Of flowers and Hubbies

"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate"

Alhamdulillah, I have just returned home from sending food to Hubtobe for his buka, dinner and sahur. He sometimes forgets to eat or doesn't eat enough especially now that it's fasting month and he's working and schooling back to back. At times I don't trust that he'll eat unless he's eating in front of me.

But Hubtobe's so sweet... when I met him he said he was looking for a flower shop; said he wanted to buy a flower for me because he hasn't done so in a long time. Awwww... So I pointed to him to the florist on the other side of the street and I chose a sunflower!

I love sunflowers. They're so beautiful... masyaallah... in fact, all flowers are beautiful and I'm really itching to go to the nursery to get more flower pots. Preferably before Hari Raya for I think there might be a sale.

Here's the sunflower he bought for me today:


Hubtobe's really the first guy to constantly buy flowers for me... I don't expect flowers of course... but he's so sweet in that way.

Women can go silly at times when they get flowers. It makes them feel appreciated... especially after sweating while cooking and all those blisters from laundry and cleaning the house. That's why I buy flowers for my mom sometimes for no reason. Also the plants outside the house bring joy to her and my dad. =)

Anyway, I was reading Tuttie's blog a while ago and under her tags 'Busted', had me laughing so much! Especially the one where she found her hubby reading her blog! Lol. Then I read the comments and made me laugh even more. Yeah... I have the same feeling too! I mean, I don't really like ppl I know to read my blog. Hahahaha. weird or what. It's like she said- they're gonna psychoanalyze everything you say and then cross refer to their own memories of said incidents. -laugh-

But with that said, Hubtobe does read my blog... but he doesn't have much time to read it everyday... with all his workload and all. He managed to whine his way to letting me let him read my blog. Lol. Or wait... was that me? Hahahaha.

The meaning of عيد الفطر

"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate"

Contrary to popular belief, Eid ul Fitr, or Hari Raya Aidilfitri as it is known here in Singapore, is NOT the Muslim new year. I even saw this mistake in a scholarly paper written by a Malay whom I will assume is Muslim as well.

Many here are unaware just the same that the real Islamic new year is in the month of Muharram, not Syawal. Yet, the level of celebration our community devote to Aidilfitri is at times superfluous.

In retrospect, Eid ul Fitr should be celebrated at a smaller scale as compared to the 'Greater Eid' which is Eid ul Adha...

Eid ul Fitr simply marks an end to the month of Ramadhan... and although we celebrate it with joy, we must not forget that it is also a sad goodbye to the most beautiful month in Islam and also it is a sad parting for the souls who have to return back to the grave and face their continued punishments.

The reason why I'm bringing this up is because I was a little angry this morning when I heard the donation drive advertisement on radio. There was a small boy who was crying, saying that he wanted new clothes for the coming Hari Raya but his mom says they can't afford coz they're poor and their father is sick. Then the boy says that he too wishes to live a life of means like his friends. Then the DJ says that we should help these families so that they too can have a meaningful Aidilfitri.

The advertisement disturbs me on 2 levels:

First- Hari Raya does not equal to new clothes every year. Are you telling me that these people, who receive the donations every year desire to buy new clothes every year? Then they're much more well off than I am for I only buy a new set of baju kurung every 3-5 years. Astagfiruallah.

Second- It reminded me of a family I know whom, upon receiving alms, would spend quite a lot on new clothes...
The money that you receive from this donation drive is meant to cover you for a few months... but sometimes they blow it all on just Hari Raya. =(

When the boy says that he too wishes to be well off like his friends... I don't know if I should pity or feel upset with him. There is alot to be grateful for, even when you are poor. You should be grateful that Allah has willed you to wake up another day, so that you can strive to work or study hard for rezeki.

My mother used to say that we should not be jealous of our friend's wealth or wish to be like them. Instead we should be jealous of those who have more ilmu than us; especially knowledge in religion and we should try to learn as much as we can from them. That is what we should strive for... not compare ourselves to the financial status of others then lament at our own state and blame God for it.

I remembered a story about an Imam (I can't remember which one now) who would cry when he saw a poor person and also cry when he saw a rich person. He said that the poor person, being poor never stopped praying to Allah, asking for halal rezeki and seeking His protection. While the rich person, always prays to Allah, to give his thanks and show his gratitude for all that He has given.

So that is why, in the recent years, I begin to realise that Hari Raya is not a day to show off who has the most expensive or branded handbag or who has lost the most weight or who has the prettiest looking outfit. I am grateful to be covered in whatever baju kurung or abaya that I have and that the hijab covers me inside and out. I go to the elders house to seek forgiveness and meet my relatives... so for me... materials are possessions of this world.

And that... is enough for me.

Furry companions

"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate"

I love cats but my mother doesn't like having pets at home because she doesn't like to clean after their mess and also doesn't want the furniture to be a scratching post for the cats.

As such, I've made compromises in the past. And had hamsters and fish and terrapins. Hamsters were probably the closest furry creatures that I had. When they grew old and died, I threw away their cages coz they have gnawed on the bars until they were down to their iron. Plus, it had been 4 years old and very worn out. These hamsters would bite at almost anything when their teeth start to grow.

My two female pearl hamsters look something like this:



Very adorable right...
Sometimes I'd let them run around in the house in a ball and it's really hilarious watching them run around- although I must say they're really fast runners!

I'm thinking of getting hamsters again... I love the feel of them in my hands... so warm and cuddly...

