Maal Hijrah: Forge Greater Unity Call To Muslims

As Muslims usher in the Islamic new year of 1436 Hijrah tomorrow, calls have emerged for the community to discard differences of opinion and forge greater unity.

They have also been reminded to adhere strictly to the Quran and Sunnah in keeping with the decree of Prophet Muhammad.

Two of the Muslim leaders who have been quoted as giving such advice are Ahmad Fazrin Yahaya, chief executive officer of the Association of Malaysian Muslim Intellectuals (Ilmu), and Mohammad Fazril Mohd Saleh, president of National Association of Muslim Students Malaysia (PKPIM).

Ahmad Fazrin advised Muslims to adhere strictly to the Quran and Sunnah before the differences of opinion turned into a cancer against Muslim unity.

He said the differences of opinion in religion arose when Muslims banked on logic without making the Quran and Sunnah as the basis for resolving problems.

As such, he said, the authorities responsible should proactively promote religious programmes and hold comprehensive discussions on the confusion arising from the differences of opinion so as to enhance the religious literacy of Muslims.

"Do not wait for something to happen before issuing a statement. Instead, Muslims must continue to be educated in order to emphasise the importance of studying religion so as to be always on the right path of Islam," he told Bernama.

Ahmad Fazrin said the differences of opinion must be managed so that every issue linked to religion could be resolved more effectively.

Mohammad Fazril, meanwhile, said Muslims in the country should apply the concept of community consensus in dealing with current issues.

He said Muslims should act more wisely when confronted with complex issues involving religious sensitivities and, at the same time, resolve them without conflict.

"We have to solve problems in the right way according to Islamic law so that people of other religions do not have a negative perception of Islam," he said.

Mohammad Fazril advised youths to equip themselves with religious knowledge to ensure that they were not easily influenced by the changes in the globalised world.

This year's Maal Hijrah carries the theme 'Unity, the Pulse of National Transformation'.