My ancestors came to the Malay World to spread Islam among the Malays. They preached tolerance and love for humanity. They shared useful knowledge that Malays learnt until they became better than those who brought Islam to them.
My ancestors were Sufis. But they were Sufis who adhered closely to the Sunnah, to the traditions of the Prophet and Sahabah. Why? Because their greatest ancestor was the Prophet himself.
But today, the people who claim to follow the path of these righteous predecessors have become intolerant. They seek to ban groups that do not conform to their line of thought. They lobby for speakers to be stopped from coming into the Malay world.
They have departed far from the Ways of the Sufis in the past. They have forgotten the heritage of peace that was presented to them. They have substituted knowledge for positions and praise. They have forgotten their own selves.
And because of this, I say that Islam here has been robbed of its True Essence. Will we ever return to the times when tolerance was a way of life? The moment in our past when ideas were fought with ideas and not with oppression?
Source: Khairudin Aljunied
