Just the other day, after coming back from a good friends wedding, Yusuf looked at me and said, he liked our wedding day best. I think he loved the simplicity of that day because it was far from grand and perfect. It was an intimate joint ceremony of only 350 guests, held at my uncles garden. It started at ten in the morning with the solemnisation, continued with Yusuf’s guests coming first, then mine. 

Before I continue, can I just sat that I’m really excited to talk to you guys about my wedding day and its details. If I could rewind time, I would’ve vlogged the process but it all went by so fast and I was too disorganised to do it all during that short period of time. I'm hoping this post can give you a glimpse into our big day and help any of you out there that is planning your big day.

So we all know weddings usually rhymes with expensive, especially in Malaysia. But I truly believe it is still very much possible to have a nice wedding without breaking the bank (or taking up a loan) that very much represents your style and you as a couple together.

Yusuf and I had a tight budget for our wedding because neither of us had time to set aside money as things moved really fast. So I repeated again and again to myself, focus on only the important things and be creative in ways to make it beautiful without causing financial strain. So in this post I’ll share how, with our tight budget, I was still able to have a wedding day that turned out even better than I imagined it to be. What I prioritised, and let go. And how the help of my friends and family MADE OUR WEDDING DAY. 

Here's a glimpse of that day.

So many people made this 

day extra special for me,

in so many ways.

My mum bought a ticket for my elder sister Huda to fly in the morning of the wedding day to surprise me (she lives in Brisbane). I cried when I opened the door at 7am seeing her standing there in the flesh. And my close friend Kim couldn’t fly back because it was too close to her baby's due date. So she was there with me the whole day through this gorgeous bouquet. Thanks for the beautiful gift. My best friend Toots couldn't be there because she had just given birth two days prior but she was present in so many other ways. The amount of help she contributed for the preparation was just priceless. 

1. My Bridal Make-Up

If you follow me on my Instagram stories, you will know I do the same type of make up everyday, doesn’t matter for what occasion and it’s a more natural look. I did not want to risk looking like anyone other than myself on that day. I almost wanted to just do my own make-up, but closer to the wedding date, I knew I didn’t have the skills to do it well enough that it could stay on the whole day under our hot and humid weather. I had someone in mind, but I also knew she would most likely be busy because it was so last minute to ask, and I assumed she would also be out of my price range. She was my teacher who taught me all I know about how to wear make up on my face today (I had a class with her last year when we had our Olloum team building session at the office). She is Noriana, the face designer. I waited till two weeks before the wedding to get the courage to just ask her hoping that a miracle would happen. And it did. First, she said she was available, then second she said because it was her birthday month, she was giving a discount to all her client. PRAISE THE LORD. I knew I was in safe hands that day. I felt so at peace after this was settled. 

Also, there is only one other MUA I would recommend. If you want to look your best self and not overly made up, contact Joey (+60162201232). I've worked with her ever since my magazine days ten years ago and she charges A LOT less than the average cost for bridal makeup. I highly recommend her. Less is more!

2. Florist & Photography

Ya'll know I LOVE my flowers, and I am just as picky with my flower arrangement as I am with my makeup. My best friend toots knew this so she recommended a florist she knew that was very talented and her charges are really reasonable, lifesaver. Same florist that did my surprise bridal shower. I was SO HAPPY she agreed to do our wedding and even wanted to do more if she could. I've always wanted to have a huge wreath, and fate had it that she wanted to try to create one too, seen in the picture above. Will forever be grateful to her for making my flower dreams come true. Please do contact Sher if you're looking for a florist for any event. Truly, she is so nice and accommodating.

Another one of my passion is photography so this was a very hard choice to make. I did not have a huge budget for this so I looked at who I have worked with in the past, and decided on who I was most comfortable with. Don't choose one based on social media followers. Decide what are the images you want to remember from that day, and see which photographers work displays that in their portfolio. I love moments. And wedding photography is such a personal thing to me, so I have to be comfortable with him/her. Fortunately, Syahmie is a good friend of my colleague and his soon to-be wife was also an intern at the office. So I was very much comfortable with him. So grateful to him for shooting beyond the hours he was hired for and managing to capture moments I want to look back on. 

