i encountered an interesting discussion a few days back – a matter of
believer and non-believer. a friend are wondering how we can adhere and belong
to a religious group – me who is islam and another friend, who is christian. he
said he did try before but he just couldn’t. and sometimes he just felt excluded just
because he cannot understand the point of religion. he don’t understand why he cannot felt the presence of God.
both of us seem to start at the same point in approaching
this matter. we asked him, “do you believe in God?” – the fundamental being of
religion itself. the belief that there is a ‘being’, a power beyond imagination
that is controlling the universe, the All Knowledgeable, the Almighty. and his
first reaction was, “it’s a bit difficult here because you are both coming from
obviously different view (Islam and Christian) but still, how do you actually
define God? what do you mean by God? i can understand the word God literally but what is
It?”
it reminded me of the discussion I had with my father before. there are two broad mainstreams of people in this world, the believer and the
non-believer. it doesn’t matter which religion you are in, the point being is
you are a believer. you believe in the existence of the Creator. you believe
that there is knowledge beyond your imagination. you believe that there is a
‘power’ above all power that controls the universe. the non-believer on the
other hand believes that everything must make sense. if God exists, they wanted
to know in what form, in what sense and in what way God exists. they would
rather believe it is all about energy and reactions in this world and they will keep finding
and searching for all the answers. they need to know. they simply have to know.
funny though, i am not quite sure how i can explain my belief of God. he rightly pointed out that he had tried and some people he
talked to claimed that maybe he is not ready; maybe there is a border between
him and religion. honestly it kept me thinking about a verse I have just read
from Al-Baqarah, the 6th verse, “As those who reject faith, it is
the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not
believe.” but having said that, a true believer should not discriminate. a true
believer that truly believes will be open about discussing their belief and
help in whatever ways one can. it is not onto us to decide who will believe and
who will not. it is all within God’s decision. that boy might not believe God today but
who can honestly be confident and assured that he will never be one?
anyway, in my humble opinion being in a religion is a
submission in the action itself. a surrender to the unknown. a give in for
another power that is beyond one’s knowledge, beyond one’s control. it’s like the act of sincerity or
charity. you have to give up, to surrender, to submit yourself for a certain
cause. you cannot actually define the cause. yes, maybe you can in term of
material or the price of happiness etc of another being, but still, how sure
are you that what you did actually contribute to that cause. so, in the end,
the act of charity etc is essential in the first instances if the person is
actually willing to give up, to submit and to surrender part of oneself to that
cause.
so, when one need to justify who, what or where is God,
could it just make sense that maybe they are indeed not ready or willing to
submit, to surrender and to give up to the fact that they can’t possibly know
and make sense of everything in this world? i for one, honestly don’t know the answer.
and then my
friend pointed out that she thinks it is harder to live a life as a believer
compared to being non-believer, which I believe is not the case. be it the
believer or the non-believer, we have our own difficulties. maybe yes, in these
days being a believer is considered as extremist. being religious mean that you
are making yourself belonged to a certain particular group. it restricts you
from worldly temptations. it limits certain action. but somehow, i believe that
neither life is easier compared to another.
i can’t possibly believe that people who are non-believer
live through life without doubts, temptation and curiosity just as much as those
who are believer. why would they be curious to know how another human can
believe in something that they consider as not a fact, that is not proven?
another non-believer friend
pointed out rightly, “it is also difficult for the non-believer you know. for
example in accepting certain matter like death, we will be very afraid. we
don’t have this concept of afterlife etc like what you have in religion. in
some ways, people who are religious are more prepared and will not be as afraid
of death as another who is non-believer.”
so actually in a way, being in a
religion gives you ideas and ‘way out’ for things that are beyond our
imagination. a benefit that the non-believer could not possibly adhere to.
To accept, to submit and to surrender. could it be that we are just weaker? could it be that our life as believers are any easier? nah… nobody can
claim one life is easier than another. life is fair. even beautiful roses have
very sharp thorn. “durian pun keliling berduri” see what I mean?
what about morality? the non-believers are still people who
wanted to do good and they do good with intention not to hurt others and they
still believe that there are consequences to their action. yes, you can still
be morally correct and good even if you are the non-believer. no doubt about
that but being in a religion is not just about being good, being moral but more
importantly, to surrender what is beyond knowledge and power in the existence
of God. There are also consequences for each and every action but further than
that, it will affect you yourself in the afterlife.
hmm… I guess this is one serious talk but I shall end this
here. I am sorry if I offended any parties in the process as I am no expert
myself. it is just sometimes intriguing to be questioned about your belief and
allow yourself to think and learn a bit more. a good stimulation – especially
since most of us are brought up in a certain religion, that we tend to take the
religion itself for granted compared to those choosing to be in a certain
religion.
InsyaAllah, may all of us are directed to the righteous path.
