Rumah Ngaji Ukhwah Safi Al-Amin

My better half hails from Mersing, a small town on the east coast of Johor. Her family home is located in Kg Sri Pantai, about 5km before reaching the town proper if we were to travel on the Kota Tinggi - Mersing trunk road.

According to my wife, her late father built the house more than 45 years ago when he retired from being an Islamic religious school teacher. They had previously lived in government quarters based on her father's eligibility as a state civil servant. Over the years, the house underwent very minimal changes, the most significant being the addition of new bathrooms to accommodate the growing number of grandchildren who come visit during festive periods. As time passed, the house began to age, in line with its old owners. When my mother-in-law passed away, the house lost its shine. My father-in-law later remarried a widow and stayed at her house in another part of Mersing. 

With no permanent occupant, the house began to lose its homely feel. With the exception of one elder sister who lived near Mersing town, all the other siblings on my wife's side have moved out of Mersing, either to pursue their careers or to follow their respective spouses. It was left to this sister and her husband to occasionally clean and maintain the house. When this sister became ill and decided to stay with her daughter in Shah Alam, the old family home slid into further decline.

There were discussions among the siblings as to what should be done with the house. Putting it up for rent was out of the question because we need somewhere to gather during hari raya. The next option considered was converting it into a homestay. To do this, the house would need some major renovations to make it attractive and suitable for customers. The budget for the renovation work and difficulty in getting someone trustworthy to manage the homestay were the main drawbacks. And so the sad condition of the house continued for a few more years until one of my sisters-in-law came up with the idea to set up a Rumah Ngaji (house to learn recital of the Qur'an), based on the model established by the Karangkraf publishing group. This effort would be a social contribution to the local community while at the same time, preserving the legacy of both parents.

This sister-in-law, Hjh Azizah Mohd Amin, decided to opt for early retirement from her job as a lecturer at a training college in Bangi and return home to Mersing and manage the house. In the few years prior to her retirement, the family pooled funds to renovate the house and buy some basic equipment and furnishings. We changed the layout of a few rooms, re-painted the interior, improved the plumbing system and totally re-wired the house to comply with current safety standards. The sitting room area (where classes would be held) was installed with wall-to-wall carpeting.

After a few months of renovation work and preparation, the first class to teach the reading of Al-Qur'an began on 1 June 2018.

Rumah Ngaji Ukhwah Safi Al-Amin (or Rumah Ngaji USA, for short), takes its name from the combination of my parents-in-law's names, Sapiah Bt Mohamad and Mohd Amin B Abdul Karim.

Quranic reading lessons are held for children and female adults and are taught by qualified teachers. All lessons are free.

As with everything else, the classes were suspended during the initial Covid-19 outbreak, in line with MCO regulations. Classes have resumed on 14 August 2020. The first picture below was taken a few days ago after I helped tie up the Malaysian flag in conjunction Hari Merdeka.

Wishing all readers a happy national day in this new normal era.

Malaysia Prihatin. Kita Jaga Kita.

Selamat Hari Merdeka Ke 63

Opening remarks from Hjh Azizah on the 1st day

The first group of young students in June 2018.
Desks were later provided for better comfort

New venture in the new Hijri year

Two days ago, Muslims in Malaysia celebrated the arrival of the new Hijri year 1442. The first day in the month of Muharram is considered significant in Malaysia and is given a special name called Ma'al Hijrah. There is however, a common misconception that this date commemorate the occasion of Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w) migration (hijrah) from Makkah to Madinah.

The Hijri Muslim calendar was established during the time of Caliph Umar Al-Khattab (r.a). During his reign, one of the caliph's governors remarked that letters from the caliph had no indication of the year it was written, making it difficult for the governor to determine which instructions were more recent. This prompted Umar to discuss with his colleagues and they later decide to use the year of the Prophet's migration as the start of the Islamic calendar.

According to historians, Prophet Muhammad is believed to have left his hometown of Makkah in the month of Rabiul Awwal, the third month of the Arabian year. It took one week for the Prophet to reach Yathrib, the original name of the Madinah.

In our family, the first day of every new Islamic year has even more special significance.

It is the day our first son, Arshad Khalid was born - 1 Muharram 1410 (3rd August 1989). That makes him 32 years-old by the Muslim calendar but still 30 years-old in CE terms.

