Of actions and trickeries.

I haven't written a blogpost for the longest time and I'm not sure if I can or know what to say.

This blog, as I repeatedly read through the archives, reminds me of how hopeful I get when I'm in love. Most of the posts were written with such intense love and I remember those moments; I was usually so overwhelmed by this feeling of being blessed to know a beautiful soul and I needed to put those feelings into writing. And I did just that. Again and again.

Therefore, know that it fills me with disgust that I could have ever felt that strongly for a liar and a cheater. I'm ashamed to have poured my utmost effort in a false relationship. It was a terribly drawn out lie.

But I will always stand amazed at how things unravel and gets revealed like candy from a burst pinata.

Yes. I was blind for some time, beating away insecurities and nagging feelings when I hit the only colourful culprit who has been keeping secret side candies.

I'm over him but one can never get over betrayal. No. I keep that in my mind every time I meet someone new.


______



On a much much happier note, I am currently pursuing my PhD in Anthropology here in Australia. I've had to learn a lot of new social theories and am on unfamiliar grounds but infinitely feeling happier and more confident than before.

God's plans are always great. Alhamdulillah. :)


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Hopefully, by publishing this post, I can somehow carry this blog onwards. I have no love to write about but then love is not the only act in life and I might have some other tricks up my sleeve. ;)

Golda Mowe's Iban Dream

A unique work of fantasy fiction based on real beliefs, taboos and terminology of the Iban to weave an epic tale of good versus evil.

The book reads like a fairy tale; descriptive and lacking the intimacy of dialogues. However, I think this is an appropriate tone for a book that targets a younger audience. And yet, the richness of cultural and mythical description keeps a curious adult interested in the book. The story unfolds quickly and I feel that a lot happened in a book that is a few counts shy of 300 pages.

I love finding out about the Iban beliefs, presented in a folklore / legend / myth. I can't help but wish I can be more personally attached to the hero, Bujang Maias, via a more fiction-styled writing. Some parts of the writing did veer towards humanising the characters more and you get a touch of realism in the characters but then the author starts to describe the details of rituals and rites and actions in a somewhat dry manner that washed away the intimacy a reader was beginning to get.

For a fan of myths and culture, I still enjoy the information the book is saturated in but I am not sure people who expect to read a fantasy-fiction would be so entertained by the somewhat dryness of the retelling of this Iban legend.

By the end of the book, I am raring to find out more about the culture and beliefs of our Borneo part of Malaysia but there lacks for me the bitter-sweet end of a literary journey with a hero.

I am, however, duly afraid of Hornbills after reading the book.

How my late father stays a superhero.

My father passed away back when I was 13. Most people won't ask me about my father once they knew that but I love gushing over him. He remains a hero to me.

I look up to him in all aspects of his life. I admire his achievements, his humility, his silence and even his hobbies. I bought a guitar with my first pay just because my fondest memories of us together were our nightly sessions of playing oldies on his guitar. I took up architectural studies just because he used to have this hobby of designing dream houses.

To me, he was a perfect man. And he stayed perfect because I didn't get the chance to grow up and feel jaded about him. He passed away while I was still a girl worshipping her father. I didn't get the chance to use my critical eye on him.

Thinking back, he didn't really open up about his past to me. That's probably because I was still a child. After he passed away, my mum slowly opened up and tell us stories but she took care to always make sure they were stories that let him remain on this pedestal that I've created for him. Perhaps my mum realised earlier on that my father became the muse in most of my achievements. I fought very hard to become the daughter I imagine my father wants me to become.

Nearing 30, I realise that my father has his flaws. He went through some wild years when he was a student. He was a man with very few friends. When we go back to his hometown, my mum was the more amiable one.

Perhaps, my mum really became both mother and father after he passed away. She kept him bright in our minds, a beacon that drove us towards our dreams and aspirations. This simple housewife, who lost her husband while all 5 of her children were still studying, knew that looking up to a father who was perfect, successful  superlative, is the best way to spur us on.

I love my father for all the inspiration he has left me.

I love my mother for all the aspirations she lets me have.

Back for a bit

I am currently trying to conjure up a new research proposal that will hopefully bring me to a new field (and a new continent) insyaAllah.

I am currently unemployed / freelancing just to sustain a comfortable enough living, pay the bills and meet the loved ones, alhamdulillah.

*pause*

I'll try to come back with some substance.

