Wednesday, October 14, 2009

When He Whispers....

It's a marvel how Evil works. Half the time you didn't even realise it was his doing - the sly whisperings and nudges, the gentle proddings, the promises - until much later when sensibility returned. By the time you did it was too late; you had been duped.

For years I was the unhappy recipient of numerous "gangguans"; those weird, sometimes unexplainable happenings that would prickle the hairs on your nape or send a chill up your spine. Being at the receiving end of such creepy experiences was emotionally taxing; I have never really understood this ability to sense and occasionally see 'things'.

I have, however, taken it in my stride over the years, even if I am still as anxious as always, worrying about all things natural and supernatural, humans and hantus (especially humans behaving like hantus!). I know all I need to do is fortify my faith in God, and keep close to Ayatul Qursi as an added measure.

Truth be told, I found peace and tranquility after the Hajj. God has been so kind and I am humbled in more ways than one. Syukur Alhamdulillah, ya Allah. My life used to be so messed up with such nonsensical things that I couldn't see the woods for the trees sometimes.

Now, there's this issue about Isya' prayers (for the uninitiated, it's the late evening prayer, the last of five for the day) that had been bugging me for a while. While one school of thought says one should never delay one's solat, the other says one should preferably do the Isya' just before turning in so that one goes to bed with one's ablution intact.

While I do not see the merit of praying just before bedtime (praying on the heels of azan is still the best, I think), I sometimes do it because it is convenient. Therein lies this problem.. the seductive whispers of Satan...

There had been occasions when I would do my Isya' just before bed. That would mean way past midnight because I learned a long time ago that ideas came easy at the closing of day, so I would write away until sleepiness overtook me.

Half of me always felt guilty for delaying solat, yet the other half would say soothingly... "Alaah, if you are sleepy, go to sleep first lah and then wake up in the middle of the night and pray. What's the issue?"

Now, that's the whisper of that damnable Satan for you. He's hoping you'll be knocked out till dawn, and so will miss your Isya' and hopefully, your Subuh too! I knew it, yet I still fell prey to it sometimes especially when the bed beckoned ever so invitingly.

Last night, however, I was punished for refusing to succumb to his words. As I stood my ground, I knew he went away disgruntled, planning his next move.

It was past midnight and I had just finished some work at the computer when sleepiness closed in. The Despicable One, somehow, had me tuned to "sleep first, pray later" mode. I was already contemplating slipping under the duvet in the cool comfort of my bedroom when I was 'physically' jolted that I nearly fell off my chair.

I fully believe a kind spirit had a hand in giving me this 'wake-up call', literally. Chastened, I quickly took my ablution, completed Isya' and went to bed. Pak Abu was still finishing some work on his computer at the dining table, and watching TV at the same time.

I was nodding off to sleep when I heard a tremendous roar on the yet-unoccupied side of the bed. The duvet seemed to move in a wavy motion, and a hazy outline of a hand seemed to appear from nowhere, hitting the duvet continuously while the roaring continued.

I found my body completely immobilised but I could move my pupils sideways, only to see the duvet moving on its own. I tried calling out to Pak Abu, but no voice came out. I searched my mind for Ayatul Qursi but couldn't find it. All I could utter was "A'uzubillahi minasyaitanirrajim".

I kept repeating the verse until I could feel my body relaxing ... and then all was quiet once again. Immediately I grabbed the Surah Yasin & Ayatul Qursi booklet on my bedside table and started reading. Moments later Pak Abu walked in.

I wasn't scared, just very annoyed that The Damned One tried to intimidate me for not sleeping first and praying later. I think that was it. He had expected me to just go to bed and hopefully 'terlepas' Isya' altogether. Such dugaan...

31 comments:

Kak Teh said...

Oh my God!!! This is scary. am reading this at 0447 am - had just done my isya. I am one of those who goes to bed first and wake up to do isya late and then continue with some work until Subuh. here subuh is now at 5.45.
I know what you mean abt the whisperings and the nudges - sleep first, then wake up later. But thank God no gangguans the kind that you described.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Trouble is, Kak Teh, it had happened before, this sleeping first and hoping to wake up later to pray..despite the alarm clock, not only terlepas Isya', even Subuh also gone! Jaga almost 7am when the sun was up. Dosa kering aja dengar ulitan Syaitan. Now I try not to delay, as much as possible.

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Hi Puteri, (me hair stands at the thot as I write...eeerrie)

When he whispers…..’sweet nothings in my ears’…hahaha. I don’t know whether to envy u or to sympathise with u over this ‘gift’ that u possesses. Most ppl would like to experience close encounter with the supernatural just once in their life but not lah on a regular basis like u. No I think I prefer to be ‘normal’.

They said animals r able to see these ‘things’ at ease too. Perhaps u might had got Lillie’s tears rubbed into your eyes accidentally.

