JANUARY 2 — Ever heard of ta’ayush?
If you are a Sarawakian, you would probably have heard of the word. It is Arabic for co-existence.
The Chief Minister (as it then was known) of Sarawak Tan Sri Abang Johari Hj Openg eloquently explained the word as follows:
“Ta’ayush means living together without prejudice and suspicion of trust – or in English version, living in co-existence — that the concept of survival in today’s society is to recognise the good in each other, and the need for each other.
“This is the essence for us (Sarawakians) to build a strong society and a strong state in Malaysia.”
The concept of ta’ayush, derived from the Charter of Madinah, has been vital in preserving peace and harmony in Sarawak. According to Abang Johari, Sarawak is arguably the only state in Malaysia that practises the concept of ta’ayush, which promotes harmony and simplicity.
Abang Johari said respecting one another for the sake of peace, harmony, and the well-being of all had always been the essence of the Islamic teachings.
According to him, Islam prohibits Muslims from harming non-Muslims and that hurting non-Muslims would mean hurting Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself.
Abang Johari added that Muslims in Sarawak had always respected the different religions in the state for they upheld values such as simplicity, calmness, and fairness without prejudice – making Islam acceptable in a diverse community.
So, what about the Muslims in Peninsular Malaysia?
Let it not be said that ta’ayush is unknown. The concept was discussed by the Mufti of Federal Territory’s Office in its Bayan Linnas Series No 89 entitled “Mosque and Church Sharing the Same Parking Lot” (May 2, 2017).
The discussion followed what the Mufti Office called a “unique” situation in Sarawak where the Masjid al-Naim and The Good Shepherd Church in Lutong, Sarawak – separated by approximately 100 meters between them – took the initiative of sharing the same parking lot.
Every Friday, the church’s authorities would open the parking lot for the usage of the Muslims. Meanwhile, on Sundays, the Masjid’s authorities would return the favour for the Christians.
“What is the Islamic perspective on this?” posed the Mufti Office.
The Mufti Office narrated a true story of a blind Muslim named Abdullah and a tiny paralytic Christian man named Samir. Despite being blind, Abdullah would carry the tiny Samir on his back, while Samir would direct the way.
They supported each other to lead a life of co-existence.
Samir worked as a storyteller in a coffee shop at the ancient city of Damascus, while Abdullah sold hummus (Levantine dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas or other beans, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and garlic) in front of the shop. His everyday entertainment was Samir’s entertaining words.
One day, Samir passed away. Abdullah grieved the death of his beloved friend for almost a week and shut himself up in his room. He was later found dead in his room as a result of the grief he felt of losing his best friend.
The Mufti Office called Abdullah and Samir as “an ideal example of two persons who aren’t concerned about the differences of their religion, and have a strong sense of humanity, by which, they complete each other across the boundaries of their religion.”
The most ideal inter-religion practice though is to be found from the examples of the Prophet (pbuh) himself.
One example is a narration of how the Prophet (pbuh) once let the Christians from Najran prayed in Masjid Nabawi. When it was time for their prayers, they prayed in the masjid facing the east, when the masjid was facing the west, to which the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Leave them be.”
The narration is mentioned by at least three prominent scholars, namely Ibn Ishaq in Sirah Ibn Ishaq, Imam Ibn Kathir in Tafsir al-Quran al-‘Azhim and Ibn al-Qayyim in Ahkam Ahl al-Zimmah.
The Mufti Office, however, raised a cautionary note: “This narration (riwayat) is weak (dhaif) due to breakage in the chain of narrators (sanad). It is narrated by Ibn Ishaq from a narrator named Muhammad bin Jaafar bin al-Zubair, from the Prophet (pbuh). Muhammad bin Jaafar is not one of the companions. Instead, he only had a chance to study prophetic traditions (hadith) with young predecessors (Narrators who did not live during the Prophet's lifetime and narrated from the young Companions) .... There is no other narration (riwayat) which states that the Prophet (pbuh) allows the non-Muslims to do their rituals in the Masjid Nabawi except for this one.”
Despite the caution, the Mufti Office went on to state as follows:
“The example from the authorities of Masjid al-Naim and The Good Shepherd Church in Sarawak – the practice of sharing parking lots – [is] a good example in preserving peace and tolerance between religions in Malaysia.
“In the study of Islamic jurisprudence (usul al-Fiqh), there is a thing called mafhum al-aula in the study of analogical reasoning (qiyas). Mafhum al-aula means ... that if Christians were once allowed to enter mosques for some purposes, then the sharing of parking lots which are situated outside the mosque/church should not be an issue.”
So, if Christians were once allowed to enter mosques for some purposes, should Christmas celebrations held at a ministry be an issue?
The concept of ta’ayush was further elaborated by the Mufti Office in Bayan Linnas Series No 155 (December 3, 2018). The Mufti then was Datuk Zulkifli Mohamad al-Bakri, who later served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration under former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin from March 2020 to August 2021.
A few months after his last day in office as a minister, he wrote in a memoir as follows:
“The word al-ta’ayush (co-existence) originates from the word a’ish which means life. The word al-ta’ayush refers to a harmonious and loving life with each other .... [It] is a new and contemporary terminology.
“There are several scholars who present the definition and meaning of this new term. Some add to the term ta’ayush al-silmi which means peaceful co-existence. Thus, other terms with similar meanings with ta’ayush such as al-tasamuh, al-taqarub, al-tasakun, al-takamul dan al-tajanus are also used.
“We should ... realize that the relationship and unity between us people are related to the spirit of insaniyyah (humanity) and not on the basis of a creedal nation (al-ummah al-‘aqdiyyah).
“It is natural for humans to wish for peace, togetherness and justice and these are the factors that can lead us in appreciating the fiqh of co-existence in diversity. It is a necessity for all mankind to realize that no matter how different they are in terms of skin colour, race, politics and religion, they are actually brothers.
“The difference in belief or faith is not an issue for Muslims to accept or consider the non-Muslims as brothers, of whom we are all related to each other for we are all from Adam and Eve. Especially in the context of protecting the safety, harmony and peace of a country, certainly, this is the priority.”
Like his predecessor, Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar too has called on Muslims to jointly shoulder the responsibility of preserving national harmony, guided by al-ta’ayush.
So again, should Christmas celebrations held at a ministry be an issue?
* This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
