Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Islam itu Indah...who are YOU to say otherwise?

Facebook is starting to infuriate me.

Ok, part of it has to do with being timelined but more than that I find that some people in my circle have become more and more annoying over the years. More recently being org-org yang suka buat statement memperlekehkan ilmu agama and ulama' which I find completely unacceptable.

I grew up overseas and have been enrolled in schools under churches, I have sung Christmas hymns during Christmas for as long as I can remember back then, I have read the Bible (both the Catholic and Protestant versions) and the Torah as well.

Being in this kind of environment made me long to understand the roots of my own religion of which I was not exposed to as a child. So when I returned to Malaysia, I, of my own volition enrolled in a religious school. There were definite pros and cons to this of course, and I would be lying if I state that I wholly liked the environment. I didn't.

I honestly hated the 'I am better that 90% of other muslims out there because I am in here' attitude, I did not understand the perception that girls who wore tudung labuh was better than the girls yang pakai tudung bawal, I hated the fact that people treated me as an outcast for the longest time because I spoke English with a Birmingham accent. I hated the fact that being friends with guys or even speaking to them was considered a huge 'faux pas' which resulted in you being an outcast even more and I hated the fact schools like this have an Arab culture and the tendency to exists in tribes, you know....group ini dan group itu.

But let me tell you something, it was there I discovered the absolute beauty of Islam, the religion that I was fortunate enough to be born into. I learned the concepts  of the oneness of Allah swt, the reasoning behind Allah swt 99 individual names in Tauhid, the reasoning behind every hukum conceivable applicable in our daily life in Fiqah, the history of Islamic development and growth in great detail in Sirah.

I learned the reasoning and the beauty of reading the Quran with the correct tajwid and pronounciation and how the meaning of the words and verses can dramatically change if you fail to pronouce or make use of the tajwid properly.

I learned the history and the reasoning behind the banning of alcohol, eating non-halal food, the rationale of women being asked to cover their aurat and the beauty and freedom that it affords women in that. I learned exceptions to the general rules and hukum in Islam and learned that my religion is one that is full of mercy, understanding and kelonggaran to those who profess it.

I learned and got to know the greatest Islamic teachers who taught me that I know are a dying breed. These are people who spent their entire lives learning just one subject in the very many facets of our religion, and by understanding that, I developed a newfound respect for ahli and ilmuan agama. Credit has to be given when it is due, and respect needs to be afforded to people who know their craft.

You think you can learn all there is to know about Islam by getting a taking a one year fastrack course or diploma in syariah? Dah alim ke bajet? You think you can pose controversial questions on facebook regarding fundamental concepts of religion and copy and paste an answer from the first website you googled when I ask you for an explanation? Accusing pakar ilmu agama and alim ulama' as being stuck in the 60s because they only concentrate on the issues of aurat is not funny and would showcase only one thing, IGNORANCE.

Do all of you know that the alim ulama' of the world has issued fatwas from everything that ranges from DNA testing, to having pork gelatin capsules in medication, to IVF for couples struggling to conceive, to women competing in sports events? Do not confuse cultural boundaries and stigma with religion, which most of us make the mistake of making, like how our Melayu culture states that it is a women's responsibility to do housework and when Islam has clearly stated that it is NOT.

I mean, the extent of the ignorance is just appalling. If you know you are ignorant of the precepts of your religion and tak berapa pandai, please go ask someone who knows and by that I DO NOT mean by typing for an answer in GOOGLE.

Some of my friends blame their parents of all people  "tapikan mak bapak I tak pernah emphasize belajar agama kat I". Haiyoo, umur pun dah 30, silalah pergi sendiri kuliah di masjid ke hape. If you malas sgt, pergilah tgk video-video kuliah ustaz ustaz dan alim ulama' di Youtube (nape, ingat takde ke? Org agama pun dah tech savvy ok?). No need to blame your parents lah.

