Lunch at Beverwijk

The place is 50 km away from home. We had a late lunch today at the Beverwijk Market at our favourite hunting ground - the Makkah Restaurant. The owner and his family as always were there to greet and serve us. They are really nice people. The father and his brother, both from Egypt, own the business which is only opened on Saturday and Sunday. As always, they were helped by their sons and few others. Beverwijk is like an Arab souk where you can get almost anything you want, but at a much better price. But most of all the shoarma and mint tea are great.

End of the Road

Once a week, what ought to be an opportunity to guide the ummah, more often than not Friday sermons nowadays are becoming too generalised and sometimes politicised. There are many times when you walked out of the mosque thinking what actually was the message and what should I be doing about it. The Friday sermons here to me are quite good. They really touched the real spiritual issues and left you to think and reflect deeply. Because they are not drafted by some academics sitting in a lofty office but rather by Imams who are on the street, the messages tend to be simple but strong. The topics recently were about being thankful or 'besyukur' for not only when big things come but for everything that are bestowed on us everyday which tend to be taken for granted. The other time was to do with the impact of Ramadan. Most of us adults have performed 30 to 50 full months of fasting in our life, but have we really see changes in the way we conduct our life. In the end it is up to each of us, rich or poor, what we want to prepare for the afterlife. Below is a nice story I came across.

There was a nobleman who decided to take a tour of his county. As he passed by different places, everyone rushed to see him. However, while passing by a certain place, he noticed a poor old man who did not pay any attention to the nobleman's arrival and remained engaged in his own activities. The nobleman went up to this poor man and asked why he did not join the people to see him. The poor man replied, "Before you, there was another nobleman who once passed by this place. Everyone gathered to see him as well. But, few days later he died and was buried in a place nearby. A poor man also died during that time and was buried near the nobleman's grave. After some time, a strong flood passed through that area causing those graves to overturn. As a result, the bones of the poor man became mixed up with those of the nobleman's. We could not differentiate between them any longer. After seeing this, it does not matter to me anymore as to who is a nobleman and who is a beggar. In the end, our home is the same."

What's with the Mascot

Time of the year when money are raised through donations of private individuals who may organised events to raise funds for charities working with children in the UK. It is now better known as Pudsey Children in need. The kids got involve with it through their British School here. The initiative which started since 1985 uses 'Pudsey', a teddy bear with a bandage over one eye, as the mascot.

Here's what Faris wrote ........ the school raised about 5000 Euros this year through Fame academy and dance competition in the school. The Fame academy is a competition where people audition in singing, acting or dancing. If chosen they will get someone to help them on their performance. The Fame academy was last night and to vote you pay 2 euros. From the voting they raised about 4000 euros. The dance competetion was this afternoon. Every class from year 8 and 7 (14 classes) performed a dance they made.They could ask a year 11-13 to choreographed their dance. There were 2 judges, an English teacher and a professional dancer from England. There was a winner for year 7 and 8 and an overall winner. The year 8's usually win because they had experience in the Pudsey dancing competition. Suprisingly my class 7JF won, choreographed by Fiz and friends! See the video.

Transiting In Budapest

The call from the travel agent was quite late yesterday. The message was that Air France was going on strike from midnight onwards. As I would be flying on that carrier the next day and transiting at CDG Paris, I was advised to change my flight. So the option was given - the best one was using Malev Airline (first time I heard this airline!) via East Europe. I asked if the airline has been approved by the company safety-wise and the answer was YES. I also asked around my colleagues if they have used that carrier before - YEEH... the airline that normally you travel with pigs and chickens onboard! The least assuring answer.

Anyway I took the option. The detail was a bit blurry. I thought I was flying on this M Airline to Sofia in Bulgaria before catching another flight to Amsterdam. Only realised that I was actually flying to Budapest in Hungary when I lined up to board the plane. Well I only had 3 hours sleep prior before being sent to the airport at 2 am to catch the flight at 4 am. And at the airport somebody did the leg work for me, getting my passport sorted out, my luggage checked-in and my exit visa done. I felt embarassed though as the airport was crowded and obviously this guy cut the queue and straight to the front desk (he got the necessary badge which comes with authority obviously).

