Mika, Tongue-twisters, my Mum and the Oneness of God

Mika doesn't understand the concept of tongue-twisters.

Mikhail and the tongue-twisters. I was out for lunch with Mikhail, Heche and Sharm earlier today. And in due course, Sharm started her normal lets-play-with-mika's-head session, "So, Mika... can you say - Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry non-stop?" To which Mika replied, "Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry non-stop!" Sharm rolled her eyes, "Okay, okay... let us think of other tongue-twisters..." And of course, Mika quickly interjected, "Red tongue-twister, yellow tongue-twister!" Hmm. I don't think my son actually understands the concept of tongue-twisters here.

In the 1980s. Now this rascally lot calls my mother "Tok Chik"

What do you call your mother? My mum, God bless her soul, passed away in 2002. But while she was still with us, I used to call her 'Mama' or simply 'Ma'. Her friends, brothers and sisters called her "Ba'yah" short from "Arbayah" which is her forename. My cousins calls her "Mak Chik", which means basically young auntie, because she was the second youngest in her family. My cousins' children would call her "Tok Chik" which basically means grand auntie. My direct nephews (no girls) from my brother's family simply calls her "Tok", which I guess means Granny. Now I would give anything to be able to call to my mother just once, and see her beautiful face turn towards me.

Let us pray.

God is One. But however we call our mothers, and by whatever name others may call her, she is still the same person. And that is really the same idea with God. For monotheists, there is no other person that is known as God. He may be called by a different name, but when a person lights an incense stick, rings a bell, turns the prayer-wheel, raises his hands up to the sky, or put his hands together, or preaches at the pulpit, or bows his head, or goes on his knees, or prostrates on a prayer mat, or makes holy ablution, or fasts for a day or a month, or does charity work, or donates to an orphanage, all these acts of worship and piety is done essentially for (or in the name of) one person, a.k.a. God. No Christian God. No Muslim God. No Hindu God. No Jewish God. Just God.

You do not own God. The days of claiming God as your property or excuse is over. Whether you are a Bible-thumping neo-conservative war-mongering lobbyist in Washington, a Quran-thumping AK-47 wielding Imam in Afghanistan, or a Bigoted Arab-hating trigger-happy Rabbi in Tel Aviv, your days are over. You may not have realise it, but God is moving on. Why should God be concerned only for a part of humanity when He created ALL of humanity, and not just those who THINK they are favoured by Him?

Love the One, love the all.

This is the price for being loved by God and wanting to love God in return. You cannot pick and choose who amongst humanity that you will love... It is not the easiest road, but it is the best. Or so I am told. 

Have a loving and lovely day, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam