Demi Palestin, Usah Cepat Melatah

1. Peperangan dimenangkan dengan rancangan rapi dan pelaksanaannya yang tersusun. Ia tidak dimenangkan dengan emosi dan sentimen semata-mata.

Benar, emosi dan sentimen penting dalam memperjuangkan kebenaran:

Dengan emosi, kita terus didorong untuk berjuang. Dengan sentimen, hati-hati yang berbolak-balik mampu dibawa bersama menyertai perjuangan kita.

Namun sebaliknya, emosi dan sentimen yang tidak terkawal boleh menjadi fitnah kepada perjuangan.

2. Bukan satu rahsia lagi: orang bukan Melayu di Malaysia kebanyakannya tidak endah mengenai isu Palestin. Tidak kurang juga yang berpegang kepada pandangan bahawa orang Palestin turut bersalah dalam konflik ini.

Malah ada yang menyebelahi Zionis, mungkin kerana termakan dengan media arus perdana (mainstream media) seperti BBC, CNN, dll yang berat sebelah dalam meliputi konflik ini.

Buka saja ruangan komen mana-mana channel Youtube outlet berita yang banyak dilayari orang bukan Melayu - The Star, New Straits Times, dll - sudah tentu akan dijumpai komen-komen yang meminta Malaysia untuk neutral, “kedua-dua pihak bersalah”, dan sebagainya.

Malangnya, tidak kurang juga balasan daripada orang Melayu yang terbuai dengan emosi - membalas bukan dengan niat untuk memperjelas dan berhujah, tetapi mengugut dan mencaci. “Pindahlah ke Singapore kalau nak sangat sokong Zionis” antara sentimen yang pernah dijumpai di ruangan-ruangan ini.

Jujurnya, sebagai seorang penyokong Palestin, saya berempati dengan perasaan yang mendorong balasan beremosi seperti ini.

Siapa tidak sakit hati apabila rakyat Gaza yang tidak bersalah dibedil dan dibunuh beramai-ramai - tapi terus dipersalahkan sebagai pengganas?

Siapa tidak kecewa dengan golongan yang seolah-olah sengaja menutup mata dan telinga kepada kebenaran - dan terus memeluk tubuh walaupun beribu-ribu kanak-kanak dan wanita disembelih di depan mata mereka?

Tapi sedarlah juga bahawa jika kita cepat melatah, ia menjadi kelemahan dalam perjuangan demi Palestin - satu perjuangan yang memerlukan strategi dan visi jangka panjang.

3. Amerika kalah dalam Perang Vietnam pada tahun 1960-an bukan kerana kelemahan ketenteraan. Seperti Zionis yang bermaharajalela di Tanah Suci hari ini, Amerika dilengkapi dengan senjata tercanggih pada waktu itu serta kekuatan kewangan sebuah kuasa hegemoni dunia.

Namun Amerika tumpas akhirnya kerana sentimen rakyat sendiri yang menentang peperangan apabila melihat bilangan nyawa tentera sendiri yang terkorban dengan begitu ramainya, serta jenayah-jenayah perang yang dilakukan pihak sendiri ke atas rakyat Vietnam.

Medan perang fizikal adalah Vietnam, tetapi psikologi masyarakat Amerika adalah medan pertempuran utama. Begitulah juga keadaannya hari ini - Zionis Israel akan tumpas hanya jika Amerika menarik balik sokongan ketenteraan, kewangan dan politik daripadanya, selagimana Amerika masih berstatuskan kuasa hegemoni tunggal dunia hari ini.

Alhamdulillah, pada hari ini, semakin jelas bahawa sentimen pro-Palestin semakin kuat dalam kalangan masyarakat Amerika secara umumnya. Hanya golongan konservatif dan golongan elit terus berdegil kerana berada dalam saku lobi-lobi Zionis.

4. Perbuatan menzahirkan sokongan bagi Palestin bukan wayang semata-mata - apabila rakyat beramai-ramai menunjukkan sokongan terhadap sesuatu isu, ahli politik terpaksa akur dan mengambil kira sentimen tersebut demi kepentingan politik sendiri. Bukanlah satu kebetulan bahawa negara-negara yang pemimpin-pemimpinnya paling lantang bersuara menyokong Palestin di persada dunia merupakan negara-negara yang rakyatnya menzahirkan sokongan paling padu bagi Palestin - Ireland, Indonesia, Turki, Iran, dan ya, Malaysia sendiri.

Dengan ini, langkah bijak bagi kita warga Malaysia dalam perang saraf ini adalah dengan meneruskan momentum dan memperkembangkan sokongan bagi Palestin dalam kalangan masyarakat negara kita sendiri. Ingat, mana-mana parti atau koalasi parti yang memegang tampuk kerajaan akan lebih berani bertindak di peringkat antarabangsa jika ada sokongan rakyat.

