Baby Steps of a Muslimah

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Assalamualaikum

A thousand apologies to readers of this blog (if there are any) for the lack of updates, but let me just convey a happy Aidiladha to all the muslims in the world.

It was a sombre aidiladha in Brunei (at least for my family) as grandma (and a couple of uncles and aunties) was off to Miri for aidiladha celebration with our extended family in Miri, and this is the first aidiladha when grandpa was no longer around.

Aidiladha is a celebration to remind us of nabi Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail to Allah, and nabi Ismail’s willingness to be sacrificed for Allah, also Siti Hajar (nabi Ibrahim’s wife and nabi Ismail’s mother)’s willingness to sacrifice her son for Allah. Their sacrifice is to show their devotion and love for Allah, as nabi Ibrahim is also known as khalilullah.

For us, ladies, Siti Hajar is one of the women that we should strive to be. Just imagine, after she gave birth to Ismail, Allah commanded nabi Ibrahim to leave her and her son at a barren land. It was said that she asked her husband why he left them there, and he did not answer her. The third time she asked, she asked if it is Allah’s command, and nabi Ibrahim answered, ‘Yes’, and immediately she answered, ‘Leave us, Allah will always be with us’. Put ourselves in Siti Hajar’s shoes, would we be able to let our husbands leave us at a barren land?

In a quest for water for her child’s sustenance, she ran from mount Safa and mount Marwan seven times in search of water, and after that seven times, water gushed out from the area near Ismail’s feet (which became Zam Zam water well now) and Makkah developed after that. For remembrance in her quest for water, Haj pilgrims have to run from Safa to Marwan 7 times in a tradition called Sa’I.

Then, when Ismail was old enough to help his father, Allah has commanded Ibrahim to sacrifice his son for Allah. Hajar was willing for her husband to sacrifice their son for Allah (Ismail was then exchanged with a sacrifice in the form of a big animal). Mothers (and would be mothers, insyaAllah), would you willing to sacrifice your sons and daughters for Allah?

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Bismilllahirrahmanirrahim

Assalamualaikum

Alhamdulillah! Convocation went well on Saturday. I was very nervous, especially when I was on the first four rows (immediately behind the persons who are getting their Master’s), but everything went well, smiled at HM and remembered to thank HM, and then off I went back to my seat.

Words cannot describe what it feels to hold that undergraduate degree cert in my hands.  I just felt so content and happy. Thank you, Allah, for making it come true.

Thanks to my parents, who supported me all through the years I spent as a student, thanks to the government of Brunei who sponsored my study in UBD, thanks to my lecturers who graciously shared with me their ilmu, and most of all, thanks to all my friends who were there during the ups and downs, who listened to my rants, my complaints and offered their shoulders for me to cry on.

The bachelor’s degree is just a small step, there’s quite a lot of steps in front of me. The learning process never stops, there are ilmu for ukhrawi that I need to attain as well.

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