Open Letter To Anas Zubedy - A Counter-Letter to Dr. Zakir Naik
Dear Dr Zakir,
I have to apologize for the outburst of my fellow countryman Anas Zubedy who, in his latest blog posting, has asked you to leave Malaysia. I am here to write to convince you otherwise: that not only should you not leave, but to lengthen your duration of stay, diversify your place of ceramahs, return more often and intensify your fervour in the kind of dakwah that you do: a most non-vindictive, non-antagonistic, scholarly and, unfortunately (the one that became the central raison d’etre of some people’s hatred towards you), full of indisputable truths in them. And I too will give you my reasonings.
Now I doubt though that this letter will be read by you, or even reach you, as compared to Anas’ who probably have his minions try send HIS letter to you. If as such, let’s just regard my letter as a rhetorical one---that it could/should be read by others other than you.
I apologize for Anas because you might think that his words represent the whole country in its entirety or are some kind of epitome of the general Malaysian psyche. Nothing could be further than the truth. You see, we Malaysian Muslims are a motley crew of different characters and idiosyncrasies, right from the most pious and God-conscious to the most despicably and spiritually turpitude. And you know what?
Everyone has access to the internet. Everyone can write their thoughts about Islam. Everyone can claim to be a voice of the religion and, if one is equipped with some kind of babyface- ness and some applauds from some islamophobes or liberal muslims, who knows---one might even get to be popular and well-read.
Anas does not belong to the former category. At least you can realize that much by now just via reading. And I am not saying he is spiritually corrupt either, being well-mannered and having pleasant demeanour. But you can well sense his ... lack of knowledge.
His lack of Islamic Spirit, of a Mujahid, of one who cares least if the religion is going to get some beatings or not. His concern is not that. Rather, his concern is more towards what his readers would think of him, the majority of which are made up of non-muslims and liberal islam.
For how are you expected to write if you are writing for those who would like to listen more about Islam not as one which the prophet SAW has brought, but as one which could be modified to fit in the whims and fancies of the general non-muslim populace.
He does not understand Aqidah, as you can well see his stand on Syiah. He does not conform to the idea of Islam being “ya’lu wa laa yu’la alaihi”, as promulgated by the prophet SAW. To him, all religions are the saaaaaaame. All have equal merits, and Islam is just one of the many numerators pegged on the denominator of goodness.
Contrary to his insistence of being an avid Quran reader (he even has some study group making tafsirs of Quranic verses. I am not joking!), he doesn’t understand the Qur’anic spirit. Or, at most, glance off the many diverse Qur’anic verses on faith and life in general and only pick ones which he thinks would be fodder enough for his general blog readers. I shudder to think of the kind of misinformation, of selective facts and of a general depravity of truths that his non- muslim readers have been exposed to all this while.
Now why is there a phenomenon such as Anas Zubedy? One word:
Born Again.
(OK that’s two)
You see, a 60’s, 70’s Malaysian Islam (of which Anas’ childhood was immersed in) is not the Malaysian Islam that we see now. Those were the years of Mokhtar Dahari, of Malaysian women not donning tudung, of “Guinness Stout Baik Untuk Anda” advertisements still embellishing the local malay-held Utusan newspapers.
In general, a widespread era of neo-jahiliyyah. Then in the 80’s-90s (Anas’ formative university years) there was an explosion of kesedaran, and students coming back from al-Azhar and Madinah University began to convey to their parent folks that hey! We’ve been having it wrong all these times.
There is no Bomoh Jampi. Mandi Safar is wrong. Donning the tudung is wajib. And prayers is a must, not something optional. There was an almost overnight transformation due to being exposed to the truer Islam as opposed to the malay-flavoured Islam prevailing then.
But some things steadfastly refuse to be swept along in the winds of change. City folks preoccupied with chasing the hedonistic dreams and life, and youthful folks (university ones, the kind that Anas was surrounded with) just on the verge of being exposed to newly-found breaking of religious shackles ignored this change.
Theirs was the era of Bakat TV. Of the discotheque. We don’t need no freakin’ Islam to tell us what we can do and what we can’t.