It is also the day our first granddaughter, Maisarah Bt Arshad Khalid was born - 1 Muharram 1440 (10th September 2018). That means Maisarah is already 2 years-old in Muslim calendar terms.

Okay then, what's this new venture that is being hinted in the title of this post?

A friend of mine has invited me to join his existing F&B business to run a food stall within a food court in Johor Bahru. The outlet has been in operation for over a year and has reasonable sales. I've decided to accept his offer because the venture is an opportunity for my third son to run a food business as a partner while at the same time, employ his culinary skills to cook tasty food and later introduce new menu items. The overall objective being to increase sales and bring the business to another level.

I have been assisting the operations by helping to put together a new menu list which includes photographs of every menu item on offer. Food photography has been a long time hobby of mine. The following are some shots that have already been taken. I still have a few more items to shoot before the full menu card can be published.

We have already decided on the new name that the venture will be known by. I'll reveal that in another post once the full setup has been launched.

An existing menu that is a customer favourite

New menu item we hope would be a top-seller

Existing item but presented in a fresh setup

Another existing item that is quite popular

Aidiladha 2020 under MCO conditions

Today is Hari Raya Aidiladha, one of two Eid festivals in the Muslim calendar. It is also known as Hari Raya Haji or Hari Raya Korban, on occasion of the hajj pilgrimage in Makkah, Saudi Arabia and the ritual of livestock sacrifice encouraged upon Muslims who can afford it. However, the worldwide Covid19 pandemic has caused governments to severely scale down the religious activities.

Looking at the TV footage of hajj pilgrims doing the tawaf around Kaabah this year, the stark difference from previous years is glaringly obvious. The millions of hajj hopefuls who had planned to perform their pilgrimage this season, have to wait for the next. The miniscule coronavirus takes no prisoners.

We are at my better half's hometown of Mersing today. Just a small group of family members. No qurbani activity either. But still, a good time to relax and reflect upon the effect of the presence of an unseen enemy.

At Masjid Bandar Mersing

MCO Haircut Version 2

It has been one and a half months since my son gave me a haircut at home under the MCO situation. Although barbers and hairdressers are now allowed to operate in the relaxed restrictions, I still do not have full confidence of the mitigated risks with respect to close contact with barbers. I have decided to stick with my son until we have a zero-infection status in the whole country.

For this second trimming, I chose to make it easy on my son and went for the crewcut style. It is also a look that I have sported before, having opted for it when I performed hajj and umrah. Should last me a few months until the next cut is needed.

The 'balik-haji' or 'balik-umrah' look

A memorable birthday in 2020

A few days ago, I celebrated my 58th birthday. This year's occasion is somewhat different from previous years because of a few reasons.

We are still in Covid-19 pandemic situation, although the daily numbers are encouragingly showing a trend of newly infected cases in single digits. Hopefully, we shall see zero cases being reported soon. The Malaysian government and its citizens have shown great resolve in fighting the outbreak. With the reduction in the number of daily infections, the government has relaxed the MCO restrictions. This includes the ability to travel between states.

Our second son and daughter-in-law both work at Hospital Sungai Buloh, the reference hospital for coronavirus cases. Our son is considered a frontliner as one of his duties include screening of incoming patients. As such, it is quite difficult for him to obtain leave to come visit us. I therefore made the decision for us to travel north to visit them last weekend. I was also conveniently looking for a reason for us to make social visits after being cooped up at home for three months.

The other (even stronger) reason was that I share the same birthday as my daughter-in-law, Aisyah Bt Abdullah, 6th of July. When their wedding was held in November last year, I had not known of this fact. At the time, I was too focussed on planning for the wedding, it didn't occur to me to ask about the birthday of our newest family member. It was only early this year that my wife told me about it. At last, I have another family member to celebrate the 6th of July every year (note : I had previously written about the Birthday Paradox in a post dated 20.12.2009).

Instead of my son and his wife travelling down to Johor to celebrate the special day with us, my wife and I drove the other direction so we could celebrate it with them. We had a birthday lunch at the home of my brother-in-law in Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam, the main menu item being a home-cooked nasi briyani prepared by the mother-in-law of the birthday girl.

Indeed, a memorable family occasion to treasure for years to come...

Only two candles on the cake

Lunch of nasi briyani in both mutton and chicken options

The wedding reception in November 2019. Aisyah and her parents on the right

Kena tembak sebelum masuk...

