AS Ramadan draws to a close, Muslims who have religiously performed the fasting begin to look forward to Aidilfitri.
Among others, Aidilfitri signifies the reward for their success in the previous month to subscribe fully to God’s injunction to “think no evil, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil and do no evil”, for otherwise the only “benefits” derived from fasting are thirst and hunger.
Fasting is actually one of the many religious prescriptions aimed at counteracting evil.
In fact, many have argued that the raison d’etre of religion is to battle evil, as evil is the anti-thesis of religion.
It follows, therefore, that there is absolutely no truth whatsoever that evil could be justified on the basis of promoting or protecting religion.
Anyone who claims to carry out inhumane acts for the sake of religion must be dismissed as a bluff.
Gleaning the pages of history, one finds plenty of examples of such person or group. Individually or collectively, evil acts were carried out in the name of religion.
For instance, in the Middle Age in Europe, evil was associated primarily with the religious belief that because God was all-powerful and all-Good, evil must be the result of the Devil’s act.
The Devil is believed to work through lesser intermediaries. Hence, the hunt for evil focused on those marginalised people who looked or acted differently.
The victims of such attempts to purge evil suffered greatly and many lost their lives simply because they were believed to be “heretics”.
We now know that some of the most heinous crimes against humanity during that period were caused not by those ostensible heretics, but by those who believed with certainty that they were acting in accordance with the word of God and were, therefore, on the side of righteousness, fighting against the side of evil.
Acts of evil such as these have been replicated in modern times in the forms of genocides and war crimes in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda and many other places around the world.
Records in the four decades after the end of the Second World War, show 150 wars were fought, and there were only 26 days of world peace. The body counts of Nazi genocide had been surpassed by later bloody events in China, Cambodia and Rwanda.
Why do people engage in evil acts? Criminological studies have shown with empirical evidence that a low social control is a major factor that drives individuals to commit crime.
It is no secret that perpetual wrongdoers normally exhibit a lack of self-control in both legal and non-legal aspects of their lives.
What about perpetrators of genocide and mass killings? Surely, their evil acts cannot be attributed to individuals with little or no self-control. In these instances, evildoers are thought to be simply obeying the commands of a superior.
Obedience seems to facilitate evil acts. In one psychological experiment, it was shown that when students were directed to deliver painful electric shocks to student subjects, they duly complied, even up to levels of shock that could theoretically kill their fellow students.
The other factor that perpetuates evil acts is desensitisation. Some of the Serbian fighters in Sarajevo said that killing had become so routine to them that they found it hard to imagine doing anything else.
When asked whether they would pull the trigger if one of their former Muslim friends appeared in their sights, they replied that they would not hesitate to do so.
Are certain groups or societies more inclined towards evil than others? A theory that there is a sub-culture of evil does not hold water when one looks at the evidence.
A study by Professor Paul Wilson concludes that although indigenous Australians have a rate of murder and violence 10 to 20 times greater than
the rest of the population, the truth is the Aborigines loathe violence.
Wilson argues that the colonisation of the country is responsible where many Aborigines were displaced from their homelands, torn from their families and placed into reserves where alcohol, unemployment and personal despair became the mark of their existence.
What then are the causes of evil? First is the desire to accumulate material gain. Although money is not necessarily the root of all evil, there are those who are prepared to use evil as a means to acquire it.
The second cause of evil is threatened egoism. Many murders and serious crimes arise from situations where a male’s self-esteem or honour is directly challenged by his partner in the home, at work or out in the street.
Road-bullies are prime examples of this type of evildoers. When the victims are a powerful country with high self-regard, the aggression is likely to trigger retaliation aimed at nationalistic self-repair.
Hence, on the pretext of counteracting evil, we have countries exerting their extreme might onto tiny and almost insignificant nations, to the point of overkill.
But what is the purpose of vilifying the opposition in a conflict? The instigator of collective violence may be subdued, but the perpetrators will continue to carry out from where he had left off.
Furthermore, when both parties involved in a conflict have the ability to retaliate, retributions will only lead to an escalation of evil acts.Therefore, the cost of redeeming self-esteem via violent means should be carefully weighed against further losses of lives and limbs.
A third cause of evil is gross idealism. If and when an individual, a religious group, a race or a nation believes that they are on the side of good and that the whole world would be much better off if their creed or ideology prevailed, then war crimes, genocide and brutality are likely to happen.
With regard to the current “war on terrorism”, David Mandel of Victoria University contends that the escalation of conflict owes much to the attribution of evil by the two opposing sides, as both leaders claim in simplistic terms that his is a “struggle of good versus evil”.
