The last 9 days of 2007...
1. The Wedding
We got a call a few days before Eidul Adha, from an acquaintance who shared similar name with hubby. Brother Amin, a Jordanian married Naoko-san, a Nihonjin through civil ceremony in October 2007. Naoko-chan had not formally converted to Islam yet at that time, and Brother Amin told her that until she become a Muslimah and they go through a proper Islamic nikah, they could not live together or have normal life as married couple. Nao-chan agreed .
Brother Amin tried getting some help from the people at his Embassy, but they advised him to return and bring Nao-chan with him to Jordan for the formal conversion and Islamic marriage, since no such arrangement could be done at the Embassy. Since Brother Amin knew that they could not afford to go back to Jordan, he started looking for other alternatives.
It was then when he remembered that he actually knew a non Arab Imam who could speak Arabic, so he called us. Understandably, he was very excited upon learning that we could help him with both conversion to Muslim and Islamic nikah. "Thank you brother, thank you sister. I didn't want to bother you, but Allah had answered my prayer by guiding me to contact you..."
After he received the list of necessary documents/preparation needed, he called us again, to make appointment to see us on Saturday, 22 December 2007, for both conversion and nikah ceremony. Hubby quickly agreed, since it also happened that the Nihonjin kids he usually teach on Saturday had earlier asked for leave that day. We asked if he could bring two Muslim guys to act as witnesses for the wedding ceremony, but he could not, so hubby promised to help him on that matter.
Thus, when we were at the Embassy for Eidul Adha celebration, hubby asked around, to get some volunteers to act as witnesses for the coming wedding in Asakusa.
Saturday saw me preparing the 2 kg of qurban beef hubby collected from the Islamic Center in Setagaya the previous day. I was not sure what to cook at first, but somehow I ended up making Nasi Minyak, with Khuzi Daging Lembu and Acar Timun/Carrot. For dessert, I just peeled some mandarin oranges, diced some apples, sliced some kiwi and mixed them all with sugar and yoghurt, ala Pakistani style dessert minus the masala/chilli powder. (I still have trouble understanding why our Pakistani brothers always finish preparing the yoghurt-and-fruit dessert by adding a dash of masala/chilli powder...)
So, alhamdulillah, Basharan, Hadyan, Lutfy and Shahreeza came to help out with Nao-chan's conversion and Brother Amin-Nao-chan's wedding. Since there were four of them, two acted as witnesses for the conversion while the other two for the wedding.
Funny moments include - our surprise to see photos of various poses cut into passport size instead of the official passport-sized photos we needed to stamp on the respective certificates; how one of the witnesses excitedly posed for a photo with a wedding certificate; and how the same witness admitted to feeling rather nervous just before the wedding ceremony, although the groom himself had no such trouble whatsoever. Oh, by the by, the same witness is darn good in imitating the groom explaining stuff to his wife about Islam using Level 1 Nihonggo - "kore wa dame... kore wa daijoubu... kore wa Allah ga suki..." Although hubby had asked those who are fluent in Nihonggo to explain this and that during the conversion ceremony, Brother Amin took it upon himself to do it, using simple Nihonggo - which even to my not-so-jouzu ears sounded not quite right, yet the main points were there. So while Brother Amin acted as interpreter for the Imam; the rest of us glanced at each other, thinking similar thoughts, "Ok... that's right, but, but...". Thus, the nervous witness sometimes helped in interpreting hubby's word to Nihonggo, when words seemed to fail the enthusiastic husband.
After some deliberation, Nao-chan chose Sara to be her Muslim name. Brother Amin was obviously interested in naming her Nur, " you will become Nur Amin, the light of me", he grinned as he persuaded her. I told her it would be okay for her to use Nur Sara as her Muslim name, but Brother Amin asked her to choose one or the other. Sarah is what her mother-in-law wishes to call her, and since Sarah/Sara is a common universal name, Nao-chan finally chose Sara.
There was a break between the ceremony and getting the official certificates ready since the newlywed needed to get some official passport-sized photos first. The witnesses were invited to our home for late lunch/2nd round lunch (two guys arrived earlier and had already lunched at our place). Must be the berkat of qurban, the khuzi was a big hit that day. I received plenty of compliments such as "lembutnya daging ni" (it was on slow heat for ages, plus the beef was rather fresh), "akak masak macam mana ni, sedap betul," (my guess is khuzi is not something most single guys would cook. curry maybe, even kurma, but I have yet to see khuzi instant seasoning by Adabi) etc. I smiled as the boys kept adding the rice and beef, feeling really pleased to witness them enjoying the food thoroughly.
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2. Jalan-jalan ziarah kawan
(Another version of this could be read at Faizly's blog)
On Sunday, 23 December 2007, together with Faizly, we went to Gyoda, Saitama on Kak Ita's invitation. Spent most of the 1-hour ride on Takasaki line being glared in between flipping pages of her novel by one obachan sitting opposite us. Then, not long after we arrived in Gyoda, one hit-and-run incident happened involving the Nissan Serena we were in.
It was sunny in Gyoda as opposed to rainy and chilly morning in Tokyo. At first we thought of visiting the Emperor at the Imperial Palace (23 December is the current Emperor's birthday, one of the two days the Imperial Palace inner ground is opened to the public, apart from January 2, for New Year Greetings) but changed our mind upon reading the weather forecast. We ended up watching the Emperor and Empress greeting the visitors flocking the palace on the television in Kak Ita's living room.
