The legacy of Imam Bukhari

During the weekend in Uzbekistan back in 2009, my colleagues and I planned a trip to Samarkand. It's the second largest city in Uzbekistan which has been listed by UNESCO in its World Heritage as Samarkand, Crossroads of Cultures.


While in Samarkand, alhamdulillah I had a chance to visit the mosque of Imam Bukhari to perform our jama' prayer and it is where the Imam Bukhari mausoleum is placed. Imam Bukhari is well known for his contribution to the Muslim worldwide with his widely referred hadith compilation, Sahih Bukhari that has been acknowledged as the most authentic compilation of all. Personally, I do aware of that and appreciate his effort and contribution. However, little did I know about the history of this great man. Knowing this, it gave me the urge to find out more about Imam Bukhari. 


Some brief information, summarised from the googled websites:

Imam Bukhari or written as Al-Buxoriy in Uzbek, was a Muslim scholar, born in 810AD in the city of Bukhara, Uzbekistan which previously known as Khorasan. His real name was Muhammad Ibn Ismail Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Al-Mughirah Ibn Bardizbah Al-Bukhari. His father, Ismail Ibn Ibrahim was a known hadith scholar who was died while in his young age and Imam Bukhari was an infant.


At the young age of 10, Imam Bukhari obtained the admission in the Hadith class in Bukhara. Then at 18, he visited Makkah (Mecca) accompanied by his mother and elder brother to perform pilgrimage. Both of his mother and brother returned home after the hajj and Imam Bukhari stayed there for further education. He had also travelled to Medina, Egypt, Syria, Kufa, Baghdad and Basra to seek knowledge for Hadith transmission.


Imam Bukhari was gifted with remarkably strong memory and sharp intellect. He did not depend on pen and paper as much as he relied on his mind and memory. He was known as a pious man, hard working and generous. He had spend his wealth descended by his father in the path of Allah, where in the end he had been left with no money forcing him to spend his day with few almonds.


In the year 864AD, Imam Bukhari settled in Nishapur where he met Muslim ibn Al-Hajjah and being his student. He eventually collected and organised his long, thorough works on hadith collection, Sahih Muslim. 


Due to political issues and problem, he returned to his hometown, Bukhara. While in his hometown, the Governor of Bukhara has requested the Imam to visit the governor's home to teach his children. He had declined stating that he gave greater respect to knowledge than to people. According to him, for they who in need of the knowledge and it is they who should seek it. A second request was made for the Imam to hold sessions strictly for governor's children which was also declined by him. The governor was infuriated by the second refusal and ordered him out of Bukhara. Upon hearing this, the people in Samarkand invited Imam Bukhari to his town. 


Imam Bukhari moved to Khartank, a village near Samarkand where he died on 1st Syawal in 870AD at the age of 62. (To Allah we belong and to HIM we shall return)

His legacy, the hadith collection which have reached us:


1. Sahih Bukhari, is regarded as the most authentic of all hadith compilation which was based on sound reports with chains of narration going back all the way to the Prophet SAW, regarding matters pertaining to the Prophet's practises and words during his times. 


2. Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, the book devoted to matters of respect and propriety.


May Imam Bukhari's works considered as his 'amal jariah' (good deed) during his life and May ALLAH SWT rewards him the place in Jannah (heaven). 

Imam Bukhari's mosque in Samarkand

The mausoleum of Imam Bukhari in the centre of the mosque's compound

In front of Imam Bukhari's mausoleum

The legacy of Danish writer

Currently, my son loves reading the storybooks written by Roald Dahl, a British writer, which he borrows from his school library. Interesting books, kind of unique and sometimes, even I, myself read them.  It reminds me when I was a little kid, I enjoyed reading the fairytale books such as 'Thumbelina', 'The princess and the pea', 'The emperor's new clothes', 'The Little Mermaid', 'The ugly duckling' and many more. Being just a kid, it didn't really matter to me who was the writer as long as I liked the book. 

~Google pix~

I came to know the author of those books when I was in Copenhagen, way back in 2005. He was Hans Christian Andersen (H.C. Andersen), the 19th Century Danish writer whom was born in Odense, Denmark. He moved to Copenhagen when he was 14 and died at the age of 70. His works on the children books had tremendously delighted children worldwide including myself. His writing of poetry and stories have been translated into more than 150 languages which many had inspired the movies, plays, ballets and animated films (e.g. Disney films). On his birthday, April 2 is celebrated as International Children Book Day. 

