Candlelight

1.
Candlelight. A small source of light. Used to be the main source of light for those who came from kampungs, studying and completing homeworks, reciting al-Quran, shadow play - you guys still remember how to "draw" a rabbit using the light from a candle, your hands and the wall of your room as your canvas? :o)
This little source of light helps those knows how useful it is, to do everything else that one would be doing with the help of a modern light bulb nowadays....just like a piece of paper and a pen compared to an iPad or iPad2 or GalaxyTab or...oh well...you name it!!!


2.
So, we have progressed far from having a candle to read and do those humble stuff in the night as far as a kampung kid is concerned, to having what we have around us today.
The question is, have we progressed too? Maybe.

...but maybe not.


3.
With the light from the candle, our grand parents, parents, maybe some of us too, recited the al-Quran, woke up in the middle of the night for prayers, "talk" to Allah for hours...
With the modern light bulbs....are we not supposed to be able to recite the al-Quran more easily? Are we not supposed to be able to do the midnight prayer with more comfort?
Are we not supposed to be able to read the books and kitabs of Islam in a more comfortable environment?
Yes. Generally.

....but maybe not.


4.
There's so much more "interesting" things to be done with all the modern light bulbs compared to the candle.
A candlelight could not power up our Macintoshs...or PC for non-Mac users lah!
A candle light could not power up our modems.
A candle light could not blow cool breeze like our ceiling fans and air-conds.
How on earth are we gonna get connected to the world of internet with a candle in hand?

So, generally, the result modernization would normally bring us to more fun and interesting things to do and indulge in.

...but the candlelight is still used for certain occasions. I can think of two that would mostly involved the majority of us:
- marking the years of age on our birthday cakes
- lighting up the table for a romantic dinner (TNBs blackout is not in the equation though!!!)

So, it's still there. Existing in the middle of modernized and chaotic life we have.

...but maybe not.


5.
So much so, the existence of a candlelight is almost like existence of the teachings of Islam. To the very basic of it.
Let's just take one example - covering of aurah. It has been there for ages. The aurah of a Muslimin. The Aurah of a Muslimah. The teachings are there, still. The actual practicing of it...maybe yes.

...but maybe not.


6.
A couple of days ago, when we were having our family riadhah time, I saw the usual vision that we'd encounter every day of our life today - Muslimah - ladies, young, old, married or unmarried - walking around in short pants (or we are supposed call it hot-pants?)...riding on the motorbikes with their male partners, also in shorts or bermudas...
I told my lovely wife, back in kampung we used to have our non-Muslims villagers sporting those kind of attire but nowadays, the number of Muslimahs clad in the skimpy pants are just almost "at par"...perhaps.

Modernization? Maybe...to their own definition.

...but maybe not.
At least, not mine. (Maybe not yours too....Alhamdulillah).

7.
The sad thing is, we could not say much to them. They have all the reasons to counter back no matter how soft and sincere the way we try to tell them. Not all of them (Alhamdulillah to that!) but most of them, if not majority. They'll tend to get annoyed for being told about the teachings of Islam on aurah...but we just need to do what we are being told to do by Allah, the least would be to go against it in our heart....and make sure our kids won't belong to the same group when they reach the time.


8.
Going back to the candlelight...the fire is small. It gives benefits to those who knows how to appreciate it.
When the fire grew bigger...to the extreme end it would be as massive as the An-Nar.
Engulfed in the flames of An-Nar, the reward for those who are blunt and arrogant to accept the rules of Allah. As simple as that.
No argument....if you insist to have one, please reserve your argument when you are facing HIM in the HereAfter...


9.
Well, that's just one simple example. We can talk about solat too but as many would say - Hey dude, you'll go to your own grave, I'll go to mine.
...and I am not writing it here about the over-ridiculed busana Muslimah...maybe another day.
So, yeah, let them have it their way. As much as possible, we just do our part, at the very least, dislike it in our heart.


10.
At least we still have the time to repent.
And as I said earlier...with the light from the candle, our grand parents, parents, maybe some of us too, recited the al-Quran, woke up in the middle of the night for prayers, "talk" to Allah for hours...
With the modern light bulbs....are we not supposed to be able to all of the above in comfort and ease....?

So, are we doing it already?
InsyaAllah. Yes.

...no maybe. Just a solid YES.

11.
To each, his own.
Light a candle tonight and think about it.