Relative Wants A Memorial For Tok Janggut?!

"By: Ramjit-->PASIR PUTEH, Aug 26(Bernama) -- A great grandson of Tok Janggut, one of the Malay warriors who fought the colonist in 1914, wants the government to honour the man for his deeds to the nation in conjunction with the country's 52nd Merdeka celebration. Sulaiman Ismail, 85, said his great grandfather should be accorded a similar honour like those made for his colleagues in Pahang, Perak and Negeri Sembilan where memorials had been erected in their honour."

This call is a dangerous call. These figures are remembered in the books of history without the memorials, so why the need for memorials? Who can tell the future, that matters will be taken several steps beyond, and these individuals will then be invoked in prayers?

حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى أَخْبَرَنَا هِشَامٌ عَنْ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ وَقَالَ عَطَاءٌ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا صَارَتْ الْأَوْثَانُ الَّتِي كَانَتْ فِي قَوْمِ نُوحٍ فِي الْعَرَبِ بَعْدُ أَمَّا وَدٌّ كَانَتْ لِكَلْبٍ بِدَوْمَةِ الْجَنْدَلِ وَأَمَّا سُوَاعٌ كَانَتْ لِهُذَيْلٍ وَأَمَّا يَغُوثُ فَكَانَتْ لِمُرَادٍ ثُمَّ لِبَنِي غُطَيْفٍ بِالْجَوْفِ عِنْدَ سَبَإٍ وَأَمَّا يَعُوقُ فَكَانَتْ لِهَمْدَانَ وَأَمَّا نَسْرٌ فَكَانَتْ لِحِمْيَرَ لِآلِ ذِي الْكَلَاعِ أَسْمَاءُ رِجَالٍ صَالِحِينَ مِنْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ فَلَمَّا هَلَكُوا أَوْحَى الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَى قَوْمِهِمْ أَنْ انْصِبُوا إِلَى مَجَالِسِهِمْ الَّتِي كَانُوا يَجْلِسُونَ أَنْصَابًا وَسَمُّوهَا بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ فَفَعَلُوا فَلَمْ تُعْبَدْ حَتَّى إِذَا هَلَكَ أُولَئِكَ وَتَنَسَّخَ الْعِلْمُ عُبِدَتْ

Ibn Abbas (RA) narrated: "All the idols which were worshipped by the people of Noah were worshipped by the Arabs later on. As for the idol Wadd, it was worshipped by the tribe of Kalb at Daumat-al-Jandal; suwa' was the idol of Huzail, yaghuth was the idol of (the tribe of) Murad and then by Bani Ghutaif at Al-Jurf near Saba; Yauq was the idol of Hamdan, and Nasr was the idol of Himyr, the branch of Dhi-al-Kala.' The names (of the idols) formerly belonged to some pious men of the people of Noah, and when they died Satan inspired their people to (prepare and place idols at the places where they used to sit, and to call those idols by their names. The people did so, but the idols were not worshipped till those people (who initiated them) had died and the origin of the idols had become obscure, whereupon people began worshipping them."
[Sahih al-Bukhari (no. 4539)]

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أَنَّ أُمَّ حَبِيبَةَ وَأُمَّ سَلَمَةَ ذَكَرَتَا كَنِيسَةً رَأَيْنَهَا بِالْحَبَشَةِ فِيهَا تَصَاوِيرُ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ أُولَئِكِ إِذَا كَانَ فِيهِمْ الرَّجُلُ الصَّالِحُ فَمَاتَ بَنَوْا عَلَى قَبْرِهِ مَسْجِدًا وَصَوَّرُوا فِيهِ تِلْكِ الصُّوَرَ أُولَئِكِ شِرَارُ الْخَلْقِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

On the authority of Aaishah (RA) that Umm Habibah and Umm Salamah mentioned a church they saw in Ethiopia which contained in it pictures of the messenger of Allah (SAW). The messenger of Allah said: "Verily those are the people when a righteous person among them dies, they will build on his grave a place of worship, and they will paint these pictures in it. These are the worst of creation in Allah's view on the Day of Judgment."
[Sahih Muslim (no. 822)]

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي مَرَضِهِ الَّذِي لَمْ يَقُمْ مِنْهُ لَعَنَ اللَّهُ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى اتَّخَذُوا قُبُورَ أَنْبِيَائِهِمْ مَسَاجِدَ قَالَتْ فَلَوْلَا ذَاكَ أُبْرِزَ قَبْرُهُ غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ خُشِيَ أَنْ يُتَّخَذَ مَسْجِدًا

On the authority of Aaishah (RA): The Messenger of Allah (SAW) while he was suffering the ilness that he died from, said : "May Allah curse the Jews and the Christians, they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship."
She (Aaishah) said: "If it wasn't for this (hadith), his grave would have been made prominent except that it was feared that it will be taken as a place of worship."
[Sahih Muslim (no. 823)]

Especially worrying, when Tok Janggut is said to be 'kebal' (invincible), ie. cannot be killed using ordinary weapons! A sure recipe for future veneration, or shall I say, even more veneration since he is already worshipped! Subhanallah! I quote:

 "HISTORY OF PANGKOR ISLAND The ancient name for this island is Spirit Island. The ancient islanders believed that this island is protected by the spirits of "Keramat Serban Hijau", "Keramat Serban Kuning" and "Keramat Tok Janggut". Fishermen claim to hear voices chanting verses from the Holy Quran and smell incense from the uninhabited Pulau Gedung hills."
[http://www.malaysiahotels.cc/pangkor.html]