It happened to be in the year 2005 when I was around in Copenhagen, they celebrated the bicentenary of Andersen's birth. A rememberance on his legacy, highlighting the history of his life and work. Being on the unpaid leave or best described as being on a summer holiday, I had the ample time to tour the city and visited the places (other than going to shopping streets and malls) with my 4 year old son at that time, while hubby was busy working :) 

Visited the Gallery of H.C. Andersen with no one else but Akid ;)

The statue of H.C. Andersen in the Copenhagen city

A statue of The Little Mermaid was placed in the Copenhagen harbor in honor of H.C. Andersen

20.11.2011: Happy Birthday, Mak!

to my beloved Mak :)

Mak and Daughters on Eidulfitri 2011

20.11.2011 adalah hari ulangtahun kelahiran Mak yg ke 64. Sehingga hari ni, telah mempunyai 14 org cucu daripada 6 anak, 3 lelaki dan 3 perempuan. Pesara cikgu Bahasa Inggeris di sekolah kampung kelahirannya. Mempunyai suami yang beriman dan bertanggungjawab. Mak seorang yang penyayang, pemurah, rajin membaca Al-Quran dan melakukan amalan2 sunat. Agak suka berleter... Biasalah mak-mak, kalau tak berleter kepada anak-anak, kepada siapa lagi. Sekarang bila anak2 tinggal berjauhan, berleter dengan suami pulak;p Seorang yang agak tegas. Semasa remaja dahulu, anak2 perempuan tidak dibenarkan ada 'boyfren' selagi mereka tak habis belajar. Bila dah habis belajar dia 'expect' anak2 perempuan akan cepat2 kawen, camna tu? Bila agak lambat ada calon suami, mak lah orang yang paling gabra, berleter konon anak dia memilih sangat, mahal senyum, masam, garang sangat...hahaha! Hmmm, whatever it is, I will always love you, Mak. You have a special place in my heart...  Bagaimanapun, berkat doa mak, alhamdulillah anak-anak bertemu jodoh dengan orang baik-baik :)

Semoga Allah yang membalas segala jasa dan pengorbanan Mak untuk anak2, sedari lahir sampai lah dah beranak pinak, tak terbalas dan tak terungkap dek kata-kata. Dah jadi emak dan bapak orang pun, Mak masih mengambil berat akan anak-anak yang perlukan pertolongannya, jadi 'banker', jaga anak dalam pantang, jaga cucu dan selalu mendoakan yang terbaik untuk anak2... 

Kak sentiasa doakan agar Mak dipanjangkan usia,  diberkatiNYA dan dilindungiNYA selalu, dikurnia kesihatan yang baik, dimurahkan rezeki, ditabahkan hati dan diberi petunjuk atas ujian dunia, diberi ketenangan & kebahagiaan hidup di dunia & akhirat dan ditempatkan di JannahNYA kelak, ameen. 

My Kampung

Original site of the Malaysia's oldest mosque in Kampung Laut, Kelantan - google pix

Kampung Laut

My late granny whom I called Cik, enjoyed telling her grandcildren about her childhood life in Kampung Laut. Her memories of the kampung, incidents during the world war II and her memories of the Kampung Laut mosque (masjid), before it was relocated to Nilam Puri in 1968. I can still remember there was a painting of Masjid Kampung Laut, hanging in Cik's family hall in Palekbang. I believe she was proud of that oldest mosque which was originally built in her birthplace. (My granny and my parents moved to suburb Kampung Laut, Palekbang in 1970s). 

According to Cik, when she was a little kid in Kampung Laut, it was common to see the elephants passing the village. Hmmm, I can't imagine this :-o

Early this year, my parents had moved to Pengkalan Chepa, 5 minutes drive to the Sultan Ismail Airport. However, there are few relatives remain in Kampung Laut, which is well known for its delicious Beef 'Serunding' or we call it 'sambal daging', sort of spicy meat floss. It's commonly eaten as a side dish, best served with hot rice during 'sahur' or as filler with bread :)

Serunding Daging Kampung Laut

The view of housing areas in the villages nearby Kota Bharu and Pengkalan Chepa. (Pix in June 2011)

Pekan Palekbang, on the way to Kampung Laut. (pix June 2011)

A boat at a jetty in Kampung Laut, an alternative transportation for villagers.
Daily transporting passengers from Kampung Laut,  across the Kelantan river to Kota Bharu and vice versa.
Along the river of  Kampung Laut, there are few Batik, Dodol and Serunding home-based cottage industries.
(pix June 2011)

The history of Masjid Kampung Laut

It's believed that Masjid Kampung Laut was built by the Muslim missionaries from Jawa, whom survived the struggle in the open sea when their boat leaked and safely landed in Kampung Laut. They built the mosque as a gratitude to Allah for saving their lifes. Masjid Kampung Laut is regarded as the oldest mosque in Malaysia. Although the actual 'built - date' was not recorded, but its design shown the similarity of Masjid Damak in Jawa which was built in 1401. The mosque had survived the two 'big' floods known 'Bah Air Merah' in 1926 and in 1966. Severe damages occured in second one, where parts of the mosque were swept away by the flood. The mosque was transfered to University Malaya Islamic Academy compound in Nilam Puri in 1968. The original architecture has been retained except for the damaged parts, which was rebuilt by the Malaysian History Society.

Picture of oldest mosque, Masjid Kampung Laut from google:

The original site of the mosque in Kampung Laut, taken in 1905.

The mosque was then relocated to Nilam Puri in 1968 and handed to State Government in 1970.

