Who is 'Ulama'?

Answering Artane About 'Ulama'


By Syed Akbar Ali


A reader called Artane sent me some comments about 'ulama' in reply to another post a few days ago. Artane's comment has also been replied by some others. Today I want to revisit this issue which actually concerns how Muslims are programmed to think. I have written about this subject before on June 27, 2010, you can refer my Blog No Such Thing As "Ulama" Class In Islam.

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First here is Artane's comment in full.
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Artane said...Assalamualaikum Mr. Syed, I think some of us here may have gone beyond their capabilities to comment on Islamic issues. Why am I saying this? I can tell a few reasons.
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Some of us are openly mocking these ulama'. Yes, I know what you guys think of them. And yes, they are human too. But here is what you may miss. They learn about these things. They are trained about these things. They may graduate from different schools, may have different thoughts, but they have their own reasons why (unless they are "paid" to think and speak).
Now think of them as professionals; doctors for example. There are many doctors in the world. They graduated from different schools. Some may have failed repeatedly, but they may still become doctors. Now, when they are practicing, you come in with a set of undiagnosed, mysterious symptoms. If you go to 10 different doctors, you may be diagnosed with 10 different things. You find an immunologist, he/she may think it's an infection. If you find an oncologist, he/she may think it's a cancer. It's a matter of interpretation. And they have their own reasons why. You may get cured or you may not.
Now you may get frustrated with the different diagnoses and everything. But is it OK to diagnose yourself based on some articles you find or from something you read? Can that beat all those years of medical training? If everyone can do that, why bother having doctors? We have books, we have internet, we can buy anything online, why bother training doctors?
The same thing happens to these ulama'. Not only now everyone can fly, everyone can claim to be ulama'. They want to rationalize things based on what they know. If you really want to be an ulama', go take the course for 5-6 years, then when you graduate you can claim to be one. I can also diagnose a disease based on symptoms, but I never claim to be a doctor. I also do have opinion on religion but I never claim myself to be an ulama' or claim that I'm better than them in their profession.
My point being, don't go caterwauling in blogs about your opinion on Islam. You have something to say, gather your proof, make your case to the ulama' you want to address. Or go look for second opinion. Same as with doctors, when you are not satisfied with the diagnosis, go make your case with evidence to the doctor, or get a second opinion. Then not only you can ascertain the truth, but you can also correct the perception of the ulama' and ultimately the society if you are correct.
Well, I made my case here. Thank you for your time.
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Salam Artane. And thank you for your comments. First of all, by coincidence, I received the following piece of writing by one Dr Djohan Effendi just a few days before I wrote that Blog where you have posted your comment.

Dr Djohann alo talks about the 'ulama'. I will reproduce his views in full (which I agree with) before adding my own comments later.

"Teman2, dalam percakapan ini kita berulang kali memakai perkataan ulama. Dalam pemahaman dalam masyarakat kita ini kata ulama dimaksudkan mereka yang memiliki pengetahuan keagamaan bahkan seringkali disamakan dengan fuqaha atau ahli2 fikih.

.Bahkan juga ada yang memahami bahwa perkataan ulama hanya khusus untuk kalangan umat Islam yang memiliki pengetahuan keagamaan Islam. Bagaimana sebenarnya perkataan ulama itu dipakai dan dipahami di masa Nabi?

Dalam al-Quran perkataan ulama dipakai dua kali, pertama dalam surah 26 (asy-Syu'ara) ayat 197 yang menyebutkan tentang ulama Bani Israel. Dus kata ulama justru dipakai untuk kalangan Yahudi.

.Yang kedua dipakai dalam surah 35 (al-Fathir) ayat 28 yang menegaskan bahwa yang sesungguhnya yang takut kepada Allah itu di kalangan hamba-Nya adalah ulama.

.Siapa yang dimaksud dengan ulama dalam ayat ini dapat kita bisa baca selengkapnya bunyi ayat tsb. Bahkan dimulai dari ayat sebelumnya.

