Assalamualaikum wbt
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| This route is long and challenging. You may be thinking of stopping in the middle. But, trust Allah, this is the best route for you. |
Alhamdulillah. All praises belong to all mighty Allah, the only creator of you and me.
When I was in form 5, a brother used to come to my school and organised a random halaqah silently. With his red car *I don’t really remember, but most probably Kancil* , he successfully passed through the guards and parked his car near to the surau. While lying on my bed, I could obviously see his car from the widely opened window. I watched him silently.
Today he looked as smart as always with blue jean paired with a collared t-shirt. A small beard on his chin made him looked matured. He walked across the praying hall before coming to a stop at a corner, near to the exit. He was looking for someone, looking for me I guess.
When I was in form 5, a brother used to come to my school and organised a random halaqah silently. With his red car *I don’t really remember, but most probably Kancil* , he successfully passed through the guards and parked his car near to the surau. While lying on my bed, I could obviously see his car from the widely opened window. I watched him silently.
Today he looked as smart as always with blue jean paired with a collared t-shirt. A small beard on his chin made him looked matured. He walked across the praying hall before coming to a stop at a corner, near to the exit. He was looking for someone, looking for me I guess.
A message appeared on my Nokia, as expected.
“Do you wanna join us?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not coming”
It was in Ramadhan when I first met him. One evening I was reading the Quran, near to the entrance but hardly being seen as I sat behind a pole. Only few people were around. This was where his part began.
“Can we read the Quran together?”
I was stunned for a moment
“Yeah, sure”
I showed him where I was reading and we took turn reciting it.
After few pages, we stopped. He started to ask my name, where I lived....*common questions that you would certainly ask lol* and the conversation was getting longer and longer.
We exchanged phone number.
“I’ll see you again next week yeah. I’ll give you a message”
Me, a person who hardly say No literally said, “yeah, sure”.
That was the starting point where I started halaqah in my life. Yet, it didn’t last long. I stopped after a few meetings with him. Honestly, I was lazy and maybe I wasn’t that close to him. So, the desire slowly faded.
I often saw him in the surau, giving halaqah to those who were willing to stop, join and listen. But, I just smiled and walked away. *The pearl was already on my hand, but I let it slip away and rolled on the floor*
I still kept his number until today. But I never took the effort to say hi...
A year passed and I was accepted to Sunway University College, a private college in the middle of Subang Jaya, the most crowded city I had ever seen. I lived in Casa Subang, a 25-storey high apartment, in a well occupied house together with four other awesome housemates.
We planned, but truly Allah was the best planner.
This was where the second part of the story began.
One evening, my housemates entered my room.
“Someone is coming to our house tonight, and he gonna gives us some lectures on islam”
Without any hesitation, my roommate and I cleaned our room and opened some spaces to sit.
We sat in a circle that night, four of us. He was a very kind, intelligent, knowledgeable and an interesting man indeed. He introduced himself and later followed by every of us.
The meeting was the spark of my weekly halaqah.
Soon, the small group grew larger. Now, there were more than 10 of us. We spend around 3 hours of our Saturday night *If I wasn’t mistaken* learning about our deen and building ukhuwah among us.
Unfortunately, my heart was silently sealed, a devastating truth, indeed.
All went in and swiftly made it through my brain and escape. None stuck and travelled to my petite heart. I missed lots of daurah, qiams and other outdoor activities. But I kept on coming to the meeting, with empty mind and heart, always.
*The pearl was already in my hand, but I never polished it to shine and glitter*
Allah was my ultimate boss; He knew what the best was for me. Once again, He introduced me to halaqah.
“If Allah wants to do good to a person, He makes him comprehend the religion” (Bukhari and Muslim)
“Do you wanna join us?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not coming”
It was in Ramadhan when I first met him. One evening I was reading the Quran, near to the entrance but hardly being seen as I sat behind a pole. Only few people were around. This was where his part began.
“Can we read the Quran together?”
