VETERAN journalist and blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin penned a reminder to “those who have forgotten and to inform those who do not know” three warnings from the great scholar, the late Sheikh Abdullah Fahim (1869-1961).
The three warnings which coincided with the country’s independence in 1957 are:
• When we are independent, let no leader take advantage by making wealth on the shoulders of the people.
• Whoever fights in the name of Allah and with good intentions is always under the protection of Allah, but whoever forgets good intentions, betrayal and greed will evoke the fury of Allah, and eventually, becomes humiliated.
• If the Muslims betray their race, country and religion, Allah will replace (with) other Muslim nations (to) protect our homeland.
“The first warning has already been breached. Many Malay leaders, from top to bottom, have taken the opportunity to loot the wealth at the expense of the people.
“The second warning has been trampled on. They swear in the name of the struggle. They chant slogans for religion, nation and country. They pray in front of Kaaba and swear in the house of Allah.
“But they forget their intentions. They are treacherous. They are greedy. Allah is angry and inflicts catastrophes. Some are already locked in prison while others continue to rule but are cursed and reviled,” said the former New Straits Times editor-in-chief in a Facebook post.
He said the third warning has not taken place yet but the signs are there.
“The Malays are divided. Political power is weakening. Economic power has long been withered.
“Quoting the phrase that is often referred to the myth of Hang Tuah, ‘the Malays will not be lost in the world’, we have to ask, how is the situation in Malaysia?” he added.
Sheikh Abdullah Fahim was a Malaysian nationalist and religious scholar. He was Penang’s first mufti after independence. He is also the paternal grandfather of former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. – The Vibes, December 21, 2023.
