Assalamualaikum :)
‘Relative’ is basically a word we use to compare things. For example the theory of relativity which assert the idea that time and space are both non-absolute concept. In other words, they’re relative concept which depends on the observer’s frame of reference. Find it’s hard to imagine? Let’s take a look at another example.
Example 2:
For those who’re born in the same era with me, Dragon Ball used to be a thing of obsession. I used to remember that from this comic I learnt that enemies can be friends when they face a common enemy. Somehow I found it hard to accept this way of thinking when the people you’re fighting with your lives all of a sudden become your comrades. Evil in this comic is relative. When the person is on your side, he/she is a peace defender, but when there’re people who oppose you, then voila, there you are, you had evils to fight with.
So what is enemy then? To me an enemy is a person or a group of people or organization or whatever which their aim or mission or vision is different than ours. They’re not just different, they threat the very existence of our lives, the threat to our survival (be it politics, economics etc.). The question is, just because their ideology might seem different or parasitic even, do we have the right to eliminate them? What makes us superior in term of existence? Just because we’re here before they do?
Remember what Muhammad PBUH did to the Meccans. Muhammad PBUH was born in a society where worshipping idols were their way of life. When Muhammad PBUH arrived he suggested a way of life which was different from what the Meccans used to. He even destroyed the idols of the Meccans when He and His army of Muslims entered Kaaba in ‘Fathul Makkah’. As a Muslim we see this as a victory where Islam has finally been accepted in Mecca. That’s it, nothing more or nothing less to talk or think about. When a Muslim army conquered a nation, we said it’s good because the light of Islam is spreading.
Let’s have this situation for a change.
We were conquered by the Portuguese, English and Japanese. We learnt from our history one of the main reasons for Portuguese conquest of Malacca was driven by religion. They saw this as a campaign for their ‘White Man’s Burden’ obligation. We saw this as a threat which they come to destroy our society and destroy our system of beliefs. On one side, the people involved see their acts as righteous, on the other hand (victim’s POV) they saw this as evils which need to be driven out. See how one event can be both evil and righteous at the same time. The question is which of the views is the right one? Are our views largely influenced by who do the action rather than whether the action itself ethical no matter who the doers are.
The scenario for the question above is simple. Just imagine if we are living in a peaceful country govern by non-Muslims. If there is an army from a Muslim country advancing towards our capital, with what they claim to spread Islam towards our nation. Where our loyalty would lies? Are we going to defend our motherland, or to join the army and become a traitor to our motherland and our people? Just because the advancing armies were Muslims, do we blindly follow them?
Even the word Muslims has to be redefined. Who is a Muslim? The person who practices Islam. Next question, what version of Islam? What are you talking about, there’s only one version of Islam. I’d say how naïve. If not naïve I’d say how hypocritical. We say there’s only one version of Islam, our version. A Shiite for example would say their version of Islam is the truth. Some other groups would say the same. Yet we still think that there’s only one Islam, even though we somehow acknowledge the other groups of version of Islam which doesn’t confirm with our beliefs also as Muslims. And we claim there’s only 1 Islam, and 1 Ummah. Remember relativity, now, with relative to the non-Muslims, they would say Islam is not 1. How can we blame them as we’re the one who is closing one eye to this issue?
What’s the value of Islam that we have today, that we claim and hope to be our savior in the hereafter? How long have it been since Muhammad PBUH died? How can we be sure that our version of Islam is The One when Islam came to us not from the mouth of Muhammad PBUH himself? Even if the version of Islam when it came to us is The One, how can we be so sure that the same version is passed down for how many generations till it reached us? From what I can see, we’re trained to be bigots. Not to use Islam that inherited to us as a stepping stone to find the truth rather we believe without proper understandings that we’re holding the truth and the others are not, and we’re willing to die for that. What if we’re to be awoken after our death that we’ve been barking up the wrong tree? How many of us tried to find out whether what we have today is the truth? How many of us are willing to sacrifice everything and anything to defend what we belief is the truth, without really finding out whether our version of the truth is the truth? I find the latter to be the most popular.
Why I keep on writing this kind of topic. Honestly I’m frustrated with the situations of Islam today. People are more interested in finding out who are not ‘guided’ by searching for people who are different from them. People nowadays also interested in advertising their ibadah while little that they realized, they’re doing the ibadah not solely for Allah, but for people to see and to judge. Isn’t this a type of syirik? Doing your ibadah for other than Allah (we can surely debate on this, but I have little mood on doing so). Suggesting to people of how good we’re by advertising our limited knowledge of Islam. Islam supposed to elevate our position in the society, but lots of us today use Islam as a stepping stone to gain status in our society. How low can we be? Seriously, how low can we be? I look high to Islam. To me Islam is a sacred garden which shouldn’t be tainted, like a forest reserve, Islam should be left as it is. Islam is politics, Islam is culture, Islam is everything. What I see now, Islam is influenced by politics, Islam is influenced by cultures, Islam is influenced by everything. After knowing lots of people who claim to know Islam, I find it hard to believe those who claim to know Islam. After seeing people interpret Islam as they see fit, I find it hard to believe those who interpret Islam. After seeing the true colour of people who seemed to be ideal Muslims, or those who advertise themselves as good Muslims, I find it hard to not being critical to those who seemed to be Islamic. Am I writing gibberish? Maybe. Am I spouting nonsense? Up to you. This is what I think, and this is what I feel.
Cheers :D :D
Just sharing my 2 cents
p/s – teaching rocks!! :D :D
