Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
I am writing this article in response to a fellow Blogger‘s query as to why Islam forbids Muslims from doing certain things that Non Muslims do and take for granted as no big deal?
The Holy Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam has in his Oceans of Wisdom derived from direct revelations and inspired by Almighty God, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala left us numerous guidance by way of his Hadith’s, so as to show us the proper way of life that Islam enjoins us to live by.
Muslims of today are exposed to all kinds of unIslamic behavior and practices that the Ummah in general doesn’t bother to advise and guide against!
Let’s focus on the way a growing number of Muslims in Malaysia are going about with their daily lives, gradually slipping into the unIslamic lifestyles of the world.
The Malays are notorious for being lackadaisical in their not giving a hoot to living as true Muslims.
The severity of this corruption of their moral and social values is so evident in the way they live.
Their personal appearances betray their deviations from the Islamic principles and values that the Prophet Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam enjoins Muslims to stay firm to the Commandments of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala as revealed in the Holy Al-Qur’an and his Sunnah’s.
To say that all Malays are guilty of this behavior would be wrong but the growing numbers of them seem to be heading that way.
I say this based on my personal observances and study of how my fellow Muslims are behaving here in Malaysia?
Hadith 1:49
Narrated An-Nu’man bin Bashir:
I heard Allah’s Apostle saying,
- “Both legal and illegal things are evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them.
- So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor.
- And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the Hima (private pasture) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to get in it.
- (O people!) Beware! Every king has a Hima and the Hima of Allah on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) things.
- Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt ; the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.”
For sane reasonable Muslims, the above Hadith would come across crystal clear in its meaning and one would be able to see exactly as to what is being advised and warned against?
The reality that there would be many amongst the recalcitrants in the Ummah here in Malaysia to try be a smart ass and attempt to ridicule and indulge in name calling those of us who are just doing our duty to remind them from falling prey to their own ego’s!
If we are to just let things be and say its none of our business, that would be a major sin for Islam is ‘nasihah’ @ ‘advise’.
A faith won’t survive if everyone doesn’t care about others and society would go to ruin and anarchy will reign supreme.
You can forget about living in peace and being safe in your home or nation. None would bother coming to your defense or help you out because if we let things be as they are getting now, everyone would say’ To hell with him or her ; it’s none of my business!’.
Well, life as we know it will cease to be and mankind can forget about making it to tomorrow!
Okay, let me go to the main point of what Silent Me Not Author 1 was asking me yesterday?
Why it is wrong for Muslims to touch dogs and pigs even though it’s not ‘forbidden’ in the actual sense?
I believe that’s the gist of his asking so?
Okay, the main reason why we are to refrain from doing such an act unless we are required to by the profession of being a veterinarian, I see it as doing something that will slowly desensitize the Muslim from becoming prone to doing more than that, in the ensuing gained habit.
When a Muslim start to go the way of the Non Muslims by way of mannerisms, mindset and daily activities, slowly but surely, the said Muslim will no longer differentiate between things that are Halal and Haram, what more of all those matters that are considered as ‘Makruh‘?
‘Alah bisa ; tegal biasa‘ is a Malay saying that refers to becoming ‘immune to poison over time’.
It will be considered normal for a female Muslim to not cover her aurat @ modesty when she keeps company of those who are similarly inclined such as what we see taking place in our ‘high society’!
Even the so called Imam of ‘Islam Hadhari’ doesn’t have it in him to order his wife to cover her aurat as what Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala commands the true Believers to see to it that their wife or wives cover themselves properly as per His Commandment in Surah An Nur Verse 31!
31. Waqul lilmu/minati yaghdudna min absarihinna wayahfathna furoojahunna wala yubdeena zeenatahunna illa ma thahara minha walyadribna bikhumurihinna AAala juyoobihinna wala yubdeena zeenatahunna illa libuAAoolatihinna aw aba-ihinna aw aba-i buAAoolatihinna aw abna-ihinna aw abna-i buAAoolatihinna aw ikhwanihinna aw banee ikhwanihinna aw banee akhawatihinna aw nisa-ihinna aw ma malakat aymanuhunna awi alttabiAAeena ghayri olee al-irbati mina alrrijali awi alttifli allatheena lam yathharoo AAala AAawrati alnnisa-i wala yadribna bi-arjulihinna liyuAAlama ma yukhfeena min zeenatihinna watooboo ila Allahi jameeAAan ayyuha almu/minoona laAAallakum tuflihoona
31. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband’s fathers, their sons, their husbands’ sons, their brothers or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their women, or the slaves whom their right hands possess, or male servants free of physical needs, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards Allah, that ye may attain Bliss.
