Prophet Muhammad’s Letter to Christians

sori boss, i copy without permission

by

http://mirnazim.wordpress.com/2006/10/22/prophet-muhammads-letter-to-christians/

In 628 C.E. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) granted a Charter of Privileges to the monks of St. Catherine Monastery in Mt.Sinai. It consisted of several clauses covering all aspects of human rights including such topics as the protection of Christians, freedom of worship and movement, freedom to appoint their own judges and to own and maintain their property, exemption from military service, and the right to protection in war.

An English translation of that document is presented here:

Letter to the Monks of St. Catherine Monastery

“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.

Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”

____________

A Letter from the Prophet Muhammad To The Assyrian Christians

“God has told me in a vision what to do, and I confirm His command by giving my solemn promise to keep this agreement.

To the followers of the Islam I say: Carry out my command, protect and help the Nazarene nation in this country of ours in their own land. Leave their places of worship in peace; help and assist their chief and their priests when in need of help, be it in the mountains, in the desert, on the sea, or at home. Leave all their possessions alone, be it houses or other property, do not destroy anything of their belongings, the followers of Islam shall not harm or molest any of this nation, because the Nazarenes are my subjects, pay tribute to me and will help the Muslims. No tribute, but what is agreed upon, shall be collected from them, their church buildings shall be left as they are, they shall not be altered, their priests shall be permitted to teach and worship in their own way-the Nazarenes have full liberty of worship in their churches and homes. None of their churches shall be torn down, or altered into a mosque, except by the consent and free will of the Nazarenes. If any one disobeys this command, the anger of God and His Prophet shall be upon him.

“The tribute paid the Nazarenes shall be used to promote the teachings of Islam and shall be deposited at the treasury of Beth
Almal. A common man shall pay one denar (piece of money), but the merchants and people who own mines of gold and silver and are rich shall pay twelve denars. Strangers and people who have no houses or other settled property shall not have taxes levied upon them. If a man inherits property he shall pay a settled sum to the Baitulmal treasury. The Christians are not obliged to make war on the enemies of Islam, but if an enemy attacks the Christians, the Muslims shall not deny their help, but give them horses and weapons, if they need them, and protect them from evils from outside and keep the peace with them. The Christians are not obliged to turn Muslims, until God’s will makes them believers.

“The Muslims shall not force Christian women to accept Islam, but if they themselves wish to embrace it, the Muslims shall be kind to them.

“If a Christian woman is married to a Muslim and does not want to embrace Islam, she has liberty to worship at her own church according to her own religious belief, and her husband must not treat her unkindly on account of her religion. If any one disobeys this command, he disobeys God and his prophet and will be guilty of a great offense.

“If the Nazarenes wish to build a church, their Muslim neighbors shall help them. This shall be done, because the Christians have obeyed us and have come to us and pleaded for peace and mercy.

“If there be among the Christians a great and learned man the Muslims shall honor him and not be envious of his greatness.

“If any one is unjust and unkind to the Christians he will be guilty of disobeying the Prophet of God.

“The Christians should not shelter an enemy of Islam or give him horse, weapon or any other help. If a Muslim is in need the Christian shall for three days and nights be his host and shelter him from his enemies. The Christians shall, furthermore, protect the Mohammedan women and children and not deliver them up to the enemy or expose them to view. If the Nazarenes fail to fulfil these conditions, they have forfeited their right to protection, and the agreement is null and void.

“This document shall be entrusted to the Christian chief and head of their church for safe keeping.”

The peace of God be over them all! This agreement is written by Moavijah Ben Sofian, according to the dictates of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, in the 4th year of the Hegira in the city of Medina.

___________

And the quran says:

Al Qur`an says: “And abuse not those whom they call upon besides
Allah, lest exceeding the limits, they abuse Allah through ignorance.
Thus to every people have We made their deeds fair-seeming; then to
their Lord is their return so he will inform them of what they did”
(6:109)

Al Qur’an says: “Those who restrain their anger and pardon men. And Allah loves the doer of good (to others)” (3: 133)

Ini dia yang cool dan yang poyo

JADIKAN 2010 TAHUN YANG COOL UNTUK SEMUA



SENARAI : APA DIA COOL 2009/ 2010

FALSAFAH COOL

Cool ialah sikap.
Cool ialah feshen.
Cool ialah gaya hidup.
Cool ialah estetika.

Cool ialah style gaya hidup yang cool.

Cool adalah politik yang menentang.
Cool menentang yang wujud.
Cool membawa yang baru.

Cool tidak dapat di beli.
Cool lahir dari jiwa dan bukan dari kedai pavilion
Cool jangan cuba nak buat buat cool.

Lawan cool ialah poyo dan skema

APA YANG MASIH COOL DARI TAHUN 2009

gaya hidup dan style :
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PERSONALITI COOL 2009/2010
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TRAJEDI PALING POYO 2009
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COOL ADALAH TURUN KE JALAN RAYA
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TREND IN
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GALERI PALING COOL DAN PALING AVANT GARDE
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ARTIS PALING POYO
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BUKU COOL
akan dilihat cool telah – sedang - atau akan membaca buku ini:
- the god delusion – richard dawkins
- perak darul kartun - zunar


INSAN YANG PALING COOL PALING CHIC PALING TRENDY YANG PERNAH MELINTASI BUMI INI



NOTA KAKI
- mengutuk – menibai- menyampah-meludah-menchachai-membaca dan memberi komen pada tukar tiub adalah cool.

Mahathir gives BM another slap in the face - helen ang

Written by Helen Ang

Bernama reported yesterday, ‘Don’t let us be re-colonised, says Mahathir’.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad was educated in English, jousted with the ‘colonisation’ project in Malay Dilemma and appears reluctant to move on from his grotesque 1970 treatise. He’s still saying now that Malaysians have to master English so that there will be no ‘re-colonisation’ of the country; so that we’re not “invaded” again.

Hypothetically, is there a country today susceptible to neo-colonisation on account of its citizens not having mastered English? Japanese and Koreans fare poorly in English. Or take China risen to be a powerhouse. Her people have not mastered English either.