3. Skipping Traditions

I think it's important to have the support of your family if you're going to do this. Yusuf and I skipped lots of traditions; merisik, tunang, bersanding, renjis, wearing innai and dulang hantarans. As things moved really fast with us, it made sense to skip the traditional sequence of things. We were each others fiancé the minute we agreed to get married, with approvals from our family and best friends. No ring was involved, nor did we have an event where our families discussed details of the wedding.  Yusuf’s father lives abroad as he’s a diplomat so I didn’t even meet him till the morning of the wedding. Thankfully though, I did manage to meet his mum prior to this day. She came along with Yusuf's brother and grandmother to meet my mum and I here in KL.

We also skipped giving each other dulang hantarans because I knew this would be an extra thing on Yusuf's plate. Usually families will help out with this, but I knew he would have to do it on his own because his mum is unwell, and lives in another state. And I figured the money spent to get those gifts could be put elsewhere to more important things like getting home things once we've moved in together. Don't worry though, I told him I'm coming back to claim my gifts once he starts making millions. I'm guessing next month. Wishful thinking, hahaa. I've given him links to Net-A-Porter and Vestiaire. 

Basically, we really wanted to keep things basic and simple as possible so that things could move as fast and smoothly as possible.

something new,

something borrowed

I love that my wedding outfits were a mix of something new and something borrowed from my best friends. It felt so meaningful to wear something of theirs on such a special and significant day, and, it helped me save on getting things I would have had to spend more on. 

4. DIY Decor & Details

There’s no secret to this really. If you’re on a budget but still want to have beautiful details at your wedding, you have to DIY. This is when Pinterest came in very handy.

And don't try to do too many things. Limit yourself to at most three areas or things you want to DIY. For me, I knew I wanted to have a seating area which served also as the backdrop for photos that wasn’t so conventional. So I got the caterer to bring an extra small tent and got them to drape it with white cloth. Then, the night before I brought my living room chesterfield sofa and pillows and placed it under the sheer white drapes to add a touch of cosy. Keep in mind, DIY can also end up costing you a lot, so try using items you already have around your house or can borrow from your friends or family. 

You can also find decor rental services in KL. I rented some carpets and chairs from Something Borrowed by Nawal. My mum was the one who knew about her because she's friends with the owners mum. Her prices are really reasonable so that worked out really well for us. I went to her warehouse and she has basically everything under the sun that you can think of that you may want to use for your wedding. So you can contact her to see what you can rent that will compliment the look you want for your wedding. 

5. Food and Dessert

There's lots to talk about with food; caterer, dessert table, and last but not least, the WEDDING CAKE and favours.

CATERER

Basically 70% of the budget went to the caterer. Good food is something guests will remember. Ideally, I wanted a western menu, (just to give our guests something a little different from the norm) similar to the one I ordered for my mum on her wedding day, catered by the restaurant CopperbyFav. But I knew it made more sense budget wise to serve local dishes, and keeping in mind Yusuf's side of the family were more traditional.

The caterer we hired was the same one my mum hired for my sisters wedding more than ten years ago. I highly recommend them (Sajian D'Hidang 0192331727). I opted for the Kampung menu because I love their daging salai. 

DESSERT TABLE

Okay, now let's talk dessert. What would I have done without my good friend Aishah, from That Last Slice. She literally took the load off my mum for the dessert table. Of course, I initially wanted my mum to do the desserts as I love everything she makes, but I also knew she already had a lot on her plate. So in came That Last Slice to the rescue. Everyone was raving about how delicious the cakes, macarons and tarts were. THANK YOU SO MUCH AISHAH.

She has always been the next best thing to my mums desserts for me.

I also really wanted local desserts, and my favourite is goreng pisang (fried banana fritters). So my mum (God bless her) created our own goreng pisang stall by getting a few part-time helpers to fry them fresh at one corner of the garden. I loved that guests had them hot and fresh to eat whenever they felt like some. Best part was, it was my favourite home-made recipe that my mum makes with sesame seed. And, my sister got an apam balik stall which is always a crowd favourite. (Contact Faiz at +601123214876)

WEDDING CAKE AND FAVOURS

Thankfully my mum is the cake artisan for Gateauxlicious, so of course she made our wedding cake. I was clear on the design I wanted. Modern Luxe.  And the door gifts (seen on the right here), we made them together, my mum and I. I've always loved edible door gifts so we made decorated sugar cookies together, starting three weeks before the wedding. We packed them individually and it was so beautiful.

Btw, I just wanted to share that, if having a wedding cake is not within your budget as they cost quite a lot, consider making your own. Check out this Naked Wedding Cake that is very do able.

