Kakak Speaks #5

Time flew doesn't it. One minute your child is waddling her way around the house saying babababa and you feel like it's going to last forever, and the other minute she's already insisting she can open her own baju (very noisily; and be mad if I help her do it) and you try hard to remember how she looked like at 10 months old..

It won't be long till she's saying things like how fun it is at school and she sayang this friend and that friend. For now its only saaaayang umi sangat2 a few times a day. And Ummi this and Ummi that. *sob*.

That's a fact we have to face. I will be in her heart less and less once she depends on me less, but her dependency on Allah must be stronger, and takes my place in her heart. She must have that 'kekuatan dalaman', which, as the person given a white piece of cloth to be designed, we parents are the one responsible for, right? Sigh.
Ever second counts, never forget that. Each precious moment you get to spend with your loved one, every second, is a chance for you to mold that piece of dough you have in your hands, until it become a beautiful exquisite piece. But you have to do it quick, as it hardens as time goes by, and there will come a time when you can't mold it no more...

So, wanted to record the type of things kakak says at the age of 3 and a half..

Case #1

After mandi, as I am about to pakaikan her bedak, she suddenly exclaim,

Kakak : Eh kejap kejap..!!

Me : Nape kakak?

Kakak : Mana ni.. kakak punya ubat hati..? *kelam kabut cari*

Kakak : Abi kata lepas mandi kena letak ubat hati!

Me : Ubat hati?? Apa tu?

Kakak : Ubat hati kakak, mana ni..

After a while..

Kakak : Ha nilah dia.. ubat hati kakak.. 

Showing a bottle of Vicks.

Case #2

Not proudly, me and DH were ehem, bickering about something (discussing je actually ;p)

Kakak : Isy, gaduh je Ummi ngan Abi ni. Tak ikut sunnah. Orang ikutlah Nabi atau Rasulullah..!

With a scolding tone and facial expression.

(I don't think I've ever use that sentence on her! Yelah coz she never gaduh with anyone yet)

Fuh, it's a strong reminder for us. I can still see her as-menyampah-as-cutely-possible face going 'hmmhhh tak ikut sunnah!!'. Bickering infront of her again will send signals that sunnah doesnt matter, teaching and explaining is one thing, but actually carrying it out carries a much heavier weight!!

Case #3

Once, someone close to us, scolded her, and later at our home we discuss about it. My intention is to remind her of her wrongdoing.

Me : Kakak, tadi Nekbu marah kakak kan? Kenapa ye?

Kakak : (knowingly) Huh, ada syaitan la tu kat Nekbu tu, sebab dia marah-marah kakak..

-_-

We explain that bad behavior comes from syaitaan's whisper, still it can be mildly uncomfortable when she cooly relates a lot of things with that fact, huhu. At one time she often included it in her story telling sessions with her dolls. Scary! Tapi betul lah kan.. it helps a lot too. As last resort to pujuk her do things she refuse it always work.

Anyway, families have said, at age of 3 and a half, Kakak is a very kind hearted child, very seldom scold her adik even though adik do macam-macam to her like step on her and pull her hair. Good natured. Very sweet and so oftenly ask me whether I am mad at her and say sorry to me for no real reason. Cuma cepat merajuk je now especially when she sees me cuddling her sister.

She'll be in school next year. Must start my solat hajat now for her, may she be in a place that truly helps her to be a true muslimah. Most importantly, to find a pendidik that will show her the best akhlak and be amongst friends who help each other understand.

To make it easier for me, I taught her to say this now whenever she wants my attention and I am unfortunately attached to my annoying phone.. "Ummi ni.. sayang kakak ke sayang handphone?". It works every time!

Jotting Down Memories

It is already entering November. And as a present to myself, I'm going to recommence this journey of jotting down anecdotes of the most special moments I am ever going to have my whole life. I owe this to myself.

It's true you know. According to this book I just started reading, the earliest years of one's child are the most precious. For we'll never get back that dependency they have in us now, hanging on to our every word and following our every thoughts and belief.  

Super meaningful read

Just like we'll never get back that attention they so crave from us right now. So stop playing with that phone now and give them that attention they deserve. There will come a time when we will desperately want them to talk to us and simply share ideas yet they'd be too busy with their own lives. The time will come.

It will be exactly these moments that we are going to miss most.

There are so many moments that I had missed jotting down. Every time it happen, after I had a super good laugh about it, I would promised myself I'ld blog it, but of course procrastination kills it. So yeah, I won't be getting those moments back, thank you very much.

An Islamic scholar I am sure everyone knows, Hassan al-Banna, pengasas Ikhwanul Muslimin, was the busiest man in his time. As written by his own children, Hassan al-Banna was once known to say he has more responsibilities then the time he had. Looking at his contributions to the ummah we can be sure his was a life well spent. Yet he, had a special jurnal for each one of his child.

Ahmad Saiful Islam, anak lelaki Hassan al Banna, menceritakan bagaimana beberapa sifat peribadi Hassan al Bannan semasa beliau masih hidup lagi. Antaranya beliau sangat menjaga dan memerhati perkembangan anak-anaknya. Setiap anaknya mempunyai fail khas yang ditulis oleh beliau sendiri. Di dalam fail tersebut terkandung maklumat seperti maklumat-maklumat perubatan anak-anaknya, sijil-sijil pelajaran bersertakan catitan-catitan tentang kemajuan pembelajaran mereka. Hukuman yang paling berat pernah beliau kenakan kepada anak-anaknya hanyalah cubit telinga. Sifat pemurah kepada anak-anaknya dilihat apabila beliau memberikan wang saku kepada mereka sebanyak 3 Qurusy berbanding kanak-kanak lain yang puratanya mendapat suku atau setengah Qurusy sahaja daripada ibu bapa mereka.

Beliau menyediakan satu perpustakaan khas buat Ahmad Saiful Islam. Ini adalah antara proses pentarbiahan beliau kepadanya. Beliau tidak melarang Saiful Islam membaca apa-apa jenis bahan bacaan, malahan memberi bacaan lebih baik untuk dibaca oleh Saiful apabila selesai membaca bahan bacaan diminatinya.

