month of maulid

it is of course the month of the birth of the our Master and Prophet, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, peace and blessings be upon him, and upon his family. many places in Singapore are commemorating this joyous event by having maulid celebrations. Alhamdulillah, by Allah's Grace, the tasawwuf class that I attend on Saturday evenings are also having celebrations. The commemorations are of course a means for us to remember the blessed life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., and to appreciate and emulate his character as a blessing to the worlds. May Allah grant us closeness to Him through His Beloved Muhammad s.a.w.

It was my greatest honour to be able to visit the Johor Baru zawiyah, where Shaykh Adnan Kabbani was due to visit, as part of his tour in Malaysia for the maulid celebrations. I was of course deeply anticipating meeting Shaykh Adnan for the first time, and it was nothing short of a burst of emotions when he stepped into the hall. He led us for Isya' prayers and then gave a suhbah which I am sure touched everyone as greatly as it did me. After the suhbah the Singapore delegation had the opportunity to partake from a short maulid before we had to leave. But the meeting was more than sufficient for me. May Allah keep me in the company of those whom He Loves and Blesses, and may this weak servant be blessed for striving to be in the company of these individuals.

Shaykh Adnan listening to the recitation of the Holy Quran.

Shaykh Adnan delivering his suhbah.
He was an enigmatic speaker, with loads of energy in him to inspire the audience. 

I wish for many more opportunities like this.

movie updates

at least a movie a week since the last update. and i must say that some of these are really worth watching.

first up was watchmen, the highly acclaimed comic cult film. this was a surprising film, in the depth and intricacy of the story. of course those who have read the comic would have said that it was nothing out of the ordinary, but for me who saw this the first time round, with no prior knowledge, it was surprisingly enlightening. many concepts of what defined society and personality, and humanity in its many intricate forms were raised in this film. the concept of necessary evil was of course the key driving motivation, and the final twist at the end was like... wow.

i loved this film.

next up is a lesser hyped film, though with a cast like dakota fanning and djimon hounsou, you wonder why it is not quite as hyped. well, the story, for one, may not appeal to everyone. it is almost x-men like, and the science fiction aspect of it may immediately set it aside as a movie to watch. but in any case, if you had some powers, what would you do? i think the conspiracies in the story may call for a sequel, but i enjoyed it for the cool effects, and if nothing more, a movie that i could watch without having to think too much. :P

now this last one is a keeper. departures is led by the gatsby man (remember him?), who lost his job and had to take on a taboo profession in the japanese society. shan't reveal too much here, but it has something to do with the title of the movie. now this is an exploration of the idea of passion in one's vocation, and understanding the meaning of true service and dedication to the calling of the profession. there were many tender moments in the movie that made me cry, especially moments when the power of the human emotion and relationships were depicted. those emotions resonated deep in me, especially since i had experienced similar feelings not too long ago. i think this is something that everyone should watch, and anyone who does not feel anything, should question how hard their hearts have become. haha.

movie critic out.