Visually Impaired Guiding The Normal Being

"You like writing?" 
asked Ustaz two days ago.

"Of course I do."

"Then write about my experience of healing others."

"Ustaz, the Internet connection at my place is really bad. 
It is one of the reason I'm now taking a break, eating many kitkats during that interval."

"Never mind, let it take its own sweet time and you can prolong your time too.
I thought of compiling my experience into a book.
But since I can no longer see, you take over from me."

"InsyaALLAH..."

******

I used to hear Ustaz's name since more than twenty years ago and heard him giving tazkirah (reminders) from the surau in our then neighbourhood.
From my house, I would follow his tazkirah as it struck deep in my heart.
But for some unfavourable reason, his position was replaced by others...

******

It all began when I called a friend informing her of my intention to make an Eid visit to her house.
Instead, she directed me to Ustaz's house where a healing process was taking place.
After more than twenty years of 'knowing' Ustaz, it was only during the recent Eidul Fitr that I saw his face for the first time.

I was following Ustaz's Qur'anic recitation closely during that first meeting.
After several times seeing Ustaz called out for the patient's husband to assist Ustaz placing his hands at several parts of the body, I thought he was just being courteous.

But it turned out that Ustaz is blind.
So Ustaz is a blind hafiz, a person who memorise Qur'anic recitation with all It's words etched in his heart.

******

During these trial periods, rendering moral support, especially when I was asked, is the least I am able to do to a good family.
So I often accompany them to Ustaz's place...

"Ustaz, I want to learn from you."

"Alhamdulillah, another person for me to pass on my knowledge." 
Thank GOD, Ustaz was delighted, never hesitated.

****** 

"Did I ever see Ummie before?" 
Ustaz asked his neighbour.

He became blind after an eye surgery went wrong performed by those not supposed to do it (need to check out with him when was that).

"Never."
His neighbour, a friend of mine too, answered him.

Although my husband and him used to meet, it was precisely the very reason that he had never seen me, that I wanted to be his student.

But, at the back of my mind, I felt ashamed that although Ustaz, his eyes may not be able to see the Qur'an, but his heart is crafted with 114 Chapters from Verses of the Al-Qur'an.        

Another Phase Of 'Living'

The excavator suddenly stopped when it hit a hard surface.

The road widening project had to be stopped for a few days because the heavy machinery operator was 'suddenly sick and had to be cured'.

The hard object that was hit was a wood that used to cover the body.
Excavation of the graveyard site brought to a halt.

A grandfather claimed the uncorrupted body in the affected grave belonged to his teacher who taught Al-Qur'an reading when he was small.

******

Nora*, who is currently staying with My Mother, asked if I believe her above story that happened around her area.

She then asked My opinion about her Indonesia's fourth president Gus Dur, to which I replied, since the man is already dead, he is not telling lies to have showed 'himself', unlike us, living beings.
How a person lived his life shows in his death too.

Heavy rain in February this year, had caused earth that covered his dead body to wash away.

His kafan, the white shroud, was exposed, still white as it was, and his whole body still remained intact, although he passed away last December 30, 2009.

****** 

Four months before Gus Dur's death, Jakarta was abuzz when it was found August 2, deceased Haji Abdullah Mukminin, a Tangerang, Jakarta resident, his face is as usual.
His body still remain intact, although his hair had whitened.

Even though the area of Batu Ceper, where the body was buried, is known to be swampy, the white cloth that covered his body is as was first buried, but with slight dirt.

There is no indication of decaying or insect bite to the camphor wood that covered the body for 26 years.

******

In 2007, the place was needed by Tangerang authority for road widening of Jalan Benda, Juru Mudi, and Batu Ceper, along Cianjane River, leading right up to Soekarno Hatta International Airport.

Nothing could be done to An-Najat Musolla and Haji Abdullah Mukminin gravesite, except both places have had to give way.

But work in Batu Ceper, supposed to be in January 2009, was only carried out in August.

Even before the relocation of the body, heavy machineries had been unable to function.
There was delay in the demolishing work on the musola, the praying area, and the relocation of Haji Abdullah Mukminin's body.

Excavators had repeatedly broken down.