Problem solving.

The problem with surrounding ourselves with people who give compliments freely is that we are so pampered to the point of not budging from this comfort zone.

The problem with surrounding ourselves with people who give non-constructive criticism is that we are so deep inside a ditch we keep digging to disappear from their eyes to the point of not being able to get out and explore our true potential.

The problem with letting ourselves get caught by these people, well, is a problem we can solve by running away...

... to the people we know can help us build ladders with supportive and constructive criticism, the people we know truly understands our potential and our limits, the people we know knows us too well to let us falter with fear or malaise.

One of those people is the one we see in the mirror. :)

Things Left Unsaid.

I have tried and I must come to terms that there is no good out of all my efforts for you. 

I can choose to ignore your negativity because it has become detrimental to my own emotions. I see no point of looking for you because you are hazardous to the calm and peace of my life.

I've worked very hard to sustain serenity through confiding in Allah, trusting Allah and being forever grateful to Allah. I'm working very hard to keep progressing in this manner. I feel like this is the healthiest I have ever been emotionally and mentally. I don't need your worldly troubles and worries to invade this positive space I've created around me. 

I'm not shutting you out completely but please leave your bitterness and negativity outside before you enter my private space. Thank you.

God bless you surely yet I hope your heart is unveiled enough to realise how cruel you have been to forget His blessings.

Eid Mubarak

Eid Mubarak to friends, acquaintances and strangers. I apologise for all of my wrongdoings and faults, intentionally or unintentionally, physically, mentally and emotionally. I'm merely human and am grateful to be given another day to reflect and repent.

Eid ulFitri means many things literally. It could mean a celebration for the end of fasting. It could mean a celebration for paying your alms dutifully. It could also mean a celebration for personal progress.

Whichever it may be to us, I hope our Ramadhan was fruitful and full of barakah. May Syawal bring us victory and blessings.

May He grace us with His Love and Mercy and allow us another Ramadhan to celebrate. InsyaAllah. :)

Of Early Education for Muslims

When I was young and went to the madrasah, we were told to Fear instead of Love Allah and to reap His rewards like collecting game-points.

"Do this so that you'll get enough merit to enter Jannah. Why? Because Jannah is the happiest place ever. You can get anything you want!"


"Fear Allah because He will punish you, because He is Powerful. Yes, He is Merciful but it is not a sign of respect if you say you love Him. How can you Fear someone you Love? Better to Fear than Love."

It always made me feel like I'm in the wrong for feeling like we are all just being selfish and greedy by wanting to enter Jannah because it's a wonderful place and not because it means our love is His and He loves us.

It always made me wonder if any one of my God-fearing (but not loving) classmates would end up resenting Him for all the punishments He gave but will not be grateful for the even greater Blessings and gifts He showered us with.

Also, the 6 years in the madrasah were filled with failed attempts to explain religion scientifically because, I suspect probably quite correctly, that the teachers do not see science or philosophy as integral aspects of dakwah and do not promote questions among their students. They are really just reciters of what they've learned before.

It's in the books written by other scholars, therefore, it must be true. No need to cross-reference with science or philosophy.

I am blessed to have gone to an Islamic University to study Architecture. Architecture students are taught to question everything. Our favourite question is "why" and so it is to no surprise that we were the more eager to understand beyond the written statements of scholars about Islam. If there is a philosophy behind it, we wanted to understand that. If Islam is the truth, we wanted to see how science is explained and accepted in Islam.

We questioned but not to raise anarchy. We questioned to eradicate those inkling of doubt that came in our heads when logic did not mesh up with what the teachers of our youthful madrasah preached about.

One of the first things I learned from the numerous religious classes by the university is that our religion is about knowledge. The first revelation that was sent down to Our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by Jibril (AS) is "Read". Searching for knowledge is a kind of Islamic jihad. Well, if you make it your Islamic jihad, of course.

So it saddens me when these teachers who had the first chance to dip their knowledge into the minds and hearts of young Muslims aren't well-versed in philosophy and science, enough to answer the simple yet profound questions that came from children. They will shape our children's perspective of Islam and what we fear is the blind faith of those racing to be the ones with the most points to get into Jannah, greedy for the material rewards awaiting them.

Let's instil the greed for Allah's Love and Mercy in ourselves and our children.
Let's not let them think only of the many nubile virgins, delicious foods and wonderful rewards waiting for them if they go through motions and rituals.
Let's not assume their questions are not important enough to be answered seriously.

