DATIN ROHANI SUDDENLY BECOMES PARALYSED

DATIN ROHANI SUDDENLY BECOMES PARALYSED

AFTER completing Maghrib prayer on the third night of our stay in Mecca five years ago, I took a Hajj group back to the hotel where we were staying, which was located about 200 metres away from Al-Masjid al-Haram. This time, I had brought 40 pilgrims.

     Everything went smoothly in the beginning. There was not a single problem. However, a few days later, I noticed that there was a pilgrim who seldom came out of her room. She would appear once in a while, and that was at the hotel lobby, and then she would disappear again. I heard that she closeted herself in her room.

     It did cross my mind to find out whether she was having any problem. In a way, it was my duty to do so as head of the group. Perhaps if she were not well and had no choice but to stay in her room. I could help her in some way. So I asked the other female pilgrims if they had seen Datin Rohani and whether they were aware that she was having problems. But nobody knew. Ish, where did she go? Was she unwell?

     As I was thinking about that, her cousin Rozana crossed my view.

     "Are you alone, Rozana?" I asked when I bumped into her at the dining hall. She nodded.

     "Eh, where's Datin Rohani? I haven't seen her for several days. Why? Is she unwell?" I asked.

     "Ooo, Datin... she's well. She's in her room. I did ask her to come down but she didn't want to," replied Rozana.

     I asked again whether Datin Rohani was having any problem. But Rozana only shook her head. Nothing, Datin is fine, she replied, simply.

     I studied her face. From her expression, I could see that she was hiding something. But, whenever I asked, she only shook her head. Datin is fine, she would repeat several times.

     Never mind, perhaps tomorrow, the next day, she will come down, I said to myself. Unfortunately, Datin Rohani did not appear until one evening when I was about to go to the mosque for Asr prayer. I forced myself to approach her and ask whether she was having any problem. I was so shocked when my intentions we rebuked and repaid with some harsh words.

     "Eh Ustaz, why are you being nosy? It's up to me whether I want to come down or not! Whether I want to eat or not is none of your business. I am Datin Rohani, don't you know? I've been to Mecca before. I have gone for pilgrimage three times!"

     "There's no need for you to bother, I know how to look after myself!" lectured Datin Rohani loudly, while giving me a mean stare. Her voice got louder.

     Only Allah knew just how embarrassed I was. I was shocked beyond words. This was the first time a female pilgrim had ever raised her voice to me. My male ego was challenged for being shouted at like this but I tried to calm myself down by saying that this was a test from Allah.

     "It is ok, Ustaz, what can you do if her behaviour is like that," said one of pilgrims who had been observing the whole exchange. It seems that he had already noticed Datin Rohani's true colours from the very beginning but just could not be bothered to say anything for fear that he would be accused of spreading lies.

     "It's bad enough that she doesn't even show her face, but when she turns up, she starts putting people down. Such arrogance," I could hear someone grumbling.

     "It's okay," I said. "I'm used to all this. Come, let's go to the mosque."

     Even though my legs were taking me to the mosque, my thoughts were still on Datin Rohani's behaviour earlier. Perhaps she just didn't want me to see her in the same lights as I did the other pilgrims. Maybe because she was a Datin that she wanted comfort, I said to myself.

     The more I thought about it, the more upset I got. So I decided to forget about Datin Rohani's penchant to keeping to herself in the room, not mixing with other people, and her sense of self importance.

     But as the days went on, I noticed that she got worse. Whenever she was around, she would get angry for no reason. Her victim was none other than Rozana. If I allowed my heart to dictate, I was already smarting from the last incident. But I couldn't let the matter go on as it will affect the other pilgrims.

     On the way back to the hotel after 'Isya prayer, I tried to advise her again. This time, I took a softer approach but again Datin Rohani ignored my advice. She continued to defend her ego and gave me a grim look while walking back to her room in an arrogant manner.

     I was confused by her behaviour. It was bad enough that she seldom came out, but when she did, she would just proceed to scold everyone. It is very dangerous.

     I was worried that the other pilgrims would lose their patience with her behaviour. One wrong move and it could easily result in a conflict between her and them. The following day, Datin Rohani still had not come down to eat with the other pilgrims. I surveying the dining hall looking for a sight of Rozana's.

     "Eh, where's Rozana? She normally comes down to eat but not today," I whispered to myself.

