A friend in need is a friend indeed.  I am not sure which should come first be it in need or indeed as both ends with capital “D”. Perhaps one day I know how does the in need friend looks like. This poem brings me something to ponder about the latest friend I happened to know.

Good friends are hard to find

Good friends are easy to love

Good friends are presents

that last forever and that feel

like gifts from above

Good friends are one in a million

Good friends are stories to share

Good friends know the path to your happiness

and they walk with you all the way there

Good friends are lives overlapping

Good friends are laughter and tears

Good friends are emotions so deep

that the trust just keeps growing over the years

Good friends are hard to find

Good friends are easy to adore

And you’ve been

such a good friend to me

that I could ask

for nothing more

Thanks for being

“Wa Allahi Zhonnuka Lan Yughniya Shaiaan ‘An Al-Maidah Hazih,” replied a friend of mine, an Afghanistani upon asking me about the taste of the meal. We were about to have lunch that day and it was synonymous to have a blank stare at the meal I was to enjoy.

“Azhonnu An Al-Maidah Kulluha Mutasawiya,” my thought responding to his query on how fine the meal was. My Arabic was not that proficient yet those days still echoing, the beauty of student’s life. Finally, we end up on our own way enjoying the bun as he always did whilst the crispy hot tapioca chips was mine.

That was approximately several years ago, a period with full of funs, laughs, and discontent to name a few, I was having good time. It could never and ever be repeated, as it was the law. A number of movies show how precious the time is, in range of Back to Future (with its sequential sagas), Time Cop, Universal Soldier and some more.

“Masa itu emas” as the saying goes on and thus to my belief, every single chances come across should not be squandered. Miss does not pay as much as the chances cost so as my guru call for “Carpe Diem”, seize the day or else you will get a big sorry for that miss. I am up to these days where a number of things I already missed. Perhaps there are reasons why I happened to miss and I miss this kind of feeling sometimes.

“Anybody who miss my class a lot, they are going to face the beheaded during the final battle (exam),” a cynical reminder from my Polish-USA citizenship lecturer, the last saying I could recall at the end of my final history lecture. I determine not to miss his class nor the things I consider vital. Yet sometimes I just miss it and it is recurring. The best I could do is just let it goes and again I miss? Not really...hahahaha!

During the Year of Sorrow, our beloved prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had gone through those days with courage, accepting all the mishaps as the fate of God the Almighty. Muhammad’s (pbuh) lament began by the departure of his beloved wife, Khadijah, relatively followed by his grandfather, Abu Talib whilst his son, Qasim wrapped up the agony. Indeed, Muhammad (pbuh) was a great leader by example, not letting his sadness gets over his prudent. Muhammad (pbuh) is a good example for all time, a blessing to all mankind.

For me, sadness comes by the end of Ramadan. This is the only month for Muslims to double up practices for a great amout of bounty, the month of which Satan, Demon and Genie are tied up, the month of which an ample opportunity to improve behaviours for the end of it is the blessing from God in Eid Fitr, a day to celebrate the triumph as we borne no sin, no wrath, anything in lieu of the injunction of God. The late Yasser Arafat, a Palestinian leader who passed away three days before Eid was also sad news. Citing intifadah and the struggle to liberate the Bail al-Maqdis, our first qiblat are so synonymous with Arafat. Arafat indeed was honoured for his effort towards Palestinians, glorified for his long lasting spirit and commemorated for his active role in the world stage of justice.

The death of Arafat brings sadness to Muslim world at certain point of view. Near left the soil the late Arafat had been struggling against Zionist, some Muslims in Iraq are in nightmare, probably having the break amid the bombing and gun-shooting atmosphere. Not to mention the newly breaking reports of some Muslims, allegedly shot to death in the mosque for a reason they were pretending died and they were the resident of Fallujah, a city which has a black remark for US troops. Muslims in Iraq are being tortured, humiliated the same as Muslims in Palestine and Deep South Thailand suffer. All these are sadness.

Alas, be it true or not, Muslims in Malaysia also died during Ramadan and Eid. The way they die is different as many of them get involved in road accident or ordinary reasons. Measures have been taken to curb the problems, yet the figure of casualty is fluctuating. The tragedy of the last year crash in Merapoh was very heartbreaking not to mention the latest of family-tragic mishap on the afternoon of the Eid somewhere in Sepang. Muslims in Malaysia struggle in a way of knowledge contribution, experience sharing and expertise exposure, which is commensurately similar to what Muslims in Middle East and Deep South Thai, are. Reward is in the hand of God for all these struggles and to go through such poignant is part and parcel of it.

Sad and happy, noisy and silent, day and night and the entire matching are written. Chances to turn up these ‘written-things’ are ample, provided efforts are out for something good. Whatever the fate is, it is only if it is endeavoured accordingly and so does the sadness. May God bless and forgive the livings, the deaths, heart and soul.

Artis : Too Phat/Yasin, DianSastrowardoyo, Ahli Fiqir

Satu Hari Di Hari Raya

Satu hari di Hari Raya
Ku lihat cahaya bersinar indah
Langit cemerlang tak terkira
Tanda kuasa yang Maha Esa
Memberi nikmat pada manusia

Satu hari di Hari Raya
Ku dengar irama yang sungguh indah
Ku coba mendekati padanya
Kira irama itu adalah
Suara pujian pada yang Esa

Satu hari di Hari Raya
Aku menangis tanda gembira
Aku menangis tanda ku cinta kepadaNya

Satu hari di Hari Raya
Ku lihat wajah suci ibuku
Ku lihat wajah kasih ayahku
Ku gembira
Mungkin inilah dia kebahagiaan