YOUNG MUSLIMS, PLEASE STAND UP!

I just listened to an inspiring talk by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan on the reflections on Surah Al-Kahf. 

Ustadh Nouman stressed on the importance of the Muslim youth to have clear direction in life. Muslim youth need to identify their skills and see how they can use it to serve Allah's deen. 

And he highlighted 3 areas where Muslims, in this case young Muslims have to improve, as a starting point. 

1. WORSHIP

2. KNOWLEDGE 

3. SERVICE 

1. WORSHIP 

Improve our worship to Allah swt.

- sleep early, wake up early for Fajr, understand what we recite in Solah, read Quran in the morning etc. 

- Have Quran in our hearts because inspiration comes from the Quran. Try to memorize as many ayahs as we  can. 

He mentioned and I quote "We talk about changing the world, we can't even change our day yet." Can't agree more on that, Brother Nouman :) 

2. KNOWLEDGE

Be educated Muslims. 

- by the end of the year, study at least a couple of things ie Sirah. Study the life of the Prophet ﷺ 

- get substantial gains in Quran: set a goal, memorize a surah, understand the tafseer, consume it.

- don't randomly pick ayahs from surahs. Select a surah, focus on it, then move on to another surah. For example, make it a "Suratul Kahf" year. 

- Learn 3 or 4 du'as from the Prophet ﷺ and PRACTICE it. Read it everyday. It brings you closer to Allah swt because you KNOW what you are asking from Him. 

3. SERVICE

- set a time (weekend or once in a month), do a service, help people. 

- volunteer in a good cause, be part of it, it'll build your maturity because you realise that everything is not about you. It'll bring you closer to Allah swt in no time إن شاء الله. 

مَاشَآءَاللّهُ what a clear, simple guide that Brother Nouman has shared with us. Now it's time to act upon it. 

We CAN DO IT, brothers and sisters! 

May Allah swt help us, strengthen us, keep us steadfast on this effort to getting close to Him. And may He keep our intentions pure, that everything we do is just for His sake. 

اَمِين يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمين 

If you wanna listen to the full talk, please click this link :) 

http://youtu.be/U0iujR0ui7A

AIO. In Person.

So there I was at the office, in my sweater looking like a boy from behind, doing work (yeah right). 

Suddenly I heard everyone saying "Hi boss. Selamat Hari Raya.." 

I turned back and saw.... Ahmad Izham Omar. AHMAD IZHAM OMAR. Ahmad. Izham. Omar!!!!!!! He was walking around, saying Selamat Hari Raya to everyone. 

Finally he came to my desk. I said to myself, "Don't be nervous, just introduce yourself. Don't be shy. You have to stand out to be remembered!" 

So I got up, greeted him, "Hi boss. Selamat Hari Raya." 

He smiled and replied, "Selamat Hari Raya." 

"I'm new," I said. See how I tried to prolong that conversation? Genius. 

"Oh? When did you join?" he asked. 

"1st July," I replied. 

"Oh that's really new. Welcome! And enjoy your Raya break soon," he said, continued to smile. 

"Thank you and you enjoy your Raya break too, boss," I said. I was smiling so wide I think I started to look like The Joker. 

And then he went away. 
Then I thought to myself. He is lucky it's Ramadan. If not I would've offered him a "candy". Now THAT would make him remember me for the rest of his life. 

For those who are not familiar with this "candy" incident, feel free to read about it: http://nurisfahanishashim.blogspot.com/2011/06/me-and-my-new-stool.html

Apabila Anis Derma Darah

So there I was at the masjid, walking towards my car when I saw a blood donation area that they have allocated in the masjid. 

I was like... اللهُ أَكْبَرْ! I have been thinking about donating blood for some time and here it is! I headed straight towards that area and took a form. After checking my blood pressure etc, I went to another counter where I had to hand in the form. 

That kakak looked at me and asked, "Pernah derma darah dah sebelum ni?" 

"Pernah. Sekali. Lama dah," I answered. 

"Ok... Buku bawak?" she asked. 

I never realise how important it is to carry along the derma darah book everywhere with me until then. I, of course, answered, "Tak bawak."

So she gave me a new book. Now I have 2 buku derma darah....with a lot of empty pages. A LOT. Pressure pressure. 

