Hi folks,
Hope you have had a pleasant weekend. I had a wonderful time in Melaka. [For the benefit of our foreign readers, Melaka is a historic charming city, two hours drive south of KL.]
I've been there many times but this trip was extra fun as we went up to the rooftop of the tallest building and got to see some great views. Like a kid, I got excited to have bought my first snapback cap just before going up. And was thrilled that the cafe up there served delectable Oyako Donburi. How could I forget that Japanese dish? I first had it on my first date with a Japanese college mate. I was 19, so pardon me folks! LOL.
Just like you, I too have got all kinds of friends. They are from all kinds of background and walks of life.
Even though I seemed to be chilling around like I have no cares in the world - I couldn't help but think of an acquaintance. As I was leaving for my road trip, he bid a quick farewell before leaving for a serious adventure which is unique to a pious group of community known as the tabligh. They are people who would occasionally leave everything behind and just walk for a long period of time. In my friend's case, it will be for 40 days. Some of them would travel to a foreign land for months in order to spread the deen. Coincidentally, I'm waiting for one person to come back from a tabligh task in India, because his talent is needed for a creative job. Many of them are well educated and are professionals in their own respective fields, yet they would regularly devote their time on something useful for the religion, something good for their scales of good deeds in akhirah.
So...someone I know was going away to walk for weeks on end. And there I was going about having fun on the weekend. We can only imagine the thought process of someone who's going for such a physical, psychological and spiritual challenge. I could sense from his message a deep sense of humility, fear and hope. Surely there will be trials during the journey which should heighten his level of patience. His dependency on Allah subhanahu wa taála will be stronger. His shukur, I imagine, is so much more meaningful than your shukur or mine. He will have plenty of time for tafakkur and that should result in him being more taqarrub (close) to Allah than many of us.
I asked for a prayer from him. As much as I am hopeful that he will remember to say a prayer for me, it breaks my heart to think that in the difficulties and inconvenience of walking for 40 days, he might on one quiet night at a mosque...somewhere...raise his hands and make duá for me, while I go about spending life quite carelessly : (
But that is life. C'est la vie. The Lord inspires us differently. The Lord motivates us to do all kinds of things and grants us different degree of tawfiq. At the end of the day, He will differentiate us based on the value of taqwa each one of us has.
May Allah forgive our shortcomings. May Allah accept our deeds no matter how small. May He guide us on the Straight Path and grant us a good ending no matter how winding the road is before reaching the end. Ameen.
"The most fatal illusion is the settled point of view.
Since life is growth and motion,
a fixed point of view
kills anybody who has one."
- Brooks Atkinson
To travel and explore new places/things and change one's viewpoints, is the way to go.
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