.Bunyinya: Apakah engkau tidak melihat bahwa Allah menurunkan hujan dari awan, lalu dengannya kali keluarkan buah2an yang beraneka ragam warnanya. Dan di gunung2 terdapat garis2, putih dan merah, bermacam2 warnanya sedang yang lain hitam pekat. Dan begitu juga di antara manusia, binatang dan ternak, ada yang berbeda2 warnanya. Hanya orang-orang yang berilmulah (al-ulama) dari kalangan hamba2Nya yang takut kepada Allah. Sesungguhnya Allah itu Yang Perkasa dan Pengampun.

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Dari kontek ayat ini maka perkataan ulama lebih merujuk pada para scientist atau ilmuwan.

.Lalu bagaimana dengan ungkapan yang menyatakan "al-Ulama adalah pewaris para Nabi" (al-anbiya, jamak)? Kata ulama di sini pun tidak membatasi maknanya hanya para ahli ilmu agama.

Mungkin lebih mendekati pada kata kaum intelektual, kaum terpelajar/cendekiawan. Sebab dalam sejarah kaum muslimin kemudian dikenal katagore "ulama`us-su`" atau ulama jahat yang sepengertian dengan istilah "pelacur intelektual".

Dan kalau kita menyimak peri kehiudupan para imam mujtahidin seperti empat imam madzhab, mereka bukan hanya ahli ilmu agama tapi juga ilmu2 lain seperti sejarah, sastra dsb, dan mereka juga memiliki integritas moral yang teruji.

Mereka tidak menghamba pada penguasa. Keempat imam mazhab misalnya menghindar dari penguasa dan bahkan disiksa dan dipenjara oleh khalifah di zaman mereka.

Billahit Tawfiq wal Hidayah. Dr Djohan Effendi"

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Now here also are replies by two other commenters to Artane.

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Anoynymous said : Artane ni lahir tahun berape agaknya.Tak ikut perkembangan parti Pas zaman tahun 80an. Masa tu isu kapir menkapir ulama PAS yang ungkitkan. Pas tu tambah dgn sembahyang 2 iman, kahwin tak sah dgn pak iman UMNO dan macam2 lagi. Adik beradik putus sedara sebab fatwa ulama Pas. Bapak aku seorang guru agama bila cuba memerangkan kepada abang dan kakaknya yg gila Pas tentang Islam dan bila jatuhnya kafir seseorang terus diputuskan sedara macam tu. Bila dah nak mati, baru lah si abang & kakak mau berbaik semula. Kau punya comparison ulama dgn doktor langsung tak betul.Pakai logik je. B*d*h.

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1munafikmalaysia said...Artane, ISLAM is for all. It's not 'Hak cipta terpelihara Ularmak". BTW which university did prophet, the caliphs and the friends of prophet graduate from? If they can interpret the Quran what's stopping anyone else doing so. Is there an injunction in the Quran that says so? I think there is a verse that says the quran is made easy to understand and is there anyone willing to learn.Read surah Al Qamar :17 and Al Baqara:185 If something is easy to understand why do we need a third party to tell me what it says. You analogy with Medicine is childish at best. Medicine changes with time. New things are discovered old things are discarded. Are you saying that ISLAM also changes with time?? God has given us a brain so that we can think for ourselves.

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Now here are my comments: First of all I agree that trying to compare the 'religious people' with doctors is childish. I am sorry but it is reflective of the immature thinking that has become religious education among Muslims all over the world. As time wasting as it is, I wil have to dwell on this 'comparing with doctors' issue too.

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I use the words 'religious people' and not ulama simply because I dont think the religious people are ulama. From a Quranic point of view the two are not the same. Please read my previous Blog on this : No Such Thing As "Ulama" Class In Islam.

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As I have written in that article, and as Dr Djohan Effendi also points out, Surah 35:27-28 defines an ulama:

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Surah 35:27-28 "Do you not see (Alam tara) that GOD sends down from the sky water, whereby we produce fruits of various colors? Even the mountains have different colors; the peaks are white, or red, or some other color. And the ravens are black. Also, the people, the animals, and the livestock come in various colors. This is why the people who truly reverence GOD are those who are knowledgeable (ulama). GOD is Almighty, Forgiving."

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The people who see or observe :

i. the cycle of rain are meteorologists
ii. those who study plants, fruits, flowers are agronomists, plant biologists and horticulturalists
iii. those who study the colours and types of rocks on mountains are geologists
iv. the people who study the birds are ornithologists
v. those who study humans are anthropologists, medical doctors, biologists, scientists
vi. those who study livestock and animals are veterinarians and animal biologists.

