Bad experience
I'd like to recall and share a bad experience that happened to me and my sister 2 days ago.
We were being followed by a stranger on the way to Syamail class, from Masjid Sultan all the way to Madrasah Aljunied.
This stranger was most probably a Malay and Muslim because he gave salam to us outside the mosque but definitely we did not answer him aloud except that we did under our breaths. As I am writing this I just cannot fathom his intentions and purpose of following us, even if it's with the simplest reason that his salam was not answered.
Only halfway through our walk to Madrasah Aljunied did my sister realise that the stranger was stalking us, though he took a different route. "We have to walk faster... I think someone's following us." I, who was busy on the phone, paused almost immediately to hear the deafening silence... and the quickened steps of the stranger behind us. "Adik, Adik." He called.
I don't think I can ever explain how terrified I was at that point of time as both myself and my sister tried to walk as fast as we could to take flight from the danger. We didn't look back. The walk to Madrasah's gate seemed so long and far away and my mind was already flashing scenes if we didn't make it there on time. But Alhamdulilah, we were safe. We reached the gates and the madrasah's compounds safely and we finally looked back. We saw the stranger again, the same one. He was there, by then, looking over into the madrasah from behind a fence. He was looking out for us, but too afraid to get in. We were safe.
3 hours of class later, the stranger was still lingering outside the madrasah. We were freaked out of course, panicked, but hoping we'd be fine. But ultimately all power comes from Allah, and with tremendous gratefulness to Him, the stranger didn't spot us as we left the area.
Looking back at this incident, I just wonder how fragile and dangerous situations could really become if either one of us (or even any sisters in general) was alone at that point of time. What if we were oblivious to our surrounding to realize that danger was lurking behind us? :'(
But Alhamdulilah, all thanks to Allah swt for preventing the danger from happening to us. So I guess one lesson I can learn from this incident is to definitely be more aware of the what's happening around me (especially because sometimes I get busy with my handheld device). And what we can learn in general:
We were being followed by a stranger on the way to Syamail class, from Masjid Sultan all the way to Madrasah Aljunied.
This stranger was most probably a Malay and Muslim because he gave salam to us outside the mosque but definitely we did not answer him aloud except that we did under our breaths. As I am writing this I just cannot fathom his intentions and purpose of following us, even if it's with the simplest reason that his salam was not answered.
Only halfway through our walk to Madrasah Aljunied did my sister realise that the stranger was stalking us, though he took a different route. "We have to walk faster... I think someone's following us." I, who was busy on the phone, paused almost immediately to hear the deafening silence... and the quickened steps of the stranger behind us. "Adik, Adik." He called.
I don't think I can ever explain how terrified I was at that point of time as both myself and my sister tried to walk as fast as we could to take flight from the danger. We didn't look back. The walk to Madrasah's gate seemed so long and far away and my mind was already flashing scenes if we didn't make it there on time. But Alhamdulilah, we were safe. We reached the gates and the madrasah's compounds safely and we finally looked back. We saw the stranger again, the same one. He was there, by then, looking over into the madrasah from behind a fence. He was looking out for us, but too afraid to get in. We were safe.
3 hours of class later, the stranger was still lingering outside the madrasah. We were freaked out of course, panicked, but hoping we'd be fine. But ultimately all power comes from Allah, and with tremendous gratefulness to Him, the stranger didn't spot us as we left the area.
Looking back at this incident, I just wonder how fragile and dangerous situations could really become if either one of us (or even any sisters in general) was alone at that point of time. What if we were oblivious to our surrounding to realize that danger was lurking behind us? :'(
But Alhamdulilah, all thanks to Allah swt for preventing the danger from happening to us. So I guess one lesson I can learn from this incident is to definitely be more aware of the what's happening around me (especially because sometimes I get busy with my handheld device). And what we can learn in general:
- Have another sister or friend to accompany you wherever you go, especially in the evenings or at night
- Stick to crowded places or follow crowded routes to get to your destination
- Lower your gaze
- Be invisible