Islamic preachers urged to practice wasatiyyah concept

28 Nov 2017 / 11:53 H.
    Islamic preachers urged to practice wasatiyyah concept
    This picture taken on June 30, 2014 shows Chinese Muslims reading the Koran at a mosque in Tancheng, in eastern China's Shandong province, at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. — AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Islamic preachers have been urged to use the concept of wasatiyyah or moderation in preaching and avoid aggression, which does not symbolise the true nature of the religion.
Shaykh Dr Rasyid Az-Zahrani from the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Saudi Arabia said that every criticism made by a preacher should be based on the Quran and Sunnah.
"Let us not define religion with aggression or softness according to our whims ... but we must follow the true teachings of Islam.
"Avoid using aggression as it will lead to conflicts, which subsequently leads to division," he said when presenting his paper entitled "The Efforts of the Contemporary Ulama in Realising the Concept of Wasatiyyah" at the Asean-level Khayr Ummah Conference 2017 (KUC 2017) here, today.
Shaykh Rasyid added that the concept of wasatiyyah was based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
Meanwhile, International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) lecturer Dr Nik Md Saiful Azizi Nik Abdullah in his presentation on the implementation of the wasatiyyah concept through Islamic syllabus at universities in Malaysia said IIUM always supported the concept of wasatiyyah in achieving excellence.
"The wasatiyyah approach is appropriate to be used as a 'wasilah' (bond or relationship) especially to create harmony and to maintain social justice in society.
He said the appreciation of wasatiyyah concept would be able to enlighten and advance the Muslim population, so that they could play various roles in politics, the economy and socially.
The two-day seminar which began yesterday provided a platform for Islamic scholars in Southeast Asia to establish close ties for the long term.
A total of 30 research papers were tabled at KUC 2017, which was also attended by over 1,200 delegates from several countries including Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos.
The inaugural conference was jointly organised by the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia; The Special Affairs Department, the Al-Khadeem Organisation Malaysia and Pertubuhan Ilmuan Malaysia, while Universiti Teknologi Mara acted as the programme coordinator. — Bernama

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