Baju Hijau.

Photo credit [here]

It was the day when I was going to head back to my boarding school. My family and I were waiting for the Transnasional bus at Hentian Jalan Duta. That day I wore ‘baju hijau’ an official MATRI dress code for boarded students. It was written in the hostel charter as compulsory for every boarded student to wear ‘baju hijau’ anytime they want to leave or coming back to the school after the holiday.

But in reality, nobody take the rule seriously. People who wear it are often called ‘skema’, ‘tok bond’, just to list some.

And that day, my younger brother spoke out.

He said, “Why are you wearing this? See around you, nobody really cares about it. Plus, the teacher won’t really check if every single student is wearing the shirt.”

He silenced me.

And then, came that moment.

My mother stood just beside me. She heard what he said. She smiled. And she is no ordinary person.

And what she about to say will change my view over things in my school life.

She said, “You don’t wear the shirt, just because of the rule or just because the teacher said so. What important is the effect of wearing that shirt over your heart. The one who wears it carry a big heart in him. He manages to put it on, despite being different from everybody else because of what he had inside his heart. He is humble, obedient, willing to give up his comforts and he believes that obeying the rule is part of his duty, his amanah as a student. That is what the shirt means to him. The shirt is the sign of the state of his heart.”

So profound.  So profound that it pierced deep into my heart.

She changed my perspective over all the little things.

She gave meaning to it.

The ‘baju hijau’ lesson is really something.

I once heard senior in my school said that every rules are meant to educate (tarbiyyah) us.

Now I understand.

But the lessons are only for the people who see.

And my mom, she made me see. :)