Doc Ahmad Hajiri

It was a cold night after my sister's wedding in Sulu. I have to catch the last trip to Zamboanga even though I failed to buy my own ticket (the vessel was already fully booked the day before!) This was not new to me, racing with time, catching trips, no tickets. I am well aware and familiar on what to do: Find a vacant bed and wait till the ship departs. If it's still vacant by that time, then good for you. But if not, then repeat until you exhaust all measures where you end up with the last plan: the rooftop.  Honestly I have done it a couple of times. Alone. But this time it's something really different. I was not alone. I have 11 other passengers with me. ELEVEN NO-TICKET PASSENGERS! Half of them were students like me, mostly cousins who have exams the next day. While the other half (5 of them) were professional photographers my sister hired for her wedding. They, too have to join in with the unexpected adventure.  We have no choice. It was the last trip to Z...

You walked in the busy streets of Manila and you saw a young child lying asleep on a dirty alley by the side of the road, with an empty plastic cup on his one hand and the other, empty-handed (dirty, rugged) begging for at least a coin from your purse. You never heard him ask for money, you did not have to look at his sleeping eyes, for at first glance you felt some pity on him. You stopped and checked your pocket or your purse full of extra coins. Maybe you can spare some money for him, so that he can buy some bread to get by. Maybe will give more than you thought you can. After all, you can easily find money from your salaries, or your personal businesses, or your monthly stipends. The next day on that same road, you saw him again, on that same location, wearing the same ragged, unkempt shirt. This time he had with him a younger child with him, crying. This time your heart was crushed two-fold. How could this happen? How could their parents leave them here? You cannot fathom...

Bismillah. Ramadhan or the month of fasting for Muslims is now fast approaching. And for a country where non-Muslims dominate the population, there are always some point in time where a lot of people are getting curious of what really Ramadhan is. What do Muslims do in this month? Why is it so special to them? What can non-Muslims do to appreciate this month? And how can non-Muslims appropriately join in with their celebration? To have a short reading on need-to-know-about-Ramadhan, please visit my post: Ramadhan for Non-Muslim s . And in this post, we will talk about answering the question stated earlier: What can non-Muslims do during Ramadhan? Here is a list of things that non-Muslims can do and should avoid doing, from one Muslim’s personal experiences in living in a place where non-Muslims are the majority.  What you can do: 1.   Know who are Muslims around you. Before Ramadhan kicks in, keeping in mind who are Muslims around you--in your neighborhood...

Bismillah In tiyap-tiyap panagnaan subay tuud pagsaddiyahan. Mataud jumatu amun dih ta kaingatan, bang kita wayruun nakasaddiya asal. Ha wala’ pa dimatung in kunsum, subay ha biháun pa kaingatan mu na bang unu in tudjuhun mu. Ha supaya bang dumatung na in adlaw yadtu, di’ nakaw maglawag pa sin dán, bang harap kaw pakain. Subay ra isab pagsaddiyahan in kaibanan manga prublima manjari jumatu ha susungun, ha supaya makasaddiya da isab kaw.  Biya’ da isab sin kabuhi’ iban kamatay. Ha wala’ pa dimatung in kamatay subay saddiya na kita bang unu in hinangun bang in waktu yadtu dumatung na. Tumtumun ta sin in kita ini dih da laung maglugay diy ha dunya ini. Misan pa ayn biya’diin in daya mu, in taud sin sinapang mu, in taud sin lahasiya’ mu, in kusug sin kawasa mu, tantu in katan yan ha panagnaan sadja. Di’ da lumugay, dumatung da isab in hinapusan niya. Malawa’ da sila katan. Biya’ sin dunya ini, biya’ da sin kabuhi’ mu, tantu awn hinapusan niya. Asal in tiyap-tiyap panagnaa...

Bismillah. Every year, there comes a very special visitor that Muslims are always looking up to. This is a very special event that lasts for one month: the Holy Month of Ramadhan. As this month draws near, you will see most Muslims getting more excited and eager for the first day of that month to come. This is one of the mysteries that non-Muslims are always curious about. What is Ramadhan? What is so special about it? Why do Muslims celebrate with joy when Ramadhan comes? In shaa Allah this post will answer these questions posted by our non-Muslim friends so that when this year’s Ramadhan comes, they will be more aware about it. What is Ramadhan? Ramadhan is the 9 th month of the Hijra or Islamic Calendar. This is one of the special months for Muslims wherein one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam happens: As-sawmu Ramadhan or fasting in the whole duration of Ramadhan. For 29 to 30 days, Muslims would abstain from eating, drinking, having sexual contact with their ...