Such a dichotomous portrayal, emphasising an “us” versus “them” stand, can heighten social identification, out-group derogation and steer people toward supporting an escalation of evil acts.
Thus, according to Mandel, not only is terrorism a threat, the fight against terrorism, too, poses a potential hazard to our security and chances of prosperity.
The last, and perhaps least, cause of evil is the pursuit of sadistic pleasure. In this category we find serial killers, torturers, rapists and those involved in genocides.
The concept of good and evil is profoundly described in the Quran. The angel who worships God and realises His Commands in the universe is the symbol of good and kindness.
Along with the angels, Allah has created the jinn. Jinns are assigned a certain nature; some of them are good, while others are corrupt and evil.
The Devil is an example of the latter.
According to the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, everyone has in his company two angels and a devil. The devil’s only interest is to incite him to evil.
Thus, in whatever that we do we would have to decide whether to subscribe to good or evil means. While driving, do we constantly inflict harm or anxiety onto others, either directly or, indirectly?
While parking, do we conveniently choose an illegal space closest to our point of doing business without due regard to the other motorists stranded at the back? If we do, then we are actually slipping into acts of evil.
The spirit of Aidilfitri is a perfect religious prescription to containing evil. While it is obligatory to refrain from inflicting evil on others, if evil is done onto oneself, then forgiveness but not retribution is the order of the day.AS Ramadan draws to a close, Muslims who have religiously performed the fasting begin to look forward to Aidilfitri.
Among others, Aidilfitri signifies the reward for their success in the previous month to subscribe fully to God’s injunction to “think no evil, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil and do no evil”, for otherwise the only “benefits” derived from fasting are thirst and hunger.
Fasting is actually one of the many religious prescriptions aimed at counteracting evil.
In fact, many have argued that the raison d’etre of religion is to battle evil, as evil is the anti-thesis of religion.
It follows, therefore, that there is absolutely no truth whatsoever that evil could be justified on the basis of promoting or protecting religion.
Anyone who claims to carry out inhumane acts for the sake of religion must be dismissed as a bluff.
Gleaning the pages of history, one finds plenty of examples of such person or group. Individually or collectively, evil acts were carried out in the name of religion.
For instance, in the Middle Age in Europe, evil was associated primarily with the religious belief that because God was all-powerful and all-Good, evil must be the result of the Devil’s act.
The Devil is believed to work through lesser intermediaries. Hence, the hunt for evil focused on those marginalised people who looked or acted differently.
The victims of such attempts to purge evil suffered greatly and many lost their lives simply because they were believed to be “heretics”.
We now know that some of the most heinous crimes against humanity during that period were caused not by those ostensible heretics, but by those who believed with certainty that they were acting in accordance with the word of God and were, therefore, on the side of righteousness, fighting against the side of evil.
Acts of evil such as these have been replicated in modern times in the forms of genocides and war crimes in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda and many other places around the world.
Records in the four decades after the end of the Second World War, show 150 wars were fought, and there were only 26 days of world peace. The body counts of Nazi genocide had been surpassed by later bloody events in China, Cambodia and Rwanda.
Why do people engage in evil acts? Criminological studies have shown with empirical evidence that a low social control is a major factor that drives individuals to commit crime.
It is no secret that perpetual wrongdoers normally exhibit a lack of self-control in both legal and non-legal aspects of their lives.
What about perpetrators of genocide and mass killings? Surely, their evil acts cannot be attributed to individuals with little or no self- control. In these instances, evildoers are thought to be simply obeying the commands of a superior.
Obedience seems to facilitate evil acts. In one psychological experiment, it was shown that when students were directed to deliver painful electric shocks to student subjects, they duly complied, even up to levels of shock that could theoretically kill their fellow students.
The other factor that perpetuates evil acts is desensitisation. Some of the Serbian fighters in Sarajevo said that killing had become so routine to them that they found it hard to imagine doing anything else.
When asked whether they would pull the trigger if one of their former Muslim friends appeared in their sights, they replied that they would not hesitate to do so.
Are certain groups or societies more inclined towards evil than others? A theory that there is a sub-culture of evil does not hold water when one looks at the evidence.
A study by Professor Paul Wilson concludes that although indigenous Australians have a rate of murder and violence 10 to 20 times greater than the rest of the population, the truth is the Aborigines loathe violence.
Wilson argues that the colonisation of the country is responsible where many Aborigines were displaced from their homelands, torn from their families and placed into reserves where alcohol, unemployment and personal despair became the mark of their existence.
What then are the causes of evil? First is the desire to accumulate material gain. Although money is not necessarily the root of all evil, there are those who are prepared to use evil as a means to acquire it.
