"What is your favorite music?"

 "...I should not forget that it's not only their voices or style, 

but I should also ponder and understand the meaning behind it. 

Because in the end, it is not their voice but the Qur'an. 

Allah has bestowed upon us the most beautiful blessing in this world. 

And let not our hearts deviate from our true intentions."

My fall semester started today, yeah on Tuesday, because I don't have any classes on Monday. I did it on purpose hehe, so I have free days from Saturday to Monday!! yay, also Friday classes finished in the morning so it's way better. Alhamdulillah. I had four classes today and one of them is Intermediate Korean Writing which I decided to take because I have to take another TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) next year and it has been a long time since I wrote proper academic Korean essays. Since it's the first day, the professor only asked us to fill out some survey forms and level checks. It was easy and nice until I stumbled upon one question.

"What is your favorite music?"

It's very easy for some people, they couldn't even pick one as they have so many on the list. That question, is even harder for me to answer than the short essay question which was "What is the most important thing in this world?", I got the answer within a few seconds although the content development takes more time. It took me 2 minutes...3 minutes...5 minutes...to just think of one single title. One line. And it doesn't even have to be a Korean song, like, I can actually write western songs there. But, I just, can't think of any (in the end I just wrote "against the current" without any title hahahahhaha)

Well, don't get me wrong. I still go to 노래방noraebang/karaoke with my friends if they insisted and I will still sing one or two old songs that I knew years (and I still remember) before I semi-stopped listening to music. I can't say that I fully stopped listening to music because sometimes I am just exposed to it everywhere in the cafe, roads, whatever. Sometimes I am still listening to piano instrumentals like Chopins, Tsaichovzky, Liszt, Mozart, Baroque, etc (yeah cuz I love period dramas!!) or lo-fi as a background. Yeah, I love lo-fi. However, I just don't listen to music regularly like I used to anymore. 

I used to be a Taylor Swift #1 fan that although I don't listen to it anymore I still remember the lyrics, I knew BTS  for a year before I came to Korea (now I know nothing about them except that they're more globalized now), I knew some Korean ballad songs since I used to watch a lot of K-dramas prior my arrival in Korea. Note! Yes, I did watch k-dramas and listen to k-pop only before I came here, yeah tbh cuz it was fun and it helps me to learn Korean better. I even listened to Japanese rock bands like SPYAIR. I used to love love love rock bands like Paramore, Against the Current, Imagine Dragons, etc that I was bought a guitar and dedicated myself in it. But I stopped. I stopped ever since I discovered how beautiful Qur'an recitation is.

“And when they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of what they have recognized of the truth. They say” Or lord we have believed so register us among the witnesses.’

It brings me peace. Always. Even there are certain times that I actually tried to listen to music when I am bored lol. Like I just opened some old music that I liked, trying to get some nostalgic feelings), but... I just can't stand it. It will go for a minute and my heart starts feeling uneasy. My ears just don't like it. They refused it. The lyrics don't feel that deep and appealing anymore. It's not comforting anymore. I don't feel comfortable listening to music anymore. Like, well, yeah... it's a good piece of art, I appreciate that. But I just don't get the peace and unexplainable feeling that I got whenever I listen to Qur'an. Then I would be thinking, "um, ok, the music is good, lyrics are ok and I can relate at some point. Cool. But, what's the point of listening to this anyway," and switched to Qur'an recitations and be like, "yeah this is it, this is what I wanted.". My soul loves it.

Probably some of you have already heard about the hadith regarding music in Islam. When I first heard about that hadith, I still love music and I really was in denial cuz like, "um? I didn't feel any harm. It's good. Why is it so bad? Why?????", I didn't even try to stop because I knew that some scholars have different opinions about that too. However, everything changed since I listened to Mishary Rashid Alafasy for the first time. My heart stopped. I lost in my own thoughts thinking, "how did I spend years not listening to this..." I wished I found it sooner. But probably the story would have been different and not that interesting anymore. Had I not experience, I wouldn't know the difference...the hollow gap that I felt while listening to music compared to the Qur'an.

I came from knowing western bands and singers (yeah I still know some of them until now because they appeared in my Instagram feeds or just anywhere) to Qur'an qari/reciters. 

My favorite qaris so far: 

1. Mishary Rashid Alafasy (his voice is very calming and I listen to him most of the time), 
2. Abdul Rahman Al Sudais (his Qira'at style can make us burst in tears, it reminds me of Ramadan nights standing in Taraweeh prayer),
3. Taha Al Junayd (I first listened to his recitation when he was still very young and when he is older too.)
4. Saad Al Ghamidi (medium pace, quite fast I can say but also very calming), 
5. Muzammil Hasballah (my favorite from Indonesia, I met him once in Yogyakarta), 
6. Mouadh Ayachi (I like it that he likes to emphasize in some important lines or words), 
7. Muhammad Siddiq al-Minshawi (he's slow but very careful with his tajweed, my hifdh teacher recommended him to me) 
8. Abdul Basit Abdul Samad (I just discovered him recently, very...very...beautiful)

It is true that their voices are very...very beautiful, even with a different style of Qira'at. However, I should not forget that it's not only their voices or style, but I should also ponder and understand the meaning behind it. Because in the end, it is not their voice but the Qur'an. Allah has bestowed upon us the most beautiful blessing in this world. And let not our hearts deviate from our true intentions.

Allah says in the Quran:

"And when the Qur’an is recited, give ear to it and pay heed, that you may obtain mercy. [7:204]"

Ibn Taymiyah said: “By means of this listening, Allah guides His slaves and sets straight their affairs in this world and the Hereafter.”

Last, try it!:)

List of Prayer Rooms in Seoul, South Korea!

This post will be updated every time I get new information!! :) If you find any mistakes or have some recommendations, feel free to leave a comment! Also, if you have visited one of those places and have suggestions, feel free to comment and tell us your experience ^^

1. Seoul Central Mosque, Itaewon (Exit 4)

The Seoul Central Mosque was established to be a place to worship for Muslims in Korea as well as to educate the larger public about Islam and Islamic cultures. The first floor of the mosque houses the Korea Muslim Federation office and a meeting room. On the second floor is the men’s musalla (prayer hall), and on the third floor is the women’s musalla (prayer hall). The mosque is open to worshippers and visitors.

Address: 

04405 39 Usadan-ro 10-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 

How to get there?

Take a subway to Itaewon station (subway line 6, the brown line), go to Exit 3, go straight until you reach an intersection and kebab and Turkish ice cream shop, turn right and keep walking until you see Foreign Food Mart, keep walking until you see another intersection, then turn left and walk across the street... keep walking until you see Makan Halal Restaurant or a Turkish bakery store. You'll see the mosque sign or kindly ask people around you.

For more information:

http://english.visitseoul.net/attractions/Seoul-Central-Mosque_/4864

Can money buy us happiness?

"Money is a powerful tool; think of it as a catalyst which is able to help you execute your goals and reach more people, help others achieve their dreams and make this world a better place. Imagine if you can build a system that helps contribute in the society, build schools and educate people so that they can achieve what you have achieved."

Recently, I did a small survey on Instagram asking people, "Do you think money can buy you happiness?" out of nowhere because I was just playing around, hehe. But then I was surprised by the number of responses I got from my friends and Instagram followers. The result was 27% of them agreed and 73% of them disagreed that money can buy happiness; that also indicated that 3 out of 4 people think that money can't buy us happiness. I was intrigued and decided to write a longer post here because I, myself, have been thinking about it quite a lot these days. I was reflecting on the idea of happiness and how do people actually define the word happiness. I am not going to be philosophical here but, what really is happiness? And why the majority of people think that money can't buy us happiness? Also, what does it have to do with the money? Why some people think money is important and some others think that it is not?

