Hedonism

Malaysia's cultural 'tug-of-war.

Hedonism
ˈhiːdənɪz(ə)m,ˈhɛdənɪz(ə)m
The pursuit of pleasure: sensual self-indulgence

It’s the belief that pleasure is the highest good there is. The chase for comfort, ease and gratification. This convenience is often at the expense of meaning, purpose or restraint.

I completely understand we’re in the age of convenience, almost anything we want is one ‘tap’ away from a Ninjavan delivery. But modern hedonism is not always loud. It’s not blaring music from Trec KL. Nor is it as obvious as an A* Az* scandal.

It’s soft, casual, a e s t h e t i c, and its trending.
Sometimes, it can be as simple as that viral thing from tiktok shop, a skin care routine so complex it replaces your sujood or innocently delaying your solat. A lifestyle full of choices like these slowly training you to avoid any form of discomfort.

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The Homefront : Malaysia Truly Asia

It’s not only a global trend, it’s found its own shape here in Malaysia. In our cities, our social lives and even our spiritual routines.

Hedonism in Malaysia doesn’t just look rebellious all the time. It wears modern clothes, speaks the language and comes with a syariah-compliant label.

Harmless, but it runs deep. Here’s what I’ve found :

KL Lifestyle

Without even hesitating, if I were to ask you what word comes to mind when I say “KL Lifestyle,” we would probably picture the same things. It’s becoming a national stereotype. That itself should give us pause. This is not something to be proud of. It is something that we need to reflect on.

The cafe’s, the nightlife, the materialism.

There is something strange about the city, even if there are mosques and places of worship, even if there are rules and events emanating the deen, something is still not right. The events that unfold, publicly and unapologetically, suggest a deeper cultural tug-of-war between halal and haram, between restraint and indulgence, identity and escape.

It’s our local ‘city that never sleeps’.

In the heart of KL (Kuala Lumpur), cafes, gyms and shopping malls open and shut like Tiktok trends. It isn’t only Malaysia’s capital, it’s Malaysia’s capital of excess. A place of soft, polite heedlessness. Where restraint is “lame sgt” and lifestyle is currency.

But the layout of the terrain will tell you that story. What started at the centre, Bukit Bintang, Mont Kiara, KLCC, slowly stretches outward, district by district. North, South, East, West. Malls open, influencer cafes appear, boutiques replace runcit. All under the excuse of “development”, “convenience” & “cultural diversity”

It’s not a city responding to the needs of the people, it is a city reshaping its people.

For many of our youths, this is the destination. They arrive from towns and villages with strong roots, only to trade them for style, aesthetic and a curated identity.

After one semester of university, you can’t recognise them. Modesty changes into fashion, simplicity is lame. And the desire to fit in replaces the clarity of who they once were.

Everyone is branding themselves, Everyone is crafting their image, but nobody is asking,

Who am I actually becoming?

The Terrain

• The Centre: Petronas Towers, Suria KLCC, Pavillion & Bukit Bintang

  This is the curated capital of the aesthetic lifestyle. Skyscrapers, designer brands, premium coffee all beautifully packaged in the core. It’s busy, its bustling and it’s filled with excess.
  

• The West: Mont Kiara & Bukit Damansara

  Wealthy expatriate zones and elite local communities, home to prominent international schools, country clubs and high end condominiums. The influencer’s playground.
  

• The East: Ampang & TREC

  Known for it nightlife, mixed heritage and embassy zones. Hosting both upscale families and KL’s nightlife underworld minutes apart. See it for yourself, Mosques just minutes away from clubs and bars.

• The South: Cheras, Taman Desa & Bangsar South

  Mainly middle income areas and gentrified neighbourhoods. There are office towers, developed condominiums and casual decadence.

• The North: Setiawangsa, Keramat & Hulu Kelang

  A more conservative area, but steadily declining into the aesthetic consumer loop. Pop up cafes, influencer gyms and boutique shops appear just beside old kedai runcits.

Kuala Lumpur is not just a city with hedonism it. It’s shaped by it, spreading quietly district by district. Each part of the city carries a different level of the same impulse. The desire to look good, feel good and avoid anything that disturbs that flow.

