THE TIME BOM THAT IS RELIGION

THE TIME BOM THAT IS RELIGION

By: Kassim Ahmad

29 January, 2016

Darul_hikmah333@yahoo.com.my

            The title of this essay is not mine. I borrow it from Perak Sultan Dr Nazrin Shah’s warning in a speech to a three-day religious dialogue held in Ipoh recently. His exact word were, “When religion is used for reasons other than to spread spirituality, what more when it is sensationalized politically, it becomes an explosive time-bom that could cause chaos and disaster.” He added that Muslims should not be judging each other’s level of faith, as the authority to do so lies solely with Allah.

            He could not have said it better. The warning is timely, as religious (read “Islamic”)  institutions in this country, like Jawi and Jakim, are usurping the fuction of God in their overzealous performance of their duties. Tawfik Ismail’s view that they should be closed down  has merit, as Islam is, constitutionally, under the jurisdiction of the Malay rulers and the Agong.

            It is pertinent to ask, “Which Islam?”  On the one hand, there is the Islam of the prophet-messengers, ending with Prophet Muhammad, when God completed and perfected the religion of monotheism (Submission, Islam) for mankind. On the other, the inherited deviated religions of Judaism, Christianity and Sunnism.

Some Muslims are unaware that their “ulama”’s brand of Ahli-Sunnah Wal-Jama’ah (Sunnism) is as deviationary, as Jadaism and Christianity are. A deep study of history would reveal the matter.

The effect of Sunnism is two-fold. Doctrinally, to deify Muhammad against his will, which these deviationists would vehemently deny. Ask them why they would not be satisfied with mentioning God alone without mentioning Muhammad, as witness their syahadah.  Also ask them what does God mean when He says, “Do not worship two gods. There is only one god. Therefore, you shall reverence Me.” (Quran, 16: 51)

Muhammad also prohibits his followers from breaking into sects. Sectarian “Islam” is not part of his teachings.

Another bigger effect is that their societies are universally blighted will material, moral and spiritual problems. The Muslims are currently at the bottom of the ladder of nations, when they were once at the top. Do their leaders ask these critical questions? Tariq Ramadan, Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im and the rest of the reformers – what have they achieved?  The answer is sadly, “Nothing.” Why?

They have not tackled the basic question. The basic question is to go back to the Quran and to understand it anew. Remember the Prophet’s one complaint to God is, “My Lord, my people have deserted this Quran.” (25: 30)

We have to explain why the Judeo-Christian West has overtaken the Muslims since the 16^th Century on. There is no other answer except that in the main they have recovered their once-lost monotheistic world-view.

The Muslims must wake up. Realize where you have deviated from God’s teachings, as delivered by the last Prophet Muhammad. Stop deifying Muhammad against his will. Stop blindly following your “ulama” priesthood class. Go back to holding fast on to God and follow Muhammad ( read, follow the teachings of the Quran), and you will rise again.

KASSIM AHMAD is a Malaysian author. His website is www.kassimahmad.blogspot.com  

THE RISE AND FALL OF ISLAM

THE RISE AND FALL OF ISLAM

By: Kassim Ahmad

17^th  January, 2016

Darul_hikmah333@yahoo.com.my

            The Quran in Surah Ali-‘Imran (3) states that “The only religion approved by God is Islam.” The Arabic word ‘deen’ essentially mean ‘way of life’ rather that the restricted ritualistic meaning of ‘religion’.

This religion of strict monotheism is taught by all prophets from Adam to its completion and perfection by Muhammad, the last of all prophets. But, as it is wont with human beings, corruption and deterioration set in and complete their work in after about 300 years (10 generations) to change the original teachings. Thus, the monotheism of Prophet Moses became polytheism in Judaism, of Prophet Jesus polytheism in Christianity, and of Muhammad polytheism in Sunnism.

