Iji. Beriji. Biyutipul. <------Geddit? hehe

Assalamualaikum

So far I think this is the most difficult post for me to finish. Its content is quite simple actually but somehow I kept on having a writer’s-block-syndrome for the past three weeks. I sincerely don’t know what made me this post seemed so complicated when actually it is not.

Hmmmm.

Well just sit back and read on people. :)


One thing that we girls love is beauty products. I had just about every different shade of lipsticks that one could think of. I was such a HUGE fan of Mabelline Watershine. I remember I had this glittery super dark brown lipstick that I loved to use. I thought I looked exotic whenever I used it. Then one day my sister told me I looked scary. Sure enough that was the last day that I touched it. Lol. You know, looking back, I was such a vain girl. Well….maybe I still am but I’d like to think that I’m better now. =P

We girls put too many things onto our face. Toner, moisturiser, sunblock, foundation, concealer, compact powder, pressed powder (I’m not really sure what’s the difference between these two but yea apparently they are different) blusher, highlighter, eye-shadow, eye-liner, lip-liner, lipstick, lip balm, lip gloss oh you can go on really. All in the name of looking ‘naturally pretty’.

Some of us even use super expensive products that can cost up to more than $300 per month (I can just imagine the boys going tsk tsk). Since they are sooo expensive we try to make sure that we don’t waste them. So much so that we wouldn’t pray because doing so would require us to wash our face during ablution which in turn would wash away our expensive toners. Re-applying is never an option. No.Way. Besides, it would take another full hour or so to put on all those different colours onto the face. I mean which one would you choose? Pray and risk looking pale OR miss your prayer and let every girls within 3 miles envy your made up face? Easy, Breezy, Beautiful. Of Course the heart would say the later. Always. Besides, you can always qada later anywayyy.


Sigh.
Yes. I was like that.
If that wasn’t vain, then I don’t know what is.

Back then, during Eid, my friends and I loved ‘konvoy-ing’ and literally would go 'beraya-ing' from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. At that time, it was my first attempt playing around with colours. You know, eye-shadow, blusher and the likes.


The thing is, I was sooo vain and loved my make up so much that I would not pray because I was afraid that doing so would ruin my made up face. I missed both Zuhur and Asar prayers just so that the apples of my cheeks would stay ‘rosy’.

Astaghfirullah. Astaghfirullah. Astaghfirullah!

Just thinking about it makes me feel….URGH….I can’t even begin to describe it.

Alhamdulillah Allah gave me Hidayah and shed some light on this super silly behaviour.

Looking back, I can’t believe how easily the syaitans sweet talked me into missing my prayers. I can just imagine them telling me: “Pssttt don’t pray. What’s the point of spending hours in front of the mirror, putting on your make up and then washing it off? Waste of time, waste of energy, waste of makeup and hence waste of money! Bida tu bida inda be make up ahhh. Kawan-kawanmu semua bemakeup. Kau nganya pucat. Qada saja karang bah.”

Grrrrrrr!
Annoyed ku ehhhhhh.

I feel soooo silly that I willingly missed my prayers because of my make ups or toners or whatever other beauty products that I used. It’s like volunteering myself to go to Jahannam as long as I was able to hold on to my mascara! Nauzubillah! Astaghfirullah!

Sigh.

My dear sisters, please let me discuss this matter with all of you out there. But before I do, let me just say this, if what I am going to say after this applies to you, please don’t go thinking that I am trying to mock you or anything. I believe there are so many of us out there, myself included, who justify ourselves for not praying using some very lame excuses. The funny thing is we actually convinced ourselves that our reasons for not praying are acceptable! Below are some examples of the excuses that I can think of at the moment that we girls use to miss our prayers:

1) Payah jua tu cuci mua lagi. Aku lagi be cream muka apa. (It’s difficult as I have to wash my face. There goes my moisturiser)

2) Payah bah. Nada jamban bisai kan bekaut. (It’s difficult because there are no proper washrooms for me to wudhu).

3) Takut ku ehh kan ke surau seorang. (I’m afraid to be alone in the surau.)

4) Ahhh badanku bepaluh. Bagas ku sports tadi. (Ahh I’m all sweaty, I was doing some sports just now.)

