Routine

Dawn traded its shift with a low-contrast daylight when the Sun emerges its hot (not sexy) corpus from its resplendent resting place, behind those regal mountains that seems like they were queuing horizontally or shaping an unshakable wall as its sturdy defense. And now the Sun has come to haunt everything with its nonnegotiable temperature. Tailed closely by Ali, from his dormitory walking with mere relaxation to the class while bearing his light red-coloured sling bag.

Ali can be considered as a pious boy. Name it, humble, humility or ascetic. All these attributes rooted deep down in his heart, making people around him often contradicted him to an 80s fictitious character that was once portrayed by Azmil Mustapha, Ali Setan. Ali possesses a renowned history of himself, which was also his major highlight upon his chronological life. He is famously known by all the other students and teachers and stole the limelight when he unexpectedly rejected the Head Prefect post in his school, with the most cliché reason beyond all, because he thinks that the responsibility is way too huge for him to handle. He set his mind to not accepting any proffered posts to him because according to him, responsibility is indeed a vast and heavy thing until mountains and oceans refused to give their consent. What Ali doesn’t remember is that Prophet Muhammad SAW affirmed the responsibility, and fun fact is Prophet was a normal homo sapiens just like him. With those relaxed steps of walk, Ali happily thinks that he is free from any commitment to be fulfilled in his life thus he feels calmness in mind and his body has been enlightened. He know not, he currently holds tight a responsible as His leader (khalifah).

Everyone has a best friend. Same goes to Ali. He has a best friend named Amir, who acts as a bin which contains and collects every single thing that blurted out from Ali’s mouth. Be it opinion, explanation or even confession. Everything Ali has in mind and he thinks that is a proper issue to divulge, he will voice all of them out to Amir first, and then they will keep on discussing until one of them decides to surrender. Often does it Amir. You know how coward some rakish gentleman could be in order to retain their chaste friendship from reaching Armageddon, like the Arabic proverb, “Ukhuwah fillah Abadan abada,”. That simply frames the strong bond between Ali and his till-jannah best friend, Amir.

After finishing their end-of-year examination, Ali with sheer confidence said to Amir that he’s going to top the class after day and night of studying, praying and qiamullail, to the extent that he quarantined himself from all those worldly gadgets. It would be a massive fabrication if he doesn’t think that he’ll pass the tests with flying-high colours. Amir, like usual, nodded steadily as he doesn’t put too much dream on his exams because he would always end up disappointed with fake hopes.

That noiseless night when Amir was staring to the sky floor, counting the innumerable stars that shattered almost everywhere in his sight, that was the chosen time for his smart phone to suddenly burst into a loud ring. The song “Hum Yaar Hain tumhare” from the film Haan Maine bhi Pyaar Kiya that was used as the ringtone stopped immediately after Amir pushed the green button, “Hello?”

While conversing on the phone Amir shook his head for a few times before he finally hung up the call. He let his breathe slip through his large nostrils thus producing a rough lament. Ali called him just now, from the hospital. He fell down from his superbike, and to be more dramatic and tragic, he was nearly get hit by an oncoming truck. He continued, “thank god I never leave my prayers. Maybe He is sparing me another chance,”.

A day before Ali was to be discharged from the ward, Amir spent his leisure time to visit his so-called best friend. Upon giving his ass a rest on the fabric chair, Amir didn’t have a chance to open his mouth when Ali suddenly came up with a blind accusation, “Why He was being cruel to me?”. Amir startled, “bloody hell. Why did you ask me this nonsense question?”.

“You know right? That I have never missed praying five times a day, not even rawatib prayers, even qiamullail was only in between my teeth. So why the fuck was He trying to indicate by injuring me to this extent? You know that I almost got clean hit by a sand truck. If I die just who is going to replace me as your best friend?”. Amir vexed his face, exasperated.

“Luckily that goddamn truck chauffeur was driving with slow pace and care. If not, I would not be here. I had be in somewhere beside the mosque,” Ali continues babbling, giving a hint that he means graveyard.

“What makes you feel so lucky my friend?” Amir puked his annoyance with a gem. A wisdom. Ali suddenly lost his guts, left behind in a quiet state of speechlessness. While in the other invisible realm at exact place of theirs, two angels are passing by, with their right middle finger pointing upwards.

Three weeks later, it is the last day of school. It is also the day where their result’s face will be proudly unveiled. Ali is all smiling, very hopeful and confident that he will be on top of the world. Amir doesn’t speak much, only answers when being questioned or else he prefers to stay calm and composed. Let his result make noise on behalf of him.

Mr. Cek Saluana, their class gaffer is in the classroom to unleash every untold stories. Everyone untimely look so pale while brushing their respective arm. Goosebumps. Ali held both of his palms together with full excitement. Amir pay a glimpse at him with witty sneer. One by one, students are summoned upon to take their verdict. Some of them get back to seat with glowing faces, and the others are bowing down looking at their hell until they unintentionally hit the tables. Despair to the deep, ungrounded state like in the blindness of seabed.

