Muslims must be wary of religious teachings by ‘celebrity ustaz’, to ensure that they do not become disseminators of unverified information, a religious expert said yesterday.
“Take the words of these ‘celebrity ustaz’ – who became overnight social media sensation – with a pinch of salt as they too could be purveyors of fake news,” said Dr Farid Ravi Abdullah at a forum on cyber slander in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He said some of the interpretations of the Islamic teachings, including hadith, by these ‘clerics’ were questionable and could lead to conflict and instability in society.
“(For example) there is one particularly troublesome and viral hadith that promises women who allow their husbands to re-marry a golden umbrella in paradise. It has become so viral that some women are taken in by it,” he said.
Farid said he did his own check and contacted religious experts as far as India and Pakistan but could not verify the truthfulness of the hadith.
Farid said as a rough guide, any hadith which gives happiness and advantage to one side while at the same time cause a disadvantage to another party should be viewed with scepticism.
He said the best way for Muslims to verify such matter was to consult those who are more knowledgeable on the subject matter, in this case, experts in the field of hadith. (New Straits Times)
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