KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 ― Religious preachers are reminded to be careful, and maintain manners and 'tawadhu' or humility in preaching and spreading Islamic teachings.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Mohd Nai'im Mokhtar, said that preachers also need to appreciate the value of wisdom, to preserve the unity of a moral, united and prosperous society.
“Any speeches and talks mixed with sentiments of division and mutual hatred must be stopped,” he said in a statement today.
He was commenting on an incident involving a preacher, who ridiculed and made accusations against the country’s leader, who was described as misguided and ignorant when discussing Surah Al-Kahfi of the Quran and the seven ‘Ashabul Kahfi’ (men of the cave), to civil servants, recently.
Mohd Na'im said the country's leader never described the youth of Ashabul Kahfi as non-believers, but instead emphasised their faith in his speech, and invited civil servants to learn from their story.
He said the country's leader’s description of the context of the event is also accurate as a reference to sources of interpretation and scholarly writings, where the story of Ashabul Kahfi took place during the reign of Christians.
He added that the description provided by the national leader is also in line with the explanation of the Office of the Mufti of the Federal Territories, which can be referred to in the ‘Irsyad Al-Hadith Siri ke-50: Kisah dan Bilangan Ashabul Kahfi’, issued in April 2016, and the ‘Bayan Linnas Siri ke-286: Adakah Ashab al-Kahfi Beragama Kristian?', published this month.
Thus, Mohd Na'im called on Muslims to always refer religious issues and problems to Islamic religious authorities, such as the state Mufti's offices or departments and the state Islamic religious departments, which have authority in related matters. ― Bernama
