By M.Zulkifli
By the grace and permission of Allah, I got to perform my Umrah back in January this year. Alhamdulillah.
Indeed, it was also a great blessing that we got to experience Umrah after all the Covid-19 SOPs have been lifted. We were free to move around anywhere with no restrictions and the wearing of masks was purely voluntary.
One of the holy sites that we got to visit which was previously closed was Jabal Rahmah, although I did not climb up the 70m hill, having done so during my last Umrah some years ago.
But it was here that our mutawwif reminded us of Prophet Muhammad SAW’s Farewell Sermon, the Khutbah al-Wada’. Among other things, the Prophet SAW said, “All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black, nor a black has any superiority over a white – except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood.”
It is a fundamentally important message that says, there is no racism in Islam.
Indeed, it was profoundly beautiful to see the faces of Muslims from all races and colours, young and old, rich and poor, men and women – who were all guests of the Almighty. No one can say he or she is superior to another, as everyone depends on Allah’s invitation to the holy lands in order to perform the Umrah, the minor pilgrimage.
But then, back at my own home country of Malaysia, racism is rampant, more than ever. And my heart breaks at the shocking blatantness of it all. Among the easy targets are migrant workers who left their home countries to earn a decent living here, mostly for their poverty-stricken families. Some had to spend every last bit of money they had and risked their lives just to make it here.
And while they work their bu**s off for OUR benefit, mostly in 3D jobs (Dirty, Dangerous and Difficult – work that locals have long shunned), some of us choose to Demean them at every opportunity.
When these migrant workers fill up our mosques, especially during Hari Raya, some would take to social media to make snide remarks about how this country has turned into a third-world nation. Others would casually note how “smelly” malls and public transportation would be during public holidays.
Of course, this kind of despicable mentality and behaviour arises because some of us simply feel superior to these migrant workers who are mostly from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Nepal. And as we know, this is straight out of the Iblis playbook.
Al-Quran 7:12: “(Allah) said: What hindered thee that thou didst not fall prostrate when I bade thee? He (Iblis) said: I am better than him; Thou created me of fire while him Thou didst create of mud.”
It gets worse when the issue of refugees is raised. There is little to no sympathy for those who’ve been given the hardest of tests by Allah. Those who’ve been subjected to violence all their lives, losing everything they have including their homes, families and even their self-worth and dignity.
But for some of us, people like the Rohingyas are less than human that deserves no help whatsoever. How else do you explain fellow Muslims in this country wanting other unfortunate Muslims to die in the middle of the sea or wishing for their boats to capsize so these poor people (including women and children) won’t reach our shores? Astaghfirullahal’azim.
And even if they do get here, some of our own citizens don’t want them to have any semblance of a normal life and object to these refugees being given jobs or education opportunities. I guess they only deserve to live in camps or caves all their lives, huh?
Don’t get me wrong. If you say that there are those who are susceptible to committing crimes, I say firmly that anyone who breaks the law of the land must face the consequences, no matter if they’re citizens, immigrants or refugees.
But to heap on hate on fellow Muslims who are in need is simply despicable. May Allah have mercy on us all.
mymuslimin.com 
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