DAY 2 IN BEIJING - 17 JUNE 2010: TAHLIL AND DOA SELAMAT AT THE MALAYSIAN EMBASSY IN BEIJING

All of us left early for the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing. We left early due to it being quite a distance away and to be in time for Maghrib prayers. We reached it in time and saw a building quite imposing and regal for an embassy. Its new. Apparently it was occupied about a year earlier. Apparently our Apai who was there earlier as the Defence Attache  never got to occupy the DA’s Office there. The embassy  were then located somewhere else.We got in, went to the first floor, met the rest of the staffs and later met a group of members of the Pengerak Bahasa Melayu from Malaysia who were there attending a seminar. Quite a prominent group with a professor as their leader. Our DA, being the Embassy’s Religious Chairman, invited all of us downstairs for prayers and tahlil. We were ushered into the dewan with the ladies ushered into the dewan next door. The prayers were led by the Professor as imam. Our Ustaz Hj Hamdan Salleh recited the doa.
After all were over we were invited to the 1st floor, the lobby, for dinner. It was a good spread and with a Malaysian flavour. We enjoyed it tremendously.
After dinner we were told to stay on. We moved downstairs for a special occasion. It was Isa’s birthday that day. He was 61, I think. We went into one of the visitors’ room. A cake was brought in. There was only one candle on it. I later interjected that the cake was not big enough to accommodate 61 candles, so they had to make do with one. It was a surprise birthday celebration for Isa. When he was brought in, we sang ‘Happy Birthday’, he blew the candle. He also announced of his sister-in- law’s birthday which fell a day after his. We also sang the birthday song for Juita. So a two birthdays-in-one. From all of us Happy Birthday Isa and also Juita.
We left the embassy for another night of rest before facing the next day for another round of itinerary.
Regards.

ps: I would appreciate photos taken of this event if any, to be sent to me to be posted here.