PAS Secretary-General Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan recently came under fire after he was quoted as linking PAS membership, support and votes to the possibility of obtaining a ticket to heaven.
AMANAH Vice-President Datuk Mahfuz Omar has since criticised Takiyuddin over the statement, saying that such remarks could create the perception that Muslims who choose other parties are somehow on the wrong path and have no place in heaven.
Takiyuddin hassan
Takiyuddin Hassan claims voting for PAS could earn “heaven” Stamp
In a statement, the former PAS MP hit back at the remarks, questioning when a ballot paper became a “passport to the afterlife” and when a political party was given the authority to determine a person’s final destination in the hereafter.
“PAS’ office is not an afterlife immigration office where people can get a visa to heaven. Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan’s claim that supporting or joining PAS could lead someone to heaven is a very serious one and should be firmly criticised.
“PAS can ask Malaysians to support the party and urge them to vote for PAS. But PAS has never been given the mandate by the Almighty to decide who will enter heaven.”
Mahfuz also reminded political parties not to become so focused on winning elections that they resort to using heaven as “currency” to win the people’s votes.
Mahfuz omar
Mahfuz said the claim that joining or supporting PAS could lead someone to heaven was a serious one and should be strongly criticised.
“Heaven belongs to the Almighty. PAS should not act as though it is the gatekeeper of heaven, where those who vote for the party are allowed in while those who do not are left outside.
“If becoming a PAS member, voting for and supporting the party can lead someone to heaven, does that mean Muslims who do not join, vote for or support PAS will be considered to be going to hell?”
Mahfuz also hit back at the claim with a sarcastic analogy, saying that the PAS office is not an “afterlife immigration counter” that can issue a “stamp to heaven” based on someone’s party membership or political support.
“What happens to Muslims who do not vote for PAS?”
Mahfuz said that if political parties genuinely want to make politics part of the Islamic struggle, they should focus on issues such as trust, justice, corruption, poverty, education, public welfare and good governance.
He stressed that Islamic values should be reflected through how a party governs and conducts itself, rather than by claiming that supporting a particular party is a ticket to the hereafter.
“Islam teaches us that a person’s standing before Allah is determined by faith, piety, good deeds, justice, trustworthiness and the mercy of the Almighty — not the colour of a flag, a party logo or the candidate number on a ballot paper.
“If becoming a PAS member, voting for and supporting PAS leads to heaven, does that mean Muslims who do not join, vote for or support PAS will be considered to be going to hell? The people’s votes should not be traded for promises of heaven.”
Mahfuz also urged political parties not to let the pursuit of electoral victory turn heaven into bait or religion into a political weapon.
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Also read: PAS: If We Become Govt, Non-Muslims Will Not Be Oppressed & We Will Respect Freedom of Lifestyles
