Tell me about Islam.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Moga Allah pandu setiap pergerakan jari ini.

Hari itu lecture chemistry patutnya habis pukul empat. Tapi lecturer keluar seawal jam tiga. Atau, lebih dari awal dari itu, kurang ingat. Kuliah seterusnya jam empat.

Maghrib masuk jam 3.51. 

Semestinya perlu selesaikan maghrib dulu baru menuju ke kuliah. Kalau tidak, mungkin sahaja dah terus ke bangunan kuliah seterusnya. Maka cadangnya, nak lepak di surau.

Keluar dari kelas itu bersama seorang classmate berasal dari China. 

"Where are you going" tanya aku.

"To Portobello Centre (venue kuliah seterusnya)"

"Ohh"

"How about you?"

"I guess I'll go to the cafe for some coffee" jawab aku.

Macam nak elak je nak cakap pergi surau.

"I don't mind accompanying you" 

Ah sudah. Astaghfirullahalazim.

"You're going to the class after this, don't you?"

"Yes"

"I'm going to the prayer room first before class" keluar juga.

"Oh really? I don't know there is a prayer room here"

Senyum.

"That's not a surprise. It is located at the endddd of this building"

"Do you want to see it?"

"Can I?"

"I can bring you there" 

Sampai di surau.

"This is where we do the ablution"

"Ablution?"

"Yes. We have to do the ablution before we pray. We have to wash several parts of the body including our feet. That's why they provide a special room for it"

Angguk angguk.

Masuk surau aku bukak jacket.

Dia pun cepat nak bukak jaket jugak.

"I dont know what to do. Do we have to take off our jackets?"

Segera aku sangkal.

"Ohh." Butang semula.

Aku tak tau macam mana nak explain yang aku bukan nak solat waktu tu. Aku kena tunggu masuk waktu. Aku pun tunjuk apps waktu masuk solat. Cerita lah kena solat 5 kali sehari. Ada specific times berpandukan kedudukan matahari. So masanya berubah-ubah lagi lagi di negara 4 musim macam ni. Aku tunjuk waktu maghrib yang tertera 3.51 di apps itu. Yang menerangkan bahawa aku akan lepak di surau hingga masuk waktu dan solat.

"I think I'll just stay here until that. I'll just do the revision here. How 'bout you?"

"Can I stay here as well?"

"Sure" mustahil tidak jawab begini. 

Terlanjur beliau stay di situ.

Aku mula tanya-tanya dia pasal religion. Dia kata dia takde religion pun. Walaupun di china buddhism-dominated, parents dia macam tak bagi pun ikut.

Aku. Guna juga ilmu yang dapat masa Dakwah Course.

Back to basic. 

"Have you ever wondered, how perfect the creation of this universe is? The sun, the moon, the skies. Don't you think they're too amazing to be created by no one?"

"Yes. I wondered that as well when I was small. Like they have their own patterns, they can stand on their own, they follow a very beautiful path"

"It would never be possible to exist on its own, dont you think so?"

"Yaa. Like charles darwin.."

"The revolution theory?"

"Yes, they're ridiculous. Why the monkeys today dont change to human"

Pukul-pukul logik dia mustahil semua tu terjadi sendiri. Then how muslims believe all those are designated creation created by god. We call Him Allah. Korek logik lagi kenapa ciptaan mustahil dapat lihat pencipta. 

Then orang masuk masuk surau bagi salam. Aku cerita la pasal greetings between muslims.

"Assalamu alaikum" lidah dia gerak-gerak cuba ikut sebutan aku.

"It means peace be upon you"

Dia cepat-cepat ambil buku nota. Tulis.

Dia tulis nama Allah.

Mintak aku ajar ejaan salam.

Cerita lagi sikit pasal the prophet. Pasal al-Qur'an.

Aku tunjuk surah al-Ikhlas.

Tunjuk Allah cakap sebab penciptaan manusia.

Masa aku solat. Setiap kali orang masuk aku dengar dia cakap "a-sa-la-mu-a-la-kum"

Astaghfirullahalazim. Felt even smaller and smaller.

Then we went to the class together.

Benda yang terjadi nampak macam simple je.

Tapi.

Mixed feeling yang amat sangat.

Totally humbled.

Terasa beban kerja yang sangat banyak lagi di bahu.

Terasa aku pun tak habis master lagi pasal agama sendiri.

Dengan english yang ke laut.
blank tiba-tiba nak translate syirik apa 

Dan sangat yang teramat takut kalau ada tersalah kata waktu terangkan pasal Islam atau cara berkata.

Astaghfirullahalazim.

"This is the first time somebody ever tell me about Islam"

"Im glad to share even more"

"Yayy"

Allahu rabbi.

Allahu rabbi.

Dari hati yang paling jujur, terasa ini teguran Allah pada muka sendiri. 

Sangat mengalu-alukan cadangan atau guidance dari anda tentang dealing with non-muslims. Jazakumullahu khair in advance.