Posts

Posted on

Koreking The Past: Dogs In Islam – Part 3

The following is an e-mail comment I received from a friend who is a Syariah Lawyer:

Yes, you are right. Issue of what is right or wrong seems to be blurred by those who claim to be the keepers of knowledge in Islam.

In actual fact, even the major scholars ( and by this I mean “major” in the sense that they are accepted by all as Muslim Scholars) whose school of thought were documented and of which there are their respective followers, never and I repeat never said that their fellow brethren scholars were wrong where there exist different opinions of thought.

What we all forget is that Islam and the holy Quran which was brought to the Prophet s.a.w was meant for all time and to last till the end of time at that.

Its flexible and subject to interpretation. They are traditional ways of interpretation such as ihjtihad, ijma and qiyas but this does not separate logic and common sense in anyway. That’s the reason the all mighty had given us that little grey matter between our heads.

As for dogs, yes they are creatures of the all mighty just like you and me, the little piggy down the street and the Imams and self righteous people of this world. So who is to say that one is impure and the other is not save for the express decree of god where applicable. If you are to keep dogs, just make sure that hygiene is maintained and that the dogs do no harm to your neighbours/the community at large by attacking them etc!!

At the end of the day, the only person to judge would be the all mighty and no one else. So to each his own.

Posted on

Koreking The Past: Dogs In Islam – Part 1

I wrote this on 8th February 2007:

Alsatian...man's best friend

When I was a student in the UK, I used to take my neighbour’s dogs for walkies. I even pat them. My fellow Malaysian Malay Muslims would cringe and ask if I am a Muslim.

Dogs are being labeled as najasah (dirty impurity) by Muslims who take the words of so-called scholars (Ulama’) as something inscribed in stone, without once refering to what God has said in the al-Quran about dogs. The fact is God reated every living thing on this earth as belonging to an ummah (community). So human beings, cats, dogs, pigs are all of one community that was created to be subservient to the One God. There is no distinction between these creatures as to whether a pig is more pure than a human being, or if a cat is better than a dog. The fact is, dogs have been mentioned in the al-Quran several times…5 times if I read correctly.

The concept of a dog being dirty came about with false hadiths claiming that the Prophet (pbuh) ordered the killing of dogs and that dogs can only be kept for the purpose of guarding and hunting, due to their dirty status. If Muslims are able to read the Quran, then such hadith should be decreed as lies fabricated to ridicule the Prophet (pbuh).

God tells us in the Quran about the story of the dwellers of the Cave (Surah 18)……in verse 13 God tells us that they were good believers and that God guided them. In verse 18 God tells us that they had their dog with them. Now if dogs are prohibited and dirty, would God speak of those dwellers of the Cave (who had a dog) as good believers?

In 5:4 God tells us that it is OK to eat what the trained dogs catch (dogs are used in hunting)……….if dogs are dirty would God say that it is OK to eat what they catch with their mouths.In 5:4, God said:

“They consult you concerning what is lawful for them; say, Lawful for you are all good things, including what trained dogs and falcons catch for you. You train them according God’s teachings. You may eat what they catch for you, and mention God’s name thereupon. You shall observe God. God is most efficient in reckoning.”

Islam is a way of life. It is when it is being given the brand of a religion that its followers have gone bonkers and come up with lots of ridiculous hogwash taboos. Imagine this: in the Shafie school of thoughts, a dog is impure and therefore anything that it touchs requires a massive cleaning operation that is 6 times with water and one time with dust/clay-water. Now…if the Arabs have hunting dogs and a dog retrieves a bird that has been shot, imagine what clay-water would do to the taste of the bird. According to Imam Malik’s school of thoughts, a dog is not impure. You can touch it, you can hug it, it will not affect your wudu’ (ablution).

So whose Islam is right? Malik’s or Shafie’s? Don’t we all pray to the same God? And what did God say about who is a Muslim? Isn’t it about abiding to the five pillars of Islam (Rukun Islam)? And what about the six pillars of Faith (Rukun Iman)? What do they say?

The first is to believe in God’s Lordship,Oneness (Entity concept) and Attributes; second is to believe in His Angels; third is to believe in His books (the Quran, the Bible, the Torah and Zabur (Psalms of David); fourth is to believe in all His Messengers…25 main ones in all; fifth is to believe in the Day of Resurrection; and lastly, to believe in Fate and Divine Decree.

