Finding Peace in ‘Community’

Assalamu’alaikum everyone.

Masha-Allah, looks like it is once-a-yearly post momentum in this space.

Very humbled to have found time and made intention to do up a post here.

Life has taken us through interesting tides over these three years, in fact. Grateful for everything, as always. Every experience has strengthened us. And we have learnt many new lessons and appreciate all the new awakenings.

Alhamdhulilah. My hands (and heart) are full as I try keeping up with our boys, ZY and ZD’s energy, especially with AZ’s frequent work travels.

Among this, very glad that our boys and I are now enrolled in a weekend Madrasah in the masjid within our broader constituency, run by and for, Indian Muslims in our community. And these sessions have been so meaningful, to the extent that I feel so upset whenever we have to miss the sessions for whatever reasons that kick in.

The warmth of the Jemaah from the parents’ class (that I’ve signed up for) is just so Masha-Allah. The learning halaqas, partaking of community events, and the moments we came together, especially for mass Iftars in Ramadan,  were so heartwarming.

At the core of it all, these sessions have definitely brought me closer to Allah, and the Quran.

Alhamdhulilah.

On that note, sharing a simple chicken pulao recipe from our kitchen that I brought to our Eid festive gathering  at the masjid last month.

What went in:

1)      Marinate small chicken pieces in yoghurt, very little ginger garlic paste, chilli paste and salt.

2)      Add in usual ‘family’ of briyani spices, onions, green chillies and marinated chicken pieces.

3)      Add in some tomatoes, very little chilli paste again, salt, some mint and coriander leaves. Garam masala, to your liking too.

4)      Add in water (1:2), and once boiled, put in rice.

5)      I personally like the aroma of rose water. And raisins and cashews toasted in ghee too.

If you are reading this and do try this recipe, please say a dua for my family and me.

JazakAllahu Khair.

 

The Little Things That Matter...

There are so many things happening around us... around me.... that has kept me fidgety these days.

I pray for all humanity around us - every life is precious. Be it a life from Syria, Palestine, Lebanon or Paris.

Amidst all these hatred going around the world. And some hurt that we may experience in our lives, I so believe it is important to find gratitude within our own lives. Among things that Allah (S.W.T) has given us. Everybody has a different battle, and everybody's battle has its own challenges.

Among the things that I love doing to take a breather from the hectic routine from life, I look towards two things - reading and cooking or/and baking for the family. These days, I have 'looted' these books from the library as usual.  A good friend also recommended an online store that delivers books purchased right to our doorsteps. Sounds like a great monthly investment to make, In-Shaa-allah. You can check out their website here at this link. If you find this useful, do make duas for the sister who shared this with me, and keep me in your duas too, In-Shaa-Allah.

One of the earlier books that I completed. Struggles of a British Muslim who has roots in Pakistan. Was worth the read.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book titled "Gotong Royong", written by a local author. It brought on vivid images of the fondly-remembered kampong days that Mum and Dad so often reminisce about. Their togetherness, the warmth among people of all races, their waking up at very early hours to queue for the common shower areas, their outings with neighbourly aunties to gather herbs from very thick vegetation (amidst battling fear of snakes). Although the author didn't mention these experiences, her own narration of her childhood within the decade she wrote about made me recount my own parents' memories.

I had also picked up two books in Tamil - on our beloved Mothers in Islam, Kadhijah (Radhiallahu Anha) and Fatimah (Radiallahu Anha). These are steps to making conscious efforts to keep reading in my Mother Tongue, In-Shaa-Allah.

Along these days, I also have tried a few dishes, some for the first time. The above is the result of one of those bakes that came upon on my impulse baking moods. It felt like a bake day, but there wasn't any butter at home, so had to google a few sites and combined a few recipes to get this - based on the availability of ingredients in my baking basket and refrigerator at home.

Rich and moist vanilla cake, without butter.

Alhamdhulilah, the cake turned out great. Soft, moist and tasty.

What went in...
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of self-raising flour
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla essence
1 tsp of baking powder
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup of cooking oil
1/2 cup of milk

Mix the eggs and sugar together first and put everything else in. Preparation time took less than 10 minutes and cake was baked by half an hour. Do give it a try, In-Shaa-Allah.

 A neat dish, I always thought so.

I also gave this dish - spicy mutton chukka - that I have tried from this website , another go this weekend. It turned well too, Alhamdhulilah, as with other times I have tried it. I have started varying the ingredients' portions to suit our family's tastebuds.

