On the 16th of September 2016, one of my teachers passed away. I used to sit at an arms length whenever I could in class. Most of the time he would lead the class from Maghrib all the way till almost 11 at night. That’s more than three hours in one sitting. Though he was old, 73 at that time but he never lacked the energy nor enthusiasm to treat and teach others.
He had a healing centre in Bangi, where it all began, the healing centre is still there. Treatment there is free, no charge for anyone, if you want to give something you can always donate to Darussyifa’s cause. People are treated regardless of their race or religion. Many Muslims and non-Muslims love him, because he treated their illness.
He always told us to treat anyone in need regardless of his or her faith. He treated political enemies and friends alike. He never differentiated people when treating them. He never asked anyone to leave modern medicine. We were told that using the Qur’an and hadith to treat are complementary and not exclusive to each other.
Many revered him for his efforts. Many turned from patients to close friends. When he left us, we were deeply saddened by the news, but everyone has to go sooner or later. Many sent their condolences and shared their eulogy. Datuk Seri Jamil Khir even ordered all the mosques to perform ritual prayers for Ustadh Haron.
There were some who seemed to be pleased with his death. Jeff Ooi said “Adios Harun Din. Let there be peace”. We as humans do not say “bye-bye” or “adios” to those who have left us, we normally say “farewell” for obvious reasons. There is a sense of politeness and empathy in using the correct phrases.
Saying “Adios” is as to insinuate that it is good that Ustadh Haron has left us. the Phrase that follows is even worse. “Let there peace”, seems to suggest the life of our beloved was based on polemics and chaos. It is as though Ustadh Haron was a barrier to peace in this country.
One has to ask Jeff Ooi, how can a person who does good for everyone around him be a hindrance to peace? Jeff’s blatant disregard for peace is clearly shown in his remarks. His statement was made in his Twitter account. Being blinded by hatred and political motives, Jeff even said that he sees nothing wrong with the statement.
Who is causing chaos at the moment? Who is sowing the seeds of hatred among fellow countrymen? Is it Jeff Ooi of Ustadh Haron? It has to be the former, it is not possible for the latter to do such. Championing social and racial divide, Jeff Ooi has proven himself. The statement about peace is better reflected on him.
Maybe one day people will say “good riddance” to Jeff Ooi. Not that I want people to say so, but there is a saying, “Don’t do unto others what you don’t want to be done on you”. Maybe one fine day, people will treat him the way he deserves to be treated. Time will tell what he deserves.
An apology is long due from DAP and Jeff Ooi, one plays bad cop the other, the worst cop. Hopefully we Malaysians don’t get distracted by these comments. Sincere condolences from all of us sane Malaysians to the family of Dato’ Dr Haron Bin Din.
Rehan Ahmad Bin Jamaluddin Ahmad
Research Fellow, Institut Kajian Strategik Islam Malaysia (IKSIM)
