Islam and democracy : The Twain Shall Never Meet.

Things are moving at such warp speed at the global level that as i blog, the price of oil has spiked by almost US $25. Yes, we are back on the upward curve of the roller coaster to probably nowhere, this time around as the Greenback's back is broken by the economic holocaust about to swamp America. And with that there goes the second half of my afternoon lark (no peg..for obvious reasons) as there will probably be no oil discount for the Hari Raya drive. So much for a spot of crystal ball gazing, that i will stick to the mundane sport of navel gazing for at least i can make out the outlines of my fetal past through all that hairy undergrowth!.
As for today, i will unveil part one of the incompatibility between Islam and liberal democracy with a caveat : that the views expressed herein are solely mine from my reading and observations and under no circumstances should these views be misconstrued either as a fatwa or as an indictment on the beliefs of my fellow Muslims or as an aspersion on any personality whether living or dead. My game plan is solely to provoke discussion (not that i get much traffic anyway in these parts anyway, sited as I am on the periphery of civilisation between Kuala Lumpur and Timbuktoo! and the Malaysiakini bus forever zipping past) on this vexing issue and to answer numerous enquiries as to why i am loath to be a participant (voter or otherwise) in the rambunctious and gutterish local poltical scenario. So folks, allow me to take you on a spin on my admittedly tame roller coaster which due to space constraints will not endeavour to bore you .Hence, a series of short but fulfilling rides.

"Islam is not democracy: for democracy is the name given to that particular form of government in which sovereignty ultimately rests with the people, in which legislation depends both in its form and content on the force and direction of public opinion and laws are modified and altered, to correspond to changes in that opinion". Pg 30: Maududi.

Section 1 : Hakimiyah (Sovereignty)

In quoting Maududi(1), I wish to establish why Islam and democracy are two mutually incompatible paradigms based on the the concept of Hakimiyah ( sovereignty). The term "Hakimiyah" carries differing connotations in Islam and democracy. In the former, it refers to the fact that sovereignty rests with Allah SWT while in the latter, sovereignty rests with the people, hence Lincoln's oft quoted mantra: a government by the people................". Maududi's view esentially rests on verses in the Holy Quran that explicitly makes clear that Man is subservient to the dictates of Allah SWT in all spheres of existence, be it the personal or the public. These verses include : Verse 49 and verse 50 of Surah Al Maaidah. His view is fortified by other Islamic revivalists, notable among them Qutb(2): Banna (3) and Awang (4).

This usurpation of sovereignty by the democratic system is most evidently manifested in the realm of formulating and applying legislation. This is in contradiction to Allah SWT's decree that the judgement is His Prerogative as evident by verse 57 Surah 6, verse 42 surah 10 and verse 59 Surah 4. In critiquing the context of sovereignty within the democartic construct, Zalloom (5) delineates that "Islam holds that sovereignty is with God (Divine law = Shari’ah) and not with the ummah (people), thus the ummah does not possess the right to legislate on any matter".(my emphasis). This is in tandem with Qutb's (6) assertion that "following Sharia as a complete system extending into all aspects of life, would bring every kind of benefit to humanity, from personal and social peace, to the "treasures" of the universe. Awang reaffirms this position as a travesty of Allah's prerogative:

" sesungguhnya Allah SWT menamakan hukum yang lain daripada hukumNya dengan nama hawa nafsu. (Verily, Allah SWT has decreed laws other than His law as laws borne from base desires- my translation) : pg 137 (to be continued..........)

References

1. Abu al-A’la Mawdudi, Political Theory of Islam, Karachi: Maktaba-e Islami.

2.“Sayyid Qutb, "Ideologue of Islamic Revival”, in Voices of Resurgent Islam, John Esposito (ed), Oxford University Press, 1983.

3. Hassan al-Banna as cited in "Lia, Brynjar. The Society of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt: The Rise of an Islamic Mass Movement. Reading, UK: Garnet,1998.