To be honest, I used to think that money will NEVER be able to buy us happiness. Yeah, I gave you one clue there, I used to. I really have no desire over money that even if I had a lot of money or destined to be born in a very wealthy family, I will still choose to give some part of it to other people after I have fulfilled my basic needs. I don't need that much anyway, I just buy what I need and if it's enough then it's enough. I don't need hundreds of designer bags or tons of brand new cosmetics or skincare, I would feel content with one or two that I will really use and last me for a long time. Well, I don’t mind having tons of skincare though. Also, I want a private jet, hehe. And chocolates. And a lot of books. And a mansion on a private island. Astaghfirullah HAHAHA. Anyway! All I wanted to do in life is to share, serve, and help others through charity or education. I have never fancied money that I would sacrifice or dedicate my whole life to pursue material things. 

"Did you realise that there lies happiness after buying a pair of shoes for the homeless? There lies happiness of being able to provide food for the poor. There lies happiness when you can make an orphan smiles by fulfilling their tangible needs."

However, I changed my whole perspective about money after reading more books, educating myself about financial literacy, cashflow and listening to my mentors. Now, I believe that money CAN buy us happiness, although it's not always the case and the center of the universe. The truth is... there lies happiness after buying a pair of shoes for the homeless. There lies happiness in being able to provide food for the poor. There lies happiness when you can make an orphan smiles by fulfilling their tangible needs. I was wrong thinking that being rich always associated with greed and evil. Money can "buy" us happiness and a sense of security if we spend it on the right thing or the right people. Money is good if you are a man of value, a man of purpose, money makes you a better human if you have an amazing personality that could help other people.

Or even if you don't really have a big sense of sharing or charity, money still allows you to afford plane tickets for traveling in which you can learn more about other cultures, understanding other people or just enjoying the beauty of nature. You can achieve financial security to fulfill your basic needs of foods and roofs because before helping other people we have to make sure that we help ourselves.  Also, we can buy more chocolates, hehe. What I am trying to say is that it's not always about making the most money or compete with one another, it is more about giving deeper value in the utilization of money, be it to spend it on something that makes you a better human or invest it in something that you like. Because money comes when we have value. Some self-made millionaires out there, who wasn't born into a billionaire family, are usually the people of value who successfully created a system or product that helps many humans.

"The most beautiful thing in life is not wealth, rather it is the tranquillity of the soul, the contentment of the heart and happiness that comes from within." @roseofgolds

Money can buy you happiness, but it can't buy you contentment. You can be the wealthiest person in this world and still not be content, or you can have as little as $1 a day but you can still be the happiest person in this world. The key is to be grateful; gratitude is a simple act that requires you nothing but it does have a big effect in your life, it will give you peace, calmness, and contentment. "And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]." (Surah Ibrahim 14:7) The goal is not to make the money controls you, the goal is to control the money for bigger purposes and good causes. Money is a powerful tool; think of it as a catalyst that is able to help you execute your goals and reach more people, help others achieve their dreams and make this world a better place. Imagine if you can build a system that helps contribute to the society, builds schools and educates people so that they can achieve what you have achieved. Life is too short to hold grudges and enmity, why don't we cooperate and help each other? Greed. Yea,h I just answered my own question.

"Wealth is the slave of a wise man. A master of a fool." -Seneca

***

MISCONCEPTION WITHIN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY

There are widely spread mentality and misconception within the Muslim community, that when you're in deen and practicing Islam you shouldn't have desire over money as it's all about material things and worldly lives. In Islam, we have the concept of zuhud, it means having no love for the material world as it might make us forget about our sole purpose and the purification of the soul. The problem is that all of us have to live in this material world and benefit from it. When we are hungry we need food. When we are thirsty we need water. We need a roof over our heads. We need to earn money for our daily expenses.  But does it really mean that we shouldn't pursue material things at all? Does Islam really encourage us to not be wealthy and just focus on the hereafter/akhira? 

No, the fact is there is nothing wrong with pursuing money or material things. Even the Prophet's companions were among the super-rich but it doesn't mean they love material things or get crazy over money. Just look at Uthman ibn Affan r.a, Abdurrahman ibn Awf, both of them are millionaires in their time and the way they spend money for good cause and charity is still an ongoing ajr until now. Generosity, service, and love. Then, how is it possible then that while we benefit so much from this material world and need it all the time, we do not fall in love with it?

"Aim to live in this world without allowing the world to live inside you, because when a boat sits on water it sails perfectly, but when water enters inside the boat, it sinks. " Imam Ali (AS)

This is one of my favorite quotes; you are allowed to have money in your hand, you're just not allowed to have it in your heart. It is to be said that we shouldn't get so busy with money that we neglect more important things like family, health, friends, and purposes. Indeed, Allah has given us a chance to live in this Dunya so that we can seek with it the hereafter, next life, afterlife, akhirah, whatever you name it. And we as a Muslim (well if you are a non-Muslim reading this right now, it's up to you to take it or not) believe that we are not meant to be attached in this Dunya/world.

***

SO, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

1. Understand the cause-effect relationship

It is good and encouraged to donate and make a lot of charity for those who need, but we shouldn't forget to deal with the cause of the issue or the root of the problems. Talha Azam said, "suppose there is a sister on the verge of becoming homeless; you want to help her with donations, good. That's dealing with the effect of her becoming homeless. The cause is she doesn't know how to generate money. The cause is illiteracy and lack of knowledge. In other words, prioritize creating systems of financial literacy to tackle homelessness instead of the consistency giving charity alone."

"Wealth is a catalyst–it makes you much more of who you already are in your intentions, plans, and character. Use wealth for supporting your goals, humility and generosity, and not for arrogance, corruption, and evil."

-Talha Azam

2. Educate ourselves with financial literacy and how the system works

The lesson is, we should not only focus on fixing the problem but also understanding why certain issues happened in the first place through knowledge and education. It is important to understand the world issues and current affairs facing society, we have to build more awareness that the whole nation is suffering because we are not doing our part to help the ecosystem. Lack of understanding of knowledge is dangerous as it might lead us to hypocrisy and ignorance. We should educate ourselves about how to think, how to invest, how the system works, cash flow, how to learn, how to manage money, basically teach yourself about everything that your school or university never teach you. Even if you have graduated or you have reached the age above 40, do. not. stop. learning. Learning is essential, be conscious of the pursuit of knowledge. Seek knowledge but keep humble!

3. Plan, reflect, think, write it down

Reflect on your goals and purposes, think about how you define money and happiness.
What do you think about money? How do you feel about money? What you should really do with the money? What can you do for yourself, your family, or other people? Think about your life in the long-term, imagine and plan it out. Just think and write it on a piece of paper. Paper and pen.

4. Manage your money and spend it for a good cause

You don't have to be an entrepreneur or millionaires, there is nothing wrong with pursuing a job that you love or work hard for your passion. Everyone has a different story and don't let others define yourself or let you down. Start planning your money, financial planning and management are very important no matter what your goal and purpose are. It might be annoying and uncomfortable if you're not used to tracking your daily expenses, but it will be helpful for your future. If you are a Muslim, don't forget to spare 2,5% of your money for Zakat/charity to help the poor. Help everyone, it doesn't have to be a Muslim to spread goodness in humanity.

