Hey guys…

Isn’t it kinda sad that everything is like coming to an end? just about a month ago, i was estatic that my time in NYP is soooo over! but now…. why does it have to be that i’m closer to my classmates only during the last few weeks of the final sem?

like seriously, i have never felt closer to some of u guys in MB0404 than now in these 3 years. i have never really got to know any of u guys any better than i have in year 1. it’s a sad thing, i know… but what the heck, it’s all over now right.

I hope u guys got the testimonials i have personally, PERSONALLY written for u. those who didnt get it….. do u have a friendster account to start with?  if so, lemme noe, i do have something to say to u. you may never know, it might be the best thing that ever happened to u. whahahaha

but whoever got it, don’t be disheartened if u see repetitions in another’s profile k. some stuff that i repeated time and again

1. HEY YOU!
2. Surprised?
3. all the best in the exams and everything after that!
4. though i have not much memories to share…
5. It was great to have u as my classmate
6. buzzing off… ~fana (i can’t change my name to lydia yet)

but just to let u know…(slow music plays i the background) every single word i said, came from the bottom of my heart. i’m really gonna miss u guys like crazy…Some of u guys really make me look forward to coming to class everyday, whether u know it or not… although some testimonials were short and some were long… it doesn’t mean i love u any lesser (haha, i sound like a mum talking to her kids.. eww), maybe i said less coz i have so much to say, but i don’t know where to start…

u guys are great, though we were like the silent-est, most dysfunctional class EVER! i think it’ll take a lot more than a hard knock on my head to forget all of u.

even if u have hated me for the most of the 3 years… dun hate me anymore k? haha. but i can tell u one thing though… if u have known me enough… ur not gonna meet another person like me ever. i’m pretty sure of that. u know y? coz I’m fana. whahaahahhaa! 

to Jy, kelly, CJ, kim, michelle, geraldine and whoever i forgot to mention…(you guys did not receive anything frm me. dun blame me k, gimme ur friendster acct la! i have so much to say!)

All the best in ur exams and everything after that…

buzzing off…
~fana

This is a
conversation between a friend of mine and I on Music.

It may seem like,
what’s there to talk about… 

But this
conversation has some information that websites and other sources don’t easily
give u.

Remember, this
chat is between 2 people from this era, very normal people like u guys. So if u
can’t understand what this is about, I don’t know what u can understand.

Islam is a way of
life. How does Islam affect a daily activity like music? Here are two different
views for you.

m s: ok got a topic

m s: Music!!

fana: ok

m s: so wht do u think
of it

fana: The best music is
reading the quran melodiously.

fana: and music other
than that… like modern music - hip hop blah blah

m s: tht aint the music
im talking abt!!

fana: are deeds of shaitaan.

m s: wht abt singing?

fana: see, listen to
what i have to say 1st before jumping into conclusions…

fana: singing.. depends
on lyrics. singing in praise of Allah is alright…. but other than that.. no.

fana: so songs and
stuff……. im trying my best to drift away from them

fana: what about u?

m s: well i dont find
any thing wrong ; like singing love songs coz u already knw tht wthever u say
sing or speak in tht is not true and its to the best of ur knowledge and even
everybody knows pretty well tht whtever sung is nt true but jus and
"imagination"

m s: coz i too do sing
some songs ; seldom;

m s: but songs
containing filty vulgar or worst words shud no way be excused!

fana: but why do
something untrue and imaginative when there are real stuff to worry about?

fana: when a mum sings
a lullaby… i can understand… there’s purpose.. but what the purpose of
these songs?

m s: coz in this world
imagination is the only thing every1 can think abt!

m s: and even its my
own opinion ;The most easiest thing in this world is Imagination only; wheras
the toughest thing is Doing it practically!

m s: my own theory@

fana: i can think about
tons of stuff other than imagination. like memorizing the quran for God’s sake.

fana: yes, that’s
true…..

fana: imagination is
easy…. bringing it to practice is tough…..

fana: go ahead and
imagine….

m s: ya

fana: but don’t waste
time and money on others’ imaginations, coz their only desire out of imagining
songs out is to make money and fame…

fana: how much of it do
u think goes to Praising God?

fana: almost none.

m s: well ok lets
accept as u said tht music is wrong; but how did u declare it wrong? i mean the
reason?

m s: yeah true i agree
with u; but singers are not only to sing love or pop songs ther are even
singers who sings songs praising allah

fana: it’s based on
questions…… why would one… wanan sing out his/her personal/intimate
feelings? isn’t that s’posed to be restricted to one’s imagination only? where
is haya (this
term is explained later in the convo.) in that?

fana: yes, singing
songs in praise of Allah is by all means agreeable

fana: but love songs
and stuff? i feel it’s a waste of time.

m s: hmmm..ok

m s: but whts the
reason for wch music has been prohibited in isalm?

fana: it is a
distraction… that’s the main reason…. if im not wrong

fana: distraction from
Worship. don’t u think?

m s: the reason? as i
already said earlier: ther is no rule existing in islam thts has no specific
reason; and to add to it. it has been proved scientifically /is being /and will
be proved Scientifically (every rule) (say alcohol and pork as we discussed on
it)

m s: how cud u say
distraction? was tht the correct or exact word?

fana: ok… tell me the
hadith related to musical instruments

m s: nope sorry not
acceptable ..distracting! coz u may go to salat do everything as usual and
listen to music in

ur

free time..so wht do usay

m s: ok talking abt
hadees

m s: music was
prohinited in isalm ; coz of the main reason ..it intoxictes ppls mind..

fana: ok, im speaking
from my personal experience… it is a distraction because, when im praying, in
the back of my mind…. i’m singing the song i just heard. and it diverts my
concentration from prayers.

m s: it acts as
intoxicant..like many of the rock’ pop english musics do i agree ..but not all;
ther are amany kind of musics as mentioned rock; pop; slow; etc;.

fana: yes, exactly,
intoxicates the mind.