6. Wedding Outfits

This was literally the first thing I thought about as soon as I knew I was soon to be wed. Okay who am I kidding, I knew what I wanted to wear years before I was even ready to get married again lol. Truth - I prepared what I wanted to wear before I knew the kind of man I wanted to marry.

First up, my nikah/solemnisation outfit. The Modern Kebaya by Nurita Harith.

I fell in love with it right away (saw it online on FV's website a year ago) because I knew I could wear the flowy bell sleeve top again after the wedding. And I have used it more than three times already, once on our honeymoon. My best friend's convinced me to add some lace detailing's and a veil. At first, I was so adamant to do without it, but I'm glad I listened to them because it all looked seamlessly beautiful together.

Right after that, we changed into this stunning gold songket ensemble. To be honest, my initial plan was just two outfits, the Kebaya and then the Pants reception outfit. But Yusuf wanted to do something for his mum and grandma. He knew they wanted to see him get married in the full traditional Malaysian wedding outfit, so he asked if we could try and fit that in. I was worried I couldn't pull of a songket because I've never been the traditional kind but I was on board to do something for Mama and Opah.

So a month before the wedding we were scrambling to figure out where to get a nice songket without having to spend too much. THANKFULLY, best friend Toots quickly offered I wear her wedding songket that was impeccably made by Rizalman. And it fit me like a glove, phewhhhh. And thankfully too, Yusuf fit into her husbands songket. This was one of my special something borrowed. In fact I almost wore her wedding nikah dress too because she really wanted to see me get married in it but by the time she found it, it was too late.

Now, the main reception outfit that I had dreamt of wearing for many years. The Pants outfit by Nurita Harith.

Ahh, I loved it so so so so soooooo much. 

About four years ago, I had an idea that I wanted to wear pants for my next wedding. I found an amazing reference picture and saved it ever since. It was modern, uber chic, unique and surely comfortable to wear in your wedding day, I thought. I've done the whole tight fitted dress (in my first wedding) and it's safe to say that those kind of dresses are not the most comfortable to wear. So I knew in my bones that I wanted to wear pants regardless of anything. Comfort was what I wanted on my big day.

So here is the story of the Pants outfit. It involved tears.

Two months before the wedding, I bought fabric on my own and passed it to my usual tailor with the reference image, tweaked the design a little to suit my aesthetic and left for him to do his magic, which he always does. Good to note that he has never disappointed me with his amazing cutting and fitting in the past.

Three weeks later, my tailor texted me saying it was ready. I was ecstatic! Unfortunately, it came out nothing like how I imagined. Toots came with me on my fitting and I think she held back as much as she could to not make me panic. In her mind she was saying DO NOT WEAR THIS. I felt it through her silence. Sigh, what's a wedding without a few unfortunate events. I pointed out things for him to fix. And even after that it was beyond salvageable. When it arrived at my house I cried but I also told myself it's going to be okay because what matters is the marriage not this outfit. Focus Asma'. Focus on the bigger picture.

The next day, we had my final fitting for the Kebaya outfit. And that lifted me up because the kebaya outfit and veil looked magical together. Vivy and toots were both there with me. And it was a special hangout fitting session because it was possibly the last time we would be together before toots gave birth.

So just as I came out of the fitting room from that last try, I joined them on the couch and Vivy told me that she spoke to Nurita and she said she would re-do the Pants outfit of my dreams. I had no words to say except but the wedding is in four days. It was Monday, the wedding was the coming Saturday. Nurita said it's okay, we can do it for you. I held back tears. I asked are you sure quite a few times and then decided to not be silly and just thank her and my best friends a gazillion times for making this happen for me. They just know me so so well. They knew if I couldn't have anything for the wedding, all I wanted was to be married in my living room as long as I got to wear this outfit I had dreamt for years. 

I can't believe till this day and can't thank Nurita Harith enough for literally getting this done in three days (one of the days was a public holiday - but of course). The outfit wear ready the morning of the wedding. Vivy's husband picked it up and got it to us just in time as we had to change out of the Songket outfit and into the wedding outfit of my dreams. I put it on and it was just.....as I dreamt it to be. Vivy passed me her pearls and white Manolo's to wear with that outfit and we were ready for the rest of the day!

