Muhibbah

Being Malaysians, we are no strangers to the word 'Muhibbah'. In fact, we are all too familiar with it. Day in day out, we hear of the word so often. Everyone whose face appears on the front cover of the newspaper preaches about Muhibbah and racial unity. But do we know the true implications of this word? More importantly, do those who are preaching it know what this word really means?

As I walk to the LRT station every morning to take the train to college, I always enjoy seeing the group of women who gathers at the station parking lot to do their routine of tai-chi aerobic (I don't know what exactly that is, but it sure looks like a mixture of tai-chi and aerobic to me!). They just enjoy doing what they are doing, completely oblivious to the stares of curios passers-by. Some are clad in tudung, some have pottu, while others just look like modern mums from Desperate Housewives. Who cares about the differences? They are happy in their own little world.

This is Muhibbah.

Then my family and I walk into a hawker stall, and my Dad starts calling for Samy to take order. He's the guy who works at the mamak stall next to the stall we are dining in. As he comes, he talks to my Dad about everything, from making lame jokes to gossipping about Samyvelu, the big MIC guy who happens to share the same name. They speak in a Malay language that native speakers will never understand, but which amazingly, both of them understand very well. After all, we are Malaysians. We speak only to get our message across, regardless of whether we are grammatically or linguistically correct. Then they will burst into laughter, like they are old friends sharing some old private jokes. And this leaves us all wondering what's going on between them.

That is Muhibbah.

And when I'm done with my meal at Steven's Corner and ask for my bill, I hear a guy counting and asking me in fluent Cantonese what I had for my meal. I turn and look, only to be looking into the eyes of an Indian man. If I am blind, I would think that I am speaking to a Chinese. Oh well, anyway, who cares. We understand each other perfectly well, and he speaks Cantonese as though it is the most common thing in the world.

Now, that is Muhibbah.

Muhibbah sounds like a really big word, or maybe it is just made to sound like a huge one. Truth is, true Muhibbah is found in the most common places, amongst the most common people. I guess the big shots have a really precious lesson to be learnt from the common people.