I am sure there are no licenses being issues in Kelantan to premises, which operate on business of prostitution, but why there are still premises in Kelantan operate on business of prostitutions without license? Dato’ Nik Aziz had also discontinued issuing licenses to premises which operate on business of gambling but I am sure, there are still many premises in Kelantan even without license are operating on businesses of gambling. Dato’ Nik Aziz does not seem to know, on how to prevent evils as shown by our Prophet Muhammad saw? Allah has ordered us to prevent evils by inviting those who do evils to do good. What is an evil and what is good and how to prevent evils, all are being told by Allah in the Quran and shown by our Prophet Muhammad saw. Not issuing licenses to premises, which operate on businesses of evil practices, is not the ways to prevent evils. Evils practices will not be reduced by not issuing licenses. Such actions may even increase evil practices. Evil practice does not depend on license but it depends on the level of iman or belief of a person. Even without having licences, a person with weak iman or with no iman will do evil practices. What is the order of Allah to prevent evil practices? Are issuing licenses and not issuing licenses, related to the order to prevent evils? It is not related and therefore the act of not issuing licenses to premises, which operate on evil practices, is not an act of preventing evils. Therefore, it is not unislamic if we issue licenses to premises, which operate on businesses of evil practices.
How to stop or reduce the evil practices of such as gambling, prostitution, alcoholism, and drug addiction in our society? Whoever wants to do these evil practices will continue to do these evil practices whether with licenses or without licenses. Our main interest or concern is to eliminate or at least to reduce these evils practices. Evildoer does not need license to do evil practices. Evildoers can give bribes to policeman and government officers so that their centers which operate on businesses of evil practices can continue to operate without being disturbed by policemen and government officers. Evildoer does not fear Allah and they do not fear the policemen. Evildoers will do evils even at the expense of their own lives. Because of their evil practices, evildoers are willing to be killed and kill others. In reality, without giving licenses, will give rise to more evil practices, such as gangterism, bribery and killing in the communities. In my opinion, for the interest of the country and community licenses should be given to premises, which operate on businesses of evil practices. The licenses of this kind of businesses must be given easily but the operators of the businesses must abide to certain rules and regulation.
In this way the government can impose very heavy taxes and strict regulations on the centers which operate on businesses of evil practices but whatever money obtained which associate with these evil practices is haram and the government must deposit all these money in a separate account. Also include into this separate account are the money which are from taxes on other businesses which are not allowed in Islam such as, businesses on non Islamic banking system, manufacturing of all foods which are Haram, alcoholic drinks, and products derived from the foods which are Haram. The government should not use this money, which is Haram, to pay the salaries of the government servants, to use it as donations to the poor, or to invest in other businesses. This money should be used only for the purpose of building public utilities such as public toilets, public incinerators for the purpose of disposing public waste or building drains or roads for the public. With this money the government can built good facilities of public utilities.
How to eliminate or at least to reduce these evil practices, such as gambling, prostitutions and so on in our communities? During the time of our Prophet saw, the same evils and probably even more evils than today did exist during the time of Prophet Muhammad saw. However, with the work done by our Prophet Muhammad saw, all the evil practices that existed during that time were finally reduced and disappeared from the Muslim communities of Mecca and Medina. Many are in the opinion that evil practices cannot be eliminated but Prophet Muhammad saw did show to the world that evil practices can be eliminated. Evil practices can only be eliminated, if the Muslims are doing the same work, which had been done by our Prophet Muhammad saw. Our solution to the problem does not lie in our opinions or ideas or with works done according to our ideas or opinions but the solution to our problems lies in our obedience in doing the first order of Allah, which is the work similar to the work done by our Prophet Muhammad saw. The work of our Prophet saw is associated with the right of the Great Kalimah. The work is associated with the right of the Great Kalimah and it is the first order of Allah. What is the first order of Allah given to the Muslims? Allah has given the Muslims the five (5) Rukun Islam and six (6) Rukun Iman. The five Rukun Islam is the basis of Islam and without exception, it is the most important actions, to be done by all Muslims. The five Rukun Islam is in reality the five important actions (amals) to be done by all Muslims. Islam means actions (amals) and Islam means all the orders of Allah which have to be done in the ways of Prophet Muhammad saw. Islam without accepting and following all the orders of Allah in the ways shown by our Prophet Muhammad saw, there will be no Islam.
The five Rukun Islam have to be done as shown by our Prophet Muhammad saw. When Muslims are practicing the five Rukun Islam, as shown by Prophet Muhammad saw, Muslims will obtain an outcome. What is the outcome of practicing the Five Rukun Islam? The main outcome of practicing the Five Rukun Islam is the six (6) Rukun Iman. Once the Muslims have obtained the six (6) Rukun Iman, Allah will give to the Muslims another seven outcomes. What are the other seven outcomes? The other seven outcomes are the derivatives of the six (6) Rukun Iman, which includes ilmu, hikmah, ehsan, ikhlas, ikhtisab, akhlak and sacrifices. When a person does any actions or amals with all the eight (8) outcomes, the actions or amals will become a good actions or amal soleh. Many Muslims do not know that the first Rukun Islam has a right to be fulfilled. Many Muslims do not know that their iman will only become strong when they have fulfilled the right of the first Rukun Islam, which is to invite humankind to good and to forbid humankind from evils. The first Rukun Islam is the most misunderstood Rukun of all the five (5) Rukun Islam but it is the most paramount and the most fundamental Rukun to be observed by all Muslims.
