Islam: Between the Malays and the Chinese

Taken from the Mufti Perlis' webpage ...Something good as a reminder to me and everyone.... Well said about it...

Every so often, our incorrect manner in using a particular term can give a terribly harmful impact in the way other people understand certain issues. Even more unfortunate is if it affects people’s understanding on the religion. Based on my observation, among the misconception that implicates the religion is the tendency to substitute Malay as a term for Islam and Chinese as a term for kafir (non-believers). Thus, some Malays describe those who newly embrace Islam as “embrace Malay” or sometimes they even say irrelevant things such as “not a Muslim but a Chinese”. As if, according to them, the Chinese epitomize kafir and the Malays epitomize Muslims. Even worse is when they label a Chinese who has embraced Islam as muallaf (new convert) all his life and it sounds even more awful when pronounced with a northern slang as ‘Mat Loh’.


As if only the Malays have the potential to become true Muslims whereas for a Chinese person, regardless of how potent his Islam is, he is always regarded as a drifter or ‘not genuine’. While the fact is many of the Chinese people who embrace Islam hold sound Islamic value but look at how many Malays who were born in a Muslim family but their grasp on Islam is and should be questionable.

The sarong, traditional Malay suit and sampin (a short sarong worn outside of Malay suit) are not the clothing worn by the Prophet s.a.w. and yet the Malay people regard it as religious clothing mainly because it is of a Malay tradition. True! Islam does not prohibit traditions that do not contradict its authoritative texts. However, there was a time when the Malay people regarded that it was wrong to eat using chopsticks since it resembled the Chinese tradition, even though there is no difference between eating using chopsticks and using forks and spoons as practised by the English people. What was taught by the Prophet s.a.w was to say Allah’s name, use the right hand and eat the part that has been allocated or the nearest. As said by the Prophet s.a.w to ‘Umar bin Abi Salamah when he was just about to start eating, and he was still a boy at that time: “O boy! Mention the Name of Allah and eat with your right hand, and eat of the dish what is nearer to you.” (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim)

The Malays will ask a Chinese who has embraced Islam to change his name and replace it with an Arabic name. It is as if the names like Ah Chong, Ah Seng, Lim and Koh represent infidelity. It could be because those names do not sound Arabic, and that is why the Malays feel weird about it. Unfortunately, the Malays do not feel strange over the names like Awang, Leman, Seman and the likes of it and those too are not of the Arabic language. Even many Malay names do not have any meaning in the Arabic language. Worse still, some have bad meanings when translated to the Arabic language and that is acceptable just because those names are the favourites among Malays. Is Malay Islam and Islam is Malay? The Prophet s.a.w did not ask those who embraced Islam during his time to change their names except for those names that have bad meanings. The name ‘Umar itself was used during the times of jahiliyyah (ignorance) and the same name was used after he embraced Islam. It was also the same with most of the companions of the Prophet s.a.w.

I do not object if the Chinese want to change their names. Even more if by changing their names, it will give the impression as if they are close to the Muslim community at all levels. However, we must give them the freedom to choose. If the practice to change names only makes the Chinese people who are non-Muslim afraid of embracing Islam, afraid that they will be discarded from their original families and lose the family ties, what is wrong about retaining their original names? If we can retain the name Awang, why can we not retain the name Ah Chong?

The conception in thinking that Malay characters personify Islam has its unpleasant impacts in many cases. It is worse now since the current characters of the Malays mostly contradict that of Islam. On the other hand, many characters of the Chinese people display the manners and conducts commendable in Islam. However, the Malays have one undisputed advantage in that more of them embrace the faith of Islam compared to the Chinese in this country. Indeed, a genuine faith is the main saviour in the afterlife.

Nevertheless, it is undeniable that many Malays only assume Muslim names but their belief in Allah and His Messenger sometimes has long been damaged. Too many Malays are involved in syirik (worshipping other than Allah), and belittle the decrees of Allah and the teachings of His Messenger. This type of Malays only assumes Muslim names but does not reside in the region of Iman (belief), or in other words, their Iman has been nullified.