Hubby had a great time mikan gari (mandarin oranges picking) under the sun, while I tried to ensure that Huzaifah was not leaving any permanent damage in Kak Ita's house, or should I say Kak Ita's hubby's rumah warisan. Kak Ita prepared lots of food, since she was also expecting other guests. We were served with mouth-watering mee rebus, rice with telur masak rempah and acar rampai, puding roti bakar, dango and freshly picked mikan.
Kak Ita's dad used to stay and teach in Mak's hometown, Pontian. She called him up while I was there, asked me to talk to Tuan Haji myself and what do you know - he knows my Mak, and Mak's elder sisters - all of them used to be in the teaching profession too. Small world, eh?
We left after Asar, after a brief introduction to Yan and Walid who had just arrived then. Kogure-san, Kak Ita's husband agreed to drive us to the eki, but not without having to make a U-turn first because I'd forgotten Humaidi's bottle. Oopss...
Next destination - Ageo, to Kak Pah's house. Fetched by Lutfy on his Honda Fit (Jazz in Malaysia), we were taken to Kak Pah's impeccably clean and organized home. Really enjoyed Kak Pah's, her son and her husband, Mura-san's (aka Abang Din) hospitality. Okay, maybe not just hospitality - but also the laksa, kuih seri muka, Kedah-styled asam pedas keladi (aka asam rebus by those from southern part of Malaysia). Even Humaidi enjoyed the beef soup tremendously. Huzaifah tried to "help reorganize" stuff at Kak Pah's kitchen, all of his efforts smartly thwarted by the well-experienced Kak Pah.
We joined Lutfy and Shahreeza leaving Kak Pah's home after Maghrib. Instead from Ageo, we returned to Tokyo from Omiya, where Lutfy dropped the rest, driving back alone to Higashi Omiya. We bid farewell to Shahreeza who took Saikyo sen to go back to Toda, while we took Takasaki line to Ueno.
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3. Christmas visitor
Koseki-san, the detective who is almost a frequent guest of ours now, came by on Christmas to drop two Disney-themed 'christmas stockings' filled with snacks and cookies for Huzaifah and Humaidi. We already told him earlier that we do not celebrate Christmas, but he insisted on bringing a cake for us. Turned out he was late in ordering a cake, and he couldn't buy any suitable cake by the counter on Christmas Eve, so he ended up buying the snacks and cookies instead. I told him that he shouldn't have, but he said it's his pleasure. Nothing religious - it's just that Christmas cake has became part of Japanese culture in the past 30 years or so.
Christmas is not a national holiday here in Japan - but yes, it is definitely celebrated here, simply because as Koseki-san put it "we Nihonjin like to party and Christmas is a good excuse to party"
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4. Kodomo no Kuni
This deserves an entry on its own. Initial verdict - a great place for kids, definitely a Kids' Kingdom!
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5. Unexpected visitor
AMIR held sort of winter gathering in this Mosque, from 29 - 31 December. (The girls even stayed back for an extra night - cool way to usher in the new year, if you ask me.) Then on 31 December morning one Nihonjin guy suddenly entered my house without knocking first (which was really rude) which caused me to shout "don't come in, wait outside!" in half-surprise half-irritated tone.
After I was properly attired, I went and asked what was it that he wants, and he said that he would like to ask some questions regarding Islam. Hubby was not feeling well, so I brought him to the mosque, asked him to wait for a while and went down to ask for some help from the AMIR program participants. Baim and Kuchai volunteered. Upon entering the mosque floor, I saw the Nihonjin smoking, so I asked Baim to advice him that the mosque is a 'no-smoking' zone.
I am not one who usually dislike someone on first meeting, but there was something about the guy that just didn't sit well with me right from the very beginning - the entering without knocking, then smoking in the mosque without asking for permission...
Turned out he was not really interested in finding out what Islam is all about. He was more interested in confirming his own belief. One of his first questions was "is it true that Muslims are allowed to kill Christians?". Followed by other questions/discussion on the creation of the universe, the "love" message in Islam, the differences between commandments in religions, et cetera.
Hubby reported that he was kind of arrogant, that he was not really sincere in asking questions, but more to put forward his own views, as he cut in while others were speaking and sometimes he just refused to listen to what others had to say.
There were a lot of twisted statements here and there, some self-contradictory points made by the Nihonjin. Baim and Kuchai were very gentle and careful in answering questions, as hubby assisted with getting evidence from the Quran. When the AMIR slot was over and more people joined the 'discussion', one guy named Halim could not control himself but provoked the Nihonjin, by referring to his own twisted statements, to which he had no real answer, but just showed the "peace" sign instead.
Hubby said if he had known Nihonggo, he would have done the same himself. It is one thing to treat a non-Muslim who wants to find out the truth about Islam from Muslims gently and politely; but here was someone who openly showed his arrogance (and ignorance about Islam) to Muslims in a nearly provocative manner in a place considered holy by Muslims. That was why Halim was rather perturbed and could not wait to be given a chance to 'tembak' the Nihonjin guy a little.
Definitely an interesting 'latihan amali' in discussing comparison of religions for the AMIR guys.
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Shinnen akemashite omedetou gozaimasu.
Yoi otoshi wo.
