Apostacy News

Assalaamu'alaikum wa Rahmatullah!

Throughout current issues that we had followed these few years, we could see many riddah (apostacy) cases happened in Malaysia. Last few years, we heard about an old folk Malay lady from Perlis died as a Buddhist. She had been a Buddhist since she was kidnapped to Thailand by a Thai man.

When she returned home, she was already married to a Buddhist man. Her children were initiated as Buddhists in Thai Buddhist Monastery and she remains non-committal to Islamic faith although being urged to return by her family member. Ironically the lady was a native from the village of my brother in law in Panggas Village but buried in Kok Khlang. These villages are the village with Thai speaking people. They can speak in both Malay and Thai because of the bordering situation with Southern Thailand province of Satun and Songkhla.

Other previous news was about a Malay lady converted to Christianity called Lina Joy and she is now living in unknown place in Sabah. I am not really sure if she won the case to retain her status as Malay but being a Christian because in Malaysia, Malay and Islam is incorporated as an inseparable identity by the Constitution. Sometimes I feel like Malay is a religion rather than a national identity inspired by the identification of nation-state of European countries concept.

As for me, I am comfortable with myself as a Muslim and a Bumiputera of Kedah state in Malaysia without having to steal others' ethnicity identity to be a life member of a political party. I did not get any scholarship or aid from the stolen identity. Instead it had made me astray from the path of Allah when I thought that my ancestors were native Buddhist and Hindus when I have problem to befit into the society during my childhood time. People do not accept me because I do not really look like a Malay and did not behave like one. The matter of racial identity is not a big deal, Allah is more important for now and for ever. 

The recent one that I heard is yesterday in Malaysian National News (BERNAMA) where a 19 years old Malay boy admitted that he had changed his faith to Christianity. He had already attended Christian mass in the church and rituals since early December 2010.

The boy was detained and ordered by the judge of Syari’ah Court to be referred to the mosque in his learning institution for 6 months. He must report his attendance to the mosque every week to the religious office and supervised by the Imaam of the mosque at his Learning Institution in Terengganu. The proceeding for the boy case is done by the Deputy Syari’ie Prosecutor, Mr. Mohd Zaini Sulaiman according to Section 102(3) Islamic Religious Council Enactment and Kelantanese Malay Customs 1994 after the boy was detained in remand in Pangkalan Chepa once being refered by his family to the state religious office. The boy had appealed to the Court not to place him in the ‘Aqidah Rehabilitation Center in Kuala Kubu Baru because he is still a student.   

I had been thinking alone in my room about ‘aqidah issue in the past few weeks and this news suddenly popped out like yesterday and discussing about it through my intercourse with those respective kids in the Jama’at-e-Tabligh.

I actually do not think that we should blame anyone whether the boy or the missionaries in this issue. I personally believe that parents should first know their responsibility to bring up their children together into remembering Allah and following the sunnah or the tradition of rasulullah (saw).

This is what happened when parents neglected their children. Even in a religious family, if the parents do not care about their children and just focusing on their own rituals and ‘ibadah, the same thing would also happen. This issue of ‘aqidah is actually more to the issue of identity. Through my personal experience observing, people who are known as Malays had been very stern in protecting their identity with Islam as the shield of the duniaa benefits. For me, when looking through this angle, it just reflects the surface and not from the inner that would beaming outward. It is not about the acceptance of Allah and His messenger as the source of guidance in their life. But the superficial protection of their worldly benefits which they believe could protect them. Now I am wondering, in this matter, where is our pure Tawheed (monotheism only to Allah)?  

It is undeniably important to have our identity or at least know about our background. I also feel comfortable after I know what I am now although with few hardships contacting people of the first villages and consulting elders in family assembly where they are so fond to be known as 'Malays.' Compared to before when I was a boy who has a crisis in his identity, I do not really care about political matters now. It is normal for kids because kids do not really understand what happens around them. Everything in our life is inter-connected to each other. We could not have anything in separate.

As for parental issue, Islam had taught us since the very beginning before a person should get married he or she must acquire themselves with parental knowledge and the responsibility that they have to bear when getting married. It is not only about channeling the lust and passion through a legal relationship between a man and a woman.

