a people ripped apart, part 1.

Overheard on Election Day.

There were two parties on opposite sides of the road.

Party A : (going into song) ini kalilah..ini kalilah..ini kalilah..(one by one) ubah! ubah! ubah! ubah!

Party B : Nak ubah pergi Mekah lah! (If you want to change go to Makkah lah!)

We at RP respect the basic human right of sloganeering.

What intrigues me is the statement : "If you want to change go to Makkah". To paraphrase : "Do whatever you want now, then when you go to Makkah/get old/lose a family member make taubah and become a better person lah".

This mentality, i think, is one of the things that crosses both sides of the political divide.

Inside the masjid : It's not good to gossip in here, its the masjid.

Outside the masjid : You know that artist..bla bla bla..married another wife..blablabla..really gatal..blabla..what? its not good to gossip? ala kejap lagi kat masjid minta ampun lah. (after this at the masjid i'll ask for forgiveness)

Yes, the God that sees you in the masjid cannot see you outside the masjid.

It's sad that secularism of varying degrees is embedded in the mindset of muslims everywhere. Islam only exists in its rituals, in the masjid, in doa selamat, in TVAlHijrah, in 'islamic talkshows' after friday prayers,

while forgetting that Allah has also given guidance on how to rule, how to judge between men, how to conduct military affairs, how to conduct international relations, and so on. And also being conscious that Allah is all-seeing, so what you do outside the mosque counts as much as what you do in it.

"Then We sent following their footsteps Our messengers and followed [them] with Jesus, the son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel. And We placed in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy. And monasticism, which they innovated; We did not prescribe it for them except [that they did so] seeking the approval of Allah . But they did not observe it with due observance. So We gave the ones who believed among them their reward, but many of them are defiantly disobedient." (Al Hadid : 27)

Our religion is not a monastic one, meaning it is not just about staying in the masjid and praying and minding your own business. 

But unfortunately, that is how most muslims nowadays conceive islam.

And it didn't come about by accident. There was, about a 100 years ago, an organized effort to separate muslims from full understanding of islam, so they would be like Toddle Tots who could't resist.

"do whatever you want, we'll just smile as long as you let us pray and go to hajj. We have no arms and no tongues"

So tomorrow (or the day after tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow after tomorrow) we'll look into an important part of our forgotten history.

p/s : can't wait to see if tomorrow's post will be written under a dark blue sky or a blue-red-green one.