Typical bruneians

Salaam brothers and sisters, have you ever wondered why bruneians are so polite, soft spoken, shy and smile a lot. I might be exagerating here and tooting my own horn, but try to put a bruneian in an international crowd and see what i mean.

The cypriot hotel owner,(forgot the name of the hotel in Norfolk square just infront of Brunei Hall) asked us this question.Why are you bruneians so good, very polite, never make noise, never make mess in the room? All bruneians that lived here i have no complaints for them.Akhi zawawi (hi zaw) explained to him almost word for word what His Majesty the Sultan replied when Sheikh Ahmed Babikir asked his Majesty the very same question.

Oh yeah, we went to the Fosis conference in Birmingham 2 weeks ago when there was Sheikh Ahmed Babikir telling this story to the whole audience (with only 2 bruneians hehe). The talk was about preserving the legacy of islam and one of the methods was da'wah through good character.

He went "I was invited a few years ago by the Sultan of Brunei to give a lecture, and MashaAllah it is one of the most beautiful places i have ever seen, not because of its structures but because of its people, so after the lecture i came up to His Majesty asking him how come your subjects are very nice, polite, well mannered?"

And wAllahi brothers and sisters, this is what His Majesty's reply is " Islam came to Brunei through good character, the traders of Yemen brought Islam and showed good character, the locals fell in love with their good character and embraced Islam as a way of life." Allahu akhbar, MashaAllah, very wise words. A perfect example that Islam did not spread by sword. MashaAllah.

Abu Hurayrah reported that Rasulullah SAW said "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should either say good things or be silent and be kind to his neighbours and hospitable to his guests"(Sahih Bukhari &Muslim)

The quality of hospitality has been one of the most powerful means of propagating Islam.(Dr Bilal Philips,1997)When Muslim traders settled in SE Asia and Africa , this quality of hospitality amazed the populations and many accepted Islam because of the superiority of these virtues(Dr Bilal Phililps,1997). SubhanAllah.

So give your bruneian brothers a break guys, good manners are in their blood.hehe. Just be nice to everyone and treat them as your best friends. Ikram ul muslimeen it's called.This goes for me as well, inshaAllah,

Rasulullah SAW gave emphasis to these characteristics because of the practical value which they have. As Muslims, we believe in Allah and the Last Day, but if our belief is not expressed in practical terms like being kind to people around us, then it may be more than empty words.(Dr Bilal Philips, 1997)

Charming

We met this very kind uncle in London Dr Ameen from Somalia.We were helping him to find a hotel around Norfolk square. He told us a quite a funny anecdote.

There was this patient who asked an Ustadh to write a charm for him so he could wear it to ward off bad health. The Ustadh told him a constant du'a to Allah will be more than sufficient. But the patient insisted. The ustadh gave in and wrote a few words on paper, rolled it into a ball, asked the patient to wear it around his neck.

Finally, the patient was satisfied and felt nothing on earth could harm him.Little did he know, on the paper it read "Don't be stupid,its all from Allah!" teehee.

Ibn Mas'ud reported Rasulullah SAW said, 'Verily spells, talismans and charms are shirk" Ibn Mas'ud said"it would have sufficient for you to have said as Rasulullah SAW used to say:"Remove the the suffering , O lord of mankind and heal it perfectly as you are the true healer-there is no cure except Your cure-a cure which is not followed by any sickness" (Sahih Bukhari)

Regarding Qur'aanic charms, the sahabahs like Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Abbas and Huthayfah were all opposed to wearing Qur'aanic charms. The wearing of Qur'aanic charms contradicts Rasulullah SAW's method of breaking spells and preventing evil (Recitation of Ayatul Kursee, al-falaq, an-nas).

Wearing the Qur'aan in an amulet is like a sick man given a prescription by a doctor, instead of reading it and getting the medicine, he rolls it into a ball puts it in a pouch and hangs it around his neck, believing it will make him well (Dr Bilal Philips).

Lol, so remember brothers and sisters, don't be stupid, it's all from Allah. hehe

Final food posts for the academic year

I've posted both the lamb biryani and assam pedas fish last year. But that doesn't mean we can only enjoy it once.

hehe, the last big dish of the final year, assam pedas salmon fish head.

Assam pedas fish

Things you need

1/3 cup oil

1 cm galangal root bruised

3-4 slices of asam gelugur or 1 1/2 heaped tbsp of tamarind pulp soaked in 4 tablespoons of water, mashed and strained to obtain juice

4 cups water (probably more)

6 thick fich fillets/ heads

4 sprigs daun kesum/bunga kantan( not found in UK so we used fragrant coriander leaves)

3 tablespoons of coconut milk

1 teaspoon of salt

3 anchovy stock cubes

spice paste

15 dried chillies, soaked, cut into lengths and deseeded

10 large onions peeled and cubed

5 cloves garlic shopped roughly

1 Tbs turmeric powder

1 cup water

1. Grind spice ingreidents with a blender (add oil for lubricant)

2. Heat oil and pot over medium heat and stir fry paste and galangal until fragrant for 5 mins.

3. Add rest of water and bring to a boil. Then add the fish,coconut milk, season with sugar and salt. Simmer uncovered for another 8 minutes.

Serve fresh with rice. nyum. Sour and tangy. The thing with malay dishes is its tedious, and leaves quite a mess, but be patient because it is well worth the time and effort.

(Biryani recipe next time inshallah)

Salaam again

Salaam, it's been a very long time since i've updated my blog. I've been on this knowledge seeking adventure from Leicester,Birmingham,Buxton,Manchester to London. MashaAllah. I'll tell you the details of each next time inshaAllah.

Anyways, here's the one of the last dishes we made toward the end of our final undergraduate year. The one above is roast lamb shoulder and the one below is mutton shoulder. Both made at the same time by good friend jerry. Notice the colour difference.The lamb is much more tender too. Simple and easy to make.

On a roast tin, lay unpeeled cloves of garlic, as much as you want and sprigs of fresh rosemary as a bed to rest the lamb/mutton on. Season well with salt and pepper. Lay sprigs of rosemary and garlic on the lamb as well. Drizzle with olive oil.Slow roast in the oven for 4 hours, gas mark 4.Cover the tin tightly with Al foil. When its done, lay it on a plate and rest for 20 minutes and carve to your delight. Alhamdulillah.

Simple. The flavour comes from the meat, not from a sauce. It's what britons crave for in a dish, good quality meat and not the sauce.

Peace