When two old friends with same name met...

Mom, Hajah Zainab Haji Hassan, 79, cherishing moment with her long lost friend, Hajah Zainab Wan Ibrahim,77 (on wheel chair)

My mom was reading a Malay newspaper when she saw a photo of a familiar face in one of the pages. Yes, it was her long lost friend. I got back from work that day and my wife pointed me towards my mom who was still staring at the photo of her friend. My mom looked so mournful and sorrow. I asked her who is the person in the photo..she slowly replied that was her long lost friend when both used to live in the same small town. I offer her to pay a visit to her friend who was said to be living in an Old Folks home in Kuala Kubu Bharu.

She was so excited about the visit which we did in the next day. She was really looking forward to the visit and expecting her friend is being taken good care of looking from the photo seen in yesterday newspaper. She told us that the friend was a great grandchild of Johore 9th Mentri Besar Dato' Wan Idris and was well to do. The father, Wan Ibrahim loved her very much and that she was so cute and pretty. Both her and my mom, were also very closed to sisters Rahah and Suhaila who then married the then  Dato' Abd Razak Hussein and Dato' Hussin Onn respectively when both were living in that same small town. Hajah Zainab used to work for Jabatan Telekom Malaysia (Malaysian Telecom Department and then Telekom Malaysia.

The trip was not so nice as the location was actually quite far and remote. My mom and us were thinking the place should not be like a normal old folks home considering her background. This was actually me and my wife's first visit to an old folks home but at least we could imagine how it looks like based on what shown in the local TV programs.

When we reach the place, we were told to go Dorm D as she is located there. We then discover that Dorm D  is actually meant for more critical case. The Zainab(s) then folded into each other arms and started chatting about old memories while exchanging photo.

Mom and Hajah Zainab seen exchanging photos

Her life there was not exactly as what we expected. She only enjoy RM250 from her pensions. Not having any children makes life so lonely as nobody visited her other that her late sister's son. He lives in Section 3 Shah Alam bringing some food once in a while.

Not all living there are old folks, some are mentally not stable patience, some others are individuals who no longer needed by their family and relatives as they were considered burden even at young age - as young as 45. One of them is a smart educated Indian lady who were left there by her relatives as the husband deserted her due to her ilness caused by tumor. She who is now paralyzed was not visited by anybody for quite a while according to her chat with my wife. This english speaking lady said that they were not really treated that well here eventhough there was no serious abuse by the workers.

The mix with mental illness people has caused the workers treating all the same way. As a result both the unfortunate unwanted individuals and the old folks were emotionally stress. She said, only her and Hajah Zainab are in better mental stage as they have very strong faith in God. The Indian Christian lady also admitted she respected Hajah Zainab's endurance in facing her faith.

Hajah Zainab gathering strength in showing her
hospitality in waving good bye to her visitor. A
sorrow moment indeed.

Hajah Zainab was however lucky as her nephew once in a while would take her out for several night to stay over at their home especially during Ramadhan and Hari Raya. While we were there, she keeps on finding things to offer me and my kids. She asked us to eat kuih bahulu (Malay cakes) which I don't really like but still took them as not to hurt her pure feelings. I admire her as she still have hospitality in entertaining her visitors at that condition.

I retract my memory about the writing of the same yesterday newspaper mentioning that a mother can take care of 12 children but 12 children may not be able to do the same old mother. I pray hard to Allah that me and my 11 siblings will not be the 12 children mentioned in the newspaper.

Leaving Hajah Zainab Wan Ibrahim behind indeed was a very sorrow moment in my life, looking at the old lady waving her hand towards us and I am very sure her hope is for us to come back to pay another visit. Oh Allah! Pardon them of all their wrongdoings and let them be in peace.

Sopan santun Melayu mula menghilang

Setiap kali melintasi gerbang tol di lebuhraya, melalui booth pembayaran tempat letak kereta dan berhenti ketika pemeriksaan pengawal keselamatan di kondomium dan kawasan perumahan berpagar (gated housing area), saya sering terfikir betapa masyarakat melayu semakin hilang nilai kesopanan dan budaya merendah diri. Sukar sekali kita mendengar ucapan terima kasih, jauh sekali menerima ucapan mesra.

"Turunkan tingkap! ..... Buka bonet!...Nak ke mana ni, Encik? Ok jalan...jalan!" begitulah yang saya sering alami bila melintasi laluan keselamatan dan disapa oleh pengawal keselamatan di Malaysia. Alangkah baiknya kalau kita dengar begini..."Assalamualaikum (atau Salam sejahtera), Encik. Boleh minta tolong turunkan cermin tingkap dan buka bonet, Encik?....Terima kasih.... Boleh saya tahu Encik nak ke mana?....Terima kasih dan selamat jalan".

