(I saved this witty pic from Skye's Ramadhan entry last year!)
Ramadhan is just round the corner but we still have a few more days left of Syaaban. I don't know you, but I haven't been doing much of supererogotary worships to Allah swt this time round. I hope to do more before Syaaban ends. Ya Allah swt please give me strength!
My previous entry depicting arrays of glorious food was probably a subconscious act of reminding myself of the coming Ramadhan. That fasting is such a meaningful ibadah which teaches us patience and compassion. That we should be grateful that food is so abundant at our doosteps. And that we should aslo exercise frugality when breaking our fasts and not glut on our foods like that's our last meal!
My Dear Daughters
Meanwhile, Sarah and Sofi insyallah have settled well and began classes immediately the week they reached Volgograd. Sarah started off with her Obs and Gynae posting. This year is supposed to be rather gruelling for her as she needs to travel a fair distance from one department to another each day as the different departments are located miles apart. Her options for mode of transport would be the public bus (cheapest), mashrud (mini-buses) and cabs. To avoid crowd jostling, foul odors and headaches she prefers either mashrud or cabs but that would mean more expenditure on transport. On her first day at the Obs ward, her lecturer asked her group whether there's anyone interested in specializing in O&G and only Sarah raised her hand. Since then, whatever hands-on activity conducted, Sarah would be called first since she had shown initial interest. Alhamdulillah that sort of boosted her morale a bit, :p.
Sofi has a new entry about the celebration of Volgograd's birthday. As usual she has loads of eye-feasting pics to share. Despite having problems
It will be the 4th consecutive Ramadhan for Sarah this year, away from us and the second for Sofi. May Allah swt ease them both in performing all the ibadah in Ramadhan as much as He would to us over here!
Not a book review
On Monday and Tuesday a collegue and I were assigned to do medical check-ups for 150 factory personnel somewhere in Gebeng, an industrial port town. However due to several factors, Tuesday proved to be a very slow day and I managed to sit back, relax and get myself 'lost' in a few books , a novel by Orhan Pamuk titled The Black Book, Faith vs Materialism (The Message of Surah al-Kahfi) by Syed Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi and Mutual Reminding and Good Manners by Imam Abdullah ibn Alawi al- Haddad (a gift from KKL). I am also thankful to the kind tea-lady who made me a cup of hot coffee to sip through the slow hours. Ahh...what bliss!
Orhan Pamuk is a Turkish writer who has written several books and 4 of them have been translated to English. I likened his writing to Kazuo Ishiguro's, long and tedious. But what I like about Orhan's stories is that it's related to the Turkish way of life and in it are many explicit descriptions pertaining to its people, places, scenarios and buildings. (I am sure Boogey's antennas would have perked up by now!hehe) Like all Ishiguro's books, I know I will take weeks to finish Orhan's Black Book. And each time I pick the book to continue, I will need time to immerse myself back amongst its characters. It's simply mesmerizing.
Faith vs Materialism defines the fallacy of materialism succinctly. Based on Surah al Kahfi, many of its anecdotes are derived from the 4 main stories found in the surah, namely the Companions of the cave, Tale of the 2 gardens, Moses and al Khidir and Dhul Qarnayn. To quote the author,
"The materialist civilization, so prone to over-emphasize it perspective with extreme measures, has been aptly described in the verse Surah al Kahfi: "We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who follows his own lust and whose case has been abandoned" (18:28)
The 3rd book is so full of beautiful phrases that reminds us of the correct path. Here are some meaningful advices. I quote: Know that the path begins when a powerful urge is cast into the heart of the servant which troubles and unnerves him, and drives him towards God and the last abode......The urge is one of the hidden warriors of God, it is a gift of solicitude and a sign of right guidance.
To mark the coming of Ramadhan and not forgetting the remaining Syaaban I end with this beautiful Hadith: "My servant ceases not to draw nearer to Me with supererogatory devotions until I love him, when I love him I become his eyesight with which he sees, his hearing with which he hears, his hand with which he strikes, and his foot on which he walks. When he asks of Me, I grant him, and when he seeks My protection, I protect him"
47 comments:
Roza, if you remember my previous blog entry of not receiving greeting and meeting Dato' Suba Singh in my very tearful dream (reading Ya'sin with special focus on ayat 58 before going to sleep), after that every night it is as if I was awoken involuntarily. No peace until at least 2 rakaat.
