Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque : Majestic Marble Mosque

mr. khairul called it the white mosque. made of white marble, i guess it is pretty fitting. looking so majestic from far away, made more resplendent with the sun shining. the sunlight, reflecting upon the snow white marble gave it an illusion of an arabian castle built on white clouds.

simply breathtaking.

 

with my eldest son khaleef in front of sheikh zayed grand mosque. stunningly beautiful! amazing! gorgeous! I’m gonna be lost for words after this – I need a thesaurus!

 

fun facts about sheikh zayed grand mosque :

• can fit 40,000 worshippers
• it features 82 domes, and over a 1,000 columns
• the outside columns are decorated in a floral design with semi-precious stones, and 96 columns in the main prayer hall, each inlaid with pearls
• it has 24 carat gold gilded chandeliers decked in swarovski crystals
• the floors in the prayer hall is covered with the world's largest hand knotted carpet;
  designed by iranian artist ali khaliqi and hand crafted by 1,300 artisans
• the main prayer hall is dominated by one of the world’s largest chandeliers –10 metres in diameter, 15 metres in height and weighing 12 tonnes
• the mosque's first ceremony was the funeral of its namesake, Sheikh Zayed, who is buried at the site. sheikh zayed is the late president of UAE (some say bapa UAE, macam tunku abd rahman kita)

 

me, khairul’s mom, khairul’s aunt maklang & sis tina

 

the first time I was here was with my mom-in-law (in salmon-colored tudung) when she was here in 2009 after I delivered my 2nd son kahfi. I’ve also taken my abah and umi to perform prayers here.

fast-forward to 2014, now again with my mom-in-law and her sis maklang and my sis-in-law. khairul’s aunt saw a recording of the eid prayers held in sheikh zayed grand mosque, and has been wanting to come see for herself ever since. alhamdulillah, a dream come true!

 

the car park of the mosque is like the underground park to a shopping mall! here we are walking from the lift towards the prayer halls.

 

entering the courtyard of the mosque – a picture from the outside, and another one from the inside.

 

the mosque courtyard is covered with flowery mosaic; easily one of the largest marble mosaic in the world. such amazingness to step on!

 

4 very tall minarets on the 4 corners of the mosque and bulbs of domes - 57 domes of 7 different sizes to be exact, covering the outside yard and the main building. standing at the courtyard, i can really see the domes popping out on top of the majestic mosque, like cendawan lepas hujan!

 

those long rows of columns? this is what they look like close-up. embedded with gorgeous flower motif lingering upwards towards bunches of gold-plated leaves.

 

me on the path towards the place for ablution

 

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to go to the place of ablution, you need to go down the escalator, where the ceiling design is no less impressive. so pretty! look at that green tiles! the washroom is tiled like that too!

 

and this is where worshippers purify themselves with wudu’ (ablution). abu hurairah said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say, ‘on the day of rising, my community will be called ‘those with white blazes on their foreheads and limbs’ from the effects of wudu’. so whoever of you can increase the extent of whiteness, should do so.’”

 

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time to pray. only with mr. khairul’s mom, sis and aunt. mr. khairul took the boys to the main prayer hall to pray. this is where we can keep our shoes. if I’m not mistaken, if you’re skeptical in leaving your shoes here, the officers around the mosque can provide you with a plastic bag to keep your shoes. but insyaAllah, your shoes are safe in UAE!

 

this is not the main prayer hall, but my, it’s already SO stunning. I was dumbfounded for a few seconds, starring at the ceiling.

 

this cute arab girl kept looking at us getting ready for prayers, especially mr. khairul’s mom. probably not used to seeing our white prayer garments – ye la mak dia dah pakai jubah, pakai tudung tu cukup lah kan! actually, that’s the truth – as long as you cover your aurah, it’s acceptable. like my sis syida said, ‘when you go out no matter where, if you’re not dressed ready for prayers (covering aurah properly) then you’re not really dressing properly.’ snap!

 

the place where the Qurans are kept is so pretty and elegant. even the clock on the wall too – that reminds us of the prayer times.

 

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this is the wall outside of the main prayer hall that has the biggest carpet and the biggest chandelier in a mosque. it’s quite a magnificent sight! I wanna have this in my bedroom! bunga-bunga tu timbul tau!

 

to see how big and high up the pretty wall is, here’s my sis-in-law tina with her nephew khaleef standing by the side.

 

look at that chandelier. I actually prefer this design than the celebrated ‘world’s biggest chandelier in a mosque’. sigh. so beautiful. and we’re not even inside the prayer hall yet.

 

and here we are, inside the main prayer hall. covered with the world's largest hand knotted carpet; designed by iranian artist ali khaliqi and hand crafted by 1,300 artisans. the main prayer hall is dominated by one of the world’s largest chandeliers –10 metres in diameter, 15 metres in height and weighing 12 tonnes.

