“Abah! I think that would be your present for me, right? You must! Promise, ok?” said little Nuha Insyirah, her eyes wild with excitement.
My son-in-law’s eyebrows suddenly cocked up to one side.
By then, the little girl was running all around the fields and around the house belonging to an aunt (her grandfather – my husband’s side). Her t-shirt was all soaked and her forehead trickled with sweat. The little chicks she was chasing went helter skelter and were desperate on their feet, their mother clucking and following right behind them.
“Insyirah! Be careful, the mother hen could give you a nasty peck if she gets very annoyed!” said I, trying to hold still her little brother Ameer Ihsan who was flapping gleefully everytime the rooster cried, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
“But I want to hold the little chick in my hand!” cried Insyirah, “they are so cute,” and off she was again.
“How would you like yourself to be away from ibu and abah?” said her dad, trying to cajole his little girl.
“I would not like that!” she said, thoughtfully.
“Likewise, the little chicks. So leave them be, okay?” said her father. His little girl now tired, held on to his hands. But her eyes were still eagerly watching the yellow and fluffy chicks pecking and sifting the sands behind the bushes with their mum.
I remembered the first time we brought our son-in-law to this remote part of Kedah. A place called Kampung Bukit, near Napoh to be exact.
“What is that?” my son-in-law asked, quickly moving to the paddock nearest to the roadside. He could not help from running his fingers along the golden stalks.
“Why? That is the padi plant, of course! You mean you have not seen one?” I asked in return.
“No! I have not!” he said, a look of wonder in his eyes.
A teacher in a well established environment in the city once told me that she had asked the little children under her tutelage to draw a picture of a chicken. And what she got was a drawing of the fried chicken drumstick!
Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was put in the care of Halimatus Saadiah at the countryside as was the norm and custom during those times. This was so that the child may learn the fine language of the outback and grow up in the unspoiled and clear environment, where the air is fresh and clean.
However, the same cannot be said about the present state of affairs in most of our own countryside. On my parent’s side, the kampung is infested with drug addicts and situation for old folks staying all alone is certainly not safe.
How about your experience in your own kampung? Do you encounter the same situation? It would be interesting to share…
Our Eid this year was really a meaningful one. Ameer Ihsan (I year 2 months) has just ‘found his feet’ and put them to real use. Our yearly photo session was hectic too! Which explains why most of the pictures had to be just candid…
To all readers, it is still not too late to wish you all “Eid Mubarak…let us seek forgiveness and start anew”.
May Allah bestow upon us the strength and commitment to fast the 6 days in the remaining days of Shawal and to be able to see Ramadhan and Shawal of next year, Insha Allah…Amin…
