Criticism Rules And Influencing

The Meaning of Criticism In Dictionary
crit·i·cism

noun

1.the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything.
2.the act of passing severe judgment; censure; faultfinding.
3.the act or art of analyzing and evaluating or judging the quality of a literary or artistic work, musical performance, art exhibit, dramatic production, etc.
4.a critical comment, article, or essay; critique.
5.any of various methods of studying texts or documents for the purpose of dating or reconstructing them, evaluating their authenticity, analyzing their content or style, etc.: historical criticism; literary criticism.
6.investigation of the text, origin, etc., of literary documents, especially Biblical ones: textual criticism.

Reference : http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/criticism


Disebabkan identiti saya sebagai cina muslim, maka semakin ramai orang ingin mengetahui lebih mengenai saya. Dalam masa yang sama mereka juga berkongsi cerita yang menarik juga. Lama kelamaan ia menjadi suatu artikel yang tertulis dalam hati saya, saya mengingati setiap cerita yang sudi dikongsikan oleh rakan baru.

Allah SWT menunjukkan hidayahNya melalui berbagai cara atas keizinannya. Mungkin mereka tidak menyedari apa yang diceritakan sebenarnya amat menginsafkan saya. Kerana dalam setiap perkara pasti ada hikmahNya yang tersembunyi.

Beberapa bulan lepas saya baru menghadiri kursus Jabatan pada bulan Ramadhan. Rakan melayu yang sebilik dengan saya menceritakan bahawa dia memang suka berkenalan dengan bangsa cina. Pada kebiasaannya dia juga minum kopi bersama kawan cina di kedai kopi.

"Kawan melayu nampak saya minum kopi dengan kawan cina kat tempat makan cina, depa terus hantam saya tahu ke? Eh apasal kamu pergi tempat macam tu makan-makan? "

"Saya cakap dengan dia tu, saya ni orang Islam dan tahu apakah itu halal haram. Saya minum kopi saja salah ke? Depa nak makan itu biar je la, saya masih boleh makan roti bakar sapu jem dan minum kopi. Apa salahnya? Kalao kamu tak percaya datang tengok sendiri apa yang saya makan dan minum kat situ !"

Can't be deny, our life is full of criticism.
Most of the time we are staying away from something or someone, or practicing in specific law or rule is due to criticism from society. This is happening on everyone's mindset. Slowly it turn out to be "Common Law" in our life, that we have been forgotten why we shouldn't do that commonly instead of understanding the reason we are not doing that.

Just like Scarf (Tudung) as for example.
Some people wearing scarf is due to pressure from family and relatives, or even society. Slowly they are get used to it because of the mindset as :"I have to wear scarf, otherwise others will be humiliates me." At the same time, those who already not practicing scarf wearing anymore is assumed they are getting away from pressure of society. Labels like "Hypocrite" is being putted at those muslimah in describing scarf is just a islamic mask which covers the true self.

This is a two way criticism among people. Where A team practicing scarf wearing as for avoid criticism from society, at the same time B team also criticize muslimah who wearing scarf as hypocrite. The real meaning of scarf in Islam teaching have been long gone between these two way criticism.

sabda Rasulullah  kepada Asma’ binti Abu Bakar,

“Wahai Asma’ sesungguhnya seorang wanita itu apabila telah baligh (haidh) maka tidak boleh baginya menampakkan tubuhnya kecuali ini dan ini, seraya menunjukkan wajah dan telapak tangannya.” [HR Abu Dawud]   

In society Criticism rules our lifestyle.
It telling us what we should and shouldn't do, at the same time the wrong criticism also bringing us to negative lifestyle that bring harm to ourselves. Positive criticism sharpen our mind and revise our way of handling work, however negative criticism only mislead us into mist and sorrow. Where the righteous thing can become utterly wrong under explicit criticism.

Most people still stick into rituals but they insist it is important tradition that followed for ages. Whether the syirik rituals is apparent enough or not. Those who not obey will be criticized. No one love to be criticized especially if it's a tradition from ancestor. Criticism built society lifestyle and way of people react at specific case and situation.

However it doesn't mean that we have to agree and accept every criticism, trust me it will drive you mad. It can be positive criticism that help improve our life, also it can be ignorant criticism that spoken without knowledge. As listener we have to analysis the vice versa behind every criticism, also find a solution in solving criticism.

Normally criticism brings along anger and limited knowledge. In Islam do have criticism also but it is more likely an invitation for listener to "Think about it". Allah SWT Criticism is definitely not alike with human, those criticism verse in al-Quran is actually putting someone in an unfamiliar angle and look around to find a way out.

Allah SWT criticize those who workship idols in verse al-Hajj : 73

Wahai umat manusia, inilah diberikan satu misal perbandingan, maka dengarlah mengenainya dengan bersungguh-sungguh. Sebenarnya mereka yang kamu seru dan sembah, yang lain dari Allah itu, tidak sekali-kali akan dapat mencipta seekor lalat walaupun mereka berhimpun beramai-ramai untuk membuatnya; dan jika lalat itu mengambil sesuatu dari mereka, mereka tidak dapat mengambilnya balik daripadanya. (Kedua-duanya lemah belaka), lemah yang meminta (dari mendapat hajatnya), dan lemah yang diminta (daripada menunaikannya).

This is an invitation to truth by criticism.
As we can see this verse sure bring anger from idol worshiper, do Allah SWT really intend to humiliates them? Definitely NO! This is a religion comparison that open someone's mind by critical criticism, since this verse able to lead someone think out of the box. The answer can be abstract from everyone but indeed it is just one of the criticism in al-Quran that bring light to human.

Human mind have to be ruled by criticism because this is the only way to guide them out of the box. Speaking about truth with a little humiliation attracts more crowd's attention rather than speaking without firm position and overwhelmed by others comment. It is a powerful way to enlighten someone yet not too harmful.

In proper and knowledgeable way, criticism able to guide society into better management and lifestyle. In Islam, criticism playing important role in showing the right path instead of humiliates other like what have been insisted by non-muslim. Islam is not religion that full of hatred with others, but Allah SWT chosen criticism in guiding every human back to Him.

"Akhirnya, dia datang balik dan duduk sesama kami minum kopi. Saya pun menegurlah kawan saya tu : Eh, kamu ni bukan kata tempat orang cina ni tak boleh datang? Apasal kamu sekarang pun datang minum kopi juga? Kawan saya hanya senyum-senyum dan terdiam."



Fun Facts : This article is inspired by speech about minum kopi.
I am also impressed by his attitude that practicing the right thing in Islam, since it is not haram to drink a cup of coffee at local kopitiam... Then Why Not?