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The Quran says the people who see all this Nature and observe all this Creation and appreciate all this handiwork of the Creator are called the 'ulama'. Clearly then this is a description of scientists. An ulama is therefore a scientist.

.The word science comes from the Latin word 'scientia' which means knowledge. And the arab word 'ulama' is the plural form of 'alim'. Alim comes from the arabic word "Ilmu" which ALSO means knowledge or science.

.An alim is therefore a knowledgeable person and ulama is plural meaning 'many knowledgeable people'. Ulama are therefore scientists who study everything around them and appreciate all the things that the Creator has created in this universe. Those are the ulama. I dont think today's religious people can be called ulama at all.

.But will a Book such as the Quran fail to provide a proper name for the priests of religion, those guys who wear beards and robes, who dress funny, talk funny and behave funny who are part and parcel of every "religion"? Here is the Quran again :

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Surah 9:31 "They have set up their religious leaders (habar) and rabbis as lords, instead of GOD. . . "

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The Quran refers to 'religious leaders' and the priests as HABAR. The Quran does not refer to them as 'ulama'.

Habar are the religious priests who wear strange clothes, wear beards, speak strange and say that they are "closer to God". They can promise things like the keys to paradise. They are best given doodle pads to draw on and be locked up in asylums. If allowed to roam free, they can become "mursyidul am", ayatollah, pak sheikh and so on (in extreme cases).

.How lets talk about Artane's comparison of religious people with doctors. A doctor is a man of science. A knowledgeable person, a real ulama. It is a strict requirement of science that you must criticise, argue, ridicule, poke holes in scientific findings. The scientists thrive on this.

Whenever a scientist discovers something new, they must publish it in scientific journals. Then other people will read what they have discovered and criticise it. If the new discovery can withstand all the criticism, only then it becomes established as scienctific knowledge. Then the doctor who discovers something new in medicine or a new treatment will not call you 'sesat' or a deviant just because you criticise him.

.On the other hand, the religious people, who dont know anything about science or logic or dont appreciate science or logic, will call you 'sesat', 'kafir', etc if you criticise them. You cannot disagree with them at all. And then the funny thing is there are so many types of religious people. You have shiah, sunni, wahhabi, sufi, tablighi, ismaili, alawite, ahmadiah, tareqat, arqam etc etc. They all say that if you question them, you are sesat or deviant.

.This is not Islamic behaviour. That is why the religious people are often childish and immature in their reasoning capabilities. They are definitely not the same as doctors and scientists who thrive on questioning and criticism.

Now lets go back to something else that Artane said : "
Some of us are openly mocking these ulama".

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So, does this mean that it is ok to mock other people? This is what I understand from the religious people. They dont make any noise if someone mocks others. For example if you mock Tun Dr Mahathir, well that is ok by many religious people. One assh*le religious munafiq even said that 'Tuhan juga mencarut'. So he said that it was ok for another assh*le to write a filthy book criticising Dr Mahathir using words like puk*mak !! To me these are pengikut ajaran setan.

So be careful. The indoctrination that you can mock other people, but it is not ok to mock the religious people is munafiq or hypocrisy.

.Now let us go back to the doctor example. This is a very bad example and it shows incapacity to think in a logical manner. It is reflective of the type of indoctrination that is dished out by the religious people. This is why the Islamic countries are in the Club of Doom. Over the centuries, the religious people have destroyed the peoples' capacity to think.
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A doctor goes to medical school where he studies the most rigorous science for five or six years. Usually only the best and the brightest from any society even qualify to study medicine. You must have a string of As in your high school exams before you can enter medical school. On the other hand, for centuries now, it is always the practise that those young people who have no other options or have little chance of going to medical school. university, college, teacher training, joining the army or the police will end up going to religious school. It is usually the last option, they have no more choice.

.In other words, religious education usually absorbs or attracts the least capable people from society.

.A doctor is trained to think logically and scientifically. As a scientist, a doctor's entire thinking process runs on logic. There must be a logical reason why a person got sick. Lets study the symptoms. Lets logically identify the causes. Even if we cannot identify the exact cause, thens lets rule out other reasons that we know of. This is the logical and scientific method. This is science.
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And as I said, the doctor will be most happy if you criticise him. He will not call you murtad, sesat, kafir and other such things if you dont agree with him. He will not say that you will go to hell if you disagree with him or if you prove him wrong.

