a girl, a pakcik, and another pakcik.

2 different stories. that will come together in the end. insyaAllah.

it's the month of Ramadhan, and the number of visits from those who are less fortunate increases, especially on Fridays. many years back, when the girl was a little smaller, she used to be a tiny bit skeptic about who comes. because there are days when a girl came, bringing a piece of official paper with her, claiming to be called 'Aisyah', an orphan such and such. "nak zakat." but the girl gets confused, for Aisyah came everyday, but all with different faces. so she told Dad, "i think they are lying." *muka geram-geram sikit* but then, Dad told her, "bila orang mintak sedekah, tu peluang Allah bagi kat kita nak beramal, bagi je. tipu atau tak, tu urusan dia dengan Allah." since then she puts the nasihat at heart.

******

Pakcik Berisi.

it's another Ramadhan. people come and go as usual. and the girl is still thankful for the chances. but one day, 4 people came. 2 older women, and 2 pakcik. the girl's mom greeted the guests, and as asked by Mom, the girl went upstairs to grab some extra clothes that they had. when she was giving away the bags, she acknowledged the men and women before her. the 2 elder women was fragile and skinny. whilst the older pakcik, seemed a little bit unwell, and the girl realized that he was blind, for one of the women kept hold of his hand while they were leaving. but the girl cant help but notice the younger pakcik. he seemed a bit out of place in that crowd, for he was well built, a bit berisi, wearing normal clothes, maybe in his mid 30s. and yet, one of the women kept asking to give some to him for the girl only passed the bags to the women. but the younger pakcik seemed a bit embarrassed to be there, for he was looking away all the time.  and the girl was a little bit upset, because when they were leaving, the younger pakcik didn't even help the women to carry their load, but just walked together along with them. then why was he with them?

the girl can only conclude that he must've had his desperate reasons .

******

Pakcik Kurus.

a week earlier, the girl was tagging along with her parents again. and Dad stopped  the car by the side of the road to go to the bank. Mom was reading a magazine, whilst the girl was watching the crowd outside. when one man caught her attention. he was small, very skinny, maybe around his 40s, wearing very worn-looking clothes, smudges of dirt here and there. and what caught the girl's attention most, was that the man was not wearing any shoes! and mind you, it was a very hot afternoon of Ramadhan. the man was crossing the road, and he was walking along the parked cars, and he was turning back again; doing this over and over. and then he went to sit at a table in a mamak's stall which was not yet opened but filled with busy workers already; perhaps preparing for breaking-fast. the man sat there for a while, hiding from the heat of the afternoon Sun. the girl watched and watched, contemplating if the man is unwell or not. she asked Mom to confirm it, Mom was confused too. after a looong while, she made up her mind. the man is well. she was ready to go out now that Dad was in the car, asking for Dad's permission, as Dad tthought that he's safe enough. and when the man was near enough the car, the girl went out of the car and approached the pakcik, "assalamualaikum pakcik." and handed him some money, but to the girl's surprise, he shaked his head. the girl was panicking, has she hurt someone's pride now? "pakcik, buat beli makanan petang ni je pakcik." "takpe dik." and he went away. devastated, the girl went back to the car. she had never faced those kind of situation. ever. macam putus cinta? huhu. and what amazes the girl more, as the car was about to leave (after quite some time) she saw the man was now busy in the mamak stall, helping some of the workers, carrying ice bags.

the girl can only conclude that perhaps the pakcik asked to do some work at the restaurant.

*****

this is just a reflection of mine. i am not intending to think badly of a person, but some stories are worth to be reflected upon. for Pakcik Berisi, i guess he might have had his reasons, anak sakit, or tak mampu bekerja, that he ended up with the elder women and pakcik. but i cant help myself and think of this hadith:

Sabda Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam:

          Tidak halal sedekah bagi orang yang kaya, dan tidak bagi orang yang berkebolehan lagi normal (sihat dan kuat).
[HR al-Tirmizi]

because truthfully, sekali pandang, he was as normal as a man can be. physically well. and one cant help but wonder if he's doing this just because of bermalas-malasan. but, Nabi SAW also taught us in another hadith, that clearly tells us that we need not judge a person by just their zahir. because they may have their reasons:

Sabda Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam:

Setiap peminta (sedekah) mempunyai haknya, 

sekalipun dia datang dengan menunggang kuda.
[HR Abu Daud, Ahmad]

and yet i cant help but think of one story and be reminded of the other. these are two  very different pakcik. in our eyes, one is definitely in worse condition than the other; but a complete twist of story for each pakcik. but in the end, only Allah Knows what their real stories are. and we should focus on doing our responsibilities instead, have we helped those in need? wallahua'lam.



yours truly,