Salam,
Tommy,

P/S – Next time u see them, can u ask them that Tommy wants to know next week 1st prize 4D numbers….hahaha, on second thot maybe not!!!!

Anonymous said...

Ma'am, I have it on good authority that the waktu for Isyak ends at a bit before midnight; just like subuh does at sunrise. So, if you do have to delay Isyak, please consider completing it before midnight - the Damned on be damned!

life is ... said...

Salam kak

Ada doa boleh diamalkan utk elakkan gangguan etc ni dan supaya senang nak bangun malam utk beribadah...

Nak tulis takut tersilap bunyinya... ada dalam buku tajuknya ni... boleh akak cari kat kedai buku kat jalan TAR (minerva atau pustaka mu'min)... saya ada beli buku ni sebelum pi uk ni...

Tajuknya ialah

1) 101 doa daripada hadis hadis sahih dan 2) 101 doa para nabi dan rasul dalam al-quran.... oleh ustaz zahazan mohamed...

saya bukan nak promosi buku dia... cuma nak hebahkan sahaja maklumat ... ada doanya dan buku ni ada terangkan juga cara nak beramal macam mana...

Esah said...

salam kak,
may I suggest you to read surah al mulk every night? preferably when you're still wide awake and not about to doze off anytime soon..it's recommended to be read on nightly basis and will protect you from the evil and dark ones,inshaAllah.

NanaDJ said...

Puteri,
Menakutkan! I do feel some presence in my sleep sometime but I keep on reciting ayat kursi the 3 kuls and it will go away. Anyway I find if you recite Fatihah, Suar' al-ikhlas, the 3 kuls, ayat kursi and the last 3 ayat of Sura' Al Baqarah, you will have peaceful sleep, insyaallah.
The Syaitan will always try to distract us from performing our prayers - memang tu kerja dia. The best thing is to pray immediately after azan - easier said than done!

Apa Kau Nak said...

Salam Puan,

I have exactly the same problem. Working and writing away sampai wee hours then konon nak tidur sekejap dan terjaga matahari dah naik. Lemah betul diri ini. But what you had, the duvet moving is really something. Amazing thing is, u take it so cool. I would have wet my pants. :P

tireless mom said...

Dear Kak Puteri

Six sense! You are one of the special ones.

I dont know what to say. As I read I was hoping ada anak you ke bawah duvet or someone wants to play a joke on you, rupa rupanya tidak! It is real, scary nya.

I also practise al Mulk before I sleep in most times, but it usually is read after Isya. Nak menunggu and perform Isya bila tu is also the key question here.

Unknown said...

serious...seram ..saya menbaca nya.

saya sendiri baru2 ini 'melihat'lebaga hitam di ruang tamu di rumah saya di sini....berdiri bulu roma, dan sejuk satu kepala.

lantas, membaca apa juga ayat quran yg tahu...serta merta azan dengan lantang....mlm nya mengajak seorang rakan teman kan tidur...besuk pagi dia cerita katel dia bergegar...

saya terus berpindah, bertukar rumah!!!

salah satu yg saya suka tinggal di saudi...tepat waktu solat ...semua orang solat...tak kira lah di tepi jalan pun depa solat. itu saya suka...!!

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Puteri,
Where was Lillie when you had the scary moment? I'm sending a memo to her to take better care of you. meow!
So far, we haven't had any supernatural experience in this house while Dad is very good about reminding Mama about prayer times wherever he is.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Tommy - I prefer to be normal too, but what to do. Animals do hv tis ability. That's why Lillie gives me the creeps sometimes.

Mat B - Oh, really? I never knew this. Must learn more about it..

LI - Kama nak pi cari buku ni. Mudah-mudahan dapat pedoman darinya.

Esah & Nana - Insyaallah, I would like to start practising this. All these while I only recited Fatihah and Ayatul Qursi.

Eska - As always, I was more angry (and sometimes curious) than takut. This is because I was taught long ago not to be scared, just berhati2. Kalau kita takut, lagi dia cuba sedaya upaya menakut2kan kita lagi. Dia feed on our fear. Tapi janganlah pulak kita nak tunjuk terer kita berani sangat lak. satgi diganggu seckup rasa, semput kita nak tangkis.

Not very long ago, someone I know walked into his house in Subang Jaya and saw a strange human form duduk atas sofa dia. Relek aja "benda" tu. My friend stood at the door and jerkah "mu nak apa? pegi! pegi!" and the thing disappeared!

TM - Kama dah lali dengan 'cuit'2 depa. Kadang2 buat derk jerla. Habis sangat mengadu kat Pak Abu.

JM -Betul tu. Saya kagum sungguh bab dropping everything dan solat bila masuk waktu. That was one of my best experiences kat Mekah & Madinah too. kenapalah bila balik malaysia jadi LIAT sungguh!

Cat - I think Lillie was sleepng at the balcony at the time. She does that a lot these days, sejak kena grounded bigtime ni.

