Speak Arabic : Lessons for Umrah & Hajj Tours (Common Phrases)

Learning Arabic is becoming more important when you're planning to travel or have a visit to Arab countries, especially for Umrah and Hajj tours. Honestly say, you will face no such big problems if you don't know how to speak Arabic in Madina & Mecca, since most of the workers there could speak more than 3 languages. English seems already enough for you, but knowing Arabic is diffidently a plus - you'll have a safer, smoother, more enjoyable trip and tour, indeed. So, let's get it started!

LESSON 1 : ARRIVING IN MADINA & MECCA

I'm going to the Hotel
- أنا ذاهب/ذاهبة الي الفندق
- Ana zahib (M)/zahibah (F) ilal funduq

I'm staying at the Nujum hotel
- أنا نازل/نازلة في فندق النجم
- Ana nazil (M) / nazilah (F) fi funduq el-nujum

Where is the bus station?
- أين محطة الباص؟
- Ayna mahatah al-bas?

Where can I get a taxi?
- أين آخذ تاكسي؟
- Ayna akhuz taksee?

How far is it?
- كم هي بعيدة؟
- Kam hiya ba'eedah?

How long?
- كم طول؟
- Kam thowil?

Stop here, please!
- قف هنا، من فضلك
- Qif huna, min fadlak!

ًWait here!
- إنتظر هنا
- Intazar huna!


LESSON 2 : AT THE HOTEL

Can I see the room, please?
- ممكن أرى الغرفة، لو سمحت؟
- Mumkin Ara al-guhrfah, lau samath?

My name is Muhammad
- إسمي محمد
-Ismiy Muhammad

Dou you have internet wireless service?
- هل عندك خدمة إنترنت؟
- Hal indak khidmah internet?

Do you have laundry service?
- هل عندك خدمة غسيل ملابيس؟
- Hal indak khidmah ghaseel malaabis?


LESSON 3 : EATING OUT

Can you recommend us a good restaurant?
- ممكن تنصحنا بمطعم جيد؟
- Mumkin tinsahna bi-mat'am jayyid?

Waiter!/ Waitress!
- يا جرسون / يا آنسة
- Ya Jarsun / Ya Anisah!

Do you have menu?
- هل لديكم قائمة الطعام؟
- Hal ladaikum qaimatul to'am?


Stay tuned for updates! A lot more.

Album Review : Irfan Makki - I Believe (2011)

Irfan Makki's new album is poised to be his ticket into the mainstream Islamic music. By collaborating with Maher Zain and Hamza Namira, two big-names composers yet the most influential artists on Awakening, makes this album so special. The album has 12 songs; 10 are new songs while another two are acoustics and Urdu version.

This album is a well-produced, perfectly executed melodic "Islamic Pop" yet contemporary. Awakening obviously had taken a lot of time and dedication to produce this album, from creating the right lyrics, selecting the song, photoshoot, album design and producing the music - everything was done properly.

In February 2011, Irfan was one of the guest artists that were invited to perform at Maher Zain Live in Concert at Stadium Melawati, Shah Alam and he grabbed the opportunity to introduce three of the new songs by singing them for the first time.

From that time, the audience stared paying attention to his music, one of the songs that he performed at the concert called "Mabrook" (congratulations), being stuck in people heads due to its Malay lyrics and catchy music. His fans on Facebook increasing day by day and they kept expressing how impressed they were when listening to his new songs - concert & YouTube.

After a long wait, the album is finally finished and already available on stores and iTunes.

Released in Ramadan 2011

The album starts off strong right out of the gate with "Waiting for The Call", the song of a Muslim who has been waiting for the right time to perform Hajj, then followed by "Mabrook", "I Believe" featuring Maher Zain, "Lap Pae Aati", "Mamma", "Palestine", "Allahu", "You and I", "Khayal", "Al-Amin", "I'm so sorry" and finally acoustic versions of "I believe" and Urdu version of "Mabrook".


After listening to this album, I personally think that Awakening takes the best-selling album of Maher Zain - Thank You Allah as a "benchmark" for this album. The album concept is almost same with Maher's album, the selected songs and tracks list are standing alike. For instance : "Mabrook" & "Barakallah", "Palestine" & "Palestine will be free" and few more. Well, this is what we call the strategy, it's not such a big deal anyway.

So, here are my favorite tracks, listed from the best : "Waiting for the call", "Mabrook", "I Believe", "Mama", "You and I", "I'm so sorry", and "Palestine".

Don't forget to grab a copy of this album only at RM27.90 (Malaysia). It's totally worth every penny. Let's support Islamic music and Islamic artists by buying legal copies. :)

Goodbye 2010!

Salam everyone, how's your life going? Well, it's time to say goodbye to 2010 and to think about the year ahead. It’s fair to say this year has been challenging for me.

I just started my master's degree in the mid of this year and it went so stressful. It was like time criticising myself for where I think I went wrong.

"Am I ready enough for this?"

Sometimes I get "blur" and "clueless". I don't know whether I'm ready or not. Study needs full concentration which I didn't have. I was tired & stressed out about life, studying, I mean over everything!. But, no matter how "bad" the year may have been, there is always opportunity to view it through a meaning-centered lens - I've passed the first semester exam, Alhamdulillah.

There's no turning back, look forward to 2011 with smile and prays. May Allah show me the right way, Amin.

Oh ya, Maher Zain is going to make another concert in Malaysia this February, can't wait to grab the ticket :)

Jordan is freezing

I have been travelling in Jordan for almost 2 weeks now. Freezing, expensive, clean are the right words to express my thought about Jordan, which is a country in Western Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba. Since past 2 weeks, I have been staying at my friend’s house in Mu’tah. He’s the one who manages our travel schedules with the cheapest way to spend a month’s excursion.

Mu'tah view

I love travelling. It really opens my eyes deeply to see the colors of different culture. You're always more open to meeting new people when you travel. I have met lots of great people, Malaysian students from Mu’tah, they are friendly, easy out going and tender. They are definitely different and opposite from what I had heard before I came here and met them. So don’t trust what people say until you get a chance to know them personally.

I also met a few of Egyptians who are working here; amazingly I got a very warm welcome when they knew I‘m from Egypt. We had a great time, chit chatting and joking around together by using Egyptian Colloquial Arabic (Lahjah Ammiya) while some of them kinda confused to change the intonation’s flow like they used to talk, since they have been staying here for long time so their slang more into Urdun Slang. However, we didn’t have any communication breaks down nor were isolated. Just felt like home.

“How long will you stay here?” asked Samir

“One month perhaps”

“No! Stay longer…5 months!”

“lol”

Obviously I’m not Arabian, let alone Egyptian, but Language connects us to their culture. They not only gave me a warm welcome, but also a special price and free stuff. Don’t you feel overwhelmed?

What makes Jordan a little different from Egypt and Saudi is that its currency. It’s pretty expensive! You can only get 71 JOD by converting your 100 USD while in Egypt, you can get close to 560 L.E Thus, I’m being quite meticulous to survive and stay longer as I can, seeing almost everything here is rather expensive such food, snack, meals and medicine stuff. “Buy only important things and ditch others”

Amman

Now, Jordan is freaking cold, wet, muddy and raining non stop for 2 days. It’s tremendous rain! I couldn’t sleep much, my body shivered and we are going nowhere until the rain stops, indeed. The good thing is I could spend this time updating my ugly blog after 2 months away from blogging, and this would be my first entry for 2010. At least it's a good thing, right?! *grin*

Anyway, I'm still looking for chance to go to Abdali Friday Bundle Market in Amman. It offers you all kinds of essential items at extremely low prices. Insyaállah, next Friday!