My two cents

Bismillahir rahman nir rahim

 In the name of Allah , the most compassionate and merciful

Twas scrolling twitter and saw this pic

 Something was wrong. Tak nak masuk neraka ? Of course , yes it's true, it's part of our teaching but. Why teach kids to be afraid of hell instead of striving for paradise ? Call me liberal and petty but i simply cannot accept it. It's like "if you dont do this, you'll go to hell" . I hate it. It's not the islam i fell in love with. Islam is peace, it's kind and it's simple. Just how i imagine our Prophet p.b.u.h. To be ! It's the way of life , how we should live. This makes islam seem like an oppression. Islam isnt just about hellfire, it's about the beauty of being Allah's servant. And to be His true servant, we have to strive to be be the definition of a Muslim.

And in reference of being a definition of a Muslim, the few descriptions of Malaysian Muslims typically viewed my non-muslims are; doesnt eat pork, are afraid of dogs and wears tudung. Oh and fast during ramadhan. That is how Malaysian muslims portray themselves. But the more i learn, the more i realize that there's more to being a Muslims than being a Malay, which is completely different. Apparently now there's an indistinguishable line between those two, and is becoming one of the top factors of hindrance towards islam. My point is, this shouldnt be our identity. Nampak sangat tak portray the true meaning of being a Muslim.

okay, back to topic, for example, if i were to tell you either of two things,

(A) If you pluck a leaf, i would reward you with RM100

(B) If you don't pluck a leaf, you would have to pay RM100

Which sounds more inviting? Yes, both will motivate you to pluck a leaf, but (B) cast me in a darker light does it not? There's always a softer and gentler alternative to commands and instructions. So why choose the harsher option? Is this how you portray Islam ? Just my 2 cents.

Hijab

Bismillahir rahman nir rahim

 In the name of Allah , the most compassionate and merciful

During the early days of my reversion, my mum would often ask a question where the conversation would go :

"Why can't you be like normal muslims? She dont wear tudung mah"
"No mum, if you are a muslim, you are subjected to cover your awrah. And for women to the opposite gender is every body part except the face and hands"
"Why must cover?"
"To guard your modesty"
"Not modest meh wear loose fitting clothes and skirt below knee?"
"Modesty in the context where it varies depending on the culture of a certain country. In Saudi Arabia, revealing your ankles might be revealing. In the west, bikinis are. And in Malaysia it varies as much because we're multi-racial. As you were raised in a Chinese community, what i am wearing now may be modest. But to me, i feel comfortable wearing a hijab."

Well the convo goes on and on, but I want to explain to you why I had decided to wear a hijab.

     It just tells general public that I am a Muslim. I have once gone to a dinner with my Italian boss, his wife and their friends. We went to a non-halal Italian restaurant. I planned on just ordering a salad when the owner of the restaurant came to me and said that I could order anything I want on the menu and it will be halal. Honestly I was surprised. But to be safe i ordered a seafood pasta in case he doesn't know about halal meat. My boss then reassured me that the cook has borrowed cooking utensils and pots from a nearby halal restaurant just for my meal so I dont have to worry. After, when we had finished our meal and were about to leave, the male friends smiled at me and took a bow *insert laughing emoji* it was hilarious, and i was extremely amused but grateful for the thoughtfulness all the same. Alhamdulillah for such understanding companions.

     In my days as a non-muslim, I have (not to be proud) got some attention of males when i walk around in malls, cat-calls and direct flirtation. Been chased by Indonesian workers, and a wandering Nigerian. (no, not all of their nationals behave that way). After wearing a hijab, I realize a change . No more cat calls, stares, and it wasnt that they were ignoring me. I felt like I was being respected. They lowered their gaze or shifted it somewhere else. It was then that I thought, they respected me, because i respected myself. NO, I do not mean that people who do not wear a hijab have no humility. I don't mean that. I'm simply speaking in my terms, and my situation. I hope i didn't offend anyone. Hope my point got across tho. I have read a quote on twitter that goes something like Allah protects those who have an effort to protect themselves. Dammit I forgot the exact words and it has something to do with this, believe me. (trust me pls)

     Of course my main reason was because Allah has commanded me to. but have you ever though about why Allah has done so? Everything that Allah has set for us isnt without justification. And it is encouraged to find out what these justifications are. Ahh yg tu saya malas nak tulis, pi research sendiri.

     A more important point of all this is why I had cultivated a love for this religion. It encourages questions. It has no fear in it because all the answers are in the Qur'an. Im kinda sleepy now, so maybe it'll be edited soon hihi

Assalamualaikum

Giving

Bismillahir rahman nir rahim

 In the name of Allah , the most compassionate and merciful

 
I have been aching to write this story which my father had told me weeks ago. Here goes:

My father's colleague was queuing at the ATM and in front of her was a woman in her 30s, with two kids pulling at her jubah with streak of tears on their small faces. Lets name her woman A and my father's colleague woman B. So, when it was woman A's turn, she did what she needed and tried to withdraw RM30. Denied. She tried again. Denied. She checked her balance and woman B saw on the ATM's screen that woman A had RM8.50 in the account left. Woman B felt bad and open her purse, wanting to give woman A some money. In her purse had no small change, only RM50's. Woman B closed her purse and let woman A leave.

Woman B still felt guilty and told my dad the story. this is what my dad said :

"Can't you see that God is testing you? Whether you are able to part with your RM50. What are the odds that you got to see the ATM screen with her account balance? If you gave away that RM50, you may feel like it's a little financial loss. But to her, she might be able to get food, maybe for a week for her and her kids."

I see a lot of truth in that. Some of us may not be effected much by giving so little, but to others, getting this "so little" may mean a lot. That they don't have to starve for a few days. It's my assumptions but the essence of my story is there. I know there are so much to be skeptical about this world, scams, fake illnesses, and children who are used as beggars. But some of them TRULY NEED IT. Sometimes, you just have to keep in mind that you have done your part by sadaqah. What they do with that money is their business. Not the greatest thing to do but at least you can have a peace of mind.

I rather not talk about pahala and the benefits for doing sadaqah. Because i think that sadaqah is to help others in need and to me, if i do it in any other reason, the sincerity of it is gone.

Assalamualikum