* 36.6 *

Angka tersebut adalah kegemaran saya buat masa ini untuk meneka jawapan setiap kali pistol suhu dihalakan ke dahi saya sebelum dibenarkan masuk masjid, pasaraya, restoran, pejabat kerajaan dan seumpamanya. Setakat ini, kadar ketepatan tekaan dianggarkan bawah 10 peratus, hahaha...

Di Masjid Bulatan, Kg Melayu Majidee, JB

30 years worth the wait...

It was a beautiful morning yesterday, Friday 26 June 2020. The sky was slightly overcast but it did not rain. Perfect for some outdoor activity to release some sweat.

Far out west in England came the news that Liverpool Football Club has become the champions of the English Premier League after a wait of thirty long years. There are still 7 more games to go before the full fixture schedule (delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic) is completed, but the nearest rival is too far behind to catch up. We shall savour the moment and enjoy the weeks ahead as the 2019/2020 season comes to a close.

Great things happen to those who work hard and are willing to wait.

Morning brisk walk at Taman Merdeka in Johor Bahru

Valuing friendship above feud

In early 1981, I was studying for my GCE A-levels at Aston College in Wrexham, North Wales in the UK. I cannot recall how many Malaysian students were enrolled there at the time, but if I was to make an estimate, I would say upwards of 40 persons.

Wrexham is not a big town. Prior to arriving in the United Kingdom, I've never heard of the place before. I vaguely knew that Wales is a separate country within the UK but it totally surprised me that the Welsh speak and write in an entirely different language. I lived in Wrexham for about a year and have pleasant memories of my stay there. The slight regret that I have is in not making an attempt to understand a bit more of Welsh.

Aston College no longer exists, having been merged with a few other colleges in North Wales and later upgraded to a university in 2008. A search on Google Maps indicates that my former A-level college is now known as Wrexham Glyndwr University. I also tried to search for the house that I stayed in the final term of my studies but since I could not remember the street name, the search was fruitless. What I can recall was that it was quite a walking distance away from the college, perhaps around 30 minutes at leisurely pace.

The house was an end unit of a row of a 2-storey terrace block, probably built in the 1960s. Although an old building (even at that time), the house was adequately renovated to serve as student accommodation. Each floor had been separated so as to make two different units (which they refer to as a flat). Each flat had central heating, a small kitchen and a bathroom. I stayed at the top unit with my coursemate named Yaacub Mohamed whom I know from our MRSM Kuantan days. The ground floor unit was rented by a friend name Khairil Faizi who previously studied at MRSM Seremban. I cannot remember who Khairil's housemate was.

Anyway, what triggered this post was memory of an event that was posted by a mutual friend of Khairil and me on his Facebook page. This mutual friend is Sofian Abdul Rahman or better known as Boe, who also formerly studied at MRSM Seremban. Boe was doing his A-levels at London at the time and had come to Wrexham to visit his friends. He slept over at Khairil's flat. Late one evening I went downstairs to see that Khairil and Boe were deeply concentrating in a game of Scrabble. As I watched them play, I noted that the scores were close. Towards the end of the game, Boe played a high-scoring word that would've made him the winner. Khairil vehemently protested that there was no such word. Boe laughingly said there is. The argument went back and forth and got a bit heated. Boe then looked at me and said, 'Tak percaya tanya Fadhil.'

At that time, my vocabulary was still weak and I could not give Boe the confirmation he was seeking. But I had a thick dictionary upstairs in my room so I offered to run up and check. Boe gave a surprising response. No need, he said... I concede that there is no such word. Which meant he lost the game. At that young age, I witnessed a true example of how to gracefully concede so as not to upset the feelings of your bro.

When I related this memory to Khairil recently (as a comment on Boe's Facebook post), he replied that Boe is that sort of friend. He values friendship above feud.

I still recall the word that Boe tried to play because I later checked and found that it is valid. I'm pretty certain neither of them remembers that. Maybe one day I'll tell them...

Me and housemate Yaacub. Wrexham 1981

MCO Haircut

In a previous posting, I mentioned that I do not mind if barber shops are not allowed to operate under relaxed MCO conditions. Among the reasons that I gave was that I have experience in sporting a long hairstyle before.

Who am I kidding, really?

My days as a rock fan are long gone. My hair is almost totally gray now. I have an itchy scalp problem and keeping my hair long doesn't help.

