Political Move

What's that?

My definition of the phrase is simple: doing things while others don't exactly know your underlying intentions.

I learnt a lot of this when I was in Malaysia, and successfully applied in a few occasions. Here are some cases you'd probably interested to study:

1. Walking in a group with a married couple.
Suppose you're having a vacation somewhere exotic with a group of friends. It so happen that there's 1 married couple amongst the herd. You guys were walking upstream by the river. Knowing that the married couple need to spend a little time together, you'd probably have to do something.
Political move: Get in front of the herd unnoticeably. Keep talking until you feel that it's the right time to stop the group. Tell them you're shoelaces are untied. Take your time. At the same time, engage in a conversation on the current scenery. Continue walking after stopping for a while.
Intention: Let the married couple walk further in front a little bit. They might want to chat on something in private. Your friends might not notice this, but the married couple will surely appreciate your effort!

2. Taking ablution (read: wudhu') while the kids are praying
Suppose you and a few friends came to prayer room with kids whom you're confident enough they've not reach puberty. They are praying in congregation. You might not want to join the congregational prayer (read: jama'ah), yet you do not want to potray that you're a lazy guy hanging around outside the prayer room.
Political move: Invite your friends to repeat your ablution. Say to them that it's absolutely fine to take ablution more than once. Do it slowly. Normally kids pray at an amazing speed. Proceed to the prayer room when they've given their salam.
Intention: This is much related to the sciences (read: fiqh) of praying, on which I might not want to explain further. Please Google the relevan sites.

3. Becoming the Imam of a prayer in a congested prayer room
This normally occur in public buildings such as offices, train stations, airports etc. Suppose you enter a common prayer room of a public place and the room is already congested with people praying and leaving. The new ones came and prayed alone at any free spots. Yet, there're plenty of people waiting in line to pray.
Political move: Take your ablution as quick as possible. Go into the room and find someone who'd willing to pray together. Proceed to the front of the room. Be the Imam. Recite the takbir and surah aloud (which doesn't distract others whom are praying by themselves).
Intention: Besides striving to attain greater reward (read: Ajr), we have to consider those whom are waiting. People will notice that you're praying in jama'ah. Those whom had done will leave the front lines, and the new ones will join. Eventually, you've created spaces for the rest to pray comfortably!

Morale of these stories: THINK before you ACT/SAY