A Simple Man with A Big Heart

When asked by the Sahabah on the characteristics of a good muslim, The prophet (pbuh) answered "He who likes to feed others, and he who gives salaam to the people he knows, and to the people he doesn't know"

Around 6pm yesterday my friend came to pick me up, to have iftaar together. The deal was that, we both wear robe and serban. So I got in the car and we were on our way to a nearby town, a place where we both grew up in, so we knew the ways around it. Since the place was quite far from where we live, we got there quite late, and to no parking spot anywhere around. A few turns around the block and we finally got a spot, at the far end of block, and the restaurant we planned to go to was on  the other end. So we had to walk all the way across. Of course, with our attire, some passers by would look at us from the corner of their eyes, trying not to catch any attention. Undeniably, there was a slight discomfort. It was, in fact a long walk.

As we were walking, a foreign man, I would say from  the regions of Africa, or not. I was never good at determining one's origins. But for sure, he was a muslim. He wore a shirt and a pair of jeans, and a white kopiah (headwear) to match, walking against our direction. We didn't pay full attention to him as he seemed like any other passer by, not knowing that he would be the highlight of our night. Just as we were about to pass each other, "Assalamualaikum," a simple, but very polite salaam from  him, to us. "Waalaikumussalam warahmatullah" we replied, followed with a feeling I couldn't explain. MasyaAllah!

If it was our malaysian brothers, we wouldn't be getting the salaam, probably not even a smile, or a polite  gesture, acknowledging each other's presence. I'm not trying to be negative, but that's the  honest truth. Of course, you won't experience this in the masjeed, or mosque, or in a religious event. As one said, in the masjid, every muslim should feel home, and every muslim is a brother. Being in a country with majority of the population of the land are muslims, we hardly appreciate other muslims. So to say. We can see how in other regions of the world, where the muslims are the  minority, how much they respect each other, and the bonds are superb.

Reflecting back on the hadith, you kinda start to see things-- the littlest of things, and how it matters.

This is not the first, a few years  back the same scenario happened to me on my way walking home after terawikh. A man, probably middle easter, was standing at the bus stand. I had to walk pass the stand to continue my way back. When I was closing in to him, he saw me, he smiled, and gave salaam. I don't know him and surely he doesn't me know me as well.
But to him, I guess knowing I was a muslim brother was enough.

Hafidz Iddin