The Seeds of Health

Nature has given us many sources of health food as well as medicine. One of them is Nigella Sativa or "black seed" as it is popularly known.

I call it the "Seed of Health" because it's the only herb that I've encountered that has really worked for me. I have tried other types of herbs, usually those sold through the "direct-selling" member-get-member method, but either they didn't work for me or they only worked on specific type of illnesses.

I'm a diabetic of type 2 and doctors have told me that there's no cure for it. They say that the best you can do is to control the sugar level in your blood to a safe level by taking the prescribed medication. They also advise us to control the type of food that we take, have regular exercises and get enough rest.

I don't like to be told that there's no cure for my diabeties. It was related that Jabir said that the Messenger of God (prayers and peace be upon him) said: "For every ailment there is a cure. If the remedy is correct, the ailment will be cured by the leave of God Almighty." (Al-Muslim)

Thus, there is always a cure for any disease or illness. It's a matter of finding the correct remedy only.Since that day, I started to search for a cure for my diabetes. I tried many herbs and even teas, but to cut the story short, I think I finally found it - the herb that can cure, that is, the "black seed". Why "I think" is because I'm still monitoring the effects that it has on my diabetes for I've just taken it for a few months and therefore it's unfair for me to reach a conclusion within such a short period.

But a few days after taking the "black seed", I started to feel the improvement and positive effects that it has on my 57-year-old body. I used to take the expensive physillum husk twice a day to help with my digestion and relieve my constipation. Now I don't take the husk anymore.

I used to go to the toilet to pass urine every so often that it became an annoyance to me, simply because I discovered that there was not much urine to be released; it was just a few drops. But the "pain" in my urinary bladder at those times was like the bladder was already full and about to "explode" if I didn't release it immediately. Sometimes, I didn't have time to open up my zip to release the urine. It decided to leak out before I was "ready" for it.

At night, it disturbed my sleep because I had to wake up so very often to release out the few drops of urine. All the symptom stopped after I took the "black seed." After that, the process of going to the toilet to urinate became more bearable and regulated to this day. At night, I don't have to wake up so often again to go to the toilet to urinate.

I used to have running nose every morning after I woke up and had my shower. At times it could get so bad that I had to take medication to stop it. This symptom stopped after I took the "black seed."

I found out from the internet that there are many other medical and health effects that one can get from taking the "black seed." It includes increasing the body's immune system and for the ladies, it stimulates the menstrual period and increases the flow of breast milk.

It was related that Abu Huraira said he heard the Prophet (prayers and peace be upon him) say:"This black seed is a cure for everything except Al Saam." Aishah said: " What is Al Saam?" He said: "Death"."(Al-Muslim)

If you have any persistent ailments, I suggest you try taking the "black seed", especially when this advise came from the Prophet himself (prayers and peace be upon him).

Between Petronas and Shell

I hold a Visa Debit Card. For those of you who may not be aware about it, the difference between a Credit Card and a Debit Card is that, for a Credit Card, you use the bank's money to purchase something. That means the bank pays for the items that you purchase and you pay back to the bank after it sent you a statement showing the amount that you have spent using the bank's Credit Card. If you delay in paying back to the bank, you will be charged interest on it.

For a Debit Card, the bank pays for your transaction from your bank account. You use the Debit Card on the strength of your own bank account. Therefore, you need to have some money in your bank account before you can use the Debit Card to purchase something. What you spend should not exceed the balance available in your bank account.

So a person with a Credit Card may only have thirty sen (RM0.30) left in his bank account, but with his Credit Card he can purchase any amount he likes, provided it does not exceed his authorised limit. However, a person, who holds a Debit Card with only thirty sen left in his bank account, can only spend not more than thirty sen. So, a person with a Debit Card has to top up his account with sufficient fund all the time to enable him to use the Debit Card to purchase something.

Having said all that, you might wonder what the two types of card had to do with Petronas and Shell? Well, let me narrate to you my experience about using the Debit Card to purchase fuel for my car at Petronas and Shell.

You see, I never have any problem using my Debit Card to purchase petrol from Shell. It's just like purchasing at Giant or Carrefour, easy, within seconds after the cashier swiped the card, the receipts were printed out for signature verification. But I always have problems when using the Card to purchase petrol from Petronas. Most of the times, my card would not be accepted. Mind you there was always sufficient funds available in my bank account.

However, during one of those very few trying times when my Card was finally accepted by the few Petronas stations, it was a "fill first, pay later" kind of transaction - I had to go back to the pump to fill the petrol and then went back to the cashier to sign the receipt chit and to get back my Card. Not that I mind having to walk to the pump and back again (it's a good exercise for me, right?) but let me ask you, do you think that this is the kind of service that you should provide to your customers if you are running a petrol kiosk? I could not remember any single instance when purchasing petrol from Petronas, where the "pay first, fill later" principle was applied. But with Shell, it was applied successfully, which provides more convenience to customers. Funny, isn't it?. Sometime when I am in a hurry, I just use cash to pay for my petrol at Petronas.

