Alhamdulillah… Endless praise and thanks are due to the Almighty Allah. I send peace and blessings upon Habibi Muhammad, his household, his companions and all those who follow his guided path, till the Day of Judgement.
Prof. Jonathan Newton is a language specialist from New Zealand, who was one of the keynote speakers at the 3rd International Language Conference (ILC), organized by the Centre for Languages and Pre-University Academic Development (CELPAD), at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). The conference was held on 4-6 June 2014.
I had the honour to listen to his keynote speech on the first morning. That was when I got to know him, and could recognize him when we met elsewhere after his speech.
This is article is sharing a story which coincidently– and coincidents are miracles, Prof. Jonathan happened to be its character.
On the first day of the conference, I coincided with Professor Jonathan during lunchtime, at the entrance of one of the restrooms. At the entrance, the professor was practising; entering in and out the first of the 3-staged entrances of the restroom. He was practicing entering the restroom with his left foot and going out with his right foot. As he did that, he was also referring to the poster (pictured above), which was on the wall, right at the main entrance. I assumed it was his first time coming across a poster that teaches (Islamic) religious ethics regarding entering and coming out of a restroom.
As I said, the restroom had 3-staged entrances to get into any of the 3 cubicles in there. I was awed while watching him practising. When he reached the entrance of the cubicle and was about to enter, I said to him, “Prof., This is the point you shouldn’t miss to enter with your left foot.” He smiled, and then re-measured–it’s easy to confuse your left with your right when you are asked to use either one– and entered with his left foot. [End of story].
I noted the poster before entering the restroom. With or without it, I did, and would have done what it instructs. Although I did what the professor was practising, the poster only gained my attention, significantly, after I witnessed his experience.
Unlike entering our homes or the mosque, entering any restroom requires that we enter with our left feet and come out of it with our right feet. It’s the Prophet’s Sunnah (tradition and teaching). Before he enters with his left foot a Muslim should say:
بِسْمِ الله… اللّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْخُبْثِ وَالْخَبائِث
Bismillāhi… Allāhumma ʾinnī ʾaʿudhu bika min al-khubthi wa al-khabāʾith
In the name of Allah… O Allah, I seek protection in You from the male and female unclean spirits.
And when he comes out (we ensure we come out first), he says:
غُفْرانَك
Ghufranaka
I seek Your Forgiveness, O Allah.
We don't have to know the reason behind the teachings of the Prophet, ṣallā Allahu ʿalaihi wa sallam, before applying and practising them. Once we have believed that he is a true Messenger of God, we are obliged to follow him in all he commands us to. However, the logic behind this supplication and practice (when entering restrooms) is that, restrooms (as well as all dirty and impure places) are usually hideouts for devils and evil spirits. Thus, in addition to the supplication, we are encouraged to enter such places with left feet, and come out with right feet. In the contrary, mosques and our homes are places of peace where angels are expected to be and stay with us for long. Therefore, we enter such places with right feet and go out with left feet.
What about the toilets and bathrooms in our homes? The etiquettes of entering restrooms are applicable to any place one uses as a restroom, even if it's an open space in the jungle or the desert.
The same way, we handle good things, i.e. the Qur’an and books of knowledge, food, clean things with right hands, and handle dirty and impure stuff, i.e., waste and cleaning one’s private parts, with left hands.
This is why the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam, used to pick his footwear with his left hand. I’m sure you know he emphasized that we eat with our right. Don’t you? He would even put the water he would use for lumination (ablution / wuḍuʾ) on his right side, because it's clean and used for purification.
Do you know that we are advised, if we need to spit, to spit on our left side? Of course, we have to cover it with sand if there’s some. If there isn’t any, then we must ensure to spit where people’s eyes will not catch easily. Just don’t spit on the walkway, and remember the “left side” rule.
I assume that Professor Jonathan is not Muslim at the moment he “acted” in the story of this article. I admired in him the obedience to instruction and, certainly, the curiosity to learn and practise something new, hoping to learn something good from it.
This being said, it’s important to mention that what is applicable to the curiosity of Prof. Jonathan (and all non-Muslims) about religious issues is not applicable to Muslims. We can do what the professor did concerning issues other than religion, and that are not prohibited in our religion or contradicts with its principles. To make this point clearer, I would say, non-Muslims can learn religion (Islam) from Muslims. They can practise it if they want. But Muslims can't learn Islam from non-Muslims, let alone practising their religion. We only learn Islam from God through His Messenger or from Muslim scholars who have authentically acquired the religious knowledge from reliable sources linked to the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam.
The poster, as you can see, carries a simple instruction, which is a common practice of the Prophet regarding entering the restroom. Although some Muslims take it seriously, not many of us practise it. This is the obedience I found and admired in Professor Jonathan. Although he's not required to do what he did, he complied. Although we know that we are encouraged to do what Prof. Jonathan did (observing the sunnah/adab/etiquettes of visiting the restroom), how many of us take it seriously?
We believe that Islam is the perfect religion, which Allāh has chosen for us. We see its perfection in its teachings. There's no good worth grasping or bad worth avoiding unless Islam has pointed it out for us, either through the Qur'an or the teachings of the Prophet, ṣallā Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam. Hence, the etiquettes of visiting restrooms are important enough to be neglected.
Again, the poster is a simple poster. Perhaps, the person who proposed the idea didn't expect his idea to go this far. In other words, the professor might have practised this Sunnah out of curiosity, but the possibility of him contemplating on his experience; trying to understand the reason and logic behind it, is very high. This may lead him to exploring more about Islam, for good. This is why you shouldn't underestimate the change you influence in others. The change we influence in others can be positive or negative. The good of it shall return back to us, and so will the bad.
On this note, if you post or share information in the cyberspace, especially on the social media, please bear in mind that it will go to the extent you never imagine. And it shall influence and change someone positively or negatively. Either way, you will be entitled for a share (of reward or sin) from that.
To the mind behind the poster, Prof. Jonathan has acted upon your instructional poster. This is how far your simple idea has gone, and only Allāh knows how farther it’s set go. Keep it up! May Allah reward you! To the rest of us, if you've initiated any idea of this kind, regardless of your job, position, or even your commitment in da'wah, this is how far your effort can go.
It's worth indicating that people learn from you in your absence and without your realization more than they do in your presence with your realization. We are mostly our “fake” selves, when we do things with the consciousness that others are observing us. On the other hand, not everyone is ready to humble himself and learn something from you (right in front of you). Thus, let's get our objectives right, and purify our intentions, and do it the best possible, so it may be received in the best state possible, and the return shall be the best possible, inshā Allāh.
To Professor Jonathan Newton, your curiosity was natural. Your story was unplanned. I'm sure no one was there when you were doing it. And you didn't expect someone would see you. However, it has transpired as a lesson, which has travelled this far. I pray that Allah opens your heart to accept Islam one fine day.
May Allah guide us, and grant us more love for Him, love for those who love Him and love for the deeds that will bring us closer to His Love. Amīn.
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Allah knows best.
Allahu Hafiz 🙂
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