But the winds are stronger. Come the new millennium, people like Anas look around them and find that they have been left behind. Far, far behind. They feel a need to catch up, to be shoulder-to- shoulder with those who carve out a name championing a most noble cause. But what to do?
They don’t have any Islamic trainings. Some have left religion way, way back before. In universities and colleges, while the other students enjoin one another in their usrahs or khurujs or ceramahs, they were busy with dating, with Abba and Bee Gees, with discos. So apart from their primary school years of learning the Juz-‘Amma from their grandfathers or the local ustazs, they really have NOTHING by way of Islamic advancements to be put onto their spiritual resumes.
Beginning from the 2000’s, we see a proliferation of people who you SENSE come from a more liberal society and upbringing but writing about Islam. Suddenly overnight we have these Born-Again writers flooding the internet firstly to show that they THEMSELVES are also champions of Islam and secondly that hey! Read me! I have come with the kind of Islam that is both modern, progressive, accommodative which even the non-muslims love.
Seriously, don’t we wish that we have THESE kinds of people to face Abu Jahal and Abu Lahab during the prophet’s time (SAW)?
But commensurate with Anas’ path towards full righteousness is his being influenced by Quranist ideologies. He is surrounded by people like Syed Akbar Ali, Malaysia’s most vocal proponent of no-hadith, qur’an-only beliefs.
A lack of basic fiqh, fused with a rejection of the prophet’s hadith and general taqwa, and you have a most explosive case of Islamic Misinformation you can ever perceive with two brains.
So there you have it, Dr Zakir. Don’t take too much heart, now that you know certain histories and backgrounds. Onwards to the allegations that Anas have got on you.
1. YOUR PRESENCE IS CAUSING A FAMILY DISPUTE
Seriously, I don’t even feel a need to comment on this. It is self-explanatory, self-revealing. According to that other Anas, Anas bin Malik (RA), the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: " I wish that I could meet my brothers." The Sahaabah (RAA) asked: "Aren't we your brothers?" He replied: "You are my Companions, but my brothers are those who will believe in me without having seen me."
What can you say, Dr Zakir, some people regard their relationships to the multitude of non-muslims as his family much more than you and me ever are?
As for Anas, yes please be comforted by your “family” here. As for me, my brothers and family are ...err... quite different from yours. Before anyone can point a finger saying that I am against Muhibbah of the races, I am not.
I have a multiracial neighbor that I play games with, drink coffee with and argue with on whether Q could obliterate the Borgs in one fell swoop. But family? Brothers? I only follow the conjunction of the Qur’an: “Verily the believers are brothers.” (al Hujurat-10)
2. YOUR PRESENCE IN MALAYSIA HAVE MEGATIVE IMPACT ON NON-MUSLIMS TOWARDS ISLAM
Now I am scratching my head on this one. Is this a statistical study or what? A scientific poll? Which authority has the audacity to conclude something like this, and if so under what premises? And let me pose a counter questioning to Anas: Name one Islamic Dakwah personality which, if brought to Malaysia, would, in your mind, have a POSITIVE impact on the non-muslims towards Islam?
Hello... None, OK? Positive impact means what. That they nod their heads in appreciations? That they show they like it by purchasing Islamic paraphernalia?
Anas said that your presence is getting non-muslims further away from Islam. This is where Anas’ confusion reaches its peak. He equates people disliking Islam as a sign of failure.
If so, Anas lacks the knowledge of Seerah big, big time. He lacks the understanding, not to mention the spirit of Islamic Dakwah big, big time. (By the way how much does Anas know about dakwah, apart from him being able to SPELL it? Has he ever been in khuruj?)
When the prophet preached Islam in Mecca to Umaiyyah bin Khalaf, Walid bin Mughirah, Utbah bin Rabi’ah and others, what kind of response is Anas expecting to be produced by them. The same as his non-muslim and liberal muslim readers accord him now, with applauds and compliments?
Is Dakwah to be done the result of which should be praises and accolades rather than a general feeling of discomfort onto the ears of those whom the dakwah is given?
Have you, Dr Zakir, started to feel a sense of ... inadequacy in the understanding of the Islamic spirit prevailing on this person now?