fana: no matter slow or
fast……

fana: it is still
intoxicating

fana: does one go off
unpunished coz he killed a person with a slow poison and the other gets
punishment coz he used a fast poison? [analogy]

m s: hmm okie but it
never happened with me..though i dont hav a TV or music sys in my home; to be
frank; i hear the music  whn my neighbours play it loud..and for jus a 3-4
times if i hear it it gets memorised in my mind even if i dont wish ..saying
truth..

m s: nope slow poison
and fst poison is entirely diff

fana: it still kills

m s: considering music
slow and pop makes a lot of difference

fana: the punishment
for murder is still the same.

m s: whn u hear a slow
song it touches ur heart and reflects ur feeling whr as a fast song doesnt do
tht abv but jus make u tap ut foot like of pop or rock music

fana: yes, but what
touches

ur

heart is the lyrics and the music. and the lyrics are intimate
(in a love song) and if im not wrong…. wind instruments are not allowed?

m s: well hang on i
remember another hadees

fana: intimacy is
limited between a married couple or one’s mind. it’s not somethnig that can be
shared out in the public. in this way, how can a song, slow or fast….. be
appropriate?

m s: hav u heard of
tambourine (which is open on one side and covered on the other).known as daff
..

fana: yes

m s: well ok but as i
said b4 it shudnt contain filty vulgar words unless ; otherwise its ok

m s: so hw come prophet
allow it in islam?

m s: as u said slow
poison or fst poison has the same ppunishment?

m s: so y isnt tht ; i
mean

ur

theory applied at this instant?

m s: i mean y was it
allowed by prophet saw?

(at
this moment, I took quite a while to reply – btw, lemme say… I do not get
trapped or confused easily)

m s: trapped? confused?

fana: what was the daff
used for?

fana: no, i was looking
at a site

m s: ok search it on..

m s: daff was used at
many times not a specific situation like whn our prophet saw entered mina city
; to welcome him ther the dance gals played daff; at this abu bakar RA stopped
them by playing the daff ; then prophet asked him not to stop it for its a time
of jashn ; eid..

fana: whatever it
is…. i would stand by what i say…. that music and songs… those that are
from movies and

hollywood

are not desirable. i will not call it haraam. i have no right
to. but singing out personal feelings in terms of songs and enticing people by
that… i do not feel it’s right. singing in praise of Allah (like Sami yusuf),
go ahead.

fana: that’s what i
feel.

fana: singing songs
with no purpose attached to it is just a waste of time.

m s: as alcohol will be
given different names and consumed by ppl; similarly musical instruments wil be
used as a sourceof meeriment to attract men and bring them towards evil acts ;
like attracting men towards sex; thru dancing womens while playing music..tis
is also a reason..

fana: ok, u tell me..
is that reason acceptable?

m s: ya ther u r;
singing songs with no purpose? how could it be w/o a purpose? its feelings and
imagination expressed in words songs..

m s: y not ? how would
u say thts not acceptable.

m s: its a true hadees
narrated by a sahaba ; not my own words

fana: how come u omit
out whatever i said to

ur

convenience? did i not say about singing out personal feelings?
that it is not islamic morale to do that?

m s: hmm hav to think
deep.

fana: singing to attract
men towards evil acts, towards sex thru dancing women while playing music is
acceptable?

fana: that’s what im
asking u?

m s: oh i mean tht
reason was acceptable coz tths true.

fana: it is acceptable
to sing to attract men towards evil acts, towards sex thru dancing women while
playing music in islam?

m s: nope

fana: then?

fana: in what way is it
acceptable?

m s: but if it doesnt
evolve such things then whts worng?

fana: can u define haya
for me?

m s: hmm

m s: u mean the shy
nature

fana: ok, yes

m s: haya as in things
wch u need to keep upto u;

m s: never reveal it to
others

fana: yes……wait,
let me say what i wanna. hold

ur

thoughts

m s: but singing doesnt
contain any such haya things

fana: ok

fana: whn this is all
haya….. and haya is emphasised in islam as morals and manners….. why is
singing about one’s personal feelings for a man/woman… something that one is
even hesitant to share with one’s family and friends be acceptable?

fana: of course, there
is no hadith talking about it in this way….

fana: but in the long
run, it comes to thinking about our deeds

fana: whether it makes
sense

m s: whtever i dont
agree..

m s: Hence Ibn ‘Abbaas
said: “Idle talk” is falsehood and singing. Some of the Sahaabah said one and
some said the other, and some said both. Singing is worse and more harmful than
stories of kings, because it leads to zinaa (sexual relationships out of marriage) and makes
hypocrisy grow (in the heart); it is the trap of the Shaytaan, and it clouds
the mind. The way in which it blocks people from the Qur’aan is worse than the
way in which other kinds of false talk block them, because people are naturally
inclined towards it and tend to want to listen to it. The aayaat condemn
replacing the Qur’aan with idle talk in order to mislead (men) from the path of
Allaah without knowledge and taking it as a joke, because when an aayah of the
Qur’aan is recited to such a person, he turns his back as if he heard them not,
as if there were deafn

fana: well, u have

ur

opinions i have mine. neither of us can force our ideas into
each other.

m s: yeah but i hav to
convince u..

fana: which site did u
get that excerpt from?

m s: okie thts a hadees

fana: yes, but u got it
from a site….

fana: which is it?

m s: yeah thts frm
irf.com

m s: queries ; sorry i
lost tht link; sys was hang so had to change sys

m s: no probs will let
u knw 2morow

fana: ok

(convo ends)

If you have made
it here, wow, I’m glad.

Well, I know my
views can be intense. Im not even intending that any one of u must and MUST
listen to what is said here. Go ahead, have

Ur

own opinion.

I just hope this
makes u think about every activity you do everyday.

Hell is not as
easy as u think it is, and heaven is more heavenly than you have ever imagined.

Your life is in

Ur

hands. Don’t waste it.

