Why bother to hate someone?

Many of us experienced bullying, harassment, broken hearted, being scapegoat, and the like.

What would you feel when you are emotionally hurt by someone? And what if it happens over and over again? Would you hate him/her? Would you seek revenge? Would you feel so down and miserable?

As Muslims, we are taught to play cool, I meant when someone did something terrible to us, we MUST NOT hate them, let alone having a desire for revenge. Logically speaking, you understand what they did to you was very unpleasant and you might consider them as heartless creatures or whatsoever, so if you are smart and wise enough, YOU MUST NOT INTEND TO SEEK REVENGE, not even thinking about it. Because if you ever have that idea in your mind, let alone performing your revenge mission, it means you are simply as heartless as they are.

You got hurt so badly so you want to cry and you hate being in such situation and you hate those who hurt you, and bla bla bla. Yes, you are human being thus it is normal to feel such emotions. But when your mind and heart always connect to Allah, you will face the situation with patience, du’a, and a lot of Istighfar. FORGET YOUR SORROW! Ask Allah to grant you more patience and make good du’a for those who have costs you pain. Remember that ALLAH IS WITH THOSE WHO MAINTAIN PATIENCE (Al-Baqarah:153).

If you are patience, you are with Allah, and there is no way for Syatan or Evil Being to get into your blood.

DO NOT FALL INTO THE DEPTHS OF MISERY AND HATRED, BECAUSE SYATAN IS THERE. Syatan is the one that is so extremely incredibly happy to see you falling down. If you are feeling so down now, Get up! It is never too late to ask Allah’s Mercy. When you walk toward Allah, He runs toward you (Hadist by Imam Muslim)

Do not keep hatred inside you. Seriously, there is no benefit in doing so. Hatred haunts and ruins your soul. When you hate someone, you give him/her space in your brain, exactly similar to the case when you think about someone whom you love. I meant you surely will always remember how evil that person is, how could he/she do that, and you will eventually re-feel the pain again and again. Haven’t you got enough of pain? Come on, give mercy to your own heart and plus it is totally a waste of your brain capacity, no?

Believe this: WHAT COMES AROUND GOES AROUND. Allah tells us that there is always compensation (reward or punishment) for every deed we have done. This compensation may be given in the world or in the afterlife.

May our heart always be filled with mercy and faith!

My Superman and Superwoman

My superman, he is almost 60 years old now, yet he still works day and night, in and outside the house.

Every morning he opens his shop at 9 A.M. and closes it when Ezan calls at around 12 P.M. He goes to mosque for Zuhr or noon prayer. He always manages to pray in the mosque five times a day. Next, he would recites Al Qur'an at home, that's what he does after every prayer. After that, he has lunch and then goes out to buy some goods for his shop or sometimes he sweeps and mops the floor when our house needs cleaning. My father takes 2 or 3 hour nap in the afternoon.  Usually, he has dinner at 6.30 P.M. right after Maghrib Prayer. He opens his shop again after Isya' Prayer at 7.30 P.M. till around 00.00 (yes, midnight). At home, he would not go to bed right away, instead he performs additional night prayer and recites Qur'an. Sometimes before the prayer, he will clean the kitchen or washes the dishes when he feels like doing it. So, when he's done reciting Qur'an, he goes to bed or watching TV before bed. He wakes up for morning prayer at 4.30 A.M. and then he would sleep again or sometimes do some excercise (jogging or cycling together with my mother).

Perhaps, my mother is the happiest wife on earth, as my father does the house cleaning, he often washes his own clothes, he does not mind washing the dishes, and he is not picky in terms of eating, yes he eats whatever my mother cooks. He does the house work willingly and sincerely. Furthermore, he can be our private repairman. Yup, he can fix many things such as leaking roof, plumb, and electricity. Oh he also loves sport.

My father nowadays plays badmintoon with her friends twice in a week. He used to play it almost everyday until he was around 56, and he even won some district level competitions. He has three champion cups at home (as 1st, 2nd and 3rd winner). Before playing badmintoon and before getting married, he played soccer and was good at it. One day, when I was in senior high school, I took motorbike taxi and the driver told me a story that my father was his favourite soccer player, hmm what a story!

So, what does my Superwoman do?
My mother is a teacher in an elementary school and a social activist. She also helps my father in his shop when she is not busy. At school, she not only teaches several courses but also trains marching band and choir. At her NGO, she is now taking part in a project which helps community in solving and preventing health problems.