The second cause of evil is threatened egoism. Many murders and serious crimes arise from situations where a male’s self-esteem or honour is directly challenged by his partner in the home, at work or out in the street.
Road-bullies are prime examples of this type of evildoers. When the victims are a powerful country with high self-regard, the aggression is likely to trigger retaliation aimed at nationalistic self-repair.
Hence, on the pretext of counteracting evil, we have countries exerting their extreme might onto tiny and almost insignificant nations, to the point of overkill.
But what is the purpose of vilifying the opposition in a conflict? The instigator of collective violence may be subdued, but the perpetrators will continue to carry out from where he had left off.
Furthermore, when both parties involved in a conflict have the ability to retaliate, retributions will only lead to an escalation of evil acts.Therefore, the cost of redeeming self-esteem via violent means should be carefully weighed against further losses of lives and limbs.
A third cause of evil is gross idealism. If and when an individual, a religious group, a race or a nation believes that they are on the side of good and that the whole world would be much better off if their creed or ideology prevailed, then war crimes, genocide and brutality are likely to happen.
With regard to the current “war on terrorism”, David Mandel of Victoria University contends that the escalation of conflict owes much to the attribution of evil by the two opposing sides, as both leaders claim in simplistic terms that his is a “struggle of good versus evil”.
Such a dichotomous portrayal, emphasising an “us” versus “them” stand, can heighten social identification, out-group derogation and steer people toward supporting an escalation of evil acts.
Thus, according to Mandel, not only is terrorism a threat, the fight against terrorism, too, poses a potential hazard to our security and chances of prosperity.
The last, and perhaps least, cause of evil is the pursuit of sadistic pleasure. In this category we find serial killers, torturers, rapists and those involved in genocides.
The concept of good and evil is profoundly described in the Quran. The angel who worships God and realises His Commands in the universe is the symbol of good and kindness.
Along with the angels, Allah has created the jinn. Jinns are assigned a certain nature; some of them are good, while others are corrupt and evil.
The Devil is an example of the latter.
According to the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, everyone has in his company two angels and a devil. The devil’s only interest is to incite him to evil.
Thus, in whatever that we do we would have to decide whether to subscribe to good or evil means. While driving, do we constantly inflict harm or anxiety onto others, either directly or, indirectly?
While parking, do we conveniently choose an illegal space closest to our point of doing business without due regard to the other motorists stranded at the back? If we do, then we are actually slipping into acts of evil.
The spirit of Aidilfitri is a perfect religious prescription to containing evil. While it is obligatory to refrain from inflicting evil on others, if evil is done onto oneself, then forgiveness but not retribution is the order of the day.AS Ramadan draws to a close, Muslims who have religiously performed the fasting begin to look forward to Aidilfitri.
Among others, Aidilfitri signifies the reward for their success in the previous month to subscribe fully to God’s injunction to “think no evil, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil and do no evil”, for otherwise the only “benefits” derived from fasting are thirst and hunger.
Fasting is actually one of the many religious prescriptions aimed at counteracting evil.
In fact, many have argued that the raison d’etre of religion is to battle evil, as evil is the anti-thesis of religion.
It follows, therefore, that there is absolutely no truth whatsoever that evil could be justified on the basis of promoting or protecting religion.
Anyone who claims to carry out inhumane acts for the sake of religion must be dismissed as a bluff.
Gleaning the pages of history, one finds plenty of examples of such person or group. Individually or collectively, evil acts were carried out in the name of religion.
For instance, in the Middle Age in Europe, evil was associated primarily with the religious belief that because God was all-powerful and all-Good,
evil must be the result of the Devil’s act.
The Devil is believed to work through lesser intermediaries. Hence, the hunt for evil focused on those marginalised people who looked or acted differently.
The victims of such attempts to purge evil suffered greatly and many lost their lives simply because they were believed to be “heretics”.
We now know that some of the most heinous crimes against humanity during that period were caused not by those ostensible heretics, but by those who believed with certainty that they were acting in accordance with the word of God and were, therefore, on the side of righteousness, fighting against the side of evil.
Acts of evil such as these have been replicated in modern times in the forms of genocides and war crimes in Bosnia, Kosovo, Rwanda and many other places around the world.
Records in the four decades after the end of the Second World War, show 150 wars were fought, and there were only 26 days of world peace. The body counts of Nazi genocide had been surpassed by later bloody events in China, Cambodia and Rwanda.
Why do people engage in evil acts? Criminological studies have shown with empirical evidence that a low social control is a major factor that drives individuals to commit crime.