Because of this experience, I beginning to wonder, why I am compelled into making at least something of my nights. Probably my life is short, and I have to work hard to receive the special greeting.
Has,
Allahu'alam. Let's pray for a long life full of barakah and guidance from Ar Rahman. Remember me in your night vigils too!
may Allah give us strength in this coming Ramadhan
Let us make dua that Allah (SWT)make fasting easy upon us, to help us to perform it in the perfect way that pleases Him, to reward us with all the bounties that He promised to the fasting people, to grant victory and supremacy to the Islamic Ummah (nation), and to make our most pleasant and happy day the Day we shall meet with Him. Ameen
Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan everyone!!
cant wait for the glorious month of ramadhan. hopefully more ibadah on my part too this year
To ikelah, pycno and mynn, the 3 musketeers,
ameen to all your dua!
where do you get those books from? is there good bookstore in Kuantan?
Nydd,
:))
Good bookstores in Kuantan is as scarce as finding oil in its soil!
KL la apa lagi...satu tu dari KKL!
the whole msia is like this kan.
:(
that is why i am stocking up on books now. cannot imagine how life would be once i return.
rejab, syaaban and ramadhan, beautiful months that Muslims are encouraged to fast. i could still remember my late grand ma used to fast at least 20 days of rejab, almost the whole syaaban and completed her ramadhan. she was wise with strong memories of the past.
she passed away 2 years ago. she suffered from stroke 2 years before her death. she recovered from the first attack weak but able to perform solat 5 x per day.However she was unable to fast due to severe epigastric pain.
She deteriorated after the second attack. she passed a way a few weeks later. eventhough she was dying with inability to perform the compulsary ibadah, forgetful, unble to recognise families at times, she still managed to recite her regular zikh taught by her late husband.
The name of Allah was always at her lips whenever she woke up. she was about 84 at that time. we greatly missed her.
Orhan Pamuk is aan author I admire. I love reading his famous My Name Is Red.
Salam Syaaban and Ramadan. May this Ramadan be a better month to you and family.
DITH Indeed, we should be grateful that food is so abundant at our doosteps. Alhamdulillah, syukur dgn limpah kurnia Allah dgn rezeki yang diberi.
ikelah SEmoga Allah merahmati roh your grandma. All my grandparents (yang masih hidup atau yang telah meninggal) pun sentiasa tak lekang menyebut zikir dan selawat.
mynn semoga Allah perkenankan doa anda.
Nydd:
Kat KL ada Borders, Kinokuniya, Times, MPH...so kira oklah. So waht sort of books have you stocked up?
iKelah- harap2 cucu dan cicit nya dapat emulate sifar kuat berzikirnya itu
jiwa rasa- Glad there's someone out there who finds Orhan Pamuk's writing interesting. My Name Is Red was my first Orhan Pamuk's book. Rather intruiging I should say. The Black Book is more contemporary. Ameen to your dua and the same to you and your family!
Nisak- Indeedy! Nampaknya tok2 kita semuanya kaki zikir yek? Kita macam mana gaknya? :p
dith: saya very poor. :(
Mak: and we miss home too =p
Abah: she died more than 3 yrs ago... and as far as i remember (from what i was told), she was 87.
Nisak- insyallah..try to do zikir when you're in the kitchen cooking or when driving
Fi- meja dah repair but the repair was poor and it bent again!! We have a leaning table of Pisa at home!!
DITH and iKelah
Amazing istiqamah on zikir... this is Tok Beserah right? What was her regular zikir?
I read Orhan Pamuk's 1st book, it was all right. Er, the last novel I enjoyed was The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffernegger. It made me cry. I also thought the scientific background was not too bad.
KKL
You must lend me that book and see if I cry too!
No wonder the picture looked kind of familiar.
Let's all try to make the best of this Ramadhan shall we? (I sure as anything can start by trying to wake up earlier -_-")
Yoshi-Moshi-
Yeah, we can sure benefit more by emulating your dad!!
