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NOTA: Untuk membaca artikel ini dalam versi Bahasa Melayu bertajuk ‘KISAH SEORANG MUAZZIN’, sila layari

http://www.iluvislam.com/keluarga/ibu-bapa/2321-kisah-seorang-muazzin.html

There was once a young muezzin (a man who makes the call for prayer) who moved to a city in America. He enrolled as a student in a college there and soon began life anew in a room in a dormitory. Despite his years of experience as a muezzin in his own country, not once did he try to do the same in his new home.

Soon he made new friends and one day, some of them came over to ask him to join them for a round of bowling. At first the young man declined but after his friends coaxed him, he obliged. That evening, when it was time for prayer, the young man excused himself to perform solat all by himself.

The second time they went bowling together, the young man did not perform his solat at the bowling centre.

One day, at the bowling centre, the young man’s friends bought a pack of beer and asked him to join them. At first the young man refused but again he was coaxed and cajoled. Finally, as his friends cheered him, he took several sips. He began to feel giddy and drank a few more sips. As his friends continued their game, the young man got up unsteadily and began to walk around the hall.

He saw a pretty woman sitting all by herself and began to harass her. Suddenly, the woman’s companion appeared and saw them together. He raised the bowling ball in his hand and threw it right on to the young man’s head. The young man instantly fell and died on the spot.

The above story was related by Shaykh Riad Ouarzazi in a seminar entitled A HEART SERENE organized by AlMaghrib Institute (http://almaghrib.org). Until today, I still remember Shaykh Riad’s words at the end of the story: “(At all times) you are either a mad’u (the one being called) or dai’e (the caller).” In the above story, the muezzin refused to call people to Islam in his new town and finally breathed his last as a drinker.

NEVER LOOK DOWN UPON OTHERS

This story brought to mind the words of Shaykh Yahya Adel Ibrahim Alhafidz, someone endeared to my family because of his forthright words of wisdom. He said: “Never judge a person because you don’t know his or her circumstances.” To me this means, we should never ever look down upon others especially when what they do put us off.

If you’re well-versed in Islamic Knowledge, do not look down upon those who know far less than you. If you’re a Muslimah who covers up, never look down upon sisters who don’t because you never know the situation they live in. It could be that they have been brought up by parents who never taught them about the concept of awrah. For me, when I meet such a woman, I ask myself, if I were to have grown up in the same set of circumstances as she did, could I be just like her?

Just as the story of the muezzin above shows, we never know if our last deed will be our best deed or if we will die a mukmin or otherwise. What guarantee do we have that we will die as a Muslim? Even if it is true that you and I strive to become better Muslims now, that we pray, fast, and cover up, our hearts may change. Everything happens by the will of Allah. Every single thing that we have is truly a blessing from Allah The Almighty. If Allah so wishes, He could take back whatever He wants, whenever He wishes for that is His absolute right as the Creator. About the only thing we could do is to keep trying our best and make lots of du’aa that Allah purify our hearts and keep us in His service for the rest of our lives.

HOW EMAN FADES

The question of ”Are you a mad’u or dai’e?” asked by Shaykh Riad had me thinking. Modern perspective has it that spirituality is an individual matter. It is unbecoming for you and I to talk about spirituality because “all religions are good and the same, it is up to the individual to choose whatever faith he feels right for himself.”

Yet when we reflect on the story of the muezzin, it is this very thinking that might cause us to walk on a slippery slope and gradually lose our faith. It’s quite simple, really: If you think that all religions are good and the same, what need is there for you and I to choose Islam and consciously play the role as dai’e?

As a parent or neighbour, have you made that deliberate choice to live as a mad’u or dai’e? If you’re a parent, are you a living role model for your kids to become a dai’e, such that when people see you, they see the beauty of Islam? Do you entice people to know more about Islam through your words and actions or do you scare them away? Do your kids feel proud of you as a Muslim parent? I personally feel that I still have a long way to go in this regard. What about you?