Its significance must have been huge. I think one of it is as something that will ease our hearts at times of troubles we will have in later years, watching them grow. It's be these moments that we will go back to, in search for that strength. To look back and see the purpose and hope we have had for them at the starting of their young pure lives. It is this purpose too, that we have to instil in our hearts now and make sure it grows stronger as they grow up. As Ustazah  NorHafizah says, kesabaran dalam rumahtangga yang pertama sekali ialah kesabaran dalam menentukan hala tuju rumahtangga. It sounds easy, but looking at those words, we know it ain't easy, and just how much we have done so far.

So, Allah wills, insyaAllah, jotting down anecdotes is going to be made easy with blogging!

Children Nasyid #3

I found two nasyid, with fun videoclips (oh no is that what people call it? dah lupa, LOL) to share with our children. Kakak, even Safa loves it, requested for it again and again. Memang best. Its an indonesian nasyid, and I think Indonesian nasyid are still the best kind there are out there.

Assalamualaikum - by Opick

Rindu Muhammadku - Haddad Alwi

Even tho the second one ada a bit inappropriate part (the rapping part); it still manage to make me teary, everytime ^_^

Starting to Read Bahasa #1

I have yet to start with Bahasa Melayu phonics. But I found a great start to it!

Abu Ada Ayam!

I've read about it plenty of times. So when I saw it on YouTube and play it to them, I agree its a super smart way to start phonics, before you start with the books.

Its best if you pluck it on your TV because they can enjoy it on a big screen.

And I love it best because I can sing it to them anywhere and anytime!

I've memorized most of it anyway, and each time I marvel at the smart way we can teach reading without making it look like 'teaching'. We know how children loves songs, they will be able to memorize these phonics sounds quicker than flashcard!

Even the adik loves it.. khusyuk je! And when I sing it to her in the car, she grins in recognition

I intend to buy the set in the near future. For the time being download this on YouTube first. Do try it! Nanti nak start ajar baca buku senang, insyaAllah.

Furqan Video

You got to love this! I definitely do!

I bought Easyread Furqan series a long time ago. It came with 4 books and a CD. And we played it plenty of times before Kakak could speak. Like, when she was 1 year old. There are 4 nasyids in it. 

I have forgotten the CD until recently, when we started the book. Found it on YouTube. And since the CD is in the car somewhere, I download it from YouTube and played it on it TV.

Saw how her eyes widen in recognition and she smiled happily at some distant memory. Now that she actually understands it, she really enjoys it! So its true how we should start these things, tarbiyatul islam,  from young. You'll rip its benefits as time passes.

Its fun for her because she recognized the letters in the video. But the best part for me is, often, after watching the video, she'll shout, "Ummi nak baca buku alif ba ta!!" And run to get the book.

O_O

Its a magic I can never pull! MasyaAllah.

P/s: I just remembered, the older version of Furqan series (like mine) came with an audio only CD, the current version comes with a Video CD. This clip from YouTube is actually only the trailer of the video CD. Maybe I can purchase only the VCD somewhere.

Asyik nak berpegang tangan dengan adik je

Starting to Read #4

After completing about half of Furqan 1 (all the baris atas), I am currently stuck at baris bawah. Since the flashcard are all of baris atas, it is understandable she could not comprehend that 'Ba' with tanda di bawah is pronounced 'Bi'. 

Got an idea of finding a nasyid of all three baris and I came up with this.

Could work right? Maybe after familiarizing how all the three baris sounds like it will click when she reads on her own.

It is actually not that hard to get her to read the book. She really enjoys it most of the time. Sometimes I even found her reading the book on her own. *melts. Most of the time I had to do some reminding, but its much easier than the flashcard.
And of course, banyak interruption la. Like..

La Wa. Haa.. laawaa? *grins.

Aa Ka. Haa? Akak? Dia kata kakaaak.. *grins and pats herself.

Ma.. Sa. Haa.. Maasaak? *grins.

Layankan jelah. Kadang-kadang rasa nak menangis nak habiskan satu page.

The Magic Thumbdrive

Received this today.
Anyone wants a thumbdrive full of recordings of :

1. Prof Dr Muhaya Mohamad - Islam Itu Indah IkimFM
Rakaman bermula tahun 2010, 2011, 2012 hingga terkini
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2. Ustazah Norhafizah Musa - Usrati IkimFM
Rakaman bermula tahun 2012 hingga terkini
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3. Ustaz Pahrol Mohd Juoi - Mukmin Profesional IkimFM
Rakaman bermula tahun 2012 hingga Jan 2013
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4. Ustaz Muhamad Abdullah Al-Amin - Pesona D'Zahra IkimFM
Rakaman tahun 2011 hingga terkini
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Bonus: also from Ustaz Hasrizal, Ebit Lew, Ustaz Badlishah.

At just RM 35, this 8G thumbdrive is yours. If you have one of those mp3 player in your car, you can just pop it in on your way to work. Even at your lowest of iman, percayalah, Ilmu itu pelembut hati. Menadah hati untuk ilmu itu langkah pertama mendekati Allah. Dan dalam hadis Qudsi, selangkah kita cuba mendekati Allah, seribu langkah Allah akan menghampiri kita. Semoga Allah izinkan ia menjadi penyebab hidayah pada kita semua..

Click here for further info and to purchase http://www.majlisilmu.com/p/mutiara-ilmu-v2.html?v2

Starting to Read #3

Phew finally. Alhamdulillah. March 2013, I can satisfactorily say Kakak completed her Hijaiyah flash card. Except for 2 to 3 letters lagi yang dia ingat on and off. Penat tu pujuk every flash card session.

I think it has taken us a bit more than 1 year for her to remember all, then again, sessions are not consistent, sometimes months went by without consistent sessions (consistent session means everyday in a week; skipping days might mean back to square one, though not completely, if you know what I mean).

Bought hijaiyaah flashcard from Pn Lina

The last three letters still in need of practice

Maybe some tips to share:

1. Before each session prepare the upah siap-siap, and do some serious coaxing using the bait! I usually use either chocs or more preferably, play sessions. "lepas kita buat alif ba ta ni kita main playdoh sama-sama ye.. kita buat masak2.." and then kalau macam tak nak jugak, "kita baca alif ba ta skejaaap je.. sebab kakak dah pandai.. lepas tu kita main lama-lamaa. Baca skejap, main lama, nak tak?" -__-

2. Before starting, some kata semangat is a must. "Kakak, haritu ingat tak? kakak baca laju je kan, semua kakak dah ingat, pandai sangat kakak.. ummi ingat kakak tak ingat lagi, tapi rupanya semuaaa kakak dah ingat kan? pandai sangat. jom kita buat kejap.."