Bismillah and InsyaAllah.

Conquered by the Scandinavian.

Part of my job is to look for trends and websites for one of our lifestyle magazines. Recently, I compiled a trend page on Scandinavian furniture.I think I'm falling in love with the cosiness and masculine protective vibe that Scandinavian designed rooms exude. Here are some photos I borrowed from +obsessilicious. I couldn't find the sources for most of these so I can only point you all to the blog that I sourced it from.

I've added some comments on why I'm particularly drawn to these photos.

Enjoy the domestic Viking voyage below! :)

What I love about Scandinavian design style is how eclectic the furniture is allowed to get yet the room sustains a very homey and cosy ambience. 

I love the combination of the fluted timber wall and glass curtain wall. This picture is hauntingly beautiful especially because of how the vegetation indoors is more lush than those outdoors.

Low concrete ceiling and gorgeous mix of designer chairs. Not to mention the splendid view of the courtyard. How 'secret agent' is this?

If there's exposed roof trusses, I'll be staring upwards with a beatific smile plastered on my face. Combine this with a glass atrium and gorgeous trees blocking the views from outsiders. Imagine this room at night. Very bachelor-pad-ish but I'm betting this gets the guy lucky.

This is more modern, to my opinion. Especially with the neutral tones found in finishing and matching furniture. The design is not so harsh because of the curvaceous furniture and lush outdoor view.

A sunken kitchen! I love level changes in homes. It signifies the room boundaries without being overly closed-up and exclusive. And, of course, the timber finishes makes the kitchen more inviting and cosy.

A modern rugged take. Very minimal in furniture choice, finishings and layout but incredibly cosy.

I must admit that the bookshelves caught my eyes in this one. I don't really like the fireplace being soooo near to all those books. It looks unsafe for humans and literature.

The timber plank walls! The black stone flooring! And I'm guessing (or hoping) that the stairs are a mix of marble slabs and steel. Sexy materials all in one room. 

I'm not a fan of too much clutter (even though my room is in a constant state of clutter) but the dining table with mixed designs of chairs always remind me of the Mad Hatter's tea table, which I love and want for my own.

More glass curtain walls with huge trees outdoors! Not a fan of the bare concrete bricks walls paired with the Scandinavian furniture, though. Somehow, it doesn't mesh well.

Anyone who knows me understands my obsession with patterns. I also have an obsessive adoration to material juxtaposing. This photo is incredibly sexy to my eyes and I can only imagine running my hands along the fenestrations and grooves.

Sink or swim : Friendship

The concept of friendship is something that becomes clearer the older you get and the more mistakes you make (as in the more fake friends, toxic friends or mismatched friends). I think there must be so many labels out there on these "negative" friends yet the simplest "true friend" is enough to encompass all that is positive from this relationship.

Friendship, to me, has always been a more important aspect in life than romance (maybe because I lack the latter in my life thus far) and so I may over-think the things concerning friends. Fall-outs happen and I try to figure out why it happened and whether it could have been prevented.

Whatever it is, it's a relationship between two people. And like a relationship of romantic love, you need to work things out. Communication, trust, balance. If you don't have those, no relationship may work, even the unconditional love ones with your family.

Sometimes people are not aware of how they hurt you. Most of the time, good intentions turn into bad situations but I've always believed that this always happens if you're not being true to yourself. We, being human, like to dress up our selfish needs as good intentions. Come on. Don't deny it.

But just be careful to not be toxic to your friends as well as not to keep friends who are toxic to you.

(Here is a helpful page to help you identify you toxic friends or, God forbid, your own toxic traits)

If you're doing a favour, do it because you really are sincere and not because you want a reward.

If you're lending a helping hand, help because you know you are able to and your friend is in need and not because you want to look good or get some brownie points out of it.

If you actually have some hope or expectations of a reward or payment, tell them. If they are really a friend to you, they'd appreciate the honesty.

If you just can't seem to be honest with them, well, what's the point anyway?

The older you get, the oftener you tend to count your true friends. But why don't we make a difference here by counting how many people we are being true friends to. 

I'm still working on being a friend when you're in need. InsyaAllah I'll be a better one in the future. Bismillah.

Mid-year Updates and Check-ups.

