where is my watch?
i’ve been watchless for the past 2 days. it’s left me with quite disillusioned - one of our clients just called from aussie and i just couldn’t make out the time difference. i know they are ahead of us a couple of hours but with my left wrist lighter than usual, i wasn’t sure whether to ask about her morning tea / lunch / afternoon tea…
it’s incredible how time plays such an amazing role in our lives. you never notice it but just think - if you just sat still. let your mind freeze over. let time freeze around you. and think of God… what if we lived in a timeless world? what could we accomplish without that dimension? and even with time all around us - how much do we actuall accomplish? hmmmm…. i’m telling you, every second is a God-given second - a precious moment to live.
well, back to my watch. i can’t find it because over the weekend, which stretched into eid-ul adha, we brought little tasneem home to ipoh to see her extended family. not that there are many of them… but it’s more stimulation for her than having her mum and dad sing "old macdonald had a farm" over and over again… we have even included lions and hyenas in the rhyme.
she had fun at ipoh. on eidul-adha though, i didn’t attend prayers at the masjid as i had to stay home with tasneem… the usual milk, bath, cuddle routine in the morning. i hope next year she’ll be old enough to be brought along to the masjid for both eid celebrations.
during the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), eid prayers were not held at the masjids but in open spaces where everyone could attend and listen to his sermons. what a joy that would be if we could still have it that way. all gathered in hijab attire, listening attentively to the Messanger of Allah giving advise on life on dunya and akhirah, wishing blessings upon each other; children in colourful clothes running around, weaving in and out of the congregation, mimicking their parents in prayers, really breathing in the atmosphere into their hyper little lungs.
i’m afraid nowadays (in our culture), many have adopted the mentality that children should not be allowed into the masjid, especially during prayers due to the noise they emit. furthermore, women too are not encouraged to attend functions at masjids. some women take advantage of this presumption and not bother even venturing towards prayer congregations. instead loitering and gallavanting around shopping complexes pose no problems towards them. children on the other hand end up rolling around in front of the booming tv, possibly watching nothing that they can benefit from.
this perception really should be changed. living life like the Prophet encompasses so much more than just prayers, fasting and zakat. it should be the complete way of life including eid celebrations. eid should be celebrated in a glorious yet moderate manner… remember Muslims should be proud of their festivals, catching a balance between the 2 worlds. "Duit raya" or ang pows may just let your child sink into the world of materialism and that money is always the best reward. teach them about prayers for Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet. :))
here’s a pic after my family returned from the masjid, with tasneem looking the wrong way. Praise the Lord for digital cameras and the whole load of other equipment my sister-in-law and her hubby lugged back to ipoh during the hols to print a few prized pictures.
and yes, i know, i forgot to bring back a baju kurung or something alike. notice my 2 immediate uniformed in pink.
gee, the pic is really small. hope you can see it.
and after all that, my teeny weeny apartment in ampang is a mess after our return, and my watch is somewhere in the disarray.
time is limited. all time is limited. make the best of every God-given second…
salaam all…