3. Each session cannot be longer than 10 minutes! Or, if she is super cranky at that time (usually bcoz sleepy/tired) abort the session straight away. Don't let it be the cause of tantrum coz she'll grow to dislike the flash card. In other words, if coaxing is starting to sound more like forcing, better stop. Which is why it's important to choose the right 'time'. Fresh, in a good mood, and not in the only-bottle-can-cure-it mood. Once she say, "kakak penat dah," I stop and my brain starts to think of how to coax her in a few hours time.

Of course, at times, she really like her flash cards, and she would do it on her own, or willingly when I ajak her the first time. A few times she even quietly 'teach' it to Safa. But there are times when main is all she has in her mind, hence to suddenly become all teacher and school with her needs some coaxing.

4. At Pn Lina's course I tried all her methods, like hanging the Hijaiyaah letters on the fridge, walls, cupboards, but for this particular little girl it doesn't quite work. Maybe my starting method is wrong, it makes her feel that flashcard sessions are 'study sessions', so masa tengah happy-happy main, takyah tunjuklah flashcard, in no way is she gonna get tricked into thinking flashcard is a game ;p Sigh. Must be my fault somewhere. I ought to make flash card light and fun and part of a game. But once her Abi succeed in making it a game, she had to run across the living room to pick the letter we shouted at them, made her so happy. So there are a lot of ways, it just needs us to be creative, and observative of our child's likes and style of learning. You know, like, visual, auditory, or kinesthetic.

5. Consistency is the main rule, obviously. Flashcard is a one-second, repetitive method. Which is a good thing, really. I don't think we have more than 10 minutes of patience anyway, huhu.

And so, in the middle of March, Kakak at 2 years and 10 months, we are able to start al Furqan series Book 1. Alhamdulillah.

And again, it needs a whole lot of coaxing techniques to get thru this book ;)

In making it more fun, we can think of words that makes sense, and using the flash card, build words like this:

But I would need more than 1 set of Hijaiyaah letters, which means I have to do some printing to create our own cards. And later, when she has done with baris bawah (kasrah) and depan (dammah), I am sure she will  love it when when she can spell Pa-Da Sa-Tu Ha-Ri. Ada guna juga all those story telling sessions yang memenatkan tu.

No words can describe the joy of seeing your (first) child read a book by herself, even though its only one syllable sounds with no meaning! I was estatic. Rasa macam nak menangis pun ada. Our baby all grown up and so smart. I'm sure every parent experience this! Priceless kan? (So please bear our over excitedness). Especially if you had to overcome so many hurdles; tantrums, patience, tiredness.

And yet, rasa kerdil sangat when I see other parents, some of it you can see at http://didikanquran.blogspot.com/. Nak fikir tanggungjawab tu banyak sangat, nak ajar hafazan, arabic language, sirah, akidah, feqah.

Tak apalah, we try our best as parents. Allah knows. Semoga kita termasuk dalam golongan ini..

Dari 'Utsman Bin 'Afan ra., ia berkata : bersabda Rasulullah saw : "Sebaik-baik kamu sekalian adalah orang yang belajar Al-Qur'an dan mengajarkannya." (HR. Bukhari)

“Dan orang-orang yang bersungguh-sungguh di jalan Kami niscaya akan Kami tunjukkan kepada mereka jalan-jalan [menuju keridhaan] Kami. Dan sesungguhnya Allah akan bersama dengan orang-orang yang berbuat ihsan.” (QS. al-Ankabut: 69)

Kakak Speaks #4

Two nights ago I did something so bad, I have to jot it down to remind myself.

Lost in fatigue and alone handling the two little princess, I wasn't thinking straight. I was reaching for the crying baby when Kakak stepped on my thigh. In pain and anger, I accidently pushed her a bit too hard and she fell onto the bed flat faced. Of course she immediately cried, a bit louder and longer than usual, which makes me feel so so bad. I felt horrible when she cried, "Kenapa Ummi tolak kakaaakk..." Like punched in the gut.

She always cried so bad when she sense her parents intentionally cause her hurt.

In agony, I tried to soothe her. I repeatedly say, "Maaf Kakak.. Ummi tak sengaja," Felt so bad coz I knew it was an action in anger. Then almost tearing up with guilt I said, "Kakak, Maafkan Ummi kakak, maaf kan Ummi,"

She looked at me, in tears, and said so honestly.. "Kakak minta maaf  Ummi.."

I groan inwardly. She always minta maaf to me when I say sorry to her coz when I say "minta maaf kakak" she thought I said "kakak, minta maaf kat Ummi".

Heart wrenching I tell you!

That's children. Seperti kata Kak Najibah,

Itulah anak-anak, ada banyak kesilapan yang kita lakukan. 

Tapi semudah itu mereka melupakan.


Whenever I muhasabah and I look at them, I'll remember, mereka benar ahli syurga (masih kecil tiada dosa). Yang banyak dosanya ialah kita. Tak layak kita nak marah ahli syurga yang hatinya bersih ni dengan keadaan hati kita yang banyak sungguh kotornya. Apa lagi bila kita marah, kita yang memalitkan kekotoran pada hati mereka, kerana tiada marah yang akan memberi kesan baik pada anak-anak kecil.

I better  remember that pitiful face everytime I feel like screaming at her!

Giveaway #1

Yes, this is the CD I bought at Ustazah NorHafizah Musa's Seminar. And..

... I have made copies!

Simply because I love it so much. Made me cry. T_T

Feel free to say "Yes I want it!" and I will mail it to you, free of charge.

Usrati Jannati Bersama Ustazah Norhafizah Musa Siri 1 is the title of the CD.

It has 100 hours of Ustazah Norhafizah Usrati slots on IKIM since last year.

Fun Activities #2

I owe this post to someone, to share what Kakak has been up to lately. Its true we need loads of ideas from each other coz its not easy to find things that can occupy the attention of these active young minds!

