The difficulty on giving advices?

Bismillahirohmanirohim (In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate)

It is not a surprise that we are concerned about the problem that are faced by other Muslims. Sometimes these concern turns into hatred. One of the common concern is intoxication. Due to this concern, one will try to advise the other to stay away from intoxication. Usually these advices will turn to a form of hatred due to frustration of the message not getting across to the one who is involved in intoxication. Usually the concerned Muslim will be gentle for the first few advices. After sometime this concerned Muslim is frustrated and may start cursing or hating the other muslim brother. This is an example of a frustrated adviser, "You said you are a muslim but you are doing things that are prohibited! Use your brain!", "I hate hypocrites, claiming to be a muslim!" Is this the right way to advise?

There is another situation where, a Muslim who is not well versed in the knowledge of Islam, but are trying their best to be in the path of Islam. Sometimes the Muslim who are not well versed may misinterpret somethings. I've seen some knowledgeable Muslim who mocks other Muslims (which apparently are "less knowledgeable"). For example, "Only muslim idiots think that it is right to wear silk" or "stupid muslims may think that interest(riba) is good for the economy"  Is it right for them to be called idiots or stupid?

No matter which is the case whether being a concerned Muslim or a more knowledgeable Muslim, cursing or name calling should be avoided. Doing these (cursing or name calling) will have its consequences.

In the first example, a Muslim will either follow the advise or, push away themselves from Islam. The second case will be that, the less knowledgeable Muslim will thrive themselves to be more knowledgeable or will also push themselves away from Islam. But usually with cursing and name calling, ppl will farther or push themselves away from Islam. Is this the way of Islam?

If we examine closely, its not right to associate with this kind of practises with Islam. Islam, is derived from the root word salam which means Peace. One is not creating any peace with cursing and name calling.

Next, have a look at the hadith quoted below.
Narrated Abu Musa: The Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam said, "A believer to another believer is like a building whose different parts enforce each other." The Prophet then clasped his hands with the fingers interlaced.

Narrated Abu Dhar that he heard the Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam saying, "If somebody accuses another of Fusuq(by calling him 'Fasiq' i.e., wicked person) or accuses him of Kufr(disbelief), such an accusation will revert to him (i.e., the accuser) if his companion (the accused) is innocent."

Narrated Ma'rur: I saw Abu Dhar wearing a Burda (garment) and his slave too was wearing a Burda, so I said (to Abu Dhar), "If you take this (Burda of your slave) and wear it (along with yours), you will have a nice suit (costume) and you may give him another garment." Abu Dhar said, "There was a quarrel between me and another man whose mother was a non-arab and I called her bad names. The man mentioned (complained about) me to the Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam. The Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam said, "Did you abuse so-and-so?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Did you call his mother bad names?" I said, "Yes." He said, "You still have the traits of (the Pre-Islamic Period of) Ignorance." I said, "(Do I still have ignorance) even now in my old age?" He said, "Yes they (slaves or servants) are your brothers, and Allah has put them under your command. So the one under whose hand Allah has put his brother, should feed him of what he eats, and dress him of what he himself dresses, and should not ask him to do a thing beyond his capacity. And if at all he asks him to do a hard task, he should help therin."

Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam said, "Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm(with glad tidings) and do not repel(them) (i.e. to make them hate good deeds and to run away from Islam)

[Sahih Bukhari]

The one who has knowledge of Islam should never call another muslim an idiot because there are hadiths that saying we shouldn't push people away from Islam. If a knowledgeable muslim does so, it means that the person is quite selective in the choosing of Qur'anic verses and hadith which I have demonstrated in my other entry that this is the practise of "the people of the book". This shouldn't be in the practises of Islam.

From another perspective, there are muslims who are always concerned with other muslims behaviour (I.e gambling, drinking and etc). They are too concerned with other muslims that they neglect their own self development. Despite of having knowledge in Islam, they think that it is sufficient because there are worse muslims out there. Self development in the knowledge of Islam is well important (I.e arabic, fiqh, usul ul fiqh, maqasid sha'riah and etc). But often we see that they stop learning when they think it is sufficient and there are muslims who are less knowledgeable.