Last Sunday, I was at Bangi. After sending my son, Jowin to his hostel at UKM, on the way back I stopped by a Petronas station to fill petrol for my Pesona. I only had a few dollars left in my wallet and therefore gave my Debit Card to the cashier to pay for RM60.00 of petrol. I was prepared to walk back and forth, but as expected, my Debit Card was not accepted. To worsen the matter both the Maybank ATM's did not accept my CIMB ATM Card. Most probably, that day being a Sunday, the machines had run out of cash.

The cashier said that the nearest CIMB ATM would be at Bintang shopping complex. I didn't know whether I heard wrongly or misunderstood him, but it was a long drive before I could finally find the Bintang Complex. After withdrawing some cash from the ATM, I finally made my way back to the same Petronas station. Why the same station, you might ask? The reason is that there was no other fuel stations nearby, you see.

Just as the Pesona reached the Petronas station, I heard the call for prayer ("azan") for "asar" distinctly from a nearby mosque - indeed, as the "azan" said "God is Great". So you see, buying petrol from Petronas using your Debit Card is indeed like a challenge ("dugaan') from the AlMighty.

I don't know what seems to be the problem that the service at Petronas differs from that at Shell when it comes to using the Debit Card. Whereas it's easy to use the card at Shell, it's the opposite case with Petronas. Is it because Petronas recognises the Credit Card more than the Debit Card? Or is it because
the communication line in Petronas is less efficient? Whatever the problem is with Petronas, they better sort it out as soon as possible before they lose more customers to Shell, Esso or Caltex.

As for me, whatever poor service that Petronas provides, I still go to Petronas to fill up petrol for my car. You know why? Because Petronas is a Malaysian company and as a Malaysian I am proud of it and therefore will always support it. Furthermore, Shell belongs to Holland and I don't like Holland after one of her citizens gave the wrong impression about my beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when he painted the Prophet's (PBUH) picture a few years' back. I've also stopped buying any item from the supermarket that bears the "Made in Holland" sign.

A close friend once asked me why I didn't use the Credit Card instead? I told him Islam has forbidden usury ("riba") in any transaction. The company that sells an item, which is paid through a Credit Card, has to pay interest to the bank. The purchaser using the Credit Card has to pay interest if he delays in paying to the bank. Whether a person pays interest or charges interest, both are forbidden in Islam, as per the following "hadith":

"It was related that Jabir said,"The Messenger of God (Prayers and Peace Be Upon Him) cursed the one who devours usury and the one who pays it, and the one who writes it down and the two witnesses to it." And he said,"They are all equal."

The Need to wear a Glove

Last Friday, 13th February 09, after taking my 'wuduk' at Masjid Sahabah at Section 7 in Kota Damansara for my weekly Friday Prayer, my youngest son, Anuar asked me why I did that. He asked me not because he was ignorant of the fact that a Muslim must take his "wuduk" (cleans himself) before he starts his "solat" (prayer). He asked me because from his previous observations, I didn't take my "wuduk" at the mosque. I took it at my office before I left for the Friday prayer. I just smiled at him and told him that my earlier "wuduk" had been annulled ("batal"). It had to be retaken to ensure that I would be a "clean" person again to face the Almighty in my prayer.

Before I go further let me explain a bit what "wuduk" is all about. As defined by Wikipedia, Wudu (Arabic: الوضوء al-wuḍū', Persian:آبدست ābdast, Turkish: abdest, Urdu: وضو wazū') is the Islamic act of washing parts of the body using water. Muslims are required to be clean in preparation for ritual prayers. The Qur'an says "For Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean.". Muslims are also required to be clean when handling and reading the Qur'an. The Qur'an says "Which none shall touch but those who are clean". Wudu is often translated as "partial ablution", as opposed to ghusl, or "full ablution".

Wuduk is performed by following a certain procedure in washing one's face, hands, ears, hair and the feet. Little did Anuar knew that just about 10 minutes before I fetched him and his brother Amin from the house, my "wuduk" had been annulled by the "touching" incidence with the opposite sex at the Kota Damansara Toll Plaza exit. You see, my Touch N Go card only had 30 sen left (RM0.30) and the fact that PLUS had changed its top-up service between the period from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm had not made it easier for me to top up the card's credit. Thus, until such times that I could top up the card again, I had to enter and leave the Toll Plaza the "manual" way, that is, to collect a ticket on entry and pay for the trip on exit at the next Toll Plaza .

