MUI Etum Reminds Zulhas About Prayer Jokes: Be Careful Of Party Leaders Joking With Religion

KEDIRI - Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) KH Anwar Iskandar gave advice to all leaders, kiai, ustaz, to be careful when saying more about religion.

He said this was in response to the joke from the Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Zulkifli Hasan about people who did not say the word amen and made a two-finger symbol when praying.

"That opinion will have a bad impact if you are not careful. This is a political nuance, a political atmosphere so that it will end up crowded. I hope to be careful, when the cleric recites carefully in joking, when the presidential candidate makes a speech or joke, be careful joking, when the party leader jokes using religious diction, I hope to be careful," he said in Kediri, East Java, as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, December 21.

He said the mention of "aamiin" is a sentence that is brought down by the Shari'a to be sounded after people finish reading the letter Al Fatihah or when people pray. The law of the mention of aamiin is sunnah.

Aamiin said, according to Anwar, it means that hopefully Allah will grant to me, granting my requests, requests from both parents, teachers. And, these words have existed since ancient times and even later.

In the context of the 2024 Presidential Election, he said, there are presidential and vice presidential candidates whose names happen to be Anies and the other Muhaimin. So to make it easier, the couple's name is abbreviated as "Amen" which means Anies Muhaimin.

"But these two sentences are not the same. One has a pure religious nuance, and one is a political nuance, a presidential election. Then recently there have also been kiai, ustaz, finally Mr. Zul, making jokes by linking people who are praying, because of his love for certain pairs of candidates and then saying that," said the caretaker of the Al Amin Ngasinan Islamic Boarding School, Kediri City, this.

Gus War, as he is familiarly called, said from the video he saw from a ustaz to displaying various messages about the fingers spoken during muhiyat, how Mazhab Maliki, Mazhab Syafi'i and others. Then, about those who support certain candidates, the time the muhiyat does not use one finger, but two fingers, that's a joke.

For this reason, his party gives advice to be more careful when saying. In addition, his party also hopes that the nation, the Indonesian people, will continue to maintain Indonesian unity, maintain Indonesia, create peaceful elections.

"Indonesia is safe, we should not be provoked because of this case, because of course we don't want that the election will result in the breaking of Indonesian unity because this unity is very expensive," he said.

Ketum MUI explained that in religion it is always taught to give advice. He explained that during the past the Prophet also always gave advice to be careful. There are friends who ask, who is the advice, and answer to the leaders, to the people, officials, political figures, scholars, ustaz, advised to be careful. Because sharpness of the mouth is more dangerous than sharp knives.

"The people are also advised not to be provoked by things that are not profitable. That still peaceful elections, elections are safe. There are differences, including differences in choice, yes, because that's how the dynamics of democracy but that doesn't mean that it can result in destroying Indonesian unity," said Gus War.