Another mufti warns Muslims not to question Allah ruling

Following the footsteps of a former Johor mufti, Negri Sembilan mufti Mohd Yusof Ahmad says Muslims who question last week's Court of Appeal ruling on the Allah issue risk becoming infidels or apostates.

Those who know the edict on the matter but continue to question it are considered to have committed a major sin by associating Allah with the Christians, Yusof said.

Like it or not, he said, regulations have been made and the term Allah is exclusive to Muslims.

"Even Christians state their God is known as Elohim and Yahweh and this is different from Allah. Hence, any Muslim who purposely associates Allah with the Christian concept are considered to have committed a major sin, which can lead to apostasy," Yusof is quoted as saying in today's Sinar Harian.

Meanwhile, former Kelantan menteri besar and PAS spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is also quoted by the daily on the Allah issue. Nik Aziz said Umno was only interested in cosmetic changes and was leaving out the Islamic spirit.

"In Islamic jurisprudence, Islam is not only to be used cosmetically. Like the Allah issue, which is made a highlight and becomes a big topic, as if Umno is fighting for the Muslims," Nik Aziz said.

Prior to this, former Johor mufti Mohd Nooh Gadut (left), now adviser to the Johor Islamic Council, declared that Muslims who questioned the Allah verdict of the Court of Appeal will be infidels or apostates.

However, former Perlis mufti Dr Asri Zainul Abidin said such a statement had larger implications as it involved the entire Muslim world, since Christians in the Arabian countries have used Allah for God even in the early years of Islam.

"They have used the word Allah for thousands of years, up to the days of the Prophet Muhammad. There is no issue as to whether they are referring to the Real Being, not a deity," Asri had said.