Your comments are
very welcomed. (though i doubt anyone of u would say a thing)

Buzzing off…
fana~

THINK About What You’re Doing  - The Islamic Perspective

Assalaamu Alaikum

1. Have you ever thought about the ill-effects of Alcohol?
of course, you know about the liver stuff and the brain stuff… but do you really know?
Alcohol is an intoxicant. it damages your body. And do you know that your body does not belong to you but your Creator? It damages your mind. It is Shaitaan’s Handiwork. Alcohol is the way Satan controls your mind.

2. Have you ever thought about why many pious men/women refrain from watching movies, listening to songs, etc.?
Because they are worldly pleasures that are imposed by Shaitaan. A movie can keep you glued to the TV and make you skip your prayers. This means you are forgetting Allah. You feel offended when a friend you helped does not thank you, but what do you have to say about forgetting your Creator for a man-made movie?
Have you ever had a song stuck to your head that even when u are praying, it does a playback? How many times, have you actually stopped praying, ask allah for refuge from Shaitaan, and then re-start your prayer? Most of us would just rush the prayer and then go to listen to the song or watch the movie.

3. Do you know how to EXACTLY cover your awrah?
Many women nowadays observe hijab. But are you observing Hijab in the right way? Why do you cover you hair and neck, when you expose you body figure by wearing tight-fitting clothing or PINNING up your top because it’s "too loose"?

Islam says not to wear sloppy clothes. go ahead and pin up ur blouse if it troubles your activities AS LONG AS IT DOES NOT SHOW OFF YOUR BODY SHAPE. I know you have a beautiful body, a flat tummy and curvaceous hips… but a muslim woman does not expose those in public.

Do you know that jeans are actually NOT considered right Hijab?
Hijab does not just mean covering your head with a scarf. wearing tight jeans is like wearing nothing at all. How does it apply to be islamic when the pair of jeans actually hugs ur behind and everyone walking behind you can actually see clearly "what you are made of"?

A woman who does not observe proper hijab… her prayers are not accepted. Go ahead and search for this online, in books or from people.

You may feel kinda offended if u are reading this… but i can talk about this with so much angst because i have gone through all of those mentioned above (except no. 1) and i have changed my ways. I am not coming out of nowhere. If you wanna be islamic, be islamic in the right way. Know where you are right, and be ready to accept your wrong. AND CORRECT them.

There are soooo many things we do not know in Islam. We learn by correcting our mistakes. you are not perfect, neither am i. correct me immediately if i am wrong, i won’t complain.

I’m just worried that even people close to me actually do some of those stuff above. Just think about what you are doing. You may be doing everything islamic, but don’t let your prayers be rejected just because of one minute detail that u could actually correct overnight.

Dear muslim sister,
You Wear the headscarf. You pray 5 times a day, you attend religious classes, you fast, you give alms, but you wear tight clothing (which is adopting the style of the Kafir). Why do it when u know u can correct it overnight? Especially pinning up your blouses.

Think about what you are doing…. Salaam

Buzzing off…
faNa~

Weird way to put it, but this is what it
seems. It’s like the new craze - after Hello
Kitty-Macdonald’s-Glass-Door-Smashing trend, it’s this. Nowadays, MRT suicides
are becoming the newest trend in Singapore. Except that, the people who do it
can’t look back and say “hey, I used to jump into the MRT track when the train
was approaching when I was XX years old. And you know, many people used to that
too…”

These people commit suicide because they
are sick of living, they hate themselves and they wanna end their lives. What I
don’t understand is, why do they make others hate them even after they die?
Jumping onto the MRT track…

Don’t they know that if they do so, the
trains services are going to halt? And people NEED to get to places ON EARTH. They
are selfish enough to think of ending their lives, but they choose to expand
their selfishness by creating a mayhem for those who are alive and don’t wanna
die, but JUST GET TO WORK ON TIME! So damn selfish. And this causes people to
curse them even after they r dead. I mean come on… we commuters don’t even know
they exist until that dumbo jumps onto the track, get shredded and gets the
whole of Singapore to wait until every piece of their body is cleared from the
tracks.

What happens after a doofus dies on the
track:

1. The MRT driver is traumatised for life
2. The commuters who saw him jump are traumatised for life
3. the people in the train who actually felt the bump of the train
        going over the body are traumatised for life
4. The officials (police, MRT pple, Medics) are traumatised for
        life.
5. people cannot get to places on time. I.e. for an impt meeting
        that one is late for or an exam.
6. police barricades go up everywhere limiting pple’s
        walking/moving space.
7. the person who claims the body (relatives) are traumatised for
        life.
8. The people in charge of the incineration or burial of the body
        are traumatised FOR DAMN LIFE!

They probably die coz they already feel
like they are a burden. Why become more of a burden when dying? Why not hang
himself on a tree or drown in the sea? At least every part of his body will be
intact.

Damn, selfish toots.

Buzzing off…
faNa~

Saw it in my sister’s folder and i was laughing hard at some parts of this message. I know most of you dweebs out there would read it and just pretend u never knew these stuff, but deep inside… a guilt will be growing. Just be careful that this guilt doesn’t burst too late… READ IT THROUGH!

        Muslim Girl’s Guide For Dealing With
Guys!!!!!!!!!!

(From One Sister To Another)

Life is full of crazy obstacles, but the
one that will probably bug you the most and always be getting in the way is the
opposite gender. Here, from one sister to another, is a Muslim girls guide for
how to deal with guys.

No Touching! Muslims are forbidden to touch
any non-Mahram (Mahram is your dad, brothers, father-in-law, husbands,
grandfathers, and the siblings of your parents) person of the opposite gender.
That means no patting on the back, no hand shaking, no pushing, no shoving, no
holding hands, and obviously no kissing and all that. If you’re in a difficult
situation where you think someone will try to shake your hand, the best things
to do is just smile and say, “My people don’t shake hands” and then explain
why. And why, is because we believe a women touch is a privilege and she
doesn’t just share it with anyone.

No Flirting! Not even with Muslims, not
even in an Islamic school, especially not in a masjid! Flirting means that
you’re saying or doing things on purpose that make the other person attracted
to you. There’s no set criterion for what flirting is, but any girl knows what
is and how to do it.

