August 3, 2024
This morning’s ritual required a reading of the Beautiful Names of Allah. This page spoke of Al-Fattah, the Supreme Arbiter, the Opener. Meaning: “He judges between His servants, opens the doors of sustenance and mercy for them, as well as the doors closed in their faces and thus makes things easy for them.”
This was astounding, the message so needed as those thoughts have been percolating in my mind for days. Of course! That is what has happened with me. Doors have been closed in my face which made things easy for me. Doors are then opened, ones of sustenance and mercy.
This is a reoccurring theme , an ever-present one which takes different forms. with me – particularly of late. In so many ways – across the board, so to speak.
It is now time to define words to perfect my understanding. I said I was astounded.
Astound is a shock or a great surprise. My breath was taken away, I was stopped in my tracks, left open-mouthed, and caught off balance and my mind was blown. Why? Allah (SWT) had read my mind and given me the answer I had been looking for.
Percolate in my mind means It means thinking about an issue in depth, then leaving it in the background for a while, to let additional ideas bubble up from your subconscious (or wherever).
A quote, perhaps from Instagram, was enlightening: “If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall every step we take will take us to the wrong place.” Another: “Better you admit you walked through the wrong door then spend your life in the wrong room.”
I see with the guidance provided by pondering the name of Allah that many people, no longer in my life, seemingly opened door for me. They helped me climb a ladder, they were a rung on the ladder – but the ladder was leaning on the wrong wall. . Those people, particularly present and prevalent after I became of the faith did succeed in getting me moving, pointing in the direction of the straight path. Without their opening the door, getting me up the ladder I would be living in Marin County California. Instead I am living in Penang Malaysia. The two places could not be more different. Totally opposing lifestyles, totally opposing value system, totally different people. For many reasons, articulated and illustrated through photos and videos on this blog augmented by my Instagram presence – this is the where I am to be at this time. It is the right room, the ladder is finally propped u against the right wall. ]
This was brought home to me in a spontaneous conversation with a Lexis Suites employee, a woman chef. She learned of my solitary existence, asking me an important question.
She: Where would you be living at your age, all alone if you were still residing in the US or Canada.
Me: That is a very good question and thanks you so much for asking. I would be living in a retirement home or community – surrounded by old, unhappy Christians, eating bad food, served by grouchy staff, catching COVID. This dismal way of life would be funded by my retirement but at a cost much higher than the cost of living here surrounded by interesting, happy families, eating the greatest of cuisines, with enthusiastic caring staff. The majority of guests and staff members are Muslims. It is necessary, essential for me, to be surrounded by other Muslims. If I were in Canada/the USA I suppose I could be living alone in an apartment making my bed, cleaning the toilet, sending out for groceries, isolated and alone, scarcely a Muslim in sight. Your questions made me most grateful for my itinerant refugee life.
I have spoken of the importance of being with other muslims. I somehow thought in the beginning that Muslims were all wheat none of them there chaff. I thought of the idiom; separate the wheat from the chaff. It means distinguishing between valuable people or things from worthless. Separating those of high quality or ability from those that are not:
I idealistically, and naively, thought, particularly during my early days in Saudi Arabia, that Muslim men were carbon copies of the Prophet (PBUH). Was I in for a surprise!!! I learned the hard way that this was not true. I bravely soldiered on – my faith strong, even stronger even when encountering hypocrites and psychopaths. I was, at one time almost obsessed, reliving the experiences with them. Very recently – now in a safer environment dumping the memories. Doing with the memories the same thing you do with waste – flushing it down the toilet, putting it in the garbage perhaps be incinerated – forgetting. Remembering serves no function.
I learned about the necessity of separating wheat from chaff the hard way however. The hardware describes the understanding or development of a skill by learning from your mistakes and bad experiences. Some sentences explain the meaning, one learns through adversity …
• She had learned it the hard way and she never let her guard slip at all.
• I learned the hard way that drugs weren’t an answer to my problems.
It has been an uphill battle, a long haul but I think I almost there
Found meaning in another aphorism which I sent on to others, including former family members. An Aphorism is a pithy observation that contains a general truth. This, a quote from Winston Churchill. “Success is walking from failure to failure with no less enthusiasm.”
