>8.6 earthquake near Aceh

SubhanAllah, a massive 8.6~8.9 earthquake near Aceh with tremor felt here in Penang.. I pray for the safety and mercy of Allah be upon the people in affected areas. Just as I wrote this entry, I can feel the floor is shaking;

'Ya Allah, berikanlah keselamatan dan kesabaran di atas hamba-hambamu yang engkau timpakan malapetaka ini, jadikanlah ia peringatan bagi yang terselamat dan sebagai afiat bagi yang menjadi mangsa, Amin'

I have never been to Aceh but it is the sole place outside Malaysia where I feel strongly attached to. I met brother Faisal Abdurrahman back in 2007 when I was an undergraduate in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. He moved to Malaysia after the Tsunami hit Aceh in 2004 and continue his Msc and Phd in UKM while making huge effort in bringing poor and orphan kids from Aceh to live and study in Malaysia. He is also an active daie' in comparative religion, and writer of several books on this topic. I was introduce to comparative religion study by him, and was invited to sponsor some of the expenses needed by the kids that he brought here. Some of them study to become Hafiz in several religious school and one of them has successfully graduated from UKM's Faculty of Islamic Study. Alhamdulillah, this achievement was fulfilled by brother Faisal's hard work and the supports given by kind hearted donor with Allah's permission. The kids have faced a lot of difficulty since the first time they arrived here even to the extent of being cheated and used by others as labor. Its a hard life for them back in Aceh and even in Malaysia, but we can help to relieve their burden simply by spending some of our excess income that Allah has lent us. May Allah mercy and Rasulullah's love be upon the provider and the one being provided, Amin..

bersama anak-anak miskin dan yatim Aceh, 2011

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