Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Orang Mukmin yang Hebat
"Orang mukmin yang hebat itu..
Dia meninggalkan dunia, sebelum meninggal dunia..
Dia bersedekah sampai kaya, bukan dah kaya baru bersedekah..
Dia berdakwah sampai jadi alim,
bukan dah alim baru berdakwah..
Dia beramal sampai ikhlas, bukan dah ikhlas baru nak beramal"
Sent from my iPhone
Dia meninggalkan dunia, sebelum meninggal dunia..
Dia bersedekah sampai kaya, bukan dah kaya baru bersedekah..
Dia berdakwah sampai jadi alim,
bukan dah alim baru berdakwah..
Dia beramal sampai ikhlas, bukan dah ikhlas baru nak beramal"
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, March 28, 2016
Friday, March 25, 2016
Memori Seminggu Berlalu
Pada minggu lepas, pada waktu ini, aku sedang sibuk mengelap pinggan. Saudara mara dari kampung sebelah datang singgah ke rumah membawa dua buah hadiah, mereka siap menghiasnya sendiri di rumahku. Terhenti sebentar proses memasak gulai daging.
Tengah malam, tunggu punya tunggu, lambat lagi YB nak sampai. Paksa diri tidur dulu di ruang tamu. Terlelap sebentar. Dekat pukul 2 pagi, YB mesej, dah sampai jambatan. Terus siap-siap kejut ayah, keluar pergi ambil YB kat stesen bas. Sunyi jalan raya dalam kampung. Cuma ada satu dua kedai tomyam/nasi kandar yang masih terang benderang. YB sudah sedia menunggu di tepi jalan. Jika naik teksi, sampai 60 ringgit dicaj. Dalam perjalanan balik, ada kemalangan. Mungkin mangsa jatuh lereng bukit. Hanya nampak orang ramai, ambulans dan polis.
Sampai rumah, teman YB makan. Kelaparan betul dia. Lima kali driver bas berhenti. Sebab tu lambat sampai. Dekat 4 pagi, baru aku tidur.
Usai sarapan, kerja-kerja menyusun kerusi meja bermula. Fuhh! Penat jugalah. Sakit pinggang. Tenaga seorang wanita bergabung dengan tenaga seorang lelaki dan seorang warga emas. Pukul 11 baru dapat membersihkan diri. Ayah dan YB dah keluar mengambil barang-barang tempahan.
Masuk Zuhur, terus solat. Mak mula bancuh air. Geng dari kampung sebelah dah sampai, terus ajak aku bersiap-siap. Risau betul takut tak sempat. Dekat pukul tiga, berjaya siap! Masa aku baru nak tinjau-tinjau keadaan rumah, nampak Cynthia dan Shida datang. Pandai mereka cari rumah. Aku hanya beri location dan sedikit tips. Baru nak bawa mereka jumpa mak, dah dengar bising-bising, tetamu yang dinanti telah tiba.
Alamak! Berdebar pulak rasa. Buat-buat cool saja. YB memberi tauliah kepada dua rakanku itu untuk jadi cameraman. Setiap butir bicara aku dengar dengan teliti. Dalam masa yang sama, seakan tak percaya, inikah hari itu? Akhirnya tiba upacara kemuncak, alhamdulillah, semua berjalan lancar. Lepas tu aku segan betul nak keluar, siap minta izin makcik-makcikku, boleh keluarkah?
Alhamdulillah, setelah hampir dua minggu berpenat lelah membuat persiapan, segalanya berjalan lancar. Syukur padaMu ya Allah. Lebihan makanan kami sedekahkan pada jemaah masjid. Lebihan kek aku bawa ke tempat kerja pula. Malam tu memang berhempas pulas membasuh pinggan, periuk dan sebagainya. Ayah dan YB dah lekat depan tv tengok bola. Pukul 10.30pm, aku dah gelisah. Badan dah tak boleh berfungsi. Terus baring di lantai bilik, dengan niat nak bangun pukul 11.30pm, nak tengok result bola dan kejut mak makan ubat. Akhirnya pukul 2am baru terjaga. Sempat check baju yang nak dipakai pagi nanti dah digosok.