I promised her this present once she finishes her Hijaiyah letters. Bought it like 6 months ago, bertahan jugaklah tak buka, until recently. (Even though at this time she only almost complete her hijaiyah).

Play Doh again! Price: ~RM50. It comes with 4 small tubes of PlayDoh and so many cookie cutters.

So what did we do with it? Cakes and sweets!

And...

We bought a mini kitchen for her recently, about RM 60, at Nilai 3.
It comes with light and sound lagi, so cute! And pots and pans. So we cook the cupcake on the stove! Hihi nampak sangat Ummi nya tak pernah bake cake, anak dia ingat bake cake macam ni.

Ain't this stove cute? The picture doesn't do it justice

So yes, we had loads of fun!

Kakak Zara suka tak nak main macam ni? ^_^

Siapakah kita di sisi Allah?

I would like to share this with my class..
But the first rule of giving tazkirah is to not feel that you are a better person than the person you are giving tazkirah too. So, before this is to anyone, this is for me..
Hamba yang kerdil, sarat dengan dosa, yang dhaif, serba kekurangan, hina dan jijik pada sesuatu ketika. Tapi aku bencikan dosa-dosa ku itu...
Segala hidayah dan pertolongan itu adalah dari Allah.

Perlakuan kita kepada Allah SWT menentukan perlakuan Allah kepada kita. Kedudukan kita di sisi Allah ditentukan oleh kedudukan Allah di dalam hati kita.

Seorang sahabat Nabi yang bernama Samurah bin Jundab pernah berkata: "Siapa yang ingin mengetahui kedudukannya di sisi Allah, maka periksalah kedudukan Allah di sisinya."

Siapa yang menghormati aturan-aturan Allah, lalu bersegera melakukan perintah-Nya, dan menjauhkan diri daripada larangan-Nya, juga berusaha menghiasi diri dengan adab-adab Islam, itu pertanda bahawa ia menghormati Allah.

Maka, kedudukannya di sisi Allah pun terhormat. Jika ia berdoa, Allah akan bersegera mengkabulkan. Jika ia meminta bantuan, Allah akan bersegera membantu. Allah juga akan memenuhi hidupnya dengan kedamaian dan rahmat Ilahi.

Allah SWT berjanji: Barang siapa yang mengerjakan amal soleh, baik laki-laki mahupun perempuan dalam keadaan beriman, maka sesungguhnya akan kami berikan kepadanya kehidupan yang baik dan sesungguhnya akan kami beri balasan kepada mereka dengan pahala yang lebih baik daripada apa yang telah mereka kerjakan. (al-Nahl: 97)

Dan siapa yang teragak-agak menerima hukum Allah SWT, malu-malu mengamalkan Islam, itu pertanda ia belum sepenuh hati menghormati Allah.

Maka kedudukannya di sisi Allah pun sekadar mana kedudukan Allah di dalam hatinya. Apabila ia berdoa, Allah tidak bersegera menjawab doanya.

Namun begitu, Allah akan terus mengingatkan dirinya dengan pelbagai cubaan dan musibah agar ia memperbaiki dirinya dan kembali beriman kepada Allah.

Allah berfirman yang bermaksud: Telah nampak kerosakan di darat dan di laut disebabkan perbuatan tangan (maksiat) manusia. Demikianlah Allah merasakan kepada mereka sebahagian daripada akibat perbuatan mereka agar mereka kembali (kepada Allah). (al-Rum: 41)

Setiap maksiat yang kita lakukan merupakan pertanda rendahnya kedudukan kita di sisi Allah. Berkata Abu Sulaiman Al-Darani: "Mereka sangat hina di sisi Allah, itu sebabnya mereka dibiarkan bermaksiat. Andai mereka mulia di sisi Allah, nescaya Allah akan menghalangi mereka daripada bermaksiat."

Dibangkitkan

Manusia yang paling buruk adalah orang yang berpaling daripada Allah. Ia menolak menerima Islam sebagai aturan hidup, bahkan berani menentang ketentuan Allah. Tiada sedikitpun tempat bagi Allah di dalam hatinya dan bermaksiat tanpa malu-malu.

Apabila ia tidak menghormati Allah, itu pertanda bahawa ia sangat hina di sisi Allah SWT. Di akhirat nanti akan dibangkitkan dalam keadaan hina dan tiada siapa yang bersimpati kepadanya.

Allah SWT mengancam: Dan barang siapa berpaling daripada peringatan-Ku, maka baginya penghidupan yang sempit, dan kami akan membangkitkannya pada Hari Kiamat dalam keadaan buta. Berkatalah ia: Wahai tuhanku, mengapa Engkau membangkitkan diriku dalam keadaan buta padahal aku dahulunya boleh melihat? Allah berfirman: Demikianlah, telah datang kepadamu ayat-ayat kami, maka kamu melupakannya. Begitulah (balasannya) pada hari ini kamupun dilupakan. (Taha: 124-126)

Allah lebih cepat

Allah sangat mencintai hamba-hamba-Nya. Tangan-Nya selalu terbuka untuk menyambut sesiapa sahaja yang ingin kembali ke jalan-Nya. Bahkan, langkah Allah lebih cepat daripada langkah hamba-Nya.

Dalam sebuah hadis kudsi, Allah SWT berfirman: Jika hamba-Ku mendekat kepada-Ku satu jengkal, maka Aku akan mendekat kepada-Nya satu hasta. Dan jika ia mendekat kepada-Ku satu hasta, maka aku akan mendekat kepada-Nya satu depa. Dan jika ia mendatangi-Ku dengan berjalan, maka Aku akan mendatanginya dengan berlari. (riwayat al-Bukhari dan Muslim). 

Wallahu a'lam.

Source : http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/Bicara_Agama/20121218/ba_01/Buta-di-akhirat

Darwishndarwisya

"Bersegeralah dalam mendidik anak sebelum kesibukan melalaikanmu, kerana sesungguhnya apabila anakmu telah berumur dewasa dan berakal (tetapi tidak terdidik) maka dia akan menyibukkan (menyusahkan) hatimu dengan keburukkan"..

Alhamdulillah Allah bagi ilham, and thanks to a soon-to-be mommy friend, I re-visit Pn Lina Karim's blog, http://darwishndarwisya.blogspot.com. I found her blog way before I gave birth to Airin in 2010, and I was soo inspired. I was in awe.