KKL -
Manalah ada Tok Beserah .....tok Galing laa
buku2 bodoh je setakat ni. (buku2 pandai cam philosophy, religion, specialist history etc tak larat nak beli sebab costly and susah nak jumpa - baca kat library ja).
my first of Pamuk is the White Castle. Dont like it. And although I recommended Red to friend, when I myself tried to read it, I also dont like it. I found an underlying anti-Ottoman sentiment in his writing, his suspicion and blame on them, and etc etc.
i also want to read the time traveller's wife. dah dua kali wat on-line purchase buku tak sampai2. dah mengamuk dah kat retailer.
Now I'm wondering myself where did I store that pic last time? ;) Thank goodness you saved it.. hehe.
I've tried to read a book with almost the same title by Hamid Kureshi or something, The Black Album. tapi memang takde masa habiskan these days. borrowed it from the library, then it just stayed on my desk until the due date! hehe.
maybe I can search for this Black Book instead after the exams.
Re: Time Traveller's Wife
Hehehe.. nanti kita tgk ye siapa nangis lagi banyak.. for me it was the love between the husband and wife that felt really real.. and I liked the dynamics between the couple, ie the need for space, acceptance of who your partner is like etc., really ada banyak indications of what makes a happy marriage. Either that is true or I am just a hopeless romantic, hehe. Ada some scenes in the book that I didn't like, but you can always skip those.
Re: My Name is Red
I thought I felt the decay of the Ottoman Empire when I read it... I dunno I didn't feel it was anti-Ottoman as such, but then again I read that book couple of years ago. Maybe upon re-reading it (a highly unlikely event) I would reevaluate my opinion.
Currently am reading Fascinating Womanhood. Very interesting indeed.
aiyo, ade romance ke dalam buku tu? i really cannot read that kind of stuff. tried to read Pride and Prejudice (these few weeks I am infected by 'the Classics' virus) but could not pass 20 pages. ended up reading an on-line summary of it by a literature professor. i dont think P&P has too much of it, i mean its level is about tolerable, but still, this kind of stuff is perhaps suitable only for girls... or ladies.. (or quoting someone else, 'hopeless' ladies that is!..teehee)
Hehe wrote a very long reply but was gobbled up by Blogger. Khair, inshaAllah.
Short reply to Nnydd:
The Time Traveller's Wife underlying themes:
1. Sabr in marriage
2. Acceptance of your spouse as who he/she really is, without desiring to change him/her
3. Freewill versus Predestination
4. Qadha and Qadar
5. A woman's fidelity for her husband is lifelong
Re: P&P:
It is quite a witty book. I preferred Jane Austen's last novel, however: Persuasion. About love and maturity, and the coming together of two souls well suited to one another.
Re: hopeless ladies:
The ladies are 'hopeless' due to 'hopeless' men's failure in giving them their rights. *wink* Please 'hopeless' men, show us you have a degree of superiority over us as is stated in the Quran. All people want is a little love. Many people are not merciful enough to understand this, or to do anything about this to their families. Remember the Hadith of Mercy. Allah will show mercy to he who shows others mercy.
love kkl's reply!
Skye- You can give it a try but dont say you're not warned! It's a laborious read!
Nydd+kkl-
Re My Name Is Red - I tend to agree with KKL. I dont think Pamuk was anti-Ottoman. He was just portraying the decadent phase of the empire. Allahu'alam.
Nydd- Romantic novel in the mild form is ok I guess. But blatant outright explicit sexual writings I abhor! A good example is that author John Irving. I bought his The Fourth Hand.(the sypnosis was good) I got into the second chapter and found it disgusting and chucked it away!
KKL- Why is Olivia Newton John's "Hopelessly Devoted To you" playing in my head now? hehe
Nisak- dont we love these chauvinistic replies! haha
MNIR:
I agree that OP might only be rying to illustrate the decaying days of the Khalifah. But one also got to know his background, his history and his intent to the potrayal that the cause, the root cause of this, is the 'alim of Turkey. I do not contend that maybe he is good writer, likewise his interpretor is a good interpretor, but I contend the message he wanted to convey. I certainly do not find him a representative of Turkey's Ottomania, unless if I am a secularimania.
