The Choicest Rotten Meat

سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ 

"GLORY be to GOD Who made HIS Servant to go by night from the Sacred mosque (Mecca) 

to the Farthest Mosque (Jerusalem) 
Of which 

We have Blessed the Precincts, 

so that We may show to Him some of Our Signs; 

surely HE is the Hearing, the Seeing." 

Al-Qur'an - Surah Al-Isra': 1 

******

Prophet Muhammad sollallaahu 'alaihi wasallam was ascending the sky with Gabriel 'alaihis salam during Isra' Mi'raj (yesterday was Rejab 27).

He s.a.w. saw those, although in front of them were excellent meats in pots, they chose the putrid and foul ones.
They would eat from the foul and rotten meat, and would not touch the good meat.
Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. asked Gabriel a.s., 

"What is this, O Jibril?"

to which he replied, 

"These are the men from Your community. 
They have excellent, lawful wife at home, but chose unlawful women to spend their nights with.

And the women would leave their excellent, lawful husband, to go and spend their nights with foul men."

******

Marriage and family life are protected by very strong rules, because every goodness comes through marriage.

"And among HIS Signs is this, 

that HE created you (Adam) from dust,

and then (Hawa' [Eve] from Adam's rib, 

and then his offspring from the semen, and), 

- behold you are human beings scattered!

And among HIS Signs is this, 

that HE created for you wives from among yourselves, 

that you may find repose in them, 

and HE has put between you affection and mercy. 

Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect. 

And among HIS Signs 

is the creation of the heavens and the earth, 

and the difference of your languages and colours. 

Verily, 

in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge." 

Al-Qur'an Surah Ar-Ruum 20 - 22 

******

Family is the foundation of society.

The peace and security offered by a stable family unit is greatly valued, and seen as essential for the spiritual growth of its members.

Children are priceless treasures.

Living in a harmonious family, they rarely want to leave home before marriage.
Some chose to remain staying with their parents after marriage.

A Muslim girl can never be forced to marry against her will, but her parents can suggest suitable men.
Female, weather single or married, is an individual in her own right.
A marriage dowry is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use.

She keeps her own family name rather than taking her husband's.

Prophet Muhammad sollallaahu 'alaihi wasallam had said, 

"The most perfect in faith amongst believers 

is he who is best in manner and kindest to his wife."

A Muslim marriage is not a 'sacrament', but just a simple, legal agreement but which is often made complicated by tradition.

Divorce, although not forbidden, is only taken as the last resort as, 

"Enter upon matrimony. but do not divorce your wives, since divorce shakes the very Throne Of GOD."

Yes, divorce between husband and wife shakes the 'Arasy'.
'Arasy is ALLAH S.W.T.'s 'Throne'.

Surely!!!
Divorce really, really anger the Creator.
If not, why thus the 'Arasy' is shaken?

******

The satan Daasim stations itself at doorways.
Whose house upon entry is without salam, Daasim's duty is to cause conflict between household members - men, wives and families.

Those who were and are caught offguard, Daasim triumph when it leads to violence and it won trophy when it results divorces between couples.

Then there is 'Awar, who encourages adultery.

******

A close friend do not see any wrong in his adulterous way.

He admitted frankly, he has to lead that kind of life, to complete his living.

The wife had encouraged another marriage for him.

But, relationship outside marriage is a thrill beyond expression.

Just like food, he craves varieties!

Why is that so?

The wife had often dream of their home being barged into.

Often she would sense a woman loitering around the lift-landing, or nearer home, at the gate.

Other time, her daughter just tell the mother there's someone near the shoe rack.

The wife did mention what she saw and sense to the husband, but he just refuse any changes made to his life.

When asked to go for counselling, he said, he knows more than the wife knew not. 

“Do as You please in this world, Oh Muhammad, 

But remember, 

You will be accountable for all that You do. 

And live as You please in this world, Oh Muhammad, 

But remember, 
One day, You will taste death. 

And love whom You please in Your life, Oh Muhammad, 

But remember, 

One day, You will part with Your loved one in death.” 

Jibrail a.s. said to the Prophet s.a.w.

There Are Eyes Around

It was in 2006 and I was the last person to go through Sue's photo-album of she and husband performed their Haj.