5. Be grateful
I don't have a lot to say about this one, you know what you should do :)

Abu Huraira (Radhi-Allahu ‘anhu) reported: Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wa sallam) as saying: "Charity does not in any way decrease the wealth and the servant who forgives, Allah adds to his respect; and the one who shows humility, Allah elevates him in the estimation (of the people)."[Sahih Muslim – Book 032: Hadith 6264]

So, what do you think about money?

One of the best nights in Ramadan with Interracial Family

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. (Qur'an Al Hujurat 49:13)

---May 20th, 2019; 03.56 pm, raining---

One-third of Ramadan has passed; today is already the 15th day as I am writing this post, it means we only have two weeks left before the month of Shawal. I just had a suhoor a few minutes ago and stopped eating as Fajr prayer started around 03.32 a.m. I didn't eat that much this time, I just had some cashew nuts baklava that I bought from Itaewon earlier today and a few sips of water. I am still feeling very full after eating iftar at my friend's house. My friend is a Korean-Muslim who converted to Islam from Christianity about two years ago, she called herself a 'baby Muslim' because it's only her second Ramadan experience. We met last year in Busan Al-Fatah Mosque, now that I moved to Seoul she invited me to have an iftar in her house. 

Eonni: Sister assalamu alaykum, can you come this evening for iftar today?^^ Because we want to have iftar together in our house today~~>,<
Me: Wa'alaykumsalam~ InshaAllah I can come...
Eonni: ... Today we have two Muslim university students coming and I remember you~>,<

I went to Itaewon wearing a long black dress, light blue jeans jacket, and a dusty pink pashmina after changing the colour of my hijab a few times. It was raining the whole day so I brought an umbrella (my roommate's because I couldn't find mine until now) and walked pretty slowly because it was slippery. I arrived at 6.40 p.m and met my friend from Egypt, Amira, who came along the way from Ansan to Seoul only to break her fast and spend Ramadan vibes together. I was shocked when I saw her also wearing a black dress and light pink hijab, I was laughing so hard as it was unintended and coincidental. Then we went together from Itaewon station exit 3 to buy some cookies and snacks from a halal Kervan Turkish bakery, we bought some baklava and some other Turkish snacks that I don't know what the names are for gifts since they must have prepared a lot of foods (tHEY REALLY DID I AM STILL IN FOOD COMA)

It was narrated that Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the reward of the fasting person in the slightest.” 

We arrived at her house around 7.15 p.m after walking for 20 minutes only to find out that another friend of us wearing the same black dress and pink hijab! HHAHAH it was so funny (and embarrassing) because now we looked like a group of choir lolllll. She, my eonni, didn't know that we knew each other before but we came wearing the same dress code although it wasn't planned at all. In the table, three of her kids were eating while she was holding her fourth baby, they were all so cute and I love babies :p Anyway, there were also two more guys sitting in the dining room, one of them is her husband and the other one is a university student like us. My eonni is Korean and she married an Algerian, they really are a beautiful family! So now we have Egyptians, Koreans, Algerians, and me, the only Indonesian there.

My friend's husband or I refer him as samchon 삼촌, which means uncle in Korean, started to introduce himself and talked about Islam and the Muslim community in Korea, sharing and giving, and encourage us to build a strong community. He also talked about how he met his wife and discussed Islam further with love and compassion as we waited for the adhan Maghrib to break our fast.

Suddenly uncle said, "...there are two things that are the happiest for a Muslim while fasting..."
and I continued the verse, "...it is when he breaks his fast and when he meets his Lord"
He smiled, "You're right, thank you."
"MashaAllah, may Allah give you barakah."

The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, “He who fasts has two joys: a joy when he breaks his fast and a joy when he meets his Lord."

We broke our fast at 7.40 p.m with Algerian dates (kurma), it was big and soft but less sweet compared with other types of dates. It's my first time to eat it and I love it! I always love dates tho. For starter, they served us Harira soup which has a lot of herbs, something-very-signature-from-Algeria that I forgot the name-ugh sorry, and tomato juice. Anyway, that something-very-signature-from-Algeria is like small thin pebbles made from dough. The old women or mothers in Algeria (or his family) always saying dhikrullah or adhkar while shaping every single thing so we believe there's so much barakah in it. Insha'Allah. After that, we prayed Maghrib prayer together in jama'ah (congregational prayer) before continuing the talk and eating. 

Alhamdulillah. We finished Maghrib prayer and started eating dinner together, they have prepared so much that whenever we finished one dish, they will give us more! I am so grateful, alhamdulillah, may Allah give them abundant blessings, barakah, and hidayah throughout their entire lives. Aameen. They have such a beautiful family with knowledge, sincerity, compassion, and love. We couldn't stop talking as we engaged ourselves with lively and deep conversations. One of the guy from Algeria is also in the same major as I am, International Studies—just different university although it is just 15 minutes from mine—so we found ourselves talked about the world's politics, Islam, economics, issues facing our ummah today, until the Rothschild family, the nature of both genders in science and Islamic perspectives to polygamy even hahahahahhah.

It was so beautiful and engaging because whenever we talked about certain topics we never forget to relate it with Qur'an and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad SAW, laa hawla wa laa quwwata ilaa billah. I always love it so much talking about deeper things rather than shallow ones with people who share the same values as I am, although sometimes we might have different opinions we will go back to Qur'an and learn to understand it in the perspective of Islam. We don't need to backbite or disrespect other people to have a wonderful conversation and create deeper bonds with each other. I respect them a lot.

Once again,  I am so grateful that Allah blessed me with beautiful and warm people that I can rely on like a family; I love how they treated me like their own children, and they told to me that "we are one family." as we exchanged prayer for each other. I am so grateful that Allah put me in a situation to be around the righteous people who love knowledge; to learn the meaning love beyond the mediocre and shallow understanding; to get to know each other despite our differences and backgrounds. And in the end, I've always believed and convinced that Islam unites us together only if we allow ourselves to take heed and reflection of the verses of Allah and the saying of Prophet Muhammad with sincerity and pure intentions. May Allah protect us.

So, how is your Ramadan so far? Let's strive to build a relationship with Qur'an even if it's as small as reading on ayah/verse or listening to the recitation every day.

Have a blessed Ramadan!
May Allah accepts our good deeds and burns our past sins. Aameen.

Love,

Aurora

Glossary

Iftar (or Fatoor) (Arabic: إفطار‎ ʾifṭār 'breakfast') is the evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.

Adhkar/dhikrullah (also spelled Zikrullah) (Arabic: ذكر الله ) is an Arabic given name built on the words Dhikr and Allah, meaning Remembrance of Allah.
Hidayah is an Arabic word meaning "guidance". According to Islamic belief, guidance has been provided by Allah to humans primarily in the form of the Qur' an.
Salat al-jama'ah (Congregational Prayer) or prayer in congregation (jama'ah) is considered to have more social and spiritual benefit than praying by oneself.

A day before Ramadan...

My second Ramadan in Korea

After I have finished my essays and assignments at 2 pm, I took a bath and prepared myself to go to Itaewon mosque in Seoul, Korea. There I met brothers, sisters, and uncles to discuss further plans and events during Ramadan until 5.30ish pm. Not long after that, we went to Makan Halal Restaurant #1 to eat dinner, brother Kareem (he is a Korean Muslim) paid for our meals and it was so generous of him because he almost always does it and never wants us to pay. May Allah give him barakah. It was 10-12 of us including two little kids I just met today, they were all sooo cute and sneaky! Hahaha. Ah, since I am in Korea, I got the chance to meet Korean Muslims (which is very rare and probably only 0,1% of the population in Korea) and listen to their revert stories directly. Alhamdulillah. Every single story that I have heard always moved me and got me thinking, as a born Muslim, that I have been given a priceless blessing that often being overlooked: Islam. I was born in a Muslim community, a Muslim family, easy access to information about Islam and Qur'an, I got to meet amazing mentors, teachers, and inspirational people that hold Islamic value from the Prophet Muhammad SAW and his companions. Speaking Indonesian, English, and knowing some Arabic is such a privilege because I can learn from many sources, unlike my revert friends who sometimes only speak Korean and speak a little bit of English. 