These aside, I think I made a miscalculated attemp at trying to snub the Caliphate further in the Armenian debacle. Pity that a (fine) journalist like him could still fall prey to the Armenian propaganda. I still peep into his books now and then whenever I lay my sight on them; for my curiosity only. :)
Since this is already a long repartee, I shall let go of KKl's without any comment. (Seorang lawan tiga tak aci lah...)
Orhan Pamuk is not an ottomania. He`s as many other turkish writers of the republican era are Ataturkcu. However one must also accept the possibility of some truth in things we do not agree with in his writing. The last years of the ottoman was not the same as in the 16th century. For more details you create an entry for discussion.
Benim adim kirmizi,
Merhaba! I take that you are a Turkce? Thank you for your reply. Wow DiTH, you have an international visitor here!
Some of the people in Istanbul (Fatih) who are friends of mine told me of Orhan Pamuk and his associates, after I told them I did not like his book. What they told me simply confirmed what I had imagined of him.
I agree that degradations happened at the end of the Caliphate. Katib Chelebi wrote in Dusturu-l-amel, as early as 1650s, "The natural life of man is reckoned in three parts: the age of growth, the age of attainment and maturity, the age of decline...History shows that some states have decined soon after the age of growth; some have been cut off in tehir prime by a disaster of fate; and some lik ethis illustrious Ottoman state, have enjoyed a long period of maturity because they are built on firm foundations and good principles. However in both individuals and in societies the signs of the third age are discernible." But to put this solely at the foot of the scholars and at the system of Caliphate? And to ignore the intent, purpose and effect of the secularists? In this I find imbalance. There were hopes for the Ottoman even as it breathed the last breath - it had some of the finest thinkers, some of the best scholars, some of the best Sultans and governors in the whole of Islamic world, but whatever hoope was extinguished by other playful hands.
Benim adim kirmizi,
Sorry if I sound emotional. There is a blogger posting (as he rarely writes) as Mavi Boncuk at www.maviboncuk.blogspot.com. I think he is Osmanli too, but could you please have a look?
ps: in my earlier post, i intend to write "i think he made a miscalculated attempt at trying to snub the Ottoman further bla bla.." Please take note.
Nydd- sorang lawan tiga memang Aci sbb org lelaki selalu kata they can handle four wives in a go! :p
Mr Benim- Boogey, awok buat ler entry tu and kita boleh diskus! :p
Nydd- hehe...I believe Benim is actually Boogey, ikelah's bro! He lived more than half his life in Turkey. Thus his interest.
Nydd- I admire your deep love for the Ottoman.
i dont just love them; i am them. ;)
Nnydd and Benim
You guys have perked my curiosity. What introductory book or text could you recommend to read about the Ottoman empire? The bits I know about them are restricted to the documentary Islam Empire of Faith... and unfortunately I didn't finish watching it so I only remember very little about the establishment of the empire.
No book other than the open, living ones - Istanbul, Konya, Edirne, Bursa, Urfa, where the hearts beat only for the Caliph and the Ottoman.
But I know what you mean. The answer truthfully is I do not know what introductory book to recommend. Maybe there is not any. Those 'basic' ones like by Jason Goodwill have to be read with a pinch of salt, and one do wonder why there arent accessible materials in English that are published by 'our' authors. I have to say that my knowledge of it comes in fragments from various sources, but the understanding of what an Ottoman is, the perspective of an Osmanli to the world and the hereafter, does not come from books. It comes from the people I met in streets, cafes, bazaar, mosques of cities, towns and villages, especially in Turkey, Cyprus and the Balkans. It comes from sharing their food, their houses, their family - observing them in daily life. It comes from direct experience of the heavy hand of the government on those who wants to keep the memory of the Ottoman alive: I had to run away from a madrasah in the middle of the night when there was a police raid, then listened in horror to news that brothers who were my dormmates for several nights were taken away into police custody just for wearing jubbe and turbans - things forbidden under the law.
gosh, I got carried away and I have not answered your question! I have been asked this question before, and I still cannot prepare a good answer. Maybe, yeah, maybe Jason Goodwill's will do. For now.
nnydd,
When I read your writings I can`t help trying to guess who your Turkish friends are. If the centre is Fatih, most probably the followers of Mahmud Effendi in Carsamba. But you also mentioned Cyprus and thats where Syeikh Nazim Efendi is and I believe Malaysians are more familiar with him. You also mentioned Urfa and theres where another Naskshibendi group is in Menzil. You can`t be Nurcu or Suleymanci because they don`t wear robes and they are also not too much into the Osmanli sentiments.
