what's our value?

Tentang seseorang. Dan seseorang.

Disuatu petang, Pn L agak sibuk menjawab panggilan telefon. Seperti dijangka dan seperti minggu-minggu sebelumnya, selepas (dan semasa) segmen produk tersebut keudara di radio, alhamdulillah Pn L sebagai stokis daerah menerima panggilan untuk pertanyaan lanjut dan juga order. Rezeki di tangan Allah, kita hanya berusaha.

Salah satu panggilan di petang itu dari Pn N. Dia tinggal tidak jauh dari kedai Pn L, cuma 5-7 minit saja dan meminta Pn L menghantar order nya ke rumah. Pn L setuju, lagipun dekat. Tak salah kalau dia membuat sedikit "added service" untuk customer.

Malam itu Pn L hantar ke rumah Pn N. Tetapi dia terlewat kurang sejam dari masa yang dijanjikan, sepatutnya pukul 8 malam. Maklumlah, Pn L juga seorang isteri. Selepas kedai ditutup sekitar jam 7, dia bergegas pulang dan menyediakan dinner (yang ringkas) dan solat maghrib. Pn L mengajak suaminya, Mr A untuk menemaninya. Dia lebih selesa begitu, jika kemana-mana pada waktu malam, mereka selalu bersama. Sambil boleh meluangkan masa bercerita tentang kerja harian masing-masing. Si anak tunggal juga tak lepaskan peluang ikut serta. Memang manja keletahnya.

Sampai di alamat Pn N, rumahnya dah bergelap gelita. Pn L berfikir, mungkin salah rumah agaknya lalu dia menekan loceng. Selepas seketika, suara wanita menjawab di tingkap dari bilik tingkat atas.
"Puan N?" Pn L bertanya.
"Ya. Sekejap"

Pn L berdiri di pagar. Tak lama kemudian seorang gadis muncul.
"Pn N?"
"Err..tak"
"oohh..your mother"
"dia order barang apa ye?"
"ni ada *** dan ****"
"berapa ringgit?"
"seventy two. resit ada dalam tu"
(si gadis mengambil bungkusan order)
"tunggu kejap ye"

Pn L senyum. Dan menunggu di luar pagar, sambil berborak dengan si suami yang setia menunggu di dalam kereta. Anak tunggal nya sudah tertidur di tempat duduk belakang.

Lebih kurang 3-4 minit kemudian.
"HELLO! SIAPA TU?"
Suara tegas dan lantang dari dalam rumah. Pn L agak terkejut. Dia berjalan masuk ke dalam. Tetapi agak tidak selesa kerana tidak dipelawa.
"KENAPA AWAK TAK BOLEH DATANG SINI??" kata suara tadi. Masih lantang walaupun Pn L sudah berdiri di depannya.
Pn L lebih terkejut. Dia cuba memandang ke wajah wanita yang bercakap walaupun agak samar di muka pintu rumah.
Pn N agaknya.
"i thought i must wait outside, at the gate". Pn L jawab ringkas. Pn L cuba untuk senyum tapi terlalu pahit rasanya.

Pn N hulurkan duit. Tiada sedikit pun perasaan mesra di wajahnya. Pn L tidak mahu memandangnya lagi. Dia sangat sangat terkilan dengan 'budi bahasa' si customer iaitu si tuan rumah.
"Thanks". Lalu dia berpaling keluar. Pn L rasa malu. Malu kepada suaminya yang mungkin terdengar layanan si tuan rumah.

Sebaik masuk ke dalam kereta, Pn L bersuara. "i dont like this customer. i dun want to see her again". Tersekat suaranya, menahan perasaan. Terkejut, kecewa, malu.

Sebelum kereta mereka berlalu,Pn N tiba-tiba muncul untuk menutup pagar.
"Thank you". Kata Mr A sambil menundukkan kepala hormat.
"sorry". Ringkas Pn N.
Pn L hanya diam. Kecewa dan sedih.
.
.
.
The End.

Sekadar renungan.
Dari Abu Syuraih al-Khuza'i r.a bahwasanya Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda:
"Barangsiapa yang beriman kepada Allah dan hari akhir, maka hendaklah berbuat baik kepada tetangganya. Dan barangsiapa yang beriman kepada Allah dan hari akhir, maka hendaklah memuliakan tamunya dan barangsiapa yang beriman kepada Allah dan hari akhir, maka hendaklah berkata yang baik atau hendaklah berdiam saja".