I haven't updated anything personal for quite some time. I have been keeping a written journal just to unleash the sometimes overwhelming adoration I feel towards him, so that is not a necessary topic to put here. Just know that I am happy and delighted to have found someone I can joke freely and talk deeply to. Alhamdulillah. If He feels this to be the best for us, then let it be the best we want.

I got into RCA. Mixed feelings about this as I'll be leaving behind a home I've known for 28 years and finally venturing out on my own. This is scary regardless of how old you are when the time comes. I just think I'm lucky to have the chance after technology has made the world a smaller place. Skype, WhatsApp, Viber and all kinds of communication tools to keep me in touch with the other side of the world.

We're at the other half of 2012 already. I think it's time to check the resolutions made and see how we've been so far, don't you?

Be nicer, be smarter, be stronger, be prettier.

I think being a bit more positive this year by being more grateful and realising that I have debts to pay Him, I've tried to be a better person. There's no limit to being nice and I think I still need more work there.

Working in editorial after a long hiatus has taught me a lot. This time around, I'm learning new tricks and re-learning forgotten ones.

I still cry easily but it doesn't mean I give up. There's no harm in giving in to some tears but there's a lot of wasted time in giving in to self-pity. And getting older makes me realise that time goes by so effortlessly fast and progressing with it is a much better thing to do than dwelling on pasts.

My self-esteem problem is not as terrible as before and therefore, I feel much more attractive. But I should probably work on being more healthy and fit.

At least 20 non-fiction books must be consumed.

This is terrible. I haven't done anything about this. And I'm going to be a M.Phil student soon. How embarrassing!

Tawbah, Tawakal, Sabar. Repeat daily.

Sometimes I forget. Nauzubillahiminzalik. I need to work harder on the "repeat daily" part there.

Write something daily. Draw something daily.

Have been writing daily since it's part of my job. Haven't been drawing daily, though. Might need to remedy that. Maybe at least an hour with my moleskine every night?





So far, this year has been a good year. I am blessed, alhamdulillah. I hope I deserved every single blessing. If I don't yet, I hope I shall continue working on deserving all this.

I hope the year has been kind to all of you too. Remember that difficulties may be tests from Him but that also means a chance to "increase your CGPA" with Him. So let's all work hard because it's not the end until the end of our breath.

Alhamdulillah and insyaAllah.

Sets of Pillars

Being a ( self-proclaimed ) Architecture Nerd, I am expected to be obsessed with building elements. Like pillars.

But this post is not going to be about those tangible posts that help sustain the roof, the walls and even the floors as well as help communicate the foundation to the structures above. ( sigh )

Nope.

This post is about the religious pillars. ( No, not those you found in prayer halls. )

Ok.

There's a bad habit among us. We tend to be fairly single-track-minded bunch of people so we forget that there are the Pillars of Islam and there are also the Pillars of Imaan. I'm not saying we forget how to recite them. I'm just observing how we don't really try to have a proper understanding of these pillars, which I believe ( since they are called 'pillars' anyway ) are the main things we need to focus and strengthen on.

Sure, you may argue that you have been upholding and practising the 5 Pillars of Islam ( Or maybe 4 since Hajj is for those who are able to) daily. But rituals don't make you a proper Muslim. Have we been focusing on our faith too?

Have we been deepening your understanding of the 6 Pillars of Imaan?
Have we been accepting Qada' and Qadar and understanding the philosophy of life?
Have we been studying about the end of days and death and afterlife?
Have we been reading of the prophets and gleaning lessons from them?
Have we been reading the revealed books, not just the Quran?
Have we been aware of the existence of the angels and their jobs and how we encounter them every day, really?
Have we been believing Him as we should strongly believe in Him because we believe in all that He has created and given?

( I always believe that the 6 pillars of Imaan is arranged according to how important and deep your belief gets once you've achieved them. Therefore, I think people start to have faith when they try to understand philosophy in life and after-life. And that leads to learning from examples that are from the prophets and the revealed books. And then we attain the proper belief to the intangible beings and all creation. This leads to a string belief of Allah, the Great Creator. )

I think the 5 pillars of Islam that we build will be just empty rituals if we don't have the 6 pillars of Imaan readied in our hearts.

Let's look at it constructively. We can't build 6 pillars on top of 5 pillars. Our building will collapse. Therefore, have faith ( which we can strengthen through understanding ) before we can build our Islamic self. So that the Muslim in us is not and empty veneer but something that withstands loads because we have our Imaan.

