REMINISCENCE

Seven of the trainees that I interviewed last year 'graduated' from the Shelter Homes in this month of July. I saw them left with tears of joys and with hope that they will have the strength to face the world again. To be able to put into practice of what they have learned here and to be steadfast in their amals. But the main concern is for them to have the support from their closed ones. I admit that I'm so worried about them......after a year, they have become like my own children/sisters. I love them all and I know they love me back.

They 'graduated' with flying colours. Some of them came in not knowing a single alphabet of the Holy Book, never heard of the word Dhuha, Tahajjud is so alien and none of them has been doing the obligatory prayers regularly. Yet,when they walked out of this House,all of them khatamed the Qur'an at least twice. One left me speechless with astounding 12x khatam, that's once every month....and she was the one who, during interview, thought nobody prays regularly just because her parents do not. Alhamdulillah, all of them have such a high spirit to go back to their family to do da'awah amongst their parents and siblings.

When they first came in, all of them had this mindset that they were being punished and have this gloomy looks about them. It is very uplifting to know that they now felt they were lucky to be chosen to spend a year at this House. It was a sign that Allah still loves them, guides them to taubah and then learn how to be an appropriate servant of Him.

They have changed my perspective. I'm sure you still remember Adik...we always looked at them with disgust, those mat/minah rempits, who surrounded our cars when we stopped at traffic lights on our way back home from our swimming sessions. The session finished at 7pm and we were always rushing home so that we wont be late for Maghrib. ( Abah is all for us to go swimming on condition that we must be home before Maghrib azan) As we were going home, they were coming out.....and I used to tell you that they came out with syaitaan as those wretched creatures do come out at dusk. We looked at them as if they were absolute rubbish. I even sometimes prohibited you from looking at them....

It all changed when I started working with them. After I know their stories,their sufferings,their anguish......they are all the victims. Of what,you may ask.....I learned not to point fingers at their parents, friends or school or whatever I assumed before. I honestly learned and believed the fault lies on all of us, the ummat who has abandoned the work of Da'awah. I found the finger actually pointing at me!!

Nowadays I see them, those problematic teenagers, with different eyes, the ones with sympathy, empathy and guilt, especially guilt because I couldnt reach out to them. Those girls  think the guys really care about them, love them and make them happy,in short,what they crave in their teenage years. It is always too late when they finally realised that the guys are really just after one thing. So, they end up at the House, some being pregnant and some are not, but broken nevertheless. All of them come from unhappy family where they do not 'talk' to their respective mothers. All mothers who came in during the interview told us the same old story. Their girls are so quiet at home, never confide in them,thus seemingly have no problem whatsoever, and they just couldnt believe it happen to their girls......

I would come home and hug you Adik, and make you promise that you will always treat me as your best friend to whom you could tell absolutely everything....and you did promise, so, ingat ye!!

I now teach you , Abang and Adik, not to look at them teenagers, with hostile look anymore. They are to be pitied, they dont have the opportunity to experience good childhood where the parents really obey the commandments of Allah according to the sunnah of our beloved prophet. Let us start in our own home. Let us create the environment of Iman and Amal in our home,then our village, our country and in the whole world. Let us all be the dai'e of Allah. 

Please Allah, choose us, despite all our shortcomings and sinfulselves.(ada ker perkataan ni?).

I now ask you to pray for them, pray for Hidayah.....InsyaAllah, if we sincerely pray for them while asking forgiveness from Allah for our  own weaknesses, they will, one day, find the lights....