(Happy New Year and wish you a good year ahead)
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Eidul Adha 1428H
- Unlike last year when there was no formal request, this time around hubby got a formal letter from the embassy requesting him to be the Imam for solat sunat Eidul Adha 1428H. that helped in persuading ICOJ’s President to give him a day off and let a substitute Imam lead the prayer in Asakusa Mosque instead.
- With the absence of the ‘big guy’ of this mosque, Brother Ehsan, (who has gone back to Pakistan until early 2008) hubby had to find a substitute imam on his own, and alhamdulillah the former Imam of this mosque, Brother Mushtaq Zaman agreed to help. We were worried about having nobody to make arrangement for food to be served after prayer, but Brother Mushtaq knows how things work here and is well-known by the policemen in this area (for his role as the former Imam), so that lessened our worry a great lot.
- Not unlike last year, we were fetched by the Embassy’s car, but the yound and charming Hasegawa-san was no longer behind the wheels. We were greeted instead by another older ojiisan chauffeur that morning. We were told that Hasegawa-san has changed profession to be a “barber technician”. My guess is he is now a hair stylist.
- The cheerful ojiisan asked some questions regarding Hari Raya Korban, and so I attempted explaining in rather poor Nihonggo (with the assistance of the English – Japanese dictionary in my keitai) the history of how Allah had asked Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his beloved son Prophet Ismail, and how Ismail had been substituted by a kibash as a sign that the sacrifice of both father and son had been accepted by Allah. The ojiisan finally snapped his finger and exclaimed “I got it! Today there is lamb prepared in the Embassy” (in Nihonggo), to which I smiled and nodded weakly, instead of further explanation on the timeline for ‘korban’.
- The ojiisan’s take on Islam was basically summarized by his statement; “The people at the (Malaysian) Embassy love their family. They want to spend time with their family. They go out to eat with their family, to shop with their family, to sightsee with their family. Japanese people, they love their job more than their family. That’s why in the past 30 years or so, more families are broken. They must learn from Islam. They must learn to love their family more”
- Hubby didn’t lose much sleep over editing the text for sermon, unlike last year when we even engaged Mak’s help to reword, rephrase and rearrange the long 20-pages long khutbah to become just 9 pages. We crossed out stuff that we think is not relevant with the audience in Japan (including stuff hubby does not really believe in) and added a few dose of our own stuff. Basically we added some stuff regarding the importance of being earnest and persevered in seeking knowledge, and in addition to Muslim renowned “tokoh ilmu”, we also mentioned names such as Nobel Prize Winners Muhammad Yunus (2006) and Mohamed ElBaradei (2005), and mentioned in passing how some Malaysians had bagged Diamond and Double Gold Awards at the British Invention Show 2007.
- Small attendance of the solat sunat raya congregation in the Embassy meant that there was a felt hush when the Imam delivered the sermon, unlike last year when I had trouble to hear what hubby was saying amidst all the ‘suara nyamuk’. Oh, and this time around, he did not forget to hold the ‘tongkat’ when he started his sermon (last year nobody passed it to him, so this year, he put it right next to the rostrum)
- We met up with neither Sofea Haruka who could not skip her class that Thursday, nor Faizly, who had a presentation scheduled. Like he said – “saya pulak yang kena ‘berkhutbah’ depan sensei pagi raya ni”
- The attendees of solat sunat raya that morning in the Embassy must had been a record low. My personal estimate put it at less than 200, where else the Embassy had been prepared to serve 400 guests. Unlike last year when they had to cook extra food while it was still being served, this year saw lots of food probably went to waste (even after asking many to tapau the food home)
- There was a combination of factors to explain the low attendance – since it was near the end of year and right before the winter break, lots of students either had to sit for exams or make presentation (if it’s just classes, some don’t really mind skipping them), and those who work are rather hesitant to ask for leaves since long leaves (year end/beginning of new year) are looming quite near in the future. Nevertheless, it was still a ‘sederhana tapi meriah’ celebration at the Embassy.
- Right after I finished queuing up for the lamb, I was called to join hubby being served in the TYT Ambassador’s house. I was rather flabbergasted, but accepted the invitation anyway. That was where we met up with other personal guests of the Ambassador’s – the Brunei Ambassador, and some Malaysians holding prestigious positions in Japan.
- Huzaifah, being the active child that he is, had a near brush with an accident when he went out of the Embassy building on his own. Ida’s husband saved him from crossing the main road and brought the protesting and wailing Ujai back into the main building. Ida herself was busy chasing her twin girls around – who are about Huzaifah’s age. The “terrible two’s” is apt to describe our kids. I was carrying Humaidi with me (using the baby carrier) at all time, so I thought hubby would help with minding Huzaifah more. Only that, hubby could sometimes be too ‘relaxed’ in minding his son, having being exposed to see how ‘carefree’ kids could be in Egypt… Anyway, Ida and Herman, thanks again for your help that day. Alhamdulillah tak jadi apa-apa yang tak elok…
- Instead of heading straight back home after leaving the Embassy, we went to Tuan Syed Nahar’s place in Aoyama, not far from Omotesando. We were driven there by the Embassy car, where we thanked and bid the ojiisan chauffeur goodbye. Tuan Syed Nahar happens to work in the IAEA Regional Office in Tokyo, and was understandably happy to hear his boss’s name (Mohamed El-Baradei is the DG of IAEA) mentioned in hubby’s sermon. He invited us over for makan-makan raya at his place and hubby quickly accepted his offer.