In conclusion, even when our intention is pure and would like to strive for Islam, we should always beware of the way on advising. Not an easy task, but one can only try. This area "adab" is always being overlooked and not bothered because we usually think that it is not complicated and easy to give an advise. Those who give advice should not be too obsessed with the outcome (whether the other party change for the good/not). This is where patience is important and relying on Allah by asking Him to guide whom He wills. Knowing how to advise in my opinion is well important in the human development and especially in Islam where it is centred onto human development so that the path is easy for us to worship Him. Therefore, before we start to learn any knowledge, this should be the first step before it.

The guidance of God (continued)

Bismillahirohmanirohim (In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate)

 
Surah al Yunus verse 94: "If you are in DOUBT concerning what We have revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Book before you. It is the TRUTH that has come to you from your Lord, so never become one of those who DOUBT.
The "TRUTH/haq" refers to the current book/Qur'an. Hence, the focus of the verse, do not be in DOUBT in the Qur'an.
We are told to ask "those who have been reading the Book before you" and not specifically refer to the scriptures/book ourselves. Why? Because i) Arabs were commonly illeterate and ii) not conversant with scriptures.

The pamphlet goes on quoting Genesis 22:18 about "The seed" which according to them is Prophet Jesus(Isa). To our understanding Prophet Muhammad is also "the seed" of Prophet Abraham(Ibrahim) under his son Prophet Ishmael(Ismail). Prophet Jesus did prophecies the coming of a Messenger/prophet in John 16:12-13. Refer to Ahmad Deddat clip (Muhammad in the Bible).

It quotes about "original sin" from Romans 5:12 which contradicts with Ezekiel 18:4 and 18:20. Reference can be made to Ahmad Deedat clip at the side.  It goes on saying Prophet Noah was a righteous man (Genesis 6:9). But they did not reveal that the Bible mentioned that he was an alcoholic. Refer Yushua Evans clip. The Qur'an have responded surah al furqan verse 36 "... People who have given the lie to our sign" (37) "They gave the lie to the Messengers." One of the lie might be about Noah being an alcoholic. Allah knows best!





Muslim takes the Prophets as a role models hence Allah will choose the best of people and not someone who is an alcoholic or commits adultery/incest.

It then says Abraham was a righteous servant of god (Isaiah 41:8). Prophet Abraham created the Ka'abah to remind us that God has no image by human intellectual and only serve One God the Almighty.

In the pamphlet "As for prayer, Christ taught :"When you pray, go into your private room and, after shutting your door, pray to your Father who is secret; then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you. But when praying, do not say the same things over and over again, just as the people of the nations do... God your Father knows what things you are needing before ever you ask him." (Matthew 6:5-8) But they forgot to mention about this verse in the bible : "And he (Jesus) went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." - New Testament (Matthew 26:39) (Refer Yusha Evans min 1:30)

"And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped." - Old Testament (Exodus 34:8)

And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with [their] faces to the ground. - Old Testament (Nehemiah 8:6)

Muslims are taught by Prophet Muhammad salallahualaihiwasalam on how to pray. Prostrating to the ground is one of the actions of our prayer. I'm not an expert in the bible but according to this pamphlet, this sect of Christianity are quite selective in choosing the verses to follow.

Surah al kahf verse 57 : "Who is more wicked than the man who, when he is reminded by the revelations of his Lord, turns away from them and forgets (the consequence of) the deeds wrought by his own hands? We have laid veils over their hearts lest they understand the message of the Qur'an and We have caused heaviness in their ears. Call them as you may to the Right Path, they will not be ever right guided aright."

"(1)"Say : "O unbelievers!" (2) I do not worship those that you worship (3) neither do you worship Him Whom I worship; (4) nor will I worship those whom you have worshipped; (5) not are  you going to worship Him who I worship. (6) To you is your religion, and to me, my religion." (Surah al kafirun verse 1-6)

The main conclusion of this entry is that  "O you who believe! Believe WHOLLY IN ALL THAT HAS REVEALED TO YOU, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan, surely he is to you an avowed enemy" (surah al baqarah verse 208) Therefore we should not be selective in following the teachings of the Qur'an.

