Mujahid slams Hadi over ‘voting more important than pilgrimage’

 Mujahid Yusof Rawa of Amanah says PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s claim has no basis in Islam and was made purely for political interest.

Mujahid Yusof Rawa accused Abdul Hadi Awang of ‘simply riding on the issue of haj and umrah pilgrimages to get people to go out and vote’.

PETALING JAYA:

 Amanah deputy president Mujahid Yusof Rawa has poured scorn on a claim by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang that it is more important for Muslims to vote in elections than to perform the haj or umrah.

Mujahid, a former religious affairs minister, said Hadi’s claim, made during the Ayer Kuning by-election campaign, had no basis in Islam and was made purely for political interest.

He said the Islamic pilgrimages could not be compared with voting, as the former involved Muslims saving up money and waiting to be allocated quotas, sometimes for years. On the other hand an elected representative could die at any time, triggering a by-election.

“If a by-election is called all of a sudden, should a voter cancel their umrah trip? That’s illogical, it doesn’t make sense. This is merely a political consideration,” said Mujahid.

He said Hadi’s claim was a statement not based on any Islamic knowledge. “He is simply riding on the issue of haj and umrah pilgrimages to get people to go out and vote,” he said in a TikTok video.

Yesterday, Hadi reportedly said Muslims should postpone their umrah or haj pilgrimages if they are supposed to cast their ballots in an election. According to Berita Harian, he said political victories must have priority so that “Islam would hold power, govern and lead”. - FMT