KUALA LUMPUR – Kelantan-born lawyer Nik Elin Zurina Nik Abdul Rashid has rubbished a report about her leading prayers for her husband, who is a Muslim convert.
Nik Elin said the report has portrayed her as a “liberal-minded” individual who had served as an imam for her husband, suggesting deviant teachings.
She explained that it was her duty to teach her husband, who has been a Muslim convert since 2011, the teachings of Islam.
“I guided him, taught him how to pray. I know better, he didn’t know much (at that time) other than ‘bismillahirahmannirahim’. (So), it’s not right for me to let him pray on his own (at that time),” she told Scoop when contacted.
“Even so, thank heavens that he wanted to learn how to pray. We have a duty to teach these reverts how to pray, pay zakat (tithe) and all that. It’s our responsibility, seeing as we have ‘invited’ such mualafs to revert to Islam.”
For context, it is not permissible for Muslim women to lead prayers for men. However, they may lead a congregation of other women.
Nik Elin also reprimanded an English-language news outlet that had run an article with the claim recently.
“I’ve asked them to take down the article. (I had no idea) where they got such information, seeing that it (probably) came from a dubious news portal, which I’ve planned to sue,” she said.
“This ‘misconception’ is a slander that has been around for some time. But it surfaced again after the recent Federal Court’s decision.”
Nik Elin became the talk of the town again after the Federal Court, on Friday, ruled in her favour when they nullified 16 provisions under the Kelantan shariah law in the constitutional challenge that she and her daughter Tengku Yasmin Natasha Tengku Abdul Rahman brought to court. – February 11, 2024