A Tribute To RAIHAN

This is one challenging week I'm facing (I'm going to skip the details), and it must really be bothering me as i don't seem able to sleep well for some time now. To calm myself down and to prevent myself from getting sleepy at odd hours, I listen to Nasyid songs by Raihan. After more than 10 years of the group's success, I finally realise so many things about them.

They have succeeded in doing so many things that parents and teachers of the modern world (not all, but a huge number of them) have failed to do. This group came with their songs, creating album after album. And all of a sudden, a small child is able to memorise all 25 names of the rasuls, recite the syahadah and many other zikr while UNDERSTANDING it's meaning. And Raihan do seem to have a few different songs for the selawat to Rasullullah SAW and this too has become a practice by many youngsters. They may all be songs, but one important thing i finally noted is that Raihan don't seem to use stringed instruments in their songs, and yet their songs are so beautiful, meaningful and just superb!

As they continue to succeed in their career, they started travelling to other Muslim countries to spread their songs and along with it, to do the work of Dakwah. They made songs in different languages, but still sharing a big similarity, the lyrics are the call to remember Allah and to encourage people to remember their responsibilities as Muslims. As a child I did not notice that they were actually carrying out dakwah, all I thought was 'Yeay! I like this song', and in liking the songs, I started memorising them and singing them often. In every repetition of this act I was either repeating verses of zikir and its meaning or repeating some rules/reminders about Islam. I was planting them in my heart. And i believe, I'm not the only one who did that.

While the child me did not notice that Raihan was actually carrying out dakwah, some adults did notice it. I was listening to Ching Ai one day (its a song by Raihan in Chinese with some malay translation) and someone just went 'This is too much. They are translating it to other languages..definitely to do dakwah and to get people from other races to join Islam. They're too much already!' (ok..i cant really remember exactly what this person said, but this is indeed its core contents) So, unfortunately for me, I do have people in my life trying to brainwash me into believeing that doing Dakwah is Wrong! Astagfirullah...So many times some people tried planting this in my mind..Astagfirullah...and though some were non-muslims, i am sad to say, some others were Muslims. Thanks to people like these, Dakwah is becoming a forgotten sunnah as time passes.

A few years back, the leader of Raihan had a heart attack and passed away. May Allah bless him in the afterworld. Amiin. But the group still carried on even though they are not as active as before (or maybe they are but i just don't notice it). Rasullullah started his dakwah with family and closest friends before reaching out to the rest of Makkah's community and later on to those in other countries. Raihan has done the same. They started with Malay songs intended for Malaysians. As they became more popular and accepted, they started making songs in diff language to reach out to people in other countries. They followed the steps of Rasulullah, but in a different but still successful way.

For still carrying out a heavy sunnah which many people choose to ignore,
For taking the trouble to travel and spread Islam,
For reminding Muslims about the basic teachings of Islam,
For reminding Muslims to always remember Allah and Rasulullah,
And for everything else that you have done to bring people closer to Islam,
THANK YOU, RAIHAN.

May Allah answer all your prayers and reward each of you for your good deeds.

You're getting old while i remain young =P

Once upon a time, in a not-so-faraway-land (nope, not far...ini orang ipoh mari punya orang), there was this girl...

We first met each other 7 years ago in this place...

Main Convent, Ipoh.

Our encounter was not long, she left within a few months..

BUT!!!!

We met again in this place...

We were not class mates, but we were hall mates...and not just any oridinary hallmates, we were ladies with a mission -to pass the 2-year foundation course in order to further our studies in Warwick University.

Yeah, we both achieved our aim all right...but before that happened...all these took place first.

1. We became mommies to this adorable cat.

Together, we spent our allowance feeding her, and we took turns to play with her and keep her company. I did not keep Brownie in my room, so it was this friend of mine who had to wake up at odd hours in the night to open the door when Brownie needed to go to toilet. And we both became Grannies to Brownies 8 kittens. For some strange reason, Brownie loved our socks. My only conclusion is that, it must have smelled like fish. Hehe...

2. We enjoyed filling our bellies with food...

I have no idea why people around us kept staring at our table. I mean, it's not like we had too much food on the table, orrrrrrrr.........did we?



3. She is the first friend in my whole 21 years of life who finally succeeded in making me eat sushis. In fact, i actually like sushi now. IMPORTANT FACT!!!! She makes GREAT sushis...

4. Obviously...we also had loads and loads of studying to do..

But the studying and exam and assignment stress is always more bearable when you have someone to share it with...especially, if that someone is so full of jokes that you could start tearing from excessive laughing. oh yes, we might also end up with stomach ache.

So who is she???

Name: Nabilah Mhd FAuzi

NIckname: Lala

Hometown: Ipoh

Status: Single mother to Brownie, and single granny to Brownie's 8 kittens

Date of Birth: 21 May 1990

EH!!!! It's today la!!!!

Goodness me..you're 21 already? So sad! I'm still 18 you know. Was 18 last year, still 18 this year, and will remain 18 next year and for as long as i wanna be 18. In any case, old or young, you're still a person who mean so much to me. I will never be able to express my grattitude and appreciation for having you in my life for the past years (and hopefully for many years to come), but here's a simple wish for you...

LOVE YOU LALA!!!!

I don't want to get eaten =(.

EARLY NOTIFICATION: I will continue 'The Turn' series another day. Too busy to write about that today.

Refering to the subject above, I hereby notify all readers that as much as I like to do the most enjoyable activity of eating, I have no intentions to have myself eaten!

UGHHHHHHHH!

Why in the world did I go and watch that video about that badger eating the most horrifying animals like snakes. UGHHHH!!! now i feel sick. that honey badger eats all sort of animals but it was the snake-eating part which troubles me most. I do not like snakes. I do not like crocodiles. I hate them!!!!! ANd just cant stand seeing them even in pictures or videos or even animation!!! AHHHHH!!! And even though i hate them, I did not enjoy watching them get beaten by the badger and i most definitely hated watching them being eaten. EWWWW!

And to add on misery and phobia, the snake venom actually did take effect on the badger as it fainted for a while. BUt then, the badger just woke up again and continued eating the snake. Very troubling to my mind...Scary, freaky, troubling...

I used to fear death of being eaten by animals like tigers or lions, now i also need to fear the badger. Oh please, Allah..please, please dun let my last moment of life be a meal to some horrifying creatures...

Aishhhh...I guess I should just stick to watching innocent cat videos. All this animal eating is not suitable for public viewing. Ok fine..it is just not suitable for my viewing. Now i'm gonna have nightmares...Astagfirullah..

See..this kitty looks so sweet, adorable and harmless. As a girl who stands for peace and harmony, I cant tolerate violence even from animals...