So when the electric hair trimmer that my son ordered online arrived yesterday, I asked him to give me a haircut after he was done trimming his. Abah nak style yang macam mana, he asked. Well... any style that you are comfortable doing, I replied. As long as it looks neat. Ok, he'll try one way first, he said. Just a little trim. If I don't like it, he will cut a bit more. To allay his fears, I told him not to worry too much. We can always go for the crew cut as a last resort. Hahaha...

As it turned out, he ended giving me a young man's haircut style. Very short on the sides and back with a pronounced thicker mop of hair on top. It's a look I'm not familiar with but I can live with it. It's not like I have to look good for a job interview or anything...

Thank you, son (Imran Azizi).

Not too bad a cut from an amateur barber

Hari Raya Aidilfitri 1441H / 2020M

Sambutan bulan ramadhan dan Hari Raya Aidilfitri yang tersangatlah berbeza pada tahun ini. Tiada siapa yang menjangka yang hidup kita pada beberapa bulan yang lalu sehingga kini dan seterusnya telah terkesan oleh sejenis mahluk halus yang tidak terlihat dengan mata kasar. Coronavirus - namamu akan tercatit dalam sejarah dunia sebagai satu musuh yang telah mengakibatkan bermacam angkara, kerugian kewangan dan korban nyawa.

• Tiada solat jemaah di masjid. Bermakna tiada juga solat tarawih di masjid sebagaimana tahun-tahun sebelum ini. Sebaliknya ini melatih ketua-ketua keluarga untuk mengimamkan solat tarawih di rumah masing-masing.
• Tiada solat sunat Aidilfitri di masjid.
• Tiada tradisi kujung mengunjung di kalangan sanak saudara dan sahabat handai.
• Tiada acara bersalam-salaman dan bermaaf-maafan secara sentuhan fizikal. Diganti dengan pertemuan secara alam maya melalui panggilan video menggunakan Whatsapp video call ataupun Zoom.

Selamat hari raya Aidilfitri untuk pembaca-pembaca sekelian. Maaf zahir dan batin. Taqabbalallahu minna waminkum...

Bonsai gardening... an update (2)

Bonsai gardening is a hobby that demands huge patience. It takes years of tending and care to see the plants grow into beautiful bonsai. Just like any other hobby, perseverance and dedication are essential traits to have.

In most situations, I consider myself a patient person. However a trickle of impatience does creep in at other times. In the few years I've been into this pastime, I've learned a number of things. Among these are :

1. Plants will get infected by bugs and diseases. Sometimes leaves turn yellow or curl up. Sometimes the leaves don't even grow.

2. Some plants will die.

3. Each type of plant has a different rate of growth. Some sprout new leaves and buds within a few weeks of pruning. Some can be easily propagated using stem cuttings while others require other methods such as air-layering.

4. A branch or two would definitely break when you first learn the wiring and bending process.

5. Pruning dense leafy growth is a hard decision to make.

Failures

I've had my fair share of failures.

• I had a dracaena tree growing in a normal pot for many years. I had trimmed the initial long stem to reduce the height and create branching. When the shape of the growth was pleasing, I transferred the plant into a shallow bonsai pot. It survived for a few months until I noticed that the leaves that fall off are not being replaced with new growth. I unearthed it from the pot and saw that root-rot had occurred. Cause of death : over-watering and possibly poor drainage.
• Somebody threw away unwanted ixora shrubs at a dumpster near my house. I scavenged a few and managed to re-grow them in poly bags. One of these shrubs is a tiny plant about five inches tall with four slim branches. New leaves were already growing well and it even had flowers on one of the branches. I decided to re-pot it in a tiny ceramic pot to create a small bonsai known among hobbyists as mame. I even wired the branches to create the bonsai look. It died on me after about two months. Possible cause of death : poor root structure due to being transplanted too early.

Moving on

Notwithstanding the failures, I'm pleased to note that some plants are growing well and are on their way to be good-looking (I hope) bonsai trees in years to come. Among these are a few ficus plants and a tree which I think, is a pulai species. The pulai tree was a shoot growing out of a crack in a concrete drain near a project I was involved in about a year ago. I had carefully prised it out from the crack, hoping to pull out as much of the roots as I can. I replanted it in a normal pot but then transferred it to a shallow pot when it quickly outgrew the initial container. Presently, I'm letting the leaves grow more and allow additional branching. My hope is to create a dense canopy with reduced leaf size. Something to look forward to in the coming years.