Reforming Islam

Bismillahirahmaniraheem

There are a lot of opinions about Islam from the orientalists, non-muslims and even amongst muslims themselves. Especially after 'terrorist attacks', September 11th and so on, a lot of muslims and non-muslims are conscious about Islam. Some non-muslims were really curious towards Islam and therefore did a lot of questioning, embracing Islam as their religion. Where else some non-muslims grew their hatred towards Islam and spreading their hatred to the people. These hatred have caused a lot of speculation about what is true and what is not in Islam. The clip below clarifies about the word Allah(god) and what some non-muslims has to say about HIS name.


Some muslims are proud of the 'claimed' muslim terrorist attacks, some are ashamed and some just do not care about it. Those muslims who are ashamed of these 'claimed' muslim terrorist attacks, they prefer not to be associated with these 'terrorist'. They would say that these 'terrorist' does not represent Islam and its teachings. They would go up to the extent where they want to abolish the shari'ah. Let us understand 'Shari'ah', see if it is important with Islam and should it be abolish to 'Reform Islam'.

Islamic Shari'ah outlines a way of life based on faith and good actions. Living according to the laws of Shari'ah means that one should do good and refrain from whatever is forbidden by Allah and His Prophet. Why would one want to abolish something that is good? "Shari'ah" implies a connection to the divine, a set of unchanging belief and principles that order in life accordance with God's will. Shari'ah is understood as a kind of higher law that includes some specific and wordly commands. It means that the law or rules are not created by the human intellectuals, but it comes from the One and Only God and the scholars interpretes the law from the divine revelation of the Holy Qur'an. No one is above the law, but everyone is subject to it. There are specific methodology used by the scholars to interpret the Qur'an and the hadiths. If the Shari'ah were to be eliminated, these specific methodology will be eliminated as well and it will expose to more untrue stories by the orientalist and others as I have mentioned in my previous entry.

In MY opinion, 'Muslims' who wants Shari'ah to be abolished are not any different than the 'Muslim' terrorist. They have not grasp the important teachings of Islam. Islam is not just in spiritual, but also in our daily actions. The 'Muslim' terrorist claims that they are doing the right thing by involving or killing innocent people and the 'reformed muslim' also claims that they are doing the right thing by disassociating themselves with Shari'ah and wanting to abolish them. We have seen in recent times for example in Malaysia in trying to create "Islam hadhari" or "reformed or modern muslims". There are some websites that are suppose to be a place for reformed muslims and to go against the Shari'ah. Are we actually doing any justice to the beloved religion of Islam? The word "Islam" is derived from the word "salam" in arabic which means peace and "Islam" more or less means achieving peace from submitting to the will of Allah.

I'm not a scholar, I am just like anyone else who is concerned about the religion of Islam. So if I have said something that is not right, do pardon me and do advise me.
Let this entry be a reminder to myself and to everyone.
Here's a few verses from the Qur'an and Hadith

"(51) Messengers! Partake of the things that are clean, and act righteously. I know well all that you do. (52)This community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord; so hold Me alone in fear. (53) But people later cut up the religion into bits, each group rejoicing in what they have. (54)So leave them immersed in their heedlessness till an appointed time. (55)Do they fancy that Our continuing to give them wealth and children (means) that (56)We are busy lavishing on them all kinds of good? Nay, they do not perceive the reality of the matter. (57) Surely those who stand in awe for fear of their Lord, (58) who have full faith in the Signs of their Lord; (59)who associate none with their Lord in His Divinity, (60)who give, whatever they give in charity, with their hearts trembling at the thought that they are destined to return to their Lord; (61) it is these who hasten to do good works and vie in so doing with one another. "
From surah Al-Mu'minun verse 51-61

"(3) ...... This day I have perfected for you your religion, and have bestowed upon you My Bounty in full measure, and have been pleased to assign for you Islam as your religion. ....."
Part of verse 3 of surah al-Maidah

