The month of Rajab has dawned

Rajab, being the seventh month of the Islamic calendar is a stepping stone to the auspicious months of Sha'baan and Ramadaan. Rajab is from the Ashur Hurum (Sacred months), one of four such months in which battles were prohibited. When the moon of Rajab was sighted, Rasullulah (SAW) would recite the following Dua:


Allahumma baarik lana fee rajaba wa sha'bana wa ballighna ramadaan.
"Oh Allah, grant us blessings in the months of Rajab and Sha'baan and make us reach the month of Ramadaan"
(Shu'abul-Imaan and Ibnus Sunni)


This Dua should be recited regularly in the months of Rajab and Sha'baan. In preparation for Ramadaan, the relevance of Rajab may be understood as the month to sow seeds (good actions), Sha'baan is the month in which we should water those seeds (with tears of remorse) and Ramadaan is the month in which we reap the harvest.


Whilst the arrival of Ramadaan is certain, no person is guaranteed reaching Ramadaan. Rasullulah (SAW) would express his eagerness to be blessed with the month of Ramadaan from Rajab. We should therefore become more inclined towards virtuous deeds and Ibadah in these months.


May Allah Ta'ala let us all reach Ramadaan and grant us the ability to spend it in a manner most pleasing to Him. Ameen.

Birthday celebrations galore!!

Like I have said in a previous post, there are so many birthdays during June, I just cannot keep up!!

A very Happy chappy birthday to my dearest cousin, Shaheema!! Without whose wisdom, I would be completely lost!! May the Almighty bless you perpetually, may the coming days be only good to you & your family!! Excitement mounts as your wedding day approaches, I cannot wait to share in the moment with you. Don't talk about the other plans we have for later during the year, I shall not let the cat out of the bag just yet, wink, wink!!

For this is the culmination of any woman's dream, to wed the love of her life!! May Allah guide both of you to the best of understanding and may your married life be filled with only joy, happiness & lots of babies, hehehehe!! For you surely deserve that and so much more!!

Love you lots like jelly tots!! Muahahahaha!!

I have been quite lazy to update my blog of late, there are so many things to write about. I just seem to be experiencing a sort of 'writer's block??' Whatever it is, I hope it passes quickly so that I can get down to the nitty gritty!!

Watch this space, see you soon!!

Happy birthday sis.....

Here’s wishing you a very happy birthday!! May the Almighty grant you many more healthy, happy years with us Insha-Allah Ameen. May they be filled with barakah, ghair, Imaan & Taqwah Ameen!!

We have certainly come a long way, haven’t we??!! From our childhood days (if I think about the sibling rivalry, hehehe), through our blossoming youth (there it just got worse didn’t it?? hahahaha) and then into the roles of a wife, and then a mother (we grew up big time!!).

I admire you so much for the way you look after those 3 boys, oh and, lets not forget about the youngest one (Mika-eel), wink, wink!! Please don’t tell him I said so, hahahaha!! But then again, if he reads my post first, OI!! He’s so gonna fry me for this!!

You’re doing one sterling job Nads, keep it up!!

Love you lots like jelly tots!!

Mmwwaaaahh!!

Happy birthday Sayang!!

Time has passed by so swiftly, yet another year gone. 

May the Almighty grant you all that is good in this life & in the hereafter. May the coming year hold promises of untold joy & happiness, for you deserve all this & more, Insha-Allah Ameen!! 

I cannot thank you enough for your presence in my life. From the first word spoken, little did I know what an impact you would make on this heart torn asunder. 

Remember those walls i built??

  Well, baby, they're tumbling down

  They didn't even put up a fight,

                   They didn't even make a sound.

  
I found a way to let you in,

  but I never really had a doubt.

Standing in the light of your halo,

  I got my angel now!!

It's like I've been awakened,

  every rule, I had you break it.

  It's the risk that I'm taking,

I ain't never gonna shut you out.

  

Every where I'm looking down,

  I'm surrounded by your embrace. 

Baby, I can see your halo,

  you know you're my saving grace.

  You're everything I need and more,

It's written all over your face.

  Baby I can see your halo,

  I pray it won't fade away!!

Hit my like a ray of sun,

  burning through my darkest night.

  You're the only one that I want,

  think I'm addicted to your light.

I swore I'd never fall again,

  but this don't even feel like falling.

  Gravity can forget,

                   
To pull me back to the ground again.

                                                                                 




                                                                                                                                                                          

                   It's like I've been awakened,

 

                   every rule I had you break it                                                                                                                                                                                                                .

 It's the risk that I'm taking,

  I ain't ever gonna shut you out!!

  
Every where I'm looking down,

  I'm surrounded by your embrace.

Baby, I can see your halo,

  You know you're my saving grace.

  
You're everything I need & more,

 It's written all over your face.

  Baby, I can feel your halo,

  I pray it won't fade away!!

Sayang kamu......

A restless soul.....

means that something is amiss, right??

For the past few months I have found it very hard to concentrate when making my prayers. At first I hadn't realized what was happening until recently, when I found myself doubting the amount of raka-aats I had performed. I was so disorientated, it was scary!! My thoughts were elsewhere!! 

