Rizal writes...eventually!

Salam boys, Change is the only constant on life. I am having Iftar with Ms Faridah, my school TA, who is leaving the school for greener pastures to better provide for her family. May Allah bless her with bountiful rezeki and good health. Insha'allah!

Bismillah! Salaam boys, I'm ecstatic that this morning was the first time that you, Hakim, managed to wake up and solat Subuh with me. Alhamdulillah!

Bismillah and Salam Boys, It has been a long time since I last wrote to you! Laziness? Maybe. Been busy. Most definitely. No excuses though as reflection is important to remind oneself of why we do what we do. All praise to Allah s.w.t as only he could've have made my marriage with your mom work out. Although grateful, but I'm skeptical that it is long-lasting. Not that I won't keep it together but should this matter be raised again in the future, I would part ways quietly and quickly and move to Perth. Why Perth? It is a beautiful place to raise you boys in! Anyways, praise be to Allah s.w.t once again as only he could've willed your mom to join us for 2 solat sessions at home with all of us. I hope that this is a start to more religious activities that we do as a family. Will write to you soon.

Bismillah & Salaam boys, Just finished subuh orayers at assyafaah mosque. Buyer & Seller: if seller cheats, he will not get barakah from Allah swt. Raqamah - 'mengawasi' Allah sees all-when we arise from sleep, as we sujud in our solat, etc. Allah knows what's hidden in our hearts. Ihsan - to do Islamic duties or daily course of action knowing that Allah is all seeing and ever present.

Bismillah and Salam boys, Just finished Fajr prayers at Assyafaah mosque and am now listening to the mini-sermon, if I can call it that. These are the excerpts. Reciting al-Fatiha not accurately not following right tajweed makes solat invalid, imam nawawi. (Lahan: 2 types a) bad grammar b) change in meaning As long as meaning not changed-solat is valid. Eg: (1) Na an am tah - changed to Na an am ti(etc) (2) rab bil al lamin - rab bal al lamin : no change in meaning just like poor arabic grammar (3) wa lad dhooooor liiiiiin - wa lad zoooor liiiiin : mostly Pakistanis and Indian Muslims from India mispronounce this - solat not valid as meaning is changed (4) if one cannot recite al-Fatiha especially a mualaf, just recite one of the 7 ayats of al-Fatiha - dzikir. One can even simply stand for the right duration for the recitation of al-Fatiha when solat and follow the sequential movements (5) al-Fatiha cannot be recited in any other languages except for in Arabic (6) jemaah praye

Bismillah and Salam boys, I'm at Assyafaah mosque listening to kuliah after Fajr prayers. The imam talked about one of the values that our prophet s.a.w is known for - honesty or siddiq. Honesty is the best policy and a pure heart is vital to ensure honesty. One advice for you boys - be honest at all times & there's no such thing as a white lie. I pray that our relationship between father and sons will continue to endure with the Hadith & Quran our guide, Islam in our souls, honesty our bond and jannah our goal. Insya'allah!