Hadith: al-Nawawis forty traditions, Hadith 7
"From Abu Ruqayya Tamim bin Aus al-Dari said:" The Prophet salallahu Alaihi Wasallam said: "Religion is good advice". We said:"Whose (advice)? and he answered: "That of Allah and His Book, and His Messenger, and the leaders of the Muslims, and the generality of them."  "

Hadith: al-Nawawi's forty traditions, Hadith 19
"From Abul Abbas Abd-Allah bin Abbas-may Allah be pleased with both of them- who said: I was behind the Prophet salallahu Alaihi Wasallam when he said: " O young man, I will teach you words(of wisdom): Keep fast hold on Allah, and you will find him in front of you. Introduce yourself with Allah in days of ease and He will recognise you in the days of distress. And know that what missed you could not have hit you, and what hit you could not have missed you. And know that victory comes with forbearance, and relief comes with anxiety and ease come with hardship."  "

Hadith: Bukhari 2
"Anas reported on the authority of the Prophet salallahu Alaihi wasallam. He said: "None of you has good faith unless he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."  "

The guidance of God

Bismillahirohmanirohim (In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate)

Firstly, I would like to be clear that I'm not a scholar. I might be wrong about certain things and if I am, please correct me.

The pamphlet to identify similarities between our religion

This time, my entry will be slightly different than usual. Recently, there were people who came to my house to preach their religion. They handed me a pamphlet and mentioned that they were followers of the bible but did not like to associate themselves with Christendom. Knowing that I am a muslim, they handed me a special pamphlet to identify the similarities between our religion. This pamphlet was however designed for a Muslim to read because there were a lot of quotes from the Qur'an to make Muslims understand.

In summary of the pamphlet there are some verses mentioned which was out of context with what the Qur'an says about the Holy scriptures. Examples:-

"(Like that book) this too is a Book which We have revealed before, one full of blessing, confirming what was revealed before it so that you might warn the people of the Mother of Cities (Makkah) and those around it. Those who believe in the Hereafter believe in it, and are ever-mindful of their Prayers." (surah al-an'am verse 92) 

This verse is "suppose" to make us think that the current torah & injil are the truth. It is taken out of context because verse 91 says "... Ask them: "The Book which Moses brought as light and guidance for people which you keep in bits and scraps - some of which you disclose while the rest you conceal, even though through it you were taught that which neither you nor your forefathers knew - who was it who revealed it?" Say: "Allah!" and then leave them to sport their argumentation."

It is somehow weird that some do not understand that, the book Prophet Musa (Moses) possess was confirmed (to be the truth) by Prophet Isa (Jesus), hence the book Jesus (Isa) possess should also definitely be confirmed by Prophet Muhammad salallahualaihiwasalam.

The pamphlet goes on to mention that no corruption could possibly have occured before the writing of the Qur'an because many Qur'anic verses call for faith in the Torah & the Injil. Examples of the verses:-

(surah al Baqarah verse 136) " We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the descendants and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and in what the other Prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are those who submit to Allah".

Refer (surah al baqarah verse 120) "Never will the Jews be pleased with you nor the Christians until you follow their way. Say: " Surely Allah's guidance, is the true guidance." Should you follow their desires disregarding the knowledge which has come to you, you shall have no protector or helper against Allah."

   (Surah al baqarah verse 135) "They say : "Be Jews," or "Be Christians". "Then you will be rightly guarded." Say to them: "No, follow exclusively the way of Abraham who was not one of those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity."

This means that something is not right with the current Judaism and Christianity from the Qur'anic viewpoint. Even though the Torah & Injil used to be the Book of the Truth, Muslims are not supposed to trust the current Torah and Injil because Muslims shouldn't follow their way.

(Surah al Nahl verse 43) "(O Muhammad), whenever We raised any Messengers before you, they were no other human beings; (except that) to them We sent revelation. So ask those who possess knowledge if you do not know"

Refer  (surah al Nahl verse 44) "We raised the Messengers earlier with Clear Signs and Divine Books, and We have now sent down this Reminder upon you that you may elucidate(/explain) to people the teaching that has been sent down for them, and that the people may themselves reflect."

