the jemaah/ummah centric polemic
Ketika saya pernah ditanyakan oleh salah seorang siswa, "Ustaz ni jemaah JIM ke?". Saya segera membalas, "Tidak, saya ahli jemaah Muslimin". Dia bertanya, "Jemaah baru ke tu?". Saya katakan kepadanya, "Tidak, ia telah wujud semenjak zaman Rasulullah S.A.W lagi"
ummah centric seems to be the topic nowadays. First presented by Ustaz Mazlee Malik of UIA through his column in Majalah I, the debate seems to have spread far and wide. Now even the Mu'tamar is discussing (or more likely, dissing) it.
However to put things objectively, I do say that his ideas are,well, true. Muslims should get together and form a united front. And to say the proponents are agents of anything seems far-fetched to me. On the other hand, to do away with order and discipline won't do anyone any good. Each group I suppose have their own thing to do. As some would say, a da'ie performs da'wah like a da'ie, a muezzin performs da'wah through his own way, and ditto for an ustaz.
And this is one of the more balanced rebuttal of the idea.