Being one to fast on a Monday & Thursday whenever I was able to, was also something I had prided myself in. How did this habit fall on the wayside?? I know that I am human and prone to mistakes & weaknesses but the state I find myself in lately has me questioning my actions as a believer. Surely Allah is most Merciful, most Forgiving!! 

I couldn't quite put my finger on the cause of my disorientation. Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we do things out of habit. Instead of trying to get out of the rut, we continue because it feels comfortable. We fear the consequences if we change it, not knowing that with change comes the opportunity to better yourself. 

I hope that I get the chance to redeem myself fully, as our time on this earth is very short & we should definitely use it wisely Insha-Allah Ameen!! 

Oh Allah, please keep me steadfast in my attempts to gain Your favour & bountiful blessings. I have so much to be grateful for!! 

A day sightseeing with Asmah & her husband

Arrangements were made Friday evening to meet Asmah at their apartment for brekkie Saturday morning. All went well, until the ATM machine decided to swallow my bank card!! OI!!

Luckily for me, the bank was to open in a few minutes, but that would also mean that I would be late to meet Asmah. What a way to make a first impression eh??!! I only arrived at the Waterfront just before 10am and I should have been there by 9am. I missed breakfast & a chance to become acquainted with the couple before setting off on our day of sightseeing. But all is well, that ends well, yes??!!

Our first stop was the Grand Parade to see if they could find some Cape Town products to take home. The price of curio products on the Waterfront were too exorbitant, specifically aimed at the tourist market. Asmah & her husband did a good deal of shopping, hehehehe!! Asmah's squeals of delight had me laughing most of the time. She spotted a Muslim man with a kuffiyah on his head and said, "There's my uncle!!"

While shopping Asmah's husband received a call from home, bearing bad news. Her grandfather had passed away. Innalielahie wa inna ielayhie rajieoen. May Allah have mercy on his soul!! This was the reason why their stay was cut short. And because her youngest son was missing them so. He had called a couple of times complaining of his older brother, hehehehe!!

After the parade we made our way to a place offering safaris, they're based in Durbanville. I had never heard of it until the taxi driver mentioned it. Clara Anna Fontein?? Ring any bells?? But we were turned away unfortunately, because the safari had to be booked 48 hours beforehand. Spier Estate located in Stellenbosch was the next stop. Cheetahs and picturesque landscapes were the order of the day!!

By the time we were done it was way past the lunch hour. Noon Gun restaurant was the stop for lunch. Located right at the top of Longmarket street in Bo-Kaap, this restaurant offered Cape Malay cuisine at it's best!! Karlie (the taxi driver), Asmah's husband & I ordered bobotie & Asmah had some breyani.

A stop at the local masjid for prayers was next & thereafter it was back to their apartment at the waterfront. More pics were taken there & I was given a beautiful coffee table book on Malaysia, as well as 2 beautiful scarves!! Thank you once again my dear, it is very much appreciated!! I cannot wait till you visit our shores again, hopefully this time, we'll get to spend more time together Insha-Allah!!

When I visit Malaysia soon, I will definitely be stopping by Insha-Allah!! Just wish the Home Affairs Department would speed up with the passport already!! Sheesh!!

A nostalgic start to the day

After all the cold & wet weather we've been having, I was ecstatic when this morning dawned bright & beautiful!!

After disembarking the bus for work, I decided to walk to the office instead of taking the taxi up. I had forgotten how beautiful it was in the city centre. I took the route through the Company gardens & what an awesome sight it was!! I haven't been there in ages and as I walked with Kenny G playing in my ears, the walk triggered memories of a younger me.

Memories of Nadia & I walking the same route on our way to school every morning and afternoon during the week. On a weekend it was just me, making my way to the part time job I had as a cashier at the then Grand Bazaars in Rheede street. Funny enough, I now work a road away from there, the only thing is the buildings have changed some what. But the area still has the same vibe, very yuppie & very hip. So, I've kinda come full circle eh.

I remember when Nadia (high school friend) & I made application for the casual jobs, we were so excited!! Being the legal age children were allowed to start working, we couldn't wait to be earning our own money. Now, my dad couldn't understand initially, when I started working there because we had a video store. And Nadia (sister) & I used to alternate working there over weekends. But me, being the stubborn & independent *wink, wink* person that I am, decided that I wanted to get another job.

Those were certainly the days!! And we really received a good wage for our efforts Alghumdulillah!! If we worked the whole weekend, we went home with about R80.00, which was a huge amount of money in them days!! Groan!! That makes me sound so old!! LOL!! But I have so many fond memories. It's these memories that make me love CT so very much. The image of Table mountain against the beautiful summer mornings. The same image looming in winter with the city lights glistening below, aaahhh!! Home, sweet home!!

On another note, a Malaysian blogger friend has arrived in the Mother City!! Asmah had left a comment on my blog the other day. Wanting to make contact because she & her hubby were making a trip to Cape Town soon. She wanted some tips & places to visit & I was quite eager to assist. When she called me this afternoon, they were on their way to Table mountain. I'm so glad the weather turned out good, a visit to the Table top would have been impossible in wind & rain.

I have plans to meet them over the weekend so I can show them a bit of what the Mother City has to offer. Lets pray the weather holds out until then Insha-Allah!! Asmah, welcome to Cape Town!! I hope your stay will be a memorable one Insha-Allah Ameen!!