The answer is too obvious, for those who know the real one, and to know the real one it is assumed that they know what knowledge is. But misconceptions about knowledge are so rampant today, and one of those misconceptions is the belief that ‘knowledge’ is actually just an ‘opinion’. In other words, there is…
The term ‘ulama’ (plural for alim) is an Islamic term, which literally means ‘the men of knowledge’. The literal meaning itself is already too obvious, so there is no need to ask who they are unless the person asking does not know what knowledge is. If that is the case, what he should be asking then is: what is…
Today Muslims are always ridiculed for anything to do with their belief and their way of life. The unbelievers know that the Muslims believe in the Prophet, honour him and follow to the details of his words and actions. So, we all basically know what ridiculing the Prophet entails, and what the possible outcome could…
Indiscriminate killing of Muslims or non-Muslims is unlawful and there is no disambiguity about that as far as Islamic jurisprudence is concerned. That is because Islam treasures the sanctity of life. The Qur’an says: “Whoever kills a person unjustly—except as a punishment for murder or as a prescribed punishment for spreading disorder in the land—it…
According to the West, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, is the world’s most dangerous extremist. Is this a fair statement? An extremist is a transgressor, who recognizes no limit in his mind, speech and act. He could be anybody. Defined as such, an extremist is not necessarily an Arab or a Muslim, as…
Justice is inextricably related to knowledge, and knowledge to education. So, when we see gross injustice in every aspect of life, the ultimate question would be about knowledge and education. There must be something wrong with the way we have educated the society so that the products are more likely to become unjust. It means…
Plato is famously quoted as having said that knowledge without justice ought to be called cunning rather than wisdom.The question of justice, according to him, arises only in a situation where there is chaos. In an ideal statethere is no need to talk about justice because everyone knows already what is right and what is…
Saya tergelak seorang diri membaca ucapan Kassim Ahmad pada Konferensi Politik Nasional (18 Februari 2014). Yang menyebabkan saya tergelak adalah kerana secara tiba-tiba saya teringat kepada filem Tan Sri P. Ramlee “Ibu Mertuaku”. Dalam filem itu baris dialog yang mungkin diingati semua orang adalah pertanyaan si ibu mertua: “Siapa Kassim Selamat?”. Apabila membaca ucapan Kassim…
Knowledge and morality are interconnected. What one thinks of morality is determined by one’s idea of knowledge, even though one might not be aware of it. A moral relativist does not believe in a fixed moral code determining what one ought to do and what ought not to do. Hence, as far as he is…
Islam adalah agama ilmu, maka orang-orang yang berilmu mempunyai kedudukan yang tinggi dalam Islam. Kedudukan mereka tinggi kerana mereka mengenali Wujud yang tertinggi, iaitu Wujud yang hakiki, dan pengenalan itu menimbulkan sifat takut dan gerun kepadaNya (Fatir: 28). Al-Qur’an menggelarkan mereka ‘ulama’ dengan sebab itu. Justeru, Sayyidina Ali r.a. mengatakan bahawa mengenal Allah itu adalah…
