SEPANG : The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, has asked that all fatwa be accepted positively as they can strengthen the ummah’s faith, and they should not be regarded as restrictive or oppressive.
He said the institution of the mufti should provide ample time for consultation, including holding discussions with various stakeholders, when addressing new issues without precedence to ensure that facts can be analysed in depth and comprehensively before the fatwa are issued.
“Bear in mind that more ummah have been exposed to more open educational resources, are highly intelligent, curious, engage in critical thinking, do comparative research and reference and don’t accept anything easily without being convinced.
“Advances in communication technology have changed the role, response and acceptance of fatwa in modern society.
“In the Internet era, there has been an emergence of many websites containing various fatwa, which can be referred to as an alternative source (to obtain fatwa), ” he said when opening the Multaqa of the Fatwa Councils of Malaysia here Tuesday (Sept 22).
Sultan Nazrin said the matter of fatwa does not end at the stage of issuing the fatwa – instead the mechanism of dissemination and explanation must be implemented via an effective communication plan so that the fatwa can be understood, accepted and appreciated. – BERNAMA