LiFe....

Early in the morning today, I stood gazing out the window, I saw a single leaf fell from a tree.... 

"...........No leaf ever falls but that He knows about it......." Al-Anaam: 59

He knows everything... He knows what we know not....

I've heard sad news recently, I learnt that someone, right now, at this moment is being tested with something so huge that I'm not so sure if I myself could bear it.....

"Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear..." Al-Baqara: 286

But, some people argue, if that's the promise from God, then how come some people are being tested with a burden so huge that they eventually became mentally ill??

"But those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds, We never burden a soul with more that it can bear, they are worthy of Paradise, wherein they will live forever.." Al-Araf: 42

Note in this above Ayah;

THOSE WHO ATTAIN FAITH AND DO RIGHTEOUS DEEDS, are those who will not be burdened beyond that they can bear...

So where are we?? Have we done righteous deeds?? Have we obeyed Allah fully???

Sometimes, Allah put a burden on us, and we feel like it was too much to bear, we can't help wondering:

"Why me?? Why am I being punnished?? Why this has to happened?? I've done everything that Allah wants me to do as a Muslim, but still He gives me challenges that I can't bear!

Why why why why??"

Before we let ourselves fall down this slippery slope of anger and denial and hatred or whatever we wanna call it when we are being tested....

Remind ourselves again;

"Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear..." Al-Baqara: 286

"Surely there is ease after hardship.." Al-Insyirah: 5&6

"Do you think that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, "When (will come) the Help of Allah?" Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near!"   Al-Baqara: 214

SubahanAllah... Everything is in the Quran... EVERYTHING...

It is the key, the solution, to all our problems and misery in Life. It is also the key to happines, it has all the answers WE NEED...

Today, after I picked Fatini up from kindergarten, two men approached me, they gave me a small book full of translations of some chapters of the bible, there's Arabic, English, Chinese, and many more. One of them showed me the English version, in short, from what he'd asked me to read, I concluded that they were both doing what all Muslims should be doing, 'Dakwah'...

I suddenly felt so sad, for reasons I hardly knew, so I said to them, and I had no idea how those Deutsch words spilled out from my mouth, (as both of them weren't able to speak English and I hardly use deutsch anymore in conversation);

"Es tut mir leid, Ich bin Moslem, Ich habe kein Bible zu hause, aber Ich habe der Quran, und es ist genug für mich, Ich bin sehr glüklich mit meinem leben...."

That was exactly what I said to them, and the meaning is something like this;

"I'm sorry, I am a Muslim, I don't have Bible at home but I have the Quran, and it is enough for me, and I am very happy with my life.."

I don't know if what I said make sense to them, or that it has anything to do with what they were trying to deliver, but I understood from what they'd asked me to read, was that the Bible is the source of happiness, the real tranquility I shall find if I join them.. Things like that... 

They looked surprised when I mentioned the word Muslim, I mean, didn't they see my Hijab??

Nevertheless, I admire their courage to spread what they have strong faith in and we Muslims should do the same thing, in fact more.. 

A few months ago, Afeef asked me this question, let me just put it in English;

"Mama, if Islam is the real Religion, then how are those who were born in a non Muslim family to know that Islam is the real Religion? How are they to know that they should chose Islam as their Religion? They would for sure follow their parents, it's unfair for them to be born as non Muslim...."

And before I could answer, he answered it himself.. The idea just hit him, I guess... 

He said this, which amazed me;

"Haaaaaaaa.. I know how!! We Muslims should teach them about Islam!"

You see, even a 9 year old knows the meaning of Dakwah... (",)

I wasn't a good Muslimah in the past, but it's never too late to become one.. 

After all, what matters most is not the first, but the final chapter of your Life..

And........      Life's Like That... ;-)

                

Till Later, Salam.... 

A New HoBBy... Hehe..

Assalamualaikum...

Nowadays, I kinda addicted to something, something I've never paid so much attention to before..

And.... I've learnt it from friends around here in Deutschland.

And it became a new hobby hehe...

What is it then??

Ahah... 

It must have something to do with the Dream camera I'd talked about in my previous entry... Hehe..

Yesssss...

Photography!!!

I like I like I like!!!

Ok, let's check out what this dream camera of mine could do...

Some people call it a compact DSLR, DSLR alternative, or a pocket DSLR..

Let's see if it's as good as DSLR camera...

Or close to it...

I've done a little photo shoot recently, but not so much....

So, the first one, are the photos of nature;

We'd gone to Sunflowers field recently, and this is one of the photos taken...

And I must say, I'm very satisfied and very impressed too with the quality of each photos.

I've mistakenly used different mode while capturing this photo of a butterfly, I should have used the Macro mode which produces a sharp and precise image of small objects. 

