Beyond the Veil

Yesterday me, Mama and Nadiah went to a speak by Syaikh Abdal Hakim Murad at IIUM titled "Beyond the Veil: Seeing New Realities in Islam". I attended a workshop by him before so I really wanted to attend this one too. Alhamdulillah Allah allowed me to.

We were a bit late and the lecture already started by the time we made our way to the lecture hall. Not able to hear the preface/introduction (or even aware the summary of what the talk was about) I was a bit confused and it wasn't after some time I started writing down.

But now that I look back at my notes I realize how insufficient, incomplete they are and writing them here will do no justice for Syaikh's lecture. There were times where I just stopped writing and just let his words soak in, times that I just have to look at Nadiah's face and saying yesyesyes with my face. Also there were moments when I feel stabbed one time, two times, many times especially when he was talking about human's obsession with shopping (and I just got back from a round of shopping with Rahah).

Basically his lecture was about how Muslims should oppose how the world is going now, which is a religion of consumerism, flocking shopping malls in order to buy stuffs (ouch), a lifestyle that is totally unsustainable. The rest of humanity is marching to somewhere really different, and this process of profiteering results in environmental destruction. Muslims don't accept that humanity are only here just to do shopping. We must be dissidents.

In regards to what is happening to Islam right now, instead of feeling despair and thinking that Islam is in crisis we should remind ourselves that things are really not bad. For example there is nothing like Ramadan in other religion, everyday billions of Muslims face Mecca for qiblah, our ibadah and rituals have been preserved which is a major achievement not of our own but because of the grace of Allah. Thus, we should always say "Alhamdulillah", "Thank you Allah".


We are freaking out so often because we are paranoid. Thinking that we are being attacked, that people are conspiring against us is paranoia. That was how the Munafiqeen felt and not the great Companions in Rasulullah's time. For the Sahabahs the conviction that "Hasbunallah wa ni'mal-Wakeel", "Allah Is Enough for me" carried them through.

Adding the collection of books I bought but haven't read

I feel really blessed with the chance to attend this lecture. While Mama told me that she thought Prof Tariq Ramadan's lecture we attended before was better I personally feel I enjoyed this one more. Mama said she already knows most of what Syaikh lectured, they are what a lot of Ustaz in Malaysia already talked about. I guess I just need a Mat Salleh from Cambridge with the most beautiful spoken words (like reading a book) driving home all these wisdom that we probably know but never ponder upon before, nodding yesyesyes hoping these words straight to my heart stay there.

Going back to Singapore

I just got back from a 3 days, 2 nights trip to Singapore. I went there specifically to accompany my friend who wanted to catch the Harry Potter exhibition going on at the Arts and Science Museum but we took the chance to visit some other places too.

I've been to Singapore twice previously. The first one was with Arwah Atuk when we attended a wedding of Nenek's friend. We stayed in Nek Busu Zai's house in JB and her daughter drove us there. Besides going to the kenduri we didn't actually stop anywhere else but I remember Atuk pointing out a complex as where he had his police training.

The second time I was there was to attend the Singapore vs Liverpool FC match in 2009. We had a great time being busy stalking following the Liverpool team to their Singapore river cruise, going to the Kallang Stadium, singing on our way back, making banners for the match. It wasn't really a sightseeing trip but we managed to slot a trip to Orchard Road (where everything was horribly expensive and I could only afford the fridge magnets).

This time around we actually had a plenty of time to spare. Plenty of time to study the MRT system and also finding we prefer the buses and walking everywhere instead. Plenty of time to look and soak the atmosphere, smile at the locals, chat with pakciks in the Sultan Mosque...

What can I say. The trip is full of me feeling ahhhh this is what Malaysia could have be too. If instead of Proton we went for MRTs, if instead of demolishing every old buildings in KL's Golden Triangle we preserve them for tourists and future generations (I am still bitter about the demolition of Pudu Jail) if instead of building another mega project we clean up the embarrassing mess that is the Klang river flowing through the heart of KL if if if.

Singapore will always feel familiar by the stories my mother told me of her childhood there. Of Atuk always buying murtabak on his pay day (we had the Arab Street's famous murtabak. I am convinced it is the same murtabak in Mama's stories), of the whole family going for Eid visits by bus, of childhood in the police housing playing with other children (or rather the other children not wanting to play with Mama because she cries easily), of Nenek's helping Mama to cross the big street on the way to the school and once she got Mama and Mak Lang safely on the opposite side then walking back home, of a house without television making Mama watching the drama Melayu from the window of their neighbour's house and of Atuk having enough of his embarrassing children and buying a TV finally.

Walking around Singapore I felt like I was reliving those moments in Mama's stories. It really helps that while there are impressive skyscrapers and modern buildings in recent years, they still maintain their old buildings, airport, HDB flats and old shopping complexes. It makes me feel that I am back to those days and some moments actually brought tears to my eyes. It made me miss Atuk desperately, thinking I would have love to see how dashing he must've been in his police uniform, and also a longing for Nenek Mariam who I never got to know.