That is why it is scary to meet those who practise the 5 pillars but refuse to do more than verbally dictate the pillars of Imaan without eradicating any rising doubts within them. It's ok to question your belief so long as you strive to find the answers with an open-mind ( and question with an open-mind ). Be a quality Muslim. Know and understand why you pray and believe.

When your Imaan is strong and your practice is fulfilled, here is where Ihsan should be attained as best as you can.

Bismillah and InsyaAllah.

An Anecdote on Personal Views.

When you're young and voicing out your opinions immediately makes you feel so smart and wise beyond your years. It's the selfish pride of having opinions, really. Sometimes utterly baseless. Sometimes filled with projections and anecdotes to satisfy a very biased perspective. Sometimes purely self-indulgent to the point of believing the path you are on is the only right path and anyone who agrees with you are also smart and wise and beyond their years.

A youth starts off tottering and jostled about by the current of objectivity. The innate urge to be 'awesome' and amount to something puts energy into your rebellious mind and you start to swim upstream, feeling all powerful against the current. But then again, my dear, all salmons swim upstream to die the same death.

Enter the point of believing you are the savior, the maverick, the hero everybody is waiting for. Your every word, every emotional outburst, every creation is a gift from God. You hold to that belief. They will start to see it your way. And then they'll be on the right path. Your ideas will stir the mass into an inspired confusion of admiration. Oh this what you see in your bubble of air, safe and sound from the "mass" but indifferent to those similarly trapped in their personal bubbles.

Come out, child. Burst your bubble. Don't worry much because the air is sweeter out here. Look around and realise that you are not alone. Everybody is in an infinitely wide pool, seemingly aimless but surely they swim to a point only they can see. Question them if you can't see what they see but never try to steer them to a course they do not need or want to go to. If you are lucky, they'll let you in for a while and you can sip a bit of their air in their flavour of choice. You might not like it but please be polite and take a taste. You might be surprised how flavours added to yours can create an entirely new and wonderful kind of vision.

Get high and visit their castles in the air and maybe your own will start to look more solid and real and no storm can break it away from that pinnacle of success you're climbing to.

Good luck. If you crash, fear not. Not everybody is stuck in their own bubble or floating aimlessly along the current. Sometimes you'll find another soul flitting around like you. If you crash, there'll be others to help you up, if you say please.

Good luck and think again and again.

Jobless no more!

Senior Writer.

Try saying that with a wide smile and a dreamy gaze in the eyes. That's how I say it.

*smiles dreamily* Senior Writer.

I'm back to doing something that I've always enjoyed (and hopefully prove to have a talent for). I'm writing for architecture, design and interior magazines. I used to work part-time as an Editorial Assistant for Blueprint Asia way back when I was taking my M.A. This time around, I'm working full time as a Senior Writer for 2 magazines!

It's not so strenuous, I hope, since both of the magazines aren't monthly issues. Home Concepts is bi-monthly whereas SPACE is issued quarterly.

:)

I'm just thoroughly happy that I get to do what I love to do.

*adjusts imaginary Architecture Nerd glasses because I'm actually wearing contact lenses*

I see you everywhere.

I think, for most of us, what we find attractive is really a sort of familiarity because it evokes fond memories of peaceful times. Also, familiarity is a consistency and consistency shows stability. We are attracted to familiar faces because, in love, we crave nothing more than stability.

But we didn’t stop to think if it’ll hurt to see the faces that remind us of the ones that didn’t work out.

Motions and Rest

What I want to do most of the time is drive slowly through quietened cities at ungodly hours with a playlist that makes me want to glide down endless roads. See how the buildings give out a more subdued urban feel, the kind of feeling you get when a paternal figure sings a lullaby in soft tones and deep voice and you can read the protectiveness beneath the strength. The lights, harshly reflected on passing cars, are shy observers that wait for me to go by without a thank you but I can't imagine the city without its yellow-washed midnight glamour.

And someone to sit beside me, static and loyal and familiar, as we move through the emptiness as if we own every single corner of the city. The past, the present, the future, all tossed into this mix of motions and rest.

A love like that. A love like a mix of motions and rest where we are in constant play of gestures and words and situations yet we find, subliminally, the rest we most desperately need within each other. A love like that. I should hope to have.

Concrete Love.