Contractors had no other choice except to sit down to seek agreement from the deceased family members.

The praying area, on wakaf land, if brought down, surely will be missed by Haji Abdullah's family, as it was built by Haji Abdullah since the 50s.
The neighbourhood really wanted a place to pray.

The musolla had several times, its area was  extended and reconstructed.
The land, priced at Rp 500,000 / metre, excluding properties on it, but the family of Haji Abdullah refused compensation.

Instead, the family requested authority to rebuilt a new musolla at nearby Juru Mudi area, for locals still be able to perform their prayers.

And, An-Najat Musolla, could only be brought down using hammer and crowbar.
Strictly no heavy machinery allowed.

The cost of relocation of Haji Abdullah's body, however, was borne by his family although authority offered in footing the bill.

******

The deceased third son, Achmad Fathi, had several times observed relocation of bodies at Karet Bivak Cemetery, in Central Jakarta.

Hence he followed the normal preparation for his father, three containers of water, meant for washing whatever remains of bones of the father before relocation, and nine pieces of woodcuts 70 cm x 30 cm, meant for the bones' segregation.

But the preparation was not used, as his father, born December 16, 1919, buried Oktober 22, 1983, found August 2, 2009, was not only as if just being buried, but gave out aromatic atmosphere all around.

A loud ALLAAHU Akbar was simultaneously exclaimed by those witnessing HIS Greatness.

******

Suddenly there was a very big crowd gathered at the scene while work was going on.

Thousands gathered at the scene.
From where all these people came from?

No information was given to outsiders, not even the deceased students, as it was supposed to be strictly a family affair, with no more than 20 family members.

The sudden crowd had led to an unusual traffic jam, up to five kilometres away.

The body is now laid to rest in-front of son, Achmad Fathi's house, just 15 metres away from the previous location, with remains of two other family members, wife Maswani who passed away in 1980, and their second son, M Syurur.

The burial site will be extended as there are now, more people came to pay their visit.
The number kept increasing after the news of Haji Abdullah travelled further.

******

It was in the badminton court size An-Najat Musolla that Haji Abdullah taught his students since the 50s.

He spent his living days learning and teaching.

After five years learning from his teacher, Kiai Mursan, the teacher urged him to go to Mecca, where he later spent seven years studying in Darul Ulum.

His teacher in Mecca, Syekh Yasin, from Padang in West Sumatera, then requested him to return to Indonesia, to start educating society, especially in his area, Batu Ceper, Tangerang.
It was around the time of the Second World War, 1939 to 1945.

Haji Abdullah shared his knowledge from within the compound of his house, in informal meetings, unlike the pesantren ways of today.

Class in An-Najat would start after Magrib till 9pm.

Students would normally spent their nights in the musolla.
Not only spiritual learning, students were also taught about farming in the day.

******

Then in 1973, Haji Abdullah was requested to head Tangerang's religious court.

Although a Syari'ah court judge, he still rode his bicycle to his working place, 10 km away.


Haji Abdullah passed away in Oktober 22, 1983, due to  kidney failure.

He was buried behind the An-Najat Musolla, as requested.

Although he had built Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Islahuddiniyah in the 70s, but it was the An-Najat Musolla that he was fond of, the beginning of his preaching world.

He then built Al Taqwa and Teachers Foundation, not far from his house.                                                                    
The school is still brimming with students until today.

Al Faatihah

Pusara Abadi, The Forever Cemetery

A day after "Not Just 'Imam Muda' But Eternal Leader" was published here, my eldest sister called to say my mother wanted to visit Ustaz Taha's graveyard.

Ustaz appeared in my mother's sleep and showed her, his very big white house he is currently in.

Did Ustaz know I mentioned him?
GOD Knows Best.

So on Tuesday, we were at Pusara Abadi, the forever cemetery, at Jalan Bahar in Choa Chu Kang.

On the way there, I was told that the wife of Ustaz Osman Jantan, Ustazah Chik Syed Othman, had just passed away the day before.
Her husband, the late Ustaz Osman Jantan passed away just 2 weeks ago, June 7, at age 74.

I had never used his family's travel service, Hahnemann Travel and Tour, but my father, after his retirement, had several times travel to Mecca with ustaz.
Even my younger brother used Hahnemann's service for His musafir Haj.

