Draft translation from Indonesian
On Wednesday (17/2/2010), the courtroom of Constitutional Court was shocked with a statement of an expert presented by the petitioners of the judicial review of Act 1/PNPS/1965, Lutfi al-Syaukani, who states that the errors Lia Eden (a cult leader of God's Kingdom) is similar to that of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم during the early emergence of Islam (detik.com, 17/2/2010).
His statement, in fact, is not really surprising, if we read the script materials of the petitioners of Act 1/PNPS/1965 Act filed by the team's advocacy of religious freedom, acting as the petitioners, as follows:
"If the logic of this religious distortion continues, indeed each religion is a distortion of other religions. Christianity certainly deviates from Jews in many cases, such as the permission to eat pork or not doing circumcision in Christianity, while the Jews forbid eating pork and requiring circumcision. Islam must be in real deviation from Christianity, which considers Jesus as a God, while the Muslims regard Jesus only as a prophet. If referring to history, then all religions actually emerge as a form of distortion of the previous doctrines of traditional religions." (Page. 21)
For Lutfi and his friends, Islam must be regarded as a splintering religion from Christianity and Jews. Since the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم brought Islam, then the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was regarded as a person who did the deviation. At this point, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was considered in equal with Lia Eden, who does the deviation of the teachings of Islam.
This conclusion is not only nonsense, but it shows an extraordinary ignorance of Lutfi and his supporters. If we trace back his statement, this conclusion is wrong since its first premise which was built on a false assumption which states that Islam is a splinter from the Christianity and Jews. A simple question is what evidence is there that Islam is a splinter from Christian and Jews? Obviously, there is no evidence at all. Even if there are similarities in a particular section, Islam remains Islam, Christians remains Christians and Jews also remain Jews. Equating the three religions, simply because the three are the same divine religions is not right because factually the three religions also differ.
In addition, both Christians and Jews, as the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم sayings, were sent down specific people, not for all mankind. This is clearly different from Islam, which is a universal message. Therefore, each of them has a different message. The only similarities between them, before the Jews and Christians were distorted, is the monotheistic doctrine in which either Muslims, Christians or Jews, at first only admitted that there is only one God that exists, that is God Almighty. This is confirmed by the Qur'an:
Say: "O People of the Book! come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with Allah; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah.". (Ali 'Imran, 3:64)
Through this verse, it can be proved that the real Christianity and Jews had indeed been distorted. The most fatal distortion is their monotheistic doctrine, because of that they the Qur;an states them as the Unbelievers:
"First, to the Christians who firmly declared the Prophet Jesus - 'peace be upon him- as a God" (Surah 5: 17); and
"Those who declared God is three in one (Trinity)." (Surah 5:73)
"Also Qur'an declared the Jews as infidels who claimed Uzair was the son of God" (Surah 9: 30).
Thus, the Jews and Christianity are equally clearly been distorted. It is precisely in this context that Islam is revealed by God to all mankind, including those of Christians and Jews. It is there the essence of Allah's call in the Surah of Ali 'Imran: 64 as mentioned above is a call to bring them back to the starting point of the road with only worshipping Allah, not associate Him with anything, including not making the monks and the priests as gods other than Allah. This appeal is emphasized in the other Surah of Quran such as:
"Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord." (Surat al-Baqarah 2:62)
This Surah explicitly states that the Believers (Muslims), the Jews, Christians and Sabians, if they believe in Allah, the Day of Resurrection and do pious namely by implementing Islamic law, or in other words become the followers of Islam, then they are entitled to a reward on the side of their God. Thus, Islam is a religion that is different, not a splinter of Christianity or Jews, which is revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad to all mankind. Islam is revealed in order to straighten out the irregularities committed by the Christians and the Jews. Not the other way around that the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم with Islam deviate from the previous religions, namely Christianity and Jews. Therefore, this accusation is an illusion of Lutfi and his supporters. This accusation cannot be proven either historically, normatively or empirically.
Then, where is the logic that the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and Islam are equated with that of Lia Eden's teachings?
Firstly, Lia Eden was first a Muslim, then she stained the teachings of Islam with her Salamullah sect. While the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, was previously not a Christian or a Jews; he also did not create a new sect, but a new message, which is totally different from Christianity and Jews, which came before. Because of that, the Muslims believe him as a Prophet and a messenger.
Secondly, Lia Eden with her sect and her Salamullah teachings is clearly meant to destroy Islam, not to straighten out Islam which has been distorted. While the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم with his message of Islam was sent, among others, in order to correct abuses committed by the Christians and the Jews. Not vice versa. Thus, Lutfi's views and his supporters actually show that they do not believe in Islam and the Prophet Muhammad's صلى الله عليه وسلم message. And Allah سبحانه وتعالى knows best.
(KH Abdurrahman Hafidz)
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