BACK TO THE FUTURE

Ini kawan aku punya tulisan. Dia tak ada blog, jadi aku rasa rugi kalau tak kongsi dengan kau orang. Jangan risau, aku dah minta kebenaran dia, ok. Oh ya, kalau kau malas nak baca, ringkasnya ia tentang pandangan dia, seorang lelaki kepada wanita. Tapi bacalah, kalau kau sayang wanita kau.

"I’m proud to be a Malaysian…and I’m proud and grateful to see all the blessings that God has granted upon us. People say we are blessed with the ‘-est’ factor. The tallest of all buildings, the highest of all minarets, the most beautiful of all mosques, the ‘most’ and ‘–est’ of this and that…and not to forget, the women, the mothers of our future imams and amirs…surely there must be some ‘most’ and ‘est’ factors in them I presume…

Oh yes, how forgetful I am, for failing to realize those ‘est’ factors… forgive me please, forgive me. A few days ago in the news, written in large fonts and bold, I was stunned to know how excellent our Malaysian women are…and how they can ‘contribute’ to the society in every field they put their hands onto. I learnt that the domination of men in Akademi Fantasia was ended by a woman…a very talented one. One who would mesmerize men and women with her voice, and her natural, silky coordination of mind and body with musical rhythms (oh, they call it dancing), making millions without hesitating spending money to see her win, to expand her potential, and to show that our women too possess the spirit of Malaysia Boleh! Yes, our women boleh!

And not too long before I was acknowledged that our women not only can prove their capabilities in the country, but also to the world…yes, to the world. A Malaysian woman has been the first Asian women to cross both the North and South Pole! Now, that’s something that we can all be proud of. It’s extremely difficult to stay even a second in the extremely bone-chilling Poles, let alone to walk hundreds of kilometres in the heavy blizzard, crossing thin ice lakes, facing the dangers of wild Arctic animals, and making Jalur Gemilang wave proudly for every eyes in the world to see. I heard that millions of ringgit was spent to make the expedition a success….making me wonder for a while of the hungry stomachs and begging-hands on the streets I passed by just now. Shouldn’t the money be used to feed them first? Oh no, maybe for a second I was wrong…this woman needs the money more. Besides, she’s going to make the country proud, and all women worldwide proud. All possible support should be given to her…there’s no doubt about it.

Spending my free time with some friends however, alhamdulillah, have brought upon me a new paradigm on women. Through our routine talks and kitab browsing, I came across some names (yes, women names) which not only made my brows-raised, but also brought along a chilling-sensation…. a feeling of realization, of a rebirth of the generation of women that we should see in the news…that we should ponder on their sirahs, and be the model for our women to idol and follow. Oh, how I miss to see the softness of ‘Aishah, the patience of Khatijah Ummul Mu’minin and the iron-hearted Sumayyah! Or the sacrifice of Masyitah, and Zainab al-Ghazali, all done with one single, pure, untainted purpose, Islam.

I studied with pride the thousands of hadiths brought down from ‘Aishah, and pondered in awe of her contribution for ummah; her role as a wife of the prophet, and her thorough knowledge of the Qur’an and hadith which helped in solving problem to many. I shed my masculine tears, let them run and wet my beards, and wiped my nose dry, reminiscing the determination and courage of Sumayyah in defending the words of iman. How beneath the softness of your face lies a heart of diamond; hardened with iman and polished with tauhid. Oh our first syahidah! How weak and disgraceful am I to say your name, for inside me are countless sins and shame.

I thrashed my manly ego, stomped it with my own feet, all in front of the doings of Masyitah, the enlightened queen. Oh if not for your graceful soul, driven by iman and compassion, would the words of Musa be spread to the Israelites? On your side are the ruthless hands of the arrogant man who called himself a God, who makes his own decision of others to live or die, and yet you stood, and proclaimed your untainted iman.

And the list goes on and on, Khatijah Ummul Mu’minin. , Asma’ bt Abu Bakr, Hafshah bt Umar, Zainab al-Ghazali, Hindun bt Uthbah……….

Long I stood, shivering in the cold night breeze, looking afar….Oh God, guide us to the way of Truth, bring us back to the past, and may us not be blinded by those future idols!"

Ibnu Naim,

Pondok Selatan