I take this opportunity to mention my heartfelt thanks to the late Ustaz Osman Jantan.

His knowledge is blessed and passed on, as I had been using his history book, 'Kisah Khalifah-Khalifah Rasyidin' almost twenty years for my Sunday class. 

I had tried changes to other books, followed the IRK (Islamic Religious Knowledge) syllabus, but found the book by Ustaz Osman Jantan was easily understood by students. 

Not forgetting Ustaz Ahmad Sonhaji Mohamad, who passed away last year, August 12. 
His book, 'Mari Sembahyang', I had been using since small, and used it for the Sunday class too. 

Both men's writings are indeed valuable to the young generation. 

The Prophet Muhammad sollallaahu 'alaihi wasallam taught that 

three things continue to benefit a (believing) person even after death: 

*charity - which he had given (which continues to benefit others), 

*beneficial knowledge - which he had left behind (authored or taught), and 

*supplication (du'a) - on his behalf by a righteous child. 

- Narrated by Sahih Muslim  

****** 

Before we went to Ustaz Taha's place, we visited my father's.

My eldest sister asked Putra, the man who cleaned around my father's area, to plant a basil tree on the grave.

We then proceeded to visit Ustaz Taha.

True enough, his resting place is white all around, with basil tree on it.
I was told even on his wife's grave site, Ustazah Enon, who is at the same block as my father, there is also a basil tree.

We had a hard time locating my younger sister, who passed away on November 2003, 16th Ramadhan.
Her grave is somewhere beside the last year's relocation of those from nearby Pusara Aman.

Since she has more neighbours now, we asked Putra's assistance to help locating her place as we will be there again, GOD willing, tomorrow.

Although at the same block with my sister, we had to miss out Ustaz Syed Abdillah Ahmad AlJufri, who passed away January 4, 2003, as it was almost noon, and we have had more sites to go.

It is Ustaz Syed Abdillah's reminder that I hold on strongly until today, to recite the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, whenever we are unable to finish the Qur'an.  

The Messenger Muhammad (sollallaahu 'alaihi wasallam)

believes in what has been sent down to Him from His LORD, 

and (so do) the believers. 

Each one believes in ALLAH, 
HIS Angels, HIS Books, and HIS Messengers. 

They say, 
"We make no distinction between one another 
of HIS Messengers" 

- and they say, "We hear, and we obey. 

(We seek) 
YOUR Forgiveness, our LORD, and to YOU is the return (of all)." 

ALLAH burdens not a person beyond his scope. 

He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, 

and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. 

"Our LORD! 

Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, 

our LORD! 

Lay not on us a burden like that which YOU did lay on those before us; 

our LORD! 

Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. 

Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. 

Have Mercy on us. 

YOU are our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving people." 

- Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 285 - 286

******

Ustaz Syed Abdillah was once asked his daily surah, to which he replied was Surah Al-Faatihah, Aayatul Qursi and Surah Al-Ikhlas all recited seven times every dawn and dusk.

******

Around two years after Ustaz Abdillah's passing away, I was talking to a man who is still working part-time, supervising grave diggers, to share with Me, of his most memorable episode while working at the cemetery plot.

Seeing fleeing corpses just after burial with burnt and tattered clothes is a normal sight to him. 

Some fled with raging red fire burning ferociously behind them.

But there was once, even after several alterations made, the grave was always very much bigger than the normal size.

After more exhausted but failed trials, nothing they can do about what GOD wanted it to be.

They finally left the ample site as it was, as the spacious grave belonged to none other than Ustaz Syed Abdillah Ahmad AlJufri.

Even during the jenazah prayer, 5,000 attendees were at the Sultan Mosque.

Though the great teacher had left us eight years ago, but his teaching "here, about the importance of daily prayer" lives on...

******

While Putra was cleaning my grandmother's site, I asked him to share with me of a site which turned him on.

Yes, it is a site in Block 16, where he usually hear from far, a woman reciting versus from Al-Qur'an.
But he is not too sure in which grave site she really is, although there is luminous light glowing from faraway.

It reminded me of my eldest sister, who was shown a site where a woman, Raja Zubaidah, was buried.

