GETTING TO KNOW ISLAM Although Islam in China has existed for a very long time now (since the 7th century CE), but to many Chinese (whether in mainland China or to overseas Chinese), it is a foreign religion, not a religion that emerged from within the Chinese civilization. In mainland China, Islam has been seen by many as an ethnic religion, particularly the religion of the Hui ethnic group, and is therefore called ‘Hui Jiao,’ the Hui religion. In Malaysia, Islam is seen by many Chinese as a Malay religion, religion of the Malay people. Notwithstanding, religion does not belong to any particular group of people. For instance, Buddhism emerged in India but it became a major religion of East-asian people (people who live in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam). What then is religion, such that it could draw multitude of followers? The essence of religion, or what gives religion its identity, is sacredness or holiness. What is sacredness? Sacredness is what impacts upon our life so that we are ready to revere, and even worship, that which is immersed in it. In some societies, sacredness manifests as the invisible forces, like the invisible forces that were said to inhabit the natural environment (such as forests and rivers). In some societies, such as the Chinese, dead ancestors intervene in the life of the living. Still, in some societies, like the Jews, Christians, and Muslims, sacredness is directed at a divine power that is said to be responsible for the existence of the world. This divine power is God. He is the One, and is the reason for everything that exists. As such, we cannot behave in ways that desecrate His status as God, in ways that are blasphemous. From the Islamic point of view, all that live must die, and all those that blossom must wither. In other words, there is a beginning and an end to everything. If this is the case, what meaning does life after death hold? If life has no beginning and end, then the question of what comes after is redundant. But if life has a beginning and an end, then is could only mean that there is a source by which life springs from. What is this source? This source is ‘Zhen Zhu’, or God. How is Zhen Zhu related to us? Zhen Zhu is ‘Tu Yi’ or the Independently One (or what in Arabic is called Tawheed). How is Zhen Zhu independently One? He is One because He is the source of existence of what is other than Him, what we call the ‘ten thousand things,’ namely, the world and everything in it. As such, He is not like the things He brings into existence. In consequence, we should not render our worship of Him by ascribing to Him similarities with the things of the world (such as idols), for otherwise, He is no different from the things He creates. Zhen Zhu, besides being God, is also ‘Yang Zhu,’ or Lord (in Arabic, He is called Al-Rabb). Yang Zhu means ‘One Who Nourishes.’ The world, including its human inhabitants, is in need of God to sustain its existence. The world of Nature is Zhen Zhu’s gift to mankind for their use and consumption, hence their sustenance. In ancient times, people called Nature ‘Tao.’ Tao literally means ‘a road.’ There is the Tao of heaven, and there is the Tao of human. The Tao of human models itself upon the Tao of heaven, making the Tao of heaven its example for human living. The Tao of heaven has such aspects as high and low, what comes first and what comes next. In the same manner, human society also has grades of high and low, who comes first and who comes next. Notwithstanding, human society lacks the moral ability to bring about peace and justice. Otherwise, our society would have endured very long moments of peace, just like Nature. Because Zhen Zhu wishes the best for the human society, He gifted to them guidance, called ‘Tian Qi,’ or divine revelation (called wahy). With revelation acting as the intermediary – heaven, earth, and human – can co-exist ideally. This outlook is what ancient people called Tian Ren He Yi, or Harmony of Heaven and Human. This is also the outlook of Islam. 和伊斯兰相识 鄭世明(博士) 作者 By Yamin Cheng, PhD The writer wishes to thank Mr Kamal Koh for editing the language of the article 虽然伊斯兰在中国有悠久的历史，但是，不少的华人，对他们来说，是一个外来的宗教，不是中华民族文明的起源。在中国大陆，伊斯兰是被视为一个少数民族宗教，并称为‘回教’ ，回民的宗教。在马来西亚，许多马来西亚华人认为伊斯兰是马来民族的宗教。 无论如何，宗教不是属于任何民族。例如，佛教起源于印度，但已成为东亚地区的主要宗教。因此，宗教是什么的现象，它为何能吸引许多的追随者？ 宗教的重要性是在它的圣洁性。圣洁又是什么？圣洁是，那可影响我们生活的，而且我们向它表达崇敬之情。在一些社会，圣洁是无视无形的众生。这些众生是在自然世界活的。在另一社会，例如华人社会，祖先对仍然生活的人有重大的影响。又有一些社会，例如犹太教徒，基督教徒和穆斯林社会，圣洁是因为世界上的每一个物都有主宰。主是独一的，他是所有物的存在原因。因此，我们不能向他作亵渎的事情。 从伊斯兰的角度来看，除造物主外，所有物都要面對生离死別。換句話說，所有的物都是有始有终的。如這是真的话，对我们来说， 世界末日後，我们又會怎样呢？ 如果我们的存在是无始无终，对世界末日後的问题应该没有答案。如果我们的存在是有始有终，这就是说，有一个原因是我们依靠我们的存在。这个原因是什么呢？这个原因就是‘真主’ 。 真主与我们又是怎样的关系？真主是‘独一’的。这就是说，因为真主是源，是世界万物由他发出的，所以，他跟世界万物没有相似性。因此，我们不应该把世界万物成为崇拜对象。否则，真主和万物将没有什么区别。 真主，除了独一，也是‘养主’ 。世界万物，包括人类，需要依赖真主来维持他们的存在与生存。我们的自然世界就是真主给我们的资源利用，是为我们的存在与生存。古时候的中国人称呼我们的自然世界为‘道’ 。‘道’是‘路’的意思。有天道，也有人道。人道法天道。天道内是有分高低，前后。人类也是这样。 不过，人类没有全面的能力把社会塑造成和平与正义。不然，我们的人类世界已经有长期的社会平安，就像天地那样。因此，真主，为了人类的善良，赐予了人类一些生活的指引。这些生活的指引叫做‘天启’ 。 有了天启，天，地，和人可一起成为一个理想世界。这样的世界是中国人从古代称为‘天人合一’。这也是伊斯兰的观点与信仰。
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 05:38:39 +0000
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