Hafiz Ahmad wrote [1] that some Malays are probably out of their mind being concerned about something that is not affecting their daily life. He pointed out that corruption, not liberalism is Malays real enemy. I assume that when he indicated Malays he was also cross-referring to Muslims, as most Malays in Malaysia’s context are Muslims.
I will thus attempt to approach this from an Islamic perspective and remind him that our real enemy doesn’t need to show up in broad daylight. Our enemy could come in many forms and in most cases; the silent enemy is deadlier than the obvious ones.
When Amr bin Lahiyy brought the first idol to Mecca, there was hardly any resistance and nobody in Mecca at that time would have thought that the pure monotheistic belief as thought by the Prophet Ibrahim pbuh[2] and Ismail pbuh would gradually be discarded. He probably thought it was a progressive innovation at that time. He broke the tradition, altered the religion and spread idolatry. The falsehood grew as people installed more idols around Mecca.
As time progressed, social ills in the Mecca society became their norms and customs. Only hundreds of years later through Prophet Muhammad pbuh that all these idols were removed and the social ills were brought to a halt. Islam was re-established again in Mecca and throughout the world generations by generations benefited from this Islamic civilization.
I agree that liberalism has been used loosely and can refer to a wide range of ideological positions. Liberalism has evolved over time and constantly adapted itself into different branches. From classical liberalism that extols the virtues of laissez-faire capitalism to social liberalism that favors welfare reforms and state intervention.
Islam is unlike any other religion. It presents itself as an alternative way of life that permeates every aspect of life and culture. Taking from the words of Sheikh Hassan Al-Banna rahimahullah [3]:
“Islam is a comprehensive system which deals with all spheres of life.
It is a country and homeland or a government and a nation.
It is conduct and power or mercy and justice.
It is a culture and a law or knowledge and jurisprudence.
It is material and wealth or gain and prosperity.
It is Jihad and a call (dakwah) or army and a cause (fikrah).
And finally, it is a true belief and the correct worship.”
I leave it to the liberalism supporters to debate amongst themselves what actually constitute liberalism. My focus here is the liberalism threat that comes under the disguise of progressive Islam or Islamic revivalism.
As these two incompatible value systems (i.e. liberalism and Islam) battle for the hearts and minds, four kinds of Muslims emerges (Syeikh Yasir Qadhi categorized them into three, but I prefer to add the last one as shown below).
• A Muslim that totally embraces the western way of life and rejects Islam as a whole
• A Muslim that attempts to strike a balance by redefining Islam in order to adapt to the “progressive” way of life as defined through the western culture
• A Muslim that strives to return back to the traditional Islamic belief without abandoning Al-Quran and As-Sunnah
• A Muslim that literally follows As-Sunnah without adapting to the current situation
The first and the last category of people are probably easy to identify. The third Insya-Allah is what we aspire to be. However, those in the second category, the so-called “liberal Muslims” are probably the most dangerous of them all. They may not corrupt us in the material sense, but they do corrupt us ideologically. They claim that they are modernized Muslims but in reality they have a different sets of paradigm on how to revive Islam. To them, they see that Islam can only be progressive by adapting to the same principles that the Western world is adhering to. Absolute logic becomes their spiritual and moral compass.
As a result, we have people like Irsyad Manji, an openly lesbian Muslim who admitted that she does not need to pray. We read about Dr Amina Wadud that became the first Muslim lady leading the Friday prayer to a mixed congregation. We were recently shocked to hear about Imam Daayiee Abdullah, America’s first openly gay Imam that allows women and men to kneel side by side during praying and marries same sex couples.
These examples of course do not stop there as their approach and thinking have now silently reached our region. In Indonesia, they established Jaringan Islam Liberal (JIL) while here in Malaysia there have been several NGOs formed to spread this idea. These NGOs even formed a coalition that we know today as COMANGO.
Thus to answer Hafiz’s confusion;
Yes, Malays should be aware of the day-to-day issues related to the economy, education and security to name a few, but they should also be cognizant of the silent cancerous ideologies that are slowly corrupting the already seemed weak Malays Islamic way of life, which is already facing hostilities from many fronts.
Yes, the image of Islam is tarnished by the corrupt Muslims politicians but this does not mean we should ignore the more alarming fact that the very principles of Islam is being eroded through the spreading of liberalism, secularism and all other man made ideologies.
Yes, rampant corruption is a threat to Malays but don’t forget all other social ills related to materialism such as prostitution, drug addiction, poverty, gangsters, alcoholism, pre-marital sex, rising crime rates, business monopoly and other immoral conducts.
Yes, the purchasing power of Malays will reduce drastically in the future and the rising cost of living will threaten our stomachs but being complacent and just tackling the symptoms would not help us either.
Since we know all these so what is the solution then? The answer to all these problems largely depends on the direction and identity we aspire for this nation. We should not fight corruption merely with bullets and ballots but with clear ideals and principles. Material corruption is not just solved by changing the ruling party of today’s government but by promoting and advocating the right ideology for the nation.
I personally believe liberalism or any other approach does not provide the comprehensive and complete solution as Islam does.The need for ideologies in conflict with Islamic principles to be challenged is not to serve as a diversion or to cover up from the real issues, but in actual sense to address the seemingly lack of all-rounding Islamic understanding and practice among the Muslims. It is thus important to adhere to the Islamic way of life in a complete manner and not mix it with any other forms of ideology.
Allah says in the Quran:
“And mix not truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth, while you know (the truth)” Al-Baqarah:42.
Liberalism or any other ideologies dilute Islamic principles in many ways. It may solve some issues related to individual liberty, fair elections, civil rights, press freedom and few others but it also brings about other social issues as clearly seen in the Western countries. This is due to the lack of comprehensive ethical and moral boundaries, not only concerning our worldly business but also its consequences in the hereafter, as has been clearly set in Islam.
Finally, Hafiz is also right that Malays need to wakeup and face the reality. The reality is that our trueenemy materializes in the form of ideas from a person or a group of people who mislead others by corrupting the understanding of Islam through their liberal interpretation.
This reminds me the story of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal rahimahullah. He is known as a famous scholar not because he is against the excessiveness of the Khalifahs’ during his time, but his refusal to abandon his true Islamic belief and theology. He became famous, as he stood tall against the might of Muktazilah philosophy under the sponsorship of Khalifah Al-Makmun that championed the role of rationalism in all aspects of life including theology. He could have just opined that “as long as the Muslims are living comfortably we should be fine”, but he didn’t because he knew that the worst kind of corruption is not related to materialism but any form of ideology or practice that corrupts the Islamic belief.
It is up to us to decide which issue should be our first priority to address at this age and time. Bear in mind however that if we do not challenge the concept that are brought forward by the self-proclaimed liberal Muslims today it will gradually be accepted by our society in the future. As Muslims, it is our duty that we should not retreat against this steady yet certain wave that is hitting our shores.
History has proven so many times that the uncontested ideologies of today are the accepted slogans of tomorrow. They come to be accepted by degrees, by consistent yet constant pressure on one side and gradual retreat on the other until one day when they are suddenly declared to be the country’s official ideology. If and when that happens, no amount of wealth could save our future generations.
Footnote:
[2]: Peace be upon him
[3]: Allah has mercy upon him