4. Haji Abd. Hadi Awang,Muqaddimah Aqidah Muslimin, Kuala Lumpur: GG Edar Publications, 1989

5. Abdul Qadeem Zalloom, Democracy is a System of Kufr, London: Al- Khilafah Publication,

6. http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/MILESTONES.pdf

A Brave Young Male "Junjungs" the Quran

Back from a short break (5 days) in Terengganu, where internet coverage is virtually absent in the boondocks of a paradise sloshing in black gold, I could not resist putting up this belated though it may be :

I had a good laugh after reading this. It highlights how ignorant the vast majority of Malaysian Muslims are regarding the religion and its precepts, from the treetops to the grassroots literally. That, he is goading someone else to mimic a Malay innovation out of personal spite is fairly obvious. Trouble is, all these fulminations and showboating are indicative of primitive minds caught within a cultural time warp and trudging somnambulistic ally in a circle of self-deception, marooned as they are in the ennui of Malayness. Such is their immersion that they conveniently (or is it wilfully) negate the fact that the procedures for swearing in Islam is not like in other traditions and belief systems. So their actions are hardly surprising as plumb beneath the meat of form cloaking their faith, you will discover the rotting bones of substance so brittle that the collapse of the outer core is hardly surprising as the foundations within have long decayed beyond hope.

Hence, you have publicity stunts like this being played out in different forms and on different stages throughout the length and breadth of the country so much so that Islam has become a laughing stock for all and sundry. So you have Muslim attire turned into fashion statements that reveal everything but the………so much so the term “Aurat” is nothing more than a linguistic exotica, religious precepts that waft into thin air emanating from throats that hardly supplicate his Name, beer swilling, gambling and whoring Muslims who at the toss of a dime will don traditional garb and throng the mosques on Fridays, Aidil Fitr and Aidil Adha so as not to miss the congregational prayers while disregarding the mandatory daily prayers and lately, the new vogue Moslems who can’t even read a word of Arabic but are expert commentators and interpreters of the Holy Scripture and its contents. Notwithstanding contemporary New Age Sistas spouting home spun drivel as their hair gets tossed about in the wind. Add to that merry band, newspapers that purport to champion Islam yet are not averse to printing four digit outcomes. So you don’t need that much of a leap in intelligence to come up with this latest stunt and receive the standing ovation from even the clergy, don’t you? especially when you haven’t that much of a grey matter to start with!

So in a blaze of publicity with cameras clicking and solemnity in repose all around with a nary a whisper from the apparently learned clerics watching the unfolding shadow play, a young gelding …oops… mare…. takes it upon itself to plumb the depths of its soul and summon every morsel of strength to enunciate the Gauche from a scrap of paper (was it there to refresh the memory or just to avoid the faux pas, I thought something of this sort comes from within… no paper, no rote learning memorisation…nothing) with a delicate right palm placed over the Holy Scripture. And ooh and aahs rising in unison in all the kampongs, towns, not forgetting the permatangs, ceruks, parits and longkangs of Malaysia as a tremulous voice betrays the angst and withered self within as memory and reality congeal in hapless confusion:


"Bismillahirrahman nirrahim. Pada hari ini, 15 Ogos 2008, saya Mohd Saiful Bukhari Bin Azlan, No Kad Pengenalan 850706-01-5687 dengan ini sesungguhnya dengan nama Allah Yang Maha Pemurah Lagi Maha Penyayang berikrar dan bersumpah seperti berikut....A'uzubilahiminasyaitanirrajim. Bismillahirrahman nirrahim. Wallahi...Wabillahi....Wata'alahi. Saya bersumpah bahawa saya telah diliwat oleh Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pada 26 hb Jun 2008 iaitu pada tarikh tersebut Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim telah memasukkan zakarnya ke dalam lubang dubur saya. Jika saya berdusta, atas pengakuan ini, maka saya berdusta terhadap Allah dan saya sanggup menerima azab, laknat dan kutukan daripada Allah hingga ke kiamat. Wallahualam."

