Who says so?
Thursday, 26 August 2010
They distort everything and give people the impression that Islam is such a stupid religion. If they say something and say that this is their personal opinion it would not be so bad. But when they say that this is what Islam asks us to do then they make Islam look really stupid. Then we get upset when people make fun of or ridicule Islam.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
All sermon readers must pray for wellbeing of Agong, rulers and people
All khatib or sermon readers in the country have been told to pray for the wellbeing of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the rulers and people in the “doa” after the Friday sermons.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom said, the action of a khatib in Penang of replacing Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin’s name with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s in the “doa khutbah” was therefore inappropriate.
“Let’s not take advantage of that (sermon) by praying for other than the respective rulers or sultans and Muslims as stipulated,” he told reporters at a Tabung Haji breaking-of-fast function, here, tonight.
“If all the ‘tok imam’ want to pray for the local leaders, confusion will arise among Muslims when the mosque is supposed to be a place for unifying the Muslim community.”
Jamil Khir was commenting on the controversial use of Lim’s name, replacing the King’s, after Friday sermons at some mosques in Penang recently.
He said it was not wrong to pray for a particular person so as to receive divine blessings but not through the Friday sermons.
“We should understand the long-standing ruling, and no one will get angry if you want to go home and pray for someone. It’s up to you.”
He urged all khatib in the country to preserve harmony and be mindful of the sensitivities of the local community who belong to different political parties and have different ideologies and beliefs, when delivering the sermons. – Bernama
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Jamil Khir: Nurul Izzah has sinned by tarnishing country's image
Those who tarnish their country's image with the aim of causing turmoil are regarded to have sinned, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom.
"We should love our country and be prepared to defend it, as defending our own country is a 'jihad' (holy war) which carries a big divine reward. Hence, if the reward is big (for such a 'jihad'), it is also a big sin for one to tarnish one's own country's image and honour to cause upheaval in the country," he told reporters after handing over Raya contribution from the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) for patients and certain hospitals in the Klang Valley, today.
He was earlier asked to comment on media reports that Lembah Pantai member of parliament Nurul Izzah Anwar had allegedly said things that had tarnished the country's image and reputation in an interview with an Indonesian newspaper recently.
She was alleged to have made inaccurate statements about the New Economic Policy and had belittled the capability of the country's submarines. – Bernama
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The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, appears to be much in the news nowadays. Unfortunately, in both instances as reported by Bernama above, Jamil Khir is wrong on both counts.
Before that, allow me to digress a bit and take you back to a time about 20 years or so ago when I made one of my pilgrimages to Mekah (I think I probably made about ten or so trips in all).
About a dozen or so friends were at the house to send me off, as is customary for Malays who are about to make the pilgrimage. All these friends have not yet made the pilgrimage and it is believed that if we were to mention their names and ‘summon’ them while on Mount Arafah (Jable Rehmat) then God would bless them with a pilgrimage.
I asked these friends for their full names and reminded them to also list down their identity cards numbers. After all, I said, with one billion Muslims and hundreds of thousands having the same name (such as Muhammad Abdullah) we must ensure that God knows exactly who I am praying for. So the identity card numbers against their names will guarantee that God would know exactly who I am ‘summoning’ to Mekah.
To my amusement they did just that. They wrote down all their names with their identity cards numbers and gave me the list. They of course did not realise I was just pulling their legs.
If God is who we say He is then we really do not need to list down their names with birth certificate numbers and identity cards numbers. God will not get confused and will know whom we are praying for. Need I also carry their photographs in my pocket to ensure that my prayers do not get diverted to the wrong person?
Now, on the matter raised by Minister Jamil Khir, it is not compulsory for the imam to mention the Agong’s, Sultan’s, Prime Minister’s, etc., names in the Friday prayer sermons (kutbah). There is nothing in the Quran that says this is compulsory. You can do so if you wish. But it is no sin if you do not do so and neither does it violate Islam.
The way the Minister is talking, however, is as if this is the law (Islamic law) and the Minister’s statement is probably going to confuse not only the non-Muslims but the Muslims as well. The Minister is either ignorant of Islam -- as most Umno Ministers are -- or else he is trying to mislead the people.
If the imam were to just pray, “Oh Lord, please bless all our leaders and guide them to the right path and open their hearts so that they steer clear of sin and injustice and rule this country with justice and fairness…..etc.,” that is good enough.
Are we adding to what even the Prophet Muhammad himself did? In the Prophet’s last sermon in Arafah just before he died, this is what the Prophet said:
“All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.
Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.
Remember, one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.
All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O ALLAH, that I have conveyed your message to your people."
Did the Prophet pray for anyone specifically or mention anyone by name? Were the names of kings, emperors, rulers or leaders mentioned in the Prophet’s sermon?
What the Prophet did say, however, is that Islam forbids Ketuanan Melayu because all mankind comes from Adam and Eve and no race has superiority over others. Why are the imams not emulating the Prophet by including this in their Friday sermons?
The Prophet also said, “Remember, one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.” Why are the imams not including this in their Friday sermons?
Instead of praying for the rulers/leaders, like what the government has decreed, the imams should remind them, like what the Prophet did, to “not stray from the path of righteousness”, and to remind them, like what the Prophet did, that “one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer your deeds.”
It is perplexing that Malays foam at the mouth to ‘uphold the dignity of the Prophet’s name’ but they refuse to follow the simple instructions that the Prophet gave them.
“All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again…,” said the Prophet. But the imams are not doing this so I shall have to do it.
Okay, now to the next news item from Bernama about what Jamil Khir said, “Nurul Izzah has sinned by tarnishing the country's image.”
Again, either Jamil Khir is ignorant about Islam or he is trying to mislead the people. Islam says that ‘amar makruf, nahi munkar’ is compulsory. So, if the country allows or perpetuates misdeeds, transgressions, injustice, corruption, persecution, racism, abuse of power, mismanagement of the taxpayers’ money, and so on, then it is our Islamic duty to speak out against it. In fact, speaking out alone is not good enough as far as Islam is concerned. We must oppose it not only with our mouth but also with our hands, says Islam -- in short, with force.
So what is this Jamil Khir talking about? Nurul Izzah has not sinned, as he says, for exposing the wrongdoings of the government. In fact, it is the opposite. Nurul Izzah would have sinned if she keeps silent. By speaking out, this means Nurul Izzah is a perfect Muslim, not a sinner.
Aiyah, sometimes I wonder where these people gained their religious knowledge from. They distort everything and give people the impression that Islam is such a stupid religion. If they say something and say that this is their personal opinion it would not be so bad. But when they say that this is what Islam asks us to do then they make Islam look really stupid. Then we get upset when people make fun of or ridicule Islam.
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