DEALING WITH THE DIVERSITY OF ISLAMIC TEACHINGS

The surge of Muslim-born individuals who reaffirm their faith and start actively practicing it or so-called ‘hijrah’ movement has led to an interesting social phenomena. Here, myself included.

My life has changed dramatically and in the most fundamental way. It affects pretty much everything starting from fashion style, activities I join, public figures I follow, causes I care about, job options and even future plans. Basically, Islam sets out the rules applicable to every sphere of life. As I reconfirmed my faith in Islam, I began to search for guidance by learning Islamic teachings. It is inevitable that someone who believes in Allah as their One and Only God that has the right to be worshiped would want to know how to please Allah. Among other implications, worshiping Allah means that we have to abide by His rules and commands. However, an issue arises as how to choose which one to follow since there are many interpretations of Islamic teaching? How do we react to the proponent of the opposite view?

In the early phase of my quest to Islam, I would not bother myself with the rules which in Islamic term is commonly referred as fiqh or Islamic law. My full attention lied on Aqidah which answered the fundamental questions of why should I submit to Allah or ascribed to Islam in the first place. This was a phase where I asked the hardest questions and explored the religion through Allah’s own Words: The Qur’an. Once I was certain that Islam is the one, I started to study further on religious knowledge including fiqh. Reversing the learning order is the most dangerous common mistake that our Muslim society do. It’s like putting a huge burden upon a fragile foundation; either we’re going to crack it, or worst, break it all apart. When it cracks, we’ll see a Muslim with non-Islamic way of thinking. When it breaks altogether, we’ll lose a brother or sister in Islam; even worse, some may become enemy of Islam. Na’uudzubillaah.

Soon as I firmly decided that Islam is my way, learning fiqh and other Islamic knowledge obviously come next. It has been long-understood that there are many interpretations within Islamic body of knowledge. It’s not uncommon that each of them has solid basis and was supported by reliable & pious scholars (may Allah be pleased with their efforts). These differences, sometimes, can trigger unnecessary tension among Muslim community such as when a group of Muslims denounces another Muslims group, a particular ustadz (Islamic preacher) against another ustadz publicly or implicitly through their preaching, or any other form of contrasting differences and creating backlashes. These are the ugly reality of our Muslim society that is constantly in display. It is extremely unfortunate that a solid common ground can be overtaken by a slight of difference, especially when the difference is deemed to be natural and allowed within Islam (not in ushool/ fundamental teaching).

As someone who just began to learn, there are times when the diversity of opinion of ulama over a certain issue is really confusing. At those moments, I would remind myself these following rules to learn:

1. Keep in mind that our intention is always how to please Allah. How to become the people of taqwa. The people who grow in love, fear, and hope only to Allah as the knowledge increases. Make a routine muhasaba (reflection) to check our heart because it is easy to divert from the original intention.

2. Ask Allah to always guide us till we die in khusnul khotimah, for verily, He is the One who can guide or misguided us.

3. Akhlaqul kharimah (good attitudes according to Islam) must be uphold at ALL TIMES. This would also valid when we have different opinion with others. Say whatever we need to say BUT with the RIGHT WAY, TIME, & MANNER. We should be cautious if our words would leave someone hurt – be fearful if we commit wrongdoing (dzalim) towards our brothers & sisters in deen for we are strongly forbidden to trespass the honors of fellow Muslims.

4. Respect and love Ulama (Pious & Knowledgeable people) who posses the knowledge of Islam. Remember that they are human being who can be at fault, so be more understanding when they do. A prayer for a fellow Muslim is always better than a backbiting/ badmouthing/ smearing their name. Bad deeds never benefit us in anyway.

5. Know our place as a learner (not someone who has expertise in religious knowledge) and behave accordingly. Thus, our responsibility is to choose between options that are available. My principle would be leave what is doubtful or controversial (and I still have no clarity about it). I prefer to take a conservative approach when two or more options are still in question; also work on things that have become consensus before moving on to the next level. Honestly, there are so many Sunnah or teachings that we have as ijma’ (consensus). Learn about these and acts accordingly. Do not intentionally go around seeking for contrasting arguments then make a fuss out of it. Na’uudzubillaah, we should be afraid that this is the work of Shaytan to waste our time on something unbeneficial.

6. Start learning from the basic up to the more advance subjects. Sometimes, we feel like we left behind and want to catch up as fast as we could, but hold on, we are not in a race. So, slow down. Take your time. Evaluate our heart as we go along. Remember to rule no. 1: anything that doesn’t bring us closer to Allah is pointless. It’s not worth chasing.

7. When someone differ in opinion or action, the first two things that should come up in our mind are “let me ask him about it” and “maybe I don’t know about it yet”. Employ an active listening when we do ask, not a typical “I’ll listen and use it against him”.

8. When we have no knowledge on a certain issue, be quite. Refer it to the expert and educate yourself about it.

Lastly, be a person who can treasure differences instead of creating backlashes. Always ask ourselves before typing, speaking, or even thinking: does this would bring me closer to Allah?

Jakarta, 31 March 2019