THE news reported that a 68-year-old jobless man has been charged at the sessions court over an offensive caricature, said to be of Prophet Muhammad, which was posted on his Facebook account. He had allegedly uploaded a posting which could cause disharmony between Muslims and non-Muslims with the intention to annoy any person.

Michael H. Hart, in his book, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, chose the prophet to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons, as he has been the only man in history who was successful on the religious and secular levels.

What could be the motivation for the old man to post such a thing? Could it be jealousy or envy of the prophet or just to create social disharmony? He may not know the love of Muslims towards the prophet is jealously  guarded. Or he is in disharmony himself?

According to Chinese pathology, there are three principal causes of disharmony that brings about diseases: external factors, emotions and irregularities in day-to-day living. Of the main five organs (liver, heart, spleen, lung and kidney) which one(s) is(are) causing the illness? Each organ has a Yin and Yang element within and it is the imbalance between them that leads to diseases.

My immediate response to this case is, I pity the old man.

The prophet had warned us that during the end of times, there will be an age of slander and libel. Injustice rampant, ignorance widespread and neglect creates much chaos. Humans are seen to be living devoid of guidelines and restrictions, without any means of differentiating between right from wrong and truth from falsehood and jihad is no longer about defending honour.

Why do we seem to be lacking in inner strength and morality? As I see it, part of the problem is due to the lack of faith in our hearts and the lack of reading and understanding.

Let us look at the early days of preaching by the prophet. It was confined to Mecca. It was not just the elite of Mecca that attacked him but even children hurled dust and insulted him.

He then moved to Taif. This was one of the most painful and hurtful incidents in his life. There, he met the chiefs of the major tribe (the Thaqeef tribe) and told them about Islam – worshipping only one god and leaving idol worship. They rejected him, insulted him and got the children or street urchins to throw stones and drive him out of town. With people jeering at him as his ankles bled profusely, he ran out, finding shelter in an empty orchard.

Alone, bleeding, and rejected, he rests on a rock and prayed to Allah. He is so compassionate and merciful, he did not ask Allah for punishment or to execute revenge against the Thaqeef tribe.

He, not overcome with rage or hate, opted for mercy and not violence towards them. Instead he said to Angel Jibreel, “I rather hope that Allah will raise from among their descendants people who will worship Allah the One, and will not ascribe partners to Him”.

If we look to Taif today we come to appreciate the prophet’s vision, patience and mercy. Today Taif, is the summer capital of Saudi Arabia and it is known for its produce.

Now, why do I pity the old man?

Here and now, we have people making police reports just because an old man uploaded an “offensive” caricature. Police have many other matters to deal with.

Today, a mere mention of Islam leads to misgiving and dreadful feelings, not because the faith is associated with fear but the neo-Muslims failed to be truthful Muslims in the real sense. Many Muslims only claim to love the prophet, but they do not follow his ways.

For this case, I would have expected someone from the religious bodies or the minister in charge of religious affairs to come forward to counsel the old man and let him understand why Muslims love the Prophet. The strength of love for him is connected to the Muslim’s faith.

They have failed miserably in demonstrating compassion. It is the most frequently occurring word in the Quran – “In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful” – 114 times. The minister himself, a few months ago said, that it will be the government’s policy to promote compassionate Islam.

In fact, the Prophet himself is described in the Quran as ‘Rahmatan lil Alamiin’ for the whole world and the creations (Surah Al-Anbiya’ 21:107). Essentially, rahmah means love or affection.

And for the old man, and in future – all Malaysians, please try to understand one another. Let us cherish our multiethnic and multicultural society that emphasises unity, loyalty and respect for others.

The prophet strictly warned against any maltreatment of people of other faiths. He said: “Beware! Whoever is cruel and hard on a non-Muslim minority, or curtails their rights, or burdens them with more than they can bear, or takes anything from them against their free will; I (Prophet Muhammad) will complain against the person on the Day of Judgment” (Abu Dawud).

“And when you call to prayer, they take it in ridicule and amusement. That is because they are a people who do not use reason” (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:58).

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31-32).

For whatever reasons the old man has, let us make Malaysia a well-respected country in eyes of the world in economic, social, political and religious terms. Let us strive to be successful on both the religious and secular levels.

“The greatest jihad (struggle/striving) is to battle your own soul, to fight the evil within yourself” - the Prophet (peace be upon him).

What say you… – February 28, 2019.

* Saleh Mohammed reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.