Pagi tu bangun seperti biasa, sebelum Subuh lagi. Rasa segar, walaupun badan masih ada sisa keletihan. Ada program derma darah pula,mujur habis awal. 12.50pm sudah berada dalam perut van mahu pulang ke hospital. Petang itu, aku stay kat rumah saja, YB yang bawa mak dan ayah pergi pulangkan barang-barang kepada saudara mara.
Lepas Isyak, kami hantar YB ke stesen bas. Sampai hampir pukul 10pm. Kami tunggu sampai bas jalan, siap lambai-lambai, baru balik ke rumah.
Pada hari ini, aku sedang menaip memori indah ini, mak dan ayah sedang menonton pidato antarabangsa.
Alhamdulillah, syukur ya Allah, atas izinMu untuk aku mengecapi nikmat ini.
Tengah malam, tunggu punya tunggu, lambat lagi YB nak sampai. Paksa diri tidur dulu di ruang tamu. Terlelap sebentar. Dekat pukul 2 pagi, YB mesej, dah sampai jambatan. Terus siap-siap kejut ayah, keluar pergi ambil YB kat stesen bas. Sunyi jalan raya dalam kampung. Cuma ada satu dua kedai tomyam/nasi kandar yang masih terang benderang. YB sudah sedia menunggu di tepi jalan. Jika naik teksi, sampai 60 ringgit dicaj. Dalam perjalanan balik, ada kemalangan. Mungkin mangsa jatuh lereng bukit. Hanya nampak orang ramai, ambulans dan polis.
Sampai rumah, teman YB makan. Kelaparan betul dia. Lima kali driver bas berhenti. Sebab tu lambat sampai. Dekat 4 pagi, baru aku tidur.
Usai sarapan, kerja-kerja menyusun kerusi meja bermula. Fuhh! Penat jugalah. Sakit pinggang. Tenaga seorang wanita bergabung dengan tenaga seorang lelaki dan seorang warga emas. Pukul 11 baru dapat membersihkan diri. Ayah dan YB dah keluar mengambil barang-barang tempahan.
Masuk Zuhur, terus solat. Mak mula bancuh air. Geng dari kampung sebelah dah sampai, terus ajak aku bersiap-siap. Risau betul takut tak sempat. Dekat pukul tiga, berjaya siap! Masa aku baru nak tinjau-tinjau keadaan rumah, nampak Cynthia dan Shida datang. Pandai mereka cari rumah. Aku hanya beri location dan sedikit tips. Baru nak bawa mereka jumpa mak, dah dengar bising-bising, tetamu yang dinanti telah tiba.
Alamak! Berdebar pulak rasa. Buat-buat cool saja. YB memberi tauliah kepada dua rakanku itu untuk jadi cameraman. Setiap butir bicara aku dengar dengan teliti. Dalam masa yang sama, seakan tak percaya, inikah hari itu? Akhirnya tiba upacara kemuncak, alhamdulillah, semua berjalan lancar. Lepas tu aku segan betul nak keluar, siap minta izin makcik-makcikku, boleh keluarkah?
Alhamdulillah, setelah hampir dua minggu berpenat lelah membuat persiapan, segalanya berjalan lancar. Syukur padaMu ya Allah. Lebihan makanan kami sedekahkan pada jemaah masjid. Lebihan kek aku bawa ke tempat kerja pula. Malam tu memang berhempas pulas membasuh pinggan, periuk dan sebagainya. Ayah dan YB dah lekat depan tv tengok bola. Pukul 10.30pm, aku dah gelisah. Badan dah tak boleh berfungsi. Terus baring di lantai bilik, dengan niat nak bangun pukul 11.30pm, nak tengok result bola dan kejut mak makan ubat. Akhirnya pukul 2am baru terjaga. Sempat check baju yang nak dipakai pagi nanti dah digosok.
Pagi tu bangun seperti biasa, sebelum Subuh lagi. Rasa segar, walaupun badan masih ada sisa keletihan. Ada program derma darah pula,mujur habis awal. 12.50pm sudah berada dalam perut van mahu pulang ke hospital. Petang itu, aku stay kat rumah saja, YB yang bawa mak dan ayah pergi pulangkan barang-barang kepada saudara mara.
Lepas Isyak, kami hantar YB ke stesen bas. Sampai hampir pukul 10pm. Kami tunggu sampai bas jalan, siap lambai-lambai, baru balik ke rumah.
Pada hari ini, aku sedang menaip memori indah ini, mak dan ayah sedang menonton pidato antarabangsa.