I know a bit of Bulgaria - it was part of the Ottoman Empire for some 500 years before it got its independence and so has some Muslim population, although suppressed during the communist rule. Hungary - almost zero knowledge - apart from that there is a Formula One race held there every year called the Hungaroring. Looking at Wiki just now, found out that Hungary was one of the 15 most popular tourist destinations in the world in the past decade, with the capital Budapest regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world. The country is home to the second largest thermal lake in the world. And in fact there are over 100 natural thermal wells in the city to feed the many spas there which it is famous for. The most famous contribution of Hungary to the world is the famous square Rubik. It is the amongst the newest member of the European union when it joined in 2004. It is now going through a fast catch up programme to allign with the economy of the rest of the EU, heavily subsidised and helped by the other members which is obviously the attraction to seek EU membership for all the ex-communist countries in Eastern Europe. The membership also helps to reform a lot of things such as politics, administrations, legislation, economy etc.

I am back home now. The plane was good and the Budapest airport was quite modern.

Bawabet Dimashq

It's the last evening before flying home. My Syrian colleague invited me for dinner at this amazing restaurant called Bawabet Dimashg or Damascus Gate. Apparently it is the largest restaurant in the world. It was not full house today but in the summer the place is really packed with more than 6000 people dining at any time. The design of the restaurant is quite interesting, with a setting of a ruin city and small stream flowing across it from an artificial waterfall.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7435424.stm

Unlike in many places and becoming too common now around the world, there are still restaurants that hang Halal sign at their entrance and yet serve alcohol. This one doesn't. And the food was great.

Rain is a Blessing Here

Back home, the rain has been lashing endlessly. It must be a trying time for many especially those affected by the floods, disconnected roads and utilities, loss of homes and so on. It does test one's attitude towards the Almighty.

Here in Damascus, the rain fell down heavily today. I have been asking my Syrian colleagues the past couple of days how long has it not been raining. It has been a while. The city looks so dry and a bit dusty. So today it was an absolute blessing. When such things are taken for granted or even seen as an annoyance in other countries, here to see the rain falling down is a real joy.

After an exhausting day in the office, yours trully made a quick trip to the Al Hamidiyah Souk. The souk is in the middle of the Old City where the great Umayyad Mosque is located. After our Andalusia trip a couple of weeks ago seeing the extent of the Umayyad Dynasty, I am here right back to the heart and capital of the original empire. When the Umayyad Dynasty fell to the Abbasid Dynasty, Damascus had seen its height. The Abbasids moved their capital from Damascus to Baghdad.

On the way back I saw this local ice cream shop. Quite interesting to see the ice cream being pounded repeatedly before being piled up on the table ready to be scooped for the customers. It's definitely quite tempting for people walking by. Going back to the hotel was a bit problematic. With the falling rain, even in a city of literally thousands of taxis, waiting for a long time for an empty one is not how I want to waste my time. So there I was walking in the rain .........

Kid's Tour of Rotterdam

Whilst I am here, today, Faris our youngest, went on a school trip to visit the city of Rotterdam. The city is more modern compared to other main cities in Holland like Amsterdam. The reason is because the city was heavily bombed during World War II and so was later rebuilt more or less from scratch.

It was a full iternary, the school group went on a boat around the harbour which by the way is the busiest in Europe if not the world.

They went to the market and later to the Euromast, the tallest tower in Europe. From here, one could see the city skyline and the famous Erasmus bridge. Here's a couple of photos that Faris took today.

A Malaysian Night In Damascus

On the road again, my 9th trip, flying to my favourite part of the Middle East - Jordan and Syria. With the project in the former completed, what's is left to do now is only Syria. It's not a country that is easily understood especially when the country is always painted as aggressive by Western media unless one has been on the ground. There have been a number of unfortunate events lately, a massive bombing in Damascus and US Blackhawks' incursion to a small village in the East of the country amongst others. The economy is also suffering through a US export restriction which prevent any form of US technology to be exported to the country. On the bright side, the people here are just taking those on their chins and living life as normal as they can. Most of all, it is always a pleasure to work with the people here - they are very friendly and kind.

