GEORGE TOWN: Penang Mufti Datuk Seri Dr Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor advised Muslims in the country to check the background of any scholar or group before accepting their teachings to avoid being deceived.
He cautioned against being too quick to believe claims that someone is a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad without verifying it first, stating that blind bigotry can close a person's mind to the truth.
"I would like to remind Malaysians, especially the Muslim community, that a noble lineage does not benefit a person if he does not obey the laws and religious teachings as delivered by the Prophet. A faithful and pious servant is better than someone who is a descendant of the Prophet but is evil and unrighteous.
"I support Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar's advice that society avoids blindly following claims of descent from Prophet Muhammad.
"Such bigotry causes a person's mind to shut from seeing the truth. So check a person's background first so that it is not easy to become a victim of deception by individuals or groups with interests," he said today.
The public has been reminded to distance themselves from any form of religious fanaticism and cult following of Mawla Mohamed Amin al-Hassani– a man claiming to be a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad.
Mohd Na'im said that fanaticism and extremism in any matter were dangerous to oneself and society.
He said it could cause individuals to be easily influenced by claims made by certain individuals or groups.
Previously, Harian Metro reported that the police were monitoring the activities of a man– known as 'Mawla Amin' among his followers– claiming to be a Moroccan who is the 38th descendant of Prophet Muhammad.
Mawla Amin claims to be a Moroccan citizen but has been found to hold French-Algerian citizenship and has no connection whatsoever to the sacred lineage of Islam's most revered prophet.
This was confirmed by the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Asean Affairs Division, through feedback obtained by Harian Metro's 'Skuad Khas'.
Elaborating, Wan Salim said a person who claims to have the lineage of the Prophet must present a valid document from the authorities of his country such as a court, Islamic religious council or a well-known scholar association.
"I do not deny that the descendants of the Prophet still exist to this day, namely from Bani Hashim and Bani Abdul Muttalib. However, we need to be careful not to fall victim to the deception of irresponsible individuals or groups who claim to be the great-grandchildren of the Prophet.
"Therefore, a person who claims to have that lineage needs to be asked to submit a valid document from an authority from his country," he added.
Wan Salim said he supported the actions of the police who were monitoring the movements of the man and his followers.
"If there is evidence that they committed the crime of deceiving the public for the benefit of themselves and their group, then the police need to take firm action to bring them to justice," he said.
Meanwhile, Wan Salim also shared his experience when he was invited as a guest for the Prophet's 'selawat' ceremony with the man in question two years ago at a public university here.
He, however, did not attend after doubting the validity of the man's claim.
"I doubt his claims based on the information I obtained from Malaysian student sources in Morocco, who know the individual's background," he shared.