It is no secret that perpetual wrongdoers normally exhibit a lack of self-control in both legal and non-legal aspects of their lives.
What about perpetrators of genocide and mass killings? Surely, their evil acts cannot be attributed to individuals with little or no self-control. In these instances, evildoers are thought to be simply obeying the commands of a superior.
Obedience seems to facilitate evil acts. In one psychological experiment, it was shown that when students were directed to deliver painful electric shocks to student subjects, they duly complied, even up to levels of shock that could theoretically kill their fellow students.
The other factor that perpetuates evil acts is desensitisation. Some of the Serbian fighters in Sarajevo said that killing had become so routine to them that they found it hard to imagine doing anything else.
When asked whether they would pull the trigger if one of their former Muslim friends appeared in their sights, they replied that they would not hesitate to do so.
Are certain groups or societies more inclined towards evil than others? A theory that there is a sub-culture of evil does not hold water when one looks at the evidence.
A study by Professor Paul Wilson concludes that although indigenous Australians have a rate of murder and violence 10 to 20 times greater than the rest of the population, the truth is the Aborigines loathe violence.
Wilson argues that the colonisation of the country is responsible where many Aborigines were displaced from their homelands, torn from their families and placed into reserves where alcohol, unemployment and personal despair became the mark of their existence.
What then are the causes of evil? First is the desire to accumulate material gain. Although money is not necessarily the root of all evil, there are those who are prepared to use evil as a means to acquire it.
The second cause of evil is threatened egoism. Many murders and serious crimes arise from situations where a male’s self-esteem or honour is directly challenged by his partner in the home, at work or out in the street.
Road-bullies are prime examples of this type of evildoers. When the victims are a powerful country with high self-regard, the aggression is likely to trigger retaliation aimed at nationalistic self-repair.
Hence, on the pretext of counteracting evil, we have countries exerting their extreme might onto tiny and almost insignificant nations, to the point of overkill.
But what is the purpose of vilifying the opposition in a conflict? The instigator of collective violence may be subdued, but the perpetrators will continue to carry out from where he had left off.
Furthermore, when both parties involved in a conflict have the ability to retaliate, retributions will only lead to an escalation of evil acts.Therefore, the cost of redeeming self-esteem via violent means should be carefully weighed against further losses of lives and limbs.
A third cause of evil is gross idealism. If and when an individual, a religious group, a race or a nation believes that they are on the side of good and that the whole world would be much better off if their creed or ideology prevailed, then war crimes, genocide and brutality are likely to happen.
With regard to the current “war on terrorism”, David Mandel of Victoria University contends that the escalation of conflict owes much to the attribution of evil by the two opposing sides, as both leaders claim in simplistic terms that his is a “struggle of good versus evil”.
Such a dichotomous portrayal, emphasising an “us” versus “them” stand, can heighten social identification, out-group derogation and steer people toward supporting an escalation of evil acts.
Thus, according to Mandel, not only is terrorism a threat, the fight against terrorism, too, poses a potential hazard to our security and chances of prosperity.
The last, and perhaps least, cause of evil is the pursuit of sadistic pleasure. In this category we find serial killers, torturers, rapists and those involved in genocides.
The concept of good and evil is profoundly described in the Quran. The angel who worships God and realises His Commands in the universe is the symbol of good and kindness.
Along with the angels, Allah has created the jinn. Jinns are assigned a certain nature; some of them are good, while others are corrupt and evil.
The Devil is an example of the latter.
According to the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, everyone has in his company two angels and a devil. The devil’s only interest is to incite him to evil.
Thus, in whatever that we do we would have to decide whether to subscribe to good or evil means. While driving, do we constantly inflict harm or anxiety onto others, either directly or, indirectly?
While parking, do we conveniently choose an illegal space closest to our point of doing business without due regard to the other motorists stranded at the back? If we do, then we are actually slipping into acts of evil.
The spirit of Aidilfitri is a perfect religious prescription to containing evil. While it is obligatory to refrain from inflicting evil on others, if evil is done onto oneself, then forgiveness but not retribution is the order of the day.AS the Northern Alliance forces strode into Kabul recently, there were scenes of non-Afghans lying dead in the city streets, presumably killed in their attempt to fight those out to oust the Taliban.
For the foreigners who had given their lives to defend the previous Afghan Government against the American-led attack, they would probably be resting in peace, after having accomplished their ultimate aim in life – to die a martyr in a jihad.
But frankly, no one knows if this is indeed the case.
Wars have become so complicated it is difficult to ascertain if a Muslim is really fighting for an Islamic cause or some other mortal reasons.
