on turning 20

today i turn 20. technically i was born at 2000 GMT (greenwich meridian time), so by that time it was already 4 am in malaysia, 24th march. But never mind those little stuff, 'di mana bumi dipijak di situ langit dijunjung' (wherever we step on this earth, that is where we uphold the sky). maybe that old saying has a divine meaning. Wherever we are, London, malaysia, singapore, JB and some say Batam, that is where we must glorify our God. i love how our malay ancestors are so clever in giving hidden meanings in their phrases :-)

so, 20 years ago. i was born in the month of ramadhan. my dad called an ambulance to take my mum to the hospital, and it took some 12 hours before i was born (stubborn from day 1? @.@) that was the first time they rode in an ambulance, and my dad broke his fast with a can of Coke. (Wow, must be nerve-wrecking waiting for your son to come out, not being able to get out and get some chicken or fish and chips. i guess he was too worried to think about eating)

and then my dad named me Ikmal (perfecting/perfect), because he thought that with my arrival  his family was complete :')

trivia: i never got to celebrate with my family since i was 12, because 23rd March is never a school holiday.

the previous 2 paragraphs came from my mum and dad's birthday email wish, now that it's a trend to write long wishes on blogs/emails/messages..there are other things they said which i think is better to cherish in private..thank you very much Mama and Baba..tangkap leleh woo baca email tu :-)

When i think about it, its funny how we may have lived 20 years or so, only to obtain significance and meaning in the past 1 year. God has his wise ways.

And thank you, my ikhwah (brothers), for the midnight celebration. Its not about the cake, its the company :-)

Lots of people wish 'may Allah bless you' or 'may your iman increase' etc. The Prophet SAW once said

"Whosoever Allah wishes for him goodness, He gives him understanding in the Deen"

So maybe your prayers are being answered, my facebook friends.

so turning 20. one year older, lots more responsibilities, lots more work to do before we can obtain the keys to the East and the West, and the keys to Heaven.

Sultan Mehmed al-Fatih captured Constantinopel when he was in his 20s.

Usamah bin Zayd was also around this age when the Prophet SAW sent him as the leader of a military expedition.

i hope i can achieve that quality with the gift of youth.

that's what turning 20 means to me.