TRAGEDI BERNAMA ISLAM
Oleh: Kassim Ahmad
kassim311@yahoo.com
25 Januari, 2011
Bayangkan jika hari ini Nabi Muhammad turun balik ke Malaysia (tentunya tiada siapa yang mengenal beliau), apa akan jadi? Beliau akan melihat orang Islam mendakwa nama "Allah" itu milik mereka saja; orang Islam tidak mahu berdebat tentang agama dengan orang bukan-Islam kerana takut; orang Islam bergaduh sama sendiri kerana berbeza mazhab; orang Islam mahu bergaduh dengan orang bukan Islam kerana azan; orang Islam melarang orang bukan-Islam memberi salam; orang Islam ada kasta paderi, seperti orang Hindu dan Kristian; dan banyak lagi ajaran baru yang tidak diajar oleh beliau tetapi yang diamalkan oleh orang Islam. Beliau akan menitiskan air-mata, dan akan menegur mereka. Lalu orang Islam akan menghalau beliau keluar dari Malaysia, kerana beliau bahaya kepada ketenteraman awam!
Inilah "Islam" setelah ia berada di Malaysia selama 600 tahun lebih!
Malah beliau akan menghadapi nasib yang sama di Mekah tempat lahir beliau dan tempat beliau menerima dan menyampaikan Quran kepada dunia.
Inilah sebabnya saya menamakan esei ini "Tragedi Bernama Islam." Tragedi, kerana agama Islam yang direadi Allah bertukar menjadi agama yang tiada bezanya daripada agama-agama lain yang telah menyeleweng, seperti Yahudi, Kristian, Hindu dan lain-lain; namun orang Islam sendiri tidak menyedari penyelewengan mereka. Saya boleh ketawa, kerana lucunya, tetapi mana boleh saya ketawa? Ini perkara serius. Mana boleh kita ketawa? Kita harus mencari jalan keluar dari penyelewengan besar ini. Sekarang juga.
Saya telah menulis buku, risalah dan banyak esei tentang kejatuhan Islam dan penyelewengan umat Islam. Tentu ramai orang telah membaca tulisan-tulisan ini. Di antara orang-orang yang telah membacanya tentulah termasuk kaum sarjana dan pemimpin-pemimpin politik dan agama. Mengapa mereka tidak bertindak dan mengambil langkah-langkah untuk mengatasinya? Mungkin kerana, dalam masa, katalah 100 tahun yang lalu, bermula dengan Jamaluddin al-Afghani (m. 1897) dan Muhammad Abduh (m. 1905), beberapa rumusan penyelesaian yang berbeza telah dikemukakan oleh beratus, mungkin beribu, orang sarjana dan cerdik-pandai yang telah mengkaji perkara ini. Mengapa belum diketemui jawapannya?
Ini bermakna orang Islam sendiri keliru! Umat Islam di seluruh dunia sudah jatuh sejak lama. Tidakkah ini nyata? Tidak perlu kajian!
Ingat kembali amaran Tuhan yang jelas dalam Quran. "Rasul akan berkata: "Tuanku, umatku telah membelakangkan Quran ini. Demikianlah Kami wujudkan bagi setiap nabi musuh dari kalangan mereka yang berdosa. Tuanmu cukup sebagai pembimbing dan penolong." (25: 30-31). Dua ayat yang dahsyat ini wujud dalam Quran dari awal. Bermakna Tuhan Maha Mengetahui nampak kemungkinan umat Islam (zaman Nabi Muhammad) akan melakukan kesilapan yang sama, seperti umat-umat lain dulu, lalu, melalui mulut rasul-Nya Muhammad, mengeluarkan amaran besar ini. Mengapa tokoh-tokoh agama kita tidak memberi perhatian yang cukup kepada amaran ini?