But as “believers” we chose not to believe in His books; what we choose to believe instead is in the sayings and writings of certain scholars whom have intepreted the Quran and hadith according to their own whims and fancies.

Back to dogs, one laughable taboo is the dog is so impure that if you were to allow dogs in your home, the Angels wouldn’t enter your house to bless it..much like garlic is to Count Dracula, or cats to Imhotep, the Mummy. But to my surprise, one Angel seems to have some kind of immunity towards dogs and still enters the home of believers and non-believers alike to take away their life.

Because we, the Muslims, have rejected God’s Quran, therefore we live in obscurity and backwardness. And we blow people up, treat women like slaves, and tell people how great we are.

Posted on

As I Reminisce

Life has been funny. There were times last year that I felt like ending this life; then as I learnt to believe in happiness, sadness hit me squarely in the face; without reason too. I mean, I never learnt the reason for that particular sadness. I guess I never will, as I have been told that I will never be able to understand the reason behind the sadness, as no one will ever be able to understand how heartbroken I was then, and how excruciatingly torturous it was for me to go through those silent days, not knowing what the future had in store for me then. It was then that I confided in someone, although I, in turn, never expected that person to understand. But after tonight, I am happy because of that someone.

Anyway, it is 2.43am. I had a skipped heartbeat earlier tonight and about 20 minutes ago I had a bit of chest pains. Stress? Maybe. I don’t know. All I know is my son Farhan has pulled my blanket off me while sleeping.

Was at Aiz’s and Din’s the previous night. The food was great, the venue superb, the company excellent.

Lima Puluh Satu
The owners cannot recognise numbers in numerical form

Aiz/Din's crib
The place

Makan
Makan

Minum
Minum

Conteng
Conteng

Posted on

I Sit Here Next To You

Your hair so soft and smells so nice
Your beauty is shown by your smiling eyes
I never feel lonely, nor do I feel blue
As I sit here next to you

I love sitting next to you…

Posted on

Night After Night

During the Second World War, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Radio broadcasted series of messages meant for the Resistance movements in Europe. These encoded messages could only be understood by the intended recipients of the respective messages. So here are two messages that I would like to pass to certain people:

1. The little bed has been fixed. It no longer collapse.
2. The dining table has been fixed. It no longer wobble.

Okay, back to serious business. Or so’s the intention.

It’s been a funny day yesterday, I think. Well, some aspects of it, I suppose. Yesterday must have been a day for kids somewhat. In the morning, 3/4 asleep, I drove my stepson Alim to school for his annual sports day. 4 hours later I went to pick him up. Then my daughter Nisaa demanded my attention. So I was with my children for a while, taking them out to the shops nearby to buy some stuff.

In the afternoon, again I was with kids playing football at a basketball court…playing father. Then bumped into an old friend who was taking his kids to a playground somewhere. Then I had a lovely time doing groceries…yes, doing groceries can be fun actually when there is a real purpose for doing so.

Then there was that stupid episode where this tudunged elderly woman who kept reciting “Bismillah” for every single thing she did, from picking up a chocolate at the PETRONAS counter to signing the credit card receipt. For a moment I thought she was a religious nut with a meat cleaver in her hand (much like Taukeh Daging and Pengagih Daging) ready to slaughter those deemed unIslamic. I was ready for my head to be removed. Why can’t she recite the damned thing quietly? God is not deaf. This is why I keep saying that God looks for spiritual fruits…not religious nuts.

However it was later at night when reality hits me squarely in the face. I keep tossing and turning again trying to sleep. I got up several times only to be disappointed to know that it was only 20 minutes before that I had woken up for the same reason…and I know today is going to pass very slowly.

Though I dread the end of each night, I cannot wait for night to come again.

That is when I’m at peace nowadays…

Posted on

I Miss My Realm

Coral reef and marine life

I miss being underwater…watching fishes as they swim by…hunting for nudibranches…anticipating a shark’s move…moving my camera lens to a subject, up, close and personal.

I know I was last underwater eight days ago: but that was for work. I saw lots of things in between but didn’t have the opportunity to venture out on my own to photograph marine life…or to just stay in a place all alone and let these creatures check me out.

