Between Patriotism and Shukr: A Perspective

"I Love my Country"
Alhamdulillah, all praises and thanks to Allah, the One who has blessed me with the destiny to be born, raised, and living in Malaysia.

And why shouldn't we be grateful?
From the complete freedom to practice our faith - be it the tolerance for beard in a professional environment, sisters being able to wear niqab (face-veil) unharassed, Azan and masjids out in the clear open, abundance of books and islamic lectures/courses/reminders; to its abundance of delicious halal food; to its relative wealth, peacefulness and political stability; security from civil war, mass murders, militant coup and bombardment; right down to being free from major cataclysmic "natural disasters" such as earthquakes, tsunami, hurricanes, volcanoes and the like : Alhamdulillah, Malaysia is such a blessed country.

And although we can put on our negative skeptical thinking caps whining about what's "bad" about it, the reality is, in the grand scheme thing of things, here's a fact: it's a great place to live.

However something struck me last night - the night of "Independence (Merdeka) Day" Celebration - that made me think about Patriotism in a new light = are we putting our shukr in the right place?
Rather, the big question is, how should we express our thankfulness and love for living in this blessed country?

As I was praying isha at Masjid Ash-Shakireen near KLCC, the 2-saff strong congregation could not help but feel disturbed over the loud noises that were taking place outside at the KLCC fountain - and then as we finished prayer, I began to notice the waves of crowds at the fountain, in the thousands - gathering there in their "spirit of patriotism", waving flags, singing songs, and marvelling at the blatant arson of national resource (in the form of fireworks) - gleefully ignoring the calls to prayer.

Needless to say - Houston, we have a problem

Is this really the way we should be thankful for being a Malaysian? Or being IN malaysia, for that matter?

In an authentic hadith narrated in Sahih Bukhari (Book #11, Hadith #589), the prophet said if the people knew the (true) reward of praying isha in congregation (at the masjid), they would certainly present themselves even if they had to crawl.
And in another hadith in Sahih Muslim, the prophet promised that the reward of isha in congregation is entitles one to the reward of praying half the entire night.

Now, imagine that someone offers you a great reward for something simple for 10 minutes, and our attitude is simply ignoring the offer. It's rude, arrogant and - quite simply put, ungrateful for that promise.


At this point, some will be quick to say that "well it's not WAJIB right?". put Fiqh and "hukm" aside (although a huge number of scholars have said it is wajib); are you grateful for these bounties Allah has offered for you for such a small effort? Or we just don't care? The question to our conscience boils down to this: if you are thankful for being a Malaysian, and you prefer partying over prayer, is this really the RIGHT thing to do?

Perhaps it is this lackadaisical attitude and apathy of Allah's reward that angered the prophet to the point that he wanted to burn the houses of those who didn't attend the congregational prayer at the masjid (Narrated in Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book #11, Hadith #617)

Observations of the entertainment-centered celebration got me pondering about something else- are these crowds genuinely here for their feelings of patriotism, or do they just want a good time, have fun and watch fireworks, and "alang-alang" might as well wave a couple of flags?

Or perhaps there are those who are just jumping the bandwagon as an excuse to spend time with their mates?

The Irish bar Maloney's at KLCC put up a huge sign advert for merdeka day "special offer" for lots of booze and beer for cheap price, with the theme "a merdeka you will never forget. Or remember" (so drunk that you remember, get it? Would have been funny if it wasn't so disgustingly immoral).

In this context, the spirit of "patriotism" becomes lip service.

And then you have those who, in more subtle fashion, merely "squander" resources for the benefit of "display" of their patriotism; from fireworks, to utilizing tons of resources for the sake of generating a huge malaysian flag - and other examples i won't mention out of fear of backbiting.

It's interesting to ask the question that - is the commitment of these bombastic acts truly a show of sincere gratitude and love of our country? More often than not, it does seem that, all it serves to do is to create a means for someone to get on newspaper articles and 15-seconds of fame in the Merdeka TV-spot.

I am not questioning the sincerity of those who have dedicated themselves to these deeds, but merely asking the rhetorical question - are we prioritizing style over substance?

Bearing in mind the thousands of Malaysians who are living in poverty, is that bit of "added patriotism" from the squandering of national resources really worth it?

Let's honestly ask ourselves the question once again- how SHOULD we express our gratitude for living in this beautiful, blessed country?

By waving flags, singing songs, partying, and burning firecrackers; or by our actions of gratitude to the One God who destined for us to BE Malaysian- by racing to seek His Mercy and Unlimited Promised Bounties, and doing what He asks of us, as an open expression of our thanks, and by dedicating our time, money and effort to invest towards the betterment of Malaysians around us because it is what He is pleased with?

Patriotism is about substance. If you love your country, walk the talk - give back to the nation even more than it has given you.
Feed the poor. Cheer the orphan. Fight corruption in any scale within your ability. Advise your colleagues to do good and to abstain from evil. Motivate the youth. Support and care for the elderly. Clean up the neighborhood. Give food to your neighbour. Sponsor medication to assist someone to quit smoking. Educate others expecting absolutely no reward in return - except for the reward of Allah. And more importantly, as an expression of your shukr, NEVER abandon your congregational prayers unless in dire circumstances.

That - among many countless other acts of selflessness - is SUBSTANCE of how we show our love for Malaysia, and how we express our thanks for being Malaysian.

"And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny [& be ungrateful], indeed, My punishment is severe.' "." (Qur'an, Surah Ibrahim 14:7)

Again, Alhamdulillah - all praises and thanks is due to Allah - who Has destined for me to live and breathe in this beautiful country that is Malaysia. May Allah keep my heart steadfast in walking the talk for my gratitude, and same to my family and to you, dear reader.

So you love your country? Prove it, walk the talk.