Hari Raya Is Dead

 

So, no! No Selamat Hari Raya. There is nothing to celebrate. We failed the most important test of Ramadan. We do not deserve to celebrate our failure as if we are celebrating victory.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Over the last two days, I have been receiving many ‘Selamat Hari Raya’ messages from Muslims and non-Muslims. However, I have not wished them back because Hari Raya is not selamat, as what they seem to think. Hari Raya is dead — may it rest in peace.

We were taught when kids that during the month of Ramadan, Satan would be tied up and we will not suffer the temptation to commit so many vices that Satan would normally goda us with over the other 11 months of the year.

Hence, during the month of Ramadan, we can endure hunger and thirst. We can resist the craving for nicotine. We can fight off what the Christians call the ‘deadly sins’ — pride, sombong, bongkak, takbur, greed, tamak, lust, nafsu, jealousy, envy, dengki, gluttony, anger, laziness, etc.

Judging by the actions and statements of Muslims over the last month, it appears that not only have they failed to uphold the spirit and tenets of Ramadan by keeping all these ‘deadly sins’ at bay, their violations, in fact, got worse. The more they fast, the more their sins.

What is Hari Raya? Hari Raya is a day to celebrate victory — victory of the struggle or perjuangan against ourselves. We fought against temptation, anger, pride, jealousy, envy, nafsu, dengki, sombong, bongkak, takbur, and many more, and we won. So we celebrate Hari Raya to mark the victory of our fight against Satan.

But what victory can we pride ourselves with? Up to this very morning the maki dan hamun in the social media continues. The fitnah during Ramadan increased rather than reduced. Muslims continue to attack one another and speak ill of each other. Muslims lost political power in May 2018 because of jealousy and because of the lust for power — and they have still not learned their lesson over all this time.

The most important aspect of Islam is brotherhood, which is why Muslims call each other ‘brother’ or ‘sister’. Without brotherhood, there is no ummah. And a divided ummah is cursed by Allah.

The entire Middle East is in a mess because of this absence of brotherhood. The Malays are in a mess for the same reason. The ummah is no longer the priority. Lust for power is. And the ummah or Muslim brotherhood is sacrificed so that one can grab power and glory by fair means or foul.

So, no! No Selamat Hari Raya. There is nothing to celebrate. We failed the most important test of Ramadan. We do not deserve to celebrate our failure as if we are celebrating victory.