Ever since I started the degree, Friday was most of the time a holiday. On occasion, there would be a mid term or a make up class, but that’s as far things would go. I have realised that it would take a mammoth amount of convincing to schedule an activity on Friday mornings. I have grown accustomed to Friday’s being care-free, which is not an applaud-able habit that needs speedy reform.
It all started with a colleague requesting me to compere for a talk on Friday morning coinciding with ‘Ummatic Week.’ Being the kind hearted soul that I am, I consented, while regretting the opportunity cost. In Malaysia, most people use the term ‘MC’ denoting master of ceremonies, but I’m more comfortable with the term ‘compere.’ It’s quite a pity that most mc’s use scripts that even mention instances where to even say “thank you.” That is a bit sad, indeed. I experienced this when compering for certain programmes during the orientation for new students a few years back. The whole ‘script’ business stifles the individuality of a compere, flair, and creativity, which are weapons in his armoury. The best compere is one who is spontaneous and can liven up spirits of an audience throughout the proceedings. It’s all about feeling and catching the vibe of the spectators. Thus, I went with no script at all depending only on my mental faculties.
The speaker was a person whom I know very well because he is a lecturer in my faculty, and the topic- ‘Crisis facing the Ummah’. One of the best lecturers I have come across, and certainly of international standards- Dr. Arif Zakaullah. There are only a handful of lecturers of his calibre in our campus because the rest are just a bunch of ‘wannabes.’ Methodology he uses to approach an issue is very intriguing, not to mention his ability to simplify complex economical theories. It’s like this person is on a completely different level of thinking on any matter. Bloody amazing!! He started by touching on the early caliphate, and from where it went soul- from Muawiya, of course. Thereafter, monarchies cropped up in various Muslim nations, while power circulated with a few men; the aspect of power corrupts applies here. He called all the people wielding such false power as ‘the children of Muawiya.’ A very hard hitting approach, but true nonetheless. He accused followers of Muawiya for not letting the tree of Islam grow as it should. While this tree was in its maturity, they planted vines that held back the potential growth. Thus, the full impact of Islam is not what it’s capable of; rather it’s like in comparison to a half baked cake. That never occurred to me. Did it to you?? He said we are actually experiencing one-third of the ‘real’ Islam, a result of it being contaminated.
Muslims are always doing the blame game. He then raised the question if Israel, US, and other so called anti-Islamic nations were nonexistent, would Muslim countries be better off?? A point that many people didn’t expect, but that’s the beauty of it!! When Dr. Arif delivers a talk, the best is always those that one doesn’t expect to hear. He opens the gate to a path that people seldom take in analysing certain events or utilising for critical thinking. A time arose when information got very sensitive resulting in temporary halting of the recording. It deals with the OIC and how cooperative all the Muslim countries are with each other (hope you got the sarcasm). Following principles are of utmost importance due to their permeating tendency into every aspect of mans life. Principles govern everything we do, even in the minute of situations. Ignoring principles would set forth a chain of disaster bringing the world to its current situation.
I will leave you with an Urdu proverb that he mentioned during the talk- ‘If a person goes to sleep leaving the doors and windows of the house open, and realise the next day he has been robbed, who is worthy of blame, the thief or the house owner??’
P.S- As compensation for my efforts, I got food coupons worth RM. 45 that can be used in any canteen inside the university. A small stint with generous perks is certainly not bad at all. My Friday morning was definitely fulfilled.
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