Ayer Gemuruh Cemetery was near Changi, where fishermen in the early 60s and I think the 70s, passed by, on their way to the sea.
It was a usual before dawn hearing of Al-Qur'an recitation from where Raja Zubaidah was buried.
Her body was said to be sleep-like when exhumed.

My eldest brother was at Ayer Gemuruh Cemetery too, when these 'people' were to be relocated around the late 70s or early 80s.
One of the corpses, said to be a rich a woman, had her hair and fingernails entwined her 'body'...

My mother, when she was around 6 or 7 years old, (pre-Japanese occupation, I guess) used to see 'a man sleeping, not dead, in his not covered grave' at Bukit Larangan, Fort Canning Hill.

The 'sleeping man', she claimed, is Sultan Raja Iskandar Shah.
Parameswara? before became a Muslim?.

I had several times went up Fort Canning when I went to the National Library during my schooling days in the 70s, but never did I see 'a sleeping man'.

Even now, several times when weddings took place at Fort Canning Hill, I never missed going to the site.
Maybe one of these days, I'll see 'the sleeping man'?
GOD willing.

******

My eldest sister wanted basil tree to be planted at my grandmother's site.

Why basil? I asked My Mother.
It is because, she said, basil or selasih is not called selasih to Javanese, its selawat.

But basil is also used in funeral rites and planted on graves in many different cultures.
I'll do my own search till then.

******

In the mean time, I am still thinking of Siput binti Dolah.

Despite always being portrayed as a cruel woman, Siput binti Dolah, or Siput Sarawak, mother of the famous Anita Sarawak, must be a very good woman at heart during her living days.

Her grave site is just 3 plots away from Ustaz Taha.
Being a very close neighbour to Ustaz Taha, Allahyarhamah Siput binti Dolah is sure guaranteed Ustaz's syafa'ah, his intercession...

My day will come too, for sure.
But can I choose my closest neighbour?

Al-Faatihah         

'Obedient Wives' In Nepal

Rural Communities In Nepal Lack Family Planning Options, Awareness 

In Dhading, a district not far from Nepal’s capital city, one woman conceived more than 25 times in 30 years. Because of a lack of family planning awareness in rural communities, women have little say in the number of children they have, even if it jeopardizes their physical health. After a stranger heard about her case on the radio, he paid for a lifesaving operation. Today, she is an advocate for contraception and family planning awareness in rural Nepal.

by Kamala Gautam  

DHADING, NEPAL – Hem Kumari Chepang, 42, has given birth to more than 20 children during the last 30 years.

“Have as many children as you can,” she says her husband, Hari Chepang, 50, told her. “I will feed you [and the children], and [if you die in the process] I will take care of your cremation.”

The Chepangs are residents of Dhading, a district just 75 kilometers west of Kathmandu, the capital. In Kathmandu, thousands of people acquire family planning and maternal and child health care services every day. But Chepang says she has never been to the city, let alone obtained any of the family planning services there.

Orphaned as a child, Chepang married her husband 30 years ago at age 12. She says she was working as a housemaid and he, 20 at the time and also working as house help, promised to take care of her.

Within a year of their marriage, Chepang gave birth to her first child, which survived for only four months. She says she believed at the time that giving birth to one child after another – with some surviving and some not – was a natural phenomenon after marriage. In all, Chepang conceived 26 times.

“Some died in the womb, some within a few days of their birth and some after six months,” she says.

Only two of the babies Chepang has given birth to are alive today – a son and a daughter, who is deaf.

In addition to the multiple births, Chepang says that she often had no help during labor.

“One of my sons was positioned ectopically in the womb,” she says. “His hands came out first, and I tugged him out myself. The placenta followed, and I almost died with the pain.”

After her 23^rd child, she suffered from uterine prolapse, a condition when the uterus slips down from its normal position. She began to bleed regularly and suffer from dizziness and pain. But she continued to give birth. Her condition worsened, and her movement was limited to dragging herself to the toilet when necessary.

Chepang’s physical condition also kept her from helping her husband with the housework. She says her husband had to single-handedly take care of the cattle, the fields and the housework while Chepang watched helplessly.