But still, it is waaaayyy satisfying for me despite the wrong mode used hehe..

See how it captures the water droplets so finely??

Next, some photos taken inside the house :

This one was taken inside a Restaurant.

And a photo of food:

Nice isn't it? 

Or am I the only one 'syok sendiri' with the photos?? 

:D

And a photo of the moon:

I have to learn how to capture a better photos of the moon using this camera.

I've seen photos of the moon taken by someone using the same camera, and he managed to capture the moon so beautifully... 

Below are photos of Sunrise:

I used two different modes, on the left I used the Scene mode and on the right, I used Auto intelligent mode. 

I think they're both beautiful :)

And lastly, and of course most importantly, are the photos of my three lovely MODELS!

:)

Gambar sexy turut tak terkecuali hehe...

And the best part about this camera is that, it is smaller compared to most DSLR camera, Pocket-friendly and Power-packed too!

Interesting isn't it...

I have friends who rarely carry the bulky DSLR camera with them because of the size and etc, so this one is actually a highly reccommended alternative ;)

So, that was all for now..

There are many many other photos, and overall, I think all of them are very very impressive..

As for me, who only want beautiful photos, something easy to handle on the go, something I can grab and bring with me wherever I go, lighter, and never planned to become a profesional photographer, it's just something I wanna do as a hobby, so, this camera is enough, so enough..... but for those who wants to venture further into the world of Photography, then you should get the real DSLR :)

Ok, I feel like I'm writing a camera review or something haha.

But I was asked to give a review of this camera a few days ago, mmmmm... 

I sensed someone might follow my footsteps! 

Ok, that's all for now, I'm going to shoot more and more!

Till later, Salam..

CoLorS Of LiFe.... :D

Assalamualaikum...

Ramadhan's over...

So, what's new this Ramadhan?

Let's make this one short and meaningful...

I think this year's Ramadhan, in my 33 years of life (alhamdulillah) was by far the most meaningful Ramadhan for me.

I had learnt a lot, I made some new amazing friends, friends who would share and care, friends who were so determined in seeking Allah's blessings, I'd learnt that something that you feel so reluctant to do in the beginning might turn out to be something you really look forward to everyday, so don't just dismiss any chance you have to do good deeds, it might turn out to be the best ever thing in life!

I realized that opportunities for us to bring ourselves closer to the Creator are everywhere, around us, sometimes soooo near but often we let them pass us by.

So, grab the chance while you still have the chance! 

I'd learnt that, if we turn to Allah for help, and rely on Him, I mean really really rely on Him, then our problems are solved in the most amazing way. 

You don't need anyone to listen to your problems, enough Allah alone, He owns our hearts and everything else in this whole wide world, so isn't He the one who can make you feel sad or happy in a blink of an eye? 

"Allah is sufficient for me. None has the right to be worshiped but He, in Him I put my trust & He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne."  (9:129)

Ok, lastly, one of the most memorable day happened last Ramadhan..

Yes, it was 2nd of August...

It was supposed to be an important day, but somehow, it didn't feel as important as it should be..

I even hid the date from my Facebook timeline, for the first time in life, I didn't want anybody wishing me.. 

I mean, I appreciate those who'd wished, but I didn't want everyone on Facebook being reminded of it!

I just wanted to let those who wished be friends and family who really remembered it at heart :) 

But, as I received a few wishes throughout the day, my own husband did not wish me at all...

In the evening, he went out with the kids, and I was at home busy cooking for iftar, as Mike was coming over to experience iftar with us, (his second time actually) and I couldn't help but feel a lil bit sad, though I kept telling myself that it's ok if hubby forgets..

It's not important anymore right? 

And I had so many negative thoughts about him, like how could he forgets?

How could he not even wished me? 10 years of marriage and he starts to forget important dates?

I felt guilty at some point, it was Ramadhan and there I was having negative thoughts about my own husband..

So, in the end, I just dismissed all negative thoughts, and kept telling myself that it's ok if he forgets.. :D

And I cooked and cooked with Love..

Then he returned home with the kids, and as Fatini entered the door, she blurted;

"Mama, hari ni birthday mama!"

And papa was holding a bag with a box in it, and he just gave me this one look and I couldn't help but smiled and I asked him if he just remembered? 

He didn't answer, but I knew he bought a cake for me!

I started to feel a lil bit excited, well at least he'd remembered eventually ;)

But when Mike arrived...

He brought cookies arranged on a plate like pic below:

And below the plate, was another small glass container, and I took a glimpse at it and saw only white kitchen tissue paper, wrapped around something. 

I asked him, 

"So what's in here?"

