Si Sabariah by HAMKA

My final fiction before the new semester begins. A very short story, and a very old one, dating back to more than 90 years ago.

It's originally in Minang language, per Buya Hamka's place of origin, but this book has it translated into Malay and kept a separate section for its original text at the back. (A great initiative by the publisher!)

Now this is a story that depicts the vulnerability of human hearts. How easily our hearts stray from the path of virtue, and how easily we forget about what is right when blinded by wealth, position, and anger — the three, perhaps most common, causes of decline, from civilisations to personalities.

It also portrays common issues in marital life such as parents' excessive involvement and financial instability.

I had a very pleasant time reading this. The story is quite tragic, but with the few highlights on the warmness of sincere friendship, maternal love, and a love strong enough to defeat the persuasion of wealth and position, it just made the story very wholesome with a satisfying ending, albeit sad.

It's not exactly plentiful in terms of its plots, but it does carry an important message on the problems gravely affecting the society during those days, that I have no doubt still affect many of us to this day. And so the messages therein are all still very relevant for us to think about and learn from.

And the story is so beautifully written that I always had to stop for a few seconds, close my eyes and just appreciate the sentences. And that's as expected of any of Buya Hamka's writings. It really made me reminisce my much-treasured days in Padang, as we went visiting Bukit Tinggi, Nagari Tuo Pariangan, and especially Muzium Rumah Hamka. It's truly a walk back down the memory lane.

A fine, pleasant read. Warmed my heart. Will read again for short breaks and perhaps a revisit on its messages. ❤️