People who think Islam is stifling and outdated clearly do not understand the precepts and reasoning behind it and take a narrow view of its kesyumulan. And for God's sake please do not use the term 'I am a liberal islamist' to justify your drinking of alcohol, engaging in pre-marital sex our sex outside of marriage or whatever it is the hell that you want to justify. That's just really you being ignorant again, or being in denial because you want to justify to yourself or whoever you may think is going to judge you that you are a good person. Good person you may be, but being a good muslim is something different altogether. That is your problem.

But seriously stop trying to make yourself feel better by mengutuk ulama' and your own religion and making it public on facebook like it is some badge of honour. Guess what? It  is NOT and it DOESN'T. There is nothing to be proud of when you are ignorant of the one most single fundamental presence and/or influence in your life and that is your faith. I find it strange how it is people who are born into Islam these days are the ones who tend to move away from it, whilst other people struggle to convert and to be born again into Islam and are alienated by their families, community for doing so and nevertheless push forward and do it. Sesungguhnya kita adalah org yang tidak tahu bersyukur.

I always feel obligated to explain what I have learned when I see statements like these on facebook because the prophet s.a.w. (may he be blessed) always said that I should propagate his teachings, be it to a single soul, tetapi org org mcmni, bila kita tegur tak kiralah cara baik ke, mulalah melenting and panggil kita ni perasan alim pastu start cakap pasal azazeel and what not, haiyooo...don't let me even get started on how fundamentally wrong some people can be on this.

Adoiii, well sorry for trying to do you a favour dude, you can then continue being an ignorant ass. So to make myself not feel obligated, I'm gonna just deactivate facebook for a while.

I am proud to be a Muslim, I am proud to be trying to be the best Muslim I can be everyday. I am proud to try and adhere to its principles and to refrain from doing what it has prohibited and unlike the Western world who believes in the burden and glory of freedom as JFK would put it, I thank Allah swt everyday that I am not faced with that burden, for my life is not mine to keep and to live as I please. My life, my possessions and my beloved is borrowed by the Almighty to me and to the Almighty shall it return. With that understanding, I shall try to live my life to the best of my ability in the way the Almighty has decreed in the Quran, by the sunnah of the prophet s.a.w. and by the knowledge of those who endeavour to learn and appreciate its beauty.

People who say otherwise can go sod it.

Have a good long weekend ahead.


4 comments:

  1. i feel u. org mcm tu pun ada kat fb hus. bila baca status diaorg yg memperlekehkan ulamak, i feel sad, sometimes feels sorry for him/her. komen psl isu bersih dulu pun sedih hus baca. sedih sbb i realised how stupid they were. we want a better govt, thats all.mrh2 bersih supporters yg tak bersyukur bla bla.

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  2. hus : kalau kita tak reti agama dan tak nak ikut benda atau hukum yang jelas nyata, duduklah diam diam dan belajarlah sikit sikit, kalau tak paham kenapa sesuatu hukum itu begitu, belajarlah dengan org yg lebih tahu, itu takpelah, ini dahlah bodoh dan jahil tentang agama, buat statement mcm pandai pastu bila org nak betulkan, marah pulak. Aiii, mcmni pun ada ke? Dia tak pernah pikir ke org yg tegur dia tu mungkin bukan berlagak alim, tapi mmg lebih tahu dari dia? Susah betul manusia zaman sekarang...pening kepala tgk

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  3. You know what is even annoying, when kita tegur and people say things "ala kau dulu bukannya baik sangat pun". I find it interesting when ppl say this because, since nobody is perfect and everyone makes mistake will this mean NO ONE can menegur? And we should try to not deemed a person judgemental sbb tegur kesalahan kita kan? dah salah salah la apa yg judgemental-nya. Nak cuba perbaiki ourself n people around us pun susah sekarang ni...

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  4. far: that is absolutely right. what I find disturbing is people coming to conclusions about how oppressive this hukum is or that hukum is without understanding why/ the history and rationale of why it was introduced, making statements about and/or judging something which they know absolutely nothing about. That can't be right.

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