Man accused of teaching doctrine contrary to Islamic laws needed 13 wives, says ex-follower

SINGAPORE – A former massage therapist accused of teaching a doctrine contrary to Islamic laws took part in a “spiritual marriage” and needed 13 wives, one of his former followers said on June 26.

The former follower said: “He suggested that we do (spiritual marriage) and look for ladies out there to pursue his belief to get these 13 wives.”

But he could not recall the reasons behind the need to get the wives.

The man, who took the stand on the third day of Mohd Razif Radi’s trial, was the fourth witness to testify before District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan.

The witness, who cannot be named due to a gag order, said he was present when Razif took a female business owner as his “wife” in one such spiritual marriage.

In earlier proceedings, the court heard that Razif would get “possessed” by a “spirit” called Mbah.

On June 26, the witness testified that he was later told that Mbah was Prophet Muhammad.

The man added that according to Razif, Mbah was the kadi or solemniser in spiritual marriages while angels and Allah (God) were witnesses in such unions.

The witness told the court that he and his then wife attended Razif’s classes together from 2004 to 2007.

The woman continued to attend them after he stopped doing so. She later became cold towards him and wanted a divorce in 2008.

The divorce was finalised two years later, and their daughter was three years old at the time. The woman now has full custody of the girl, the court heard.

The man did not state if the woman became one of Razif’s spiritual wives, but she later set up a business with the former massage therapist.

The witness told Judge Shaiffudin that he later found out that the marriages of other men had also ended similarly.

The witness, who met one of the men, told the court: “(The man) told me that this had to be stopped... (We) went to Muis (the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore) for advice on what we had to do.

“It took a long time for Muis to get back to us... After a while, we didn’t hear anything from them.”

According to court documents, Razif, 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”.

The Singaporean 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 man who testified on June 26 told the court that a friend introduced him to Razif in 2004.

Responding to queries from Deputy Public Prosecutor Hidayat Amir, the man told the court that some of the classes were held in another follower’s Teck Whye home.

There were also instances when the group met at other locations, including a beach.

The man recalled that during one such session near the sea, Razif told the group to look at the water and predicted that waterspouts would appear.

Recalling that the natural phenomenon occurred soon after, the witness said: “I saw with my own eyes, and I was amazed. (The others) were astonished.”

The man said he then felt that Razif was the “real deal” and added: “We believed in what he said and would never object to what he encouraged us to do.”

The witness testified that Razif’s followers were encouraged to place bets with Singapore Pools and that the winnings would be used to supplement the group’s income.

The man told the court: “He made us believe that whatever we did would be forgiven... I was (earlier) taught that gambling is not permitted.”

The witness recalled that he was present when a “spiritual marriage” took place between a businesswoman and Razif in a small room within her Joo Chiat shop.

But defence lawyer Simon Tan pointed out that according to the woman, who testified on June 25, the event did not happen.

Instead, the woman had told the court that she kept silent when the idea was proposed to her, and she stopped seeing Razif soon after.

When confronted with this on June 26, the male witness insisted that the spiritual marriage had indeed taken place.

The trial resumes on June 27.