When all things seem to be haram…

by Rifhan Rasuli

Once I had a non-Muslim asking me about things which are halal or haram in Islam. At that moment, I could only tell him things that I'm certain in, like food, faith, aurat and other few things. Of course, things which are I'm not good at, I can't elaborate nor will I tell him that this is the ruling of Islam. This is simply because I'm not a scholar in syari'ah, or feqah or other fields of Islamic studies.

This is always a challenge for Muslims who live in a country where Muslims are the minority and as a reminder to juniors who will fly abroad in the near future. I'm writing as a reflection from events that took place around this place lately, like International Night, Malam Apresiasi Seni Asosiasi Islam (MASAI) that also includes the pentomin 'Bila Tuhan Berbicara' which somehow, did create some controversies.

Well, I used to be that kind of person before, you know, labelling almost all things as haram. And it took a long time for me to realize that there are certain things whose hukm/ruling about them depend on the situation. But of course, drinking alcohol or even going to the entertainment events in which alcohol is provided is haram for sure (refer Bimbingan Mukminin). There are a lot of things which are clearly halal or haram too.

However, the point is, always assume the best about other persons. It is not our task to try to know or question what’s in people’s heart, or looking for their faults all the time. I’m not saying that we are not allowed to give advices for things which are clearly incorrect – of course, it’s a must. I’m just saying that if we can’t find it, don’t bother to look for it, or find any reason whatsoever to emphasize that a particular thing or event is against the ruling of religion. Well, it’s better to spend more time to look at the mirror and into ourselves.


The haram police