"It may not be perfect, as nothing will ever be perfect in this Dunya,.... but if we have faith in Allah and Prophet Muhammad SAW we will still be the happiest person. "

Ever since I came to Korea, I got to realize the abundant blessings that Allah has bestowed upon me and my family in Indonesia. Everything was so easy because Indonesia is a Muslim majority country although it is not an Islamic country unlike the ones in Middle-east or Arab. We are free to pray and eat halal everywhere and there are almost no difficulties to perform and practice Islam, you are free to wear hijab or niqab or whatever is your preferences. The only difficulty that we can have in Indonesia is... our own nafs. Mosques in Indonesia is just almost everywhere, probably take 5 minutes from our homes, and even if we are in the mall or public places they also provide Mushalla or small Mosque. The only difficult thing is the battle of our nafs, whether we are willing to walk toward the place of worships and perform Salah/prayers. Here in Korea, there are not so many mosques that you can find, when I was still in Busan I have to go down the hill, take the bus, transfer to a subway, transfer one more, and walk for 5 minutes before I reach the destination. It took me one and a half hour to go to a mosque, three hours journey a day. Sometimes I would spend my weekends in the Mosque as they provide a place for women to freely do anything and take off our hijab there. I usually spent my weekends with my sisters and cooked Indonesian foods until late at night while sharing stories with each other.

Now that I moved to Seoul, I have easier access to more variety of halal foods and mosques. The nearest mosque from my place takes about 30-40 minutes of commuting via subway and walking. Alhamdulillah. Oh, back to the story... after we ate dinner, I went out with sister Roukaya from France; sister Muni from Egypt; and sister Nura from Korea to walk around and wait until Maghrib prayer. I talked to sister Nura, whom I just met for the first time, about her journey to Islam. I really respect her and her decision to convert to Islam despite being the only Muslim in the family. Her story started after she watched the news about terrorisms and 9/11, she was curious, "Why Islam do this?" "Why Muslims are terrorists?", the exact same question that I asked myself long before I decided to wear hijab. She then learned about it and asked her Muslim friends, probably still with hatred and confusion, only to find out that the real teaching of Islam is nothing like the media said about us. She then decided to take her shahada and become a Muslim two and a years ago. This year is her third Ramadan, which was still hard for her, but she is trying so hard to wear the hijab (she likes it) and practice Muslim as much as she can. Her trials and bravery to walk against the current, against her family, against the Korean society that still have some prejudices about Muslim make me respect her more and more.

"Because in the end, this world is created as a test and people are separated entity that will be held accountable for their own responsibilities and deeds."

We walked to a cafe, just 10 minutes away from the mosque, and spent half an hour there drinking coffee and green tea (that's for me!). We conversed in Korean and English and talk about almost everything. We laughed so hard I was afraid if we might disturb others. We are just that funny loooool. Then we went back to the mosque to perform Maghrib prayer. The imam also officially announced that "tomorrow", today, is the first day of Ramadan. Therefore, we continued performing Taraweeh prayer after Isha'. My group chats, with Korean and foreigner Muslims, were full of notifications saying "Ramadan Kareem" and "Ramadan Mubarak"! Taraweeh prayer finished at 10 pm and we went back by subway, I went with sister Nura and talked about misconceptions that Korean has about Islam and Muslims. Sooo many things that I just pray that they will educate themselves and read more rather than blaming and assuming certain things that are not even true.

I arrived home by 11is pm where I met a sister from Syria. Yeah, Syria, it's the first time I met a person from Syria. We talked about a lot of things started from Ramadan to Quran to funny things that Korean asked or said to us and moving out of the dorm. HAHAHA. We were talking in the hallway, standing for more than an hour until the clock shows 00.54. We got along sooo fast and it was so fun and I am so grateful to meet her. The more I talk to a Muslim in the country that doesn't even believe in God, the more I feel grateful for being born in the Indonesian Muslim community. It may not be perfect, as nothing will ever be perfect in this Dunya, no matter where you are... in your home country or abroad, no matter what you do or happen to you, no matter how bad it is, despite being the most attacked religion in the whole world, no matter what they say about us, no matter how they look down upon us, if we have faith in Allah and Prophet Muhammad SAW we will still be the happiest person. Because in the end, this world is created as a test and people are separated entity that will be held accountable for their own responsibilities and deeds. May Allah protect us from the hellfire and in the day of judgement.

Fasting and the Quran will intercede on behalf of Allah's servant on the day of judgement:  

Fasting will say "O my Lord! I prevented him from food and desires during the day, so accept my intercession for him." And the Qur’an will say, "O my Lord! I prevented him from sleeping by night, so accept my intercession for him." The intercession of both will thus be accepted.  

(Ahmad and authenticated by Al-Albani)

A Quick Hello!

Hello everyone! Peace be upon you.

I hope you're all doing well. I just wanna write a quick post today since we're so close to Ramadhan   (only a few days left!). Last week, I had my first mid-term examination at Korea University and I am on my way towards finals in June. Time flies by so fast, I am kinda scared but excited at the same time tbh. My Ramadhan last year was incredible alhamdulillah, as it was also my first time spending Ramadhan abroad. The difference is I spent Ramadhan in Busan last year, but start from this year I will spend my Ramadhan in Seoul. New places, new friends, new environments, and new experiences Insha'Allah. Anyway, just click the link below if you want to read it!

1. My first Ramadhan in Korea

2. Ramadhan in Korea pt.2: The best gift on the 29th night of Ramadhan 

Finally, I hope each one of you will have a blessed Ramadhan. May Allah put barakah in everything that we do and accept our ibaadah and prayers.

Love,

Febby Aurora

Friends: trials and blessings

 

"If somebody asks me, "What is the biggest blessing that ever happened to you?" I won't say money, degree, or any material gifts. I would say, "Friends".

Friends are the biggest blessing that Allah has ever bestowed upon me throughout my whole life. The friend that always reminds me of Allah, the hereafter, the reason why I remain steadfast in deen of Islam. The people who corrects me when I do something wrong and I, deep down, really appreciate whenever they did do that. They are the ones who put values in my life and taught me about a lot of things that cannot be bought by money or traded with any material things in this world.

Thank you for the lessons and things unseen to the eyes. I wish I could mention each one of my friends who changed my life and filled my days with beautiful memories, but it won't ever be enough to express how grateful I am to have each one of them in my life.

My sisters and brothers in Islam, know that you played a huge role in my life. Barakallahu feekum, jazakallahu khairan katsiran. Aamiin yaa rabbal alamin."

***

I posted this on my snap gram on 13th of February, 2018. I was in the KTX from Busan on my way to Seoul, listening to Mufti Menk's podcast about the blessings of friends in our life (if you want to watch/listen, see the youtube video below or simply click this link!). That day, I officially moved to Busan after I spent almost one-year studying the Korean language. Now it's my time to start my degree in Korea University, Seoul, and start a new life here.

