Not For Lack Of Robes, But The Naught Of Trust.

This is an interpretation of the article entitled: BUKAN KURANG JUBAH, TAPI KURANG AMANAH- by Dr Asri Zainul Abidin. 

Not for lack of robes, but the naught of Trust.

The Muslim nations today do not lack people walking around religiously attired complete with robes and headgears. The paraphernalia to show one is a man of God is all there for everyone to see. We attach great importance to these external forms. We are soon to rue in our rush to judgment.
That is also true of our country. We certainly are not wanting in people who appear as holy. A few, will insist they are holier-than-others. So many people- leaders, ordinary people, modern, traditional, peasants, aristocrats, speak expertly on religion and display the countenance and appearance of the men of god.

Time and time again, we sponsor religious concerts and congregations and invite religious luminaries. In these gatherings of the faithful, we participate in our own Islamic version of Gospel singing and Hallelujah-ing spiritedly at the so-public invocations. We even call the nights, special nights believing they are divinely inspired. Who would dare contradict our holy claim?We of the Blessed and Anointed?

We have our own reverends Billy Graham or Al Sharpton, or Jesse Jackson or Rick Warren or the African-American Billy Graham- TD Jakes. Of course we don’t mind paying these people huge sums of money for the redemption of our soul.  No Gain without Pain. After all, we are the wicked and the dammed and we need deliverance.

Politicians are also in the game. Certainly we don’t want to miss the boat- if there are opportunities to flock the sheep, we will take it. They patronize and finance evangelizing forums. Sponsor public pastoring. They take part earnestly in these public sermons to get political mileage. Sometimes we have politicians who recite a few Quranic verses in order to get public validation.

 And we do not lack religious programs officiated and launched by political persons who are known to be un-religious. But Malays like to excuse these people for their moral failings- after all they are one of us. One fine day, the Malay GOONS (Guardians Of Our Nation’s Soul) will invade our houses, sleep with our wives and daughters- we say it is all right- because they are one of us.

Admittedly, of course, we do have politicians who are sincere who actually do want to get involved in such religious programs.

Deficiency

Indeed, we do not lack all these ostentatious public parade of our religiosity. What we are sorely deficient in is a truthful and honest appreciation of the meaning of Islam that Allah has given us. More often we put on public religious displays and parade our religiosity in the form of rituals and publicity. Such public showings of religiosity are designed by people who have their own agendas and often take the form of loud and tearful invocations in public. These are designed to convince the gullible and sometimes irreligious pubic that they are the men of God. Politicians take advantage by sponsoring such events to imply they have the blessings from the Men of God. Sadly, they do all these while forgetting the fundamental teachings of honesty and trust in the management of public wealth or in the management of the country. What we lack is public trust.

So do not be surprised that in Islamic countries we have the muftis and other clergymen; we have all sorts of religious rituals or ritualised religious forms; unfortunately at the same time, our corruption index, abuse of power and mal-administration are on the rise. The citizenry is duped because their sights are blinkered by the robes the men of god wear, their ears deafened by the reverberating supplicants and doas that are offered to the people who are in power- ministers, presidents and rulers while even these people defile the trust entrusted by God upon their shoulders.

I am amazed to find the citizens of the nation of Timbuktu offer prayers that reach the high heavens exalting the greatness of their king only because his Queen wears the headscarf. In the meantime, they forget how the same exalted Sultan builds a palace costing more than one billion Ringgit of taxpayer’s money.

Here is the deal. The greatness of sultans, presidents, prime ministers or the likes is not accounted for because they wear turbans, robes, their wives use headscarf, go to mosques and practise other personal rites. Wearing and practising these are the responsibility of any Muslim irrespective whether he/she is king or queen, peasant or aristocrat.

Instead the greatness of these leaders is when they are honest and trustworthy commensurate with the positions they hold and when their conduct over the custodianship of the country’s wealth entrusted to them is exemplary. These are responsibilities shouldered by those who have power and it is their conduct over such affairs, that their merits are judged.

Betrayal

If they are dishonest, in spite of having all sorts of religious descriptions and honours, even if they are surrounded by religious robes and cloaks, they are still crooks. In the authenticated hadith al-Bukhari and Muslim, one particular individual who accompanied the Holy Prophet (PBUH) into battle was killed. Everyone else congratulated him on being a martyr. Yet the Holy Prophet (PBUH) protested. No said he. The silk cloth that he confiscated at the Battle of Khaibar without thereafter distributing it justly, is causing the fires in Hell burning for him.

Compare our situation with some western nations- they don’t have priests earning gargantuan salaries or have honorific titles, there are none of these weekly doas and religious supplicants exalting rulers and leaders, but when it comes to public duty, they are honest, their country managed more efficiently and their governance are far better than any Muslim nation. This is because, in western nations, the culture of honesty and propriety is embedded into the system of governance.

We busy ourselves with rituals not practised by the Holy Prophet(PBUH)  or his companions while forgetting the essence of the Islamic teaching which is trustworthiness in administering the country.

That is why the Quran, before pledging absolute loyalty to rulers and leaders, lays down the imperative that trust be given only to those deserving of it. And one feature demonstrating trustworthiness and deservedness requires the ruler and the government to rule and govern justly. Public trust requires governing in accordance to the rule of law. And the rule of law means room for arbitrary governance is severely restricted.

Loyalty to rulers and the government is preceded  and justified only when the government and ruler are just.

That is why the Holy Prophet enjoins the faithful to exalt and honour kings (i.e. governments) as though they are God’s shadow on earth as long as they are JUST. 

The loss of Trust is the main cause for bad governance that rues the Muslim world today. This is in addition to the issue of technical capacity to govern well. Legitimacy of government must always be founded on the principles of Public Trust and technical capacity. Most of the Muslim countries today are not really impoverished. They have plentiful resources but they are afflicted by the loss of trust and incompetence. They are impoverished because of the callousness and incompetence of their rulers.

The proof of our religiosity or the testament of our faith does not lie in the form and display of our fashion, nor by the public supplicants and doas offered by the congregational leaders who are paid high salaries nor is it proven by the religious hymning festivals sponsored by leaders.

The true measures of our faith and religiosity are displayed in unadulterated beliefs, and good ethics practised by leaders and followers alike. In the context of political Islam, this needs people who can be trusted to rule and does not require the religious attire but who are dishonest when it comes to managing the resources and wealth of this country.