This means that Nyonya Tahir can be buried in a Buddhist cemetery.
The front page Utusan Melayu today covered the matter.
Nyonya Tahir bukan Islam -- Mahkamah Syariah benarkan si mati disemadi cara Buddha
Oleh TARMIZI ABDUL RAHIM
SEREMBAN 23 Jan. - Mahkamah Tinggi Syariah di sini hari ini memutuskan bahawa Nyonya Tahir, wanita Melayu beragama Islam tetapi didakwa mengamalkan cara hidup orang Cina dan ajaran Buddha sejak lebih 80 tahun lalu, bukan beragama Islam semasa kematiannya.
Hakim Mohd. Shukor Sabudin dalam keputusannya juga membenarkan mayat Nyonya yang disimpan di rumah mayat Hospital Tampin sejak kematiannya Jumaat lalu, diserahkan kepada keluarga wanita itu untuk disemadikan mengikut agama Buddha.
Beliau berkata, keputusan itu dibuat berdasarkan bidang kuasa Mahkamah Syariah untuk mendengar dan membicarakan kes-kes berkaitan dengan kepentingan orang Islam termasuk masalah akidah di negara ini.
Katanya, keputusan itu juga berdasarkan afidavit anak bongsu Nyonya, Chiang Ah Fatt, 40, dan keterangan bersama kakak Ah Fatt, Kwang Ying, 43, di mahkamah hari ini.
``Mahkamah yang berpuas hati dengan keterangan-keterangan tersebut memutuskan bahawa Nyonya yang memegang kad pengenalan bernombor 180425-04-5054 @ 02033418 adalah bukan beragama Islam semasa kematiannya.
``Mahkamah juga membenarkan keluarga dan warisnya menguruskan pengebumian Nyonya. Hospital Tampin juga diarahkan supaya menyerahkan mayat ini kepada keluarganya,'' kata beliau.
Beliau berkata demikian dalam penghakiman lisan selepas mendengar permohonan sebelah pihak (ex-parte) oleh Majlis Agama Islam Negeri Sembilan (MAINS) dan Jabatan Hal Ehwal Agama Islam Negeri Sembilan (JAINS) serta pengarahnya berhubung pengisytiharan agama Nyonya.
Jumaat lalu, plaintif memohon keputusan mahkamah bagi menentukan status agama Nyonya dan permintaan keluarganya bagi dikebumikan mengikut adat Cina dan agama Buddha.
Plaintif-plaintif diwakili oleh peguam syarie, Siti Harlina Shahran manakala peguam syarie, Koo Chin Nam yang dibantu oleh Kevin Koo S. K. bertindak sebagai peguam pemerhati bagi keluarga Nyonya.
Sementara itu, peguam syarie, Muhamad Burok yang juga Presiden Persatuan Peguam Syarie Malaysia bertindak sebagai peguam pemerhati bagi pihak persatuan itu.
Terdahulu, Hakim Mohd. Shukor memetik tulisan ulama Islam, Sheikh Abu Sujak dari Kitab Kifayatul Akhyar yang bermaksud: ``Barang siapa yang keluar daripada Islam, ia diminta bertaubat tiga kali. Jika bertaubat, dan jika tidak dia dibunuh, dan tidak boleh dimandikan, tidak boleh disembahyangkan dan tidak boleh dikuburkan di perkuburan orang Islam.''
Pada prosiding pagi ini, Siti Harlina memaklumkan kepada mahkamah bahawa Ah Fatt mengemukakan afidavit bagi meminta supaya mayat ibunya itu disemadikan mengikut adat Cina dan agama Buddha.
Antara lain kandungan afidavit itu ialah keputusan laporan penyiasatan Pejabat Agama Islam Alor Gajah, Melaka pada 7 Mei 1986 mengenai laporan bersekedudukan antara Nyonya dan suaminya, Chiang Meng.
Dokumen penyiasatan itu ditulis oleh Pemeriksa Hal Ehwal Agama 1 Daerah Alor Gajah, Melaka, Ab. Azit Abdullah melalui kadi daerah yang dialamatkan kepada Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam Melaka.
Sementara itu, Kwai Ying berkata, ibunya membuat wasiat dalam akuan bersumpah bahawa dia tidak akan kembali kepada agama Islam dan meminta disemadikan mengikut agama Buddha.
Dalam pada itu, Pegawai Agama Alor Gajah Melaka, Kamarul Saman Yaacub, 42, yang turut dipanggil memberi keterangan, mengesahkan laporan yang dibuat oleh Ab. Azit itu.
Beliau turut mengemukakan salinan asal dokumen itu kepada mahkamah.
