The grass is always green on the other side
I am 23 years old now. Looking at myself, I have made some achievements throughout this 23 years.
Good result in SPM and A-Level allowed me to further my study in a good university for three years, which during that phase of my life I travelled a lot. And Alhamdulillah, I managed to complete my degree satisfactorily.
Having completed my degree, I was offered a job in one bank in Malaysia. Given the portfolio of supervising the market risk and asset and liability management of the biggest bank in the country, I must say I might be one of the most junior employee in the bank that is fortunate enough to get this kind of early exposure.
But then, looking at these duniawi achievement, who am I to compare myself with Sultan Muhammad Fateh who conquered Constantinople at the age of 21?
How worthless my degree which I obtained at the age of 23, to compare with the priceless achievement of Imam Shafie who memorised the whole Quran at his age of seven years old?
Looking at my travel log, and comparing it with Amru al-Asr’s adventurous journey to North Africa: I am nowhere near him. While he left all his family grand status in Mecca for seeking the mercy and love of Allah, we (that includes you and me) on the other hand cannot even stop our phone conversation with our girlfriend (though I ain’t got no one yet) when the muazzin (or Islamicfinder in the case of UK students) is calling for the prayer. Shame..
And reading the story of Abdul Rahman bin Auf’s contribution towards Islam, and relating it to our RM1 (or small change) weekly donation to masjid during Jumaat prayer, please don’t even dream of sitting near to the Prophet in the heaven of Firdaus. (Having said that, Brother Zacharias is collecting contribution on behalf of PAS Teluk Kemang for the purpose of the upcoming election. For those who wish to contribute, please contact him personally through his email or mobile.)
My ustaz once provoked us,"Do you all think you deserve jannah just merely by praying?"
Now I think I know the answer. Only the mercy of Allah is the ticket to jannah. And the price of the mercy of Allah is indeed far more expensive than our chinchai prayer. It requires the test of hunger, fear, loss of people, financial distress etc.
A simple fake childish claim of Islam Hadhari, with all the wealth and complacency that they indulge…hmmm..I just don’t think this fulfill the test above.
And given all the test, threat and unfair treatment to them, the other party might be on the right track to the mercy of Allah.
Let us be part of the Islam victory.
And to rewrite my post title, The grass is always green on the other side, I really mean this, literally really.
“Hai orang-orang yang beriman, sukakah kamu aku tunjukkan suatu perniagaan yang dapat menyelamatkanmu dari azab yang pedih? (Iaitu) kamu beriman kepada Allah dan RasulNya dan berjihad di jalan Allah dengan harta dan jiwamu. Itulah yang lebih baik bagimu, jika kamu mengetahui. Nescaya Allah akan mengampuni dosa-dosamu dan memasukkanmu ke dalam syurga yang mengalir di bawahnya sungai-sungai; dan (memasukkan kamu) ke tempat tinggal yang baik di dalam jannah ‘Adn. Itulah keberuntungan yang besar.” (Surah as-Saff ayat 10-12)
dan
Wahai orang-orang Yang beriman! mengapa kamu, apabila dikatakan kepada kamu: "Pergilah beramai-ramai untuk berperang pada jalan Allah", kamu merasa keberatan (dan suka tinggal menikmati kesenangan) di tempat (masing-masing)? Adakah kamu lebih suka Dengan kehidupan dunia daripada akhirat? (Kesukaan kamu itu salah) kerana kesenangan hidup di dunia ini hanya sedikit jua berbanding Dengan (kesenangan hidup) di akhirat kelak (Surah at-Taubah ayat 38).
