The Understanding of Fatwa on Islamic Decree among Muslim Youth in the State of Selangor

Abstract

Religious rulings (fatwa) issued by the Department of Fatwa (Selangor) on matters related to Islamic decrees, such as the prohibitions of deviant teachings and ideologies that are contrary to Islam, such as Al-Arqam, Shia, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Qadiani, liberalism, pluralism, anti-hadith, Islamic State, and others, as a guideline for Muslims, especially young Muslims, not to get involved with these associations. The rulings have been issued, but the question is whether Muslim youth know about the prohibitions of deviant teachings and ideologies that are widely spread in Malaysia now. This study aims to identify the level of understanding of religious rulings on Islamic decree among Muslim youth in Selangor. This study uses a quantitative approach involving the method of review (survey) by utilizing a questionnaire. The instrument was built based on the existing rulings regarding the Islamic decree issued by the Department. There are a total of 1099 young Muslims aged between 17-20 years old who were selected as respondents with stratified group sampling method. The findings indicate that there are items that show the youth have a high level of knowledge of the religious rulings on Islamic decrees, such as issues of Valentine’s Day. Some items indicate a medium level of knowledge among the youth, such as issues on liberalism, secularism, and anti-hadith, and some items indicate a low level of knowledge among them, such as issues related to Hizbut Tahrir and Qadiani. The study implies that the department needs to use a more effective medium for the dissemination of religious ruling knowledge among the Muslim youth who actively use the internet and new social media. This is important to ensure that this group gets accurate current information about religious rulings.