Despite ban, Hadi preaches Friday sermon at Masjid Rusila

KUALA LUMPUR – PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang delivered a Friday prayer sermon at Masjid Rusila in his constituency, Marang, Terengganu, today, despite a ban by the state religious council on politicians from preaching in mosques and surau.

Hadi, who is Marang MP and also Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairman, also streamed his sermon on Facebook live.

In his 20-minute sermon, Hadi touched on the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and stayed clear of any political or controversial topics.

He said Allah dictated how people should interact with each other, whether in business, politics, or everyday life.

“Allah dictates that human interaction must be with respect and dignity, and abides by what is not haram,” he said.

His sermon was delivered as Terengganu PAS commissioner Datuk Husain Awang said today that despite the ban, the party’s politicians are still urged to apply for permission to preach from the Terengganu Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maidam), nevertheless.

Husain said there are several politicians, including elected representatives, from the party who have applied to Maidam for letters of accreditation to be allowed to preach or speak at mosques and surau in the state.

“God willing, we just apply. Among those who have applied, there are some who were approved, there were some who were not,” Bernama reported Husain as saying at an event at Masjid Rusila in Marang today.

It is not clear if Hadi preached his sermon today with approval from Maidam or not.

The ban by Maidam was imposed just a week ago and was given assent by Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.

The sultan had expressed disappointment with the actions of politicians who have given lectures, speeches and religious lessons at mosques without permission from Maidam.

The ban covers lawmakers at state or federal level, as well as political activists. They are not allowed to give speeches, lectures or religious lessons in mosques and surau in Terengganu – nor can they perform as khatibs or Friday prayer imams in the state.

Two days after the ban was announced, Hadi openly defied it, stating he would continue to deliver sermons at mosques in the state.

Meanwhile, Husain said that PAS politicians in Terengganu who preached in mosques and surau had only ever stuck to religious teachings and did not include politics. – The Vibes, March 10, 2023