Ramadhan Amongst Friends

During my student days at the Shah Alam campus, I experienced Ramadhan during the years of 2005, 2006, and 2007. Eventhough I was admitted into UiTM in June 2004, I never experienced Ramadhan during that particular year, since we, first semester students completed our final examinations two days prior to the 1st of Ramadhan.

The 2005 Ramadhan was a painful one, as I was slowly recovering from unstable blood-pressure caused by over-stress during mid-April 2005; I encountered an accident during the examination period...my first awful accident. Furthermore, I was suffering heavily from insomnia and sinus (resdung), as a roommate of mine smoked heavily, and that the lights in my dormitory were seldomly switched off at night, at least not before 3am on few occasions.

The 2006 Ramadhan was a lonely one, as it was during the July - November 2006 period that I was reclused from the others, as I restructured my course plans, in which on that particular semester I only took courses that I had to repeat or postpone during previous semesters. Usually, I would break fast alone on the 11th floor of the S&T Complex (FKE block 4), as my classes were only from 6pm till 10pm, Tuesday to Thursday.

However, the 2007 Ramadhan was a prosperous one, and it is this particular Ramadhan that I wish to share the experiences I had during the respected month. In 2007, I rented an apartment together with two former classmates in Seksyen 7.

On Wednesdays, I had Microprocessor lab sessions from 6pm to 9pm under the supervision of Encik Razak Mahmud (we would call him Abe Jak). Apart from a couple of my batches, the rest were part-time students, working and married. There were ten of us in that class.

We would be given permission to prepare for iftar 10 minutes before Maghrib. The others would proceed to the dining lounge (cafe') either on the 5th floor or the secluded 4th floor. My fashion would be to proceed with my lab session until the azan is heard (I took the liberty to install an azan software on the computer I normally use in the lab, even had the nerve to play the Quran mp3 recitations throughout the lab sessions, Abe Jak didn't mind), break fast with the tamar (buah kurma), perform prayers at the level 5 prayer hall at the southern tower (Menara 1).

Only after praying would I head for the dining lounge to eat. This is because, by then the dining lounge would be almost empty, and I would not have to fight for a seat. My friends, after having seen the conveniences I had from performing prayers first, followed suit in the weeks to come.

In the coming weeks, we would be seen breaking fast together. We would lay our spread on the table; my friends, their juadah from the market, me, my cooking from home, the part time students, their wife's cooking. It was pleasing to think back during the times we would perform Maghrib together, eat and laugh together, later fooling around with Abe Jak in the lab.

On other days, I would break fast at home. Despite having two housemates, we never broke fast together. No matter how I persuaded them to join me in the living room, they would succumb theirselves to breaking fast in their rooms, in front of their respective computers, playing at World of Warcraft. At least they ate what I cooked in the kitchen.

I would very seldom break fast out of home. Not even at my sahabats' apartment in Padang Jawa, except for once or twice. This is because, I would immediately put on my jubah and serban after iftar, and head for the masjid. However, I would welcome anyone wishing to break fast at my house, especially those who would persuade me to cook for them.

Usually I would perform tarawikh at either three places; Markaz PAS Seksyen 18, Surau Najahiyyah Seksyen 19, and Masjid Lapangan Terbang Subang (on weekends only as it is reasonably far from Shah Alam). These three locations are the ones that are independent from JAIS, therefore have tazkirahs every night, given by famed scholars, among them Shahrir Long. If I were too tired to travel far, I would perform tarawikh at the masjid in front of my apartment block. I was friends with the imam, and some of the tabligh members there, one of them being formerly my neighbour in Subang Jaya.

On occasions, any three of my sahabats would break fast with me; akhi Zulhusni, akhi Yusfizal, or akhi Hafiz Muawiyyah (Apih comel). They were among my closest companions in Shah Alam. We would look out for each other. One time I was ill, Yusfizal would drop by at the market to buy food, and later join me at home to break fast together. He even cleaned the kitchen for me.

On another occasion, Zul would return late from an outside job, after midnight, and I would drive him to a nearby restaurant before dropping him off at Kolej Perindu inside UiTM.

Those were the days I experienced during my last days in Shah Alam. Today, I am in the district of Permatang Pauh. With only 14 more days to go, I doubt whether I am able to experience what I have formerly experienced in Shah Alam. Excluding Mondays, on other days I would come home after 7pm, having no time to stop anywhere. I even kept a box of kurma in my car, in the event of any unpredictable traffic congestions along the way, which might force me to break fast in the car.

However, there are a few memorable moments I have already experienced here in Permatang Pauh, but that's another story, in which I will publish under a different title. Salam Ramadhan Karim Al-Mubarak.