Searching For The Best System

 

In a report which appeared in the New Straits Times on 10th August 1995
Dr. Abdulhamid Abu Sulaiman was quoted as saying:

"...these (Muslim) countries are virtually fighting amongst themselves. There must be something wrong with our mentality"

Dr Sulaiman's honesty is commendable. May God guide him always and I hope more Muslims will stop feeling too proud or too ashamed to be self-critical. God says in the Quran we must be perfectly honest" and He also says we must never be afraid of anyone except Him.

In the early part of last year I was in Papua New Guinea and had the occasion to meet senior Government officials there. Some are Christian while many worship other things: They informed me that an Islamic dakwah group had applied to set up a mosque there but they turned it down. Their reasons being that the Muslims are constantly fighting among themselves and they did not want such a religion to set foot on their soil.

One of their senior Government officials told me that they came to the conclusion that there must be something wrong with the Muslim "god". (Please note carefully that the use "god" in small letters. God is perfect and remains al Azeem.
It is easy to dismiss this as Christian propaganda. But after reading Dr. Sulaiman's comments it is possible to agree with the Papua New Guinea Government officials on both counts that the Muslims are always fighting and there must be something wrong with their "god"

Dr. Sulaiman's frank and honest comments corroborate the first point above and need no further comment, but the second points needs explanation.

After 70 years, the communist/ Marxist system collapsed. It was an economic system based on falsehood and it could not sustain the progress that the people wanted.

There is a saying that "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". The story is that some cooks were arguing and shouting about whose pudding was the best, until someone suggested lets stop shouting and actually tastes the pudding. That is the only way to solve the argument. Which they did of course because it was the best and simplest solution.

So despite the many clever and intellectual arguments in support of Marxism/ communism, the final proof of Marxism is provided by the collapse of Marxism itself. There are many good honest people in Marxist countries. There is nothing wrong with their mentality but it is the system they were asked to adopt which has failed them.

Similarly with the West, the only thing they have is science a technology, which can also, acquired by other countries in the world. It is just a question of acquiring skills, research, planning and application.

But as a society the western system is also collapsing. Despite all the boosts of democracy and human rights, the proof of Western democracy and human rights provided by the collapse Western society itself. Again many people in the west are ordinary good people but it is the system, which they were asked to adopt that, has failed them.

As far as Islam is concerned, the truth has been stated clearly by Dr. Sulaiman. The Muslims are always fighting among themselves. There is no Islamic country, anywhere in the world, which is economically, or socially independent and successful except Malaysia but Malaysia is 50% non-Muslims. Malaysia's success is largely due to the non-Muslim population. The best law- graduate from the IIU last year was one Miss Jacqueline, a Chinese whereas an India student, a Hindu, He was also won first class honours award.

But God says His religion will always prevail. Islam will always be successful. This is a promise by God in the Quran. Has God lied to us? No definitely not. But the proof of the pudding is that the Islamic system has indeed collapsed not just today or yesterday but over eight hundred years ago. And today the Muslims are at the bottom of the pit. The Muslims have reached a situation that Dr. Sulaiman, a rector of a major Islamic University, is compelled to state in public

"There must be something wrong with our mentality".

Just like anybody else the Muslims are also ordinary people who want good food, good clothing and proper house for their children and themselves. We are all good people, but we are following a system, just like Marxism, western democracy etc. that is patently false. This system which the Muslims were asked to follow is a system based on falsehood and therefore it cannot sustain the Progress that the Muslims need.

The proof of the pudding is always in the eating and Dr. Sulaiman has spoken correctly because our pudding has failed us.

God does not lead us to fighting or if we are poor, the logical conclusion then is that we are not following God. But the fact remains that the Muslims are indeed following a very clearly identifiable and structured religion and the Muslims do claim to have a "god". Therefore their must be something wrong with this "god" because it is a system which does not produce the results promised by God's teachings. According to Dr. Sulaiman's statement, it has produced disastrous results.

We do not have to examine our mentality because God has made every infant in the mother's womb in a perfect condition. All human beings have the ability to achieve good things in this life. Does anyone wish to dispute this? It is what is put inside our heads that turns us into monsters and fighting men. Therefore when a system fails (from Morocco to Pakistan to Malaysia), we have to stop examining our own heads and instead study carefully all those things that are put into our heads.

For example nowhere in the Quran does God tell us to call anyone apostate. There is no punishment in the Quran for apostate because God says He will take care of their punishments.

Generally people go through their lives minding their own business. But if someone comes and whispers to that so and so behaviour qualifies him for apostasy, they may be tempted to repeat that so and so is an apostate.

That person will then become angry. If he is weak he will hide. If he is strong he will fight. If we follow what God and the messenger taught us from the Quran there is no problem. But if we follow other gods, then there will be plenty of trouble.

As Dr. Sulaiman says we don't usually spend time calling others apostate etc. Just this issue alone has caused much war and terrible suffering among the Muslims.

It's not a question of mentality here but rather who put these wicked ideas into our heads. It is definitely not God or the messenger. Definitely not. So the solution is very simple - whatever that are not from God, we just ignore it.

For example, nowhere in the Quran does God and the Messenger tell us to call anyone an apostate. The truth in the Quran is that God and the messenger tell us not to do this. So we have to stop doing this. It is so easy.

 

Dr. Abdulhamid Abu Sulaiman is the rector of International Islamic University