After that kakak gave me my 2nd derma darah book, she directed me to a chair. So I went there, and sat happily. Yes, I was happy to finally be able to donate blood after a long time. 

But...that happiness ended rather quickly. 

Yeah. I saw the nurse holding a needle and coming towards me. 

"Oh noooo!!" I screamed in my head. 'How could you forget that THIS involves needle, Anis? What you think they're gonna magically tap your vein and then blood comes out just like that?! What planet did you come from?!' I was scolding myself. 

I closed one eye, and another one looked at the nurse. 

The nurse looked at me and said, "Genggam tangan bagi kuat sikit. Ini untuk bius ye." 

Whhhaaa...? What? Bius? BIUS? So this needle is not it? There's another needle waiting for me??? 

So after motivating myself that it was not painful and I shouldn't be scared of needle, I did it! 350ml of O blood. 

I left the masjid feeling so blessed الحمد لله. So blessed with the health that Allah swt has given me. When I was filling the form, I am reminded to be thankful to Allah swt even more. Health is something we all tend to take for granted. We forget to thank Allah for the healthy body He gave us, free from sickness and diseases. 

Let us all be thankful to Allah for our health. Let us give back what He has entrusted us in the world. Don't be stingy to donate your blood, because let's face it, it is not yours. It is all Allah's. Give back to those in need for the sake of Allah. Now that, is being thankful. 

My second derma darah book. Tak pasal-pasal ada dua buku. 

Aku dan Cream Crackers di Bulan Puasa

So there I was at work, doing work (oh wow) when my stomach started growling. 

It was the second day of puasa and being a grown woman, I cuti so I couldn't puasa. 

My desk is quite open and people pass by like all the time. 

I glanced at my cream crackers in my handbag. "How do I eat you in this situation?" I said to the crackers.

Then I remembered I brought that Naga sweater I always wore back in Naga. So I put it on, put the hoodie on as well, sneaked that cream crackers into the sweater and zip it up. 

Dengan berhati-hatinya, aku menyeluk mencapai cream crackers yang nampaknya begitu lazat sekali. Looking around and ensuring nobody was there (at least no men), I pulled it out, covered it with my other hand and stuffed the whole cracker into my mouth. Yes, THE WHOLE CRACKER.

So then I covered my mouth using both my hands. Slowly and steadily, I chewed. 

YES! Nobody noticed me! I'm quite good at this. So I took another one and another one... 

It was during my last chew that I looked up the ceiling and saw a CCTV right in front of my face. 

Sekian. 

Goodbye

July marks a big change in my life. I said goodbyes to a lot of people who are very dear to my heart. 

My best friend Azimah Aziz has moved back to Penang after living and working for 3 years in KL. Allah swt brought so many happiness, so many goodness and love through her for me. I could not express how happy I am for her, but at the same time, the thought of saying goodbye to her brought sadness to my heart. I miss her everyday. 

Another goodbye was to my colleagues in Naga. Allah swt had brought into my life, blessing me through their love and good hearts. الحمد لله. 

Yeah. I said a lot of goodbyes in July. People come and go in your life and no matter how sad you get, you just have to deal with it. Life goes on. 

The important thing is to always remember that Allah swt will never say goodbye to us. He never abandons us. Never dissapears from our side even for a second. He is always there.

It is us who always abandon Allah swt. It is us who always say goodbye to Him without even realising it. 

Let us all be reminded that at the end of the day, He is the most loving, the most merciful. And that the end of the day, He is the one who will never say goodbye.

Kami, Basikal dan Bukit Cerakah

Di suatu pagi yang indah dan nyaman, aku dan Azy bersemangat nak buat sesuatu yang kami tak pernah buat.

Cycling at Bukit Cerakah.
Yes, we said to ourselves, it was time to stay healthy and fit.

Maka tiba lah kami di Bukit Cerakah... masa aku dok park, aku kata kat Azy, "Kita mai every weekend nak? Kan best macam ni. Sihat wal'afiat sikit."

Azy menjawab dengan muka excited, "InsyaAllah..."

Masa nak keluaq tu, kami dua simpan wallet dalam keta aku. Just bawak a few ringgit ja, kot-kot la nak beli ayaq ka, nak derma kat orang ka (dalam tu pulak ada orang dok mintak derma Anis oi!). So dalam poket aku, just ada duit dengan kunci keta. Lega aku tak payah pegang apapun. I was free from commitment with my handbag!