 

the world’s biggest chandelier in a mosque – here in the main prayer hall of sheikh zayed grand mosque.

 

the marble floor inside the main prayer hall is also adorned with lingering flower motif. love it so much!

 

this is just breathtaking. the 99 names (qualities or attributes) of Allah are featured on the kiblat wall in traditional kufi calligraphy. you can’t help but stand there for few moments; not only to admire the beauty of the wall but especially to reflect on the great attributes of our Creator.

 

the columns inside the prayer halls are 96 altogether; each inlaid with pearls. amazing.

 

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oh my. even the place for ‘drinking water’ is so lovely.

 

 

unlike other mosques in abu dhabi, the sheikh zayed grand mosque is open daily to visitors, muslims or non-muslims; except on friday morning, which is for worshippers only. this leniency is given in order to promote cultural and religious understanding. it is also an architectural marvel that should be shared irrespective of religion.

remember to dress respectfully, covering your body appropriately. however, black abayas are available (and kandoora for the men) for guests to wear if they came unprepared.

 

 

the sheikh zayed grand mosque is really an amazing mosque with magnificent persian and moorish architecture. there’s a certain tranquility as you take the long walk across the beautiful floor with the flower mosaic; or sit staring at the beautifully lined columns while waiting for the call for prayers; admiring the magnificence of the white marble domes as they glistened in the sun. even for non-muslims, this should be a spiritual experience that will – I promise – bring you peace.

4 Sisters @ Being ME2 : Muslimah Empowered, PICC

one thing that I really looked forward months before going back to malaysia is this event : women’s only islamic conference ‘Being ME 2 : Muslimah Empowerment’ with the theme ‘Divine Liberation’ held at PICC (putrajaya international convention center), putrajaya on 29th june 2013. not just because of the many benefits that I will get from all the wonderful talks, but also because I shared the experience with all my sisters!

I was really excited about this!

unfortunately this outing was not complete without my other sis syimot who had to stay at home taking care of her 7-month baby miqail; last minute adik ipar aku busy plak tak dapat jaga baby. (so after the event four of us lepak at her place makan-makan borak-borak bising-bising! best sangat!)

click here for more info on Being ME 2 : Muslimah Empowered – maybe you can catch the next event Being ME 3 insyaAllah!

 

sharifuddin sisters : from left yong syimee, syigim, azi & syida inside the hall at PICC, seated, getting ready to absorb knowledge and wisdom. such a priceless moment for me to hang out with my sisters at such an event. wouldn’t believe how rare it is to gather all 4-5 of us without abah, or our husbands and kids!

 

the participants heading towards the hall as the door finally opened that morning. my picture here doesn’t do justice to the wonderful sight of our malaysian muslimah. myriads of color, pattern, style and beauty – it was a festivity of jubah, abayas, and shawl segala macam lilit! aku balik dubai pun tak nampak macam ni punya meriah kih kih.

 

the stage was set for a whole day of empowering muslimah and inspiring young women. a T-shaped stage like in a fashion show. we were seated at the VIP area (bukan sebab important sangat hihi but it’s because we’re the early bird ticket-buyers huhu)

 

we went inside pretty early. got seated somewhere at the front. comfy seat. air-cond tak terlampau sejuk. great view of the speaker. decent view of the large screen. strategic spot at the sides in case we need to leave for the restroom, or something. overall, a good spot. asam boi pon dah ready haha.

 

this is my first time at PICC so sangat kagum. the wondrous ceiling was like wow. like I’m attending final juara lagu or something. huhu.

 

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there are many interesting talks scheduled for the whole day at Being ME 2 – ‘women of substance’, ‘one woman, different hats’, ‘muslimah : identity given by Allah’, positive mental attitude’ and many more. the talks are held at 2 different venues : the main hall, and the workshop in a smaller room (picture below). so you could either go to the main hall or to this room to hear the topic you’re interested in.

I wanted to catch as many talks as I could, but it frustrates me when I wanted to listen to 2 different talks happening at the same time at 2 different venues. kena la sacrifice one talk, and go listen to the other.

also because of this, at times my sisters and i had to separate when two wants to listen to sheikh A, while the others want to stay and enjoy the talk by ustazah B. but the engaging talks make up for it. I managed to catch talks by sheikh daood, prof dr muhaya, IIUM rector prof. dato dr zaleha, tasneem ghauri and of course the muslimah heart-throb fatih seferagic. never a dull moment.

 

the ‘workshop’: this is the 2nd venue for the other talks that are taking place.

