Day 9 #RamadanTazkirah: How to love the things you hate II

I just realized that I miss out on one very important question regarding this topic.

"Why love the thing you hate?"

Well, the thing is with us human is that we vary with ideas and opinions. Some might like this while others hate it and vice versa. So the definition of what are the things to hate and love varies too. Most of us tend to incline towards the things that we love more, obviously.

But what about the things we hate?

I read in an article that doing things that you love is easy, the real challenge is doing the things you hate. And I was like, wow, right. I never thought of it that way before. Usually I will avoid doing things I hate like ironing and waiting. Yes, I hate ironing clothes. Too much of a hassle.

And another reason for doing things that you hate is because the things that you hate is good for you. Like for example, sports. I hate sports, no doubt. I am more of an indoor person. But of course, sports is good for me and at times I force myself to enter sports competition.

My friend forced me to enter a running competition once. We had to run around IIUM and it's like 7km. I for one thing hate running. Yes, H-A-T-E. Not a strong dislike but hate. Haha. Because I always came in last and I will get tired half way. But when she asked me to join, I accept because I thought, "hey, who knows, maybe this is the starting point of me liking running, huh?"

And I came in 5th. 5th last out of around 200 participants. Haha. I end up walking all the way but what surprised me is that I did it. I walked/run 7km and I did came to the finishing line without giving up. That is an improvement.

Though I still hate it, but at least a small part of me would be thinking of joining again. At least I have the experience of doing it instead of shutting it out totally.

Another example is to cover your aurah. I know that Islam is not a religion of force. So we can't force others to cover their aurah properly. But at the very least, force yourself to cover your aurah properly. Alhamdulillah, I have been brought up in a hijab-wearing family but being quite a liberate person, my choice of clothes is a bit disappointing. I used to drown myself with the latest fashion regardless if it's really syariah compliance or not.

But when I woke up from that lifestyle, I forced myself to wear a better garment. It was hard, never said it was easy. I have to like throw away my dresses and jeans and short scarves. Well, I didn't exactly throw, just that I put it elsewhere and wallahi, when I look at them I would smile sadly and brace myself to be a better me.

I used to hate skirts, but now I love it. I hate kurung and well, I still won't wear it but I don't really hate it anymore. And quite surprisingly, wearing the Niqab helps a lot. Because when you wear a niqab, obviously you will observe other parts of your attire to make sure it will not look 'out of place'.

So, here I am, loving my loose jubah more and more each day. Simply comfortable and I don't even need the preference of the latest fashion to be my guideline.

Girls and guys out there, if you know the thing is good for you but you kind of hate doing it like waking in the morning or wear better clothes or listen to Islamic Scholars talk and such, try to force yourself because if it is good for you by nature then you will, insyaAllah, love it.

Just try. InsyaAllah.

Day 1 #RamadhanTazkirah: Make it matter.

When I was a kid, during Ramadhan, my Aunty would asked us to write a list of things we want and pray to Allah for it. Some of us wrote bicycle, doll house, new books and such and then we would pray and ask Allah for it. As years passed by, I started to think about this system and knew that something is wrong in between.

Ramadhan is a wish-granting season, no doubt. I've experienced it myself last Ramadhan when I pray to Allah that I want to be accepted to UIA. It was slightly impossible in my part because a) Rayuan Placement is extremely limited and b) I did not meet the requirement. But even so, my parents asked me to keep on praying and praying for it because in between impossibility, miracles happened. 

So I did and in the night of the 27th Ramadhan which is believed to be most prominently Lailatul Qadr, I land a chance to do my Iktikaf at IIUM's mosque. I was surprised and overjoyed because the place was extremely crowded and well, I just felt like I want to be there. It was no longer a want but a need. So I prayed that night that I have found the reason why I want to be here and alhamdulillah, I got accepted later on despite it being impossible. 

So yeah, Ramadhan is magical itself. Its like everything you touch turns to pure gold and everything you thought becomes a reality. 

But even so, some of us still pray for the same thing over and over again each year but we still did not see the sign of it coming. 

It hurts isn't it? And somehow you would feel like it is not fair, like why would someone else get it but you didn't. Well, look at the quote above. I find it extremely true.

"It hurt because it mattered."

I got hurt when I did not get any IPTA in the first place and I guess maybe I have to feel the hurt first before I know that it matters to me. When we did not get what we want, we then came to realize that it actually matter to us in whatever terms. 

The more we realized that it matters, the more we will be appreciating it in the future. So, make it matter. Make the whole process of hurt into the process of cherishing something. 

Maybe you did not get the opportunity or you did not get the person you want or the place or lifestyle, but in between not getting it is that you gain more and more reason to hold on to it. 

So don't lose hope. Pray and keep on praying. You do not know if your miracle is somewhere in between that rejection.