K-pop fans attend the vigil to mourn Jonghyun of SHINee at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur on December 21, 2017. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 — Perak mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria claimed today that Muslims are forbidden from joining the candlelight vigil in memory of the Korean pop star who died of suspected suicide this week.

The mufti asked about the necessity for Muslims to pray for a deceased non-Muslim to go to heaven especially when he allegedly committed suicide, after Astro Awani contacted him for his opinion.

“Cannot. You’re forbidden from doing that. If the artist or individual was Muslim, we gift him the al-Fatihah verse. If it’s a non-Muslim, why would we pray heaven for him instead?

“What more he committed suicide, why would we follow the culture of infidels? What for?” he was quoted saying.

In 2015, the national fatwa council had declared that participating in candlelight vigils is “haram”, or forbidden for Muslims.

The reason given was because such vigils are similar to other religions’ practice, and may threaten a Muslim’s faith.

On Thursday night, around 100 fans of the late Kim Jong-hyun from various ethnic and religious backgrounds gathered near Dataran Merdeka in the capital for a candlelight vigil in memory of him.

Coming from all over the Klang Valley, they held up glow sticks, torches, balloons and flowers as they mourned him. Most who attended were students.

The 27-year-old singer-songwriter was found unconscious at a private hotel in Seoul on Monday and died in the hospital. Police are treating his death as suicide.

In an apparent suicide note, Kim, better known as front man Jonghyun of the Korean-pop sensation SHINee, wrote that he was “broken from the inside”.