Unknown said...

Salam kak...

You are given a gift, I would say, at least you are aware about the Damned One coming on hitting on you, your hunch is strong, that's a bless...

like me, once I take the meds, no matter how small the pill is, I am sent to the drowsy mode easily... so I fall into your category too... becoming the prey that I slept first and thought could get up later and do the prayer, many a night I failed to get up... and woke up feeling so guilty and sinful! Now, am trying to do the solat first kak, not as easy as during Ramadhan... the temptations are so different now! This istiqomah is not an easy thing but we have got to do it bit by bit...kan?

So many of them have mentioned some helps you can find... the books that 'Life Is..." mentioned are good, the recital of 4 Quls and ayatul kursi are good as well...

InsyaAllah, you are protected kak, my doa of one is for all my blessed sisters and brothers...

hugs.

Iron Butterfly said...

Auntie!! OMG! I thought I'm the only one like this - sleep first pray later last2 not only terlajak Isya', langsung terbabas Subuh.

It happens SOOO many times.
*sigh

لف توف™ said...

I nak gib you a 500V punya jolt!
Whenever azan in in the air (not only when Love Is In The Air), kita kena cepat2 dirikan solat; especially bila kita ada plan nak berjalan jauh/driving long distance. Bukannya apa. Takut satni DIA jemput kita dulu sebelum dan buat solat. Sereyau!!!!

_deli said...

Salam Kak Puteri,

Mula-mula ingatkan ada twist at the end of the story; whereby Pak Abu walks in and ask, "...did you feel it?" (Relating to the gempa bumi recently - all the more reason not to delay tanggung-jawab).

Alas, I was wrong and as I finishes the blog, bulu roma dah pun meremang...

Anonymous said...

what? who are you? where does you come from in this blogoshepere world? old hag.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Anon 7.34 - Thanks for dropping by and good day to you too.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Raden, IB, Laptop, Deli - we need to be constantly reminded that this world is inhabited not by us humans only, but by many other beings. Dalam Quran pun ada disebut. Makhluk Allah swt juga tu, jahat atau baik.

MyWAM said...

Anon 7.34 - Ni macam bunyi setan jer. Get a life la, Anon 7.34!!!!

Cikgu Besaq Henry Gurney TI.. said...

Wam.. aku pun nak tumpang "taruk" sekaki kat budak yang otak retarded ni..

so... excuse me akak,

Woiiit Anon 7.34 am
YOU KENA SAWAN BABI KA?
YOU SUKA, YOU BACA LAA
TAK SUKA, YOU GO TO HELL.. go accompany that bloody hantu.

Tak dak adab sopan cakap dengan orang-orang tua. Kalau budak sekolah, dah lama aku ikat dekat pokok berhantu, kasi hantu/dracula/langsuir/sundel bolong dll hisap darah dia. Itupun kalau darah dia worth it kena isap. Tapi manusia jenis Anon ni, darah dia kotoq, beracun... those hantus sure die lah once they suck his/her dirty blood.
Kalau dia kat sekolah, dah lama dah kena penampo ni.

Anyway,betul kata you akak... semua itu makhluk Allah swt.. termasuk Anon yang tak dak wahfelior tadi. Dia salah sekoq daripada hantu-hantu yang ada.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Wam & Cikgu TI - hahahaha, wahfelior! hahahah...

لف توف™ said...

Cikgu Besaq Henry Gurney TI.
Wahfelior tak dak dalam Kamus Dewan atau DewanEja Pro.
Jenoh teman mencarinya.
Berkurun dah; timboi balik wahfelior.
Hehehe.

Matt Kopikarat said...

Salam Kak Puteri..syukur semuanya selamat. Sy dok tunggu kalau ader gambar lukisan yg Kak Puteri beli tu dalam blog ini..harap dapat tengok lukisan tu tergantung di dinding rumah kak Puteri. Macam mana rumah terbuka..meriah?

Deen

Kama At-Tarawis said...

My Homestay (Deen) - Deen pi tengok entry titled "The Mangosteens Did It" pada 30/08/09; ada gambarnya tergantung kat atas TV Kama. Cantik sekali..

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Laptop - wahfelior ni benda yg "power"; jangan main-main! LOL

لف توف™ said...

Your psychic power could come in handy.
It is your third eye.
:-)

rizal hashim said...

wow. powerful reminder. yours truly also guilty of always delaying...

Lee said...

Hi Kama, noticed your callsign at Zendra's place you like Theresa Teng's songs and can even sing them too. Outstanding!

Interesting posting you have here....but glad no problemos with you.
Have a pleasant week, Kama, best regards, Lee.

D said...

eeee... I'm glad that I'm not one of those who can see things we aren't supposed to see! takuuuuut..

:)

Anonymous said...

Salam,
I did email you... pls check your email
hwan_63@yahoo.com