Orang Melayu usah memperdaya diri dengan idea bahawa sokongan Melayu sahaja sudah mencukupi bagi mendorong kudrat politik (political will) pemimpin Malaysia supaya terus lantang bersuara demi Palestin. Orang Melayu perlu ingat bahawa 40% daripada populasi negara ini bukan Melayu - dan jika mereka bermati-matian tidak mahu menyokong Palestin, hal ini akan mempengaruhi kiraan politik pemimpin-pemimpin negara.

Alhamdulillah Malaysia telah dikurniakan setakat ini dengan pemimpin-pemimpin seperti DS Anwar Ibrahim dan Tun Mahathir yang konsisten memperjuangkan isu Palestin dengan aktif dan sistematik di pentas dunia. Namun kita tidak boleh leka dan menganggap bahawa situasi ini akan berterusan jika 40% daripada populasi Malaysia terus enggan memihak dengan Palestin.

Janji Allah itu benar - Dia akan menangkan Palestin, sama ada dengan pertolongan kita atau tidak; tetapi jika kita mahu negara kita terus berada di saf hadapan perjuangan ini, perlulah ada usaha untuk memperkembangan perjuangan Palestin untuk merangkumi semua lapisan masyarakat - Melayu mahupun bukan, Islam mahupun tidak.

Bukankah demonstrasi jalanan dan boikot ekonomi di negara ini akan lebih efektif jika Ah Kao dan Muthu berganding bahu dengan Ali dalam memperjuangkan Palestin?

5. Maka timbullah soalan seterusnya: apabila kita melihat demonstrasi pro-Palestin yang disertai beratus ribu orang bukan Islam di New York, Washington, London dll, terlintaskah di fikiran kenapa orang bukan Islam di Malaysia liat hendak sokong Palestin?

Dalam erti kata lain, pernahkah kita cuba mendalami psikologi orang bukan Melayu-Islam di negara ini? Atau adakah kita mengambil jalan mudah dan memukul sama rata dengan alasan bahawa “orang kafir memang tidak akan redha dengan kita”?

Soalan yang lebih direct: pernah tak terfikir bahawa mungkin liatnya orang bukan Melayu hendak sokong Palestin adalah akibat daripada politik kita sendiri yang selalu memburuk-burukkan mereka sebagai pendatang, komunis dan kafir harbi?

Pelikkah kalau, sebagai reaksi, mereka memegang kepada prejudis bahawa dalam apa-apa konflik yang melibatkan orang Islam, orang Islam secara automatik adalah pengganas? Pelikkah kita jikalau, dari perspektif orang bukan Melayu, perjuangan Palestin hanya dilihat sebagai perjuangan si Melayu menentang ‘si pendatang’ semata-mata?

Bukan saya nak maafkan orang bukan Melayu daripada kesalahan - kerana mereka juga malas. Malas membuat kajian, senang tertipu dengan media arus perdana, atau lagi teruknya hanyut dengan mengejar duit dan status sehingga tidak mampu melihat penderitaan manusia lain.

Dan pastinya, orang bukan Melayu juga ada prejudis terhadap Melayu dan Islam, sepertimana Melayu punyai prejudis terhadap bukan Melayu-Islam.

Inilah penyakit yang telah lama berhinggap di jiwa masyarakat Malaysia - dan isu Palestin telah mendedahkan isu ini dengan sejelas-jelasnya.

6. Maka apa langkah seterusnya? Sebagai orang Islam, jawapannya mudah: betul-betul praktikkanlah sirah Nabi mulia kita.

Apabila baginda berhadapan dengan mereka yang degil walaupun dihadapkan dengan kebenaran yang jelas dan nyata, apakah yang baginda lakukan?

Adakah baginda berputus asa dan memukul sama rata - melabel semua yang menentang sebagai kafir harbi yang tidak mungkin akan bersama perjuangan yang benar?

Jikalau begitu, mungkinkah Saidina Umar berubah daripada seorang yang lantang menentang Islam kepada salah seorang Khalifah Ar-Rasyidin? Mungkin hari ini, ada dalam kalangan rakan-rakan bukan Melayu kita seorang ‘Saidina Umar’ yang sedia berjuang bermati-matian demi Palestin, cuma belum diberi kesedaran oleh rakan-rakan Islamnya.

Saudara-saudara kita di Palestin memerlukan kita. Semangat dan usaha Malaysia selama ini patut dibanggakan - kita telah konsisten dengan doa, demonstrasi, perjuangan di sosmed dan boikot.

Namun rakan senegara bukan Islam juga satu amanat yang telah Allah berikan kepada kita. Siapa lagi yang akan memujuk mereka ke pihak yang benar jika bukan kita - jiran-jiran, rakan sekerja dan rakan senegara sendiri?