It was hard and difficult to leave, to be honest, because I was already comfortable with my life there and have good friends, really really good friends. They are my sisters that I met in Al-Fatah Mosque Dusil and my KGSP friend from Egypt, Amira. Of course, I have other friends as well, but they are the ones I am closest with, whom I talked to a lot. And by talking means, no simple talking but deep and meaningful conversations, sharing and exchanging our thoughts about Islam, world, politics, social-economy to jinns, universe, science, technology, and even marriages! HAHAHA they are the best! I love my friends, of course, my friends in Indonesia are included, the people that I probably have mentioned in the previous posts. The precious ones in my life who probably doesn't realize that their aspirations, ambitions, and views about this life inspired me to keep moving on in this life. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah.

"The Prophet (ﷺ) said: A man follows the religion of his friend; 

so each one should consider whom he makes his friend. (Narrated by Abu Hurayrah)"

This past few weeks, the last two months to be precise, I was having a rough time of discovering myself to new paths of life. It was quite short but an unforgettable experience. It was exciting but hurts so much, that I really didn't expect it at all. It was rather a painful journey. I am afraid I cannot tell the details of what happened because it includes some privacy of some people, and due to that I will just paint the big picture. Moreover, it is not our way in Islam to talk bad about others in front of other people and put a bad image on them (May Allah forgives us). Yes, we do make mistakes and sometimes we forgot, but everyone has a chance to forgive and learn. 

I'd rather lose one or two friends that possibly caused me to go astray from the goodness or lead me to destruction than to lose my relationship with Allah Azza Wa Jalla. We make mistakes but we always have two or more choices and give a free-will. We are given brains to think and reflect on every matter that happened in our lives but sometimes our hearts are contradictory to each other. Whatever doubts you have: remember to always trust your gut feeling, it's right most of the time, InshaAllah. And always put your trust in Allah, ask him to guide you and your heart to the best choice only, for your Dunya (world) and akhirah. It is only win-or-win solution whenever you put your trust in Allah, be tawakkal, of course, do your part first by doing ikhtiar and then you can leave the rest to Allah.

“Close friends, that Day, will be enemies to each other, 

except for the righteous...” (Qur’an 43:67- 73)

Spend five minutes to watch this video :)

Assalamualaikum peace be upon you,

Hello it’s me. I don’t know who you are, the one who passed by this post,
but I am very sure that Allah wants you to know this message.

I just want you to spend your 5 minutes to watch this video. Just a little time to invest, not that much. Look, ponder, and reflect how this person’s heart is attached to Allah. I hope you can take something to learn from it :)

Have a good day and may Allah bless you🖤

Prayers, a poem

Sometimes I wonder,
whose prayers has been granted by Allah
to the point that I can achieve what I have achieved right now.

If I were only relying on my own deeds and efforts,
I would never deserve everything
and anything that I have today.

Sometimes I wonder,
if I am deserving
of all the prayers that my mom always recites for me
in secrets at day and night.

Even if I dedicate my whole life
to payback what she always did to me,
I would forever be incapable
of doing the exact same thing.

For the prayers that reached the heavens,
knocked the door of His abundant mercy
For the prayers that we are aware or unaware of,
known or unknown.

For the people whose prayers are sincere,
who constantly prays to our ummah in silence,
know that even if no one acknowledges you
Allah knows, and that should be enough for us.

He has blessed us with so many things
that we didn't even pray for
He has protected us from so many things
we didn't know about.

For the people whose heart is attached to Allah,
for those who are content with our religion
I wish that Allah will bless you with His mercy,
love and guidance,
and anything that you deserve
in this dunya and hereafter.


[August 26th, 2018. 2.16 a.m, Busan Al Fatah Masjid]

My Favorite Youtube Channel (Islamic)

Assalamu'alaikum!

Halo :-) Peace be upon you.

Kali ini aku mau share channel youtube favoritku sejak dahulu kala dan alhamdulillah sampai sekarang. Semoga bermanfaat dan bisa menambah ilmu! Sebenernya pengen banget share banyak banget cuma banyak banget jadi bingung (?) hahaha lol.

"The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim." -Hadith At Tirmidhi  

"It is not the knowledge who should come to you, it is you who should come to the knowledge."-Imam Malik  

"Islam is knowledge based. The more you know it, you'll love it. The less you know about it, the more you will dwindle." -Mufti Ismail Menk  

"The more knowledge (of deen) you have the more humble you should be. Instead, you are becoming judgemental." -Nouman Ali Khan

***

1. The Merciful Servant

2. LoveAllah328

3. Free Qur'an Education

4. Digital Mimbar

5. The Prophets Path

6. iLovUAllah

7. Talk Islam

8. The Daily Reminder

9. Digital Ummah

10. Yasir Qadhi

Btw try to watch at least one video, just one video, langsung klik tulisannya aja yaa terus silahkan explore sendiri. Kebetulan emang itu channelnya bahasa Inggris semua, gatau kenapa sih soalnya saya lebih prefer style da'wah dan selingan jokesnya beliau-beliau.  Favorit saya selama ini sih Ust. Nouman Ali Khan, Mufti Ismail Menk, Tim Humble, Yasir Qadhi, dsb. Tapi bukan berarti yang dr Indonesia buruk ya, saya juga kadang dengerin Ust. Khalid Basalamah atau Ust. Adi Hidayat kok. 

Oh iya mau share aja, sebisa mungkin habis dapat ilmu itu ditulis atau bikin rangkumannya karena dengan begitu inshaAllah ilmu yang didapat jadi lebih nempel. Kalaupun lupa, sewaktu-waktu bisa dibuka dan pelajari lagi, apalagi kita sebagai manusia iman sering naik turun jadi tetep harus di refresh ulang biar ilmunya gak ilang. :( Aku sendiri nyiapin satu buku khusus untuk ilmu-ilmu yang berkaitan dengan Islam, entah yang didapat dari kajian langsung, liqo, atau video-video kajian. 

Kebetulan kali ini lagi pake buku hadiah dari salah satu sahabat aku, Ninis, sebelum berangkat ke Korea. Barakallah fiik ya nis, semoga yang aku tulis di buku ini bisa jadi amal ke kamu juga :-)

nyolong dari ignya ninis.

maap yak males ngedit hahahah

Kalau bingung mulai dari mana, start from the topic that interest you the most or you're curious about. Kalau dulu sih karena aku ngerasanya sudah Islam, tapi nggak mengenal Allah dan Rasulnya. Ternyata setelah tau, dan sedikit-sedikit mempelajari... mashaAllah. Gak bisa dijelaskan dengan kata-kata #ea. Salah satu cerita yang selalu sukses bikin nangis sesenggukan itu kalau udah denger hadits dan cerita waktu Rasulullah saw meninggal dunia, yang dipikirin cuma umatnya, sedangkan kita? :'(

***

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "I wish I could meet my brothers." The Prophet's companions said, "Are we not your brothers?" The Prophet said, "You are my companions, but my brothers are those who have faith in me although they never saw me." Source: Musnad Ahmad 12169

***

Dan kita emang manusia akhir zaman, gak heran sekarang banyak banget yang udah meninggalkan agama bahkan tidak percaya Tuhan, gak papa sih itu hak masing-masing toh gak bisa maksa juga. Tapi yang perlu diingat, you're responsible for yourself. So, whatever you do, remember that you're the only one who can help yourself.

p.s:

btw mau nanya nih, lebih prefer aku nulis pake bahasa Indonesia apa Inggris yak? Komen ya hahaha silent reader juga gapapa sih :( wkwk.

Ramadan in Korea pt.2 : The best gift on the 29th night of Ramadhan

Assalamu'alaikum! Happy Eid Mubarak. 