3. COMPARATIVE DEBATES DO NOT WORK IN MALAYSIA
Actually Anas, they do. What you PERCEIVE as a non-level playing field as far as dakwah is concerned in Malaysia, is actually a phenomenon best described in one of the talk events of Dr Zakir Naik where after expounding the inconsistencies of some biblical texts, one christian questioner stood up and asked,
“Dr. Zakir. Why do you insult us christians? What have you got against the bible that you are saying that their passages are wrong? Why do you say that the bible is not from God?”
And Dr Zakir answers (Anas pay attention carefully). “If I tell you that 2 X 2 is 5, what do you have to say to that?” And the man answered “That you are wrong.”
To which Dr Zakir replied, “are you insulting me? I say 2 x 2 is 5 and you say I am wrong?” The man said. “I am not insulting you. I am just saying you are wrong”.
“Like wise”, said Dr Zakir. “Neither have I insulted the bible nor have I disrespected it.
What I am saying is it is just wrong. And here is why I have said so .... (proceeds to read and analyse the conflicting verses). Now how can God be the author of some conflicting facts? And if you have scientific, logical, mathematical and factual proofs that you can provide that disproves my thesis, then by all means produce it. If it is sensible enough, I am more ready to declare that I am mistaken in this.”
Anas, if it is not Zakir Naik who could highlight to the masses things like these, then who would. You? Would you like to take his place? No. Notwithstanding, with the kind of “with charity towards all, malice towards none and love for all ...” mentality permeating in you, never in a million years would you be so factual.
You would sooner hide verses such as “Innad-Deen indallah al-Islam” rather than tell your non muslim listeners what Allah says.
Then what would you say in from of Allah on the day of judgement if asked, “O Anas, on earth you played with your friends. Joked with them, socialize with them. But never once did you attract them to Islam.
Even if you think you did, it wasn’t via the way of the prophet. Never once were they attracted to the Quran because never once did you point out that whatever they read other than the Quran was wrong and not from me”.
Now I might sound I am in some level of bigotry here but upon closer scrutiny, I am not. The christians or people from other denominations have equal rights to say that “Actually you muslims are wrong according to our dogma. According to our beliefs, you all will enter hellfire.” And I am okay with that. And get this:
SO IS OUR ENTIRE GOVERNMENT, MUSLIM POPULACE AND ISLAM IN GENERAL. We do not mind you to think that WE are the unsuccessful ones in the hereafter, just like we think YOU are. But will that harm perpaduan?
Not at all. After all this, we still go to our friends’ daughter’s weddings, sit and sip Stevia-laced coffee in any kopitiam, and fight with one another whether Man U is better than Liverpool or imbibe uniappam in any banana-leaf restaurant.
What is preventing us from having our Mokhtar Dahari-Soh Chin Aun-Santokh Singh moments are NOT religion. Definitely NOT Islam. They are politics, and we have diverse ways to view THAT one. Speaking of which ...
Sorry Dr Zakir. Not much comment in here, apart from giving my two-cents view from a religious standpoint. I am neither a politician nor like politics that much, but I do NOT conform to the plan of making our top-most potential people to take over the premiership who have come from a background of homo-sexuality.
Any persons, entities and politicians who conform to this should not be agreed upon. Period. That’s my entire political thoughts wrapped in 2 sentences. Clever, Sensible and Far-looking is what I is.
Lastly Dr Zakir, do not take things too hard, as I said. Perchance if you could be visiting (on your way) to a small dilapidated coffee stall by the roadside in Keramat, maybe you can stop by and I can interest you with some home-made cheese pisang goreng and the best lemang this side of the hemisphere? No?
Sincerely,
Your brother
J Rizal
ps: check for adherence to Anas’ rules for Anonymous writers:-
4. Your presence is slowing down Malaysia’s political revitalization
1. No profanity---Checked
2. Seditious – nope.
3. Don’t play God --- Na’uzubillah.
4. Sweeping statements – Like, “You cause family disputes” kind of sweeping statements?
Nope.
5. Facts as opposed to opinions – Whaaaat? I thought I should be asking you that, especially
with that “Your presence here is causing negative impact” thing