If Malaysia were ever to fall under the thumb of putative colonial powers, it certainly won’t be because we “no speak English too good”. Think the financial crisis of 1997 and our coming close to the brink which had nothing to do with language medium.

Closet Anglophile Mahathir maintains that only by mastering English can Malaysians acquire knowledge at a faster pace. I’ve no quarrel with English as a knowledge conduit but I balk at his qualifier “only by”.

As to be expected of a devout Machiavellian, Mahathir adroitly shifts the ground on the PPSMI/Math and Science in English issue by contending that “people would not lose their identity by seeking knowledge in English”, and tagging his specious statement with the disingenuous “I am not an Englishman but I speak English”.

He’s off-mark to imply that those against his PSSMI policy fear English threatening our supposedly insular identity. No one disputes that facility in languages is always advantageous. On the other hand, Mahathir of the Indian patrilineage is obviously underrating the language of this land. It is only its incompetent users who claim that BM is somehow inadequate.

But the real bone of contention is that PPSMI never had a solid case going for it in the first place.

Do not forget that Mahathir introduced his policy as a reaction to the problem of unemployed Malay graduates in the early 2000s, and their lack of marketability attributed to poor English, although the degree of this imputed correlation is arguable.

Mahathir’s theory then was that teaching Math and Science in English would help students improve their English. Let’s not permit his ever so convenient and selective amnesia to sidestep this earlier rationale!

Govt policy to strengthen English

None of the anti-PPSMI crowd is against English per se. Our platform is the delivery of the national education system. In almost every other country in the world except Singapore (as far as I’m aware), this is carried out in the national language. Singapore, as we all know, is a unique country and Lee Kuan Yew exceptional.

Nonetheless, Mahathir is even more exceptional than Lee. In March, he posted in his blog, “Now Singapore is in deep recession because of having made investments in America. So they may use English for their education but they can still go wrong. But we want to use English only for science and mathematics and these two subjects are based on truths and logic – not on how clever you are in making decisions or explaining things.”

It’s amazing how Mahahthir is able to compartmentise English use as being ideally limited to the two subject areas, and confined in the classroom.

Just as uniquely as Singapore, Malaysia has a historical quirk of vernacular schools. On a sidenote, let me touch briefly on the spurious argument put forward by the anti-Chinese school movement. To obliquely knock the Chinese medium of instruction, it has been argued that we can’t be allowing the system to go haywire with various mother tongue schools in Iban or Kadazan or Jakun on demand.

This anti-vernacular schools argument is not supportable because we do not have any Iban-Kadazan-Jakun education system in existence to talk about, whereas the 1,300 Chinese schools are over-subscribed and Tamil schools gaining a second lease of life.

“I don’t think the government understands the importance of English as a language of knowledge when they decided to switch from English to Malay,” Mahathir doesn’t cease complaining. Obviously the Education Minister’s briefing specially for him went in one ear and out the other.

The government is introducing MBMMBI which seeks to ‘Memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia’ and ‘Memperkukuh/memperkasa/memantapkan Bahasa Inggeris’. In how many different words can the authorities convey its intent to ‘strengthen’ the learning of English so that Mahathir gets it?

Looking down on BM

The ex-premier then claims “new discoveries are coming out in torrents in English”. Actually, new discoveries are coming alongside rapid scientific and technological expansion, and these can be in Japanese, German or in the flavour of the month, Mandarin (our favourite citation is Taiwan for being the operations base of the Malaysia-born, Chinese-educated pendrive inventor).

But true, English is a working language in science and tech, and my stand is that we should be multilingual.

Dr M is doggedly persistent in defending his rejected PPSMI policy and in the process denigrating the national language, whether inadvertently, or as an unintended consequence. Frankly, I can’t think of any other single individual who has given such a slap in the face to the sovereignty of Bahasa Melayu as he has.

Malay is a rich, mature and capable language. At the same time, while proponents of Malay are always respectful of English, the reverse is not true.

And Mahathir is one of those who uses Malay most cavalierly, like in his blog posting with the bizarre headline ‘Kaki dalam kasut’ – a literal translation of the English idiom ‘putting yourself in another man’s shoes’. In BM, one might express the idea closely as ‘Berat mata memandang, berat lagi bahu memikul’.

Mahathir had once protested, “Saya bukan hendak memandang rendah bahasa bangsa saya sendiri”. Oh, but he is.

How can outsiders look up to a country that has no confidence in her national language? Of course we want the country to forge ahead but not at the expense of negating BM and abandoning national pride without which no nation can be a world beater.

BM, if subsumed into the Bahasa Indonesia headcount, is among the most widely spoken languages in the world. It’s a major international language and will be a significant world language in time to come.

Describing our environment

Language is our living, breathing relationship with our surroundings and countrymen. As a defining symbol of our citizenship, BM is much more meaningful – at least to me – than singing the national anthem, saluting the flag or having the Prime Minister’s pinky-lipped photo hanging in all the government departments.

Not too long ago, I was in a Terengganu kampung for kenduri kesyukuran. My friend gave me a Tanduk Rusa plant to take home. I don’t know what Tanduk Rusa is called in English or Chinese but the Malay name is descriptively apt for its leaves shaped like a deer’s antlers.

Then there is Paku Pontianak, a birdnest-like fern usually found in tree tops and where our little friend supposedly snuggles at night. Ireland has her leprechaun, Germany the elf and we, our own idiosyncratic pontianak.

There are quaint place names like Kota Sarang Semut, Gunung Senyum, Gong Badak and Menggatal where a dear friend studied in ITM; colloquialisms like Mat Skodeng, evocative vocabulary like tenggiling or anteater – a creature which does indeed give the impression of ‘giling’ (roll). And by the way, ‘pangolin’ derives from tenggiling.

I’m open to the idea that English might allow us a competitive edge but I would balance this economic consideration with promoting ‘placeness’ and social cohesiveness. Malaysians are of different ethnicities and religions. To keep this country together, there must be one basic commonality, don’t you think? Respect for our lingua franca is it.