Alhamdulillah, syukur ya Allah, atas izinMu untuk aku mengecapi nikmat ini.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Sunday, March 13, 2016
This is the true leader
: THE PAS PRESIDENT'S SPEECH UPON DEBATING THE PARLIAMENTARY ROYAL ADDRESS :
THE PARLIAMENT TRANSFORMED INTO A UNIVERSITY LECTURE HALL.
Translated from the notes written by Syed Ahmad Fadhli, the Parlimentary Officer of PAS.
1. Many were stunned and mesmerized by the speech delivered by the President of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), Dato' Seri Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang during the Parliamentary opening session, when debating the Royal Speech by the Yang Dipertuan Agong, Sultan Almu'tasimu Billahi Muhibbuddin Tuanku Alhaj Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah.
The Parliament which would usually be in 'chaos' with its members at odds and arguing with one another had transformed into an educational discourse in a university lecture hall with all ears attentively listening to his words of wisdom.
2. Initially, the time allocated for Dato' Seri Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang was only thirty minutes. However, he was then allowed to continue for an hour because many of the members of Parliament were stopping him in between to ask questions.
They directed their questions with utmost politeness and courtesy, with even an MP from DAP addressing him as 'Tuan Guru', whereas it was the norm for MPs to address one another as YB, based on the Parliament which he or she represents. Some of the MPs from BN were so intrigued that they even started their questions with praise to the Almighty; Subhanallah (Glory be to Allah) and Tabarakallah (Blessed is Allah).
3. What was different this time around was that the President delivered his speech without any earlier prepared text. Only once in a while, he would refer to his notes for important points and this rendered the speech more casual and spontaneous with more eye contact and hand movements.
4. In his introduction, he mentioned that he would address two aspects from the Royal Speech, namely:
a. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong's support for all initiatives to uphold Islam as the Federal official religion and to empower the Shariah Court.
b. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong's call to stop politicking for narrow minded gains.
Below are the main points of the PAS President's speech:
5. Haji Hadi Awang emphasized in his speech that the call for transformation by the government has to follow the teachings of Al-Quran.
Positive transformation has been mentioned in Surah Ar Ra'du verse 11, "Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)".
The investment in human capital should be our focus and outmost priority in developing the country and our nation. Allah SWT had started off His religion of Islam in Mecca, a dry land with no civilization or resources. However, the Islamic civilization grew and prospered with investment in knowledge, moral values and self identity.
6. We should return to the Constitution of Malaysia which was drawn up by the early generation; be it from the government or the opposition side, both were fighting hand in hand for our independence from the British despite the differences in ideology and political approach.
There were 2 main components that were laid out by the Reid Commission; i.e. Article 3 of the Federal Constitution that declared Islam as the official federal religion, with other religions to be freely practised in the country, and also Article 152 which stated that Bahasa Melayu is the official national language, with other languages given rights to be spoken.
7. His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong in his speech had urged that Islam is to be upheld as the official federal religion.
However, the PAS President stressed that this has to be done based on the true teachings of Islam as mentioned in the Holy Quran whereby Islam is Ad-Din (way of life) and Kaffah (complete).
We should not be influenced by the definition of religion according to the English language, the British colonialists and even the way the Christians defined their religion as stated in the Bible,
Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." ( Mark 12:17).
They had separated religion from politics whereas Islam is independent and autonomous, strongly opposed against dictatorship and theocracy.
Al-Quran has clearly mentioned the story of dictators who acted like God, for example Firaun, Namrud and Al-Mala' (the leaders).
8. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang then further elaborated on the verse that he had recited from the bible upon the request by YB Bukit Mertajam from DAP.
When Islam started to spread in the west, secularism was born with the aim to separate religion from politics.
British then brought secularism into Tanah Melayu, which is not the true teachings of Christianity but teachings that have been altered to restrain Islamic by seizing the power and authority of the Rulers.
Religion was restricted to matters pertaining to marital issues, division of inheritance and 'wakaf' while the authority over land, administration and citizenship were usurped by the British. After 59 years of independence, this thinking should be abolished.
9. Thus, any effort to empower the Shariah Court is most welcomed. What we have today, the power and authority of the Shariah Court is much lower than that of the Magistrate court. How can this happen when Islam is the official federal religion; as the authority of the Syariah Court is lower than the district courts.
