The meaning of Hijrah

Raja Sara Petra

Loosely translated, Hijrah means migration or to move from one situation or condition to another. But this does not only mean moving house or, say, leaving Syria as a refugee to live in England. It means you leave the ‘old you’ and you become a ‘new you’. It is like making a New Year’s Resolution where you stop smoking, stop drinking, stop stealing, etc. In short, you discard your old ways and become a better person.

Looking at what has been happening over the last 16 months since May 2018, can you say Malaysia has Hijrah? Pakatan Harapan calls it the ‘New Malaysia’ or ‘Malaysia Baru’. But if it is a New Malaysia then surely the New Malaysia has to be different and better than the Old Malaysia. If all we are seeing is the same Malaysia then where is the New Malaysia they are talking about?

No, after 16 months nothing has changed. Those who sit in Putrajaya may be new faces but it is still business as usual. In fact, the situation today is even worse compared to the days when Najib Tun Razak was the Prime Minister. There is no Hijrah from the Old Malaysia to the New Malaysia, as what we are being told. This is merely a case of old wine in a new bottle. And, on top of that, the old wine has turned to very sour vinegar.

Anyway, let us celebrate Hijrah in the spirit it was intended. Let us reject hypocrisy, lies, slander, discrimination, persecution, and travesty of justice in favour of the truth. Hijrah is meant for the oppressed to seek refuge under Allah. And, in time, the unjust will be revealed and the downtrodden will triumph. That is what Allah promised those who perform Hijrah.