Memujuk dan berbincang dengan mereka yang bukan Islam bukanlah apologetik. Ia Sunnah Nabi.

Jadi marilah kita bermuhasabah dan berhujah dengan ikhlas. Dalam jihad propaganda ini, korbankanlah ego dan prejudis. Cuba fahami mengapa orang bukan Melayu mempunyai prejudis terhadap Islam dan Palestin. Buatlah kajian sendiri mengenai konflik Zionis-Palestin, sejarahnya dan statistiknya, supaya hujah kita diperkuatkan semasa berbincang dengan mereka yang belum yakin.

Jadikanlah ini sebagai sebahagian sumbangan kita kepada saudara Palestin yang menjadi barisan hadapan perjuangan kita di sana.

Dan bersabarlah. Bukankah Allah bersama mereka yang bersabar? 

Miqdad

 “O Prophet of Allah, go ahead with what Allah has inspired you to do. We will stand by you. 

By Allah, we will never say as the Children of Israel said, “So go you and your Lord and fight you two, we are sitting right here.”

“Instead, we will say, “Go you and your Lord and we will fight with you.

“By Allah, Who has sent you with the truth, if you take us to the end of the world, we will tolerate all hardships until we reach it with you. We will fight on your left, your right, in front of you and behind you until Allah bestows victory on you.”

Thus, Miqdad, spoke your namesake - in that delicate moment just before the Battle of Badr, when the ummah was poised between resistance and retreat.

Alhamdulillah tsumma Alhamdulillah,

7 days ago, my Miqdad, you entered this world - 

born to a silent warrior of a mother, quietly strong underneath her soft exterior; one who carried you burdened with the memory of losses few have experienced.

You enter into a family receiving you with open arms: grandparents, uncles and aunts ready to dote on you, and an elder brother so eagerly waiting to play with you.

Yet the wider world, my Miqdad, is not so welcoming.. the sacred is occupied, human lives are cheap, the truth itself under attack.

Thus we name you after an Ahlul-Badr - a warrior of Badr; 

who was, before that, a Muhajir - one who emigrated for the Truth; 

who was, before that, among As-Sabiqun Al-Awwalun - one of the first to accept the Faith.

A man who was known to be good-natured, easy to joking and laughter, yet consistently present in the struggle for the Truth; 

one who led a life long and well-spent - present from the persecution of the earliest days of the da’wah to the opening of Misr, Syam and Palestine.

A man who hated flattery and kept a low profile, but is among the lofty in the Sight of Allah.

Mummy and Papa pray, O Miqdad, that you shall emulate a sahabah who is

humble, yet courageous; amiable, yet principled; modest, yet eloquent.

Ameen

Malaysian Prejudices and Palestine

1. Malays love Palestine.

This is apparent in the many Gazan masjids and schools built with the aid of donated ringgit, in the “Free Palestine” car stickers common on Malaysian roads, in the intimidating digital attack on Israel by Malay netizens whenever Zionist violence flares up every few years.

And yes: I say Malay, not Malaysian. 

Because it is no secret that while the vast majority of Malays are invested in the Palestinian cause, the same cannot be said about non-Malays.

We need to talk about that.

2. On one hand, there is an obviously religious aspect to this divide.

It is no secret that as a Muslim, Palestine is a matter of faith - not a merely humanitarian one.

After all, Palestine is the land specifically mentioned in the Quraan as blessed; 

the land walked upon by the Messengers Musa, Isa and Muhammad (peace be upon them all); 

the land in which is located Masjid Al-Aqsa - the first direction of prayer before the Kaaba was legislated as the qibla.

Add all this upon the more general Islamic injunctions of fighting against injustice, love for one’s brother or sister in humanity, and the sanctity of human life and dignity, and it is clear why Palestine is inseparable from the Islamic creed - so much so that a Muslim who does not care about Palestine shows a serious gap of knowledge and/or faith in him/herself.

In light of this, it becomes obvious why Islam so heavily features in the Palestinian discourse not just in Malaysia, but also in other Muslim-majority countries or communities across the world.

That being said, one cannot deny that there is a certain tinge of ethnocentricity in the Malay passion for the Palestinian cause. After all, the Palestinians are a people who have been overwhelmed by waves of immigrants who progressively displaced them from their homes. This resonates with the Malays who are inclined towards a deep distrust towards pendatang.

3. Islam in itself does not explain why Malays support Palestine disproportionately more than non-Malays.

The reason for this phenomenon requires a bit of reflection on the nature of Malaysian society: 

The Malay-Islam identity has long been wielded as a tool of intimidation in Malaysia. As a sort of defense mechanism, Malaysian non-Muslims have generally developed an apathetic attitude towards anything to do with Islam - at least on the outside. 