Thus, the call of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to empower the Shariah Court is heartily supported and welcomed.
10. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang agreed with the suggestion by YB Bukit Katil from PKR that the judges of the Shariah Courts should be elected by the Commission similar to the practices of the civil courts so that they are more than just the average public servant.
However, Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang said that the empowerment of Shariah Court should be extended to the penalties. The extent of the punishments meted out by the Shariah Court should be increased and should even be allowed to adapt the actual Syariah penalties.
In this matter, the non Muslims should not worry as Islam has ensured the rights of the non Muslims and they are not forced to embrace Islam. Al-Quran has clearly mentioned that Muslims are not allowed to destroy the religious shrines of other religions. For example in Egypt, there still remain churches of the Coptic Orthodox Christians, fire synagogues of the Zoroastrians (Majusi) in Iran, and Candi Borobudur in Indonesia, that were all built before the reign of the Islamic empire. This is a proof that Islam protects the religious freedom of the non Muslims.
11. In the implementation of law, Muslims are subjected to the Islamic Law, however, for laws affecting the public such as the traffic, the same law still applies to both the Muslims and the non Muslim. In jest, the PAS President gave an example on how we cannot implement that green traffic lights to mean 'Go' for the Muslims but to indicate 'Stop' for the non Muslims, as this may cause chaos on the road.
12. YB BN Rompin suggested that our approach in empowering the Shariah court appears to be more acceptable to the non Muslims, compared to the call for Hudud.
However, Tuan Guru Haji Hadi explained that Islamic law also encompasses commercial, marital and family laws, criminal, international and other laws pertaining to the need of the community.
Nonetheless, Orientalists frequently use Hudud as a weapon to attack Islam and quote cutting the hand for stealing as a scare tactic for the non Muslims.
13. There was once a dialogue in 1971 between the Vaticans and the Islamic scholars that took place in Vatican City and Riyadh. The issue of hand cutting was raised during the event and they assumed that if there were 70,000 thieves, they would all have their hands cut. However, they did not realize that the purpose and objective of Islamic law is to educate and not to punish.
The prerequisites for meting out punishment is extremely stringent, which includes strict criteria of the judge, the witnesses, the criminals, the financial aspects of the crime and the relationship between the accused and the victims.
In Islam, the judge needs to find ways and means to release the criminals because Islam encourages forgiveness and repentance. The principle behind the Islamic law is to educate and deter/scare off potential criminals and the public. And why should we worry in the first place if we are innocent?
We should take Saudi Arabia as an example whereby they can close their shop without any secure locks or strapping security guards. This proves the eminence and greatness of the Islamic Law.
14. On the other hand, caning in Islam is not to cause injury but more to shaming the individual. Caning must not cause any skin break or injuries, not like the caning system that we have today. In the Islamic traditions, it was narrated that there was once an old, frail man who was found guilty of a crime and was subjected to 100 strokes of the cane. The crowd asked the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W, how they should proceed with the caning. The Prophet S.A.W then asked them to take 100 twigs that were binded together and to hit him only once in public.
This is the beauty of the Islamic law, and we should not believe and be influenced by what is being portrayed in the western media aimed to give a false impression of Islam.
15. YB PKR Penampang stood up and raised his objection against the empowerment of the Islamic law as it is against the agreement when Sabah joined Malaysia in 1963.
However, Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang replied that in the Constitution, there is the practice of Federalism which gives the right and authority regarding religion to the state governments.
He then gave an example of the vast Islamic empire which spanned from India in the east to Spain in the west, that also practised federalism, at a time when the telephone and internet did not exist.
The PAS President also brought forth the example of King Najasyi from Habsyah (Ethiopia) who had just embraced Islam, and was confronted by the Christian priesthood who opposed him. Thus, Hudud was not implemented then in the current reality of the country. This is also proof of the flexibility of the Islamic Law in its implementation.
16. YB Bagan Serai from BN said that he was very interested in Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang's explanation of the Islamic Law and he asked for clarification if there is a need to amend the existing law for drug offences, as the harsh punishment now still did not appear to faze the wrongdoers and solve this problem.
Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang then explained that there are 3 components in Islamic Law; Qisas (Laws pertaining to injury), Hudud (Laws pertaining to morality) and Ta'zir (those not in Qisas and Hudud). Drug offence is part of Ta'zir which depends on the wisdom of the authority and the government.
