A Discourse on Wahabiism

Yesterday, an article came out about how the National Safety Council was 'worried' that Muslim religious leaders like former Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri, as well as several Umno ulama, were actually proponents of Wahabi teachings.

The story was interesting to me mainly because though I've heard the term Wahabi many times, I realised that I wasn't really sure what it was, what it meant or why the Malaysian government was so scared of it.

So, I took my question to that place where all questions are answered. No, not Wikipedia. Facebook. I put up a question on my wall and the result was a fascinating and stimulating discussion. I was touched and glad that so many of my Muslim friends took a lot of time and thought to actually guide me through what is obviously a very complicated theological subject.

I am reproducing the conversation here, verbatim, for easy future reference.


Marc Lourdes

Can somebody tell me why Wahabism is banned in Malaysia? I'm always hearing about it, but don't really understand it.


Norzilawati Ismail

a follower of ʿAbd al-Wahhab (1703–1792), who stringently opposed all practices not sanctioned by the Koran. The Wahhabis, founded in the 18th century, are the most conservative Muslim group and are today found mainly in Saudi Arabia....sorry if I'm wrong...:)


Marc Lourdes

Ahhhh...so if they're strict followers of the Quran, why are they banned in malaysia?


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

de most wahabi country is Saudi Arabia....byk cara mereka ni, berlainan Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah....but Malaysia dpt byk duit dr Arab Saudi....so.....


Marc Lourdes

So, in what ways are the Wahabbi's different from the Sunni Muslims here?


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

dalam mudah kata, WAHABI - pergerakan fahaman baru yang tidak selari dgn Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (sunni).....


Norzilawati Ismail

Because their practices wasn't based by the Quran....Quran and Sunnah as the guidelines...they're away from it...


Marc Lourdes

Ahhh...okay. So they are considered more extremist in their beliefs?


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (sunni) follow Quran, Sunnah, Hadis dan Ijtimak Ulamak.....dats de 4 roots paling penting......Malaysia adalah Sunni but most of de duit, come from them....
they r not ekstrem but some of their ways, terpesong dr cara sebenar......


Marc Lourdes

Ohhh...okay. Thanks guys!


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

what i can say, fahaman wahabi sudah lama meluas n ssiapa yang tidak mahir dgn ajaran Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (sunni), memang x nampak perbezaannya.....tapi apapun, setiap penganut has their own right untuk memilih Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah (sunni), wahabi, syiah dan macam2 lagi...


Zikri Kamarulzaman

If we were a wahabi muslim nation, women can't drive.. or maybe that's just a saudi thing.


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

nope..wahabi xde kaitan dgn drive..itu undang2 sana je.....jgn terkeliru....


Zikri Kamarulzaman

oh ok. oh well, mazhab2, sunni, shiite, wahabi, ismaili blablabla, just too much political bollocks behind it if u ask me.


Marc Lourdes

No la. It's different religious teachings, which is a whole different kettle of fish altogether. Though, religion is often subverted for politics.


Petah Wazzan Iskandar

hehhe...dats ur opinion....dont worry k, its not political but ilmu yg diterima berbeza....yg uat politik ialag org yang mmerintah....


Ili Liyana Mokhtar

this is such a good discussion. Bertambah ilmu hari ni. Terima Kasih :)


Marc Lourdes

Ha! Itu la! I learned something i didn't know before today. :)


Sakina Mohamed


I actually have attended a few lectures with learned scholars from all mazhabs (school of thoughts) and found out many Malaysian Muslims are quite ill-informed about Wahabinism (including me). To spare unnecessary details, they were just a movement that brought people back to the ways of the Sunnah. The big no-no thing they did was get all Muslims to pray to one imam at Masjidil Haram (where the Kaabah is). Many Muslims don't know this, but there used to be four imam, each representing a mazhab, praying at once facing each side of the kaabah. This goes against what is taught by the prophet s.a.w. Some guy in the UK saw this as a chance to provoke Muslim disunity and unrest and spread this hoax called Wahabbinism that is so widely believed because it is perpetuated across the web. Most Muslims who have never met a real life scholar will only refer to magazines and the web, when they are actually more reliable sources. I am not putting down anyone, because what I said applies to me as well.


Sakina Mohamed

I urge anyone (Muslims or not) who have a question about Wahabbinism, to seek knowledge from scholars (ulama). Ulama are not your local ustaz. These are people classically trained in Islamic knowledge and many branches of fiqh, and they are familiar with all mazhab.

