Baju kurung. Adalah baju kebangsaan orang Melayu. Dan dia adalah sorang pompuan yang gemar pakai baju kurung ke mana jua dia berada. Salah ke?
Dolu2 memang dia macam malu nak pakai baju kurung ke hulu hilir pegi memane function. “Make sure I can get in coz I’m wearing a very conservative looking - baju kurung...” Common phrase yang dia cakap kalo ati rase cam dah tak sedap takut pakai tak kene tempat. Tapi tu dulu. Couples of years back...mase jati diri masih di tahap percubaan dan tak memberangsangkan.
“i don’t understand why some women nowadays still wearing baju kurung like back in the late 80’s...” uik, terpana die seketika bile suara tu menyapa gegendang telinganya. Melilau mencari makhluk manekah yang sebegitu outspoken sekali pada pagi hari yang bening ini. Terkejut? Mane tak nyer, awal2 pagi lagi dah kene sergah. Tak disangka ke situ plak hala tuju “speaker corner” pada pagi bertuah itu. Memang la tujuan that particular programme, that “speaker corner” thingy is to educate and develop self-esteem and self-confidence while doing public speaking. Tapi kalo dah sampai bab2 nak argue other’s dress code tu apsal plak?
Berkerut dahi sekejap. Dalam hati sebenarnye dah naik cuak. Takut imannya yang lemah akan retak menanti belah dan keyakinan untuk berubah, to be a better gal yang baru je berputik luruh gugur begitu aje. Ni yang problem ni. Baru je mula nak blajar pakai baju kurung and labuhkan tudung skit, so that she looked like a noble and gracious lady, nak nampak sopan skit ade jer yang kacau daun. Dia cuba tabahkan hati, be strong gal...be strong. Kuatkan iman kat dalam hati.
Kemudian suara tu pun menyambung “ I know my statements may make sum people hate me and feeling uneasy but it’s just a thought, a piece of my mind. But hey, why do you keep wearing baju kurung? Do wear something fashionable. Versace, Gucci, YSL or other branded outfits. You can afford them especially during end of year- sales.” Dan lagi, “women in the 21th century must aware of their appearance and always keep their style up dated. This is millennium. There are more than baju kurung to discover. Thank you.” Dengan penuh confidentnya pemilik suara itu pun ended up his speech. Dan mende2 controversial cenggini seperti biasalah memang mengundang bunyi-bunyian daripada sesape jer yang menadah telinga pada pagi tu for his lecture on “fashion up date and da importance of wearing branded outfit + how to plan annual budget for ur outfits”. Ramai cam menyokong tak kurang plak yang tak puas hati and ade jugak yang buat tak layan.
And for her? Digagah gak dirinye untuk tersengih even though deep down in her heart rase cam ringan jer tangan to knock sum common sense into kepala that budak. Geram for so many reasons. Pada yang bagi speech, da loyal so called - supporters and to be honest... to da responsible persons yang conducted the session for that particular day. Sebenarnya lebih pada terkilan. Sangat terkilan. Pasal daripada yang ringan mulut bukak topic, to most of da supporters and da responsible party sampaila ke majority of the audience sumer muslim belaka. Termasuklah dirinya sendiri. Bengang kat yang bagi ucapan coz punyer la banyak available topics on earth tapi yang satu tu jugak yang berkenan di hati. The one yang condemn ur own traditional outfit - the only one that can fully protect the aurah of ur opposite gender. Jengkel kat sumer yang sokong sehabis daya dan kesal....ya, kesal sesangat pada responsible persons in charged yang hanya jadi observers tanpa kata. At least do something tak kiralah explain, betulkan this budak’s ideology and mentality ke or wutever that possible. Give sum comments barang seketul dua.
