Its Called R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I don’t understand some people. Its called common sense, ok. It’s called respecting other people. What’s so difficult about that, I wonder?

I’m ranting against people who think its ok to make noise in places where you’re not supposed to. Take for example, the surau (small mosque). The surau is a place for praying, for reciting the Quran, in a peaceful and serene environment. The only “talking” that should be taking place is between mortal and Allah, not between mortal and mortal.

But of course there are those that see prayer time as a time to catch up on the latest gossip amongst their friends. They take up hole in one corner of the surau and start opening up their latest stories and jokes, talking and laughing, regardless of the other people praying around them. I seriously don’t understand these people...are they blind? Are they just disrespectful of other people? Do they not know the true purpose of the surau? Why can’t they just shut up for 15 minutes, coz really, that’s how long it takes to take ablution, wear your praying attire, complete prayers and get ready to go back to work. JUST 15 MINUTES!!

Don’t get me started on those who refuse to shut/silence their handphones when coming to the surau. There’s nothing worst than trying to pray with I Will Survive or Aduh Saliha playing in the background.

I’ve tried going to the surau at different time intervals, with the hope there wouldn’t be many people there, thus less noise. Today was the worst. There were not one but two loud, obnoxious groups, chatting away while other people tried to perform their prayers. I gave the groups 10 minutes to disperse, but after hearing them go from one topic to the other, I figured I might as well just pray and try to block out all the noise.

I hate when I have to do that. I hate all the distractions when I’m trying to pray. I take prayers very seriously and I try, in my efforts to be a better Muslim, to concentrate while I’m praying.

I wonder why this happens. I find that it only happens in the female part of the surau. Over in the male section, you hardly ever hear people talking and laughing. I guess it’s true when they say; A woman’s downfall into hell is mostly because of her mouth. However I see that other religions don’t have the same problem. From what I’ve seen in the TV and from a far, in churches, temples and other religious places, everybody there is focused praying and reciting doa. Everyone is respectful of each other, making as little noise as possible; unless of course there’s a wedding taking place.

I know I’ve been guilty of talking in the surau too. Now I make an effort not to, or the very least talk in soft whispers. I also silence my handphone. I figure the cycle of respect should start somewhere, and the only person I can control is myself. I just hope other people can do the same.