Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Tarawih tales

Solat tarawih is synonymous to the month of Ramadhan and as a child, I used to get confused pronouncing the word right - was it tawarikh (meaning sejarah or history) or tarawih (pronounced terawih). I also had a terrible time distinguishing between asrama (residential school) and asmara (romance)! Imagine me telling my friends, Kakak kita pergi sekolah asmara! (My sister goes to romance school) LOL!
Well, back to the point of solat tarawih, Abah always made it a point that my siblings and I joined them for prayers at the nearby surau, which has now been upgraded and converted into a mosque. My step-sister and I, in particular, obeyed with mixed feelings. It was no joke performing 23 rakaats (including witr), especially when you don't get a spot near the walls where there were fans rotating. Before the prayers had ended, our clothes would be wet with perspiration that at the end of every salam, we'd be flipping and flapping our telekungs like a chicken trying to fly.
Nonetheless, despite the unbearable heat, it was undoubtedly an exciting practice. I loved the salawat we chanted after each salam, and it was a bonus when my favourite Imam, Ustaz Nik, led the prayers. Furthermore, there was the morey that came after - a spread of delightful delicacy that became a motivation to stay on till the very end! It was also a splendid time to say hello to fellow school-mates or catch a glimpse of other friends in the neighbourhood. The boys are often a little lucky as they would stay on for a round of fireworks!
Today, I lead the solat tarawih with my children and teach them the salawat we often do at home (mosques here don't do them). I know that soon, when they reach puberty, I will no longer be able to lead the prayers with all my children. However, as a woman there will be days that I have to step away from certain duties. Thus, I have asked my older boys to take turns in leading the tarawih prayers in my place, and I must say that they have indeed made me proud. So, I try to reward them by offering a simple morey afterwards; consisting of ice-creams, Milo with whipped cream and left-over kuihs.
Don't you just love Ramadhan?

17 comments:

Kak Teh said...

D,one day they will be writing about their early terawikh experience. Most of the time, we go to malaysia hall, but there were abt two days when we did at home and now my son is big enough to be the bilal.
I too love the salawat in between the prayers, and of course the morey after that. Nowadays, tak sebegitu meriah as it is quite late by the time we finish. Last night i excused myself from going as I was so tired. So, I did it on my own.
Yes, i love Ramadhan - last night, the most satisfying thing is when there's no left overs. Hari ni boleh masak semua fresh!

Ms B said...

D,

thats one of the reasons why the young lady loves going to terawih at our usual hangout. We have yet to go there this year (per KT, it is quite late) but in previous years, she performed isya and sat quietly at a corner while waiting for me doing terawih. it's the atmosphere. :-)

n.i. said...

i can soooo remember the flipping and flapping of the telekung hahahaha...

masa kat sekolah dulu, kalau time ustaz nasir (i'm x sure kalau kak D sempat dgn dia) baca qunut after 15th ramadhan, it was torture... ya Allah.. panjang nyeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... kalau saf memang rapat sangat, bila ada sorang start jd mcm pokok bergoyang ke kiri ke kanan dengan longlainya (sbb letihan) nanti start la almost satu line saf jadi mcm pokok kena tiup angin ke kiri ke kanan hehehe domino effect gitu... mmg kelakar...

jooli said...

I'm smiling reading this post & its comments.

Selamat ber terawih.

Lang Legar said...

I'm sure when the time come, they will carry the responsibility well..just like the way you taught them how to do it in the first place..

Salam Ramadhan..

Clueless said...

How about lingering around after Terawih when we were younger? And going for sahur - payah betul nak bangun masa kat sekolah, even with the bell ringing so hard!

Ramona Ramli said...

salam kak,

I just bought a her world magazine..there's an article about u inside it. I will make a post on my blog about it!

cikdinz said...

salam ramdhan kak D.
budak-budak sumer sehat?

D said...

kak teh,
ye la.. I always try to ensure I cook just the right amount - enough for 2nd helpings and no extras!

ms b,
definitely the atmosphere...alhamdulillah.

ni,
hey, I remember ustaz nasir! but i don't recall jamaah with him as imam. u guys prayed at the sch hall ke? good 'ol days eh?

jooli,
guess some are familiar to you too?

lang Legar,
thank you. Hope they will turn out better than what I have offered.

mum2h,
oh, that's kak teh's work!

cikdinz,
alhamdulillah... awak tak rajin blog dah yea?

anggerik merah said...

D,

Teringat masa saya masih kecil. Nenek saya yang banyak membawa saya ke masjid untuk tarawih... Early intoduction in life is very critical. And I owe my late grandmother for that..

U take care..

MHB said...

D -- can we extend our friendship to besanship in the future?? ;-)

Fadhil said...

D,

Saya doakan anak-anak anda membesar dengan penuh ilmu untuk menjadi imam yang baik. Insyaallah.

mama23beas said...

I too love the salawat between the prayers. I wonder about the mosque that you mentioned...is it the huge one in the middle of Kampung Tengku? We singgah twice to do our prayers there. For us here the nearest is Masjid Bulat, hubby does tarawikh there and Bea1's KAFA school.
I can relate well to what you wrote, I just missed the days doing it as a child in my kampung. Was not really interested on the morey as Mom was always responsible for it. So I normally ate that at home earlier;). Didn't manage to it at a mosque for years now, having small kids and a baby is the excuse.
You are doing a good job teaching yours.

~~nAzIrAh aShAr~~ said...

Before the prayers had ended, our clothes would be wet with perspiration that at the end of every salam, we'd be flipping and flapping our telekungs like a chicken trying to fly.

i do da same tooo...

hurm...wht u do to ur chidrens mke me rmmbr ma mom n dad..

Makcik Runner said...

salam D;

i came here to wish you a selamat hari raya aidilfitri, maaf zahir & batin. have a good raya with yr kids...

take care!

Dilip Mutum said...

Great post. I am trying to encourage my kids to watch and join me while I pray. Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and do drop by our house on Id.

Umi Kalthum Ngah said...

Dear D,

Eid mubarak 1430 H to you and your little ones. Hope it will be a great day!

Maaf zahir batin...