So, Commands God Almighty to all the Believing Women!
The reprimand actually goes to the Believing Men first in the same Surah in Verse 30!
30. Qul lilmu/mineena yaghuddoo min absarihum wayahfathoo furoojahum thalika azka lahum inna Allaha khabeerun bima yasnaAAoona
30. Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.
The warning goes to the ‘believing men’ to lower their eyes from looking at the exposed ‘aurat’ of women who are not lawful to them.
Means that true Muslim men are forbidden to go ogle at the exposed areas of modesty of women who are not their wife or wives!
I mean, even any female whom they are not supposed to go look at when those women aren’t decently covered!
Yet, you and I know how many women go about today in public? I don’ think I need to dwell on that!
You are well aware of how things are today, across all stratas of society, and such moral decadence is prevalent in almost all communities, creed and color, worldwide!
We are living in a world of two extremes. It’s either too decadent or too damn oppressive!
Islam doesn’t call for the way some communities go to such extremes in their day to day activities. It’s human nature to appreciate all things beautiful and if every true Muslim, male and female starts to live their life according to what Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala and His Messenger enjoin us to, there will be peace and salvation here on Earth.
In reality, many Muslims live a life devoid of care and compassion brought about by a pretentious way of living because many do not actually live according to the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihi Wassallam.
We see all these things happening before us but how many of us Muslims have it in him or her to go help our brothers and sisters from falling into ruin with using the right approach full of wisdom and commonsense?
The reason why we need to stop our fellow Muslims from doing things that will slowly but surely lead them to a life that is out of the Islamic faith is because apathy will lead all those ignorants to think that its okay in Islam because no one amongst the Muslim ummah came forward to stop or correct them?
Go ask anyone amongst the wayward Muslims especially the Malays here in Malaysia, doing all the nonsensical things they do today in the name of being modern and up to date, as to whether they realized that what they were doing was wrong and against the teachings of Islam or did anyone from the Muslim society come forward and advised them against it?
You can rest assured that their answer will be in the negative. The irony is that the government of this nation goes forth and trumpets itself as leading an ‘Islamic nation’!
The Religious Department officials all over tis nation are infamous for carrying out ‘anti-vice raids’ but we have yet to hear of any proper true blue Islamic Dakwah efforts being carried out by the numerous Muslim scholars we hear about being there in all those departments!
I have said times and times again that the problems plaguing the Muslims of Malaysia will never go away until and unless the fellows running the show in JAKIM, JAIS, JAWI and all the other ‘JA’s of Malaysia really truly practice what they preach!
All those Mufti’s sitting so snugly in office and speaking to the nation before the tv cameras are bloody useless in trying to portray that they are doing their job when none of them actually has it in him to go down to society and reach out to the poor ignorant misguided souls amongst the Malays of their respective states and give them counsel straight forward, in person to the masses!
Pretentious living I say! Shirking of their true responsibilities towards their fellow Muslims by allowing hedonism to take root and spread like a virus amongst the unfortunate souls of the Malays of today!
Apathy kills. The rulers of this land are accountable for allowing such rot to take place in society and do nothing effectively to nip the problem in the bud.
They allow the misguided ones to do as they please in society and just ignore all the sins and misguidance to flourish uninhibitedly in ‘Bolehland’!
I will continue on this subject in detail after this. Keep reading. Insya Allah.
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Hi Mahaguru,
Thanks for a proper response to my query.
In fact, thanks for pointing out the philosophy underlining Islam’s idea of “encouraging the goods, and forbidding the evils”. I have heard about that from my friends a while back, but have yet to see that in practice in malaysia. WHen i was debating with my friends, i gave the example of christian missionaries, whose task was to spread the good in the forsaken parts of the world. doing good. And these same missionaries never impose their beliefs on the locals.
yet, on contrary, we see very difference picture here in malaysia. Yes you re right. I think Islam by itself is a beautiful religion, but sadly, in this country and many others, It is used for political mileage and various economical gains.
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