The mosque in Nilam Puri

Recent pix of the Masjid Kampung Laut in Nilam Puri

The Thirteenth

Alhamdulillah, today marks our 13th wedding anniversary. Thank you, ALLAH for your Love and Blessing... I always pray for our happiness in this life and in hereafter.

On 14th November of 13 years ago

Fav recipe: Sardine Curry-puffs

I'm sharing my family's favorite sardine curry-puff recipe, passed down from my Johorian mother in law :) It's best to be served with family's favorite beverages during breakfast or tea-break and also nice to bring over to potluck party, picnic or for lunch-pack.

Ingredients:


For Pastry:
-500g multipurpose flour
-2 tbs cooking oil
-200g butter
-*180ml water (rough measurement - reduce/add for a soft dough)
-1 tsp salt

For filling:
-*2 small cans of sardine (amount can be adjusted up to one's liking)
-3 potatoes, cut into small cubes
-1 onion, finely chopped
-*2 tbs of blended chilies (reduce / add up to one's preference)
-5 shallots & 3 garlics - grind
-2 tbs oil
-salt and sugar to taste

Method:

For pastry:
Mix flour with cooking oil and butter.
Slowly add water (with salt) until dough is formed.
Knead for few minutes till the dough is soften.
Set aside and covered with plastic or covered bowl for at least 10-15 minutes.

For filling:
-Heat up the oil in a pan and fry the chopped onion, grind shallots, garlics and chilies until fragrant.
-Add the rest of the ingredients and cook the mixture till the potatoes soften and dry, then set aside to cool
-Then roll out the pastry (manual / machine) and cut into circles by using the mould. (I used the tuna can)
-Put the sardine filling in the centre of pastry and fold into half.
-Crimp the edges to seal.
-Deep fry in hot oil til the pastry is cooked in golden brown.

~ready to be served with hot tea / coffee :)

His school's project - History

My son's school project on Victorian Era, which he referred to various websites and wrote based on his understanding and using his own sentences, mostly about the school, children and the toys they are playing with during those time. I find it's very interesting to at least know in general the history of one's country, especially our own. 

Google pix: Queen Victoria 1837-1901

Google pix: Women's dresses during Victorian Era

Victorian Era was a stretch through the reign of Queen Victoria of 1837 to 1901, 64 years of reign which is the longest period in the British history. It was known as a peace and prosperity period, a time of social, political reform and the beginning of modern times. 

~Victorian Era booklet by Akid~

Around Qatar: Al-Wakra beach

Beautiful kids @ Al-Wakra beach

11.11.11 - We went down to Al-Wakra, another suburb town of southern Doha. It's just 8-10km away  and it took us only 10mins driving to the town. Previously, Al-Wakra was a tiny fishing and pearling village which is now evolved into a small town with modern planning and infrastructures. There are major undergoing development of its city centre, the beach and the sports city in Al Wakra and even today it's one of the famous tourist spots in the region. 

Al Wakra is also famous for its historical heritages and museums, but we just headed ourselves to the beach, sitting back and feeling the cool sea breeze ;) 

~Pix of us @ Al Wakra beach~

Yeah, picnic?? Looks like they are more interested with the games ;p

~ Quite a number of families were there too. It was Friday, ok! ~

~The residents' houses and mosque nearby the beach~

Qatar Academy in Al Wakra

~fishing boats, nearby the fishing village in Al Wakra~

11.11.11 in Doha

11.11.11 - tarikh hari ni sangat cantik, terpaksa tulis entry jugak ;p

By the way, we are still on festive hols til this weekend:) Other than helping with my son's school project which he needs to submit a scrap book on the Victorian Era, we went around the small city of Doha and stopped by the Corniche for lunch. It is getting colder and it's expecting to further experience the temperature drop til February next year. Love the weather now and wish it could just stay as it is ;)

Since, I'm now in Doha, it triggers me about how far I actually know about it. Well, not much really. So, I googled;) Here's some brief information about Doha:

Yeah, everyone knows Doha is a capital city of Qatar. It's actually the largest city in Qatar, covering the area of 132km2 with population of 1.45M. It's interesting to know that Doha is from Arabic word of ad-Dawha, meaning 'the big tree' and it could also be from the word 'Dohat' in Arabic which means 'bay' or 'gulf'. 

Aspire Tower in Doha

In terms of its achievement in organizing the sports events, Doha has held the 2006 Asian Games and hosted the AFC Asian Cup 2011. Doha will also host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and is currently bidding to host the 2020 Summer Olympics and 2017 World Championships in Athletics. Well, I'm not really interested in sports though.

Well, enough of 'wordy' Doha, let's scroll through the pix. 

View of Doha City Centre from the Corniche

Had lunch @ Corniche

Along the Corniche

Corniche is among the favorite places for Doha folks to de-stress ;)

West Bay Lagoon Plaza (aka Zig Zag Tower),  the tallest zig zag / leaning tower in the world.
Built for both commercial and residential use.

The Pearl, the commercial and residential area, exclusively built on the artificial island.