She looks even busier than my father. However, in the middle of her tight schedules, she still manages to be an excellent housewife and mother, of course. She takes a good care of her husband and daughters, she cooks, does the laundry, the grocery, the ironing; she washes the dishes, and she cleans the house in several occasions.

She loves what she does and my father always supports her. She has super sensitive heart and sincere one. I learn a lot of things from her. Her patience, kindness, gentle attitude and statement, responsibility, faith, helping others, and so many good great beautiful thing that I see in her.


Having them is the greatest thing that ever happens in my life. This might be a dream of millions people out there. Alhamdulillah... endless thanks to You my Lord.

May You always gives my superwoman and superman health and happiness.

Ramadhan's Coming

Assalamu'alaikum .....

Juma Mubarak brothers and sisters!
Have you recited Al-Kahf in the most special day of the week? Hopefully, Alhamdulillah you have or InshaAllah you will.


Alhamdulillah, all praise to Allah for giving me long live and opportunity to meet the most beloved month, Ramadhan Kareem, soon. This year's Ramadhan should be passed with better activities than last year's, InshaAllah.

I came accross a lecture by Nouman Ali Khan about things we'd better do in Ramadhan. He reminds us how to make the most of Ramadhan month, when Syatan is tied up, when the rewards of every prayer, qur'an reciting, and all kinds of worship to Allah are multiplied. Let's plan some goals during Ramadhan, solely for improving our iman and taqwa, our belief and piety.


I do hope that our mind and soul are always connected to the Greatest Allah.

So, please check out this action plan for Ramadhan.

2014 Throwback: 11 Hour Layover at Dubai International Airport

I love travelling and exploring new things. I have travelled to several places, sometimes with family, friend(s), or by my self. This time, I am going to share one of my travel experiences in brief. Actually, this might be the shortest travel story since it only tells about me wandering around a terminal at Dubai Airport while waiting for my connecting flight to Turkey (currently I am completing my notes on travelling around Turkey in Bahasa Indonesia. InshaAllah I'll write it in English soon.)

3 May 2014, I went to Changi Airport and was accompanied by two lovely Indonesians, they're my closest friends during my four-month stay in Singapore for student exchange program. This time I am all by my self travelling hundred miles away, yet I did not feel anxious or nervous at all. I was too excited to finally visit my dreamland, Turkey. My flight departed at 9.25 P.M. and it took 7 hours and 30 minutes to land in Dubai International Airport.

I was flying with Emirates Airlines, I booked the two-way tickets on March 2014 (for one week stay in Turkey), I paid 1000 Singapore Dollars at that time. but then I changed my mind and decided to stay for a month instead. I just wanted to make the most of stay period written in my tourist visa which was 30 days. Therefor, on April, I changed my booking to reschedule the date of my return and it costed me 50 Singapore Dollars.

It was the first time I heard Arabic speaking instruction on the plane, feeling like I was already in Arab country. The flight went well and we landed smoothly at 00.45 A.M. local time.  Before landing, I look through the window and only saw the yellowish city lights lined up neatly. Getting off from the plane, the passengers were transported into the building by bus. 

The airport was very huge yet not so many people there other than the staffs. I was amazed seeing the airport female Arab staffs wear black dress like Abaya, and Arab men wearing their traditional white dress and chess-pattern head scarf. It was my first time being in Arab country, so I was all excited to see the way the people dress and also the Arabic characters everywhere along with the English translation, wow. I saw a lot of Asian female staffs and cleaning services here, Filipinos for exactly. Many Indonesians also work in Arab country, but most of them work as maids, they don't get to work in such public place because they can't speak English well, unlike Filipinos. 

I rushed to Emirates Airline Terminal where I would catch the next fly and passed the security check. I regretted that I did not explore the airport before getting into security check, since I still had 11 more hours before connecting flight to Istanbul. The terminal is so comfy, there are lots of shops like money changer, duty free, Emirates Airline goodies, Mc Donald, and many more. The female officials wear the same uniform as the stewardess, some wear long skirt with red hijab. Oh by the way, I am a fan of Emirates Airline stewardess's uniform, it looks so pretty with that red head piece. If stewardess could wear hijab, I would definitely apply for that job, then I could travel around the world while earning money.