This is a very popular question at lectures, but I have never met a scholar that says Wahabbinism is against the sunnah. I might not do a good job explaining it here, but they will. Interestingly, Wikipedia gives an almost accurate description of Wahabbinism, though the followers never call themselves Wahabbi. They will say they are simply trying to get people to follow the sunnah (like levelling of graves, which is unpopular among Muslims who have poor knowledge of hadith and sunnah of the Prophet s.a.w). Sorry for the long post Marc Lourdes, hope it is useful.


Marc Lourdes

So they prayed TO the imam?


Sakina Mohamed

They pray like everyone else..to one imam in any one congregation. After Muhammad s.a.w and the caliphates died, people began to "innovate" Islamic teachings to suit their culture and lifestyles. It went on for centuries, until many people had little idea that what they were doing is against the sunnah. So this guy and his band of bros decided to set things straight and keep it real. Naturally, they became unpopular la. You know la, like election kotor for years, ppl used to money politics, tetiba a group of ppl nak change, you think those used to the "peace" nak give up without a fight? Even when they found out they were wrong, they still want to stick to it..so they spread this urban legend called "Wahabbinism" and propagate it.


Marc Lourdes

Fear tactics la tu


Sakina Mohamed

Well it worked. You know, Islam is about pondering and questioning. Even the oneness of God, we should believe because we have pondered about it, and that increases faith. Problem is when ppl repeat what they hear without verifying facts..


Marc Lourdes

Yup, true dat. Not enough rational analysis out there.


Weween Raja Adam

wow Sakinah, that is such a good explaination, THANK YOU. can i be ur friend? hehe


Weween Raja Adam

anywayz, marc - thought u might find this useful - http://drmaza.com/home/?p=​805#more-805


Weween Raja Adam

i agree with Sakinah. thing is, because Malaysia practices mazhab shafie and i wont say that is wrong but Islam is supposed to follow the Quran and Hadith/Sunnah (Rasullah's way of doing things) But sadly, it has been misinterpreted in so many wrong ways and whats even more screw up is because we have to make way for Muslim "head of state" who are probably arent Islamic themselves. So religion, instead of following the Quran and Sunnah, its being practice to suit the lifestyle and culture for the people in Malaysia. and then, u have people like Dr Asri who tries to correct that - than the authority play with the law to brand him as extremist. when he is actually promoting the Quran and Sunnah. Wahhabi is a "brand" to create fear. LIke u knnw, the Islam Hadhari and dunno lah how many more Islam brand out there. But Islam, is all about following the Quran and Sunnah.


Weween Raja Adam

Its so hard to make right a wrong that has been practices for generation in Malaysia or anywhere kan.. For example, Prophet Muhammad saw said "Do not celebrate my birth date and do not celebrate my death" (Hadith) but in Msia we have public holiday and we celebrate the Prophets Birth Date in a huge way that goes on for weeks. I wont say that is wrong but if Islam is to follow Quran and Hadith than why do we tokok tambah such practice? And when this kind of things are being pointed out, authority will straightaway say we are Wahabi. and suddenly jadi terrorist or againts Islamic teaching. anywayz, sorry such long post =) i need to vent the misconception after Dr Asri's case resurrected.. yet again. Sengal lah


Marc Lourdes

But in Islam, can one branch say another is terpesong and haram?


Sakina Mohamed

Weween, sure :)

Marc Lourdes- I'm not sure what you mean by branch..

all the four mazhabs were founded by four very learned Imam who were actually students and teachers of each other. They were not only extremely well-versed in the Quran and Sunnah but also science, algebra, philosophy, alchemy - u get the drift. The last of them was Shafiee (which Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore subscribe to). In my adulthood I learned that none is more supreme or correct than the other. The Shafiees tend to be more particular - we take a "better safe than sorry" stance.

Something can only be haram if it goes against what is prescribed by Allah and His messenger Muhammad s.a.w. You can't have just one of it. For example, if you believe in the Quran alone but not the sunnah, then it is clear that there is a deviation there.


Celia Alphonsus

This was a brilliant discussion. Thank you Marc Lourdes for asking the question, Sakina and the others for such insightful commentary. I am a little less confused now. You know..instead of getting old fogeys for inter-faith discussions...it should be people our generation.