What other common denominator is there?

Lanun Baru Sudah Sampai - darijalankopi.blogspot.co

walaupun artikel lama, tapi ia bermanafaat untuk semua


sori dari jalan kopi, aku copy artikel lu tanpa kebenaran

5 November 2008
Lanun Baru Sudah Sampai – Bahagian Satu

Obama menang. Warga dunia bersorak – riang ria kerana Obama ke rumah putih. Warga dunia mula memasang impian sabelum tidor malam ini semoga dunia kembali aman. Makcik di Kenya, Pakcik di Monggol, Pak Lebai di Riyadh mula berharap. Minah-minah cun di belakang lorong Pat Pong di Bangkok tidak ambil pot. Obama menang Mc Cain kalah tidak peduli. Rezeki mesti dicari

Adakah harapan untok semua ini?

Saya sanggop berlutut di depan Maharaja Rom untok tidak menjadi bebal. Kita sebagai warga dunia perlu sabar seketika. Apa yang sudah terjadi di atas muka bumi ini perlu kita renungkan. Kita sebagai warga dunia perlu berfikir secara lebih waras.

Sebagai warga dunia yang cintakan keamanan kita perlu mempersoalkan dari mana sosok Obama ini lahir? Dari mana sosok Obama ini datang ? Apakah sistem ekonomi yang dianuti olih sosok Obama ini? Siapa menyediakan dana yang besar untok Obama melobi dan dilobi. Persoalan-persoalan pokok ini perlu kita halakan kepada batang tuboh kita.

Obama telah lahir dalam sistem ekonomi kapitalis. Obama telah lahir dalam Parti Democrat kapitalis. Obama telah lahir di dalam negara kapitalis tulen. Negara kapitalis yang dikuasai olih kaum pemodal yang mengejar keuntungan maksimum tanpa memikirkan kesan terhadap hukum sosial.

Sistem ekonomi kapitalis adalah sistem ekonomi yang menindas rakyat. Lihat polisi Amerika selama ini. Untuk teros memperkayakan negara - mereka terus-terusan menceroboh Iraq dan Afghanistan. Mengancam Korea Utara, Iran dan Venezuela. Tanpa penindasan sistem kapitalis tidak mungkin hidop. Tanpa peperangan - sistem kapitalis akan kaput. Tanpa huru-hara sistem kapitalis akan tempang.

Ancaman ini sampai bukan kerana Republican atau Democrat. Ancaman ini sampai bukan kerana Sarah Palin itu cun. Ancaman ini sampai kerana sistem ekonomi kapitalis telah disujud. Ancaman ini sampai kerana sistem ekonomi kapitalis telah disembah. Sosok Republican atau Democrat tidak melambangkan apa-apa. Melainkan melambangkan penindasan dan keuntongan maksimum.

Pelobi kabal-kabal zionis telah meresap masuk ke dalam Republican dan Democrat. Pelobi ini adalah kaum pemodal yang berpengaruh. Kaum pemodal ini yang menentukan hala tuju sistem ekonomi kapitalis Amerika.

Jangan jadi bebal kerana sosok Obama. Tugas kita sebagai warga dunia adalah untuk membaraikan Dolar Amerika. Tugas kita sebagai warga adalah untuk membaraikan sistem ekonomi kapitalis yang menindas. Tugas kita sebagai warga dunia adalah untok menentang segala kezaliman untuk terus hidop aman.

Malam ini saya akan berdoa. Malam ini sabelum tidur saya akan menadah tangan. Doa saya bukan untok Barack Obama. Doa saya untok warga dunia yang ditindas. Doa saya untok Palestin. Doa saya untok Afghanistan. Doa saya untok negara-negara yang ditindas sistem ekonomi kapitalis. Doa saya juga untok warga Plentong yang sedang kehilangan tanah dan rumah mereka.

6 November 2008
Lanun Baru Sudah Sampai – Bahagian Dua

Pagi ini saya bangun lagi dari tidur. Pagi ini saya bangun dan maseh berada di atas katil yang sama. Pagi ini saya bangun untuk meraikan kehidupan sebagai warga dunia. Apa yang saya boleh raikan bukan kemenangan Obama. Apa yang saya boleh raikan bukan kematian Osama.

Apa yang boleh saya raikan ialah tertegaknya demokrasi rakyat Amerika. Sistem media seluruh Amerika telah berlaku adil dengan menjual dua sosok untok menjadi ketua – rakyat mendapat manfaat untuk membuat penilaian. Malang sekali demokrasi sebagini tiada di Malaysia. Barisan Nasional tidak ada keberanian menjual sosok sebagini. Tiada padang sama rata. Tiada gelanggang saksama.

Jika demokrasi tulen ini melingkari lanskap politik Malaysia kekuatan Barisan Nasional akan pecah-lerai-berderai-terbarai.

Menanti Obama melakukan perubahan di atas muka bumi adalah tidak salah. Saya tidak akan menahan warga dunia dari terseringai menanti. Tetapi adakah ianya benar realis?

Menanti Obama melakukan perubahan sama saperti menunggu ular batik tidak mengejar anak ayam selepas bersalin kulit. Ini tindakan betul. Ular batik tidak akan mengejar anak ayam lagi selepas bersalin kulit. Tetapi hanya untuk sementara waktu. Selepas ular batik ini kembali lapar ia akan tetap mengejar mangsa yang sama. Amerika juga kini bersalin kulit tetapi mempunyai isi dan ruang rangka pemikiran yang sama.

Menanti Obama melakukan perubahan sama saperti tahun 2003. Singkap sejarah lima tahun sudah - rakyat Malaysia menunggu perubahan dari zaman gelap Mahathir Muhamad kepada zaman cerah Abdullah Badawi. Dua sosok berlainan tetapi berkongsi ideologi yang sama. Sampai pagi ini kita semua terus menanti dengan penoh harapan. Tetapi harapan tidak pernah sampai bertemu dan menyapa batang tubuh kita. Harapan ini semakin tersepak jauh.

