of a perfect balance

Alhamdulillah. such a simple word with such a huge meaning to it, right? 

today, i slept after class due to pure knackedness. so after asr, i slept for about an hour.   Alhamdulillah, Allah helped me to wake up in time for my Maghrib prayer with a knock from my next door friend. I've just started my placement in Swindon for O&G and Alhamdulillah the accomodation, hospital and groupmates are fine so far. She wanted to borrow my internet since hers is strangely not working.  and i prayed Maghrib while she was doing her thing on my laptop. i did inform her beforehand just so she wouldn't get weird out by my telekung..hehe. 

am currently reading 'Milestones' by Sayed Qutb. another book i nicked from home.  in Malay, I think it's called Petunjuk sepanjang jalan.  funnily enough, the book was bought in 1981, 7 years before i was born. i know i could just bought a new one to bring back, i just wanted a homey feel and hopes that mama & abah will also get some 'share' from me using this book.  insyaAllah.

macbook's weirdly mirror imaged camera.

Jan. 1 1981. 30 years old.

a beautiful excerpt from the book, 

"All this was possible because those who established this religion in the form of a state, a system and laws and regulations had first established it in their hearts and lives in the form of faith, character, worship and human relationships.  they had been promised only one thing for the establishment of this religion - not victory, or power not even that this religion would be established by their hands, not related to anything of this world: - one promise, that of the Garden.  that was the only promise given to them for all their striving for all the trials which they had endured, for their steadfastness in the face of the opposition of the forces of Jahiliyyah to that call, "There is no deity except God," which is abhorrent to those who are in power in any age and place." - Syed Qutb

sometimes, we are meant to be thinking big, to reform or 'islah' the community towards a better Islamic way of life. but it all starts from within, from an individual wanting Islam for him/herself first.  I guess that's where the balance lies, trying to reform oneself, at the same time calling others to it as well, a continuous process. hehe easier said than done? wallahua'am.

-nmj