The Islamic law contains within it the spiritual aspect, which conventional law does not have. It means that one believes that if he is not punished in this world, he would still not be able to escape the more severe punishment in the Hereafter. There were criminals during the Islamic Empire who surrendered themselves to the authorities for punishment because of this spiritual aspect of the Islamic law. However, further discussion is required in this matter, while time is short and this not being a lecture on law.
17. YB Rompin from BN once again stood up suggesting that the existing Constitution should not be amended but the Shariah Court needs empowerment.
However, Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang explained that he has been a Member of Parliament since 1990 and he had seen amendments made many times to the constitution. The position of Islam as the official religion cannot be changed but other laws can be amended according to the current development. This shows the flexibility of governing and we should not be too rigid and narrow minded.
For example, pertaining the death penalty by hanging, he explained that in Islam, the death sentence should still exist but it should not cause any suffering.
The death sentence is indicated in Islam however, the implementation should be rectified. There is Tsawabit (things that are fixed) and Mutaghaiyyirat (things that can be changed depending on the situation) in Islamic principal and jurisdiction.
18. YB Julau from BN requested further explanation regarding Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi's statement in the media regarding the existence of the Christian missionary movement which gave out money. The latter explained that he had received information regarding the missionary movement in Africa.
Even in Islam, there are alms that are allocated to encourage the non Muslims to embrace Islam, and this is also practised in Christianity. However, the most important thing is to protect the peace and inter-racial harmony. Hence, Islam encourages inter-religious dialogue without inciting tension. We may disagree but we should still stay united.
However, YB Julau disagreed that as one of the respected scholars and leaders in the community and being called Tuan Guru at that, he should restrain from making such a statement. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang replied that it is up to the authorities to investigate and take further action.
He then quoted Imam Al-Ghazali as saying "Religion is the foundation of living while the government is the protector. Things with no foundation will collapse".
If we disobey the teachings of our religion, our lives will collapse. Do not buy into the slogan of Islamophobia which claims that Islam is equivalent to terrorism when in fact, Islam promotes peace in its teachings.
There are also Christian terrorists in Ireland and there are also Hindu terrorists in India, whereby two Indian Prime Ministers were actually killed by Hindu terrorists.
Islam strongly opposes terrorism and promotes peace and good relationship. Islam forbids its believers to even kill a cat and encourages them to feed the thirsty dog, so it is very wrong to claim that Islam allows the killing of innocent souls.
19. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang then proceeded to his point regarding the importance to uphold Bahasa Melayu as the national language. Language is human nature, and it is a medium of communication and knowledge. One needs to pursue knowledge in ones own mother tongue and not in a foreign language.
The Malaysian Muslims even learn their Arabic prayer in Bahasa Melayu, hence why do we need to abandon Bahasa Melayu in order for us to learn science and mathematics? This will cause the native Bumiputra to be left behind.
Even in international events, the leaders of foreign countries will deliver their speeches in their own mother tongue.
20. The Pas President said that we cannot discard politics as it is a part of our lives. However, we should not engage in extreme political approaches by abandoning our good manners and moral values, and this is addressed to all, without fear or favour.
He then quoted Saidina Abu Bakr As-Siddiq words once he was elected as the first Khalifah of Islam after the Prophet S.A.W passed away,
"Dear all, I have been chosen to be the Khalifah yet I am not the best person amongst you. If I do good, then help me, if I do wrong then correct me. Truth is trustworthy, lie is treacherous."
This implies that the culture of sacking leaders is not encouraged in Islam, and we need to be patient in correcting them. Look at what had happened to Arab Spring, allowing the western countries to intervene in the governing of these countries in their aftermath and causing chaos. He reiterated that even though he did not agree with the government, he would still keep his patience.
21. PAS had entered politics long before the independence, whereas there were many new parties which were just recently established. We were patient when we won and even when we lost and fell. We kept on moving on even when we did not have any seats in the Parliament or DUN. The most important thing is we do not cause problems for the people. I am not currying favour with anyone, if you do not agree with me, then let it be.
22. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang ended his speech at 12.50pm. There appeared a very comfortable ambience which allowed a two way discussion that took place with intellect and civility. He took the approach of dakwah with full of wisdom but still upheld the strong principles of Islam to all the members of the Parliament, both the Muslims and non Muslims. Many congratulated him for his powerful speech that day, one that should be etched in our memories for generations to come.