May Allah always bless you throughout the year!

I still can't believe it that Ramadhan has left us :'( 라마단 아주 그리워... But alhamdulillah, as always, Allah let me taste the beauty of this holy Ramadhan with the beautiful soul, people, and atmosphere although I live miles away from home. My first Ramadhan far from family. Memorable yet I still miss my family and friends. The foods are no different, but the people... no one can replace our family, right?

Anyways, if you haven't read my first post about Ramadhan in Korea please click this link! In the last two weeks of Ramadhan, Allah opened my eyes to learn and discover about other Surah in the Qur'an. Ramadan is the perfect month if you want to get closer to Allah and the Qur'an because this is the month of revelation and He rewards us with soooo many glad tidings and rewards. Masha'Allah. My favourite Surah always revolves around Ar Rahman, Al Kahfi, An Naba, and Al Mulk, but ever since I listened and learned more about Al Qalam and Az Zumar... my heart just dropped. Even Surah Al Fatihah... the mother of Surah, the first Surah that we memorized when we were 6 years old now feels different. Every time I read another Surah, jumped to the next verse, pondering about what Allah is trying to tell me makes me fall in love deeper and deeper. How can you not love the Qur'an when it is the only book where the Writer is fall in love with the reader?

“Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange

as it began, so give glad tidings to the strangers.” (Sahih Muslim)

This Ramadhan motivates me so much to learn the Arabic language, for Allah's sake Wallahi I am so jealous of the people who can speak and understand Arabic since they were born because in that way they would understand what the imam is reciting during Fardh prayer, Taraweeh prayer, and most important... the Witr du'a (prayer)! The Witr du'a mashaAllah dear brother and sister, people cried... people will cry rivers if only they knew the meaning. The Witr du'a should feel like...the detox of our soul? Pretty much. And Alhamdulillah... alhamdulillah for the blessings that Allah gave me, this Ramadhan got me realized that there is still a loooottt of things that I need to learn and discover. Yet...what I do is sleep. So many new goals and objective to achieve, I am so excited!!! Please keep me in your du'a xD heheheeeee

I am so jealous of the people beside me because they can cry during prayer, especially witr, to the point that I am so dedicated to look for Witr du'a with English translations on Youtube. And Wallahi mashaAllah I cried. Just wonder how would I feel if I can understand Arabic. MashaAllah what a beautiful du'a what a beautiful feelings :')))) Well this is just an example of witr dua, but wallahi wallahi so beautiful..........

Oh! I want to tell you one of the memorable days during this Ramadhan. So, on the 18th day of Ramadhan - 2nd of June, I went to Gimhae with GKS Muslim friends in Silla University: Amira, Ghazal, Rano, Fahd, Pranata, Normatjon, and Daler. We were planning to break our fast together alias buka bersama, this is our first time to break our fast together because we always did it separately or...I'll be in the masjid! We went by bus number 62 and took the train to Gimhae for 1 hour and half since 6.30 before arrived in Uzbek-Russian Restaurant. Oh anyway, it's in a different province but near Busan.

I was sitting beside Fahd in the train and talking about how much we love this deen and how grateful we are to be blessed with Islam. It is so beautiful. And we were talking about prophet Muhammad, especially the moment when Prophet Muhammad passed away yet he always thinks about his ummah. "Yaa Ummati...ya ummati...ya ummati....". And see ourselves? How many times in a day that we think about Prophet Muhammad. We talked about how we cried the first time we watched it, and whenever we watched it again and again, it always brings us to tears. Ya Allah... how I miss Rasulullah SAW... Allahumma Shalli Alaa Muhammad.

And you know, there is this famous hadith that we really love, and it should be enough for you to realize how much Prophet Muhammad cares, misses, and loves us. May Allah made us among the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad in the hereafter, aamiin.

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “I wish I could meet my brothers.” The Prophet’s companions said, “Are we not your brothers?” The Prophet said, “You are my companions, but my brothers are those who have faith in me although they never saw me.” Source: Musnad Aḥmad 12169. Grade: Hasan (fair) according to Al-Albani

Finally, we arrived in Gimhae just a couple of minutes after iftaar (sunset, maghrib. the time when Muslim breaks their fast). Me and Amira brought our dates and shared it with our starving friends. Hahahaha they ate it all! Then, after ordering some foods some of us prayed Maghrib prayer in congregation at a small Musholla (prayer room, smaller than mosque) near the restaurant. We got to eat Kebab, Samosa, and a lot of meat and lamb that I don't know the name of but the most important thing is it's halal and delicious!! We spent almost 100,000 won for one dinner, astaghfirullah but we have no choice because halal food is always expensive but whatever at least our heart is at ease and we don't do it everyday xD. After that, we took a walk at night and ate vanilla ice cream from Lotteria that only costs 500 won hahahaha #brokelife

We joookeeddd so much along the way, I am feeling like I have a family. Well, we often hang out with other friends too, but, maybe just maybe because we feel like we have this connection as one-ummah, as a Muslim, this feels....different. I don't know but I hope we can meet again together in Jannah and I prayed that Allah will guide them and makes it easier for them to practice and be proud of our religion. Insha'Allah.

"A Gift From Allah"
Allah answered my prayer on the 29th night of Ramadhan at 2 a.m during Qiyamul Lail. Alhamdulillah. I'd rather not tell you what it was, but this was the best gift that a humble slave could ever get from his Lord, his Master. I am writing this to keep myself reminded if someday I've forgotten about this :')

This Ramadhan was not perfect, but it left me a lot of lessons and make me realized upon every single blessing that Allah gave me. The atmosphere was amazing, even though I am miles away from being apart from my family and lovely friends. 2 hours journey back and forth from my dorm to the mosque that I've always trying to do whenever I have time. It feels miserable to remember that I only have to take 5 minutes walk to go to the mosque in Indonesia, few minutes walk to halal foods, those are one of the blessings that we tend to forget. This Ramadhan was not the best, but I have done my best. May He always bless us and give another chance to meet this beautiful month until next year.

Ramadan has left us, 
but don't let the lessons and positive changes it brought us leave from within us. 
This is not the end! You never know what little prayer/du'a can save you from the fire and admit you into jannah 🌺

My First Ramadhan in Korea - First Two Weeks

Busan Al Fatah Masjid

Assalamu'alaikum! Peace be upon you. 

Masha Allah Masha Allah.
I am so excited to write about this. It may be the first Ramadan abroad yet it feels like the best Ramadhan I've ever had so far. I have been waiting for Ramadan since a long time ago. I couldn't stop thinking how will I pass my first Ramadan abroad, far from parents, and as a minority. But ahamdulillah, Allah made it easier for me and insha'Allah always for the remaining years I'll be in Korea.

Before Ramadhan came, I made plans and monthly tracker of deeds and activities that I'll do for this month so that I can keep myself on track and don't lose motivation in halfway. I also went to E-Mart and Asian Mart to buy stocks and foods!! I spent quite a lot of money on foods, as always. Halal foods are rare and more expensive, but Insha'Allah if our intention is to complete the deen and please Allah, He will make it easier for us and give us more blessings! Nothing to regret :) 

Anyway, Ramadhan 2018 in Korea started from 16th of May. I am not fasting alone, there are quite a lot of Muslim friends in KGSP Batch at Silla University, maybe about ten and more. So, yea I am not alone.