So much so, last year we celebrated Airin's 2nd birthday, 26th May 2012,  by going to Pn Lina's Kursus Mendidik Anak-anak Membaca Al-Quran. Its a revelation! Every child can do it. Super inspired, bought hijriah flashcard and went on full throttle. 

The engine cools off after a few months. (Never really died tho)

Back to the story. So this morning I re-visit the blog.

Gulp.

"Diam tak diam, sudah hampir 25 surah yang dihafal oleh anak saya, jauh dari sasaran saya iaitu cuma 17 surah sebelum umur 3 tahun."

At the age of 2 years 11 months, Darwisya has memorized 25 surah.

At almost Airin's age, she has memorized 25 surah!

I remember thinking, her daughter is an angel. Looking so obedient and bright. But now I know my daughter is too! She sweetly copies everything I say, like any 3-year-old. 

All babies can do it. I really believed that. It has been proven that they have that ability in them. As Pn Lina said, after her daughter, she tries it with her son (to see if only the daughter is somewhat a genius), and the son could too. It means every child can.

.

.

.

So WE failed her.

One day, she will turn her face at me and say, "Ummi yang tak ajar kakak!" 

T_____T

But it's not too late. Although only at Al-Ikhlas and little bit of Fatihah, and almost all hijriah (all except 6 letters). 

Its not easy. In between me not providing only the best food to her (Pn Lina only gives kurma and nuts as sweets to her children whereas I feed her everything -__-) and me being at home with her only 6pm onwards where she would be too sleepy or tired by 8 pm, it's difficult. 

Struggling with the Hijriah, I knew. Only managed to do it on weekends mostly (excluding weekends spent at in-laws!), it takes me more than a year to get it done. Bila dah tinggal a few weeks, it took as long to memorize it again. But you know what,  the confidence you gain as they progress - priceless! Knowing they can do it. (But careful not to put the pressure too much - the delight and disappointed face I wear is sometimes too much for her - she will be pressured sampai jadi cranky, you know how children tries so hard to please their parents)

Oh, can't wait for the day where she got it all correct and I can start this book series with her (Pn Lina's recommendation; starting with Book 1)

Pn Lina said at that age her daughter can do a surah a week. Actually, the best way to start memorizing is by reading, not merely memorizing by listening, hence why mengenal hijriah is so important. As the mother to Pn Lina advice us at the kursus (we met her masa makan-makan), the first and hardest step is the flash card kenal huruf, after that once you start with the book it'll be easier. Anyhow, I think it help to familiarize them with the surah by memorizing bit by bit by listening while we get the hijriyah done.

I truly believe children should be let to play at this age. I would not want to pressure her with reading. But Quran is a different thing. If nothing else can protect our child at this difficult times and era, be sure the Quranic verse he/she has in their hearts can. Wallahu'alam.

"Bersegeralah dalam mendidik anak sebelum kesibukan melalaikanmu, kerana sesungguhnya apabila anakmu telah berumur dewasa dan berakal (tetapi tidak terdidik) maka dia akan menyibukkan (menyusahkan) hatimu dengan keburukkan."

Starting to Read #2

Sharing a very interesting article from a question and answer session I found at http://cepatmembaca.blogspot.com.
The questions we parents usually have, kan?


Jom kita share some favourite questions from parents.


1. Nak ajar membaca BM ke BI dulu?

Jawapan: Ajar anak membaca dalam bahasa ibunda (first language at home). Menguasai kemahiran membaca akan menjadi mudah dalam bahasa yang tidak asing. Walau bagaimana pun, ibubapa boleh menggunakan lebih daripada 1 bahasa untuk berinteraksi.

2. Boleh tak anak belajar membaca BM & BI serentak?

Jawapan: Ya sekiranya anak berumur 6 tahun ke atas. However kena define the class. Beritahu anak, "Sekarang ibu nak ajar BM, " atau "Now we are going to learn English."

3. Ok ke anak tak tau abc(ei, bi,si) bila belajar fonik atau bunyi huruf? 

Jawapan: Very ok. Walaupun kita tak ajar nama huruf, abc..z(ei, bi, si... zed), kita masih ajar bentuk dan rupa huruf.
Melalui pengalaman kami, kalau tak tau abc, lagi baik. Lagi senang ajar membaca. Lagi anak tak keliru. Bagi kanak-kanak fonik, kalau guru/ibubapa sebut /bi/, dia tahu ia adalah 'b' dan 'i' bukan semata-mata huruf 'b'. Kanak-kanak yang tahu abc selalu keliru 'b' dengan 'bi', 'c' dengan 'si', 'g' dengan 'ji'. They make a lot of spelling mistakes.
Anyways kami cadang, ajar anak nama huruf abc(ei, bi, si) setelah anak lancar membaca. Just point to the letter and say "Bunyi /b/ ni namanya 'bi'."
Jangan sekali-kali suruh mereka membatang dan mengeja perkataan, sebagai contoh, 'em(m)....ei(a),
ma. Ti(t) ... ei(a), ta. Ma ...ta because anak kita sudah lancar membaca dengan menggabung bunyi.

4. Nak ajar huruf kecil dan huruf besar serentak ke?

Jawapan: Pada peringkat awal, ajar anak membaca menggunakan huruf kecil sahaja kerana huruf kecil paling kerap digunakan dalam teks bacaan. Huruf besar digunakan pada permulaan ayat dan nama khas sahaja. Bacalah Anakku menggunakan huruf kecil dalam Buku 1-5, huruf besar Buku 6-8. Readeasy pula menggunakan huruf kecil dalam Buku 1-6 dan huruf besar diperkenalkan dalam Buku 7 dan 8.

5. Macam mana anak mengeja dan menulis kalau tak tau abc?

Jawapan: Kanak-kanak fonik tahu mengeja dan menulis kerana mereka masih membaca dengan menghubung kaitkan bunyi dengan bentuk huruf. Walau bagaimanapun pada peringkat awal, mereka mengeja dengan menyebut bunyi. Sebagai contoh mereka akan mengeja 'masin' dengan menyebut
/mm/, /aa/, /ss/, /ii/, /nn/, masin.
Untuk penulisan, mereka hebat menulis kerana kanak-kanak fonik tidak keliru dengan nama huruf yang bunyinya sama dengan bunyi suku kata(i.e. nama huruf 'b' sama dengan suku kata 'bi'). Sesetengah kanak-kanak fonik menulis dengan sendiri kerana mereka dapat mengait bunyi dengan bentuk huruf dengan begitu baik.