Masuk-masuk ja entrance tu, nampak la bengkel sewa basikal.. ramai jugak orang yang dok beratoq.
Disebabkan terlalu awai pagi untuk memperlihatkan keJUAHan kami kat orang dengan memotong line tersebut, kami pun beratoq la sama..

Masa tengah beratoq tu, nampak papan tanda ni... dan peraturan nombor 8 menarik perhatian aku.

Aku pun kalih kat Azy, "Hang CONFIRM-CONFIRM kena ada 15 ringgit dalam tangan."

"Gila punya korang ajaq," Azy menjawab dengan muka selamba.

Ada sorang budak laki yang dok beratoq depan kami tergelak dengaq aku kata kat Azy.
Azy berbisik, "Gelak pulak aku TABOH bagi kot."

Bila tiba giliran kami, kami pun bagi la nama kat akak tu...
Then akak tu cakap, "IC atau lesen?"

"Aik, naik beskal pun kena ada lesen ka?" terdetik hati aku.

"Kami tak bawak kak. Ada dalam keta," Azy jawab.

"Ooo.. nak kena ada, dik. Nak buat cagaran. Takpun, RM50 ada tak? Just nak make sure basikal dipulangkan," akak yang comel itu berkata.

"Ha! RM50 saya ada kak," aku dengan pantas menjawab dan menyeluk poket.
Tengok-tengok, dua puluh ringgit pun tak sampai. Aduh malunya. "Tak cukup la kak. ehehe"

"Erm... ni saya cagaq jam tangan saya boleh ka?" Azy kata sambil memegang-megang jam tangannya.

Aku tengok Azy, "Haih! Hang ni gila apa!" lalu menoleh ke arah kakak tersebut, "Boleh ka, kak?"

"Jam tangan saya pun ada, dik," akak tu menjawab.

Ek ele.. berlagak akak ni.

Sesudah habis benda-benda yang ditawar untuk dicagarkan kepada kakak tersebut, kami pun pi la ke kereta nak amik lesen masing-masing. Tang ni ja dah dekat SEJAM. Basikal pun tak pegang lagi.

So lepaih dah bagi lesen, kami pun dapat la basikal.. Inilah basikal kami.
Tang seat tu agak menyakitkan la. Aku nak bagi cadangan kat depa agar bubuh sofa instead.

Kayuh punya kayuh punya kayuh.. tiba la kami di RUMAH EMPAT MUSIM.
Time kami pi tu time Winter... so depa tulih la kat papan tanda nak masuk tu "MUSIM SEJUK".

Aku pun berbisik kat Azy, "Kalau Musim Tengkujuh, macamana la depa buat agaknya na."

Kami pun masuk la dalam tu. Pergh... sejuk gila wooo... sampai muka Azy jadi biru kehitaman teruih punya sejuk. Lagi terok daripada biru avatar.
Tak pecaya? Tengok!

Jadi sebelum aku bertukaq jadi biru kehitaman macam Azy, aku pun ajak Azy keluaq la dari rumah musim tu.
Sambung kayuh basikal lagi. Memang mencabar minda, tenaga zahir dan batin berbasikal di Bukit Cerakah ni. Tapi dengan semangat kental untuk badan yang sihat, kami meneruskan perjuangan kami.

Akhirnya, kami sampai di bengkel basikal yang mula-mula tadi.
Alhamdulillah... berjaya kami habiskan satu round kat Bukit Cerakah ni. Best-best. Aku nak ajak Azy mai lagi la minggu depan.

"Azy, best kan?! Kita mai la--" aku baru berkata-kata bila Azy menyampuk.

"AKU TAK MAU MAI DAH HANG TAU DAK! NI YANG PERTAMA DAN TERAKHIR KALI PUNYA. SAKET PUNGKOQ-PUNGKOQ AKU NAIK BESKAL GILA NI. HANG NAK MAI KALAU HANG NAIK BESKAL SORANG, AKU NAIK BAS TU, LEPAIH TU AKU PI DOK DALAM RUMAH MUSIM SEJUK!!!" 

