Kassim Ahmad And The Shahadah

Note : This is heavy stuff, from the Quran. The non Muslim readers may not find it as easy to follow. But you will understand why the Muslims are so twisted into so many knots. Contrary to what many say (including you) the Muslims dont read their own Quran, which is actually a very simple book (again contrary to what many say, including you). 

A few days ago DJ Blogger Din Merican was issued a notice by the MCMC for carrying the latest statement by Kassim Ahmad in defence of his views about the Shahadah.

I dont know how Abang Din has responded to the MCMC's challenge.

This is just more evidence that Sunnis (and Shias) are so afraid that their belief system will be compromised, even by the simplest of discussion or questioning.  What a fragile faith. 

Yet they feel the truth is on their side. It is actually a cocoon. 

And the way to protect their cocoon is by banning, suppressing, oppressing, jailing and killing people who question their beliefs.  Such simple mindedness.

Refusing to speak calmly and intelligently is actually cowardice.  These people are just cowards. Village cowards - hiding behind their powers of arrest, authority to prosecute and other chicken sh*t instruments of oppression.

(By the way for those who are interested in Dr Kassim's statement.you can access it here :http://kassimahmad.blogspot.my/2016/06/the-idolization-of-prophet-muhammad.html)

Ok for those who are not familiar here is some back ground on the Shahadah aka the Testimony of Faith with which Kassim has taken issue.   

The shahadah is just a one line sentence, that believers must utter. It forms the first of the Five Pillars of Islam.

What are the Five Pillars of Islam? Here they are :

1) The Testimony of Faith (Shahadah):   The testimony of faith is saying with conviction, “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah.”  This saying means “There is no true god (deity) but God (Allah),1 and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.” 

(Err...here I must clarify. The "other" way that this is said is :  "Ash hadu anlaa ilaha illa Allah, wa ash hadu anna Muhammadur rasoolu Allah"  which means "I bear witness there is no god except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah".  The words "I bear witness" are added.)

2) Prayer:  Muslims perform five prayers a day.

3) Giving Zakat (Support of the Needy)

4) Fasting in the Month of Ramadan

5) The Pilgrimage to Makkah

Ok. Coming back to Dr Kassim, he is a staunch believer in the Quran. This means Kassim is highly doubtful of all "extra-Quranic" religious teachings.  Extra Quranic means it is not in the Quran. 

Kassim says (correctly) that the second part of the Shahadah "and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"   is "extra Quranic" ie it is not in the Quran.  

Then he says that it is  false  and so it is wrong to mention the second part of the Shahadah.   *

Actually ALL THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM above are not fully detailed in the Quran.  

Jangan marah saya ok. I did not say this. Bukan saya cakap.  The religious people say this, again and again.  For example the religious people tell us that the FIVE DAILY prayers (the 2nd Pillar) are not detailed in the Quran at all.  

"If you only follow the Quran, then you cannot perform your five daily prayers because the five daily prayers are NOT detailed in the Quran" they say.   

I say "What a clever observation".  They are 100% correct.

In the Quran there is mention of salat Fajar and salat Isyak, names which are familiar to us.  However Salat Zuhur, Salat Asar and Salat Maghrib are not mentioned by name in the Quran.  

There is however a salat wusta mentioned in the Quran which is not found in the common usage. No one asks 'Have you performed the Salat Wusta'?  

The religious people say that zakat (the 3rd Pillar) is compulsory charity and that it is 2.5% of your wealth (as defined by them) which you must pay annually. 

Firstly in the Quran there is no connection between the word zakat and compulsory charity.  

Secondly the 2.5%  is definitely not mentioned anywhere in the Quran.  And on it goes.

So Kassim has some different thoughts about the Shahadah - the First of the Five Pillars of Islam. 

It will be interesting to look at some of the verses in the Quran that are related to this topic. Please allow me to make a simple suggestion. 

• If we wish to discuss hudud from the Quran, then we must study the word hudud as it appears in the Quran.
• If we wish to discuss hijab from the Quran, then we must study the word hijab as it appears in the Quran.
• If we wish to discuss salat  from the Quran, then we must study the word salat as it appears in the Quran.

Isnt that a simple and logical method? So if we wish to discuss SHAHADAH from the Quran, then we must study the word SHAHADAH (AND ITS DERIVATIVES) as THEY appear in the Quran. 

In the Quran, to associate anything or anyone with Allah is known as 'shirk', the highest degree of poly-Allahism  which Allah does not forgive. This is made clear in 4:48.

4:48 Surely Allah does not forgive that anything should be associated (yushraka) with Him, and forgives what is besides that to whomsoever He pleases; and whoever associates (yushrik) anything with Allah, he devises indeed a great sin.

 
So if you associate (yushrik) anything else with Allah, then it is shirik. All Muslims know this. 

The Quran also stipulates that Muslims must place their trust in the one Allah and not on anyone else.The Quran is quite clear on this :

39:45 And when Allah alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who do not believe in the hereafter shrink with aversion, and when those besides Him are mentioned, lo! they are joyful.

This message is reinforced in the following verse as well : 

 72:18 The “masjids” belong to ALLAH alone; do not call on anyone else beside ALLAH.