Marc Lourdes

So, what is the basis for Malaysia proscribing wahabism? Does it really have a religious basis or is it merely a political game?


Marc Lourdes

Weween, Sakina - you guys should get to know one another. Y'all will get along famously, I'm sure. Two brilliant and very cool ladies. :)


Sakina Mohamed

You can bet your bottom dollar it's the latter :)

Celia - Why thank you, and you're welcome :)


Presenna Nambiar

If only we were all so rational and understanding when it comes to religion.. You guys are great :)

Laviinia Dhana
This was an enlightening read.... Thanks Sakina and Weween !!!


Celia Alphonsus

Marc Lourdes this should be documented for posterity somehow. You know as an example of rational, intelligent discourse.


Marc Lourdes

‎Celia Alphonsus One step ahead of you. ;) http://vitruvianman.blogsp​ot.com/2011/07/discourse-o​n-wahabiism.html


Celia Alphonsus

Hehehehe... ;) Excellent.

I Miss My Column.

I told myself I would not go down the path of certain people who left the New Straits Times only to devote their blog to bitching about the company and the people in it, even though their treachery seems to have been ultimately rewarded with triumphant returns to positions of power and prestige.

However, there is one thing on my mind which has been bothering me and I'm hoping this blog posting will prove cathartic. At the very least, it'll allow me to vent. So, here goes.

I never asked to be a columnist for the paper. I only ever volunteered to write one column, with disastrous results. In fact, the fallout of that column - and there's a huge back-story to the writing and editing of the piece itself - was so bad that I resolved to never write another column again.

However, I was encouraged and prodded to turn my hand to attempting columns and commentaries by an editor, who was very supportive and helpful in my early days. When my fellowship came up, it was this editor that told me to turn the column into a regular fortnightly thing.

It took a while to get used to it (column writing, to me, is a very personal thing, something which gives the reader a glimpse into my soul), but I did and began to really enjoy it. This despite the fact that most of the columns that really meant something were rejected because they were too sensitive. But hey, you don't work for the NST without knowing the constraints that come with it.

But anyway, before I left NST, I asked the Sunday Times editor whether I would be able to maintain my column. She said she saw no conflict of interest with my production duties in BRTV and writing columns in NST. I was happy, because it meant that I could still write and still, in a way, have some sort of a link to NST (which I was very fond of, despite certain odious trolls in charge of the paper today).

I mentioned the same thing to the CEO, GE and Deputy GE as I said my goodbyes. Everything passed with no negative comments from them.

And then from out of the blue, I was told by the Sunday Times editor that the GE had decided not to retain my column due to a supposed "conflict of interest". I was sad, but accepted it as a judgement call made by upper management in the best interests of the company.

But as time has passed, I realise that it is a shallow excuse. Why? Three reasons.

1) Jason Dasey. He writes a regular sports column. Yet, he is also the editor of 442 magazine and a host on Astro. Isn't there a conflict of interest here, considering that 442 is in the print media and Astro is a competitor  to Media Prima?

2) Teoh Teik Hoong. He's a friend and a nice enough dude. But he is also the owner and editor of the SJ Echo, which is a publication in direct competition with NST Streets. Yet, he too is writing columns for Sunday Times.

3) Malay Mail. When the paper decided to go free, NST blared the news. The decision didn't make sense to me as well as to a lot of other reporters. Why promote a rival newspaper. An editor who used to work at MM said it was because we were helping out a "friend". I'm all for helping my friends out, but it doesn't make any kind of sense to promote a competing business, especially when NST Streets itself is trying to get a foothold in the same market.

Ultimately, anybody who reads this posting would probably surmise that I am bitter and reeking of sour grapes over my expulsion as a columnist. And to a certain extent I am. But I'm not saying that I SHOULD have been retained. All I'm saying is I think I deserved to hear the real reason of why I was not retained.

Bullshit, bullshit and yet more bullshit.

Is it just me or has my newspaper's claim to being the most literate (a position not too difficult to achieve in Malaysia) paper in the country gone to the dogs lately?

Yes, we are BN flunkies. But at least we've (almost) always been BN flunkies who wrote in polished, grammatically accurate and intelligent-sounding English.

The quality of the writing these days however - and this is down mainly to one culprit - has made us the laughing stock of many a reader, blogger and reporter out there.

Using multi-syllabic words and lengthy sentences is a tricky enough proposition when the writer knows what he's writing about and has a good command of the language.