Maka, sekian lah aktiviti berbasikal kami untuk pertama kali ini dan yang terakhir kali.
Semoga kita tidak berjumpa lagi, Bukit Cerakah.

The End.

Cerita Rakyat: Persembahan

Alhamdulillah, last week Azy and I went to UIA for a talk.
Apparently there's this group called The Muslim Heroes which organises awesome Islamic talks. So we went to the Zeroes series, and the topic that night was Qaroon.

After the first session of the talk, there was some video presentation and there were 2 guys who performed nasyid. It was so cool, MashaAllah.

Then, Azy kalih kat aku, berbisik, "Aku nak buat persembahan minggu depan. Nak habaq kat depa ni kata nak volunteer menyanyi."

Aku terdiam sejenak. Lalu menyambung, "Hang bukan saja nak menyanyi. Masa pembukaan persembahan hang, hang nanti turun dari ataih ceiling pentaih tu. Siap asap-asap colour semua."

"Jenoh... Mau nak turun tu pulak tersangkut lagu mana ka," Azy menyambung.

"MEMANG NANTI SANGKUT PUNYA! Aku tau la AKU yang dok pegang tali tu bawak turun hang. Talk tu kalau sejam, PAT PULUH LIMA MINIT tu hang punya persembahan saja. SETENGAH JAM sangkut. 15 minit menyanyi. Yang speaker tu nanti cakap 15 minit saja," aku menambah nasik tambah 5 pot.

"Adoila... dengaq pun boleh buat sakit hati," Azy berkata sambil urut-urut dada.

"Yang paling best, depa tak mintak langsung hang menyanyi. Kenai hang pun dak," aku berkata lalu mengakhiri cerita rakyat kami pada malam itu.

Sekian.

Aku, Mak Tok dan Buku Telefon

Td masa aku dok ber-WhatsApp dgn Azy, kami dok gagah guna semua caps lock. Aku kata kat Azy "aku rasa kita ni lagu orang tua-tua aih guna caps lock semua."

Then aku teringat masa aku kat Dhoby Ghaut dulu. Masa tu rumah mak tok guna phone land line ja and tepi phone tu confirm-confirm kena ada BUKU TELEFON. I'm sure a lot of you can relate to this. Hehe.

Mak tok was very active in her marhaban and maulud activities. So banyak la kawan-kawan maulud dia. So everytime kawan maulud baru join the gang, dia nanti suruh aku record their phone numbers in the phone book.

"Anja tolong tulih sat nombor Mami Rahmah dalam buku ni," mak tok kata sambil bagi kat aku secebis kertas with the phone number.

Aku pun tulih la seperti biasa...di ataih satu line A4 paper.

Mak tok tgk, teruih dia kata, "Apa yang haluih macam bulu mata anja tulih tu? Mak tok tak nampak apa. Tulih bagi besaq sikit."

Ikut hati nak aku tarik satu bulu mata aku lepaih tu ukoq tengok sama besaq ka dak. Oleh kerana aku tak mau kena tarik telinga oleh mak tok disebabkan ke-JUAH-an diri aku sendiri, aku pn menurut perintah Hjh Che Jam.

Aku tulih besaq skit. Lani 3 lines A4 paper tu. "Haa nindia mak tok. Ok kan besaq ni?"

Mak tok tengok sambil kerut-kerut dahi. Adoi aku susah hati dah ni.

"Besaq la lagi... Haluih tak nampak apa aih." Aku hampir pengsan dengaq mak tok suruh buat besaq lagi.

Kali ni, aku akan pastikan aku tulis dgn menepati Quality Control Hjh Che Jam.

AKU TULIH NOMBOR TEPON MAMI RAHMAH TU SEKERAT MUKA A4 tu.
Haaaa lega hati aku. Kalau tak cukup besaq lagi, aku tulih ataih dinding rumah ja lepaih ni.

"Mak tok, nindia. Kalau kecik jugak tak tau la. Dari rumah Tok Teh tu boleh baca dah."

"Anja perli mak tok na," jawab mak tok. Then we both laughed together.

مَاشَآءَاللّهُ I miss her so much. I miss teasing her. I miss cracking jokes with her.

Ya Allah please rest my mak tok in peace. I miss her, I love her Ya Rab.

