SHAH ALAM – The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) has stressed that the kiblat direction for mosques and surau in the state had been checked and certified by the Selangor Mufti Department and there was no need to doubt its accuracy.
MAIS chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof in a statement today said the body also mandated that the determination of the direction of the kiblat by the state Mufti Department is done before any new mosque, surau, or prayer hall begins operating.
He said the state’s Mufti Department also provided information on the method of determining the kiblat direction to the community through websites and social media as well as other programmes it organised.
“The determination of the direction of the kiblat carried out by the Selangor Mufti Department is also in line with the decision of the fatwa committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs.
“The issue over the determination of the direction of the kiblat has also received serious attention from Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who does not want any party, including the media, to make inaccurate reports that may cause confusion among the community and tarnish the image of Islam,” he said.
Aziz’s statement comes following Berita Harian’s report on Monday with the headline “40 peratus arah kiblat di Lembah Klang tersasar” (40% of kiblat directions in Klang Valley off-course), which was based on statements from the Selangor Astronomers’ Association (PAFNS).
He said the headline was inaccurate and caused misunderstanding and confusion among the Muslim community, especially in Selangor, and MAIS had requested an explanation regarding the matter from PAFNS.
“MAIS would like to stress that the newspaper report only refers to the determination of the direction of the kiblat at residential premises, based on requests for (this) service… received by PAFNS. The report is not at all related to… mosques and surau in Selangor,” he said.
He added that MAIS advised the public not to panic and be confused by the report’s headline and reminded them to refer directly to MAIS to confirm or determine any Islamic-related matters. – Bernama, April 28, 2023
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