Liberalism is Islam’s real enemy – Abu Ameen
Hafiz Ahmad wrote (see Corruption, not liberalism, is Malays’ real enemy) that some Malays are probably out of their mind being concerned about something that is not affecting their daily life.
He said corruption, not liberalism, is Malays’ real enemy.
I assume that when he said Malays, he was also 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 no one in Mecca at that time would have thought that the pure monotheistic belief as thought by the Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail would gradually be discarded.
He probably thought it was an innovation at that time. He broke with 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 a norm. Only hundreds of years later, Prophet Muhammad removed these idols 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 civilisation.
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.
It has moved from classical liberalism that extols the virtues of laissez-faire capitalism to social liberalism that favours welfare reforms and state intervention.
At the end of the Cold War, democratic liberalism finally stood triumphant against all other ideologies.
As like any other human ideologies or secular religions in the Western world in the 17th and 18th centuries, democratic liberalism provided rules and norms on every aspect of human life – individual, economic, political, military, moral and philosophy. One opponent, however, remained standing and it is not secular by any means. It is Islam.
Islam is unlike any other religion. It presents itself as an alternative way of life that permeates every aspect of life and culture.
In the words of Hassan al-Banna:
“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’s supporters to debate among themselves what constitutes 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 (that is, liberalism and Islam) battle for the hearts and minds, four kinds of Muslims emerge (SyeikhYasir Qadhi categorised them into three, but I prefer to add the last one as shown below).
• A Muslim who totally embraces the Western way of life and rejects Islam as a whole;
• A Muslim who attempts to strike a balance by redefining Islam in order to adapt to the “progressive” way of life as defined through Western culture;
• A Muslim who strives to return to the traditional Islamic belief without abandoning the Quran and As-Sunnah; and,
• A Muslim who literally follows the 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 modernised 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 to which the Western world is adhering. Absolute logic becomes their spiritual and moral compass.
As a result, we have people like Irsyad Manji, an openly lesbian Muslim, who admits that she does not need to pray.
We read about DrAmina Wadud who became the first Muslim woman to lead Friday prayers with a mixed congregation.
We were recently shocked to hear about Imam Daayiee Abdullah, the first openly gay imam, who allows women and men to kneel side by side during prayers and marries same sex couples.
These examples do not stop there as their approach and thinking have now silently reached our region.
In Indonesia, they established Jaringan Islam Liberal (JIL), while in Malaysia, there are several non-governmental organisations 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 cognisant of the silent cancerous ideologies that are slowly corrupting the already seemingly weak Malays’ Islamic way of life, which faces hostilities on 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 are being eroded through the spreading of liberalism, secularism and all other man-made ideologies.
Yes, rampant corruption is a threat to Malaysia but don’t forget all other social ills related to materialism, such as prostitution, drug addiction, poverty, gangsterism, alcoholism, pre-marital sex, rising crime rates, businessmonopoly 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.
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 the ballot box but with clear ideals and principles.
Material corruption is not just solved by changing today’s ruling party 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 to address the seemingly lack of all-rounding Islamic understanding and practice among 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 West.
This is because of a 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 wake up and face the reality.
The reality is that our true enemy materialises 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 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. – December 26, 2013.
* Abu Ameen is an Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) activist.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
source : MI
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