_________________

First Day of Ramadan - 16th Night, First Taraweeh

The KMF announced the date, Ramadan mubarak! I went to the mosque to pray Taraweeh with 3 Indonesian friends, it takes about 1 hour to go to Busan Al-Fatah Masjid, Busan. As soon as we reached there, I saw a lot of people from all over the worlds: different race, different skin colors, different languages but one ummah, praying in the same way, the same direction, same prophet, and worshipping the same God. It felt amazing. Well, I went to the mosque quite a lot before Ramadan and meet foreigners too, but because it's Ramadan...it feels more and more more more amazing. There were sooo many people like...hundreds? MashaAllah. The 'Isha prayer starts from around 9 p.m and continued with Taraweeh prayer. We finished around 10 p.m and come back to our dorm.

Second Day - 17th, First day of fasting

The first day of fasting! There were like 6 people in my class who were also fasting. I broke my fast with my friends in one of the restaurants in our dorm. We also ate kurmas (dates fruit) that I bought at Asian Mart. Actually, I was planning to save the kurma for a few days, but the guys like it so much they ate it more than I did! lol. but that's okay xD. I didn't go to the mosque today, we just prayed in the Musholla in our building.

Third Day - 18th, Went to the Mosque

I went alone to the Mosque on Friday evening because the class ended earlier today! Thank God it's Friday!!! I was staying in the mosque for three days from Friday until Sunday because I want to feel the Ramadhan vibes hihiii. I was falling asleep so I went late, I had to break my fast in the subway (train), such experience. lol. As soon as I arrived in the mosque, I got to eat Indonesian foods T__T opor ayam !! Ahahaha bahagia.  

Fourth Day - 19th, One Ummah

MashaAllah, after Witr prayer the Moroccan woman beside me was crying so hard. We hugged her while talking with other sisters too. She explained why she was crying, she was really sad and heartbroken of the condition in our ummah today. At first, I didn't cry during Witr because I don't understand what it means -,- (huhu I wish I knew Arabic!) but as soon as I know... since the other girl from Egypt translate it into English (so we basically talk in English, Korean, and Arabic altogether) I started crying too :'( I just knew how it feels like to be in one ummah. It's so beautiful and ironic at the same time. We were saddened by the truth that we can pray, fast, and worship well, eat sehri and iftaar in peace, meanwhile, our brother and sisters in countries like Syria, Palestine, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, etc are suffering and barely eat enough for fasting. It hurts. It should have been hurt. 

An-Nu’man ibn Basheer reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 5665, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2586

Fifth Day - 20th, Cultural Events and First Salary!

Yesterday, after helping a little, very little in cooking and preparing for foods (I still can't cook well I need to learn T_T), one of the Indonesian lady asked me and my friend to join a cultural event near Haeundae beach. There will be like 44 countries participating in this event, so I thought why not? We prepared free foods up until 2 a.m, ate Sehri, and pray Fajr together. We took a rest for a few hours because we barely sleep at all and we had to go at 8 a.m, it took around 1 hour to Haeundae from our place.

So we prepared a lot of Indonesian foods to share for free: martabak, klepon, sagu mutiara, pempek, and even rendang ayam!! Masha'Allah. The temptation tho, we were fasting but we cooked and served Indonesian foods xD. We went at 8 a.m , arrived at 9 a.m, and finished by 3 p.m ! By the end of the event, without knowing, I was asked to sign on a paper...and I got my first salary! Really, Ramadan barakah. I didn't even know that we'll get paid for this my intention was only helping and participating in the event, and mashaAllah the amount of money given was quite a lot  for working less than 9 hours :))))

Sixth Day - 21th, Resting Day

I didn't go anywhere today, I was sooo tired because I lack sleep in the previous days (although it was worth it!). I had a really nice sleep at night and slept again as soon as the class finished. Ate the rendang daging that they gave me for iftaar.

Seventh Day - 22th, Moroccan and new foreign friends

Went to the masjid with Amira, helped with the cooking (just a little!). Ate chicken curry and Indonesian bakwan! HAahaha. After Taraweeh prayer, we got invited by the lady from the Moroccan restaurant to have some tea, chocolates, and cookies. Met Sumayya from Italy who shared her life as a traveller and her journey in learning languages. She said her goal is to speak 25 languages! We also met Rachel/Nisrin who is an American married to a Moroccan. Her journey towards Islam moved our hearts, it made us realized that Allah gives guidance to whoever He wants to :) We just arrived in the dorm at 12! Hahaha.

Eighth Day - 23th, Another chill day in the dorm

Class ends at 1 a.m and I slept a lot. Resting day.
Had my iftaar in the room with the food I kept because I am too lazy to go out :(

Ninth Day - 24th

I don't know I forgot -_-"a but alhamdulillah.

Tenth Day - 25th 
Had my iftar in the dorm again, Jum'ah mubarak!
Alhamdulillah.


Eleventh Day - 26th, Bangladesh
Went to the mosque. Ate Bangladesh foods (biryani rice, chickens, and idk?) with hundreds of Muslims. Made new friends! Staying overnight. Always love the feeling and atmosphere. I received an Eid gift (already?) from Mbak Nila, Iram's mom (Korean-Indonesian kid) alhamdulillahhhh.


Twelfth Day - 27th, Pakistani & Cukkumi
Tried pakoras? and other Pakistani foods. The mosque is always full every weekend, feels like a whole new family! I went out to eat cukkumi with Indonesians, it's a stir-fried octopus with satay-sate-like sauce and cheese-almond-pizza. Amazing.


Thirteenth Day - 28th, Imam Al Bukhari
Came back to my daily life routines and reality. Had my iftar with Amira, eat our favourite kyeran bab with cheese, milk, tuna, and kurmas. Alhamdulillah. I also learned about Imam Al-Bukhari and started to read "Summarized Shahih Al-Bukhari in Arabic-English" that I borrowed some time ago. Mesmerized!! MashaAllah may Allah always bless him. You can read his collection of authentic hadith too here https://sunnah.com/bukhari/1

Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab:I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for."

Fourteenth Day - 29th, omg two weeks already????
OMG???? ALREADY??? WHY. SAD. :((((((((((( Nothing significant today, just another day to learn Korean up until 4 p.m. BUT. STILL. WHY. I don't want Ramadhan to end very soonnnnn :((((

Quick update: it was an amazing day MashAllah. After class, I went to climb the mountain behind our dorm with my Egyptian friend, Amira. We bought foods before and planning to just reflect and refresh our soul. We were talking about everything and listening to the Qur'an that I put in a high volume (since there's no people). We reflected a lot about how lucky we are and that Allah is so merciful. We listened to Al Mulk, Ar Rahman, and Ad Dhuha by Mouadh Ayachi and Muhammad Thaha. We realized how Allah has bestowed us with soooo many blessings... Mashaallah. Mashaallah. Now we see the sky in the different way, the universe as one creation of Allah, and how He is always taking care of us because He knows the best for us. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah.

Don't Be Like Most People

We all know that everything that we do, our prayer, salah, staying away from alcohol, pork, and adultery aren't doing anything for Allah, that is for ourselves, it saves us from making a fool of ourselves. Nothing we do benefit Allah, he is Qiyamuhu Binafsihi, he is the Most-Great. Every single thing that He prohibits from us is for our own sake. It is out of Allah's love for us that He made it so that when you love Him and do something for Him you're in essence of loving yourself and benefitting from Him.

If you look for the words "most people" in the Qur'an, you will find that most people 

"do not know", 7:189,  "do not give thanks", 2:243, 

and "do not believe" 11:17. 

And if you look for "most of them", 

you will find that most of them are "defiantly disobedient", 5:59, 

"ignorant" 6:111,  "turning away" 21:24, "do not reason" 29:23, 

and "do not listen, 8:21.

