.: 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

.: 奉大仁大慈真主的尊名 :.

It is in forgiving that we are forgiven.

Muallaf [改心] starring Sharifah Amani, Sharifah Aleysha and Brian Yap was screened in Malaysia on Dec. 24th. 

When I find a friend who has turned away from religion ... it usually means that he's angry. So who were the Christians who made you angry at Christianity?

Rohani to Brian

Although I got hold of the DVD about a week ago, I haven't gotten the time to really watch it yet. In this movie, the girls quoted from the Qur'an, Bible and Tao Te Ching. As an avid faith buff this movie obviously intrigued me; an obsession that stemmed since my childhood days. Dad never stopped me from learning other faiths.

I know how some of my friends and relations find my obsession to be terribly unfathomable. However, I believe that God wants us to constantly seek the truth and gather as much knowledge as possible. Learning about other faiths does not make me a lesser Muslim. As a matter of fact, it strengthens my beliefs, and I take it as a wholesome experience. Any effort shall Insha'Allah lead us to have a greater understanding of each other's beliefs, enabling us to live together in peace and harmony.

The movie happens to feature 2 of the verses that I frequently keep in mind.

Al-Baqarah (The Heifer) 2:286 

On no soul doth Allah place a burden greater than it can bear.It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a greater burden than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith."

1 Corinthians 13 

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Cultivating faith from within. 

1.16pm Malaysian Time