i give up

Goodness, you sure have an irresolute friend, Alya. At least she's honest. 

illustrations courtesy of someecards.com

eid-sentials

Bismillah.

Haafidh Ibn Hajr said: 107 "We have related in Mahaamiliyaat" with a chain of narration that is hasan, from Jubair bin Nufair, who said: The Companions of Allah's Messenger used to, when they met on the day of Eid used to say to each other:

"Taqabbalallaahu minnaa wa minkum."

(Translation: May Allah accept it from you and from us.)

Hadith source: http://sunnahonline.com/ilm/sunnah/0015_page4.htm

do correct me should there be misguided information

pursuing happiness

Bismillah.

Sometime ago, I learnt from Twins of Faith that one form of a jihad is to make at least one person happy a day.

They say if we grant others' wishes, Allah will grant ours.

My brother Afiq was constantly borrowing my paintbrushes. Whenever he needed any for his school projects, he would always be asking if I could lend him mine, so one day, I decided to surprise him with a set of paintbrushes in various sizes. God knows how he beamed with happiness and contentment, and it sure was pretty cool to hear him say, "You're the best kakak in the world!" (like duh. Haha.)

When we make someone happy, we're inadvertently making ourselves feel wonderful too. It doesn't have to be something physical like a gift, smiling and saying salaam to kind strangers, giving out a helping hand to those who seem to need one, even if they weren't asking.

Here's a couple more (super fun, I tell you):

1. Telling your teacher/ friend she looks lovely
2. Saying I love you to your parents every time when hanging up 
3. Throwing a surprise party for your friend's birthday 
4. Handing out food for the homeless 
5. Giving people presents out of the blue for no reason
6. Cleaning the surau's wudhu' area
7. Washing surau praying garments (telekungs), making them smell pleasantly homey
8. Making something delicious for the family 
9. Surprising friends with that-one-thing-they-put-on-their-wishlist-since-forever
10. Spending good time with those who live in poverty 

"The reward of goodness is nothing but goodness" 

(Quran, 55: 60)

Magical, eh, to put a smile on another's face, knowing that surely Allah will put one on ours in return.  

Since it's Ramadhan, let us make those who revolve around us happy. That's tremendous, multiple pahala there, simply by making somebody else delighted for the sake of Allah. Sadaqah, too.

Now that you're in the giving mood, I know a person who would appreciate the following... bhahaha. 

bonus level

It's Ramadhan now, woohoo. 

I told Faiz that everything is a super blessed bonus, kind of like a bonus level you have in games where every score is awe-struckingly multiplied. 

I'm positive that everyone would want to make the most out of Ramadhan while it lasts, eh? 

A schoolmate of mine once pointed out that Ramadhan is not merely fasting and tarawih, suhoor and breaking fast, and not about sleeping from after zuhur till half-an-hour before Maghrib because we're too tired to do anything, too, of course. 

Ramadhan is a truly prosperous month, and I read this teeny quote somewhere; if a Muslim realises just how blissful Ramadhan is, he would want Ramadhan to be there throughout the year. 

As for me, I find it magical how Ramadhan seem to transform everyone into a goody-two-shoes version of themselves. 

Typically, in between classes, my classmates and I would just have conversations with one another (or in my case, doing our little karaoke sessions, excitedly sharing the fan fiction we read yesterday, or simply bantering). In Ramadhan, however, just as soon as the teacher wraps it up, as if on cue, everyone picks up their respective Qurans and immediately start reciting. 

Those who don't cover up, cover. Those who delay prayer, pray after Adzan. 

The cherry on top would be that during the 30-day period, they get used to their altered habits. It kind of gets under their skin and the next thing we know, they changed for good. Ramadhan surely is a turning point for the most of us. 

May Allah keep us steadfast on the Deen, even after Ramadhan! (not that I want Ramadhan to leave).

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4 steps to 11

Ok guys, 11A+s eh? Easy.

I wasn't in school today, so I pondered about it...

AND I HAVE FINALLY FIGURED IT ALL OUT.

HERE'S HOW:

1. Focus in class

My lab mates and I have this thing called exchanging stories and fangirling in class. So basically, what you do is, you either sing, share something you found on tumblr, or have shushed conversation with the person next to you, passionately telling her about your new boyfriend who apparently doesn't even know you and lives in a different timezone (it's ok, we feel you, Ain's in love with Luke, so is Amalin with Jack...)

We're so engrossed and focused in imagining situations that would probably never happen in a million years in our studies, even the teacher doesn't interrupt.

2. Get enough sleep

courtesy of theramencup

You know how they say that in order to be a top scorer, you've got to stay alert and stuff, and you're gonna have to sleep for at least 6-8 hours to unwind? Yeah? Well, ok, 30 minutes during Sejarah, 30 minutes in Biology, a couple of 30-mins sometime else, and huzzah, before you know it, 6 hours: DONE. This is so easy.

3. Help one another

One of the fundamentals! I teach my desk mates how to bake cookies, Amalin preaches about her precious belongings (including a Petrosains dino), Ain gave a tutorial to my desk partner how to log on into tumblr, all our lessons held during classes. We're all cool with sharing knowledge, they stay in mind longer like that.

4. Be brave and ask

Sometimes lectures really are baffling (think Chemistry and Physics?) Say if you're confused of how you should do this and that, don't be shy to ask! It's not like people still eat one another. Cannibalism is so over (never again, na'udzu billahi min zalik). I'm the Common Law and Leverage encyclopaedia, remember? For qestions on 5SOS and One Direction, kindly contact Amalin Kamilah and Qurratul 'Ain. I'm not sure if they have Meet & Greet or VIP passes, but it could be worth to ask.

With all these 4 steps in hand, you're all set to 11A+!


Ok, ok, I'm kidding.

the walking book

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS! Woohoo. Of course, you would have guessed how I spent (and spending) it.

I’ve always been a huge Leverage fan. You could ask me, like, in which episode did Parker and Eliot went lost in those snowy mountains? Easy, The Long Way Down Job, Season 4 Episode 1. What does Hardison have in his fridge? Loaaads of orange fizz. So really, ask me anything, and I’ll answer it in a breeze.

And then there’s Common Law. I was devastated when it got cancelled. I’m like your walking Common Law encyclopaedia. What was Wes and Travis’ joint custody thing? Hudson the dog. How did Travis get his name? The fireman that saved him. 

Trust me, you question and I could very much explain everything in detail.

Here’s the thing though…

“Which one is the ayat in which Allah told us to dress modestly?” Wait… let me google that...

“What does this ayat mean? Is it about being kind to animals?” One second, I’ll go get my tafseer.

It’s extremely depressing. No, make that horrifying. 

Let’s face the spine-chilling, blood-curdling truth - one day, my life, the whole world is going to end and I am not even prepared for it. 

If I could have all those sinful ridicules (really, how do you go to Jannah with Leverage??) in my head, why not the Quran?

Imagine how beautiful our lives would be if we have the ayats of the Quran embedded within our soul. MasyaAllah it is so heart-warming to see little kids, my friends, having memorised the whole book of Allah by heart. Ask them anything, and they’ll help you. They practically live and breath the Quran.

May us all be the walking book of God’s words.