Hudud and ‘the magic' of the Holy Land

************** In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful; blessings and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. ************** Reflection ************** “O ye who believe! Retalation is prescribed for you in the matter of the murdered; the freeman for the freeman, and the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. And for him who is forgiven somewhat by his (injured) brother, prosecution according to usage and payment unto him in kindness. This is an alleviation and a mercy from your Lord. He who transgresseth after this will have a painfull doom.” (Al-Baqarah, 178) ************** RECENTLY I had the opportunity to talk about my two books (‘Travelog Wartawan Islam’, Travelog of a Muslim Journalist and ‘Kusaksikan Keajaiban Tanah Suci’, I Witness Magic of the Holy Land) in TV3's morning talk show programme, 'Malaysia Hari ini' (Malaysia Today). **************** When asked by the television station's host, Ally Iskandar, what 'magic' I saw in the Holy Land, I described this event: "When I was on my way to the Prophet’s Masjid in Madinah at about 3.00 am, I saw a black pilgrim (perhaps she was from Africa) stumbling and falling down but she quickly picked herself up and continued hastening her steps to the masjid." **************** To me, the scene was touching; there was magic in the things and events I saw. Magic because you could not witness the 'same event' when you are in your homeland. For example who would be rushing to the masjid at 3.00 am to say his/her prayers, of people falling down and quickly rising up and continuing their rush to the masjid? *************** Unfortunately 'that magic' is only seen in the Holy Land. Why can we not 'translate that event into our daily lives, for example people rushing to masjids when the call of prayers (adzan) is heard? It is normal for people to carry out their businesses as usual or still be at their desks as though the call for prayers means nothing to them. *************** "Here, do we rush to the masjid at 3.00 am to say our prayers?" I joked, tickling Ally Iskandar who burst out laughing aloud. *************** “Nobody would go to the masjid at those wee hours,” he said. So is it correct to say the magic is only true in Madinah (the Holy Land) but not at home. *************** I also spoke out that our daily life is 'full of magic', but only observant people would realize it. “For example the coffee we drink is black in color but when we urinate, the water is crystal clear or slightly yellow.” **************** Actually what I would like to stress is the greatness of Allah SWT, Master of the whole Universe. We do not have to witness supernatural things but by observing His creations around us would be enough for us to surrender, knell down and ‘sujud’ (prostrate) and admit that He is the Greatest, the Most High (Allah-u-Akbar). **************** In the Holy Land, almost 100 percent of the pilgrims obey Allah's SWT rules and commandments such as observing Muslim dress code (I didn;t see a single woman not covering her head); but at home, some men and women fail to adhere to it, to the extent that even some ‘hajjahs’ are without the ‘tudung’ while the men in shorts. ********************** So this is ‘another’ magic in the Holy Land because there, even the hard core person who refused to don the tudung earkier, would wear it. In fact, Malaysian (South East Asian) women are more ‘covered up’ because they wear ‘telekung’ compared to Arab and African women who are in their ‘jubah’ (robes) when they turn up in the Haram Masjid dan Prophet’s Masjid for prayers. *********************** Based on this situation, I am sure Zainah Anwar of Sisters in Islam who wrote ‘No hudud please, we’re Malaysian’ in her column of the Sunday Star, 2 October, would not turn up with her head ‘naked’ at Makkah or Madinah. ******************** Please, Sis Zainah don’t tell us that God and His ‘set of rule’ is only applicable in the Holy Land; and outside it, one is free to do whatever one wishes; and in your case, you as ‘the learned one’, belittled hudud which is God’s law. ********************** Sis Zainah, if you are misguided then it is up to you to seek the truth path; but by turning your anger on the recent issue of hudud by writing in the mass media, you are mocking your own self; the whole “Malaya’ now know how little you know about Islam and yet you seem want to be a ‘guru’ to Muslims and non-Muslims. ************************ A Muslim should not write (or do) anything without the guidance of Allah SWT and His prophet. A Muslim scholar, Khurram Murad in his book ‘Way to the Qur’an’ noted that “our lives will remain meaningless and ruined unless they are guided by the Qur’an, the word of God.” ********************* Dear Sis Zainah; are our lives truly guided by the Qur’an? From the moment we wake up in the early morning till we are in bed again at night, are all our actions in accordance to the Qur’an? Or are we good in taking what we think are good to us and ignoring what we feel bad? **************************** Regarding this, Allah the Almighty warns in Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2:85, that to accept some part of the Qur’an and to reject some, is to reject all of it. There is no room partial acceptance in your relationship with the Qur’an; there cannot be logically be such a situation. ************************** Have a good look at Ayah 178 and 183 of Surah Al-Baqarah; why we fully accepted God’s commandments regarding fasting but are reluctant to His laws of ‘qisas’. Ayah 183 reads; “O ye who believe! Observing As-Saum (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqun (the pious)” while Ayah 178 reads; “O you who believe! Al-Qisas (the Law of Equality in