Thus when the issue of Palestine is enthusiastically fought for by Malays as an Islamic issue (as it rightfully should, for the reasons established above), this defensive apathy kicks in among non-Muslims. 

In other words: Palestine is clearly a Malay-Muslim thing - why should I as a “non” care about it?

Compound this problem with the bias of mainstream media outlets for Israel, and it is no wonder that many non-Muslim Malaysians in fact quietly sympathise with Israel.  

After all, the media portrayal of Israel as a liberal, progressive society besieged by barbarous backwards Arab Muslims surely resonates with those non-Muslims who entertain pretensions of being the progressive part of Malaysian society surrounded on all sides by backwards conservative Muslims.

4. In the light of the complex situation laid out above, my call to fellow Malaysians is two-fold:

a) To Muslims, be pure in our intention to fight for Palestine as an act of Islam. Is our passion for Palestine truly being done as an act of worship to Allah, or merely to scratch an ethnocentric itch?

Hence, be sincere and consistent when fighting against injustice. 

That means fighting for non-Malays, even non-Malaysians, in situations where they are subject to injustice in our own country. If the Malay-Muslim voice is not heard when Malaysian Indians die in questionable circumstances in Malaysian police custody, or anti-Rohingya refugee sentiment is most strongly heard among Malay-Muslims, how can people take us seriously when we talk of “human rights”? 

b) To non-Muslims, do not let the religious element of the Palestinian cause turn you away from their legitimate struggle. The world has been waking up to the Palestinian ordeal for decades, the multitude of activists fighting for Palestine growing day to day across the globe, constituting a more and more diverse swath of humanity as time goes on.

The onus may perhaps be on your Muslim countrymen to look in the mirror and question why they have not made the Palestinian cause welcoming to you, but at the end of the day it is you who stand to lose out if you choose to remain apathetic - or worse, to actively oppose - the cause itself. 

The train will leave with or without you, and I sincerely wish, as a fellow Malaysian, that you are not left behind on the wrong side of history on this issue.

On My Son’s Birthday

On this, my son’s 2nd birthday, I pay tribute to the two most amazing women in my life: my mum and my wife. 

For it is in these 2 years that I have witnessed firsthand how much time, energy, money, sleep, blood, sweat and tears my wife has sacrificed for our son; the superhuman physical, mental and emotional strength she showed in caring for the child entrusted to us.

For it is in these 2 years that I thus found a newfound appreciation for my own mother, who I now realise went through all these caring for me before I was even able to bear witness.

For it is in these two years that I have found an understanding of the words of Allah when He said:

“And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination.”

[Surah Luqman:14]

Thank you so much, to mama/nana and yangku/mummy from myself and baby Mukhlis! 

We are truly blessed to have you both in our lives ❤️❤️❤️

Kepada mereka yang membuat tuduhan melulu: kalau kau berubat dengan perubatan moden, kau “mempertuhankan manusia”, “mensyirikkan Allah” & “mendewakan Barat”, meh aku nak cakap sikit:

Aku beriman kpd Allah SWT yang Satu. Kenapa? Kerana bukti Kewujudan dan KekuasaanNya ada di mana sahaja.

Aku beriman kepada kebenaran Nabi s.a.w. sebagai utusanNya. Kenapa? Kerana bukti kebenaran ada pada sifat2 baginda yang terlalu hebat: mustahil baginda penipu, penyair, ahli sihir ataupun gila.

Aku beriman kepada kebenaran Kitab yang diturunkanNya. Kenapa? Kerana bukti kebenaran ada pada keindahan bahasa AlQuran, yang penuh makna, yang tidak mungkin direka oleh manusia mahupun jin. 

Selain fakta2 saintifik & sejarah didalamnya yang tidak mungkin diketahui manusia 1500 tahun dahulu.

Aku beriman kepada AlQuran dan Sunnah sebagai panduan hidup, kerana kedua2 sumber ini begitu menyeluruh, begitu halus, saling melengkapi & melengkapkan sesiapa yang mengikuti panduannya. 

Serta kesahihan kedua2 sumber ini telah dijaga oleh Allah melalui usaha sahabah2 Nabi, tabi’in, tabi’ tabi’in dan ulama zaman berzaman.

Aku percaya kepada nasihat ulama’ yg berkelayakan yang tugas mereka adalah menafsir AlQuran & Sunnah bagi menyelesaikan permasalahan zaman dan waqi’ mereka. 

Atas sebab aku beriman kepada perkara2 di atas, aku percaya bahawa virus covid ini wujud sebagai ujian daripada Allah. Lalu tugasku sebagai hamba adalah dengan bertaubat, bertaqwa dan mengikuti suruhanNya: yakni berikhtiar melindungi diri, keluarga dan masyarakat sekeliling daripadanya. 