Although Chepang’s case is not the norm in Nepal, the average number of children born by a single mother is still high in rural areas.

A lack of awareness of family planning options in rural communities often leads to more births than women say their bodies can withstand. The government and nongovernmental organizations, NGOs, here have started to disseminate family planning information to rural communities. But many women say that even with this knowledge, their families and cultural beliefs stand in the way of taking advantage of available options.

The total fertility rate, or births per woman, in Nepal fell from 6.3 in 1976 to 3.1 in 2006 because of campaigning and promotion of family planning, according to a 2009 report by the Family Planning Association of Nepal, FPAN, a national NGO. The contraceptive prevalence rate, the percentage of women or their partners using contraception, increased from 26 percent in 1996 to 44 percent in 2006, according to the latest Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, NDHS.  

But the FPAN report also notes that although the fertility rate in urban areas of Nepal has declined to two children for each set of parents, it is still high in rural areas. The contraceptive prevalence rate is also lower in rural areas than in urban areas.

Aswini Rana, an FPAN counselor, says that family planning is a challenge in rural areas.

“It is still a big challenge to effectively spread awareness of family planning in the rural, remote and socially backward societies of Nepal,” Rana says. “There is a dearth of family planning services, methods and devices at the health posts situated in the rural areas.” 

Chepang says that her husband once had to carry her for more than an hour to reach a health post. But she says the health post staff hesitated to touch her. Rana attributes this reluctance to the lack of necessary knowledge, skills and resources needed to handle such maternity health complications at rural health posts.

Chepang’s village is less than a three-hour drive from Kathmandu, with its myriad of hospitals and health facilities that promote family planning and provide care for pregnant women. Yet the lack of health services and awareness of family planning in Chepang’s community, the Chepangs, one of the most socially excluded and “backward” indigenous communities of Nepal, seems worlds away.

Although there has been a decline in unmet needs when it comes to family planning in Nepal, there is still a geographical disparity, according to the NDHS. Three-fourths of women in urban areas of Nepal said their needs were met, compared with less than two-thirds of women in rural areas.

But Dr. Kiran Regmi, director of the Family Health Division under the Department of Health Services, says Chepang’s case is an exception and that she is optimistic about the increasing awareness of family planning in Nepal.

“We have started to promote appropriate methods of family planning targeted towards those who do not understand and are hence averse to surgical measures of family planning,” Regmi says.   

Family planning services used to only be available in the Kathmandu Valley, according to the NDHS. But thanks to FPAN, the Nepal Family Planning and Maternal Child Health Project was established at government level in 1968 and has gradually expanded to cover all of Nepal’s districts since then.

Temporary methods, such as male condoms and contraceptive pills, are now available at national, regional, zonal and district hospitals; health care centers; and health posts and sub-health posts; according to the NDHS. But more long-term services, such as Norplant implants, IUD insertions and sterilization, are only available in certain districts.

Sagar Dahal, the Family Health Division’s senior public health administrator, says that the governmental department has started to work on guidelines for how to make family planning services more available in rural areas, especially among indigenous groups. But he says this will take time.

“This will take about six to seven months, and the government plans to take the rural family planning program ahead on the basis of those guidelines,” he says.

But women say that even when they do become aware of family planning options, many times cultural beliefs and family members stand in the way.

One mother, Sumitra Pulami Magar, 33, of Balajor, a village in southeastern Nepal, says that she has been using a temporary contraceptive, an injection that she must receive every three months, for the past four years. But her husband, Balkrishna Pulami Magar, says they can’t tell his mother, who objects to family planning.

“After the first two children, I had said we must take permanent measures of family planning, but my mother was not happy with the decision,” he says. “After that, we had two more children and the responsibilities also increased, and my wife and I decided to start on the contraceptive measures without informing my mother.”

The radio is the most popular outlet for family planning messages in rural areas, with televisions, billboards, and newspapers and magazines much less common than in urban areas, according to the NDHS. But still, family members and communities disapprove.

Sarita Tamang, 27, from the same district as Chepang, says her body is tired after giving birth to three daughters and that she learned from radio announcements that contraceptives could prevent her from having more children. But she says that women in her village, who usually deliver their babies at home, are too shy and embarrassed to go to the local health post to obtain contraceptives. Plus, she says her husband still yearns for a male heir.