That day on the way into the Subang Jaya Toll Plaza, I collected the ticket but felt my hand rubbed against that of the person at the Toll Plaza. But I didn't realised whether that person was a "he" or a "she." So I said to myself that since I couldn't identify the sex of the person, my "wuduk" should still be valid. Before I reached the Kota Damansara Toll Plaza exit, I prepared the RM1.20 in advance to pay for the toll. So when I reached the Toll Plaza, I tried to hand over the RM1.20 "cleanly"; "cleanly" in the sense that her skin won't have to rub against mine, you see. But somehow she must have sensed my great effort in trying to hand over the money "cleanly" to her. Therefore, it's just natural that she reciprocated by grabbing the money instead of taking it. In the process, the money and my hand was also "grabbed" by her, thereby rendering my "wuduk" to be null and void ("batal").

Sorry, I forgot to explain earlier on that the state of cleanliness of one's "wuduk" would be annulled if one performs one of the following acts :-

1. Defecation, passing gas or urination.
2. Emission of semen.
3. Sleep.
4. Passing blood.
5. Vomiting.
6. Loss of senses.
7. Fainting
8. Touching the skin of the opposite sex (of marriageable status)

And that is why I have to take my "wuduk" again because my skin touched hers at the Toll Plaza.

This incidence kept me thinking that Highway Concessionaires should really ask their staffs at the Toll Plaza to wear a glove each. I did come across female staffs at some Toll Plazas wearing glove, but most of them did not. I had never come across a male staff wearing the glove, though. The reason why the female staff at some Toll Plazas were wearing their gloves was most likely not because she wanted to maintain the validity of her "wuduk" but more so because she didn't want her hand to be infected with germs or dirt from the motorist during the transaction.

Therefore it makes good sense for the Highway Concessionaires to encourage their Toll Plaza staffs to wear glove, not because they want to avoid annulling the motorists' "wuduk", but more so due to health; because if a Toll Plaza staff contracts a disease during the transaction with an infected motorists, the particular staff has to go on medical leave, and therefore her employer will incur losses in terms of working hours and medical bills.

However, I can't wait for the Toll Plaza staffs to wear glove. I have to buy a pair of glove myself so that every Friday I won't have to retake my "wuduk" when I go to a mosque to perform the Friday prayer.

Where is my Kampung?

Assalamualaikum,

"Where are you from?" or "where is your kampung?" is always the standard question asked by someone whom you have just met in a conversation.

The Wikipedia defines the term "kampung" as "a Malay hamlet or village in a Malay-speaking country" In other words, a kampung is defined today as a village in Brunei, Indonesia or Malaysia.

The Wikipedia continues to say that in Malaysia, a kampung is determined as a locality with 10,000 or fewer people. Since historical times, every Malay village came under the leadership of a penghulu (village chief), who has the power to hear civil matters in his village. A Malay village typically contains a "masjid" (mosque) or "surau" (Muslim chapel), stilt houses and paddy fields. Malay villagers practice the culture of helping one another as a community, which is better known as "joint bearing of burdens" (gotong royong), as well as being family-oriented (especially the concept of respecting one's family, particularly the parents and elders), courtesy and believing in God ("Tuhan") as paramount to
everything else. It is common to see a "kubor" (Muslim cemetery) near the mosque, as all Muslims in the Malay village want to be prayed for, and to receive Allah's blessings in the afterlife.

Having said that, a kampung is therefore our origin, where we were born probably and also where we grew up and spent most of our early schooling years there. A kampung is also where our parents settle down for good.

Whenever we have the opportunity, a kampung is where we return to spend the time with our parents, relatives and friends, who grew up and played together with us in the kampung. There is no other preferable way to spend the time during the holidays than to "balik kampung" (return to our parents' house in the village) whether we were at college, university or working somewhere else at that time. A kampung can also be said to be the focul point for "silaturrahim" (maintaining close relationship amongst friends and relatives), where all the brothers, sisters and close relatives get together as often as possible, especially during festivals like the Aidil Fitri, Aidil Adha or marriage ceremonies of those very close to the family. For as long as one of the parents is still alive, the "spirit" of the "balik kampung" still remains, that is, the joy of looking forward to return to the kampung.

Now, back to the question of where my kampung is. You see, I was born in Singapore at the customs quarters at Kampung Bahru Road. Later on my parents rented a house in Kg. Bukit Kasita. I studied at the Radin Mas Primary School from Standard 1 to Standard 5. So it can be said that my kampung at that time was Kampung Bukit Kasita in Singapore.

In 1963, my late father was transferred to Johor Bahru. At first, we were staying in the Government's quarters at Jalan Larkin. Later on, my late father bought a house at Jalan Kasawari, Larkin Lama, Johor Bahru. I continued my studies at Sekolah Rendah Temenggung Abdul Rahman. At the end of 1964, my class teacher, Mrs. Maniam recommended me to sit for an examination for selection to study at MCKK (Malay College Kuala Kangsar). I was one of the successful candidates to be selected, the other one being my classmate, Abdullah bin Abdul Hamid.