I do not wish to reveal which sect of Christianity they belong because my intention is not to criticise them. The purpose of this entry is for my Muslim brothers and sisters that we should read and understand the Qur'an wholly. If we were to read certain verses without understanding the story/teachings wholly, then it might be misinterpreted. This is when Satan may take his advantage on a person.

To Be Continued...

Idea of investing

Bismillahirohmanirohim (In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate)

When we use the word investment, it usually projects a succesful way for the future. Investment are usually associated with business investor, corporate people. How often we see that business investments assure the return on the profit of investments with certain amount of interest. In Islam interest are prohibited and through the development of Islamic banking, investments without interest are made possible. Sometimes these return on investment (without interest) have fixed percentage of rate which might look like interest. As a muslim we should always be aware on the differences between these two because of the similiarity we (muslims) might be doing the prohibited.

When should one start to invest? As I mentioned earlier, investments are always associate themselves with successful or high profit return. Therefore we usually think that it is safe to venture into these investments with having minimal funds. We have this mentality whereby to secure our financial future or after retirement, we need to invest. I am not trying to imply that investing is a dangerous thing to do. Investments will be beneficial if it is done in a proper manner. By investing, it also benefits the economy because of the circulation of wealth.

These business are usually run by a person or a group that have the idea and managing capabilities but do not have suffucuent funds to run the business. Therefore investor helps in initiating a business which consequently help the economy. (Surah al-Imran verse 180) "And let not those who hoard up that which Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty think that it is better for them. Nay, it is worse for them. That which they hoard will be their collar on the Day of Resurrection. To Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth. Allah is well aware of what you do."

As a middle income earners, the income are usually just enough to pay the bills. Some people starve themselves to fork out money (take a loan) to invest in order to secure the financial future. This, in my opinion is a very dangerous thing to do because the reality of investing failing. Hence, financial future are not secured and also ending up with debts. These debts will then force people to work outside their own field (ordinary way/qualification) and will be a forced labour just to cover their bills. This will effect on the productivity as people with certain expertise working with a non-related expertise.  It will also effect on the morality of workers as people are often not happy with their job. Their unhappiness will gradually make them feel morally down and will make them turn to any sort of way to gain more money without considering if it is halal (permissible) or haram (prohibited). This will then cause further damage to the economy.

Back to the question of when should a person invest? It is best for a person who are wealthy to invest and not the middle earners. Those who are wealthy should invest appropriately (within the laws of Islam) to avoid negative effect to the economy. Those wealthy should also not demand their return on investments if the business aquire loss for they are responsible for their own investment. If the wealthy investor have the right to get an amount of profit, it is only fair for them also to acquire the loss. Their loss will not have any burden as it is not based on debts. This is what spending wisely means and not spendthrift.

We should only invest when we have EXTRA MONEY and not do any loan for investments. We have witnessed that Portugal, United Kingdom and etc have debts worth billions due to investment/bad investments which have a chain reaction to one another causing debts everywhere around europe/world. Therefore it is only wise to invest when there are often resources and not invest when there are limited resources which causes for them to seek loan for investing.

It is wise to do trading when investment is not possible. But trading will only be possible when there are capable investor. This is what circulation of wealth means in Islam. HELPING EACH OTHER! Rather than spending lavishly on luxury cars,handbags or golds, ir should be invested appropriately. We need to understand our individual role in order to improve the economy. Spend wisely and not spendthrift. This refers to a previous entry which include the verses of the Holy Qur'an on circulation of wealth. It does not always mean that we just need to sadaqah (give charity) to circulate wealth, investing appropriately in the laws of Islam is also another way to circulate wealth.

Spendthrift or spend wisely

Bismillahirohmanirohim (In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate)

Surah Al-Jumu'ah verse 11 "Yet no sooner than they saw some trading or amusement, they flocked to it and left you standing by yourself. Tell them: "That which is with Allah is far better than amusement and trading. Allah is the Best Provider of sustenance." "
Although this incident refers to a trading caravan which had arrived in Madinah from Syria exactly at the time of Friday Prayer, it indicates a kind of weakness of faith or their wilful preference for worldly benefits over the Hereafter. Even though we are encouraged to earn an income, we should not be obsessed with it (or be materialistic) and should live according to Islamic principles of circulating the wealth.