He said, 

"Cookies, just cookies..."

I couldn't help wondering, why did he put cookies this way?? Isn't one plate enough?? Haha

It was about half an hour before iftar, so I decided to just place all the cookies on the table, so I started to unwrapped the glass container...

And....

Oh my....

What's in here??!!

I remember feeling so confused as I saw the red box inside, nothing occured to me just yet.... 

And hubby and Mike pretended like they knew nothing about the red box, how it got there, haha!

And when I took the box out, and unzipped it, and that's when everything hit me... and what I saw inside nearly took my breath away, I couldn't believe it, I couldn't describe how I felt, shock, disbelief, touched, all at the same time!!

It's my DREAM CAMERA!!

I was utterly speechless....

So, I cried and cried and cried and cried...... 

And I couldn't stop..

And I couldn't control myself...

And the kids panicked and kept asking over and over again 

"Mama, why are you crying?"

And they all looked so worried and confused, why mama's so upset?? Haha

Afeef even said, that I should be happy not sad..

So I told him, "I'm so happy that's why I'm crying" he just looked at me, confused :D

At this time, Mike and hubby were so busy taking my photos haha, while I couldn't stop crying!!

Really...

I was deeply touched, so so DEEPLY TOUCHED, not so much for the dream camera, but for the people around me, for their efforts, and for all the accusations I had in my head earlier about hubby had forgotten my birthday, and I was mad at him, when actually he remembered it all the time and had even planned a huge surprise for me and what's more, together with Mike!!

And what's more?

I had not even the slightest idea about it!!

I mean, I knew he went out once together with Mike during Ramadhan just a few days before my birthday, but it didn't occur to me AT ALL that they went to get birthday present for me!

They're so sweet that I feel like hugging them both! But of course I hugged only hubby hehe..

So, as requested by everyone, I blew candles though I couldn't remember when was the last time I blew candles on my birthday cake :)

Though every year hubby always wished me, and bought me presents and cakes, but, we've never really celebrated.. 

And we only really celebrate birthdays for the kids...

The whole thing was totally unexpected,

A dream camera which I thought would only remain a dream, and a wonderful friend to be a part of all these...

I was speecheless...

And I felt so blessed....

We are going to leave Deutschland soon, and already there's so much to be remembered and cherished and longed for..

I still smile so huge whenever I think of that day... :D

And it was Ramadhan :D

And not just any Ramadhan, it was the most meaningful one...

On the 1st day of Syawal, Afeef went to the Masjid with hubby, hubby gave him € 2 as his 

weekly allowance that same morning, and while at the Masjid, there's a donation box, and Afeef gave away his € 2 for donation. 

Later, we went to a friend's house for Eid celebration, and Afeef received a total of € 20 as 'duit raya'

He was so happy, but the happiest part for me was when he came to me and said, that he'd given away € 2 for donation, and he got back € 20.

He said:

"Betul mama cakap, kalau kita selalu sedekah Allah bagi yang lebih lagi."

There's nothing more valuable than precious lessons learnt by your children and you watch with your own eyes how they apply them in life :) 

It's amazing...

Lastly, apart from the most meaningful Ramadhan, we also had one of the most meaningful Aidilfitri celebration with friends who are like family members.

This year's celebration was in Bonn, Germany...

Alhamdulillah for all great and memorable moments together... :)

And to both Mike and Mara, who have finally found each other, I pray for their happiness always. 

:)

I'll definitely miss them someday...

                             

I guess, life has an interesting way of splashing surprises down your way and making you come out of it, a better person. 

Till later, Salam... :')

 

 

A change of HEART... :)

Salam...

Today, the first of Ramadhan, I've just made a whole new huge turn in my life...

 I've managed to overcome my fears, I've managed to force myself to do something I really didn't want to do, but it's what I should do, because it's the right thing to do, no doubt about it, because I know, if I do it, Allah will be happy and hubby will be happy too... 

And I've successfully did it with confidence too!!

A few months ago, when I was soooooo close to quitting Usrah, I desperately needed something to change my heart, and there it was... Allah had helped... Allah showed me the way, he had guided me, where I should go, what I should see, what I should learn from that... He'd helped open my heart again through people and friends around me... 

Today, I desperately needed something again to prevent me from making the wrong decision, in that short moment I had to make the decision, and when I was soooooo close to making the wrong decision again, and I kept asking for help and... AGAIN Allah had helped.. 

The short tazkirah after Tadarus session today was just what I needed... 

How a little tazkirah could change my heart entirely amazed me... 

But actually, a little tazkirah could only make you realize of the good and right things you should do in life, but, only Allah can give you the strength and courage to do it and only Allah can change your heart.. Only Allah can do it... 

