SCOUT JAMBOREE LITE - fathers and mothers, sons and daughters...

Mikhail and his tent mates...

Jamboree Lite. Last weekend Mikhail went on what I might define as a scout jamboree 'lite'. From what I could reckon, there was no hikes, no campfires or anything too arduous for these primary school kids. I am not complaining, as like Mika, many of the children were just 10 years old, and possibly their first night ever under a tent. A tent, in a school field in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, a prosperous suburban neighbourhood not far from my own neighbourhood. In fact, the school field is just across the road from a restaurant that I often go for dinner. So I wasn't too worried. He he he.

Mikhail and his huge orange suitcase. Just what you need for a camping adventure.
I can assure you that Mika's luggage was the biggest at the jamboree.
I saw some other scouts arriving carrying only their every day school bag and a humble plastic bag. 

Delinquent Parents. In the three days and two nights the scouts were at the "camping site", hilarious and almost unbelievable stories started to turn up on the school moms Whatsapp group. There were some parents who continued hanging around in the school compound way after the scout program officially started. Other parents trotted off to the (conveniently nearby) shops to buy additional food and drinks for their kids, whom they fear would possibly starve or become severely malnourished during the weekend. But perhaps, the most amazing story involved a parent who was seen to actually helping his/her son to shower and change. I put the words 'his/her' to be polite, but I bet it was the mum. He he he.

Finally, unable to stand the interfering parents any longer, the scouts' working committee from Mikhail's school issued a warning to all parents to stay away from the school and camping ground until they are suppose to pick their kids up on Sunday afternoon. If any parent is spotted in the school compound, the committee warned, their child will be asked to immediately leave the program.

I don't blame the committee, because, after all, Mika's school is only one of 5 (I think) schools that sent their scouts for the weekend camping program. I think most of the delinquent parents were from Mika's school. Oh the shame of it all... 

He he he.  

Exhausted but exhilarated. I can still recall such childhood feelings.

But most importantly, despite the attempts by mum and/or dad to totally sabotage the scout camping weekend, I think it went well. When I picked up Mikhail, he was tired and hungry, yet I could see he was also exhilarated by the experience. "I really enjoyed sleeping in a tent, Papa.", he said. "We slept at one in the morning and got up at five!", he added. "I liked the chicken rendang (a very rich coconut based chicken dish... so much for the threat of starvation) that we ate!" And happily, Mika is keen to go for more camping, perhaps next time, at a proper camp site somewhere in the forest. And I bet for that one, the parents won't be furtively keeping watch in the bushes nearby. 

But then again... you never know what mums can get up to when they think their offspring are at risk! 

God bless the patient teachers and scout masters, and God bless all crazy parents.

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MH370, a Postscript -We all know the news surrounding the tragic event of Flight MH370. May all friends and kin of the missing passengers and crew of that plane, find the courage to persevere with hope and faith as they pick up the shattered pieces of their lives. And for the rest of us, we who mourn with them in this difficult times, we can only pray to understand the lessons from this incident, that it may make us a better human being, and a better Christian, Buddhist, Jew, Hindu, Muslim, Atheists or Agnostics. 

Because, after all... whatever the nature of your belief or disbelief, we are all still part of one humanity.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way 

ATHEISTS, THE LAST ROMANTICS - of science, knowledge, mathematics, probabilities, nothingness, atheism and all creation of God Almighty

"Yes... you have a question to ask me?" inquired the World.

11. It is sometimes

The world is ready with all the answers

To your most intimate query.

And the world itself is also an answer.

Only you must know the right questions to ask.

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 A friend tells me that (one of) the key of happiness is finding the right answers. But before we begin that quest, we must first learn the right questions to ask. And often enough, the questions are the basic and common inquiry of the human mind - Who am I? Where did I come from? Who or what created me?

Atheists like to say that chance created humanity. However unlikely and improbable the chance of that happening as they speculate by their limited sciences. 

It sounds boring, but when they conjure and weave the baffling mathematical probabilities, it is almost magical, elegant even, this thing that they call chance.

But chance is also a creation of God. And so is mathematics and the physical sciences. I do not understand the scientific paradigm by which humanity choose to interpret the world and the existence or non-existence of God, when all knowledge that are unknown and yet to be discovered are all flowing from the creation of God, and His Existence exists separate from 'knowledge'.

Atheists are the last real romantics, I guess. Infatuated by the little drop of knowledge that they feel they alone have discovered, as if their knowledge was conjured out from nothingness by nothingness.

And even 'nothing' and 'nothingness' is a creation of God. Just like 'disbelief' and 'atheism'.

