Man accused of heresy offered to give woman a shower

A woman, who attended four classes by a man accused of teaching a doctrine contrary to Islamic laws, told the court that he had asked her if she wanted to be showered by him during one such session.

On June 27, the woman testified that she had declined the offer. She added that former massage therapist Mohd Razif Radi also asked if he could watch her perform ablution – something a Muslim must do before praying.

The woman, who cannot be named due to a gag order, told District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan that the ritual involves using water to clean certain body parts, such as the forehead and ears.

She said she did not agree to Razif’s request as she would have had to loosen her headscarf to perform the ritual. The woman told the court that doing so in front of him was not permissible in Islam, and added: “(After that) he didn’t show happiness. He said he could take me to Changi to show me that he could bring down the moon... to show that he had extra... power.

“What came to mind was (magician) David Copperfield doing tricks.”

The woman refused to follow Razif to Changi, and did not return for a fifth session.

Razif, 66, is claiming trial to a charge under the Administration of Muslim Law Act.

The Singaporean, who has never been an Islamic teacher under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme, allegedly taught his followers that gambling could be made permissible and that a man and a woman could be formally married through a “spiritual marriage”.

He is also accused of claiming to be able to summon the spirit of Mbah, who was purportedly Prophet Muhammad or from the Prophet’s lineage.

Muis states on its website that gambling is prohibited in Islam.

It also says on its website that a spiritual marriage is one that occurs without several elements, such as witnesses, a formal solemnisation and dowry.

Muis adds: “In most cases, there are no limitations on the number of women ‘married’ to a man through such deviant spiritual marriages.

“Such acts occur either between followers of a particular teaching or between the teacher and his students.”

The woman testified on June 27 that around 2010 to 2012, she was working for a certain organisation when one of her female colleagues asked her if she wanted to attend a “group discussion”.

Details about the pair’s then workplace cannot be disclosed due to a gag order.

The witness told the court that she felt compelled to go, even though she did not know what the session was about. She also said she was unaware at the time that the discussions would eventually lead to religious classes.

She went to a shophouse in the Arab Street area one Tuesday evening where she met Razif. She said five or six other women attended the session, and he was the only man there.

The woman told Judge Shaiffudin: “He introduced himself (and talked about) which places of learning he went to... (I) didn’t focus much, but he mentioned ‘pesantren’... (which is) a place where you learn about religion.”

During the second session, the attendees were given notes which specified a method they could use to cleanse themselves, the court heard.

The woman testified that during the third session, she was asked if she had memorised how to perform this particular cleansing method, and she lied that she had done so.

During the fourth session, the witness said that she was using a toilet in the shophouse when she heard the sound of water splashing nearby.

The other women in the class later told her that one of them was being showered by Razif.

Soon after, the court heard that he asked the witness if she wanted to go through the same procedure and she declined.

The woman told the court that Razif also asked her if he could see her performing her pre-prayer ablution, claiming that he could be her “witness in the hereafter on the Day of Judgment”.

She testified that she turned him down and stopped attending the classes after that.

The trial resumes on June 28.