5) Payah bah. Mesti betelkong. Laki-laki sanang, baju biasa atu pun bulih sembahyang. Bini-bini ani mesti betelkong. (It’s difficult as I need to wear a telkong for praying. It’s easier for men as they can just pray in their everyday clothes.)


Excuses. Excuses. Excuses.

Somehow those excuses sounded really reasonable when they were in our heads to the point of we actually felt guiltless for purposely missing our prayers. But try reading them again ukhtis, do you still find them reasonable, now that they are in writing? Can you see how nonsensical they are? Don’t you think behind those excuses was just plain laziness on our part??

Our facial creams can’t help us enter Jannah. Please, it really is OK to wash them off! We won’t be wrinkly overnight just because our pores are empty of those magical chemicals for half an hour. (Really, I'm talking to myself here!) It really bothers me that some of us love our moisturisers too much (hopefully not more than our love for the Almighty). Believe me the benefits from our wudhu will surpass any facial lotions…even SKII!!

No clean washrooms? Well, ikhtiar and find one. I’m sure there should be at least one clean washroom somewhere. We are lucky that we have masjids everywhere in the country and most commercial buildings have prayer rooms as well – with decent washrooms.

Scared to go to the surau alone? Well just ask someone to accompany you. Bring your friends along and pray together.

Too sweaty to pray? Well, it’s true that we need to be clean when we pray. Well why don’t you just simply start your sports activities after praying e.g after Asr prayer and stop just before maghrib?

No telkong? Ahhhhh let me share with you this conversation that I had with my brother a while back. A slap in the face I tell you.

Me: It’s easy for men to simply stop by any masjid and pray. It is difficult for us women.
Bro: Why difficult?
Me: Coz sometimes there are no telkongs in the masjid.
Bro: Why can’t you just pray in the clothes you were wearing?
Me: Coz can still see my aurah.
Bro: Exactly
Me: Huh?
Bro: When you pray you need to cover all parts of the body except for the face and the hands. Women’s aurah is all parts of the body except for the face and the hands. In other word, you should be able to immediately pray in the clothes that you were wearing. But since you said you couldn't, it means that you still have not covered your aurah.
Me: *Ouch*

I told you it was a slap in the face. I think that was also my brother’s way of telling me that my clothes at that time were a bit too tight.


My dear sisters, we all should be ashamed of ourselves. Surely Allah makes praying 5 times per day compulsory to help us remember Him as He knows how weak we are. Some of us purposely miss Zuhr prayer to go out for lunch with friends! How unthankful can we be, eating the rezk given by Allah but yet we forget to remember him? Allah Ar- Raheem on the other hand, continues to love us and provides us with those delicious food that we shamelessly eat while forgetting Him.

We display our anger whenever the unbelievers mock the name of Allah but yet we miss our prayers and neglect a lot of our duties as a Muslim.

"Missing Salah (Prayers) is the only distinction between a (believing) slave and Kufr (Disbelief)". (Muslim)

“Perbezaan antara kafir dan orang mukmin itu adalah meninggalkan solat.” (Muslim)

So if we missed our prayers, we are amongst them, the Kufr! Nauzubillah!

Muslimins and Muslimahs, lets us truly act like a Muslim. We should first start by performing all our obligatory Salahs and try to perfect them. If we have missed some prayers in the pass, we should repent now, Qada as much as possible, for Allah is the most Forgiving and Merciful.

“O My servants who have wronged against their souls! Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. For Allah forgives all sins; for He is indeed Forgiving, Compassionate.” (Az-Zumur: 53).

"Wahai hamba-hambaKu yang telah melampaui batas terhadap diri mereka sendiri (dengan perbuatan-perbuatan maksiat), janganlah kamu berputus asa dari rahmat Allah, kerana sesungguhnya Allah mengampunkan segala dosa; sesungguhnya Dia lah jua Yang Maha Pengampun, lagi Maha Mengasihani.


Lets act now everyone, for we never know when our last breath is nor do we know when the Hour is. Lets taubah now while we still can. By Allah, looking back, I've done many things that I should't have and I've missed many many salahs. My only hope is that Almighty Allah will forgive me.

May Allah guide us all to truth and keep us and those around us on the straight path. Amin

...Hayatilah....Fahamilah....Renungilah...