.Now the religious people, who were usually school dropouts or the intellectually less capable from among society who cannot qualify to go to medical school, will say that 'Kita tidak boleh gunakan akal'. I have heard this a hundred times.

.So the religious people dont like logic. They insist that you cannot use logic to answer anything. This is just one of the many reasons why you cannot compare a doctor and a religious person. You are comparing apples with oranges. Tak boleh. It is also very insulting to compare doctors with the religious people. A doctor studies for five or six years in a very tough scientific curriculum, which keeps changing all the time.

.This is also the same reason why you cannot compare a medical doctor with a magician, David Copperfield, a witch doctor, a bomoh or pawang. They are also very dependent on "tidak boleh menggunakan akal".

Some religious people believe (I think this is from the Shiah) that during the time of the Prophet, the moon was split in two. And then one half of the split moon fell in the backyard of Saidina Ali's house. (The Shiah use this story to say that it was a petanda that Saidina Ali should be the true Khalifah, and not anyone else).

.How a belief like this cannot rely on logic. It must be an illogical belief. You must rely on the conept of "tidak boleh menggunakan akal" to believe that the moon actually split and that one half of the moon then fell in Saidina Ali's backyard.

.Think logically, in the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, it was just one earthquake which caused all that damage in Japan. The earthquake was caused by the movement of just a small part of the tectonic plates under the sea.


Imagine what would have happened to the earth if the moon had split in two? Or that one half of the split moon had fallen into the Pacific Ocean? The entire world would have been destroyed. But this is thinking logically. We know the moon did not split in two because the moon is still there in the sky above us.


If you want insist on "tidak boleh menggunakan akal" then you might agree with those people who say that Saidina Ali's backyard was big enough to accomodate half the moon that fell down ! !

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The same concept applies if you insist in believing the children's nursery rhyme :

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Hey diddle diddle,
the cat and the fiddle.
The cow jumped over the moon
and the dish ran away with the spoon.
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You can insist that the cow did jump over the moon, but that would be based on the concept of "tidak boleh menggunakan akal". It will not be accurate (or fair) to compare such illogical beliefs with medical science which runs on pure observation, science and logic.

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So Artane, you now have to choose, which 'tidak boleh menggunakan akal' you want to follow? The Shiah, Sunni, Ahmadiah, Sufi, Tareqat, Tablighi etc. There are so many to choose from. In Malaysia, the religious law (which also is based on "tidak boleh menggunakan akal") decides what you can or cannot be in your religion. Recently shiahs were arrested in Gombak. A man who declared himself a Rasul was jailed for 10 years. And so on.
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But back to the word 'ulama' - surely the scientists, including doctors are the ulama - the knowledgeable people. This is because they observe God's Creation (alam tara) and they use logic.

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar says...

10hb Jan, 2008

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Syed Albukhary diumumkan sebagai Tokoh Maal Hijrah 1429.

Interview by Syed Agil.

   Kita kawal agar nikmat tidak rosakkan kita.  Yayasan Albukhary menjadi tempat untuk menempatkan lebihan yang boleh rosakkan diri kita supaya dapat berkongsi dengan orang lain.

     Dalam hal mengapa orang Melayu begitu ketinggalan berbanding kaum lain jika diimbas kembali kemajuan yang dicapai oleh kaum bumiputera sejak 50 tahun lalu, kerajaan banyak membantu melalui Permodalan Nasional Berhad.  

    Ini untuk membantu usahawan Melayu dalam bidang peruncitan, pemborongan dan pengedaran.

   Tetapi dalam tahun 80an-90an, usahawan
Melayu yang dilahirkan oleh Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB) menjual kepentingan dan saham, melanggar DEB untuk kekayaan sendiri kemudian mereka hilang.  Golongan ini saya gelar 'Individualis Melayu'.  Golongan yang mempunyai keupayaan tetapi tidak membantu masyarakat yang memerlukan bantuan. Jadi apa guna kerajaan bagi bantuan.

