The plan was simple. Since tomorrow is a weekend, we decided to break fast at Masjid Besi, Putrajaya instead of our usual spot in Masjid Cyberjaya. A change of scenery, a different experience. What could go wrong?
Everything.
The Traffic Nightmare in Presint 4
The drive started smoothly until we entered Presint 4. That’s when the nightmare began.
The road leading to Masjid Besi was completely jammed. Cars barely moved, people walked between vehicles as if they owned the streets, and worst of all, the traffic seemed to have no clear reason for being this bad.
Then I saw it.
The biggest Bazar Ramadhan in Putrajaya.
I had completely forgotten that the area near Masjid Besi is home to a giant 300-stall bazar, the kind that attracts food lovers from all over the city. And just like that, everything made sense.
The roads were a mess. There was no traffic police to control the congestion, cars parked haphazardly, and the sea of people moving from stall to stall made it impossible to navigate.
But I held onto hope. We were almost at Masjid Besi. Maybe, just maybe, we could still make it.
The Great Parking Battle
After almost an hour inching through traffic, I finally reached Masjid Besi’s entrance.
Then came Abang RELA.
He stood there, waving his hands dramatically. “Parking penuh!” he declared.
I looked at the vast two-story parking lot behind him and immediately knew he was lying.
“Betul penuh? Tak mungkin penuh. Parking masjid besar!” I tried to reason.
He didn’t budge.
“Memang penuh. Hanya parking dekat padang saja. Tak boleh masuk.”
I knew what this was. They were denying entry to anyone they suspected was going to the bazar. I understood their logic, they wanted to reserve the parking for mosque-goers. But I WAS a mosque-goer!
“Saya nak ke masjid, bukan ke bazar!” I argued.
Still, “Tak boleh. Penuh.”
And only then, after several minutes of back-and-forth, he finally mentioned, “Ada event dekat masjid. Itu sebab parking penuh.”
Now it made sense. An event. Great.
The Messy Alternative
With no choice left, I drove towards the field parking nearby.
Bad idea.
The field was shared with the bazar, and as expected, it was an absolute disaster. No system, no proper lanes, just cars blocking each other in every direction. I knew immediately, this was a mistake.
After struggling to move around the chaos, I decided to exit using a shortcut near the mosque. But of course, that’s when we hit another problem.
More RELA officers. And cones.
My All got out of the car, moved towards the cones, then, another Abang RELA stormed over.
“Tak boleh lalu sini!”
By this point, my patience was gone.
“Saya tak nak masuk masjid pun, saya nak keluar dari sini. Nak patah balik tak boleh, belakang penuh kereta!”
We stood our ground. I refused to reverse. And that’s when his superior appeared.
Thankfully, this time, the senior officer was reasonable. With a quick nod, he allowed us to pass.
Finally, we were free from the madness.
A Last-Minute Change of Plans
By this point, it was almost Maghrib. We had wasted so much time, we had no choice but to quickly find another mosque or surau.
As a backup, I made a reservation at a nearby restaurant, just in case. But I still wanted to try for a mosque or surau experience.
Masjid Putra? Full, no parking.
Time was running out. We needed to make a decision fast.
Then we thought of my other favourite Surau Jumaat, the Surau Al-Mizan, Presint 8.
With about 20 minutes before Maghrib, we quickly turned in.
The moment I stepped inside, I felt it… peace.
A Hidden Gem of an Iftar Spot
Unlike the chaos of Masjid Besi, here, everything was calm and organized.
The best part? There was food. And not just any food but a buffet-style spread.
I could feel my eyes sparkling with joy. We grabbed our seats, took our food, and Alhamdulillah, the meal was perfect.
Two lauk. My benchmark.
Two lauk and one vege. That’s the standard.
Even Masjid Cyberjaya only gives one kuih but here? Two kuih. Two.
At that moment, all the frustration disappeared. The traffic, the parking drama, the RELA officers, none of it mattered anymore.
This was exactly where we needed to be tonight.
I quickly called the restaurant and canceled our reservation. They were more than happy to free up a table.
And after iftar, we decided to stay for Terawikh.
The surau was cold, the air-conditioning perfect, and the carpet? Thicker and softer than any mosque we’ve been to this Ramadhan.
A Journey Filled With Lessons
That night, as I sat after prayer, I reflected on everything that had happened.
Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. Sometimes, we think we know what’s best for us, but Allah has a different path prepared.
If the traffic wasn’t bad, if Masjid Besi wasn’t full, if we weren’t stopped by RELA, we wouldn’t have discovered this gem of a surau iftar.
We started the journey frustrated and exhausted but we ended it grateful and content.
Alhamdulillah.
Ramadhan teaches us patience, but more than that, it teaches us trust.
Even when things go wrong, Allah always has a better plan.