Fortunately for mankind, the last of God’s scripture, the Quran, is divinely  protected so that all mankind can always refer to it as its guide. This divine protection lies internally in the scripture in a mathematically awesome and impossible to imitate structure called Code 19. This Code is stated in the Quran in Surah Al-Muddaththir  (74), verses 30-31. The verses go, “Over it is nineteen. We appointed angels to be guardians of Hell, and we assign their number (19) (1) to disturb the disbelievers, (2) to convince the Christians and the Jews (that this is a divine scripture), (3) to strengthen the faith of the faithful, (4) to remove all traces of doubt from the hearts of Christians, Jews, as well as believers, and (5) to expose those who harbor doubt in their hearts. The disbelievers will say, ‘What does God mean by this allegory?’ God thus sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills. None knows the soldiers of your Lord except He. This is a reminder for the people.”

The rise of Islam, beginning with the reign of Prophet Muhammad in the Arabian Peninsular in early Seventh Century, within a short time of only sixty years shot up to be the No. One power in the world, beating the two superpowers of the then world, the Byzantian Empire and the Persian Empire.

Historian Philip K. Hitti, in his book, History of the Arabs (1970), states, “If someone in the first third of the seventh Christian century had had the audacity to prophesy that within a decade some unheralded, unforeseen power from hitherto barbarous and little-known land of Arabia was to make its appearance, hurl itself against the only two world powers of the age, fall heir to the one -- the Sasanid – and strip the other – the Byzantine -- of its fairest provinces, he would have undoubtedly have been declared a lunatic. Yet that was exactly what happened. After the death of the Prophet sterile Arabia seems to have been converted as if by magic into a nursery of heroes the like of whom both in number and quality is hard to find anywhere. The military campaigns of Khalid ibn-al-Walid and ‘Amar ibn-al-‘As which ensued in al-Iraq, Persia, Syria and Egypt remain among the most brilliantly executed in the history of warfare and bear favourable comparison with those of Napoleon, Hannibal or Alexander.” (p. 142).         

A Western philosophical historian, Robert Briffault, in his epoch-making book, The Making of Humanity (1919), after denouncing a conspiracy of silence by most Western historians on the contributions of Muslim science to modern Europe,  surmarised the contribution of Muslim science to civilization, thus: “The debt of our science to that of the Arabs does not consist in startling discoveries or revolutionary theories. Science owes a great deal more to  Arab culture , it owes its existence. The ancient world was, as we saw, pre-scientific. The astronomy and mathematics of the Greeks were a foreign importation never thoroughly acclamatised in Greek culture. The Greeks systematized, generalized and  theorized, but he patient ways of investigation, the accumulation of positive knowledge, the minute methods of science, detailed and prolonged observation, experimental inquiry, were altogether alien to the Greek temperament. … What we called science arose in Europe as result of a new spirit of inquiry, of new methods of investigation, of the method of experiment, observation, measurement, of the development of mathematics in a form unknown to the Greeks. That spirit and those methods were introduced into the European world by the Arabs.” (p. 191)    

Muslim civilization lasted eight centuries. In that time, Baghdad became the capital of the world and Europe became students at the feet of Baghdad. When the rot set in, Europe took over the banner of civilization and what is known as the European Renaissance began. Will Western leadership last for ever? Only time can  tell. Already cracks are beginning to be seen.

The more important question for Muslim leaders to answer is why the Muslim way of life, guaranteed by God, has collapsed, and how they can rebuild it. To answer this all-important question, they must re-study the Quran with a scientific methodology. I can suggest a few signposts.

Firstly, at a certain point in time, Muslim science froze and deteriorated, due to wrong teaching of certain so-called masters. These were made into masters by a new priesthood class adopted in imitation of medieval Hinduism and Christianity. In Islam there is no priesthood class.

Secondly, at a certain point in time, a certain attitude of fatalism developed in Islam due a new theology preached in accordance to hadith teachings. Hadiths are essentially fabrications falsely ascribed to the great name of Prophet  Muhammad.