Mum had made mutton dhalcha that day too, and I made ghee rice to accompany that. And everyone in the family enjoyed it.

Alhmadhulilah.

Thank you, Ya Rabb...

So much to be thankful for, and yet do I realise it all the times?

A family to bicker with, to love and be loved,

a job that keeps us comfortable, and gives me flexibility to take some days off for myself (like at this moment!),

Good friends who add warmth to our lives,

and a faith that keeps me grounded of this life and has me thinking constantly of the Hereafter.

SubhanAllah.

And all the senses that enable me to appreciate the raindrops falling right now.

Allahuma Soyyiban Nafi'an.

Have I thanked HIM enough?

Writing... And Baking... And Living Life...

The new work year is now here. Alhamdhulilah, a lot of things have been lined up at work. And AZ's new job has been promising too.

As with welcoming all things sweet, I welcomed these new challenges ahead with these sweeties. My first try at experimenting with the cupcake papers - the batter was something that I have been accustomed to of course.

The photo below is of the bakes I made yesterday though. With different flavours. 

Amidst all these things, I have come to realise that I have not been able to write on this space as much as I would like.

And at times, I feel guilty about it too. So, is that good or is that bad? I really don't know.

And so, for 2015, I have decided on this. That I will write less. Here on this blog.

But I will write more in this pretty personal book. Diary - that's what they call it right?

Yes, maybe it's time, I should start writing diaries again.

Alhamdhulilah. My first entry is in.

This shall be, In-Shaa-Allah, my Book of Intentions and my Gratitude Journal.

In-Shaa-Allah.

Our Humble Eid Celebrations

And so here I am - finally, with the post on our Eid celebrations. I had sat down just before Maghrib prayers to start writing on all my catch-up posts on my Ramadan Journal, and it is almost an hour after Isyak, and I am now starting on my last post for the day, In-Shaa-Allah.

Thanks to the soul who knows me better than I do - AZ - who knew I was going to take this long to complete all my posts - and never allowed me to stay up writing on my blog during the weeknights as he stayed up to study for his exams. Whenever I said I would take only a couple of minutes to complete all the six to eight posts I must have published today - he would talk sense into me.

Alhamdhulilah, glad I found time to share on our Ramadan and Eid moments this year. Never before in other years have we remembered others' hardships more than this year - both AZ and I kept reminding each other to make duas for the suffering brothers and sisters around the world first, before we asked for ourselves and our families.

We pray that Allah (S.W.T) has accepted all our prayers and deeds in Ramadan this year and previous years. Ameen.

As we celebrated Eid this year, we constantly told ourselves that we should avoid food wastage and kept everythiing simple and humble. Mum and I decided we would not make the usual briyani and went for something simpler - ghee rice. Equally tasty, and she supplemented the spread with her other signature dishes (actually with Mum, everything she does is her signature dish, Alhamdhulilah).

This photo was taken by my friend Vanessa, who came over with her husband, Kenny for their 'newly-married couple's lunch treat' by us.

For the first time this year, we used paper plates instead of the ceramic plates that we always use. It really saved so much preparatory and washing up time, considering that fact that I could not be on leave the next day (had to get to office to complete a project that had to be sent for print the next day).

The sister from Zameel Abaya, one of our customers, is selling these pretty plates. I thought they looked so pretty and bought a pack each of each design. A lot of our guests were intrigued by them, even some brothers. I believe she stocked these up after Eid. Do check them out here if you would like to buy them. And they are pretty affordable too.

The lovely four designs of paper plates. Some even came in dessert plates.

And what is Eid without kueh tarts (pineapple tarts), keuh makmur (yummy biscuits with crushed roasted peanut fillings), and the likes.... and of course, Mum's 'Murukku' right? Alhmadhulilah.

The cookie jars and 'Murukku' containers in various shapes and sizes  you will see in every Muslim house here.

Thankful Moments

May 5 brought a lot of happy moments for AZ and me, Alhamdhulilah. We thank Allah for his blessings and are really grateful that our duas have been answered.


AZ always tell me this - that be it in the most happiest moment, the first thing that we should do is to pray two rakats of naafil prayer. And that's the only way we can thank our Rabb, isn't it?

“Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying), I will remember you, and be grateful to Me (for My countless Favors on you) and never be ungrateful to Me.” [Surah al-Baqarah 2: 152]

Source: Internet