Felt so touched...

1. Being told “I was so happy to see you on the train” by a French Muslim soccer player (of Moroccan origin) who is currently in Tokyo, trying out his luck with several Japanese soccer clubs.

He and his two fellow French Muslim (one also of Morocan origin, the other of Algerian). I was on my way back home from school that night, when he came near me and greeted “Assalamualaikum”. He asked if I know any halal restaurant in Asakusa, to which I said yes. He gave me a piece of paper, asking me to write the direction to go there. It was a bit difficult to draw the map since he was not very familiar with the area, so I volunteered to show them the place myself. There are two restaurants serving halal meat in Asakusa – one is Siddique and the other Shagorika. But I usually direct people to Shagorika, because the owner, Brother Kamal (a Bangladeshi) and his workers usually pray Jumuah at Asakusa Mosque, and Brother Kamal too had personally contributed some food to the mosque on several occasions previously.

When we reached the restaurant, I personally introduced the soccer players to brother Kamal. Initially they said that they would like to go back to their hostel to shower and come back to the restaurant later, but upon learning that they could also buy take-outs, they opted for the latter. The leader of the troop, the first guy who greeted me, asked me to order something for me and hubby, as his treat. I asked for cheese nan and tandoori chicken like his two friends, and we chatted a bit while waiting for our order.

“I was so happy to see you on the train,” he said. Because tudung-clad Muslimah is not an everyday sight in Tokyo. And somehow it is comforting to see a fellow Muslim in a foreign land. And he was so happy to meet someone who is able to direct them to a halal eating place and the mosque.

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2. Being told that I am a most treasured friend by an equally treasured friend (you know who you are)

Like I said – I am only human. I tried to help where possible, I tried to give wherever possible, but I am not flawless. And when I give, I try not to expect anything in return from fellow human beings – because everything comes from Allah. There would be times when we find ourselves indebted to some kind souls, yet at other times we found others feeling that they are indebted to us…

And then there’s also that “tidak sempurna iman seseorang sehingga dia mengasihi saudaranya sebagaimana dia mengasihi diri sendiri” part that I try to live with…

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3. Being told that I write well.

I know I have a lot more to learn, but being complimented so, by a more popular blogger (if numbers of comments left in the blog could be the base of one's popularity), well, stirred something inside me. Thank you kak D!