So whenever I was asked where my kampung was during my 5-year study period in MCKK, I would answer that it was Johor Bahru. Fellow Johoreans at MCKK thus thought that I was a pure Johorean.

In 1970, I was given a scholarship to study for a diploma in Brighton Technical College in the United Kingdom. Two years later, I went to London to study for my enginering degree at King's College (University of London). While I was there, whenever I was asked by any Malaysian about my kampung, I would say that it was in Johor Bahru.

While I was studyng in London, my late father was transferred to Lumut in Perak. Subsequently my late father bought a piece of land at Kampung Kurnia in Tronoh, Perak and built a house there. "It's going to be my retirement place." said my late father. So after that, Lumut and subsequently Tronoh in Perak became my kampung. In the meantime, my mother continued to stay in the house in Johor Bahru. So technically speaking, I had two kampungs at that time, one in Perak and the other one in Johor. It wasn't very long thereafter that the house in Johor Bahru was sold and therefore Kg. Kurnia at Tronoh in Perak became my latest kampung.

My late father was born in Lubok Merbau in Kuala Kangsar, Perak. My late mother was born in Batu Berendam in Melaka. My late mum was a "baba nyonya" which explained the Chinese look in me. So by right I should have a kampung in Melaka too. But it was not to be that way for the story as was told by my late mum was that she was "disowned" by her parents when she married my late dad. She never returned to Melaka to meet her parents again after that except to visit her two elder brothers, Pak Long and Pak Ngah, who had also embraced Islam at the same time as her.

I still have some relatives residing in Melaka who are descendents from my late Pak Ngah. Until today, whenever I meet a nyonya-baba or baba-nyonya from Melaka, I wonder whether he or she is related to my late mother.

When we grew up, we got married and have children. We eventually establish our own kampung by buying a house of our own. We spend lesser and lesser time to "balik kampung" after both our parents had passed away.

Almost all of my brothers and sisters have committed themselves to have their own kampungs by buying a house at the place chosen by them. Therefore, during the holidays, their own childen visit them, just like they visited their own parents when their parents were still alive.

As for me, I do not have a house to settle down yet. All my life I had been travelling and working at different places and I was never at a place for more than 4 years. However, my wife and I are building a house in Dungun and most likely we will settle down in Dungun for good and call it our kampung.

So in the meantime, what shall I say if someone is to ask me where my kampung is? :-)

My Trip to Putrajaya

Assalamualaikum,

My second son Josef, who is studying medicine in Moscow, Russia has been pestering me to send to him the "NOC" (No Objection Certificate), which he says, is required by his university.

So last Tuesday, 3rd February 2009, I took the Kancil car and drove to Putrajaya, which is the center of the Malaysian Government Departments.

It was at first a decision of whether I should take the Volvo, which was parked at my office in Shah Alam, by taking the LRT/train to Batu 3 first and then walked for 15 minutes to my office to get the car. Or whether to drive directly there with either my wife's Kancil or Persona. I finally decided to go there with the Kancil because it consumed the least amount of petrol and saved me the traveling time in the LRT/train. It would also be easy for me to find a parking space for a Kancil at Putrajaya. I was thinking that the only thing that I was going to miss for not taking the LRT/train and then the Volvo was the exercise from the walking. But I consoled myself that I had been fasting the previous day and also had some walking exercise from my office to the Batu 3 railway station on the same day - all for the sake of controlling my diabetes.

Traveling to Putrajaya and arriving at my destination, which was the Ministry of Education at Parcel E, was easy enough for me because I had been to Putrajaya a couple of times before. The first few times was, of course, a nightmare. There were so many signboards and roads and "Precinct" here and "Precinct" there that I got lost a few times. Nowadays, whenever I have to go to Putrajaya, I'll take the same route and also leave by the same way if I want to avoid getting lost again. If you want to have a non-stop learning activity, going in and out of Putrajaya with your car is the best place to do it and also the best way to know about the roads in Putrajaya.

Whoever did the town-planning for Putrajaya, especially at the "Parcel E" area, probably did not think that the Government employees are going to drive and park their cars there and that visitors going there need to park their cars too. When I arrived there at about 8.30 am, I observe that both sides of all the roads there were occupied with cars if not the red barrier cones. Since it was still early, those cars must belong to the employees. On my first round of the area, I was unsuccessful in locating an empty parking space. Yes, even with my tiny Kancil I couldn't find a space large enough to squeeze it in. I was lucky on the second round of the complex when there was a free parking space for my Kancil. Someone who had parked there must be using a Kancil too because it was just wide enough to accomodate my Kancil.

