Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Role of the Mufti? According to Enakmen Pentadbiran Agama Islam (Negeri Melaka) 2002, the Melaka Mufti is not merely a religious advisor, but also the highest sharia authority in the state — from issuing fatwas to ensuring they are valid and legally enforceable What is the qaul muktamad used to issue fatwas? The Fatwa Committee should generally follow the qaul muktamad (accepted opinions) of the Shafi'i School. If the qaul muktamad in the Shafi'i School conflicts with public interest, the Fatwa Committee may follow the qaul muktamad of the Hanafi, Maliki or Hanbali schools. If none of the qaul muktamad from these four schools is suitable for the public interest, the Fatwa Committee may issue a fatwa based on ijtihad without being bound to those schools as long as it does not contradict the Quran and the Sunnah. What are the implications of violating or challenging a fatwa? According to the Administration of Islamic Religion Enactment (State of Melaka) 2002, Section 37(2):

“After any fatwa is gazetted, it becomes binding upon all Muslims in the State of Melaka, and shall be respected and complied with by all Syariah Courts.”

Violating a fatwa that has been gazetted in Melaka is an offence, in terms of:

• Shariah (sinful and contrary to religious law)
• State law (may be fined and imprisoned under shariah enactments)

What is meant by the qibla direction? Qibla linguistically means the direction one faces. The qibla referred to is the Kaabah. Meanwhile, according to astronomy (ilm al-falak), the qibla refers to the direction facing the Kaabah on the globe of the Earth by the shortest distance. Scholars agree that facing the qibla is one of the conditions for the validity of prayer except in certain permitted situations such as prayers during war and voluntary prayers while travelling. Allah SWT says in Surah al-Baqarah verse 150 which means: And from wherever you go out (for prayer), turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram (the Kaabah); and wherever you are, turn your faces toward it. Thus, the qibla direction means nothing other than the direction that every Muslim must face when performing the five obligatory daily prayers. This direction must be known with certainty or qat’ie especially for those who are nearby and can see the Kaabah building. It is narrated that “indeed the Messenger of Allah (SAW) prayed two rak'ahs facing the Kaabah: and he said: This is the qibla” How to determine the qibla direction? Determining the qibla direction can be done in various ways. First, one needs to know the qibla azimuth value for their location. For Malaysia, the azimuth value is between 291 degrees and 293 degrees. Methods for determining the qibla include using a compass, the istiwa’ a’dzam method, the sun transit method along the qibla direction, the solar guide method (method of obtaining the qibla direction through the daily position of the sun), the sunrise and sunset method, and the star constellation method. What is meant by istiwa a’dzam? Based on the variation of sunrise and sunset directions on the Earth's surface, the sun will pass over the Kaabah and be at the istiwa’ position twice a year, namely on 28 May (at 5:16 PM) and 16 July (at 5:28 PM) in common years and one day earlier, on 27 May and 15 July, in leap years. At this time the shadows of upright objects that are visible will point toward the Kaabah. Can the qibla be determined by constellations in the sky? There is a constellation that is often associated with the qibla direction, namely Buruj 'Orion' or Belantik. This constellation will be overhead at Maghrib time between January and March. The stars within this constellation are relatively bright and easy to see. This constellation has three stars aligned pointing almost to the northwest, which is the qibla direction. But it should be noted that the Buruj 'Orion' method is only suitable and can be used in Malaysia or neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and southern Thailand. How to apply for a qibla direction measurement?