Where are the good ones?

***
In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate; blessings and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

Reflection

Death will come from all sides

He gulps at it but can hardly swallow it down. Death comes at him from every side but he does not die. and beyond him is relentless punishment. (Qur'an, 14:17)
***

THE tragedy is not the brutality of the Evil but the silence of the Good, which allows the Evil to flourish. Every year millions of pilgrims declare at Hajj that they will serve Allah the Almighty. Where are they?

Hope they’ve not forgotten their Islamic duty to fight injustice and ignorance with their tongues, hands, hearts and resources? – (Hajj of the Heart, Y Mansoor Marican of Orina Consultancy)

Every year some 26,000 Malaysian Muslim performed the hajj. Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam. So whoever has performed hajj, he/she is supposed to produce the finest in whatever they do, keeping in line with the teachings of the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him, pbuh).

In ten years time, we would have roughly some 260,000 ‘hajjis’ and ‘hajjahs’ (female hajji) in the whole country. That figure is big enough to fight injustice in our country that is tarnished with corruption, mismanagement and abuse of power, money and resources. But where have the good gone? Why the silence?

‘Hajjis’ and ‘hajjahs’ are everywhere in the country. They cannot just remain silent over things that are against the teaching of Islam such as ignorance, injustice and corruption that exists and flourishes around them.

Regarding this matter, I quote from Harun Yahya’s ‘To Enjoin the Right and Forbid the Wrong’ from his book ‘Learning from the Quran’:

1. Let there be a community among you who call to the good, and enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. They are the ones who have success. (Qur’an, 3:104)
2. You are the best nation ever to be produced before mankind. You enjoin the right, forbid the wrong and believe in Allah. If the People of the Book were to believe, it would be better for them. Some of them are believers but most of them are deviators. (Qur’an, 3:110)
3. They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and compete in doing good. They are among the righteous. (Qur’an, 3:114)

In this article I would like to raise a few recent issues pertaining to the said bad trait.

For example our reactions on WikiLeaks reports.

Why were our leaders and newsmen happy in tarnishing the image of certain personalities but remained tight lipped on reports involving others? Are we following the teachings of Islam regarding this matter? Were ‘hajjis’ and ‘hajjahs’ involved and what were their reactions?

It is timely for Muslims to go back to the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh) and not do things according to their own whims and fancies. In Al-Quran 49:6 Allah SWT (The Greatest) says: “O ye who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards become full of repentance for what ye have done.” (Al-Quran 49:6)

Regarding the WikiLeaks report, Muslims should emulate Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s calmness and wise attitude in dealing with it. WikiLeaks labeled him a new Hitler who wanted to destroy Israel and the Jews and put him ‘at war’ with Saudi Arabian king, Al-Malik Abdullah.

Ahmadinejad was quoted saying the report was worthless; it's only aim to destroy the good relations between his country and its neighbours including Saudi Arabia.

My question is, are our ‘hajjis’ and ‘hajjas’ (me included) especially leaders of the country and media industry (who have made the pilgrimage) as good as Ahmadinejad, or are we only interested in fulfilling the needs and desires of organs that are situated between our navels and knee?

To Allah SWT we seek forgiveness, for He accepts repentance: “But to those who do evil in ignorance and then after than repent and put things right, to them your Lord is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur’an, 16: 119)

Why the silence when the weak is oppressed?

The leaders of our country are rushing like mad to make our country a developed and a highly income one. Almost every day in the news media especially TV, they talk about projects worth billions and billions of ringgit.

Pak Haji Ali, a paddy farmer in Titi Serong, Perak, Pak Haji Arshad, a guard in Kampung Kerinci, Kuala Lumpur and Mak Aji Senah, a ‘kuih’ (cake) seller in Kampung Lubuk Merbau, Kuala Kangsar do not have any idea how much is a billion ringgit. They only know prices of essential items such as rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil, fish and vegetables. Except for fish, each item might cost less than RM3 a kilogram. Once a month, they have to buy gas and fork out money to pay their electricity and water bills.

The leaders are talking about billions and billions of ringgits (they or their government they are spearheading must be very rich) but why must they too appear with ‘muka 10 sen’ (pleading faces) saying the rakyat have to sacrifice when they raise the prices of necessary goods such as sugar and gas? Why pinch 5 sen or 20 sen from the poor rakyat when they have billions and billions of ringgit?


And why must 'hajjis' and 'hajjahs' be silent when the authorities want to and have demolished settlements such as Kampung Berembang, Kampung Kerichi, Kampung Chubadak and Kampung Baru?


So to all ‘hajji’ and ‘hajjah’ throughout the country (once again me included); have we done our part in stopping ‘this kind of development’? In Islam, social justice is an integral part of the religion; it is the duty of those in power to fulfill the needs of their people, not to make their lives miserable.

In the treasures of the rich (including the country leaders and top corporate brass earning hundred thousand of ringgits per month), there are the rights of the poor; zakat (tithe) that must be given to the rightful owner as it is the fourth pillar of Islam.

Giving ‘zakat’ is not about the kindness of the rich to the poor, but a compulsory obligation for your richness is not 100 percent yours but a part of it belongs to eight groups including the poor. If you don’t believe in it, then you are a ‘kafr’ (non-believer).

In conclusion, ‘hajjis’ and ‘hajjahs’ should keep in line with the teaching of the Prophet (pbuh) at all times for Allah SWT says: “Verily, Allah enjoins Al-Adl (i.e. to be consistent in performing your duties to Allah SWT, and giving (help) to kin, and forbidden Al-Fahsha (i.e. all evil deeds) and Al-Munkar (i.e. all kinds of oppression).

“He admonishes you that you may take heed. And fulfill the Covenant of Allah (SWT) when you covenanted, and break not the oaths after you have confirmed them – and indeed you have appointed Allah SWT your surety. Verily, Allah knows what you do.” (An-Nahl: 90-91)