Currently Muslims in all over the world understand that the first Rukun Islam is only to recite the two Kalimah Syahadah. However, what is more important is to do the work, which is associated with the right of the first Rukun Islam. When Muslims are doing the work, which is associated with the right of the Great Kalimah, with the intention to please Allah, until Allah is pleased, Allah will instilled the Great Kalimah into the heart of the Muslims. Once Kalimah Syahadah has entered into a Muslim’s heart, the Muslim has become a believer or in Malay known as beriman. Once a person has become a believer, syaitans will not have any power on him or her. Allah says in the Quran that syaitan or the devils will not be able to seduce the believers because Allah is safeguarding those who are believers from the seduction of the devil or syaitans. Allah says in the Quran; to those who are syirik or associating Allah with others, Allah will make the syaitans to become their friends and advisers and that syaitan is known as Karin. As syaitans are able to seduce those who have not become believers, most of their actions are not sincere. Only when a person has become believer (beriman) their actions become sincere and accepted by Allah. Only when a person has become believers, their solat or prayers are accepted by Allah and only those solat or prayers which are accepted by Allah, are able to prevent the doer of the prayers from evil actions.
Women are not the causes of all evils as understood by the Taliban. Giving licenses to premises, which operate on businesses of evil practices, are not the cause of evils as understood by PAS. Money is not the causes of all evils as understood by many peoples. The causes or the basis of all evils is the love of other than Allah. When men love other than Allah, men will disobey the orders of Allah and the basis of all evils is the love of other than Allah. Love of other than Allah can only be slowly eradicated when men who recite the Great Kalimah start to do the work, which is associated with the right of the Great Kalimah. The basis, or the foundation of all evils is the love of this world or the love of other than Allah or in Malay known as cinta dunia. Because of the love of this world, a person’s heart will be devoid of the love of Allah and the love of the orders of Allah. Once a person’s heart is devoid of the love of Allah, the heart will also be devoid of the love of the orders of Allah. When the heart of a person is devoid of the love of the orders of Allah, that person will start to disobey all the orders of Allah. The order of Allah which is first to be disobeyed by that person will be the first order of Allah. The first order of Allah is not solat but to do the work, which is associated with the right of the Kalimah Syahadah. What is that work associated with the right of the Great Kalimah? It is to invite the whole humankind to good and to forbid the whole humankind from evils. What does it mean by the words; to invite the whole humankind to good? It mean to invite the whole mankind to recite the Great Kalimah; “I bear witness there is no God except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah” and also to invite those who have recited the Great Kalimah to obey all the orders of Allah.
What does it mean by the words; to forbid the whole mankind from evils? It means to forbid men from denying the truth, which is to admit that; “There is no God except Allah and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah” and to prevent those who have recited the Great Kalimah, from disobeying the orders of Allah, particularly from disobeying the first order of Allah. When Muslims do not do the work of inviting humankind to good and forbidding humankind from evils, the Great Kalimah or the love of Allah will not enter into their heart and Muslims will not become believers. When Muslims do not become believers, instead of the love of Allah is in their heart, there will be the love of this world in their hearts. When the love of this world is in the heart of all Muslims, not only the non-Muslims but all Muslims too will do evil actions. When Muslims are only in names and are not believers, their prayers or solat will also be in name and devoid of soul. Such solat, which are devoid of soul, will not be able to prevent Muslims from committing evil actions.
All these following actions cannot prevent either Muslims and non-Muslims from committing evil actions; introducing Hudud law, introducing laws that prevent women from working, introducing laws that prevent women from going out of their houses without purdah or to discontinue giving licenses to premises which operate on businesses associated with evil activities. No laws will be able to stop or prevent men from disobeying the orders of Allah or committing evils activities. Many are not aware that introducing new rules and regulations will not make men to follow the correct or religious paths. Men, who does not believe in Allah (beriman), will not obey the Quran which are the words of Allah, what mores the rules and regulations made by men in the parliaments. It is a waste of time to eradicate evils activities by introducing so many rules and regulations. In order to eradicate evil actions, government should focus on the practices of the Five Rukun Islam and to focus on the efforts to make all Muslims in the country to practice the Five Rukun Islam particularly the First Rukun of the Five Rukun Islam as shown by Prophet Muhammad saw. In order to prevent the whole humankind from evil activities, the whole humankind must have believe or iman in Allah. The whole humankind will not have believe oriman in Allah unless the whole humankind recite the Great Kalimah. Only reciting the Great Kalimah will not make a person to become a believer. In order to become a believer, a person must recite the Great Kalimah and to do the work which is associated with the right of the Great Kalimah. The work which is associated with the right of the Great Kalimah, is in reality is the first order of Allah. The first order of Allah is the work of inviting humankind to good and forbidding humankind from evils. In order to eradicate evil activities in our country, the first order of Allah should become the most important agenda of our government.
Prof Dr Nasoha Saabin
August 2012
Integrative Holistic Wellness Centre