What Would Prophet Do?
It took me weeks before I decided to publish my view or may I call it as question on this matters. It arose back when I was involved in a program early this month. Acting as the Head Facilitators of the program, I led four other facilitators for a program designated for villagers around Petra Jaya parliament and Semariang state assembly seat. The youth was chosen among the so called 'naughty boys' but was fueled with great potential as I came along to know them through out the program. But the sad part is, they themselves did not know that fact.
These boys, as expected are not practicing Muslim. They live their life to the fullest, enjoying and cheering all day long without even knowing what to expect and what to be aim for. I came across an incident in the program where some of the boys come to me and ask whether they can go back to their room first when they are being asked to perform 'Asr prayer after the registration. I asked why? and they reply to me, "We want to "mandi hadas besar...". So it is known to us, the facilitators the condition and level of their religious background and it is expected that we as the facilitators to perform our duty with wisdom and knowledge.
And these is the part where I started asking myself what would Prophet do. Before the sports session on the second day in the morning, one boy came to me and ask whether he could wear his jeans for sports. I look at him awkwardly and ask why? he replied, "I don't have any other pants except the blue shorts I wear last night and being sounded by my facilitator".
I tried to recall his shorts he is wearing last night. For me, the shorts he is wearing last night is not a problem because it actually covers his aurah. But for the matter that it is still a shorts, that is why (I think) his facilitator sounded him. I asked him whether he could borrow from his friends, unfortunately, in the program his size is bigger than any of his friends. So I tell him, "just wear your blue shorts your wore last night."
As he (the boy) arrive where the sports session is being held, he sounded again by another facilitators telling him to go back to his room and change his shorts. I tried to negotiate with the facilitators but failed. Although I am the Head Facilitators, but his superiority in terms of age and position he hold at the place where the program was held defeats me. Do you know what happen to the boy, yes he went back to his room but never came back for the sports session.
And this is what I have not even tell my facilitators in the program. That second night, a group 7 - 10 boys gathered in my room where I live alone during the program. They questioned me of why they cannot wear shorts and they compared themselves to the Muslim Saudi Arabia footballers. They thought that if the Muslim Saudi Arabia footballers can wore shorts for sports why can't them? They questioned me about the facilitators who did not understand their situation. They asked me of my opinion and to backed their action.
I... I don't know what to say. It is known to us that these boys are not practicing Muslim. And it is known to us that these boys are among the naughtiest boy in their village. And it is very clear to us that these boys are not equipped with religious knowledge and even in academics they did not perform well. But, they have the potential and spirit to change themselves to be a better person as they come to the program voluntarily.
I know that it is the duty of us to show them the right path. And it is our duty to do da'wah that is "'amar maruf nahi mungkar" even if our saying is too bitter to be swallowed. We have to perform our duty without fear or favor. But, where does the role of hikmah goes?
What would Prophet do in a scene like this? Would he first tell the boys the dos and don'ts in Islam or would he first attached himself to the boys to win their heart and later for a long term purpose, educate them with the religious teachings.
What has Prophet done when he found out that a Jew was peeing in the mosque? What has Prophet done when an old Jew lady throw rubbish and shit at him? What has Prophet done when he taste a sour orange given to him intentionally by a Jew man?
Yes, the boys are not Jews. But can we put them in the same level as a practicing Muslim? Even so, what do these boys actually understand about Islam anyway? Don't you think that this program may be a chance for a new beginning for them? Every new beginning, it must start step by step. Because, our mad'u is not us.
These boys, as expected are not practicing Muslim. They live their life to the fullest, enjoying and cheering all day long without even knowing what to expect and what to be aim for. I came across an incident in the program where some of the boys come to me and ask whether they can go back to their room first when they are being asked to perform 'Asr prayer after the registration. I asked why? and they reply to me, "We want to "mandi hadas besar...". So it is known to us, the facilitators the condition and level of their religious background and it is expected that we as the facilitators to perform our duty with wisdom and knowledge.