Ferrari 430 in my neighbourhood in Malaysia

It is evident that we see today some of us live luxurious life. Some who are wear handbags that might worth millions, some who upgrades their luxury cars just to make it look "nice" or to showoff.  The wealth is then not being circulated but is being stucked to the rich. Although the money is being transferred from one to another in the transaction (of buying the handbag/spending on the car), the asset/entity is stucked to that particular rich person. This will be a sort of symbol where "I" (the rich person) can afford and "you" can't! Gradually this will come to a stage where it is provoking the poor. Therefore it is advisable for a muslim not to spend extravagantly according to the verse of the Holy Qur'an "(The true servants of the Merciful One are) those who are neither extravagant nor niggardly in their spending but keep the golden mean between the two;" (Surah al-Furqan verse 67). "Do not keep your hand fastened to your neck nor outspread it, altogether outspread, for you will be left sitting rebuked, destitute. (30) Certainly Your Lord makes plentiful the provision of whomsoever He wills and straitens it for whomsoever He wills. He is well-aware and is fully observant of all that relates to His servants." (Surah Bani Israil verse 29). The Arabic idiom 'to keep one's hand fastened to one's neck denotes' miserliness and 'to outspread it, altogether outspread' denotes extravagance according to Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi.

Pininfarina near my neighbourhood in the UK

"Allah has favoured some of you with more worldly provisions than others. Then those who are more favoured do not give away their provisions to their slaves lest they become equal shares in it. Do they, then deny the favour of Allah?" (Surah Al-Nahl verse 71) In this verse, people are reminded of an actual fact of life where they do not share their wealth even if it is not theirs (which has been bestowed upon them by God). This verse supports the the symbol of "I" (the rich person) can afford and "you"(the poor) can't because of their fear of being equalled to the poor. This also leads to these certain group of people who believe that they deserve more to be protected (i.e gated community, bodyguards and etc) because they consider themselves better or richer.

We need to remind ourselves that the economy revolves around everyone, not only leaders even though leaders are given the authority/power. By spending appropriately it does not only benefit individuals but the performance of the country will be improved. Ibn Khaldun explains that over indulgence of materialism causes people to abandon religion resulting in the disintegration of a nation and government.

Let us remind ourselves that we have obligations to fulfil and should always look at the bigger picture (the whole community) rather from a narrower persepective (individual).

Surah Bani Israil verse 26 "Give to the near of kin his due, and also to the needy and wayfarer. Do not squander your wealth wastefully"

Applying Ibn Khaldun's theory on the consequence of PTPTN

Bismillahirohmanirohim (In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate)

From my perspective, there are a few problems on the implementation of PTPTN (tertiary student loan). First, they try to portray themselves as Islamic by posting this hadith on their website: Narrated Abu Huraira : The Prophet salallahualaihiwasalam said, "Whoever takes the money of the people with the intention of repaying it, Allah will repay it on his behalf, and whoever takes it in order to spoil it, then Allah will spoil him." If I am not mistaken (if I am wrong I do apologise) they also have quoted verses from the Qur'an in their letters to 'scare' those who loaned from them so that they would get the repayments back. They (PTPTN) quoted verses like, "Believers! Fulfil (all) obligations. ..." (Surah al mai'dah verse 1) "Believers, why do you not profess that which you do not practise?" (Surah al-saff verse 2) "... And fulfil your covenant, for you will be called to account regarding the covenant." (Surah bani isra'il verse 34) or " And fulfil the covenant which you have made with oaths after having firmly made them, and after having firmly Allah your witness. Surely Allah knows all that you do." (Surah al-nahl verse 91) How often do we get contracts today with the sentence Bismillah?