By their existence they affirm the existence of God, and reaffirm the intimate relationship between God and His creation, and yea... even Atheists, those poor romantics.

He he he.

Have a lovely day, sunshine. Find a question to ask the Universe.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

THE DRESS OF ADAB & THE WELL OF FITRAH - falling in love and its fascinating consequences...

Falling in Love... 

I though I was falling in love with God,

Then we crossed paths as you came falling 'up',

So I shouted to you, "Hey! You are falling upwards!"

To which you replied, "Me? No, it is you falling upwards!

I was worried and confused, "Pray for me, brother! Pray for me!" I shouted back,

And you said, "Nooo, You pray for meeeee...!"

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Where are we, sunshine? Where are you and where am I? Are we ascending the station of divine love, or are we heading down the slope of self-delusion? Well, wherever we may be, as humans, very much ordinary in our talent and strength, in our folly and weakness, we all have our ups and downs. So one minute we may be sipping the cup of divine assurance, poured by the Angel Artiya'il in our times of desperation, and the next we may be led by the hypnotic song of an evil flute, played by our ego, and conducted by some infernal talent from Satan's own orchestra.

The Dress of Adab (Good Manners)

The Dress of Adab is the only dress

That one wears on the inside,

For it adorns your heart

With Love, Beauty

And Mercy.

I reckon that we are in a constant state of flux, a dynamic condition confirmed by our heart in every nanosecond that we exist in this world. So even if we come across a lover of God, in whatever creed he may be wearing, a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu or a Buddhist, who is to say that we are on our way up and he is on his way down? The only dress that Love recognises is the Dress of Adab (Good Manners) - our personal conduct and manners that manifests the very best of traditions - and for the Muslims that is the words and deeds of the Most Beloved of Love, Muhammad Habibulah (s.a.w.s.). It is a garb woven in the well of our conscience by our good deeds, our patience and perseverance, our courage and charity. The thread is made of the light of our eternal ruh (soul / spirit) and the cloth is our inherited fitrah (our individual inner essence) from the Well of Fitrah that is Muhammad Prophet of God (s.a.w.s.). And I have seen such dress worn by Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Christians, and even agnostics and atheists (though this last group may vehemently protest my allegations of their own goodness on Reddit. he he he)

The Well of Fitrah

Life is about finding yourself,

And your particular nature and talent

Granted from the Well of Fitrah that is

Saydeena Muhammad Habibullah,

Poured with Eternal Love from the Ocean of Love of God.

Look for it as best you can, and with the best guide you can find!

As you learn your place in the honorable station of servanthood before God's own crowning glory of mercy that is Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), you may find that however the wind may blow, whatever the season may be, up or down, left or right, a raging tempest or remaining still like the eternal love of mothers and sweethearts, you are forever in the embrace of Love, Allah (s.w.t.) God Almighty of the Worlds and Muhammad (s.a.w.s) God's own Mercy to all the world(s).

Have a nice day, sunshine. It's Friday after all!

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way

The West and the Irrationality in Rationalism - get a grip, will you?

These are all good and religious people. But the rationalist-agnostic-atheist will have
you believe that Abul Kalam Azad, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa were good
in spite of their religious beliefs. Oh come on... And they accuse religious people of
being bigoted and condescending?

The West and The Conflict

We are not heirs to the Western conflict,

We are not participants in this debate

Between those who believe in God

And those who disbelieve…

We are not in their history,

We are not involved in their story,

We have no problems adapting,

We have no problems changing,

We have no problems tolerating

The many passions and strange obsessions of man,

Whether he is in secular study,

Or praying in religious robes…

For in their arguments

The agnostics and preachers,

The conservatives and liberals,

The Traditionalists and Progressives

All forget good manners and

Taint both rationalism and spiritualism.

May God save us from the earnest ones!

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I am an avid follower of American politics. And I guess I have become familiar and much acquainted with liberal progressive views propagated by the likes of Bill Maher and The Young Turks. And I am the first to admit that some of the brightest and sparkling intellectual stars do populate the agnostic atheistic constellation. I agree with a lot of what they say. They are smart, they are sexy and they are very persuasive. Just like me. Hehehe.

But I have discerned an air of smugness in the representations of their ideas against believers of God in the US. And they are starting the bad habit of pontificating, just like the Evangelicals that they abhor. This is not a good trend.

It doesn't matter what you believe to be the truth. Nobody wants to drink wine, however sweet and pure it may be, if it is served in a dirty glass. Bad manners = dirty glass.

I hope the rationalists will maintain their rationalism in their challenge against what they think to be the irrationality of religious people. "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind", said Mahatma Gandhi.

Don't you agree, sunshine?

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way.