     My intention was to meet Rozana face to face to settle the problem, which was becoming more complicated. Who knows... maybe she could help me solve it. Maybe she could tell me the real reason behind Datin Rohani's temper? Perhaps she had told Rozana, which means that I can dig a little and try to put everything right.

     After almost half an hour of waiting in the dining hall, there was not even a trace of her shadow. I looked at the watch on my wrist - almost 2.00 pm. Surely she's not going to miss lunch too?

     Just as I was about to return to my room, I saw two women rushed out from the lift. They were definitely Datin Rohani and her cousin, Rozana. The former was in a fit of temper again. Her face was red while Rozana followed her in silence.

     "Ish.., You're so difficult! I told you to order food and you couldn't even do that! Is it so hard? Do you think I can't afford to pay the hotel boy whatever amount of tip he wants?" screamed Datin Rohani to Rozana, glaring at the girl.

     "But, the food is already served in the dining hall. Anyway, we are in group with other pilgrims, so isn't it better that we eat together," replied Rozana in low voice. She didn't have the guts to look directly at the already heated Datin Rohani.

     "Enough! Don't you start teaching me! I am a Datin so I need to be treated first class. How can I be mixing with other people?" she replied arrogantly. At the same time, she was directing her sarcasm towards me. My blood was starting to boil but I quickly recited 'astaghfirullah'.

     "Maybe she's trying to have a dig at me. Maybe she wants me to send food to her room... Ooo, that's why she's just stay in there and not coming out. She wants VVIP treatment. She can't get me to do it so she expects Rozana to treat her like a queen. A poor girl is her victim," I told myself. Of course it is wrong to have such prejudice but in that situation, I couldn't escape from thinking like that. Wrong or right, nobody knows.

     "Rozana, I didn't come here for free you know! I paid so much but if this is the sort of treatment I get, so ****... I might as well have not come! And you, I ask you to help me and you can't even do that, I can't even rely on you!" Datin Rohani grumbled, giving me a stare.

     "It's not like that, Kak, but..." Rozana had not even finished speaking when Datin Rohani interrupted.

     "Enough! Go and take my food and bring it to room. If not..." Suddenly before Datin Rohani could complete her sentence, her body become stiff. She could not even move, frozen on the spot, her mouth gaping wide open. Seeing her critical condition, I quickly went over to them.

     "Datin... datin!" I called out. No reply. Datin Rohani just stood there, frozen. Her mouth moved like she was trying to say somethinf but only "aarrrgghh..." came out.

     Her eyes did not even blink, staring upwards even though I was waving my hands in front of her face.

     "Datin! Datin!" I shook her shoulders. Still no response. She remained very still. Only her lips moved, but her voice was stuck in her throat. Rozana could only cry seeing her cousin's body suddenly become so still.

     All those who were making their way down to the dining hall suddenly grouped around us. They were shocked to see Datin Rohani sat paralysed on the chair that Rozana and I had moved her to. In my attempt to cure Datin Rohani, I started reciting some verses from the Quran and said some prayers several times while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Still, her condition remained unchanged.

     The dining hall started to buzz. We tried to help her by wiping her face, fanning her body and reading some holy verses but to not avail. The ointment that we had smeared onto her forehead and around her nose also wasn't helping.

     Fifteen minutes later, the ambulance arrived. Unfortunately, even when she got to the hospital, her condition remained the same. After two weeks there, Datin Rohani was further weakened. She could not perform her Hajj. Not only that, as days went on, her condition become more critical, and she didn't even have the appetite to eat. Her body become very thin.

     Considering the situation, I constantly advised Rozana to exercise patience, calm her heart and to accept whatever had happened. Sometimes, we think so highly of ourselves and feel that we're stronger than everybody else. Sometimes we are full of self importance, disregarding other people's feelings, I said to Rozana.

     "We forget that Allah is All-seeing and All-knowing. He showers us with blessings and also brings forth misfortune," I continued to advise her so that she could understand that what had happened was a test from Allah.

     "Take this as a lesson," I reminded Rozana, who was still crying next to Datin Rohani. Datin Rohani's condition still did not show any positive improvement even after we had completed our Hajj and left for Malaysia. I wonder how she is doing now...

     "Whatever of misfortune striketh you, it is what your right hands have earned. And he forgiveth much." (Surah asy-Syura, 42:30)

N / F : FROM "THE BEST COLLECTION OF STORIES FROM MECCA", BY MASTIKA.