In a video, he said any differences the two parties may have on the political front must not be regarded as having differences in their religious beliefs as well.

“It’s really sad that there are still many among the PAS grassroots who hold such extremist views after being influenced by their leaders, who had long planted the ideology that anyone voting for Umno becomes an infidel and will go to hell,” he said.

“Our fellow Muslims must learn to differentiate between Islam and a political party. Islam is a religion, PAS is a political party. These are two different things.

“Not joining PAS and not voting for PAS will never lessen one’s faith. Nor will voting for Umno lessen one’s faith. Islam is greater than any political party.”

He was commenting on a viral video of an elderly woman referring to Umno as being “kafir sampai kiamat” which translates to “infidels till the end of time”. She said this when she was approached by a young woman campaigning for a Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate.

The incident is believed to have taken place in Kelantan.

Yesterday, religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar advised Muslims not to accuse fellow Muslims of being “kafir” or infidels, Bernama reported.

Stating that such accusations are extremely serious and unwarranted, he warned that it could also cause unrest within the community and with other communities.