   Kita tak boleh pentingkan diri sendiri. Saya sudah merasa semua nikmat di dunia, cuma mati saja belum rasa. Nikmat yang Allah berikan tiada yang lebih lagi. Kita kena lebih kan di negeri sendiri, tanah tumpah darah kita bukan di luar negara.

    Tan Sri mengalami kerugian RM2bilion semasa krisis ekonomi...
Tahun 1997, kita labur dalam syarikat yang disenarai awam demi mengekalkan pegangan 30 peratus dalam syarikat-syarikat ini, naik setinggi mana pun kita tak jual. Jadi apabila krisis tiba dan harga saham merudum, kerana ingin kekalkan 30 peratus, rugi lebih kurang RM2bilion. Macam-macam perasaan ada tetapi kita cari jalan untuk lupuskan kerugian dan cari peluang perniagaan baru.

    Kerajaan didukung oleh UMNO memang ada polisi untuk menolong orang Melayu. Tapi DEB hanya bagi orang Melayu 30% dan 70% kepada kaum lain. DEB kaya kan seluruh masyarakat Malaysia dan memberi peluang terbuka kepada semua kaum. Saya tahu perkara ini sebab saya menceburi perniagaan sejak dari awal lagi.

    Kita minta tolong pemimpin kita mengenai apa yang kita boleh buat dan setakat mana kemampuan kita. Bukannya mengambil lesen kemudian bagi kepada orang lain. Orang jenis ini fikir untuk diri sendiri saja. Bila umur 45 mesti ada apartment di luar negara, duit RM50juta. Jadi ini bukan masalah UMNO atau DEB. Ini masalah Melayu yang tak percaya kepada diri sendiri. Mereka percaya kepada duit dalam akaun.

- Syed Mokhtar

Among his contributions:
- RM5 million a year towards financing Islamic historical content and artifacts for Islamic Muzium at Lake Garden KL.
- mosque built on Jalan Hang Tuah; a squatter area, where the Muslim community is just a minority.

-  college being built in Alor Star for the poor which will be ready in 2009 which costs around RM600 million. 3000 students made out of 30% local students and  the balance by International students.
You will be surprised, it is not an Islamic teaching college.  It will instil 8 hours for studying, 8 hours for sleep, 8 hours for personal activities and voluntary work.  There are dialysis centre, mosque,old folk's home and orphanage in the college area for this activity built in the same compound.

Tan Sri stresses that religion is supposed to be the responsibility of each Muslim to themselves and towards God, so if they want to learn it, it has to start from each individual.

-  60 to 70 Imam, bilal, Tok Siak who earns humble salaries are chosen through Tabung Haji list for Haj a year.

-  He contributes his zakat 70% towards the Muslims and the balance towards non Muslims.  He recently sponsored students from China to study in UIA but stresses that they are not forced to embrace Islam.

What is he going to do with RM80,000 cash reward received with his Tokoh Maal Hijrah?
'Saya akan berikan kepada ibu saya.  Masa dulu bila saya dapat RM1,000, saya hanya memerlukan RM500 saja.  Bila saya dapat RM1,500 dan bawa balik rumah, mak saya kata RM750 cukup untuk keluarga.  Baki Rm750 bagi kepada orang tua-tua.

SAYA DAH ADA INTERAKSI DENGAN MASYARAKAT. - Syed Mokhtar
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How many urban Malays would read Utusan Malaysia?  I don't use to read it, but ever since I learnt that Utusan main sections offer good read about Soal Jawab ugama, I make it a point to buy Mingguan Malaysia to read Dr. Asri and Syed Al Attas's columns.

I read last week's newspaper with so much pride.  

The article reminded me when I once wondered, why does Allah s.w.t stresses so much that Prophet Muhammad is remembered as his messenger.  

We would just utter 'Aku naik saksi Nabi Muhammad pesuruh Allah, Tiada Tuhan selain Allah' -  the part about Nabi Muhammad is usually said for the sakes of it being part of the verse, but how many people genuinely respect, thus love him by learning what he had done for us all.

I found that many Malaysian grew fond of Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar for his thoughts and actions, not just for the Muslims, but people of all races.  And how much they look up to him and want to be like him.  

