Lesson Learned

Last week me and my family went Umrah. It is when Muslims visit Saudi Arabia to perform Tawaf and Sa'i. There are many history and meanings behind everything we did and I wrote down some of them that really catch my attention.

1. Tawaf.

It is where we should walk circling around Ka'bah 7 times while praying. This demonstrate that we should keep on praying to Allah while going through our daily lives. Never forget to pray, no matter what happened.

2. Sa'i

It is where we should walk back and forth from Al-Shafa hill to Al-Marwah hill. In history, Ibrahim's wife (Siti Hajar) and his son (Ismail) were in the desert. So Siti Hajar searched a water for her son. She left his son in the ground, in front of Ka'bah. First, she search it in Al-Shafa hill, when it is nothing there, she try to search in Al-Marwah hill. She went back and forth 7 times until finally Allah gave her a water. The water didn't come from either hills, it came from the place where Ismail laid down. That water is called Zamzam water, it is pure and we can drink it directly. What's more amazing is that water is still available until now, even though millions of people in Makkah drink it and some people bring it back to their own country.

What we learn from the history is that sometimes Allah doesn't give what we wanted and doesn't answer your pray straight away. But don't use it as an excuse to walk away and give up. Instead, you should keep on praying and have a faith, because Allah knows what's best for you and He will give it to you in the right time.

3. Qurban

Actually this is the activity where you do it in Hajj. But last time I went to that place and being told about the history. Allah asked Ibrahim to kill his only son and the one that have been waited for 10 years. But in the name of Allah, Ibrahim agreed. When the time to kill his son, Allah change his son into a goat. The purpose was Allah just wanted to test Ibrahim's loyalty. So this story proves how loyal Ibrahim is. He is ready to give everything in the name of Allah. Today we have to give a goat or a cow in every year, to remember that history and learn the lesson.

Everything that has been given to us will be taken back by Allah. Sooner or later we have to let go everything that He asks for. If it is the best for you, Allah will give it back to you. If He doesn't give it back, it means He will give a better one for you.

Knowing all these history and lessons calms me down. I have nothing to fear. Everything that happened is part of Allah's plan. I just have to ride it with my greatest effort and let Allah do the rest :)

the story of a little fish

Once upon a time, there's a little fish swimming around freely in the sea. There's also a man with a net who just lost his fish. His friends are telling him to catch this fish. At first, the fish hesitate, whether to go into the net or not. But finally, the fish get in, and being caught by that net. After a while, for some reason, that man put the fish back into the sea. The fish feels so sad. But this little fish will stay close, just in case someday, that man will catch this fish again :)

Letting go, accepting bad things and waiting patiently are the hardest things to do. But once you can handle it, you own the world. If this life is a game, those things are the obstacles in the top level, the one we're supposed to kill the giant king. When it's done, you'll win with the great score. Same thing in real life. After successfully going through those problems, everything seems brighter and you'll be so much happier than ever.

It needs a process. No one said it would be easy, but they said it would be worth it :)
Have a faith, do it and good luck!