Bismillah. “Ahmad! What were you thinking! Why did you decide to make your first 3 weeks in LU-4 in utter toxicity?!” Well, that was what I thought before the first day of my second year in Medicine started when I accepted the offer of becoming a Liaison Officer (LO) of our first subject/course for this year: HS202 Biopsychosocial Dimensions of Illness or BDI... They call this level as “HELL-U 4” because of the hellish experiences you students will experience compared to LU3 (freshmen year), and I already made my first week hellish than the rest of the class by being an LO. But as that first day as an LO came to an end, I finally realized why I accepted that challenge… I wanted to try it. I know being an LO is not a good joke. You have to coordinate with the professors from different departments for their class schedules, announcements and exams. This first module will be composed of 5 different departments namely: Departments of Pathology, Parasitology, Microbiology, Psychia...

Bismillah. Ha lawm lima minit sumulat aku, In shaa Allah… sin unu-unu na in sumuwd pa lawm utuk ku, hisulat, hitayp mari… sari na madtu magkulang-maglabi. Biháun “kahawa” in mabaya’ ku pagbissarahan. Unu baha’ in awn ha kahawa mayta matagi in manga Bangsa Sug kaniya ini. Bang kaw madtu pa tiyanggi nalibut kaw sin kahawahan. Luba na bang kaw madtu pa kagimbahan, misan wayruun tinda magdaragang dih da malawa’ in kahawa ha kakusinahan sin mga tau. Basta laung niya awn da Tausug duun, awn na hadja Kahawa Sug (Native coffee).  Mapasu’-pasu’ pa… nag-aasu… huyup-huyupun ampa higupun madtu… aruuu rayang, way na mabisa dayng hadtu… Depende na kaymu bang kaw mabaya’ mapait-pait, atawa maimu’-imu’… atawa kan tublak-tublakan mu pa sin tinapay,.. na! Masarap sayan magkahawa bang mahaba’ in pag-isturihan niyu, sibu’ da kan tau maas atawa manga tambay ha higad dan… basta awn kahawa iban bang-bang sug atawa juwalan, OKs na, wayna paglawag dugaing ha butangan. Misan bihayni in i...

Bismillah. Alhamdulillah, another year in Medschool had just started. It’s June already and I still can’t believe that I am already done with my first year, and I am now starting my second year here in UP College of Medicine. Really, I am still grasping the truth that those were not dreams at all! Am I still dreaming? The letter I received carrying the Good news Alhamdulillah. I can still remember last year, some days before the results of the official List of students accepted to the UPCM will be released (these 160 guys and gals will later be known as the UPCM Class 2017). I was getting anxious and hopeless then, as days go by and I still haven’t received any confirmations from them. UPCM was the only Med-school I applied for (because I am so lazy working on another application papers) and most of the students who applied are all exceptional (and except for me). And due to the impending desperation then, I already started filling-up another application form from another...

Subtitle: "Ang Kwento ni Kristina" Story by Ahmad Musahari, Photos by Kartini Tahir "Kuya, lubog na po ba ang araw?" Ang tanong niya sa akin...  Bismillah. Minsan sa ating buhay, kelan ba tayo huling naghintay ng paglubog ng araw? Kelan ba tayo huling nagtaka bakit ang bagal minsan ng oras at minsan nama’y sadyang kay bilis nito? Ilang ulit ba natin hiniling na sana ay matapos na ang isang nakakapagod na araw?  Na sana ay tuluyan na tayong makauwi sa bahay at makapagpahinga na sa kubli ng luntiang gabi?  Si Kristina Ito si Kristina o Tin-Tin. Sampung taong gulang na bata na naninirahan sa may Pasay. Una namin siyang nakilala nung bumisita kami sa UP Diliman. Lumapit siya sa amin ng kaibigan ko upang bentahan kami ng kanyang panindang pantali ng buhok (na tig-sampung piso isa) at payong (2 makukulay na payong; di ko na natanong kung magkano isa). Dun din siya nagsimulang magtanong sa amin. “Kuya, yan po ba ang araw?” sabay turo sa may maliwanag...

        One of those days when I was in Pandami’, Sulu where my ancestors had once lived, a wonderful inspiration came to me through two of the most unusual ways: by a small stone and a little lad.         I was walking through the thick bushes that afternoon, in one of my great grandfather’s well treasured land. I was hoping to find peace in listening to birds chirping up high on the trees, or with the wind that is softly touching my face, and even by pondering at the great wonder and mystery those gigantic trees have to offer (all of these are wonderful blessings from Allah, Alhamdulillah).         Along the way, I spotted a little boy not far from where I was. He was wearing a red bandana in his head, covering his short, black curly hairs. His thin body was plastered by his white shirt that had grown old and had turned to another color which I cannot name. A small taguban (a ...

