There once a Chinese boy who lived in Malacca. He was a good son, the eldest. Took good care of his siblings. Though he was a naughty boy, he never disobeyed his parents.
The boy grew up to a fine and sturdy young man.
Live is full of surprises, and surprisingly, this young man fell in love with a Malay woman.
Back in those days, it is quite unacceptable for a Chinese to marry a Malay, due to the then country’s unstable political situation. The Chinese man insisted on marrying the woman he loved, and that means that he would have to accept her religion, which is Islam.
After listening to what Islam teaches, the Chinese man was attracted to the fact that Islam teaches it’s followers to forgive rather than to repay. This strengthen his love towards Islam, and the woman he loved.
After thorough thinking, the Chinese man decided to embrace Islam and marry the Malay woman. As expected, he was faced by the wrath of his parents, especially his mother.
The Chinese man’s mother declared, “Kalau lu keluar dari ini rumah, gua mati lu tak dapat tengok mayat gua!” (If you step out of this house, you will never get to see my face when I die!). The man was sad, but he ignored the warning, and took off to a new journey.
The Chinese man and the Malay woman got married, even though both of their families objected their marriage. They settle down in Singapore, hoping to start life anew.
The woman got pregnant. Singapore gave out new rules, that Malaysian women cannot deliver her baby in Singapore, as they do not want citizenship conflict. The couples comes back to Malaysia, hoping for a help from both families.
The Chinese man’s family accepted them. They invited the couple to their house, and a mother and her son reunites again.
Allah s.w.t. blessed the couple with a baby boy, and happiness and joy filled their house in Malacca.
Soon, the couple decided to moved to KL, and again, mother and son were parted. This time, the mother blessed her son.
Seasons pass and time flies. The family moved from KL to JB. After 12 years of his son’s birth, he was struck with the most devastating news.
His mother had passed away.
Shaken, eyes filled with tears, he drove all the way from his house in JB to Malacca, hoping to kiss his mother one last time. Alas, fate has a cruel way of manipulating the world.
Humans forget, but Allah s.w.t. does not.
The coffin were already nailed. All of the siblings didn’t realize that their older brother was on his way home.
The Chinese man was dumb-found. He sit beside his mother’s coffin, weeping, apologizing for the bad things he had done. It did nothing but broke the silence. He realize that his mother’s curse came true, and he never got the chance to look at her face, neither did he got the chance to kiss her cheek one final time.
On the funeral day, the Chinese man looked sadly as they lowered the coffin of his late mother into the grave.
He turned to his son and said :
“Son, remember my advice to you. Allah s.w.t will always answer the prayer of a mother to her child, even though she is a non-believer. Never, ever hurt your mother in any means nessessary. Loved her as she had loved you. I have lost my chance of apologizing to my mother. I don’t want you to lose yours. Remember this, my son!”
I am the child that Allah blessed to the couple.
That Chinese man is my beloved father.
That Malay woman is my beloved mother.
That mother that cursed her son was my grand-mother.
And those were my beloved father’s experience, and his golden advice, to me, his only son.
Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.
And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: “My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.”
(Glorious Qur’an;17:23-24)