USTAD OH USTAD!
Ustad oh ustad,where do you stray?? Among all the good, sincere and pious ustads around, there will always be a handful of rotten apples. Our history reminds us of ustads who have gone astray and in the process betrayed the trust and hope people had in them These are the sorethumbs that stick out and can be readily exposed for who they truly are.
Then there are the sincere and good ustads who slip. Humans being who we are, no matter what we are, are bound to make mistakes. What is important is to learn from them so as not to repeat them.
Recently I attended a couple of 'kuliah agama' and I was saddened by the presentation of the lectures.
The first ustad got a bit annoyed for being asked by the organisers to tone down his lecture content and not to dwell on current issues. This started the ustad on a monologue, expounding his positive qualities as a lecturer, hinting at his high qualification, self glorification of his ability to delibrate on matters academically and self praising himself.
I understand the need to clarify to the audience regarding the truthfullness in disseminating knowledge. I appreciate the intergrity needed to state unweaveringly on matters regarding truth and justice. I also expect the organisers and audience to indulge the ustad to a certain extend. I trust the judgement of the lecturer to know ones limit. But surely this ustad went overboard. The best to praise or more appropriately to appraise him are his contemporaries and his audience, listeners and students. Self praise is no praise.
The second lecture I attended turned out to be a comedy show bordering on profanity. The ustad was so preoccupied making jokes that he forgot the true nature and purpose of his lecture. Furthermore, some of his jokes were vulgar, to the extend that I felt embarrased. To my astonishment many among the audience 'enjoyed' themselves. In fact the person sitting right behind me was laughing his heart out at those vulgar jokes.
It is widely known that the same senario of vulgar jokes repeats itself at 'kursus perkhawinan'. Again these jokes are uttered by men bestowed with religious knowledge aka ustad. Why oh why do they do it??
Is it a cultural heritage to make such jokes? Do they think that by doing so they engendear themselves to the audience? Or do they think that by doing so they will have better rapport? None but they can answer.
In all that we do, proper decorum must be maintained at all times. Everything must be done in accordance with the principle guidelines of Allah SWT. And as examplified by our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW. No doubt our ustads know this, but sometimes they slip.
Let us pray the slip is not on a slippery slope!
