THE admission of a controversial preacher recently that he took unvaccinated travellers to perform umrah has shed a bad light on Islam and the moral duty of the believers.
Many viewed the admission of the preacher as insolent and irresponsible.
He admitted that he was unvaccinated, did not believe in vaccines, and that he had brought unvaccinated, like-minded travellers to Saudi Arabia.
He said he found many others in Makkah and Madinah, other than in Malaysia, who were unvaccinated, and that they claimed that the vaccines might contain HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).
He urged people who have been vaccinated to test for HIV.
"Stop worshipping the vaccines and stop making the World Health Organisation your God," he said in an Instagram post.
As much as this issue surprised many, it also raised questions as to how the travellers could slip out of the country and enter Saudi Arabia.
The only way they could deceive the authorities of both countries is that they had fake vaccination certificates. That must have been the case.
It could not have been the security at both exit and entry points as both Immigration Departments in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have ramped up travelling procedures.
Saudi Arabia requires travellers to complete both doses of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca to enter the country.
It is good that the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) urged relevant authorities to investigate and that the pilgrims are required to complete their vaccination with vaccines approved by the Saudi Arabian government upon entry.
In light of the spread of the Omicron variant, the Health Ministry decided to postpone all umrah trips, effective Jan 8, following a consequent increase in Covid-19 cases after the return of the pilgrims.
Seventeen travellers were detected to be unvaccinated. This left us bewildered as to how they were allowed to travel in the first place. I suspect anti-vaxxers who wish to travel overseas could buy fake vaccination certificates from unscrupulous medical practitioners these days.
Police in Terengganu recently arrested a 51-year-old private clinic doctor, suspected of issuing fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates. Preliminary investigations revealed 1,900 individuals were found to be dealing with this clinic (for vaccination purposes), and possibly got fake vaccination certificates.
For those who intend to go on a holiday, getting fake vaccination certificates at the price of RM400 to RM600 has become a "prerequisite" although it is pricier than applying for a Malaysian passport at RM300.
The Covid-19 vaccine is free of charge and it is ironic that they did not wish to be vaccinated for their own safety.
One who wishes to perform umrah must own up to his deeds. It is good to reap pahala , or rewards from God, through this religious ritual.
One must ensure that all his deeds and self-conduct are in congruent with what is deemed as permissible by the religion.
The nature of one's deeds before performing the haj or umrah must be lawful (halal). It means, circumventing the laws of his country or through deceit (for the excuse that he does not believe in vaccines, for instance), then it's impermissible for him to do so.
In a hadith from Sahih Bukhari and Sunan Tirmidhi, Saidina Abdullah ibn Umar narrated Prophet Muhammad who said: "It is necessary upon a Muslim to listen to and obey the ruler, as long as one is not ordered to carry out a sin. If he is commanded to commit a sin, then there is no adherence and obedience."
In other words, if a person cheats his way or tells a lie by buying a fake vaccination certificate to travel, he needs to reflect on the deeds he committed.
Saying "no" to the vaccine is a choice, but telling lies is a sin. The person's haj or umrah can be accepted by God, according to some clerics, but his moral code can always be questioned.
It is unfathomable why some people with good intentions resort to cheating to do a good thing.
It's not like Machiavellian's code where "the end justifies the mean" as the political allegory goes, but I believe one must set things right and do the right thing.
It's only good human behaviour, especially in areas where you need to earn God's grace and mercy.
The writer, a former NST journalist, is a film scriptwriter whose penchant is finding new food haunts