I swear I am totally in love with PJ Trade Centre. Yes, the building. Every time I drive past it, I feel like a school girl walking past her crush's classroom. Honestly, I did not expect to love the building this much. Most buildings that impress me on magazine spreads disappoint me in real life.

For instance, Lasalle College of The Arts in Singapore. There was a time where every local or Asian architecture magazine gushed over how beautiful the building is and videos kept popping up with the building as a setting. I couldn't wait to see the building in real life.

Unfortunately, it did not take my breath away. In my opinion, it felt very much like walking through a blown up conceptual model by an architecture student, placed in a space because there happened to be a space.

That did not happen when I visited PJ Trade Centre for the first time. I love the contrast of materials. I love the joints. I love the colours. I love the transparency of its walls. I love the language it speaks.

My students thought I was crazy as I smiled lovingly at the concrete walls and ran my hands over the fair-faced exposed brick walls.

By the way, I stole these photos from their official website.

I can't wait to go there to pay my taxes.

(Oh the smartest subliminal tyranny our government probably unintentionally carried out.)

Let's take a walk through the corridors with music.

Calling architecture enthusiasts and appreciators.

I have this idea. Let's choose a building and each have a set of songs / playlist to listen to while we 'experience' the building. I bet the music would influence the paths we choose, the views we notice and the details we admire. Write or sketch the observations made while still influenced by the music.

"Add the present influences of space & music to the past influences of background & lifestyle. Subjectivity in architectural appreciation." I tweeted just now.

It would be an interesting project, won't it? Documenting how differences in immediate influences and subconscious influences shape our perception. :)

So who's interested?

Promises.

It's that time of the year again. The end. And the imminent beginning of a new one. It's time for us to start making promises to ourselves. (And feel rotten for not keeping the ones we made earlier this year.)

I've never made new year resolutions but since 2011 proved to be such a blow to my confidence and self-esteem, I think goals need to be set to make sure I am back on track and progressing gracefully. Here are my 2012 resolutions.



Be nicer, be smarter, be stronger, be prettier.


I can get carried away saying spiteful things about people. Sometimes I make the worse assumptions out of something so small. I'm also very temperamental and I need to curb my anger better.

I think I've neglected gaining knowledge ever since I got my dreams shot down by an academician I used to look up to. He turned out to be a sort of academic egomaniac who'd only entertain those with the potential to be his puppets. My research goal did not fit his idea of academic progress and so he shot it down and refused to be open about it. It really got to my confidence. I felt like my dream is too big and nobody is there to support my climb. 

And then a mistake of a relationship happened right when I was distraught and worried about my dreams and future. I let go of my passion for knowledge. I let go of my believes. I did not think straight. I think I refused to think much and just feel, which is stupid and weak. Never again.

Also, don't let somebody use your physical insecurities to play with your heart and mind. I'm done with feeling ugly and shabby and fat. 

At least 20 non-fiction books must be consumed.

Unfortunately, I am very slow at reading non-fictions. That is not good. Reading books other than fiction will help me be smarter.

Tawbah, Tawakal, Sabar. Repeat daily.

Repent all the time, trust Him all the time and face everything that comes my way with more grace. Talk to Him all the time. And be more patient.

Write something daily. Draw something daily.

I need to write at least a paragraph daily, be it in this blog or in a journal. I do not want to lose my writing skill. It could be about anything. Just write.

And draw or doodle. Keep drawing because I love lines and colours, pens and papers. Do it because you need to always give attention to what you love, right?

So here's hoping I keep promises to myself and insyaAllah. :)

Don't use the Quran as your weapon.

الْخَبِيثَاتُ لِلْخَبِيثِينَ وَالْخَبِيثُونَ لِلْخَبِيثَاتِ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلطَّيِّبِينَ وَالطَّيِّبُونَ لِلطَّيِّبَاتِ أُولَئِكَ مُبَرَّءُونَ مِمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ

"Women impure are for men impure, and men impure for women impure and women of purity are for men of purity, and men of purity are for women of purity: these are not affected by what people say: for them there is forgiveness, and a provision honourable." Quran (24:26)



People tend to quote the ayat up till "for women of purity" and follow up their "quotation" with some judgemental statement about how some 2 people deserve each other. The main point of this ayat, I feel, is really the second part. It is about repentance and we are all in His Mercy.

So really. Who are we to judge? Stop speculating on others. If you can't love them, love Him.