Three Nights in Bangkok

Back in 1984 Murray Head sings:

"One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster

The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free

You'll find a god in every golden cloister

A little flesh, a little history

I can feel an angel sliding up to me

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble

Not much between despair and ecstasy

One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble

Can't be too careful with your company

I can feel the devil walking next to me"

I'm not interested to talk about Murray Head, the song or music, but the lyrics written by Tim Rice, pretty much suggest how the wicked, harmful and sinful environment of Bangkok could adversely affect a person. Mind you, it was written by a non-muslim. What could then be the effect on a muslim?

A scholar of Islam once said that there are four clear enemies of imaan or faith: Shaytaan, Nafs (desire), Duniya (worshiping worldly gains) and Mahul (environment). 

As my friend Saharudin Mohd Dan wrote, "...four days in Bangkok, without the proliferation of adzan calling everywhere makes me hastily wanna come home...Forget about the wicked lives..."

Another friend said, "In this period of time, our imaan is just like water. It becomes ice when put in refrigerator, and it melts when you take it outside."

To me, after three nights in Bangkok last week (not the first time for me) on business trip, I'd say do not under estimate the harmful effect of the environment around you. I felt like the solid fortress that was built around me came crumbling down.  The harmful environment of Bangkok, at least, could make you look at the people with sinful thoughts (albeit with worries). 

My first trip to Bangkok in 2007 was entirely different. Back then, even though my stay in Bangkok and northern part of Thailand was a lot longer than this, I was in a safe and sound company of tablighi jamaat. And the many masjids that we stayed in had become sanctuary and stronghold to our imaan. Last week was different. I had felt the harmful effect of sinful environment even though I was accompanied by the people closest to me.

"Whosoever does not guard his eyesight, Almighty Allah will remove the sweetness in ibadaat from him." - Hadith.

Thus, I realise that the only way to safeguard our imaan is to strive to make effort on our imaan until the strength of our imaan resembles the imaan of the Companions of the Prophet sallalaahu alayhi wassalam.  They are best among the people after the Prophets alayhimussalam. They would not allow harmful environment affected them, rather they had changed the environment around them whenever they marched to. Among the 500 strong jamaat that had been sent to routes leading to China, only 5 of them had reached mainland China. But out of this five luminaries, millions of Chinese had come into the fold of Islam! 

You and I ought to be aware! The enemies of Islam among mankind are striving to turn the sanctuaries of muslims in the sacred and holy Makkah and Madinah into the harmful and wicked places elsewhere in the world. They could not enter these holy cities, no doubt. But even now you could bear witness that sinful acts are shown on telly a few feet from the doors of Masjid ul-Haram and Masjid un-Nabawi in Makkah and Madinah.

So let us all strive to turn Bangkok, London, Paris and New York into Madinah Munawarrah during the time of Rasulullah sallalaahu alayhi wassalam. Impossible!? It's impossible if we think we are the one who do it, but certainly, it is not at all impossible if we believe Almighty Allah is the one who will do it.

P/s Let's start changing the harmful environment in our homes.