After parking the Kancil and taking out my notebook from the car(couldn't risk losing it), I made my way to the nearest building to enquire where "Jabatan Pengajian Tinggi" (Higher Education Department) was. I approached a guard, who nicely told me that it was located "further down" at Block E3. So I made my way to the Ministry of Higher Education at Block E3. There I was also nicely informed by the lady to go further down to the second floor of Block E9. After a few minutes of walking I reached Block E9 and after registering with the security guard, I went up to the second floor. I informed the lady at the desk of my intention to get the NOC for my son. She nicely told me to take a seat whilst she arranged to get the certificate for me. I was barely seated for 5 minutes before a gentleman approached me and handed to me my son's NOC.

Even though the parking there needed some improvement, I was happy with the way I was treated by all the staffs, including the "jaga" (guard). They were nice and helpful. Maybe because they took a little pity on this "PakCik" (uncle, old man)

I walked back to the car feeling elated because I got what I came for. I was also happy because the walking uphill towards the Kancil made me sweat a bit. I got the exercise that I thought I was going to miss that day.

After I left Parcel E, I went to Precinct One to go to the Immigration Department to get an application form for a foreign maid. In contrast to Parcel E, there was ample parking space for visitors at the Immigration. The planner for the Immigration Department had done a good job of allocating two open-space areas for car parks. So, it wasn't as difficult as at Parcel E for me to get a parking space for my Kancil.

When I entered the lobby, I was surprised to see two lady Immigration Officers standing there to attend to inquiries from the public. I took advantage of the "service" by asking one of them where to get the application form to apply for a foreign maid. She obligingly told me to go to the second floor on the right. I did as she said and sure enough, I soon found myself queuing up for the application form.

What the Immigration Department was doing by placing its officers at the entrance lobby to answer to queries from the public was a good move and should be applauded. I left the Immigration Department being a happier person because my mission to get the NOC for my son and the application form from the Immigration Department had been accomplished. Thank you to God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful and the Most Helpful, without Whose Help my mission will not be accomplished.

I hope the Putrajaya developer can look into resolving the parking woe at Parcel E and similar areas in Putrajaya for the benefit of the Government employees working there and also for visitors like me to find a convenient place to park our cars to accomplish our "urusan" (mission) with the Ministry.

How I look at illness

Assalamualaikum,

It had been said by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that "87% of illness come from the stomach." I'm not a doctor, but this is how I look at illness.

Diseases comes from everywhere, but in particular it comes from the food and drinks that we eat and drink respectively. The food or drinks may be infested with harmful germs or virus, or may contain harmful chemicals. Food that is infested with harmful germs may lead to the person consuming it to contract a disease. Diseases caused by virus are normally contagious and are contracted from the air that carries the virus. Food that contains harmful chemicals may consist of additives, which are used to make the food lasts longer; colorings, which are used to make the food looks better and flavourings ("perisa"), like monosodium glutamate, to make the food tastes better. Food that contains harmful chemicals may lead to the person consuming it to contract a disease, which is different from a disease caused by germs/virus.

Food and drinks that are infested with germs are normally due to uncleanliness or unhygienic handling of the food. The housefly from the rubbish heap carries with it harmful germs and viruses, which it deposits on the food as it lands on it. The food can also be infested with germs/viruses carried by cockroaches, rats and lizards if it is left exposed and unprotected. A mosquito secretes a fluid containing viruses from its body as it replaces the fluid with human blood. The germs or viruses soon
multiply quickly and if the person's immune system is weak, he soon finds himself suffering from the disease caused by the germs or viruses.

On the other hand a food containing harmful chemicals does not get a quick reaction (symptons) from the body as does the germs or viruses. These chemicals find their way into the body's organs and stay there and if not removed from the body, can cause damages on a long term basis. Suddenly and without warning the particular organs stop functioning or are infected with cancer cells.

Where diseases caused by germs or viruses can be treated fairly quickly if the person goes to see a doctor, diseases caused by chemicals are normally difficult to detect, until it has done some damages, as indicated by the symptons.

Illness is "good" in the sense that it is a "test" of our patience. If we can overcome the illness to become well again, we become a "better" person. A Muslim considers having a disease as a "dugaan" (a test) and if he gets better, he gains a "darjat" (a better Muslim).

An illness is also good in the eyes of a Muslim because it cleans sins from his soul. When he is awaken in the next world ("bangkit di hari kiamat") he carries less sin with him to face Allah SWT on judgement day at "Padang Masyar."

The problem is, how does a Muslim know that he is going to survive the disease? Is he going to die or live? He doesn't know, I'm afraid; only the Almighty knows.