Masyarakat Malaysia ramai yang memandang rendah kepada rakyat Indonesia, tetapi jika mereka sering ke berkunjung ke sana, kita akan mengalami pengalaman yang berbeza dari segi layanan terutama di tempat-tempat yang saya sebutkan tadi.

"Selamat siang Pak...maaf ya Pak, boleh di buka belakang mobilnya ya Pak?..Boleh saya tahu Bapak mahu ke mana ya?...Makasih ya pak...selamat ya Pak ya"

Tak kiralah apa pun tujuan, niat dan apa yang ada di hati nurani mereka...yang pastinya sikap dan kesopanan mereka masih terjaga sekurang-kurang dalam susanan yang ringkas seperti itu. Kalau di Malaysia, tak kira pemungut tol, pengawal keselamatan, pekerja kaunter bayaran parking dan lain-lain, semuanya melayan kita ni macam peminta sedekah sedangkan gaji mereka tu sebenarnya dibayar oleh pelanggan-pelanggan seperti saya.

Sedangkan masyarakat barat yang kita sering kutuk dengan kejatuhan akhlaq itu pun masih mengamalkan budaya mengucapkan terima kasih ketika selepas menerima bayaran di mana-mana kaunter bayaran.

Kadang-kadang ibu bapa juga perlu disalahkan kerana tidak memberikan contoh terbaik dalam mengucapkan terima kasih. Tengok sahaja masa hari raya, mak bapak sering kata pada anak-anak lepas dapat duit raya ..."cakap apa? cakap apa?...terima kasih...cakap!" Tapi bila setiap kali minta tolong pada anak ambilkan barang-barang tak pernah bersopan dan berterima kasih. "Atan! pergi ambilkan cermin mata ayah dalam bilik!" dengan nada memerintah. Selepas dapat kaca mata, tangan si ayah dihulur tanpa memandang pun pada muka anak dan langsung tak terucap perkataan "terima kasih". Inilah gaya pemerintah kuku-besi yang nampak angkuh yang ditunjukkan pada anak-anak. Tak ada langsung nada merendah diri dan perasaan terima kasih.

Justeru, bila besar nanti, inilah perangai yang dibudayakan oleh si anak.

Wallahulam. Moga saya dan isteri dapat menjadi contoh terbaik buat anak-anak...bukan pemerintah kuku besi dalam keluarga. amin

Who kills whom?

Before reading the passage below, please understand that I am not stereo typing any group of community including the Christians (regardless of it's denominator), the Jews and Muslims. I do not believe any single community be it race, religion or belief have neither 100% ill-hearted community entirely nor 100% pure 'goodness' community entirely. I do not believe religion is the basis and root of bloodshed, murder and cruelty. Hence, when I refer Jews, Christians and Muslims, it does not refer to the whole community in the entirety manner.

Facts shown that the Jews kills and murder so many Christians including Jesus (as claimed by the Christians). The Roman Christian Catholic kills Jews and kick them out from the Holy Land and continue to murder the Jews till the day of so-called 'Holocaust'. The Jews sporadically lives all over Europe since then. The Roman Christian and Muslims fought several wars in getting control of the Holy Land. All of the above written in western history text book by European historians shows that the enemy was between Christians against Jews vis-a-vis. There was not a single written history nor evidence that the Muslims have killed, murder and act cruelty against the Jews throughout history in the Holy Land of Jerussalem / Bethelehem / Baitumuqaddis.

Question? -
Did the Christians being used by the Jews in getting back their self-pro-claimed 'Promised Land'?
Or did the Jews being used by the Christians to kick them out from Christian lands or the Jews being used to fulfil William E Blackstone's 19th century prophecies in preparing the return of Jesus?

What ever the belief is between these two reasons, the Muslims are the victims between these motives by both Christians and Jews. And that is definitely not fair.

Palestine

See what happen when people do not know history. I for sure understand the history regardless from any angle of perspective - western (Christianity), Israel, Jews, Arab, Islam or even Palestines. Eventhough it is peculiar why the American and British have been over protective of the Jews by making Israel the only state that justified their righful rights by referred to and traced history from all the way back in year 3300BCE (Early Canaanites), 586BCE (Iron Age II), 165BCE (Hellenistic period) until 1948 (British Mandate), whereas the rest of the countries are only referred to as early as 1000s CE till 1900s CE. Why are they treated to special? This itself conclude that the conflict rooted deep from religious motive by the Americans, British and Zionis. It has not merely to do with traspassing of land. However, one common point that I found is Abraham or Avraham or Ibrahim is the Father of Nation for Christians, Jews and Muslims. Moses is decendant of Isaac son of Abraham with Sarah (Siti Sarah). Jesus son of Mary too arguably is decendant of Isaac son of Abraham with wife Sarah (Siti Sarah) whilst Muhammad is decendant of Ishamael son of Abraham with wife Hager (Siti Hajar). Well, can we at least begin from this common ground and continue to find common peace rather continue blamming and searching for differences.