Current place : Sandford Fleming (SF) Building, University of Toronto
It was Saturday. Midst of March. Sean, Yuhin, Michael and Ikki were my teammates for APS 112 ( Engineering Strategies and Practices ). And we chose that particular day and place for our meeting since we have to submit our final report, FDS ( Final Design Specification ) on Wednesday, the next week.
It was a day long meeting. We started at 9 and finished at 6. And an interesting topic of conversation popped up, I would say it was a test of faith. A test of courage and confidence at one time.
After a long period of typing, brainstorming, discussing and finalizing our report, our stomachs growled like thunder striking through the clouds. Sean, the team leader suggested we had subway for lunch. Subway as in the food, not the transport. We walked down the college st. and rain started to pour.
Ran down to the Subway restaurant beside an Irish pub, and luckily they had an offer on that day. Free bacon, chicken or beef. And none of those are legal for me and Ikki to eat as muslim can't eat anything from pig-based product and meat from animal that has not been slaughtered.
We just had the usual, tuna.
Me: Foot long tuna.
Cashier: We have free meat today. Do you want some chicken, beef or bacon?
Me: No thanks ( with a smile )
Cashier: Why not? It's free. Plus it's bacon.
Me: Laugh. It's okay, I don't really like bacon ( As if I've ever taste it before, sometimes you just have to lie to avoid long and awkward conversation and I thought that would be the best answer. Silly me )
Cashier : Are you sure? It's bacon day today.
Me: Yeah, sure. Thanks for the offer.
We walked back to SF building and had our lunch there. And there it all happened
Yuhin: Do you believe in God? Because I don't.
The rest: .........
Sean: Come to think of it, you guys are muslim aren't you? That's why you didn't take the bacon at the subway right?
Me and Ikki: Yup.
Yuhin: Why don't you guys eat bacon? Bacon is like, the tastiest meat in the world ( I remember how he really emphasized on this that day ). Is it some kind of sacred animal like how the Indians can't eat cow's meat? Meats are good too. Poor Indians.
Me and Ikki: .............. ( I was nervous and bewildered, and am thinking of an answer that people like him can understand. Yuhin is an atheist )
Ikki: Well there are reasons for that, but it's kinda complicated. It's religious matter.
*******************
The conversation didn't stop there. Sean is christian and Michael is a follower of buddhism. We had a really long talk about religion. But just enough to make it clear on how I couldn't answer that simple question. It was a really simple test, and I was like speechless, strucked by lightning that I couldn't even think straight and move my lips.
And it was one of the best experience I've ever had. A test of faith can be so simple, can happen at times you couldn't imagine, caught you off guard, and what I am shame about, it is about my religion, my belief.
It came to my mind, the reason for people of the west to look down upon Islam is because of the worshiper themselves. If the believers didn't have the full knowledge of their religion, how could they convey the word of Allah, the message from Prophet Muhammad to other people? How can they convince them that Islam is not a religion of hatred and violence? And how can they approach Islam like this?
It was a meaningful lesson. And I thought that day, I can do better. No, I must do better because it's my religion. It's okay to take it slow, learn bit by bit. InsyaAllah, we can become a better muslim and muslimah. For the sake of Allah, and towards the akhirah.
O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet
[Muhammad, 47: 7]
I want to be a better man....
