (CNB 2009)

Day 9: The day was spent in prayers at the Haram Mosque.

Day 10: As in day 8, we went to Al-Masjid Taneem to pray and enter into ihram for our fourth umrah (this is for QJ).

Day 11: We spent the whole day and night at the Haram Mosque, and in between prayers we made friends with our fellow pilgrims. There was a family from the UAE with an English speaking daughter who told us that they had visited Malaysia a few times. A lady from Syria said she comes to Makkah annually by bus with her husband. One young lady, from another Malaysian group, was complaining about the Arab ladies who squeezed into prayer safs and literally sat on her. In the holy land especially, patience is a virtue.

Day 12: We did our tawaf wida' (farewell) at 8.30 in the morning. Then in the afternoon we boarded the bus to Jeddah, King Abdul Aziz International Airport. At 8.45 pm we left by Saudi Airlines to Dammam, and thence home to KLIA. The umrah & ziarah has been an eye-opener, and I look forward to Haj in the near future, insyaallah.

Early dawn at the Haram Mosque (CNB 2009)

* I bought these two books: History of Al-Madinah Al Munawwarah and History of Makkah, prepared by a group of scholars under the supervision of Shaikh Safiur-Rahman Mubarakpuri.

Ramadhan Stories

Muslims all over the world are marking this holy month of Ramadhan by fasting, praying, reciting the Quran, and giving charity; all the while remembering Allah. Today is the 20th day and in the last 10 days of Ramadhan, Muslims will hope to find Lailatul Qadr, a night better than a thousand months. It is the anniversary of when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. In these last 10 days, the mosques will be full, and may all prayers be rewarded accordingly.

Ramadhan is a time for sharing, hence the giving of charity and the spread of goodwill. It is during this period that the less privileged will receive from the generosity of their fellow mankind. I remember that in the kampungs, neighbours give each other food that they had prepared for iftar (the breaking of fast). Iftar ideally is a simple meal, but now the profusion of Ramadhan bazaars and buffets in hotels/restaurants sometimes promote indulgence during the breaking of fast. At the bazaars where one is shopping for food while fasting (read hungry), there is the tendency to 'overbuy'. So food is often wasted. At buffets one tends to 'overeat' because the food is there!

During Ramadhan some foods are iconic. Like the bubur lambuk, the most 'famous' being the one from Kampung Baharu, KL (It never fails to make the news every year! I have had a taste of it some years ago while in Taman Keramat nearby). Then of course the kurma (dates), which now comes from so many countries, from China to the Middle East to the US of A. Just check this out at the local supermarkets. You will be overwhelmed with too many choices.

But for me, the food I remember most during the Ramadhan of my childhood was the telur masin (salted duck's egg). It was my family's favourite appetiser, especially during the sahur/pre dawn meal. As a child, you wake up all groggy, but the freshly cooked steaming hot rice, some lauk (meat/vegetable dishes) and the telur masin entice you to eat with gusto in anticipation of another day of fasting.

Some stories of children learning to fast sometimes put a smile on your face. Like my little nephew who 'broke' his fast with just a half hour to go to iftar. He just could not resist the ais kacang  (shaved ice dessert) on the iftar table! Then there was a young niece who was fond of taking showers, many times a day. It turned out that she lets the falling water seep into her mouth, a lot! Sounds a bit like what I used to do too. Another puasa rookie would just buka & tutup many times throughout the day. My father's way of training us to fast when we were children was to disallow anyone not fasting to be at the iftar table. Non-fasters were relegated to another less-laden-with-food area.So my siblings and I were keen to gain our status at the coveted iftar table as soon as we could. We understood that there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, pahala at the end of puasa.

Have a blessed Ramadhan and thereafter Aidil Fitri.