My friend posted an entry in her blog listing a planner checklist for herself prior to Ramadan. I realized that I missed out a lot of things and sort of made a little wish inside me – to have a better Ramadan this year. I know I am no pious person but I want to put extra effort comparing to former year. That brings me to constant Tadarus after my prayers.
Again as I started, I realized I have no less than three Qurans in my house.. but all are so new and crisp with no folded ears. I am shame to admit that they are hardly used, only about once a week on Thursday nights for reciting Surah Yassin.
The recite of the first page left tears at corner of my eyes, how I read the Aliflaammiim in such difficulty. I braced to recite further bearing in mind the Hadith I learnt from my friend’s checklist. (TQ Uji.)
“He who recites the Quran fluently will be in the company of the noble and virtuous angels, and he who recites the Quran haltingly and with difficulty will have a double reward” – Al-Bukhari & Muslim
I was so-so embarrassed of myself when my mind drifted to the yesteryears of my childhood moments.
I started to learn the Muqaddam, Kelantanese called Surat Kecik (dulu-dulu mana ada Iqra’) when I was 7 years old. My first day at primary school was also my first day for reciting Quran classes at Mok Cik Aji’s. She lived in a nice white and blue wooden house surrounded with rambutan trees of a corner lot.
Apart from having our Quran at Mok Cik Aji’s house, we had our sarongs and scarfs too. This is to cover our legs and head for those whom went to school in pinafore. So, we just put on the sarong underneath the pinafore and that’s it! Attire for Quran reciting.
Busu whom is my mami’s youngest sister was in her Form 6 at the neighboring secondary school when I was in Standard 1. By the reason, my mami asked me to walk to and from school with her right from the start. My cousin sister studied in the same school but we were not able to walk together as she was in the afternoon session differ from mine being in the morning session.
Busu sent me to the school’s gate the first day and asked – “Adik, berani ke pergi kelas sendiri?”. I said – Yes.
Then we were off for our own way. I walked to my class 1 Hijau by myself fearless, even though I had never gone to Kindergarten. Bravery from a lot of playing - I must say. (What happen to kids nowadays that need parents to accompany for school? I don’t see my daughter as any difference.)
I headed straight to Mok Cik Aji’s house after school from the first day also on foot sometimes alone, sometimes accompanied by friends with a big yellow cloth hat my mami made for me to protect my head from the scorching sun. I love the hat that one day, a playful boy from the same mengaji class snatched it from me while I was wearing and ran away back to his huge house. I didn’t give a hoot and chased him right into his house and went shouting with his mother nearby – BUI TOPI SAYO BALIIIIK!! – means : Give my hat back!!!. The boy’s mom must have shocked to see a short little girl almost like a dwarf with such a fierce face… quickly went to get the hat from his son and lent it back to me. That’s me – don’t mess around ok.
My reciting Quran classes lasted until Busu came to fetch me. It was quite the right timing, even though I got to wait for her sometimes as secondary school finished so much later than the lower primary session.
I didn’t take long to know Alif, Ba, Ta and subsequently be fluent enough with my reciting of the Surah. With such capability Mok Cik Aji asked me to listen and to help with others whom she would think I would be able to teach, many times those older than me. I was still in Standard 1 at that time and eventually I need not have to wait for Busu to fetch me but she had to wait for me instead because my reciting Quran would finished very-very late. Dah jadi tok guru pulak beb…..
Speaking of tok guru, Mok Cik Aji was so good with kalimah Allah s.w.t, she could have five to six person around her reciting different Surah at the same time and could still noticed any flaws in her students readings. There was one day, I tried to ‘cheat’ her. We were all needed to recite on our own before reciting in front of her. Since I already had few rounds reciting the same page over-over again I decided to recite the next page in front of her. The moment I recite the first verse – Piap!!!!!! Her lidi swayed on my Quran – MUNG LAKA KO YATI? Means – You skip page, Yanti? (She called me Yati) – Baco doh takdi mok cikkk, my voice shivered.
No, I got to go back to the page that I was supposed to. And tell ya, that’s when I already Khatam Quran for don’t know what number. Indeed she was very fierce, my cousin Feby only dare to go mengaji with her once.
It is a normal customary in a Malay family to have Khatam Quran function when one completed reciting the first round of Quran. My brother and cousin sister had it concurrently when they were in Standard 6 which was also joint by me as I also had completed mine. I was in Standard 4 then, about to finish for the second time. It was an exaggerated function with pulut kuning, bunga telur and dias, place for us to recite Quran. Mok Cik Aji lead us all for the Majlis.
I love Mok Cik Aji - she told me : Mung panda ngaji Yati.... Jange tingga lah, baco Qro'e ni.
Now you know why I was so embarrassed of myself and had tears in my eyes? If Mok Cik Aji is alive she would be embarrassed of me too.
What damage have I done? MasyaAllah. A capability that I used to have it in such great skill is slipping away. All due to my own fault.
It’s been two weeks of Ramadan, I felt a slight relief that after a week of faltering … I now recite better. I pray for Allah s.w.t to forgive my sins and accept my little good deeds. Amin.