Warga dunia. Belajarlah dari sejarah.

"Sejarah adalah sebagian dari diri sebagai bangsa - dia tidak bolih dipisahkan apalagi dilupakan. Melupakan sejarah - apalagi meninggalkan sejarah - sama artinya dengan kehancoran sabuah bangsa." - Bung Karno, 17 Ogos 1966

what do we really want from pakatan rakyat?

Li Fook Gao@Tohkong Mosjid

Lately, we heard of so many disgruntles about Pakatan Rakyat -- ranging from frogs issues, open bickering, unity government, incompetency, internal component’s party conflicts, stupid politicians, *maverick politicians, etc etc. Besides expecting Pakatan Rakyat to start addressing those issues, have we ask ourselves, what do we really want from Pakatan Rakyat? 1. If we want a problem free Pakatan Rakyat, we can continue to dream on as nothing is perfect in this world. 2. If we want Pakatan Rakyat to be a strong united coalition straight away after its formation, we can continue to prepare ourselves to face more disappointment as nothing in this world can be strong without making enough mistakes to grow from experience. 3. If we just want Pakatan Rakyat as just a tool to threaten Barisan Nasional -- to show them that after 50 years under their governance, finally today we have an alternative to choose from — in hope that it will serve as a warning for them to buck-up and govern our country properly – we should stop hallucinating and classify this mission as a failure after 20 months of trying. 4. If we just want Pakatan Rakyat to replace Barisan Nasional as our federal government without much change and struggle in our daily life, we should stop being naive and immature as a new dawn will not come before we face the darkest day. If we are not ready to face the darkest day together, we will not see a new dawn emerging anytime soon -- there’s only going to be longer and darker days ahead for us. Most Malaysian just knows how to complain about Pakatan Rakyat, but when you ask them, so what do they really want from Pakatan Rakyat, they are usually speechless. The question is why they are speechless? Is it because 1. they do not know what they want, or 2. they know what they want but they are not saying it out because their answer is embarrassing, or 3. they are just being so ignorant about the country’s future? The truth is, in most Malaysian’s heart, they know but they must also know that the subconscious condition they set for Pakatan is pathetic. Deep down, they want Pakatan Rakyat to kick Barisan Nasional out of the federal government, but Pakatan Rakyat must execute this hope of theirs without affecting their daily life, their income and their current available rights and privileges. If the execution is going to bring any pains (even the slightest one), they will rather abort the plan and stick with Barisan Nasional instead. Malaysians are just not willing to sacrifice anything for the future – rather they are hoping for the members of DAP, PKR and PAS to do the sacrifices. And this selfish act from Malaysians is what Barisan Nasional’s need to stay in power. The corruption roots in our Barisan Nasional’s government runs way too deep and far too wide. Every independent institutions that supposed to keep the government from doing the wrong things are already compromised and infiltrated with people with political motives. Our country is now generally a failed state. It is running on its own, without any check and balance. Every wrong move is covered by another wrong means and justified by some illogical explanations. We have had enough of this, and that’s why we voted for Pakatan Rakyat. We want Pakatan to help us to stop the rot. We want them to help us to regain the control of our country. We want Pakatan to take back our country for the sake of our next generation. Yes, Pakatan Rakyat is not perfect yet they are still way better than Barisan Nasional in terms of integrity and bringing justice to the people, and they are fighting a good cause for every Malaysian to stop Barisan Nasional from looting away our children’s money before it is too late. But Pakatan Rakyat cannot stop the rot alone, they need us. And now, WHEN can we stop being selfish? ---------------------------------------------- Li Fook Gao@Tohkong Mosjid

Remembering Muhammad Asad, West's Gift To Islam

On December 13, 2009, renowned Swiss-born Muslim intellectual, Tariq Ramadan, will be in Kuala Lumpur to deliver a lecture in tribute to the late Muhammad Asad, whose translation and commentary of the Qur’an, The Message of the Qur’an, departs from the usual methodology of Qur’anic exegesis to become one of only few highly scholarly works on the Qur’an in the English language. While Asad’s works, including his countless writings on Islam and Muslims, have huge ramifications to the debates surrounding contemporary Islam, including those presently taking centre stage in Malaysia such as the Islamic state issue and the problem of ‘blind following’ in matters of religion, it is important that we are introduced to Asad, his adventurous life and his thoughts in order to understand this intellectual giant who has been considered as Europe’s gift to Islamic scholarship.

By Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa & Abdar Rahman Koya

Muhammad Asad was arguably one of the 20th century’s greatest Muslim thinkers from the West. Only recently, a public place called the Muhammad Asad Square was launched in his honour by the mayor of Vienna, his place of birth, making it probably the first traffic area to be named after a Muslim in Western Europe. Last year, a documentary film based on his widely acclaimed autobiography, The Road to Mecca, was produced by the Austrian director George Misch, placing his travels and thoughts in the context of contemporary debates surrounding Islam. It subsequently won many awards at international film fests this year, including for best cinematography.

Writer, adventurer, thinker, diplomat, commentator of the Qur’an; these words may best describe Muhammad Asad, Those who have followed his career through his books and writings, however, know that no one has contributed more in our times to the understanding of Islam and awakening of Muslims, or worked harder to build a bridge between the East and the West, than Asad.

But who was Muhammad Asad, the Jewish convert to Islam, whose transformation into one of the most influential modern thinkers of Islam was not before embarking on an adventurous journey throughout the Middle East at a time when the West’s cultural, political and military grip on the Muslim world was at its peak?

Asad was born Leopold Weiss on July 2, 1900 in Galicia, now in Poland, part of the then Austrian empire. In 1926, he converted to Islam. The story of the years before his conversion, immortalised in The Road To Mecca, Asad’s autobiography which was described by the New York Post as a “very rare and powerful book” and by the Times Literary Supplement as “a narrative of great power and beauty”, reflects the spiritual odyssey of a man in search of a home, a man struck by wanderlust, unable to quell his restless spirit until embracing Islam.