Nyonya, 89, meninggal dunia kerana sakit tua kira-kira pukul 4 petang, Jumaat lalu di rumahnya di Taman Indah, Tampin dekat sini.
Status agama Nyonya disedari oleh anggota polis di Balai Polis Tampin apabila anak dan cucunya datang membuat laporan kematian.
Ini kerana dalam salinan kad pengenalan Nyonya jelas menunjukkan dia Melayu dan beragama Islam sedangkan anaknya menggunakan nama Cina dan beragama Buddha.
The news was also covered by Bernama, Malaysia's national news agency.
Syariah Court Decides Nyonya Tahir Not A Muslim
SEREMBAN, Jan 23 (Bernama) -- The Syariah High Court, here Monday decided that an 89-year-old Malay woman, Nyonya Tahir, was a non-Muslim when she died last Thursday and allowed her family to bury her according to Buddhist rites.
Judge Mohd Shukor Sabudin made the decision after hearing the ex-parte application by the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Council (MAINS), Negeri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Department (JHEAINS) and the JHEAINS director.
He also took into consideration an affidavit submitted by Nyonya's youngest son, Chiang Ah Fatt, 40, as well as the evidence adduced by Ah Fatt and his elder sister, Chiang Kwang Ying, 43.
"The court permits the next-of-kin of the deceased to conduct her burial. The court orders the Tampin Hospital to hand over the body to her next-of-kin," he said.
MAINS and JHEAINS had applied last Friday for the court's decision on the religious status of Nyonya and the request of her family to bury her according to Buddhist rites.
The plaintiffs were represented by Syariah lawyer Siti Harlina Shahran while Syariah lawyer Koo Chin Nam, assisted by Kevin Koo S K, held a watching brief for Nyonya's family.
Syariah lawyer Muhamad Burok, who is chairman of the Syariah Lawyers Association of Malaysia, held a watching brief for the association.
Also present during Monday's proceedings were JHEAINS Director Datuk Zaharudin Mohd Shariff, Repah State Assemblyman Datuk Gan Chin Yap, Temiang State Assemblyman Datuk Lee Yuen Fong, Rahang State Assemblyman Datuk Yip Chee Keong and Chuah State Assemblyman Foo Ming Chee.
Ah Fatt's affidavit, among other things, referred to the report of an investigation by the Alor Gajah Islamic Affairs Office in Melaka on May 7, 1986 on Nyonya and her husband, Chiang Meng.
The report stated that Nyonya was born in 1918 in Alor Gajah, Melaka, and had been raised by her grandmother, who was a Malay married to a Chinese convert of Hailam descent.
The investigation had shown that Nyonya had been raised as a Buddhist and that at the age of 18 years, in 1936, she married a Chinese man, Chiang Meng, and they had 13 children. Nyonya practised Buddhism and her husband never embraced Islam. The report stated that Nyonya had declared that she wanted to remain a Buddhist and that upon her death she wanted to be buried according to Buddhist rites.
Ah Fatt, when asked by the court, said he had submitted the affidavit because he wanted to ask the court to hand over his mother's body for burial according to Buddhist rites.
He said his mother had never practised Islam and had consistently adopted the Chinese way of life and had been a loyal Buddhist.
"I lived with my mother until she died and all the while she had only practised Buddhism and never Islam," he said.
Kwai Ying said that when her mother fell ill recently, she had asked to be buried next to the grave of her husband.
"My mother's Chinese name was Wong Ah Kiu. We went to the National Registration Department in 1986 to change her name but the application was rejected," she said.
Nyonya had died of old age at her Taman Indah home in Tampin. The status of her religion became a point of contention when her children and grandchildren came to report her death at the Tampin police station.
Eight of Nyonya's 13 children were at the Syariah Court as early as 8 am to wait for its decision. Kwai Ying said the family was relieved upon hearing the decision of the court.
JHEAINS Director Datuk Zaharudin handed over the court order to Ah Fatt at the Tampin Hospital at about 5.50 pm. Tampin District Police Chief Supt Zull Aznam Haron also handed over the death certificate and burial permit.
Nyonya's body was taken by the family from the Tampin Hospital mortuary straight to the Simpang Ampat Chinese cemetery in Alor Gajah for burial.
I've put my comments in tooltips. You'll have to put your cursor over the underlined phrases.
I found a comment that was quite interesting.
Mengapa mayat orang mati perlu direbut untuk ditanam?.
Mengapa semasa ia hidup tidak ada dakwah yang dilakukan? (ada ke?).
Adakah orang Islam yang tidak dikuburkan di perkuburan Islam akan hilang keislamannya?
Adakah orang Melayu mesti ditanam di perkuburan Islam?
Adakah orang yang dilahirkan Islam mesti dikuburkan cara Islam?
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