Pas president Hadi Awang, in his column on Jan 1 to welcome the new year, said that secularism is a bigger sin compared to slander and murder because secularism kills Islamic beliefs and faith in Allah.
“It is the biggest sin in Islam,” he declared.
That got me thinking. If as a secularist, I went and talked to Hadi Awang, to ask him about what he believes is the meaning and purpose of life, what is he going to tell me.
This is how I imagine the conversation will be like.
“You see Nehru, I believe there is a god and Prophet Muhammad is his messenger. God has commanded me and all Muslims to live life according to his commandments and the purpose of my life, as well as all other Muslims, is to follow his commandments. If we follow God's commandment, we have faith that we will be rewarded in the afterlife and avoid punishment, “he will probably reply to me.
Hearing this, I will probably be ok with his answer, because the secularist part of me doesn’t particularly care whether anyone believes in a god or an afterlife. If some people want to believe that there is a god and that their god wants them to live their live according to a particular way, as long as it is not against the law and doesn’t get in the way of anyone else trying to lead their life, as a secularist, I think that they should be able to do whatever it is that they think is right.
But if I were to ask Hadi further” So, how are you going along in your life? You must be happy, right? In this country we live in, it must be easy for you to live your life according to the way that you see fit. It's easy to pray, it is easy to go to Friday prayers, it is easy to fast and there are even facilities like Tabung Haji to facilitate you going on a pilgrimage. Surely, having it is so easy to follow your beliefs and practices in our country, you must be greatly assured that as you age, rewards are awaiting you in the afterlife.”
At this point however, I feel that Hadi is probably going to disagree with me.
“No Nehru, that is not the case,” he is likely going to say. “It is not easy to follow god and prophet, Nehru. You have to have a strong mind and determined heart to do it. This world is filled with temptations, and it is ever looking to lure you away from the right path. Youth is especially intoxicating to the young. When you are young and you are looking at all the pleasures that life has to offer, you are bound to ask yourself, “why am I following these strict practices and rules? Why can’t I drink or eat whatever I want? Why do I have to pray many times a day when I don’t seem to get anything from it? What if what I heard on YouTube is right, and all this talk about God and afterlife are just old wives’ tales, that those who rule use to keep everyone else in line? Why don’t I just forget about following god’s command, and focus on other things that will give me pleasure, like gaining wealth, fame, power, influence, beautiful things and status instead. I don’t want to arrive at the end of my life, regretting that I did not live my life at all.” You see, Nehru, unless the belief in God and his prophet is deeply established in a person’s heart from a young age, they are easily lured by the temptation of the world in their youth and become lost.”
If, like a secularist, I were to tell Hadi: “Well, forget about them then, dear Hadi. That is their choice, so that is their problem. You are well and good right, dear Hadi,” he would probably say to me, “No, how can I be alright when all around me, my people are being swept away from the right path and headed towards eternal damnation. As a Muslim, I have an obligation to my ummah. Amar makruf Nahi mungkar. I must call upon my brothers and sisters in faith to follow the right path and prevent them from being disobedient and wayward. I cannot be selfish and think alone about my rewards in the afterlife, and say “forget about everybody else. If they want to go to hell, that is up to them.” This is not how a true Muslim is supposed to lead his or her life.”
If at this point, I were to say to him: “Oh ok. So what are you planning to do about it?”, this is where the problem is going to start.
It is going to start because I feel this is what he is going to tell me. “I am planning to gain political power and make this country of ours an Islamic State where our youths, and perhaps even all of us, will be saved from being ensnared by the temptations of the world. If your brother or sister is coughing heavily because they are smoking two packs of cigarrette a day, will you say, that is their choice, and let them smoke on until they die of lung cancer? No. If you care for them you will not. Instead you will see that they are heading to a path of ruin and perdition, simply because they are helpless in the face of temptation. Seeeing that, like a good brother or sister, you should take up authority and act like a doctor, snatch away their cigarettes and guide towards a healthier way of life . It doesn’t matter that they might be angry at you for forcing them to do something that is against their will. Once they are cured from their wrong doing, and experience the benefits of living the right way, then they will appreciate you for what you have done for them.”