I thought it was the 28th…ah…nevermind.. we are after all stuck in a suspended space time continuum, aren’t we… a sort of Philadephia Experiment

Welcome to the New Age Confessional ala Malaysia….where faith and piety are nothing but peaty stuff in the larger scheme of things. And instead of advising the young stallion/mare of the right way of doing things (within the perimeters of the Syariah), this old foggy dispenses his own prescription with alacrity. For the life of me.. I have never read of the Prophet (Pbuh & His family) ever swearing with his blessed hand on the Scripture, but then I guess I must be a plain old ignoramus who is wont to be labelled an old fashioned, ultra conservative, ultra extremist jihadi…… trapped as he is in a time warp by a quirk of fate in a morass called Malaysia. Lest the young starlet consider the Scripture as the end all and be all of his swearing antics (and fall into subtle trap of syirik..) allow me to furnish him and my dear readers with a spittle of my puny intellect:

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Apostle sent an army detachment and made Usama bin Zaid its commander. Some people criticized (spoke badly of) Usama's leadership. So Allah's Apostle got up saying, "If you people are criticizing Usama's leadership, you have already criticized the leadership of his father before. But Wa-aimullah (i.e., By Allah), he (i.e. Zaid) deserved the leadership, and he was one of the most beloved persons to me; and now this (his son Usama) is one of the dearest persons to me after him." (See Hadith No. 745, Vol. 5) – No 623
Narrated Ibn 'Umar: The oath of the Prophet used to be: "No, by Him who turns the hearts."(No:624)
Narrated Jabir bin Samura: The Prophet said, "If Caesar is ruined, there will be no Caesar after him; and if Khosrau is ruined, there will be no Khosrau, after him; and, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, surely you will spend their treasures in Allah's Cause." (no:625)

And as a caution against swearing in the name of Allah SWT at one’s whim and fancy, observe this translation:

Narrated 'Abdullah: The Prophet was asked, "Who are the best people?" He replied: The people of my generation, and then those who will follow (come after) them, and then those who will come after the later; after that there will come some people whose witness will precede their oaths and their oaths will go ahead of their witness." Ibrahim (a sub-narrator) said, "When we were young, our elder friends used to prohibit us from taking oaths by saying, 'I bear witness swearing by Allah, or by Allah's Covenant."'

And for the punishment for those trifling with Allah SWT’s name , study the following two hadiths:


Narrated Imran ibn Husayn: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If anyone swears a false oath in confinement, he should make his seat in Hell on account of his (act). (Sunan Abu Dawud : 3240)

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: One should not take a false oath at this pulpit of mine even on a green tooth-stick; otherwise he will make his abode in Hell, or Hell will be certain for him. (Sunan Abu Dawud)


And for a resolution of issues, observe what the term mubahalah means in the Islamic history (see below- no sir, i am not a Shia)). No siree…it is not reading aloud from some scribbling from a scrap of paper while placing your tender right hand on a holy book (lest you want to equate the Book with the Almighty and run the risk of syirik wa nauzzibillah!). As for “ wise” old men - get a life real fast as the grave is calling and the house is shooing.

Revert : Wonder why they still call us reverts …masuk melayu … easy to figure out
now…. I guess.

