When Asking Questions is Dangerous

I came across this article in themalaymailonline.com and I wanted to share my 2 sen worth here.

Wan Sulaiman Wan Ismail
(photo from themalaymailonline.com)

In my experience, people ask questions for one of two reasons - (1) they don't know something and are keen to know or (2) they are not really interested in knowing but want to show off as someone superior to the person being questioned.  There may be other reasons but I have no experience with those others.

The subject of the article, Wan Sulaiman Wan Ismail, is what some would call "Anti-Hadith" (I think 'name calling' makes it easier to demonize someone). 

Actually asking questions is encouraged in the Quran.  Even the Prophets asked questions of Allah.  Take the example of Prophet Ibrahim AS who wanted to know how Allah returns life to one who has died.  Was the Prophet Ibrahim AS of weak faith?

Logic, however, tells me that when I have a question I need to ask, I need to approach someone who would be in a position to answer.  When it concerns my heart (the organ in my body that pumps blood) I talk to a cardiologist not my GP, although the GP would be the first person I approach.

Similarly, concerning Islam talk to the 'experts' in the particular branch of 'religious knowledge' not the 'Ustadz Pondok' (village teacher).  More so when the Ustadz tries to stop you from questioning.

Coming back to the article, Wan Sulaiman (I am only inferring here) seems to have read the Quran.

".... Wan Sulaiman wanted to know the origin of the shahadah, which comes in two parts: to declare a Muslim’s belief in the oneness of Allah, and the acceptance of Muhammad as Allah’s prophet.

Indeed, a semblance of the first part was mentioned in the Quran, specifically verse 3:18. But one might ask: where did the second part come from?"

Verse 3:18 is verse 18 of Surah Al-Imran which translates as, "There is no god but He: that is the witness of Allah, His Angels, and those endued with knowledge, standing firm on justice.  There is no god but He, the Exalted in Power, the Wise."

When he read that, how come he missed Surah Al-Fath verse 29,  "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; ……. " (48:29)

Translation from: The Meaning of the Holy Quran; Text, Translation and Commentary; by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Published by Islamic Book Trust, Kuala Lumpur (2010 Reprint). (There are so many Abdullah Yusuf Ali translations that I need to be specific which translation I referred to.)

Defenders of Islam

It’s interesting to note that there are now so many self-proclaimed ‘defenders of Islam’. This, to me, implies that Islam is too weak that it requires these persons to come forward in defence of it.

I have been brought up with the belief that an important tenet of Islam is the Shahadah or witnessing and according to my Ustaz or teacher, this Shahadah should be reflected in our daily lives.


When I live my life in a way that portrays the beauty of Islam and invites others to Islam, not by mere words but by the very essence of my being, then I am living the Shahadah of Islam. If, on the other hand, my actions actually drive others away, then it is the Shahadah of kufr (disbelief).


I have to ask myself as to the kind of witness that I am and/or would like to be, and I would like to invite the ‘defenders’ to ask themselves the same question.

Of bovine heads, may cooler heads prevail...

Masjid Nabawi - Madina, Saudi Arabia

(Photo from islamicity.com)

A friend asked me about the happenings in Shah Alam lately. I think there's already enough written and said about it from both sides of the divide and I don't think I have anything to add to it. However, this is what I shared with him:

Some years back, when I was into sirah (the Prophet SAW's life history) I came upon this incident: A group of Christians from Najran paid a visit to the Prophet SAW in Madina. He (SAW) received his guests in his Masjid. It was a Sunday - the Christian Sabbath. When it came time for Mass, the Prophet SAW and his companions vacated the Masjid so that the Christians could carry on with their devotions undisturbed (inside the Masjid).

You figure out for yourself if the above narration means anything to you.

As we are in the last days of Ramadan, let us strive in living Islam as the Prophet SAW and his companions did.

Hudud

Hudud or its implementation is once again making the rounds, thanks to the announcements by some PAS leaders. Sometimes I wonder if those who make all sorts of declarations have considered the possibility that the results of the March 2008 elections were not the result of the Rakyat’s new found love for their party, but brought about by the public outrage against perceived corruption, abuse of power and other what-not’s of the ruling establishment.

As a Muslim, I welcome Syariah to be the supreme law of the land. If I did not wish it I would probably cease being Muslim.

Before we begin, we must first understand the assumptions of Islam and the basic tenets of the religion. The meaning of the word 'Islam' is "submission or surrender to Allah's will." Therefore, Muslims must first and foremost obey and submit to Allah's will. The Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was given the Quran to guide mankind to follow and implement His (Allah’s) will. In Islam, law and religion are one, i.e. there is no separation between ‘Church’ and ‘State’.

The Quran gives specific rules only on a limited number of cases. In most instances the guidelines are very general. We do have access to authentic sayings and traditions of the prophet (pbuh) (sahih hadith and sunnah) to fill in many gaps, but even so there is a large area where we are free to make our own choices.

The problem is not in Syariah or Hudud itself, but in the interpretation and implementation of these laws. Even where the dictates of the Quran are specific, people have given differing opinions as to its meaning – Arabic being such a language, words can have multiple meanings. What more with all the rest.

Therefore if and when we implement Syariah and Hudud in Malaysia, whose interpretation will we be implementing?


Click here for an interesting article “Islamic Law – Myths & Realities”

An SMS Warning or wachamaycallit

I received an sms from an unknown sender – unknown in that the name is not in my phonebook. Normally I would have replied with a, “u r?” but this was the kind of message I usually ignore and click on ‘delete’ which I did.

However, I received a second sms, most probably from the same person, with the added ‘instructions’ that I should forward it to all my ‘Muslim’ friends and acquaintances.

