Maulidur Rasul Mar.20, 2008

Today in the hijri date is our Messenger Mohammad Rasulullah SAW birthday.

What do we do on this date? I would do my normal routine and read the selawat. I mean, its not like I am doing it just on this day.
Actually, selawat on Nabi Rasullullah is istiqamah. Meaning, would be barakah to say the selawat any day of the year. Not just today.

But some people would do the "doa selamat" at home calling some imam to read doa and having good food after that.

The controversy of this "bidaah hasanah" is so difficult for me to digest. I am not at the level to consider myself able to weight the pros and cons.
Some clever people call it bidaah and yet hang the word hasanah there.

So, where do we simple, small people stand?

In between "bidaah" and "hasanah", left leg on bidaah and right leg on hasanah.
If you take a peep at Masjid Nabawi in Madinah now, where the Raudhah is...would you see people feasting on food?

Would you see people carrying banners saying the selawat out loud in rythym?

I don't have the answer, this is my musings, just my wondering thoughts.

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Spring is here on this island. My pots of pandan leaf did well this winter. Maintaining its deep, green leaves on the tip with some pale, yellow leaves at the base of the stem.

Well, here is what I did to those winter pale, yellow pandan leaves and have my whole house smell so "harum" and "semerbak", even the neighbours 5-doors away are wondering what (not where) that beautiful smell is. Japanese have never seen pandan leaf and when they see one, they say those leaves are for summer "tikar".
You should see their mouths open and shut when I show them what I did with my pandan leaves.

Here it is!

Pandan bun and pandan jam. Eat your heart out!