SHAH ALAM – The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah today decreed that any differences of opinion between muftis and religious scholars must only be debated in a “muzakarah” (discussion) and should never be raised outside the discussion room.
In fact, the sultan said the disputes among religious scholars should not be made public as this would only damage their credibility.
“So, my advice to the muftis in this hall is to always refrain from religious disputes in the public space, especially if we have already resolved the issues by consensus in a muzakarah.
“One of the issues that really disappointed me was the dispute on the decision of a muzakarah for Tarekat (a Sufism concept) Naqsyabandi al-Aliyyah led by Sheikh Nazim al- Haqqani,” the ruler said at a special meeting of the muzakarah committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs here today.
The Selangor ruler, who is the council’s chairman, said the issue should not have been prolonged because it was already resolved by consensus among the muftis and muzakarah members who attended the meeting in 2020 in Kuantan, Pahang – where it was decided, after a review, that the tarekat can be practised by his followers.
The sultan also decreed that the committee draw up proper ethics of disagreement for its members.
“When there are differences of opinion on religious matters, at least there needs to be adabul ikhtilaf, an etiquette of agreeing to disagree,” he said.
The sultan said any statement regarding the decision made by the committee can only be made by the chairman to maintain its integrity as well as public confidence.
“No other parties including the religious minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, or the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) can make such a statement.
“This is important to ensure that muzakarah decisions at the national level and fatwas issued at the state level are not influenced by elements of politics. Jakim only acts as the secretariat of the muzakarah committee,” he said while stressing that any decision made by the committee should also take into account the rights and interests of non-Muslims as enshrined in the federal constitution. – Bernama, October 6, 2022
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