KUANTAN: The Pahang State Mufti Department and the Pahang Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MUIP) have reaffirmed the decree of the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, to continue strengthening and elevating the role of mosques and surau in the state.
Pahang Mufti Prof Datuk Dr Asmadi Mohamed Naim said Al-Sultan Abdullah had taken note of proposals to establish Friday prayer facilities in shopping malls nationwide.
He said Friday prayers in Pahang should continue to be performed at mosques and surau authorised to conduct Friday prayers, Bernama reported.
“His Royal Highness decreed that MUIP is the authority representing the Sultan of Pahang as the custodian of mosques and surau, which fall under the state list as provided for under the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Asmadi said the Sultan had also been informed that the planning and distribution of mosques in the state had taken into account the needs of local communities, with existing mosques and authorised Friday prayer surau better placed to accommodate congregants.
Among them are the Sultan Ahmad 1 State Mosque in Kuantan, the Tepian Putra Mosque, the soon-to-be-opened Bandaraya Mosque and Al-Shafie Mosque in Kota SAS.
He added that, under the Syafi’i school of thought, Friday prayers must fulfil several conditions, including being performed during the Zohor period, attended by at least 40 congregants, preceded by two sermons and held at a designated venue without overlapping congregations in nearby areas.
Earlier that day, Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) said the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, had not granted consent for surau and musolla in shopping malls to hold Friday prayers.
Its chairman Datuk Salehuddin Saidin said the decision was based on concerns that allowing surau or musolla in shopping malls to conduct Friday prayers would undermine efforts to preserve and strengthen the role of mosques as the primary centres of worship for Muslims.
“At present, there are 448 mosques and 379 surau in Selangor that have been authorised to conduct Friday prayers.
“This indicates that the existing mosques and surau are sufficient to accommodate the state’s Muslim population,” he said in a statement.
