Dato' Sainy Edris (16.8.1949 - 25.3.2024).

 Wed 27.3.2024.

Each fasting month I'd do my terawih prayers at the mosque. This year I'd chosen masjid Sg. Landak, being closer home, and for reasons that merit a separate narrative.  So on Monday evening 25.3.24 I was there before the Isya' prayers, followed with the terawih. But it rained heavily right past the terawih. Coming on my scooter, I had to wait for the rain to stop before going home. So it was almost 11 pm before I opened the smartphone and got the sad news of my old friend, Sainy's, passing at the TJH around 6 pm. Foo had called, but the phone was on mute. Sainy would have been 74 years and 7 months.

Late January we visited a stricken Sainy at the private Pantai Hospital in Air Keroh, Melaka. He had fallen, while visiting his daughter. They put him on life support, and wanted to do some serious procedure because of the life-threatening situation. We advised the children to quickly consider the medical options.

Later Sainy was moved back to PD hospital, and still later taken home, still on life support. We visited again at home. They must have taken him to HTJ for some very grave causes, prior to his sad end.

Early yesterday morning Foo briefed me on the funeral plans, and I was at the house as they were just completing the "kapan" shrouding of the bathed remains. So I was able to join the funeral prayers in the house, before the body was taken to the nearby mosque for the community's prayers turn. I saw no other recognizable MUBARAK members at the house. Only Foo came at 11 and went straight to the cemetery to witness the burial.

I might add that the imam had announced at the house that one ustaz friend would lead the funeral prayers. I was standing right behind the shrouded remains and raised my hand to attract attention, and suggested that it's more "afdal" if one of Sainy's sons lead the prayers. My uninvited suggestion was accepted. In fact that son performed it quite well, and in the post doa included a Malay addition about asking for God's grant of blessing on his father that was emotional and had me close to tears myself, standing right behind him.

I was with Sainy in GE9 when we were both among the UMNO elected State Assemblymen in 1995, and that friendship had lasted to the day he died. His late wife also was good friends with my wife. My wife remembers her as a good wife and a fastidious homemaker. 

I was an Assemblyman for only one term. Sainy was relected for at least one more term. It could have been more, but I'm not sure. Later Isa replaced him, although I remember he was still the UMNO Divisional Head. I'm not going into that, but if Isa reads this blog, I want him to know that Sainy was loyal to him, and UMNO, to the end. For those who follow UMNO politics, this loyalty was uncommon.

Sainy was active in MUBARAK from the beginning, and getting to be the Secretary and the representative to the Central Committee meetings, eventually, came naturally to him. There was a brief period of absence when illness caused him to vacate the secretaryship, but once good health returned, the job went back to him. He has performed his duties well. MUBARAK NS will miss him.

Sadly, there is one unfinished job that is denied to Sainy. He had been the coordinating man for our Negri fight for upgrading the Assemblymen's allowances to be at par with the other 13 states. Melaka, much smaller than NS, had only this January done that. We believe there is every chance that this correction will take place soon. Only Sainy , most regretfully, isn't around to see the fruits of his labour.

Most importantly, I see that he had raised a successful family, and led a good, faithful life. As his son in the final prayers said, God would see the good in this human being, and Bless him in the Hereafter, amin.

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My dear li'l Habib.

Sat 5th Ramadan 1445 H. (16.3.2024).

Habib will be 3 in 6 months. This 12th. grandchild is Dekna's 4th, youngest, and  most likely last offspring. Born at 8.32 a.m., Monday 6.9.2021 (28 Muharram, 1443 H.) in HTJ Seremban, he weighed a good 2.76 kg. He's fair-skinned, like the mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. But like the other elder siblings, the birth was caesarian. That's one reason Dekna underwent a procedure that removed the possibility of another child.

Habib grew well enough into a lively 1 year-old. There appeared to be no feeding, nursing or cognitive issues - smiling when happy, crying when hungry or wet, and responding to touch, especially by the parents and grandma.

But after learning to walk at about 13 months, we noticed the lack of eye-contact and response to call. He was super-active, though, running around the house, often round and round the furniture. He makes childish sounds, and is often engrossed by the children's programs on tv. But no effort  at teaching words brought result. We often compare him with tots about his age we would see in the supermarkets. They made eye-contact and were already picking intelligible words.

Dekna took him for tests that found his hearing and eyesight ok. I didn't utter the actual word, but suggested several times that Habib be properly assessed by a pediatrician.

Dekna must have consulted her friends. Sure enough, there is a case that was given the proper professional care early, and that child is now responding well.

I'd read-up about the symptoms, and Dekna must have done the same. The wife is very critical of my comments made to her, not Dekna. I said you have to call it out, so the right action is taken. I didn't say this to Dekna. The wife said Dekna is quite upset by hints before, and had cried. I didn't see this coming.

Happily, on her own, Dekna had enrolled Habib for his first lesson at the special class in Senawang, yesterday. She said it costs RM1,600 per month. I kept quiet. There's nothing that is more important than the right care for Habib. 

One out of 100 children get this  condition. Many stories abound about autism, and the treatment.  I pray to God Habib would enjoy  the successes seen before, worldwide. 

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The 80th Ramadan.

 Tues, March 12, 2024.

The "80th" is mine.

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) came 15 centuries ago.

This is my 80th year in this world. Today is the first day of Ramadan in the 1445 Hijriah.

But my first solat terawih, last night, was performed at home, not in the nearby surau or mosques. As ill-luck would have it, it was again the scooter that spoiled the plan. Just like last Ramadan.

The last time it was towards the end of the fasting month. I slipped 200 m. from the house going for my Subuh prayers.

This time it was half-way to the State Mosque for the first terawih. I slipped on the turn in front of the Tuan Said burial ground. And like before, I decided to abort that night's mosque plan. In fact there were just scratches on my right knee and right hand, with a little dried blood only on the knuckle of the right hand. But the shirt was soiled, and I wanted to tend to whatever injuries I might discover on closer examination back home.

So this morning I decided to change venue to my old Sg. Landak mosque. It's only 200 m. away. My right hand is swollen, and I can't handle the scooter. Taking the old car to the State Mosque is out of the question, because of the horrific parking woes.

Md.Noh Jidin knows why I went to the State Mosque these last few years. I met him at the Sg. Landak mosque this morning, and he inquired about not meeting me there. I said, without telling him of my accident, this year I'm changing venue. You see, the air-conditioned State Mosque is comfortable. Especially for the extended Ramadan prayers. Sungai Landak had struggled with the idea of better cooling for the congregation for years. Ever larger and larger fans have been installed, including the giants that took up the entire ceiling, but it was always the warm air being circulated, the breeze giving a sense of coolness. 

The last two years (yup, years !) the Sg. Landak mosque had been stuck with the operational problems for the finally installed air-conditioning system. When I met Md. Noh this morning, I didn't know the latest development on the a/c plight of the mosque. But I had braced myself for this year's non-a/c terawih. So it was a fan-cooled subuh prayers. But being subuh, it wasn't bad.

What a surprise when I came for my zohor prayers just now. The long-installed a/c was functioning!  At long last !

As I was leaving the mosque, I saw one of the crew that was still going over the a/c system's operations, and asked what had delayed things. He was eager to share the explanation. I concluded, and I told him, obviously the administrative jumble-up overwhelmed the technical issues. I didn't offer to elaborate. We both said "Thank God, everything's ok now".

I passed my comments to Md. Noh. He didn't answer my call. I wanted to gloat. I chose a venue change. In fact it has been a good decision.

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