HOPING FOR ULAMA TO UNITE

Subhanallah.. Alhamdulillah.. Allahu Akbar!!

I am quite sad to note the situation of Muslims today. We seemed to be lost in transition. Perhaps, this is what our Prophet meant when he mentioned - In the end, Muslims will be divided into 73 secs, all of them believe that they are the true Muslims. But only 1 sec will remain true to the teachings of Islam and enter Jannah. So before I go any further, let us pray... 

"Ya Allah.. please always guide us in the true path and do not let us go astray." 

Now, let me get to my point. At this point, I am confused (to a certain extend angry) with some of the Ulama' and the Ustaz and the Ustazah today. They themselves are divided in their teachings. Divided not just on small matters, but also on core fundamentals of the religion. Things that could make a difference, either hell fire or Jannah for us. I have to say that some of the Ulama' today preaches Islam for the sake of their political or economical or even personal agendas. They twist their words to fit that agenda.

One time, they say that if you befriended or work together with a non Muslims, you yourself becomes a non Muslim. But at another time, they quoted that the Prophet himself have made peace with the non Muslims in the ever popular Hudaibiah Agreement, which justifies them to befriend and collaborate  the non Muslims. 

Note - The Hudaibiah Agreement was an agreement made between the Prophet and the Jews of Madinah more than 1400 years ago. It did not just happened recently. So, how could some Ulama' first quoted that we become a non Muslim if we befriended a non Muslim; then the same Ulama' later quoted the Hudaibiah Agreement to justify them befriending non Muslims? 

Don't get me wrong - I have no problem having non Muslims friends. I have a lot of non Muslim friends. They have never ask me to convert and neither have I asked them. We have always respected each other. Please understand my question carefully - I think it's good now that the Ulama' have realized that it is okay to befriend and even forge corporations with the non Muslims. My question is - why the twisting of words? Did they just found out about the Hudaibiah Agreement recently and change their stand? That agreement happened more than 1400 years ago and it is all over Islamic scriptures. How could they not know this before??

Another example, some Ulama' today have said that visiting the Churches or Temples are forbidden in Islam, but when they themselves are invited to attend functions in Churches or Temples, they quoted the visit of Khalifah Omar Al-Kattab to a Church during his time, to justify their attendance to the function in Churches and Temples today. Again, why the twisting of words?

Another example, some Ulama' have said that our ending, either to hell fire or heaven, is the sole prerogative of Allah. Humans have no say in it whatsoever. It does not matter how good or how bad we are. It is Allah's sole prerogative to send us to hell fire or heaven. And they added that all this is already written in the book of fate (Lukh Mahfuz) even before time existed. Then, the same Ulama' made a u-turn and said that we are all responsible for whatever we do. They said that we must not assume that it is all fated because our ending depends on our deeds. They then quoted a verse from Quran, where Allah have said 

"I will not change the fate of the people, until the people changes their own fate themselves"

Another example, some Ulama' today have issued a STERN WARNING that music is forbidden in Islam. It is one of the instruments of the devil. And those embracing music is a sure sign of going to hell fire. But some other Ulama' disputes that and said that actually there is no restriction for Muslims to sing, play musical instruments or hear music, so long as it does not make us go astray from our religious obligations. They clarified that the restriction is on things that made us forget our religious duty, not specific on music. So, even if someone reads the Quran the whole day (which is a great thing), but if because of that he forgets to do his 5 daily prayers, then that reading of Quran itself is wrong. These Ulama' even encourages music as a mean to sent good messages to the people. Some of them even sang during their religious speeches in mosques, supported by musical instruments.

So, who are we to follow?

Those are just a few examples. The problem I have is, they make it sound like they were delivering the word of Allah, when it is really their humanly opinion. When it is an opinion - Dear Ulama', Ustaz, Ustazah, please state that it is an opinion!

Remember, Prophets are free from sins. Their words, actions and decisions are guided ones. They are never wrong. But Ulama' are not Prophets. Their humanly opinion can also be wrong sometimes. Unless if they are delivering the true words of Allah taken straight from Al-Quranul Karim or the words of the Prophets taken straight from the authenticated Al-hadith. Otherwise, Ulama's logic and humanly opinion can be open for debate.

Nowadays, things have gotten worse. We are now seeing Ulama' from one sec, labeling another Ulama' from another sec as betrayers of the religion. Another Ulama' then labeled the earlier two Ulama's as having no knowledge at all about the true teachings of Islam. And another Ulama' then labeled the earlier three Ulama's as Murtad. But all four Ulama's tells us of the same ending - either Hell Fire or Heaven.

How is this going to help the ummah? So, I am really hoping for the Ulama' to somehow be united and deliver one, and only one, version of Islam.

Yes, you may ask me why am I leaving this entirely to the Ulama' and not strengthen my own knowledge on Islam? Dear friends, rest assured that I am working on it. I am NOT leaving this entirely on the shoulders of the Ulama'. Neither should any of us. I am trying my best to be a good Muslim in the true meaning of it. But in my quest of doing so, I sometimes get frustrated to learn of the significant variations between the Ulama' in their religious teachings.

Let me end this entry by quoting something from the last sermon of our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW. At the end of that sermon on 9th Zulhijjah of the 10th year of Hijrah in Arafah, the Prophet said:

"Oh my fellow humans, listen carefully to the words that I have said to you. I leave you with two things that if you hang on to the two, you will never go astray forever. That is the Quran and my sunnah" 

I am going to try to hang on to this. So, every teachings about Islam must be based on either Quran or Sunnah. It cannot be based on the opinion of Ulama' alone, who are currently divided among themselves. So, every time I hear something from an Ustaz, Ustazah, Sheik or Ulama' that does not match with that limited knowledge of Islam that I have, I would want to verify it with the Quran and the Sunnah/Hadith.

Another dangerous phenomenon that is happening now is that some Ulama' are sometimes giving us only part of the words from Quran or Hadith to justify whatever agenda they may have in mind at that point. Surprisingly, when we verify it with the whole sentence or the whole surah, we sometimes find that it carries a different interpretation altogether.

Dr Zakir Naik have correctly pointed out recently, which relates directly with the last sermon of the Prophet. He said:

"If anyone wants to know about Islam, don't look at the Muslims, but look at it's scriptures - Quran and Sunnah" 

Wallahualam.