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This blogspot is a medium to share my thoughts and adventures apart from promoting my books. Below are the books which have been written or authored and published by myself.


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Mencari Diri dan Erti".

ISBN 983-42031-0-1, Jun 2006


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Membela Syiar yang Asal"

ISBN 983-42031-1-x, May 2007


"Berpetualang ke Aceh: Sirih Pulang ke Gagang?"

ISBN 978-983-42031-2-2, November 2007


It is interesting to note that while these books were written in Malay it has gained enough attention to merit being part of the collections of the American Library of Congress and National Library of Australia. Look here and here.


While the first three books were published by my own company, the fourth titled "Rumah Azan" was published in April 2009 by a company called Karnadya with the help of the Malaysian national literary body Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. It features beautiful pictures along with stories behind selected mosques which could be related to the history of Islam and the Malays alongside the formation of the Malaysian nation. Look at the article A collaboration of old collegemates - the book "Rumah Azan".


My fifth book "Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and Malay Sultanates", an English translation and adaptation of the Malay book "Ahlul Bait (Keluarga) Rasulullah SAW dan Kesultanan Melayu" authored by Hj Muzaffar Mohamad and Tun Suzana Othman was published early 2010. Look here... My 5th book is out! Ahlul Bait (Family) of Rasulullah SAW and the Malay Sultanates... . For more information check out my Malay blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU.



Like my fourth book "Rumah Azan", the sixth book "Kereta Api Menuju Destinasi" is also a coffee-table book which is published by the company Karnadya with the cooperation of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (the main Malay literary body in Malaysia). Coming out January 2011 it features pictures and stories on the adventure travelling by train to all of Peninsular Malaysia along with the interesting places which could be reached this way.


My seventh book "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" in turn is a coffee-table book which is written, editted, designed and has pictures taken by me. Coming out of the factory October 2011, this book which combines family history with history of places such as Singapura, Johor, Batu Pahat, Muar and in fact the history of the island of Java and England has been reviewed with me interviewed live in the program Selamat Pagi Malaysia at RTM1. Look at the article Siaran langsung ulasan buku "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah" dan temu ramah di Selamat Pagi Malaysia. Some selected contents have been featured in Sneak peek "Jejak keluarga Yakin : Satu sketsa sejarah".


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The "Berpetualang ke Aceh" series of novels could be obtained in e-book form. Enter http://www.e-sentral.com/, click general novel and go to page 4. You can also type the word "Aceh" at the search box. Or click straight Book 1, Book 2 and Book 3.


Thursday, December 31, 2009

Baby Al-Rasyid's own little adventure...


Here is a picture of my baby Muhammad Al-Aminul Rasyid's very own Malaysian international passport made last month when he was barely 38 days old. With this passport Al-Rasyid then entered Singapura (I prefer this rather than the Anglicised word Singapore) along with me and wife in a road trip which covered a number of places around the state of Johor. As it turned out, by the time we returned home, we have clocked a total distance of 1,820 km. A new series of stories regarding the adventure have already been started in the Malay blogspot CATATAN SI MERAH SILU . A supporting one will follow suit in this blogspot soon. With that I wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year 2010! Cheers... :]

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Siti Fatimah, the pious one

Pix from the Net...


Peace be upon you all. It's been a while since I've made any voluntary translation for the website http://www.shiar-islam.com/ . The last one was in the article Siti Fatimah and her family posted almost 2 months ago. It happened that the original material is part of a series on Ahlul Bait, the family of Rasulullah which is yet to be concluded. So today I felt like continouing the effort and here is the result.


Getting to know the Ahlul-Bait of Rasulullah SAW:
Siti Fatimah, the pious one

By Ustaz Syed Hasan Alatas

Translation by Radzi Sapiee

BISMILLAHIRRAHMANIRRAHIM. In the name of Allah, the most Gracious the most Merciful.
FATIMAH AZZAHRA, the Prophet’s beloved daughter followed the footsteps of her father in the way she led her life especially in abstinence and piety. That is why she is also called "Al-Batul" (the very pious person).

Her daily grind in managing her household while carrying out responsibilities towards husband and children, milling wheat with her own hands until it is full of blisters, helping the poor and those in need, assisting in battles nursing the wounded including her own father and many other functions, all that never stopped her from carrying out the prescribed worship especially at night. Said her son Saidina Hassan:

"Every night I see my mother praying especially on Friday night, I heard her always supplicating first for every Muslim men and women and this made me ask:

‘Why do you never supplicate for your own self the way you supplicate for others?’

My mother just answered:" ‘We have to supplicate for our neighbours first, then only for our own family!’ "

Hasan al-Basri once said: "In this community there is no woman with such piety to rival Siti Fatimah Azzahra. She just went on praying until her legs swell.

"What is done by Siti Fatimah is exactly the same done by her father Muhammad Rasulullah SAW and he love others more than he love himself."

Fatimah Azzahra grew up and was raised under the patronage of her father the Prophet and guided by her own husband Imam Ali bin Abi Thalib KWH, a foremost Islamic fighter. She saw with her own eyes the hardship and struggles her father had to go through in defending and spreading the teachings of Islam. She and her own family experienced first-hand the sufferings of her father and husband in many battles until they finally gained victory.