When the writer doesn't and has, at best, a tenuous grip of English (and reality, judging by the content of his comments), the results are farcical articles couched in absurd turns of phrase (like 'Anwar Ibrahim moshes his way surrealistically to the House') and totally inappropriate usage of words (like 'cadre' to describe an individual).

Here's my particular favourite - 'If you are to base last week’s rampage of putting the blame solely on the MACC and implicating senior Government leaders, Pakatan Rakyat minions will insist no less than a guilty verdict, that some MACC perp pushed Teoh Beng Hock out of the 14th floor to his death for no reason other than wanting to torture the young man.'

Forget about the incredibly unwieldy length of the sentence. Forget about the weird choice of words and the inappropriate use of the second comma.

Just think about the last part of that sentence - 'some MACC perp pushed Teoh Beng Hock out of the 14th floor to his death for no reason other than wanting to torture the young man.' Is it just me or is pushing somebody to his death a little counterproductive to torture? I mean, you ain't gonna get no joy out of torturing a dead man, are you?

I can understand grammatical slips. I'm as guilty of bad grammar as the next person. Not all of us know when to use the semicolon instead of the comma, whether to hyphenate the words or not and when to use '...' instead of "...".

But what I don't get is why use so many big words when you can say the same thing more succintly and clearly with small words. What are people like this trying to prove? That they're clever? Even Hemmingway and Orwell were able to get by without the 'benefit' of such idiotic bells and whistles, for crying out loud!

If they would just google their name, they'd find out what people actually think about their 'command' of the language. I'd prefer to be repeatedly kicked in the balls while at the same time have root canal work done without anaesthesia rather than be subjected to an article like that. Seriously.

Even more baffling is how such shameful goings-on can...well...go on, with absolutely no intervention by the editors and the powers that be. Toeing the party line is one thing. Doing it in such a shambolic manner is another entirely. When us 'normal' reporters fuck up our articles, they usually end up on the wall of shame at the office. But when some people routinely inflict grevious bodily harm on the English language, the result is an online posting trumpted on the home page of the newspaper with the grand tag of 'Online Exclusive' attached. It would be funny if it weren't so damn embarrassing.

There are so many good and potentially good writers in the company. Writers with wit, grace, insight and charm. Many of our sub-editors are handy with a pen too. Yet, it is the grotesque work of certain twerps that we are promoting. Why? Why? Wwwwhhhhhyyyyyyyyyy????????

The paper is moshing its way surrealistically to the bottom of the junk heap.

Welcome to the Jungle

When I joined the NST, a friend warned me that the politics here is akin to nothing I've ever seen before. Whatever I've experienced in the past, she said, would pale in comparison to the sheer nastiness of the bitching which goes on here.
It's a been a year and some since I stepped through these doors and to be frank, it's been the most fulfilling year of my life, career wise. I've improved myself, proved my worth to the team, made some great friends and generally learnt a good deal since I joined.
And yet, recently those words of my friend are starting to prove ominously prescient. And all because of damn promotions.
Always a bone of contention, promotions are bound to please some and piss others off. But, that's the way the dice rolls, isn't it? Sometimes you get what you want, sometimes you get what you deserve, sometimes you get shafted.
But, here it seems that the frustrations felt by some at being passed over are translated into bile-filled online blog entries bemoaning the fact that some people are being promoted because they're the bosses' "machais" and favoured ones.
They don't seem to realise or take into account the fact that these people who are promoted come in to the office earlier, stay later and come in on their off days in order to do their stories. They don't take into account the fact that these people work their ass off to bring in their own stories. They see only what they want to see. They see these people's ability to get along with their bosses as ass licking. They see these people's hard work as currying favour.
What they seem to want is for everybody to drop to their level, to be as sad, as dead and as demotivated as they are.
Instead of doing their own work and looking to be assessed on their own merits, they'd rather spend their time worrying, moaning and bitching about how others are being given a better deal than they are. They'd rather spend their time tearing others down instead of getting on with their lives. It's just sad. Sad, pathetic and funny in a perverse sort of way.
But, whatever la. If those of us who actually want to work and enjoy their work waste our time reflecting on the meaningless venom of these bitter people, we'll just end up like them.
I'd rather just go on doing what I do, chin up and heart light, secure in the knowledge that whatever I get, I get on my own merits and through my own hard work. And for those who think otherwise, God bless you anyway.