punishment) is prescribed for you in case of murder: the free for the free, the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. But if the killer is forgiven by the brother (or the relatives, etc.) of the killed against blood money, then adhering to it with fairness and payment of the blood money, to the heir should be made in fairness. This is an alleviation and a mercy from your Lord. So after this whoever transgresses the limits (i.e. kills the killer after taking the blood money), he shall have a painful torment.” *********************** So Sis Zainah and those in ‘her class’, if you fasted during last Ramadan in order to fulfill God’s commands, then you should have no reservation about His laws stipulated in Ayah 178 of the Surah Al-Baqarah. Muslims should have no reservation in implementing all of Allah’s commands including hudud laws and preventing ‘mungkar’ (sins). ********************** Having reservation on any of Allah SWT’s commands is a clear violation of our oath, the ‘syahadah’, that we submit and obey all of Allah SWT’s commands. Some scholars even say having such an attitude will nullify our ‘syahadah’ and is sufficient to make a person ‘kafir’ (a non-believer). ********************* Allah SWT has given us warning on this matter in one Qur’anic verse where He warns us not to become like the Children of Israel who disobey some of Allah SWT’s commandments in the Taurah, as stated in Ayah 85 Surah Al-Baqarah which reads; “…Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye reject the rest? But what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life? And on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unmindful for what ye do.” ******************** In the following verse (Ayah 86 Al-Baqarah), Allah SWT says: “Such are those who buy the life of the world at the price of the Hereafter. Their punishment will not be lightened, neither will they have support.” ************************ Yes, Sis Zainah, you are not going to get any support but letters and views advising you to correct you misunderstanding. For example Anisah Shurfa from UIA in anisahshurfa.blogspot.com among others wrote: “Zainah Anwar proves once again that her fuel for her writings is a twisted understanding of religion rather than a solid background based on cold, hard facts. ********************** You know, it’s okay to be ignorant about certain things, especially if it’s something as complicated as the hudud law. But if you’re going to argue about something and get it published in a paper for the public to read, shouldn’t you, I don’t know...read up on it first? Or at least ask someone with a qualified background in hudud law? ***************************8 Zainah Anwar, I will say this to you v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y a-n-d c-l-e-a-r-l-y so that you need not humiliate yourself, your religion and other Muslims any further in your writings. ********************* So, Zainah Anwar, do yourself a favour, read up on your religion (or ask the right people – here in UIA we have plenty of IRK lecturers who are more than happy to guide you) before being all indignant about its “injustice” and “brutality”. “ *************************** And back to the ‘magic’ in the Holy Land, if Sis Zainah had gone for the hajj, she might have had a copy of a small book ‘A Guide to Hajj, Umrah and Visiting The Prophet’s Mosque’ given as a gift from the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da’wah and Guidance Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to each pilgrim, in which among others stressed on the subject VIOLATIONS of Islam. ********************** Among 10 items stated in the book which could nullify our faith (iman) is: “Anyone who ridicules any aspect of the religion of the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings of Allah be on him), or any of his rewards and punishments, becomes an unbeliever. Allah the Most High, says” “Say: Do you ridicule Allah, His revelations and His Messenger? Make no excuse; you have disbelieved after your (profession of) faith. ********************** “Anyone who believe any guidance other than the Prophet’s guidance to be more perfect; or a decision other than the Prophet’s decision is better, is an unbeliever. This applies to those who prefer the rule of Evil (Taghout) to the Prophet’s rule. Some examples of this are: *********************** a) To believe that systems and laws made by human beings are better than the Shari’ah of Islam; for example, that the Islamic system is not suitable for the twentieth (now twenty-one) century; that Islam is the cause of the backwardness of Muslims; or that Islam is a relationship between Allah and the Muslim thus it should not interfere in other aspects of life. ********************* b) To say that enforcing the punishments prescribed by Allah, such as cutting off the hand off a thief or stoning an adulterer, is not suitable in this day and age. ************************* c) To believe that it is permissible to give a rule from that which Allah did not reveal in Islamic transactions or matters of law, punishments and other affairs. Although one may not believe such rulings to be superior to the Shari’ah he is effect affirms such a stand by declaring a thing which Allah has totally prohibited, such as adultery, drinking alcohol or usury, to be permissible. According to the consensus of Muslims, one who declares such things to be permissible is an unbeliever (kafir). *************************** Anyone who hates any part of what the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has declared to be lawful has nullified his Islam, even though he may act accordance with it. Allah the Most High says: “Because they disliked what Allah has revealed their deeds are brought to nothing.”