The Man I Love

One of my favourite poems. Can't help it - I really love it. I hope Mohja Kahf will keep on writing poems like this. I should write to her...one fine day, Insyaallah.

 

p/s: thank you loveinshallah.com.

A Man Who Washes Dishes

by

Mohja Kahf

 

I love a man who clears my table
I love a man who knows how to use
a wire scouring brush on my pots
till they sparkle so
He brings out my shine
 

I love a man who washes my dishes,
making small soapy circles with his manly hands
around the curves of my delicate glassware,
sliding lathery down the slimmest stem
 

I love a man who moves patiently
around my kitchen, turning like a deft spatula,
remembering the places and purposes
of every latch, knob, and cubby
 

 

I love a man who takes responsibility
in the tired aftermath of a meal
down to the wiping of the last counter,
chasing the last honeyed crumb
into the moist corners of the basin,
 

neatly grinding the coiled peel of the final tangerine
He is not afraid to descend into the maelstrom of the disposal
and explore the sharp blades with naked fingers–
I love a man who washes my dishes

 

 

of child bride, shiah & marriage

weheartit.com

I found myself  blog walking in this space called, OutSyed the Box yesterday, got attracted by a discussion on - Feeling Embarrassed Over "Prophet Marrying A Six Year Old".

As I always am attached to matters like this - masked cultural practices, women related issues, demonization of Islam (which in most instances rooted from some muslims' misinterpretation of Islam/ Quran/ Sunnah & cultural interpretation of many practices which often time patriarchal), the discussion over this issue has stirred my psyche. really.

There was a sudden urge that said I needed to respond to the issue posted in this "Tuan Syed's" blog, intending to share and expand the discussion to something fruitful (I badly need to be back to school again, having f2f discussion with some cikgus, friends like I used to. Amin, ya Rabb!).Sadly enough: my sloth-cursed-internet connection had failed my good intention. And tonight, this is where it takes me: blogging about this.

I don't wish to go deeper tonight as I need to go to bed real soon :) I just wanna place something that is supposed to be my "comment" on this Tuan Syed's comment box, here. Things, I feel so strongly about, so that they would be kept here: becoming a proof of my stirred heart and worked brain :)

Salam,

Some would delve into the differences (physical especially) between a small kid today and a kid of prophet’s days. That needs years of research to find the truth, I believe. Some would simply play finger-pointing, making matters so small big and bigger and some would deviate a little/a lot from the real topic, i.e: child marriage --> allowed or not allowed --> prophet’s story vs modern story --> shiah’s doing???duh..

When things got so messed up like this, I love to think that Islam is so beautiful, there is nothing in Islam that will conflict with 1) the fitrah of mankind (physical, mental, emotional, even spiritual immaturity in most of the kids are their fitrah, aren’t they?) and 2) things like basic human rights that the child bride so deserve i.e: good education, health etc.

Child marriage denies all the above. It takes away small girls’ innocence; it breaks the very fitrah of the girls. And definitely, in most cases, it denies them the rights to go to school, to blossom into maturity naturally, to be healthy etc.

Isn’t it contradictory to what Islam teach when small girls of immaturity be married off?

I cringe at the cultural practices so called “islamic” and “prophet-following” like this one. And wonder, why those practicing don’t care to look at the purpose of marriage in Islam itself: to create Mawaddah & Rahmah between the husband and wife.

Would/could an 8-yr-old wife understand marriage itself and mawaddah and rahmah in one?

Of shiah’s doing – I cringe again and again at some muslims’ preference of finger-pointing, proving their inability to exercise their brain to the fullest and practice logic even in a matter like this. 

Why is it so difficult for us to understand that “Islam itu agama fitrah, sangatlah secocok dgn fitrah manusia”? and..where will this Shiah’s doings finger-pointing take us as far as child marriage is concerned?

Wallahua’lam.

For a full discussion by the blogger named above, pls go to: http://syedsoutsidethebox.blogspot.com/2013/10/feeling-embarrassed-over-prophet.html