Umpamanya, adat kita, di seluruh dunia Islam, melagukan Quran tanpa faham (bagi mereka yang bahasa Arab bukan bahasa ibunda) jelas melanggar peringatan ini. Bagi mereka yang bahasa Arab bahasa ibunda, mereka diajar supaya merujuk makna ayat-ayat Quran kepada golongan ulama (dengan bahasa lain, kasta paderi!). Kononnya, huraian para paderi ini cukup dan muktamad (istlahnya, ijmak )!
Saya menulis dalam memoir saya, Mencari Jalan Pulang: Tidak ada kaedah yang lebih pintar daripada ini untuk menyembunyikan Quran daripada umat Islam. Seperti yang diungkapkan oleh pegawai-pegawai raja dalam zaman feudal Melayu dulu apabila sesorang itu hendak dihukum: "Sudah sampailah takdir Tuhan kepada anda!" Yakni untuk disembeleh!) Demikianlah umat Islam sudah disembeleh kerana membuat kesilapan-kesilapan yang sama seperti masyarakat-masyarakat agama lain.
Dalam penyelidikan saya, apa yang dipanggil Hadith atau Sunnah itulah punca utama penyelewengan umat Islam. Quran dibuat buku nyanyian; Hadith dibuat buku pegangan! Selepas itu, umat Islam mewujudkan suatu kasta paderi (disebut ‘ulama’, yang tiada dalam ajaran Islam yang asal)) untuk mentafsirkan agama bagi mereka, seperti orang Yahudi, Kristian dan Hindu. Kemudian mereka pisahkan ilmu kepada dua kelompok yang berlainan: ilmu agama dan ilmu dunia.
Ketiga-tiga faktor ini menjaminkan mereka akan kekal terperangkap dalam penjara yang mereka bina sendiri! Malang seribua kali malang! Mereka anggap penjara itu istana yang cantik! Mereka bangga duduk di dalamnya!
Kalau saya hendak menceritakan ini semua dengan terperinci, saya kena tulis sepuluh jilid. Malangnya, saya tidak ada masa. Kita semua pun tidak ada masa. Kita perlu keluar dari penjara ini dengan segera. Nasib baik Quran, satu-satunya buku yang dijamin oleh Tuhan terpelihara daripada korupsi, masih ada pada kita. Quran akan datang balik kepada kita dan kepada seluruh dunia. Inilah yang akan mengeluarkan kita dari penjara dan akan menyelamatkan kita daripada kemusnahan yang menanti.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
KONSEP "RAKYAT DIDAHULUKAN": ADAKAH MUTLAK ATAU BERSEMPADAN?
Kassim Ahmad
kassim311@yahoo.com
18 Januari, 2011
Presiden UMNO yang ke-7, Najib, ingin mengembalikan sokong rakyat terhadap BN setelah kekalahan mereka dalam Pilihanraya Umum ke-12, memperkenalkan konnsep “Rakyat didahulukan; pencapaian diutamakan†sebaik saja beliau ambil-alih daripada Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Sekali lalu, ia nampak suatu konsep yang bagus sekali. Namun demikian, setelah dua tahun, kita terpaksa menilai kembali konsep ini.
Tidak dapat tidak, kita harus bermula dengan pemahaman bahawa tiada manusia mana pun yang sempurna. Yang sempurna hanyalah Tuhan. Seorang manusia atau sesebuah masyarakat tidak ada nilai sama sekali di sisi Tuhan, kecuali nilai-nilai baik yang didukung dan diamalkannya.
Oleh itu, bukan semua kehendak rakyat itu adil, atau boleh diterima. Umpamanya, cita-cita komunisme untuk kebebasan tulen dengan menghapuskan entiti negara dalam konteks kejiwaan manusia sekarang satu impian kosong dan tidak mungkin dicapai. Juga kita tidak boleh menghapuskan kemiskinan sama sekali dalam kerangka sistem sosio-ekonomi yang kita amalkan sekarang. Juga kita tidak boleh mewujudkan suatu sistem pergajian dan upahan yang dikawal untuk membataskan gaji atau upah yang terendah atau tertinggi; dalam sistem pasaran bebas, semuanya terserah kepada pasaran. Demikianlah banyak lagi perkara yang dikehendaki rakyat tidak boleh dilayan. Terdapat satu sempadan yang tidak boleh dilanggar dalam kehidupan manusia. Dalam Quran sempadan abstrak ini disebut had.