The survival rate for a "normal" disease like cholera, typhoid, malaria and others caused by germs/viruses is high, but for chronic diseases like high blood pressure (which can lead to a stroke or heart attack), leukomia and cancer is considered as 50:50, as I was told by my doctor friends.

The dilemma comes when one is diagnosed with having a cancer. The success rate for treatment of cancer depends on how early one can detect a cancerous growth. If it is detected early, the growth can be removed. If it is detected later, when damage has been done, the chance of survival is very low indeed.

Therefore a Muslim must always think that death is fast approaching and he must prepare himself to face the day when his journey in this world is going to end for him to join another world. It has been advised by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) that a Muslim should grab 5 things before 5 things happen to him, namely:-

1. When he's young, before he gets old
2. When he's healthy before he gets sick
3. When he has free time before he gets busy
4. When he's rich before he gets poor
5. When he lives before he dies.

He should "invest" himself as much as possible in the next world when he's still young, healthy, has the free time, is rich and alive. "Investing" in the next world means to carry out good deeds, which include donating money to the poor and avoid bad deeds, as are guided by the Al-Quran and "Sunnah Rasulullah s.a.w." (actions and words of Prophet Muhammad, PBUH). If he has done bad deeds, he should repent ("bertaubat") and ask for forgiveness from Allah SWT and never repeat the same thing.

For a person who has a chronic disease, who has gone through many medical treatment and seen many doctors and spends many thousands of ringgit, and yet the disease remains, I suggest, as a last resort, that he should do following:-

1.If he has not been a true Muslim, he should change his ways and start being one.

2.He should consider that death is unavoidable and therefore he should repent and ask for forgiveness from the Almighty, before it's too late, in the sense that the Almighty takes his life before he has the opportunity to repent.

3.As a last resort, and if he is still strong and capable, he should make a trip to Mecca to perform Umrah.

4.Whilst in Mecca, apart from performing the Umrah, he should also drink the holy Zam-Zam water, which has been known to have cured many diseases. Before sipping the holy Zam-Zam water, he should request ("berdoa") from Allah SWT to cure his disease because diseases cannot be cured without HIS consent. He should also take the opportunity at Masjidil Haram to prey, repent ("bertaubat") and repeatedly ask for forgiveness from Allah SWT.

Why I say he should be a true Muslim first is because if he wants to ask for a favour from Allah SWT, i.e. to cure his disease, he should first please Allah SWT (mendapat keredhaan Allah SWT). After Allah SWT is pleased with him, either Allah SWT lets him live longer or takes his life. Allah SWT knows best ("Maha Mengetahui") what is good for him and always does good to HIS "makhluk" (living things,
including humans).

Either way is good for him. If he lives, he should continue to remain a true Muslim, if not better. If he dies, he should die a true Muslim and the place for a true Muslim is in the heavens ("syurga"). And that's where we all finally want to go when we finally leave this world. Wallah'ualam.....

How I control my diabetes

Assalamualaikum,

It is quite common nowadays to know that a person has diabetes. The first time I knew I had diabetes was when I had to go to a clinic for a medical check-up for an insurance company 8 years ago. The sample of my blood that was sent to the laboratory for analysis confirmed that I was a diabetic of type II. The glucose (sugar) level in my blood sample was then giving a reading of 15. The normal reading for a healthy person should be from 4 to 6.

Then I understood why suddenly about a year back I was always feeling weak, always felt thirsty and had to pass urine frequently. I found out that they were the symptoms of a diabetic. Worst still, I found out that being a diabetic is the starting point for other diseases, including high blood pressure, kidney failure and blindness.

From Abu Hurairah r.a.,Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said, " Allah does not bring down a disease unless Allah brings down a cure for it." (Dari Abu Hurairah r.a., Nabi saw bersabda, " Allah tidak menurunkan sesuatu penyakit melainkan Allah menurunkan penyembuh untuknya." Riwayat al-Bukhari)

So for every disease, there is a cure for it. So my attempts to find a cure for diabetes started that day.

I soon found out that the cause of diabetes is either due to the unavailability of insulin from the pancreas or the insulin is incapable of converting the excess sugar in the blood into fat to be stored in the body.

Sugar is used as the source of energy but if it is not utilised or converted into fat, it becomes a toxin (poison) and will start to create havoc to the organs in our body. That's why a diabetic has to urinate very often because his body is trying to get rid of the excess sugar from his blood. That's why he also feels thirsty very often because his body needs water to dilute the sugar in the blood to get rid of the sugar.

The pancreas of a diabetic fails to produce insulin or if it is producing, the insulin fails to handle the sugar in the blood. This is either due to hereditary or the person leads a life of obesity or both. They say if one of our parents has diabetes, chances are that we are also going to have it.

My late mum was a diabetic. At the peak of her diabetic problem, there was a hole on her right foot and it didn't get better until she finally went to the doctor who advised her to control her diet and prescribed a medication for her. Her wound got better after that.