I was supposed to go for a dive trip this weekend to the wreck of the HMS Banka (a British WW2 minesweeper), and the two Dutch submarines, K-XVII and O-16. But I have not been well since coming back from that job and am still coughing. It could be disastrous for me to attempt a deep technical dive in this condition.

Have I mellowed? Maybe I have, and for a damn good reason too. I can’t take risks like I used to, and the risks I’ll be taking from now on will be more calculated in nature.

But I still need to get back underwater as soon as I am well enough to do so.

Posted on

Apology To The Taukeh Daging

Butcher

This is a public apology to the ACTUAL TAUKEH DAGING.

The person referred to in the posting KAU, PEREMPUAN is NOT a TAUKEH DAGING, but is a mere PENGAGIH DAGING.

Amin!

Posted on

Koreking The Past – Part 2: Are You Lesser Muslim Or Lesser Christian?

I posted this on February 13th 2007. I’m putting this back up as some people would like to have a read.

—————————————————————————————————————————

This is a spin-off from my previous posting about DOGS IN ISLAM, where I am trying to point out how unIslamic Muslims have become by not trusting Allah’s Holy Quran but instead take the words of the scholars as if they’re gods.

Over a year ago I wrote in an UMNO forum in response to a member saying that women must cover up their hair. Of course I responded in the negative and challenged the person to show me where in the al-Quran does it say so, he never replied.

Before I begin, let me quote a verse from the Holy Quran in the chapter called THE PROPHETS (al-Anbiyaa’)21:24. Allah said:

“Have they found gods besides Him (Allah)? Say, “Show us your proofs. This Quran is my proof,it covers the present and the past.” Indeed most of them fail to recognise the truth, this is why they turn away.”

I don’t know how Islamic can one be by wearing or not wearing the tudung or hijjab. I don’t even know if it is Islamic to do that. The Quran only tells women to cover their breasts and to pull their outer garments over them. And for 1000 years or more, scholars are still debating whether Muslim women should cover their hair.

However, in the Bible, there is a clear order for women to cover their hair and their heads especially during prayer. Here is the reference:

Corinthians 11:5-6

“And every women who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head – it is just as though as her head was shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgraced for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.”

This reminds me of a few incidents where school children had had their hair cut by religious teachers, or their tudung cut shorter for not wearing the long tudung sometime last year (NST – 25th Feb 2006). A school in Bukit Mertajam even withdrew their participation in a netball competition because their players were not wearing tudung.

Sheer blatant stupidity and ignorance on the part of the teachers. 30 years ago when I was schooling I never hear of such nonsense. it seems that deviationist Islam has rooted itself firmly within the minds of these teachers, and they abide by the words of their scholars without questioning the facts.

And what about Muslim men being told that it is the sunnah (tradition of the Prophet) to wear turban, have beard etc? They say that men must (bordering divinely compulsory) to wear turban and have beard like the Prophet, and do other things that the Prophet used to do. This brings me to another case of three boys who were expelled from school because the students were adamant to wear turban to school. A PAS lawyer represented them and told the court that WEARING THE TURBAN IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF ISLAM.

Another narrow minded bastard who is bent on misguiding Muslims, if you ask me. No where in the Holy Quran is mentioned about the wearing of the turban and robes and growing beards etc. However, in the Bible, those are mentioned as the accoutrements of the priests.

Exodus 28:4

“These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve Me as priests.”

Leviathan 21:5

“Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies.”

Leviathan 19:27

“Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.”

So, there you have it. “Defenders” of the faith (scholars’ faith) will say of course it is not mentioned in the Holy Quran. It is the traditions (sunnah) of the Holy Prophet!

So why do they go to work in cars instead of camel-backs?

Let me just quote you from the Holy Quran again to underscore what I have been saying about the lies attributed to Allah and Muhammad conjured up by the so-called faithfuls for over a millenium:

THE FAMILY IMRAAN (Ali Imraan) 3:78

Some of them even twist their tongues to simulate the scripture, to make you think that it is from the scripture when it is not from the scripture, and claim that it is from God, when it is not from God. They invent lies and attribute them to God, knowingly.”

So if you are a woman and you are not wearing tudung, and if you are a man and you do not have a beard or wear turban and robe, then let it be known that you are not unIslamic; you are in fact very unChristian.