Bismillah. Isang araw, palakad-lakad siya sa daan at lingid sa lahat ang kanyang pinagdadaanan. Palakad-lakad lang siya at hindi inaalintana ang mga nagraragasang mga dyip at ang mga nag-uunahang mga tao na tila nagkakarera. Abalang-abala ang lahat sa kani-kanilang mga patutunguhan, ayaw mahuli sa trabaho; ayaw mahuli sa pasukan sa eskwela; at ni isa sa kanila hindi nakapansin sa kanya. Ngunit siya ay palakad-lakad lang,din, hindi alam kung saan patutungo. Huminto siya at nagmasid sa kanyang kapaligiran. "Ano ba to?" naisip niya, "Bat ba ang bilis-bilis ng mga tao dito?" Maya-maya pa ay narinig na niya ang tunog ng kanyang lalamunan. Gutom na pala siya. Isinuksok niya ang kanyang kamay sa kanyang bulsa, umaasang may mahanap na mga barya pambili ng makain. Suksok sa kanang bulsa. Walang laman. Suksok sa kaliwang bulsa. Wala rin. Suksok sa dalawang bulsa ng pantalon sa likuran. Wala talaga.  "Paano ba yan," sabi niya sa hangin na tila kinakausap...

Bismillah. The recent incident that took place in Basilan last October 18, 2011 is not a new issue to all of us. It had happened again and again before, and it can always happen again next time. Unless something (and this something is actually a load of things) is changed. Something must be changed, and someone must do it (and that someone is not just one man). Certainly, I was more disgusted by how the media portrayed the news to the common people. It was so much polarized, biased, misleading and a lot of twitched information was presented that made the people more confused than satisfied. And as how I expected it to be, the people are now divided. Those who were tricked and had fallen into the trap believed that proclaiming all-out-war is the solution. And those who knew what happened, were vigilant in voicing out what they know. Yet they were overpowered by the massive influence of media and they were outnumbered. Only a few would hear them. And a lot fewer would believe the...

One very interesting thing that I really liked doing is talking with friends, colleagues and those people who have higher intellectual minds than me in an informal way of chit-chats. We discuss important matters affecting our society and treat them just like sharing stories as old buddies would do (I always do the ‘listening’ part). But here’s the twist: There are certain questions thrown to you that would leave you wordless. You know what to say, but you don’t know how to utter them out. Your words and ideas become prisoners in your own cellar of minds. And the only way to relieve that stress is to write them down. Same thing I am doing right now. “What is freedom?” and so the question goes, “Where does it really begin?” With all my effort to try and answer the question briefly yet completely, I was dumbfounded. Suddenly, I found myself in a trance where the world stopped spinning. Really, what do I know about FREEDOM? How do I know for sure, that what I am saying what Freedom is...

5 minutes starts.... Now! Limang Minuto na naman.  Hindi ko akalain na ako ay malilibang pala sa bagong addiction na ito. Limang minuto ako ay magsusulat (o mag-i-encode) ng kung anuman ang papasok sa aking isipan.  Limang minuto. Nakalog-out na ang aking FB pagkat ayoko rin namang ma-abala nito. Limang minuto ay napaka ikling panahon ngunit... napakaraming bagay ang pwedeng mangyari dito. Sa loob ng limang minuto, ilang mga bagong panganak na mga sanggol ay massisilayan ng araw; isang panibagong buhay na magiging pagsubuk sa kanila. Sa loob ng imang minuto maaring mawalan ng hininga at buhay ang isang tao. Malunod. Masaksak. Mabangga ng tren (ang brutal naman). Makain ng piranha. Mahulug sa bangin na puno ng tinik at basag na bote. Aaah! tama na. basta, sa loob ng limang minuto maaring mangyari yun lahat. Di mo alam ano ang susunod. Ngunit iilan lang ba sa atin... iilang beses nga lang ba natin napagtanto na ang bawat limang minuto na dumadaloy sa atin ay nap...

Ehem. Ehem. Mike test. Mike test. 5 minutes starts here==> Limang minuto ako ay magsusulat. Nang kung anuman ang papasok sa aking isipan. Ito ay isang paraan para aking mabalik-tanaw ang mga bagay-bagay na akin nang nakaligtaan sa loob ng ilang linggong pagiging isang uod na hindi na gumagalaw. Ewan ko ba ano ang nangyari sa akin nung makalipas na mga linggo. Tila baga ako ay isang (traveler) na nawawala; hindi alam kung san patutungo. Alam ko. Alam ko kung ano ang mga dapat kung gawin, ngunit hindi ko pa rin magawang igalaw ang aking katawan patungo sa mga hangaring ito: mga hangarin na alam kong mas makakabuti sa akin, sa aking pamayanan at sa ating kalikasan. Tila baga may ibang puwersa na humuhila sa akin. Humihila patungo sa ibang landas. Humahatak palayo sa aking mga napagtantyang mga "Prayoridad". Limang minuto... Limang minuto. Bibigyan ko ang aking sarili ng limang minuto sa hangaring maibalik ko ang mga dating nawala sa akin. Ako ay (hopef...

