This is a corollary, a continuation of my earlier article, “When haram can become halal,” published by The Star on December 7. These two pieces must be read together before one can make any appropriate conclusion on the subject matter discussed. The entire issue is extremely sensitive to Muslims and technical in nature. Thus readers…
In Islam, a highly authentic prophetic tradition (hadith) prescribes that generally things are divisible into three categories: the lawful (halal), the unlawful (haram) and the doubtful (mushtabihat). While the first two are evident, i.e. clearly spelled out by the sources of syariah, the third is not. Under normal circumstances, Muslims are obliged to lead a…
At this juncture of our nation’s development we should be proud and confident of the way we organise our society. We should not lose sight of our own culture and identity. Neither should we be close-minded. Our strength in upholding the principles of justice and tolerance in a multi-religious society should be maintained continuously. However,…
It is taught in Islamic intellectual tradition that, the names and attributes that belong to God are unlimited in their number, far more beyond the names enumerable by man. Be that as it may, there is a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, who says that “God has ninety-nine names…whoever memorises, utters and comprehends them will…
Moderation means the “quality of being moderate and avoiding extremes”; or “to be within limits that are not excessive”. Moderation is always considered an excellent, praiseworthy quality. Inherent in the concept of moderation is the idea of ‘the means’-i.e. the limit to be observed in every conduct for it to be deemed moderate. What is…
There is a growing trend of our Malaysian youth showing disrespect for the law. What is more worrying is the rise of violent crimes committed by them. This fact is confirmed by our newly-appointed Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Ismail Omar when he took office this year. Many community leaders have voiced their concern…
About a week ago Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, announced at the UMNO General Assembly that History would be made a must-pass SPM subject in 2013 and that it would also be a core subject in primary school starting 2014. It is clear that such a move is primarily aimed at the…
Malaysia is a unique federation blessed with a variety of religions, races, ethnic groups, languages, customs and culture. All world major religions are practiced here: Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. Other religious beliefs include Sikhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Bahaism and Animism. The country’s 27 million combined populations consists of three main racial groups, namely Malays, Chinese,…
The cornerstone of ethics is the religious exhortation to the soul to engage in relentless search for the love and pleasure of God. When Archangel Gabriel asked the Prophet what is religious perfection (ihsan), the latter answered, “that you should render your service to God as if you see Him, and if you see Him…
This article is written in conjunction with Children’s Day which is celebrated on the last Saturday of October every year in Malaysia. Universal Children’s Day takes place on November 20 annually. It was established to encourage all countries to institute a day to promote mutual exchange and understanding among children and to initiate action to…