As for the Chinese people, due to historical phenomenon, the majority of them in Malaysia do not embrace Islam. The calling of Islam might have not been lucid enough to gain their awareness. In addition to that, the Malay people who embrace Islam themselves do not execute the da’wah (missionary work for Islam) transparently. Instead, in many cases, they display to the non-Muslims characters that contradict those of Islam. The Malays are able to talk about a variety of topics with the Chinese including campaigning to vote for their party of choice. However, they are incapable to discuss the greatness of Islam and to invite the Chinese towards their religion of choice. Furthermore, the manners of the Malays that do not represent the identity of Islam have been causing a big number of the Chinese people to generate a misconception on Islam or to feel disgusted about the idea of embracing Islam.

Being lazy, lacking of effort, acting on malicious grudges and the likes of it are the attitudes that are being combated by Islam. Unfortunately, many of these traits are observed in the nature of the Malay society. Many Malay students are weak and are being left behind in education and fields of knowledge. If they try to compete with the Chinese students, be it in schools or universities, in most cases the Malay students will lose the battle. Even in matters concerning the knowledge of Islam, the Malays are slacking in that they are not interested to learn about the genuine knowledge of Islam.

Their preference is more towards the stories of Israiliyyat (narration from the Jews), fairy tales and tips that do not come from al-Quran and al-Sunnah. They like better information that can be obtained easily without having to think about it and study it. As for the public libraries and books, the ratio of the Malays who are using them and reading them is still very thin. Worse still, at the same time that the Chinese students are striving to expand their education, many Malay students are being careless in their study. Consequently, when the examination result is out, those students who have been working hard surely are more outstanding than those that just depend on water or raisins that have gone through the process of incantation. If a Chinese who is not yet a Muslim misunderstands Islam by thinking that the practice of some Malay students who depend on special water is Islamic and obtain poor results because of it, surely he will reject Islam.

Islam does not teach its followers to depend on incantation only to become intelligent. It is indicated in some hadiths that the Prophet s.a.w prayed for a few of his companions so that they would be bestowed with knowledge and intelligence. Among them was a young prominent companion whose name was Ibn ‘Abbas r.a. to whom the Prophet s.a.w said his prayer for: “O Allah, teach him wisdom (i.e. the understanding of the knowledge of Qur’an).” (Reported by al-Bukhari). Ibn ‘Abbas really turned out to be a prominent scholar, an outstanding interpreter of al-Quran and a very knowledgeable companion who became the reference for the Ummah. However, Ibn ‘Abbas was not the type that just waited for the outcome of the Prophet’s prayer to come rolling but instead, the pages of history recorded his determination in striving to gain knowledge, in addition to the opportunity that he had in learning directly from the Prophet s.a.w for thirty months. The Prophet s.a.w deceased when Ibn ‘Abbas was just 13 years old. He then continued to pick up hadiths from the other companions of the Prophet s.a.w such as ‘Umar ibn Khattab, ‘Ali, Mu’az, his own father ‘Abbas, ‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Auf, Abu Sufyan, Abu Zar, Ubai bin Ka’b, Zaid bin Thabit and many others. He studied the al-Quran with Ubai bin Ka’b dan Zaid bin Thabit. (Refer to: al-Zahabi, Siyar ‘Alam al-Nubala`, 3/332-337, printing: Maktabah al-Risalah, Beirut).