(Diriwayatkan oleh Imam Muslim dengan lafaz seperti di atas ini dan Imam Bukhari meriwayatkan sebahagiannya)

~ Dipetik dari Riyadhus Shalihin, oleh Imam Nawawi~

iSV

geddit?

our very own dessert

i'm so gonna try to cook this.
Bubur Kacang feat. Durian
:D

pic courtesy : google

i taste 'em at kenduri i attended today. love it! nice, perfect dessert.

i always love the scene of kampung makan-do, comfortable and so welcoming.
and the foods...simple yet tasty. and most importantly stomach-friendly.

thanks & congratulation to my friend, Roseli and his newly-wed Mrs.
May Allah bless your new life and grant the best for you.

lesson

i just checked my bountiful mail in my mailbox, when i found this interesting email.
so i referred to my quran translation, just to double check and make myself clear.
i haven't checked the time accuracy but let say we assume it's from a reliable and correct source.
but please..dun get any wrong idea about this. i dun mean to provoke the issue but i honestly think we all should take the lesson. things happen for some good reasons. and the lesson may be addressed to all of us, not just the unfortunates.
He knows best. wallahualam.

Gempa Tasikmalaya
Time : 15.04
Surat Al Hijr (Surah-15) ayat 04
"Never did We destroy a town whose term of life was not ordained beforehand"

Gempa Padang
Time : 17.16
Surat Al Israa’ (Surah-17) ayat 16

"Whenever We have intended to destroy a town, it was because We sent Our commandments to its people who were leading easy lives but they showed disobedience; as a result Our Judgement was passed, and We razed that city to the ground"

Gempa Susulan Padang
Time 17.58
Surat Al Israa’ (Surah-17) ayat 58
"There is not a town (population) but We shall destroy it before the Day of Resurrection or punish it with a severe punishment; this fact has been recorded in the Book of Records (Lauh-Mahfudz)"

Gempa Jambi
Time 8.52
Surat Al Anfaal (Surah -8) ayat 52

"Their behavior is similar to the behavior of the people of Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and to those that had gone before them. They also rejected the revelations of Allah and Allah seized them for their sins. Surely, Allah is Mighty and severe in punishment"

* Translation :
English Translation of the Meaning of AL-QURAN
The Guidance for Mankind.
by Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Copyright 1997
The Institute of Islamic Knowledge

# edited note #
Time of Gempa Padang - checked and correct.

kopi & pes

I found this is something interesting to read. So i decided to "copy & paste" here.
As for my reference, and perhaps as a good share.

"Why do Muslim women wear the hijab?"
This was one of the many questions being asked from my husband since our relationship at very early stage. Only that he'd refer it to Scarf, not Hijab.
Then later I found that he made a basic conclusion by his some observation on appearance that later he relate to their race.

Sometime.
"She's Chinese?" (Pointed to some one by roadside)
"No. Malay". My short reply.
"But she not wear scarf?"
Silent.

And some other time.
"Why you like to watch this drama?" (while I was watching drama melayu)
"Interesting story." I replied.
"But they not wear scarf. Not cover hair. They are muslim ka?"
"Yes...."
Silent.

Occasionally that same question offered.

Remind me, I should forward this article to his email.
Source of this article : HERE

One of the major misconceptions about the hijab (covering of the body except the face and hands) is that young women are forced to wear it by their parents or by male family members.

Sumayya Syed, 16, says that what parents or men want have nothing to do with it. In fact, she astounds people who ask by saying that every woman should have this form of liberation.

Syed maintains that when a woman is covered, men cannot judge her by her appearance but are forced to evaluate her by her personality, character, and morals.

"I tell them that the hijab is not a responsibility, it's a right given to me by my Creator who knows us best. It's a benefit to me, so why not? It's something every woman should strive to get and should want."

The young woman admits to being surprised that many people wonder if she wears the hijab everywhere (at home, when sleeping, in the shower). The truth is that Muslim women only cover themselves in front of men who are not direct relatives (brothers, fathers, and uncles) to prevent indecent acts or thoughts.

Another young woman who wears the hijab, Zeinab Moallim, 18, maintains that some people assume that all Muslims who wear the traditional dress are immigrants who don't know English and perceive them as "weirdos".

"I remember in my class when I answer questions, some students look at me like I'm kind of dumb and I can't answer (them)," she says. "So usually I answer, just to let them know I can do things."

All of the young women interviewed agreed that the advantages of wearing the hijab are many. According to Rema Zawi, 16, "You feel modest...and you feel like you're covered up. You have more self-respect. You have more confidence in yourself that you don't need to care about (how) you look."

Syed emphasizes that a major plus is that people actually evaluate her on who she is and not on her beauty or clothing. "It keeps me protected from the fashion industry. The hijab liberates you from the media, brainwashing you into, Buy this, buy that, you're supposed to look like this," she says. "It allows me to be who I am. I don't have to worry about being popular through buying things that are 'cool'."

Hana Tariq, 15, who just recently began wearing the hijab, agrees with Syed's view and says that the hijab lets you know who your real friends are.

"People who are friends with you because of the way you look aren't real friends. And people who judge you by your personality are true friends, because people can change looks but they don't really change personalities."

The young women said the hijab provides them with an identity. They don't have to tell people they are Muslims. It shows.

However, there are drawbacks. Mariam Hussein, 18, was in a store minding her own business, when an old woman came up to her and proclaimed loudly, "Go back to your country!" It was a difficult situation because the young woman considers Canada her home.