- The apartment in Aoyama is far, far more impressive than the Embassy Staff residence in Kamimeguro, not to mention a far cry from typical Japanese apartments which are often sekangkang ayam in size. I started to worry immediately upon entering their home since I did not bring any toy for Huzaifah to play with. After a futile search for suitable toys, my eldest boy was finally entertained by a container of colorful beads of room deodorant, but despite careful maneuvering and monitoring, still managed to break one of the host’s colorful glass egg. Adusy!
- We returned home after Asar, after being served with nasi Arab and ketupat daun palas, brought all the way from Malaysia by Tuan Syed’s eldest daughter, Nadiah, who had just arrived in Narita that morning to spend an 8-days break with her parents.
- I did not cook any raya food, and hubby’s quick call just before we left the Embassy gave me no time to tapau any food from the Embassy, thus, we ended up having ‘the extra special Maggi Mee Ayam’ that night. What is so special about instant noodles, eh? Ask Kak Lela – her writing sort of inspired me to actualize the fantasy of having ‘special’ dish of instant noodle on Raya… Heh.
- With the absence of the ‘big guy’ of this mosque, Brother Ehsan, (who has gone back to Pakistan until early 2008) hubby had to find a substitute imam on his own, and alhamdulillah the former Imam of this mosque, Brother Mushtaq Zaman agreed to help. We were worried about having nobody to make arrangement for food to be served after prayer, but Brother Mushtaq knows how things work here and is well-known by the policemen in this area (for his role as the former Imam), so that lessened our worry a great lot.
- Not unlike last year, we were fetched by the Embassy’s car, but the yound and charming Hasegawa-san was no longer behind the wheels. We were greeted instead by another older ojiisan chauffeur that morning. We were told that Hasegawa-san has changed profession to be a “barber technician”. My guess is he is now a hair stylist.
- The cheerful ojiisan asked some questions regarding Hari Raya Korban, and so I attempted explaining in rather poor Nihonggo (with the assistance of the English – Japanese dictionary in my keitai) the history of how Allah had asked Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his beloved son Prophet Ismail, and how Ismail had been substituted by a kibash as a sign that the sacrifice of both father and son had been accepted by Allah. The ojiisan finally snapped his finger and exclaimed “I got it! Today there is lamb prepared in the Embassy” (in Nihonggo), to which I smiled and nodded weakly, instead of further explanation on the timeline for ‘korban’.
- The ojiisan’s take on Islam was basically summarized by his statement; “The people at the (Malaysian) Embassy love their family. They want to spend time with their family. They go out to eat with their family, to shop with their family, to sightsee with their family. Japanese people, they love their job more than their family. That’s why in the past 30 years or so, more families are broken. They must learn from Islam. They must learn to love their family more”
- Hubby didn’t lose much sleep over editing the text for sermon, unlike last year when we even engaged Mak’s help to reword, rephrase and rearrange the long 20-pages long khutbah to become just 9 pages. We crossed out stuff that we think is not relevant with the audience in Japan (including stuff hubby does not really believe in) and added a few dose of our own stuff. Basically we added some stuff regarding the importance of being earnest and persevered in seeking knowledge, and in addition to Muslim renowned “tokoh ilmu”, we also mentioned names such as Nobel Prize Winners Muhammad Yunus (2006) and Mohamed ElBaradei (2005), and mentioned in passing how some Malaysians had bagged Diamond and Double Gold Awards at the British Invention Show 2007.
- Small attendance of the solat sunat raya congregation in the Embassy meant that there was a felt hush when the Imam delivered the sermon, unlike last year when I had trouble to hear what hubby was saying amidst all the ‘suara nyamuk’. Oh, and this time around, he did not forget to hold the ‘tongkat’ when he started his sermon (last year nobody passed it to him, so this year, he put it right next to the rostrum)
- We met up with neither Sofea Haruka who could not skip her class that Thursday, nor Faizly, who had a presentation scheduled. Like he said – “saya pulak yang kena ‘berkhutbah’ depan sensei pagi raya ni”
- The attendees of solat sunat raya that morning in the Embassy must had been a record low. My personal estimate put it at less than 200, where else the Embassy had been prepared to serve 400 guests. Unlike last year when they had to cook extra food while it was still being served, this year saw lots of food probably went to waste (even after asking many to tapau the food home)
- There was a combination of factors to explain the low attendance – since it was near the end of year and right before the winter break, lots of students either had to sit for exams or make presentation (if it’s just classes, some don’t really mind skipping them), and those who work are rather hesitant to ask for leaves since long leaves (year end/beginning of new year) are looming quite near in the future. Nevertheless, it was still a ‘sederhana tapi meriah’ celebration at the Embassy.
- Right after I finished queuing up for the lamb, I was called to join hubby being served in the TYT Ambassador’s house. I was rather flabbergasted, but accepted the invitation anyway. That was where we met up with other personal guests of the Ambassador’s – the Brunei Ambassador, and some Malaysians holding prestigious positions in Japan.