It means that the will of Allah is materialized through the rules that Allah has determined for this world that is cause and effect. Knowledge will come with effort and perseverance. The Ulama such as Imam al-Bukhari (deceased in 256H), al-Imam al-Syafi‘I (deceased in 204H), Ibn Taimiyyah (deceased in 728H) and the likes of them became the champions of knowledge after they persevered in acquiring it. In Tawali al-Ta`nis bi Ma‘ali Muhammad bin Idris written by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (deceased in 852H); Ibn Abi Hatim said: “I heard al-Muzani (the grand student of al-Imam al-Syafi’i) said: “Al-Syafi’i was asked: How is your desire for knowledge? He answered: “Whenever I hear a word that I have never heard before, all of my body parts will wish that they had the capability to hear so that they can indulge in whatever that the ears are indulging in.” How is your greed over knowledge? He answered: “Like the greed of a treasure collector who guard his treasure so closely in deriving pleasure out of his treasure.” How is your condition in seeking for knowledge? He answered: “Like the searching effort of a woman who has lost her only child”. Likewise is the story of Syeikh al-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah narrated by his student al-Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (deceased in 751 H). He stated that the work of his tutor numbered up to 350 books. It was reported that Ibn Taimiyyah consistently surrounded himself with knowledge. In Raudah al-Muhibbin Ibn al-Qayyim said: “Our Sheikh (Ibn Taimiyyah) narrated to me: “When I became ill, the physician told me: “Indeed, your study and your speech on knowledge aggravate your illness.” I answered: “Indeed, I have no patience for that. I would like to evaluate your opinion based on your medical knowledge; is it not true that when a soul is happy and pleased, it will assume a character that is strong and resistant to diseases? He answered: “Yes.” I said: “Indeed, my soul feels happy when accompanied with knowledge and thus, it assumes a robust character and subsequently, my whole being achieve a state of relaxation.”

Such was the condition of the great Ulama. They did not rely upon spell water or spell pencils and erasers before sitting in for an examination. They also did not rely upon water chanted with surah Yasin commonly consumed by the Malay community who unfortunately totally disregard the true meaning of its verses. The previous generation excelled because they uphold knowledge and earnest in studying it only for Allah, and not just focus on getting a testimonial. Their earnest attitude towards knowledge and their struggle to gain excellent achievement in the fields they involved in led Islam to become an outstanding religion and establish its civilization of knowledge.

Many Malay youths are only focusing on getting testimonials and not on the quality of their knowledge. In the end, many of them receive the testimonials but their quality does not show. Then, there are those who do not have any testimonial but possess knowledge while at the same time, even more embarrassing, is the existence of those who have testimonials but do not possess knowledge probably because they study only to pass the examination but as soon as the examination is over, their knowledge vanishes. If indeed spell water is able to function such that there is no need for struggling to gain knowledge to pass the examination, then surely it will produce more students who only pass or excel in the examination but without having any knowledge.

Sometimes we should allow ourselves to praise the Chinese community. Some Chinese youths do not get to continue their education to higher learning but they study a particular field with much determination even without having any degree. They either inherit the knowledge from their parents or learn it in practical from others. Thus, many Chinese mechanics do not own high degrees but they succeed. Similarly, many Chinese big bosses are experts in various fields of business even without having any official testimonial. They continually look for ways of advancement. This attitude of determination is something that is favoured by the religion. We are urged by the religion to always rely upon Allah and increase our knowledge. Allah said (translated to): “O My Lord! Advance me in knowledge.” (Surah Taha: 114)

This is despite of the fact that the Malay religious teachers and the Malay people themselves always recite a particular fabricated hadith stating “Go seek out for knowledge even as far the China”. (This is a fabricated hadith as stated by the Ulama. Refer to: Al-Jarrahi, Kasyf al-Khafa` 1/138, printed by Dar Ihya al-Turath al-`Arabi, Beirut/ / Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Silsilah ad-Dha`ifah wa Al-Maudu`ah, 1/600, printing: Maktabah al-Ma`arif, Riyadh). The Chinese people do not recite this fabricated hadith but they struggle to gain knowledge. In fact, the reading culture of the Chinese is much stronger than that of Malays.