Responses to the hijab vary widely. Zawi is one of the few Muslim girls in her school who wears the traditional Muslim garb. She says some students treat her differently by looking at her in strange ways or vandalizing her property. However, she also finds that other students have questions for her regarding the hijab.

"I find that it's so hard for them to ask because they're really shy, so I confront them. I tell them, If you want to know anything, just talk to me." One young woman's first year at Silverthorn Collegiate was especially difficult. A counsellor was looking at her English marks from previous report cards, and said she found them "impressive". But then she made a comment that hurt. "Well, it's obvious you don't need ESL," she said.

The counsellor made the assumption that since the young woman wore the hijab, she had just emigrated and needed to take English as a Second Language. Syed, who attends a school with a fairly large Muslim population, says the people she knows treat her with dignity and the comments she gets from friends and classmates are generally not disrespectful.

"Most people in my life respect me with my hijab: they don't swear around me, they don't crack bad jokes," she says.

Some people may think that the more a woman covers, the less freedom she has. But, according to Muslim tradition, it is actually the opposite. The less she wears, the more she is degraded and the more she is put in the line of fire of male criticism.

Syed is astonished at the behaviour of some women who claim to want "freedom". She can't understand how going topless, for example, represents equality. "People have to understand that we (males and females) are not equal in body image but we should be equal in rights, in justice. Taking off your shirt will not make you equal to a man; it'll make you lower. Why? Because the woman's body is created differently."

Amani Elkassabany, 30, who is not presently wearing the hijab, has a different view. She applauds those who wear the hijab (especially those who wear it for God and with good intentions), but feels that it is not necessary to wear the hijab to gain respect.

"Just because a woman covers, doesn't mean she is automatically entitled to respect, or has already proven the worth of her mind. Respect must be earned regardless of one's appearance and it is not earned through a dress code alone."

Elkassabany sees advantages to wearing the hijab, but thinks that having internal modesty is more important than external modesty. "This external covering is really just a reflection of an inner commitment to dedicate oneself to the worship of the Creator," she comments.

She is also concerned about the restraints wearing the hijab implies, restraints that are exclusive to women. "Both men and women are required to dedicate themselves to God, but it is only women who are expected to demonstrate this dedication outwardly in the form of hijab," she says. "This expectation on the part of [women] is what I find difficult to accept."

Whether the hijab constrains or liberates women is an ongoing debate. However, statistics reveal that in Western society, women and men are perceived very differently.

One study, done at the University of California, found that media photographs emphasize the faces of men but the bodies of women. In the average picture of a woman, less than half the photo (45%) was devoted to the woman's face. In the pictures of men, nearly two-thirds (65%) of the photograph featured the man's face.

The same article reports the results of an experiment conducted with a group of 40 male and 40 female college students. These students were told that a study of freehand drawing styles was under way and were assigned to draw either a man or a woman, capturing "the character of a real person." It was observed that the men drawn had very distinct features, with close attention paid to facial details. However, the images drawn of the women were mostly of the body, with the faces vague or even featureless.

Perhaps, as women de-emphasize their bodies, this severe imbalance will be at least partially rectified. Meanwhile, Islam provides a solution to this problem - one which dignifies and honours all women.

apa nak jadi

astaghfirullah...

i dun understand.
hello, pls tell me. pls explain to tis makcik.
is it LATEST TREND MARK or whtsoever HIP FASHION or maybe it's accidental?
but apa-apapun, tis makcik memang HYPER TERKEJUT.

you see, mcmana makcik tak terbeliak bila terpandang sorang minah ni pakaian nya amat pelik pada pandangan makcik yang naif ini.

TUDUNG DI KEPALA..
BAJU T-SHIRT AGAK SENDAT short sleeve...
dan..
SELUAR SHORT PARAS PEHA!

now you tell me!
agak2 kalau lembu yang tengok pun mau terbeliak bijik mata.

apakah ini namanya fesyen?

makcik tak paham.
apa dah jadi.
apa nak jadi.

apa-apa pun alasan nya, bagi makcik ianya sungguh HUMILIATING.
sebagai pompuan, malu kita tengok kaum kita mcm tu.
dah la tu, memalukan MUSLIMAH.


note :
makcik tak sempat nk snap gamba. makcik dalam kereta, dan tergamam.
minah trendy tu dok lepak ngan member2 tepi jalan.

manis lima belas

yesterday. me & my mom conversation.

it's my birthday tomorrow, i announced.
(i never expect she'd remember my birthday, or any of us anyway)

ooh? may Allah grant you happiness, long life, healthy and wealthy. she offered.
i smile.

i'm gonna be 32. but i feel like 17, ever.
proud me.

what? seventeen?
she cut.
i think u r just my little sweet FIFTEEN, ever!

i grinned.

thanks Ma. you really know best for us. and to win our heart.

so, today i feel like a sweet fifteen re-birth.
*wink*