I am writing this article not because I want to but I have to. I have to reply to an article by S Thayaparan in MalaysiaKini dated 18th September 2016. The writer seems to have been insinuating a character of Ustaz Haron that was unworldly. He mentioned about our Ustaz evicting spirits that were attempting to plague the Muslim community. Well correction has to be made here, our Ustaz treated not only Muslim but people of other faiths as well.
Hence to say that the efforts of Darussyifa’ were only for Muslims is not accurate. Secondly there is no need to discredit those who perform exorcism in the name of their religion. Every religion its own exorcist, be it Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and the list goes on. Of course unless you are atheist then exorcism does not make sense at all.
So merely associating Islam with exorcism doesn’t do justice to many. In fact it undermines those who do it in the name of their religion. Ustaz Haron at least did what he did best for everyone that he could without asking for money. We know those who extort others to perform exorcism and other rituals but our Ustaz Haron was not among them.
The religion of the writer is not of concern, but the way he wrote about my teacher is far from being true. The writer also claimed that Ustaz Haron believed, that the aligning of PAS and UMNO would hasten the eviction of “wild spirits” from Malaysia. That statement in itself is a form of a fallacy.
The idea of aligning Muslim and/or Malay movements have less to do with politics but more with the ideology of both parties. The idea of the cooperation (if any) was to bridge the gaps among the Muslims. This is inline with God’s commandment in the Qur’an,
“The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.”
Qur’an 49:10
The idea of a cooperation has to do with theology and not fallacies as portrayed by the writer. Ustaz Haron was a very spirited person and a religious one for that matter. He was revered by everyone from all walks of life, regardless of their political beliefs. He was revered not only here in Malaysia but also all over the world.
Ustaz Haron was and still is a figure respected by many from all over the world. Insinuating ideas for a person who is not here to defend himself doesn’t seem fit. I might not be able to comment on the entire article from Thayaparan, but will address what I can. The fact that Ustaz Haron did so much for so many is enough not to entertain every comment from everyone.
Our beloved Ustaz did so many things for so many, healing, preaching, teaching and so on, one has to ask the writer, can he come close? If you can’t come close, then might as well strive to improve yourself rather than spreading falsehood about others. We will be judged by our actions.
If an activist wants to make a change, I am sure he or she can pick a fight with someone who is alive and kicking. It’s just that few did not like him for what he did, but millions loved Ustaz Haron for what he did. May Allah bless his soul and grant him paradise.
Rehan Ahmad Bin Jamaluddin Ahmad
Research Fellow, Institut Kajian Strategik Islam Malaysia (IKSIM)