Did those before me looking at the photos taken noticed something strange?
I asked, but none could think of any.
When Sue came for the photo-album, I sat with her, asking her if anybody reminded her, possibly, not to snap any photographs at any 'Jamrahs' - She saw no reason why it should not be done.

.

As Sue and I went through the photos of 'Jamrahs', where the act of Prophet Abraham alaihis salam threw stones at satan for discouraging him performing his duty to GOD was followed, she realised pairs of red eyes were scattered on them.
Her facial expression changed, quickly she put away the album back into the casing.

"Just throw away the photos." I advised her.

******

Mina, where the 3 'Jamrahs' are, is not a place to live in as it's the place where  satans and other evil creatures

roam around -It's only during the Haj period do we see throngs of pilgrimmers.

Outside the season, it's out of bound but, it used to be one favourite spot for illegal immigrants.
It's the place where the elephants belonging to the then Yaman's King Abrahah's were burnt to ash with stones aimed by the 'Ababil' birds
(Surah Alfil 2: Did HE not make their treacherous plan go astray?
3: And HE sent against them Flights of Birds.
4: Striking them with stones and baked clay.
5: Then did HE make them like an empty field of stalks and straw, [of which the corns] had been eaten up).

It's the place where annual stampedes took place, but with the just built new multi-tired stoning areas, GOD willing, there'll be none.

The last time I was there, I saw a woman deep in trance, jumped into one of the walled 'jamrah' pillar and continuously banged herself against the pillar.
Unavoidably, she was stoned by many pilgrimmers.

At best, unnecessary purchases be avoided.

******

Two years on, I asked Sue about the photographs, and she lamented the eyes had multiplied many times more.

"Just throw away." I said again.
She wanted to, but her husband forbid though they realised the unusual changes in their bedroom - 'Somebody' was constantly watching over them.
The photo-album was then moved to the study.

******

"Ummie, are the photos in any way, linked to Razif's constant faint? He's taking his O level this year end." My friend, Sue's workmate, was curious to know, as Sue had been taking more frequent emergency leave attending to Razif. He's been frequenting hospital as doctors are still finding the cause.

"To save your doubt, just throw away the pictures." My friend advised her, too.
She wanted, but her husband refused.

The husband liked the photos very much as the red eyes keeps multiplying, not only as a background as before, but occupied the whole pictures!

***Some Changes Made.

Mind Reading

I read a lot about bipolar disorder. Although I did not fully under-stand the whole situation, but I always see them as people with an extra God-gift.

A man in his 20's resented me whenever he's down with the disorder. His reason - I influenced his auntie's mind being me as her idol. He can read others' minds and he saw me as a challenger to him. I've to reason to him why she had to be firm in handling situation like this.

There was once when he saw himself as a 'superman' and drove his sister's car into a private water irrigation canal. The other siblings had to fork out a fortune lifting out the vehicle, sent it for repair and reimburse the loss of the other's party income.

Once we were performing our haj in Mecca when he voluntarily pushed a number of wheel-chaired pilgrimers circumventing the Ka'bah for a few days continuously before he was picked up with great resistance for refusing his medication. Another surprise of his another gift was, he could converse in fluent Arabic when meeting with any Arabs.

On other days when he's normal, he respect his elders and would turn to me for advice.

A woman I know refused to stay in the mental institution claiming she's not mad as others. Her children will know when the disorder will come. Then they will place their mum with companions just to talk out her problems which she rarely did.

When the disorder hit, she sings rhythmic songs with a very beautiful melody. Conversation in time like this is like hearing poems flowing endlessly.

She knows what her husband did behind her back. Sometimes, she would relate all his doings without him telling her, while riding him on his piggy-back just to vent her anger at him. He would accept all humiliation without fighting back. Even the grownup children detested the father for ignoring their mother.

Once I visited a patient in Institute of Mental Health situated somewhere in Hougang, Singapore. The patients I saw there are all with a serene with no worldly problem-face.

The man whom I visited said, he saw many evil satans living around the water piping area. He cautioned me to be extra careful when nearing any watering places.

He was directly involved in an accident years ago but the court saw him as unfit to continue with the case.

Sad to say, all these people are under great surveillance and under medication to sombre their activities as they did not see any demarkation line to excercise control of themselves.