Show respect, kindness and mercy to spread religion

Our duty to preach, not proslytise: beyond that is God's business and we are not God.

FMT LETTER

From: Nur Adilah Ramli, via email

For the record, we have been lauded as a country with high tolerance towards the multitude religions of the citizens. Being part of a multi-religious community, we have lived with respect for each other’s faith. It’s a blessing that after all this while, we could live in harmony under one roof, and even though we’ve had a few misfortunes stemmed from racial and religious tensions, we’re still living in a relatively harmonious state.

Our secret to keeping the peaceful environment might be largely contributed by the stringent laws that have aided in producing religious-sensitive individuals; albeit they are constituted in a forceful way. Without the laws to inspect our mannerism, we might not be able to breathe in the air of peacefulness.

To live peacefully as one nation does not warrant uniformity, what more when it comes to the matter of belief – something embedded in the heart, and professed through actions. As much as we respect Islam as the official religion in Malaysia, we must also respect other religions. For my Muslim families, please do not confuse God’s power with our duty – it’s not our task to force people of different faiths into accepting Islam.

Our duty is to preach, not to proselytize. Beyond that is God’s business which we shouldn’t meddle in, and even if we try, it will be to no avail. Because religion is about believing in our heart, it’s futile to try to convert the religions of others.

Had God wanted to make all human populations Muslims, He would have done so. That He didn’t do so might have spurred sense of curiosity at the back of our mind. It’s a very delicate matter for us to decipher, and that is simply because we’re not God. Oftentimes, we find ourselves questioning the decisions made by God, but no matter how much we squeeze our brain, we could not arrive to the definite answer, and that’s because we’re not God.

But ignorance is not bliss. How do we live in peace when our mind is crowded with unsettled thoughts? We can pretentiously act to accept everything as it is, but the heart, being hungry of explanation, would never find peace until the heart is satiated and convinced.

That is when ones’ conviction is put to test, and guidance plays a role in conviction in the truest definition. To illustrate, ones may believe in the existence of the mystical power that governs the universe, but they can’t see God in the majestic creations. It is the absence of guidance (which must be pursued) that conviction can’t be rightly propelled.

Realizing our fundamental mission to preach through words and manners, can be an abstract idea differently manifested by each person. Due to its vast interpretation, some choose to decode the mission by basing on extreme viewpoint. Nonetheless, there are many avenues through which we can peacefully propagate the message of religion.

Wisdom is the key to spreading the religion, hence in a country with people of various religions, the method of da’wah should be tailored to the context befitting the societal condition. It is not sensible to condemn other religions, and claim our superiority over the people of different faiths.

In communicating the message of religion, kindness and mercy should be reflected in our words and actions, and even in the event that the calling is repelled, the gentle, similar treatment should be given all the same.

As mentioned, there are many alternatives which can be beneficial for missionary purpose. Under the circumstance in which the genuine message of religion is misunderstood, or worse, manipulated, this demands a medium to rectify the misconception, and in the endeavour, we must be careful so as not to aggravate the existing situation.

There was a clamour when one million copies of the Qur’an were planned to be distributed to non-Muslims, in what was intended to be a mechanism to correct the misinterpretations about Islam. The nature of the act of distributing the holy Qur’an might be good, but the public have right to perceive it otherwise. In fact, it is not their fault if they find it as an insult and a disgrace to their religions.

It takes human consideration in dealing with matters concerning religion. Interfaith dialogue which observes sensitivities of all religions is one good platform to disseminate religious teachings. At the end of the day, we all aim for a harmonious state, and to actualise the dream of ours, we must first know that we are not God.