Religious Affairs Minister urges not to judge people on the basis of a fragment of a sermon
Surabaya (ANTARA) - The Minister of Religious Affairs (Menag), Nasaruddin Umar, reminded the public not to blame someone merely from a fragment of a sermon when delivering the Subuh sermon at the National Al-Akbar Mosque in Surabaya, on Saturday, amid the controversy over his remarks about zakat that had gone viral on social media.
“Do not blame a person from a fragment of a sermon; perhaps we have not yet reached what the preacher meant. It is like the Sufi Al-Hallaj (858-922 CE) who was executed for heresy, but the blood flowing from his body eventually formed ‘la ilaha illallah’ to indicate that he was right,” he said.
In the sermon at the National Al-Akbar Mosque in Surabaya, attended by around 1,000 people, Nasaruddin Umar explained that the viral fragment of his remarks about zakat of 2.5 percent did not mean that he regarded zakat as not obligatory.
“However, the empowerment of the ummah is not enough with zakat; there is wakaf, infak, sedekah, and many other religious funds that need to be optimised so that the poverty of the umat is overcome,” he said.
On that occasion, he also urged the MAS administrators to make the mosque a model of strengthening the empowerment of the ummah’s economy through optimising religious social funds.
He noted that a number of countries such as Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates are able to mobilise large religious social funds through the Wakaf Ministry to boost the productivity of society.
“Let us make Masjid Al-Akbar an example in the effort to optimise religious social funds for the empowerment of the jamaah. In Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, through the Wakaf Ministry, they can mobilise religious social funds up to 25-40 percent for community empowerment so that people are more productive and socially and economically sustainable,” he said.
The Minister of Religious Affairs also called on worshippers to make Ramadan a moment to elevate the dignity of religion.
He emphasised that Islamic teachings urge the community to continually improve faith, patience, gratitude, and righteous deeds.
“Everything is created with dignity; there is dignity below and there is dignity above. Humans originally come from the heavens, then descend to earth, and will rise to the heavens again,” he said.
At the start of the sermon, the Menag also urged the congregation to recite Surah Al-Fatihah to pray for the late Try Sutrisno, one of the founders of Masjid Al-Akbar Surabaya, who died on 2 March 2026.
In addition, he also handed over religious social assistance amounting to Rp100 million to the Agency for the Management of the National Al-Akbar Surabaya Mosque.