Bersambung...

Hati-hatilah, anak itu cerminan ibu bapa

I am so thankful I can still hold on to the feeling I had of the seminar by listening to ustazah’s audio CD. Rasa macam dalam hall lagi, mengutip mutiara kata ustazah.

What I listen to this morning:

Suasana Hati Kita

Ibu bapa, apa yang kita beri, suasana hati kita, sangat mempengaruhi hati anak-anak. 

Hati kita yang lembut dengan anak, hati yang penuh kemaafan, penuh dengan kasih sayang.

Kita tengok anak kita yang menyakitkan dengan kita, tapi hati kita lembut untuk cakap dengan baik, untuk maafkan dia, kelembutan kita itu akan terbias pada hati anak-anak. Akhirnya suatu hari anak akan tengok, masyaAllah, dia akan nampak, Ibu dia ada satu kawalan diri yang sangat hebat, yang sungguh mahal harganya jiwa ibu nya itu.

Ibu yang istiqamah berlembut hati, dengan bacaan al-quran, selawat.

Apabila berjumpa dengan anak, dengan renungan mata kita - aura itu sampai pada anak, akan bancuh balik jiwa anak-anak tersebut.

Kini, ada ibu bapa yang tengok anak pun tak sempat. Balik rumah, sambil mencari-cari kunci dalam bag, bagi arahan, “haa solat, solat”. Di meja makan, menghadap anak, tetapi sibuk dengan telefon. Apatah lagi untuk merenung, membelai anak-anak dengan kelembutan. Diberitahu juga kisah kawan ustazah seorang pendakwah yang anaknya ramai, katanya apabila dia di rumah, hampir tiada masanya untuk dia berseorangan berehat, kerana setiap minit akan bergilir-gilir anaknya dipeluk dipangkuannya. Itulah waktu rehatnya. Bagaimana hendak terasa aura ibu bapa, jika melihat anak pun tak sempat?

Anak-anak cerminan Ibubapa

Kita sering melihat anak-anak yang ‘berbuat perangai’ di kedai. Mengamuk nak kan sesuatu sehingga dia dapat. Memang sakit sungguh hati ibu bapa. 

Sebenarnya, secara sangat halus Allah menyindir si ibu. Kita jengkel  tengok anak buat perangai macamtu, sebenarnya kita macam tu lah. Kita pun sama. Apa sahaja yang nafsu kita nak, kita akan pastikan nafsu tu dapat. Bukan dengan cara tergolek-golek di kedai lah, tetapi, apa yang nafsu kita inginkan, kita akan ikhtiar juga sehingga dapat, dengan cara kita, sehingga nafsu itu dituruti. *gulp*

Suatu hari, bila kita dah boleh kawal nafsu kita dengan baik, mujahadah dengan baik, kita tengok, anak kita pun dah pandai kawal dirinya.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I also remembered one thing Prof Muhaya said in relation to this.

"Apabila pesakit saya yang datang ke klinik, datang sekeluarga ibu ayah dan anak-anak, dalam masa 5 minit berjumpa dan bercakap dengan mereka, saya sudah tahu, dalam masa 25 tahun, ibu ini lah yang akan telefon IKIM dan tanya, “ustaz macamana nak buat ni ustaz, anak saya degil, tak nak solat..” Kerana, dari pakaian si ibu yang tak menutup auratnya, dari percakapannya. Itulah buah hasil dia akan dapat 25 tahun akan datang."

It is a daring statement, but it came from someone with a lot of experience for sure. 

This is for me too, for all of us, anak-anak kita nanti, akan membesar sebagaimana dia lihat kita berkelakuan, dan dalam hatinya, terbias apa yang dalam hati kita. Subhanallah.

Maybe I can relate a bit. Kakak is that stage where she doesn’t allow anybody to speak except to her. Whenever her abi and I speaks, she will speak too, louder and louder to the point of shouting, it does not matter what she’s saying, until we pay attention to her. Usually we have to ask for her permission to speak to one another. Or more usually I will scold her to stop shouting. (tak sabar T.T)

Looking more carefully now, that is probably me. 

Always wanting attention from Abi when I speak. I will get mad when he interrupts with things other than what I am talking about (Tiba-tiba tengah best cerita, he'd say, “Yang, tolong ambil tu” and I’d be so annoyed – terukkan?)

Always wanting attention from Abi all the time. I will feel that tiny bit (err usually a lot) of jealousy when he is doing other things like watching TV or spending time with his brother (who lives with us) lama-lama. Sampai macam tu sekali! 

And ta-daa, that is Kakak’s currently only annoying habit. Subhanallah, Allah nak tunjuk.

And so this is my mujahadah. Not to correct Kakak, but to correct myself!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another peringatan from Ustazah which keeps  playing in my mind is:

“Anak-anak ini, dia tak jadi ingkar, jauh dari Allah dalam sekelip mata. Tidak. Jika suatu hari di usianya 14 tahun kita dapati dia liat untuk solat, percayalah, itu bukanlah pertama kali dia tidak solat. Bukan tiba-tiba dia tidak mahu solat. Akan tetapi, itu adalah buah hasil dari bertahun-tahun akidah yang longgar. Yang kita tidak awasi. Dalam perjalan hidupnya, jikalau ada walaupun satu tempoh seperti satu tahun yang kita lalai dari menunaikan tanggungjawab sebagai ibu bapa, dek kerana sibuk dan sebagainya, awas lah, suatu hari nanti, itulah hasil yang kita akan dapat.”

This is what scares me, and motivates me, to turn on Quranic verse for them, or at least cerita kan satu kisah nabi, or read aloud doa nak jadi anak solehah to them, every night. The few precious hours I have with them.

Aku takut Ya Allah, aku tak mahu jadi ibu bapa yang lalai. Even terlalai terlupa sekejap pun anak-anak boleh hanyut dalam dunia ni. Dalam masa yang sama kena sentiasa tengok balik hati kita. Sebab orang tak tahu, tapi Allah tahu.