We do not know for sure if any Malaysians had taken up arms in defence of the Talibans.
However, the Government had advised that if people are truly sincere about going on a jihad, there are plenty of things to strive for in this country.
In any case, it is not a clear-cut case, as to which is holier – fighting against non-Muslims or other fellow Muslims, for the latter too, may well be wrong.
The Quran says:
“The believers are but a single brotherhood, so make peace and reconciliation between your two contending brothers and fear Allah, that you may receive mercy” (al-Hujurat 29:10).
However, this is not necessarily the case in practice.
Some Muslims are conscientiously hurting other Muslims, if not physically, then mentally or emotionally.
Hence, while they are willing to kiss and make up with their non-Muslim adversaries, they are not too keen to hold out an olive branch to their Muslim brothers.
On the jihad issue, the Government’s view with regard to the recent Afghan war is probably true.
There is so much jihad that needs to be carried out in our own backyard.
A pertinent example is the failure of companies awarded the contract to set up computer labs in schools throughout Malaysia in accordance with the national Budget announced last year.
They may have very good reasons for not delivering the goods.
But surely, if they had treated this as a jihad, then their aim would have been a noble one, instead of making a quick buck.
They would then feel a religious obligation to complete the project in time for the sake of equipping the future generation with information technology expertise.
Information and communications technology is becoming so imperative that for any little time lost, it would take us years to catch up with the rest of the world.
By failing to have a strategic plan and an enduring passion to meet the target, these contractors have really let the nation down.
No doubt, that if the task had been given to some other contractors, even the non-Muslims, they would immediately go on the jihad mode to deliver the project as scheduled, and satisfactorily, too.
Ramadan is a good time to commit ourselves to the jihad of fixing destructive behaviours that have somehow become habitual.
According to the Muslim scholar al-Ghazali in his book Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship, there are three grades of fasting.
The first is ordinary fasting which means abstaining from food, drink and sexual pleasures.
The second is special fasting that demands the keeping of one’s ears, eyes, tongue, hands and feet, as well as all other organs, free from sinful acts.
The third is extra special as it refers to refraining the heart from unworthy concerns and worldly thoughts.
This type of fasting is deemed broken by thinking of anything other than God.
To this third degree belong the Prophets, the true saints and the intimates of God.
As for the special fasting, it is certainly within the reach of mere humans like us.
However, we have to first commit jihad to realise six very tough requirements.
First, there must be restraint from viewing anything blameworthy and reprehensible.
The Prophet said that the furtive glance is one of the poisoned arrows of Satan and whoever forsakes it will receive the grace of God.
Second, one should guard one’s tongue from twaddle, lying, backbiting, scandal mongering, obscenity, rudeness, wrangling and controversy.
It is best to use the tongue to recite the Quran.
Third, one must refrain from listening to anything unlawful, as the Prophet has stated that the backbiter and his listener are partners in sin.
It is important that Muslims abide by the decisions of the authority to disallow religious talks spiced with political innuendos.
What is worse is that speakers would hijack the congregation who is actually hoping to seek sojourn in the House of God, and forcibly make them listen to political tazkirah or briefings at evening prayers.
Fourth, the stomach cannot be filled with questionable food when breaking fast.
It is pointless really to fast by abstaining from lawful food, but only to break it by consuming what is unlawful.
This has been likened to one who builds a castle but demolishes a city.
The Prophet commented:
“How many of those who fast get nothing from it but hunger and thirst!” (referring to those who break their fast on unlawful food).
These days, there are Muslims who take nicotine for breakfast.
It is ironic that the Homo nicotinus would have to resort to the cigarette immediately on breaking fast, for during the previous 14 hours or so, they seem remarkably able to suppress whatever craving that they have due to their faith in the Almighty.
Fifth, to achieve the special fasting status, avoid overindulging in lawful food at the time of breaking fast.
It would be totally against the spirit of fasting which is to provide an avenue for Muslims to empathise with the poor and destitute who are constantly threatened with hunger and thirst, if at the time of breaking it, they feel compelled to make up for “giving up” by consuming copious amounts of food.
Lastly, after breaking the fast, the heart should swing like a pendulum between fear and hope, for one does not know if one’s fast has been accepted.
This is how one should feel at the end of any act of worship.
The humility will make us want to work harder to find favour with God.
Hence, the completion of fasting for the day should not lead to complacency of presumed victory, but preferably be followed through with taraweeh prayers and the reading of the Quran or tadarus in the evening.
Let this Ramadan make us not only successful in performing the outward demand of fasting, but, also more importantly, excel in subscribing fully to the inner dimensions of the worship, which is what true jihad is all about.