Don't you want to be among the number of a few people? Dear brothers and sisters?:')

Narrated Anas:
The Prophet said:
“My Lord says, ‘If My slave comes nearer to me for a span, I go nearer to him for a cubit; and if he comes nearer to Me for a cubit, I go nearer to him for the span of outstretched arms; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running."

***

On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: Allah the Almighty said:
"I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me.
If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and
if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an
assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw
near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at
speed."
It was related by al-Buhkari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn-Majah).
Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith Qudsi

He loves us so much, don't you realize that?
May all of us are blessed in the upcoming Ramadhan. :)

p.s - few sources -

My First Month in Korea as a Muslim

"Think about your life and daily routines. 

What is the reason of your existence?

Are you meant to study half your life just to work the other half?

Be attached to people just to get your heart broken?

Get buried in the ground after all your worldly achievements,

like nothing ever happened?

Don't you think there's a purpose of your stay on earth?

Something that will result in what happens after your death?

Just stop for a while and think about it.

Perhaps you will realise life is nothing but a temporary illusion 

that fooled people into believing in the creation instead of the Creator.

There is more to your life. You have a much greater purpose.

Don't lose yourself by falling into delusions of this world.

Re-awaken your soul to its purpose. " 

- instagram.com/reminder_afterreminder -

February 19th, 2018, was the day when I arrived in Korea for the second time. If you're one of my readers, you know that I've visited Korea last year during vacation. But this time is different, now I am living in Korea as a KGSP student, university-student-to-be, a Muslimah in a strange country. I am currently studying the Korean language in Silla University before going to Korea University in Seoul, my dream university (for undergraduate, after Oxford University :p). It has been more than a month yet it still feels like a dream to me. I remember the days when I was in grade 12, I was holding my dreams so high every single day that I sometimes thought that I will never reach it. But Allah gave me so much more than I have ever wished for. 

"Be the kind of person who helps others

find the important things they've lost in life- their Deen, 

their smile, their hope, and their courage." 

My flight scheduled at 3 pm on Sunday, I needed to take three planes and two transfers: Jakarta-Singapore-Seoul-Busan. The NIIED (KGSP) bought the ticket for me so I couldn't change the schedule. I remembered, the day before my departure, I was having a fever and flu all of sudden. I was in very good condition before. I went to the hospital with my parents just because of the severe temperature in my body. We got the medicines, antibiotics, and etc just 4 hours before departure. I don't know if it's some kind of pre-home-sickness, nervousness or something but as soon as I arrived in Singapore, the fever is gone HAHAHAHA. Maybe the thought of leaving home was so overwhelming that I am feeling the pressure inside. I was worried whether I'll manage to survive in a harsh world of Korea and the bunch of obstacles that I will face academically, spiritually, physically, or socially, especially as a Muslimah, as a hijabi.

Did I feel any home-sickness, cultural shock, or anything? Surprisingly, no. It's more than a month already and I didn't cry even once. Yet? Idk. Yes, I did cry before leaving Indonesia, it's not because I am regretting my choice but as I said, the thought of living alone in an unknown world as a stranger is quite suffocating. But here I am, alhamdulillah. I do miss Indonesia, I miss my family, friends in deeds and deen!!! and ofc the foods (FOR THE SAKE OF SAMBAL BAWANG, AYAM PENYET, AYAM GEPREK AND NASI PADANG). Wkwkwk. The halal foods masha'Allah. I rarely eat chickens and beef here because not everything is halal. But good for me, I eat more vegetables and seafood here, I am (trying to) live a healthy life and walk around more. I was so lazy when I live in Indonesia because everything is sooooo easy and comfortable there. Halal foods everywhere, cheap transportations (a.k.a Gojek) who are willing to transport you from one place to another place, or my favourite... delivering our favourite foods at a VERY reasonable price. Oh, how I love Indonesia. I never left my comfort zone my whole life before.

Living abroad as a student before I even reach 20 is a dream come true. Living in a society where the majority is non-muslims (even atheists, to be precise) surely is a different challenge. Korea is a country where the majority of people are eating pork like I eat chickens in daily life and drink soju like I drink water on a daily basis. That's why I always said that studying abroad in Korea is both a trial and a blessing for me. I am proud of my religion. I am very proud of Islam and being a Muslim. Billions of people in the darkness and Allah chose you to be guided by His mercy. How can you not fall in love with His mercy? The love and pride that I have in my faith grow bigger and bigger it came to the point where I reflected on a lot of things, blessings and privileges that I have in Indonesia. I can find halal foods almost everywhere, literally everywhere. I can pray wherever I like: we have a lot of mosques and mushalla. I can hear adzan 5 times a day which soothes our soul. I didn't experience any weird look or discrimination because the whole majority are doing the same thing as I am, wearing the same clothing as I am, practising the same deen as I am.

"Being sinful is not something to be proud about,

and being righteous is nothing to be arrogant about."

I learned (and still) learned how to represent our deen the way it should be presented every single day. Although I am not perfect; my clothing is still not the way it is should be, my act and behaviour haven't yet portrayed what Prophet Muhammad SAW taught us to do, my speech hasn't benefited any of them, but at least I am trying to learn about myself and my religion more than I have ever done when I still have all those privileges. I seek refuge from Allah from any of my mistakes and wrongdoings. When I first came here on vacation, I never had this kind of thoughts. Well yes, I do have, but not this deep. Some of my friends never heard nor have a Muslim friend before, they told me they are actually afraid of Islam/Muslim because of what the media portrayed. All they have is bad thoughts and impressions. Well no wonder, I am not surprised at all. Even if I can't do a big thing in the future, at least I hope, my existence in Korea could help people understand more about the true Islam: it's not a religion of oppression, terrorism, or whatever you call it.

I got a lot of questions about Islam and hijab. The most common questions that I got so far are: "What?! You pray five times a day??? Wow you're so religious." I am not! Sometimes I wonder how performing five daily prayers can make you religious. It's obligatory. I am far from pious. I am just doing the basic thing that we should be doing as a Muslim. Or, "Do you have to wear that thing (hijab) every day? Can you take it off?" Yes??? and... No??? Wearing a hijab is my own choice and none of us is oppressed. We love hijaaab. Sometimes I laughed at how stupid the news that media makes about us. The news about us is so stupid that sometimes I and my hijabi friends (KGSP in Silla) make jokes about it. Rather than being offended, we laughed a lot to see all those stupid conspiracies. Well sorry to say, just my thoughts. "You can't eat pork?" or "Why can you eat chicken and beef but not *that* chicken and beef?" Yaaa because...why ya??? =)) Hahahaha.

"For you, I pray may your heart always 

be connected to the one who made it."

It's not easy to live in Korea as a Muslim. You will have a fewer option of foods and sometimes people will think you're strange; the way you dress, the way you eat, the way you do anything. But it's nothing about being strange, it's just that they're not getting used to it. And it's okay, we can't please everyone either. You could have the best intentions, and there would still be some, who will think the worst of you. Nevertheless, living in a non-religious country as a Muslim shouldn't discourage you from practising Islam. It shouldn't be an excuse for us to leave the teaching of Islam, our way of life. Instead, we should be proud of our deen. For insha'Allah, insha'Allah I promise, it will worth it in the end. Insha'Allah. May Allah forgive our mistakes and make us among the people that He loves. I am nothing but a sinner, if Allah had no mercy on me I would have been doomed a long time ago. Astaghfirullah.


"And I did not create the Jinn and Mankind
except to worship me. [Qur'an 51-56]"