Islam do not only revolve on these certain verses and the teachings are not one verse doctrine. The Qur'an has many verses and these other verses cannot be neglected as it is part of Islam. Here are some other verses that opposes the conduct of PTPTN. "As for those who devour interest, they behave as the one whom Satan has confounded with his touch. Seized in this state that they say: "Buying and selling is but a kind of interest," even though Allah has made buying and selling lawful, and interest unlawful.". (surah Al-Baqarah verse 275) Even though PTPTN quotes the hadith above, they have avoided this particular verses of the Holy Qur'an by charging interest of 3% and now apparently 1%. They have deceived the people by claiming or portraying themselves as Islamic by quoting the said hadith.

Furthermore, there is another verse which says "But if the debtor is in straitened circumstance, let him have respite until time of ease; and whatever you remit by way of charity is better for you, if only you know." (Surah Al-baqarah verse 280). As soon as completing the studies, student often receive letter from PTPTN stating the amount needed to be repaid without even taking consideration if the student is employed or not. For those who have loaned for years will also be blacklisted from going out of the country until they have repayed their loan. If they plan to travel out of the country, they would then have to pay back ALL of the loan INCLUDING INTERESTS/USURY.

Another verse that should be taken into consideration, "Believers! Do not devour one another's possessions wrongfully; rather, let there be trading by trading by mutual consent; and do not kill yourselves. Surely Allah is ever Compassionate to you." (Surah al-nisa verse 29) The expression "wrongfully" embraces all transactions which are opposed to righteousness and which are neither legally or morally reprehensible. "Mutual consent" means that the exchange should be free of undue pressure, fraud and deception. All this is not my own interpretation of the verse. It is the interpretation of a scholar Maulana Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi. Therefore, a contract with interest is definitely devouring another's possession "wrongfully"!

PTPTN should not portray themselves as Islamic or use hadith because they are only contradicting themselves, preying on students who are lack exposure on business or contractual knowledge.

In the UK, there are student loans. The loan does consist of interest due to no prohibition from their "religion" or due to secularism, they are more considerate on certain things. Having said that, the way the repayments are being 'collected' are determined by certain circumstances. Such as below:
1. After completing studies, repayment of the loan is applicable only AFTER the student is being employed and their annual income has to be above certain amount (ie £15,000 per annum). Therefore, if the student is working part-time or working with an income below the amount, the student IS NOT required to pay anything unless they chose to do so themselves.
2. After 10-15 years, if the loan has not been repaid, the loan will be cancelled off. It means that loaners do not need to repay anything due to not having/getting the appropriate job.

Number 1 is vital and is in line with surah al-baqarah verse 280. Number 2 is not really important to be implemented in the contract from an Islamic point of view because there are possibilities of student having the 'niyah'/intention of not repaying the loan even before signing the loan contract. However, if PTPTN is willingly to implement it (number 2) onto their contract, then there should not be any problem.

With the current situation, PTPTN is not being Islamic in their implementation and it lures students/former students into 'forced labour'. This is because 'loaners' feel the need to get any job just to pay their loan. The job opportunity is not really helping the student to get their ideal job and therefore have no choice but to accept any jobs available to pay the bill. Ibn Khaldun has his own theory on the consequence of forced labour. "If they are obliged to work outside their own field and are used for forced labour unrelated to their (ordinary way/profession/qualification/desire) making a living, they no longer have any profits and are thus deprived of the price of their labour, which is their capital (asset). They suffer, and a good deal of their livelihood is gone, or even all of it. If this occurs repeatedly, all incentive to cultural entreprise is destroyed, and they cease utterly to make an effort. This LEADS TO THE DESTRUCTION AND RUIN OF CIVILISATION."

The point of bringing this matter up is not to say that PTPTN has no rights in claiming back their loans. But in fact, the way they are using Islamic quotes make it sound as if Islam only revolves around the particular Qur'anic verses/Hadith when in actual fact, there are other ways on how PTPTN can do to reclaim their loans back (for instance to not charge any interest etc). So, it is not a great step to use Islamic quotes when they themselves aren't Islamic about the loan contract. If PTPTN drags on with their actions, it does not benefit Malaysia with more intellectuals but in fact creating more intellectuals not working in their field which will have an negative impact on the economy. When there is an impact on the economy, gap between rich and poor will be great, the poor will be enslaved and will then rebel. This is when there are protests, riots and we will see everything start from scratch again.