.: Shadow trails :.

Lurking behind.

After the 3 months hiatus, I've resumed my Mandarin studies on a daily basis. One can even say it sometimes happen on an hourly basis. I keep the dictionary in my bag, and bring it with me for quick reference should I read a character or word I am unfamiliar with. Like when was the last time I stuck my nose in a dictionary? I am also doing exercises from the workbook, and occasionally write Chinese in MS Word instead of NJStar. Moreover, my cell inbox is filled with text messages written in Chinese and I habitually read it in an attempt to further retain my literacy. So now I rank myself in the order of proficiency as:

1. Spoken
   
2. Reading
   
3. Writing.

However, that's not the only thing progressing. The messages I receive in my inbox are becoming more frequent. I honestly do not know what is going on, and obviously have no idea on what will happen next. It just made me think whether I have done something to trigger something ...

"问心就明白了"

For once I could read and understand this instantly. I should be ecstatic that I can read Mandarin far better than before ... but in what expense?

Things may become complicated.

10.48am Malaysian Time

.: Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah :.

Also known as the "Blue Mosque".


It is a famous landmark synonymous to Shah Alam, the largest mosque in Malaysia with a distinguishable blue and silver dome and four minarets erected at the corners. Fine decorative Arabic calligraphy adorn the the inner curve of the dome and the walls. There are 2 fully carpeted and air-conditioned main prayer halls in which the upper floor is mainly utilized by the women. The mosque can accommodate up to 15,000 worshipers during Friday prayers.

I was about 7 when my relatives brought me here. The only thing I could recall was I was overwhelmed by its majestic size, spacious halls and intricate designs.


I was driving in Shah Alam when I spotted the unforgettable architecture from afar. Seeing it was almost time for Asar prayers I made a stop there. Masha'Allah. Yet again I was drowned by its magnificence. However I noticed there were cracks and leaks at several places. I hope those are momentary defects.

Reminiscing. :)

7.01pm Malaysian Time

.: 365天 :.

More or less.

Felt like it was just yesterday when Islam in China, asked whether I could contribute an article to his Islam in China webzine. About a year later, Cina Muslim requested to place the article in his website.

Those were the nights when I went through various research materials. On one particular occasion while I was absorbed in reading Yusuf Liu Baojun's book, a friend messaged me on MSN with this in question;

"Why are you working so hard on that research?"

My answer was, "Simply to kill time.". 

Honestly speaking I wasn't working hard since I knew where to turn to and had my ways of reaching the sources. However, time wasn't at my side and I was terribly meticulous. Noticing that this is a self-induced fallibility *or possibly laxity down my end*, I seldom write articles anymore and chose to occupy myself with other things i.e. cooking. *coughs*

That was until I receive requests to churn out articles and content of which none are religion-related. As much as I like to write *crap*, there isn't much self-satisfaction involved and it began to bore me tremendously.  Apparently the "Simply to kill time" statement wasn't baseless after all. I guess I did find some comfort when I embarked on writing that article, or to be more precise, in researching about Islam.

The purpose of creating Cina Muslim was to gradually evolve it into a place where people can share their views, learn a thing or two and gain substantial benefits from reading the articles. Therefore should you have any material that you deem is appropriate to be placed there or even feel gracious enough to allow me to write something about you as a featured article, kindly drop me an email and we'll work something out. 

Insha'Allah *God willing*. :)

9.46pm Malaysian Time

.: Nebulous routes :.

出口.

Chinese :: 世界之窗  
Pinyin :: Shìjiè zhī Chuāng 
English :: Window of the World

Shenzhen, People's Republic of China taken in Summer 2009

On some occasions one can't help but feel completely lost. I was having that aimless feeling when I saw my good friend online and sought his opinion.

"Should I go?"

With a mind still fleeting about in space; I switched off the computer, retreated to bed and tried my hardest to fall asleep while supplementing invocations to Allah S.W.T to provide me His guidance. As I was tossing around I saw a little blue book wedged in between my drawers. I gingerly dragged myself away from the comfy mattress and retrieved it. Aided by the little streams of light seeping through the curtains, I read the title as; 

"Faith versus Materialism: The Message of Surah Al-Kahf"

And just like that I had my answers.

Alhamdulillah. :)

10.43pm Malaysian Time

.: Sole sisters :.

Sisterhood.

THE SOLE SISTERS COLLECTIVE IS NOT SO MUCH ABOUT SHOES AS IT IS ABOUT THE ROADS THAT WE TRAVEL IN THEM.

This blog is a collective project. It is an extension of my blog A Room of Ones Own, that calls for creative sisters to come together and share their stories.

Sister Salma has been kind enough to feature my rambling entitled "Cascading Imprints" in The Sole Sisters Collection. Please visit her inspiring blog to read more about other beautiful sisters. :)

Jazakallahu khairan sis.

9.17am Malaysian Time

.: Polished pebbles :.

Facing fears.

There was something vaguely familiar about him. Then it dawned on me. His mannerism reminded me of someone. Someone I haven't met in a long time. Someone I had wanted to meet for a very long time.

Whence the heart whispers ...

Could it be?

It took me a while to realize that it wasn't him and it couldn't be him. Even after knowing this, I was unable to stop myself from observing this person's movements. There was something that was pulling me towards him. Crazy huh.

Needless to say, it didn't take him long to notice my queer behavior. He good-naturedly smiled at me and continued reading his book. A few stops later, he motioned he was leaving and we bade our farewells.

As I was patiently waiting for my stop, I tried to piece together why I had acted so peculiar. That was when I looked out to the window, stared at the skies and thought ...

Could it be because I had so wanted the person to be him?

How long has it been?

1.36pm Malaysian Time

.: Al-Khaadem foundation :.

Serving mankind.

Last Saturday I had the blessed opportunity to attend a lecture on Islamic burial rites held at the Al-Khaadem Foundation in Petaling Jaya. The lecture was provided by Ibu Aishah with introduction and commentaries by Sheikh Hussain Yee. Jazakallahu khairan to a dear sister for providing this information or else I would have missed the chance to acquire more knowledge.

Information about Al-Khadeem Foundation and Sheikh Hussain Yee:

Al-Khaadeem Foundation Official Website: Al-Khaadem Foundation

Al-Khaadeem Blog: Al-Khaadem Blog

From Islam in China: Hussein Ye

From Wikipedia: Hussein Ye

There was a particular statement mentioned by Sheikh Hussain Yee which intrigued me tremendously;

"For dunia we have time, for akhirah when we have time."

Literally this means we always have time to perform worldly obligations and even if we don't we will make the time, however when it comes to fulfilling our duties towards God and the hereafter, this clearly depends on our availability.

Hence we ask ourselves, how many times have we delayed our prayers for trivial reasons such as:

• I have to finish my work otherwise I won't feel at peace.
• I shall wait till I reach home to conduct my prayers. 
• I can always qada' my prayers. 

 Another memorable statement from Sheikh Hussain Yee was;

"We are here today, but where are we tomorrow?"

Death, with its mysterious allure has always been a fascinating subject. Although I think about it almost everyday, I can't help but feel have I done enough deeds that can substantiate me during the Day of Judgment? Are the things that I am doing purely for the sake of Allah S.W.T? To seek His pleasure, and only His pleasure? 

A reminder to myself and everyone else :: Please do something good everyday even if it's just by giving a kind word, a salam *greeting* or smile to a random stranger. You have nothing to lose by doing that. :)

One step at a time.

10.34am Malaysian Time