It's a two hours flight to Vienna before catching a 3.5 hours flight to Damascus. In the past, one always gets a bad deal flying on European carriers to this part of the world. Their business class is simply a normal economy seat but with the middle seat left empty to give a bit of gap with fellow passenger. But now Air Austria has changed its business seat to a proper one. Obviously it could not compete with A380 configuration but it is a blessing in any case. As always and I do not understand it fully, a plane arriving at Damascus International airport always has to circle above the airport a few times before finally making the landing. My best hunch is that it is part of the heavy security protocol here.

When I checked in for dinner at the hotel, rather than expecting an Arabian delight, there were surprisingly Malay dishes on offer. It was apparently Malaysian Night theme! So there I was ordering some of those familiar dishes. Unfortunately it was not the same and quite disappointing, how can a Syrian cook make a proper Asian dish - I should have known better. So back to normal Syrian dishes from now on.

Beyond Hope, Time for Change

It was a must read book. When I read the book early in the year, I would never imagine this guy will become a president in such a short time. Reading the book was more out of curiosity of an unconventional politician. Some feel he is too liberal.

My instinct is that he will never be successful beyond what he was then. There were so many things that would go against a non-white aspirer. Then the contest with Hillary really brought him into a different character and lights. What surprised me is that he is a really good orator. So there it was the election yesterday. The kids were excited with all the build-ups and as the results roll-out. It's good to see them interested and to understand a bit on the process of electing a president. Time will tell. It's no longer the audacity of hope, looking forward for an audacity of change.

An Amazing Race

Every alternating Sundays from March to November, we have a regular ritual watching 18 machos racing around 60 laps. More often than not, 59 of those 60 laps are plain boring. And what makes watching the live broadcasts worth the 2 hours sitting down are the few rare overtakings and incidents in the race.

But the season's penultimate race in Brazil yesterday was amazing. Right from the start, something extraordinary was to be expected. The heavy downpour in the beginning set the scene. The unforgetable drama of last years final race was still fresh in the mind.

In the end, the penultimate lap was the decider for the world champion. Every F1 fans were on their edge. Real nail-biting drama. Massa crossed the chequered flag. The whole Ferrari garage celebrated. The whole Brazil was roaring. But moments later when Hamilton overtook Glock, it was an incredible sight to see the looks on the faces in the Ferrari garage when they realised they have lost it!!! For all the steward's strange decisions, the FIA seeming bias, fnally McClaren did it. Well done to Lewis and McLaren Mercedes!!

Lewis's father said "this is the culmination of 16 years of hard work. Hopefully this will be an inspiration for other families and kids. When we started we had nothing, no money."

"But after a lot of hard work we are top of the world. It shows it can be done. Hard work, dedication, respect to your family, respect to all people, fantastic."

"To be honest, I thought it was over. I thought it was gone. When he did cross the line I didn't know he had won it. I had to go by what everyone else was doing."

"They were jumping up and down, and so I assumed we must have got something."

"But they were absolutely the worst few minutes of my life. For a number of laps I turned away. I couldn't watch. "

Sunday Invite

The month of Syawal is over but today there was yet another openhouse!

This has to be the official 'penutup' for this year's Hari Raya Aidifitri. Time really flies. Felt like Ramadan was just a few weeks ago. Only realised that the month of Syawal was already over on Wednesday. Soon it will be the Haj season and of course the next Hari Raya. Then end of the year.......

It was quite elegant to see some inovations to make the place a bit spacious in the house. The garden was covered with a large tent and turned into an extension of the living room. And with two eletric heaters to warm the place, it didn't feel actually being outdoor in this cold and rainy weather.

Luckily we came when the crowd was easing - must be more than a hundred who turned up. The photos are courtesy of the host.

Winter Time

The clock changed yesterday. The Summer 'daylight saving' time has now been reversed back by an hour to the normal standard 'Winter' time.

Came back to Holland last night. We reached home just after midnight. The flight from Granada to Brussels via Madrid took 4 hours. The drive back from Brussels airport was smooth - took one and half hours to reach home.

It has been an interesting trip. We stayed overnight on Saturday at Cordoba. The place is quieter at night than Granada and we would recommend anyone planning to go here to just go for a day trip. Day time though it is pretty crowded.

On our tour on Saturday, we walked along the old Muslim and Jewish quarters. We went to visit a former synagogue. It was quite interesting to know how various faiths co-existed in peace and harmony in the past. The is the last surviving synagogue building that was turned into a church during the Spanish re-conquest in the past.

