The History of the Perak Mufti Institution

It all began during the reign of Sultan Iskandar, when the Perak Mufti Institution was established in 1935. In that year, as a start, Sultan Iskandar appointed Tuan Haji Muhammad Zain Bin Muhammad Amin as the first Mufti of Perak.

Who was Tuan Haji Muhammad Zain Bin Muhammad Amin? For the information of all our loyal readers at orangperak.com, Tuan Haji Muhammad Zain Bin Muhammad Amin was actually the religious teacher to Sultan Iskandar. He was the reference point for the Sultan of Perak regarding matters of the Islamic religion and other related affairs.

Did you know that the Public Hall on Jalan Istana Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar was originally the Perak Mufti's Office, and before it became the Mufti's Office, the building was used as the Office of the Private Secretary to His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak. Just to get to know the Sultan's religious teacher, Tuan Haji Muhammad Zain was the father of Dato Seri Haji Ali Zaini, the former Speaker of the Perak State Assembly who was well-respected and honored by many. In 1941, the first Mufti of Perak, Tuan Haji Muhammad Zain, passed away. List of Perak Muftis:

1. Tuan Haji Muahammad Zain bin Muhammad Amin (1935-1941)
2. Tuan Haji Ismail bin Haji Hamzah (1941-1954)
3. Tuan Haji Muhammad Tahir bin Muhammad Saman (1955-1957)
4. Tuan Haji Sha'aya bin Abdul Majid (1957-1963)
5. Dato' Haji Abu Hassan bin Abdul Majid DPMP (1963-1977)
6. Dato' Haji Muhammad Ghazali bin Haji Abdullah (1977-1981)
7. Dato' Seri Haji Abdul Malek bin Haji Nordin (1981-1985)
8. Tan Sri Dato' Seri Haji Harussani bin Haji Zakaria (1985 to present)

After the death of the first Mufti of Perak, the position of the second Mufti of Perak was held by Tuan Haji Ismail Hamzah. He later passed away on October 5, 1954, and on November 1, 1955, Tuan Haji Tahir was appointed, serving until his retirement on December 31, 1957, as the third Mufti of Perak. The vacancy for the fourth Mufti of Perak was then filled by Tuan Haji Sha’aya bin Abdul Majid, who passed away on July 12, 1963. Following that, the position of Mufti of Perak was held by Dato’ Haji Abu Hassan bin Abdul Majid DPMP as the fifth Mufti of Perak. When he retired in 1977, the position was succeeded by Dato’ Haji Muhammad Ghazali bin Haji Abdullah as the sixth Mufti of Perak, who later retired in 1981. Subsequently, Orang Kaya Kaya Imam Paduka Tuan, Dato’ Haji Abdul Malek bin Haji Nordin, filled the position of the seventh Mufti of Perak, and in 1985, Dato Haji Abdul Malek concluded his service. Finally, in 1985, the position of the eighth Mufti of Perak was assumed by Dato’ Seri Haji Harussani bin Haji Zakaria, who holds the position to this day.