Aku yang tidak punya apa-apa ini.

Wahai Allah, Tuhan Yg Maha Hidup,Yg Maha Menguruskan Segalanya, dengan rahmatMu aku merayu pertolongan. Perbaikilah segala urusan hidupku dan janganlah Engkau serahkan diriku pada aku sendiri walau sekadar sekelip mata.

Seminar Ustazah Norhafizah

I have been thinking of how to start this post. 

No words, I felt, can justly represent what it was. To say I have came out of the hall a changed person inside, perhaps that could best describe it.

Allahuakbar. Alhamdulillah.

I was thinking of jotting down the anecdotes of the day here, or why it was so special and yet the 'could-have-been's that we humans will always come up with. But in the end, I knew I will never be able to fairly put it into words. All the small parts of everything makes up an experience that Allah has planned for us, for me, with His Hikmah. All I can think is, how blessed I am to be able to attend the workshop. I was looking for strength, and that is exactly what it was.

As in the radio, she is exactly that special and more. Memang Allah kurniakan kelebihan pada Ustazah, berkat kesabarannya, which I now understand. 

Just to share Ustazah's most lingering word. 

Ingatlah, sesungguhnya kita ini.. tidak punya apa-apa. Peganglah tangan kita, itu bukan tangan kita. Peluklah tubuh kita. Itu bukan milik kita. Itu Allah punya. Semua yang kita miliki, Allah yang punya. Suami, anak-anak, harta-benda. Allah yang punya. 

Kita tidak ada apa-apa pun.

Yang kita ada, cuma amalan kita.. yang Lilla hi ta'aala.

Lihat balik, sebanyak mana dah amalan kita yang kita buat, Lilla hi ta'ala? Yang kita buat, Hanya kerana Allah?

T_T

Yes, there was a lot of those. Hati ini yang selalu rasa sakit bila menangis, kadangkala begitu payah hendak keluar, kini terasa ringan. Mujahadah lah wahai diri, yang tiada apa-apa.

It sure change a lot, of how I see things now. Bi iznillah.

Ana uhibbuki fillah.. saya sayang Ustazah kerana Allah!

They are having the same seminar on March 17th. Please try to make it if you know in your hearts you need something so badly but you don't know how to achieve it. But you must badly want it first.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ustazah-Norhafizah-Musa-Official/320932057943957?fref=ts

There is also a CD compilation of Ustazah's Usrati slots that I bought. Just let me know if you are interested, maybe there is a way of passing it to you!
If you want to try to listen to her talk, just email me at sh_adlina@yahoo.com and I'll send you at least one of  her best audio talk. So full of points masyaAllah especially for us mothers.

Ustazah's favourite nasyid, I can still hear her voice as she sings it to us..

Pesta Buku Islam 2013

Had the most wonderful time this morning, as I would at any book sale! Even though the discount were only  mostly 10% pfft, everything was laid out nicely and I get to browse to my heart's content. Although not as many as the last one they had in Putrajaya, choices were aplenty. Plus, mana tak nya, arriving a few minutes before it opened (on its first day), and 'had' to stay there for 5 hours, undisturbed. A miracle, really. Not that many people too, it being a working day. Memang puas hati! Alhamdulillah.

The purchases.

Yay the books I was eyeing for earlier:

Plus these two parenting books:

From the famous authors:

I like his writing because it keeps me in touch with the younger generation, and I really need that

Prof Kamil's way of writing always gets me in the most humbling ways.  Specially enjoyed his Travelog Haji.

Other purchases:

I fell in love with this book.. although I don't think it can be for me anymore :( But perhaps to prepare for my  greatest wish..

About time I  fire up this engine again, what other best way than to follow the ways of the person we love most

Speaking of which, there must be something super special here

Lastly, one of the main purpose of me being here today:

Review : Good to excellent. 

Nice pictures, just enough for story telling. If your child is exposed to some sort of Kisah Nabi, 

he/she will enjoy it, for now he/she can see Firaun coming alive!

Note : Its weird why we have so many books of Kisah Haiwan Teladan Dari Al-Quran compared to Kisah Nabi! They took excerpts of kisah-kisah nabi potong sana-sini because they want to focus the title on the animals  instead. Frustrating.

Still unable to find a nice kisah nabi book with great illustration.

Anyhow the good news is the Book Carnival has just started! Will be on until 3rd March. 

Dewan Cempaka Sari, Presint 3 Putrajaya. 

Ustaz Pahrol Juoi books, Prof Muhaya's books and tudungs, plenty of kitab and sirah books, and many more. Go crazy!

Now to sit down quietly, with eyes open..

Daripada Mu'awiyah (RA): Saya pernah mendengar nabi bersabda: "Sesiapa yang Allah hendakkan kebaikan kepadanya, Allah akan berikan kepadanya kefahaman agama." [Bukhari dan Muslim]

Perjalananku masih jauh..

Baik and Solehah

Kakak and me, we do lots of talking at night (the start of a life-long talking).

Sirah Nabi

I have started with stories of Nabi, starting with the story of Nabi Musa, which started something like this:

Pada zaman dahulu, ada seorang raja yang saangat jahat. Nama dia Firaun. Dia ni kaya, banyak duit, tapi dia jahat. Dia kata dia lah raja, dan semua orang kena sembah dia, tak boleh sembah Allah. (Kita kan kena sembah Allah, solat untuk Allah, buat baik untuk Allah, kan? Bukan sembah orang kan? I ask her, to which she nod and say, hmm) Pada satu malam, Firaun ni mimpi, ada seorang baby datang kat dia, pastu baby ni jadi orang besar, pastu baby yang dah besar ni datang kat dia, dan kata, Awak bukan Tuhan, Tuhan tu Allah, kita kena sembah Allah! Dan nak ambil semua harta dia dan nak bunuh dia. Bila Firaun terjaga dia pun takut dan fikir, Siapa baby yang nak datang marah aku ni? Firaun tak tahu baby tu siapa, jadi Firaun pun panggil askar-askar dia dan kata, Askar, pergi masuk kat kampung-kampung dan tunggu.. kalau ada baby lahir je, ada bunyi waaa waaa pergi kat baby tu, dan bunuh dia!" 

and on and on sampailah part Nabi Musa duduk dengan Firaun dan Permaisuri Asiah, dan episod Nabi Musa tarik janggut Firaun.