Our guide also brought us to see a proper mosque located quite close to the Grand mosque. The mosque has been in used for 19 years now.

Our hotel is quite interesting. It is like an open museum. Inside they preserve an old building relic - some sort of ancient building foundation. In the middle of the hotel, one could also find a nice garden courtyard (middle photo). And right in front of the hotel led you to one of the door of the Grand Mosque.

We drove back to Granada prior to catching the flight back home. Our rental car, a Ford Focus, is really good value for money, and spacious as well. The 4-days rental, inclusive of everything, only costs 58 pounds. And it's brand new, only 10K on the clock. We took a different route to Granada this time, using a new motorway which led to Malaga before turning to Granada. The motorway is really superb, well built and wishes we have similar like this one back home. The 2 hours drive was just amazing. With the backdrop of mountains in the background, the lands around are as if there are covered with endless carpets of olive trees and other plantations. Every flat lands, slope and rolling hills are being used for the plantation all along the drive. The people here really knows how to make full use of their lands.

Tangisan Bumi Andalusia

MAASSALAMAH YA ANDALUS

Maka tersebutlah suatu daerah
Tersergam megah azannya bergema

Keagungannya, kemasyhurannya
Merentas seluruh dunia fana

Dan bersemaraklah cahaya-Mu Yang Esa
Bagai azimat untuk seluruh umat

Kehancuran yang mendatang
Kerna alpa dan prasangka jiwa lara

Harus kau ingat dari musibahmu
Datang bencana kerana kau lupa

Andalusia tinggal sejarah
Kekufuranmu terkubur semua

Haruslah kau beringat
Musibah yang melanda
Bencana dan merana kita lupa

Ada teladan dari kegagalan
Untukmu insan jadikan pedoman

Selamat tinggal Andalusia
Yang rebah tersungkur ke dada bumi

Selamat tinggal Andalusia
Mungkinkah dapatku kembalikan sinarmu

A Drive to Cordoba

Today we drove to Cordoba, a 2-hours drive from Granada. The drive passed through a scenic route through endless plantations of olive trees.

Cordoba used to be one of the greatest Muslim cities. I read from the guide book it used to have up to 3000 mosques at its height in the 10th Century with a population of half to a million people. Now it is famous for a single remaining mosque, the Mezquita or the grand mosque, now 1200 years old, said to be the 3rd largest mosque in the world at that time. It was built by Abd-ar-Rahman 1 in 785 when he formed the exiled Umayyad dynasty in Spain and made Cordoba the capital. Cordoba was then the heart of the Western Islamic empire and the city was said to rival Cairo and Baghdad as a centre of Muslim art and learning. At that time the city also was the largest and most prosperous city of Europe. And the mosque ranked third in sanctity after Mecca and Mesjid Al-Aqsa.

We initially booked a hotel outside the city centre but was given the option to stay at the same hotel chain for the same price but located right at the heart of the city. So we took the offer. And what an offer it was, the Conquistador Hotel is located right in front of the Grand Mosque.

We took a private guided tour of the Grand Mosque and the surrounding areas. The tour took over two hours and was good for the kids as they were quite attentive following the guide.The centre of the mosque has long been converted into a large cathedral when the Muslim rule fell. The original minaret has been covered and redesigned so it does not look like an Islamic minaret anymore. The mosque looks plain outside but very beautiful inside. From outside there is some similarity to the Umayyad mosque in Damascus. But inside, this mosque looks incredible and more beautiful and functional.There are over a thousand pillars inside which form an incredible sight and structure. It is like an endless forest of columns, remarked in some books as one of the world's architectural wonders. It was said that the mosque once could hold as many as 25,000 people. The mihrab is still intact and was not destroyed by the conqueror. Nowadays much of the central part of the building has been converted into a large cathedral.

One of the oddity of this former mosque is that the direction of the kiblat is wrong. This is quite clear when we prayed in our rooms which is parallel to the mesjid. The kiblat is off by 38 Degrees. That's quite a lot - i.e. instead of heading to Mecca to the Southeast, it is heading South. One of the possible reason is that the original builders of the mesjid were from Syria and in Syria the direction of Mecca is towards the South. However this mosque existed for over 300 years and nobody at that time made any effort to correct the kiblat. May be this could be one of the reasons why the mesjid is no longer a mesjid anymore nowadays - only Allah knows.