So what does the Quran say:

Surah Al-Hadid (57:20)

“Know that the life of this world is nothing but play and a distraction, adornment and boasting among yourselves, and rivalry in wealth and children. It is like plants that flourish after rain, pleasing the sowers, then they wither, and you see them turn yellow, then they crumble. And in the hereafter there will be a severe punishment, or forgiveness from Allah and His good pleasure. For the life of this world is nothing but a fleeting vanity.”

Allah mentions in this Surah, the true nature of our Dunya. That all we can hope to gain from it is play and distraction for our hearts and bodies.

Take a look around the city and see for yourself, the real life of people who focus only on worldly matters.

Let’s focus on the latter part of this verse. The comparison of this world to the rain that falls on the ground. The cycle of life begins as plants grow, people and animals eat the fresh vegetation. When the land is at its loveliest, Allah decrees that it should be destroyed, it withers and dries. Described here as a fleeting vanity. Here in a moment, gone the next.

I’d like to take this moment to remind you, this is not our real home. We do not belong here. We are here for a moment to do our best in serving our purpose, then gone in the next. Life has its way of distracting us away from our real journey back home, but constantly remembering that our time is limited and that we need to make the best in striving towards our highest self in our deen. This is enough to keep our focus in check.

At the end of it all, our bodies are wrapped in a shroud, all the same colour, no aesthetics, no branding, no VIP treatment. The last vehicle we are escorted in isn’t a German car or a blacked out Vellfire. It’s an ordinary van en route to the graveyard.

Anak-Anak Kami

There was once a time when people sought the best opportunities in the city.
Pergi KL, cari masa depan

But we did not think about what future the kids would find, nor what they would lose in finding it.

Every year, student’s leave rural towns and areas, with beautiful names, strong roots and a quiet kind of pride. But by the end of their first semester in the city, things start to change.

The hijab holds a different shape compared to before, The tongue picks up a new rhythm, Solat : jp lgi la.

There is no primary intention to abandon where they came from, but the city exudes an atmosphere that teaches them (silently) how to fit in. dak2 bandar.

And so what has been traded for style? Ihklas, little by little.
for Aesthetic? Haya, bit by bit
for Imaan? Another post on a feed. From every now and then to a few times a week.

This is the story of X.

X came from rural poverty ridden town in Kelantan.
She was the first in her family to receive a scholarship. Sent to Sepang, Selangor to study aviation in tourism.

She arrived wearing a full hijab.
She carried herself with humility, commuting on an old motorcycle from the hostel to class.

Her voice, soft.
Her gaze, lowered.

Then she met her new roommates,
This is where it began

Two months in, her hijab loses its shape, slowly disappearing.
Her hair flowed. Her clothes began to follow the shape of her body.
With the changes came new glances. Classmates, lecturers, strangers, and a new kind of attention she never asked for, but secretly began to crave.

Her social circle shifted.
More men, More Noise. More late night outings.

“jom pergi healing dkt genting mlm ni?”

Her phone became her mirror, Instagram and TikTok, her stage.
Each post revealed more than the last,
Her smile.
Her skin.
Her silence.

She thought she had found herself,
but at what cost?

This is not just the story of X. This is the story of many of our sons, daughters and friends. The quiet transformation that no one talks about.
Because from the outside, it looks like growth. We are happy to see them happy, but on the inside, it feels as though something has been lost.

Woe to the Dunya that took our children from us.
To the mothers who weep, not over death, but over the loss of their children’s innocence.

Surah Al-Anbiya (21:16)

“We did not create the heavens and the earth and what lies between them for play.”

Taken from Surah Al-Anbiya, Allah ﷻ reminds us that the heavens, the earth and everything in between were not created without purpose.
We are not here to chase our nafs, or to blindly seek pleasure without consequence.

In their very existence lies the truth.
The truth of our Creator
The truth of our purpose
The truth of our accountability to Him.

The world was never meant to offer us complete sweetness. Nor was it designed to entertain us. It was designed to remind us.

From moment to moment, every single breath, every heartbeat is a reminder of Allah. This life is not a game, what we choose to do in our limited time, will be asked of us.

