Amanat Hadi and the Muawiyah of Malaysia

Amanat Hadi refers to that dark period in 1980s, when Hadi Awang was a firebrand of PAS. It was the beginning of the era of "kafir mengkafir" (calling fellow Muslims infidels due to different political beliefs) which Hadi had popularised throughout the villages in Malaysia.

Hadi delivered this infamous Amanat Hadi sermon at Kampung Banggol, Peradong, Kuala Terengganu on April 7, 1981 and thereafter was made into posters and pasted on the walls of PAS offices across the nation, around the same year.

Later in 1983, this Amanat Hadi poster made a strong appearance in the Selising by-election in Kelantan and thereafter became a flagship battle clarion call for PAS in other elections.

It is important to understand what really is the gist of Amanat Hadi and reproduced below are the important excerpts from Hadi’s speech:

Saudara-saudara sekelian percayalah,
Kita menentang Umno, bukan kerana nama dia Umno. Kita menentang Barisan Nasional bukan kerana dia lama memerintah kerajaan. Kita menentang dia ialah kerana dia mengekalkan perlembagaan penjajah, mengekalkan undang-undang kafir, mengekalkan peraturan jahiliyah. Oleh kerana itulah kita menentang mereka. Oleh kerana itulah kita menghadapi mereka. Oleh itulah kita cuba berlawan dengan mereka.

Percayalah saudara-saudara sekelian,
Perjuangan kita adalah jihad, ucapan kita adalah jihad, derma kita adalah jihad. Bergantunglah kita kepada Allah dengan (menghadapi) puak-puak ini kerana kalau kita mati melawan puak-puak ini, mati kita adalah syahid. Mati kita adalah Islam. Kita tidak perlu masuk Buddha, Kita tidak perlu masuk Hindu, Kita tidak perlu masuk Kristian, Tapi kita menjadi kafir dengan mengamalkan 'politik suku, agama suku'.

In English:

My fellow brethren, please believe,

We are against Umno not because their name is Umno. We are against BN not because they have been in power for a long time. We are against them because they have maintained the colonialist constitution, maintained laws of the infidels, maintained jahiliyyah rules. That is why we are against them. That is why we are facing them. That is why we are fighting against them.

Please believe my fellow brethren,

Our struggle is jihad, our speeches are jihad, our donation is jihad. Hold fast to Allah to face these tribes as if we die fighting these tribes, our death is syahid. Our death is Islam. We don’t have to embrace Buddha. We don’t have to embrace Hinduism, we don’t have to embrace Christianity. But we become kafir (infidel) by practising ‘tribal politics, tribal religion’.

"Kafir" comes from the word "kufr," which means to cover. A "kafir" in the Quranic terms applies to one who covers the truth, even after being told of it.

In Amanat Hadi, or, Hadi's message, he took it one step further.

He accused all Umno members, including then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and then Umno supreme council member Najib Abdul Razak, as infidels or "kafir" who shield and cover the truth.

In one bold stroke, Hadi drew a line that separates PAS and Umno - indeed PAS and all other Malaysian, then.

Anyone that fell out of the circle of PAS and Hadi, were deemed to be disbelieving unbelievers. Thus there were separate religious seminars in the villages.

Indeed, there were separate Imams for daily prayers, separate "kenduris" (wedding feasts etc), abattoirs, funeral rites, Friday prayers, even separate burial sites.

Families were separated, husbands and wives were separated through acrimonious divorce, and children left in limbo that eventually led to large scale divide of the Muslim ummah in Malaysia.

Hadi was the source and inspiration of these insidious practices that split families and friends apart. Hadi's excesses were only reined in by the intervention of Fadzil Noor, Mujahid Rawa and Nik Aziz, all of whom are no longer around.

Instead of practising the politics of humility, what can perhaps be called Siyasa Al Tawaduk, as Prophet Muhammad is known to have conducted throughout his life, Hadi has become the Muawiyah of Malaysia.

It was Muawiyah, who upon the demise of the first four righteous caliphs - Khalifah Al Rashidin - who set up the Ummayad Dynasty. The actions of this dynasty created the blood feud of Sunni and Shia that lasted to this very day.

It was during the reign of Yazid, the son of Muawiyah, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Husayn ibn Ali was beheaded, thus causing the rise of the Shia and the anger of the Sunnis too.

Amanat Hadi is the equivalent of that most violent period in Islamic history - indeed laying the seed of all other structural weaknesses of the Muslim world, as the Sunnis and Shias became entwined as permanent rivals that were vulnerable to foreign manipulation.

Hadi claims to practice fairness and objectivity in his relationship with Umno and Najib. Yet Sarawak Report has suggested the possibility of alleged hidden fiduciary interest at work.

By covering the truth, and covering the alleged misdeeds of Najib and Umno, the entire PAS, which has a proud history of being a stellar Islamic opposition, has brought the party into sheer opprobrium and calumny.

The politics of "kekufuran" or untruths has pervaded the party, which Najib and Umno must be smiling in glee at.

Unless Hadi and his "five tembikais," are stopped, their alleged attempt to be carrying the green flag of Islam - when deep down they are helping the black flag of Jahiliyah (ignorance) - PAS will end up like the Ummayah dynasty that ruled for a mere 70 years.

With Umno reaching 70, little wonder Umno and PAS have begun to rot with the self-interest of the leaders at the top, without any regard for the welfare of the people in Malaysia.

It is time for the enlightened Umno and PAS grass roots members to awaken from a deep slumber and start asking the right questions on the directions of their respective leaders in their parties. Think and reflect.

While for Hadi, I hope he will ponder on his Amanat Hadi, and evaluate whether what he said then was right and whether he needs to repent and apologise to all the Muslims who were affected by the Amanat Hadi.

It takes a big heart to admit that one is wrong, even bigger heart to apologise. Let us see, whether Hadi has a big heart or a bigger heart or any heart at all.

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RAIS HUSSIN is Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) supreme council member and head of policy and strategy. - Mkini