If only we knew what Prophet Muhammad s.a.w has done for us, we will be so much more inspired, just the way Tan Sri is and how he reciprocates.

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Respect Muhammad s.a.w like He respected Jesus

A beautiful article by Dr. Chaalal that I really must share to commemorate this Holy months of Ramadhan.

Respect Mohammed like he respected Jesus

Omar Chaalal
ABU DHABI,
UAE
September 20, 2006 --

Mohammed spoke of Jesus with respect - why can't the Pope respect our Prophet? It is the right of every human, according to God, whether you name him God or whether you name him Allah to have a shelter, food, a nation, security, dignity, respect, and consideration.

What is deplorable is to hear that the Pope has been quoted to say that Islam was spread by the sword, that Islam is the religion of ignorance, that it is not compatible with the mind, a religion based on violence - or words to that effect. Far from being a "religion" of ignorance, Islam is a world community, which is not roaming in the "dark ages" as his Holiness seems to think. It is a culture that has seen the re-birth of the word of God and has seen the rise of great scholars.

His Holiness forgot that Al Ghazali said "I think therefore I am" and Descartes took it from him, not to mention that Ibn Roushd was the one who brought the Greek philosophy to the West via Spain. Muslims are respectful of the word of God and they are not belligerent by nature. Who raises the cries of war? Who raises their power against innocent blood? Who sends their armed forces to once peaceful countries? Who treats every Muslim as a pariah, even in its own country?

Ultimately, the question is who behaves as an ignorant? Look around you - and tell me - who? What is also deplorable is for a superpower dictating to the world that it is all right for the USA and Israel to bear arms, to maintain paramilitary units, to design and build nuclear warheads, sell armaments, and at the same time deny other nations the same rights - what hypocrisy and blatant misuse of foreign policy.

Nationalism is the right to protect one's country and one's people from harm. Every nation will attest to that. Kurtis Cooper, spokesperson for the US State Department states that religious and ethnic hatred is not acceptable. However, out of the mouths of the US administration come words like, "the enemy," "fight them in their land," "it's us against them," "the bad guys," "we are in it for the long haul," "bring in the Kurds, then the Shiites and then the Sunnis will fall in," and one wonders why there is such political unrest and unease in the world.

Freedom of speech is a right, but what is not a right is to defame one's God, beliefs, and a nation's choices of how they govern. Why does US President George W. Bush dress his democracy in the skirts of rightwing theology and then say that if you differ in your ideology, such as being an Islamist or a Communist, we will bomb the hell out of you?

What gives you the right to use "carrots and sticks" such as bribery, torture, and the press in the name of the stars and stripes and Jesus? Now that I have your full attention, why do you infer that Muslims do not know how to govern, look after their children, understand the judicial system, or do banking.

I must tell you that Muslims are very well educated, have strong work ethics, excellent health standards, strong family ties and discipline that the Western world would do well to emulate. My wish is that we would all realize that we are brothers and sisters under God and as such live in peace!

Cavities in Creativity.

• A freelance MENSA speaker shared an interesting analysis about the changing level of creativity among human beings.
  
  He presented the first illustration:
  
  This analysis was conducted by NASA on 100 newly born babies. Till the age of 5 their creativity level in terms of movement, vocal and illustrative ideas is rated at 95%.
  
  When they reach the age of 12, the creativity level decreased to 47%.
  
  
  I'll jump straight to what the findings look like towards the same set of babies when they reach 25.
  
  
  
  
  The creativity level went down to 12%!
  
  This addresses my personal fear, in being one of the 12%.
  
  When I rock climb, I thought for hours what my next step should be when climbing slim branced trees 25 years ago was a jiffy.
  
  I needed someone to remind me of songs played 15 years ago which I used to sing along so many times.
  
  I used to wear knee length jackets, funky belts, scarfs and shawls to work. Now I buy everything in one suit, I just can't pull off a good mix and match to look unique anymore.
  
  This makes me ponder:
  
  The moment we go to school, we read the same books. The teachers tell us what to say and what to memorise. Our parents tell us not to waste time in sports and arts.
  
  The moment we became teenagers, we dress up according to what we see in pop magazines.
  
  Now what's most scary is, when we're about to live on our own.
  
  In the morning, we get dressed the same way, squeeze our toes into all covered shoes, get in the car and everyone goes towards the same direction - to work.
  