This is what makes hedonism dangerous,
It is not the enemy we can see, it comes as a friend.
Promising ease, freedom, pleasure.
What it takes in return, tawbah, restraint and remembrance.

You will find a lot of our brothers and sisters (who are caught up in this world), either frantically pursuing the dunya or being consumed by it. Their hearts never at rest, their minds scattered between the past and the future.

But Allah tells us gently:

Surah Ar-Ra’d (13:28)

“the ones who believe and their hearts are peaceful with the remembrance of Allah. Listen, the hearts find peace only in the remembrance of Allah.”

Aside from stating the obvious here, but the cure to it all, is to remember Allah.
This is not some simple trick that you can do once and it works immediately, this is a skill we must maintain and establish as we establish our prayer. Our remembrance is not only in our dhikr but also in our understanding our our deen, of our lord, his names. That remembrance replaces worry, doubt, fear. Understanding full well that that all matter of things are decreed from the Lord of all the worlds (raabil-alameen). The servant of Allah, accepts it, perhaps in some difficulty in the beginning, but with tranquility in the end, as it is the qadr of his Creator. The bitter, the sweet. All things return to Allah.

Surah Al-Imran (3:109)

وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُرۡجَعُ ٱلۡأُمُورُ

Wa ilal-lãhi turja'ul umoor

“To Allah belongs what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. To Allah all matters are returned.”

This is not an argument against the development of a city, against a youth trying to fit in or against a mother mourning her child’s innocence. This is a plea against what happens when comfort becomes our moral compass.

When pleasure replaces purpose.
When the dunya becomes the goal instead of the test.

What we are seeing is the consequence. The slow deterioration of morality. It is not just innocence that is lost.
Direction, remembrance and the self.

But Allah reminds us,

“To Allah returns all affairs”

And so we return too.

Not with noise, nor performance. But with hearts that remember.
And that, perhaps, is where healing begins.

Financial Decisions

Before we change our identity, our habits change first.
And the first of many (without realising) is how we spend. It’s natural, when who we are changes, so too does what we value.

Debt Culture

BNPL = Buy Now, Pay Later 
Shopee Pay, Atome, GrabPay, LazadaPay etc.

AKPK = Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit
 Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency

Lets talk facts:

As of December 2024,

• 5.1 Million Malaysians joined BNPL services

• Ages 21 - 40, earning an income less than RM 5K

• RM 7.1B in spending, RM 2.8B unpaid, rising fast

BNM: Financial Stability Review - Second Half 2024

2.8 billion in unpaid transactions is not a collapse, it’s not even the problem (yet). But the normalising of this spending behaviour for small and large purchases AND the rise in BNPL users is dangerous.

What is becoming casual here is debt culture.

While BNPL makes a small percentage of household debt today, its trajectory matters more than it’s percentage.

The gain in traction of over 5.1 million users, RM 7.1B spent goes to show a very subtle but impactful normalising of a culture of delay, dopamine and debt.

This does not seem like spending to survive, it is dopamine spending. Where we have been convinced to spend now and pay later, placing the burden of debt today, to tomorrow. Short term gratification, long term loss.

Debt in Islam:

The Quran

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:280)

“If the debtor is in difficulty, give him time until it is easy for him to repay. But if you remit it by way of charity, that is best for you, if only you knew.”

Implied from this verse, is the absolute weight of debt itself. It is not to be taken lightly. It is a burden, one that obligates mercy. Not exploitation.

And thus in knowing what a burden it is to carry, not just for ourselves but to those around us. The advisable thing to do: Avoid unnecessary debt.

Friday Kutbah

Last Friday, the sermon was about debt. Three main points were talked about by the imam.

Whilst Islam may allow borrowing in times of great need, taking on a debt without the ability (or even the intention) to repay, is a grave sin.

Stating:

Debt for luxury and excess is morally wrong.

Borrowing money just to chase the sweetness of dunya is equal to sacrificing the akhirah.

Wealth pursued through debt is wealth that does not truly belong to you.

And the scariest part:

If one dies without settling their debts, the soul may be suspended, unable to move forward to its next destination.