Muslim women are supposed to behave better
than the average woman, who has to be beautiful for all the men around her all
the time, who are trapped behind their looks and only judge themselves to be
worthy if half the men they know are in love with them. A wise dude once said,
"Don’t start the mower unless you intend to cut the grass". If you
don’t want a guys advances, then don’t do anything to earn them. There’s no
point in throwing yourself all over guys and trying to seduce half the world.
You really only want to marry one guy, and you want to spend the rest of your
life with him, and chances are he isn’t going to be some dork you fluttered
your eyelashes at in high school.

No Boyfriends! As a Muslim, you know that
having a boyfriend is haraam because it counts as Zina - fornication.
Fornication, in easy English, means sexual sin. Allah expressly forbids
romantic or sexual relationships outside of marriage. When people go against
that rule, then you get the typical western society where people play sexual merry-go-round
with each other, giving each other STDs, using and abusing each other, and
destroying the sacredness of marriage as an institution. You can’t even be sort
of engaged to a guy, and then "date" to get to know each other. In
Islam, non-Mahram men and women aren’t allowed to be alone together (that
includes talking on the phone!), to touch (not even shake hands), or even gaze
at each other. It doesn’t matter if the guy you like is Muslim, a great guy and
the Prince of England, you cant date him.

No Boyfriends! The easiest way to ensure
that you don’t end up falling in love with some guy before you’re ready to get
married is to avoid making friends with boys. Of course in school you have to
interact with boys all over the place, but that doesn’t mean you should be best
buds with them. Probably 90% of relationships begin from friendships. Chances
are you’re not ready for marriage, your parents aren’t ready to let you get
married, you’re still in school/college and your crush is not the sort of fellow
you want to spend the rest of your life with, so just avoid being friends with
him in the first place. It really is the best formula for saving yourself from
needless temptation.

When you have to talk to boys in school as
team mates, lab partners, group members, and peers, it’s best to maintain a
distance. That means that you don’t confide in them, you don’t let down your
guard, you don’t unnecessarily engage them in needless conversation, don’t joke
around, and never flirt. Yeah it may be a little hard, but this is your
afterlife were talking about. So many great sisters have put themselves in
really sticky situations because they allowed a boy to get to know them, and
either ended up liking the boy, or having the boy like them. Once that happens
you either end up becoming a pair (which is HARAAM!), or having to end your
friendship. Instead of letting it get to that point, and then having to kill a
friendship that you probably worked hard on cultivating, you should just stop
it before it begins. There are plenty of great girls all around who can be your
friends and if you really think only a guy will understand your problem, and
then talk to your REAL brother, or your father, or an uncle.

No Talking on the Phone with Boys! In Islam
its forbidden for non-related guys and girls to be alone together because there
is the chance for physical zina, vocal zina, and zina of the eyes. That means,
with no one there to watch you guys except that boogery shaitaan, then you
might be tempted to actually DO something, or say gross things, or just stare
at each other all lustily. With that in mind, its also a safe bet to assume
that talking on the phone with non-Mahram guys is a no-no too. Why? Because
unless you’ve both got it on speaker-phone and you’re chaperoned by a
responsible person, then you’re still kind of "alone" with him. The
people in your house can’t hear what he’s saying to you, and his family can’t
hear what you’re saying to him. There’s a chance for some bad stuff then, so
just avoid it. Not to mention, having some dude saying things into your ear
that no one else can hear would be gross in real life, why is it okay for him
to talk into your ear via the telephone? For the most part it’s just too
intimate.

Be Disaffected! What does that mean?
Disaffected means un-affect-able. That means that nothing a dude can say can
hit your nerves, make you blush, or get a reaction out of you. It also means
that you are uninterested in what they do as well. Imagine yourself being in an
airplane looking down on the scenery below. You’re a little interested in what’s
going on down there, and it may look really nice, but you know that to get to
the scenery you have to jump off the plane. Like the scenery miles below you,
the guy may look really nice, but you know that to get him you have to jump off
the plane… errr…commit spiritual suicide, and though the fall may be fun,
you will eventually hit the ground 600 meters below and go SPLAT! on Judgment
Day. Maybe even sooner.

Short of becoming an ice-princess, being
disaffected involves putting up a mental wall between you and all of male-kind.
They don’t know your thoughts and you don’t care for theirs. You can interact
with guys at school/college within the bounds of Islam, but always maintain a
formal distance. Don’t ask a guy how his infected toe is doing. Don’t give him
a hug when he looks down. Don’t offer to help him with his homework. Don’t go out
of your way to remind him that you exist, and that you’re not half bad looking.
Even if you don’t feel like behaving, make yourself behave anyway, your
afterlife is important enough to discipline yourself for.

The safest philosophy when dealing with
guys is remembering this "He’s not what I want, so why should I do
anything to make him interested in me? That’ll just make for a painfully
awkward situation and it’s not worth the sin anyhow."

Remember that you’re always being watched!
Would you act all giggly and stupid with boys if the Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him) could see you? No, right? Because you’d feel like an
ungrateful idiot for disregarding the religion that Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) took so much pain for just to deliver to you. Well,
imagine how ungrateful it is to act like a supreme idiot when Allah can see you
all the time, and it’s really stupid to disregard the religion that Allah
prescribed, the favours He’s bestowed upon you. How dumb is it to take the eyes
that Allah gave you and do things with them that He told you not to? (Like
goggle at boys?) How much stupider is it that He can see you doing this, and
you know it!

You have no secrets! Not because Big
Brother (whoever that is) is watching you, but because every single thing you
ever did will become public domain on the Day of Judgment, and you’ll be
brought to trial to defend what you did. Just don’t do anything that you wouldn’t
want your parents, your siblings, your teachers, your friends, and the whole
world to know about, ok?

buzzing off…
faNa~

Here is a very interesting article I came across online. It is an online conversation between a Christian and a Muslim. I think this convo is a compilation of a few days because of the nature of it. It’s a lil bit long, but interesting.

