The Final 10 Nights

Me and some other teachers during the recent i'tiqaf at Usamah ibn Zayd Mosque, Wangsa Maju

Bismillahirahmanirrahim,..

Just want to say:

SELAMAT MENUNAIKAN IBADAH DI 10 MALAM TERAKHIR RAMADHAN

May this Ramadhan would be a better one than before.

SELAMAT MENCARI MALAM LAILATUL QADAR

Ada hikmahnya ia disembunyikan tarikh dan waktunya. Supaya kita rajin mencari dan tekun melakukan ibadah...

Allah Knows Best

Macam-macam ada...

Bismillahirahmanirahim....

Alhamdulillah we are now reaching the 16th of Ramadhan 1431. I think today of I turn on my radio on my phone , lagu raya will be here and there (first time sahur di IIUM Gombak dgn Amni, Chah, Miza, Alyn, Sam, Aimi-punya nak bagi celik mata pasang Dendang Perantau).

Tomorrow, 27th August/ 17th Ramadhan will be Nuzul Qur'an and the school i'tiqaf at Masjid Usamah bin Zayd, Wangsa Maju. Can't wait for the moment (thanks ayah for letting me to join the programme & postponing our balik kampung trip to Johor on Saturday afternoon). The school management did allow its staff to bring their family members (ok...siapa nak ikut mama?Abah?...haha).

Mosques should be more 'children friendly' rather than putting up the sign "KANAK-KANAK DI BAWAH USIA 5 TAHUN TIDAK DIBENARKAN'' etc. It is a quite frustrating scenario I guess. They should just let the kids to linger around the mosque compund observing the adults doing their prayers and other 'ibadah rather than letting them to linger around shopping malls and cinemas ( terima kasih nenek masa Yah kecik2 dulu nenek selalu bawak ke Masjid Kampung Baru).

Raya preparations? Honestly I am not the type that loves shopping (bertuah abah nanti kan?). i just can't stand the idea walking in the middle of hundreds of people on a hot day just to get the best tudung bargain. I would rather buy them early or...just wear any jubah/ baju kurung that I have. When my cousins were still small, wearing fancy baju kurung and tudung would not be my choice as I have to entertain them. I even have to put of my spectacles as babies really like to pull them off.

Kasut raya also like that...no fancy or beaded sandals for me. Last raya, I did not aware that mum observed my foot ware and brought me to a nearby shopping mall on the malam raya to buy a new pair for me (mak pun pening aku pilih sneakers BUM kaler itam instead of a bling-bling slippers. Lagi sedap nak jalan).

Kuih raya? If people were to visit my home in Bangi, they would not find 10 jars of kuih raya arranged on the coffee table. Usually, I will only bake chocolate chips cookies and cornflake cookies and mum will usually cook if guests come over to our place.

Moga Ramadhan kali ini lebih baik dari Ramadhan sebelumnya...

Allah Knows Best

Ramadhan 1431H & others

Bismillahirahmanirahim...

Ramadhan is now reaching its 11th day and that means 12th tarawikh. Alhamdulillah. Feeling so grateful for having the opportunity to meet this blessed month again. There are many things happened that marked my 1431 H Ramadhan. Firstly, observing how kids learn to fast. So cute. Amongst them were:

On the first day, some of the students came up to me and say "Teacher. Can I drink the tap water?''. I replied "Of course no. You could'nt. Your fasting will be void then". Around 2 pm, after Zuhr prayer, in class, all of them looked very tired. Even when I ask them to open up their workbooks they replied " Tak larat la Muallimah nak tulis". That was only on the FIRST DAY! The days after it, they were already running the school compound even until the end of school hours.

The school also gives out muhasabah booklet for them to check what have they done during Ramadhan and Alhamdulillah they are eager and excited each time I bring the booklets to their class. If I forget, they'll remind me " Muallimah. Nak buat buku oren".

But on the other side of life...

It is so devastating reading in the newspapers about babies being abandoned-a life or...DEAD. The numbers seems to rise day by day. Its a serious problem even some people might think as a norm, not a big deal or issue. Recently, Baby Hatch were developed to cater for these babies. Then, up came the suggestion to open a school for pregnant women/ school going children.

The main question regarding this issue is the 'aqidah of the baby. Some the babies' identity, race and religion is unknown.

Secondly, what goes around comes around. What if the abandoned baby one day came to his/ her mother to ask the mother's child hand for marriage since the child didn't know who is parents are and the mother also did not remember any thing about the dark episode of life. Another thing is that, don't blame your children should they leave you at the Old Folk's Home as you have once leave your child. OK. It is wrong to do such things towards our parents but if we think back about 'hukum alam', anything is possible with Allah's will.

P/S 1: love babies very much so, don't leave your babies and abandon them. There are married couples who waited for so long for their own child. Be thankful. If you dont want it, protect yourself from committing zina. It just piles up the list of sins. Nauzubillah min zalik.

P/S 2: thinking how to teach my kids in the future to fast ('',).

Allah Knows Best.

Changes now...

Bismillahirahmanirahim...

My life have changed slowly since I enter this career world. Firstly would be my daily routine. As usual, i have to make sure that my clothes and tudungs are all irons on weekends...to avoid hassle should something happen. Next, I should wait for the bus latest by 9:15am so that I can punch- in as early as I can. Returning back home...another chapter of life. 6:30pm (or 5:30pm in this month of Ramadhan). Back home, after Isya' and dinner, I must write something in the Buku Rancangan Mengajar Harian and if there's any papers or book to be checked, it would be on the list of tasks.

Oh...well. Usually, people will call me Zainab for 'official' purposes- at school, university etc but as there is another teacher having the same name, I have to get used to be called as Mahirah...my 'home' name. Another change.

Handling kids with different personalities, interest is a challenge to me. I am still in the middle of remembering their names and learning how to face and tackle related problems that suit each of them.

The students here call their female teachers as Muallimah but sometimes, when they are begging for something, a number of them will start calling me...mama.

Haha...

When will I be the real mama?

A big question.

Full stop.

Allah Knows Best.

A note from the teachers room

Bismillahirahmanirahim...

Its been a while since I wrote something onto this page. Busy with my work, perhaps. Alhamdulillah its almost one since since I've been a teacher at this school. Handling almost 150 kids (3 classes + other activities) had taught me many things. Giving me chances to explore my own self and the wonderful world around me.

2 August 2010 at 10:30am...the moment when I first punch my attendance card. Greeted by the warmth and smiles of the staffs and teachers. As a afternoon session teacher, my working hours are from 10:30am untill 6:30pm. Subjects? Science, Tasawur Islami, Pendidikan Al- Qur'an (PAQ) and Arts to standard 1 and 2. For the extra co-curricular activities, I have to conduct netball trainings with a fellow colleague.

7-8 August 2010 helping out with Perkhemahan Luaran Tahun Lima at Nur Lembah Pangsun, Hulu Langat. Even I did not teach Primary 5, the camp is the chance to get to know the students and other teachers better.

I am happy with the work environment here. The chance to practice the practice as a Muslim is very much appreciated...And now is Ramadhan. Observing the kids fullfilling the responsibilities just made me smile remembering that I had gone through the experience to...when trying to fast for the first time.

27-28th August Insya Allah will be the school's I'tiqaf at Usamah bin Zayd Mosque in Wangsa Maju and 28th evening will be the Grand Iftar (combining with Secondary School).

My students are currently facing the Term Test. Hoping and du'a for the best.

Allah Knows Best