nnyd,
Do you know that the ottoman policies have gone through many changes since the 17th century starting with the abolishment of the Fatih kanunnamesi? Do you know about the massacre of more than 40,000 of the elite Yeniiceri regiment at the Hippodrome square during the rule of Beyazit? Do you know that although defeated at Gallipoli, the Ottomans surrendered Istanbul to the Allied Forces under the Sevr agreement which also required the Ottoman army to disarm and disband. Do you know that during the revolt to liberate Turkey, not all islamic scholars supported the ottomans as what people tend to believe. Anyway what I wanted to point is we should be clear that: The condition of the falling ottoman empire actually provide a suitable birthground for the young turks movement which later form the foundation of the secularist movement.
KKL, I brought home some books but the good ones are in Turkish. Too bad and last year my friend gave me another thick book but I haven`t finished it. It`s one of those Ataturkcu books. Also I agree eith nnyd that we can learn more through living and discussing with our turkish friends. It`s also much more fun than reading.
I had a brief look at the maviboncuk blog and unfortunately can`t tell whether he`s an osmanli. I read about the armenian massacre. I read similar arguments regarding the issue including from the armenian side. Forgot most of it as it was a long time ago during my cat years when i was a much nosey person. Now i prefer a soft warm corner near the tv. Well, i am convinced the massare did occur but is it by order of the ottoman government as claimed by the armenians? Even the Ataturcu denied the armenian accusation. During the war period the armenians were claimed to assist the russian advances and have raided turkish villagers as well. The whole eastern front were in fire. Law and order were no where. Villagers for small bands, mountain bandits chose sides. That`s the situation back then. So, for me it`s a chicken or egg matter.
Benim,
Actually, you have guessed correctly! Hmm, now, how did you infer all these and how did you know them?
as to your questions,
1. y
2. y, should not we call it a necessity?
3. i believe you made atype here. also, i might be wrong, but i believe the surrender of Istanbul is more closely linked to the defeat at Plavnik, Plovdiv and the fall of Sofia. there were too many fronts to war on that time what with revolts in Hijaz, and the advance of Rus on Kars.Also I am not aware that they capitulated on Istanbul in the Sevr agreement. Was it not Cyprus? I shal recheck.
4. y, and i believe you also know fully well why. the actual conduct and object of the ataturkcu, or the YT, until that time were not fully disclosed and revealed. but one should remember well the sacrifice of scholars from outside Turkey such as our Eminent Sidi al-Senoussi, and inside, such as Nurcu, and what they had to say against this group.
i can see that this can lead to longer replies. maybe benim you should really open up a blog or site on the Ottoman. i, not educated and not fully immersed in its history would certainly benefit. There is now an ustaz who claimed to have knowledge on the Ottoman in Malaysia, whose writings I have found to be misleading and serving some other purposes in Malaysia. I can see why he is gaining popularity and wonder if there is no Malaysian well-verse enough i both history and religion to retort his arguments.
Also, by way of curiosity, do you know Persian?
And Kucuk Mehmet, and what a noble name that one is!, you could certainly help Benim in his endeavour. I was not sure myself of Mavi Boncuk. As I said he posts things and rarely writes, and when he does it is so short that it is difficult to judge who he is. I dont mind an Ataturkcu as long as he could stand and be open about my sentiment.
ps Benim: my actual name shares the same meaning as the syeikh of Ismail Agha. When I last see him, that was many years ago, he was already fragile. I wish to hear about him again...
Oh by the way, I found this book a year ago, checked it out from the library and still has not returned it back, :P: Ottoman Imperialism during the Reformation: Europe and the Caucasus. But it tells also of the Crimean khanate, the long war with Persian Safavid, and the relationship with Jagellonian Poland and Tsarist Russia. Carl Max Kortepeter, 1973. Susah nak jumpa buku ni.
and to clarify, when you mentioned Suleymanci, I take it you meant almarhum Syeikh Abul Faruq Sulayman Hilmi. But they do wear robes, though not in public occasions...?
nnydd,
Actualy Benim adim kirmizi, Kirmizidir benim adim and Kucuk Mehmet is the same person. Kucuk Mehmet is the name of a novel about a village imam who formed a bandit group to fight against the allied occupation.