Another story which we can tell is the long story of Nabi Yusuf. I heard on IKIM that its the most complete story of any Nabi in the Quran. Sejak dari kecil sampai dia besar, and 70 or 80% of the content is in the form of dialogue Allah made for us, to make the story interesting, and there is so much Ibrah we can learn from this story. I have to do some reading to tell this story in the most interesting way.

Bought this at MPH, lengthy stories of almost all 25 rasul

Now beside Kakak's usual request of Ummi, ceritalah fatimah, she would everyday say, Ummi ceritalah nabi baby tu.

Hmm, why do we feel the need to fill in our children with stories like Disney princess and folk tales and bedtime stories so much when Allah has given us the greatest story book, if only we take a little effort..

Akidah

We also love to tell her about syurga and neraka. Last night while spinning the usual tale of keindahan syurga, where whatever she wants will be fulfilled immediately, like - kalau kakak rasa nak makan choki choki kakak kata je, rasa nak makan choki-choki lah, TINGG choki-choki terus depan kakak. She would grin and straight away ask in glee, "Takyah gosok gigi pun ke?" -__-

There will be birds, and sungai fill with susu, and sejuk je macam dalam aircond all the time.

And after all that I'd say, "Best kan syurga, kakak?" and she would do that cute giddy over excited grin for the longest of time (makes me so guilty, I would give anything to ensure you syurga, sayang) and she'd put her face close to mine, and say, "Nak masuk syurga.."

and I'd say, "Tapi.. bukan senang nak masuk syurga tau kakak"

Allah yang akan pilih siapa masuk syurga, siapa tak boleh masuk syurga, pergi neraka api panas tu.

Allah akan letak semua orang kat satu tempat, pastu Allah kata,

Awak.. boleh masuk syurga.. Awak.. takboleh masuk syurga.."

She actually cried and say "Kakak nak masuk syurgaa..."

Kakak nak tahu macam mana Allah pilih?

Allah kata dalam Quran, yang Ummi baca tu, Allah kata..

"Awak.. solehah.. boleh masuk syurga. Awak.. tak solehah.. tak boleh masuk syurga,"

Immediately she smile and say proudly, "Kakak solehah..!!"

"Memang kakak solehah. Sebab tu kakak kena dengar Ummi Abi kata, ikut semua yang Allah suruh, rajin solat, rajin baca alif ba ta.."

A friend, dibesarkan penuh tarbiyah dalam bi'ah solehah said, masa kecil, Ummi Abi dia tak guna perkataan, kena jadi baik.. but instead use the word solehah. Because being baik and solehah is different.

Baik means baik tolong orang, baik tak marah-marah, baik jaga adik.

It doesn't cover.. jangan ambil barang orang bila orang tak nampak, mengelat tak buat kerja betul-betul bila Ummi tak nampak, rajin solat, rajin mengaji untuk pahala.

Baik is explainable, ini baik sebab apa. Ini tak baik sebab apa. People give value to baik. Baik bila orang tengok.

But solehah does not have to be explainable. Solehah is doing something because Allah likes it, and dapat pahala, dapat syurga. As simple as that. Solehah is restraining ourself from not doing something because Allah does not like it, Allah marah. Not because ada orang nampak.

It makes sense to so many things children need to understand in the future.

So whenever our child do something, lets guide it by asking gently, "soleh ke tak soleh, buat macam ni?"

Being soleh is fitrah. 

Start early, they'll understand.

"Ya Allah, ampunkanlah kami atas segala kejahilan dan kekhilafan kami..."

Fitrah Yang Satu Ini

Senantiasa manusia itu merasa memerlukan. Memerlukan sesuatu.
Semasa bayi, memerlukan ibu nya. Memerlukan orang untuk memegangnya setiap masa.
Semasa kanak-kanak, memerlukan perhatian, orang untuk bermain dan berbual dengannya.
Semasa remaja, memerlukan seseorang untuk mendampingi dan memahami kecelaruan perasaannya.
Kesinambungannya, merasa memerlukan kasih sayang yang jitu, lalu dihadirkan pasangan dan anak-anak.
Seeolahnya itu.
Merasa terisi fitrah manusia yang satu itu.

Namun tiba saatnya,
Hati ini masih meronta.
Kosong yang menggema.
Bagai diruntun merayu-rayu.
Hati merintih masih merindukan yang suatu itu.

Apakan daya
Malu sungguh untuk menyatakannya
Hina sungguh diri ini terasa menyebutnya
Sungguhnya aku tidak layak
Pada suatu yang terlalu Agung.
Namun
Bagaimana lagi hendak ku nafikan
Kosongnya aku selama ini
Runtunnya hati mencari-cari
Tertipu aku dengan dunia

Rupanya
Rindunya aku itu
Pada Kasih Sayang Mu,
Rahmat Mu,
Redha Mu.
Pencipta Yang Maha Agung.

Sungguh
Aku rindukan itu.
Masih belum ku kenal erti tarbiyah
yang bunyinya sungguh indah pada ku.
Tapi ku yakin sungguh
sebagaimana yakinnya aku pada kewujudanku
sebagaimana peritnya dahaga yang cuba kutahan ini.
Rinduku rupanya pada yang satu itu.

Syukur ku telah dewasa kini
Kerana
Kini Ku tahu apa yang ku cari.

Sesungguhnya Allah itu dekat
Dapat kurasakan
Lebih dekat pada urat  tengkuk ku.
Subhanallah.

Istighfar

"Bila kita lihat seseorang melakukan dosa, jangan sekali-kali terdetik di hati kita bhw kita lebih baik darinya. Jika kita berfikir begitu, maka kita pastinya lebih buruk darinya. Itu yang agama ajar kita. Dia mungkin lebih dekat dgn ALLAH tanpa kita tahu. Dia mungkin mempunyai hati yg jauh lebih bersih dari kita. Dia mungkin ada 1 kelemahan yg kita nampak, tp kita mungkin ada 50 kelemahan yg org tak nampak.."

(Mufti Ismail Menk)

Astaghfirullahal 'azim..

The Seminar

Update: I have registered for this course. Anyone else going? Cant wait! :)