Bad Muslim?

Whenever we went out with a bunch of non-Muslim friends, they would ask us;

"Why is it that A.Z. cannot eat this, but you do?", or

"Why is it that A.Z. cannot drink wine, can't even help us passing the glasses around, but you can drink?"

He would smile sheepishly and answered, "because A.Z. is a good muslim, and I am a bad muslim".

True, he has no qualms eating non-halal meat so long as it is not pork. He doesn't drink beer, but told me that he could handle his wine well. He prays when he feels like it. He is fully aware that these are all considered sins, but for him, it is a private matter between him and Allah.

On the other hand, he sort of portrays good image of Muslim to others. He is one of the best students in the faculty, getting mostly A+ in whatever subjects he took up. He is highly regarded by most sensei. He gets along well with many - not only he could speak English, Nihonggo and Bahasa well, but also is on the way of mastering Mandarin. And he is not 'kedekut ilmu', willing to share his knowledge with those who ask for his assistance.

He is a good husband and a great father - in that he shares household chores and childcare duties almost equally, if not more (since he only goes to school three days a week, while his wife works four days a week). He is a concerned friend too, as he would take care to ensure that Muslim friends and guests are only served halal meat whenever they visit him even though he normally eats non-halal meat bought in the local supa.

He labels himself a "bad muslim".

How I wish he is not...