AL Mubahalah or Mubahila
Sixty chiefs and `Ulama of Najran, headed by Sayyid, Aqib, and Usquf (religious personalities) of the region in the 10th year A.H. came to Medina to clarify their religious and political stance vis-avis Islam which had spread over the Arab peninsula and to engage in discussions with the Messenger (s) of Allah to realize the essence and truth of Islam. After lengthy discussions which have been presented in details in Ibn Husham's "Sirah" 573/1, no agreement was reached on the position and standing of Jesus. The Christians of Najran believed in the divinity of Jesus and considered him as the son of God. This is while, based on the explicit wording of the Holy Qur'an (3:59), the Messenger (s) of Allah considered him as a prophet and the servant of God. At the end of the discussions, the Prophet (s) suggested that the two sides engage in "mubahalah", in other words, to invoke divine malediction for the lying side. The following verse was descended in this regard: "But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: come let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women and our near people and your near people, then let us be earnest in prayer, and pray for the curse of Allah on the liars." (3:61)
The 10th (and some say the 24th) of Dhul-Hijjah was chosen for "mubahalah". The Messenger (s) of Allah ordered that in a field outside Medina a thin black "aba" (men's loose sleeveless cloak open in front) be used as a shade between two trees. The Christian chiefs and dignitaries of Najran in orderly ranks on one side of the field, on the other side, the Prophet, together with `Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn came from the direction of Medina to the shade. Along this path, the Prophet (s), holding the hand of `Ali, Hasan and Husayn walked in front with Fatimah behind them (c.f. "Majm`a al-Bayan". Interpretation of the Mubahalah Verse). With such simplicity and grandeur, they reached the shade and stood below the "aba". The Holy Prophet (s) recited the "tathir verse" and addressed the "ahl al-bayt" by saying: "I will invoke malediction for them and you say `amin'." Seeing such glory and grandeur, the Najran chiefs lost their self-confidence and felt that they were very puny and could not stand against Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Household. They, therefore, accepted to pay "jaziyyah" and offered to give in to peace. On behalf of the Holy Prophet (s), the commander of the Faithful, `Ali, signed a peace treaty with the Christians. The Christians were to annually offer twelve thousand exquisite clothes, a thousand mithqal of gold, and some other items to remain Christians under the umbrella of Islam. On the basis of the "mubahalah verse", Sunni interpreters such as Zamakhshari, Baydawi, Imam Fakhr Razi and others regard `Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them all) superior to all other people and argue that Hassan and Husayn are the sons of the Messenger (s) of Allah. The term "anfusina" in the "mubahalah verse" proves the unity of the heart and soul of Prophet Muhammad and `Ali. The Holy Prophet (s) stated: "`Ali is of me and I am of `Ali." ("Fadail al- Khamsah" 343/1). The "mubahalah tradition" has been recounted in different books of "sirah" and history with various wordings. These include those of Tirmidhi ("Sahih" 166/2) which quotes S`ad ibn Abi Waqqas as follows: "When the mubahalah verse was recited, the Holy Prophet (s) summoned `Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn and said: `O Allah, these are the Members of my Household." This tradition has been narrated by Hakim Nishaburi in "Al-Mustadrak" 150/3 and Bayhaqi in "Sunan" 63/7. Hakim regards this tradition as authentic.
Retrieved from"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mubahila"
Also visit : http://www.imamreza.net/eng/imamreza.php?id=7645

For in-depth discussion : Dialog Sunnah-Syiah :Surat menyurat antara A. Syarafuddin Al-Musawi dengan asy-Syaikh al-Misyri al-Maliki Oleh A. Syarafuddin Al-Musawi.

Emotional Responses Prejudicial to Islam (Conclusion)

Barely 24 hours after i put up the first part of this post, i got plenty of stick from friends and enemies alike. All Malay-Moslem from Bagan Serai for my purported "betrayal". But, i stand by every word i wrote in that first post and i reiterate: All these people were seeking, was the assertion of their rights within the legal framework nothing more and the assurance given by R.Kesava to assuage the fears of the Malay Muslim polity the day before was crystal clear enough.

Also note that, the main aim of the forum was to settle legal imbroglios , a fact not lost on the government itself:

Among the speakers at the forum was syariah lawyer Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla. Mohd Haniff represented the Federal Territory’s Islamic Religious Council in the case of R Subashini. K Shanmuga and Ravi Nekoo, who were counsel for Subashini and S Shamala, respectively, also spoke....Former Syariah judge and currently the Federal Territory Islamic Department’s syariah prosecutor Dr Mohd Naim Mokhtar pulled out as a panel speaker earlier.- Malaysiakini, 9/8/2008, Protesters stop Bar's 'conversion' forum

For a complete picture of what transpired visit this link : http://charleshector.blogspot.com/. My kudos to the writer for his incisive comments and queries. Indeed, i echo his comments and wish to add that the silence, from other smart arse lawyers and activist whores peddling their intellectual garbage in the nether regions of cyberspace on this issue, is ear splitting to say the least!!

So why all the hullabaloo and all that ruckus? Isn't it plainly obvious to all and sundry that yet another issue affecting the common man has been twisted and "embroidered" beyond "redemption"? Is this the emergence of a new era for Malaysia replete with intimidation through gangsterlike tactics and sheer thuggery (remember also APCET 1996 and one Saifuddin Nasution, the goons manhandling that hapless Chinese vernacular press photographer,the putsch against contrarian views in a certain 'parliament' (better "Perliman) in blogosphere etcetra- all harbingers of worse civil rights violations to come) by a new breed of "charismatic and savvy" politaikos adept at outspinning and out-conspiring the other side or is this the continued perpetuation of the existing "look the other way", "sweep under the carpet "and "bury your head sand" syndromes besetting the current whorelords?