The
Tears Of Finding The Truth 

Through
The Internet 

INTRODUCTION 

The
following story occurred on the Internet through one of the chat programs
(Freetel) in January 1999. It is a real dialogue between a Christian and a
Muslim. The story centers on Derek’s realization of today’s Christianity and his
subsequent conversion to lslam. This Christian-Muslim dialogue has been edited
for readability and for the clarity of its message. 

ABDULLAH:
Hello there! How are you man? 

 DEREK: Hello! Well, how are you? 

 ABDULLAH:
I’m fine and you? 

 DEREK: I’m fine thanks. 

 ABDULLAH:
Where are you from? 

 DEREK: I’m from L.A. (Los Angeles). 

 ABDULLAH:
The land of Hollywood! 

 DEREK: Well that’s right. Have you ever been to L.A.? 

 ABDULLAH:
No, never. Why are you calling yourself the Black Magic? 

 DEREK: It’s just a nickname, man! 

 ABDULLAH:
I see. 

 DEREK: Where are you from? Are you an Arab? 

 ABDULLAH:
Yes, I am from Saudi Arabia but I’m in Qatar now. What is your name? 

 DEREK:  My name is Derek. What’s
your name? 

 ABDULLAH:
My name is Abdullah. 

 DEREK:  What does Abdullah mean? 

 ABDULLAH:
Abdullah means the servant of Allah and it is the function of each individual on
the face of the earth to serve llah according to what Allah wants from us. By
the way, Allah is the proper name of God. 

 DEREK: How do we know what God or Allah wants from us? 

 ABDULLAH:
All of this is outlined in the Qur’an and the Sunnah (Ways of Prophet Muhammad;
his sayings, actions and aprovals). These are the two major sources of guidance
in lslam. Could you please tell me more about yourself? How ol are you? 

DEREK:
 I am 19 years old, black and
very uch interested in knowing more about lslam. First of all, what should a
person do or believe in to become a Muslim?  

ABDULLAH:
Very easy, you just say that there is no god worthy of worshi but Allah and
Muhammad is His Messenger, and you become Muslim,  

DEREK:
 You mean
Muhammad is his apostle? But a a Christian or non-Muslim, this sentence is not
enough to make it clear to me.  

ABDULLAH:
Ok Allah sent Muhammad a His last Prophet and Messenger and revealed the Qur’an
to him as the final revelation to mankind. Allah said that He perected His
religion and called it lslam (see Qur’an 5:3). Islam means peaceful submission
to the Will of Allah.  

DEREK:  I
see.  

ABDULLAH:
Yes, and unfortunately most Christians don’t know or they deny that the coming
of Prophet Muhammad is foretold in their scriptures (See Deuternomy 18:18; 21:
21; Psalms 1 18:22-23; Isiah 42:1-13; Habakuk 3:3-4; Matthew 21:42-43; John
14:12-17,15:26,27; 1:5-16). Muslim theologians have stated that the person who
is described by Jesus to come after him (in the above verses) is Mhammed (peace
be upon him). 

DEREK:
OK Fine, but why was there a need for another prophet after Jesus and  another
revelation after the Bible?  

 ABDULLAH:
All of the Prophets came to teach their peoples the Oneness of God. In
the case of Jesus, he was only sent as a Messenger to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel (see Matt. 15:24). What happened was that all of these prophets
were not well received by the majority of the people. For instance, they started
tampering with the teachings of Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them (see Qur’an
2:79). That is why Allah sent Muhammad with the last Message, (i.e., the
Qur’an), to bring all of mankind back to the belief in and worship of One God,
without partners or intermediaries. 

DEREK:
Is the Qur’an similar to the Bible? I mean, what is it composed of?  

ABDULLAH:
The Qur’an came as the last code emphasizing the same pure monotheistic
teachings of Jesus peace be upon him, defending all the previous pure teachings
of monotheistic beliefs and clarifying who Jesus was and who his mother was,
showing that they were no more than great people. 

 DEREK:
OK then, how-can we be sure that the Qur’an has remained the same since the time
of Prophet Muhammad? 

 ABDULLAH:
Allah Himself has guaranteed that He would guard the Qur’an from corruption (see
Qur’an 15:9). Hence, the real and pure words of Allah are found in the Qur’an,
which was revealed in Arabic, the language of Mohammed’s people. Since then, not
an iota has changed. This is unlike what has happened in the other religions.
For example, if you look at the Bible, you find a lot of versions; the name
Bible itself is indicative of those changes because Bible means a collection of
books from different writers. 

DEREK:  But didn’t God call it the
Bible? 

ABDULLAH:
God calls the Scripture revealed to Jesus "Injeel" in the Qur’an for
which the closest name in the Bible would be the word Gospel. The Bible was
written may years after the time of Jesus in a language that was alien to Jesus;
it was Latin Vulgate, a language that he never spoke. Isn’t this strange?
Interestingly, most of what was written in the New Testament was authored by
Paul, who, according to James, the brother of Jesus in the Bible, had a polluted
mind because he changed and contradicted most of the teachings of Jesus. 

DEREK:
I think you know more about Christianity than the Pope does. 

ABDULLAH:
You are wrong by saying that I know more than the Pope. I have simply
investigated the Bible with an inquiring mind, which is something that all
Christians should do. 

DEREK:  Is there any English
version of the Holy Qur’an? 

ABDULLAH: There are many translations of the meanings of the Qur’an. 

The Qur’an was
revealed in Arabic which means that the words of ALLAH are in Arabic. The
translations are the words of human beings relating to the meanings of the
Qur’an to the non-Arabic speaking masses. 

DEREK:
How does the Qur’an define God to mankind or how does the Muslim perceive God? 

ABDULLAH:
GOD is the One and Only True GOD, and the Creator of all. He does not beget nor
is He begotten. He is unlike His creation in every respect. He is the
All-knowing, The Powerful, The Merciful, The Irresistible, and The King of
kings. 