“What can I do?” she asks. “My husband has said that he needs a son anyhow.”

Chepang says that she also learned about an operation that can stop future pregnancies on the radio. But she says that when she asked her husband to take her to the city to get the operation, he told her that showing her private parts to others was shameful.

Chepang resigned herself to immobility until a stranger got involved after he heard Chepang’s story on the radio, thanks to a youth from her village. The listener, Kiran Gautam, assistant inspector general of the police, contacted the radio station and said he wanted to pay for Chepang to have the operation. 

“When I heard about her condition, I felt very sorry for her,” Gautam says. “I immediately called up the radio station and made arrangements for her treatment.”

He says her story made him realize that women in Nepal deserve more respect.

“Seeing a woman, who is barely 50, in such a state and knowing how she was compelled to lead this life of pain, I realized that the status of women in Nepal is still very lamentable,” he says.

Thanks to Gautam's support, Chepang’s uterus was surgically removed in a hospital in a neighboring district last year. She now leads a healthy life and is able to go about her daily activities.

by Michelle Finotto

"I had given myself up for dead. "

-Hem Kumari Chepang, conceived 26 children

”I had given myself up for dead and never believed that I could lead a normal life ever again,” Chepang says, smiling. “I feel like I have been given a new lease to life by God himself.”

Chepang now does her part to promote family planning by advising younger women in her village to not bear too many children.

“Sasu-aama [mother-in-law] has advised me not to have more than two children,” Chepang’s daughter-in-law, Sharmila, says shyly.

Source: Global Press Institute - Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Other World - Unseen Creatures And Maximising Positive Energy

Mr Lee of Canada commented,  
"... experiences with uncomfortable night visions, noises, whatever.
As well a relatives house with similar incidences.
Had to call the temple monks to say prayers etc to cleanse the house.
Incidentally it is now the law here when selling a house, you have to mention whether it's 'clean'....meaning no ghosts or whatever.
We had a friend's house here, and his basement would have very often some unearthly visions...
apparently we suspect its his hobby of collecting certain very old artifacts, as well wood carvings.
And it is believed certain spirits were disturbed being brought to Canada. "
 
Angklung Source: Bandung Visit

Scene One: 

My Mother was surprised that the angklung, a bamboo musical instrument which I bought at Tangkuban Perahu, some 30km away from Bandung, stay put at its place for many years.

She told me of people she knew that in their houses, the musical instrument would move from side to side by itself, thus causes repetition of notes being played.

******

Scene Two:

The cluster of bamboo trees behind my house when I was staying in Geylang, was the resident of 'a lady' who used to look into open windows of my house.

It was already night time when I thought it was My Mother waiting for me on a small bridge, some 50 metres away.
I hurried my pace to her, and she, with two hands on her back, walked ahead without looking back.

I was surprised when My Mother did not turn to the house, instead walked straight to the extreme corner of the house, leading to a small alley.
I followed my 'unusual-self mother', but stopped when reaching a small alley at the end of the house.

I saw her walked straight to the cluster of bamboo trees and entered her 'house'.

I was surprised at seeing her, although it was only her back.
But I was told that she showed herself only to men.

******

Scene Three:

A group of four year old nursery children crowded at the glass window to have a look at 'a group of Japanese soldiers' coming out of forested area nearby a mosque in the northern part of Singapore.
The children were talking among themselves of what they were seeing.

The teacher joined them, but could not see anything.
The next day, the same thing happened, and the teacher called a few teaching staff to confirm with their eyes, but they too, could not see anything.
It happened for a few days before parents were told of the few days 'rare' incidents happened for 'only children's viewing'
None reported of their children being 'disturbed' by what they saw.

Were those Japanese soldiers the same imaginary friends that children used to have?
Imaginary friends, GOD willing, will be an entry of itself.

******

Scene Four:

It was about the same time that My Husband would occasionally give a hand to His close friend delivering hampers and gifts, especially during year-end and festive seasons.
He would sometimes brought home the undelivered or to be delivered early morning the next day, goods and flower arrangements for opening ceremonies and occasions too.