Old Streets

Granada is a medium size city of some 200,000 people. At this time of the year the temperature is quite nice at around 21 Deg. C and falling to 15 Deg. C in the evening. Summer could be very hot, well above 32 Deg. C. So this is probably the perfect time to come here.

In Plaza Nueva, one could find plenty of halal eating places and Moroccans shops along the Calle Evira, Caldereria Nueva and Caldereria Vieja streets. These three streets form some sort of a traingle of the Arab quarter in the city.

Nearby, walking South, we found another face of Granada. There is actually a proper shopping main street. The place only comes alive after 6pm when the crowd suddenly appears from nowhere. As it is Spain, people here normally take a long lunch break. Shops are closed until 5 pm. Only then the crowd starts to come in. Some restaurants only open at 7 pm. But they are not expecting a lot of clients until well past 9 pm.

Meratapi Andalus Demi Merapatkan Umat

These are some of the photos we took inside the Alhambra today. Here's a good article to read taken from Berita Harian Online, written by Abdurrahman Haqqi.

Permusuhan, kesenangan serta kecintaan terhadap dunia faktor keruntuhan kerajaan Islam di Sepanyol.

“MENANGISLAH anakku bak kaum wanita menangis ke atas kerajaanmu yg hilang kerana kamu tidak dapat memeliharanya seperti kaum lelaki.” Begitulah ucapan seorang bonda Raja dalam sejarah Islam di Andalus, Sepanyol. Ia diucapkan oleh Aisyah kepada anaknya Abu Abdullah daripada puak Bani al-Ahmar, Raja terakhir kerajaan Islam Granada pada 21 Muharram 897 Hijrah (H) yg memeterai perjanjian penyerahan kerajaannya kepada Raja Kristian Sepanyol, Ferdinand dan Isabella. Dengan itu, berakhirlah era kerajaan Islam di bumi Eropah yang berkuasa selama 800 tahun.

Bani al-Ahmar adalah puak yg menguasai wilayah Islam terakhir di Sepanyol iaitu Granada daripada 620 H hingga 897 H, pada tahun di mana perjanjian di atas dimeterai. Perjanjian yang membabitkan 67 perkara itu termasuk jaminan keselamatan orang Islam di Sepanyol yang pada akhirnya tidak pernah direalisasikan bahkan selepas 300 tahun kemudian, Islam dan tanda-tandanya terhakis di bumi Sepanyol, seolah-olah Islam dan tamadunnya tidak pernah wujud di negara itu walaupun ia pernah menyinari dan menerajuinya selama 800 tahun. Perjanjian ini akhirnya dimeterai kerana menerima banyak tekanan daripada orang Kristian Sepanyol termasuk kejadian paling memilukan dalam sejarah Islam pd 892 H. Pd masa itu ribuan umat Islam yg dijanjikan boleh menyelamatkan diri dengan berlayar ke Afrika dibunuh beramai-ramai secara kejam dan tidak berperikemanusiaan.

Dalam kejadian itu, ribuan umat Islam mati bergelimpangan bermandi darah selepas tentera Kristian membunuh mereka. Sebelum itu, ketika mereka bersembunyi di dalam rumah, dengan lantang tentera Kristian membuat pengumuman bahawa orang Muslim Granada boleh keluar dari rumah mereka dengan aman bagi membolehkan mereka menaiki kapal untuk berlayar keluar dari Sepanyol dengan membawa barang keperluan masing-masing. Tentera Kristian turut memaklumkan keselamatan orang Islam yang ingin meninggalkan Sepanyol terjamin. Ramai umat Islam yang meragui tawaran tentera Kristian itu. Bagaimanapun, selepas umat Islam melihat sendiri kapal yang akan membawa mereka berlabuh di pelabuhan, mereka kemudian mengambil keputusan menerima tawaran itu.