DEREK:
But it is somehow difficult for me to perceive God as being the same as His
creatures. 

ABDULLAH:
You are absolutely right to have difficulty perceiving this because human beings
have a limited capacity. This is why ALLAH sent revelations to His Prophets and
Messengers to tell us who He is. So if you want to know who God is, just read
the Qur’an. 

DEREK:
Christians believe that Jesus was sent for the salvation of all mankind. If this
is not true, then the foundation of Christianity is faulty. Right? What do you
think? 

ABDULLAH:
That’s correct. The Christians of today are following what Paul taught and also
tend to follow what the priests tell them to do instead of following what Jesus
said. 

 DEREK:
Kindly explain the concept of salvation through the crucifixion of Jesus. 

 ABDULLAH:
In Christianity, the Doctrine of Original Sin is the reason that there is a need
for salvation through Jesus’ crucifixion. However, this doctrine was invented by
Paul and it is strongly negated in the Old Testament (see Ezekial 18:20,
Jeremiah 31:30, Deut. 24:16). This doctrine is an attempt to escape the
responsibility of righteousness with the belief that punishment is given to
someone else to release us from our burden of sins (see Ephesians 1:7, Romans
4:25, 10:9, Corinthians 15:21) In the Qur’an, every soul is responsible for its
own deeds, good or bad (see 74:38,41:46, 3:25, 6:154). 

 DEREK: What about the crucifixion itself? 

 ABDULLAH:
The Bible says Jesus cried out in a loud voice beseeching God for help on the
cross: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46) Does
that sound like Jesus to you? 

 DEREK:
No, then what about Jesus’ appearance to his disciples after the crucifixion? 

 ABDULLAH:
Jesus didn’t die on the cross nor was he resurrected. If he were resurrected,
then he would have come to his disciples in a spiritual body. As shown in Luke
24:36-43, he met them with his physical body after the event of his alleged
crucifixion. In the Qur’an, it says that Jesus was not crucified, but it was
someone else who was made to look like him (see 4:157,158). 

 DEREK:
How did the story of the crucifixion of Jesus get into the Bible then? 

 ABDULLAH: Once again, Paul was responsible (see Timothy 2:8 and Romans 5:10). 

 DEREK:
Well, I, very deep in my heart, believe that God can never look like his
creation nor does he do what they do. What I believe is that God is the perfect
one who is very much different from everything we see or touch. In other words,
I think the writer can never look like his book. 

 ABDULLAH:
You are right. There is nothing comparable to Allah
(see Qur’an 112:4). The prophets came with a very clear message to worship God
alone, without any partners or intercessors. 

  However, Paul took pagan beliefs and practices from the Romans and mixed
them with the teachings of Jesus. Consequently, Paul was mostly responsible for
elevating Jesus to the status of Son of God (see Acts 9:20) and God. 

 DEREK:
Yes. Now I remember. The first Commandment is, " Hear, O Israel, the Lord
our God is One Lord." 

 ABDULLAH:
You’re right. That’s in Mark 12:29. Moreover, the
Qur’an confirms that God is One: "Say He is Allah, the One and Only
(God)." (Qur’an 112:1) 

 DEREK:
What you are saying makes perfect sense. This is just incredible! You mean that
for almost 2000 years what the Christians have been following is wrong? 

 ABDULLAH: Yes, especially their misunderstanding of who
Jesus was. 

 DEREK:
Oh my God! I’ve been deceived! Really, I feel religiously raped. I have been
fooled simply because I followed blindly the religion that I was born with and
didn’t take care to investigate it thoroughly. But still inside me there is
something holding me back from accepting lslam, even though lslam is clearly the
True Religion. 

 ABDULLAH:
Your last comment shows that you are a Muslim not a
Christian and if you really love God and His Messenger Jesus, you will follow
lslam and Prophet Muhammad. Break this barrier inside you and come back to the
way of your ancestors. You are now free because you are looking for the Truth
and our great prophet Jesus told us that we should look for the Truth and the
Truth will set us free. So, you will be a free man as soon as you accept It. Be
strong enough to accept lslam as the Truth, without any hesitation on your part
and you will taste real freedom and real happiness that you have never tasted
before. 

 DEREK:
Frankly, I am concerned about the negative way lslam and Muslims are shown in
the media. In the West, there is a stigma attached to being a Muslim and I’m not
sure I’m ready to live with that stigma. 

 ABDULLAH:
This is why I have chosen to tell people about the
right picture of lslam. 

 DEREK: Then, what is the right picture of lslam? 

 ABDULLAH:
The right picture of lslam is conveyed in the Qur’an,
which is exemplified by Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. The reality is that
it is not fair to judge a religion by the actions of its followers alone because
there are good and bad followers in every religion. The correct thing to do is
to judge a religion by its documented revelation from God and the prophet who
brought that revelation. 

 DEREK:
I see. I agree with you, but I’m still concerned about the reaction of my family
and friends if they know that I am a Muslim. 

 ABDULLAH:
On Judgement Day, no one will be able to help you, not
even your father, mother or any of your friends (see Qur’an 31:33). So, if you
believe that lslam is the True religion, you should embrace it and live your
life to please the One Who created you. Be an illuminating torch for them. Do
not delay your coming to lslam. If you die before becoming a Muslim, then it’s
too late (see Qur’an 2:132, 3:102, 3:85). So grab this opportunity now. You can
only remedy this pain inside you by becoming a Muslim and being able in the
future, God willing, to come and perform pilgrimage (Hajj). 

 DEREK:
You are very wise man, I want to say that when I sometimes see on the satellite,
especially in the season of Hajj, people of different colors and different races
sitting side by side and praying to God, I feel pain deep inside my heart and I
feel something urging me to talk with someone to know more about that great
religion that can gather all the races in the same place. Thanks to you, I have
found that person. So please help me become a Muslim! 

