Former Perlis mufti Datuk Dr Asri Zainul Abidin wants the National Fatwa Council to explain its advisory on the use of the phrase 'Rest in Peace' by Muslims. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, April 19, 2014.The National Fatwa Council has been urged to clarify its statement discouraging Muslims from using the phrase “Rest in Peace" (RIP) when condoling a non-Muslim's death.
Commenting on the council's reminder that Muslims are not permitted to use the phrase, former Perlis mufti Associate Professor Datuk Dr Asri Zainul Abidin said the clarification was important so that the matter would be clearly understood.
He said the council's explanation should be based on two categories: whether the deceased understood but rejected Islam outright, or whether he or she has yet to receive the call to accept the religion.
"The first is whether the deceased rejected Islam as a religion. He knew about Islam but rejected it. The perception of Islam is RIP should not be said to this person.
"But if this person does not know what Islam is or if he is unclear because of his own perception about Islam, then we cannot say he has been punished by God."
Last December, the National Fatwa Council issued a reminder discouraging Muslims from saying RIP over the death of a non-Muslim, saying the term was adopted from the Latin-speaking church.
"Expressions such as 'I sympathise with what has happened to you' or 'we express our sadness at the loss in your family' are allowed.
"However, a Muslim is definitely not encouraged to wish a non-Muslim person 'Rest in Peace'," the council had said.
The council said RIP was an assumption that the non-Muslim person would receive God's blessings.
"It is similar to the Latin prayer of 'May his soul and the souls of all the departed faithful by God's mercy rest in peace’," it argued.
The council said this sentence was a form of prayer regularly used by Catholics, especially during the 18th century, and regularly engraved on tombstones.
"From an Islamic point of view, a person who has died as a disbeliever will not receive God's forgiveness and blessings," it had said.
Asri said in the hereafter, Allah would evaluate a person's faith based on a clear and actual Islamic message.
"A person will only be declared an unbeliever or infidel if it is clear that they had rejected the true Islamic message.
"If a person does not actually know Islam, we cannot say he belongs in hell because God says 'We do not torment until God sends an apostle'.
"This means a person will not be punished by God for his faith until he gets the clear Islamic message.
"Only after he rejects it will he get the backlash from God."
Asri also believed that the phrase "RIP" should not be an issue among Muslims because there were no guarantees a person would attain peace from God.
"I am not encouraging Muslims to say RIP. That is immaterial, what can be expressed is condolences to family members.
"Let the non-Muslims say it. When we wish RIP, how do we know he is in peace? We do not know, we do not need to say, there is no need."
Meanwhile, PAS is of the opinion that the passing of a national icon like Karpal Singh should be given the proper respect and tribute.
The party's research and development director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said this was the time to respect Karpal and not spread negative comments about him.
"We will raise this issue at a political bureau meeting in Kuala Lumpur and we will stick to our stand," said Dzulkefly.
Karpal, 73, and his personal assistant Michael Cornelius, 30, died in an accident on Thursday along KM306.1 of the North-South Expressway.
In the 1.10am incident, the Toyota Alphard carrying the Bukit Gelugor MP crashed into a five-tonne Mitsubishi Canter.
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