Aku berpegang kepada suruhan Nabi secara amnya dan dalam bab penyakit berjangkit khususnya: merujuk kpd pakar dan taat kpd ulul amri, iaitu dengan mengamalkan quarantine, penjarakan sosial, berubat dgn ubatan yg telah dikaji, dll.

Atas sebab aku beriman kepada perkara2 di atas, aku tak beriman kepada teori konspirasi, kepada audio mak teh, kepada video WhatsApp & FB.

Kenapa? Sebab Islam adalah deen yang berasaskan bukti, fakta dan dalil. Bukan sentimen, emosi, ego, “aku rasa”, & “kawan aku kata”.

Jadi cukup2lah dengan tuduhan syirik tu terhadap kami yang berubat dengan ubatan yang dianjurkan pakar. 

Kami ikut sunnah, kamu pulak ikut apa?

Bully with a Gun

Zionist Israel is what happens when you give a bully a gun. They talk a big game about peace and dialogue (and enjoy blaming Palestinians for not wanting to talk), but their actions speak louder than words.

A few days ago Zionists marched through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem chanting “Death to Arabs” and insults on the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. They dare do this only under the protection of heavily armed IOF thugs who will beat up any Palestinian who resists this provocation, even by waving a Palestinian flag. The Zionists are cowards who only find courage from having guns.

THIS is why all dialogue and negotiation has failed all these years. Not due to a lack of compromise by the Palestinians, but due to a lack of humanity in the Zionists. They know they have the upper hand militarily, so why do diplomacy?

I am all for peace. The Palestinians deserve it after so many decades of Zionist oppression. But don’t try fool them with some fake peace which stinks of injustice. Don’t try to call it peace when Palestinians are systematically being forced off their land, whole families bombed and Palestinian statehood denied.

And btw, no: there is no need for Palestinians to apologise when they fight back through physical force. Why is it that only Zionists have the right to “self-defence”?

#FreePalestine #ApartheidIsrael #IsraeliTerrorism

Hujung Ramadhan:

Terawih di Palestin diiringi ledakan bom dan peluru,

terawih di Malaysia diiringi ledakan bunga api dan mercun.

Orang Palestin diancam secara fizikal: zionis yang tak sabar nak lihat pemergian muslimin dari bumi barokah,

orang Malaysia hadapi ancaman rohani: hati yang tak sabar nak lihat pemergian bulan barokah.

As For Anger

A world full of injustice provokes anger. There is a reason for that: anger is a valuable tool in fighting injustice - one who has no anger whatsoever will be too scared or easily discouraged to stand up for what is right. 

But anger has to be controlled, as a hunting dog is controlled by its master:

“As for the force of anger, it’s balance is expressed through courage (and Allah SWT loves courage). If it leans towards the excessive side, it is called recklessness, and if it leans to deficiency it is called cowardice.

“As for the force of anger, it’s balance is achieved when it is restrained and released according to what either the Revealed Law or wisdom dictates.”

Al-Arba’in fi Usul ad-Din (The Forty Principles of the Religion), Imam Al-Ghazali

#RamadanKareem

 Vaksin ni ibarat tali yang Allah hulurkan kepada seorang yang hampir lemas di lautan. Menjadi tanggungjawab si lemas itu untuk berpegang kepada tali tu - jika tidak, dia mungkin jatuh ke dalam kategori mereka yang membinasakan diri (satu perbuatan yg berdosa).

Dunia sekarang sedang lemas. 

Berapa ramai di luar sana berisiko dijangkiti Covid-19 dan mungkin mati? 

Berapa ramai yang hilang sumber pendapatan? 

Berapa ramai yang tidak mampu menziarahi sanak saudara dan menyambung hubungan silaturahim? 

Berapa ramai yang tidak lagi mampu mengimarahkan masjid?

Tapi di kala situasi sebegini, ada juga yang rajin berteori2 konspirasi dengan teori2 yang mengagungkan kuasa yahudi dan Freemason. Mereka kata Allah Yang Maha Berkuasa, tapi dalam minda mereka seolah2 yahudi yang lagi berkuasa (nastaghfirullah). 

Tidak sedarkah mereka bahawa angan2 mereka meletakkan nyawa keluarga, rakan2, jiran2 dan kontak2 rapat mereka dalam bahaya?

Allah dh bagi tali, sempat lagi si lemas berfantasi?

Usaha dan tawakkal. 

Anti-vaksin bukan tanda kuatnya iman, tetapi sebenarnya simptom minda yang hidup dalam ketakutan.

As a Muslim, I too would love to see the ummah united. 

But does such a unity mean giving blind support for a political coalition self-proclaiming to represent ‘Malay-Muslim interests’? I think not.