Thirdly, that new theology also preached salvation in the Afterlife, in a nondescript Theologians’ Nirvana in imitation of Bhuddism. This led to Muslim apathy in a life waiting for death. At this point, roughly from the Fourteenth Century onwards, this false Islam died, with the false Muslims.

Fourthly and lastly, to rebuild, the Muslims must re-study the Quran (which is their and mankind’s book of guidance) to find correct answers to their current plight. I have surmarised the teachings of the Quran as “revolutionary, life-affirming and death-defying”.  We must seek salvation in this life by raising our soul to a higher level. It is this raising of our soul to a higher level that is necessary for the coming Second Muslim Civilization.

KASSIM AHMAD is a freelance Malaysian author. His website is www.kassimahmad.blogspot.com

ANUGERAH ZA'ABA

7 Januari, 2016                                                                                               Dengan Poslaju

YAB Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi,

Timbalan Perdana Menteri Malaysia,

Blok Utama Bangunan Perdana Putera,

Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan,

62502 Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Tuan,

                                                           Anugerah Za'ba

            Saya ingin mengucapkan “Syabas dan terima kasih” kerana menimbulkan soal karya-karya besar dalam dunia penciptaan kita.

            Sebenarnya, kita tidak kurang karya-karya seperti itu dalam sejarah kesusasteraan kita. Sejarah Melayu, Hikayat Hang Tuah dan Hikayat Abdullah tiga contoh.

            Saya cadangkan supaya Kerajaan Persekutuan tubuhkan sebuah panel bebas terdiri dari  sarjana-sarjana yang bebas dalam pelbagai bidang penulisan untuk menilai karya-karya yang patut diberi anugerah negara tiap-tiap tahun. Saya cadangkan supaya aungerak ini dinamakan Anugerak Za’aba, sempena nama tokoh sarjana Melayu yang masyhur itu.

            Saya juga cadangkan supaya nliai anugerah ini setanding dengan nilai Anugerah Nobel.

            Saya harap cadangan saya dipertimbangkan oleh Kerajaan dengan serious.

            Terima kasih.

            Yang benar,

            (KASSIM AHMAD)

KASSIM AHMAD

1504, Persiaran Kulim Golf, Kulim Golf & Country Resort, 09000 Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia.

TEL 604-4031871. 

SURAT KEPADA PERDANA MENTERI TURKI

KASSIM AHMAD

By Airmail

7^th January, 2016.

The Honourable

The Prime Minister of Turkey,

Ankara,

Turkey.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

            I would like to take this opportunity to offer your Government my highest appreciation and my most heartfelt congratulations for your Government’s courageous and extremely important Hadith Project. I wish it the greatest success.

            I want to suggest to you that you convene an international meeting of progressive Muslim Governments and scholars to discuss this important matter and agree on a common approach.

            I would like to inform you that in 1968 In wrote a book in Malay to call for a re-evaluation of the Hadith. The book has since been translated into English and Arabic. May I modestly claim that the book has had its effects? The Lord be praised!

            However, I note that the participants in the Hadith Project have shied away from dealing with the current obsession of Muslim women with their headscarf.  Please be informen that the woman’s hair is not part of her nakedness (Arabic: ‘aurat). (See Quran, 24: 30-31). In fact, the wearing of headscarf for women is to be found in the New Testament, 1 Corinthians, 11, 5. This false teaching has crept into the Hadith.

The Hadith is essentially fabrications by various groups and falsely ascribed to the great name of Prophet Muhammad. The Quran tells us that the only mission of Prophet Muhammad is to deliver the Quran to mankind.

            Yours sincerely,

            (KASSIM AHMAD)

1504, Persiaran Kulim Golf, Kulim Golf & Country Resort, 09000 Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia. TEL 604-4031871. H/P 012-4291152 E-mail darul_hikmah333@yahoo.com.my   www.kassimahmad.blogspot.com