So there you have it. A glimpse into our wedding day. A chill day with no formalities. Lots of food and dessert. Lots of outfit changes. And most importantly, lots of laughter and hugs from people that mattered to me. 

I hope that what I've managed to share can give you ideas and help a bride-to-be in anyway possible. As you would've picked up from this post, my wedding was not the picture perfect Pinterest wedding I thought I could one day have. But I swear it was better because I think I managed (with the help of my kind vendors, and amazing family and friends) to create a wedding day that was tailored to Yusuf and I. That was what mattered to us. That the day represented us.

Our wedding day was ours to celebrate with our special people.

Photos by Syahmi Azman 

Other outfit details -

Bridesmaid Dresses by Olloum

Scarves by dUCk

Heels by Nelissa Hilman

Firstly, before I get into this story, I need to just say that from the bottom of my heart, I AM TRULY SORRY for making all of you wait this long. It's not cool to say I'll share with you soon and go quiet for about four months over. We'll talk more about me improving on my bad habits in the next post. For now, forgive me please? :)

Honestly, I'm so excited to tell you guys how it all started. I suggest you take a cup of tea. This is going to be a long post.

So let me take you back to last year.

It was a Sunday evening, 21st may 2017, I was sleeping over one of my good friends house. We had just finished watching a movie and was just chilling on the bed, which means, browsing on Instagram before shutting our eyes for bed. I was checking my DMs, and I saw a message from a friend who I met from my previous trip to London, Hana, a.k.a our match maker, lol. She messaged me asking if I was open to get to know someone because he is interested to get to know me. 

I replied with a 'Is this guy decent and serious because, I'm so sick of getting to know guys who waste my time.' I'm not going to lie. I was still feeling a little sore from what happened the night before.

20th May, 2017, I ended it with a guy I actually thought would be the one (we weren't dating, just getting to know each other). He ticked all the right boxes, except later did I know, did not tick the ready to get married box. He made one too many excuses on postponing our meet up that I started to feel like an idiot. That night, we were supposed to meet, and an hour to the meet up, he made up another lame excuse as to why we should postpone it, yet again. My gut feeling said, he was stringing me along. So I said to myself, don't do this to yourself girl. You gave him enough chances already. Enough is enough. We don't let no man waste our time. Not going to lie, it did sting and hurt. But I didn't let myself shed a tear because I knew, this guy was not worth it. I told him to never contact me again and I'm not interested.

Hence why my first question to Hana about Yusuf was, if he was serious about marriage. She answered with a reassuring YES after telling me of how he's been on a rollercoaster journey too with finding someone. He was tired of searching and really wanted to get married. GOOD, my type of guy, hahaha. 

'Ready to get married' box, check!

Basically, I trusted Hana and if she had lots of good things to say about him. I felt at ease to give the green light for him to contact me.

Literally five minutes after I said goodnight to Hana, just before midnight, I got an iMessage from yusufibrahim@gmail.com (sounds so serious). He was pleasant and polite in his introduction message. And more importantly, wasted no time and asked me right away when is the soonest we can meet up. This guy wasted no time, I laikkkkkkkkk. Can you imagine how refreshing it felt for me after the previous slow one? Yusufibrahim@gmail.com said he will come to where ever is convenient for me and will work around my time. A date was set for the next day after work.

The next day. Work ended and nerves had started kicking in, but I played it cool. I touched up my makeup from work, did Maghrib then changed into my go-to Zara boyfriend jeans, white Olloum shirt (of course half tucked in, and half out cause I'm fashion like that), black satin silk Duckscarf, and slipped on my Valentino studded heels. 

As I sat in my Uber on the way to Rakuzen, it dawned on me that I was actually going to meet a total stranger. Now here's something you don't know about me. I HATE GOING ON DATES. It scares the crap out of me. I usually avoid it, or never go alone. But tonight, I braved myself and also, I didn't want to tell anyone (except my sister Huda) in case it was a flop. I didn't want to get anyones hopes up. 

Guess what guys? He came with flowers. Awwwhhhhhh, die! I'm a sucker for flowers. He bought the wrong ones but it's okay because he apologized he couldn't find Peonies or Hydrangeas or Ranunculus. Yusufibrahim@gmail.com did his research (or Hana fed him with the right info) and made a really great first impression. 

