UEFA 020 - Versailles

UEFA 020 - Versailles

Next day, George drove us along the highway with Sedrika and Adrian. Along the way we passed by the Orly Airport. The highway was empty except with some shrubs and flowers in the centre median. There were no huge trees by the road shoulders as compared to the roads in the heart of Paris.

Soon I realized that we were visiting the Castle of Versailles. George told us that it used to be the residence of Napoleon Bonaparte the Great. I must say it was majestically beautiful. The doors and ceilings were very high and there were chandeliers lamps all over. There were, I think, hundreds of rooms. The castle tours only took us to some of the rooms opened to public.

Photography was not allowed.

Outside the castle was even more majestic. The garden was very vast and was decorated with elaborated species of flowers. Tiny fir trees accompanied the flowers at a sparse interval.

I think the castle was on a hill. Down at one side of the garden were palm trees and pond. Beyond the palm trees was a huge pond, which looked more like a lake. Beyond the lake were tall bushy trees faintly visible through the mist. On the other side was grass verge. Beyond the grass were some tall and bushy trees. Perhaps oak or elm trees.

On both sides, it was like an endless infinity beyond the mist. We could not see the fences or boundary walls. The Castle of Versailles is really very huge and the garden is blissfully vast.

Next day, George and Bettina went with us to tour Paris before sending us off at Gare de Lyon, for our return train trip to Geneva.

My wife and I had a little rift, when we arrived at Geneva. She was silent to my many suggestions. I became easily hurt by her silence, as though, she was ignoring me, or not happy with my plans or perhaps she was homesick, thinking of our young children back home. Though, I tried to tolerate, but, her complete silence just got me to my nerve.

Due to that incident, I cancelled my Jordan tour plan. At the ticket confirmation counter, I made a request for an immediate connecting flight to Singapore, without checking out in Amman.

Everything was arranged, and we were safely in the Royal Jordanian plane going back to Singapore via Kuala Lumpur.

440 words

~drafted on 10.12.2006

~edited on 19.03.2007

~at Woodlands avenue 5

~21:30 hrs

The End

005-5e The Cave 18 : 19 - How long did they sleep in the cave

Translation, Commentary & Explanation of Chapter 18 Al-Kahfi.

Literal Translation of verse 16.
And that was how We woke them up so that they asked one another. One of them asked,

"How long have you stayed here?"

Some of them answered,

"Perhaps a day or half-a-day."

The others answered,

"Your Lord knows best how long you have stayed here. So let one of you go to the town with some silver money, and buy some good food. He must be gentle and should not tell anyone of your affair"

Commentary by Imam Jalalain.
That was what We had done to the People of the Cave. We woke them up so that they asked among themselves of their condition and the period of their stay in the cave. They had entered the cave during sunrise, and they woke up during sunset, so some of them thought that they had been in the cave only for a day.

The Arabic word "wariqikum" means "your silver money". According to an opinion, the town was Tharasus. Good food signify lawful for eating.

+++++++++++to be continued+++++++++++++++++++++++

Sukiyaki

My Syifaa' & My Sukiyaki

Its my Syifaa' again in the lime light. This time, my adorable grand-daughter was at the Hei Sushi at Downtown East. Downtown East is somewhere in Pasir Ris, in eastern end of Singapore.

Look at her video attached for the way she get things organized for our best sushi outing, as far as her grand-father is concerned.

This sushi outlet has authentic HALAL certificate. It was my chnace to try the SUKIYAKI. Always heard about it in a song. Now is the chance to get to know 'her' better.

The Malays would say it is 'ayam masak kichap' which is Chicken cooked with black saltish soya bean sauce. Unfortunately I dont have a picture of Sukiyaki. Perhaps next trip.

005-4e The Cave - Chapter 18 : Verse 18

Translation, Commentary & Explanation of Chapter 18 Al-Kahfi.

Literal Translation of verse 18.
And you would have thought that they were awake, but they were asleep. We tossed them around to the right and to the left, while their dog stretched it's legs in front of the cave. And if you would have seen them, surely, you would have turn around and ran away with fear.

Imam Jalalain wrote that, if you would have seen them, you would think they were not asleep because their eyes were opened. God tossed them around so that their flesh was not worn out by the earth, while their dog strecthed it's front legs forward outside the mouth of the cave. When the youth tossed around, their dog also did the same. The dog was also sleeping although it's eyes were opened. Allah protected them by instilling fear to anyone who wanted to enter their cave, such that they were in a peacefully seclusion.

Dr Taqiuddin Al-Hilali & Dr Muhammad Muhsin Khan commented similar as the literal meaning above but added that the dog stretched its 2 forelegs at the entrance of the cave as a guard of the gate. Had you looked at them you would turn back and would have been filled with awe.