I see you are well versed with Turkish history as well and probably more than myself because my learning was a long time ago and i only remember in fragments.
As for the ustaz you mentioned, what`s the name? I know a Dr Bukhari Lubis who is very well versed in ottoman history and literature, knows a bit of turkish, can read ottoman script, knows persian and arabic language also. A fantastic scholar. The last time I heard he`s a dean in UPSI. Can`t be him.
Yes, you are right about the Suleymanci wearing robes. The same is actually true with the Nurcus. Syed Nursi wore robes and carry a cane and some sects within the Nurcus still wear robes. Once they came out in the local news when a group of them wore robes and carry canes in public.
Teehee,
arent you going to reveal that you are also called Boogey?
Nope, I am not as learned as you. and the scholar is not dr Lubis, god forbid! this one is a young ustaz, graduated from Jordan. I do not want to mention names (and others jgn ngada2 nak mention OK since he is a friend of mine too), but he is quite popular these days and if he fits my decsription you will know him.
I actually went to Urfa to visit Sayyid Nursi tomb. I know there is disagreement as to where he was interred, tapi mana lagi nak show your respect? I think all of the groups play their own role very nicely, though all involved in intellectual discussions, the Nurcu and and Suleymanci are the most pragmatic. The latter especially occupies many Imamship at mosques all over Turkey. Even in Cyprus and the Balkans I was surprised to find them! And it was no surprise that the Nurcu also wear robes and canes; oh why, they are strongly Naqsh like the Suleymanci and it is expected of them, is it not?
Kucuk Mehmet and Nnydd-
Yeah maybe Boogey should make an entry on this interesting matter.
Didnt know wearing robes or not is so significant among the turks?
Btw, Boogey has dozens other alias like Mat Derih...Paul Moss,,,etc
Heheheheh. yes boogey, mat derih, paul moss etc. Depending on the mood lah.
nnydd, I`m surprised you`ve been to Urfa. Not many Malaysians made it there. Did you visit Menzil? There`s a private cemetary allocated only for their great murshids within the complex and do you know that a few years back a Malaysian lady was honoured to be the only non murshid to be buried there?
During the ottoman era, wearing robes is common. In fact you can identify they belong to which school from the color of their robes or headwear. Nowadays wearing such robes and headwear is strongly xxxx discouraged xxxx but you can still differentiate the tarikatcis from the beads and how they hold the beads during zikir. The tarikatcis usually have a place they get together for sohbet which means dialougue just like the Nurcus and suleymancis. In Malaysia we call this sohbet event usrah. Sohbet centres are called tekke or medrese. It is also a refuge. You can eat, sleep there for as long as you want. For tarikatcis you don`t need a particular topic for sohbet. No dialogue is a waste of time as long as within the islamic boundries because for them diague is a communication between souls/heart and not minds.
An entry on the ottomans? Can`t do it based on fragmented information but I can give comments if nnydd or dith opens one.
Wrote something lengthy pastu padam. Hmm, very please to know you are around Boogey (I will call you this because the name is funky cuzz! --> actually baru tahu apa makna cuzz tu bila baca kat Museum of London siang tadi) ;)
Did not go to Menzil because I did not know. Now I will spread the news around. Tgk tu, kita ingat kita dah cukup hebat dah jadi antara orang Malaysia yg dah ke sana, rupanya ada orang lagi hebat terus 'menetap' kat sana! subhanallah...
I am surprise that after the mention of Menzil, I have come across it and Syeikh Muhammad Rashid Erol's name more than five times today!
nnydd,
Probably it`s time for you to pay a visit.
KKL:
Finallt the time traveller's book arriived this morning, ini a BIG box resembling Mynn's DSLR, only that there were 4 more accompanying hardcovers inside! Been waiting for almost two months! Maybe I will not read the book now. The book shipping company iis collecting it maybe this weekend or next weekend, so I am putting it immediately into their box and read it later.
Boogey:
Aiyo... why is veryone calling me to visit them all at the same time!?
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