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.

AIDILADHA IN PD

During Aidiladha this year, my in-laws and me went to PD for a family retreat. We stayed at Avillion Admiral Cove, near Telok Kemang. A beautiful place with loads of activities.

Friday night, we had dinner at this restaurant. Nice food BUT we had to wait for more than an hour. We could see a few other tables gave up and decided not to stay any longer. They left. We almost gave up too and was about to leave, when our food arrived. Thank god!!

Would I recommend this restaurant to others? Hmm... yes, because the food is nice; BUT DO NOT go there during peak season or you'll have to wait for more than an hour for your food.

The next day, we started our activities with a taste of Robin Hood....

Afif

Babah

Fareen

Farah

Kak In

Robin Hood

Azard

Nita

Nadzrul

Then, bicycle time!!!

A few of us also tried KMX

Then, lunch at a Golf Club..

Then, a few other activities....

 

More pictures in Facebook...........................

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Election Fever : POLITICAL BAGGAGE..

Election fever is definitely in the air!!

While other politicians are still playing the guessing game on when the 13th General Election (GE13) is going to be held, one man seems to have already started to sprint, making headlines after headlines. That man is none other than Anwar Ibrahim. He seems to be pulling all stops in what many are describing as his last stride.

Anwar political career have been nothing but spectacular. His student days as an activist against the government are still being talked about till this day, as well as his overnight U-turn from student activist to an UMNO member, his high speed rise to power within the BN government which almost saw him helming the Prime Ministership, his downfall from power and life in confinement, his controversy released in 2004, his entrance back into active politics and his ever changing character from an ultra-Malay to someone who now enjoys the support of the Non Malays more than the Malays.

Anwar is regarded as a (god given) hero among the opposition, who miraculously glued together 2 opposing opposition parties - PAS & DAP. It is an open secret that these 2 parties can NEVER work together because of their fundamental differences. But with Anwar and his PKR party being the binder, PAS & DAP are now seen holding hands. Ironically, until today, they have put very little effort into 'marrying' the 3 parties. This loose coalition between DAP, PKR and PAS gained some significant grounds in the last election, by capturing 5 states in the Peninsular Malaysia. Everyone (even people from the BN camp), cannot deny that that 'political tsunami' in 2008 was due to the 'Anwar' factor.

However, the tune have changed lately because there have been a rapid declining trend of that 'Anwar' factor among the general public and among the opposition themselves. If Anwar Ibrahim was seen as the champion for the opposition in 2008 GE12, he is now seen as a BURDEN that the opposition has to carry. Since 2008, the nation have also witnessed the biggest 'number-of-people-leaving-a-party-in-a-single-term' in history.

The most prominent name of those who left PKR is none other than Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan. His departure from PKR captured world-wide coverage, not because of the departure per say, but because of the accusations he made against  Anwar. 

Who is Saiful?

Saiful used to be Anwar's private assistance, who follows Anwar abroad and arranging for Anwar's daily schedule. However, he later claimed to have been sodomized by his boss (Anwar) on several occasions and lodged a police report. Anwar was charged under Section 377B. And after years of legal battle, Anwar was eventually found NOT GULTY of this charge on technical basis in 2012.

His defense lawyers successfully argued that the prosecutors have actually filed the charge under the wrong Section.

Section 377B says : "Whoever voluntarily commits carnal intercourse against the order of nature shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping"

In one media interview, Karpal Singh, who was Anwar's lead council in this case said
"If they filed it under 377B, then the sodomy was consensual and both parties (i.e Anwar and Saiful) should be charged. Why is Anwar facing this charge alone??"  

Karpal then explained that the correct section that the prosecutors should have filed this charge under was Section 377C.

Section 377C says : "Whoever voluntarily commits carnal intercourse against the order of nature on another person without the consent, or against the will, of the other person, or by putting the other person in fear of death or hurt to the person or any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping."

The rest of the details about this sodomy case are history and Anwar remains a free man.

Other heavyweights who has now left PKR includes.

Dr Chandra Muzaffar - PKR (ex) Deputy President

Ezam Mohd Noor - PKR (ex) Youth Chief and also a Co-founder of the original 'KeADILan' party.

Ruslan Kassim - PKR (ex) Information Chief

Zainur Zakaria - PKR (ex) MPT Member

Datuk S. Nallakarupan - PKR (ex) MPT Member

Marina Yusoff - PKR (ex) Vice President

Mohd Annuar Tahir - PKR (ex) Secretary General

Anuar Shaari - Anwar's (ex) Private Secretary

Lokman Noor Adam - PKR (ex) Youth Secretary

Zahid Md Arip - PKR (ex) Deputy Youth Chief

Hamdan Taha - PKR (ex) Deputy Election Director

Datuk Salehuddin Hashim - PKR (ex) Secretary General

Faizal Julaili - PKR (ex) Sabah Youth Secretary

Awang Mumin Awang Marali - PKR (ex) Papar Secretary

Abdul Rahman Osman - PKR (ex) Treasurer

Saidatul Badru Tun Said Keruak - PKR (ex) Vice President

Jeffrey Kitingan - PKR (ex) Vice President

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim - PKR (ex) Vice President

Nazaruddin Darmawan - PKR (ex) Kuala Selangor Youth Chief

Fauziah Sulaiman - PKR (ex) Kuala Selangor Women Chief

Abdul Manap Shahardin - PKR (ex) Election Candidate and also a Co-founder of the original  'KeADILan' party.

