PETALING JAYA: There is no need for Muslims to be overly concerned with the cutlery used at the homes of their non-Muslim friends, says Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin.
He said that as long as the food served was halal, there should be no worries about consuming it, adding that some Muslims were known to have reservations using cups, plates and other utensils in non-Muslim homes.
Dr Asri said these Muslims feared these everyday utensils could be “tainted” with non-halal substances but he said such concerns were unfounded.
“It is not necessary or obligatory for Muslims to be unreasonably cautious of these ‘unseen possibilities’.
“What’s the use of paying a visit to the homes of our non-Muslims friends if we feel we can’t eat or drink there?” he said, in response to a question posed by a reader in the mufti’s weekly column on mStar Online, the Malay news portal of The Star.
Dr Asri expressed his disappointment with the prevalence of the misconception, which he described as “rubbish”.
“I am disappointed with such interpretations of Islam. The religion urges us to think; it heightens our intelligence. But these opinions only make a person less than intelligent .”
He also said Islam viewed acts that promoted good-neighbourliness and the strengthening of social bonds with non-Muslims as a positive thing.
“For Muslims, there is religious merit in doing good to both other Muslims and non-Muslims.
“This is a humanitarian issue and concerns the values of a civilised religion,” he said.
Dr Asri’s column, which kicked off last week, has generated considerable feedback in the form of comments and questions from Malaysians in the country and abroad.
Non-Muslim readers have written in to express their thanks for his comments last week, in which he said that Muslims should not be offended if non-Muslims used the salam to greet them.
Several readers said they had been reprimanded by some Muslims for doing so.
tunku : i think dr asri is right, we can use the cutleries if it is washed properly.those days there were no soaps and whatsoever, thus we need to "samak", nowadays we have soaps that can clean it.as long as we are not eating haram food it's ok to eat at non muslim's house.Islam is a very beautiful religion but some make it look like very extreme but it's not.
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2 comments:
Assalamualaikum,
What Dr Asri said is right.
Though pork is prohibited for consumption, and that pig product is considered as 'najis', it has never been mentioned in either Qur'an or Hadith that we need to 'samak' a surface that has contact with pig products. According to the MAJORITY of Muslim scholars, only dogs are considered as ‘najis mughallazah’.
Only Imam Syafi’e (and his staunch, possibly uncritical followers) said that ‘samak’ is required in the case of pigs – but his line of argumentation, which leads to the ‘samak’ ruling in this case is widely disputed, even by top Syafi’ete scholars (such as Imam Nawawi). His ruling in this case is considered as ‘weird’ by many other learned scholars.
So, the ‘samak’ ruling for pigs should not be there in the first place.
The concept of ‘samak’ is there in Islam, as clearly pronounced in Hadith, but only or dogs. There’s no substitute for ‘samak’ in this.
While I agree with Dr. Asri, I prefer that he spells out his justification clearly and comprehensively. Only then will his stance be easily accepted. We should all act in accordance with proof – not just in blind obedience of the stipulated rulings by scholars. Islam is unique as it is based on proofs – not indiscriminate conjectures of ulama’. Islamic rulings are perceived by many as cumbersome because of our uncritical acceptance to words of ulama’, without insisting for proof. Ulama' are not unassailable. What matters is not their position, but rather their proofs & arguments.Our main proofs are, of course, Qur’an and Sunnah. If ulama's rulings contadict with the spirit and letters of the two main sources, they are to be dismissed.
Nowhere in the Quran or Hadith have it ever been mentioned that, for instance, picking nose or inserting something into our ears while fasting are unlawful. Islamic rulings in the two main sources are very simple and clear-cut – in fact, Prophet focuses more on the way to possibly maximize the benefits out of our ibadah, rather than the small technical aspects of the rituals.
Muslims stagnate because of their obsession with small details of the rituals –forsaking their actual spirit of ruling.
Assalaumalaikum wrt. wbr,
Who is Muhammad Ali? I like this comment and hope to be able to contact him - my FB & twitter is at aafaizli@gmail.com
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