It is about responsibility to the soul that would be issued by a married couple. What would the future child (soul) be when they are born? Are they going to be a good sons or daughters? Obedient to the God and the teachings transmitted through Muhammad (s.a.w)? Are they going to be obedient toward their parents and respecting them? How would the parents or the married couple behave? I had seen many couples registering for the marriage seminar conducted at mosque and other licensed institutions but what do they cultivate from that few hours or perhaps few days seminars?

All of these came from the education that the child or soul received since their souls were to be sent by Allah to the womb of their mother to the age where they achieve their maturity. Of course guidance comes from Allah and it is Allah’s right to choose whom He wants to be guided and leaves behind who He does not want to be guided but imaan is also acquired through efforts as what had been decreed. Efforts to implant imaan in the heart of children are not a short term process but it takes such a long time and patience.

The issue of imaan and ihsaan do not only being the concern for the riddah (apostacy) case. But it is also being a concern when we see our youngsters behave in front of us. Last mid night I went to a mamak restaurant near my hostel to have my supper and dinner. I could see young kids, I suppose that they are Malays and Malays must be Muslim, they were kissing each other in front of people in the restaurant in front of others without any shame. I guess they are just around 15 years old or might be older from their feature and appearance. Also from the jargon and the way they talk to each other. When we see this, what is the implication of ihsaan in an individual and society? 

So, how do we measure our imaan (faith) my beloved brothers and sisters in faith? Is it from the identification of our race? Our ethnicity? Our identity card that stated our religious identity as Muslim and from our Islamic sound names? Or in side of our heart?

If the boy who admits himself as a Christian was detained and later being left behind after six months without any support and care from his parents, siblings, and friends, what will happen to him although he does not attend church meetings anymore? When we are going to die, will Allah look at our identity card, or look at whether we are Malays or not to determine what is our ‘real’ imaan? Will Allah check all of these in our documents? Or will Allah check it with our imaan and 'amaal? I began to understand this when I compare it with what I had heard from the Tabligh lectures and the tasawwuf kitaab. Also making cross check with basic faith. Before this I did not understand all of these although I learned about this in Islamic Education in schools be it primary education or secondary.

As what I had already analyzed and still going through it without feeling tired of it, the religion or deen is based from three basic things. Imaan, ‘Ibadah, and Ihsaan. Ihsaan is related to our behavior and attitude in front of God. These three basic things are inseparable elements of religion. From these three, the Syariah (Way) and the Ummah (Nation) are developed, my dear brothers and sisters.

I am not sure whether I put my points clear because I am not good in words but I am trying to brought this issue as an advice for every one of us who believes in Allah and His messenger (s.a.w). It includes myself without exception and may we be saved from His torments because we do not know how terrible His torments are when we lie to Him. When we try to cheat Him by saying that we have the faith to Him with our dirty lips while we behave a munafiq (hypocrite) and performing differently from what we had proclaimed, na’uzubillahu min dzaalik (may He prevents it)…

I am so afraid of myself ya Allah please save me, save my brothers and my sisters that I love so much. Brothers and sisters in faith are important than my own soul :’(

Brothers and sisters let us chant the kalimah syahadah everytime. It is not a sin to chant it everywhere in our heart. It is not only to be chanted once when a muallaf reverting to Islam and then being left behind. If it is not important after being known as a Muslim then, Allah would not prescribe us the five times obligatory daily prayers where the syahadah (faith proclamation) is included in two tasyahuds (proclamation) of each prayers except the Fajr prayer with only one tasyahud. We always take this matter easy.

Syahadah is very important and the first pillar in the five pillars of Islam. It is the key for syafa'at (salvation). It is related to the first and second pillars of the pillars of Imaan. When we leave obligatory salaat (prayers), then are we really a Muslim in that day? This is also a warning to myself. God would surely torment me with full torments in hell each time I miss my salaat :’((((((((((

Ya Allah my Lord, we seek Your protection from the torment of qubr (in grave), we seek your protection the jahannam (hell). Allah my Lord we seek protection from the slander of the life and death. Allah we seek protection from the slander of the al-Masih Dajjal. Allah my Lord we seek protection from the root of sins and the maghram (debt). O Allah please do not deflect our heart after You had guide us. Bless us with Your boundless Grace. Indeed You are the Greatest Grantor, aaminn!!!!