Be there and learn

Bismillah,

"If you want to be religious and generous, this is not the path for you. In reality, this is the world of 'mata duitan'" - Dr Lee Mei Pheng

"I heard bankers go to heaven" - A participant
"Bank only give loans to those who meet their requirements, that is the rich guys, although sometimes they don't even need the money. But those who are poor and in needs couldn't get the loans because they are disqualified. Do you still think that bankers go to heaven?" - Dr Lee Mei Pheng

Itu adalah antara kata-kata terakhir sebelum kursus Banking and Financial Institutions Act (BAFIA) selama 2 hari itu selesai. Don't get her wrong, she is a very nice lady. Full of knowledge and wisdom. She wrote best-selling books about banking, including Islamic Banking. She is a lawyer cum banker. I can say that all the participants are impressed by her and her successful family. On the first day, she gave a few rules for being in her class. As usual, no handphones and we have to answer all her questions. If not, then we have to be the entertainer after lunch hour as the punishment. One of us asked her,

"What if we feel sleepy and take a short nap?"
 "U know in your religion you are not allowed to sleep together in a room with a guy that is not your mahram right? There's a few guys here"

and we laughed.

Back to the first quote above.

During lunch, my friend asked:

J: "Do you think we have chosen the right path?"

Me: "You mean, after what she said just now?"

J: "Yeah"

Me: "Personally, I don't agree with her. We still can do something. After all, that's why we're here in banking area. To learn and to make difference."

S: "I don't agree with her too"

You see, maybe ktorang terlalu mentah untuk tak setuju dgn dia yang dah bertahun-tahun pengalaman. Konon nak jadi optimistik. Tapi aku tau kami berkongsi tujuan yang sama, iaitu untuk belajar tentang conventional banking dan cuba buat sesuatu untuk menaikkan islamic banking. Tak dinafikan islamic banking semakin diterima ramai, tp spt Dr Lee katakan, "there are still loop and holes in islamic banking that the smart people can manipulate".

Dr. Lee banyak menceritakan kisah-kisah benar dalam dunia perbankan. Terkejut. Ada sesetengah yg dia tak boleh nak cerita sbb katanya terlalu kotor dan disgusting, and it is regarding how the rich become richer.

Yesterday, I read an article about the Government thinking to stop sending student overseas, and one of the comments from the readers goes like this:

"The Government send students to study Islam, but they come back here and do what?"

Memalukan tak?

Menunjukkan diorang tak nampak sgt apa perubahan orang-orang yang belajar di Timur Tengah dah buat. Bukan semua, tapi ada yang balik memang tak buat apa-apa. Yang meneruskan kerja-kerja dakwah, orang-orang spt saya  masih memerlukan anda untuk mengingatkan kami.

But the thing is, tak dinafikan ada yang memandang serong kpd orang2 yg kerja di bank, sebab ada kaitan dgn riba'. Yes, i know that. Ada kawan yg mintak kerja di Maybank, cuma nak kerja di bahagian Islamic Banking jer. Tapi seperti orang di Islamic Banking sendiri yang cakap,

"Islamic banking pun ada sikit2 pengaruh conventional banking, sebab kalau tak, orang tak terima Islamic banking. Yang penting sekarang, nak Islamic Banking semakin diterima, then perlahan-lahan kita buat perubahan"

Macam mana nak buat perubahan? Dengan belajar selok-belok conventional banking. Dan untuk belajar, nak atau tidak, kena masuk ke dalam situasi tu sendiri. Walaupun orang kata gaji tak berkat sbb riba' dan lain2. Yang penting, niat yang satu tu kena pegang.

Macam mana orang bukan Islam boleh ambil alih ilmu2 orang Islam? Sebab dorang belajar, even al-Quran pun dorang belajar. Tapi bukan semua yang terbuka hati, malah berdegil dan menggunakannya untuk menaikkan sistem mereka dan melemahkan orang Islam. Dorang berjaya tak? Tengoklah sekarang.

So pada pendapat aku, we have to make the same thing. Masuk ke conventional banking tak semestinya ktorang setuju dan meninggalkan solat. Walaupun ada yang kata solat pun tak diterima, gaji tak berkat, itu semua kerja Allah. Dia nak terima atau tidak. Lagi sekali, niat yang satu tu kena pegang dan berusaha ke arahnya.

Cabaran untuk berada bersama orang-orang yg bermata duitan nie memang tinggi. Semoga Allah menjauhkan aku dan rakan2 dari menjadi spt golongan tersebut, Nauzubillah. And it's interesting, macam mana nak buatkan orang2 miskin yang memerlukan duit qualify untuk dapatkan loans, sedangkan sistem sekarang kalau nak bg loan, salah satu kriteria ialah tgk dia  mampu bayar ke tak. Aku rasa jawapannya ada dalam Islamic Banking, sbb kalau nak beli rumah pun sebenarnya  kalau kita tak mampu, bank yang tolong belikan dan pastu bg kat orang yang nak beli tu, bukan amek untung dpdnya. There's lot more to learn in Islamic Banking.
But at the mean time, nak kenal dengan lebih lanjut sistem conventional banking.

We have the intentions to make things different, slowly, and it is going to be very very challenging.

Doakan aku dan rakan-rakan aku sentiasa di jalan yang lurus dan iman kami tidak goyah.

Tetiba aku teringat quote "niat tidak menghalalkan cara". As for now, in banking, aku tak nampak cara lain sbb everywhere is conventional banking.