Keesokan harinya, ribuan penduduk Muslim Granada keluar beramai-ramai membawa seluruh barang keperluan mereka pergi ke pelabuhan itu. Bagaimanapun, ada umat Islam yang tidak mempercayai tawaran tentera Salib itu terus bertahan dan bersembunyi di rumah masing-masing. Selepas ribuan umat Islam Sepanyol berkumpul di pelabuhan, dengan pantas tentera Kristian menggeledah rumah yang ditinggalkan mereka sebelum membakarnya. Ribuan umat Islam yang berada di pelabuhan pula tergamam apabila tentera Kristian membakar kapal yang dikatakan akan mengangkut mereka keluar dr Sepanyol. Kapal itu kemudian tenggelam dan umat Islam tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa kerana mereka tidak bersenjata. Kebanyakan mereka adalah wanita dan kanak-kanak, sedangkan tentera Kristian mengepung mereka dengan pedang terhunus.

Selepas menerima arahan pemimpin, ribuan tentera Kristian itu kemudian membunuh umat Islam Sepanyol tanpa perasaan belas kasihan. Jerit tangis dan takbir terdengar tetapi dengan buas tentera Kristian terus membunuh warga awam yang sama sekali tidak berdaya. Seluruh Muslim Sepanyol di pelabuhan itu habis dibunuh dengan kejam. Darah bergenang di mana-mana. Laut yg biru berubah menjadi merah kehitam-hitaman. Itulah kisah menyedihkan dalam sejarah umat Islam yang tidak boleh dilupakan. Banyak cerita yang menyayat hati seperti ini dibukukan seperti al-Ihatah fi Akhbar Gharnatah (Berita Menyeluruh Mengenai Granada) dan al-Muqtabas min Akhbar al-Andalus (Sekelumit Sejarah Andalus), malah seorang ulama terkenal seperti Ibn Hazam menceritakannya dalam kitab mashurnya al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa al-Nihal.

Selepas kejadian itu dan memerintah Sepanyol selama 300 tahun, tidak ada tanda atau simbol Islam yg kekal di negara itu. Umat Islam juga diugut dan diseksa oleh tentera Kristian Sepanyol dgn pelbagai ugutan dan seksaan yg sangat kejam, mengerikan dan menakutkan dan tidak ada belas kasihan. Orang Kristian di Sepanyol tidak mahu Islam wujud lagi. Oleh itu kita dapati umat Islam sangat tersepit sehingga ada yg mengaku Kristian padahal mereka seorang Muslim kerana terlalu perit dugaan yang dialami mereka.

Islam mula masuk ke Sepanyol pada 92 H di bawah kepemimpinan panglima Tariq bin Ziyad, Musa bin Nusair dan Abdul Aziz bin Musa. Selepas kemasukan mereka melalui Jabal Tariq (Gibral Tar) pada tahun itu, Sepanyol beransur-ansur muncul menjadi sebuah negeri yg makmur. Pasukan Islam tidak saja berhenti di Sepanyol, malah terus meluaskan empayar di negeri sekitar seperti Perancis. Kota Carcassone, Nimes, Bordeaux, Lyon, Poitou, Tours dan sebagainya jatuh ke tangan umat Islam. Walaupun pasukan Islam sangat kuat dan memiliki kekuasaan yg luas, mereka masih tetap memberikan toleransi kepada suku Goth dan Navaro di daerah sebelah Barat yg juga kawasan pergunungan.

Islam sudah menerangi Sepanyol dan oleh kerana sikap penguasa Islam begitu baik dan rendah hati, maka ramai orang Sepanyol yg tulus dan ikhlas memeluk Islam. Mereka bukan hanya beragama Islam, namun mereka sungguh-sungguh mempraktikkan kehidupan secara Islam. Mereka tidak hanya membaca al-Quran malah bertingkah laku berdasarkan al-Quran. Keadaan tenteram seperti itu berlangsung hampir 6 abad lamanya.

Penguasa dan pemimpin Islam pada masa itu sangat berwibawa dan digeruni. Abdul Rahman al-Dakhil, sebagai contoh, adalah orang yang mendirikan Khilafah Bani Umayyah di Andalus. Ketika dijemput pemimpin Kristian yang dibantunya dalam memerangi musuh mereka, beliau dipelawa minum arak, tetapi beliau menolak secara diplomasi dgn katanya: “Aku memerlukan tambahan utk otakku bukan untuk mengurangkannya.”