[Second Title: 9/11 the 10th: How the Muslims fought against Terror.] Published: September 11, 2011 If I will write about the whole story on 9/11, I don’t think I would be able to stop writing. There were just so many things that fly in through my mind each time I hear the infamous name: NINE-ELEVEN. On who’s really behind this grievous incident, I won’t talk about it. Let the critiques do their job. On weighing things out, on how many are the victims (the number of people who died during and after the incident), I cannot talk about it. Let the news feed your minds. But let me talk on a very short post on how this incident—even how much far it happened from where I am now—had greatly affected our ways of life. It will all boil down to a single fact: We were affected because we were (and still are) Muslims; and we did suffer the most. After the event that shook the whole world, the waves from the ‘epicenter’ of the shock resulted to too many incidents that followed it. The whole...

Days after Eidul Fitr, one of my best friends, Aldam Absara, and also my beloved brother in Islam shared to me the following text message. It was so inspiring and full of meaning to me that I have decided to re-share it here. May Allah bless him for reminding me andd his other friends, and may Allah Guide us all-especially the young Ummah-to the only right path. (The original text is in Tausug, I will try my best to translate it to English in this post. To those who do not wish to read the Tausug text, kindly scroll down to the English version. With Peace! :-) " In tau biyah (sapantun) kappal.. Bahgu tumulak magbalik, mag-guna da isab humali-hali ha jambatan bat kalanuan marayaw, iban in gas niya kaganapan... Biyah sapantun sin pagdungguh natuh bahgu yan ha bulan ramadhan...Bihaun Insha'Allah, kiyalanuan in nyawa natuh, kiya-Gasan in pag-iyman natuh, narenovate in pikilan natuh... Sah bang in nadawhat ta marayaw ha bulan Ramadhan luppasun natuh, naaa, biyah ra kita ni...

By Ahmad Musahari Published in www.anakiluh.blogspot.com , August 27, 2011 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Him, the Lord of all beings, both seen and unseen. I bear witness that there is no God worthy of worship except Allah. And I bear witness that Muhammad (PBUH) is his last Messenger. Peace and Blessings be upon the Prophet and all his companions, and to all the Muslims in the world. In recent days, the news about the approaching Peace Agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government of the Philippines (GRP) had never skipped the news headlines. From the secret meeting in Tokyo, Japan, the submission of MILF’s Proposal for the peace talks, up until the reply of counter-proposal of the government last August 24, the ears of the people were sticking to updates. And of course, the presence of mixed and different reactions from the people will always be inevitable. There are those who are hopeful ; seei...

Bismmillah. Isang image na hiniram ko lang sa google image. At least credit sa sino man may-ari nito. Every now and then I would receive a lot of 'chain messages' with either of the following texts: "If you love Allah, you must send this dua/text to 15 people..." "I love Allah and His Messenger, now send this to 20 people... you will get rewards..." "If you ignore it, you will be punished. And if you send to 10 people you will get good news after 10 days bla bla bla." Other texts would even share stories of family members being killed if you do not pass the message. SCARY. And indeed REALLY FUNNY. Funny how people had started this kind of idea of using 'religion' and 'family' as making SPAMS, or useless messages and make others send them to as many numbers in their phone-books. But much more funnier is amidst the knowledge that these things are not true, there are still amny of us who fall victims to these kinds of...

"Parang tiwala  pag namantsahan na! Mahirap nang linisin pa, di kayang burahin Kahit na anong gawin...! " Isa ito sa mga paborito kong linya sa kanta ng Parokya ni Edgar, "Choco Latte". Tungkol ito sa isang bagay na dapat ay pinaka-iingat-ingatan natin lahat: TIWALA. Naalala ko isang tahimik na gabi habang nagbabasa ako sa aking maliit na cotbed sa isng barko patungong Zamboanga (ayan, kwentuhan muna tayo)... Habang hinihintay na magsimulang tumulak ang barko, naisip kong bumili ng ilang makakain (pabaon). Dumaan yaring bata na nagbebenta ng sari-saring pagkain, Itlog at Junay*, Patulakan at Daral (mga tausug foods), tsaka sari-saring botelya ng mineral water, "Sting" at kalamansi juice. Bumili ako sa kanya ng ilang pagkain na hindi siguro umabot ng 50peso na halaga, at binigyan ko siya ng 200peso na pera, pambayad. (kayo na bahala sa Mathematics) "kah wayruun kanat-kanat mu?" nagtanong siya kung may barya ba ako na mas maliit sa 200. "A...