One could say that about my journey. Become a Muslim, flee to the UAE, that fails. Flee to Canada – that fails. Flee to Saudi Arabia – that fails. Now I am enthusiastically – very enthusiastically, in Malaysia. Ensuring blogs will be rapturous with enthusiasm for Malaysia. Rapturous: characterized by, feeling, or expressing great pleasure or enthusiasm.
I do admit to being ecstatic, joyful and elated discussing the many unique tropical fruits found in Malaysia. Please see blog of August 2, 2024. However the real jewels of Malaysia are its people. That point of view is shared by every non-citizen when I speak of the delights of Malaysia. For some obscure reason the words of a cowboy ballad cone to mind.Home on the Range. The song begins with buffalo roaming, deer and antelope playing (not here0 but the following words are these.
When seldom is heard a discouraging word and the skies are not cloudy all day.
Admittedly the skies do get cloudy – it is the seldom is heard a discouraging word that has me on cloud nine, in seventh heath, transported. Malaysian people are kind, caring, concerned, peaceful, optimistic, have a great attitude, . Of course there are exceptions but I have met hundreds – the exceptions can be counted on your fingers, well perhaps, maybe fingers and toes.
Alter Ego: Why is this? Why are Malaysians such good people.
Me: I laughingly say,”Is there something in the water?” I think not. Is there something in the water? I am attempting to analyze based on my observations over the past couple of months. I am not going to provide the analysis at this moment.
Alter Ego: Why not?
Me: Because I want to praise and talk about Instagram .
The First Totally Praiseworthy Story
Yesterday afternoon, there was a knock on the door Answered it to find a staff member wearing a Lexis Suites shirt.
He: Have you lost something?
Me: I do not think so. Sometimes I leave my mugs in the breakfast room but they are always returned.
He: Are you sure? What about your iPods.
Me: I usually keep them in the safe. I will seen if they are there. Oops they are not!!
He: Could this be them.
Me: Yes! Where did you find them?
He: You left them in the pocket of your robe when you changed rooms. I found them and here they are.
Me: I am SO grateful. Thank you so much!! You are so Kind. What can I do to thank you.
He: Just mention it to management.
Me: Of course I will. Pleas write your name.
His name is Ridzuah. I left a message using the communication system of the hotel which I will speak of later. Now people the world over will know of him. Mashallah Alhamdullah
Off to Instagram.
I have quite accidentally developed a new skill set. I am able to create a Story using reels and music. Yesterday, created, sending it to “Close Friends” – got this response from BloggingBrooke, a young Texas woman I met at the Abu Dhabi Louvre over two years ago. We have remained in touch through Instagram,
She: Love this video!!
Me: Thanks. That is a total compliment from the world’s greatest video maker.
She loved my response.
Not sure I can send it to you. It is funny. Sent it with the caption. “Loving the fruits of the Durian with coffee afterwards.” A man sent me the coffee real promising to send a sticker to put on all of my coffee machines. As usual, he did not live up to his promises but it looks very amusing on the reel. I do not like using Story in Instagram but this was fun to do.
Then this yesterday’s post pictured a beautiful sunrise from my Lexis Suite with this caption.
Me: Two mornings in Penang. Swipe to see two different but equally glorious sunrises and two different hijabs. Not yet gone public – to breakfast. I wonder how it will be – being so covered. Will write about it on my blog.
It was a strange, and not very rewarding experiment in many ways. Will write about it in the next blog. The photographs from Instagram will be included as well as this link.https://www.instagram.com/p/C-L-2qATWxj/?igsh=MWs2a2RkZ3VmMm56ZQ==
So far the post reached 84 accounts with 11 Likes. Not awfully overwhelming that. My barefoot reel Hello Malaysia Goodbye KSA reached 924 accounts, got 34 Likes and 6 comments.
Numbers, numbers, numbers. Hahaha. My Amazing Statistics By Number Pinned Reel has reached 2,430 accounts winning 53 Likes. Numbers, numbers, numbers.