But then dia sedar tak baik prejudice pada orang yang conducted that session. May be diorang tak dengar coz in da middle of something, or actually saje jer bagi chance to other students to comment, criticize in order to defend ur traditional costumes or to be exact....to defend the Islamic dress code. Huh, ni yang rase guilty kat Islam ni. Rase cam pape ntah tak grab da chance and nail da line. Patutnyer die gamble jer be on stage and do sum “revelation” session. Should take this opportunity to spread da beauty of Islam, bagi dakwah ke hape. May be diorang betul2 tak tau yang baju2 cam spagetty strap top, tank top, baby t, halter top and tube top tu tak menutup aurat. May be gak diorang tak sedar yang aurat bagi sorang yang bernama wanita itu adalah da whole body excluded muka and 2 tapak tangan. Or diorang lupe kut yang body -hugging, skin-tight, transparent outfit and wut so ever yang nampak cam cover aurah coz tutup da whole body but masih bole nampak bentuk badan tu stil dikira berdosa. Dosa pada yang rajin nak jamu mata and terlebih lagi pada yang bermurah hati nak menjual diri. Kecewa dengan diri sendiri. Camne nak tegakkan Islam kalo simple thin’ camni pun dah nak melatah, gelabah and tak tau nak balas ape?
Dia mengeluh perlahan. Meraup muka. Penting sangat ke pakai mende2 branded tu? Menyoal diri sendiri. Dah soal sendiri kenelah sendiri yang jawab. Tak kisah sebenarnye kalo teringin nak pakai yang branded for money is not a main factor tapi da core question is tutup tak aurat tu? Tak kan la too fanatic to become a trendsetter sampai bole plak main nampak2 aurat ni. Tak mati pun kalo pakai baju kurung. Nampak ayu lagi ape. Decent ladies are pretty hard to find for there are only few of them in one time. Kata2 kakak usrah bermain-main di minda. Kalo nak jumpe pun payah apatah lagi nak jadik. Nak bentuk diri. Ya, die tau bukan senang but no harm in giving a try. Bile lagi nak buat baik. Tak kan nak pakai Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Stella McCartney, Elie Saab, Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace, Miuccia Prada or Vera Wang nyer designs dengan tudung labuh. Kelakar arr tu. Sah2 la all those designers tak mementingkan sesuatu yang bernama “aurat” bile diorang carik idea for their latest collection.
Dan atas sebab marah campur geram darab dengan bengang X 10 to da power of 479 tu jugak la die langsung tak pernah ade ati nak pakai selain baju kurung time kat A Level dulu except for very big conclusive and concrete reasons. Mungkin nak tunjuk protes tak puas hati bile dress code sendiri dipertikai. Sajer nak buat mogok. Tak kisah kalo orang lain tak paham da reason behind her baju kurung outfit tapi sebenarnya die ader gak rase patut say tq kat budak fashion police tu coz bring this issue on. Kalo tak, mesti die tak berapa semangat nak pakai baju kurung cam semangatnye die tiap2 kali pakai baju kurung skarang. Well, we determine God forbid it. A controversial public speaking of da year yang bole mematahkan semangat nak pakai baju traditional tu telah menguatkan jati dirinya. Hikmah dan rahmat di sebalik ujian.
However what bygone be bygone. Itu kisah 3 tahun lepas, zaman cepat melatah bile disergah. And now stil cepat gelabah tapi die usahkan jugak untuk tak jadik judgmental without looking into the matter carefully, without listening to the reasons thoroughly. Dan yang penting, die slalu percaya yang setiap ape yang berlaku pasti ade hikmahnya. Allah tak pernah menjadikan sesuatu tu sesia. Cuma it depends on His creatures yang bergelar manusia to discover wut lies beneath, the secret within.
Dah besar, patut bole pikir panjang, jangan nak buat sesuka hati ikut perasaan jer....nasihat mama sentiasa dalam ingatan. Kalo dulu tak clear dan masih terkapai- kapai carik reasons why in heaven’s name die kene pakai baju kurung but now after one hard core incident, die tau baju kurung yang dia pakai bukan sajer untuk dirinya tapi untuk sumer. As a tool for dakwah. Bile pakai baju kurung ingatkan dalam hati untuk tujuan berdakwah, cerminkan personality sorang muslimah sejati. Mane tau kalo ade yang akhirnya terbukak pintu hati diorang bile tengok die selalu pakai baju yang tutup aurat maka nak tutup aurat gak and dress up properly kan die gak yang dapat pahala. Pahala tu plak bole bawa as bekalan kat akhirat... Alhamdulillah another lesson to be learnt from Allah to a little gal like her...
“And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! Turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss.” An Nur 24:31
“O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Al Ahzab 33:59
Token of gratitude: USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts, Yusuf Ali’ Koran Translation