This is not just the opinion of the very few. It is being presented as a concern to the community on Jumaat. It is the echo of what we see around us presently.
A culture that justifies and influences debt. Ever too easy to acquire it and most difficult to get rid of. A culture completely forgetting that Islam calls us to be accountable for all that we do.

To casually adopt debt using a BNPL service, as part of our daily lives is not in alignment with our faith. It is reflective of a heart more focused on the comfort in this world rather than the accountability of the next.

BNPL is not a tool that lets you offset your payment and maintain a positive cash flow. It is a quiet shift in values, training your nafs to reach for now and worry later. It’s soft, shariah-compliant and designed to feel harmless.

AKPK Report

AKPK : Getting into Debt at a Young Age as Part of a Lifecycle Phase: A Cause for Concern?

Let’s summarise what it’s saying:

Youth Debt is real and growing.

• 34,670 Malaysians entered APKP’s Debt Management Programme (DMP)

  • Increase from 2021 (by 46.35%)

• 15,600 of above, aged 30 - 39.

• 3,700 aged 20 - 29

Bankruptcy

• From 2019 to 2023 : 33,388 bankruptcy cases were recorded.

• 6,361 cases were youths under 25 - 34

• Main Causes of Bankruptcy:

  • Personal Financing

  • Business Financing

  • Hire-Purchase

  • Home Financing

  • Credit Card Debt

It’s clear as day, there is a rising debt culture that exists. It starts with small innocent purchases, but it snowballs into a habit that consumes.

Every year, new programs are launched. New apps, new slogans, and while these initiatives aim to educate, what they cannot do (or fail to touch on) is the reform of the nafs.

This is not simply a literacy crisis, it is a spiritual drift.

The chase for convenience has lapped the importance of self-discipline.
Our Du’as have been replaced by dopamine.
And as long as our hearts attach to lifestyle over the hereafter, no budget will bring peace.

What we truly require, is not just retraining, but tazkiyah.

The cure to it all, true wealth, not found in spending, but in contentment and restraint.

Final Reflection(s)

We’ve seen enough, however normalised it may be.
From the skyline of excess to the silence of a mother’s heartbreak.
Unpaid debts disguised as convenience, forgotten prayers traded in for aestheticism.

None of it happened overnight
It began subtly, harmless even. One small innocent choice after another.
One quiet compromise at a time.

The reality of hedonism is that it does not appear sinful at first. It’s that it appears harmless.
It does not charge at you as an enemy. It comes to you as a friend, offering you comfort at the cost of your soul.

But if it takes a small step after another to slip into heedlessness, then surely it takes small and consistent steps to return to our faith.

I’d like to remind you of 2 promises of Allah here;

I am as My servant expects of Me and I am with him as he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I will remember him in Myself. If he mentions Me in a gathering, I will mention him in a greater gathering. When he draws near Me by the span of his hand, I draw near him by the length of a cubit. When he draws near Me by the length of a cubit, I draw near him by the length of a fathom. When he comes to Me walking, I come to him running.

Sahih al-Bukhari, 7405; Sahih Muslim, 2675

remember Me; I will remember you. And thank Me, and never be ungrateful.

Surah Al-Baqarah (2:152)

So perhaps the real question is not how far we have fallen into heedlessness or hedonism, but how ready we are to return.

Not with fear, but with hope.
Not in shame, but in truth.

Because the door of mercy is always open.
And the path back is always near.

All it takes is one step, one after another.

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Note to the reader

If you’ve recently followed and read my article, I am truly grateful for your support.

These writings are nothing more than reflections, shaped by my own recitation of the Quran, Tafsir and guidance from my close ones. I have also combined what I’ve read through personal study of contemporary issues.

I’m not an ustaad, nor am I a scholar,
but I do believe this: within all of us lies the fitrah (gift of faith)

And we may lose ourselves along the way in our time here, but all we need at times is a gentle nudge. A reminder, A shared thought that stirs something deeper.

If this piece (and others like it) did that for you, then alhamdulilah, that’s enough for me.

P.S.

Feel free to share this piece with someone who might need it.