'Sumpah laknat' should be avoided, but not wrong - Pahang mufti

Sumpah laknat or curse oaths should be avoided, but are not wrong in terms of Islamic law, said Pahang Mufti Abdul Rahman Osman.

Rahman (above) said sumpah laknat or li'an and mubahalah are part of Islamic law, but its use depends on the situation.

"Those terms exist in Islamic law... it is just about the practice. There are suitable times, and unsuitable times, but it is not against Islamic law.

"For most people, it is not suitable (to utter sumpah laknat); if not they will want to swear an oath over every little thing. For certain leaders, it may be suitable if there is no choice.

"If our country practiced Islamic law, maybe it can (be done), but we use civil law, so it is best if there is no need to swear the oath, but if there is no choice (then it can be done)," he told Malaysiakini.

Rahman said this when asked to comment on the sumpah laknat sworn by former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak (above).

Najib had sworn the oath last Friday to deny that he knew Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu, or had anything to do with her death.

This was after convicted killer Azilah Hadri, made a statutory declaration alleging that Najib and his aide Abdul Razak Baginda had ordered him to kill Altantuya as she was a "foreign spy".

Yesterday, Federal Territories mufti Zulkifli Mohamad said sumpah laknat was not part of Islamic law, and that there was only the oath of li'an.

Li'an is uttered when a husband is accusing his wife of adultery, but can't produce four witnesses.

Meanwhile, mubahalah - which has a Quranic precedence - does not refer to Islamic law. Instead, he said mubahalah is an oath sworn during a debate to support an argument, and reject falsehood. - Mkini