Abang Johari speaking at the opening of the ‘Tilawah dan Menghafaz Al-Quran 1440H/2019’.
(Front, from right) Abang Johari officiates at the opening ceremony of the ‘tilawah’ and ‘hafazan’ event, witnessed by Misnu and Dr Abdul Rahman.
KUCHING: Muslims must strive to gain as much knowledge as possible from the Quran, where its teachings will help guide them to observe and practise a lifestyle ‘amar ma’ruf’.
‘Amar ma’ruf’ is a part of Islam’s divine tenet, ‘amar ma’ruf nahi munkar’, which means ‘enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong’.
In this respect, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg regard the Quran as the best reference for the Muslims to observe ‘amar ma’ruf’ and disassociate themselves from things that could lead them to wrongdoing.
He also emphasises on the importance of looking after the relationships not only between Muslims, but also also between Muslims and non-Muslims.
“We in Sarawak, for now – we are not like that. We give great emphasis on unity. With this kind of unity, the Muslim leaders are able to step forward by looking at the Islamic teachings.
“Apart from that, we move forward to doing good practices including (looking after) the relationships between Muslims, between Muslims and non-Muslims; to always remember that we have a multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-religious society,” he said at the 59th ‘Tilawah dan Menghafaz Al-Quran 1440H/2019’ at Dewan Majma’ Tuanku Abdul Halim Mua’dzam Shah in Sarawak Islamic Complex here on Monday night.
According to Abang Johari, the administration that focuses on the unity between the Muslims and the non-Muslims is not a new concept, in that this was the emphasis of the Madinah Charter, drawn and observed during the time of Prophet Muhammad.
“If we really see it, Sarawak is like Madinah (back then) because we have a plural society under Muslim leadership, and we emphasise on fairness among us. That’s why I feel that we are able to work hand-in-hand with one another.
“We (the Sarawak government) develop mosques and suraus including the (Kuching’s) ‘Floating Mosque’ (set to be opened this March 1) near the Darul Hana Bridge. We also have Unifor (Unit for Other Religions) for the non-Muslims.
“If the non-Muslims can understand us, then we should understand them as well. That is why Sarawak can move forward and its people can be united. We are able to move forward based on this plurality, and Sarawak will have a bright future ahead. In this respect, as a Muslim leader, I put great emphasise on both Muslims and non-Muslims,” he said.
In addition, Abang Johari also pointed out that the Quran puts heavy emphasis on knowledge.
He added that the Islamic civilisation produced many brilliant scholars, scientists and philosophers who were armed with the spirit of the Quran, such as Imam Al-Ghazali and Al-Khawarizmi, who introduced algorithm. “I always emphasise on algorithm because digital economy is based on algorithm – the element of which you see on your (computer) tablets. He (Al-Khawarizmi) was also an expert in mathematics.
“There were also other learned Muslims like Ibnu Khaldun, Ibnu Sina, Jabir Ibn-Hayyan, Ibnu Al-Nafis and Al-Zahrawi. This list of names should serve as an inspiration for our Muslim youths to take charge of
knowledge.”
In relation to this, Abang Johari said the Sarawak government is moving forward towards this direction, which is an economy that is digital-based, reliant on the ‘Internet of Things (IoT), and also leaning towards Artificial Intelligence (AI).
“Sarawak has its land, and now the state government wants to accelerate the infrastructure development including those in Muslim-majority areas, so that they too would benefit from such development,” he said.
Nevertheless, the chief minister reminded the Muslims that they must not be content in becoming ‘mere spectators’.
“This is why unity is very important. If we split, we would not be able to achieve all these (developments) – even if you cried blood, it would be of no use. Look at what has happened to Baghdad, which was once known as the centre for Islamic knowledge. Baghdad was also among the earliest civilizations – where is Baghdad now?” he stressed.
Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, Assistant Minister of Rural Electricity Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi and Sarawak Islamic Council (Mais) president Datu Misnu Taha were also present at the Monday event.