 ABDULLAH: Brother let us take it step by
step. First, enter lslam by saying: I BEAR WITNESS THAT THERE IS NO GOD WORTHY
OF WORSHIP EXCEPT ALLAH. AND I BEAR WITNESS THAT MUHAMMAD IS HIS SERVANT AND
MESSENGER. I BEAR WITNESS THAT JESUS IS HIS PROPHET AND MESSENGER. Let us say
this again, I BEAR WITNESS THAT THERE IS NO GOD WORTHY OF WORSHIP EXCEPT ALLAH
AND I BEAR WITNESS THAT MUHAMMAD IS HIS SERVANT AND MESSENGER. I BEAR WITNESS
THAT JESUS IS HIS PROPHET AND MESSENGERS. I BEAR WITNESS THAT JESUS IS HIS
PROPHET AND MESSENGER. 

 DEREK:
I BEAR WITNESS THAT THERE IS NO GOD WORTHY OF WORSHIP EXCEPT ALLAH. I BEAR
WITNESS THAT MUHAMMAD IS HIS SERVANT AND LAST MESSENGER. I BEAR WITNESS THAT
EISA IS HIS SERVANT AND MESSENGER. 

 ABDULLAH:
By the way, Jesus’ name is not Jesus. It is a latinized name. His real name is
Eisa. Now you will say the same thing in Arabic, the language of the Qur’an. I
will transliterate for you.
ASH’HADU AN LA’ILAHA ILLA ALLAH WAASH’HADU ANNA MUHAMMMADAN RASOOLULLAH WA
ASH’HADU ANNA EISA ABDULLAHI WA RASOOLUHU. 

DEREK:
ASHADU AN LA ILAHA ILLALLAH WA ASHADU ANNA MUHAMMADAN RASULULLAH WA ASHADU ANNA
EISA ABDULLAH1 WA RASOOLUHU. 

ABDULLAH:
Brother, say ALLAH is the greatest because you are a
Muslim now. You are not a Christian anymore. Your are in the House of lslam. If
I were with you, I would hug you as my brother in lslam. How do you feel now? A
burden has been removed from you and you feel like you are so light, isn’t this
right? 

DEREK:
If you were with me now, you would have seen my tears reaching my neck. You are
a great brother. I feel that I have just come to life, This is exactly how I
feel from now. I don’t have to listen the silly words of the priests in the
church, who knowingly or unknowingly lead people astray. I hope to be a good
servant of ALLAH. 

ABDULLAH:
You know what came out of you was disbelief and it was
replaced by belief. You are so clean now, because when someone embraces Islam
sincerely, Allah forgives all of his past sins. So, go to the Islamic center
that has Muslims from all over the world and announce your lslam there, and
continue to learn more about lslam from them. In addition, find a book on prayer
in lslam and practice it. This is essential. Now after you are through with me,
you must take a shower to purify yourself from previous wrong beliefs. Remember
to stay away from bad company and be with righteous Muslim people. Also, beware
of those so-called Muslims who call to nationalistic ideas or racial thoughts,
which are rejected in lslam. I love you as a brother in lslam and I hope one day
I will see you and hear your voice. 

DEREK:
I will for sure do what you have asked. And tomorrow I will go to the Islamic
center. Thank you for showing me the Truth. I will do my best to meet people who
know about lslam for sure. May God help you guide more and more people to the
true word of God. There is no God but ALLAH and Muhammad is his Apostle… Well
it is as difficult for me as it is for you to leave you. 

 ABDULLAH:
Well brother, you will not leave me for a long time. I will soon be with you
through my supplications. God willing. Pray for me, brother. 

 DEREK:
Well, I thank you, I love you although I do not know you yet. But it is enough
for me to remember that one day, a very dear man has picked me up from the mud
of life. Please teach me another Islamic word in Arabic so as to make use of it
in the Islamic center. 

 ABDULLAH: Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatu and
Astaghfirullah. 

 DEREK: What do they mean? 

 ABDULLAH:
May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon
you. This is used as a greeting to all Muslims. The last word means, Allah
forgive me. Well, I have to leave you now but be sure it will not be for long. 

 DEREK:
Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatu and Astaghfirullah for being astray
from the Truth all those years. May God bless you. You have occupied a great
place in my heart and I will never forget you. Bye and talk to you later. Your
brother in lslam, Derek, but I will call myself Eisa from now on. 

 ABDULLAH:
OK Eisa. I will leave you some final words of
inspiration. Certainly, the ultimate goal of every individual is to be in
Paradise forever. This reward of Paradise is too great to not have a price. That
price is true faith, which is proven obedience to Allah and following the Sunnah
of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). THIS IS THE ROAD TO PARADISE. Let’s stay in touch!
Assalamu Alaikum! 

 DEREK: O.K. Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatu.

Buzzing off…
faNa~

Like finally! i’m now in my sister’s room, using her pretty damn lousy compaq armada, and yes! i have finally met her after a WHOLE year (and a few months)! many people were sactually quite surprised to know that i was travelling alone, coz i have only went in the plane with company till now… let me tell u how it’s like.

Bidding farewell and walking into the Gates of the unknown
when the time came, i finally bid farewell to my parentsw, younger sis and uncle’s family who were at the airport and walked pass the guards to check in. then i queued up to check in, all were going good. after that, i am supposed to find the Gate that im s’posed to go to, and fortunately, it was so easy to find my way that even a 2 yr old can do it. then, over there my bags were scanned and me too. when i left everything on the tray and passed through the scanner, i thought i can come out w/o any beep, but my thoughts failed me. the beep went off! Blah.
I was asked if i had a hp with me and alas! i took out my hp and walked thru that scanner again, and then it reveled me a free woman. then it was a 30-minute wait in the waiting area  to board the flight!

The 7 hour Flight
The announcement came for us to board the flight. see, when i go with my mum, i don’t really care where im going and walk blindl behind her. now that im alone, i had to observe everything carefully. so, i just followed the crowd and headed in. found my seat and sat, buckled up and was ready. there was a family of 3 sitting beside me, the mum right next to me. a bald young man in front of me and a big woman on the other side of the aisle ( mine was an aisle seat). they all speak this weird language that i know was nothing i have heard before. fine, i just have to mind my own business. got it. the flight was fine, food was great but the shows were BORING with a capital everything! they were over the hedge, the inside man and Thank U For Smoking. WHAT?!!!! What happened to lake house! I WANTED TO WATCH THAT!!!! DAMN. then i ended up watch comedy central which had "Everybody Loves Raymond" followed by "Everybody Hates Chris". So much for originality.