Al-Fatihah :)

SAY "I LOVE YOU"

Festive season like this reminds me of my childhood. 
Masa aku duduk dengan mak tok and tok ayah kat Dhoby Ghaut. Dah nama pun duduk dengan mak tok and tok ayah, every year bila raya menjelma, semua anak-anak mak tok and tok ayah, merangkap ibu ayah, mak cik, pak cik, sepupu sepapat aku semua nanti balik ke kampung. 

A week before semua orang balik, mak tok nanti suruh aku kemaih rumah. 

"Anis, hang bok keluaq semua cadar-cadar dalam bilik semua. Tudung-tudung tingkap semua bok turun nak basuh. Cuci tingkap, vacuum kat ataih," mak tok memberi arahan. Kalau mau mulut kena cabai, kata la tak mau buat. Ada berani? Takdak berani punya. 

"Ok, tuan!" aku menjawab, lalu mula buat apa yang patut. 

Buat kerja dulu memang bosan kalau tak dengaq music. So sebelah kanan punya poket boh walkman, sebelah kiri punya poket boh kaset-kaset yang nak tukaq. Backstreet Boys, N'SYNC, Siti Nurhaliza memang album wajib. Punya la berat walkman dengan kaset-kaset tu, sat-sat aku kena tarik seluaq ke ataih tak mau bagi terlondeh.

Tu keja aku kat ataih rumah. 
Mak tok pulak, basuh bunga-bunga plastik dia, bok keluaq segala pinggan mangkuk yang pakai setahun sekali saja. Bunga-bunga plastik dia tak bagi aku basuh. Kalau aku basuh, nanti tinggai tangkai ja. 

Tok ayah pulak buat keja seharian macam biasa. Sidai baju kat luaq rumah. Ya, itulah pekerjaan seharian tok ayah. Sidai baju, angkat baju bila dah kering, lipat baju, lepaih tu mak tok aku nanti lipat semua balik sebab tak mengikut QC Che Jam. 

"Anja! Turun mai sat!" mak tok memanggil. 
Dengan walkman dan kaset-kaset yang meleret-leret dalam poket, aku bergegas ke bawah sambil memegang seluaq agar tidak terlondeh.

"Ya, mak tok.." aku menjawab. 

"Hang tengok sat tok ayah hang. Mak tok baru sat-sat sidai baju pukui 9 tadi, ni pukui 9.30 dia dok angkat dah. Hang pi tengok sat kering ka dak. Sat lagi dalam basah lencun tu dia lipat kot," mak tok berkata sambil lap pinggan. 

Tok ayah aku ni creative terlebih. Baju tak dan kering pi angkat dah. Lagu mana mak tok tak hingaq? Nasib baik jugak mak tok buat pemantauan. Kalau dak, taik lalat, taik lembu habis naik kat baju kami semua. 

Lepaih aku pi convince tok ayah yang baju-baju tu tak kering dan tak boleh dilipat lagi, aku sambung buat keja kat ataih. Lagu mana aku convince, hangpa tak payah amik tau boleh tak?! (tudia hangpa tanya pun tak)

Anyway, yang tu seminggu sebelum anak-anak mak tok and tok ayah balik. 
Kini tibalah hari yang dinanti-nanti.... hari anak-anak Che Jam dan Abdul Kader balik ke kampung halaman yang sentiasa dekat di hati. 

I was having my breakfast in the kitchen when I heard, "Depa semua balik hari ni la Che Jam? Hang masak apa hari ni?" Suara one of my mak tok's best friends, Aci Ton. Rumah dia kat belakang rumah mak tok ja, so memang boleh dengaq suara dia selalu.

"Aku ingat nak buat la gulai kepala gajah, tapi market tak dak juai," kedengaran mak tok menjawab. 
Mak tok memang terkenal dengan sifat sarcasticnya. 

Mak tok would cook the best dishes, the ones yang anak-anak and cucu-cucu suka sehingga menjilat jari. Aku akan ditugaskan pesiang sayoq, bawang la bagai.

And when depa dah dekat nak sampai, aku dan mak tok nanti perangat lauk-lauk, masak nasik, goreng ikan, buat ayaq. So that depa sampai ja, boleh makan ramai-ramai. And aku masih ingat, indication kata depa dah dekat tu, is when depa kat jambatan Pulau Pinang. (Ya la, dah kami duduk kat Penang, takkan jambatan Putrajaya kot) 

"RINGGGG RINGGGG RINGGGG!!" telefon berbunyi. 
It was my aunty Mama, telling that they were at jambatan already. 