Bagaimanapun, selama Islam berada di Andalus berabad-abad lamanya itu, mereka tetap di keliling orang kafir Sepanyol yg sedia menanti untuk menghapuskan Islam di negara itu, namun mereka selalu gagal. Beberapa kali dicuba tapi selalu tidak berhasil. Mereka kemudian menghantar perisik untuk mengkaji kelemahan umat Islam di Sepanyol. Akhirnya perisik itu menemui cara untuk menakluki Islam di Sepanyol, iaitu melemahkan iman mereka dengan serangan pemikiran dan budaya.

Mereka secara senyap menghantar arak dan rokok secara percuma ke wilayah Sepanyol. Muzik diperdengarkan untuk memujuk kaum mudanya agar lebih suka menyanyi dan menari daripada membaca al-Quran. Mereka juga mengirim sejumlah ulama palsu yang kerjanya meniupkan perpecahan di kalangan umat Islam Sepanyol. Akhirnya usaha mereka membuahkan hasil apabila satu persatu daerah di Sepanyol jatuh.

Di samping itu, antara punca lain yang membuat Andalus hilang daripada peta sejarah umat Islam adalah perbalahan dan permusuhan sesama sendiri antara mereka sehingga menjadi lebih daripada 20 puak yang mempunyai negeri sendiri. Antaranya Bani Jahur, Bani ‘Ibad, Bani al-Aftas, Bani Nun dan lain-lain. Dengan wujudnya ramai puak ini, mudahlah musuh Islam di Andalus merebut kembali tanah mereka kerana mereka mengetahui kelemahan umat Islam. Apa yang menyedihkan ada umat Islam yg menjual agama dan negara demi kepentingan peribadinya.

Sebagai contoh, Abu Zaid, gabenor daerah Balansiah ketika rakyatnya memberontak dia membuat perjanjian dengan Raja Kristian Choinawi untuk membantu memadamkan pemberontakan itu. Sebagai habuannya, Abu Zaid akan memberikan beberapa kawasan kpd Choinawi dan membayar ‘jizyah’ tahunan kpdnya. Jizyah dalam Islam mesti dibayar bukan Islam kepada pemerintah Islam, tetapi apa yg dilakukan Abu Zaid yang beragama Islam adalah terbalik apabila berjanji membayar jizyah kepada Choinawi yg beragama Kristian.

800 tahun bukan masa yang singkat. Selepas umat Islam ‘menghidupkan’ Sepanyol dan menjadikannya bangsa yg bertamadun, berbanding bangsa lain di Eropah, akhirnya ia seolah-olah tidak pernah wujud di negara itu? Peristiwa ini amat menyedihkan bagi umat Islam sepanjang zaman. Sepanyol sekarang bukan Sepanyol dahulu. Sepanyol hari ini bukanlah Andalus pada satu masa dulu.

Sebenarnya musuh Islam dan umatnya tetap satu. Dari dulu hingga sekarang musuh Islam tetap ada, cuma ia berbeza orang dan jenteranya. Mereka tetap ingin melenyapkan Islam sedapat mungkin dengan apa juga cara. Dengan mengambil contoh Andalus yg hilang dan mencari sebab kehilangannya termasuk kelemahan akidah dan terlepas daripada jalur yang lurus, permusuhan sesama sendiri, berpihak kepada bukan Islam, kesenangan yang tidak terkawal dan kecintaan terhadap dunia, tidak mustahil ia juga akan berlaku di mana-mana. Dan ketika itu ucapan bonda Aisyah pada permulaan tulisan ini akan terdengar kembali. Wallahu a’lam.

A Visit to Alhambra

Today we followed a 3.5 hours guided tour of the Alhambra in Granada - a palace, a fortress and a mini city of the Nasrid Kingdom, the last Islamic kingdom to survive in Andalusia before it finally fell in 1492. Cordoba, the former capital of the Umayyad Dynasty had fallen a long time ago whilst the surviving kingdom could only retain the city of Granada and the area to the south.

Alhambra is the primary reason why people comes to visit Granada. Inside one could find an incredible reminder of the glorious Islamic period in the past. The buildings are full of beautiful Islamic design and calligraphies decorating the walls, pillars and ceilings.

