Memoirs of Sydney

Assalamualaikum wbt...

For the past few days, I've been thinking about my good old days in Sydney. Well, obviously said that I miss that place. Of all the places in Sydney, Queen Victory Building (QVB) stood still in my memory.

What is so special about this place? Of course shopping. That was the time where I was not really into tarbiyah. Since nobody can give proper 'usrah' in my very own uni, I had to go to Sydney City which was about 45 minutes on bus ride from my uni. So, I had to take 2 buses for me to go to University of New South Wales (UNSW) where I could meet up with other Malaysians. The last bus stop was situated near QVB and I had to walk through it to take another bus. Well, I would be walking inside it twice a week. That's where my love to this place grew.

It was a 5 0r 6 storey building with unique design and was built a long time ago. It is a preserved building for its antiqueness. The design is so beautiful and there are lots of shopping outlets with branded goods. I really enjoyed this as I can 'cuci mata' looking at those clothes, jeweleries, handbags and so forth. Up to the point that I knew when it sale and when the sale ended. However, there are also shops which sell goods with cheap prices and they are at the lower ground. Hai perempuan..perempuan..

Few months later, alhamdulillah I got myself fully into tarbiyah and my perception changed. I was not really crazy about the goods anymore but I still enjoyed looking at those clothes, handbags and stuff. Well, it is all about being a woman I guess. Frankly speaking, even as akhwat I still get attracted to those things but since I have the tarbiyah, I learn how to control my nafs so that I won't spend my money for unnecessary thing. That's the beauty of being in tarbiyah..

And were it not that all mankind would have become of one community (all disbelievers, desiring worldly life only), We would have provided for those who disbelieve in the Most Beneficent (Allah), silver roofs for their houses, and elevators (and stair-ways, etc. of silver) whereby they ascend. And for their houses, doors (of silver), and thrones (of silver) on which they could recline. And adornments of gold. Yet all this (i.e. the roofs, doors, stairs, elevators, thrones etc. of their houses) would have been nothing but an enjoyment of this world. And the Hereafter with your Lord is only for the Muttaqun. (Az-Zukhruf: 33-35)

Well my dearest sisters in Islam(noted not that Sister In Islam), Allah has prepared a lot for us in the heaven. Don't you think it is weird when Allah only give bidadari(hurun 'ain) to the men and not 'bidadara' to women? This is because He knows that we are not attracted to that. Instead, He gives us all the golds, diamonds, pearls, all the beautiful adornments special for us. Isn't that wonderful?

Of course I am always being jealous to the bidadari but until one solace night after performing tarawikh prayer in UNSW musolla, one of the Arab sister shared the tafseer of suratul Waqiah with ukht Nuzi and me. SubhanAllah almost the whole page, Allah describes all the gifts in the heaven and keep on repeating about the hurun ain. But that beautiful sister reminded us that we could be more than the hurun a'in to our dearest husband if we become good muslimah. So, no need to be jealous of the hurun a'in and even they will be jealous of us. That is soooo beautiful right..May we will be among the choosen one to have all the gifts in the heaven and also become the hurun a'in..insyaAllah..amiin...

Wassalam..