  In the office, we started as ourselves - we talk to reflect our personalities. Give it a month to see if we tend to talk the way our colleagues do.
  
  Lunch, we eat what everybody eats. Evening, we have coffee where everybody drinks and at night do what everybody does - clubbing or eat out.
  
  When we go home, it's beginning to be the same type of habitat - pigeon holes! Enough that we drive ourselves into the car park everyday, get in the lift to reach our office maybe a few times in a day. We repeat the same sequence when we reach home and again fit ourselves in four walls - YeeHaaa pigeon holes hoppers!

Phewwwhhh. All that limited space!

If there is any awards that should go to the best psychoanalysis made about the Malaysian consumers' behaviour, I say it should go to the Mamak chain of restaurateurs. They give us temporary freedom! It doesn't require them to pay Accenture to come up with market intelligence pun to set up their million ringgit cash business.

The only way we could put ourselves under the sky in open space is probably by being by the beach, we can't do that often. At least on daily basis is during dinner and supper, we go to kedai mamak just for a teh tarik, not inside the shop but on the road side. Our subconscious mind is telling us something. Free yourselves from the monotony others create!

"Muhammad and Me" Toons - Rediscussed

Bobby's blog has been receiving overwhelming comments from around the world towards his cartoons (see below). Here's a sample of thoughts I could contribute.


Images are intellectual property of Bobby Wheelock.

Describe Muhammad in this toon in your own words:

AIAI: I have many friends whose names start with “Muhammad”. Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Hassan etc. Muhammad in this toon is surely a Muslim guy, perhaps from Mid East as he has thick lips and eyebrows, perhaps still studying in high school, outgoing, a non racist, caring, loving.

BIBI: I agree with those traits, to add, I think he is portrayed as the follower. Everything his white friend does, he will follow. The sorrow face character may be drawn to illustrate pressure. Muhammad's way of doing things may denote his race is more backwards.

Do you think Muhammad in this toon denotes the Prophet? If not, why?

AIAI: No.

BIBI: I cannot be certain on his real intention to use the name Muhammad. I look at it as in a general name for Muslim. He is definitely portraying a white and a muslim in the picture. Muhammad is no 1 world most common name and I’ve many friends who has the name Muhammad .so automatically, I look at it as in a general name for muslim...as of course , Bobby being the smart fellow, he is manipulating it in a lot of way especially after the cartoon controversy...strike while it is hot..I bet, years ago, he would have probably use "Me and Osama" instead of "Me and Muhammad".

AIAI: I agree with that!

Describe Bobby as a character in his own toons.

AIAI: Playful, sharing, loving

BIBI: Jovial.

Do you see evil in this cartoon, is it provocative?

AIAI: Absolutely not

BIBI: Not at all

What do you think this cartoon is intended for?

AIAI: Kids drawings are honest thoughts. Bobby’s, in this case,… it could be his real experience, it could be his way of studying religious and racial differences, it could be his portrayal of peace, what he wish the world could be, it could be just his understanding. I am curious where he is bringing it to and where the twist is.

BIBI: A psychology study to readers

What is your perception about the Muslim and the Christians, the two major races who makes comments in Muhammadandme.blogspot. You may break them down to more categories if you want.

AIAI: I used to perceive that Muslims are very emotional and easily jump when provoked. In the comment box, giving benefit of the doubt the commentor by the pseudonym "Prophet Muhammad lovers" are real, the majority of them are emotional. I am surprised the Christians are too when they are not the one at the moment under any religious oppression. Glad to see many who also studies the cartoons in utmost proximity and takes things positively.

BIBI: I am not sure if my answer relates but i think generally the commenter are focusing on the extreme side , how ..?? influence by the media. What i see is how they are have already had the hatred build in them and that is why they look at the picture negatively..

What are your spiritual backgrounds and race?

AIAI: A Muslim by birth. Was secular and hedonist, still is sometimes. Discovered the personality of my Prophet and our God at the age of 28. I speak about my religion only at the age of 30 but still not a completely pious person.
I am a Malay.

BIBI: Good question, you got me thinking hard there. I am a Chinese. I was born a Buddhist not a strong one, got lost half way into Christianity...and now still seeking. I had a Muslim boyfriend for donkey years and I would like to be buried the Buddhism way until further notice. I won’t be surprised I’d choose Catholic one day.