- Huzaifah, being the active child that he is, had a near brush with an accident when he went out of the Embassy building on his own. Ida’s husband saved him from crossing the main road and brought the protesting and wailing Ujai back into the main building. Ida herself was busy chasing her twin girls around – who are about Huzaifah’s age. The “terrible two’s” is apt to describe our kids. I was carrying Humaidi with me (using the baby carrier) at all time, so I thought hubby would help with minding Huzaifah more. Only that, hubby could sometimes be too ‘relaxed’ in minding his son, having being exposed to see how ‘carefree’ kids could be in Egypt… Anyway, Ida and Herman, thanks again for your help that day. Alhamdulillah tak jadi apa-apa yang tak elok…
- Instead of heading straight back home after leaving the Embassy, we went to Tuan Syed Nahar’s place in Aoyama, not far from Omotesando. We were driven there by the Embassy car, where we thanked and bid the ojiisan chauffeur goodbye. Tuan Syed Nahar happens to work in the IAEA Regional Office in Tokyo, and was understandably happy to hear his boss’s name (Mohamed El-Baradei is the DG of IAEA) mentioned in hubby’s sermon. He invited us over for makan-makan raya at his place and hubby quickly accepted his offer.
- The apartment in Aoyama is far, far more impressive than the Embassy Staff residence in Kamimeguro, not to mention a far cry from typical Japanese apartments which are often sekangkang ayam in size. I started to worry immediately upon entering their home since I did not bring any toy for Huzaifah to play with. After a futile search for suitable toys, my eldest boy was finally entertained by a container of colorful beads of room deodorant, but despite careful maneuvering and monitoring, still managed to break one of the host’s colorful glass egg. Adusy!
- We returned home after Asar, after being served with nasi Arab and ketupat daun palas, brought all the way from Malaysia by Tuan Syed’s eldest daughter, Nadiah, who had just arrived in Narita that morning to spend an 8-days break with her parents.
- I did not cook any raya food, and hubby’s quick call just before we left the Embassy gave me no time to tapau any food from the Embassy, thus, we ended up having ‘the extra special Maggi Mee Ayam’ that night. What is so special about instant noodles, eh? Ask Kak Lela – her writing sort of inspired me to actualize the fantasy of having ‘special’ dish of instant noodle on Raya… Heh.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
PTK oh PTK...
It rained all morning last Thursday. I prayed hard as I balanced between cycling on the slippery surface and keeping the 1000yen folding umbrella (a gift from Syafiq before he returned to Malaysia for good) steady against the rain, that it would be hujan rahmat, that a lot of rezeki would tumble down with the rain. I was after all, on the way to sit for my PTK exam (Competency Level Evaluation).
Like a friend was sharing with me the other day, say officer A and B sit for PTK exams at different time, A in 2004 and B in 2005. A managed to pass her PTK with Tahap 4, but B had to repeat sitting for the exam. Had B taken the exam at the same time with A, she might had qualified for Tahap 4 too for she could match or write even better answers than A. Does repeating sitting for the exam necessarily makes her a less competent officer than A?
I pray that I will pass the exam anyway.
Simple things that make one smile in winter
Simple things during this time of the year that could make one smile, in no particular order
… first mug of hot
… soft light of dawn, with little noise at the street
… good morning hug from a 2-year-old
… a massage on the back while still wearing telekung right after a solat jemaah
… freshly vacuumed and uncluttered house in the early morning
… winter socks
… comfy futon on a hot carpet
… both kids clinging and hugging the mommy under the futon
… a hot mug of teh tarik on a cold starless night (Boh makes better teh tarik than Brisk, but still..)
… falling yellow, red and brown leaves
… sunny, cheery weekends
… Christmas cards with traditional Japanese arts cover (kabuki, sumo, Hokusai etc)
… reading a book by favorite author undisturbed on the train
… promise of a nengajo from Japanese friends (including the police detective who often visits us)
Monday, December 10, 2007
Halal formula milk in Japan - revised
Sufi from Chiba had asked me to share some info she got by calling up manufacturers of infant formula in Japan
According to her, the only two infant formula which contains no traces of animal substances would be Meiji's Elemental Formula and Meiji's Mirufi-HP. Her latest finding confirmed that there is no infant formula for newborn babies in Japan with no traces of animal substances used during the production process.
According to this blog referred by Aida-Kyushu, there is no halal formula for 0-9 month old baby readily available in Japan, including Mirufi HP, as it contains taurine, and according to the author of that blog, taurine is derived from ox bile, hence the name taurine (from Latin taurus). The author though lists Tsuyoiko (Bean Stalk), Chirumiru (Morinaga) and Gun Gun (Wakodo) - all of them formula for babies aged 9 months onwards, to be halal for consumption.
Somebody left a comment in my previous entry, claiming that only Bean Stalk formula is halal - and coincidentally, from my personal observation, Bean Stalk products, Sukoyaka (0-9 month) and Tsuyoiko (9 month plus) seem to be the choice brand for many Japanese muslim mama.
There is no confusion regarding Meiji's Hohoemi (0-9 month) and Steppu (9 month plus) though, since pork related substance was listed as part of the ingredients, making them both clearly haram.
While no other brand lists pork-related substance as part of the ingredients, Sufi found out that in Morinaga's products (Hagukumi, Chirumiru, E-Akachan) case, while soy-based emulsifier and lecithin are used as part of the ingredients, pork-based enzyme is used in protein hydrolysis.
She also claimed that similarly, pork-related substances may form part of the process in infant formula production by Wakodo, Bean Stalk and Yukijirushi.
So, what is halal and what is haram then?
I am not an expert on fiqh matters, neither is hubby, so when Aida-Kyushu first told us about the above-mentioned blog, we quickly referred to another Ustaz who is more well-versed in fiqh and qaedatul fiqh matters.
That was when we learned of istihlak and istihalah.
