Trying To Be Muslim

...that was a title of a book by Norhafsah Hamid. it is a story about one person's quest (a Muslim born, not a muallaf) to become an active servant of Allah and the struggles she went through in trying to find her religion. I enjoyed reading it. sometimes, I even felt like I've been slapped a couple of times because of how similar our conditions were. It also brought tears to my eyes as well especially about the journey of performing the hajj. 

i love how the author tells the story, it's like as if she was talking to me directly next to me. one of the snippet that really appealed to me was this :

If you had asked me this question 4 years ago "when do you plan to perform your Hajj?" My answers to you would then be "probably in 5 years time"...My excuse would then be...I am not ready or I have not received my call (belum sampai seru).

Over the years in my quest for knowledge, I discovered that to perform the Hajj, is NOT about a readiness of a person or the need to wait for His calling. Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam and it is compulsory for ALL Muslims once they have fulfilled the preconditions of Hajj.

So, what are the pre-conditions? There are:-

- Muslim

- Sane

- Have reached puberty

- Financially and economically able

Hmmm....I noticed that no where could I find a preconditions that states...spiritually ready and able and received the calling. Then, I understood that whether I am ready or not, once I have fulfilled the preconditions, then it becomes compulsory for me to perform the Hajj. God waits for no one.

a very good read for all Muslimah and hope everyone will read it. totally recommended. tak mahal pun. dalam RM18 - RM20 je (can't remember the exact price). bought it at Kinokuniya KLCC...and if there's anyone interested to buy/read this book, I can buy it for you guys. serious. just bank-in the money and i can get it for you selagi stok masih ada lah kan...hee :)

footnote: i bought this book again as a present for my kakak sepupu who is a Sarawakian muallaf because i recommended this book in my FB and she's so eager to read it. Alhamdulillah. maybe this will help her to understand Islam more. InsyaAllah...