In 1922 he became a Near East correspondent for the Frankfurter Zeitung, then one of the most outstanding newspapers in Europe. His career in journalism took him to Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Persia, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, and gave him a unique perspective on world affairs, particularly issues relating to Jews and Arabs. Crossing the Mediterranean, Leopold’s first stop was at Cairo where he tried to learn Arabic and spend some time with Shaikh Mustafa Maraghi, a student of the Egyptian reformer, Muhammad Abduh. Mustafa Maraghi, a keen and critical thinker himself subsequently became the Shaikh of the University of Al-Azhar.

It was through his friendship with al Maraghi when he realized that Al-Azhar has lapsed into the sterility, from which the whole Muslim world is suffering, and its old impetus is all but extinguished. Those ancient Islamic thinkers would never have dreamed that after so many centuries their thoughts, instead of being continued and developed, would only be repeated over and over again, as if they were ultimate and infallible truths.

Just as some saints and scholars would be surprised to see their graves made into temples, many will also be shocked to see how their words were regarded as infallible truth. It is a trade of man to blindly hang on to the beliefs of the forefathers.

It is this blind acceptance of scholars’ opinions as if they were complete truths, which forms the crux of Asad’s concern in his thoughts and writings. Asad was convinced that the alien-layer that has covered Islam must be swept away before the scholars will wake up from their endless reading and repeating. He cautions against following blindly the thoughts of medieval Muslim scholars, without taking into account their historical and political context in which their interpretation of Islam took shape.

Asad believes that history can only give advice, show the underlying factors when a society was successful, but cannot decide the ruling of today’s states and societies. Every generation faces different circumstances, and thus many laws and ways for society cannot be fixed for all time. This is why also the Qur’an only fixes time-less laws, ethics, rights and restrictions that are universal in its application. It is a constitution containing the basis for mankind’s dealing with life. Everything outside of the Qur’an is time bound and subject to reinterpretation by every generation to fit it to their circumstances.

Asad traveled to Amman, to Damascus, Tripoli and Aleppo, to Baghdad and to the Kurdish mountains, to that strangest of all lands, Iran, and to the wild mountains and steppes of Afghanistan. Traveling extensively throughout the Muslim world, his interest in Islam deepened. To understand how Muslims could regenerate themselves, Asad took a characteristic approach: he immersed himself in understanding the source of Islam, the Qur'an. Embarking on an intensive study of classical Arabic, he began at the same time living among the bedouin of Central and Eastern Arabia whose speech and linguistic associations had essentially remained unchanged since the time of Prophet Muhammad when the Qur'an was being revealed. The results of this experience help him with his labour of love, The Message, a translation and commentary of the Qur’an.

Asad is wont to drive home in many of his writings that the decline of the Muslim civilization was due to the manner in how Muslims practice their faith. As soon as their faith became habit and ceased to be a programme of life, to be consciously pursued, the creative impulse that underlay their civilization waned and gradually gave way to indolence, sterility and cultural decay.

From that point on, Muslim renaissance became Asad's goal in life. He traveled far and wide, conferred with kings, leaders and the common man "between the Libyan Desert and the Pamirs, between the Bosporus and the Arabian Sea," and began putting his ideas on paper. Islam at the Crossroads, published as early as 1934, still stuns the contemporary reader with its analysis of Muslim decline and its bold prescription for instilling self-assurance to an Islamic world suffering the onslaught of Western technology.

When World War II broke out, Asad was in India where he befriended Muhammad Iqbal, the spiritual father of the idea of a separate Pakistan. Iqbal persuaded Asad to abandon plans to travel to eastern Turkestan, China and Indonesia and "to help elucidate the intellectual premises of the future Islamic state”.

Asad was interned in India at the end of the war. When Pakistan was born in 1947, Asad was appointed its undersecretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs and became its permanent representative to the United Nations in 1952. Here he met his wife, Pola Hamida, and later began writing The Road to Mecca (1954), covering the first half of his life.

A few years later, he wrote The Principles of State and Government in Islam, where Asad lays down in unambiguous terms the foundation of an Islamic state based on the Qur’an and Sunnah (traditions of the Prophet). Briefly, the two defining limits are that in an Islamic state true sovereignty lies with God and that believers must conduct all businesses pertaining to the state and community through mutual consultation. Within this framework, Asad showed that an Islamic state had the flexibility to contain features of parliamentary democracy and the rule of law, including the modern institutions of presidency and the Supreme Court.

But it was The Message of the Qur’an, published in 1980, which puts him among the greatest thinkers and interpreters of the Qur’an in modern times. He dedicates it to “People Who Think”. “Think – and your reason will guide you to faith”, says Asad, instead of assuring us, as some other religions do, “Gain faith – and through your faith you will arrive at a comprehension of the truth”.

Leopold Weiss was born on 2 July 1900. Muhammad Asad died on 20 February 1992 and was buried in a cemetery in Granada, Spain.

--------

Dr Ahmad Farouk Musa is director of Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF), an NGO for empowerment of Muslim youth through knowledge. Abdar Rahman Koya is editor of Islamic Book Trust (IBT), Petaling Jaya.
IRF and IBT will be organizing a movie screening of “A Road To Mecca” on 12 December and a public lecture on Muhammad Asad by well-known Muslim intellectual Prof Tariq Ramadan, on 13 December, 2009. More details at www.ibtbooks.com/think

MARI KITA BERSAMA MEMAHAMI APA DIA SISTEM DUA PARTI - tukartiub.blogspot.com

WALAU PUN TULISAN ARAB - IANYA MASIH MILIK MUSUH UMAT MANUSIA



PEPSI DAN COKE – ADIDAS DAN PUMA

Pada tahun 2009 ini wacana politik dalam negara kita cuba menyebarkan berita tentang kemungkinan terwujudnya sistem dua parti – Barisan Nasional dan Pakatan Rakyat. Malah huh hah huh hah tentang sistem dua parti ini telah tersebar lama. Ada yang menyeringai gembira seperti di malam pertama bedua-duaan di bilik bersama kekasih bila mendengar kemungkinan ini.