Istihlak (assimilation) happens when a prohibited substance is diluted in a lawful medium to the extent that none of the known properties, be it color, taste or smell, of the prohibited substance are noticeable in the lawful medium, then the prohibited substance can be ignored. For example, most bread contains yeast, which produces alcohol during anaerobic respiration, but the amount the alcohol is so small, and further decreased during baking, that no amount of ingested bread could cause intoxication, then the bread is halal.
Istihalah (substantial transformation) is changing the nature of the defiled (najis) or prohibited substance to produce a different substance in name, properties and characteristics. This includes transformation through chemical reaction, burning, cooking, etc. Thus, when a najis or prohibited substance have been completely transformed that it no longer carries the properties and characters of the original substance, then the ruling of haram does not apply to the new substance because it is something different.
There are other fatwa which ruled differently regarding pork-related substances, saying that pork should be exclusively treated in that its substances never really changes under what ever conditions.
Since this is khilaf, I guess it is up to individuals to choose which fatwa to follow, while respecting others who choose differently. The concern with what is halal and what is haram is a good thing - it shows that we Muslims are not willing to sacrifice Islamic principles easily. However, to prohibit or label a certain product haram should not be done without sophisticated knowledge of fiqh and qaedatul fiqh. Those in Muslim countries are lucky to have organizations that could identify halal products with all the necessary knowledge and know-hows, but excessive prohibition on products in non-Muslim countries where no such halal-identifying agents are available, might cause undue hardship and frustration. (Imagine if no halal infant formula is available for Japanese muslim mamas who are unable to breastfeed for long. They don't really have the option of 'importing from home' like us gaijin muslim. )
Try googling istihalah and istihlak, and one will discover in no time that these principles are adopted by the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences, based in Kuwait. I do not seek to marginalize the issues of halal and haram, but just to highlight some Islamic principles used in determining halal and haram which might be unknown and unfamiliar to others.
Since there is no Jakij here in Japan (as there is Jakim in Malaysia), personally, I am going to apply the istihalah principle in choosing the infant formula for my kids. I will not however take responsibility for others who choose to do the same - instead I would urge others to do their own homework and seek opinions from more learned scholars before making up their mind regarding this, because one should not have doubts regarding her/his choice.
So, there, my two yen on this matter.
I should be concentrating on my PTK notes (many thanks to Marha and Syah), the exam is going to be held this coming Wednesday and Thursday, but I had trouble concentrating this dawn, hence this entry. Please pray for me (to do okay in the PTK exam), ya?
According to this blog referred by Aida-Kyushu, there is no halal formula for 0-9 month old baby readily available in Japan, including Mirufi HP, as it contains taurine, and according to the author of that blog, taurine is derived from ox bile, hence the name taurine (from Latin taurus). The author though lists Tsuyoiko (Bean Stalk), Chirumiru (Morinaga) and Gun Gun (Wakodo) - all of them formula for babies aged 9 months onwards, to be halal for consumption.
Somebody left a comment in my previous entry, claiming that only Bean Stalk formula is halal - and coincidentally, from my personal observation, Bean Stalk products, Sukoyaka (0-9 month) and Tsuyoiko (9 month plus) seem to be the choice brand for many Japanese muslim mama.
There is no confusion regarding Meiji's Hohoemi (0-9 month) and Steppu (9 month plus) though, since pork related substance was listed as part of the ingredients, making them both clearly haram.
While no other brand lists pork-related substance as part of the ingredients, Sufi found out that in Morinaga's products (Hagukumi, Chirumiru, E-Akachan) case, while soy-based emulsifier and lecithin are used as part of the ingredients, pork-based enzyme is used in protein hydrolysis.
She also claimed that similarly, pork-related substances may form part of the process in infant formula production by Wakodo, Bean Stalk and Yukijirushi.
So, what is halal and what is haram then?
I am not an expert on fiqh matters, neither is hubby, so when Aida-Kyushu first told us about the above-mentioned blog, we quickly referred to another Ustaz who is more well-versed in fiqh and qaedatul fiqh matters.
That was when we learned of istihlak and istihalah.
Istihlak (assimilation) happens when a prohibited substance is diluted in a lawful medium to the extent that none of the known properties, be it color, taste or smell, of the prohibited substance are noticeable in the lawful medium, then the prohibited substance can be ignored. For example, most bread contains yeast, which produces alcohol during anaerobic respiration, but the amount the alcohol is so small, and further decreased during baking, that no amount of ingested bread could cause intoxication, then the bread is halal.
Istihalah (substantial transformation) is changing the nature of the defiled (najis) or prohibited substance to produce a different substance in name, properties and characteristics. This includes transformation through chemical reaction, burning, cooking, etc. Thus, when a najis or prohibited substance have been completely transformed that it no longer carries the properties and characters of the original substance, then the ruling of haram does not apply to the new substance because it is something different.
There are other fatwa which ruled differently regarding pork-related substances, saying that pork should be exclusively treated in that its substances never really changes under what ever conditions.
