Just a brotherly reply to Ravinder Singh

I truly felt sorry when seeing my fellow Malaysians become the victims of their own gullibility. And I truly hope that in the case of Ravinder Singh, he is not suffering from a permanent one. I am referring to his piece yesterday which seemed to be written in response to a news report.

It is hoped that by now you (Ravinder) have discovered that the news report was actually referring to the article that originally appeared here (http://www.ismaweb.net/2014/04/muslim-perlu-beza-antara-adab-hormat-jenazah-dan-hakikat-kekufuran/).

If you have read the original article and comprehended it (it was in Malay by the way), I am sure you could be on the same page with me in that the whole purpose and intent of the article was addressed to Muslims.

It was meant to correct, based on the verses of Al Quran, two unfortunate statements made by two young men. The correction was necessary to avoid their misguided understanding on the subject from spreading further among us Muslims.

If you have to know more, it is normal for Muslims to remind each other to return to the Al Quran and the deeds of the Prophet especially when a misunderstanding is prevailing within the public.

It was just a reminding message from one concerned Muslim to another. So you may want to rethink your statement on who was actually minding other people’s business or ‘menjaga tepi kain orang’ in this case.

It was not ISMA’s responsibility if the context of the original article was thrown out the window, the focus of the message was shifted at will, and a juicy byline was deployed by the news providers. Thus, you may want to consider saving your rage (and your list of questions) over something else more worthwhile.

Speaking of the news providers, we all know that the people in this industry make a living through ads placement (some through not so secretive foreign funds, but that is a story for another time). They are neck and neck in the competition for revenue, so spinning stories become the means for some providers to increase their readership which in turn, will bring more income.

While we may be powerless to determine how the media people would choreograph a particular story to generate a desired public reaction, it is completely within our control to determine how we respond to it.

The news may be so packaged to rile some group of people up against another, for reasons only Allah knows. Some readers bite the bait while some don’t. Some double-checked the sources while some chose to skip dinner and start typing in rage.

It is like when you read Utusan-lah, Ravinder. If you can put some kind of a brain filter when reading through it, why can’t you put the same filter on when reading from these online providers? Is it because they have more news that soothe your political inclination that makes you decide to relax your intellectual judgment?

It is ironic that in this age of fast and free information, we are now slowed down by the needs to verify the materials, especially the sensational ones, which reach our screen.

Users really need to be extra wise so as not to be the victims of misinformation and misperception that is willed upon us through such substandard journalism. We just cannot afford to allow ourselves to be so credulous nowadays.

Returning to the subject of your grouses, you are correct that it is not Isma’s business whether a non-Muslim goes to hell or not. We never said it is ours, too. The second line of the original article stressed very clearly on whose authority it lies with.

Also, we never asked people to disrespect a dead person either (you can gather this from the original title if you understand it properly). The article only asked the Muslims not to overdo with their respect of the deceased to the point of violating the Islamic principles.

We just made it our business to provide reminders to our Muslim brothers and sisters on what the Al Quran says, and how the Prophet did, with regards to our actions as well as the happenings in this beloved country of ours. It is a necessity for all Muslims to recognize that we can say and do all things as long as it does not transgress the boundaries set by Allah and the Prophet.

It may sound unfair to you when you go through and study some of the words of Allah in the Al Quran. But fairness is what you will find in the Al Quran, through the glad tidings and the warnings to the mankind, through the promises of rewards as well as the threats of punishment.

And just so you know, none of us, the Isma members, can even guarantee ourselves that we will go straight to heaven when we die, although we are Muslims. However this never discourages us, in fact it gives us motivation to keep striving to be better Muslims.

Then again, to be fair to you, would you accept our hand and allow us to guide you to Islam and discover that Allah is indeed All Merciful, All Just and All Forgiving?

Umar Hakim Mohd Tajuddin
ISMA Activist