SEJADAH IS NOT JUST A MAT

Nilai Sehelai Sejadah
Sebelum kupeluk Islam
aku tak kenal apa itu sejadah.
Kufikir ia hanya sehelai pelapik yang digunakan ketika solat.
Hanya sehelai pelapik lembut
untuk memastikan tempat sembahyang itu betul-betul bersih.
Rupa-rupanya sangkaanku meleset sama sekali.
Setelah menggunakannya baru kusedari
Sejadahku...
Kuhampar menghadap kiblat.
Kudiri di satu hujung mengadap Penciptaku.
Kuletakkan dahiku di atasnya tanda ketaatanku pada Tuhanku
Kududuk di atasnya membaca doa dan surah
Mendekatkan diriku padaNya.
Sejadah..
Ia memerhati segala tingkah-laku aku ketika solat.
Ia mengetahui bila aku lalai dan ketika aku lewat.
Ia mendengar segala syukur dan pujian yang kuucapkan kepada Tuhanku.
Ia mendengar segala masalah dan aduanku kepada Tuhanku.
Ia merasai air mataku yang tumpah tanpa henti.
Ia paling mengerti diriku dan rahsiaku yang peribadi.
Ia menjadi saksi kehambaanku kepada Yang Esa.
Ia menjadi peneman setiaku ketika suka dan duka.
Sejadahku..
harganya tak seberapa,
rupanya tak secantik mana,
tapi jasanya amat tinggi,
tak ternilai rupanya sejadahku ini
hanya syukur terpahat di hati.
Hanya kepunyaan Allah syafaat itu semuanya.
KepunyaanNya kerajaan langit dan bumi.
Dan kepadaNya juga kita akan kembali.


Sejadah or prayer mat. Before I became a Muslim, I thought it is like just a floor mat; only difference is, it sometimes has the picture of a mosque or Kaabah on it. I knew its physical function, which is to ensure that the place is clean for prayer.

But after using a sejadah five times a day, I realise it is more than a mat. It is actually a platform. It acts as a platform that helps me to stay focus during prayers, keeping my mind at ease with the knowledge that the spot where I stood was clean.

My sejadah has been my closest companion during prayers. While I change my sets of telekong and kain frequently, the sejadah is always there for me, always waiting patiently to be taken down from its place in the cupboard.

It feels the pressure of my head as I prostrate during solat. It knows when I am careless and late for my religious duties. It knows when I take my obligatory days-off from solat. It witnesses my fumbling over unfamiliar pronunciation of surah during prayers, and it listens to my deepest hopes, fears and secrets which I communicate to my Maker. It records my doa to Him. It even gets wet from tears that flow down my cheeks each time I cry before my God; seeking an answer, seeking His guidance and asking for His help.

My sejadah is my constant companion during solat. It is a comforting friend, always there to accompany me during my happiest and saddest hours. Its presence is most reassuring during troubled times. It welcomes me back with its soft touch beneath my feet after my week-long absence each month. None other although more beautiful and expensive, can replace my sejadah which has served me faithfully since my first solat to Allah the Almighty. My sejadah may not cost much but it is more valuable than I had ever thought it would be.