Any further comments about the cartoon from a person of your spiritual background?

AIAI: I don’t feel offended with the picture of Muhammad getting drunk. I think it goes to show everyone’s imperfect. Everyone’s perception is it is definitely a genious work of art that spurs debates. And what's wrong with Muhammad reading "3 Little Pigs" to Bobby which has the word piglets in it? It is just a story book.

Put being a Muslim aside, in a bigger perspective we forget that we are normal human beings who can’t stop ourselves from being succumbed to over indulgences and sins.

How can we deny that we do drink, utter profanities, behave insensitively towards other race and religion etc although every religion preaches good things.

My wild guess is Bobby is genuinely a white guy, yet the tagline mentions "Mecca."
The Muhammad and Me tagline explains itself, “On the way to Mecca, there are many stops.”

To me it serves a universal meaning, there are certainly a lot of challenges before anyone discovers themselves regardless our creed and colour.

BIBI: Probably he/she ( the cartoonist) is a lost but good soul like me ( hehee) still searching for the right destination. Whatever he is trying to tell in his artwork , one thing for sure , it is up to the viewers on how they want to look at it. I WISH everyone values the cartoons the way children do; with innocent thoughts.

My quote of the day : Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

AIAI: Hmmm... I hope the two horns on Muhammad's head doesn't carry double meaning, him standing like a cross when they are fitting their suits.... oh, oh, please erase this from my imaginations!!!

"A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave".
-Mahatma Gandhi

Scientific Explanation of Hell.

Subject: Is hell exothermic or endothermic?

The following is an actual question given on University of Washington chemistry midterm. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues via the Internet, which is of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question:

Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law,(gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time.

So we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell,it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell; let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell.

Since there are more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase
exponentially.

Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls
in Hell,then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Ms. Teresa Banyan during my Freshman year that "...it will be a cold day in Hell before I give you my number" and take into account the fact that I still have not succeeded in acquiring her number, then 2 cannot be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze.

The student received the only "A".

Endothermic:
a reaction which absorbs energy (ie, cools its surroundings).
For example, ice melting is an example of an endothermic process because it absorbs heat from its surroundings

Exothermic:
A process or reaction that releases heat. For example, wood burning in the presence of oxygen is an example of an exothermic reaction

Message of Peace

It was the first day of work and we stayed in late in anticipation of horrendous traffic. I deleted so many forwarded emails regarding the cartoon that insults the Prophet. In spite of that, a few colleagues were reading out loud the news to me.

On the contrary, I asked them in what way is it possible that we are brothers and sisters. One free thinker colleague answered, "Through Adam!"
I'm amazed how apprehensive she is about history.

"But that made me wonder if we're all practising incest!" She said.

Hmm.... okaaaayyyy, that's a good one.

Now what makes this Danish cartoonist feel he's on the right edge and compelled to provoke?

"Nine things the Lord has commanded me:
Fear of God in private and in public;
Justness, whether in anger or in calmness;
Moderation in both poverty and affluence;
That I should join hands with those who break away from me;
And give to those who deprive me;
And forgive those who wrong me;
Andthat my silence should be meditation;
And my words remembrance of God;
and my vision keen observation," (Razin)

The above is Prophet Muhammad's sayings.

A great part of the Prophet's mission was to bring peace to the world. One way of doing so was to convince people tha tall men and women, although living in very different regions of the world, and seemingly different from one anther in colour, culture and language etc were in fact each other's blood brothers and sisters.

Among his preach to his followers: "You are all Adam's offspring and Adam was made of clay." And in his prayers to his Creator, he would say, "O Lord, all your servants are brothers."

He would also tell the people that, "every religion has some special virtue, that of Islam being modesty." He never made others feel small, unwanted or embarrased. He urged his followers to do likewise, to release slaves whenever possible, and give alms, especially to very poor people, orphans and prisoners-without any thought for reward.

The above is taken from a book called "Goodnight Stories from the Quran". Published by Goodwordbooks.

My free thinker friend's chirpy yelp to answer me was enough to tell me that in our country, there's still hope for us to live in harmony despite our differences.