Life's Like That

Life Is Short, yeah!

8.20 am, 30th November 2007

Months ago, in Pathology Anatomy class, a teacher of mine, before starting the lesson, asked us the date of the day. We answered almost in unison and suddenly she kind of like screaming. We looked up at her from the works that we were doing and asked her what had happened. Slowly she said, “It’s already the 3oth of November and tomorrow is going to be the 1st of December.” We replied, “yeah?” “Do you know what that means?” she asked us back. One of us answered, “It means that the mid semester state exam is just around the corner, Mam.” “No” she said and that answer raised our eyebrows higher. Looking at her, we asked, “Then, what’s that supposed to mean, Mam?”

This is what she said …

“It means that just another month and a new year will come, time pass so quickly that you don’t even realize it’s already tomorrow. And I’m becoming old day by day, but I don’t know what I’ve done in this life, what I’ve achieved, did I ever get what I want, I never knew. But time will go on and on like a 100 years and one day I’m going to die and just, puff! like that, become nothing but dust. And here I am still like this.”

We just kept silent, unaware to interrupt. We like her because she always shared her life story with us so we dare not to ask why she said like that. We didn’t know what she mean about ‘here I am still like this’, because all we can see in her is that she’s a real brilliant teacher, really!

We just continued with our works and she continued staring at the window probably thinking what could happen next year in her life while looking at the leaves that fall one by one blew down by the soft autumn wind that pass.

Inside, I pitied her. I know what she meant. And I felt guilty wrapped over me. Thousands and thousands more non-Muslim out there waiting for us to reach them, but we never did our responsibility as a Muslim, that is spreading da’wah. Although, it’s Allah who made us into Muslim and non-Muslim but truly, it’s our duty, the so-called Muslim to broaden this deen towards them. Ah, but sadly even WE, don’t have the strength to correct ourselves or Muslim friends around us. We’re NOT even united to protect our deen, Al-Islam! So, pitiful!

Muslim's Everywhere

I was in the ‘marshutkar’ (mini-van) with my friend on our way back to hostel from the supermarket. I bought some things including some small metal rack for my room decoration, so you could imagine the size of my plastic bag (Oh, if I’m not to become a doctor, I might’ve become an interior designer then). There are already several Ukrainian passengers inside the van. Fortunately, we got some seat for ourselves which is a relieved because if we have to stand, we have to bend our neck for half an hour as the roof of the mini-van was so low, we could crack our body in two. (Kidding!)

Silence enveloped us while we look outside the mini-van window to make sure where we should stop (different mini-van stop at different places unless we tell them to do so). Out of a sudden, there came a sound which is actually a mobile ring tone of Sami Yusuf song, titled ‘Who is the Loved One’ which goes like,

‘Who is the loved one, Allah! Who is Ar-Rahman, Allah! Who is Al-Mannan……’

I was stunned, I remembered that I had silent my hand phone and that I ALWAYS silent it whenever I go out (I hate it when my phone ring in the crowds so I prefer to silent it when I go anywhere in public). This can’t be mine. Everybody in the van was now looking at us because for one thing, the tone was so loud and clear, and that we're the only Muslim who rode this van. My friend who sat next to me looked at me as if asking me to answer the call or just stop it. I looked back at her with wide eye as if to say “It’s not mine”. Besides, I DON’T have that song inside my phone. Whose could it be?

Our question was answered by a hoarse voice answering the phone. “Alloo!” And we looked back. It was the voice of a middle-aged man, sitting alone diagonally back from us. We have no clue that he is a Muslim. He neither looks like an Arab nor a Tartarian which constitutes the majorities of Muslim in Ukraine . My friend and I look at each other, confused by what had just happened. Then, we continued staring out the window, acted like nothing had happened. A few minutes later, the man got out somewhere in the middle of the road and lost from our view.

“I thought it's only you and Sakeenah who listen to that kind of song”, my friend broke the silence. And I just went like “yeah”.

So many Muslim around us, but we don’t even realize, Subhanallah. I never heard any Ukrainian listen to Sami Yusuf’s songs or to that type of song and I never knew either that his song could reach such country as Ukraine because this is not England or least to say Turkey. What with only minorities of Ukrainian that can speak English, uh, that man must be from somewhere else then. And as far back as I know, not even any Tartarian know who Sami Yusuf is, Ha Ha, big deal! Just some guess. And by that thought, we jumped of the van and walked back to our hostel thinking what to eat for that night.

'Marshutkar' on the road going in different directions.

Show Me The Right Way

I was late. I knew I was late because I was walking so fast my feet don’t even touch the ground. Class will start any minutes now and I'm still walking in small pace but fast, hoping I could just fly like the birds in the sky. Suddenly, I was stopped by a couple of middle-aged women who came out of nowhere from thin air and gave me a crumple of small note with some writings on it. It was an address, but I couldn’t make out what or where it is because it was in Russian and I’m not familiar with places here. You see, even after three years, I still couldn’t make out the name of the small road I’m walking now, too bad, ha! Not that I don’t know, but I just don’t notice much if it was just a small road even if I use it everyday to go to class. I mean I know some big streets here in Ukraine or famous places and everything but, uh, who care what’s the name of road you’re walking everyday if you know where the road go? Okay, okay, back to the two women who gave me the note before. Later, I raised my eyebrows as If to say, what? They looked at me and said something that sound like ‘stomatological’. It means dentist or dentistry. Ah, glad that I finally understand what they want; I smiled and showed them the way with the help of some body language I made with my hand since I forgot my Russian suddenly at that exact time. I showed them the way to the Dentistry Building which situated near the Sport hall. They looked at each other and finally said thank you to me. So I continued walking towards the Microbiology Department where the class situated. And when I reached the class, the teacher was not yet in and so, I settled down, happy that I made it to the class before the teacher came and happy that I’ve done one good deed, I’ve helped showing direction to people today. Alhamdulillah.

Several days later, on my way back to hostel from 7th State Hospital, I saw this advertisement board before the round about. It was an advertisement about a newly open dentist clinic called ‘Medissa’ which situated IN our University area just several walks from our University main gate. Somehow I got to read the address written underneath the picture and surprisingly, it was the same address the two women gave me the other day. I knew it was the same one because I remembered some figure in it. Undoubtedly, it WAS that address! And at that time I realized, I’ve given them the wrong direction. They wanted to go to the dentist clinic NOT the dentist department. Ah, poor them! Funny yeah, but one thing for sure, I got one beautiful lesson from what had happened.

You see, this is like one tamsilan (example) where the women are the people who’re asking for the right direction, but instead showing them the right path, I had faultily led them to the wrong way. I’m supposed to show them the right one, but because I don’t know how to read the address and understand them, I put them into the wrong way. See the big picture here? If we as Muslim aren’t good in understanding and practicing our deen Islam, how can we help others to understand and follow us?

I leave you with this question.Do the thinking your own! ;)

"Show us the straight path, the path of those whom Thou has favored; Not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray" (1:6-7)

p/s : Sorry for the overlength, just want to share some of my everyday experiences.

Salam. =)