Because having a bunch of Muslims in your party doesn’t automatically make your party Islamic - just as using a bunch of ayaat from the Quran in your speech doesn’t automatically make your speech Islamic. 

Practice honesty, integrity and proper syura (consultation) with all the people of this country if sincerely you want to unite the ummah.

Until then, don’t try to guilt me or any other Muslim to support you in the name of religion. You have neither the right nor the legitimacy. 

#notmyabah

It's Not Just the Politicians

 People swerving and maneuvering treacherously, eyes straight ahead unflinching. 

“Me, me, me - forget everyone else!”, seems to be the philosophy of players of this dangerous game.

Malaysians would agree that the above would be a good description of our politics, especially in these past few months. In recent weeks, in particular, politicians returning from Sabah have been spewing the Covid-19 virus to their constituents from the very mouths ringing hollow the tagline “Kita Jaga Kita”. Making things worse is the double standard with which the situation has been handled - disgusting as it is blatant.

But even more than the material and public health damage these politicians have done to the country all these years, more tragic is the helplessness that their long-term selfishness has made us experience. For the average Malaysian, the distressing feeling that one’s life and the lives of one’s family are in the hands of selfish idiots who have power over us is a sort of mental torture.

As a reaction to this, we seem to have become increasingly apathetic and cynical towards everything:

“Tak kisahlah what they want to do!”

“All those politicians are the same only-lah!”

“Whatever-lah..I have bigger problems to worry about in my own life!” 

are sentiments echoing louder among the people as the political class keeps playing their destructive game. Apathy and cynicism, after all, can be calming balms for heartache.

Thus, it may come as a relief to the reader that this is not just another article focused on the politicians and their antics - there are enough of those articles out there! Rather, I would like to take the spotlight away from them for a precious moment and point it elsewhere - on ourselves, the rakyat.

On this point, I invite you to read this paragraph again: 

People swerving and maneuvering treacherously, eyes straight ahead unflinching. 

“Me, me, me - forget everyone else!”, seems to be the philosophy of players of this dangerous game.

and see if it accurately describes typical Malaysian drivers. 

It cannot be denied - there is an uncanny correlation between the behaviour of the Malaysian politician and the Malaysian driver: both practice a huge deal of brinkmanship, having no time (or willingness) to properly think, constantly sacrifice basic etiquette for personal gain, and live with the motto ‘eat or be eaten’.

Funny that we are quick to complain about our politicians’ lack of moral values and principles, but we act the very same way on the road!

No, this is not a defence of the politicians - far from it! For I am as angry and as frustrated with them as the next Malaysian. I am particularly furious at how easily they constantly manipulate our feelings with negative sentiments that pit us against each other, while they enrich themselves of our nation’s wealth at the top. No - let it be clear that they have to be held accountable, as any servant of the public should! But I am making the argument here that accountability of ourselves is a vital component in the process of holding our authorities to account.

Why? Because the culture of our politicians will not change until the culture of our driving changes; for the toxin at the root of both our politics and our driving is one and the same: selfishness! 

This culture of selfishness reveals itself in a people obsessed with his own rights, while being ignorant of his responsibilities; in his ‘tak cukup’ culture which forces him to chase after and hoard more, more and even more for himself at the expense of everyone else; in his attitude screaming: “Me, me, me - forget everyone else!”.

Selfishness is the toxic culture of littering on the pavement because it’s someone else’s job to clean it up; it is the habit of breaking SOPs designed to stop the spread of Covid-19 just because I’m not part of a high-risk group; it is the dumping of chemical waste into rivers from which people drink because it’s the cheapest way to get rid of it.

Selfishness is what is poisoning us.

So what’s the antidote?

Firstly, we need to realise that burying our heads in our own problems is not the right way to react to the messed up state we find ourselves in - because although apathy and cynicism may be calming balms, they are not cures to the disease. Rather, apathy and cynicism themselves can be diseases if left unchecked - leading to helplessness and bitterness in the long-term, thereafter leading to lethargy and inaction, which are the very things those in power depend on to manipulate us! For the sake of our children and our society, we cannot let ourselves drown in helplessness and bitterness!

So where do we go from here?

It is by wresting the true meaning of “Kita jaga kita” from the mouths of corrupt politicians who have made it into an empty slogan. It is by taking steps towards becoming better citizens. And happily enough, these steps are the very same ones it takes to become better drivers: slow down, look around, be aware of others, look out for those in need and help as much as we can. 

In practical terms, that means asking ourselves: among my relatives, friends and neighbours, are there anyone in need financially or emotionally? And how can I help? And then..help-lah! Though as an individual my sphere of influence may not extend to changing huge things like national policy, I do have influence on myself, my family and my neighbourhood.