Islam is a great religion, a religion that teaches its followers about responsibility and punctuality. If a person is involved in business, he is responsible and punctual. Islam gives emphasis to cleanliness to the extent that it prescribes pureness and cleanliness as the mandatory requirement for a Muslim to perform the prayer. All matters that are wicked and disgusting are prohibited. It is prohibited for a man to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is in her menses. Carcasses and filths are also prohibited. All these rulings guide a Muslim in living his life. Observe the following statements from Allah:

Allah’s statement in describing the characteristics of a genuine believer (translated to): “And those who faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants.” (Surah al-Mu’minun:
Allah’s commandment in prohibiting wicked matters (translated to): “Those who follow the apostle, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures), in the law and the Gospel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him, it is they who will prosper.” (Surah al-‘Araf: 157)

Allah’s Messenger s.a.w said: “”(O people!) Save yourselves from the (Hell) Fire even if with one half of a date fruit (given in charity), and if this is not available then (save yourselves) by saying a good pleasant friendly word.” (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim)

In managing their businesses, if this type of spirit and fortitude are being applied surely the Malay people whose religion is Islam will succeed. Their shops or businesses certainly will be clean, the goods are guaranteed halal (legitimate as prescribed by Islam), their appointments are met in a precise manner and their appearance in front of the customers are satisfactory. This will bring about blessings and simultaneously, by Allah’s willing, success in their businesses. Unfortunately, many Malay people do not apply the spirit of Islam in their ventures but instead, there are those who believe that the downturn of their businesses are only because of the “evildoing of others” or “hex of a sorcerer”. I do not deny the existence of black magic. Al-Quran and al-Sunnah admit its existence, by Allah’s willing. However, the problem is, every time a person’s business is not profitable or becomes problematic, it will always be correlated to black magic and in most cases the accounts are just tales made up by the sorcerer and as a result, they will condemn this person and that person. Hundreds or may be even thousands of ringgits has to be spent in attaining protective charms from sorcerers who are deemed invincible. I once went to an eatery and its owner complained to me saying that his eatery had been cast a spell such that it became unprofitable.

It just so happens that I – all praises to Allah – have a little knowledge about black magic and the ways to overcome it and I found that there were no indications of black magic there. Instead, what I found was that its management was sluggish, its condition was not very clean and its food was not tasty. He ignored all these and blamed its bad luck on others. If it is true that there is a superb sorcerer who is able to bankrupt people’s businesses just ask him then to bankrupt the American’s businesses and spare us the difficulty in boycotting them.

How is it possible, in this kind of condition, for the Malay people to present Islam to the Chinese people who are not yet Muslims and describe that Islam has shaped humans to become people of quality? On the other hand, many Chinese merchants if compared with Malay merchants practice excellent management and display the characteristics that can make the customers proud. Many of the Malays themselves, in many cases, trust the quality of the Chinese merchants more than that of their own people. Where are the likes of ‘Abd al-Rahman bin ‘Auf, the Prophet’s companion who has been heralded as a model for the Muslims in the world of business? Probably, the Chinese people whose majority are not Muslims can reflect more to that character than the Malay themselves.

Lately, there are many Malays involved in business ventures and are manufacturing their own products. However, if we look closely, it still revolves within the same confinement. Most products by the Malays are associated to medicine. Most popular is the medication for enhancing virility. There are those who sell spell raisins and it is purported that its consumption can cause people to become clever and bright. The truth is that there is no authentic hadith indicating as such. What worries me is that people may think that the Malays are lately being impaired by various bodily diseases and by the weakening of minds. Where is the fardhu kifayah (obligated to all until at least one person fulfils it) duty in providing the necessities for our Ummah if our businesses are still revolving around virility?