Since this is khilaf, I guess it is up to individuals to choose which fatwa to follow, while respecting others who choose differently. The concern with what is halal and what is haram is a good thing - it shows that we Muslims are not willing to sacrifice Islamic principles easily. However, to prohibit or label a certain product haram should not be done without sophisticated knowledge of fiqh and qaedatul fiqh. Those in Muslim countries are lucky to have organizations that could identify halal products with all the necessary knowledge and know-hows, but excessive prohibition on products in non-Muslim countries where no such halal-identifying agents are available, might cause undue hardship and frustration. (Imagine if no halal infant formula is available for Japanese muslim mamas who are unable to breastfeed for long. They don't really have the option of 'importing from home' like us gaijin muslim. )
Try googling istihalah and istihlak, and one will discover in no time that these principles are adopted by the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences, based in Kuwait. I do not seek to marginalize the issues of halal and haram, but just to highlight some Islamic principles used in determining halal and haram which might be unknown and unfamiliar to others.
Since there is no Jakij here in Japan (as there is Jakim in Malaysia), personally, I am going to apply the istihalah principle in choosing the infant formula for my kids. I will not however take responsibility for others who choose to do the same - instead I would urge others to do their own homework and seek opinions from more learned scholars before making up their mind regarding this, because one should not have doubts regarding her/his choice.
So, there, my two yen on this matter.
I should be concentrating on my PTK notes (many thanks to Marha and Syah), the exam is going to be held this coming Wednesday and Thursday, but I had trouble concentrating this dawn, hence this entry. Please pray for me (to do okay in the PTK exam), ya?
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
The one-of-a-kind kenduri
So my brother's wedding reception went okay. Mak was hugely relieved when all was over and done with. Of course, any memorable kenduri would not be without drama - the caterers were not around to serve the food about an hour before the kenduri began, last minute cancellation of the kompang and bunga manggar procession, my youngest brother Adik was not sure how to fit the `tuan rumah’role that he had to undertake since Ayah and all the uncles were not around, having to attend to Tok's janazah. Oh, not to mention the ‘almost’ change of the wedding outfits – my brother almost agreed to wear something which clashed awfully with the theme color of the main table and the hall’s decoration, but the tailor managed to make some really last minute alterations on the originally agreed outfits.
Alhamdulillah
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
San nen me no kinenbi
It was our 3rd wedding anniversary yesterday.
(Hubby could remember the big date easily since his birthday is on 12.03 and we were married on 03.12. Lucky me, alhamdulillah!)
We went to Nikko last weekend for sort of anniversary celebration in advance, since we had already made all the necessary preparation - guest house booking, basic itinerary, food buying, etc. More on that later.
Initially I'd wanted to blog about the moments just before I was pronounced a legally wedded wife three years ago. But with Tok's death - it seemed rather insignificant. After all, we had only been married for three years where as Tok married Tok Ayah when she was 14 and he 22, and they remained faithful to each other until their last breath - she at 76 and he at 69.
But given another perspective - that my own parents were divorced (for the first time - they were divorced three times) even before their marriage reached 2 years old, remaining married for three years seems like an accomplishment of sort.
Well, which ever it is, I am happy to be with the man I married, proud to be the mother of our children, and hope that we will keep loving each other.
Loving as in the verb - not just the feeling. Stephen Covey once wrote "Love is a verb. Love - the feeling - is a fruit of the verb." What constitutes this verb of love then? To serve, sacrifice, listen to, emphatize, appreciate, affirm. Among others.
Rasulullah s.a.w. used to keep himself busy serving his family, and would get up for solat only when it was time to do so. He used to mend his own clothes, and do other household chores. And he claimed that the best among the Believers are those who are best towards their wives and daughters. (Sometimes, all these are conveniently 'forgotten' to be highlighted in ceramah on the rights and duties of husbands and wives in Islam.)
But of course, it is not all one way. After all, Rasulullah had also stated that the best wife is one who is attractive in her husband's eyes, who carries out his wishes, and remains vigilant in his absence. Husbands and wives are garments for each other - to offer protection, comfort, modesty and warmth. To complement and supplement each other.
Marriage is a tool for two interdependent people to achieve greater things in life. 1 plus 1 after all, does not necessary equals 2. In the past three years, in our case, 1 plus 1 has already equalled 4!
Happy 3rd anniversary, sayang.
May we keep loving each other for many years to come, insya Allah!
On the night of our akad nikah
On the eve of our third anniversary
(Hubby could remember the big date easily since his birthday is on 12.03 and we were married on 03.12. Lucky me, alhamdulillah!)
We went to Nikko last weekend for sort of anniversary celebration in advance, since we had already made all the necessary preparation - guest house booking, basic itinerary, food buying, etc. More on that later.
Initially I'd wanted to blog about the moments just before I was pronounced a legally wedded wife three years ago. But with Tok's death - it seemed rather insignificant. After all, we had only been married for three years where as Tok married Tok Ayah when she was 14 and he 22, and they remained faithful to each other until their last breath - she at 76 and he at 69.
But given another perspective - that my own parents were divorced (for the first time - they were divorced three times) even before their marriage reached 2 years old, remaining married for three years seems like an accomplishment of sort.
Well, which ever it is, I am happy to be with the man I married, proud to be the mother of our children, and hope that we will keep loving each other.
Loving as in the verb - not just the feeling. Stephen Covey once wrote "Love is a verb. Love - the feeling - is a fruit of the verb." What constitutes this verb of love then? To serve, sacrifice, listen to, emphatize, appreciate, affirm. Among others.
Rasulullah s.a.w. used to keep himself busy serving his family, and would get up for solat only when it was time to do so. He used to mend his own clothes, and do other household chores. And he claimed that the best among the Believers are those who are best towards their wives and daughters. (Sometimes, all these are conveniently 'forgotten' to be highlighted in ceramah on the rights and duties of husbands and wives in Islam.)
