KUALA LUMPUR: Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah decreed that the Federal and state governments must accord proper respect and attention to the resolutions made by the Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia (MKI).
The Sultan of Perak, who is chairman of MKI, said at its 74th meeting this morning that the recommendations of the committee must be honoured and implemented. He warned that failure to do so would render the council ineffective.
"Greater importance must now be placed on the commitment to follow through on these recommendations, lest they remain merely as written resolutions, lost amid layers of documentation," said Sultan Nazrin.
He said resolutions that were honoured and implemented would deliver tangible benefits to the people, enhance the standing of the government, and deepen respect for, understanding of, and appreciation towards Islam, not only among Muslims but also within the wider non-Muslim community.
Also present at the meeting was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He also voiced concern over the loss of moral compass among segments of the Muslim community, adding that materialism, ambition for position, and intoxication with power had eroded ethical boundaries. Sultan Nazrin said that material wealth had assumed the role of a new creed for certain quarters of Muslims.
"In their relentless competition, ethical boundaries are crossed, humanity erodes, and base instincts prevail, allowing the strong to prey upon the weak. Integrity is sacrificed in the pursuit of worldly gain. Bribery is wielded to secure allegiance, and slander is deployed to destroy rivals," he said.
"Humanity appears to regress towards a new age of ignorance, enslaved to power other than the Divine, fearing fellow human beings more than Allah, and neglecting the essence of true monotheism."
He said positions and power were tests of faith and God-consciousness.
"Without faith, they could erode devotion to the Oneness of Allah and shift obedience away from divine command towards human decree."
He said Islam was founded upon truth and the upholding of truth, and that a person firm in tawhid would never fear the loss of position or power.