Datuk Dr Halili Rahmat - PKR (ex) Hulu Selangor Treasurer

Soraya Sulaiman - PKR (ex) Perak Information Chief

Roshanita Mohd Basir - PKR (ex) Bagan Serai Deputy Chief

Aminah Abdullah - PKR (ex) Penang Women Chief

FEDERAL SEATS       

Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed - Member of Parliament Bayan Baru

Tan Tee Beng - Member of Parliament Nibong Tebal

Mohsin Shamsuri - Member of Parliament Bagan Serai

Zulkifli Nordin - Member of Parliament Kulim Bandar Baru

Wee Choo Keong - Member of Parliament Wangsa Maju

STATE SEATS

Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi - ADUN Behrang

Kapten (B) Mohd Osman Jailu - ADUN Changkat Jering

Gabriel Adit Demong - ADUN Ngemah

Md Radzi Salleh - ADUN Lunas

Badrul Hisham Abdullah - ADUN Perlabuhan Klang

V. Arumuggam - ADUN Bukit Selambau

Fairuz Khairuddin - (ex) Deputy Chief Minister of Penang

These are no ordinary people!!

They used to be leaders in PKR and strong supporters of Anwar Ibrahim. Their support for Anwar were so strong that some of them have even paid the price for breaking the law in Anwar's name. But after 2008, it was as if they were awaken from a spell and realized who Anwar really is.

And just like that, the magic in Anwar's name disappeared and his trusted circle started to rapidly shrink.

These people later join forces to form an NGO named "TIBAI", an acronym for Tolak Individu Bernama Anwar Ibrahim.

TIBAI aims to expose to Malaysian and the world just who Anwar Ibrahim really is. Rallies and gatherings have been organized by TIBAI for that purposes.

Meanwhile, those who still remains with him, including his political allies from DAP and PAS, are watching these developments closely and are doing their own calculation. Deep down, they cannot deny that Anwar was the one who got them together in 2008 under the unofficial banner of Pakatan Rakyat, but they definitely do not want to be dragged down with Anwar, should he fail. And everybody knows that without Anwar, PAS and DAP will be on each other's throats in split second.

They have learned to be weary of Anwar's statements because they know that Anwar is very slick with his words and is capable of saying something with confidence, even if it is not true.

Anwar proved this shortly after GE12 in 2008 when he announced to the world of his promise to overthrow the democratically-elected ruling party by 16 Sept that year, through ways of getting enough member of parliament from the ruling party to defect. The entire coalition of PR was brought to shame when this promise did not materialized.

Another was in 2010 when he came out bashing the Jews and Israel for illegally and brutally capturing a Malaysia's humanitarian vessel to Gaza. Everyone supported that motion. But a few days after, leaders in PR were put to shame again, when Anwar decided to make an apology visits to US over his allegedly anti-semantic statements.

Another was when he made statements that the laws on homosexual needs to be reviewed. Knowing the fact that homosexual is rejected in ALL religion, he once again made his political ally dumbfounded over his statement.

Another was at the Bersih 3.0 rally when Anwar was caught on video as the one giving instructions to demonstrators to break the police barricade, which is the turning point of that rally turning from a peaceful event to a violent one. Even Bersih demonstrators came out to criticize him for doing that.

Another was when the video of him having sex with a prostitute came out in the open. He continuously deny this, but until today dare not take legal actions on those who made the exposure.

And many more examples.

I am sure that I don't have to mention what Anwar's political enemies think about this promises, but is it not a secret that a lot of his own supporters and political allies are becoming weary of his words.

Lately, Anwar is seen to travel in style, AS IF trying to portray his capability to garner wealth.

The first was the PKR Bus. Funny how they call it the PKR bus, when the bus has Anwar's picture on it as big as the bus itself. This is weird because Anwar is not holding any official position in PKR. He is regarded as the De Factor Leader (Ketua Umum) of PKR, but that position is neither an official title nor was it open for contest in PKR's own election. In other words, the position Anwar is holding in his own party is a non-democratic position. A more suitable picture to be on that bus is picture of his wife, Azizah who is the Party President or Azmin Ali, who is the Party Deputy President. And if PKR claims that they are fighting for democracy, why are they glorifying someone who is holding a non-democratic position in the party?

Then there was this luxurious private plane that Anwar used to travel while in the East Malaysia. Again, AS IF Anwar is trying to portray his capability to garner wealth.

Here's a thought, all politician knows that the closer you are to the grass-root (i.e the way they talk, the way they spend, the way they travel, the way they eat), then the bigger political mileage that they would gain. So, one have to wonder just what is Anwar trying to do when he travels luxuriously on a bus with his face on it and on a private plane. Something the average Malaysian wouldn't even dare to dream of? Being an experienced politician, Anwar knows that by doing so, he is actually distancing himself from the grass root.

So, I wonder just who is Anwar trying to impress? Foreign support maybe?

Since GE13 is just around the corner, it is up to the rakyat to decide - are we going to maintain the status quo based of the growth and benefits that Malaysia has achieved or change for the sake of changing? What will happen when we go for change just for the sake of changing and put Pakatan Rakyat is Putrajaya as the federal government?

Remember this - Although Anwar is the opposition leader now, but his PKR party is not the majority holder in Pakatan Rakyat. He is being put there on the mercy of DAP. Again, this itself is going against the spirit of democracy, which is supposed to be the voice of the majority. If DAP really regards Anwar as a supreme leader, one who is even more superior than their own party president, then they should ask for DAP and PKR to merge and put Anwar is his 'rightful' place as supreme leader.

Why put someone who does not command the majority in the coalition as the opposition leader?

Again and yet again, Pakatan Rakyat have shown that they don't respect democracy, even if they continuously claimed that they do. But as the saying goes, action speaks louder than word.

I'll leave you with that thought. To me, wwhatever the result of GE13 may be, it proves that democracy is very much alive in our blessed nation - which is great!!