I did the Maghrib and Isya' prayers on the plane, so right after entering the Terminal I wandered around looking for comfy recliner chairs which unfortunately were all taken. I sat on the bench and trying to sleep with my neck pillow, but I couldn't because it was not comfortable at all. I saw three or four caucasians people were sleeping on the floor by the window glass, seems like they were also waiting for the connecting flight. Thus, without feeling embarrassed or afraid being warned by the security, I lay my self on the floor since I was extremely sleepy, lucky that I took the blanket I got from the plane, so I put it on the floor and I slept, safe and sound. 

I woke up and then I went to female prayer room for Subuh prayer. I took ritual ablution and then I pray. I was wearing trousers and there were no skirt or any garment in the prayer room, so I took the blanket and turned it into a skirt. This blanket really saved my day, hahaha.

After praying, I wandered around again and again, went into the duty free and souvenir shop but bought nothing. I sat on the bench in front of Mc Donald and smiled seeing the Mc Donald was written in Arabic, because l would read it like MAKDUNALDZ, throw back to the moment where my Arabic teacher, Mr. Shahid, told us about it. I was hungry, but the queue at McD inside counter was crazy, so I went to the front counter, Mc Cafe instead. Mc Cafe only offers breads and drinks. I ordered a glass of hot cappuccino and brownie cake, all cost 12 AED. The price lists written in English with UAE currency, but no worries, because the staff is friendly and that customers may use other currencies, I paid 3.5 US Dollars. I ate on the table by the entrance while enjoying time and observing people passed by.

Mc Donald at Dubai Airport

Mc Cafe's Cappuccino and Brownie Cake (USD 3.5)

After finishing my meals, I sat at the airport bench for like an hour and half perhaps. At 10 A.M. sharp, I looked for my Gate but it was not opened yet. I wait for several minutes till it was finally opened. The plane took off around 11.20 A.M. and after 4 hours and 35 minutes, it landed in Atatürk Airport, Turkey.

His Verse: The Beauty of Diversity

وَمِنْ ءَايٰتِهِۦ خَلْقُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلٰفُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوٰنِكُمْ  ۚ  إِنَّ فِى ذٰلِكَ لَءَايٰتٍ لِّلْعٰلِمِينَ

And of His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colors. Indeed there are Signs in this for the wise.

[QS. Ar-Room: Verse 22]

Good Morning! Happy weekend! Assalamu'alaikum, may peace be upon you! 

This very morning I happen to be reading this Verse. I am familiar with this Verse, however anytime I come across this Verse, I feel so blessed that my God has given me such opportunity to get to know and even be friend with people of the world. I thank to my Lord for granting me chances to travel and explore some part of the world, see divers traditions and arts, mesmerize the beauty of the Greatest Creator, Allah S.W.T.

Indeed, I am so lucky for living in Indonesia with hundreds of tribes, each of those has  their own language and traditions, all can be found in the greenest place on earth, well people call Indonesia as the heaven on earth. So, I can't be any luckier for being the citizen of "heaven" :D
Thank God, I was not born or living in an isolated country, such as North Korea, no offense tho.
I can't imagine, how depressed it would be if there is no such diversity among us, all identical, one color.

Endless thank to Thee, The Master of Arts.

My Fave: Lectures by Nouman Ali Khan

Good Morning, and Juma Mubarak!

In this special blessed day, I am gonna share my favorite Youtube playlist with you folks. To feed my spiritual need, I love listening to/watching brother Nouman Ali Khan, the founder of Bayyinah Institute in the US. His lectures are all in English (which can be an alternative for English listening practise), have simple content, delivered moderately with little jokes, yet the messages got into my heart very well. He discusses the Tafsir of some surat ul Qur'an, the story of prophets and how it teaches us, the problem and challenge of young muslim and muslima nowadays, and the list goes on, all of those are in line wih Al-Qur'an and Hadith.

Dear muslim brothers and sisters, after watching his lectures, I hope you will find some enlightment and courage to be the better muslims, InshaAllah.

 So, without further ado, enjoy these inspirational lectures by brother Nouman Ali Khan!