"Mak tok, tok ayah, depa dah kat jambatan!" aku buat pengumuman. 
Haaa.. masa ni semua orang nanti jadi tak tentu hala. Dah prepare lagu mana pun nanti ada saja nak pebetoi last minute. 

Yang tok ayah pulak, dah bukak pintu depan siap-siap. 
Lalu kucing-kucing samseng kampung pun meluru masuk ke dalam rumah, buat macam rumah sendiri. 

"Awat yang pi bukak pintu punya awai ni? Tengok habih kucing masuk rumah semua!" mak tok yang stress bertambah stress. 

"Depa kata ada kat jambatan, kita bukak buang la pintu." tok ayah membela diri. 

"Jambatan tu sikit punya jauh ka lagi. Bukan depa ada kat titi gantung rokwok tu. Tutup la kucing masuk nanti," mak tok kata sambil dok cedok gulai ke dalam pinggan.  

And finally, all of them arrived. 
The look on mak tok and tok ayah's face - priceless. Seakan-akan segala penat lelah kemas rumah, pi market, masak, bergadoh pasai angkat baju tak kering, semuanya hilang bila tengok muka anak-anak yang sangat dirindui. 

When I think of this, I realise that there's nothing like parents' love for their children.
It can never be bought and replaced by anything or anyone. 

Spend time with them while they are still around. 
Balik kampung as often as you can, call them up, do whatever you can to show them that you love them. 

Because only Allah knows how much they long to see you, to get a phone call from you, and to hear you say "I love you." 


I'm ending this entry with an awesome video done by my colleagues at Naga DDB.
A video that each and everyone of us can relate to, regardless of our race and religion. 

Enjoy :)  

The Day Tok Ayah Went Away

It was 26 January 2013.

Today was the day of my cousin, Elish's wedding reception. I was so looking forward to this day, maybe because I was partly involved in planning the reception.

Around 7.30am, my phone rang and I saw it was my ibu.

"Assalamualaikum ibu..," I answered the call.

Ibu said, "Wa'alaikumussalam. Anis....... tok ayah dah takdak."

I just kept quiet. I couldn't believe it for a while.
Yes, tok ayah had been sick for some time. But I guess no matter how much you think you are prepared for this, when the time finally comes, it still hits you hard.

I quickly got myself together and headed to Aunty Mama's house in Kota Kemuning.

Alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly. Maha Suci Allah yang telah mempermudahkan segala urusan pengebumian tok ayah. By 11.30am, tok ayah selamat disemadikan.

After that we rushed to the dewan, to prepare for the wedding. I pity my Aunty Mama, who was the hostess of the reception, and she just lost her dad. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes at that time.

Duka dalam suka.
That's how I can describe what we felt that day. It was a day to remember for our family.

As some of you might know, I grew up living with my mak tok and tok ayah. 
Allah knows how much I love them. 

In June 2009, I lost mak tok. It was one of the hardest moments in my life. 
I felt part of me died with her. 

And now, tok ayah said goodbye. 
Up until now, I find it hard to believe that he was gone. I just felt that he was still there at my Aunty Mama's house. That I'd go over the weekend, to say hi and sembang with him for hours.

But I have that no more. 
No more talking about wars, about politics, about life. 
No more buying him toilet paper rolls, cotton buds, minyak cap kapak. No more. 

Sometimes when I visited him, I salam him and then he said, "Awat Anis lama tak mai. Tok ayah rindu kat Anis." Then I'd apologise for not coming for some time, that I had "stuff" to do. He'd just smile and said, "Jangan kerja kuat sangat. Kesihatan kena jaga."  

I'm sorry, tok ayah. 
I'm sorry for not visiting you as often as I should've. 

I hope you know how much I love you. 
I hope you know how much I am missing you. 

You will always be in my prayers, for as long as I live, InsyaAllah.

Al-Fatihah. 

Tok ayah at mak tok's graveyard in 2009

He couldn't see clearly, yet he smiled for me :)

 

 

Cooking his favourite menu was one of the best memories.

When tok ayah got really sick :'(