Renunite In Fitrah And Forgiveness, Making Peace
Have you tried asking for forgiveness? You will realise that the hardest thing to do is to say the words “I’m sorry”.
That’s the greatest teaching I’ve ever learnt as a Muslim.
You need to forgive the person who once hurt you because you are better off forgiving than holding on to the hurt. You pray to save your heart from hurt. If forgiving someone seems so difficult, then asking for forgiveness is more challenging.
“Please educate me about forgiveness.”
The irony of it all is that the person who has hurt you do not know you are hurt.
Hurt is an emotional damage or harm that is practically invisible. It is sometimes mistaken as a symptom of stress or over emotional.
We have always encouraged our children to reach out to the elders and kiss their hand as a gesture of respect and humility. It’s so difficult to ask for forgiveness from a person. It is different from saying “I’m sorry”. We are talking about ocean deep and unreachable depths of regret that you might have hurt a person. And particularly with kids, who have been taught from young to do both hand kissings and hugging, they do not understand why they need to apologise when we tell them they have done nothing wrong.
You will be seeing a great deal of kissing of the hands and asking for forgiveness during the month of Syawal. You are going to ask yourself how many hands can I shake or elderly people can I kiss and hug? I’m looking out for the person who is seeking for my forgiveness.
When someone reaches out to you to seek forgiveness, it’s the best thing to have happened to you. You have lifted a heaviness in the hearts of a person who longed to say “Please forgive me”. Look out for that person who cannot wait to meet you. You will be reunited in Fitrah.
Fitrah, I Hold Dear
My favourite Arabic word is Fitrah, which means returning to the state of purity, wherefrom we were clean inside and out. I am in awe of this word.
I see the word in peoples’ eyes as they talk about overcoming their fears. When you’re in a state of Fitrah, you have no fear. You need not be courageous either because courage appears as you overcome fear.
Go home and say a little prayer for your parents, revisit your childhood and be ready to grow even taller and stronger. The body will feel lighter when the spirit will be cleansed. We speak of gratitude, love and peace but most of all surrender to the will because each one of us yearns for Fitrah, a natural state of disposition. In the end, we make peace.
Travel Far And Wide, I Shall Return To Fitrah
“Malay Proverb”
Bau setanggi disukai perantau,
Kemenyan juga harum menghimbau;
Betapa tinggi terbangnya bangau,
Hinggap juga di belakang kerbau
(The egret lands on the water buffalo. )
No matter how far one travels, he or she will arrive at the place of origin.
Return to Fitrah, the natural disposition of man.
Every Ramadan, I remind myself that I can never get greater blessings or love as deep if I only begin at my highest. When I was at the my lowest point in life, that was when I found the strength to lift myself up. The bottom always has a floor.
When a child is born, it has with it a natural belief in God. This natural belief is called in Arabic the “Fitrah”. Man made the child into something else, to believe he or she needs more in order to survive in this world. What is enough for the child? Return the child to his or her natural state.
