Don't you just love it when you know that your bank account is filled with money on payday? All your hard work; sweat, blood & tears are paid off. Quickly, you rush in line with almost everybody else to withdraw (I'm not so good with my on-line banking skills) and make payments and organise shopping trips so that you can get your hands on that one-too-many particular items that you've been eyeing since last payday.
And there you have it, the scents of newly-bought items in your car, your house and in your room.
So let me ask you, have much did you pay for that new smartphone? Or the handbag that you just had to buy, even if it wasn't on sale? What about the money that you put aside for the car, the house, the kids, etc? Quite an amount eh?
Ok, let's go to the next series of questions. How much are you willing to fork out for your religion and beliefs?
RM1?
RM10?
RM1,000?
No definite amount or hasn't really given it a much thought?
Makes you wonder for a second on how much we really spend and what we really spend on.
This entry of mine is to a response posted on a blog that I follow, which I feel the comment has made me realise and sat down over the past few days and really think about this seriously. What has been going on nowadays is that our expenses are mostly for this world, the present. Why is it so difficult for us to spend for our time and to ensure that it will be a smooth one in the hereafter?
The blog that I mentioned earlier was written by a non-hijab wearer but she's a Muslim. Following her blog throughout the years, I understand and appreciate her wish to share with everyone on how she is improving herself towards becoming a better Muslim. We are all not perfect in this world, only Allah SWT and our beloved Prophet PBUH are.
Few weeks back, she posted and disseminated info on this upcoming Being Me conference, which is an all-English conference only for the muslimah. She even helped to sell the tickets which in my opinion, is her own way to spread the goodness of Islam and of course, it's her way of collecting pahala as well. As the conference is featuring international speakers, I feel that the cost of RM150 is acceptable since concert tickets by international acts, i.e. Michael Buble, Enrique Iglesias, Jason Mraz and many more can go up to thousands of RM... and yet we still see the tickets being sold out at the earlier stage of promotion.
So why is the thinking/mindset that anything to do with religion has to be FREE still exists?
When I read the comment posted on her blog in response to her entry, I was shocked and saddened by it. The comment not only wanting the conference to be free and for local Islamic organisations such as JAKIM to fully sponsor it, the comment also questioned on why the writer is promoting such things when she's not even donning a hijab?
Are we really in the position to question others' good intentions and pronounce sentence on them when we ourselves have done wrong, whether we realise it or not? Isn't that the work of Allah SWT? In my humblest opinion, we should celebrate and embrace our sisters who are working towards improving themselves in the eyes of Allah SWT, EVEN if they're not wearing the hijabs. I didn't wear mine last year but I'm so grateful and blessed that my journey was helped with family and loved ones. Imagine if I didn't have the strength at heart or the support of those surrounding me; imagine if I were given stares and an indifferent treatment at the start of myself trying to ensure I pray on time and buying modest clothes; imagine how hard it would be for me to be alone in this journey to be a better Muslimah? Would be damn right difficult, won't it? I might even stray further into the lost & confused world and couldn't care less about Islam & Allah. Subhan-Allah, please not. I beg to Allah SWT that I'm always shown the right path to Him.
In today's world, it is true that just because someone was born a Muslim does not make them a Muslim. All Muslims need to work hard and be together as the challenges that we face come in so many ways from so many angles. These are one of the reason why we are here in this world. To help others. We always need to take the first steps, and what better way to do so with people around us?
For example, glossy magazines with the latest trends are often sought after in the bookstores compared to religious books or even the Quran.
"Oh but the Quran does not have monthly issues like Vogue! So we need to always buy it!"
Obviously, duh. Allah SWT has said His words long before time and He doesn't need to change it with the publication of monthly issues. The last time I visited a bookstore, there are so many versions of Quran readily available. There's a small version that you can use to travel with, there's one with the translations in both English and Malay so that you can understand better, there's even with colourful covers to attract the youngsters. So why can't we spend our money for Islam? If we can't buy the one with gold thread embedded in it, then just a simple one. Reading even half a page daily is equivalent to the security system that you paid thousands monthly. The holy words of Quran guards not only against thieves and peeping toms, it guards from unwanted souls as well. And you can get the Quran at less than RM50. You see the difference in the value for both items?
Why does anything that has to do with Islam has to be free? Are we not willing to invest our earnings to ensure a better life and less-torture in the hereafter for all our acts in this world? I would and going to. I want to not worry about what will happen then. I want my family members to be safe from the torments of hell. I want to see my parents, my siblings, my loved one and friends in Jannah.
Come all, let us splurge towards the way to Allah SWT. Let us have peace in our hearts and be blessed with our actions towards becoming a better Muslim and Muslimah, insyaAllah.
Amin.
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