I was stunned for a moment
“Yeah, sure”
I showed him where I was reading and we took turn reciting it.
After few pages, we stopped. He started to ask my name, where I lived....*common questions that you would certainly ask lol* and the conversation was getting longer and longer.
We exchanged phone number.
“I’ll see you again next week yeah. I’ll give you a message”
Me, a person who hardly say No literally said, “yeah, sure”.
That was the starting point where I started halaqah in my life. Yet, it didn’t last long. I stopped after a few meetings with him. Honestly, I was lazy and maybe I wasn’t that close to him. So, the desire slowly faded.
I often saw him in the surau, giving halaqah to those who were willing to stop, join and listen. But, I just smiled and walked away. *The pearl was already on my hand, but I let it slip away and rolled on the floor*
I still kept his number until today. But I never took the effort to say hi...
A year passed and I was accepted to Sunway University College, a private college in the middle of Subang Jaya, the most crowded city I had ever seen. I lived in Casa Subang, a 25-storey high apartment, in a well occupied house together with four other awesome housemates.
We planned, but truly Allah was the best planner.
This was where the second part of the story began.
One evening, my housemates entered my room.
“Someone is coming to our house tonight, and he gonna gives us some lectures on islam”
Without any hesitation, my roommate and I cleaned our room and opened some spaces to sit.
We sat in a circle that night, four of us. He was a very kind, intelligent, knowledgeable and an interesting man indeed. He introduced himself and later followed by every of us.
The meeting was the spark of my weekly halaqah.
Soon, the small group grew larger. Now, there were more than 10 of us. We spend around 3 hours of our Saturday night *If I wasn’t mistaken* learning about our deen and building ukhuwah among us.
Unfortunately, my heart was silently sealed, a devastating truth, indeed.
All went in and swiftly made it through my brain and escape. None stuck and travelled to my petite heart. I missed lots of daurah, qiams and other outdoor activities. But I kept on coming to the meeting, with empty mind and heart, always.
*The pearl was already in my hand, but I never polished it to shine and glitter*
Allah was my ultimate boss; He knew what the best was for me. Once again, He introduced me to halaqah.
“If Allah wants to do good to a person, He makes him comprehend the religion” (Bukhari and Muslim)
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| At least take this opportunity to repair the iman and maintain it |
This was where the last chapter revealed itself.
Alhamdulillah.
I safely landed in Australia.
I rented a house, together with 3 other scholars. The house was small and old, perhaps that was the main reason why the charge was cheap. Yet, I thanked Allah for it.
The word halaqah wasn’t something strange here. In fact, dakwah and tarbiyah landed here long time ago. Most of the scholars here joined halaqah since their foundation years. They were more likely similar to me.
So, this group of students gathered around once a week.
Now, it had been a year. Tarbiyah had become part of my life. Frankly, I was struggling initially. No matter how hard I struggled, Allah knew the best. Eventually, He tied my heart to this long path. Verily, the aid from Allah was always there.
It took time, honestly. Some might rejected it since the first day they heard of it, yet some were willing with hope to maintain themselves and revive the iman. Yet, in sha Allah, we would find that turning point.
“What about study then?”
I came here as students and study was my priority. This question was common among to those who were new.
However, if we pictured life comprised of these three components, then dakwah and tarbiyah shouldn’t worried us. The hours of study shouldn’t be affected, but the time for self and lagha ought to be reduced and filled with halaqah and tarbiyah.
In sha Allah my friends, Allah will open your heart too, one day, to learn more about this deen. Lets us pray towards that ultimate goal.
*The pearl was already in my hand. In sha Allah, I would never let it slip again, and continuously let it spark with light that shines others towards Allah*
I may still a newbie compared to those who seriously walking in this path for ages, yet, I pray, together Allah will ease our path, grants us hidayah and cleans our heart to accept and appreciate the deen.
*The pearl was already in my hand. In sha Allah, I would never let it slip again, and continuously let it spark with light that shines others towards Allah*
Amin
In sha Allah.
