The Disdainful Hearts Of Ours

What is misinterpretation? It means to understand wrongly. (Please be aware, I’m not talking about innocence misinterpretation here but rather a misinterpretation based on our own sideways judgmental views or on how we percepts other people actions, behaviors or attitudes which brought us to the wrong side of thinking - the bad one. Yes, this could get a little bit complicated in some way). And this understanding could develop on either a rational basis or an emotional one. I am not making up any new theory or teaching to be digesting right by your mind but simply just a modest questioning thought which I hope free from any more mindless, non-intelligent misinterpretation. Allah’s willing.

This thought goes basically like this:

1. Why do people always judge others merely from what they heard or look?
2. Why is it so hard to accept others wrongdoings when we ourselves aren’t that perfect?
3. Why is it so easy to tell bad things about others when we forgot ours?
4. Why do we have to make up wrong facts about others when we don’t really know the actual things?

It feels good isn’t it? To talk or to think about others the way we want to believe? My dear friends, where are we wrong here? First impression isn’t everything while first mistake doesn’t eat up all the good ones! Please don’t judge the book by its cover, is what we usually say. Is this just a proverb to make the world a better place to stay? Oh, crap!

Let’s get back to all the unanswered questions from which I think everyone have made up their own interpretation by now (oh, mind you. I’m not at all in any emotionally danger state). This thought has been long and long ignored until now that I have the courage to write it here. The answer is as simple as the questions were, you see…

The Prophet of Mercy, Sayyiduna Muhammad al-Mustafa salla’llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said : “Surely there is in the body a small piece of flesh; if it is good, the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted, and that is surely the heart”.
Related by Imam Bukhārī in his sahih.

Yes, my dear friends, it’s the so-called purely innocent HEART. Our heart, that we have painted it a little black dot here and a little black dot there. I may not elaborate on this as I assumed we’re all aware of this well-known hadith. Am I not right? (Surely nobody will misinterpret a hadith? Unless you follow the SIS or the anti-hadith) Pray not be.

It’s clear isn’t it, why is it so easy to think bad about others? It’s our heart that determines our action whether it be good, or bad. Who are we to judge others? What makes us better than others? Our genius thoughts? Our brainy actions? Our boxful knowledge? Our grandeur power? No. None of those scrupulous materials mentioned above. We are no better than others that others are no better than us. Indeed, we come from the same dust that Allah made us from. Be humble and treat others the same way we want to be treated. (You know this, don’t you?)

However, I agree that we are, in some manners made others misinterpret us and thus have bad thinking towards our actions and behavior. This is unavoidable. But being a good brother and sister in Islam, we should always reflect on our thinking too, hence how we percept and see others. If our friends are doing wrong things, walk to them and tell them what you think rather than keeping inside the awful feelings and then, unreasonably shift away from them. Man, this is no good. Please, never look down on anybody, for to Allah, they may be better than us.

Yes, and yes, THIS IS a very lame issue! That has always been reminded on and on but undoubtedly the most easily forgotten. (And also which, we usually ignore with just a whisk of hand). Oh, dear… We are indeed Al-Insan, aren’t we? And that we always need reminders aren’t we? And so, this is neither a lecture that I intent to give nor a vengeance I longed to explode. This is indeed, a humble reminder - for me and for you - for all of us who called ourselves, the believer.

(I’m sorry to have to write this in English, for when it comes to this; all the words just come out, together with all the expressions they brought. These all come from my disdainful heart whose Keeper is no other than Him; The Almighty Allah. Although I admit that my English is veeeery terrible, please pardon me).

[10] Sebenarnya orang-orang yang beriman itu adalah bersaudara, maka damaikanlah di antara dua saudara kamu (yang bertelingkah) itu dan bertakwalah kepada Allah supaya kamu beroleh rahmat.

[11] Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Janganlah sesuatu puak (dari kaum lelaki) mencemuh dan merendah-rendahkan puak lelaki yang lain, (kerana) harus puak yang dicemuhkan itu lebih baik daripada mereka dan janganlah pula sesuatu puak dari kaum perempuan mencemuh dan merendah-rendahkan puak perempuan yang lain, (kerana) harus puak yang dicemuhkan itu lebih baik daripada mereka dan janganlah setengah kamu menyatakan keaiban setengahnya yang lain dan janganlah pula kamu panggil-memanggil antara satu dengan yang lain dengan gelaran yang buruk. (Larangan-larangan yang tersebut menyebabkan orang yang melakukannya menjadi fasik, maka) amatlah buruknya sebutan nama fasik (kepada seseorang) sesudah dia beriman dan (ingatlah), sesiapa yang tidak bertaubat (daripada perbuatan fasiknya) maka merekalah orang-orang yang zalim.

[12] Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Jauhilah kebanyakan dari sangkaan (supaya kamu tidak menyangka sangkaan yang dilarang) kerana sesungguhnya sebahagian dari sangkaan itu adalah dosa dan janganlah kamu mengintip atau mencari-cari kesalahan dan keaiban orang dan janganlah setengah kamu mengumpat setengahnya yang lain. Adakah seseorang dari kamu suka memakan daging saudaranya yang telah mati? (Jika demikian keadaan mengumpat) maka sudah tentu kamu jijik kepadanya. (Oleh itu, patuhilah larangan-larangan yang tersebut) dan bertakwalah kamu kepada Allah; sesungguhnya Allah Penerima taubat, lagi Maha mengasihani.

(Surah Al-Hujarat; 10-12)

-END-

Oh, by the way, here’s something to ponder upon, (oh, Balqis! Enough is enough!)

If you are on one side of an issue and everyone else seems to be on the other side, you shouldn't feel the need to change their minds. Having everyone totally agree all of the time is just not necessary! If you disagree with them that don’t have to mean that you think less of them, and vice versa. So learn how to agree to disagree -- avoid pushing your agenda or suspecting that they are pushing theirs. Everyone just thinks differently and that's okay. =)

-REALLY ENDED-


Aaah, what a relief...