And if your response to all this is: “Isn’t this the job of the government? Why should I have to do anything?”, then with all due respect, my friend, you are as much a part of the problem as those selfish politicians you despise so much. 

Your behaviour demonstrates the fact that our politicians are merely members of our society, they are from us, and if they are so rotten it’s because they reflect the rot present in our society. 

Once again, I underline the fact that I am not absolving the government of its responsibilities and that we will have to continue holding them to account. Rather this is an invitation for us to take responsibility in our spheres of influence. 

Only by being better than our politicians can we influence them for the better, and not them influencing us for the worse!

So today, why don’t we reach out to someone in need? 

Covid-19 may have forced us to stay home but we can always share enough with someone in need - if not enough to fix their home, perhaps enough to repair their vehicle; if not enough for that, perhaps enough for them in need for them to buy a meal; and if even that much is unaffordable, why not at least give way to someone else on the road?

* Muhammad Mikhail Shamsul Bahar is an Ikram activist

This article was published on the Malay Mail website on Tuesday, 03 Nov 2020 02:47 PM MYT

Mukhlis

بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم

Alhamdulillah tsumma Alhamdulillah..

Seven days ago, an amazing blessing entered the lives of my wife and I in the form of a healthy, beautiful, baby boy - our first-born child :’D

وَإِنَّ لَكُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَنۡعَٰمِ لَعِبۡرَةٗۖ نُّسۡقِيكُم مِّمَّا فِي بُطُونِهِۦ مِنۢ بَيۡنِ فَرۡثٖ وَدَمٖ لَّبَنًا خَالِصٗا سَآئِغٗا لِّلشَّٰرِبِينَ

“And indeed, for you in grazing livestock is a lesson. We give you drink from what is in their bellies -  between excretion and blood -  pure milk, palatable to drinkers.” [An-Nahl, 16:66]

Our child, you entered into this world as pure and sweet as fresh milk.

From your first seconds of life, your face shone with the glow of innocence. How do we put into words how much peace it gives us just gazing at you..?

Thus even in these first days of your life, your Creator has given us an ibrah (lesson) to contemplate: that there is peace to be found even in chaos, hope even in despair, love even in animosity.

What a precious lesson to take in this world you’ve been born into - one seemingly filled with corruption, foulness and hate.

Our child, let your name then be an illustration of that first beautiful lesson:

Mukhlis

- a word composed of the root letters “ل”،”خ” and “ص”; from which the words ikhlas (sincerity) and khalis (to be pure) are also derived.

Mummy and papa pray that you will grow up to be salih wa musleh - that you are in yourself good, and helps others to be good;

that you continue being a vessel through whom Allah continues giving us beautiful lessons and reminders;

that you will help us ourselves become more sincere and more pure;

that you will be a Mukhlis - one who is sincere, devoted and pure-hearted. 

Ameen..

Have We Perverted the Meaning of “Rahmatan lil ‘alameen”?

“I was made victorious by the winds of as-Saba’ and ‘Aad were destroyed by the winds of ad-Daboor” [Sahih Muslim]

This was what the prophet Muhammad s.a.w. (peace be upon him) said after the miraculous victory of the Muslims in the Battle of Al-Ahzab (The Confederates), a battle in which they were vastly outnumbered by a combination of forces inside and outside the city of Madinah.

With no hope of a military victory, a sandstorm the likes of which many had not seen in their lifetime suddenly swept in and forced the retreat of the army surrounding the Muslim city. The battle was over with less than 10 casualties on the side of the Muslims.

But none of the disbelievers died in that retreat.
Why were the disbelievers not destroyed completely by Allah? After all they were clearly enemies of Islam - opponents on the battlefield, ready to kill the Muslims!
Why did Allah not send the wind of ad-Daboor, with which He had destroyed previous stubbornly unbelieving nations?
Why, instead, did He send the more merciful wind of as-Saba’?

Ulama’ comment that this is because of the rahmah (mercy) that the prophet s.a.w. felt towards his enemies, that they would one day enter into Islam.
And sure enough, in a few years the majority of that army which surrounded Madinah, ready to kill the Muslims off, had themselves become Muslims. And today, a millennium  and a half later, their descendants are also Muslims.

This is one of the many examples of the rahmah of the prophet s.a.w. (another famous example being the mercy he showed towards the people of Ta’if, who stoned him for his da’wah. Today the descendants of those people of Ta’if are Muslims).

In other words, the prophet Muhammad s.a.w. truly deserves the title Allah bestowed upon him in the Qur’an - “rahmatan lil ‘alameen” [Surah Al-Anbiya’: 107]
(Translated very roughly to English as “a mercy to all the worlds”.)