Sistem dua parti ini adalah satu penipuan. Satu illusi yang dirancang oleh kaum pemodal. Satu pemesongan projek demokrasi yang amat terancang untuk mengkaburi mata orang ramai agar gagal melihat intipati politik dan makna hakiki demokrasi.

Lalu saya bertanya adakah sesiapa yang dapat membezakan Pepsi dengan Coke? Adakah sesiapa yang dapat membezakan Adidas dengan Puma? Hakikatnya - pemilik saham Pepsi adalah juga pemilik saham Coke. Hakikatnya - Puma dan Adidas adalah dua beradik yang membuka peniagaan yang sama – satu kedai di kiri jalan dan sebuah lagi di kanan jalan. Kedua-duanya mengamalkan sistem kapitalis yang berlandaskan keuntungan. Yang membezakan hanya ejaan nama yang bermula dengan A dan P.

Kita wajib sedar bahawa kaum pemodal akan terus merancang untuk memastikan kepentingan ekonomi mereka selamat. Apa yang mereka pertahankan bukan saekar kebun getah atau sebuah Kancil. Yang mereka pertahankan ialah sistem ekonomi kapitalis yang selama 150 tahun ini telah mengembongkan saku dan dompet mereka. Sistem ini telah menjadikan mereka senang lenang dan kaya raya dengan harta berbilion-bilion dolar dan ringgit.

Kuasa yang mengancam dan menyusahkan kehidupan umat manusia dalam dunia hari ini sebenarnya adalah kuasa kaum pemodal. Kaum pemodal inilah yang merancang untuk memastikan parti apa yang naik and parti apa yang turun. Siapa dapat jadi menteri dan siapa yang akan dipencenkan. Para politikus dalam sistem kapitalis ini hanyalah Mat Heboh yang diupah berlabun di parlimen untuk mengubal undang-udang dan memastikan kepentingan kaum pemodal dijaga rapi.

Perhatikan bagaimana undang-undang yang diluluskan di parlimen TIDAK akan dan TIDAK pernah menyebelahi kepada kepentingan kaum buruh atau kaum pekerja. Perhatikan cukai mukai yang di kenakan. Pemotongan cukai untuk kaum pemodal akan diutamakan. Dalam masa yang sama mereka yang miskin akan berselirat dengan cukai mukai. Kalau tidak percaya sila tunggu cukai baru : Cukai Barang dan Khidmat. Akan terlondeh seluar dalam Mak Minah dan akan tergadai Cupcai Pak Ali bila cukai ini sampai.

Jika masih belum yakin biar saya nyatakan satu lagi contoh terbaik : lihat apa yang terjadi kepada dasar kerajaan Pakatan Selangor yang melarang bangunan didirikan di lereng bukit. Ini cita-cita Pakatan Rakyat ketika berkempen untuk membawa kebaikan dan keselamatan kepada warga. Lihat apa yang berlaku dibelakang tabir. Kaum pemodal – pemaju dan para kontrektor telah melobi. Akhirnya larangan ini ditarik kembali. Kenduri menarah bukit diteruskan kembali.

Lihat pula apa yang terjadi apabila berlaku runtuhan di Bukit Antarabangsa. Laporan yang ingin diumumkan oleh kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat Selangor gagal kerana laporan ini disimpai oleh Akta Rahsia. Akta seperti ini semuanya diwujudkan untuk memastikan kaum pemodal – syarikat pemaju , kontrektor dan syarikat air - terselamat dan keuntungan mereka terjamin. Yang mati terkambus telah selamat ditalkinkan - jangan buat bising biarkan badan mereka dimakan cacing.

Ini bukan tohmah, propaganda atau berita putar yang saya ajukan kerana saya muflis dan tidak memiliki harta kekayaan. Ini adalah hakikat dihadapan mata kita. Buka mata dan dengar. Buka telinga dan lihat. Klik komputer dan baca. Jangan menjadi Mat Malas. Ketuk kepala lutut dan goncangkan kepala untuk berfikir. Nilai dan fahami mana yang tohmah, mana yang putar alam dan apa dia kebenaran

Kaum pemodal dan para kapitalis bergerak dengan licik. Ketika ini kaum pemodal di Malaysia melihat dan membaca tanda-tanda politik yang sedang berlaku dalam negara ini. Mereka menyedari bahawa gaya dan politik lama yang selama ini membawa keuntungan yang amat lumayan tidak mungkin akan berterusan. Apa yang terjadi pada 8 March 2008 mengajar mereka untuk memahami bahawa warga dalam negara ini mahukan perubahan dan sedang menuntut hak demokratik mereka.

Dengan arif dan dengan wang ringgit - kaum pemodal merancang untuk melahirkan apa yang dipanggil sistem dua parti. Contoh sistem dua parti ini sedang kita lihat berjalan dengan lancar di United Kingdom dan di Amerika Syarikat. Di UK ada Parti Konservatif dan Parti Buruh. Di Amerika ada Parti Republican dan Parti Democrat.

Parti-parti ini bertukar ganti untuk menjalankan pentabiran. Madame Thatcher dari Parti Konservatif akhirnya diganti oleh Tony Blair dari Parti Buruh. George Bush Senior dari Republican di ganti oleh Bill Clinton dari Democrat. Kemudian Clinton di ganti oleh George Bush Junior yang kemudiannya digantikan pula oleh Barack Obama dari Parti Democrat.

Parti politik dan susuk yang memimpin pentabiran kelihatan ini bertukar berganti. Tetapi hakikatnya sistem ekonomi kapitalis tidak berubah. Inilah dia silap mata Pepsi Cola dan Coca Cola yang selama ini telah berjaya menipu. Kapitalisma tidak berganjak. Kaum pemodal tidak hilang keuntungan walau parti mana pun yang naik atau turun.

