Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has lambasted the recent ritual by self-proclaimed 'Raja Bomoh' Ibrahim Mat Zin to supposedly end the current hot spell in the country and call for rain by smashing watermelons, describing it as "un-Islamic".
Asri cautioned Muslims that there is nothing Islamic about the ritual, and noted that the Quranic verses read by the self-professed bomoh during the videotaped ritual were improperly pronounced, while he considers the ritual itself as purely superstitious antics not condoned by Islam.
"Islam does not ask its adherents to do stupid and useless things. What more if it involved wastage like this. Fruits are for us to eat and not to be wasted needlessly," he said in a posting on his Facebook page yesterday.
In the one minute and 53 second video uploaded on the internet recently, Ibrahim was shown performing a ritual assisted by four assistants, whereby he smashed five watermelons apparently to call for rain to help end the current hot spell.
The footage also showed Ibrahim reciting verses from the Quran accompanied by a prayer.
"The Perlis Mufti Department has prepared a special second sermon which contains the Istisqa prayers to ask for God to bless us with rain to alleviate the extreme hot spell plaguing the state nowadays.
"The prayers should be read by imams during the Friday sermon this week," said Asri.
Malaysia is currently facing higher than usual temperatures and less than usual rainfall because of the El Nino weather phenomenon which has been forecast to last throughout this month.
The Health Ministry has announced that it received 11 reports of heat exhaustion and three heatstroke cases after the hot spell which had fallen on the nation.
In neigbouring Kedah, two cases involving exhaustion were reported as temperatures in the northern states continue to be the highest in the nation.
State health director Norhizan Ismail said both cases were from the district of Kulim on March 20 involving female students – a 15-year-old from a high school and 19-year-old studying at a local university. -Mkini
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