If I were to then ask him , “What are you going to do if you gain political power, dear Hadi?” I doubt I am going to find his reply very appealing.
“Well, what I will do is firmly establish the principles of Islam in the hearts and minds of the young, so that they stay steadfast to the faith throughout their life. I will also combat the temptations that lure my people away from the right path, and make it safe and easy to be a good Muslim in this country. If someone were to break the precepts of Islam, I will use the authority I have to punish them sufficiently, so that they will fear being disobedient to God and wayward in the way of the faith, and be an example for others to not be disobedient and wayward. Did you see the recent case where we caned a person in public in Terengganu for being wayward and disobedient? This is just the beginning. When we gain more authority, we will do more things to prevent my fellow Muslims from being wayward and disobedient. Of course, we are not going to just be about punishment, punishment, punishment – we are also going to use our authority and resources to encourage and reward Muslims who faithfully follow the commandment of God, but I think you get the picture of what we have planned for the country. There is going to be less decadent cinema and concerts, and more sermons and religious classes. Just getting straight A’s alone is not going to be enough to get a good job – you will also have to show that you are a good person too. We are going to put clerics and ulamaks as government administrators and judges, to safeguard Muslim and promote Islam from Perlis to Sabah. We are basically going to stop this idea that you can just do whatever you want with your life according to your thinking – which, if you were honest, is just you saying that you want to left alone as you are swept away by the current of temptation and worldly pleasure, which you yourself know will only lead to regrets and depression as you become older, not to mention condemn you to eternal damnation – and make everybody understand that life only has meaning and purpose if you submit to the commandment of god.”
If I were to say then : “ That sounds very determined and comprehensive, dear Hadi. How do you expect non-Muslims to live in a country where you plan to establish the Muslim way of life in such a comprehensive and determined fashion?” Hadi will probably say “ you are free to practise your religion in a way that you see fit for as long as it doesn’t conflict with our plans. We have no objections to you building your temples and churches. Have you seen the Buddhist Temple in Kelantan? It has one of the tallest standing Buddha in Southeast Asia.”
If I were to tell him “Forget religion, dear Hadi. I am talking more about the way of life. How are we supposed to lead our life in the way that we see fit, when your plans, being so determined and comprehensive, will likely get in the way of our way of life on many fronts.
“What is your way of life, Nehru?” Hadi might ask me then.
“Well, it basically involves learning from my experience as I go through life. My way in life is what I make of it, dear Hadi, and I have to make it by using my understanding and experience of life. I don’t mind learning more about what any religion or god has to say about how one should lead my life, but at the end of the day, it will be my experience and understanding, that will be the final arbiter of how I live my life.”
“Do you intend to get yourself swept away by the temptations of the world as you go about trying to learn from your life experiences, Nehru?”
“If you are talking about going to concerts and watching movies and having a girlfriend and dressing attractively and having drinks and dancing and going to parties, the answer is yes. ”
“You are not going to learn anything from doing all these Nehru, you are just going to get swept away.”
“Even if what you say is right, dear Hadi, that is my choice to make. Without knowing what is wrong, how can I be sure of what is right? ”
“Well then, if that is how you see it, then as long as you lead your life discreetly and privately, and not tempt any Muslims into your activities, we will not make it a concern of ours.”
“Discreetly? Privately? You cannot expect me to lead my life as it is something illegal or something I am ashamed of, dear Hadi. It is not my nature to call anyone, Muslims or otherwise, to join me as I make my way through life, but if someone wishes to join me, and I am happy to have them as company, I don’t see why I should turn them away.”
“You should turn them away because they will be swept away from the right way, Nehru.”
“I am sorry dear Hadi, I don’t think anybody, even you, knows the right way. I think we all have to make our own way.”
To this I suppose Hadi will just say: “Well, I have said what I wanted to say and you have said what you want to say. Now that we understand each other, I think all that is left is for us to agree to disagree.”
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