Oleh yang demikian, konsep "Rakyat didahulukan" tidak benar, dan perlu dinilaikan semula.
Satu akibat daripada konsep ini ternampak dari ketaksuban yang timbul dalam masyarakat kita akhir-akhir ini. Ambil contoh kontroversi tentang novel Interlok, karangan Sasterawan Negara Abdullah Hussein. Bantahan terhadap pemakain novel ini sebagai teks di sekolah menengah, kerana terdapat satu dua perkataan "pariah" di dalamnya, sama sekali tidak menasabah. Novel itu memerikan suatu fenomena dalam sejarah, seperti sistem perhambaan, sistem feudal, sistem penjajahan dan sebagainya. Kalau kita menutup mata kita kepada sejarah, bagaimana kita hendak berlajar dari sejarah?
Namun demikian, bantahan terhadap novel itu sudah melampaui batas: novel dibakar sekali dengan gambar pengarangnya! Inikah kemahuan rakyat yang harus kita dahulukan? Kononnya, kita tidak harus mendedahkan kanak-kanak sekolah kepada realiti kasta pariah! Kalau ini "kehendak rakyat" yang harus kita dahulukan, kita melakukan sesuatu yang sama sekali tidak wajar.
Tidak salahlah kalau Tuhan menyuruh kita memerintah dengan adil. Yang benar-benar dikehandaki rakyat itu keadilan, bukan sembarangan, apalagi ketidak-adilan! Tetapi, persis ini yang telah berlaku. Buku dibakar! Pengarangnya dihina! Inikah yang dikehendaki rakyat Malaysia? Tentu tidak. Jadi eloklah slogan ini diubah menjadi "Keadilan didahulukan; Pencapain diutamakan."
Kassim Ahmad
kassim311@yahoo.com
18 Januari, 2011
Presiden UMNO yang ke-7, Najib, ingin mengembalikan sokong rakyat terhadap BN setelah kekalahan mereka dalam Pilihanraya Umum ke-12, memperkenalkan konnsep “Rakyat didahulukan; pencapaian diutamakan†sebaik saja beliau ambil-alih daripada Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Sekali lalu, ia nampak suatu konsep yang bagus sekali. Namun demikian, setelah dua tahun, kita terpaksa menilai kembali konsep ini.
Tidak dapat tidak, kita harus bermula dengan pemahaman bahawa tiada manusia mana pun yang sempurna. Yang sempurna hanyalah Tuhan. Seorang manusia atau sesebuah masyarakat tidak ada nilai sama sekali di sisi Tuhan, kecuali nilai-nilai baik yang didukung dan diamalkannya.
Oleh itu, bukan semua kehendak rakyat itu adil, atau boleh diterima. Umpamanya, cita-cita komunisme untuk kebebasan tulen dengan menghapuskan entiti negara dalam konteks kejiwaan manusia sekarang satu impian kosong dan tidak mungkin dicapai. Juga kita tidak boleh menghapuskan kemiskinan sama sekali dalam kerangka sistem sosio-ekonomi yang kita amalkan sekarang. Juga kita tidak boleh mewujudkan suatu sistem pergajian dan upahan yang dikawal untuk membataskan gaji atau upah yang terendah atau tertinggi; dalam sistem pasaran bebas, semuanya terserah kepada pasaran. Demikianlah banyak lagi perkara yang dikehendaki rakyat tidak boleh dilayan. Terdapat satu sempadan yang tidak boleh dilanggar dalam kehidupan manusia. Dalam Quran sempadan abstrak ini disebut had.
