A Night of Heavenly Visitation....

Muslims believed that in the last ten nights of Ramadhan, there could be a heavenly visitation from the messengers of Allah SWT (subhanahu wataala), when the sky is lighted up with Godly illumination and the trees will bow low in deference to the sacred presence of all the signs of Allah. That is the night of Lailatul Qadar which all Muslims sought and craved to see - a gift which will be awarded to the most faithful of Alllah's servants.

None of the Prophet's friends and the Ulamas had experienced the visitation or made such a claim, although strange happenings had been seen. In what shape and form, no one had described in any detail testifying to the Sufi's claim that the experience of being in Allah's presence is never describable.

As we approach Aidil Fitri, the shopping malls and arcades are agog with cheap sales, fantastic discounts and the echoes of Hariraya songs. But the decorations are not as colorful, resplendent and ornate as those welcoming Christmas, the New Year of the CNY.
Muslim don't display sacred or venerated religious figures in honor of their festive occasions.Restraint and the middle road are always preached in all forms of action and celebration.

Nonetheless the huge shopping malls in the city are said to be flooded by visitors and shoppers from up-country, while the roads are also jammed up by their visits." Who are they?" I asked a friend who made the claim. "Felda settlers!" came the quick reply. "They have received so many financial bounties from the government after their investment company head been listed on the share market." I know that Malaysians with an income below RM3000 per month had also received cash packets from the government, But I doubt if the amount is enough to pull them to the high=class dropping Malls. To Jalan masjid India shopping haven, maybe. The military, police and civil servants had also received a raise and a bonus. They are also adding to the human traffic jams in the shopping malls, I believe.

In spite of all that, I feel that the festive mood is not as cheerful and boisterous as before.There seem to be too many unanswered questions and doubts about everything in the air. From politics, economy to sporting and social events. There's a murmur and a rumbling which disturbs the festive mood, even concerning the logo and motto adopted by government for the coming Merdeka Anniversary celebration...

Maybe there are too many NEW things being done by government too quickly with too little attention to the grassroots' opinion. Remember that the consultation labs conducted under the NKRA scheme of things do not include the men-in-the-street but most ly senior executives in the private and public sector. Can they really represent the thinking of the average Malaysian citizen? At the village community level, do the village development committee members as selected by the local power house represent the villagers as a whole? Indeed there could be a serious communication gap developing at various levels in the new scheme of things.