I do listen to Imraz Ikhbal's messages.
More Malays and Muslims should listen to Imraz Ikhbal.
Here is a link to Imraz' video "ISLAM AS PRACTISED IN MALAYSIA" dated 4 May, 2024.
https://youtu.be/o5ybPJWHzgI?si=bd8oAkCZadcDVjmK
I will not play his video here because Imraz says plenty of things, not all of which I dare to repeat in this blog.
Not because what he says is wrong but the oppressive laws and system that we have in this country which curb freedom of speech can suddenly fall upon your head from out of nowhere.
The point that Imraz Ikhbal raises in this video is that Islam does not force its beliefs on people. Indeed the Quran says 'there is no compulsion in religion'.
This is the very famous phrase in the Quran لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۖ or 'laa iqraaha fid deen' which means "let there be no compulsion in religion".
But as I keep repeating again and again the Muslims do not read and understand what their Quran says.
Dear Muslim reader, even if you have a PhD in Islamic studies do you know how many chapters or surah there are in the Quran? Yes I know you say that there are 30 juzu in the Quran. But how many chapters (surah) are there in the Quran? Many, many Muslims do not even know the answer to this simplest of questions. They do not even know how many chapters there are in their own Quran. (I am not going to give you the answer).
If you do not know the answer maybe you should stop passing judgement on other peoples' Islamic faith?
Dear Muslim reader, even if you have a PhD in Islamic studies, can you pick up an Arabic Quran (with no translations or tulisan Rumi) and turn the pages to find say Surah no 36? I will give you one week to find this Surah no. 36. If you do not know how to find it, maybe you should stop passing judgement on other peoples' Islamic faith?
To make your life easier Surah 36 is the famous Surah Yaseen which many people read at funerals and at the graves over the dead bodies of their loved ones.
Here are FOUR verses (verses 60 to 64) from Surah Yaseen for your note :
36:60 Did I not command you, O Children of Adam, not to follow Satan, for he is truly your sworn enemy,
36:61 but to worship Me ˹alone˺? This is the Straight Path
36:62 Yet he already misled great multitudes of you. Did you not have any sense?
36:63 This is the Hell you were warned of.
36:64 Burn in it Today for your disbelief.
So do remember these verses the next time you recite them over the dead bodies of your loved ones.
Back to Imraz Ikhbal I just want to share a few other verses from the Quran which may be useful in understanding this concept of :
لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۖ or 'laa iqraaha fid deen' which means "let there be no compulsion in religion".
Here is Surah 28:56 You surely cannot guide those whom you love ( إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِى مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ˹) but it is Allah Who guides whoever He wills, and He knows best who are ˹fit to be˺ guided'.
The Messenger or Rasul cannot guide even those whom he loves (ahbabta).Only Allah swt can guide whomever He wills.
Again this means there is no compulsion.
You cannot force people to do this or that.
Surah 6:107 Had Allah willed, they would not have associated partners with Him. We have not appointed you as their keeper (HAFEEZ), nor are you their representative (WAKEEL)
Again the Messenger is not a keeper or a guardian (HAFEEZ) over anyone.Neither is the Messenger a representative or advocate (WAKEEL) on behalf of anyone.
( وَمَا جَعَلْنَـٰكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًۭا ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِوَكِيلٍۢ )
Whoever wants to be guided has to decide for himself.
You cannot force or compel anyone into believing as you do.
And here is another favorite of mine :
Surah 50:45 نَّحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا يَقُولُونَ ۖ وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِجَبَّارٍۢ ۖ فَذَكِّرْ بِٱلْقُرْءَانِ مَن يَخَافُ وَعِيدِ
'We know best what they say. And you are not ˹there˺ to compel them (to believe)˺. So remind with the Quran, those who fear My warning'.
وَمَآ أَنتَ عَلَيْهِم بِجَبَّارٍۢ or 'wa maa anta alayhim bi JABBARIN' which means 'And you are not ˹there˺ to compel them'.
JABBARIN refers to forcing people, to compel people, to make people do this or that.
So the Rasul or Messenger was not sent to the human race to force them to do this or that. The Rasul or Messenger never forced anyone into doing anything. He was not a JABBARIN.
And to close, here is another favorite :
Surah 13:40 فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْبَلَـٰغُ وَعَلَيْنَا ٱلْحِسَابُ "...your duty is only to deliver ˹the message˺. The Judgment is for Us".
I love the Arabic phrase above (in green) : "alayka balaghun wa alayna hisabun".
Which means :alayka - upon you
balaghun - to deliver / to convey
wa alayna - and upon us
hisabun - the reckoning / the judgement.
So the hisabun (its the same word as hisab or "count" in Malay) or taking account of people, or the reckoning over people or the judgement over people is not the job of the Messenger. That is the job of Allah swt.
The job of the Messenger is 'BALAGHUN' or the delivery of the message.BALAGHUN comes from BALIGHA which means to convey, to deliver.
So Allah swt is clearly telling the Messenger - your job is to convey, my job is the judgement.
There are no verses in the Quran where these roles are reversed.
Nowhere does the Quran say to the Messenger 'alayka hisabun'.
That just does not happen.
There is no compulsion.
The problem begins when mere mortals feel that they can compel people to believe this and that, to do this and that. That is the problem.
