"You don't want to be near him today. Abang Z tengah period!"
Huh?
"You mean, he's moody today?"
"Yup. He has PMS"
I was flabbergasted. To listen to a male making "she-has-PMS" remark about a female colleague is one thing, but to hear a female colleague describing a male has having PMS was something new.
I was shocked.
Especially so when the remark was nonchalantly made in front of another male colleague.
Double shock.
Women complaining about a bad bout of PMS is one thing. But making fun of a male colleagues allegedly suffering from PMS in front of another male colleague - well, that made me feel a tad uncomfortable.
Especially when studies have shown that in reality, men too could suffer from PMS.
Seriously.
No kidding.
#####
"I was told that in Islam, menstruating women cannot pray. Why is that so? Is it because menstruating women are considered dirty?"
I took some time pondering on that question. That day I volunteered to help out at the exhibition area in conjunction with Islamic Awareness Week held at the Student Council building. I thought I was ready to help with answering common questions about Islam and Muslims - but after an incident of a Caucasian woman 'assaulted' the volunteers with scathing words on Islam (apparently because she used to be married to a kaki pukul Muslim husband), I was not so sure anymore.
Guessing from the way she asked the question, I already knew that the lady in front of me would not be pleased to be told that menstruating Muslim women are considered impure and thus not allowed to perform solat or fast.
I made a silent prayer for Allah to guide me in answering her.
"No, menstruating women are not considered dirty," I started tentatively.
"Oh, good! I am tired of hearing people saying that menstruating women are dirty. It is a natural process. Surely something natural cannot be dirty because the Maker should know better right?"
I nodded. Rather tentatively.
"So why can't menstruating women pray then?"
"Err... It's because Allah knows that women need a break. So we got our break from praying and fasting during menstruation. Allah gives us a break once every month because of the difficulty that we have to endure during menstruation. It's a privilege that Allah gives only to women. We get our break every month and every time after we give birth."
"Ooh..."
"You know - what with the bloating, headache, stomach ache, acne, fatigue, mood swings... Allah knows that we can really do without having to pray during that time of the month..."
"Oh, I've never thought of it that way. That it's a privilege for the women to have a break from prayers. And not as an inhibition that makes women a lesser being. Thank you. Thank you so much. Now I know for sure that you guys are not sexists."
I smiled.
(While silently praying hard that Allah had guided me to say something positive and true about Islam.)
Fast forward more than a decade later, alhamdulillah, I'm happy to note that my answer was along the same line of the one given here.
Wallahualam bissawab...
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4 comments:
i memang selalu tau lelaki period hheeh- biasa la tu kalu bos marah tak tentu pasal moody PERIOD la boss tu- kalu my hubby monyok tak bercakap angin tak pasal PERIOD la tu hehehe-
bdw they all period lagi teruk kkekeke
Erma: :-)
puan azra, sapekah Abang Z itu? macam taw2 aje... yes, nak jawab pada orang esp non-muslim & atheic tu huihh kene betul2 study... tapi dulu waktu keje @ company cina, terkedu bile sorang non-muslim tanya, "awe, kenapa u solat? tapi liza (bukan nama sebenar) tak solat? die pun islam kan?"... well, my answer was, "because i'm a believer, not a follower"... don't else what to say, what say u?
haWa: taw takpe... hehehe...
back when I was in UK, some non-Muslim friends would ask questions along the line of "why are you wearing 'that thing' on your head? XYZ is also a Muslim but she doesn't?"
The 'standard' answer would be, "It's what Allah asks us Muslim women to do. But Allah also gives us the freedom to choose. Those who choose to do what is asked of us in this world, hopefully will be rewarded in the hereafter. Those who don't, on the other hand, have also been warned about punishment in the hereafter. So - it's up to us to choose.."
Biasanya bila jawab macam ni, si XYZ yang tak bertudung pun akan tersipu-sipu sendiri dan jawab "I also want to wear the scarf, but maybe later..."
When I was in Tokyo, my zemi(homeroom) mates used to ask "Why can't you drink (alcohol), but G drinks?" I seldom have to answer because G himself would usually respond by saying something along the line of "Oh, that's because Azra is a good Muslim and I am a bad Muslim..." Huhuhu
Hidayah tu datang daripada Allah. Kita doa saja mudah2an hidayah dan rahmah Allah bersama. Kita doakan juga teman-teman lain pun begitu juga - mana tahu, entah-entah satu hari nanti yang "follower" tu bakal jadi jauh lebih baik daripada yang "believer" ni... Wallahualam...
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