SELAMAT HARI RAYA 2025

Its here again. Selamat Hari Raya to everyone. 

 

Here is another poem by Dr Yunus Yassin. I received it at 5:47 am in our small three-person Whats App group. I was awake though not yet up and about.  The only other Whatsapp group I do is our small family group. I am not on Twitter or X, FB or any other intrusive media.  Anyway its a nice poem.

*Selamat Hari Raya and Eid Mubarak*

No light without humility,
No balance without forgiveness,
No peace without mercy,
No meaning without conviction,
No beauty without patience and perseverance,
No unity without forgiveness,
No happiness without acceptance,

Acceptance that no change is needed in a perfect symmetry,
No birth or death in the universe of eternity,
The world to return to the only singularity,
In the vastness of the seemingly unbounded universe,
Resting on the feet of the throne of thrones,

As we bid farewell to the month of restraint,
We hope to replace the inferior with the superior,
To replace the finite with the infinite,
To replace the profane with the profound,
To replace the selfishness with selflessness,
To replace ‘I want’ with ‘I accept’,
To replace noise with silence,
To replace the designed with the designer,
To replace existence with permanence,
To replace chaos with harmony,

May one day we may replace time with meaning,
For now I wish you Eid Mubarak and Selamat Hari Raya,
Taqaballahu wa minna Wa minkum,
All the best wishes for us to you,
Maaf Zahir and Batin.

Yunus Yassin 

I did reply Dr Yunus' poem. I did a quick voice note poem. I cant post it here. It was a little bit 'limmericky' but with more than five lines. 

Here is a thought : Make life easy for others around you.

Not possible? Here is another thought : Do not make life difficult for others around you.

THE GREAT SABOTAGE GAME IN UKRAINE

 

 

The Russians are being quite relentless. The frontlines keep moving west. Here is a quick video.  

 

There is a sort of consensus that the Russians are planning a major 'Spring Offensive'. Although the exact dates are not known it is expected to happen by May 2025.

President Putin himself has said that there will be a major Spring Offensive which will put an end to the war. Will the Russians take Kiev as well? 

In the meantime there has been good progress in the ceasefire negotiations in Saudi Arabia but only between Russia and the United States. The Ukraine, Britain and France are not agreeable to the ceasefire negotiations. N'theless the US and Russia are unfazed. They are moving ahead with negotiating the ceasefire even without Ukraine's agreement.

The British are going all out to sabotage the negotiations as much as they can. Within days after both Russia and the US announced their agreement to a ceasefire against all energy infrastructure (on both sides) the Ukrainians fired missiles at a gas pumping and metering station deep inside Russia. The French satellites provided the targetting coordinates while the British were closely involved on the ground in planning the strike. 

So far the Russians have not retaliated by targetting any energy infrastructure inside Ukraine. Mr Putin has thus gained major brownie points with Donald Trump.   The outcome of this war in Ukraine is going to see the United States and Russia emerging as friends and allies. 

And there is likely going to be a serious split between the US and the UK.  The European Union is split over whether they should support Britain and France who want to put European boots on the ground inside Ukraine.  If the Americans make a statement that they will not get involved if there is shooting between European and Russian forces not only will it spell the end of NATO but the British risk having their entire 24 ship Navy sunk by the Russians. Including the Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales.

The British are not flying joint missions with the US anymore against the Houthis in Yemen. The recent spate of air strikes against the Houthis in Yemen have been an American operation. 

Mr Putin's Spring Offensive will change the equation in Europe.    

THE ANNUAL SPLIT OVER THE MOON - (AND THE GREAT MYSTERY).

 

Its that time of the year again. The moon knows exactly where it is located.

 

 

 

• Eidul Fitr on March 30 in Saudi Arabia (today Sunday)
• astronomical calculations predict the moon with incredible accuracy 
• this year controversy intensified by solar eclipse 
• same day Saudis claim crescent was seen
• near impossible to witness crescent so soon after an eclipse
• making Saudi claim highly questionable
• many believe “phantom moonsightings” align with preprinted Saudi calendar 
  

• UK-based New Crescent Society says, “another split Eid this year"
• 'impossible' moonsighting in Saudi. 
• in UK 29th Ramadan on Sunday 30 March
• Eid will be on Monday 31 March
• Also in Morocco / South Africa
• Sat 29/3 impossible to see moon in Saudi, Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe
• Saudi will produce scientifically 'impossible' moonsighting

• This split has become an annual occurrence
• many wonder if Muslims will ever celebrate Eid on a single day

But what is the Great Mystery?

The Great Mystery is that despite there being different days and dates to begin the Eid and the new lunar month of the Arabic calendar, within a few days, everyone including the Saudis, Morrocans, Pakistanis etc get back on the same days and dates in the Arabic calendar.

Logic dictates that if the Saudi month is a day early, then the rest of the new month (and the following month as well) should all be a day early - compared with say Morocco or the UK. 

But rest assured that if the organisation of the unemployed countries  organises a conference in Morocco or in Saudi Arabia on say the 15th day of the new month, all the delegates will arrive on the same date. No one will arrive a day earlier or a day later.  Somehow the calendar magically sorts itself out.