 

since this room for the workshop is significantly much smaller, most of the time you see the participants sitting down on the carpet floor for lack of chairs. it got more crowded when it’s a particularly popular speaker (like the adorable fatih seferagic), sampai kena tutup pintu tak kasi orang masuk dah!

it’s NOT particularly comfortable of course sitting cross-legged on the carpet for 1 hour while other people get to warm their bum on kerusi empuk, but somehow it doesn’t matter when all you want to do is LISTEN and take in as many beneficial points as you can. duduk bersempit-sempit kaki kebas pun jadi lah asal dapat dengar antipatinya.

 

 

cuma satu je aku tak puas hati betui nampak ade satu minah ni dapat duduk atas kerusi, siap chop tempat utk member dia (tu takpe lagi) lepas tu dia bole TIDO! imagine I was sitting on the floor, and see THAT.

ok chop tempat aku tak kisah sebab I would’ve done the same thing for my sisters. tertido pun dimaafkan la kalo dah tak tahan sangat tapi tengok la tempat dan keadaan : seriously, what was she thinking? sitting comfortably on the chair with the best view, surrounded by eager participants who had to sit on the floor sebab takde space – and she had the nerve to SLEEP? international speaker talking in front tengok pun buat malu je!

may Allah reward us for our patience and endurance!

 

* * *

 

in between talks ladies could go and jalan-jalan. there was a bazaar open with many, many stalls selling jubah, tudung, islamic books, locally made beauty products and many more. my sisters bought knee-length blouses and I bought myself the popular inspirational book yasmin mogahed, ‘reclaim your heart’. such a soothing read. review coming!

 

yong dah rambang mata hihi

 

right at the end of the long trail of stalls is the escalator leading to the surau. super crowded as all the muslimah rushed to answer the call to pray. alhamdulillah. everyone in orderly manner and moved fast after prayer to let in other people.

not only were there bazaars, there were also a lot of activities happening at other spots like ‘genius-aulad kids’ zone’ where mommies can drop their kids to enjoy storytelling, tazkirah, playtime and even naptime!

 

look who’s talking!

 

there’s also a ‘sister’s corner’ held at another room in PICC with tv al hijrah personalities sharing their experience as a muslimah in their profession. there were also manicure and henna design that I really wanted to have done on my hands but the line was too long! there was a 40 minute waiting period – as it was already late afternoon, tak jadi lah.

and then there’s irma hasmie sharing and caring with the sisters in the audience. I really don’t know who irma hasmie is (pelakon ke penyanyi ke pengacara tv ke) aside from the fact that she’s a popular personality who had ‘berhijrah’ and sported a lovely demure muslimah look now. she seemed nice. hihi.

 

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how’s makan time? there’s a foodcourt in PICC and that morning we had our breakfast there, buffet style. the food is good, reasonably priced. bihun goreng singapore style dia sedap! asal kenyang to start the day, alhamdulillah. lunch pun kat situ.

 

my sisters : nyam nyam ngap ngap

 

I had nasi lemak and a bit of singapore bihun, but to me the singapore bihun is much more delicious. should’ve taken more of that!

 

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anyways, one of the sweet (funny) memories at ‘being ME 2’ was also when we met this ex-UIA student during a talk by IIUM (international islamic university malaysia) rector prof. dato dr zaleha kamaruddin. she was sitting right in front of us.

before that dr zaleha had already asked all the UIA students/grads among the audience to raise their hands, and of course la with pride I raise my hand, prompting the girl in front of me to ask later on,

• “budak uia ye?” I was like yeap. “uia jugak ke?”
• and the girl replied, “tapi I dah lama dah grad,” in a very akak-akak way, brushing me off as if I were STILL an undergrad student at uia.
• before I could correct her, my sisters in amusement replied, “dia ni laaaaaagi lama dah grad. dah 10 tahun kot. haha”
• the girl was stumped. realizing all at once that I turned out to be much, much older than she is.

ok pointnye story ni ialah aku nampak muda macam budak degree ok!! hahaha. aku gembira dengan cerita ini. sekian, terima kasih.

cerita masa fatih seferagic kasi talk pun lawak. tapi nanti-nanti la aku cerita.

 

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so who were these other awesome speakers and what did I actually get from listening to them?

well – talks that inspire. words that motivate. wisdom that will make you open your eyes. anecdotes that amuses and tickle your funny bones.

too many words of wisdom that we picked up during this wonderful event. from the helpful tips shared by international qari fatih seferagic, to the engaging tales told by sheikh daood butt, up to the motherly love exudes from prof dr muhaya – too much to share in one posting. insyaAllah I will share it bit by bit as I go along updating my long-abandoned blog!

being at ‘Being ME 2 : women empowered’ with my beloved sisters has certainly empowered me as a woman, as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister and most of all as Allah’s servant. not just knowing our place in society and family, but our duty to Allah. it made me feel so much pride to be a woman, realizing all the wonderful things I could do, most importantly as a mother.

not just about how to memorize the Quran effectively, but how to encourage our children and make it easy for them. not simply for us to think positive but to bring out the best in other people through your positive attitude.

we are part of a bigger picture – and that’s what muslimah needs to realize and understand what we can offer the world.