Our first meet up went really well because everything was just up in the air and asked without any hesitation. He cause me off guard when he asked me what type of partner I wanted. Sorry, I wasn't prepared to answer that tonight *nervous laugh*, you answer first. I said this quiet a few times through out the night, hahaa. Then I realized I really didn't prepare to answer serious questions that night. I did make sure my eyeliner were on point though (priorities). The good thing about not coming prepared was that I really just spoke from the heart, and was honest about everything. That was my favourite thing about that night. How comfortable I was to just share and I think so was Yusuf. (at this point of the relationship, he no longer just yusufibrahim@gmail.com) 

The minute I got in the house, I couldn't keep it in. I sent a longggg voice note to my best friends. I knew they were first going to kill me for not telling them I went to meet a guy, and then be happy for me. And so it was true. I told them I have a good feeling about this one. Like FOR REAL. And then told my family the news as well. 

The second meet up happened two days after the first. We continued on with asking each other important things we thought would matter for the future to see if we would be a good match. What were our beliefs, our stance on certain things, how many kids we want, where we wanted to live (without any hesitation he volunteered to move to my place because he knew I wanted to live near my mum, and plus, ttdi has a lot of good coffee, lol) , and that night he already asked if I could see a future with him. I'm telling you, he did not waste any time. Woahh, I was not ready for that question, you answer first. Hahaa, I'm kidding. I said, Yes I do. I told him I have a feeling he's going to be a great father. 

On the third meet up, Yusuf was already having dinner with my family. After coming back from the mosque that night (we all went for taraweh prayers together the night Ramadan started), we sat to have a chat with my mum. It was hilarious because she asked us, so How long have you guys known each other? We both had a nervous laugh and said four days. I think both of us were in disbelief at just how fast things moved. 

Regardless, everything about this felt right. 

Three weeks later, we decided we wanted to be with each other. Not the let's-go-steady kind. The let's-spend-the-rest-of-our-lives-together kind of be with each other. My family was on board the minute I told them this crazy news. I love how chilled my family is. Also, they trusted me and liked how mature Yusuf seemed. My best friends on the other hand....I made lots of prayers they would see what I see in him. They're a tough crowd. 

Alhamdulillah, after they met him and questioned him truck loads (he pretty much walked into an interview that night lol) he got the stamp of approval. Ajjie surprisingly turned out to be the scarier one with a long list of serious questions ranging from Do you know her spending habits to have you heard her burps? Vivy on the other hand, as usual, sounds all tough on the phone like, Who is this stranger who wants to marry my best friend?! to real life, Okay, *giggles* Okayla, go get married *giggles*. 

Everything onwards was us planning our future, discussing the dates, and planning the wedding. It was set for 3rd September. I'm so so grateful that just about everything was as easy as it could be. We both agreed to have only our family and closest friends to keep it small. And that we wouldn't spend unnecessarily. We wanted to keep the day simple. 

At this point, Yusuf and Asma' was at that point of wajib kene kawin because the electricity between us was very strong already, hahaa. Thankfully the wedding was less two months away. Honestly, if it were up to him, he wanted to do the nikah like a month after we got to know each other, but we didn't because his father works abroad. It was only right to wait for both his parents to be around for such a special occasion. 

Three months later, we were married. 

All praise and thanks to Allah for letting this happen. And all the love to my family and best friends for making this day happen for us both. Couldn't have done it without them! 

You know what's the crazy thing guys? He told me he actually met me at Soup Kitchen one night seven years ago. He wanted to get to know me but he didn't see me again after that night. 

Well I couldn't go anymore because I got married and moved to Singapore.

Then, five years later, I was single again, and another mutual friend of ours actually tried to set up. She looked at me, took her phone and scrolled back to our Whatsapp chat dated August 2016. Look! This is the same Yusuf we tried to set you up with but you didn't seem interested. I couldn't believe it, hahaa.

I guess we were meant to be.

Till today, I still can't believe I'm married to him. Everything literally just happened six months ago. I'm happy we both didn't wait long. I'm happy we were so open and honest with each other from the get-go. I'm happy we both decided to meet each other because we knew we were ready to make a commitment. 

I'm really glad we chose each other cause I honestly can't think of a person more well suited person for me. Yusuf's been nothing but great, God bless him for this. He puts up with me during my crazy hormonal PMS days and without fail, will get me my hydrangeas. He always knows when I'm bothered. He picks up on my signals and will make sure to talk things out so nothing is kept hidden between the two of us. 