“Ali bin Alias!” Ali’s thought shattered everywhere when he heard his name emerges. He clumsily walks with curl of the lips. Mr. Cek Saluana shouts, “Are you nuts?! By the way, your result and your face looks alike!”.

“Is it handsome like me, sir?” Ali blinked his eyes repeatedly until the teacher feels disturbed. “take a look at it yourself. Sheer class,” Mr. Cek Saluana ends his phrase with a naughty giggle. The result swapped from hand to hand. Ali take his very first look to his maiden result. Then, all those comedic expression vanished rapidly. Before he fall into the state of the unknown, fainted, heard a murmur, “Ya Allah…,”.

“Where’s Ustaz Sharkony?!” Ali shouts right after he wakes up from his pass out stage. Amir who is sleeping beside him appalled badly. “Hey you fainted just now. Don’t let me send you to another pass out you cunt,” No one is joyful after their nap is severely disturbed. Amir is one of them.

“No no no now just where’s Ustaz Sharkony?!” Ali has calmed himself down but still yearning for a figure named Ustaz Sharkony.

“What do you want to do with him? He last taught you four years ago. What is this fuss you created all of the sudden? Stoned?” Amir stated outrageously.

“I want to see him now! You know what? I got involved in an accident, a truck almost crash me, I spent countless nights in ward, and now my result flopped?! What the fuck did god is demanding from me? What have I done wrong? Is He taking all my deeds for granted? Why Amir, why? This is all utter bullshit! I need an explanation, a relevant one. I don’t know and I don’t care, Amir. Please call Ustaz Sharkony now!” Ali instructed in his voice as if he want to start weeping. Amir stand still, suddenly it feels like the time has stopped. What is currently happening? He feels stuck. The feel of incapable to do anything. Astray to the land of confusion. Until…

“NOW!!!” Amir burst out from ailing room with fire shooting out from his asshole, searching for Ustaz Sharkony. For the sake of his best friend.

Ustaz Sharkony and Amir arrives to the ailing room only to find out that Ali has been drowning in his own sea of rheum. Ustaz Sharkony swiftly places his right palm on Ali’s shoulder and said, “Calm down Ali. Remember god, remember the Prophet!” softly spoken in a strict manner. Amir only watch without saying any words.

“Why god behave to me like this? Why Ustaz? I have done everything obliged by Him except going to pilgrimage but why He end up handing this defeat to me, Ustaz? He’s unfair. This is unjust! Where’s He who is the Most Justice? Where’s Him? Ustaz! Enlighten me, Ustaz. Why after I obeyed everything I met with an accident, and then to worsen things around He failed me in exams, why Ustaz? Why?!” his voice interlaced with his weeping and he just can’t stop his fountain of tears.

Ustaz Sharkony smiles with unhesitant. He calmly asked, “are you sure you have done everything that He asked us to do?”. Ali nods with confidence despite still crying. Another positive graph curved below Ustaz Sharkony’s shaved moustache.

“Okay then. You claimed that you have committed everything that Alloh asked you to do. But what motivated you to perform all these things?” with calm Ustaz Sharkony throws another shade. But emotionally disturbed people like Ali will take time to catch that. Ali answered, “Him. And I never surrender, never skip a thing. I have planted them deep in my soul until it has become my daily routine, weekly and monthly routine! Can Ustaz just tell me where did I go wrong?!” another result of unstable emotional state. Amir holds his shoulder and squeak it slowly, like a lusty massage.

“this is where generally everything goes wrong. From being absolutely right you dive deep into the seafloor of err. I think it has been a long time since you repented, self-reflected and meditated until you forgot that we don’t perform ibadah simply as our routine. It is our responsibility, our prostration to Him. If you did everything as routines then you did them for whom, actually?” Ustaz Sharkony explained full throttle. Amir nodded like always. Ali’s mouth indirectly zipped.

“all these incidents that are taking place around you are a kind reminder from Him. It has been a long time since you last get back to Him. He opens another tender for you. He loves you, or else you won’t be lucky to live your life today,”.

“Praying, fasting, giving alms are not a routine that we can do it because of worldly reasons. But it indicates our gratefulness towards Him for giving us life, showering us with blessings and flooding us with sustenance. After everything He has single-handedly provided to us, He doesn’t ask much. Just always get back to Him. Before you even pray you have to set a strong intention so that you would not astray,”.

“because of niyyah, you can either strive towards success or just feel like you have succeed.” Ustaz Sharkony released a tough lament after he ends his lengthy preach.

“go, talk to Him,” Amir uttered calmly.

“And don’t make it as your routine!” Ustaz Sharkony added sarcastically.

Ali chuckled, an aftermath of a terrific storm that crashed his mind leaving a scar that would be memorable for eternity.

“Welcome back, my best friend!”