Yet today there are quarters who claim that when we promote an inclusive image of Islam in which Muslims are willing to engage with those of other worldviews and to discuss and debate in a healthy manner as a way to show the beauty of this deen, we have somehow perverted the meaning of “rahmatan lil ‘alameen”.

How narrow-minded those accusations are!
After all, did the prophet s.a.w. himself not show a willingness to engage with those around him throughout his life, Muslim or not? Indeed, never did he force the conversion of others to his Message, preferring to let them see the Truth with their own hearts and minds.
Such was rahmatan lil ‘alameen.

Yes, I am aware that there are those out there who abuse the meaning of rahmatan lil ‘alameen, and use the phrase to promote a blind pluralism in which all religions are equally correct with Islam.
That is indeed a perversion, because Allah says very clearly:

“Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. And those who were given the Scripture did not differ except after knowledge had come to them - out of jealous animosity between themselves. And whoever disbelieves in the verses of Allah, then indeed, Allah is swift in [taking] account.” [Surah Ali Imran: 19]

And thus, it is upon Muslims to believe so.

But at the same time, let us not go to the opposite extreme and deny the right of other religions to exist. Believe it or not, the existence of religions other than Islam is an ayat (sign) of Allah:

“And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed - all of them entirely. Then, [O Muhammad], would you compel the people in order that they become believers? And it is not for a soul to believe except by permission of Allah, and He will place defilement upon those who will not use reason.” [Surah Yunus: 99-100]

Put simply:
Islam does not recognise the TRUTH of other religions,
but it recognises the EXISTENCE of other religions
(and the RIGHT for human beings to choose what to believe).

To me, one of the signs of the truth of the prophet s.a.w. was his vision. Although he was born and raised in the middle of the Arabian desert, he had a mission which traverses the space and time he was in.
His Message was not limited to his tribe or race, in a society which was bitterly tribalistic; nor was it limited by time, traversing generations and millennia.

He wanted everyone to receive, and to accept, the Truth - to have as many people and peoples as possible to enter heaven, not limit heaven only for his tribe or race.

That’s the sort of fighters for Islam that Malaysia (and the world) needs today. Those who can see past racial sentiments and lead the way to a better future for all. To offer the God-given solutions within Islam to everyone.
To thus follow in the footsteps of our prophet s.a.w.

Contrast that to the noisy voices in Malaysia today who claim to fight for Islam but limit their fight to the rights of one race only.
In the process they become arrogant, and mock those of a different race to themselves with the excuse of upholding Islam.
How contradictory that is to the ayat:

“O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.“ [Surah Al-Hujurat: 11]

Who, then, is perverting the message of rahmatan lil ‘alameen?

Ice Cream

Many kids stared as I ate a cheap RM1 ice cream at a local shopping mall yesterday.

It reminded me of the time when I was that old and would do anything for the ability to have ice cream anytime I want. Of course, at that age I didn’t have the money nor the means to go to the ice cream shop as often as I wished.

Yesterday I realised how much I now take that freedom for granted - at this age I no longer appreciate the ability to buy ice cream so easily because I’m too busy chasing ‘more important’ things.

Such is human nature - as we grow older we are in a continuous chase for the ‘ice cream’ of that particular phase in life - good exam results, a job, a car, a house, a wife, a good retirement, a good place to die.

Perhaps, once in a while, we should just take the time to sit down and appreciate what we have instead of being constantly fixated on what we don’t just yet.

And hey, have some ice cream while you’re at it ✌🏻

[14:7]

Let’s Look into the Mirror when Driving

Lets look into the mirror when driving.

Malaysian traffic is my nemesis -
avoiding potholes, motorists refusing to give way, dodging motorcycles and 16-wheel lorries alike..
after a few hours on the road I find myself exhausted not only physically, mentally and emotionally, but also spiritually.
No joke - in this month of Ramadhan, driving in Malaysia is truly a test of sabr and iman.

Let’s look into the mirror when driving.

Yet, after a while, it dawned on me that I am committing the same mistakes as the drivers around me - if not worse.
I too cut lines, block others from joining the lane, park inappropriately.
What was it which prevented me from being aware of my own mistakes in the first place?
Stress?
A sense of entitlement?
A sort of superiority complex?
Perhaps the main issue is not actually the misdemeanour of other drivers; rather it is my reaction towards them.
In that sense my fellow motorists are a mirror, reflecting the diseases of my own heart.

Let’s look into the mirror when driving.

In this new Malaysia there is a new confidence among Malaysians to ‘muhasabah’ those in authority - ie to hold them to account for their wrongdoings. Such confidence is indeed a positive change for this country.
But let us remember that muhasabah first and foremost is to be directed towards oneself - towards one’s own heart and actions.

Let’s look into the mirror when driving.
Not only on Malaysian roads, but in life in general.

#ramadhanmubarak #malaysiabaru #malaysiamenujunegararahmah