Pulai tree entering its 2nd year

Ficus retusa in training for semi-cascade style

Teacher's Day 2020

The following was a post on my Facebook yesterday 16 May 2020 to commemorate Teacher's Day.

It takes a big heart to shape little minds.

It is a humid and stuffy afternoon now. The dark clouds and occasional sound of thunder that threatened to burst into a thunderstorm had passed by my house as just a drizzle. Another area in JB is probably experiencing the heavy downpour.

Actually, it is such a good time to take an afternoon nap. But I've been taking too many daytime dozing sessions (especially in the situation of MCO and fasting) that it is becoming not such a good thing. So in conjunction with Teacher's Day, I've decided to explore my Facebook friends list and find out how many of them are teachers or do work related to the teaching profession (lecturers, librarians, counselors and the like).

Here's what I've found :

1. Facebook does not display my friends list in alphabetical order. Nor is it in frequency of interaction (some people who are inactive are found in the top half of the list while some who regularly respond to my posts are near the bottom).

2. I have a total of 466 Facebook friends (including some duplicates and those who have passed on). Of these, 46 are teachers. That works out to a whisker under 10%.

3. Fourteen (14) of those teachers are my fellow batchmates of MCE/SPM 1979.

4. Of my FB friends, I have seven (7) teachers who taught at MRSM Kuantan.

5. Four (4) persons on the list are family members (one sister-in-law, one daughter-in-law and two nieces). Yeah, ladies all of them. The guys in my family are not inclined to teach.

6. I have three (3) friends called Zura (Azura, Norazura and Maizura). Guess what.... all three are teachers.

`Selamat Hari Guru' to all my teacher and educator friends. All your combined weight in gold can never match the value of the knowledge you have imparted.

................................................

Wan Shahriza, Zulika Abdullah, Roswati Abdul Wahab (a), Kharmilla Abdullah, Siti Hamidah, Sir Peter Ng, Noordin Mohd Yusof, Nor Ezan, Azura Omar, Cahaya Malam, Rashidah Jailani, Shahrin Mohamad, Azie Amin, Norazura Abd Talip, Hazlin Nazri, Puan Faizah Aziz-Wells, Marz Zain Al Din, Roseline Mairon, Khairanum Subari, Paula Khoo, Eniey Ab Rahim, Cikgu Rahmah Sahamid, Daud Mohamad, Siti Zaleha Muhammed Said, Adriana Ismail, Nida Elias, Cordelia Mason, Cikgu Mohdzin Abu, Zulkafli Hassan, Fauziah Abdul Ghani, Saufie Ali, Cikgu Zakaria Mohdnoor, Ruzaini A Arshah, Wanmai Wanman, Cikgu Kandan Saikon, Yang Farina Abdul Aziz, Kak Yong Irna, Abdul Razak, Haziah Hashim, Rohana Mustapha, Nur Diyana Zainal Abidin, Atun Manap, Suzyanna Mokhtar, Pat Goh, Ana Wahid and Cikgu Zamri Mohamed Isa.

(Mohon maaf banyak2 jika saya ada tertinggal nama sahabat yg juga seorang cikgu atau pernah menjadi cikgu)
.............................................

Relaxing the MCO restrictions

The Malaysian government has seen a bit of light at the end of the tunnel...

Tomorrow Monday 4 May 2020 sees the relaxation of some restrictions imposed under the Movement Control Order. Many people have expressed their concern that such a move would cause a possible 3rd wave of Covid-19 infections. Among the words used to describe the government's decision include 'premature', 'risky', 'drastic', 'worrying' plus a few other unflattering terms. The recurrence of the pandemic at Hokkaido, Japan has been quoted as an example.

Such concerns and criticisms are understandable. 'We have held on for so long.... why can't we see it through for a few more days? The virus is not totally eradicated yet. Why sacrifice the hard work of all frontliners just for the sake of the economy?'

In this particular situation, I agree with the Prime Minister and his team. I am sure the government has made careful discussion and deliberation before arriving at the decision. I believe it was made upon consideration of the need to balance risk and necessity with due thought towards the capability of our healthcare system. Discounting the earlier blunders made by certain ministers and government departments, I support this move.