Australian Touch Down
Just an hour before the plane lands, the stewardesses would go around giving a slip for us to fill up. this is for sme kinda security measures in the country. when given the paper, everybody were going around discuaaing what to fill in. that’s when i realised that all these pple around me are somewhat linked to each other. o….k…. i also found out, the family sitting beside me and the bald guy were greek (nowhere near Greek god looking) the big woman on the other side of the aisle was turkish and the men behind me were arabic. hmmm… Gulf Air. Fine.So even if they were saying i stink, i wouldn’t know. How cool is that. errt… When the plane touched down, the whole plane burst into cheers! i didn’t know we were s’posed to clap and jump on our seats!so i just sat there and gave a weak smile to the woman sitting beside me, only to see her ignore it totally.

Checking out
when i left the plane, i had to walk a long long route into the baggage claim area. i tell u, it’s good i wore sports shoes. so, my passport was checked, the slip was checked and i went on to collect my luggage, just a small bag. i just stoodd there for 1 minute and i saw a black bag with a pathetic red bow tied on it. yes, it was mine. i took it, hoping that it’s REALLY mine (i didn’t realise that my name would be written on the tag they stick) and walked on. I had to pass thru a few more checks and finally i was out! there were sooo many pple standing around, i couldn’t even find my uncle and aunty-in-law. then my aunty-in-law shouted my name and i did a swift turn. A turn that if captured in slo-mo, would look like a bollywood action movie turn. I saw them and was all smiles.. I’ve MADE IT!!!!!! YES!!!! ALONE!!! YES! YES! YES! then when we stepped out of the airport.. the weather was colder than in the airport. damn it was 15degrees!but i was fine, it’s tolerable. i got into my unc’s care and we were off to his house. on the roads, i saw this car which had a licence plate that says "PAN JAB". there were to Sikh men in the car. yeah…. customised plates.

The House
I was only to stay in my unc’s house for that night and the next day, to my other unc’s apt, where my sis is. I was made comfortable by my cousins who are all taller than me……………….. even the younger ones, 5vyears younger than me. ok… nevermind. i slept nicely with the heater on. the next mornig was colder than that night! i woke up and was gritting my teeth… probably 13 deg or smth. the bath was a terrible one. WHO WOULD WANNA BATHE OR EVEN DIP A FINGER IN WATER IN THIS KINDA COLD WEATHER?? had a wishy washy shower, stepped out only to find out that none of them are awake, only my unc. o….k…. anyway, i had a gd breakfast and then when my cousins were finlly awake and done, we headed to their granny’s house, just a few streets away. it was a nice walk… we passed my liverpool St or smth like that… something valley… Orchard rd…… yeah, ORCHARD RD. only that this orchard road was really JUST a road. We were so welcomed at Granny’s and spent good tiem there and then headed back. once we were back, we headed to the other unc’s apartment.  and now! i’m HERE!!!! another 12 more days to go…  am i having fun? I will soon.. i hope…. hee My sis is now at U, and will only be back in the evening. Till then, i wld have to find something around the house to kill time…

*Updates like this one don’t usually happen at this site, but due to whatever circumstances, it has.

Buzzing off…
~faNa

YES!!! 2 more weeks and then im off! no more attachment! though it’s something to be happy about, i know i’ll really miss this place i have been working in for 3 months. the people are sooo extra nice and there’s no such thing as office politics, nor lab politics. I do the same stuff everyday…. HPLC, key in sequences, giant PAGE and stuff.. but i was never once bored.except for the times i spent with nothing to do. that was boring. you can ask those who were attached to the same place, they’ll tell u i was never bored nor complained abt something. it’s a nice place…

now about the weekend… there r so many things happening this weekend. flea market at youth park, library book fair at expo, fireworks thAng and where im going? nowhere. damn. yet another weekend to waste. no i really look foward to going out with my buds.. BUT they r so busy with deadlines or something else. it’s boring enough to spend national day at home u know. i didn’t even step out of the house, now, a boring weekend… hmmmm

nevermind! i’ll be off to OZ in 2 weeks! bleH!

Buzzing off…
faNa~

And then I come back yakking about the same topic with a Part 2. that’s so typical of me… i never have enough said.

This happened quite long ago… i was talking to my friends and the topic about virginity popped out. so we ended up talking about how many people are so open to pre-marital sex. then my friend (a guy) said, (as quoted) " i have lost the hope of finding a virgin wife!!"

As always, i got agitated and i very quickly said "Eh, hello, we (as in, my another female friend and I) have lost the hope of finding a virgin husband too".

The reason for me getting agitated:
How do u think girls lose their virginity? Come on man! if a guy has sex, hasn’t he lost it too?! why in the good world was he talking as if only girls can lose it and guys can’t? too bad guys cannot get pregnant. sheer stupidity on the male side.

You guys out there, don’t come to me and talk as if females are the only ones in the wrong! both parties are equally stupid, shallow and desperate.

"I have lost the hope of finding a virgin wife"
SLAP UR FACE THEN U KNOW!!!!!

Buzzing off…
faNa~

For this past 2.5 months, i have been very updated on issues surrounding us, thanks to the daily Straits Times provided by our one and only Annuar. OK, work is more relaxed. for a few hours, there’ll be a lot of work, then after it’s done, there’ll be none. what can we expect from labs right… ok, back to where i was. i have been very updated on the issues surrounding us. recently, i read a few articles about how  the singaporean Malay-Muslim community is having a lot of problems from teen pregnancies, abortions and stuff and the govt. is gonna take steps to reduce it.

buzzing off…
faNa~

*To Family who are reading this article, please don’t be offended by my direct approach.