PASIR MAS: A former motivation camp near Danau Tok Uban here which later turned into a base for a deviant teaching group, has now become a quiet settlement.
Before this, the place was believed to be the second base for the "Asmaul Husna" group, filled with their followers but not anymore.
Sources said the founder of the deviant teaching group bought the place several years ago at a price of more than RM200,000 and turned it into their base early last year.
However, after more than seven months, the activities of the group were detected by local enforcement agencies and religious authorities, prompting the followers to leave in stages.
"The place started to operate early last year and since then, they started to recruit followers.
"The founder would organise various religious activities and gatherings several times a month which drew between 100 and 150 participants at a time.
"But when the authorities declared the 'Asmaul Husna' teachings as heretical and misleading in a few states such as Negeri Sembilan, the founder started reducing activities and gatherings at the base.
"This led to the followers, majority of whom were female and from professional groups from all over the country as well as overseas, to return to their respective states," said the sources.
The sources said the founder decided to set up the base here as it is located in an isolated area and far from other villages.
"Part of the area is also surrounded by a lake to make it easier for the founder to bring in followers as the lake is connected to a river," the sources said.
During a recent visit by the NST, the area now looks abandoned.
However, a man who claimed to be the 'guard' for the place, was seen standing near one of the buildings believed to be a venue for the group to carry out its activities.
There were at least five dilapidated buildings, a kitchen, a hall and a surau which was used by the group before they started to leave the place in stages beginning last September.
Along the way, there were more than 20 signboards of 'zikir' script written in simple Arabic words and Bahasa Malaysia.
It was reported in December last year that the teachings of "Asmaul Husna" from a certain individual, was allegedly deviant from Islam.
The teaching also allegedly surfaced in Pahang and a fatwa was issued on it as it was a deviation from the accepted "Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah".
It is understood that the teachings had also been declared as misleading in Terengganu and several other states.