I'd like to think that I got my diabetes not because my mum was a diabetic and my mum was a diabetic not because her mum was a diabetic too..I think my late mum was a diabetic because she was leading a life of obesity. I don't blame her or mums like her because life as a housewife restricted her to the household chores and hardly gave her the chance to go outdoors to stay away from living a life of obesity.

Long time ago, our grandparents and great grandparents didn't have the luxury of doing things as easily as we presently have. Their lifestyles and ours differ tremendously. If we travel from one place to another, we have motorised transportation to take us there, but they had to walk. We "work" by sitting in a cool comfortable air-conditioned office most of the time, but they had to sweat it out in the open padi fields, vegetable/fruit farms or the sea. They ate fresh food, and so do we, except that our "fresh food" are treated with insecticides and preservatives before they are delivered to us in the supermarkets. They had processed foods like soya sauce, keropok, salted fish and fish balls which they produced for their own consumption. We have processed food too, but our processed food are filled with more-often-than-not harmful preservatives, colourings and taste enhancers like monosodium glutimate. The air that they breathe was fresh all the time. The air that we breath is polluted. No wonder they live longer because they exercise a lot, breathed unpolluted air and eat clean food that were rich in vitamins and nutrients. We eat polluted food, breath in polluted air and seldom exercise.

Let's compare the life of our great grandfather and ours. Our great grandfather, who was say, a fisherman, woke up in the morning and walked to the beach where his sampan (boat) was parked. He had a good exercise there. We wake up in the morning and walk to our car that is parked in the garage - hardly any exercise. Our great grandfather went to the sea (his place of work) by rowing his sampan - that's quite a lot of exercise. We go to our office (place of work) by driving a car - minimum exercise, just turn the steering wheel, press the clutch (manual gear) and the brake. Under the hot sun, our great grandfather had to cast his fishing net or fishing hook and maneuver his sampan from one place to another. He sweat from the exercise and also from the sun, where he also obtained Vitamin D. Under the air-conditioned office, we sit at our desk and move only if we have to go for a meeting or go to the toilet. We hardly sweat.We only get Vitamin D from the sun if we walk to the nearby stall during lunch time, provided of course we do not use an umbrella to get there.

When our great grandfather went home after he had caught enough fish for the day he repeated the same exercise that he did when he left his house in the morning - same good exercise. We hardly have any exercise as we go home in our air-conditioned car. After our great grandfather reached home, he had to sort out the fish that was caught for the day, clean the compound, burn the rubbish or do some other chores. When we reach home however, we sit in front of the television set and wait for dinner to be served. After our great grandfather had his dinner, he would go to sleep early because there was no television to watch or mamak stall to go for "teh tarek". Therefore he had enough rest. On the other hand, after we have our dinner, we sit in front of the TV until late at night or spend hours at the mamak restaurant with friends before we go to bed. We therefore don't have enough sleep.

"We eat to live, not live to eat." But it looks like we are exactly doing the opposite. We eat more than we should, more than what our body needs. We have breakfast at home, lunch in the office, tea and cakes during tea break, dinner at home and supper at night and not counting the chocolates and cookies kept in the drawer during office hours. We fill up our stomach with junk food and food that we don't need. We do not exercise enough to get rid of stored food in our body.

The law of balance says "what goes in should go out." Thus, what goes into the body should equal to what goes out from the body. If we eat more we should also exercise more. If we don't exercise more, then the food keeps accumulating and our body grows heavier and heavier each day. That's when all kinds of chronic diseases start to surface - diabetes, high-blood pressure, cancer, etc.

Diabetes is not like a disease where the doctor prescribes to you a medication and you get better a few days later. It is caused by an upset in our body system due to leading a life of obesity for too long. The doctors advise that there is no cure for diabetes. The best you can do is to control the amount of sugar in your blood to ensure that the sugar level does not reach a dangerous level, in the sense that it does not damage your internal organs.

The doctor helps to control the sugar level in the blood of a diabetic patient by prescribing a suitable medication to him. The medication helps to regulate the sugar level in the blood to a safe level. Other than exercise, doctors also advise that we should limit the consumption of sweet food and carbohydrates and take more meat, vegetables and fruits. Carbohydrates turn into sugar after they are consumed, that's why a diabetic should minimise the consumption of carbohydrates. Rice and flour are the most common form of carbohydrates that are consumed by us.

I've known of a few diabetics who don't control the amount of food that they consume when they are on their doctor's medication. This can be very dangerous because certain medications can give serious side effect to the body. I know of a close friend who took a medication wrongly prescribed by his doctor. His sugar level was normal when he was taking the medication. Later on something happened to him and he had to be admitted into a hospital. The hospital doctors later diagnosed him as having kidney failures. Another doctor later told him that the diabetic medication that was prescribed to him was the cause of his kidney failures. Now he is on dialysis twice a week.

