From religion to faith

My recent message of peace during Christmas caught some attention. Some responded with applause, and some were sceptical of my sincerity.

One article by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin attempted to further scrutinise my message, whether it represented a true innovation of sorts in pushing the limit in the fight against tyranny and extremism. He went on to deliberate the impact of my message, whether my call to fight extremism and tyranny would also mean opposing the idea of forcing someone to follow organised religion, never mind what religion that may be.

For Raja Petra, being forced into following organised religion is a form of extremism and tyranny. There was nothing substantial about his thought on this, but merely resting his case on the semantics.

He used the word 'reasonable' in explaining its antonym, putting forth his argument about ‘unreasonable behaviour’ which defies logic, and concludes that forcing ideas on others is an "act of oppression, which is tyranny, and hence extreme".

Raja Petra has his way of deliberating a thought and he does not leave any topic untouched, including religion or faith. In penning his thought, the seasoned writer defies any issue with expertise. After all he has many followers who would crave for new ideas and thoughts from him.

I must admire him for his courage and innovative thinking, and he rightly chose the phrase "pushing the envelope" in his recent article in response to my Christmas message.

Pushing the envelope has nothing to do with putting your letter in it and pushing it, but the phrase has to do with innovation and creativity beyond the normal practice and understanding. Raja Petra was debating something else from my message, asking whether we could go beyond to accept the fact that being forced to follow organised religion is a form of extremism and tyranny.

The repercussion of my message can be viewed in many ways. They include the intent, education and action. As a person who holds dear to the faith, I am taught to synchronise the three in harmony, because otherwise, there would be inconsistency, which means cheating or even betrayal.

A believer honours his word but before this can happen, one must understand the bigger structure of one's own faith and how it relates to the 'other', reflecting the message of peace. I cannot start to push the envelope if I do not understand my own faith and how it relates to the other faiths, under the necessity of a peaceful co-existence.

I do not presume an organised religion justifies oppression and compulsion.  There is a difference between religion and faith. While religion is a set of beliefs or any formal or institutionalised expression of such beliefs, faith is a strong unshakeable belief in something, especially without proof or evidence.

So the term 'organised religion' refers to a structured set of beliefs from what you know or you see, that can be learned, experienced and expressed logically. Faith is beyond all that, as it is about the inner inward looking of yourself, relating to what you believe, and defending it in whatever way you can to preserve it. Faith is beyond logic but because you hold it dear, you have full trust in it that it will not betray you, including forcing others in an organised manner in the name of religion.

Islam has beautifully laid down the principles, between holding dear to your faith and relating it to others. This is where a Muslim needs to understand the value of having a faith rather than just a set of beliefs known as religion.

Faith tells you to own a belief with love and passion, how can you own something with love if you are forced to accept it? Before you can reach the level of true faith, knowledge will have to guide you on the do's and the dont's, but after all is done, true faith takes you from there, elevating you from being a legalistic believer to a deeper meaning of the faithful, and then relating to others with compassion and benevolence.

That is why Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, accepted the fact that despite the truth he held, he accepted diversity of faith around him and after his death, the Muslims continued to live side by side with others, although Islam was at its climax of authority and power.

Legalistic interpretation has its roots in Islamic history and remains intact until today. No one denies the legalistic role because without a clear guideline, faith will be dormant and dysfunctional.

Islamic jurisprudence is founded on two categories, one that is fundamental with regards to basic theology (usuli) and the other being functional in terms of action ('amali).

Theological debate has been deep rooted in the intellectual realm while the action part has evolved with the ever changing environment. Nevertheless, traditional books in relation with others, legalistically speaking, are based on the premise of peace and war and the nation those days were divided into two terms of relation: the enemy through wars, and friends through peace treaties.

To defend the security of followers of other faiths in the Islamic territories, they were divided between non-Muslims at war (who has strategic ties with the enemy of the state) and those under protection (who accepted the political authority of the Islamic power). The first are called harbi, and the latter, dhimmi. Each has its legalistic implication, but when there is no such condition after the rise of nation-states where citizenship became the binding factor of one's affiliation to the state, rights and constitution should define conflicts in interfaith relations.

It's not just a matter of deliverance; it is about educating the public, especially with the fragile interfaith relations in this country. Beside the public, political parties need to reform in order to understand the new realities, at the same time holding to their principles.
As far as my party is concerned, I have written two books embracing these realities, namely Pas Baru and Rejuvenasi Pas. Everyone should go for the future because we simply do not have choice.

As far as my message of peace is concerned, I hope this writing gives a clearer picture of my intent, my effort to create awareness (education) and to practise what I preach for a better Malaysia and a better world. Thank you, Raja Petra, for deliberating the issue and for pushing the envelope. – December 31, 2013.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.