Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. It's the first weekend of Ramadan. Like most women, I intend to go grab an abaya for Eid. We must look nice for Eid. In fact, Muslims should spend in order to look presentable. In Islam, the economics theory works quite differently, the more you spend with a good intention for the sake of Allah, the more you could yield. One's niyyat is a key variable factor.
Ergonomics is the study of people's efficiency in their working environment. It is about human factors and their interactions. I wonder if anyone has done a study on the ergonomics of Ramadan. Anyway, Miss Wiki says there are three types of ergonomics: physical, cognitive and organizational. The first has something to do with perception, reasoning and memory.
In Ramadan, our perception becomes more acute especially when we are at the Bazaar Ramadan where there is just too many dishes to choose from. Below are pictures taken at a famous Bazaar Ramadan in Raja Alang Road, Kuala Lumpur. It's a must-go place, in fact it's a yearly ritual for a former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamad to visit this bazaar.
When we are presented with so much food, our reasoning would fail us inadvertently : ) But it's ok, our Lord has asked us to not only eat that which is halal but also tayyiba - that which is good. Our Creators knows us better, we love good food.
In Ramadan, our perception becomes more acute especially when we are at the Bazaar Ramadan where there is just too many dishes to choose from. Below are pictures taken at a famous Bazaar Ramadan in Raja Alang Road, Kuala Lumpur. It's a must-go place, in fact it's a yearly ritual for a former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir Mohamad to visit this bazaar.
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| Singapore murtabak |
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| Our drinks are as colorful as our scarves |
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| Spring rolls |
Now who cares about ergonomics theory. But on a serious note, Ramadan is a good time to tame the ego. It teaches us the flaws of EGOnomics. When we were at Masjid Khalid al-Walid yesterday, the imam reminded the jemaah to leave our job-positions, honorific titles, wealth, fame etc. outside the mosque and enter the masjid as a servant of Allah.
It reminds me of the episode at the sacred valley Tuwa where Moses was asked to leave his sandals: "I am your Lord. Remove your sandals." [Surah Taha]. We are supposed to be barefoot in front of our Master, so forget about other accessories.
Forget about entering the masjid with our 3-storey bungalows, our big cars, the pride of having a good looking, VIP/rich spouse, the pride we have for our children, our Louis Vuitton handbags, even if we need to carry one into the masjid, our ego that is attached to the bag's price tag should not be bagged with us when facing the Lord as a servant. A servant is plain. A servant is often garbed in a simple uniform. A servant is humble towards his/her master. A servant does not say much but just get on with his duties.
May Allah make us live the rest of our lives as a true and obedient servant. A servant who serves with utmost sincerity and hope for no rewards except that which the Lord may decree, at His appointed time, as He wish. Ameen.
Glory be to Allah.
Allahu Akbar.
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