Sandal at surau must be moved, says mufti’s office

 

Investigations by the mufti’s office showed the sandal was there for decorative purposes. (Facebook pic)

IPOH: A wooden piece depicting a sandal that was used to decorate a mihrab (semi-circular niche or chamber indicating the direction of Makkah) in a surau in Lenggong should be moved to a more appropriate spot, the fatwa division of the Perak mufti’s office said today.

Pictures of the wooden piece at the surau in Lenggong have gone viral on social media.

Preliminary investigations found the piece was placed at the mihrab a year ago and the management of the madrasah or surau admitted that it was merely for decorative purposes, mufti’s office said.

The surau or madrasah’s administration were urged to be sensitive to the current environment and public speculation by closing the doors to slander and reject matters which could lead to elements of worship.

Netizens and the public were urged to avoid using extreme labels such as non-believer, “fasiq” (someone who breaks Islamic Law) and other such terms without validating the truth.

According to the statement, the issue of the sandals was linked to “tabarruk” (seeking goodness by virtue of touching or being close to something belonging to the prophet), namely, taking blessings from something related to the relics of Prophet Muhammad. - FMT