PARIT: Poverty of the ummah will become worse if leaders are more concerned with building wealth for themselves, their own families and cliques, said the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah.
The Sultan said wealth obtained in a sudden and dubious manner would create individuals who were artificially and temporarily rich.
“Such material wealth not complemented by mental and intellectual wealth, knowledge acquisition and spirituality is false wealth which only creates a culture of ostentatiousness, extravagance and wastage.
“What happen will be leakage of resources, blighted development and high rates of unemployment, migration, smuggling and crime, coupled with various social problems,” Sultan Azlan said when launching the state-level Maulidur Rasul celebration at the Raudhatul Mardhiah Mosque grounds, here, yesterday.
The ruler said the situation would ultimately affect public order, besides threatening political stability and raising costs in maintaining safety and national security.
“As a result, the ummah (community) will increasingly suffer as they are caught in the vicious cycle of poverty.”
The Sultan said building wealth for the ummah should be through legitimate means based on the formula of equal justice to ensure their overall prosperity.
He said actions that helped the creation of sudden wealth to the extent of contravening laws, and that was controlled by a few greedy individuals should be disallowed.
Sultan Azlan said the well-being of a people and nation was much influenced by the character and wisdom of the leaders.
“Honest traders and distinguished and authoritative ulama will come about in a country where the leaders are godly.
“If the leaders realise their big responsibility to the ummah and nation, and their even bigger responsibility to Allah, then there will be prosperity for the people and country.
“The nation’s resources will be managed efficiently and transparently, its wealth distributed fairly and not wasted, while the interest of the majority is the priority.”
Therefore, said the Sultan, it was important for Muslims to return to honourable leadership as enjoined by the Prophet.
“The Prophet’s governance held strong to rules, addressed each mistake and forbade defying God’s laws even it involved family members, relatives and close friends,” he said.
At the event, Sultan Azlan also presented the “Tokoh Keluarga Mithali” award to former Perak chief kadi Sulaiman Ismail, 76, the “Tokoh Guru Sekolah Agama Rakyat” award to Khamudah Ghazali, 70, and “Tokoh Pendakwah” award to Perak Information Organisation committee member, Dr Mohamed Amir Meera Hussain, 74.
Also present were Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Bainun, Raja Muda Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah and Raja Puan Besar Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, Raja Di Hilir Perak Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa and Raja Puan Muda Perak Raja Nor Mahani Raja Shahar Shah, and Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir. — Bernama