But my true love is still cats. And I take pictures of them at random places whenever I can. I have to admit that using a phone camera doesn't yield that great results... but at least I get to capture their beauty.

Well, I hope to take more photos of them when I can. They are really beautiful creatures and some of them are so manja when they rub themselves onto your legs even though you're a complete stranger. Sometimes when I have cats or kittens doing that, I have that urge to just bring them home...

If I recall, I read somewhere that if you looked after a cat or elderly in your house, He will always ensure that you have rezeki in your house. I suppose it is because you take the time to care for and love those who need your attention and He rewards you for it.
I've already whined to Hubtobe that I want kittens and cats in our home in the future. I forgot what he said but I think it's a yes. But then, we'll let the cat go in and out of the house as they like after they're neutered so they can have all the leisure that they like, without feeling trapped. It's just like letting my hamsters run around in the house. They really like the exercise. Plus, they get to catch their own spiders and whatever else they like.

Here we have my ustazah's and ustad's cat sitting on the carpet while we were reading the Quran while waiting for Isyak azan.

She's actually not neutered yet and I think she's really agitated by it because she wants to mate but is afraid to venture out on her own. Ustad's kids were contemplating to release her or take her to the doctor to be neutralized. I don't know...

Is it right for us to neuter animals?

There is this one hadith that goes:

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A woman entered Hell because of a cat which she tied up and did not feed, nor did she allow it to eat of the vermin of the earth.” The vermin of the earth means mice, etc. (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Well... the debate can be read here.

For me personally, I would prefer to neuter the cat when it's still a kitten and has not yet entered sexual maturity- it's like circumcision...

From the article:

“Neutering or sterilizing animals, while not encouraged in Islam, is not completely forbidden either. `Abdullah ibn `Umar, a Companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) reported that the Prophet forbade the neutering of horses and other animals.

However, according to another tradition, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is said to have permitted the sterilization of an animal so long as the operation is carried out early in its life and not when the animal reaches maturity. Hence, it may be acceptable to neuter pets such as cats, particularly if one wants to prevent the birth of a multiplicity of unwanted kittens.”

Wallahualam Bissawab..

Doing Research

"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate"

I've been thinking alot about my thesis paper this coming semester and its giving me slight headaches. But the real headache will begin once I know who is my supervising tutor and of course when I actually start collecting data and so on.

But for now, the preparations should have already begun. I have about two weeks before school officially starts and over the past months I had collected about 10 articles... but I don't think that's enough. Yes I know, I'm such a hardworking perfectionist. I am not sure if I need more but I intent to do a complete literature review of these articles before I start school.

My thesis idea is not confirmed as of yet, but it should roughly be covering the meaning of 'leisure' for indonesian domestic maids in Singapore. Unlike their Filipino counterparts, they do not have a fixed rest day and it is negotiable on a case to case basis. This, I have to support with evidence from their agency as well as whatever body that is governing their work regulations.

Truth is, I am looking forward to my thesis project... yes it will be tiring and I will meet alot of rejections here and there but insyaallah, I will persevere.

Sometimes, it is difficult for me to explain to Hubtobe how to study or how to excel in one's discipline when we have different levels of passion for the subject we are studying. I admit that I am a bookworm... and I devour books, articles and journals with no mercy; scrutinizing every detail and re-writing them all out in my own words.

Academia is like that... even in a mathematical book, a good command of english is needed to comprehend the rubbish and twisted way these academics write. Seriously... over the years, I have read works of dead scholars from the 1800s and they have such a way with their language that it is uncomprehendable!

But the true challenge of academia and research is producing your own thoughts... I see it as a puzzle... I take bits and pieces of ideas from few scholars and try to merge them into my own... and then find evidence from the real world to support it. You have to see that every scholar is writing in a 'pure' type of analysis, meaning that they usually try to explain phenomenons in its extreme forms to highlight its incredulity. I mean just take Karl Marx's idea of communism, in its pure form; yet no society in the world is able to emulate this pure form in all its precisions- suggesting that, this pure form cannot really exist. But of course, you could argue otherwise, if you like. =)

Alright! I'm going back to reading the 10 articles and hopefully I won't get too exhausted and mentally drained by buka time.

May Allah open my mind and my heart into understanding these knowledge that He has made available to me.

Doa before studying:

الْفَهْمِ. اَللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ عَلَيْنَا اَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ، وَانْشُرْ عَلَيْنَا خَزَآئِنَ عُلُوْمِكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَااَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِيْنَ

Ya Allah, bukakan kepada kami pintu-pintu rahmat-Mu, dan curahkan kepada kami khazanah-khazanah ilmu-Mu dengan rahmat-Mu wahai Yang Maha Pengasih dari segala yang mengasihi.

Oh Allah, help us open the doors of Your rahmat, and pour onto us all the vessals of Your knowledge with Your rahmat, for You are the most Compassionate of all those who are compassionate.

Amin

Happy Anniversary...

"In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate"

Alhamdullillah...

May Allah strengthen our love for each other and may he keep us in Iman and among those with Iman...

May He bless us with a fulfilling life to make worship for Him and make us muslims with Taqwa...

May He bless us also with a happy family, a happy home and healthy relationship.

May He grant us forgiveness for our past sins and our future sins and forgive the sins of our parents and our siblings and children.

May He guide us down the right path, shine the light of Ilham on us for our studies and help us seek knowledge in His name.

Insyaallah, with His permission and His will, we will be enjoyed in matrimony soon; in hopes that we become more responsible and faithful in our ibadahs in the name of Allah.

Lihub Billah...