Saturday, March 1, 2008

I'm happy for them


Salam to all.

This is not a political posting or anything like that.
This is just about a family far away in Sacramento California.
A family that my whole family misses so much.
The family of my sister Nizah and her hubby Muhammad Yusuf Collins who several years ago made a hijrah from Dekalb in Illinois to Sacramento California.

The reason for the hijrah, Dekalb was not a good place to raise a Muslim family during that time.
So Yusufmade several trips to the West Coast to look for a more conducive place and one day he and his Egyptian friends stop at the Sacramento Islamic Centre for solat and there was this guy in the Islamic Centre. A guy with ikhlas in his face and his gait. Yusuf Islam!

Somehow my bro in-law knew Sacramento is the place for him and his family.
And finally Yusuf ,Nizah and Sabrina and Jaida made the hijrah across the continent

Yusuf started a store selling used/ 2nd hand sports equipment.Alhamdulillah as the years passed he is doing fine and will be opening his 2nd outlet soon( its ready just waiting for approval by the city council).

Since moving to California, they had came back to visit mak and us twice during their summer breaks. My nieces sabrina and Jaida always enjoyed the trip to Malaysia to see their Tok, Pak Long, Pak Lang, Pak Njang,Pak Tam, Pak Ndak ,Pak Uda and Maksu. And their cousins Hafiz, Haikal,Farah,Noy,Ismail,Anis,Alia and Adam.

And last year Alhamdulillah, a good Muslim person suddenly came to my sister at the Islamic Centre(my sister is active at the centre) and offered to sponsor my sister,Yusuf and their 2 daughters for Hajj! MasyaALLAH and Subhanallah. This guy(Arab descent) said he had a nazar to send someone for Hajj and when he knew my sister's volunteer works in Sacramento Islamic Centre he just knew he had to send Nizah for Hajj( before this Nizah's attempt for Hajj failed twice for immigrational procedures and ntah apa-apa lagi).What was suppossed to be a husband and wife Hajj turned out to be a family Hajj.

Ah...we miss them so much. Insya ALLAH will be reunited again.

Few days ago I received an e-mail from my sister in California.Apparently my bro-in-law's sports' equipment shop was Save With Dave website TV channel in USA.




Sabrina and Jaida

Sabrina Azmi: kakak and the penyabar

Jaida: adik so manja and overdramatic


Save With Dave: Fitness Equipment Savings

There are all kinds of new exercise gadgets and gizmos hitting the market these days. But if you do a little research, you could end up buying them at half price.

Getting in shape can be expensive but if you shop carefully it doesn't have to be.
Businesses that sell used exercise equipment make working out easy on your wallet.

Play It Again Sports sells all kinds of weights and workout gear. And over at Fitness For Less, owner Steve Collins(Muhammad Yusuf Collins) says buying used saves you about 50 to 75 percent.

"A home model treadmill that is quite new might be $1000. We might sell it for $500," said Steve.

Or, check this out, a weight set selling for about $25,000 new here is $850. Steve says they buy, sell and trade secondhand workout equipment. Anything you can think of to get a better body. From dumbells and jump ropes to stair climbers with a cool TV screen.

Most of the equipment is either from local gyms or people who didn't quite keep their new years resolution.

"And a lot of the stuff we get in is like new; it's hardly been used," said Steve.

Some stores offer a money back guarantee. So make sure you check the return policy before you buy.

Those popular elliptical machines sell for about $5,000 new. You'll pay about $1,800 used, a savings of more than $3,000.


(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

salam doc,
wah, sejuuuk dengar berita begini, especially bila keadaan sedang hangat berkempen.

wow! sports equipment shop, real coool!

ZABS said...

Salam TA,
Alhamdulillah. Syukur atas anugerah dari Allah itu.

Unknown said...

I think I know who needs that equipments most. We could all chip in and order a used bed for our beloved PM.

Glad to know about the sponsor thing.

Anybody wants to sponsor a fat teacher to Mekah?

Mior Azhar said...

Salam Doc,
Reading this entry brought smiles. we need this kind of feel good entry lar especially there's nothing you can read in the newspaper without you naik darah. Alhamdulillah. And Syukur. And am so happy for your sister's family. Fabulous looking nieces you got there.

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

doc, very interesting reading la this.

You know, California is of the weirdest places on earth but their culture diversity is immensed. Like it or not, its the place to be. California has its own sun!

but i'm not so sure la. cara pengajaran Islam dalam masyarakat diorang, terutama mereka y ang berdarah african-american ni agak lain sikit. Nation in Islam is a case in point. maybe jauh between NY and California but you get mmy point. what you think, macha?

Fauziah Ismail said...

Salam Tokasid
Happy for your sister and her family. I believe rezeki is everywhere.

tokasid said...

E:

Alhamdulillah,segala kerisauan dan kegelisahan mak bila adik decide to stay-on di US dah tak dak lagi.

tokasid said...

Pak Zabs:

Benar pak zabs. You never know how ALLAH will grant your wishes. Saya percaya jika seseorang itu berbulat hati dan ikhlas nak buat sesuatu kebaikan ALLAH akan datangkan anugerah dengan berbagai cara yg tak kita sangkakan.Apa yang adik saya dan keluarganya alami membuktikan.

tokasid said...

Che'gu:

Kat Melaka ni I knew someone who was a Sikh. He became a Muslim many years ago.Life was difficult for him for initially his family and non-muslim friends sort of boycotted him. To make it worse he didn't get the support from malay muslims( ni dah jadi lumrah, takat tak tolong takpa,siap gelaq matloh lagi!)

He opened a capati stall and is doing well. Somehow out of the blue a couple of years ago, a well known figure in the muslim community sponsored him for his haj.

So lets hope this well known gigure will somehow sponsor that fat teacher for Haj too,ameen.

tokasid said...

Pak Mior:

Thank you brother.

tokasid said...

Kerp;

Alhamdulillah in Sacramento its the Arabic community and not the NIS stuff.My sister is very active in the activities of the Islamic centre. They have regular islamic classes there.
I think thats why the made the hijrah bcoz dekalb is not favourable anymore( dulu2 Dekalb is one of the Malaysian students' destination).
Alhamdulillah her 2 daughters is able to read the Quran and perform the solat.

Thanks for your concern bro.Very thoughtful of you.

tokasid said...

Fauziah:

Very true,rezeki is everywhere. Samada kita nak berusaha atau tidak.

When Nizah told us she wanted to marry Stephen my Mak was like...very worried and kelam kabut. She thought she might not see her daughter again.Alhamdulillah her bro in-law ,my Pak Ngah told this one sentence to Mak and she finally agreed: Adik, di mana pun Nizah duduk ni kan bumi ALLAH jugak.Tak kisahlah di Malaysia ka di Amerika ka...la ni dah ada kapai terbang kalau dia nak balik pun dah senang.

true enough, she and Yusuf came back 5 times for the past 12 years.

mokk said...

Salam Mamat..

Gembira dengar berita adik u dah berjaya di tempat orang..

Ketentuan Allah..dan rezeki ada di mana-mana...