Justeru, perubahan antara Democrat ke Republican atau dari Konservatif ke Parti Buruh hanyalah satu ilusi untuk menipu orang ramai. Tidak ada apa-apa perubahan yang hakiki telah berlaku. Tuan punya bank masih kaya raya. Tuan punya kilang masih memerah tenaga buruh murah. Para kontrektor masih membalon orang ramai. Cukai masih di tahap yang sama. Kaum pemodal terus melipatkan gandakan keuntungan.

Orang ramai dan para pengundi digula-gulakan dengan perubahan dari parti ini ke parti itu. Dari presiden yang ini ke presiden yang itu. Ini adalah helah kaum pemodal agar orang ramai tidak akan menuntut perubahan sistem yang sedia ada.

Didalam kempen-kempen pilihan raya kita akan mendengar labon dan heboh heboh dari Mat Heboh yang ingin menjadi YB. Teliti dengan rapi : mereka semuanya berjanji untuk menubuhkan sebuah kerajaan yang lebih baik dari yang sedia ada.

Apa sebenranya janji-janji para Mat Heboh bakal YB ini? Mereka berjanji akan menjalankan pentabiran dengan lebih cekap, lebih amanah dan lebih bersih. Ini ertinya mereka berjanji akan menjadi Mat Heboh yang lebih cekap, lebih amanah dan lebih bersih kepada kaum pemodal. Merekalah Mat Heboh yang terbaik untuk mengendalikan sistem ekonomi kapitalis ini.

Tidak pernah kita mendengar bahawa yang haprak dan yang membawa kemudaratan terhadap umat manusia hari ini ialah sistem ekonomi kapitalis yang mengajukan rukun iman : keuntungan maksima.

Rukun iman inilah yang sedang membawa porak peranda kepada kita semua hari ini. Keuntungan maksima yang dijadikan rukun iman ini akan membolehkan apa sahaja dilakukan asalkan ianya membawa untung. Balak dikeluarkan kerana ianya membawa untung. Pelacur datang dari China kerana ianya membawa untung. Hospital diswastakan kerana ianya membawa untung. Dadah diniagakan kerana ianya membawa untung.

Jika kita menyedari hakikat ini maka kita tahu bahawa sistem dua parti ini adalah kong kalikong. Tidak ada apa apa perubahan hakiki yang akan berlaku jika yang diajukan untuk dipilih hanyalah siapa yang lebih cekap mentabir sistem kapitalis.

Adakah Barisan Nasional lebih baik untuk keuntungan kapitalis atau Pakatan Rakyat yang akan mentabir dengan baik sistem kapitalis ini? Jika ini yang dipersoalkan maka saya jamin kita semua kena tipu oleh kaum pemodal dengan sistem dua parti yang sedang mereka rancangkan.

Apa yang seharusnya kita tuntut bukan sistem dua parti. Bukan siapa yang lebih cekap dan lebih amanah mentabirkan sistem kapitalis. Yang wajib menjadi rukun iman kita ialah menghancurkan sistem ekonomi yang berasaskan keuntungan maksima. Yang menjadi rukun iman kita ialah kita berjuang untuk melahirkan sistem ekonomi yang berasaskan kebajikan untuk umat manusia.

Sistem dua parti atau dua ratus buah parti ini tidak memiliki apa-apa makna yang hakiki jika kita masih lagi dalam sistem ekonomi yang berimankan keuntungan maksima. Apa yang wajib kita sokong bukan mereka yang berijazah, berdatuk, bertun atau berserban - ini tidak penting. Yang penting ialah mereka yang kita pilih akan berani bangun berjuang untuk melahirkan satu sistem ekonomi yang berimankan kebajikan untuk manusia.

Kita jangan ditipu untuk diberi pilihan sama ada untuk membeli kasut Adidas atau kasut Puma. Kita mahukan kasut kulit yang baru. Kita jangan ditipu untuk memilih Coke Cola atau Pepsi Cola. Kita tidak mahu minuman itu. Kita mahu air advocado yang sehat untuk umat manusia.(TT)

nota: tulisan ini boleh diambil
untuk membuat kebaikan

Jatuhnya komunisme, munculnya Mahathir dan M’sia Inc.

Jangkamasa 20 tahun banyak peristiwa berlaku namun kita tetap mengulangnya. Kita gagal untuk mempelajari dari masalah dan kesilapan.

Semasa aku berada di negeri Jerman dua minggu lalu (dari Nov 2 hingga Nov 20), aku dapat menyaksikan bagaimana rakyat di situ begitu menghargai peristiwa bersejarah yang berlaku pada Nov 9, 1989.

Rakyat Jerman pada tahun 2009 ini berpesta dan melaung-laung memperingati robohnya Tembok Berlin dua dekad yang lampau. Sungguhpun tembok tersebut sudahpun menjadi sejarah, orang Jerman tidak memerapkannya di dalam muzium.

Bagi upacara simboliknya, negeri Jerman telah mengadakan satu acara gilang-gemilang di mana replika tembok tersebut disusun seperti domino dan kemudiannya ditumbangkan satu persatu.

Secara sengaja, pihak penganjur hanya membiarkan satu bahagian sahaja tembok tidak dijatuhkan. Ia mungkin isyarat tersirat yang ingin dinyatakan bahawa terdapat lagi kuasa-kuasa besar yang masih ego dengan kedudukan mereka yang enggan menyatukan masyarakat dunia.

Robohnya Tembok Berlin pada tahun 1989 pula telah menandakan penyatuan semula negera Jerman yang dipisahkan selepas Perang Dua Kedua kepada pemerintahan berdemokrasi di satu pihak dan komunisme di pihak yang lain.

Menyaksikan mereka meraikan ulangtahun ke-20 tumbangnya Tembok Berlin yang sejurus kemudian diiringi kejatuhan fahaman komunisme, aku teringat apakah signifikannya. Sungguh malang bagi kita, sejarah hanya menjadi matapelajaran untuk lulus peperiksaan. Kajian akademik menjadi bahan ilmiah dan bukannya menjadi rujukan umum.

Mungkin keruntuhan komunisme tidak memberi kesan secara langsung kepada warga negara ini. Akan tetapi, jika dibandingkan dalam dekad 80an itu juga, idealisme sosialisme banyak terhakis di tanahair kita.

