The plan for today (Friday) is to bring two of the juniors to Buffalo markaz for sabghuzari program (or malam markaz as we call it in Malaysia.) But here comes the problem; The car broke down. (Someone let the engine on overnight.) At this point, it seemed very unlikely for us to go on with the plan. Karkun 2 was a little disappointed with this since it would otherwise be a golden chance to bring new brothers to markaz, & get them in contact with the environment of iman. Plus, we're getting rewards for bringing people to the house of Allah, insyaallah. But it turned out that the car fixed itself just in time and the trip went on as planned. Alhamdulillah! To Buffalo: Karkun 2 was driving with me sitting next to him. The two juniors sat in the back.
FAST FORWARD>>
Few minutes to reaching markaz, as we entered the housing area my eyes caught a pleasantly rare sight: Groups of niqabi walking down the street.
They were heading for their classes at the madrasah I guess. So I could deduce that they are future hafizah or 'alimah. Involuntarily, my head was turning towards them. The fact that they were wearing niqab made me want to sneak a look even more. (Ish2!) I hate to say this but it is an incorrigible nature of mine to be curious about the hidden. They are a comfort to the eyes really. After weeks and months of continuous torture, my eyes had finally found a relief. Looking at the way they dress, people are prompted to give them their due respect without their having to ask for it. Their dresses speak for them. Isn't that cool? The real beauty of a muslima lies in her modesty; for it is this that affects the hearts the most. Everything else added to this is a bonus from her Rabb of course (a bonus to the husband!) From what I heard, the dwellers of Jannah will go visit Allah swt at certain times, but conversely for the niqabi, Allah swt himself will go visit them. So they must be really special to get such an honor from the Rabbul'alamin. Being a little personal, I would loove to have a niqabi as someone close to me. (well, who wouldn't?) But knowing where I stand, this dream, if not a mere fantasy, would be a special gift for me. Sometimes I even go as far as 'alimah and hafizah in daydreaming. I think I really need to get back on Earth ASAP before I run out of Oxygen up here. Come to think of it, it is kinda ironic that I used to feel somewhat uncomfortable seeing the niqabi around, might have been due to the fact that they stand out in the crowd. So I used to somewhat keep my distance from them. Well, that was me then. My apology to niqabi sisters. You deserve my highest respect for holding on to the sunnah in this edge of fasad & munkar: the time when people are compromising the Deen for general norms.
SPEECHLESS INTERVAL...
All of a sudden, a familiar voice pulled me out of my daydream, "Oit, jangan tengok lama-lama sangat..." It was Karkun 2! He kinda figured out what I (if not we) was having in mind. Cis! He just happened to come to his senses earlier than I did. Now I'm voluntarily shifting my sight to the male madrasah students..
There is a madrasah here alright, but I don't know much about it. What I do know is when dakwah is established in a locality, the environment will change. Madrasah will mushroom. Hafiz and hafizah, 'alim and 'alimah will be born from muslim houses. Love and care will spread throughout the community. You can see the proof here at this locality in Buffalo and any other places in which dakwah is established. Just for the record, some of the streets' names here have even been changed to Islamic names. For example, from "something not Islamic" to "Medina Street." This is the powerful effect of dakwah.
LONG STORY CUT SHORT>>
- We grabbed some pizzas from a halal pizza store there.
- We prayed different prayers at different masjid (macam rancangan masjid ke masjid kat tv3): 'Asr at Masjid Zakaria, Maghrib at Buffalo Markaz, Isya' at Masjid Taqwa (across the street from Ramli's apartment)
- We met with Syeikh Yahya & Maulana Abdul Muqeet..and Br. Sajjat as well.
- The two juniors seemed really surprised (seeing how a place in the US can be more Islamic than an Islamic country itself) and happy (being in the company of great brothers at markaz.)
Wallahua'lam
