Keep the Faith!

I believe that presently many Muslims would agree with me that life as Muslims are getting tougher by the day & probably in days to come. Indeed now is a trying time for all Muslims around the world.

We are facing with problems that are new to us never before faced by our forefathers and the Muslims before us. We have been observed by others discriminately & with fear. So much so there are some people particularly in the West who would like to relate Islam with terrorism & advocating openly that Islam is the religion of evil!

I believe that this problem emanates from our lack of strength in power and also mainly due to an apparent disunity among Muslims around the world. If look closely most of the Muslim countries are plagued with their own problems such as war which includes sectarian war, famine, poverty and also social problems.

As mentioned above, one of the main problems faced by us today is the negative perception of our religion perceived by those who are ignorant of our religion.

Yes we have faced this problem before but the difference is now those people as aforesaid are not only ignorant of Islam but they are becoming malicious towards it. Nowadays these people are derogating & condemning Islam in the open. Even you may find some bloGs in the internet dedicated to ridicule Islam and declaring themselves as the enemy of Islam. And these people are unafraid to do so. There are also instances where Muslims are being persecuted just because they are Muslims.

Alhamdulillah, we in Malaysia do not have that situation. I believe this is mainly because, the Muslims in this country still have the controlling power especially the political power. More so we are fortunate to have Rulers (our monarchs) who reign over Islamic matters in our country. And also due to the fact that the religion of Islam is being recognised in the Federal Constitution as the religion of the Federation ie. Malaysia.

Be that as it may, I dare say that there are still many non Muslims in this country are now being cautious of our religion and some are scepticals of the Muslims, compared to earlier days. And I wonder why is this so? Are they unhappy & scared of the religion or are they actually scared & unhappy with the Muslims?

The teachings of Islam have never changed but perhaps the way it is practised has differed. Muslims now are more conscious of the do's and donts of the religion; unlike before where most of them were a bit liberal.

There are some Muslims nowadays who feel that in order for them to be true Muslims they must avoid all kinds of vice & things or matters that are prohibited by the religion. And in doing so they may cause some concerns to the non Muslims as some of these things & matters which are prohibited by Islam; are acceptable by their standard of practice and even are part of their culture. In so much so it gives them the impression that with the emergence of these self conscious Muslims it would eventually eradicate their religions cultures & practices; or worse these self conscious Muslims are embarking on a 'crusade' to convert all the non Muslims into Muslims!

Actually it is a misunderstanding that needs to be corrected. These self-concious Muslims are just being self concious and just that. We just want ourselves & our families to be able to practise our faith as close as possible to the true teaching of Islam. We want to emulate our Holy Prophet as much as possible and this by all means is not an easy task especially at times like now; with so many challenges and new forms of temptation.

Our friends of other religions should not be worried at all if the Muslims want to be ‘more Islamic’ than before because this would naturally be good for all. For example a true Muslim would not indulge himself to practice corruption & are commanded to be honest & fair at all times & in all matters. Can you imagine how nice our lives would be if everybody is honest & fair & avoid corrupt practices. Naturally businesses will flourish and opportunities will spread to all. Wouldn't this be good to all? In fact the non Muslims in this country should demand that the Muslims be more Islamic & follow the true teaching of Islam. That's a great thought, ain't it?

In my view it is our responsibility as Muslims to correct & eradicate this misperception & apprehension towards our religion. We should lead by example & we should start by showing & practising care & concern towards all. We should promote all the good qualities our religion possesses & as we know they are abundant. To me this should be a good start. Everyone can do this as a call for da’wah.

It should start now before it is too late. As it is, now there are some people out there in this country Muslims & non Muslims; who want Islam to be practiced by the Muslims quietly & in private. They are pushing hard to separate the religion from the administration of the society & they are calling for the supremacy of 'man-made' laws over the laws of the Syari'ah. And they are doing this in the name of freedom of expression & freedom of religion. Examples are those who said that the call of ‘azan' is the disturbance of peace & those who reject the notion that Malaysia is an Islamic country & those who want Muslims to be allowed to change their religion according to their own free will. They want Islam to be contained & they want to propogate that Islam is just like any other religion.

These to me is a point of the beginning; if not corrected could lead to the creation of the opponents of Islam in Malaysia. And if this happens it will surely lead to instability.

So it is up to us Muslims to correct this misperception of our religion & it should start now!

As for me the creation of this bloG is my humble beginning as my da’wah to call all Muslims to unite as one to clear all doubts & apprehension regarding Islam as mentioned above and in doing so insya Allah we would uphold the dignity of Islam.I do hope others will do the same perhaps in their own way but no matter how the da’wah must start now.

For a start, I wish to advocate that as a sign of appreciation of the contribution of the non Muslims in the development of the country & as a first step towards erasing the apprehension & misconception as stated above, we in Malaysia should address the non Muslims in this country, who are not waging war against our religion & who are not the opponents of Islam; as our 'friends of other religions' in place of the term 'non-Muslims'. Perhaps this could enlighten them of our recognition of their rights & they deserve to be protected. Hopefully this could bring all our hearts together for the sake of nation building & most importantly for the sake of the future generation of this country i.e. our children!

To all my friends of other religions, please do not be alarmed of Islam as it is the religion faith based on the Holy Qur'an & the practices of the Holy Prophet Muhammad SAW which propogates among others justice & equality to all & commands its followers to do good deeds to all. And NO my friends, I am sorry to say that Islam is not like any other religion. Actualy it encompasses all aspects of life. In short it is not only a religion per se; it is a way of life.

To my Muslim brothers & sisters, there is more about Islam than meets the eye & to know more is just not enough; you need to gain benefits from it & to do so you have to be sincere & honest to yourself. Let us Keep the Faith.

On the subject of Faith I have come across a piece of writing on it compliment; of my dear brother Mr. Hazlisham; thanks for sending this to me.

"

An atheist professor of philosophy speaks to his class on the problem science has with God, The Almighty. He asks one of his new Muslim students to stand and.....

Professor: You are a Muslim, aren't you, son?

Student: Yes, sir.

Prof: So you believe in God?

Student: Absolutely, sir.

Prof: Is God good?

Student : Sure.

Prof: Is God all-powerful?

Student: Yes.

Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him.
Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't.
How is this God good then? Hmm?
(The student is silent.)

Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?

Student : Yes.

Prof: Is Satan good?

Student : No.

Prof: Where does Satan come from?

Student: From...God.. .

Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?

Student : Yes.

Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct?

Student : Yes.

Prof: So who created evil?

(Student does not answer.)

Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness?
All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?

Student : Yes, sir.

Prof: So, who created them?
(Student has no answer.)

Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God?

Student: No, sir.

Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God?

Student : No , sir.

Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God?
Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter?

Student : No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.

Prof: Yet you still believe in Him?

Student : Yes.

Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?

Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.

Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has.

Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?

Prof: Yes.

Student : And is there such a thing as cold?

Prof: Yes.

Student : No sir. There isn't.

(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we
use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.

(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.)

Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?

Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?

Student : You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can
have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?

Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man?

Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.

Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how?

Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?

Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.

Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?

(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.)

Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?

(The class is in uproar.)

Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain?

(The class breaks out into laughter.)

Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it?....No one appears to have done so.
So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?

(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable. )

Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.

Student : That is it sir.. The link between man & god is FAITH.
That is all that keeps things moving & alive.