And these is the part where I started asking myself what would Prophet do. Before the sports session on the second day in the morning, one boy came to me and ask whether he could wear his jeans for sports. I look at him awkwardly and ask why? he replied, "I don't have any other pants except the blue shorts I wear last night and being sounded by my facilitator".
I tried to recall his shorts he is wearing last night. For me, the shorts he is wearing last night is not a problem because it actually covers his aurah. But for the matter that it is still a shorts, that is why (I think) his facilitator sounded him. I asked him whether he could borrow from his friends, unfortunately, in the program his size is bigger than any of his friends. So I tell him, "just wear your blue shorts your wore last night."
As he (the boy) arrive where the sports session is being held, he sounded again by another facilitators telling him to go back to his room and change his shorts. I tried to negotiate with the facilitators but failed. Although I am the Head Facilitators, but his superiority in terms of age and position he hold at the place where the program was held defeats me. Do you know what happen to the boy, yes he went back to his room but never came back for the sports session.
And this is what I have not even tell my facilitators in the program. That second night, a group 7 - 10 boys gathered in my room where I live alone during the program. They questioned me of why they cannot wear shorts and they compared themselves to the Muslim Saudi Arabia footballers. They thought that if the Muslim Saudi Arabia footballers can wore shorts for sports why can't them? They questioned me about the facilitators who did not understand their situation. They asked me of my opinion and to backed their action.
I... I don't know what to say. It is known to us that these boys are not practicing Muslim. And it is known to us that these boys are among the naughtiest boy in their village. And it is very clear to us that these boys are not equipped with religious knowledge and even in academics they did not perform well. But, they have the potential and spirit to change themselves to be a better person as they come to the program voluntarily.
I know that it is the duty of us to show them the right path. And it is our duty to do da'wah that is "'amar maruf nahi mungkar" even if our saying is too bitter to be swallowed. We have to perform our duty without fear or favor. But, where does the role of hikmah goes?
What would Prophet do in a scene like this? Would he first tell the boys the dos and don'ts in Islam or would he first attached himself to the boys to win their heart and later for a long term purpose, educate them with the religious teachings.
What has Prophet done when he found out that a Jew was peeing in the mosque? What has Prophet done when an old Jew lady throw rubbish and shit at him? What has Prophet done when he taste a sour orange given to him intentionally by a Jew man?
Yes, the boys are not Jews. But can we put them in the same level as a practicing Muslim? Even so, what do these boys actually understand about Islam anyway? Don't you think that this program may be a chance for a new beginning for them? Every new beginning, it must start step by step. Because, our mad'u is not us.
Comments
this is a very good entry for all the daies..hope it touched our heart and made us revise our method of da'wah fardiyah (individual).
when i read this entry i remembered when i was in form 1..i've been wearing tudung (headscarf) in wrong way (not fully covering my aurah) because i never knew the perfect way of covering aurah.my impression that time was covering aurah means covering head, doesn't matter if you wear short sleeves or exposed your neck or not covering the chest with your tudung!oh..i've been dressing with my own fatwa (hehe) all the while without knowing that it was wrong!(this is quite surprise for a student in SMK Agama like me...how come my ustaz/ustazah never told me earlier?they only told me that you must wear tudung but didn't explain more)
i thought i was dressing perfectly until one day, when i was in form 2, somebody told me how is the perfect way of covering aurah (to cover the whole body except the face and hands and need to put down your tudung to cover your chest). how surprised i was!
i've learned from my own experience that not all people know basic things in Islam as how you know it. they might be doing the wrong things because they thought it's a right thing, not because they want to break Allah's rule.maybe they wasn't been educated by their parents or teachers, and it's our job to tell them in the best way with hikmah and mau'izah hasanah.
sometimes, we tend to judge people very fast but we don't even give them opportunity to learn and change. we expect them to be perfect but we never remember them in our doa. we said that we are daie, but we lost hope (maybe lost interest) and leave our mad'u very fast when they're not interested in our da'wah..oh.it's too bad.
o..what would the Prophet do?
Oh Allah, please give us strength to follow our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him).
p/s:still learning to be daie.for my own tazkirah...