#profesionalistiqamah
#movingforward
#beristiqamahhinggakemenangan
Sent from my iPhone
THE PARLIAMENT TRANSFORMED INTO A UNIVERSITY LECTURE HALL.
Translated from the notes written by Syed Ahmad Fadhli, the Parlimentary Officer of PAS.
1. Many were stunned and mesmerized by the speech delivered by the President of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), Dato' Seri Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang during the Parliamentary opening session, when debating the Royal Speech by the Yang Dipertuan Agong, Sultan Almu'tasimu Billahi Muhibbuddin Tuanku Alhaj Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah.
The Parliament which would usually be in 'chaos' with its members at odds and arguing with one another had transformed into an educational discourse in a university lecture hall with all ears attentively listening to his words of wisdom.
2. Initially, the time allocated for Dato' Seri Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang was only thirty minutes. However, he was then allowed to continue for an hour because many of the members of Parliament were stopping him in between to ask questions.
They directed their questions with utmost politeness and courtesy, with even an MP from DAP addressing him as 'Tuan Guru', whereas it was the norm for MPs to address one another as YB, based on the Parliament which he or she represents. Some of the MPs from BN were so intrigued that they even started their questions with praise to the Almighty; Subhanallah (Glory be to Allah) and Tabarakallah (Blessed is Allah).
3. What was different this time around was that the President delivered his speech without any earlier prepared text. Only once in a while, he would refer to his notes for important points and this rendered the speech more casual and spontaneous with more eye contact and hand movements.
4. In his introduction, he mentioned that he would address two aspects from the Royal Speech, namely:
a. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong's support for all initiatives to uphold Islam as the Federal official religion and to empower the Shariah Court.
b. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong's call to stop politicking for narrow minded gains.
Below are the main points of the PAS President's speech:
5. Haji Hadi Awang emphasized in his speech that the call for transformation by the government has to follow the teachings of Al-Quran.
Positive transformation has been mentioned in Surah Ar Ra'du verse 11, "Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)".
The investment in human capital should be our focus and outmost priority in developing the country and our nation. Allah SWT had started off His religion of Islam in Mecca, a dry land with no civilization or resources. However, the Islamic civilization grew and prospered with investment in knowledge, moral values and self identity.
6. We should return to the Constitution of Malaysia which was drawn up by the early generation; be it from the government or the opposition side, both were fighting hand in hand for our independence from the British despite the differences in ideology and political approach.
There were 2 main components that were laid out by the Reid Commission; i.e. Article 3 of the Federal Constitution that declared Islam as the official federal religion, with other religions to be freely practised in the country, and also Article 152 which stated that Bahasa Melayu is the official national language, with other languages given rights to be spoken.
7. His Majesty the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong in his speech had urged that Islam is to be upheld as the official federal religion.
However, the PAS President stressed that this has to be done based on the true teachings of Islam as mentioned in the Holy Quran whereby Islam is Ad-Din (way of life) and Kaffah (complete).
We should not be influenced by the definition of religion according to the English language, the British colonialists and even the way the Christians defined their religion as stated in the Bible,
Jesus said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." ( Mark 12:17).
They had separated religion from politics whereas Islam is independent and autonomous, strongly opposed against dictatorship and theocracy.
Al-Quran has clearly mentioned the story of dictators who acted like God, for example Firaun, Namrud and Al-Mala' (the leaders).
8. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang then further elaborated on the verse that he had recited from the bible upon the request by YB Bukit Mertajam from DAP.
When Islam started to spread in the west, secularism was born with the aim to separate religion from politics.
British then brought secularism into Tanah Melayu, which is not the true teachings of Christianity but teachings that have been altered to restrain Islamic by seizing the power and authority of the Rulers.
Religion was restricted to matters pertaining to marital issues, division of inheritance and 'wakaf' while the authority over land, administration and citizenship were usurped by the British. After 59 years of independence, this thinking should be abolished.
9. Thus, any effort to empower the Shariah Court is most welcomed. What we have today, the power and authority of the Shariah Court is much lower than that of the Magistrate court. How can this happen when Islam is the official federal religion; as the authority of the Syariah Court is lower than the district courts.
Thus, the call of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to empower the Shariah Court is heartily supported and welcomed.
10. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang agreed with the suggestion by YB Bukit Katil from PKR that the judges of the Shariah Courts should be elected by the Commission similar to the practices of the civil courts so that they are more than just the average public servant.
However, Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang said that the empowerment of Shariah Court should be extended to the penalties. The extent of the punishments meted out by the Shariah Court should be increased and should even be allowed to adapt the actual Syariah penalties.
In this matter, the non Muslims should not worry as Islam has ensured the rights of the non Muslims and they are not forced to embrace Islam. Al-Quran has clearly mentioned that Muslims are not allowed to destroy the religious shrines of other religions. For example in Egypt, there still remain churches of the Coptic Orthodox Christians, fire synagogues of the Zoroastrians (Majusi) in Iran, and Candi Borobudur in Indonesia, that were all built before the reign of the Islamic empire. This is a proof that Islam protects the religious freedom of the non Muslims.
11. In the implementation of law, Muslims are subjected to the Islamic Law, however, for laws affecting the public such as the traffic, the same law still applies to both the Muslims and the non Muslim. In jest, the PAS President gave an example on how we cannot implement that green traffic lights to mean 'Go' for the Muslims but to indicate 'Stop' for the non Muslims, as this may cause chaos on the road.
12. YB BN Rompin suggested that our approach in empowering the Shariah court appears to be more acceptable to the non Muslims, compared to the call for Hudud.
However, Tuan Guru Haji Hadi explained that Islamic law also encompasses commercial, marital and family laws, criminal, international and other laws pertaining to the need of the community.
Nonetheless, Orientalists frequently use Hudud as a weapon to attack Islam and quote cutting the hand for stealing as a scare tactic for the non Muslims.
13. There was once a dialogue in 1971 between the Vaticans and the Islamic scholars that took place in Vatican City and Riyadh. The issue of hand cutting was raised during the event and they assumed that if there were 70,000 thieves, they would all have their hands cut. However, they did not realize that the purpose and objective of Islamic law is to educate and not to punish.
The prerequisites for meting out punishment is extremely stringent, which includes strict criteria of the judge, the witnesses, the criminals, the financial aspects of the crime and the relationship between the accused and the victims.
In Islam, the judge needs to find ways and means to release the criminals because Islam encourages forgiveness and repentance. The principle behind the Islamic law is to educate and deter/scare off potential criminals and the public. And why should we worry in the first place if we are innocent?
We should take Saudi Arabia as an example whereby they can close their shop without any secure locks or strapping security guards. This proves the eminence and greatness of the Islamic Law.
14. On the other hand, caning in Islam is not to cause injury but more to shaming the individual. Caning must not cause any skin break or injuries, not like the caning system that we have today. In the Islamic traditions, it was narrated that there was once an old, frail man who was found guilty of a crime and was subjected to 100 strokes of the cane. The crowd asked the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W, how they should proceed with the caning. The Prophet S.A.W then asked them to take 100 twigs that were binded together and to hit him only once in public.
This is the beauty of the Islamic law, and we should not believe and be influenced by what is being portrayed in the western media aimed to give a false impression of Islam.
15. YB PKR Penampang stood up and raised his objection against the empowerment of the Islamic law as it is against the agreement when Sabah joined Malaysia in 1963.
However, Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang replied that in the Constitution, there is the practice of Federalism which gives the right and authority regarding religion to the state governments.
He then gave an example of the vast Islamic empire which spanned from India in the east to Spain in the west, that also practised federalism, at a time when the telephone and internet did not exist.
The PAS President also brought forth the example of King Najasyi from Habsyah (Ethiopia) who had just embraced Islam, and was confronted by the Christian priesthood who opposed him. Thus, Hudud was not implemented then in the current reality of the country. This is also proof of the flexibility of the Islamic Law in its implementation.
16. YB Bagan Serai from BN said that he was very interested in Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang's explanation of the Islamic Law and he asked for clarification if there is a need to amend the existing law for drug offences, as the harsh punishment now still did not appear to faze the wrongdoers and solve this problem.
Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang then explained that there are 3 components in Islamic Law; Qisas (Laws pertaining to injury), Hudud (Laws pertaining to morality) and Ta'zir (those not in Qisas and Hudud). Drug offence is part of Ta'zir which depends on the wisdom of the authority and the government.