“worship Allah FIRST, and everything else will fall into place,” tasneem ghouri (motivational speaker, quran teacher, counselor)

 

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on a lighter note, this is one of the best hang-outs we’ve had in YEARS ever since 3 of us got married and having kids. it was just us girls, without abah, without our husbands, without screaming kids demanding more cookies – just us sisters. memang liberating habis! hihi.

also I would like to congratulate my bro-in-law nash (married to syida) for a successful, smooth-sailing and interesting event. he is part of the team behind the scene; as the sales manager. well done, bro! 

watch this space for my take on the speakers like fatih seferagic, sheikh daood and prof dr. muhaya. anyone for Being ME 3?

Being ME 2–(Muslimah Empowered) : Get Your Tickets NOW

I’m sure many of you lovely muslimah have heard of the women-only islamic conference Being ME since its successful run last year at Matrade. my sisters yong, syidot and azot attented the day event and had a wonderful time.

this annual conference is BACK in Kuala Lumpur for a second time this 29th June with the theme ‘Divine Liberation’, dedicated to aspiring female leaders around the globe.

got kids? no babysitter? husband main futsal? maid balik indon? bring the kids along! aged 6-12 can join as there are many fun activities for them to enjoy too! no worries, mommies!

(this is still tentative, but insyaAllah I will be in Malaysia around that time. fellow bloggers, jom jumpa kat sana!)

 

 

Mercy Mission Malaysia is hosting this second annual women-only conference ‘Divine Liberation- Being ME Malaysia 2013’ which will be filled with captivating talks, enlightening workshops and exciting bazaar.

this is the moment to discover you true potential to be a better muslimah, and to strengthen bonds between fellow sisters in Islam. as muslimah, to understand our role in society, economic and politics, and in family development. to recognize our daily challenges and overcome it. to liberate ourselves from total dependency of the duniawi. to be free!

click here to learn more.

 

 

Details, up close!

Event: Being ME (Muslimah Empowered) 2013
Theme: Divine Liberation
Date/Time: 29th June 2013 / 10am-10pm
Venue: Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC)

Ticket Prices
Early Bird (until 30th April 2013)

• Children (aged 6-12) - RM50.00
• Adults (aged 13+) - RM99.00
• Students (with valid student ID) - RM99.00

Normal Price (1st May 2013 onwards)

• Children (aged 6-12) - RM75.00
• Adults (aged 13+) - RM150.00
• Students (with valid student ID) - RM99.00

e-mail sales.my@being-me.org to purchase your tickets!

Activities

• Thought provoking lectures
• Bazaar
• Workshops
• Sisters' Corner
• Entertainment & Muslimah Award
• Mothers' Room
• Daddy Daycare (RM50 per child)

Speakers

• Sister Zohra Sarwari (US) - parenting expert; international speaker; author; entrepreneur
• Prof. Dr. Muhaya Mohamad (MY) - renowned ophthalmologist; TV personality; motivational speaker; author
• Prof. Dato' Sri Dr. Zaleha Kamaruddin (MY) - IIUM Rector
• Sister Tasneem Ghauri (CA) - da`eah; motivational speaker; counselor
• Sheikh Daood Butt (CA) - Al-Kauthar instructor; international speaker
• Brother Yusha Evans (US) – founder and co-founder of two Islamic television stations in North America, also a multiple discipline Black Belt holder (wow!) & runs a martial arts academy

this includes a special appearance by Fatih Seferagic, imam muda dari Bosnia who will recite Al-Quran in his beautiful voice. owh pardon me, but he’s too cute!

 

Fatih Seferagic, imam muda dari Bosnia 

 

if you think this is something that can benefit you or your families/friends, please help us to spread the word!

bawak mak, makcik, opah sekali. pergi dengan adik kakak. ajak kawan-kawan. jemput sahabat handai! jom pergi ramai-ramai!

 

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take note, people!

there’s still time to get the EARLY BIRD price ticket!

ticket price for Early Bird: RM99 (adults) & RM50 (children between 5-12 years old)

early bird period ends 30th April 2013.

e-mail sales.my@being-me.org to get your tickets!

 

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my bro-in-law nash is the sales manager for this event, so I’m promoting this event all the way from dubai hihi on his behalf. very proud of him to get involved in such a beneficial event for us muslimah. show some love and support, ladies!

if you had attended last year’s Being ME and had blogged about it, could you please leave the link on the comment section, so that other bloggers can read what you have experienced and benefit from the conference, in return become more interested to participate in this second one. thanks!