"Salam Politik"

When I was in Dungun last Friday, 28 August 09, I went to the local mosque to join the local Muslims there to perform the Friday prayer.

As it was and still my usual habit, immediately after I entered the mosque and before sitting down, I performed the two-"rakaat" "solat sunat tahayatul masjid" (the optional prayer to respect the mosque). It was customary or encouraged, if you like, that after we finished performing our "solat", we should "salam tangan" (shake hands) with fellow Muslims sitting next to us on the left and right side. It was related by al-Bara' r.a., that the Messenger of God (prayers and peace be upon him) said: "When two Muslims meet and they shake each other's hands (berjabat tangan), God will forgive both of their sins before they depart from each other."(Riwayat Abu Dawud)

Whenever I shake a person's hand to "salam" him, I always make it a point to look at his eyes directly to give him a sincere smile and sometimes together with a nod of acknowledgement.

So on that day when I extended my hand to "salam" the two neighbouring Muslims, I was also greeted with a smiling face by each one of them. They also looked directly at me when we "shook hands".

After the "iqamat" was called to perform the Friday prayer, I moved forward to occupy the empty space left open in the rows infront of me to perform the prayer. I was between two Muslims who were not the same ones whom I "salam" earlier.

After performing the Friday prayer and before leaving the mosque, I extended my hand to "salam" with the two neignbouring Muslims on my left and right side. I was also greeted with the same sincere smiling face from each one of them as we "salam."

I felt very pleased with the "salams" given by the four Muslims in the mosque because they were done with great sincerity and I could feel that sincerity inside of me.

However, this was not always the case when it comes to the "salam" with the Muslims in the mosque or surau that I normally frequent in Kuala Lumpur or Selangor. Some of them just extend out their hands to you but their faces were looking somewhere else. If this is not an act of insincerity, what is, then?

This is what I call "salam politik". If you observe a certain event on the TV news, where a politician is shaking hands with the people, you can see that while shaking hands his eyes are looking at another direction. There is no sincerity at all in his "salam." He shakes hands for the sake of shaking hands, that's all.

Maybe I'm too sensitive about this matter but that is how I look at it. So, the next time you shake hands with me as a form of "salam" but your eyes look somewhere else during that time, I know you are not sincere in greeting me. And may Allah forgive your sins too before we depart....