Muhammad Asad wrote that God turned them over repeatedly to the right and left and their dog lay on the threshold with its paws outstretched. An accidental onlooker would felt the mystic, awe-inspiring aura that surrounded the Men of the Cave, and would become concious that he stood before God's elect. This was the opinion of Iman Tabari, Razi, Ibnu Katsir and Baydawi.

+++++++++++++++++++++to be continued++++++++++++++++++++

UEFA 019 – Sedrika & Adrian

UEFA 019 – Sedrika & Adrian

Next morning, George & Bettina, introduced their children to us.

They were 2 boys. Sedrika was about 5 and Adrian about 3. They were very adorable and playful.

After a simple continental breakfast, my wife and I, made a trip to Paris city on our own via the metro (mass rpaid train). Very quickly, we got used to the orientation of the village town of St Maur.

We walked at slow pace to the train station, admiring every little thing that we saw and heard. We liked to hear the French people talk. We liked their accent.

Our mission to the city was to find a Jordanian Embassy, because, I intended to stay for a few days in Amman and tour some historical prophetic sites. Therefore, we probably will need a tourist visa. Their office in Geneva was closed, when we were there.

Although it was summer, it was cold for me. I was always looking for toilet, to relieve myself. We managed to find a public toilet, in the middle of a busy road, after a long search. We went down to the basement level. It was a common toilet for men and ladies. There were about 6 toilet cubicles. A man can be in the next cubicle to a lady. The cubicle was quite spacious, that 2 persons can be in the same cubicle.

Once again, liberalism had gone quite too far from a decent Asian lifestyles and customs.

From the toilet we walked along the road admiring the Etouile monument. After a while, I began to feel the chilled cold wind into my bones. We walked into the Galerie Lafayette, to get some warmth. Yes it worked well.

Shortly later we became thirsty. We sat in a café and bought 2 coffees. The waiters gave us 2 small cups and a can of hot black coffee. Sugars and milk are already on the tables.

The coffee was too thick for us. So I went to the counter and asked for some plain hot water, to dilute the coffee, but, it was still too thick for us to drink. I asked for more plain water and more sugar cubes. Still we found that it was not easy to sip their coffee. We realized later, that we had asked for Expresso by mistakes.

With all those misadventure, we were diverted from our earlier intention to find the Jordanian Embassy. It was getting late; we gave up the search and went home to St Maur. We reached there at about 9 pm, but it was not very dark yet, as it was summer. We found our way back to George’s house quite easily.

440 words~drafted on 10.12.2006

======will be continued==============
~edited on 19.03.2007

~at Woodlands avenue 5

~21:30 hrs

005-3e The Cave 18 : 17 The sun did not shine on them

Translation, Commentary & Explanation of Chapter 18 Al-Kahfi.

Literal Translation of verse 17.
And you will see that when the sun rise, it will be slanting to the right of their cave, and when the sun set, it will be slanting to the left, while they were in a spacious place in the cave. This is a sign of God. Whomsoever, God give guidance will be guided, and whom Heled astray, you will never find a guide to show them the way.

Commentary by Jalalain.
The sun ray did not touched them during sunrise and sunset. While they were in a spacious cave where there were free flow of fresh cooling breeze. This is a proof of the Greatness of God.

Commentary by Dr Taqiuddin & Dr Muhammad Muhsin Khan.
During sunrise the sun was declining to the right from the cave, and during sunset it was declining to the left. While they lay in the midst of the cave. That is one of the signs of Allah. He whom Allah guides, is rightly guided. He whom He sends astray, for him you will find no guiding friend to lead him to the right path.

Commentary by Muhammad Asad.
The rising sun incline away from their cave on the right, and the setting sun, turn aside from them on the left, while they lived on in that spacious chamber.
The cave opened to the north, so the that heat of the sun never disturbed them. I believe this is an echo of the many Quranic allusions to the hapiness of the righteous in paradise, i.e. in everlasting shades.

Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
The latitude of Ephesus was 38 degree North and well above the sun's northern declination. As the mouth of the cave was facing North, it would never have the heat of the sun within it, as the sunny side would be the south. If the youths lay on their backs with their faces looking to the north entrance of the cave, the sun would rise on their right and set on their left, leaving them cool and comfort. Such are among the signs of Allah.

The youths were rightly guided. As they had faith and trust in God, they found safety and refuge in the cave. They wereprotected from the persecution and violence of the Emperor.

Note: As you would have noticed, I am not translating the commentaries word for word, but more like a summary.

========With the will of God this will be continued=========