If we have faith in Allah, everything in Life will be easy...

 We'll have no more fears, no more uncertainties... Life will feel complete...

So, today's Tadarus, we had covered Juz 2 of Surah Al-Baqarah.. And since I was the one appointed to read the meaning of some of the Ayat, I found this profound ayat touched my heart so deeply... 

"And when My servants ask you about Me, of course, I am near. I respond to the call of one when he prays to Me;'so they should respond to Me, and have faith in Me so that they may be on the right path." (2:186) 

See how true it is.... 

Allah is near and He responds to our call.. Just have faith in Him, have faith in Him, have faith in Him... Always always...

Today, the 1st of Ramadhan, marked a new beginning in my life and a deeper meaning.. 

I've succeeded in something, I've managed to overcome my fears and fight uncertainties, and have strong faith in Allah SWT!!

So, if I could do it, so CAN YOU!!

Lets fight and do ibadah endlessly for this Ramadhan, it could be our last, we never know.. 

May Allah bless all of us.. 

Remember, He's near and He listens...

Till later, Salam... 

Afeef, Karate And Tournament :)

Salam...

As I wrote before, I can't wait to write about Afeef's karate tournament!!!

Yeah, Afeef has had Yellow belt in karate.

I wouldn't really say Karate is Afeef's cup of tea, but he did receive compliments every now and then from his Sensei :)

And according to hubby who'd always been the one taking Afeef to Karate sessions twice a week, Afeef is one of Sensei's favourite!

Wow... Really???!!

Judging from Afeef's performance in last Saturday's tournament, I found it hard to believe that he's one of sensei's favorite??!!

Hahahaha!

Ok, ok, he did everything correctly, no mistakes, and everything was perfect only that, he's less aggressive, his movements were a lil bit too slow and not rough enough or fast enough unlike the others...

So, I guess, the reason why he's one of Sensei's favorite is probably because he's an obedient boy and quiet too hehe.. 

Way to go Afeef...

He'd been soooo excited about this Tournament that he kept telling me about the medal, the trophy that the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place would received. 

As for me, I knew this was so important to him but I didn't know how much, until the moment I entered the huge hall, and watched him so nervous and fidgeting in his seat.

I asked him how he'd felt at that time, and he said, sooooo nervous that he had butterfly in his stomach :D

Well yeah, he looked nervous too.. 

I kept telling him, no matter what, if he loses or wins, he's still a winner to me. 

It's the efforts that matters not the medals...

So, when Afeef 's turn was about to come, I was soooooo unexpectedly nervous!

My heart was beating wildly, my stomach churned, anxiety filled me, and it worsened when I saw one boy cried after he'd lost to his partner.

Oh, I knew at that instance why I was soooo anxious... 

Because I was scared... I was worried...

Scared and worried to see how sad he would be if he'd lost... 

He'd been hoping to bring one medal home!!

Well... Life don't always turns out the way you wanted them to be....

He'd lost to this girl, Miryam..

Funny thing was, hubby said so confidently to me, not to worry, Miryam wasn't so good, Afeef's better than her...

Yeah right....

Hubby had mistaken her with another girl!!

Miryam had eventually turned out to be the champion!!

So Afeef was a bit unfortunate to have had his first round with a Champion, so he'd lost the first round.

mmmmmmmm...

I saw the disappointment on Afeef's face, and felt bad throughout the competition.. 

She was fast, precise, and accurate..

Yes, she has what it takes to be the champion!

She deserves to win!!

If you wonder why Afeef wore red belt, it was just to differentiate the points received by each one of them. There were a few people sitting around them holding red and white flags. Red flag represents Afeef and white flag represent Miryam.

And if you wanna know which one is the Sensei, that huge guy with the orange T-shirt at the back, that's him!

After the competition was over, Afeef told me that despite his loss, Deter (the Sensei) told him that he was good!

So sweet of him :)

At least Afeef felt good about himself because of his words... 

I kept telling Afeef that it's ok to lose..

Competition isn't always about winning, it's also about having fun with friends, accepting losses and be happy for those who'd won, and strive harder after this because at least now, he knew how it feels like to fall, to be at the bottom, to lose...

I'm soooo proud of him for his ability to accept losses so positively... 

So so so proud of him..

I guess, I couldn't be even prouder if he'd won the 1st place!!

That was all about Karate Tournament, we had cakes and drinks afterwards outside the hall, then we rushed to Gartenschau for Afeef's school gathering. Later I'll update about that insyaAllah..

Till later, Salam...

PS: Sorry if there's any mistakes in my English or writing or spelling... My English isn't perfect but I'm trying my best to make it perfect.. insyaAllah...

:)