All this while, I have been "experimenting" on the best way to control my sugar level without taking any medication and without sacrificing too much on the consumption of carbohydrates and I think I have found the right solution. I wish to share it with you if you are a diabetic. If you are not a diabetic, it may help prevent you from being one. "Prevention is better than cure" and "better to be safe than sorry." My method may not work for you but you have to try it out and change or adjust it until you find the right solution.

What I am doing to control the sugar level in my blood is as follows:-

1. Eating habits - I only eat twice a day. I never miss a good breakfast. It can be the full-of-carbohydrates type like nasi lemak, roti canai, nasi goreng or mihun goreng. These carbohydrates provide me with energy until about 4.00 pm when I also have a meal. Thus, between breakfast and 4.00 pm I don't take anything else except plain water or green tea. Green tea is an anti-oxidant and it's good for our immune system. After I have my 4.00 pm meal, I don't take anymore meal for the day, except maybe an apple for dinner.

If I realy feel hungry during lunch time. I'll go down to the stall in front of my office to buy a slice of papaya or pineapple. Or I go and buy a packet of groundnuts at the Petronas station nearby.

2. I fast twice a week, every Monday and Thursday. Fasting helps to detoxify the body from accumulated toxins from the food that we eat and the polluted air that we breath. It also gives the organs in our body the time to rest, recuperate and recover. Who knows, your damaged organs may heal and function as normal.

3. I exercise regularly. This I do by taking the train and lrt (light rapid transit) to and from work. It takes about half an hour of walking from my home to the nearest lrt station. After the lrt stops at a station, I walk for about 5 minutes to a train station. After taking the train I walk for another 15 minutes from the train station to my office. So I receive about 50 minutes of walking exercise in one way and 100 minutes of exercise both ways.

I always monitor my blood sugar level in the morning prior to breakfast by using a blood measurement meter, which I purchase from the local pharmacy.So far the meter has been giving me an average reading of 7 to 8. On days when I eat less carbohydrates and more fruits and capatis (made from wheat flour), the reading is about 6 to 7.

I am still experimenting with my lifestyle to reduce the reading to 4 to 6, the so-called normal level. Maybe I should fast 3 days a week or reduce my food intake to once a day instead of the present two meals a day. I'll let you know through this blog soon if I manage to reduce my sugar reading to that level consistently after I adjust my lifestyle or eating habits as proposed above.

Watch that Price Display

The next time you go for shopping at one of the big supermarkets, I advise you to watch for the price of each of the items on the display as the cashier at the paying counter scans each item.

My family and I went to Carrefour Ampang this afternoon to purchase our weekly stock of food and household goods. Among the items that we were going to purchase was a 10-kg bag of rice and a notebook bag. The price for the rice was displayed as RM20.00 (on offer) and the price for the notebook bag was shown as RM89.90.

When these two (2) items were scanned at the counter, the price for the rice was displayed as RM40.00 (instead of RM20.00) and the bag as RM93.50 (instead of RM89.90). We immediately told the cashier that they were incorrect. The cashier immediately called someone to go and check the price for the bag. The staff checked and came back to confirm that the correct price was RM89.90 and not RM93.50.

My wife did not wait for the Carrefour staff. She personally went to check the price of the rice. She came back with another 10-kg bag of rice of another brand which cost RM25.00. She told me that the bag of rice on promotion at RM20.00 was no longer available, it has been sold out.She told me that the bag of rice that she took earlier was placed where the sign showed the price as RM20.00. She therefore assumed that the bags of rice placed under the RM20 price tag would cost RM20.00. Furthermore it was of the same brand.

I was told to go to the Customer Service to claim back the difference between RM93.50 and RM89.90, which was RM3.60, which I got back in cash.

The point I am trying to make is that one should always know how much one is going to pay for an item and make sure that the same price is shown on the display when the cashier scans the item. Let's not divert your concentration, like sms or call someone over the phone, while the cashier is scanning the items because you will not know whether you are paying for the right prices as indicated.

As for the bag of rice on offer at RM20.00., why still displayed the price tag at RM20.00 when the rice had been sold out? Why not just remove the price tag instead?

I'm not saying that the supermarket is deliberately trying to cheat the customers this way.Most likely it's an oversight or one of the staffs forgot to remove the price tag or place the correct one. Just imagine if we didn't observe the scanned price properly or didn't check the receipt after that - we would be paying more than we should.

Introduction

Hi,

Welcome to my blog. It is created as an extension of my website at http://roslank.com.
I'm going to describe here my observations and opinions of the situations that I experience and encounter in my daily life. Your comments are most welcome.

Thank you,

Roslan.