shocked...sad...ashamed...

A friend of mine asked me something after Maghrib prayer last night. Something which shocked me. I never knew that non-Muslims have those kind of thoughts. A non-Muslim girl asked my friend why Islam demanded the followers especially women during her menstruation to wash the pads before disposing it. And my friend asked her back what made her think like that. She said that back during her matriculation days, when everyone has to share the bathroom, a Muslim girl told her to do so, if not a 'monster' would come out at night and 'eat' the blood from the unwashed pads. She really disagreed. And she said, if the 'monster' really come out then it would only find the Muslimah's pads not others since Islam demanded to do that. My friend tried to explain her that the reason most of the Muslimahs do that not because Islam asserting it but for hygienic reason. It's true. It did not mention anywhere that in Islam a woman should washed first before properly disposing it. What Islam says that the cleanliness is important in daily life. I felt sorry for this non-Muslim girl as she has misunderstood the situation. A girl who told her insisting her to do something which she thinks a bit illogical. I hope this misunderstanding has been cleared by eventhough the explanation given not fully satisfied her.

It reminds me how we, as Muslims have to set a good example not only among Muslims but also to the non-Muslims. Whatever we do, it gives reflection to Islam. Ikhtilat (mingling between men/boys and women/girls) is one of the aspects which most of us take it lightly. How many times we see Muslims of opposite gender holding hands, ride on same motorbike (common situation here) etc till it become a taboo for others to look at. I remembered someone told me about a non-Muslim who thought when a guy and girl become a couple, they can hold the hands of each other! How sad it is. Don't we feel ashamed with ourselves? We said that we're Muslims but how could we allow such things to happen. We have misunderstood our non-Muslims friend. We make them confused about what Islam has taught us. We pray five times a day and yet we do the wrongdoings. Solah is supposed to prevent us from doing those things which are prohibited in Islam but the situation is unlikely to happen that way. Why? Because we separate the religion with the daily life. Because we don't perform the solah with full of concentration and think only Him. Because we don't use Al-Quran as the sole guideline apart the Sunnah. All this would not happen if we follow what has been taught in Islam accordingly. Love Islam wholeheartedly and return to His path so that our lives will be bless here and Hereafter, Insha-ALLAH.