Bapa saya yang menghabiskan seluruh kariernya selama 30 tahun dari 1958 di dalam perkhidmatan kerajaan. Waktu itu perkhidmatan kerajaan kita masih cukup kuat pengaruh British. Memandangkan beliau membesar di dalam keluarga tok guru dan juga menghabiskan sekolah rendahnya di sekolah Arab, bapa saya sering menceritakan bagaimana orang yang menjaga sembahyang di dalam suasana tersebut cukup sedikit. Majlis tari menari, minum-minum dan lain-lain lagi menjadi kelaziman.
Alhamdulillah, ketika di penghujung kariernya (beliau bersara tahun 1988) suasana tersebut sudah banyak berubah. Mesyuarat dan majlis menghormati waktu sembahyang, kemudahan sembahyang juga ada di mana-mana pejabat. Orang tidak lagi minum secara terbuka, dan tatacara pemakaian juga lebih menghormati tuntutan agama.
Tetapi baru-baru ini seorang pegawai kerajaan yang agak senior dan masih bertugas ada meluahkan, meskipun kini budaya sudah berubah kepada yang lebih Islamik dari segi solat, pemakaian dan perjalanan majlis, tetapi yang agak aneh orang sudah tidak malu atau janggal dengan rasuah dan salahguna kuasa. Sedangkan, pada waktu dulu ketika mereka tidak mementingkan nilai-nilai Islam, wujud perasaan malu terhadap korupsi.
Mengapa begitu? Bukankah Islam menitiberatkan amanah? Mengapa kita tidak mencontohi amalan Khulafa ar Rashidin dan Rasulullah s.a.w. yang cukup berhati-hati di dalam mentadbir negara?
It’s typical of the malaise that’s plaguing our society – more importance is placed on the perception of piety as opposed to intrinsic aspects of it.
Unfortunately, one could argue that more emphasis is being placed in Islamic education on the physical/visible side of things as opposed to the meaning behind them or on more subtle aspects of Islam.
So you get huge uproars when someone doesn’t at least appear to pray 5x/day or wear a tudung for example, but the same folks will not batter an eyelid at widespread injustice or corruption that arguably are more pertinent to the teachings of Islam.
October 28th, 2007 at 1:53 amI do not think what is being described here is just a plague in Islam, but it happening across all religions.
Speaking as a Hindu, I have observed how rituals and worship-practices has dominated religious practice to the extent that moral values and rightousness which I believe are the main pillers of the religion have been long forgotten and forsaken.
People often forget that religion which stands on the ‘words from God’ are meant to guide the way we conduct our duties and fulfil our roles within our lives; instead of mindless worship.
I personally believe that prayer is only a small part of religion, and a true devotee of any religion will recognize that our conduct in life is the true measure of how close we are to God.
October 28th, 2007 at 10:44 pmAs a Muslim, I believe that we must subscribe to certain rituals in our worship as a path to God and the rituals are of utmost importance.
Yet at the same time I agree that rituals alone without the values that it seeks to represent is meaningless.
October 28th, 2007 at 10:58 pm