SOUL SCRIBBLES

The past week or so, a WhatsApp group I was added to was buzzing about the halal status of a known restaurant in the city. A diner had posted on his Facebook wall a reply to an email he had sent to an executive of the said restaurant regarding the halal status of the eatery. The executive said the restaurant was not a “certified Jakim entity” and that it was not its discretion to validate the halal status of its suppliers.  We all know what halal stands for. It means “permissible” or “lawful” in Arabic, and provides assurance that the food does not contain ingredients that Muslims are forbidden to consume, such as alcohol, pork, and meat from cattle and poultry that were not slaughtered according to Islamic protocols.  Some friends and I were aware that the particular restaurant did not have the halal certification and would never get one from Jakim, the department in charge of Islamic development in the country. This is not because of the meat used, but because it has liquo...

Two weekends ago, my niece, nephew and I went cafe-hopping in Bangi. There are many cafes at Section 9 of Bandar Baru Bangi, catering to customers of the many retail stores there, mostly belonging to online businesses. These cafes are making good money as the retail store traffic there is unbelievably high, especially during weekends. And, when there is such volume, you will inevitably find those seeking donations for one cause or another.  We were seated in a cafe and ordering our drinks when we saw a foreign-looking man entering and going from one table to the other seeking donations. He would have approached our table but we were busy placing our orders with the waiter.  A short while later, another man entered the cafe. He came to our table, gave the salam and showed us a folder containing some papers on a madrasah in Pakistan.  For the past few years, I have made it a habit to ask for some form of documentation to show that whoever is seeking a donation is authori...

Everyone remembers their first flying experience. As Leonardo da Vinci described it, “once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return”. Mine was on Malaysia Airlines from Subang Airport to Senai Airport in Johor Baru in 1984. I was 22 and had completed my first month of employment. I flew home for the weekend to see my parents. And, I flew home on a monthly basis for about a year, all because I didn’t want to spend hours travelling by bus or rail. It is my airline of choice, either travelling for leisure or for work, locally or abroad. You can call it blind loyalty, given the fact that other local and international airlines are giving many good deals in terms of fares and comfort. The national carrier gives me and many other Malaysians I know that instant homey feeling, especially if we have been away from the country too long. I know of some friends who, travelling in...

I love mosques; so much so that I include visiting mosques in my travel itineraries, where possible. It all started two years ago in Bali when a friend and I, spending the New Year on the island, decided to venture some 200 km to Singaraja to look for what is said to be the oldest mosque there. It was on the eve of the New Year that we set out on our journey there. We had googled the night before, looking for places to go to, when we asked ourselves, “Where is the oldest mosque in Bali?” We had read about Masjid Agung Jami’ in Singaraja and the oldest handwritten Quran kept at the mosque. The Quran was dated 1830s and handwritten by I Gusti Ngurah Ketut Jelantik Celagi, a Hindu royalty who converted to Islam following a civil war then. It is still legible despite the years. The handwriting is flawless. We were told by the imam of Masjid Agung Jami' that the Hindu prince had studied Islam under the tutelage of one Haji Muhammad Yusuf Saleh. One of the conditions he imposed o...

Melayu itu orang yang bijaksana Nakalnya bersulam jenaka Budi bahasanya tidak terkira Kurang ajarnya tetap santun Jika menipu pun masih bersopan Bila mengampu bijak beralas tangan. Melayu itu berani jika bersalah Kecut takut kerana benar, Janji simpan di perut Selalu pecah di mulut, Biar mati adat Jangan mati anak. Melayu di tanah Semenanjung luas maknanya: Jawa itu Melayu, Bugis itu Melayu Banjar juga disebut Melayu, Minangkabau memang Melayu, Keturunan Acheh adalah Melayu, Jakun dan Sakai asli Melayu, Arab dan Pakistani, semua Melayu Mamak dan Malbari serap ke Melayu Malah mua’alaf bertakrif Melayu (Setelah disunat anunya itu) Dalam sejarahnya Melayu itu pengembara lautan Melorongkan jalur sejarah zaman Begitu luas daerah sempadan Sayangnya kini segala kehilangan Melayu itu kaya falsafahnya Kias kata bidal pusaka Akar budi bersulamkan daya Gedung akal laut bicara Malangnya Melayu itu kuat bersorak Terlalu gh...

If you are a reader of the New Straits Times, you may have seen the changes that we have made to the special interest sections that we called the Life & Times effective last Sunday.  If you’re not (a reader), why don’t you give us a try; well … the SIS, if not the main paper. From August 2 onwards, the Life & Times takes on a new life.  While each pull out section continues to maintain its respective themes, it now has its own titles.  Correct me if I am wrong but I think this is the first time that we've made such drastic changes to the Life & Times.  Before this, we only had separate titles for the Sunday edition.  Once upon a time, we named it Nuance and then changed it to People. I don't quite  remember when we revert to using Life & Times on a Sunday.  So, the Sunday's Life & Times is now Plush, BOTs (Monday), Heal (Tuesday), Flair (Wednesday), JOM! (Thursday), Groove (Friday) and Pulse (Saturday).  We...

When you come to our house on any day during Syawal, you’ll find that my mother would have prepared some kind of dishes, Johor favourites or otherwise, elaborate fare or simple ones, for you and your family or your extended families or friends who tagged along for the visit. If you call ahead a day or two before the visit, you’ll give her enough time to buy the ingredients and cook a storm in the kitchen.  If not, she’ll boil spaghetti and toss it in Prego’s Carbonara sauce, which she has in stock at home. Yes, she’ll go out of her way to make sure that you are fed when you come to the house; never mind the fact that you told her not to susahkan diri nak masak bagai  when you called to inform her of your impending visit. She reminds me of her aunty, who she stayed with her teenage years, whom I addressed as Tok Itam. If we dropped by her house unannounced at Jalan Parit Besar in Batu Pahat, the first thing she would say after the customary greetings, hugs and kisses wil...