Oleh yang demikian, konsep "Rakyat didahulukan" tidak benar, dan perlu dinilaikan semula.
Satu akibat daripada konsep ini ternampak dari ketaksuban yang timbul dalam masyarakat kita akhir-akhir ini. Ambil contoh kontroversi tentang novel Interlok, karangan Sasterawan Negara Abdullah Hussein. Bantahan terhadap pemakain novel ini sebagai teks di sekolah menengah, kerana terdapat satu dua perkataan "pariah" di dalamnya, sama sekali tidak menasabah. Novel itu memerikan suatu fenomena dalam sejarah, seperti sistem perhambaan, sistem feudal, sistem penjajahan dan sebagainya. Kalau kita menutup mata kita kepada sejarah, bagaimana kita hendak berlajar dari sejarah?
Namun demikian, bantahan terhadap novel itu sudah melampaui batas: novel dibakar sekali dengan gambar pengarangnya! Inikah kemahuan rakyat yang harus kita dahulukan? Kononnya, kita tidak harus mendedahkan kanak-kanak sekolah kepada realiti kasta pariah! Kalau ini "kehendak rakyat" yang harus kita dahulukan, kita melakukan sesuatu yang sama sekali tidak wajar.
Tidak salahlah kalau Tuhan menyuruh kita memerintah dengan adil. Yang benar-benar dikehandaki rakyat itu keadilan, bukan sembarangan, apalagi ketidak-adilan! Tetapi, persis ini yang telah berlaku. Buku dibakar! Pengarangnya dihina! Inikah yang dikehendaki rakyat Malaysia? Tentu tidak. Jadi eloklah slogan ini diubah menjadi "Keadilan didahulukan; Pencapain diutamakan."
Saturday, January 01, 2011
THE IMPORTANCE OF A PHILOSOPHICAL OUTLOOK
By: Kassim Ahmad
18 April, 2008
“He bestows wisdom upon whomsoever He chooses, and whoever attains wisdom, has attined a great bounty. Only those who possess intelligence will take heed.†– Quran, 2: 269.
“Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts – anyone who believes in God, and the Last Day, and leads a righteous life – will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.†– Quran, 2: 62.
The just-concluded 12th Malaysian General Election has introduced a new reality into the lives of Malaysians of all ethnic groups. For UMNO and the B.N., the have to re-thinks a whole lot of things, from their policy, their outlook to the ordinary people, their governance, and not least their political philosophy. They must do this soon – say, within the next six months. Otherwise, it may be too late for their recovery.
The three Opposition Parties that have now become State Governments in the five states (the Pakatan Rakyat, or the People’s Alliance) also have to clarify their political philosophy, form a cohesive coalition and deliver on their promises for a better governance than the previous B.N. in the next 100 days.
The people at large also have a big task ahead. They have to modify their thinking. They have to make a paradigm shift, no less. First and foremost, they must think of themselves as Malaysians, as patriotic Malaysians. What is a patriotic Malaysian? This is a philosophical problem. Their thinkers must put their heads together and hammer the definition of a patriotic Malaysian into acceptable shape soon.
In this article, we shall delineate the major problems. Firstly, there is the question of race and its emotional and psychological attachments to it. Secondly, it is the question of religion, of whose problems we are only too familiar. Thirdly, there is the question of a just society. These are the three main questions that we must resolve soon. If we can resolve them satisfactorily soon, we can be sure that in 2050 we shall be a very successful Malaysia nation.
Now for the racial question. We were born into this world belonging to various racial groups, Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Muruts, Dayaks, etc. It is natural. God made us this way. At the same time, we are also human beings, Homo sapiens, of one parentage, Adam and Eve. We can also say that God made us this way. Thus, there is no contradiction between being a Malay/Chiness/Indian etc and a Malaysian. There is also no contradiction between being a Malaysian and a member of the World Community.
