Qur'an 20211021

 In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

147.  If they belie you say, "Your Lord is full of Mercy, All-Forbearing, and never will God's Wrath be turned back from people who are sinners."

148.  Those who worship others will say, "If Allah had willed, we would not have taken partners with God, nor would our fathers, and we would not have taboos."  Likewise belied those who were before them, until they tasted Our Wrath.  Say, "Have you any knowledge that you can produce before us?  Verily, you follow nothing but conjecture and you do nothing but lie."

149.  Say, "With Allah is the perfect proof and argument.  Had God so willed, God would indeed have guided you all."

150.  Say, "Bring forward your witnesses who can testify that Allah has forbidden thus."  Then if they testify, do not confirm them.  And you should not follow the vain desires of those treat Our Signs as falsehoods, and those who believe not in the Hereafter, and they hold others as equal with their Lord.

151.  Say, "Come I will rehearse what your Lord has prohibited you from."  Join not anything in worship with God, be good and dutiful to your parents, kill not your children because of want- God provides sustenance for you and them, commit not shameful acts whether secretly or openly, and take not life for Allah forbids it except for just cause.  Thus has God commanded you that you may understand.

(The Cattle 6:147-151)

Just an average day

 

Hi Natty! What's happening today, my love?  I hope you are doing and feeling well, and enjoying yourself.  It's just an average day here for me.  I got a haircut in the morning.  Then I stopped by the supermarket and picked up some frozen beef neck bones.  I'm tired of using a fish for soup stock, mostly because I find it tedious to separate the meat from the bones.  No matter how hard I try, there's always a fish bone in my soup.  Beef bones don't have much meat on them usually, but it's easier to separate them from the soup.  It's also a different flavor, but I need to beware how much salt I put in it.  Let's see, I think I paid RM9 for 8 bones.  I usually pay about RM1 or so for one fish.  Although I might miss looking at the guy's face when I buy just one mackerel, I think beef bones are a better deal because I can use them again.  I just got done simmering the broth for Friday's ramen.  Ramen is such a serious procedure for me!  Anyway, gotta go.  I love you!

Qur'an 20211020

 In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

142.  And of the cattle are some for burden and some for meat: eat of what Allah has provided for you, and follow not the footsteps of Satan.  Surely he is to you an open enemy.

143. Eight in pairs: of the sheep a pair and of goats a pair.  Say, "Has God forbidden the two males or which the wombs of the two females enclose?  Inform me with knowledge if you are truthful."

144.  And of camels a pair and of oxen a pair.  Say, "Has God forbidden the two males or the two females or which the wombs of the two females enclose?  Were you present when Allah ordered you such a thing?"  Then who does more wrong than one who invents a lie against Allah, to lead humans astray without knowledge.  Certainly Allah guides not the people who are wrongdoers.

145.  Say, "I find not in that which has been revealed to me anything forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be carrion, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine, for it is an abomination, or what is impious on which a name has been invoked other than Allah's.  But if a person were forced by necessity without willful disobedience nor transgressing due limits, certainly your Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

146.  And unto those who are Jews, We forbade them every with undivided hoof, and We forbade them the fat of the ox and the sheep, except what adheres to their backs or their entrails, or is mixed up with a bone.  This in recompense for their willful disobedience, for We are True.

(The Cattle 6:142-146)

Movie night

 

Hi Natty!  How are you, Honey?  You must be very popular right now, and I suppose you are having lots of fun being a social butterfly.  Enjoy it while it lasts, Sweetie.  Please make sure you keep yourself safe and healthy.  It's been a nice, relaxing day for me today.  I didn't go anywhere, I didn't have to go anywhere, I got left alone all day!  What do you think of the song above?  It's got a nice melody and very easy lyrics.  Mary doesn't want to sing it because it's too easy.  What a diva!  I think she's right though.  The song doesn't suit her.

Tonight is movie night!  Let's watch a movie, shall we?  The good news is that this movie is on YouTube, so it's free to watch!  Tonight's movie is "Hunk"(1987).

To be honest with you Natty, I couldn't sit through the entire movie.  But perhaps you and your big brother would enjoy it.

The sundry shop

 

Hi Natty!  How's it going?  Are you enjoying your bike ride?  You have strong feet, so I'm sure you enjoy those uphill climbs.  My legs are messed up so I have to climb uphill on my back, like I'm pushing myself underneath a car.  Damned Public Eye.  I messed up my feet from working in the food business.  You don't have to put up with that sort of distraction.

Oh what happened yesterday was that sundry shops were closed from the crossroads to downtown, about a 2 mile stretch North-South.  I get my 20 liter water bottle refill at the closest sundry shop.  They weren't the only one shut down, so I thought there was some plot going on to force me to drink sugar water and get diabetes.  There was a plot, but not that.  It turned out that they reopened after I got my water from a sundry shop further west.  I guess they wanted someone else to get my patronage for once.  The same thing happens at the night market, when some hawkers don't show up so others get the business.  I suppose it's similar to the "song by some rapper featuring the chick singer and the rock star" that you find in the music business.  I think they wanted me to get my water from somebody other than the one I went to but hey, tap water would be safe to use if I boiled it.  It's better than traveling long distances with a heavy 20 liter bottle of water on my motorcycle.

Sundry shops are like miniature supermarkets around here.  They sell pretty much everything you may need, some even have apparel and dine in.  Not to be confused with convenience stores because the owners open and close whenever they feel like it, which makes them very inconvenient.  Sundry shops have pretty much looked the same ever since I was a tiny kid, except nowadays they have coolers and sliced bread.  You won't find many of them in the big city but out here in the backwoods, they're everywhere.

Qur'an 20211018

 In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

134.  All that has been promised unto you will come to pass, nor can you frustrate it.

135.  Say, "O my people!  Do whatever you can.  I will do.  Soon will you know whose end will be in the Hereafter.  Certain it is that the wrongdoers will not prosper."

(The Cattle 6:134-135)

Water

 

Hi Natty!  How are you today, Honey?  I hope that all is well with you, and you are having a great time.  Not much going on over here other than the same old same old.  Well, there is the issue of drinking water.  I don't drink the tap water here, so I get usually get drinking/filtered water in 20 liter bottles.  Suddenly it's become unavailable, unless I want to drive far on motorcycle.  Ugh, water is heavy.  Maybe it's time to upgrade to bottled mineral water.  Ugh, it's still a long drive for that.  But I'm not going to consume colored sugar water as a substitute.