To Cover or Not? - That's Messed Up! - Nouman Ali…: http://youtu.be/AALgGKSnU2g

Lessons From Surah Ar Rahman - Nouman Ali Khan: http://youtu.be/aRHxyQPJQuw
It's okay to Love someone | Nouman Ali Khan: http://youtu.be/Tdifrrnt4Fo

The Strategy of Satan by Nouman Ali Khan | 877-Wh…: http://youtu.be/FemDGxSwVcM

Why do we need Religion when we have Science? - b…: http://youtu.be/OcEGUaVIEnk

Islam and why Muslim Men and Women can't be frien…: http://youtu.be/R6LJ5J6k5I8

__ In case your Youtube app is troublesome, you can listen to some podcast of his lecture or khutbah by visiting bayyinah.com. Well, check on this:

http://podcast.bayyinah.com/category/nouman-ali-khan/

Betel Leaf: Natural remedy for my swollen eye

A week ago, waking up from afternoon nap, I felt a little pressure on my right eye, at once I knew my right eye was having inflammation. I experienced this several times, usually the slight pressure gets bigger and followed by swollen eye, this will lasts for at least a week without any treatment. I got to know natural remedy for troublesome eye (red, itchy, swollen, watery, etc) in 2014. It happens that Betel, the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, is a super effective cure for my swollen eyes. Betel is known for its antiseptic substance, thus it is used to cleanse vital and sensitive part of our body such as mouth, vagina, and eyes. 

You only need to wash 3 or 5 betel leaves (odd numbers is Sunnah) , boil them with 2 cups of water, cool and strain. Place it in a glass or cup, and dip your eye into it. Don’t forget to blink while dipping your eye. It is quite safe to use this regularly, day and night.

Applying this natural remedy a day after the pain started, my puffy eye lasted for two days only Alhamdulilah.

Betel Leaves

Cooking Experiment #1 - Corn and Egg

Good Morning Folks!

Today I feel so energized and my morning mood is somehow boosted. I don’t usually cook for breakfast but today I went to the kitchen and found two corns and an egg.

FYI, my family never makes breakfast, we grab our breakfast from food stalls instead. We live in a village and here take-away foods are incredibly cheap. We mostly have take-away Nasi Pecel (rice and salad dressed with peanut sauce and curry soup, plus a couple of fried tempe or soybean cake or fermented soybean) which is worth Rp. 3000,-/portion. A dish of Nasi Pecel contains carbohydrate, minerals, vitamins, and plant protein. If you need or love or can’t eat without animal protein, you can ask for an extras, like a slice of chicken wing (my favorite is chicken foot which is disgusting for some people but it is edible and rich of calcium, and most importantly I find it delicious).

Long short story, I thought it would be fun to do a simple cooking experiment. I use these following ingredients for seasoning (basically any ingredient I found on the kitchen counter):

Seasoning
3 cloves

1 clove garlic
1 shallot plant bulb (or shallot leaves)
5 basil leaves
1 green lemon leaf
2 tomatoes
5 chili papers
½ tablespoon salt

Main ingredient

2 ears of corn (cut corn kernels off the cob)
1 organic egg
3 tablespoon of palm oil

Now, how do I make it?
1.       Chop up the shallots, garlic, shallot leaves, basil leaves, green lemon leaf, tomatoes, and chili papers.
2.       Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan and then stir fry those chopped ingredients (±1 minute)
3.       Add the corn kernels and stir fry till it turns golden (±2 minutes)
4.       Crack the egg and mix them all together. Add the salt and keep stirring till it is cooked. 

DONE! It is super easy. Isn’t it? Basically I just mixed all the ingredients. This carbohydrate-protein-vitamin-mineral meal is better served hot, especially when it is still smoking, yummm! Oh wait! It’s perfect with a cup of caffein, I meant bir bardak çay / un vaso de té / a cup of tea. Bon appetit!

Hello!

Hi People! Eventually,  I decided to start blogging today. Yeay! I always wanted to start it since like years ago, but the laziness had a pretty good hold on me. I do love blog walking, when I find someone’s blog interesting, I will read almost all posts from the recent to the oldest ones. The fact is that I am not good in writing, even in my mother languages which are Bahasa Indonesia and Javanese, let alone English, but hey it’s never too late to practice, right?. 
I am graduated from the oldest university in Indonesia, and I am majoring in English. Yes, English! Though my brain is so lack of English vocabularies and so needed an improvement, especially in terms of writing. So again, here I am, trying to keep my English alive.

Note: Please don’t mind my not-so-good lexicon choices. :)