Whether it is the former or the latter, it is clear that the common man/woman has souled out himself/herself to the most devious and fiendish con of all time (if they voted in an election within the greatest con paradigm of all time : democracy, that is) . No, March 8 did not herald a new era.. instead it marks the day when a banana democracy's electorate fed on the promises of change arrived at the inevitable fork of this nation's tortured history and somehow fell for the allure of the untrodden grass and the unsmelt flowers and decided to go for a lark to a promised paradise unbeknownst to the fact that wolves in various disguises were lurking behind every ballot box waiting and biding their time to rape, sodomise and butcher that naive and ever gullible damsel called the Malaysian Voter. Folks ... be afraid ...be very afraid of what is to come!

Revert: Come what may, Inna ilahi wa inna ilahi rajiun

Emotional Responses Prejudicial to Islam

I was away in the East Coast to attend the wedding of a close relative when the news came in about he Bar Council forum fiasco... ugly fracas and all. For the life of me, i cant see the hullabaloo over the forum after an assurance the night before was given by R.Kesava that it would not question Article 121. While the vibes from the heartland around me is not in favour of the forum and there have been a variety of inane comments from several uninformed ignoramuses, the feeling i get is that the animosity to any discussion pertaining to their legal rights once a conversion of a close one takes place is partly due to 2 reasons :

a) the Malay-Muslim polity have boxed themselves into a corner due to their intransigent view that any discussions about Islam ( even one not directly related) carries the hidden agenda of a plan to subvert the religion. This view is partly fed by recent legal issues pertaining to apostates and the prevailing laissez fair approach when commenting on the religion and its tenets by a bunch of ignoramuses who have neither the expertise or locus standi to do so, on the other side of the divide.

b) the widely held perception amongst Non-Muslims in general that Islam is an oppressive religion, a perception further augmented by propaganda from the West and the association of discriminatory and sometimes grossly unfair acts with its adherents in the local political setting. In other words, the non-muslims themselves have boxed themselves into another corner in approaching Islam from this blinkered and jaundiced perspective. this perception is further cemented by the way the Malay vernacular press and certain segments of the Muslim community play it.

So in the end, the people who are caught in the crossfire are the ultimate losers, in this case a group of people gathered to discuss their inalienable rights. In addition, Islam gets another bloody nose. For me, the forum should go ahead provided the following were met:

1. No discussion on the rights of the individual to convert.
2. No besmirching of the religion and its principles.
3. The preparedness of the non-Muslim community to understand why the Muslims emphasize the need to resolve these matters via the Syariah courts and vice versa and come to an understanding on how to overcome the logjam.
4. The involvement of all the relevant stakeholders in the discussion ( I am not sure.. but were the respective organisations i.e., Jakim, the Syariah lawyers etcetra invited or is this another one sided Islam bashing fest.) and if they were invited why pass up the opportunity to put forth the Islamic perspective

If all the above had been met, then it is sad that a golden opportunity to resolve a series of issues underlying a conversion has been drowned in a deluge of emotion and ignorance......

(to be continued)

The Last Days

The recent upheaveals in society, economics and politics portend the onset of the last days as foretold aeons ago by the great prophets. Irrespective of race, religion or creed, humanity is confronted with a spectre of its total annihilation. It is an event that will creep into every home, touch every soul and tear asunder every dream. Like Death stalking in stealth, these events will crush hopes and vanquish illusions so lovingly nurtured within the sheltered innocence of our puny little worlds. There will not be a soul left untouched nor a body left unbroken by the seemingly interminable squalls of chaos that will buffet the sails of our cherished dreams and roil the calm waters around the ark of our peaceful existence. Yet within the horror of the forthcoming Holocaust, lie the seeds of revival and the rejuvenation of Mankind. To be these seeds of New Tomorrows, I humbly call upon you to submit to Allah and His ordained Way, Islam, so as not to perish in a maelstorm of mythic proportions.