In giving religious lectures, many Malay ustaz are still capitalizing stories that are full of tales and cartoon materials. In addition to stories of Israiliyyat and fabricated hadiths being recited in mosques and prayer halls, they are also adding in stories about bizarre incidents to attract the audience. Stories about dead bodies turning into this and that have become cheap means of attracting people. Beyond doubt, Allah is capable to do just about anything but historical accounts show that Allah did not do that to the people of His very last Prophet unlike the people before them. If Allah so desire, definitely the body of Abu Jahal and Abu Lahab would have become the perfect examples. Those two prominent characters of infidelity did not die of shock or because of some mysterious disease as a result of their evil doings but instead, it was the Muslim people that waged a crusade against them and destroyed them in the battlefield.

Allah says in the al-Quran concerning the challenge posed by the polytheists to the Prophet s.a.w (translated to): “They say: “We shall not believe in thee, until thou cause a spring to gush forth for us from the earth, or (until) thou have a garden of date trees and vines, and cause rivers to gush forth in their midst, carrying abundant water; or thou cause the sky to fall In pieces, as thou sayest (will happen), against us; or thou bring Allah and the angels before (us) face to face: or thou have a house adorned with gold, or thou mount a ladder right into the skies. No, we shall not even believe in thy mounting until thou send down to us a Book that we could read.” Say: “Glory to my Lord! Am I aught but a man, an apostle?” What kept men back from belief when guidance came to them, was nothing but this: They said, “Has Allah sent a man (like us) to be (his) Messenger”.” (al-Isra’: 90-94).

The Prophet s.a.w himself was incapable to accept their challenges unless by Allah’s willing. They asked for the sky to fall on them in pieces but the Prophet s.a.w only answered, “I am just a man that has been sent as an apostle.” Allah s.w.t., most Intelligent, still did not destroy the polytheist with what they had asked for but instead it was fated that their destruction was through the battle with the believers. What is odd is that some ustaz or religious speakers are passing on stories whose nature differs completely from that of the life history of the Prophet s.a.w and his companions. Allegedly, those dead bodies turned into this and that because they never went to the mosques, were too miserly and the likes of it. As for the other one, his hand paralyzed or had a body full of disease because he did not want to perform the Hajj. They are guessing the uncertainties. Whereas, it is always possible for a person to get sick mainly because Allah wished to eradicate his sins by it or due to other judicious reasons that only Allah knows. Many pious individuals too get sick. In actual, stories of a dead body turning into this and that are mostly speculations and exaggerations. What is more disturbing is that some mass media distort this type of subjects to attract readers. To the extent that when a Chinese who is not a Muslim reads the headlines he then says: “It’s just so bad being Muslims, uncanny things happen to them when they die. Even us the Chinese whom you refer as infidels do not end up that way. Because of this, I don’t think that I can embrace this religion of the Malay people. It is dangerous! God would always release his wrath on us and even dying would be difficult.”

Clearly, sometimes the Malay Muslims distort the comprehension of others on Islam. All ustaz should be teaching the religion with an intellectual manner using references that are acknowledged and reliable and not by picking up stories from the streets to gain popularity.

The number of Malays who are involved in drug abuses is far higher than that of Chinese. I am perplexed because there are less Malay people in Singapore compared to Chinese people but the Malays still hold the record for being the highest number involved in drug abuse. How then can Islam possibly be expanded?

There are actually a lot more to talk about. It makes me to think that if the Malays do not possess the faith of Islam then there is nothing special about them that they can be proud of. If the Chinese acquire the genuine faith of Islam, there are a lot that they possess that can be used to help strengthening Islam. Therefore, it is our duty to make every effort to Islamize the majority of the Chinese people. Let them take control of this country as long as they are believers who hold a sound belief over the whole teachings of Islam.

It is with a conscious mind that I say that in every ethnic group there are weaknesses and strengths. It is not as if there is not a single commendable characteristic of the Malays but in fact, there are many. Not that there is not any bad characteristic of the Chinese but rather, there are many. However, the Malays to whom Allah has bestowed with Islam should be demonstrating good characteristics that are more distinct and visible compared to the Chinese. However, the reality is indicating the opposite of that.