The Islamic law contains within it the spiritual aspect, which conventional law does not have. It means that one believes that if he is not punished in this world, he would still not be able to escape the more severe punishment in the Hereafter. There were criminals during the Islamic Empire who surrendered themselves to the authorities for punishment because of this spiritual aspect of the Islamic law. However, further discussion is required in this matter, while time is short and this not being a lecture on law.
17. YB Rompin from BN once again stood up suggesting that the existing Constitution should not be amended but the Shariah Court needs empowerment.
However, Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang explained that he has been a Member of Parliament since 1990 and he had seen amendments made many times to the constitution. The position of Islam as the official religion cannot be changed but other laws can be amended according to the current development. This shows the flexibility of governing and we should not be too rigid and narrow minded.
For example, pertaining the death penalty by hanging, he explained that in Islam, the death sentence should still exist but it should not cause any suffering.
The death sentence is indicated in Islam however, the implementation should be rectified. There is Tsawabit (things that are fixed) and Mutaghaiyyirat (things that can be changed depending on the situation) in Islamic principal and jurisdiction.
18. YB Julau from BN requested further explanation regarding Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi's statement in the media regarding the existence of the Christian missionary movement which gave out money. The latter explained that he had received information regarding the missionary movement in Africa.
Even in Islam, there are alms that are allocated to encourage the non Muslims to embrace Islam, and this is also practised in Christianity. However, the most important thing is to protect the peace and inter-racial harmony. Hence, Islam encourages inter-religious dialogue without inciting tension. We may disagree but we should still stay united.
However, YB Julau disagreed that as one of the respected scholars and leaders in the community and being called Tuan Guru at that, he should restrain from making such a statement. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang replied that it is up to the authorities to investigate and take further action.
He then quoted Imam Al-Ghazali as saying "Religion is the foundation of living while the government is the protector. Things with no foundation will collapse".
If we disobey the teachings of our religion, our lives will collapse. Do not buy into the slogan of Islamophobia which claims that Islam is equivalent to terrorism when in fact, Islam promotes peace in its teachings.
There are also Christian terrorists in Ireland and there are also Hindu terrorists in India, whereby two Indian Prime Ministers were actually killed by Hindu terrorists.
Islam strongly opposes terrorism and promotes peace and good relationship. Islam forbids its believers to even kill a cat and encourages them to feed the thirsty dog, so it is very wrong to claim that Islam allows the killing of innocent souls.
19. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang then proceeded to his point regarding the importance to uphold Bahasa Melayu as the national language. Language is human nature, and it is a medium of communication and knowledge. One needs to pursue knowledge in ones own mother tongue and not in a foreign language.
The Malaysian Muslims even learn their Arabic prayer in Bahasa Melayu, hence why do we need to abandon Bahasa Melayu in order for us to learn science and mathematics? This will cause the native Bumiputra to be left behind.
Even in international events, the leaders of foreign countries will deliver their speeches in their own mother tongue.
20. The Pas President said that we cannot discard politics as it is a part of our lives. However, we should not engage in extreme political approaches by abandoning our good manners and moral values, and this is addressed to all, without fear or favour.
He then quoted Saidina Abu Bakr As-Siddiq words once he was elected as the first Khalifah of Islam after the Prophet S.A.W passed away,
"Dear all, I have been chosen to be the Khalifah yet I am not the best person amongst you. If I do good, then help me, if I do wrong then correct me. Truth is trustworthy, lie is treacherous."
This implies that the culture of sacking leaders is not encouraged in Islam, and we need to be patient in correcting them. Look at what had happened to Arab Spring, allowing the western countries to intervene in the governing of these countries in their aftermath and causing chaos. He reiterated that even though he did not agree with the government, he would still keep his patience.
21. PAS had entered politics long before the independence, whereas there were many new parties which were just recently established. We were patient when we won and even when we lost and fell. We kept on moving on even when we did not have any seats in the Parliament or DUN. The most important thing is we do not cause problems for the people. I am not currying favour with anyone, if you do not agree with me, then let it be.
22. Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang ended his speech at 12.50pm. There appeared a very comfortable ambience which allowed a two way discussion that took place with intellect and civility. He took the approach of dakwah with full of wisdom but still upheld the strong principles of Islam to all the members of the Parliament, both the Muslims and non Muslims. Many congratulated him for his powerful speech that day, one that should be etched in our memories for generations to come.
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