Nothing sinister in Muslim call for divine help
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The debate on the water crisis has been explored from meteorological, political & economic points of view. The recent media commotion regarding Sheikh Omran's comments has brought into consideration a different perspe
This letter was first published in "The Age" newspaper on 13/03/2007
The debate on the water crisis in Australia has been explored from meteorological, political and economic points of view. The recent commotion caused by a certain section of the media regarding Sheikh Mohammed Omran's comments ( The Age, 12/3) has brought into consideration a different perspective: the religious one.
Sheikh Omran's comments made during a Friday sermon have been greatly misconstrued to mean that the current drought Australians are experiencing is due to their lack of belief in Allah the name given to God in the Islamic faith. (The sermon can be watched in its entirety on the internet at www.aswj.com.au and I strongly urge readers to listen to it and draw their own conclusions.)
Even though the sermon was grossly distorted one of the underlying themes to this episode is the continual exercise by certain sections of the media to portray Muslims in the most negative light possible the issue of whether a divine being has a part to play in our present climatic crisis remains a pertinent one.
Muslims believe that all events can only occur by the will of Allah. If a calamity strikes them at a personal or communal level, then they should engage themselves in a process of self-appraisal and examine their relationship with the Creator. One usually looks at one's own transgressions and seeks forgiveness. This relationship between natural calamities and sins is not something unique to Islam. All three major monotheistic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam preach about the cataclysmic flood that destroyed the people of Noah due to their disbelief and transgressions against God. The Koran captures Noah's advice to his people: "Ask forgiveness from your Lord for He is oft-forgiving and He will send rain to you in abundance" (Noah 71:10).
Islam, unlike many other religions, has divine legislation that prevents abuse of the environment. The Prophet Muhammad prohibited the excessive use of water even when performing core acts of worship such as purification. It is also prohibited to urinate in natural bodies of water such as lakes and ponds.
It may be argued that Sheikh Omran and Muslims in general are insensitive to the drought-affected community when making such comments. As a riposte, I would like to highlight the yearly communal prayer that is held by Muslims seeking rain for all of Australia. And late last year, many religious leaders and the broader Muslim community gathered in a park in Brunswick beseeching Allah for rain. Sheikh Omran's followers made up a good number of the congregation.
Australian Muslims are in need of water just as much as any other Australian. They will do whatever is necessary to conserve it, and will as a community seek Allah's mercy, plead with him to drench our country's soil with rain.
Dr Amjid Muhammad, Ahlus Sunnah wal Jam'ah Association of Australia
