Of Priorities and Being Handsome At The Same Time

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It has been awhile since the last time I rambled in English. Wait a minute. Awhile? That was like ages ago!

You see, I have always wanted to write in English. Better still, I want to be able to regularly write reminders and tazkiyatun nafs in English so that I can reach larger audience out there. Larger as in English-speaking Muslims. Well, so I thought.  

But like I have been saying so many times now, it ain't always that easy. At the moment, I choose to write more in Malay as I believe, most of you my loyal readers, are more comfortable to read my writings in Malay. Plus, somehow I'm better at delivering in Malay. Please raise up your hands if you do agree with me. Ahah!

Well, that goes back to the basic concept of dakwah; priorities. 

Dakwah is not about preaching in ways that we choose to. It's not about doing whatever we like to whomever we prefer. 

Dakwah, more than anything else, is an act that needs strategy. We, as dua't, need to constantly plan our next moves. We need to continuously sit down and discuss with our team on how to address certain concerns and problems so that we will able to come out with the best solutions. And by right we should make it a point to always plan for our happy circle and joyous conference (*koff koff*) as those two are probably the most important tools (wasilah) in our tarbiyah. But sadly, more often than not, most of us tend to procrastinate. We do plan, but at the very last minute. 

It never fails to annoy me, how we can always be serious and all-out when it comes to planning for, say, our exams, our family trip or our job. When we plan for our holidays, we do our homeworks in looking for the best alternatives in term of accommodation and transportation. When it comes to exams, we brilliantly divide our time; we outline our daily schedule so that our 24/7 is evenly distributed. When it comes to our job, we make sure we deliver the best.

But when it comes to dakwah..? Sigh. We seem to be the most unorganised people in the whole lot of universe. Whatever happens to our expertise in planning? Where has our specialty in dividing our daily timetable gone? And how come we, who used to be so flexible and dynamic in our daily life, suddenly are transformed into this ugly monster who is so rigid and strict..?

It tells us that dakwah has never been our utmost priority. Tears rolling down. Because if it has, we would strive all the way in making sure dakwah and tarbiyah are properly and efficiently executed. Our daily life would enfold around dakwah. We eat because of dakwah. We bathe because of dakwah. We pick our nose because.. Err. We Facebook, we Tweet, we blog none other because of dakwah. Eat dakwah, play dakwah and sleep dakwah! 

And going back to the concept of priority in dakwah; even when we have committed ourselves to dakwah, doesn't mean that we can do it as we like. Even in dakwah, there are some rules of thumbs that we need to adhere, in order for dakwah to yield the most efficient outcome.

You don't believe me, so I see. No worries. Let me turn you into the most staunch believer. Wink. You ready?

Let us follow the footsteps of ar-Rasul SAW, so that we can understand more how he SAW planned and prioritised when it comes to dakwah.  

Why do you think Abu Bakr r.a. is the first companion that Rasullullah SAW approached to share the words of Allah? When there were so many other companions; Abdul Rahman bin 'Auf, Saad bin Abi Waqas, Uthman al-Affan, you name it. But why Abu Bakr?

Why does it take three years for ar-Rasul SAW and his companions to preach with an utmost secrecy before they go public about it? And then thirteen years in Mekah before they made the great migration to Madinah?

Why does ar-Rasul SAW send a group of companions to migrate to Habsyah but not all? Why does he ask the rest to stay in Mekah?

Why does it take years after hijrah, before the Muslims first preached the words of Allah outside of the Arabian peninsular? Why not earlier?

Why does ar-Rasul SAW never asked the companions to go to Rome to learn about modern warfare of to Persia to acquire the knowledge of architecture?

Why? Why why and why..?

It's strategy. It's priority. It's efficiency.

I highly recommend you to read 'Fiqh as-Seerah' by Ramadhan al-Bouti and another book which somehow I just couldn't remember the name of it while typing this (gasp!) to fully understand why ar-Rasul SAW did this and that, why certain events occured here and there, things like that. It will definitely open-up your mind and prove that strategy and priority do matter in dakwah and tarbiyah.

Which goes back why I prefer to write in Malay. It's also a strategy (and priority, I think) as I'll be able to convey my message clearer. The main objective of this blog it to spread the message of dakwah and tarbiyah to as many people as possible. It's not about showing off my writing skills (is there anything to show-off in the first place, Inche gabbana..? Smack on the face!). It's not about telling you how good I am or how funny I can be. That's wrong, totally wrong. It's about sharing whatever little knowledge and experience I have.

And what's the point of writing something if no one is reading it right..? That's like steaming chicken curry pau and no one is eating it! Eh. If more people are reading my writings when I write it in Malay and by that, it also means my message can be better understood, then why bother writing in English. No? Maybe, just maybe, when I have the skills to write like Mitch Albom or Malcolm Gladwell (perasan!) or even this cool blog, then only I might consider to write dakwah and tarbiyah stuff fully in English. Maybe. Please emphasize that.

Dah tu, kenapa tulis dalam bahasa Inggeris, Inche gabbana? Hadoilamak. You may ask and whine at the same time.

Nothing. Just feel like being extra handsome today! Wahahaha...

Hope you guys enjoy this piece of writing! (Statistics have shown that whenever I write in English, less people are reading and commenting on it. But hey, there are lies, damn lies and statistics! Ahah!)

-gabbana-