My neighbours, upon seeing the many flowers' arrangement placed at the front porch, would relate stories of so and so, had their purchase of flowers decorated on tree trunks and stumps, being thrown away after sobbings and weepings were heard coming from the the flower decorations being decorated on real cuts of stumps and tree trunks.

Although no unfavourable happenings took place, but I've seen a number of such beautiful flower decorations 'staring' at me.

******

Scene Five:

I was in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, when, upon entering one of its antique shop selling furnitures, a strong negative energy enveloped the atmosphere, despite the shop being frequented by antique and furniture hunters.

I did not move further exploring the shop when what others saw, was one intricately crafted antique bed made of teak-wood, but I visualised a human being 'laid resting' on it.

So, the unearthy vision that Mr Lee experienced, related well with my experience in the antique shop.

****** 

The Prophet s.a.w. said:

"Wearing silk and gold is permitted for the women of my ummah and prohibited for the males." 

- Reported by Imam Ahmad.

Yes, gold jewellery is for women, for adornment, not for consumption and tableware.

Although gold is strictly forbidden for men, The Prophet s.a.w. however, permitted men to wear silver rings.

Al-Bukhari r.a. reported Ibn 'Umar r.a. saying,

"The Messenger of ALLAH s.w.t. wore a silver ring. 

After him, Abu Bakr and then `Umar and `Uthman wore it, 

until it fell off his finger into the well of Arees." 

- Reported by AlBukhari.

Gold is for women, and so is silk, for women too.
I've always encouraged women with heart disease, any kinds of heart disease, to put on silk clothing.
The worm, being nature gift to us human, in the clothing, is therapeutic.

Silk is not for healthy men.
But The Prophet s.a.w. made concessions in the wearing of silken garments on men for medical reasons.
He gave `Abdur Rahman bin `Awf and AzZubayr bin Al`Awwam, both of whom suffered from scabies, permission to wear silk, as reported by AlBukhari.

Gold, silver and silk, naming the above, and things we wear and things around us, believe me, are with its own unique energy.
It has effect on our daily chores.
All I could state here, what we see as merely motionless objects to our naked eyes, do play their specific role in conforming to the Law of Attraction by their energies in them, dispersed to us, human beings.

Didn't The Prophet s.a.w. said, as reported by AlBukari,

"It is better to sit alone than in the company with the bad; and it is better to sit with the good than alone."

It is better to speak to a seeker of knowledge than to remain silent; but silence is better than idle words."

Yes, our daily words usage, people we are with, and the environment we live in, all contributed to the fulfillment and rejection of our wish.

So old artifacts collected over time, had its unused negative energy accumulated, could transform into 'illusionary vision' that could give goose pimples to some.

But untapped positive energy once released, will impact some people of their mind, body, soul and health too.

Wood carvings mentioned by Mr Lee, GOD willing, will be in the next post, around next week, after returning from Batam.
Insufficient time to share it here what's in my mind!

Filial Piety

Miss Yeo, in her 20's clapped hard for her father.

As tears flowed, her happiness soared.
Her father had finally put away the resentment baggage he had towards his parents - these past 50 years - for pulling him out of school when he was in primary 2.

Being the eldest, he had to help feed the family of 8.
First time in Mr Yeo's life, he volunteered in broken Singlish to share his new-found life with full-house audience in one of the seminar room in Spring Singapore building.
With excitement, he related his 'blind spot' that made him a passive, revengeful and resigned to fate person.

A reborn 60 year old Mr Yeo had found the purpose in cherishing his life with all positive values.

******

A 29 year old Miss Cerissa, had made both parents attended her graduation.

She had not been in talking terms with her father for the last 19 years, when she found out that he had a girlfriend.
Her mother struggled in bringing her up.
She resented the mother too, for being the cause of this mess in her life.

Her life had become more and more messier each passing day until she found out how to rid the 'blind spot' that had been hurdling her life.
Now, both parents sat side by side, are talking to each other.

The father had flown to Singapore all the way from China, where he's been posted to, to be with the dear daughter witnessing the transformation in her, the transformation she brought about to her parents and most importantly, the miracle changes she made towards the family.