Of course, Malaysia has a history long before the European colonialists came to intervene in that history. This historical pattern will reform once the colonialists recede from the scene. Of course, history is what we make. Still, history has its own laws, which we flout only to our detriment.
So that is the racial question. It can easily be resolved.
The second religious question is the more intractable. Yet, it is not beyond solution, if we apply reason to it. The Quranic quotation above (2: 62) is a recognition of plurality in religion. The verse in fact mentions all religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam and others. What is important is that the verse points to the existence at all times of believers (in God, the Last Day and in doing good) from among the various religious groups. In other words, there are believers from among Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Budhists, and other religious groups, in all historical times, including the present time. Thus, true believers in God are not to be defined by their names or outward behaviour. That verse defines believers in God as those who believe in accountability and in doing good.
The verse implies several things. Firstly, it implies tolerance of other religions, apart from one’s own. It also implies the dialogues of religions, consciously and peacefully undrertaken, or otherwise, at finding the truth of religions. Thirdly, it implies no force to be used in matters of religion. Verse 256 of Surah 2 of the Quran clearly and absolutely prohibits the use of force. The truth shall prevail by its own force, its reason, its fairness and its beauty.
There is a grave misunderstanding among some Muslims about the so-called Islamic State. They consider it their duty to set up an “Islamic state†whenever they are in the majority. In the Quran, there is no mention whatsoever about the setting up of an “Islamic stateâ€. Nor did Prophet Mohammad in his famous Medina Charter, which he drew up himself, mentioned the term. What Muslims are urged to do, when they are in a position to rule, is to rule justly. (see Quran, 4: 8) However, a misreading and a misunderstanding of the verses regarding judging by God’s laws have made latter-day theorists if “Islamic state†to uphold the so-called “Fixed Punishmentsâ€, the Hudud Law. Any historian of law knows that punishment for crimes has varied from place to place and from time to time.
The third question is the question of a just society. This is no longer a difficult question. The Human Community has travelled so far in understanding this matter that it only needs a philosophical commitment of the country in question, in this case, Malaysia, to do so. The American Declaration of Independence, the U. N. Declaration of Human Rights, the Five Principles of the Bandung Conference, among the major landmarks of human history, have provided legal documents of the greatest value for setting up a just society. We want to add the Medina Charter and the Quran to these landmark legal documents that must guide present-day societies, including ours, in setting up a just society.
By adding the Quran, we are not being partial to Islam or the Muslims. The Quran, unlike any other sacred book that had been addressed to local communities, is God’s last message to Mankind. It is explicitly described thus, and it contains the wisdom necessary for Mankind to make the necessary leap into the Higher Life that God has destined for Man. Unfortunately, the Muslims themselves have abandoned the Quran (see Quran, 25: 30-31). But we are certain that it will be restored to the world in the near future.
Kassim Ahmad is a Malaysia author. He can be contacted at or . His websites: (i) "http://www.kassimahmad.blogspot.com" (ii) "http://www.stormloader.com/qsmjam"
By: Kassim Ahmad
18 April, 2008
“He bestows wisdom upon whomsoever He chooses, and whoever attains wisdom, has attined a great bounty. Only those who possess intelligence will take heed.†– Quran, 2: 269.
“Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts – anyone who believes in God, and the Last Day, and leads a righteous life – will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.†– Quran, 2: 62.
The just-concluded 12th Malaysian General Election has introduced a new reality into the lives of Malaysians of all ethnic groups. For UMNO and the B.N., the have to re-thinks a whole lot of things, from their policy, their outlook to the ordinary people, their governance, and not least their political philosophy. They must do this soon – say, within the next six months. Otherwise, it may be too late for their recovery.
The three Opposition Parties that have now become State Governments in the five states (the Pakatan Rakyat, or the People’s Alliance) also have to clarify their political philosophy, form a cohesive coalition and deliver on their promises for a better governance than the previous B.N. in the next 100 days.