I was about to delete it when I thought that I should put down my thoughts in this blog. Sms’s, to me, are short messages but this was rather long. The text of the sms was as follows:

Skrg krstian sdg aktf d Srmbn n Slngor n kian pesat ke negeri lain. Seramai 1900 org pdri Mlayu yg baru tiba dr Sgpore telah berada d sini…………….…Air tsbut tlh dcampur dgn holy water……Air ni blh m’ngkbtkn lidah keras@kelu utk mnybut klimah Allah.

Roughly translated it goes like this:

Now Christians are active in Seremban and Selangor and gaining momentum in other states. 1,900 Malay priests have arrived from Singapore and are here.…( here it warns against drinking certain brands of mineral water as) the water is mixed with holy water…This water will make one tongue tied and unable to pronounce the name of Allah.

I found this quite hilarious.

I think everyone knows that in Malaysia it’s against the law to try to convert Muslims out of Islam. So if the originator has any information of such activity, he/she should report it to the relevant authorities.

Then the sender, if he/she has not verified (or at least try to verify) the authenticity of the message, is guilty of spreading falsehood – and that’s not a small sin based on my understanding of Islam.

The sender is also telling me that my faith (Iman) is weak. Maybe so, but shouldn’t the originator/sender be actively promoting activities involved in strengthening my faith rather than just make our already rich Telcos richer.

We then have Malay priests coming from Singapore. The Malaysian constitution is clear that to be called a Malay, one must profess Islam as his/her religion. It would be different if the sms said ‘Malay speaking’ priests, but then aren’t many of the Christian priests and ministers already in Malaysia able to converse in Malay. This is a necessity as the first language for most of us is Malay even for those of different ethnic origins.

What is ‘holy water’? My Christian friend tells me that this is plain water which has some drops of olive oil sprinkled on it and prayers are recited over it by the priest by way of blessings. And if this water is able to be specific in its targeting (only making its drinkers tongue tied in pronouncing the name of Allah and the Shahadah - Attestation of Faith), all the intelligence agencies of the world should be real interested in learning its secret.

On a somber note however, we see so many misguided ‘Muslim’ and other youth loitering the streets and complexes in our towns and cities. If we as Muslims don’t guide them and show them the way, then there surely are others who are more than willing to do so.

Fatwa on Yoga

I received an sms asking about my take on the fatwa (Islamic Religious Edict) regarding yoga.

I’m sure no authority on Islam, but I’m a ‘practicing’ Muslim and have read a little about Hinduism. I suppose that this qualifies me to throw in my '2 sen' worth.

Issuing a fatwa is a great responsibility. In Islamic history, many a leading scholar has chosen to spend time in prison rather then issue a fatwa. So when someone or a group issues a fatwa, they must have considered it in great depth before deciding on it.

In my understanding of Hinduism, God is not only the immanent cause, but also the material cause of creation. (To explain this concept of immanent and material cause, lets take the example of a clay pot. The potter is the immanent cause of the pot, as he/she is the maker. The clay is the material cause as the pot is made out of clay.)

To put it another way, God created creation using Himself as the material from which creation originates i.e. everything is God.

Therefore, when a Hindu greets another by putting both his/her palms together, he/she is actually saying, “I worship you.”

Now to yoga - they say that it’s all right, as long as there are no chants or mantras involved.

From a Muslim viewpoint, invoking any other than Allah amounts to shrik (associating others with Allah) and is THE gravest of sins in Islam. Some even say that reciting specific verses of the Quran (i.e. when used just like a mantra) to obtain specific results may amount to shrik, if it does not have the sanction of Hadith or Sunnah (i.e. the teachings and practices of the holy prophet - peace and blessing be upon him.)

A Muslim going for yoga, does not normally involve himself/herself in chants and mantras. He/She only follows the exercise routines, so where’s the problem?

Yoga has been developed over the centuries by yogis to purify themselves and to achieve union with God. The movements, postures, breathing techniques and everything else associated with yoga are to serve this objective.

If there is one similarity between Islam and Hinduism, it’s that both do not distinguish between what is sacred and what is secular.

How does one distinguish between the religious (sacred) aspect of yoga and the ‘just exercise’ (secular) aspect of it?

Me? I prefer walking.

Halal / Haram

The Holy Quran in Sura (Chapter) At-Taubah (Repentance) says:

“They (the Jews and Christians) have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks …..” (9:31)

Once while Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was reciting this verse, Adi bin Hatim said, “O Allah’s Messenger! They do not worship them (i.e. the rabbis and monks).” Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) replied, “They certainly do. They (i.e. the rabbis and monks) made lawful (halal) things as unlawful (haram), and unlawful things as lawful, and they (the Jews and Christians) followed them; and by doing so, they really worshiped them.”

(Narrated by Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Jarir)

What is Islam?

From a very young age, I’ve been taught about the Articles of Faith (Rukun Iman) and the Pillars of Islam (Rukun Islam). For me, that is the basis of my belief, and I reckon that makes me a Muslim. I have never been asked to explain myself and I have been happy in my ‘ignorance’.

That is until someone asked me the question, “What is Islam?”

Normally, I would have told him about the Pillars of Islam, and that would be that.

But this was someone who wanted to know about the essence of Islam. And I could feel that he was sincere in his quest of Truth.

I am what most would call a ‘practicing Muslim’. I know the attestation of faith – the syahadah. I pray the way I have been taught to pray. I fast during Ramadan. I give charity. I observe the korban (sacrifice). And I am registered to perform the Hajj in the next few years.

So it looks like I’m only a Muslim by the rituals that I observe, a ritualistic Muslim. Am I a Muslim in spirit too? In essence?

I think I can only answer my friend when I have answered this question to myself first.