Not all of us have sufficient savings, stable jobs, or comfortable homes with internet connectivity. As I've read in a Facebook posting somewhere, we are not all in the same boat. Each of us face this crisis under different circumstances. There are many amongst us whose savings have dried up, live in cramped low-cost housing, and depend on welfare food handouts for their daily meals. The easing of restrictions may provide opportunities to some of these people to eke out a living or, at the very least, allow a few hours of respite outside their homes.

It is not like a free-for-all situation come this Monday. The Ministry of Health still imposes strict guidelines on how businesses are allowed to operate (the so-called SOP). A full lockdown can be imposed on selected locations should there be a breach of the rules. Therefore it becomes imperative that we, as responsible citizens, play our part to follow the government's directives. Of course, there would be doubters who say that not everybody would comply; just look at the number of MCO offences that have been committed so far. The only response I can offer is, as long as we call ourselves human beings, there would always be someone who has a mind of his own. I put my trust with the authorities to deal with such idiots.

Having said that, my only gripe with the relaxed MCO is still the closure of mosques and suraus. While the objective may be to prevent a large group of people from congregating, a partial (or sectional) opening of mosques should be made available. Most mosques in Malaysia have external corridors or verandahs, apart from the main prayer hall. These sections are enough to allow the occasional traveler, food-delivery guy, or policeman manning a roadblock to perform his prayer in peace and perhaps rest for a while. And he may use the moment to recite a du'a or two, asking the Almighty for assistance and guidance in this trying period. As it is now, we see photos of runners and cops praying by the roadside being posted on social media. Mosques in Singapore had made this facility available since the very start of their lockdown. They even marked out the prayer spaces on the floor so that no jemaah would stand close to one another. I fail to understand why we have not done the same.

I would even venture to suggest that the occasional 'solat berjemaah' be allowed, as long as the number of persons is small and appropriate spacing is practiced. An example of such a situation is when I stop at a mosque to pray and at the same time, there is another traveler with the same intention.

If the Prime Minister can allow Pak Salleh to open his restaurant provided the seating arrangement comply with the SOP, why can't he allow Pak Imam to open his mosque too?

In this month of Ramadhan, I am drawn towards a verse in the holy Al-Qur'an :

"And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way."

(Al- Baqarah, verse 186)

One local destination a month (2nd edition) - Part 3 : Masjid Raja Haji Fisabilillah, Cyberjaya

This delayed posting of the third place I visited this year would probably be the last one for quite a while. In the current global Covid-19 pandemic, local travel has been severely restricted. It is not clear when the lockdown would end but I guess it is better to remain at home rather than risk being infected and also spread the disease.

Our visit to the Masjid Raja Haji Fisabilillah at Cyberjaya, Selangor was made on 8 March 2020, ten days before the Malaysian government imposed the first Movement Control Order (MCO). We made the stop at the mosque on our way back to Johor Bahru after attending a friend's wedding reception at Shah Alam the day before. The mosque itself is nothing historical. It is of modern design, in line with most other buildings within the technocrat setting of the Cyberjaya township. My interest lies with the person the mosque is named after.

Raja Haji Fisabillah Ibni Opu Daeng Chelak (1727 - 1784) was a warrior of Bugis royal lineage. He was the younger brother of Raja Lumu who later became Sultan Salehuddin Shah, the first sultan of Selangor. Raja Haji was well-known for his bravery in fighting the Dutch colonialists. He was killed during a raid against the Dutch at Teluk Ketapang in Melaka. He was initially buried in Melaka but his remains were claimed by his descendants and re-buried at Pulau Penyengat near the city of Tanjung Pinang on Bintan Island in Riau, Indonesia.

I browsed Google Maps in search of the tomb (makam) of Raja Haji and was surprised to note that the cemetery at Pulau Penyengat is well-maintained and attracts many visitors and historians. The Indonesian government has also recognized the late warrior's achievement and awarded him with a posthumous title. In terms of straight-line measurement, the distance between the mosque at Cyberjaya and the tomb at Pulau Penyengat is only about 400km. Of course in seafaring terms, such a distance is quite amazing, considering the time period of those days.

If the Almighty permits, I would like to make a trip to Tanjung Pinang one day. As history has shown, the people of Selangor, Johor and Riau are closely related and were once the same nation.

Masjid Raja Haji Fisabilillah. Visited 8 March 2020

Side view

Interior of prayer hall

Commemorative plaque about its official opening

Open and bright hallway

Rear view

Google Earth image showing locations of mosque and tomb (click on picture to enlarge)