Lots of you always ask me how I knew Yusuf was the one. 

Truthfully, I don't know if there's such a thing as the one. But I do know for a fact that we both felt something was right here. We both felt at ease. And I'm all about following our instincts.

So that's how we met guys. 

Share with me in the comments below how you met your spouse.

If you are still single, don't rush marriage okay. Only rush getting married when you've found a man you think suits you well. In the mean time, take your time to meet people and never be afraid to ask them the big questions, even if you've just met. Chances are, if he isn't afraid to talk about the big things, he probably is ready to experience all those things with you.

InshaAllah, I promise I will continue to share our story with you guys; the highs and the lows. This is only the beginning. :)

Have a lovely night, and I'll speak to you guys in the next post! xx

(I thank you all SO MUCH for all the duas made for us)

OMG, there is a new post. Yes, that's me being sarcastic with myself. This habit of mine, disappearing from the blog for long streaks of time is just annoying. But let's not focus on that, and just enjoy the fact that I'm here typing away. So thank you guys, truly, for still making time to pop by here.

Basically, I'm back in London again, yay!

It is truly by Allah’s grace that I am here again. When I came here earlier this year and told you guys I fell in love with this city, I wasn’t kidding even the slightest bit. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to find anyone that wanted to hire me hence not moving here anytime soon, nor did I find a man to marry that lives here (I found an even better one that lives closer to home), but I still did find myself back here in this charming city for the third time this year. And the best part is, with my sister Huda. We've been wanting a trip together without her four kids for the longest time, so I'm still pinching myself that we're actually here.

Though, I think the long flight got to her because she fell sick on the first day we landed, which led me to have an afternoon and evening all to myself. Ahhh yes, I have embraced the fact that I'm one of those that really enjoy spending time by myself.....

....Ideally at a picturesque cafe, with a cup of coffee and a good read.

Right now, as I write this post, I’m leaving the city for a few days and on a train en route to Birmingham to stay over at a really good friends place. The view outside the window of the English country side mirrored against the overcast is just giving me all the feels, lol. The kind of feels you imagine experiencing as you zone out and immerse yourself in your thoughts. And so I'm here, about to write my next post about how I met the man I never once doubted Allah would pair me with, and it sure happened when I least expected it. I guess just like everything else in life.

This is my favourite surprise, and I can't wait to tell you guys all about it.

There is a familiar feeling that creeps up on me every single time we are about to launch a new collection. And that feeling is running through me right now. ANXIOUS. I worked ever so closely with our designer Aimi, trying to create something really special for you, with fluidity, a story and a symphony of details. We wanted the collection to truly reflect all the different LtD woman that have supported us all these years. And that's why each dress has its own name, with different personalities as a reflection of all you real women out there.

So here is a sneak peak of the first four out of ten dresses that will be launched starting tomorrow morning inshaAllah. (click here to shop).

The majestic setting of Allah's landscape was our inspiration. And it was just perfection.

Don't forget to subscribe here to be the first to see the launches to come. :)

If you follow me on Instagram stories, you'll know just how much I have been loving this book. I've lost count of how many times I've shared it and for a good reason. If you haven't picked it up yet, please do kay. You'll love it too I promise. It's basically a compilation of letters written from a father to his son, and other young adults alike.

As you can see, the book is titled, Letter To A Young Muslim. Even though I'm not that young anymore, I can safely say that I am definitely young in my journey of exploring and learning what it means to live my life with this faith wholeheartedly and to let it empower me to be the best person I can be.

I actually had another two chapters left but I accidentally left it in the plane on my flght back from Dubai last week :( Will go pick it up again today or tomorrow because I NEED to finish this book for sure.

If you're living in KL, you can get it at Times, BSC or Kinokuniya, KLCC okay.

Let me know what you think once you've picked it up! :)

---

'You are correct in thinking that if someone is going to change the world for the better, then it is you. I believe in you entirely and I think you can. I just want you to be aware of a few things before you embark on a course that might lead you down the wrong path.
The binary world is not the only Islamic world you can live in. There is much more gray in between the black and the white and the ulema and other scholars present us. And the gray is where you develop intellectually and morally. The gray area of uncertainty and doubt as to what is right and what is wrong is where you discover your own right to think for yourself and to participate in the construction of our ethical world in practice. This is where I believe you will be able to serve this world and the next - in being a thinking, ethically directed young Muslim.'

- Omar Saif