Avoid judging faith of fellow believers, Umno ulama council tells Muslims

The Umno ulama council has advised Muslims not to be in a hurry to question the faith of other Muslims.

This is in light of the controversy surrounding Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek saying she discouraged her children from using the word kafir to refer to non-Muslims.

“Muslims are advised not to be hasty in commenting, spreading and casting aspersions and accusations involving the faith of a fellow Muslim when any religious issue arises from a person’s speech or writings before we get an explanation of the meaning and intent (of the words).

“Assuming the best is better and safer, as was advised by the caliph Umar al-Kattab,” the council said in a statement last night.

In a video on social media, Fadhlina told of a “personal nightmare” involving one of her six children who learnt to refer to non-Muslims as kafir while at school.

Specifically, the Pakatan Harapan lawmaker said she forbade the use of the word in her home. However, it was taught in a classroom setting with a negative connotation that a Muslim who works under a non-Muslim will not live a “blessed” life.

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek

This prompted critics, including Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, to question her belief in the Quran and whether she chose to reject all verses that referred to non-Muslims as kafir.

They also accused her of compromising her faith in the interest of maintaining relations with non-Muslims, particularly for political gains.

In response, she clarified that she was not prohibiting words used in the Quran, but introducing the choice of appropriate words to use in daily life.

Be careful

The Umno ulama council defended kafir as a religious term to refer to non-Muslims.

However, it agreed that in dealing with non-Muslims it was not appropriate to call them kafir as this alienated them from Islam.

Nonetheless, the council advised government leaders and other public figures to be more careful in discussing sensitive issues involving Islam, so as not to cause misunderstanding and infighting among Muslims. - Mkini