The people at large also have a big task ahead. They have to modify their thinking. They have to make a paradigm shift, no less. First and foremost, they must think of themselves as Malaysians, as patriotic Malaysians. What is a patriotic Malaysian? This is a philosophical problem. Their thinkers must put their heads together and hammer the definition of a patriotic Malaysian into acceptable shape soon.
In this article, we shall delineate the major problems. Firstly, there is the question of race and its emotional and psychological attachments to it. Secondly, it is the question of religion, of whose problems we are only too familiar. Thirdly, there is the question of a just society. These are the three main questions that we must resolve soon. If we can resolve them satisfactorily soon, we can be sure that in 2050 we shall be a very successful Malaysia nation.
Now for the racial question. We were born into this world belonging to various racial groups, Malays, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Muruts, Dayaks, etc. It is natural. God made us this way. At the same time, we are also human beings, Homo sapiens, of one parentage, Adam and Eve. We can also say that God made us this way. Thus, there is no contradiction between being a Malay/Chiness/Indian etc and a Malaysian. There is also no contradiction between being a Malaysian and a member of the World Community.
Of course, Malaysia has a history long before the European colonialists came to intervene in that history. This historical pattern will reform once the colonialists recede from the scene. Of course, history is what we make. Still, history has its own laws, which we flout only to our detriment.
So that is the racial question. It can easily be resolved.
The second religious question is the more intractable. Yet, it is not beyond solution, if we apply reason to it. The Quranic quotation above (2: 62) is a recognition of plurality in religion. The verse in fact mentions all religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam and others. What is important is that the verse points to the existence at all times of believers (in God, the Last Day and in doing good) from among the various religious groups. In other words, there are believers from among Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Budhists, and other religious groups, in all historical times, including the present time. Thus, true believers in God are not to be defined by their names or outward behaviour. That verse defines believers in God as those who believe in accountability and in doing good.
The verse implies several things. Firstly, it implies tolerance of other religions, apart from one’s own. It also implies the dialogues of religions, consciously and peacefully undrertaken, or otherwise, at finding the truth of religions. Thirdly, it implies no force to be used in matters of religion. Verse 256 of Surah 2 of the Quran clearly and absolutely prohibits the use of force. The truth shall prevail by its own force, its reason, its fairness and its beauty.
There is a grave misunderstanding among some Muslims about the so-called Islamic State. They consider it their duty to set up an “Islamic state†whenever they are in the majority. In the Quran, there is no mention whatsoever about the setting up of an “Islamic stateâ€. Nor did Prophet Mohammad in his famous Medina Charter, which he drew up himself, mentioned the term. What Muslims are urged to do, when they are in a position to rule, is to rule justly. (see Quran, 4: 8) However, a misreading and a misunderstanding of the verses regarding judging by God’s laws have made latter-day theorists if “Islamic state†to uphold the so-called “Fixed Punishmentsâ€, the Hudud Law. Any historian of law knows that punishment for crimes has varied from place to place and from time to time.
The third question is the question of a just society. This is no longer a difficult question. The Human Community has travelled so far in understanding this matter that it only needs a philosophical commitment of the country in question, in this case, Malaysia, to do so. The American Declaration of Independence, the U. N. Declaration of Human Rights, the Five Principles of the Bandung Conference, among the major landmarks of human history, have provided legal documents of the greatest value for setting up a just society. We want to add the Medina Charter and the Quran to these landmark legal documents that must guide present-day societies, including ours, in setting up a just society.
By adding the Quran, we are not being partial to Islam or the Muslims. The Quran, unlike any other sacred book that had been addressed to local communities, is God’s last message to Mankind. It is explicitly described thus, and it contains the wisdom necessary for Mankind to make the necessary leap into the Higher Life that God has destined for Man. Unfortunately, the Muslims themselves have abandoned the Quran (see Quran, 25: 30-31). But we are certain that it will be restored to the world in the near future.
Kassim Ahmad is a Malaysia author. He can be contacted at
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