The Red Full Moon.

It was the 23rd day of Ramadhan yesterday. I had to leave my office early due to my not feeling well. I have been sneezing ... my nose is like a tap of chendol ... my bones ache ... my ears ache too.

Now when my ears ache ... that is a sign that Fever is catching up on me. I left the office at 7.30am. That's the second time I left early ... well .. it's not early since I can leave at 7am after my midnight shift. I usually stayed and monitored the next flight before I leave for home but for the two days .... I left it in the hands of my competent staff.

Took the bus home and strolled to my block.
I was thinking ... thinking ...

The Night of Power and I felt weak ... hah! What a contradiction. But the night was cold and I felt cold at that time (It was already 8.05am) ... maybe it was the night of Qadr after all!

I looked around me ... hmmm ... it was not warm ... I do not see any stars .... but hey I can see the full moon and it was RED!
I told myself ...
yah a red full moon ... so what?? Makes no diff, man!
( note: I speak that way to myself only!)

It suddenly dawned into me that it was already 8am ....
what stars? what moon? It should be the sun. But the sun was not bright and it looked small ....

I took out my O2 and snapped these pictures ...

If you enlarge the photo, you will see the red moon.

After four shots ... the shy sun smiled brightly. What makes the bright sun blushed?

IT WAS THE HAZE!

The PSI reading for that morning was above 100 ... not healthy for an old man like me ... hehehe

I have been having these headaches and sneezes during these periods of thick haze. The worst was when I was sneezing and slurping during the Terawih prayers at the void deck. The guy next to me felt uncomfortable. There was this Pakcik who stucked out his head to take glances at me.

So being a responsible Muslim, reluctantly, I left after 8 rakaats of Terawih. I do not want to be the cause of the congregation to get infected with whatever I was having. So I left.

I returned the next day though (last Saturday) and the Pakcik salaamed at me (it's salam not slam) ... hehehe .... This time I have my hanky with me. The day before, I had nothing.

Being Saturday, the Terawih is only 8 rakaats followed by a guest speaker. Oh yes ... the Terawih and Isya' prayers were lead by an imam from Al-Azhar again, Sheikh Al-Hafiz Mahmood Aziz. This guy recited not from the Juzu' Amma and it was excellent! Subhanallah ... how I envied his knowledge.

Ustaz Suhaimi Mustar was the guest speaker. He was the ustaz who taught me fiqh at PERGAS and he is now attached to MUIS. His sermon was about Lailatul Qadr and it's significance.

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*** Fast Forward ***

Today, alhamdulillah ... I feel better. The pep talk that my fiancee gave me last night is working well. I felt motivated and look forward to getting married as soon as possible.

Or was it because we will be meeting later at 3pm???
Yeah ... told her that I have some extra cash and we could do some shopping. I will be breaking fast at her place and we will perform Terawih at her neighbour's which is lead by my future dad-in-law
Al-Imam As-Sanghafoori Al-Fadhil As-Sheikh Damri Basri Al-Haj.

I love my fiancee and her family.

May Allah bless them and provide them with continued Iman, prolonged live, the best of health, abundance of wealth and taqwa.

Ameen Ameen Ya Rabbal 'Aalameen.