But of course, it is not all one way. After all, Rasulullah had also stated that the best wife is one who is attractive in her husband's eyes, who carries out his wishes, and remains vigilant in his absence. Husbands and wives are garments for each other - to offer protection, comfort, modesty and warmth. To complement and supplement each other.
Marriage is a tool for two interdependent people to achieve greater things in life. 1 plus 1 after all, does not necessary equals 2. In the past three years, in our case, 1 plus 1 has already equalled 4!
Happy 3rd anniversary, sayang.
May we keep loving each other for many years to come, insya Allah!
On the night of our akad nikah
On the eve of our third anniversarySaturday, December 01, 2007
Please pray for her...
My paternal grandma, Tok, passed away yesterday evening at the age of 76.
Innalillahi wainna ilaihi rajiuun. From Allah we came and to Him we return...
The janazah ceremony was attended to by my uncles and aunts. Ayah, as the eldest (also the eldest son) in the family, headed the ghusl. There was some delay in getting kain kapan from the nearby surau (or masjid) since it happened in Putrajaya and given the relatively 'young' population of Putrajaya, I guess they were not always prepared for such occasion (unlike in Kampung Tunku, which is highly populated by retired government servants) .
Tok had been bed-ridden since early this year, after her third (or was it fourth?) attack of stroke. When I last met her last year, she could still recognize me, although she was a bit confused about me being married with a child. She suffered from Alzheimer's disease, so it wasn't really surprising that she'd always mistaken Huzaifah as her child rather than her great-grandchild - a topic quite often argued back in the days when Mak was looking both after her and my son while I was away.
Tok, the woman who raised me up until I was nine, had passed away, and I was unable to kiss her good bye for the last time. Not that I am not redha - just a bit 'terkilan', that's all. 15 years after my Tok Ayah passed away, now I hope Tok will be able to join him. When Tok Ayah passed away, there were some elderly gentlemen who was interested in her, but Tok was adamant in not marrying anybody else because she wanted to be with Tok Ayah again.
It was not that easy taking care of someone with Alzheimer's, especially when Tok was also suffering from diabetes, but I guess the rotation system among her sons worked quite well, until just before she was bed-ridden and stayed with my Ayah Jang in Putrajaya, where it was possible to install both her special bed and a helper/nurse to care for her 24/7.
As it happened, last night was also the wedding reception for my newly wedded brother (kenduri sambut menantu). Must had been one of the most sombre wedding receptions ever - no kompang, no music, no cake cutting ceremony; with the doa' being a 2-in-1 doa - for both Tok and the new pengantin. Ayah was not able to attend the reception since he had to attend to Tok's janazah, but the kenduri had to go on because it was held in a hall, without ample time to notify expected guests of the changes in circumstances. (Had it been held at our home, things might be a bit different, we might had a majlis tahlil or something...)
I hope all of you will join me in my doa that my Tok will be placed among mukminin & solihin , that all her sins would be forgiven, that all her good deeds would be counted as ibadah and that she would be blessed by Allah in the eternity.
Al-fatihah
Innalillahi wainna ilaihi rajiuun. From Allah we came and to Him we return...
The janazah ceremony was attended to by my uncles and aunts. Ayah, as the eldest (also the eldest son) in the family, headed the ghusl. There was some delay in getting kain kapan from the nearby surau (or masjid) since it happened in Putrajaya and given the relatively 'young' population of Putrajaya, I guess they were not always prepared for such occasion (unlike in Kampung Tunku, which is highly populated by retired government servants) .
Tok had been bed-ridden since early this year, after her third (or was it fourth?) attack of stroke. When I last met her last year, she could still recognize me, although she was a bit confused about me being married with a child. She suffered from Alzheimer's disease, so it wasn't really surprising that she'd always mistaken Huzaifah as her child rather than her great-grandchild - a topic quite often argued back in the days when Mak was looking both after her and my son while I was away.
Tok, the woman who raised me up until I was nine, had passed away, and I was unable to kiss her good bye for the last time. Not that I am not redha - just a bit 'terkilan', that's all. 15 years after my Tok Ayah passed away, now I hope Tok will be able to join him. When Tok Ayah passed away, there were some elderly gentlemen who was interested in her, but Tok was adamant in not marrying anybody else because she wanted to be with Tok Ayah again.
It was not that easy taking care of someone with Alzheimer's, especially when Tok was also suffering from diabetes, but I guess the rotation system among her sons worked quite well, until just before she was bed-ridden and stayed with my Ayah Jang in Putrajaya, where it was possible to install both her special bed and a helper/nurse to care for her 24/7.
As it happened, last night was also the wedding reception for my newly wedded brother (kenduri sambut menantu). Must had been one of the most sombre wedding receptions ever - no kompang, no music, no cake cutting ceremony; with the doa' being a 2-in-1 doa - for both Tok and the new pengantin. Ayah was not able to attend the reception since he had to attend to Tok's janazah, but the kenduri had to go on because it was held in a hall, without ample time to notify expected guests of the changes in circumstances. (Had it been held at our home, things might be a bit different, we might had a majlis tahlil or something...)
I hope all of you will join me in my doa that my Tok will be placed among mukminin & solihin , that all her sins would be forgiven, that all her good deeds would be counted as ibadah and that she would be blessed by Allah in the eternity.
Al-fatihah
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