As Muslim groups condemn the G25 for speaking against khalwat raids, Perlis Mufti Asri Zainul Abidin points to Islamic scholars who share a similar anti-spying view.
G25 last weekend had said that Islam does not condone intrusion of personal spaces and that religious authorities should not be raiding homes to catch people committing khalwat (close proximity).
Muslims can be charged for khalwat if they are found to be alone with an unrelated member of the opposite sex in a private space.
In his Facebook posting, Asri quoted Imam al-Ghazali who in his book Ihya ‘Ulum al-Din said that wrongdoing should be opposed but there was no need for spying.
Al-Ghazali said Allah opposes all those who barge into someone’s home to catch someone in a compromising position.
Al-Ghazali also related how the caliph Umar al-Khattab climbed over a man’s fence to find the man in such a position.
The man, however, protested by saying that Allah opposes the act of spying for the sole purpose of finding fault and the intrusion of privacy and entering someone’s home without permission.
The scholar said Umar then left the man’s home and did not pursue the matter.
Asri also quoted the chairperson of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Yusuf al-Qaradhawi who said Islam only permits one to take action against a very clear wrongdoing.
'Oppose wrongdoing'
Qaradhawi had said the act of spying for these kind of purposes, including using electronic devices, was wrong.
Qaradhawi in his book Min Fiqh al-Daulah fi al-Islam also cited a hadith (sayings and traditions of the prophet) which states that those who commit wrongdoing in private will be dealt with by Allah in the afterlife.
Islamic preacher Wan Ji Wan Hussin, meanwhile, told Malaysiakini that there is no specific punishment for khalwat to be found in the Al-Quran or Hadith.
“Religious authorities must respect what has been defined as personal space.
“Even to punish someone who has committed zina (illicit sex), there must be four credible witnesses. This shows the importance placed on public space (in order to have four witnesses),” he explained.
In noting the debate between interpretations of personal and public space, Wan Ji said there should be a dialogue held between G25 and their critics, including the state muftis.
“Both parties have some basis to their arguments. If anyone wants to say anything about Islam, it must be based on the correct nas (evidence).
“You can’t just say someone can become an apostate (for saying something). That is Isis-style of Islam,” he said.
Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria had reportedly suggested that G25 must repent for their suggestion to review some aspects of the Syariah law in Malaysia, as it could potentially led them to become an apostate.
Earlier Muslim groups Perkasa and Isma slammed G25 for the call against khalwat raids.
Isma said the Quran says Muslims must oppose wrongdoing and command righteousness, while Perkasa called on Muslim intellectuals to oppose such “liberal” views.