******

A contractor, in his late 30s, forced himself forgoing his ego, shook his father's hand, hug each other - both men in tears.

He had not talked to his father since he was in Secondary 2 - from the day he gave his father a heavy blow on the face - for taking his newly-made bamboo-saving safe for his coins, out of his room.
He did not give a second thought about punching his old man, a habitual gambler, in front of his gambling friends.
His father had too often 'took' his hard-earned money. He had been self-supporting his schooling as long as he could remember.

Once a year, Aidilfitri, he would visit his mother - that's it - without acknowledging his father's existence in the same house.
He thought of ostracising himself from the parent's house once the mother is no more living.

But the obstacles he's facing in his business were mounting.
Every opportunities within hand-reach were all too  impossible to grab. Even opportunities that had knocked on his door would slipped out. What went very wrong in life?

He's an observant muslim, a responsible head of the family and an honest business proprietor.
When bankruptcy was about to be on his face, a saviour came to his rescue - FILIAL PIETY is the keyword to one's success in complete living.

For weeks, he contemplated about acknowledging the gambler father he has, but then, he has only one father in his life.

As these 2 men were in each others' hands, the real story unfold.

The father, with great pride, was showing to his friends the self-made safe made by his son - without any hint to dig into the saved coins.

******

The above stories and many more, about priortising parents had brought tears to many - reflecting own resentment at one time or another.

Immediate soul-searching needed when hiccups and stumbles in life are just too unbearable to shoulder.
Both seminars and workshops, held differently by different organisers in Singapore and Johore, were attended by hundreds participants and fees were in thousands.

These are all Universal Law. Human affections breed responsible persons, breed successful lives.
The speaker whom the hundred Singaporeans learn about filial piety is a Mr Singh, from India, who is now travelling round the world preaching the same traditional filial piety topic.

The motivator who talked to 500 attendees in Johore is a very successful businessman who travelled the world to learn more about Law of Nature. He had bridged many drifted parent-child relationships and bonded many families.

These are basics in religion.
As I recalled the sessions, I was looking around searching any familiar ustaz or ustazah's faces, I did not recognise any.

An open plea to all asatizah: Stand on a different platform - be creative to impart traditional living knowledge without being stuck to tradition.
You hold some of the keys in creating society not to be known ONLY for the wrong reason.

Learn from all people. Not selective individuals.

All the world's a stage. Men and women are mere players.    

            

Happy Deepavali

It was 5.15pm.
A group of bikers parking at the side of an Indian stall were waiting for friends to go to work together. A snaking row of Bas Kilang were crawling in the queue. Groups of girls were pacing up and down -  Impatience shown on their faces waiting for their transports yet to come. Though 'Festival of the Light' is round the corner, these Indian bikers, drivers and factory workers put their festive mood aside to routinely face the jam to cross the Johore Bahru Causeway greasing the economy.

Foreign Indians always fascinate me. They add colours and vibrants to all the happenings in the Lion City - Singapore.

******

Sitting at the bus-stop across Sheng Shiong nearest to the Woodlands Checkpoint, we can see the expatriate homemakers doing marketing at one of the cheapest store in Singapore. Their charming feature makes one momentarily believe that bevies of Bollywood beauties are waiting for buses.
Their intelligence has made the world pursue them.

The former Indian president, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who had been an invited speaker at S Rajaratnam School of International Study recently is confident of 100% literacy rate in India by 2020.
A rocket scientist himself, his vision of knowledge societies being innovative through creativity, has him encouraging young business graduates to take to politics in hastening the economic transformation of the country.

******

Excellent qualities in Indians contribute to the glitters in Singapore - Being expatriates do not discourage them to contribute to Singaporeans. They are known to sit as a board member of one of the Singapore Indian Association, become trustee of Indian self-help group and setting up trust-fund for needy children in Singapore and back home, India. Singapore need these people or...

Fact shown that Hindu marriages in any of the 28 listed temples in the island has all been performed by expatriate priests.
Singapore's 140 000 Hindus has never shown interest in becoming the head of one of the Indian religion.

For all the causes of their coming, residing and contributing towards the society, in the week of this joyous festivity, I wish all Hindus A VERY VERY HAPPY DEEPAVALI.