So it is Allah alone who must be mentioned.  Some people will get angry over this. Their anger will only subside when others besides Allah are also mentioned.     Likewise in the masjids, it is only Allah who must be called.

So which category are you in, dear Muslim reader?  Can you live by Allah alone or do you need to mention others beside Allah as well?


In putting forth his arguments, Kassim also mentions Surah 63:1. 

Surah 63:1 says that it is the hypocrites (munafiks) who bear witness (nash-hadu) on the messenger.  Kassim refers to it as the shahadah of the munafiks or hypocrites.

Here is 63:1   :      "When the hypocrites come to you and say: "WE BEAR WITNESS (nash-hadu) THAT YOU ARE THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH. Allah indeed knows that you are His Messenger. Allah bears witness (yash-hadu) that the hypocrites are liars".

The Arabic is quite unmistakable. The hypocrites come and say ‘nash-hadu-innaka-la-rasuulillah’ which means ‘we bear witness that you are the messenger of Allah’.   

(nash-hadu is plural. ash-hadu is singular).

63:1 says "Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are liars".  

Why? 

Because "Allah indeed knows that you are His Messenger. "   And Allah suffices as a witness.

These two messages: 

• "Allah indeed knows that you are His Messenger"
•  And Allah suffices as a witness   (Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan)

 do reverberate throughout the Quran.  Here are some other related verses.

4:79 "We have sent you as a Messenger and ALLAH SUFFICES AS A WITNESS..."  (Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan).

We have sent you as a rasul and Allah is enough as a witness. Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan.

This message is repeated again :

4:166 "Allah bears witness concerning what He has revealed to you. He has revealed it with His knowledge. And the malaikah bear witness as well, BUT ALLAH IS ENOUGH AS A WITNESS”  (Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan).

This is what the Rasul , the Messenger told his followers : ALLAH IS ENOUGH AS A WITNESS (Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan).

And the following verse even discourages attempts at witnessing other Messengers:

28:44 "You were not on the slope of the western Mount when we gave Moses the commandments. YOU WERE NOT A WITNESS" (wa maa kunta min al-shaahideen).
 
Muslims believe that Moses was a Rasul or Messenger we were not there to witness Moses receiving the commandments. 

The Quran insists that only Allah is the witness that the Quran had been inspired in the Messenger :

6:19 "Say, whose witness is the greatest'' (Kul 'aiyyu shai-in akbaru shahadatan') Say, "Allah's (witness is the greatest). HE IS THE WITNESS BETWEEN ME AND YOU (shahiidun baini wa bainakum)  that this Quran has been inspired to me, to preach it to you and whomever it reaches.."


DISCLAIMER : Now, I am not leading you to drawing any conclusions. No such thing.  

I am suggesting that this is how we read and study the Quran. Word by word, verse by verse.   

Surah 6:19,  28:44, 4:79 and 4:166 are some of the verses in the Quran where the word 'WITNESS' is used.  

Ustaz Darwin kata kita dah lama turun dari pokok.  Jangan melompat tak tentu pasai. Read first, analyse and then make up your own mind.  

Its not over yet folks. Here are some other verses in the Quran about the munafiks or hypocrites. 

9:101  "Among the Arabs around you there are hypocrites, and among the city dwellers as well. They persist in hypocrisy and while you may not know them, We know them. We will double the punishment for them, then they will be returned for a terrible retribution".

Here the prophet is told that there are hypocrites around him and that he does not know who they are. Allah knows the hypocrites. But Allah promises :

29:11"... He will most certainly expose the hypocrites"
So the hypocrites will be exposed. And the hypocrites are worried about this too:

9:64 “The hypocrites worry that a sura may be revealed exposing what is inside their hearts. Say, "Go ahead and mock. ALLAH will expose exactly what you are afraid of."

The munafiks or hypocrites will be exposed. The munafiks also worry about being exposed. So how exactly shall the hypocrites be exposed?

Surah  47:30 “If we will we can expose them for you, so that you can recognize them just by looking at them. HOWEVER YOU CAN RECOGNISE THEM FROM WHAT THEY SAY.  Allah is fully aware of all your works"

The hypocrites can be recognised by what they say :  ‘HOWEVER YOU CAN RECOGNISE THEM FROM WHAT THEY SAY’

And one of the things which the hypocrites say is recorded in 63:1.

63:1 "When the hypocrites come to you and say: "WE BEAR WITNESS THAT YOU ARE THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH  (‘nash-hadu-innaka-la-rasuulillah’). Allah indeed knows that you are His Messenger (wal-laahu ya'lamu in-naka la-rasuu-luhuu). Allah bears witness (yash-hadu) that the hypocrites are liars".
 
Conclusion: 

4:79 "We have sent you as a Messenger and ALLAH SUFFICES AS A WITNESS..."  (Wa kafaa billaahi shaheedan).

ALLAH SUFFICES AS A WITNESS.

These are just some verses from the Quran which can be related to the subject.  Ask yourreligious guru to explain this. I can assure you they cannot. These verses will be like Greek to them. They would have never seen it before.   It is up to you to read and research this.  No need to get excited.  

Inside the cocoon you have familiarity,  your comfort zone,  a sense of security.  Outsidethe cocoon lies the real world. Super strong.  Allah's creation.