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(Tut..tut..)
"Assalamualaikum."
"Waalaikumsalam"
"Mak ni. Sihat ke?"
"Ha..sihat je."
"Ni kat mane ni?"
"Skang orang kat satu masjid ni kat Utica NY."
"O..tgh keluar lagi ke?"
"A'ah..tp dah nak habis dah pun, esok balik Rochester dah."
"Kamu keluar tu tempatnye jauh ke?"
"Takde la jauh sgt, dlm 6-7 jam nek kete."
"Ish..jauh la tu. Pegi dgn sape?"
"O..camtu jauh ek. Ade dgn sorg pakcik ni, die yg drive. Die dah bese dah drive jauh. Yang lain budak-budak."
"Orang Pakistan ke?"
"Ha'ah. Nape?"
"Eh, kamu hati-hati sikit ye. Baru-baru ni mak dgr kat TV tu ade berita pasal kumpulan ajaran sesat."
"Ajaran sesat? Dari mane tu?"
"Dari Iran kot."
"Oh..jgn risaulah, tu Iran..ni Pakistan."
"Yela..dekat-dekat la tu."
"Ok..don't worry..orang pandai jaga diri insyaallah."
.................................................
"K..Mak doakan orang ek."
"Hari-hari mak doakan."
"K, krm salam sume. Assalamualaikum."
"Waalaikumsalam."
(Tut..tut..)
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"Ajaran sesat?" My lips curved a smile. No surprise. I get that a lot. I can't blame my mom for being cautious. It's natural for parents to be protective of their kids, especially when it comes to religious matters. Of course I can't deny the fact that these "ajaran sesat" groups are still existing, and active around us. We are at the end of time after all, things couldn't be more twisted could they? But chill out mom, this is the one thing your handsome little boy won't dare to mess with. (peace! haha) I may not be that knowledgeable about Islam, in many respects...but I am educated enough to distinguish the right from the wrong, haq from batil. And I can tell, without the slightest doubt, this effort is haq. Because...Allah swt will not bring His servant close to Him through a corrupt way. Nothing can bring closeness to Allah except those that come from Allah and His Rasul saw. As for myself, I'd never been so clear about my purpose of life as I have since I took up this effort. And I've never been so excited about being a Muslim as I am now!
So what's with the mentality? It is because in this edge, the effort of dakwah has become so unfamiliar that people regard it as "inappropriate" or "impractical." Some people keep a safe distance from it due to the fear of falling into heresy. Well, can't blame them for that. Playing it safe always appears to be the right choice. The irony is, these "ajaran sesat", heresies, and all other widespread diseases are prevailing simply because dakwah is abandoned. Make sense? This effort is indeed a gift from Allah swt to counteract the invasive fitna of this edge. If it wasn't for this effort, I would have drowned in this materialistic world long ago. The temptations are just too great, especially for the youth..and especially here in the US. Hmm..it is so much much easier to go with the flow than to go against it, isn't it? But, the majority is not always right. Plus, striving against your nafs is a big thing in the eyes of Allah swt. So lets put it this way; dakwah is a "shield" against those temptations. And how well you handle this shield determines how well shielded you are. If you ask me what this effort has to offer, I'd say "security and contentment."
p/s: Get protected. Go dakwah! =)