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200604/alhambra/default.htm

Following a guide is the best way to learn the history and the many intricacies and details of the Alhambra itself. The place was quite full with lots of tourists today and yet this is not the peak season. We only booked the trip a week ago. Everything was done online. The tour in the end lasted for 3.5 hours.

http://http//www.viator.com/Granada/d554/the-alhambra

The place is always portrayed as a place of exceptional beauties - water fountains, glorious and most modern traditions of its time, music and art of exceptional beauty, and advanced knowledge of science and technology far ahead of the rest of the Europe.

However the beauty stops there. Visiting this place will give you a mix of pride and sorrow. Pride in seeing the amazing Islamic calligraphies and amazing relics of a great Islamic empire before. But also sorrows knowing that these are just relics and that the decline of the empire was due to the weak ummah and rulers. In reality, the histories are ones of bitterness and great tragedies. How tragic it is ....that Andalusia has now forever forgotten and only remains in name. The glorious Islamic empire that existed on this land for more than 700 years, ruled by Caliphs and Sultans was defeated, destroyed and gone forever. No place on earth has suffered a greater fate than Andalusia.

Once upon a time in Andalusia

Our first leg in Andalusia is Granada where we are spending two nights there. Granada is on the foothill of snow covered Sierra Nevada mountains. This was one of the great cities of Islamic Spain that was ruled by the Umayyad Dynasty 700 years ago. It was also the capital of Al-Andalus or better known as Andalusia, the last Muslim kingdom, that fell to Spanish forces in 1492. Nowadays there are about 20,000 Muslims in the city but 500 years ago it was in millions. And only recently i.e. 5 years ago that Azan could be heard again from the city after an absence of over 500 years.

Trips like this re-ignite our interest of past histories. Reading through the guide books and literatures, Islam reached the shore of Spain when Tariq ibni Ziad arrived in Gibraltar in 92 Hijrah or 711 AD and named Spain as Al-Andalus or better known as Andalusia. Islam then ruled Spain for nearly 800 years from 711 till 1492. During that period a big palace called Alhambra and a grand mosque in Cordoba was built and remained as the main relics of those great era.

But this trip to Andalusia brought me something that I only realised now. For the many trips I made to Syria and the many visits I made to the Mesjid Umayyad in Damascus, I only realised now how great the empire was at that time. Today in Andalusia, 4000 Km away from Damascus, I am standing at the westernmost extent of the vast Umayyad dynasty that existed nearly 1300 years ago. When Damascus fell to the Abbasid Dynasty, Andalusia became the exile capital of the Dynasty. The Abbasid Dynasty, supported by Shias, defeated and killed the last caliph of the Umayyad; Caliph Marwan II in 750 and established a new Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad. In the meantime, Abd-ar-Rahman I, a surviving grand-son of the last Umayyad Caliph fled Damascus, on the run from persecutors for 6 years before arriving in Spain. There he was well received by the remaining Umayyad clan (Syrian) and he became Emir of Cardoba.

The Umayyad Caliphate in Spain or Iberia however came to an end on the 2 January 1492 with the conquest of Granada. The last Muslim ruler of Granada, Muhammad XII, surrendered his kingdom to Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, the Catholic Monarchs. This event marked the end of Muslim rule in Spain, and the end of the last Umayyad Caliphate. Ironically this was also the year when Spain expedition led by Columbus found the New World - Americas.

To get around, we are renting a car for the stay. Tonight we went to the centre of Granada and had dinner in one of the recommended restaurants. The owner, Mustafa, is quite a chatty guy. He has ran the business for 11 years now and this was the first time he has a customer from Brunei!
http://www.rest-arrayanes.com/

The centre of Granada is full of halal restaurants especially around the Plaza Nueva area.

Jejak Rasul

The best deal to Spain is by flying from Brussels. So there we were early this morning leaving home before 6 am for the 2 hours drive to Brussels airport to catch the flight.

The flight brought us to Madrid before catching the short flight to Granada. Madrid airport is quite enormous, said to be the 11th busiest in the world. It's not surprising as Spain receives the most number of foreign tourists annually - some 50 million of them. And most of them either pass through Madrid or Barcelona airport - the country's main gateways.