Luahan hati melalui lukisan

Pada Disember 28, 2007, aku dijemput untuk memberi syarahan dalam satu pameran lukisan ‘Human Rights and Arts’ dan mengambil contoh graffiti yang dilukis rakyat Jerman Timur dan Barat tentang jeleknya pemisahan kuasa yang berlaku hanya kerana perbezaan ideologi politik.

Tembok Berlin telah memisahkan Eropah Barat dengan Blok Timur. Mengikut catatan Wikipedia, sebelum binanya tembok sepanjang 155km ini, seramai kira-kira 3.5 juta orang telah mengabaikan halangan dan sekatan Blok Timur dengan melepasi sempadan timur Berlin dan menuju ke arah barat.

Dari situ, mereka senang untuk merantau dan menyelamatkan diri ke Jerman Barat ataupun ke negara-negara Eropah Barat. Sepanjang teguhnya tembok juga membawa kes sekurang-kurangnya lima ribu orang telah mencuba melangkaui sempadan tersebut; seramai 100-200 orang mati akibat daripada gagal melepasi tembok berkenaan.

Pada hari pengumuman membenarkan rakyat Jerman Timur melepasi sempadan Berlin, orang ramai memanjat tembok itu, memecah-mecahkannya dan ada yang menyimpan batu-batannya sebagai bahan peringatan.

Sepanjang era Iron Curtain (Tirai Besi) naungan Soviet ataupun cengkaman komunisme di Eropah Timur, ramai penduduk yang disekat kebebasan mereka untuk bergerak dan berniaga umpamanya.

Forum ‘Human Rights and Arts’ yang aku menjadi kurator itu menyentuh mengenai kebebasan bersuara melalui kesenian. Ianya diadakan di Galeri Innovasi dan Reka Cipta dan dikelolakan oleh Pusat Seni, Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Selain itu, contoh-contoh lain yang aku pernah bentangkan banyak melibatkan artis seperti Wong Hoy Chong dan pameran ‘Tangisan Dalam Derita’ yang dianjurkan oleh RA Gallery tidak berapa lama dahulu.

Tembok Berlin menjadi bahan pembentangan aku dalam menunjukkan bagaimana tembok itu menjadi lapangan bagi golongan artis menyatakan rasa benci mereka terhadap pemerintahan pada waktu itu – melalui lukisan!

Projek kroni dan pemegang saham

Khalayak umum tidak menyangka bahawa perubahan sistem politik dapat meruntuhkan Tembok Berlin. Jadi tidak hairanlah jika pada 1989, orang ramai bersorak sambil melihat jatuhnya tembok yang telah berdiri sekian lama sebagai rekod visual sejarah (kerana dilukis cantik dengan graffiti oleh setiap lapisan rakyat).

Aku juga berfikir-fikir apakah yang berlaku di negara aku ketika Jerman gagal mengambil kata sepakat. Sebenarnya, dalam era memuncaknya Mahathirisme itu, penyalahgunaan prinsip kapitalisme paling menular di dalam diri pemerintah Malaysia.

Sebelum Operasi Lalang berjaya menyempal mulut dan suara akhbar, Bapa Kemerdekaan Tunku Abdul Rahman telah menulis di dalam akhbar The Star mengkritik hebat pemimpin parti politik yang menyalahgunakan kuasa mereka dalam mengumpul kekayaan dalam projek berkepentingan rakyat.

Apabila kerajaan mengumumkan penswastaan Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan kepada UEM – sebuah syarikat kroni Umno – yang antara pengurus (trustee) dan pemegang saham utamanya adalah orang kanan Umno, maka tauke-tauke baru inilah yang kuat untung.

1M’sia versi awal: Rakyat dibelakangkan

Seterusnya pada tahun 1988, Malaysia dilandai gelombang kemelesetan dengan pertumbuhan ekonomi yang lemah sebanyak dua peratus sahaja. Kadar pengangguran mencanak sehingga 9.4%. Seperti adat, Petronas dijadikan tabung cepu emas bagi menyelamatkan situasi pada ketika itu.

Pada waktu itulah kita dapat saksikan kontroversi Daim Zainuddin dan Fleet Group (yang merupakan salah satu lagi usaha Umno) serta penghuluran bantuan kewangan kepada (bailout) syarikat-syarikat kroni dan bumiputera.

Presiden Aliran P. Ramakrishnan menulis dalam makalah bulanan organisasi sukarelawan tersebut [Aliran Monthly Vol 25 (2005): Issue 11] bahawa pembelian melibatkan MISC dan MAS agak menarik jika dijadikan contoh.

Ramakrishnan berkata, “MISC iaitu syarikat perkapalan milik Petronas telah tampil ke hadapan untuk pada 1998 untuk menyelamatkan syarikat perkapalan milik Mirzan Mahahtir yang menemui masalah dan dibebani hutang besar.”

“Manakala Kementerian Kewangan pula diarah membantu Tajudin Ramli dan MAS dengan membeli saham MAS pada harga RM8 walauhal ketika harga pasaran hanya RM3.62 (pada Disember 22, 2000). MAS kemudiannya mencatatkan bagi empat tahun berturut-turut selepas itu dan berhutang sehingga RM9 bilion,” sambung Ramakrishnan lagi.

Kebanyakan kemelut ekonomi dekad rakus Mahathirisme itu (untuk butir-butir terperinci skandal-skandal kewangan lain kerajaan, sila baca laporan khas ini yang diserahkan kepada misi badan antarabangsa bergelar Inter Parliamentary Union) berpunca dari pemerintahan satu parti yang berlaku. Umno-BN nampak akan kekuasaannya seolah-olah tidak ada yang lain mampu menandingi mereka.

Barangkali aku masih kecil pada waktu itu untuk memikirkan ini semua. Namun, sayang sekali para pemerintah kita, yang seharusnya lebih matang dan luas pemikiran serta jauh pandangan mereka, jarang juga melihat kepada sejarah dunia dalam membentuk negara sendiri.