WHERE IS ALLAH IN UMNO'S ADMINISTRATION

BY : MOHAMED HANIPA MAIDIN

JAN 7 — The issue of Allah’s name in the Herald has been manipulated by Umno leaders to the hilt .

The way Umno reacted to the issue seems to suggest that Allah is held dearly by Umno leaders. But is Allah really loved by Umno as He is supposed to be loved?

Umno is a great manifestation of those whose actions do not match their verbal expression of loving Allah.

How to express our love to Allah, the Most Exalted? How to gain His love in order to turn it into a mutual one; to ensure that we love Him and He loves us?

Allah says in the Quran: "If you love Allah, then follow me (i.e the Prophet ), Allah will love you and forgive you your faults, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (3:31)

This verse indicates that the pious person should express his love to Allah by believing in His Prophet and following the Message, and through obeying the Prophet, abiding by his orders, leaving what he prohibits and obeying all what Allah has revealed to him, because that is the vivid expression of the practical love that fills his whole entity.

Let us imagine if loving Allah becomes the tagline of Umno. Just pause a second to ponder if the Muslim politicians in Umno embrace this policy in their political struggle. Do you think they would ever indulge in gambling activities in whatever forms if they sincerely claim to love Allah?

If Allah is present in Umno’s administration of the state, we have the right to ask which Quranic verse justifies the issuance of gambling licences. When Allah says gambling is an abomination of Satan’s handwork so eschew such (abomination ) that you may prosper (5: 90 ), we want to know do they truly believe and in turn translate it into practice such a vivid command of God? If Allah attributes prosperity by eschewing gambling, we desperately want to know from you —the so-called lovers of Allah — why do you fail to get rid of the gambling business in order to gain the true meaning of prosperity?

Do our present Muslim leaders need to resort to electoral fraud and money politics to secure victory in any election if they really follow the steps of God? Don’t they think that having a free, fair and clean election is also part of God’s teachings?

Allah says in the Quran: “O you who believe, be upright before God, in [fulfilling] what is His due, witnesses in equity, in justice. Let not hatred of a people, namely, the disbelievers, cause you not to be just, and to harm them on account of their enmity; be just, towards both friend and foe, that justice is nearer to God-fearing. And fear God; surely God is aware of what you do, and will requite you for it.” (5: 8 )

This verse commands the true believers to establish justice even to their enemy. Yet what we have in Bolehland is that injustice is happily propagated and administered without feeling any iota of anxiety to Allah’s wrath.

Allah says if you accuse any person of committing adultery or sodomy you must make available four witnesses, failing which you are liable to be punished under the law of Qazaf (false accusation). Do God’s words trigger Umno’s nerves? If they do, do they still want to carry out their evil plot to assassinate Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s credibility via unsubstantiated sodomy allegations?

Do Umno leaders, who justify the use of the ISA — a law which allows detention without trial — against their own people, realise that those who love Allah would never ever condone let alone implement this unjust and inhumane law?

Allah’s teachings never tolerate any form of corruption. Allah’s prophet was reported to have said: “The Giver and the Taker (of corruption) are both located in Hell.” Yet in Bagan Pinang a corrupt leader was nominated by a corrupt party to represent (read to corrupt) the people.

Allah says in the Quran: “O Mankind! We have indeed created you from a male and a female, [from] Adam and Eve, and made you nations and tribes that you may come to know one another. Truly the noblest of you in the sight of God is the most God-fearing among you (49: 13).

This verse categorically rejects any form of racial sovereignty. As far as Islam is concerned racial supremacy is a myth. Thus any form of racism cannot be condoned or tolerated.

It is said that this verse was revealed about Bilal (one of companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Bilal was a Negro. When Bilal gave the call to prayer in Mecca after its conquest, a group of men from Quraysh, among whom were Sahl Ibn 'Amr, al-Harth Ibn Hisham and Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb, said: “Did Allah and His Messenger not find anyone to call to prayer except this raven.”

“In response, Allah said: (Lo! We have created you male and female) from Adam and Eve, (and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you) in the Hereafter, (in the sight of Allah) on the Day of Judgement, (is the best in conduct) in the life of the world; which in this case is Bilal.”

Allah says in the Quran: “O ye who believe! fulfil (all) obligations” (5: 1).

Let us put this to Umno leaders: To whom is this verse directed? Yes, to the believers. And what is the command? Yes, to honour the pledge. Now, is a royalty agreement not part of an obligation which needs to be honoured?

Who is the culprit cajoling Petronas not to fulfil its obligations for the payment of oil royalty to the Kelantan government. Despite the existence of a valid and binding royalty agreement signed by both Petronas and the Kelantan government mandating the former to pay cash payments to the latter, this culprit, without any sense of guilt, happily said the Kelantan has no right to a royalty.

If Umno really loves Allah it must go steps further than merely show its incoherent stand on the publication of Allah’s name in the Herald.

Umno must proclaim its stand loud and clear on many unethical activities or agenda endorsed by the present government. Does Umno love Allah when it lets corrupt leaders hold public office? Does Umno really love Allah when it maintains draconian laws in order to silence dissenters and instil a culture of fears in the people’s minds”

Does Umno really love Allah when it allows all form of hedonistic entertainment to be swallowed by our youths in the name of modernity?

Until and unless Umno can provide convincing answers to the aforementioned queries, we are convinced that its outcry in the Herald fiasco is merely another form of hypocrisy of the first order. And believe me Umno is damned good at this!