as i read on the pages on the book of History of the prophets of islam (may peace be upon them), i found a very interesting quote :

permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. and indeed God is able to give them victory. [they are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right, only because they say, “OUR LORD IS GOD.”
……indeed, God is all-powerful and almighty.

this reminds me of something close to home. while the above deals with the bigger issues and occurred at the time of the new beginning of Islam centuries ago, the issues which we have to deal with at present are no less significant and also a rightful cause to fight for.

2 months ago, a niece of mine was called for an interview at an advertising firm in a central business district. while the interview was taking place with the director,
she brought forward a question, “do you have any problems with me wearing this?” she pointed to her headgear/tudung/hijab.
the interviewer replied “no, it’s just that i find it strange that a girl young as you (she’s 21 mind you!) is wearing the cover-up. i tot this cover-up thingy applies only to older women. Can you hear well underneath that cloth?”
certainly a misconception and something to smile about you think. but we shall let this pass as the interviewer is a male caucasian foreigner.

my niece got her very 1st job experience as graphic designer without having to sacrifice her religion. alhamdulillah. but how many of you out there who are as lucky as my niece? ‘Fight in the way of God those who fight you but do not commit transgression and God will surely support those who support Him.

bonda once related a story of a highly paid veteran nurse whose desire is to perform her obligatory duties as a muslimah. we all know the standard attire for our homeland nurses. resignation was not an option for her at that time as the family depended on dual income. upon bonda’s advise, she went to work covered-up and changed into her white crisp dress at the hospital. while changing into the uniform, she made supplications and zikir to Allah,
‘ya allah, aku mohon kepadamu supaya janganlah pakaian ini menjadi sebati pada diriku, jauhkanlah diriku dari penganiayaan dan sifat takbur, tetapkanlah imanku ya allah. astaghfirullah hal adzim.”

she would then changed back into her muslimah attire after her shift ended. she applied this routine without fail for years to come. then her husband got promoted and pay-rise, they could manage on single income though they could have lived more comfortably had she carried on with her job. but she quit. ‘Fight in the way of God those who fight you but do not commit transgression and God will surely support those who support Him'

and this is only ¼ of a battle won. there are still many battles after one emerge victorious maintaining her hijab. ‘Fight in the way of God those who fight you but do not commit transgression and God will surely support those who support Him.

now there is a battle to perform the 2nd pillar of islam. for most of us including myself who are working on office-hour shifts, that will be performing 2 out of 5 obligatory prayers – zuhur and 'asar. next comes the ‘selective, fussy-eater’ label. ‘Fight in the way of God those who fight you but do not commit transgression and God will surely support those who support Him'

Fight – only for Allah
Transgress – do not commit this fatal mistake. Islam is a beautiful religion of peace for all people. MasyaAllah.
Educate - never exasperate and intensify the non-muslims whose understanding of islam derives only from 9-11.

whoever we are, whatever we do, wherever we come from, we carry islam in our every speech, every step, every where. most often than not, we are the cause of misconceptions. we are our own walking contradictions.

but it is never too late for us to set the record straight, or is it? Wednesday, September 05, 2007